>>461427
>Wake Stella
>Ask for goodbye hugs

>>461427
>Wake Stella

>>461427
>>Wake Stella

>writing

You put a hand on her shoulder and shake her lightly.

"Stella" You say.

Stella's eyes squeeze shut, and she snifs a few times before opening them.

"Hey" She says. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah" You say.
"Oh, sorry" She says, as she stretches out her arms and back. "I guess it's been a longer day than I thought... so what's up?"

"I have to go" You say.
Stella looks surprised. "Already?" She asks. "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours" You reply.
"Aww..." She says, as her ears droop. "I wanted to stay awake and hang out until you had to go..."
"It's okay" You say.

She looks serious. "No it's not" She says, as she hops to her feet. Then she grabs your hands and pulls you up as well. "I'll have to make up for it later, when you come back"

"Make up for it how?" You ask
"I dunno... maybe we can go out and get ice cream again. There's bound to be a place to get ice cream somewhere in Locke..." She says. "And we can play some pranks on your Felid friend"

You tilt your head. Something feels off here. Stella almost seems... nervous.

>That sounds good

>What's wrong?

>Other

>>461598
>That sounds good
>Reassure her we'll be fine

>>461598
>>That sounds good
>>"Scared I'll not come back?"

>>461598
>>461627
I can get behind this.

>writing

You smile. "That sounds good" You say.

"S-so you have to come back" She says. "Okay?"
"Okay" You reply.
"Promise?" She asks.
"Promise" You reply.

Stella hugs you, squeezing your chest with all of her might.

"I'll try to be careful" You say.

Stella shakes her head, rubbing her face against your chest. "Don't" She says.
"Don't?" You ask

"It doesn't matter if you're careful or reckless" She says. "Do what you have to do to make it back"
"I can work with that. I'm really bad at being careful" You say.

Stella smiles, and her ears perk back up. Then she hops up to give you a kiss on the cheek, before turning you towards the door and giving you a shove.

"Oh, wait!" She says after pushing you. "You forgot this"

You turn back to see her hopping over to your bed to pick up your hat, which she throws to you.

You have to work to catch it, as her aim is terrible. But once it's in your hand you straighten out the brim and put it on.

"Thanks" You say.
Stella punches the air. "Now go get 'em!" She says.
"I will" You say.

She gives you look of mock anger. "That's not right" She says. "You've gotta feeeeeel it!'
"Feeeeeel it?" You ask.
"Like this: OHHHHHH!" She says, throwing her fists straight up. "You try"

"O-ooooooohhhh" You say.
Stella looks disappointed. "We can work on that later" She says. "For now, go do your thing"

You nod, and head for the door.

>1/2

You leave your room and close the door behind you, turning to head up to the deack to find Derrick waiting for you.

"Good?" He asks.
"Yeah. Let's go" You say, as you start walking. "What's the plan now anyway?"

"We're a ways south of the prison" He says. "The Pride will drop us off here, and then we'll have to run to get into position. Right now, the Pride is sitting out of sight. 30 minutes after we're off, they're going to come up and break the wall with the main gun"

"So we have 30 minutes to reach the prison?" You ask.
"Without any delays, we could make it in twenty" He says. "That said, any delays will need to be taken care of quickly"
"Got it" You say. "So once the wall is down, we go in... then what?"
"Then we find the control room" He says. "We can shut the engine down from there so the Hunters can move in. With the hunters storming the prison, we'll have an easier time destroying the engine"

"Got it" You say. "Do you know where the control room is?"
"I have an idea" He says. "We got a vague layout from our inside guy..."

"Works for me" You say.
"Cool" He says. "Let's go meet Pip up on deck"
"Am I going to have to rie one of those chain things again?" You ask.
"Yeah, but... I'm sure you'll be fine" He says. "Oh yeah... so you mind if I ask what was happening in there?"

>Stella was sleeping

>Only if I can ask what was going on in the cargo bay

>You don't wanna know

>Other

>>461709
>>Only if I can ask what was going on in the cargo bay

>>461709
>Only if I can ask what was going on in the cargo bay

>>461709
>>Only if I can ask what was going on in the cargo bay

>writing

"Only if I can ask what went on in the cargo bay" You say.
"Ah, yeah" He says, chuckling and scratching his head. "That was... uhh... well, we were pretty tired... and I sat against the wall to take a breather. Then Pip sat down next to me, and next thing I knew we were both sleeping"

You shrug. "You did look cozy" You say. "But I still want my coak back"
"Yes, right" He says. "You'll have to get it from Pip. She seems to have taken a liking to it..."
"But it's mine" You say.

"That's never stopped her before" He says. "Believe me"
"I can always wrestle it off of her" You say.
"Try not to waste any time" He says. "We want that shot fired before dawn"
"Fine..." You say. "But if she doesn't give it up..."

"She probably will" Derrick says. "It's too long for her anyway"

You and Derrick start making your way up the stairs to the deck. When you're almost at the top, he turns to you.

"Just a warning: They killed the lights, so it'll be pretty dark" Derrick says.
"That's kinda harsh" You say. "They couldn't have just turned them off?"
Derrick sighs. "That's what that means" He says.
"Oh..." You say. "Why didn't you just say that?"
"I... nevermind" he says.

You climb the last few steps and emerge onto the deck. He was right, it's dark out here. You can still see, but you doubt the others can.

On the deck, you see that Lance and Layla are still here. Meanwhile the Huntmaster seems to be talking to a few other hunters, while Pip anxiously bounces from foot to foot next to one of the chain launchers...

>Go see the Huntmaster

>Go see Lance

>Go get your cloak back

>Other

>>461732
>>Go get your cloak back

File: thosearemyshoes.jpg (49 KB, 509x800)

49 KB JPG

>>461732
>>Go get your cloak back

>>461732
>>Go see the Huntmaster

>writing

You head over to Pip, who is still wearing your cloak. You know you don't need it, despite the cold weather on the deck... but it's still yours.

"Pip" You say.

Pip turns, and greets you with a big smile. "How's it hangin' Yuusky?"
"Can I have my cloak back?" You ask.
"Sure thingerino" She says, as she whips the cloak off and tosses it to you. You catch it quickly, before the wind takes it.

You take your hat off and pull the cloak down onto your shoulders, then put your hat back on. "You seem to be in a good mood" You say. "Not nervous?"

"I'm good" She says. "This aint my first mission, and it won't be my last"
"But why so chipper?" You ask.

Pip sways her shoulder from side to side. "No reason" She says. "Thanks for the blanket, by the way"
"No problem" You say.

She smiles, and then looks around. "So now that you guys are here, can we get started?" She asks. "Us mice aren't known for our patience"

"Yes" A voice behind you says. You turn to see the Huntmaster approaching you. "Let's go over this one more time, then you can launch"

>[1/2]

Castor starts going over the plan for you and the Hunter team leaders.

It's all stuff that Derrick just told you, but it's probably best to drill it in there so you don't forget...

As the Huntmaster talks, Derrick lightly elbows your arm.

"Hey" He whispers.
"Hmm?" You reply.
"So about what you saw in the cargo bay" He says. "Would you mind keeping that a secret?"

>Sure

>I'm telling EEEEEVERYONE

>Why?

>Other

>>461775
>>Sure
But,
>>Why?

>>461775
>Why?

>>461775
>>Sure

>>461775
>>I'm telling EEEEEVERYONE

>>461775
>Sure
but
>Why?

He gotta a secret thing for mice?

>writing

"Sure, I guess. But... why?" You ask.
"Well... the-" He stops, trying to think of how to say it. "I guess... it's complicated"
"How complicated?" You ask.

"Very complicated" He says.
"It doesn't seem that complicated" You say.
"Fine. The other knights uhh... they get jealous when one of them does something like... that" He says.
"Oh" You say. "I think I get it"

"So if you could please keep it a secret, I'd really appreciate it" He says.
"I already said I would" You say.
"Thanks" He says.
"One question" You say.
Derrick frowns. "What is it?" He asks.
"Can I tell Stella?" You ask.
"Why would you... you already told Stella, didn't you" He says.
"I did" You say.

His shoulders slump, and he sighs. "I guess that's fine too" He says. "As long as Stella doesn't tell everyone before we get back"

"I make no promises" You say.
He puts a hand on your shoulder. "Don't worry about it" He says.

"Now! If anyone has any questions, now is the time to ask them" Castor says to the crowd. "No one? Good. Ground team, start heading down. The infiltration team will follow once we get the all clear"

The Hunters scatter, some going back below deck, some going to the chain launchers, some start prepping their weapons.

Meanwhile, you-

>Talk to Castor

>Talk to Lance

>Stay with Derrick and Pip

>Other

File: Naga Girlfriend.jpg (240 KB, 1000x753)

240 KB JPG

>>461816
>>Stay with Derrick and Pip

>"Fine. The other knights uhh... they get jealous when one of them does something like... that" He says.

Is Derrick a harem protagonist, Smiley?

>>461816
>>Talk to Lance

>>461823
lol, he hasn't been hit by the other girls nearly enough to be a true harem protag.

>>461816
>>Stay with Derrick and Pip
>>461823
He's dense like one.

>>461825
I dunno... he's the sole guy in a group of female knights who believe that mercilessly smacking people around is the best way to train them.

And he's been with them for years.

>writing

>>461823
Pretty much

>>461825
He's gotten his fair share of beatings. "She kicks" is the first thing he had to say about Marybell, after all.

Probably best for you to stay here. Derrick and Pip know the plan better than you do, after all.

...

You should have been listening to Castor. That probably would have helped.

Ah well, too late now.

You turn back to your companions, and see Pip shadowboxing. First the bouncing, now the boxing... if she has to wait any longer, what will she do next? Backflips?

"Hey there, save some of that for the mission" Derrick says.
"I've got plenty to spare" Pip says. "Let's go!"

Derrick sighs and puts a hand on Pip's head, gently scratching the hair between her ears.

"Come on, Pip. We need you focused" He says. "You're our ears for this one"

Pip straightens up. "Gotcha!" She says, as her face turns light pink, and her tail starts to twitch.

...

This is kind of awkward for you.

"I'm not the eyes too?" Pip asks.
"Sorry, I think Yuu's got you beat for the eyes" He says.

Pip puffs out her cheeks. "His eyes don't look so good" She says.
"He can literally see possibility... sometimes" Derrick says. "You've got good night vision, sure. But Yuu has... something else entirely"
"I do have pretty good eyes" You say.

Pip looks torn between being mad, and enjoying her head scratches. You watch the conflicting emotions on her face until she settles on a lazy smile that tells you she settled on enjoying the head scratches.

"Runner's back up!" One of the hunters over by the chain calls out. "Let's get a move on"

>Anything else?

File: awyisss.gif (1021 KB, 250x188)

1021 KB GIF

>>461856

>writing

"Let's go" Derrick says.
"Y-yeah..." You reply. You aren't really looking forward to using that hook thing again...

"Don't be nervous, Yuusky" Pip says, as she pats you on the back. "The ride down'll be over before you know it!"

You nod, and head over to the chain. When you get to it, Lance is waiting for you.

"Nervous?" He asks.
"A little" You reply.
He chuckles. "We're closer to the ground than last time, and it moves slower on the way down" He says.
"That's good to hear" You say.
"That said, somebody is going to have to double up with you" He says. "Since you can't operate one of these things"

"I'll go down with him" Pip says. "I'm nice and light, so it'll be like having one and a half people instead of 2"
"Thanks" You say.
Pip smiles. "Don't mention it. We're a team now" She says. "Work with the strengths to cover the weaknesses, you know?"

"Okay" You say.

"I'll go down first then, while you guys are getting set up" Derrick says. "See you down there"
"Aye aye~" Pip says.

>[1/2]

Rolled 25 (1d100)

You only open your eyes once your feet touch the ground.

"See? That wasn't so bad" Pip says, as she undoes the clip holding the two of you together.
"I guess not" You say, as you look back up at the ship. It really isn't that high up...

"Alright... you ready to run?" Derrick asks.
"Yes" You say.
"Can I stretch first?" Pip asks.
"You already stretched" Derrick says.
"No such thing as too much stretching" Pip says.
"There is when we're pressed for time" Derrick says.

Pip crosses her arms and pouts. "Fiiine..." She says. "Don't blame me if you get cramps"

"All right" Derrick says. "Once we've left, the ground team is going to go back up. Then the timer starts... you ready?"
"Ready" You say.
"Ready" Pip says.

"Good" Derrick says "Let's go"

Derrick waves goodbye to the hunters, and starts jogging into the forest towards the prison. You and Pip wave goodbye and run after him.

>Roll 1d100 with focus
>Bonuses for speed and reflex

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>461906

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>461906
Wooooo!
Lets do this!

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>461906

>>461917
aw crap

>writing

You chase after Derrick as he speeds up, quickly catching up with him.

"Take the lead, Yuu" He says. "You have the eyes, keep 'em open"
"Got it" You say.

You speed ahead of him, taking the lead and heading to where you can see the prison in the distance.

Through the trees you can see what looks like a metal pole, crackling with red lightning. Whatever they're doing doesn't look anywhere near ready, but if you fail...

You shake your head.

You won't fail.

Keeping your eyes peeled, you keep up your pace. Behind you, you can hear Derrick and Pip's footsteps... and their breathing. Sounds like they're having more trouble with this whole 'long distance running' thing than you are...

But then, they have one more organ than you do. So it's understandable.

When you're roughly halfway to the prison, something on the ground catches your eye...

You aren't quite sure what it looks like, since it's obscured by the grass. But it just... stands out for some reason.

Unfortunately, you don't see it until you're almost on top of it. With only seconds to react, you-

>Hop over it

>Step through it

>Kick it

>Other

>>461986
>>Hop over it
And point it out to the others if you can.

>>461986
>>Hop over it

>>461986
>>Hop over it
Then quickly stop to warn the others.

maybe we can stop long enough to poke it with a stick?

>writing

>>462026
Little late there...

You try to slow down, and hop over the strange object. Then you turn and try to call it out to the others.

"Hey there's a-"

CLANK
"EEP" Pip squeals

Derrick managed to avoid the strange object, and Pip tried hopping over it like you did.

But her tail dipped low when she jumped, and got caught in the strange trap. With her tail caught, she gets stopped mid-jump and pulled back to the ground.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow" She says.
"Shit... it's a grounder" Derrick says.

Pip seems to be stuck to the ground where you saw the object.

"A what?" You ask.
"Grounder" He says. "A clamp and snaps shut when something gets above it, then drags them onto the narrow hole beneath it"
"Stop explaining and get it off!" Pip says.

"Yeah, Yuu give me a hand" He says, sliding one hand beneath Pip and into the ground. "Shit..."
"No shit. Shit is not good. I need good" Pip says.
"Your tail's longer than my damn arm" Derrick says. "I can't reach it"

You unhook your mageblade from your belt. "Let me try" You say.
"Do it" He says. "And quickly, that probably tripped a perimeter alarm"
"No, quickly because it's gonna pull my fucking tail off!" Pip says.

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>462082

>>462082
What's the focus mark?

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>462082

>>462084
We're done here. Close it, Smiley.

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>462082
Ok dice, you had your fun before being horrible. Now play nice.

>>462093
You've offended the RNG. Repent heretic.

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>462088
This is. I might just start doing it with this post all the time to keep you guys in suspense

>>462093
>He says as he rolls terribly

>writing

>>462093
Don't tell the dice what to do.

>>462098
I guess I'll have to find a chicken to sacrifice.

Rolled 23 (1d100)

You activate your blade and push it into the hole underneath Pip.

You feel around for a moment, trying to find the trap with the tip of your sword. Your blade taps something metal, and Pip whimpers.

"Don't push it, please don't push it" She says.
"Sorry..." You reply. "Now I just have to..."

You push your arm as far down as it'll go and bend your blade back upwards, hooking the trap. Then you brace yourself, and pull. Whatever is pulling it down has got some strength to it. But then, so do you.

You put every bit of power into yanking this thing up, until you feel something break. After that, Pip scrambles to her feet.

"You... did you break it?" Derrick asks.
"Maybe?" You say, as you get up onto one knee. "It didn't want to come up, so I guess something must have snapped..."

"Freedom!" Pip squeaks as she pounces on you, tackling you to the ground and rubbing her face against your chest. "Ow!"
"Sorry, just checking to see if it's in one piece" Derrick says.

Pip rolls off of you and holds her tail in front of her. "A little squished... but it's okay" She says, as she wraps the tail around her stomach. "I'll get someone to look at it later"
"Yeah, good call. Let's get out of here before someone finds us" Derrick says.

Pip gets onto her feet, looking a little shaky but still steady enough.

"Keep leading the way, Yuu" Derrick says. "Now that we know there are traps, go around them and we'll keep on your path"
"Good plan" You say. "You good, Pip?"

Pip does a few run-in-place hops, bringing her knees up to her chest to try and work off the jitters. "I've hurt worse" She says.

>roll 1d100 with focus
>Reflex and speed bonuses again

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>462152
R-R-REV UP THOSE 1s!

>>462152

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>462152

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>462152

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>462152

>writing

>>462165
Cool, we gotta a focus pass.

You start to run, hearing Pip and Derrick following behind you. Your steps start slowly, and you check back every now and then to make sure they're keeping up.

When it becomes obvious that you aren't about to lose them, you go full tilt.

Eyes open and forward, focused on spotting more of those traps before it's too late. You quickly discover that the grounders aren't the only things out here. You have to call out tripwires, hidden pitfalls, nets, and other traps.

Despite all that, you reach the treeline without any other mishaps. Though you think it may have taken a little longer than you intended...

You look back at Derrick. "So what no-"

A loud booming in the distance cuts you off.

"Damn, was that the cannon?" Pip asks.

You turn back in the direction of the Pride, and spot a big orange light flying towards the prison. "Looks like it" You say.

"Here I was hoping for a breather..." She says.
"Let's keep moving, we only have one shot at this!" Derrick says

>1/2

You run towards the prison as the orange light streaks overhead.

It slams into the wall and disappears, and for a moment you think something might have gone wrong.

Then the wall starts to glow orange. The stone bubbles, and then it melts, and then it bursts, spraying flames and molten rock everywhere.

Derrick overtakes you, holding one orange glowing hand forward as he runs. The flames in front of you split, and the bits of molten rock cool into pebbles before they strike. Meanwhile Derrick's arm seems to glow brighter with each bit of heat he disperses, until it seems to become too much and he fires it all off into the hole in the wall.

Well, if anyone was still standing there, they aren't anymore...

He leaps in first, followed by you, then Pip.

"Come on, let's go further in before any responders arrive" Derrick says.
"You don't have to tell me twice" Pip replies.

The three of you run deeper into the prison until you think you're far enough away from the blast. Then you stop...

"What now?" Pip asks.
"Now we find the control room" Derrick says. "It should be at the top, below the big metal pole. The way I see it, there are 2 ways for us to get there. One is to get there as fast as we can, and hope we can get the jump on any guards we run into. The other is to be sneakier, taking our time with it so we don't raise any alarms... what do you think?"

>Stop here and take a breather

>Focus on reaching the control room

>Focus on avoiding detection

>Other

>>462245
>>Focus on reaching the control room

>>462245
>>Focus on avoiding detection

>>462245
>>Focus on reaching the control room

>writing

"The quicker way is better... I think" You say, as you unhook your mageblade from its peg. "We need to take advantage of the confusion while it lasts"
"Good call" Derrick says, as he draws his sword. "I've always preferred this method anyway"

Pip seems less amused. "If we're not being sneaky, then why did I come along?" She asks.
"We can still be sneaky" Derrick says. "We just won't be actively avoiding conflict"

Pip sighs. "You boys. Always taking the hard way..." She says. "I'll keep my ears open as best as I can"

"How's the tail?" You ask.
"Throbbing" She says. "I guess quicker might be better for me, too"

Derrick takes a breath, closes his eyes, and lets it out. "If I'm right, there should be stairs further up this way" He says. "I don't think they go all the way up, but up is the right way"

You nod. "Lead the way"

That's all for tonight!

I'll be continuing here tomorrow evening, so keep your eyes open.

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

>>462308
Thanks fot running Smiley

>>462308
Thanks

>>462308
Great thread, Smiley!

>>462308
Thanks man, I don't post often but I love your story.

The three of you move quickly and quietly through the halls of the prison. The walls are lined with cells, some are more open with bars, others are sealed up with metal doors.

Inside the ones you can see into, sickly looking people who can barely seem to lift their heads watch you pass. Men, women, and children of all colours, shapes and sizes fill the cells. Looks like they didn't quite care who they put in here...

You start to notice a foul smell as you go along that seems to be coming from the cells. You have suspicions about what it might be, but none of them are good.

One of the prisoners, a spider-lady, stands up and runs up to the bars when She sees you.

"Y-you guys are escaping?" She asks, reaching through the bars to try and grab your shirt. "Take me with you, please!"

"We're not escaping" Derrick says in a comforting tone. "But we'll gladly bring you with us when we leave"
"Wh... what?" She asks.
"Don't worry about it" You say, taking the lady's hand and gently putting it back behind the bars. "Just sit tight, you'll see what we're up to in a bit"

Tears start to stream down the woman's face, but she looks determined. "The patrols here are pretty frequent, and there's bound to be another soon. You kids should get moving"
You smile "Thanks for the-"

"Hey! Who are you people!" A guard shouts from down the hall.

"-tip..." You say. "woops..."

The guard is down the way you came, but he's not in your way. However if he alerts his friends...

>Run

>Fight

>>463719
>>Fight

Evening Smiley

>>463719
>>Fight

>>463719
>>Fight

>writing

"I'll take care of this guy, you guys start moving" You say.
"You sure eyou can handle him alone?" Derrick asks.
"I was enough for you, wasn't I?" You ask.

Derrick shrugs. "Go, but we're staying here in case you need backup" He says.

You smile, turn, and dash towards the guard. As you approach, he swings a mace downwards at your head.

Ducking left to evade it, you step on his weapon once it hits the ground. Then you knee him in the face, and follow up waith an uppercut from your mageblade.

The guard falls backwards, but quickly starts trying to scramble to his feet.

You don't have time to waste. You'll have to-

>Knock him out

>Finish him off

>Other

>>463864
>>Knock him out

>>463864
>>Knock him out

>>463864
>>Knock him out
Incidentally, whatever guards are still alive, and captured, after this will have to answer for a helluva lot.

File: Mercy.jpg (45 KB, 718x744)

45 KB JPG

>Hunters to Captives

"The dead ones were lucky."

>writing

You start to raise your blade, trying to think of a good way to use it to keep him down without killing him. Then it occurs to you:

He's got a big blunt object right there...

As he rolls over to try to stand, you step on his arm.

"Sorry man, but I need this" You say as you pry the mace out of his hand.
"Wha-"
"You'll thank me later" You say, before whacking him in the head with it.

...

That might have been a bit too hard. He is still alive, right? It's hard to tell from here.

"Leave him, Yuu. We need to move" Derrick says.
"Right, sorry" You say, as you start to check his belt.
"What are you doing?" Pip asks.
"Checking for... there it is!" You say, as you pull the rectangular clue crystal off of the guard's belt.

Then you head back to the others, and hand the crystal to Derrick.

"These came in handy last time" You say.
"Good call" He says. "We probably should have brought a few of those with us"
"We had none, remember?" Pip asks. "They're hard to make, so nobody really uses 'em"

"Why does everyone here have one if they're so hard to make?" You ask.
"They use us..." The spider lady says. "It's made from our mana"

Derrick frowns as he looks back down at the crystal. "So the prisoners power their guards... huh?" He asks.
"It's depraved" The lady says.
"Which is why we're here" You say, as you start heading down the hallway. "We'll see you again in a bit"

"Yeah, let's go" Derrick says. "I'll be sure to make good use of this..."

>1/2

You head up the stairs to the next floor, and then start looking for another staircase.

"Something feels wrong about this" Derrick says.
"Yeah... this has been too easy" Pip says. "They should be scrambling to find out why the hunters busted a hole in the wall... you'd think that someone would at least assume that someone got in"

"You guys are jinxing it" You say. "If I turn this corner and there's a guard..."

You turn the corner, and there is a guard...

"What?" Derrick asks. "is he... dead?"

An armored guard lay face down in a pool of what you can only assume is his own blood. The armor is riddled with holes, mostly on his back, but there are a few on his helmet and legs...

Pip steps up to it and turns it over with her foot.

"Yeah-p, he's dead alright" She says.
"I somebody else here?" Derrick asks.
"Could be someone trying to escape" Pip says.
"An escapee would be headed to the exit" Derrick says. "And what's with these wounds..."

Derrick is onto something. There's definitely something wrong here...

>Investigate further

>Keep moving

>Other

>>463985
>>Investigate further
Keep watch with our special eyes.

>>463985
>>Investigate further

>>463985
>>Investigate further
Keep the eyes on the prize, though. We have to get there sooner, rather than later.

>>463985
>>Investigate further

>writing

You lean closer and get a better look.

It doesn't take long to see what you thought was wrong. "There's only one stab wound..." You say.

"Huh? They're all stab wounds, aren't they?" Derrick asks.
"Yeah, but this one is the only one that came from outside" You say, pointing to the largest of the wounds in the centre of the guard's chest. "The armor bends in here, but it bends out everywhere else"

Derrick and Pip both look more closely.

"He's right" Pip says.
"But that doesn't make any sense" Derrick says. "Did someone stab him and then... the blade exploded?"
"Could have been magic" Pip says. "That icicle spell that Lululululululululululu is so fond of bursts kind of like this"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be able to pierce this armor" Derrick says.
"What if somebody stabbed him through the armor, and then shot the icicle?" You ask.

"Now you're just reaching" Derrick says as he stands back up. "Come on, and keep your eyes open. We're not alone here anymore, and just because whoever did this hates the guard it doesn't mean that they'll spare us this kind of treatment"

"Aye aye~" Pip says
"Kay" You say.

>1/2

>>464049
Lululululululululululu

As you make your way towards the control room, you come across more of the same: dead guards with way too many stab wounds...

Fortunately this means that you don't run into many live guards.

Unfortunately it means that you're hot on the heels of whoever is doing this...

When you reach the control room, there are 4 more guards lying dead in front of it. These ones aren't stabbed up like the others though...

Derrick steps up and takes a look, quietly lifting one of their heads.

"Single stab wound. Through the helm, right into the forehead" He says.
Pip checks another. "Same here" She says.

You look down at them, once again feeling like something is wrong...

"They don't have their weapons out" You say.

Derrick scowls. "They don't" He says. "This was quick... can someone stab 4 people at once?"

"We may have to find out" Pip says. "Someone is in there..."
"Just one?" Derrick asks.

Pip's round ears twitch. "One that I can hear..." She says. "He's uhh... humming? Singing maybe?"

Derrick stands back up, drawing his sword and charging a spell in his off-hand.

"Ready?" He asks.

>Ready?

>>464073
Ready!

File: Let's Do This.jpg (118 KB, 456x412)

118 KB JPG

>>464073

>>464073
Ready

>writing

You activate your mageblade, and walk up to the door. Then you turn the handle, and open it just enough for everyone to slip in.

At the other end of the room are the controls, made up of a bunch of glowing, red, magic-y looking displays and buttons...

And at the controls is a man. He's an adult, with brown hair, dressed in all black with skulls on his shoulders...

"Laa-dee-dumm, dum dee dum, hmm-hmm- oh" He says, without turning to face you or taking his hands off the controls. "You're all early"
"Well somebody killed all the guards" Derrick says. You can see him tensing up.

The man's head perks up. "Ah yes, I suppose I did didn't I?" He says. "Well, I'm just about... finished!"

He turns around and claps his hands. "So, what brings you all here?" He asks.
"It's you" You say.
"You know him?" Derrick asks.
"He's the weird guy I met in Sherton" You say.

"What are you doing here?" Derrick asks.
"Ah-ah-ah~ I believe I asked first" He says.
"We're here to shut this place down" You say.

"Ahh... a noble goal indeed" He says. "Well, I won't get in your way"

He walks away from the console, in the direction of the door... and you...

You're not sure where it comes from, but every fibre of you is telling you to either stay the hell away from this guy, or fight him...

>Get out of his way

>Challenge him

>You never answered our question

>Other

>>464131
>>You never answered our question

>>464131
>>You never answered our question

>>464131
>>You never answered our question

>>464131
>>You never answered our question

>>464131
"How did you learn to use a mageblade so effectively? Is it a pure demon thing, or just practice?"

>writing

"You never answered our question" You say, standing firm in spite of your instincts.
"Oh? Ah! Yes. Sorry" He says. "I was just doing a simple target change"
"A target change?" Derrick asks.

"Yes, destroying Locke was an ambitious plan. I, however, am a humble man" He says.

"No..." Derrick says, as he runs over to the console.
"What is it?" Pip asks.

You leave the doorway and go past the man to see what Derrick is looking at.

"It's the Pride" Derrick says. "He's targetting the Pride"
"They can't just... move?" Pip asks.

"An engine that runs on mana will not work properly under the charging of a chaos engine" The man says.

Derrick starts to work the buttons. "I can stop this. I just need to-"
"Oh, I forgot about that" The man says.

Out of instinct, you shove Derrick to the side. He falls over, landing on Pip as a blade of red energy passes through where he was just standing. The blade cuts your arm, and continues into the controls.

"No, Don't!" Derrick shouts. "The Hunters, they'll all die!"

The man smiles, as dozens of blades emerge from the surface of the control console, destoying it completely.

"Oh dear" He says. "Terribly sorry about that"
"No... no no no no!" Derrick says, as he stands up and tries to work with the destroyed console.
"Well, that's it for me" He says. "I reckon you have about 10 to 15 minutes before that fires, and the hunters will very much feel the effects"
"You're just going to leave?" You ask.
"Of course, do I look like I have time to play with children?" He asks. "I'm a busy man, you know"

Derrick grits his teeth and clenches his fist, angry over his current impotence...

There's little time, you have to-

>Fight the man

>Warn the hunters

>Go down, and destroy the engine

>Other

>>464195
>Go down, and destroy the engine

>>464195
>Go down, and destroy the engine

>>464195
>>Go down, and destroy the engine

>>464195
>>Go down, and destroy the engine
Or absorb the blast

>writing

"Derrick" You say. "We can still do this"
"How?" He asks. "Damn it, this one was on me and now it's all going down the drain..."

"I can try to destroy the engine directly, if we can make it down there in time" You say.
"How are we supposed to do that?" He asks as he turns away from the console. "That guy is... gone..."

You look to the doorway. He is gone. Well, you can't see him. That doesn't mean he's gone.

"Can we make it?" You ask.
"Yeah... yeah. If we hurry" He says.
"You know the way?" Pip asks.
"Down" Derrick says. "It'll be by the execution room"

"Let's go then" You say. "Stop for nothing. Plow past any guards. There is a lot at stake here"

Derrick takes a breath and nods.

You make for the door.

>roll 1d100 with focus
>bonus for speed

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>464230

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>464230
>>464230

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>464230

File: 1432816569022.png (9 KB, 480x480)

9 KB PNG

>>464233
>>464232
God wills it.

File: Breathing.jpg (30 KB, 500x418)

30 KB JPG

>>464232
>>464233
>>464236

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>464232
>>464233
welp...

and now for the focus roll

>writing

File: 1470938169902.gif (1.56 MB, 500x268)

1.56 MB GIF

>>464232
>>464233
>>464236

File: 1359958252239.gif (571 KB, 500x280)

571 KB GIF

>>464232
>>464236
>>464233

>>464243
The one time we needed a low roll for focus.

You all run back to the stairs as quickly as you can. Making it in record time.

Without stopping, you leap towards the stairs and bounce off the wall, going down 4-5 steps at a time.

You promised Stella that you'd come back, and that means that she has to be there to come back to. Even if you still manage to save the people in the prison, this operation will have failed if it cost the hunters their lives...

You reach the bottom of the stairs, landing foot first on an unsuspecting guard's face. You go down with him, smacking his head off the ground as you step off and keep running.

...

He'll be okay.

Without stopping, you turn and run to where the next stairway was. And then the next, and the next...

As you descend, you start to feel... stronger. You think it might be the effects of the chaos engine. The same way you found it harder to breathe inside the cities, you find it easier to breathe in here.

Another guard tries to block your path. You leap over his lunge and knee him in the face, as you slice into his shoulder with your mageblade. You continue over him, landing on the other side without ever breaking your stride.

>1/2

When you get back to the point where you first started, you stop. You don't know the way down from here, and wandering will only waste time.

Derrick and Pip aren't far behind you, fortunately.

"Where do we go now?" You ask.
"This is the floor we were kept on" He says. "I don't really know the way down to the red room... do you remember?"
"I will if I have to" You say. "If we get back to our old cell, then I can find the way from there"
"Good. It was this way" Derrick says.

You follow Derrick back up the hall and around a corner.You quickly start to recognize the things you see, until you finally come back t the cell that you first woke up in.

It's full of other people now, and they look far less capable of escaping than the 5 of you did back then...

"It's this way" You say, as you continue down the hall.

Suddenly, you remember something. You and Ilica were being sneaky, taking the long way around to avoid detection.

If you go the same way, it may take longer. But maybe you can try to remember where the stairs were, instead of how you got to them...

>No risks, stick to what you remember

>Go off the path, it may be quicker

>>464336
>>No risks, stick to what you remember
No time for 'maybes'.

>>464336
>>No risks, stick to what you remember
Quicker to run the path we know, than to get lost trying a shortcut.

>>464336
>No risks, stick to what you remember

>>464336
>>No risks, stick to what you remember

>>464336
>Go off the path, it may be quicker

>>464336
>>No risks, stick to what you remember

>writing

Rolled 10 (1d100)

No risks. The path you know might meander a little, but you know it. You don't trust your navigational skills enough to put others lives on them...

You turn to keep on the path you and Ilica followed, and keep running.

It takes several questionable twists and turns, but you still end up at the stairway going down.

"Is this really the way you and Ilica went?" Derrick asks as you descend the stairs.
"We had to take a few detours" You say. "It'll get us there"
"Okay..." Derrick says. "As long as you know what you're doing"
"Little late to be saying that, don't you think?" Pip asks.

You make your way to the next set of stairs as quickly as you can. But when you get there...

"Shit" Derrick says, as he skids to a stop.

The guards have formed up around it, blocking the way.

"Is there another way?" Pip asks.
"I don't know one. Besides..." You say, as you activate your mageblade. "It's not like they're really blocking us..."

>roll 1d100
>Bonus for strength, skill

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>464415

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>464415

Rolled 34 (1d100)

>>464415
We got the focus, now for that 001

>>464416
Did that pass focus? I forget what the bonus is.

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>464415

>>464416
Nice, focus.

>>464421
its +/-5 naturally if i remember so its good

>>464421
Even without bonus it passes since focus is +/- 5 naturally.

>>464421
No bonuses to focus, it just takes the base roll.
That is a pass though.

>writing

>>464436
I thought we increased it to within 6 of the roll or am u remembering wrong

>>464455
That was a temporary bonus that Yuu got during training. It's still +/-5

Derrick looks at you, and seems to notice something. He smiles. "7 of them to 3 of us..." He says.
"It's almost unfair" You say with a cheeky grin.

You pour more energy into your blade, it loses some stability, but becomes bigger, longer, and sharper.

"They have us outnumbered" Pip says. "Do you guys know something I don't?"
"No" You say.
"We're not boned?" She asks.
"Not even close" Derrick replies.

You nod to Derrick, and dash forward. The guard has formed a sort of shield wall, but that will only do so much.

You stab straight into the center shield, denting it and pushing its holder back. As your sword rebounds up, you bring it back down into the gap you created. It takes the arm clean off the guard next to the one you pushed, as he pushes back.

You let yourself get pushed away, and smile.

You feel... full. You have the energy to do a thing, but you aren't sure what you'll do yet.

Focusing that energy into your free hand, you try to picture the form you want it to take. Whatever it is charges quickly in the chaos-thick air, and when it finishes you raise your hand and release a wave of energy.

It crashes into the shields, knocking them all right back to the stairs. They teeter for a moment, before you let loose another wave that knocks them all down the stairs.

Skill learned: Soul Wave

As they fall, you hop back into action. One of them manages to slide most of the way down, so you leap onto his stomach and ride him all the way to the bottom.

>1/2

>>464495
Huh. I was thinking red would work there because Soul is red... it really just makes it look like learning a skill was a bad thing.

>>464510
It took me a few minutes to realize what you meant. The one problem with using a 4chan extension is even though the dark grey theme hurts my eyes less it doesn't register the cool new formatting you can do on qst. I can't access tageki for doing shit scribbles without disabling it either.

>>464510
Maybe use Yellow/Gold, like his eyes.

>>464538
No yellow, just blue. green and red

You hit the bottom of the spiral staircase and jump off the guard you used as a surfboard.

He probably won't thank you for that later...

You look around at where you are. This is it.

To your left is the red room... so to the right must be the generator.

"Is this is?" You ask Derrick.
"It should be" He says. "Let's get in there so you can do your thi-"

Derrick's eyes go wide, and he draws his sword.

"What's wrong?" Pip asks.
"He's here" Derrick says.
"Who's here?" You ask.

The door to the generator opens, revealing an armored man. He isn't a guard... judging by the crest on his chestplate, he's a knight. And not the same one from before either...

He doesn't seem to be as strong as the guy upstairs, but that doesn't mean he isn't really imposing.

"Hello Derrick" The knight says.

Derrick narrows his eyes. He's trying to put up a strong front, but you can see that he's nervous.

"Frederic" Derrick says.
Pip's eyes widen. "oh..." She says.
"Oh...?" You ask. "I don't get it"

The knight draws his sword, planting it into the ground in front of him and resting his hands on the pommel.

"Pippi the rat as well, I see" Frederic says.
"Mouse" You say. "She's a mouse"
"I don't recall ever meeting you" He says. "What is your name?"
"I am Yuu" You say.

"Good name. Southern, and strong at that" Frederic says. "I am Frederic Dumas. Hand of the King, and First Knight of Lubars"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be on the weekend. As always I'll try to give as much notice as I can,

But for now, it's question/suggestion time

>captcha says pancakes
>All matching images are clearly crepes.
Sacre bleu

>>464552
Thanks for running Smiley

>>464540
That is an oddly pastel shade of green and blue
Not sure either of them would be better than the red

>>464552
Great thread, Smiley!