>>39755814

> Holler for the guards.

“Oi! Cooeee!”
You kick the bars of your cell again and again, attempting to get a rhythmic beat going. They can’t just leave you in here forever, they’ve got to be curious about you. And there sure isn’t much else to do in here. The cell is empty of everything save a small pile of straw that you guess you’re supposed to sleep on. Not that that’d be so bad however, you’d certainly find it more comfortable than a bed.

Two minutes pass before your efforts pay off in the form of three guards manifesting from the darkness. The room outside your cell is large and dank and not even you can see just what is lurking beyond. These men aren’t part of the royal guard and by the looks of their guts and their greasy faces you’d guess them to be dedicated jailors, the guard job of choice for layabouts and those with a bum knee.
Oh, if only you had your sword right now...But that was a moot point because if you had your sword then you’d be carving your way to Her Highness rather than rotting in some palace cell.

“What are you about, huh?” the first one sneers. “Trying to make a racket? No worries, you’ll get yours soon enough.”

“He’s got a fancy tattoo, this one,” another pipes up, remarking on the brand sitting on your cheek clear for all to see. “Probably thinks he’s someone special.”

> “What’s going on upstairs?”

> “Where are the royal guard?”

> “Let me out of these bars and I’ll show you just how special I really am you cunt.”

> “Did a horse kick you or were you just born that way?”

> Plead for release.

> Try to bribe them.

> “Where’s all my stuff?”

> Other

>>39755820
>> “Did a horse kick you or were you just born that way?”
I bet you can't even fit inside the cell with how fat the two of you are.

>>39755820
> “Did a horse kick you or were you just born that way?”

>>39755820
>>39755842
Seconding

>>39755879
Maybe say something to insult their mothers as well

>>39755820
Ouro please. You can't keep doing this. I have midterms. Work stuff.

> “Did a horse kick you or were you just born that way?”

"Well actually, I was wondering about your unfortunate...condition."

"What?"

"Did a horse kick you as a youth or were you just born that way?"

"Oi! Better shout your mouth mate or we'll give you such a thrashing that...uh..."

"That what? Break my bones? Gouge out my eyes? I'd welcome it with open arms if only it meant that I wouldn't have to lay eyes on your ugly mugs anymore."

The lead jailor goes red, his hands twitching down to his sword.

"What's the matter? You look like a fat old beetroot."

"You better shut your fucking mouth right this second or-"

"Or what? You'll come in and stop me? I bet you can't even fit in through the door with how fat you all are."

"Fucking watch me, dicksucker!"
He grabs a ring of keys from his belt while his two friends draw their swords. You crick your neck and have a little bit of a stretch as you wait.
You're going to enjoy this.

> Come out swinging.

> Take them as they come in through the door.

> Wait for them all to enter the cell first.

> Don't bother fighting too much, just escape.

> Other

>>39756114
>> Take them as they come in through the door.

>>39756114
> Take them as they come in through the door.

>>39756114
> Wait for them all to enter the cell first

> Take them as they come in through the door.

You don't have your sword on you right now, in fact you're completely unarmed. The jailors on the other hand, are both armed and armored. And there are three of them to just you.

It's grotesquely unfair. There should have been at least five of them.

You spring forward as the first one walks through the door, jamming your fingers into his eyes and punching him in the throat as he screams. You can feel his windpipe deform under the force of your strike and his scream cuts off abruptly. He falls to the ground, dead or dying.

The second is a bit more prepared and has his sword out, giving him the superior reach. You step back to avoid his swing and then step right back in as his swing foolishly extends. You're right in his face now, forcing him to draw his sword back but that's already given you enough time to bend his sword-arm back and break it.
You kick the dropped sword back behind you before pushing the man with the broken arm back through the doorway to collide with the third man. You use the time this buys you to pick up the sword.

You weigh it in your hand, almost ignoring the men still in front of you and yet hyper-aware of them all the same. It's not a bad piece of steel, you've certainly had worse.
Your first swing kills the injured man and then the third man runs but you are so much faster, knocking the corpse off your sword as you close in on the survivor. He raises his sword, giving you an opening to stab him in his less-armored armpit. You already know you've severed the artery before you see the amount of blood so you just kick him out of your way and leave him to bleed out.

Now, where's all your stuff being held? You'd guess that-

A shout interrupts you as the door slams open, more men roused by the sounds of combat. There are five of them and one of them is a royal guard, his maned helm glinting in the torchlight.
This could be tough.
1/2

>>39756436
2/2


> Fight your way out.

> Try to talk them down.

> Try to talk them down then stab them.

> See if you can take a hostage.

> Other

>>39756456
> Try to talk them down then stab them.

>>39756456
> Try to talk them down then stab them.

> See if you can take a hostage.

>>39756456
> Try to talk them down then stab them.

>>39756436
> Kill the Royal Guard

> Take a hostage

> Use him to find out where your stuff is.

I don't think anything will happen until the royal guard is dead. It's a little late to talk them down after killing a bunch of dudes.

> Try to talk them down then stab them.

You step back, your sword held high and you permit yourself a smile.
"Now, now friends. Let's not be too hasty here. Why don't we have a bit of a chat, talk this out like gentlemen?"

You have to stop yourself from sneering out the last word. You despise 'gentlemen' and anything else born of civilization. Civilization was nothing but the foolish attempt of humanity to bring light to a world that they do not deserve to rule. It was here in the dark with the smell of blood in your nose and a sword in your hand where humanity belonged. The light belongs to the serpents, to the Princess above all.

The royal guard has his own sword unsheathed and oh how you yearn to meet him, to bring steel against steel. But you control yourself and take another step back, trying to find a way to turn this to your advantage. You just need a way to distract them...

The door across the room, behind all of the men, swings open. The guards flinch back as for a moment what steps forward doesn't look human, a horned apparition from foreign lands.
"Am I interrupting something?"
It's the Quedeshi ambassador, his feathered crown scraping the ceiling, his face hidden behind the same golden mask as always. The corridor behind him has no lit torches and is as dark as the throat of a snake.
He appears to be alone.

The royal guard looks uneasy, unable to take his eyes off you but unable to ignore this new visitor.
"Sod off, your lordship. You're in danger."

"This man would never harm me."

You swallow a scowl as best you can. There aren't many people still alive who you loathe more than the ambassador. What has he done with the princess?

"So please, by all means," Tash continues with a theatrical shake of a gloved hand, "set him free. He means no trouble."

Do you strike now? No, the royal guard is still focused on you and you'd prefer to take him alone. The guard looks as frustrated by the ambassador as you are.
1/2

>>39756766
2/2

The guard spits.
"I don't know what you know...sir, but this man is scum of the worst order and after what just happened in the ball, none of you foreigners are above suspicion. So I'd advise you to just leave while you still can."

"Are you threatening me? Tash, of the Witchlands?"
His smooth voice takes on a dark tone and maybe it's your imagination but the shadows seem to multiply behind him as he takes a single step forward and thrusts out an arm hidden by an overlong sleeve.
"Yes, I know what you people call my home. And I have something to confess. It's all true. I am Witch-born and Witch-bred. My lips have tasted a thousand curses and I have seen just as many laid low. Your strength of arms shall not avail you here."

Witches? Those were just children's stories, myths for the rural types. But here in the bowels of the earth, where the only light was from a flickering torch and the ambassador loomed forward like a specter, his appearance suddenly inhuman, it was much easier to believe. Everyone knew of witches.

The five jailors looked from the ambassador to you, their brows in a sudden sweat. The corpse-stench of their fellows still flavors the air, lending them cowardice where they already had plenty. When the first one breaks and runs, the other four follow almost immediately.

Only the royal guard remains and he turns to face Tash, his sword pointed at the Quedeshi.
"Fuck off with your bullshit. Do you think I believe any of that?"

"Really? Then I'm sure you won't be afraid of my prediction. No, my curse. That you are going to die before you draw your next breath."

"Shut u-"
The guard starts to yell but you stab him in the back.
Tash nods at you.
"Curses are notoriously unreliable. Swords are so much better at getting this done, aren't they?"

You stand there and say nothing. The ambassador gestures to the passage behind him.
2/3

>>39756943
3/3

"Are you coming or not? We have a mutual friend and I do not foresee myself winning her favor by letting such a useful tool perish."

> "Fuck off." Go the other way, alone.

> "Do you know where they have my belongings?"

> Attack him.

> "What's going on? What happened at the ball?"

> "Where is the princess?"

> "What do you want with her?"

> Other

>>39756980
> "Do you know where they have my belongings?"
> "What's going on? What happened at the ball?"
> "What do you want with her?"

>>39756980
> "Do you know where they have my belongings?"

> "What's going on? What happened at the ball?"
> "Where is the princess?"

>>39756980
>> "Do you know where they have my belongings?"

> "Where is the princess?"

> "What do you want with her?"

> "Do you know where they have my belongings?"
> "What's going on? What happened at the ball?"
> "Where is the princess?"
> "What do you want with her?"

Oh great. Guards you could deal with but now there's THIS arsehole. Doesn't he ever go away? Surely he knows that basically nobody here likes him.

You don't lower your sword.
"Do you know where they've got my stuff?"

"They're in the barracks, I just passed it. Have no fear."

"Uhuh. And what are you doing having free reign of the palace anyway?"

Tash does his best to look coy despite being masked.
"Well, I do have my ways. And the palace is far too much chaos right now for anyone to really bother me."

Chaos? Shit, you'd heard them talk about something happening in the ball. You remember your trip through the palace grounds, all of which had been bereft of guards. Something was going on.
"What happened? What's going on?"

"You really are just an inquiring fellow, aren't you? What's your name?"

You say nothing.

"Well, there's little to say. I'm sure you remember those belligerent Szaren."

You nod. The scarred ambassadors from what could be graciously termed as the 'losers' of the Jheri War. They'd lost a lot more than that.

"It seems that they've had something up their sleeve this entire time. They sneaked a seer in somehow, one that let them pass with all sorts of magical devilry. Seems like they had no interest in the treaty in the first place. Now they're roaming about killing and burning and all sorts of distasteful activities."

The palace is burning? Did Her Highness make it out safely? Sudden worry nearly forces you to cry out in physical pain.
"And the princess? Where is she?"

"No idea. We didn't part on the best of terms and I certainly didn't come off looking good. She got the best of me, I'm afraid."

You advance on him, doing your best to look threatening. You trust Tash about as far as you could throw him. Even less, considering that you could probably throw him quite far.
1/2

>>39757227
2/2

"Just what do you want with her anyway?"

He holds his arms up in mock surrender as you close in.
"Well, well, I might as well be honest. We're both just men here, are we not? Do you know what it's like, to be raised as a servant to serpents? Yes, I see you do. Excellent. Then you know how unapproachable they can be and how the beauty of their forms can make all else as nothing but shadows and ash."

Is that what you think of the Princess? It could be, though you know it for far nobler reasons than Tash is suggesting.

"I've always...wanted them," the ambassador continues. "To know them, to taste their power. A predilection of mine, perhaps. But they are too far above me, too far above us all. It's just how society works back home. But here, your princess is just like them but she is ...barbaric. She is crude and wild in what I might add to be a very exciting fashion. She is approachable."

You find your face twisting into a scowl as you divine his intent. You had thought him up to something grander, some huge foul work that would require twisting Her Highness to his will but...

"Yes, that is more or less correct. I am a man of exquisite tastes. And I want to, ah, what is the word you people have for it? I want to fuck. I want to fuck your princess. Nothing more, nothing less."

Your sword goes for his throat in a moment of blind rage only to be stopped as the shadows in the corridor behind the ambassador move. There are men in there, their faces covered in chain veils, blades and crossbows pointed in your direction.
The ambassador doesn't flinch.
"Like I said, I don't trust curses when a sword will do. I hope we understand each other now?"

> Attack him anyway.

> Decide to go with him to your belongings.

> You'll find your own way out.

> Other

>>39757328
> Decide to go with him to your belongings.
Chuckle, not at him per se' but at the absurdity of both Him and Cennen wanting tog et in her pants. Two fools so alike yet so very different. Almost like someone or something set this up.

>>39757328
>> Decide to go with him to your belongings.

For reals Tash? And here we were all riled up for nothing.

>>39757328
> Decide to go with him to your belongings.

>>39757328
> Attack him anyway.

Lets be honest, Tash is probably the most trustworthy guy here, at least we know what he actually wants to get out of this all.

>>39757328
>You'll find your own way out.

>>39757444
I'm still really not looking forward to being around him on the way to quedesh

>>39757492
Cennen Invents the Impotence potion and puts it in Tash's drink one day.

>>39757492
inb4 he becomes a permanent party member

>>39757444
I'm kinda worried about what will happen when he finds put about hiss and cennens relationship

>>39757589
He'll either try to get Hiss to cheat with his talented tongue or try to off Cennen. Cennen if he's smart wills tock up on a fuck ton of alchemy while on the ship. Also hopefully he'll have his bunyip guard dog back by then.

> Decide to go with him to your belongings.

You swallow your anger and stand back. After moment's thought, you find yourself chuckling at the absurdity of it all. You couldn't have picked someone as different from Cennen as this man and yet in the end they were both the same sort of fool. Who could have known? It seems like Her Highness was slowly building up an entire harem of these idiots to call her own.
The princess would never oblige him, the same way that you are fairly certain she would never grant Cennen his wish either.

"Yeah, I guess we do. I might not like it but I do. You can't be worse than him. Lead on."

Tash doesn't question the nebulous 'him' you are referring to. Perhaps he already knows.
Instead he just beckons you back down the corridor, allowing you to pass through his small company of faceless men, soldiers who move as one and never flinch aside even when you pass within inches of them.
"What are these anyway? Are they eaten?"

"No, merely devoted. I've been raised with them since birth. Do you like their immobility? They put quite a lot of pride into it."

"Meh, I've seen better."

That puts a damper even on the ambassador until he leads you back to the barracks, which are filled with corpses, most of them still in their beds. You raise an eyebrow to which Tash can only shrug.
"Like I said, I've already paid this place a visit. It makes me somewhat of an ungrateful host but I doubt anyone will know."

You push him aside and ransack the place until you find the sack with all your belongings in it. You happily discard your current sword as you pull your usual leaf-bladed sword and its scabbard from the sack.
Say what you will about civilization but you've always had a thing for swords. It was probably hereditary, your mother had been the finest human warrior in Snakehome. When she had came home pregnant with you, she claimed that she hadn't even slept with a man but rather a man had stabbed her in the belly before she killed him.
1/2
1/2

>>39757589
I'm sure he'd love the challenge. Also not even sure where their relationship stands.

>>39757689
Did you read thread 19?

>>39757700
Nope looks like I missed it.

>>39757647
2/2

A load of nonsense for sure because she had never spoken a word of truth to you in your life but you had always found it entertaining nonsense all the same.

Also in the sack was your trusty poncho, still mostly in one piece and your two masks. The first is carved into Ophi's likeness, his face twisted into a manic grin. The second...the second is your future.

Cennen had asked you what you were carving when you had all first arrived at Taldenral and you had not answered him. You had been unable to answer at the time for you knew not what you were making. But here it is. A mask not carved in any human visage but rather a blank slate, nothing but a set of eyeholes in an empty mask. All identity swallowed by Art.
A null, a mindless tool. Everything about you eroded into just a mask and a naked blade. This is what Her Highness will make of you, in due time. In her hands you are but a piece of iron in the forge and the blacksmith's hands are not kind.

You're not sure why you made this mask. Do you fear it? Or do you secretly crave it? The ultimate death of self, the oblivion that the princess promises you. Either way, it is not yet time to wear it so you place it back into the sack before slipping the Ophi mask upon your face.

Tash nods appreciatively at your transformation.
"Another masked man? I should have guessed. Are we not brothers?"

"No."
You have everything you need now. You certainly don't need the ambassador anymore.

> Leave without him.

> Safety in numbers!

> Other

>>39757780
> Safety in numbers!
He has a similar interest to us, similar enough we can trust him here.

>>39757780
> Leave without him.
Cennen POV time?

>>39757780
>> Leave without him.
I can move faster and find my mistress on my own. Your men may keep you "safe" but I have no such need. I bid you good day!

>>39757780
> Leave without him.

>>39757780
>Safety in numbers

> Leave without him.

"This is where we say goodbye, ambassador. Would you believe me if I were to say that I'll miss you?"

"To be perfectly honest? No."

"Good because I'd hate to lie. I can move faster and find the princess on my own. Good day!"

"I'm sure you will. Carry on then and don't let the Szaren both you."

You leave the barracks, leaving Tash and his faceless men behind. You break into a run as you navigate the corridors, seeking the true path through the underworks of the palace. Your senses guide you true in the end and you surface in the courtyard, ready to flee into the city.

Unfortunately the courtyard is occupied. The royal guard are out in force and among them are armed men in brown cloaks, their dark skin scarred and mutilated in ritualistic patterns. Swords are flashing, arrows are flying and men are dying.
And both sides take immediate notice of your entrance.

"Aw hell."
You raise your sword. Looks like it'll be a long night for you yet.

>...

>>39758002
I Think if he lives through this, Cennen should make some cloud bombs for him. Poor guy needs them.

>>39758002
>...

But not a long night for us, for we shall leave Oster to his work and skip forward a few hours into the morning, into the present.

Your name is Cennen though somebody could probably convince you otherwise right now. You are adrift in a void, lost between a dozen sparkling points of light.
You had taken the as of yet unnamed potion with Hiss and you had been dragged down into slumber with her. Now nothing fucking makes sense anymore and you're probably stoned out of your mind.

One of the lights grow as you drift and you find yourself in a clearing, a campfire burning low.
This is not you. The bearded man sitting by it is not you but an enemy. You remember that much.

A dozen voices speak to you and you must listen.

> Seek out your own soul.

> Talk to the man by the campfire.

> A withered old dry thing crawls through the void. What is it?

> A storm of fragments pass you by and you collect them in your hands.

> Other

>>39758077
> A withered old dry thing crawls through the void. What is it?
Hiss probably, or aftermath of the spirit mucking with her.

>>39758077
> A storm of fragments pass you by and you collect them in your hands.

>>39758077
>> A storm of fragments pass you by and you collect them in your hands.

>>39758077
> A storm of fragments pass you by and you collect them in your hands.

I kinda wanna choose the old man but this is just too interesting to pass up.

>>39758170
Didn't hiss mention eating our memories of some bearded dude when we first met her?

> A storm of fragments pass you by and you collect them in your hands.

You push away, letting yourself drift back into the star-lit void. But you are not alone. A storm of multi-colored fragments passes you by and before you know what you're doing, you reach out and grab them, bringing them all together in your hands.

Each shattered fragment is like a piece of a mirror, a mirror reflecting a world or a place beyond your current prison. Scattered light plays on all of them, each one a distant memory, a piece of a soul ripped apart and devoured by Hiss.
Are any of them yours? You have no fucking clue.

You toss them about in your hands before you raise one to your eye and look through it.

It's a long dining table with Hiss crouching atop it at the other end. A stilt-legged monster of bone and naked flesh stands before her, protecting you.
And you are not you. You are...ah.

Now you know who this is. This is all that remains of the Mayor of Melire. What use could he be to you?

> Break the fragments.

> Try and piece them together.

> Just stuff them in your pack and keep moving.

> Let them fall into the void forever.

> Other

>>39758409
> Try and piece them together.

>>39758409
>> Try and piece them together.

>>39758409
> Just stuff them in your pack and keep moving.

>>39758409
> Let them fall into the void forever.

>>39758409
>> Just stuff them in your pack and keep moving.

>>39758409
>Try and piece them together.

>>39758409
> Just stuff them in your pack and keep moving.

Rolled 2 (1d6)

Looks like a tie between piecing them together and putting them in your pack. Odds for the former, evens for the latter.

>>39758643
> Just stuff them in your pack and keep moving

Man, you don't know what you're doing here. You're hardly an expert on these sort of screwy soul metaphysics. Where are you anyway, some sort of collective pseudospace? Are you inside Hiss? Are you just hallucinating nonsense.

You gather all of the fragments together and just stuff them into your pack before letting yourself drift further. The fragments weigh your pack down, bringing you down further and further into the void, to the deepest darkest point in it. The place furthest away from the stars.

And here down in the very darkest crevasse, you find the snake. It's huge, big enough that just its head is larger than your entire body. It is pitch black, nothing but emptiness cut into the shape of a serpent.

The snake raises its monstrous head in your direction, a shadow-tongue lapping the void between you. Your nostrils are assaulted by an overwhelming stench of dried blood and old venom, the bones of the dead and the screams of the dying. This is death.
But it is also Hiss.

> Flee.

> Offer yourself to it.

> Empty your pack into its mouth.

> Other

>>39758733
> Empty your pack into its mouth.
There's nothing else in our pack, right?

>>39758733
>> Empty your pack into its mouth.

Hey Hiss. Have some souls. Way better than living bodies. Better for the figure too.

>>39758733
Hmm. Hi hiss. *wave*
> Empty your pack into its mouth.
Reminder eating me would get you sick.

>>39758733
> Empty your pack into its mouth.

>>39758733
> Empty your pack into its mouth.

> Empty your pack into its mouth.

"Uh, hi Hiss. Have some souls?"
You take off your pack and empty it into the monster's mouth, letting all the fragments fall and vanish forever into the dark-within-darkness.
"Don't eat me now, that'd make you sick. I'll freeze your heart." Or something. God only knows how any of this soul bullshit works.
The snake hisses and seems to grow bigger.

And from there, the rest is clear. You swim back up, snatching a star each time. And you drag them back down with you to feed the snake and the snake grows bigger each time.

Soon there is but one star in the void and the snake is all around you, her deathly coils passing and looping by you as it fills the universe. You hold the final collection of pieces in your hands as the snake opens a mouth miles wide to accept your final offering.

You make the mistake of looking into these fragments. A village, a boiling cauldron, a trip through the forest...
These are all your memories, the ones that Hiss had bitten from you in your first encounter with her. There are far more of them than you had thought. How could you not have noticed this much missing time?
But then again, she could have taken everything from you and you probably wouldn't know. It makes you feel queasy.

The snake hisses impatiently.

> Feed her.

> Just let them drift off.

> Try to take them for yourself somehow.

> Other

>>39758873
>> Try to take them for yourself somehow.

>>39758873
>> Try to take them for yourself somehow.
Let's eat our own soul. That can't end badly.

>>39758873
> Feed her.

You've come too far down this road. Those will only hold you back.

>>39758873
Hiss these are fragments of me. I'm taking them back. I'll burn off the wish bond after we get out of here. Alright?

>>39758873
> Feed her.
She does own us now. Let's ask her to tell us a bit about them later

>>39758952
The wishbond is pretty useful though. I mean it gets us out of lots of sticky situations

>>39758873
> Try to take them for yourself somehow.

>>39758873
man how would that even work, do we eat our own soul? does that count under the bane thing of not being able to mess with the soul?

ah whatever

>take them for yourself

> Try to take them for yourself somehow.

No, you're not willing to give them up. Not yet. This little things are you, a you that had been stolen away. You let yourself begin to drift back upwards.
"Hiss, these are the memories you took from me. I-I'm taking them back. I'll set things right later, okay?"

The snake doesn't react well at all. It surges up towards, yourself just a speck against the wall of night that is its mouth.
You try to clutch the memories to you. They're yours! She can't take them! Not again!

But you've made her too strong. You fed her the rest of her souls and brought life back to her representation here, wherever 'here' is. Strong enough that she can just take what she wants.

The snake's mouth engulfs you, swallowing you and the fragments alike. They slip from your hands and into the void as everything freezes over and the snake writhes in pain around you.

...

And then you suddenly wake, pulled free from the snake's grasp by your Bane. You're not just awake either, you've fallen back into your original form, the shapeshifting potion having worn off with your sleep.

You are lying down in the abandoned hut by the docks. Hiss is still lying next to you with her arms around you. She's asleep and has a smug self-satisfied grin on her face.
You gave her the chance and she chose to take it back whether you liked it or not.

> Wake her up.

> Get up and go check on the ship.

> Just wait.

> Brew (Specify)

> Use a potion (Specify)

> Make a wish (Specify)

> Other

>>39759199
>> Get up and go check on the ship.
Vey carefully.

Brew a Snakebreaker bomb too if we can do so.

>>39759199
> Wake her up.

>>39759199
>> Wake her up.
Why Hiss Why.

>>39759199
> Wake her up.

>>39759199
> Brew (Specify)

Snakebreaker if we can.

>>39759308
You're an idiot. She was in full snake mode. She didn't understand what or why. She's also wounded and hungry.

>>39759199
> Wake her up.
Ask her to tell us a bit about our memories sometime

>>39759199
>> Brew (Specify)
We need a few more healing potions, and a snakebreaker or two would be nice.

>>39759363
healing potions become useless if they're not used fast enough. I guess hiss might need another for her face and arm wound though

> Wake her up.

You disentangle yourself from her and she groans at the loss of warmth but doesn't wake. You step back a little before poking her in the face, prompting her mouth to snap open and attempt a lethargic bite in response. Her eyes open, briefly snake-slits before clouding into her brown human eyes.
"Oh, Cennen," she says. "I just had the best dream."

"Oh? Did it happen to be about a giant snake?"

"Yes! I was eating everyone. I was eating you."

"And that's a good dream is it?"

She waves you down as she sits up.
"Oh, hush. It was just a dream. And I...I think your potion actually worked. I can feel all of my souls! They're all right back where they belong!"

She looks so innocently happy about this that for a moment you nearly let her phrasing slip you by.
"Her" souls. Not your memories or anyone else's. They belonged to her. They were hers forever. What would you have even done with them had you managed to keep them from her?

You shake your head.
"Well, tell us about them sometimes. About my childhood."

Her expression softens.
"Maybe I will. But for now, I think you know what you need to do?"

"Eh?"
You do not know what you need to do.

"You can take this wish-bond off now. You recaptured me so you could give me back my understanding, a good servant to the end. But now you need no power over me. Make your last two wishes."

> Make a wish (Specify)

> "...No." You prefer the safety.

> "...No, they're much too useful."

> Other

>>39759533
>> "...No, they're much too useful."

>>39759533
Wish 1
I wish you would fill this bottle with venom for experimentation
Wish 2
Do a sweet backflip

>>39759533
>Give me back my memories

Fuck this bitch

>>39759533
I wish for an improved understanding of magic.

As for the other I have no idea yet. By the by it's a miracle neither one of us are dead, since you did in fact try and eat me. When I took that potion with you I go taken along for the ride. By all rights I should be dead or my bane should have frozen your soul solid.

>>39759633
>>39759652
Waste of wishes, we get venom already. Backflip is a stupid waste at that.

>>39759670
that's what we're trying to do m8
anything we wish for will be undone after the last wish anyway

>>39759684
at least wish for a kiss or something then.

>>39759684
>Giving Hiss freedom

Are you actually retarded?

>>39759533
Wish for one venomless kiss and a bottle filled with her venom

>>39759533
> Make a wish (Specify)
Is it possible to wish for more powers?

>>39759533
>> "...No, they're much too useful."
I remember the last time we used all our wishes. It wasn't fun.
Besides they're useful in emergencies, to ensure her safety and ours.

changing>>39759652
to>>39759714

>>39759729
You can wish for Hiss to brand you with another Snake Art, yes and it'd be a fair bit stronger. But having too many of those things isn't good for the body.

>>39759754
could we wish for our existing snake art to become much more powerful?

>>39759754
Could we wish for a better understanding of magic in such a way it'd stick with us? For alchemy?

>>39759786
You can't really request Hiss to teach you sweet alchemical tricks because she has no real clue how alchemy works, even the full-potential superHiss that the wishes can hypothetically call on. Alchemy is a wholly human magic.

>>39759776
Yes.

>>39759814
I just meant a better understanding of magic in general. Since we need to understand magic to master alchemy.

>>39759814
would our snake art powerup be permanent?

>>39759814
Could we wish for another snake art, then wish for our arts to be enhanced?
If so, would it be permanent, or fade after the final wish?

>>39759835
I'd rather become a master alchemist by our own merit. We can start by studying eugene's potions and the shapeshifting potion intensely

If we get rid of this wishbond, she will probably stop understanding human emotions as much as she can now. Will revert to Old Hiss. And probably punish Cennen.

>>39759869
she got all of her human souls back. so that won't happen obviously

>>39759814
Ok then I'm voting for a venom free kiss and then strengthening our snake art

>>39759894
The wish bond will end. The one where we wished for her to understand human emotions. When playing as Hiss it was clear she did not understand some human emotions. Love for one. It all goes poof when the wish bond ends.

Alright, all these questions have tangled up the votes a bit and I'm not sure what people are going for what or if they've changed their minds.

So votes now please, stated clearly.

>>39759975
Make wishes

>>39759952
I disagree
>>39759922
This

>>39759975
>>> "...No, they're much too useful."

>>39759975
Venom free kiss
Strengthen our snake art

>>39759975
A better understanding of magic

Tell her you're thinking about the last one.

Also her dream was real and it's a miracle neither of us is dead.

>>39759975
Wish

Strengthen the Snake Art
Venomless Kiss

>>39759975
>>39760007
This

>>39759975
>> Make a wish (Specify)
Another snake art
Improve our snake art

> Make two wishes.

You're not really sure if this is the smartest choice in the world. But it's what Hiss wants and you suppose you can always capture her in her sleep again or something. She wouldn't be very happy about that but still.

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll make them."

Her eyes light up.
"Wait, really?"
Had she doubted you?

"Yeah, I'll set you free. But there's something you need to understand first. When you took my memories back just then, you did it even though I didn't want you to. And with the Bane that could have gone really badly for both of us."

She looks confused for a moment before comprehension dawns on her, no doubt recalling the 'dream'.
"Oh, is that how it worked? Well Cennen, that was foolish of you and there's no other way to call it. I can't regurgitate what I've eaten, that's not who I am. And what you were going to do with those fragments? Your own Bane would have stopped them ever truly rejoining. They were mine and I thank you for returning them. For returning all of them."

She takes both of your hands in hers and clasps them together.
"I warned you that I would bite you. That's us, isn't it? We do terrible things to each other all the time. Sometimes we're not in our right mind or we're lost but you can't take back the past. The best we can do is just move past and undo what you can."

"R-right. So I'll make my wishes now. First of all...I wish that you would strengthen the brand you've placed on me and make my Art stronger."

She smiles and clamps down on your hands with a sudden strength that feels like it should break your bones. Pain briefly floods through your brand down through your veins and into your heart but it's gone before you can even react.
"Oh, that's neat! I didn't even know I could do that. And your last?"

"Uh. I wish for a kiss. A venomless one specifically. You know, one that doesn't try to kill me."

1/2

>>39760328
2/2

"Oh, that's easy enough to fulfill. I don't even need any extra power for that."
She pecks you quickly on the cheek.

"Oi no. You said you can't misconstrue the intent of these things. So pucker up!"

You pull her close and before you can put too much thought into this, plant her one right on the lips. Her lips are cold and it only lasts but a second before she pushes you away.
"We should probably keep it short, just to be sure."

You feel the wish-bond linking the two of you break like thread and Hiss herself seems to change. No, not anything physical about her, it's how she carries herself. As you had when you had first met her, you become suddenly aware of an invisible circle around her defined by her reach. The boundary of her bite, of her impulsive wrath and something you are no longer excluded from.

She pokes you on the nose.
"That was fun. What now?"

> Oh shit you have to check on the Quedeshi ship!

> You need to brew.

> Use Potion (Specify)

> Check around the docks to see if Frahm is still about.

> Ask Hiss about your Art.

> Other

>>39760398
> Oh shit you have to check on the Quedeshi ship!

>>39760398
> Oh shit you have to check on the Quedeshi ship!

>>39760398
>> Check around the docks to see if Frahm is still about.
then
>check on the Quedeshi ship.
If no changes
>Make a snakebreaker bomb, and a souldrift just in case.

>>39760407
>>39760418
Check for frahm first, he sees us we're screwed.

>>39760398
> Check around the docks to see if Frahm is still about.
> Oh shit you have to check on the Quedeshi ship!

>>39760398
> Check around the docks to see if Frahm is still about.

>>39760398
>Check for Frahm
>If he's not around, Ship
>If he is, go back in and keep brewing

> Oh shit you have to check on the Quedeshi ship!
> Check around the docks to see if Frahm is still about.

Oh shit, you were supposed to be watching the Quedeshi ship this entire time! Fuck!
You dodge around Hiss and run to look out the door. It's still there, thank...you're not sure who to thank. You don't think the Creator particularly approves of you anymore what with the rampant spirit murder.

Before you actually leave the house to get a closer look, you do a scan around the crowd. No, you don't see Frahm anywhere. Looks like he's moved on.

Now, the ship is still the same as always and wait a minute, were those faceless soldiers always there? You could have sworn they weren't there when you had gone to sleep.
But here they were, spread in a semicircle around the gangway and preventing the crowd from getting too close.

Did the ambassador send them ahead of him to prepare for his arrival? Or is the ambassador already aboard the ship?
You have no idea.

> Wait and brew.

> Take Hiss up to the ship right now.

> Go to the ship alone.

> Other

>>39760662
>> Wait and brew.
Brew a snakebreaker and stink bomb. then
> Take Hiss up to the ship right now.

>>39760662
See if we can figure out what's changed about our snake art. Use an identification potion if it still works by secreting venom. Ask hiss to keep an eye on the ship

>>39760747
take Hiss to the ship after doing this

>>39760662
> Take Hiss up to the ship right now.

This is where Tash kills Cennen, and we have no alchemy to save us.

>>39760747

"Hey Hiss, could you keep an eye on the ship. Tell me if anything weird happens."

You take your gloves off and inspect your brand. The self-devouring serpent is the same as ever save perhaps a little darker, a little more 'real'. You bend your will towards it and beads of clear liquid begin to sweat from the center of your brand, trickling down your hand.

You drink your last identification potion as you regard it, letting alchemical knowledge seep into your mind from without. It still works the same way but you can now change how it is produced, choosing between lethal and non-lethal varieties. They should be able to be augmented or changed via the usual alchemical mixes as well.
Hmph. Not as strong as you had hoped and still not exactly useful in combat but maybe combat isn't you balliwick anyway. This is an alchemist's power.

By the time you've finished, Hiss reports that something weird is going on.
"Hey Cennen, they're up to something. Check it out!"

Four of the faceless soldiers are wrestling a huge box of dark wood down the gangway, each one holding a corner. They set it on the docks with a thud much heavier than even a chest that large should ever cause.

"Any idea on what that is?" You ask her.

"Not a clue." she replies.

> Go up and investigate.

> Stay right where you are.

> Brew quickly.

> Flee!

>>39760981
> Brew quickly.
Snake breaker. NOW!

>>39760981
> Brew quickly.
Snake breaker

>>39760981
> Brew quickly.
Snakebreaker

>>39760981
>> Brew quickly.
Snakebreaker would be good. And also possibly necessary.

>>39760981
> Brew quickly.
Snake breaker
Damn that power up is disappointing. I thought wishes would bring hiss to her highest possible strength and make our snake art as powerful as it could possibly be.

>>39761043
To be honest using it would probably be bad in the long run, I doubt it would kill all of the quedeshis and even if it did we wouldn't have a way to get to quedesh

>>39761090
Best to have it on hand anyways. There's a constrictor in there no doubt.

>>39761111
It's possible I suppose, but would a snake who is considered royalty really be okay with being stored in a box for a long ass time?

> Brew quickly.

Oh no. Whatever the hell that is it CAN'T be good. What could they be keeping in it that they'd only take it now, when Taldenral is already aflame?

For lack of a better thing to brew, you get to work on preparing a Snakebreaker Flask (using a few strands of Hiss' hair). You figure that the Snakebreaker is pretty good against everything.

Hiss is still watching the giant chest with a great deal of curiosity.
"Do you think it's a weapon? Like one of your explosive potions?"

"I hope not or otherwise we're way too close!"

The crowd steps back as the four Quedeshi start working an arcane system of locks surrounding the lid. And as it slowly unlocks, you hear a dry rattling sound. It's not very loud but it somehow penetrates through all other sound.
Just the sound of it strikes a sudden fear into your heart, an irrational panic telling you that you need to run, that you need to escape!

The crowd stills as the sound echoes through the suddenly quiet docks. And then the stampede begins.
And yet Hiss on the other hand is enraptured by the sound, leaning forward through the doorway with delight in her eyes. You grab hold of her hand and she gives you a foul look.
"I'm fine. It's just been so long since I've heard that sound. I know what it is!"

But she isn't the only snake drawn by the rattle. The ocean directly behind the section of the docks that the box is sitting upon begins to bulge as something huge bursts out from the depths where it had been hiding and licking its wounds.
You don't get a good view but the sudden panic in the Quedeshi soldiers as well as the look of immediate hatred upon Hiss' face tells you all you need to know.

> Hide.

> Flee.

> Show that bastard what's what.

> Other

>>39761160
> Show that bastard what's what.
FINISH HIM WITH THE SNAKEBREAKER

>>39761160
> Show that bastard what's what.

>>39761160
As long as it's not actually the bunyip
> Show that bastard what's what.
with a snakebreaker

>>39761160
>Show that bastard what's what

SNAKEBREAKER

>>39761160
Confirm it is Snakecatcher. If it is snakebreaker it. If Bunyip greet it and rub its tummy.

> Show that bastard what's what.

The flash of red and black tells you all you need to know about what it is, just moments before the Snakecatcher surfaces. His claws scythe through the wood and stone of the dock alike. You can see his wound, a huge scabby patch along his chest covered in countless cuts and bruises, flayed scales hanging down from it in great bloody sheets.
It reminds you of how he had confronted you on the roof but things are different now. He's wounded, he has poison and strange wizard-potions in his system and most of all, you hold a Snakebreaker Flask.

You sprint forward, Hiss calling your name from behind you as you fight your way through the rapidly thinning crowd. The fear inspired by the rattle is lost in a rising tide of hatred for this fucker right here. Before you know it you're right next to the faceless Quedeshi and their box, winding up your arm to throw.

This is it, this is your moment. But this time the monster is wary of your potions. It knows too much.

Roll a d100 for the throw.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>39761364

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>39761364

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>39761364

Rolled 31 (1d100)

>>39761364

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>39761364

FUCK. This shouldn't really be too hard considering the blast radius of the brew though

>>39761372

Your throw is slow, giving the Snakecatcher plenty of time to react. He reaches out and slaps it out of the way, causing it to break. This was not the wisest way to handle the Snakebreaker Flask.

The explosion tears the water asunder, a great geyser plume rising as the surface of the ocean is fouled with scales. A few stray scales make it all the way back onto land where they carve grooves through wood or lodge themselves into the huge box.
You're close enough to the box to hear something within hiss in response.

> Get the fuck back.

> Stay where you are.

> Bow.

> Use a potion (Specify)

> Pray.

> Other

>>39761449
> Get the fuck back.

>>39761449
> Get the fuck back.
god damn it

>>39761449
>> Get the fuck back.


Okay, supersoldiers got this. Can't possibly fuck it up.

>>39761449
What the fuck Ouro, that shit should've exploded right when it hit his hand. I don't understand how he wasn't harmed by it

>>39761449
> Get the fuck back.
Snake inside box handle with care.
> Bow.
Just a wee bit.


>>39761484
There is a snake inside the fucking box anon. Snakecatcher is dead, or maimed badly.

>>39761484
Yeah that made no sense to me at all

>>39761484
> that shit should've exploded right when it hit his hand.

That is, in fact, exactly what it does.

>>39761506
We hit the snake inside the box with some of the shrapnel.

>>39761507
So was he actually harmed by it? I don't get why he isn't filled with holes from the explosion

Alright, I didn't write this properly I guess. The monster hits the flask to knock it out of the way, breaking it in the process. This makes it explode. Because he is in the ocean at the time, water goes everywhere and a few stray bits of shrapnel hit the box.

>>39761519
Because there's a giant water explosion as well from the detonation spraying water everywhere. Cennen can't confirm the kill yet.

>>39761540
All right, sorry for my rudeness. I'm a bit on edge as you can clearly see

>>39761540
Now I see. When you said
>This was not the wisest way to handle the Snakebreaker Flask.
I thought you were referring to cennen's throw and not the snakecatcher slapping it

>>39761540
Hopefully the constictor isn't too pissed about the shrapnel

> Get the fuck back.

You start scrambling back away from the box as the lid pops open. You can see Hiss still over at the house, her eyes fixated back on the opening chest.

A huge pale snake head protrudes, scales a light yellow with spots of darker yellow going down its flank. It uncoils itself from the box from where it had been stored rather tightly, somehow fitting such a huge snake within. It has to be at least twenty feet long. It hisses once more, revealing its mouth to be completely defanged, instead filled with a row of sharp backwards-pointing teeth.

It extends itself over towards you, its body so long that it doesn't even have to fully leave the box or even touch the ground.

> Bow

> Pray

> Keep running!

> Damn it Hiss, get over here.

> Use a potion.

> Other

>>39761684
> Damn it Hiss, get over here.

>>39761684
> Bow
> Pray
Apologize profusely. We might not be fast enough to escape

>>39761684
>> Bow
> Pray
Apologies, You were about to be attacked by an aberration. I did not anticipate the reach of the grenade's shrapnel. However since my target only took a glancing hit it still may yet live. I did not intend to harm you in slaying my lady's enemy.

>>39761721
>>39761684
I'll go for this. Damage control time.

> Bow
> Pray

Oh shit oh shit, this thing is huge. Not as large as the Snakecatcher itself but that was a genuine monster, not this elegant thing peering down at you with reddish eyes.
Did you hurt it with the Snakebreaker? Fuuuuck.
Time for damage control.

You get down on your knees and bow, desperately praying for it to hear. You can see the faceless Quedeshi doing the same in your peripheral vision. You pray about how you didn't intend to hurt it and how you had your sincerest apologies if you did. You were only acting to slay the enemy of your own lady.

The python's head twitches, looking over at Hiss. In response Hiss pales and gives a sudden shout.
"Back! Get back!"

A wave of water bursts over the docks as the Snakecatcher rises once more from the depths. Scale-shrapnel is gouged into its body in a thousand places and all of its seven eyes but one are blinded but he still moves. The wounded patch on his chest is now a concave bloody dent nearly a foot deep but he still moves.
The claw comes down, moving way too fast for you to stop. But you don't need to stop it. The Snakecatcher is not alone.
A bass growl rumbles through the ground, a sound you feel more than you hear and your heart leaps as the Bunyip punches itself into the Snakecatcher's ruined torso.
It was here! It was waiting for you!

The Bunyip grabs hold of the Snakecatcher's head in its mouth and drags the monster onto dry land with it, dredging up its entire length.

You're not sure what to say. Well, except for one thing.
"Who's a good boy? Y-you are!"

The Snakecatcher swats the Bunyip away, gounging a long bloody streak down the Bunyip's black flank. In response the Bunyip backs away, joining your side with a happy rumble.

The constrictor hisses again and you don't know what its angry at but the Bunyip snarls at it all the same.
And the Snakecatcher impossibly gets up, bleeding from a thousand wounds. You know there'll be no fleeing it this time, no way to distract it.
1/2

>>39761894
2/2

This one's going to be to the end, all-in. And on whose side is the constrictor and the Quedeshi? Where's the ambassador? Where's Oster?

You have no idea how to answer all of these questions but what they do tell you is that this is about to extremely messy.

>>39761920

One of the lesser powers of the Snakecatcher is ending threads on a cliffhanger. I'll see you guys next thread where everything gets resolved (possibly). It's going to be hectic and it's not going to be tomorrow but it will probably be the day after, check the twitter, etc.

>>39761920
FOR FUCK'S SAKE! WHY WON'T THIS DAMN THING DIE?!

I mean, I appreciate how it's presence always heralds some sort of plot development or excitement, but its persistence is really start to ache.

Hey, speaking of, do we notice if the Eugene Special had any effect whatsoever?

>>39761971
Thanks for running. Did we fuck up?

>>39761972
Probably made it harder to kill.

>>39761972
You can't tell if it's shrunk or not. It's quite large so it might have lost a few feet but you wouldn't notice. It hasn't actually drunk the stuff, only had contact with it.

As for his persistence, you'll get a good chance to fix that problem next thread!

>>39762014
Not really. Not in the short-term anyway. Giving Hiss her freedom is going to have all sorts of long term repercussions but they aren't necessarily bad.

>>39762039
Just FYI normal acid is going to it's ruined chest first round of combat.

>>39762056
All we have are shapeshifting, tree brew, and Eugene potions

>>39762039
I wonder if it's possible to set up a nobble->wish->free cycle to keep upping the Snake Art powers

Hiss would probably get annoyed though

>>39762080
Yeah that right we broke the lock with it last thread, fuck.

>>39762039
What's the limits on the shapechange potion? Could we Hulk out or go Lamia on the snake catcher?

>>39762109
I want to at least imitate its impenetrable scales with the shapeshifting potion.

>>39762080
It's a good thing we've got a giant constrictor and a giant bunyip and a bunch of Quedishi badasses just hanging around. Should probably brew up healing potions for the Bunyip while it tanks. Healer support go!

>>39762109
Ugh. You know what I think? Oster the Ostentatious is going to come out of flipping nowhere wearing his Jason Voorhees Mask and go ham on the Snakecatcher.

>>39762123
Fuck that, I want to kill it ourself somehow. This thing is pissing me off

>>39762109
The shapeshifting potion can imitate most things and can absolutely change something from human to non-human or vice-versa.

>>39762154
Nah, he's occupied. You'll have to live without his good timing for this one.

>>39762197
Did the brand upgrade also increase our venom resistance?

>>39762118
This is possible, albeit to a lesser degree. It's a very powerful potion.

Also I hope you guys had fun with this one, despite all the Worst Characters being front and center.

>>39762118
Of course!

>>39762154
I wish but doubtful, also his mask ain't ready yet.

>>39762123
If it's smart it's not going to let us brew anything else. we Hurt it bad.

>>39762197
>>39762240
So imitation dragon is possible?

>>39762240
I enjoyed it, I've gotten over my ophi hate although I still don't particularly like him much

>>39762267
hard to hate a guy who's lost so much of himself he can't even care about it.

>>39762258
It is.

>>39762378
Kickass. So who's up for Cennen being an imitation Dragon? The shock value alone would be worth it.

>>39762393
Might offend the snakes but it would definitely be interesting. As long as we get protective scales and fuck up the snakecatcher I don't care much what form we're in

>>39762240
I'd like some way for cennen to bond with oster a bit. Maybe some more knife training. I'm sure it would increase his popularity

>>39762490
That can both kill Tash.

>>39762103
We could always nobble other snakes, yes?

Then wish for them to be subserviant to Hiss, or to let her eat part of their souls so that it outlasts the wish.

>>39762490
We definitely need more knife and physical training. Also we need to outfit him with smoke bombs, a few nonlethal poisons and a few alchemic Cennen venoms.


>>39762506
Usually only works if they're young snakes. That constrictor is 20 feet long. Cennen's nobbling rank is too low.

>>39762461
Yeap. Also it'd be fun.

>>39762555
ima jus'sayin, shapeshifter potion is able to give us a +23 to nobbling serpents if we change to something big enough

>>39762567
Yeah but we'd have to subdue it, and take out its guard and kill the catcher and piss off a nation. Not worth it. Also Cennen is shit at fighting, Him being a demidragon is more for shock value, surprise and armor than anything else.

>>39762567
after next thread we'll most likely only have one dose left. I really want to git gud at alchemy so we can make more

>>39762586
Really wish we had gotten a magic knowledge bump instead of that kiss now huh? That being said we need to inoculate ourselves to Hiss's venom slowly but surely.

>>39762584
yes, but catcher is half dead and has bunyip on much more even ground than last time, we can become a draggin to help out, and the constrictor has to protect us with its life, and therefore every quedeshi infidel has to as well

>>39762634
Pretty sure the constrictor could kick our ass unless we turned into a massive dragon.

>>39762634
nobbling the constrictor is an awful idea anon