tippler 2021/03/11(Thu)19:03 No. 990761 ID: eedbeb
File 161551823329.png - (150.94KB , 1000x900 , p72.png )

You check to make sure there aren’t any customers. The floor is spattered with blood and glass and you can hear one of your coworkers talking to your boss on the phone while you tighten the cord around the duck’s neck.

The break between your normal life and whatever the fuck started yesterday is getting wider.

You pull, hard. “Now will you talk?”

Hm. How about we make a deal? I answer one question, and you let me go.

“Nope.” You actually see empty cuts forming in the creature’s neck.

Alright, I’ll sweeten the offer. You will stop this unpleasantness and I will answer one question per day as long as you have me.

Do you accept the deal? If so, what is your first question?

You'll take the deal on one condition-- it doesn't try to mind control you any more.
>one question
Why are souls being drawn towards the moon?

"Very funny. Three a day and maybe I'll forget you tried mind controlling me into technically committing suicide."

Five a day and maybe I won’t submit you to this torture every day after we find a way to bind and restrain you.

only if it stops using it's magic eyes on you. We're tying those up, and it can use the normal ones if it has those.

Also it's getting a leash.

Whether you take the deal or not should depend on whether you like his first answer:
“First question, and don’t you dare try any cryptic bullshit or exact-words nonsense: What happens to the beckoned souls after they go to the moon?”

If you don’t like the answer, just kill it before it can try anything else - you’ll have established that these guys don’t have good intentions, and that’s all you need to know.

>>990761
It stops mind-controlling people, period, and it's a deal. Otherwise it's back to Noose Town, population: strung up.

Today's question:
Yesterday you lost your soul to an unearthly call for aid. Today hundreds of people lost theirs, presumably due to something along the same lines. Then IT shows up, near you, seeking 'targets'.

Shit seems related. Please explain said relation in detail. And yes, that totally counts as a question, because a question carries intent and your intent is figuring out what it knows about what is going on here regardless of goddamn phrasing.

>coworkers
Go tell your coworkers that something's fucked up in town and it might be better if you take some early vacation days to see if you can't deal with your fucked-up bit of it. Then borrow their phone and tell your manager the same, in a somewhat more don't-actually-want-to-lose-my-job tone.

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)09:06 No. 990814 ID: eedbeb
File 161556879473.png - (133.12KB , 1000x900 , p73.png )

>Accept the deal

“Fine, but don’t try to mind control me again or I’m taking your head off.” you threaten. You undo the string from around the duck’s neck and the small wounds heal immediately.

Yes, of course.

It would be nice to have a leash for the thing. You ask Body for a piece of string, and she produces a short piece from her pocket space. The morbid thought of sewing its eyes shut swells in your mind and you grimace. Instead, you tie its neck to the pitcher handle.

“First question, and no cryptic bullshit answers. Why are souls being drawn to the moon?”

They are going home. It is what’s natural.

Before you can ask for clarification, the bell on the door rings and Cookie pokes his head inside the café.

“Jadis is looking for you two.” he mumbles. “She’s at the university, I can take you there.”

Good. Let's go Jadis. We're probably gonna get fired anyway so there's no point in not just leaving immediately.

Lets take our new duck buddy with us, Jadis would probably know what's up with it.

"Hey, we caught this duck thing that tried to telepath me into killing Body. It also claims to know something about the whole 'fly my soul to the moon where we can be fucking dead among the stars' business."

Assuming Cookie's answer is to bring or leave the duck, let's go. This whole nonsense is confirmed to be more important than keeping our job, anyway.

Go see Jadis, your soul is more important than this job at this point.

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)11:58 No. 990839 ID: eedbeb
File 161557908740.png - (162.83KB , 1000x900 , p73b.png )

You’re probably going to be fired for duck blending and letting Body near food, so you decide to go with Cookie. Body keeps a tight hold on the pitcher and you join Cookie in the noonday sun. His eye widens at the white, winged blob, but doesn’t say anything as he leads you to his car.

You explain what you’ve learned since this morning, and warn Cookie not to look the duck in the eyes. The cat nods. “The witches think this has happened before, a couple hundred years ago. They’re trying to do damage control cause the government’s trying to blame them for it.”

Cookie stops in the parking lot of the medical school building and takes you up the steps and into a clean, modern foyer.

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)11:59 No. 990840 ID: eedbeb
File 161557915230.png - (206.26KB , 1000x900 , p74.png )

You enter a large operating room with guards in black suits, police, and mobsters lining the walls. The atmosphere is understandably tense, suit jackets bulging around concealed weapons, hands twitching towards pepper spray while a vigorous argument echoes through the otherwise silent room.

Jadis is wrist deep in someone’s chest, surgical mask blocking the spit no doubt flying from her mouth while she bickers with her father, the cat you recognize from last night.

“Um.” Cookie says as the doors shut behind you.

“This is a very delicate surgery, Cookie. Don’t interrupt.” barks Jadis. “Body, do you have any spare string? I used all my stock already and I have like five more rich assholes who need soul transplants.”

“The governor is not a rich asshole.” her dad sniffs.

“Whatever. And before you ask Evelyn, I assumed you wouldn’t like it if I gave you a new soul the easy way, so you’re stuck with scraps like the rest of us peasants.”

You notice the pile of body bags being guarded in the corner. A few seem to be moving.

Body shakes her head. “Naw, I only have half a meter left.”

“Then get some silk and I’ll make it here.”

Maybe after getting the silk we should talk to the authorities here about the duck and souls being called to the moon?

"First of all, are those body-bags supposed to be moving?"

If there's nothing untoward you need to put a stop to here, proceed with the next question:
"Is there a specific kind of silk we need, or will anything work as long as it's still loose on the spool? And how much will be needed to complete the order?"

Immediately delegate the exact order to one of the organizational representatives outside, assuming the hospital staff can't provide it - remember, you only need one of them to cooperate; tell them it's the amount she needs to save their guy. Head immediately back into the operating theater.

"A'ight, it's delegated. You - Jadis's dad. Do you actually need to be here for the operation? Let's walk and talk. Now."

He's a jerk, but he's also way more likely to be able to do something with the info we have, or if he can't, then he'll at least be able to contact someone else who can.

>>990840
Tell her you remember being your soul last night and visiting her. You were being called to the moon, you think everyone else losing their souls are being called to the moon as well.
Then tell the duck to clarify what it said about this being "natural". It's clearly not. People are getting their souls pulled out while they're still ALIVE.

>Get some silk
Look around at all the servants of rich people.

"She needs silk. Anyone here knows where to get some fast?"

Ah. Soul transplants. That's why some of the bodies are moving.

Let's be on our way. We have silk to find and no reason to stick around to be silenced for what we've just witnessed.

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)14:46 No. 990864 ID: eedbeb
File 161558918755.png - (153.55KB , 1000x900 , p75.png )

Body nods and turns to go, but you hold fast. You still need to talk to Jadis about last night, and show her the duck.

Yes, show me to this witch, she seems quite important.

“Jadis, something weird happened to us earlier and—“

“Evelyn, I am being paid millions of bones to do something I find to be in poor taste. If I weren’t so useful to powerful people I would be in a very secure room answering questions about the missing souls and it would be a big help if you could go with Body right now instead of being a pain.”

“Why do we need to get the silk? Send one of these guys who are standing around. This is serious, I found this weird creature—“

Body’s foot is a firm presence on your toes. A muffled groan comes from one of the body bags and a mobster silences the poor person with a kick.

So we can confirm we literally have a really sloppy rapture happening and people are being spirited away all over.

I think the duck is some sort of low tier angel.

Crap, they are stealing souls from mobster victims to revive these folks.

That does it. Let's press the duck-thing for more answers. People's very souls are on the line here.

Defer to Cookie on this I guess.

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)16:57 No. 990880 ID: eedbeb
File 161559705487.png - (176.20KB , 1000x900 , p76.png )

>Be on your way

You decide that it would be in your best interests to leave the ethics violations to Jadis and let Cookie usher you back to the car.

Souls are being lost all over the country, maybe the world. It’s like a sloppy rapture, except you don’t think the souls are going to heaven. Does that mean the duck is some kind of angel?

I’ll give you that one for free. It says smugly.

“Tell me more.” you say.

Body turns to face you. “Talking to me?”

“No, talking to the duck. Duck. Let’s call it Duck. It’d be good to know more about the silk too, I guess.”

Cookie cuts in. “I’m dropping you off at the spider’s house and picking up lunch. Unless you need to get some bribes?”

“I have enough stuff. Should be okay.” Body says. She seems dejected about something.

Can you pick me up some lunch too? *hands them a 10* so we can eat on the way back.

"What's wrong, Body? You've barely touched your spirit-duck mochachinno."

>>990880
Are we gonna try to get Duck to explain the answer it gave us earlier? How is it natural for souls to leave the body *before* death?

tippler 2021/03/12(Fri)20:33 No. 990903 ID: eedbeb
File 161561003867.png - (145.86KB , 1000x900 , p77.png )

You pull a ten bone coin from pocket space and offer it to Cookie. “Can you get me something to eat too?”

Cookie snickers. “Didn’t you hear Jadis? She’s raking it in and we’re on her payroll. She’s already sent me 10k for errands, I can hook you up if you need cash.”

You blink. You’d be more excited if you weren’t worried that the world was ending. Speaking of which…

“Elaborate on what you meant when you said this was natural.” you say to Duck.

The tiny wings shrug. I don’t see what there is to explain.

“Jadis told me souls don’t leave before a person’s dead.”

Maybe having a soul is what’s unnatural, then. That’s all I have to say on the subject until tomorrow. Duck huffs.

Finally, you turn to Body. The talk of souls probably hasn’t helped her mood. “Hey, is something bothering you?”

“I dunno. I don’t like being around Jadis’ dad and that kind of intense stuff. Used to it, but don’t like it.”

"Maybe if you talked to Jadis' dad about how thankful you are for being alive, he wouldn't be such a meanie.

And speaking of talking, Duck, would you like to answer all our questions now or wait until we tell the mobsters at the university that you had something to do with all this soul-stealing business?"

Yeah, J’s dad kind of sucks from the looks of it, was grilling her hard yesterday too. Hopefully we won’t have to deal with that too much after we get the string, maybe we can make our string a bit longer in the process too.

>>990903
I don't think Duck knows what it's talking about. "Maybe" having a soul is unnatural? It should know one way or the other if it has any expertise on the matter at all. Or it's just straight up lying. Tell it you don't trust it at all. It needs to give you something you can act on. Either now, or tomorrow.
A lot of people will die if we don't get their souls back from the moon before their bodies die of thirst or starvation.

Hmm. Ask Cookie if there's any way to get to the moon. Would a soul be able to pull something with it on the way there, using magic string?

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)07:31 No. 991021 ID: eedbeb
File 161564946035.png - (151.60KB , 1000x900 , p78.png )

"Maybe if you talked to Jadis' dad about how thankful you are for being alive, he wouldn't be such a jerk.”

Body smiles and it doesn’t reach her eyes. “He can usually tell when I’m lying. Witches are good at that.”

Smooth.

“You know we can both hear you.” you say. Pain in the ass to have a telepathic angel around, though you’re a tiny bit grateful Duck eased the tension. Not that you trust it at all or think it’s telling the truth.

The rest of the trip passes in silence. Cookie drives to a considerably more suburban neighborhood, with stereotypical green lawns and identical houses, and stops in front of a yard with a large maple tree in front. Attached to the trunk and branches is a large web, with a small spider resting in the middle.

You follow Body out the left passenger door and wave goodbye to Cookie.

“Aaron, your parents home?” Body calls out. The little spider opens his eyes and scrambles down the web.

“Yeah! I’ll tell them you’re here and I’ll go get the silk I’ve been saving.” he says. The spider scrambles into the house and emerges a minute later a thick spool of silk.

Body sits on the grass and starts pulling random objects out of her pocket space. Sealed trading cards, bits of purple quartz, a dead dragonfly in a plastic bag are all arranged before Aaron, who examines the wares carefully.

Aaron becomes fixated on the dragonfly. "Where...." Aaron's many eyes are wide and gleaming as he reaches for the plastic bag containing the specimen, "where did you find this little fellow...?"

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)11:15 No. 991047 ID: eedbeb
File 161566291887.png - (190.72KB , 1000x900 , p79.png )

Aaron fixates on the dragonfly. It’s iridescent green and dried out, and he carefully holds it up to his face. “Where’d you get this?”

“Found it on the sidewalk.” Body explains. “Someone traded me the amethyst for a magic bandage and I bought the cards.”

“Oh good, it’s the new Grotto Beast set too. I can do my silk for all of these and—“

Aaron jerks back and drops the bag. He rubs his head and for the first time he looks afraid. “Are you doing magic on me? I heard something in my head.”

>>991047
Smack Duck and tell him to knock it off.

Think about asking Duck what it said to him. Proceed to >>991050 depending on the answer.

>>991047
Tell him you captured an angel, who's telepathic. Things are weird right now. What did it say?

It's time that you reneged on your "no garrotte" agreement, or at least threaten to. The string goes around the neck. "Knock it off, or the deal's off." Do watch Aaron as you do this; if he suddenly makes a move, you pull.

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)14:15 No. 991063 ID: eedbeb
File 161567375103.png - (151.66KB , 1000x900 , p80.png )

“Duck.” you hiss. “What are you doing?”

Duck doesn’t reply, and Aaron’s eyes dart to you.

“We captured this angel,” you motion to the pitcher, “It’s the one talking to you, not us. Don’t trust anything it says.” You want to smack the thing but that would probably scare the kid. Instead you think very violent thoughts in Duck’s general direction.

“It-it says Jadis is using my silk to hurt people. That you’ve been threatening to kill it.”

>>991063
Well you don't know about the first one, but it looked like Jadis was doing soul transplants or something?
As for the second thing, the angel tried to mind control you to kill Body, and can't be harmed by physical force. It was a threat, and you had to find something to defend yourself with. The string worked, and now neither of you are trying to kill the other. It's an uneasy truce.

Tell him if he's really concerned maybe he can ask Duck some questions about the nature of souls, and why this crisis is happening at all. It's not fully cooperating with *your* requests for information.

"Jadis needs your silk to save people who lost their souls, and this thing wants people to lose their souls. Wanna hear about how it tried to make me kill Body too?"

>>991067
It’s also lied to me and tried to convince me it was my manager. Seriously, don’t trust it.

"Yeah, well, the duck-thing here tried to mind control me into killing Body first, so that makes us even.

And, well, both the police and the mafia are pressuring Jadis into doing soul transplants on their bosses for money."

"It tried to make me kill Body first, and our connecting string was the only thing that could harm it, so we threatened it into stopping with that. Meanwhile, Jadis is being pressured into doing some soul transplants by some scary people, so maybe you should put the ethicality questions about that whole business aside for now. Oh, and this thing might be in cahoots with whatever's causing the soul-loss apocalypse right now, so seriously, even if it never technically lies, take everything it says with a pile of salt."

Do be prepared to garrotte the duck if Aaron makes any sudden and uncharacteristic lunges.

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)16:06 No. 991084 ID: eedbeb
File 161568039486.png - (148.48KB , 1000x900 , p81.png )

“Jadis is using your silk to help people who lost their souls last night, and we’ve only been defending ourselves. The angel tried to mind control me into killing Body and we literally can’t hurt it. Keeping it trapped is the best we can do.” you say.

“It’s true.” Body agrees. “Please, Aaron, we really need more string.”

Aaron slowly nods, then winces. “It’s doing it again! It’s saying really bad things and showing me dead people.”

Do you:
-Cut off Duck’s head, which will scare Aaron
-Throw Duck as far away as you can, which will give it the chance to escape
-Steal the silk and run

Cut off one of Duck's head-wings, make it clear this is a "three strikes" situation until it can prove it's worth anything alive.

Straight up truthin' time.

"I've TRIED to hurt it, since it LITERALLY magic'd me into TRYING to HURT Body (which got ME hurt, by the way, thank you very much Mr. duck angel). Had to cover it up like this so it couldn't spell us with its eyes no more. Besides, not much we do to it sticks - except for tying it up with thread like this."

Gesture at the soul-thread connecting you and Body.

"Which I've promised NOT TO DO if it answers my questions, once a day. Weird trade, but I'll take it. Duck angel here seems really connected to all these soul-shenanigans going on, and we really wanted to take it and show it to Jadis, but... she's sorta in trouble."

Sigh and rub the back of your neck.

"She isn't the one doing the REAL hurting... but people ARE getting hurt. It's this whole soul situation. If Jadis didn't comply, she'd be the one who'd get hurt instead. Stuff's real fu... fudged up, li'l fella, and we need your thread to get Jadis outta the situation she's in, so we can talk to her about this duck angel thing. Who's now talking to you, saying goodness knows what."

>>991084
can we like, tie a lasso around it with the string and just kinda hurl it like a dog on a leash?

I roll dexterity to pee on the bad guy!

cut off head

>>991084
Don't be a dealbreaker. Duck is technically following the terms of the deal.
"Steal" the silk. You already paid for it!

Then see if you can get a container for Duck that can be locked so it can't escape. Put it somewhere secure, then you can ask it another question tomorrow.

Cut off a wing instead, cause it PAIN, let it know if it keeps this up you'll keep doing this to different parts of it's body.

"A'ight, I know this wasn't part of the deal, but you are trying to aide the apocalypse, and you have officially exhausted my goodwill."

It's garrotte o'clock (but make sure you're facing away when you do it). There's no way this is the only angel, anyway. Scaring the kid is still a salvageable situation, though we will need to take some time to explain the appreciable nuances. It still beats having the angel who knows our face and actions running loose.

Going halfway and only causing it pain will probably just cause him to beam the experience right into poor Aaron's brain.

tippler 2021/03/13(Sat)19:49 No. 991136 ID: eedbeb
File 161569375749.png - (139.86KB , 1000x900 , p82.png )

>Cut off Duck’s head

You grit your teeth and loop the string around Duck’s neck. The little bastard is a liability and tormenting a kid is the last straw. Aaron picks up the spool of silk with a shriek and scrambles up the tree to hide in the dense branches.

Eeeep—

With your strength, you pull the tough cord straight through Duck’s abnormal flesh. The head, wings flapping furiously, shoots into the air and quickly disappears against the bright sky.

I am lesser now. Duck laments. I was to grow and now I have shrunk. Cruel, cruel you are.

>>991136
What. The fuck?
Is it like a starfish or something?
Well, at least we still have its body.
Any way we can coax Aaron out of that tree?

>>991136
Ok so it didn't die. Which part is speaking though? Is it the part of Duck still in the container?

Regardless, tell the kid it's not dead. You're gonna go put it under a rock, be back in 5 minutes.

"New deal. No telepathic stuff beyond talking to me and Body, and you don't get diced the moment you break this deal. I'll admit I'm kind of curious what the hell you grow into, so take it for both our sakes, eh?"

It's getting away! Swipe for it!

Methinks their capacity to clone themselves and still act as if each part is capable of consciousness implies they don't take good care of mortal souls.

Shoot the flyaway head until it stops flapping!

>>991136
"Pot calling the kettle black there. You literally invaded a child's mind with obscene images and now you're making our life difficult. Either you stop it and start explaining things or we just slice the rest of you apart like cheese until there's nothing left to BE you."

I have a feeling cutting it apart with the magic string is the equivalent of killing it assuming the fragments can't recombine, if not easily. Maybe it'll see some threat to it.

...Or if it values its own existence as feebly as the souls of mortals it may as well be destroyed to stop being a problem and we can find answers elsewhere.

Body: eat the corpse.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)08:49 No. 991235 ID: eedbeb
File 161573697725.png - (170.41KB , 1000x900 , p83.png )

Despite your and Body’s best attempts, Aaron refuses to leave the tree and you resign yourselves to the street curb to mope.

"New deal. No telepathic stuff beyond talking to me and Body, and you don't get diced. I’m kind of curious what you’ll grow into.” you tell Duck.

I won’t be growing now. My head will seize the glory and I’ll be forgotten. Cut me to pieces all you like, it’s a fitting fate for a wretch like myself.

You are so sick of the thing. The lack of sleep from last night and your hunger make you lightheaded, and you wonder aloud if Duck is edible.

“Maybe to Kibble.” Body says. “I don’t want it clogging up my guts.”

You wait in silence until Cookie comes back, car laden with takeout. The cat looks out the window to where you and Body are sitting on the curb. “You guys look sad as shit. No silk, I assume.”

“Nope.” Body sighs. “Scared Aaron pretty bad, I hope he still sells to us in the future. He’s the only young spiders whose parents let him. Maybe Jadis can put some money in his college fund or something.”

“I’ll drop you guys off at the apartment and let Jadis know. It shouldn’t be too big of deal, try to do something that will cheer you up.”

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)08:50 No. 991236 ID: eedbeb
File 161573700011.png - (147.93KB , 1000x900 , p84.png )

Margot finds you and Body sprawled against the base of the couch, shoving sandwiches into your mouths. Duck is still in its pitcher. The angel hasn’t tried to escape once since scaring Aaron.

“Good to see you’re alive.” she says cheerfully. “Got today off, for obvious reasons. I’m sure I’ll be busy with Jadis when she finally escapes the operating table.”

“Guh.” You chew and swallow a mouthful of soggy bread.

“My bed’s open if you want to rest, or we can play something fun to relax. Kibble’s reading in the office if you were wondering.”

Do you:
-Take a nap
-Hangout with Margot
-Talk to Kibble

In complete sleep deprived delirium just go, "we got a headless ghost duck in a pitcher."

>>991237
Probably the closest we can get in this state to talking with Duck.

Take a nap, yer exhausted

I'd like to talk to Kibble some.

>>991237
pretty much tell this to Kibble.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)15:59 No. 991309 ID: eedbeb
File 161576278894.png - (181.92KB , 1000x900 , p85.png )

>Talk to Kibble

The food revives you enough to stagger into the second bedroom slash office. You shouldn’t be this tired after only a few hours of missed sleep, but for some reason you feel exhausted. Body seems similarly weary. You wonder if it’s because of the soul sharing. Oh god, it’s probably because of the soul sharing.

Kibble stares at you with her pale eyes as you enter, page of a witch textbook half turned in her hand.

“We got a headless ghost duck in a pitcher.” you slur. “Well, angel duck I guess.”

Kibble blinks. “Do you need my help with it?”

"It is clinically depressed after getting it's head cut off when it attempted to try to sabotage our mission. In a way, it succeeded... You can eat it if you want, or brighten it's mood. Don't care. I'm just fed up with that duck"

See that skull there on the shelf? Maybe we can attatch it to the headless duck angel, give it a new head and new purpose to live.

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)18:29 No. 991336 ID: eedbeb
File 161577175871.png - (139.70KB , 1000x900 , p86.png )

"It has mind control powers.” you warn. “It’s depressed after getting its head cut off when it sabotaged our mission. You can eat it if you want, or try to interrogate it. Don't care. I'm just fed up with this duck."

You hand over Duck and flinch when Kibble pulls it free of the pitcher and holds it up to her face. Duck’s eyes stare into Kibble’s for a moment, then she places the duck on the desk. You prepare to whack Kibble over the head.

Didn’t try. Wouldn’t work. Not like it matters. Duck mutters.

“Souls have been taken before.” Kibble says in her trademark whisper.

“Uh, yeah, Cookie said something about that.”

Kibble opens her book to a page that shows a creature that very much resembles Duck. That’s right, Kibble had been a witch before her accident, she probably knew as much about this as Jadis.

“This is a scout. Troublesome, meant to collect information.”

“Mhm.” You don’t know where this is going.

“Next is the soldier. Nine recorded appearances in the last cycle and only defeated with great sacrifice.”

“Righto. Seems like bad news.” Kibble is just x-raying you with those empty eyes.

Well shit, so we have to fight these things? How? Magic? or is there something us non-witches can do?

>>991336
Tell Kibble there's something more you want to talk about but if there's any chance Duck can tell the enemy, we need to deal with that problem first.

It's about your soul.

"Uh, sorry. I dunno. I think it's just hitting me that Body and I are both sleeping and eating for the both of us. I think I'm gonna pass out soon."

"Anyway, real quick before we pass out; is it, like, weird that I wake up as my soul when my body goes to sleep? 'Cause I'm doing my best to run away between the moony jackass's calls, and I'm wondering if you got any tips for that."

Let's trick duck into answering more of our questions by saying that the souls coming from the moon is stupid, and other things that might hurt its ego.

You have a question surpassing all others:
What do the angels do to souls that reach the Moon?

tippler 2021/03/14(Sun)20:11 No. 991356 ID: eedbeb
File 161577787817.png - (160.69KB , 1000x900 , p87.png )

You shudder, remembering how Duck is basically indestructible. “How do people fight those things? Magic?”

Kibble nods. “The witches have their differences, but they should work together against this threat.” Not your problem then.

“Real quick, before we go take a nap. Does your book say what happens to the souls when they go to the moon?” you ask.

“The moon.” Kibble repeats blankly.

They don’t even know. Duck says. It doesn’t sounds smug, just tired.

“Um, last night when I was sleeping I woke up as my soul, and I almost got sucked into the moon again. That’s where all this stuff is coming from.”

You might have overloaded Kibble’s brain. She picks up a pen and starts scribbling down notes on a piece of paper without breaking eye contact.

“Sorry if that sounds stupid.” you say, suddenly unsure. “Duck confirmed it, though.”

“The moon is hundreds of thousands of miles away. Spells decay over space and time.” says Kibble.

“Uh, sure.” You can’t tell if Kibble’s upset at your words or at you and you slowly back away until you reach Margot’s bedroom.

>>991356
This situation is fucked. At least now the witches know how to attack now, and not just defend.
Time to get rest. Not sure what we're gonna do with soul time... ask Body if she's got any ideas.

Leave Margot's bedroom and go back to talk to Kibble.
Let's ask her what she thinks about the situation.

>>991356
...is body deflating? guys I think Body's deflating

oh wait we're at Margot's bedroom? Ask Margot if she's got any ideas for what to do during soul time.

>>991365
Probably deflating because we brought up the topic of souls, something Body isn't all too fond of talking about. Best to apologize, you've had a rough day.

Cuddle up with Body and take a nap, you're too tired to worry about this, maybe it'll all make more sense when you wake up.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)07:49 No. 991426 ID: eedbeb
File 161581978670.png - (197.75KB , 1000x900 , p88.png )

Margot’s room smells like lavender and blood. A dual monitor setup with accompanying gamer chair sits against the far wall and a large queen bed fills the rest of the space. You collapse on the soft blue sheets and Body thumps down next to you.

“You okay?” you mumble.

“Yeah, just really tired.” Body replies. “Feel stressed.”

“Me too man.”

You try to get your ideas in order before you fall asleep. If you wake up as your soul again, it might be smart to stay near your body, so Jadis can find it later. There’s not much you can do about getting sucked into the moon and with that comforting thought you quickly doze off.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)07:50 No. 991427 ID: eedbeb
File 161581980494.png - (137.51KB , 1000x900 , p89.png )

You shiver into awareness as your soul form. You must have been sleeping for a while because the sky is dark and the city is illuminated beneath you.

You’re tense, straining phantom ears for any hint of the moon’s call. There’s an odd buzzing to your right and you turn to investigate.

Ah. There’s an angel standing next to you.

Just running might be complicated, then.

Souls are what make the magic happen. See if you can manifest some "string;" really try to internalize the sensation of the one that connected you to Body.

If you can do that... Maybe this guy isn't expecting a sudden garrotte attack from behind while he's still this high up.

look at the angel and see if it's looking at you or maybe hasn't noticed you yet possibly? Or is it buzzing at you?

Examine Angel and run away.

Tell the angel that forcing souls out of their bodies is mean and bad and should feel ashamed for doing it.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)14:19 No. 991452 ID: eedbeb
File 161584319347.png - (148.34KB , 1000x900 , p90.png )

>Examine the angel

You scooch out of arm’s reach of the creature and get a proper look at it.

There are wings sprouting at various points on its body, glowing faintly like your own misty surface. A few feathers twitch in the breeze, but whatever’s keeping it in the air isn’t the wings.

Four eyes are set across the broad chest. The whole thing is casually swole like your gym rat pals. Square fingers, long arms, and graceful legs.

It has Duck’s fucking head. You don’t know whether to laugh or accept your impending doom. Can it still talk to you when you’re a soul?

I have been waiting for you to wake. Bring me to the one called Jadis or I will absorb you and enter your mind through your soul. Booms the angel.

And what do I even get if I comply? I'm in limbo right now; I do not give a single crap. TIM!

Souls move at the speed of thought, and magic things will break if you barrel into them fast enough with a sharp enough shape.

Go for the throat.

>>991455
This is a terrible idea.

Instead, say you're going to do it and think about going to do it if possible, then try to go to your own body and maybe jump inside it or something.

Uh, we don't know where Jadis is though.
I guess... lead it to the last place you saw Jadis?

How about the third option?

Bluff.

"That'd... be hilarious. You do realize I'm bound with the same string that cut off your head earlier, right? All Body needs to do is wrap me up and choke me out with it and boom, once again a part of you will know defeat and shame. And another part of you already know I don't bluff and don't take kindly to you fucking about all arrogant-like. You scared the wits outta a kid, you danged monster."

You are totally bluffing. Maybe? You don't know. Could be possible it'd work out like that.

"Look, what the hell do you even want Jadis for? There's plenty of witches who know about you now. And they remember you."

At least an apprentice one and a former one. And remembered... poorly, perhaps.

>>991467
Bluff, you trust body to KO you if things get too spicy. Plus you’re a soul, you could probably fly faster than that thing.

Plus why does it want Jadis in particular, thing gives you bad vibes.

tippler 2021/03/15(Mon)17:16 No. 991511 ID: eedbeb
File 161585376183.png - (174.38KB , 1000x900 , p91.png )

The apartment where you and Body are sleeping is visible from the sky. You don’t know where Jadis is. If you knew, you wouldn’t tell. The moon probably wants her dead. You open your mouth to lie or ramble or pretend you’re in control of the situation. Anything to buy time.

As expected.

The angel sweeps you into its wings and the whirling feathers brush your soul from existence.

End of Part 1. You Died will continue in the following Interlude: https://questden.org/kusaba/quest/res/991509.html[/b]

In retrospect,, cutting the duck angel's head wasn't our finest moment.

OKAY, author.
You've erased our soul and made us hate the things we already hated.
Good job, I guess.