>>27199333
<Coming to the Kystaran records when neither of us speak Kystaran should have seemed like a bad choice in hindsight.>

[x] 16 Years Ago

>>27199333
What's-his-name implied she'd been at it for a long time prior to the Wall going up.

[X]32 years ago

We're going to have to come back down here when we can actually read some Kystaran.

>>27199333

>[] Examine [16 years ago].

<It is so obvious that you need to be able to read the Kystaran language for these archives... this is really embarrassing.>

>>27199333
>[] Examine [16 years ago].

>>27199391
Changing >>27199372 vote to [x] 32 Years.

>>27199372
Maybe they have copies in foreign languages somewhere?

You take the electric torch out of your mouth.
<Coming to the Kystaran records when neither of us speak Kystaran should have seemed like a bad choice, in hindsight.> You say. <... This is really embarrassing.>
<... Yeah, now that I think about it, that was pretty dumb.> He says, chuckling. You pull open the most recent shelf, and pull up the pages. They're covered in kystaran glyphs, and you can't make out anything but various dates and times... And quite a lot of transcripts, it looks. Your spine is still tingling- there's something magical near. You heft up as much paper as you can, but there's so much of it...
<We can split it and take it back to get translated.> Mal says.
<Let me look at these first.> you say. You pull open the older records, and start shining your torch across them. Page over page of various records you can't even read... there's a treasure trove of information, here. You simply can't access it.

And then you see a page with your mother's name. And a second, and a third, and a fourth. You pluck out each page with your mother's name on it. There isn't much of it, thankfully- only a few pages.

<This might be easier if we could use Steve to fly the girl here.> Mal says, suddenly. <She's really good with kystaran, isn't she? But it wouldn't be safe...>

>>27199484
<Yeah, that doesn't sound safe at all. Never know if those flying remnants will try to grab them.>

>>27199484

<Dalton would kill both of us, twice. Let's take what we can and pick up more after we learn to read.>

>>27199484
<Let's grab what we can. Find any other good treasure?>

<Dalton would kill both of us.> You say. <Twice. Let's just grab what we can. We can pick up more after we learn to read.>
<Alright, Comrade.> He says, and the two of you split up the veritable pile of papers.
<Find any good treasure?> You ask, binding the paper as best you can, careful not to knock any of it out of order.
<I found another few coins, and some key.> He says. He pulls out the key, and waves it in front of you. You note, absentmindedly, that the key doesn't have teeth- instead it has a small glyph carved into it. Your spine tingles again. <I figure I'll keep ahold of it until we find a lock.> He adds, slinging his bundle of paper onto his back. You do the same, and then check out the map again. You can't see anything notable on the map. Nothing jumps out at you. It is strange, though... In one of the basments, there's a door that doesn't lead anywhere.

<The coins I did find aren't much, though.> Mal says, <Less than the stuff we found in that tower. We heading back with just this?>
Outside, you hear a roar.

>>27199333
> Ascent quest 10
> Exabyte's new quest
god damnit how did I miss the start of this quest.

>>27199665
Check out the mystery door at the basement, that's where all the goodies are. Or mutants.

>>27199665
<Basement. Inconsistent topography, maybe there's a treasure room or something?>

>>27199665
Check out that basement door to nowhere.

>>27199665
Try to focus that tingling magic sense thing, and get a vague directional heading on that magic item.

>>27199665

<That doesn't sound good, Let's see if this key fits our mystery door.>

that door may be connected to the temple, just a hunch though.

>>27199724
>Probably because of the several-month haitus I took before starting this one, and the fact that I'm running this only every other day, sometimes less.

<There's a door in the basement that doesn't lead anywhere.> You say, and point it out on the map. <That might be where all the treasure is. Or mutants. Let's see if that key fits it.>
<That sounds good.> Mal says. <Unless it's the mutants, of course.>
The two of you walk back up the stairs and out of the record room. You follow the map through dusty halls, and turn to one of the windows.
Outside are dozens of degenerated remnants, the small mutated creatures gibbering and loping around. They're surrounding a massive, powerful Remnant- a creature with four paws instead of arms and legs- like an enormous dog, legs like tree trunks. One of the gibbering creatures pounce on it; the massive remnant roars, tearing the smaller one off with a paw and biting down on it.
<Let's not fight that guy.> Mal says. You nod and continue walking, ignoring the fight outside.

Eventually, you find your way down to the basement, the walls and floor completely smooth, dust piling up. Rats squeak and run away when you come near, making their way into their holes. You approach the location where the door should be...
And it's nothing but a smooth wall. The tingling in your spine grows stronger, more powerful. You can feel something on the other side...
You push at the stone, but it doesn't budge a single inch.
<Give me that key.> You say. Mal hands it to you, and you press it against the stone.
With a spark, the stone warms... and melts to each side, a path growing out of nothingness.

Stairs downward are in front of you. It's dark, darker than the record room before, and the air inside is stale- like it hadn't seen fresh air in years.
<Seems like there are a lot of stairs leading into darkness in this country, doesn't it?> Mal asks.

>>27199914
"It's a Kystaran thing, gloomy basements were in vogue before the Wall. I know this because I once found old Kystaran interior design magazines."

>>27199914
<They sure liked to make things complicated. Hidden hallways, prison portals, insane creatures, ghosts. This place really does have it all.>

>>27199914
Do we have tape or anything like a bit of cloth? Affixing the electro-torch to our steam rifle barrel might be a good idea.

>>27199914

<well, we can either head back now or see what is down here and I'm pretty damn curious. First sign of trouble we're out of here though, we need these papers translated.>

>Your steamsling is actually closer to a pistol than anything. It has a spectacularly short barrel.

<They sure liked to make things complicated.> You grumble, and start to walk down. <Hidden hallways, prison portals, insane creatures, ghosts...>
<... I don't like ghosts.> Mal says, quietly.
The two of you continue down the winding stairs. Your spine tingles more and more- and when you take one step, your gut twists. You leap back, mostly on instinct, and a blast of *something* tears out of the wall to your right. It barrels in front of you, the blue energy splashing against the opposite wall.

You'd just barely dodged getting hit by that.

The wall smoulders, the blast having gouged and superheated a it.

<... Traps.> Mal says. <We'll have to be careful.>

>If you don't turn back, you'll have to roll 1d100 Trap Evasion!

Rolled 41

>>27200045
<Take the heavy stuff, then I'll lead. Stay a couple meters behind me, okay?>

>>27200045
How about we don't risk the INCREDIBLY INVALUABLE, IRREPLACEABLE RECORDS with traps? I vote for turning back.

Rolled 34

>>27200045

it's to risky to take the papers, stash them where we'll have easy access and away from the vermin.

rolling for trap evasion.

>>27200086
Yeah, let's head back. We'll come back some other day when we actually know Kystaran.

Rolled 20

>>27200045
Evadin' and spelunkin' all day erry day

>>27200045
>>27200097

Exa, what is your policy on changing vote if you have a roll stuck to your post?

In hindsight it is pretty stupid to take these with us in to a trap invested hallway.

>>27200155
>Well, while I'd normally frown on people changing their vote if they rolled badly, I'm fine if someone wants to change their vote. Their roll will still count, though.

<It's too risky.> You say. <These records are too important.>
<Good point...> Mal says, and sighs.
Carefully, the two of you make your way back up the steps, through the basement, and back into the main hall. Carefully, Malchak leans over to the window and peers out.
<Looks like that big thing is still fighting the smaller ones. Two of the golems are completely trashed.>
He turns to you, and Steve behind you. <What's the plan? We just going to run, or have Steve fly us? The latter will be really slow, though.>

>>27200183
We run for it.

>>27200183
<Load Steve with the heavy stuff, then we bolt.>

>>27200183

<better safe than sorry, we'll have Steve put some distance between us and that... thing. and then leg it the rest of the way.>

we should remember to pick up the golem cores when we come back.

<Let's load Steve up with the records, and then we bolt.>
<Alright. Sounds good.> he says, and slings the bundle off of his back. You sling your own off, and the two of you give them to Steve. The four-winged remnant takes each bundle in each hand, wrapping them around his wrists.
<You ready?> You ask him. Mal shoots you a grin.
<Of course I am. I'm faster than you, anyway.> He says.
You grumble, pocket your torch, and sling your spear onto your back.

And then you give Steve his orders. He bolts out of the door, and quickly takes to the air, pushing himself into the sky.
You and Malchak follow, bolting out of the doors. The one remaining golem buzzes at you, warning you away, so you run right past it. The two of you sprint, weaving around the mutated, twisted remnants.

The enormous one in front of you pauses, stops eating the others... And turns to you. Mal sprints right past it. He's right- he is faster than you.
You try to follow him, but the enormous, animal-like remnant rears back on its hind legs, paws slamming down toward you...

>Roll 1d100 Escape! Mediocre skill, Medium difficulty!

Rolled 97

>>27200324

dodge.

Rolled 95

>>27200324

Rolled 36

>>27200324
See if we can tap it with the gauntlet as we pass by.
I bet that guy in the noble district sent it.

>DC: 50. Overwhelming success!
>No seriously, you almost doubled the DC with a result of 96.

You roll barely out of the way of the remnant's paw, and spring to your feet, sprinting past.

It chases you. Roaring and howling, the remnant twists to follow you, loping along just as you sprint. The creature's almost three times taller than you, padding along on four tree-trunk-like legs, easily dextrous and agile enough to follow you as you sprint down the street. Ahead of you, Mal runs. You slowly start to catch up to him, following him toward the gates. No matter how fast you go, the hound-like remnant follows, roaring and trying to claw at you.

In front of you, Mal slides through the gate... And a clever idea comes to you.
You sprint along the street, approaching the gate to the Entrance District. The Remnant continues to chase you, slowly catching up...
And then you slide right past the pillar. The Remnant, unable to dodge the pillar, slams straight into it.
And slides right through, smashing the earthen pillar to gravel.
With nothing supporting the portcullus anymore... it falls. Slamming into the Remnant, the gate slamming downward and pinning the remnant there. It howls, smoke drifting from the points where the gate tore into it, and struggles, trying to back out- and then trying to push forward, failing.
As you watch, the Remnant gets more and more sluggish, before finally going still, the red light in its eyes dimming.

And then, before it dies completely, you give it a touch with your gauntlet.

>Hound Remnant. Large.
>Created by 'Failure'
>High degredation.

Mal tilts his head.
<... That was awesome.> He says, finally.

>>27200544
Shall we leave now?

>>27200544
<Yeah. Powerslides are always cool.>

>>27200544

<would have been perfect if I could identify this things creator. lets get the hell out of here.>

is Steve following us in the sky?

<Yeah.> You say, thinking. When you used the glove, you didn't get a screech like normal. Could that mean that the creator's name is 'failure'?
You look to the sky, and Steve flaps his wings above your head, following you.
<Let's get out of here.> you say.
<Alright.> Mal says. <Still a pity that we didn't get much treasure, though...>

He starts sighing, and the two of you start to walk. When you look into the alleyways, expecting there to be remnants, you see nothing. No red eyes, no gibbering, no shadowy twisted creatures are lurking in the darkness. You peer into an alleyway, and only one Remnant sits there, one of its arms too weak to do much. It gibbers at you, and lopes away into the shadows.
<Looks like they all followed us into the Heart district.> Mal says. <Which means that they're not in this district anymore. Pretty good news, bro.>

Then he seems to realize something. <Hey! That means we could search more of this district for treasure! Since it's less dangerous now. I mean, if we stay an extra day, we'll be able to get a bunch more loot.>

>>27200750
Why not, finding new runes is why we're here in the first place.

>>27200750
<Sounds like a plan. Let's find a nice, out of the way place as our campsite.>

>>27200750
<Let's do it! I've had enough of crazy wizards and underground caverns.>

>>27200750

<And since we closed the gate they can't get out! we'll have to stay in the gate house again though.>

if all goes well we won't have any/much resistance.

>>27200750
great plan lets get to it

<Sounds like a plan.> you say. <I've had enough of crazy wizards and underground caverns, anyway.>
<We'll finally have a use for the rations I've been carrying around for the past week, too.> He says. Let's go.

Time passes. The sun, which was once overhead at noon, slowly moves across the sky until sunset. The entrance district is, as far as you can tell, entirely safe. You've checked every building you've come across, marking each one you emptied of treasure. Mal finds a wagon somewhere, and the two of you have Steve pull it along, using it to load up everything you find. For the most part, it's not much- stone statues, paintings, and quite a few silver and gold instruments. The coins you get are many in number, but they're all small and corroded. House after house after tower after house you search, picking up what you can. Time passes by, and eventually you find yourself sitting outside of the gatehouse, eating rubbery rations next to Mal. Orange light is cast upon both of you, as you stare at your ever-lengthening shadows.
<You find any runes?> You ask.
<Only this one.> He says, holding up a crumbling rune. You'd be surprised if it worked even once, but it has a symbol on it you can't quite recognize. It looks similar to the writing on Steve's command list- specifically the orders where you tell him to move. <How about you?>
<Didn't find anything.> You say, and look back at the pile of bags in the small wagon. <Most of this is probably worthless.>
<The heavy stuff probably is. Too heavy to find a buyer, I mean. The silver and gold is the real good stuff.> He says. <I figure we'll each get a thousand coins from this.>

>>27200994
<Better than nothing. You figure it's safer to head back to town now or wait till the morning?>

>>27200994
Are rations are rubbery? What the hell Mal packed in them? Also, look for trinkets to bring back to blacksmith's daughter, turnips for the dragon.

>>27200994
Let's return to the village.

>>27200994

<I'm eager to get this back to the village but we'll never make it before dark.>

Not sure how many more of those large beast Remnants are out there but getting out of the city as soon as possible might be best.

<Let's head back.> You say.
<Sure.> Mal responds.
You turn to Steve, and order him to pull you along the road. Steve turns, and walking on his legs and wings, starts to pull the wagon. The two of you sit, and eat.
<What the hell have you packed in these?> You ask, holding up some of your rations. They sag pitifully.
<Tierna meat's good, bro.> He says, and takes a bite. of his own <I don't see the problem.>
<They're *trees*, Mal.> You say, and sigh. Gardia has always had the strangest flora and fauna. You'd almost expect them to be mutants.
<It's still meat.> He says. <The natural philosophers back home says that tierna seeds are technically animals before they plant themselves.>
You sigh. The rations are too sweet for you, and taste almost like sap. Your meal done, you dig through the bags, searching for anything useful. You don't find any turnips for Bruno anywhere, you you do find a particularly intricate pendant, a blue gem set into the front. You hold it up and look at it, examining it for any glyphs... But there's nothing. It's not even slightly magical. If it were lelan, you're sure this pendant would be a noblewoman's necklace, there to show off her status. But here, you suppose it's just a trinket.
<What, you want to give that to someone?> Mal asks, sitting on one of the coin-filled bags. The wagon jumped as Steve stumbled over a rock, but you relax. It's less exhausting than walking, after all. <I found it, but go ahead and take it if you want.>

>>27201222
<I was thinking of giving it to the little girl.>

>>27201222

<Ann might like it, think of it as a thank you for teaching us Kystaran.>

>on a totally different note, how old is Miriam?

>>27201284
>Miriam looks older than you- she's either in her mid-thirties or older.

<Ann might like it.> You say. <Think of it as a thank you for teaching us Kystaran.>
<Sounds good.> He says. <But I'm pretty bad with languages. My old commander tried teaching me Lelan. It didn't go very well. I might skip out on it if she teaches you.>
<Fair enough.> You say, and close your eyes.

By the time you open them, the last vestiges of sun are on the horizon, slowly fading, and the village sits in front of you. Mal is snoring loudly, arm covering his face, and Steve is still chugging along. You order him to stop. Dalton is still working on the forge, but Cromwell doesn't seem to be in his tower- there's no light on inside. The tavern is full of multiple people, it looks, so you peek in one of the windows.
Cromwell is eating, leaning back, and talking to Ann. Miriam, in the back, cooks. Someone tells a joke, and everyone laughs.
Finally, Miriam notices you, and gives you a wave. You walk into the tavern.
"Hey, stranger." She says. "You find anything good?"
You look back to the wagon filled with stuff that could be seen as 'good'.
"I suppose." You say. Mal snores, and curls up.

>>27201400
"TWO PITCHERS OF YOUR FINEST ALE, BAR WENCH."

>>27201400

"We managed to get a pretty good haul, lots of silver and gold, I think neither Mal or me will have any problems paying for our stay here."

>not sure if we should ask her about her following Titan, I'm pretty curious how much it has to do with her being on the run, our assignment from before likely had quite an impact on her situation.
>I won't vote against asking though.

>>27201400
"No injuries, doc."

"We managed to get a pretty good haul." You say, and take a seat. "No injuries, either. Neither of us will have any problem paying for our stay."
"Well, you're not paying for your stay anyway." Miriam says.
"Why is that?" Cromwell asks.
"Uh..." Miriam pauses, unsure how to explain E.E's involvement. "Because someone else is paying for his stay."
Ann squints at her, and then turns to you... and back to her.
Then her cheeks go bright red.
"Ah, that makes sense." Cromwell says. He upends his glass.

>Is there anyone you want to talk to or anything you want to do before sleeping?

>>27201595
Yes, actually. Let's ditch the gauntlet the noble guy gave us, then go see the wizard woman in the temple, and ask if she knows why a creepy fucking ghost that wants to bite on our live heart is haunting us.

>>27201595

go over to Cromwell "You're looking a lot better than when we left, I have some good news, if everything goes smoothly with Ann teaching me, I won't be asking you to translate so much stuff for me!"

>I forgot but we had one of those fancy golem cores from the heart district?
>going to check that now.

turn to Ann

"You look a little red, is everything alright?"

>>27201698

>yep we have one core from one of those metal ones.
>we can give that to Cromwell.

"You're looking a lot better than when we left." You say, nodding to Cromwell.
"I got some sleep."
"And I have some good news. If everything goes smoothly with Ann teaching me Kystaran, I won't be asking you to translate so much stuff for me!"
"That'd be good." He says, and shoots you a grin. "I'm too busy to spend my time translating a lot. I'm not even very fluent in kystaran regardless. Ann's much better than I am."
You pull out the core that Mal had taken from a golem yesterday, and drop it in his hands.
"Splendid!" He says. "Now I'll have three of them! Come to think of it... Maybe you could control wild ones in the field if I have time to teach you."
He pulls out a small glass eyepiece, and uses it to examine the crystal. You turn to Ann.
"You look a little red. Everything alright?"
"Uh, yeah." She says. "How was your trip to the city? Find anything you need me to translate or something?"

>>27201864
"A few things, when you have time."

>>27201864

"A few things, if you can teach me sometime soon i won't bother you with the documents we were forced to leave behind. There were a lot."

>should we give her the pendant now or after she teaches us?

>we'll have more money than we could possibly need if everything goes well.

"A few things, when you have the time." You say, and spend a while explaining about all the papers you'd found. "If you can teach me sometime soon, I won't bother you with the documents we were forced to leave behind. There were a lot."
"I can do that." She says, and nods. "As for teaching, I can try, I guess."
Then she yawns.
"Tomorrow. It's late, and dad will get upset if I stay out too late."
"Take care on your way home." Miriam says.
"I will. I'll have Bruno to protect me anyway."

Ann waves and heads toward the smithy. You lean back, and close your eyes.
"This is pretty complex." Cromwell says, looking down at the crystal. "More complex than the other two. Maybe there are different grades of golems..."
He got to his feet, and left without saying another word. Miriam just shrugs, and starts to clean up after the two.
"You need anything?" She asks you.

>>27202149
"A stiff drink would be nice."

>>27202149

"something to drink and then I'll head up for some rest, I'm not sure moving Mal is a good idea so if I can have a blanket to cover him with that would be much appreciated."

"A stiff drink would be nice." You say. "And then I'll head up for some rest. I'm not sure moving Mal is a good idea, so if there's a blanket I can cover him with, that would be much appreciated."
"I'll take care of that." She says, and pours you a mug of something. She slides it to you. "Take care, stranger."
You nod, sit back, and start to drink.

===
This is a dream of the past.
E.E is a terrifying man.
Broad shouldered, pale haired, with the most daring, ecstatic grimace you've ever seen. His hair is everywhere, almost spiked outward.
You're covered in blood. It isn't your own.
"Well, partner!" E.E said, and shot you a grin. His own dual pushblades were still dripping with the blood of the cultists around you. "That was a bit too easy, don't you think?"
"I... uh." You said, fighting down bile.
"Yeah, you need a bit of a break!" He said, grinning like a madman. "I know the mission profile was about avoiding getting caught and all.. But after I tripped the alarm, it might just be faster to kill 'em all, right? Don't worry."
He leans forward. "I'll take care of this, dear partner."
And then the most human monster you've ever seen shot out into the hallway, singing.
===

You open your eyes, jerking yourself upward. You're laying in your bed, and your head is buzzing.
You remember that you have quite a few things to do in town today... But what should you do first?
>[] Go talk to Ann. Maybe she'll teach us, or translate for us.
>[] Go talk to Cromwell. He does have those golems he talked about...
>[] Dalton's been working pretty hard on something.
>[] Let's see what Miriam's doing, shall we?
>[] Mal should be somewhere around here...
>[] Other?

>>27202416
[x] Ann

Finding out about our mother would be cool.

>>27202416
>>[] Go talk to Ann. Maybe she'll teach us, or translate for us.

>>27202416

>[] Go talk to Ann. Maybe she'll teach us, or translate for us.

grabs something easy to eat on the way down and out.

this has high priority, after that, the golems.

>so it is likely that we may not have been the one to butcher the cultists, which makes sense.
>also, E.E is scary as hell.

After cleaning up and eating the breakfast Miriam had apparently made for you sometime earlier this morning, you head outside. The sky is rather overcast, sunlight filtering through the thin spots in the cloud, and one such beam is currently illuminating that clearing from earlier, where Ann had been practicing with runes. You head that way, completely arbitrarily, and you're unsurprised when you find the girl there.

Bruno, surprisingly, is nowhere to be found. She's sitting on one of the earthen pillars she'd created a few days ago, and has a book in her hands.
It's the Kystaran book that you once gave to Cromwell. Ann doesn't even seem to notice you, completely engrossed.

>>27202579
So, where's Bruno?

>>27202579
"Ahoy, child!"
Give her the pages with our mothers name on it.
"Think you could read these pages for me?"

>>27202579
"That book any good?"

"Ahoy, child!" You say, and wave. She jumps and slams the book shut.
"How'd you find me here?" She asks.
"You were here before, so..." You trail off.
She frowns at you.
"That book any good?"
"It's mostly someone talking about trying to use runes in ways they shouldn't work. Isaac told me that this is where he got the idea to use runes without having the runes, like I showed you. I'm not learning anything new, though."
"Think you could read these pages for me?" You ask, holding up the papers with your mother's name on them.
"Uh... sure." She says. She puts her book to the side, and you hand her the pages.
She starts to read.

"It's about a woman on trial. For treason, apparently" She says. "And... she has a baby, apparently."
You blink.
"Pellas, and her son, Strelok." she says. "In the transcript, they're all arguing. Some people say she should be put to death for... some reason, they don't say, and other people think she should be exiled instead, because nobody else wants to take the kid. It's just arguing... And that's the last page."

>>27202813
"Pellas? Thank you, thank you."

>>27202813
Eh I dunno what to do now. Can she teach us some more Kystaran?

>>27202813
"Did I ever tell you what my name was when I was drunk?"

>>27200994
>specifically the orders where you tell him to move.
Force rune? Could be useful.

>>27202813
"Thank you Ann, this means a lot to me."

"You'll probably be more interested in the other papers. They're about the history of this place near its downfall."

"Did I ever tell you what my name was, when I was drunk?" You ask.
"Huh? No, why do you..."
She looks down to the paper. Then looks up at you.
"... So your name is..."
You shrug. "Thank you, Ann. This means a lot to me."
"Uh... you're welcome."
"Any chance you could teach me some more Kystaran?"
"I guess I could." She says. Then she starts to think. "Uh, the important part to remember in Kystaran is that they have different ways of writing. One way for traditional formal talk, another way for casual things, and a third way for, uh, when you're writing numbers and dates and stuff."
===
And then she started to teach. You guess a normal person would have some trouble with the way her explanations bounce around, but a lot of it seems to make sense- like you'd all but forgotten it in the past.
"A lot of kystaran words are complicated, and you have to learn all the symbols one at a time." She says. "When they're written down, I mean. I think there are dictionaries for those kinds of things somewhere else in the country. I remember Isaac talking about them..."
===
Eventually, the morning is gone, and it's a few hours past noon. Emptying your waterskin, Ann wipes off her mouth and frowns.
"I don't know how to explain the next part." She says, and sighs. Then she tries another phrase. <We've been at this for hours, though.> This one, you can understand.
<Yes.> You say. <We have.>
She shoots you a grin and a thumbs-up. <Should we take a break? Talk as ****?>
"What was that word? That last one."
"Like, exercise and practice and doing the same thing over and over again. It also means to do really repetitive work, not just improve yourself."

>>27202813
Clearly, we need to acquire the rest of this transcript.

After, you know, we learn to read Kystaran ourself.

>>27203189
Training?

Sounds good.

Hey, we found a nice little trinket in the ruins, if you think it's pretty you can have it, as thanks for all of this.

>>27203189
<Let's take a break for now. I'm going to find Mal.>

<Training?> you ask, trying out the word. <Sounds good.>
Then you reach into your bag.
<We found a nice little... uh... trinket in the ruins.> You say, and pull out the pendant. <If you think it's pretty, you can have it, as thanks for all this.>
She stares at it, eyes wide.
<It is pretty!> She says, and smiles widely. <I like it!>
You drop it into her palms, and she shoots you the same beaming smile, before holding it up. It glints in the sun, and she giggles.
"I like it." She says, in lelan.
"Let's-"
You pause.
<Let's take a break for now. I'm going to find Mal.>
<Alright!> She says, and looks at the pendant again. <Take care! And thank you! It's really pretty!>
You wave, and head off, back toward the village.

You find Mal, surprisingly, rubbing Bruno's belly. The dragon squeaks happily, and bites into the pile of weeds Mal had collected for him.
<Hey, bro.> He says. <Did you know that a pile of loot isn't actually a very comfortable bed?>

>>27203612
I suppose it's true when they say the route to happiness isn't via a bed of money.

Have you counted up what we've got?

Do you want to head back into the city tomorrow, or should we take a day off and sit on our loot?

As an aside, we really need to find a big stick to trigger traps with.

>>27203612
<I can't say I did, but now I do.>

<Anything you want to do today? Raid ruins? Fight some ghosts?>

<Can't say I did, but now I do.> You say. <Have you counted up what we've got?>
<No, not yet. But my back did, certainly. I can still feel them.> He stretches, his back creaking and cracking.
<Anything you want to do today? Raid ruins? Fight some ghosts?>
He frowns.
<I don't like ghosts.> He says. <They aren't real anyway. Even with magic. I know that much. But anyway, we have treasure, and we're waiting for someone to translate all that paper we got in the town hall.> He says. <We might as well relax. We have an entire district's treasure with us. When the caravan comes back in a few days, we'll be able to sell it all. We don't even need to do anything until then.>
Then he meets your eyes.
<Though you still have your job, I'm pretty much set for now.> He says. <I might take a nap today.>

>>27203803
Right. You nap on your loot then and I'll go and spend mine at the bar.

>>27203803
<A nap sounds like a good idea, to be honest.>

Welp I'm lost on what to do. Unless we want to head back to the town hall on Steve.

>>27203931
We chill, obviously. When was the last time we had a nice picnic, for instance? Let's invite Miriam for a date.

>>27203984
It begins.

<A nap sounds like a good idea, to be honest.> You say.
<I mean, I also have to reread my sister's letter for codes.> He says. <And that takes forever. How good are you at decoding? Your galdian sounds good, so maybe we could bash our heads together.>
<... Decoding?> You ask.
<Yeah. She's living in Cerada's palace. The chieftan's a dick. But she's sneaking out information for me to send on. You have to rearrange the first letter of every word until it make sense.>

>>27204157
<Codebreaking session, sounds great!>

>>27204157
Is this information I should know about?
Sure, I'll do it.

>>27204157
Help him for a bit, then walk the dragon. The little fatso needs exercise. Try to learn a music instrument in the evening, then muse over your dead girl.

<Is this information I should know about?>
<Probably not.> He says. <But I might hire you one of these days to help me take care of that assfuck.>
<A chieftan?> You ask- they're the closest things to rulers Galdia has- chiefs who own entire kingdoms of their own, palaces springing all over the land. <That's pretty big.>
<Eh, I'll ask later.> He says. <Mind helping me anyway?>
<Sure. A codebreaking session sounds great!> You say.

And then the two of you get to work.
Absentmindedly, you plan to do things with the rest of your day. Walk Bruno, practice with one of the flutes you found yesterday in town, and then.. And then you'll reminisce.
About the past. Again.

>End of session!
>My twitter is at @futureexabyte
>The IRC is #Exabyte on Rizon.
>Sorry for the short and slow posts lately, as well as skipping more days than I should.

>>27204372
All good, thanks for running.

>>27204372
How big is our steamsling by the way?

>>27205461
The steamsling is actually rather small. It's much smaller than a modern handgun, and has no barrel to speak of. It fits around your entire hand if you grip it right. It does have a large, buckler-sized plate of brass shielding to protect the pressure tank, though. You can also use it to deflect attacks.

>>27205521
Could you mock up a 3d model of it?

>>27205600
I plan to, eventually. Maybe next thread I'll have one ready.