>>40643419
Everything. In that order.

>>40643419
Yeah, lets just say all those things.

>>40643419
>"Hey Madeleine, errr, what're ye doin' here?"
Though all work together really

>>40643419
>>40643574
>>40643604
And a slap on the butt

>>40643681
I will back 'friendly' slaps on the ass

>>40643419
>"Hey Madeleine, errr, what're ye doin' here?"

>What're ye doin' here?"

Writing!

>>40643681
>>40643745
She's behind us though. Not an easy ass slapping position.

He'd have to feel around for it first is what I'm saying. Rubbing his hand up and down her to find it...

>>40643951
I fail to see the problem

>>40643951
But this guy is a pro buttslapper, or we will at least make him one.

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"Err, hey Madeleine."
"Doing well, Jack?"
She wraps her arms around your waist.

"I'm well, but what'cha doin' here?"
"Mm, can't I be worried about my captain?"
"Yer allowed to, but aye think I also told ye to stay where ye were because it may be dangerous."
"Oh, but that sounded like such fun. I didn't want to let my captain run off and have all the fun without me. "

"..That can't be the only reason ye here, right?"
"No, that's just the reason I volunteered to come."
She lets her arms release themselves from your torso.

"We can't get the compass that the pilot has to work. It seems you're too far out of its range. So I guess we just have to find some other way home, hmm?"
Woh, that sends a bit of panic up your neck.
"Ye seem awfully calm knowin' that neither of us know our way home."
"That's fine." She wraps her tail around your arm, "Where you go, I'm home."

While that's sweet and all; this is concerning.
"Ye should tell Aligot about this."
"Actually, since it won't do any good at this point, I suggest we just go ahead and find a way out ourselves. Also, a little higher."
That's when you realize, you've been stroking her tail for at least a minute now.

>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.
>Stay back with the group, explain all of this to Aligot yourself.
>No, you're right. Find a place to hide and I'll come pick you back up.
>You can defend yourself, right?
>Other?

>>40644100
>>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.
>You can defend yourself, right?
>Other?
"If you cant then try to find some where to hide when the fight starts"

she will follow us regardless so just bring her along

>>40644100
>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.
"The minute any fighting starts you hide somewhere safe."

>>40644100
Slap. The. Butt.

>>40644100
>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.
>Go higher

>>40644100
>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.

>>40644214
Nah, no encouraging her.

>Just come with us, maybe you'll have an idea on what to do next.
>Just hide if a fight starts.
>Go higher

Writing!

>>40644214
Do lamias have butts?

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"Alright, ye can come along, but be sure to hide if somethin' bad happens."
"Sure thing, honey. You be sure to keep rubbing that spot if I ask you to."
Oh, your hands moved up her tail again. You try to take them away but they seem to entangle your arm as you do.
"Come on, they're probably waitin' on us."
"Aye aye."

--
"Hey Jack, why is Madeleine here?" Yuuki asks.
"Long story, I'll tell you later." Cody smiles knowingly.
He seems to think she's here for a completely different but related reason. You don't bother correcting him as your team continues down the completely silent path toward the cavern.

Speaking of which, that cavern is almost in view. It's like someone blasted a hole straight out the side of one of the ancient stone walls.
You see several guards standing a ways from the entrance. They seem to be carrying something away from it.
That's when you realize, they're animal balls. The guards are carrying their wounded away.

>Stay here Madeleine, We're gonna go have a look.
>Follow closely, we may need help from someone good with Magic.
>Catch up to the guards, ask them tough questions.
>Too dangerous, reconvene with the group.
>Go alone, let the others watch your back.
>Other?

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With that, I drive home.

Thread reconvenes in a few hours when I get there.

>>40644557
>Follow closely, we may need help from someone good with Magic.

>>40644557
>Go alone, let the others watch your back.
chaaarge!

>>40644557
>>Follow closely, we may need help from someone good with Magic.

Man ever since that fake wedding Madeline has gotten far more aggressive about Jack hasn't she? is it because she realised about rivals to our affections?

>>40644100
Help! Sound the yansnake allert, save the young boys and men of marriageable age first!

>you've been stroking her tail for at least a minute now.
Not helping, Jack.

>>40645273
That's probably part of it. I think it also is in part of her rising self esteem after escaping hell (ie Catland) and her tail recovering from Shroom growth. Both of which you can say thanks to Jack. In that aspect, Jack saved her. So to speak.

>>40645273
Most likely. She's playing to win.

>>40645543
>>40645545
I feel like the others will lose any chance they have to make an attempt on Jack at this rate, not that I mind MADELEINE A BEST but the only other girl who has even come close is Tulie what with the fake wedding and all.

>>40644557
>Follow closely, we may need help from someone good with Magic.

>>40645662
i just have to point this out Jack is a pirate he will have what ever tail he chooses if he wants a dog princesses tail, snake doctor tail or shrine fox sisters tails or even one with no tail at all he will take it all and then more for he is a pirate.

>>40645736
Oh I'm not worried about Jack, he'll be fine. What I want to see is the other realising they have to step up their game as they are losing to snake tail.

>>40645736
>He is a pirate

Yar har fiddle dee dee...

>>40645775
Yeah, Tuile and Madeline are way ahead of everybody else.

>>40645775
Tulie has improved by leaps and bounds, just not in the romantics department. I have faith in her though. Girl has potential.

>>40645775
if i remember Ice Lass (i cant remeber her name) is going to step up her game since her older sister came back encouraging her and we had that moment with her and found out we might not be bound to her.

>>40645803
Do what you want cause a pirate is free.

Someone remind me, why was the Konditorei hero making trouble all the way in Biscotti?

>>40645885
you mean Cody or some one else?

>>40645901
I mean the girl we captured and who almost died from being too far from her summoner for too long and the whole reason we went to crazy bear-kingdom.

>>40645952
ya know i dont think we ever found out.
or we did and it wasn't that interesting.

You know after I got done thinking about snake tails and leaderboards of progress for us. I realised we have been in only one of the fake wars they have here, like that was entire point of the original stuff and our pirate shenanigans derailed that real quick.

>>40646048
true but i think we are going to get into one of those once our adventure here is done.

>>40646070
My money is on the Bears. After are whole little adventure there, I'm sure they want to settle the score in some way.

>>40646048
People disappearing all over the place probably takes priority. That said, I hope we'll see Jack take to the field again.

>>40646129
exactly and we do have their princess so they are going to want her back.

>>40646188
We had to do an entire fake wedding bullshit and fulfill some maids yuri fantasies to get her and her hero we arent giving them back easily.

>Follow closely, we may need help with someone good with magic.

Writing!

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"Stay close." You whisper to Madeleine close behind you.
That's when you realized that you may have just given her a very dangerous order.
"Lass, Lass not that close." You struggle to breathe with the thick emerald-coated appendage binding you.
"Aww."

Slowly more of the cavern comes into view. It opens up into a wide chamber on the inside, and then seems to fall all the way down into the Earth. There's no telling what is at the bottom of this thing.

Still, you could make the journey downward on foot without need a rope or a hook. It would just need a little bit of patience and agility.
That's when you remember that you're a hero and you could jump right out of the cavern if you needed to. Your worries dissipate.
Instead, they turn to the fact that it's very quiet around this opening. So quiet that you could hear a pin drop. You would think caves would be more active with the sound of running water or squeaking bats.

Your crew continue to stand as still as statues at the entrance to the cave. Silence, utter silence is all that you hear from the depths.
Cody coughs, and adjusts his voice.
"I think someone should go in."
"Okay, Aye'll-"

"I already decided." Cody says, adjusting his coat. "You and I are going down, Madeleine and Yuuki will stay up here."
"Aye."

You look toward Madeleine,
"Can ye tell anything about this cave before I go into it?"
"Yes, I can."

"Really?" Cody and I respond at her quick and sudden response.

"I've seen this cave structure before. Granite." She scratches the surface. "If I can find some standing water inside, I can tell you exactly where it comes out."
"So someone has to just go in, find some water?"
"That's all."

>Go in and get some water from the entrance with Cody.
>Rush in, grab water, get out.
>Properly explore the front section of cave. You may have to do it anyway.
>Go get everyone else, it's clearly safe up here.
>Something's not right, why is it so quiet up here? Look around some more.
>Other?

>>40648058
>>Properly explore the front section of cave. You may have to do it anyway.
Gotta be safe, may get some clues and goddamn I was right about Madeleine, she IS very aggressive. Man Jack does wonders on people's self confidence, first Madeleine now Tulie, we really are the best.

>>40648058
>>Something's not right, why is it so quiet up here? Look around some more.
then
>Properly explore the front section of cave. You may have to do it anyway.

>>40648058
>Properly explore the front section of cave. You may have to do it anyway.

>>40648058
>Rush in, grab water, get out.

>Properly explore the front section of the cave

Writing!

>>40648058
>Something's not right, why is it so quiet up here? Look around some more.
Those gurads-turned-fluffballs probably didn't just trip and fall.

Also, this snake, goddamn. Yet I don't dislike her pushiness.

Having connection issues, and it's later than I thought.

But I'm still writing.

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"Yuuki, Madeleine." You search around the entrance some more to see if there is any hint of anything that may be laying in wait. "We're goin' in."

"Hold it!" Madeleine stops you. "You're not going down there without a guideline, are you?"
"A what." You stare blankly at her.

She sighs and then reaches into a pouch on her side.
"Listen, if you go into a cave, the first thing you do is tie a guideline at the entrance so you can find your way back the further you go in."

"Aw it'll be fine." Cody tries to dismiss her.
"No buts." Madeleine takes out two tiny spools of what looks like thread.
Then you notice, the thread is glowing.

"Listen, this is glowthread. You can see it very faintly when you're in the dark. Both of you tie it around yourselves, because the last thing I want is for either of you to get lost in there. Yuuki and I will feed it to you the further you go in."

"Aye think this is a little much, Lass."
"I said 'no buts'." Madeleine seems serious about this.

You take her 'magic thread' and tie it around your wrist. Cody ties his spool around his waist. Slowly, you both start your descent into the cavern.

- -

It's dark. Really dark. You don't like how dark it is.
"Hang tight, Jack." Cody takes what appears to be a torch out of no where. He lights it and illuminates at least a huge chunk of the cavern.
"Whar ye get that?"
"Found it, it was right here by the entrance. I think one of the guards dropped it."

That does not bode well.

Slowly both of you are to the point where you can't even see the entrance anymore. Looking back, you can still clearly see the thread pointing in its direction.
You hear some dripping into what sounds like a small puddle. You deftly follow the drips until you come to the bottom of a huge stalactite.
You bend down and scoop some of the liquid into one of your empty flasks.

"Got the water, Should we go back?"
"No." You plainly tell Cody. "We should find out what they were trying to hide."

>Cont.

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Around, and round. You seem to go down forever into the abyss.
It feels a little terrifying, being surrounded by nothing but inky blackness.

At the same time, you can't help but feeling another sense.
"I'm bored." Cody aptly states.
"Same." You sigh.

"We're already way past the point those guards had to have been toasted."
"Naw, there's still plenty a ways they could have gone."
"Well, I haven't seen anything but water and limestone."

"Aye, but they didn't keel over from boredom, either."

You're beginning to feel the line become more and more taught as you walk. Like your lifeline is almost at its end.
"Jack, Look."

In the distance, you can see a small set of blue lights that seem to be floating in the air.

"What'd we do?"
"Keep goin'." You say to Cody. Both of you draw your pistols and continue onward.

The lights start to get bigger, and more numerous. Eventually, hundreds of tiny blue specters are floating around both you and Cody.
"I don't like this."

That's when you notice a small clearing in the cave. It almost looks like a footpath. It's lit up brightly with blue torches, and even a blue bonfire right in the center.

There's a huge figure sitting at a bonfire, next to him is a bottle of what appears to be some kind of alcohol.
".. lower your gun Cody."
"Eh!? Why?"
"Just do it.."

You walk up to the bonfire, and adjust your voice to get the man's attention.
He turns around, and puts a huge grin on his face.

"Jack! Hey! It's so good to see you again!" The laughs, and takes a drink from his bottle. "What made you stop by and visit? And where's Tuile?"
Of course he would ask that. This man is Tuile's uncle, King of the Underworld.
He prefers if you call him "Andou".

>What are you doing HERE of all places!?
>Don't tell me this was right under this town and I didn't know.
>Don't tell me there was a conspiracy happening right ABOVE you and you didn't know!
>Small world.
>Other?

>>40649693
>>Don't tell me there was a conspiracy happening right ABOVE you and you didn't know!

>>40649693
>Small world.
>...
>What are you doing HERE of all places!?

>>40649693
>Small world.
>Don't tell me there was a conspiracy happening right ABOVE you and you didn't know!
I fucking knew he knew something about all this kidnapping bullshit.

>Small world
>What are you doing HERE of all places!?
>Don't tell me there was a conspiracy happening right above your head and you didn't know!

Writing last post of the night.

>>40649693
Well that was unexpected. But if this place has multiple entrances, it must have multiple exits.

>>40650049
Did we just find a path to the literal underworld?

>>40650312
Since Tuile's uncle is her, that seems to be the case. Unless we stumbled on the summer vacation lodge of the King of the Underworld or something.

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"So, this whole cave system actually connects to the underworld?"
"Yeah, maybe." Andou says, leaning back. "I don't really remember how far it goes. It's been at least a century since I went up that way."

The realization dawns on you.
"Are ye telling me that there was a conspiracy happenin' RIGHT ABOVE YER HEAD and ye didn't know!?"
"Conspiracy?"

"Listen, Err."
"Andou! And yourself?"
"Cody, Please. It's good to meet you, Andou."
"Hah! Have a drink."

"But listen, Andou, Did you see any mean lookin' guys come through here recently?"
"Yeah, I did! Some guys came by earlier, and I was so happy to see someone that I stood up to give them a big ol' bearhug. They practically snapped like a twig! Some of them didn't like my humor much."

"Hey Andou, we got someone waitin' on us, mind if we come back?"
"Sure! But be sure to come back!"
"Aye.. Aye."

- -

"You mean!" The brown-tailed fox almost deafens us in the echo of the cavern. "There was a serious threat right above your head and you didn't know!?"
"Have you been talking to Jack, Tuile? Because he asked me the exact same thing when we met earlier."

Tuile looks like she's about to blow a gasket. She was so upset when you told her that she didn't even seem phased about knowing Madeleine followed you here.
"How could you be so blind?!"
"Blind to what?" Andou asks, drinking again, "You're the ones that want to live in the sky. Maybe you should consider livin' a wholesome life underground, like I do?"

Madeleine instinctively knows where this is going, and agilely wraps her tail around Tuile. She pulls her away just as Tuile nearly punches her uncle with a charged up superpunch.

"'ey Andou." You stop the reunion to ask an important question. "Can someone walk all the way from here back to Biscotti?"
"It's along walk, but sure. I don't see why not."

"Mind if a few, say, hundred people pass on through here?"
"A few hundred?" He thinks about it.

He better not say no because he has no choice.

>Thread End.

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Thanks for the thread, everyone.

Apologies if it was a little short tonight. I know that's pretty bad when I only run this quest once a week now.

But hey! We almost have this problem resolved! Isn't it great? I think I made this side quest too long but tell me what you think!

>>40650352
Harhar, the day the pirate and the death god foiled the nefarious plot of the bears through coordinated spelunking. Thanks for running Announcer, I had fun, as always.

>>40650390
thanks for running

the side quest was pretty amusing so i didn't mind it.

>>40650390
It really got away from you didn't it?

Thanks for running anyways Announcer.

>>40650390
I didn't even realize it was a side quest to be honest. I feel like in the past couple of threads we've done more to get to the bottom of and undermine the mass disappearances of fluffy tales than at any other point in the quest. Well done announcer, well done.

>>40650352
>Tuile can now supplement tantrums with super punches
This worrying possibility did not cross my mind.

Thanks for running, Announcer.

That ending was fantastic.

>>40650390
This was only a side quest? Well back to dealing with Armstrong expy bear guy and fighting some 'battles.' Also girl problems. Both Jack's and those of others.