The cat came back, the very next day...

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)12:54 No. 748303 ID: b68e42
File 147414205870.png - (161.70KB , 680x512 , 3573101-i4gvmwF_lnOtTmVi.png )

I guess I'm not surprised.

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)12:55 No. 748304 ID: b68e42
File 147414210346.png - (249.96KB , 680x512 , 3573146-rAQxDtFXPdCN7Qls.png )

I wouldn't want me to return.

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)12:56 No. 748305 ID: b68e42
File 147414216730.png - (273.13KB , 680x512 , 3573270-gTvD0qIDFnV83L2r.png )

I've seen more than any man should ever see.

Well, you might want to see a medic. That looks like a lot of blood.

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)12:59 No. 748310 ID: b68e42
File 147414238655.png - (190.01KB , 680x512 , 3573407-stV5ySD3HuCtox3t.png )

I've seen the world between worlds.

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)13:00 No. 748311 ID: b68e42
File 147414242228.png - (171.80KB , 680x512 , 3573421-buK3uEZtI9dHDXVb.png )

Now there is no way home.

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)13:02 No. 748312 ID: b68e42
File 147414257241.png - (206.33KB , 680x512 , 3573193-7drtGjAna1g_e3ws.png )

By Gods, is there no way home?

I dunno, clueless as you are right now.

>go home

FEN 2016/09/17(Sat)14:26 No. 748330 ID: b68e42
File 147414761745.png - (210.69KB , 680x512 , 3573534-EOXJOl3k9FaKHD5J.png )

They... They let the Gate close. Why would they let it close?

They said they would wait for me. They promised.

I want to go home

I'm getting the impression "they" had a task for you. What was/is it?

Please put 1/6 or whatever in "Subject" so we know when you're done posting a batch.

>They... They let the Gate close. Why would they let it close?
Well, from that hole in your gut, they might have left you for dead.

What is this place? What kind of medical help can you find here?

Stick head in black hole.

Due to your garb I am assuming that you are not of civilian origin, so one would assume that you would have basic medical training. No matter how dire the situation, losing blood at a constant rate( your spitting, dripping, and oozing blood) will not help, so your initial priority as of now will be to staunch the flow. Push out all thoughts of home, family, or society because as of now all that matters is you and your survival.

1/3 FEN 2016/09/18(Sun)06:12 No. 748395 ID: b68e42
File 147420432581.png - (229.83KB , 680x512 , 3574360-dxXKJHfsBYWN0ylj.png )

>Stick head in hole

...

2/3 FEN 2016/09/18(Sun)06:13 No. 748396 ID: b68e42
File 147420443444.png - (268.21KB , 680x512 , 3574379-SHBgufMfIWm5UxjB.png )

Okay let's focus on not dying for now

3/3 FEN 2016/09/18(Sun)06:16 No. 748397 ID: b68e42
File 147420456323.png - (133.20KB , 680x512 , 3574397-bXKSjVFJfZjimjxn.png )

I don't know if there are any people here. I don't know what would happen if I died here. I have about three days. Two if the wound is infected. Assuming time even passes here.

>>748397
See where all that red goes!

1/3 FEN 2016/09/18(Sun)08:00 No. 748403 ID: b68e42
File 147421082522.png - (150.24KB , 680x512 , 3574449-IhbL5JVva7SS6jlt.png )

I tie off the hole in my stomach with a scrap of fabric ripped from my shirt, then get up and start walking.

3/3 FEN 2016/09/18(Sun)08:02 No. 748405 ID: b68e42
File 147421096352.png - (172.44KB , 680x512 , 3574503-IO7Wm5Wz04t3xcdG.png )

The voidlike remnants of my only way home continue to float mockingly somewhere around the middle distance.

I wrote whole instead of hole, this is going to bother me for the rest of my life now, sorry, rip in pieces

Well first off you should check your pockets. Got anything useful to get out of what im assuming is purgatory.

Do you know anything about the geography of this place you're in? What can you see in the not-middle distance?

Cover as much ground as you can with your blood dripping out, it'll at least add some definition to the horizon.

>>748405
But where does the red go?

1/2 FEN 2016/09/22(Thu)12:51 No. 749121 ID: b68e42
File 147457388641.png - (125.10KB , 680x512 , 3576754-clAjo28LZ4bbNba5.png )

I follow the red streaks, my only hope of navigating this otherwise featureless plane. It's not as easy as I'd like.

2/2 FEN 2016/09/22(Thu)12:52 No. 749122 ID: b68e42
File 147457394572.png - (172.35KB , 680x512 , 3576760-JijJRJVBuBR0f8uw.png )

A man going to his fate carries little, save the hope of a dignified death.

Drink the hope of a dignified death.

Or Don't Drink the hope of a Dignified Death.
Grab that little orb Following you. Go explore some.

Dooooon't drink it. We're not giving up yet.

Why were you sent here? What is your goal?

>create new save
>chug Dignified Death

>>749122
Save the poison for later, you don't need it yet.

4/4 FEN 2016/10/22(Sat)13:41 No. 754691 ID: 2fce16
File 147716889922.gif - (638.14KB , 854x512 , www_GIFCreator_me_6ttZyP.gif )

animated image!

I see 2 for, 2 against, and 1 save.
He's rebelling against us! Quick, send in the hounds!

>>754691
Dude, look out, something ate the poison and grew an eye.

1/2 FEN 2016/10/23(Sun)02:27 No. 754872 ID: 04ab7d
File 147721485276.gif - (398.65KB , 854x512 , www_GIFCreator_me_QxUkzs.gif )

once again animated updates today!

Tear its heart out while it's still forming.

That was awesome...

"Hi?"

Can it talk?

>>754890
Well amusing it was probably the best possible outcome after insulting it to its face like that. And we confirmed it can talk! Or at least laugh.

>>754890
Right, talk to it maybe. Who are you, what are you, how do I get out of here, etc.

Dumb beast bit its own lip. Help it fix that by knocking its teeth out!

>>754943
You got some real aggression issues.

Any idea what it is? Wait to see if it says anything more.

>>755040
>Wait! Don't stab me with that knife! Let's talk about our feeeeeeeeeeelings!
Yeah, no. Punch it before the hope of a dignified death gives you an undignified death.

>>754890
Whip your dick out then use the element of stunned surprise to tackle it

>>755043
This! You're never unarmed when you've still got your sword.

1/3 FEN 2016/11/17(Thu)13:35 No. 759372 ID: 6460b1
File 147941850174.gif - (0.98MB , 854x512 , www_GIFCreator_me_5leKRQ.gif )

warning for violence and body horror in the gifs + text! Letting you all know just in case


The howling in your brain is gone so suddenly it's as if the waterfall of thoughts simply stopped, mind snapping to attention, clear and calm.
The creature made the mistake of standing too close.

A single step and you're but inches away from its face, hand reaching out to press into its throat before it has any chance to react. The beast gurgles pathetically, hands scrabbling at you in an attempt to free itself. Beneath its slick, glasslike skin, its muscles are weak and fragile, growing weaker still as its gasps for breath grow shallower.

2/3 FEN 2016/11/17(Thu)13:35 No. 759373 ID: 6460b1
File 147941855328.gif - (1.18MB , 854x512 , www_GIFCreator_me_cMrs1v.gif )

You hadn't planned on killing it- you certainly hadn't expected whatever it is to be this weak- but then it goes limp, eyes bulging out of its sockets. You have barely a second to reel back before one of its eyes explodes in a spray of tar, a bouquet of blue crystals sprouting from the split pupil.

3/3 FEN 2016/11/17(Thu)13:36 No. 759374 ID: 6460b1
File 147941861622.png - (164.82KB , 640x384 , kako-AR8ZKoI6Lgzs8eUK.png )

"Sorry it took so long finding you, Master," A mellifluous voice reverberates through the base of your skull, coming not from the shallowly-breathing creature but rather the crystals growing from its face. The sapphires hum softly, as if laughing, and you realise the voice is familiar, a familiar voice attached to a familiar name- The laughter becomes clearer, tinkling and melodious. "You really do have a talent for getting lost, you know."


> The voice has a name. What was it?

Maëlys

It's Escuri, the reason for your banishment.

>>759374
FUCKING JIMBO

>>759463
Yojimbo

I like Escuri.

Yojimbo!

Escuri.

Star Platinum.

Gules

Alfred.

doug

jumbo jim

1/2 FEN 2016/11/26(Sat)08:11 No. 761587 ID: f8f33b
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"You killed it."
It's a question, but you're too tired to make your voice rise like it should.
"No." Yojimbo releases the creature, remaining a floating mass of crystals as it slides off the sapphire spikes and collapses onto the ground. "Gateways aren't so easy to kill."
It hums softly, shifting gently as it surveys the area. You feel cold.

"You're bleeding out," Yojimbo says, voice almost mechanically even. "You'll want to let me take a look at that."

2/2 FEN 2016/11/26(Sat)08:17 No. 761590 ID: f8f33b
File 148017706478.gif - (836.58KB , 854x512 , www_GIFCreator_me_Uxqz21.gif )

You're nothing but cold as the crystals bite into your flesh, jewels thin as veins and skin, thin as blood and breath and so very, very cold. The spirit keeps humming as it works, twisting its way into your guts, patching cuts with blue against red.
"That should be enough," Yojimbo finally says, voice reverberating through your body. "Let's go."

You let your coat fall back down over your stomach, covering the glitter of blue protruding from your skin. It's time to find a way out of here.

OK but you and we have no idea how to do that. What is the blue crystal entity? If the other creature is called a gateway can you use it to leave or travel?

1/1 FEN 2017/02/15(Wed)08:31 No. 779756 ID: b68e42
File 148717629937.jpg - (105.99KB , 800x480 , HNI_0051_JPG.jpg )

"You said that... being was a Gateway?" You pause.
Aye, Yojimbo says, voice vibrating through your bones. Albeit a shattered one, I'm afraid.
"Alright," you say. You're trying not to think too hard about what's going on. "So. Could you please refresh my memory as to what in the Seven Hells is going on?"
Aye, Yojimbo responds, an unnatural sound, like singing glass. You have sacrificed yourself for Emperor and Empire alike, entering the world between worlds to slay the God-King, [ ]. In this you succeeded, felling the God-King and destroying his realm. However, your survival was unplanned and unexpected, thus no way home for you was prepared.
"Who are you, anyway?"
You jest, or do you speak in truth? The being seems almost concerned. I am Yojimbo, Spellsword and Sellsword, Sapphire of the North and child of the Laughing Sun! The crystals stitching your flesh together creak and shift. Who are you ?

You are Jean St. Jean, the Duke of Newcome. Or, were.

>You have sacrificed yourself for Emperor and Empire alike, entering the world between worlds to slay the God-King
LIAR.

They betrayed you.
They knew that whoever killed the demon in this unfathomable abyss would become its heir
So they spun a story about a God-Emperor and sent you in
knowing you would unwittingly inherit his power
and then fail to grasp that his paradise would become your prison the moment the only exit DIED
You hesitated to leave, as they planned
And now you are stuck here
And they are not
You are now Laplace's demon with no place to know about
You are their slave, and they have won

>Name
Your name is a complicated matter
Not too complicated
To face an archdemon oracle, your name must be in constant flux
Whatever the situation is, your name shifts to adapt
Almost
You have a security key that makes up the basis of your name, and a representation of what must persevere within you
The key is used with an algorithm that combines the factors of the place you're in and the state of your existence
The key is [unyielding][unhesitant][explorer][legend]
... So your nickname is Leeroy Jenkins.

>>779756
Your name is Bors.

1/1 FEN 2017/02/15(Wed)14:28 No. 779814 ID: b68e42
File 148719767985.jpg - (130.07KB , 800x480 , HNI_0052_JPG.jpg )

In all fairness, it had been remarkably close to the truth.

You are [Borh], son of the Emperor, second in age and third in power. You have been lied to.

Took you a while to realise, Yojimbo hums. I'd have just spared you this mess and killed you if I could, but I've little power in limbo... It makes a noise like shattering crystal, a silver sound, raw power but not quite here. Elsewhere. Limbo.
This plane is already collapsing, it says. You'd not have died without me, but, if you are to be any use, I'd rather not send you back particularly damaged. Yojimbo pauses. You've bright allies, it says. Separated by veil yet quick to catch on... Close, at least. You'd do well to listen to them.

Your ears are ringing and none of this makes any sense at all.
"Is this a dream?" You ask. You feel so terribly tired.
Sadly, nay. Yojimbo shifts, crystalline, burrowing through your skin. You are still trapped here, at least in part.
"And when this falls apart?"
The white is beginning to run through with cracks, spreading from where the Gateway had fallen.
"You'll see," Yojimbo's voice rings out aloud once more. "It's time to try this again."

1/1 FEN 2017/02/15(Wed)14:30 No. 779816 ID: b68e42
File 148719782210.jpg - (122.75KB , 800x480 , HNI_0053_JPG.jpg )

let's try this again

1/1 FEN 2017/02/15(Wed)15:38 No. 779846 ID: b68e42
File 148720187785.jpg - (177.09KB , 800x480 , HNI_0055_JPG.jpg )

The funny thing is, they never tell you the price until you've agreed to pay it. To never dream, but to walk a second world in sleep, to find rest in neither plane... You hadn't known that would happen. Not until your master's hand burned into your flesh, not until the Ivory Spire's mages had branded you one of their own, not until you took up the Sapphire Blade. Not until it was too late.

Nevertheless, you miss having magic.

It wasn't such a high price for the fate of the world, all things considered. Well, it wasn't just the magic that you paid. But no matter.
That was nine years ago.

It has been thirty years since your exile.
Nineteen since you received your caster's license.
Twelve since you became an arcmage.
Nine since you gave up your one gift and only passion.
Nine years since the end of the world.
Nine years since your soul was trapped in limbo.
Nine years.
More than enough time to be forgotten.

>>779846
sooo...where are you right now. Also, which world ended?

1/1 FEN 2017/02/16(Thu)14:27 No. 780094 ID: b68e42
File 148728403290.jpg - (141.88KB , 800x480 , HNI_0056_JPG.jpg )

> Which world?

This world. Every world. You can't remember.
You wipe away the sweat from your face with the back of a hand. You can just barely see the bars of pale light playing across the room, across the ceiling. It is white and empty. An anywhere-place in an anywhere-world. You feel like you're back in limbo, uprooted and ungrounded in an abyss of emptiness. You sit up.
"Yojimbo, are you there?"
"As always." The plate of crystal set into your torso hums slightly. "What do you need?"
"Where are we?" You pull your knees up to your chest and wrap your arms around them, staring blankly at the bare wall in front of you.
"The Iron Nest, approximately half a fraction outside of Bremn." Yojimbo's deep blue surface sings and warms slightly as it gathers information. "You are fully materialised and should remain that way throughout this fraction."
"Anything I should know?"
"Aye, in fact. Our memories appear to be incomplete at the moment, so I would like to remind you the Nest is twin sister to the Ivory Spire, which I am afraid may feel a bit overwhelming. You are not back at the Spire, there is no need to worry."
You stretch. "You said I was... fully materialized today?"
"Yes. Your soul, on account of not being anchored to your body, is not fully stable. This allows you to brave the nether-realms, but you are wont to lose connection to your physical form. Luckily, I am able to tell how close you are to that, so you should not find yourself elsewhere without warning- unless you fall asleep or lose conciousness, that is."
"Okay." You move to the edge of the bed, but pause, undecided.
"Is everything alright?" Yojimbo prompts. "How are you feeling today?"

Terrible.

Go back to bed.

Get the @#$% up.

>>780094
I really do feel like shit. I know Ive done this sort of thing before, I've got these vauge pictures and ideas, but it's like looking for a pet on a foggy day. Uncertain, confusing, emotional and scary.

...

...

When you said "Let's try this again" you didn't mean I would have to go through all that again, did you? Because I'll be honest, the first time I had to face death it wasn't because I liked the idea. I don't know if I have the will to stomach all this a second time.

you feel like a wreck. go get clothes/ look around.

I see you've spread further through me.

1/1 FEN 2017/02/17(Fri)10:32 No. 780296 ID: b68e42
File 148735637866.jpg - (181.79KB , 800x480 , HNI_0057_JPG.jpg )

You feel like a wreck.
"Terrible," you say.
You fall back onto the bed with a sigh. You know you're going to have to get up sooner or later, just... You just need a few more minutes.
"I feel... lost," you say dully. "Like walking through a mist, so cold, corporeal, like hands grasping..Like looking for something so long you can't even remember what it looked like, until you aren't even sure it was really ever there..." You trail off. "You said 'again', but... I don't want to do this again, I- I'm not even sure I can- I remember...I remember something." You pause again, mouth dry. "I remember death."
If this was a good story, you think, the silence now would be deafening, utter, infinite. Outside, you can hear the first birds waking to greet the sun.
"I am afraid of death." The light from the window is beginning to warm on your face. "I am... I am afraid of suffering." You press the palms of your hands against your face. "There are echoes, in my mind.. Shades of shades, memories of memories- I am sacred of losing myself in them."
You open your eyes, slowly, watch the ceiling above you come into focus, prepare yourself. You look down. The crystals snaking up your chest glitter like greatest depths of the sea, more beautiful than they could ever deserve to be. (you saw the sea once, long before all this) You sit up. "You've spread again, Yojimbo," you say.

That's an interesting place for a handprint.

LORE: THE BRANDING FEN 2017/02/17(Fri)13:53 No. 780331 ID: b68e42
File 148736840867.jpg - (139.53KB , 800x480 , HNI_0059_JPG.jpg )

Sorry about those spelling mistakes in the last update! those are going to haunt me forever now... anyway! Would y'all prefer a separate thread for supplementary lore and comics, or should I keep it on here? (I have a lot of extra material :0)

> handprint

Unlike the more 'civilised' Imperium's mages, those taught in the southern school and technique take the Branding very seriously. It is a right of passage of sorts- when a caster surpasses their mentor, the latter, in a private ceremony, is to burn their hand into their charge's flesh. It is a mark of growth and a symbolic binding of the two parties, serving as an initiation into the circle of 'proper' mages.
Unlike the northern form of the ceremony, which is public and consists of the Tower's Arcmage marking their hand in a special paint on the foreheads of students finishing their education, this version takes the 'branding' aspect completely literally- and is much harder to qualify for. It is both physically and emotionally draining as well as dangerous, and enduring it guarantees the respect of other trainees. The teacher is the one to choose the depth, degree and placement of the burn, though the standard location is on the chest or back.
Your own master's Brand had been burned into the side of his face, and was not something he liked to talk about.

>separate thread for supplementary lore and comics

Up to you! You're runnin the ship here! Lovin the art through!

You can't stay in bed forever. Give yourself a few minutes- 5-10 at most. Ask yojimbo what you need to do next.

>Branding
Dude, your sect seriously needs to catch up to the times. This was obviously humiliating torture for the both of you, why didn't you just get creative and design your own marks out of your current research?

Could be that you already knew why. But on to more pressing matters - do you have a steady supply of rations? And what TYPE of rations do you consume to stabilize your material projection?

Well now with the brooding out the way, get dressed. Survey the area. Get some bearings.

1/4 FEN 2017/02/18(Sat)09:29 No. 780706 ID: b68e42
File 148743896242.jpg - (149.65KB , 800x480 , HNI_0060_JPG.jpg )

It's time to get up.

Someone's been nice enough to leave you a washbasin of clean water, and you splash your face clean.

3/4 FEN 2017/02/18(Sat)09:44 No. 780713 ID: b68e42
File 148743989977.jpg - (59.92KB , 800x480 , HNI_0062_JPG.jpg )

Despite everything, you're still human- and you still get hungry. You do take supplements to keep yourself grounded (a mix of calming herbs and a powder with anti-magic qualities) but that's not something you can actually live on. You need to actually eat.
The slowly waking halls of the Nest smell like warmth and baking bread and for a moment you wonder how you could ever confuse this place with the cold silence of the Ivory Spire.
You take the stairs down to the first floor, which serves as a kitchen of sorts. It's still rather empty this early in the morning, save for a pair of apprentice mages dozing off over their bowls of porridge and a woman thumbing through a large linen-bound book. A woman who you immediately recognize.
"Mara!"
She looks up, surprised, then her face spreads into a wide smile. "Hello, brother dear!"

4/4 FEN 2017/02/18(Sat)09:49 No. 780714 ID: b68e42
File 148744016254.jpg - (149.68KB , 640x480 , HNI_0063_JPG.jpg )

"It's so good to see you again," she pulls you into a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you I'd be visiting, but I couldn't stand to be away any longer! It's been, what? Almost a year?" She sighs into your shoulder, warm. Familiar. "How have you been?"

Punch your traitor sister in the face.

Impostor! She's after your shard! PAWNCH

Oh my god you guys. He said he recognizes her.

Tell her you still dream of Limbo. It's difficult but you're managing.

Id say dodge the question, but siblings are too good at picking up when you're lying.

"How have I been? How have you been! I don't see you for nearly a year and now you turn up out of the blue? What brings you out this way?"

She'll likely pick up you're not feeling well at someone point- tell her about your "dream" if she presses you, but go somewhere private. This isn't something you want others to overhear.

>How long has it been
"...too long." True, and it's not like you can really be sure of time anymore, with what you've been going through.

I think a change of mood would be good for us. Ask what brings her all the way here to see us?

http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/109004.html

1/3 FEN 2017/06/07(Wed)08:38 No. 806586 ID: b68e42
File 149684990606.jpg - (116.45KB , 800x480 , HNI_0018_JPG.jpg )

"It's been too long."
Mara rests her chin on your shoulder with a sigh and you gently run a hand through her dark, silky hair. "What brings you all the way over here?"
Your sister slips her hands off your shoulders and takes a step back. "I'm overseeing negotiations in Bremn tomorrow," she says. "We- well, mostly his holiness, our brother the Emperor, but- we're trying to reopen the trade route through Frua's Pass." Mara shrugs. "Sada doesn't usually let me do this kind of stuff, but he's off being important elsewhere, so."

2/3 FEN 2017/06/07(Wed)08:57 No. 806590 ID: b68e42
File 149685105760.jpg - (144.23KB , 800x480 , HNI_0019_JPG.jpg )

"Oh! That's right!" Mara twirls so you can see her outfit better. "What do you think? I got it special for the meeting." She taps the jewel set into her belt.
"Anyway, your turn now," she says. "How are you holding up? Seriously, I mean."
You sigh, avoiding your sister's gaze. "Better, I guess," you say. "This isn't the best place for talking about it."
Mara looks around with a discrete turn of her head. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" she asks.

3/3 FEN 2017/06/07(Wed)12:39 No. 806635 ID: b68e42
File 149686435682.jpg - (149.04KB , 640x480 , HNI_0017_JPG.jpg )

"Maybe later." You pull out a chair from a nearby table and sit. "So. Bremn?" You watch Mara take the seat across from you.
"Mhm," she agrees. "We've got..." Mara hesitates, " revolutionaries blocking the mountain pass to the bay, so all our imports are stuck over there until they let up. Fortunately, Sada managed to convince their captain to agree to at least talk, so that's where I come in." She laughs lightly. "To be entirely honest, I'm more than a little nervous.."

You can talk in the sauna. Nobody will disturb you there.

What are the revolutionaries even revolting against, or for? Purposes, motivations, methods, equipment, supplies and morale matters if a group is trying to do something, and how easy it is to convince them not to do a thing.

What's being revolted?