Thinslayer

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@ArmorPlated Updated the Discord link.

Naming is the bane of authors everywhere. I getcha. :)

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

I'mma have to tackle everyone's posts separately, as putting them all in one big post would make everyone wait too long.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

Afki took a quick wide scan of the current party, her mind deep in thought, and quickly made a conclusion, "Let's form 3 groups of three. We'll each search a different area of the city for Cho and come back within, say, an hour and a half." Parshath silently agreed with Afki's proposal. If his train of thought was correct, the group of three rule was perfect for ensuring maximum search coverage while maintaining a sense of safety in numbers. Theoretically, at least one member would be able to rejoin the main party even in the worst case scenario. "We should keep an eye out for each other, as well as for Cho. And if we don't find him with the time limit, we can discuss what to do after we regroup. How's that sound?"

@Scarifar

---

Teleus folded his arms and nodded. "Hm, yes, that sounds like a good strategy. Okay, who wants to go with Afki?"
All of them raised their hands. Teleus facepalmed and groaned, "Come on, guys, we can't all go with Afki. Do we need to cast lots?"
"Yup." Law stopped spinning his knife to pull out a handful of sticks.
Gurden threw up his hands. "Yeah, sure, trust the rogue with a game of chance."
"And trust a noble with it instead? You wouldn't know honesty if it slapped your tit and called you mommy."
"Say that again, commoner, and you'll be getting more than just a slap."
"Knock it off, kids!" Teleus barked.
"Excuse you?" Law growled. "Just because our spat looks like it's escalating doesn't mean you need to butt in. Stay out of it, Shield Hero."
"Yeah, stay out of it," said Gurden.
Teleus threw up his hands. "Fine. Work it out. But no fighting."
___

Several bruises later, the party assignments were decided. Hallim, Budam, and Afki formed one party, Heizar, Grin, and Bron another party, and Law, Gurden, and Gio the last party. Teleus would watch from the city entrance.

Budam didn't say much, but his perpetual scowl lessened somewhat when he learned he'd be accompanying Afki. Hallim, on the other hand, looked like he would faint from relief. As they explored the winding tunnels of the Formic city, Hallim whined, "Miss Afki? Do you know how long this is going to take? I'm feeling really sick."

Budam gently squeezed his shoulder in solidarity as he watched for any sign of their missing spearman.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@FunnyGuy
"Way too many if I'm going to be honest," he answered. "I think the two best questions to ask would be, why was I 'awoken' here? And is there some kind of crisis I should know about? It's usually the deal in stories like this. Name's Lex by the way."

She looked on with some envy as he lit up a cigarette.
Why the hell not.
The Witch removed her hood and touched her fingers to the edges of the mask. When the latches disconnected, she removed it.

The woman seated herself cross-legged beside him, leaned forward a little, and leveled her gaze at him. A slight half-smile played on her lips. "I'll trade you the story, the plan, and my name for a cigarette."

Unheroic: The Backwards Castle

Isabelle Claire

Isabelle Claire

Age: 20
"IS": Human
Role: Healer, Seer
Features: ~5'8", hazy blue eyes, light blonde hair, fair skin
Description: Fair, svelte, and light on her feet, the young Isabelle carries herself with a quiet, unassuming grace befitting her role as priestess. Her soothing, gentle voice can lull a troubled soul to sleep, and her slender, calloused hands can manage anything from scrubbing floors to sewing patterns. She is blind to the physical realm, so she has to rely on touch and sound to navigate her way through the world.
Armaments:

• Sealed Crown: A relic mask with the ability to block magical energies and stop trans-optical powers from going in or out. Originally designed to prevent possession via the eyes.
• Echo Staff: A durable wooden staff with a hook on one end (like a shepherd's crook). She can tap around with it to aid navigation. She can also yank wayward adventurers out of harms way.

Teraterrificence:

• Spiritual Sight: While completely blind to the physical realm, she can see clearly into the spiritual realm, able to perceive a person's aura and spirit, any uses of magic, and the presence of higher spirits like angels, demons, or gods. Like all humans, however, she cannot fully comprehend everything she sees, and some things can drive her insane if she gazes at them for too long. To preserve her sanity, she wears the Sealed Crown when she does not need to use this power.
• Heal/Rot: She can pray for a specified individual to be healed, regenerated, sickened, or rotted. Use of this power consumes a small quantity of her blood. Using her eyes expands this ability further to target an individual's spiritual properties, such as binding a dying soul, curing mental conditions, or driving a person insane. At her strongest, she can resurrect the recently deceased or rip a person's soul right out of their body, though the resultant blood loss is liable to kill her.
• Bless/Curse: She can pray to grant a specified individual good or bad luck, whether for a particular endeavor or generally for the day. The specific effects are left to GM discretion. The blood cost depends on how much she wants to guarantee success.
• Artificial Exercise: A new application she's experimenting with. The idea is to empower the body's natural strengthening mechanisms with magic. The strain and regrowth of muscles strengthens them, and the breaking and healing of bones toughens them. So the application of Rot+Heal in rapid succession should yield improvements as if the recipient had undergone months of strenuous exercise. Any gains are temporary if they are not accompanied by corresponding lifestyle changes. Currently an expensive power to use; the blood expended would take several days to replenish.

Original World: Istvargrad
Backstory: For a family of priests to whom "clarity of sight" was a point of religious pride, blind Isabelle was a cursed child. Since birth, her eyes could only behold the spiritual realm, an ability no one realized until later. All they knew was that she often screamed at nothing, running away to hide from imaginary monsters nobody could see. She had a knack for locating their illicit relics and could often guess what their powers were. Embarrassed by the tormented girl, the Claires shut her away in a remote corner of their estate to hide her away from the world.

Her whole life was uprooted in the span of a day. When the Reclamation Branch learned of the Claire's relic trade, the Church raided the estate and threw the Claires out of the priesthood. As the inquisitors picked through the family's belongings, Bishop Nikolai Kozlov discovered six-year-old Isabelle cowering in a corner by a bookshelf. He took pity on the girl and formally adopted her into his household, and when she turned 13, admitted her to the Church as a novice priestess. There she blossomed in to a lovely young woman. At first, they had her doing janitorial tasks, like scrubbing the floors and patching fabric. It was difficult at first for the blind girl, but her stubborn diligence and determination to succeed earned her the admiration of her superiors. For Isabelle, this was her chance to show the world she could be useful.

She got her big break when the Church started sorting through its collection for counterfeit relics. Using her powers of spiritual sight, she correctly identified authentic relics for the investigators with impeccable accuracy. Thrilled to have such a valuable ability, they assigned her to the Reclamation Branch as a relic appraiser to ensure everything they collected was authentic.

Isabelle crossed paths with Jericho Cross when they tried to use her in a sting operation to catch him. They planted a relic where he was likely to find it and detained all the known appraisers to force him to seek her out. Then, she could probe him with questions about his methods and use her spiritual sight to pin him for lying.

They never counted on sixteen-year-old hormones getting in the way.

From the first moment she heard the rich, husky tones of his voice, she developed her first teenage crush. His swagger and confidence made her weak at the knees, and his mysterious aura excited her curiosity. His compliments made her feel in ways she never had before. And when he whispered his sweet lies in her ears, she wanted so badly to believe him.

Part of her understood, at some level, that he was probably just playing with her emotions. She was not a complete fool - the colors of his aura never quite matched his words. But she'd fallen in love with him, and couldn't bear the thought of seeing his free spirit chained up in the Church's filthy dungeons. So for the first time in her life, she bent the truth. She subtly let on that she was being used to catch him, and when asked by investigators about his honesty, she told them she believed him.

Thus began her four-year tryst with the mysterious thief. Whenever Jericho located another relic, they'd both slip out to a secret meeting place to appraise it, and Isabelle would return the following day humming and dancing. Some clergy suspected she was up to something with him, but they could never pin anything on her. Their tryst came to an abrupt end when the war between Kazzok and Istvargrad reached a climax at the monarch's palace. Isabelle had been recruited to heal the injured as they were brought to the back lines, and she would ask everyone she aided where Jericho was and how he was doing.

When she heard he'd tumbled into the abyss, she ran out to the edge and lifted her mask to find him. Strange, horrifying energies rose up to greet her, and she nearly vomited from their power, but there was the echo of his spirit, trailing off the bridge into the abyss.

Isabella leaped in after him to the screams of her comrades.

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@Dark Cloud@TheFox@Conscripts
Do y'all need me to write up a hook to reply on, or do you got this?

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

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S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@Scarifar

Afki & Parshath

"We're missing someone."

Teleus glanced over the group and counted them over.

"Heizar Dusta?"
"Here and ready to rumble!" The pugilist raised a fist.
"Budam Zahlin?"
"Mhm," the swordsman grunted, sharpening his blade.
"Gurden Crestbrace?"
"Obviously." The young noble folded his arms and leaned on his spear.
"Hallim Chaom?"
The kid leaned on his sword, sweating profusely. "Y-yeah, still alive..." he groaned.
"Stay with us, kid. Grin Gloryroar?"
The axe-bearing paladin smirked. "Hooah! Won't ever catch me lost in this hell-hole."
"Bron Wildcreek?"
"Welp, I ain't missin', that's for sure," crowed the archer.
"Law Lum?"
The rogue grinned. "You remembered me. I'm touched."
"Sam Studz?"
"Here sir." The mage adjusted his glasses.
"Gio Forebraid?"
The young man inclined his head. "You haven't driven me off just yet, I'm afraid."
"Cho Naon?"
The spearfighter didn't answer.
"Cho Naon?" Teleus repeated.
Still no answer.

Teleus turned to Afki, his brows knitted with concern. "I wonder if he got lost in the hive. What do you think we should do, Afki? I was thinking we should split up to look for him and return within a quarter-hour, but I suspect your danger sense is stronger than mine. Maybe there's something else afoot warrants a different plan. Any ideas?"

---

@Conscripts@Zool@Dark Cloud@TheFox@Zerofighter

Robert, MacKenzie, Jared, Dexter, Yakeru, David

“Did the Witch now send one of her minions to talk to us?" the swordsman sneered. "I'm sure she could not be bothered with us. Why don't you tell her...I will only believe that when I see it happen. Not before.”

"Tell me," the Revenant demanded, "why I shouldn't cut you down, for even speaking to that wretch. Tell me-" He drew his sword and pointed it at Chatak. "-why I should show mercy to the same creatures that are slaughtering countless innocents in this burning city."

I told you, Chatak. See how they judge you with so little knowledge of you. Is this not the true nature of men?

The jock looked around at the group. “Whoever or whatever The Witch is, she needs to be taken down. I’m not gonna stand here and die. We need to think of a plan." He then held his head and winced with pain. After a few moments like that, he shook himself and looked up. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I’ll be fine…I think.”

I don't know what came over you either, making plans like that in broad daylight.

“I think if we’re going to take on The Witch, we need to make a point to her," he continued, "to show her we’re not going to back down or compromise with her. I think we should begin by taking out outposts run by her. First thing we need is a map of this place, because I don’t think any of us know where the hell anything is.”

Thanks for the tip. Now I know where to lay my traps. Hm, that gives me an idea...

But it was Chatak's retort that made her blood run cold.

"Gob not welcome in world."

Because goblins weren't welcomed in the world. She herself had slain many of them shortly after she was summoned to the world. And even when she returned to the realm of the living, she'd recruited goblins because they seemed more expendable than the humans she'd been trying to save. They weren't welcomed. She used them.

Guilty.

She tried to bury that uncomfortable feeling deep in her heart.

"And even then, Chatak still ask Witch to free humans. You know why? Because Chatak believes in human."

Believe in humans? Her lips pursed. You fool! Did you not see how Jared drew his sword at the mere sight of you? You have seen for yourself, with your very eyes, the folly of persuading humans to be any better than they are! How can you say you believe in them? What nonsense!

She readied her stance to leap as she watched the female archer approach. That one in particular had killer reflexes. If she wanted to end Chatak, she could do it before the Witch could even finish blinking.

"Sir Chatak," she began with a curtsy, "My name is MacKensie Trydant, and I thank you for coming to speak with us. You speak with great wisdom and a good heart. That much is certain. And thus, we will heed your words and trust that the prisoners will be set free. You have my gratitude for coming to a peaceful negotiation with the Witch."

The Witch continued to watch from the shadows for any sign of foul play from the girl. Her decision to believe Chatak felt too good to be true. Surely it was some sort of trap to let his guard down. But she just walked away and didn't look back. So did Robert.

I don't believe it. Something strange is afoot.

Yakeru seemed to sense her presence, because he looked back briefly in her direction before joining his party. The Witch stared back at him.

How easily this was resolved. Too easily. I need to find out what they're planning. When they'd vanished out of sight, the Witch swiftly returned to the Sealed Tower to roll out her map.

While Pelinor was the nearest town, it was a fortified military town where civilians weren't exactly welcomed. That meant they'd have to make for Hildegard, the next closest city to Ormouth. As a coastal city next to the Misty Isle, it formed something of a trading hub between the two regions. It wasn't terribly profitable compared to its northern neighbor, but that was soon to change with the influx of 30,000 people and the loss of their former coastal trading hub.

If they're trying to be the most hero-like or aiming for the largest city, they will probably make for Hildegard. Will they escort the civilians the whole way, or turn back part-way to strike me? My next target was Pelinor, so maybe they're planning to wait me out until I leave Ormouth, then retake the city while I'm away. Should I stay and fortify? Leave a garrison? But what if I'm overthinking things and they really were persuaded to a truce? I'm not keen to move the civilian population again, though, so it's not like I have much choice. If I want to cripple the Empire, I need to continue to Pelinor, regardless of the reincarnations' strategy.

I wonder if Chatak would have good input on this.

As she mulled over alternative strategies, she overheard a commotion broiling just outside the office. She poked her head out to find a certain well-dressed goblin making a fuss. "How canst thou not have any baths? What manner of ignoble creature liveth altogether in filthy squalor day and night? Dost not the reek of sweat and half a fortnight's toil repel thy very soul?"

He has a point. I use a bit of cleansing magic, but they don't have that luxury. That needs to change. Who is that goblin, anyway?

When the Witch stepped out of her office, the knights stopped their confused scrambling and bowed the knee, drawing Shaktak's attention. "Aha! Surely thou art the mistress of this place. Hast thou a bath for Chatak and I to cleanse ourselves of this filth?"

"I can arrange for one. What brings you here to Ormouth?"

"Ah, yes, that. See, I came here with mine alchemist companion to locate a friend of ours, Chatak, and suffice it to say we found him. That strapping young lad delivered quite the speech, did he not?"

She smiled slightly. "He has certainly given me much to think about. Do you know what brings him to Ormouth?"

"The boy hath been on an everlasting hunt for skilled craftsmen to build his country. I expect his aim has not changed since I last saw him."

"I have one or two goblin smiths I can afford to part with, for the right price. Kolgat?"

An intelligent-looking goblin in yellow mage robes made his way in and bowed. ["Yes, milady?"]

["You are in charge of negotiations with Chatak. Treat with him as if he were a friend of ours."]

["Yes, milady."]

Then she received a message on her comm: ["Another one has awakened, milady!"]

The Witch inclined her head to Shaktak and left to greet the newly awakened reincarnation.

---

@Rabidporcupine

Chatak

Shaktak returned from the Sealed Tower with a yellow-robed goblin in tow. "I must say, my boy, that was a marvelous speech thou didst make. Thou hast a certain eloquence beyond thy years. We'll make an orator of thee yet!" He slapped Chatak on the back and chortled. "Anyway, I expressed to her thou desirest craftsmen, and she agreed to sell them to thee, for which purpose she sent this brightly colored fellow to negotiate. Introduce thyself, I prithee?"

The goblin, apparently grasping Shaktak's meaning, bowed in greeting. "I am Kolgat. I am librarian of tomes. Greetings, Chatak. What craft-people do you want?"

Shaktak folded his arms and muttered behind a smile, "Whoever taughtest thou thine english, to start, for it is a mark better than thy brethren..."

---

@FunnyGuy

Lex, Enya, and the Witch

A quiet hum was the only other sound in the dimly lit room. What little light there was came from glowing veins in the walls, pulsing a gentle blue in steady rhythm with the hum. Seven stone coffins stood lined up against the wall, all of them tightly closed to guard the lifeless bodies slumbering within. The humming throbbed for a moment, and the lid of one of these coffins opened up just as Enya began to push on it.

As Enya and the newly awakened individual conversed, a figure stepped into the doorway. Robed in blackest ebony and wreathed in the flickering embers of the mystic arts, she gazed upon the pair from behind a featureless bone-white mask, her silver eyes the only indication she was human.

"You are the ninth."

She paced over and offered a hand to lift him to his feet. "Seventh to awaken within this tower. You are not alone in having reincarnated here. Welcome to Aion. I trust you have some questions."

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

@ArmorPlated

S E C O N D C H A N C E S (An Isekai Adventure)

It might be me. But I've got my work cut out for me.