>>446645
>>Stella

>>446645
>>Emi
then
>>Stella

if we're just picking the order.

>>446645
>>Stella

>>446645
>>Stella

>>446645
>Stella
Do we only have time to say goodbye to one of them? If so, we should tell someone to explain the situation to whoever doesn't know we're leaving.

>>446652
>>446670
It's just the order. You have time for both

>writing

-Stella. You'll go see Emi on your way out, because she gives the best hugs... and you're actually feeling a little nervous.

So you make your way back to the courtyard, where you find Stella sitting with her sister, watching the children.

Tian is still yelling at Ariadne, along with one of the other guild rabbits. It looks like one of the winged girls managed to get herself caught in the web...

Vivian and little Hella pad and hop along after a butterfly, as the other kids continue their games.

"Yo" You say to Stella.

Stella's ears perk up, and she turns to face you. "Hey Yuu" She says. "You and the cat manage to find the girls?"
"Yeah, Ilica took them down to the library to apologize" You say.
"Apologize for what?" She asks.
"They scared off all of Jade's Sprites" You say. "And Jade was stuck in there because of it"

"Why would she be stuck?" Stella asks.
"Jade is made of slime" You say. "A bunch of books had fallen, and she didn't want to get any of her on it"

"A slime libriarian?" Stella asks. "What a strange place this is..."
"You didn't go with them?" Hella asks.
"No, I actually came to say bye" You say.

Stella cocks her head to oen side. "Bye?" She asks. "Where are you going?"
"Altea says there was a flare up at the prison" You say. "She thinks that they want to fire the engine at Locke, so I'm leaving to go blow it up"

Stella's ears droop, and she looks concerned.

>Don't worry, I've been there before

>So... bye?

>I could use a hug

>Other

>>446763
>>Don't worry, I've been there before
but
>I could use a hug

>Don't worry, I've been there before
and
>I could use a hug

>>446763
>>Don't worry, I've been there before
>>I could use a hug

>>446763
>>>Don't worry, I've been there before
>>>I could use a hug

>>446763
>Don't worry, I've been there before

>writing

"Don't worry, I've been there before" You say.
"You have?" Stella asks.
"Yeah. That's where I met Derrick, and Emi, and Ilica, and Fran" You say.

"When was this?" She asks.
"Not too long ago" You say. "We pretty much went straight to Sherton"

"Huh..." Stella says. "I never would've guess that you were a fugitive"
"I don't think any of us were actually criminals... though I still don't know how Ilica or Emi ended up in there" You say.

"You've never asked?" Hella asks.
You shrug. "Never came up" You say.

Stella's ears perk back up. "Well, let us know if there's anything we can do to help" She says.

You smile a little, and scratch the back of your head. "I... I could use a hug" You say.

Stella's ears flick around for a moment, before she hops to her feet. "Nervous?" She asks.
"A little... yeah" You say.

She gives you a warm smile, and puts her arms around you, pulling you into a hug. "Don't worry, Yuu. You'll do great" She says.
"You think so?" You ask.

She gives you a little squeeze. "I know it" She says, taking a step back and holding her hands on your shoulders. "Now, get out there and -ah!"

Something bright flies into the courtyard, colliding with Stella's head.

>[1/2]

Stella rubs the back of her head where she was hit, as the strange projectile slowly floats down to the ground. Before it falls, Hella holds out her hands and catches it.

"It's a sprite" Hella says.

The sprite sits up in Hella's hands, shaking off the shock from her impact. It then stands up and salutes, holding out a little rolled up paper.

Hella takes the paper, and then hands it to Stella. "It's for you, I think"

Stella also shakes off her head, as she takes the paper from Hella and opens it. You watch her eyes flick their way down the small page, rolling it back up when she's done. "Well, I guess it's not goodbye yet, then" She says.

"What's up?" You ask.
"I'm going too" She says.
"To the prison?" You ask.
"On the airship" She says. "The hunters have agreed to transport you guys to the prison on the Archer's Pride"
"Oh... cool?" You say. "Why would you be coming along?"
"Because us rabbits re a necessity" She says. "Plus I'm one of the only ones who knows you guys"

"Oh" You say.

"So-" Stella says, offering her arm to you. "Should we get going?"

>Sure

>I need to see Emi first

>Other

>>446845
>I need to see Emi first

>>446845
>>I need to see Emi first

>>446845
>>I need to see Emi first

>>446845
>I need to see Emi first
I need to get some sleep so last post from me. Have a nice thread.

>>I need to see Emi first
Snake hugs.

>>446854
Sleep well, anon

>writing

"I have on last stop to make" You say.
"What's that?" She asks.
"I want to say goodbye to Emi first" You say.

"Oh. Should I wait here?" She asks.
"If you want. But Derrick is waiting at the front gate, I think" You say.
"Alright, I'll say my own farewells here and then meet you down there. Kay?" She asks.
"Kay" You say. "See you in a bit"
"See you~" Stella says.
"Good luck, Yuu" Hella says.

You smile and wave as you head for the entrace, and down the hall. If you remember right, then the place where you last saw Emi is down here.

Hopefully she's still there...

You make your way to the storage room, and open the door. Luckily, Emi is still here.

"AH! Quick, grab that thing!" Emi shouts, pointing to something on the floor.

You look down to see some kind of green creature making a break for the now open door...

>Roll 1d100
>No focus

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>446916
Rev up those 1s!

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>446916

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>446916

Rolled 39 (1d100)

Do snake girls have human pussies?

>writing

You dart down and try to grab the... thing, and you do get a hand on it. But it lets out a bunch of squeaks, as it wriggles out of your grip, hops onto your shoulder, then runs down your back and out the door.

Emi slithers past you to the doorway, stopping at it to see where the creature ran to, She then slumps her shoulders and sits back onto her tail.

"What was that?" You ask.
"It was a Frodegler..." Emi says. "Jade had it in a jar, but I opened it to get a better look. Then it started jumping everywhere, so I tried to get it back in. And then you openend the door..."

"Oh... sorry" You say.
Emi gives you a weak smile. "Don't worry about it. I'll just have to track it down later" She says. "So... I guess you want me to fix that bump on your forehead?"

"The bump...?" You say, as you reach up to your forehead. "Oh yeah. I forgot that was there"
"Honestly..." Emi says, as she leans over to you and puts a hand on your forehead. "So if you're not actually here about this, then what's up?"

"I'm leaving" You say. "Altea says that the chaos engine is flaring up, and she thinks they want to fire it at Locke..."

Emi looks concerned. "So soon..." She says. "When does she think it will fire?"
"I dunno... I think she said it might be ready by tomorrow night" You say.
"You can't get all the way there in one day... not even with a fast cart" Emi says.
"The hunters are bringing us in their airship" You say.

Emi gives another weak smile, as she wraps her arms around you.

"I know you don't want me to go..." You say.
"No." She says. "You have to go"
"What?" You ask.
Emi tightens her grip, as you feel her tail start to coil. "I know I can't convince you not to... and even if I could, I'd still have to convince Altea... But if you don't do this, who else can?"
"No one... I guess" You say.
"Exactly" She says. "So go out there, and show them who's boss for me, okay?"
"Alright" You say.

Emi finishes wraping you up, and she gives you a light squeeze. "And one more thing" She says. "Come back in one piece"
"Okay" You say. One piece is pretty ambiguous anyway, you could just-
"And I mean intact and in one piece" She says. "If you lose an arm, don't just leave it behind"
"Darn..." You say.

"I knew you were thinking it" She says, as she loosens up and releases you. "Now get going"

>[1/2]

>>446924
You need to ask that in a Monster Musume thread in /a/

You leave Emi to hunt down the Fro... fo... deg... lizard, and make your way down to the entrance.

There you find Derrick and Stella leaning on the gate and chatting while they wait for you. Stella is the first one to notice you, as her ears perk up and turn in your direction.

"All set?" Stella asks, as she turns to face you.
"How did you know it was me before you saw me?" You ask.
Stella smiles as she bumps off the gate and stands up straight. "You have a very distinct sound" She says. "Like rushing water"

"He does?" Derrick asks.
"I do" You say. "I can hear it too, sometimes"

"And you can hear it all the way from there?" Derrick asks.
Stella puffs out her chest with pride. "I don't have these big ears for nothing" She says. "So, all set?"

"Pretty much, yeah" You say.
"Then let's go!" Stella says, before turning and marching away.

Derrick laughs at her enthusiasm as he follows along, and you pick up your pace to keep up with them.

>Ask Derrick if the plan's changed

>Where's Pip?

>Ask Stella about the guild's involvment

>Other

>>447038
>>Ask Derrick if the plan's changed
>>Where's Pip?

>>447038
>>Ask Stella about the guild's involvment
Are they just a taxi service or will they actually have boots on the ground?

>>447038
>Ask Derrick if the plan's changed
>Where's Pip?

And then for the random Yuu thought...
>Would it be possible for them to hit the Archer's Pride with the chaos cannon?

>writing

"So... has the plan changed now? Weren't we supposed to get captured, and then taken to the prison?" You ask.
"Yeah, it's changed quite a bit" He says. "I don't know what she was planning before, but with the hunters help getting in should be pretty simple"

"How's that?" You ask.
"The main gun on the Archer's Pride" Derrick says. "It has more than enough power to blow the outer wall wide open"

"Oh... why don't we just use that for the whole prison?" You ask.
"Ammunition for it is expensive, and difficult to craft" Stella says. "It was originally built to pierce the hides and armor of the 4 kings, but by the time the ship was in the air we had already made peace with them"

"Neat" You say. "So we blow a hole in the wall... then what? Wouldn't that draw some attention?"

"Ideally, we'd be right there when it goes off" Derrick says. "Altea will know the details better than I would. Hell, her plan might be completely different"

>Alright, I'll wait until then

>I kinda want to hear your plan

>Other

>>447093
>>I kinda want to hear your plan

>>447093

>I kinda want to hear your plan

>>447093
>I kinda want to hear your plan

>writing

"I kind of want to hear your plan" You say.
"You do?" He asks. "You know that Altea's a way better strategist than I am, right?"

"Yeah, but you're the one who's going to be there" You say. "I wanna know what you'd do"
"Alright..." Derrick says. "I'd have the Pride drop us at a safe distance, preferably with some kind of transport. Then when we're close enough, either on a signal or at a designated time, the Pride will get into range and fire at the walls"

"And that's when we move in" You say. "While there's still confusion as to what the blast was?"

"Exactly" Derrick says. "From there, with Pip's guidance we should have free run of the place to find the Engine and shut it down"

"What if it targets the Pride?" You ask.
"The pride will have to stay mobile..." Derrick says, as he turns to Stella. "Be sure to let them know that. You might not get boarded, but the ship will still be in danger"
"Got it" Stella says.

"And then, once the engine is dealt with... I dunno" Derrick says. "We were supposed to have a small contingent of Altea's troops who would move in..."
"The hunters will probably take care of that" Stella says. "We can load any innocent prisoners onto the Pride, get our guys and you guys out, and high tail it back to Locke"

"Sounds like a plan" You say.
"Let's see what Altea says" Derrick says. "We may still be trying the sneaky approach... though I can't say how, given the fact that they obviously know we're up to something..."

"Right... and speaking of sneaky. Where's Pip?" You ask.

As soon as the word 'Pip' leaves your mouth, Stella's ears perk up. Then something lands on your back.

You stumble under the impact, and the added weight. But you regain your footing fairly easily, and reach back to try and shake off whatever's on you.
"Hellooooooo" Pip says, as she fights off your hands. "I was wondering when somebody was going to ask that!"
"Pip, have you been following us the whole time?" Derrick asks.

"Not the whole time" Pip says. "Just long enough to hear my name"

>Please get off my back

>Ask if she heard Derrick's plan

>Other

>>447182
>>Ask if she heard Derrick's plan

>>447182
>>Ask if she heard Derrick's plan

>writing

You sigh and stop fighting against the mouse on your back, allowing her to settle in. She shimmies around a bit, and eventually folds her arms on top of your head.

"So did you hear Derrick's plan?" You ask.
"I caught the end of it" Pip says. "Sounds solid. I've always wanted to see what that big gun looks like when it's fired, so I'm in for that"

Stella looks at you and Pip with an awkward expression, but shakes it off and clears her throat. "That's only if we actually brought ammunition for it" She says. "There should be at least one round for the big gun, but I'm not sure"

"Not sure? I thought you guild bunnies kept very strict records" Pip says.
"We left Leon in a hurry, and we had to dump a bunch of things to make room for the passengers we were going to be picking up" She says.
"Dang..." Pip says. "Well, here's hoping you guys didn't dump all your big gun bullets"

"Yeah, I can't think of how we'd breach the walls otherwise" Derrick says. "Short of ramming the Pride into the prison, there really isn't much else that we could use to break through quickly"

...

"So... are you just going to ride Yuu all the way to the docks?" Stella asks.
"Nah, I'll get off before someone important sees" Pip says.
"Why are you on him in the first place?" Derrick asks.
"I've been on my feet all day, and running ragged for the last half hour" Pip says. "I could use a break, and Yuu here's built like an ox"

Pip punctuates this by slapping your chest.

"A little small for an ox..." Derrick says.
"I guess..." Pip says. "Either way, he doesn't mind. Right Yuu?"

>Please get off...

>This is fine

>What's an ox?

>Other

>>447271
>>What's an ox?

>>447271
Is pip flat? I imagine her as being very flat.
Either way,
>This is fine.
>Does anyone else want a ride?

>>447271
>>This is fine
>>What's an ox?

>>447271
>>447287
I can get behind this small snark

>>447287
As a board

>writing

"What's an ox?" You ask.
"Big farm animal" Pip says. "Think Rhea, but with 4 legs instead of 2 legs and 2 arms"

"That is pretty big" You say.
"Right?" Pip asks. "I mean, you're not that big... so I guess I was exaggerating a bit..."
"You're pretty small too" You say. "I've probably got room for one more back here. Anyone else want a ride?"

"Har, har" Pip says. "Laugh it up, pretty boy. Not everyboy can be stacked like Ms. Rabbit over here"

"Stacked?" You ask.

Derrick lets out a nervous chuckle. "I uhh... don't think he was talking about that" He says.

"... I knew that" Pip says.
"No you didn't" Derrick says.
"Shut up" Pip says.

"Y-you two seem to get along pretty well" Stella says.

"You call this getting along?" Derrick asks.
"Hmm... I guess we do" Pip says. You feel her shifting on your back, as she reaches out and puts an arm over Derrick's shoulder and pulls him in. "We've been friends since we were kids"

"You have?" You ask.
"I was 7ish when Altea picked me up" Pip says. "And Ricky trained with us for a long time... probably right until we moved to Locke 2 years ago"

>Why did Altea pick you up?

>Why did you guys move?

>Is nobody going to tell me what stacked means?

>Other

>>447347
>>Why did Altea pick you up?
>>Is nobody going to tell me what stacked means?

>>447347
>>Why did Altea pick you up?

>writing

"Why did Altea pick you up?" You ask.
"Well, she didn't pick me up..." Pip says.

"Yes she did" Derrick says. "Go on, tell the story"
"Fiiiine" Pip says. "So I was a bit of a street mouse back then, and I'd heard that some fancy rich dragon lady was stopping by. I figured I'd see if I could snatch her purse..."

"She was in town scouting out Lulu, by the way" Derrick says.

"Yeah, yeah. Can I tell the story?" Pip asks.
"Oh, please continue" Derrick says.

"So anyway, she was walking down the street with nobody but a little wolf girl- who I later found out was Lulu -and I figured that then would be the best time. So I snuck out, snagged her purse while she wasn't lookin' and booked it" She says.

"What happened then?" You ask.
"Well... I dipped into an alley and opened up the purse to see what I'd snagged, and there was so much gold in there. Seriously, I could've put a roof over my head and food in my belly for years with that" Pip says. "And then somebody picked me up by the collar and turned me around..."

"Who was it?" You ask.
"Altea" She says. "She had Lulu sniff me out once she realized her purse was gone. She said that she should send me to the town guard for punishment, but she admired my gusto and my ability to sneak up on her like that. So she gave me a choice: Join her, or go to jail. You can guess which one I picked"

"Well, you're not in jail..." You say.
"Astute observation Yuusky" Pip says, as she pats your head. "Life's been pretty good since then, save for the occasional dangerous mission"

"Like this one?" You ask.
"Like this one, yes" She says. "Still good though. I even manage to get along with the other knights, although Marybell hated my guts for a long time"

"Why?" You ask.
"Eh, you'll have to ask her about that" Pip says. "I still don't get her grudge, to be honest"

"One more question" You say.
"Shoot" Pip replies.
"What does stacked mean?" You ask.

Pip pauses for a second, before bursting out into laughter.

"That's not really appropriate..." Stella says.
"Alright" Pip says. "If you're curious, I'll tell ya"
"Please don't" Derrick says.

That's all for tonight!

I'll be continuing in this thread either tomorrow or Sunday, so keep an eye out.

As always I'll be sticking around in case anyone has questions/suggestions

>>447459
Thanks for the thread!

>>447459
Great thread, Smiley!

When you're finally in sight of the docks, you see Altea talking to the Huntmaster.

"Dad!" Stella calls out, as she runs up to Castor and hugs him.
"Hey Stel, how've you been?" Castor asks.

"Ah, there you 3 ar-... Pip, just what the hell are you doing?" Altea says.
"Hitching a ride" Pip says.
"Well... get off. He's a fighter, not a mount" Altea says.

"Aye Commander" Pip says, saluting as she hops off your back.

"Now come, we'll talk about what we're going to do on the way up to the airship" Altea says.
"Ooooo, please say we're using the big gun!" Pip says.
"Well, yes" Altea says. "How else would you all get in?"

"Yissss" Pip says, pumping a fist in excitement.

"The plan is to have the Pride blast the main gate, fly in and drop you all off, and then circle while bombarding the prison" Altea says. "Once the engine is destroyed, it'll move in and the hunters can take over from there"

"You want to bombard it while we're still inside?" You ask.
"Just the outer walls, to keep the guard busy" Altea says.
"I dunno..." You say.

>I kinda liked Derrick's plan better

>I guess it could work

>Other

>>448595
>>I kinda liked Derrick's plan better
Support our bro.

>writing

>>448595
>What about firing at pre-planned moments, so we know how much time we have between blasts?

>>448595
>I kinda liked Derrick's plan better

"I kinda like Derrick's plan better..." You say.

Altea raises an eyebrow, then turns to Derrick. "What was your plan?" She asks.
"I figured we'd get dropped off at a distance, and make our own way up to the prison. Then the Pride could fire on either a signal or at a certain time" Derrick says.

Altea's lips curl upwards. "I did teach you well" She says. "How does that sound, Castor?"
"Sounds like it'd leave the hunters out of harm's way" Castor says. "Not that they'd mind leaping into the maw of that place, but I've heard that death by Chaos is not a pleasant way to go..."

"It isn't..." Derrick says. "Trust me"
"You'd've seen your fair share of it in there I'd bet... plus we have the non-hunters to consider" Castor says. "I'm in for that, we can work out the details along the way"

"Alright" Derrick says. He seems surprised, maybe even a bit flattered. "Y-yeah, that sounds good"

Castor, Altea, Stella and Pip start walking to the Archer's Pride, leaving you and Derrick to follow.

>Come on, we should keep up

>You seem surprised

>Other

>>448698
>>You seem surprised

>>448698
>You seem surprised

>writing

Does this kid EVER get complimented by Altea? Is that why he thinks that everyone is a better swordsman?

Not cool, dragon lady.

"You look surprised" You say.

Derrick smiles and scratches the back of his head. "Do I?" He asks.
"Yeah. You looked a bit like this" You say, doing your best impression of the face he was just making.

The gets a snort out of him. "That obvious, huh?" He asks. "To be honest, I was kind of surprised..."
"What for?" You ask.
"I'm just... not used to being praised like that, I guess" He says. "And honestly, her plan wasn't bad either. So I'm surprised that she decided to change it"

"I dunno. I still don't like the idea of being inside the building while it's being fired on" You say.
"It's still not a bad idea. Maybe we can work on planning things out with the hunters so they fire at certain points at certain times, so we know where not to be" He says.

"That sounds good" You say, as you start walking. "I just really don't want to get hit by anything"
Derrick laughs as he follows after you. "You might be in the wrong business then" He says. "Everybody in there will be trying to hit you"
You shrug. "Okay, I don't want to get hit by anything big enough to destroy a wall" You say.
"That we can manage" He says.

>1/2

You catch up to the others halfway up the docking ramp for the airship.

"Hey you two, all set to go?" Stella asks.
"Yeah" You say.

"Alright" Castor says. "It'll be a little while before we're ready to takeoff, so feel free to relax. Or if you want, one of the cargo bays is currently empty, if you guys wanted to do some practicing"

"Neat" You say.

"We've also got rooms for you below deck" Stella says. "If you want, I could show you where they are"

>Hang oout on deck

>Ask Stella to show you where your room is

>Head to the empty cargo bay

>Other

>>448786
>>Ask Stella to show you where your room is
Can'

>>448786
>Ask Stella to show you where your room is
Rest up. We're about to go into battle, now isn't the time to exhaust ourselves.

>writing

"That sounds good" You say. "I could use some time to relax"

"You sure you don't wanna head down to the cargo bay and get slapped around for a bit?" Pip asks.
"No... I think I've gotten my fair share of that" You say.
"Alrighty" Pip says.

"Well then" Altea says, "I'll leave you all to that. I need to start seeing to our own defenses"
"Why?" You ask.

"The legion has been winding up for a while now. Once the prison is destroyed, my little revolt will be in full swing" She says. "I have no doubts that it will paint a target on Locke. So we'll shore up the defenses, and ensure that the guard are prepared"

"Well, here's hoping we're successful then" Derrick says.
Altea smiles. "I have no doubts about that" She says. "I'm sending 2 of my best in there, along with the only known person who can survive the Chaos. If the 3 of you can't bring it down, then no one can"

"Thanks..." Derrick says.
"We'll get it done" Pip says.

"Good" Altea says, as she spreads her wings. "I'd wish you luck, but I doubt you'll need it. So, farewell"

With a few heavy wingbeats, Altea takes off and rises up into the air and soars back into the city.

"Man, sometimes I wish I could do that" Pip says. "Ah well, come on, Ricky. We've got some work to do"
"Yeah, we'll see you later Yuu" Derrick says.
"See you" You reply.

"Come on, let's go get you set up" Stella says.

>1/2

Stella hooks her arm over yours, and leads you to the stairway that goes belowdeck.

"Stil nervous?" She asks.
"A little" You say. "Moreso now, since we'll be flying"
"Ah, still don't like the airship?" She asks.

"I don't know yet" You say. "We'll find out once it's in the air"

Stella giggles. "I'm sure you'll be fine"
"Were you nervous the first time you flew?" You ask.

Stella laughs a little harder.

"What?" You ask.
"I would say maybe. It's hard to tell" She says. "I was born on this thing"
"Really?" You ask.
"Really" She says. "It was doing a hunter change overseas, and carrying Avella, my mom, and my dad back to HQ since dad had just been named Huntmaster. The Pride was halfway across the ocean when my mom started giving birth..."

"Neat" You say.

>Where do babies come from anyway?

>What was it like having the huntmaster as your dad?

>Has the Pride ever crashed?

>Other

>>448884
>Where do babies come from anyway?

>>448884
>Has the Pride ever crashed?

>expect a solid 'no' to help settle our fears
>"Well, there was this one time..."
>panic.gif

>writing

>>448884
>Where do babies come from anyway?

"Where do babies come from anyway?" You ask.

Stella lightly elbows you in the ribs, with a stern expression. "That's not something you ask a girl after one date" She says. "You wait until at least the third"
"... what?" You ask.

The stern expression gives way to a playful smile. "Just kidding. It's sort of an awkward topic... but maybe I could find you a book about it" She says. "There's probably one on here somewhere..."

"Okay" You say. "Why is it so awkward?"
"Lots of private stuff" She says. "Activities and body parts that people don't like to talk about"
"Like penises?" You ask.

Stella nods. "Like penises, yes" She says. "Gosh, if my dad heard me talking about penises with a boy he'd probably freak..."
"Why? Doesn't he have one too?" You ask.
"Probably" She says.
"Probably?" You ask.
"I dunno man, I've never seen it" She says. "I just assume he does, because babymaking requires one"
"I see..." You say.

"Anyways, like I said: awkward subject" She says. "Care to talk about something else?"
"Sure" You say. "Has the pride ever crashed before?"

"No" She says. "Well... kind of"
"Kind of?" You ask. "How do you kind of crash something?"

"I wouldn't really call it a crash. It was coming in to dock in Antolia's old capital, when the pilot spilled hot coffee all over himself and accidentally flipped the steering controls" She says. "Left a big hole in the side, and some nasty burns on him"

"That does sound painful" You say.
"Not really" She says. "They were nasty, but I've seen guys come back from hunts with worse"

You can only imagine the kinds of injuries hunters must get. You've fought 2 monsters in your lifetime, and both of them left you worse for wear...

"Anyways, here we are" Stella says, as she stops and unlocks a door.

The two of you go inside, and the first thing you notice is how much larger this room is than the one you were in with the Devils.

>Ask why the room is so big

>Ask if she wants to hang out

>Thank Stella, go take a nap

>Other

>>448976
>>Ask why the room is so big

>>448976
>>Ask why the room is so big
>>Thank Stella, go take a nap

>writing

>>448976
>Ask why the room is so big
>Thank Stella, go take a nap

>>448976
>Ask why the room is so big

"Why is it so big?" You ask.
"Big compared to... what?" She asks.
"Last time I was here the room I saw was tiny" You say.

"Ah, you must have been in one of the 'barracks' rooms" She says. "Just beds and storage, right?"
"Yeah" You say.
"This is one of the actual bedrooms, for guests, and the ship's officers" She says. "We gave one to each of the 3 of you, since you are kind of guests"

"Cool" You say. "So this whole room is mine?"
"Yeppers!" She says.
"Huh" You say.
"What's up?" She asks.
"I don't think I've ever really had a room to myself before" You say.

"Not even at the castle?" She asks.
"I sleep with Emi at the castle" You say.
"The Serpid?" She asks.
"Yeah" You say. "She likes to coil around something to keep warm, and I get lonely"
"Aww..." She says. "Well, if you get lonely in here, I'll be around. Okay?"
"Okay" You say.

"But for now, I have some stuff to do" She says, wrapping you in a tight hug before releasing you and heading for the door. "See you later" She says.
"See you" You say.

Stella leaves and closes the door behind her, leaving you to-

>Take a nap

>Get some mageblade practice in

>Look around

>Other

>>449024
>>Take a nap

>>449024
>>Take a nap

>>449024
>Take a nap

>>449024
>>Take a nap

>writing

You walk over to the bed, turn around, and sit down on it. Then you take your boots off and lay down.

"Back to the prison, huh?" You mumble.

You shimmy yourself up until you're all the way on the bed, and then you roll over onto your side.

You find it kind of weird how things are coming full circle like this. You pretty much started out in the cave with Fran, Derrick, Emi, and Ilica. And now you're going back.

You wonder what you'll be doing after this. You know that Altea wants to push on to Leon once the prison is destroyed, but there's still the Hell's Legion to be dealt with...

And then there's that gate, and the other pure demons. They seem important too, but you don't think anybody shares your feelings about them.

Well, Madelaine seems to think the gate is important too... and she'll definitely be going to the Tower once the rebellion is over.

You groan and roll back and forth in your bed.

One thing at a time. Prison first, then you can worry about what comes next.

You maneuver yourself over to a pillow, and close your eyes to try and sleep.

Then you're surprised awake by the ship suddenly lurching upward, probably as it takes off.

Then you close your eyes again...

>[1/2]

After a little while, you wake up. Looking around the room, you notice that you left the lights on, so you sit up.

Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you scoot your way to the foot of the bed and stand up. Then you make your way over to the door and look around. Nobody in the halls, though you're not sure why you expected anyone to be running around out here.

You walk back into your room and head to the window. The sky is dark, so it must be night.

Or maybe someone blew up the sun.

...

Nah, it's probably just night. You get the feeling that there would be more panic if someone blew up the sun.

Letting out a big yawn, you walk over to where you left your boots and put them on. You think now is a good time to-

>Look for Derrick

>Look for Stella

>Find the Huntmaster

>Look around the ship

>Other

>>449097
>>Look for Derrick

>>449097
>>Look for Stella

>>449097
>>Look around the ship
I'm sure there's something cool around here.

>>449097
>Look around the ship

>writing

-take a look around. You've seen so little of this ship, you might as well explore a bit. You don't think the hunters will mnd you doing a bit of snooping.

You walk back to your door and head out. You know now that if you turn left here that you can get back to the deck, but you want to go deeper in. So you go right.

You pass several rooms that look a lot like yours, with their doors spaced pretty far apart to accomodate for the room size. After a few of the bigger rooms, there are several smaller rooms. And after the smaller rooms, there's a spiral staircase going up and down.

You step in and look up and down the center. It looks like it goes up above the deck, and further down below.

>Go up

>Go down

>Other

>>449147
>>Go down

>>449147
>>Go down

>writing

You head down. Not that up doesn't seem interesting too, you remember there being a tower of sorts on top of the ship. But that's pretty much it up there. There could be any number of cool things down here.

So down the steps you go. There are some signs that you decide not to stop and read because they contain a bunch of words you don't know... actually they might be names, but you don't bother to figure them out. You keep going down until you come across a door with a sign that you can read. It has little arrows pointing around. One pointing to the door that says 'weapons', and two pointing down that say 'cargo' and 'engines'

Neat.

You think you'll go check out-

>The weapons

>The engines

>The cargo bay

>Other

>>449200
>The cargo bay

>>449200
>The cargo bay

>>449200
>>The cargo bay

>writing

Looks like cargo is the next door down the stairway, so you keep going down.

You notice that you're definitely more okay with flying than you were the first time, but then you haven't gone and looked over the edge yet, or had to ride one of those chain things... so you'll have to see how you feel once you've done one of those.

You reach the cargo bay door, and pry it open. The lever that keeps the door closed is pretty stiff, but you still manage to pry it open.

Inside there's a hallway, with rather large rooms on either side. You walk down, peering into them as you go.

Each one has a bunch of crates in it, but there's pieces of scattered gear all over. One room has some weaponry, one room seems to hold armor, another room looks like it's full of cart-like vehicles, and the last room is pretty much empty...

You think you'll go into the-

>One with the weapons

>One with the armor

>One with the vehicles

>Empty one

>Other

>>449288
>One with the armor

>>449288
>>Empty one

>>449288
>Empty one

>>449288

>Empty one

>writing

You've seen weapons and armor and all that other stuff, so you head over to the empty one.

The lever on the door is just as stiff as the one on the last door, so it takes some strength to pry it open. The door squeaks as you open it, echoing off the walls of the empty bay.

You step in and looks around. It looks empty, save for the pair of practice sword laying on the ground. You walk over and pick the pair of wooden blads up, and give them both a few swings.

It almost feels more natural holding a pair of weapons like this. You feel more balanced. Maybe you should try and see if you can make and maintain a second mageblade.

...

Or maybe not, that actually sounds pretty difficult.

You give one more look around the room, and notice something you missed: You're not alone in here.

Derrick and Pip are both sitting against a wall, fast asleep, leaning on each other...

>Say hello

>Quietly make your way out.

>Give them your cloak as a blanket

>Other

>>449343
>>Give them your cloak as a blanket
Let's not disturb the cute.

>writing

You reach up and unbuckle your cloak, taking it off as you walk over to your sleeping temmates. You gently lay the cloak over them, tucking it up to their shoulders to make sure it doesn't fall down.

Then you take a few steps back, and head for the door. They'll wake up eventually, and hopefully they'll give you back your cloak when they do...

Then you close the squeaky door as gently as you can, and pull the lever back up.

"Well that was interesting" You say.

Of all the things you expected to see, that was not one of them.

Well, since you can't stay in that room without running the risk of waking them, you'll have to go elsewhere...

>Check out the armor

>Check out the weapons

>Check out the vehicles

>Head somewhere else (specify)

>>449394
>>Check out the armor
Mageblade works out fine for us.

>>449394
>Check out the vehicles

>writing

>>449394
>Check out the armor

You walk over to the vehicles bay, and open the door. This one is still hard to get open, but it doesn't creak when you open it.

Inside there are a bunch of carts, and something smaller underneath a sheet. You head over to the smaller one and pull the sheet off.

This cart isn't much of a cart... it only has 2 wheels, and no cabin. In fact, it looks like 1, maybe 2 people could fit and that's it. Still, despite its lack of space, it looks really cool. It's much more sleek than the other carts you've seen, and it seems like it'd go much faster than any of them

There's a clipboard attached to the strange cart, so you pick it up.

"Experimental Vehicle... uhh... care-... err... c-h-a-r-i-o-t... Char-i-ot. Chariot." You say. As you read the heading. "Neat"

The rest of the writing looks like it's all technical stuff that you wouldn't understand, so you put the clipboard back and sit down on the seat of the strange cart.

It looks like you control it by the handles poking out of the sides on the front, but you have to lean way forward to reach them. Maybe it was meant for someone taller than you...

Either way, it looks like it won't run without a key, and it probably runs on mana like a normal cart... so you hop off.

The other carts seem pretty standard, which doesn't really interest you all that much. So you leave this room, and head for the armor room...

>1/2

This room is packed floor to ceiling with stuff. Each crate is open, so you check out each one. They all seem to be full of something different. One will have leather helmets, another will have metal helmets, some have gauntlets, some have armor for the torso...

They're all styled the same, and a few pieces have the guild's sword-eating dragon insignia.

Pulling a few pieces out, you notice that some of it looks like it could fit you...

>Try some of it on

>Go elsewhere

>Other

>>449468
>>Try some of it on

>>449468
>>Try some of it on
Gotta make sure we bring back all the limbs.

>>449468
>Try some of it on

>writing

You think the leather stuff might suit you better, allowing for more mobility and all. But you do kinda want to see what the heavier stuff feels like.

So you go through the crates, pulling out one of each of the metal pieces of armor and piling them up on the ground until you're pretty sure you have a full suit.

Then you hop down and examine each piece in turn, figuring out how it goes on, and where it goes on.

Once you feel confident in your ability to get it all on, you get to work. Starting with the boots and legs. The straps give you trouble at first, but you manage to figure them out.

Then it's up to the waist pieces, and the torso, and then the arms. It's hard to do the arm pieces, given that you can only use one hand on each, but you manage.

Then it's on to the helmet...

There.

Too bad there aren't any mirrors in here...

You think there might have been one in your room, though.

>Take it all off

>Head to your room

>Other

>>449529
>>Take it all off
Eh, we got something that fits. No need to rattle everyone awake.

>>449529
>Take it all off

Stealing is wrong and so is being noisy at night.

>>449529
>>Take it all off

>writing

You shrug as much as the armor will allow. It fits, and you don't think that the Hunters would appreciate you clanking your way through the halls to find a mirror.

So you start working it off, starting with the arms because they feel a little tight now.

...

This is actually pretty difficult...

You might be stuck...

...

Nevermind, you got it. That would have sucked, if you couldn't get this off. You would have either had to wait until someone came down, or go wake someone up...

After you get the first arm off, the other pieces follow fairly quickly. You then put each one back where you found it.

That was kind of neat, if not a bit heavy. You get the feeling that you might have put it on wrong, since you couldn't move your arms right. But even if you had it on right, you feel better without it on.

You then check out some of the leather pieces. While they're not as interesting, they probably suit you better than the metal...

That can wait though, you're kinda bored of the armor. You think you'll-

>Check out what's in the weapons

>Head up to the deck

>Head up to the tower

>Go back to your room

>Other

>>449578
Check out the weapons
Maybe they have mageblade mods

>>449578
>>Check out what's in the weapons

>writing

You close the door to the armor bay, and head over to the one where they keep all the weapons.

Checking the crates, you see that the ones in this rom are better organized. A crate with swords in it has them all neatly stacked in little racks, rather than having them tossed in the way the armor was.

A lot of this stuff seems pretty standard. The guild has a few crates with varying styles of sword, a crate with some more exotic weapons that you're afraid to touch, a few crates of bows and bow-like weapons, and a few more with arrows and bolts.

A few tall ones that they have standing up catch your attention, so you go over to them. Inside of one you find some incredibly large swords, and in another you find extremely oversized crossbows.

You reach up and grab the handle of the big sword at the front, and pull it out of its crate. Then you regret your decision.

It's heavy. Very heavy. Not heavier than Rhea, but you were better prepared for how heavy Rhea was. This catches you off guard, and you almost lose your feet.

Luckily you only stumble, before putting most of the weight onto your shoulder. Then you put it back. This makes you glad that something this big wasn't your weapon. The sheer weight of it would have slowed the cart down...

You check through some of the other crates, and find some weird little ball things...

Pulling one out and examining it, you can see that it's kind of see through. On the inside there's a mana crystal, which unfortunately means that you can't use it... whatever it is. So you put it back.

Sadly, there isn't much in here for you. But that's the downside of using an uncommon weapon, you suppose...

>Head up to the tower

>Head up to the deck

>Try out the giant crossbow

>Other

>>449664
>>Head up to the deck

>>449664
Try out some smaller bladed weapons, get a feel for something that you could use easily. I mean, it can't hurt to have a backup in case we can't use the mageblade, right?

>>449664
>Head up to the deck

>>449664
>>Head up to the deck

>writing

You make sure everything is mostly back where you found it, and head back to the stairs.

That was an interesting detour. You got to check out that weird cart, try on armor, learn what kind of weapons you really don't want to use, and catch your teammates napping together.

But it doesn't look like there's anything else down here, so you head back to the staircase.

Checking the sign again, you figure that the engine room is somewhere you shouldn't be, and the same probably goes for the weapons. So you head up past the bedrooms to the deck.

When you reach the door and head outside, the first thing you notice is that it's pretty cold... and windy. Kinda makes you wish you still had your cloak.

But after a few seconds you notice that you're not really cold at all, so you keep walking out.

There are some lights up here, but it's still pretty dark. Even in the darkness, you can make out a few people you know.

Stella is here, peering out at the land below with a blanket wrapped around her.

Lance is here as well, and there are a few neat looking tube things around the edges of the deck.

>Go see Stella

>Go see Lance

>Go look at the tube things

>Other

>>449777
>>Go see Stella

>>449777
>>Go see Lance
Checked.

>>449777
>>Go see Lance

>writing

You head over to where you see Lance. Looks like he's hanging out with Layla.

"Hello" You say as you get close. Doesn't seem like they heard you, so you repeat yourself a little louder. "Hello!"

"Oh?" Lance says, turning to see you. "Well if it isn't the man himself. How're ya feelin?"
"Pretty good" You say.
"Sorry kid, you'll have to speak louder than that. The wind gets loud up here" He says/
"Pretty good" You repeat again, louder than before.

"Good to hear" He says. "Ready for your big mission?"

You shrug.

Lance starts laughing.
"Is he serious?" Layla asks. "You aren't ready?"
"I never said I wasn't ready, I'm just..." You say, shrugging again. "Y'know?"

Lance laughs even harder, while Layla just shakes her head.

"We're seriously resting this whole thing on him?" Layla asks.
"Oh, relax" Lance says. "He kinda reminds me of myself when I was his age"
"You're still like that" Layla says.
"Fine. He reminds me of me when I was my age" Lance says. "Better?"
"No" Layla says.

>Ask what they're doing out here

>Ask what they'll be doing when the mission starts

>Ask why you never see anyone wearing the armor you found

>Other

>>449868
>>Ask what they'll be doing when the mission starts
>>Ask why you never see anyone wearing the armor you found

>>449868
>>Ask what they're doing out here
>>Ask what they'll be doing when the mission starts

>>449868
>>Ask what they're doing out here
>>Ask what they'll be doing when the mission starts

>writing

"What are you guys doing out here?" You ask.
"Enjoying the view" Lance says.

Layla elbows Lance in the side. "We're on watch" She says.
"Watch for what?" You ask.
"Wyverns" Lance says.
"Really?" You ask.
"Yep" Lance says. "We don't know of any residing in this area, but they tend to be reclusive, and they really hate having to share the skies. So we're keeping watch"

You looks around at the sides of the ship, suddenly finding yourself with one more thing to be afraid of...

"You thought he was kidding didn't you?" Layla asks.
"A little" You say.
"Relax, kiddo" Layla says. "The Pride is more than capable of handling a Wyvern attack, so you can rest easy"

"I wasn't scared" You say
"I'll believe that when I see it" Layla says.

"Okay" You say. "So what will you guys be doing when the mission starts?"
"Waiting for the signal mostly" Lance says. "And since you brought it up, are you sure you kids'll be okay in there?"
"We did alright the first time" You say.
"Escaping, yeah" He says. "Searching for what'll probably be the most heavily guarded place in there and escaping are different things"

"I'll be stronger than usual" You say. "And you'd think the exit would have a pretty heavy guard"
"They don't really worry about escapes, when most people can barely move in there" Layla says. "It's a miracle that you guys made it out"

"Is it?" You ask. "It felt like it was hard work..."
Layla looks surprised. "Sorry, I didn't mean to belittle it like that"
"Don't sweat it, Layla" Lance says. "We're just glad you made it out. And we'll be even more glad when you make it out a second time"
"Yeah" You say.
"Hey, maybe we could have a little party?" Lance asks. "I'll have Fran make you a cake, and everything"

>What's cake?

>I'd like that

>Other

>>449964
>>What's cake?

>>449964
>What's cake?

>>449964
>What's cake?

>>449964
>>What's cake?

>writing

"What's cake?" You ask.

"You've never had cake before?" Layla asks.
"Probably not, from what Fran told us" Lance says.
"Is it tasty?" You ask.

"Little sweet for me, but you'd probably enjoy it" Lance says. "I know the girls do. I remember the first time we ever gave little Lily a piece of cake, oh... it got everywhere"

"Everywhere?" You ask.
"On her hands, her face, her tail..." Lance says. "She's learned to eat properly since"
"I figured" You say.
"And that settles it" Lance says. "When we get back to Locke, Fran and I will get everything set up for you"

"Cool" You say.

"But for now, your rabbit friend has been glancing over here an awful lot" Layla says. "She looks lonely"

You turn to where you saw Stella, just in time to see her looking away.

...

>Go see Stella

>Ask Lance how babies are made

>One more thing... (specify)

>Other

>>450061
>>Go see Stella
Snuggle da' bunny

>>450061
>>Go see Stella

>>450061
>Go see Stella

>writing

"I'll see you later then" You say.
"Hopefully sometime before we arrive" He says. "I've got some tips to give you. But for now, go have fun"

"Kay" You say, waving to the two of them as you head towards Stella.

You come up beside her and lean on the railing, and she turns and tries to act surprised.

"Hey Yuu, wasn't expecting you up here" She says.
"I know you saw me over there" You say.
"I did" She says. "Gosh, aren't you cold?"
"Not really?" You say.
"Nonsense" She says, unwrapping the blanket around her, and pulling it around both of you. "There. Snug?"
"Yeah" You say.

"Have a good nap?" She asks.
"I did... kind of" You say. "I still felt tired before, but I'm okay now"
Stella giggles. "I know the feeling. Waking up tired from a nap is the worst" She says. "You slept for quite a while though..."

"I haven't been sleeping all this time" You say. "I went down to check out the cargo bay for a bit"
"Snooping around?" She says in mock suspicion.
"No... just looking" You say.
Stella smiles. "Find anything interesting?" She asks.
"Some stuff..." You say. "Derrick and Pip were sleeping down there, so I had to be quiet"
"They know they have rooms, right?" Stella asks.

"They looked comfy enough" You say. "But I gave them my cloak as a blanket... just in case"
"Aww, so considerate" She says.

>Ask her about that weird cart

>Ask what she was looking at

>Other

>>450123
>>Ask what she was looking at

>>450123
>Ask what she was looking at

Or both

>>450123
>>Ask what she was looking at

>writing

"What are you looking at?" You ask.

Stella looks surprised by your question, and gives you a weak smile as she points to some lights off in the distance.

"See those lights over there?" She asks. "The two lights up high, with the little ones down below?"
"Yeah" You say.
"That's Sherton" She says. "My home is over there..."

She looks sad...

"I'm sure youll be back" You say. "
"I know... I still miss it" She says, as she leans her head on your shoulder and snuggles up under the blanket. "Is there anything you miss?"
"Not really" You say. "But I've only been around for about a week... so give it time"

Stella covers her mouth and giggles. "You seem to be doing pretty well up here this time" She says.
"I think you were right about it being better the second time" You say.
"It helps that you can't really see the ground at night" She says.

You lean a little ways over the railing and look down. "I can see the ground" You say. "Very boring. Kind of green and rocky..."
"You can?" She asks, as she leans out as well. "Huh... Your eyes must be better than mine"
"My eyes are better than a lot of people's, apparently" You say as you lean back from the railing to look out at the lights of Sherton again. "It looks really small from out here"

"We're pretty far south" She says. "Dad says we're hitting the prison from the south side"
"Neat" You say.

Stella shivers and leans into you. "I think I'm done looking at Sherton for now" She says. "Come on, let's go below where it's warm"
"Okay" You say.

That's all for tonight!

I may be continuing here tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet. If I do it'll be at the same time, with around 2 hours notice.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time.

>>450194
Great thread, Smiley!

>>450194
Oh dang I dozed off, thanks for runnin Smiley