>>5548589
>The Black Goat

>>5548589
>An outer entity

And I hope its a giant tentacle monster

>>5548589
>An Outer Entity. It's impossible to know what you'll get. Mom told you to never risk this but she had you at 39 and was never able to lock down a good man, so what does she know?
MYSTERY BOX
Y
S
T
E
R
Y

B
O
X

>>5548589
>Part of the Wurm. It was your mom's patron but it won't remember or care. All it wants is to eat. Food, memories, souls. If you can feed it it'll empower you to get it more. Mom was never able to go all the way. Maybe you can. You bought a bowl of porridge just to stay safe.

File: 1000_F_171597916_87wWJ7u2(...).jpg (379 KB, 1000x723)

379 KB JPG

>>5548607
>>5548617
Fuck it. If mom knew what she was doing she wouldn't have ended up like this. She was too afraid to take any risks and that's why she's sitting in the dirt now. You don't even chant anything. You just pour your soul into the void and wait for a response.

A second later, there's a sound like glass shattering and everything goes still. Your heartbeat stops, you can't move a muscle, and the noise outside ceases. The blood in the chalk circle boils and evaporates into a mist that levitates and opens into a small portal. An eye the size of your skull pokes through. It's deep yellow and has dozens of pupils in shapes you can't grasp. You realize your eyes aren't frozen and blink to show that you've noticed it. The pupils fixate on you and stare into your soul for a few seconds. Then you hear a manic gurgling and a barrage of rapid, high-pitched screeching in a language you don't know. As the noise echoes you can feel the words searing themselves into your memory.

>emit ym htrow er'uoy wonk ll'i dna taht od
>ecno ,sdoog tog nommus niaga ym eht ev'uoy egitsev
>teknirt eerht s'ti tfig yb a yllaer em sluos txen dna ekat esu siht hctac ot ti keew
>tahw llet uoy
>neeb dnuora neeb emit ev'i dna erofeb a ev'i gnol ,llits desirprus
>nruter t'nod fo a dluoc on tnemtsevni no yug em esneffo uoy tub ekat dnik eht taht mees ekil teg
>ereht ot desoppo laed tub gnikrow eb netsil a tuo a sah lautum latrom ton m'i ot tifeneb

The eye retracts back into the portal and you catch a glimpse of glass and darkness. A pale white gem flies out and lands at your feet. It's a perfect sphere and your instincts tell you it's an item of great power. Just as quickly as it came, the portal seals, your blood is gone, and you're left alone with your thoughts and the sphere. There's a feeling like a stutter, the noise resumes like normal, and the gem rolls to tap the wall. You fall on your back and stare at the ceiling. The entire process took under five seconds and you have no idea what the hell just happened. Holy shit.

>What do?

>Decipher the words
>Investigate the gem
>Summon something else
>Call it a night and sleep on it

>>5548659
>>Decipher the words
The words seem to be backwards and out of order

>>5548659
>Decipher the words

>>5548659
>Decipher the words

These are the the words, I still have to put them and the phrases in order

>emit ym htrow er'uoy wonk ll'i dna taht od
time my worth you're know I'll and that do

>ecno ,sdoog tog nommus niaga ym eht ev'uoy egitsev
once ,goods got summon again my the you've vestige

>teknirt eerht s'ti tfig yb a yllaer em sluos txen dna ekat esu siht hctac ot ti keew
trinket three it's gift by a really me souls next and take use thus catch to week

>tahw llet uoy
what tell you

>neeb dnuora neeb emit ev'i dna erofeb a ev'i gnol ,llits desirprus
been around been time I've and before a I've long still surprised

>nruter t'nod fo a dluoc on tnemtsevni no yug em esneffo uoy tub ekat dnik eht taht mees ekil teg
return don't of a could no investment on guy me offense you but take kind the that seem like get

>ereht ot desoppo laed tub gnikrow eb netsil a tuo a sah lautum latrom ton m'i ot tifeneb
there to opposed deal but working be listen a out has mutual mortal not I'm to benefit

>>5548666
>>5548667
>>5548670
You better not put your hands on the gem until you know what it's for. The eyeball, or the entity it's attached to, spoke in a tone of voice you can hear but couldn't understand. Maybe it's a test? Something about the words, in the pitch or the tone, feels familiar when you repeat the sound in your head. You think for five minutes before it hits you. The words are backwards and out of order. If that's true, then to decipher the words, all you need to do is reverse their pronunciation and line them up in the correct order.

Luckily, you're literate and have the diary to keep track. There's no risk of forgetting the words since they're seared into your memory. In a couple of minutes you have them written down. It's legible enough to confirm your theory.

>time my worth you're know I'll and that do
>once ,goods got summon again my the you've vestige
>trinket three it's gift by a really me souls next and take use this catch to week
>what tell you
>been around been time I've and before a I've long still surprised
>return don't of a could no investment on guy me offense you but take kind the that seem like get

The words are still out of order and you can't interpret the message yet but it's starting to become clearer. This might take a bit.

>What do you think the correct order is?

Listen mortal l'm not opposed to working out a deal but there has to be mutual benefit
Take no offense but you don't seem like the kind of guy that could get me a return on investment
I've been around a long time and I've still been surprised before
Tell you what
Take this trinket and use it's gift to catch me three souls by next week (extra words: "really" "a")
once you got the goods, summon my vestige again
do that and I'll know you're worth my time

I think I made a few mistakes, but the overall idea is there

>>5548709
You puzzle over it for about twenty minutes, but then you've got it. The gist of it, at least. You aren't sure if it's exactly correct but it gets the idea across.

>Listen mortal l'm not opposed to working out a deal but there has to be mutual benefit
>Take no offense but you don't seem like the kind of guy that could get me a return on investment
>I've been around a long time and I've still been surprised before
>Tell you what
>Take this trinket and use it's gift to catch me three souls by next week (extra words: "really" "a")
>once you got the goods, summon my vestige again
>do that and I'll know you're worth my time

The entity wants you to take the gem, its trinket, and use it to catch three souls by next week. It's monday night so that means you have six days if you want to take it up on its offer. From mom's rambling, you know that soulcatching can be done in several ways, most commonly with a spell or item. This gem is probably the latter. You walk over to where it rolled and pick it up. It's cool to the touch and perfectly smooth, surpisingly light, too. When you focus on it, you sense an emptiness inside so deep your knees almost buckle. That's a soulcatcher alright, and much stronger than anything your mother ever whipped up for the Wurm. Your instincts tell you that if you kill someone while this gem is in your pocket it'll suck in their soul. It probably wants human souls, most entities do. If you kill three times, then the entity, if it can be trusted, will be willing to do business.

That seems fair. Steep for an initial summon but you get the feeling it doesn't get summoned by amateurs often. The only problem is that you're a scrawny layabout without a trace of combat skills or personal charisma. You do have a knife and are good at not being noticed. That might be all you need. You put the gem in your pocket and think. The circle is still drawn. Maybe you could get into a different pact to ease things or even betray the entity and trade its trinket for something right now. It said it wanted the souls by next week. You don't know how serious of a time limit that is. It could be its limit before it sees you're not worth investing in, it could be how much time you have before your soul is forfeit. You can't gamble with this kind of thing. You should always assume the worst. That's what mom always said. Maybe you should gamble your soul. It worked out just now, didn't it?

>Summon another entity. According to your mom, most entities don't mind summoners having separate deals as long as they fulfill theirs. Most. This one seemed somewhat casual.
>Remove the evidence and hit the street. There might be a few drunks out this late at night. If you were fast, maybe you could be done with it by next dawn.
>Remove the evidence and go to sleep. The innkeeper already saw you turn in for the night and you don't want to raise any suspicions.

>>5548748
>Remove the evidence and hit the street. There might be a few drunks out this late at night. If you were fast, maybe you could be done with it by next dawn.

Who cares if they see a 28 yo neckbeard leave? They'll probably think we're going to buy some junk food or something.

>>5548803
Damn, trip still there from the other thread.

>>5548748
>Remove the evidence and go to sleep. The innkeeper already saw you turn in for the night and you don't want to raise any suspicions.

>>5548748
>Remove the evidence and hit the street. There might be a few drunks out this late at night. If you were fast, maybe you could be done with it by next dawn.

>>5548748
>Remove the evidence and hit the street. There might be a few drunks out this late at night. If you were fast, maybe you could be done with it by next dawn.

>>5548748
>Remove the evidence and hit the street. There might be a few drunks out this late at night. If you were fast, maybe you could be done with it by next dawn.

A few drunk hobos and a knife is all it takes.

>>5548748
IF we start killing people one by one people will take notice, unless this is a metropolis murder gets noticed pretty fast. Then we still need 2 more kills? Then what? Its going to want more from us. We are some 30 year old with no skills that just rolled into town, we are the prime suspect instantly.

We should attempt to kill 3 people at once and make it look like an accident.

>>5548803
>>5548918
>>5548970
>>5549068
You don't want to waste any time. You have six days, not counting tonight and enough coppers to keep you in a room for two more but you want to satisfy the entity as soon as possible. The chalk circle is highly suspect. You remove it with some of the water in the room's bucket and a rag. It wasn't an elaborate circle and your blood vanished so that's no concern. In a few minutes it's as if nothing happened.

You open the door and walk downstairs into the taproom. You can see there are two people up this late at night, the old innkeeper who looks like he's about to fall asleep and a weathered traveler you don't want to mess with. You're touched in the head and terrible at speaking to people. Making sense of their expressions and knowing the right words to say is excruciatingly difficult. You get nervous sometimes, too, but neither of them look at you. That's a relief. When people look at you, sometimes they want you to speak and sometimes they don't, and they always get annoyed if you guess wrong. You don't understand people. Mom always said you were born under a bad star sign.

You don't know if that's true but you somehow think differently and it drives you mad trying to live with people. You hate them so much. So obsessed with their morals and society, but their morals are just thousands of tiny little ways you need to behave and their society is just a circular way to justify it. The normal people are all scum being led by scum. That's why mom turned to witchcraft and why they took the farm, just because you're a simpleton who can't lace his own boots. You stop grumbling to yourself and look at the streets. They're mostly bare but you can see a couple of drunks stumbling back to their boats or homes. This is a decently-large river port town so some amount of thuggery is regular but there's also a vigilant local watch. You'll need to be careful. Your knife and the entity's trinket are in your pockets, out of view. All you need now is someone not in full control of their faculties. You fancy you could take down a skilled swordsman with some fast moves but you don't want to test that.

>Where do you want to go drunk hunting?

>Search the alleyways. There's a high chance you won't find one and if you're seen it's suspicious but if you do catch a drunk by surprise, their body is the least likely to cause alarm.
>Search the streets. There's a smaller chance you won't find one and being seen isn't suspicious but there's a decent chance you'll be caught in the act.
>Search the docks. There's guaranteed to be some drunks but might be a lot of witnesses, angry ones used to bar brawls and hard work.
>Search the inn rooms. There's guaranteed to be a few asleep and there's a low chance of being seen but this will bring suspicion down on every survivor and you'll need to leave before dawn.

>>5549137
>Search the alleyways. There's a high chance you won't find one and if you're seen it's suspicious but if you do catch a drunk by surprise, their body is the least likely to cause alarm.

Specifically it would be best to go after the victims of muggers. Cause if they can't defend themselves or were already beaten up a little they're easy prey. We can also always pin the blame of the missing bodies on the same mugger.

>>5549137
>Search the docks. There's guaranteed to be some drunks but might be a lot of witnesses, angry ones used to bar brawls and hard work.

If you find a ship with foreigners that don't speak the language it may be easier

>>5549137
>Search the alleyways. There's a high chance you won't find one and if you're seen it's suspicious but if you do catch a drunk by surprise, their body is the least likely to cause alarm.

>>5549137
>>Search the inn rooms. There's guaranteed to be a few asleep and there's a low chance of being seen but this will bring suspicion down on every survivor and you'll need to leave before dawn.

>>5549137
>Search the alleyways. There's a high chance you won't find one and if you're seen it's suspicious but if you do catch a drunk by surprise, their body is the least likely to cause alarm.

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>5549199
>>5549285
>>5549524
You'll search the alleyways where you're hidden from view. With any luck, there'll be one or two trying to stumble away from the local watch. If you're really lucky, there'll be someone unconscious. If you're not, you could get knifed yourself but you like to think you're clever. You keep your eyes peeled and your hand on the knife's handle. The trinket feels heavy in your pocket, like you can trust it not to slip out on its own.

>>5549614
Twenty minutes later you see a possible target. An older man slumped on a wall, dressed in rags like yours with a mug in his hands and no visible weapons. His attention is on the opposite direction and he seems to be more than a little buzzed, though not hammered. You think you could catch him in the neck if you were sneaky. There's probably an easier target somewhere but there might not be. You make a decision.

>What do?

>Sneak up on him, tricky-like.
>Rush him before he can react.
>Ignore him, you need a better target. (2 more chances)

>>5549615
>Sneak up on him, tricky-like.

>>5549615
>Sneak up on him, tricky-like.

>>5549615
>Sneak up on him, tricky-like.

>>5549615
>Sneak up on him, tricky-like.

Rolled 19 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549616
>>5549628
>>5549647
>>5549686
You can't be a coward and summoning entities to make pacts. You'll sneak up on the drunk and then stab him, nice and quick. You are a master of stealth compared to the average thug so this should be easy for you, even though it's your first ever try and you've never practiced. You're just that naturally skilled.

>You have an Agility Stat of 0, so you get a -5, and have 0 Stealth Skill for a bonus.
>Your target is drunk, partially deaf in one ear, and not paying attention, so you can roll Bo3 on 1d20 for Stealth.
>If you beat his Perception, you'll backstab for x2 damage. As he's an old man with 3/3 health and you're using a knife for 1d4 damage, this should be lethal.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>5549716
Assassinate

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>5549716
So we have to beat a 14?

>>5549729
Yes. If you fail you'll get a chance to bluff, flee, or jump him. Lucas is deeply delusional about his abilities but he has a knife, a lack of morals, and just enough forbidden knowledge to be dangerous.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>5549716

>>5549716
>>5549727
>>5549729
>>5549764
>13 vs 14
>Slight Failure

You get nearby but your foot scuffs the dirt and the drunk stirs. He turns around to see you creeping up on him with a knife and you know you have seconds to act.

>What do?

>Stab him while he's disoriented
>Turn this murder into a mugging
>Bluff that you're just kidding
>Run away, it isn't worth it

>>5549802
>Stab him while he's disoriented
The patron was right to doubt us

>>5549802
>Stab him while he's disoriented

Rolled 7 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549808
>>5549829
You bum rush him. He staggers in shock and tries to cover his face.

>Your -5 Agility applies and you have 0 Knife Skill
>Your target is drunk and caught by surprise, so you can roll Bo2 to Stab
>If you beat his Dodge, roll 1d4 for damage. On a 20, critical hit for x2 damage. On a 1, critical fail, fumble and lose a turn.

Rolled 1 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549841

>>5549847
Lmao

Rolled 2 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5549841


>>5549847
FUCKING LMAOOOO

Rolled 7 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549841
>>5549847
>>5549852
>-4 vs 2
>Critical Failure, lol, lmao even

"Nyeeeeah!" You squeal, as you jerk your hand up and down like you're chopping vegetables. The drunk falls backward "Good gods!" but catches himself with one hand on the wall. Your attack isn't even worthy of being called amateurish and getting back up from your kneeling crouch costs you valuable seconds. Your victim panics and swings his mug for your face. Luckily, he's as uncoordinated as you are.

>1d20-5 to Dodge a 1d2 damage attack
>Bo1. You're in a poor position and have no skill

Rolled 12 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5549881

Rolled 18 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549881
>>5549886
>7 vs 2
>Moderate Success

His mug goes wide and you stand but you're still uncoordinated. He staggers back and makes a second swing.

>1d20-5 to Dodge
>Bo1. You're equally skilled.

Rolled 3 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5549898
Well.. this is an interesting time to join the quest.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5549898
>>5549901
>-2 vs 13
>Major Failure

You jump at him, straight into the mug that would've otherwise missed. It shatters on your jaw!

Rolled 10 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549922
>1 damage, 3/4 HP

It was only a glancing blow and your injuries are slight but it hurts! For the first time, you're truly aware of your mortality. The drunk shuffles into an unsteady boxing stance. It scares you before you remember you have a knife. Maybe he's drunker than you thought.

>You have 3/4 Health left. If this hits 0 you'll go unconscious or suffer a mortal wound.

You feel your hands sweating. This is the duel of the century.

>What do?

>Stab him, again!
>Intimidate him.
>Run, it isn't worth it!

>>5549932
>Stab him, again!
Drunk vs neckbeard

>>5549932
>Stab him, again!

>>5549932
Stabiddy stabb

Rolled 6 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549935
>>5549986
>>5549990
The drunk comes to his senses and chooses to fight! You rush in to stab him! Thankfully you have the presence of mind not to shriek.

>1d20-5 to Stab
>Bo2. You have a knife and he's barehanded
>He rolled below his morale of 10 with a -5 bonus from drunkeness so he won't flee

Rolled 14 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549995
The battle of the ages continue

>>5549995

>>5549995
Bah

It appears I forgot how to do this. Isn't it+-5?

>>5550010
Put dice+1d20+-5 in the options field

Rolled 20 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5549995
Saving the quest

>>5550010
You've got to write dice+1d20+-5, sometimes it can be tricky.

>>5550022
You did it

>>5549996
>>5550022
>15(20) vs 1
>Critical Success!

He moves to shove you but is too slow and you get into his guard. Before you know it, you've shoved your knife into his neck!

>Roll 1d4 for damage, then double it
>The drunk has 3/3 HP

Rolled 3 (1d4)

>>5550026
MURDER

>>5550027
>6 damage, -3/3 HP

You pull out the knife and see there's a jagged wound where his throat used to be. He gasps and tries to put his hands over it but he's bleeding too much too quickly. The drunk's eyes widen and he collapses. A few seconds later he stops shaking. You can't believe it. Your first kill. You reflexively touch the trinket and focus on it. The emptiness is enormous but when you pay attention, you can feel a flicker deep inside. Like a drop of water in a barrel. You instinctively know that it's this man's soul. You calm down and think for a second.

>+1 Knife XP, 1/5 to 1 (Novice) Skill

You've just murdered a man and stole his soul to give it to an outer entity. Holy shit, you're such a badass. If only your mother could see you now and know that she underestimated your raw, limitless ferocity all of these years. You can't celebrate yet. The drunk's soul is yours but his body is still in the alleyway. You look and see what looks like a wastebin that's about two-thirds his size. You have a godlike physique, naturally, but are you strong enough to lift the corpse and shove it in there? You aren't sure. There's a chance that if you take too long someone will find you with the corpse but if you leave it out in the open, it's bound to be discovered. You clean your knife on his shirt rag.

>What do?

>Shove the corpse in the wastebin
>Drag the corpse deeper into the alleyway
>Leave it and go back on the hunt (2 chances left)

>>5550033
>Leave it and go back on the hunt (2 chances left)

Fuck it, it's late at night and a random knife murder outside of a bar barely makes the news even in modern day.

>>5550033
>Drag the corpse deeper into the alleyway

>>5550044
This is a smaller town and there are vigilantes. We can't just leave it here. Remember, we are a witch son and we will be treated like one, all the time. Even if there is no evidence to blame for a murder or two, fingers will point.

>Drag tbe corpse deeper into the alleyway

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>5550048
>>5550059
There's a good chance nobody will find the corpse until dawn but there's a good chance somebody will. You decide to drag it deeper into the alleyway. Now, if you were a musclebound oaf this would be a trivial task but you are a more scholarly sort, or would be, if you had any access to books.

>You have a Strength Stat of 0, so you get a -5 and have 0 Labor Skill for a bonus.
>Bo2. You're in a hurry but not under duress.
>You need to beat 12 or higher.

Rolled 16 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550097

Rolled 17 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550097

>>5550097
>>5550098
>>5550112
>12 vs 12
>Slight Success

You strain your limbs and heave with everything you have. In fifteen minutes you barely manage to drag it deeper inside, but you do drag it, and now it isn't so easily visible. You're worn out but feel a sense of victory.

>+1 Strength XP, 1/5 XP to 1 (Pathetic) Stat

There are a few bloodstains and the shattered pieces of his mug but they aren't too visible in the dirt and darkness. You're analyzing the situation when another, fatter man steps into the alleyway. You can see by his disheveled slouch and the bottle in his hand that he's also drunk. It looks like he's looking for something, or someone. He ignores you as he rambles around. "Hey, hey buddy- hic- where ya at?" Unlike the other, he seems to have a bit of muscle tone and that bottle could be dangerous. You aren't good at social situations but you think that this is a friend of the man you just murdered. He's not on-guard and isn't paying attention but it's only a matter of time before he finds the body.

>What do?

>Stab him in the back!
>Deceive him.
>Run away.

>>5550144
>Stab him in the back!

>>5550144
>Stab him in the back!

>>5550144
>Deceive him.

Come here I've seen your friend *STAB*

Rolled 16 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550147
>>5550149
A serpent's tongue you sorely lack, so you'll go ahead and stab him in the back. You resist the urge to giggle at your own ingenius rhyme. Maybe you'll be quieter than last time. If not, you hope your knife's sharper than his bottle.

>1d20-5 to Sneak
>Bo3. Your target is drunk, a bit slow, and distracted.
>If you beat him, you'll backstab for x2 damage. This man's sturdier and has 4/4 health.

Rolled 16 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550159

Rolled 8 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550159

Rolled 8 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5550159
Rolling.

>>5550159
>>5550168
>>5550176
>>5550188
>11 vs 11
>Slight Success

You manage to get within knife range but he senses your approach and turns around. "Huh, hey wait a sec-" Before he can get his bearings, you lunge and STAB!

>Roll 1d4 for damage, straight
>The drunk has 4/4 HP

Rolled 3 (1d4)

>>5550197

Rolled 4 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550199
>3 damage, 1/4 HP

You stab him in the stomach and sink the blade deep. He staggers back in shock and horror. "What the fuck!?" His vulgarity won't save him now. Maybe the bottle will. You try to evade!

>1d20-5 to Dodge a 1d2 damage attack. If he hits, the bottle will break and inflict 1d4 damage on future attacks.
>Bo2. Your target is surprised and in pain.

Rolled 14 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550210
KILL

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>5550210
Now we dodge

>>5550229
Sorry i couldn't be arsed to put the +-5. We are on 3/4 hp.

Also we won't be able to drag this one, after being tired with the other corpse... and this one being so rotund

Rolled 20 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550210
>>5550225
>>5550229
>9 vs -1
>Moderate Success

He makes a desperate flail and you step to the side. It's not that you're a skilled fighter, it's that he's just been stabbed and is drunk to the point of incapacitation. You assume that this means you had the beginnings of a legendary warrior all along. Now, for the killing blow!

>1d20-5 to Stab
>Bo2. He's hammered and has suffered severe injury.

Rolled 13 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550236
The drunk has awakened

Rolled 14 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550236

Rolled 1 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550236
>>5550237
>>5550247
>9 vs 15(20)
>Major Failure

You dive in to stab but he snaps out of his stupor, grabs you by the wrist, and goes to break it! You let go of the knife and manage to slip free but now you're unarmed. He slurs. "You fffucker!"

>You are unarmed and do 1d2-1 damage on a hit

The drunk sways on his feet and goes to swing!

>1d20-5 to Dodge
>Bo1. You're also disoriented.

WOW a crit... luckly he is just dodging because if otherwise.......

Rolled 6 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550251
:(

Rolled 20 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550251
AND ANOTHER CRIT!!! But the kind that benefits us Aha

>>5550254
Sad

>>5550254
AND ANOTHER.
But fuck indeed>>5550256

>>5550251
>>5550253
>1 vs -4(1)
>Slight Success

He goes to swing and slips on the mud! He's fallen on the ground, accidentally forcing himself to waste precious seconds getting up! Aha! Your victory is assured!

>You have an extra turn after this.

>How do you use this advantage?

>Stomp on him. (1d2-1 damage)
>Get your knife back.
>Kick the bottle away.

>>5550262
>Stomp on him. (1d2-1 damage)

>>5550262
>Get your knife back.

>>5550262
He has one (1) hp remaining!!!! We will turn the insides of his head into outsides.
>stomp

>>5550265
>>5550303
You don't hesitate and start stomping on him. It would take extreme incompetence to fail before he's able to get back on his feet.

>1d2-1 for damage

Rolled 1 - 1 (1d2 - 1)

>>5550309

>>5550316
>0 damage, 1/4 HP

You kick him and squeal "Reeeeeeee!" but your feet do nothing. He ignores them and stands again. You're still unarmed.

>What do?

>Strike him down!
>Get your knife.
>Run away.

>>5550321
>Get your knife.

>>5550321
>Strike him down!

>>5550321
>Strike him down!

Rolled 14 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550323
>>5550330
You have no time to waste on getting a weapon! You are the weapon! You just run at him.

>1d20-5 to Strike
>Bo2. He's still drunk and not in a stance.

Rolled 4 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550338
FALCON PUNCH

Rolled 8 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550338

Rolled 7 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550338
>>5550339
>>5550344
>3 vs 9
>Moderate Failure

You punch him in the chin but your muscles are so weak and your foe so drunk he doesn't feel it. You've squandered your chance and suddenly, victory seems so far away. He swings the bottle again! This is the most vicious fight of your life!

>1d20-5 to Dodge
>Bo2. He's drunk and has been stabbed

Rolled 11 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550353

Rolled 3 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550353

>>5550353
>>5550358
>>5550365
>6 vs 2
>Slight Success

He flails with the bottle and misses. Again. You didn't even have time to dodge before the swing went wide.

>What do?

>Strike him down! You only need to land one solid blow.
>Get your knife. It's almost guaranteed kill.
>Run away. This is getting too risky for your blood.

>>5550379
>Get your knife. It's almost guaranteed kill.

>>5550379
>Strike him down! You only need to land one solid blow.

The gambler's fallacy dictates that we're guaranteed to win now!

>>5550379
>>Get your knife. It's almost guaranteed kill.

Rolled 20 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550388
>>5550395
Enough of this! You duck down and scoop up the knife the second he closes in to melee. If he were sober, you think you likely would've died twice by now.

>1d20-5 to Dodge
>Bo1. You just reached down to grab your knife.

Rolled 16 - 5 (1d20 - 5)

>>5550405
Oh no.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5550405
>>5550406
>11 vs 15(20)

In the middle of your bobbing and weaving, the bottle connects with the side of your skull!

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5550407
>4 damage, -1/4 HP

It all goes black...

RIP

Oh come on all we needed was to follow the damn train one good blow

Damn, we got fuckin rocked.

File: The Dark.jpg (4 KB, 512x384)

4 KB JPG

>>5550410
When you next awaken, you have a splitting headache and are in pitch darkness. You go to stand and cry, as you feel your ribs are cracked and one might be broken, like you were kicked repeatedly. Fuck. You sit on the floor and rummage in your pockets. Oh no.

It's gone.

The trinket is gone. You realize a few seconds later that your shirt is gone too and your back and sides have been cut repeatedly, like you were dragged naked across gravel. Your instincts tell you that a single blow would kill you instantly.

>You're at 1/1 HP and need to resist the pain for any amount of physical movement. If you want to return to 4/4 HP, you need medical attention and rest in clean conditions. As you have a Constitution of 0 and are nearly crippled, you are effectively immobile.

You lay back and try not to weep. You've lost your knife, you've lost your coppers, and you've even lost your diary. The one with all of your innermost thoughts and secrets. You sense now that you're surrounded by filth and the stench of death. You don't think you're dead, no, but you sense you're confined in a small, circular pit smaller than the inn room, there's a small pile of bones in the corner, and... and... and a trapdoor on the ceiling. The weight of your situation hits you all at once. This is an oubliette.

Oh, by the Wurm...

You are in an even deeper world of shit. If you were here, that means that drunk must've found the corpse and the gem and thought better of killing you. He must've stolen your things but you don't have any idea how much the town watch knows. Fuck, you might be in the baron's own basement! You're doomed! You are fucking doomed! Oh, oh... You weep at your misfortune as you dig through your pockets and, oh wait...

File: The Chalk.jpg (18 KB, 612x408)

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>>5550445
Oh... You catch your breath and slowly, painfully withdraw what may be your only lifeline. A piece of chalk, overlooked by drunken fingers. You find a smile come to your luscious, bloody, bearded face. You aren't doomed yet. No, you can still bargain. You give a muffled laugh, coughing up blood, and look over the pit. These are far from ideal conditions but they'll have to be enough. Unless you want to wait for the trapdoor to open, hope for the best, and try to parley with whoever opens it. If they, the town sheriff or head watchmen or baron's gardener, or whoever, think you're just a victim of a drunken mugging, that might work. If they don't, it might seal your fate on a hangman's noose or burning stake. You have no way of knowing. All you have is time and you don't know how much.

>What measures shall you resort to?

>Summon the Black Goat. Your mother gave you many, many tales of men in conditions like these turning their lives around with a well-worded trade. You would have to be careful but you've already been reckless enough.
>Summon Part of the Wurm. It will demand food, preferably fresh meat, and you would have to feed it a part of yourself but it loves the sacrifice of a summoner's flesh the most and would empower you to escape.
>Summon the Trinket's Giver. You don't even know if you can summon it without the trinket and it might be a fool's errand if you did, but maybe it would have mercy.
>Summon Another Outer Entity. Fuck it. You've already gambled with your life and soul once. You might as well do it again! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
>Sit and Wait. You don't have the stomach for making a pact, not now, not like this, maybe you could tell them this was all a big misunderstanding and things will blow over.
>Try to Escape. This is madness, doomed to failure and certain to kill you, if not during the climb, then when, by some miracle, you reached the surface.

>>5550447
>>Summon the Black Goat. Your mother gave you many, many tales of men in conditions like these turning their lives around with a well-worded trade. You would have to be careful but you've already been reckless enough.

>>5550447
>Summon Part of the Wurm. It will demand food, preferably fresh meat, and you would have to feed it a part of yourself but it loves the sacrifice of a summoner's flesh the most and would empower you to escape.

>>5550447
>Summon the Black Goat. Your mother gave you many, many tales of men in conditions like these turning their lives around with a well-worded trade. You would have to be careful but you've already been reckless enough.

>>5550447
>The wurm.
Hand over an arm, a couple ribs, half a liver, the spleen too lmao, a kidney, an eye maybe? For dramatics. How about we also get our face scarred like the phantom of the opera?

>>5550447
>Summon Part of the Wurm. It will demand food, preferably fresh meat, and you would have to feed it a part of yourself but it loves the sacrifice of a summoner's flesh the most and would empower you to escape.
Offer it the blood that you're covered in.

>>5550447
>Summon the Black Goat. Your mother gave you many, many tales of men in conditions like these turning their lives around with a well-worded trade. You would have to be careful but you've already been reckless enough.

>>5550447
>Summon Another Outer Entity. Fuck it. You've already gambled with your life and soul once. You might as well do it again! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

>>5550447
>Summon Another Outer Entity. Fuck it. You've already gambled with your life and soul once. You might as well do it again! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

It almost worked that time, it'll surely work this time!!

>>5550447
>Summon the Black Goat. Your mother gave you many, many tales of men in conditions like these turning their lives around with a well-worded trade. You would have to be careful but you've already been reckless enough.

File: Black Goat.jpg (202 KB, 642x900)

202 KB JPG

>>5550450
>>5550458
>>5550554
>>5550603
Your options are limited. The stories of the Wurm are familiar, you know that it would grant you a portion of its strength and vigor in proportion to your flesh. It would make you like it, sinuous and earthen, able to dig and devour and call the lesser worms, all an aspect of it, forth to consume your foes and find their secrets. But it would come at a cost of flesh you could never replace. Far too great a sacrifice and for what, to spend your life searching for food or trying to placate it and never progressing, like your mother? You could summon another outer entity and leave your soul to the whims of fate, but you know you got lucky last time. Too lucky to dare gambling again.

No. You know what you have to do. You crawl, hissing in pain, and scratch the chalk over the floor of the pit. What should’ve taken minutes takes hours, since you have to stop and rest and go back to double-check so often. Eventually you have a clear, rounded chalk circle. The ritual needs blood. Almost all of them do, according to mom, but you have blood. You don’t have your knife so you use your teeth. It hurts but you pour it in the circle and chant the rite. It’s very simple. Your mother beat it into you like it was a nursery rhyme.

“Black Goat…"
Taker of souls…
The one who was smote…
Whose name is written on no scrolls…
Hear these words out of my throat…
Come quick, and bring all the treasures you’ve stole.”

It takes a few minutes. Mother said it would be like this, that he’s inconsistent. Sometimes it happens instantly, sometimes it takes hours. Sometimes it won’t happen when you’re awake and he’ll visit your dreams. He always comes when called, though. Always. You’re starting to lose your grip when your blood turns black and an animalistic figure steps out of the shadows, like it was always there, just waiting. You can’t help but stare. Mom told you everything but it catches you by surprise. It’s a literal black goat, chewing cud. It doesn’t look suspicious, like any other livestock, but you look into its eyes and you know, this is no ordinary goat. You wait. It chews cud and scrapes its hoof.

>>5550945
The sudden voice is conversational, even congenial, but you don’t trust it. Your mother taught you the dangers.

>”Mortal, it looks like you are in a heap of trouble.”
It looks at you and tilts its head, as if in deep thought.
>”Lucas, was it? I’ve had dealings with your mother.”
You don’t know how to respond to that but a degree of false familiarity is to be expected.
>”She gave me her firstborn son, y’know, and do y’know what I gave her in exchange?”
The question catches you off-guard. You've honestly never been told. “Um… Uh…”
>”Literacy! Can you imagine that? The knowledge to read, like she’s done it her whole life. I could’ve given her riches, power, but she chose to read. A very, very good choice.”
The goat stamps his hoof.
>”And it looks like she taught you, too! I can tell by the way your eyes move. Good for you, Lucas! I know I don’t need to tell you of all people this but your mother was a very, very shrewd woman and we had a good relationship.”
You shake in the cold and fidget with the chalk in your pocket.
>”We could have a good relationship too, and it could start with getting you out of this hole.”
He leans in, conspiratorially.
>”I’ll let you in on a secret for free. You’re in the town watch’s rathole and they don’t know of your witchcraft yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they find someone who can parse your diary’s cipher. Once they do, you’re as good as dead and likely bound straight for Judgement.”
So the situation isn’t as bad as you thought it could be, but it’s still bad. He hasn’t mentioned the trinket, which means he might not know or might not think it’s worth mentioning.
>”It doesn’t have to be like that. You and me, we could work something out. You know what I have for sale and you know my prices are flexible. Let’s not beat around the bush. What is it you want?”
You hesitate to answer.
>”Really, right now. No, not deep down inside, none of all that heart-of-hearts nonsense. Tell me what you want, right here, right now, and we’ll see what you’re willing to give for it. Lay it on me. I can oblige and I assure you, I have a very open mind.”

You think for a few minutes.

>What do you want to negotiate for? This is a write-in since there’s a wide range of possibilities.

>>5550950
>What do you want to negotiate for? This is a write-in since there’s a wide range of possibilities.
Stability. A situation or identity where we could sustain ourselves.

>>5550950
Someway to change our identity (appearance and voice). Maybe on command, maybe as a one type deal
And a way to free ourselves and get our stuff back

>>5550950
>I want to get out of here and get my stuff back. And I want to have the speed and power to kill a grown man without much of a fight.

This will put us in a position to fulfill our other obligations.

Quick question OP. Conventional knowledge regarding demons is that any request to a demonic entity must be worded very carefully because they will look for backdoors to fuck you over while fulfilling the letter of your agreement. Now from the guys we've met so far I get the feeling they are interested in building long-term relationships and maybe less inclined in cheating a potential business partner. So what I'm asking is, how much do we need to be on our toes here? IC we'd probably know this...

>>5550950
>The speed and power to kill a grown man without much of a fight and the ability to change my appearance and voice once a week to anything within the human realm of possibility

>>5550950
>The power to control 30 lesser demons to do my will

>>5550996
From your mother's advice, you must be extremely careful about ambiguous wording and should never, ever agree to pay with your soul or a vague, future favor. Almost any given entity wants your soul and will give you a generous amount for it but the long-term consequences range from horrific to incomprehensibly horrific. They will always try to get more out of you than they give but if you're careful, you can get more than your giving's worth. If you're clever, you can cheat an entity out of a deal but this is dangerous to do. It varies but in general, personal sacrifices are worth far more than sacrificing other people, and other people are worth far more than sacrificing material things.

If a request is vague, most entities will try to keep to the general spirit of it, because they want you to summon them and make more deals in the future. How that works may vary. If you asked a forgotten idol of war and a demon that haunts dreams to give you strength in battle, the outcome would be vastly different but still what you asked for. The more specific you get, the more they'll generally ask for to compensate for their lack of input, but it's usually not an extreme difference. Some entities will cheat you at the first possible opportunity and most of those will try to come across as very generous or reasonable. Every now and then it's the opposite, with seemingly cruel and arbitrary entities sticking to the letter of their agreement come hell or high water. Most of the time, what you see is what you get but you can't make assumptions. Your mom has always told you to assume the worst and be paranoid.

>>5550973
I support this. If we can escape and recover the orb then we are golden

>>5550950
>I want to get out of here and get my stuff back. Also I want to be at full HP.
>(Optional) One or two levels in sneaking skill. This -5 we have cost us two free kills. Plus with enough sneaking we could evade lawmen. And steal food.
Just slow down your requests for superpowers. This fucking goat took a firstborn for a literacy skill, I'm afraid even a level or two in sneaking skill would be too pricy by his rates.

>>5551035
He can have all our potential children until we run out of semen

changing from >>5550955
I'm hoping we can bargain our fertility because it's worth nothing to us anyways, but the goat may not put much value on that, for obvious reasons.
But yeah, something like
>I want to be in a safe place, with all the possessions I had before being knocked out returned to me, and returned to good health.
>I would like a ability that would allow me to more safely kill someone that doesn't harm me as well.
could work

>>5551121
See this safe space thing is dangerous, in a way we are in a safe space now, well protected

>>5551121
Yeah safe space is silly. "I want to be back to health and in the town north of this one in two to four working days" is better. I am not voting for that tho

>>5551035
+1

>>5550973
>>5551023
>>5551035
>>5551121
You think long and hard, going through the possibilities in your head. The Black Goat watches and waits. He's patient, as he has a surfeit of time and you have nowhere else you could be. You reach a decision. "I want to get out of here and get my stuff back. And I want to have the speed and power to kill a grown man without much of a fight. Also, I want to be in good health and somewhere safe, like a hidden spot or village nearby." The Black Goat chews its cud.

>"Property, health, strength, all quite reasonable requests. Your blade, diary, and pittance of change I can retrieve with ease. The trinket I won’t touch, out of professional courtesy, you understand-”
That has some implications.
>”-but I can certainly give you the means to find and take it yourself. Its new owner, your bane, won't be an arduoua pursuit. There’s an old cabin two days north of this town, abandoned since its owner was declared outlaw for poaching on the baron’s land and chose to flee the fiefdom. I can get you there before the crack of the next dawn, your flesh mended and your belongings returned.”
You think. “That, um, sounds good.”
>”To help you like this is a trivial thing for me, and I ask a trivial price. One subjective hour of anguish, starting the next moment you drift into sleep.”
“Anguish?”
>”The most exquisite torment your mind can conceive. I swear there will be no lasting damages and your psyche will stay functional and intact. A one-time reimbursement for one-time services rendered and a personal assurance that you’re serious about this pact business. I do not savor pain for its own sake but I have precious little time for cowards.”
You can’t begin to imagine the kind of torture he’s talking about. The thought makes your face pale.
>”Now, if you’re willing to forgo an hour’s anguish for a more lasting price, do tell. I’m all ears.”
You’re about to speak but the goat interjects.
>”Your second desire is far greater. “The speed and power to kill a grown man without much of a fight.” Yes. It is an excellent desire, and one I can accommodate, but you must understand it beggars a correspondingly higher price. A few variations of the point come to mind. To save us both the bother, I’ll waive the exposition. Pick a power and a price or suggest your own of either.”

>>5551483
Several vivid thoughts enter your head and you understand them instantly. The first part is exciting, the second dampens it. You consider them carefully.

>Powers:
>Might at Arms: You gain no supernatural power but your flesh is resculpted, strengthened, quickened, and emboldened to fight. This sets you at the level of the average soldier and renders the average commoner easy to dispatch. (Your Strength, Agility, and Constitution Stats are set to 8 and your Unarmed, Knife, Spear, Sword, Dodge, and Block Skills are set to 3.)
>Black Flame: You gain the power to summon a dark fire that burns hotter than a forge. This can be thrown as a dart, manipulated as a burst, or released in a small conflagration. There are no limits to how much you can summon at once but you can only focus on one attack at a time and it rapidly fades without flesh to burn. (You gain a versatile ranged attack: one target hit for 1d10 damage, several close targets hit for 1d8 damage, or everyone nearby burned for 1d6 damage. It is excruciating and forces survivors to roll Willpower to continue fighting.)
>Shadow Thrall: You gain a fierce and resilient minion in an animalistic shape of your choice, wrought of living darkness and willing to kill for your sake. It is feral, lacking all intellect, and is incapable of strategizing or interpreting complex orders. It’s vulnerable to holy power and can be damaged by mundane means but is hardy. It must be fed a handful of raw flesh each month or it will turn on you. When not in use, it will hide in your shadow and can be summoned at will. If slain, it will take a blood sacrifice and an hour long ritual to resummon. (You gain a 12/12 HP minion with a +6 to Strike or Dodge and a 2d4 melee attack. If it’s a flying or swimming form, it’s instead 9/9 HP with a 2d3 melee attack.)

>>5551485
>Prices:
>Your Past: The memories of your earlier life will be stripped away and replaced with a vague sense of loss, fear, and nausea. This means little for you as you spent most of your childhood (and adulthood) moping around but it is in effect, mentally erasing your entire life up to the point your mother died and you bought a room at the inn. Your practical knowledge will stay but you’ll lose everything else. You’ll be reduced to nothing outside of the pacts you’ve made and the future ahead.
>Services Rendered: There is a long list of mortals the Black Goat would like to die, and he’ll give you a list of three. A humble priest likely to become a cardinal, a duke’s youngest son who dreams of prosperity, and a clever bumpkin who stiffed him on a deal. The Black Goat doesn’t care how they’re killed, only that they are within one year. The task won’t be easy. If you fail, you’ll lose your soul and die on the spot, but if you succeed, the price will be paid in full.
>More Anguish: One minute of torment in your dreams for each second you put your power to use, with no guarantee of mental wholeness. If chosen with Might at Arms, it will instead entail one hour of torment each night. This will be an ongoing fee and an inherent property of the boon, until renegotiated, if ever.

As for the Black Goat's one-time reimbursement...

>Accept: It's only an hour. You'll wish you chose not to but in the long-run it's an easier price to pay.
>Negotiate: It's likely both of you would prefer something else. You seriously aren't a fan of torture.

>>5551486
>Black Flame: You gain the power to summon a dark fire that burns hotter than a forge. This can be thrown as a dart, manipulated as a burst, or released in a small conflagration. There are no limits to how much you can summon at once but you can only focus on one attack at a time and it rapidly fades without flesh to burn. (You gain a versatile ranged attack: one target hit for 1d10 damage, several close targets hit for 1d8 damage, or everyone nearby burned for 1d6 damage. It is excruciating and forces survivors to roll Willpower to continue fighting.)

>Might at Arms: You gain no supernatural power but your flesh is resculpted, strengthened, quickened, and emboldened to fight. This sets you at the level of the average soldier and renders the average commoner easy to dispatch. (Your Strength, Agility, and Constitution Stats are set to 8 and your Unarmed, Knife, Spear, Sword, Dodge, and Block Skills are set to 3.)

>Services Rendered: There is a long list of mortals the Black Goat would like to die, and he’ll give you a list of three. A humble priest likely to become a cardinal, a duke’s youngest son who dreams of prosperity, and a clever bumpkin who stiffed him on a deal. The Black Goat doesn’t care how they’re killed, only that they are within one year. The task won’t be easy. If you fail, you’ll lose your soul and die on the spot, but if you succeed, the price will be paid in full.

Assuming we can double up on Services Rendered, I'd quite like two powers. Greedy, maybe, but I think we can manage 6 assholes in a year; that's two months each.

>Accept

>>5551486
does the practical knowledge fomr Your Past include all the info about outer being we learned from our mother?

>Black Flame: You gain the power to summon a dark fire that burns hotter than a forge. This can be thrown as a dart, manipulated as a burst, or released in a small conflagration. There are no limits to how much you can summon at once but you can only focus on one attack at a time and it rapidly fades without flesh to burn. (You gain a versatile ranged attack: one target hit for 1d10 damage, several close targets hit for 1d8 damage, or everyone nearby burned for 1d6 damage. It is excruciating and forces survivors to roll Willpower to continue fighting.)
>Services Rendered: There is a long list of mortals the Black Goat would like to die, and he’ll give you a list of three. A humble priest likely to become a cardinal, a duke’s youngest son who dreams of prosperity, and a clever bumpkin who stiffed him on a deal. The Black Goat doesn’t care how they’re killed, only that they are within one year. The task won’t be easy. If you fail, you’ll lose your soul and die on the spot, but if you succeed, the price will be paid in full.
>Accept
I'm expecting the clever bumpkin to be the hardest fight, assuming we get that far.

>>5551490
You can double up on Services Rendered but he'll have you hit correspondingly harder targets. A minor king's captain of the guard, a clever, goodhearted wizard, and the humble keeper of a shrine hidden to magic. Each on their own would be about as difficult as the previous three put together, but theoretically possible.

>>5551495
All of your knowledge remains but every trace of your mother, the memories of how you were taught, will be gone. Your mother had her flaws but she did love you.

>>5551483
>Black Flame: You gain the power to summon a dark fire that burns hotter than a forge. This can be thrown as a dart, manipulated as a burst, or released in a small conflagration. There are no limits to how much you can summon at once but you can only focus on one attack at a time and it rapidly fades without flesh to burn. (You gain a versatile ranged attack: one target hit for 1d10 damage, several close targets hit for 1d8 damage, or everyone nearby burned for 1d6 damage. It is excruciating and forces survivors to roll Willpower to continue fighting.)
>More Anguish: One minute of torment in your dreams for each second you put your power to use, with no guarantee of mental wholeness. If chosen with Might at Arms, it will instead entail one hour of torment each night. This will be an ongoing fee and an inherent property of the boon, until renegotiated, if ever.

>Accept

In for a penny in for a pound, we can totally handle just a bit of the worst possible torture we can imagine for ourselves.

>>5551483
>Black Flame
> Payment: Your Past

Our past sucks, lets forget everything and fully embrace the delusion that we are cool without memories reminding us otherwise.

Black Flame seems more versatile, we could eventually become not flabby pudding through gaining check XP, or at least till we have something worth it.

>>5551486
Oh and Accept. A one off suffering with a guarantee of not doing mental damage to us is worth.

>>5551486
>>5551490
I'll support this set of votes. Really, gaining potent abilities and a corresponding use for them (assassination) would be a great start to the next part of the quest.

>>5551539
I'll back this

>>5551490
+1 to this.

>>5551486
Fuck it why not.

Food for thought: do we want to focus on 1-2 big hits when we get out? Elder god hasn't specified about the soul and we might gain some extra points if we send him nobles and clergymen instead of drunk hobos. On the other hand there is a case for just offing 2 more bums to be done with it quickly...

>>5551490
Seconding this one.

>>5551710
You haven't voted for anything man

>>5551713
The other Outer Entity thinks the PC is a complete loser and just wants proof he can cough up some souls. I think killing the guy who stole the gem and another rando should do the job just fine.

>>5551490
+1

>>5551490
>>5551570
>>5551700
>>5551716
>>5551848
“Make me strong and give me the flames, and I’ll kill for you.”

The goat is nonplussed at your greed.
>”I’ve always liked the more ambitious mortals. Very well. I’ll give you both and in exchange, I expect six targets dead by this time next year.”
You steel your resolve. “Who?”
>”Oh, you’ll know soon enough. Fail and your soul is forfeit but if you’re worthy of the power you're vested you won’t have to worry about that. As for the anguish..?”
The pain will be incomprehensible but sitting in the chalk and dust, you force yourself not to care. “I accept.” The goat’s lips part into a smile.
>”Excellent. Our pact is sealed. Close your eyes in slumber and your payment will begin.”
You start to panic a little. “Okay. So, when will I get-”
>”When next you awake, you will be changed, for the better. Enjoy yourself but don’t let things get to your head. I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain.”
You breathe and your ribs ache. “I understand. Is that all?” The goat chews its cud and bleats quietly.
>”For now. I’ll leave you to it. If things get too hard, remember, you can call anytime.”
The entity melts into the shadow and you’re left alone. The weight of what you’ve agreed to echoes in your head. It takes you several hours to drift asleep, and then it begins.

>1d20-5 to Endure
>Bo1. You need 30 or higher to stay lucid. On a 20, you can reroll and add the result.

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5552075

This...is gonna suck

>>5552077
Bad times ahead, but we knew that much already.

>>5552077
>3 vs 30
>Extreme Failure

Your eyes open to impenetrable darkness in all directions. You feel like you’re floating on your back and all is silent. You don’t dare to wonder when it will start. You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and force them to open. Something is visible. An iron hook, dangling from a frayed rope. All of a sudden, it’s as hard to move as if you were buried in mortar but you’re as exposed to the world as the day you were born. The hook dangles, swaying back and forth and, your flesh is rent open.

Where once there was one hook, now there are hundreds and each whips with a mind of its own, shredding your skin and piercing the meat. Your eyes, your genitals, your teeth, your nails, nothing is sacred. It’s all mutilated, jerked taut to be flayed into smaller pieces that are then torn themselves and you feel every second of it. A minute later, they reach the bones and gently, cruelly crack them apart to reach the marrow inside. Your ribs, your hips, your spine, all that you are is reduced to wet powder but the hooks are masterful at the craft and hold your viscera fast together. The eyes are gone but you can see. Your brain is spread into so many strands of near-liquid gore it’s longer than your waking body ever was, and yet your full consciousness remains, somehow focused on every part, from the longest cord to the smallest strand. Nothing escapes your notice.

You lose all coherency in seconds. The torture is at once surgical precision and primal savagery. It would reduce the hardest of men to broken wailing in moments and you are far from the hardest of men. You regret everything. This wasn’t worth it. Nothing could have been worth this. The pain is indescribable. Your hour feels like it lasts forever, but eventually, the last second passes, and you cross over to a merciful dreamless sleep. You awaken in a half-rotten cot. You sit up, gasp, and remember everything in vivid detail. You should be weeping and curling into a fetal position, but somehow, you're unchanged. There's not a trace of trauma. The memory of every second is in your head, waiting to be relived, but there’s no emotional significance attached to them. It has all the severity of a dream you were sitting in a chair. You’re unnaturally serene and that disturbs you, but that’s what the Black Goat said would happen. Maybe the best thing to do is not think about it. Unless that’s what’s at risk if you fail. You don’t even shiver. You can’t bring yourself to care.

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>>5552124
You move to get up and notice your movements are much faster and more coordinated, like you weigh almost half of what you used to. You look down and see your physique, somehow flabby on a diet of bread and porridge, has been muscled like you’ve been exercising and dieting well for years. You throw a punch with reflexive precision and force and know that you could sidestep or parry one just like it. Your combat skills aren’t at all superhuman but compared to your previous self, you’re a demigod in the flesh. You stop thinking about your memories and look around. You’re in a small, dilapidated log cabin. Deep inside, there’s a gut feeling that’s pointing in a specific direction, six of them, in fact, and you can sense they’re each one of your targets. Wait, only five of them are, the sixth and nearest is the man who knocked you unconscious and stole your belongings.

Speaking of, you look and see your diary, knife, and all 28 copper coins neatly stacked on the table. You take them back immediately. Your rags are loose on your new frame but that doesn’t matter, you’re used to clothes not fitting. You think. There are six targets but you can only sense five. That means the sixth, a pious shrine keeper, you sense, is hidden and you’ll have to find them manually. That’s going to be a bitch. You wonder about the other thing you asked for, the flames, and snap your fingers. A spark the same color as the dark in your torment flickers. You focus and it turns into a floating pile of embers. This has vast destructive potential but you know the pain it inflicts is worse than the burns. You think for a second. Your gut tells you there’s three days left on the trinket giver’s time limit. You have no way of knowing that, so the Black Goat must’ve told you as a courtesy. That means since the town is two days south, you’ll need to get moving soon. What's past is past. You need to look to what happens next.

>What do?

>Forget the trinket. You want to get started on the Black Goat’s kill list.
>Hunt the trinket. You want a rematch and get moving right away.
>Search the cabin. It’ll take around an hour to pry the floorboards.

>>5552127
>Search the cabin. It’ll take around an hour to pry the floorboards.


Worth the hour; considering the Goat sent us here specifically there may be some hidden test of observational capability or diligence.

Also that torture dream was horrible. Well written.

Wow, that's horrifying!
Good thing our goat friend helped us out with the torture he also dealt to us.
>>5552127
>Search the cabin. It’ll take around an hour to pry the floorboards.

>>5552127
>Search the cabin. It’ll take around an hour to pry the floorboards.
The serenity is the creepiest part

>>5552134
The black goat is not our friend

>Search the cabin. It’ll take around an hour to pry the floorboards.

>>5552157
>The black goat is not our friend
Of course not. It's a joke.

>>5552131
>>5552134
>>5552148
>>5552157
You might've been sent to this specific cabin for a reason. It might've just been the most convenient place. You get to searching. The floorboards are mostly solid but you're stronger now and can pull them up. It's likely the old owner hid something or at least left something of worth when he fled. Hell, maybe another pact-maker or a cultist was tasked to hide something here. There's only one way to know and your curiosity won't let it rest.

>1d20+0 to Loot
>Bo2. Your Intelligence Stat is 5, average, due to your literacy and education but your Wisdom of 0, Willpower of 0, total lack of experience, and certainty that you're a genius makes it much less.

Rolled 11 + 0 (1d20 + 0)

>>5552177
CRIT

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5552177

>>5552178
>>5552180
In forty-five minutes, you pry up one of the last logs and find a sack stuffed underneath. You pull it out of the ground, lay it on the table, and open it to see a bundle of jerky, 15 copper coins, and a smaller, sharper knife than yours that must be meant for skinning. This must've been the old owner's stash but you'll make better use of it now. You wager there's enough jerky to keep you fed for six days. Nice.

You decide to take the sack with you, since you don't have any pack or means of carrying the jerky. The knife goes in your belt and the coppers in your pocket. Now that you have 43 copper coins, you have a decent amount of spending money. Enough to stay fed and under a roof for a week, maybe longer if you stretched it out. You don't think there's anything else to find in the cabin. You strike out. You can do anything but your obligations limit what's reasonable. You can't let yourself get distracted, you're on two different time limits now.

>What do?

>Go get the trinket.
>Start on the kill list.

>>5552188
>Go get the trinket.
To kill the harder targets on the list, we're going to need more power. That means more pacts.

>>5552188
>Go get the trinket.

>>5552188
>Go get the trinket
rematch time bitches

Rolled 6 (1d100)

>>5552197
>>5552199
>>5552201
>>5552217
You need power if you’re going to meet the Black Goat’s demands and that means you need a rapport with the trinket giver. There’s no time to waste so you get moving as fast as your newly fit legs can carry you, which is surprisingly quick. You don’t get out of breath in half as much time and can jog much harder for much longer. This is great! Why didn’t you exercise sooner? Maybe you didn’t need to swear to kill for it, but now, instead of years of hard work, you got it right away. Maybe that’s worth it. You take hours to get used to your new physique and by the end of the first day in the woods you still haven’t gotten over how much easier everything is. When the sun sets, you feel a sense of dread.

>1/365 days left before your soul is forfeit

The next day goes by the same. You eat jerky and walk, and several hours into the afternoon you find the port town again, half a day sooner than anticipated. It looks like it did earlier. A handful of people milling around on the outskirts, some stumbling, some walking back to their farm houses, but you’re interested in one in particular. Your gut senses his signature on the far side of town, sitting in place, closer to the center and farther from the docks than you would’ve thought. You can see a couple small groups of very sober and determined looking men going from man to man, shaking and questioning them. There’s about five apiece, fifteen total that you can see, and they all have clubs or knives and seem like they’re spooked. That must be the town watch. You remember what the Black Goat said. You were hidden in their rathole but some time a couple of nights ago, you vanished. They had your diary, too, which is now back in your hands. They were already suspicious so they must have (correctly) assumed you’re a witch and are on the hunt. That complicates things. You don’t know just how lethal the black flame is but you’re not sure you want to test it against an angry mob.

>How do you want to reach your target?

>Act normal. You look nothing like you did earlier, you’ll be fine.
>Just walk in. You’ll study their search patterns and avoid them.
>Wait for nightfall. You’ll sneak in under cover of darkness.

>>5552234
>Just walk in. You’ll study their search patterns and avoid them.

>>5552234
>Act normal. You look nothing like you did earlier, you’ll be fine.

>>5552234
>Just walk in. You’ll study their search patterns and avoid them.

>>5552234
>Wait for nightfall. You’ll sneak in under cover of darkness.
As a neckbeard, criminal confidence and intelligent pattern analysis are not going to work out.

>>5552234
>Act normal. You look nothing like you did earlier, you’ll be fine.

Rolled 12, 12, 19 = 43 (3d20)

>>5552235
>>5552237
>>5552238
>>5552314
It's easy. You'll see which direction they're going and try to avoid them and if they see if you, you'll just act normal, like any other traveler. This should work. What reason would they have to single you out? Lots of farmers and sailors have facial hair.

>1d20-0 to Evade. This is an Intelligence roll.
>Bo2. Your physique is much less conspicuous.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>5552467
Playing it cool

>>5552470
Holy shit we suck, best hope that magic flame was worth it

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>5552467

>>5552475
Absolutely heroic

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>5552467
>>5552470
>>5552475
>1 vs 12,12,19
>Critical Failure

You stay hidden in the distance and put together a pattern of which directions they’re patrolling. A few minutes later, you’ve got it, and walk straight into the outlying buildings like you’ve lived here your entire life. This is easy. None of the farmers look at you like anything is out of the ordinary as you step into an alleyway. Now that you’re hidden, you just have to wait ten seconds for the nearest group to move on and then you’ll exit and stumble right into a man’s back.

They were crowded around the alleyway talking, and you were too busy looking over your shoulder and micromanaging your stealth to notice them. You should’ve known not to rely on a pattern. These aren’t elite professionals, they’re a ragtag group of locals, not even a militia. He stumbles forward and turns around to shove your shoulder. “Hey, watch it!” You step back and stare at him. The other four turn to stare and it might’ve ended there without incident but one of the men’s eyes goes wide, as he points and shouts. “OOH THAT’S HIM! LOOKIT HIS FACE! THAT’S THE WITCH!” Now the townspeople are turning to look, a few reaching for knives at their belt, some running.

The watchmen grip their weapons and hesitate, trying to see if your face matches the description they were given.

>How do you use these precious seconds?

>Bluff. This is all a big misunderstanding, maybe some copper coins would smooth things over?
>Stab. You’re more fit and skilled than these peasants but there’s five of them and one of you, so you need to strike fast.
>Run. Don’t even try to fight or talk your way out of this, just spin and run before they break out the pitchforks and torches.
>Black Conflagration. This proves your witchcraft beyond a doubt but should hopefully kill everyone in your immediate proximity.

>>5552500
>Bluff. This is all a big misunderstanding, maybe some copper coins would smooth things over?
How could a big guy like me be a witch?

>>5552500
Ah, shit. Even on multiple dice any roll is a critfail/success? Should be interesting.

>Bluff. This is all a big misunderstanding, maybe some copper coins would smooth things over?

>>5552500
>Black Conflagration. This proves your witchcraft beyond a doubt but should hopefully kill everyone in your immediate proximity.

Let them know our power.

>>5552500
>Bluff. This is all a big misunderstanding, maybe some copper coins would smooth things over?

Rolled 3 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5552511
>>5552520
>>5552557
You reach into your pocket and get a fistful of copper coins. You try to choke down your anxiety, not make any suspicious eye contact, and speak quickly. That would be a tall order for you under the best circumstances. You remember the specifics of your pact, that if you failed your soul would be forfeit. These are not the best circumstances.

>1d20-5 to Bluff
>Bo1. You're seconds from spilling your spaghetti even at the best of times.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>5552606

>>5552609

Well shit, we actually did it

>>5552606
>>5552609
>15 vs 8
>Moderate Success

You stutter in fear. "I-I'm not the witch, I swear!" The watchmen seem skeptical of your claim and at the last second, you choose not to take out any coins. What were you thinking? Bribery would only make them even more suspicious! You can feel yourself starting to sweat and one looks like he's about to swing his club, when another one butts in. "Wait a second, didn't he say the witch was fat?" This turns them all from angry to confused. "I think so, yeah." The accuser starts to lower his knife and nods up and down. "No wait, yeah, yeah he did! Didn't he?" You pull up your shirt so they can see your stomach. It's clearly muscular. "I'm not fat, see? I'm not! I'm not the witch! I-I swear!" This seems to sway the patrol, who shrug, almost sheepish. "Yeah. I don't think he's the witch."

"Must be one of the riverboat men." You stutter some more. "I- um, I- uh, ah..." The words just won't come but that doesn't matter. One of the men on patrol, their leader, you think, scowls at the one who recognized you. "Damn it, that's the second false call in an hour! You need to get your shit together." They disperse to continue their search and one of them pats you on the shoulder. "Sorry about that, stranger. We're all on edge since Frank got knifed and the man that did it disappeared. Demons and dark men are about. You be careful now, you hear?" You look at your shoes and try to look nonsuspicious. "Y-Yeah." He leaves with the rest and then you're left alone. You gasp once they're out of earshot.

>+1 Deceit XP, 1/5 to 1 (Novice) Skill
>+1 Charisma XP, 1/5 to 1 (Pathetic) Stat

You almost blew your cover, but you didn't. That wasn't a boon from a pact, that was all you! That could've easily ended horribly. You try not to dwell on it and move on. After the rest saw you passed over by a few of the town watch, the other patrols don't bother you but you do what you can to stay out of their clear view. Ten minutes later you reach your target's location. A small wooden house that doesn't stand out much from its neighbors. It's late in the afternoon and a couple of people are coming back from the fields to rest for the night but you can see the man is already here. You quietly look through the glass of a small window. There's an older woman, his wife, maybe, sitting in their kitchen with her back to the door. You suspect he's asleep or in their bedroom trying to make sense of the trinket. You don't know if the door is locked or not but if it is, you suspect the black flame could melt through it in a jiffy. It doesn't make any more noise than a usual flame and can be rather sneaky under the right circumstances. You know this instinctively.

>>5552634
>(That should've been 10)
You step back from the window and move on. There are some possible witnesses nearby but as you walk around, you can see that there's not another door or window inside. Taking care of this without bringing the townsfolk down on your head will take some caution. You'll wait until nightfall no matter what you do. Acting in the daylight is far too risky.

>What do?

>Silent smash and grab. Use the black flame, kill them before they make any noise.
>Be sneaky about it. Creep in, wait for them to fall asleep, and use the knife.
>Don't enter at all. Knock on the wall and jump him when he comes to check.
>Bluff again. Trick them into welcoming you, then ambush them.

>>5552635
>>Be sneaky about it. Creep in, wait for them to fall asleep, and use the knife.

>>5552635
>Be sneaky about it. Creep in, wait for them to fall asleep, and use the knife.

>>5552635
>Be sneaky about it. Creep in, wait for them to fall asleep, and use the knife.

>>5552635
>Be sneaky about it. Creep in, wait for them to fall asleep, and use the knife.

>>5552635
Sneaky Beaky. Grab the trinket first though.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>5552641
>>5552644
>>5552653
>>5552705
>>5552710
Being stealthy almost worked last time, where your physique was less, hmm, refined. Now that you're physically fit it should be much easier. At the same time, your target is probably sober and paranoid of rumors that you disappeared from the town watch's oubliette. It won't be easy but you're confident in your new power and if not that, your knife. You wait between two nearby houses for a few hours until sundown. You feel the same sense of dread as yesterday.

>2/365 days left before your soul is forfeit

Is that an innate reminder or are you just naturally wary? In either case it may be a good thing. You can't relax until the deed is done. A couple of hours later, that go by much, much faster than your dream, you walk over back to your target's house. The woman isn't in the kitchen and he hasn't changed places so they're probably in the bedroom together. It's a little off-putting that he hasn't moved at all. You hope he isn't waiting by the door with another bottle. You put one hand on the door handle, your knife is in the other. The door has a latch but the poacher's blade is skinny enough to flip it out. You take a deep breath and brace yourself. Here goes nothing.

>1d20+3 to Sneak. You have 0 Stealth Skill but your Agility of 8 helps here.
>Bo2. It's late at night and neither of them are near the door.

Rolled 7 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>5552719
Serial Killer Mode

Rolled 2 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>5552719

>>5552719
>20
What the FUCK man

Rolled 5, 14 + 4 = 23 (2d20 + 4)

>>5552719
>>5552721
>>5552722
>10 vs 20
>Major Failure

You creep inside. The door doesn’t squeak and you quietly latch it shut behind yourself. You don’t want to be caught off-guard and in the worst case scenario, you can use the black flame to clear a mob. Their kitchen is empty. You resist the urge to open their pantry and look for a snack. You avoid checking the target’s bedroom just yet. You need to search every nook and cranny. You step into their sitting room and see two chairs, a small icon to the gods your mother told you were liars, and a small pile of wooden toys. This might mean they used to have children, before they grew old and left. That would make sense. They’re about that age. You don’t care. All you want is power at the lowest price you can pay. You leave the sitting room and take a quiet, deep breath.

This is it. The moment of truth. You slide open their bedroom door, unlocked, and step in with the knife in hand and… “Bastard!” Huh? There’s a sudden movement!

>Roll 1d20+6 to Dodge
>Bo1. You’re caught by surprise.

Rolled 19 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552732

>>5552732
>>5552734
>25 vs 9, 18
>Major Success

Your newly enhanced reflexes kick in and you step back in half a second. Half a second later, the woman you saw earlier swings an open bag over where your head was and your target, the man, now shirtless and sporting stitches, dives out of the shadows to slash a knife where your stomach would've been! Your eyes widen as you see the trinket, sitting on top of a dresser!

>+1 Dodge XP, 1/40 to 4 (Expert) Skill
>+1 Agility XP, 1/80 to 9 (Impressive) Stat

You don't have time to think, only do!

>Stab the woman
>Stab the wounded man
>Use the black flame
>Lunge for the trinket
>Step back into the kitchen

>>5552741
>Stab the wounded man

>>5552741
>Stab the wounded man

>>5552741
>Use the black flame
Melt his face off

>>5552741
>Use the black flame

LIGHT EM UP!

Rolled 4 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552732
maybe we'll get some good rolls for the first time in forever

>>5552741
Lunge for trinket, then flame away.

>>5552751
ah fuck, didn't reload before sending ;-;

>>5552741
anyway
>Use the black flame
if we can kill these two with it we'll be good on souls and can get the hell out of dodge.

Do we know how exactly the trinket works? Do we have to have it on us for it to work, or would just killing someone nearby, like in the same room, cause the souls to be drawn to it?

>>5552765
You aren't sure how it works, only that it's an item of great power and has a very high storage capacity.

Rolled 20, 4 = 24 (2d20)

>>5552747
>>5552750
>>5552756
>>5552763
What's the point of risking your soul for power if you don't use it? You call the black flames to hand and release them in a violent burst. You subconscious senses that the trinket, if struck, will be unscathed. Its maker's will is indomitable against such petty sorcery.

>This is a burst attack at close range, so they must roll 16 or higher to Dodge

>>5552770
The woman falls backward and escapes the flame, but her husband, you're sure that's what he is, is caught in the radius. You see it sear straight through his stomach.

>1d8 for damage, he has 2/4 HP

Rolled 1 (1d8)

>>5552771

>>5552772
man rngesus hates us

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>5552772
>1 damage, 1/4 HP

Yet he fell backward an instant after and it only tore into the surface. The wound was cauterized on impact but the pain is another thing.

>He needs to roll 15 or higher on Willpower, 14+damage

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5552776
>3 vs 15
>Major Failure

"Aaaagh!" The man groans as the sheer agony, a fraction of what you were put through, annihilates any and all ability to stand and fight. He falls to his knees and grips at his injury, to no avail. He won't be able to fight for some time. You turn to his wife, who goes to stab you!

>1d20+6 to Dodge
>Bo2. You're "trained," though not a professional.

>>5552777

Rolled 3 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552777
Lucky sevens?

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>5552777

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>5552777

>>5552777
>>5552779
>>5552781
>14 vs 2
>Major Success

Her thrust lacks any real speed or force and you step to the side.

>+1 Dodge XP, 2/40 to 4 (Expert) Skill
>+1 Agility XP, 2/80 to 9 (Impressive) Stat

Your movements are rapid.

>What do?

>Stab her
>Burn her
>Grab the trinket

>>5552784
>Stab her

>>5552784
>grab the trinket
Grab the trinket and then burn them both so hopefully they get absorbed

>>5552784
>Burn her

Ideally she'll be mentally broken as well, giving us time to grab the trinket and then murder them both.

>>5552784
>Stab her

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>5552786
>>5552789
You react before you can think, your gifted skills thrusting out.

>1d20+6 to Stab
>Bo3. This is borderline unfair.

Rolled 2 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552792

Rolled 1 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552792

Rolled 8 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552792

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>5552792
>>5552793
>>5552794
>>5552795
>7(1) vs 2
>Critical Failure

You lunge forward in an expert strike but her husband, your target, manages to fling himself into your feet, tripping you both! He's in too much pain to right himself but his wife takes advantage of his effort and tries to stab you again!

>1d20+6 to Dodge
>Bo1. You're on the floor.

Rolled 11 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552796

Rolled 12 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552796
Is this a tragedy or a comedy

Rolled 8 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552796
Third(fourth?) Time the charm
>>5552800
Both

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>5552796
>>5552797
>17 vs 17
>Slight Success

You barely manage to knock her hand to the side while you're getting back up, but she gets another desperate stab off.

>1d20+6 to Dodge
>Bo2. You're still unsituated.

Rolled 16 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552804

Rolled 12 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>5552804
I don't even want to roll at this point