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The radio started up.

"Hello all, and welcome back to The Longest Thread- Misadventures™! As always, my name is Bacon the Bard, here to fill you in on all the plots, tangents, and absolute nonsense that you missed out on!

Our last episode ended (circa pg. 2892) with our characters split up in multiple different locations. Tull, Ista, and Erif were just about to enter Onyx's castle. Sequence, Nogard, and Selppaenip were about to return the battlefield atop the snowy mountain. And the Buffet Crew were preparing to launch an assault to retrieve Beosta's soul-containing sphere from the thief Bat.

In this episode, we will see new heroes and new villains arrive. Battles will be fought and won. There will be despair, but there will also be love! All this and more on this week's episode of The Longest Thread.

Tull, Ista, and Everyone appear in a blank room where a mysterious voice (soon revealed to be Onyx) speaks to them. Ista petitions him for help, but Onyx reveals that he considers himself unable to help anyone. He explains that Erif's world 'failed [the people inside] just as it failed the brave adventurer" and "failed to fulfil its purpose", whatever that means. He further explains that without a future, the people trapped in a frozen moment are as good as dead.

Before the Buffet Crew leaves for the assault, we realize that Shoe is experiencing side effects from being injected by nullite. We briefly employ the services of a consultant, who determines that the issue will likely resolve itself by the end of the day. (Those who understand narrative structure will understand that, in this context, this means entirely the opposite.)

We head through the portal and break into the secure strongroom, where we confront a group of people with tattoos that are immune to Narration. We request the return of Beosta's sphere, but they refuse, claiming that the soul inside will destroy them if resurrected. Furthermore, they refuse to deal with Narrators such as myself. So I leave, and the rest of the group is able to broker a deal wherein we promise to take the person inside the sphere far away where he will not possibly bother them, in exchange for taking one of them with us in order to ensure we keep our word. Thus Bat joins the party!

With that, we return to my castle. There we meet new character Salem the young witch, who I rescued from an abandoned cottage with the promise of bacon sandwiches. Beosta proceeds to resurrect the soul, who is named Geioh, and becomes the third new member of our party in this episode.

With all the new characters, we decide we are ready to take on a new challenge. Beosta still needs to complete her CD, after all! (Whatever it is that stands for.) In order to find a suitably heroic task, I 'borrow' Onyx's access to the Ennuller's system to access their list of 'current situations of interest.' Beosta selects a withergeist infestation to clear out, and the group heads out. (Sans me, because Onyx doesn't like fun, I guess.)

A red potato shows up, observes, and does nothing. Progress!

As soon as the group steps through the portal, they encounter a fairy with a fairly chaotic attitude named Dewdrop Morningrose. She flits off, showing the group the way to the town plagued by withergeists.

The group soon encounters a thick fog. Despite its ominous appearance, it appears to be normal fog, and so the group presses on.

After a few minutes of walking they hear the scream of a child. They hurry ahead and discover a village buried in the fog. They find the source of the scream, a child being defended by another new character- Asher. The pair are being assaulted by withergeists. The group attacks the withergeists and are able to hold them at bay. (Salem, however, is revealed to be bonded to a withergeist- and then collapses.)

A figure appears in the mist, a pale man with a sword who claims to be searching for survivors. He offers to lead them to the mansion, but not before sending some of the more powerful members of the group away to 'look for survivors.' As soon as the group reaches the mansion, he takes Shoe hostage and ties the remaining members of the party up in vines. Withergeists proceed to attack the party, trying to bond with them. Most of the group are able to resist, however (Cricket suddenly realizing that he has an Ennuller in his soul), and a few people break out and assault the pale man directly. (Sequence also shows up briefly to help out!) He flees, retreating into the basement, leaving guards and withergeists to cover his retreat.

In the basement, the pale man throws Shoe into a cage and starts sacrificing people to try and summon the Witherlord. Despite multiple attempts, he is unsuccessful. 

Back on the surface, the Buffet Crew makes a counterattack against the guards. A new person from the same world as Tenth named Pyk shows up and helps. Sequence uses Conflict in battle for the first time.

Beosta charges into the basement after Shoe, determined to rescue him. She tears through the withergeists with pure mental force (quite an impressive feat- don't know if you've ever tried that!) and overpowers the guards to get Shoe out of the cage. She escapes back to the surface, pursued by a furious pale man.

The pale man engages Tam on the surface, encasing them in a cage of vines. Despite landing a blow, he is slain by Pyk. Geioh attacks the crew, having been possessed by a withergeist, but he is quickly overpowered.

The rest of the crew clean up the last of the withergeists, and the mist dissipates. The battle has been won!

I go and pick up Cricket from where he ended up, having slain one of the guards with the help of his newly discovered Ennuller soul fragment. I take him back to my castle, where an ennuller shows up and gives him an ultimatum; either join the Ennullers, or have his ennulling abilities excised from his soul. Cricket pleads for time, and the ennuller gives him twenty four hours. Cricket begins making plans to escape the grasp of the ennullers, and I take him back to the rest of the group.

Back at the town, a dragon shows up briefly to make sure that the village is free of withergeists. He gives me a tip off about Ennullers seeking for my destruction.

Salem wakes up away from the group and is worried for a little bit that her withergeist killed everyone, but I speak to her through her string and reassure her otherwise.

Pyk recruits Asher to look for Tenth, who has disappeared. He takes her to his home world and shows her some of his tech.

Bat has a conversation with Tam about why his people are so afraid of Narrators, explaining that they have a particular vulnerability built into them. He explains that his tattoos don't fade, unlike the others of his people.

Shoe and Beosta have a very cute conversation and decide to go look for Livetha, who vanished. Before they can, however, they are interrupted by a woman asking for help healing the townsfolk possessed by withergeists.

As we go to the prison, Beosta confesses to me feelings regarding Shoe, but continues to deny being in love with him. (Despite my repeated assurances!)

Beosta does some withergeist-tearing to heal the townsfolk. However, she is unable to save a solid handful, including John, the husband of the woman who asked for help. She has to be dragged away from them before she permanently injures herself.

As soon as she recovers her strength, of course, she goes right back- however, when she gets there, she sees them disappear through a portal into the Void. (Will they be relevant later? Who's to say?)

Shoe takes Beosta to go look for Livetha to hopefully cheer her up. They find Livetha resting, exhausted from the mental strain of shredding withergeists. Roth shows up and pronounces Beosta's CD- her 'character development' (Aha! I knew it!) complete, and finalizes the bond between her and Livetha.

Beosta has some 'girl talk' with Tam about her feelings regarding Shoe. Despite Tam's assurance (that's two Narrators, now, Beosta!) she continues to insist that she is not in love with Shoe.

I teleport the group back to the town, where Cricket has returned looking for everyone. We begin to make plans to celebrate when Shoe begins to cough.

Following the fight, Tenth manifest Ennuller abilities due to getting some nullite in his blood. He teleports home and accidentally kills some people due to a contaminant, until an Ennuller shows up and forcefully takes him to Ennuller HQ be operated on. The doctor enters his dreamscape and is successfully able to restrain his chaotic contaminant- for now. Tenth agrees to join the Ennullers, and is told to rest and prepare for instruction on the next day.

On the battlefield, the General refuses to give up the Great Wizard, sighting the need to separate him from his horde of rabbits. Before she can whisk him away, however, TP sneezes, sending everyone flying- including Nogard, Selppaenip, and Subversion, recently returned to the battlefield. (Meanwhile, Hacob learns why it is that the Great Wizard's rabbits are so feared when they get a taste of his blood and start trying to eat him.)

TP takes off in the chaos and recovers the Great Wizard and Selppaenip. He also picks up Gail (with Qodi) and Nogard, then flees the battlefield. The General follows in hot pursuit. TP attempts evasive maneuvers, but the General is eventually able to board and engage Selppaenip. 

Meanwhile, Jilu has a biting contest with some red rabbits and Hacob flees to a separate location to hopefully gain an advantage over the rabbits. He subtly redirects TP so that he will also arrive at that location, hoping the Great Wizard's presence will subdue them.

The General is eventually able to convince Selppaenip that it will be better for all involved if the Great Wizard goes to trial, and Selppaenip agrees to let the Brave Adventurers take custody over him- though he does request to remain as his defender. The group lands at the volcano, which is actually a base of the Brave Adventurers in disguise. (It does erupt as they approach, but that's just Hacob infiltrating the system.)

In a land beyond reality, Platypus receives a tool for dealing with Ennullers- a pen!

Having learned in his visit to the Dreamsmith that the two new Plotblades pose an existential threat to the Thread, he goes to the Ennullers to petition them for assistance. The Ennullers agree to provide help should it become necessary.

Platypus teleports to the battlefield and tries to convince the Brave Adventurers to stop fighting the Bravest Expeditioners, but is unsuccessful.

Apparently Onyx and the Dreamsmith had a meeting, but Onyx won't let me talk about it. I bet it was all old references that nobody would understand anyways.

And thus our episode draws to a close, with some story threads wrapped up and others reaching a climax. Will Shoe be able to recover from his nullite poisoning? Will the Great Wizard's trial be a fair one? Will one of the two Plotblades be claimed at last? Will Beosta ever admit that she is in love with Shoe?

Find answers to all these questions and more in the next episode of The Longest Thread- Misadventures™! Thank you all for listening, and have a good night.