>>3025159
>Ask about the Spire
>Ask if the report says anything else

>writing

>>3025159
>>Ask about the Spire
>>Ask if the report says anything else

"So you haven't heard anything from the spire?" You ask.

"Not a thing" She says. "The last information we received from there was that a large Legion presence had moved in to defend it, and Mahron was on his way as well"

"And you think the resistance cell was wiped out?" You ask.

"Or at the very least forced into deep cover" She says. "With the Spire being on the verge of a battle, there should be plenty to report..."

"So their silence means nothing good is happening there" You say. "The Spire must be on lock down"

"Even if it were, my people are crafty. They'd find a way to get a message out to us..." She says.

"If they do, hopefully it doesn't come at the same cost as the one from Kirando..." You say. "That report say anything else?"

"Much of it is old news, like the southern fleet's arrival. It took the messenger some time to reach us" She says.

"Anything we didn't know about?" You ask.

"Well... the giant worm" She says. "They've also closed the harbour now that the Southerners have pulled out, and with the Legion focusing on the Spire there aren't as many forces in Kirando so they're having trouble keeping the populace down"

"You don't think they'd risk a revolt, would they?" You ask. "That could end poorly for them..."

"It will be their choice" She replies.

"Well... if you can somehow get a message in, tell them to be patient. Help is on the way, whether it is the will of Shai Hulud or not" You say. "I'd really hate to get there, only to find that everyone's been massacred"

"They understand that help is coming. My people will urge patience, but if they want to revolt..." She says. "And... what is this Shai Hulud you keep mentioning?"

"I honestly have no idea. But it was the first thing that came to my head when you mentioned the giant worm" You say. "That and spice, for some reason"

"I... see" She says.

>Ask if she's heard about Graumer

>Ask what else is going on in the country

>Ask how she's been doing

>Other

>>3025320
>>Ask if she's heard about Graumer
>>Ask what else is going on in the country

>writing

"You hear about Graumer?" You ask.

"I have been watching his trial closely" She says. "It is... hard to believe that such things were happening right here"

"I would've doubted it too, had someone told me" You say. "But I found his lab, and buried the deformed skeletons myself"

"Yes that was mentioned..." She says. "Has his execution been decided?"

"Not that I know of. Apparently they wanted to know what I thought" You say. "I said just to get it over with"

"Kind of you" She says.

"Well, a slow and painful death might sound like justice. But it gains us nothing. Hang him, or cut his head off, or however you guys do executions..." You say. "How exactly do you guys usually do executions, anyway?"

"Usually by beheading" She says.

"Alright. Quick. Simple. Then it's done with and we can all move on" You say. "Anything else happening in the country?"

"I've been hearing stirrings among the hunters" She says. "You may know about this already, but much of their number went across the ocean after Miss Lepol was taken"

"I did know that" You say.

"Word is that they've suspended major operations out there, and are bringing the bulk of their forces back" She says. "Nothing is confirmed yet, but that seems to be their intent"

"Well a lot of their best are out there. If they're gonna come in force, that's who they'll bring" You say. "We secure Stella, and then together we can all make the Legion regret ever forming"

"You knew Stella, yes?" She asks.

"Yeah, we were... uhh..."

>Friends

>I had a bit of a crush on her...

>Maybe a bit more than friends

>Other

>>3025396
>I had a bit of a crush on her...

>writing

"Friends... but I guess I did have a bit of a crush on her..." You say. "We met at a pretty interesting time in my life..."

Quria looks curious... Qurious...

You shake your head and give her a bit of detail on how you used to be, and how it was Stella who first taught you the value of cute things, a good hug, and also chocolate.

"She does sound very important to you..." She says.

"Well... I mean... I also kinda think that I could have saved her" You say. "Without their boons, the Legion wouldn't have overrun the city so easily, Stella would be safe, Jade would be alive... but I was relaxing in Leon"

"And you blame yourself" She says.

"I wouldn't put it that way..." You say. "But I will feel better when she's back home safe. For now, I can only trust that the resistance's hands are capable ones"

"Our best are still in Kirando" She says. "She'll be safe until the city is yours. You have my word"

"Thank you, Quria. That means a lot" You say. "Has everything here been good for you?"

"The best accommodations I have had in a very long time" She says. "And quite possibly the best security in the land, the the First Knight, an Akotzal, and miss Pip all under one roof..."

You talk for a bit about her interactions with Pip. Pip doesn't trust her, which she says is fair. She seems quite afraid of Kanzka, and she hasn't met Frederick yet.

"You should take the time" You say. "He's quite pleasant once you get on his good side"

"I understand that you've seen both" She says. "You fought him during the civil war, yes?"

"Just once... well, twice. But only the first one really counted" You say. "Once he realized that he couldn't stop us, and that we weren't about to murder the king, he stopped being so hostile"

"I see..." She says.

>Anything else?

>>3025514
nope

>>3025514
Nope

>writing

"Well anyways. I'm sure you're busy, so I'll let you go" You say. "Keep up the good work, and let me know if you hear anything out of the Spire"

"I will" She says. "Take care of yourself"

You nod to her and then head off, wondering who you should spend some time with next.

You're really starting to feel like there's too many people here, and too little time to spend with them. You actually still haven't seen Fran since you've been back, and you just got that little while with the Devils...

On top of that you've got the molding stuff from Gretchen, and the sooner you get on that, the sooner you can get a solution for poor Alisette's teeth...

And Mom should be coming by at some point to see you before she heads back to the front... and even with all the stuff you need to do here, you still feel like your place is out there.

...

You shake your head. The army can handle whatever's thrown its way while you get everything in order and get a little better at what you do.

With that in mind, it's time to-

>Go see Fran

>Grab Alisette and get molding

>See what your friends are up to

>Other

>>3025631
>>Grab Alisette and get molding

>>3025631
>>Grab Alisette and get molding

>>3025631
>>See what your friends are up to

>writing

Yeah, definitely better to get this business with Alisette out of the way first. The mold will take time to dry, then you need to make a model, then you need a second mold of a regular mouth, then you need to figure out what to do with all that...

Step one is finding Alisette, so you get Coral to show you the way. She's up in one of the playrooms with Violet and Lena, who are talking while Alisette is colouring something...

"Hey" You say as you walk in. "I got the stuff from my friend. Is Alisette feeling up for some molding?"

Violet relays this to Alisette, who looks apprehensive as she replies.

"Something wrong?" You ask.

"She wants to know what it'll be like" Violet says.

"Well it won't be painful" You say. "I'll just need to keep the stuff in your mouth long enough to get an impression of your teeth to work with. It might taste funny, but it's not harmful"

Violet relays this again. Alisette still looks like she doesn't really want to do it, but she agrees to. You assure her that a couple minutes of funny tasting molding paste is a fine trade off when the alternative could be a few years of constant tongue biting.

You, the kid, and the maids make your way to your room. Once there you start filling the container, explaining each step through Violet to help Alisette understand. She's a smart kid, so she gets it prety quickly.

Once everything is ready, you sit down and put the kid in your lap...

"Now, say 'ahhhh'" You say, holding the little paste container in front of her.

Alisette trembles, opening her mouth slightly. "O-ooooooooooh" She says.

...

"I need you to open wide" You say.

She starts shaking a bit harder as Violet relays that for you, squeezing her eyes shut and looking down so you can't see her face.

Alisette is afraid. Understandable given the situation, and you don't think it's directed at you specifically. But you're just trying to help...

>Reassure

>Come back at this later

>Leave this to the maids

>Other

>>3025729
>>Reassure

Taking a short food break here. Will return shortly.

>>3025729
>>Reassure

>>3025729
>>Reassure

>>3025729
>>Reassure

>writing

You take a breath, set the container aside, and pull her into a hug. "Hey now. It's okay" You say. Violet translates, but the things you're saying are more about tone than message. "I promise it won't hurt at all"

Alisette replies through Violet. "She says she knows" Violet says. "But she's still scared"

"I would be too, if I'd gone through what you did" You say. "But I'll be here through the whole thing, and it'll be over before you know it"

Alisette asks if Alice can be here with her, and if someone can bring her blanket.

"Sure thing... Lena, would you mind?" You ask.

"No problem" Lena says. "I'll be right back"

Lena leaves, and you ask Violet about the blanket.

"Oh it's something Alice made for her when she arrived" She says. "We've made a habit of making sure every kid has something that's theirs, since just about everything else here is shared"

"Makes sense" You say. "I think... does it help them?"

"Keeps fights to a minimum" She says.

Lena returns with Alice, and a little, dark blue blanket with a moon and stars stitched in.

You hand Alisette off to Alice, who puts the little gator in her lap, wraps her in the blanket, holds her tightly with her top set of arms, while her bottom set reaches under the blanket to hold her hands.

Looks like Lena must've briefed her on the situation on the way here...

"Okay. Now say ahh?" You say.

"Mmm... mma-aaahhh" Alisette says, reluctantly but eventually opening up.

"Good girl" You say, stroking her cheek with one hand while your other goes for the mold. It's gotten a tad dry while you've been working at this, but it's all still workable. "Now keep it open just like that. If it's too much just spit it out, okay? There's always more paste"

Alisette nods, and you put the container in, and up...

>1/2

You, Alice, Violet, and Lena all keep the comfort and reassurance coming while you wait for the mold to set.

...

There's gotta be a quicker way to do this. Maybe you should talk to Emi. There could be some way to just suck the moisture out and quick-dry this thing...

After about 10 minutes, the paste has dried to the point where it'll keep its form and you pull it out to show Alisette.

"There. First one down" You say. "See?"

"First?" Alisette asks, looking uncomfortable.

Violet grimaces, then explains that you need both her top and bottom teeth.

Alisette trembles a little, then exchanges a few words with Violet and Alice. Then she squeezes her eyes shut. "Okay" She says, as she opens her mouth again.

Oh... she's just goin' right for it. You figured it'd be a bit longer.

You scramble to get the second paste container ready to go before her courage fades, still taking a little time to make sure it's all good before getting started.

"Okay. Number two. Here it comes" You say, as you put the second one in. "You're doing really well, Alisette. Just stay just like that. It'll actually be over after this, I promise"

"Uh-hay" Alisette replies.

You keep up the kind words in between spit-balling ideas with the maids, and asking if any of the other kids might be a good fit for the second mold.

By the time you're done, you've got a few candidates. You pull the mold off and give Alisette the good news that she's all done now. No more weird mouth stuff... at least until you have a working solution.

Alisette looks happy to hear that, and also put off by the odd taste the paste left in her mouth...

>Give her back to the maids

>Treat her to something

>Other

>>3025997
>>Treat her to something

>>3025997
>>Treat her to something

>>3025997
>>Give her back to the maids

>writing

"That was such a good job, Alisette" You say. "Why don't we treat you to something?"

Alisette tilts her head and says something. "What kind of treat?" Violet translates.

"I dunno. It's your treat. You pick" You say. "Whatever you want. If we can get it or make it, we will"

Alisette thinks on that for a minute before replying. "Brillouche?" She asks.

You wait for Violet or Alice to translate, but nothing happens.

"What did she say?" You ask.

"Oh, that's just what it's called. There's no Lubrian word for it, sir" Alice says. "Brillouche. It's a kind of dessert they do out west"

"Okay... can we make it?" You ask.

"I don't think Patty's done it for a long time, but I know it's in her cook book" Violet says. "It's... kind of a strange mix of flavours and ingredients. Not everybody likes it..."

"Well I said she could have what she wants... and if Patty can make it, then let's go see her" You say.

Violet relays this to Alisette, who looks ecstatic. The 5 of you get up and head out, with the kid practically skipping along, wearing her little starry sky blanket like a cape.

"So what exactly is this thing anyway?" You ask Alice.

"They're... like little chocolate cakes" She replies. "But the cake is made with beats, and they're filled with a kind of bean paste. It's sweet like cake, but there's a few other flavours there that are not to everyone's taste"

"Thinking of having some yourself, sir?" Violet asks.

>Might as well try it

>Nah

>Other

>>3026090
>>Might as well try it

>>3026090
>Might as well try it

>>3026090
>>Might as well try it

>>3026090
>>Might as well try it

>writing

You shrug. "Might as well try it" You say. "Can't be that bad"

"We'll have Patty make a few of them then. I know a few of the girls like that stuff too" Alice says.

You get to the kitchen and tell Patty what's going on. She looks happy, and says it's been so long since she's gotten to make something like this.

It's just a weird kind of cake, isn't it? You don't see what the big deal is...

Patty offers to teach Alisette how it's made, to which the girl happily obliges. Violet sticks around to continue translating, but Lena and Alice both have other things to do.

You offer to help out as well and after assuring her it's no trouble, Patty puts you to work crushing the beets. Meanwhile her and Alisette start mixing the other things.

Patty seems pretty god with kids. You're about to ask her about it, but Violet stops you. The slime grabs a sign and writes something on it before holding it up. It says 'Family in Johnston. Long gone. Do not ask'.

You nod your head, and decide to let Patty enjoy this. You don't think you've heard a single happy story from anyone you've talked to since you arrived here. It's starting to get on your nerves. All you want to do is learn more about people, and it always ends in tears somehow.

"Whoa there, sir" Patty says, taking your hands away from the beets. "I think they're crushed enough. Keep goin' and you're gonna break the counter"

"Oh... sorry" You say. "What's next?"

>1/2

You get to work making the bean paste, while the girls finish up the dough. Once everything is done Patty puts it all together to make about ten little chocolate cakes filled with paste. Then she puts them all in the oven.

Alisette bounces happily in front of the oven as she watches them bake. Patty and Violet manage to calm her down enough that she'll come and sit.

"So why the sudden interest in Brillouche?" Patty asks.

"Doing some stressful work with the kid" You say, putting a hand on Alisette's head. "She asked for it as a reward"

"Ahhhh... pretty fancy tastes there, little one" Patty says.

"How so?" You ask.

"Brillouche is a high class kind of dessert" She says. "The beans in the paste are difficult to acquire, since they come from the southern continent"

"That's the one with the elves, right?" You ask.

She nods.

"I've heard they're pretty hostile. I hope they're friendlier when I go down there" You say.

"Why go down there?" She asks.

>Personal interest

>Ruins

>So Alisette is high class?

>Other

>>3026323
>>Ruins
>>So Alisette is high class?

>>3026323
>Ruins

>>3026323
>>Ruins

>>3026323
>>Ruins
>>So Alisette is high class?

>>3026323
>>Ruins

>writing

"Ruins. I plan to visit all of them some day" You say. "I've hit one already. Got something important, so after I've finished with the Legion, it's onto the rest"

Patty nods. "Yearnin' for some adventure?" She asks.

You shrug. "There's just some stuff that I need in them. That's all" You say. "So the kid's high class, huh?"

"We kinda knew that, since she's so well educated" Violet says. "She also speaks a... fancier version of Antolian. If that makes sense"

"Is it anything like the difference between the accents that nobles use compared to the common ones?" You ask.

"It's more like... normal Antolian has a lot of 'slang'-like stuff in it, while the fancier version still uses the original words and pronounciations" Violets says.

"So... old old Antolian?" You ask.

"Pretty much, yeah" Violet says.

Alisette asks Violet something, and you realize she hasn't been translating any of this for her. Violet replies, then Alisette says something else, then Violet bursts out laughing.

"What?" You ask.

"She wanted to know what we were talking about. I told her it was about how well she speaks, and she pretty much said 'I ain't not speakin' good'" Violet says, giving the kid a hug. "Soooo cute"

You lean onto your elbow and watch as the slime tries to engulf Alisette. "We still don't know where she came from?" You ask.

"We know she wasn't in Riverhold for very long" Violet says. "She told us they caught her while she was swimming up river, a couple weeks back"

"Just before we invaded..." You say. "How'd she end up in the river?"

Violet shrugs.

>Leave it for now

>Ask Alisette

>Where does that river go?

>Other

>>3026447
>>Where does that river go?

>>3026447
>Leave it for now
I think one traumatic experience is enough for the moment.
We can find out later, maybe after her teeth are fixed.

>>3026447
>>Leave it for now

>>3026447
>>Where does that river go?

>writing

"Where does that river go, anyway?" You ask, as you pull your map out of your back pocket and unfold it on the table.

"Wow... you just carry a map around on you?" Violet asks.

"It's a hunter's map" You say, smoothing it out and putting your finger on Riverhold. Alisette looks on curiously. "So Riverhold is here... and that river goes a lot of places"

"That's why there's a fortress on it" Patty says.

Alisette asks something. "She wants to know what all the little markings are for" Violet says.

"Well these ones are cities in Lubars... this X here is an old ruined city, these 7 markings are all the elemental ruins, and this one's crossed off because I beat it already..." You say, pointing out each place in turn. "These spots are the cities across the ocean, and this is where we are now"

Alisette points to Lutain. "This here?" She asks.

"Yep. Lutain" You say.

Alisette points to the Howling tower and says something to Violet.

"She wants to know more about that one" Violet says.

"Oh... well... how much time until the cakes are done?" You ask.

"Long enough for a story" Patty replies.

"Works for me" You say. "So the place is called the Howling Tower..."

>1/2

By the time you're done your story, the cakes are done. You didn't tell the whole story, of course. A couple things in there not quite fit for kid's ears.

Alisette looks on with excitement as Patty pulls everything out of the oven, barely containing herself when she's told to wait until they're cool. Which is something that's more important for her, since her teeth are so sensitive right now.

"So you fought some kind of... monster?" Violet asks.

"It called itself a deviant soul, and it didn't act like a monster, nor have I heard of any mosters with power like that" You say. "I was lucky that I could trick it out of my friend, otherwise that could have ended badly..."

Alisette asks another question. "She wants to know if that friend is here" Violet says.

"No. She's still in Riverhold" You say. "She was with me when I first found you though, and it was a friend of hers who brought you back here"

Alisette nods, then goes back to staring at the cakes. As if her attention could make them cool faster.

"They smell good" You say.

"They'll taste different" Violet says.

"How do things taste to you, anyway?" You ask. "Genuine question"

"Same as they do to you, I think" She says. "Slimes have all the same taste stuff that everybody else does. It's just put together differently"

"Neat" You say.

You talk about a few different things while the cakes cool. Like how you got a hunter's map, some other stuff about the ruins, more details on slime anatomy...

A little timer next to the oven dings, and Alisette starts bouncing as Patty goes over to grab the now hopefully cool cakes...

"Alright. Cake time~" Patty says.

Calling it a bit early here, since something came up.

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around 7pm EST.

I'll be around for a while longer, so feel free to leave questions and suggestions.

Patty puts a Brillouche cake in front of both you and Alisette, setting the rest aside for others who might want one.

Alisette quickly cuts a piece off with her fork and puts it in her mouth, smiling happily as she carefully chews it. After she swallows she does an excited little shake, then goes in for forkful.

It looks like she's really enjoying this, and you know that kids are notoriously picky. So how bad could it be?

You take a bit off and put it in your mouth. It's... interesting. You can definitely taste the chocolate, and the bean stuff is pretty sweet. But there's an odd texture and a strange aftertaste that make you understand why some people don't like this.

Finishing it all off without making a face is difficult, but you manage. Next time you'll just pass on this. You don't think Alisette will mind. More cakes for her.

When it's all done, Alisette's spirits seem to be lifted and Violet takes her off to language class. She stops to give you a big hug before she goes, practically skipping as she follows Violet away.

"Pretty interesting face you were making there. Did you like it?" Patty asks.

"It was... interesting" You say.

Patty laughs. "It's not for everyone" She says. "Thank you for helping, by the way"

You shrug. "I was here. Might as well put my hands to work" You say. "No more mice issues?"

"Not today" She says. "This happens around winter time, when it gets cold enough that they seek shelter"

"What did you guys do with that one from yesterday?" You ask.

"The kids decided to keep it as a pet" She says. "Got a cage and everything... I just hope it doesn't escape"

"Neat" You say. "I've never thought about having a pet..."

"What about your sprite?- oh, sorry. Looks like that made her mad" Patty says.

You look down to see Coral poking out of your collar with her cheeks puffed out, so you scratch her head. "Coral's more like a partner, or a guide. I'd never be able to find anyone without her" You say. "But anyways, you've probably got work to do so I'll get out of your hair"

She gives you a polite bow. You consider where all your friends would be as you head out. Daria should be in her classes right now, and it's safe to assume the others are up practicing magic...

>Go see Fran

>Check on Daria

>See how magic class is going

>Other

>>3029028
>Go see Fran

>>3029028
>>Go see Fran

>writing

You still haven't seen Fran yet, so you ask Coral where to find her and get moving.

She's in her room reading over something when you get there, so you knock on the doorframe to get her attention. She looks kinda tired...

"Hey Fran. Long time no see" You say.

"Sorry. I've been meaning to come say hi, but between this, and the girls' education I've been very busy" She says.

"What is that, anyway?" You ask.

She holds it up. "Transcripts of the old books you guys found in the vault" She says. "Absolutely fascinating stuff..."

"Have you been reading through those all this time?" You ask.

"I'm a scholar of history. These are intact records from over a thousand years ago, gathered from all over the place" She says. "I'd thank the old baron for acquiring them all, if I didn't know why he was doing it..."

You tilt your head, and Fran grabs one of the books, flipping to a page and showing it to you.

It's a drawing of a man and woman, only the woman looks the way Madelaine does.

"I can see how that would fit his interests..." You say. "Anything fit yours?"

"It all fits mine. I'm finding several huge differences between our time and theirs" She says. "Outside of certain technological developments, there were no demons, no barriers, and no hunters back then, just as there are no tyrants now..."

>Keep on this subject

>Mention the disciplinary issue

>Have you been sleeping?

>Other

>>3029106
>>Keep on this subject

>>3029106
>>Mention the disciplinary issue

>writing

"According to Lyvia, demons were a product of the Black God" You say. "All of this stuff predates its arrival by a little bit"

"I'm surprised there's no record of that..." She says.

"It must've been a pretty turbulent time... am I using that word right? Turbulent?" You ask.

She nods.

"By the time things settled down enough for anyone to record it, accounts would be all over the place. And it would be easy for someone reading them a couple hundred years down the line to mistake them as fiction" You say. "Which is why the story of Caian has so many versions..."

"But no hunters, though..." She says. "I wonder why. It's not like there were no monsters"

"They had the Tyrants. Human civilization was built on Titania and Vyula's territory" You say. "Perhaps other monsters stayed away because of that"

"And when they all became women, people needed a way to fight for themselves..." She says. "And since hunters kill any strong monsters, no further Tyrants could grow"

"Except across the ocean" You say. "The Kings out there must have grown between now and the change, as any Tyrants who existed over there would have died of old age"

"Assuming they can die of old age" She says. "We only know of Lyvia, who was frozen, Titania, who sealed a Deviant Soul, and Vyula... who may have died of old age. Never mind"

"Perhaps not" You say. "I've got a running theory that Lady Namaki is somehow connected to Vyula. Nothing concrete yet"

"It would explain her power..." She says. "I am finding it fascinating reading about the social hierarchy as well. Did you know that the average peasant couldn't use magic?"

"I figured they just didn't take the time" You say.

She shakes her head. "They actually couldn't" She says. "Something about their souls didn't let them use spells, no matter how hard they tried"

"That's... very strange" You say.

"The machines they built are quite impressive though" She says, flipping back through her book to a page with some diagrams on it. "Not a replacement or a match for magic, but still quite inventive"

"Speaking of magic, where are the kids?" You ask.

"Upstairs with their sister" She says. "Why?"

"Sit tight... we need to talk" You say.

>1/2

You take the time to explain the grievances of your staff, and how you've seen that the devils have been dying for some attention.

"I get that being a scholar is what you always wanted, but you really can't just forget about the kids..." You say.

"I... didn't realize" She says. "I thought they were fine with Cheska looking after them... but you're right. They are mine, and I shouldn't be passing my responsibilities off onto my sister"

"Now I'm not saying you should drop this and give them all your time. Just maybe, adjust the balance in their favour a bit" You say. "They're pretty independent as far as kids go, but they still need you"

Fran goes to close her book, but you stop her.

"After dinner. I think magic practice is a good place for them to be right now, unless you want to go teach" You say.

"Yes. Of course..." She says. "If you're sticking around, I'd love to hear more about Queen Lyvia from you"

>Stick around

>Head to magic practice

>Go see Daria

>Other

>>3029197
>Go see Daria

>>3029197
>>Stick around
>>Aside from telling her about Lyvia, inquire if she has run across anything about how soul magic was used in the past and if it was used any differently from regular magic.

>writing

You figure you'll sit down for a bit. You're pretty into this stuff as well, and Fran is really the only one here who you can talk about it with.

Telling her all about Lyvia takes some time. There isn't much that Lyvia hasn't told you, but there are some questions that Fran asks which you can't answer. Stuff like the sort of weapons the humans who tried to depose her used, and one that really catches you off guard...

"What manner of spell could permanently freeze someone like that?" She asks. "Kukuri must have been powerful, but I've known some very powerful mages who couldn't match that kind of strength"

"Perhaps it's not a question of strength" You say. "Maybe it was worked, like stone and wood can be"

"Ice working..." Fran says. "Could be worth looking into. Perhaps if Emi has some time..."

"Now it's time for my questions" You say. "Did you find any mention of soul in there? Its use, whether by people or machine?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing" She says. "Even back then there was no one like you until Caian and Malieria showed up, and the Chaos Engine itself is a pretty recent invention..."

"Dang. Ah well" You say. "I'll leave you to it then"

"Thanks... I'll see you at dinner" She says.

"And be sure to get some sleep, alright? Those are some pretty big bags under your eyes..." You say.

"Old habits..." She says. "I'd always be up late when I used to study, because Kieve was always up all night"

"That makes a lot of sense..." You say. "But Kieve's not here, so you should keep a better schedule"

"I'll try" She says.

"No try. I'm gonna send one of the girls to make sure you're in bed by 10" You say. "See you in a bit"

"Wh-... you'll send- 10? Hey! Don't just walk away!" Fran says.

You laugh out loud as you head out, figuring now's a good time to see how you're cousin's doing...

>1/2

You find Daria sitting in the dining hall a bit early, looking bored but attentive as an older guy talks about something.

Listening for a bit, you realize this is etiquette class. Something Daria is sorely behind on... and you're kinda with her there.

The old dude is talking about... proper fork placements and usage order, and some other shit that you don't think you have the patience for...

Daria does seem to be taking it all in though, as she answer the last few questions correctly, before the old dude heads out. He bows to you at the door, and you step aside so he can leave.

"Cousin!" Daria says, the energy returning to her body as she hops out of her chair.

"Enjoying etiquette class?" You ask, catching her as she jumps in for a hug.

"Bluhhhhhh" She says. "It's sooo boring but I have to know it so people don't snicker behind my back"

"Sounds horrible" You say.

"How come you don't have to learn this stuff? You're royalty too" She says.

"The perks of being super powerful" You say. "I don't think anyone would be brave enough to laugh about me, even if they thought I couldn't hear"

"But I'm gonna be the queeeeeeeeeeen" She says. "Can't I just ban all this etiquette stuff?"

>Not a bad idea...

>Kind of an abuse of power

>It can't be that bad

>Other

>>3029293
>It can't be that bad

>writing

"Can't be that bad" You say.

"It's boooooring" She says. "Why do these people have so many forks..."

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually" You say, rubbing her head. "Where's Val?"

"She's with Hella" She says. "She was getting really fussy and I didn't want to interrupt my classes"

"Are they done for the day?" You ask.

She nods.

"Well then let's go see her" You say. "You look like you could use a break"

She nods again, so you hook your arm under hers and head off. Along the way you ask about the other classes, and aside from etiquette they don't all sound so bad. Her only real complaint about them is that the teachers aren't as interesting as Frederick was.

"That's because Frederick would stop whenever he had a relevant story" You say. "Not a more interesting teacher, but definitely a much better story teller"

"I like his stories..." She says.

"So go see him. I'm sure he'd be happy to share" You say. "He's always here"

When you reach the practice room, everyone's kinda grouped up. Monique is with Cheska and Lily doing fire magic, while Hella and Daisy are with Emi and Pip learning some binding moves. Liz and Val are snuggling on a couch that someone brought up here, and you see Hella looking back at them every so often.

You don't see Ilica and Vivi though. Maybe they stepped out for a bit.

>Head to fire class

>Head to binding class

>Ask where Ilica is

>Other

>>3029324
>Head to fire class

>>3029324
>>Head to fire class

>writing

You head over to Cheska and Lily, who are passing a fireball back and forth. You aren't sure how that will help them, so you go to Monique...

"What are they doing?" You ask.

"Passing" She says. "Catching a fireball and throwing it back is pretty hard. You have to 'claim' the fire without letting it burn out"

"Claim...?" You ask. "I'm not very well versed in fire magic"

"Fire magic has this weird 'ownership' thing that other magics don't really use. Have you ever seen someone 'snuff' a flame?" You ask.

"Yes, I think. Cheska did it to Lily once" You say.

"She could do that because she took control over Lily's fire" Monique says. "A fire mage can will any fire to be their own, but claiming a magically fuelled fire without letting it burn out is difficult. You have to start adding your own fuel before it's fully yours"

"I think I get it" You say. "So to 'catch' the fire, Cheska has to claim it, keep it fuelled, then send it back?"

Monique nods. "Pretty standard pair exercise for aspiring fire mages, as it teaches both claiming ownership, and managing a steady fuel stream" She says.

You watch them toss it back and forth a few more times, watching the fireball carefully. It's pretty easy to pic out when the fire changes hands, as it either flares up or dies down a bit.

Both devils are pretty sweaty from concentrating, and after a few more tosses Lily fails the catch and gets hit. Cheska snuffs the fireball quickly, but Lily's sleeve still catches. It's only just started burning when the flame comes right off and floats over to Monique...

"I think that's enough for now" The Cyclops says.

"Yeah, I'm with- Yuu?" Cheska says. "When did you get here?"

Lily smiles, then runs up and jumps into your arms. "Did you see me? Was I good?" She asks.

"Of course you were" You say. "And I just got here a second ago"

"Oh" She says.

>Ask how practice is going

>Fire magic sounds weird

>I wonder why Derrick didn't teach you this...

>Other

>>3029385
>>Ask how practice is going

>>3029385
>Ask how practice is going

>writing

"How's practice going?" You ask.

"Ugh, I need a bath..." Cheska says, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the sort-of hand on her wing. "Can't believe I can torch entire fields in one go, but playing catch with a fireball is makin' me sweat"

"It's just a gap between your power and how much control you have over it" Monique says. "Power wise, you're easily the strongest fire mage I've ever met. But because of that you never had to learn the control that weaker people need"

"Thanks for the com...pliment?" Cheska says, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

"You're welcome" Monique says. "And don't worry. Once you've got this, we'll move onto keeping ownership of your fires, then we can get into the good stuff"

"Funny how I've never had ownership issues before now..." Cheska says.

"Again, it's because of your power" Monique says. "The larger and hotter the fire is, the harder it is to claim. Especially if you happen to be in said fire..."

"Yeah... heh heh... that makes sense" Cheska says. "Anyways. I'm covered in sweat, so I'm gonna take the implet and go wash off. You're welcome to join"

"I already did that today" You say, turning to see Lily with a bad kid of grin. "And don't even think about rubbing your sweat on me to make me join in"

"Aww..." Lily says.

You hand her off to Cheska. "Now go on. You can hang out with me at dinner" You say.

"Kaaaay" Lily says, as Cheska's tail takes hers and they head off. You guess that's the Devil version of holding hands...

"They're kinda cute together" Monique says.

"They're pretty cute apart too" You say. "Speaking of cute. Do you know where Ilica and Vivian are? I figured they'd be here"

Monique shakes her head. "Miss Ilica left the manor a couple hours ago to visit Priestess Lianna. She said she'd be there most of the night" She says. "Apparently she's been meaning to do that since she arrived"

"Oh" You say. "Well she picked a heck of a day for it. I hope she didn't have trouble getting through the snow..."

You look over and see that binding class is still well underway. Meanwhile Daria has taken over baby duty, and is currently playing with Val and Liz...

>Did she know Lianna before?

>Go to binding class now

>Go see how Daria's doing

>Other

>>3029429
>>Did she know Lianna before?

>writing

"Did she know Lianna when she was here?" You ask.

"Everyone knew Lianna, pretty much" Monique says. "Graumer didn't particularly like her, so she couldn't come here unless he was away... and whenever that happened we would invite her for supper"

"Okay. It did sound like everyone was pretty friendly with her" You say. "Still Ilica never really mentioned it..."

"Might have slipped her mind" Monique says. "I wonder why she didn't say anything about going over earlier. If we'd had time we would have invited the priestess here"

"Ilica probably wanted to see her privately" You say.

"I wonder why... she doesn't seem to be bothered by anything" Monique says.

"Doesn't mean nothing's bothering her" You say. "Could be coming back here reminded her of her old family. Could be nothing, and she just wanted to catch up"

"I forgot that she had a family before..." Monique says.

"When she gets back I'll see if she wants to talk about it" You say. "If not. Well... I won't push"

Your focus is drawn to the magic practice by the sound of Hella suddenly screaming. You see her being held upside down in the air, arms and legs all held up by black tendrils.

Daisy is jumping around, her arms held up in a victorious pose... and she's not focusing on her spell, as Emi is urging her to do.

"One moment please..." You say to Monique.

You walk over to where the tendrils are coming out of the ground, arriving just as they lose their strength, break, and drop Hella into your waiting arms.

"See this is why we told you to focus" Emi says.

"I dunno. Looks like it ended pretty well for her there" Pip says. "Nice catch Yuuster"

"Thanks" You say with a chuckle. "You okay?"

Hella looks at you with wide eyes and red cheeks. "Uhh... m-maybe" She says.

"You still need to focus" Emi says.

"Don't worry! I'll focus this time" Daisy says, holding her arms out as they turn black...

You look down and see little black pools forming on the ground around you.

>Disrupt

>Advise against

>If it's a battle she wants...

>Other

>>3029466
>>Disrupt

>>3029466
>If it's a battle she wants...

>>3029466
>>Disrupt

>writing

"Not nearly quick enough to take me, Daisy" You say, focusing energy into your face, and blowing a disruptor at the little devil.

It connects and shuts down the tendril spell Daisy was casting, leaving her feeling strange and confused. She tries a few more times, but it always takes a few seconds for the disruptor's effects to wear off.

You put Hella back on her feet, and go over to Daisy. "But if it's a bind-off you want..." You say, picking her up and squeezing her. "I win"

"No fair..." She says, pouting. "You cheated"

"And trying to get me while I was carrying Hella was fair play?" You ask, shifting her into a better carrying position and kising her on the cheek when she doesn't reply. "Save the underhanded tactics for actual fights, okay?"

"Okay..." She says. "I would've got you too..."

"I'm much harder to tie up than Hella is. Trust me" You say. "But still, that was pretty good. A little work on your speed and concentration will make you a force to be reckoned with"

"You think so?" Daisy asks.

"Of course" You say. "How's the other side going. Practice coming along okay, Hella?"

"She's never worked with magic before, and it's not comin' as naturally to her as it is to Daisy" Pip says. "But it's comin' along. I think her biggest issue is still her unwillingness to hurt people"

You turn to Hella. "I thought that's why you were learning a binding spell in the first place" You say.

"I know. But what if I squeeze too hard?" Hella asks.

"She isn't aiming these at Daisy, is she?" You ask.

"Oh, shit no" Pip says. "Her target's been me. Goal is to bind, lift, and hold. Daisy almost got it there"

"I got excited..." Daisy says. "It won't happen next time"

"Well we'll see... tomorrow. Right now I'm starvin'. Food sound good to everyone?" Pip asks, continuing when there's no objections. "Alright. Let's go eat"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around the same time.

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

>>3029497
Thanks for running

Cheska and Lily are already waiting in the dining room when you arrive, hair still wet from their bath. Cheska is trying to write something with her wing-hand, while Lily's happily doodling away.

"Trying to make the new arms work?" You ask Cheska.

"It's much harder than it looks" She says. "It's like writing with your... I guess you don't really have an off-hand..."

You peek over at what she's writing. "Writing exercises?" You ask. "Doesn't look too different from your normal writing to me- ow, ow!"

Cheska pinches you in the side with her tail. "Don't be an ass" She says.

"You said a bad word!" Daisy says.

"I'm 17, I'm allowed to swear" Cheska says.

"Miss Lena says a foul mouth like that will scare away all the guys" Daisy says.

"If a foul mouth scares 'em away, they weren't ready to handle me in the first place" Cheska says. "And just when the heck did Lena say this?"

Daisy clams up when she realizes she's said too much, and Cheska reaches over with her wings to take her from you, putting her in her lap.

"You were seeping around, weren't you?" Cheska asks.

"N-no" Daisy says. "I was uhh... helping"

"And if I went and asked Miss Lena about this..." Cheska says.

"Alright, they were makin' cookies and I wanted one" Daisy says. "But I couldn't get one or get out without them seein' me..."

Cheska sighs and stands up. "Alright. We'll be back. This one's gotta go apologize for eavesdropping" She says.

>Good luck

>Mind if I tag along?

>Don't worry about it

>Other

>>3030744
>Good luck

>>3030744
>>Mind if I tag along?
Time for best quest!

>>3030744
>>Good luck
I had no idea they could manipulate six limbs that well.

>>3030744
>Mind if I tag along?

>>3030766
Cheska is pretty unique in this regard. She is the only person with usable digits on her wings as well as regular human arms. Other girls with usable digits on their wings have them instead of arms, like bat girls and wyverns.

I should also point out that she has 7 limbs, not 6.

>writing

>>3030814
Even within her own species? Or is that just people we know personally?

>>3030827
She only grew these wings after becoming human again. Those unique circumstances lead to her unique body. You know of no other type of girl with workable wing-limbs. The only other girls with 4 working arms are girls like Alice, who just have 4 regular arms.

"Good luck with that" You say.

"I might need it. If she goes down I can't bring her back up..." Cheska says.

"Want me to come along?" You ask.

"Hey, if you're offerin'..." She says.

You shrug and head with Cheska as she goes to find Lena, letting everyone know you'll be right back and putting Hella in charge of Lily for the time being. Shouldn't be too difficult. Lily looks like she's really into whatever she's drawing.

"So the wings can work like hands?" You ask.

"Yup. Fran said to do the writing exercises with them so I can get used to manipulating things, just like little devils do with their tails" Cheska says. "I've also been doing some weightlifting with them to strengthen them for flying"

"They do look more muscular than when I left for the march" You say.

She looks proud to hear that. "Still a ways to go. They'll have to get pretty beefy for me to fly normally" She says. "I think I'll just stick to using magic to get lift. Keep my girlish figure, y'know?"

"Never thought I'd hear you show concern over that..." You say.

"I actually have to work at it now that I don't have the whole demon thing keeping me looking good" She says. "Pays off though. Last time I went out on town I noticed a few people lookin'... but it could have been the fact that they'd never seen a winged devil before"

You put an arm over her shoulder. "You are one of a kind, Cheska" You say.

Cheska smiles and rests her head on your shoulder.

"You guys aren't gonna start kissing are you?" Daisy asks.

Cheska's eyes widen. "Wh-what?"

>No, Daisy

>Not a bad idea...

>Way to ruin the surprise

>Other

>>3030878
>Way to ruin the surprise

>>3030878
>>Kiss Daisy in a familial but embarrassing fashion. That will teach her to mock us.

>writing

>>3030878
>Way to ruin the surprise

>>3030878
My inner devil wants to use this as an opportunity to fluster Cheska more.

>Way to ruin the surprise...

"Way to ruin the surprise. I suppose you've seen right through us..." You say, in an overly dramatic fashion.

"Y-yuu? What?" Cheska asks.

"Yes. That's exactly what we were about to do" You say, giving Cheska a wink. "Cheska and I were going to start kissing you. Because we love you"

Daisy looks worried, but she can't wriggle free of Cheska's arms as you both shower her cheeks with kisses. You continue through Daisy's protests, stopping only when you think she's had enough.

"This is cruel and unusual punishment" Daisy says, as she buries her head in Cheska's chest.

"Aww, that wasn't punishment, Daisy" Cheska says, hugging her niece with her hands, wings, and tail. "And where the heck did you learn those words from?"

"N-nowhere" Daisy says.

Cheska rolls her eyes. "We're gonna have to start keeping a much closer eye on you, blueberry" She says.

"N-no you don't" Daisy says.

"Well then you'd better start behaving" Cheska says. "Or Yuu and I are gonna start back up again. And this time we're not gonna stop"

"Nooooooooo..." Daisy says.

You chuckle and ruffle Daisy's hair. "Maybe we'll stick to a more traditional punishment... like apologizing to anyone who you've spied on" You say.

"We gonna take her around the whole manor then?" Cheska asks.

"If we have to..." You say.

>1/2

When you find Lena you manage to coax a halfhearted apology out of Daisy, then a real apology at the threat of more kissing.

You appear to have found Daisy's Achilles' Heel... whatever that means. You should remember to use this sparingly, as it won't work if she comes to enjoy it.

"Oh, it's fine" Lena says. "Didn't even know she was there"

"Still not good of her to be sneaking around like that" Cheska says.

"Well next time she should just come into the kitchen normally" Lena says, patting Daisy on the head. "I'll be happy to share some cookies with her if she asks like a good little girl"

"Hear that, Daisy?" You ask.

"Can I have one now?" Daisy asks, her eyes full of hope.

"No, there's none left now" Lena says apologetically. "Next time"

"Aww..." Daisy says.

You let Lena get back to work, as Cheska twines tails with Daisy. "So, anybody else you need to apologize to?" Cheska asks.

"Uhh... maybe" Daisy asks.

You put a hand on Cheska's shoulder. "We can wring the full list out of her after dinner" You say.

"Good call" Cheska says. "Come on blueberry. Let's go eat"

The three of you start heading back up, and you look for something to talk about...

>Ask when Ilica left

>Blueberry?

>We're still not even from the tail sprain...

>Other

>>3030992
>>Ask when Ilica left

>>3030992
>Blueberry

>>3030992
>Ask when Ilica left

>>3030992
>>Ask when Ilica left

>writing

"Blueberry?" You ask.

"That's my nickname for her" Cheska says. "Her sisters is Strawberry"

"Good nicknames" You say.

"Thank you" She replies.

"So did you know about Ilica's trip out?" You ask.

"To see the priestess? Yeah" Cheska says. "She left just after lunch. No clue what she's been talkin about, but she's been there since"

"That early, huh?" You say.

"Probably spent like an hour trudging through the snow" Cheska says. "No clue how she does it without shoes, but she seemed pretty confident"

"Her feet are pretty well insulated" You say, pulling out your notepad.

"What's that for?" Cheska asks.

"Offering her a ride home for her and Vivi, if she wants it" You say, jotting down a quick note telling Ilica to keep Coral around and send her back when she's ready to leave if she wants you to pick her up. "Least I can do"

"Well the least you can do is actually nothing" Cheska says.

You shrug as you send Coral off. "As a friend it's the least I can do" You say.

When you get back to the dining room everyone's occupied with conversation, with the exception of Lily, who's still drawing. Pip and Emi seem to be talking about something pretty casual, while Hella and Daria are off giggling about something...

>See what Daisy's drawing

>See what's so funny

>Join the casual corner

>other

>>3031074
>See what Daisy's drawing

>>3031074
>>Join the casual corner

>>3031074
Should be
>See what Lily's drawing

>>3031074
>Join the casual corner

>writing

You head over to Pip and Emi, while Cheska takes Daisy to her sister.

"Hey hey" Pip says. "How'd it go?"

"Well enough" You reply as you sit down. "Cheska and I managed to find Daisy's Achilles' Heel, and used ti to make her give a real apology"

"Found her what now?" Pip asks.

"Achilles' Heel" You say. "Like a weak point"

"Ahh..." Pip says. "Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because Achilles' Heel sounds cooler" You say.

"Do you know where that term comes from?" Emi asks.

"I think Achilles was a dude who was invincible because his mom dunked him in some kinda magic river" You say. "But his heel was vulnerable 'cause that's where his mom held him as she did the dunking"

"I see" Emi says. "You usually don't know quite so much about these odd things when you say them"

You shrug. "Sometimes the weird term comes with an explanation, sometimes it doesn't" You say. "It's a bit of a crap shoot"

Emi looks curious, but Pip stops her. "I don't think we want to know about that one" She says. "Got any plans after this? Mimi and I were gonna do a bit more magic stuff. Advanced practice, for those already well versed in the art"

>Sounds good

>I'll pass

>Other

>>3031129
>>Sounds good

>>3031129
>Sounds good

>>3031129
>I'll pass

>writing

"Sounds good" You say.

"Cool. That makes 3" Pip replies. 'Maybe we can get one more... Fran or Kanzka or something"

"Not Cheska?" You ask.

"Not indoors" Pip says. "Emi would be able to put anything she can start out, but that's some fire and water damage you don't need in your house"

You nod. "So why the sudden interest in practice?" You ask.

"I don't get to practice with people on my level very often" Pip says. "Takin' the opportunity while it's there"

You turn to Emi.

"It's the same for me..." She says. "I don't even use it in fights all that often either..."

"I was actually kinda wondering about that" You say. "You always avoid fights, but I don't think I've ever seen you lose"

"I guess the people I grew up around coloured my standards..." She says. "It's taken a while for me to learn that not everything is as strong as they were"

"Must've been some darn good fighters" Pip says.

"I only really ever got to see my grandmother, my handmaidens, the palace guard, and my... late fiancee" She says.

"You had handmaidens?" You ask.

She nods. "I told you about them. They were about the closest thing I had to friends" She says.

>Ask about them

>So you never knew how much ass you kicked?

>Do all noble girls have handmaidens?

>No parents?

>Other

>>3031211
>>Do all noble girls have handmaidens?

>writing

>>3031211
>Do all noble girls have handmaidens?

>>3031211
>So you never knew how much ass you kicked?
> Other:*consciously avoid talking about parents*

"Do all noble girls have handmaidens?" You ask. "You, Lyvia... Daria doesn't, I guess. But that's still 2/3"

"It is pretty common for a high born lady to have a couple dedicated servants. Ones that'll take care of mundane tasks for them" Emi says.

"Sometimes I wonder if some of high society's fashion was made just to give those girls work" Pip says. "The ridiculous dresses, the hairstyles, the makeup..."

"It's not so bad down there..." Emi says. "Piru and Rin also did double duty as bodyguards"

"You did say they were strong" Pip says.

"Moreso than I am, but most of my studies went toward healing" Emi says.

"So you never knew how much ass you kicked?" You ask.

"I was not aware, no" Emi says.

"Huh..." You say. "Do boy nobles get handmaidens too?"

"Not really..." Emi says.

"You literally have a house full of maids at your beck and call, dude" Pip says. "You want handmaidens? Just appoint a few"

You consider that, as food is brought in. Lola sounds a bit like a handmaid. She gets you up in the morning, sets out your clothes, does... other things.

...

Okay, maybe not.

You set your sights on your food and start eating, wanting to see what 'advanced magic practice' is like...

>1/2

When dinner is finished, Cheska takes the devils up to their mom, Hella and Daria head their own way, and you go back up to the 'training room'.

"So what are we doing now?" You ask.

"Duelling" Pip replies. "We've all got a pretty decent amount of firepower, and pretty good defenses. So launch your spells, block theirs, don't break anything"

"Who's going first?" Emi asks.

Pip shrugs. "I dunno. Your house Yuyu. You decide"

>You v. Emi

>You v. Pip

>Pip v. Emi

>>3031296
>>Pip v. Emi

>>3031296
>Pip v. Emi

>writing

"I'll let you guys duke it out for my entertainment" You say.

"Why did you have to put it like that..." Pip says.

"Let the games begin!" You say, retreating to the far wall as a stinger of light sent by Pip chases you.

Once you're safely out of range, and prepared to guard yourself against any stray attacks, the two of them take their places.

After a quick 3 count, they both charge their spells.

Pip's goes off first: a simple burst of light meant to blind. It works, and Emi's followup goes wide. Then Pip launches a second spell, a beam that Emi doesn't see coming. It hits home, striking her in the stomach.

"One point for me~" Pip says.

"That was dirty..." Emi says, rubbing her eyes.

"Dirty tricks are how I roll, Mimi. Not everybody fights fair" Pip replies.

"Fine then" Emi says.

Round 2 starts once Emi can see again. This time she strikes first, icing the floor so that Pip loses her footing. Pip's aim is still true, but Emi's defense is ready this time.

As Pip struggles to stand back up, Emi drenches her with a water cannon.

"That's a point for me" Emi says, draining the water out of Pip's clothes and getting rid of the ice to make things fair again.

"Damn... how do you keep your balance on this?" Pip asks.

"Larger base" Emi replies, pointing to her tail.

"Hrrmm..." Pip says. "Alright. Match point. Winner gets to face lord smug over there"

"I am not smug" You say.

Pip pokes her tongue out at you, as the two of them take their positions again.

This time when the round starts they both launch powerful offensive spells at each other. Each expecting their opponent to guard. Each completely wrong...

They both go down.

"Ow" Pip says. "I lost..."

"No... I think we both lost..." Emi says.

"Fuck" Pip says. "So who got hit first, Yuyu? You've got the eyes for that sort of thing. I wanna know who gets to wipe that grin off your face"

"It looked like-"

>Both of you

>Pip

>Emi

>>3031356
>If you're uncertain, settle it with a tiebreaker match. Sudden death.

>>3031356
>>Both of you

>>3031356
>>Both of you
>>Might as well both have a go at me.

>>3031356
>Both of you
2 on 1 lets go

>writing

"Does it really matter who took the first hit? Both of you left your defenses down" You say. "That means you both lost"

"Damn..." Pip says.

"I guess that's true..." Emi says.

"Which means it's time" You say, stepping forward and cracking your knuckles. "2 on 1. Let's go"

Pip smiles. "You sure about that, buddy?" She asks. "I know you're cookin' with a big fire there, but..."

"Let's just see how it goes" You say. "You won't overwhelm me with power, so you'll have to get creative"

"Alright" Pip says. "Just one thing: no disruptors. In a spell duel those things are straight unfair"

"Fine. No disruptors" You say. "Any other rules?"

"I think that's it" Pip says. "We wanna bet anything on this?"

"I'm not much of a gambler..." Emi says.

"Hmm... how about this?" Pip says. "Loser feeds the winners their dessert"

"I don't think that's-"

"I accept" You say. "Though I would've worded that 'losers feed the winner his dessert', but whatever floats your boat..."

"But I didn't-"

"Alright. Everybody ready?" Pip asks. "3... 2... 1... Let's go!"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around the same time.

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

>>3031403
Thanks for runnin', Smiley. Always a pleasure!

Chain Flare spam is go

>>3031408
You think we could chain flare them to the ceiling to leave them suspended? Does weight affect Chain Flare?

>>3031403
Thanks for running

>>3031416
Chain Flares have a limit on the amount of weight they can pull/force they can resist, and going over that will break them. Making them stronger isn't really a priority, as they do their job just fine now.

Could we pull enough soul into the room and just leave it there and have it create an area of low or no mana meaning we win the duel as they can’t cast no more?

>>3031796
That'd be interesting to try. Definitely better to try here than in the middle of a battle. That said I'm not sure if soul and Mana work like that.

>>3032076
We should be careful with that tho, if we pull to much soul into the room we might accidentally recreate the enviorement of a mortifas cell

>>3033084
Absolutely. Last thing we need is to kill our friends where when met them! (Well, where we met Emi anyways)

If a spell projectile passes throug an area of soul would that dissapate the spell or weaken it? If we can control the soul we could limit the soul area to just near us and not harm our friends?

Upon giving this some consideration, I think it would make sense to train our spellcaster friends with him to deal with Disruptor. We've seen 2 people thus far who use Mind Control abilities (Raven and Raligos), and Terry might have similar (or more OP) abilities up his sleeve if they ever run into them.

Don't really need to bring this up right before the duel, but maybe after the duel in order to see if there's any weaknesses or holes in disruptor (stuff like stopping your cast when you anticipate Yuu to use it, using extremely fast-cast spells to break Yuu's concentration, and Pip maybe refracting the light around her to look like she's in a different spot, etc.)

>>3033546
A spell passing through an area that's dense with Soul wouldn't weaken, not unless you make the soul resist the spell. You don't currently have the ability to get the soul into such a small area unless you're focusing it into a spell.

>>3033599
Disruptor is a fairly small wave that moves slowly enough to be dodged. It's one of the few spells that Yuu can't make a huge version of. Most people don't see it coming because it charges so quickly, and Yuu is usually pretty close when he fires it. Pip is banning it because you can't dodge during a mage duel.

Also light magic trickery doesn't work on Yuu anymore. It did once, and exactly once. Though it was never mentioned by anyone, Pip was blurring herself so she'd be hard to spot the first time she trained Yuu. After that his eyes "adjusted" to it completely, to the point where even Namaki's illusions are useless.

>>3034271
Hey Smiley, this is kind of a random question but have you given thought to what soul "magic" of the other elements would be like?

We've seen and gotten a feel for Soul Water and Soul Earth but I don't think I understand enough about the other elements to extrapolate how those would work with soul.

I'm not expecting shadow to be used as am example though, for potentially obvious reasons.

>>3036393
Yes. They all work different ways, but you won't be seeing any other soul users in this quest. I have a sequel planned should you guys choose to go that route once BtG is over.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

Emi is surprised by the sudden countdown, as she's still not done with the subject of the bet. Pip is quick to charge, letting off a blinding flash.

She should really know better than that. You can't be blinded this way.

You didn't take the time to pull Soul in, so you're not working with a ton here. You set out a buckler to deflect Pip's follow up, then fire off a bolt in response. Emi deflects it with an ice pillar, which Pip fires a beam through.

You answer Pip's beam with your own, pulling the soul back in and recycling it as it scatters at the point of contact. Pip quickly realizes she won't win with a war off attrition here, and Emi covers for her as she's forced to drop her attack.

More soul is starting to gather. It won't be long before you can simply overwhelm them, but for now you're on nearly equal ground.

Emi makes her first attack now, gathering shards of ice and launching them at you all at once. Too many for bucklers, and too big for an instant wall. You launch a small barrage of chain flares, pulling the shards into each other and making them too heavy for Emi's current focus.

The barrage doesn't end there. You fire off another one towards your opponents. The entire thing hits a light screen Pip puts up, and the amount of stress that 2 dozen flares puts on it is enough to make it crumple outward.

That's interesting to know. It seems like light screens can handle a lot of head on force, but not the kind of tension a flare puts on them.

As Pip scrambles to drop the screen, Emi launches a big ball of water your way. Instead of guarding you focus soul into the ball's center and burst it, causing it to spray the entire room.

You put up a wall to keep dry, and Emi deflects the water around her. Pip is still charging something else, so Emi has to cover for her as well.

...

"Fuck" Pip says, signalling a bit of a break. "How come you didn't get blinded?"

"I can't get blinded like that" You say. "My eyes don't use light the way others do, so trying to burn them does nothing"

"Fuck" She says again. "Alright. Break's over. Let's get this on"

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>3036831

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>3036831

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>3036831

>writing

You lead off the renewed engagement with a decent sized volley of bolts. Pip is quick with her defense, putting up another light screen. You let some of your bolts hit it, taking as many as you can manage and banking them around it.

Neither of them expects, or perhaps even knows that you can do this. So it catches them both off guard and they both take several hits.

"Ow!" Emi says, clutching her chest. "Since when could you do that?"

"Since I learned I could control soul outside myself" You say. "That didn't hurt too bad, did it?"

"Oof. Right in the tit. You gonna be okay, Mimi?" Pip asks.

Emi gives Pip a disapproving look as she straightens back up. "I'll be fine" She replies. "Let's start round 2"

After a quick countdown from Pip, the three of you begin again. Emi takes her time to charge something, and Pip stops you from capitalizing by putting you on the defense.

When Emi is finished charging, she holds her arms out and turns the floor to ice. Then she raises her other hand, and... you don't see any- "AUGH!" You shout, as an ice pillar comes up right under you and nails you right in the nuts.

You crumple to the icy floor as it melts away, clutching your wounded gonads.

"Oh shit. You don't fuck around" Pip says, as she comes over to you. "Right in the nuts. You okay Yuuster?"

"Peachy" You say, in a pained tone. "I feel like this violates the rules somehow"

"Yeah. No shots below the belt" Pip says. "And before you complain, the tit hit was unintentional. You were aimin' for this, Mimi"

"I-is he okay? I didn't think it would hurt him this badly..." Emi says.

>I'll feel better after dessert

>There's a reason why this is against the rules

>I think I'm gonna tap out

>Other

>>3036953
>>There's a reason why this is against the rules

>>3036953
>>I think I'm gonna tap out

>>3036953
>>There's a reason why this is against the rules

>writing

"There's a reason it's against the rules..." You say, as you try to straighten out but only end up rolling onto your other side and curling up again. "I might have to tap out here"

"Me too" Pip says. "This kind of escalation means bad things for ol' Pippy. First Mimi's boob, then Yuyu's balls... I dunno what comes next, but it'll probably be on me and I want no part of that"

"But... alright..." Emi says. "Sorry Yuu. I got a little carried away"

"I wasn't paying attention. As soon as you froze the floor I should have expected something from below" You say.

"Can I help?" She asks.

"I'm not about to ask you to heal my nuts" You say. "I just need some time. It'll pass"

"Anyways. I've got some business to attend to" Pip says. "You two play nice. I'll see you later"

You wave goodbye to Pip as Emi settles in next to you, propping you up on her tail so you can sit comfortably.

"You okay?" You ask. "I didn't think hitting someone on the boob hurt as badly as Pip made it sound"

"It does hurt" She says, putting a hand over where she was hit. "Not enough to make me crumple up like you did... but it does hurt"

>Talk magic while you recover

>Ask if there are any other bad spots to hit a girl

>If it were anywhere else, I'd offer to kiss it better

>Other

>>3037004
>>Talk magic while you recover
>>If it were anywhere else, I'd offer to kiss it better

The middle option makes me contemplate that martial arts must be a lot more complicated on this world. Think of all the vulnerabilities and stronger attributes you'd have to plan around.

>writing

"If it were anywhere else, I'd offer to kiss it better" You say.

"Well you did hit a few other places..." She says, pointing to a small bruise on her arm.

You nod your head. "Want me to kiss it better?" You ask.

"No, I'll survive" She says. "Still, you're full of surprises. I don't think I understand how you did half of that stuff..."

"It started when I was up north, and I realized that I could control my blades and make them float around. Even activate them and keep them running without touching them..." You say, doing just that. "I used this to pretty good effect in the tournament, and when I was working on something here it occurred to me that I didn't have to cast spells from my body"

"So when you were shooting all of those bolts..." She says.

"I just focused the soul around me to those points, gave them a shape, and fired them in a direction" You say. "My aim isn't great right now. It's hard to hit a target spot on when you can't see your trajectory"

She nods. "Interesting... there is a method for making everything go to a target" She says. "I used it when I fired all those ice chunks at you"

You tilt your head up to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

"That spell is pretty similar to what you're saying, except the energy to create the ice has to come from me first" She says. "I used to shoot them the same way, when I was little. My grandmother taught me a little trick..."

She holds a hand out at the pillar that hit you in the nuts, and ice chunks start to form.

"Instead of picking a direction and hoping it's the right one, focus them on the target" She says. "Sort of... imagine the target attracting your attacks, then fire-"

She launches the ice chunks and each one hits its mark, demolishing the pillar bit by bit.

"-and they'll all hit" She says with a smile.

>I'll keep that in mind

>Practice that now

>Got any other tricks?

>Other

>>3037040
>>Got any other tricks?

>>3037040
>>Practice that now
>>Got any other tricks?

>>3037040
>Practice that now

>writing

"Mind if I give that a shot now?" You ask.

"Sure, I'll just..." She holds her hand out and remakes the destroyed pillar. "... there. Go ahead"

You focus soul around you into bolts, doing as Emi said and imagining the target attracting all of them. Then without aiming, you fire.

Almost all of them hit. On such a small-ish target, that's pretty good.

"Wow. Your Grandmother knew what she was doing" You say.

"I did learn from the best" She says.

"Any other tricks like that? I could use a few..." You say.

"None that come to mind. If you do have other problems with spellcasting, I'm sure I could help" She says.

"Any idea how to use a monumental amount of power in a way that doesn't involve leveling a city block?" You ask.

"N-not really" She says. "Maybe you could try focusing it into something solid? Soul crystals do tend to be quite dangerous. Being stabbed with one, even in a superficial place, could be fatal if your opponent isn't careful"

"Interesting idea..." You say. "I won't do it here, because I'd need to bring in a lot of power, but I'll keep it in mind"

"And I'll keep trying to come up with new things" She says. "Can you really level a city block?"

You chuckle and tell her the story about the outpost, the creature you found there, and how you had to destroy it.

She listens well, but then she's always been a good listener... though you do notice her starting to coil you a bit as the story finishes. It's probably because of how cool it is in here. All that ice flinging really dropped the temperature...

>Say nothing and let her coil

>Maybe we should take this elsewhere

>Other

>>3037097
>>Say nothing and let her coil

>>3037097
>>Say nothing and let her coil
Emi gives the best hugs

>writing

You don't worry about it. The house is pretty well heated, so the room should even out in time. Until then you're enjoying getting to talk magic with someone who knows more than you, and you always liked the way Emi's coils felt...

"-so I just launched everything I had gathered and hoped for the best" You say, finishing your story. "When the blast cleared, the creature was gone... and so was the rest of the outpost. Everything that was above ground, anyway"

"I could see why you wouldn't want to do that when there are people around" Emi says.

"Well I worked out some hand signals with Derrick on the way back, so I can send Coral to communicate simple things in a pinch" You say. "Right Coral?"

...

"Oh yeah. She's with Ilica" You say.

Emi giggles. "I'd still be happy to learn" She says.

You smile and start going through the simple things like 'stay back', 'need assistance', 'need healing', 'approach with caution', 'all clear'...

By the time you're done, Emi looks a tad overwhelmed...

"Derrick actually remembers all of these?" She asks.

"We haven't used them yet. But a lot of them are pretty standard in the Lubrian army, and they picked them up from the Hunters" You say. "So if you can't remember, then Ilica probably knows most of them"

"Why would the Hunters need signals like this?" She asks.

"To communicate when you can't speak" You say. "Hunters do a lot of sneaking, so no talking there. Could be just as useful if things get too loud and speech becomes unreliable"

"I have heard of a few wind spells that can alter sound like that..." Emi says.

"Really?" You ask. "What are they?"

"Off the top of my head there's just Roar and Whisper" She says. "Roar creates a wind current that makes a lot of noise, while whisper thickens the air so sound doesn't travel well..."

>Any other neat spells like that?

>Where'd you learn about those?

>Test her memory

>Other

>>3037123
>Other: Ask about the magic the elf could use.

I remember of the elves we know is a Windspeaker or something to the effect.

>>3037167
>>Any other neat spells like that?
>>I'd like to learn some things besides strict battle abilities.

>writing

"Any other cool kinds of spells like that?" You ask. "I know one kind that my head maid uses. She's a windspeaker, so she can make her voice travel pretty far"

"Wow... I didn't think windspeakers actually existed" Emi says.

"She uses it to give orders to the other maids when there's something she needs done" You say.

"Has she shown you hwo it works?" She asks.

"Only once. It felt kinda weird" You say. "Like she was right next to me whispering in my ear, even though she was all the way across the room"

"That does sound kinda off putting" Emi says. "Did she have to whisper?"

"I think it carries better if she whispers" You say.

"Well the people from the south who can manipulate sound are a bit like that too" She says. "Anyone can cast Roar, if they have the patience to learn it. But Silence is unique to the people of Kuzari Isle"

"Which one is that, the big one?" You ask.

"No, not the big one" She says. "The big one is Denkashi. Kuzari is the one just south of that"

"Okay. I know the one you're talking about" You say. "Are there a lot of people with unique magic stuff? I know I've run into quite a few. The blue devils, windspeaker elves, dragons, the dudes and dudettes from Kuzari..."

"Most of the time it's just a single spell, like the windspeaking, silence, dragon breath, or seep that gets altered. But yes, people with unique magics are quite common" She says.

"You get anything cool as a Serpid?" You ask.

"Not really" She says.

"Bummer" You reply.

"I do have some pretty advantageous physical stuff, like my tail... oh goodness, I didn't even realize" She says, finally noticing how far into coiling you she's gotten. "Why didn't you say anything?"

>You seemed cold

>I like this

>I didn't want to break the conversation

>Other

>>3037221
>You seemed cold
>I like this. It's a bit nostalgic

>>3037221
>>I missed you doing this.

>writing

"Honest answer? I... kinda missed this" You say. "It feels a bit nostalgic, from the nights when we used to share a room. Possibly the best I've ever slept, all nice and cozy in your tail. Plus you seemed cold"

Emi seems surprised. "I... kinda do too..." She says. "It was nice having someone I could coil up with after a long day... before it started feeling a bit awkward"

"Why was that, anyway?" You ask.

"Well... don't be insulted, but I kinda didn't really see you as a person..." She says, squirming nervously. "You didn't really act much like a person back then. You were kinda..."

"Dumb?"

"Not dumb. Not by any means" She says. "But sort of clueless... it made you endearing, like a kid, or a... a pet"

"You thought I was a pet?" You ask.

Emi starts waving her arms around. "P-please don't be insulted!" She says.

"I'm not insulted... it's just interesting that you saw it that way" You say. "What changed?"

"You... grew up a bit" She says. "Not in the normal sense. You were still quite childish at the time. But in the Southern sense, where a boy is considered a man once he's won a fight"

"So after I came back from Mortifas, I was a man" You say, adding with a cheeky smile: "And you couldn't keep a man as a pet"

Emi pouts. "I said I was sorry..."

You laugh and poke her cheeks, until she adds your arms to the coils and tightens up so you can't move.

"There. Nice and cozy" You say.

Emi giggles and loosens up a bit, allowing your arms to come free. "Now I'm kinda curious... how did you see me back then?" She asks.

>?

>>3037301
>>As a snake women and as a friend.

>>3037301
>Like a big sister of sorts? Or at the very least being doting and caring like one. You were comforting to be around, too.

>>3037313
Emi’s a snake women right? I completely forgot what her physical description was.

>>3037323
Lamia type snake person, iirc. Top half a normal lady, bottom half a snake's tail.

>>3037301
>>A clumsy older sister who crushes you at night. It was kind of awkward, but it felt good to be close with someone. You know, instead of just the chaotic.

>writing

"You were kinda like... an older sister before I knew what an older sister was like" You say. "Someone who cared, looked after me when I got hurt, crushed me in my sleep..."

She laughs at that last bit.

"But despite the crushing, and occasional bit of clumsiness, it always felt good to be close to you" You say.

"And how about now?" She asks.

"Now...? Well I know a bit more about you, myself, and everything now. So you're more like a close friend and comrade. Someone who's always there for me, and who I can always be there for" You say, gently putting a hand on her cheek.

She smiles warmly. "Thanks... that means a lot to me" She says.

"Well good, because you mean a lot to me" You reply.

"But I'm still taking Leah's offer" She says.

"Aww, come on!" You say. "You won't stay in Lutain? Not even for your beloved pet Yuu?"

"You're more like a close friend now..." She says.

"Not even if I make this face?" You ask, doing your best pouty face.

She laughs pretty hard at that. You can always tell when she's really, really laughing, as her tail pulses along with her.

...

"Okay it wasn't that funny" You say.

"You ha-have the worst pouty face" She says. "That is what you were trying to do, right?"

"That hurts, Emi. Do you treat all of your dear friends so cruelly?" You ask.

"Only when they make a face like that" She says, loosening further until she can slide away. "Come on. This is nice, but I'd like to be somewhere a bit warmer..."

"I am perfectly fine. The only coldness I'm getting is from you" You say.

"Aww, I'm sorry" She says, giving you her best pouty face. She's... much better at it than you are.

"Damn. Fine. Let's go" You say. "Just stop it with the eyes. I feel like I just kicked a puppy..."

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be tomorrow, starting around 3pm EST

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

>>3037396
Thanks for running!

>>3037396
Thanks for running

"Does it really bother you that I'll be going to Leon after all this?" Emi asks, slithering along beside you as you head somewhere warmer.

"No. I was just being an ass" You say. "It will be a pain to have to drive 20 hours if I need healing though..."

"You won't have to drive. Monique is quite capable" Emi says.

"She has the Emi seal of approval?" You ask. "I'll have to put that in writing for her..."

"She doesn't need my approval..." She says.

You shrug. "I use you as a baseline for other healers" You say. "Naiah is better. Gerard is worse. Where does Monique fall?"

"She's about on par" Emi says. "Not as good with internal damage, but well ahead when it comes to muscle regeneration"

"Like what she did with Cheska's wings?" You ask.

"That was an ordeal in and of itself" Emi says. "I've never heard of anyone growing new limbs like that... She did well improvising on how to help them grow"

"Interesting..." You say. "But it worked because- oh"

You stop as Coral flies in with a note for you. You take it, scratch her head, feed her, and let her go back into your shirt as you read what she brought.

"What does it say?" Emi asks.

"Ilica is... in for having me come get her, she's not quite ready yet but she's telling Lianna about all the things she's done and she's just now getting to the parts I wasn't there for: hunter camp, isles, etc... wants to know if I'd like to hear it too..." You say. "I don't think I've gotten to hear about the camp yet, even from Derrick and Madelaine..."

"You going?" Emi asks.

>Yeah

>Nah

>Other

>>3038793
>>Yeah
>>By the way, your coils are best for mental healing!

>>3038793
>Yeah

>>3038793
>Yeah
We can't leave the poor thing out to trudge through the snow, and if we're grabbing Vivi, we might as well get Ilica and a story while we're there.

>>3038793
>>Yeah

>writing

"Yeah. I would kinda like to hear about this stuff... though I am enjoying hangin' out with you" You say.

"You'll have plenty of chances" Emi says.

You give Emi a hug, which she returns. Not with her full coils, but then you have places to be.

"You should consider getting into mental therapy" You say as you pull away. "You've got such a comfy body, and you're a great listener... I think you'd really be good at it"

"I think I'll stick to physical healing" She says. "Occasionally helping someone work something out is fine, but I don't think I have the temperament to do it for a living"

You shrug. "Yeah that could be taxing..." You say, as you start writing a reply to Ilica. "But on the upside you'll be in the fancy part of Leon, where nobody has real problems"

"I'm sure fancy people have their fair share of real problems" She says, brushing her hair back with a shy smile. "S-speaking as a fancy person with some real problems..."

"See? You'd be perfect for dealing with fancy people problems" You say. "That was a bad joke. Have some tea while I'm out. Patty makes a really nice cup"

"Perhaps I will" She says. "Take care out there. Don't let Vivi beat you up too much"

"See you in a bit" You reply.

>1/2

You grab your coat, hop on the Rook, make your plow, and head out. The way to the church is pretty familiar to you by now, so it doesn't take long to get there.

But you do have to make your plow taller to match the height of the snow. That kind of annoys you.

There are some lights on in the church when you arrive, a sure sign that someone other than Lianna is here. She only turns them on when someone who can see comes over...

Unless that person is you. Sight-wise you're pretty much opposites, with her being blind, and you seeing so well that you can't be blinded.

The main door is unlocked, so you just step inside. "Helloooooo" You call out.

"Mwoh" Vivi replies, coming out from behind one of the pews. You watch as she stops in front of you, taking the time to perfectly arrange all of her paws and wrap her tail around them. Then she looks up. "Meh-woh"

"Hey there" You say, crouching down to her level. "Where's your sister?"

"Sssssss-ssssss..." Vivi says.

"That's a new noise" You say. "Can you say sis?"

"Ssssssssis..." She replies. "Sis"

"Very good!" You say, scratching her ear.

Ilica pops out from the door into Lianna's living space. "Did she say the thing again?" She asks.

"Sis?" You ask.

Ilica gets a big smile as she nods. "She's got mama and sis down. Doesn't have the 'D' or 'P' sound worked out yet, so it'll be a while before 'dad' enters her vocab" She says. "But she's learning. How's the weather?"

"Snowy" You reply, picking up Vivi so you can bring her to Ilica.

"Still?" She asks. "Thanks for the offer. I didn't really want to walk back through that..."

>I would've driven you here too...

>I'm getting a story out of the deal

>Good because I didn't want to make you

>Other

>>3038931
>>I would've driven you here too...

>writing

>>3038931
>>I would've driven you here too...
>>I'm getting a story out of the deal

"If you'd asked I would have taken you here too..." You say.

She shrugs. "You were busy, and I wanted to let Vivi get her fill of the snow" She says.

"How'd that go?" You ask as you hand the kitten over.

"Pretty darn cute is how it went" She says, tickling Vivi's nose. "She would stop whenever she saw a big snowflake falling, get all set to pounce at it, then get all confused when it hit the ground and disappeared"

"Aww" You say.

"That went on for about 5 minutes, and then she was cold and decided it was time to be carried" She says. "Still cute seeing her watch the snow. She had just been born as the last winter ended, so I don't even think her eyes were open to see it"

"Well get used to it, Vivi. This happens every year" You say.

"Mew" Vivi replies.

You head back with Ilica to where Lianna is waiting, in a room with comfy looking chairs that you didn't even know was in here...

"I didn't know you had comfy couches" You say.

Lianna lets out a light giggle. "Neither did I, until Ilica spotted them. Someone must have put them here without telling me..." She says. "Good evening, Yuu. It is nice to hear your voice"

"Just as nice as it is to see your face, Lianna" You say, as you lean in for a hug.

"Wow. Didn't know you two were so familiar" Ilica says.

"It's been an interesting couple weeks" You say, as you sit down next to Ilica on the long couch. "But we're not here to hear about me"

"Indeed" Ilica says. "We took a break while we were waiting for you. I'm right up to the part where Stella made us all go dancing"

"Oh yeah..." You say. "That was fun"

"So anyway, we went to the camp the next day..."

>1/2

Ilica talks about the arrival at the camp, and how rigorous the training was. Several people couldn't cut it and had to go home, but everyone you knew who went was already pretty tough.

Every day after training was study, since you need to know the monsters in order to fight them.

Once a week they'd form squads and follow a real team out onto a hunt, watching the pros do it and learning everything they could.

"Going in I didn't think a couple months would be long enough to really prepare for my first actual hunt. But when the time came I really felt ready" She says.

"Who was your team?" You ask.

"It was me, Derrick, Mads, and this other dude around our age named Cael, along with my mom, who was supervising" She says.

"Target?" You ask.

"Wyvern. There was a big debate over whether anyone wanted to try and tame it, but in the end they opted to just remove it" She says. "We had the swords up front, while Cael and I held the back"

"How'd it go?" You ask.

"Smoothly. Cael and I managed to poke big enough holes in its wing membranes so it couldn't fly away. Then Derrick out-firebreathed it, which impressed the hell outta me, while Madelaine went in for the quick one-hop-two on its eyes" She says. "Then Derrick lopped off its tail, Cael put a heavy bolt into its foot to pin it, Madelaine stunned it, and I put a bolt in its brain"

"Nicely done" You say. "Cael was using one of those ballistae things, right?"

Ilica nods. "When the hunters join up I'll introduce you. He's a good shot, and a pretty cool dude... I guess" She says, her tail flicking around a bit.

>He have a girlfriend?

>Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight...

>Sounds like I missed out

>Other

>>3039069
>>Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight...

>>3039069
>Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight...

>>3039069
>Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight...
That was the, uhh.. carracore?

>>3039069
>>Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight...

>writing

"Sounds much smoother than our first monster fight" You say.

Lianna laughs. "That is not a very high bar to set" She says. "Lacking in heroism and sacrifice, but people don't have to play the hero when everything is going well"

"Yeah, I kinda got spiked..." You say. "To be fair that wasn't supposed to be a sacrifice. I honestly thought I was fast enough to push Ilica and get out of the way after"

"What made you think that?" Ilica asks.

"Well the only time I'd ever had to move fast was in the prison, where my body had been overcharged with soul" You say. "So I was trying to move like that again, only now I didn't have the charge..."

"Oh... I didn't think about it like that" Ilica says.

"Really that entire fight was me thinking I could do things that I couldn't do, and trying things that didn't pan out" You say. "I wasn't as fast as I thought I was, I went to grab a sword and the handle came off, I couldn't hold on as well as I thought..."

"Sounds like you didn't think very far ahead..." Lianna says.

"I didn't think much back then. I was basically just fighting the scary thing to protect the nice people" You say. "I was sure I was done for when you jumped up on its face and returned the favour"

"Yeah. I saw Emi doin' some magic, but I didn't think she'd be in time. So I bought some time with the only thing I had..." She says.

"Based on what I now know about Emi, she was probably charging something much bigger than what she needed" You say. "Was that fight what made you change your mind about leaving us?"

She thinks for a second, then shakes her head. "I was still kinda on the fence about it" She says. "The real turning point was when you all decided to take the devils back to Fran..."

"Really?" You ask.

"It was the right thing to do... even if there were more important places to be" She says. "If you had decided to keep going, I probably would have brought them to Contique myself..."

>Well you didn't have to

>You did seem pretty attached to them...

>Let her continue her story

>Other

>>3039151
>>Let her continue her story

>>3039151
>>Well you didn't have to
>>Let her continue her story

>writing

"But you didn't have to" You say. "You just had to endure a long cart ride with a cargo of catnip..."

"Myah, that wasn't so bad" She says.

With the way Lianna is smiling, you know Ilica's already told her about that ride.

"But anyway, you were talking about hunting" You say.

"Right, yeah. So we got the Wyven" She says. "Mom even complimented me on the kill shot"

"Nice" You say.

Ilica does look pretty proud of that. "But aside from that, not much else" She says. "Couple interesting little incidents here and there..."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like Derrick ruining dinner when he tried to help Hella start a cooking fire" She says. "Uhh... the big drink-off on the last day as we were striking camp, the little happy dance Hella did whenever something good happened, Madelaine being the unsneakiest person in the world... take your pick"

>Hella's happy dance

>Drink off

>Madelaine sneaking

>Derrick ruining dinner

>Other

>>3039264
>>Madelaine sneaking
>>Madelaine has never seemed subtle to us either.

>>3039264
>Derrick ruining dinner

>>3039264
>>Hella's happy dance
We probably know the Madelaine one

>writing

"Subtlety's never been Madelaine's strong suit" You say.

"Yeah well, tell her next time she wants to sneak out and do girl business or whatever she should watch for tails" She says. "She stepped on mine not once, but twice! Once back at the tower, and again at the camp. Didn't even notice or apologize"

...

You know about those already, and you know that she might have been a bit preoccupied.

"Well give her hell when you see her" You say, biting back your desire to wisecrack about tables and changing the subject. "How'd Derrick ruin dinner?"

"Hella was havin' trouble starting a cooking fire. Already had all her stuff set up over the fireplace, just needed to light it" She says. "In comes Derrick to save the day, but right as he was about to light it our instructor gave him a 'good job today' butt pat. Surprised the hell out of him, and the whole cooking ensemble went up in flames"

"Yikes" You say. "Manage to salvage anything?"

"No. We ate field stuff that night. Hella was not happy" You say.

"So she wasn't dancing?" You ask.

"Not that night no. Night after that, yeah" She says. "You should ask her to show you the happy dance. It's pretty cute"

"I'll wait to see it naturally" You say. "If I asked her to dance for me out of nowhere she might faint..."

"Yeah... probably" Ilica says.

She then goes on to fill you and Lianna in on the rest of the camp happenings. Stuff like the hunters she trained with and under, little bits of gossip from around the camp, and who she thought really stood out.

"And I think... that's about it" Ilica says. "Then most of us went home, while the new hunters went off to their assigned towns... I ended up in Leon, and that's when we heard about the attack in Locke... you went north, we stayed for a little while and then the Guild scattered out of Lubars"

"What made you go south?" You ask.

"I figured Emi probably needed my help more than you. You had the mouse with you, after all. Plus Mom went south, since she knew the isles from her time there and I wanted to stick with her" She says. "Why, did you miss me that much?"

>Just curious

>With all my heart

>I had Munchkin to tide me over

>Other

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

>>3039382
>Just curious

>>3039382
>>It felt a little lonely without the original group.

>>3039382
>>With all my heart

>>3039450
+1

>>3039382
>With all my heart.
>I get anxious when I can't be there to help out, or even to you my friends are alright.

Don't want it to be overtly romantic, but something genuine and probably more along the lines of >>3039450.