>>22659873
Nice to see you back

Tell her we wouldn't abandon her, and that we are her friend, we just want to be careful

>>22659873
We should calm her down, reasure her

"Lesa, I will not abandon you."

Somehow, this does not have the desired effect.

You dive off your branch and, with a couple flaps to slow you down, land on Lesa's chest. She has to take a step back under the force of the impact and cradle you with her arms -- it's either that, or have you slide down her front leaving clawmarks all the way down.

"I am your friend, Lesa," you say, looking straight into her eyes. "I care about you. The reason I want to leave -- why I want both of us to leave -- is because I'm worried about the hunter. I don't want you to get hurt or killed. But I will not abandon you."

"I-is that a promise?" Lesa sniffs. "Oris never abandon me?"

>>22660096
We promise

also before we leave we should check around town and see what the hunter is doing

>>22660096
yes we say

"Yes, I promise. But no-" the rest of the sentence is lost along with the air squeezed out of your lungs by Lesa's fierce hug.

"I knew Oris is friend. Good friend! Bestest friend ever!" Lesa does a little jig across the forest floor while doing her damnest to shatter your ribcage. She relents only to pull you away from her and give you a beaming grin.

And then she sneezes. Right in your face.


"M'sorry," she mutters contritely while you look for a leaf to wipe yourself down with. "Didn't mean to. Night was cold. Oris warm, but not large, like blanket."

You now have to consider your next few actions. If you're set on leaving, you'll still need to persuade Lesa that this is the best thing you can both do right now. And even if she does agree, a journey like that will probably need all sorts of supplies. You also debate the idea of finding the hunter again -- just to make sure he won't appear right on top of you all of a sudden.

>Persuading Lesa to leave will require a 3d6 roll AND a fairly convincing argument. While you don't need to write it all out, I'll need at least a general idea of how you want to go about it. An unsupported roll will fail outright.

Rolled 5, 6, 4 = 15

>>22660584
we should tell her that the people of town will not stop and the hunter won't just go away, we can hide for a few days and stock up on supplies

we can also ask her if there was anywhere she ever wanted to go

>>22660584
also we should try to steal the priests book, education is a useful tool

As >>22660630 said, I think we need to impress the fact that the humans have money to hire more hunters, and they seem very afraid of the kobold menace. They will continue to hire hunters, even if we through some miracle get rid of the first one. We must leave if we want to live.

Also, YES to taking a look at the hunter as soon as possible.

Rolled 5, 4, 3 = 12

>>22660978
oh, and my roll.

>15
"As I was saying," you say once you clean the worst of the snot off, "we need to leave. Because," you continue before Lesa can start protesting, "I cannot guarantee our safety if we stay. Sure, we can stay low for a few days, a week, wait for the hunter to get bored and leave. But the hunter came here because the people from town put a bounty on you. And that bounty will not go away. More adventurers will come and they'll keep coming, and then we either hide and starve, or get caught and die."
"B-but there are-"
"Yes, yes, big scary things in the great unknown. But if they really are that big, it probably means they're slow. And that we can run away from them and hide. Maybe they can catch us -- but that's a maybe. If we stay here, we die for sure. And I don't think I'd like that very much."

She still does not look convinced. But at least she's not protesting vehemently.

You get a sudden flash of inspiration.

"Lesa… isn't there anywhere you'd would like to go? Any… anyone you would want to be with?" you approach her and gaze up at her somberly. "Over here there is only one me and one you. But there's more like you somewhere, isn't there? Wouldn't you like to be with them?"

Lesa slowly sinks to the ground, then pulls her knees up under her chin and wraps her arms and tail around her legs. Its tip finds its way into her hands and she starts picking at it unthinkingly.

"Lesa was from big tribe, long ago. Many like Lesa. Many kobolds. Lesa want to be with them again," she sniffs loudly and sneezes again. "But they don't want to be with Lesa."

>>22661263
We should ask her why, but delicately,

>>22661263
I have to run off for a little bit, if the response seem slow don't get discouraged, I'll be back

>>22661292
Nothing to ask but this.

"Why, what did y-" a delicate approach will probably work better. "What happened? If you feel like telling me, that is."

Lesa remains silent. She looks at you, but if it's as if she didn't see you.

"Long ago," she says right when you've about given up on getting an answer, "Lesa live with tribe. Tribe big, happy, well-hidden. No trouble. Then, adventurers come. Tribe fight them off, but adventurers kill many. Then more come. And more. Until all tribe warriors dead. The chieftains gather and say -- tribe must leave. Must find new place, where adventurers won't follow. And so everyone gather all the food and leave."

Her voice is flat and colorless, but you can hear the pain welling up inside her.

"Journey long. Food running out. Kobolds get weak and complain, but chieftains say, keep walking. So we get up and walk. Kobolds get sick -- Lesa get sick -- but chieftains say, get up and walk. So we get up and walk. Then, one day," Lesa's voice cracks and she takes a moment to compose herself. "One day Lesa too sick. Chieftain says get up and walk, but she can't. She want to lie and sleep. So Lesa sleep. Sleep a long time, she thinks. And when she wakes up… she alone. Tribe leave Lesa. Kobolds never leave other k-kobolds. Little kobolds always told, kobolds always look out for kobolds. But they leave Lesa. They leave, because Lesa bad and weak. L-Lesa bad and weak and useless, and stupid!"

Tears are flowing down Lesa's cheeks. When she gets like this, she usually spends the next few hours sobbing uncontrollably and chewing on her own tail.

"L-Lesa look for tribe," she continues in a cracking, strangled voice. "S-she want to apologize, to say s-sorry for being u-useless. B-but Lesa cannot f-find tribe. She walk and w-walk and walk. F-finally she tired of walking. Tired of e-everything. So she stop. And she s-stay here."

Then she breaks down completely, with her crying only being interrupted by an occasional sneeze.

>>22661697
Comfort her. Then tell her that we could find another tribe.

>>22661697
comfort her, tell her we'll never leave her even if a mean adventurer rips off our wings

You approach Lesa and rise to your hind legs to touch her face. Still sobbing, she lowers her knees to make room for you in her lap and once you climb into it, she hugs you tightly and proceeds to make you a very soaked lizard for the next several hours.

Once Lesa calms down, you slowly extricate yourself from her grip.

"What do we do, Oris?" she whispers in a hoarse voice.
"We'll find you another tribe. Kobolds take in refugees, right?" she gives an uncertain nod. But first, we'll need supplies. Food, a few days worth, at least. Water. Your blankets. Anything else that's useful." A book for yourself, hopefully. "But first, I need to find the hunter again, see what he's doing. Will you be fine if I leave you here?"
"Yes."

You take off.

The old mill's rooftop gives you the best position for observing the northwest forest. Even better, there are several sparrows hopping around the top when you get there, and a quick dive earns you a small, but tasty meal.

And, as luck would have it, you don't have to wait too long before you spot the hunter's figure emerging from the woods and heading towards the bridge. Once he's on the road, he proceeds directly to town.

What is your plan from here?

>>22662436
follow him from a distance, carefully spy on him, take extra effort not to be seen by any townsfolk

lets see if we an get into the town hall again to listen

You follow the hunter into Comienza -- you immediately notice that there are a lot more people around than usual. Then you remember that today is the day of the weekly market. This makes moving around a lot riskier, but at least that large bow means you won't lose him in the crowd.

The latter fact proves fortunate, as it turns out the hunter is not going to the town hall -- he turns towards the town's inn.

You know of a way into the inn's main room, but market day means there's going to be a large crowd there -- more pairs of eyes to account for.

You do know of another way in -- you can get into tavern's cellar, right under the main room's floorboards. However, your last visit there ended in a scuffle with some rather large and very territorial rats. You dealt with them then and you can probably deal with them now, but do you really want to risk getting injured?

Which entrance shall you take, if any?
>Pick entry method and roll 3d6. Alternately, you can abort and do something else.

>>22662772
we can fuck up some rats, safest option

Rolled 5, 5, 1 = 11

>>22662795
forgot my roll

You make your way around to the back of the tavern without issue -- mostly. Some yappy dog spots you and raises a racket, but by then you're safely hidden behind the slope of a roof.

Your entry is a tunnel some animal -- probably the rats -- dug under the wall at the back of the tavern. You yourself found it when the innkeeper's dog spotted one of the rats and chased it into the hole. Soon afterwards, Lesa and you made the dog disappear and a few nights later you got to work on widening the passage to make it big enough for yourself.

You squeeze through the hole chewed through the wall -- widening that took some doing and a lot of splinters -- and wait patiently for your eyes to adjust, sniffing at the cool, musty air.

Rat droppings and old wine.

>11
You can hear them scurrying around in the dark. They must've smelled you too by now. Hopefully, they remember last time well enough to stay clear. You lean forward, bringing your wings out of the hole and spread them, preparing to take off with a leap.

Then one of the bastards jumps on your back.

You feel teeth sink into the nape of your neck. You lose your balance and tumble to the floor, flapping your wings madly to break your fall. Even so, the extra weight on your back means the impact knocks the air out of your lungs.

You begin trashing about, trying to dislodge your assailant, but the rat is latched on firmly and every movement sends a new jolt of pain through the wound. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch movement in the shadows. A lot of movement -- they're going to swarm you!

>Cont.

You freeze in place. The rat on your back interprets it as an invitation to bite in even deeper. And then you sting him.

It's a risky, blind, and above else extremely weak attack -- your tail isn't meant to bend that way. But it's enough to break the skin and inject the rat with a dose of your venom.

It squeals in pain, letting go of your neck. You shake it off and leap into the air -- the other rats paused when they heard their comrade's distress, but that's no reason to hang around.

You land by the ceiling, on top of a wine barrel and survey the situation. Your attacker lies motionless on the floor. Not dead, but unconscious for the next few hours, at least. You might finish him off before leaving -- give the rest a lesson.

You can feel your wound oozing blood. It's in a really inconvenient place for you to reach, but you don't think it's too big. It should close on its own.

"Oi, ain't you that hunter big shot who as braggin' how good he is the other day?" the voice coming from above you is male, cocky and more than a bit drunk. It's the kind of voice that starts fights. "Whassa matter, tough guy? One little kobold gave you the slip?"

Writing next part, just wanted to post something before people get too bored

>>22663917
thank you, enjoying it

>>22663917
someone gonna get there shit slapped, an alcohol don't make it hurt less

As if on cue, the entire tavern goes quiet.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you, great hunter. Given up already? Or maybe you're too scared? Scared of a single kobold!"

There's some titters here and there.

"I'm hunting," replies a voice you recognize as belonging to the hunter.
"Huntin'? In a tavern? What, is the kobold hidin' under the bar? Or in a wine bottle, maybe"

There is a lot more laughter now, a lot of it loud.

"I see you don't know much about kobolds, friend," the hunter says in a casual, almost conversational voice, "so let me educate you. They are clever, but temperamental. Cunning, but ultimately short-sighted. You make yourself a threat, you hound them, you put pressure on them, they retreat, they lead you into traps, and when cornered, they fight like a rabid beast. But if they beat you -- or if they think they beat you -- they get overconfident. Careless. They decide you can't be much of a threat. If they'll think you're weak enough, they'll even follow you around, looking for a fight."

The floor creaks and you hear heavy steps as someone walks across the floor.

"And when they do that -- that's when you kill them. End of the week, I believe I said. Means I have two more days. So enjoy your ale, friend. And let me enjoy mine. Hmm?"

There is a small gasp. A mug clatters to the floor. Then you hear the steps again, heading in the other direction.

"Here, you don't think that vermin's going to come and attack you here, do you?" a different voice, much more sober and somewhat concerned.
"Here? Nah, I couldn't be this lucky," the hunter laughs. "Let's just say I know exactly where I'll find it in two days' time."

As the hunter offers no more information, the patrons slowly return to their interrupted conversations.

What now?

>>22664014
More food for us, i guess.

>>22664381
I don't like it. That guy is waaay to confident. It would be best to go hit some source of food and get our travelling rations together. Then we should leave immediately. I have a bad feeling about this.

Finish of the Rat before leaving. Vermin.

>>22664381
gather food, and set up a new hideout location, he knows we plan to flee and will act on it, we need to do more observations

>>22664451
that's just what he wants us to do is run

>>22664849
What he wants us to do is to get overconfident and careless. We ignore that by running away from him until he has no reason to follow us anymore. He needs to catch us near the city, otherwise he could just run elsewhere, kill a kobold there and cash the bounty.

First thing's first. You leap down onto the unconscious rat and tear out its throat. Then, before the rest can react, you're up in the tunnel and crawling outside.

After making your way out of the town, you fly back to Lesa's hideout in the southeast forest. Belatedly, you realize this means being soundly scolded while Lesa cleans your wound and wraps it with a scrap of cloth.

"And no picking."
"Pick it? I can't even rea-ow!"
"Oris sit still or bandage get crooked and Lesa need to tie again. Why Oris go there? No food there. Only rats. Rats food, but bad food. And rats think you food too. Fight over who eat who faster."
"First, if there's rats there, it means there's food too. Second, I went there because that's where the hunter went."
"Hunter in town? Not forest?" Lesa perks up. "He couldn't find Lesa so he give up?"
"Actually, he sounded like he's still hunting you."
"Hunting Lesa?" she frowns. "In inn? But Lesa not in inn? How he hunt there?"
"I don't know. But he sounded very confident about catching you. I'm worried. We should leave as quickly as we can. Get food tonight -- hit as many farms as we can an- wait. What if he knows we'll be running? What if this is a trap?"
"So we not run away?" Lesa looks confused.
"No… I mean, yes. He wants us to get overconfident and careless. He can't possibly know that we'll just run away -- or in which direction. We gather supplies tonight and we leave a few hours before dawn. We travel until sunrise, then find a place to hide. Then keep going the next night."

Lesa mulls this over.

"So Lesa need to visit den, get things for journey."
"Then we meet under the bridge after dark, agreed?"
"Yes."

>Cont.

As Lesa runs off, you go over a mental checklist of your own stashes. You can think of a few things that might be worth taking. A coil of string. A few pieces of chalk. A pouch with a handful copper and silver coins -- you know they're important to humans, though you're not sure how you'd use them, if at all.

Is there anything else you can think of doing before joining up with Lesa for the night raid?

>>22665614
do we have any cloth? we can tie it up into a bag and carry things

>>22665614
we should get a cloak or robe for lesa, it might help if we are spotted from a distance.

>>22665614
Start a fire in the town to distract everyone.

>>22665841
secibded

>>22666052
i don't think that is necessary

>>22666230
Fuck it, burn everything. WE ARE A FUCKING DRAGONLING

You will need something to carry your possessions in -- like a piece of cloth Lesa could tie around you. A cloak for Lesa would be nice as well -- make her more difficult to spot.

You realize that these things are either inconvenient to steal in broad daylight, or too heavy to carry off on your own. You'll need to tell Lesa to get them during your raid.

What you do have right now is easy enough to stuff into a pouch, which you then carry in your mouth. You hide it in one of your stashes close to the bridge, then wait for nightfall.

The sun sets. Every now and then you can hear footsteps or a cart rolling past overhead.

Lesa should be here already.

You idly consider setting fire to town -- starting with the inn and the hunter inside. No, too risky.

The sky turns the color of ink and the moon rises above the trees.

She's late.

>>22666344
We must look for her

>>22666344
Well fuck. If shes gone Im gonna be a sadman

>>22666344
circle above to see if she is nearby, so we don't panic and run off from her

You take off and make a large circle around the area, looking for movement, of any sort near the bridge, the stream, the edge of the forest.

You spot something but it turns out to be a hedgehog -- a very frightened one, after you land right in front of it.

You sound a sequence of owl calls -- a signal you worked out for locating one another in the forest at night.

The only response is wind blowing among the forest trees.

Where can she be?

>>22666597
Look for the hunter, keep a distance but if she's trapped somewhere then he'll lead us right to her.

>>22666597
we go to the outskirts of the village, she would not daddle

>>22666615
this

if she is hurt someone gonna die

The hunter! If he got Lesa…

But how? You left him in the inn. Everything he did and said suggested he would stay there!

You rush off towards Comienza. It's dark and the streets are empty, so you head straight for the inn. A weak spot in the thatching lets you slip inside, far above the floor of the common room.

The hunter is right there. Sitting at a table, eating supper. Drinking a mug of ale.

>>22666769
check where lesa might have went and where the hunter left traps,

>>22666769
Did we check her house yet? maybe she is just afraid to leave

>>22666769
Back to the bridge, check every possible location at and immediately around the bridge. She could simply be asleep.

The only place Lesa should've been going was her home den. Maybe she fell asleep there. Maybe she got frightened all over again and didn't want to come out. Maybe…

You recall last evening and the strange contraption the hunter was setting up around his camp.

Next thing you know, you're outside and tearing off towards the forest and Lesa's den. You don't remember leaving the tavern. Did you make noise? Did anyone see you? Does it matter?

You nearly collide with several trees and a very startled owl. You lose your way once in the dark and spend several very long minutes flying in every direction trying to reorient yourself.

You land in front of the entrance to Lesa's den with fire in your lungs. You feel it almost immediately -- the metallic scent of blood.

And, barely audible above your own gasping breaths, a labored, irregular wheezing.

>>22666963
...no...

>>22666963
find the source of the wheezing

She's in the entrance tunnel, half-lying in an odd, contorted position. Her head and right hand are up by the tunnel's ceiling. She jerks violently and tries to scramble away when you peek into the passage.

"Lesa, it's me. Lesa, it's me, Oris. Don't move. Lesa. Lesa!" ::Lesa!::

She stops struggling and twists around awkwardly, managing to look at you with one eye.

"Hghhhh…"

You see it. A loop around her neck -- a snare, caked in dried blood. She managed to get half her hand between the line and her neck -- it's the only reason she didn't choke yet.

She looks at you pleadingly.

>>22666963
I think we can all see how this is ending. We should comfort her then sting her. It'll put her out of her pain.

>>22667179
>>22667171
It seems I was wrong, CUT THIS DAMN ROPE.

>>22667171
Chew! chew like a maniac!

>>22667171
CUT THAT ROPE HOWIE

>>22667218
And then we kill that fucking hunter

"Easy, Lesa. Stay still. I'm going to try and bite through it, alright?"

You rise on your hindlegs to examine the snare for the best place to start. There's just enough space between Lesa's hand and her neck to sink your teeth in and begin chewing.

A few moments later you stop and sink back down, pain shooting through your jaw and blood seeping from your gums.

The snare is threaded with metal.

We have to losen it find where it is tied and give it slack

>>22667387
Can we breath fire? if we can try that.

>>22667419
ya good idea. Breath fire on metal attached to our friends neck

>>22667470
I was just joking, plz don

File: 1358558598504.jpg-(2.04 MB, 1500x2121, 1343115096779.jpg)

>>22667401
try to loosen the noose breathing fire would hurt our friend and also i doubt we can breath fire.

>>22667543
We thought about starting a fire earlier, so unless we have matches we should be able to.

File: 1358558919807.jpg-(30 KB, 359x329, the line.jpg)

Well now we definitely have to set fire to the inn

>>22667610
Absolutely. Fuck that town

>>22667610
I don't think we should do something that drastic however i do agree we are leaving and we need to find a way to bring our friend with us if she lives.

>>22667660
perhaps... but the hunter must die, especially if he insist on being a problem

You realize you should loosen the snare -- you look for where it's tied, only to discover it disappears into the ceiling.

When you start backing out of the tunnel, Lesa gurgles in alarm and tries to grab at you.

"Lesa, it's alright. I'm not going anywhere. I just need to find where this snare is tied and loosen it. It has to be somewhere above you. Don't worry, I'll be close."

::I'm still right here. Right above you. Don't move. I'm looking for the snare. Found it. It's tied around a root. How did he get it into the ground like tha- Never mind, not important. Still right here. Looking for a way to untie it. Makes you wish I could breathe fire, right? Guess a dragon is another one of those things I'm not. Still looking. Don't think I can untie it. But don't worry! I'll figure something out. Root, root… It's not that thick. I'll chew through that. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Guess I'm not a beaver either. But I'm making progress. Ow. Ow. Ow. Alright, let me try this. No, a bit more. Ow. Ow. Alright, the snare might jerk around a bit. Try and brace yourself. One… Two… Now!::

The root breaks with a crack. The snare jerks and disappears into the ground. You hear a strangled, gasping sob from the tunnel.

Your mouth tastes like moss, splinters and blood.

>>22667705
Oh God... ;_;

>>22667705
Rush to help her!

>>22667782
So can we burn down that fucking town yet?

>>22667705
We should go see how she's doing

Instead of coming out, Lesa crawls down the tunnel, into her den. You follow her and help her loosen the snare until she can pull it off over her head. Then she buries herself under her blankets and lays there, shivering.

She wheezes. She coughs. You get her to drink a bit of water from her emergency supply.

You begin planning how much the hunter will suffer before he dies.

>>22667818
First medical attention to Lesa, we need to stay with her for now, when the hunter come we will show him a hell like no other

>>22667705
Get her out of there. If the hunter knows about the den it's not safe to be there.
Once she's in a safe place, steal some candles or a lantern and burn down the inn.

>>22667818
alot

File: 1358560764521.png-(221 KB, 1000x1000, 02b.png)

"Lesa. Lesa. You need to clean your wounds. You need to bandage them. Lesa! You always tell me that if I don't keep my wounds clean, they'll turn black and bits will start falling off, remember? I don't want your head to fall off."

Slowly, Lesa gets back up. With you egging her on, she cleans her neck and hand with water, then ties them off with bandages you once stole for her from the apothecary. She doesn't say anything the whole time and once she's done, immediately tries to lay back down.

"Lesa, no! The hunter. The hunter knows you're here. He set the trap. He will come and check it in the morning. We can't stay. We need to move. We need to get you to a safe place. Get up, Lesa, Get up!"

She listens. You tell her to gather up a few things -- blanket, a waterskin, the leftover bandages. Then you lead her outside.

It's the middle of the night and you have to find a safe place for a half-dead kobold that's barely standing on her own.

Where do you take her?

>X marks current location.

>>22668072
>where do you take her
Start with the mouth, then move to the vag. Anal last, if she's receptive.

>>22668072
he one north of us Lesa does not know about

File: 1358561421068.jpg-(83 KB, 750x600, 1245079354947.jpg)

>>22668105
the hunter scouted north already i suggest a layer to the south.

>>22668232
your right

The hunter would've scouted the north part of the woods already. You lead Lesa south, to one of your hideouts you kept hidden even from her.

Were you on your own, you could've reached that place of yours within a few minutes.

With Lesa, it takes the better part of an hour. You have to let her stop every few dozen feet to let her get her wheezing under control. You have to turn her around every time she drops the blanket or the waterskin, get her to pick it up, then turn around and keep walking. She falls over every now and then and each time it takes her longer to get back up.

"Alright, here we are. Yes, I know these bushes are thorny, that's the point. Wrap the blanket around you. Low to the ground -- yes, crawling will work. Mind the waterskin, don't get it torn. This way. Yes, right here."

It's a small nest you made for yourself inside a massive wild rose bush. A place of safety that no one but you had access to or knew about. Just big enough for Lesa, as it turns out. And you do what you can to expand it a bit, or at least to get rid of any thorns that could threaten her.

You get her as comfortable as you can.

Now then… the hunter.

"Oris?" Lesa croaks out. "Will… not abandon… me?"
"What? No. I promised, didn't I?"

She reaches out to you.

"Oris... will... stay?"

>>22668429
we need to keep watch over her tonight, we MUST stay

>>22668487
Seconded

>>22668429
Hug her

There is only possible one answer.

"Of course I'll stay."

You lie down beside her. She puts her arm around you and drifts off almost immediately.

You follow her example soon afterwards.

And this is it for tonight. Thank you all for participating and I hope I didn't get too sappy towards the end. Once again, I'll be extremely grateful if someone archives the thread and if you have any criticisms, feel free to throw them my way.

Next thread will happen either tomorrow or a week from now.

>>22668643
thank you based DM, you are killing me with te suspense

>>22668643
I don't know how

>>22668643
done

>http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/22659873/

>>22668854
Thanks, but it's missing a the Collective Game tag, so it'll probably get deleted.

Any way to edit the description/tags?

>>22668938
fuck

any other sites we can use?