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@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ src/epistolary/00054.md
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src/epistolary/00055.md
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src/epistolary/00056.md
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src/epistolary/00057.md
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src/epistolary/00058.md
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src/bestiary/index.md
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src/bestiary/aetherwael.md
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src/bestiary/aur.md
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@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
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---
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title: 00058
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created: Sat, 21 Jan 2023 16:24:45 -0700
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updated: Sun, 29 Jan 2023 11:02:32 -0700
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public: yes
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syndicated: yes
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---
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### 00058 {#00058}
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> *(A week prior)*
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>
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> The secretary collected the stack of papers that had accumulated at
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> one corner of the desk. "This might help," she said, setting down a
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> bundle of herbs with white and pink flowers in place of the papers.
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>
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> Inky stared at the blooms, hands stilled over the owl's plumage.
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> "Oh! Thanks. Good thinking, really. It'll help make the stench more
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> bearable when they find the remains."
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>
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> The grey elf was confused for a moment, then mortified as the words
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> sank in. "That's not what I meant! It's for the circle," she
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> clarified.
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>
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> Seeing the imp's preoccupied nod, she coughed lightly to regain
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> their attention, then spoke in a hushed voice. "Beaker's associates
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> have picked up the empanada shop proprietor and transported him to
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> an undisclosed location. There will be a retinue with him at all
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> times."
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>
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> Inky seemed to visibly pull themselves back to the room before
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> responding, "Thank you, Salvia. One more thing — if I do not return
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> by the indicated time, please activate the hitsuzen protocol. As
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> precaution."
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>
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> The secretary looked at Inky in concern. "Is everything all right?
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> If you're still troubled by the hotelier, accidents happen. A
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> single incident—"
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>
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> "Third. An unidentified man was attacked at the docks. He was
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> probably sent to investigate the melon vendor. One of the other
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> stall owners heard him asking questions shortly after the melon
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> vendor disappeared."
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>
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> Salvia's violet eyes narrowed. "What, the fruit vendor? Didn't the
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> tabloids say it was an accident? He tried to get rid of a
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> neighbor's nest of snakes."
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>
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> Inky only raised an eyebrow at her.
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>
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> The secretary let out a low curse. "You didn't tell her. You didn't
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> want her to worry," she said aloud in realization. She sighed.
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> "She's going to be pretty angry with you when she finds out, you
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> know."
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>
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> Inky offered her a sardonic smile. "Making people angry is my job.
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> You of all people know this well. In the event of my timely demise
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> I'm sure the others would find it cause for a grand celebration."
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> They replied matter-of-factly before returning to smoothing the
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> feathers of one bird wing.
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>
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> Salvia shook her head vehemently. "That's not true. You'll make it
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> back, Ink. What then—"
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>
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> "Then our fair Lady's ire would be the least of the problems."
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~
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> Alex stared morosely into his cup of coffee. He'd received word of
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> agent 5's demise that morning, and had been the only thing on his
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> mind since. 5, no Be'tram knew the risks, we all knew the risks
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> defying HQ brought, but to happen so suddenly? He'd snuck down to
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> the wharf once he'd heard, making sure to cover his tracks and
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> dodge any potential witnesses. He even managed to slip past the
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> police cordon they'd setup around the body. What he'd found wasn't
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> pretty, it looked like Be'Tram had suffered in his final moments.
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> The bruising around his neck pointed to strangulation, with some
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> sort of cloth, perhaps a rope. The bruising was deep, and there
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> wasn't a cut, burn, shot or something of the likes on his
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> otherwise.
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>
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> The kill had been intimate.
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>
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> Alex had worked quickly that night, popping Be'Tram's eye had been
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> hard, but he'd of wanted Alex to have it. Behind his right eye was
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> a recording device, it could only catch the last 15m or so of what
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> he had seen, but it would give him a clear look at what had
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> happened. And potentially lead Alex to the killer. Miserable
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> business, but Be'Tram knew it could make a difference.
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>
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> Alex had planted a bomb on the body after he had extracted the eye,
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> and made his way well away from the area before it went off
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> obliterating the remains. A regrettable end for an old friend, but it
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> was too dangerous to leave.
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>
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> And then there was the matter of the zabbix alert, a little purple
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> red critical for the sewer hideout. He'd had time to send out a
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> drone beetle. The smoldering slag that was left was reassuring.
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> Most of the equipment was utterly destroyed, racks upon racks of
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> servers reduced to twisted melted metal. The effectively of the
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> destruction was delightful, in a sick sort of desperate way. Alex
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> felt assured that most if not all of the equipment was useless, but
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> this spelled the end of a valuable listening outpost. And whoever
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> had done it wasn't part of the slag pile.
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>
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> Alex stood up, his coffee untouched. The cafe around his burbled in
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> quiet excitement. The city had lit up since the Melon vendor's
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> death. A thousand rumors abounded about it, but none of them held
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> true; some said the city had become dangerous, a crime syndicate
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> had arisen in the neighboring city block another thought, and did
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> you hear about the explosion at the wharf the other night, the city
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> was electric, yet somehow ever so slightly off the pulse of the
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> issue.
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>
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> As Alex stepped away a woman with horn rimmed glasses strode past
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> the table he had just abandoned, deftly pulling the note from
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> beneath the coffee cup, left for her.
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>
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> ```
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> 4 -> 3
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> Daylight breaks on the morrow
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> The suns rays make chase
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> casting soft cloth
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> across the nap of nature's neck
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>
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> So, night relents and gives way
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> biding time until
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> it can rule
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> in its own domain
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> ```
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>
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> For the passerby, it was but a bit of poetry, scribbled carelessly
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> on the back of a napkin in a coffee near the wharf. But for Agent 3
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> it was a warning, one part notes on Agent 5s demise recovered from
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> his eyecam, one part orders; stay low and we'll strike these
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> bastards from the shadows, on our terms, on our ground. Similar
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> missives were delivered to Agents 6 & 7. The numbers were
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> dwindling rapidly, even just one agent lost was hard to stomach.
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>
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> Alex hand gripped the pistol in his coat pocket with a white
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> knuckled grip as he stepped from the coffee shop into the city.
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> Whatever was after him, whatever had gotten to Be'Tram, it had
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> better know he was coming, and he'd happily send it straight to
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> hell. HQ be damned, the rules be damned, this little game of cat
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> and mouse had just gotten personal.
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~
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> Alex, Inky, Confidence, Bread, and Agent 7 find themselves in a
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> dark backroom in a secluded corner of an old fish processing plant
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> on the wharf. The accommodations are rough, and the stench is
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> abhorrent, but it's the best that could be procured in a pinch. And
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> it should provide enough seclusion.
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>
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> The backroom is like that of many factories, high up near the
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> ceiling, a single rusty rickety staircase winds its way along the
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> side of the building for what seems to be 3 flights, before it
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> reaches a metal room with dusty grimy windows, and a single
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> steel door. The windows on the interior overlook the fish
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> processing plant, where rows of belts and machinery stand still,
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> covered in dust and long forgotten blood. You're glad to know that
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> the factory stopped operating years ago, hygiene is lacking in every
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> sense.
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>
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> Alex stares forlornly out the exterior windows, the sky is a grey
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> overcast, it matches his mood perfectly. He didn't like what him
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> and Inky were about to do, but they didn't have much they could do
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> about it. They would be vulnerable for the duration of the ritual.
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> But Agent 7 and Confidence were there to help mitigate that risk.
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> Alex and Agent 7 had taken every precaution they could think of.
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>
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> The plant floor was scattered with booby traps, trip wires, and
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> alarms. The other agents were laying low, but kept drones around
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> the wharf feeding in a network of twtxt data back to Agent 7 for
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> recon. And that was on top of the double barred steel doors, and
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> reinforced glass box they'd chosen as their hide out. Meticulously
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> planned, Alex expected no less from Agent 7.
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>
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> See Marvelo had been at this as long as Alex had, and then some. He
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> was sharp as a tack, with an animal-like third sense that came from
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> years of close calls. He was, simply put, the right man for the
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> job, when that job was keeping your unconscious ass alive.
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>
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> Alex turns away from the window and addresses Inky. "Apologies for
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> the smell, it turns out there's a strong correlation between
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> disgust and seclusion, but I believe we should at least be safe
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> here. Safer than we would have been back home. I'm ready if you
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> are, as ready as I'll ever be that is."
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The Golden Iris have summoned you to appear at the Harpoon Club this
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evening. But the Harpoon Club is nowhere to be found on this plane of
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existence. It won't appear until a week and a half from now, on the
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last day of the month.
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Confidence the Guide has predicted exactly where the Wandering Bazaar
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will be on that day. With a small bucket of red paint and a large
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brush, he has drawn a Linking Sigil on the ground at the location. He
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sits nearby, making sure careless passersby and mischievous kids
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don't disturb it, but otherwise letting the sigil absorb the energies
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of the bustle of shopping and commerce.
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At the fish market, Marvelo is posted outside. He keeps vigilant
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watch, alert to every movement and disturbance.
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And inside, Bread, Inky, Fuko, and Alex are huddled up in the office
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in the back near the ceiling. They all sit inside a dark circle that
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has been smudged on the floor with a paste made of ash and salt.
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Painted on the ground is a second Linking Sigil, connecting this spot
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to Confidence's, allowing the energies of the two locations to
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co-mingle. There is also the Dream Sigil, which will connect this
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place to the Dreaming.
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Bread the Host is propped up on some pillows and cushions in the
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center of the circle, next to the Nyxmaer. The candle is alleged to
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be made of the flesh and fat of a certain nightmare. Its hand and eye
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bound in the wax. The Dream Sigil is the door, but the Nyxmaer is the
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key. The catalyst that will cause all of the otherwise inert
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metaphysical particles to become volatile and reactive. It is what
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will allow you to actually pass over and arrive on the shores of the
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Sea of Dreams.
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Per the shop witch's instructions, the Nyxmaer has been placed on a
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thin, hard tin plate. As the candle burns, the wax will soften and
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eventually allow the large metal nail in its side to fall. When it
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strikes the plate, you will awaken, exiting the Dreaming. You expect
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hours may pass in the realm of sleep. But only about thirty minutes
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will pass here.
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Inky and Alex sit inside the circle, near the perimeter, facing Bread
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in the center. Fuko the owl sits at Inky's side.
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It is dim. You are illuminated by mundane, non-magical candles set
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around the edges of the circle. Outside, a steady rain beats on the
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roof and the windows of the building. The smell of fish is faint but
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ever-present. A constant reminder of the small creatures that have
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left their bodies in a fashion far more permanent and irreversible
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than the separation of spirit and body you are about to experience.
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You hope.
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WHAT DO YOU DO
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- How do you induce a deep and powerful slumber in Bread?
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- What shape or form will you take when you arrive in the Dreaming?
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- What are you secretly worried or hopeful about being exposed in the
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dreamland, the realm of metaphor?
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@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ updated: Sun, 27 Nov 2022 02:24:11 -0700
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<summary>SPOILERS!!</summary>
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**THREADS**
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- scissormen, huskies, dreamforms, gliftwirp the warpwefter
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- kasutva, noodle head
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- scissormen, huskies, dreamforms, gliftwirp the warpwefter, Ephermeris
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- Lady in Red ??? Tess, Piskin, Salvia ; Beaker (and Cio) trailing the BANDits?
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- Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god
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- Golden Iris wants Crystals to make a new god
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203
www/index.html
203
www/index.html
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@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ Master</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00055" id="toc-00055">00055</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00056" id="toc-00056">00056</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00057" id="toc-00057">00057</a></li>
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<li><a href="#00058" id="toc-00058">00058</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
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<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
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@ -354,11 +355,11 @@ Teale</a></li>
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</ul>
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</nav>
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<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
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<p>Total length: 75661 words / 323 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
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<p>Total length: 77599 words / 331 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
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length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
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just the story.)</p>
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<p>There have been 202 messages posted over 192 days since the first
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post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.05.</p>
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<p>There have been 206 messages posted over 200 days since the first
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post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.03.</p>
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<h2 id="about">About</h2>
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<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
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email.</p>
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@ -6836,6 +6837,202 @@ squinting into the fire. “Let’s see what we can salvage here.”</p>
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<li>The time of the ritual is at hand.</li>
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<li>What final preparations do you make before entering Dreamspace?</li>
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</ul>
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<h3 id="00058">00058</h3>
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<blockquote>
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<p><em>(A week prior)</em></p>
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<p>The secretary collected the stack of papers that had accumulated at
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one corner of the desk. “This might help,” she said, setting down a
|
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bundle of herbs with white and pink flowers in place of the papers.</p>
|
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<p>Inky stared at the blooms, hands stilled over the owl’s plumage. “Oh!
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Thanks. Good thinking, really. It’ll help make the stench more bearable
|
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when they find the remains.”</p>
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<p>The grey elf was confused for a moment, then mortified as the words
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sank in. “That’s not what I meant! It’s for the circle,” she
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clarified.</p>
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<p>Seeing the imp’s preoccupied nod, she coughed lightly to regain their
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attention, then spoke in a hushed voice. “Beaker’s associates have
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picked up the empanada shop proprietor and transported him to an
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undisclosed location. There will be a retinue with him at all
|
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times.”</p>
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<p>Inky seemed to visibly pull themselves back to the room before
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responding, “Thank you, Salvia. One more thing — if I do not return by
|
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the indicated time, please activate the hitsuzen protocol. As
|
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precaution.”</p>
|
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<p>The secretary looked at Inky in concern. “Is everything all right? If
|
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you’re still troubled by the hotelier, accidents happen. A single
|
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incident—”</p>
|
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<p>“Third. An unidentified man was attacked at the docks. He was
|
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probably sent to investigate the melon vendor. One of the other stall
|
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owners heard him asking questions shortly after the melon vendor
|
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disappeared.”</p>
|
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<p>Salvia’s violet eyes narrowed. “What, the fruit vendor? Didn’t the
|
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tabloids say it was an accident? He tried to get rid of a neighbor’s
|
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nest of snakes.”</p>
|
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<p>Inky only raised an eyebrow at her.</p>
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<p>The secretary let out a low curse. “You didn’t tell her. You didn’t
|
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want her to worry,” she said aloud in realization. She sighed. “She’s
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going to be pretty angry with you when she finds out, you know.”</p>
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<p>Inky offered her a sardonic smile. “Making people angry is my job.
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You of all people know this well. In the event of my timely demise I’m
|
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sure the others would find it cause for a grand celebration.” They
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replied matter-of-factly before returning to smoothing the feathers of
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one bird wing.</p>
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<p>Salvia shook her head vehemently. “That’s not true. You’ll make it
|
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back, Ink. What then—”</p>
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<p>“Then our fair Lady’s ire would be the least of the problems.”</p>
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</blockquote>
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<p>~</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>Alex stared morosely into his cup of coffee. He’d received word of
|
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agent 5’s demise that morning, and had been the only thing on his mind
|
||||
since. 5, no Be’tram knew the risks, we all knew the risks defying HQ
|
||||
brought, but to happen so suddenly? He’d snuck down to the wharf once
|
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he’d heard, making sure to cover his tracks and dodge any potential
|
||||
witnesses. He even managed to slip past the police cordon they’d setup
|
||||
around the body. What he’d found wasn’t pretty, it looked like Be’Tram
|
||||
had suffered in his final moments. The bruising around his neck pointed
|
||||
to strangulation, with some sort of cloth, perhaps a rope. The bruising
|
||||
was deep, and there wasn’t a cut, burn, shot or something of the likes
|
||||
on his otherwise.</p>
|
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<p>The kill had been intimate.</p>
|
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<p>Alex had worked quickly that night, popping Be’Tram’s eye had been
|
||||
hard, but he’d of wanted Alex to have it. Behind his right eye was a
|
||||
recording device, it could only catch the last 15m or so of what he had
|
||||
seen, but it would give him a clear look at what had happened. And
|
||||
potentially lead Alex to the killer. Miserable business, but Be’Tram
|
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knew it could make a difference.</p>
|
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<p>Alex had planted a bomb on the body after he had extracted the eye,
|
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and made his way well away from the area before it went off obliterating
|
||||
the remains. A regrettable end for an old friend, but it was too
|
||||
dangerous to leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>And then there was the matter of the zabbix alert, a little purple
|
||||
red critical for the sewer hideout. He’d had time to send out a drone
|
||||
beetle. The smoldering slag that was left was reassuring. Most of the
|
||||
equipment was utterly destroyed, racks upon racks of servers reduced to
|
||||
twisted melted metal. The effectively of the destruction was delightful,
|
||||
in a sick sort of desperate way. Alex felt assured that most if not all
|
||||
of the equipment was useless, but this spelled the end of a valuable
|
||||
listening outpost. And whoever had done it wasn’t part of the slag
|
||||
pile.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stood up, his coffee untouched. The cafe around his burbled in
|
||||
quiet excitement. The city had lit up since the Melon vendor’s death. A
|
||||
thousand rumors abounded about it, but none of them held true; some said
|
||||
the city had become dangerous, a crime syndicate had arisen in the
|
||||
neighboring city block another thought, and did you hear about the
|
||||
explosion at the wharf the other night, the city was electric, yet
|
||||
somehow ever so slightly off the pulse of the issue.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Alex stepped away a woman with horn rimmed glasses strode past the
|
||||
table he had just abandoned, deftly pulling the note from beneath the
|
||||
coffee cup, left for her.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code>4 -> 3
|
||||
Daylight breaks on the morrow
|
||||
The suns rays make chase
|
||||
casting soft cloth
|
||||
across the nap of nature's neck
|
||||
|
||||
So, night relents and gives way
|
||||
biding time until
|
||||
it can rule
|
||||
in its own domain</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>For the passerby, it was but a bit of poetry, scribbled carelessly on
|
||||
the back of a napkin in a coffee near the wharf. But for Agent 3 it was
|
||||
a warning, one part notes on Agent 5s demise recovered from his eyecam,
|
||||
one part orders; stay low and we’ll strike these bastards from the
|
||||
shadows, on our terms, on our ground. Similar missives were delivered to
|
||||
Agents 6 & 7. The numbers were dwindling rapidly, even just one
|
||||
agent lost was hard to stomach.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex hand gripped the pistol in his coat pocket with a white knuckled
|
||||
grip as he stepped from the coffee shop into the city. Whatever was
|
||||
after him, whatever had gotten to Be’Tram, it had better know he was
|
||||
coming, and he’d happily send it straight to hell. HQ be damned, the
|
||||
rules be damned, this little game of cat and mouse had just gotten
|
||||
personal.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex, Inky, Confidence, Bread, and Agent 7 find themselves in a dark
|
||||
backroom in a secluded corner of an old fish processing plant on the
|
||||
wharf. The accommodations are rough, and the stench is abhorrent, but
|
||||
it’s the best that could be procured in a pinch. And it should provide
|
||||
enough seclusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The backroom is like that of many factories, high up near the
|
||||
ceiling, a single rusty rickety staircase winds its way along the side
|
||||
of the building for what seems to be 3 flights, before it reaches a
|
||||
metal room with dusty grimy windows, and a single steel door. The
|
||||
windows on the interior overlook the fish processing plant, where rows
|
||||
of belts and machinery stand still, covered in dust and long forgotten
|
||||
blood. You’re glad to know that the factory stopped operating years ago,
|
||||
hygiene is lacking in every sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stares forlornly out the exterior windows, the sky is a grey
|
||||
overcast, it matches his mood perfectly. He didn’t like what him and
|
||||
Inky were about to do, but they didn’t have much they could do about it.
|
||||
They would be vulnerable for the duration of the ritual. But Agent 7 and
|
||||
Confidence were there to help mitigate that risk. Alex and Agent 7 had
|
||||
taken every precaution they could think of.</p>
|
||||
<p>The plant floor was scattered with booby traps, trip wires, and
|
||||
alarms. The other agents were laying low, but kept drones around the
|
||||
wharf feeding in a network of twtxt data back to Agent 7 for recon. And
|
||||
that was on top of the double barred steel doors, and reinforced glass
|
||||
box they’d chosen as their hide out. Meticulously planned, Alex expected
|
||||
no less from Agent 7.</p>
|
||||
<p>See Marvelo had been at this as long as Alex had, and then some. He
|
||||
was sharp as a tack, with an animal-like third sense that came from
|
||||
years of close calls. He was, simply put, the right man for the job,
|
||||
when that job was keeping your unconscious ass alive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex turns away from the window and addresses Inky. “Apologies for
|
||||
the smell, it turns out there’s a strong correlation between disgust and
|
||||
seclusion, but I believe we should at least be safe here. Safer than we
|
||||
would have been back home. I’m ready if you are, as ready as I’ll ever
|
||||
be that is.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The Golden Iris have summoned you to appear at the Harpoon Club this
|
||||
evening. But the Harpoon Club is nowhere to be found on this plane of
|
||||
existence. It won’t appear until a week and a half from now, on the last
|
||||
day of the month.</p>
|
||||
<p>Confidence the Guide has predicted exactly where the Wandering Bazaar
|
||||
will be on that day. With a small bucket of red paint and a large brush,
|
||||
he has drawn a Linking Sigil on the ground at the location. He sits
|
||||
nearby, making sure careless passersby and mischievous kids don’t
|
||||
disturb it, but otherwise letting the sigil absorb the energies of the
|
||||
bustle of shopping and commerce.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the fish market, Marvelo is posted outside. He keeps vigilant
|
||||
watch, alert to every movement and disturbance.</p>
|
||||
<p>And inside, Bread, Inky, Fuko, and Alex are huddled up in the office
|
||||
in the back near the ceiling. They all sit inside a dark circle that has
|
||||
been smudged on the floor with a paste made of ash and salt. Painted on
|
||||
the ground is a second Linking Sigil, connecting this spot to
|
||||
Confidence’s, allowing the energies of the two locations to co-mingle.
|
||||
There is also the Dream Sigil, which will connect this place to the
|
||||
Dreaming.</p>
|
||||
<p>Bread the Host is propped up on some pillows and cushions in the
|
||||
center of the circle, next to the Nyxmaer. The candle is alleged to be
|
||||
made of the flesh and fat of a certain nightmare. Its hand and eye bound
|
||||
in the wax. The Dream Sigil is the door, but the Nyxmaer is the key. The
|
||||
catalyst that will cause all of the otherwise inert metaphysical
|
||||
particles to become volatile and reactive. It is what will allow you to
|
||||
actually pass over and arrive on the shores of the Sea of Dreams.</p>
|
||||
<p>Per the shop witch’s instructions, the Nyxmaer has been placed on a
|
||||
thin, hard tin plate. As the candle burns, the wax will soften and
|
||||
eventually allow the large metal nail in its side to fall. When it
|
||||
strikes the plate, you will awaken, exiting the Dreaming. You expect
|
||||
hours may pass in the realm of sleep. But only about thirty minutes will
|
||||
pass here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky and Alex sit inside the circle, near the perimeter, facing Bread
|
||||
in the center. Fuko the owl sits at Inky’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is dim. You are illuminated by mundane, non-magical candles set
|
||||
around the edges of the circle. Outside, a steady rain beats on the roof
|
||||
and the windows of the building. The smell of fish is faint but
|
||||
ever-present. A constant reminder of the small creatures that have left
|
||||
their bodies in a fashion far more permanent and irreversible than the
|
||||
separation of spirit and body you are about to experience. You hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p>How do you induce a deep and powerful slumber in Bread?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What shape or form will you take when you arrive in the
|
||||
Dreaming?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What are you secretly worried or hopeful about being exposed in
|
||||
the dreamland, the realm of metaphor?</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
|
||||
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
|
||||
<dt>
|
||||
|
|
734
www/rss.xml
734
www/rss.xml
|
@ -203,6 +203,488 @@ Agent 5 found the melon vendor dead in a back alley, strangled to death, not imm
|
|||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>57</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
<guid isPermaLink="false">57 - Mon, 16 Jan 2023 20:30:44
|
||||
-0700</guid>
|
||||
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:58:46 -0700</pubDate>
|
||||
<description>
|
||||
<![CDATA[
|
||||
<h3 id="00057">00057</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex lifts his teacup and sips the fragrantly tea,
|
||||
“perfumed of rosehips, and cardamum? An interesting choice. I
|
||||
appreciate it Inky, these past few days have been terribly
|
||||
rough, and I’m rather tired of field rations.” Alex takes a
|
||||
sip, and then continues hurridly. “I’ve been monitoring the
|
||||
Bazar, we are in grave danger. It started with just me, but I
|
||||
fear it’s bled over to everyone here at the Milk Market. I
|
||||
can’t be entirely certain.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex looks worriedly at Inky. “There’s a lot going on here.
|
||||
As soon as we got back from Kelsun I was sent on an
|
||||
assignment, normally not an issue, but they wanted me to level
|
||||
3 of the busiest coffee shops in the bazar. I planted those
|
||||
bombs, alongside listening devices, and then I bugged out. My
|
||||
team appears to have been assigned equally bizarre
|
||||
assignments, all rather violent messy things. A lot of
|
||||
innocent lives are on the line here.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“We dropped off the grid, I’ve got an isolated listening
|
||||
post in the sewers here, it’s heavily reinforced and that’s
|
||||
where I’ve been hiding out, but I’m not certain it’s safe.
|
||||
Agent 5 found a melon vendor dead in the market, and this
|
||||
vendor was specifically seeking out the Milk Market, looking
|
||||
for us. I believe it may be an assassin, could be from HQ,
|
||||
could be from Blavin. It’s entirely opaque to me.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“As far as I can tell, my agents are all loyal to me,
|
||||
there’s 5 of them in total, 6 if you count me. We could man
|
||||
the ship and get the hell out of here in a few hours, and it
|
||||
may be our best chance. But there’s the iris letter we need to
|
||||
attend to, and I cannot for the life of me find anything, not
|
||||
a damn trace, of Blavin. And I think all of this bodes very
|
||||
poorly for us.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex looks worriedly at Inky, and you’re telling me we have
|
||||
a ritual we have to perform, to find the iris group’s meeting
|
||||
place.. I’m leery Ink, I have to be you see. But my uncle
|
||||
trusted you, and I do as well. If you think this is our best
|
||||
shot, we can hole up in the sewers and try to perform this
|
||||
dream walk of your witch friend’s. But if this iris business
|
||||
turns out to be a trap, well, how well can you handle a
|
||||
gun?</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>“Your courage and concern are admirable, Master Alex.
|
||||
Caution is likewise advisable.” Inky nods seriously.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next moment, they gave the sysorcerer a slightly
|
||||
deranged grin. “I’m sure you have already seen many grave
|
||||
dangers. What’s another one for the bucket list? What’s life
|
||||
if not violent and messy? So many melons dismembered and laid
|
||||
waste daily—”</p>
|
||||
<p>As if suddenly recalling a detail, Inky pauses and blinks.
|
||||
“Melon vendor? Oh, poor Pepo. He has been complaining about
|
||||
his neighbour’s boa constrictors for years. The serpents were
|
||||
drawn to the rodents his fruits typically attracted, which
|
||||
might not have been a problem were it not for them hanging out
|
||||
at his stall and scaring off his customers. Maybe he finally
|
||||
took matters into his own hands, with tragic results.” They
|
||||
look at an empty mixing bowl across the table glumly. “He had
|
||||
offered to bring over a few of the new variety as soon as they
|
||||
arrived, as he was already delivering to a household the next
|
||||
district over.”</p>
|
||||
<p>They send Master Alex a sidelong glance. “Someone is after
|
||||
you? You didn’t do something horrid like help an old
|
||||
grandmother cross the street on sockless skates, for
|
||||
instance?” Refilling the sysorcerer’s cup, Inky continues, “As
|
||||
for Blavin, only 3 of the crystals have been recovered. Blavin
|
||||
knows Team 43 is his best chance of obtaining the others.
|
||||
Until he has all the crystals, he will stay his hand. If he
|
||||
doesn’t know that, then he is hardly a threat.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Setting down the teapot, Inky shrugs. “They seem eager to
|
||||
get our attention. I suppose I could spare them their twelve
|
||||
minutes of fame, for the right price. Enlightenment would
|
||||
probably be too much to ask of a nightmare. If you’d rather
|
||||
take your team and make a run for it instead, that’s fine too.
|
||||
If they come knocking I’ll just tell them you missed the hotel
|
||||
fondue at Kelsun Peak.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Their gaze skips to one of the cups before they shake their
|
||||
head. “No gun.” They turn around and take down a bamboo
|
||||
walking stick hanging from a hook on a wall next to a worn
|
||||
coat. Inky grasps the handle and pulls. It slides out quietly
|
||||
to reveal a long, thin, tapered surgical steel tube which, if
|
||||
someone were to lean in for a closer inspection, is sparsely
|
||||
covered in tiny, needle-like protrusions along the surface. On
|
||||
the underside, a transparent sliver ran the length of the tube
|
||||
to end about a forefinger’s length from the handle. Visible
|
||||
through the narrow window is a colourless liquid, most likely
|
||||
a sedative or toxin, fills the reinforced steel interior.</p>
|
||||
<p>They smile mirthlessly at Master Alex. “I don’t know that
|
||||
Master Corraidhín trusted me, because if he did, it would have
|
||||
been the most foolhardy thing the wise man has ever done. You
|
||||
would do well to not make that mistake.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>“It doesn’t sound like we have all too much of an option”,
|
||||
Alex says, as a little Scarab beetle in his pocket chimes,
|
||||
“that’ll be the dead man’s trigger going off in my
|
||||
hideout.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex frowns, shame to lose all of that data, those systems,
|
||||
that hideout.. but I hope whoever broke in enjoys thermite,
|
||||
assuming they don’t asphyxiate quickly enough to miss the
|
||||
fun..</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky, you’re right, life is a bit violent and messy, so
|
||||
lets bring the violent mess to these bastards. If you’ve got a
|
||||
lead on this with this dream ritual, then fuck it, lets take
|
||||
the risk. I won’t run from this fight, my uncle sure as hell
|
||||
wouldn’t. And at worst, he’d go out with a magnificient bang.
|
||||
Lets give it back tenfold, for poor Pepo.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nodding his own approval Alex continues, I have another
|
||||
hideout in the eastern quandrant, near the sysorcerer’s guild.
|
||||
It’s a little risky to head out that way, but none of my
|
||||
Zabbix alerts indicate it was compromised. It has automated
|
||||
IDS and IPS systems, so we should be safe enough in there once
|
||||
we whole up. At very least we’ll know if someone comes for us,
|
||||
and we’ll have a little bit of time to react on it. We should
|
||||
bring the Toques with us, and little blod clot, and the
|
||||
duck.</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking sorrowfully at Enrique, “I think it might be best
|
||||
if you got the hell out of dodge too friend, it isn’t safe,
|
||||
and I don’t want to see you become collateral here. Head down
|
||||
to the wharf, I’ll have agent 5 meet you there, he’ll help you
|
||||
and your family lay low until all of this blows over.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>At Enrique’s deep frown, Inky sighs and adds, “Might as
|
||||
well do as Master Alex says. He can spot danger twelve blocks
|
||||
away, and turtle soup is really out of fashion these
|
||||
days.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Then they excuse themselves to pack a few items, returning
|
||||
about fifteen minutes later with a knapsack and a cross-strap
|
||||
carrier draped in a black cloth cover. Inky says, “I hope you
|
||||
don’t mind if I bring along a guest as well.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The cover is pulled back to expose a dome-shaped birdhouse,
|
||||
with transparent circular rings at the top partially obscured
|
||||
by sliding shutters of the same shape. A wooden hoop with a
|
||||
woven, web-like pattern and adorned with a string of feathers
|
||||
hangs from one side. On the opposite side is a double door
|
||||
with a miniature knob over each door. Inky lightly taps on one
|
||||
of the doors, and at a low click coming from within in
|
||||
response, swings the doors wide enough for the kitchen lamps
|
||||
to illuminate the great horned owl resting on a pillow inside.
|
||||
The bird opens one amber eye for a moment, gaze sweeping idly
|
||||
across the occupants in the room before dozing off again.</p>
|
||||
<p>“This is Fuko. She and her twin brother Futa have certain
|
||||
shared connections. What one sees, the other will also know. I
|
||||
asked their caretaker if I could borrow them for a while. Fuko
|
||||
will accompany me for the ritual. Her brother is at another
|
||||
location and can send a message if a need arises.” Inky
|
||||
explains with a wry expression. “Think of it as a minor
|
||||
indulgence of sorts. I was told their kind, along with eagle
|
||||
owls, are very good at negotiating with those of the
|
||||
ravens.”</p>
|
||||
<p>They give the owl a small smile. “She may be a little
|
||||
temperamental, but she is well-trained.” Closing the birdhouse
|
||||
doors, Inky turns back to Master Alex. “I suppose you’d rather
|
||||
not reveal the location of your hideout to any more people
|
||||
than necessary. Her carrier will remain covered on the way in
|
||||
and out.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp stands under the branches of a tree, pooled in
|
||||
shadow, far from the small gathering. He has been to plenty of
|
||||
funerals. Often under these very circumstances, in fact. And
|
||||
he always keeps his distance out of respect.</p>
|
||||
<p>For one, he owns no clothes but his vest, sash, and
|
||||
trousers. And his bright red colors would be a sign of
|
||||
disrespect among the mourners. Secondly and most importantly,
|
||||
he himself is the one who put the man in the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sadly, he had little choice. He had underestimated the
|
||||
sysorcer. Didn’t realize he had his own agents working for
|
||||
him. When he realized that one of the agents had been in
|
||||
contact with the melon vendor, he knew that Popplewick could
|
||||
and would identify the warpwefter if pressured.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp had grown to enjoy his daily chats with the melon
|
||||
vendor. Popplewick was a kind, determined man. A refugee from
|
||||
the Cinderlands, his family came to Vay’Nullar following the
|
||||
Artifice Wars when he was just a boy. He grew up poor, and
|
||||
often relied on the generosity of others. But eventually he
|
||||
was able to support himself and his small family. He was proud
|
||||
of the life he had built.</p>
|
||||
<p>So Gliftwirp took no pleasure in what came next. Late one
|
||||
night when Popplewick was on his way home from the market, the
|
||||
assassin slipped a bag over his head and dragged him into a
|
||||
dark alley. He cinched the bag tight, cutting off his air.
|
||||
There was a brief struggle before Popplewick passed out and
|
||||
Gliftwirp lowered him down to the ground. He held him there,
|
||||
unconscious and not breathing, until he was gone. In only took
|
||||
but a moment. And then Gliftwirp stood up and left.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now at the funeral, the mourners leave one by one. Until
|
||||
only the widow is left, cradling a small sleeping child to her
|
||||
chest. “Oh, Pepo,” she whispers to the headstone. “What can I
|
||||
do now?”</p>
|
||||
<p>When she leaves, she does not return to the main path. She
|
||||
meanders slowly as though in a daze toward the back of the
|
||||
graveyard and down the hill. She steps into the wood. A flash
|
||||
of red follows her at a distance.</p>
|
||||
<p>She kneels on the banks of the forest river and sets the
|
||||
child down on wide flat rock. It is awake now and looks up at
|
||||
her with solemn eyes. “I am sorry, made-of-me,” she says to
|
||||
the child. And that is all the explanation it gets.</p>
|
||||
<p>She stands and turns and walks away. The child watches her
|
||||
go.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she has been gone for some minutes, Gliftwirp steps
|
||||
out of the shadows and crouches down beside the child. It
|
||||
looks up and reaches for him. “Look at you,” he says to the
|
||||
child as he scoops it up. “Who would throw you away? A
|
||||
perfectly good baby!” He stands and bounces the child. “A
|
||||
sweet little melon rind is what you are. Ha! Very well. Come,
|
||||
Rind, we have work to do.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The assassin, child in his arms, walks back toward the
|
||||
city.</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p>In the aftermath, Agent 5 is found down by the docks. They
|
||||
clearly struggled in death. The assassin blamed him for
|
||||
Popplewick’s death and the widow’s weakness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Down in the sewers, two tiny mittened hands reach up and
|
||||
awkwardly turn the doorknob to Alex’s hideout. The bolt clears
|
||||
the latch with a faint click. Two tiny cloth hands struggle
|
||||
against the heavy iron door, pushing it slowly open, inch by
|
||||
inch. A mechanism clicks inside and there is a whoosh of air
|
||||
and then a boom as the bunker violently ignites. The tiny
|
||||
figure is incinerated, and blown back into the sewer
|
||||
tunnel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp steps forward into the light of the blaze and
|
||||
crouches down by the tiny figure. He picks it up, a tattered
|
||||
and burned bundle of cloth. “Look, Rind,” he says to the small
|
||||
child standing at his elbow. “You must always acknowledge and
|
||||
be grateful for those who sacrifice for you.” He starts to
|
||||
untie and unfold the cloth puppet as he speaks. It unfurls and
|
||||
smooths out and stitches itself back together under his touch.
|
||||
Even the burn marks fade, and soon Gliftwirp is once again
|
||||
holding his red sash.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Now, Rind,” he says standing up and taking the child’s
|
||||
hand, squinting into the fire. “Let’s see what we can salvage
|
||||
here.”</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li>The time of the ritual is at hand.</li>
|
||||
<li>What final preparations do you make before entering
|
||||
Dreamspace?</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>58</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
<guid isPermaLink="false">58 - Sat, 21 Jan 2023 16:24:45
|
||||
-0700</guid>
|
||||
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jan 2023 11:02:32 -0700</pubDate>
|
||||
<description>
|
||||
<![CDATA[
|
||||
<h3 id="00058">00058</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p><em>(A week prior)</em></p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary collected the stack of papers that had
|
||||
accumulated at one corner of the desk. “This might help,” she
|
||||
said, setting down a bundle of herbs with white and pink
|
||||
flowers in place of the papers.</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky stared at the blooms, hands stilled over the owl’s
|
||||
plumage. “Oh! Thanks. Good thinking, really. It’ll help make
|
||||
the stench more bearable when they find the remains.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The grey elf was confused for a moment, then mortified as
|
||||
the words sank in. “That’s not what I meant! It’s for the
|
||||
circle,” she clarified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing the imp’s preoccupied nod, she coughed lightly to
|
||||
regain their attention, then spoke in a hushed voice.
|
||||
“Beaker’s associates have picked up the empanada shop
|
||||
proprietor and transported him to an undisclosed location.
|
||||
There will be a retinue with him at all times.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky seemed to visibly pull themselves back to the room
|
||||
before responding, “Thank you, Salvia. One more thing — if I
|
||||
do not return by the indicated time, please activate the
|
||||
hitsuzen protocol. As precaution.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary looked at Inky in concern. “Is everything all
|
||||
right? If you’re still troubled by the hotelier, accidents
|
||||
happen. A single incident—”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Third. An unidentified man was attacked at the docks. He
|
||||
was probably sent to investigate the melon vendor. One of the
|
||||
other stall owners heard him asking questions shortly after
|
||||
the melon vendor disappeared.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Salvia’s violet eyes narrowed. “What, the fruit vendor?
|
||||
Didn’t the tabloids say it was an accident? He tried to get
|
||||
rid of a neighbor’s nest of snakes.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky only raised an eyebrow at her.</p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary let out a low curse. “You didn’t tell her.
|
||||
You didn’t want her to worry,” she said aloud in realization.
|
||||
She sighed. “She’s going to be pretty angry with you when she
|
||||
finds out, you know.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky offered her a sardonic smile. “Making people angry is
|
||||
my job. You of all people know this well. In the event of my
|
||||
timely demise I’m sure the others would find it cause for a
|
||||
grand celebration.” They replied matter-of-factly before
|
||||
returning to smoothing the feathers of one bird wing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Salvia shook her head vehemently. “That’s not true. You’ll
|
||||
make it back, Ink. What then—”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Then our fair Lady’s ire would be the least of the
|
||||
problems.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex stared morosely into his cup of coffee. He’d received
|
||||
word of agent 5’s demise that morning, and had been the only
|
||||
thing on his mind since. 5, no Be’tram knew the risks, we all
|
||||
knew the risks defying HQ brought, but to happen so suddenly?
|
||||
He’d snuck down to the wharf once he’d heard, making sure to
|
||||
cover his tracks and dodge any potential witnesses. He even
|
||||
managed to slip past the police cordon they’d setup around the
|
||||
body. What he’d found wasn’t pretty, it looked like Be’Tram
|
||||
had suffered in his final moments. The bruising around his
|
||||
neck pointed to strangulation, with some sort of cloth,
|
||||
perhaps a rope. The bruising was deep, and there wasn’t a cut,
|
||||
burn, shot or something of the likes on his otherwise.</p>
|
||||
<p>The kill had been intimate.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex had worked quickly that night, popping Be’Tram’s eye
|
||||
had been hard, but he’d of wanted Alex to have it. Behind his
|
||||
right eye was a recording device, it could only catch the last
|
||||
15m or so of what he had seen, but it would give him a clear
|
||||
look at what had happened. And potentially lead Alex to the
|
||||
killer. Miserable business, but Be’Tram knew it could make a
|
||||
difference.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex had planted a bomb on the body after he had extracted
|
||||
the eye, and made his way well away from the area before it
|
||||
went off obliterating the remains. A regrettable end for an
|
||||
old friend, but it was too dangerous to leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>And then there was the matter of the zabbix alert, a little
|
||||
purple red critical for the sewer hideout. He’d had time to
|
||||
send out a drone beetle. The smoldering slag that was left was
|
||||
reassuring. Most of the equipment was utterly destroyed, racks
|
||||
upon racks of servers reduced to twisted melted metal. The
|
||||
effectively of the destruction was delightful, in a sick sort
|
||||
of desperate way. Alex felt assured that most if not all of
|
||||
the equipment was useless, but this spelled the end of a
|
||||
valuable listening outpost. And whoever had done it wasn’t
|
||||
part of the slag pile.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stood up, his coffee untouched. The cafe around his
|
||||
burbled in quiet excitement. The city had lit up since the
|
||||
Melon vendor’s death. A thousand rumors abounded about it, but
|
||||
none of them held true; some said the city had become
|
||||
dangerous, a crime syndicate had arisen in the neighboring
|
||||
city block another thought, and did you hear about the
|
||||
explosion at the wharf the other night, the city was electric,
|
||||
yet somehow ever so slightly off the pulse of the issue.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Alex stepped away a woman with horn rimmed glasses
|
||||
strode past the table he had just abandoned, deftly pulling
|
||||
the note from beneath the coffee cup, left for her.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code>4 -> 3
|
||||
Daylight breaks on the morrow
|
||||
The suns rays make chase
|
||||
casting soft cloth
|
||||
across the nap of nature's neck
|
||||
|
||||
So, night relents and gives way
|
||||
biding time until
|
||||
it can rule
|
||||
in its own domain</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>For the passerby, it was but a bit of poetry, scribbled
|
||||
carelessly on the back of a napkin in a coffee near the wharf.
|
||||
But for Agent 3 it was a warning, one part notes on Agent 5s
|
||||
demise recovered from his eyecam, one part orders; stay low
|
||||
and we’ll strike these bastards from the shadows, on our
|
||||
terms, on our ground. Similar missives were delivered to
|
||||
Agents 6 & 7. The numbers were dwindling rapidly, even
|
||||
just one agent lost was hard to stomach.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex hand gripped the pistol in his coat pocket with a
|
||||
white knuckled grip as he stepped from the coffee shop into
|
||||
the city. Whatever was after him, whatever had gotten to
|
||||
Be’Tram, it had better know he was coming, and he’d happily
|
||||
send it straight to hell. HQ be damned, the rules be damned,
|
||||
this little game of cat and mouse had just gotten
|
||||
personal.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex, Inky, Confidence, Bread, and Agent 7 find themselves
|
||||
in a dark backroom in a secluded corner of an old fish
|
||||
processing plant on the wharf. The accommodations are rough,
|
||||
and the stench is abhorrent, but it’s the best that could be
|
||||
procured in a pinch. And it should provide enough
|
||||
seclusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The backroom is like that of many factories, high up near
|
||||
the ceiling, a single rusty rickety staircase winds its way
|
||||
along the side of the building for what seems to be 3 flights,
|
||||
before it reaches a metal room with dusty grimy windows, and a
|
||||
single steel door. The windows on the interior overlook the
|
||||
fish processing plant, where rows of belts and machinery stand
|
||||
still, covered in dust and long forgotten blood. You’re glad
|
||||
to know that the factory stopped operating years ago, hygiene
|
||||
is lacking in every sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stares forlornly out the exterior windows, the sky is
|
||||
a grey overcast, it matches his mood perfectly. He didn’t like
|
||||
what him and Inky were about to do, but they didn’t have much
|
||||
they could do about it. They would be vulnerable for the
|
||||
duration of the ritual. But Agent 7 and Confidence were there
|
||||
to help mitigate that risk. Alex and Agent 7 had taken every
|
||||
precaution they could think of.</p>
|
||||
<p>The plant floor was scattered with booby traps, trip wires,
|
||||
and alarms. The other agents were laying low, but kept drones
|
||||
around the wharf feeding in a network of twtxt data back to
|
||||
Agent 7 for recon. And that was on top of the double barred
|
||||
steel doors, and reinforced glass box they’d chosen as their
|
||||
hide out. Meticulously planned, Alex expected no less from
|
||||
Agent 7.</p>
|
||||
<p>See Marvelo had been at this as long as Alex had, and then
|
||||
some. He was sharp as a tack, with an animal-like third sense
|
||||
that came from years of close calls. He was, simply put, the
|
||||
right man for the job, when that job was keeping your
|
||||
unconscious ass alive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex turns away from the window and addresses Inky.
|
||||
“Apologies for the smell, it turns out there’s a strong
|
||||
correlation between disgust and seclusion, but I believe we
|
||||
should at least be safe here. Safer than we would have been
|
||||
back home. I’m ready if you are, as ready as I’ll ever be that
|
||||
is.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The Golden Iris have summoned you to appear at the Harpoon
|
||||
Club this evening. But the Harpoon Club is nowhere to be found
|
||||
on this plane of existence. It won’t appear until a week and a
|
||||
half from now, on the last day of the month.</p>
|
||||
<p>Confidence the Guide has predicted exactly where the
|
||||
Wandering Bazaar will be on that day. With a small bucket of
|
||||
red paint and a large brush, he has drawn a Linking Sigil on
|
||||
the ground at the location. He sits nearby, making sure
|
||||
careless passersby and mischievous kids don’t disturb it, but
|
||||
otherwise letting the sigil absorb the energies of the bustle
|
||||
of shopping and commerce.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the fish market, Marvelo is posted outside. He keeps
|
||||
vigilant watch, alert to every movement and disturbance.</p>
|
||||
<p>And inside, Bread, Inky, Fuko, and Alex are huddled up in
|
||||
the office in the back near the ceiling. They all sit inside a
|
||||
dark circle that has been smudged on the floor with a paste
|
||||
made of ash and salt. Painted on the ground is a second
|
||||
Linking Sigil, connecting this spot to Confidence’s, allowing
|
||||
the energies of the two locations to co-mingle. There is also
|
||||
the Dream Sigil, which will connect this place to the
|
||||
Dreaming.</p>
|
||||
<p>Bread the Host is propped up on some pillows and cushions
|
||||
in the center of the circle, next to the Nyxmaer. The candle
|
||||
is alleged to be made of the flesh and fat of a certain
|
||||
nightmare. Its hand and eye bound in the wax. The Dream Sigil
|
||||
is the door, but the Nyxmaer is the key. The catalyst that
|
||||
will cause all of the otherwise inert metaphysical particles
|
||||
to become volatile and reactive. It is what will allow you to
|
||||
actually pass over and arrive on the shores of the Sea of
|
||||
Dreams.</p>
|
||||
<p>Per the shop witch’s instructions, the Nyxmaer has been
|
||||
placed on a thin, hard tin plate. As the candle burns, the wax
|
||||
will soften and eventually allow the large metal nail in its
|
||||
side to fall. When it strikes the plate, you will awaken,
|
||||
exiting the Dreaming. You expect hours may pass in the realm
|
||||
of sleep. But only about thirty minutes will pass here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky and Alex sit inside the circle, near the perimeter,
|
||||
facing Bread in the center. Fuko the owl sits at Inky’s
|
||||
side.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is dim. You are illuminated by mundane, non-magical
|
||||
candles set around the edges of the circle. Outside, a steady
|
||||
rain beats on the roof and the windows of the building. The
|
||||
smell of fish is faint but ever-present. A constant reminder
|
||||
of the small creatures that have left their bodies in a
|
||||
fashion far more permanent and irreversible than the
|
||||
separation of spirit and body you are about to experience. You
|
||||
hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p>How do you induce a deep and powerful slumber in
|
||||
Bread?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What shape or form will you take when you arrive in the
|
||||
Dreaming?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What are you secretly worried or hopeful about being
|
||||
exposed in the dreamland, the realm of metaphor?</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>54</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
|
@ -484,258 +966,6 @@ NOTE GDB INDICATES SOME ANOMALY</code></pre>
|
|||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>57</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
<guid isPermaLink="false">57 - Mon, 16 Jan 2023 20:30:44
|
||||
-0700</guid>
|
||||
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:58:46 -0700</pubDate>
|
||||
<description>
|
||||
<![CDATA[
|
||||
<h3 id="00057">00057</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex lifts his teacup and sips the fragrantly tea,
|
||||
“perfumed of rosehips, and cardamum? An interesting choice. I
|
||||
appreciate it Inky, these past few days have been terribly
|
||||
rough, and I’m rather tired of field rations.” Alex takes a
|
||||
sip, and then continues hurridly. “I’ve been monitoring the
|
||||
Bazar, we are in grave danger. It started with just me, but I
|
||||
fear it’s bled over to everyone here at the Milk Market. I
|
||||
can’t be entirely certain.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex looks worriedly at Inky. “There’s a lot going on here.
|
||||
As soon as we got back from Kelsun I was sent on an
|
||||
assignment, normally not an issue, but they wanted me to level
|
||||
3 of the busiest coffee shops in the bazar. I planted those
|
||||
bombs, alongside listening devices, and then I bugged out. My
|
||||
team appears to have been assigned equally bizarre
|
||||
assignments, all rather violent messy things. A lot of
|
||||
innocent lives are on the line here.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“We dropped off the grid, I’ve got an isolated listening
|
||||
post in the sewers here, it’s heavily reinforced and that’s
|
||||
where I’ve been hiding out, but I’m not certain it’s safe.
|
||||
Agent 5 found a melon vendor dead in the market, and this
|
||||
vendor was specifically seeking out the Milk Market, looking
|
||||
for us. I believe it may be an assassin, could be from HQ,
|
||||
could be from Blavin. It’s entirely opaque to me.”</p>
|
||||
<p>“As far as I can tell, my agents are all loyal to me,
|
||||
there’s 5 of them in total, 6 if you count me. We could man
|
||||
the ship and get the hell out of here in a few hours, and it
|
||||
may be our best chance. But there’s the iris letter we need to
|
||||
attend to, and I cannot for the life of me find anything, not
|
||||
a damn trace, of Blavin. And I think all of this bodes very
|
||||
poorly for us.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex looks worriedly at Inky, and you’re telling me we have
|
||||
a ritual we have to perform, to find the iris group’s meeting
|
||||
place.. I’m leery Ink, I have to be you see. But my uncle
|
||||
trusted you, and I do as well. If you think this is our best
|
||||
shot, we can hole up in the sewers and try to perform this
|
||||
dream walk of your witch friend’s. But if this iris business
|
||||
turns out to be a trap, well, how well can you handle a
|
||||
gun?</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>“Your courage and concern are admirable, Master Alex.
|
||||
Caution is likewise advisable.” Inky nods seriously.</p>
|
||||
<p>The next moment, they gave the sysorcerer a slightly
|
||||
deranged grin. “I’m sure you have already seen many grave
|
||||
dangers. What’s another one for the bucket list? What’s life
|
||||
if not violent and messy? So many melons dismembered and laid
|
||||
waste daily—”</p>
|
||||
<p>As if suddenly recalling a detail, Inky pauses and blinks.
|
||||
“Melon vendor? Oh, poor Pepo. He has been complaining about
|
||||
his neighbour’s boa constrictors for years. The serpents were
|
||||
drawn to the rodents his fruits typically attracted, which
|
||||
might not have been a problem were it not for them hanging out
|
||||
at his stall and scaring off his customers. Maybe he finally
|
||||
took matters into his own hands, with tragic results.” They
|
||||
look at an empty mixing bowl across the table glumly. “He had
|
||||
offered to bring over a few of the new variety as soon as they
|
||||
arrived, as he was already delivering to a household the next
|
||||
district over.”</p>
|
||||
<p>They send Master Alex a sidelong glance. “Someone is after
|
||||
you? You didn’t do something horrid like help an old
|
||||
grandmother cross the street on sockless skates, for
|
||||
instance?” Refilling the sysorcerer’s cup, Inky continues, “As
|
||||
for Blavin, only 3 of the crystals have been recovered. Blavin
|
||||
knows Team 43 is his best chance of obtaining the others.
|
||||
Until he has all the crystals, he will stay his hand. If he
|
||||
doesn’t know that, then he is hardly a threat.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Setting down the teapot, Inky shrugs. “They seem eager to
|
||||
get our attention. I suppose I could spare them their twelve
|
||||
minutes of fame, for the right price. Enlightenment would
|
||||
probably be too much to ask of a nightmare. If you’d rather
|
||||
take your team and make a run for it instead, that’s fine too.
|
||||
If they come knocking I’ll just tell them you missed the hotel
|
||||
fondue at Kelsun Peak.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Their gaze skips to one of the cups before they shake their
|
||||
head. “No gun.” They turn around and take down a bamboo
|
||||
walking stick hanging from a hook on a wall next to a worn
|
||||
coat. Inky grasps the handle and pulls. It slides out quietly
|
||||
to reveal a long, thin, tapered surgical steel tube which, if
|
||||
someone were to lean in for a closer inspection, is sparsely
|
||||
covered in tiny, needle-like protrusions along the surface. On
|
||||
the underside, a transparent sliver ran the length of the tube
|
||||
to end about a forefinger’s length from the handle. Visible
|
||||
through the narrow window is a colourless liquid, most likely
|
||||
a sedative or toxin, fills the reinforced steel interior.</p>
|
||||
<p>They smile mirthlessly at Master Alex. “I don’t know that
|
||||
Master Corraidhín trusted me, because if he did, it would have
|
||||
been the most foolhardy thing the wise man has ever done. You
|
||||
would do well to not make that mistake.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>“It doesn’t sound like we have all too much of an option”,
|
||||
Alex says, as a little Scarab beetle in his pocket chimes,
|
||||
“that’ll be the dead man’s trigger going off in my
|
||||
hideout.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex frowns, shame to lose all of that data, those systems,
|
||||
that hideout.. but I hope whoever broke in enjoys thermite,
|
||||
assuming they don’t asphyxiate quickly enough to miss the
|
||||
fun..</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky, you’re right, life is a bit violent and messy, so
|
||||
lets bring the violent mess to these bastards. If you’ve got a
|
||||
lead on this with this dream ritual, then fuck it, lets take
|
||||
the risk. I won’t run from this fight, my uncle sure as hell
|
||||
wouldn’t. And at worst, he’d go out with a magnificient bang.
|
||||
Lets give it back tenfold, for poor Pepo.</p>
|
||||
<p>Nodding his own approval Alex continues, I have another
|
||||
hideout in the eastern quandrant, near the sysorcerer’s guild.
|
||||
It’s a little risky to head out that way, but none of my
|
||||
Zabbix alerts indicate it was compromised. It has automated
|
||||
IDS and IPS systems, so we should be safe enough in there once
|
||||
we whole up. At very least we’ll know if someone comes for us,
|
||||
and we’ll have a little bit of time to react on it. We should
|
||||
bring the Toques with us, and little blod clot, and the
|
||||
duck.</p>
|
||||
<p>Looking sorrowfully at Enrique, “I think it might be best
|
||||
if you got the hell out of dodge too friend, it isn’t safe,
|
||||
and I don’t want to see you become collateral here. Head down
|
||||
to the wharf, I’ll have agent 5 meet you there, he’ll help you
|
||||
and your family lay low until all of this blows over.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>At Enrique’s deep frown, Inky sighs and adds, “Might as
|
||||
well do as Master Alex says. He can spot danger twelve blocks
|
||||
away, and turtle soup is really out of fashion these
|
||||
days.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Then they excuse themselves to pack a few items, returning
|
||||
about fifteen minutes later with a knapsack and a cross-strap
|
||||
carrier draped in a black cloth cover. Inky says, “I hope you
|
||||
don’t mind if I bring along a guest as well.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The cover is pulled back to expose a dome-shaped birdhouse,
|
||||
with transparent circular rings at the top partially obscured
|
||||
by sliding shutters of the same shape. A wooden hoop with a
|
||||
woven, web-like pattern and adorned with a string of feathers
|
||||
hangs from one side. On the opposite side is a double door
|
||||
with a miniature knob over each door. Inky lightly taps on one
|
||||
of the doors, and at a low click coming from within in
|
||||
response, swings the doors wide enough for the kitchen lamps
|
||||
to illuminate the great horned owl resting on a pillow inside.
|
||||
The bird opens one amber eye for a moment, gaze sweeping idly
|
||||
across the occupants in the room before dozing off again.</p>
|
||||
<p>“This is Fuko. She and her twin brother Futa have certain
|
||||
shared connections. What one sees, the other will also know. I
|
||||
asked their caretaker if I could borrow them for a while. Fuko
|
||||
will accompany me for the ritual. Her brother is at another
|
||||
location and can send a message if a need arises.” Inky
|
||||
explains with a wry expression. “Think of it as a minor
|
||||
indulgence of sorts. I was told their kind, along with eagle
|
||||
owls, are very good at negotiating with those of the
|
||||
ravens.”</p>
|
||||
<p>They give the owl a small smile. “She may be a little
|
||||
temperamental, but she is well-trained.” Closing the birdhouse
|
||||
doors, Inky turns back to Master Alex. “I suppose you’d rather
|
||||
not reveal the location of your hideout to any more people
|
||||
than necessary. Her carrier will remain covered on the way in
|
||||
and out.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp stands under the branches of a tree, pooled in
|
||||
shadow, far from the small gathering. He has been to plenty of
|
||||
funerals. Often under these very circumstances, in fact. And
|
||||
he always keeps his distance out of respect.</p>
|
||||
<p>For one, he owns no clothes but his vest, sash, and
|
||||
trousers. And his bright red colors would be a sign of
|
||||
disrespect among the mourners. Secondly and most importantly,
|
||||
he himself is the one who put the man in the ground.</p>
|
||||
<p>Sadly, he had little choice. He had underestimated the
|
||||
sysorcer. Didn’t realize he had his own agents working for
|
||||
him. When he realized that one of the agents had been in
|
||||
contact with the melon vendor, he knew that Popplewick could
|
||||
and would identify the warpwefter if pressured.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp had grown to enjoy his daily chats with the melon
|
||||
vendor. Popplewick was a kind, determined man. A refugee from
|
||||
the Cinderlands, his family came to Vay’Nullar following the
|
||||
Artifice Wars when he was just a boy. He grew up poor, and
|
||||
often relied on the generosity of others. But eventually he
|
||||
was able to support himself and his small family. He was proud
|
||||
of the life he had built.</p>
|
||||
<p>So Gliftwirp took no pleasure in what came next. Late one
|
||||
night when Popplewick was on his way home from the market, the
|
||||
assassin slipped a bag over his head and dragged him into a
|
||||
dark alley. He cinched the bag tight, cutting off his air.
|
||||
There was a brief struggle before Popplewick passed out and
|
||||
Gliftwirp lowered him down to the ground. He held him there,
|
||||
unconscious and not breathing, until he was gone. In only took
|
||||
but a moment. And then Gliftwirp stood up and left.</p>
|
||||
<p>Now at the funeral, the mourners leave one by one. Until
|
||||
only the widow is left, cradling a small sleeping child to her
|
||||
chest. “Oh, Pepo,” she whispers to the headstone. “What can I
|
||||
do now?”</p>
|
||||
<p>When she leaves, she does not return to the main path. She
|
||||
meanders slowly as though in a daze toward the back of the
|
||||
graveyard and down the hill. She steps into the wood. A flash
|
||||
of red follows her at a distance.</p>
|
||||
<p>She kneels on the banks of the forest river and sets the
|
||||
child down on wide flat rock. It is awake now and looks up at
|
||||
her with solemn eyes. “I am sorry, made-of-me,” she says to
|
||||
the child. And that is all the explanation it gets.</p>
|
||||
<p>She stands and turns and walks away. The child watches her
|
||||
go.</p>
|
||||
<p>When she has been gone for some minutes, Gliftwirp steps
|
||||
out of the shadows and crouches down beside the child. It
|
||||
looks up and reaches for him. “Look at you,” he says to the
|
||||
child as he scoops it up. “Who would throw you away? A
|
||||
perfectly good baby!” He stands and bounces the child. “A
|
||||
sweet little melon rind is what you are. Ha! Very well. Come,
|
||||
Rind, we have work to do.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The assassin, child in his arms, walks back toward the
|
||||
city.</p>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<p>In the aftermath, Agent 5 is found down by the docks. They
|
||||
clearly struggled in death. The assassin blamed him for
|
||||
Popplewick’s death and the widow’s weakness.</p>
|
||||
<p>Down in the sewers, two tiny mittened hands reach up and
|
||||
awkwardly turn the doorknob to Alex’s hideout. The bolt clears
|
||||
the latch with a faint click. Two tiny cloth hands struggle
|
||||
against the heavy iron door, pushing it slowly open, inch by
|
||||
inch. A mechanism clicks inside and there is a whoosh of air
|
||||
and then a boom as the bunker violently ignites. The tiny
|
||||
figure is incinerated, and blown back into the sewer
|
||||
tunnel.</p>
|
||||
<p>Gliftwirp steps forward into the light of the blaze and
|
||||
crouches down by the tiny figure. He picks it up, a tattered
|
||||
and burned bundle of cloth. “Look, Rind,” he says to the small
|
||||
child standing at his elbow. “You must always acknowledge and
|
||||
be grateful for those who sacrifice for you.” He starts to
|
||||
untie and unfold the cloth puppet as he speaks. It unfurls and
|
||||
smooths out and stitches itself back together under his touch.
|
||||
Even the burn marks fade, and soon Gliftwirp is once again
|
||||
holding his red sash.</p>
|
||||
<p>“Now, Rind,” he says standing up and taking the child’s
|
||||
hand, squinting into the fire. “Let’s see what we can salvage
|
||||
here.”</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li>The time of the ritual is at hand.</li>
|
||||
<li>What final preparations do you make before entering
|
||||
Dreamspace?</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
]]>
|
||||
</description>
|
||||
</item>
|
||||
<item>
|
||||
<title>55</title>
|
||||
<author>dozens@tilde.team (dozens)</author>
|
||||
|
|
|
@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ Master</a></li>
|
|||
<li><a href="#00055" id="toc-00055">00055</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00056" id="toc-00056">00056</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00057" id="toc-00057">00057</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#00058" id="toc-00058">00058</a></li>
|
||||
</ul></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#bestiary" id="toc-bestiary">Bestiary</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="#geography" id="toc-geography">Geography</a></li>
|
||||
|
@ -357,11 +358,11 @@ Teale</a></li>
|
|||
</ul>
|
||||
</nav>
|
||||
<h2 id="stats">Stats</h2>
|
||||
<p>Total length: 75661 words / 323 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
|
||||
<p>Total length: 77599 words / 331 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the
|
||||
length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not
|
||||
just the story.)</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been 202 messages posted over 192 days since the first
|
||||
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.05.</p>
|
||||
<p>There have been 206 messages posted over 200 days since the first
|
||||
post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.03.</p>
|
||||
<h2 id="about">About</h2>
|
||||
<p>This is a game that me and the kids in the basement are playing over
|
||||
email.</p>
|
||||
|
@ -6839,6 +6840,202 @@ squinting into the fire. “Let’s see what we can salvage here.”</p>
|
|||
<li>The time of the ritual is at hand.</li>
|
||||
<li>What final preparations do you make before entering Dreamspace?</li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h3 id="00058">00058</h3>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p><em>(A week prior)</em></p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary collected the stack of papers that had accumulated at
|
||||
one corner of the desk. “This might help,” she said, setting down a
|
||||
bundle of herbs with white and pink flowers in place of the papers.</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky stared at the blooms, hands stilled over the owl’s plumage. “Oh!
|
||||
Thanks. Good thinking, really. It’ll help make the stench more bearable
|
||||
when they find the remains.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The grey elf was confused for a moment, then mortified as the words
|
||||
sank in. “That’s not what I meant! It’s for the circle,” she
|
||||
clarified.</p>
|
||||
<p>Seeing the imp’s preoccupied nod, she coughed lightly to regain their
|
||||
attention, then spoke in a hushed voice. “Beaker’s associates have
|
||||
picked up the empanada shop proprietor and transported him to an
|
||||
undisclosed location. There will be a retinue with him at all
|
||||
times.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky seemed to visibly pull themselves back to the room before
|
||||
responding, “Thank you, Salvia. One more thing — if I do not return by
|
||||
the indicated time, please activate the hitsuzen protocol. As
|
||||
precaution.”</p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary looked at Inky in concern. “Is everything all right? If
|
||||
you’re still troubled by the hotelier, accidents happen. A single
|
||||
incident—”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Third. An unidentified man was attacked at the docks. He was
|
||||
probably sent to investigate the melon vendor. One of the other stall
|
||||
owners heard him asking questions shortly after the melon vendor
|
||||
disappeared.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Salvia’s violet eyes narrowed. “What, the fruit vendor? Didn’t the
|
||||
tabloids say it was an accident? He tried to get rid of a neighbor’s
|
||||
nest of snakes.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky only raised an eyebrow at her.</p>
|
||||
<p>The secretary let out a low curse. “You didn’t tell her. You didn’t
|
||||
want her to worry,” she said aloud in realization. She sighed. “She’s
|
||||
going to be pretty angry with you when she finds out, you know.”</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky offered her a sardonic smile. “Making people angry is my job.
|
||||
You of all people know this well. In the event of my timely demise I’m
|
||||
sure the others would find it cause for a grand celebration.” They
|
||||
replied matter-of-factly before returning to smoothing the feathers of
|
||||
one bird wing.</p>
|
||||
<p>Salvia shook her head vehemently. “That’s not true. You’ll make it
|
||||
back, Ink. What then—”</p>
|
||||
<p>“Then our fair Lady’s ire would be the least of the problems.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex stared morosely into his cup of coffee. He’d received word of
|
||||
agent 5’s demise that morning, and had been the only thing on his mind
|
||||
since. 5, no Be’tram knew the risks, we all knew the risks defying HQ
|
||||
brought, but to happen so suddenly? He’d snuck down to the wharf once
|
||||
he’d heard, making sure to cover his tracks and dodge any potential
|
||||
witnesses. He even managed to slip past the police cordon they’d setup
|
||||
around the body. What he’d found wasn’t pretty, it looked like Be’Tram
|
||||
had suffered in his final moments. The bruising around his neck pointed
|
||||
to strangulation, with some sort of cloth, perhaps a rope. The bruising
|
||||
was deep, and there wasn’t a cut, burn, shot or something of the likes
|
||||
on his otherwise.</p>
|
||||
<p>The kill had been intimate.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex had worked quickly that night, popping Be’Tram’s eye had been
|
||||
hard, but he’d of wanted Alex to have it. Behind his right eye was a
|
||||
recording device, it could only catch the last 15m or so of what he had
|
||||
seen, but it would give him a clear look at what had happened. And
|
||||
potentially lead Alex to the killer. Miserable business, but Be’Tram
|
||||
knew it could make a difference.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex had planted a bomb on the body after he had extracted the eye,
|
||||
and made his way well away from the area before it went off obliterating
|
||||
the remains. A regrettable end for an old friend, but it was too
|
||||
dangerous to leave.</p>
|
||||
<p>And then there was the matter of the zabbix alert, a little purple
|
||||
red critical for the sewer hideout. He’d had time to send out a drone
|
||||
beetle. The smoldering slag that was left was reassuring. Most of the
|
||||
equipment was utterly destroyed, racks upon racks of servers reduced to
|
||||
twisted melted metal. The effectively of the destruction was delightful,
|
||||
in a sick sort of desperate way. Alex felt assured that most if not all
|
||||
of the equipment was useless, but this spelled the end of a valuable
|
||||
listening outpost. And whoever had done it wasn’t part of the slag
|
||||
pile.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stood up, his coffee untouched. The cafe around his burbled in
|
||||
quiet excitement. The city had lit up since the Melon vendor’s death. A
|
||||
thousand rumors abounded about it, but none of them held true; some said
|
||||
the city had become dangerous, a crime syndicate had arisen in the
|
||||
neighboring city block another thought, and did you hear about the
|
||||
explosion at the wharf the other night, the city was electric, yet
|
||||
somehow ever so slightly off the pulse of the issue.</p>
|
||||
<p>As Alex stepped away a woman with horn rimmed glasses strode past the
|
||||
table he had just abandoned, deftly pulling the note from beneath the
|
||||
coffee cup, left for her.</p>
|
||||
<pre><code>4 -> 3
|
||||
Daylight breaks on the morrow
|
||||
The suns rays make chase
|
||||
casting soft cloth
|
||||
across the nap of nature's neck
|
||||
|
||||
So, night relents and gives way
|
||||
biding time until
|
||||
it can rule
|
||||
in its own domain</code></pre>
|
||||
<p>For the passerby, it was but a bit of poetry, scribbled carelessly on
|
||||
the back of a napkin in a coffee near the wharf. But for Agent 3 it was
|
||||
a warning, one part notes on Agent 5s demise recovered from his eyecam,
|
||||
one part orders; stay low and we’ll strike these bastards from the
|
||||
shadows, on our terms, on our ground. Similar missives were delivered to
|
||||
Agents 6 & 7. The numbers were dwindling rapidly, even just one
|
||||
agent lost was hard to stomach.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex hand gripped the pistol in his coat pocket with a white knuckled
|
||||
grip as he stepped from the coffee shop into the city. Whatever was
|
||||
after him, whatever had gotten to Be’Tram, it had better know he was
|
||||
coming, and he’d happily send it straight to hell. HQ be damned, the
|
||||
rules be damned, this little game of cat and mouse had just gotten
|
||||
personal.</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>~</p>
|
||||
<blockquote>
|
||||
<p>Alex, Inky, Confidence, Bread, and Agent 7 find themselves in a dark
|
||||
backroom in a secluded corner of an old fish processing plant on the
|
||||
wharf. The accommodations are rough, and the stench is abhorrent, but
|
||||
it’s the best that could be procured in a pinch. And it should provide
|
||||
enough seclusion.</p>
|
||||
<p>The backroom is like that of many factories, high up near the
|
||||
ceiling, a single rusty rickety staircase winds its way along the side
|
||||
of the building for what seems to be 3 flights, before it reaches a
|
||||
metal room with dusty grimy windows, and a single steel door. The
|
||||
windows on the interior overlook the fish processing plant, where rows
|
||||
of belts and machinery stand still, covered in dust and long forgotten
|
||||
blood. You’re glad to know that the factory stopped operating years ago,
|
||||
hygiene is lacking in every sense.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex stares forlornly out the exterior windows, the sky is a grey
|
||||
overcast, it matches his mood perfectly. He didn’t like what him and
|
||||
Inky were about to do, but they didn’t have much they could do about it.
|
||||
They would be vulnerable for the duration of the ritual. But Agent 7 and
|
||||
Confidence were there to help mitigate that risk. Alex and Agent 7 had
|
||||
taken every precaution they could think of.</p>
|
||||
<p>The plant floor was scattered with booby traps, trip wires, and
|
||||
alarms. The other agents were laying low, but kept drones around the
|
||||
wharf feeding in a network of twtxt data back to Agent 7 for recon. And
|
||||
that was on top of the double barred steel doors, and reinforced glass
|
||||
box they’d chosen as their hide out. Meticulously planned, Alex expected
|
||||
no less from Agent 7.</p>
|
||||
<p>See Marvelo had been at this as long as Alex had, and then some. He
|
||||
was sharp as a tack, with an animal-like third sense that came from
|
||||
years of close calls. He was, simply put, the right man for the job,
|
||||
when that job was keeping your unconscious ass alive.</p>
|
||||
<p>Alex turns away from the window and addresses Inky. “Apologies for
|
||||
the smell, it turns out there’s a strong correlation between disgust and
|
||||
seclusion, but I believe we should at least be safe here. Safer than we
|
||||
would have been back home. I’m ready if you are, as ready as I’ll ever
|
||||
be that is.”</p>
|
||||
</blockquote>
|
||||
<p>The Golden Iris have summoned you to appear at the Harpoon Club this
|
||||
evening. But the Harpoon Club is nowhere to be found on this plane of
|
||||
existence. It won’t appear until a week and a half from now, on the last
|
||||
day of the month.</p>
|
||||
<p>Confidence the Guide has predicted exactly where the Wandering Bazaar
|
||||
will be on that day. With a small bucket of red paint and a large brush,
|
||||
he has drawn a Linking Sigil on the ground at the location. He sits
|
||||
nearby, making sure careless passersby and mischievous kids don’t
|
||||
disturb it, but otherwise letting the sigil absorb the energies of the
|
||||
bustle of shopping and commerce.</p>
|
||||
<p>At the fish market, Marvelo is posted outside. He keeps vigilant
|
||||
watch, alert to every movement and disturbance.</p>
|
||||
<p>And inside, Bread, Inky, Fuko, and Alex are huddled up in the office
|
||||
in the back near the ceiling. They all sit inside a dark circle that has
|
||||
been smudged on the floor with a paste made of ash and salt. Painted on
|
||||
the ground is a second Linking Sigil, connecting this spot to
|
||||
Confidence’s, allowing the energies of the two locations to co-mingle.
|
||||
There is also the Dream Sigil, which will connect this place to the
|
||||
Dreaming.</p>
|
||||
<p>Bread the Host is propped up on some pillows and cushions in the
|
||||
center of the circle, next to the Nyxmaer. The candle is alleged to be
|
||||
made of the flesh and fat of a certain nightmare. Its hand and eye bound
|
||||
in the wax. The Dream Sigil is the door, but the Nyxmaer is the key. The
|
||||
catalyst that will cause all of the otherwise inert metaphysical
|
||||
particles to become volatile and reactive. It is what will allow you to
|
||||
actually pass over and arrive on the shores of the Sea of Dreams.</p>
|
||||
<p>Per the shop witch’s instructions, the Nyxmaer has been placed on a
|
||||
thin, hard tin plate. As the candle burns, the wax will soften and
|
||||
eventually allow the large metal nail in its side to fall. When it
|
||||
strikes the plate, you will awaken, exiting the Dreaming. You expect
|
||||
hours may pass in the realm of sleep. But only about thirty minutes will
|
||||
pass here.</p>
|
||||
<p>Inky and Alex sit inside the circle, near the perimeter, facing Bread
|
||||
in the center. Fuko the owl sits at Inky’s side.</p>
|
||||
<p>It is dim. You are illuminated by mundane, non-magical candles set
|
||||
around the edges of the circle. Outside, a steady rain beats on the roof
|
||||
and the windows of the building. The smell of fish is faint but
|
||||
ever-present. A constant reminder of the small creatures that have left
|
||||
their bodies in a fashion far more permanent and irreversible than the
|
||||
separation of spirit and body you are about to experience. You hope.</p>
|
||||
<p>WHAT DO YOU DO</p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><p>How do you induce a deep and powerful slumber in Bread?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What shape or form will you take when you arrive in the
|
||||
Dreaming?</p></li>
|
||||
<li><p>What are you secretly worried or hopeful about being exposed in
|
||||
the dreamland, the realm of metaphor?</p></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
<h2 id="bestiary">Bestiary</h2>
|
||||
<p>Some of the creatures who inhabit the world of Basmentaria</p>
|
||||
<dt>
|
||||
|
@ -7236,7 +7433,8 @@ embers.</p>
|
|||
</summary>
|
||||
<p><strong>THREADS</strong></p>
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li>scissormen, huskies, dreamforms, gliftwirp the warpwefter</li>
|
||||
<li>scissormen, huskies, dreamforms, gliftwirp the warpwefter,
|
||||
Ephermeris</li>
|
||||
<li>Lady in Red ??? Tess, Piskin, Salvia ; Beaker (and Cio) trailing the
|
||||
BANDits?</li>
|
||||
<li>Benefactor wants Crystals to kill a god</li>
|
||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue