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>"Hold out your arms to the side and stand up!" you shout. "Try anything funny and I run you through!"

>The figure coughs violently and leans on his... sword(?) before doing just as you instructed. Slowly, he raises his head, revealing a face that you've seen before.

>"...Leopold!?" you gasp.
>"H- hey, buddy..." the Knight of Marconetti says, waving to you with a bloody hand. "Fancy meeting you here..."

>You stand there stunned as he falls face-first onto the ground.


A million things rush through your head at once. What the hell happened to get Leopold as injured as he is now, how the hell did he even get all the way out here, did whatever the hell did this to him follow him out here...

...but the most important thing to do at this exact moment is to get this man off the ground and see to his injuries.


>use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help
>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you

>>38096747
Time to pretend the VN will happen.

Even though we all know it won't.

>>38096765
DAMMIT! Four seconds off!

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>>38096767

>>38096747
Awwwwww yis!

>>38096765
>use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help

At least for the basic things; this shouldn't take much more than 15 seconds to do. We can get more advanced help later.

>>38096765
Heal him While calling for the others. We're not retarded. Probably.

>>38096765
>Yell for someone in the carriage to put up a sanctuary spell (assuming we still have a scroll on us)
>use healing grace on him, we don't want to draw Mari, Karel or Emilio into the open right now

>>38096765
>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you
emilio?
we should probably sanctuarize his ass, yeah

>>38096765
>>use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help
Marianne and Emilio should stay in the carriage.

>>38096765
>>38096910
This

>>38096767
I'm not pretending, just hoping.

>>38096765
>check his injuries quickly, then use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help

Isn't it one of those spells where you need to hold bones in place for them to heal properly? Not saying he has any ribs fractured, but it'll help to know what's life threatening and what can healed on the way back to the castle.

>>38096765
>use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help
This first, THEN
>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you

>>38096765
>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you

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>>38096747
I want to impregnate Nicolette!

>>38096765
>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you
Remember the speech on the healing wounds will make them permanent?

>>38096978
A sanctuary would be premature. We don't know if there's hostiles anywhere near.

or if it's a trap

>>38097137
Damn it anon stop thinking with your dick! We got a dying man here and all you can think about is screwing?

>>38097137
Woo woo you gotta marry that girl first. Calm your tits.

>>38097137
arch said she wouldn't enjoy pregnancy

Why would you hurt her like that?

>>38097162
Well, lets hope we can stop him from bleeding out on us.

>>38096765
>[OTHER]
Call Emilio to come out and have Karel stay inside to 'protect' Marianne. I think Emilio has better healing than us but it would be a bad-ish idea to let Karel see Leopold like this. (I think).

Does this mean Sir Asia Minor is dead already?

>>38096765
>>call one of the others from the carriage, you're pretty sure that they know more healing magic than you
Regardless of who, remember to not shout their real name

This is a tricky one..our sword seemed suspicious of him, at least. This could very well be a trap..

Healing him could harm him, which is bad if he is on our side. On the other hand, crippling your enemy with ineptitude is hilariously efficient.

Calling for our friends is a bad idea as a whole, since that means exposing one of three royals to harm. All three at once if we call on Karel, because then Mari and Emil are unguarded.

>>38096765
>Use Healing Grace - Tell everyone else to stay in the carriage. Anyone we can order to run to the castle?

>>38097274

I would ask to see if the sword senses anyone else nearby.

>>38097291
Can we even interact with Tina like that?

>>38096765
>>use healing grace on him, maybe that'll help

>>38097291
>>38097274
Agree with this. Let's not ignore the warning. We should also take care to watch Leopold as a potential trap, either witting or not.

>>38097309
To a degree, I believe.

>>38097137
Getting a bit creep there, Anon.

>>38097291
May as well give this a shot. Can't hurt to try.

>>38097291
Sounds reasonable

>>38097291
Eh, let's add this too.

>writing

How hot are your shadowruns going, /pgq/? Will any ofthe last reveals be shown this thread?

>>38097746
Leopold showing up here of all places seems kinda weird.

>>38097772
He's not wearing a slave collar or anything, right?

>>38097832
The palace isn't burning in the distance, I hope.

>>38097772
Yeah, that's one reason I'm so hesitant to bring everyone out to heal. What are the odds that he'd arrive: 1) In the evening; 2) Right in the path of a royal carriage; 3) In Granache in the first place. If he is coming with terrible news that could not come by pigeon or something; if he got badly injured by chance; all I can think is there must be SOMEWHERE else he should have gone first like a guard barracks or something.

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You start towards Leopold, but find yourself freezing in place as suspicion fills your mind. What if this is a trap? What if there's an entire caravan of soldiers hiding -just- out of sight and waiting for the perfect time to ambush you?

Though it may seem farfetched, Marianne's in that carriage, as well as Karel and Emilio as well. There's no time to be making mistakes when it comes to their safety. Keeping this in mind, you look at the sword that you have gripped in your hand...

"Hey sword," you call out. You can hear me, right?"

No response.

"...well if you can, I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me if there's anyone else in this area aside from us."

Can it even understand you? Though it was talking to you just a few minutes ago, you've never had any indication that it can actually understand what you say back to it...


>[1/?]

>>38097832
Kinky

>>38097896
Reinhold's first response to a dying friend falling at our feet is to talk to our sword.

I find this funny.

>>38097896
Great now we're like Monquie but more crazy since our sword can't talk back.

>>38097948
...well he's more like an acquaintance, really...

>>38097964
..I find that robotic logic to be hilariously Shirou-like.

'He's an acquaintance. I can spare some time since he's not likely to die right away.'

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>>38097999

>>38097896
>reinholdcasual
It's not fair to put him on the same level as Cecile, anime doesn't even exist in this setting

>>38098045
Honestly it's not fair and kinda mean to put anyone on the same level as Cecile.

>>38097999
>he's not likely to die right away.'
So how many death flags did we hit this guy with exactly?

>>38098103
Dunno, didn't Karel have the implied hots for him?

>>38098119
100% sure yes.

>>38098119
The danger is NTR, calling it now.

>>38097896
>[2/2]

<no>

<nobody close to see>

"...great," you say, breathing a sigh of relief. Since this thing actually responded to you, you're only -as- crazy as Monique is for talking to it instead of crazier.

The question of you stopping to see whether or not it's safe to see about Leopold's injuries is an entirely different matter, but you've always been to place the wellbeing of your loved ones over a casual acquaintance. And since you -did- get the go-ahead, you hurry over to Leopold's side without further hesitation and carefully roll him over onto his back.

Upon first glance, you can see bleeding coming from his right atm and his chest...


>what should you do now?

>>38098103
>>38098119
>>38098130
Dead as a doornail no matter what we do then. We can spare the time.

>>38097948
Ambushers: "This is so not going according to plan."

>>38098147
Heal the arm, check chest for broken bones and reset them before healing.

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>>38098147
><no>
><nobody close to see>

She responded to us!

>>38098147
Let's go with >>38098183

>>38098147
Heal the chest wound, ask him what happened, and what he's doing here.

>>38098153
"Why is he laughing all of a sudden? Wait, okay, he's starting to heal him now.. Phew, I thought this was all going to go south-- Oh god, why is he screaming? What the hell, our guy's bones are sticking out of his arm!"

>>38098147
healing grace sounds like a good plan, we can probably heal his arm (and stop the bleeding), at least

>>38098147
>Heal chest, with scrolls if we have it

>>38097746
I'll assume that it takes ~1-2 days for a letter to be drafted and carrier pigeon to deliver, and it was a 1-day carriage ride in. It's not unlikely that this was a deliberate attempt by the masked man to get Granache into the game.

From what we know thus far I'm assuming that Ancollota is supplying this masked man who has inside connections the manpower to throw off or undermine the nearby countries.

This would be far too convenient because it's also stated that the rogue slave state really enjoys remaining a country and provoking the two strongest military powers at once isn't an excellent way to stay alive.

The coincidence of the sea serpent attacks and salamanders should also be looked at. If the attack was deliberate it lacked the force to leave any form of lasting damage. It was either a blunder or a distracting shot. By making an illusion of power, and in fact by demonstrating that he knows where Celestino's kids are, the masked man shows absurd connections to the military and nobility of Granache and Marconetti.

From this, I conclude that the only people with such connections are Marianne's ex-bodyguard, One of Celestino's older children, or perhaps an unnamed rival of Celestino/Arnaud.
My personal inclination is that it's the bodyguard with some backing from one of Celestino's kids since the bodyguard came across a lot of cash and the majority of the kidnappers where hired mercenaries. The ties with Ancolotta are easy enough to make since they're desperate.

>>38098147
>Double check for anything obvious like a slave collar.
>Initiate first aid healing on chest since that is probably the critical issue.
>Any NPCs nearby aside from driver we can send to call for medics / guards (just to be safe)? If so, order them to go do it.
>If healing will not go well and he is likely to die otherwise, get whoever is best from carriage but remain on high alert against Leo and anyone else. Listen to sword.

>>38098183
>>38098183
This

>>38098186
Tina best girl

>>38098210
... man, Celestino would ask you to hook up with one of his daughters. Nice shadowruns.

>>38098147
How much distance is there between where we are now and the castle?

Plausibly, if we had to, could we Tailwind our way there after dropping a Sanctuary on the carriage?

>>38098186
>Ask her "What was danger ahead?" then.

>>38098147
><no>
><nobody close to see>
Doesn't strictly rule out that Leopold himself is boobytrapped...

Healing Grace will just close up the bleeding wounds but won't do anything for bones/deep tissue damage. I say we cut the sleeves off our jacket and tie them around the cut areas.

>>38098261
Hopefully sword is not such a stickler for terms. If so, we should make sure to never attack the "closest guy."

>>38098210
>One of Celestino's older children
I always want to put the blame on dem cunts, considering they're among the most unlikeable characters in the setting, but Archelon probably wouldn't do something obvious like that. I don't think.

>>38098261
I'm going to be seriously amused if we let Leopold bleed out from perceived, possible dangers.

>>38098147
Try to keep him from bleeding out!

>>38098147
>healing grace
>give brief and non-descriptive information to the rest of the group about the situation without name-dropping as to avoid panic.

>>38098283
>I'm going to be seriously amused if we let Leopold bleed out from perceived, possible dangers.

His fault for being so suspicious looking man.

So what level of intelligence does Tina have?

>>38098147
Heal him as best we can

>>38098147
do some minor healing, get him on the carriage (keep him outside with the driver just in case it is a trap) and head as fast as possible to the castle or the Migault house (i think we were heading there anyway). Whichever is closest since both are probably protected from attack.

We need to get leopold help but we also need to make sure that the royals are safe. This might be the beginning of a bigger attack or a trap so we should be very cautious.

>>38098283
>I always want to put the blame on dem cunts, considering they're among the most unlikeable characters in the setting, but Archelon probably wouldn't do something obvious like that. I don't think.
Do you even remember the backstory of how Celestino took the throne? That family's got some batshit backstabbery in its very recent history.

>>38098306
GM: What do you do now?

Leopold PC: I keep running towards the castle, I have to get this information in and can't wait to get treatment.

GM: As you head towards the castle, you see a royal carriage. You can see Reinhold and some of the royals, including Prince Emilio, through the window.

LPC: Change of plans, I run over and alert them! Emilio knows healing spells and can give me emergency treatment too. Two birds with one stone!

GM: The carriage driver yells at you to get out of the road, but eventually Reinhold gets out. *Rolls* You collapse from blood loss.

LPC: I introduce myself with my last breath.

GM: Reinhold starts talking to his sword while looking around suspiciously. He doesn't call anyone but, after listening to the air for a bit, starts rudimentary healing. *Rolls* He doesn't do a very good job. You die of blood loss. Roll a new character.

>>38098358
Yeah, I recall. All the more reason the scream CUNT at them if/when they turn out to be behind it all.

>>38098397
>GM: As you head towards the castle, you see a royal carriage. You can see Reinhold and some of the royals, including Prince Emilio, through the window.

Just how ridiculously high is Leopold's Spot skill if he can recognize Mari and Emilio in disguise, plus that Karel is a royal?

I call railroading.

I assume the plan is to get Leopold on to the carriage and take him back to the castle with us, where he can looked over by medical professionals and checked for curses by qualified mages and relay the info he has to the relevant authorities.

I only ask because it hasn't been mentioned at all thus far.

>writing

>>38098421
Arch probably could have thought up a better hook for what's coming. Might be wrong.

>>38098440
That's what I'm going for, at least.

>>38098440
I think a few of us are concerned about getting him too close to targets until we make sure he is clear.

>>38098283
>I'm going to be seriously amused if we let Leopold bleed out from perceived, possible dangers.

And we only have those suspicions because of our telekinesis with our sword.

>Reinhold, why did you let this valued and trusted knight bleed to death in the middle of the road?
>Well, my sword told me tha-
>Get the fuck out of my palace!

>>38098456
How bad would it be if he was a traitor and Karel had to fight him?

>>38098456
Then we put him on the roof and sit with him.

>>38098456
Presumably any assassins hanging around have already seen us hop out of the carriage, run over to Leopold, and rubberneck wildly while talking to our sword. Any cover is already close to blown.

>>38098478
Not very bad, since he appears to be bleeding out all over the place and has a messed up chest and arm.

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>>38098517
>Assassins with bad intel see us talking to our sword
>They assume we must be Monique
>Therefore think they must have accidentally entered Marconetti instead of Granache
>Hop the border into Ancellotta, thinking it's Granache
>They assassinated the Ancellottan Royal family
>Conspiracy falls apart
>Ancellottan slaves liberated by Granache/Marconetti/Krassatto alliance
>Best end
>Thierri and Marianne's faces when

>>38098449
Incidentally, does our sword sound male or female? Like anyone we know?

Is anything like psychometry a thing in this setting where perhaps Volker might have left some imprint on death that the crystals "woke up?"

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>>38098576
OK, that was pretty great. Anon, you win this one.

>>38098606
It sounds ambiguously male, and unlike anyone else's voice.

>>38098606
Neither, I think. It's not really that we hear what it's saying, so much that we understand what it's trying to tell us.

...Or just go with what the turtle said while I was typing this up.

>>38098633
Interesting.

>>38098576
... I don't have anything appropriate in my reaction folder for this. Well done, Anon.

>>38098633
I assumed it was more empathic than actually talking.

>>38098633
>>38098673
I figured even if it was empathic we might be able to get a sense of how it would sound. And this lack of confirmation or denial on the psychometry and crystals makes me suspicious.

>>38098633
So there is no Tina, there is always Tom. Man, we got that one so wrong.

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>>38098633
>It sounds ambiguously male
It's Gregory ninja-ing behind us and whisper-shouting in a silly accent, isn't it...

>>38098706
Wait, 'ambiguously' male. What if our sword is a reverse trap and is actually a sheath? We should try and put another sword in it.

>>38098708
Fuck now I'm picturing all the scenes with us hearing the sword with Gregory hidden somewhere in that room.

>>38098789
>"Psst... Danger ahead!"
>"Oh my god! Are you my sword?! You can talk?!"
>"Uh, yeah, sure, whatever. Danger ahead."

>>38098708
Kek. I bet Aqua King is in on it.

>>38098700
It has an empathic link to Rein right
so why would it sound link anything?

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>>38098708
Damn it, I can see that happening.

>>38098813
We should leave Leopold to bleed out and check under the carriage for Gregory right now.

>>38098789
No I got it. Nicklaus didn't invent arty bracelets, he invented walkie-talkies and what we're hearing is actually him muttering stuff in his lab.

Unwilling to call for Emilio or Marianne to assist you in this, you do a quick reassessment of Leopold's injuries. After sheathing your sword, you reach over to where it seems like the part of his arm actually is injured...

...yeah, it looks broken.

You might not be any kind of doctor but you -do- know plenty about first aid, and so you will your bracelet into the shape of a knife with which to cut away at his sleeve.

"Geh..." you wince upon seeing just how bad shape Leopold's arm is in. Though it looks like a single clean fracture right between his elbow and shoulder, the degree of the break itself is... well, it's horrific.

But sitting here and gawking at it isn't going to help any, so you suck up those feelings of uneasiness and force the bones back into place as gently as you can.


>[1/?]

>>38098907
We killed him didn't we?

>>38099100
I blame the sword

>>38098907
WTF YO, call the better magic users in the carriage for heals...

>>38098907
>[2/2]

Once the bone is set, you rattle off the incantation for Healing Grace a few times until it looks like his arm's back to the way it should be. Fortunately, your casual whim of using the spell in such a fashion actually worked out for the best.

With his arm taken care of, you unfasten the heavily damaged plate armor that Leopold's wearing enough for you to get a clear view of his chest injury... from your untrained eye, it looks like he has some bruising and cracked ribs.

...and what looks like a sharp piece of flint that's embedded in his side. That looks especially painful.

After removing the stone shard and setting his ribs as best you can, you cast Healing Grace one last time. Surprisingly enough, he rolls over and starts coughing up blood once you do this.


>call out to him
>call out to one or more of your friends to help

>>38099114
>call out to him

>>38099114
>>call out to him

>>38099114
>>call out to him

>>38099114
>>call out to him

DON'T GO TO SLEEP

>>38099114
Jesus Christ who taught us first aid? Pulling shit out of wounds is almost always a *terrable* idea. My boy learned that the hard way when he pulled a chunk of metal out of his back and then bled through 22 liters of fluids, since the metal was plugging the artery it had severed.

>>38099114
>call out to him

>>38099158
Not when you have magic to heal wounds.

>>38099114

>call out to him

>>38099158
magic

>>38099158
>Jesus Christ who taught us first aid?
The military.

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>>38099158

>>38099114
>call out to him

>>38099158
>Jesus Christ who taught us first aid
Hallowed be thy name

>>38099158
omg is he okay?!

>>38099114
>call out to one or more of your friends to help
Shouldn't we call someone who actually knows how to heal?

Okay, Fdend is on hiatus, and I need more archelon.

Where's the newbie's guide to Guarded Princesses?

>>38099158
>bled through 22 liters of fluids
Unless your boy is an elephant that's much much more than should be possible

>>38099100
Well, treating an arm fracture before looking at the severity of a bleeding chest wound doesn't seem like good first aid practices, at the very least.

>>38099114
>>call out to him
Figure out what the deal is before we bring people out into the open. If what/whoever is responsible for roughing him up is likely to be incoming it'd be nice to know that as soon as possible.

>>38099158
I suspect it's different when there's magic involved, and army medics almost assuredly would've been issued basic healing magic scrolls (even the Boss had some in stock for intermediate/serious first aid purposes, so it's not terribly uncommon.)

>>38099254
There is a story summary linked in the OP.

>>38099254
The archives.
Have fun. I disappeared for two days during my time.

>>38099114
>Call for help at this point, only one though and go on guard.

>>38099254
story summary PDF in the OP

>>38099254
Just vote snark, that is all.

>>38099238
Karel doesn't know dick about magic and I doubt royal training includes triage. Out of all the people here we are probably the most knowledgeable in this area.

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>>38099278
>two days
>he only read the archelon posts

>>38099238
they know the same spells to heal that we do, plus why would we put the royals in danger by calling them into the open?

>>38099292
>turns out you can only save Leopold on the Sylvie route
Damn it, Luci!

>>38099293
>2012+3
>reading waifu-war era shitposting

ishygddt

>>38099292
Both Marianne and Emilio are better with healing magic than Reinhold is.

Karel isn't.

>writing

>>38099270
>>38099278
>>38099280
>>38099283
Thanks

>>38099321
What 'bout coach driver?

>>38099321
Oh dicks we might have screwed up then.

>>38099304
I shiggy diggy did and it was spectacular

>>38099321
>>38099342
This is one of those times where I could easily see us being berated no matter what we do. "Why didn't you have an expert heal him, you were sure there was no one in the area!" "Why on earth did you let a target out of the carriage? Your charge is your first focus!"

>>38099338
He's just a normal non magicusing coach driver.

>>38099342
Bringing the VIPs into the open when somebody of immense fighting prowess has just gotten their ass handed to them is also potentially screwing up.

>>38099371
Lies! He is an veteran of many highway robberies and knows first aid from his lovely nurse of a wife.

>>38099260
Lucky for him, he was in an amberlamps when he did that, used up all the transfusion fluids in the thing, and was looking sketch for a the last few minutes of transit.

>>38099384
The main thing I see here is Karel freaking out or getting mad.

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>>38099371
>He's just a normal non magicusing coach driver.
He is my waifu!

>>38099371
>implying he isn't the masked man

>>38099278
You did the "two days. no sleep." strat as well?

>>38099367
>>38099384
Times like this make me wish we had a pocket medic to handle this shit for us.

>>38099406
>amberlamps

First time I see that reference in a long time.

>>38099371
Is he a Hans? He seems like a Hans, maybe a Lars.

>>38099395
I wonder if he goes home and gossips with his wife about what the young nobles are up to.

>>38099371
The same way we were a regular, non-magic-using army grunt?

Reboot confirmed: Fantasy Initial D. Princess Cart Quest.

>>38099544
"The bodyguard is pure nuts. He talks to people who aren't there and does surgery in the middle of the street."

>>38099412
I think she'll definitely freak out.

I feel bad for Emilio, having your girl's much more manly former crush turn up all heroically bloodied and in need of healing is a surefire way to ruin your date.

>>38099544
>implying he isn't married to the job.
Coach driver is purest maiden.

>>38099558
Emilio tries to help and fails the surgery. "Please tell Karel... I always knew she was a girl... and I always loved her. I just couldn't deny her the sword."

>>38099593
>I just couldn't deny her the sword
Lewd

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>>38099553
Holy shit why do I want that to happen so badly?

This thread has gotten incredibly silly.

"Leopold!" you call out to the convulsing man. "C'mon, hang in there!"

You take hold of Leopold's uninjured arm and prop him up on your shoulder. You're not sure if it's being forced upright that does it or if he's expelled all the fluid from his lungs, but he does finally stop coughing.

"Dammit..." Still leaning on you, Leopold clears out his hoarse throat. "I passed out?"
"Yeah, you did," you reply. "I think I was able to patch you up alright, but you should still see a proper doctor about those wounds."
"This ain't the time for that," he laughs weakly.
"Maybe not, but-"

Alerted by movement from the vicinity of the carriage, you crane your neck to get a closer look. It's Karel. And she's staring right at the two of you with her mouth agape.

Of course this would be a shock for her...


>try to bring leopold over there
>call karel over here

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
Also yell at Karel to get back in the damn carriage and keep an eye on the royalty.

>>38099647
>>try to bring leopold over there

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
"Karel, stay at your post!"

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
Well she sure as shit can't leave Mari and Elmo unprotected.

>>38099647
>>try to bring leopold over there
"Alysse, stay in the carriage."

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
Tell karel to get back in the carriage.

>>38099647
>Bring Leopold over.
"Pay attention to the surroundings Karel, he didn't get this way while he was out on an evening jog!" Turn to Leopold. "Tell me what happened while we get over there."

>>38099665
>>38099672
>>38099681
These.

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there

>>38099647

>>38099681
>>38099685
These two

>>38099681
>>38099685
Supporting name change to Alysse from this guy who was smarter than me.

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there

>>38099647
>>try to bring leopold over there
>"This ain't the time for that," he laughs weakly.
Try to get a quick sitrep while we're helping him toward the carriage. The sooner we know what's going on the sooner we can start to figure out what to do.

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
+this: >>38099681

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there

Get back in the goddamn carriage Princess Karel.

>>38099764

I revoke my post, horrible idea to call her by title and name.

>>38099647
>try to bring leopold over there
Somebody's gotta protect the poor defenseless coach driver

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>>38099681
>"Alysse, stay in the carriage."
but her name's Karel

>>38099837
HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?! WHO TOLD YOU!?

>>38099866
My sword

>writing

>>38099635
It's better than shitstorms.

Does all this mean that Monique is dead?
Pls

>>38099635
This is rather tame.

>>38099967
Mebbe.
Depends how close he was to Andreas because we all know nobody's getting close to Andreas' shit

>>38099967
Nobody would cry, not even Setsuranka, even if that's only because she's a sword.

>>38100096
His family would probably be sad

>>38100096
Speak for yourself. I like Monique.

>>38100136
Me too.
Monique is a pretty cool guy.

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>>38100120
They don't really care about him.

Also, captcha, what the fuck?

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>>38100149
But his heart is ice cold.

>>38100167
>A friend of yours?
o-ho!
He'll die from shock

>>38100167
>purses your lips

>>38100192
I knew Karel wanted Rein, No girl can resist.

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"Alysse!" you shout. "Stay in the carriage!"
"But-"
"I'm bringing him over now, he's going to be fine!"
"......"

But instead of doing as you say, Karel just draws closer to the carriage's door and purses her lips. It looks like this is the best you're going to get.

"A friend of yours?" Leopold asks, slipping off your shoulder so that he can stand on his own two feet.
"Yeah," you nod. "...will you be okay walking on your own?"
"Don't worry," he shakes his head, "I might've got stabbed and crushed but my legs are working just fine."

Even so, you rest a hand on his back as he hobbles towards the carriage just in case.


>[1/?]

>>38100232
Did we forget to turn our swag off?

>>38100172
>you must be at least this american to post

>>38100269
Do Americans have hamburger pizza and hamburger sushi?

>>38100246
Rein's swag doesn't have an off just a passive mode.

>>38100309
Americans, or at least hawaiians, have Spam sushi.

>>38100240

<side>

"Wha?" you stop dead in your tracks.

<friends>

<lots>

"Reinhold?" Leopold stops and turns to you. "What's wrong?"
"Umm..."

Just then, you notice a carriage about twice the size of the one you rode approaching from not too far away. From the crossroads that you were just about to pass by before Leopold showed up so suddenly, that same carriage stops and turns towards you.

"Reinhold!" Reya shouts, standing up in his seat next to the driver. "Did you guys' carriage break down?"


>[2/?]

>>38100344
>Reya out of nowhere
Is he a carriage repair man?

Also, good to see ya.

>>38100344
oh no, we have more allies. That means shit is a bout to get real....

>>38100380
Who's got the most deathflags among our peers?

>>38100398
Taka it's a wonder that he's still alive.

>>38100398
Takamaru, Reya, Sylvie

>>38100398
Taka, he's been a walking deathflag pincushion since before the kidnapping attempt.

>>38100415
>>38100421
>implying Taka is among our peerage

>>38100344
Reya, truly you are our one true bro, as long as we don't remember that Taka is around

>>38100398
Citrine

>>38100421
Reya hasn't got deathflags, he's just sort of expendable.

Nico might die sacrificing herself in a heroic way that earns her a post-death knighthood

>>38100457
>Nico might die sacrificing herself in a heroic way that earns her a post-death knighthood
God that would be Hilarious

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>>38100344
>[3/3]

"Reya?" you blink a few times.
"...isn't that one of the kids who the King asked to look after Princess Elena?" Leopold asks. "What's be doing out here?"

His question is soon answered when Takamaru exists the carriage, closely followed by both Luciana and Elena.

"Sir Leopold!?" Luciana gasps as she and the others rush towards you. "Reinhold, what's going on here?"

Just great...


>what do you say to her?

>>38100478
"I don't know, but he needs medical attention."

>>38100478
"Fuck if I know!"

>>38100478
This.
>>38100497
Sums it up just right.

>>38100421
>Sylvie dies saving Reinhold's life
>Last words are "I still love you"
Zero chance of it actually happening but it'd probably break Reinhold.

>>38100478
>>38100497
This
and
"What the hell are all you doing here"

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>>38100344
>>38100478
It's happening

>>38100478
"Emergency Medicine"

>>38100478
>stuff. Y'know, things.

>>38100478
>>what do you say to her?
We literally don't know yet; we were trying to get him closer to relative safety so we could get a better idea of what the hell is going on and make sure everyone's on the same page, and then you guys showed up.

>>38100497
If it's at all practical to retouch the bit of first aid we applied while he briefs people, that's probably a good idea. Otherwise stay on alert for any incoming bad news and round up the wagons so we can get everyone briefed at once.

fuck, now I'm getting burgers too

>>38100478
This >>38100497 plus ask them what they're doing here.

>>38100478
>"Leopold was attacked by someone. I'm trying to help him, but there's a possibility there's still an enemy here. Everyone be on guard!"

>>38100478
>We need to get everyone into the castle now!

In game progress news, I'm once again looking around for an artist.
Bah.

>writing

>>38100567
This is a good instinct, but if he came from something important happening further out, it might be necessary to react to that quickly before whatever it was can go back underground.

>>38100478
>>38100478
...Were they spying on the not-double-date?

>>38100587
What happened?

>>38100587
there was this R4 dude on /d/ not so long ago, he makes some pretty neat stuff but i'm not sure if he still has commissions slots open

>>38100598
He got snatched up by a proper game team.

>>38100620
Bastard, how dare he follow his dream for paid work when he could be following OUR dream of VN

>>38100620
Damn, capitalism strikes again.

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"I honestly don't know," you reply, "but Leopold needs medical attention. I patched him up as best I could just before you got here, but..."
"Very well," Luciana nods, "I'll take care of it myself so let's get him from out in the open."
"Good idea," you say, nodding in agreement.

After making it over to your own carriage, Leopold takes a seat on the carriage's step while the rest of you (sans Emilio and Marianne, who are still inside), crowd around the injured Knight.

"Is..." Karel chokes up, "...is he gonna be okay?"
"Looks like it," Luciana replies while examining Leopold's chest for damage that you may have missed. "It looks like there was some internal bleeding caused from his broken ribs, but Reinhold took care of that..."
"Thanks for that," Leopold replies, flashing you a tired smile. "By the way, why exactly is Karel wearing a dress?"

So much for that disguise.


>[1/?]

>>38100620
I didn't even know you had found an artist.
Have you got an idea of how much it will all cost now?

>>38100757
With the rates that we agreed on, making up enough character art for the demo would have cost about $400.
But now I'm going to have to find a different artist and with that comes different rates.

>>38100754
As expected of a proper mentor figure.

I thought leopold was the dead one, am I wrong?

>>38100787
The one you're thinking of is named Armin, I think.

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>>38100754


"I- uh- I'm not-" Karel stammers while trying to think of some kind of excuse.
"I've known you since you were what, four?" Leopold sighs. "Don't think that a pair of glasses and fake tits would fool me, kid."
"...they're real," she mumbles.
"Eh?" Leopold stares at her.
"I'm um... I'm a girl," Karel says, making the same kind of face that one would expect to see from a kid who'd just gotten caught trying to hide the fact that they wet the bed from their parents.
"You're serious!?" he shouts, jumping up from his makeshift seat before Luciana pushes him back down. "How in the-"
"Sorry for not telling you," Karel says, "but girls and Marconetti duelling-"
"Eh, I get it," he sighs. "It was just a huge shock, that's all. Though I gotta say it's gonna take some getting used to seeing you in a dress..."


>[2/?]

>>38100770
Now is your opportunity to maximise your haggle.

>>38100812
Leopold: "If you were going to cross dress, at least get some fake breasts of decent size."

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>>38100812

The look of relief and embarrassment on KArel's face quickly turns into concern when Leopold lets out a surprised yelp thanks to Luiciana's prodding.

"Looks like Reinhold missed a broken rib here," she says. "Don't worry though, it looks like it's still where it belongs so all I have to do is heal it up."
"Thanks, Princess," Leopold replies, still wincing in pain.

After Luciana casts an unfamiliar healing spell like it's the easiest thing in the world, it looks like Leopold's back in fighting shape. Just to check things out, he stands up from the carriage's step and pats his ribs a few times before refastening his mangled armor and turning back to her.

"Thanks for the medical care, Princess," Leopold says, bowing deeply.
"It was the least I could do," Luciana replies. "Now in return, I'd appreciate it if you would tell me why exactly you're here in Granache?"

Leopold's expression suddenly makes a turn for the gloomy.


>let him speak
>before he explains things, ask luciana what she's doing out here herself

>>38100888
>let him speak

>>38100888
>let him speak

>>38100888
>>let him speak
Cover the stuff that's guaranteed to be important (and possibly even time-sensitive) first, please.

>>38100888
>Let him speak.

>>38100888
>let him speak
This is more important at the moment.

>>38100888
>>let him speak

>>38100888
>>let him speak

>>38100888
>let him speak

>>38100888
Let the gent speak.

>writing

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"Yeah, that," Leopold says with a long sigh.
"Did something bad happen?" Elena asks.
"Bad?" Inaba joins in.

...where the hell did she come from?

"The worst," Leopold mumbles. "Princess Elena, you might not want to-"
"I'm not goin' nowhere!" Elena shouts, stomping her foot on the ground. "I'm a Princess of Marconetti too and I got the right to know what's happenin' back home!"

You turn to Luciana, but she just gives a defeated frown.

"If she thinks she's mature enough to listen on then I suppose it's okay to let her do so," Luciana says.
"...if you say so..." Leopold says.


>[1/?]

>>38101033
>Celestino is MIA
>Monique was the man in the mask
>Salamanders and Leviathans are roaming the streets
>and worst of all, TURKEY LEGS are now Illegal

>>38101116
>and worst of all, TURKEY LEGS are now Illegal
Good, you don't need a TURKEY LEGS to protect your home. Think about it, the easier YOU have access to TURKEY LEGS, the easier CRIMINALS have access to TURKEY LEGS.

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>>38101033


With you and everyone else watching intently (and you also see Marianne and Emilio inside the carriage doing their best to listen in as well), Leopold begins speaking.

"This morning, Andreas, Anatole, Monique and myself were dispatched to the border to investigate a possible link between Ancellotta and that Salamander attack that you folks suffered through the other day," Leopold begins. "Good job in dealing with that, by the way."
"Karel killed one of them!" Elena says happily.
"Really?" he turns to his former student with a look of surprise.
"...I had help, but yeah..." Karel replies, blushing profusely.
"Well good work!" he says, smiling at her.

Karel looks so happy that she could just melt.


>[2/?]

>>38101134
>letting the rebels take turkey legs away from honest, hardworking people
that's how the terrorists win anon

>>38101141
hurry the fuck on leopold. No time for sweet chatter.

>>38101141
Emilio worries begin to intensify.

>>38101141
>Karel looks so happy that she could just melt
Wow, what a bitch. Forget all about him being near death seconds ago. Nevermind that he just said the worst has happened. Just be happy you got praised.

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>Leopold: Monique was attacked first
>Reinhold: Oh no, is Setsuranka okay!?
>Yeah, they're both fine.
>R: I didn't ask if Monique was okay...what?

>>38101207
The final chapter of Princess Guard quest is rescuing Monique with princesses.

>>38101187
He's not near dead now, so I think maybe a little oversensitive there?

>>38101241
>"Since Ancelotta and Granache aren't connected at all, they would've had to pass through either Granache or Perricone to get through," Luciana says, nodding to herself.

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>>38101241
>"Since Ancelotta and Granache aren't connected at all, they would've had to pass through either Granache or Perricone to get through,"
>Granache or Perricone

You mean Marconetti?

>>38101141

"Ahem," Luciana clears her throat.
"Sorry, back to what happened," Leopold nods. "So the four of us made our way to the border, looking for any sign of where the Salamanders might have passed through our side of the border.
"Since Ancelotta and Granache aren't connected at all, they would've had to pass through either Marconetti or Perricone to get through," Luciana says, nodding to herself.
"Exactly," Leopold replies.
"Didja find anything?" Elena asks.
"As a matter of fact," Leopold says as shadows begin to cover his face, "yes."


>[3/?]

>>38101294
>Pic
That does sounds like something she would say.

>>38101314
>perricone
it's the former bodyguard. He's using monsters to get hold of the peaches!

>>38101314
>"As a matter of fact," Leopold says as shadows begin to cover his face, "yes."

Is the shadow from the mask he is about to cover his face with?

>>38101381
The shadows of his assorted jogs, lopes, and sprints.

>>38101314
>[4/4]

"Out of nowhere, the four of us found ourselves under attack," Leopold says. "They weren't wearing the uniforms of any country that I know of so I assume that they were mercenaries, but the place where they appeared made their original all too obvious."
"Ancellotta," Luciana says, gritting her teeth.
"Exactly," Leopold nods. "These guys were more skilled than the stragglers from the kidnapping attempt that we'd been hunting down over the past month, but we were still able to dispatch them just fine..."

Leopold breathes a long sigh before resuming his story, and you can tell that what he's about to say isn't anything good.

"Just as Anatole was taking care of the last of the mercenaries, a huge stone pillar shot from the ground and hit him dead-on."
"What?" you gasp.
"He was able to take the brunt of it with that weird cape he used to fight with, but his arm was completely broken..."
"It was the masked man," Takamaru snarls, gripping his sword in an uncharacteristic display of rage.
"Yeah," Leopold nods solemnly. "The second that guy showed up, a ton of spikes shot up from underneath us until it looked like that Eastern 'hill of needles' that the King has a painting of..."
"What happened to Andreas!?" Elena shouts.
"......" Leopold looks away. "I don't know. After the needles, a bunch of walls sprouted from the ground and swallowed everyone up. I was pretty messed-up myself, but somehow I managed to fly over here since it was closer than the castle back in Marconetti."


>how do you react?

>>38101415
"We need to infrom king Thierri of this asap."

>>38101415

They may need our help! We need to reach them fast!
But first we have to bring the royals to castle...

>>38101415
>"How long ago did this happen?"

>>38101415
try to reassure Elena about Andreas, then rush to the castle

>>38101415
We need to alert the King and get the Princesses safely back to the castle.

>>38101415
>>how do you react?
Take a moment to make sure Elena stays cool. He's gonna be fine; her dad trusted him to keep her safe, after all, so he's not gonna let something like a couple stone walls keep him down. also 20s or something, i dunno

Once that's out of the way, fuckin' hightail it to the castle so we can let them know. Have Takamaru send one of his paper birds ahead as an advance warning so they'll have a quicker turnaround for when we finally get there.

>>38101415
>>how do you react?
walk over to Gregory's ninja hiding spot and ask him to go tell Aquamann.

>writing

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"Andreas..." Elena's knees buckle from underneath her and she falls to the ground. "He got..." her eyes begin welling with tears. "They..."
"Not dead," Inaba says as she crouches down and hugs her friend.
"B- but Leopold said that he got..." she sobs.
"Not dead!"

Inaba places a hand on both of Elena's shoulders and looks her in the eyes.

"Andreas is stars, right?" Inaba shouts.
"...yeah..." Elena sniffles.
"That right," she nods. "Stars is strongest, not lose to ground. Andreas not dead."
"B... but..."

Unconvinced by her friend's assertions, the little Princess breaks down in tears.


>[1/?]

>>38101570
>Stars is strongest, not lose to ground.
Succinctly put. I'm sure Ara~ would agree.

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>>38101570

Luciana rushes to her sister's side and tries her best to console her, but Inaba... she starts grinding her teeth and looks into the sky.

"I show you," Inaba says. "Andreas not dead. I find him and bring to you."
"Wha...?" Elena looks up at her friend.

It's around now that you notice that Inaba's doing her best to hold back tears herself.

"I find Andreas," Inaba says, cracking her knuckles. "I find him and then I kill mask man for making you cry."

Inaba sniffs at the air for a few seconds before starting off to the north...

"NO!" Elena leaps up and wraps her arms around Inaba from behind. "I won't let them kill you too!"
"Let go!" Inaba shouts. "I rabbit! Ground not hurt me, I hurt ground!"

As if to prove her own words, Inaba stomps on the ground, causing a small crater to form underneath the two of them.

"Now let go!"


>[2/?]

>>38101669
Fucking stupid rabbit.

>>38101675
She's not acting much different from Elena, but then that's to be expected.

Inaba route when

>>38101669

You can't just let things go on as they are or Inaba will end up racing off to her own death.

"Elena, Inaba," you say, walking over to the two girls and resting a hand on both of their heads, "we need to stay calm here, okay?"
"But Inaba's about to-" Elena sobs.
"I need to-" Inaba growls.
"STOP." you shout. "Inaba, running off isn't going to help anything. And Elena, neither will crying."

Good, now you seem to have their attention.

"Inaba, don't you think that Andreas would want you to look after Elena right now?" you ask.
"......" Inaba glares at you. "...yes..."
"Okay then," you nod. "Now what we need to do right now is hurry to the castle and tell the King about what happened. Leopold, how long ago was this?"
"Maybe an hour tops," Leopold replies.
"Alright then."


>[3/?]

>>38101710
>"Maybe an hour tops," Leopold replies.
good, there's still time to get there in time to see Monique get beat up

>>38101698
She could at least scout them out in bunny form though.
How resilient is ascended bunny in her bunny form? Could she still get killed by a random fox?

>>38101698
Why are they so shit?

>>38101750
because they are little children of a difficult age.

>>38101743
Bunny form has much higher endurance than a normal rabbit, and a bit more toughness. She could still get got by a predator in that form, though.

And considering that all foxes in this setting are ascended, she'd still be at a complete loss there.

>>38101710
>[4/4]

Yeah, that's it. Be calm and don't rush into things.

"Luciana, you guts head back to your carriage," you say. "Leopold, you ride outside with me and the driver on ours."
"Got it," Leopold replies with a nod.
"Okay," Luciana says.

With that, you split back into your separate groups...

<DANGER>

"What!?" you shout. "What now!?"

<ABOVE>

"Red monsters from the lake," Inaba says, her hair standing on end.
"Again!?" Luciana gasps, "Why would they be so close to the castle!?"
"It's an open attack," Karel growls.


>warn marianne and emilio
>leave them in here and deal with it yourselves

>>38101795
>warn marianne and emilio

>>38101795
>>warn marianne and emilio

>>38101795
>warn marianne and emilio
they can use magic after all

>>38101795
>warn marianne and emilio

>>38101795

>Warn Marianne and Emilio

Reinhold, Taka, and Inaba stay back as a rearguard and pull a fighting retreat toward the castle, give the carriage riders time to get to safety and get reinforcements to help our asses out.

First priority is to protect royalty. Karel can't stay and fight.

Hard to say, but of all the bodyguards, Reinhold, Taka, and Inaba are the most expendable at the current moment.

>>38101795
>guts head back to your carriage

>>38101795
>warn marianne and emilio

>>38101710
It seems like probably the most reasonable option at this point would be to return and have Arnaud go ahead and assess/resolve situation since a wyvern is apparently slow for him. Have some others follow along behind on next quickest travel. That gets our charges secured too.

>>38101795
>warn marianne and emilio

>>38101795
>Send Luciana and Elena to go warn the others along with Takamaru and just have the driver make for the castle.

Takamaru can't apparently fight too well against dragons, so this is probably ideal split.

>>38101795
>>warn marianne and emilio
Guess that gift we got her is seeing some use sooner than expected.

>>38101851
She is better off using magic

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>>38101824
Nobody ever lets him join in.

>>38101795
>>warn marianne and emilio
We need to all be on the same page, and fire breath doesn't much care about carriages for protection.

Also:
>have Takamaru send off a familiar to the castle
The things are small, so either it gets through and lets the important folks at the castle know what's happening quickly (which means either they send someone to help with salamanders or at the very least they're already putting things in motion by the time we get back), or it means it peels off a salamander which has to go intercept it rather than attacking us.

>>38101858
Better to use magic and have a halberd to fall back on rather than be a dead idiot who relied solely on one talent.

>>38101858
nah, using both is the best way to go

>>38101858
She is better off not fighting at all, she's not exactly a fighter.

>>38101861
Guts with your nose so bright, won't you light my sleigh tonight?

>>38101850
Also send Leopold back so he can report.