[Deleted]

As the group entered the library, more narration began to sound as they grew closer to the fragment. A chill runs down the two's spine. 

"I could feel it in my bones, what I had done. It gnawed at me, even as the nanny defended my innocence, as she told the guards I'd never harm anyone. As my sisters, and my brother... as they watched me walk away with killing mom. I had taken the tyrant, the abuser out of our lives, but... also our chance of seeing our fathers again. Mine especially. News stations covered this... for days I could not count. I grew relatively normally, even after the wars. Campaign after campaign, and eventually, the world was unified. My pacts grew due, and my bargains were filled. The Elder Gods thought they could lie to me, hide when I finished, and survived."

The air becomes heavy with the scent of brine and nearly chokingly so. The humidity and heat may remind the two of an ocean cave, because soon, the locale shifts, taking the two to such a place. The massive alcove is several stories high, with candles and runes surrounding the area. The skeletal remains of warriors and mages lay about in half-stacked heaps. To the group's left, the Knowledge Eater strides forward, standing beside them as it watches and waits. It wasn't making a move against them, probably an ally. What it was looking towards, however, was far more massive than what they were. A large mass of black tentacles, yellow eyes (reminiscent of Isonus's own), and teeth. The thing descends slowly from the ceiling, and stares at the group. However, it addresses the one who this memory was based within...

"Isonus Dell'Thayme. Come to bargain again..?"

Disembodied, Isonus's voice in the room calls out...

"I've come to claim my dues! Kira is dead, you took her from me, and whatever you've wrought, I wish to claim my end of this bargain! Stow your trickery!"
"To oppose me, mortal, is a grave mistake."
"THEN GIVE ME WHAT I BARGAINED FOR!"

With that, the beast opens its limbs, and prepares to strike the group! Its name becomes known in its singular roar, which implants this knowledge directly into the group's mind... In that same roar, the Knowledge Eater moves forward, only to be snatched up and instantly devoured... This thing was powerful. There had to be another way to fight this thing. Or at least, to bargain with it. The amulets in the two's possession grow warm as they get closer to the beast.

Shub Illu'aag'raasch. The Keeper of Knowledge.
HP: 1000/1000
Performs a single action next turn.

[Deleted]

Shizuka noticed how quiet Shadow was being after the fight with the Knowledge Eater. For once she felt bad for someone, although that someone was a talking hedgehog and she cared about animals, so to her, it was no different as the duo entered the library, and caught another glimpse into Isonus past, where it was implied that the woman that died in the last flashback was related to Isonus.

Such as possibly his mother.

"The mother... Do you think it was the woman from the last vision?" Shizuka asked Shadow, encouraging him to talk more in this mission. But unfortunately the arrival of the next threat soon ruined that chance as it ate into the Knowledge Eater. Shizuka looked at this form...

And couldn't care less as she began to open fire on the enemy with her raygun.

WYTqGBuvp_1d20+3(Raygun > Shub: A small energy beam that will cause 16% of damage if hit.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > Shub.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > Shub.)1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[cynda1]

As the two entered the library, Shadow felt a chill run down his spine, clenching his fingers around the half of an amulet he had instinctively. The hedgehog made certain to keep any sort of discomfort he had private, so his face remained stone cold. The hedgehog glanced around the library as he heard the disembodied voice of Isonus once again. He listened as Isonus spoke out the memory, being given the consequences of murdering his mother. To say it was unexpected would have been a lie.

Arguably, just because the mother mistreated him, didn’t mean she necessarily deserved to die. Even if she did, which was very possible, Isonus probably had very little ground to defend himself with. Isonus seemed to be looked down upon, it’s obvious it would’ve been his word against hers if she were alive. On the other hand, it would’ve been a better situation than this: his words against his actions. And actions often speak much louder, and are a lot more telling, then words.

Now there was no way for Isonus to truly be seen as the mistreated child that simply snapped. Even Isonus himself was completely riddled with guilt over what he had done, despite the nanny defending him.

Shadow squeezed his hand around the amulet even tighter… Why did they have these whilst they were..?

Just as he wondered this, it seemed as though the memory continued on. Isonus was… arguing with someone about going through with their end of some sort of bargain after he… lost someone. Kira, was it? Shadow didn’t rightly know, and he didn’t rightly care, but Isonus seemed to. More importantly to Shadow, though, what deal had Isonus made with this… thing?

As he wondered this, the Knowledge Eater moved on the defense… and paid the price for it. The Knowledge Eater was devoured in one fell swoop, causing Shadow’s features to scrunch into one of tension and anger. As much as he’d like to be relieved that the faceless creep, who tried to use his memory of Maria against him, was gone, that just meant that this beast was even stronger…

...Perhaps even too strong for them to face.

Shadow’s teeth clenched. As much as he hated to admit it, if the Knowledge Eater was capable of bringing Shadow to his knees and it was tossed like a ragdoll, he didn’t really foresee them winning a fight with it. Something in his stomach radiated with heat as the tension was starting to cause him to…

Wait a second…

What was shall be, and what shall be will...

Shadow looked down at the amulet that was warming up against his body before looking back at the beast. As Shizuka fired her lasers at the beast, Shadow tried something else. As much as the hedgehog would’ve liked to leap at the chance of fighting the beast, this was Isonus’s game.

So he’d have to play it his way…

“Shizuka!” Shadow called out, as he approached her, holding out his amulet to her. “Give me your amulet!” He wasn’t really that great at explaining any of his plans, but it seemed as though Shadow had some kind of an idea. “Just trust me!” Hopefully Shizuka would cooperate, but more importantly…

...He hoped he was right.

[Deleted]

(Shub has a bubble shield! 500 HP total, and it shields all the attacks!)

"Now then... With that phantom of the past gone, it's time to deal with you mortals. Let me guess... Come to right his wrongs? Trying to... patch together what he did?"

Shub cackled, the many limbs falling aside as its true face was revealed. A massive, skinless human head, pulsing and covered in scales-and-patches of flesh. The eyes were vacant, empty... Just plain, black orbs. The god himself, that being trespassing into the mortal realm, inhaled deep, and would let out a battlecry. The entire foundation of the cave began to shake and shiver, as though it were ready to come down at any moment..! It was by this god's whim that it stayed up. The two, stoic heroes, faced against impossible odds. Until that amulet came out. Shub would recoil in shock, hearing the words thought by Shadow, and how he insisted on using that method. 

"N-No... NOOOO! PUT THAT BLASTED RELIC AWAY, YOU FOOLS! YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU'RE INVOKING!"

The panicking elder god would recess his head, and power up what seemed to be a large ball of magical energy. The bones abound turned to dust, and the two heroes may feel like they were being sucked in for a moment, before Shub fired off a massive, blackened laser right at the two, tearing across the battlefield in one swoop..! This power was unreal, and it was evident that the amulet held some sort of significance to the monstrosity.

(Shadow, Shizuka! You can't block this attack, or your shield will break! Roll a 10 or higher, or take 35% damage!)

Whispers began to circle around the god...

"What was shall be, and what shall be will."

"What was shall be, and what shall be will."

                                            "What was shall be, and what shall be will."

                                                "What was shall be and what shall be will."

[Deleted]

Shizuka sighed when Shub revealed that he had a bubble shield, a powerful one at that. "Great... This battle will really be tougher then the one that we faced before..." Shizuka said emotionlessly as the entire area began to shake.

"Huh?" She looked around, wondering what was causing the shaking. Before looking down at her amulet, which was glowing.

"The amulet..." Shizuka touched it, but it seemed to give Shub a negative reaction as Shadow quickly approached Shizuka, wanting to use her amulet for something. But before she can even think about giving it to Shadow, Shub launched a powerful attack towards the duo.

Which Shizuka turned towards and tried to get out of the way of.

"Look out..." She said in the most bored tone that she could say.

5wJW7y5np_1d20+3(And she dodged!)

Shizuka managed to quickly get out of the way of the attack before throwing the amulet towards Shadow, hoping that he would provide an easily solution with killing Shub. "Shadow... I trust you... Here!" She shouted as she threw the amulet towards the Hedgehog.

She hoped that whatever Shadow was going to do, it was quick.1d20+3

[cynda1]

Just as the hedgehog revealed his amulet, the beast started raving in rage, or panic rather. He practically screamed out his words, causing Shadow to leer toward their foe. Bingo. The hedgehog really was onto something. However, before Shadow and Shizuka could get their plan situated, the beast took the opportunity to make his attack. As Shizuka made her… lack luster command to have the hedgehog move, Shadow clenched his teeth and he turned to jump toward the opposite direction that Shizuka had leapt to.

As Shadow seemed to be in the clear, however…

...The amulet was about to be destroyed by the beam.

...Was it really? Shadow didn’t know how strong this amulet was, but if it was broken in half it was possible to break it period. Realizing what he did, Shadow couldn’t let that happen! Shadow instantly pivoted, leaping back toward the other half of the amulet like a maniac, intending to jump back toward the direction he was initially going.

Big mistake.

_DkGHKcgp_1d20+3

The direction he went, cut the precious time he had to dodge the attack. As a result, all he could do was wrap his fingers around Shizuka’s amulet before being hit by the attack.

The hedgehog let out a painful yell as he was paralyzed by the pain the attack was causing him for a few seconds before straightening himself out and slowly turning toward the side, the pressure of the attack overwhelming, and then used the rockets from his shoes to push him out of the attack range. The hedgehog rolled sideways out of the attack before ending up hunched over on the ground, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.

The hedgehog was breathing intensely as he pushed himself on one knee with one hand… and revealing the two halves of the amulet in the other. Shadow slowly formed a sinister smirk. This beast was truly going to pay for that, and perhaps, looking at Shadow’s face, it knew that. “...Time to put you to rest.” Shadow panted out. And with that said, the hedgehog took the two halves in both hands and connected them together…

...Perhaps only Isonus and this beast knew what would happen next.


1d20+3

[Deleted]

"WHAT WAS SHALL BE, AND WHAT SHALL BE WILL!"

A harrowing, booming voice calls through the void, just as Shub was preparing another laser. Before the Elder God could even scream, countless, spider-like limbs impaled and pinned each tentacle the being had upon its body to the walls, and yanked the creature through. An entire Elder God, consumed by whatever... that was. A set of... spheres fall to the ground, circular, and covered in a thin, sticky film. Those were eyes..! The phantasm of Isonus stepped over to the eyeballs, and knelt down to touch them. As he did, the flash and in an instant are converted to... a pearl. A swirling, shifting pink hued object. It radiated magic, mana, essentus. All of it at once. Isonus lifts the orb up, and holds it to the light... Steadily, he walks out, and the vision ends.

"...I did not know who it was that had saved me, or why the mantra had summoned this thing. All I know is that it had saved my life. Surely, Shub would have killed me that day."

The group reawakens, and in each of their palms are clutched small fragments of that Pearl. The hum eerily, and crackle ever so often, filling the two with a bit of energy. Shadow might notice, too, that his body had been mended, repaired and renewed. Though... something might feel off about him. Like something was misplaced, or rearranged in him. Investigations, regardless of luck or accuracy, reveal nothing. Shizuka, however, might get the gnawing suspicion things weren't as they seemed in this realm anymore, as though... something was revealed to her.

The only ways through were back, and to the smelter room, or through another room. It was a long hallway with two separate rooms at the end. Either one seeped that same energy, fragments in each room.

(Shadow's health is restored)
(Shizuka's INT and WIS mods are now +1 for the duration of this mission.)

Fragments Solved: 2/7
Secrets discovered: 2/7

[Deleted]

"Shadow!" Shizuka let out a concerned yell as she ran over to Shadow after getting hit by Shub's lazor. He used the two amulets as Shizuka watched him do so and turned when the mysterious eldritch monster was consumed by an odd mantra. And Isonus appeared as a phantom like figure as his voice was heard again. Shizuka kept quiet as she offered to help Shadow up...

At least, she would of. Had she not suddenly woke up in a room soon after.

Shizuka slowly stood up, feeling a bit weird after the battle with Shub. "I feel... A bit smarter and magical." Shizuka touched her head before turning towards Shadow.

She could tell that something... Was off about him. "Are you ok?" She asked the hedgehog as she looked forward and noticed that they're was another room that would lead into a hallway, which had two doors at the end of it, presumably towards more fragments.

But instead of Shizuka making the choice this time she turned towards Shadow.

"Seeing as how you helped kill the last monster that attack us... I would want you to make the next choice as to which room we should go in." Shizuka offered to Shadow as she waited on the Hedgehog's choice.

[cynda1]

...Shadow leered at the beast, a smirk plastered on it face as the thing was being destroyed by the beings unleashed by the amulet. The pain he was feeling by the previous attack didn’t even seem to be there as his instant revenge came into fruition. In one fell swoop, Shadow was able to take down this beast that he’d previously thought would have been impossible for them to fight with his wits. Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible with Shizuka’s cooperation, but he couldn’t help feeling even a little accomplished, even if these were all from Isonus’s memories.

Once the next threat was gone, Isonus appeared briefly, walking over one of the beasts the amulet had summoned, and picked up what… looked like a pearl. Shadow arched an eyebrow at the object before hearing Isonus’s voice again, and then being transported back out of the library. This left the two remaining rooms to enter, but more importantly, it left Shadow a bit of time to ponder Isonus’s words. It wasn’t much, time, but some. Someone… summoned the mantra… but Isonus didn’t know who? Honestly, it didn’t even matter. The hedgehog brushed the thought aside as he intended to keep this mission going when…

...He felt something.

Or, rather, felt that something was missing inside of him. Shadow couldn’t help but place a hand over his stomach as he tried to think what it could be that was happening to him, but the hedgehog couldn’t figure it out. The hedgehog, physically, was fine. In fact, all of his wounds were healed. Perhaps that would turn out to be the result of every battle: no matter what damage was taken, their wounds would be healed. Perhaps that would’ve happened in their first encounter had either of them actually been injured.

...Still, that didn’t explain this bit of an empty feeling Shadow had.

No matter. Shadow would ignore this for now. The empty feeling would go away soon enough. Shadow glanced down at the fragment of a pearl he was carrying. Perhaps this would be a clue on how to defeat the next monster… if there was one. Or not. Whatever the case, the fragment had some kind of power, and maybe they were meant to use it somewhere. Either way, the two would most definitely have to use their heads to move forward.

Shizuka’s apparent boost in intelligence was a good start.

...But what was missing in him?

“....Let’s just go here.” Ah, yes! The smelter room. It didn’t seem to matter which room they picked next. If Shadow was right, they would probably get to that other room eventually anyway, so it didn’t matter what they chose as long as they acted quickly. Shadow started making his way toward the smelter room, assuming Shizuka would follow.

[Deleted]

As the group backpedals to enter the smeltery, the heat of the infernal furnace that stands before them is instantly cut out when they arrive, the new scene laying before them carving out a long trail of forest groves and winding trees. The pollen is heavy, and the smell of smoke looms in the distance. Cheers and warriors' cries fall out from the backdrop, and flags of a foreign nation fly strong. The phantasm of Isonus and a small, chipmunk woman approach down the long road, walking away from Shizuka and Shadow, only for a bullet to fly right into the woman's chest. She's fallen, and is gone before Isonus can even catch her. He narrates...

"That day, after my bargains, after my deals. I had gone to college, then to war, reclaiming the world in justice and order. I met my first love there. Kira, on the battlefield. I was... going to ask to marry her that eve, right there on the road, when he killed her. Killed my baby girl, my beloved, my love."

There the knight stomps around, a wolfkin, clad in steel-plate and kevlar armor, fused into some strange, modern amalgamation. His shield is mounted with two barrels, likely shotgun barrels, and his blade is fitted with an under-hilt gun. The claymore blade was sharpened to a razor's edge, and arcing with electricity. In his eyes was a wild, craven stare, that pierced the group, reaching the phantom of Isonus. The Thaumaturge's voice continues...

"When madness manifests in the form of a mortal mind, it may take many forms. None, of course, are worse than zealotry, and none are more contemptible either. When a man’s dogma, his mythology of his own making, is fueled by desperation and radical piety, he is invariably led to do terrible things in the name of righteousness and faith, and is incapable of nuanced thinking. At this point, he ceases to become a man, and becomes an animal...
...Who must, of course, be put down."

The Inquisitor, as the two would now know, draws his shield up, and braces for a battle! He doesn't make a move yet, seemingly time itself slowing to a halt. There was a catch to this battle, if the last one was any indication, and it had to do with the eye, or eyes in general. Eyes...

THE INQUISITOR
HP: 500/500
Status: ZEALOUS!

[Deleted]

Shizuka followed Shadow into the Smelter room in complete silence and watched as another memory of Isonus began to unfold and watched as the area became forest like. Soon after Isonus appeared with a chipmunk like woman by the name of Kira, who walked past the duo and enjoying the beautiful day. Shizuka wanted to feel happy for the couple, she wanted to smile... But she knows smiles weren't possible for her anymore. She didn't remember the last time that she smile.

And things got worse when Kira got shot and was killed in front of Isonus. Shizuka gasped as Isonus narration continued and the next battle that Shizuka and Shadow will have to face soon began, as a knight like person soon appeared for the duo to battle.

However, with Isonus narration and his appearance, Shizuka began to feel weary about this battle unlike the first two. She gulped, a little look of fear appearing on her face that Shadow would notice.

She wanted to see what the Inquisitor will do first as she looked at his eyes.

[cynda1]

As Shadow entered the room, the environment surrounding them changed drastically. This… wasn’t what the hedgehog was expecting. Should they go back? Had they left the school? It took the site of Isonus for him to realize that this was another trip into the Thaumaturge’s memories. Shadow arched an eyebrow at his sudden interest into this… chipmunk lady. Honestly, the hedgehog didn’t know what to make of it. Wait, there was a word for that in Isonus’s world… what was it?

Oh yeah… Shadow rolled his eyes. Thoein…

The hedgehog wasn’t sure, but something about that word was rather… irritating. It presented a sort of separation from humans that made Shadow believe that people like Isonus thought he was less than them simply for being an animal like being. To say he wasn’t fond of the word was an understatement.

Back to the matter at hand, though, Isonus explained the scenario in front of them. And there was that word again… Thoein.

The Ultimate Life Form thought he was going to sleep through this explanation, but then… ugh, this mission! Shadow was convinced: someone was playing with his mind. Someone was trying to tell him something, and he didn’t like what they had to say.

Isonus and the chipmunk woman were fighting side by side, apparent lovers (blech), and true blue partners. Everything Isonus said about marriage and the like seemed to fly right over the hedgehog’s head as the bullet made its mark on the chipmunk’s chest. Shadow’s eyes widened at the sight as everything around him turned from the wilderness to a cold, dark lab, and instead of this “Kira” person, it was Maria.

In that instant, Shadow growled and shook his head, a fire flaring in his eyes. No. No, this was not how this was gonna go. He didn’t know why this mission was trying to bring back memories long dead and gone, but he wanted it to stop. He refused to bring this issue any more attention. He had lives to save, young ones! A past he vowed never to look back to was not about to stop him!

Shadow clenched his fingers around the fragment of the pearl in his hand as he leered straight into the eyes of the monster that appeared. There was something… odd about them. He couldn’t quite… tell. Whatever the case, Shadow met the angry gaze with a determined, unwavering one of his own. He didn’t know what puzzle they had to solve this time, but those eyes were a good clue.

Despite his better judgement, the hedgehog uncurled his fingers from around the pearl and stared at it… was this a key to solving this mystery? Shadow squinted his eyes at the beast before pondering…

...Was the beast missing an eye? It was hard to tell, the beast had quite the intense stare, but he couldn’t help but only really notice one eye, or, at least, one good eye. It would be easy to say that they were holding the beast’s other eye, but they weren’t trying to restore the beast: they were trying to defeat it and free the students. So Shadow watched… and waited.

“...What was shall be, and what shall be will.”

The hedgehog had a feeling that would be a running theme in this entire mission. He also knew he’d find out what that meant soon enough.

[Deleted]

The Inquisitor keeps himself steady, watching as his foes refused to move a muscle. A staredown, but something felt... off about the Inquisitor's gaze to the two. Like it was stilted a little. as though he had to look through some sort of peep hole to see them. It was evident why this was.

He was blind in one eye, specifically the right eye.

The Inquisitor, now emboldened by the zeal of his own internal fires, charges headlong at the two. His gunsword drawn out for a melee attack, he goes right for Shadow in an overhead cleave. The monstrous weight gave the attack some serious oomph, but it was evidence that he wasn't exactly fast. "You support the Warmaster! YOU WILL DIE FOR YOUR INSOLENCE, YOU BLINDED SLAVE!"

(Shadow! Roll a 10 or higher dodge roll, or suffer 27% damage!)

"AS FOR YOU!" His swing turns right to Shizuka, and the crack of those barrels let loose a torrent of peppering shotgun pellets right at the poor girl. "YOU WILL NOT OPPRESS MY PEOPLE ANY LONGER, YOU SHORT SIGHTED MADWOMAN! LET IT BE KNOWN YOUR EVIL AND BIGOTRY SHALL BE EXPOSED TO THIS WORLD, HUMAN!"

(Shizuka, roll a 7 or higher, or get slammed with a 30% hit!)

INQUISITOR
HP: 500/500
Status: Blocking towards the right side of his body. Shizuka will need to roll decently or his shield will intercept. His eye is open to Shadow's reach.

SHADOW! You can attempt to jam the fragment into the Inquisitor's eye socket, as it seems the eyepatch is just large enough for it. You'll need to roll a 12 or higher in DEX or STR to do so, and you can reroll to the other stat if the first fails.

[Deleted]

Shizuka listened to Shadow closely about the monster and how it's eye was slightly weird. Shizuka noticed it too and grew suspicious of it, however it was too late for her to do anything about it now, seeing as how the monster had attacked the duo soon after, with it trying to slam and hit Shadow and Shizuka. Before it attacked Shizuka, it called her a madwomen and a bigot.

"Huh... That's the kind of insults that I always get... Which makes you no different." Shizuka said to the monster, but quickly tried to jump out of the way.

6pBKq3Jsp_1d20+3(And she did!)

Shizuka landed far away from the monster. She was about to shoot it again with her raygun, but realised that Shadow maybe able to kill the monster if he reached far enough.

"Shadow... You're close to it... Now is the time to do something..." Shizuka called to Shadow.

1d20+3

[cynda1]

The black hedgehog barely had time to react as the monster shouted some nonsense about him being a slave or something. This thing was clearly ignorant, because that couldn’t have been farther from the truth, but he wasn’t about to waste his time in explaining that to him. He wouldn’t live long enough for that anyway, Shadow was certain. Honestly, it wasn’t even a quarter of a reason for him to be mad.

Shadow wouldn’t even offer the beast a response back as it tried to slam into Shadow or slice him with his sword. Probably Shizuka, too, but Shadow was his first target. First things first, he needed to avoid being hit by the attack. Well, it seemed like the two were healed right after each fragment was achieved, so it didn’t matter that much. But still, his dodging seemed a little shoddy as of late, which was rather embarrassing.

AfuNcadSp_1d20+3 (Shadow's attempt to dodge the Inquisitor's attack... failed.)

Aaand this didn’t seem to change anything… lovely. Was life just out to make other people look faster than him? Whatever. He wouldn’t dwell on it.

Shadow seemed to be given the opportunity to jam the pearl in his eye because the creature slammed into him. The hedgehog clenched his fist around the pearl half, nodding while clenching an eye shut. Here goes nothing… Shadow though as he made an attempt to slam his part of the pearl directly into the strange eye.

p_1d20+3 (Shadow's attempt to jam the pearl fragment into the Inquisitor's weak eye... success!)

Perfect! After doing this, the hedgehog flipped off the beast’s face, clenching an eye shut as he did so. Shadow still couldn’t shake the fact that there was something wrong with him even now… but he would ignore that for now.

1d20+3·1d20+3