Current Events > Teen Titans CYOA: Romance Resurrected part 8

(+) Yeah! (+)

Malcrasternus posted...

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B) Continue investigating

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B

Grandfather may not like it, but you're going to find proof that your dream wasn't just a dream and that Isabel wasn't mistaken.

You go back to the library, and see Raven has moved on to "The Dissemination of Druidic Spiritualism in the Dark Ages".

"You sure read fast," you say.

"Welcome back!" Raven says as she sits up. "Yeah, I really blazed through it. And I've got plenty of ideas for potions now."

"That's good," you say as you sit down in the arm chair beside her.

"What do you have there?" she asks.

"Just one of the biographies of the past Roreks. This is Rorek IV's."

"Wow," she says. "It has a lot more to it than I expected."

"That's because it's full of filler," you say. "I think it's our family's way of covering up a dark secret."

"Whoa," she says as she puts a bookmark in and closes her text. "What makes you say that?"

"A dream I had," you say. "It placed me in my ancestor's body, but it was all things I'd never learned about him from my lessons growing up."

"Like what?"

"There was a ship, but it was around the 1820s so it was a sailboat, and it was sailing to Cyprus. If you go by what this book says, there's no mention of Rorek IV, with or without his wife, Aine, and his three brothers, going to Cyprus for any reason."

"Wait," she says. "Cyprus? Isn't that where Isabel's family is from?"

"Yes. And I know what you're thinking, my mind was just all jumbled up from Isabel saying those things before... Before the battle, and the knowledge I have of my own family. But, it felt too real to be just a dream. And this book is practically saying there's something suspicious going on."

"Well, I suppose it does seem odd that the book has more to it than it should," she says as she leans over towards you. "But that doesn't automatically mean it's some kind of cover-up."

You flip to the pages with the meaningless filler and decide to try something.

"Incantationem Revelare," you say.

Dozens and dozens of Enchantment seals suddenly spring out from the book in layers and branches! They light up the whole room!

"Holy crap!" Raven blurts out while you blurt out "Bloody Hell!"

"But I was right!" you say. "This proves my dream has foundation in truth."

"But it also proves Isabel was right," Raven says. "Your families fought, and hers lost."

Your mood drops a bit because you realize Raven's right about that.

You look at the sheer number of Enchantments attached to this one book. Whoever did this was very skilled and really, really didn't want anyone finding out the truth.

A) Work together with Raven and the Spirits on undoing the seals
B) Work on the seals with only the Spirits
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Work together with Raven and the Spirits on undoing the seals

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Work together with Raven and the Spirits on undoing the seals

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scubasteve42 posted...

Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Work together with Raven and the Spirits on undoing the seals

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A

"What say you and I work to undo all this?" you ask her.

"Really? You want to try and undo all of this?"

"We can have the Spirits help us, too."

"Well, I guess that'll speed it up."

"Paeshae, Incantationem Conteri!" you say.

One seal breaks on the outermost layer, but that's it.

"As I figured," you say. "We'll have to summon other Spirits directly."

You take out pieces of paper from a notebook and draw the various diagrams needed. With these papers, you summon Paeshae, Tol, Udwa, and Faraera to the room.

"Greetings, Seventh Rorek," they all say together in their varying voices. "How shall we assist you?"

"They know you're Rorek VII?" Raven asks.

"Of course," you say. "The Druidic spirits are eternal, and even served my ancestors. Not all the way back to Rorek the First, but Rorek II did ask them for help on occasion."

"An obstinate man, he was," Udwa, Druid Spirit of Nature, says in her silky smooth voice.

"I rather liked him," Paeshae and Faraera both say, Paeshae with bass and Faraera with tenor.

"And as for why I've brought you here to me," you say to the spirits. "I'm sure you can see this giant tree of Enchantment Seals."

"Oh yes, I remember this," Tol says, a tinge of slyness in every word. "Lords Radley, Radnor, Randolph and Lady Rae worked day and night to tie all this together."

"Wait, the children of Rorek IV?" you ask.

"Yes, they wanted to make sure no one would ever read the truth of their father's past," Tol says. "Which must mean you want to read the truth of their father's past if you're asking us to undo these seals."

"You are correct," you say. "So, are you all willing to help me with this task?"

The four spirits look to each other as council.

"I, Udwa the Spirit of Nature, will assist you."

"I, Paeshae the Spirit of Strength, will assist you."

"I, Faraera the Spirit of Fire, will assist you."

"I, Tol the Spirit of Shadows, will assist you, if you help me with something in return."

Again, Tol is also the spirit of mischief, so you can already sense he wants to make trouble while he's here.

A) Agree to his terms
B) Disagree and work with the other three
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Disagree and work with the other three

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A)
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B

Fuck it yolo
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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

B) Disagree and work with the other three

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B

"No thank you," you say. "I guess it'll just be--"

"I'm not asking for much!" Tol says with desperation in his voice. "Just something simple, like hiding valuables where no one would think to look!"

"No thanks," you say as you pick up Tol's spirit paper. "Tol, Spirit of Shadows, I dismiss you."

"You're no fun," he grumbles. "Just like your ancestors."

You tear the paper and Tol disappears.

"Well, with only five of us, things will be a bit slower," you say. "In which case, we should get going or this really will take all day."

"Yes, Lord Seventh," the three remaining spirits say together.

"Can't we just cut this tree down at the root?" Raven asks as she points to the part sprouting out of the book.

"No, no, you mustn't rush this," Udwa advises. "Trying to break seals out of order could cause massive amounts of magical feedback that cuold not only damage what is enchanted, but the area around it."

"Meaning us," you say as you motion to you and Raven.

"Well, when you put it that way," Raven says. "Where do we start?"

"I see plenty of my seal," Faraera says. "And Paeshae's."

"That makes sense," you say. "I'm sure all these books are Enchanted in order to be safe from fires or damage."

"I see only a few of my seal," Udwa says. "But there are also many of my sister's seals."

"Uidre, right?" Raven asks.

"Yes," Udwa says with some surprise. "How did you know that?"

"Well, I was just reading a book on Druid Spirituality, so it had information on the Spirits themselves."

"I'll call upon her for help in Tol's place then," you say.

You draw a new diagram and the blue Spirit of Water swirls into the room.

"Greetings, Seventh Rorek!" Uidre greets with her bubbly voice. "Greetings, sister! Oh my, what a large tree of seals."

"Yes it is," you say. "And we were hoping you'd help us pick it apart."

"Certainly!" Uidre says.

"Is there a way to sort these out so we can keep better track of them?" Raven asks. "It's such a jumble."

"Of course!" Uidre says. "Shall we, sister?"

"Certainly," Udwa says. "Faraera, Paeshae, if you would be so kind."

The spirits work together and pull the branches to make them into brackets like on a chart.

"Now it looks more like a rhythm game," Raven says. "Like Simon or something."

"Oh yes, Simon," you say. "That's a classic. What say we play it like that, but with calling out the spirit names? I'll handle Faraera in red and Paeshae in yellow while you call on Udwa and Uidre."

"Deal," Raven smiles.

The two of you stand together facing the bracket and begin from the top.

"Paeshae, Faraera," you begin.

"Udwa, Udwa, Uidre, Udwa," Raven continues.

"Faraera, Paeshae, Pashae."

"Uidre, Uidre."

"Faraera, Faraera."

"Udwa."

"Faraera, Faraera."

"Uidre, Uidre, Uidre, Uidre, Udwa Udwa, Uidre Uidre Udwa."

"Faraera, Faraera, Paeshae."

"Uidre, Uidre, Uidre."

"Faraera, Paeshae, Faraera."

"Uidre, Udwa, Uidre."

"Faraera, Paeshae, To-- Are you serious?!"

Staring at you almost tauntingly is Tol's symbol.

"That was like, what? 36 seals in?" Raven protests.

"And it looks like that's the only one," Paeshae says. "Are you going to give him what he wants?"

You grumble as you glare at the seal.

A) Yes, call Tol back
B) No, use another way
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) No, use another way

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

B) No, use another way

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scubasteve42 posted...

Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

B) No, use another way

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Bump
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B

"No, we have other ways," you say. "Though, it will mean letting someone else know what we're up to."

"Who do you mean?" Raven asks.

"The young Druid that's here," you say. "Roberta Rivers. She's much stronger in the Druidic arts, and should know a way around a Spirit's seal. Especially of a Spirit as selfish and sneaky as Tol."

"Yes, we have had much interaction with the young Rivers heir," Udwa says. "She is extremely talented, and could rank even among the great Druids of history."

"But we need to make sure she'll keep the secret," you says.

"Actually, wouldn't the real problem be Rhodes?" Raven asks. "You weren't kidding when you said she's really competitive with Rivers."

"We'll have to find a way to get Rivers away from Rhodes," you say. "I doubt Rhodes would tell everyone what's going on, but the fewer people who know, the better."

"Don't worry about that, Seventh Rorek," Uidre says. "Roberta Rivers has a continuous link with the Spirits, so we could easily contact her and have her come to the library."

"Really?" Raven asks. "That's pretty impressive. How does she do it?"

"She has our diagrams tattooed onto her body," Faraera says.

"But I didn't see anything on her when we were at the lake," Raven says.

"That's because it's done with ink that only appears with mana," you explain. "She's likely covered in them, but they're all invisible."

"Whoa," Raven says. "That's dedication to being a Druid..."

"I'll contact her through my seal on her lower back," Uidre says.

"So she has a tramp stamp for 'water'?" Raven jokes.

You give her a snide smirk.

"Sorry," she shrugs and smirks back.

Uidre floats closer to the door but remains quiet. A couple minutes pass before she floats back over to everyone else.

"She'll be here in a few moments," she says.

"Oh I get it," Raven says. "You didn't need to leave the room because of the link. Like when I was training with Rorek, and we had two copies of the same seal, it allowed the same Spirit to be in two places at once and share information with their link."

"Precisely," Uidre says. "You're very bright."

"Thank you."

A moment later, there's a knock on the door. You walk over and open the door.

"Hello, Rory," she smiles softly.

"Hello, Roberta Rivers," you say. "Please come in."

You lead Rivers over to where everyone is gathered.

"Greetings, Roberta Rivers," the spirits all say.

"Greetings, Uidre, Udwa, Faraera and Paeshae," she replies. "Oh, what a long list of Enchantment seals."

"Yes," you say. "And we really only need help getting past Tol's. He wasn't willing to help us without something selfish in return, but it turns out he was needed after all."

"You probably should've done what he wanted," Rivers says.

"Really?" Raven asks. "But he wanted to do stupid pranks. We can't waste time when there's all this to get through."

"Well then you really should've worked with Tol," Rivers says. "He's pretty good at getting through other spirits' seals."

"R-Really?" you say.

"Of course. He's mischievous enough to be able to pick locks, and that includes Enchantment seals. He's useful when there's a spirit you aren't familiar with."

You stare blankly into space, but you can tell Raven slowly turns her head towards you.

"Did you know he could do that?" she asks you.

You slowly shake your head "No."
---

"Well it's okay," Rivers says. "I know how to do it, too. I even learned it from Tol, so that I don't have to always rely on him. It was my greatest prank."

Rivers walks up to the bracket of seals and points at Tol's.

"Turara, Turara, Gemor Liaco Evendara," Rivers begins. "Eosei, Eosei, Inokara Daggle Rocel."

She then turns her hand, and the seal turns with it. It then breaks, and even takes some following seals it.

"Wow!" Raven says. "That's a pretty impressive spell."

"Yes, but it's rather time consuming," Rivers says as she sits down in an arm chair. "And mana consuming. I think I need a snack."

"A snack before lunch sounds good," you say.

A) Crisps (potato chips)
B) Biscuits (cookies)
C) Cheese & Crackers
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Cartridge88 posted...

B) Biscuits (cookies)

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C
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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

B) Biscuits (cookies)

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B

"I'll call Penelope to bring us some biscuits. Er, cookies, that is."

"Yeah, cookies sound good," Raven says. "Maybe chocolate chip?"

"Penelope's chocolate chip cookies from scratch are amazing," Rivers says.

"From scratch?" Raven says. "Don't you just have some waiting in a cookie jar? Or, wait, do you call that a biscuit bar?"

"Are you saying you don't want them hot and gooey from the oven?" you counter.

You can tell Raven is imagining the melted chocolate inside the cookies.

"Okay, that sounds good," she smiles softly.

You nod and grab your phone. You speed dial Penelope and bring up the video chat.

"Yes, Young Master Rory?" she asks.

"Afternoon, Penelope," you say. "Would you be able to bring us some fresh chocolate chip cookies?"

"To the library?" she asks as she looks around behind you. "Won't that make a mess with the crumbs?"

"We'll be careful as we eat," you say. "I've learned to clean up after myself out there in the world, you know."

"I would hope so," Penelope chuckles. "All right, give me some time and I'll send those up to you fresh from the oven."

"Thank you," you say.

You hang up and put your phone away, then walk back to join the others at the seals.

"Let's get through as many of these as we can before those cookies are here," you say.

Raven nods and the two of you face the brackets again.

"So after Tol and the seals his cleared out," you say as you look down the lines. "Faraera, Faraera, Faraera, Faraera."

"Udwa," Raven says.

"Faraera."

"Uidre, Udwa, Udwa, Udwa."

"What're you working towards, removing all these seals?" Rivers asks.

"Well that's a bit of a family secret," you say. "Faraera."

"Oh my," Rivers says. "And you're willing to let Raven know it?"

"It's a long story, but I already have an idea of what the secret is," Raven says. "Udwa."

"Oh," Rivers says. "I see."

"Faraera, Faraera."

"Uidre, Udwa."

"Faraera."

"Udwa, Udwa."

"Paeshae."

"Udwa."

"Faraera, Paeshae."

"There's a faster way to do this," Rivers says. "At least, there is with me around."

She stands up and walks closer to the book.

"If enough mana touches the seals, they can be used as signals to break an Enchantment."

"Oh, wow," Raven says. "But, then, you'd have to touch your lower back for Uidre, and where else?"

"Udwa is higher up on my back," Rivers says. "But Paeshae is just above my chest while Faraera is just under my heart."

"Oh, well that's okay," Raven says. "Rorek will just look away when you have to touch your chest."

"Well, yes," Rivers says, starting to blush. "But, after using mana for lockpicking Tol, I'm going to need some assistance..."

"Rorek, you stay over there," Raven says.

"What? I wasn't going to suggest anything."

Raven keeps her eyes on you as she walks over to Rivers.

"I'll touch Uidre's and Udwa's seals on your back while you take care of your chest," she tells her.

"O-Okay," Rivers nods.

"Where exactly on your back is the Udwa seal?"

"Between my shoulder blades."
---

The two focus mana into their hands while Raven walks around behind Rivers. Raven starts by touching the lower back for Uidre, then Rivers touches underneath her bosom for Faraera. They continue, going through the seals without speaking, but you follow the bracket to know the sequence.

Uidre, Faraera, Udwa, Faraera, Udwa, Uidre, Uidre, Udwa, Faraera, Faraera, Uidre, Paeshae, Faraera, Udwa, Paeshae, Uidre, Paeshae, Udwa, Paeshae, Uidre, Uidre, Udwa, Udwa.

"Wait, what're these ones?" Raven asks as new seals are thrown in.

"Oh, they added Aedo, Spirit of Light, and Zulnis, Spirit of Time," Rivers says. "The Enchanter behind these must've been very skilled."

"A family secret kept by the best in my family," you say with a sigh. "It'd make sense if things of this level are added just to limit who can unravel it."

"Well, you have seals for those Spirits, too, right?" Raven asks Rivers. "You can take Aedo while I take Zulnis."

"But, Aedo is directly on my heart, while Zulnis is on my right thigh..."

"Oh. Outer thigh...?"

"O-Of course!" Rivers says. "My family wouldn't put them anywhere that would end up inappropriate. Though, I don't think they anticipated someone else helping me touch them..."

"Why do you say that?" Raven asks.

"Well, the Zulnis symbol on my thigh is almost... It's almost where my buttocks is..."

"Rorek, you definitely look away now!" Raven snaps.

A) Stay focused on the brackets
B) Find something to read
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A.
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A
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scubasteve42 posted...

A

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A

You turn back towards the brackets. The seal breaking continues as four Udwa and the first Zulnis go away, followed by another Zulnis, three Aedo, Faraera, back to Zulnis, Uidre, Udwa, Uidre, then Zulnis.

"Careful," Rivers says meekly. "You don't need to smack or grab my thigh, just touch it."

"Sorry," Raven says. "I was just trying to be quick about it."

You do your best to stay looking ahead instead of glancing over at them.

The sequence of seals continues with Faraera, Uidre, Udwa, Aedo, Aedo, Faraera, Paeshae, Udwa, then Aedo, Aedo, Udwa, Zulnis, Udwa, Udwa, Aedo, followed by Paeshae, Uidre, Udwa, Udwa, Paeshae, Udwa, Aedo, Udwa, Faraera, Faraera.

"Raven!" Rivers blurts out. "That's too high for Zulnis!"

"Sorry," Raven says quickly. "Here?"

"Yes," Rivers says sheepishly.

"Sorry," Raven says again as the seal breaks.

That Zulnis seal is followed by two Faraera, then Aedo and Uidre. Next comes Paeshae, another Faraera, then Udwa, Aedo and Uidre. Paeshae returns, then Faraera, Udwa, Aedo, and another Paeshae. Seems Raven does Zulnis right this time, then Uidre, Udwa, Udwa, and Zulnis.

"That was 50 more seals and we're still not done," Raven groans.

"We have no choice," Rivers says. "Just keep going."

Paeshae, Zulnis, Faraera, Faraera, Udwa, Paeshae, Faraera, Uidre, Uidre, Uidre. Zulnis, Faraera, Uidre, Paeshae, Udwa.

"Raven, could you not just slide your hand up from Zulnis to Uidre..." Rivers says, starting to quiver.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to save time!" Raven says quickly.

You have a harder time resisting to glance over. And "harder" seems apropos for other reasons.

A) Tag in for the ladies
B) Excuse yourself for a moment
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A.
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A.
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A
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A

"I can sub in," you say.

Raven looks at you with suspicion while Rivers is defensive.

"Not in touching the invisible tattoos!" you defend back. "I'll call out the spirits while you two rest and wait for the cookies."

The girls relax and switch places with you.

"Well wait," Rivers says. "You'll need someone to summon Aedo and Zulnis for you. Using their seals circumvent that, but if you don't have them on you, you can't do what we were just doing."

"Oh, that's true," you say. "Please go right ahead."

She takes paper from the notebook and draws the two new seals. Aedo naturally appears in a massive flash of light, while Zulnis appears in a swirl from thin air.

"Roberta Rivers, what is your need of the Spirit of Light?" Aedo says in a strong female voice.

"Roberta Rivers, the Spirit of Time already knows what you need," Zulnis says in a stern male voice. "I shall eliminate my seals for you, but you may not like what you read in this book."

"That's all I ask," Rivers says to Zulnis. "Thank you."

In an instant, Zulnis' seals for all the remaining layers are gone.

"I see," Aedo says. "I shall assist in these seals, if that is your wish."

"That's all I ask of you, Aedo," Rivers says. "Thank you."

"Wow, this is gonna speed up then," Raven says.

"Take it away, Rory," Rivers smiles. "I'll be sure to jump in when Aedo's seal appears."

"Uidre, Faraera, Uidre, Udwa, Faraera, Paeshae, Udwa."

"Aedo."

"Uidre, Paeshae, Faraera, Udwa, Paeshae, Paeshae, Udwa. Paeshae, Paeshae, Paeshae, Uidre, Faraera. Paeshae, Faraera, Paeshae, Paeshae, Faraera. Faraera, Faraera, Udwa, Faraera, Udwa."

"Aedo."

"Paeshae, Uidre, Faraera, Faraera, Faraera, Faraera."

"Aedo."

"Udwa, Udwa."

"Aedo, Aedo."

"Faraera."

"Aedo."

"Uidre, Uidre, Faraera, Faraera, Uidre."

"Aedo."

"Faraera, Udwa."

"Aedo, Aedo."

"Udwa, Uidre, Udwa, Faraera, Faraera, Paeshae."

The knock at the door stops you. Raven opens it slowly while you carefully close the book, which tucks the Enchantment bracket away. Rivers has the spirits shrink down and then hide behind a desk.

"Hi, Penelope!" Raven says. "Mmm~, I can smell the cookies already."

"I would hope so," Penelope says as Raven lets her wheel in a cart. "I made plenty."

She enters the library and brings the cookies over to the table.

"Oh, Lady Rivers is here, too?"

"Hello, Penelope," she replies.

"Thank you, Penelope," you say.

"You're welcome, Young Master," Penelope says with a bow. "Though, I thought this was was supposed to be alone time for you and Raven."

"Well, we needed Roberta Rivers to help us with some of the subjects Raven chose," you fib as you pick up the Druid Spiritualism text.

"I see," Penelope says. "Well, I will let you get back to your studies."

Penelope bows and exits the room. She closes the door behind her, and you open the biography back up. The spirits come out of hiding and return to their default sizes.

A) Take a break to eat the cookies
B) Eat while working
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Take a break to eat the cookies

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Take a break to eat the cookies

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Alakazamtrainer posted...

Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Take a break to eat the cookies

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A

"Well, let's take a break to enjoy these," you say as you go to the tray of chocolate chip cookies.

Penelope also made sure there were glasses and milk aboard the tray, so you pour out a glass for everyone. Well, all the humans, as the spirits don't need to drink or eat.

"Mmm~...!" Raven says as she happily chews a cookie.

"See?" you say. "I told you fresh would be worth the wait."

You three sit quietly as you eat cookies and wash them down with milk.

"It's impressive how you are already able to get the Spirit of Time to do what you want, Roberta," Raven says.

"Thank you," Rivers says. "Though, because he's a Spirit of Time, I haven't actually even attempted taming him yet. My older self did that, and we have a promise to each other that, if on the day he remembers it happening on, I fail to prove myself, he no longer listens to me. He won't undo anything that we do until then, because of time paradoxes, but my days working with him could be numbered."

"Whoa."

"Yes, it's a lot to comprehend," Rivers chuckles. "But I try not to let it weigh on me, because Zulnis already knows the results. I just keep working as hard as I can to make sure it's in my favor."

"That's a good way to handle it," you say.

"Thank you," Rivers smiles.

You three eat more cookies, and finish off the whole tray together.

"We still have about 60 seals to go," Raven sighs. "My day in the library isn't going quite how I expected."

"I do apologize for that, Raven," you say. "You do your best to read the books you selected while Roberta and I continue with the seals."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, okay," she says.

Raven picks up the stack of books she selected and walks with them to a desk on the far side.

"Are you ready, Roberta?" you ask.

"Of course," she says. "I believe you begin."

"Paeshae, Uidre, Faraera."

"Aedo."

"Uidre, Paeshaes, Uidre, Paeshae, Faraera, Uidre, Paeshae, Paeshae, Uidre, Uidre, Faraera."

"Aedo, Aedo, Aedo."

"Faraera, Paeshae, Udwa."

"Aedo."

"Uidre, Udwa, Faraera, Uidre."

"Aedo."

"Udwa."

"Aedo."

"Udwa, Uidre, Uidre."

"Aedo."

"Udwa, Faraera."

"Aedo."

"Uidre."

"Aedo."

"Uidre."

"Aedo."

"Faraera, Faraera, Faraera, Udwa, Udwa."

"Aedo."

"Faraera, Udwa, Uidre, Faraera, Faraera, Paeshae."

"Aedo."

"Paeshae, Udwa, Uidre, Uidre, Paeshae."

"Aedo."

"Faraera, Paeshae, Uidre, Paeshae, Paeshae, Faraera, Paeshae."

"Aedo."

And finally, you reach the base of what was a seal tree!

"The final seal," Rivers says. "And it's Gaia, spirit of the Earth!"

"Wait, did you guys just say 'Gaia'?" Raven asks from the desk. "Seriously? Like, that Gaia?"

"Yes, I do mean that Gaia," Rivers says. "But, that's another spirit I haven't tried to command. She's truly one of the most powerful Druid spirits."

"So you won't even be able to use your seal lockpicking work?" you ask.

"I have a feeling not," Rivers says.

A) Give lockpicking a try
B) Work on a workaround
C) Give up on this
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Give lockpicking a try

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Give lockpicking a try

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Alakazamtrainer posted...

Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Give lockpicking a try

---

A

"Well, can't we try?" you ask.

"I don't know," Rivers says. "It's Gaia, Spirit of the Earth. That's not just the ground, but the planet. If I fail, I'll upset her."

"Yes, it would not be wise to anger Mother Gaia," Udwa says.

"She will not let anyone defy her," Uidre adds. "Not without consequences."

"Well, then you won't try," you say. "I'll try."

"What? But you didn't learn the technique from Tol."

"That's right. I learned it from you."

You point your hand at Gaia's Seal.

"Rory, be careful," Rivers says.

"Rorek..." Raven says as she walks back over. "I don't know about this..."

"Turara, Turara, Gemor Liaco Evendara," you begin. "Eosei, Eosei, Inokara Daggle Rocel."

You then turn your hand like a key. However, the seal resists you, and you feel it in your arm. You put more strength into it, but the seal still resists.

"Rory..." Rivers says with growing concern.

"Rorek..." Raven says, more with growing apprehension.

"You'd best stop now before Mother Gaia becomes aware of your actions, Seventh Rorek," Faraera says.

"Turara, Turara, Gemor Liaco Evendara," you repeat instead. "Eosei, Eosei, Inokara Daggle Rocel."

"Rorek!" Raven reprimands.

You turn your hand again and the seal moves, but still with resistance. You throw in chi for power, and the turning becomes easier, but still very slow.

"I almost have it..." you grunt. "Turara, Turara, Gemor Liaco Evendara! Eosei, Eosei, Inokara Daggle Rocel!"

The seal turns, turns, and turns...

"Stop!" Rivers says as she smacks your arm down.

The seal goes back to rightside-up.

"Roberta!" you say. "I almost had it!"

"As a Druid, I cannot allow anyone to disrespect Gaia," she says. "This is her seal, that she gave approval to long, long ago! You may want to see what's behind it, but I'm not letting you disrespect the Spirits or make yourself into someone who would do that!"

You look at the burning disappointment in Rivers' eyes, then glance over to Raven, who also looks unsure.

A) Concede, don't break the seal
B) Concede for now, to break it later
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A)
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Concede, don't break the seal

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Concede, don't break the seal

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A

As much as it frustrates you to be so close to the truth and yet still kept away from it, you have to concede to her point.

"Okay," you say. "I'll leave the seal standing."

"Thank you, Rory," Rivers says with grateful relief.

You close the book and put it away with the other Rorek biographies.

"Spirits of Strength, Fire, Water, Nature and Light," you say as you go to their summon seals. "I thank you for your assistance, and dismiss you."

"Farewell, Seventh Rorek and Lady Rivers," the spirits say.

You and Rivers dispose of the papers and the spirits disappear.

"And with that," Rivers says, "I suppose I should go now."

"I thank you for your help, too, Roberta," you say. "As well as for keeping me from making a mistake."

"You're welcome," she says with a slight bow. "I'll see you both later, then."

"See you at dinner," Raven says.

Rivers excuses herself from the library, leaving you and Raven alone. It's quiet, so Raven goes back to the desk to read.

A) Join her at the desk
B) Read on your own at the arm chairs
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Join her at the desk

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Join her at the desk

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Alakazamtrainer posted...

Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Join her at the desk

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A

With not much else to do, you walk over and sit by Raven at the desk. You see she's reading more of Druid Spiritualism.

"I should apologize to you, too," you say to her.

"What for?" she says.

"Well, for almost breaking Gaia's seal just so I can confirm my suspicions."

"Oh please, you don't need to apologize to me," she says. "I know a thing about a dark secret."

"Very true. Then, I should thank you for being understanding."

"You're welcome," she smiles as she turns the page.

You sit and read over her shoulder as she comes to the section about the Spirits' family tree.

Gaia of the Earth and Neam of the Sky and Heavens are the beginning. From them are born Aedo the Light Spirit, Heldra the Shadow Spirit, and of course elemental spirits like Udwa the Nature Spirit, Uidre the Water Spirit, Faraera the Fire Spirit, Vindar the Lightning Spirit and the countless nameless Stone and Wind Spirits around the world.

Udwa is mother to many smaller Nature spirits, such as Nal, Dwav and Styn that Raven made friends with in California, but without any father to speak of, and are thereby organized as Gaia's Grandchildren. Uidre is the same, being the virgin mother of cloud spirits around the world that create the rain and snow and storms for her, but all those Spirits are instead Neam's Grandchildren.

Spirits that represent qualities and concepts, such as Paeshae the Spirit of Strength, Zulnis the Spirit of Time, Uzai the Spirit of Space, and Vywyn the Spirit of Speed are all born of Neam and humanity, or so the legends say. They're grouped as Neam's Bastards.

"I get that by the definition of the word, that's what they are," Raven says, "but that seems a bit mean."

"Well it's as you said, it's the literal definition," you say. "The Druids didn't mean it to be cruel, just logical."

"Then I guess that makes me Trigon's Bastard," Raven says.

"Oh. I suppose so. But I never even thought of that."

Raven goes back to reading, and you go back to reading over her shoulder.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" she asks.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"Well, it's just that I'm not used to someone reading over my shoulder like this."

"Raven, we've done so much together, and yet you aren't comfortable with me having my head by your head?"

She just squints and frowns at you.

A) Reluctantly move over and read something else
B) Tease her by getting closer
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Cartridge88 posted...

A) Reluctantly move over and read something else

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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Reluctantly move over and read something else

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B
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Malcrasternus posted...

Cartridge88 posted...

A) Reluctantly move over and read something else

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