way to go kid, no just run like hell and get out of here before they come back. you can rest when you don't have to worry about getting your spark eaten while you sleep.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/10/21(Tue)12:04 No. 599089 ID: 30357e
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>No time to relax, or celebrate. You don't know how long it will be until the hollows return to the path, or one of them turns around and sees you. Keep moving.
>you should probably get a move on then
>no just run like hell and get out of here before they come back. you can rest when you don't have to worry about getting your spark eaten while you sleep.

Astral doesn’t need to be told twice; she’s gone.

>also good job.
>way to go kid

Astral likes to think so! She smiles.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/10/21(Tue)12:04 No. 599090 ID: 30357e
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…but her smile fades when she reaches the last gap in the path.

In her way stands the largest Hollow she’s ever seen.

And it sees her.

...Hrm. We COULD do the spark split thing, leave it behind us, and when the hollow goes for it, dodge and make a break for it...Or if we're careful about how far we get away from the path/how we do so we might be able to bounce off the path, arc around the hollow, and then land back on it...Alternatively, we could try throwing the ice at it to slow it down (would that slow it down?)

>>599090
How the fuck are we going to get past that? A distraction won't work since it already sees you. Can you fight it? Talk to it? Endure its assault and escape with even a little bit of spark left?

Jump off the path to go around it while still keeping the path in sight so you can return to it?

The distortion a hollow provides may be sufficient to act as a guide itself, even without the path, particularly if the shattered remains of the path swirl about.

Can you orbit around it?

You said hollows are stupid right? Think about how you can trick this thing, but think quickly I don't think you have too much time.

>>599097
Agreed we might not have much time, I think you should combine your actions, when it attempts to lunge at you, shed off a spark as a decoy, compress yourself and charge forward as low as you can. Go straight, the path is there, just hard to see with all the distortion.

What does big mean, here, though? That it's fed enough to grow, or that it was a large star before it was hollowed out?

We can't count on a simple distraction, since it's already made you. We also don't know if this large hollow is as dumb as its lesser contemporaries.

If it's slow enough, we might be able to dodge from path-fragment to path-fragment, but we can't really count on that.

We might be able to do a spark trick again... but that takes time to setup, and it's already made you.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/11/11(Tue)18:40 No. 601644 ID: 30357e
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>What does big mean, here, though? That it's fed enough to grow, or that it was a large star before it was hollowed out?

Astral isn’t sure, but she guesses it could be either or both.

>...Hrm. We COULD do the spark split thing, leave it behind us, and when the hollow goes for it, dodge and make a break for it...Or if we're careful about how far we get away from the path/how we do so we might be able to bounce off the path, arc around the hollow, and then land back on it...
>Can you orbit around it?
>Jump off the path to go around it while still keeping the path in sight so you can return to it?
>If it's slow enough, we might be able to dodge from path-fragment to path-fragment

Astral is ready. She pushes all fear and doubt to the back of her mind.

She’s going to do this. She knows she will.

She splits off a part of herself again, much more easily than last time.

She readies herself, and leaps once more-

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/11/11(Tue)18:41 No. 601645 ID: 30357e
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…Only to find herself caught.

The Giant Hollow interrupts her momentum, yanking her closer with the force of its breath.

In an instant, it has devoured the part of her spark she was using as a distraction, and now she finds herself facing the same fate.

She tries to keep from panicking, tries to focus, to think.

But it is very difficult.

She finds she is utterly terrified.

>>601645
What would happen if you threw your ice in its face?

Can you propel yourself by streaming off bits of yourself forcefully, like a rocket? Can you stretch yourself to grab the path, to pull yourself away?

You cooouuuld try begging it to let you go.

Hrrm. Okay so, I've got an idea. You still have the ice right? Launch it quickly at him. If I'm right, the propulsion from that SHOULD get you away from him for a bit. Even if that doesn't work ,the ice might give him something to chew...
Alternatively...
Split yourself. Split yourself so that you end up with the smaller portion of the spark. Split yourself so that what's left of you can hide in your coat if that hollow wouldn't be interested. If it would be then throw the coat and backpack at it, and the ice alongside it. With any luck, you'll give it an actual mouthful and it won't be able to draw you in.

uh, hollows still share the same weaknesses as you right? as in if you poke one in the eye it will still hurt like a son of a bitch right? If so think you can throw something at it to maybe stun it, even for a second and then run like mad to the part of the path that is still intact and run like mad.

I'm not sure throwing anything at him will work. He's sucking inward, anything you throw will be drawn into his maw.

We need to generate thrust away from his gravity. Or even better, along a vector that allows us to use him for a gravitation slingshot to the other side.

...can you generate a controlled explosion with your spark? Release a portion of the stored energy, violently? We need a rocket, here. Be a shooting star.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)01:26 No. 614279 ID: 30357e
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>What would happen if you threw your ice in its face?
>You still have the ice right? Launch it quickly at him.
> you can throw something at it to maybe stun it, even for a second and then run like mad to the part of the path that is still intact and run like mad.

Astral is willing to try anything. She throws as much of the ice as she can before her limbs become incapacitated by the force of the Hollow's hunger.

It seems to have little or no effect. The Hollow starts digesting the ice immediately.

>Can you propel yourself by streaming off bits of yourself forcefully, like a rocket? Can you stretch yourself to grab the path, to pull yourself away?
>Split yourself. Split yourself so that you end up with the smaller portion of the spark. Split yourself so that what's left of you can hide in your coat if that hollow wouldn't be interested.
>...can you generate a controlled explosion with your spark? Release a portion of the stored energy, violently? We need a rocket, here. Be a shooting star.

Astral tries, but she's being pulled together by the Hollow's pull. Her spark feels like it's being crushed, like her whole body is warping. She can barely think under so much pressure.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)01:28 No. 614282 ID: 30357e
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>Talk to it?
>You cooouuuld try begging it to let you go.

Astral's mind feels like it's dying. She feels her body, her spark, her soul being wrenched away from her as the Hollow brings her close.

She has just enough thought left to shout out simply:

"Please don't eat me! I don't want to die!"

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)01:29 No. 614283 ID: 30357e
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...all of a sudden, the pressure ceases. Astral feels like she's alive again. She can think.

Astral sees tiny lights flare up in the two most gigantic eyes she's ever seen.

>>614283
"Please, I just want to continue my journey. I just need to make it to the other side."

uh...thanks? for not eating me

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)02:06 No. 614297 ID: 30357e
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>uh...thanks? for not eating me

Astral waits for some response. She thinks this must be a fluke. Any second now, she's going to get gobbled up. She knows she's doomed. Of course she's doomed! Hollows can't think. They're mindless-

"...You're welcome."

...Astral is scared.

>"Please, I just want to continue my journey. I just need to make it to the other side."

"Where are you going? Can I come?"

It's like a child's voice. The largest, loudest child.

Astral feels like she's dreaming. Or crazy.

...come to think of it, she's been called both of those before.

YES oh my god YESSSSS
"We're going to escape the path. I've been told there's a way, by reducing my spark."

Where you're heading you will have to shed a lot of your form and become an insignifigant speck... If the Pseudo-Hollow, as I'll call it, since this one seems to still be able to think, wants to come along, it will have to shrink itself down as well.
Actually, I'm not even sure how much of a Hollow it is, since it seems to have a rather orderly form right now.

>Can I come?
Maybe? Can you travel?

...can you make yourself smaller? It's a very small place I'm going to. Even I'm going to have to get smaller.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)02:42 No. 614305 ID: 30357e
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>"We're going to escape the path. I've been told there's a way, by reducing my spark."

"Whoa! That sounds neat! You're neat!"

Astral... is neat. Apparently.

She's also feeling very surreal.

>Where you're heading you will have to shed a lot of your form and become an insignifigant speck... If the Pseudo-Hollow, as I'll call it, since this one seems to still be able to think, wants to come along, it will have to shrink itself down as well.
>...can you make yourself smaller? It's a very small place I'm going to. Even I'm going to have to get smaller.

"Huh? Oh! Daddy was teaching me how to do that! Look, look, I'm gonna do it. Are you watching?"

Astral watches, obligingly.

In an instant, the... Hollow?... is smaller. Dramatically so.

"Did you see? Did you see? I'm so neat."

Astral stares at the tiny nightmare.

"...Oh! But don't worry, you're still neat, too!"

>>614305
okay, uh, if we were to take this along with us to a planet, would it still hunger? Would it still eat people?
And for that matter, how will Astral keep herself going there?

yes that is neat. we will need to talk to the guy at the end to find out how small we need to be.

...daddy?

Never seen anybody able to go from being giant like a Hollow to turning small like a particle! That is pretty neat. Hopefully you can learn to do that by the time you reach your destination, it would be useful for being small enough to be on the planet.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2014/12/23(Tue)04:27 No. 614330 ID: 30357e
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>yes that is neat. we will need to talk to the guy at the end to find out how small we need to be.

"Ooh, we're going to the end of this road? Maybe we can say hi to daddy!"

>...daddy?

"Yeah! Daddy Stell! Well, he always tells me to call him 'brother', but that's silly, 'cause he's my daddy!"

>okay, uh, if we were to take this along with us to a planet, would it still hunger? Would it still eat people?
>And for that matter, how will Astral keep herself going there?

Astral wonders. She isn't sure herself. Astral remembers to ask these (and many, many other) questions when she meets, er, 'daddy'.

well, which way is the road?

>>614330
It seems Stell has figured out a way to bring a Hollow back to life. Amazing. I wonder if the Reckoning know about this.

Ask the kid if it's still hungry all the time.

Wow. We've met an adorable little monster.

...I suppose that's some comfort. Who's going to attack you when you're in the presence of a hollow?

And I guess we have a way to introduce ourselves to Stell. If he thinks the hollow would be a threat to the marble world, he can probably talk it out of it (it'll listen to 'Daddy', right?).

>what do
Does it have a have a name? You're Astral.

...well shall we continue then?

Ask for a name, also might want to start walking again time stop for no one.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2015/04/04(Sat)21:34 No. 632960 ID: 561f64
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>Astral asks the kid if it’s still hungry all the time.

“Oh, always! I feel like I could eat a thousand galaxies! But Stell tells me not to be silly when I say that. So maybe I can’t actually. But maybe I can someday, if I’m good!”

>Do you have a name? I’m Astral.

”Stell tells me I used to be called Itria! Sometimes when I think really hard, I can sort of remember. Mostly I just take daddy’s word for it! So I’m Itria!”

>...well shall we continue then?

”Yay! Adventure!”

>stop for no one.

Astral never would. Not unless she could get something more important than the lost time.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2015/04/04(Sat)21:34 No. 632961 ID: 561f64
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Astral hopes now is one of those times.

”Dadddddy!”

No response.

”Oh, he must be off visiting his pets. Darn.”

Time to go. Your new ally should be effective against the other hollows.

Well, don't ask what he is just yet. You don't know much about him and the wrong question might tick him off. Earn his trust and survive to the end.

>>632961
I suppose we'll have to wait. This is your final destination. Prepare yourself, Astral...

Ask Itria if the Reckoning has given Stell any trouble.

Study this 'visiting'. He's projected a tiny piece of himself down to the world, and is concentrating on it?

>>632965
Oh hey yeah maybe we can do the same thing?

start working out what bit you want to send down. a dot from your heart? a spot of your mind? you will need to slough off a considerable amount of mass to be small enough. but don't start until he is back.

any way to brake him out of it or are we just going to have to wait?

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2015/04/04(Sat)23:48 No. 632988 ID: 561f64
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>are we just going to have to wait?

”Yeah, let’s just wait. He gets real mad if you interrupt him. It’s scary.”

>Ask Itria if the Reckoning has given Stell any trouble.

”Oh, Stell talks about the Reckoning sometimes! He says they don’t like him much, and that he doesn’t like them either. He also says a lot of angry stuff I don’t understand.”

>I suppose we'll have to wait. This is your final destination. Prepare yourself, Astral...

Astral is prepared. But she’s not good at waiting. She hates waiting.

>Study this 'visiting'. He's projected a tiny piece of himself down to the world, and is concentrating on it?

Astral stares at Stell. Stell appears to be in some sort of trance. He looks like he’s focusing his essence very delicately, and letting only the very smallest edge of himself graze part of the small circular rock.

Astral!5tTWT1eydY 2015/04/04(Sat)23:48 No. 632989 ID: 561f64
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>Oh hey yeah maybe we can do the same thing?

Astral doesn’t think she’d be able to do it very easily. But she'll try to practice it, at least.

>start working out what bit you want to send down. a dot from your heart? a spot of your mind? you will need to slough off a considerable amount of mass to be small enough. but don't start until he is back.

Is… that how it works? Astral doesn’t know. Astral doesn’t know if she wants to lose any part of herself, or even what part of her is the most important in any case. Every part of her spark is important to her.

Astral doesn’t think she’s very good at this.

>>632989
Maybe instead of removing stuff, you can compress what you have? Not to the extent that you become a Hollow, but... I dunno, be more efficient with your mass. Don't spread around what is "you" so much. Try to just... become smaller.

We *were* told that you would need help. Maybe Itria knows how it works?

>>632989
Unfortunately, you'll probably have to lose some - most, even - of your spark. That tiny dot, that Stell has sent to the surface? Still big, by surface standards - about four times as tall as the average inhabitant.

And compressing isn't going to work too well either - any significant portion of your mass would likely cause catastrophic events on the surface.

Hopefully you'll be able to keep your mind intact at least.

>she doesn't want to lose any part of herself
well maybe you can take a piece of each part of yourself when you go. I mean we don't really have any idea how this is going to work anyways so it might be possible but don't get your hopes up.

i would say the most important part is the part of you that wants to live no matter what.

>Every part of her spark is important to her
Well, you already sacrificed some of it, today. How did you decide which parts to rip off, then?

It might also less be a problem of paring down as condensing.

...or maybe you'll have to let Itria eat most of you to get small enough.

In any event, you shouldn't try anything without talking to Stell, first.

>what do
Maybe ask Itria if there's anything you can do to pass the time? Play with the (terrifying monster) child.