☀️ Arselia and Akonia Auto-translated

/I'm back. Can you give me a brief update on what's happening?/

And in general, there's another sin added to Ayano's karma:

1. Completed the quest with the fairy tales.
2. Put the Phantom's shop at potential risk.

- Yes, I've heard something about it a couple of times, - Mika nods cautiously. - So, it all comes down to the doll. It plays a crucial role in the memories... - she sighs heavily. - Which means we're unlikely to be able to undo this situation. That's depressing.
Hanging her head, she gloomily thought that the only suitable candidate for this might be the captain of the guard - for the lives he took with his own hands, it would be the cheapest possible price to pay.
- Just to be clear, are you also capable of performing such a ritual? Can it be reversed - can the soul be extracted from the doll in the same way later, even at someone else's expense? And what, in your opinion, will happen if the cleric eventually cleanses the cursed doll? I mean - in the case of a random person's soul being inside, and not an otherworldly being.

— Yes, performing such a ritual is among the skills I possess, although I don't have direct experience with this particular type of substitution. If everything goes as planned, this process can be repeated as many times as needed. As for the clergy... A simple priest is unlikely to be able to influence the doll with a human soul from this world trapped inside, while the abilities of more capable members of this profession are a mystery even to me.

Alaria has forgotten all her skills, Klin is now a death knight, Kenjiro is now a ghost, we killed the apostle of enslavement, and Victor Loss is now in command of the operation. No, this is not a joke.

/Alright, let's get to the point. Can you give me a brief overview of what's going on?/

Now, Viktor himself is in charge. Everything else is just details.

— I'm not much of a botanist, unfortunately. I liked the fruit; it's unusual. I don't usually think about what food is made of or what it might or might not cause. I just eat and enjoy the taste. I suggest you do the same.

— Hmm, maybe there's really not much to think about here. Well, thank you for the advice. It seems that today is a day of wonder-fruits for the guests; they certainly chose a good time to check in. The gourmet has spoken, and he liked it. However, in general, Garrett couldn't agree with his views, at least considering the issue of excess weight; in this form, it would be difficult to remain inconspicuous, and he would likely have to change his methods somehow. — Well, that's all, I won't keep you any longer. I wish you a pleasant vacation, sir. Garrett shakes the administrator's hand in farewell, then goes to his room and eats the fruit.

Garret feels a surge of power.

Garret gains +100 to health and +10 to checks against poisons and diseases.

/I'm back. Can you give me a brief update on what's happening?/

now you are a spirit, that is, a ghost

I hope you can free Sonata

only to hand her over to a brothel again in the end

Although Alaria couldn't call herself an expert in the field of occultism, especially the local one, the list of "ingredients" that Marduk had gathered implied that he was either going to summon something terrible, horrifying, and powerful into this world... or that he was going to become something terrible, horrifying, and powerful himself. In general, it was a classic consequence of human ambition, multiplied by the insatiable lust for power that was characteristic of wizards. One could condemn him for such aspirations, given what they threatened... but Alaria herself wasn't sure that she wouldn't follow a similar path if she were a powerful sorceress, spoiled by power and impunity. Or, at the very least, that she wouldn't experience such a temptation. Either way, the situation smelled bad. Their actions could easily turn Calcite from a slave-owning hole into a magocratic slave-owning hole. It was like a cherry on top of a pile of crap, but she had felt firsthand what the desire of a mad sorcerer to entertain himself could lead to. "It's a bit of a pity that Kenshiro isn't local. Otherwise, he could fly over and get the tears for us. Alas, even in his current form, he will need a guide to avoid wandering around the desert. And there are concerns that our guide, being a follower of Shiris, might perceive such actions as blasphemy. Unless we leave him there alone, with a mirror and a return talisman, and turn back," Alaria said, making sure no one was listening, "however, his abilities might have other uses. Taking advantage of the peculiarities of his new nature, he can approach the king unnoticed, perhaps even follow him on his way from the city. After that, he can tie him up from behind," Alaria paused for a moment, explaining to the captain the features of the magical rope, "take blood, and disappear just as quickly. It's not the best plan, I won't lie. But it will avoid unnecessary deaths and allow us to avoid a direct confrontation. What do you think of this option, Victor?" Having finished her speech, Alaria immersed herself in thoughts about the sorcerer's other proposals. "The School of Eight Paths" sounded very tempting, at least for her. In her native world, every person, elf, or any other similar sentient creature, even a snake person, had a predisposition to some of the eight conditional "elements": fire, water, air, earth, darkness, light, time, and nature. In very rare cases, a person could have a "neutral" predisposition, allowing them to use the powers of any of the other eight elements. This predisposition itself also varied in strength, and while someone could be completely predisposed to fire, another person could use all five "elements" at once. This was related to the meridians, each of which was responsible for its element in the human body. The tanar herself, to her regret, never completed the testing, but she remembered very well her strong predisposition to air and, to a lesser extent, to light or darkness. She also remembered that revealing this potential allowed people to unlock superhuman abilities in themselves. And if this "School of Eight Paths" was similar to something like that, then missing such an opportunity would be extremely foolish and naive. Especially in the current situation. This was her chance to put herself back together and return to action, even despite the loss of her former skills.

Aretz, are you eating a fruit?

The Mirror says that a decision must be made before the Cop gives a new day.

Merel cuts the fruit, removes the pits if there are any. Looks at what it looks like inside and eats it.

well, it's clear that the fruit isn't poisonous. Revan wouldn't drop half the players... again

A facehugger jumps onto Merel's face. (death)

I already have one. It protects.

And after this social experiment, I can say that Arandor has the strongest fruit-related paranoia.

The fruit had an ordinary-looking pit. It was somewhat similar to an avocado pit.

Merel feels a surge of energy.

Merel gains +100 to health and +10 to checks against poisons and diseases.