>>6116909
>Only tell Chouxcreme that you made the artifact
Couldn’t have refreshed the catalogue at a better time.

>>6116909
> Only tell Chouxcreme that you made the artifact
We're so back!

>>6116909
>> Only tell Chouxcreme that you made the artifact

>>6116909
>Only tell Chouxcreme that you made the artifact
WELCOME BACK!

>>6116914
>>6116921
>>6116948
>>6117028

It was time for the reception. You and Chouxcreme had your own table apart from the guess. The dinner was some lavish roasted fowl that your mother slaved over. There was enough to feed the small crowd that you invited to your wedding.

Choux was all dolled up for the ceremony. Choux was already pretty without putting any effort in, but today she was beautiful on a whole other level. She was all smiles as she took small bites of the food. The lacquered goblet you gave her was sitting on the table by her side.

“So… Uhh how do you like the gift I made you?” You ask, breaching the silence.

“It's beautiful… Wait. Did you say you made it?” There was a small look of shock on Choux's face. “Well, I kind of figured you managed to get it through some unusual means. I guess I'm not that surprised.”

“How did you know it was an alchemical artifact anyway? I didn't even know and I made the thing. I just thought I made a really nice goblet,” you say, scratching the back of your neck.

“Oh, it's intuition. You start to develop a feel for the alchemical energy inside an item once you've handled a few. A lot of items don't retain enough alchemical energy to be permanently enchanted. We call those “magical items”. However beyond a certain threshold, the alchemical energy inside an item is potent enough that it even with constant use, the energy simply refills itself. These are called “Alchemical artifacts”.

While you and Choux were having your conversation, you noticed that the guests at your reception have gone quiet.

Numerous people wearing the uniform of the Briarsguard were talking to the guests and telling them to leave. You approach them, asking why they're interrupting your wedding reception.

“An Eisdeer and its minions have been rampaging through Tarrasque. It's not safe here. The Briarguard has been tracking its movements and it'll be here in about half an hour.”

You reach your hand into your pocket and grip the handle of your father's knife, the small pebbles decorating its handle digging a bit into your palm.

>Stay and fight the monster
>Help evacuate your guests
>Write-in

>>6117666
>Help evacuate your guests

>>6117666
Can it be true? The fabled husband/wife battle couple? Can Choux even fight? I'm hesitant to vote because I don't know if she is. Hmmm.

>>6117666
>Stay and fight the monster
Nobody interrupts our wedding!

>>6117751
We've done some adventuring together, before, I'm pretty darn sure.

>>6117666
>Stay and fight the monster

>>6117666
>Stay and fight the monster

>>6117684
>>6117751
>>6117815
>>6117941
>>6117941
>>6118416

You decide to stay and fight the Eisdeer. You tell Choux what's going on and she agrees to fight as well.

Framboise approaches the two of you after understanding what the commotion is about. “An Eisdeer? At this time of the year? It must be very powerful. Eisdeer normally revert into regular deer once the Stygian season is over. You're right to stay and fight, don't let these Briarguard mooks monopolize the monster.”

Choux grabs the goblet you made off the table and activates it. Water gathers into the cup of the goblet, and when Choux swings it, the water transforms into a whip.

As for yourself, you fight with your grandfather's trusty knife. You've enchanted it to return after being thrown. Although it took more attempts than normal to get the enchantment to stick, you're confident in your alchemy.

The temperature drops several degrees as the Eisdeer arrives. There are still guests that haven't evacuated yet, choosing to watch how the Briarguard fight over their own safety.

They'll just have to be disappointed because you've chosen to fight the monster as well.

[Roll 1d20, best of three to find out how well you and Choux do against the monster]

>>6118532
DC 15, rvvxn

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>6118533

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>6118533
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>6118533

>>6118548
>>6118549
>>6118556

Sorry, was busy with adulting stuff all day today, but I'll try to update tomorrow once I'm done paying bills.

>>6119065
No worries, QM. IRL comes first.

>>6119091
>>6118556
>>6118549
>>6118548
>>6118532
There are a lot of smaller monsters swarming around the Eisdeer. The Eisdeer itself looks like a giant stag with horns made out of ice. Its pelt is pure white, almost to the point that it looks like it's glowing.

Using her Swan Goblet, Choux smacks the Eisdeer with a whip of water.

“It's not very effective,” Framboise calls out. “The Eisdeer is water elemental too.”

Before Framboise can finish her callout, you dive in and through your grandfather's knife at the stag. The knife cuts through the stag like butter, as if it were impossibly sharp.

You reach your hand out and flow energy through your Soul Knot and your knife flies back into your hand.

“That was really effective. Could it be? That knife is earth-elemental!”

Framboise rubs some stinky looking residue on her sword. With a few words, the residue ignites and she smacks the giant stag a few times. It's not very effective, but it does buy you time to get into a better position.

You throw your knife again and this time, you hit the deer in the eye. The deer lets out a noise of pain.

The deer's movements are slower now– you must have hit part of its brain or something. Even the smaller monsters that have swarmed are no longer following the deer's command.

A throw of your knife pierces the deer in the chest, killing it.

You see one of the Briarguard approaching. He's trying to say that the Briarguard has ownership of the Eisdeer.

>Tell him to fuck off, since you were the one who killed the deer.
>Try to negotiate for a part of the deer.
>Let the Briarguard take the deer's corpse. No need to antagonize the Briarguard.

>>6119534
>Try to negotiate for a part of the deer.

>>6119534
>Try to negotiate for a part of the deer.
Sir you are here at OUR wedding, on one of the happiest days of our lives, trying to take OUR kill that me and my new WIFE have worked to accomplish. This is all without any of YOU being here to help, and we saved all the guests too! You're lucky I'm okay with only a part of this deer instead of all of it

>>6119534
>Tell him to fuck off, since you were the one who killed the deer.

>>6119534
Yeah fuck it
Fuck them
Changing my vote from >>6119597 to
>Tell him to fuck off, since you were the one who killed the deer.
Gotta have some balls for the first battle couple kill

>>6119534
>>Tell him to fuck off, since you were the one who killed the deer.

>>6119534
>Tell him to fuck off, since you were the one who killed the deer.
We have rights!

>>6119817
>>6119764
>>6119662
>>6119657
>>6119597
>>6119596
>>6119534
You and Choux did all the work in taking down the Eisdeer. If there was anyone who deserved the materials from it, it was you two.

Of course, since the two of you are basically nobodies, the Briarguard wasn't willing to back down. After all, the Briarguard are backed by Lord Roquefort Briar, the lord in charge of Tarrasque.

The arguments over who would get the Eisdeer were escalating, until Framboise stepped in. She was a Baie, one of the more prominent merchant families in Tarrasque and she was willing to go to bat for you.

As powerful as the Briarguard was, they couldn't simply ignore the kind of political power a Baie could pull. And so, they backed off, though you feel like the Briarguard will remember this encounter.

What do you do with the Eisdeer corpse?
>The raw materials from the Eisdeer will fetch a pretty price at the Glinting Silver's market
>Formulate potions using the materials from the Eisdeer (DC: 15)
>Whatever you did to make the Swan Goblet, try to refine the Eisdeer corpse into an Alchemical Artifact (DC: 17)

>>6120589
>The raw materials from the Eisdeer will fetch a pretty price at the Glinting Silver's market
Need a nest-egg for our new family...

>>6120589
>The raw materials from the Eisdeer will fetch a pretty price at the Glinting Silver's market

>>6120589
>>Whatever you did to make the Swan Goblet, try to refine the Eisdeer corpse into an Alchemical Artifact (DC: 17)

File: Chouxcreme.png (38 KB, 800x1200)

38 KB PNG

Not an update, but check out this art I made of Choux

>>6120718
Our wife is cute.

>>6120589
>Whatever you did to make the Swan Goblet, try to refine the Eisdeer corpse into an Alchemical Artifact (DC: 17)

>>6120738
>>6120662
>>6120614
>>6120612
>>6120589


That night was the first night you spent with Chouxcreme on your bed. She smelled faintly of vanilla, and the scent lulls you to sleep. It was the best sleep you've ever had in your short life.

The next day, you and Choux make plans on what you should do with the Eisdeer corpse. Ultimately, despite being able to refine it into a more rarified and expensive form, you decide that the risk of wasting the materials isn't worth it and sell the Eisdeer corpse as is.

Choux accompanies you to the Glinting Silver's marketplace, her expertise in mercantilism helping you to avoid getting scammed.

The bidding for the Eisdeer's materials was intense. Especially for its kidneys, its bladder and the crystalline ice-like antlers.

Although you had figured out that Eisdeer surviving to the Azure season was rare, even your estimates on its rarity fell short of its actual value.

To put it into perspective, although Chouxcreme had wanted children right away, you were worried about your siblings since they're still too young to work. You wanted to wait a year or so to support them financially before having children of your own. However, with how much you were able to sell the Eisdeer's body parts, you were strongly considering letting Choux have her kids right away.

It was something the two of you needed to discuss later.

What do you want to do?
>Take on a few high profile missions to build an even bigger nest egg before considering children.
>Ask Choux to wait a couple of years until your siblings are of working age before having children.
>Use your earnings from the Eisdeer to fund both your siblings and your future family.

>>6121354
>Take on a few high profile missions to build an even bigger nest egg before considering children.

>>6121354
>Take on a few high profile missions to build an even bigger nest egg before considering children.
BIG BIG MONEY

>>6120718
Cute.

>>6121354
>Use your earnings from the Eisdeer to fund both your siblings and your future family.

>>6121354
>Use your earnings from the Eisdeer to fund both your siblings and your future family.

>>6121354
>Use your earnings from the Eisdeer to fund both your siblings and your future family.
The future is never guaranteed. RIP, Dad...

>>6121507
>>6121472
>>6121406
>>6121374
>>6121358
>>6121354

You've gotten a pretty decent nest egg with the sale of the Eisdeer. If you're frugal with it, it should be enough to last you long enough to support your family, even with a new member.

“Choux, dear. I think I'm ready,” you say to her as the two of you are lying in bed that night.

“You mean it? You really mean it?” The sparkles in her eyes were bright enough that it could light up the dim room.

For the next few weeks, the two of you were engaged in passionate lovemaking. That was until Choux could feel it. She was finally pregnant, not even one year into your marriage.

It was surely a blessing.

The jobs you've been taking were low profile, enough to fund your family's lifestyle but safe enough that you were sure you get to come home to your beautiful wife.

And now, you have a child to look forward to.

Your mom congratulates you, and even your siblings were excited to have a little niece or nephew coming around soon.

What do you do?
>Throw a little baby shower for Choux and your kid.
>Continue to take low profile jobs from the Glinting Silver
>Try to find something more stable than an adventuring job.

>>6123471
>Throw a little baby shower for Choux and your kid.

>>6123585
+1
When's more adventure?

>>6123585
+1

>>6123589
When we vote for it. or when monsters crash our party again, I guess, lol.

>>6123471
>Throw a little baby shower for Choux and your kid.

>>6123604
The plot progressed very fast from "oh no bandits, time to move to the big city" to "odd jobs and training for the guild" to "marry and knock up the cute merchant girl ASAP". I hope it isn't leading up to a DQ5 (or was it 4?) style twist of the kids being the real protags. I wanna know more about that knife that becomes cleaner and more restored the more monster blood it spills, or about alchemy or the setting, or what truly lurks out there in the plot

>>6116909
Can't seem to find the older threads.

>>6123735
https://archived.moe/qst/search/subject/al-kimia/
Suptg is having technical difficulties.

>>6123758
Thanks, anon.

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been ill, and my vacation ended... so I've been working while ill and I've been spending my home time resting. I'll try to update on Monday, hopefully I feel better by then

>>6125202
Get well soon, QM!

>>6125202
Hoping the best for you, QM. Take your time and focus on getting better, health is important.

>>6123604
>>6123602
>>6123589
>>6123585
>>6123471

Learning that you're soon to have a child to call your own is certainly a cause for celebration. This early into your marriage, having a kid so quickly can only be a sign of good luck. It would be a while yet until you can determine whether you have a son or a daughter through the usual means.

There are Alchemical ways to determine the gender of your progeny now, but those tend to be pricey and in the domain of lords and rich merchants who are in a hurry to produce an heir, and need to abort any daughters in order to produce a son much quicker.

Your mother prepares a feast for you and your friends, and Choux's friends as well. Although it's a bit embarassing to have Framboise over, as you're sure she's used to much more extravagant celebrations.

Langoustine is looking a bit tired, but that's to be expected as he keeps busy, learning martial arts from the Glinting Silver and running missions. It's a bit of a small miracle that he can attend, really.

While the guests are celebrating, Langoustine takes you aside for a talk.

“Hey, man. I know you're celebrating Choux's pregnancy and all, but you're one of my few friends at the guild. My schedule doesn't really allow me to network as much as I should be.”

“Which is why I'm coming to you with a job. It should be quick; we just need to run supplies to the Water God temple, and it should take us about a week. Are you in?”

According to Framboise's readings, Choux's element should be Frigid Ice, which puts her under the purview of the Water God. If you could bring Choux along to receive the Water God's blessing, it would do a lot to make your child healthy and strong.

Normally, a pilgrimage like this would be pretty expensive, but if you take the mission and simply bring Choux along, you can write the journey off as a business expense.

However, since this IS an escort mission for supplies, there's always the risk of bandits and wild animals.

What do you do?
[]Accept the job, bring Choux along
[]Accept the job, don't bring Choux
[]Refuse the job (Langoustine will remember this)

>>6126813
>[]Accept the job, bring Choux along
Battle couple road trip?

>>6126813
>[]Accept the job, bring Choux along
Making our child healthy sounds good.

>>6126813
>[]Accept the job, bring Choux along
If the QM wants to tragically kill Choux he can do that in any circumstances.

>>6126813
>[X]Accept the job, bring Choux along

>>6126813
>Accept the job, bring Choux along

>>6126813
>[]Accept the job, bring Choux along

>>6127044
>>6126910
>>6126882
>>6126870
>>6126856
>>6126820
>>6126813

Being able to make the pilgrimage to the Water Temple is a privilege usually reserved for people much better off than you. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, it would be foolish to say no.

You tell Choux about the mission and she's willing to come along as your plus one. The two of you spend the next few days preparing for the mission.

On the day of the mission, you meet Langoustine near the border of Tarrasque. Tarrasque is surrounded by forests filled with Alchemical Miasma, and thus, one would typically need to follow the trail of Waypoint Crystals in order to visit the surrounding areas.

The mission is supposed to take about a week, so you're prepared for a long journey.

Along the way, you were waylaid by a couple of wild monsters. These monsters were once normal animals, mutated by the Alchemical Miasma. However, your crew consisted of yourself, Langoustine and Choux and none of you were novice adventurers.

You made quick work of the monsters, but couldn't harvest their useful organs because your mission is time-sensitive.

A few days later, you finally arrive at the Water Temple.

The Water Temple is situated in a confluence of several rivers and is entirely composed of a teal colored stone. From your novice alchemist experience, you can tell that these stones were not naturally occurring. They were clearly mutated by the mingling of intense water energy coming from the rivers.

The town surrounding the water temple is bustling and almost as busy as Tarrasque.

What do you do?
>Go to the temple straight away
>Check out the various tourist attractions in town
>Write-in

>>6128865
>Check out the various tourist attractions in town

>>6128865
>Go to the temple straight away

>>6128865
>Go to the temple straight away
We can play lookie-loo when the gig's complete and baby's blessed.

>>6128938
+1

>>6128865
>Go to the temple straight away

>>6129027
>>6128981
>>6128938
>>6128910
>>6128886
>>6128865

As nice as the tourist attractions are, you technically are at the Water Temple for a job. You make sure to finish the job first so you can get paid. Only then will you goof off.

With your cargo in tow, you and Langoustine go to meet Cresson, a high priest of the Water Temple. Choux isn't officially part of the mission, so she had to stay outside to keep the confidentiality between the guild and the Water Temple.

The cargo was preserved in the same material as Waypoint Crystals, although they weren't alchemically warded. Kidneys and bladders were preserved in crystal, as well as the ears. You weren't squeamish, but seeing all the monster parts preserved in crystal has left you a bit sick, especially the ears as they weren't just the part that sticks out of the head, but also all the inner parts that make the ear work.

The last of the cargo was Moon Water, a recreational drug. Although it wasn't a controlled substance, some people definitely drink a little too much Moon Water than is best for them. Guilds need special paperwork to handle Moon Water, because the alchemical process to make it is complex and there's a lot that can go wrong.

You don't remember filling out the paperwork to handle that much Moon Water, but if it's there, then Langoustine must have handled the paperwork for it.

Stepping outside to check on your wife, you find her gone. However, an exotic looking servant woman with delicate features is sweeping the floors. She's pale, but not as pale as Choux and her hair is pitch black, like Langoustine's. The contrast makes for a very striking image.

She also has strange, narrow eyes that are halfway between looking constantly angry and masking what emotions she's feeling. Overall, she's very mysterious looking.

“Oh, are you the delivery guy? Your wife said she's going to the chapel to make some prayers and receive the blessing of the Water God.”

What do you do?
> Grill Langoustine about the paperwork for the Moon Water
> Go check on your wife.
> Ask the servant girl about her backstory.

I hope I haven't kept you guys waiting too long. I've been trying to go to the gym lately and I'm still trying to balance everything timewise.

>>6130817
> Go check on your wife.

>>6130829
While I'd prefer more freqient updates, the most important thing is a pace which won't burn you out as QM.

>>6130817
>Grill Langoustine about the paperwork for the Moon Water
This is not the time to get slapped with a smuggling charge

>>6130817
> Go check on your wife.

>>6130817
> Go check on your wife.

>>6130829
Good luck in getting /fit/.

>>6130817
>Grill Langoustine about the paperwork for the Moon Water
making my vote

>>6131691
>>6131020
>>6130914
>>6130864
>>6130829
>>6130817

You find your wife with a host of other newly pregnant women seeking the blessing of the Water God. All of them were dressed in the same white ceremonial dress that wasn't too far off from Choux's usual style.

The alchemical artifact, “Water God's Tear” was shining a faint blue light on the chapel.

As the chanting prayers get deeper, the sound of percussion instruments increase and the light from the Water God's Tear grows more intense.

However, as the sound and light reaches a crescendo, the light from the Water God's Tear suddenly cuts off, leaving everyone confused. It doesn't seem to be part of the ceremony.

A singular card flutters down from above, which is caught by the presiding priest.

As the priest reads the note, his face grows more and more troubled. “Damned by the Water God! The Tear has been stolen by the jewel thief, Jambon Beurre!”

Some of the pregnant woman who were waiting for their blessing faint. It seems that this Jambon Beurre is a hot topic for the local folk.

The priest approaches you. “You're from an adventurer's guild, right? Please. In order for us to continue the ceremony, you need to help us catch Jambon Beurre…”

You get the feeling that you can't really say no without negatively affecting your guild's reputation. At the same time, catching a famous jewel thief seems a bit out of your pay grade. What do you do?

>Accept the mission
>Reject the mission, but deliver the request to the guild.
>Reject the mission, this is really none of your business.

(Sorry for the long wait, I've been working out after work and had no time to write.)

>>6138696
>Accept the mission
Our wife WILL get blessed

>>6138696
>Accept the mission

>>6138696
>Accept the mission

>>6138696
>Accept the mission
For Choux, and for our baby!

>>6139614
>>6139028
>>6138802
>>6138775
>>6138696
There is probably no world where you will reject this mission. On top of the handsome rewards that you will no doubt be showered with, having Choux's pregnancy be blessed would be a big step up for your child. That was part of the reason why you accepted this delivery job in the first place.

You ask Langoustine to help the head priest draft up a contract while you search for clues.

With your keen eye, you spot a host of leads that can lead you to Jambon Beurre. Of course, this Jambon is a prolific jewel thief. They wouldn't be so infamous if they were so easily caught.

However, you have a secret weapon. Your Soul Knot is of the Metal Element. This means you can use it to divine the transfer of value. This is why in some circles, the Metal Element is also known as the Gold Element.

You make a quick Divination, but the direction is vague. Strangely enough, the Divination is pointing in the direction of Tarrasque. You're about 60 percent sure of this.

There are ways to increase the power of the Divination, but those take time.

What do you do?
>Interview the servants to know if they noticed anything out of the ordinary.
>Research more about Jambon Beurre to find any clues to their identity.
>Follow the Divination and try to cut the jewel thief off from transporting the goods.

>>6141742
>Research more about Jambon Beurre to find any clues to their identity.
It's Langoustine isn't it?

>>6141742
>Research more about Jambon Beurre to find any clues to their identity.

>>6141742
>Research more about Jambon Beurre to find any clues to their identity.

>>6141744
But then why would the divination point to Tarrasque rather than to him, right here?

>>6141742
>Research more about Jambon Beurre to find any clues to their identity.

Are you alive, OP?

>>6145345
I sure hope so. Was getting exciting!

RIP
Hope you come back one day, QM

>>6150187
:( me too

>>6150187

Been meaning to get back to this, but work and going to the gym has me exhausted. We're about 2-3 updates away from the end. Hopefully I'll have time to continue during the holidays.

>>6150210
>>6150187
>>6145599
>>6145345
>>6142745
>>6141836
>>6141810
>>6141744
>>6141742

You do some research on this Jambon Beurre character. You learn that aside from being a prolific jewel thief, Jambon Beurre has been active for around 500 years or so.

Unless our jewel thief has been huffing some hardcore Alchemical Miasma, you just don't see how that can be possible, so you take your search to the library. It seems likely that you have a copycat thief on your hands.

You find books about Jambon Beurre and jot down everyone who's recently borrowed the books. Even if nothing is conclusive, you can simply feed the data into a second divination.

Of course, while checking out the books, you find a stray hair ensconced in one of the books. Hair is a powerful fuel for divination, second only to blood. You're certain that a second divination will show you the culprit.

After feeding data and evidence into your divination, aside from the first hand of divination pointing you to Tarrasque, a second hand points you towards the servants’ quarters.

Confronting the thief at the servants’ quarters is sure to bring this case to a close. However, you're bothered by the fact that your divination is also pointing you to Tarrasque. You guess that the real mastermind behind this thievery is related to Tarrasque somehow, and confronting the thief at the servants’ quarters might alert the real mastermind behind this plot.

On the other hand, if you wait until the Water God's Tear changes hands and try to catch the true culprit, the jewel itself might be lost forever.

What do you do?
>Confront the thief in the servants’ quarters
>Try to uncover the true mastermind behind the theft.

>>6151735
>Confront the thief in the servants’ quarters
OP we are on page 10, archive this!

>>6151735
>Confront the thief in the servants’ quarters

>>6151735
>Confront the thief in the servants’ quarters

>>6151735
>Confront the thief in the servants’ quarters
Our priority is that blessing for our wife and child. If they want a deeper investigation, hire a detective.

>>6151782
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2024/6116909/

Archived :)

>>6152015
Right on! Thanks for coming back, QM.