YOU[The thread shakes. The quarry always leaves a trail. We may not see it, but we can feel it]
KibellahI taste the air. The scent of fresh dye with a subtle note of sparks... This is new. Pleasant. The upper decks reek of luxury, but here I feel comfortable. There is something else... This is it. I recognise the smell. Unguent, lho, and burnt meat. Just like inside the shrine. The time has come to spin the scarlet web.
YOU[The thread shakes. The quarry always leaves a trail. We may not see it, but we can feel it]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[The web is taut. Know the hunting ground]
KibellahTo find the enemy, I must listen. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. The rhythmic beat of engines and pumps: that is the ship's breathing. That is the ship's heartbeat. Is it strange that I feel at home among the workers of the lower decks, who pass their time like the living dead?
KibellahWarmth spreads through my chest. I like to think that it is the connection with which the Undying One bound my and the Domin's fates together. He has blessed us, and we hunt as one.
YOU[The thread shakes. The quarry always leaves a trail. We may not see it, but we can feel it]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[The web is taut. Know the hunting ground]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[I step silently. Darkness is our ally. Merge with the shadows]
KibellahIn the twilight of the chamber, barely illuminated by flickering candlelight, I become like them — the lost, mired servants. They will become unwitting allies in my hunt. Their hopelessness, their desperation, their thirst for survival will become tools for my use.
KibellahFootsteps? Two are coming. Toward me. Familiar gaits. Those are the Domin's servants.
Steel Mistress"I would not be surprised if the cultist set out on the trail of Nemesite alone. The spinners are arrogant. We are just another soul to them, a gift to offer death." Steel Mistress's voice is hard and cold, like her will. I can see in her eyes that she dislikes me. She is wary. And so she should be, for we serve the Domin, not one another.
Flaming Voice"Does this remind you of anyone at all, Jocasta?" This man is enamoured with fire. Even his words sound full of biting flames, and he himself enjoys playing with fire — too much so. They bicker again. Their mutual animosity may disrupt the hunt.
YOU[Examine Steel Mistress and Flaming Voice]
KibellahTo the laypeople, the two are now scarcely distinguishable from the common serfs. In a world where status and privilege are defined by appearance, a single piece of rotten cloth is enough to lower your standing. We will become spectral hounds and follow the trail without drawing attention.
YOU[Examine Steel Mistress and Flaming Voice]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step forward] "I am here."
Flaming Voice"There she is! Welcome to the plasma drive chambers, esteemed holy assassin."
Steel Mistress"You can exchange pleasantries later. Lieutenant Godierda is on duty in this compartment. I have ordered her to gather information on all the workers who wear red scarves and who have recently left the bay." This is pointless. The red scarf is not proof of guilt, it is merely a symbol. It could be a trap. I need to find her. I will watch the enforcer and those who are watching her in turn.
Flaming Voice"Your enforcer knows nothing about life in this compartment. I guarantee it. I have a better source of information, a good friend of mine who knows a lot about delicate matters. It would be easy to get him to talk: he's terrified of pain... and death." Only the faithless fear death. I will not trust him. Let him trust me so that his trust may become a snare for my hunt.
KibellahI cut them off with a gesture. Their methods of hunting are not mine. But I take the grain of truth from their words and weave it into my plan: "We need to provoke them into making a move."
YOU"Intimidate them with an impending threat."
KibellahFlaming Voice relies on a talker, one who keeps no secrets and fears pain. An unreliable vessel is bad for holding secrets, but good for spilling them. Through him, I will whisper lies to the enemy.
YOU"Intimidate them with an impending threat."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Instil a false sense of impunity. Convince them that they can and must act now."
KibellahThis enforcer who answers to Steel Mistress is the symbol of order and obedience in these chambers. She is... standing in the way. When she disappears, my enemies will believe it is safe to strike... and that will be a costly mistake.
YOU"Intimidate them with an impending threat."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Instil a false sense of impunity. Convince them that they can and must act now."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Strike out the spark that will ignite the flame."
KibellahI feel them lurking in the crowd. My enemies. They are cautious. I must find them and let them believe their luck. Then, they will shed their masks, and I will take them down.
YOU"Intimidate them with an impending threat."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Instil a false sense of impunity. Convince them that they can and must act now."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Strike out the spark that will ignite the flame."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Such is my plan."
KibellahThey look at me in silence. They do not understand yet, but that matters little. I am on the hunt.
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YOU"Such is my plan."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Strike out the spark that will ignite the flame."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Such is my plan."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Instil a false sense of impunity. Convince them that they can and must act now."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Strike out the spark that will ignite the flame."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Such is my plan."continues where this line first appears above
KibellahThey are conspicuous — their clothing attracts the eye. I will use this: let them become a threat that looms over these chambers. Let them stir the souls of the laypeople, in whose hearts the fear of retribution will grow.
YOU[Examine Steel Mistress and Flaming Voice]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step forward] "I am here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step forward] "I am here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[I step silently. Darkness is our ally. Merge with the shadows]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[The web is taut. Know the hunting ground]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[I step silently. Darkness is our ally. Merge with the shadows]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 3 of 5
Jocasta Sauerback(no text)
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Entry point 4 of 5
Kibellah(no text)
YOU(no text)
Flaming Voice(no text)
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YOU(no text)
Steel Mistress(no text)
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YOU(no text)
Steel Mistress(no text)continues where this line first appears above
YOU(no text)
Kibellah(no text)
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Kibellah(no text)
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Entry point 5 of 5
KibellahStale air. Oppressive noise. The hum and whirr of machinery drown out all thoughts. This place rings with tension... Is it the powerful energy coursing through the cables, or have the wails of the workers merged into a cacophony of indignant whispers and desperate prayers? Lost, mired in petty troubles, unmindful of duty, their voices creak as if covered in rust and their eyes are dimmed by the endless drudgery and lack of light here on the working decks of the Domin's great ark.
KibellahI have seen it before. In these murky depths, people become creatures all too ready to devour each other for worldly gains, fleeting pleasures, or imaginary freedom from obligation born from the abyss of spiritual emptiness. The Undying One punishes them through me. Disgusting mutations, abominations, reflections of vice are born in these shadows, and I will be their doom.
KibellahThe thread shakes. The web is taut. I step silently. May the great hunt begin.
YOU[The thread shakes. The quarry always leaves a trail. We may not see it, but we can feel it]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[The web is taut. Know the hunting ground]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[I step silently. Darkness is our ally. Merge with the shadows]continues where this line first appears above