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>>38295600
Charlotte is a given.
Other than that, it just has to be one that's well-armed enough to help Charlotte is she's in trouble but discrete enough to look like a ragtag band of opportunists and swindlers.

"I WANNA GO! I WANNA GO!" Louise happily hops around the caravan with a huge smile on her face. The people packing our decoy caravan onto the airship nervously look onward as she precariously balances her greataxe effortlessly in her off-hand.

Maybe a little on the nose, you need to think about that.

Yuuki seems like a perfect fit for the caravan if she was put in less extravagant clothes as well. Just as well because you were going to take her and Cody to begin with. You search around for her but can't seem to see where she went, maybe she's packing.

Cody is busy being dolled up by his lady, Amaretti. She owns the airship, so she gets to go whether you like it or not.

Speaking of which, you're still fairly short on hands. You could bring in people from the Shrine to go along with you for variety. If anyone accuses your party of being too stacked of dog people, a snake lady would quickly dispel those claims. Plus caravans, from your experience, typically have more than just one child traveling along with them. So it would be a nice trip for Keiko as well. If Keiko goes, you may consider Atsuko, Camille, and Akiko going along as traveling priestesses.

It may not even hurt bringing along someone like Aligot or a Biscotti knight for gender balance.

>Populate this caravan.
>So far: Heroes, their princesses (including yours) and Charlotte

>But what else? Shrine people?
>Maybe some knights?
>Or Castle Folk, like Aligot?
>You can bring Camille along too, if you think she's fun.

>>38295939
>>Maybe some knights?

Why not? Provided hired muscle isn't out of the ordinary to guard a caravan, this works well.

>>38295939
>Some Knights
Cause merchants would have at least a couple guards
>Shrine
Madeleine. She can bring some of her medicine to make it more legit

>>38295939
>>Or Castle Folk, like Aligot?
Aligot needs to get out more.

>>38295939
>But what else? Shrine people?
Madeleine
>Maybe some knights?
>Camille, because why not?

>>38295939
this>>38296441

>Some knights
>Madeleine
>Camille
>Aligot!

He does need to get out more.

Writing!

I'm kinda surprised our Princess isn't forcing her way into this after her previous complaints that Jacks been ignoring her too much.

>>38296827
Oh
She is.
Rest Assured

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Okay, that's good. You can take along a couple knights, Madeleine, Aligot to get him out more. Plus you can bring along Camille, she's always fun to have around.
And of course Tuile, she's almost being obsessive with this. She went off to get 'adventuring clothes', whatever that means.
With that, preparations are almost complete, you just have to go get-

"Jack!"
There's a panicked voice calling for you from the castle gates. A lone knight is running at you while waving her hand. It's Noel, the wind-throwing superknight who helped you with your rescue operation.

"Something terrible has happened!"
Damn it, why do they always come to you when something terrible happens?!

–

The castle dungeons are, as always, dark and depressing. It's at least some consolation to you that this castle's dungeon almost never contains anyone. It's rare that it has the one prisoner that it has now.

Lynneth stands outside a particular cell, a worried look on her otherwise extremely stern face.
"Want somethin', Lass?"
"Shh."

Inside the cell is a rather familiar sight from the last few days.
Yuuki, who has taken a more sisterly approach to the captive hero, sits inside the cell with the prisoner. The young hero rests her head across Yuuki's lap as she usually does. Except this time, there's an air of uncertainty.
"Jack." Yuuki says, with a melancholic tone in her voice. "She has gotten way, way worse from yesterday. She has a very high fever, and she isn't eating."

And indeed, her darkened face is as flush as her tanned skin allows. She breathes in a very quick and labored pace as her small hands grasp at the fabric of Yuuki's dress.
"I don't know how much longer she can last, but it's not two weeks. I'm not sure she even has a few days like this. What do we do?"

>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."
>"Take her with us, but restrain her somehow."
>"Anything ye can do, Lyn?"
>"Leave her someplace and come back for her when we're done."
>Other?

>>38296872
Good. I'd have been disapointed if she got left.
She should be a permanent party member.

>>38297059
>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."
I don't think she's in any condition to take advantage of being unrestrained.

>>38297059
>Touch tails
>Talk about that medicine snake lady.

>>38297059
>"Anything ye can do, Lyn?"
I guess another hero couldn't share energy or something?

>>38297059
>"Anything ye can do, Lyn?"
Something like a quick fix until we can actually get her to her princess, then
>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."

>>38297059
>>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."
>"Anything ye can do, Lyn?"

>>38297059
>>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."

Also serves as a detector for the summoner.

>>38297059
>>"We take her with us, what else? We can't leave her here like this."
>>Have the best snake provide care en route
>>Touch fluffy/scaley tails ponderously.

>"Anything ye can do Lyn?"
>Bring in the snakedoctor
>Take her with us, what else?
>tails

Writing!

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"Great." You say under your breath.
You turn your head to Lyn, "Anything ye can do?"
"I've been thinking about it, but, not much. Barrier energy isn't as transferable as you would think. I could measure her strength and see how much longer she has left."
"Please do, Lass."

She enters the cell, feeling confident enough to leave the door open, and starts her readings on the hero.
"Jack. " Her tone lowers, "She still has some energy left, but the fever is her biggest enemy. You need to do something about the fever."

Fever?
"No problem!" You say with a smile.

–

"Stupid wooden bridges." Madeline swears as she carefully tries to slither along the edges of the boards. "It's like there's a new splinter in every crevice"
"I can carry ye if ye want, Lass."
"No no, it's fine, I'm almost across."

She enters the castle with a slightly pained look on her face. Slung over your shoulder is a bag full of medicine and bottles.

"So, why am I coming along on a big adventure?"
"We're staging a merchant caravan, and every caravan has at least one traveling doctor, it's like a law or somethin'."

She still slithers along the ground, occasionally wincing from pain.
"Okay, Lass, Stop, put up yer tail."
"Wha-?"

You pick up the scaled length of her lower body as she braces herself against a wall. Reaching, you carefully pluck a large wooden splinter from the folds of her scales.
"Ah! Uh. Thanks."
"Aye'm not done, hold still. So yer okay with goin' along, right?"

She goes to answer, but squeaks when you grab another splinter from the end of her tail, you gently rub the end of it as you check for more wooden spikes.
"Y-yeah, I was just thinking. That's how my mother started out potion making in the firs- WAIT NOT THERE, THAT TICKLES!"

You don't listen to her. She starts laughing and wildly flailing her tail as you pull another twig from her skin. Much to the dismay of the several maids who have stopped to watch and blush.

>Cont.

>>38297974
>Much to the dismay of the several maids who have stopped to watch and blush.

i want to predatory gaze at them like their next

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>>38297974
Madeleine gets set up in a spare kitchen and brews several potions and medicines for the hero. She says that if she starts now, she can make a few days worth of medicine and get the fever under control within an hour.
Yuuki was overjoyed to the point of tears when she heard this, Lyn sported a very impressive smile. That Snake Doctor sure is something.

You, on the other hand, go to see what kind of knights you can bring along on the caravan. It's only normal for merchants to have hired help. No group of peddlers and swindlers should be unconcerned about their safety. You asked Noel about this, and she personally volunteered, a well as someone else she had in mind. You're going to go meet them now.

Noel happily hops from the courtyard, pulling along two people behind her who seem confused and a little lost.

"Jaaack!" She happily chirps as she shoves the two in front of her. "Meet my two best friends! Pomelo and Bennet!"

The knight with long, brown hair wearily puts up her arm. "Hi Jack.. I'm Pomelo."
The other knight, with black unkept hair and a well-trimmed suit, lifts his head only slightly from his shoes. "Hi."

"Hmm," You jokingly rub your chin, "I'll have to inspect your tails, you know."
They both snap from their shyness, "WHAT?!" they say in unison.

You laugh, "Good! Glad that got yer attention! Lighten up you two, it'll get ya far with me!"

>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."
>"I like em! They're both coming along with us!"
>"Eh I'll take You and Pomelo, Bennet you keep the place safe."
>"Bennet! We need more guys! You're up with us!"
>"This is good but I feel like I need more knights, Maybe the Gallete knights too?"
>"You'll be enough, Noel."
>Other?

>>38298514
>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."
>And ears

>>38298514
>>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."
After a rigorous inspection
>>"I like em! They're both coming along with us!"

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>Thread End

Guys it is time for me to call it a night. Apologies it didn't last very long.

I will use last vote as a start to next thread. Discuss among yourselves if you want to include anyone else in the plan or not, as next thread will likely start on the road.

Thanks to everyone who participated, let me know what you think and if you like the direction this is all going in.

And I hope it felt faster today than usual. I think I was pretty on-point for this thread.

>>38298514
>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."

>>38298737
thanks for running, even it if was way too short

>>38298514
>>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."
>>"I like em! They're both coming along with us!"

>>38298737
well thanks for running

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>>38298737
>On the road
Sorry, I mean after the rigorous inspection.
I know you want to vet the new characters.

>>38298514
>"I like em! They're both coming along with us!"
>"But no seriously, I'll have to inspect those tails."

Thanks for running Announcer!

>>38298737
Thanks for running, what's up with the pic?

>>38298812
Yeah, sorry about that.

For those wondering, this is not an example of the new runtime, this was a case of me starting way too early with no regards to endtime. Entirely my fault for poor planning.

Hopefully, in the next week or two, I'll be able to start threads from work and begin a few hours earlier. Which will hopefully be a return to the 8-hour threads we usually enjoy.

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>>38298922
Thats the name of the goofy bird things they ride in the show.

I sometimes forget this quest is based on a show