Episode 203 - Soul'd Out

## Synopsis

The students woke to a cold spring morning, after their evening of mourning. They met up in their study room in the Old Chapel, and started planning how to get Winsler back. Mira suggested they could use the various teleportation capabilities of the campus to reach Isathil, but getting the his soul back would be much harder. Serinepth agreed, saying they couldn't offer anything that was as valuable as a soul.

Integrity asked, *"I mean, what if we find a soul and offer an entire soul to her?"*

She said there might be a soul aimlessly wandering the world that they could try and persuade into taking Winsler's place. Mira whispered that Williard was nearby, and that that might be insensitive to talk about. They felt the air grow slightly cooler around them. She clarified that she didn't mean Williard specifically, and Serinepth remembered the released souls in Nebulosis, how they might still be around.

Mira asked why they didn't just steal Winsler's soul back. She thought they might not get a willing soul to go with them, so perhaps they could sneak into Seltie's house with the help of Serinepth's *Invisibility*, take the teapot, and get out. Serinepth was uncomfortable with this, reminding her about Ferdinand and how likely it would be for Seltie to send someone after them as well. Integrity suggested instead they could try to find the other sixteen-seventeenths of his soul, but none of them could decide where he might have gone and short of visiting each plane to look, they had no way of knowing. She then thought he might be like Williard, a lost soul wandering the material plane. Mira said that even if they couldn't get the part of Winsler's soul that Seltie had, she might know where the rest was, and Mira had spells to get that information from her.

Serinepth liked the compromise. Mira continued and said they could try trading for his soul directly, if that failed then they would try to find information on the rest of his soul, and finally look for a way to steal his soul back if she refused. Integrity agreed to the plan, but worried that the things Seltie wanted might change and they might not have enough.

They headed towards the Planar Research Department. On the way over, Serinepth suddenly remembered the seed door they had left in the Undercampus, and they decided to not break into another building. Instead, they descended the hummingbird lift into the charred corridor and the the Jeed workshop. They found the door standing where they had left it, and entered the paper world. Much of the world had burned, and they couldn't see any of the paper creatures that normally flited around. The students reached the door that led into Isathil, opened it, and walked into the hyper saturated colours of the divine plane.

Memories of their previous visits to the plane resurfaced, as they looked ahead of them to see a familiar crescent lake around a massive tree. Above them, the serpentine form of Shin Pem danced in the sky. In the middle of the lake, the wobbling purple cone of Seltie's house sat right where they expected. They pulled themselves across the lake, and Integrity knocked three times at the door.

It popped open, and from the inside they heard a voice call out, *"Welcome! Why don't you come in girls."*

*"How did you know it was us?"* asked Integrity.

*"Get in out of all the horrible air out there!"*

Serinepth entered the house. Mira took a breath and followed. They found Seltie walking around the store, smiling at them as they came in. Over at the stove, they saw a shadow. A two-foot tall shadow, with unmistakable curly hair, as a magical apparition of Winsler's soul tended to the pot, slowly bubbling away over the fire.

Seltie clicked her fingers. *"Girls! I didn't expect you so soon after I saw you, I'm glad to know you got out of that horrible situation with that ugly brain however. What c– I don't really have anything for sale right now, I've been kind of getting things in order after my wonderful– should I introduce you to my servant? This is my wonderful servant, what should I call you to others... Arthur, this is Arthur. It's not your friend, I swear to you. It looks exactly like him, I used a bit of the hair, a bit of the soul, to conjure a little simulacrum to help me around. I'm an old woman, I need the help around the store! And it's nice to have some company, though he can't really speak, he can't do that. But, that's besides things."*

Seltie walked up to them and grabbed their hands, especially Mira's prosthetic, admiring its craftsmanship. She asked how she could help them, and Mira stuttered that they wanted to talk. Seltie dragged them over to the couch, and yelled at Arthur to put some tea on. The ghostly form of Winsler drifted over to a cupboard, and pulled out the teapot Seltie had used to capture Winsler's soul. He went back to the stove and put the teapot directly over the flames. The students hesitantly sat down, and Seltie once again asked what they wanted. Mira asked if she knew where the rest of Winsler's soul was, and subtly cast *Detect Thoughts* on her. Her mind was filled with a genuine joy and amusement at their company, as well as the desire to make even more deals with them. Seltie asked why she would keep track of a soul she didn't have, when Mira pressed the question, she herself asked why they were so interested in it. Her mind filled with the sharp image of the scene in front of her, blocking Mira from finding anything useful. She told them they wouldn't be able to do anything with the rest of the soul, unless they were planning to take the part that she had.

Mira struggled to come up with an answer, so Serinepth stepped in and said that they just wanted to find the rest of it because he was their friend. Integrity told her that they came to her because she knew people across all the planes. Mira saw Seltie's mind flicking through all the people she knew, who could she pair them with to get what she wanted. As Mira asked what she wanted in exchange for the information, Arthur came over with the teapot. When the shadow poured it into their cups, instead of a soul came an earthy smelling tea.

Seltie grabbed her cup and said, *"We're well past the time for fingernails and hair girls. I have within me the strength of oh so many witches, I have within me the souls of so many people... Not that I'm going to do anything horrible or evil with them! It's just nice to have, it fills me with such a warm, bubbly feeling inside. If you want the information on where the rest of his soul is, we're going to be dealing in things of family members, names, souls, anything of the sort."*

Mira took a risk and tried to probe deeper into Seltie's mind. She broke through and began searching for the information they needed. Seltie stopped abruptly, and stared straight at Mira. She recoiled in disgust as Mira found what she was looking for, the rest of Winsler's soul was in the Betting House of the Gods, Duplicity, in the Plane of Lem. Serinepth asked what the names of their family meant, but Seltie shushed her and ordered Mira to get out of her head. Mira thanked her for the information, and ended the spell.

Seltie leaned forward. *"You know where it is, you don't know what you're getting yourselves into though, I can tell you that."*

*"No, you're right, we don't"*

*"Even if you get the other sixteen parts, you're still missing mine. I would drink the tea if I were you, before it gets cold."* Seltie drank some of her tea.

*"Maybe so, but we can't give up on our friend."*

*"Very well, I wouldn't blame you right? No one gives someone a hard time on letting friends die and so forth, it's no one's fault you know."*

Integrity asked, *"Does it no affect you that your best customer is gone?"*

Seltie giggled, and drank more of the tea. The house fell silent until she leaned back and said, *"He was my best customer, it is a shame you know. We got on so well, he really got me, do you understand? He got what I was doing here. In another life, I think we could have been good business partners."*

Mira said, *"Well we're going to get those sixteen-seventeenths back and maybe you want to keep your seventeenth, but maybe it benefits you more for that relationship to continue. If we can show you we have everything else we need– I mean Winsler made a whole golem, if you kept dealing with him I bet you could–"*

Seltie cackled. *"Winsler did not do that alone. He did that with my help, you understand that right? He did not get that Tear of an Angel, I got that for him."*

*"That's what I mean! You guys work well together, you might get more than just an assistant."*

*"That was the most dangerous thing I've ever done for someone."*

*"Fair enough, fair enough. Just something to think about."*

*"It does speak well to the relationship, sure, sure, you're right it speaks to the relationship... So regardless you'll be going after him then, into the Plane of Lem."*

*"Into the Plane of Lem."*

Seltie sighed, glaring at the students. *"Not often do people come into my shop, cast spells on me, harass an old woman who's done nothing wrong in the world! Just a shopkeeper, not often do they harass me for things. You already have your information, what else do you need? You don't want my seventeenth of the soul now do you? Or is that what we're here to discuss now, you already know where the rest of it is, but do you want my part? I'm fond of it, but for the right price I'd be willing to give it up."*

*"What sort of price?"*

Seltie again stated that she wanted names, family members, and souls. Mira asked what exactly she meant by this, Seltie explained that if they gave her a family member she could take them and they would belong to her, if they gave her a name then the person would no longer have a name, erased from time as it belonged to her. She also told them that a single name was nowhere near as precious as a soul. Serinepth asked what if she had two names of powerful people, to which Seltie said it would be extremely messy and complicated, then asked who she had in mind.

Serinepth looked to her friends then back to Seltie. *"My parents."*

*"Their names for me dear? There are so many parents in the world, it would save me an hour or two."*

*"It would be Bertram and Olivia Sinderman."*

*"Never heard of them."* Seltie leaned back in her chair. *"And you, Miss Integrity, any siblings to give away, a grandma you're not fond of? I would prefer young children though, make new hags out of them."*

*"No! Unfortunately I love my entire family."*

Mira asked how many names she wanted in exchange for Winsler's soul. Seltie put her pen down and told her it would take at least fifteen. On the other hand, if they were willing to just give her a single person, family or friend, she would take it. They could also give her a part of their soul, but then again none of their souls were really worth taking. She thought for a moment longer, than said they could have his soul in exchange for three names and a favour. There were many things lost on the Plane of Lem that she wanted, including a coin created to play tricks with the gods, you would flip the coin and say someone's name, but she didn't know what happened after that. She told them the boy's name was Bou Bolero, and they could find him in Dry Falls. The students finally drank some of their tea, and felt a warmth as though their friend was with them if only for a brief moment. Seltie passed the paper she had been writing on, holding all the names they had given her as well as a drawing of a coin. Serinepth stared at the names of her parents, took another sip of the tea, took a deep breath, and signed the paper. Seltie took it back, thanked them for the deal and walked them out.

As they left Seltie said, *"I look forward to seeing you in a little bit I guess. I hope for your sakes that you all make it out of there."*

She slammed the door shut and the students pulled themselves back to the shore. Mira asked Serinepth if she was alright with signing over her parents names, she replied that there were other Sindermans, some of whom might be better. As they hurried towards the seed door, Serinepth and Integrity heard the crackling of the living trees in Isathil, a melodic sound that pushed them to sleep, to stay in the plane. They forced their way through the door and back onto campus, where they found students milling around and leaving for home for the week. Integrity went to get some money, as well as the strange book about Lem that had been in her items from Troisle. Serinepth gave Virgil food for the week, he was now enormous, almost the size of her bed. Mira found Delnys outside the Necromancy Department and told her where they were going. Delnys was concerned, asking if they needed any help, but Mira told her they were going to find someone who could take them there, and that the lyre she had might be able to get them out if they were in a hurry.

Mira hesitated, but also told Delnys that she knew she had been lying, she knew she had gone through with the ritual. Delnys' face fell immediately and just said, *"Just keep the lyre with you then."*

*"Is there anything I can do now? Anything you'll need help with, things I should know?"*

*"I don't need help with anything. What I said to you was true, I wasn't strong enough to go all the way with it."*

*"But you went part way?"*

*"Yeah, it was at the Lady of the Woods' request. There was a newly unearthed method, we tried it out, it seemed to be partially successful. I seemed to... at the very least get a bit more... have a hang of the magic that I study. There's nothing that I need your help with, with this. There's nothing that I want to ask your help with, with this, it's..."*

*"Fair enough, but I am here for you. I know you don't need 'help' help, but I am here."*

Delnys held Mira's hand. *"I'm thankful for that. I don't need any help right now, at least with the changes, but if anything starts to go badly... I swear to you Mira, I love you so much, you will be the first person to know."*

*"Ok... We're going to go know–"*

*"Please stay safe."*

*"We'll do everything we can. I'll miss you."*

Mira kissed Delnys and pulled away. She met up with Serinepth and Integrity and together they went through the Hall of Voyages and into Dry Falls.