>>38002127

Form, medium, and channeling make up the components of a dive.

Form is body and candle placement, cheap. Channeling, proper reciting of incantations, free. Medium is blood, not so cheap. To be perfectly honest, delving has been done with a myriad of different fluid mediums. Those brave, and likely poor, occultists had experimented to find a better medium. You shudder at what they may have tried.

So, what to do… You can have your apprentice start donating some of her blood, but that’d take weeks before you have enough. You still might do it anyway…

Diluting the goat’s blood would potentially double your stocks, but then there’s the matter of safety for your apprentice, or rather she might end up a large pile of guts that YOU will have to clean up yourself.

You pull the Fidelis stone out of its pouch. Perhaps you’d be able to sell this thing for a decent amount if you could just figure out what it did.

You pace back and forth for inspiration. You’re young and daring, a stray idea might turn out to be something brilliant, or not.

>Start diluting the goat’s blood.

>Experiment with the Fidelis stone.

>Write in

>>38002175
>Experiment with the Fidelis stone.
>try kidnapping hobos and slaughtering them for blood

>>38002175
>Experiment with the Fidelis stone.
>Start collecting our pee to use as medium.
>>38002232
Trying to assault a hobo with our strength is likely to get us beaten up.

>>38002175
>>Experiment with the Fidelis stone.

Experimenting with the Fidelis stone is set. Going to need a second vote on the other things if they're going be written.

>>38002232
>>38002296
>>38002323
Experiment with the Fidelis stone.
>Writing

>>38002446
Aww man, no one else wanted to collect out piss.

>>38002485
Because we aren't that desperate yet. Also Magical realm as hell.

>>38002446

You walk over to the grimy window, looking for any sort of inspiration.

A dusty vagabond scuttles across the sidewalk in front of your house. Hmm…there’s got to be at least a gallon of fluid medium in that deranged and dirty man. But…he’s very large, and he carries a very large pipe, and he’s looking up at the house…

Only after several minutes do you have the courage to slowly peak out the window again. He’s gone.

Like you wanted to do all that dirty work anyway. You quickly pull up to your desk with the Fidelis stone in hand.

You closely observe the stone for any clues, which you find none. The dark blue stone has no indication of being shaped at all. All it is to you now is a rough and opaque rock.

You hold the rock close to your mouth. “Activate.” You whisper boldly into it. Nothing, damn. You put the stone in the last of the sun’s rays streaming through the window. Again, nothing happens.

“Ugh.” You sigh picking up the now warm stone. Well you’ve got one last idea left.

After considerable time and effort you manage to make a small, shallow cut on your pinky finger. You smear the blood onto the stone and wait. Waiting… You dab the stone two more times to make a smiley face. It ridicules you with its wide and seemingly innocent smile, but does nothing else.

Well, crap. You’re out of ideas.

Perhaps you’ve been swindled. If that’s the case then this rocks final resting place will be in an orifice of that damned merchant who sold it to you.

You lean far back into your chair and let out a long exasperated sigh. Maybe your apprentice will have an idea, might as well check and see how she’s settling in. Anyway, you’re all out of research ideas, barring some random spark of genius or madness. You hold the stone over your face. What does Fidelis even mean?

>Go downstairs to check on your apprentice.

>Write in.

>>38003186
>Fidelis means faithful
>Go downstairs to check on your apprentice.

>>38003241
This but add,
>Tell a lie with the stone in hand.

>>38003241
>>38003310
>Writing

>>38003413
Fidelis… Which sounds like fidelity. Faithful?

Are you supposed to be faithful to this rock? Is this rock faithful to someone, or something? Only more questions.

Well you are the owner of the rock, so it better be faithful to you. The rock gives you a reassuring smile. Time to experiment you suppose.
You sit forward and tightly grab the rock. “I wasn’t scared of the hobo that passed by here earlier…”

The rock becomes scorching hot in your hand forcing you to fling it across the room. “WHY!?” You yell in confusion as you nurse your hand and take several minutes to recover.

Well, the burn was minor but it still hurt!

You stomp over to the rock, and after finding that it’s already completely cooled, you pick it up. The smeared bloody smile reveals its true nature.

You hold it gently between two fingers and yell. “That didn’t hurt!” Nothing.

You tightly grasp the stone as you did the first time. “I wasn’t scared of that hobo.” Nothing.

It doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Hopefully it was more than a one-time thing, you absolutely want to see if it works when talking to other people. You gleefully record your findings on some loose parchment and then head downstairs to check on your apprentice and copy the findings into the journal.

[1/2]

>>38004243

What audacity she has!

You find her in the parlor room, asleep. She has her body slumped into a chair awkwardly. Her head is lolled on her shoulder, with drool streaming from her mouth. Her knees point downward to the ground with legs spread wide open, and one of her shoes has slipped off.

She fell asleep with the leech still in her arm and even worse she dropped your grandfather’s journal to ground with some of the pages folding onto themselves.

You rush over to pick up the journal, luckily it’s no worse for the wear. You glare angrily at your apprentice. Well, maybe the trip was tiring for her, she’s likely not as athletic as you, she can’t be blamed for that.

>Remove the leech and let her sleep.

>Remove the leech and then scold her.

>Leave the leech on her for experimentation.

>Write in.

>>38004267
>Look up her skirt/dress.
Then
>Remove the leech and then scold her.

>>38004267
>>Remove the leech and then scold her.

>>38004297
Again, someone is going to have to second that if you want to see it in writing.

>>38004297
I'll second that.

>>38004375
I'm cry when I want to be a different 3 letter c word.

>>38004297
>>38004323

>>38004440
Haha, you came in here just for that?
>Writing

>>38004506
>>38004440
Oh crap, I did not expect that at all. Thank you

>>38004506
>>38004588
Well it's what I wanted to do plus a little extra.

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711 KB PNG

>>38004506

Then again…she is completely vulnerable, isn’t she?

You’ve lived alone for many years now, yet you still look around the room to make sure no one is watching.

Your hands tingle, your heart thunders, and your saliva becomes viscous. What are you doing!?

There’s no stopping you now. It’s just research, right? Right.

You lean in close to Ellie’s face to make sure that she’s sleeping. Her heavy and steady breathing paired with her complete lack of dignity right now almost makes it certain.

Your hand trembles as you reach in and then you yank it back as she adjust her legs. She’s still asleep, she’s still open, now it will just take a little readjusting. You grab the stocking covered leg with bare foot and hold it. The warmth transfers to your tingling hands and you just hold it appreciating Ellie’s soft and pliable skin. The fine details of her pointed toes show through the stocking.

You begin to raise it, holding your breath for absolute silence. Only Ellie’s steady breathing and the blood rushing through your veins is audible as you raise her soft and thin leg higher, higher, and higher. Her dress begins to raise and raise, exposing more of her body.

The sight of stocking clinging to knee, supple and fleshy thigh spurs you further until you see your goal. The prim and white underwear hugs closely to her body, showing full well the curves and indentations of her privates. Dare you go further?

She begins to stir and causing you to drop her leg with great haste. Sending it banging into the wood floor.

[1/2]

>>38005479

“W-wake up!” You say in an unusually high voice, not daring to look directly at her.

“Nngh? I fell asleep?” She mumbles, tugging at various parts of her clothing to correct it.

“You did!” Your voice is still high so you clear you throat nervously. “And you dropped the journal on the floor, that thing is worth much more than you are you know!?”

She still has her eyes have open, she seems to be having trouble opening them fully. She rubs at them and looks like she’s going to drift off again. This isn’t natural.

You finally identify the culprit. The vigor leech, once white and about the size of your pinky, is now engorged to at least three times the size with a pink hue to its body.

“Get that off, now.” You point to her arm. She slowly reacts to your words, but once she sees the size of the leech, she begins to pry at its mouth with gusto. Perhaps an adrenaline rush.

She finally manages to pull it off, without damaging it of course. If you hadn’t paid such a hefty price for it, you’d have her hold it, but you take it from her grasp.

Just in time for it to regurgitate several small chalky pebbles into your hands. Unexpected they’re not the color of blood, but a much softer pink color.

You quickly prepare a jar for the leech and then return to your apprentice. She appears to be doing better, more lucid at the very least.

The chalky pebbles in your hand remind you of pills. Perhaps she’s well enough for more experimentation…not that kind…

>Feed her a few of the pebbles and then ask how she feels.

>Take a few of the pebbles yourself.

>Don’t use the pebbles.

>Write in

>>38005498
>Don't use the pebbles.

Yet.

>>38005479
>>38005498
*sweats*
I'm going to need more of that.
>Take a few of the pebbles yourself.

>>38005498
>>Feed her a few of the pebbles and then ask how she feels.

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>38005552
>>38005571
>>38005660
Been a while since I've last seen a three way tie.
>Rolling for and then writing the winner.

Also going to get something to eat real quick so expect a slight delay on next update.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>38005714

You’re giving her the chance to earn her keep, that’s all.

Luckily for you she hasn’t seen where these “pills” came from. “Here, take these pills, they’ll make you feel better.” You reach for her hand and place two of the regurgitated pebbles in her palm.

“Thank you.” She answers meagerly, a far cry from how you met her this morning. She rolls the pebbles in between her fingers hesitantly but then pops them into her mouth. Why does she trust you so much?

Her face says it all as it turns from confused, to surprised, and then quickly changes to disgusted. She groans and squeals and points to her mouth, her eyes pleading you for an explanation.

“Swallow it, it’s for your own good” You say firmly, not knowing if that’s true at all. Her legs kick and shuffle on the ground in agony. She lowers her head close to her lap and then unleashes the contents of her mouth onto the ground.

A torrent of what appears to be blood shoots from her mouth. Ellie hacks and wretches but other than that appears fine. After a few minutes she’s calmed down to light sobbing.

“What was that!?” She demands after she finally collects herself.
[1/2]

>>38006647
(Roll didn't mean anything.)

“I haven’t the slightest idea.” You answer honestly. “Those things I gave you came out of the leech.” You lean in close to observe any possible changes. “So…how do you feel?”

Ellie shoots you a look of pure shock. She wasn’t expecting what you said at all. “I feel fine now, I guess. It just tasted like all my saliva was turning into blood.” She explains with a faraway look, perhaps reconsidering her life choices.

“Turned to blood…”You jot down in the journal. Wait. “Turned to blood!?” You peer down into the mess that Ellie made on the floor to see the two pebbles, still roughly the same size they were when you gave them to her, now just in a puddle of blood.

You scoop them up and run outside, yelling at Ellie to clean up the mess that she made. You throw the pebbles into one of your rainwater buckets and observe. Within minutes the whole contents of the bucket have transformed into thick, deep red blood.

You hop up and down in pure delight. “Blood!” You shout merrily to the world. “Free blood!”

This blood has gotten your blood racing. You must delve again. It’s too late today, but you can set up one for tomorrow. But then again your apprentice is likely not to be ready by then. All things considered it would be unfair if you went without her, and you have been less than kind to her these past few hours.

As much as you hate to admit, it is thanks to her that you made this discovery, but she certainly doesn’t need to know that…

>Set up a delve for tomorrow.

>Postpone the delve until Ellie is ready.

>Write in.

>>38006676
>Postpone the delve until Ellie is ready.

Yay free blood! Sort of.

>>38006676
>>38006676
>Postpone the delve until Ellie is ready.
Also
>Get Ellie to wear the leech again and then continue "research" when she falls asleep.

>>38006740

>>38006834
You are a committed individual, aren't you?

Postpone the delve until Ellie is ready.
>Writing

>>38006899
I want a service you provide, but nobody else seems to want. This is hell

>>38006963
I'm in the same boat.

>>38006899
It just wouldn't feel right leaving when there's only 6 posters total. Besides I like this quest so far.

>>38007070
If you're in the same boat then rock the (my lewd) vote next time.

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25 KB JPG

>>38007130
You can rely on me!

>>38007183
Awesome. If you got something good, be sure to post it too, I'll vote it up.

>>38007273
Oh, I'm sure I can think of something.

So is this just going to be all lewd all the time? Cause that'd get old fast IMO.

>>38007417
Okay maybe not all the time, just like a few things a run at the most. The focus can still be on occult research just some spice here and there

>>38007417
Yeah, what this anon said>>38007467
I'd like to do it where it would get interesting. Not all the time that'd make it stale.

>>38006899
Waiting another day won’t kill you. It will give you the chance to visit the guild or find a merchant to peddle your blood. You just have to keep the source a secret and limit the amount you sell to not arouse suspicion.

Ahh, you’re practically giddy. It may not seem like much, but with your main limiting factor on delving gone the sky’s the limit.
You lug the bucket with you back inside with you and make detailed notes of all that your learned in your journal. With that done, you store your leech and remaining pebbles away, and return to your apprentice.

“Here.” You hand Ellie back your journal. “Remember the incantation as quickly as you feel comfortable with. I’ll wait for when you’re ready.” You dab a bit of blood on your apprentice’s nose with your finger.

“You really mean that?” She asks with hesitant voice, as if fearing that you’re going to take back what you said at any second.

“Sure, sure.” You nod vigorously. “There’s plenty of other things I can see too in the meantime, just don’t take too long. You wanted to delve in the first place, right?”

“Yes!” She opens the journal to the incantation and begins pouring over it as if she’s going to be tested on it in ten minutes.
So she responds to positive reinforcement better, you’ll have to keep that in mind for the future.

“I’ll leave you to it.” You watch her approvingly for a few more minutes and then decide to head upstairs.

>>38007963

What an eventful day, but now the time has finally come to rest, so you draw up a bath. You laugh to yourself at your fortune. Matthias would be green with envy if he knew what you had. Maybe you should try to find him. He did want to be left alone, but a check-in visit wouldn’t hurt right?

You remove your clothes and settle into the bath. If Ali swings by tomorrow, she can fence some of your blood for you, of course she’ll want to know where you got it.

Then there’s the matter of that mysterious woman you found so intriguing. You think back to the cryptic words she left you with. You want to know what she meant, at least to keep something from raining on your current parade.

Tomorrow, tomorrow. You'll be sure to rise bright and early, but overall the thing you want to accomplish the most is.

>Revisit the guild to investigate the mysterious woman.

>Find and pay Matthias a visit.

>Search for what items you can trade for your blood.

>Write in

>>38007990
>Search for what items you can trade for your blood.
we rich

>>38007990
>Search for what items you can trade for your blood.

>>38007990
>Revisit the guild to investigate the mysterious woman.
With any luck we'll be able to find someone to trade with there.

>>38007990
>>Revisit the guild to investigate the mysterious woman.


>>38008046
agreed.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>38008026
>>38008033
vs.
>>38008046
>>38008078
>Rolling for winner

>>38008178
Looks like Sophia is going shopping.

Okay, that's where I'm going to end it for tonight, it certainly was a learning experience for me today. I want to thank everyone that played. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the thread and I will do my best to respond to them.

If not then I wish you a good day/night, and hope to see you again next time!
(Which might actually be tomorrow for this quest.)

>(Twitter)
https://twitter.com/QM_Auri

>>38008258
Thanks for running Auri!

>>38008258
Tomorrow? Cool, I'll be there. Thanks for running Auri, you keep on doing you

>>38008258
thx 4 runin bby

>>38008311
You're very welcome!
>>38008345
Glad to hear it! You go on and march to beat of your own drum too.
>>38008363
You're also very welcome!