Into the Mists: Episode 08

### Reddit Thread

***Into the Mists* Episode 8** was streamed on Arcadum's Twitch channel on May 30, 2021, and premiered on Arcadum's YouTube channel on June 02, 2021, and premiered on Arcadum's YouTube channel on June 2, 2021.
The party finds maps and Not'Chek's journal containing Otikata's name. Speaking his name curses Obu Uzuki but Vasily manages to break the curse leaving the reminants of a contract between Otikata and the Pale Emperor on her arm. Running from the Mist, the party enters a portal.

## Summary

*Originally written by u/AsAlternateAsItCanBe*

The party heads back to the entrance and unties Minshi. As everybody seems to be tired, the party decides to take a rest in a small cabin that SIMP summons near the entrance. On Kiliwen's watch, Obu comes down from the rafters and asks her what she is, because she has an Akuma servant and summons dark powers. She explains that she is a Warlock Dhampyr and is here just to meet someone. After discussing some more, Obu retreats back to the ceiling and Kiliwen continues to keep watch for the rest of the night.

As the party is eating breakfast, Vasily asks Minshi more about his chain. Minshi, feeling better than yesterday, explains that it belonged to his mother who passed away from sickness years ago. Vasily tries to direct Minshi's emotion to sadness to feed herself, but to no avail. The party then continues ahead and enters a room filled with maps and books. Most of the maps seem to be faded, but they notice a map that has the exact same handwriting as the map Rzamd gave them. Minshi also looks at the table and notices a copy of a map he drew, and he starts lamenting about how he always felt like the Eclipse were being watched by the Mist itself. Suddenly, his face turns pale. He points to a parchment showing the continent of Glies, except it looks very different with the lines marred. After discussing it, Minshi concludes that it is an ancient relic of the Mystical Era. Nobody knows what happened during that age, as the history of that time is long lost. Minshi then unfurls every map and says that the geography never changes around Titan's Eye.

Talis examines a cartographer's table nearby and finds a map that has the fixed point, but it seems to be replicated across the north side. There is a journal on the table which seems to have belonged to an author named Not'Chek. He was researching something and has gifted this book to another person, telling them to continue the research. The contents also reveal that this dungeon is a vessel. The writing continues, but it becomes more and more confusing and maddening. However, on the last page is clearly written: “They shall remember my name: Otikata.” As all of them discuss what they just found, Obu points to a symbol on the desk. It's the symbol of his order, the Night Cross. When he kneels down and starts chanting, a lock comes undone, revealing another ledger. The ledger seems to be a list of prisons of the Black Library, the places where Akumas that cannot be destroyed are sealed. Many of the names are crossed out, and Obu reads the last name: Otikata.

As the party discusses who made the copies and who Otikata is, black energy explodes from the cartographer's table. It seems that the name ‘Otikata' carries some power. Obu is blown away and starts bleeding. Baëth inspects Obu's body, and realizes that he's afflicted by a curse. It seems that its source is within the desk, so Talis quickly breathes fire at it, burning everything but a black parchment. Vasily prays to Vavren and asks for guidance, to which Vavren responds by telling her that she has to contain the evil magic that resides in the parchment. Vasily immediately grasps the black scroll. Black fire lashes out at Vasily, but she has it under control and cleanses the parchment with the help of her god. Slowly the Siren begins to take control of the scroll until the scroll destroys itself in an attempt to kill Vasily in the process. However, her faith in Vavren is so powerful that it only manages to scar her left arm. The scroll disappears, removing Obu's curse too. As Baëth inspects Vasily's arm, the scarring does not look like a wound, but rather like Glien words. Minshi begins to read the text and says it speaks about a contract between Otikata and the Pale Emperor. They have vowed to not interfere with each other and that the Emperor can have the ‘body' so long as Otikata can have the ‘heart'. It also seems that the Emperor still lives according to the contract.

The party laments on what just happened and, after a short break, they continue further down some marble steps. The first room they enter looks like a surgical room. There are two creatures from the Mist lying on the operating tables. As they inspect the bodies, the creatures seem to have died by exsanguination. At first, the lab notes indicate that someone was trying to research the weaknesses of these creatures to try to remove them. However, Minshi finds out that the creatures already have had their weaknesses removed, and instead the experiment is trying to reverse the process. Inside the room is also life energy contained by long tubing. Because Vasily barely could feed herself with Minshi's sadness, she tries to take some of the life energy. As pure life energy surges through Vasily, she hears the voice of Mirage for a moment, which kicks her out of the Lifestream before her body is overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Kiliwen and Baëth enter a smaller lab where another dead creature lies. Kiliwen then decides to contact Babylon, but she only feels a slight feeling of annoyance. Feeling frustrated, she cuts the creature and uses its blood to make an unholy ritual circle. This time, darkness engulfs all around her as Babylon arrives. Kiliwen starts to ramble about how unnatural all the siphoning of life energy happening in the other room is, but then Babylon lifts her up and starts choking her, stating that she is wasting his time. He then explains further that she should look more carefully at her compatriots, as one of them has a strong symbol of his, referring to Vasily's left arm. He tells her that Otikata and the Pale Emperor have kept their oaths well. Before he disappears, Babylon warns Kiliwen not to summon him again, unless it is the proper time and with a good reason.

The group stumbles upon a locked door next to another statue holding a bowl of tears. As they have to offer something they love, Talis picks Vasily and dunks her head into the bowl. The mouth of the statue opens, and Inside is a Wand of Cure Light Wounds. The Mist gets thicker as time goes on, and they decide to go north, as the life energy tubes are flowing there. Inside the northern room is an altar with a door behind it. The Mist is especially thick behind the altar. Shrieks can be heard from the south, so the group retreats into the room behind the altar. Inside is a portal shaded in purple. Kiliwen feels the presence of the portal and what's behind it: the source of the Mist. With no other choice, the party jumps into the portal and lands in another place. The place is covered in Mist, but here it has an array of hues instead of just pure white. Up ahead, a labyrinth awaits.

## Featured Characters

### Main Characters

* Baeth Wellington
* Garlic Crouton
* Kiliwen Joy
* Talis
* Vasily
* Yukina

### Returning

* Minshi Sho
* Obu Uzuki
* SIMP

### Mentioned

* Not'Chek
* Otami Kurosai
* Otikata

## References

1. ↑ Date is shown on YouTube VOD
2. ↑ Original Summary from Verum Weekly