Journey Into The Tower Below

All four women seem uncomfortable as they descend the staircase and seem eager to welcome the questions.

"Goma... have kids before. Goma not worried," Goma responds to a question about her pregnancy, rubbing her belly.

"I feel terrible," Cherchiel mutters, her eyes traveling to Goma's belly and then quickly looking away.

"I'm concerned about Goma, I'm sure she'd normally be fine. After all as she said she's had kids before, but I don't know what to expect from such a child. The Child of Sower using Cherchiel as a Proxy... It's concerning. Luckily though when the time comes for it... My training as a church healer did include assisting with Child Birth," Yulia states.

"Goma seems eager to keep the child and... while I am also concerned for her, I'm here to help her as best as I can!" Isalia promises and gently hugs Goma from behind. Goma let's out a surprised squeak and then giggles, the two ceasing to descend for a bit as they hug, before quickly moving to follow the others, the stairs wide enough that they don't need to walk single file.

"As for deciding to join... I guess I'd made my choice a while ago, but just hadn't bothered to mention it. Talking with Andras helped... It's pretty clear that I'm not going to be needed in the Deep anymore with Knocker dead and especially with the Old Mind gone I don't think the Deep are likely to face any greater threats. Well except whatever floor monster replaces Knocker I guess, but I doubt I'd be useful for that so... You needed me more and..." she hesitates and looks at Goma, both of them blushing as their eyes meet, "well... you know. I need to protect Goma..." she admits.

"We're very glad to have you," Yulia says.

In regards to the Abyss... The Abyss isn't a place it's a being... The great evil one... Lord of the Tower Below... Which is where I believe we're going. I'm not looking forward to it. As for tips... Don't trust anyone or anything and if someone even tries to talk to us we should attack first..." Cherchiel answers, she's clearly feeling awful in general and is definitely the most anxious in regards to their destination.

"I definitely don't think I'm happy about the idea of going into the Tower Below, but we'll handle it... just like we've handled everything before now," Yulia says trying to sound reassuring, but her voice wavers with her own fears.

"I guess in regards to changes... I'm not a pacifist anymore, the idea of killing things used to make me physically ill. I became a healer to help people and the idea of causing pain or even just not being able to soothe someone's pain is appalling to me, but... Dealing with this tower has **** me to harden my heart. Maybe I could have kept my pacifist ideals if I was stronger, but out of fear for myself and my safety I've killed many and I'm... inured to it now. The thought that I'm now a killer makes me feel awful... I wonder what my friends back home would think of me if they could see me now," she says and then sighs, "I've also had a crash course in sex and sexuality. Straight from theory to practice... both unwilling... and willing," she says with a weak smile to Cherchiel who returns it before quickly returning to her moody self.

"I'm probably also much less trusting than I used to be... I used to assume the best of everyone. I mentioned that there were bandits some of whom would even attack church healers and scouts... I've always assumed and for the most part I still believe that they are not malicious, they're just ****, but there's a part of me that wonders if that's true for all of them. Some of them might just be bad people and that's a thought I'd never even considered before now," she admits.

Martin appears, descending his own set of stairs, "Oh uh this is new?" he says as he hears a voice addressing him, "well I tend to offer my services to everyone not just Yulia and her group, so I was doing my best to work on projects for the denizens of the deep who came to me. There weren't many, I assume most who did came to me did so just for the novelty, the only human blacksmith in the Deep and the chosen's personal blacksmith at that. I'm sure I could blacksmith circles around any of the Dwarves in the Deep, but well I can understand why they'd want to stick with what they'd know for the most part, still I got some work done. When I wasn't working for Yulia or others, I mostly just tinkered. Tried to hone my edge and improve my craft and um... Well I met some nice people and talked with them... yes... talked..." he says and then hesitates and coughs, "I'm a straight male and I spent the last I don't know how many years of my life in an all male elven city..." he says quickly.

Martin disappears and your view returns to the four women.

"Siding with the Tower Above..." Yulia says and sighs, "I probably should... Cherchiel definitely thinks I should, but..." she makes a wild gesture as she struggles to verbalize her thoughts and then simply slumps, "If I get a chance maybe I will... It definitely seems like the right idea, my feelings about 'the One True God' notwithstanding," Yulia says sounding defeated. Cherchiel watches her for a moment, concerned.

The stairs continue down and soon they reach an ending. They step through into a rest area and unsurprisingly Dreg is here waiting for them, next to an alchemy table, a blacksmith table which Martin appears and begins to set up at, three tents, an outhouse and weirdly, a shrine with multiple statues on it. Some of the statues are recognizable. There's a cracked and worn statue of Ash Medai, a glowing statue of Liloth and the other statues are pretty basic. Two of them have marks on them though, one is a lithe feminine figure with the lower body of a snake and her upper body seems to be wearing a hoody that makes her look something like a cobra. The other marked statue is an androgynous figure, the figure themselves is detailless, basically just a faceless mannequin form, but in it's hand it holds a beautifully detailed and wrapped present. The rest area itself has disturbingly organic walls which pulse and writhe every few seconds as various bits that look almost like they might be arms or other appendages of living beings stretch out from the walls and then are pulled back in.

The floor is made out of a material that looks like glass, a purple light glows within and is in fact the only illumination in the room, casting all the aforementioned features and Yulia and everyone else in the room in a dim purple light, similar to the effect one gets when one shines a flashlight on ones face from below.

"Welcome to the Tower Below..." Dreg says and he sounds as uncomfortable as the rest of them, "Get through here fast, okay? I don't want to be in this fucking place any longer than I have to be," he says quickly, "rest up, I'll let you rest for free this time. I promise, I want to give us both as good a chance to get out of here as possible," he adds and gestures to the tents.

There's a set of double doors on the other end of the room, a pair of twisted faces are carved into the doors, they look to be in agony and Yulia shivers upon seeing them.

"As much as I don't want to trust Dreg... Taking a rest is definitely a good idea," Cherchiel adds and Yulia nods, Isalia and Goma agreeing and with some **** they head into the tents, Cherchiel and Yulia in one, Isalia and Goma in the other. The last tent seems to be for Martin, who also seems to be the only person unconcerned by their current location.

The women take a quick rest as Dreg waits outside the tents, being true to his words, surprisingly.

(Health: 100%

Mana: 100%

Equipment: Ceramic Beaked Mask, Reinforced Monastic Scapular, standard bra, Standard Panties, 3 poison gas grenades, 3 healing kits, 1 syringe of poison, 1 syringe of adrenaline, 1 syringe of poison antidote, 1 sewing kit, 1 vial of strong aerosolizing aphrodisiac, 8 days worth of rations, 3 two liter water jug, 1 health potion, 7 mana potions, A boar mask, 4 vials of sticky white liquid, Ornate Rapier (-3), 4 arrows, Quiver, God's Favour (Halo. Prevent **** one time), 1 sack of cooking ingredients (Apples), Bone Spear (-1), Ash's Quiver, 6 charm arrows, Smithing Ingredients (6 steel ingots), 1 sack of cooking ingredients (Vegetables), Grenade Launcher, Empty Bandolier, Silver Staff (-2 added to the effect of all spells), Spidersilk gown, Smithing Ingredients (1 silver ingot), 13 silver throwing knives, twenty feet of Spidersilk rope, 1 sack of Cooking Ingredients (Fish), an Onahole, a shard of Illustone, A tarnished Silver Ring, A Demonic Spellbook (Puppet?).

Spells known: Great Heal (Lvl 2, Mastered, Cost: 25%)

Great Cure (Lvl 2, Mastered, Cost: 15%)

Energize (Lvl 1, Mastered, Cost: 25%)

Icicle (Lvl 1, Mastered, cost: 15%)

Unlock (Lvl 1, Mastered, Cost: 10%)

Repair (Lvl 1, Mastered, Cost: 5%-20% depending on factors)

Undermine (Lvl 1, Mastered, cost: 25%).

Life Drain (lvl 1, Mastered, cost: 2% per 1 Hp healed)

Blizzard (Mastered, cost: 5%)

Fetish: Bondage Rank: 2, Masochism Rank: 1, Lesbian rank: 1, Submission Rank: 1, Incubating Rank: 1, Large Insertions Rank: 1

Status Effect: Permanent increase to physical attribute. Combat level raised to medium

Atrophied: Permanent Decrease to Physical Attribute. Combat Level lowered to weak. (Countered previous Permanent Increase)

Psychosexual Break: In order to deal with her trauma, Yulia has begun to subconsciously fetishize her experiences.

Deflowered: Virginity Lost, sexual experience changed to: Inexperienced, non-virgin.

Marked by The Abyss: The Abyss Welcomes You.

Companion: Cherchiel, Goma, Martin, Isalia.

Cherchiel Equipment: Ultra Durable Spear( -5, -10 with Boar Mask), Ultra Durable Shield (-5, -10 with Boar Mask), Solanium Reinforced Bodysuit (add -1 to all physical actions).

Cherchiel Status Effect: Divine Grace. Combat Level raised to High

Goma Equipment: Runed Dagger (-2, -5 with boar mask), Hunting Horn (-2 for each ally affected), Reinforced and Nethicite Augmented Thick Hide Outfit (Negate most physical damage)

Goma Mana: 100%

Goma spells known: Heal (Mastered, 15%)

Isalia Equipment: Isalia's Sword (-3), Isalia's Shield (-3), Black Leather Armor

https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/the-tower-of-voices-voting-thread.3460/ )