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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

>>40841156
>Ask how they’re holding up.
Alright!

>>40841156
>Ask if they have plans to meet humans.
Best quest time!

>>40841156
>>Ask what they’re talking about.

"So", you decide to intrude in a moment you deem to be appropriate, a pause long enough for both of the women to stop and notice that you're trying to say something and not sound like you're just intruding, "How are you holding up here?".

"We're fine, as always", Susanna shrugs like the undead outbreak never really existed in the first place, "These lands just got a little weirder, that's all. It's certainly no cause for concern".

"Indeed, we were thinking about further investigating the issue", Astreya adds, tagging a confident smile along. It's kind of rare for her to be so sure of herself, she usually just looks gentle and condescending, "Or at least know how far the origin point of that spell was, right?".

"I have a suspect or two, but I want to be sure", Susanna agrees in her usual booming voice, "Knowing the distance will let me know if it's from the Shadow Castle or further North".

"The Shadow Castle?", you can't help but ask.

"It was formerly the seat of the Shadow Marches' government. The Marquise's own fort, where its main army was holed up during the last Fomor War", Astreya briefly explains, "It's presumably ruined and likely further ruined by the disastromorphism, but I suspect it hasn't been completely erased. Castles are too convenient, no matter who you are".

"I see", you state, if anything to give the idea that you're paying attention, "Do you have any plans to meet humans?".

"Not... Right now?", Astreya glances upwards at Susanna, who shakes her head with conviction.

"Now would be the worst moment to", the giantess claims, “Everyone’s scared because of the undead outbreak”.

>”The scare will wear off, there’s no real danger after all”.
>”Maybe you should stay here for a while longer, yes”.
>”Quite the contrary, now is the best moment to show yourself as a friend”.
>”Maybe the two arachne will have an easier time?”.
>”Maybe Astreya can convince the Marquise at least?”.
>Other?

>>40841668
>”Maybe Astreya can convince the Marquise at least?”.

>>40841668
>”Quite the contrary, now is the best moment to show yourself as a friend”.
And rip some undead in half. But that's another thing.

>>40841668
>"Will it really be so bad? I mean, you could always find reasons why it'd be a bad idea 'right now'..."

>>40841668
>”Maybe the two arachne will have an easier time?”.

>>40841668
>”Maybe Astreya can convince the Marquise at least?”.
Hell yeah, I missed this!

"Is it really going to be that bad?", you wonder, fully aware that Susanna is a little paranoid about this, even though she admittedly has very good reasons to, "I mean when people are scared like that they tend to have a soft spot for friends and allies, and anybody that helps them out is okay in their book".

"You're way too naive", Susanna holds back a sigh, but you feel that making that claim saddens her, no matter how much she actually believes it, "When two monsters fight each other the one that wins doesn't become a friend to humans".

"It's possible someone might get the wrong idea", Astreya adds, "That is: that she's behind the undead plague. The Reconquista itself is a reminder that this entire continent was lost to a Fomor War, after all".

"In that case, maybe the two arachne will have an easier time?", you can see Arianna pull herself up a little on her spider legs with the corner of your eye.

"I'm not sure it would be wise", Susanna insists, "I've seen too many killed, on both sides, for the stupidest of reasons. I don't want to risk".

"The issue must be addressed, earlier or later", you insist. After all, this is what you are out there for, as well. You look towards Astreya, who is paying attention to what you're saying, "Maybe you can convince the Marquise, at least? If we try to push towards better acceptance through official channels, maybe we'll have better chances? People tend to obey laws, if anything because bad things happen if they don't".

The magic user chuckles at your expression, and for a moment it looks like you've actually cheered her up from something, "Why yes, that would be a good idea. Would you like to come with me again when I do that? We'll better take care of it after you finished your business with the Duke, however".

>”That’s a great idea. We should get to it ASAP”.
>”I still think it’s better if you do it alone”.
>”Maybe I should go alone, instead? Not that you can’t be trusted, of course...”.
>Other?

>>40842041
>”That’s a great idea. We should get to it ASAP”.
Sure, I think.

>>40842041
>”That’s a great idea. We should get to it ASAP”.
This means after we trade the map and fetch our friends, yeah?

>>40842041
>”That’s a great idea. We should get to it ASAP”.

>>40842041
>”That’s a great idea. We should get to it ASAP”.

"That's a great idea!", you comment, even though you wonder how you go about meeting a Marquise personally. Even with the Duke, you're not dealing with him personally. After all, they're nobility and you're just a dirty peasant. Well, maybe you're no longer as dirty as you used to be, but your blood still isn't blue, "We should see to it as soon as we get the chance to".

"Without doubt", she chuckles, "Should I give you a lift again? I will try and get an appointment so we can leave as soon as you get back".

"It would be wonderful if you could do that", if it works, it might actually go quite a great way into furthering your own, personal objectives other than helping the monster girls in need. Well, your objectives also include helping your friend and starting new lives over all together, but you're going to get to that point as soon as possible.

"I hate to interrupt your plans and good intentions", the giantess remarks, "But we also have other problems to deal with, the source of the necromantic magic is only one part of them".

"Right, what were you talking about earlier on?", you wonder, since you missed most of their conversation.

"Mostly making sure that there's no specific disturbances to monstrous populace", Astreya explains, "I won't go into the specific details of how you can tell, but we're sure that there's an alraune population that is mostly unfazed by the recent circumstances".

"Or any at all", the giantess almost rolls her eyes, "It's hard to bother them even if you try".

"... And signs point to fairy presence, too", Astreya finishes, "There's more, of course, such as a wyvern infestation, but you don't need to concern yourself with that".

“They don’t come hunting from this side”, Arianna points out from your back. Of course she already told you before.

>"Tell me about the fairies".
>"Tell me about the wyverns".
>"Tell me about the alraune".
>"I know what the fairies are up to".
>Other?

>>40842492
>"Tell me about the alraune".
>"I know what the fairies are up to".

>>40842492
>"Tell me about the wyverns".
We didn't meet these.

>>40842492
>"Tell me about the alraune".
>"I know what the fairies are up to".
I wanna know the Alraune!

>>40842492
>"Tell me about the wyverns".
>"Tell me about the alraune".
>"I know what the fairies are up to".

>>40842492
>>"Tell me about the fairies".

"Actually, I know what the fairies are up to", you announce, and everyone looks... Yes, surprised. Apparently fairies are rather elusive or maybe they didn't believe you could approach them.

"Really?", even from her tone you see that Astreya is- Well no, she's not surprised, saying that she didn't expect this development would be correct, but it's a different kind of feeling than what you first expected.

"Yes. I met three of them, they claimed to belong to a Fairy Road Authority", you explain, "They said they were here to find Fairy Crossroads and asked me to call them if I found one. But... I don't know what one even looks like".

"Call them how, exactly?", Susanna asks.

"Uh, with a bugle call. They gave me a brass trumpet too", you pause, "But I can't play it".

"Well that's the least of the problems. No I mean, it's not like it's a problem", Astreya immediately reassures you with a kind smile, "It must mean that the disastromorphism hit their roads too".

"Is that unusual?", Susanna apparently doesn't know.

"Well there are... Theories on how the Fairy Roads actually work. I'm afraid it's going to get a bit too technical and boring though. For now, let's just say that changes in the world affects their roads too, and this is another piece of evidence".

"What can you tell me about the alraune?", you then ask.

“The alraune are a breed of plant monsters that, contrarily to popular belief, do not prey on human males and have no interest in capturing them”, Astreya holds back a chuckle, if barely, “They have both genders and actually have a rather fascinating life cycle. They are usually harmless as long as their living habitats aren’t threatened. Some go out of their way to look for them because some parts make for very useful alchemical ingredients”.

>”I take it they don’t appreciate that?”.
>”So the alraune are harmless?”.
>”I actually met a couple of them”.
>”What about the fairies?”.
>”What about the wyverns?”.
>Other?

>>40842892
>”I actually met a couple of them”.

>>40842892
>”I actually met a couple of them”.
>”What about the wyverns?”.

>>40842892
>”I take it they don’t appreciate that?”.
>”What about the wyverns?”.

"Oh, I met a couple of them too", you claim, and this time you see that there's very little surprise at your words, as if your partners are starting to get used to your shenanigans.

"You really ARE a priestess of Ishtar", Susanna even cracks a smile at you.

"And you're quite proactive in hunting monsters, it seems", Astreya sounds amused instead, "You might even make for good autarch material. I assume you didn't bother them?".

"I...", you decide to just skip on the specific circumstances, "No, we just talked. Nothing special. Well, they weren't too happy to have me around if I have to be honest, and they were concerned about being ripped to shreds because apparently their fluids are used in aphrodisiacs".

"They are", Astreya confirms, "They're also one of the few parts you can take from them without ripping anything or jeopardizing their lives, although I guess that people out for alraune components don't plan to ask nicely in the first place".

"Even if they did, I'm not sure how you'd feel if someone asked for your body fluids to make potions", Susanna argues. She has a point. It could be just kinky, but from an armed stranger? That's creepy as all hell.

"What about the wyverns?", you then ask, wondering just how safe you are around here.

"I told you, don't concern yourself with them", Astreya reminds you, offering a reassuring smile, "They don't hunt on this side of the mountain".

"I suppose there's no prey large enough", Susanna comments, "They don't exactly go after rabbits and humans. Well maybe humans if there were plenty, but that's not the case".

"... So it CAN be a problem!", you can't imagine just how happy the settlers will be when they build a town only to be eaten by giant flying reptiles.

"Not currently. Don't concern yourself with it". Astreya can hardly sound stern with her voice, but she's trying.

>”What’s our plan now?”.
>”Will everyone be fine out here?”.
>”You sure you don’t want to move closer to New Royo?”.
>Other?

>>40843359
>”You sure you don’t want to move closer to New Royo?”.
Lillith, you are sounding like a kid~

>>40843359
>”Will everyone be fine out here?”.

>>40843359
>”Will everyone be fine out here?”.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay out there?", you try to not sound like you're their mother, mostly because it's kind of ridiculous, you suspect Arianna is a couple years younger than you, maybe, but the rest? Susanna is probably twice your age at the very least, if not more. And let's not even talk about Astreya.

"I know where you're going to get at: no", Susanna sighs, it feels very heavy when she does, thanks to her having huge lungs, "We're not going to come closer to your lands".

"But-".

"There's no reason to insist, Lillith", Astreya pats your shoulder comfortingly, rubbing it a little too like an old friend of sorts, "They want what you want, too, but it's not as easy as you want it to be".

She has a point. Being older also brings wisdom, you presume. Or at least this is what they've always told you. You suppose it does at a certain point, for example when you hit several decades and still retain all of your physical and mental health.

"I'd like to come", Arianna reassures you, "But I can't leave Leiana alone".

"Don't talk like I'm the one holding you back", and they're at it again.

"Still", Susanna continues, "Thank you for dropping by. I guess you're a trustworthy person after all. I'm sorry if I'm all... Grumpy and paranoid", she puts a wry smile on, "You're not too bad of a teacher either, I must admit I don't spend much time praying, I don't really have gods that favour me".

"Are you sure?", you ask, genuinely curious. You don't have much in the way of formal religious training, after all.

She just sighs, "No, I'm not sure. But I don't really want to talk about it".

Astreya smiles, looking at you, “If you’re in a hurry, we can go back right now. If you’re not, we’re going to stay here and I’ll teach you a little bit of ritual magic that can only be performed at night”.

“You’re making it sound lewd you frustrated fatass”, and this is the first time Yomi said something during the whole exchange.

>Stay.
>Go back.
>Other?

>>40844078
>Stay.
Oh?

>>40844078
>Stay.

>>40844078
>Stay
Color me interested. What kind of ritual is it? Does it involve a dinner and a bad?

Actually,
>Stay
>What kind of ritual is it? Does it involve a candlelit dinner?

>>40844078
>>Stay.
Oh boy, magic!

>>40844078
>Stay.
N-not because of the lewd implications!

>>40844078
>Be a good evangelist and convert Susanna to the ways of Ishtar

"Hurrying back will do us no good", you admit you're mostly intrigued by the ritual magic, but you're also fully aware that giving in to panic is not going to help you or your friends. Besides, you've already made a deal with Yomi, you only have to trust the evil demon to do exactly what you want him to do and not get anything wrong, so you're completely safe in that regard. "I will stay and see what this ritual is about. Does it involve a candlelit dinner?".

Astreya chuckles at the implication as Yomi rolls his eyes behind her, "No, it's not an obscure courting ritual. I'm afraid you won't be able to do much, but it might still be interesting for you to see and learn".

"Thanks for having me, then", you sincerely answer.

"So, are we ready?", Susanna wonders, looking at Astreya, "I have the necessary parts packed already".

"Thank you for your help", the autarch smiles, "Please do bring everything. Lillith, if you could be a darling and help out with the more practical parts once we're ready to set up?".

"Need my help, too?", Leiana asks, but Susanna shakes her head.

"You two stay here and watch the house if you please. I usually wouldn't even care, but I don't want a stray zombie to accidentally crawl under my bed". The thought is, frankly, rather horrifying, but she seems to be mostly joking about it. Mostly.

"Alright alright, we'll stay back home", the arachne agree, and wave you off.

Thanks to Astreya's ghostly staff light, you're not in pitch black darkness once you set off for the wilderness. You wouldn't be in any case, as soon as your eyes adjust to darkness you notice that the starlit sky provides plenty of illumination, or at least enough to see the general outline of your surroundings. It's only at that moment that you realize the ghostly light isn't disrupting your night vision.

>”What’s this ritual about?”.
>”What can I do to help?”.
>”Do you do this thing often?”.
>”Is Yomi going to take part?”.
>Other?

>>40844441
>>”What’s this ritual about?”.
>>”What can I do to help?”.

>>40844441
>”What’s this ritual about?”.

>>40844441
>”Do you do this thing often?”.
>"Is this related to that demon summoning ritual?"
I had forgotten Lillith had night vision, cool.

>>40844441
>”What’s this ritual about?”.

"What's this ritual about?", you can't help but ask as you venture through what you suppose is Susanna's backyard, but you walk quite a distance, enough that the lights in her house begin to get distant. You notice that you're not climbing up the mountain even though there's a very visible and very wide slope that would allow you to do so quite comfortably, but you're instead crossing the stream and going downhill a little, into a lightly forested area right next to the mountain itself. The grass here is tall but still barely at your knees.

"We're going to try and divine the exact distance at which the necromantic spell took origin. Something that large will surely have left a trace even after these many days", she points up in the sky, "We also have a waning gibbous moon tonight, which is going to help. The details would be too technical so you'll have to trust me on this".

"She means to say that it makes some threads and strands more visible", Susanna explains. With her voice, no wild animal would ever dare approaching, even assuming her steps or very presence wouldn't have made them flee already. As a matter of fact, she is moving rather carefully to avoid getting stuck on the higher branches or hitting her face against some of them. Then again, her "moving carefully" is your ordinary speed, thanks to her absurdly long legs, "This is why we can see it even after this many days".

"That and it was a very powerful, wide-area spell in the first place. You can't just expect its signature to be erased by the ordinary winds", Astreya adds, "Sometimes I can even feel the natural currents are still out of sync because of the disastromorphism from ten years ago".

Even if you realize they're dumbing it all down for your perusal, your lack of familiarity with everything they're saying is making it difficult for you to tell what's going on, exactly.

>”How can I help?”.
>”Is it dangerous?”.
>”Do you do this often?”.
>”Is it safe out here?.
>Other?

>>40844890
>”How can I help?”.

>>40844890
>”How can I help?”.
Lillith will take a class level in Wizard.

>>40844890
>>”How can I help?”.

>>40845067
... Uh...

>>40845096
Sorry, wrong quest!
Phoneposting is annoying.

>>40845067
Of course MP is still writing, she never stopped.

"How can I help?", you wonder.

"You can't", is Susanna's simple answer.

"You can't... Directly", Astreya chuckles, "But you can very well help us set up, at least. Besides, this is how many apprentices start out, even those that don't end up becoming proper magic users".

"There is... Power in rituals", Susanna tries to explain, "You don't need to be able to call upon the winds of magic themselves to perform some of them. Unfortunately, this is one where you need it, so you really cannot contribute directly".

"That's... A pity", you admit you're a little disappointed, "But I didn't know you could do magic without being a wizard".

The two magic users look at each other for a moment, each uncomfortable in a way or another, "It's... Not really like that", Susanna goes.

"Magic is... Weird", Astreya admits, "Anyone will tell you that. But don't let it cloud your curious mind. Keep focused on the task at hand".

You can't help but trust her as you arrive at what appears to be a natural clearing; it's very long, as if there was a stream or a small river here as well, but it ran dry a long time ago, or maybe it just moved. Point is, there's no trees growing in a long line that reaches all the way down to the lake, which you can barely see because you can spy the gleam of moonlight on a distant water surface, "Ah, here we go. This is a good place", Astreya decides.

"Here", Susanna puts down a very large bag, about your size, "Pull out the runestones and the candles. I'll tell you how to arrange them. Oh, only the blue ones, not the red ones. Pay attention because it's very important".

You rummage through the bag a little. It’s full of disc-shaped, oblong stones with strange symbols carved on one side, which has been flattened. They don’t make sense to you.

>”Is this ritual going to be dangerous for me?”.
>”Could I learn magic?”.
>”Just tell me how to arrange the stones and candles”.
>”What’s the worse that can happen?”.
>Other?

>>40845278
>”Could I learn magic?”.
Magebuddies!

>>40845278
>”Could I learn magic?”.
Avoid the death flag

>”Could I learn magic?”.

>>40845278
>>”Just tell me how to arrange the stones and candles”.

>>40845278
>”What’s the worse that can happen?”.
Nothing, of course~

>>40845278
>”Could I learn magic?”.
>”What’s the worst that could happen?”.

"Could I learn magic, too?". You would be the worst liar on this world if you just claimed you wouldn't like to learn magic. Everyone does at some point in life. As children, as young adults, as adults... It's just incredibly handy to wave your hands and, pardon the pun, magically solve all of your problems. Of course, with everything about magic being what it is and everyone being full of cautionary stories about magic and magic users, books and stories in paritcular, everyone eventually tends to agree it's a bad idea to deal in that field. But nobody can stop a dream, and in most people's dreams magic is just cool.

"There's no way to know", Susanna admits, straight to the point, "Humans have little natural inclination for magic".

"That's... Opinionable", Astreya argues back with a smile, "But she's right. There's only one way to know. I'll have to warn you, however, that unless you're born with the spark of magic, and you clearly weren't, it's never easy nor painless to actually learn magic. Assuming you manage to in the first place".

"For now you should just concern yourself with the runestones and the candles. You can't teach magic overnight, and I recommend you deal with this topic when you're well awake and paying attention", the giantess also helps out in setting the ritual up by tracing some patterns on the dirt with a finger. It's large enough to just dig up the earth if she puts enough pressure.

"How about we save this topic for another time? I promise I'll get back to you on that", Astreya reassures you, looking at the stones you pulled out, "Okay... Keep those with this symbol aside and ready the candles. I'll light them myself don't worry, just give us a few moments, we need to calibrate this thing properly...".

And the two begin to awkwardly walk around a circle traced in the ground, looking up at the moon and drawing geometry according to some arcane calculation that you’re not aware of.

>Continue

In the end, Astreya was staying put in the middle of the circle, looking up at the moon and feeling something with her staff off in the distance, and they used those elements as the base for whatever sort of calculation they needed to trace the shapes right in that circle. You can't help but notice Yomi staying out of it, sitting on the grass and looking bored out of his skull. His tail moves occasionally and briefly, and the pattern is quite like that of a sleepy housecat.

When the two magic users are done, they ask you to put the stones in a pattern that seems to mimic that of the moon, though you don't understand the reasoning behind it. You also place the candles at regular distances, and when everything is done they kindly ask you to step away. Just to be sure.

Astreya remains in the middle of the circle traced in the dirt; it's not even really visible with the tall grass and everything, but you presume that doesn't count because suddenly all the candles are lit by an unseen force, and some of the runestones you placed light up in eerie blue and purple lights and begin to levitate around her.

You have no idea what's the logic dictating which stones float up and how high and which stay down and glow in which colours, but there must be some, because the two spend time calibrating everything, and you see plenty of moving stones and colourful glows. Sometimes they fizzle and spark rainbowy cascades of colour.

"The currents sure are wild here", Susanna comments, looking off in the distance, "Try five degrees clockwise", and Astreya adjusts something, with some stones floating lower and other vibrating as they go higher, "No, that's wrong... Try ten counter-clockwise".

Whatever Astreya does, the stones vibrate some more and adjust themselves in the air until they form some kind of pattern that you don't recognize.

>”Is everything okay?”.
>”How does this work?”.
>”Aren’t you going to help, Yomi?”.
>Say nothing, just watch.
>Other?

>>40845778
>Say nothing, just watch.
Pretty!

>>40845778
>>Say nothing, just watch.
Don't interrupt the spell twinklers.

>>40845778
>”How does this work?”.

>>40845778
>Say nothing, just watch.
>Tickle Yomi

>>40845778
>”How does this work?”.

>>40845778
Changing >>40845887 to >>40845995
>Say nothing, just watch.
>Tickle Yomi

You don't want to risk breaking anyone's concentration, so you decide to just remain quiet. You presume that if someone like Yomi is behaving it means that it could get dangerous if you try and be silly here, and you don't want to see Astreya have problems either, or suffer some kind of strange consequence from botched rituals.

"I think the direction's quite right, maybe we're off one or two degrees though", Susanna can tell by looking at the stones, apparently, "What do you feel?".

"It's hard to say, the currents are wild and wonky", Astreya chuckles, remaining poised as her ghastly light keeps glowing in a vague blur at the top of her staff and her other hand freely directs some of the stones by making them float at different heights without even touching them. You notice how those that she's willingly moving are glowing red and purple instead of an eerie blue that sometimes turns green and sometimes sparks, "Oh wait I think we're closer than we thought".

"Are we? What's the distance?", Susanna asks.

After a certain amount of tense silence, Astreya declares "A hundred and ten miles. Maybe a hundred and twenty, it's hard to tell with these currents".

"Could it even be a hundred?", the ogre wonders.

"It could be. And we could be off a couple degrees".

Everything powers down all of a sudden, the lights snuffed, the runestones falling down in the soft grass as if they were suddenly reminded of gravity and Astreya sighing, "With that much distance, even two or three degrees are going to turn into a lot of room for mistakes".

"It's okay, it's a castle", the giantess shrugs, "Just the general direction is going to be fine, right?".

Astreya doesn't answer immediately, "Are we sure it's actually from the castle? Unless geography changed more than I expected, it shouldn’t be there...”.

>”Is it over?”.
>”What did you find out?”.
>”If it’s not from the castle, from where else?”.
>”How can you tell? What did you do?”.
>Tickle Yomi.
>Other?

>>40846053
>”If it’s not from the castle, from where else?”.

>>40846053
>Tickle Yomi.

Nothing bad can come from this.

>>40846053
>Tickle Yomi.
Well, ok.

>>40846086
Not even an actual reply, anon?

>>40846105
They're busy talking amongst themselves. I say let the magic users talk it out.

>>40846053
>”If it’s not from the castle, from where else?”.
>Tickle Yomi.

You might have wanted to contribute meaningfully to the conversation, but instead you're doing what you've been thinking about doing ever since you've seen Astreya's familiar sitting there, bored out of its skull, lazily slapping its tail on the grassy ground like a cat.

You decided to tickle him.

And of course, being the absolutely no fun person he is, he isn't even ticklish, and doesn't give you the benefit of any sort of reaction except turning his head to you, a face full of pity and his amber eyes almost glowing with contempt for your pathetic self, "Wow, you're even worse than I thought you could possibly ever be. Good job and being an useless waste of adult skin".

"Are you two having fun?", Astreya asks, and you realize both wizards stopped talking to look at the scene, the autarch seems to be doing her best to hold laughter in but isn't succeeding much at hiding her very attempt.

"Er...", you get away from the demon familiar and pretend nothing ever happened, "If it doesn't come from the castle, where could it be from?".

"I don't know", Astreya candidly answers, looking up at Susanna who shakes her head as well, "As soon as the Reconquista gets that far we'll find out, I suppose".

"If it gets that far".

"Now don't be that pessimistic".

"It's not pessimism, I consider you giving up settling these lands as a good thing, remember?", Susanna remarks, but Astreya decides to just find it funny and laugh.

“Oh my, oh my. Lillith, would you be a darling and collect everything? Put it back in the sack, Susanna will carry it back home”.

“Just be careful not to break anything”, the giantess asks, “Put the runestones first and the candles later, just to be sure. And don’t shake them too much, they might chip”.

You can’t help but notice that there’s plenty more stuff in the sack.

>”Are we done?”.
>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.
>”Hey Yomi, help me out”.
>”When do you think the Reconquista will get that far?”.
>Other?

>>40846271
>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.
Haha, how anticlimactic!

>>40846271
>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.
>”When do you think the Reconquista will get that far?”.

>>40846271
>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.
Damnit Yomi, you are no fun like this.

>>40846271
>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.

>>40846340
Yomi has always been nofun anon. That's like his main character trait (after swearing like a sailor).

>>40846271
>>”What’s the rest of the stuff for?”.

"What's the rest of this stuff for?", you can't help but ask, "The sack is pretty full, other than being large".

"Nothing that we need right now", Susanna explains, a little too hastily, "Please don't touch anything else, it might be dangerous".

"It might really be, she's not kidding, magical reagents are usually quite unstable and tend to explode even in the hands of non-wizards", Astreya adds in, with a smile, as if though you're not really going to explode but you might so please be careful, "I'm not sure we're going to use it tonight. If it were a full moon, we could try and create a moonlance".

"Doesn't that ritual only work on one night in the year?", Susanna sounds unsure.

"For a permanent version, yes. You can have a temporary enchantment with any full moon. Of course it's not the same, I realize, but...".

"I suppose it's good enough when you hunt certain kind of creatures", the giantess concedes, "Do you want to divine something else while we're at it?".

"No", Astreya shakes her head, "Tell me more about the lake instead. Actually, can we get a little closer?".

"Sure we can", she shrugs, "Just be careful, the footing is treacherous the more we approach it. Especially if we go down this path".

"This was a river once, wasn't it?", Astreya has come to the same conclusion, apparently, and she's starting to walk down that path with Susanna, who picks up the sack you just filled and slings it over her shoulder. It's kind of amazing to see the ease with which she does that, it's about as large as you are, "I guess the disastromorphism was really something".

"I almost couldn't find my way back home, at first", the giantess admits. Even Yomi gets up and follows up behind Astreya, shooting you a pityful glare and slowly shaking his head in explicit disapproval.

>”What do you know about the lake?”.
>”Does anyone live in there?”.
>”How much did the disastromorphism change this place?”.
>”Yomi, uh...” (say what?).
>Other?

>>40846513
”How much did the disastromorphism change this place?”.
>”Yomi, uh...” (say what?).
>"Why can't you be more fun?"

>>40846513
>”How much did the disastromorphism change this place?”.
Now this seems like a good question. Gimme that worldbuilding goodness.

>>40846513
This >>40846565
And
>”Does anyone live in there?”.

Probably in the opposite order.

>>40846513
>”Does anyone live in there?”.
>”How much did the disastromorphism change this place?”.

"How much did the disastromorphism change this place?", it has to be a lot if it moved rivers. Maybe the lake wasn't even here, originally. Maybe the mountains were further up or taller or lower or who knows.

"It's hard to tell, once the Shadow Marches will be all mapped again, we can compare the new maps with the old ones and have an idea", Astreya explains with a quite curious tone, "Actually it would be very interesting in the study of disastromorphism and the changes they bring. There aren't too many cases to study and there's some scholars that are always looking for repeating patterns and rules of any sort, as if they could predict when they come and how they change the world".

"You talk like you believe that's impossible", Susanna speaks what you admit you were thinking as well, and Astreya just laughs.

"I've been dealing with magic for long enough to accept that predictability is a luxury for us".

"Does anyone live in the lake?", you then ask Susanna, who just shrugs.

"I don't think there's mermaids in there. I have to admit I've never actually bothered to check, especially now that your civilization is creeping close again. I could be spotted from the other side and I really don't want any of your army to come and cause problems".

"I'm not saying we're going to find out tonight", Astreya then adds, "But I want to take a closer look".

The travel then continues without incident, the ghastly light guiding your way through this curious, long clearing, a safe haven from the encroaching jungle, althoug there are parts where trees have started growing again. At some point, you look at Yomi for long enough to muster both the courage and the interest necessary to bother him again. "Why can't you be more fun?", you ask him.

"Why can't you be less of an annoying bitch?", is the predictable answer.

>”Why are you always like that?”.
>”You’re annoying too”.
>”Why weren’t you helping out before?”.
>”How do you feel about Astreya?”.
>Other?

>>40846826
>>”Why weren’t you helping out before?

>>40846826
>Giggle lightly.

Yomi's adorbs.

>>40846826
>Giggle lightly.
>"I am only as annoying as you are an ass."
>”How do you feel about Astreya?”.
Soon Lillith will be Astreya 2.0 to Yomi

>>40846874
He's the fucking worst.
God I can't wait to get away from.him again and back to tolerable characters.

>>40846826
>”Why weren’t you helping out before?”.

You can't help but giggle at Yomi's reaction. You think you're starting to understand why Astreya is always so calm about her familiar, after a while you kind of get used to him and begin to take his speech patterns in stride.

"What's wrong, did your brain finally melt down you oversized red shit?".

"I'm only as annoying as you are an ass", you reply.

"No shit bitch you're worse than annoying you're the queen of ass kingdom, you're the ruler of buttcheeks, the sovereign of fat cracks, the ministry of smelly farts. If asses had hats you'd be the monocle they'd wear for parties. You're a shitstain on decency, common sense and human intelligence".

As you very much expect right now, he keeps the same expression no matter what he says, although he's pretty good at conveying complete and utter indifference with his tone, "Why weren't you helping out before?", you then ask him.

"Because unlike you I'm not a hopeless retard that does shit without knowing which parts might blow up in my face. I'm sorry you still think you can be of some use in your life other than wasting food and breathable air that could feed much better people than you could possibly ever be, and yet you insist on saving your sorry excuse of a failed life".

"How do you feel about Astreya?", you nonetheless continue.

Almost surprisingly, he has no insults for you this time, instead he just turns to look at you, staring with an expression that can only be summed into a glare, "She's a fat-ass old bitch with more sexual frustrations than a thirty years old virgin".

"Yomi", she calls from a couple paces ahead, like a mother gently reprimanding a child.

"... And she's my mistress", he then adds, doing his best to make it sound like he’s spitting it out completely against his will.

"Good boy".

>”What kind of demon are you, again?”.
>”How did you come to be summoned?”.
>”Would Astreya lose her powers if she were to lose you?”.
>”Where do you come from?”.
>Other?

>>40847263
>Just keep quiet.

>>40847263
>Keep quiet.

>>40847263
>”What kind of demon are you, again?”.
>”Where do you come from?”.

>>40847263
>the queen of ass kingdom, you're the ruler of buttcheeks
I giggled.

>”What kind of demon are you, again?”.
>”Where do you come from?”.
Finally a chance at some exposure about him. Let's get some info!

>>40847263
>”Where do you come from?”.

"So anyways Yomi", you insist, since you don't have much better things to do while you walk towards the lake, and you're starting to really get used to him anyways, must be because you're half demon yourself, "Where do you come from?".

"From hell you assblasted brainfart even you can't be that stupid".

"No I mean", you correct yourself, "How- How is hell like, actually? I have no idea".

"Picture the worst place your non-existing imagination can handle, fill it with the worst thing your pahtetic life has allowed you to experience, give it more dread than you feel every time you take a step towards your rightful grave, hoping your puny excuse of a life will end sooner than you can dream", for a moment, he sounded like he was trying to be dramating, then he just sighs and clasps his hands on the back of his neck again, "I'd still rather be there than talking to you. Bitch".

"What kind of demon are you again? I don't remember the name for your sort".

"You wouldn't even remember to breathe if your waste of organs that is your body didn't remind you to", he then pauses, "I'm an empusa. Now go bother someone else if you want to know what that is, shitface".

Even though you presume you've made more progress with him in those ten minutes than... Well, since you've met him really, you can tell when he's really starting to get annoyed and isn't just... Being what he is. You sometimes suspect he's just playing a part, but then again Astreya did caution you to not think of him like he's an ordinary mortal being.

You suppose there's some really deep meaning behind all this.

"Ah, there we are", Susanna then announces, after a walk that has been longer than you thought. Good thing you had someone to distract yourself with, "Careful now, the ground's treacherous, you might slip".

You can now see that the lake is just ahead of you, past a small climb down a slopey drop where you really should watch your step.

Pity you’re not here for a midnight bath.

Or are you?

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92 KB PNG

And this is it for Episode 34!

I have to admit I had fun. Sorry for starting this late, fortunately I didn't have to close early.

I'll be seeing you next week. As always, check on twitter for more details.

Thanks for running!

>>40847614
>Pity you’re not here for a midnight bath.
>Or are you?
Well, we didn't bring our towel or our elf, so I guess we aren't.

Thanks for running!

>>40847614
>Pity you’re not here for a midnight bath.
>Or are you?
Ohohohoh

Thanks for running, MP

Isn't this near harpy territory? Bathing would be a terrible idea even if elf and bunnybutt were here.

>>40847912
We have a magi giant and a wizard+demon familiar combo. Can't be safer than this.

>>40848045
No reason to take the risk in the first place. Especially since magic isn't effortless and making them cast spells just so we can bathe now instead of in a little while when we get back is stupid. Why would we even want to without the butts here?