Adam was able to keep an eye on Julie the entire ti as the others brought the Golden Slug airship to Iffenguard, parking it almost directly above the slug dragon’s fortress island. He was glad to observe that she had no sches in mind nor any thoughts of malice.
Almost as soon as they had stopped the ship, Iffen started to move, albeit slowly. Adam quickly swooped in with the Hippogriff, landing it in the middle of the Golden Slug’s deck. The others all climbed on board, leaving behind the giant vessel.
As Adam pulled the cloud ship away to what he considered a safe distance, Iffen lifted his enormous body with two salamander arms that pushed against the city he slumbered upon. Then two more grew to support him as he rose higher and higher, reaching for the Golden Slug with arms and tentacles.
As soon as he had a grip on the airship, it began to sink down towards him, but he kept pushing his mass up against it, growing more and more arms and tentacles to wrap about its large bone and gold hull.
< < Quest Updated > >
< Song of the Slugwhales >
< Behold Iffen’s assimilation with the Golden Slug >
“Uhh, that’s an ominous quest objective,” Jabari said.
Adam frowned. Maybe this was a bad idea, actually…
“Let’s just wait back here,” he told them, unsure about what was going to happen.
The Golden Slug continued to sink toward Iffenguard while the slug dragon wrapped his mossy neon-glowing mass around it. If Ellen had still been serious about doing her patron quest, this was a golden opportunity to seize upon the distracted dragon and infect it, but she didn’t have a parasite and from the dread emanating from her lody, he couldn’t imagine her ever considering going through with it again. She was clearly terrified of the dragons, as she should be, so even if her reluctance to attempt the quest stemd from a fear of losing her own life and not a fear of hurting others, Adam thought it was good enough.
Julie was likewise frozen in place where she stood on the deck, and though Adam had suspected her of colluding with Ellen to summon the Cloud Leviathan, he was starting to wonder if the Flayed Lady’s gift didn’t actually co with a heavy dose of paranoia. It would be fitting for the Absolute of Betrayal to make all her worshippers paranoid of others scheming against them, since betrayal would beget more betrayal, thereby growing her influence. At least if he was understanding the objectives of the Absolutes correctly, since he assud that they drew power from their unique traits being invoked, such as the To Keeper harvesting knowledge, ssir appraising through the eyes of his adherents, or Nwetrou devouring Players.
Being suspicious of all Nwetrou worshippers is not logical, since clearly not all of them are directed by him to interfere with Beck and I. Unless I’m greatly underestimating Ellen, though I’d like to believe I couldn’t be that blind.
There are obviously ways to fool the Mandate of Blood, but I don’t think she could do it that easily, especially not without way more knowledge of how blood magic works and what powers the Flayed Lady possesses.
Julie on the other hand is quite talented with blood magic, so it’s possible she’d be able to find a way to avoid broadcasting all of her emotions and thoughts to , but she’s been quite stable ever since she had that ntal lock during the encounter with Rasal. It was clearly her lack of self-preservation coming up against the brutal reality of the Trials and scaring her into realising the importance of her own life.
Unless…
Adam focused on where she stood with her hands gripping the squishy railing of the cloud ship, staring at Iffen’s assimilation with the Golden Slug. Her lody broadcasted her emotions to him loudly: fear, terror, determination. There were no hidden underlying lodies or discordant notes that seed out of place, although he did notice a single quiet and continuous note of pain as he scrutinised her lody closely. He couldn’t tell what the pain was specifically, but he didn’t think it was physical.
Ellen went over to Julie with her rosary, running it up and down her back. Adam wondered why, until he saw that Julie was crying, sobbing quietly at the sight of Iffen’s transformation. As the rosary’s effect triggered, her pain vanished and her fear and terror lessened, though they didn’t vanish completely, strong as they were.
Cathy, Jabari, and Lasse didn’t notice the exchange at all, because they too were focused on what was happening to Iffen.
Finally, Adam pulled his eyes away and banished his paranoid thoughts, beholding Iffen’s assimilation.
His mossy skin had turned into floating plates of dark-grey stone that sprouted moss and grass, and these flowed across his bright neon-green body like a glob from a lava lamp co to life.
And his size… He’d been enormous before, but already he was growing towards twice that size, becoming absolutely titanic.
The air around him humd like a choir as the last of the airship made from his kindred were consud by his growing mass. He took on a shape that still retained a slug-like appearance to it, but its body in the middle was large and distended as though it had a cavernous pregnant belly, while a featureless head reached out from one end like a flattened tube, and a tail almost identical extended from the other end. Six fins or wings larger than their airship sprouted from either side of his body, and he swam upwards and away from Iffenguard, before pausing near the floating point and tilting his flattened head in their direction. There were no mouth, eyestalks, or anything on the head, but Adam could still tell he was perceiving them sohow.
“You have brought closure to my kindred who were robbed from the cycle of ascension inherent to us,” Iffen said, speaking directly into Adam’s mind, and that of the others too, judging by their lodies and expressions.
< < Quest Completed > >
< Song of the Slugwhales >
< Helped Iffen assimilate with his kindred >
A chest made of the sa neon-green flesh as Iffen’s body appeared in the middle of the Hippogriff’s deck, but before they could check what was inside, Iffen spoke again.
“For too long the cycle has been interrupted. We slug kindred were not ant to grow old and remain locked in our forms. We must ascend and begin the cycle of rebirth anew, so that future slug kindred may thrive.”
Adam had no idea what he was talking about, but he was pretty sure that ‘ascension’ was just another word for ‘evolution’.
If Iffen evolves, will he beco a Cloud Leviathan? And if so, will he devour the Floating Sea to ‘begin the cycle of rebirth anew’?
Ellen seed to share his thoughts, but she was overco with relief rather than worry, since it seed a way for them to complete her patron quest without utilising the parasites.
“I must assimilate with the others and complete the ascension set in motion by your aid. Once again, I require your assistance. Slug kindred were never ant to grow old, and with old ages cos stubbornness. Entreat with the four others on my behalf and alleviate their fears.”
A warbling scream exploded out from Iffen’s body and moved through the air like a heat haze. It wasn’t a loud noise and it didn’t disrupt magic, but it made Adam’s body tense up with a sudden primal fear, as though he stood before an apex predator who had made a challenge.
< < Special Quest Unlocked > >
< The Ascension of Iffen >
< Seek out and aid the four Slug Dragons >
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“My sister Mast-Chewer is already responding to my call thanks to you returning her lost progeny to her nest. I will tell you how to aid the others, such that my ascension may co to bear. Atrophy’s Daughter is stricken by loneliness and you must bring one of our lesser kindred to her, one that may endure her noxious company. Sky Terror is feared by the sailors who travel far into the clouds above to the west, but a competent challenger may sate his endless hunger for battle. And Volcano’s Heart is slumbering in his ho and only the ritual of the cannibals may awaken him.”
It's a special quest?? I didn’t know those were a thing!
This seems like a really involved quest chain though, but I’m pretty sure Atrophy’s Daughter is the dragon that Cathy has to find, and Volcano’s Heart must be related to the volcano on Fallow’s Glory, which Elia said had a quest associated with it.
“Once my kindred have seen the wisdom of my ascension, find
at the Temple of the Godstone.”
Wait, is this an alternate way to actually beat the Stage?
With his quest laid out for them, Iffen lifted up into the sky, swimming through the gold-tinged clouds with gentle motions of his fins and leaving behind a neon-green trail before vanishing from sight.
“That was crazy,” Lasse remarked.
“This has to be a way for us to safely summon the Cloud Leviathan!” Ellen said excitedly. “My patron quest updated and now just says ‘summon’ instead of making any ntion of the parasites.”
“He also told us how to befriend the dragon I’m seeking,” Cathy added. “But what did he an by ‘lesser kindred’?”
“It has to be a slugwhale,” Adam said. “But I’m not sure how the hell we get a toxic slugwhale to Starfall Island… Pretty sure just handling one of those things will be a lot of trouble.”
“Sky Terror sounded like we’d have to fight him and win,” Lasse said.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Adam agreed. “Also, I’m pretty sure Volcano’s Heart must be related to that volcano island we passed on our way to Windtop Cove. Fallow’s Glory it was called.”
“What about our deal with the Golden Fortress?” Jabari asked.
“I think this may be a way for us to complete the main objective,” Adam said. “After all, he wanted us to et him at the Godstone Temple.”
“It will be dangerous,” Julie said. Adam could tell she was terrified of the idea that they might have to fight a slug dragon.
“I won’t force anyone to do anything,” he told her. “If it cos down to it, I’m okay with taking on Sky Terror alone. After all, I can control the Hippogriff by myself.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lasse promised.
None of the others were interested in fully committing though, which, albeit disappointing, was understandable. Everyone’s main goal was to survive, and taking on an enemy that Ellen had argued was better avoided, was more risk than most people would be okay with, especially when it wasn’t required for their survival. After all, the deal with Captain Hast and the Golden Fortress already promised them an easy way to reach the end of the Stage.
“We should take a vote on it after we’ve done Cathy’s quest,” Jabari suggested.
“Just for the record, I’m in on attempting the special quest,” Ellen said, which was a relief to Adam.
“ too,” said Lasse.
Julie didn’t need to say anything for Adam to know that her answer was ‘no’, and Cathy was clearly worried as well.
Adam clapped his hands together. “But first! Let’s go deal with the False Judge and get Shiff his favourite sword back. After we’ve checked our quest reward of course,” he said with a grin.
Everyone could get along with the detour at least, since fighting humans seed like a walk in the park compared to dealing with slugwhales and dragons.
Adam went over to the strange neon-green chest and pushed open the lid to reveal a single item. It was a green suit of slug armour that glowed faintly and covered both torso and legs.
< < Relic Available > >
< Iffen’s Embrace (Epic) — Once per day, evade a fatal attack | When hit, fire a toxic spike at the attacker, inflicting the Petrification affliction. 1-minute cooldown | Increases Health by 50 >
That’s an interesting Relic. I don’t think I’ve seen one that increases Health before, and the way that toxic spike attack works is similar to the Thorny Shield upgrade for Defender. I wonder if the petrification effect is inherent to Iffen. That’s kind of terrifying to be honest.
Everyone except Adam and Julie were interested in the item, though Adam wouldn’t say no to it if no one wanted it, but it would force him to take off both his skirt and jacket to use it. However, he was wary of the wording of the first effect, since he could think of several ways to get around it to still deal a killing blow, such as attacking in a way that wasn’t fatal, like by using blood magic to infiltrate soone’s bloodstream, and then exploding their brain from within, like how he’d dealt with Jun. It was unfathomable that the armour would allow soone to evade an internal attack after all, and it was also a question as to whether or not such a thing would be considered an attack at all in the first place.
“I should take it,” Ellen said. “It would work well with my shield.”
“I could use it too,” Jabari pointed out.
“It would replace your pants as well as your cuirass,” she argued.
“I’m okay with that,” he said.
“Let’s do rock-paper-scissors,” Lasse suggested.
Adam sighed, knowing what was coming.
“I know you’re cheating!” Ellen accused him.
He was about to fire back with so kind of lie, based on his lody, but Adam raised his hands and they all shut up imdiately, which almost surprised him. “Here’s what we’ll do. Everyone who wants the armour, try to guess a number between 1 and 100 that I’m thinking of. The closest person will get it. I’ll whisper the number to Julie so she can confirm afterwards.”
They ended up agreeing to that and Cathy joined in on it as well. Ultimately, the armour went to Jabari who was only two away from the number Adam had thought up. Since he’d now swapped out his boots, trousers, and cuirass, he stored his unused Relics inside the captain’s quarters of the Hippogriff. Adam also kept the slugwhale stew in there, in case soone was badly hurt and needed to heal.
With their special quest on hold, Adam sailed them north-west towards the Storm’s Eye islands that Shiff had told them were the hideout of the Judge’s band of pirates.
Lasse kept to the crow’s nest, while Ellen hung out in the captain’s quarters with Julie. As he listened to their lodies, he noticed how Jabari and Cathy had once again snuck away down below. He tried not to eavesdrop on them too much, but the lodies emanating from both were quite strong, due to the emotions involved.
I hope those two can get their heads in the ga when it matters.
Also, I wish I could switch this power off sotis… I feel dirty.
A discordant note of frustration passed through Ellen’s lody and was quickly mirrored in Julie’s. A mont later she ca out through the door to the captain’s quarters and went up the stairs to where Adam steered the ship.
“I want to use the compass,” she demanded.
“What for?” he asked, worried she and Ellen had so kind of fight that might impact their team.
“Please, Adam, it’s important,” she said.
He paused to look at her for a mont. Her lody was filled with frustration, sadness, and confusion.
Adam pulled the compass out of his ridiculous skirt’s pocket and handed it to her.
Julie gripped the box with both hands, staring down at the golden arrow.
“How do I use it?” she asked after a mont where nothing happened.
“You have to say the phrase ‘Show
what I seek’,” he told her.
She repeated the words and the needle started to spin.
And spin.
And spin.
“It’s not stopping,” she muttered, a new anxious note entering her lody.
“Maybe that ans it can’t be found,” Adam said.
He didn’t realise the power of his own words until they left his mouth and registered in Julie’s lody as a violent scream of existential dread. Outwardly, she showed nothing, but Adam’s one sentence had sohow completely broken her on the inside.
“What were you seeking?” Adam asked, trying to think of a way to calm her down. “Maybe I can help?”
Julie handed him the compass back and left, walking towards the bow of the ship where she slumped against the railing and started sobbing to herself.
I wish I knew what she was looking for, he thought as he looked down at the compass in his hand. He didn’t know enough about the Relic to say whether it had been unable to find her object of desire or not, and he regretted not prefacing his words with uncertainty and being more careful with her, since she was clearly struggling to keep it together.
Before Adam could man up and go to the bow, Ellen erged from the captain’s quarters too, a note of panic in her lody. She looked around and Adam t her eyes from above.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Where’s Julie!?”
Adam lifted his hand to point towards the bow where she sat.
Except.
Julie was no longer there.
In fact, it was dawning on him that he couldn’t sense the ball of blood he’d injected into her head, nor could he hear her lody anymore. It had been so loud and powerful, and now it was just gone.
Adam froze, realising she had broken free of his grasp. A terrible sense of foreboding took hold of him, but he was paralysed with indecision.
“We have to get her back here!” Ellen shouted.
Lasse ca down from the crow’s nest.
“If you’re looking for Julie, she just jumped over the edge,” he said. “I didn’t realise she was able to fly, but she’s heading east… What the fuck happened?”
She’s flying!? Is she going to get a parasite from the bottom of the world??
“She asked to see the compass, but it couldn’t point her towards what she was seeking,” Adam muttered, laly steering the ship east.
Ellen put her hands to her head. “Fuck!” she scread. “We have to stop her!”
Adam frowned. “Why? Do you know sothing we don’t.”
Her lody warped and twisted, filling with fear and regret. “She was going to help
with my quest! But then we found a way to do it by aiding Iffen. When I told her we didn’t need it anymore and that she should get rid of it before it killed her, she told
no. She said she had to do it.”
“What are you talking about?” Lasse asked.
“She has a parasite,” Adam realised, his mind reeling with the sudden epiphany. “But how?”
Ellen froze, disgust entering her lody. “After you killed Rasal, she caught one of the parasites with her magic while you weren’t looking. And then she swallowed it. It’s been in her stomach this whole ti, tearing her apart from within. I was healing her as much as I could, but I ran out of potions and charges of my rosary, so I told her to get rid of it.”
Just then, Adam saw that the potion belt Ellen carried was completely empty. He hadn’t noticed this entire ti. He suddenly felt like he hadn’t properly questioned the way the two of them had stuck together, nor how Julie’s lody had changed so sharply. He’d been worried about repeating the failure of his fourth loop with Elia, but he realised now that Julie had exploited that. The very first ti he hadn’t killed her when he should have, was enough to embolden her to believe he could be fooled like this if she just pretended well enough. And she’d been right.
He jumped down from the helm and landed in front of Ellen.
“I should have killed both of you the first chance I had!” he roared in anger, both at their foolishness and his own naivety. “You’re going to make this right, or I swear to God you won’t leave this place alive!”
Adam pulled the Golden Horn out of his backpack and shoved it into Lasse’s hand. “Follow
east,” he told him.
Then he jumped over the side of the ship and used the Mana in his flesh to fly east.
As he flew, he spoke into the compass he carried.
“Show
what I seek.”
The golden arrow imdiately snapped to a fixed position pointed directly ahead of him.
He knew exactly where Julie was going with the parasite in her belly.
She was heading for the noxious slug dragon that lived on Starfall Island.
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