>>3305667
>>Maybe I will
>>So how was the hexapod compared to the constrictor?

>>3305667
>Maybe I will

>>3305667
>Someone's cranky
>Get her coffee if she doesn't already have some.

>>3305667
>>Someone's cranky

>writing

>>3305667
>Maybe I will
>Someone's cranky
Just read through the whole thing just a week ago.
And I can't be the only one who thinks that Malteris has a monster girl fetish.

>>3305770
Welcome to the show, then.

And from what I've seen so far, my speculation is that this quest has two layers of shit going one. One with the actual plot there is, and one with the plot as the quest players would understand it. Terry and the Towers in particular seem to play into the latter, with Terry even seeming like he's aware he's in some sort of play (unless he's just that bored and doing this all as a legit character). As I see it, Malteris was probably some furry with magic who made this alternate world his magical realm and trapped some dudes in it with him (chiefly the Pure demons who can literally see through his shit) so he wouldn't get bored.

>>3305814
It's obvious that Terry/Malteris is just a self-insert of Smiley himself.

"Someone's cranky" You say.

Ilica grumbles. "Hella's stupid sprite wouldn't stop buggin' me 'till I read the letter" She says. "Just why is she even sending me stuff this early?"

"Might've been intentional" You say. "I think Vivi might be too much for her"

"There's literally a house full of people who'd help her" Ilica says.

You shrug. "Maybe I should write her after all" You say. "We did all kinda up and leave her"

"Princess Daria's still there" Ilica says.

"Spoken like someone who's never spent 5 minutes alone with her" You say. "Worse than Lyvia, she is"

Ilica looks to you, then to Lyvia, who fell asleep moments after you set her down.

"But I still love them" You say, giving the queen a squeeze. "Why not just go back to bed? There's still quite a bit of time before you'd need to get up"

"Because I'm awake now, so I might as well stay that way" She says.

"Suit yourself" You say, taking a sip of your coffee. "How was the hexapod compared to the constrictor?"

"Pretty nice. Cheska puts out a lot of heat, so my tent was nice and toasty" She says.

>Yeah, Cheska's pretty hot

>Y'know Pip said the same about me...

>Ask if she's ready for the march

>Other

>>3305845
>>Ask if she's ready for the march

>>3305845
>Ask if she's ready for the march

I feel like we haven't had a long chat with Ilica in a while. Might be nice to take the chance to catch-up a bit while we're up so early.

>writing

You nod. "well, warm tent mates are good tent mates" You say. "You ready for the march?"

"Oh, I'm not marchin'" She says. "I'm in the back with Emi in the carts. She can't slither along in this weather, and she also can't drive a standard cart, so... yeah"

"They're actually letting you drive?" You ask.

Ilica gives you a dirty look. "Oh, shut up. I'm not that bad a driver" She says.

"No, you're not. I'm just hassling you" You say, taking another sip. "Anyone else in there with you?"

"Sounds like Cheska will be there too, though I think she'd prefer to ride up at the front" She says. "You got space on the Rook?"

"Nah, Pip usually rides with me" You say.

"Oh yeah..." She says. "I don't remember you two being all that close, but I guess this all happened while I was away"

"Between the trip up north, and the march back south, we have spent a lot of time together" You say. "You know she still wears that ribbon you gave her?"

"I did notice" Ilica replies. "Nice of her, but I didn't expect her to wear it forever. That was kind of a one-off 'hey sorry about your tail' kinda gift"

"I don't think she gets many gifts" You say.

"You're probably right" Ilica says. "You've got money, don't you? Why not buy her some fancy jewellry or some other nice thing?"

>Isn't that more of a couple's thing?

>Pip doesn't wear jewellery...

>Not a bad idea...

>Other

>>3305897
>Pip doesn't wear jewellery...

She seems to dig more practical stuff. Like a nice bottle of wine or something since she is an (illicit) connoisseur. Also gives us a reason to hand her cheese.

>writing

"Pip doesn't really wear jewelry" You say.

"She didn't wear tail ribbons either" Ilica says.

"But maybe I could get her something else..." You say. "Something functional... like armor, or maybe wine"

"Those are two wildly different things" Ilica says. "Does she even like wine?"

"Kinda. She actually knows quite a bit about the stuff" You say.

"Really? Never took her for the connoisseur" She says.

"She isn't, not really anyway" You say. "Back when she was a thief, wine was one of her prime targets. She studied up so she knew which bottles would pawn for the most"

"That sounds more like her..." She says. "And just so you know, girls don't generally buy jewelry for themselves. It's usually given as a gift"

"That makes no sense" You say. "If you like-"

"I know it doesn't make sense" Ilica says.

"So if women get jewelry, what do guys get as gifts?" You ask.

"I dunno... stuff that's relevant to them maybe?" She asks. "That's what you got for your birthday"

"Don't girls get stuff that's relevant to them?" You ask.

"Of course. But jewelry happens to be one of those things" She says.

"So jewelry is relevant to all girls?" You ask.

"Seems that way" She says.

...

>Explain further

>Well I still think she could use some armor

>Couldn't it be something less expensive?

>Other

>>3305994
>Explain further
>What sort of jewelry do you think someone like her would like?

Maybe fancy earrings or something? Pretty quiet in sneak attempts, and she has plenty of real estate...

>>3305994
>>Explain further

>writing

"Explain further" You say.

"Well I mean... they just make nice decorations. Something with a little shine and flair to go with an outfit" She says. "Plus it shows that you've got some class, unless you're wearing too much then you just look like some kinda harlot..."

"I... actually haven't heard that term before" You say.

"What... harlot?" She asks.

You nod.

"It's kinda like a slut or a whore" She says, double checking to make sure Lyvia's still asleep. "So guys will sometimes buy girls they're interested in or involved with jewelry. Well a harlot's got a lotta dudes buyin' her nice stuff, if you catch my drift"

"Ahhh..." You say. "I wonder what kind of jewelry Pip would like... earrings maybe? She's got plenty of real estate up there"

Ilica shakes her head. "Earrings are annoying as hell for girls like us. Our ears move to track sounds, and the added weight of an earring throws that off" She says. "Don't get me wrong, I've heard it just takes some getting used to. But I doubt she'd be interested"

"Hmm... well a necklace might jingle too much, and I know how much she likes being quiet" You say. "A bracelet or a ring, maybe? Something subtle, yet still recognizably high class and fancy?"

"Now you're thinkin'." She says. "Where would you find something like that though?"

"There are a few jewelers in Lutain. I know because I had to visit one to buy jewelers tools when I was doing Alisette's teeth" You say. "On the other hand, I could put those tools to use and try my hand at crafting something"

"Wouldn't those tools be back in Lutain?" Ilica asks.

"Nah, Gretchen brought them along because they're good for device work" You say.

"So what's the plan?" She asks.

>I'll order something

>I'll make something

>What plan?

>Other

>>3306107
>>What plan?

The Yuu Asks Things portion of QBtG, the best part.

>>3306107
>Wouldn't step 1 be somehow figuring out her size for that sort of thing?
>I'll order something

Commence Operation: Get Nice things for our Friend.

>writing

"What plan?" You ask.

"The plan to get Pip something nice" Ilica says.

"Oh! That plan, yeah" You say. "I thought we were just being hypothetical, but I guess I could... I'd have to get measurements, but I could easily order something"

"You gonna surprise her?" She asks.

"Might as well" You reply.

"Well then how are you going to get measurements?" She asks.

"Subtly" You say. "Don't worry"

"You know, every time you say that..." Ilica says. "Never mind, and good luck. I'm gonna go see if I can get some time in on the range before they pack it in"

"Cool. See you later" You say.

"Take it easy" Ilica says as she walks off, taking the ink-stained letter with her.

Lyvia wakes up when breakfast arrives, confused for a moment as to where Ilica went. But she quickly gets over it and digs in. The meal passes quietly, and when it's done Lyvia has to go back to her handmaids.

You let her go on her way, but send Coral to make sure she doesn't get lost, then you go-

>Pack your things

>Check out the new airship

>Head to the engineer's tent

>Other

>>3306193
>>Check out the new airship

>>3306193
>>Check out the new airship

New toys are fun.

>writing

You are actually pretty curious about this new airship. Gretchen's been giving you updates on its construction, but it'll be cool to see it in person.

So you bring everybody's dishes back, then head out. The ship is mostly covered by a tent, which itself is guarded by guards. None of them bother you, though. You've become pretty recognizable.

It's pretty busy inside the tent, with everyone getting ready for the launch. You do manage to pick out a familiar face, though.

"Funny. Ilica and I were just talking about you" You say.

Pip turns with a carefree smile. "Hey hey~" She replies. "Nothing bad, I hope"

"Nope" You say. "We tried, but there just wasn't anything bad to say"

"D'aww. That's sweet of you" She says. "What brings you here? Hoping to check out the defiant?"

"Actually yes" You say. "Doesn't seem like I'll be able to get on board though..."

"Nonsense. Me and a couple other people were gonna do a final run through to check for sabotage or anything else that might stop the launch. Wanna join me?" She asks.

>Sure

>You go on

>Can I see your wrist for a sec?

>Other

>>3306263
>Sure

Gotta investigate how much firepower we have.

Also, hopefully have a more subtle way of checking her wrist out during the tour.

I'm actually gonna call it a bit early here, since I'm starting a new job tomorrow and I need to sleep.

If everything goes well then threads will be on weekends, with long posts every couple weekdays. So next thread will be on Saturday.

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

>>3306300
Best of luck on the job, my dude.

>>3306263
>>Sure

>>3306263
>Sure
>>Can I see your wrist for a sec?

>>3306263
>>Sure

>>3306263
>>Sure

"Yeah, let's go" You say. "I've been wanting to see what kinda tech this thing's packing, and a tour guide would be helpful"

"So long as you use those eyes of yours to help me keep a look out for anything fishy, I'll be happy to give you a tour" She says. "Come on. We'll start on the deck and work our way down"

You and Pip head up to the ship. As you approach, Pip points out where a few of the light screen devices are hidden.

"Can't put armor on the ship, since that'd make it too heavy and dull the screen" Pip says. "Supposedly the docks back in Leon are working on an armored dreadnought-type ship, but for now we've got light screens"

When you get up on deck, Pip points out the bridge and the various offensive emplacements.

"Those turrets are all magic, with 4 or 5 different spells" Pip says. "A light beam for long range, rock shooters for mid range, flames for short range, black smoke for defense, and thorn barrages for air to ground"

"Wow" You say, going over to get a closer look. You see a latch so you pop open the casing on the turret. Inside there's 5 device rings. "So this switch changes the device, then the trigger charges and fires"

"Yup. You sure figured that out quick" She says.

You shrug. "It's a simple assembly" You say. "Probably made that way so it'd be easy to fix"

"Right again" Pip says. "Maybe we should've had you down here helpin' us work on this thing"

"All you had to do was ask" You say. "Where to next?"

"We can either go one level up to the bridge, or one level down to the weapons" Pip says. "Or if you want, we can go straight to the big gun"

>Bridge

>Weapons

>Big gun

>Other

>>3310644
>Weapons
We save the best for last, pip

>writing

"There's other weapons?" You ask.

Pip nods. "Mmhmm" She says. "Bigger ones, down below. These are mostly just for skirmishing"

"Well let's go check 'em out" You say.

There's 2 ways to the next level, one is a stairway towards the back of the ship, the other is an opening with a pole near the centre. Obviously you opt to take the pole. Much faster, much more entertaining.

"So down here we have 2 different weapons, one are the usual ship-board cannons, and the other I think you'll recognize" Pip says, bringing you around the edges where the weapons are mounted.

"Heavy lances?" You ask.

"Yup. These ones are made with thicker barrels so they can be reloaded after use" Pip says. "Only two things we've found that have more firepower than Gretchen's design. One is the dragonfire cannons, which are single use and a bit too heavy for a ship, and the other is down below"

"Neat" You say, taking the handles on one of the mounted lances to see how easy it is to aim. "Who's the captain of this thing, anyway?"

"You probably don't wanna know the answer to that" She says.

You turn and raise an eyebrow. "Why, how bad could it be?" You ask. "I can't think of anyone in this army who I wouldn't want to be in charge of this thing... so who is it?"

"Well... you asked" Pip says, before shrugging.

...

"They haven't decided on one yet, have they" You say.

Pip shakes her head. "Same deal as Lutain, my man" She says. "Only this time it's just us Lubrians arguing, since it's our airship"

"Seriously?" You ask. "It's supposed to launch today, and it doesn't have a captain?"

"Welcome to the political side of war" Pip says, patting you on the back.

>Ask who she thinks it should be

>Why don't they just make it (name a person)

>Let's go see the big gun

>Other

>>3310734
>>Ask who she thinks it should be

>writing

"What do you think?" You ask. "About who should be captain, that is"

"Me? I dunno... if I were being impartial I'd say Derrick since he's the most tactically capable" She says. "But that'd seperate him and Marybell, and I couldn't do that to them"

"Anybody else?" You ask.

"Maybe Meyu? If he'd take care of the ship as well as he takes care of that cart, then we'd be in good shape" She says. "Lulu's too reserved, Rhea's too brash, Crow turned it down, making you a captain would handicap you, other than that I don't really know"

"What about you?" You ask.

"What about me?" She asks.

"As captain" You say. "What about you? You know that ship, you've got a decent knack for command, you keep cool under pressure..."

"I couldn't captain a ship" Pip says.

"Why not?" You ask.

"... 'cause" She replies.

>Works for me

>Would you miss your tent buddy?

>'cause what?

>Other

>>3310776
>'cause what?
pryin'.

>writing

"'cause what?" You ask.

"'cause what?" She replies. "'cause is a perfectly good reason"

"I know, but I feel like prying so... 'cause what?" You ask.

Pip doesn't look amused, but she does give the question consideration. "Captain's a pretty big title, a big responsibility, and a big commitment..." She says.

"Ah, there's the 'C' word" You say. "I get it now"

She sighs. "But you are right... I do know the ship, and I usually handle myself pretty well" She says. "But if I'm up here, who's gonna watch out for you?"

"Emi does a pretty good job of that" You say.

"Okay, yeah. That I can accept" She says. "I'll miss my tent heater though..."

"You'll get a captain's quarters. Those have actual heaters" You say.

"That is... true" She says. "You're starting to make this sound pretty good"

"I can send a recommendation to Altea right now" You say. "Just say the word"

"I'm bad at making these kinds of decisions, so... up to you" She says.

>Let's finish the tour

>Send it

>I want you to choose

>Other

>>3310836
>>I want you to choose

>>3310836
>>Send it

>writing

"I do want to hear it from you" You say. "If you don't think you'll be happy as a captain, then I'll keep Coral in my shirt-... actually Coral is still with Lyvia, so sending it will have to wait"

Pip snorts. "You know you can be a little scatterbrained sometimes?" She says.

You shrug. "So am I sending it or not?" You ask.

Pip hesitates before answering. "Nnno. Don't" She says. "I'm not just being skittish. I think someone with some actual airship command experience should be up here, and also I suck at anything tactics related unless I have ways to cheat"

"Does having the most advanced airship in the world not count as cheating?" You ask.

"Kinda, but not really" She says. "Let somebody else have the honor. I think I'll stick closer to the ground"

"Well, if that's your choice" You say.

"It is" She replies. "But thanks anyway. It's always nice when someone points out your good qualities"

"I could go on" You say. "All I listed were your airship captain qualifications. I didn't even get to the other stuff"

"Maybe later. It is a long ride to the Spire. We should finish up this tour" She says.

>Ask if she'll be riding with you

>Ask if she ever plans to promote

>Am I really that scatterbrained?

>Other

Taking a food break here. Will resume writing when I return.

>>3310921
>>Ask if she ever plans to promote

>>3310921
>>Ask if she'll be riding with you

>writing

That took a bit longer than I expected.

The two of you head to the back of the ship to check out the propulsion, chatting as you walk.

"So do you ever plan to promote?" You ask.

"Who knows?" She asks. "Is there a higher position that actually suits me?"

"You kinda have to fit into them" You say. "I don't think there's much sneaking in a command role"

"Not much sneaking here on the front lines either" She says. "I'm starting to get the feeling that the Commander doesn't quite know what to do with me"

"I think she worries about you. Spying and infiltration are both high risk, solo gigs" You say. "She prefers having you somewhere people can watch out for you"

"You might be right... though I kinda wish she'd-..." She says. "Hang on, when did this tour turn into a heart to heart?"

"When we started discussing your insecurities" You say, patting her on the head. "We can stop if you want"

"Yes please" She says. "You lookin' forward to seeing some action?"

"Action? Not really. It's movement I'm looking for" You say. "I like getting closer to defeating the legion, not necessarily all the other stuff that requires"

"I hear ya. Maybe I'll just retire instead of promoting when this is all over" She says.

"I think you'd make a good-

>Cheese maker

>Security consultant

>Housewife

>Other

>>3311135
>>Security consultant

>>3311135
>>Security consultant

>writing

-security consultant" You say.

"A what-now?" She asks.

"It's basically someone who gets paid by a homeowner to break into their house so they can figure out where they need to beef up their security" You say. "Pretty much what you did with the Rynia house"

"People get paid for that?" She asks.

"You could" You reply. "You wouldn't even have to break in. Just look for all the ways you could break in"

"Sounds like a lot of work" She says.

"Most jobs are" You say.

"Not yours" She says. "Think I could score a ladyship with an elf who does all the paperwork for me?"

"And the maids. Don't forget the maids who do everything else for me" You say.

"Them too" She says. "Think I could come to your place and be a professional freeloader?"

"Only if you wear the maid outfit" You reply.

"Not a bad deal..." She says. "Anyway, these're the engines"

"Oooo! It uses nature-based propulsion" You say, moving in to get a good look. "Crafty. Didn't think that'd work on a ship this big"

"We use what now?" Pip asks.

"There are nature spells that let you move wood around, and the ship's frame is made of wood" You say. "That's how these devices keep the ship afloat, and move it around"

"How in the heck does that work?" Pip asks. "Wouldn't that be like trying to lift a chair that you're sitting on?"

You smile. "It's exactly like that, and that's why the workings of it are so fascinating. You see..."

>1/2

"-which is why it doesn't usually work when a person tries it" You say, ending your tirade and turning back to Pip.

"You read a lot" Pip says.

You shrug. "I like to learn" You say.

"Anyways, I thought we used burst fire engines" She says.

"You do, actually" You say. "Wood-lift engines can't actually maneuver all that well, so you've got burst fire engines here"

"Is there some interesting secret to how those work too?" She asks.

"Not really" You say. "Well... a cool thing is that if they're building a heavy armor ship in Leon, that could actually maneuver side to side with burst engines- so long as the side armor can take the stress"

Pip looks way less interested in this than you are. "Look... do you see anything that might cause problems?" She asks.

"Nope. Everything looks perfect" You say.

"Can we continue on with the tour then?" She asks.

>Why do you hate knowledge?

>Let's go see the big gun

>Let's go see the main generator

>Other

>>3311309
>>Let's go see the main generator

>>3311309
>>Let's go see the main generator

>>3311309
>>Let's go see the main generator

>writing

"Let's go see the main generator" You say. "I'll try to keep the magical mumbo jumbo to a minumum"

She shrugs. "Eh, it's fine if you wanna talk at me for a bit" She says. "Just don't expect a spirited response"

"That's fine" You reply.

The engine room has a direct route to the generator, most likely running alongside the mana-lines.

"Aaaaand here we are" Pip says. "Main generator. Nice, right?

"Huh..." You say.

"Just huh?" She asks.

"It's smaller than I expected" You say.

"New design" She replies. "Costly to make since it needs so much crystallized mana, but we had a nice surplus from that siege weapon the Legion left us"

You circle the generator a few times, not quite sure how it works yet. At a glance it has more outgoing lines than it needs, but those must serve a purpose.

...

"They're not outgoing..." You say, crouching down to examine one of the lines running into the floor. "They run to collectors. Wood-lifting takes a lot of power, but all of that mana would stay within a collector's range. Same with the shields, burst engines, and close range weapons"

"Impressed now?" She asks.

You nod. "It cycles its power, only really expending energy to move quickly or fire at a distance" You say. "You guys basically made a ship version of me"

"Not that we're planning on replacing you, but yes, essentially" She says. "Thanks to that, this thing can stay afloat outside of a generator's field longer, but not indefinitely"

"That goes without saying. Collectors are never 100% effective" You say. "And like you said, it takes a lot of crystallized mana to make one collector. But it's still impressive"

"Wanna see the big gun now?" She asks.

>Anything else here?

>>3311433
>>No, go see big gun.

>>3311433
>Have you seen it fire before?

>writing

"Lead the way" You say.

Coral comes back as you leave the generator room, and you give her some food after confirming that the Queen got to her destination. She takes her dried berry and goes up to rest on your shoulder.

"Oh yeah. How'd things go with her this morning?" Pip asks.

"I went to get breakfast and she slept on me while I talked to Ilica" You say.

"What was Ilica doing up?" She asks.

You tell her about how Ilica was awoken by Hella's sprite, and what the letter contained.

Pip giggles. "Yep. That sounds like a kitty cat alright" She says. "I almost wish she could've stayed here. She was pretty entertaining for a kitten"

"You get leave, don't you? Feel free to go back and see her" You say.

"Maybe. I did want to go pay Lala a visit too..." She says. "I'll think about it"

"So you ever seen this cannon fire?" You ask.

"Couple times" She says. "You'll see"

You reach the main gun, and find that you do recognize the design.

"You guys copped the pride?" You ask.

"Actually no, we couldn't get our hands on the designs" She says. "We copped the cannon from Lutain that the Legion copped off the Pride"

"Same firepower?" You ask, going in for a closer look.

"Less. It just needs to bust gates or other airships, not pierce the hide of thousand year old monsters" She says. "Same design though, just smaller"

"So when you said you'd seen it fire..." You say.

"I meant I'd seen the cannons we stole the design from fire" She says. "Actually testing this one was a problem because we were trying to keep it hidden. Plan is to fire it off in the general direction of the spire once it's in the air"

"Which should be soon, if I'm right" You say. "We should go pack up all of our stuff"

"Oh yeah..." She says. "I keep forgetting that the tents have to go away. We've been camped here for so long"

>Anything else?

>>3311554
>>No

>>3311554
>It's too bad we can't get our stuff to pack itself. That'd be one hell of an invention.

>writing

"Come on, Pip" You say.

Pip groans. "But I wanna be laaaazy" She says.

"We talked about this. You can only be lazy if you're wearin' the maid outfit" You say, sincerely hoping no one is listening to this. It sounds bad without context, and having context probably doesn't make it much better.

...

Oh who are you kidding? The rumor mill's probably been having a field day about you and Pip ever since you went north. Even Altea's made comments about how friendly the two of you have been.

"So how long of a march is it to the Spire?" You ask.

"About the same as Lutain to Riverhold" She replies.

"Same marching arrangements?" You ask.

"You drivin' while I get to chill behind you?" She asks. "Of course"

"Didn't think you'd say no" You reply.

You make your way back to the tent and start taking out your things and bringing the tent down.

"So where's everybody else in all this?" Pip asks.

"Ilica's gonna be driving a cart in the rear. Emi and Cheska are with her" You say.

"Ilica knows how to drive, right?" Pip asks.

"She does" You say. "Not as much experience as you'd want her to have, but she knows how to stay on the road"

Pip shrugs as she tosses the tent poles into a bag. "You'd be surprised to hear how well that ranks her" She says. "From what I've heard, some of our drivers are actually pretty bad at their jobs"

"Makes you wonder if you could build a self-driving cart" You say.

"Tried that in Leon" Pip says. "After the automatons worked out, that was step two. Turns out you need a body-like form in order to make an artificial being, so the carts were a no-go no matter what they tried"

"Disappointing" You say.

Pip shrugs. "It was a bit ambitious" She says. "Not as much need there for autonomous carts as there were for autonomous guards"

"Yeah, Frederick told me about that" You say.

"Catchin' you up on recent history?" Pip asks. "I'm surprised you haven't managed to find and devour a book on it"

"Well no books on it have crossed my desk yet..." You say.

When you finish taking the tent down, you bring it and your bags to the supply carts. Lots of people down here loading stuff up right now, so the march isn't too far off. You should-

>Go find Emi

>Go find Madelaine

>Go find Cheska

>Go check on the Rook

>Go find Derrick

>Other

>>3311662
>>Go find Madelaine

>writing

You and Pip decide to go and see how Madelaine's doing. You do still owe her for agreeing to help with Graumer, after all. The sooner you manage to get that debt squared off, the less time she has to come up with outlandish ways to collect it.

You find her leaning up against Betsy eating some kind of chocolate, while Meyu does some work underneath. You can't actually see Meyu, but you do hear him cursing every so often.

"Ready to move out?" You ask as you approach.

"I am" Madelaine says.

"How'd you like Emi as a tent mate?" You ask.

"She's not bad. I don't know what Ilica complains about" Madelaine says. "It's like getting a full body hug. I think I slept better last night than I have all month"

"That's what I always say! But I guess Ilica just doesn't like tight spaces" You say.

The conversation pauses as Meyu lets out another string of curses.

"He doin' okay down there?" You ask.

"Probably. Apparently leaving a cart idle in the cold is bad for... something... I dunno" She says. "Should be fine"

>See if Meyu needs a hand

>Ask if she knows what she wants yet

>Ask where the chocolate came from

>Other

>>3311784
>>See if Meyu needs a hand

>>3311784
>See if Meyu needs a hand

>>3311784
>>Ask if she knows what she wants yet

>>3311784
>Ask if she knows what she wants yet

>writing

"Figure out what you wanted for the thing with Graumer yet?" You ask.

"Workin' on it" She replies. "I'm trying to come up with something worthwhile, while not going overboard"

"What would be considered 'overboard' here?" Pip asks.

"That's part of the problem. I don't actually know" Madelaine asks. "I'll think of something. Don't worry"

The conversation is stopped yet again by Meyu cursing, so you decide to check under the cart. "Need a hand down there?" You ask.

Meyu sighs. "Yeah, if you're offerin'." He says.

You start clapping.

Meyu sighs again. "If I wanted a smartass response I'd've asked Maddie for help" He says.

"Fine, fine" You say, creating a platform out of soul and lying on it so you can glide under the cart. "What's the prob-oh that does look bad"

"I know it looks bad. I need to fix it" Meyu says.

"You may want a priest then, not a mechanic" You say as you peer around to get a better look. "I think I saw the order's troops nearby..."

"Priest ain't gonna fix a cart" Meyu says.

"That was a joke about how the cart needs a miracle, but I can see you're not in that kinda mood" You say.

"Got any actual solutions?" He asks.

"Actually yes" You say. "Hand me the cutter. It won't be pretty, but it'll run until you can get a replacement..."

>1/2

"Well you're right, it ain't pretty" Meyu says.

"No way to fix a break like that without sacrificing something. I figured 'looks' would be the most expendable thing" You say. "I'd ship out an order for that replacement part ASAP though. This'll probably hold 'till you hit the Spire, but I wouldn't put it much further than that"

"Right... thanks" He says. "And sorry for the attitude"

"You were frustrated. Happens to the best of us" You say.

Meyu starts to slide out from under Betsy, and you do the same. You get out before him, given that you're hovering, while his platform has to roll on the uneven ground.

Once you're out, you flip the platform up and dump yourself on your feet, then help Meyu up.

"You guys are good to go now?" You ask.

"So long as my cart starts..." Meyu says, making his way to the driver's seat. Betsy starts up with little issue, though there is a bit of an odd noise coming from it.

Just in time too, as the call for carts to assemble in formation goes out.

"That's our cue" Madelaine says. "See you guys when we camp tonight"

>Anything else?

>>3312026
Nope

>>3312026
>No

>writing

You wave goodbye to the two of them as they get in the cart, then head off to go and grab the Rook.

"I miss anything while I was splicing mana lines?" You ask.

"Just girl talk" Pip replies. "Boys, snacks, periods. The usual stuff"

You nod. You don't know much about that last one. You learned not to ask after Emi clammed up when the two of you were staying in Leon.

Maybe you should pick up a book on it. Supposedly every girl gets them, so it seems like the kind of thing you'd want to know about given how many women are in your life...

"Anything I need to know about?" You ask.

"Nope" She replies.

"Cool" You say.

"Out of curiousity, that cart's not gonna break down on the road, is it?" She asks.

"Do you have so little faith in my abilities?" You ask.

"Just makin' sure it won't hold us up" She replies.

"It'll be fine. I just had to take a bit of line from elsewhere to fix the broken one. I'm way too used to working with the Rook, where if a line breaks I can just-" You hold out your hand and create a long, thin piece of soul 'coral' "-make a new one"

"Must be nice" She says.

"It absolutely is" You reply.

The Rook is sitting out in front of Riverhold's gates, where Gretchen said she'd leave it for you. You figured this would be a good place if you were at the head of the column.

"You bring snacks?" You ask as you mount up.

"I've always got snacks" Pip replies. "Just uhh... don't ask where I keep 'em"

"Is it up your butt?" You ask.

"No" She replies, as she gets on behind you. "Not only would I not even want to eat them after pulling them from there, it would also be super uncomfortable"

"Then I don't really care where you put them" You say. "Ready to go?"

"You bet" She replies.

"Well... too bad, because it looks like we'll have to wait a while longer..." You say.

"That works too. Wanna go bug Derrick and Marybell?" She asks.

"Absolutely" You reply.

That's all for tonight!

Thread will continue tomorrow around the same time.

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

>>3312231
Thanks for running

>>3312231
Where does she keep the snacks

The Spire is visible on the horizon from the moment you set out from Riverhold. Nobody else but you can see it, but it's there.

Marching is slow, made even slower by the snow still on the ground. Around halfway through the journey it starts to snow again, making things even more difficult.

On top of that, your scouting parties get harassed regularly by Legion raids. Your request to go out and fuck their shit up is denied, and instead the commanders choose to beef the scouting parties up a bit. Which is unfortunate for you because the marching routine is starting to grate on you.

Thankfully you do eventually reach the Spire, letting you escape from the hell of "strike camp, move for hours, set up camp, sleep, repeat".

On the upside there's been plenty of drama and shenanigans to keep you entertained. The Defiant still doesn't have a proper captain, and all of the prospective captains are constantly one-upping each other.

Hella is intent on annoying the crap out of Ilica for dumping Vivi on her, so there's a new bit of fun there every few days. Meanwhile there seems to be some kind of competition going on between Cheska and Madelaine, the purpose of which you can't figure out, and they won't tell you...

As for you, you've been writing back and forth with Hella, Namaki, Belladonna, and Daria on the regular, with the occasional letter to the Devils or Frederick, as well as the jeweler you found to make a bracelet for Pip... which you may have gone a bit overboard in designing, but it'll be cool as hell when it's actually done.

But now you've reached your destination. The decision is made to set up and fortify on a hill near the Spire itself, as it's too late to move in and start the siege.

Once you and Pip get your tent set up, she goes off to run some errands. You don't really have much to do, so you-

>Get a closer look at the spire

>Pay Altea a visit

>Check in on Storm

>Other

>>3314895
>>Get a closer look at the spire

>>3314895
>>Get a closer look at the spire

>>3314895
>Get a closer look at the spire

>>3314895
>>Get a closer look at the spire

>writing

You're pretty sure Derrick's leading a party to do some recon around the Spire, and you want in. So you get on the Rook and head over to where they're assembling.

Though you don't recognize most of the people he's got, you do see Caiah up on her Raptor, Precious. You haven't asked why she chose to name her Raptor that, nor are you quite sure you want to know.

"Come to join us?" Marybell asks. She's had Derrick up on her back pretty much all day. The weight doesn't seem to bother her anymore, so all those exercises she was doing must have paid off.

"You bet" You reply. "Anything I need to know going in?"

Derrick nudges Marybell with his knee, subtly getting her to turn so he can see you. "Just the usual stuff. It's only recon. Shields up against enemy fire, circle the town looking for weaknesses" He says. "Don't do anything brash like busting a hole in the wall. That'll have to wait 'till we're ready to move in"

"What if the wall insults my mother?" You ask.

Marybell smirks. "Then you report it to your mother, and she'll bust a hole in the wall" She says.

"That's fair" You reply.

"Still a few minutes before we move out. Feel free to prep, or do whatever" Derrick says.

>Chat with Derrick

>Go see Caiah

>Can I go on ahead?

>Other

>>3315074
>>Can I go on ahead?

>>3315074
>>Can I go on ahead?

>writing

"Can I go on ahead?" You ask.

Derrick sighs. "You can do anything but that..." He says.

"Anything...?" You ask.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine, you can go ahead. Just remember the rules" He says.

"Gotcha" You reply, powering up the Rook for a burst of movement. "See you guys when you catch up"

Before Derrick can respond you're long gone, using your boosters to get moving, then switching them off once you don't have to worry about traction.

Within minutes you're at the gate, and immediately you see that something's wrong.

The gates are wide open.

"That's either a very good thing, or a very bad thing" You say, poking Coral to bring her out. "And either way, Derrick needs to know"

You put up a defensive screen, then write a quick 'gate open, something off' note for her to bring to Derrick.

Once Coral's away you turn your attention back to the open gate, ready to turn and get the hell out if things get weird.

There's definitely something moving in there. Looks human, but not human. Your instincts are quickly going into 'fight or flight' mode, and you-

>Hold your ground

>Go in

>Retreat

>Other

Food break here. Will resume when I return.

>>3315196
>>Hold your ground

>>3315196
>>Hold your ground

>>3315196
>>Hold your ground

Its another weapon gone crazy again, tho I dont want to risk more people they need to see first had what kinda shit they are.

>writing

Rolled 27 (1d100)

You set the Rook to the side and stand your ground. You're not about to go running into a possible ambush, but you're powerful enough now that whatever this is should be no match for you.

The creature shambles into view, a mess of eyes and teeth. For a minute you think it might be another weapon brought to life, but you've definitely seen this sort of thing elsewhere else...

Back at the Inquisition Stronghold.

It hasn't noticed you, simply shuffling about on it's own business, letting out the occasional pained groan. Looks like it was a man once, working class, young-ish.

Another shuffles in from an alleyway. A woman this time, with a tumorous tail that has a mouth along its length.

More and more come out of side streets and buildings, men, women, children, pets, mounts...

Did this happen to the whole city?

As you're starting to wonder just how heavily outnumbered you actually are, one of the creatures notices you.

"Please... help" It calls out, drawing the attention of the others. As the rest turn to you, they all start to call for the same thing.

The cries rise in pitch until they're all screaming, then they start to charge at you.

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>3315421

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>3315421

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>3315421

>writing

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>3315421
pretty dead this day.

You start creating blades ten at a time and launching them at the oncoming creatures. Remembering your experience with Arlen, their weak point is in their head.

They go down in droves, too uncoordinated to dodge, too slow to get close. You start to wonder if maybe there's a way to help them... but you can't help them from the grave, so you keep shooting.

By the time Derrick and the others arrive, the bodies have piled up high enough to block the gate. You can still hear the wails coming from the other side.

"What the fuck happened here?" Derrick asks.

"Gods, what are those?" Marybell asks.

"It's like what we saw at the Stronghold. Something is wrong here" You say. "Send word back. We need something in the air here. Hard to say how long ago this happened, but there may still be survivors"

"But... the stronghold was just a small event... the people in the basement were completely unaffected" Derrick says. "How could an entire city-"

"The Stronghold was spared by Storm shutting the rift. No one shuts the rift. Nothing stops the spread" You say. "It may even still be active..."

"What would the effects be?" Marybell asks.

"The rift would be sucking in all the mana" You say.

"I don't think so... the air feels normal" Marybell says. "Thinner than it should be this close to a generator, but nothing seems to be draining it"

"Good. Call the airship, then-"

>We should get away from here

>I want to get inside

>I'll check the other entrances

>Other

>>3315638
>>I'll check the other entrances

>writing

>>3315638
>>I want to get inside

"I'll go around, make sure they aren't getting in the other entrances" You say. "I could use an earth mage to seal the gates with something other than a pile of corpses"

"Not an earth mage, but I can come along" Caiah says, dismounting her raptor and getting on the Rook with you. "Let's go"

You fire the boosters and take off, stopping at the second entrance so Caiah can close it.

"What do you think?" Caiah asks, as she warps the ground upward to cover the exit. "What caused this?"

"At the stronghold it was a failed boon ritual, of sorts" You say, looking around for any creatures that might've gotten out and buried in the snow. "Bigger scale here, possibly involving the Spire's generator. Won't know until we can get something in the air"

Once she's done, you mount back up and move on.

"But why would the Legion sacrifice a town like this?" Caiah asks. "Does destroying the generator do anything for them?"

"Limits the range of our airships" You say. "With the Spire gone, air attacks on Kirando will have to come from Locken to the east"

You reach the next gate, and Caiah gets to work.

"It also demoralizes us a bit" You say, sending a blade into the head of a creature as it tries to slip out. "Hard to feel like liberators when you have to put a town to the torch"

"Is that what we plan to do?" Caiah asks.

"Do you see a way to fix this?" You ask. "Unless there's a way to reverse this transformation, we'll have to purge this place just like we did with the Stronghold"

"That'll put a damper on their spirits for sure..." Caiah says.

"I just hope we can reach Kirando before something similar happens there" You say.

You go around and shut the last gate, then go the rest of the way to where Derrick is. The Defiant is hovering above their position, guns trained on the crowd of creatures gathered at the gate.

The holy order's forces, including Storm and Michaela, have also arrived for whatever reason.

>Get up on the ship

>Ask Derrick what you've missed

>See what the order is doing here

>Other

>>3315758
>>See what the order is doing here

>>3315758
>>Get up on the ship
They do need a captain

>writing

"What's the order doing here?" You ask Caiah.

"Your guess is as good as mine" She says. "Go ask them. I need to get back to my Raptor"

You part ways with Caiah and head over to Storm, asking him the same question.

"Michaela brought us out here when she noticed things were like the outpost" Storm says.

"Not quite the same, but her senses are certainly keen" You say. "Nice of you to show up, but if you're just standing around then it would be best if you went back to camp"

"We came to help" Storm says.

"Then go talk to Derrick, he's in charge" You say. "In fact, I need to ask him what this airship is doing just hovering here when it should be scouting. Let's both go see him"

Derrick is easy to find just by listening for his voice. It carries rather well when he's giving orders.

"Are the exits closed?" Derrick asks as you approach.

You nod. "Only way they'll get out now is by throwing themselves from the walls, which I might not put past them" You say. "Storm here wants to know how the order can help, and I want to know why our airship is just sitting there"

"Uhh... well if the order wants to help, then they can clear the snow and give us a staging area" Derrick says. "As for the ship, I couldn't tell you. Best guess is that it's got two "captains" who aren't getting along..."

"Oh, for fuck's sake" You say, looking around. "And of course they haven't put a chain down..."

"You going up? I think we can find a flier who can-"

"I got it. Just hold the perimeter" You say, forming a casing around your feet and using it to carry yourself up to the ship...

Derrick is noticeably confused at the sight of you flying away, but quickly gets back to his duty.

When you reach the deck, you ask one of the gunners what the delay is. Turns out Derrick was right. 2 captains. Both have a different idea of what to do. Neither wants to step aside.

>Call for Altea

>Go to the bridge

>Call the captains out on deck

>Other

>>3315846
>>Call the captains out on deck

>>3315846
>>Call the captains out on deck

>>3315854
Just to add to this, my first question would be on what grounds there are two captains for one ship to begin with.

>writing

>>3315846
>>Call the captains out on deck

"What's your name?" You ask the gunner.

"Gunter, sir" The man replies.

"Gunter the gunner" You say. "Nice ring to that"

"Thank you, sir" He says.

"Do me a favour and tell the captains that Yuu Gallant wants them out on deck within the next minute" You say. "Don't quite know what I'll do if they don't come, but feel free to imply whatever consequences you feel like. Okay Gunter?"

Gunter salutes, then heads off to the bridge.

They never should have let this captain situation go on for so long. 5 captains for one ship on a rotating schedule was never going to work. In fact, it isn't working, as shown by this little mishap.

You're not sure how the ship ended up with 2 captains right now, nor do you particularly care. It only needs one. You plan to get them to sort it out, or sort it out yourself if needed.

The captains come out just in time, and both immediately start pleading their case.

You hold up a hand to stop them. "First rule, gentlemen. You're both in deep shit, so you'll speak when spoken to. Talk out of turn, and I'll hit you with my shoe" You say. "Understood?"

"With your bloody shoe? I don't know where you think you-"

As promised, you remove your left shoe and whack the former captain with it. "Is that understood?"

No response.

"Obviously not. Send down a chain. You're both relieved. Report back to whoever the hell thought either of you could handle this job and hope that I find their punishment suitable" You say. "Gunter, go get me the first mate..."

>1/2

The first mate isn't exactly command material, a man named Craig who's better at following orders than giving them. But for now, you're in command, and he's just relaying orders.

You have the Defiant move into the city, executing a fairly standard search pattern. You stand up at the bow, looking for signs of actual life.

All you can see down there are the shuffling creatures. Once you've seen enough you order them to move the ship towards the center of the city where the generator would be.

The generator is gone. Where it would've been there's a giant pit.

"Well that ain't right" You say. "Hey Gunter. That look right to you?"

"No sir" Gunter replies. "Not one bit. I can't even see the bottom..."

"Me neither" You reply. "It turns"

"It... turns?" He asks.

"The hole turns" You say, looking up to get a perspective on direction. "Southward. Can't see anything past that"

>Go down and take a look

>Report back

>Other

>>3315993
>Report back

Can't leave the ship without a captain.

>>3315993
>>Report back

>>3315993
>>Report back
>>Suggest a field commission for Pip to handle ship for now? If there are "rumors" about us best Altea do it though.

>writing

"Well that's all we needed to see" You say. "No survivors, big hole where the generator was. Was that so hard?"

"No sir" Gunter says.

You hold your hand up and give the signal to fall back to the camp, and the ship turns around and starts moving.

"What's your take on this, Gunter?" You ask.

"Full honesty?" He asks.

"Absolutely" You say.

"I gotta tell you, this is the most fucked up shit I've seen in a long time" He says. "Dunno what happened down there, but I'd be alright with just blasting this place and moving on"

"Solid plan, Gunter" You say. "I get the feeling I know what ate the generator too..."

The ship gets back to the entrance pretty quickly, and starts putting down chains. You head for the ground, then-

>Go to Derrick

>Go find Altea

>Go find Pip

>Other

>>3316092
>>Go find Altea

>>3316092
>>Go find Altea
Gunter best boy

>>3316092
>Go find Altea

>>3316092
>>Go find Altea
Nominate ourselves for exploring the creepy tremors worm hole of death.

>writing

You get your feet down, then let the people who you brought down with you know where to go and who to report to. Then you mount up on the Rook and go back to camp.

First place you go is to Altea's tent. She's busy but it looks like she was expecting you.

"Report?" She asks.

"The people of the Spire have all been converted into the same creatures we fought at the Inquisition Stronghold" You say. "Generator's missing. Giant hole in it's place"

"A crater?" She asks.

"Nope. Hole" You say. "Goes down for a couple hundred feet, then veers south"

"Towards Kirando... could it have been done by that same worm we keep hearing about?" She asks.

"That's my guess" You say.

Altea sighs. "You were a bit rough with the captains" She says.

"I was impatient, and irritated" You say. "I will not apologize"

"Did you have to hit them with your shoe?" She asks.

"I did warn them that I would do that, specifically" You say. "Not my fault they didn't believe me"

"You didn't have the authority to relieve them, you know that right?" She asks.

>I didn't see anyone stopping me

>They shouldn't have been there in the first place

>I'll ask permission first next time

>Other

>>3316182
>They shouldn't have been there in the first place

>>3316182
>>I'll ask permission first next time

>>3316182
>>They shouldn't have been there in the first place

>>3316182
>>Sorry, but it was a bit of an emergency.
>>Just wondering, but would they have been better off if I came and got you first?

>writing

Incidentally, what is our authority in the army? I sort of figured we were pretty high up.

>>3316243
Your authority comes mostly from your status as a prince, and your unrivaled demon murdering skills. You don't hold any formal authority within the army.

>>3316268
A prince doesn't outrank people in army by being a prince?

>>3316284
As a prince with no formal military rank, you could give orders in battle and few would question it. But if another officer gave orders that went against yours, theirs would take precedence.

"They shouldn't have been there in the first place" You say, not trying to mask your irritation. "This captainship issue should have been resolved before we left Riverhold"

"Yes, well... it wasn't" She says. "I did try, and have been trying to find a compromise, but the others won't budge"

"Then the defiant shouldn't have been sent" You say. "We asked for eyes in the sky, and instead we got a sitting duck"

"That still doesn't give you the right to dismiss the ship's captain" She says. "You could have settled the argument, or sent for a different ship"

"Well... I didn't" You say.

"And because of that, I've now got General Marlon breathing down my neck" She says. "He was the one who nominated the man you hit with your shoe"

"Want me to go talk to him myself?" You ask.

"No. I want you to remove yourself from this situation while I handle it" She says. "Please don't make things worse"

"Would it satisfy them if I went back and cleared the Spire out for them?" You ask.

Altea gives you a look that silences you completely. She lets the silence hang for a moment before speaking. "Sit down" She says. "Tell me what's wrong"

You take a seat across from her. "Nothing's wrong" You say.

"You're frustrated, and it shows. Normal for a teenager, but not for you" She says. "What is wrong?"

>I'm impatient

>I'm worried

>I'm restless

>Other

>>3316331
>>I'm restless

>>3316331
>>I'm impatient
>>I'm restless
All this stop go stuff would drive any one mad

>>3316331
>>The Legion wasn't taken care of earlier because of politics. Some jackasses attacked our back and now Emi can't go home because of more politics. And now we can't even scout out a damn town where everyone is already worse than dead because of even more politics. I know you're doing all you can, but other people don't seem to get it.

>>3316331
>>I'm impatient
>>I'm restless

>writing

File: Spoiler Image (75 KB, 699x1011)

75 KB JPG

>>3316092
Gunter should be a recurring character please.

>>3316371
We need to start senselessly promoting him with write in options until Smiley has no choice but to add him to best buds like we did with some of the waifus.

>>3316371
>>3316382
I like the way you two think

"I'm getting sick of politics..." You say. "It's why we didn't nip the Legion in the bud, it's why Emi can't go home, and now we can't even scout a damn town where everyone seems to be worse than dead because- guess what? -politics!"

"I'll drink to that..." She says.

"But I guess I'm just getting impatient, and feeling a little restless after all this stop and go" You say. "I was hoping to actually make some progress here..."

"A lot of us were" Altea says. "But instead, the generator being gone sets us back a bit"

"Do we have a plan?" You ask.

"We can't stay here" She says. "We'll... have to retreat to Riverhold..."

"Seriously?" You ask.

"But we won't send all of our people..." She says. "If we can't strike through the Spire, we'll have to go another way"

"Through Locken?" You ask.

"It may be our only option" She says. "We can use the river to travel there, and arrive in no time"

"What should I do?" You ask.

"That will be a while off, and you hate politics so I won't send you to negotiate with Locken's leaders" She says. "But I would rather have you out of the camp at this point, putting your skills to use while I cool things off"

"Where could I do that?" You ask.

"Well... the Legion is out looking for something to the west of here. Whatever it is, we probably don't want them finding it. That Quria woman might know more" She says. "That Caiah woman was able to sneak into Kirando, perhaps if you could get around the worm you could get in the same way"

"Wait wait wait, are you saying I can just go to Kirando?" You ask.

"Extreme precautions would have to be taken, but... yes" She says.

"Why the sudden shift?" You ask.

"Well my report here says that you blocked the northern gate of the spire with a pile of corpses, and dispatched with precision and speed" She says. "I'd say that earns a little trust in your abilities"

"Huh..." You say.

"So? It is your choice. You can go west. You can go south. You can stay here, if you promise to cut the attitude" She says. "Hell, if you have the stomach for it you can even go to Locken so long as you promise not to piss anyone off"

"I want to-

>Go south

>Go west

>Stay here

>Go to Locken

>Other

>>3316440
>>Go west

>>3316440
>>Go south

>>3316440
>>Go west

>>3316440

>Go west

>>3316440
Hmmm...Big decision.

My gut says that going to Kirando is going to let us maybe pick up more info on the worm, which is shaping up to be the big threat. We can't really push west if our towns' generators could be sniped like that.

I'm having difficulty in thinking whatever they have out west is more threatening than that. However, sticking around camp could give us some time to cool off and vent with our friends. At some point there won't be a war to let us just walk away from these problems, and learning the ropes here will help.

>Go South

>>3316440
>>Go west

This is a big decision so I'm gonna leave it up for the night with a polite request that nobody samefag it up.

I'll try to do a long post every day this week to keep things moving. Next actual thread will be on Saturday.

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

>>3316487
Thoughts on Gunther's sudden popularity?

>>3316479
The reason I kind of want to hit Kirando is it's a more certain target and it lets us build up credibility as other than just the weapon out front. Also, if we can take the city from the enemy, that gives us two cities the Antolians owe us for.

>>3316494
I've grown used to characters who were supposed to be minor gaining a strange amount of popularity.

Hell, Stella and the other guild bunnies were supposed to be like the Officer Jenny/Nurse Joy of this world. You guys had one interaction with her and suddenly she was all you guys would talk about.

>>3316511
You cant blame us for liking bunny girls but on another note how much would the story change if all we wanted to do back near the start was hunt monsters and chase tail?

By the way, can you update the character list? Especially with long gap since sessions last year, it's a bit hard to remember who each general is and who they are affiliated with and there's a lot of old sessions to read through to try and find it.

>>3316529
The general mentioned in this thread hasn't been mentioned before. I'll still add him to the list, but don't worry if you can't remember him.

>>3316526
Dunno how much it would have changed. You wouldn't have the kind of power you have now, though.

>>3316566
That makes me feel better then, because I was turning up a loss and trying to think of how big a factional issue it actually was.

>>3316566
Have you ever thought of posting more details on the setting past the fact its the mana heavy earth things like on the 3 gods, a better understanding of how demons/true demons are made, the age of tyrants, and how the mana generators keep monsters away. I know a few of those have bin said in previous threads but that's a lot of skimming for tidbits also I'm hoping the black god ends up being like Yog-Sothoth.

-stop the Legion from finding whatever it is they're looking for" You say. "Either by finding it first, or by removing anyone who happens to be looking. Kirando will stay safe a while longer... I hope"

"We'll have our troops ready to strike out for Kirando as soon as possible" Altea says. "If you tried to go in there alone, things could end up getting worse"

You nod. "They went on a spree when we first captured Lutain. Having them come at me head on I could handle. Having to hunt them all down while the death toll climbs is not something I want to do alone" You say. "I'll go speak to Quria, see what she knows, then see if the scouts can tell me anything specific"

"I leave it to your discretion" She says. "This isn't a military operation. No one will be giving you orders, but that also means you won't be able to rely on us for help"

"Can I bring my friends?" You ask.

"They are here because of you... well, not counting Derrick, of course" Altea says. "I almost wish he had chosen a different woman. It would have been much simpler if I could've named him as the Defiant's captain"

"Think the others would have gone for it?" You ask.

"His quick thinking had us ready to assist the northerners, his inspiring nature rallied the men during the siege of Lutain, and it was his plan that won us the skies over Riverhold" She says. "There might have been some objections, but they most likely would have been levied at me, not him"

"Sounds like he's pretty well respected..." You say. "I wonder if they think that about me"

Altea suddenly looks uncomfortable.

"That bad, huh?" You ask. "Do they hate me or something?"

"Not hate, but... they are a bit weirded out by you I think" She says. "Few have truly seen you in action, so most people's impression of you comes from watching you around the camp"

"What could possibly weird them out about that?" You ask.

Altea starts ticking things off on her fingers. "The way you treat the queen, the amount of time you spend in the engineer's tent, the number of letters you write on a daily basis, your constant innuendos with Pip" She says, continuing through your attempted interruption. "And not to mention the strange noises that come from your tent"

You tilt your head. "What kind of noises?" You ask.

"I've heard they're kind of sloppy sounding" She replies.

"Oh. That's just Pip eating chocolate" You say. "She does it that way to annoy me"

...

"The point is, that not everyone knows you well enough to understand how you are" She says. "And you have to admit, you do have a strange 'outward persona'..."

>Well I'm not changing

>Would it help if I dust the Spire before I leave?

>Should I make pamphlets?

>Other

>>3319197
>Should I make pamphlets?

>>3319197
>>Well I'm not changing
>>Should I make pamphlets?

>>3319197
>Would it help if I dust the Spire before I leave?

>>3319197
>>Well I'm not changing
Can't wait to see who we bring. It will be nice to just go on a mission with the girls again.

>>3319293
Can we go Devil Survivor Harem Team?

>>3319297
I just want some quality Cheska time. Hopefully Ilica and Emi too.

>>3319197
>>Well I'm not changing

>>Would it help if I dust the Spire before I leave?

>>3319297
Why dont we bring Storm with us?

>>3319197
>>Would it help if I dust the Spire before I leave?

>>3319197
>>Should I make pamphlets?
>>I'd have thought keeping the queen on my head would be intimidating.

>>3319293
I kind of want to too, though I also have an urge to take Storm, Gunter, and the captain we threw a shoe at for an adventure of manly bonding. Or take Storm and Madeline and act as obnoxiously like people from another world with amnesia as possible for our covers as we go off on our mission.

"Should I make pamphlets?" You ask.

"Sure. And while you're at it, you can also force people to take the time to read them" She says.

"Yeah, that sounds like too much hassle" You say. "Well I'm not changing any time soon"

"No one is asking you to, and no one can force you to" She replies.

"You'd think carrying the queen around on my shoulders would intimidate people" You say.

"I'm sure it does that too, but it's also a rather brazen display considering you're both royalty and neither of you are officially courting" She says.

You tilt your head. "Why would I court Lyvia?" You ask.

"Because despite your constant declarations, she is not actually your daughter" She says. "There's a special sort of etiquette for that sort of situation"

"Yeah, courting etiquette. Frederick had me read a book on it" You say. "But Lyvia's physically like 12. Why would someone have to court a 12 year old?"

"I've known girls who were married off by that age" She says. "And you're not that much older"

"But..."

"I know. Just take it into consideration, and think of how it looks from the outside" She says. "And if you're leaving in the morning, you may want to start preparing now"

>I can leave tonight

>Sure thing

>Who the hell came up with these rules?

>Other

>>3333714
>>Does this mean I can't ride on your shoulders either?
>>Courting rules or not, if anyone tries going after Lyvia, they better be prepared to fight me for her in the arena.

>>3333759
(And latter I mean absolutely seriously - I just know some idiot is thinking about it)

>>3333714
>>Sure thing
>>Who the hell came up with these rules?

>writing

"Does this mean I can't ride around on your shoulders?" You ask.

"You are officially my son, so yes" She says. "But you're also much to big for that, so no"

"Aww..." You say, letting your head hang for a moment before perking back up. "Who the hell came up with all these rules, anyway?"

"Parents who didn't like young noble boys being too forward without their daughters" She says. "How would you feel if you saw someone with less than pure intentions trying to get close to Lyvia?"

"I'd probably crucify them" You say.

"Cru-ci-fy?" She asks.

"It's where you get a big wooden cross and nail somebody's hands and feet to it" You say. "Not only does it kill you slowly, but it's terribly painful the whole while"

Altea grimaces. "Somewhat harsh, don't you think?" She asks.

"I'm very protective" You reply.

"Good to know..." She says.

"But anyway, I should go prep" You say. "I'll be sure to drop by and say goodbye before I go"

"I would expect nothing less" She says.

You come around the table and give her a hug, then head for the exit.

"Oh, and if you want you can bring Pip with you" Altea says. "This seems like the sort of mission where she could put her skills to use. Better than here, anyway"

"I thought I wasn't getting any military support" You say.

"This isn't military support. This is a mother offering to free up one of your friends to aid you" She says.

"Alrighty then" You say. "I'll ask if she's in at some point..."

Altea nods, and you head out of the tent. Now it's time to find-

>Quria

>Pip

>Ilica, Emi, and Cheska

>Other

>>3333989
>>Quria
Best to get actual information first so we know what to plan for, then get party members.

>writing

You get Coral to lead you to Quria. She's been following along with the march all this time, though she's been keeping to herself. You've only seen her once, and even that time was just by chance.

Come to think of it, you don't actually know why she chose to come along. She could be keeping tabs on the Coalition army, or she could be hoping to reconnect with some of her comrades...

When you find her, she's in her tent with a map open on a portable desk.

"Quria?" You say.

The elf startles and stares at you wide eyed for a moment, as it registers in her brain that you're not a threat. "Ah... uhh... good evening" She says. "Wh-what brings you here?"

"I was hoping to ask you about something" You say. "What's with the map?"

She looks down in shock, and hastily gathers up the map, crumpling it in the process. "It's nothing. Personal stuff. Nothing for you to worry about" She says, hiding the crumpled map behind her. "What can I help you with?"

"We've been hearing a lot about the Legion searching for something out west. I've been tasked with going out to make sure they don't get it" You say. "I was wondering if you had anything that might shed some light on that situation"

She gives you a look that says she has the information you want, but she doesn't want to give it to you. For an obvious spy, Quria has a terrible poker face.

"Look. Whether you give me this info or not, I'm going out there" You say. "I plan to interrogate or kill any Legionnaires I find, until either I find what they're searching for, or there're none left. If there's some important resistance business tied up in this, tell me now"

"I am... not sure if it would be proper..." She says.

>Is it something weird?

>What if I say please?

>Alright. Guess I'll find out from them...

>Other

>>3334119
>That's fine, I'm not really all that proper either.

>>3334119
>>3334128
>That's fine, I'm not really all that proper either.
We just got lectured on this after all!

>>3334119
Supporting >>3334128

>writing

Speaking of properness, I keep getting this sense Quria thinks were going to do something horrible to her. She's always very on edge.

"That's okay. I'm not all that proper either" You say. "In fact, I was just lectured on that..."

Quria looks confused.

"Nnnnevermind" You say. "And the military won't be involved in this. It'll just be me and whoever I bring"

"Umm... perhaps proper may not have been the right word..." She says.

Now it's your turn to look confused.

"I meant, ahh... perhaps..." She trails off. "Merde. It's on the tip of my tongue"

"Allowed, maybe?" You ask.

"Perhaps..." She says.

"Look. I'm not asking you to spill secrets or anything. I just want info on the Legion forces out there, as well as what they're looking for" You say. "Any info is better than none. I'm practically blind right now"

"Alright. I will help" She says. "But I want to come with you"

>Deal

>No deal

>Other

>>3334260
>>Deal

>>3334260
>>Deal

>writing

"Deal" You say. "Can you handle yourself in a fight?"

"Uhh... I know how to remain calm, if that is what you're asking" She says.

You blink a few times. "It'll do" You say. "Show me what you got"

"Alright..." She says, pulling the crumpled map back out again.

As Quria works to flatten out her map, you come around beside her and sit down.

Once she's got it settled out, she starts pointing out a few things.

"These markers are abandoned towns that were built west of The Spire" She says. "When Lubars was our only enemy, The Spire was enough of a deterrent to keep the towns safe. When the Legion attacked from the west, the towns fell quite quickly"

"And the Legion is looking for something in these towns" You say.

"Not something. Someone. One of our leaders has been using this place as a base of operations after our base here-" She points to another spot on the map. This one is further north, sitting upriver from Riverhold. "-was discovered and assaulted a few weeks before your inva- err... liberation began"


"Alright. So that's been a couple months now. How have they stayed hidden?" You ask.

"They've been moving from place to place" She says. "I was going to see if they could make it to the Spire, blend with the public, and make a new base there. But..."

"Hard to blend in with abominations" You say. "Any idea where they are now?"

"No... They were in this town when I last heard from them though" She says, pointing to the furthest town from your location.

"But they've been moving a lot, so we can most likely leave that one out. Or at least leave it for last, since it's furthest" You say. "Do you have a way to contact them?"

"The sprite we've been using hasn't returned to me, and I have no others" She says. "If it comes back, then I could, but..."

"This is good enough for now" You say. "Make sure you're ready to go by tomorrow morning. I want to leave as soon as everyone's eaten breakfast"

"Who else will be joining us?" She asks.

"Dunno yet. Came here first for info" You say. "Lemme get back to you on that. I'll go talk to-"

>Pip

>My lady friends

>Meyu and Madelaine

>Other

>>3334437
>>My lady friends

>>3334437
>>Pip

>>3334437
>Pip

>writing

"-Pip" You say. "If anybody can help sniff out your missing leaders, it'd be her"

"Ah. Well... I would be glad to have her assistance" She says. "I will begin preparing for departure"

You nod to her, and then head out.

Pip is back in your tent, looking uncharacteristically mopey.

"Something wrong?" You ask.

"Eh, kinda" She says. "Probably just feelin' the same way everybody else is. How 'bout you? Did you really hit someone with your shoe?"

"Yep" You reply. "He earned that"

"I hear his dad's pretty pissed" She says.

"His dad?" You ask.

"General Marlon. The one who put him up as captain" She says.

"Ah..." You say. "Well, if he didn't want his son getting hit with a shoe, he should have taught him how to play nice"

Pip snorts at that. "So what's up, Yuusky?" She asks. "Come by for some company?"

"Well, kinda" You say. "How'd you like to join me for a little sortie?"

"I'm in" She says.

>Alright then

>You don't wanna know what we're doing?

>That was quick...

>Other

>>3334598
>>That was quick... Did you hear about the strange noises from the tent rumor?

>>3334598
>You don't wanna know what we're doing?

>That was quick...

>>3334598
>>Alright then

>>3334598
>>That was quick...
>>You don't wanna know what we're doing?

>writing

"Well that was quick..." You say. "You don't uhh... wanna know what we're doing?"

She shrugs. "I figure if it's something you're being sent out for then it must be interesting" She says. "And if you're asking me, then the Commander's already said to take me along. So we leavin' now or later?"

"In the morning" You say. "What's got you so eager to ditch camp?"

She shrugs again. "It's boring here, and the mood's taken a pretty bad turn since we arrived" She says.

"Did you hear the rumors about us?" You ask.

"There are rumors about us?" She asks.

"Apparently your stupid chocolate chewing is loud enough to carry outside the tent" You say.

"So what... they think we're bangin' because I chew with my mouth open to annoy you?" She asks.

"Seems like it" You reply.

Pip starts laughing her ass off at that, until tears start to come out of her eyes.

"Okay it's not that funny" You say.

"No, I'm just wondering what kinda person hears that and automatically assumes it's sex" She says. "They sound nothing alike"

"It doesn't help that you moan about how good your chocolate is" You say. "And it doesn't sound so different..."

"Bullshit. It does so sound different" She says.

"I'd go out of my way to prove you wrong, but there'd only be one way to do that and I doubt either of us are up for it" You say.

"What way is that?" She asks. "Bang me while I'm eatin' chocolate to compare sounds?"

"Well... yeah" You say. "Bit too involved for an experiment..."

"That sounds like quitter talk to me" She says.

>I feel like we're getting off topic

>Don't test me Pip

>I should go see the others...

>Other

>>3334759
>>I should go see the others...

>>3334759
>Okay, then. If you're up for it, let's do it.
She'll chicken out, guaranteed. We can't show fear now or she'll know it gets to us, so we have to get to her first.

>>3334759
Supporting >>3334794

>>3334759
>>Don't test me Pip

>writing

"Don't test me, Pip. I will fuck you until your tail goes crooked" You say. You know what game she's playing. If you blink first, she wins.

"Do it then, if you're so confident" She says.

"Alright. Get the chocolate" You say, as you seal the tent flap and start unbuttoning your shirt.

"Got the chocolate right here" She says.

"Good. Pants off" You say, undoing your belt. She has to back down here.

But instead of backing down, she whips off her pants and tosses them at your head. Throwing her arms out as if to say 'what now?'

You pause for a second, wondering just how many more chances you can give her to back down...

"Your turn, motherfucker. Chop chop" She says.

>I yield. Here's your pants back

>No backing down

>I really feel like we've gotten off track...

>Other

>>3334878
>>I really feel like we've gotten off track...
Even if we do this, I don't think it's the time for it.

>>3334878
>>No backing down

>>3334878
>No backing down

>>3334878
>>No backing down

>>3334878
>No backing down

>writing

I feel like we suddenly made a hard-left into Pip's route...

>>3335004
Excellent
I've been gunning to satisfy the mouse for a while

>>3335004
Someone says that about a different girl every few threads.

You chuck your shirt over to her and then drop your pants, kicking them off to the side.

In response she removes her own shirt. Her breasts look bigger in her bra than they actually are, as you know the cups have compartments for some of her tools.

Not quite wanting to take your underwear off, you decide to escalate physically by getting on top of her. You support your weight on your left arm, while the right steadies her chin, telegraphing an incoming kiss so hard that even Pip will know it's coming.

She looks a little less confident, but no yield is called so you move down and press your lips into hers. Her mouth opens to you, so you go in with your tongue.

Tastes like chocolate... in fact, there's the chocolate right there. You think you'll just be taking that. If she wants it back, she'll have to come and get it.

You pull back and sit up, taking a second to admire the dazed look on her face.

"Okay. I give" She says.

"Thought so" You reply, patting her head as you stand up. "Took it further than I expected, but I knew you'd blink first"

She pouts. "Playing with a maiden's heart, Yuu?" She asks. "How cruel"

"You knew the game we were playing, didn't you?" You ask as you collect her clothes and toss them back to her.

"Of course" She says, blushing and rolling to put her back to you. "I just didn't think you were better at it than I was..."

You pick up your pants and put them back on. "Well you can't win 'em all Pip" You say as you throw your shirt back on as well. "Oh, and I'm not giving the chocolate back"

Pip sits up, looking confused. When your meaning finally registers, she starts scrambling about. "I- wha- you- when?" She asks.

You give her a wink and poke out your tongue, showing what's left of her chocolate. "Gotta go see some other people about the mission. You good here?" You say.

She pouts and throws a blanket over herself. "I hope one of them is a priest, you monster" She says.

"Possibly" You say. "See you in a bit"

>Go see your lady friends

>Go see Meyu and Madelaine

>Go see the Order about a priest

>Other

>>3335083
>Go see the Order about a priest
Well now that she mentioned it

>>3335083
>>Go see your lady friends
Then we go for the priest

>>3335083
>Go see your lady friends

>>3335083
>>Go see your lady friends

>writing

Ilica, Emi, and Cheska are all in Emi's tent. When you tap on the flap, they all come out rather than just inviting you in. You briefly wonder what they were doing in there, but decide you'd rather not know.

"Hey, Yuu" Ilica says. "You okay? I heard about what happened earlier"

"About me beating a dude with my shoe? Yeah, I think everybody's heard" You say.

"You look like you're in a pretty good mood though" Cheska says.

"Just won a pretty big bet against Pip" You say. "How would you guys feel about joining me, Quria, and Pip on a mission?"

"What kind of mission?" Ilica asks. "Actually, you know what screw it. I'm in"

That's the second time someone's done that when you asked this...

"Don't be so confused, Mr. Cutie" Cheska says, putting an arm over Ilica's shoulders. "Kitty here's not cut out for the military pace"

"Cheska you were just complaining about how boring it was to drive at marching speed like... 5 minutes ago" Ilica says.

You turn to Cheska and raise an eyebrow.

"Okay, yeah. This kinda sucks" Cheska says. "I spent all that time learning how to fly, and they stuck me in a cart for hours and hours every day"

"That does kinda suck..." You say.

"So yeah, I'm in too" Cheska says.

Emi lets out a nervous laugh. "W-well if all of you are going..." She says.

"Don't feel forced, Emi. You can always hang out with Derrybell" Cheska says.

Emi turns to you, stone faced. "I'm in" She says.

...

>Why doesn't anyone want to know where we're going?

>Did something bad happen?

>Cool. Any idea if the order brought along a priest?

>Other