You rush through the cold halls of the castle, forgoing your legs entirely and instead opting to rocket through the air. Your control is precise, and your memory of the residence's layout is near perfect, allowing you to navigate the labyrinthine construction with celerity and precision few in your position could replicate. Your boots only touch the ground the moment you reach your destination, the faint clunk of your mass alighting on the floor beneath quickly proceeded by the creaking swing of the heavy wooden door.

"Good, you’ve come.”

The Duke’s office, lit brithter than ever as every torch-holder and lamp burns with light and fuel, has been transfigured from administrative center to war room, generals, advisers, and even clergy all huddled around a map at the center of the table. The Duke acknowledges you, gesturing for you to go to his side as he lays small wooden blocks across the flattened streets of Gladisgard.

“We’ve secured the choke points and reinforced the center wall.” K’tann declares, “The problem is more the assailants than the monsters.”

You nod, but remain silent as the room devolves into arguments. One faction, headed mostly by the secular administration of the city, are insistent that splitting their resources to chase the hooded figures would only weaken their forces and, in the worst case, lead to the city collapsing. The other, headed by the clergy but strongly favored by general K’tann, instead argue that complacency will only lead to this attack being repeated, and that the passive stance is entirely unsustainable. The duke, weary and unsure of what best to do, instead turns his attention to you and Rykov.

“What do you believe we should do? Rykov, your input especially is needed.”

“I’m not an expert in monster manipulation,” Rykov begins, “but I can say that this would take a monstrous amount of magical skill. I doubt even Archmage Sophien could transfix this many monsters at once. The only mage in the world that could replicate this…”

>>6367680
"No, this kind of attack is unlike Archmage Iorwith.” you rebut, “I’ve read his work and the records of his deeds. He doesn't deal in living soldiers, and even if he did he never creates such blatant conflicts with the powers that be. Frankly, the most likely scenario is that this, rather than a human mage, is the work of a Demon.”

“There has never been a demon as skilled in magecraft as an archmage.” One of the clerics, seemingly a bishop of Paeora, counters, “They may be mighty, but they entirely lack theory.”

“The new Demon King— I can only assume you’ve been told of its advent— is ruthless, pragmatic, and most dangerously, willing to use humankind as a point of reference to gain strength. The same old tactics that they’ve been using over a thousand years of defeat have finally been discarded.”

“Assuming it is the demon king, that changes things. If we catch them now, we could nip a very dangerous problem in the bud.”

“Or,” the captain of the city guard interjects, “Lead us to be culled instead.”

“What do you think, young mage?” Rykov directs the attention back to you, “Among all of us, you have the most firsthand experience of the supposed demon king’s new tactics. What should we do?”

>”This is a trap. We must protect the city and pursue later.”
>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”
>”This is an important opportunity. We should divert as much of our forces as possible to finding and ending these bastards.”
>”I can't say. Ultimately, I must leave this decision to the Duke.”
>Write-in

>>6367681
>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

We must fight for information.

>>6367681
>>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

>>6367681
>>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”
seems reasonable. Great art btw Po

>>6367681
>This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning. We should use our fastest and stealthiest scouts, with invisibility, if possible. I undrestand this might be suicide, so I volunteer to lead them.

>>6367678
Don't forget to archive the previous chapter
>>6367681
>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

>>6367681
>This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”
>>6367702 +1 to volunteer

>>6367681
>>”This is a trap. We must protect the city and pursue later.”

We need to play this strictly like a mad wizard should be played.

We need to stay in town and defend it in order to farm for mana cores. If they expect us to directly interfere/fight: we need payment for that - in mana cores.

We could use these mana cores for all kinds of cracy magical experiments (or for the boring option: eating). Personally, I think a Kaiju-sized Godborn Facsimile would be the most appropriate. If it needs to be, we could even make this Kaiju (mildly) useful with benevolent divine magic or something.

>>6367726
Thanks for reminding me! Archive is up:
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Shattered+Phylactery+

>>6367681
>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

>>6367748
That’s not mad, it’s extortion. Gonna sour a lot of moods towards us. Better to farm goodwill and trust and take stupid risks to find out how the demons are managing such a feat.

>>6367681
>”This is a trap. We must protect the city and pursue later.”
I'm just getting into this quest and catching up on Thread 1 now, but I like the sounds of >>6367748 and the scope of this ambition.

>>6367681
>>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

>>6367748
this one has some right and funny ideas

>>6367965
It's not extortion. People providing services always expect payment. Even the term SOLDier is related to the word "sell" because soldiers get payment for the security service/war atrocities they provide.

>”This is likely a trap, but we can't afford to let this opportunity slip. We should tail the demons and see what they're planning.”

“It's dangerous,” the Duke replies, “if a high noble, or, gods forbid, the demon king themself, is among their number, any force small enough to go unnoticed will undoubtedly be routed if discovered.”

“Then we focus on highly mobile forces.” K’tann interjects, “Scouts, phenomena mages, body enhancement specialists— people who can outrun the danger rather than outfight it.”

“Those are valuable assets, General.” One of the Duke’s direct subordinates sighs, “We can't put them out on a suicide mission.”

The duke leans forward, silently contemplating his options. Having resolved himself to act, he rises from his desk, walking towards the wooden doors. “I shall go. General, lend me your cloak.”

“Your excellency, you can’t!” The minister of finance protests, “If you fall–”

“Gladisgard will be fine. I may be the Duke, but the system is constructed to make me as replaceable as possible.”

“Then, at least a guard division-”

“Will only slow me down. Make it more likely that we’ll all be caught. Increase the risk of failure and the consequences of being found out.”

“But sir…”

“I am a soldier of the Final Bulwark,” he resolutely affirms, “and it is not my nature to sit behind a desk while Gladisgard burns.”

Having always known him as the Duke, you so easily forgot— Lord of Gladisgard is not a hereditary title, nor is Regulus a conventional noble, born into luxury and raised to put his own life above that of his citizenry. At his core, he is a soldier first, a public servant second, a leader third, and a nobleman last.

“Rykov, can you help repair the walls?”

She shakes her head. “Not until the area is cleared of monsters and undesirable debris.”

“Can you break the enchantments?”

“I… maybe. Probably not. Whoever did this is good.”

“Try. If you break the mind control, they'll doubtlessly flee. Roberta,” he turns his attention to you, “You are not of our ranks, and as such you are in no way obliged to help. Still, we ask that you cooperate with us.”

This is a two part vote. Select one or more options from both categories.

Will you help?
>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”
>”By all means. Of course, you'll owe me one.”
>”I appreciate your cause, but I need compensation.” (Specify demanded reward)
>”I’m sorry, but I cannot stake my life on this city.”
>Write-in

How will you aid?
>Help Rykov break the enthrallment
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures
>Help fight back the monsters
>Help patrol for any other issues from this attack
>Don’t help at all
>Write-in

>>6367972
Will you help?
>>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”

How will you aid?
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

We need to get the Duke to trust us and more importantly we need information on who this person is

>>6368083
>”I appreciate your cause, but I need compensation.” (The means to sustain a meaningful extermination effort against the demons, and eventually the demon king. Troops, supplies, gold, as Corrin promised.)

Keeps up with our fake backstory, should be an easy ask despite the large demand because of the current situation and natural hatred and of demons and the realisation of the threat they pose. Also begins to form our own independent powerbase, from which we can twist to our ends and use to obscure our personal doings under all the administrative busywork. Massive extermination of demons could go a long way to collecting the number of cores we need.

>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

I want a peak beyond the curtain, to go where the danger is thickest.

But I won't complain if anons decide we ought handle something more within our means, like killing the monsters. We aren't a specialist in the sort of highly mobile arts the general says would be useful, even if we have previously held general mastery in most fields.

>>6368083
>>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”
i really don't care for the villanous plan angle, these guys take us seriously so lets keep it up
>Help Rykov break the enthrallment
this is probably fits our skillset the best

>>6368083
>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”
while i want something in return, doing it for free is more in line with our supposed hatred for demons
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures
our reward shall be more information and trust
bonus points if we save his life at one point

>>6368083
>>”I appreciate your cause, but I need compensation.” (Specify demanded reward)
Money or mana cores.

Not expecting compensation for services rendered is straight out stupid. It calls for getting asked for more and more without ever getting anything back in return. Even taking a noblebright angle, this would hinder our growth and prevent us from doing enough good (TM) on the long run. Nothing villainous or extortive is going on in this vote.

I would vote for unhinged neutral mage with occasional good deeds towards small folks if it came to it, though. Big folks need to pay, because they can.

Same poster as >>6367748 but device hopping.

>>6368083
>I appreciate your cause, but I need compensation.” (Specify demanded reward)
>Money or mana cores.
>Help Rykov break the enthrallment

>>6368166
+1 tot his, it seems to suit our style.
Granted, I've only rad up to Nov 28 2025 so far

>>6368083

guys we can just get cores from the demons we will kill when we go with the duke
asking for cores as payment now could be seen as suspicious

>>6368175
Not asking for payment is even more suspicious? Who ever does this? Moreover, the crystal boy has already outed us as a cheesy wizard. It is now better to just live up to these expectations.

We might also directly pitch our latest research project for which we need the cores of 25% of the creatures from the recent attack. We could name it Knowledge about Artificial, Immense Justice Units (KAIJU).

>>6368223
absolute pipedream, just making a spider almost put berta to sleep, before seeing fascimiles being useful there's no point in even entertaining that idea.

as for money and cores, we aren't particularly hurting for either nor are we aiming to buy anything expensive for now, and if we eat the cores we'll get in trouble so again, no entertaining that. the best thing we stand to gain is influence, and looking mildly heroic in front of all these people should do us some good....

>>6368083
>”By all means. Of course, you'll owe me one.”
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

>>6368083
>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”

>Help Rykov break the enthrallment
Max magic study

>>6368122
>Not expecting compensation for services rendered is straight out stupid.
No you. They’re gonna reward us for this if we ask or not. Not asking builds crazy goodwill. Plus as another anon noted it fits our demon hunter backstory.

>>6368083
>"I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures
I want some action

>>6368083
>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”

>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

We need to find out what the demons are up to

>>6368083
>”I appreciate your cause, but I need compensation.” (Specify demanded reward)

Cores for 'research'


>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

Sometimes i fantasize about atrebor coming home drunk on mana and casting life magic on me until i feel numb....

>>6369449
ayo...?

Sorry again for being absent. To be transparent about it, my energy and motivation levels to write and stuff tanked after my visit to the hospital and still haven't fully recovered. I’ve been trying my best to get updates out, and I have no real excuses since I should have the time, but I’ve just been sleeping a lot more than I used to and more tired even when I’m awake. So, sorry. I’m trying to work my way back up to my previous update schedule, promise.

>”I will gladly aid you, Duke of Gladisgard.”
>Help the Duke tail the hooded figures

“Your aid is mine, o Lord of the farthest reach.” You announce, stepping forward and placing your hand upon your chest, “You will need a mage with sufficient knowledge in order to properly locate and analyze them.”

The Duke’s eyes narrow, “I don't sense in you the mana needed to be useful on this mission.”

You smile, placing a single finger on your lips and simultaneously weaving together three fifth level spells. The light itself curves around you, the aromas clinging to your skin and cloak deaden into nothing, and, finally, a Dream of congruency descends onto where you last stood. Even K’tann and the Duke, seasoned knights with senses enhanced by their martial training, appear to have completely lost you. You reappear behind the Minister of Finance, only Rykov seeming to have tracked your location.

“At the very least, I won’t be a liability.”

“How about combat?” The Duke asks, notably not rejecting your proposal out of hand.

“My comfort zone is fifth circle, but I can cast up to seventh if it’s life or death. Even without resorting to that, I’m confident that I can beat the average seventh circle mage in a one on one duel.”

He turns his gaze to Rykov, prompting her to speak. “I’ve never seen the young mage fight, but her comprehension of theory and arcana is, honestly, top class. It would be no exaggeration to say her understanding is on the level of an Archmage.”

K’tann’s helmet swivels to meet your face, the subtle sounds of shifting metal accompanying his every movement. You sense a degree of suspicion, but beyond that, you’re completely in the dark. At times like this, you wish Bilurians had more… normal expressions.

“I’m older than I look.” You shrug, “My master said I had a unique constitution. He theorized that I would age slower— or not at all— due to how powerfully the First Hero’s bloodline manifested in me. I wanted to keep it quiet, but in actuality I’m only a few years younger than Rykov.”

“Very well then.” the Duke nods, “If that is your wish, I have no intentions of stopping you. Try to keep up.”

>>6369940
In a moment that passes you by in an instant, you could have sworn you saw a pair of ram’s horns jutting from his raven hair. In the next instant, he had already vanished entirely, leaving only an open window as evidence that he'd even been there at all. You chuckle, equal parts amused and impressed, as you vault yourself out of the same aperture and into a four story drop.

~

Regulus of Gladisgard is a man to be feared indeed.

He almost seems to glide across the icy rooftops of the city, constantly building more and more momentum with every fluid step he takes. Unlike a demon’s unbridled instinct, every movement he takes is imbued with trained purpose and practical poise, footwork refining those animalistic movements into their ideal state. Mana flows through his body with a clean continuity that no mage could hope to replicate, the energy of his muscles and the energy of his Core hitting the ground beneath his feet in perfect synchronicity, launching him forward with ever increasing velocity. Even in flight, you struggle to keep up, weaving an additional spell to move the air around you as you move in order to nullify air resistance. This, combined with your flight and stealth, is a serious feat of concentration even for a mage of your stature. You hope that he slows down soon.

In a matter of minutes, you reach the outer walls and pass them by, the Duke’s eyes scanning through the underbrush like a hawk searching for rabbits. You hover above him, your own divination magic surpassing his natural senses.

‘They’ve split up.’ You communicate with the Duke telepathically, ‘Either they have different tasks to accomplish in separate locations, or they're trying to divide and conquer any pursuing forces Gladisgard might have sent.’

‘Can you identify who’s who?’ He thinks back.

‘I could, but I have no idea as to what the identities of these people could be. The most I can do is sort them by strength.’

‘These are mages. You know their tactics better than I do. Who do we pursue?’

>”Naturally, the strongest has the most intel. The risks are higher, but I’m confident in our escape”
>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”
>”The weakest would be best. We cannot risk our cover being blown.”
>Write-in

>>6369941
>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

>>6369941
>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

>>6369940
> I’ve been trying my best to get updates out, and I have no real excuses since I should have the time, but I’ve just been sleeping a lot more than I used to and more tired even when I’m awake
I believe in you OP

>>6369940
No worries, completely understandable.

>>6369941
Ah, replicating monster abilities?

>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

While I am confident in the duke's strength, enough to believe he can run down the strongest one, the success of the tracking and evasion of detection lies in our own success. We haven't recovered our full strength, nor have we practiced our new divine abilities enough to make up the difference through synergy or esoteric uses. Otherwise I'd be happy to chase down the strongest.

>>6369940
+1 completely understandable. No need for the apologies.

>>6369941
>>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

Darn we sure have a hard time laying-low/not-flexing-like-the-cocky-lich-we-are.
Sure hope it won't fuck us over too badly at some point. People will start asking questions soon with this attitude. We cant help it, I guess. /shrug

>>6369940
i can relate QM. stay strong!
>>6369941
>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”
lets not be overconfident

>>6369449
Yeah yeah, the Atrebor mommy dommy dreams where she makes life bearable. We all have those, anon. kek

>>6369941
>”Naturally, the strongest has the most intel. The risks are higher, but I’m confident in our escape”

>>6369941
>>”Naturally, the strongest has the most intel. The risks are higher, but I’m confident in our escape”

>>6369941
>>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

Stay strong big dog

Thank you all for the well wishes!

>”One of the intermediate ones would be best— useful, but unlikely to see through our stealth”

The duke nods, following your lead as you soundlessly hover in the general direction of your target. He too eliminates his presence beyond the already impressive capabilities of his enchanted cloak, holding his breath and wreathing his boots in mana, creating a slight buffer between his body and the ground capable of reducing his effective weight to almost nothing— including, of course, the leaving of tracks and the sounds of his feet trudging through the tundra.

The closer you get, the clearer his enshrouded person becomes before your Sight. You see broad, powerful shoulders, a sinister aura of mana seeping from his core into his body, and from his skin into the ground below, sending him forward at an incredible pace. You see blond hair tainted by a shock of white, and lips cracked from days, months, years spent in the farthest reaches of the world. You see a face you recognize, scarred a dozen ways— one left by you.

‘This man isn't a demon.’ You psychically declare, ‘Seeing him now, I recognize his face from the wanted posters.’

‘Not a demon? I detect a certain trace of demonic energy…’

‘I’d imagine so. He’s a Contractor.’

Ultimately, magic is a form of speech. Following from this principle, it also must be true that the act of communication itself bears a certain power beyond mere sound. Furthermore, it is possible to extend that fact into all avenues of communication, from art to writing to speaking to contracts.

Contract magic is a relatively common form of spellcraft, a subsection of Life Magic, but the manifestations of it are permitted by different standards based on the person or culture in question. The most common sort is a Body contract, where the penalty for violation is some physical injury or restriction. While considered barbaric by many, this form of contract is entirely legal in essentially every nation on the continent. One step above that, considered black magic by most, is a Soul Contract, which removes the penalty altogether and makes the target entirely incapable of defiance. This, of course, is the sort of arrangement you made with the Hoarfrost Howls.

>>6370982
Finally, there are Demonic contracts, a special sort only possible amongst demonkind and punishable by death in every culture governed by the Races of Man. This involves absorbing Demonic Energy willingly into your soul or mana core, granting you the characteristics of a Demon— and ageless body naturally gifted by Mana— in exchange for fundamentally altering the nature of your being. It is said (though by your experiments on the matter entirely unfalsifiably) that any person who makes a Demonic Contract loses their human soul, making them unable to feel things like love or empathy. By your measure, anyone who would willingly undergo the steps needed to forge a demonic pact already lacks the capacity for both.

‘This man is old. Older, in fact, than some nations. I’m surprised he has managed to live so long yet remain so weak. Then again, it must have taken him decades to recuperate from his run in with Atrebor. This is the man they call— or perhaps, called— Lugh, the Bloodied Tongue. He had gained quite a notoriety for his propensity to live cannibalism, a habit even Demons find wasteful and needlessly theatrical.’

‘The Biter? I had thought he lost his life trying to steal from the Lich King’s armory?’

‘It was never confirmed. If you check, he still has a live bounty to this day.’

You stop the silent chatter and hover perfectly still as Lugh stops dead in the woods, poking at the ground with a strange metal rod. At the point of contact, crimson ichor begins to bubble up beneath the hard surface of the frozen soil, staining the surrounding snow red before phasing back into translucent nothingness across the white snow.

‘Poison.’ You identify, ‘Curse poison, specifically. Insidious little thing. It leeches on the mana expelled by the earth itself, seeping into the ground and spreading inexorably in every direction. The tricky part is that, the longer it sits, the more seamlessly it blends in with the mana of the area around it. If we hadn't caught Lugh in the act, we wouldn't have known until people started getting sick.’

‘That complicates things,’ he frowns, ‘since we have no way of knowing the locations of any poisons planted without seeing them.’

‘There are methods of detection, but they are incredibly resource intensive and time consuming. Prophylactic measures seem more prudent.’

‘Still, this presents a problem. Can we afford to try and stop this?’

>>6370983
He makes a good point— the current Duke is probably a bit stronger than Lugh, but almost a century of combat experience is nothing to sneeze at. Not to mention, if the pair of you were to be pushed to a stalemate or even simply fail to win quickly or decisively enough, it's basically guaranteed that reinforcements will come on the assailant’s side. As you are now, it’s difficult to guarantee a definite win.

>Ambush Lugh (requires a roll)
>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)

>Follow him to see more information
>Head back to base camp
>Write-in

>>6370984
Hmm, less confident in taking on the strongest one now, based on Roberta's assessment. Good thing we chose to track the middling guy.

>Ambush Lugh (requires a roll)

I think we can manage this. Some audacity must be risked, to gain success against strong foes. Two against one, the duke is the strongest of us three, and we are the most experienced, this should be doable.

Wouldn't risk following him any longer though, these guys are way stronger than I thought. Not nobodies, these lieutenants.

>>6370984
>>Ambush Lugh (requires a roll)
we beat this guy before, that has to count for something

>>6370984
would it be a stretch to assume the duke has a demon contract? his demonic aura must come from somewhere after all
>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)
i think this has a lower DC and i dont feel confident we get good enough rolls for the other

>>6370984
>>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)

>>6370984
>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)

>>6371050
I thought we'd determined the duke's demon powers came from monster-mimicry or something similar, when we met him?

>>6370984
>Ambush lugh
Destroying a former henchman when we are trying to turn over a new leaf should be our priority.

>>6371070
that was the explanation he implied, yes
there may exist a monster very similar to demons in aura
otherwise he would have had to have had contact with demons to be able to mimic them
my other theory was that he ate a few demon cores
we might want to ask him about it

>>6370984
>Ambush Lugh (requires a roll)
Element of surprise+duke alone is stronger+2 of us
We got this.

>>6370984
>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)

>Try to analyze the Curse Poison to track it more easily later (requires a roll, risks getting caught)

Curse Poison is a subject you have surpassing personal familiarity with. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you the world’s foremost expert on it, save perhaps for Iorwith if his fascination with the intersection between biology and magic hasn't diminished since last you met with him. Fundamentally, it's an intersection between enhancement and necromancy, a substance wrought from something mana dense like monster blood or core dust and imbued with the properties of self-replication and some desired necromantic effect, conventionally either sickness or instantaneous death.

A faint smile spreads across your lips as you recall the most infamous instance of Curse Poisoning in recorded history— naturally perpetrated by you— when you wiped out the entire population of the free trade city Reyenne simply because one of the heroes who attempted to subjugate you hailed from there. To this day, that formula of curse poison (publicly published by you after the fact) stands as one of the foundational examples of the craft to all who dare partake in it. It really was artful— no pain, no exorbitant bleeding or long, drawn out process. No gruesome immediacy to scare people away from the water supply. All it was, all it had to be, was instantaneous death activated either after precisely one week or when in the presence of someone who died by activation. Clean, elegant, and delightfully picturesque.

Snapping out of your contemplation, you get to work— even after it assimilates the appearance and characteristics of the surrounding mana, it isn't impossible to identify it as long as you have a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of the initial formula— its effects, its propagation rate, and the general gist of the circles woven to create it. Still, you’re already weaving multiple spells to stay hidden from Lugh, and the difficulty of simultaneously observing the poison with magic and effectively analyzing its output on top of that is going to be a considerable feat of concentration even for you. Still, there isn't any time to waste. You cross your legs, sinking down onto the powdersnow without compressing it by even a millimeter, the cold, but not the moisture, trickling up through your cloak as you meditate.

Eyes closed, eyes may open.

Purple light sparks from the tip of your staff, a glow of mana streaking out from your shut eyelids as you begin to see beyond sight.

>Please give me 3 rolls of 1d100+35. (40 (recollection) + 20 (subject expert) - 25 (concentration and multicast penalty)

Rolled 34 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>6371460

Rolled 27 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>6371460

Rolled 50 + 35 (1d100 + 35)

>>6371460

File: Screenshot 2024-08-21 213855.png (355.8 KB)

355.8 KB PNG

>>6371469
>>6371523
>>6371538
Not a great spread...

just wanna say it's really cool how evil you've written the main character and haven't shyed away from that
she feels so evil but also pragmatic, I like it alot

>>6371622
Thank you! I'm trying to make her still feel truly villainous without overlapping too much with my last project

>1 failure, 2 successes— Mitigated Success

For most, deciphering Curse Poison is a considerable feat of mastery. After all, most mages have never even seen a live sample, save for the tiny phials of broadly outdated necromancer’s toxin they use as educational materials in the Towers. For you, however, deciphering the poison itself is merely a matter of course. Your Eyes burn as you analyze its contents, mock circles blooming to life at your fingertips representing the imbuements at play. You see plague, necrosis, pneumonia, rotting, puss and mania and blood.

Oddly, though, what you don't see is death.

You didn't invent Curse Poison. In fact, nobody did, not really. Instead, the very first instance of it was Katellor’s Blight, a manifestation of his grudge towards the Races of Man after nearly driving the Demons to extinction. Indeed, Demonic Energy, the blight that corrupts the world and makes it nigh uninhabitable without purification, is fundamentally in and of itself a sort of Curse Poison. It, and all others of its sort, are made with a singular intention behind them: the Cessation of life. Atrebor.

However, this curse poison is like an empty shell, all symptoms, no lethality. Of course, a person could die simply from the agonizing effects of the toxin, but fundamentally it doesn't have a killing blow baked in. Your brow furrows— why would demons, subjects of Death’s lord, create poison that doesn't kill? You can conceive of a number of human tactics where it might be a helpful strategy, but among demonkind? It's practically inconceivable. As you’re lost in your thoughts—

Drip.

The snow beneath you, warmed by your body heat, begins to melt.

Lugh’s head whirls around like an owl’s, the bony crunch and crackle of unnatural movements sounding from his body as he swivels towards you with a sickening grin on his face. The Duke reacts with haste, pulling a halberd taller than he is from a round, seemingly empty sheath at his side. Lugh’s body bathes itself in crimson, and Regulus replies in deep indigo, horns of pure mana flickering from his head.

“Lugh’s martial arts are modeled on Varkolacs!” you call out, “He’s fast and lethal at close ranges, so keep him at a distance if you can.”

Without a word in reply, the cannibal leaps forward, heavy metal gauntlets adorned with adamantium claws gleaming in the sunlight as he pounces for the Duke’s throat. Regulus replies with a devastating thrust of his halberd’s speartip, a surge of purple and mithril cutting through the air fast enough to crack the sound barrier. As if it were nothing, Lugh simply rolls out of the way, his acceleration ramping up even further as he gallops towards you on all fours, trying to bypass the Duke and eliminate you first.

Of course, you’ve been expecting that.

>>6372170
His palm touches the earth, revealing a spell you’d cast while he and the Duke were trading blows. A Phenomenon erupts beneath his gauntlet, a towering explosion hot enough to vaporize the surrounding snow and leave a crater in the ground bigger than Lugh is.

“Nice try, bitch!” He cackles from within the smoke, red energy wreathed around his body like armor, “But I’ve had ENOUGH of fuckers like you sitting back and flinging your shitty little magic tricks at me. Figured something out.”

“So that's what you sold your soul over, Crimson Tongue,” you hiss, “It wasn't just the immortality. You bought a Dominion character.”

Dominion and Transmutation are the two unique Monsteric Characters, the only two of the existing 10 that don't equate to a form of magic accessible by the races of Man. Dominions, a space surrounding a monster, can have an indefinite range of sizes and effects depending on the individual who possesses them. In Lugh’s case, you can only imagine it has some sort of magic nullification property. Of course, a Phylactery also has a natural Dominion effect, even though the character of a Lich is in Necromancy, thanks to the unconventional nature of their births.

“You sure know a lot about me. Guess you know what I’m gonna do to you when I get you too. Always thought pretty little women screamed the best.”

You frown— if Lugh has a dominion, even if he’s physically weaker than the Duke, you can't be certain of your victory, at least without knowing the extent of its properties. What should you do? All provided options will require a roll.

>Tell the Duke to run
>Focus your magic on support and healing
>Use offensive magic into his Dominion to drain his mana core
>Try to use your divine energy to fight
>Resort to origin magic (may weaken your core)
>Write-in

(Sorry for being late! I fell asleep writing last night's update. If the votes allow, I'll try to update again tonight)

>>6372171
>>Try to use your divine energy to fight
fuck it, we ball

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing

If we're unable to harm him, only drain his mana, then it is best to support the duke's martial arts, while staying out of harm's way.

Should've gone for the ambush, we'd have the initiative and surprise. Then we'd have all the time in the world to examine the curse poison at our leisure, without multicasting. But I guess anons wanted to avoid a confrontation.

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing
We rerolled as a life mage, so let's play healer!

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing
A good opportunity to try new things.

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing
>>6372174
well our rolls were so bad that the ambush would not have worked
imagine instead of 2 successes we had 2 failures here

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing

>Focus your magic on support and healing

Counterintuitively, you step closer to the Duke— not enough to enter the range of his halberd, but near enough such that it would be next to impossible for Lugh to single you out and separate you from him. Your greatest advantage is your numbers, so you intend to use that to the best of your abilities. You swing your staff, the snow beneath you exploding into a dense vapor, muting the smells and dulling the vision of everyone in thirty paces. You then cast Fogsight on yourself and Regulus, allowing you both to see normally even as the mist clings to the frigid earth. Lugh howls like a mad beast, muscles bulging against his skin almost as if trying to escape it with every powerful movement of his gray limbs.

The Duke takes clever advantage of the arena you’ve set, swinging his halberd in an unconventional path and landing a crushing blow on Lugh’s thigh. He roars in pain, vaulting forward in spite of it with a maddened sheen in his glassy black eyes. The Duke, taken aback by the speed of his movements despite the crippling strike he landed, hastily attempts to block, the axehead of his armament flying to meet Lugh’s crimson clad talons. By the time he reacts, however, it's already too late— claws bear down on his throat, barely redirected to the shoulder with a swift pivot, tearing through the Duke’s pauldron like paper and slicing through flesh and bone alike, nearly severing his arm from the top down. Regulus steps back, bearing his halberd in a single hand while your magic knits his arm back together.

With a cocky smirk, Lugh licks his metal-clad fingers, the blood seeming to make his aura flicker like a fire doused in oil. You grimace— this is going to be difficult.

>Please give me 3 rolls of 1d100+40 ,

Rolled 93 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>6372456

Rolled 53 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>6372456

Rolled 34 + 40 (1d100 + 40)

>>6372456

>>6372171
>Focus your magic on support and healing

Since we didn't ambush, we need to boost our dukebro. I would also check for an escape route, if things go south.

>One great success, one success, one failure. Success.

There's nothing more frightening than an immortal soldier.

The Duke, silent and stalwart, positions himself perfectly to cut off Lugh’s attempts to reach you instead. Lugh is fast, but no matter how quickly he scurries, the reach of Regulus’s halberd is always faster, crushing, stabbing, hacking, and slashing, an immovable wall of omnipresent attacks keeping the demons’ pawn locked in an unwinnable battle of attrition. Every wound that Lugh makes is erased in a matter of instants, his flesh and bone easing back into shape under the gentle touch of your spellcraft. Meanwhile, Regulus’s hits, though fewer and farther between, are devastating in power and horrifyingly permanent. A crushed thighbone, a missing finger, a skewer through the gut— even Lugh’s magically enhanced healing would need days to recuperate from injuries like that. Days, of course, that he doesn't have. The Duke, wreathed in both his own mana and yours, patiently waits for Lugh’s pride to finally cede to the one and only strategic play he has left.

Wordlessly, he runs away.

This is, of course, a tactic— Lugh has no intentions of actually retreating— instead, he intends to force you and the duke to pursue his escape. By strongarming you into a chase, he can then finally take full advantage of his maneuverability, weaving through the now compromised defensive line and striking you down instead. It would be very effective, had you not anticipated it in advance.

~

The damned mist wouldn't let up.

Lugh’s new power, his Dominion, was supposed to make magic stop working, so why wouldn't the fog clear? He could feel it clinging to his skin, the humidity in his lungs, the hazy obscuring cloud hung over his eyes.

And that bastard, the Gladisgard sword style user— why were his wounds healing? Why was the magic making him stronger?

That's fine. It's manageable.

What mattered was that the bitch’s attack spells don't work. As long as he could get her alone, she couldn't protect herself at all. Then, it's easy sailing. All he had do is pull off one good trick.

He ran through the forest, his body screaming with pain as he forced his damaged muscles to work by holding them together through sheer force of mana, every single fiber in agony with every single movement. Still, it didn't matter— even with crushed bones, torn ligaments, severed flesh, Lugh could still run. Still fight.

>>6372901
As expected, the dumbasses followed him. They couldn't afford to let someone like him go, could they? Idiots. They moved so slowly, it was pointless to try and catch up! It's ok, Lugh’s always been a nice guy. He was polite enough to slow down for them.

His velocity suddenly reversed, taking advantage of the warrior’s forward momentum to blitz past him, leaping a dozen feet into the air to dodge a devastating swing of his halberd and then careening downwards like a human trebuchet stone, claws extended, mouth agape, slobber drooling out into the icy wastes as he imagined the mage’s succulent flesh in his jaws. He was fast, faster than she could even see, but there was terror in her eyes— it was ecstatic, he knew, just knew that she could feel her death coming, her mind full of his threats, his teeth, her screams, her inescapable death! It was beautiful! It was—

His claws touched her chest, and, instantly, the red light wrapped around his skin shattered his target's purple shell. It was just a pile of snow. Walking, quivering snow.

He turned to look behind him— the Duke hadn’t been swinging to hit him. At least, not the first time. He pivoted around, storing up all that momentum for one devastating swing. He tried to dodge, tried to block, tried everything he could, but it was just too late. The axehead came down. His eyes might have been faster than his body, but, as blood died the white snow sanguine, they were the very last part of him to touch the ground.

~

Only an idiot would think that being immune to spells would make you immune to magic.

You can still be obstructed by the changes it makes to the world, still be accosted by people being supported and aided by magic, and still fall for tricks and illusions even if your brain can't be fiddled with directly.

You had hidden in the mist, throwing your scent and image onto a lump of snow you were Manipulating to move as you would. Of course, this required a mage skilled in multicasting from various schools of magic, but that sort of thing has always been a favorite of yours. In the end, Lugh, despite selling his soul to never be beaten by someone like you again, met his defeat at your hands a second time because he made that very bargain. How delightfully ironic.

“Any additional injuries?” You ask, lightly checking yourself as well to make sure you hadn't accidentally overlooked a stray streak of sharpened mana.

“None left.” He grunts back, “We need to get moving. We must stop the spread of the Poison before it escalates furrher.”

“About that.”

>>6372902
A chorus of voices sounds out from behind you, only emanating from a single hooded man sequestered in the shadows of an old growth evergreen. Hooded and covered head to toe in fabric and hides, the interloper stands unarmed, unflinching, and unsettlingly casual, as if he were simply catching up with old friends in the woods.

“State your name.” The Duke growls an order at the hooded figure, pointing the tip of his weapon directly towards him, “Otherwise, I will cut you down here.”

“That’s not very nice.” The figure replies, magic circles blooming to life at his fingertips, “Why don't you take a nap? The grown ups are talking.”

Necromancy, dream magic— it’s a multispell, high level too. Beyond your current capacity to replicate. Still, though, you don't need to be able to cast it to interfere with it. Your golden eyes dart madly from rune to rune, memorizing, translating, and reconstructing the spells in your mind. Then, with a fraction of the power invested, you send a precision shockwave of mana at the enemy mage’s spell, forcing the circles to sputter and fizzle out. The Duke wastes no more time, dashing forward at an incredible pace, the force of his steps shaking the earth itself, building up an incredible momentum that he channels into a catastrophic forward thrust. The base of the tree, centuries old, is rendered little more than sawdust, its upper reaches splintering and falling down over the rest of the unfortunate trees beneath. A cone of devastation, evaporated snow, torn soil, and scrapwood in the place of trees litters the path of destruction left in his wake, and the hooded man seems to have disappeared with it.

“Nice try.” He appears behind you, the spell he tried to cast modified ever so slightly to necessitate an entirely new negation pulse. However, it's already too late— with a smug grin, he casts the spell, sending the duke slumping down onto the tundra in dreamless slumber.

“Little Death,” you hiss, “compound spell. Where did you learn it? Demons don't use human mage arts.”

“You already know,” he replies with a grin in his myriad voices, “that I think a bit differently than my predecessors.”

“Demon king. Or, well, a puppet you’re manipulating from far away.”

“Nice catch. Oh, wait, stop doing that— I can see you trying to cut the strings. If you do it, I’ll spill your secret to everyone in the human world.”

You pause your spellcraft. “Secret?”

“Don't play coy with me.” He snickers, “Do you really need me to say it? Atrebor?”

>Cut his strings
>Deny his words
>Ask him how he knew
>Ask him what he wants
>Write-in

>>6372905
>Ask him what he wants
He clearly wants something from us

>>6372905
>>Ask him what he wants
All hypothetical of course. Atrebor is dead, this is Roberta. Completely different.

>>6372905
>Deny his words
>Ask him what he wants

Ahem, our name is Roberta, he can address us as such. Best not move on without a denial, however perfunctory. Leave things ambiguous, he's probing for confirmation. Then get on with what he wants.

>>6372905
>>Ask him what he wants
As everyone knows, Atrebor is dead, but that obviously is not why he is talking to us right now.

[Press your luck]
I'm curious who exactly we are facing here. With the hero Michael losing faith in humanity and vanishing and a new demon king emerging a few years after using human tactics (booby-trapped groups of skinwalkers and terror inducing poison traps) and human magic - maybe a certain someone overdosed on demon cores and goes by the name Le'akim by now?

>>6372905
>>Ask him how he knew
ahahahaha, well played

>>6372905
>Ask him what he wants
oh dear...
my guess is he either wants us to join him or to not get in his way
the only way out we have is calling his bluff and severing his connection (but thats too risky for me)
so we probably end up getting blackmailed anyway
lets hope its not that bad

>>6372905
>Ask him how he knew
I dont want to know what he wants. I want to find out how he could possibly know that and gtfo/steal the cannibal guy's core/wake up the Duke to kill more mages. It's gonna be join them, or sabotage the human city, or give us a sample of our blood, etc etc. You don't negotiate with demons, asking him what he wants is pointless. He's probably going to tell us anyway.

>>6372905
>Deny his words
>Ask him what he wants
It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to make a deal

>>6372905
>Ask him how he knew
We can always relocate.

>>6372905
>Write-in
Regardless of the winning option, lament at how poor his spellcasting control is whilst in the puppet body and tell him to fix it before our next meeting. Professionals have standards

>Ask him what he wants

"I believe you have some misattributions about my identity,” You cooly reply, staff still ready to cut the puppet’s connection if needed, “It wouldn't take Atrebor to interfere with spells as clumsy as those woven by the hands of a mere marionette. That said, even if you weren't so misinformed, I don't believe I understand why you would seek him out in the first place. Atrebor has never been known to collaborate with demons.”

The hooded figure chuckles, sitting down on the treestump created by the Duke’s assault and smugly resting his chin on his fist. “Maybe not. He is, however, ever eager to follow up on his experiments.”

You narrow your eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“Let's start with the conclusion first.” He dramatically rises to his feet, grandly gesturing to himself with a flourish of cape and claws. “I am the Demon King. However, I truly do believe that to be the least important thing about me. At risk of insulting my brethren and their maker, I am the next step in demon evolution.

“You see, Katellor actually had the entirely wrong idea about how best to avenge himself on humanity. It’s like… imagine, if you would, a man who wanted to get rid of obsidian daggers. Sure, you could round them up and destroy them, but ultimately you’ll never be able to do it— people will always be making more, always finding new volcanoes and chipping them down into sharp little edges. One might be easy to smash, a hundred, a thousand, but where does it end? Is that model really sustainable? No. Logically speaking, it's impossible. So, that begs the question: when was the last time you saw an obsidian dagger?”

You narrow your eyes. “People don't make them anymore. Nowadays, they just use steel.”

He taps his temple with his finger, an eerie grin on his shadowy face. “Full marks. Y’see, that's where our creator went wrong. He spent all his resources making a club to smash obsidian, when really he should have been in the foundry forging steel.”

“And you… you consider yourself to be that progression. What makes you so different?”

“That is where you come in, my friend. You must know, given your expertise, that all monsters, including demons, are capable of cross-breeding.”

“I’ve studied it extensively. What's your point?”

“I’m a hybrid, you see. One that owes its life to you. That's right— I’m half Lycanthrope.”

>>6373800
Your grip tightens around your staff— the human tactics, the complex thinking, the tendency for cooperation, the grand ambition— this isn't just a unique demon, it's a demon with human nature baked in. Your mind begins to race, and suddenly you can see the Demon King’s desires clearly: he wants you to create a Lycanthrope in the opposite direction, to bend the mind and the soul towards humanity instead of warping the body and mana towards a monster. Unlike Lycanthropes, contradictory thanks to the intersect between bestial nature and rational humanity, these hypothetical New Demons would be able to perfectly blend what makes demons and humans so dangerous— cruelty and loyalty, power and cunning, natural magic and learned effort.

“Ah, of course, even if you reject me I plan to let you go for now. Knowing you, we’ll meet again soon enough.”

This proposal is utter madness. Not in that it wouldn't work, but in that if it DOES succeed, it would be the grandest catastrophe in the history of the continent. It would spell the collapse of everything you know and have known and yet… you can't help but be taken by the proposal. To be the founder of a race of beings that surpasses even the handiwork of the gods, to truly master the makeup of the soul, the dynamics of that forbidden cosmology, to uncover the secrets of this once in a century anomaly born from your very own discovery— you practically salivate at the thought. It would be the end of the world, but it would be the grandest work of magecraft it had ever seen.

>Accept his offer
>Say you’ll consider it
>Leave without speaking
>Firmly deny him
>Write-in

>>6373801
>Firmly deny him
The proposition is fascinating, but no. We are Atrebor, in our short time as a Godborn we have figured out how to create matter and energy out of nothing at all. If we are to create a new race, we do not need to involve the handiwork of demons, our own hands are enough to surpass the gods.

>>6373801
>>Firmly deny him
Alas, to do so would mean relying on the shoddy workmanship of Katellor. Atrebor will create her own things unburdened by and without relying upon the works of the Gods.

>>6373801
>>Firmly deny him

In fact go and consider it. I am however unsure if a hybrid demon regime will aid our (scientific) ambitions. Humans are generally predictable and have somewhat reliable resources, civil services and scientific contributors of their ranks.

I think it boils down to: do we have ethical problems with changing sentient society with a demon mixture. (Us growing up and currently again being human and all)

Either way; quite a decent chap so far, this demon king.

>>6373801
>Say you’ll consider it
It's an interesting project even if it might spell doom for humanity as we know it. We're not ready for it in terms of equipment or restoration of our former skills right now anyway, so no real reason to decide immediately.

>>6373801
>>Firmly deny him
we can't curse the existence of the races of man if they don't exist. well, maybe if we necromance them back up as skeletons but that'd be a bit boring, and we plan to live forever

>>6373801
>Firmly deny him
so his plan is to make demons virtually indistinguishable from humans?
we might want to point out to him that he essentially admits demons cant win the way they are and have to become what they were supposed to destroy instead to have a chance
which means even if successful it would only prove that humans are the better creation
to honor Katellor he should do it the demon way and not commit blasphemy by trying to "improve" on his creation

>>6373801
>Say you’ll consider it

Genuinely fascinating, but we have reached yet higher heights with our mage's high and research into and semi-successful application of Godborn vessel creation. His grand vision may simply not be worth our time.

>>6373801
>Accept his offer
If humanity can't keep up they deserve to be wiped out. I'm sure the gods will intervene anyway.

>>6373801
>Say you’ll consider it

>>6373801
>Write-in
Is this a marriage proposal?

>>6373801
>Accept his offer

>>6373801
>Say you’ll consider it
It could be a good way to get a quick a powerful base, protection and resources. Ideally we can also make a way to escape if the demons start to get crushed. Maybe we can even engineer a weakness in the new species

>>6373801
>>Say you’ll consider it
However, "'just" reproducing what we have already done seems a bit boring? Let us secretly include a bit divine blood, some breathing golem stuff, or similar. Something of our own.

We should create something genuine. Otherwise project KAIJU seems more interesting.

>>6373801
>Say you’ll consider it
Let's see if there is enough interest left in the races of man to sate us. If not...

>>6373801
>Firmly deny him
we wanna play with life magic now

>>6373801
>Firmly deny him
never trust a demon

Sorry for the wait. I'll try to update again tonight

>Firmly deny him

"I’d be lying if I said the notion weren't intriguing, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. If, indeed, it is an option.”

“Huh. Really thought you’d go for it. Do you mind telling me why you let me down?”

“Well, I have my own research to tend to.” You smile, tapping on your own chest. “I’m surprised you haven't noticed, being a demon, and the King no less. Take a closer look.”

He tilts his head, then takes a step back. “Hero’s blood.”

“That's right,” you nod, keeping your staff at the ready in case he makes any aggressive movements, “but don't worry. I don't plan to make an entire race of me or anything. What's the point of being an ultimate life form if everyone is?”

“Advancement.” he replies, “If you alone grow, you alone work to reach the next stage. Sometimes, the problems you face are impossible for one person to solve, even with all the time in the world. If you bring EVERYONE up— or at least, enough people to make a nation— you have a million minds working on all those problems, with a million combinations of strengths, weaknesses, perspectives, and philosophies. THAT’s my vision. Evolution.”

“It's a wonderful mindset for a king.” You speak with genuine approval. “Perhaps, if there had been someone like you when I was born, I might never have become what I am.”

The hooded figure laughs bitterly, “I assume I can take that as a no?”

“I wish you the best of luck.”

>OPTIONAL VOTE: Provide the location of your lycanthropy records (if a majority don't write in to do this, then it will not be done. Lack of vote is considered a vote against).

Wordlessly, he vanishes into the snow.

You dispel the magic sleep gripping the duke's mind— a relatively easy task since his control over his body is so well developed— quickly rousing him back to full alertness.

“What happened?” He asks cooly, looking around for any sign of danger.

“The mage was a puppet of the demon king, manipulated from his true location via mana. After learning I could cut his strings, he fled.”

“Took a long time.” He narrows his eyes, a slight suspicion bubbling behind them, “Why did he let you live for so long?”

“I am a student of obscure magics, and the last inheritor of my master’s teachings. He was hoping to negotiate for my expertise in exchange for our lives.”

He frowns, “That explains his ability to use human crafted spells. He has probably made the same bargain hundreds of times.”

“Most likely, yes.”

“His men are likely in retreat if he’s been pushed back. I would like to pursue, but I must admit that you would be placed in significant danger. Likely…”

“Likely, we could both die.”

>Pursue the fleeing demon forces
>Retreat for now
>Write-in

>>6374842
>Provide the location of your lycanthropy records
y'know, he has point. lets give him a lil' boost, so in the future we can learn from his findings...
>>Retreat for now
We should be dealing with the curse poison anyways

>>6374842
>Retreat for now
>(Write-in) Tell the duke the demon king is half lycantrope and is looking for Atrebor's research on the matter

>>6374854
+1

>>6374842

>>6374842
>Provide the location of your lycanthropy records. After all, a time of change, of abundant food, a waxing demonic tide, and a waning northern stronghold, with the hero nowhere in sight, requires a new heroine to meet the challenges of the day. There will be great demand for us, and a little competition puts us at our best.
>Retreat for now

A dynamic board is best if one wants to rise quickly, plus it's entertaining.

While I think telling the duke that the demon king is half lycanthrope is fine, sort of, telling him he is looking for Atrebor's research might be a bit too far at this stage. He's already a tad suspicious, and I'd rather him not make the connection that we have any connection to the Lich King or that we discussed such matters. It'll come up sooner or later, at which point we'll have a more organic opportunity to come to such a conclusion from our 'theorizing'. We just have to be careful about what we reveal, and have reasons how we know such things. Why would the demon king reveal to *us* specifically that he is looking for Atrebor's research on lycanthropes, or reveal his half nature? The duke and his court will wonder such things.

>>6374908
yeah, i thought the same. it'll be really funny trying to sell the reveal like an "Eureka!" moment when in reality, we got fed the answer

>>6374842
>OPTIONAL VOTE: Provide the location of your lycanthropy records
He's right, it's the best method for magic advancement.

>Retreat for now

>>6374842
>DO NOT give lycanthropy research
>Retreat
>>6374857
We can't do this without saying that our master was Atrebor.

Side note, what do you guys feel our actual goals are? Just study of magic at all cost with archmage? Height of sensation in an actual human body? Improving our reputation if we get outed? I don't mind helping them punk on the demons as an attempt to redeem our name, because if the king figured it out someone on the human side is bound to figure it out sooner than later, but we also seem to be pretty irredeembly evil/have an irredeemably evil reputation so it might not even be worth trying. I'm a moralfag though so I kind of want to have a shot at it

>>6374931
Well, the obvious answer is to try and return to our full strength but I've been mainly aiming to ingrain ourselves with authority to gain influence over humanity. Though as you say, it's pretty likely that someone with enough power and experience will out Roberta in the future if we keep going that way so I guess it's just a matter of becoming strong and important enough that they won't be able to kill us without repercussion by then. In any case, we should be ready to jump ship if things go south...

>>6374931
I kinda wanted something like
>Height of sensation in an actual human body?
at least for a bit in the beginning but no one else did so I swapped to
>Just study of magic at all cost with archmage?

Doing
>Improving our reputation if we get outed?
seems impossible. Like thanks for helping us against some demons, guess we'll forget about how you slaughtered millions.

>>6374842
>Retreat for now
>>6374931
my long term goal is to become the most powerful being in existence (like one does)
but short term goal would be getting influence and power in some way
this demon king will undoubtedly get in our way at some point so we should consider his death a medium term goal

>>6374915
Yeah.

>>6374931
>goals

I dunno, a consequence of the ambiguous result of the vote for our goal in the previous thread is sort of a lack of direction. I'm okay with that though, it is fine to play it by ear. If I had to say, I would say "all of the above", with our ascension to godhood via our access to both miracles and magic alike tying it all together and being the ultimate long term goal. The redemption of our reputation and exploration of sensation as a living being bound to the world is more/as much a part of surviving/living in the new world of a disunited humanity, an absent Lich King, progressively advancing magic insights, and a rising threat in the form of a adapting demonic horde, as it is a part of living our best life. We're not quite the top dog anymore, even if we have the potential to rise above everyone to heights neverbefore dreamed of. Unaging we may be, we have mortal needs and wants now, so adapting and becoming part of society is good both for our mental health, and for eventual preparation to rehabilitate our image, in case we are ever discovered.

>irredeemably evil rep
I wouldn't say so, wasn't there a book or something that was basically an apologetic for us?

>>6374936
Well, hopefully by the time we are discovered, we will be so well established and so powerful that they will have no choice but to accept our benevolence as an ally, since they will have other issues to worry about. Again, the demonic horde, whether we help the king or not, is a massive threat, humanity is disunited, the hero is missing, and Rykov's food magic will soon cause social upheaval.

>>6374931
>>6374964
I don't want to be a straight forward hero, and honestly would have just sided with the demon king when he revealed he was capable of cooperation and long-term planning. I want ultimate power and the chance to master the life magic which evaded us in our last life, to master it, and then to use that to, uh...

Hm. Maybe something worth turning our knowledge and power towards will present itself.

>>6374966
I don't really wanna be a straight hero either, I more meant the rehabilitating image bit as us partially doing it cynically out of pragmatism. While I don't want to be totally sociopathic, with all emotion and mortal wants subservient to greater and greater power entirely, I do wanna keep some of the villainous aspects of our character. Just gotta have some emotional and lived in connection to the world for a period of time, rather than spending the entire quest above it, even if only mentally. Whether we end up as villain or anti-hero, who can say?

>>6374974
Mentoring that mage who read our work and who we created flowers with could be a good short-term side objective and a way to connect to people.

>>6375002
Rykov, you mean? I do want to work with her more, yes. But she is our social superior, hell, our magical superior, for the moment. Mentoring her, much less in her own specialty is unlikely to work. Working alongside her or underneath her and giving her 'hints' using our centuries of experience and knowledge is the way forward, in all likelihood.

Another problem we've created for ourselves is how to advance our magical power without revealing our hearteating. We kinda impatiently followed Corrin into civilization for the promise of station and gold, but in doing so gave up the chance to rapidly advance via hearteating with no one around to account for our rapidly advancing power. Now that people know we top out at 7th circle spells, growing in strength in a short amount of time will only draw suspicion. Though we still have avenues to explore, our divine nature, crafting items, exploring creation magic, making new spells within the bounds of our circle, and if we get impatient, we can always wander off with the excuse that we're off to kill demons or go on a sabbatical for an extended period of time, with the long absence justifying our power increase.

If we want to mentor someone, it is probably better to engineer a 'chance' meeting with the younger Not!Sophien, or take in that one mage kid from the rogue adventuring party we made a wand for.

>>6374842
>Provide the location of your lycanthropy records.
I think and hope this keeps all options from cooperation to war open.

>Retreat for now

>>6374931
We still have to develop our ultimate goal I'd say, albeit recovering our power and memory as well as taking a bit of sweet revenge are good for now.
And while we build up our core, train our godborn powers and sharpen our senses, we should try to improve our reputation by having others build trust in us and depend on us so hard that they swallow any possible if unlikely cover-up story when exposed.

>>6374842
>Retreat for now

>>6374842
>Provide the location of your lycanthropy records (if a majority don't write in to do this, then it will not be done.
>Retreat for now

>Retreat for now
>OPTIONAL VOTE: You chose to provide the records to the Demon King

“We cannot pursue.” You insist, clutching your staff in tightly and mustering a somber expression, “As much as I would love to hunt down another of the Demon King’s forces, my mana is already beginning to run low. If enough of it is expended, I won’t have the power needed to sever the link between the Demon King and his marionette. I can't justify putting your life in danger on such slim odds.”

“...very well. Replaceable though I am, the last thing Gladigard needs is a succession crisis. Besides, even if you want to throw your life away, it would be a disservice to the war effort to let you do so.”

You press your staff against the snow, mana swirling around you as you chant the reversal incantation you’d synthesized by analyzing the curse poison planted by Lugh. Since you were able to witness it so early in its dispersal cycle, it's relatively easy for you to dismantle. “Assuming his other soldiers planted the poison as well, we will need an entire team of mages to fully neutralize it all before it reaches the city.”

His eyes widen, “How long do we have?”

“Considering the mana density of the North, a week is the most I can guarantee. Beyond that… it would be a miracle if it didn't reach the city within the month.”

The duke sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting his weary eyes shut. “We must act fast, then. Let us return to the city to discuss.”

~

K’tann seems to have successfully repelled the monsters, or at least held them back for long enough to minimize additional damage until you and the Demon King had your impromptu parlay. Now, the same small war room is assembled in the Duke’s office, minus a few ministers currently tasked with managing the post crisis affairs. You stand behind the duke, arms crossed behind your back, as he gives the full report of the situation.

“...and, having determined that the risks outweighed the potential gains, we decided to make a tactical retreat. Mage Roberta, explain the pressing threat, please.”

“Curse poison, using an admixture of blood taken from native monsters, demons, and humans, has been spread at strategic points on the outskirts of the city. The poison is potent but non-lethal, designed to distract, cripple, and incapacitate rather than kill outright. The likelihood that the Demons intend to use the people of Gladisgard as test subjects is highly likely. The Demon King is highly intelligent, as knowledgeable in magic as a human Archmage, and likely possesses some lineage associated with Atrebor’s Lycanthroped based on his capacity to comprehend and implement human tactics and concepts.”

>>6375177
"Have you figured out how to neutralize the poison?” Rykov asks, “I could try to reverse engineer an antidote based on that description, but without a sample…”

You raise your hand to interrupt her, taking a pen and parchment from Regulus’s desk and scrawling the circles and specifications of the poison upon it. Rykov picks it up, nodding along a bit before looking dead into your eyes. “This is incredible. How the hell did you get so good at curse poison neutralization? They barely even teach it in the Towers.”

“My master hated demons, and demons hated him.” You reply, “Knowing curse poison in and out was a matter of survival.”

She nods, taking the parchment in her hands. “I'll distribute this to the Mage Corps. Will you come with?”

“Actually, I have been meaning to ask you what next you wish to do, young mage.” The Duke interjects, “You are, after all, not an official member of the Gladisgard military. What are your plans for the immediate future?”

>”I intend to get my reward for the information I’ve gathered and leave. My mission remains unchanged.”
>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”
>”I intend to work loosely with the government as a freelance adventurer. We share similar goals, but I have no desire to be mired in politics.”
>”If possible, your excellency, I’d like to serve as your aide for the duration of the current war effort.”
>”I intend to join the military as a combat mage. Anything that would let me fight more demons.”
>Write-in

>>6375178
>”If possible, your excellency, I’d like to serve as your aide for the duration of the current war effort.”
rykov is great but i really liked teaming up with the duke, there's some great synergy there

>>6374964
>I wouldn't say so, wasn't there a book or something that was basically an apologetic for us?
i didn't interpret it that way. the historians' stance seems to be, and Roberta agrees, that Atrebor was a product of their time. A direct consequence of the evils of an ancient empire but nonetheless a monster by their own free will. by any sane measure, one life scorned doesn't excuse the thousands of others that were ruined

>>6375017
>Another problem we've created for ourselves is how to advance our magical power without revealing our hearteating.
i agree we may have been hasty but i don't believe it's that big of a loss- it was already established that mana gain gets exponentially slower the closer we get to the peak. you've also neglected to mention another benefit of our position, do you think if we'd crossed paths with Lugh on our own out in the wild it would have went as well as it just did?

another gripe i got with this hearteating tunnel vision, i know at our current pace long term gains feel infinitely out of reach but we are in a mana rich environment and we are allied with an archmage and military authorities that could provide us with top of the shelf elixirs, why doesn't anyone consider just doing cultivation the normal way?

>>6375178
>”I intend to get my reward for the information I’ve gathered and leave. My mission remains unchanged.”
>"I'll be back."

I'm sorely tempted to stay. We've spent a decent chunk of the quest in Gladisgard, getting to know its characters, and there's much more to dig into. Like the prompt says, studying with Rykov is a rare opportunity. We've barely scratched the surface of the city, we haven't really been properly introduced to any of the cardinals, we haven't really spoken with K'tann at length, etc. But...

...It has become quite clear that we are reaching the limits of how relevant we can be and how much we can influence with our meagre strength. Much of our influence has derived from our extensive knowledge. We need to grow stronger, to consume more hearts in peace, to conduct research unhindered by prying eyes. I say we setup our adventurer pawns to get whatever gears necessary for any long term plans we have turning, and then leave to "seek our revenge".

We can always come back, and should. Only once we have the strength such that it wouldn't be an issue for us to adopt a long term stay embedded with human society without strengthening our mana though.

>>6375178
>”I intend to get my reward for the information I’ve gathered and leave. My mission remains unchanged.”

>>6375190
>book
le shrug

Your memory is better than mine then, I'll defer to you on that.

>cultivation

Honestly, you're not wrong. I wouldn't be opposed. I do like my freedom though. Running across all sorts of interesting scenarios and adventurer folk to mix things up. But yes, staying here would likely allow us access to high quality elixirs, let us build on our relationships with the characters we've gotten to know, and we'd have the stability we need to create an appropriate research lab and work on our spellcraft. It's a good option.

>>6375178
>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”

Learning with the best life mage of this era is an oppurtunity we cant pass up, I am certain we can increase our power greatly as we both understand more of our godborne body and how to create life in general, we shall have many opportunities to go heart hunting if we stay in the north anyways and I like this duke, he's competent and does not throw away valuable assets.

>goals
Ideally I would like for us to eventually establish a foundation of magic, a place of learning for those with ambition to spare and advance the paradigms of this world to a new aeon.

>>6375178
>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”

>>6375218
+1 to this. Plus it might be good to build a better relationship with Rykov and the Duke in the long run. Let's not stay here forever but a little bit more probably won't hurt.

>>6375178
>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”
i want to find out more about this creation of life thing we discovered

>>6375178
>”I intend to get my reward for the information I’ve gathered and leave. My mission remains unchanged.”
Let's give demons their chance.

>>6375178
>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”

>>6375178
>>6375218 +1, I'll back this vote and this objective.

>>6375017
She is a specialist, but we helped her achieve her greatest breakthrough inly a short while after trying her main discipline for the fiest time. Atrebor is a genius with a very ling life and unlife under her belt. We will surpass Rylov, and once we have learned enough to begin our next great experiment, we can call our apprentice to us and offer Rykov the chance to join (or die? we'll see).

>>6375178

>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”

+ visit cardinals. If we cant eat mana cores here, we gather them for consumption at the first discreet opportunity.

>>6374931
Btw anon, ty for asking this question. It stirred up good discussion and is important now.

>goals
>>6375218 +1 support research plans. My view on the situation:
- we were dedicating our former life to master Origin magic (which afaik is a mixture of schools) while being unable to practice Life magic. Curent life offers new opportunity now this limitation is gone.
- We as the embodyment of evil managed to infuse ourselves with divine (good?) power/abilities. Never before were we able to explore this (or anyone else for that matter?)
- Recent breakthrough of rykov and us with (infinite?) plantlife creation only limited by caster/available-magic.

If the scientific curiousity so dominant in atrebor has not left, we'd be super hyped to come across even one of these opportunities, let alone three.

Its in character to go all out in this, and I am personally interested in resulting plot.

>>6375178
>>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”
Focus on advancing origin magic and godborn powers.

>>6375759
Quick clarification, Atrebor has always been able to use Life Magic. Life, far from the opposite, is the partner to Necromancy (for example, both your rebirth spell and Atrebor's infamous Breathing Golems are based in Life Magic). The opposite, and the one you haven't been able to use until your rebirth, is Creation Magic, Paeora's gift. Dmitria Rykov happens to be an expert in both Life and Creation, however

>>6375178
last thread the longest time we've had to wait between updates was a few hours less than six days, so now we can officially say that record has been beaten

>>6377851
maybe he is deployed to Iran or something

Hey guys, I'm alive. Been crazy busy and super tired all week. Will update tonight. As apologies for my little holiday, and a thank you for sticking with me in my absence, I'm promising one drawing of whatever you guys vote for most. It can be anything at all, as long as it's blue board appropriate and not insanely massive in scope. Thanks, and see you again in a few hours

>>6378017
I vote for Atrebor casting life magic on ObserverQM. Or her petting a cat.

>>6378017
that's all i wanted to hear, boss. welcome back.

for a drawing, hmmm... i vote for regulus doing his usual notes writing

>>6378017
i like >>6378022 idea. we haven't had a drawing of him before
or Atrebor's lich form would also be nice

good to hear you're back QM!
i was checking for updates regularly

>>6378017
Atrebor pog face.

Glad to see that you're back!

>”I’d like to study for longer under Archmage Rykov. It's a rare opportunity.”

“Honestly,” Rykov interjects, a complicated smile on her face, “I’m not sure how qualified I am to teach you. In terms of anything which might be conveyed by words and writings, you seem… impeccable, even if a little archaic. Given ten or so years of appropriate mana accumulation, I could easily see you becoming an archmage.”

“Even assuming that to be so, there are always things to learn from people of your stature. Archmages, inexorably, create new magic. Even if I possessed perfect recall of every spell that existed before you were born, you, Dmitria Rykov, are a persistent font of novel information. Besides, even if not as a student, I could still be of use as a research assistant. That world we saw, of the microcosm, I could not hope to abandon it until I have seen deeper.”

Regulus looks to Rykov, weary eyes gazing into her as if trying to glean an insight about you through how she feels on the matter. Rykov remains uncharacteristically expressionless— though you know well that all great mages must have a suitable poker face. You cannot, after all, allow your spells to be predicted before you cast, lest you give your opponent valuable time to cast a counterpulse.

“I will always accept new talent,” Rykov cryptically replies.

“I object.” K’tann objects, “I bear concerns about the young mage’s motives. She declares herself an avenger, but her eyes, they are filled with frost. Not the fiery hot rage that sputters out with time or growth, but the cunning calculus of someone who has traded their humanity for revenge.”

“I resent that.” you frown, “Wanting a malevolent force like the Demon race to be wiped off of the map is not a disqualifier for joining the service of Gladisgard. If anything, it should be a requirement!”

“Weapons that kill demons and weapons that kill the races of man are, with few exceptions, one and the same. Have you forgotten the calamity that fell upon us when the Lich King invented cross-school multicircles? The calamity of war that nearly annihilated the Beastfolk from the face of the continent?”

You frown— the General seems a little off on the timescales (only naturally, you suppose), but beyond that he’s read you like a book. How do you navigate this?

>Stand your ground on weaponizing this magic
>Insist you will defer to Rykov on these matters
>Renounce all weaponization of the Microcosm
>Write-in

Also, don't forget to vote on an illustration if you're interested >>6378017

>>6378164
>In terms of anything which might be conveyed by words and writings, you seem… impeccable, even if a little archaic.
Oh god they're figuring us out. We should have moved on.

>Renounce all weaponization of the Microcosm
We can always do it later without Rykov.

>>6378164
>>Insist you will defer to Rykov on these matters
rykov has the good of mankind in mind, surely she can turn a promising woman to the path of decency with some proper guidance, right?

>>6378164
I mean...it was pretty obvious this was gonna happen if we didn't either move on, join an occupation involved in destroying demons, or at least give an excuse like politics. To avoid suspicion, we choose the worst of all worlds.

>Stand your ground on weaponizing this magic
>Press our luck

Sometimes you just have to gamble. There is no way but through, and frankly, while it may alarm the general to not back down, this is the only response that actually backs up our supposed motive of destroying all demons. To deflect suspicion, it is better to come off as an extremist, than to not play into the motive we've given so far. Sure, coming off as a fanatic will entail being watched anyways, but at least it will ward off intuitive suspicion for none of our behaviour matching up with what comes out of our mouth.

>>6378164
>Write in: Make a point for staying and researching possible weaponization, but leave both decisions to the general.

Something along the lines of:
>The path of revenge I have taken upon me, all those endless nights in the cold, yes, I had to trade in my fiery temper for the cold heart of an avenger. Besides the great opportunity to learn from and with archmage Rykov, it is perhaps just that lost humanity I am hoping to find again in prolonging my stay. Alas if you will not have me, I'll take my leave without complaint.

>As for the idea of weaponizing archmage Rykov's research ... it is a question mostly theoretical for now. Although it might be argued that on the one hand a mallet may be used to forge a plow or a sword, or even outright bash in a skull. And on the other hand what Rykov found will sooner or later be found by others. If we don't at the least theorize its use, we might very well find ourselves on the other side of the equation sooner or later. And that would just be repeating the history just mentioned, it would seem to me. Whatever you decide, general, I will abide by it.

As for the image, I second >>6378022

>>6378164
>>6378223
>support
+1

>>6378164
also supporting >>6378223
add that without us they would have never discovered the curse poison
leave it up to K’tann if our help is still wanted

>>6378164
>Stand your ground on weaponizing this magic

>>6378164
>>6378175 +1

>>6378164
>>6378175 +1

>>6378171
Swapping my vote to +1 >>6378175 including Pressing our Luck. I think it should be reasonable for Roberta to prefer risking collateral damage from her magical advancement in the face of a more pressing existential threat like the Demon King, because nobody in this place can face him and he WILL end the races of man if not stopped. This new knowledge could be the difference maker, that's how I'd make that case at least.

while i see your logic it could backfire (if we roll badly) and doesnt ensure their trust
on the other hand, if we leave it up to them if we stay, that means we signal that we dont need what they can offer us and are just here because we thought they could use our help

>>6378333
i don't think the "yeah, idrc if you don't want me..." strat has ever worked for anyone ever, we are not even talking under the pretense we have any authority here. giving a solid motivation may not clear suspicion but it'd make us seem useful and the lesser threat which is ultimately what we've always aimed for. if we aren't welcome here then we go do our own thing and that's that

>>6378338
we were already quite useful
but if it works i wont be complaining thats for sure
i just think that if we insist on weaponizing it they might even distrust us more
lets see what happens...

Locking the vote now. Please give me 3 rolls of 1d100+30, with the 30 representing your existing achievements and the trust they won for you in Gladisgard

Rolled 43 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>6378402
Heheheh

Rolled 15 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>6378402
all my previous rolls were mediocre at best so i am due a good one at this point