File: amelia getting huge.png (248 KB, 601x1101)

248 KB PNG

>>42566745

As Ellen and co. prepare for the arrival of the Emperor's Flight, Mage General Corneria and co.'s exploits on the route to Ulir are completely unknown to them.

Yet again, do they remain unknown to the players as well?

>A. Stay Ellen
>B. Be someone in Corneria's group

>>42566797
Also, er. Thread-starting story branch decision, so.

Votes will be counted until :30.

>>42566797
>B. Be someone in Corneria's group
I've been waiting for this

>>42566797
>>A. Stay Ellen
I dunno. Miss a pretty badass battle for a fieldtrip?

>>42566883
You wouldn't miss the battle. It would just be pushed to next thread.

>>42566797
>A. Stay Ellen

>>42566797
>B. Be someone in Corneria's group

>>42566797
>A. Stay Ellen

>>42566797
>>B. Be someone in Corneria's group
Please switch this vote then.
>>42566883

I like side chapters? Don't you want gains?
That's how we got wyrmslayer

>>42567080
>That's how we got wyrmslayer
How? We got it by killing Willow not by doing a sidechapter anon.

>>42567080
>>42567120
Indirectly, if only by virtue of Willow being established as having the sword in one.

>>42566967
>>42567073
>>42566876
A few days earlier, the Mage General of Heim and her companions headed South after arranging for Princess Kia to be moved back to Elza Oasis.

At the moment, they're right at the coast of Neir's Darros region, waiting in a port town for a boat that is late.

That being said, out of this group of Heim officials and Great Miles, who are you?

>A. Miles, the leader of the Great Miles company, which has currently been hired for their favor with a certain family in the islands (Sage class)
>B. Bryce, a good friend of Miles' with the company, somewhat of a hot-blooded jerk with an observant side (Bard class)
>C. Michalis, a Fire Dragon/Manakete the company rescued from capture in the Tordo mountains
>D. Maria, an aide and occasional diplomat for the Magical Senate, hailing from Noba (Bishop class)
>E. Asra, an escaped member of a prolific assassin's guild who loyally works with the Great Miles (Rogue/Assassin class)
>F. Yancy, a dark mage and aide to Mage General Corneria, the elder brother of the knight Biff, also haling from Noba. Recently lost an arm

>>42567294
>C. Michalis, a Fire Dragon/Manakete the company rescued from capture in the Tordo mountains

>>42567294
>>C. Michalis, a Fire Dragon/Manakete the company rescued from capture in the Tordo mountains

>>42567294
>C. Michalis, a Fire Dragon/Manakete the company rescued from capture in the Tordo mountains

>>42567294
>E. Asra, an escaped member of a prolific assassin's guild who loyally works with the Great Miles (Rogue/Assassin class)

>>42567355
Actually, switching to
>E. Asra, an escaped member of a prolific assassin's guild who loyally works with the Great Miles (Rogue/Assassin class)
If we're going to a possible trap with miles Das I want to be a rogue

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>42567330
>>42567346
>>42567399
>>42567482

>>42567540
You are now Asra, the ex-assassin. Not that your career changed stopped you from taking lives for coin, it just... Isn't the entire point of it now.

Miles is currently with Corneria and her aides, asking around about when their promised boat is going to arrive, while you're sitting around with Devon, Bryce, and Michalis, the latter of whom is wearing the disguise Laurina and Bryce met him in.

"Hey, Devon, you alright?" you hear Bryce ask (who else?) Devon. She's been very nauseous recently.

"Y-yeah, Bryce, I'm just... Seasick." She closes her eyes.

"We're still on land," Michalis matter of factly responds.

"I... Suppose so, but. Maybe it's the wounds talking, or something..."

>A. Say something more (specify)
>B. Go looking around on your own without warning, as you usually do
>C. Stay silent
>D. Write-in?

>>42567594
>B. Go looking around on your own without warning, as you usually do

>>42567594
>B. Go looking around on your own without warning, as you usually do
What could go wrong?

>>42567634
>>42567672
Naturally, you do what you do best: sneaking off from the conversation. You have a few ideas about what's wrong with Devon, but you'll avoid suggesting them until she does.

You scout around the outside of the town for awhile, not accomplishing much beyond making some random child you never see again mildly uncomfortable. You're out of sight by the time he points you out to his parents, and they convince him you were imagined.

Later, you find yourself standing behind Corneria and her group, out waiting by the pier.

"Do you see them?"

Yancy in particular is startled, damn near falling into the water before Maria pulls him back.

Miles simply turns and nods. "That... Looks like that Captain Nalon's ship that was described."

>A. That's good
>B. Remain silent
>C. Say something else (specify)

And...

>D. Stand around
>E. Go get the others
>F. Write-in

>>42567911
>B. Remain silent
>E. Go get the others

>>42567911
>B. Remain silent
>E. Go get the others

>>42567953
>>42568021
You silently slip away, appearing again behind the group you were with earlier. Devon has just finished being lurched over some sort of nearby waste receptacle, Bryce patting her back.

"We leaving?" Michalis asks.

"We think so."

Michalis nods, opting to carry Devon's things for her given her condition... Only for her to walk up, seemingly fine, and grabbing her stuff.

"Alright, then! Let's set sail soon!" She smiles.

>A. Remain silent
>B. Say something (specification required)
>C. Go ahead of everyone else

>>42568128
>C. Go ahead of everyone else

>>42568128
>C. Go ahead of everyone else
Were progressing fast.

I guess you get a lot more done on your own

>>42568198
>>42568440
You go on ahead of everyone else with your own light load of personal belongings, finding Miles addressing a relatively short woman leaning up against an axe, bow strapped to her back, dressed like a quintessential pirate captain, minus the eyepatch and missing extremities.

In a gruff voice, she speaks to Miles. "Yeah, sorry for the delay. Had this whole thing with one of the Dories' kids that needed addressing."

>A. Stand around silently
>B. Welcome yourself aboard her ship
>C. Say something (specify)
>D. Write-in?

>>42568481
>A. Stand around silently
Let's listen in.

>>42568481
>A. Stand around silently
Listening is fine

>>42568533
>>42568781
You continue doing what you do best.

The captain, Nalon apparently, calls out, "Maple, you and your sisters help Miles and his friends' load up their things."

A woman looking slightly younger than the captain, but also a decent deal taller, and two people looking progressively younger than her, all with somewhat curly reddish hair beneath bandannas (though it seems to get shorter with each younger sister), nods, yelling at the youngest, "Cough, hurry up and help 'em out!"

"Y-yes, Maple..."

Nalon looks at the members of your company. "Already dropped Laurina, eh? Word had just gotten around that she'd joined you a ways back, too."

Bryce responds, "Yeah, well she wasn't the coolest with the possibility of takin' down her own dad."

Nalon nods. "Yeah, makes sense. Hey, Miles, your wife alright?"

Miles nods. "She's... Still recovering from an incident a little while ago."

>A. Welcome yourself aboard
>B. Continue standing around until directed otherwise
>C. Say something (specify)
>D. Write-in action

>>42568910
>A. Welcome yourself aboard
Explore ship

>>42568910
>A. Welcome yourself aboard

>>42568956
>>42568970
You quickly find yourself doing the thing you do second-best, welcoming yourself aboard when no one is paying attention. You end up sneaking belowdecks in particular, being quite fond of walking around and just... Accustomed to not being noticed doing it.

>A. Alright, enough fun. Get back on deck.
>B. Look for the captain's quarters
>C. See if there's a brig of some sort
>D. Wander belowdecks awhile
>E. Write-in

>>42569092
>A. Alright, enough fun. Get back on deck.
This will end badly if we don't.

>>42569092
>C. See if there's a brig of some sort

>>42569092
>A. Alright, enough fun. Get back on deck.

>>42569115
>>42569148
You manage to get back on deck without much trouble, of course. It's not like you were down here looking for some dark, horrible secret about the people giving your friends a ride.

"Honey, Cough, you mind showing our guests around the boat?"

The middle and youngest of the sisters nod, and in a moment you, the rest of your company, and the Mage General's group are shown around the ship, being taken belowdeck once again before too long.

>A. Sneak off again. You know what they're going to tell you anyway
>B. Stick around. Be polite.
>C. Say something (specify)
>D. Write-in

>>42569092
>check out the kitchen

>>42569325
Switch that to
>>42569317

>>42569317
>A. Sneak off again. You know what they're going to tell you anyway

>>42569325
Second

File: bandittwin2.gif (1 KB, 96x74)

1 KB GIF

>>42569325
>>42569401
>>42569416
You seek out the galley on your own first.

It's a pretty big kitchen, all things considered, with a couple of big fellows as the chefs.

One of them, clad in pink, says to the other, "David, that fellow with those mercenaries..."

"Yes, what about him, Eli?"

"His outfit, his hair, they are... Magnificent."

>A. Ignore them and keep exploring
>B. Say something (specify)
>C. Listen to them awhile
>D. Write-in

>>42569577
>C. Listen to them awhile

>>42569577
>C. Listen to them awhile
Maybe they have wyvern eggs

File: bandittwin1.gif (1 KB, 97x66)

1 KB GIF

>>42569691
>>42569797
You listen to one brother give the other all sort of advice on talking to who you figure is Bryce by the terms they use to describe him.

You're literally there listening in on them for so long that the boat departs at some point early on in the one brother's pep talk of the other.

"Look, brother, life is short, especially on the high seas. If it doesn't work out, you'll never see him again anyway after this. There's no reason not to take the opportunity while it's there!"

"I suppose... Thank you, David. I wouldn't have thought to talk to that bard without your help."

"Anything for youuuuwho are you?"

Both sets of eyes are on you.

"...I was wondering. Are you going to be serving wyvern eggs during the trip."

"Someone with taste! Not enough people out there'll eat a wyvern egg, and I don't get why. Infinitely better than chickens, way bigger, too, if you do it right."

"I do concur, brother. Tell me, though... How long have you been there?"

>A. The whole time
>B. You just got here
>C. Recently
>D. Leave without a word
>E. Write-in

>>42569965
>A. The whole time

>>42569965
>A. The whole time
>Encourage him (more) to talk to Bryce

>>42570091
Second

>>42570001
>>42570091
>>42570120
"The whole time."

"Shit... Brother, after I just said..."

"Yes, David, that was let slip..."

You continue, "...Bryce, is. The bard you discussed's name." You leave Eli and David with that, turning around and starting out. You honestly don't even know if Bryce would be interested, even with all his bravado, but that's not really for you to find out.

"H-hey, wait a minute! Get back here!" One of the twins (they sound so much alike, it's hard to tell when you're not looking at them) calls out.

>A. Get back there
>B. Nope, you're gone
>C. Stay where you are

>>42570257
>A. Get back there

>>42570257
>A. Get back there

>>42570257
>A. Get back there

>>42570325
>>42570353
>>42570436
You do so, none the wiser to any darker implications of some of their word choice.

"Did you. Want to hear more about him."

Eli responds, "yes, please do tell me all you know!"

David paces around a bit, ultimately standing between you and where you were.

"Well, he. Calls that hairstyle a 'pompadour' or 'pomp.' He can make songs magically appear. He does not know what that sound when you normally revitalize is."

David interrupts. "Uh huh, yeah, yeah, and most importantly he has no way of knowing we won't be seeing each other again."

Underestimating you, even cornered as they've gotten you, the probable chefs lunge at you, Eli moments after David.

>A. Avoid and kill them
>B. Avoid and run off
>C. Avoid and try to nonlethally neutralize them (this is not your forte. It may or may not fail)
>D. Write-in
>E. Stand there and ask what they're doing (this will not directly result in getting you killed)

>>42570632
>B. Avoid and run off

>>42570632
>avoid them and ask what they're doing
Get closer to the door
I just can't take them seriously

>>42570736
Second. They're pirates and we're an assassin. We could probably dodge them all day.

>>42570736
>>42570761
You dodge effortlessly between the brothers, getting closer to the door.

"What were you hoping to accomplish."

"Well, brother, we've really let the cat out of the bag now..."

"We'll need to come clean, face the wrath of the captain, brother..."

"You see, we were planning to overthrow your lot."

"But now we've failed... David, you jumped the gun trying to attack her, and now I'm certain Bryce won't associate with me..."

"Oh, brother, your heart is a tragedy, but still... we'll be in even deeper trouble once the captain finds out..."

>A. Shut them up permanently
>B. Leave them be

And...

>C. Go tell Captain Nalon first
>D. Go tell Miles first
>E. Go tell the Mage General first
>F. Wander around, doing nothing with this information

>>42570915
>Tie them up
>E. Go tell the Mage General first

>>42570915
>knock them out
>tie them up
>E. Go tell the Mage General first

>>42570915
>I'm giving you two a chance to come clean first. Otherwise I'm going to, and the results won't be as pretty.

>>42570915
>>A. Shut them up permanently
>D. Go tell Miles first

>>42571032
That doesn't sound like something Asra would say

>>42570972
>>42571016
You attempt to nonlethally knock them out and tie them up. With Eli, this goes fine, but David freaks out and attacks you again after this. You might have ended up snapping his neck. This is why you hesitated.

Sincerely, but stoically-sounding, you utter a one-word apology to the surviving, unconscious brother as you tie him up. "Sorry."

With that, you make your way up to the deck as quickly as possibly, finding Mage General Corneria breathing in deeply and taking in the air of the sea. "Nostalgic..."

You clear your throat, not wanting to startle the most important person onboard overboard.

"Is there a problem, Asra?"

"The chefs were trying to stage a mutiny, and thought I caught on. I... don't know who else is involved, but they're both in the galley."

"A mutiny, hmm? That is... Troubling. I'll speak to Captain about this, if you haven't already."

"I have not."

That conversation over, General Corneria heads off in Nalon's general direction.

>A. Find Miles
>B. Find Bryce
>C. Find Michalis
>D. Find Devon
>E. Get back before Eli wakes up
>F. Write-in

>>42571232
*why you hesitated to use force at all.

I knew I'd forgotten to add something there.

>>42571232
>E. Get back before Eli wakes up

>>42571232
>go tell everybody to be on guard
Partners would be smart

>>42571420
Deleted old vote

>>42571420
>>42571341
You take a moment to find and warn Yancy and Maria, both of whom are above deck, similarly staring out to sea together.

"...be careful. There may be a mutiny in the works."

Yancy nods, adjusting his glasses with his existing arm. "Another betrayal in the works, hmm? Maria, darling, let's make sure neither of us gets warped to an underground dungeon this time."

Maria nods. "You be careful, too, Asra."

With that out of the way, you start towards the galley again... Being met with the sound of a young woman screaming shortly before you open the door.

"David, my gods... E-Eli, wake up! Who's done this to you?!"

You peer inside to see one of those sisters (the middle one, Honey, you think her name was) untying Eli and shaking him awake.

"Urg..." As the chef-pirate comes to, he points you out.

Honey removes an axe from behind her back, gripping it. "Well, we'll... We'll do your brother justice, alright? Just... Go get help."

>A. Kill them both
>B. Shut the door and get away
>C. Try to explain the situation
>D. Stand there silently

>>42571633
>C. Try to explain the situation

>>42571633
>B. Shut the door and get away

>>42571708
Please rethink your vote, That will only make things worse.

>>42571633
Are you included in this mutiny?
>step back

>>42571731
I doubt Honey is going to listen to a stranger that killed a fellow pirate. She might also be in this mutiny too.

>>42571633
How many doors are there?
If there are multiple ones throw a knife into his leg to hopefully keep him from running

>>42571777
Isn't she the captains daughter? We just need to ask one question.
If she is I doubt she'd deny it, and we can explain the situation if not

>>42571777
>I doubt Honey is going to listen to a stranger that killed a fellow pirate.
What? When did we kill someone? Didn't we knock them both out? Tha'ts what was voted for.

>>42571846
>but David freaks out and attacks you again after this. You might have ended up snapping his neck. This is why you hesitated.

Self defense. It was justified. He attacked us twice

>>42571811
There are two doors to and from the galley on opposite sides. No word on any secret passages.

>>42571844
Maple/Honey/Cough are sisters with no relation to captain Nalon.

>>42571846
I did warn you that Asra would probably accidentally kill someone if she tried to use force. A lifetime of being raised to kill makes for a hard habit to break.

>>42571885
Knife is his calf before he escapes

Let's at leat try to do as little damage as possible

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>42571708
>>42571674
>>42571749
>>42571811
Anyway, all of these but the middle two feel mutually exclusive.

>>42571915
As Eli tries to get away through the opposite door, a well-aimed knife to his leg slows him again, leading to the fellow crying out in pain.

Honey draws closer with her axe, and you quite literally slam the door in her face. You hear frustrated cries of pain for her nose, sounding muffled as though someone was, well, holding onto their nose.

You notice the eldest and youngest sisters (Maple and Cough, right?), along with a few other pirates, surround you.

"The HELL is going on?!" Maple waves a killer axe in your face.

>A. Kill
>B. Explain what the hell is going on.
>C. Sneak away
>D. Remain silent

>>42571996
>B. Explain what the hell is going on.

>>42571996
Are you part of the mutiny?
>prepare yourself

>>42571996
>B. Explain what the hell is going on.
Let's not be retarded about this and just explain.

>>42572044
>>42572137
>>42572065
"Your chefs were planning a mutiny. The surviving one... Convinced your sister to attack me, but she is behind the door, unharmed mostly."

"Mostly?!"

"I shut a door in her face." You reach for one of your hidden daggers. "You... are not a part of this mutiny, correct?"

"Pfah! You're not gonna make it out alive, so I'll just tell it to you straight. Our whole damn ship is in on this! A fifth of Arvo's fleet is in on this!"

The door opens behind you. "Oh, we're... Doing this early?"

"Well, those two idiots let the cat out of the bag, so yeah! C'mon, Cough, Honey, let's show 'em our special move!"

All three sisters raise their axes, closing in on you. The rest of the nearby pirates raise their assorted weapons.

Upon closer examination, Maple has a Killer Axe, Honey a Tomahawk, and Cough a Brave Axe.

>A. Attack somebody! (specify)
>B. Try to get away!
>C. See what they're trying to do!
>D. Write-in!

>>42572244
>B. Try to get away!
I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE TRIED OT BLOCK!

>>42572244
>B. Try to get away!
Think that the door behind us is free? We'd only have to fight through Honey instead of a slew of pirates.

>>42572244
Get the fuck away

>>42572328
She's got a tomahawk too, it's better to take her out first since it'd be in our back otherwise

>>42572291
>>42572328
>>42572340
You break away through the kitchen, thankfully avoiding the fullest force of the triangle attack. That being said, Honey's axe still strikes you in the arm on the way through, which... Hurts immensely, to say the least.

As you barrel through the galley, clutching your arm in pain, Eli stands between you and the other exit, brandishing the knife you put in his leg. The wound is very, very crudely wrapped, and he leaps at you with a weapon that, as a chef, he naturally has some skill in.

That being said, you still outspeed him by far, managing to dodge his strike, tear the weapon out of his hands, and stick it back in his gut before withdrawing it and bolting through. The frontrunners of the pirates chasing you stop to help him up and through the mob, buying you a few more seconds' lead.

You hurry through the next door just in time to see the Tomahawk's blade sticking through the thing as it impacts it. That... Almost hit you square in the head.

You don't have much time before the wielder and her friends catch up to you, though.

>A. Seek out Captain Nalon's quarters
>B. Get back on deck
>C. Turn around and face them
>D. Try to hold the door shut
>E. Write-in

>>42572244
Congratulatinos Octo, You have successfully made me so paranoid that i think that every option will lead ot death.
>>42572430
>A. Seek out Captain Nalon's quarters
Mage general went there!

>>42572430
>A. Seek out Captain Nalon's quarters

>>42572430
>>E. Write-in
If there's a shelf or a very large barrel nearby, jam that door in with that large and bulky object.

>>42572442
Could have been worse. At least we found out early

>>42572442
>>42572456
You immediately make for where you recall seeing the captain's quarters, opening and drinking up a vulnerary to at least slightly account for the horrible pain in your arm as you run.

The door is locked, and you hear voices inside.

"Hesitant to use your oh-so-powerful spells, huh?"

"We're on a boat. I would easily kill us all if I tried anything in my arsenal."

>A. Unlock the door
>B. Leave the Mage General be. The pirates are still probably after you
>C. Write-in?

>>42572592
>check for any persurers
>A. Unlock the door

>>42572626
The captain is obviously in on it.
He needs to die

>>42572633
Second, Deletinf old vote.

>>42572633
>>42572652
Okay, you... Think you've lost them. Well, to put it more accurately, bursts of light and darkness around a corner you turned tells you that they were interrupted by Yancy and Maria.

Regardless, you make quick work of the lock, slowly cracking the door open, sticking your head through through, seeing the Mage General crouched behind a desk...

...only for Nalon to slam the door as you look through it, from just out of your line of sight, putting her full body into the action.

You black out.

>To be continued next thread
Thanks for playing, as always. This felt like a pretty appropriate stopping point. Though I had a continuation in mind, I worry it would wind up taking way too long for one thread, so. After the next Ellen thread, I'll probably offer another chance to check up on the events in Ulir again.

Update twitter is qmgrandflocto, and ask.fm is ask.fm is the same.

I'll be around to talk in-thread for awhile, too.

>>42572757
Did uou just kill Asra off?

>>42572757
...only for Nalon to slam the door as you look through it, from just out of your line of sight, putting her full body into the action.
Oh come the fuck on.

>>42572774
>>42572780
Like I said, I had a continuation in mind for this.

To put it bluntly, Corneria saves her while she's out of commission, Nalon's attention being drawn away in that moment.

>>42572810
Okay, Seeya next time then.

>>42572810
Alright cool.
Thanks for running Octo.

Did you plan for us to figure it out that early?

>>42572817
Yeah, it just felt like a good stopping point, since the change also would've involved a POV swap if I didn't wanna just up and end on the "okay yeah everything turned out okay while you were out" note.

>>42572830
If you'd have stopped Honey from encountering the bodies alone, they would've played it off as an independent incident, thrown Eli into the brig, and things would've played out from there.

>>42572864
So all in all were a little better off in that we weren't the target of a simultaneous attack by everyone?

The Great Miles company's admitted plot armor won't last forever, by the way. I know everything that NEEDS to be done with their characters, and know what the exact point it'll disappear is.

>>42572915
Sometimes fucking up makes things better in the long run. Sometimes it just fucks things up.

>>42572979
How bad would we be without plot armour

>>42573095
Miles and Bryce would be the only ones still kicking. POSSIBLY Devon.

Asra would've died way back in the desert without that single redo, too.

>>42573203
Okay, yeah, Devon would've survived her near-death experience with or without being literally guaranteed to.

>>42573203
What the fuck, we're doing that badly?

>>42573284
I thought you meant just out of the Great Miles.

To be fair, Laurina literally took four axes to the everything.

I guess Michalis would count among them too, though he hasn't officially become a mercenary.

You're doing mostly fine with Ellen's campaign, though. The Great Miles just aren't very lucky.

>>42573458
Okay, sure. I thought we were just bad at the quest.

Anons seem to like doing dumb things in the Gaidens

>>42573537
You guys were mostly pretty wise in the Gorman/Stefyn/Monica/Eva gaidens, and only really had perfectly in-character boneheaded moments in Zoe's.

Laurina standing in front of a ton of axes was really the only really boneheaded thing in a Gaiden. Asra was legitimately blindsided by Nalon there.