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File 147204984855.png - (166.99KB , 1600x1200 , The Start.png )
744184 No. 744184 ID: 0fb132

Author: I'm experimenting with my drawings here, so there may be some changes here and there. If you find anything that you feel may cause problems, please say it.

I’m a familiar summoned by a wizard some time ago to do his bidding, most of the time, just fetching and cleaning.

But, as it is right now, I’m aware of two facts:

First: my Master is and Asshole.
160 posts omitted. Last 100 shown. Expand all images
>>
No. 761216 ID: 5ab00f
File 148003326114.png - (74.20KB , 1600x1200 , thoughts.png )
761216

>I wonder if she's really crazy, or if she's a nascent mage. Just because she's seeing things that aren't there, per se, doesn't mean she's seeing things that are entirely unreal
I don’t remember my master or any other mage in particular having any sort of hallucinations, aside from visions of power if they count. But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a mage.

Those things could easily just hallucinations created by her mind that she can’t control. The other option could be that she has a strong connection with the world of inexistence, but that wouldn’t make her a mage, after all, everyone has some sort of connection with it, both directly and indirectly...

>>760441
>So what is the plan? Are we going to keep seeking knowledge about familiares and prepare ourself to face magical users or are we going to become the pet friend of a confuse girl?
I became friends with her just so I can have somewhere safe to stay, this place could work just perfectly, and I guess helping her in some way would be part of the deal. Searching information about familiars is still my main goal, at least for now, since I have no idea what could possibly happen to me from now on.

I haven’t been feeling any weaker or anything, so at least I’m not seem to be decaying or something of the sort, even if that is something that happens more on the living.

That said… I would rather try to avoid any sort of confrontation... I may be able to face some weak magic, but at least that other familiar seemed pretty strong, even if I ended in its good side somehow… Fighting mages could be problematic if I also have to face their familiars.

“So, what are you going to do now, Menno?”

“… huh? Oh, right! Well, my first idea was to check the library in hopes of learning about people and magic in general, and also about familiars. My former master and I lived pretty much isolated, so there are a lot of things that I still don’t know. “

“I don’t really know how to help you with that… This library was the only one I knew, there are others in the city, but I don’t know where they could be… maybe some books were saved, but I don't know how useful will that be for you. “

“I should go back; I need to tend the shop, I’m sure my caretakers will come back soon, but they will have a heart attack if they don’t see me around as soon as they’re back... Feel free to look around, there is no one up here. Before I leave though, Is there something you will need of me?”
>>
No. 761223 ID: 3abd97

>If there are others like you, then I'm not sure how I'm going to tell if they are real or not...
Um. Well, most familiars would probably try to avoid being seen. Their masters want to stay low key, and not get in trouble for using magic. If one is trying to get your attention, it's probably not real? Unless something weird happens.

The only other familiar I've seen so far in town had ears and a tail, and looks like an angry mouse or cat. He had claws too.

>The other option could be that she has a strong connection with the world of inexistence, but that wouldn’t make her a mage, after all, everyone has some sort of connection with it, both directly and indirectly...
What would that make her then? A seer?

I guess it's a moot point until we find a way to check. Maybe if you're around the next time she's seeing things. You're a magical creature- can you sense magic?

>maybe some books were saved, but I don't know how useful will that be for you.
Even if some books were saved, people are going to be on alert, and there are those angry looking investigators. The library isn't a safe place for me to poke around right now.

>Before I leave though, Is there something you will need of me?
Are you too old to have a doll? I might play dead if someone walks in on us at some point on the future. A mage or arbiter might recognize what I am, but most people would just see a doll.
>>
No. 761238 ID: 34c437

Can you spare some sewing apparatus? I was thinking about making some modifications. Leo was nice, but I fear the mages won't be.
>>
No. 762079 ID: 188d9f
File 148036686721.png - (72.32KB , 1600x1200 , Go to your room!.png )
762079

>>761223
>You're a magical creature- can you sense magic?
To a certain extent, yes. I can tell when magic is being used and was used for something in particular, and I can see magic on objects, but only If see it or hear it, but I can't detect it in any other way, not right now at least. She was hearing some things recently, just before I managed to calm her down, right? During that time I couldn't sense anything of magic origin, although I don't know how much that helps...

>What would that make her then? A seer?
…Perhaps? I'm not really versed on the terminology used, so I can’t tell if this would be correct or not… I should investigate that too when I get the chance…

>Are you too old to have a doll?
“I’m 13, but I never had a doll before... Why you ask?”

>I might play dead if someone walks in on us at some point on the future. A mage or arbiter might recognize what I am, but most people would just see a doll.
“Oh, I guess no one could notice, although if we have to do it, but I should think of an excuse if any of my caretakers asks…”

>>761238
… Most of the tools I saw are human sized, I don’t think I can use most of the things they could have, but let’s ask just to be sure…

“Well, the only thing I have in my room is a loom; I use it for training when I have time… Do you know how to use it?”

“… No, I heard of them but I never saw one being used, let alone try to use one myself…”

“I guess I will see how I can help you with the loom later, but if you need materials, there should be some in my room, although try to not use them all... There are other tools behind the shop, we use them for making what we sell, but my caretakers will be back soon, so I don’t think you should go there.”

Well, looking at the size of her loom, it will be somewhat hard for me to use it, and I may break it if I tried to use it without knowing what I’m doing, so perhaps it will be better if I don’t touch it.

“Well, I will leave now; I will come to my room as soon as I can.”

She leaves, Serra following her at a close distance. I go back to her room and start looking for anything I could use.
>>
No. 762080 ID: 188d9f
File 148036701509.png - (131.24KB , 1600x1200 , organizing.png )
762080

Well, she gave me permission to experiment in her room, although I still have no idea about what I could do… I’m surprised how easily she decided to trust this much in me…

... I have gathered everything I think I could use on top of the table, trying my best to keep it organized: there are some needles of many sizes and threads, and a measuring tape ... I got the feeling that maybe she lost some of these…

I could also wait until she comes back, perhaps preparing myself for questions she may have or make some of my own, or try to explore this building’s third floor; after all, she said there was no one around.

>The library isn't a safe place for me to poke around right now.
Yes, I will have to give some time until things calm down, there is a chance some soldiers are going to be left behind to guard the remains of the library.
>>
No. 762095 ID: 3abd97

>>762080
I would explore, for now.

As for experimenting with sewing tools, uh, well I'm not sure where to go with that. Repairs would be obvious, if you needed them. Otherwise, basic reinforcement? You could consider modifying or improving yourself, but just slapping on extra limbs or parts would get weird quick.
>>
No. 762756 ID: f00555
File 148055149774.png - (132.69KB , 1600x1200 , This isn't even my final form!.png )
762756

>slapping on extra limbs or parts
With the help of these threads, needles and Cloth, I have managed to become an unstoppable bringer of destruction! AHAHAHA~!
>>
No. 762757 ID: f00555
File 148055152461.png - (72.35KB , 1600x1200 , day-dreaming.png )
762757

Alright… I have mixed feeling about that idea… On one hand, it looks somewhat awesome? On the other hand, it also looks bad, and it will reduce my chances of going unnoticed to cero, even if she is carrying me… Anyway, I don’t think that extra limbs could help right now.

As for repairs, luckily I only have to fix some treads that were going a bit loose, but nothing problematic or hard. And as for reinforcing, I don’t see why not, but I don’t know how much some extra cloth is going to help me.
>>
No. 762758 ID: f00555
File 148055159740.png - (61.97KB , 1600x1200 , the third floor, one room.png )
762758

>I would explore, for now.
Yes, let’s see what I find on the third floor first.

There’s an entrance but there is no door. It’s a small room, somewhat dirty, and with some furniture here and there, as well as some boxes, there also is a window, which, with this layout, it’s very accessible for me.

The window has a ledge going both inside and outside the house while the other one didn't.
>>
No. 762759 ID: f00555
File 148055162555.png - (184.17KB , 1600x1200 , I regret everything.png )
762759

I can easily open this window and from here I can see some of the buildings nearby, more at the west, I can see that high tower, just at the side of this window there is another pipe that goes from the top of the building to the bottom.
>>
No. 762823 ID: d79f26

is one thing you can add to yourself. an ownership tag, "property of Thalia". then if someone sees you, you can pretend to be lifeless doll, they will check you over, see the tag, and return you to this house.
>>
No. 762840 ID: 3abd97

>>762757
If you decide to modify yourself in the future, you'd want some kind of coherent theme so you don't look like a weird monster frankendoll. Then you avoid the weirdness and sticking out.

>>762823
Might weird her out a little if we basically tattooed her name on us after one meeting. It also gives her name away to any familiars we might encounter, which could be a bad idea. Not all these wizards (or their servants) are nice people and we don't want our friend a target.

>>762758
Let's poke around what's in this room. See if there's anything useful. I'd rather not venture outside again just yet considering how riled up things have been with the library fire.
>>
No. 763348 ID: e3e735
File 148080439949.png - (82.38KB , 1600x1200 , useless stuff.png )
763348

>>762823
>>762840
> Might weird her out a little if we basically tattooed her name on us after one meeting. It also gives her name away to any familiars we might encounter, which could be a bad idea. Not all these wizards (or their servants) are nice people and we don't want our friend a target.
Yes… perhaps getting her name somewhere in my body could be a bad idea. Although it may be helpful, we should also consider that there is a chance not everyone knows her, or where she lives. In fact, I would have troubles finding this place again if I wandered off; most of these buildings look the same to me…

>If you decide to modify yourself in the future, you'd want some kind of coherent theme
Yes, I should take that into account. Although I have no theme in mind right now, but perhaps I can think one in the future.

>Let's poke around what's in this room. See if there's anything useful
After searching through the room, I find nothing useful or important… There are some toys lying around, a book filled with barely readable scribblings, if readable, and ugly drawings, and a bag with some shinny coins inside of it. Nothing of this seems extremely valuable to me. I couldn’t check inside the wardrobe though, it’s impossible for me try to open it since I can't reach the door knob.
>>
No. 763360 ID: 750f88

>>762080
Just throwing this out there, I don't expect much from it but-

Can familiars create other familiars?
>>
No. 763596 ID: 3abd97

>>763348
Yeah, toys aren't much use to you here.

We could use some reading material (man that library fire is annoying), or at least a map of the city to study.

Any rooms left to explore? I'm still leery about heading out again so soon.
>>
No. 763618 ID: 91ee5f

>>763348
Jump on the toy horse and go for a ride. Pretend you're on an adventure around the room!
>>
No. 765603 ID: 1ce8f3
File 148166227372.png - (63.45KB , 1600x1200 , Size_difference.png )
765603

Author: Sorry again for taking long with the update, I don't seem to be able to keep them coming rather regularly and I have been having some troubles lately...

>>763360
I don’t know what it needs to be done to create a familiar, and I never heard of familiars making another familiar, so I don’t really know if it is possible…

>>763618
I… almost feel tempted to do that… Sadly, it is somewhat small, so no matter how strong this steed is, it won’t be able to take me far away before collapsing...

>>763596
>Any rooms left to explore?
Well, there were the other two rooms on the second floor, but the doors were closed so I couldn’t get in.

I better wait for Thalia on her room, at least for now, since it doesn’t look like I have many options, I try my best to put everything back in place, I don’t know if anyone comes here but its better if I'm cautious.
>>
No. 765604 ID: 1ce8f3
File 148166236155.png - (63.02KB , 1600x1200 , I feel like I'm drawing badly.png )
765604

I arrive at her room, since the most comfy place in the room is Thalia’s bed, I will just get up there and enjoy softness while I wait, I hope she doesn’t mind. Soon I hear the door open, and Thalia enters, with Serra following her.

“Hi Menno, sorry to make you wait, my caretakers where worried when they saw no one on the shop, and they asked me a ton of questions. Have you been doing well?”

“So far so good, I guess…”

She takes seat on the chair near the table, while Serra just goes to her bed and gets comfortable.

“Are you hungry? I managed to get some snacks for you”

“I don’t need to eat, but I appreciate the thought.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As far as I know, I only need to keep my body in a good condition.”

She leaves the food she brought on top of the table.

“… Even so, how I was going to eat it?”

“Hehe, I guess I didn’t think of that… Where did you find these? I lost them I think two days ago…”

“Oh, one of those was below the table, behind the table’s leg. The other one was in middle of the floor, and I happened to come up with it.”

“… Thank you… Although that only shows that I really should start cleaning my room…”
>>
No. 765605 ID: 1ce8f3
File 148166240109.png - (64.73KB , 1600x1200 , it watches you.png )
765605

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t really know, as I said, the library was my first idea, and even if some books survived, it would probably be heavily guarded right now…”

“Actually, most of the guards are gone. The owner of the library is back… He was quite shocked about what happened, but right now is trying to find and organize the books that survived. I think only two guards were left behind to guard the place, and the streets seemed empty… I hope everyone is not afraid of coming over here now..."

Well that could be useful. It looks like the guards didn’t found anything at all. Perhaps she could take me to the library. Or she could take me somewhere else, but I think the library is my only lead, , right now if I want to learn anything about magic, even if it there could be nothing… That or perhaps going where the guards or arbiters gather, there is bound to be something there too, but it could also be dangerous…

“ Menno… could you try to explain me what is going on? What happened on the library? Did you have anything to do with it? And can you explain to me what is magic and why is it considered evil…?”

“… The only thing I can possibly try to explain to you is what happened at the library. Everything else, I don’t think I know much more than you… In fact, I would like to know many things that you just asked, but for that I could need your help…”

“It’s ok… If you really need my help, I will trust you, but please promise me you will tell me what you find... Right now I’m confused, and I can’t help it but feel uneasy…”

… I could try to explain the little I understand of magic, but I fear that will only serve to confuse her more than she already is or give her more questions that I probably won’t be capable of answering.
>>
No. 765607 ID: 64f807

As long as she understand showing knowledge of magic in her society is dangerous there is nothing wrong in introducing her to the concept. Just make sure she understand the need for discretion.
Anyway, time to snitch Leo. This little tale of crime will also help to explain why you want to reinforce yourself for a possible future conflict.
>>
No. 765639 ID: 3abd97

>What happened on the library? Did you have anything to do with it?
Tell her the truth, and about your encounter with Leo. Doesn't really make sense to you. What book would be so valuable it justifies covering it's theft with fire?

>And can you explain to me what is magic and why is it considered evil…?
Well, Leo wasn't very nice, and his master must not be so either to have ordered such a thing. And you know your master was an asshole who was never nice to anymore. Maybe the jerk magic users just gave magic a bad name?

And heck, the spell that created you made you a slave, which isn't very nice either.

I mean, I guess it's kind of easy to imagine the bad things people could do with magic? A jerk with a lot of power and no checks on them is scary.

You hope magic itself isn't evil, and it's just the way some people use it. You don't really want to be powered by something evil.

>I could try to explain the little I understand of magic
You should probably lead by explaining you don't actually know that much about how magic works, even if you are magic.
>>
No. 765648 ID: 91ee5f

>>765605
Hey! You on the table behind the cupcake! I see you back there!
>>
No. 765651 ID: 3abd97

>>765648
Instead of going over everything, start with this, then.

"I guess some people don't like magic because other rude people use it for spying."
>>
No. 767655 ID: 6dd388
File 148246385259.png - (152.18KB , 1600x1200 , no cupcake for you!.png )
767655

>>765648
“Hey! Who is there?!”

“Eh? … Oh, Serra!

Serra tries to rush for the cupcake, but Thalia gets it first and keeps it away.

“I already gave you food; you know I can’t let you eat more! You will get fat!”

Serra whines for a bit, but after another “NO” from Thalia, I guess it resigns in obtaining it…

“For a second I thought it was another familiar… Alright, now let me try to explain what I understand has been happening thus far…”
>>
No. 767657 ID: 6dd388
File 148246395546.png - (173.54KB , 1600x1200 , Reminiscence.png )
767657

>>765607
>Just make sure she understand the need for discretion.
“Before anything, you must remember to not tell anyone about anything I’m about to say, they could get suspicious, and I don’t know what they could do, alright?”

“Alright...”

>>765639

>Tell her the truth, and about your encounter with Leo.
>Anyway, time to snitch Leo
“Well, let’s start with the library. The fire wasn’t magical, as far as I could tell; it was started by normal means … Although I got the feeling it could have been caused by a familiar… And I had just arrived when it all started, so I was having problems trying to understand what was happening, I even panicked for a bit.”

“Why you think the fire was made by a familiar?”

“Soon after everyone was working on the fire, I met another familiar; it was carrying a book, probably taken from the library and that book had some magical presence on it, yet I couldn't get a glimpse of its contents. It started questioning me, trying to tell if I was a threat or not, luckily, I managed to get in its good side, and it left without attacking me, I don’t know if I would have a chance if they had chosen otherwise as I wasn’t made for combat, but that other familiar was clearly built for combat, and is very dangerous, so if you find it, you are better pretending you didn’t saw it, or run away.”

“… How could I tell it from… the things I see?”

“… I don’t know if it can help, but it was doll like me and more or less of my size, somewhat like a cat, and his eyes were static. It also had claws, and it seemed to have an affinity towards fire.”

“… I will try to remember that.”

>What book would be so valuable it justifies covering it's theft with fire?
I don’t really know… It didn’t have that much of a magical presence, so I don’t think it could be very important… On the other hand, it could have just been one huge diversion for all I know…

>This little tale of crime will also help to explain why you want to reinforce yourself for a possible future conflict.
“Anyway, it said that there were others, and they may not be as merciful, so I think I should prepare myself to fight if by any chance I end up facing one of them again…”

“... I only know about tailoring, perhaps that could help you, but I don’t really know how much I will be able to help with that…”
>>
No. 767659 ID: 6dd388
File 148246402470.png - (127.66KB , 1600x1200 , fire explanation.png )
767659

>You should probably lead by explaining you don't actually know that much about how magic works, even if you are magic.
“Now, as for magic, I can’t understand what magic is exactly, for me, using it is like breathing or eating, I don’t know how it really works… As far as I know, magic is a way to make things that don’t exist to exist in front of us. It has a lot to do with the connection between the “existence” and “inexistence”, but I don’t really know how it really works. By example, if a mage makes fire, he is using his connection to the world of inexistence to bring something that doesn’t exist, thus being in the inexistence, and bringing it into existence, and once it is there, the fire will act pretty much the same way as any other fire would.”

“Can you use magic?”

“Yes, I can, but my magic isn’t very strong, it was mostly used for utility, I never tried using it to defend myself.”
“C-can you show me?”

…She seems very eager to see...

“Alright… watch very carefully.”
>>
No. 767661 ID: 6dd388
File 148246420556.png - (123.35KB , 1600x1200 , levitating, sorta.png )
767661

I let myself fall from the bed, and then proceed to use magic to create wind currents to brake my fall and move towards different directions for a bit, thanks to my light weight, until I get to the floor.

“… Wow… What else can you do?!”

“Well, I can make small fires to lit candles and the sort, or create some water to put down small fires, but that’s pretty much all…”

I never found much utility on earth magic…

“… I’m still having problems to understand this, but all of that sounds very useful… Why is magic considered bad?”

>the spell that created you made you a slave, which isn't very nice either.
… I never really thought of that… I was never given too much of a choice now that I think about it…

>I guess it's kind of easy to imagine the bad things people could do with magic? A jerk with a lot of power and no checks on them is scary.
Hahaha…. Come on, Humans aren’t THAT stupid, the same way a jerk can become powerful with magic, so can someone who isn’t a jerk… I mean... don’t humans have that saying that goes “fighting fire with fire”…? And… trying to deny magic, is trying to deny the existence itself too…

>Maybe the jerk magic users just gave magic a bad name?
“…What?”

“I mean… you said your master wasn’t a very nice person, right? Perhaps it’s just that people don’t see how useful magic could be and only see it as something dangerous…”



“… There is also the fact that it can be very dangerous… Familiars are often used for combat, or for spying… And many mages that I met seemed to be assholes too… I guess your idea is possible…”
>>
No. 767666 ID: 6dd388
File 148246478863.png - (65.46KB , 1600x1200 , lost in thought___.png )
767666

“… This is a lot of information and I will need some time to organize everything you just told me, but thank you for telling me all of this.”

“… You are welcome…”



“Soon it will be dark outside… what are you planning on doing, Menno?”



“Umm, Menno?”

>You hope magic itself isn't evil, and it's just the way some people use it. You don't really want to be powered by something evil.


… …

… When something is “evil”…?



“Menno! Is there something troubling you?”

“Oh… no, it’s nothing I guess… let me just think…”

Well... Now what options do I have…?

We could investigate the library in search of any sort of clues or information, or she could take me somewhere else, but the only other place where I could find something is wherever the arbiters are…

I could also try to find better ways to defend myself, be it by figuring out some way I could fight or to find something that could increase my chances… Although if I’m going to some sort of extra gear I should take into account the possibility of it hindering me more than helping me.

Or just call it a day, Thalia may need some rest after what happened, and I could use some time to clean myself, or maybe is there something else I'm not taking into account?
>>
No. 767678 ID: 64f807

I presume we don't need to sleep. At least I hope so, the night is the best period to move undetected and we will need to be somewhat active during the day to interact with Thalia.
Let's explore what was left of the library. Not a thoroughly search, after all the place could be under vigilance, just a quick scan for books that emanate magic. We can also get some leather pieces from the covers of burned books.
>>
No. 767684 ID: 91ee5f

>>767661
>Hahaha…. Come on, Humans aren’t THAT stupid, the same way a jerk can become powerful with magic, so can someone who isn’t a jerk… I mean... don’t humans have that saying that goes “fighting fire with fire”…? And… trying to deny magic, is trying to deny the existence itself too…
True, but think about when two really powerful mages get into a fight with each other in the middle of a city. They would probably do a lot of damage to the city before they stopped fighting.

And if it was just one really nice mage, he/she could end up accidentally setting a house on fire when he/she only wanted to light a candle.

Magic is limited to try and prevent the bad guys from learning magic (which they've done a terrible job at preventing) and to prevent the good guys from getting too powerful and causing accidents.
>>
No. 767842 ID: 3abd97

>I never found much utility on earth magic…
Jamming machinery? Tripping people? Pitfalls?

>I only know about tailoring, perhaps that could help you
Well you'd made of cloth, that could be very useful for repairs or modifications or even weapons versus other familiars.

>what are you planning on doing, Menno?
Well long term your goals should be staying alive and learning more about yourself and the world. Be nice to discover more about how magic and familiars work, and what the other magic users in town are up to before you run afoul of them.

You made a friend and found a safe place, that's pretty good for the first day.

What are Thalia's goals? If she's going to be helping you, maybe you could help her too.
>>
No. 769100 ID: ab6ccb
File 148311324283.png - (90.61KB , 1600x1200 , This doesn't look so good.png )
769100

>>767678
>I presume we don't need to sleep.
Of course we don’t. Only the living need to sleep. As far as I know, I’m tireless.

>>767684
>They would probably do a lot of damage to the city before they stopped fighting.
… That’s true, which I can see how it would develop into a hate towards magic in general… With what I know of humans, whoever intends to save the city would also be blamed for its destruction…

>he/she could end up accidentally setting a house on fire when he/she only wanted to light a candle.
Heh… that’s a common joke on the inexistence… Normally, mages that make fool mistakes like that tend to not last long, defeated by their own powers… hmm… I just noticed how sad that joke actually is… Anyway, it’s rare the occasion of mages failing to control their own power, since it’s almost impossible to get more powerful if you are incapable of storing and controlling that much magic.

>Magic is limited to try and prevent the bad guys from learning magic (which they've done a terrible job at preventing) and to prevent the good guys from getting too powerful and causing accidents.
With a plan like that, it almost sounds like if any of both parts failed, everything would go terribly wrong… Are humans even capable of doing that? It seems nearly impossible…

>>767842
>Jamming machinery? Tripping people? Pitfalls?
Yes, all of that could be useful for me now, but at the time when I was serving my former master, earth magic seemed very useless, now I should be considering practice a bit more with it.

>That could be very useful for repairs or modifications or even weapons versus other familiars.
“I see… Well, I don’t really know anything about weapons, but if you require clothes or something, I will be happy to help.”
>>
No. 769101 ID: ab6ccb
File 148311328493.png - (62.11KB , 1600x1200 , worried.png )
769101

>Well long term your goals should be staying alive and learning more about yourself and the world. Be nice to discover more about how magic and familiars work, and what the other magic users in town are up to before you run afoul of them.
… I still don’t know how to deal with them… For all I know, they could be potentially hostile towards me, although for reasons unknown… On the other hand, they could be potential allies… There is also the fact that I am free, not bound to obey anyone, I don’t know how they could react to that, probably not fondly… BUT, I Think they are endangered by the arbiters as much as I am, right? That could help if we tried to make an alliance…

>You made a friend and found a safe place, that's pretty good for the first day.
I guess this does help with my immediate needs for now. Good work, me.

>What are Thalia's goals? If she's going to be helping you, maybe you could help her too.
“… My goals? I never really thought about it… I mean… I love Tailoring, and I hope I continue to do so… I would love to create a beautiful piece that everyone would like… But… Well… I also would like to know what else there is in the world and see new things… although… my hallucinations make it kind of hard to focus and it becomes hard to talk to people… And now that I know what magic is… I’m… afraid… just by thinking how it could mix up with… the things I see…"

She suddenly grows quiet… I don't really know how I could help her with that, if I can help her…

“If you think you could use help for something, just let me know, it would only be fair after all.”

“I could use some help in cleaning my room later, hehe…”

Now that’s something I know how to do.
>>
No. 769102 ID: ab6ccb
File 148311332642.png - (71.20KB , 1600x1200 , sleeping dog.png )
769102

>Let's explore what was left of the library. Not a thoroughly search, after all the place could be under vigilance, just a quick scan for books that emanate magic.
Yes… I guess it is for the best to try and see what I find there, the humans may not have found anything, but perhaps I will, especially books. That familiar may have left something behind; perhaps that’s why it started the fire?

“I intend to go to the library now; I may find something that helps me there.”

“I will go with you; I have that I borrowed from the library some days ago and I already finished reading it. Just let me get my things...”

Huh… she looked tired before, but now she seems alright…

“Is Serra coming wuth us?”

“...Doesn’t look like…”

Serra seems to have fallen asleep in its bed… she seems to be really comfortable...

Thalia gets a purse, and she puts the book inside of it.

“I don’t think I will need to take more than this, so are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I think I’m ready.”
>>
No. 769104 ID: ab6ccb
File 148311371424.png - (137.65KB , 1600x1200 , so far, no problem.png )
769104

... It feels weird being carried on arms instead of moving by myself or inside a backpack...

The shop seems to be closing when We go down, and we found Thalia’s fath… err "caretaker"… What's the difference between the two? Maybe I should Ask thalia about it later...

“Oh, Thalia, Where are you going?”

“To the library, I’m going to return a book…”

“Wh-what? At this hour and after what happened?”

“Yes?”

“No, I-I can’t let you go there… It could be dangerous! Not to say it’s almost burned to the ground a few hours ago… and… Just… I can’t let you go there alone.”

“It’s just there crossing the street and there are some guards waiting there, and it’s not like I’m going far or anything, I will be back soon, don’t worry.”

“I… Fine, but do what you have to do, and be back for Dinner!”

There isn’t anyone around, and we get closer to the library pretty much without problem. Once inside the library, we met one guard on the door.

“The library is closed for now; no services shall be given until further notice. What brings you here?”

Thalia takes the book and shows it to the guard.

“I thought that I may give back a book that I borrowed from the owner, can I go in?

“Huh… Yes, I think you can, it’s not like we are stopping the public from entering, we are just making sure that no other incident happens… And since you are going to see the owner, could you tell my partner that it’s his turn to guard the door?”

“If I see him, I will tell him.”

“Thank you.”

It looks like he isn't suspicious about me...
>>
No. 769105 ID: ab6ccb
File 148311391473.png - (243.05KB , 1600x1200 , the library.png )
769105

The library is covered with ashes, and there is rubble and marks of the fire everywhere, but the building seems steady and it doesn't seem it suffered a lot of damage...

“I need to give the book back, so do you want us to stick together or do you want to look around for something that may help you?”

I’m already seeing one thing that is suspicious… I don’t remember this library pretty much leaking with magical essence, or it being all over the place… Two of different origins to be exact, although the second one is pretty small and almost unnoticeable…
>>
No. 769119 ID: 64f807

Stay close to Thalia. There may be some danger at the end of this magic trail, and keeping her safe is more important than finding out what it is.
>>
No. 769125 ID: 398fe1

The mages put out the fire with ice magic or something, that's what the blue stuff is, I think. The red stuff is the tracks of the other doll since it used fire magic to start the fire. Follow the red tracks.
>>
No. 769178 ID: 3abd97

Tell about the magic you see. There are blue squiggles all over the place, and a trail of red dots.

>>769125
I agree with this logic. The blue was most likely some ice / cold / water effect used to put out the fire, which implies the arbiters use magic. (Does Thalia thinks that makes sense? Are they known to be magic users by the public).

If the red dots were left by the other familiar, we might find the point of ignition, or what he took.

>stick together?
I'd say there's nothing wrong playing junior investigator, and the state of the place gives her a pretty good excuse for not getting the book immediately where it needs to go.
>>
No. 770317 ID: 52b301
File 148349368503.png - (241.06KB , 1600x1200 , taking a closer look.png )
770317

>>769178
>>769119
>Stay close to Thalia.
>I'd say there's nothing wrong playing junior investigator
“I think we should stay together for now. But don’t you feel curiosity about what happened here?”

“Yes but… after taking a closer look, this place scares me a bit… Also I don’t really want to worry father…”

“Don't worry, if something happens, I will be there to help you, now let's see what we find”

I don’t know how much I would be able to protect her from someone who’s magic could be more powerful than mine…

>>769125
…The arbiter didn’t try to stop the fire; he simply left after taking a look… It would have been impossible for him to use any magic of any sort… That would only leave the soldiers and the people that came in here…

As for the red dots, yes they can only be the tracks of that other familiar… But the question here is why they exist? The Fire wasn’t started by magic...

“… Did you find something suspicious…?”

>Tell about the magic you see. There are blue squiggles all over the place, and a trail of red dots.
“There is magical essence in this place… A lot of it…”

“You mean… There is magic here?!”

“Yes, and it’s all over the place too…”

“But you said that the fire was natural, not magical…”

“It was… I don’t know where all this came from, it wasn’t there the last time I saw the library… Are there any public mages or anything of the sort?"

“As far as I know, there aren’t any public mages… Magic is entirely forbidden and everyone who uses it is supposed to be chased by the arbiters...”
>>
No. 770318 ID: 52b301
File 148349385828.png - (572.02KB , 1600x1200 , The left room.png )
770318

>Follow the red tracks.
In the way they look, it’s kind of hard to tell which way they go… I think they may be going to the left room, but I’m not sure…

“Let’s go to the left room… There is a magical essence of different origin that may lead there, and although it’s minimal, I think it may belong to the other familiar…”

“… Alright, here we go…”

This room is somewhat large, and it was also affected by the fire… it’s still mostly covered by ashes… There seems to be rest of what appeared to have been bookcases, but also a lot of rubble that it’s almost impossible to tell what it was before the fire…

“… Nothing here looks like what it used to be…”

There is a lit candle next to the door that leads to the other room next to this one, to the right… laugher from two humans can be heard coming from there, and it looks like that room is well lit, although the door is half closed and they don’t seem to have noticed us…

“That door leads to the Study… It looks like the owner is there, but I don't recognize the other voice, it may be the other guard…”

“…There is a lot of magical essence here too… Maybe even more than at the entrance… Does any this make any sense to you in some way?”

“No… it doesn’t… but if you say that there is magic around here, and that it wasn’t here during the fire… Then it must have come after everyone started putting out the fire… But it couldn’t have been a mage, there were many guards around, they would have noticed and they would probably arrest him…”

The tracks of the other familiar “end” on a bit larger pool of magical essence of the same origin… I think that’s the place where that familiar casted whichever spell that made it leave tracks in the first place… although I wonder why it did that… anyway; I think it is safe to assume that the tracks start there.
>>
No. 770331 ID: 91ee5f

>>770318
Tell Thalia to go ahead and return the book to the owner. And if that other voice belongs to the guard's partner, tell Thalia to go ahead and pass along the message of "It's your turn to guard the door."

After that we should go ahead and leave. I don't want to endanger Thalia anymore than necessary.
>>
No. 770341 ID: 64f807

Do all damaged objects seem to be in their current state because of the fire?
If not those could be blind attacks aimed at a familiar capable of cast invisibility spells, making the smaller magical track.
If so those could indicate the presence of a magic user in the library attempting to contain the fire before your call for help. In that case the familiar may have created that trail before or after.
>>
No. 770400 ID: 3abd97

>“As far as I know, there aren’t any public mages… Magic is entirely forbidden and everyone who uses it is supposed to be chased by the arbiters...”
>Then it must have come after everyone started putting out the fire… But it couldn’t have been a mage, there were many guards around, they would have noticed and they would probably arrest him…
Maybe you were looking at this wrong before. Maybe magic is against the law because the people in charge are trying to maintain a monopoly on it. The arbiters have magic in secret, and they don't want rivals.

Might explain how there was someone here using magic after the fire when no mage should have been able to get past the forces of the law safely.

>I think that’s the place where that familiar casted whichever spell that made it leave tracks in the first place… although I wonder why it did that… anyway; I think it is safe to assume that the tracks start there.
Maybe the tracks are like a fuse? He needed to leave them so he could start the fire at a distance?

Or maybe the tracks are a side effect or cost to the spell he actually wanted to cast.

Maybe ask Thalia if she knows what was kept right here before the fire. If this is where the fire started, this might be where whatever was taken used to be stored.
>>
No. 772092 ID: d9ceb7
File 148432071689.png - (234.80KB , 1600x1200 , the pool.png )
772092

“leave me here for a moment, I want to take a closer look.”

>>770341
>Do all damaged objects seem to be in their current state because of the fire?
Well, most of the damage is due to the fire, but there is some damage that was probably done while everyone was fighting the fire, probably to stop the its spread. I don’t know if it counts as damage, but some of the wood that survived the fire is still wet from all the water that the people brought from the river.

>those could be blind attacks
I don’t think so… Even if someone could do something like invisibility, which is hard to do, it would only work for those who don’t know much about magic it the first place, you would leave tracks like these ones everywhere you go.

>>770400
>Maybe magic is against the law because the people in charge are trying to maintain a monopoly on it.


“… Do you think that maybe the arbiters are trying to keep a monopoly over magic?”

“What’s… a “monopoly”?”

“Ok… To say it in a different way, I think the arbiters could be trying to keep all the magic to themselves, although I don’t know for what purpose.”

“Y-you think so? …Do you have proof?”

“Umm... It’s mostly just a hunch… but They are the only ones so far that seem to know how magic works."

“… I know they are probably hostile towards you, and that they seem to be handling magic in the wrong way, but I would find it hard to believe that they would be doing something like that without anyone noticing or trying to stop them. I don’t think we should jump to conclusions just yet…”

... I guess she could be right. I still have a bad feeling about what are the arbiters' intentions though…

Anyway, one way that this magical essence could have arrived here, is if one of the guards had been a mage, then the others could have ignored him while he was using magic… Yet, there were a lot of people fighting the fire too, and someone would have seen it… Right? I think that would have raised a lot of suspicion.
>>
No. 772093 ID: d9ceb7
File 148432077076.png - (314.37KB , 1600x1200 , doorstudy.png )
772093

>Maybe ask Thalia if she knows what was kept right here before the fire.
“In this room the owner used to display a book he was proud of having… It was secure on a display in the center of this room… the only thing that’s left of that display seems to be that wooden pillar… “

“Why was that book special?”

“I don’t really know… I think it had something to do with history, knowing the owner, it was probably an old handwritten book that has already been copied, but he managed to keep the original… It was probably from a renowned author of some sort, but I never asked him if I could read it.”

That Book does sound very valuable… The book the other familiar was carrying was old and had some magical presence on it… If those two books are the same, then it is safe to say that the book here had magic on it, and the other familiar managed to get it without the book being damaged by the fire…

>Maybe the tracks are like a fuse? He needed to leave them so he could start the fire at a distance?
That’s highly unlikely… it would have left a long line of magical essence and continuous, not dots that are isolated of each other… for not saying that I wouldn’t know what purpose the familiar would have to do something like that…

>Or maybe the tracks are a side effect or cost to the spell he actually wanted to cast.
That’s what I guess it would have been… That familiar casted a spell on its own body probably… and with that they left trails… Perhaps that spell was to keep the book safe from the fire…? Although that would mean the familiar didn’t anticipated the fire…
>>
No. 772094 ID: d9ceb7
File 148432091020.png - (279.25KB , 1600x1200 , the study.png )
772094

>>770331
>Tell Thalia to go ahead and return the book to the owner. And if that other voice belongs to the guard's partner, tell Thalia to go ahead and pass along the message of "It's your turn to guard the door."
We move towards the next room, the laughing only becomes louder as we approach… once Thalia opens the door, I see a guard and who I presume is the owner, sitting on a makeshift table...

“… And wait haha… It gets better... later we told another rookie that if he took a piss on the gunpowder, it would improve its quality, and he believed it!”

“Ah-hahahahahe…!”

“In- heh… in the end, the quartermaster was Very mad at us… the captain later punished everyone involved, but I think it was worth it… For all the rookies!”

“For all of them…!”

They are both drinking that strange liquid humans like to drink… although it seems the guard isn’t drinking that much… The owner in the other hand doesn’t seem to be in his right senses…

“Emm… Hello?”

“Oh, looks like we have a visitor.”

“Uhh… Oh, Hi Thailia…. What brought you here…?”

Thalia doesn’t seem to feel comfortable right now...

“Ah-I brought you back the book I borrowed…”

“Oh… ah…. Thanks dearie… You have always been so… punctual….”

He weakly reaches for the book but he starts to lose his balance, instead, Thalia simply leaves it on the table…

“… ah…huh... thanks…”

The owner falls again on his seat, still having some problems with his balance.

“… You are the other guard … right?”

“Well, you can call me that, yes. What is it?”

“Well… the guard on the entrance said it was your turn to watch the door…”

“Ah!... Sorry old man, duty calls. See you around.”

“Uhh… What did you said?

“I said that I have to go now! See you later.”

“Yes… goodbye…”

The guard gets up and grabs his stuff, and after giving a last farewell to Thalia and the owner, he leaves heading towards the entrance…

The owner just stays silent for a moment… I Think he may have drank too much… I wonder if he knows Thalia is still here… and Thalia seems to be a bit uncomfortable with this situation.

>After that we should go ahead and leave. I don't want to endanger Thalia anymore than necessary.
…Risking Thalia would be unneeded… but do we really have to go? Magical essence stays for a time, yet not forever; it takes around a day for it to disappear completely…

Author: I have decided to open a quest discussion thread of this quest. Link:http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/107705.html[/spoiler][/i]
>>
No. 772095 ID: 64f807

Let's ask him questions. He is probable too drunk to notice Thalia talking to her doll, so just let her carry her and whisper.
Is he feeling alright? What happened with the old book from the pedestal? What he think started the fire? Do the arbiters believe a mage was involved? Let's see how much information we can get from an inebriated broken man.
>>
No. 772096 ID: 3abd97

>I don’t think we should jump to conclusions just yet…
No, we're not there yet. This is just a hypothesis suggested by one interpretation of the evidence we're seeing at the scene. (That someone used magic to put the fire out). We don't have hard proof that we're reading the evidence right, or that the suggestion implied is valid, yet.

>Perhaps that spell was to keep the book safe from the fire…? Although that would mean the familiar didn’t anticipated the fire…
If the book were valuable enough, it could have had a fail-deadly anti-theft mechanism of some kind. (So it reacted to attempted theft by igniting). In which case, the magic attempt to put out the fire might have been the familiar's (protect the book, try to put the fire out before it draws attention).

Of course, if a book is dangerous enough that someone would willing set a trap to burn down the library they're storing it to prevent theft, that's... pretty concerning.

>The owner just stays silent for a moment… I Think he may have drank too much… I wonder if he knows Thalia is still here… and Thalia seems to be a bit uncomfortable with this situation.
If he's drunk, that might mean he doesn't have his wits around him. Thalia might be able to ask a question or two and get more of an answer out of him than he might give otherwise. (Like, if she asked him about his book, he might let slip why it was valuable, or what it's for). You don't have long before the other guard gets back.
>>
No. 774196 ID: 39688a
File 148519706709.png - (199.49KB , 1600x1200 , behind her head.png )
774196

>>772095
>He is probable too drunk to notice Thalia talking to her doll
Yes, if I just whisper, I do not think he will notice me. I try to signal Thalia to get me closer to her, and she puts me on her back ... Her hair annoys me a bit, but otherwise, it's perfect.

>>772096
>Let's ask him questions.
>Thalia might be able to ask a question or two and get more of an answer out of him than he might give otherwise.
“Thalia… I think we could ask him some questions before the other guard arrives… do you think you can do that?”

“I… I guess…? What do you have in mind?”

>Is he feeling alright?
“emmm… are you feeling alright?”

“Huh…? Oh hi Thaila…. Yes… I am feeling well hehehe… I’m perfectly… huh… fine…”

>What he think started the fire?
“… What do you think it started the fire?”

“…”
>>
No. 774198 ID: 39688a
File 148519728475.png - (107.08KB , 1600x1200 , sadness.png )
774198

Uh oh… He doesn’t seem alright…

“… I don’t know...”

Is he… Crying…?

“When I left… I made sure that every candle wasn’t lit… and… and no one saw anybody trying to set the place on fire… nor entering the library… yet… when I came back… everything was like this…! I don’t know what happened, nor the guards do… and the Arbiter wouldn’t even talk to me!”

… Alright… Thalia seems to be even more uncomfortable right now…

>What happened with the old book from the pedestal? -
>if she asked him about his book, he might let slip why it was valuable… -
“… and Thalia…”

>You don't have long before the other guard gets back.
“…someone is coming…”



“Hello again, and I thank you, as I expected my partner forgot the time.”

The guard appears behind us. I’m back at being just a doll…

“… You are welcome.”

“*Bluuuagh! ...”

… Well, the owner seems calm right now... although I can tell he was crying moments ago…

“Um… Sorry for that…”

“Girl, it’s getting late already, shouldn’t you be going home now?”

“Well… yes, but…”

“She lives close by; I don’t think there’s hurry.”

“…If you want me to escort you to your home, just ask.”

“Thanks, I wanted to know… Did the book that was on the display survived?”

“… I don’t really know the details, but most of the things that could be saved from the fire were taken to the guard’s storeroom to keep them safe, they will be brought back by tomorrow.”

“Well, I hope it survived… Sir, can you tell me more about that book? It seemed really old…”

“Oh, I would like to talk about it too… Now listen closely, girl:”

The owner suddenly seems to be eager…

“… Really…? Right now…?”

The guard, on the other hand…
>>
No. 774199 ID: 39688a
File 148519747494.png - (49.48KB , 1600x1200 , The old book.png )
774199

“It‘s a very old book, you know? According to my father and grandfather, it has been passed down my family for generations. They say it was one of our ancestors who wrote it, but I’m not sure about that because the author didn’t put his signature anywhere, for all I know, it could have been a writer from the times when my family was of the nobility!”

Thalia seems amazed by this; although she still seems to be uneasy… the owner has lost himself in his story. The guard doesn’t seem to be listening.

“It was written in a very old language too… I couldn’t even read it when my father showed it to me… In fact, I never tried to read it, I was always more worried with trying to learn and add more books to the library… My father was the one who built this library, and I inherited it, and with it, the book… I got the feeling my father cherished it, even more than I do, really. He even locked it on the display you saw, and then gave me it’s only key. I never opened it since then…”

“I don’t remember much about the book tough… My father used to tell me that it was about… science and theories of times long passed… Probably like an encyclopedia? I hope it survived… It would be sad if it didn’t, but at least most of its information would probably be obsolete or inaccurate… Yet at the same time it could be helpful for those who wanted to study our history. I also think It probably is worth a ton of money too, as an antiquity”

… Well, we may have found the nature of the book… If it wasn’t by the fact that the book may had some magical essence on it, perhaps I wouldn’t be worried… But suddenly I got the feeling there may be something else hidden within those writings…
>>
No. 774200 ID: 39688a
File 148519761862.png - (126.11KB , 1600x1200 , Not sure about the Hair Though___.png )
774200

“… Well, if it survived, it will probably be on the storeroom, But with all that we found, I have my doubts it did…”
“Well, I will be surprised if it didn’t. Those books are though, even if they are old... Oh, here, drink a bit; it’s the least I can do for you keeping me company”

“… I really shouldn’t… But, hells, since you are offering, I will take one I guess…”

The guard sits on that makeshift table, and gets the jar that the other guard was using… Meanwhile, Thalia went back onto the room we where before… I don’t think anyone noticed that she left…

“… Menno… Did that information helped in some way?”

“It probably did. I think I may have found something out but I will need to think a bit more about this, but what about you? ... Are you alright Thalia..? You seem stressed, is there something troubling you…?”

“… It’s just… I didn't like to make him cry… He’s a friend and he really seems to be having a bad time… I never saw him drink that much…”

“… I see… I’m sorry… I didn’t expect him to cry…”

To be fair, I didn’t know that humans could cry without the need of pain or fear…

“… Is that all? You still seem uneasy”

“… Well, there’s something else but… it doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t be able to help me with them anyway…”

“What?”

“Don’t worry… I can hold on, Just tell me what to do, ok?”

…Thalia is putting up a brave face, but its obvious that she’s worried… Why is she pretending to be alright…?
>>
No. 774216 ID: e012fa

Make it clear she can talk about whatever she want. If possible you will help.

Know, thinking about the magic in that room: if the red spots truly are footprints, what kind of magic would allow this familiar to walk on walls? Also, does it look like that window broken in what direction?
About the book: If his father used to tell him but he doesn't remember we can conclude the subject isn't outrageous or interesting for a common scholar. It's something that can be described as science, so it probable have something to do with the nature of some phenomenon and experiments related, but it also shouldn't contain any explicitly description of magical spells.
>>
No. 774276 ID: 3abd97

>>774200
I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I was just trying to find out what happened, I really didn't expect him to react that strongly.

I guess I don't have a lot of practice handling people.

>Just tell me what to do, ok?
I'm... not sure what else we can do at the moment. I doubt there's much to be found poking around in the rubble (certainly not worth risking getting her in trouble over), and it's probably not the smartest idea following those magic tracks to "Leo". They probably stop before catching up to where he is now, and we wouldn't want to be caught following his trail.
>>
No. 775161 ID: dd5574
File 148556894160.png - (159.37KB , 1600x1200 , Slightly less worried.png )
775161

>>774216
>if the red spots truly are footprints, what kind of magic would allow this familiar to walk on walls?
They shouldn’t be necessarily footprints… The familiar could have covered itself on the spell, and thus, everything they touched would leave a trail, with exception of the air, unless it was a very strong spell.

That said… in order to leave a trail in that way… Perhaps it could also have used some earth magic? Those stairs were mainly made of stone; perhaps it could have used that to make it so that its legs would "walk" on the wall… Another way would be that they just climbed, maybe using their claws, although they should have been careful to not leave any sort of recognizable mark…

>Does it look like that window broken in what direction?
Between the ruble and destruction, and the fact that it’s getting darker, it’s nearly impossible to tell… I would bet these windows were broken towards the outside of the building. At least, I’m not seeing any glass on the inside…

>It's something that can be described as science, so it probable have something to do with the nature of some phenomenon and experiments related.
…Perhaps… But magic on its own is a part of nature, and a science, or at least my former master used to say that, although… his methods... would make you think he did it for fun…

>But it also shouldn't contain any explicitly description of magical spells.
I guess… I suppose the arbiters wouldn’t just leave something like that unchecked, right? Although there is the possibility that the magic on the book was to hid its true nature…

>>774276
>it's probably not the smartest idea following those magic tracks to "Leo". They probably stop before catching up to where he is now
When I met them on top of the Tavern, it had already taken off whichever spell they used, so yes, I think those tracks wouldn't give us many clues outside the library...

>we wouldn't want to be caught following his trail.
Yes… I guess doing that would look suspicious even to those who can’t see the trail... but only if they see us.

>I doubt there's much to be found poking around in the rubble

And searching randomly would probably be a waste of time…
>>
No. 775163 ID: dd5574
File 148556932185.png - (79.99KB , 1600x1200 , hold onto something.png )
775163

>I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable.
“It's ok, I'm surprised to see him like that too... and the smell of alcohol doesn't help much..."

>I guess I don't have a lot of practice handling people.
Well… The best experience I had so far on that regard was when I met Thalia, and that’s not a lot of time ago… So far, Humans seem to act in random ways.

>Make it clear she can talk about whatever she want. If possible you will help.
“... I appreciate it but…”

She suddenly stays silent… It’s almost annoying…

“... But…?”

“… Sorry… I was about to say that… I don’t think you could help… you can’t see them… Don’t worry, alright? It’s not the first time, I can hold on, just tell me what to do… I need to distract myself…”

Ok… I’m not seeing any sort of movement nor there seems to be magic involved… That means that whatever those things are, only she can see them… this is worrisome in some way…

“Ok, Hold me.”

“…W-What?”

“Just focus on me, alright? That’s what you would do with Serra, right?”

“…Y-Yes… But..."

She holds me in front of her, she's still trying to keep a straight face, but her eyes seem to be somewhat erratic. Hmm… how should I deal with this…? It would be easier if I could know what she's dealing with… I know something that may, or may not, help with that but… well… it’s painful and intrusive… If possible, I would like to avoid using it on her…
>>
No. 775178 ID: 57f342

Looking at you may be difficult to remember you are alive. Talk to her. Ask if she fear what she see.

I know it seem she have intense hallucinations, but remember, you can see things most people cannot, it's entirely possible that there are invisible realities to be perceive that you are unaware of. Don't offer to replicate one of your old master's cruel experiments if you are not sure it will solve her particular problem.
If and when she decide to tell you about what she sees in what conditions we can speculate about her problem and the possible solutions. Until then the best you can do is make it clear to her this isn't a taboo subject and you won't judge.
>>
No. 775490 ID: 3abd97

Oh she's not upset about what happened? That's a relief. She's being harassed by things no one else can see? Less so.

>what do
Don't leave your hands handing uselessly at your side. Pick them up and hold her hands back as a gesture of emotional support.

Do you want to try and talk about what's happening to me? An outlet might help. Or would you prefer it if I tried to distract you, give you something else to think about?

>I know something that may, or may not, help with that but… well… it’s painful and intrusive… If possible, I would like to avoid using it on her…
What are you thinking of? Could you explain it in more detail to us?

And if it's painful and intrusive, you should absolutely discuss it with Thalia before even considering using it on her. And preferably, when she's not in the middle of an episode, so she can consider it objectively instead of desperately agreeing to something that might offer relief.
>>
No. 775491 ID: 91ee5f

>>775163
>Ok… I’m not seeing any sort of movement nor there seems to be magic involved… That means that whatever those things are, only she can see them… this is worrisome in some way…
She's suffering through hallucinations. Remember, she thought you were one also, until you touched her and proved that you're real.
>>
No. 776425 ID: e3bf42
File 148600037745.png - (81.09KB , 1600x1200 , moral support.png )
776425

Author: Just noticed I forgot to put the darkness on the previous image, sorry.

>>775490
>Don't leave your hands handing uselessly at your side. Pick them up and hold her hands back as a gesture of emotional support.
Right, that may help a bit… I think…

>>775491
>until you touched her and proved that you're real.


“…Remember, I’m here, if you manage to think on something I could do to help, just say it…”

She nods…

>>775178
> Talk to her. Ask if she fear what she see.
“… No… It’s just… They talk… and say things… but... they aren't nice... ”

>What are you thinking of?
I don’t really know all the details; but I know there is magic involved… I saw my former master doing it… all the times… And I had to do it once, when he had more than one "guest"… To put it in a simple way, by doing this, I would be able to know what she’s feeling without causing any sort of damage to me … I thought that maybe, it would help me to see her hallucinations if I tweaked this method a little bit … But it will be intrusive, as I will need to get to one of her nerves, and it will be painful, because not only it would hurt her when I get to the nerve, but the process could also cause involuntary contractions, at best…

My former master used it to learn the best ways to torture each of his victims…

>you should absolutely discuss it with Thalia before even considering using it on her
It would only be fair that way, but as I said… If possible, I would like to avoid using that on her… Should I really mention it later? That could also lead to a lot of questions of which I don’t know if she will take kindly the answers…

>Don't offer to replicate one of your old master's cruel experiments
… I… Didn’t intend to… But it was an option…
>>
No. 776426 ID: e3bf42
File 148600042876.png - (106.91KB , 1600x1200 , Help me.png )
776426

>Until then the best you can do is make it clear to her this isn't a taboo subject and you won't judge.

“… But… You can’t see them…”

“Yes, in the same way you can’t see the magical essence that I was always pointing out in this place, yet you trusted in me.”

“… But… they aren’t re… al…”

“… Perhaps, but still, when you say they hurt you, I believe you, even if I can’t see them, and even if they aren’t real. I believe you in the same way you believe in what I said.”

“… Thank you…”

She suddenly takes me closer and traps me with her arms so tightly that I almost feel my insides trying to escape, and I have to be careful with the needles that are stored inside my body in order to not hurt her accidentally…

“… Sorry…”

She’s not letting go though… and being like this makes it hard to see her face…

>Do you want to try and talk about what's happening to me? An outlet might help. Or would you prefer it if I tried to distract you, give you something else to think about?
“… Just give me something else to think… that should help… I hope… shut up.

Alright… something that could distract her...

“Thalia… I think we should head back to your home too, it's getting dark, and I don’t think we will find much else"

Not to mention that I don’t think she should be here during one of her “episodes”…

“… I don’t think… we should… I don’t want my caretakers to see me like this… Even if they get angry at me…”
>>
No. 776432 ID: 3abd97

>nerve technique
So you link yourself to someone, so you can see what they see? Potentially useful, but yeah that would hurt.

Reiterate there's absolutely no way you do that to someone unless you've discussed it and she's agreed to it.

>If possible, I would like to avoid using that on her… Should I really mention it later? That could also lead to a lot of questions of which I don’t know if she will take kindly the answers
You could wait till you trust each other more before you breach the subject of darker magics.

Should you? I dunno, it depends on if you really think this could help her.
>>
No. 776439 ID: 57f342

Ideally we should return home, but if she adamantly against facing her caretaker we can go somewhere else. Lingering in a crime scene under unknown magical influence can be dangerous and raise uncomfortable questions.
>>
No. 780026 ID: 786d7d
File 148726256048.png - (140.94KB , 1600x1200 , waiting___.png )
780026

>>776432
>Reiterate there's absolutely no way you do that to someone unless you've discussed it
If possible, I would like to avoid using it at all, but things change with time... I may have the need to use it later…

>Should you? I dunno, it depends on if you really think this could help her.
As I said, I probably would have needed to do some changes and tweaks to the procedure in order to be able to see what she sees, and that would take time. It was a bad idea, but still, a possibility…

>>776439
> If she adamantly against facing her caretaker we can go somewhere else
“I don’t think we may find much else here, at least not now, if there is anywhere you would like to go, we can go there. At least until you get better.”

“A- All right… I wanted to leave this place…”
We go outside; she almost doesn’t notice the guard on the door until he greets her. At first, we head towards her home but then, she stops and goes a bit to the right, and finds somewhere to sit on the side of the building, and she starts looking at the sky…

“… They will leave… eventually… I hope … “

“Well… you asked me to try to distract you so… What do you think happened on the library?”

“Huh? I don’t really know… It’s confusing... I believe you would know better than I…”

“We have gathered some information so far, yet I still don’t know how it all happened… Since you know more about this place than I do, you may be able to come up with something that I didn’t notice, just listen and then tell me if you find something curious…”

I explain her about everything I have gathered so far, including the magical essence on the room in which the owner was...

“So, what you think?”

“…There is something that is bothering me… Why the familiar went first towards the other side of the library… and then he went back to the Study when he could just have gone there in the first place?"

“Perhaps its escape route was blocked by the fire?”

“But couldn’t it easily just pass the fire with its supposed fire protection? And there are many windows in that area of the library… the Fire couldn’t have blocked them all.”

“… That’s a good point… You may have given me something useful here, thanks.”

Why would it do that? I don’t know much of protection spells, but I know they would make you nearly invulnerable to said element… so in short, it could have escaped from there, but it didn’t…

I don’t know how much time passes now; I learned that once you forget that time is important it goes away rather fast, Thalia seems calmer, but I can tell “they” are still there…

“… Are you alright?”

She remains silent for a moment…

“…Yes… don’t worry… stop... laughing…
>>
No. 780027 ID: 786d7d
File 148726259240.png - (91.98KB , 1600x1200 , Angry Par-Caretakers.png )
780027

Suddenly the door of the shop opens… and Thalia’s fath… caretaker! comes out, he almost doesn’t notice her at First

“Ah… There you are! What are you doing in the darkness? I thought I told you to come back as soon as you could!”

“Sorry, I wanted to… look at the stars, and didn’t notice the time…”

“”Sorry” is not enough! Come in, we will discuss it inside, the food is already served and we were waiting for you.”

“Yes… Sorry, just… let me get my stuff…!”

“Alright, but hurry!”

He goes towards the door and stays there; looking at this direction… he seems angry. Meanwhile, Thalia leans towards the side, making sure he can’t look at her talking to me.

“…I’m in trouble… Do you want me to leave you here…?”
>>
No. 780043 ID: 57f342

You won't be able to do anything around her caretaker, but at least you would be there for emotional support. Stay with her for now, you can leave trough the window latter.
>>
No. 782197 ID: 259b4c
File 148781496820.png - (86.45KB , 1600x1200 , four foods.png )
782197

“I will go with you.”

She doesn’t say anything and grabs me, although she seems to be trying to keep me hidden… on the other hand, her caretaker doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to anything besides her…

“Alright… I’m going…”

We enter into the shop, and then we go to the room behind the shop. There’s a lot of equipment here, I guess it is what they use for their trade, many looms of different sizes and shapes, and some cloth and finished clothing laying around, but most of the stuff seems to have been moved, and, In the center of the room, there’s a table with four plates ready to be used on each side of the table, although I only see Thalia and her two caretakers… is the dog the fourth occupant of the table? And where is her dog now that I think of it?
>>
No. 782198 ID: 259b4c
File 148781505133.png - (76.42KB , 1600x1200 , PROportions!.png )
782198

She takes a seat quickly, leaving her purse on the side of her chair, while I’m hidden below the table… the… “female caretaker”? Talks first…

“There you are! Could you explain what took you so long?”

“Sorry… I didn’t… Notice the time…“

They all take a seat on each side of Thalia, leaving only one of the plates alone… Suddenly, the male caretaker starts talking.

“I was about to look for you on the library… It was by mere luck that I saw you there…”

“… I’m…”

“I’m not finished! I believe that I told you to come back as soon as you could. Why didn’t you just come back in here?”

“I…”

…She doesn’t seem to be doing well... She feels tense and all that pressure seems to be getting into her, and I can’t do much, aside from trying to try to hold her without risking being seen… and she seems to be having troubles focusing on the conversation…

“…Well, are you going to explain yourself? If you wanted to look at the stars you could have just told us.”

“B-Because…”

*Bark! *bark!

…That barking comes from upstairs, and they sound muffled…

“a-ah I forgot to… Feed Serra! I-I will be back, just a second!”

She grabs me and in quite a hurry she leaves the room and starts going upstairs...

“Wait, Thalia!”
>>
No. 782200 ID: 259b4c
File 148781514377.png - (100.51KB , 1600x1200 , PROportions, The Ratios.png )
782200

We get upstairs, and she is heading to her room…

“Thalia, Are you alright?”

She doesn’t answer…

As soon as she opens the door, her dog jumps on Thalia’s leg. It seems to be whimpering… It looks like it wasn’t able to open the door from inside the room…

Thalia closes the door… I can hear her caretakers calling her, but they stop doing so after some time… Thalia simply drops on the floor… She’s crying…

Her dog presses itself on Thalia trying to calm her... meanwhile I can’t think of much else besides keeping myself close to her…
>>
No. 782224 ID: 57f342

Ask if they know. A good starting point is to determine if she is hiding her condition or the current episode.
It would be better if her caretakers were supportive, but we don't know how they would react and it isn't our place to demand she share her secrets. Give a moment of breathing and to be sure they won't come after her.
If it seem we can talk freely it's a good time to ask more about what she see. Are the creatures in her room? Do they appear in specific places? Do those places affect her emotional state or is their presence suggest another reason? And what exactly are they?
>>
No. 783008 ID: 3abd97

>>782224
Pretty sure she said earlier she hasn't told anyone else.

>>782200
Hug?

Is it that hard to be around them? They seemed concerned for you.
>>
No. 783752 ID: 806427
File 148834439833.png - (85.89KB , 1600x1200 , Menno uses Hug!.png )
783752

>>783008
>Pretty sure she said earlier she hasn't told anyone else.
Yes, she said that, although I’m starting to wonder how she managed to keep it hidden…

>Hug?
I guess that could help?

… She doesn’t seem to stop crying... and it doesn’t seem like she’s going to do it soon…

“We are the only ones here Thalia, speak to us.”

*whimper…

Her dog seems worried…

“… I’m sorry… …I’m so sorry….”

“… Are you alright Thalia?”

“… I think… They are gone now…”

Yet… She’s still crying… and she isn’t any calmer than before…

“…They had… their fun…”

“What do you mean…? And why do you say you are sorry?”

“… I’m sorry for… Forcing you out of the library… and for making everyone worry… and also… for not trusting in you, Menno…”

“… What do you mean?”

“it’s… about them… the things I see… I… should have told you more about them… from the beginning… I’m sorry…”

“Would you like to speak about them now?”

“… Yes…"

She’s hasn’t calmed yet… but perhaps talking about it could help her…

>>782224
>Are the creatures in her room?
No… they left… for now…

>what exactly are they?
“It’s… hard to describe them... sometimes they are small... other times… they are bigger… Some have different shapes… others look very normal and human…“

>Do they appear in specific places?
“No… they appear at random… as far as I know… although… they seem to appear when I’m feeling bad… Then… they would say… bad things to me…“

“What sort of things?”

“... They would use whatever they have at hand to... make me unsure of myself… and… have doubts about others… they would say I shouldn’t trust anyone… right now… they were saying I shouldn’t trust you, that you were saying only lies, and that you where the one to blame for… everything that was happening… and they were saying I should… give you away… I don’t really want to say everything they told me…”

“… Thank you for not giving me away.”
>>
No. 783754 ID: 806427
File 148834456418.png - (121.99KB , 1600x1200 , Serra uses Lick!.png )
783754

>They seemed concerned for you.
“… Your caretakers seemed concerned… why did you left like that…?”

“Because of the hallucinations… I felt that… If I stayed any longer… something bad could happen… I have no control over them… and they were repeating that I should give you away louder and louder… I couldn’t even listen to what my caretakers were saying… And I didn’t want them to figure it out… I don’t think they would understand it…”

“I see… Thank you for sharing this…”

“No… thank you, Menno, for listening… and … sorry again…”

*Bark!

As soon as we are finished, Thalia seemed like she was going to cry again, but Thalia’s dog climbs on her, and gets closer to her face…

“Ah! haha, don’t do that Serra!”

… Thalia is now suffering Serra’s relentless licks … Was that dog patiently waiting for me to finish? Anyway, it looks like neither of them minds

It seems Thalia is alright now… she doesn’t feel stressed or tense, although she is fighting a bit to try to keep Serra away… It’s hard for me to imagine what’s she going through, and the idea of those… things wanting to get rid of me is… somewhat worrying… Now I’m glad she’s not a mage, she would have many troubles trying to control her power, which would put her in great danger in this city...

“Alright, Serra that’s enough!”

Serra get’s off Thalia, and she gets up while cleaning her dress…

“I… I should get back now… And apologize to them... if you want to stay here, perhaps is for the best after… what almost happened last time… heheh, and I should also come up with an excuse to why I acted the way I did.”

It seems like Serra is going to stick to Thalia’s leg, so at least she will not be alone.
>>
No. 783766 ID: 57f342

If their presence coincide with her emotional state they are probable imaginary, or less likely a possession case.
Now is a good time to mention there is a way for you to see what she sees. Not that you should do it tonight, but at least let her ponder about possible magical treatments.
For the possibility of they been real, it would be a pertinent question to ask if their advices were ever useful in the past, and if so, were they often helpful? In the case her visions have a prophetic property we should consider getting away from her, for our presence may represent a danger.
As for the lie, she could claim to be distressed by the state of the library and the owner. It's fair to say they are currently far from their former worth.
>>
No. 783989 ID: 3abd97

>Sorry for not trusting you
It's okay, trust can take time.

>visions want to get rid of you
Now, that might be just she's crazy and her hallucinations attack anything around her. Or they might be real in some, recognize that you might be able to do something about them, so they're getting aggressive preemptively.

>And apologize to them... if you want to stay here, perhaps is for the best after… what almost happened last time… heheh, and I should also come up with an excuse to why I acted the way I did.
I can come if you want, or I'll stay. Whatever makes you comfortable.

As for an excuse, blame the library fire, I guess? Worked up thinking about it. It's... sort of close to the truth.
>>
No. 784788 ID: 861f76
File 148864701806.png - (39.95KB , 1600x1200 , the door.png )
784788

>>783766
>were they often helpful?
“… I try to not listen to them… Sometimes they often say they are helping me, but I don’t like the way they want to help…”

“Have they ever predicted something?”

“... I don't know... I never noticed at least."

>Now is a good time to mention there is a way for you to see what she sees.
I explain about the idea I had… including the possible benefits and the problems there may be… She… seems to have a strong reaction.

“Are… are you saying that you could cure this?”

“No… This could help me understand better what are you going through, and maybe help in some way…“

“… But you said it’s painful… right?”

“Yes, That’s why I would prefer not to-“

“… It’s alright… if you think that could Help, I will endure the pain.”

… I’m not sure if she knows what “pain” is…

“… Do… Do you think magic could… make them go away…?”

“I don’t know... I can’t make any promises…”

She stays quiet for a moment, thinking, but she seemed… enthusiastic… I suddenly feel like mentioning it was a bad idea, but not in the way I expected it…

>>783989
>I can come if you want, or I'll stay. Whatever makes you comfortable.
“…I think you should stay here for now… I have more questions, but they will be for later.”

>As for an excuse, blame the library fire, I guess? Worked up thinking about it. It's... sort of close to the truth.
>she could claim to be distressed by the state of the library and the owner. It's fair to say they are currently far from their former worth.
“I will see what I do. Well…I will come back soon. Make yourself comfortable!”

And with that, she leaves.
>>
No. 784789 ID: 861f76
File 148864706281.png - (67.81KB , 1600x1200 , lying on the bed.png )
784789

I’m alone in her room again… perhaps I should start cleaning everything? It would take some hours to clean all of this, even with magic, but perhaps I should consider NOT using magic with all the hate there is towards magic in this place…

>If their presence coincides with her emotional state they are probable imaginary
>Now, that might be just she's crazy and her hallucinations attack anything around her.
If that’s the case… I don’t know what I could do to help her fight those things… I think she would be pretty much on her own, no matter if I like it or not… The best thing I could do is to help her to see what’s real and what isn’t…

>less likely a possession case.
I have my doubts about it… I heard of beings, probably magical, being able to “possess” humans and that sort of thing, but I got the feeling that’s more of a myth than an actual fact.

>Or they might be real in some, recognize that you might be able to do something about them, so they're getting aggressive preemptively.
Hmm… If that’s the case, then either they think I can do something against them, or I can do something against them… But if they were real… Shouldn’t I be able to sense them in some way? Perhaps that question would be answered once I’m able to see them, but that still doesn't mean I'm eager to do that...
>>
No. 784792 ID: 57f342

Have you considered the use if anesthetics? There is a dosage that is enough to desensitize the sensations without preventing other signs. You could experiment with that.
>>
No. 784847 ID: 3abd97

>She stays quiet for a moment, thinking, but she seemed… enthusiastic… I suddenly feel like mentioning it was a bad idea, but not in the way I expected it…
You should probably go over this in more detail before you take the last step.

What materials or resources would you need to attempt this nerve magic thing?

Also we're going to need a place and time with some privacy. If she's going to be interrupted by obligations, or her family, that would complicate things.
>>
No. 786665 ID: df0d6a
File 148927498232.png - (79.76KB , 1600x1200 , knowledge.png )
786665

>>784792
>Have you considered the use if anesthetics?
I remember those… my master had some, although he rarely ever used them… I think we could try to give her some anesthetics and then see if it would ease her pain while I try to get to her nerve. Sadly, I don’t seem have one of those at hand, and I don’t think those can be found anywhere...

>>784847
>What materials or resources would you need to attempt this nerve magic thing?
Well, a way to get to her nerve is the first thing I would need… After seeing my master doing it for several times, I think I know the location of several of those, so a needle should suffice… but, knowing my master, they could have been carefully selected to inflict the most pain, or in other cases, fear.

As for anything else, well, as long as I don’t hurt anything more, I guess we should find a way to stop the bleeding once I’m done, and a way to restrain her, at least slightly, to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself during the whole process…

>Also we're going to need a place and time with some privacy. If she's going to be interrupted by obligations, or her family, that would complicate things.
Yes, that may have been something she forgot to notice that. I don’t remember how long it will really take, since my master usually liked to take his time with this. I don’t know how long it could take to find whatever it is that she sees, it could vary from minutes to hours.

… I should start cleaning this place. I decide to avoid using magic for now, and just concentrate on gathering all the dirt on one place. I will figure out a way to dispose of it later I guess… and she was right… It was about time this place got some cleaning… Still not as bad as what I used to clean before.



>Seems like a herbology book of some kind
> I don’t think those can be found anywhere...
… Maybe they can be found anywhere…? I wonder if Thalia knows how to read this. I will just leave it on top of her bed for now...
>>
No. 786666 ID: df0d6a
File 148927511543.png - (128.93KB , 1600x1200 , martial training.png )
786666

After some time, I hear some people coming up the stairs; I quickly hide just to be safe.

“Good night, Thalia.”

“Good night!”

Thalia with Serra enters the room and closes the door; Serra doesn’t waste time and decides to go to its bed…

“… Did everything go well, Thalia?”

“Oh! … Try to not do that please… I thought you were… one of them…”

“Sorry… I will try to show myself first next time.”

“Anyway, it looks like everything went well… I don’t think they believed me, but at least they didn’t try to ask any more questions… Although I think they are probably still worried… what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to clean this room, as I said I would, although without proper tools, it’s proving to be a bit complicated… Wouldn’t you have something I could use as a broom? And some water could help but that would be more to clean myself.”

“Well… I can’t get you water right now… But perhaps you could use one of my old paintbrushes? Here… I have them stored in my wardrobe…”

“Yes… I think this should work for now… Also, I found a notebook under your bed, it is yours, right?”

“Oh… I almost forgot about it... Yes… it’s mine…”

“Can you read its contents? I don’t seem to recognize the code in which it is written…”

“No… I never really learnt how to read this language, even though I should, I only know a few words… Why do you ask?”

“I thought we could use it to find something that could help you with the pain, something like an anesthetic…”

“….An- Aesthetic…? What is that?”

“Oh, it’s a substance that could ease the pain, or even make it disappear, as far as I heard.”

“… I didn’t know something like that existed…”

She seems tired, Perhaps I should tell her about the other things tomorrow, humans need some time to rest too…

“Menno… There are many questions I want to ask you before I go to sleep… You didn’t invent it in order to make me feel a bit better… right? How exactly did you learn of that thing you mentioned? Does it have anything to do with your old master…? And how was everything before you ended free? … I’m sorry if they are too many questions.”

… I guess I knew this would come up sooner or later… Should I tell her the truth…?
>>
No. 786669 ID: 3abd97

>You didn’t invent it in order to make me feel a bit better… right? How exactly did you learn of that thing you mentioned? Does it have anything to do with your old master…? And how was everything before you ended free? … I’m sorry if they are too many questions.”
I didn't make it up. I don't know for certain if it will help you, but making things up would be cruel and short sighted, only raising your hopes to crash later.

My master... was not a good person. He was cruel, and selfish, and in the end, that got him killed.

Yes, it was something I learned from watching him. He used it differently, though. Being able to tap into someone else's senses has obvious uses for questioning or interrogation. It makes it very hard to lie or hide anything. He was exploiting people for his own gain, not trying to gain perspective or help someone.

>Should I tell her the truth…?
Pretty much, yeah. I wouldn't get into too much the exact detail of the horrors you've seen (how's she supposed to sleep after that?), but I don't think you should hide you can from a dark place, or that your master was a terrible person.
>>
No. 786674 ID: 57f342

The anesthetics aren't optional, you need to find something before trying. You need to find a secure place to do the procedure. Lastly the procedure need to coincide with one of her episodes, so we need to induce or wait for it to happen.
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No. 788747 ID: 5b4a18
File 148993380976.png - (81.41KB , 1600x1200 , fixing hair.png )
788747

>>786669
>I didn't make it up. I don't know for certain if it will help you, but making things up would be cruel and short sighted, only raising your hopes to crash later.
“I didn’t make it up, I know for certain that it works and I can use it, but I don’t know if it will help you, I mentioned because there may be a chance, if you wanted to take it.”

“… Thank you…”

“Also I never liked giving false hopes”

>My master... was not a good person. He was cruel, and selfish, and in the end, that got him killed.
“… How so…?”

“To put it lightly… He enjoyed causing pain to others…”

She remains silent, but looks concerned…

“But I don’t, and I never did, if that makes you feel more comfortable.”

“… You helped him…?”

“Yes… I didn’t have much of a choice back then, familiars must obey their master’s orders on no matter what, we may only complain, unless we were already ordered to not to.”

…Silence…

“… Do you want me to leave?”

“No, no… It’s just… Now I understand why you didn’t say much about him…”

>Yes, it was something I learned from watching him.
“And this technique… I learned it from watching him, but he used it for hurting people... But knowing how it worked, I thought it could be used to help you.”

“...I… See…”

>I don't think you should hide you can from a dark place, or that your master was a terrible person.
“I thought that if I told you, you may consider me more of a threat than a friend. “

“… You probably did well… That’s just the kind of things that the… hallucinations would have used against you…”
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No. 788748 ID: 5b4a18
File 148993393444.png - (27.76KB , 1600x1200 , sleeping girl.png )
788748

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Rest well Thalia, I will keep cleaning the room for now… If the sound is annoying just tell me.”

“You don’t need to sleep?”

“No, familiars don’t need to sleep, the closest thing we would do is stay very quiet.”

Which was boring almost all the time.

“Oh… Well… Good night Menno.”

She lies on her bed and I guess she does whatever humans do to sleep. I concentrate more on cleaning the room.

>>786674
>The anesthetics aren't optional, you need to find something before trying.
We would need to try to use the anesthetics first, at least for once so we can tell if they are going to block the pain effectively, and if it isn’t going to prevent the procedure to work.

>You need to find a secure place to do the procedure.
There could be many safe places to hide in the city, but a place to do the proceeding without any interruptions could be slightly troublesome to find, especially if the anesthetics prove to be ineffective in either way. Somewhere out of sight would be the first thing, but I would also need some place where she could be the most comfortable possible to avoid her getting hurt.

>Lastly the procedure need to coincide with one of her episodes, so we need to induce or wait for it to happen.
… This… could be very annoying… and even more stressing for Thalia…. On one hand, we would need to be ready at all times if we wanted to have a chance to try this, but inducing her episodes could be either useless or dangerous, since we still don’t know what makes them appear, and I don’t know if Thalia could take it if we tried to make her hallucinations appear again… She barely seems to be able to keep herself calm when they “are” around… Fuck…

And on top of all of that, there is the chance of hostile magic users, and familiars, being around the city... I guess there is a lot to be done…

Thalia seems to have already fallen asleep, as well as Serra… I would make a guess and say that her caretakers are also asleep… So, should I call it a day and continue cleaning during the rest of the night, or is there something else I should do now that everyone seems to be sleeping?
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No. 788760 ID: 48237d

You could explore the city. Since most of the humans will be sleeping and you got the cover of the darkness this is the ideal time to move around. Let's see if you can find anything of interest for your many projects.
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No. 788805 ID: 3abd97

>have to coincide with an episode
Well, we could check if the non-torturous sense sharing even works before we try it on the visions. A proven method would make it less stressful, and avoid the worst case where you fail an untested method while she's having an attack and that makes it worse.

There's also the fact that if what she sees is in any way real, they might respond to your reaching out to them like this.

>>788748
Check on the caretakers, make sure nothing is amiss in the shop.

And yeah, not sure there's much to be done right now beyond tidying up, or scouting around.
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No. 790418 ID: 672649
File 149047884783.png - (42.05KB , 1600x1200 , going out.png )
790418

>>788805
>we could check if the non-torturous sense sharing even works before we try it on the visions.
Yes, we probably should test it as soon as we get the anesthetics, when she wants to, before trying it for real.

>There's also the fact that if what she sees is in any way real
I really wouldn’t know how to deal with that… If they are real and they try something, it should be fairly easy and fast to just stop the process, and then think on something new… So far they haven’t done much else than trying to make Thalia to get rid of me…
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No. 790419 ID: 672649
File 149047889384.png - (105.64KB , 1600x1200 , second floor.png )
790419

>Check on the caretakers
The door on Thalia’s room is somewhat ajar so I only need to push it to open it… it creaks a bit and it seems only Serra noticed it, but besides looking at my direction, they don’t seem to care and go back to sleep…

I think I heard the Caretakers going into this room… The door is closed, not locked, but without help it will be hard for me to open it, and it will probably make some noise that could wake the caretakers… By listening closely, I can hear some snoring coming from the other side of the door, so I guess they are there…
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No. 790421 ID: 672649
File 149047905342.png - (81.54KB , 1600x1200 , hidding.png )
790421

>make sure nothing is amiss in the shop.
The shop seems to be tightly locked; I don’t think there is any way to enter without breaking something… It feels way smaller than during the day too.

…I hear steps coming from outside, getting close to the door… then I hear the lock of the door… I quickly hide behind some of the crates of the shop.

… Whoever comes in locks the door again, it would seem they have a key, so I presume they may be acquaintances of Thalia or her Caretakers… They don’t seem to be trying to hide themselves, but they seem to be trying to avoid making noise… The go directly to the room behind the shop… I couldn’t get a good look of them, but I think they may have taken a seat on the table, the door is slightly ajar and I see some light coming out of the room, so it looks like they may have lit a candle, I can’t see them from the opening of the door, and trying to move the door may warn them of my presence so I think it will be better to leave it like it is for now… at least they don’t seem to be any sort of thief…
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No. 790422 ID: 672649
File 149047910584.png - (213.03KB , 1600x1200 , ok, WTF.png )
790422

Staying right here with them in the next room could be dangerous… I probably should leave for now…

>And yeah, not sure there's much to be done right now beyond tidying up, or scouting around.
That could help, I think I would have enough time to do some exploring, and still have time to come back and continue cleaning, although I should be careful once I come back…

>>788760
>Let's see if you can find anything of interest for your many projects.
Alright, let’s see… I need anesthetics, places I could hide, and if possible, hide Thalia too… Also knowledge of any sort... hmmm… Should I also search for something else?

I get to the room on the third floor; I think I would be able to leave from here, since I don’t think opening the window would be problematic, and it seemed to be an easy way out of the building for me overall an –Ok, What the fuck is that…?
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No. 790426 ID: 48237d

A ramified magical patter that suggest either a flow trough the least resistant path (like a river or a thunder) or the behavior of an organism trying to spread by growth (like a plant of a fungus).

I have no idea what I'm looking at. What are those things? Trash bags?

Let's see if we find more interesting things. Maybe there is someone else in this house that practice magic, maybe this person's stuff are in this room.
>>
No. 790435 ID: 3abd97

>>790421
Yeah a thief would not sit down and calmly light a candle. Behavior implies this is someone who belongs here.

>>790422
Are those... trees? Is that a giant line of magic in the sky?

Where does it go? Does it touch down somewhere in the city?
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No. 790436 ID: 48237d

>>790435
Wait, this is the sky? I though we were in the third floor room. I really had no idea what I was looking at.
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No. 790441 ID: 91ee5f

>>790436
We are in the third floor room. We're currently looking out the window.....I think. It's kinda hard to tell from the picture.
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No. 790442 ID: 672649

Author:Looking through the window of the third floor, like here: >>762759 Sorry for the inconvenience and for taking long to clarify this.
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No. 790443 ID: 48237d

Ok. Disregard the room investigation idea.
Let's investigate this massive magical trail.
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No. 791759 ID: e30c60
File 149091126397.png - (303.15KB , 1600x1200 , that doesn't seem alright.png )
791759

>>790435
>Is that a giant line of magic in the sky?
Yes… I have never seen something like that, and if it weren’t because it seems to be happening right now in front of me, I would think something like that is simply impossible!

>Where does it go?
… It goes to the top of the great tower in the center of the city… The tower is pretty much irradiating Magical energy…!

>Does it touch down somewhere in the city?
It seems to go to the ground at least once, and then goes back up, going directly to the tower… It seems somewhat close, but going there would probably take too much time and I will not be able to explore much else… It could also be very dangerous… I have never seen that much magic on one place, and I simply can’t imagine how that can affect the existence surrounding it.

>>790443
>Let's investigate this massive magical trail.
Sh… Should I really do that…!? There is no way that quantity of magic in one place is normal… a little bit more and I think I would be able to see the inexistence if I focused on it! … I…. Thought I was more or less understanding the rules of the existence, But this just throws it all away!

Is… This the mages doing…? I simply can’t think why anyone would need that much magical energy... Unless... Could someone be trying to open a gateway towards the inexistence...?!
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No. 791763 ID: e30c60
File 149091151884.png - (274.28KB , 1600x1200 , End of thread one!.png )
791763

END of Thread 1. New suggestions will be carried towards the second thread.

Also, news on the discussion thread of the quest: https://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/107705.html
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