Total length: 89395 words / 382 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the +
Total length: 90664 words / 387 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not just the story.)
-There have been 238 messages posted over 233 days since the first +
There have been 243 messages posted over 238 days since the first post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.02.
This is the first installment of BASEMENT QUEST.
@@ -7532,6 +7533,133 @@ hands into his mouth. Marvelo’s muffled screams become pitiful whimpers as the creature pulls out teeth by the handful and crams them into its own mouth.WHAT DO YOU DO?
+++Alex scrambles up from the pile of blankets and pilows kicking things +away from him in haste as he grabs at his shoulder holster, pulling out +a sleek looking m1911 pistol.
+“Marvelo! Hang on mate I’ve got you!” Alex yells as he empties a clip +into the side of the creature. click click “Fuck out.” +Alex pulls the clip from the pistol and chucks it at the creature “Hey +you ugly fuck! Right here, I’m right the fuck here!” Alex shouts as he +slams another clip into the reciever and starts to fire away at the +creature.
+Despite the yelling and flurry of lead Alex delivered to it the +creature continued it’s macabre dental work. Marvelo’s whimpers and +groans of pain becoming gradually fainter as life leaves his body.
+“Goddamit!” Alex yells in desperation. Another death on his hands, +another agent lost on his watch. Another member of HIS team gone. This +job never gets easier.
+Alex continues to fire away at the creature as he attempts to +formulate a plan.
+“Inky, look, I don’t know what the hell that is. But it’s intent on +tearing us to pieces insofar as I can tell. Marvelo and I rigged the +entire goddamn building to blow though, just in case shit went to hell. +Unless you’ve got a better idea I’ll tackle the goddamn thing and try +and keep it distracted long enough for you to bug the hell out, +preferably through the window if you can stomach it. And then I’ll level +the place on top of it” Alex grimaces as he pulls a detonator from his +pocket and shows it to Inky.
+“If you have any better ideas I am ALL ears. Not sure if I can really +pull this one off and get out unscathed..”
+
~
+ +++Inky stares at the creature in their midst in all its exquisitely +monstrous glory for a brief moment that seems much longer amid the +creature’s ear-splitting screeches. Eventually coming to, Inky turns to +check the birdhouse. More specifically, the pattern of circles next to +the doors. Through the dim red glow, they could make out three circles +alternating between dark and light. The door had been bolted from the +inside, the interior was empty and the secure drop back to the lab had +been triggered. Fuko had already left then.
+Suddenly recalling the witch’s warning, Inky yells, “Bread! Run! +We’ll catch up later!” They grab the bouquet of dried herbs from the +floor and spring to their feet, walking stick in hand, and dash towards +the Nyxmaer candle. On the way they drop the bouquet into an unlit +brazier that stood off to one side, only pausing briefly to strike a +match and toss it through the opening.
+Between the loud bangs of gunfire and muffled screams, they bring the +steel-reinforced stick down hard on the mummified hand and eye several +times quickly. Pushing the remains off the tin plate with the walking +stick then tucking the stick under one arm at the handle, they run a +kitchen knife through the eye and hand with both gloved hands into the +wooden surface beneath.
+The flowery scents of sage, thyme and rosemary permeate the +room.[1]
+Looking over to the sysorcerer when he spoke but still keeping the +creature within their line of sight, Inky replies, “No, Master Alex. You +have a team to lead and an uncle to rescue. Allow me to do the +demolition honours. Go grab Marvelo and run. Here,” they toss a small +packet of pain relievers in powdered form wrapped in wax paper from +their first-aid kit, along with a small cheesecloth pouch filled with +nilgiri tea leaves — still sopping wet from the flask of iced tea in +which it had been steeped — to Master Alex. “This should help with the +bleeding, just watch out for shock.”
+They smile at the sysorcerer. “All dreams end eventually, as do +nightmares. And what is darkness without light?” While speaking, they +drop a bundle of twigs and sweet grass[2] on top of the candle remains +that still sat on the thick wooden slab of a rusty metal office desk. +They pour a flask of a clear liquid over it. The pile suddenly erupts +like a bonfire over a pyre, throwing shadows on the walls that dance and +lick away with the crackling flames.
+[1] It is said the ancients began the practice of burning sage to +ward off evil or cleanse negative energies, thyme to induce courage and +guard against nightmares, and rosemary to clear and focus the mind.
+[2] The elder aunties commonly use sweet grass for purification, such +as when helping their young relatives move into a new home for the first +time with a housewarming ritual.
+
~
+++Alex glances at Inky as he takes the offered medicines, “only use +that as a last resort, got it? We’ve got a couple of innocents in here +too, hard to keep track of with that big ass monster in here.”
+Alex continues laying down covering fire as he advances on the +monster. He casts a glance over his shoulder to see Inky begin smashing +the eye and hand that were embedded in the candle. “Strange, but I guess +it makes about as much sense as the rest of this situation.”
+Alex lunges forward, teeth gritted, as he tackles the monster pushing +it off of Marvelo. He struggles with it, attempting to blast the eye of +the beast with his pistol.
+
Alex rains bullets down on the nightmare until he finally gets its +attention. It turns from its bloody work and glares at him with its +single emerald eye, teeth dribbling from the tiny face in the middle of +its oversized, bulbous head. There is a grinding noise like rocks in a +tumbler as it tries to roar at you around a mouthful of loose +molars.
+From its crouch over Marvelo, it leaps high into the air and spreads +its limbs, pulling its wings taut and gliding through the air.
+It lands on the ceiling, digging in with its hind claws, reaching +down and swinging at Alex from behind.
+Bread staggers out of the sleeping circle looking exactly as hungover +as somebody who has had several interlopers gallivanting around inside +their head. They swing a bardiche and bury the blade between its +shoulders, striking bone so hard that it rips the weapon from the +toque’s hands.
+The Nyxmaer squeals and falls to the floor, spilling a few more teeth +when it hits. It knocks Bread aside and frantically scrabbles after the +loose teeth, scooping them up and cramming them back in its mouth.
+Just then Inky stabs the artifacts and the creature clutches its head +and falls in a heap at Alex’s feet.
+It howls and writhes, and looks at Alex with a dazed look. He raises +his gun and fires directly into the nightmare’s eye.
+The eye shatters like glass and a howling, screaming, putrid wind +screams from the wound, rising and filling the room. The nightmare seems +to deflate and pool at Alex’s feet.
+Its flesh sloughs off, revealing Rind and the marketing manager in +the center of its torso, and leaving them in an unconscious pile.
+Marvelo babbles incoherently where he lies, wide-eyed and in shock, +his jaw hideously broken.
+The hemogoblin hops over and gently pats Rind and the duck on their +faces.
+Gliftwrip is the only one still asleep, face down in the pillows in +the center of the circle.
+A malevolent force rides the still howling wind and hovers screaming +up near the ceiling of the fish market.
+WHAT DO YOU DO?
I don’t know what I’m going to put here, but I didn’t want this
document to just abruptly end. So here you go: a kind farewell and a
diff --git a/www/rss.xml b/www/rss.xml
index 1c0a09e..8d926a3 100644
--- a/www/rss.xml
+++ b/www/rss.xml
@@ -6,202 +6,110 @@
https://tilde.town/~dozens/quest/rss.xml
Alex takes inventory of himself, this dream world is
- definitely strange, but fortunately its decided to provide him
- with his impecable fashion, trench coat and all. Unfortunately
- the same can’t be said for his roguish good looks, as he’s
- found himself 6 arms heavier, and a bit more octopus-y than he
- remembers. Nontheless this doesn’t appear to be much of an impediment,
- and he promptly moves on with assessing the situation. “Acorns? No, I don’t think so. I’m afraid octopus’ are
- terrible at fetching acrons, and at any rate, I have a
- dreadfully important meeting across town.” turning to address
- Inky, “We need to make a break for it, what’d the witch tell
- you? Envision our goal or something? This is really a little
- outside of my realm of mechanical magic expertise..
- unless..” Alex makes a gesture with his tentacles in the area and a
- terminal prompt appears before him. His tentacles work at
- blinding speed at the digital window, a quick bypass there, a
- root access escalation there. “Looks like this whole place runs on Linux, it’s an older
- kernel, about 2.6 or so, but it checks out. Easy to exploit as
- needed. Here I’m giving us sudo access, should we need
- it.” “Oh and squirrel, here’s your acorns” One moment, Inky is half-asleep on their feet in the middle
+ of Branch Avenue. In the next, they are reclining in a banana
+ boat that resembles a canoe painted with long stripes of
+ yellow and white with deep brown swipes. The s’more interior
+ padding is soft, yet with the suppleness of fruit leather. A
+ few round, matching brown mini-cushions are strewn across the
+ boat interior. Also in the boat are two silver spoon paddles,
+ more for looks than cooks. They don’t know where the boat came from. Things just
+ appear. Like that Red Squirrel. Inky moves to holler a
+ greeting, but instead recites: It takes Alectopus a couple tries, but he gets it. First he
- corrects ‘acron’ to ‘acorn’. Then he moves all the acorns to
- the chipmunk instead of to the squirrel. Hundreds of acorns appear at the chipmunk’s feet. It
- squeals in delight. In the distance, far below you, you hear the anguished yell
- of what can only be a Red Squirrel whose giant stash of acorns
- has just vanished. The chipmunk rubs its hands together gleefully and starts
- scooping up acorns by the armful and shoving them into its
- mouth by the dozen. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” it
- says around a mouthful of nuts. “Here…” It tosses you a large
- square silver coin with a round hole drilled in the center. On
- one side is the number twenty-one next to a picture of a
- curved, short-handled sickle. On the other side is the number
- five and a picture of a flail. “A Twenty-One Fiver! Sorry, you deserve more, but it’s all
- I have,” it apologizes as it scampers off, no doubt to hide
- its nuts. Hopefully somewhere more secure this time. If you hold the coin up to your eye and peer through the
- hole, you see the dreamscape before you as though looking
- through a cloudy film. All the same stuff is there, but it’s
- hazy and shadowy. Standing a fair distance from you on the branch, just out
- of hailing distance, is a tall figure cloaked in black robes.
- Dark shadows pool restlessly around its feet. Occasionally the
- shadows leap up and take the form of demons the like of which
- words cannot describe, before falling and returning to shadow
- once more. The figure wears a large spherical helmet of
- obsidian-like glass. You can see constant flashes of a rainbow
- of colors crackle and splinter along the inside of the helmet
- like lightning, but illuminating nothing within. You feel
- sickened at the sight, but at the edge of your mind you feels
- a tug, a familiarity. Something about this character is
- familiar to you, but you cannot place it. When you lower the coin, the figure and the dark landscape
- both disappear. When you raise it again, the distorted
- landscape reappears but the figure is gone. You notice a pair of large ravens watching you rather
- intently from the branches below. WHAT DO YOU DO ~ “Greetings, Great One.” Inky bows, back parallel to the
- ground while they stand on the branch, now a humanoid child in
- a black uniform and matching bookbag hanging under one arm.
- The banana boat is nowhere in sight. Fuko follows her errant
- charge and the cloaked figure from a nearby branch. “This lowly one wonders if they may be permitted to seek
- the Great Spirit’s insight, whose wisdom endures before and
- beyond.” Inky begins, staring down the blurry reflection of
- silver boughs overhead on the polished toes of their black
- shoes. They notice idly they do not see themselves in the
- reflection. Straightening from the bow, they look up at the figure and
- hold out a plate of taiyaki. After a moment, the child asks
- haltingly, “There may come a day when this one will be asked
- to choose between the chance to protect many and that which
- they desire to protect most. Should this one choose equally?
- Will the choice matter if both paths eventually lead to
- destruction? Could destruction and salvation be two sides of
- the same coin?” While Inky boards her banana boat and recites poetry to the
+ maddened squirrel, Alex springs to action leaping blithely
+ from the branch towards the squirrel. Beneath him manifests a
+ cockpit, sleek and futuristic. Around this materializes a
+ large robotic weapon, octopus-oid in shape. The many tentacles
+ bristle with weapons both fearsome and deadly. Alex grabs the controls, in one tentacle he latches onto
+ the banana boat, that way he won’t accidentally get separated
+ from Inky. With the other seven a series of feathers appear in
+ every brilliant hue. The tentacle attached to the boat unfurls
+ allowing Alex to draw closer to the squirrel. As the gap
+ closes the most intense tickle fight the dream world has ever
+ seen ensues, bringing joyous laughter to the faces of
+ many. “Inky, if we need to get out of here, just jet it! That
+ tentacle will yank the control pod and me with it!” You and the Dude are sitting in small upholstered chairs,
- across a small half table from each other. There is a large
- sticky bun on a white lacy doily on the table. Next to you is
- a small portal-sized window, and outside you can see green
- rolling hills and small copses of trees fly by. The other
- seats on the small train car are all empty. The two of you are
- alone. “I cannot give you advice,” the Dude says. “But I can offer
- you experience.” They raise a hand and hold a loosely closed fist out over
- the table. The walls of the train become fuzzy and blurry,
- then translucent, and finally transparent. They disappear and
- you have the sensation of rocketing through space at dizzying
- speeds. The track splits ahead you. To one side, bound to one track
- is that which you desire to protect most. Bound to the other
- are the many. “You can choose safely here. It’s just a dream, after all.”
- The Dude opens their fist. The Twenty-one Fiver coin rests in
- their palm. “Heads, you steer the train into the many, sparing
- that which you love most. Tails, the opposite. You spare the
- many, and sacrifice that which you hold dear.” They hold the
- coin out to you. The train barrels toward the fork. “But choose quickly,
- lest the choice be made for you.” Alex scrambles from the wreckage of his mech, or what
- remained from the gore portal he’d just experienced. The
- thought of what had occurred made him grimace, which was an
- unusual state of affairs for an octopus, that is until Alex
- realized he seemed to be back in his own body. “Sunset, or perhaps rise? It’s hard to tell. Pretty
- though.. could be prettier without the creepy knife dude.”
- Alex mutters to himself while he rummages through the
- destroyed cockpit of the mech. He makes quick work, detaches a
- side panel, pulls a couple of wires, and a compartment in the
- back opens revealing the smooth dark blue metal and wood grain
- of an ak74u sub machine gun. Amused Alex pulls the weapon from
- the compartment and notices a distinct lack of additional
- magazines, just the one large drum attached to the weapon with
- large red letters emblazoned on it [INFINITE AMMO].
- “Neat.” Alex pulls himself from the wreck, and jumps down behind
- one of the fallen tentacles taking a firing position behind
- cover, ak74u aimed down range at the faceless figure. “I don’t know who you are, but I don’t trust anyone who
- approaches with a weapon. Let’s both stand down and talk this
- through! I’m not supposed to be here, and I reckon you don’t
- want me here either. I’d be happy to oblige and skidaddle if
- you’d be so kind as to point the way out!” Alex pauses waiting
- for a reply. The tall figure halts a short distance away. It raises a
- hand and waves. In greeting? Surrender? In a fluid motion it
- continues to lift the same hand and grabs a hold of its trunk,
- a little less than a foot from the tip. It squeezes its fist
- tightly and the tip begins to swell. It raises its other hand,
- and the knife, and starts to saw into the flesh of the trunk
- behind its fist. The blade cuts cleanly as though through a
- loaf of bread. There is no blood or gore. When the creature lowers its hand, you can see that the
- center of the trunk is a solid, bright pink fleshy material
- like a grapefruit, in the center of which are two pin-prick
- eyes and a wide thin gash of a mouth. It still holds the tip of its severed trunk in its hand, a
- thin stalk and a bulging cap looking for all the world like a
- large white button mushroom. Peering up from the stem of the
- mushroom, an identical pink face regards you stoically. Both faces speak at the exact same time, one high pitched
- and one a deep baritone. “Welcome, Dreamer, to Ousia, the Sea
- of Dreams. We are Kasutva.” Big Kasutva stoops down to set the small mushroom Kasutva
- down on the ground. If they’re both Kasutva, that is. If
- that’s the way their biology and sense of self actually works.
- Mushroom Kasutva wobbles side to side a little bit and waggles
- its stalk as it looks around. Big Kasutva places its knife
- back in its satchel and takes a few small steps closer to
- you. “We did not mean to offend you,” the two say, still
- perfectly in sync. “As for the way out, that depends only
- somewhat on your destination. Whatever the answer, we can
- assure you that it lies across the sea.” Large Kasutva
- gestures broadly toward the expanse of ocean. Small Kasutva
- lacks any limbs and cannot gesture, but smiles softly at
- you. “But tell us what it is you seek. Perhaps we can be of
- help.” Alex basically becomes a Mech pilot, and confronts the Red
+ Squirrel head on with the Octopod. You engage in the tickle fight to end all tickle
+ fights! Its eight arms are more than a match for the squirrels
+ eight legs. You have the advantage of reach, entanglement, and
+ sucker pads. It struggles in your grasp, gnashing its terrible
+ teeth, but cannot reach you. Its long tail whips around
+ ineffectively, battering you softly. The agitated squirrel squeals and swells like a red
+ balloon. The mech’s tentacles struggle to contain it. Just as
+ the strain on the machine is about to become unbearable, the
+ rodent violently deflates. It collapses in on itself with such
+ ferocity that it turns itself inside out. The octopod, all
+ tangled up in the collapsing squirrel, is pulled along as it
+ folds in on itself until it becomes a hungry void the size of
+ a marble, floating in space and sucking at the air. Inky watches from the banana boat as Alex and the squirrel
+ disappear from the Silver Forest. The squirrel portal finally
+ closes in on itself, severing the banana boat from the octopus
+ mecha at the last possible second. Inky on this side. Alex on
+ the other. Alex, you and the wreckage of the octopod are vomited out
+ onto a sandy beach. Red mist and vapors dissipate from your
+ entry point. Before you is a vast ocean, lapping lazily at the
+ beach. The shoreline extends endlessly in both directions.
+ Behind you are endless sand dunes. Though there is no sun, the
+ sky seems to hover at sunset, all brilliant, swirling oranges
+ and purples. A lone humanoid figure can be seen standing atop a nearby
+ dune. It is tall. It has legs like a goat or fawn, and a
+ paunchy belly. Its long neck protrudes into a kind of trunk
+ that eventually folds over and hangs down in front of the
+ creature, about chest height. It terminates in a smooth, round
+ nub. No face. It wears a small satchel at its hip, its strap
+ slung over one shoulder and across its chest. Its long arms
+ hand loosely at its sides. Despite the lack of a face and any
+ sensory organs, it seems to be watching you. Slowly, it
+ descends the dune and starts walking toward you. It reaches
+ into its satchel and draws a long, sharp knife as it
+ approaches. Inky, you are in the banana boat in the Silver Forest. The
+ turtle that was a chipmunk has holed up in its shell,
+ effectively just a sticky bun. “You wanted to see me,” intones a slightly muffled voice
+ behind you. A statement, not a question. You turn to see a
+ figure cloaked in shadows and demons. They wear a domed helmet
+ of black obsidian glass, flashes of rainbow colored light
+ crackling along the inside illuminating very little of the
+ smoke-filled interior. “What is it you seek from Dude 215R?” WHAT DO YOU DO “Greetings, Great One.” Inky bows, back parallel to the
+ ground while they stand on the branch, now a humanoid child in
+ a black uniform and matching bookbag hanging under one arm.
+ The banana boat is nowhere in sight. Fuko follows her errant
+ charge and the cloaked figure from a nearby branch. “This lowly one wonders if they may be permitted to seek
+ the Great Spirit’s insight, whose wisdom endures before and
+ beyond.” Inky begins, staring down the blurry reflection of
+ silver boughs overhead on the polished toes of their black
+ shoes. They notice idly they do not see themselves in the
+ reflection. Straightening from the bow, they look up at the figure and
+ hold out a plate of taiyaki. After a moment, the child asks
+ haltingly, “There may come a day when this one will be asked
+ to choose between the chance to protect many and that which
+ they desire to protect most. Should this one choose equally?
+ Will the choice matter if both paths eventually lead to
+ destruction? Could destruction and salvation be two sides of
+ the same coin?” You and the Dude are sitting in small upholstered chairs,
+ across a small half table from each other. There is a large
+ sticky bun on a white lacy doily on the table. Next to you is
+ a small portal-sized window, and outside you can see green
+ rolling hills and small copses of trees fly by. The other
+ seats on the small train car are all empty. The two of you are
+ alone. “I cannot give you advice,” the Dude says. “But I can offer
+ you experience.” They raise a hand and hold a loosely closed fist out over
+ the table. The walls of the train become fuzzy and blurry,
+ then translucent, and finally transparent. They disappear and
+ you have the sensation of rocketing through space at dizzying
+ speeds. The track splits ahead you. To one side, bound to one track
+ is that which you desire to protect most. Bound to the other
+ are the many. “You can choose safely here. It’s just a dream, after all.”
+ The Dude opens their fist. The Twenty-one Fiver coin rests in
+ their palm. “Heads, you steer the train into the many, sparing
+ that which you love most. Tails, the opposite. You spare the
+ many, and sacrifice that which you hold dear.” They hold the
+ coin out to you. The train barrels toward the fork. “But choose quickly,
+ lest the choice be made for you.” Alex scrambles from the wreckage of his mech, or what
+ remained from the gore portal he’d just experienced. The
+ thought of what had occurred made him grimace, which was an
+ unusual state of affairs for an octopus, that is until Alex
+ realized he seemed to be back in his own body. “Sunset, or perhaps rise? It’s hard to tell. Pretty
+ though.. could be prettier without the creepy knife dude.”
+ Alex mutters to himself while he rummages through the
+ destroyed cockpit of the mech. He makes quick work, detaches a
+ side panel, pulls a couple of wires, and a compartment in the
+ back opens revealing the smooth dark blue metal and wood grain
+ of an ak74u sub machine gun. Amused Alex pulls the weapon from
+ the compartment and notices a distinct lack of additional
+ magazines, just the one large drum attached to the weapon with
+ large red letters emblazoned on it [INFINITE AMMO].
+ “Neat.” Alex pulls himself from the wreck, and jumps down behind
+ one of the fallen tentacles taking a firing position behind
+ cover, ak74u aimed down range at the faceless figure. “I don’t know who you are, but I don’t trust anyone who
+ approaches with a weapon. Let’s both stand down and talk this
+ through! I’m not supposed to be here, and I reckon you don’t
+ want me here either. I’d be happy to oblige and skidaddle if
+ you’d be so kind as to point the way out!” Alex pauses waiting
+ for a reply. The tall figure halts a short distance away. It raises a
+ hand and waves. In greeting? Surrender? In a fluid motion it
+ continues to lift the same hand and grabs a hold of its trunk,
+ a little less than a foot from the tip. It squeezes its fist
+ tightly and the tip begins to swell. It raises its other hand,
+ and the knife, and starts to saw into the flesh of the trunk
+ behind its fist. The blade cuts cleanly as though through a
+ loaf of bread. There is no blood or gore. When the creature lowers its hand, you can see that the
+ center of the trunk is a solid, bright pink fleshy material
+ like a grapefruit, in the center of which are two pin-prick
+ eyes and a wide thin gash of a mouth. It still holds the tip of its severed trunk in its hand, a
+ thin stalk and a bulging cap looking for all the world like a
+ large white button mushroom. Peering up from the stem of the
+ mushroom, an identical pink face regards you stoically. Both faces speak at the exact same time, one high pitched
+ and one a deep baritone. “Welcome, Dreamer, to Ousia, the Sea
+ of Dreams. We are Kasutva.” Big Kasutva stoops down to set the small mushroom Kasutva
+ down on the ground. If they’re both Kasutva, that is. If
+ that’s the way their biology and sense of self actually works.
+ Mushroom Kasutva wobbles side to side a little bit and waggles
+ its stalk as it looks around. Big Kasutva places its knife
+ back in its satchel and takes a few small steps closer to
+ you. “We did not mean to offend you,” the two say, still
+ perfectly in sync. “As for the way out, that depends only
+ somewhat on your destination. Whatever the answer, we can
+ assure you that it lies across the sea.” Large Kasutva
+ gestures broadly toward the expanse of ocean. Small Kasutva
+ lacks any limbs and cannot gesture, but smiles softly at
+ you. “But tell us what it is you seek. Perhaps we can be of
+ help.” WHAT DO YOU DO In the fish market, the dreamers continue to sleep soundly
+ through the ringing claxon alarms with nothing but maybe the
+ twitch of a finger to indicate that they hear anything at
+ all. During the commotion with Marvelo and Gliftwirp, nobody but
+ Rind noticed the thick rusty nail in the side of the candle
+ wiggle its way out of the soft wax and clatter onto the plate
+ at the base of the candle, the ringing of tin masked by the
+ ringing of the claxon alarm. Still the dreamers sleep. Rind watches as the candle burns dangerously low. The
+ mummified hand of the Nyxmaer in the base of the candle starts
+ to wriggle, struggle, and strain against the softening wax. It
+ stretches and reaches for the eye in the center of the
+ candle. Rind continues to soothe the duck and stroke its feathers.
+ The child looks at the space where Gliftwirp and the
+ hemogoblin stumbled into the circle, smudging the line of salt
+ and ash, breaking the circle and severing its continuity.
+ Making a small space for something to get in. Or out. “Yo! Little cavatappi dude, where the hell are we?!” Alex’s
+ eyes scan the room rapidly. There’s no water, aside from what
+ he dragged in with his abrupt departure from the pier. The
+ dark sky stretches into the nothingness of the void. Asthe
+ robed figure begins speaks Alex takes note of his
+ situation. ‘Nowhere to hide, zero cover. A whole lot of nothing
+ actually. It’s one thing after another with this dream
+ thing.’ As the figure finishes his address Alex nods politely.
+ “I’ll be honest my guy, I haven’t the foggiest what you’re
+ talking about. Looks to me you’ve got the whole sword thing,
+ all I’ve got is my trusty AK. I guess back top side, in umm I
+ guess the real world, I did find a wonky dagger my uncle tried
+ to hide. But I’m pretty sure that got eaten by a cute little
+ hemogoblin while I was busy murdering ghost pirates. Anyways
+ more to the point, I’m not quite sure I follow.” Alex pauses briefly and then continues, “You say you need
+ to get out of here? Now that part I follow, me the hell too. I
+ just got attacked by some freaky sadist mushroom that called
+ itself katsuva. Cut its head clean off just so it could try
+ and chuck me in the drink. Right unpleasant fella, but I think
+ I lost him when, well, I got here, wherever that is.” “Now I don’t know much, but I’m not much for trust after
+ getting attacked by a talking mushroom monster. So if you’ll
+ excuse me, I reckon the exit is right about that way (Alex
+ jabs his finger over his back away from the figure), and I’m
+ inclined to head out unless you know a better way.” You weren’t in the kobit caves with the rest of Retrieval
+ Team 43, so you didn’t see the reliefs. But every Basmentarian
+ is familiar with the iconography of the Trine. This figure is
+ dressed in the traditional rainments of Neddas, god of sages
+ and starlight. Furthermore you recognize them from your dreams
+ in the Milk Market. Kasutva the small mushroom meeps and hides behind your
+ leg. “You know, we each of us loved you in our own way,” Neddas
+ says. “But of the three of us, I alone gave away pieces of my
+ divinity. I wanted to see you thrive and grow strong. “You’ve already found several pieces of my essence.
+ Coin in the treasure hoard below the earth.
+ Mirth in the shipwreck under the sea. And
+ lore in the clouds atop Kelsun Peak. “And of course you found justice,” they say,
+ looking at the sword. “This one got a little weird.” The
+ frown. “Became a little sentient, didn’t it?” They press the
+ blade of the sword to their chest and absorb it into their
+ being. They sigh happily. “You have found enough of my essence that I am able to
+ start to materialize again. Not quite in Basmentaria yet. But
+ here, a little bit. “There are still two more pieces out there. If you can
+ reunite all five crystals, I will be able to cross over into
+ Basmentaria again. “So yes, Alex. You are correct. It is time you head out.
+ Return to Basmentaria. Find the remaining crystals, so that I
+ may return and right the wrongs of the past. I will do what I
+ can to assist you.” Inky waves back once, twice in greeting, before crossing
+ their forefingers twice, touching a hand briefly to their
+ chest, and strolling towards the restrooms. Leaning against a wall outside of the rest area, out of
+ sight from the main dining hall, Inky pulls out the message
+ from Master Alex and reads it. Engagement confirmed, it seems.
+ Also in the envelope is a smooth oval grey pebble with the
+ letters “sh” carved onto it. A mini dousojin. How considerate
+ of him. Putting the envelope and pebble into a shorts pocket, Inky
+ holds up a chewy blood berry biscuit, which they offer to the
+ great horned owl patiently perched on their shoulder. “What if
+ we just zip out now and have a walk around the towers? Do you
+ think it will cause offence to the Grand Master of the realm?”
+ Inky asks her. Fuko looks up from her treat and gives them a
+ short series of disapproving clicks of her beak. “He wants more ‘intel’,” Inky says. It isn’t even a
+ question. On another occasion they would be glad to see Master
+ Corraidhn animated and well — when there wasn’t a demanding
+ curmudgeon on the other end of an absurd fishing expedition.
+ The elder sysorcerer’s presence in the Dreaming, illusion or
+ otherwise, has effectively dashed any prospect of an early
+ night out. “Thirteen minutes. Only because Scoops likes you.” Inky
+ tells the owl. They look down at their shirt with orange horizontal
+ stripes, blue knee-length shorts, blue running shoes, and
+ wordlessly declare the change of clothes suitable for fine
+ non-dining. The noogle’s drawstring pouch is knotted to a
+ metal hoop on a pocket flap to one side of their shorts,
+ having let loose a short mop of tousled red hair. A plush
+ floofy duck keychain dangles next to the pouch. Emerging from the hallway, the awkward, skinny youth with
+ an owl approaches the far corner table. You approach the far corner table, weaving your way through
+ the crowded tables of the Harpoon Club. “Inky!” Blavin chorttles merrily as you pull up a chair.
+ The cat person nods politely at you and starts rebuilding the
+ block tower. Corraidhín watches the archway behind you as you enter.
+ When nobody follows you into the Harpoon Club he frowns, tugs
+ on his beard, and sits up straighter in his chair. “You’re alone?” Blavin observes. “No matter. Thank you so
+ much for meeting us here! I trust it wasn’t too much trouble?
+ A little bit out of the way, I know. But it is so very hard to
+ find a place away from prying eyes, isn’t it?” “Get to the point, Blavin.” snaps Corraidhín. “Quite right!” laughs Blavin, taking a sip of his drink.
+ “Listen,” he says, suddenly very serious. “It’s time I came
+ clean to you. You deserve that much. And besides, I think we
+ can help each other. While it is true that I work for the
+ Benefactor, I don’t actually serve their interests. You see, I
+ represent another party. A double agent they would
+ call me in the spy novels.” He waves his hand dismissively, as
+ though somebody were making a fuss over him and he were
+ embarrassed. “As I’m sure you already know, our organization is called
+ the Golden Iris. Like the Benefactor, our goal is to collect
+ the Ginnarak Cystals. I know you’ve heard all the old stories.
+ Together they could kill a god, blah blah blah.” He
+ sloshes his drink as the gestures. “But we think they’ve got
+ it all wrong, Inky. That is, they have it backwards
+ at least!” Blavin leans in, his eyes shining. “The Golden Iris intends
+ nothing less than creating a new god!” “The Trine has been absent for years. We’re going to
+ restore the balance. Now you see why the mission is so
+ important, Inky. We need the crystals.” “Now I know what you’re going to say! It all sounds too
+ fantastic. Yes well, that’s why I brought along somebody whose
+ credibility I know you’ll trust!” He beams at Corraidhín. The wizard sighs. “As far as I can tell, the hobbit is
+ telling the truth.” Blavin grins as Corraidhín continues. “The Golden Iris is trying to elevate Sitopotnia, the Corn
+ Mother, to godhood. Which I admit makes a certain kind of
+ sense. She’s the only mortal to have created life after all.
+ Kind of the ideal candidate for the job to be honest. They’ve hitched an odd team of mules to their buggy to help
+ them. And they’re managing to drag the thing forward despite
+ all pulling in slightly different directions. The Cyberplasms
+ want new bodies. The Gnu Zealots want to open source the
+ process so everybody can create new gods. And I don’t actually
+ know what the BAND wackos want.” Corraidhín shrugs, “I don’t have a particular dog in this
+ fight. The Benefactor was able to excise the, ahem, ‘anomaly’
+ that happened at the SS RSS. Including the second crystal,
+ which is currently in his possession, and my body, which is
+ still technically back at the institute and still under the
+ care of Felixe here.” The black cat gives another polite nod.
+ Having completed building the tumbling tower, it is now
+ shuffling the tumbrot cards, face down, around on the
+ table. “Felixe is Basmentaria’s preeminent expert in preserving
+ entities that happen to exist between two states. Or that
+ happen to exist in two states at the same time.. Bah, it’s
+ complicated,” Corraidhín huffs. “Yes!” interrupts Blavin. “Now! Despite working closely
+ with him all this time, I am actually none the wiser as to the
+ Benefactor’s actual plans for the crystals. I just know we
+ need them more. “Inky, you must retrieve the remaining crystals. And also
+ the one in the Benefactor’s possession. And deliver them to us
+ so we may usher in a new age for Basmentaria!” Felixe the cat deals the cards out to the center of the
+ table, face down, in a cross. Three across, three high. It
+ sets the remainder of the deck aside and looks at you
+ expectantly. WHAT DO YOU DO? One moment, Inky is half-asleep on their feet in the middle
- of Branch Avenue. In the next, they are reclining in a banana
- boat that resembles a canoe painted with long stripes of
- yellow and white with deep brown swipes. The s’more interior
- padding is soft, yet with the suppleness of fruit leather. A
- few round, matching brown mini-cushions are strewn across the
- boat interior. Also in the boat are two silver spoon paddles,
- more for looks than cooks. They don’t know where the boat came from. Things just
- appear. Like that Red Squirrel. Inky moves to holler a
- greeting, but instead recites: ~ While Inky boards her banana boat and recites poetry to the
- maddened squirrel, Alex springs to action leaping blithely
- from the branch towards the squirrel. Beneath him manifests a
- cockpit, sleek and futuristic. Around this materializes a
- large robotic weapon, octopus-oid in shape. The many tentacles
- bristle with weapons both fearsome and deadly. Alex grabs the controls, in one tentacle he latches onto
- the banana boat, that way he won’t accidentally get separated
- from Inky. With the other seven a series of feathers appear in
- every brilliant hue. The tentacle attached to the boat unfurls
- allowing Alex to draw closer to the squirrel. As the gap
- closes the most intense tickle fight the dream world has ever
- seen ensues, bringing joyous laughter to the faces of
- many. “Inky, if we need to get out of here, just jet it! That
- tentacle will yank the control pod and me with it!” Alex basically becomes a Mech pilot, and confronts the Red
- Squirrel head on with the Octopod. You engage in the tickle fight to end all tickle
- fights! Its eight arms are more than a match for the squirrels
- eight legs. You have the advantage of reach, entanglement, and
- sucker pads. It struggles in your grasp, gnashing its terrible
- teeth, but cannot reach you. Its long tail whips around
- ineffectively, battering you softly. The agitated squirrel squeals and swells like a red
- balloon. The mech’s tentacles struggle to contain it. Just as
- the strain on the machine is about to become unbearable, the
- rodent violently deflates. It collapses in on itself with such
- ferocity that it turns itself inside out. The octopod, all
- tangled up in the collapsing squirrel, is pulled along as it
- folds in on itself until it becomes a hungry void the size of
- a marble, floating in space and sucking at the air. Inky watches from the banana boat as Alex and the squirrel
- disappear from the Silver Forest. The squirrel portal finally
- closes in on itself, severing the banana boat from the octopus
- mecha at the last possible second. Inky on this side. Alex on
- the other. Alex, you and the wreckage of the octopod are vomited out
- onto a sandy beach. Red mist and vapors dissipate from your
- entry point. Before you is a vast ocean, lapping lazily at the
- beach. The shoreline extends endlessly in both directions.
- Behind you are endless sand dunes. Though there is no sun, the
- sky seems to hover at sunset, all brilliant, swirling oranges
- and purples. A lone humanoid figure can be seen standing atop a nearby
- dune. It is tall. It has legs like a goat or fawn, and a
- paunchy belly. Its long neck protrudes into a kind of trunk
- that eventually folds over and hangs down in front of the
- creature, about chest height. It terminates in a smooth, round
- nub. No face. It wears a small satchel at its hip, its strap
- slung over one shoulder and across its chest. Its long arms
- hand loosely at its sides. Despite the lack of a face and any
- sensory organs, it seems to be watching you. Slowly, it
- descends the dune and starts walking toward you. It reaches
- into its satchel and draws a long, sharp knife as it
- approaches. Inky, you are in the banana boat in the Silver Forest. The
- turtle that was a chipmunk has holed up in its shell,
- effectively just a sticky bun. “You wanted to see me,” intones a slightly muffled voice
- behind you. A statement, not a question. You turn to see a
- figure cloaked in shadows and demons. They wear a domed helmet
- of black obsidian glass, flashes of rainbow colored light
- crackling along the inside illuminating very little of the
- smoke-filled interior. “What is it you seek from Dude 215R?” WHAT DO YOU DO In the fish market, the dreamers continue to sleep soundly
- through the ringing claxon alarms with nothing but maybe the
- twitch of a finger to indicate that they hear anything at
- all. During the commotion with Marvelo and Gliftwirp, nobody but
- Rind noticed the thick rusty nail in the side of the candle
- wiggle its way out of the soft wax and clatter onto the plate
- at the base of the candle, the ringing of tin masked by the
- ringing of the claxon alarm. Still the dreamers sleep. Rind watches as the candle burns dangerously low. The
- mummified hand of the Nyxmaer in the base of the candle starts
- to wriggle, struggle, and strain against the softening wax. It
- stretches and reaches for the eye in the center of the
- candle. Rind continues to soothe the duck and stroke its feathers.
- The child looks at the space where Gliftwirp and the
- hemogoblin stumbled into the circle, smudging the line of salt
- and ash, breaking the circle and severing its continuity.
- Making a small space for something to get in. Or out. “Yo! Little cavatappi dude, where the hell are we?!” Alex’s
- eyes scan the room rapidly. There’s no water, aside from what
- he dragged in with his abrupt departure from the pier. The
- dark sky stretches into the nothingness of the void. Asthe
- robed figure begins speaks Alex takes note of his
- situation. ‘Nowhere to hide, zero cover. A whole lot of nothing
- actually. It’s one thing after another with this dream
- thing.’ As the figure finishes his address Alex nods politely.
- “I’ll be honest my guy, I haven’t the foggiest what you’re
- talking about. Looks to me you’ve got the whole sword thing,
- all I’ve got is my trusty AK. I guess back top side, in umm I
- guess the real world, I did find a wonky dagger my uncle tried
- to hide. But I’m pretty sure that got eaten by a cute little
- hemogoblin while I was busy murdering ghost pirates. Anyways
- more to the point, I’m not quite sure I follow.” Alex pauses briefly and then continues, “You say you need
- to get out of here? Now that part I follow, me the hell too. I
- just got attacked by some freaky sadist mushroom that called
- itself katsuva. Cut its head clean off just so it could try
- and chuck me in the drink. Right unpleasant fella, but I think
- I lost him when, well, I got here, wherever that is.” “Now I don’t know much, but I’m not much for trust after
- getting attacked by a talking mushroom monster. So if you’ll
- excuse me, I reckon the exit is right about that way (Alex
- jabs his finger over his back away from the figure), and I’m
- inclined to head out unless you know a better way.” You weren’t in the kobit caves with the rest of Retrieval
- Team 43, so you didn’t see the reliefs. But every Basmentarian
- is familiar with the iconography of the Trine. This figure is
- dressed in the traditional rainments of Neddas, god of sages
- and starlight. Furthermore you recognize them from your dreams
- in the Milk Market. Kasutva the small mushroom meeps and hides behind your
- leg. “You know, we each of us loved you in our own way,” Neddas
- says. “But of the three of us, I alone gave away pieces of my
- divinity. I wanted to see you thrive and grow strong. “You’ve already found several pieces of my essence.
- Coin in the treasure hoard below the earth.
- Mirth in the shipwreck under the sea. And
- lore in the clouds atop Kelsun Peak. “And of course you found justice,” they say,
- looking at the sword. “This one got a little weird.” The
- frown. “Became a little sentient, didn’t it?” They press the
- blade of the sword to their chest and absorb it into their
- being. They sigh happily. “You have found enough of my essence that I am able to
- start to materialize again. Not quite in Basmentaria yet. But
- here, a little bit. “There are still two more pieces out there. If you can
- reunite all five crystals, I will be able to cross over into
- Basmentaria again. “So yes, Alex. You are correct. It is time you head out.
- Return to Basmentaria. Find the remaining crystals, so that I
- may return and right the wrongs of the past. I will do what I
- can to assist you.” Inky waves back once, twice in greeting, before crossing
- their forefingers twice, touching a hand briefly to their
- chest, and strolling towards the restrooms. Leaning against a wall outside of the rest area, out of
- sight from the main dining hall, Inky pulls out the message
- from Master Alex and reads it. Engagement confirmed, it seems.
- Also in the envelope is a smooth oval grey pebble with the
- letters “sh” carved onto it. A mini dousojin. How considerate
- of him. Putting the envelope and pebble into a shorts pocket, Inky
- holds up a chewy blood berry biscuit, which they offer to the
- great horned owl patiently perched on their shoulder. “What if
- we just zip out now and have a walk around the towers? Do you
- think it will cause offence to the Grand Master of the realm?”
- Inky asks her. Fuko looks up from her treat and gives them a
- short series of disapproving clicks of her beak. “He wants more ‘intel’,” Inky says. It isn’t even a
- question. On another occasion they would be glad to see Master
- Corraidhn animated and well — when there wasn’t a demanding
- curmudgeon on the other end of an absurd fishing expedition.
- The elder sysorcerer’s presence in the Dreaming, illusion or
- otherwise, has effectively dashed any prospect of an early
- night out. “Thirteen minutes. Only because Scoops likes you.” Inky
- tells the owl. They look down at their shirt with orange horizontal
- stripes, blue knee-length shorts, blue running shoes, and
- wordlessly declare the change of clothes suitable for fine
- non-dining. The noogle’s drawstring pouch is knotted to a
- metal hoop on a pocket flap to one side of their shorts,
- having let loose a short mop of tousled red hair. A plush
- floofy duck keychain dangles next to the pouch. Emerging from the hallway, the awkward, skinny youth with
- an owl approaches the far corner table. You approach the far corner table, weaving your way through
- the crowded tables of the Harpoon Club. “Inky!” Blavin chorttles merrily as you pull up a chair.
- The cat person nods politely at you and starts rebuilding the
- block tower. Corraidhín watches the archway behind you as you enter.
- When nobody follows you into the Harpoon Club he frowns, tugs
- on his beard, and sits up straighter in his chair. “You’re alone?” Blavin observes. “No matter. Thank you so
- much for meeting us here! I trust it wasn’t too much trouble?
- A little bit out of the way, I know. But it is so very hard to
- find a place away from prying eyes, isn’t it?” “Get to the point, Blavin.” snaps Corraidhín. “Quite right!” laughs Blavin, taking a sip of his drink.
- “Listen,” he says, suddenly very serious. “It’s time I came
- clean to you. You deserve that much. And besides, I think we
- can help each other. While it is true that I work for the
- Benefactor, I don’t actually serve their interests. You see, I
- represent another party. A double agent they would
- call me in the spy novels.” He waves his hand dismissively, as
- though somebody were making a fuss over him and he were
- embarrassed. “As I’m sure you already know, our organization is called
- the Golden Iris. Like the Benefactor, our goal is to collect
- the Ginnarak Cystals. I know you’ve heard all the old stories.
- Together they could kill a god, blah blah blah.” He
- sloshes his drink as the gestures. “But we think they’ve got
- it all wrong, Inky. That is, they have it backwards
- at least!” Blavin leans in, his eyes shining. “The Golden Iris intends
- nothing less than creating a new god!” “The Trine has been absent for years. We’re going to
- restore the balance. Now you see why the mission is so
- important, Inky. We need the crystals.” “Now I know what you’re going to say! It all sounds too
- fantastic. Yes well, that’s why I brought along somebody whose
- credibility I know you’ll trust!” He beams at Corraidhín. The wizard sighs. “As far as I can tell, the hobbit is
- telling the truth.” Blavin grins as Corraidhín continues. “The Golden Iris is trying to elevate Sitopotnia, the Corn
- Mother, to godhood. Which I admit makes a certain kind of
- sense. She’s the only mortal to have created life after all.
- Kind of the ideal candidate for the job to be honest. They’ve hitched an odd team of mules to their buggy to help
- them. And they’re managing to drag the thing forward despite
- all pulling in slightly different directions. The Cyberplasms
- want new bodies. The Gnu Zealots want to open source the
- process so everybody can create new gods. And I don’t actually
- know what the BAND wackos want.” Corraidhín shrugs, “I don’t have a particular dog in this
- fight. The Benefactor was able to excise the, ahem, ‘anomaly’
- that happened at the SS RSS. Including the second crystal,
- which is currently in his possession, and my body, which is
- still technically back at the institute and still under the
- care of Felixe here.” The black cat gives another polite nod.
- Having completed building the tumbling tower, it is now
- shuffling the tumbrot cards, face down, around on the
- table. “Felixe is Basmentaria’s preeminent expert in preserving
- entities that happen to exist between two states. Or that
- happen to exist in two states at the same time.. Bah, it’s
- complicated,” Corraidhín huffs. “Yes!” interrupts Blavin. “Now! Despite working closely
- with him all this time, I am actually none the wiser as to the
- Benefactor’s actual plans for the crystals. I just know we
- need them more. “Inky, you must retrieve the remaining crystals. And also
- the one in the Benefactor’s possession. And deliver them to us
- so we may usher in a new age for Basmentaria!” Felixe the cat deals the cards out to the center of the
- table, face down, in a cross. Three across, three high. It
- sets the remainder of the deck aside and looks at you
- expectantly. WHAT DO YOU DO? Marvelo fetched a fluffy blanket from the piles of blankets
- and pillows in the ritual room where the dreamers continue to
- sleep. He has wrapped up the child and is drying them off. The
- sound of rain continues to drum incessantly outside. “Poor thing, you’re chilled to the bone. Don’t worry, Uncle
- Marv will take care of you. There we go. Fix you right
- up!” The child is still and silent. It has not made a noise this
- whole time. Nor has it acted on its own to actually do
- anything besides stare up at Marvelo with wide, dark eyes. “How did you end up outside by yourself in the rain, hmm?
- No? That’s okay. What about your name? Have you got a
- name?” “Rind,” says a voice behind Marvelo. At the sound of its
- name, the child’s eyes flick over Marvelo’s shoulder. The
- mercenary starts to spin around even as the blanket writhes in
- his hands, wrapping itself around his wrists and binding them
- tightly together. “Hungh!” he cries out wordlessly and tucks into a roll,
- turning to face his assailant and—he hopes—dodging any
- potential attack from behind. And also putting some distance
- between himself and the child to get it out of harms way. Marvelo tries to push up to his knees as cords of rope
- snake their way out of the shadows and coil around his knees
- and elbows. He struggles to pull free of them. A thicker rope
- wraps around his waist, and another squeezes around his chest
- and back. The ropes contract and pull Marvelo into a ball. He
- groans and falls to his side. He looks up into the eyes of a
- man wearing a bright red sash. The child has tottled over to the man and reaches its arms
- up. The man scoops the child up and holds it in the crook of
- one arm. The child puts its arms around the man’s neck and
- looks down at Marvelo while resting its cheek on the man’s
- chest. “His name is Rind,” the man smiles. Feeling bedraggled yet dry despite having been submerged
- under water, Inky lays on the beach, staring up at the sky
- before sitting up and looking around the landscape. They are
- now attired in a hooded azure blue vest over red shirt and
- shorts, and blue shoes over mismatched knee-high stockings.
- Their auburn hair is tied back with the drawstrings from an
- attached small pouch. A plush toy resembling a certain floofy
- duck peeks out from the hood. They sense a soft weight land on one shoulder, and smile as
- Fuko nips at their ear, no doubt partly in reproach for
- wandering off again without her, and maybe partly meant to be
- reassuring. This is followed several moments later by a low
- hiss and a series of light taps next to Inky’s ear with her
- beak. Inky murmurs, “Is that so … we should call it a wrap
- soon. Master Alex would probably be happy having Big Bother to
- himself anyway, to grill as he likes.” After a very long minute, Inky sighs and taking out a piece
- of paper and pencil from their suitcase, scribbles a
- “pome”: They roll up the paper and tuck it into a small and clear
- glass bottle with a cork stopper. Murmuring the sysorcerer’s
- name to the bottle, they lower it into the water and watch as
- the bottle drifts into the distance. Walking along the shoreline and stopping a short distance
- from the lone figure, Inky says casually, “Good day, fellow
- thing-finder.” Alex takes inventory of himself, this dream world is
+ definitely strange, but fortunately its decided to provide him
+ with his impecable fashion, trench coat and all. Unfortunately
+ the same can’t be said for his roguish good looks, as he’s
+ found himself 6 arms heavier, and a bit more octopus-y than he
+ remembers. Nontheless this doesn’t appear to be much of an impediment,
+ and he promptly moves on with assessing the situation. “Acorns? No, I don’t think so. I’m afraid octopus’ are
+ terrible at fetching acrons, and at any rate, I have a
+ dreadfully important meeting across town.” turning to address
+ Inky, “We need to make a break for it, what’d the witch tell
+ you? Envision our goal or something? This is really a little
+ outside of my realm of mechanical magic expertise..
+ unless..” Alex makes a gesture with his tentacles in the area and a
+ terminal prompt appears before him. His tentacles work at
+ blinding speed at the digital window, a quick bypass there, a
+ root access escalation there. “Looks like this whole place runs on Linux, it’s an older
+ kernel, about 2.6 or so, but it checks out. Easy to exploit as
+ needed. Here I’m giving us sudo access, should we need
+ it.” “Oh and squirrel, here’s your acorns” The figure turns in your direction and lowers their hood
- revealing a long, hooked, black beak and a face covered in
- black feathers. Beady black eyes regard you without
- blinking. The feathers around its throat bristle when it speaks like
- a thick bristling beard. “Greetings, Dreamer, and welcome to Ephemeris, the Heart of
- the Dreaming. What brings you to the Throne of Konsu?” Well Kasutva, I may as well trust you. I imagine if you
- meant me harm there are more direct and interesting ways to
- harm me than to misguide me. Give me a moment to collect
- myself, I’ve never been much for swimming you see, learned
- late and was always deathly afraid as a child. Dreadful stuff
- really. Alex steps away briefly to the edge of the pier and looks
- into the Azure blue ocean, a swirl of unending blue depth.
- Still not my thing, Alex mutters to himself. As he steels
- himself he notices a bottle adrift, nearing the pier. As it
- comes closer, he plucks it from the water, decorks it and
- inspects the note inside. “What does it say” the little Kasutva inquires. “Oh nothing, just someone trying to get in contact about
- our floating pirateships extended warranty” Alex replies
- bruskly. This definitely must have come from Inky Alex thinks
- to himself. They must have found the way. “Look Kasutva, this has been great fun, but I really think
- I ought to be going, not really sure that a sea of anyones
- dreams is my sort of thing and all that. And I seem ot have
- done not but create a mess of things” Alex says as he gestures
- to the wreckage of the Mech. Alex gestures in the air before
- him, a small split keyboard appears in front of him and he
- types out a few short commands. “Right!” Alex exclaims startling the little Kasutva
- accidentally. “Time for me to head back to the real world.
- Anything you need from me before I head out? Oh also, can I
- take the ak74u? I think I might need it.” “Back … back to the waking world?” Mushroom Kasutva
- stammers. “But…” It looks out at the sea with a look of longing, confusion,
- and frustration. “But we were finally going to see Ephemeris,”
- they say almost wistfully. “You were going to take us to Ephemeris!” they shout at
- you, suddenly angry. Mushroom Kasutva screws up its face and roars in rage as it
- rushes at you and tries to shove you over the edge of the pier
- into the waters below. But Kasutva is less than a foot tall and quite ineffective
- at shoving a human-sized person such as Alex. Big Kasutva, on the otherhand, is roughly twelve feet tall
- and quite capable of manhandling a human-sized person. You look up in time to jerk back out of the way as they
- swipe at your chest with their face-removing knife. It was all
- a feint though. As soon as you are slightly off balance from
- dodging their attack, they reach out with their other hand and
- give you a shove. You trip over Mushroom Kasutva, who has positioned themself
- in just such a way to best tangle up your feet. You stumble
- backwards a few steps until one of your feet steps out into
- open air. You twist and and look behind you as Ousia rises up
- to meet you. Kasutva clings to your leg as you fall, crying. “We’re
- sorry. We’re sorry,” they say over and over as you are pulled
- below the waves. It takes Alectopus a couple tries, but he gets it. First he
+ corrects ‘acron’ to ‘acorn’. Then he moves all the acorns to
+ the chipmunk instead of to the squirrel. Hundreds of acorns appear at the chipmunk’s feet. It
+ squeals in delight. In the distance, far below you, you hear the anguished yell
+ of what can only be a Red Squirrel whose giant stash of acorns
+ has just vanished. The chipmunk rubs its hands together gleefully and starts
+ scooping up acorns by the armful and shoving them into its
+ mouth by the dozen. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” it
+ says around a mouthful of nuts. “Here…” It tosses you a large
+ square silver coin with a round hole drilled in the center. On
+ one side is the number twenty-one next to a picture of a
+ curved, short-handled sickle. On the other side is the number
+ five and a picture of a flail. “A Twenty-One Fiver! Sorry, you deserve more, but it’s all
+ I have,” it apologizes as it scampers off, no doubt to hide
+ its nuts. Hopefully somewhere more secure this time. If you hold the coin up to your eye and peer through the
+ hole, you see the dreamscape before you as though looking
+ through a cloudy film. All the same stuff is there, but it’s
+ hazy and shadowy. Standing a fair distance from you on the branch, just out
+ of hailing distance, is a tall figure cloaked in black robes.
+ Dark shadows pool restlessly around its feet. Occasionally the
+ shadows leap up and take the form of demons the like of which
+ words cannot describe, before falling and returning to shadow
+ once more. The figure wears a large spherical helmet of
+ obsidian-like glass. You can see constant flashes of a rainbow
+ of colors crackle and splinter along the inside of the helmet
+ like lightning, but illuminating nothing within. You feel
+ sickened at the sight, but at the edge of your mind you feels
+ a tug, a familiarity. Something about this character is
+ familiar to you, but you cannot place it. When you lower the coin, the figure and the dark landscape
+ both disappear. When you raise it again, the distorted
+ landscape reappears but the figure is gone. You notice a pair of large ravens watching you rather
+ intently from the branches below. WHAT DO YOU DO Alex scrambles up from the pile of blankets and pilows
+ kicking things away from him in haste as he grabs at his
+ shoulder holster, pulling out a sleek looking m1911
+ pistol. “Marvelo! Hang on mate I’ve got you!” Alex yells as he
+ empties a clip into the side of the creature. click
+ click “Fuck out.” Alex pulls the clip from the pistol
+ and chucks it at the creature “Hey you ugly fuck! Right here,
+ I’m right the fuck here!” Alex shouts as he slams another clip
+ into the reciever and starts to fire away at the creature. Despite the yelling and flurry of lead Alex delivered to it
+ the creature continued it’s macabre dental work. Marvelo’s
+ whimpers and groans of pain becoming gradually fainter as life
+ leaves his body. “Goddamit!” Alex yells in desperation. Another death on his
+ hands, another agent lost on his watch. Another member of HIS
+ team gone. This job never gets easier. Alex continues to fire away at the creature as he attempts
+ to formulate a plan. “Inky, look, I don’t know what the hell that is. But it’s
+ intent on tearing us to pieces insofar as I can tell. Marvelo
+ and I rigged the entire goddamn building to blow though, just
+ in case shit went to hell. Unless you’ve got a better idea
+ I’ll tackle the goddamn thing and try and keep it distracted
+ long enough for you to bug the hell out, preferably through
+ the window if you can stomach it. And then I’ll level the
+ place on top of it” Alex grimaces as he pulls a detonator from
+ his pocket and shows it to Inky. “If you have any better ideas I am ALL ears. Not sure if I
+ can really pull this one off and get out unscathed..” ~ Inky stares at the creature in their midst in all its
+ exquisitely monstrous glory for a brief moment that seems much
+ longer amid the creature’s ear-splitting screeches. Eventually
+ coming to, Inky turns to check the birdhouse. More
+ specifically, the pattern of circles next to the doors.
+ Through the dim red glow, they could make out three circles
+ alternating between dark and light. The door had been bolted
+ from the inside, the interior was empty and the secure drop
+ back to the lab had been triggered. Fuko had already left
+ then. Suddenly recalling the witch’s warning, Inky yells, “Bread!
+ Run! We’ll catch up later!” They grab the bouquet of dried
+ herbs from the floor and spring to their feet, walking stick
+ in hand, and dash towards the Nyxmaer candle. On the way they
+ drop the bouquet into an unlit brazier that stood off to one
+ side, only pausing briefly to strike a match and toss it
+ through the opening. Between the loud bangs of gunfire and muffled screams, they
+ bring the steel-reinforced stick down hard on the mummified
+ hand and eye several times quickly. Pushing the remains off
+ the tin plate with the walking stick then tucking the stick
+ under one arm at the handle, they run a kitchen knife through
+ the eye and hand with both gloved hands into the wooden
+ surface beneath. The flowery scents of sage, thyme and rosemary permeate the
+ room.[1] Looking over to the sysorcerer when he spoke but still
+ keeping the creature within their line of sight, Inky replies,
+ “No, Master Alex. You have a team to lead and an uncle to
+ rescue. Allow me to do the demolition honours. Go grab Marvelo
+ and run. Here,” they toss a small packet of pain relievers in
+ powdered form wrapped in wax paper from their first-aid kit,
+ along with a small cheesecloth pouch filled with nilgiri tea
+ leaves — still sopping wet from the flask of iced tea in which
+ it had been steeped — to Master Alex. “This should help with
+ the bleeding, just watch out for shock.” They smile at the sysorcerer. “All dreams end eventually,
+ as do nightmares. And what is darkness without light?” While
+ speaking, they drop a bundle of twigs and sweet grass[2] on
+ top of the candle remains that still sat on the thick wooden
+ slab of a rusty metal office desk. They pour a flask of a
+ clear liquid over it. The pile suddenly erupts like a bonfire
+ over a pyre, throwing shadows on the walls that dance and lick
+ away with the crackling flames. [1] It is said the ancients began the practice of burning
+ sage to ward off evil or cleanse negative energies, thyme to
+ induce courage and guard against nightmares, and rosemary to
+ clear and focus the mind. [2] The elder aunties commonly use sweet grass for
+ purification, such as when helping their young relatives move
+ into a new home for the first time with a housewarming
+ ritual. ~ Alex glances at Inky as he takes the offered medicines,
+ “only use that as a last resort, got it? We’ve got a couple of
+ innocents in here too, hard to keep track of with that big ass
+ monster in here.” Alex continues laying down covering fire as he advances on
+ the monster. He casts a glance over his shoulder to see Inky
+ begin smashing the eye and hand that were embedded in the
+ candle. “Strange, but I guess it makes about as much sense as
+ the rest of this situation.” Alex lunges forward, teeth gritted, as he tackles the
+ monster pushing it off of Marvelo. He struggles with it,
+ attempting to blast the eye of the beast with his pistol. Alex rains bullets down on the nightmare until he finally
+ gets its attention. It turns from its bloody work and glares
+ at him with its single emerald eye, teeth dribbling from the
+ tiny face in the middle of its oversized, bulbous head. There
+ is a grinding noise like rocks in a tumbler as it tries to
+ roar at you around a mouthful of loose molars. From its crouch over Marvelo, it leaps high into the air
+ and spreads its limbs, pulling its wings taut and gliding
+ through the air. It lands on the ceiling, digging in with its hind claws,
+ reaching down and swinging at Alex from behind. Bread staggers out of the sleeping circle looking exactly
+ as hungover as somebody who has had several interlopers
+ gallivanting around inside their head. They swing a bardiche
+ and bury the blade between its shoulders, striking bone so
+ hard that it rips the weapon from the toque’s hands. The Nyxmaer squeals and falls to the floor, spilling a few
+ more teeth when it hits. It knocks Bread aside and frantically
+ scrabbles after the loose teeth, scooping them up and cramming
+ them back in its mouth. Just then Inky stabs the artifacts and the creature
+ clutches its head and falls in a heap at Alex’s feet. It howls and writhes, and looks at Alex with a dazed look.
+ He raises his gun and fires directly into the nightmare’s
+ eye. The eye shatters like glass and a howling, screaming,
+ putrid wind screams from the wound, rising and filling the
+ room. The nightmare seems to deflate and pool at Alex’s
+ feet. Its flesh sloughs off, revealing Rind and the marketing
+ manager in the center of its torso, and leaving them in an
+ unconscious pile. Marvelo babbles incoherently where he lies, wide-eyed and
+ in shock, his jaw hideously broken. The hemogoblin hops over and gently pats Rind and the duck
+ on their faces. Gliftwrip is the only one still asleep, face down in the
+ pillows in the center of the circle. A malevolent force rides the still howling wind and hovers
+ screaming up near the ceiling of the fish market. WHAT DO YOU DO? Marvelo fetched a fluffy blanket from the piles of blankets
+ and pillows in the ritual room where the dreamers continue to
+ sleep. He has wrapped up the child and is drying them off. The
+ sound of rain continues to drum incessantly outside. “Poor thing, you’re chilled to the bone. Don’t worry, Uncle
+ Marv will take care of you. There we go. Fix you right
+ up!” The child is still and silent. It has not made a noise this
+ whole time. Nor has it acted on its own to actually do
+ anything besides stare up at Marvelo with wide, dark eyes. “How did you end up outside by yourself in the rain, hmm?
+ No? That’s okay. What about your name? Have you got a
+ name?” “Rind,” says a voice behind Marvelo. At the sound of its
+ name, the child’s eyes flick over Marvelo’s shoulder. The
+ mercenary starts to spin around even as the blanket writhes in
+ his hands, wrapping itself around his wrists and binding them
+ tightly together. “Hungh!” he cries out wordlessly and tucks into a roll,
+ turning to face his assailant and—he hopes—dodging any
+ potential attack from behind. And also putting some distance
+ between himself and the child to get it out of harms way. Marvelo tries to push up to his knees as cords of rope
+ snake their way out of the shadows and coil around his knees
+ and elbows. He struggles to pull free of them. A thicker rope
+ wraps around his waist, and another squeezes around his chest
+ and back. The ropes contract and pull Marvelo into a ball. He
+ groans and falls to his side. He looks up into the eyes of a
+ man wearing a bright red sash. The child has tottled over to the man and reaches its arms
+ up. The man scoops the child up and holds it in the crook of
+ one arm. The child puts its arms around the man’s neck and
+ looks down at Marvelo while resting its cheek on the man’s
+ chest. “His name is Rind,” the man smiles. Feeling bedraggled yet dry despite having been submerged
+ under water, Inky lays on the beach, staring up at the sky
+ before sitting up and looking around the landscape. They are
+ now attired in a hooded azure blue vest over red shirt and
+ shorts, and blue shoes over mismatched knee-high stockings.
+ Their auburn hair is tied back with the drawstrings from an
+ attached small pouch. A plush toy resembling a certain floofy
+ duck peeks out from the hood. They sense a soft weight land on one shoulder, and smile as
+ Fuko nips at their ear, no doubt partly in reproach for
+ wandering off again without her, and maybe partly meant to be
+ reassuring. This is followed several moments later by a low
+ hiss and a series of light taps next to Inky’s ear with her
+ beak. Inky murmurs, “Is that so … we should call it a wrap
+ soon. Master Alex would probably be happy having Big Bother to
+ himself anyway, to grill as he likes.” After a very long minute, Inky sighs and taking out a piece
+ of paper and pencil from their suitcase, scribbles a
+ “pome”: They roll up the paper and tuck it into a small and clear
+ glass bottle with a cork stopper. Murmuring the sysorcerer’s
+ name to the bottle, they lower it into the water and watch as
+ the bottle drifts into the distance. Walking along the shoreline and stopping a short distance
+ from the lone figure, Inky says casually, “Good day, fellow
+ thing-finder.” The figure turns in your direction and lowers their hood
+ revealing a long, hooked, black beak and a face covered in
+ black feathers. Beady black eyes regard you without
+ blinking. The feathers around its throat bristle when it speaks like
+ a thick bristling beard. “Greetings, Dreamer, and welcome to Ephemeris, the Heart of
+ the Dreaming. What brings you to the Throne of Konsu?” Well Kasutva, I may as well trust you. I imagine if you
+ meant me harm there are more direct and interesting ways to
+ harm me than to misguide me. Give me a moment to collect
+ myself, I’ve never been much for swimming you see, learned
+ late and was always deathly afraid as a child. Dreadful stuff
+ really. Alex steps away briefly to the edge of the pier and looks
+ into the Azure blue ocean, a swirl of unending blue depth.
+ Still not my thing, Alex mutters to himself. As he steels
+ himself he notices a bottle adrift, nearing the pier. As it
+ comes closer, he plucks it from the water, decorks it and
+ inspects the note inside. “What does it say” the little Kasutva inquires. “Oh nothing, just someone trying to get in contact about
+ our floating pirateships extended warranty” Alex replies
+ bruskly. This definitely must have come from Inky Alex thinks
+ to himself. They must have found the way. “Look Kasutva, this has been great fun, but I really think
+ I ought to be going, not really sure that a sea of anyones
+ dreams is my sort of thing and all that. And I seem ot have
+ done not but create a mess of things” Alex says as he gestures
+ to the wreckage of the Mech. Alex gestures in the air before
+ him, a small split keyboard appears in front of him and he
+ types out a few short commands. “Right!” Alex exclaims startling the little Kasutva
+ accidentally. “Time for me to head back to the real world.
+ Anything you need from me before I head out? Oh also, can I
+ take the ak74u? I think I might need it.” “Back … back to the waking world?” Mushroom Kasutva
+ stammers. “But…” It looks out at the sea with a look of longing, confusion,
+ and frustration. “But we were finally going to see Ephemeris,”
+ they say almost wistfully. “You were going to take us to Ephemeris!” they shout at
+ you, suddenly angry. Mushroom Kasutva screws up its face and roars in rage as it
+ rushes at you and tries to shove you over the edge of the pier
+ into the waters below. But Kasutva is less than a foot tall and quite ineffective
+ at shoving a human-sized person such as Alex. Big Kasutva, on the otherhand, is roughly twelve feet tall
+ and quite capable of manhandling a human-sized person. You look up in time to jerk back out of the way as they
+ swipe at your chest with their face-removing knife. It was all
+ a feint though. As soon as you are slightly off balance from
+ dodging their attack, they reach out with their other hand and
+ give you a shove. You trip over Mushroom Kasutva, who has positioned themself
+ in just such a way to best tangle up your feet. You stumble
+ backwards a few steps until one of your feet steps out into
+ open air. You twist and and look behind you as Ousia rises up
+ to meet you. Kasutva clings to your leg as you fall, crying. “We’re
+ sorry. We’re sorry,” they say over and over as you are pulled
+ below the waves. WHAT DO YOU DO00062
-
-
+ find /* -name '*acron*' -exec mv /home/squirrel { } \
+ "sgb rpthqqbk hr qba sgb fgnrsr dktb
+sgb qnkkr rwbbs uma rn uqb ynt
+sgnt uqs ly fthahmf rsuq ul h sghmb
+h rbb vbqhky ly utrohehntr rhfm
+sgb kns wur snrra uma sgbm h aqbw
+uma cnqstmb ruha hs rgnta db ynt ott"[1][1]:
+"The squirrel is red, the ghost's blue,
+The roll's sweet, and so are you.
+Thou art my guiding star, am I thine?
+I see verily my auspicious sign:
+The lot was toss'd and then I drew,
+And Fortune said it shou'd be you. Puu."
-
-
-
-
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
-
- "sgb rpthqqbk hr qba sgb fgnrsr dktb
-sgb qnkkr rwbbs uma rn uqb ynt
-sgnt uqs ly fthahmf rsuq ul h sghmb
-h rbb vbqhky ly utrohehntr rhfm
-sgb kns wur snrra uma sgbm h aqbw
-uma cnqstmb ruha hs rgnta db ynt ott"[1]
- [1]:
-"The squirrel is red, the ghost's blue,
-The roll's sweet, and so are you.
-Thou art my guiding star, am I thine?
-I see verily my auspicious sign:
-The lot was toss'd and then I drew,
-And Fortune said it shou'd be you. Puu."
-
-
-
-
-
- 00060
-
-
- Island tower of towers
-Nowhere everywhere the sea
-Keep your apples and flowers
-Your suitor has come for theefind /* -name '*acron*' -exec mv /home/squirrel { } \
-
-
-
-
- cat > /home/inky/messages/urgent <<EOF
-Got your message
-In a bit of a bind, wrapped up with some weird mushroom guy who wants to go for a swim.
-Not sure how to handle it, but I might have to dip back to the real world and let you finish here.
-I've made a write mess of things, but I trust you can finish this.
-
-Oh, see attached, if you get into a pinch just use this spell, it'll get you what you need.
-
-grep -A4 AID ~/messages/urgent | sed 's/AID//' | sh
-
-AID
-4b1af3fcf4ce005ef86d83c45713ba1a548b4e79da09a6d44632cdb6c5917489
-d7d500fa37b986d931b70e114b4e67375b10b373aa6649641e7132e8b3dc7d18
-ef6efe98ffd070f486c00b4f50d8bf1448414ef9c2fabe0cacd40bebafba8a02
-1d0d1bf0188b842d9ae08b9b37b0f266936ef38b8f07e5c90e4a9351bf018898
-EOF
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Island tower of towers
+Nowhere everywhere the sea
+Keep your apples and flowers
+Your suitor has come for thee
+
+
+
+
+ cat > /home/inky/messages/urgent <<EOF
+Got your message
+In a bit of a bind, wrapped up with some weird mushroom guy who wants to go for a swim.
+Not sure how to handle it, but I might have to dip back to the real world and let you finish here.
+I've made a write mess of things, but I trust you can finish this.
+
+Oh, see attached, if you get into a pinch just use this spell, it'll get you what you need.
+
+grep -A4 AID ~/messages/urgent | sed 's/AID//' | sh
+
+AID
+4b1af3fcf4ce005ef86d83c45713ba1a548b4e79da09a6d44632cdb6c5917489
+d7d500fa37b986d931b70e114b4e67375b10b373aa6649641e7132e8b3dc7d18
+ef6efe98ffd070f486c00b4f50d8bf1448414ef9c2fabe0cacd40bebafba8a02
+1d0d1bf0188b842d9ae08b9b37b0f266936ef38b8f07e5c90e4a9351bf018898
+EOF
Total length: 89395 words / 382 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the +
Total length: 90664 words / 387 minute read. (Mind you, that’s the length of this entire page, including all the extra bits and bobs. Not just the story.)
-There have been 238 messages posted over 233 days since the first +
There have been 243 messages posted over 238 days since the first post on July 13, 2022 for a daily post rate of 1.02.
This is the first installment of BASEMENT QUEST.
@@ -7535,6 +7536,133 @@ hands into his mouth. Marvelo’s muffled screams become pitiful whimpers as the creature pulls out teeth by the handful and crams them into its own mouth.WHAT DO YOU DO?
+++Alex scrambles up from the pile of blankets and pilows kicking things +away from him in haste as he grabs at his shoulder holster, pulling out +a sleek looking m1911 pistol.
+“Marvelo! Hang on mate I’ve got you!” Alex yells as he empties a clip +into the side of the creature. click click “Fuck out.” +Alex pulls the clip from the pistol and chucks it at the creature “Hey +you ugly fuck! Right here, I’m right the fuck here!” Alex shouts as he +slams another clip into the reciever and starts to fire away at the +creature.
+Despite the yelling and flurry of lead Alex delivered to it the +creature continued it’s macabre dental work. Marvelo’s whimpers and +groans of pain becoming gradually fainter as life leaves his body.
+“Goddamit!” Alex yells in desperation. Another death on his hands, +another agent lost on his watch. Another member of HIS team gone. This +job never gets easier.
+Alex continues to fire away at the creature as he attempts to +formulate a plan.
+“Inky, look, I don’t know what the hell that is. But it’s intent on +tearing us to pieces insofar as I can tell. Marvelo and I rigged the +entire goddamn building to blow though, just in case shit went to hell. +Unless you’ve got a better idea I’ll tackle the goddamn thing and try +and keep it distracted long enough for you to bug the hell out, +preferably through the window if you can stomach it. And then I’ll level +the place on top of it” Alex grimaces as he pulls a detonator from his +pocket and shows it to Inky.
+“If you have any better ideas I am ALL ears. Not sure if I can really +pull this one off and get out unscathed..”
+
~
+ +++Inky stares at the creature in their midst in all its exquisitely +monstrous glory for a brief moment that seems much longer amid the +creature’s ear-splitting screeches. Eventually coming to, Inky turns to +check the birdhouse. More specifically, the pattern of circles next to +the doors. Through the dim red glow, they could make out three circles +alternating between dark and light. The door had been bolted from the +inside, the interior was empty and the secure drop back to the lab had +been triggered. Fuko had already left then.
+Suddenly recalling the witch’s warning, Inky yells, “Bread! Run! +We’ll catch up later!” They grab the bouquet of dried herbs from the +floor and spring to their feet, walking stick in hand, and dash towards +the Nyxmaer candle. On the way they drop the bouquet into an unlit +brazier that stood off to one side, only pausing briefly to strike a +match and toss it through the opening.
+Between the loud bangs of gunfire and muffled screams, they bring the +steel-reinforced stick down hard on the mummified hand and eye several +times quickly. Pushing the remains off the tin plate with the walking +stick then tucking the stick under one arm at the handle, they run a +kitchen knife through the eye and hand with both gloved hands into the +wooden surface beneath.
+The flowery scents of sage, thyme and rosemary permeate the +room.[1]
+Looking over to the sysorcerer when he spoke but still keeping the +creature within their line of sight, Inky replies, “No, Master Alex. You +have a team to lead and an uncle to rescue. Allow me to do the +demolition honours. Go grab Marvelo and run. Here,” they toss a small +packet of pain relievers in powdered form wrapped in wax paper from +their first-aid kit, along with a small cheesecloth pouch filled with +nilgiri tea leaves — still sopping wet from the flask of iced tea in +which it had been steeped — to Master Alex. “This should help with the +bleeding, just watch out for shock.”
+They smile at the sysorcerer. “All dreams end eventually, as do +nightmares. And what is darkness without light?” While speaking, they +drop a bundle of twigs and sweet grass[2] on top of the candle remains +that still sat on the thick wooden slab of a rusty metal office desk. +They pour a flask of a clear liquid over it. The pile suddenly erupts +like a bonfire over a pyre, throwing shadows on the walls that dance and +lick away with the crackling flames.
+[1] It is said the ancients began the practice of burning sage to +ward off evil or cleanse negative energies, thyme to induce courage and +guard against nightmares, and rosemary to clear and focus the mind.
+[2] The elder aunties commonly use sweet grass for purification, such +as when helping their young relatives move into a new home for the first +time with a housewarming ritual.
+
~
+++Alex glances at Inky as he takes the offered medicines, “only use +that as a last resort, got it? We’ve got a couple of innocents in here +too, hard to keep track of with that big ass monster in here.”
+Alex continues laying down covering fire as he advances on the +monster. He casts a glance over his shoulder to see Inky begin smashing +the eye and hand that were embedded in the candle. “Strange, but I guess +it makes about as much sense as the rest of this situation.”
+Alex lunges forward, teeth gritted, as he tackles the monster pushing +it off of Marvelo. He struggles with it, attempting to blast the eye of +the beast with his pistol.
+
Alex rains bullets down on the nightmare until he finally gets its +attention. It turns from its bloody work and glares at him with its +single emerald eye, teeth dribbling from the tiny face in the middle of +its oversized, bulbous head. There is a grinding noise like rocks in a +tumbler as it tries to roar at you around a mouthful of loose +molars.
+From its crouch over Marvelo, it leaps high into the air and spreads +its limbs, pulling its wings taut and gliding through the air.
+It lands on the ceiling, digging in with its hind claws, reaching +down and swinging at Alex from behind.
+Bread staggers out of the sleeping circle looking exactly as hungover +as somebody who has had several interlopers gallivanting around inside +their head. They swing a bardiche and bury the blade between its +shoulders, striking bone so hard that it rips the weapon from the +toque’s hands.
+The Nyxmaer squeals and falls to the floor, spilling a few more teeth +when it hits. It knocks Bread aside and frantically scrabbles after the +loose teeth, scooping them up and cramming them back in its mouth.
+Just then Inky stabs the artifacts and the creature clutches its head +and falls in a heap at Alex’s feet.
+It howls and writhes, and looks at Alex with a dazed look. He raises +his gun and fires directly into the nightmare’s eye.
+The eye shatters like glass and a howling, screaming, putrid wind +screams from the wound, rising and filling the room. The nightmare seems +to deflate and pool at Alex’s feet.
+Its flesh sloughs off, revealing Rind and the marketing manager in +the center of its torso, and leaving them in an unconscious pile.
+Marvelo babbles incoherently where he lies, wide-eyed and in shock, +his jaw hideously broken.
+The hemogoblin hops over and gently pats Rind and the duck on their +faces.
+Gliftwrip is the only one still asleep, face down in the pillows in +the center of the circle.
+A malevolent force rides the still howling wind and hovers screaming +up near the ceiling of the fish market.
+WHAT DO YOU DO?