Fantasy Terrorchild: Awakening

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[bat_hacker]

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[Damian0358]

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[joshuadim]

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[Breadman]

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[hardcore.munchkin]

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[turtwigwins]

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[LoriMahe]

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[K0mori]

1. Come with Us - "Now, we go to Zuklanar," you reply, having realized halfway through this conversation that you would feel too much guilt to kill her without at least allowing a sane version of Corrinth to speak and act on her own behalf. "We're going to use the red comet's passing to revive my blood sister, Rigatte. You stay under my compulsion until I trust you again - if I ever can."

"Huh? Wha- Until-?" Embryx stammers. She gathers her thoughts with a deep breath and pinches the bridge of her nose, until her frustrations boil up into an audible groan. "...Okay, Agranne? No. I just let you explain all that shit to Corrinth because I assumed you were eventually going to get to the point, and let Corrinth know that this is the day she dies - you know, like we talked about!? - but apparently I need to remind you that we get nothing out of letting her live aside from the threat of a surprise attack, and less than nothing if we have her tagging along. We both know we don't want to have to think about this anymore, so kill her while we've got the chance," she urges.

You shake your head. "...I can't. I understand her too well, now, and why she turned out the way she did. I don't forgive her, and I never will, but I don't need to kill her - and even if I did, it wouldn't bring me any satisfaction anyway. She's got nothing left; we already killed the only person left who loved her, and then we beat her and tortured her until she couldn't even function and went looking for death because she was less afraid of dying than she was of seeing us again. We burned her to the ground already, Embryx."

Embryx appears to take your reply calmly, and takes a moment before speaking. However, you recognize the anger in her eyes when she does, and know that it's directed at you. "...And what if I just killed her, then? Would you stop me?"

"No, I wouldn't," you say, a bit resigned.

She ignores your tone as she takes up her war-scythe, and then pushes past you so she can look down on the changeling as an executioner one more time.

Corrinth lifts her head to look at you both abysmally. "...If I'm gonna die anyway, can I have an apple, Agranne?"

On the other side of the fire, Sharyx looks to you expectantly. You give her a nod. "Yeah, that's fine," you say, and soon, a perfect, red apple is tossed into the changeling's hands. She admires it for a moment before sinking her teeth into it with an audible crunch. You look away as Embryx lifts her weapon high for a downward chop, but instead of the familiar sound of a killing, you only hear the quiet sounds of the woods all around, Corrinth's shallow, moment-to-moment breaths, and Seith's disinterested movements within the camp to gather up the supplies and bedrolls. You look back and find Embryx still standing there, her weapon still skyward, her eyes locked on Corrinth as she patiently awaits her death.

"...Oh. Ffffuck," Embryx croaks, her arms slackening as she loses her nerve before turning away ashamedly, a thin trail of shadow bleeding out from the edge of the blade.

Corrinth looks between you both, confused. She swallows her bite. "...What?"

"You looked in her head, didn't you?" you ask.

Embryx doesn't answer. She just tosses her weapon to the ground before sitting nearby, her back turned on everyone as she's overtaken with emptiness and guilt over herself. You can't imagine what she saw when she peeked inside, but you have a suspicion: she had expected the creature she attacked so savagely in Manlaash only days ago - unrepentant, self-pitying, spiteful to the end - and instead she found just another victim of that same monster. You look back to the others; Sharyx remains fascinated at the turn of events while Seith couldn't care less about them. Kulka, meanwhile, stands and ambles over to Embryx to sit down beside her and offer some wisdom.

"How's it taste?" Sharyx asks.

Corrinth looks back at her with a ghostly distance in her eyes, emotions impossible to place. "...I..." she says with a helpless smile, "...I think this is how they used to taste..."

---
​

Once the camp is finally packed and ready for travel, you attempt to make a plan which will avoid causing more pandemonium on the way out of Sonnamille. Initially, you request that Corrinth use wildshape to help you keep watch over the sky, but even when she has access to a wand, you find her unable to access the magic she had been so familiar with for years. Seith explains that it's likely just a product of chaos being purged from her mind, leaving her unable to intrinsically grasp fae magic as she once did. Instead, you decide to utilize her body's natural ability to disguise, granting her permission to take on a man's appearance - Lachlaen's, to be precise - so that she can drive the wagon without raising any suspicion. While you take on the form of an owl again, and Embryx the form of a wolf, the other trio rides in the wagon safely.

The remaining miles to the river pass by uneventfully as no threats present themselves, although a few riders pass by on the road, and one even stops and asks Corrinth whether she's encountered any signs of a witch camp. She does a good job of acting ignorant, calmly denying the notion and asserting that she has business at the riverfront. All goes well for once, and you arrive at the frost-tinged waterfront in a matter of hours. Payment exchanges hands, and the wagon is loaded without inspection with the help of a bit of compulsion and manipulation. You rejoin the party as this is about to happen, and soon, for the first time in your life, you're sitting aboard a proper boat in a wide river amidst the ice and slush.

With everyone aside from Corrinth seated inside the wagon, you have a moment of peace in which there's not much to do except talk and practice your witchcraft. At the very least, Embryx is speaking to you again, although she's very reluctant to acknowledge what happened in camp this morning. She offers to teach you about telepathy, and asks Kulka to assist with the lesson. Sharyx, meanwhile, can't seem to help her curiosity any longer, and takes out an apple before biting into it eagerly. You had half expected her to request another lesson, but you suppose there will be time for that later tonight, or tomorrow morning. For now, she merely watches.

"Last night, you gave Sharyx a rather academic explanation of manipulation," Kulka begins, "and you even toyed with the foundations of telepathy without realizing it."

"How so?" you ask.

Kulka rocks her cane back and forth across her lap, amused at your lack of insight. "As you said, the soul lays beneath the mind, and is the origin of our emotions, will, and deepest desires. While we often treat the mind as the master of our being, it is really those deep-seated threads which determine who we are, and how we think. When you 'prod' a single, resonant emotional thread, you produce a change in your target's demeanor. But if you strike all of them, just gently enough, you don't produce an overall change, but instead a chord of its status in situ."

You don't quite understand, and so you look to Embryx.

"She means that if you reach out and touch a soul without striking any particular mood, it'll reveal itself to you. But that's only the beginning," Embryx explains.

Kulka nods. "Yes. When you've felt that resonance, and you understand their soul, then you can induce a manipulation to keep that connection open. Your souls, connected by magic, allow your minds to intermingle as well. If they've done nothing to protect themselves, then you'll be able to read them like an open book."

"If you want to give it a try, there's no harm in it," Embryx says.

You look around the crowded wagon at the others and get a wry smile. You wonder if you can get into each of their heads...

1. Try to Read Embryx' Mind - Of course, you mostly want to see what's on your lover's mind. She gives you a reassuring smile, and you wonder if she'll try to read you back while you're poking around in there.

2. Try to Read Sharyx' Mind - The princess is nearly finished eating her apple, and is looking at you expectantly. If you manage to read her mind on your first try, you can only imagine how excited it would make her.

3. Try to Read Seith's Mind - The mysterious elf hasn't said much of anything today, but seems to be perfectly fine to relax and avoid being the center of attention, now that he's given an ample display of his skills. You wonder what he's thinking about.

4. Try to Read Kulka's Mind - You look at the empty skull beneath Kulka's hood and realize that her mind, like her soul, is confined within her phylactery. You figure she'd sense you poking around, but you'd wager she'd find it funny, and not a nuisance.

 

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[Breadman]

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[bat_hacker]

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[joshuadim]

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[turtwigwins]

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[Damian0358]

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[LoriMahe]

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[hardcore.munchkin]

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[K0mori]

Option 1: 3 Votes (38% - Range: 1-38)
Option 2: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 39-63)
Option 3: 2 Votes (25% - Range: 64-88)
Option 4: 1 Vote (13% - Range: 89-100)
Fae Roll: 49

2. Try to Read Sharyx' Mind - The princess is nearly finished eating her apple, and is looking at you expectantly. If you manage to read her mind on your first try, you can only imagine how excited it would make her.

You close your eyes to focus, and also to allow yourself a bit of peace, since everyone is looking at you. This way, they won't even know that Sharyx is the target, because you didn't say so out loud. Soon, their conversations resume, speaking of other things that aren't of interest to you at the moment, and you retreat into total focus. Your fingers twitch as you attempt to seek the resonant threads of the princess' soul without causing a change in her mood, and it takes much longer than you would've hoped.

Finally, you sense something weak - a response that's barely there, but undeniably present. It's... anticipation. Sharyx is still watching you; she can hardly think of taking her eyes off of you. But as impressive and difficult as this achievement has proven to be, the emotional connection is only the beginning; you need to allow your mind to intertwine with hers before you can get a coherent read on her thoughts.

Time passes. You feel the anticipation wane and uneasiness settle in, as well as a mixture of curiosity and concern. You wonder how long you've been perfectly stationary, and whether a wisp of shadow has been escaping your fingertips this entire time. The Pandemonium Door is in your pocket, but you've been so intently focused on your spell that you haven't yet reached for it. You draw a long, deep breath and try to do so without breaking the resonant connection, but suddenly feel lightheaded.

Embryx jostles you, and your concentration is broken. "Agranne," she says as your eyes flutter open. The dark magic swirling about your hands dissipates, but you're nonetheless surprised at how much effort you had been exerting moments earlier, enough to nearly deplete your pneuma over the course of ten minutes of constant effort. You stuff your hand in your pocket and instantly feel relief as you touch the Door, shaking off your failure and preparing for another attempt.

"I was getting there," you insist. "I reached the emotional level; I just need to go a little bit further."

She rubs your shoulder a bit. "Alright, but take it easy, though - I didn't get there my first try, either. We've got a long ride ahead of us. I'm sure you'll 'get there' without passing the fuck out."

You sigh and accept the reality of the situation. As if on cue, there's a thump on the outside of the fabric covering the wagon, and Embryx cautiously pulls open the flap to check on it. She gives a grimace and pulls open the flap a bit wider so you can see Lachlaen's face at the rear of the wagon. "Yeah?" you ask.

"I'm hungry. There's a few merchants on the boat that'll sell some good food if we have coin. Is anyone else hungry?" Corrinth asks.

You shrug. "We don't have any Sonnamillian coin, so it's moot. We have apples."

"Hup!" You barely have time to turn before a sack of coin lands on the floor of the wagon near the edge, thrown by Seith from the front end. "...I gathered some up before we left the manor," he says smugly before crossing his arms.

You roll your eyes. "Thanks. Alright, Corrinth, looks like we're getting food. Just make it look like you're stocking up for a long trip, so none of them realize you're smuggling people in this wagon. ...And no meat."

"...Not the first time I've had to blend in, Agranne," Corrinth replies, flatly, as she takes the coin and departs. After having to instruct her so explicitly yesterday and the day before, seeing her conduct herself with confidence catches you off-guard. You wonder if it might be nearly time to reapply the compulsion hex. For now, however, you return to your task of trying to get into Sharyx' head.

Now resting your palm on the Door, you close your eyes again and try to shut out the world. This time, you reach the emotional stage almost immediately. There's a mild disappointment already present, but is it directed at you? No, you realize. You've heard it before: No meat. Although you'd like to think that the memory is actually a "read" of Corrinth's thoughts, you're certain that you haven't gotten there yet, but you keep searching for it. What does she want?

After a few minutes, a thought rings true in your head, at the same time a hunger pang reaches your gut. Where is she? It's such a simple and potent question. You haven't noticed the passage of time, and you're certain that Embryx would alert you if Corrinth had been gone for an alarming length of time, but Sharyx is definitely feeling the absence of a solid meal. You know what she wants. Bread. Bread and the sweet stuff - like she gave me.

Sharyx is thinking about you, and the improvised breakfast you made at Nytha's home. You sense an overwhelming reverence at the thought of you and your gifts. It isn't a girlish crush, like Embryx apparently had for you when you arrived in Tashlaan, nor the admiration reserved for a human. It's deeply spiritual - you're already a goddess in her eyes, worthy of prayer.

She recalls the taste of the food you gave her, and it's far better than you remember it. Either her willingness to embrace you as her savior has rendered her memory rose-tented, or she had spent most of her life without tasting anything so sweet. Knowing what you know about her, either could be possible. But then, she remembers her proposal, and shame runs through her. A deep unease takes hold in her bones; your aversion, rejection, and disgust quickly rushing past her like a freezing wind.

Then, your request in the doorway of the guest bedroom: Give me more time, you said, and I'll consider it.

That simple request is more than just hope for Sharyx. It's her lifeblood; a surge of manic, evil desire runs wild beneath it - I must prove it to her. I will deliver anything she desires, cut the world into as many pieces and stitch it back together. I must have her grace, her divinity, her blood in my veins.

You nearly snap out of your telepathy out of fear - the recklessness of her thoughts must mean that she no longer expects that you're reading her. It suddenly occurs to you that you were facing Embryx when you closed your eyes, and from another's perspective, it would seem like you're facing her, and not Sharyx at all. Without her guarding herself and her inner thoughts, they must be more accessible. But what the fuck is she talking about?

Then, a very simple, drastic, and horrifying image crosses through your mind. An unborn child in Sharyx' womb, unwanted and unloved - the father irrelevant, perhaps nonexistent. The thought of pregnancy utterly revolting to the young queen, but nonetheless pursued, as within your hand rests an apple born of the flesh of another creature. That unborn child... is changed by your divinity, and then at once is worthy of love, worthy of praise, and worthy to rule Aelesh in centuries to come.

A unification of bloodlines which she will carry into the world, her blood forever mingled with the unborn heir, a transcendent connection between mother and child.

Her child.

Your child.

You release her from the hex immediately, but it isn't soon enough to spare you the intense discomfort her fantasy has given you. Embryx notices the look on your face and searches around the wagon for its source, but everyone else is comfortable and unaware of your success. "Hey... What happened?" Embryx asks you quietly. "Did you see something?"

1. Cause a Scene - This has gone far enough.

2. Don't Cause a Scene - "I'll tell you about it when we get off the boat," you say, fighting back the urge to gag.

 

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[turtwigwins]

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[LoriMahe]

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[joshuadim]

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[Damian0358]

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[Breadman]

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[hardcore.munchkin]

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