>>22697536
"Yeah, what a coincidence. I thought you were meant to be leaving."

>>22697536
"Captain Brenner! Weren't you leaving in a few days when we parted ways?"

"Captain Brenner!" You say. "Weren't you leaving in a few days when we parted ways?"
"Indeed. It's been a few days." He said, and chuckled. "Made a delivery here to Lys, before I go back north, laden with all the goods I could find."
He looked to Gearworks, and raised an eyebrow.
"Looks like you've had some adventures." He said, and chuckled. "Get any tattoos during your time here?"

>>22697668
"Yeah, just a minor one. We were looking for passage back to the free cities, think you can take all of us?"

>>22697668
"Speaking of the north, we were wondering if you had room for our group again?"

"Yeah, just a minor one." You say.
"You got a tattoo?" Lyra asked, and started looking you over.
"We were looking for passage back to the free cities. Think you can take all of us?"
"Well, we can squeeze you in." He said, and chuckled. "We still have so much kraken meat left that most of it'll rot if we don't get another few mouths to feed. Though, you'll have to pay two silver per passenger. That Forged counts as one, as well."
"Is it on your shoulder?" Lyra asked, and reached for the wrapped cloth there. "Thought this was a bandage at first."

>>22697816
Stop her, "Oh, that's just a wound. No, the tattoo is on my back. I'll show it off later."

>>22697816
"Oh it's not a true forged, captain. Just something lashed together from their pieces that manages to work."

"Oh, that's not a wound." You say. "The tattoo is on my back. I'll show it off later."
From Lyra's expression, you could tell she didn't believe you- she could always tell when you were lying. She paused for a moment, before giving you a grin and a nod. "Okay. I expect you to tell me all about it."

You turn back to the captain. "It's not a true forged, Captain. Just something lashed together from the pieces that manages to work."
"Hah, good enough." He said. "I expect you can turn it off while we're sailing, right? I hardly care, but the crew would be wary around it, if not."

>>22697816
"No, I'll show you later, Lyra."

Just had a thought, we know a good deal of robotics, and now we know how to forge things as well. We could turn Gearworks into an automated ammunition factory which we just need to supply with the raw resources.

>>22697983
"I can. I'll set it to recognize commands from you as well, if it'd make the crew feel easier about having it onboard."

>>22697983
>oh, that's not a wound
>Whoops, that was the complete opposite of what I meant to write. Not enough coffee.

>>22698009
>CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!

>>22698025
>I've gone through two mugs already and now I'm refilling a third. I need a caffeine IV or something.

"I can." You say. "I'll set it to recognize commands from you as well, if it'd make the crew feel easier about having it onboard."
"Oh, no, that won't be necessary." He said, with a chuckle. "We can set sail in only an hour. I expect it'll take that long for the crew to recover from shore leave."
He sighed, and leaned back. "This latest trip should be good and peaceful, unless another kraken arrives. I've a feeling about it."

>>22698103
"Another Kraken? You think we'll have another one come after us?"

>>22698103
"With any luck, we'll run into a gryphon. That'll be one of the witches we were travelling with before."

>>22698103
This would probably be the trip where Ariana receives the Gift of Storms and lets one off uncontrollably for a very sudden and immediate hurricane.

"Another Kraken?" you ask. "You think we'll have another one come after us?"
"I don't, actually." He said. "I'm assuming that the one you killed was the one that kept chasing me. Without that kraken, things should be peaceful."
"With any luck, we'll run into a gryphon." You say. "That'll be one of the witches we were traveling with before."
"A gryphon?" He asked, and laughed, pulling himself to his feet, making his way up the gangplank, waving you all on with him. "I'll greet her when she arrives, then! I'll never get used to witches and their familiars. Feels so awkward to talk to an animal like it was a person."

Time passed, and eventually, the rest of the crew awoke and got the ship ready to sail, as you led Gearworks down to the bottom of the ship and deactivated it. On your way back up, Lyra stepped in the way, meeting your eyes in the darkness.
"Abel." She said, her voice serious. "On your shoulder. Is it a bite? Were you bitten by anything?"

>>22698333
"Yea, I was out in the woods before we left, some insect bit it, but I had it checked and it just needs to heal."

>>22698333
no its nothing to worry about :P

show her the back tattoo

>>22698333

nothing to worry about!

here, this is the tattoo i got.

>>22698333
"You wanted to see that tattoo I got yea? Here, have a look."

"Nothing to worry about." you say, and then start to unlace your tunic. "Here, this is the tattoo I got."

"... It looks like your sword." She said, something strange with her voice. "Abel, please, stop lying to me. Was it a ghoul? Did a ghoul bite you?"

>>22698527
"What? No, it wasn't a ghoul. I know what happens if a ghoul bites you, I'd make sure everyone knew, just in case."

>>22698527
I am fine every thing is fine just let me have one think you don't need to know about

you a bad as mom are you hurt did you fall do the dishes sweep the floor
I can really see her eyes in you (give her a hug)

>>22698527
"Look. This has to stay a secret. Especially from Kale." Show the tattoo.

>>22698573
Not really sure we should show her. If she keeps pushing, then yeah.

>>22698527

Lyra, i promise that its nothing like that. it's just that i don't want to discuss it at this time, you'll find out eventually but please don't push any further into it. please.

"What?" You ask. "No, it wasn't a ghoul. I know what happens if a ghoul bites you. I'd make sure everyone knew, just in case."

She let out a deep breath, and then sat on Gearworks, in the darkness.
"That's what I was worried about." She said. "One of the initiates ended up with a wrapped up leg, and didn't tell anybody about it. I was the only survivor, when the paladins arrived."
You met her eyes, and her own were staring out, into something else.
She closed them.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to corner you down here. I'll meet you up there later."

>>22698677

support mode engage, time for a hug?

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'll be right here for you."

>>22698677
"Hey, don't think about that. If anything happened to me you'd be the first I'd tell."

>>22698757
Seconding hug.

You take a seat next to her, and pull her into a hug.
"Hey, don't think about that. If anything happened to me, you'd be the first I'd tell."
"I believe you." She said, quietly, and sighed, leaning on your shoulder.
"... We're in a right amount of shit, aren't we?" She asked, finally. "Mom's illness gets worse, I wander off into the order, you meet a witchling... It almost feels like we're looking for hardship."

>>22698677
But the tattoo's cool, right?

>>22698959
Meeting Ariana is something I'd never trade back. It's been a grand adventure, and I'd never have met everyone if I hadn't.

This whole angels thing was just what happened, ever since I found the sword. You wouldn't believe how much it means to me to have friends who want to help.

>>22698959
"Yeah. More like it's looking for us. Meeting the enemy of an elf you're travelling with, who also happened to be imprisoned near someone who you're also travelling with... crazy coincidence."

"Yeah." you say. "More like it's looking for us. But meeting Ariana is something I'd never trade back. It's been a grand adventure, and I'd never have met everyone if I hadn't."
"... I wish I'd come with, instead of joining the order." She said, suddenly, and sighed. "But I'll stick around. At least until this Angel thing is gone, and at least until we kill Gareth."
You nod.
"... But the tattoo's cool, right?"
"Yeah, it's cool." She said, and giggled.

>>22699209
So can you keep a secret?

I got another one as well.

>>22699209
"What made you join the order in the first place anyway?"

>>22699209
"...you deserve to know. But first you have to promise me that you guard the secret with your life."
if she agrees, pull off the wrapping and explain:
"Leez gave this to me. It's a part of her Name. It means...that I'm carrying a part of her with me. Her power, and her knowledge. She begged me take it so that I could be better able to protect Kale."

"What made you join the order in the first place, anyway?"
She pulled away, and sighed.
"It's stupid." She said. "There were some paladins in waymoor. They made being in the order sound fun. Acting the hero, wearing a white cape and saving damsels in distress... And then mom died. They planned to leave, and basically said I could come with them. I didn't think."

"So, can you keep a secret?" You ask.
"Hm? Yeah, of course." She said.
You shrug off the wrapping, and show the tattoo to her.
"Leez gave this to me." You say. "It's a part of her Name. It means... that I'm carrying a part of her with me. Her power, and her knowledge. She begged me take it so that I could be better able to protect Kale."
She blinked at it.
"... Her power?" She asked. "And I'll keep it secret, but why?"

>>22699366
"Because I have no idea how Kale will react to this."

>>22699366
"I'm not sure. I don't know what it means, but it helped me make that rifle yesterday."

>>22699366
I don't think Kale approved of her doing this. It's not normal for an elf to give away so much of themselves.

But that's how I was able to make the rifle.

>>22699417
Part of how I was able to make that rifle.
>Part of it was Angel power.

"Because I have no idea how Kale will react to this." You say. "I don't think Kale approved of her doing this. It's not normal for an elf to give away so much of themselves. But that was how I was able to make the rifle."
"That explains why you moved so strangely." She said, quietly, before re-wrapping your arm. "But yeah, I can keep your secret." She said, and stretched. "But I've been stressed since Gareth showed up. Might take an afternoon nap before dinner."

She pulled a vial out of her pouch, and chugged half of it, before handing the rest to you and laying back on Gearworks. "Here's some Ignis." She said. "Helps you regain strength for a week or so. This is the last of it, though."

>>22699455
But we couldn't have done it without Leez' gift, so the statement is correct.

>>22699481
Any side effects? Chug it anyway.

>>22699482
But we also couldn't have done it without Angel knowhow.
Leez couldn't have done it on her own.

>>22699517
Yes, without either it would have been impossible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necessity_and_sufficiency
I'll stop derailing now.

>>22699481
"Thanks. To be fair, the Order does get a lot of cool stuff, like these chemicals."

>>22699481
Can we fiddle around with Gearworks and see if we can improve it?

"Thanks." You say, chugging the rest of the vial, and handing it back. "To be fair, the order does get a lot of cool stuff, like these chemicals."
"Yeah, that's a good point." She said, and sighed, closing her eyes.
You make your way abovedeck and let her sleep.

Time passed on the ship, as you made your slow, winding way northward. Lyra spent most of her time reading the lore book you'd given her, while Cass spent most of her time sleeping, and Kale spent most of his time helping sail the ship. You, for your part, put two days of work into Gearworks, prying it apart and putting most of it together as well you could. Without any tools, it was slow going, but you think you got it to learn to move faster.

One morning, Tannis and you were the only ones abovedeck, staring at the dawn's light.

"Morning!" She said, giving you a smile, her ears twitching. She pointed out at the moon, which was visible during the dawn. "Isn't that pretty? I think it's going to be an eclipse later tonight."

>>22699750
"Uh, would that affect you? An eclipse looks an awful lot like a new moon."

>>22699750

you can tell when there is going to be one?

does it have any special effects on you like a new moon?

>>22699750
"An eclipse? That's where the moon moves in front of the sun right?"

>>22699750
Really? You can tell?

That's going to be awesome, you want to watch it with me?

"An eclipse? That's where the moon moves in front of the sun right?"
"Yeah."
"Really? You can tell when there is going to be one?"
"I can always feel the moon." Tannis said. "There's no reason I wouldn't be able to. It feels.. warm."
"Uh, would that affect you?" You ask. "An eclipse looks an awful lot like a new moon."
"I don't know." She said. "This is the first time, I think. That I remember, anyway."
"That's going to be awesome." You say. "You want to watch it with me?"
"Of course." She said.
You suddenly felt like there was lightning in your spine, burning downward, reverberating through your entire body. Completely apropos of nothing, you could feel a great Something in the air, surrounding you. It felt like the breath of the world.
"... Abel?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

>>22699911
"Angel stuff, I think."
Grab her hand and don't let go.
"Something is happening, and it doesn't exactly feel pleasant."

>>22699911
"I dunno."

>>22699911

"i don't know. something feels... weird?"

look around carefully if something accompanied the feeling, but don't act panicky.

"I don't know." You say, and in the corner of your mind, you hear a furious roar. "Something feels... weird?"
"What do you mean, weird?" Tannis asked.

And then the ship shook. The sparse clouds in the sky trembled... and then started swirling.

You could feel a flash of power to the north, burning into your mind, as the ship shook some more. Tannis almost tumbled off, but you caught her hand and pulled her back.
"This is not normal!" She said.

Thunder cracked from the black-grey clouds above you above you.
The brewing storm itself was localized- just to the point where the ship was.

>>22699911
"If I had to guess? I'd say something is happening somewhere."

>>22700104
"No, it's not. Let's warn the captain!"

>>22700104
"Something to the north. I wish we had one of the witches here, they'd know what was causing this!"

Don't stand near any metal objects or the masts.

>>22700104

is this the gift of storm we've been hearing about?

warn everyone on ship!

>guys i don't think we can blow this one up.

>>22700104
"Holy shit, I don't have a clue what this is. We'd better find the captain."

Do we have our rifle on us, just incase?

"No, it's not." You say. "Let's warn the captain!"
You and Tannis rush belowdecks and start rousing all the crew you can. On your way past, you snag your weapons, and rush into the captain's room.
"I'm awake." Brenner snarled, slamming out of his room. "A storm?"
"I think it's magic." Tannis said.
"Damn magic." He said, and pulled on a thick jacket, before making his way abovedeck.

"Take down the sails, tie down everything you can!" He cried, as the ship creaked. There was a burst of wind that almost bowled you over, and then the rain started. "We're going to have to ride this thing out."

The sun darkened, and then you made the mistake of looking past the prow. An enormous whirlpool sat there, spinning quietly, and the ship rushed toward it.

>Wat do?

>>22700378
"Captain...what is standard procedure in the event of a whirlpool?"

>>22700378
"Captain! Are you seeing this?"

>>22700378
Is there really much we can do?

>>22700378
Maybe we can catch some of the wind and slingshot past it?

>>22700378
We should probably go make sure that Gearworks is tied down and that everyone else is safe/belowdecks. There's probably not much else we can do.

>>22700378

"whirlpool!"

we need to turn away from that thing before getting trapped in its pull.

>>22699911
Draw our pistol and start looking around, keep talking in a calm manner.

>>22700489
Don't draw our pistol.
If it gets knocked out of our hand, we'll lose it to the sea.

"Captain! Whirlpool!" You ask, whirling back. "Are you seeing this?"
"Seeing what?" He asked, running past you- and then he paled.
"... Oh, Agaeros." He said, his voice small. He ran toward the wheel, and leaned on it, twisting it as much as he physically could.

There was a loud crack, and something slammed into you.

Oh, that's right. You were too close to the boom. You fell overboard, your vision blurring.

>Roll for swim!

Rolled 33

>>22700533
I advocate tenacity if this goes badly.

Rolled 49

>>22700533
we are fukked

Rolled 87

>>22700533
skilled or not?

Rolled 71

>>22700533
in before we lose our guns

Rolled 13

>>22700533
just like Aquaman

File: 1358718773360.jpg-(56 KB, 600x450, 399.jpg)

>>22700591
whelp sorta like Aquaman

Rolled 96

>>22700579
This 87 isn't too bad.

You struggled through the suddenly rushing waters, your head aching badly after the boom had slammed into it, and you clawed your way to the surface, taking a breath and looking up to the ship itself. The wind howled, the sun nowhere to be seen, as the storm burst into intensity.
You hear someone call your name, and then you watch the main mast suddenly tilt forward- and fall. You hear a scream, and someone leapt off, diving into the water next to you.
Your vision blurred, and a loud keening noise pierced your ears. You felt the telltale burning of Aqua Ignis on your forehead,, but despite that, your vision blurred.
The last thing you saw before you lost consciousness was the ship itself falling into the whirlpool.

You wake up on a beach, light shining in your eyes, reflected off of Gearworks. It sat there, active, watching you. Sitting up, your head swam, and you looked around. Also washed up was quite a bit of debris, a dead crewmember, and....

Cass lie there, perfectly still, face in the sand.

Rick dice+2d6

>>22700818
Rush over to her, see if she's okay.

Perform CPR if necessary.

>>22700818
"Gearworks, go find anyone else. Help them if they need it."

>>22700818
Check her pulse, remove any water from lungs, check her breathing, first aid bitches.

>>22700818
Flip her over, make sure she's alive.

Get her out of the sun.

Rolled 1, 3 = 4

>>22700849

>>22700818

get over there, crawl if you have to and resuscitate, we know how to do that right!?

order Gearworks to look for survivors.

Rolled 3, 4 = 7

hmm

"Gearworks, go find anyone else. Bring them here." You slur, your voice hoarse. It doesn't seem to understand you the first time, so you repeat yourself, and it starts trundling along the beach. You rush to Cass, and roll her onto her back. Two great patches of scale sat on her neck, flapping wildly in the air.. You stare at her gills for a full second before she starts coughing, her eyes opening.
"Abel." She said, her voice hoarse, her large finned tail twitching. She coughed again.

>>22700957
"You've got gills, you're okay. I'm going to help you somewhere less in the open then look for everyone else, you'll be okay."

>>22700957
"You okay?"

>>22700957
Hey, your alive! Do you remember what happened?

>>22700957

you've got gills, can you breath normally? do you need to be in the water?

we need to find survivors, every second counts and i am slightly panicked.

"You okay?" You ask. "You've got gills. Do you need to be in the water?"
"No, I-" She coughed again, before simply shaking her head, and taking a deep breath.
"I'm going to help you somewhere less in the open then look for everyone else, you'll be okay."
She tried to speak again, and coughed again, before simply nodding. Pulling her onto your shoulder, you led her further away from the beach, up to the treeline.

Gearworks trundled up to you, and dumped two dead bodies at your feet.
Grubwort was one of them.

You get to your feet, and look up and down the beach. Debris was strewn everywhere, but people were rare... and universally, other than you and Cass, they were all dead.
At least, so you thought, until you saw bare footprints leading up the beach, into the treeline.
They were too small to belong to anyone on the ship- even Tannis.

>>22701106
"What is this shit?"

"Gearworks, stay with Cass."

Do we still have any of our guns or anything?

>>22701106

compare the prints to what we saw when Gareth walked away.

should we continue to let Gearworks collect bodies? they need proper burials.

what of our equipment?

>>22701106
Ariana's unlikely to go barefoot, she's fond of her boots.

Wait until Cass is recovered a bit, and then follow the footprints.

Get Gearworks to dig a few graves.

>>22701106
Gear check.

>>22701106
Gauge how old the prints are, we're a tracker, we should be able to get a decent guess.

What do we have on us?

Have Gearworks continue to look for survivors, if we're armed we should check the footprints.

"What is this shit?" You ask. "Gearworks, guard Cass."
Gearworks trundled next to her, and sat down. You quickly checked your own equipment. Your armor was there, as was your sword, bow, both guns, and checking your ammo pouches, they seemed dry- though you'd only know if they fired. You found your alchemy set down the beach a ways, with the Aqua Sanctis vial still intact.

Cass coughed again, and the scales on the sides of her neck slowly faded as you examined the prints.
They were too small to be even Gareth's- If anything, you guess they would belong to Ariana or Isavla- but neither of them were on the ship with you.
"Abel." She said, taking a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

>>22701208
Um.. yeah? Am I bleeding or something?

>>22701208
"I'm fine, rest, you should feel better soon.

When you're feeling a bit better tell Gearworks to continue checking for survivors, there's some footprints I want to check out.

>>22701208

i, drank some aqua ignis so i think i'll be fine.

i found these prints, they look to small for anyone on the ship, it might be someone with a similar size to Ariana or Isavla.

it's best if you focus on rest now, i'll see what else i can find in the immediate surrounding area.

"I drank some Aqua Ignis, so I think I'll be fine." You say. "Rest, you should feel better soon."
"Okay." She said.
You take a deep breath. "I found these prints. They look too small for anyone on the ship. I'm going to check them out."
"... Be careful." She said. "Before that storm, I had a really bad feeling. It was familiar, though. I'll try to find some water while you're gone."

You make your way into the treeline, and do your best to follow the tracks, and snapped branches, but from what little you can tell, you could tell that they were very aware of their surroundings, trying to make the least mark on the forest floor as they could. You creep through, and make your way into a clearing.

And then you hear a strange noise. Something like a whinny, but not quite. You turn, and you can see something with a blazing white coat. It'd snuck up on you, somehow, almost at arm's reach. At first, you thought it a horse, but then you noticed the long fur around it's hooves, and the fact that it had a goat's head and beard, a long, spiraling horn on it's forehead.

The unicorn stared at you, a look in it's eyes that told you it was intelligent.

>>22701483
Show it our hands, we don't want to startle something with a giant spike on it's face.

"I'm just looking for some help, I don't mean you any harm."

>>22701483
"Well met. Could you help me find my friends and sister. Someone attacked us and I need help"

>>22701483
Slowly back away.

>>22701483
"Oh, uh, I'm...sorry? Our ship was wrecked...I need some help. If you want me to leave, just...nod."

>>22701483
Show that we mean no harm.

"Hello there Mr. Unicorn. I just followed the footprints from the beach, I was curious. Are you alone here? Can you help me? There was a shipwreck."

>>22701483

"easy now, just trying to find survivors and my friends, please?"

>>22701483
bow and introduce our-self

"Oh uh, I'm... sorry?" You ask, raising your hands slowly. "Our ship was wrecked... I need some help. Could you help me find my friends and sister?"
It met you with an unblinking stare, and bleated, before taking a step forward, sniffing at you, the spiraling horn much too close to you for comfort. A moment later, it took a step back, and with a swish of it's tail, started walking into the forest. At a loss for what else to do, you follow it to a small freshwater lake, with a nearby spring pouring into it.

As you look out and around the lake, you see a small cave set into a cliff face, though, other than the surrounding trees, there's nothing else of note.

When you turn back to the unicorn, you see that it was gone.

>>22701716
Grab a drink of water, and then explore the cave.

>>22701716
Get a drink of water, check the cave, and we're not letting anything out of the cave this time, we've learned our lesson.

>>22701716
Have a look around, get some of the fresh water. Have we got anything to light our way? If we don't, just turn back. Could easily be an illusion or something.

>>22701716

could be someone in the cave.

to be on the safe side,
"i hope its alright if i take a drink from this water for me and my friend, if it's not okay then you have my sincerest apology."

fill a container with water and have a look at the entrance of the cave.

You start scooping up and drinking at the fresh springwater for some time, as well as storing what you can in your waterskins, you warily move toward the cave.

The cave was surprisingly light and open for being a cave, and it wasn't actually that deep. From the entrance, you could see the other end of the large cavern, and there was actually nothing of note there, other than the prints of hooves in the dust at the bottom. You turn around to leave-
And you see a young, pale girl, a flower in her hair, four glimmering, floating, leafshaped sparks of light hovering right behind her back, as if they were wings. she knelt near the water, taking a deep drink, but didn't seem to notice you.
You were about to call out before you saw the Colt Mustang tucked into the rope around her waist.
It felt... Wrong.
It felt like Gabriel.

>>22701920
Sneak up behind her and get her in a headlock.

"So what's the deal, do you respawn each time as something new, or do you steal someone elses life?

>>22701920
Gabe's worked with fairies before, so this is probably another one.
Let's back out slowly, but be ready to draw the revolver.

Rolled 56

>>22701920
Shoot her. With whatever's quickest to draw.

>>22701983
I'm not sure that's a good idea just yet. Let's back out for now.

Rolled 88

>>22701959
forgot my dice

>>22701920
Don't shoot her yet, get our gun out, ready, and pointed at her. Ask who she is.

>>22701983
>>22701959
The gun is wrong. That doesn't mean the girl is. Play it safe and don't assault her immediately.
I vote for >>22701966

>>22701920

not to sure it's Gabriel unless he found a way around stirge's aid.

if she saw us on the beach, why did she not act on it?

You draw your revolver, and point it at her, and start to pull the trigger-
Until you hear Cass's surprised voice.
"Hannah?" Cass asked. "You're... alive?!"
You freeze. Peeking out of the cave, you see Cass and the unicorn approaching, as the fairie got to her feet and brushed herself off. You keep the revolver in hand, wary.
"Cass, you're okay!" Hannah said. "After the order came by, I'd thought-"
Cass ran toward the fairy, and with the happiest grin you'd seen, picked the girl up and spun her around.

The unicorn gave you a knowing look, and then pretended it didn't see you, contentedly drinking at the water.

>>22702027
>>22702018
She has a gun! I don't want her to even know we're here until she can't use it.

>>22702053
Don't put the gun away, but let them do their thing.

>>22702053
"Cass, who is this girl and why does she have a weapon that ought not exist in this world?"

>>22702097
We know who she is. I'm pretty sure Cass mentioned her, and it's obvious that she's one of the other swamp changelings.

>>22702053
Let them have their reunion. Keep the revolver out and ready until we are sure its safe though.

>>22702053
Well fuck. Just hide for now. Try not to let Cass see us either.

>>22702053
"I don't mean to put a dampener on this reunion, but she's got a gun. And that means Gabriel."

>>22702053
This unicorn is a total bro.

>>22702053
Remain hidden, watch what happens.

>>22702053

>trouble getting my replies through
>guess its time for sleep.

this is a delicate situation, we're almost certain that she has been in contact with Gabriel, he might even be on this island.

You keep the revolver out, and simply watch, as the two sit down next to the water and keep talking. The two of them were facing you, but for some reason they didn't seem to notice you.

"You start." The fairy girl said, smiling widely, her eyes bright purple, like the sparks of light hovering behind her "So, what happened after you left to get supplies?"
"... well, the supply delivery was late." Cass said. "And that's what saved me. There were so many bodies..."
She shook her head. "How did you survive?"
"I... hid." Hannah said. "Under the water, with my powers."
"I'm glad to hear you're okay." Cass said. "I know we were never close, but..."
She shook her head, and got to her feet. "Do you know..."
"I don't know what happened to Thor, I'm sorry." Hannah said, and sighed. "But... he did make a run for it."
"That's giving me hope. You know, it was probably your tracks Abel was following."
"... Abel?"
"He's, um... a guy. A person. He's hard to explain, really, but... he saved my life. Want to help me look for him?"
"... Sure, I'll help." Hannah said. the two of them got up, and you notice the girl drop the gun into the lake, where it fell underwater. Cass didn't notice.

>>22702304
Wait for them to walk off a bit, get to the lake, see if we can retrieve the gun and then find the two of them, we have some questions to ask.

>>22702304
Let them leave, then retrieve the gun and pocket it.
Her plan is probably to come back for it after she finds us and gets our guard down.

>>22702304

well, she doesn't want to Cass to know about the gun, maybe us too.

lets retrieve that thing.

>>22702304
Wait for them to go, then sneak over and remove something essential from the gun and put it back in the water.

Then pretend to get lost and find them.

>>22702332
and make sure to take the bullets out so we can give it back to her and see if she tries to shoot us.

>>22702304
Wait for them to leave, then wait for a bit more.

Then wait a bit more.

Then get the gun.

You wait until the two voices leave, and then you wait some more, before climbing out of the cave and reaching into the water, pulling up the gun and putting it into one of your bags, making sure to unload and unchamber the weapon- it only had a single magazine in it. The unicorn stares at you the entire time, sitting down, but at a certain time, it got to it's feet, swished it's tail, and walked in the same purposeful way it had before- leading you, no doubt.

You find yourself in the clearing you'd seen before, as the unicorn sits back down.

"Well, he wasn't at the beach." You hear Cass say, and then the two of them saw you, and froze.
"Is that him?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, that's him." Cass said.
"Grump found him."
The unicorn whinnied unhappily- apparently it disliked the name 'grump'.
"Hey, Abel." Cass said. "I met an old... acquaintance. From the compound. This is Hannah. Hannah, this is Abel. the guy I was talking about."
The girl gave you an appraising look.
"Hello." She said. "I'm fairyblooded, if you're curious. Wind and water are my elements."

>>22702447
Offer her our hand. Nice to meet you Hannah. And you, mister unicorn, who I really don't want to gore me.

>>22702469
Also: "I'm more or less human."

>>22702447
Pull out the pistol. "Why did you have this?"

>>22702447
"Pleased to meet you, Hannah. You seem familiar, are you sure we haven't met before?"

>>22702489
Not yet.
Let's wait for her to trust us a bit more, or mention it out loud.

"Pleased to meet you, Hannah." You say, and offer your hand. She blushes and takes it, smiling up at you. "You seem familiar. Are you sure we haven't met before?"
"Oh, I'd remember if we'd met." Hannah said, giggling and taking your hand.
"And you, mister unicorn, who I really don't want to gore me." You say, looking to the unicorn. It whinnied at you.
"Grump doesn't like anyone, I don't think." Hannah said. "He's always-"
The unicorn sniffed your wrapped up arm, and then started nuzzling you.
"... Okay, so he likes you." Hannah said, and giggled again. "That's a good sign."

>>22702564
"What are you doing this far south, Hannah? Can you help us find our friends?"

>>22702564
"So, Hannah, you have fairy-water powers, right? Could you feel the storm? The one that sunk the ship we were on? It was quite a big storm. Directed at us. From somewhere up north."

>>22702564
"Can you tell us where you are, Hannah? Our ship was hit by a freak storm, and I've no idea where we washed ashore."

Wait, wind and water, she's the one behind the storm too, isn't she? Damnit Gabe...

>>22702564
So he likes the tattoo full of Faeness that Leez gave us.

"I'm a very charming person for some reason. Not entirely sure why.

Do you have any idea what brought on that storm? It wasn't natural."

"I'm a very charming person for some reason. Not entirely sure why." You say.
She giggled up at you and fluttered her eyelashes.. "Oh, I know why..."
"... Hannah." Cass sighed.
"Fine, I'll stop."
"Can you tell us where we are, Hannah? Our ship was hit by a freak storm, and I've no idea where we washed ashore."
"This is an island." She said, and frowned. "We're a day south from Amberway, somewhere. I went here to get away from the order, but it took so much out of me... I can hardly use my powers, now. I've been trapped here since."
"Could you feel the storm? The one that sunk the ship we were on? It was quite a big storm. Directed at us."
"I couldn't, I'm afraid."
"... Can you help us find our friends?"
"Well, if we check the beaches, I'm sure we can find them!" She said, and started leading you toward the beach.

>>22702687
"You've been here longer than us, lead the way!"

>>22702687
Trail back a bit with Cass, whisper
"She had a gun." then keep walking like nothing's wrong.

>>22702687
"Huh? Why can't you use your powers?"

>>22702687
I don't suppose you've met anyone else unusual since you've been on the island? With strange blue eyes?

>>22702687
"Why can't you use your powers? Will they recover?"

Pull back a bit once she starts leading the way, talk to Cass, quietly. "She had a gun, only me and Gabriel can make those."

"Why can't you use your powers? Will they recover?"
"Because I used them too much to get here." She said, and sighed. "And no. My power hasn't healed a bit for the months I've been here."
"I don't suppose you've met anyone else unusual since you've been on the island? With strange blue eyes?"
"Well, there's you." She said. "But I haven't... met anyone at all. Not except for you, Grump, and Cassie."
"... Well, you've been here longer than us." You say. "Lead the way!"
"Okay!" She said, and started tromping ahead. The unicorn, meeting your eyes, stepped ahead and started bleating quietly, enough to mask your whispers.
"Cass, she had a gun." You say. "Only me and Gabriel can make those."
Cass didn't respond for a moment.
"A gun?" Cass whispered back. "Why would *she* have one? She's the nicest girl I know. Wouldn't hurt a fly."

>>22702794
"We'll find out."

>>22702794
"I don't know, but it worries me."

>>22702794
"No idea, but I'm worried. I think the Unicorn is on our side for this."

>>22702794
I don't know, but I don't trust her. If you think she's a friend though, I'll ask her later.

>>22702794
"I haven't a clue, but we'll find out. If it comes to it, think you can take the unicorn?"

>>22702794
if she is she will trust you and answer us if not we find out latter confront her when er find every one who survived

>>22702794
Sneak up and try to grab Hannah's wings.

>>22702889
no.
That's probably rude and may or may not be sexual.

"No idea, but I'm worried. If you think she's a friend, though... I'll ask her later."
"... Okay. Be careful." She said.

"Oh, there's someone." Hannah said, hand brandished to one of the crewmembers lying on the beach. She knelt down, and put her ear to his mouth...
And then looked up at Cass.
"... He's not alive." She said, her voice small, as the sparks of light that served as her wings dimmed. Her choice of words were strange, as if she didn't want to say the word 'dead'.
"It's okay." Cass said, ruffling the fairy's hair. "We'll just have to help the survivors when we find them."

Rolled 25

>>22702965
rolling to search the beach.

>>22702965
Nobody I found on the beach was alive, but I only found Grubwort and some crewmembers I didn't recognise.

Your wings are cute, Hannah.

>>22702965
Keep on searching.

Rolled 27

>>22702965
"Shit, have you seen anyone else, Hannah?"

"Nobody I found on the beach was alive, but I only found grubwort and some crewmembers I didn't recognize." You say, and keep on searching. "Shit, have you seen anyone else, Hannah?"
"I haven't seen anyone." Hannah said, her voice low, and head hung, as you continue to walk along the beach, finding nothing but debris and bodies. Notably, though, you don't find any of your companions, or even Captain Brenner. The sun makes it's long arc across the sky, as time goes on, and you, Cass, and Hannah empty your waterskins as you circle the island. "All these people and only you two made it?"
She sniffled, and then you heard Cass's stomach growl. Only then do you realize that you hadn't eaten since this morning.

Rolled 72

>>22703120
"Any preferences as to what you eat? I'll try and catch us something"

>>22703120
"Is there much to hunt on the island? I might have more luck fishing."

>>22703120
"Is it easier if I hunt or fish?"

"You coming with, Cass?"

"Any preferences as to what you eat? I'll try to catch us something."
"Well, I eat anything." She said, her voice quiet.
"Is there much to hunt on the island?" You ask.
"Well, there are some fish in the lake, and a lot of rabbits." She said.
You nod. Rabbits are your specialty.

Some time later, you come back to the clearing, where Cass poked at the fire, skinning more of your catch.
"... Thank you, both of you." Hannah said, biting into her food, voraciously. "I... haven't been eating well."

>>22703300
"I can imagine why. Hunting would be pretty difficult without a weapon."

>>22703300
"Hannah, may I ask you a question? Why do you have a gun? Where did you get it?"

>>22703300
Give her a big smile.

"Hey, it's okay. You must have been getting lonely all on your own, not seeing anyone for a while."

>>22703300
We should be able to get some tools out of the wreck, that will help make life a bit easier.

It's just you and the unicorn on the island?

I don't suppose those cute little wings let you fly?

>>22703300
"I'm glad to help.

It's hard to hunt without any weapons, and you are completely unarmed and have been alone without any company other than the Unicorn the entire time, right?"

You give her a big smile. "Hey, it's okay. You must have been getting lonely all on your own, not seeing anyone for a while."
Quietly, she nodded. "Grump isn't friendly enough to keep me company." She said.
"And I'm glad to help. It's hard to hunt completely unarmed."
"It is." She said. "And I was never really a hunter."
"We should be able to get some tools out of the wreck." you say. "That will help make life a bit easier."
"Maybe we could make a raft, sail it north." Cass said.
"So it's just you and the unicorn on the island?"
"There are a few big fat birds wandering around." Hannah said. "But those things creep me out."
"... I don't suppose those little wings let you fly?" You ask, looking to the sparks emanating from her back.
She fluttered them.
"They used to. But... not anymore." She said.

>>22703416
I'm feeling sad for her, it must be a trap.

A raft sounds like a good idea. Maybe we could also leave a message on the shore, and Ariana might spot it when she flies over.

>>22703416
"Huh? Why? What happened to them?"

>>22703416
"I don't think he likes the name Grump.

Hannah, while I was hunting I found something in a lake near a cave, something that shouldn't exist in this world, would you happen to know anything about this?"

I've got a horrible suspicion that Gabe did something to her powers in order to get her to try and kill Abel.

>>22703492
or he is holding hostage the rest of her group and made her exhaust her self to strand us here

"Huh? why? What happened to them?"
"My powers are weak, now that I'm here." She said. She screwed shut her eyes, and her wings started fluttering quickly, trying to lift her into the air, but nothing happened.
She frowned, and then finished up her meal.
"It's getting late." She said, quietly. "I might try to get some sleep."

>>22703584
"Wait."

"Where did you get the gun?"

>>22703584
I'm sure they'll recover once you're well rested and fed.

Or maybe this island has a huge hunk of silver in it.

But before you sleep, can I ask where you got this? <pull out the gun>

>>22703584
"Hannah, I have two questions. What is it about this place that weakens you?

Second, where did you acquire a gun?"

>>22703599
Let's pretend we don't know what it is.
"I found this in the lake. Any idea what it is?"
That way she'll ask to hold it and we can find out whether she intends to kill us or not.

>>22703632
This is a good plan.

"When I was out hunting, this piece of metal caught my eye in the water. Any idea what this thing is? It looks like it's made out of iron or something."

"I'm sure they'll recover once you're well rested and fed." You say. "Or maybe this island has a huge chunk of cold iron in it."
"Maybe." She said.
"But before you sleep, can I ask what this is?" You ask, holding up the gun. "Any idea what it is?"
Her eyebrows shot up for a moment.
"N-no, I've never seen that before." She said. "I-I don't know what it is. You can have it. It's yours."

>>22703664
"Hannah, you're not very good at lying.

Answers would be greatly appreciated."

>>22703664
"Oh? Well I know what it is, and I'd very much like to know how it ended up in a lake on a deserted island."

>>22703664
I must confess to having seen you with it, back at the lake. The only other person I know who can make these is a very dangerous man, and I just want to know he's not involved.

>>22703664
"This is very important Hannah. A very bad man made this and he is trying to hurt Cass and I."

>>22703664
"Explain."

"Oh?" You ask. "Well, I know what it is, and I'd very much like to know how it ended up on a lake in a derserted island. The only other person I know who can make these is a very dangerous man, and I just want to know he's not involved."
She was quiet for a moment, and then her wings fluttered.
"... He... he stole my power." She said, quietly. "Said I would get it back if I ... if I used that thing on Cassie. The bolts inside have cold iron. He didn't know I was Cassie's friend."

>>22703763
How long ago was this?

>>22703763
"That miserable cock juggling fuck.

How did he take your power away, I might be able to help you."

>>22703763
"...That fucker. It's not the first time he's done something like this. He'll become frustrated and show himself eventually. We might be able to take your powers back somehow."

>>22703763
"It figures he'd do something like that. I hope you don't mind if I keep this?"

"It also means he's been cheating. Again."

"That miserable cock-juggling fuck." You say, with such vehemence that both Cass and Hannah lean away.
You take a deep breath.
"How long ago was this?" You ask. "And how did he take your power away? I might be able to help you."
"He had a knife, and these two women. " She said, eyes on the ground. They held me down while he... c-cut my wings. A week ago."
"I'm going to strangle him." Cass snarled.

>>22703910
Cut your wings? Holy fuck, I doubt he'll have anything left to strangle after I'm done with him, Cass.

What did the women look like? Please don't tell me one was a dark skinned elf.

>>22703910
"He will die painfully, I assure you of this. I have done it before and I will do it again.

Tell me about his companions."

>>22703910
"The women, one had pink hair, yes?"

I think next time we get gabe instead of killing him we nail him to a tree with the sword, so we can keep punching him in the face for a few hours.

"Cut your wings?" You ask. "Holy fuck, I doubt he'll have anything left to strangle after I'm done with him, Cass."
"I'll find *something." She said.
"Tell me about his companions. What did the women look like?" You ask.
She shivered, and the small sparks of light fluttered again.
"One had this pink hair, and she looked... insane. He... he called her Dirae. The other one had black hair, and she was... angry. Her hands were... weird. Scarred. Like something gnawed off her fingertips. He didn't call her anything."

>>22704006
"That's probably another shard of his, then."

>>22704006
"Another one? That's someone new to shoot. Shame they don't die permanently."

>>22704006
"Huh, I don't know about that one."

Try calling out to Stirge, and see if she knows who it is.

"I'm so sorry you had to get mixed up in this, Hannah."

Can we try to Remember our own figments tonight?

>>22704006
they should return we we kill his current form

and he splinted again...

sword give me a sit rep what are our options?

>>22704006
"He's got more shards *and* he's cheating. Great."

"Huh, I don't know about that one. He's got more shards, *and* he's cheating. Great." You say. "I'm so sorry you had to get mixed up in this, Hannah."
"... I'm... I'm sorry for lying." She said, and shivered. Cass wrapped an arm around her, and she curled up, sniffling.
The unicorn rolled onto it's back, and then closed it's eyes, going to sleep.
"... That fucker cut her wings, Abel." Cass said, her tail muscled, and teeth pointed. "I want to see him dead."

>>22704142
"I'm going to find a way to stop him from ever coming back and then I'm going to make sure he's in pain for a very long time."

>>22704142
You and me both. But killing him doesn't even work, and each time he comes back he's more desperate and horrible.

I don't know what we're meant to do.

>>22704142
"Killing him doesn't work, at least not permanently. And death is far too quick for him. I will flay the skin from his flesh and salt his body, he will not die without taking a lifetime of agony with him."

>>22704142
"Me too. We'll just have to keep trying. And if that doesn't work, there are worse things than death, for Angels."

>>22704142
Doesn't work, I'd almost say we just capture him and throw him in a pit, that would atleast get him out of our hair until he starves to death.

"Me too." You say. "We'll just have to keep trying. And if that doesn't work..."
You ruminate on a dream you had, not long ago. A great, pulsing, malevolent sphere...
"There are worse things than death, for angels."
Cass meets your eyes, and shivers.

You wake up to the smell of saltwater, with something cold and damp on your lips. You open your eyes to see a strangely familiar straddling you, without any clothes to speak of.
"I found you." She said, with a wide smile. "Finally."

When you hear her voice, you recognize her.
Scylla.

>End of thread!

>>22704309
Thanks for running, Exa!

>>22704317
>You're welcome! Though today was a shitty day and I wrote horribly, so I apologize. Three hours of sleep isn't enough.

>>22704327
It started a little slow, but it got better, don't worry too much!

>>22704327
Mentioned before,a but how possible would it be to turn Gearworks into an automated ammo processor?

>>22704557
>Not very. At least, not if you want it still mobile. And even then you'd still need to make the casings by hand.

>>22704309
Someone wants a good groping.

>>22704309
Is she old? Because I don't want to go hunt for the thread where we freed her, but I'm not sure if the reason I'm imagining an old lady is because she actually is one, or because I just thought "Fisherman's wife=old lady".
So, for now, I'm going to imagine Abel straddled by Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle: a lady who is both young and old at the same time. And naked.
AND YOU CAN"T STOP ME

>>22705021
I imagine she's pretty hot, otherwise where's the entertainment value when Cass sees her straddling Abel?

>>22705069
>Naked old lady straddling your closest friend/ex-love-interest
>Not reacting in an entertaining manner

>>22705021
>She's actually like half a century old, but that's because she's a mermaid- she appears to be mid-twenties.

>>22705119
Fucking Thor.

>>22705361
Well, that's the problem, innit?

>>22705538
We just have to seduce Thor away from her.

>>22705626
>birthofavillain.png

>>22705626
But then we're stuck with Thor and not Cass.

>>22705657
No, that's not the point.
Cass would have to join the communal relationship to get to Thor.
Thus, the communal relationship grows by one delicious scaly tail.
If you devise your communal relationship correctly, it should start self-propagating by the time you get three people in it.
Do it right, and we can create a marriage singularity.

What species of changeling was Thor anyway?

>>22705813
>He was trollblooded, I believe it was mentioned.