The Longest Thread (Misadventures)

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

1 hour ago, Ashkaloda said:

Yeah. I knew Rebus was going to ask them to find the Lost Pages, but I didn't actually know what they are until now soo

What are the lost pages?

The Shackled Dream Watches The World that knows its truth.

Edited August 12, 2025 by CoderDrag0n8

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

On 8/12/2025 at 1:02 PM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

What are the lost pages?

The Shackled Dream Watches The World that knows its truth.

See this: 

 

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

On 8/11/2025 at 3:52 PM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

ok.

Rebus's counciousnes entirely leaves his body. He then wakes up in a strange forest and hears someone muttering.

"what an interesting side effect... good for testing."

Suddenly, a man appears in front of Rebus. The man seems to be Chained down to the floor by mysterious glowing chains.

"Welcome Rebus."

Rebus nodded to the man, though in this dreamscape, pulses of orange and a dim but steadily glowing purple were visible within him. They quieted somewhat, crackling green flaring up as he spoke. “I assume you brought me here? I do enjoy meeting new people, but presumably that is not all this is for.” 

On 8/11/2025 at 5:34 PM, Ashkaloda said:

I mean... Taeidin and Cep agreed to look for the same thing not knowing what it is...

They were indeed very interesting. Perhaps one day Taeidin would explain them. For now though...

Taeidin looks up at Rebus. 

"They are all very far away, so I was able to pinpoint a possible location. We would need to teleport, and as you are here, can you do the honors?" 

Both Rebus and Heir would be glad to hear about it once that day came. Rebus nodded, lighting up a cloud of nanomachines they could walk through. “I wish you luck with this.” 

On 8/11/2025 at 8:56 PM, ChipsAHoid said:

The man screamed, and said

”Pain… endless! Now you… pain!”

The sprite then held another frog and glanced at Agony’s cut

Axzi spoke

I have been thinking. Perhaps… suffocation?

“I feel no pain.” Upon receiving the message from Axzi, Rebus grinned. Brilliant! I’ll use pure nitrogen - if I recall correctly, it simply feels as though you are breathing normal air, then you get woozy, pass out, and die. 
Rebus put the plan into action, removing the oxygen from the air with his utility fog. He made sure to keep the two other Horrors supplied with oxygen, though Rebus himself didn’t need it. 
Rebus then glanced at Mischief. Where did you even get a frog? 

On 8/11/2025 at 11:10 PM, Bird Furious said:

“I don’t think it will. Not if it let me go.”

Yup

“I hope you are correct.” Rebus looked off into the distance, thinking. “There were a lot of people who wanted us gone, I think, but there are also a lot of people who like us or don’t know us. Maybe we can find somewhere to go - Keys, I understand you can teleport? And if you’re out here, presumably either you or someone else wants you to be far away.” 

On 8/12/2025 at 1:02 PM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

What are the lost pages?

The Shackled Dream Watches The World that knows its truth.

There was a book a while back, with stories unseen from the present, unknown or rewritten from the past, and possible from the future. It’s in Xino’s blog (Unwinding Thread), but a few pages are designated lost, and written in code. There may be others, but the one that I’ve seen holds instructions to summon the Witherlord. 
… Ah! Exactly… It begins… 

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

5 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Rebus nodded to the man, though in this dreamscape, pulses of orange and a dim but steadily glowing purple were visible within him. They quieted somewhat, crackling green flaring up as he spoke. “I assume you brought me here? I do enjoy meeting new people, but presumably that is not all this is for.” 

Both Rebus and Heir would be glad to hear about it once that day came. Rebus nodded, lighting up a cloud of nanomachines they could walk through. “I wish you luck with this.” 

“I feel no pain.” Upon receiving the message from Axzi, Rebus grinned. Brilliant! I’ll use pure nitrogen - if I recall correctly, it simply feels as though you are breathing normal air, then you get woozy, pass out, and die. 
Rebus put the plan into action, removing the oxygen from the air with his utility fog. He made sure to keep the two other Horrors supplied with oxygen, though Rebus himself didn’t need it. 
Rebus then glanced at Mischief. Where did you even get a frog? 

“I hope you are correct.” Rebus looked off into the distance, thinking. “There were a lot of people who wanted us gone, I think, but there are also a lot of people who like us or don’t know us. Maybe we can find somewhere to go - Keys, I understand you can teleport? And if you’re out here, presumably either you or someone else wants you to be far away.” 

There was a book a while back, with stories unseen from the present, unknown or rewritten from the past, and possible from the future. It’s in Xino’s blog (Unwinding Thread), but a few pages are designated lost, and written in code. There may be others, but the one that I’ve seen holds instructions to summon the Witherlord. 
… Ah! Exactly… It begins… 

Taeidin nods to Rebus, then passes through the cloud. 

@Kansas Stormcursed (the cloud is a teleporty thingy if you weren't following)

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

5 hours ago, Ashkaloda said:

See this: 

 

oh thanks

5 hours ago, Dragonheir said:

Rebus nodded to the man, though in this dreamscape, pulses of orange and a dim but steadily glowing purple were visible within him. They quieted somewhat, crackling green flaring up as he spoke. “I assume you brought me here? I do enjoy meeting new people, but presumably that is not all this is for.” 

Both Rebus and Heir would be glad to hear about it once that day came. Rebus nodded, lighting up a cloud of nanomachines they could walk through. “I wish you luck with this.” 

“I feel no pain.” Upon receiving the message from Axzi, Rebus grinned. Brilliant! I’ll use pure nitrogen - if I recall correctly, it simply feels as though you are breathing normal air, then you get woozy, pass out, and die. 
Rebus put the plan into action, removing the oxygen from the air with his utility fog. He made sure to keep the two other Horrors supplied with oxygen, though Rebus himself didn’t need it. 
Rebus then glanced at Mischief. Where did you even get a frog? 

“I hope you are correct.” Rebus looked off into the distance, thinking. “There were a lot of people who wanted us gone, I think, but there are also a lot of people who like us or don’t know us. Maybe we can find somewhere to go - Keys, I understand you can teleport? And if you’re out here, presumably either you or someone else wants you to be far away.” 

There was a book a while back, with stories unseen from the present, unknown or rewritten from the past, and possible from the future. It’s in Xino’s blog (Unwinding Thread), but a few pages are designated lost, and written in code. There may be others, but the one that I’ve seen holds instructions to summon the Witherlord. 
… Ah! Exactly… It begins… 

LOREEEEEEEEEEE

"I brought you here partially to confirm a theory, and partially to gather your help."

Edited August 14, 2025 by CoderDrag0n8

[Kansas Stormcursed he/him]

2 hours ago, Ashkaloda said:

Taeidin nods to Rebus, then passes through the cloud. 

@Kansas Stormcursed (the cloud is a teleporty thingy if you weren't following)

Cep follows, still glaring at Rebus.

I missed some of what occurred; we're searching for the lost pages?

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

3 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

LOREEEEEEEEEEE

"I brought you here partially to confirm a theory, and partially to gather your help."

Indeed. The colors, if that is what you are referring to, are important. Let me know if you have any guesses. 
Green flared up within Rebus, then - as he spoke - pulses of orange and - later on - a brightening of purple. “Scientific inquiry is interesting. I have known to help many, though typically not without expecting something in return. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” 
I shall note that Rebus canonically has a doctorate in applied metaphysics - he is probably a good person for the job. 

1 hour ago, Kansas Stormcursed said:

Cep follows, still glaring at Rebus.

I missed some of what occurred; we're searching for the lost pages?

Rebus bribed them into it with… something. I don’t actually remember what he offered - a favor with an equivalent amount of resource and time expenditure, I think? 

[Kansas Stormcursed he/him]

2 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Indeed. The colors, if that is what you are referring to, are important. Let me know if you have any guesses. 
Green flared up within Rebus, then - as he spoke - pulses of orange and - later on - a brightening of purple. “Scientific inquiry is interesting. I have known to help many, though typically not without expecting something in return. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” 
I shall note that Rebus canonically has a doctorate in applied metaphysics - he is probably a good person for the job. 

Rebus bribed them into it with… something. I don’t actually remember what he offered - a favor with an equivalent amount of resource and time expenditure, I think? 

Wonderful. Cep has no idea what he's gotten into...this'll be fun to play

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

4 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Indeed. The colors, if that is what you are referring to, are important. Let me know if you have any guesses. 
Green flared up within Rebus, then - as he spoke - pulses of orange and - later on - a brightening of purple. “Scientific inquiry is interesting. I have known to help many, though typically not without expecting something in return. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” 
I shall note that Rebus canonically has a doctorate in applied metaphysics - he is probably a good person for the job. 

Rebus bribed them into it with… something. I don’t actually remember what he offered - a favor with an equivalent amount of resource and time expenditure, I think? 

Are they his powers? (orange be narration purple be whatever else Rebus found along the way)

"As you can see," He gestures to the shackles, "I am... chained. I still have access to many of my powers, but at the moment, I am merely a Shackled Dream."

[ChipsAHoid He/Him]

5 hours ago, Dragonheir said:

“I feel no pain.” Upon receiving the message from Axzi, Rebus grinned. Brilliant! I’ll use pure nitrogen - if I recall correctly, it simply feels as though you are breathing normal air, then you get woozy, pass out, and die. 
Rebus put the plan into action, removing the oxygen from the air with his utility fog. He made sure to keep the two other Horrors supplied with oxygen, though Rebus himself didn’t need it. 
Rebus then glanced at Mischief. Where did you even get a frog? 

After a time, he passed out, got back up, and repeated the process several times before staying down.

She grinned and pulled one out of her pocket. And then another. And two more. Then a handful. Soon tiny frogs leapt everywhere and the sprite giggled happily. Then she snorted one. Gleefully.

Axzi’s made a strangled noise 

Did she just-

She looked around for more victims to give frogs.

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

10 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

Are they his powers? (orange be narration purple be whatever else Rebus found along the way)

"As you can see," He gestures to the shackles, "I am... chained. I still have access to many of my powers, but at the moment, I am merely a Shackled Dream."

Nope, these are not his powers - and though there is a tenuous connection, Narration probably has more in common with green. The powers would be noticeable if you got his whole soul, but this is just his consciousness. 
Rebus looked more closely, crackling green engulfing the other colors. Orange and purple returned as he finished the examination of the glowing chains, though green was still far in the forefront. “The Shackled Dream… the chains are a part of your identity, your name. This may be difficult, especially here. Do you know what they are made from?” 

6 minutes ago, ChipsAHoid said:

After a time, he passed out, got back up, and repeated the process several times before staying down.

She grinned and pulled one out of her pocket. And then another. And two more. Then a handful. Soon tiny frogs leapt everywhere and the sprite giggled happily. Then she snorted one. Gleefully.

Axzi’s made a strangled noise 

Did she just-

She looked around for more victims to give frogs.

Rebus, confused, realized that the fall caused pain which allowed him to get back up. He left the zone of empty air in place, ensuring that the Horror was well and truly dead. 
I believe she did, yes. Rebus smiled, bemused, and looked to Betrayal to see where he was to go next. The castle did look promising, but it could always be a decoy. 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

28 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Nope, these are not his powers - and though there is a tenuous connection, Narration probably has more in common with green. The powers would be noticeable if you got his whole soul, but this is just his consciousness. 
Rebus looked more closely, crackling green engulfing the other colors. Orange and purple returned as he finished the examination of the glowing chains, though green was still far in the forefront. “The Shackled Dream… the chains are a part of your identity, your name. This may be difficult, especially here. Do you know what they are made from?” 

Rebus, confused, realized that the fall caused pain which allowed him to get back up. He left the zone of empty air in place, ensuring that the Horror was well and truly dead. 
I believe she did, yes. Rebus smiled, bemused, and looked to Betrayal to see where he was to go next. The castle did look promising, but it could always be a decoy. 

Emotions?

"Well, they... Are only at a first glance. I used to be an Imensly powerful being, my name I cannot not say. These shackles contained my power, locked it away. They locked away as much of me as they could. Now I remember not of the past before these shackles, nor why they are. I remember a time when they were outside of my power, until I was able to consume them. However, I find something strange about them from further inspection. They are made from the same power as my own."

[ChipsAHoid He/Him]

25 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Nope, these are not his powers - and though there is a tenuous connection, Narration probably has more in common with green. The powers would be noticeable if you got his whole soul, but this is just his consciousness. 
Rebus looked more closely, crackling green engulfing the other colors. Orange and purple returned as he finished the examination of the glowing chains, though green was still far in the forefront. “The Shackled Dream… the chains are a part of your identity, your name. This may be difficult, especially here. Do you know what they are made from?” 

Rebus, confused, realized that the fall caused pain which allowed him to get back up. He left the zone of empty air in place, ensuring that the Horror was well and truly dead. 
I believe she did, yes. Rebus smiled, bemused, and looked to Betrayal to see where he was to go next. The castle did look promising, but it could always be a decoy. 

Betrayal shuddered and led them inside the castle. They entered a large, majestic room. Inside there was a man of flame, but made of shadow. The black flames cracked wickedly. Somehow he was in the dimensions of a man, however impossible science said that was. But the world’s definition of science was all void when magic was involved. It would hurt the average brain to look upon him, with such an improbable being. Axzi spoke

In Darkness he is undefeated. He is the ruler of Night, second strongest of them all. He is the Horror of shadow. He will rend you apart, regardless of your strength, unless you have brought his Bane. Direct light. Which, naturally, you have. Therefore he should be easy to kill. However, he is fast and will avoid the light.

The sprite tried to shove a frog up his nose, but he just swatted her away. She shook herself, ruffled, and threw another frog at him. However, this just passed through the Horror. The frog let loose a massive ribbit, and then was promptly stepped on by Shadow. The frog she was busy tying into a bow to put in Rebus’ hair growled deeply. Its eyes glowed and an army of tiny frogs tried to jump Shadow (Pun unintended). He chuckled, deep and unpleasant, and began to methodically kill them one at a time with precise bolts of shadow, each piercing the heart. He seemed to be enjoying himself and taking it slow.

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

12 hours ago, Dragonheir said:

Indeed. The colors, if that is what you are referring to, are important. Let me know if you have any guesses. 
Green flared up within Rebus, then - as he spoke - pulses of orange and - later on - a brightening of purple. “Scientific inquiry is interesting. I have known to help many, though typically not without expecting something in return. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” 
I shall note that Rebus canonically has a doctorate in applied metaphysics - he is probably a good person for the job. 

Rebus bribed them into it with… something. I don’t actually remember what he offered - a favor with an equivalent amount of resource and time expenditure, I think? 

That's correct, although the bribe was unnecessary. 

15 hours ago, Kansas Stormcursed said:

Cep follows, still glaring at Rebus.

I missed some of what occurred; we're searching for the lost pages?

They pass through, and as they step out of the cloud of nanomachines, they appear at the foot of a roller coaster. Bacon (@xinoehp512) is sitting in one of the cars with another person. 

@Hawks, some of your characters are here. 

Stormcursed, I think Asharak is here as well? 

[Keke They/he]

3 minutes ago, Ashkaloda said:

That's correct, although the bribe was unnecessary. 

They pass through, and as they step out of the cloud of nanomachines, they appear at the foot of a roller coaster. Bacon (@xinoehp512) is sitting in one of the cars with another person. 

@Hawks, some of your characters are here. 

Stormcursed, I think Asharak is here as well? 

Uhuh yes what's happening? Ive got three characters here cursed has one and bacon is there. Everyone but a dragon and @Kansas Stormcursed is frozen here 

Edit: Ok it's two people with bacon. One is a lil girl and other is a slightly bigger little girl. 

Edited August 14, 2025 by Hawks

[Kansas Stormcursed he/him]

11 minutes ago, Ashkaloda said:

That's correct, although the bribe was unnecessary. 

They pass through, and as they step out of the cloud of nanomachines, they appear at the foot of a roller coaster. Bacon (@xinoehp512) is sitting in one of the cars with another person. 

@Hawks, some of your characters are here. 

Stormcursed, I think Asharak is here as well? 

9 minutes ago, Hawks said:

Uhuh yes what's happening? Ive got three characters here cursed has one and bacon is there. Everyone but a dragon and @Kansas Stormcursed is frozen here 

Edit: Ok it's two people with bacon. One is a lil girl and other is a slightly bigger little girl. 

Yeah Asharak was there already, and now Cep is here as well

Cep cocked his head slightly upon seeing Asharak, but otherwise just looked around. Asharak barely glanced at those newly arrived.

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

12 minutes ago, Hawks said:

Uhuh yes what's happening? Ive got three characters here cursed has one and bacon is there. Everyone but a dragon and @Kansas Stormcursed is frozen here 

Edit: Ok it's two people with bacon. One is a lil girl and other is a slightly bigger little girl. 

A dragon what. I think I missed something. 

Um, basically my character Taeidin and Stormcursed's character Cep just teleported there because they need to speak to Bacon. 

Would the frozenness also freeze the people who just arrived?

Edited August 14, 2025 by Ashkaloda
q

[Kansas Stormcursed he/him]

Just now, Ashkaloda said:

A dragon what. I think I missed something. 

Um, basically my character Taeidin and Stormcursed's character Cep just teleported there because they need to speak to Bacon. 

Asharak wound up communicating with a dragon, catching up on the craziness that was happening in this plot

[Keke They/he]

1 minute ago, Kansas Stormcursed said:

Yeah Asharak was there already, and now Cep is here as well

Cep cocked his head slightly upon seeing Asharak, but otherwise just looked around. Asharak barely glanced at those newly arrived.

Jackson looked sround. "Oh for the love. Why cant this be nice and calm for once. I swear krys attracts chaos like a light and a moth."

he looks down st the knew arrivals. "Who are you!?"?

1 minute ago, Ashkaloda said:

A dragon what. I think I missed something. 

Um, basically my character Taeidin and Stormcursed's character Cep just teleported there because they need to speak to Bacon. 

Jackson the dragon.  My character. 

Have fun with getting xino online because I've been trying to have an urgent convo with bacon for a while and itd going nowhere 

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

2 minutes ago, Hawks said:

Jackson looked sround. "Oh for the love. Why cant this be nice and calm for once. I swear krys attracts chaos like a light and a moth."

he looks down st the knew arrivals. "Who are you!?"?

Jackson the dragon.  My character. 

Have fun with getting xino online because I've been trying to have an urgent convo with bacon for a while and itd going nowhere 

Taeidin looks up at Jackson. 

"I am Taeidin. Who are you?"

[Keke They/he]

Just now, Ashkaloda said:

Taeidin looks up at Jackson. 

"I am Taeidin. Who are you?"

he stands and streches before flapping a bit and flying down. "Im jackson. The Overseer of this place. And im Currently trying to solve two issues right now. You are not supposed to be here."

[Through The Living Ash he/him]

"Perhaps I could help you with those issues. I am looking for a page containing seemingly indecipherable information, which is somewhere in the general vicinity. Do you know anything about it?" 

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

23 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

Emotions?

"Well, they... Are only at a first glance. I used to be an Imensly powerful being, my name I cannot not say. These shackles contained my power, locked it away. They locked away as much of me as they could. Now I remember not of the past before these shackles, nor why they are. I remember a time when they were outside of my power, until I was able to consume them. However, I find something strange about them from further inspection. They are made from the same power as my own."

Similar, yeah - more so different states of mind, aspects of his personality. 
Rebus peered at the chains once again, green and purple melding - for the briefest moment - into a faint flash of blue. Orange and green quickly covered it, almost as if it had not been there at all. “I suspect you chained yourself - or rather, you are a piece of the real you, chained for this purpose. Are you familiar with the metaphysics and metafiction much of this Thread holds as true?” 

23 hours ago, ChipsAHoid said:

Betrayal shuddered and led them inside the castle. They entered a large, majestic room. Inside there was a man of flame, but made of shadow. The black flames cracked wickedly. Somehow he was in the dimensions of a man, however impossible science said that was. But the world’s definition of science was all void when magic was involved. It would hurt the average brain to look upon him, with such an improbable being. Axzi spoke

In Darkness he is undefeated. He is the ruler of Night, second strongest of them all. He is the Horror of shadow. He will rend you apart, regardless of your strength, unless you have brought his Bane. Direct light. Which, naturally, you have. Therefore he should be easy to kill. However, he is fast and will avoid the light.

The sprite tried to shove a frog up his nose, but he just swatted her away. She shook herself, ruffled, and threw another frog at him. However, this just passed through the Horror. The frog let loose a massive ribbit, and then was promptly stepped on by Shadow. The frog she was busy tying into a bow to put in Rebus’ hair growled deeply. Its eyes glowed and an army of tiny frogs tried to jump Shadow (Pun unintended). He chuckled, deep and unpleasant, and began to methodically kill them one at a time with precise bolts of shadow, each piercing the heart. He seemed to be enjoying himself and taking it slow.

Tiny crystals of mirror hung in the air, surrounding Rebus and his companions. A net of lines between them gave off the faintest glow, but the dimness of the light was deceptive - these were lasers of incredible power, and should anything more opaque than air get in their way, the light would be wholly unleashed upon it. 
Rebus frowned slightly, realizing he had once again adopted the habits of his opponent - slow and inevitable destruction of a hopelessly outmatched foe. Still, this sadistic ruler of night could talk, and perhaps Rebus could get something out of him before killing him. “Shadow. I have known each of those that proceeded you, the deep kind of knowledge conveyed only by seeing yourself in another. You are no exception.” 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

19 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Similar, yeah - more so different states of mind, aspects of his personality. 
Rebus peered at the chains once again, green and purple melding - for the briefest moment - into a faint flash of blue. Orange and green quickly covered it, almost as if it had not been there at all. “I suspect you chained yourself - or rather, you are a piece of the real you, chained for this purpose. Are you familiar with the metaphysics and metafiction much of this Thread holds as true?” 

Tiny crystals of mirror hung in the air, surrounding Rebus and his companions. A net of lines between them gave off the faintest glow, but the dimness of the light was deceptive - these were lasers of incredible power, and should anything more opaque than air get in their way, the light would be wholly unleashed upon it. 
Rebus frowned slightly, realizing he had once again adopted the habits of his opponent - slow and inevitable destruction of a hopelessly outmatched foe. Still, this sadistic ruler of night could talk, and perhaps Rebus could get something out of him before killing him. “Shadow. I have known each of those that proceeded you, the deep kind of knowledge conveyed only by seeing yourself in another. You are no exception.” 

"Technically, you are not currently in The Longest Thread. This conversation is being projected there, but is actually occuring in a dimension created by these chains. And I am roughly familiar." The chains pulse while you talk. They pulse a Deep Red a Blue a Purple and a Yellow.

"Oh, and the chains have the exact same magic power as me. So if they are another piece of me, the entirety of the other part would have to of sacrificed themselves to make these chains."

Edited August 15, 2025 by CoderDrag0n8

[ChipsAHoid He/Him]

34 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Tiny crystals of mirror hung in the air, surrounding Rebus and his companions. A net of lines between them gave off the faintest glow, but the dimness of the light was deceptive - these were lasers of incredible power, and should anything more opaque than air get in their way, the light would be wholly unleashed upon it. 
Rebus frowned slightly, realizing he had once again adopted the habits of his opponent - slow and inevitable destruction of a hopelessly outmatched foe. Still, this sadistic ruler of night could talk, and perhaps Rebus could get something out of him before killing him. “Shadow. I have known each of those that proceeded you, the deep kind of knowledge conveyed only by seeing yourself in another. You are no exception.” 

Shadow paused briefly, not even realizing the danger he was in.

“What do you want, mortal? I am every man, deep inside. Darkness. We both know this well. You would only speak for two reasons. The first would be to delay your death. However, there is no fear in your eyes. This I respect. If, then, you do not fear me, there is something you desire of me. But know this: my aid comes at a price.”

He killed another frog.

The sprite was affronted. She huffed and zipped up to him, licking him. Or rather, she would have if her target was tangible.

Axzi spoke

You do not want any aid he can offer. All he wants is your service. Anything he does for you, you must do for him. With interest. Beyond that, if you enter his service you will lose the ability to kill him. Finish him quickly, while he thinks you distracted by the offer of a deal.