Something about her tone sent a jolt down your spine as you fought the urge to groan about having to deal with her ire this early in the morning, but you've little recourse for that now. You marshal your senses and take in a deep breath, prying open your eyes just in time for your brain to process what you had just done and violently retch out the air you had just sucked in.

You jerk to the side quickly, emptying the contents of your stomach violently in an attempt to remove the gut wrenching smell you seemed to be drowning in. Its only after you manage to focus through the tears and morning light to see the pile of carrion your hand was currently buried in does the rest of the night coming rushing back to you.

"Where's Ari?" is what you attempt to groan out. A glob of yellow bile and spittle is all that actually manages to escape your throat, thanks in no doubt to the clenching abdominals that leave you wheezing to expel air which no longer occupied your body.

After stumbling away from the rotting stench and shaking the dizziness from your head - Your body feels so unresponsive, like a child given their first puppet - and take note of the ruined clearing you were in. Upturned stumps and fallen trees mar the forest floor, creating what was likely the only open area in the forest for miles. The destroyed 'corpse' of an oakenbear lay behind you, its stomach ripped open to allow all of its kill to spill outwards onto the ground. You look at your red stained hands in wonder, then even more so at the sheet of gore that extends fully up your arms.

The scrapes and cuts that litter your arms are certainly something, but other than that it seems they're fine. Simply caked on residue from the oakenbear.

What the hell happened last night?

"You're lucky I came back when I did." Rinnier cuts into your thoughts with a disgruntled sniff, "Don't think I'm forgiving you for last night, either."

You wearily crane your head towards the red haired Testament as she spoke, fighting through the fuzziness in your head in order to get your thoughts back in order. "Last night?" You grit out, spotting your pack not far away. "What happened? Where's Ari?"

"You don't remember anything?" Rinnier asked archly, her sudden advance causing you to snap into awareness hurriedly in order to prevent the spitfire from simply bowling you over. "Don't screw around, you think you'll get out of this just by playing dumb?"

"Get out of what?" You step back, gaining a measure of clarity as you straighten your posture, noticing Rinnier's less than pristine state. "And where's Ari?" You press, looking around for the conspicuously absent piece of your Testament. "You picked a fight with an oakenbear like an idiot!" Rinnier bit out, "If I hadn't come back to save you, I'd be making the rest of the trip to your cousin's on my own".

Well, that explained the oakenbear corpse. "...Thanks?" You offer half-heartedly, trying to fit together the impossible situation you had awoken to. "But where's Ari?" Rinnier shook her head quickly, "I don't know. It was just you when I got here, and I wasn't able to find her last night. Who knows where that one's gotten off to".

A sinking feeling settles in your gut, and it is ironically less welcome than when your gut actively refused to stay down.

"We have bigger problems, though. Take a look at this." Rinnier holds up a sword, coppery splotches marring its scratched steel edge. You stare at the thing for several minutes, trying to figure out what was so important before glancing back at Rinnier with a raised brow. She sighed heavily, pointing the blade at the cadaver half-spilled from the oakenbear's gut.

"Hunters don't carry swords, and you said these were private lands, didn't you?" She explained exasperatedly, "Some unfortunate brigand ran afoul the wrong prey, but the body is still relatively fresh." She sheathed the sword in a bloodied leather swatch that you suppose had been salvaged while you slept. "Where there's one, they're likely more, understand?"

The pieces fit together quickly as you get the implication presented.

"Nearby?" You get moving quicker, snatching up your discarded pack. "I haven't heard any, it's possible the oakenbear drove them out of its territory some time ago, but we must be careful as we move now."

"...You didn't find Ari in the oakenbear, did you?" You halt, looking back at the wooden behemoth that seemed as if someone had taken a maul to it through-out the night. "No, so at least we know she didn't get eaten." Rinnier shook her head, tightening her grip on the walking stick in her hand. "But I've no idea where she is, and we need to get moving."

>Resume course for the river.
>Delay trip, search for Ari.
>Mention the oakenrue, show its remains to Rinnier.
>Ask a question (write-in?)

Previous Threads:
https://archive.moe/tg/search/tripcode/!y56qKWqxyc/results/thread/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=valen+quest

Where things are said:
https://twitter.com/Riz_QM

Pastebin Stuff:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs

Misc notes:Seems like there's trouble on the horizon. But for who?

Heavy storms occurring, don't be surprised if I vanish due to power outages or lost connection.

>>41016489
>Delay trip, search for Ari.
>Mention the oakenrue, show its remains to Rinnier.

>>41016733
This stuff!

Writing!
I forgot it was the 4th of july. Looks like it'll be an empty thread tonight.

"We're not leaving without Ari." in no uncertain terms you refuse Rinnier's suggestion to get moving again. "I... don't think she could have gotten very far. She's not very strong."

"So you have some idea where she is, then?" Rinnier isn't pleased, but she seems resigned, as if she had expected this already. "I went looking for her last night, but couldn't stray too far abroad with you unconscious like you were." You resist the urge to ask for a better explanation of just what happened last night, merely filing the event away as something to look into later as you look around the clearing and start to try and retrace the steps you could remember taking before things got fuzzy. "We were about to follow after you..." Your fingers snap in remembrance as you finally stumble upon the remains of the wood clone, still staring blankly forward with your smiling face. "This happened." you explain succinctly.

"What is... this?" Rinnier stepped to your side to inspect the carved replica of you half-emerged from the tree, draped in limp vines. "This was one of the wooden golems you mentioned?" She murmured, curious despite herself. "What is it here for?"

"I think I killed it." You admit after a moment's thought, "It caught me, so I told Ari to run after you, but after that... " you brush aside one of the hanging vines, watching it swing limply from side to side. "It wrapped me up, when I finally broke out, it was already night."

"If you had time to tell her to run, why didn't you just call me?" Rinnier frowned, running her hand over the smooth wooden 'skin' of the silent replica. "I didn't want to accidentally startle it." You shrug, taking stock of your location as you try to get your bearings again, "And these things seem to copy language they hear, calling you seemed like a bad idea."

"Getting eaten by an unknown wooden golem that was stalking us and tried to become you, then picking a fight with an oakenbear wasn't a bad idea, then?"

"It seemed like the right course of action at the time." You sniff, "I took care of it later, it seemed to have a weak spot on its wrist; Some kind of amber bracelet that forced it into dormancy after I broke it." A few steps find the direction you could vaguely remember Rinnier setting off, helpfully marked by several spots of broken brush where she had pushed it to the side. "Ari should have been following after you along this way."

"I wasn't that far ahead of the two of you..." Rinnier muttered as the two of you began to retrace the former princess' war path through the woods. "Why didn't SHE call me?"

"Have you talked to Ari?" You ask bluntly, "She can barely whisper. Even if she screamed, you probably wouldn't have heard her."

You both take a deep breath as the two of you search back through the path, thankfully an easily followed one due to Rinnier's wrath being taken out on nature, and call out for the missing Testament. Had it just been a few hours, you're relatively certain it wouldn't have taken so long, but night had already come and gone...

Wiping sweat from your brow, you scowl at the feel of coagulated blood and dried flesh flaking off onto your forehead. "You came back the same way you left, didn't you?" You ask suddenly, looking over the forest.

"...No, it was late so I just followed the commotion, mostly."

Your eyes narrow in thought.

>Keep following the path, Ari may have gotten tired and rested for the night.
>Double back and try to find the other path, if she kept trying to follow Rinnier, then she'll be heading back to the clearing.
>...If she kept moving at night, there's a good chance she lost the trail completely.
>Other?

>>41017663
>>Keep following the path, Ari may have gotten tired and rested for the night.

>>41017747
This!

Writing.

You shake your head and resume your search along the path. Ari wasn't exactly sturdy, so you doubt she had managed to walk out very far. If anything, she probably got tired trying to chase after Rinnier and had to rest through the night. Worst case scenario, she had gotten lost during the night, but you put thoughts like that aside for now.

Several hours of walking later, with only light conversation with to Rinnier to fill the gap, the spitfire finally announces that you had reached the spot she turned from. It was obvious to you, even if she hadn't told you, as the wreckage of assorted plants had stopped there... For the most part. While you had inadvertently made progress towards the river by following Rinnier's path, the purpose of having retraced her step - finding Ari - was left disconcertingly unaccomplished.

As you look between the large tree trunks that constituted the forest floor, towering high above your head, you're left to wonder where Ari had gotten to. You're certain you hadn't missed her on the way here, so either she was already ahead of you and going back towards the clearing, or she had lost her way entirely.

You bite down on the urge to scream in frustration, wondering just how often you were going to lose your Testaments. You never thought Ari would be on the list of missing Testaments, she was too timid to wander off, but no - this was a problem you had made. "Maybe she-" Rinnier started slowly, yawning as she came to a stop and leaned against her walking stick, "-got lost?"

Your mouth opens to reply, but stop; A sound unfamiliar to the forest catching your attention ever so faintly. You raise your hand to get Rinnier's attention, motioning towards your ear.

...There it was again, a metallic shuffling that clinked in contrast to the rustling of leaves. It was faint, but you could nearly make out the steady snapping and shifting of brush of someone moving through the woods in the distance.

You catch Rinnier's eyes as she visibly straightens, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly. "That's not Ari." You start quietly, "I thought the oakenbear chased people out of its territory?"

"I don't know how large its territory is." Rinnier frowned, "I hear anything when I came this way yesterday, though. Whoever it is might have only just gotten here?" She twisted her walking stick, looking roughly in the direction the two of you heard the faint sounds from. The woodland acoustics weren't helpful in pinning it down specifically, but the general direction at least was unmistakable...

Though perhaps more concerningly, if you could hear metal shifting, then whatever caused it was probably close by.

>Call out, make yourself known.
>Try to sneak towards the sound.
>Have Rinnier stay here, get vertical!
>double back towards the clearing.

>>41018559
>>Try to sneak towards the sound.

>>41018581
This.

Writing!

You exchange looks before coming to an unspoken agreement to investigate.

The two of you quietly make your way towards the sounds of clinking metal, slowly splitting apart to try and zero in on its origin. It doesn't take you terribly long after that to find what was causing the commotion, and its identity is less than surprising given your earlier conversation. A young man clad in chain mail was wandering his way through the woods with an alert look on his face as the heavy leather boots snapped another fallen stick in his path. He was muscled, that much you could discern from under his armor, and you noted a length of metal at his side that seemed uncannily similar to the one Rinnier had managed to salvage from the oakenbear's stomach.

Rinnier had been right to be concerned about brigands.

You spare a moment to wonder if perhaps the former owner of that sword had been friends with this man, or if it was just a common sword. You were no expert on arms, so you had little insight into the blade itself other than it seemed well used. It certainly wasn't as fancy as your cousin Caylen's noble sabres had been... But that may have just been Caylen's preference.

You crouch underneath a layer of heavy brush, watching him discretely from within the enshrouding leaves as he seems to come to a stop and look around himself curiously. Your breath catches, mind beginning to race as he begins to actively investigate his surroundings. Had you been spotted? No, you hadn't made a sound on your approach, and you're well hidden. Rinnier, then? She had seemed a little unsteady since you woke up, and the two of you had split up on the approach... You shift your weight softly, trying to get an idea of where the redhead may be hiding, but your own chosen location offers little in way of information in that regard. While it was effective at keeping you hidden, any overt movement would probably gain attention.

At the very least, you couldn't see Rinnier from here. She was likely somewhere to your right, you note with a sigh of relief that the man seemed to be slowly gravitating away from that direction. That sigh is short lived however, as his heavy leather boots begin to crunch towards you in a slightly more urgent gait. He wasn't running, but he also certainly didn't seem to be willing to wait as he shuffled towards the brush you were hiding beneath.

You catch a glimpse of his hands going towards his belt as he approaches, and you feel a pressure in your chest as your blood beings to rush. This bush was too large for him to consider pushing through it, surely, but he was heading right towards you. Had you screwed up? Did he actually see you?

>Sit tight, keep observing.
>Abort mission! Run!
>Try to sneak away unnoticed.
>Wait till he gets close, then surprise attack!
>Other? (write-in)

>>41019291
>Sit tight, keep observing.
>Wait till he gets close, then surprise attack!

>>41019291
>Sit tight, keep observing.

>>41019299
>>41019401
Sitting tight

>>41019299
But being aggressive if an opportunity presents itself.

Writing!

You forcibly unfurl your fingers from the nervously clenched fists they had made. The act itself gave you a measure of body-control to focus on, distracting you from your racing heart as the brigand continued to come straight for you. You steady your breathing, watching his movements carefully. His hands were straying closer to his sword with each step, but by the time he came to a stop in front of you it seemed as if the man wouldn't actually draw steel.

Your body quivered not even a foot away from the brigand as you held your breath and observed him look around. His vigil was constant and frantic as he looked from one direction to the other, searching out something you dearly hoped wasn't you or Rinnier.

Seconds turned to minutes as he finally seemed to become satisfied with having found nothing, and your elation rises as you see tension start to drain from the man's body. Still, after several more seconds, he doesn't seem to be inclined to move from the brush you had hidden under. It's not terribly difficult for you to remain hidden under here, and you're relatively certain he doesn't know you're here, so why-

The sound of rustling chainmail catches your attention and you realize that the brigand had finally resumed fiddling with his belt. You tilt your head in bafflement, watching as the brigand finally manages to free himself of his heavy trousers and one of his gloved hands quickly moves to draw forth his 'sword'. It was at this moment, you realize exactly why he had been looking around for the past few minutes, and more importantly, why he had stopped in front of your hiding spot.

You could have sat there, dedicated yourself to not being found. You could have done that, but that would have involved unspeakable things. While you could have done that, and perhaps it would have been smarter than engaging the armed brigand in a melee when you didn't know if he had friends around, it was not what you did. What you did was leap from the bushes with a battle cry and drive your knee against the fleshy sword being brandished in your direction, offering its wielder your exact sentiments on just what you thought of their affront to your dignity.

You could feel one hand quickly try to shove you away, the brigand heartily distracted by other matters, but you seize upon the opportunity to wrap your own arms around his shoulders and pull yourself closer to him - It would almost be romantic, if you weren't deliberately slamming your forehead into his nose as he doubled over from your previous admonishment of his swordsmanship.

Whether a fight would have ensued or not was something you would never find out, as Rinnier took that exact moment to emerge from her own hidden location and slam the end of her walking stick down viciously along the base of the brigan's skull with a sharp crack that left him dropping limply to the ground. She struck him once more for good measure before placing the butt of the walking stick along his neck and holding it ready to thrust.

Not quite unconscious yet, evidently too stubborn to just give in, you feel a smile working across your face as you calm yourself down.

The brigand winces under Rinnier's vigil, but he's not making any further sounds just yet. You suppose that's a good sign, at least... Now then.

>Interrogate him!
>Strip him!
>Knock him out!
>Kill him!

>>41020210
>>Interrogate him!
>>Strip him
Just in time

>>41020210
>Interrogate him!
>Strip him!

>>41020474
>>41020505
Interrogation and stripping.

Writing!

"Who are you?" You seize the initiative, bearing down on the disoriented brigand imperiously. He groans in response, one hand trying to raise towards his nose only to be stopped by the stick pressing down on his neck. "W-what...?" He manages to grunt out, "Who the hell are you?"

"Ir-" You start reflexively, clamping your jaw shut when the absurdity of actually answering occurs to you. "-Shut up, I'm asking questions. Why are you out here? Do you have friends nearby?"

"Man, I just wanted to take a piss. What the hell is wrong with you...?"

You frown at the groaning brigand, shrugging towards Rinnier as if to say you tried. "Maybe we should keep hitting him until he answers?" You suggest thoughtfully, "I'm not sure how interrogations work." The spitfire glances at you briefly, unwilling to take her bloodshot eyes off the brigand currently under threat of stick. She seems as unsure as you for once, and despite that meaning that the two of you are both lost on standard interrogation procedure, you at least feel a bit better about being ignorant. "My eldest brother was an advocate of forcing his captives to strip?" She finally offered, "It makes sense to deprive them of their tools and armor."

You nod, rolling the idea around in your head. It seemed like a good idea. "Right, we'll start with that then." You level a demanding finger towards the disoriented, confused and hurt brigand. "Start stripping!"

"....What?"

Several minutes later, with liberal application of stick, the brigand was kneeling on the ground in his boxers with a coil of rope tying his hands behind his back and several new welts that would likely become bruises before the day was over. You also had an entire pile of clothing, armor, a new sword, a small shield, and a few satchels.

"Food... some kind of powder... berries and nuts?"
"That's just more food, Irue."
"Food is meat, those are snacks."
"Who the fuck are you people..."
"Shut up! I'm asking questions!"

The interrogation continued slowly after that. Whether this brigand had a camp near by or not, the location of his comrades, he refused to tell you much. You did manage to wrangle out that there were others in the forest, but not in what direction or who they were/why they were here.

You did find out his name was henry, and he really had to pee. This was none of your business, but you filed his name away for future use.

What had caught your interest was when he had started grumbling about finding 'more crazy people in the woods'. Himself and his people aside, the only other people that should be in the woods would be Rinnier, yourself, and the missing Ari...

"Where is she now?" You drop down, forcing the stripped brigand to look at you as you demanded answers. "Is she okay?"

"You three related or something?" He grumbled, "crazy bitch's done nothing but panic and cry since we found her." You snap your fingers, eliciting another smack from Rinnier's stick in reproach. "Answer me!"

"Make me!" His attempt to spit at your face was foiled by a swift stick to the face.

That stick was coming in all sorts of handy.

>Continue interrogations; Beatings will continue until morale improves.
>Continue interrogations; Let's get bloody.
>End interrogations, knock him out.
>End interrogations, kill him to be safe.
>Other? (write-in)

>>41021318
>Continue interrogations; Let's get bloody.
Threaten to cut off his "sword" if he doesn't answer. Then say we'll feed it too him.

>Continue interrogations; Beatings will continue until morale improves.
>41021318
He kept Ari alive, so he might not be too bad.

>>41021660
>>41021318
Posting from mobile is a bitch.

>>41021415
Feeding a man his own sword.

>>41021660
And beating him with a stick.

Writing.

Now that you knew Ari was on the line, this changed things. She hadn't just gotten lost, people had found her and actively taken her somewhere else. Wasn't this literally the exact scenario you wanted to avoid by taking this route? Never the less, you feel resolve hardening in you as you turn away from the ensuing beating that Rinnier was beginning to lay into the mostly-naked brigand as you retrieve the length of steel you had liberated from his side.

The weight of the blade is unfamiliar in your hands, far heavier than you expected a sword to be. You remember Caylen and your aunt Clara wielding this single handedly, as if it were only natural... But how did they control something like this? It's so unwieldy. Your wrist complained just holding the thing, you can't imagine swinging it in an actual fight.

You shake the thought from your head, hefting it onto your shoulder as you pulled up every piece of imposing presence you had available to you as you turned back to the brigand.

"Last chance." You spoke up, catching Rinnier and Henry's attention as you brandish the heavy steel. "Tell me where you took Ari."

"...Or what? You'll kill me?" The brigand snorted, "Do you even know how to use that?"

"No, I don't plan on killing you." You admit, while it would probably take care of any threat he posed, it's not a step you're willing to take just yet. "But if you don't answer me, then you'll be eating your 'sword'."

"....You're gonna stab me?" He asked blankly, "How's that any better if you don't know what you're doin?" You scowl, "No, your other sword!" Rinnier tilts her head in concert with the befuddled expression on the brigand's face. "I only got one sword, and you're handlin' it. Badly."

That last slight was the end of the line as you grip tightens angrily around the hilt. "Rinnier, take his pants off." you utter with a tone of finality, eliciting a terribly confused expression from the spitfire staff wielder. "...What? Take them off."

"Why do you want me to take his pants off?!" she choked out after several failed attempts to formulate thoughts. "I just told you, I'm going to make due on my promise since he didn't tell me where Ari was." You explain slowly, "So I need you to get his pants off."

"What do his pants have to... Promise?" Rinnier took a step back, lowering her walking/interrogating stick to the ground in her bewilderment. "Eat his... You mean his...?"

"'sword', yes." You agree. "I need a clear view so I don't actually miss, or hit something else."

"Woah, woah!" Henry finally catching on to the implication breaks into the conversation quickly, "Let's leave my sword out of this, alright? No need for us to go that far."

You shake your head, "Too late for that. I told you that I would make you eat your own sword if you didn't tell me, and I can't have you go telling people I'm a liar." You take a couple of experimental swings with the sword, feeling how uncomfortable the hilt sat in your hands each time. "So unless you want to tell me, those pants need to be coming off."

"Why do I have to take them off?!" Rinnier complained staunchly, "Why don't you take them off, and I'll use the sword? At least I know how to use one."

"Because you're not the one who promised to feed a man his own sword." You reiterate, "I mean I guess I could let you do it, but its my responsibility now." Rinnier shook her head quickly, "But... No, I'm your Testament, right? My actions are your actions! I'll cut it off, and it'll be like you cut it off, right? Right! So you take his pants off."

"I like my pants where they are, thank you!" - This voice was duly ignored.

"Look, I don't see what the big deal is with taking his pants off." You slam the blade of the sword into the ground and lean on it, "You've been reticent about this whole Testament thing from the beginning, but you bring it up now?"

Rinnier stamped her walking stick into the ground, standing resolute as her mouth opened and closed several times, "I... I mean I've never... I don't want to do what I don't want to do, okay? You take his pants off, and I'll use the sword!"

"This isn't even about who uses the sword, what's got you so riled up?" You press, curious despite yourself. You kept an eye on the rapidly paling brigand between the two of you as you continued to talk, fondly noting how fidgety he was becoming. "It's not proper for a princess to... I mean, as a noble, you should really be the one doing that kind of thing." She stammered, "Royalty hands down the final decree, so I should be the one with the sword so I don't have to see it."

"...See it?" You repeat, watching Rinnier nearly go as red as her hair, "You have to keep your eyes open with the sword too, you know. I don't want to cut too much, just the-"

"Don't say it!" she interrupted shrilly.

"Leave my penis alone!"

"Ah, he said it." you note dully, wincing at the loud crack of Rinnier's walking stick and the subsequent boneless thud of the brigand hitting the ground limply. "Well... Tie him to a tree, I guess." You sigh, looking around the forest, "In the meantime I guess I'll..."

>Take a look around, see if you can spot a path or something.
>See if there's anything useful in his satchels.
>Get Vertical and see if you can break the canopy for a bird's eye view.
>Other? (write-in)

>>41022651
>>See if there's anything useful in his satchels.
You do realize if you succeed in your goals your going to have to do a lot more than see one in order to ensure your line right?
>Get Vertical and see if you can break the canopy for a bird's eye view.
As she chases up the tree.

>>41022708
This stuff.

Writing!

You busy yourself with sifting through henry's appropriate satchels in search of anything useful. There were, of course, a two satchels worth of dried jerky and trail mix-esque nuts and berries... Those were useful in their own right, but not for what you were trying to accomplish currently. There was a little pouch containing silvery-gray pellets roughly the size of a marble. You've no idea what they were, or what they were for. Your first instinct was maybe to bite one, considering the first two pouches had effectively been food of some sort, but they had a weird smell to them that discouraged that particular idea.

After that was a bag of small multi-edged metal things that had a series of 'V' shaped hooks jutting from them at random directions. You were careful not to tip that one over, setting it aside from the others gently. A small box containing matches, some scraps of cloth and tinder, a black vial of... something. The vial itself was black, you discovered as you tipped it slightly to let what was inside drip out. You aren't sure what's in the vial, but it smelled noxious.

There were some more small containers of liquids, these with little strings hanging from one side. You tossed it from hand to hand curiously, listening to something inside slosh and clink together before setting them aside... And finally there was that satchel of dark grey powder. It was finely crushed, but much like the rest of the brigand's tools, you're not really sure what it was for. More importantly, there weren't any maps or hints as to where his comrades would be with Ari.

One thing you did notice was that he was travelling fairly light. If he didn't have anything more suited to the forest on him than some jerky, nuts and berries, there was a good chance that he wasn't far from a place that DID... Which meant camp.

Which meant Ari.

"I finished-" Rinnier spoke up, interrupting herself with a yawn. "tying him up. Used the last of the rope we found on him." She takes a second to look across the spread of satchels around you as you stand up. "Find anything useful?"

"Not... really? I'm not sure what a lot of this stuff is." Rinnier just barely manages to catch one of the pellets you lightly toss towards her, "There's an entire bag of those, some weird liquid in a vial, lots of powder, some pointy metal things..." You shake your head as Rinnier inspected the pellet in her hand, "He barely had any supplies on him, so-"

"-His camp is probably nearby." She finished, looking up from the little marble-sized pellet in her hand. "They might come looking for him soon, then."

You nod, "But if they have Ari, then she'll be at there. I'm going to try and get a better view of the area from above in case I can catch sight of something." Rinnier nods, "I don't think he'll wake up any time soon, but if someone comes, it might be bad... Try and be quick." she mutters as you find a suitable tree for your ascent.

"I'll be back down in a bit." You affirm, already starting to hoist yourself up into the branches. "By the way, Rinnier?" You call back, "You said your goal was re-establish your royal family line, right?"

"I just want to help my people for now." She answered soberly, "The people of Teranford are scattered. The royal bloodline is meaningless if their people aren't rallied..." She lapses into silence, one you share awkwardly as you swallow the joke that had been on the tip of your tongue. "...Why do you ask?"

"...It's nothing." You reply quietly, "I'll do what I can to help you."

Her silent thanks is your only companion as you press upwards through the canopy. It takes several dedicated minutes of climbing before you finally start breaking through above the foliage and into the upper valley of tree tops. There's still a long ways to go up yet, but this was as high as you needed to see outward for now.

Before you is a huge sea of green leaves shifting under the morning breeze and sun. In the distance you're finally able to spot the river that Rinnier had plotted your direction towards, a wide break in forestry which wound itself through the landscape like a cerulean snake. You could only just barely make out the hills in the distance that you remember your cousin Caylen living around.

It was so close, being able to see it like this, so deceptively close that it almost seemed like it wouldn't take you several more weeks of walking to get there.

You breathe in the fresh forest air and then sigh, looking out again for anything out of place. You had thought it a little too much to hope for, to see another large clearing like you had awoken in this morning, but something not terribly dissimilar did evidently exist not far from the river bend you had been heading towards.

More importantly, you saw traces of smoke rising through the air.

"...Found you." A triumphant smile slipped across your face as you started to hurry down the tree in order to tell Rinnier.

With your destination determined, there was just the question of what to do with the naked brigand before you set off....

>Leave him tied up
>Cut him free, but take all his stuff
>You promised to make him eat his sword...
>Other? (write-in)

>>41023782
>Leave him tied up
>...but take all his stuff
He can't very well eat a sword in his sleep anyway.

>>41023931
This!
You underestimate sleep eating, though.

Writing!
Also 4chan keeps going down for me.

You had legitimately intended to make the brigand eat his own sword, but... Given Rinnier's reaction, you can't quite bring yourself to push the issue now. Tied up and beaten rigorously with a stick, you imagine the last thing the brigand wanted was to wake up with their own sword in their mouth. Not that you were particularly concerned with what this brigand wanted, but they hadn't killed Ari, so they deserved at least a modicrum of mercy and consideration from you.

This is why you settled for appropriating all of his stuff instead. You'd probably make better use of all of this stuff than he would, anyway.

Rinnier and you make swift progress through the woods, discussing in hushed tones the direction of the bandits and a plan of assault. While you travelled, you kept an ear out for additional interloping brigands - A course of action that proved to be beneficial several times, as you managed to avoid at least two of what you could only assume to be patrols. They wandered in smaller groups, but were thankfully not terribly alert in their routes.

The camp itself was large, harkening back to Rinnier's worries of a large organized force. Almost all of this had actually been predicted by Rinnier, in retrospect, except for one particularly vital detail.

She plotted this route to AVOID running into them. Even if you had made it to the river and started going up it, that would have led you directly to them.

"I... Made a mistake." She admitted quietly, looking over the camp edge from afar. "If they were here to kidnap, they should have been on the other side, but..." Her eyes closed as she rubbed her forehead tiredly, "Salamander burn me, how did I make such an amateur oversight...?" You shake your head, unsure of what to even ask. "We'll talk about it later, okay?" You whisper, keeping an eye out for unwanted attention. "For now let's try and see if we can find Ari and get out of here."

Rinnier nodded slowly, leaning heavily on her walking stick.

"Are you okay?"

The spitfire Testament seemed nearly dead on her feet, and for the first time since you woke up, you really take a moment to LOOK at her. She had been keeping up with you since most of the day, but it was clear to see that she was exhausted. You glance between the camp and the tired redhead crouched next to you with a frown. "I'll be fine." she groaned quietly, waving away your concern. "You're not leaving without Ari, right...? Let's just find her and get out of here."

You bite down on the inside of your lip as Rinnier starts to move again.

>Pull back, you can't let her push herself through this.
>Split up, the faster you gain a scope of the parameter the sooner you can rest.
>Follow after her, it'll be dangerous to move as a pair but you need to keep an eye on her.
>Try and force her to rest, you'll scout the place yourself.
>Other? (write-in)

>>41024373
>>Try and force her to rest, you'll scout the place yourself.
She might prove more a liability when out of sorts, especially in a bandit camp.

>>Other? (write-in)
We took the bandit's clothing and gear - we could use it as an impromptu disguise. Still sneak around of course, but on the off chance we get caught a disguise might help.

>>41024458
Forcing rinnier to rest and becoming the suavest of spies.

Writing!

"Rinnier, wait." You reach to grab her shoulder before she can move too far. "You haven't even slept yet, have you?"

"Of course I haven't." She hissed back, "Someone had to keep watch last night, and we needed to make progress today." Your jaw sets and you shake your head, "Get some rest, I can handle the rest of this." You continue quickly as she opens her mouth to retort, "You're nearly asleep on your feet, if you make a mistake and get caught then it'll just be me trying to get you both out. You need rest, or you'll just be a liability."

"Liability?" she snapped finally, whirling back on you, "I'm just fine, let's get this over with and-"

"No." You narrow your eyes and stare down your stubborn Testament, "You're getting sleep one way or another, even if I have to drag you out of here and sleep WITH you."

A tense stalemate descended between the two of you, and you realize that maybe having a dispute right at the edge of a probably hostile camp of brigands was not the best of ideas, but if you didn't force Rinnier to back down now then the odds of you having to jailbreak two people was going to raise exponentially. "We won't be able to make a move during the day anyway." You press, watching indecision flicker through Rinnier's face. "Get some sleep now, I'll try and gather information and we can get to work tonight."

"...You're going to get yourself caught." She finally muttered, "The second I take my eyes off you, you'll do something stupid and end up caught."

You frown in response, "I'll be careful, I promise. I'm just doing some scouting." Your gazes remained locked, neither side willing to backdown an inch for several long seconds before Rinnier's eyelids tiredly begin to droop. "Fine... Fine, I'll pull back and try to get some sleep." She finally relents, "Just remember, you promised not to do anything stupid, okay? If I wake up and you're caught, I won't forgive you."

You promise her as she sneaks away, you won't do anything stupid.

You are Irue Valen, and you just walked through the front door of the brigand camp dressed in poorly fitting clothes. It had taken some finagling to get your hair down the back of the shirt, and a little more to wrap a bandana around your head to obscure as much of the blonde hair as possible. The clothes were loose fitting, your dimensions hardly being a fit for the muscular brigand's clothes and it smelled like unwashed sweat amongst... Other things.

These things are tentatively set aside as you put a decade's worth of study and countless generations of House Valen pride to work to stroll directly through the brigand camp as if you owned the place. While you weren't particularly adept at this type of thing, you WERE good at reading people. Learning their body language, how to force a reaction and what to bait. It was basic social etiquette, tools any self-respecting noble should have in spades, and you were proud to say that it was quite the specialty of yours.

That's why, no matter what you were doing, if you appeared confident and casual, people would rarely question you. Appearance was all that was necessary in many cases, enough to bluff someone into believing you had things under control, or you knew things which you didn't. In the subtle delicacies of court conversation that was vital, but it was just a matter of shifting your perspective on what those things meant for infiltration, right? If people become drawn to discrepancies, then your biggest shield against suspicion wasn't being careful, it was being obvious. The more obvious you appeared, the less chance people would notice you were out of place or doing something wrong.

As aunt Clara had taught you: Confidence isn't everything, but it's enough to fake it until you have what you need.

You wave to someone across the camp, you have no idea who they were, but no one seemed to question it. As you weren't sure where you were going, appearing social was an easy excuse to let you move in one direction or the other, laying the 'cause' of movement subtly towards the purpose of moving towards acquaintances or summons. It removed responsibility of action from yourself.

...In smaller gatherings, this could backfire tremendously, especially if people knew each other intimately. That was a risk you had taken, seeing the size of their encampment, and gambled that the brigands likely didn't have many close connections with each other. Not enough to question an unfamiliar face moving about.

>Just wander for now, see as much of the camp as you can.
>Try talking to someone, get direct information.
>Overhear conversation, see if you can gleam anything while being inconspicuous.
>Other? (write-in)

>>41024987
>>Just wander for now, see as much of the camp as you can.
>>Overhear conversation, see if you can gleam anything while being inconspicuous.
We'll talk to someone if we actually need information in detail. We need to nonchalantly figure out a good reason to go to wherever they're keeping Ari.

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>>41025059
wander 'round and listen.
_______________________

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived. Cutting thread short tonight due to storms threatening to kill power.

We'll have another thread this coming Monday, though!

I'll lurk the thread for a bit to try and answer some questions if I can. Power might go out though, so...