Ink and Blood: Episode 03

### Reddit Thread

***Ink and Blood* Episode 3** was streamed on Arcadum's Twitch channel on June 28, 2021, and premiered on Arcadum's YouTube channel on July 1, 2021.
The adventurers find a book with strange markings in a bookshelf and Kouki gets cursed while reading about Otikata's hatred against his race. He is saved by Crowley and the group continues to stop a ritual.

## Summary

*Summary originally written by u/AsAlternateAsItCanBe*

As the party descends into the cave, they notice that there are numerous bookshelves with a few Screaming Sealed lingering around. The more pressing issue however is the ritual circle at the other end of the cave, surrounded by four handmaidens and a woman with a disfigured body at its center. Elliot decides to scout ahead quietly while the rest of the party decides to check the alchemy table near them. They spot a human brain on the table with memories inscribed into it in Western runes. On the bottom of the brain is a cap with the words 'binding' written in Eastern. Jerry pulls the cap off, and a strange silvery liquid begins to drip out. Tiri identifies it as the Potion of Wisdom and keeps it safe before Jerry can do anything rash. Meanwhile, Elliot has been spying on the creatures wandering around the bookshelves when he notices one tome that sticks out more than the rest. He swipes it quickly and inspects it. The title of the book is "*Exart of The Abyss VIII,*" which has strange markings around it. The word "Otikata" is also etched into the front of the book with blood, and the latch that sealed the book is broken.

Elliot rejoins the rest when Ral decides to taste the Wisdom Potion. For four seconds the world seems to fall apart, and Ral hears a voice saying "Soon." He then snaps back to reality. Ral and Kouki then decide to open the tome that Elliot took from the bookshelf. The book seems to be about the author’s hatred for the Glien races. As they continue, Ral hears the voice of his patron warning him to stop, so he stops. However, Kouki is still feeling curious about the book and continues reading it by himself. Eventually he reaches the part where the book mentions his race, the Geckoi, and he is unable to move as he reads the curse of his own race. Jerry immediately slaps the book out of Kouki’s hand, shutting it close, but Kouki is still unable to move. His eyes start to bleed, and inside his mind he feels as if he’s impaled from the back. Fortunately, Kouki serves Crowley, who helps him expel the curse, but inside his mind he’s impaled by more stakes, dealing substantial damage to his physical body. As a result, the boon of Crowley surges through Kouki, which allows him to deal maximum damage as long as he hits a creature. With nothing else left to do, the group decides to stop the ritual. Tiri and Kouki step forward while the rest of them take position, and a harrowing wind begins to blow.

The combat begins. Elliot identifies that the Screaming Sealed deal damage with their screams. Jerry notes that the handmaidens can reduce their movement if they hit. He kills one of the maidens and goes back into hiding. Kouki summons his Spiritual Weapon as he advances towards the ritual circle. Onna, the woman in the middle of the ritual circle, fires Magic Missiles at Kouki as Tiri Smites another one of the handmaidens. Meanwhile, Jerry looks into a bookshelf and finds a book called "Traveler’s Guide to the Path of Prosperity" and snatches it. As Kouki tries to move his Spiritual Weapon towards Onna, it is unable to reach her as there is an opaque shield blocking it. The Screaming Sealed scream at Kouki and he falls unconscious, but Tiri immediately saves him using Lay of Hands. As the fight continues, Kouki feels the situation growing more dire, so he pulls out the amulet of Crowley and summons three skeletons to fight with him. With the help of the skeletons, Kouki dispatches all of the Screaming Sealed. This lowers the shield surrounding Onna, so the group advances towards her. Kouki dismisses his skeletons and uses his Spiritual Weapon instead to deal the finishing blow to Onna, knocking her out.

As the battle is over, Elliot silently leaves and sits in front of the red light with his mask on. Because he despises the undead, he does not intend to talk with Kouki. Kouki tries to explain to Elliot about why he serves Crowley, but he seems to not be listening. Tiri and Ral tie Onna up, as she seems to be in a peaceful state now that she is defeated. As Ral destroys the ritual circle, he notices a scrap of paper. It is a request made to someone by Lord Goda. Tiri feels that someone is watching them, so he looks up and sees a white spider with a human torso. The spider then says with the same voice that beckoned them to come in: *"Come, we have much to speak."*

## Featured Characters

### Main Characters

* Elliot Mylic
* Jerry
* Kouki Subeuroko
* Ral'Sazesh
* Tiri Anand

### New

* Onna
* Skeleton Warrior
* White spider with a human torso

### Returning

* Rotting Handmaiden
* Screaming Sealed

### Mentioned

* Otikata
* Crowley
* Lord Oma Goda

## References

1. ↑ Date is shown on YouTube VOD
2. ↑ Verum Weekly: Summaries of Streamed Games of the Week (July 1st, 2021)