((Harry, you messed up your quotes in that mini-turn))
"Uh, experimental and demonic, for one. You should talk to Craig about it, he's somewhere around here probably. He's this really cool demonologist guy."
"Oh, come on, Kevin. I just sat down. Do you really want me to just get up and start running about again? Just because I'm made of metal doesn't mean you can run me ragged, you know? Just tell me about it yourself.""A fancy voice? Well, I guess is always peoples what not listenin' to me... dat always not good. Magic-stuff sounds pretty fun, too!"
He smiled for a second, then screwed up his face a bit and asked, in a more timid tone, "Uh, but... just what you's want wif my soul? I mean, what's you be usin' it for? Kind of a 'portant question. I thinks."
>Express interest in a Compelling Voice and/or Magic Powers, but ask just what the creature wants with my soul.
"WHAT I WILL DO WITH YOUR SOUL DEPENDS MOSTLY ON WHAT YOU DO WITH IT FIRST, IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING. THERE'S TWO ALTERNATIVES, WHEN YOU REALLY GET DOWN TO IT. YOU SEE, ALL SOULS HAVE A WEALTH OF... POWER IN THEM. THIS ACCUMULATES WITH ADVENTURE, EXPERIENCES, STRONG EMOTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, ANYWAY. SO, SHOULD YOU HAPPEN TO LIVE LONG, PROSPER AND DO GREAT THINGS - AND WITH MY BOON, IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT YOU WILL - I WON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL WITH IT, I'LL JUST..."The person scratches its chin doubtfully, pausing for a moment.
"... TURN IT IN? NO, THAT SOUNDS WRONG. SUFFICE IT TO SAY I'LL GET GOOD THINGS FOR IT AT ABSOLUTELY NO FUTURE COST TO YOU. LITERALLY. IF YOU DON'T GIVE YOUR SOUL TO ME, IT GOES TO THE GODS INSTEAD AND THEY'LL DO MOSTLY THE SAME THING. SO BY SIGNING YOUR SOUL OVER TO ME, YOU LOSE NOTHING, PRETTY MUCH, AND GAIN A WHOLE LOT. IT'S SORT OF LIKE A REWARD FOR FINDING ME AND NOT BEING A TWIT, BASICALLY."The demon then raises one finger.
"HOWEVER! IF YOU DO NOT HAPPEN TO LIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE INVESTMENT TO ACTUALLY PAY OFF, YOU MAY GET USED AS A DEMONIC MINION FOR A WHILE. KIND OF LIKE THESE FINE MEN AND WOMEN GROUPED AROUND YOU," it says, indicating all the people surrounding you. All of them seem supernaturally beautiful to you, and they all smile at you brightly when their eyes meet yours.
"IT'S NOT FOREVER, OF COURSE. JUST LONG ENOUGH TO FILL YOU WITH A VARIETY OF IMPRESSIONS SPREAD OVER A LONG TIME - SADLY, IT TAKES A MITE LONGER TO DO IT HERE THAN TO DO IT ON YOUR OWN. SO BOTH YOU AND I WILL LOSE SOME TIME THAT WAY. BUT IF WE COOPERATE, AND YOU SUCCESSFULLY FIND INTERESTING THINGS TO DO AND ACHIEVE OVER A LONG TIME PERIOD, WE BOTH WIN, SO TO SPEAK! ISN'T THAT GREAT?"
And a very special turn for Innsmothe, the missing link!
Under the sea...Scott, having met only failure so far, takes a different approach - he thinks first! He wonders how one is to manipulate the body from the soul... theoretically, what he is lies in the soul. He can control his mind, and apparently, as Art told him, the mind shapes the soul and vice versa, depending on circumstances. As he knows, if he believes hard enough, he can regain sight miraculously. But what else can he regain?
He thinks of Justine momentarily. How did she become a ghost? She died, and her body was nowhere near where she was raised. How did the Artiste do it? Presumably it involved pulling her soul out of the aether or wherever it is souls go when the bodies that hold them are damaged beyond the point where the soul is held in place. And when she was called, she appeared with a body. A spectral body, but a body nevertheless. Where did it come from? Her mind? Some form of magic? Her soul? If it's the first or last, Scott may be able to do something similar... but that would probably require doing something drastic. Removing his soul from his body, maybe? That would be like willingly dying, in a way. He gets the feeling that's not generally something that's safe to do.
Then again, he might not have many alternatives.
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Topic: Life Begins At Death - Epilogue: We Live And Live Again (Read 542583 times)