>>249268
This sounds like a good course of action.

Approaching an enemy we converted into a servant with soft affection is not a good plan. A firm, detached, yet compassionate approach should be optimal to keep her in line.

Tell her we have plans to dissolve the demon cult, and if there's anyone she wants dead or not-dead she should tell us before the fighting starts. Also tell her that in a little while, Eiko will want to interrogate her, and she should not reveal our little arrangement. I'm sure Eiko can come up with a convincing reason to have her help us.

>>249261
Fizz is the daughter of a kobold mafia boss? That's kinda badass. Fizz may be shy and seemingly meek but deep inside (not counting Kaz) she's probably a really tough woman.

Tell the Volto to relax, you're only a firm asshole with people who could be dangerous to you. Then thank her for her decision and that there's a lot of good and simplifying to be done.

>>249320
I'm for consistency, in this situation. Ram has already acted one way toward her, to suddenly and heavily switch tracks is just weird.
That means I'm supporting this.

>>249320
On second thought, don't bother trying to make her keep the promise a secret. Instead, let's tell Eiko we're lying to her and don't actually plan to give her any power. That way, Eiko will be okay with the 'deal'. We can eventually figure out if Eiko would be okay with Ram gaining a foothold in the city.

...wait, what would we even do if we had a little group of our own? Would it be an organized crime syndicate, a group of mercenaries, bodyguards, crime fighters, what?

Assert the shit out of that authority.

You've got enough relationship stuff going on. We need minions who do as they're told.

Screw that, Ram needs friends he can trust. He's so wooden that he needs honest emotion in his life, in order to avoid the common pitfall past blood mages have fallen into. Keep in mind he's still a cold logical individual.

But now is the time for harsh questioning. Find out EVERYTHING about the cult, how many of them are there, how many plans do they have ongoing, are those two we ran into related to them somehow, is there anything going on with them right now, and so on.

>>249261
Don't hug her. Assert your authority and make sure she understands that she's a servant. Maybe she could be something else in the future, but right now that's what she is.

Hmm, so many things you could probably do. Getting Eiko's help and further investigating the Artists would probably be a good choice.

And screw telling other people it was you who did something about them. Unless their existance becomes widely known you're hardly very likely to gain any real recognition for it. And simply stopping some demonic cult wouldn't change peoples assumption about bloodmages, it's far better if as few people as possible know about that fact.

>>249352
If she specifically left the Sal family, I suspect that that is true. ...And they are not gangsters. Purportedly.

>>249268
>>249292
>>251473
>>249320
>>250526
>>250955
>>251477
As of yet, I still know little of her. I do not think it would be a good idea to dispel whatever image she may have subconsciously built of me.. but I will try to keep from going too far.

"Good decision."

I slowly cross behind and face her. She raises her eyes and turns to watch me.

"Tell me everything you can about your former employers. How were you inducted?"

She looks down at the tile to clear her head.

"..I was studying Ritualism at the library, and I had a job as a waitress at Renmen."

That must be the restaurant.

"That human.. I left my books there once on accident, when I came to pick them up, she told me I was weak, that I didn't even know what to look for. She said she knew what it was like to hold power, and she told me that if I went with her, she would give it to me."

"When exactly did this happen?"

"A little over five weeks ago. She brought me to the cave and.. my memory's spotty at that point. She said that magic was flawed, and that were going to turn ourselves into true demons, but to do that, we would have to control them."

Her expression looks uncertain.

>>250948
..I do not know. I think I am figuring it out more and more lately.

>>251473
...

>>255860
She doesn't seem to have that much common sense. "Let's follow a random crazy stranger toting unbelievable power". Ask her if her common sense bells rung at all and told her to be not believe at least half of that shit, that there must have been some other reason. No one is that stupid and unguided.

>>255860
True demons? Ask her what she means by that. Also note that we have two demons on our side right now... she may get her wish just yet, unless it requires something they don't like.

>>255860
First ask her about true demons. Then start working on a little plan.

They seem to be using the library as a recruiting ground. Now you're going to have to do something that might be a bit painful. Change your apperance, change it enough that nobody would recognise you, and hers as well. Then the two of you hang out in the library and read pretty much the same books she did the first time around, wait for them to approach you. Once they do then you follow them. Get taken to whatever secret base they got. Call in Eiko and Kav for back up. Deal with all the cultists except for whoever seems to be the leader. That one you take with you to get more information.

The problem is if the one who did the library reqruitment has vanished after you took down the place with the Volto. But it seems like a somewhat logical place to reqruit so they probably still have some people there who keep track of who checks out what.

>>255935
Perhaps the human said exactly what she wanted to hear.. or more likely, some form of mind control was involved.

"Why did you believe her?"

She starts from the question. It would seem I asked her the same thing she was thinking herself.

"...She seemed like she knew what she was talking about, and she was my coworker."

"That does not sound like a very convincing reason."

I see her eyes glance downwards, I do not think I can get anything more useful from this.

>>255940
..Instead, I ask her what a 'true' demon is in relation to an untrue demon.

"What is a true demon? And how does it differ from another demon?"

"True demon, well, you can hybridize people with demons, and you can splice them directly if you know how. ..True demons are.. untainted by mortal blood, they would require a perfect conversion to make."

"How difficult would that be?"

She shakes her head after a moment of thought.

"I don't know.. I would think it would be nearly impossible, but.. she seemed so confident.."

"What would be involved in that?"

"Well.. you would need a demon.. and.."

She breaks off, looking pensive.

"..The only way I can think of how to do it would be to lobotomize and subsume what's left.. but that didn't seem to be what she was talking about."

Hm.. I think I will leave out mentioning Kav and Eiko for the time being.

>>256242
...I think I know of a way to make that easy. There is a rare kind of ezilot that comes up from time to time, the result of unlikely unions. I myself carry the recessive characteristic. They have black fur and a black mane as well; many of them dye their fur because of it. It would definitely make me stand out, while simultaneously masking my identity.

If they are using the library as a recruiting ground.. that is a very bad sign. Would it be possible that the recruiters recognize her, though? If they have already heard about what happened to the rest of the cultists that kidnapped Fizz, they might be unwilling to approach her with me there, and unwilling to approach me with her there. It could be a better idea to bring Eiko... though that would leave Kav alone with the cultist, I suppose.

Regardless, is there anything I should do before leaving?

>>259761
Probably bounce the plan of the others and see what they think about it. Then you can get going with it the next day. Oh, and see how we are on spending money. Might be some expenses involved in the future.

Remember that Thri-kreen we met in the library? I'm willing to bet that she was part of the cult, or has been approached by them by now. We should try to keep an eye on her if we find her again.

Before we go, tell Eiko about our lead, and see if she wants to interrogate the prisoner too. Can't hurt to have a second perspective, and a cross-examination can help sometimes.

>>259790
Really, this... this pretty much addresses anything I had.

Why did you have to necro an awesome quest?! WHY?!

>>288827
Indeed

>>259781
I nod, and exit the room. "Stay here for a while.."

Eiko is waiting for me outside.

"Hi ho, Rambo."

I lift an eyebrow. She shrugs.

"Were you listening in?"

"Only a little; you speak kinda soft, you know. Problems?"

"No, but I am going to try and find some of the same people that found 'our guest' at the library. Maybe I can find something out."

She sits down on a pillow and looks up at me thoughtfully. "Seems like a logical next step. Want me to join you?"

"Do as you wish, though I'm not entirely sure how good an idea it is to leave those two alone.."

"Wait, you're going now?"

I nod in affirmation. "Yes."

She shrugs again, turning around. "I guess it makes sense.. The quicker you move the less chance they have to be on guard. Just in case they've been talking, though, think it'd be a good idea to have some sorta disguise?"

I blacken my fur, and shift my eye color to a more reddish orange. ..For some reason I feel a little lighter.

She turns around again, and blinks in exaggerated surprise.

"Well that certainly works. You know, if we're both going to be shapeshifters, do you think we should have a code word, or something to know each other by?"

Hm.. I can certainly tell who she is if I touch her, and I sincerely doubt someone could fake magic like mine...

>>321401
The method of identification should be clasping one of her hands with both of yours. If it's her then 'melt' your hands together so you encase each of her fingers independently before pulling away.
Or you could always give her a mind-blowingly good french kiss.

A code word would probably be best, if you happened to use your magic on the wrong person they would freak.
Just pick a phrase, about weather or something trivial like that.
Yay, its back. Now I have to read it all again.

>>321520
This makes sense, yeah.

>>321520
We would be able to tell it's Eiko by touch. Thus, we would only do the hand trick if it's her. Granted, clasping hands may be visible by others, and it MIGHT look odd if someone is paying very close attention.

Better would be something completely invisible, like using your magic to induce an unusual sensation where we touch her. Like an itch, or numbness, or just some sort of prickly sensation.

Heh heh. French kiss. Purely for identification purposes of course.

Boo berry is the best code word.

The solution is a simple compromise: Code word to get attention, followed by handshake greeting for physical confirmation. Less obvious that way.
Example
>[Eiko spots who she believes to be Ram in the crowd, and goes to catch him]
>Eiko: "Hey, Boo Berry! Miss me?"
>[Ram confirms with an accepting response, possibly a counter codeword.]
>"There you are! Where have you been off to, [counter-codeword/nickname]?"
>Eiko: "Not much, just keeping myself busy. Yourself?"
>[hands clasp in mutual greeting, physical test confirms eachother's identity.]

Bonus, by allowing Eiko the freedom to give us a 'nickname', also assists our relationship with her.

Go with a kiss.

Better yet, just say "I'll know it's you if we touch, and I'll make sure you know it's me."

Aw yeah.

Also, just go ahead and take Eiko with you. Just tell Kav not to leave. If she does, you can get mad at her after you track her down, and you will track her down. (Maybe you could modify her very subtly to make her easy to track? Like a phermone trail or something?)

>>321401
I'm not sure a code word is important, but it probably can't hurt. It was Eiko's idea, so let her pick. Maybe suggest using a number, though, since they're probably easier to work with. After that, head off to the library, because seriously we need to get something done.

The discussion of identification does make me think that you should start a habit of shaking hands with everyone you meet. It's an inconspicuous activity that'll get you a lot of useful information, plus make you seem classier.

On an unrelated note, I realized that Kav's obsession with Ram might just be carryover from Fizz, and not part of some sinister demon agenda. I mean, Vengeance Demons have to be influenced by their hosts some to take revenge for them, so it doesn't seem unreasonable that they might also be susceptible to other things they've been dwelling on, and boy did it seem like Fizz was dwelling on Ram.

>>321520
What I meant, was that I do no think I could confuse her for someone else. Though I suppose it is possible that demon morphology has something I don't understand, physical contact is very informative.

>>321409
>>321622
>>324080
Erh.. I am not sure how appropriate or feasible it would be to kiss her...

>>322045
>>324014
>>324497
Hm. A code number might be the best method..

"I don't think we will have to worry about anything if we can have physical contact, but just in case, perhaps you could come up with a code, or number?"

Eiko nods and tilts her head up, deliberating.

"Alright, 76."

"76?"

She nods. "Yeah, I like that number. Not too hard to remember, right?"

I nod in agreement as I move to leave.

"Good luck!"

I step outside the door and make my way towards the library. Shaking hands with people.. sounds like a good practice to adopt if I want more information about them, though--

...Yes. I believe I shall.

Fizz did seem to have particular interest in me.. even though she did not seem to show it, I think I represented something to her that she did not fully realize. If Kav is so based on her emotions, it could definitely account for her actions towards me, but.. I do wonder how much of her is different than Fizz.

Damnit. I need more information on vengeance demons, and it certainly seems like people do not know anything about them.

I arrive at the library and step up the steps into the main building. I only see a few library mages, most of them occupied with assisting patrons. Some people are milling about, reading books.

I take a slow walk through the library. It seems like the standard amount of people.. and one of them definitely looks suspicious. An ezilot is reading between two bookcases, but he keeps looking at a curelian library mage out of the corner of his eye.. and the curelian seems to be studying the anatomy of a creature I have not ever seen before in a large bound book.

He slowly starts moving, back past the book shelf.. turning around to walk towards the mage.

...I'm not sure what I should do. If I cause a scene he might lose interest in the curelian and pay attention to me, but he might not be the only one that does... and maybe doing so is too overt. I do not want to give the impression that he isn't the one in control, but if Rosaline's experience was the standard, I still need them to notice me if I want the same thing to happen to me.

>>324965
Just approach the library mage and ask her what she's reading about. Express an interest in demonic stuff as well, maybe share some of your own findings with her... but if you mention things you've learned from sources other than books, be mysterious and not say where you got the info from. After the conversation, ask where you can find more books like the one she's got. Then go grab one and read up!

This is an attempt to get the guy to overhear your conversation and take interest in you, then present an opportunity for him to approach you afterwards.

>>324965
Well, we're here to gather information, not actually join the cult, right? As long as we confirm this guy is an Artist and maybe learn we're he's working from we should be solid. It's probably better in the long run if we don't have to maintain a cover identity as part of them. So just try and watch them without being noticed for now. And then once we find out stuff, we'll... do something? What's our endgame, here. Are we just going to tell Eiko's organization or the police or something? Heroically capture them all ourselves? We seemed to stop planning after the "try to get brainwashed by them" part, which really doesn't strike me as a very good plan in retrospect.

I guess we decide that joining is important, you should approach the mage and ask questions. Make it seem as if you are interested in demons but know nothing about them. Someone uninformed looks much easier to manipulate.

Okay. Time to get moving. I walk up to the library mage, keeping myself from glancing at the ezilot as I get closer and smile. "Hey, is that a demon?"

The curelian seems to startle a little bit, and looks up at me. "Uh, I'm.. sorry?"

I gesture to the page. "That looks like a demon or something. What are you reading?"

She looks stunned for another moment before she composes herself and nods. "Er.. perceptive of you. Yes, this is a wild demon. The city council asked us to research them, for whatever reason.."

Out of the corner of my eye I can see the ezilot shift and start moving. I don't think he's leaving, though.

"The city council? Weird, why would they care?"

She raises a webbed hand apathetically. "Don't know, frankly don't care, politics are the boringest things I know of." She sets the book down. "Be a dear, put this back? I'm going to take a break." I pick up the book and she rises, bows curtly, and starts to walk out. The ezilot looks after her.. then glances at me from behind the bookshelf.

I drop my smile and turn the book back to the page with the wild demon on it. ...It really does look like a wolf, with spears of ice in its shaggy fur.

That should get his attention.
I trace a finger over the words, reading that wild demons (nivis) are, like all demons, confined to the demonic dimension, but like vengeance demons and apparently core demons as well, they can cross dimensional barriers in areas of extreme cold...

Paroza never snows and rarely ices. The nivis that killed Eiko must have been summoned by someone.

I close the book with a snap and place it back on the shelf. I turn, starting to walk... and the ezilot follows me. If he is a recruiter for the Artists of Zai, maybe he'll know more than the members.

>>391484
Go to a less populated section of the library where he would be able to approach you without much fuss. Then see if you can find any books tangentially related to the subject of demons.

keep it up. head to a secluded section of the library

Go (pretend to) browse for material (ideally demon-related) in a reasonably secluded area, but don't go too far or necessarily to the most private place; you don't want to risk tipping him off. Be certain not to look back at him directly.

Heading towards one of the sides of the library... Not particularly close to the back exit, but I note that there is a section devoid of people on a straight path to it. I look around for a good section nearby, and I find one on dimensional theory. Perfect.

The lighting is flawed this far back in the library; it seems to come from a window a section over. I scan the contents of the bookshelves, and pull out a book about the nature of dimensions, and open it up to a diagram of a multi-layered sphere. I can hear him walk closer. I take a few steps over the side of the bookshelf, and now he is only a few feet away.

I could very easily incapacitate him. Or let him control the situation. My eyes skim over the text.

It might be useful to know their recruitment methods. Let him take control for the moment. We could like, look up, see him and snap the book shut in surprise.

see if you can act out a convincing physical bumping into, should shake the ezilot a bit and create openings

Let him take control, think about butts first.

Yes... before, that human managed to read my mind. They said so, at least.. I will fill my thoughts full of demonic half-baked conclusions, in case.

I start to pace, slowly, turning the page as my eyes roll over the last period. As I skim the page, I turn the corner and look up for a place to sit, bumping into the black ezilot and feeling his irritated ears, contracting muscles and his heart beating and the blood spilling through his--

I push off him and avoid hitting my back against the wall, looking up at him and closing the book. "Yh.. you.. startled me."

He cocks his head, and shifts his posture, subtly ending up a little closer to me. "You've been busy. Reading up on demons, the barrier between dimensions..."

I appear nervous. "..No. I just..."

"Why don't you tell me why you're in such a frantic hurry to learn about demons...?"

He smiles at me... maliciously..?

Wait.. he seems to think I am desperate for something. His face is one of gleeful domination. He cannot know about.. Fizz-Tongue. But, maybe he thinks that I, or someone else I know is in danger of demonic possession.

This strange cult... How much does it know about its own operations?

whoa. say the city council asked you to research them, and taking your sweet time was a mistake you would rather not repeat. request introductions

>>392370
Look suspicious and angry, and ask who the hell he is. Maybe ask him if he knows what happened to "her". If he gives any indication that he is in fact trying to recruit you via ransom (which looks like the case), grab him by the neck, paralyze him and silence his vocal cords, then abduct him quietly out the exit. If he tries to lead you into saying the person's name your supposedly worried about, abduct him early.

We begin questioning by stating that you didn't think it would be this easy. Then ask him what his rank is in the order. Punish lies with SEARING PAIN while preventing him from screaming. In fact, prevent him from screaming at all- restrict his voice to a whisper.

If he tries to attack you magically, empty all air from his lungs, stop his heart temporarily, and remove a limb by simply causing the flesh and bone of the joint to dissolve. Then drink the blood from the limb as you continue the questioning.

>>392370
You're desperate for power, of course. We have to give him something to tempt you with, right? Let's see... just go for the big leagues. You're dying. Terminal illness, nothing medicine can do for you. Surely you can fake that if it comes to a check up, right? Anyway, you're hoping there might be some other way of extending your life.

As for acting tips, remember let him stay in control, but not to just play along with him. Dodge the question a bit, until he tries to present himself as someone who can help. Play up the despair of facing your own mortality, of being forced to resort to demonology. Be ashamed that you're going this far, but more terrified of doing nothing that you're willing to do anything.

Request name, be formal at first. No matter what you do flirt with body language and tone the entire time.

You know, I think we've played enough games with these guys. Paralyze his vocal cords, make him go rigid. Then take his hand, and force his muscles to contract so as to walk with you, out of the library, to somewhere private.

Then we'll get our information from him.

I clench my jaws and stare, looking him up and down.

"..Who are you."

He tilts his head at me, mocking me with condescension. I see his eyes subtly try and glance around for anyone watching.

"I might be a friend. Can you take the chance I'm not?"

No name, then. None to give, at least. I bite my tongue, and glare at him fervently, looking around a bit more obviously for anyone watching.

"What do you know about demons?"

"Oh, I know quite a bit... the question is, what are you willing to do to find out just what I know?"

He grins again.

"Tell me what you know. Please."

"Mm.. And why should I do that?"

I start to choke up.

"..I don't want to die..."

"Mmm...? Is someone threatening to kill you if you don't do their research?"

"...No, I have an illness.."

...His shoulders sag slightly, and his face turns a bit to disappointment. "Oh. Well, you may try one of the sections over there. Ta."

...As soon as he heard that I was dying, he immediately became uninterested. Irrelevant. He turns around.



I step down hard on the floor and launch myself at him, grabbing his head in my hand. I close his surprised eyes and lock up his throat. He can breath, shallowly, but his vocal cords are immobile.

I look around.. and hone in my senses. No heat. Nothing is watching. My hand moves to his back, and I manipulate his skeleton, feeling his heartbeat get faster and faster until I slow it down to normal levels, the sweat quickly evaporating from his skin as lymph pumps through his system and his lungs inflate and deflate.

Slowly I start him walking, moving alongside him as we head towards the library exit. Nobody stops us, and only one library mage glances at us as we leave. Once outside, I start walking with him towards... a different alley than I caught the soul mage in.

His breath shudders as he exhales. I am not even entirely positive if he is aware of what I am.

That was a bit weird, but there's so many explanations for it I can't decide on any of them.

Get him in the alley, restrict his voice to a whisper, and ask him questions. 1) who does he work for? What's his rank, name, etc? 2) why wasn't he interested in you after you said you were dying? 3) WHERE DID HE HIDE THE BODIES- wait no, ask him what the purpose of all the demon summoning is. 4) where's the soul mage?

Hmm. Use that magical attack countermeasure I mentioned before as an interrogation technique instead of just pure pain. That's BORING. After removing a limb, say that if he answers all our questions we'll reattach it.

Ooh, that's cruel, but it'll work. Start smaller though. Remove a hand. Then his forearm. Make it so they are separated but still intact. It'll be both painful for him and incredibly frightening.

And at this point we need to start seeking solutions. Fizz tongue has been possessed for a while and we are just faffing about being nice to Kav because we... I don't know, have no balls I guess.

We need to know who their expert on demonolgy is. We need to know what their magic resources are. We need to know how many of them there are, how much they own, and if they have any important contacts.

This guy isn't going to have the answers, but he'll probably know someone who does. Also, an alley isn't necessarily the best for this kind of thing. We need to have a place no one will come to for anytime we do something illegal.

We also need to be a little more... I don't know, careful. Fizz-tongue is the only one of our current cadre of "friends" that we have any reason to trust, and even then it's only because we saved her life and then she shared her home with us.

Good! He shouldn't know what you are. Which means stick to traditional interrogation. There's plenty you can do to make him talk without revealing you can tear off an arm. The most he needs to know about you is that you can paralyze him. Besides, an entirely panicked mind is just as bad for getting answers as a clear one.

Questions should be pretty obvious. Who he is, why we was interested in you, what's up with the cult, etc. Try to work with what he gives you before introducing anything you know already.

Why are you worried about what he knows? We are going to drain his blood and leave him an empty husk once he's told us what know we want to know.