You let out a yawn, and watch the road with bleary eyes.

It's not late, you're just tired.

On the horse in front of you is Selene, taking a nap as 6 year olds are wont to do. Marcy, who you normally ride with, is mad at you. When she decided to switch horses, she wanted to switch with Kuma and ride with Selene; but Selene jumped on the chance to ride with you.

And then she fell asleep.

Not that you mind. It's easier to think this way.

And boy do you ever have a lot to think about.

It's been a little over a two days since you left Searise, and a little more than that since you made your "discoveries".

Your girlfriend, who you love, had a secret stash that revealed an almost uncomfortable obsession with the female form, as well as a badly written lesbian love story.

But could she be gay? You never really noticed anything off when you were with her, but then again you had things to focus on other than her demeanour.

On top of that, Pitre believes that Cassandra is your mother. While it makes absolutely no sense, you really can't think of another reason for why she was the one to ditch you at the orphanage...

You jam the silver coin you've been unconsciously twiddling into one of your fingers, and drop it. Shaking off the pain in your hand, you realize that maybe 'left alone to your thoughts' is not a good place to be right now...

>[ ] Wake the Selene

>[ ] Talk to the Marcy

>[ ] Talk to the Kuma

>[ ] Other

>>41751632
>[ ] Talk to the Kuma
marcy is mad and selene is asleep

>>41751632
>[ ] Talk to the Marcy

>>41751632
>[ ] Talk to the Kuma

>writing

You steer your horse over to the one that marcy and Kuma are riding.

Kuma is riding in the front holding the reins, and Marcy is moping behind her.

"How much longer until we reach Denton?" You ask Kuma

Kuma looks at you, then up the road, then back at you. Then she points ahead.

In the distance you can see a tower, it looks like it's pretty far away.

"Is that it?" You ask.
Kuma nods. "That's the tower that sits at the centre" She says.
"It looks pretty tall" You say.
"It is" Kuma says. "The tower is where the Destined Blade tournament is held"

"I've heard that name before..." You say.
"Not surprising. It's the largest duelling tournament in the land" She says. "Each round is held on one floor. Winners ascend, losers go home"

"So only the ultimate winner gets to see the top" You say.
"I'm surprised that you haven't heard more about it" Kuma says. "Seems like a good place for the Riddler to strike"

"Meh" You say. "Too high. The Riddler doesn't like heights, and the Sparrow doesn't take trophies"
"I was unaware that they had different preferences" Kuma says.

"Little things that I invented for their 'characters'" You say.
"I see..." Kuma says.

>[ ] Ask Marcy if she entered that tournament

>[ ] Make plans for when you arrive

>[ ] Other

>>41752190
>[ ] Ask Marcy if she entered that tournament

>>41752190

>[ ] Ask Marcy if she entered that tournament

>writing

"You ever enter that tournament Marcy?" You ask.

"Actually, Marcellus-"
"Hang on Kuma, don't anser him just yet" Marcy says.

"I'll take that as a yes then?" You ask.
"Not just-"
"Keep holding. I wanna see if he can figure it out" Marcy says, cutting Kuma off again.

"So you made it pretty far then?" You ask.
"Well-"
"Hooooold" Marcy says.

"Actually-"
"Not yet"

"She won" Kuma finishes.
"Aww, I wanted him to guess" Marcy says.
"I don't take orders from you" Kuma says, before looking to you. "Do I?"

"Not unless you want to... I guess" You say. "So you won?"
"Of course! How do you think I got the job as Laura's Guardian?" She asks.
"Oh! So it was that tournament?" You ask.
"It was" She says. "The only people on the top floor were the referee, me, my opponent, and the Queen"

"Not the King?" You ask.
"No, apparently he's not a fan of heights either" She says.
"The palace isn't exactly a 'ground level' kind of building" You say.
"Heights only seem high when there's nothing around" She says. "A pyramid wouldn't seem high if you stood on top of it, a tower of the same height would"

"I guess that's true" You say. "So he never went up to the Crown chamber?"
"Not once" Marcy says.
"Weird" You say. "Also, you're talking to me again"

Marcy flinches, and clams up.

"Or not..." You say.

You aren't really sure why she's still so mad, so you...

>[ ] Apologize anyway

>[ ] Ask

>[ ] Continue talking to Kuma

>[ ] Other

>>41752563
>[ ] Ask

>>41752563
>[ ] Apologize anyway
Woman...

>>41752563
>[ ] Ask
>[ ] Apologize anyway

>writing

"You know, I can't make this right if I don't know why you're mad" You say.
"You know damn well why I'm mad" She snaps.

Well, she's talking... it's a start.

"I'm... sorry?" You ask.
"Sorry for what?" She asks.
"Uhh..." You say.

She lets out an exasperated sigh. "You don't even know..." She says. "I've told you time and time again that I didn't want to come here. But here we are!"

"I keep telling you that it's the best option" You say.
"I know that! I know... it's just... last time I was here, I was a man... and my parents were..." She trails off, and her eyes start to water.

You... you actually hadn't considered that.

"Okay, now I'm sorry" You say.
"You damn well should be!" She says. "Maybe next time you'll be a little more considerate when you pick your 'best location'"

Marcy grabs the reins from Kuma, and urges her horse to stop.

"What are you doing?" You ask.
"I'm switching with someone" She says. "I was promised hugs, and I'm damn well going to get them"

>[ ] Tell her to wait until we've reached the city

>[ ] Ride with Kuma, let Selene do the hugging

>[ ] Ride with Marcy and do the hugging yourself

>[ ] Ask what's so bad about getting hugs from Kuma

>[ ] Other

>>41752963
>[ ] Ask what's so bad about getting hugs from Kuma

>>41752963
>[ ] Ask what's so bad about getting hugs from Kuma
>[ ] Ride with Marcy and do the hugging yourself

>>41752963
>[ ] Ride with Marcy and do the hugging yourself

>writing

"What's so bad about hugging Kuma?" You ask.
"I don't do hugs" Kuma says.

"Yeah, and I've seen her kill people with the same arms she'd be hugging with" Marcy says.
"I've killed people" You say.
"Not with your bare hands" Marcy says.

"I could start" You say.
Marcy laughs. "Yeah. Sure. You'd get your hands dirty, Mr. Fancypants" She says.
"My pants are not fancy" You say. "They're actually quite cheap"
"Right, I forgot that the rich thief is too cheap to buy clothes so he makes his own" She says. "And they do look fancy"

"Thank you. Fancy was what I was going for" You say, picking up Selene and handing her off to Kuma. "Pass"

Kuma takes Selene and puts her on the saddly in front of her, and Marcy looks confused.

"What are you DOOoooooooooing" She says, shrieking as you lift her off the saddle and plant her in front of you with her legs over the side of the horse. She takes a quick breath in, then out. "Little warning next time?"

"And miss out on the adorable look of surprise? No way" You say.

Marcy pouts. So you put and hand over her shoulder and pull her into you, keeping one hand on the reins.

"There. Hugs. As promised" You say. "Happy?"

"Give it a minute" She says, leaning her head into your chest and closing her eyes.

>[1/2]

Okay, this isn't all bad...

On the upside, Marcy is no longer angry with you... probably.

On the downside, you are once again stuck with the sleeper. Selene woke up after you passed her off to Kuma, and Kuma is now teaching her how to punch.

At least, she's teaching her what she can about punching while on horseback. A lot of that stuff comes from the legs, or so you've heard.

You never did properly learn to fight. All of your techniques and tactics were learned by watching people who are better than you at it. So you could technically say they were "stolen", which fits your theme quite nicely.

The walls of Denton are in view now, and they help but the magnitude of the tower into perspective. You've seen it up close before, but the last time you were here you cut through the woods on foot.

It really looks quite large from a distance. maybe you should take a look around once you get there. See if there's anything worth taking...

Though, you've been thinking of "retiring" the Master Thieves since long before the Palace heist... and the Gambler's last card seemed like the right time to do it. But that job didn't really go "properly"

Maybe on top of all the other things you have to ponder, you should consider that as well...

You sigh, and urge the horse to go a little faster. Maybe Marcy isn't the only one who needs a hug... and a nap; you could use one of those too.

You're approaching the gate now. Since there's not much better to do, you should decide what to do first when you get inside...

>[ ] Find a place to stay/plan

>[ ] Shop

>[ ] Get a feel for the city

>[ ] Other

>>41753643
>[ ] Find a place to stay/plan

>>41753643
>[ ] Find a place to stay/plan

>writing

You ride up to the city gates, and after a quick few words with the guard you enter. You leave the horses at a stable by the outskirts, and pay the hand a silver to look after them.

You make your way out of the stable, carrying Selene with one hand, and holding Marcy's with the other. You tried to get out of that last one, but Marcy was adamant.

"So where to first, Master?" Kuma asks.
"Don't call me that here. Giles will do" You say.
"Yes... Giles" Kuma says. "Where to first?"

You consider your options, and then wonder why you'e doing this out in the street...

"We should find a place to stay" You say. "We can talk more there"

"Any ideas?" Kuma asks.
"Well, it wouldn't be too much trouble to find an inn or a hotel" You say. "Depending on how long we spend here, we could probably rent a space for a little while at least"

"So it depends on how long we're planning on staying?" Kuma asks.
"I suppose" You say. "This place is not as likely to end up the way Searise did, so we should be able to stick around for a while"

>[ ] Find an inn/hotel

>[ ] Find a house

>[ ] Ask marcy if she knows any good places

>[ ] Other

>>41754160
>[ ] Ask marcy if she knows any good places

>>41754160
>[ ] Ask marcy if she knows any good places

>writing

"You know any good places Marcy?" You ask.
"N-no" She says. "Well... maybe"

"Something wrong?" You ask.
"It's... I have an old friend who might still live here" She says.
"Wouldn't that be Marcellus's frined?" You ask.

She shakes her head. "She only knew me as Marcella" She says. "I supposedly went off to Harth when Marcellus came in"

"So you'd be returning from Harth" You say. "How did you explain Marcellus's sudden appearance?"

"We didn't. My parents didn't get around much, so nobody really questioned the sudden appearance of a son" She says.

"Huh" You say. "Well, would your friend be willing to help us out?"

"Probably, if she's still here" Marcy says. "She used to own an inn, over that way. If she's still here, I'm sure she'd put us up or at least give us a discount"

>[ ] Go see if Marcy's friend is still around

>[ ] Go look for other options

>[ ] Other

>>41754541
>[ ] Go look for other options

>>41754541
>[ ] Go look for other options
i think it would be a bad idea considering what cassandra has already done to everyone's friends and family

>writing

"Then we'll avoid that direction" You say. "Come on, we're going this way"

You start heading away from the wway that Marcy pointed.

"What? Why?" She asks.
You get your hand loose and cut in front of Marcy, pinning her by the arm to a wall. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time people knew who our loved ones were?" You ask.

"Well..." She says.

"Yeah. Exactly" You say. "Until we know how they knew we'd be in Searise, we avoid contact with anyone we would rather not see killed. Okay?"

Marcy sighs. "Okay..."

"Tell you what" You say, tapping her under the chin. "Once we know the coast is clear, we'll pay your old friend a visit. How does that sound?"

"Fine..." She says, stepping away from the wall.

You start walking, and marcy keeps her distance... so she's probably mad at you again...

You really wish she'd make up her mind with this...

But enough of that. Time to find a place to rest; at least for now.

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>41754988

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>41754988

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>41754988

>writing

You walk through the city for a while, keeping an eye out for inns and whatnot.

Then an hour passes...

And another...

Son of a bitch... this is Catisse all over again. At least then Laura was a good enough mood to help you out; you doubt that Marcy will be too helpful if you ask for a hand.

You might have to bite it and ju- wait! There's one!

It's not as fancy as the one you stayed in previously, but it's not exactly a dive. You'd probably put it on par with the place you ended up in back in Catisse... hopefully your stay will not end the same way.

"In here" You say, heading into the inn.

You break away from the group and walk up to the desk.

"Are there any rooms available here?" You ask.
"Plenty" The innkeep says. He's a middle aged fellow, with a badly receding hairline "Don't get many travelers, with the war an' all"

You spend a few minutes working out the details of your rooming, and end up getting a single room with 2 beds.

"So, you folks here for the tourney?" He asks.
"Which?" You ask.
"Eh, one o' the smaller ones" He says. "Usually this place is packed this time o' the year, but thanks to the war we're scramblin' to fill the rooms"

"Think it'll come around here?" You ask.
"I think it's only a matter o' time" He says. "Denton's a prime spot, an' it's tryin' to stay ou' of it; but word is that both sides've got their eyes on this place"

"Who do you think will take it?" You ask.
He shrugs.
"Who would you rather take it?" You ask.
"P'rolly Laura" He says. "But I aint never liked Rodrick. You wanna talk about 'avin' a silver spoon up yer arse, 'e's a prime example 'e is"

>[ ] Ask him why he hates roderick

>[ ] Head to your room

>[ ] Other

>>41755569
>[ ] Ask him why he hates roderick

>>41755569
>>[ ] Head to your room
We don't want to ask too many questions and attract attention!

>>41755569
>[ ] Head to your room

>writing

"Well, thanks for the room" You say.
"No' a problem mate" The man says.

You tip your hat to him and head back to the ladies.

"Alright, we've got a space" You say.

Kuma nods, and the four of you head up the stairs to where the rooms are.

As soon as you walk in, you consider silencing the room. But in a city this large, there are bound to be other mages. You're probably better off just speaking quietly than alerting whoever can feel it that you're using magic.

"So, what do we do now that we're here?" You ask.
"I was hoping to spend at least a week here" Kuma says. "This is a good place to remain in contact, and we could more easily make use of my Brothers from here"

"That's a good start" You say. "Do they know we're here?"
"Not yet" She says. "I was going to tell them now"

"Hold off a moment" You say.

The possibility of a traitor in the brotherhood is very real. After all, they were in Cassandra's employ before you bought them. Some of them could very well have not switched over...

If they don't know where you are, then they can't tell her. But you also can't expect much help from them should you need it...

>[ ] Tell Kuma to keep our location a secret

>[ ] Tell Kuma to go ahead and tell them

>[ ] Have Kuma give them a false location

>[ ] Other

>>41756106
>[ ] Have Kuma give them a false location

>writing

"Will the birds be able to find you if we tell them we're somewhere else?" You ask.
"My birds will. Birds sent from there will go to wherever they think we are" Kuma says. "Why?"

"Because I want you to tell them we're in Barrowlen" You say.
"Why?" She asks again.
"I'm paranoid" You say.

Kuma nods in understanding, and writes up two letters.

"Why 2?" You ask.
"One is to the brotherhood telling them we're in Barrowlen, and the other is to a trusted associate of mine telling him to go to Barrowlen and send the birds meant for us on to here" She says.

"Good thinking" You say.

Kuma sends off her letters, and returns to you.

"How many birds do you have anyway?" You ask.
"4" She says. "A raven, an owl, a sparrow, and a hawk"

"Why 4?" You ask.
"The raven is for bad news, the owl is for information, the hawk is for reports, and the sparrow is for small important stuff" She says.
"You have a system for your birds?" You ask.
"I have a system for many things" She says.

You sigh.

>[ ] Head out and get a feel for the city

>[ ] Rest here for now

>[ ] Go shopping, you could probably use supplies

>[ ] Other

>>41756816
>Head out and get a feel for the city

>>41756816
>[ ] Head out and get a feel for the city

>>41756816
>[ ] Head out and get a feel for the city

>writing

"Where are you going?" Kuma asks.
"Out" You say. "We'll be here for a bit, so I'm going to familiarize myself with the place"

"Understood. Shall I accompany you?" Kuma asks.
"No, stay with them" You say, pointing to Marcy and Selene, who have occupied themselves with a deck of cards.

Kuma nods, and you head out.

In a city this big, there could be any number of neat places to snoop around. The idea of that appeals to you.

You wanted to check out the tower while you were here, and possibly see what it looks like from the top. That might take a while, but you're almost positive that the view would be worth it.

There's also bound to be a sprawling, seedy underground to a city like this. Who knows what you could find down there? Maybe you could even pawn off some of your less important 'acquired goods' to fill up the war chest a bit.

You could also check out the shops. You've been meaning to pick up a few more spellbooks, and maybe get something nice for Marcy so she'll stop being mad at you already. And you're woefully short on supplies again. Maybe you could even get some less travel-oriented stuff now that you're planning to settle in.

Then there's the capitol building. A bit of sneaking and a little coercion and you could maaaaaaaybe turn the city's lord to your/Laura's side... Or get you thrown in the dungeons, which will be the end of your stay in Denton

the City of Swords spreads out before you, so you-

>[ ] Head to the tower

>[ ] Check out its 'less than legal' operations

>[ ] Go shopping

>[ ] Go to the Capitol

>[ ] Other

>>41757402
>[ ] Go shopping
basics first

>>41757402
>[ ] Go shopping

>writing

As boring as it might be, you should probably handle the important stuff first.

After all, you'll be here for a week. You can always check out those other things later.

You ask around to find out where most of the stores are, and head down there.

Finding supplies is easy enough, but it doesn't seem like magic is too popular in the City of Swords... who'd've thought?

You don't manage to find any places in this area that sell magic related stuff, but you can check elsewhere another day.

While you're buying supplies, you keep an eye out for things that might interest Marcy. Even though it's really not your fault this time, you would really rather she not remain angry at you.

You remember hearing something about gifts being the easiest way to accomplish that.

A few things catch your eye. One is a pendant of a sword, another is a less elegant dress that she can wear day-to-day, the other is an actual sword similar in style to the one she has now.

Any one of these could prove to dull her ire at least a little, so you grab-

>[ ] The pendant

>[ ] The dress

>[ ] The sword

>[ ] Keep looking

>[ ] Other

>>41758060
>[ ] The dress

>>41758060
>[ ] The dress
she has seemed fairly fond of them lately

>writing

You get Marcy a dress. As mentioned, it's not as elegant as the one she already has, but it's still nice.

As you leave the small clothier's shop, you check the sky. It's a little ways into dusk now, and it will most certainly be night time by the time you get back to the inn.

Marcy will probably be asleep, so you'll stow this dress for now and give it to her tomorrow. Maybe you'll ask why she kissed you too...

You've been avoiding that subject entirely, and Marcy has either been doing the same or has completely forgotten about it.

It wasn't bad, mind you. If you weren't attached you would probably have been more into it, as well as this whole 'fake being a couple' thing as a whole. But your heart currently belongs to Melissa, though for how much longer you can't say.

If she is what her stash suggested she is, can you really stick around? You can fake a fake relationship, but can you fake what should be real?

This outing may have been a bad idea. Perhaps Marcy isn't the only one that needs a hug right now...

>[1/2]

>>41758583
You make it back to the inn shortly after the sky goes completely dark. You're exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Mentally, your mind has been running in circles around problems that you lack the ability to solve. Physically, your mental problems have been making you lose sleep...

You walk like a zombie up the stairs to your room, where you find Marcy and Selene sleeping; and Kuma waiting for you in a chair.

"Welcome back" Kuma says.
"Anything interesting happen while I was out?" You ask.
"Yes" Kuma says, handing you a piece of paper.

You take it and read it. You recognize the handwriting as Laura's.

The letter says that Laust's armies are falling back to the Capital, and that they've struck a deal with Denton's Lord, and that Harth's armies will be using the city as a temporary base of operations until they can strike out to Catisse.

She tells you that all of the commanders will be present, and that security will be incredibly tight.

That's all the letter says. But you catch the meaning.

All the commanders being there will mean that Melissa will be there.

Melissa whom you love and very much want to talk to...

You put the letter away and turn back to Kuma. "When will they be arriving?" You ask.
"Within the week" Kuma says. "What will you do?"

"I don't know, Kuma" You say, and you damn well mean it. "I just don't know"

That's all for tonight!

I'll be speeding Devil's Whim along a bit, so expect some timeskips. This is because my own interest in it is starting to dwindle, and I'm noticing that general interest in it has lowered quite a bit. But I won't drop it, be assured. I'll be sticking it through to the end.

Next thread will probably be monday, and therefore Blood Moon.

As always I'll be sticking around for questions/suggestions

>>41758960
thanks for running

>>41758960
Thanks for running. I'm sure we'll get more voters once things start moving faster, this thread was just kinda boring

>>41759001
My apologies. I would've skipped this bit, but it was necessary to set up the next thread.

Next thread will likely be a lot more exciting