>>3247722
>>Go see Lyvia

And welcome back.

>Frederck Interlude
So which maid was Alice again? I forget and she's not on character list.

>Namaki
We should find out what's special about Otuna that gives magical power sometime in future. Not immediately of course, but a note for later.

>>3247722
>Go see Lyvia

Sup Smiley

>>3247722
Awww yissss, been a minute.
>That's only 4 people

>>3247722
>That's only 4 people
>Go see Lyvia

>>3247722
>That's only 4 people

>>3247722
>>That's only 4 people

Well boys, Smiley's talking about wings on the rook. We all know the next full protag evolution though:

Soul wings (dragon shape?), and learning to fly from Comomder and Cheska

>>3247752
Alice is the 4-armed seamstress who's teaching Alisette how to english.

>writing

>>3247844
If we want to make soul wings we should make a spell to make Coral bigger and able to fuse to our back.

>>3247870
But then Comomder and Cheska wouldn’t have the opportunity to teach Yuu, and I can imagine them both really enjoying that opportunity

>>3247879
In the end, dragons are using physical flight and Cheska is a hexapod, which is going to be even weirder. If we want to make magical wings out of soul, there is literally only one entity in existence that we know of that has preceded us.

Also, keep in mind that Coral is predicted to live a longer and happier life than anyone. We need to advance her route so she thinks fondly of us when she's a soul leviathan in 2000 years, long after the world has forgotten even the present nations themselves.

"Lyvia first then. Of the remaining 3 she's probably the least patient" You say, getting Coral to point you in the right direction.

...

"Hang on. That's only 4 people" You say.

"Is it?" Pip asks, counting on her fingers. "4. Huh. Must've miscounted"

"Are you sure?" You ask.

"Pretty sure" Pip says. "If a fifth comes to me, I'll let you know"

"Cool" You say. "So how have things been here?"

"Cold and boring, mostly" She says. "Legion's been keeping to themselves down in Kirando. We haven't even heard anything from the Spire"

"That's... good?" You ask.

"Who knows" She says. "How'd the thing with Madelaine go? You guys get what you needed?"

"Yeah. I owe her big time, but we managed to get the Baron to spill" You say.

"What did you need from him again?" She asks.

"We needed to know why some of his transplants failed and some succeeded" You say. "Apparently flesh transplants using magic only work if the flesh is fresh. Like 'right off the body' fresh"

"Gross... where the heck was he getting it from?" She asks.

"Himself" You reply. "Any parts he couldn't spare were taken from prisoners, but anything he could get from himself he'd remove with magic and use immediately"

"And here I thought the experiments were fucked up enough already" She says. "He dead now?"

"Very dead" You reply. "Kudos to the town's executioner. He's got a mean swing"

You arrive at Lyvia's tent, and Pip taps on the entry flap. "Your highness. Yuu is here to see you"

Suddenly you feel the need to defend yourself...

>Brace for impact

>Step aside

>Put Pip in front of you

>Other

>>3247897
>Other
>Open your arms wide and accept the inevitable.

>>3247897
>Put Pip in front of you

>>3247896
I don't think we're gonna do very well making a human (soul?) experiment out of Coral anon. I don't think that'll end well. Cause it ain't like she can teach us, and there's no research on soul sprites, so we'd be shooting in the dark on something we hadn't even done to ourselves.

>>3247897
>Brace for impact
Time to get pounced on.

>>3247897
>>Open your arms wide and accept the inevitable.

>>3247897
>Step aside

>writing

"Hey Pip. Could you just stand right there for a sec?" You ask.

"Ohhhh no. I'm gonna move over here. This looks like a safe distance, right?" She asks, standing much further away than you think she needs to.

You sigh, open your arms, and accept what's about to happen, just as Lyvia comes flying out of the tent. The blue and white blur doesn't hit you as hard as you think, but she still nails you with some oomph.

Instead of dropping back to her feet, Lyvia stays attached to your torso. She then licks your cheek and gives a satisfied hum. "You taste like fresh snow" She says.

"It did snow a bit on the way here" You say, looking her over as well as you can from this position. Nothing about her looks out of the ordinary, except... "Are you wearing pants?"

"Yes!" She says with a proud smile.

"How'd anyone convince you to put those on?" You ask.

"Freyja suggested I wear a boy's fit since they'd have more room" She says. "I was skeptical at first, but I do like the way they feel"

"They do look well made. Where'd you get them?" You ask.

Pip starts giggling, and as you wonder why, you recognize the pants she's wearing.

"Are those mine?" You ask.

"Yes" Lyvia says. "You left them here, so we figured you didn't want them anymore"

>... we?

>Finders keepers, right?

>How are they not too big for you?

>Other

>>3247994
>>... we?
We need to inspect anyone else around her!

>>3247994
>>... we?
>>Finders keepers, right?

>>3247994
>...we?

>>3247994
>... we?
>How are they not too big for you?

>writing

Hey Smiley, glad to see a new thread!

"... we?" You ask.

"She means me" Pip says. "Me and the Commander"

You raise an eyebrow. "You guys are giving away my clothes now?" You ask.

"Only the one pair of pants" Pip says. "And a shirt, but it had holes in it anyway"

"And who am I gonna see walking around in that?" You ask.

"Me again" Lyvia says. "I wear it to sleep because I ripped my pajamas"

You're about to ask how she managed that, but then you remember what she did to your cloak...

"I would have appreciated being informed about this, but this is fine... I guess" You say. "How do those fit you, anyway? I'm at least a couple sizes bigger than you"

"Not as much as you'd think" Pip says. "I think this pair was a little tight on you, and her waistline's pretty close to yours"

"Really?" You say, lifting Lyvia off of you and holding her at arm's length to compare. "Huh... I never noticed that..."

"After that it was just a matter of hemming the legs" Pip says. "It's a little loose, but for someone who prefers to be naked... well... it's as good as it gets"

You chuckle and set Lyvia down on the ground. "So you wear pajamas now?" You ask.

"I must cover myself some way when I sleep, in case there's an emergency and someone needs to see me" She says. "Pajamas are easier to contend with than blankets"

"Still get all tangled?" You ask.

"I do not understand how the rest of you can sleep under those strangling hazards" She says.

>Years of practice

>Most people don't thrash in their sleep

>Well if my shirt helps...

>Other

>>3248067
>>Well if my shirt helps...

>>3248067
>Most people don't thrash in their sleep

>writing

"Most people don't thrash in their sleep" You say.

"You're the last person I want to hear that from" Pip says.

"I thrash?" You ask.

"No. You sleep like a corpse" She says. "You never move, and you're so quiet I've had to poke you to make sure you're still breathing"

"I think I would've noticed you poking me" You say.

She shakes her head. "You're actually a pretty heavy sleeper" She says. "Aside from like... danger, Coral, or rambunctious children, there isn't much that can wake you"

"Huh..." You say. "Well if my shirt helps, I guess you can keep it"

Lyvia smiles, and her wings give a happy little flap.

"So where to now?" Pip asks.

>Derrick

>Altea

>Think of number 5 yet?

>Other

>>3248156
>>Think of number 5 yet?

>>3248156
>Derrick

>>3248156
>Think of Number 5 yet?
>Derrick

>writing

"Derrick, maybe?" You ask. "I'm just ranking people based on patience at this point"

"So I am... most patient?" Lyvia says.

"Not even close, your highness" Pip says.

Lyvia gives both of you a dirty look.

"Not what I was saying. I meant... uhh... my patience... to see them" You say. "Because I wanted to see you most"

Lyvia gets a satisfied smile. "Well of course. Who wouldn't? I am magnificent" She says.

"You certainly are" You say, ruffling her hair. "So where's Derrick at?"

"He's in the dining tent with Marybell and Caiah" Pip says.

...

"Caiah is here?" You ask.

Pip gaps. "Caiah! Yes! That's person number 5" She says.

"How did you manage to forget that?" You ask. "It's not like she's here all the time"

Lyvia tilts her head. "Miss Caiah has been here for quite some time" She says. "Did we not inform you?"

"No. You did not." You say, turning to Pip.

"She said not to bother" Pip says, putting her hands in the air. "Ask her about it, not me"

"I think I will..."

>1/2

You head over to the dining tent, with Pip at your side and Lyvia on your back.

...

Kinda makes you wish she had the strength to carry you for more than 3 seconds. If she's gonna be a backpack she could at least be functional...

Ah well. It's not like she's heavy. Though if she were heavier she might have the power to carry you.

You shake your head and get back on track as you reach the tent. It's pretty empty since nobody is really eating at 3pm.

As Pip said, Marybell, Derrick, and Caiah are all here. Caiah is dressed casually, though her sword and shield are sitting on the table.

"Well look who it is" Caiah says. "Come to join us, Lyvia? You've gotten so much taller since this morning"

...

"Okay, I can see you're not in a joking mood" Caiah says. "I guess you're wondering why I didn't let you know I was here"

>A little, yeah

>I'm sure you had your reasons

>Just thinking that I need better spies...

>Other

>>3248350
>>Just thinking that I need better spies...
but
>>I'm sure you had your reasons

>>3248350
>>3248368
Seconded.

>writing

"Just thinking that I need better spies" You say, glancing at Pip.

"Hey, if you're expecting me to spy for you, then I think you need actual spies" She says.

"Well it should be fine now that I'm here and my actual spy is back in Lutain" You say. "And I'm sure Caiah had her reasons... which I am curious to hear"

"You didn't need to know just yet" She says. "If we told you I was here, you would've come here. And you didn't need to be here just yet. So we decided to let you enjoy your time off"

"Thoughtful, but... what are you doing here?" You ask.

"I found what I was looking for in Kirando, but I couldn't get inside" She says, scratching her head. "I was hoping you might have better luck"

"Even with your warp-y thing?" You ask. "What is this place, anyway?"

"It's a ruin underneath Kirando's great hall" She says. "Older than Antolia itself, and strangely well protected even from my spells"

"You think I can get in?" You ask.

"I'm hoping. If you can't, then I don't know who could" She says. "So I'm with you until we reach Kirando"

"Well we're happy to have you on board" You say. "I dunno if you can destroy those weapons the way I can, but having another person who they can't effect will be nice"

"And I'll enjoy having some allies for once" Caiah says.

"So you were actually in Kirando?" You ask. "What's it like there?"

"Storytime?" She asks. "You may want to take a seat. This one's a doozy..."

That's all for tonight! Calling it a bit early because I'm still getting into the rhythm of this.

Next thread will be tomorrow. Should start sometime around 3pm EST.

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

>>3248512
Thanks for running Smiley, good to see you back!

>>3248512
Thanks for running

>>3248512
Fuck I missed it, welcome back Smiley! Thanks for running.

>>3248512
So so glad to see this back.

Did we ever get Alisettes teeth done?

>>3250988
Working on the last 2 interludes atm. Yes you did fix her teeth.

"So how'd you manage to get into Kirando? Was it hard?" You ask.

"Getting in was actually the easy part. I was posing as a blood demon, after all" She says. "When the legionnaire at the gate questioned me I just stabbed them"

"... and that worked?" You ask.

"Yep" She says. "You just have to show that Legion attitude"

"I'd call that weird, but I'm probably gonna have to stab someone to get in, too" You say. "What was it like inside?"

"Pretty standard for an occupied town... at first" She says. "I didn't spend too much time above ground though, and before you ask I didn't go looking for the resistance"

"I figured. It'd be hard to find them when your cover is something they actively hide from" You say.

"Anyway, when I finally found the ruin's location I ditched the disguise and went underground. And then I couldn't get in" She says. "So I put the red eyes back on and went back up, but I couldn't leave the city either"

"The giant worm?" You ask.

"Dunno where it came from, but the demons sure as hell don't control it" She says. "They're stuck in Kirando, just like everybody else"

"How did you get out?" You ask.

"It seemed like it could only detect people by their footsteps, so after debating for a while I decided to try warping out" She says. "Maybe I could've fought this thing, but I didn't want to risk it. Better to come here and get some backup"

>How were things in the city when you left?

>Did you get a look at it?

>What's so important about this ruin anyway?

>Other

>>3251067
>Did you get a look at it?

Looks like ol' Leto isn't anyone's bitch, I guess

>>3251067
>>What's so important about this ruin anyway?

>>3251067
>>Did you get a look at it?
>>What's so important about this ruin anyway?

Gotta wonder who the fuck summoned it then, or why the demons thought they'd be able to control it if they were the ones who summoned it.

>>3251067
>>Did you get a look at it?
>>What's so important about this ruin anyway?

>writing

"Did you get a look at it?" You ask.

She shakes her head. "No. But some of the other demons did" She says. "Accounts vary but everyone agrees that it's huge, mean, and it's got 3 giant teeth that it uses to grab things"

You lean back in your seat and stroke your chin.

"I take it you have more questions" She says.

"None that I think you'll have the answers to" You say. "Stuff like 'why would they summon a creature they couldn't control', 'why is it staying near Kirando if no one can control it', and 'if there is a legionnaire who can control it, why would they trap their own forces in the city'."

"You're right. I can't answer those" She says. "What I do know is that the sentiment among the demons of Kirando is... interesting"

"Interesting good or interesting bad?" You ask.

"Hard to say" She says. "A lot of them think that this is Mahron's doing, and everybody's got a different opinion on why he's left things this way"

"He's not in Kirando?" You ask.

"Nope" She says. "And nobody in Kirando knows where he is either"

"That could be bad" You say. "Last time the Legion lost track of their glorious leader, he came back with that creepy mind-control spike"

"I doubt he could make another one of those" Caiah says. "The best informed demon I talked to said he was looking for something. Didn't know what though"

"Well whatever it is, I'd imagine we should find it before he does" You say. "Or at the very least kill him before he gets it"

"Both solid options" Pip says.

>1/2

"Enough about the worm. We can speculate all day and never get anywhere" You say. "What's so important about this temple?"

"Dunno. A certain someone told me to go there, so I went" Caiah says.

"Who?" You ask.

Caiah turns and stares directly at Lyvia, who is... not paying attention.

...

You clear your throat, breaking the little leviathan from her reverie.

"What? Did someone say something?" She asks.

"Did you tell Caiah to go to that temple?" You ask.

"Yes, of course" She says. "It's critical to stopping the Black God's servants"

"Now ask her what's inside" Caiah says.

You turn to Lyvia, who shrugs.

"You seriously don't know what's in there?" You ask.

"I only know that something important is inside. A tool left behind in case the Black God started to strain its bonds" She says.

"And nobody told you what that tool was?" You ask. "You must have at least known it was sealed against Caiah's spells"

"S-someone might have said something like that..." She says, fidgeting in her seat. "I-it was still empty and open when I was frozen..."

>You weren't paying attention then, were you?

>I guess we'll have to wait and see...

>Boring human stuff, right?

>Other

>>3251243
>>You weren't paying attention then, were you?

>>3251243
>Discipline the dragon by applying moderately uncomfortable force to top of her head / whatever dragon part she hates being pulled on.

>writing

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" You ask.

"Well I would have if I knew the information would be important" She says.

"That's why you should always be paying attention, because you never know what information might be important" You say, putting your fist on her head and grinding it into her hair.

"Owowowow!" Lyvia says, flailing her arms about.

"Alright, I think she's learned her lesson" Caiah says.

You open your fist and pet Lyvia's head where you were just grinding it, as she gives you the angry pout.

"You would not have treated me this way were I still large" Lyvia says.

"You underestimate me" You say.

Lyvia pouts harder, making you chuckle and pull her into a hug.

"So we don't know what's inside the temple, or how to get in" You say. "But if Lyvia says what's inside will help us, then I believe her"

"She does seem to listen whenever powerful things are concerned" Derrick says.

"Well she hears 'powerful something', and she has to start listening to make sure the conversation isn't about her" You say, laying on the compliments to try and get back on her good side. "Right, your highness?"

"Precisely" She replies, returning to her usual demeanor. "Now release me before I bite you"

...

>Fine

>No

>Other

>>3251374
>No

>>3251374
>>Cuddle harder.
>>"Bite" (kiss) tip of one of her horns.

She has horns right? It's been so long I am off my game. If not, closest approximation.

>writing

You squeeze her even harder, and she growls and bites your arm as she tries to wriggle out of your grip.

...

"That doesn't hurt?" Pip asks.

"It does" You say, rubbing your cheek into her hair. "But it's worth it because she's sooooo soft"

You continue hugging Lyvia until the fun wears off and you finally release her. Instead of going back to her chair, she climbs around onto your back.

"Uh-oh. I think you hurt her feelings" Pip says.

"Did I?" You ask, craning your head back to see her.

Lyvia bites your nose.

...

"Ow" You say in the weird nasally voice.

She releases your nose and moves down where you can't see her.

...

>Make it up to her somehow

>Go see Altea

>So Caiah is sticking around

>Other

Taking a break here. Will resume writing at 7pm.

>>3251430
>Make it up to her somehow
>Go see Altea

>>3251430
>Make it up to her somehow
>Go see Altea

Relations, duty, etc

>>3251430
>>Make it up to her somehow
>>So Caiah is sticking around

>writing

>>3251430
>>Make it up to her somehow
>>So Caiah is sticking around

"Aww... I'm sorry Lyvi" You say, reaching back and petting her head. "Would it help if I let you ride onmy shoulders?"

...

"That would be satisfactory..." Lyvia says. "For a start"

"Well climb up. I still have to see Altea" You say. "You guys coming with?"

"Nah. I'm gonna head off to the landing zone" Pip says. "I'll let everybody know where you went"

"We'll stay here as well" Caiah says. "The Commander is... alright with my presence, but I'd rather not push it"

"She doesn't trust you?" You ask.

"She is cautious, as she should be" Caiah says. "I am thankful that you guys trust me, but you have to admit that I am kinda suspicious..."

"I figure you're good enough, since you're like me" You say.

"Terry is like you too" Derrick says.

You feel Lyvia digging her fingers into your shoulder at the mention of that name.

"Terry is... different" You say. "I don't know what his game is, just that we can't let him win... and Lyvia gets to beat him up"

"Do you think he knows how much you hate him, Lyvia?" Caiah asks.

"I will teach him" Lyvia says. "I have thought of it quite a lot..."

...

"And on that note, we're off" You say. "See you guys in a bit"

The others say their goodbyes and you head off. As you stand up, Lyvia climbs up onto your shoulders. She does love to be tall, and this is as good as it gets... although if Freyja is her new handmaid, she does have a better perch.

You notice she's oddly quiet as you walk...

>Do you think of Terry a lot?

>So what else do I need to do for you?

>Have you missed me?

>Other

>>3251618
>Have you missed me?

>>3251618
>Have you missed me?

>>3251618
>>Have you missed me?
>>Ask her what she wants our family situation to be like after things settle down.

>>3251618
>>Have you missed me?

>writing

"Have you missed me?" You ask.

"It has been somewhat boring while you've been gone" She says. "No one else will allow me to climb them like this"

"Really?" You ask. "I was just thinking that Freyja is very climbable"

"She does not like being climbed on" She says. "It embarrasses her, apparently"

"I could see that" You say.

"Does it not embarrass you?" She asks.

"I don't let it bother me" You say. "Sorry I did that to you, by the way. Was it too much?"

"It was... fine..." She says. "I would appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a child"

"Adults don't get shoulder rides" You say.

"I would not go that far" She says.

"So not like a child, not like an adult" You say. "Gotcha"

...

"Do you find me strange?" She asks. "I have noticed that people react differently to me than they do to other people, even other royalty..."

>You haven't met Daria yet...

>You are different

>Would you treat you like everybody else?

>Other

>>3251700
>>They treat me differently too. Maybe that's why we're together like this.

>>3251700
>They treat me differently too. Maybe that's why we're together like this.

>>3251700
>>They treat me differently too. Maybe that's why we're together like this.

>>3251700
>You are different, I am too though. There's no one else like you in the world after all, so they have no idea what to expect and therefore no idea how to react.

>writing

>>3251700
>They treat me differently too. Maybe that's why we're together like this.

"Well... you are different" You say. "You're a queen, and a leviathan. Would you rather they treat you just like everyone else?"

Lyvia gets quiet, so you continue.

"They treat me different too. I was kinda dumb when I first met all these people, and I still catch them being patronizing from time to time" You say. "I still act kinda like how I used to, so they forget that I'm smarter and more experienced now. Just like how you're kind of adorable, so people forget that you're actually magnificent"

"Another problem with this tiny body..." She says.

"You'll grow into it... I think" You say. "We should start measuring your height. Maybe we could make notches in your tent pole"

"If I could grow taller, that would be appreciated..." She says. "Your mother is tall, and people respect her"

"They don't respect her just because she's tall" You say. "They respect her because she's sharp, stern, and unyielding"

"So if I become those things, then I can make people cower by staring at them?" She asks.

"That takes practice" You say. "There's an implication behind the stare that an ass kicking will follow if they challenge her. Have you tried asking her how she does it?"

"She is very busy" She says.

"Maybe you should try and shoulder some responsibilities as well" You say. "Right now you and I are kinda just... weapons. As much as I like not having to do paperwork, sometimes I think I should be doing more"

"Well I would but... I..." She trails off and starts mumbling.

"Did you ever learn how to write?" You ask.

"No..." She replies.

>That sounds like a job for the handmaidens

>I can teach you

>Can you read?

>Other

>>3251808
>I can teach you
>And your handmaidens

Since I dunno how much time we'll actually get to do that

>>3251808
>>I can teach you
I think we should just do this ourselves.

>>3251808
>>Can you read?
>>I can teach you

>writing

"Can you read?" You ask.

"I can read" She says. "But when I try to write my hands refuse to cooperate"

"You just need to build strength and coordination in your fingers" You say. "I can probably help you out"

"But my arms are strong..." She says.

"It's not the arms. It's the fingers" You say. "You need to get used to holding and maneuvering a pencil. Once you've got that down, writing is easy"

"Hmm... perhaps" She says. "I shall see if I can make time for this later"

"Please do" You say as you reach Altea's tent. "Watch your head"

"Why would I-" She's cut off as the top of the tent flap hits her in the face. You have to step back to keep her balanced, and it takes her a second to right herself. Then she ducks. "That's why"

You reach up and lightly pinch her cheek as you head inside.

"Goodness, it didn't take long for you two to reattach" Altea says without even looking up from her work.

"Lyvia is my buddy, and I missed her" You say.

Altea looks up with a sad face. "Even more than your own mother?" Altea asks in her best attempt at a guilt trip...

...

>Yes

>Is now a bad time to mention that I went to see Caiah first, too?

>You could've come to see me

>Other

>>3251912
>Don't grandparents always get after their children to bring the grandchild over when they visit?

>>3251912
>You could've come to see me
Reverse guilt trip ahoy

>>3251912
>>Is now a bad time to mention that I went to see Caiah first, too?

>writing

"You could've come to see me..." You say.

"Son, you know how busy I am" She says. "Especially now that we're actually moving out"

"No, no. I understand" You say. "To busy to even come out and see your son"

"Alright, that's enough of that" She says.

"Fine" You say. "Is now a bad time to mention that I went to see Caiah first as well?"

"No, I figured you'd go and see her once you heard she was here" She says. "Did you find out anything interesting?"

"Just that the legion doesn't control the worm" You say. "Other than that... not really. Aside from the fact that you don't trust her"

"I am merely cautious" She says. "I understand that you and Derrick have your reasons to trust her, but this fight is far too important to balance everything on one person's judge of character"

"You let Cheska stay with us" You say.

"I put Cheska on a leash" She replies. "And I'd do the same to her, if the same thing would work"

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that..." You say.

Altea sighs. "But enough about that. How have you been?" You ask.

>Training lots

>Impatient to get moving

>I enjoyed relaxing for a while

>Other

>>3252044
>Training lots
>Other: And working with my people. Cuz I have people now.

>>3252044
>Training lots
>I enjoyed relaxing for a while

>>3252044
>Training lots

>>3252044
>>3252052
Seconded. Might add to ask if she's heard anything from locals about our new rule and how it's coming across.

>>3252044
Supporting >>3252052

>writing

"Training lots. Getting the hang of governing" You say. "Didn't get too much time to relax, but I took the chances when they came"

"And how do you like being a lord?" She asks.

"It's alright" You say. "Belladonna does most of the work, if I'm being completely honest. I just make the odd decision here and there"

"She sounds like a keeper" Altea says.

"Definitely" You reply. "She makes my job easy so I do what I can to keep her happy"

"And how is your training?" She asks. "You mentioned that Frederick had been seeing to that..."

"I've learned a lot" You say. "I definitely feel like my soulcraft is up to the task now, and my swordsmanship has improved quite a bit as well"

"Good. I was hopeful when I heard he'd be training you" She says. "Frederick knows how to get results"

"So when are we moving out?" You ask.

"Forward scouts will be returning sometime around supper, then the commanders will meet" She says. "I'm pushing to move out in the morning"

"You can add my vote on that, if that matters" You say. "I'm ready to get going, and I imagine many of our soldiers are with me"

"And many of our commanders" She says. "The whole army's been antsy, sitting here in the snow. Now that it's melted away a bit I can't imagine anyone will be opposed to striking out"

"I it's been an uneventful couple months since we kicked the southerners out" You say.

"Aside from the work on the new airship design, there hasn't been much to do but twiddle our thumbs" She says.

>Is that new airship ready to go?

>Snow is kind of a pain

>I've been working on an airship of my own

>other

>>3252160
>Is that new airship ready to go?
>I’ve been working on an airship of my own

>>3252160
>I've been working on an airship of my own

>>3252160
>>Is that new airship ready to go?

>writing

"Is the new airship ready to go?" You ask.

"Has been for a couple days now. Just needs to be put through the runner" She says. "We won't lift it off until we're ready to go, but the engineers assure me everything works perfectly"

"That'll be a sight to see" You say. "What was it called again?"

"We've renamed it" She says. "It's the Defiant now. First of what I hope to be a new class of warship that will let us roll over the Legion"

"Good name" You say. "I've actually been working on a ship of my own"

"Yes, Gretchen mentioned it" Altea says. "How's it coming along?"

"It's going... alright" You say. "We're waiting for the next convoy from Leon to bring the materials we've ordered"

"Nothing you had on hand did the trick?" She asks.

"Too heavy, even for a twin engine" You say. "So the plan right now is to make a new Rook using Gretchen's engine and the lightweight material, then once that one is working we scrap the old one and make the flight attachment"

"Smart. I'd rather not have you rip apart that vehicle without a replacement" She says.

"I thought you'd appreciate that" You say. "I figure this way if it works I'll have a flying machine, and if it doesn't then I'll still have a lighter Rook"

"Glad to hear you've been keeping her occupied" She says. "Gretchen's project tend to... stray... when she gets too much free time"

>She does have a dirty mind...

>I don't follow

>... did she tell you about the machine?

>Other

>>3252303
>>I don't follow
>>Poker face.

>>3252303
>>... did she tell you about the machine?

>writing

>>3252317
this

"Did she tell you about the machine?" You ask.

"No, but it's safe to assume she's got something strange in mind..." She says. "You know she actually had an assistant before this?"

"I did not" You say.

"Poor fellow accidentally got in her way once and made her mess something up" She says. "I'm told that she was building a 'punishment machine' and had almost finished it when someone retasked her..."

"A... punishment machine?" You ask.

"It was just a rod with a rubber hand on either side and a rotor in the middle" She says. "Her plan was to use it to spank her assistant because she felt her arms would tire before she was satisfied"

"Yikes. Poor dude" You say.

"She wasn't in the best head space at the time either" Altea says. "I should also note that the next thing she built was the heavy lance, which is why we let her do what she wants most of the time"

"Gotcha" You say.

"But enough about Gretchen. I fear if we keep talking about her, we may end up teaching the Queen a few new words..." Altea says.

"Oh, she's not listening" You say, looking up at Lyvia. "Right?"

Lyvia looks at you, then at Altea. Then she licks your face, as if that was somehow the appropriate response.

Altea chuckles. "You two should run along now. If I'm right, the rest of your friends should be landing soon" She says.

"Right. Yeah" You say.

"Oh, and... it's good to have you back" Altea says.

"It's good to be back" You reply. "Will I see you later?"

"I'll be taking a break for supper" She replies. "You two are always welcome to join me"

"We'll be there"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, starting around 7pm EST

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

>>3252467
Thanks for running Smiley.

>>3252467
Thanks for session.

As you leave the tent it occurs to you that you have no idea where the landing zone is. You didn't spend too much time here before, and the only airship you recall 'landing' was the one that crashed.

After asking a few people, you head to an area at the center of the camp. There you find Pip, waiting with Meyu and a few other people in engineer and soldier uniforms.

"Waiting for the ship?" You ask Meyu and Pip.

"Yup" Pip replies.

Meyu is about to respond as well, when he turns and sees the Queen up on your shoulders. He sighs. "We are"

...

"The sure do come down slowly" You say.

"Better than the alternative" Meyu replies.

...

"Glad to have you back with us, kid" He says.

"Glad to be back, old man" You reply.

...

"Read any good books lately?" Meyu asks.

"Didn't think you were into literature" You reply.

"It's called small talk. Just humor me" He says.

"Well... Fran's been giving me the transcriptions of those ancient texts we found in Graumer's vault" You say. "Did you know they didn't have sprites back then?"

"I did not" Meyu says.

"I did" Lyvia replies.

"You did?" You ask.

"Yes" She says. "They used to use trained birds"

>You remember that but not the temple?

>I wonder how Sprites were first made

>Yeah, that's right

>Other

>>3254777
>>I wonder how Sprites were first made

>>3254777
>I wonder how Sprites were first made
>You remember that but not the temple?

>>3254777
>>Yeah, that's right
>>I wonder how Sprites were first made

>writing

"How come you remember that and not the temple?" You ask.

"Because I tried to eat one and I got scolded" She says.

"Who'd be brave enough to scold you?" You ask.

"Roman" She says.

"The hero of nature himself, huh?" Meyu asks.

"The bird was his... I think" She says. "He had a lot of animals"

"That was his thing in all the stories" Pip says. "Roman, the Beastmaster"

Lyvia scoffs. "Beastmaster..." She says. "He had one creature that could even be considered a beast. The rest were little better than pets"

"Which creature was that?" You ask.

"Vyula" She replies.

"The Kitsune?" You ask.

"Even before the transformation, she was quite fond of him" She says. "No idea why. He was always mean... and he smelled like wet dog"

"I feel like we're getting off topic here" You say. "So there were no sprites in your time?"

"No" She says.

"Huh..." You say, looking down at Coral. "I wonder when they were made then. Before now everyone has just assumed that they've always been around"

"Is there someone who actually studies this kind of thing?" Meyu asks.

"Yes. In fact one of the Archive's most well respected scholars is an expert on Sprites" You say.

"Do Sprites even need an expert?" Meyu asks.

>They're a lot more complex than you may think

>I've got a book on them, if you want to know more

>There's an expert for just about everything

>Other

>>3254859
>>They're a lot more complex than you may think

>>3254859
>>There's an expert for just about everything

>>3254859
>They're a lot more complex than you may think

>writing

"They're a lot more complex than you might think" You say. "Did you know that they always take the shape of a tiny girl, no matter what their mold is shaped like?"

"I did not" Meyu says. "Is that why they make the molds in the shape of tiny girls?"

"Actually most sprite molds are a hollowed out sphere. Cheaper to make that way" You say. "There's also a theory that they lose their form and turn into pure energy when no one is observing them, and that's how they're able to move from place to place so quickly yet they have trouble catching a person at times"

"They ever explain why they're always so happy?" Meyu asks.

"I dunno. Maybe the same reason you're always so grumpy" You reply.

Meyu ruffles your hair. "Give it time, kid. One day you'll have as many reasons to be grumpy as I do"

The ship finally touches down, and they lower the gangplank so everyone can get off. Most of the people head around the back of the ship where the loading area is, but Madelaine comes straight to you.

"Hey. How was the trip?" You ask.

"Smooth" Madelaine says, pointing up at Lyvia. "I see you really settled in quick"

"You kidding? She was the first stop" You say. "Emi's not with you guys?"

"She's back on the ship, working up the courage to come out in the cold" Madelaine says. "It's not even that cold..."

"And Ilica?" You ask.

"Giving her luggage a thorough check for like the fiftieth time" She says.

"And Gretchen?" You ask.

"Down in the cargo hold making sure nobody breaks her stuff" She says.

...

>Go see Emi

>Go see Ilica

>Go see Gretchen

>Stay here

>Other

>>3254957
>>Stay here

>>3254957
>>Stay here

>>3254957
>>Stay here

>writing

"You didn't have anything extra to do?" You ask.

"I thought about hiding inside just to make you guys think you'd been waiting for the wrong ship, but it sounded boring" She says.

"Not because you'd be leaving your old man standin' out in the cold?" Meyu asks.

"That's the point of the prank..." She says.

"So cruel, Madelaine" Pip says.

Madelaine shrugs. "You not goin' up?" She asks you.

"Nah. They'll come out eventually" You say.

"Any idea when we're movin' out?" She asks.

"Tomorrow morning, sounds like" Meyu says. "So get your stuff together tonight"

"I just won't bother unpacking then" She says. "Cool. Saves me some time. Where're the other two at?"

"Watch duty up on one of the towers" Meyu says.

"Awesome. I'm gonna go guilt trip them for not coming to see me. You guys wanna come?" She asks.

"I'm good here" You say. "Have fun"

Madelaine waves to you and starts heading off. "I'll be in the dining tent later if you wanna hang" She says.

Meyu goes with Madelaine, leaving you with Pip.

"So who do you think comes out first?" Pip asks. "Betcha 10 silver it's the cat"

>My money's on Emi

>My money's on Gretchen

>You're probably right

>Let's not gamble on this

>Other

>>3255042
>You're probably right

>>3255042
>>My money's on Emi

>>3255042
>>My money's on Gretchen

It's really bugging me how everyone in this thread is green.

>>3255066
Theres also blue and brown

>>3255066
Gretchen confirmed.

>writing

>>3255072
Isn't Emi a green snake?

>>3255080
Gretchen is all green though. Emi only has green scales.

"I think it'll be... I dunno" You say. "I've learned never to bet against Emi, but Ilica's definition of thorough is... not very thorough"

"So...?" She asks.

"I think it'll be Elphie" You say. "And yeah, 10 silver on that"

"Cool" Pip says, shaking your hand.

...

"You think maybe we could've waited somewhere with seats?" Pip asks.

"I have a seat" Lyvia says.

"Well we all can't sit on Yuu" Pip says. "Especially not Yuu"

Without saying anything, you create a chair out of soul and sit on it. Then you look Pip dead in the eyes. "Get on my level" You say.

Pip's jaw drops. "Since when could you create furniture?" She asks.

"I was training with Frederick and picked up a few tricks" You say, extending the seat into a bench for Pip. "I'm much better at shapes now. Still a few kinks to work out with the whole 'limitless power' thing, but I've learned a few ways to put it to use"

"Huh" She says as she sits down. "Well damn. Just don't make it disappear underneath me"

"I won't" You say.

You chat with Pip about the goings on around camp while you wait. She's always had a decent ear for gossip, so she's got a lot to tell.

Eventually you see that you've won the bet, as Elphie comes dashing out from the back of the ship and bounds towards you. She gets within leaping distance of you, then falls flat on her face. When she picks herself up, it looks like she's about to cry...

>What do?

>>3255112
>>Lift her up on some furniture and pet her.

>>3255112
Supporting >>3255118

>writing

"Alright, you... save my spot" You say, lifting Lyvia off your shoulders as you stand up, and placing her on the seat you just vacated.

You then go and help Elphie sit up, and check her face over. "You okay, kiddo?" You ask.

"That hurt..." She says.

"That's why we keep telling you not to run around like that" You say. "You still have to get used to your body"

Elphie pouts.

"But you look fine. Not even a scratch" You say. "Why don't you come sit with us?"

"Only if you pet my head..." She says.

"Deal" You reply, helping her to her feet. "Oh, and let me introduce you. Elphie, this is Lyvia. Lyvia, Elphie. She's the queen of the northern realms"

"N-nice to meet you" Elphie says, shying away from Lyvia, as the leviathan is giving her a strange look.

You extend the bench so you and Elphie also have room to sit down, letting Elphie rest her head on your shoulder so you can stroke her hair.

"Now, I take it you came out to tell us that Gretchen will be a while?" You ask.

"How'd you know?" She asks.

"Lucky guess" You reply, holding a hand out to Pip. "I figured she'd want to oversee the offloading of her stuff personally, and she brought quite a bit..."

"A lot of it is yours..." She says.

"Joint project. I fund. She oversees. You help" You say, giving Pip a thumb's up when you feel she's put in her 10 silver. "Feeling better?"

"A little..." She replies, her antennae twitching as you continue to pet her.

You notice Pip and Lyvia both giving you strange looks.

>Ignore them

>Is Lyvia jealous?

>Did Gretchen want my help?

>Other

>>3255234
>>Is Lyvia jealous?
>>Has Pip awakened to being pet?

>>3255234
Supporting >>3255244

>writing

"Lyvia stop giving Elphie that dirty look" You say.

"What dirty look?" Lyvia asks.

"That one" You say.

"You are doin' kind of a glare there, your highness" Pip says.

Lyvia grumbles something.

"You're not jealous, are you?" You ask.

Lyvia turns away from you, and Pip starts giggling. "Uh oh. I think she might be"

"I'm not jealous" She says. "I just find it strange that you'd be so openly affectionate is all" She says.

"Lyvia, Elphie is Gabby's age" You say. "She just looks older because that's how butterflies age"

"Really?" Lyvia asks.

"Yep. Elphie, tell Lyvia how old you are" You say.

...

"Elphie?" You ask.

...

"Sound asleep" You say. "You get the idea"

"Wow. She sure passed out quick" Pip says. "What, did she not sleep on the ship?"

"Nah. This is normal. She tends to take naps in strange places" You say. "In fact, this is probably the most normal place I've seen her do this in"

"Seriously?" Pip asks.

"Yep. Worse than Vivi, this one" You say. "One time she lay down inside a cannon barrel while it was being assembled..."

That's all for tonight!

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

I left out the bit with Pip because Yuu knows better than to say embarrassing things to her in public. That'll be included later.

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

>>3255325
thanks for running

>>3255325
Thanks for running

"...and we looked everywhere for her" You say. "But it wasn't 'till they hoisted the barrel to put it on a cart that she finally woke up"

"Wow. That must've been a nice surprise" Pip says.

"I'll say. She scared the crap out of the crane operator..." You say. "Didn't learn her lesson, though, and the next day she was napping in one of the parts containers"

"Is it like that thing where people just randomly fall asleep sometimes?" Pip asks. "I've heard of a few people with that"

"No. She just takes a lot of naps and has really poor judgment when it comes to where she should take them" You say.

...

"You know, Madelaine never did mention what Cheska was doing" Pip says.

"No... she didn't" You say. "Coral, where's Cheska?"

Coral thinks for a second, then points up. So you look up, and there's Cheska. She's circling around overhead for whatever reason.

"The heck's she doing up there?" Pip asks.

>Probably hoping to surprise us

>Could be having some landing issues

>Practicing?

>Other

>>3257319
>Probably hoping to surprise us

>>3257319
>>Could be having some landing issues

>>3257319
>>Could be having some landing issues
>>Spread your arms

>>3257319
Actually, switch from
>>3257325
To>>3257343

>writing

"Could be having some landing issues" You say.

"I thought you said she was a good flier now" Pip says.

"I said competent. Still some kinks to work out" You say. "Coral, go up and give her the signal"

Coral salutes, then zips straight up.

"The signal?" Pip asks.

"A way of asking her if she needs help" You say. "We worked it out after about the third time I had to brace myself as she dove screaming into me"

"Ah" Pip says.

Coral returns after a second or so, shaking her head and zipping back into your shirt.

"No, huh?" You ask. "Must've been waiting to surprise us then"

"She knows Coral can always tell you where she is, right?" Pip asks.

"She's still getting used to that. She was safe from Coral's locating skills back when she was a demon, remember?" You ask.

"Right... it's easy to forget about that sometimes..." She says. "How's she been?"

"Busy. She trains every morning, studies magic until lunch, studies other stuff until dinner, and only relaxes after that" You say. "I'd be concerned, but she doesn't really push it too hard. Like, she's determined, but not enough to make herself uncomfortable"

"Well, you've gotta think about her motivation" Pip says. "She's been working hard to stay close to you and everybody else. No sense in making you guys worry about her in the process"

As you talk, Cheska comes down for her landing. She doesn't make her usual mistake of coming in too fast, and spreads her wings to brake with plenty of time. With most of her weight being carried by the updrafts under her wings, she lands gracefully and walks towards you without breaking stride.

>10/10

>How long were you up there?

>See, Pip? Working hard.

>Other

>>3257460
>>See, Pip? Working hard.
>>How long were you up there?

>>3257460
>>10/10

>>3257460
>10/10
>See, Pip? Working hard.

>>3257460
>10/10
>See Pip? Working hard.

>>3257460
>>10/10
>>See, Pip? Working hard.

>writing

You give Cheska a round of applause. "Very nice. 10/10" You say.

Cheska giggles and gives you an exaggerated bow, as Pip stands up to greet her. The noise of your clapping also stirs Elphie, who hugs you and snuggles in closer.

"Hey, Red. Long time no see" Pip says. "Yuu wasn't kidding. You actually carry a spear now"

Cheska takes her weapon out and shows it to Pip. "Trident, actually" She says. "I've gotten pretty good with it"

Pip smiles and nudges her with her elbow. "You and me are gonna have to go a few rounds sometime then" She says.

"My money's on the one with 4 arms" You say.

"4 arms? You can use those as arms too?" Pip asks.

"More or less, yeah" Cheska replies, scratching her cheek with her wing. "Still can't write with 'em, but I've gotten used to casting most of my spells through them"

"How's that workin' out?" Pip asks.

"Pretty well. Because if my lance is here-" Cheska says, holding her lance forward and stretching one wing straight up, and the other out to the side "-but I've got fire coming out here and here. What do you block?"

"Me I'd probably block all of it and then run the hell away to look for a better angle" Pip says. "Most people aren't that smart, though"

"See, Pip? Working hard" You say.

"No kidding" Pip says. "I'm gonna have to start working harder too, lest the Commander replace me"

>Altea wouldn't do that

>You guys kinda have different skill sets...

>Well what are you standin' around here for?

>Other

>>3257566
>You guys kinda have different skill sets...

>>3257566
>>Don't worry, the only thing stopping me from hiring you if she does is Leah probably will first.

>>3257566
>>Well what are you standin' around here for?
>It's only a matter of time before Cheska learns how to sneak around too

>writing

"Well if she fires you, then I've got some room in my employ" You say. "I did say I needed better spies..."

"Little late on the draw there, Yuusky. Leah's already given me a pretty nice offer" Pip replies.

You cut her a dirty look, and she giggles.

"On second thought, I might start training Cheska how to sneak around" You say. "Then she can take both your niche, and your job"

Pip laughs even harder, as Emi and Ilica finally arrive...

"What's so funny?" Ilica asks.

"Pip's just playing on some of Yuu's peeves" Cheska says. "Luggage all kitty free?"

"Yep" Ilica says. "I know I shouldn't worry, since she seemed to like your maids fine, but..."

"Once bitten, twice shy. Right?" You ask.

"Right" Ilica says. "I take it Madelaine already left?"

"Went to go see her other dads" Pip says.

"And I'm guessing the first thing Yuu did upon arriving was collect the young'uns" Ilica says.

"They came to me, but it's a fair guess" You say, still petting Elphie's head.

"Derrick's not here?" Emi asks.

"Nah. He's off in the food tent with Caiah" Pip says.

"Caiah's here?" Emi asks.

"I know. No one told me either" You say.

"Well, I'm gonna go poke Derrick for not coming to see us" Ilica says. "You guys comin'?"

>Sure

>I should give Gretchen her assistant back first

>I'm good here

>Other

>>3257658
>>Sure

>>3257658
>Sure

>>3257658
>I'm good here

>writing

"I'm in" You say, nudging Elphie until she wakes up. "Hey kiddo. We're gonna head out. You wanna come with us, or are you going back to Gretchen?"

Elphie yawns and rubs her eyes. "Mmmm... I should go back..." She says.

"Alright then, up you get" You say, standing her up. "Let her know we'll be in the food tent for a while"

"Mmkay" She replies.

"And go carefully. Don't want you falling on your face again" You say.

"Mmface" She says, before giving you a hug. "Bye bye mister Yuu"

You chuckle and hug her back. "See you in a bit, Elphie" You reply.

Elphie shuffles off, still half asleep. Most likely she's just going to go find a new place to continue her nap...

...

"Hey, Coral? Could you just make sure she finds Gretchen before she she goes back to sleep?" You ask.

Coral salutes and zips off after the sleepy butterfly.

"Okay. Everybody good to go?" You ask.

Nobody says no so you turn to Lyvia, who is still sitting on your bench.

"Alright then. Your perch is free. Come on up so I can get rid of this bench" You say.

Lyvia smiles and climbs around you and up your back to your shoulders, then you let your concentration drop and the bench dissipates.

"You know I didn't even realize that bench was made from soul" Ilica says. "Am I going to have to be more on guard around you and furniture?"

"Maybe" You say. "I feel like if you don't notice the glowing red chair, then that's on you"

"You overestimate me" Ilica says. "I've almost sat on Vivi a couple times"

"Well then maybe we should make her glow too" Pip says. "I'm sure there's a glow enchantment for clothes..."

>1/2

You reach the dining tent, and find that Derrick, Marybell, and Caiah are all still here. They don't seem to notice you, not until Ilica launches a wind ball at Derrick's head.

It strikes true, almost knocking him out of his chair if Marybell weren't right beside him.

"Ah, hey. What the heck?" He asks.

"That's for not coming to see us" Ilica says.

You go through introductions, and manage to get Ilica to forgive Derrick, and everybody sits down. It seems like Emi is the only one capable of prying Marybell away from Derrick, as the two of them quickly go into their own little conversation. Meanwhile the rest of you catch up.

"So you're here until you can figure out how to get into the temple?" Ilica asks.

"Yes. Hopefully I'll find something in there that will tell me where to go next" Caiah says.

"What's this entrance look like?" Cheska asks. "Anything that might hint at how to get in?"

"There were some markings that I couldn't make sense of, and three pedestals" Caiah says. "Aside from that, I don't think there was anything useful"

>What did the markings look like?

>Anything on the pedestals?

>Did you try hitting it?

>Other

>>3257784
>"Well then maybe we should make her glow too" Pip says. "I'm sure there's a glow enchantment for clothes..."

That seems like a prank in the making...
>>3257784
>What did the markings look like?

>>3257784
>What did the markings look like?

>Anything on the pedestals?

>>3257784
>>What did the markings look like?
>>Anything on the pedestals?

>>3257784
>>What did the markings look like?
>>Anything on the pedestals?
>>Did you try hitting it?

>writing

"Well what did the markings look like?" You ask. "Were they like... letters?"

"Pictures and symbols too large to be letters" She says, pulling a pen and paper close to her and drawing them out as best as she can. "One was nine circles, arranged in a circle, with lines like this..."

"They look like nines" Cheska says.

"Could be sixes" You add.

"Why would someone put nine sixes like that?" Cheska asks.

"69 is a neat looking number" You say.

Caiah lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't think nine sixes was their idea..." She says, going to another part of the pages. "The other looked like this... kinda like a sun rising over the mountains"

"Doesn't the sun set over the mountains?" Pip asks.

"Depends on what side of the mountains you're on" You say.

"And the other was like bones... I'm not gonna try to draw them. I'm sure by now you guys can see that I'm not exactly an artist" Caiah says. "They looked like dragon bones"

"So a circle of nines, a sunrise/sunset, and dragon bones" You say. "3 pictures. Goes with the theme of the 3 pedestals. Anything interesting about them?"

"It felt like they were meant to go into the ground, since I tried to push them down and they had a bit of give" She says. "And it was like... there was something on them, but i couldn't quite see it"

"Something that a pure demon can't see?" Ilica asks. "Wonder what that might be?"

"There's plenty of things I don't see" You say.

"Like what?" Ilica asks.

"Anything that gets in the way, really" You say. "Bright light, heavy snow, dust, illusion, thick branches..."

"I doubt any of those things could have been centered on the pedestals. They weren't very big" Caiah says.

"Never know. They made an entrance you can't warp through. Who's to say they couldn't localize a snowstorm over a pedestal?" You ask.

Caiah tries to refute that, and fails. "You're right. At this point, anything is possible" She says. "And I will admit, if you're right then it's a clever way to get around our eyes..."

"Yeah, but if the temple's got something you need, and it was built with aiding future pure demons in mind, why make it so we can't open it?" You ask.

"Perhaps it wasn't meant to be opened by you after all..." Lyvia says. "I only kind of know why it was built..."

"Not much point lingering on it until we can learn more" You say.

>Ask Caiah if she passed the Spire on her way up

>Show Caiah some of your new tricks

>Ask if Kirando is still accessible by sea

>Other

>>3257862
>>Could they refer to the ruins? Maybe the sun rising over the mountain is "Rising Mountain." The sixes in circles might not so much be numbers as an attempt to draw some kind of whirlpool? Perhaps "Flowing Pools" or "Seeping Pit?" No idea about dragon bones.
>Ask Caiah if she passed the Spire on her way up

>>3257862
Huh, Circles with lines that look like nines or sixes... So, like the Yin-yang symbol?

>Show Caiah some of your new tricks

>Ask if Kirando is still accessible by sea

>>3257885
Huh, that's a good idea too. Honestly, I don't really understand the 6s in the circles description. I'm also not clear how she knows it's dragon bones.

>>3257862
Any chance we can get Caiah's pictures?

>writing

Can we get the current map too? I'd like to see again where ruins are in relation to Kirando.

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>>3257909

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>>3257909
And here's the world map with all the ruins, except for the Energy ruin because you don't know where that is yet.

Can't say the geography is really telling me anything. Though certainly !North America is pretty densely populated with ruins.

"But could it refer to the ruins?" You ask.

"You just said to change the subject" Ilica says.

"I know, but it's gonna bother me if I don't ask" You say. "The nine nines possibly being like... I dunno, a whirlpool or a pit. The sunrise over the mountains being the rising mountain..."

"But then what are the bones?" Caiah asks. "If the nines are the pit, then the bones can't be... I don't think it's the ruins"

"Maybe it's the 3 pure demons" Derrick says. "Your necklace kinda looks like a sunrise, the nines could have something to do with how Yuu draws in soul, and that Terry dude wears bones as pauldrons, doesn't he?"

You and Caiah exchange a glance.

"Maybe... though I'd rather not have to rely on him to open them" Caiah says.

"Could also be Lyvia here and the others like her" Cheska says. "I mean, she had giant dragon-like bones lyin' around her palace after all"

"Who knows..." You say. "Alright. Now we'll change the subject. You pass the Spire on your way up?"

"I gave it a pretty wide berth. I didn't know if they had another of those worms around it, and I didn't want to find out the hard way" Caiah says.

"There isn't one" Derrick says.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to check by having one try to eat me" She says.

"That's fair" You say. "What about the port situation. I know Kirando's got a sea harbor"

"Legion doesn't get any ships coming in. Not now that the Southerners have returned to their islands" Caiah says.

"What about the water bridge?" Derrick asks. "Surely they'd have access to that"

"Water bridge was destroyed while they were fighting the Antolians" Caiah says. "Kirando is cut off"

"Wait... there was a water bridge?" You ask. "How come I've never head of this before?"

"Well... it's never really come up" Derrick says.

"So tell me about it now" You say.

"Alright... so getting around this continent had always been a pain in the butt..."

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.

>>3257995
Thanks for session.

>>3257995
Thanks for running

>>3257995
Rest of the interludes coming soon?

"So they built a giant bridge out of flowing water?" You ask.

"2 giant bridges" Derrick says. "One going east, one going west"

"Neat" You say. "Wouldn't it have been simpler to just dig a trench?"

"Not really, since the land doesn't stay level" Derrick says. "Easier to run the water over the land, rather than through"

Caiah gets a chuckle out of that, though you're not sure why.

...

"But yeah... so is Kirando still accessible by sea?" You ask. "Or is the worm guarding the water too?"

"Dunno. I don't recall any ships coming in" She says. "Harbor's pretty shallow there. Can't imagine a little water giving a giant worm any trouble"

"Maybe it can't swim" You say.

"Moves through the earth fine" Caiah says.

"Yeah, so does Kanzka, but she's terrified of water" You say.

"She is?" Ilica asks.

"Yeah. Only seen her in the baths once, and she wore little arm floaty things" You say. "Not judging her or anything. I'd be pretty scared of water if I couldn't swim"

"But you can" Emi says. "I recall you being quite surprised by that"

>It was quite surprising

>I might have taken lessons at some point

>Can you swim, Caiah?

>Other

>>3265236
>>I might have taken lessons at some point

>>3265236
>I might have taken lessons at some point

>>3265236
>I might have taken lessons at some point

>>3265236
>I might have taken lessons at some point

>writing

"I might have taken lessons at some point" You say. "It definitely didn't feel like it came as naturally to me as other things like fighting"

"Maybe you could teach Kanzka" Derrick says.

"That might be hard. She's got different legs than I do" You say. "Do arachnids swim? I'm sure some of them would have trouble, especially if their legs were as spindly as Kanzka's"

"Some do, but you're right. It's a very different method from the way you do it" Emi says. "Many girls are like that, myself and Marybell included"

You turn to Marybell to ask how she does it, but-

"Don't ask" Marybell says.

Your shoulders slump. "Aww..." You say.

"Sorry Yuu. Your curiosity will have to go unsated this time" Emi says. "I'd be glad to share my way of swimming"

"I've seen you swim. You just kinda wiggle" You say.

"There's a bit more to it than that..." Emi says.

"Can't be that hard. Even Liz is doing it, and she's like... uhh... well I don't know how old she is, but she's very small" You say.

"That is not a fair comparison. That kid's got some kinda strength in her" Ilica says. "Have you seen what she grabs whenever someone sends her to get a storybook?"

"You mean Belladonna's record book? Yes, I have" You say. "Does she still do that? I hadn't heard Belladonna complain about it for a while..."

"Because she got a decoy and tucked the real one away" Ilica says. "I dunno what the little snake thinks is in there, but she's determined to have it read to her"

>Maybe she wants to be an accountant

>I feel like we're getting off track

>Did anyone try actually reading it to her?

>Other

>>3265397
>Did anyone try actually reading it to her?

>>3265397
>>I feel like we're getting off track

>writing

"Did anyone try actually reading it to her?" You ask.

"Sounds like a quick way to put everybody but her to sleep" Ilica says.

"Who is Liz?" Marybell asks.

"Tiny orphan Serpid who lives at my house" You say. "Cute as hell. Very attached to Hella. Likes big books for whatever reason"

"Ah" Marybell says.

"Anyway, I feel like we're getting off track" You say, turning to Caiah. "Where will you be when we march tomorrow?"

"At the head with you, possibly" Caiah says. "How are you around raptors?"

"Never ridden one, but so long as it doesn't start looking at me like lunch then we'll be okay" You say. "You still riding the one you picked up in Sherton?"

"No, this is a different one" Caiah says.

"Where do you keep getting these raptors from?" You ask.

"They're surprisingly easy to find and buy, but only if you're not planning to ride them around town" Derrick says. "Generally, raptors are just used for travel rather than everyday stuff, since bandits and other monsters are less likely to mess with somebody riding one"

"You should try riding one sometime" Caiah says. "It really does make travel more peaceful"

"Nah. I'll stick with my Rook" You say. "Anybody messes with me on that, I can just leave"

"And if they chase you?" Caiah asks.

"Then I hit the boosters and leave faster" You say. "Or alternatively, turn and blast them all into dust. Either way"

Caiah looks confused.

"Oh right. You haven't been around lately" You say. "Not since I woke up after the siege..."

"Did something happen?" She asks.

"I may have learned how to harness nearly unlimited power while fighting a flesh monstrosity made from an old boon" You say, before turning to Derrick. "You didn't tell her about that?"

"It hasn't really come up..." Derrick says.

"I've been trying to avoid talking about you" Caiah says. "But apparently that means I've missed a bit..."

>Tell her about the battle

>Show off some of your little tricks

>Show off some of your big tricks

>Other

>>3265458
>>Tell her about the battle

>>3265458
>Tell her about the battle

>writing

"Well it all happened when we went to attack an outpost that the Legion was building just south of Lutain" You say. "When we arrived, the place was quiet. I couldn't see any demons, and Michaela, an angel from the holy order with a keen sense for demons, couldn't feel any"

"Strange" Caiah says.

"Anyway, I go and take a look inside and everybody is dead. The bodies all stabbed to hell with bone knives" You say. "And the culprit was a flesh creature whose body was covered in the things"

"When you say flesh creature, you mean... like, flesh flesh-" She says, pinching the skin on her arm. "Or..."

"Like the weapons. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was made from a weapon, but I'll get to that in a minute" You say. "So I fought the thing, only it wouldn't die. I figured out that I'd need a lot of power to actually kill it, so I... used that power"

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"Well I figured out that I can control the soul that doesn't come from inside me back during the tournament, when I kept my blade activated when it wasn't in my hand" You say. "So by that logic, there isn't any real difference between what I have in me, and what's in the air. So I gathered it up and shot it all at once"

"That sounds dangerous..." She says.

"Oh it absolutely was. Completely disintegrated the creature, along with the outpost and some of the surrounding area" You say. "Haven't really experimented with that much, but it's a good trump card"

"So you can just... control soul now?" Caiah asks.

"Basically" You say, gathering a bit at the tip of your finger. "I can also cast spells from wherever, and pull any spent energy back to be reused"

"That's... very strange" Caiah says.

>No stranger than what you can do

>That's one way of putting it, yeah

>Now, about the creature...

>Other

>>3265548
>>No stranger than what you can do

>>3265548
>No stranger than what you can do

>writing

"No stranger than what you can do" You say. "I just needed a few bits to click is all"

"No... not that" Caiah says. "It's great that you've improved so much, but strange that it would happen so suddenly"

You shrug. "I figure this way I'll be the Yuu that the other Yuus go to for power" You say. "Plus it was the only way to kill that creature, so I kinda needed to improve right then and there"

"And this creature. You said it was made from the weapons?" She asks.

"Yeah. It looked a lot like the boon I took from the Puppeteer, that they then took back from the vaults when they invaded Locke" You say. "Same knives, same gummy look, and it seemed to really hate me in particular"

"You think they turned a boon into a... creature?" She asks.

"What else could it have been?" You ask. "The air seemed to have been drained of mana, and saturating it with sould was the only way to truly destroy it. Plus that weapon had no wielder anymore, so... yeah"

"Are there any other weapons that you captured but didn't destroy?" Caiah asks.

"3: The tailblade and the quiver are in Locke's vaults, and Carthac's spear is in the Legion's possession" You say. "Ever since I discovered that I could destroy the boons during the tournament, I've been killing them all"

"Alright... the ones in Locke should be safe for the time being, but if you do get a chance to destroy them, take it" She says. "Gods only know what they're going to do with the spear..."

"Now that you mention it, that may have been something I should have done when I passed through with Daria..." You say. "Ah well. Hindsight is aways 20/20"

"So can they not just give the weapons to other demons?" Derrick asks.

"They can't touch them, same as us" Cheska says. "The boons get one wielder, and that's the only person they won't drain"

"So how'd they get them out of Locke in the first place?" Derrick asks.

"I imagine Mahron took them" Cheska says. "From what I know, he's the only exception to that rule"

You sigh. "I find it frustrating that we're so far into this and we still have no idea what his deal is" You say. "Even after not one, but two insiders feeding us decent info"

"If it makes you feel better, like 99% of the Legionnaire's know nothing about him either" Caiah says. "They just know he's powerful, he gives out the boons, and the last guy who tried to depose him was impaled alive and left to rot"

"And he is tough" You say. "Back when I first faced him, I was woefully under prepared"

"And now?" Caiah asks.

"Now it's the other way around" You say. "And I don't think he can call up other Mahrons to bail him out..."

>1/2

You stay and talk with Caiah and the others for a while, catching up and filling her in on what you've been doing, even showing her a couple of your new tricks. But eventually your stomach rumbles, and you remember that you have a dinner date to keep.

"Heading off?" Derrick asks.

"Family dinner" You reply. "See you guys after?"

"Of course" Derrick replies.

You say your goodbyes and head out. Oddly enough, Lyvia opts to stay with the others. Apparently she wants to spend some more time with Caiah.

You don't argue. It isn't often you get to talk one on one with Altea.

If you remember right, Altea still eats dinner in her cabin up on the airship. So you go to the docking chain.

Along the way you run into a tired looking Coral.

"Wow. That took you a while" You say. "Did Elphie give you trouble?"

Coral nods.

"Did you still get the job done?" You ask.

She nods again.

"Good job" You say, giving her a tiny high five and feeding her a nut. "And I'll have to give that kid a talking to later. Giving me or Gretchen trouble is one thing, but she should know not to mess around with you..."

Before letting Coral go sleep in your shirt, you ask if Altea is indeed up on the airship. She is, so you head on up.

Altea's waiting when you arrive.

"No Lyvia?" She asks.

"She decided to stick with Caiah" You say. "Just you and me"

"I suppose that works too" Altea says, motioning for you to sit. "Please. I hear you've been busy"

>Tell her about your training with Frederick

>Tell her about your projects with Gretchen

>Tell her about the orphanage

>Other

>>3265685
>>Tell her about the orphanage

>>3265685
>Tell her about the orphanage

>writing

"The orphanage has really picked up" You say as you sit down. "I don't remember if I told you this when you were there, but people were kinda waiting for me to leave so they could ask the maids about me and my intentions"

"So you have a lot of children now?" She asks.

"So many" You say. "I have some trouble remembering all of their names, but there's a couple standouts. Like Sally, who always makes sure she gets to snuggle up when I read to the kids. Or Alisette, who's the Antolian one we found here in Riverhold-"

"Did you ever find out where she came from?" Altea asks.

"Nope. But I did manage to fix her teeth" You say. "Even Lola can't manage to get her origins out, and she's surprisingly good at coaxing things out of people..."

"Lola... she's one of your maids, right? Have I met her? Her name rings a bell..." She says.

"No, but I have mentioned her" You say. "She's the one that 'fed' a prisoner to Raven while I was away"

"Ahhh, yes" Altea says. "I recall you saying that there was a bit of a problem there... how are things with her, and the rest of your staff? Any further troubles?"

"Not really" You say. "Everybody's pretty happy with how things are, though we did have to get Belladonna an assistant"

"So everything's been running smoothly" Altea says. "Good. Anything interesting going on in town?"

"Well we almost burned out the generator for a bit..."

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow, and Alisette's interlude will be up with it.

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

"-luckily we already had all the replacements ready to go, so when it shut down it was only about an hour before we had it back up" You say.

"Generator issues are more common than you think, especially now with devices, airships, and carts becoming more common" She says. "Usually the Lord himself doesn't handle the repairs though"

You shrug. "I like to tinker" You say. "Plus those parts were heavy. Even I couldn't lift them on my own"

Altea sighs. "You tried to lift them on your own, didn't you?" She asks.

"Of course not. I've got a little more sense than that" You say. "Hard to fight if you've thrown out your back"

"Glad to hear you're maturing" She says. "And how is my girl doing?"

"Val?" You ask.

She nods.

"Well the last thing Val did before I left was try to eat a coat rack from the top and get stuck on it" You say. "Made herself look so much like a lamp that Daria spent the better part of an hour searching for her... so pretty good, I guess"

"And Daria?" She asks. "Is she handling her studies well?"

"From what her tutors tell me, she's actually a pretty good student" You say. "She's been acing all of her tests, and we even managed to get her to stop flying in the halls"

"How'd you manage that?" Altea asks.

"We chained some weights to her ankles" You say. "Makes her much easier to keep track of, too"

...

"Seriously?" Altea asks.

"No, of course not" You say. "She's pretty understanding. I just asked that she not endanger my staff like that"

Altea breathes a sigh of relief.

>Did you actually think I'd do that?

>I miss anything interesting here?

>Talk about Caiah

>Other

>>3268182
>Did you actually think I'd do that?

>I miss anything interesting here?

>>3268182
>>Did you actually think I'd do that?

>writing

"Did you actually think I'd do that?" You ask.

"I shouldn't have, but I did buy it for a moment" She says. "I know that Daria can be... taxing"

"No need to tell me. I had to ride with her from Leon to Lutain, remember?" You ask. "I had Daria on one side asking non stop if we were there yet, and Val on the other trying to stick her hand in my mouth..."

"I might have contemplated leaving her somewhere..." Altea says.

"It crossed my mind. I had to have a talk with her in Sherton. After that it wasn't so bad" You say. "I had her help me with Val, with kept them both occupied"

"Smart" She says.

"So anything interesting around here?" You ask. "I haven't heard much, aside from the new ship"

"Our scouting parties have gotten into a few skirmishes when they move west" Altea says. "Supposedly the Legion is out looking for something upriver from here"

"Any casualties?" You ask.

"Minimal. We added some extra soldiers to those parties to keep everyone busy, seeing how the scouts are one of the few branches actually doing anything right now" She says.

"Even through the snow?" You ask.

"The Northerners get it much worse than this" She says. "They know how to handle the cold and the snow, even better than the demons do"

"That's good" You say. "Any idea what they're looking for?"

"People, perhaps?" She asks. "Your resistance friend might know more. We haven't managed to capture any talkers"

"Quria? She's actually coming in on a ship tomorrow morning. I'll ask her then" You say.

"She's coming here?" Altea asks. "That would have been nice to know"

"That info should be in your hands. I sent it before I left" You say.

"Oh, that recent? It's probably still buried under the rest of my mail then..." She says. "Did she say why she wanted to come along?"

"Just to make herself more useful" You say. "She was a part of the Spire's cell before she joined us, so she's offering her services to help take the city, if they're needed"

"And we'll have them. A swift victory would be much appreciated after all this snow..." She says.

>1/2

Dinner passes pleasantly, as you fill Altea in on everything you did during your break: your training with Frederick, the things you learned from the old books, the work you did in your workshop, the work you did in town...

She's happy to sit back and listen, even to the boring booky stuff.

"Didn't I tell you to relax? It sounds like you did more there than you would have here" She says.

"It's all stuff that I couldn't do here" You say. "And a lot of it was geared towards being ready when I came back"

"You certainly sound ready" She says. "I must say, I'm almost excited to see you fight now that you've been training under Sir Frederick"

"And I'm almost excited to test out some of my new tricks" You say.

"On that note, I should really get going" She says. "We should have our scout's reports in, so I've got a meeting to attend"

>Anything else?

>>3268342
Nope.
Give mommy a hug and a kiss and head about your business.

>writing

You both stand up and start making your way to the door.

"It's always nice spending time with you, mom" You say.

Altea smiles. "Likewise" She says. "I have missed having you around. Though perhaps not as much as Lyvia..."

You tilt your head.

"She must've asked every day when you'd be coming back" She says. "It was both endearing and infuriating at the same time..."

You chuckle. "Maybe I should've written to her..." You say.

"She'll live" Altea says, before giving you a hug. "I'll see if I can't pay you a visit before we move out tomorrow morning. Are you still tenting with Pip?"

"I assume so, yes" You say.

"Good" She says. "Take care of yourself, dear"

"I will" You reply, hugging her back.

The two of you head up to the deck of the ship. She takes flight and starts gliding back down to the ground, while you take a chain down.

You probably could springboard or do that foot-case thing instead, but it's much simpler this way. Plus you did take the time to make yourself a chain climber. Might as well get some use out of it.

When you hit the ground, you decide to go-

>Back to where the others were

>See where Madelaine went off to

>Go bug Storm and Michaela for a bit

>Other

>>3268418
>Back to where the others were