Fangshi
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2014
- Messages
- 1,997
Chapter 19: Blood for the Blood God?
"You sure this is a good idea?" Thaïs asks.
"Nope," you don't look up. This will take your full concentration to pull off. If you are off by even a little... "Damn it!"
You miss... again.
"My arm!" Ceannard howls.
"Quit complaining," you give Ceannard a swat, "And stop squirming or I will miss the vein again!"
As the only one with any sort of real medical training you are responsible for getting the blood out of the Arrows without hurting them too badly. For the most part you succeed though it is not always easy.
"I can not believe I agreed to this- ouch!" you finally find his vein and begin draining him, he looks down at his arm and turns a little pale, "I... I feel a bit weak..."
You look at Thaïs, she looks at you, you both start laughing.
"Do not laugh, I am serious!" the Arrow insists.
You shake your head in disbelief, "You are a mercenary. You must see blood all of the time?"
He looks up at you a confident grin on his weary face, "Well yes. But it usually is not my blood," he hesitates, staring at the blood running from his arm, "And there usually isn't so much of it just lying about," he gestures to the shallow basin at his feet.
You shrug, unmoved, "Well we need enough of it to cover the archmage with. Look, if it bothers you so much don't look at it."
He frowns, "Well then what should I look at? There is blood everywhere!" he stops for a moment as a sly grin creeps onto his pale face, "Hmm... what about my lovely doctors? Will the two of you nurse me back to health, maybe? Give me something else to think about perhaps? Kiss the wound and make it- ahhhh!"
Seems you had the same idea as you both give him a small zap at the same time. The cumulative effect of which is quite a bit stronger than either of you intended, "Alright, alright! I was only joking! I am just trying to keep my mind off the blood you know!"
You give the Arrow a sympathetic smile, feeling a little guilty about shocking him, "We know Ceannard, we know. And look, it worked," you staunch the bleeding as Thaïs carries the basin away and empties it into one of a pair of large pails, "All done!" you declare as you carefully bandage up the wound and help him to his feet.
"Do you need a hand Ceannard?" Thaïs asks as he slowly passes her.
Weakly he shakes his head, "No, no. I will be fine," he does not look fine but seems determined to make it on his own. A matter of pride perhaps... you wonder...
Ceannard wanders out of the hut and joins his men sitting in the grass. Biliku and Uttu rush about amongst them tending to them and administering broth, nuts and scrambled snake eggs to help them recover. With only sixteen Arrows to draw from and poor tools it is a wonder no one dies. A few come too close for your liking but you manage with your combined supplies.
You take a fair bit from each of them, maybe more than you should have, but by the time the sun begins to rise you have an adequate supply of blood.
You stick your head out of the hut and call for your girls. Biliku and Uttu come running, when they get inside you give them your orders, "Now girls, I want you to stay out here and keep watch with the Arrows, they are in no state to fight so if anything attacks you come and find us understand?"
They look at one another, then to Thaïs over your shoulder, finally they look to you and they nod. You smile and tussle their hair, "Good, now back to your posts."
They snap you a salute, mimicking the behaviour of the Arrows they have been tending and race off into the early morning light, back to their guard posts.
You would love to join them under the sun but you have to head in the opposite direction. Once more into the earth, once more into the gloom and darkness. The trapdoor creeks open behind you and Lyssa emerges. She looks tired, spent, and from the bloody cloth in her hand you suspect Mazzarin has been in her mind again.
Lyssa frowns, "I thought you said we needed to submerge him."
You nod and explain your reasoning "Yes, I did but I have been thinking. The spell calls for the target to be covered in a substance capable of channelling the magical energies involved. I assumed this meant complete submersion. That is certainly how Culwyeh did it, in a large, ornate tub of human blood. But I think we can do this by simply coating him in blood. To submerge him we would have to kill at least some of the Arrows and I am not murdering sixteen men to ease your master's pain."
Lyssa thinks on that for a moment then nods, "No more deaths... yes I agree," without a further word she snatches up one of the buckets and heads down into the tunnel.
You are left to wonder just what motivates such a person. She seems to hold no particular loyalty to her master, she does not even seem to like him very much and yet she seems willing to do everything in her power to help him. It is certainly odd.
You grab the other pail and follow her down with your friend close behind. The three of you make the uncomfortable walk to Mazzarin's chamber in silence. You suspect that an observer would confuse you with a trio of ghosts haunting this narrow tunnel. You are all worn down, mentally exhausted, but you push on.
As you enter Mazzarin's cell you scan the room. For some reason you half expected the archmage to rise and greet you, like something out of a horror story.
He rests on his slab, however, unmoving save for the slight rise and fall of his chest.
Lyssa carefully places her bucket on the floor and moves to grab Mazzarin's hand as you lay your bucket down and grab her arm, "Don't," you order her.
She turns to you, "But he won't be able to speak if I don't connect with him."
"Good," you reply, "I want him to listen not talk and I might need you for this. I don't want you any more drained than you already are."
She gives you a reluctant nod and a slight smile, "Thank you," she whispers.
You push past her to her master, "Mazzarin? Can you hear me? One grunt for yes and, well, if you can't it does not much matter now does it?"
The corpse lets out a single gasp which you take for a yes.
"Alright then," you are not terribly thrilled about what you have to do next, "We are going to... strip you, and then we are going to bathe you in blood. We don't have enough to submerge you in so we..." you take a deep breath, "So we are going to give you a sponge bath..." you could swear the old bastard smiles just a little at the thought.
You turn from him to Thaïs and Lyssa, "Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible."
One brisk and very unsettling bath later you have an archmage covered in congealed blood. Henry would be so very proud...
"Alright, now I will handle the actual casting. Sorry Mazzarin but I am not letting you in my head so you can sit this one out. Thaïs, Lyssa, I want you both to give me as much power as you can without hurting yourselves. No rushing, this could take a little while."
You reach out with your mind and begin to construct the foundations of the spell that will revive Mazzarin. You reach out to his body but keep a close watch upon his mind all the same, you can not truly trust the man after all. You feel the Faceless Man observing closely, he whispers into your mind. Don't worry Derryth, I will keep an eye on him. You are not certain how comforting that is.
As you trace the contours of his body you work carefully to locate and identify his pneuma, his breath, the elemental air that forms the basis of life. It is weak, almost nonexistent but it is there. You give a slight sigh of relief, he is not some undead monstrosity, he is not some demonic apparition, he is alive, he is flesh and blood and will. A small sliver of your fear of the man disappears as this knowledge sinks in. You are fairly certain you could 'kill' him at this exact moment if you wanted to. You are also certain that none of you would walk out of this room alive and that he almost certainly would not stay dead.
You push such ideas from your mind and focus on the task at hand. Slowly you chant the incantations to fortify his soul, his breathing becomes more steady, deeper, slowly but surely you are restoring him to his prime.
Now for the difficult part, most of the blood in him has long since turned to dust, a sort of magical sludge weakly pumps through his veins. You need to restore the proper flow of his vital spirits and rekindle his inner fire.
That will take a fair amount of energy.
You call out to your two assistants and they answer. They pour power into your spells which you in turn pour into Mazzarin's body. The blood begins to evaporate as the vital spirits within it are transmitted to Mazzarin's flesh. His lungs, his heart, his liver, all begin to revive. His heart begins to heat, and to beat, and slowly the sludge in his veins begins to move. The colour returns to his flesh. He begins to warm considerably and no longer looks like a corpse.
He has taken on the proportions and characteristics of a young man, you would say he looks to be in his early twenties, he is handsome enough but nothing spectacular. You would say he is average, in every way just average, it is a bit disappointing to be honest. Some tiny part of you had expected him to be... bigger, a magical giant, but here before you he is just a man like any other.
Immediately you remind yourself that he is not what he seems, that he is in fact the greatest archmage to have ever practiced the magical arts. He deserves your respect, and a good deal of caution if nothing else.
You can now feel the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins and suddenly he no longer needs your help to maintain himself. His body begins to function naturally. His liver begins once more to refine pneuma into natural spirits to supply to his heart which in turn creates the vital spirits necessary for physical existence. He is stable now, the worst is past.
The last set of spells require little power but a great deal of finesse, you wave Thaïs and Lyssa off and they gradually break contact with you.
Only one step remains now, to coax his physical brain back to full operation, to take the vital spirits his heart is now producing and to use them, direct them through his brain once more. You channel them, guide them, and begin the process by which they can become true animal spirits. He begins to move, to babble unintelligibly, his rational soul still out of balance with his physical body. You work quickly to stabilize him, to prevent the onset of madness.
The Faceless Man watches in silence but you can sense approval radiating from him. You really are quite good at this for such a young mage Derryth, why with my help-
His voice cuts out and you are dragged back to reality.
You can still feel the Faceless Man but he is focused on something, someone, other than you.
Mazzarin sits on his slab, a confident smile upon his face, "I was not aware that you had a second archmage travelling with you," there is a great deal of cruelty there, hatred too in fact.
Now that he has recovered you can feel the power pouring off of him. He is not even attempting to hide it. You can see it in him, you can feel it near him, you can hear it, taste it, smell it, the complete magical mastery he possesses. It is fascinating, it is intoxicating, it is horrifying, and you know instantly that you are completely at his mercy. You could not fight this man even were you inclined to do so. Even on your best day it would not be close. Even with your entire Circle, even with every mage you have ever known, you would lose. You would lose badly. You had doubted but you doubt no longer.
This is Mazzarin and he is terrifying.
He makes a single push towards your mind, no your minds, he hits all three of you. You can feel the weight of it, he could crush you in an instant but he stops. Or rather he is stopped. The Faceless Man is protecting your minds and it takes every ounce of his strength to do so. In your mind he grunts, he screams, he cries.
With a shrug Mazzarin breaks off his... attack is the wrong word for it, if that had been an attack you would no longer exist... his... probe? Yes, his probe, he was testing you and Thaïs or perhaps the Faceless Man but either way it seems you have passed, at least for the moment.
You decide that complete honesty would be best policy here. If he decides to he can invade your mind with hardly any effort.
He sits on his slab completely exposed but it is you that feels naked.
You choke down your fear and your awe, if nothing else you are stubborn and you will be damned if you are going to be intimidated by anyone, even by this mage, "I was not aware that he was travelling with us either until today."
He gives you what on first glance is a warm smile, but it is odd, sharp in your mind, "Well, if you want I can take those bracelets off of you. It would be a simple thing to do all things considered."
The Faceless Man screams a warning to you, not a compulsion, not a suggestion, not even words, just an emotion. Fear, terror, for himself and for you.
Still, he is a liar, and a manipulator. You would not put it past him to try and influence you against Mazzarin. You are not certain what you should do really.
The Faceless Man cries out.
Mazzarin calmly awaits your reply.
You try to formulate words with a Fallen Lord wailing in your head, "Would... um... would this count as a favour?"
His smile gets broader, and sharper, "You did not have to revive me yourself. You could have dumped the information on poor Lyssa and I would not have blamed you" he gives her a slight nod through she turns a little pale and wobbles slightly, "You did not have to do anything more than that but instead you brought me back to my full glory. I will of course require the exact details of the ritual from you but that is a small matter and easily solved. In exchange for your contributions above and beyond what was required of you I am willing to offer you this additional boon. I will remove the bracelets and free you from the influence of this archmage. All I ask for in exchange are the bracelets themselves. If the being using them is who I suspect it is then he and I have business to settle. Once and for all."
You consider the idea, "May I have some time to consult with my colleague?"
His sharp smile cuts deeper, "Certainly, I will need a few hours to gather some things I have left nearby," he stands and looks you in the eyes, he raises a single hand to his chin in contemplation.
You stand transfixed by his stare, unable to move as your body cries out to you to run, finally he speaks, "Oh, before I forget. On a related note what do you want for your talking head? I should like to have her. Money, power, really anything you could want I can give you. It will be a fair trade I assure you."
Instinctively you begin to inform him that you will not trade your friend for anything.
He does not allow you to respond however, he waves you away and the three of you each take six small steps backward in unison, "I shall return shortly and would prefer an answer then," he snaps his fingers and disappears in a cloud of gray green ash.
"So that was Mazzarin?" you mutter in astonishment.
"I suppose so," Thaïs answers.
"I... I thought he would be kinder... I... I don't know..." Lyssa looks rather shaken, "Ever... ever have that feeling you made the wrong choice in life?"
The three of you blink and stare at one another.
What to do is the question.
1. Mazzarin says he will be gone for a few hours. You could wait for him or you could try to run away, he is rather terrifying...
A) You stay. You wish to do business with him now.
B) You run away (given how close these choices are in intent all options to run away will be counted together, the most popular option will be chosen.)
i. You, Thaïs, Biliku and Uttu will flee. Though you and Thaïs are mentally exhausted you should still be able to make fairly good time. It will take a few hours to reach Myrgard.
ii. You, Thaïs, Biliku and Uttu will flee. You offer to take Lyssa with you, you doubt she will live long in his service. The five of you should be able to make good time. It will take a few hours to reach Myrgard.
iii. You, Thaïs, Biliku, Uttu and the Arrows will flee. The Arrows are still in rather poor condition and will likely slow you down. Of course they will also provide some muscle should you run into trouble. It will take you the better part of half a day to reach Myrgard.
iv. You, Thaïs, Biliku, Uttu and the Arrows will flee. The Arrows are still in rather poor condition and will likely slow you down. Of course they will also provide some muscle should you run into trouble. You also offer to take Lyssa with you, you doubt she will live long in his service. It will take you the better part of half a day to reach Myrgard.
v. freeform
C) Send Biliku, Uttu and Nine away with the Arrows as escort. Derryth and Thais stay to do business with the mage.
D) freeform
2. The Bracelets/The Faceless Man: Mazzarin has offered to free you from the bracelets and the Faceless Man for the price of the bracelets themselves. Do you accept?
A) Yes - you accept.
B) No - you do not accept.
3. Nine: Mazzarin would like to purchase Nine. Will you trade her to him?
A) Yes - you will trade her away (The options will be listed in the next update if you choose to stay. They will likely include money, magical training, artefacts and the like. It is essentially an extra favour.).
B) No - you will not trade her for anything.
4. Favour(s): You still have two favours left. Do you wish to use one or both when Mazzarin returns?
A) No - you will not call in a favour.
B) Yes - you will call in one favour.
C) Yes - you will call in both favours.
5. Favour Selection (if 4b wins the top selection will be chosen, if 4c wins the top two selections will be chosen).
A) Lyssa, you ask for Mazzarin's apprentice. You are fairly certain from talking to her that she would accept the arrangement.
B) Wealth, you do not know how much he will give you but it should be substantial.
C) Artefacts, a list will be presented on his return. You may chose a certain number of them then.
D) Magic, he will grant you instruction in a field of your choice.
E) Summon Shub-Niggurath, what is the worst that could happen?
F) You ask that from now on he never act directly and/or knowingly against you or your friends in any form or manner, this includes Nine, obviously we promise to refrain to take any direct or willing action against him as well. Should you break this agreement your life and the lives of all those you care about/know will be forfeit.
F) freeform
"You sure this is a good idea?" Thaïs asks.
"Nope," you don't look up. This will take your full concentration to pull off. If you are off by even a little... "Damn it!"
You miss... again.
"My arm!" Ceannard howls.
"Quit complaining," you give Ceannard a swat, "And stop squirming or I will miss the vein again!"
As the only one with any sort of real medical training you are responsible for getting the blood out of the Arrows without hurting them too badly. For the most part you succeed though it is not always easy.
"I can not believe I agreed to this- ouch!" you finally find his vein and begin draining him, he looks down at his arm and turns a little pale, "I... I feel a bit weak..."
You look at Thaïs, she looks at you, you both start laughing.
"Do not laugh, I am serious!" the Arrow insists.
You shake your head in disbelief, "You are a mercenary. You must see blood all of the time?"
He looks up at you a confident grin on his weary face, "Well yes. But it usually is not my blood," he hesitates, staring at the blood running from his arm, "And there usually isn't so much of it just lying about," he gestures to the shallow basin at his feet.
You shrug, unmoved, "Well we need enough of it to cover the archmage with. Look, if it bothers you so much don't look at it."
He frowns, "Well then what should I look at? There is blood everywhere!" he stops for a moment as a sly grin creeps onto his pale face, "Hmm... what about my lovely doctors? Will the two of you nurse me back to health, maybe? Give me something else to think about perhaps? Kiss the wound and make it- ahhhh!"
Seems you had the same idea as you both give him a small zap at the same time. The cumulative effect of which is quite a bit stronger than either of you intended, "Alright, alright! I was only joking! I am just trying to keep my mind off the blood you know!"
You give the Arrow a sympathetic smile, feeling a little guilty about shocking him, "We know Ceannard, we know. And look, it worked," you staunch the bleeding as Thaïs carries the basin away and empties it into one of a pair of large pails, "All done!" you declare as you carefully bandage up the wound and help him to his feet.
"Do you need a hand Ceannard?" Thaïs asks as he slowly passes her.
Weakly he shakes his head, "No, no. I will be fine," he does not look fine but seems determined to make it on his own. A matter of pride perhaps... you wonder...
Ceannard wanders out of the hut and joins his men sitting in the grass. Biliku and Uttu rush about amongst them tending to them and administering broth, nuts and scrambled snake eggs to help them recover. With only sixteen Arrows to draw from and poor tools it is a wonder no one dies. A few come too close for your liking but you manage with your combined supplies.
You take a fair bit from each of them, maybe more than you should have, but by the time the sun begins to rise you have an adequate supply of blood.
You stick your head out of the hut and call for your girls. Biliku and Uttu come running, when they get inside you give them your orders, "Now girls, I want you to stay out here and keep watch with the Arrows, they are in no state to fight so if anything attacks you come and find us understand?"
They look at one another, then to Thaïs over your shoulder, finally they look to you and they nod. You smile and tussle their hair, "Good, now back to your posts."
They snap you a salute, mimicking the behaviour of the Arrows they have been tending and race off into the early morning light, back to their guard posts.
You would love to join them under the sun but you have to head in the opposite direction. Once more into the earth, once more into the gloom and darkness. The trapdoor creeks open behind you and Lyssa emerges. She looks tired, spent, and from the bloody cloth in her hand you suspect Mazzarin has been in her mind again.
Lyssa frowns, "I thought you said we needed to submerge him."
You nod and explain your reasoning "Yes, I did but I have been thinking. The spell calls for the target to be covered in a substance capable of channelling the magical energies involved. I assumed this meant complete submersion. That is certainly how Culwyeh did it, in a large, ornate tub of human blood. But I think we can do this by simply coating him in blood. To submerge him we would have to kill at least some of the Arrows and I am not murdering sixteen men to ease your master's pain."
Lyssa thinks on that for a moment then nods, "No more deaths... yes I agree," without a further word she snatches up one of the buckets and heads down into the tunnel.
You are left to wonder just what motivates such a person. She seems to hold no particular loyalty to her master, she does not even seem to like him very much and yet she seems willing to do everything in her power to help him. It is certainly odd.
You grab the other pail and follow her down with your friend close behind. The three of you make the uncomfortable walk to Mazzarin's chamber in silence. You suspect that an observer would confuse you with a trio of ghosts haunting this narrow tunnel. You are all worn down, mentally exhausted, but you push on.
As you enter Mazzarin's cell you scan the room. For some reason you half expected the archmage to rise and greet you, like something out of a horror story.
He rests on his slab, however, unmoving save for the slight rise and fall of his chest.
Lyssa carefully places her bucket on the floor and moves to grab Mazzarin's hand as you lay your bucket down and grab her arm, "Don't," you order her.
She turns to you, "But he won't be able to speak if I don't connect with him."
"Good," you reply, "I want him to listen not talk and I might need you for this. I don't want you any more drained than you already are."
She gives you a reluctant nod and a slight smile, "Thank you," she whispers.
You push past her to her master, "Mazzarin? Can you hear me? One grunt for yes and, well, if you can't it does not much matter now does it?"
The corpse lets out a single gasp which you take for a yes.
"Alright then," you are not terribly thrilled about what you have to do next, "We are going to... strip you, and then we are going to bathe you in blood. We don't have enough to submerge you in so we..." you take a deep breath, "So we are going to give you a sponge bath..." you could swear the old bastard smiles just a little at the thought.
You turn from him to Thaïs and Lyssa, "Let's just get this over with as quickly as possible."
One brisk and very unsettling bath later you have an archmage covered in congealed blood. Henry would be so very proud...
"Alright, now I will handle the actual casting. Sorry Mazzarin but I am not letting you in my head so you can sit this one out. Thaïs, Lyssa, I want you both to give me as much power as you can without hurting yourselves. No rushing, this could take a little while."
You reach out with your mind and begin to construct the foundations of the spell that will revive Mazzarin. You reach out to his body but keep a close watch upon his mind all the same, you can not truly trust the man after all. You feel the Faceless Man observing closely, he whispers into your mind. Don't worry Derryth, I will keep an eye on him. You are not certain how comforting that is.
As you trace the contours of his body you work carefully to locate and identify his pneuma, his breath, the elemental air that forms the basis of life. It is weak, almost nonexistent but it is there. You give a slight sigh of relief, he is not some undead monstrosity, he is not some demonic apparition, he is alive, he is flesh and blood and will. A small sliver of your fear of the man disappears as this knowledge sinks in. You are fairly certain you could 'kill' him at this exact moment if you wanted to. You are also certain that none of you would walk out of this room alive and that he almost certainly would not stay dead.
You push such ideas from your mind and focus on the task at hand. Slowly you chant the incantations to fortify his soul, his breathing becomes more steady, deeper, slowly but surely you are restoring him to his prime.
Now for the difficult part, most of the blood in him has long since turned to dust, a sort of magical sludge weakly pumps through his veins. You need to restore the proper flow of his vital spirits and rekindle his inner fire.
That will take a fair amount of energy.
You call out to your two assistants and they answer. They pour power into your spells which you in turn pour into Mazzarin's body. The blood begins to evaporate as the vital spirits within it are transmitted to Mazzarin's flesh. His lungs, his heart, his liver, all begin to revive. His heart begins to heat, and to beat, and slowly the sludge in his veins begins to move. The colour returns to his flesh. He begins to warm considerably and no longer looks like a corpse.
He has taken on the proportions and characteristics of a young man, you would say he looks to be in his early twenties, he is handsome enough but nothing spectacular. You would say he is average, in every way just average, it is a bit disappointing to be honest. Some tiny part of you had expected him to be... bigger, a magical giant, but here before you he is just a man like any other.
Immediately you remind yourself that he is not what he seems, that he is in fact the greatest archmage to have ever practiced the magical arts. He deserves your respect, and a good deal of caution if nothing else.
You can now feel the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins and suddenly he no longer needs your help to maintain himself. His body begins to function naturally. His liver begins once more to refine pneuma into natural spirits to supply to his heart which in turn creates the vital spirits necessary for physical existence. He is stable now, the worst is past.
The last set of spells require little power but a great deal of finesse, you wave Thaïs and Lyssa off and they gradually break contact with you.
Only one step remains now, to coax his physical brain back to full operation, to take the vital spirits his heart is now producing and to use them, direct them through his brain once more. You channel them, guide them, and begin the process by which they can become true animal spirits. He begins to move, to babble unintelligibly, his rational soul still out of balance with his physical body. You work quickly to stabilize him, to prevent the onset of madness.
The Faceless Man watches in silence but you can sense approval radiating from him. You really are quite good at this for such a young mage Derryth, why with my help-
His voice cuts out and you are dragged back to reality.
You can still feel the Faceless Man but he is focused on something, someone, other than you.
Mazzarin sits on his slab, a confident smile upon his face, "I was not aware that you had a second archmage travelling with you," there is a great deal of cruelty there, hatred too in fact.
Now that he has recovered you can feel the power pouring off of him. He is not even attempting to hide it. You can see it in him, you can feel it near him, you can hear it, taste it, smell it, the complete magical mastery he possesses. It is fascinating, it is intoxicating, it is horrifying, and you know instantly that you are completely at his mercy. You could not fight this man even were you inclined to do so. Even on your best day it would not be close. Even with your entire Circle, even with every mage you have ever known, you would lose. You would lose badly. You had doubted but you doubt no longer.
This is Mazzarin and he is terrifying.
He makes a single push towards your mind, no your minds, he hits all three of you. You can feel the weight of it, he could crush you in an instant but he stops. Or rather he is stopped. The Faceless Man is protecting your minds and it takes every ounce of his strength to do so. In your mind he grunts, he screams, he cries.
With a shrug Mazzarin breaks off his... attack is the wrong word for it, if that had been an attack you would no longer exist... his... probe? Yes, his probe, he was testing you and Thaïs or perhaps the Faceless Man but either way it seems you have passed, at least for the moment.
You decide that complete honesty would be best policy here. If he decides to he can invade your mind with hardly any effort.
He sits on his slab completely exposed but it is you that feels naked.
You choke down your fear and your awe, if nothing else you are stubborn and you will be damned if you are going to be intimidated by anyone, even by this mage, "I was not aware that he was travelling with us either until today."
He gives you what on first glance is a warm smile, but it is odd, sharp in your mind, "Well, if you want I can take those bracelets off of you. It would be a simple thing to do all things considered."
The Faceless Man screams a warning to you, not a compulsion, not a suggestion, not even words, just an emotion. Fear, terror, for himself and for you.
Still, he is a liar, and a manipulator. You would not put it past him to try and influence you against Mazzarin. You are not certain what you should do really.
The Faceless Man cries out.
Mazzarin calmly awaits your reply.
You try to formulate words with a Fallen Lord wailing in your head, "Would... um... would this count as a favour?"
His smile gets broader, and sharper, "You did not have to revive me yourself. You could have dumped the information on poor Lyssa and I would not have blamed you" he gives her a slight nod through she turns a little pale and wobbles slightly, "You did not have to do anything more than that but instead you brought me back to my full glory. I will of course require the exact details of the ritual from you but that is a small matter and easily solved. In exchange for your contributions above and beyond what was required of you I am willing to offer you this additional boon. I will remove the bracelets and free you from the influence of this archmage. All I ask for in exchange are the bracelets themselves. If the being using them is who I suspect it is then he and I have business to settle. Once and for all."
You consider the idea, "May I have some time to consult with my colleague?"
His sharp smile cuts deeper, "Certainly, I will need a few hours to gather some things I have left nearby," he stands and looks you in the eyes, he raises a single hand to his chin in contemplation.
You stand transfixed by his stare, unable to move as your body cries out to you to run, finally he speaks, "Oh, before I forget. On a related note what do you want for your talking head? I should like to have her. Money, power, really anything you could want I can give you. It will be a fair trade I assure you."
Instinctively you begin to inform him that you will not trade your friend for anything.
He does not allow you to respond however, he waves you away and the three of you each take six small steps backward in unison, "I shall return shortly and would prefer an answer then," he snaps his fingers and disappears in a cloud of gray green ash.
"So that was Mazzarin?" you mutter in astonishment.
"I suppose so," Thaïs answers.
"I... I thought he would be kinder... I... I don't know..." Lyssa looks rather shaken, "Ever... ever have that feeling you made the wrong choice in life?"
The three of you blink and stare at one another.
What to do is the question.
1. Mazzarin says he will be gone for a few hours. You could wait for him or you could try to run away, he is rather terrifying...
A) You stay. You wish to do business with him now.
B) You run away (given how close these choices are in intent all options to run away will be counted together, the most popular option will be chosen.)
i. You, Thaïs, Biliku and Uttu will flee. Though you and Thaïs are mentally exhausted you should still be able to make fairly good time. It will take a few hours to reach Myrgard.
ii. You, Thaïs, Biliku and Uttu will flee. You offer to take Lyssa with you, you doubt she will live long in his service. The five of you should be able to make good time. It will take a few hours to reach Myrgard.
iii. You, Thaïs, Biliku, Uttu and the Arrows will flee. The Arrows are still in rather poor condition and will likely slow you down. Of course they will also provide some muscle should you run into trouble. It will take you the better part of half a day to reach Myrgard.
iv. You, Thaïs, Biliku, Uttu and the Arrows will flee. The Arrows are still in rather poor condition and will likely slow you down. Of course they will also provide some muscle should you run into trouble. You also offer to take Lyssa with you, you doubt she will live long in his service. It will take you the better part of half a day to reach Myrgard.
v. freeform
C) Send Biliku, Uttu and Nine away with the Arrows as escort. Derryth and Thais stay to do business with the mage.
D) freeform
2. The Bracelets/The Faceless Man: Mazzarin has offered to free you from the bracelets and the Faceless Man for the price of the bracelets themselves. Do you accept?
A) Yes - you accept.
B) No - you do not accept.
3. Nine: Mazzarin would like to purchase Nine. Will you trade her to him?
A) Yes - you will trade her away (The options will be listed in the next update if you choose to stay. They will likely include money, magical training, artefacts and the like. It is essentially an extra favour.).
B) No - you will not trade her for anything.
4. Favour(s): You still have two favours left. Do you wish to use one or both when Mazzarin returns?
A) No - you will not call in a favour.
B) Yes - you will call in one favour.
C) Yes - you will call in both favours.
5. Favour Selection (if 4b wins the top selection will be chosen, if 4c wins the top two selections will be chosen).
A) Lyssa, you ask for Mazzarin's apprentice. You are fairly certain from talking to her that she would accept the arrangement.
B) Wealth, you do not know how much he will give you but it should be substantial.
C) Artefacts, a list will be presented on his return. You may chose a certain number of them then.
D) Magic, he will grant you instruction in a field of your choice.
E) Summon Shub-Niggurath, what is the worst that could happen?
F) You ask that from now on he never act directly and/or knowingly against you or your friends in any form or manner, this includes Nine, obviously we promise to refrain to take any direct or willing action against him as well. Should you break this agreement your life and the lives of all those you care about/know will be forfeit.
F) freeform
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