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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R

>>38174923
>Ask if she has a proper bathtub for herself
Best time!

>>38174931
Ahahahaha, oh god. Godamnit MP, I didn't expect you to post that. You truly are the best.

>Ask if she lives alone

>>38174931
...it looks like she's wiping her ass.

>>38174923
>Suggest your friends need a bath too

How big is Susanna?

>>38174998
Almost four metres tall, with smooth horns and an athletic figure.

You'd need a really, really big tub if you want to have her join you.

>>38174923
>Suggest your friends need a bath too

Captcha: datso

>>38174923
Wait, is she seeing our dick right now or how did we cover it up?

>>38174923
>Ask if she lives alone

also >>38175065

>>38174969
Your friends have weird ass-wiping ways.

>>38174923
>Ask if she has a proper bathtub for herself

>>38175065
>>38175083
How are you covering it, indeed?

You aren't. She's seen your everything, there was little you could do to help it. She hasn't made a single comment, though.

>>38174923
>Suggest your friends need a bath too

>>38175104
Susanna is a pretty cool woman.

>>38175104
>How are you covering it, indeed?
We could have been doing it with a hand. Unless it's too big or something

>>38175145
Flaccid? I hope not, enormous cocks are gross.

>>38175162
Honestly that's entirely my fetish. Regardless though, it wouldn't have to be 12+ inches or something to be too large to easily hide with a hand, it'd just have to be a shower at around 8-9 inches

>>38175211
Does really matter anyway I suppose.

>>38175211
Anon, pls. We have dicussed Lillith's member too much, let's focus on the important matters now.

>>38175246
The only thing that matters now is balls or no balls?

"I think my friends would love to have a bath, too", you suggest, hoping that Susanna won't mind if you take advantage of her hospitality.

"Oh, sure", she reacts as if she didn't give the matter much thought, "But I don't think I have enough ceramic bowls for all of you...".

"I... That's not necessary", you explain, "We can... Uh...".

"Well, they can bathe in the river just outside my house, although it's more of a stream", she chuckles. It makes an odd, booming sound that you would never have thought you could hear from just some chuckling, "The water is cold, though, which is why I heated your water up. It will be refreshing to them but you need to stay covered up and wash frequently".

"Really? Because I do feel hot...".

"Cold water is going to hurt you", she admonishes, "No matter how nice you think it might feel".

You surrender to her experience as a medic, which is obviously greater than yours, and accept the idea of abiding to her suggestions. "Do you have a bathtub for yourself?".

"No", she smiles, "I use the stream too, although I go more downstream, along the current, closer to the lake. It's wider there, so I can fit more comfortably".

You've seen the stream right next to her house, it is wide enough for her to sit, you think, but so shallow that the water would barely go above Tahenohan's mid-calf. For Susanna, that's barely any water to do anything but tickle her buttocks.

“Do you live alone?”, you then ask, even though you did get that impression from the arachne.

“Yes. Yes I do”, there's a hint of something in her voice, but she covers that with a smile, “Though I often get visits. Have you met the local harpies before? They'll come to visit tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't pester you too much”.

>PANIC
>”Are they coming for your lessons?”.
>”What kind of harpies are we talking about?”.
>”Are you sure I won't be a bother?”.
>”Anything I can do to help?”.
>Other?

>>38175321
>”What kind of harpies are we talking about?”.
These wouldn't happen to be celibate harpies, would they? Or harpies with penis-phobia? Militant lesbian harpies? No?

>>38175321
>”Are they coming for your lessons?”.
>”What kind of harpies are we talking about?”.

>>38175321
>”What kind of harpies are we talking about?”.

>>38175321
>PANIC
>PANIC
>PANIC

>>38175321
>PANIC internally
>”Are you sure I won't be a bother?”.

>>38175321
>PANIC
>”What kind of harpies are we talking about?”.
Always press the PANIC button.

You feel an electric, softly crushing feeling in your nether regions. The very mention of harpies brings back to life the still vivid memories of the time you almost got gangraped by a bunch of those annoying, chatty, dumb, unruly and chaotic creatures that crave for males to mate with but you have more than just the suspicion that they really don't mind anything as long as it has a penis.

And guess who has one?

"W-w-w-what kind of harpies are we t-talking about?", damn, you sounded so calm and collected in your own mind, then your mouth opened and this is what came out.

Susanna doesn't seem to understand your question and frowns in confusion at first, but then she seems to get it, "Oh, right. You're an outsider, sorry, I'm not used to deal with them since... A long time ago", she chuckles again, the vibrations resonate in your chest, "Tropical birds, mostly. Which means most of them aren't migratory, and those who are don't really come that often, they prefer to stop around Reboldeux and loiter about the coast before returning".

"Are... Are you sure I won't be a bother?", you ask.

"You won't. You could actually help me out a bit, they're a handful...", she then looks at you, "... Although seeing your condition it would probably be better if I just let you rest. I'm sorry, it's just that... Sometimes I really wish I had someone to help me".

You blink, "Are those harpies that difficult to deal with?".

She doesn't answer, and forces herself to smile instead, "The more of them learn to read and write, the more they will teach each other. Which means that hopefully, one day, I won't have to deal with them as much, or at least I won't be the only one in this field".

>”You do realize I have a dick, don't you?”.
>”I'm afraid I can't help you, sorry”.
>”Maybe Bryld can help...”.
>”Maybe Tahenohan can help...”.
>”Can't the arachne help?”.

>>38175674
>”I'm afraid I can't help you, sorry”.
We're just too sick. Nothing to do with our crippling fear, we don't even know what fear is.

>>38175674
>”Maybe Bryld can help...”.
>”Can't the arachne help?”.
Not sure letting Tahe 'teach' harpies would have the desired effect.

>>38175674

>”You do realize I have a dick, don't you?”.
>”Maybe Tahenohan can help...”.

Tahe should be able to connect with them!

Captcha: Alves, almost got it right.

>>38175674
>”You do realize I have a dick, don't you?
>”Maybe Tahenohan can help...”.
Bryld would be an interesting teacher, but I am afraid of what that would do to ther. Also, if she is free, she can draw the map more or spend more time with Lillith.

>>38175674
>”Maybe Bryld can help...”.
>”Maybe Tahenohan can help...”.
>”Can't the arachne help?”.

>>38175674
>>”Can't the arachne help?”.

>>38175674
>”You do realize I have a dick, don't you?”.
>”Maybe Bryld can help...”.

The very idea of teaching anything to harpies reminds you of that book you once read about a valiant knight that fought windmills, which you were told to be some kind of parable about pointlessness and the fall of chivalrous virtues or something, but you were like ten when you first read it and all those implications just flew past your head, you liked the story because a knight was charging a windmill, how stupid is that? Ha ha.

You wonder if Susanna ever fought a windmill.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can help...", you apologize, but then, after a few shifts in your eyes, you stare at her and just ask, "Er... You... You do realize I have a dick, don't you?".

The giantess blinks once, "Why, yes, it's difficult to miss", she then keeps staring at you until she just smiles, "Oh don't worry about the harpies, as long as you keep your pants on you will be fine".

Surely the harpies will not try and strip you just for the heck of it, right?

Right?

You quell your own panic before it starts showing outside, "I-Er... Can't the arachne help you?".

"Well to be completely honest Arianna isn't much help, she just sits with them like she's a student too and...", you've seen that look, that completely fake smile teachers have when they are trying their best not to just scream and crack young heads open, "... Maybe Leiana can help me, yes".

"Maybe one of my friends can help you too?", you suggest, "... Tahenohan?", you figure you should suggest, since Bryld will probably take the chance to just draw her map. She might also going to be sick just like you are in a short while, maybe as soon as tomorrow, and you don't want her to get sick any sooner.

“Do you think they would be willing?”, she idly wonders, “Well, I will ask them, I see no harm to”.

You hope this won't make things worse, somehow.

>”How do you teach a harpy?”.
>”Where do you get books?”.
>”Have you always been a teacher?”.
>Finish your bath and get dressed
>Other?

>>38175998
>>Finish your bath and get dressed
>>”How do you teach a harpy?”

>>38175998
>Finish your bath and get dressed

>>38175998
>>Finish your bath and get dressed
>Where do you get books?

>>38175998
>>”How do you teach a harpy?”.
>>”Where do you get books?”.

>>38175998
>”Where do you get books?”.
>”Have you always been a teacher?”.

>>38175998
>Finish your bath and get dressed

You feel refreshed enough and you don't want to just stay in a food bowl for long, you'd feel like you're sullying the food that's going to get put in next. That and the idea of bathing in something meant for food is still somewhat unnerving to you, even though you're fairly certain this one ogre won't eat you.

"I'm still amazed you can teach to harpies in the first place", you honestly admit, "Have you always been a teacher?".

"No", she answers without even needing to think, "Oh, take this towel", and she hands you a simple towel that is, well, larger than you are. Of course. Everything is oversized here, "I used to be a bookbinder actually, but I unfortunately lost all of my instruments in... Well, before the last Fomor War came to the Shadow Marches".

You feel like there's something she isn't saying, but you also feel like she is withholding that on purpose.

"How do you get books, then?", you look around. You've been told there were plenty but you can't see any, not in broad view. Maybe they're just nowhere within your sight, there's a tall, wooden shelf of which you can only see the first few levels, the upper half... You can only get a vague idea of, it's way too high.

"I... Haven't", she admits with a smile, "I fortunately only need very basic things for harpies, but I wouldn't mind to expand my collection. I wish I could get my hands on a book of my size, or appropriate instruments to resume my craft, but...".

You look up, "I can help with that. We can get you in touch with Reboldeux and the colonists so you can trade with them, or exchange something for books. I'm sure they would like to at least see your collection".

There's a long, strange silence as she stares at you, but doesn't say a word.

>”Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?”.
>”Trust me, the colonists are peaceful”.
>”Would you like me to get books for you?”.
>Quick! Topic change! (what)
>Other?

>>38176312
>>”Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?”.
It might be awkward, but it'll help in settling the rift between her and the colonists.

>>38176312
>Quick! PANIC!

>>38176312
>”Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?”.

>>38176312
>”Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?”.

>>38176312
>”Would you like me to get books for you?”.
Hopefully it's not too long a trip out here.

>>38176312
>”Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?”.
>”Trust me, the colonists are peaceful”.

>>38176463
On spiderback it took them a couple of days. How long do you thinkt ravelling will take once the party is spiderless?

>>38176494
Well anon, we didn't start from the city did we. For all we know our starting point could have been further away or sent us on a route across more difficult terrain.

"Did you have bad experiences with humans in the past?", you try to guess. It's actually rather obvious that she did, "Arianna and Leiana also did, but I assure you these are different people, and plenty of time has passed, so-".

"For you, maybe", there was a hint of a spite in her voice, which boomed a little suddenly, but she immediatelly corrects it, "I'm sorry, I... Giants have good memories, and I really find it difficult to just forget what happened time ago".

"What did happen?", you might get the feeling it's not nice to ask but you've listened to the problems of many a monster by now and you're quite certain that there's plenty more stories to here, few of which are going to be nowhere near nice.

"The same things that happen during fierce, bloody wars. Nobody trusts anybody, monsters are targeted first, everyone thinking I am a Fomor... And I am afraid my own blade stripped many of nowadays' inhabitants of Reboldeux of their ancestors", she claims rather quickly, as if she wants to just be done with it.

"Humans don't have memories that good, I'm sure most people will have forgotten", or so you hope.

"I really want to believe that you are correct, and I appreciate your kind heart", she caresses your back with her giant hand, rubbing your head and horns with her thumb, offering a smile that shows even more of a hint that her heart is defrosting.

"If you need help getting books, you can count on me, you know. I will bring you what I can afford, anything in particular you need?".

"You're still sick and feverish, you should only think of resting", she does her booming chuckle again, "This is why you were the first one to become ill, you should get your mind off your work once in a while".

She does have a point, but talking to her made you feel, well, not sick for a while.

>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed
>Look for Tahenohan
>Look for Bryld
>Look for the arachne
>Stay with Susanna and ask... (what?)
>Other?

>>38176610
>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed

>>38176610
>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed
Fine, rest for now. Maybe we can miss the harpies.

>>38176610
>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed

>>38176610
>>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed

> she caresses your back with her giant hand, rubbing your head and horns with her thumb, offering a smile that shows even more of a hint that her heart is defrosting
This is a cute mental image.

>>38176610
>Listen to Susanna and just go to bed

>>38176698
Best big sis?

Gotta admit, for all that Lilith tends to joke and screw around with friends, when she gets down to it, she's very forthright with wanting to help people as much as possible.

>>38176727
It's what her goddess wants her to do, after all. And what she wants to do, herself.

You're going to bed.

Susanna has a point: you're sick, you're feverish, you're not going to get any better if you keep working yourself out until you just drop, you can't afford to do that, you need to lead your own expedition or you will never manage to do anything with your charter.

The giantess, however, has saved one last surprise for your own good: medicine. A large (for you) bowl with just a little bit of a white, thick liquid with some green highlights that has the same pleasant smell of rotten fish slipped inside a sock that has been used and not washed for long enough for moss to start growing, and said combination was then smacked against the back of someone's head until it cracked open and all the gore came out, further dirtying an already unbearable mess.

She also made some funny comment about how medicine that works never smells good. You really, really, really hope she is right because it took you all your force of will, and the help of her own fingertip, to prevent you from just throwing it up.

At least you can distract yourself by practically swimming in a giant bed, large enough to hold another all-girls tea party, sleepover included. You briefly wonder if Susanna is going to sleep with you, and if she will (and you guess she will since you don't see any other beds around) you hope she won't just roll over and crush you.

Hopefully she'll just move you, and your friends of course, to some other soft place in the house; even a basket with a cushion or a towel will be enough for your party. You're used to sleeping very close to each other.

While you're entertaining yourself with such thoughts, the sound of fabric being pulled alerts you of Tahenohan hoisting herself up on the bed, giving you that loving yet manic stare.

"Hello there!", she greets you, "How are you feeling? You still with us?".

>”Yes, I'm fine”.
>”So-so”.
>”I'm not feeling too well”.
>”The medicine was really horrible”.
>”How about you?”.
>Other?

>>38176872
>”So-so”.
>”The medicine was really horrible”.
>”How about you?”.

>>38176872
>”So-so”.
>”How about you?”.

>>38176872
>”Yes, I'm fine”.
>”The medicine was really horrible”.

>>38176872
>”The medicine was really horrible”.
>”How about everyone else?”.
Wasn't Bryld looking kinda bad?

>>38176872
>>”The medicine was really horrible”.
>>Hug the Tahe, never let her go. She is now our captive teddy bear for the sick person.

>>38176872
>>38176928
Backing, we should hear how they're doing.

>>38176872
>”The medicine was really horrible”.

"I've been worse", it's not even a lie, "The medicine almost killed me, though".

She does cackle in glee when you say that, "The worst a medicine tastes the better it is for you!".

Why is it that everyone knows that saying, in a form or another? And why is it correct?

"How about you?", you then ask back, "I remember Bryld wasn't looking that great this morning, is she still okay?".

"She just had a stomach ache because of something she ate", she explains as if though it's not really a big deal, "I guess the arachne have a very strong taste in cooking, I admit some of their dishes reminded me of Shen cuisine. Do you know that cockroaches taste really salty?".

"I didn't even know you could eat them", and you can't really say you look forward to ever do that, "Are you sure she's fine? She doesn't have a fever or anything?".

"No. Well not yet", she adds as an afterthought, "She might be, tonight or tomorrow".

You can't help but sigh, "I really hoped she could avoid getting sick".

"There's no helping it. It's an exotic disease and we've been together all this time, it was just a matter of time", she sounds so chill about it.

"And you? Are you feeling fine?".

"I'm fine", she almost sounds surprised as she pats her own sides, "I don't think I'm catching whatever you have".

Damn adventurers and their absurd fortitude.

You reach out and grab her by the shoulders, pulling her to you like a captive teddy bear; she giggles and trashes around a little, her unruly black hair brushing against your face and all over your neck, tickling your nose enough to almost make you sneeze, which you avoid at the last minute with a turn of the head, and hit one of her skull decorations with your horn.

None of you got hurt, but between the horns and the skulls it's enough to make you both calm down a bit.

>Reclaim her as your hostage and sleep with her
>It's still just afternoon! Talk about something! (what?)
>Get up and look for Bryld
>Get up and look for the arachne
>Other?

>>38177221
>>Reclaim her as your hostage and sleep with her
snuggles

>>38177221
>Get up and look for the arachne
Keeping her hostage in the afternoon seems a bit mean.

>>38177221
>Reclaim her as your hostage and sleep with her

>>38177221
>It's still just afternoon! Talk about something! (what?)
Ask what she thinks of Susanna.

>>38177221
>Reclaim her as your hostage and sleep with her
We'll infect her if it's the last thing we do.

>>38177442
She already has lewdness disease anon.

>>38177221
>Reclaim her as your hostage and sleep with her
Misunderstandings, ho!

"I'm going to infect you if it's the last thing I do!", you give this promise to your hostage, intent on showing no mercy at all. She laughs in despair, trashing her legs a little and rubbing her toes along your calf; you feel your own tail slapping against the sheets, showing that a bit of cheer and fooling around is already doing very good things to your own health.

"But Lillith, that's so mean!", she protests with a merry, manic expression. She's so close she can practically poke your nose with hers, and from this distance it's even more obvious just how small her irises are; people usually get that look when they're terrified, or crazy, or both, but she seems to be like that all the time, so it's probably just how she was born. Although, knowing she's a half-elf, she's probably just crazy, "Are you going to sabotage your own expedition?".

"If I can't move, nobody will!", you claim in a fever-addled delirium of omnipotence. Well, no, you're mostly joking, but you really don't see any possibility for your friends other than waiting until you get better. Of course, if Bryld does indeed get sick herself you will have to wait for her as well, it's only fair.

"Awww... Don't be like that", she has amazingly white teeth, too, "Even if this disease kills you, I will raise your bones so you can always be with us!".

You stare at her for a moment, "That actually sent a shiver down my spine".

"Ahahahahahha!", she pokes your nose with her index, "Don't worry! I won't do anything you don't want me to do to your body".

And that sounded lewd. Good thing there's no harpies around. You hope she won't go around saying stuff like that tomorrow, because any movement in your pants might draw unwanted attention to you, even though Susanna did seem to be pretty relaxed about harpies despite your peculiar crotch. You suppose she will keep them busy, or at least try to.

You wonder if harpies can even focus.

>Sleep the afternoon away
>Ask Tahenohan something (what?)
>Other?

>>38177724
>Sleep the afternoon away

>>38177724
>Sleep the afternoon away

>>38177724
>>Sleep the afternoon away
So cute, man. Tahe knows the best part of a girl: her bones.

>>38177724
>Ask Tahenohan something (what?)
Ask what she thinks about Susanna, and teaching harpies stuff. I'm interested in hearing her perspective on trying to educate them.

>>38177724
>amazingly white teeth
that should go in the description pastebin

>>38177874
Allright, I will second this, but then it's sleep times, for sure.

"Say, Tahenohan?", brushing her hair is as futile as you remember it being, and when she's this close to your face it always somehow gets in your nostrils and tickles them. It's better when she just sleeps on your breasts, at least she's too far from your face for that to happen. Also, she actually takes out the skull decorations when she sleeps, which makes it a little better, you must have hit them with your horn for the fifth time already.

"Yea?", she asks while trying to snuggle as far into your neck as possible before burrowing under your skin.

"Do you think it's even possible to teach harpies anything?", you're actually curious now, "Susanna seems to be quite convinced".

"I don't know", she pulls back, blinking as she becomes infected by your own curiosity, "How do harpies write? Do they grab the pencils with their chicken feet?".

You have to admit that wasn't the problem you were imagining but it is, indeed, a problem. She even stares at her own hand, sticking the index and middle finger together, as well as the ring and pinky, and tries to grasp your hair as if she only had three clumsy fingers, "It looks harder than tying one of those zinc-pan bras with pearl strings without help...".

"What kind of education do harpies even need?", you wonder, "Actually, what kind of education do arachne need, even? I don't think they would find what we teach our children very useful".

But Tahenohan is still trying to grasp your hair with her pretend chicken feet.

You fool around with her for a while, even getting into a pretend chicken feet fight, and you don't actually remember when but you eventually did fall asleep, even though it wasn't that late at all, still very early even for dinner.

As a matter of fact, you don't even remember having lunch. It must be why you kept dreaming about being at a feast, back in Reboldeux, with the duke personally congratulating your exploits.

But everyone else at the table was a harpy.

That was some awkward dream.

>Continue

>>38178152
>Y
Well, it looks like a prompt so I couldn't help it...

You open your groggy eyes, feeling awfully tired and with a bit of a headache, a pulsating, throbbing feeling just beneath your temples. It's actually a little bad, not terribly bad, but it's the kind of headache that you get that fills you with such a constant, dull and yet ephemereal pain that even just pressing your horns against your head annoys you.

Also, it's dark. It wasn't that dark when you fell asleep, it was early afternoon, and the sun sets pretty late in the Shadow Marches, at least in this season.

On one side it's great because the air is much, much cooler. On the other side, you're drenched in your own sweat and the realization that you've slept for about ten hours, give or take, makes you notice that already nagging burning feeling that reminds you that you've got to pee, bad.

It's a terrible, terrible way of waking up.

You do get up and rub your eyes, trying to orient yourself in the darkness. You're still in the room you fell asleep in, and when you start to get used to the lighting conditions the stars in the clear sky shine with enough intensity to satisfy your needs, allowing you to see that a giant is sprawled just right next to you.

It takes you a moment, but you remember about Susanna. So she did keep you on her bed. You don't see the others, but you presume they're not too far.

Climbing down from the giant bed, you head outside because you don't want to stumble around with your pants wet with anything other than sweat. The idea that you already need another bath is unnerving, but something else surprises you.

You're cold. You're actually feeling the wind, and it's making you shiver. It was merely a relief from the constant heat before.

You've really got a fever, there's no denying that.

>Wake up Susanna
>Look for Leiana
>Look for Arianna
>Look for Bryld
>Look for Tahenohan
>Calm down and see if you can't find anything to eat without waking anyone up
>Go to the stream and refresh yourself
>Other?

>>38178369
>Calm down and see if you can't find anything to eat without waking anyone up
Going to the stream sounds like a recipe for another tree-type disaster.

>>38178369
>Calm down and see if you can't find anything to eat without waking anyone up
I think the mantra was feed a fever and starve a cold.

>>38178369
>Look for Arianna
Remember, Lillith's overworking herself, it's why she's sick.
Also, being alone is a death flag.

>>38178369
>Look for Leiana
Would be Bryld but don't want to infect her.

>>38178369
>>Go to the stream and refresh yourself
It's fine to eat, but we gotta go.

>>38178369
>Look for Tahenohan

File: 1412408414482.png (33 KB, 194x193)

33 KB PNG

Remember these options are mutually exclusive, so only the majority will win, there can't really be much in the way of mixed results here.

>>38178369
>>Look for Leiana
>>Look for Arianna
I can't remember which of them was sane. But find that one.

>>38178369
>Look for Tahenohan

>>38178616
That would be Arianna, I believe.

File: 1413737405031.gif (2.68 MB, 588x502)

2.68 MB GIF

>Vote is split up three ways
>Options are mutually exclusive

You rapscallions...

>>38178663
Pretty sure it's not...

>>38178369
>Look for Arianna

>>38178782
Pretty sure it is.

On one side, you realize the fact that you're working on everything on your own, without help, is what made you weak enough to catch a fever, and Bryld has scolded you because she wanted you to rely more on Tahenohan and her.

On the other, it must be past midnight already and you don't really want to wake anyone up just because you couldn't manage to stay awake. You certainly wouldn't want to be woken up at this time of the night because you wanted a bit of the food you didn't eat. Still, you skipped both lunch and dinner, this must be why you're having stomach cramps.

This cannot pass, you have to do something.

Being outside reminds you that there is one person that might, in fact, not be sleeping... You remember Leiana saying that Arianna is a nocturnal type of spider and you remember her wandering around in the dark a lot when you slept at her place. Just what you needed: someone who you can pester with your needs without the guilt of waking somebody up.

You don't really know where to look for her, though. Then again, you're looking for a half-ton spider, large enough to make an ordinary arachne look minute compared to her. That really is something. That's not the kind of spider you can even imagine not seeing, although you do remember how amazingly silent and stealthy they are when they move around, to the point they might just not make any sound at all.

Concluding you can rely on nothing but your eyesight, you start to feel discouraged since, no matter how clear the sky is, it's still night, and you don't have a particularly impressive night vision. You kind of wish you were a half-elf, until something in the distance starts to appraoch, and you feel a shiver run down your spine and shake all your bone in cold, primal terror.

Oh, wait, it's just the half-ton hairy spider you were looking for. What a relief.

>Greet Arianna, say you NEED FOOD BADLY
>Greet Arianna, ask what she's doing out here
>Greet Arianna... It's Arianna, right?
>Other?

>>38178972
>Greet Arianna, ask what she's doing out here

>>38178972
>>Greet Arianna, ask if she can lead us to the river 'cause we need to go.

>>38178972
>Greet Arianna, ask what she's doing out here

>>38178972
>Greet Arianna, say you NEED FOOD BADLY

>>38178972
>Greet Arianna, say you NEED FOOD BADLY

>>38178369

>>Calm down and see if you can't find anything to eat without waking anyone up

"Hello!", you greet Arianna, hoping you aren't mistaken and the fever isn't making you see a friendly giant goliath birdeater arachne while it's actually a bear, or a canopy mauler, or whatever that giant scythed spider monster thing is called, although you're pretty sure it only lives in temperate forests, not in jungles. You should be safe here.

The creature approaches until it's practically upon you, then it stops abruptly. "Hello!", she answers in that familiar voice that yes, you're sure it belongs to Arianna.

You were almost scared for a moment there.

"What are you doing out h- I'm sorry, I'm actually starving", you justify yourself, "I would love to chat amiably with you out here but I'm really not feeling that well at all and-".

"Sure, come with me".

Well that was easy.

She leads you back inside, where everyone else is sleeping. Now that you can see her shape illuminated by the moonlight filtering in from the large windows, you can see that Susanna is indeed an impressive creature even at rest. Her horned head resting comfortably on the cushion and the rest of the body stretched over the entire length of the giant bed you've slept through in the afternoon, a nightgown covering her figure but still leaving that wavy shape from the shoulder to the hip as she lays on her side.

The rest of your fellows are sleeping in a large basket with a spare cushion inside, with enough room for both Bryld and Tahenohan to sleep on. They actually have to cram themselves in a little and they're almost tangled with each other, but the arrangement seems to be working. You can't help but notice a light blanket covering Bryld, and on which she is clutching rather tightly.

"You were sleeping so soundly we didn't want to wake you up, but Susanna told us you needed to eat once you were awake".

>FOOOOD!
>”Do you want some, too? I will share”.
>”What did I miss today?”.
>”Is Bryld okay?”.
>Other?

>>38179435
>”Do you want some, too? I will share”.
>"Maybe"

>>38179435
>>”Is Bryld okay?”.
>>”Do you want some, too? I will share”.

>>38179435
>FOOOOD!
CONSUME

>>38179435
>>”Do you want some, too? I will share”.
>>”Is Bryld okay?”.

>>38179435
>FOOOOD!
>”What did I miss today?”.
>”Is Bryld okay?”.

>>38179435
>”What did I miss today?”.

>>38179435
>FOOOOD!
>”What did I miss today?”.

Arianna insisted on warming up your dinner, since it's no good to eat cold, and she didn't even listen to any complaint you might have had, just going outside and lighting the firepit to warm a large pot (well, large for you) full of thick vegetable soup. She did give you fruit and some flatbread, which she must make on her own, possibly by collecting the wild grain that you've seen growing around the lake. It has a strange, rich taste even if it isn't terribly soft. It's still not hard enough to hurt your jaw when you chew it, so it's better than some bread you've had the misfortune of eating in the past.

"Is Bryld okay?", you ask with your mouth full of bread and sliced pineapple; not really the best combination, but you're way too hungry to bother. Besides, once it's in the stomach everything gets mixed, so at this point you'd rather just not starve.

Arianna stares at you as if she's wondering why would she ever not be, then she seems to remember something, "Oh, she did complain about the cold, and was shivering a bit in the evening. Susanna said something about her getting a fever as well and gave her that foul-smelling resin medicine. Eww", from the face Arianna makes, it's clear she had it too. It's the face of someone who is reminiscing about firsthand experiences.

"So she did get a fever too", you sigh, but lightly, since your mouth is full of food. Fooooood.

"Yes but it's nothing serious, you'll be better in a few days, you just need to rest". Arianna doesn't sound concerned in the slightest. Then again, you have yet to see her show any actually negative emotion. Not that she shows much emotion at all in the first place.

"Did I miss anything fun today?", you also wonder.

"Nothing much. Leiana and I went a bit up the mountain to look for mushrooms and forage a bit and Susanna salted the fish. She also compiled some notes for her lessons. For tomorrow, you see".

>”Do you help with the teaching?”.
>”Are you a student?”.
>"Want to eat?".
>Other?

>>38179872
>”Are you a student?”.

>>38179872
>”Do you help with the teaching?”.

>>38179872
>"What do you think of her lessons? Are they useful?"

>>38179872
>”Do you help with the teaching?”.

>>38179872
>>”Do you help with the teaching?”.

"Do you help with the teaching?", you ask the arachne with the difficult to read expression, devoid of most emotions.

"No. Not really, no. I'm not as smart as Susanna, she's read tons of books, I have a hard time finishing just one", say what you will about Arianna, but she IS honest.

"... Do you find Susanna's lessons useful?", you then decide to ask, instead. It sounds like a better question, especially if you want to get to know the ogre magi a little more, "Are the harpies enjoying them?".

"The harpies are enjoying themselves all right", Arianna confirms as she smells your vegetable soup, deciding it's warm enough to be served. It's quite savoury and a little spicy, you can even see the chilli seeds floating about; you wonder if it's typical of monster society or if it's just because chilli peppers are just rather common here. You have seen them used plenty by both arachne, after all. "It's mostly the flock leaders that actually study, though".

"Flock leaders?", you wonder. The soup is really tasty and filling, and your stomach is moved to figurative tears as it thanks you.

"The smart harpies", she claims, even though it's a clear oxymoron, "The ones that keep the flock in one piece. Well, that's how they explained it to me, I don't really know how harpies work".

You didn't know harpies had anything like a leader, and you certainly would have never expected anyone to put the words "smart" and "harpy" next to one another.

But you did.

“Are these smart harpies... Just how smart are they?”, you can't help but wonder.

“Enough to feel annoyed at the rest of their flock”.

The world never ceases to amaze you.

>”Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?”.
>”What do the rest of the harpies do?”.
>”How many harpies are we expecting tomorrow?”.
>”I actually have to keep a secret from them, can you help me?”.
>Other?

>>38180424
>>”Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?”.
>>”What do the rest of the harpies do?”.
>>”How many harpies are we expecting tomorrow?”.
DON'T tell her about the penis. DON'T.

>>38180424
>"How would you say Susanna enjoys the teaching? Does she seem passionate about it?"

>>38180424
>”Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?”.
Ok, this is intriguing. Might be birds of prey or parrots, you know, the smarter ones.
Are crows/ravens tropical birds? They aren't, right?

>>38180424
>”Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?”
>Realize that we've already met one.

>>38180424
>”How many harpies are we expecting tomorrow?”.
>”Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?”.

"Is it safe to talk to those flock leaders?", this is interesting, if you can safely talk to a harpy without wanting to tear your own ears off in frustration, you might just get a new insight on monster society that you were missing and probably not even hoping to get at all. It's funny how this kind of good news come late at night when you're having a late lunch and dinner combined because you slept through the entire day and you're amiably chatting with a half-ton spider.

"I... Don't see why it wouldn't. It's just harpies. They're small, annoying, but quite harmless", Arianna's tone sounded confused for a moment, but just for a moment.

"How would you say Susanna enjoys the teaching? Surely she must be passionate about it if she can stand to teach harpies".

You're pretty sure Arianna herself doesn't know how to answer that, "I don't know, in the end she always looks like she wants to start crying, or killing everyone, or maybe both. I don't know, it's costing her a lot of effort, that's for sure, but for some reason she just keeps doing that".

Why indeed, you wouldn't have the courage to even suggest the idea of teaching anything to a harpy to anyone, let alone doing it yourself.

"How many harpies are we expecting tomorrow?", you try to hide the hint of fear in your voice.

"Oh, I don't know", Arianna shrugs, "I guess... Well, there'll bee three flocks or so, that's the groups that we have, and... They have... And they... And this one is the largest so...", she seems to be counting something on the fingers of her own hands, but they all go up and down without rhyme nor reason.

After a bit more counting, all strictly following her odd, inscrutable logic, she looks up, "Between thirty and forty, I guess?".

>PANIC
>"That sounds like a lot".
>"I thought there would be more".
>"How large is a flock, usually?".
>”Are there just three flocks in the area?”.
>Other?

>>38180764
>PANIC
>"How large is a flock, usually?".

>>38180764
>>PANIC
PANIC

>>38180764
>"How large is a flock, usually?".
>>”Are there just three flocks in the area?”.
Researcher time

>>38180764
>>"That sounds like a lot"
>>"How large is a flock, usually?".

>>38180764
>PANIC
>"That sounds like a lot".
Shitshitshitshit

Thirty.

Maybe forty.

The last flock of harpies you've dealt with had maybe a dozen of them. Maybe. Tomorrow, you're going to deal with at least three times as many loud, dumb, obnoxious bird girls, and worst of all they have a reputation for being cock-hungry rapists.

"Are you quite alright? You're sweating a lot", Arianna comments, unfazeable, "I can see the beads in the moonlight".

"I-I-I'm f-f-f-f-fine", you do your best to control yourself. It's nothing bad. You're not alone. You have friends, they're going to keep you safe, and most importantly you're sick so you will just stay under the blankets, with Bryld, who is also sick. They certainly won't bother you, right? And even if they do, Bryld is certainly going to help you out, it's in her interest too, right? Right?

"If you say so", the arachne just shrugs.

"H-how large is a flock, usually?", you decide to ask, you need to focus on something actually useful and stop thinking about your impending doom.

"I have no idea. Anywhere between five and twenty, I guess? That's how big I've always seen them. I think about ten is average?".

"T-that sounds like a lot, can Susanna even handle that many?".

"No", she flatly answers, "I told you, every time she comes just this close to breaking".

The way she says it it's almost like it's not her problem. You hope it won't be your problem either.

"A-are there just three flocks around here?".

"Yes. There used to be more, but harpies have been decimated during the last Fomor wars", again, Arianna just shrugs the tragedy away, "Same as with us, you humans and everyone else".

Jokes aside, it's hard to imagine why anyone would go and hunt harpies or try and slaughter them in large quantities. You never had the misfortune to live through a Fomor war, but every time you face its consequences, it's even more dreadful.

>”They have an easier time reproducing though, right?”.
>”Did some of them migrate?”.
>”What's their relationship with humans?”.
>Other?

>>38181124
>>”They have an easier time reproducing though, right?”.

>>38181124
>”They have an easier time reproducing though, right?”.
>”What's their relationship with humans?”.

>>38181124
>”Did some of them migrate?”.

>>38181124
>>38181204
Supporting!

"But they have an easier time reproducing", or at least so it appears to you, "They fly around, have an easier time... Finding mates", or raping hapless travellers, though you've heard they actually don't do that as often as some people have you believe... Yet men are always cautioned about going out alone around harpy-infested areas, especially around spring and summer, "And it's easier for them to approach humans, too".

"That it is, yes", Arianna readily agrees with you. Even if you were in danger of your virtue being sullied, if you didn't know better you would rather be in the hands of a dozen sex-craved harpies than a half-ton spider. Of course, you know the spider in question and she's actually a pretty cool girl, "I guess this is why there's more of them than us".

"What's their relationship with humans, if you know?".

Arianna seems to think about it, "Well, it has to be good. Most of what we know about what happens in Reboldeux and your lands in general comes from the news that they bring, so they have to be in good enough of a relationship to talk to humans".

This isn't too surprising, really. Some harpies have become, well, as civilized as you can expect a monster to get, to the point that most large towns have a small population of indigenous harpies that don't really move around much in the wilderness. You're not sure if Reboldeux is large enough to have such inhabitants, but you presume it does, after all someone has to keep the spidergirls informed of what's going on.

"Did some of them migrate? Maybe that's why there's so few of them".

"Nah", Arianna shrugs, "Those that migrate come back eventually. Susanna said she doesn't think there's much more than a hundred harpies total in all of the Shadow Marches".

You wonder if she's just guessing or whether she's closer to the truth than you might think.

>Stay a while and listen (to what?)
>Go back inside, check on Bryld
>Go back inside, go to bed
>Other?

>>38181503
>>Go back inside, check on Bryld
>>Go back inside, go to bed
Yaaay, fevered sleepy dreams together!

>>38181503
>>Go back inside, check on Bryld
Tuck our bunnybutt in bed.

>>38181503
>Go back inside, check on Bryld

>>38181503
>Stay a while and listen (to what?)
What kind of mate does she want? Would she be willing to move closer to human settlements?

>>38181503
>>38181532
Anon has the right idea.

Arianna wants to finish her stroll, mentioning something about the stream being fresher and making a better flowing sound when it's closer to the source. You don't have the energy nor the health to follow her around, so you just bid her farewell (until next morning at least) and go back inside.

Once inside, you immediately go and check on Bryld. You've seen her clenching the light blanket she has on before, and she still does. When you look at her from up close she too is sweating, about as much as you are (which is a lot, you're feeling really drenched), but at least she isn't shivering and her breath feels regular. Seeing her sick but peaceful in her sleep, you further convince yourself that you two are just having a bit of local, possibly seasonal fever that you're going to pass soon, most likely thanks to the medicine Susanna gave you.

Seriously, if that thing didn't kill you, nothing else will.

Tahenohan is also in the basket, on the giant cushion, although not under the blanket that Bryld is clutching. Ridiculously tough and healthy as she is, she's not catching whatever it is that the two of you have, so she is feeling far from cold in this tropical night, although she doesn't sprawl around too much, since the cushion, as giant as it might be, still isn't that ridiculously large.

You look at the giant bed and see that Susanna is in the same position as before. You also spy Leiana in a corner, her long spider legs all collected, and she is sleeping there upright, almost holding them.

You guess arachne need a different sort of beds than bipeds. Arianna didn't have one, and though Leiana did mention something once about spinning some resting place with her silk, you doubt she's going to decorate Susanna's house with it.

And now that you're full, you can go back to bed and get some more rest...

>Go in the basket and sleep with Bryld and Tahenohan
>Go back in the giant bed where you were and sleep with Susanna
>Other?

>>38181906
>>Go back in the giant bed where you were and sleep with Susanna
As much as I'd like to, Susanna needs time too.

>>38181906
>>Go back in the giant bed where you were and sleep with Susanna
Just in case, we don't want to give Bryld our version of the supersick. Plus I think us being sweaty won't help Bryld at all.

>>38181906
>Go back in the giant bed where you were and sleep with Susanna
Alriiiight.

>>38181906
>Go in the basket and sleep with Bryld and Tahenohan
Wanna cuddle

>>38181906
I gotta sleep, but thanks for running!

As much as you would like to join Bryld and Tahenohan and snuggle both and comfort Bryld so that she doesn't feel cold and sick any more, you have to be realistic: you're both sick, and sweating on each other isn't going to help. At all.

You do lightly pat your cartographer's and your half-elf friend's hair on your way to the giant bed, and hoist yourself up. After a bit of relief and a lot of eating and a nice past-midnight chat, you feel tired enough to get back to sleep. Thankfully, you're strong enough to climb up on your own without need for help, even though the bed isn't actually too tall for you, the mattress is about as high up as your chin is, so it still does require a bit of effort on your part, but nothing unsormountable.

Sleeping next to a giantess feels weird. You're aware there's even larger giants, and that ogres are supposedly the smallest type of giant you can find, and you can't help but wonder how it would feel to sleep with someone even larger than she is. At that point, you could just sleep somewhere on her, like on her shoulder or something. It's a bit like when Tahenohan sleeps on top of you, except you could toss a mattress, a sheet and a blanket over your guest's shoulder and just sleep there.

You simultaneously wish and not wish to meet a giant that large.

If you close your eyes and not think of anything in particular, you can feel her breath. It's less heavy than that of Arianna, which is somewhat surprising, and she doesn't seem to move around a lot when she sleeps, unlike Mires.

You idly wonder whether you can or should sleep closer to Susanna before you drift back into a much needed sleep.

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374 KB JPG

And this is the end of Episode 22! Phew, that ran for longer than I thought.

Thank you for participating! Episode 23 will happen next week. Still don't know when. Check twitter for more details.

>>38182377
Thanks for running! Was fun.

>>38182377
Thank you very much!

>>38182377
Thanks for the thread MP, looking forward to next time!

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510 KB PNG

>>38182377
Thanks for running MP! This was a great thread.
Also, for the others who might have missed decu's drawthread, here is the other pic made for SO.

>>38182527
Man, can't wait for Tahe's schemes to come to fruition.

>>38182527
Why is Tahe so best.