Fantasy Terrorchild: Awakening

[bat_hacker]

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[K0mori]

The vote is tied - DEALER'S CHOICE:

3. Intervene (Inverse) - "I don't know, orgasm?"

Jannava wordlessly spins around in her saddle and points her wand at you, and the next thing you know, you're lying in the middle of the road on your back, with your ears ringing and the taste of blood in your mouth. You roll onto your side and try to pick yourself up, but every muscle in your body is spasming in a way you've never felt before. Your fur is also standing on end, and when you try to smooth it down, it seems to push right back up again. That's when you figure it out - you've been struck by lightning.

You lift your head and look to Embryx and Jannava, who have both dismounted their horses and are trading blows, partially with magic, and partially with their weapons. She wasn't kidding. Jannava really intends to kill you both for insulting the traumatic memory of her lost love, and in your case, she almost succeeded. But, more importantly, she didn't quite get there - leaving a very vengeful hexblood with an unlimited pool of magic merely dazed, while her own pneuma grew more exhausted by the moment in the struggle against your stalwart ally.

You start to laugh. This is all so much fun; every day brings you something new, now. Your laughter, an ugly cackling as you levitate from the ground, brings their fight to an end as Jannava realizes her failure and imminent demise.

"Wait, I-" she starts to beg as you rip her from the ground and hold her in the air. For a moment, you're tempted to simply crush her, squeezing in on her lungs until all the air is pushed out, followed by blood and bile... But then again, you decide not to. Maybe it's because Embryx is motioning at you to stop and to calm yourself, or maybe it's curiosity about the potent magic the tiefling just used, but soon you feel placated off the fear you've inflicted alone. You set her, and yourself, back down on the ground. "I'm sorry," she pleads with her eyes clinched shut. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"...Relax, sister," you say, now that you're done terrorizing her. "It's over. I'm sorry too; that was a terrible thing of me to say," you admit, although your smirk gives away how proud of yourself you are for thinking of it in the first place. You spit some blood out of your mouth and wipe your lips on your sleeve as you turn away and look for your horse, which has run a ways up the road to escape from the commotion.

Embryx comes up beside the two of you and echoes your apology. "That was really stupid," she grumbles. "Agranne, can we please just avoid antagonizing Jannava or anyone else until we make camp tonight? I'm worried about you..."

"Wait," Jannava interjects, genuinely baffled, "am I still traveling with you two? I just tried to..." she gesticulates a bit with her hands, but the words aren't really necessary.

You shrug. "If I had died from that bolt, it would've been my fault, just like I said before. We walk in the same shadows; stay if you want to."

---
​

Somehow, the three of you gather up your horses and belongings and continue on together. The rest of the day passes quietly as you make more casual conversation about the scenery, coven politics, and each of your areas of expertise. Jannava's discomfort with you is still clearly evident in her careful choice of words and body language, but you don't really care. You wonder if this is how Diala felt about you.

Finally, as the sun sets, the road meets up with a shallow waterway and turns to run alongside it, until it narrows and the water is shallow enough that the horses can simply wade through. Just beyond, you arrive at the village of Glaskan Creek. Here, there's no inn for you to stay at, but there is a small tavern near a jetty into the wider part of the waterway, where a few fishermen are still set up. Small, shack-like houses and subsistence gardens dot the surrounding area without any real plan, nor is there any road here aside from the bare patches worn into the grass from years of travel between the buildings.

"I don't even know if this place is big enough to have a circle," Embryx jokes to the two of you. "It's definitely smaller than Tashlaan."

Jannava speaks up, deadpan: "...Maybe just a witch, singular. 'The Glaskan Creek Witch.' Come to think of it, sounds a bit like a drinking song." You all have a chuckle at the idea as you hitch your horses to the posts near the tavern, until a familiar face steps out into the moonlight.

You and Embryx are shocked - it's Nytha!

1. Greet - You can't believe the coincidence. After two years, she still looks roughly the same, of course, but you can't help but wonder if she'll recognize you and Embryx, since you've finished growing up and Embryx has worked so much on her physical strength. "...Well look who it is," you say with a genuine smile.

2. Let Embryx Greet - While you're glad to see your old circle sister is alive and well, you're not sure what to say to her. As you stand there gawking, Embryx pushes past you to greet her instead.

 

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[Breadman]

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[joshuadim]

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[turtwigwins]

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[hardcore.munchkin]

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[Damian0358]

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[asphodelus]

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[K0mori]

1. Greet - You can't believe the coincidence. After two years, she still looks roughly the same, of course, but you can't help but wonder if she'll recognize you and Embryx, since you've finished growing up and Embryx has worked so much on her physical strength. "...Well look who it is," you say with a genuine smile.

Her eyes lock on to yours for a moment before she covers her mouth and gasps. Despite her bashfulness, you can tell that she's smiling. "...Agranne!?" she says loudly enough that it startles a few crows off the edge of the tavern roof. Her smile fades as she spots Embryx, and she quickly drops her hand, although her expression remains warm and welcoming. "Oh! You're both here. I suppose that makes sense - I heard about Diala and I'm glad she's gone. More importantly, I'm glad you're both doing okay."

You suddenly remember the third member of your party. "Oh, um, Nytha, this is Jannava. She came all the way from Estfang to, uh, give lessons in her field," you explain, deliberately remaining vague due to the possibility of eavesdroppers.

"Ah," the elf replies, without asking any further questions. "Are you all stopping here for the night? I'll be honest, I've been traveling alone, so I would really appreciate the company."

Embryx speaks up, "what ever happened to Corrinth? Have you kept in contact at all?"

"No, we haven't, and I have no idea, really," Nytha replies, a bit sadly. "I stayed in Mardenaal for about a month after you two were locked up in the sanitarium, but I didn't like living in the city like that. Plus, I hadn't seen or heard anything from you two so I had no idea whether you were ever going to be allowed out."

"So did you go back to Sonnamille?" you ask.

Nytha nods. "I'll tell you more over the fire. Jannava - was it? - here's a gold piece," she says in a way that's unintentionally condescending as she hands the coin over to the tiefling. "Since I'm just catching up with my old colleagues, would you mind buying and bringing some food? You can keep the change."

---
​

Nytha leads the two of you over to a fire pit at the edge of the village where she's set down her bedroll. A few logs dragged up to the camp make for good seats as you settle in to eat, drink, and swap stories. You learn that Nytha left Turadal after she couldn't find a job that could pay her comfortably in Mardenaal, and she was unwilling to become a house servant. She then tells reverently of a picturesque town in northeastern Sonnamille called Afaeanon, where she settled for the remainder of the two years and was named the circle elder. Ironically, however, she's found a very lucrative opportunity in serving the church as a courier, and she's currently on return from Zuklanar.

You and Embryx take turns describing the conditions of your captivity. As Embryx admits that she realized a long time ago that she would never be your equal, and focused on conventional combat instead, Nytha gives you a sly smile. She seems unsurprised with your roles as Diala's enforcers, as she had heard the rumors already. Upon learning that Jannava is a necromancer, however, Nytha's demeanor changes. At once, she seems both captivated by the discipline as well as disgusted by it. She asks a number of questions which the tiefling tiredly answers, and sighs as she gets her answers.

"...Well, this is all fascinating, but it's just occurred to me: where are you all going?" Nytha finally asks.

"Thandan," you reply. "I'm going to speak with Kulka and see if she wants to take the Pandemonium Door off my hands."

Nytha's eyes light up again, and you see that hunger that all witches have flicker just like the light of the campfire. "Y-you have it with you?" she asks.

You nod, retrieving the object out of your pocket so that she can see it for the first time since it was taken by Diala.

She sighs, admiring the artifact, before looking at you three with nostalgia. "...I wish I could go the whole distance with you all, but at least for the next few days, I could accompany you. As long as you don't mind me being there, of course," she hastily adds.

You glance over at Embryx and Jannava. The drow is somewhat resigned in her expression, knowing that another witch on the move would only make it harder to spend any time with you privately, like she had hoped. Jannava also seems cold on the idea, after feeling slighted and then annoyed by the elf's numerous questions about instilling the dead with false life.

1. Accept Company - The more the merrier, you decide, rather cynically. "Sure, Nytha, it'd be nice to travel with you again. You ought to see what I'm capable of, now."

2. Decline - "The more of us traveling together, the more likely we are to get spotted and reported as suspicious," you explain, trying to be gentle. "I think we're more than capable of dealing with anyone who might cause us harm, but I'd still like to keep things peaceful if we can."

 

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[K0mori]

2. Decline - "The more of us traveling together, the more likely we are to get spotted and reported as suspicious," you explain, trying to be gentle. "I think we're more than capable of dealing with anyone who might cause us harm, but I'd still like to keep things peaceful if we can."

Predictably, your reply leaves Nytha looking disappointed. "Well, I'm still headed in the same direction, regardless. I suppose I'll leave early and meet you three again in Purrosh. There's an inn there that's also its own tavern, so you'll find me there as long as you're not running late enough that I've gone to bed," she explains.

"That sounds good," you reply, putting the Door back away into your pocket. "Now that I know where you're settled, it won't be too hard to stay in contact, either."

Nytha, still crestfallen, quickly dismisses the notion of you reaching her at Afaeanon. "...I move around too much for that," she says. "It would be easier just for me to send a crow to Mardenaal if I'm in the area. That is, if you have time for me," she adds with a sour expression. "I things are probably going to be busy in your world for a while now that you're an elder yourself, and especially for such a large city. But regardless," she says, lightening up, "I'm proud of you. You deserve this."

The four of you talk a while longer until the fire dims, and you begin to settle in for the night. Embryx, seemingly relieved at your decision to exclude Nytha from the next leg of the trip, intentionally lays out her bedroll close to yours, and you allow her, since it will make her happy and it isn't worth causing a scene over. Even Jannava seems happier now that she's had a few drinks, and although she keeps her own bedroll further from all of you, she seems to have realized that you really and truly have no intention of retaliating against her for shocking you. For a bit, you lie in bed and watch the stars in the sky, telling yourself that you don't need to become like Diala to do her job.

You sleep peacefully, for once.

The sun rises on your camp, and you awaken to find that Nytha has already packed up and departed before any goodbyes could be exchanged. Glaskan Creek seems much more active in the morning than in the evening, as the fishermen and trappers who live here are out and trying to bring in their catches. Rubbing your eyes, you start to gather up your things when you realize there's something amiss. Something missing from your person.

"Get up!" you snap at the other two. "She took the fucking Door! Get up!" you repeat.

Embryx bolts upright, snatching her mace up off the dirt next to her bedroll in a manner you've seen before, as she's guarded you overnight on overland journeys like this. "What!?" she sputters. "Nytha took it!? You've got to be kidding me!"

Now up and around, you quickly bundle up your things and carry them back to your horse, your anger boiling inside you. You should have known. You should have known not to trust her; she works for the church, now. How did you let her trick you!? You jump on the back of your horse, which bucks and rears back in surprise at your urgency. "Come on!" you yell. "We need to get out of town!"

---​

The three of you rush to get away from Glaskan Creek, far enough that you can use your wands without being noticed. Unfortunately, you have no idea where Nytha has ridden; or even what horse she was using, since you didn't see her arrive yesterday. All you can do is gather up some crows and compel them to search. Embryx and Jannava do the same, and within the hour, you've sent out dozens in every direction to search for her. Only after the birds are sent out and you've had enough time to calm yourself from your initial shock do you begin to consider the consequences.

"So what now?" Jannava asks. "You already told the circles that you'd be meeting with Kulka to turn that thing over."

You glare at her. "Do you think I don't realize that?" you snap. "If I lost the Pandemonium Door the day after taking it off Diala's corpse, I can't even describe how incompetent I'll look to the elder sister. We have to get it back."

"I just can't believe Nytha would take it," Embryx says, shaking her head. "Of all the sisters from Tashlaan, she used to be the most level-headed aside from Faran. There's no telling what these past few years have done to her, though," she adds, sadly.

Jannava shakes her head. "She didn't seem level-headed to me. The way she looked at me when she learned I'm a necromancer and the kind of questions she asked, it reminded me a lot of you," she says, referring to you. "...No offence."

"Fuck!" you shout, slapping yourself on the forehead in frustration. It hadn't occurred to you that if you've changed a lot in two years, Nytha could, too. "When we find her, we kill her. I don't even want to take credit for it; she just disappears!" A crow flutters down and lands at your feet, looking at you expectant. You point at it. "Speak!"

The bird looks at you funny for a moment, cocking its head to the side. "See you in Purrosh, sister," it says.

You scream in anger, slashing at the unfortunate messenger with your hand. Its body explodes into a cloud of blood and feathers. You turn to the other two and find Jannava quickly backing away, while Embryx stands firmly at your side.

"That's bait," the drow says, firmly. "Either she's not headed in that direction, or something's waiting for us, there. Either way, you need to calm down and think clearly!" she urges. "You waste your magic on crows, you won't have it when you need it."

You try to breathe; Embryx is right. You try your best to think of a clear plan to approach this challenge you've been given.

1. Ride for Purrosh - "It probably is a trap," you say, regaining a bit of your composure. "But even without the Door, we'd be cowards not to go and meet it. If it turns out she's working for Kulka, then we let it go; she'll have the artifact and our loyalty, and we'll know if she's willing to take the latter. If she's not, we report the whole thing and get the rest of the Turadal circle after her. She'll be trying to take it over the border!"

2. Wait for a Sign - "Yeah," you reply, remembering how much trouble you can get into when you lose control of your temper. "We should wait here. It won't be long until one of those crows comes back here and we figure out which way she's riding."

 

[hardcore.munchkin]

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