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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

>>42704836
>”Why is nobody leaving?”.
Best time of the week is finally here

>>42704836
>>”Have you been eating well?”.
>>”Did anyone attack you?”.
>>”Why is nobody leaving?”.

>>42704836
>"Why are the superior races not slaughtering the pathetic humans and claiming this town as our own?"

>>42704836
>”Did anyone attack you?”.

>>42704836
>”Did anyone attack you?”.

“Why is nobody leaving the town?”, you might be biased here, since you're aware that there's less danger outside than you first imagined, but then again you did encounter some undead warriors, and contrarily to you not everyone walks around with a necromancer.

“They're afraid of the undead, I guess. And don't get me wrong, I am too, but if I must die I'd rather be struck down by a monster than slowly die of starvation, or get shanked in an alley for a loaf of bread”, Zillis admits, glancing about herself and then sighing, “Not that I think this will really happen, unless the situation rolls further downhill”.

“Did anything bad happen to you while I was gone?”.

“Other than being kicked out? No”, she shakes her head, “It's been pretty standard fare. We were hyped at first and very happy to be somewhere full of opportunities, and now this dread has fallen over our heads. Heh, seems like we just can't have a lucky, happy life, can we?”, she chuckles, looking you over, “Except for you”.

“Huh?”.

“Oh come on you wouldn't want to get us out if it wasn't much nicer out there”.

“I can't deny that the situation outside is better than the rumours make it”, you admit, “But that doesn't mean it's all fun and games either. Still, I think it's better for you if you just leave, this place is giving me bad vibes”.

“Me too”, she sighs. The well-lit streets are still only passingly familiar to you, but you're quite certain you're approaching the right house. “By the way, how did you come across a demon to send for errands? Reiram was tremendously scared when he appeared and I think Mires is still limping a bit. Well that ought to teach her to not kick people out of the blue”.

>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.
>”He's just a friend”.
>”I think we just might be related”.
>”He's actually my familiar, I summoned him myself”.
>”I'm not sure you want to know”.
>”Did he treat you well?”.
>Other?

>>42705176

>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.
>”Did he treat you well?”.

>>42705176
>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.
>”Did he treat you well?”.
Please stop adding a period after the quotes.

>>42705176
>>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.

>>42705176
>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.
Be honest!

>>42705176
>”He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”.
>"You get used to him. Pray you won't have to."

“He's the familiar of a wizard friend of mine”, you explain, “Did he treat you well? He can be-”.

“-Incredibly annoying to the point you'd like to slap him across the face? Yes, yes he can”, she admits, “But we have more common sense than to try and hit a demon. Well, other than Mires, I mean”.

“Is she okay?”.

“Like I said, she's probably still limping a bit, but she didn't really get hurt. Which is good, you never know with demons, he could've killed her”.

You can't imagine Yomi actually killing someone, and you're not even sure he can, unless his binding has a self-defense clause or something. Actually, you have no idea how demon binding works at all.

You come in front of the house you're temporarily stationed at, as you recognize the tiny, irregularly-shaped plaza that precedes it. It gives off a rather comfortable, intimate feeling which would be much better if it was daytime and there weren't this many people sleeping on the streets, but the expression “beggars can't be choosers” has never been more true.

“I'm here with some friends of mine”, you're not sure whether you should tell her about your father or not, but that's some rather huge news as all of them, yourself included, were certain you were an abandoned orphan who was never going to meet her parents until yesterday. “Try and be quiet, we don't want to disturb our landlord here”.

She makes a quiet nod and you open the door, which is being left unlocked. It's kind of odd considering the situation, but then again this whole emergency situation in Reboldeux has been surprisingly civil, your previous incidents notwithstanding.

As you both reach the first floor, you see that Meztli is still sprawled in the corner of the landing, lazily opening one eye as you arrive. She says absolutely nothing and slowly closes it again.

>”Hi Meztli, this is Zillis”.
>”There's an actual bed in this room. Here, let me show you”.
>Knock at Bryld's door first.
>Other?

>>42705383
>”Hi Meztli, this is Zillis”.
Bryld introduction after.

>>42705383
>Knock at Bryld's door first.

>>42705383
stab him with your pointiest finger.

>>42705383
>”Hi Meztli, this is Zillis”.
Quick introduction, then
>Knock at Bryld's door

>>42705383
>Knock at Bryld's door first.
>”There's an actual bed in this room. Here, let me show you”.
Let Bryld meet zillis first.

>>42705383
>>42705454
Yeah, better be good hosts!

“Hi Meztli”, you wave at the lizard woman, “This is Zillis, a good friend of mine”.

She opens her eye again, gives Zillis a long look, then it closes once more. Not a sound comes from her, leaving Zillis rather puzzled.

“She's just shy”, you justify her as you go knock at Bryld's door. It takes a while before she opens, and you hear her muffle and shuffle about all throughout, until you're greeted by her sleepy and quite tired face.

“Zillis, this is Bryld. Bryld, this one is Zillis, a good friend of mine”, you introduce the two, even though you suspect the bunny girl to be not quite capable of grasping the whole situation now, “She's going to sleep here in my stead, since she's pregnant and I can't bear to have her stay outside. Could she share your bed?”.

An unintelligible mumble comes from Bryld, she then rubs her eyes and blinks repeatedly, having a very hard time keeping them both open. She attempts to speak again but fails to take sufficient air inside her lungs first, and in the end she just nods.

Smiling in gratitude, you turn to look at Zillis, who gives you a concerned stare, “Are you sure this is okay with you?”.

“Yes”, you insist, “We can bear sleeping outside for one night, and I've actually been in the wilderness for a week, so please don't worry about me”.

Zillis takes a deep breath in, and you just know she'd like to argue, but her hand is resting on her stomach as if to remind her that yes, she has a good reason to be given precedence on comforts, even if her hard-working spirit is likely disapproving of such favours. She turns to Bryld to give a courteous nod, “Thank you for having me”.

You glance back at Meztli but she hasn't made a single move, except for her thick reptilian tail that sometimes lazily flips about.

>”I'll be going then, we'll meet tomorrow morning”.
>”Did Tahenohan and Mosper still not come back?”.
>Leave Bryld and Zillis alone and go bother Meztli.
>Other?

>>42705617
>Leave Bryld and Zillis alone and go bother Meztli.

>>42705617
>”Did Tahenohan and Mosper still not come back?”.

>>42705617
>”Did Tahenohan and Mosper still not come back?”.

>>42705617
>Leave Bryld and Zillis alone and go bother Meztli.
No hurry.

...Lillith CAN find her way back to the others on her own right? Last attempt at navigation didn't go so great.

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>>42705682
Seeing how she's not in a panic nor running from someone, yes, she can.

>>42705617
>”Did Tahenohan and Mosper still not come back?”.
>Leave Bryld and Zillis alone and go bother Meztli.

>>42705705
How exhausted is Lillith? From what we've seen, I doubt she will have any problems sleeping tonight, even if on the streets.

You leave Zillis and Bryld alone as they both need sleep, especially Bryld as she isn't the kind of person that takes being interrupted in her sleep very well, meaning she's drowsy, slow, unfocused and generally not in the right condition to do anything productive.

Once you're all alone in the landing again, you realize that this place doesn't feel as cramped as it first looked. The previous panic and all of your day's fatigue choose this exact moment to strike you and you start feeling like what the heck, you can sleep on the floor with Meztli, she looks very comfortable down there. You also consider that she might have a thicker skin than yours, but lizardfolk aren't tremendously common in your area, so you can't be really sure about that.

Still, you don't quite feel like leaving immediately, meaning you want to at least sit down for a while and ask something that's been on your mind since you've returned. “Say, have Tahenohan and Mosper not come back yet?”.

She doesn't even open her eyes, she just shakes her head. You really should've expected it, they won't be back for a while, you guess you don't leave for a royal casino to be back at a normal hour. Or soon. Hopefully they didn't get into trouble, but you have this nagging feeling that the two of them, especially together, are kind of trouble magnets.

“Should we get worried? I mean I don't know what kind of person Mosper is, really, but I know Tahenohan and she can be... Well, she's a half elf”, you explain, which is worth more than a thousand words you could spare on the topic.

Her reaction is to simply shrug, which is either a proof that she trusts your father much more than you trust him yourself or that she really wants to sleep and doesn't want you to keep bothering her.

And you can kind of understand her.

>Stay here and wait for those two to come back.
>Keep bothering Meztli to pass the time (choose a topic or something).
>Leave and return to your other friends.
>Other?

>>42705963
>>Stay here and wait for those two to come back.

>>42705963
>Leave and return to your other friends.

>>42705963
>Leave and return to your other friends.
Ask Metzli to explain why you're gone.

>>42705963
>Leave and return to your other friends.

>>42705963
>Stay here and wait for those two to come back.

>>42705963
>Leave and return to your other friends.
I really don't see the point in waiting up for them, if they come back at 3AM are we gonna leave off to our friends' and wake them all up when we get there in the middle of the night?

>>42705963
Poor Meztli, having to put up with all these noisy people bothering her.

You decide that if Meztli trusts your father this much, then you really should just leave him alone and let him and Tahenohan have their fun together without being overly concerned over what is most likely nothing at all. You're tired and sleepy and have had too long a night already, you just want to sleep and wake up tomorrow to do something better than being in this town, like getting paid for all of your hard work.

“Meztli, when they come back, can you explain I switched places with Zillis and we'll be seeing each other tomorrow morning?”. You have to use all of your attention to realize she did nod affirmatively. You have no choice but to trust her as she doesn't look like a very talkative person anyways and you don't want to piss off someone who has a sword of that size which she keeps within reach while sleeping.

You get up and slowly, sneakily move downstairs and then outside again. You close the door behind you and start going where your friends are waiting for you.

Being alone once again triggers some kind of unnerving feeling inside of you, like when you just read a horror story and everything around you looks like it's ready to eat you, like eldritch horrors can spawn from a corner and eat, slicing and shredding your flesh with their countless teeth and the darkness itself can rip your limbs apart. The fact the streets are very well-lit mitigates the feeling somewhat, but it also means you're well in sight of anyone, and you've been assaulted twice already this night. That's two more times than you feel comfortable with.

Fortunately nothing happens at all and you find your friends right where you left them. You recognize Mires kicking a wall while lying down, as if trying to stretch a leg; Lucas gets up while wiping some drool off the corner of his mouth as you approach, “Is Zillis okay?”.

“Yes”, you assure him, “She's sleeping safely in a soft bed by now, don't worry”.

“Thank Gaia”, he sighs.

>Time to sleep.
>Other?

>>42706215
>Time to sleep.
We can chat in the morning.

>>42706215
>Time to sleep.
Sweet dreams, Lillith!

>>42706215
>Time to sleep.

>>42706215
>Time to sleep.

Falling asleep takes you a lot less than you first imagined.

You only realize that as soon as you understand you're in your own dreamscape and all because you reach the point where you start to realize you're in a dream and you also begin to realize your dream is being influenced by what's happening around you. Yet, you're so tired that you dream on with this feeling right on your chest, even though normally you would have been wide awake by now, just because you might have grossly underestimated your fatigue.

When you do wake up it's so suddenly than for a moment, the faint remainders of your dreams are superimposed on your normal consciousness, leaving you quite confused and incapable of understanding what Lucas is trying to tell you.

“Lillith, are you okay?”, he shakes your shoulder a bit, “How many are these?”.

“I'm fine, I'm fine”, you answer, which is easier than focusing on how many fingers he had up, because you had no idea. It takes you a little but your mind eventually surrenders to the idea of being awake and you take a deep breath, feeling stings of pain all over your back.

Definitely not a comfortable sleep, and now your body is aching, as is your neck, and your legs feel stiff from all the panicked running you did. Also, your forehead hurts, the kind of pulsating pain you feel when you have a lump somewhere uncomfortable. Like around the base of your horn.

You can get up, but walking all the way back to New Royo will be a pain. As a matter of fact, you'd rather go back to camping in the jungle than spend another night on the streets. You're also all drenched in sweat and you smell like a bit of everyone's stench wore on you as well.

There's little you can do about that, though, with the town being this overpopulated you won't be able to find some privacy to change no matter how cramped and obscure an alley you can find.

>Meet up with everyone.
>Go ahead on your own, tell Lucas, Reiram and Mires to wait for you (where?).
>Other?

>>42706390
>Meet up with everyone.

>>42706390
>Meet up with everyone.

>>42706390
>Meet up with everyone.
Of course! The sooner we can get everyone out and on the road (or lack of it, as it were) the better.

Maybe we can find a lake to wash in before sunset too.

>>42706390
>Meet up with everyone.

>>42706390
Wait, we can check on the mermaids while we are here
>Go to the beach and try to have a salty bath
>Check ont he mermaids while you're there

You don't have the time to get back to sleep or find a nice, comfortable bed to rest your weary bones right now, you have plenty of things to do, one of which involves getting paid for your hard work, and you can worry about not smelling once you're out and somewhere safe.

“Let's meet up with everyone, so we don't lose sight of each other. Once we're done with what we came for, I'll lead you to New Royo”, you explain to your friends, who nod affirmatively.

“Good to have you back”, Reiram has the quite wide smile of someone who missed an old friend. You can't help but smile yourself, you have been quite concerned about them after all, and finding everyone in not such a terrible shape feels pretty good.

“Thank you, now let's get a move on, the Duke owes me some money”.

When you reach the other house, you meet up with Zillis and Bryld, who are already outside. It seems like those two have been chatting amiably all morning and your cartographer in particular appears to be in a good mood. She's already dressed and with her backpack on, ready to stride in the Duke's palace explorer-style.

Zillis is quite happy to see everyone else and much greeting and hugging is done, especially with Lucas. She then thanks you profusely and informs you that “The lizard woman said she's going to carry the other two down any minute if they don't come out on their own”.

“Carry?”, you wonder, “Actually, are they okay?”.

“Looks like they had fun until late”, she explains, “I don't know who they are but knowing you they're probably good people if a bit... Particular. Especially the pointy-eared one”.

Isn't that an understatement? And at least they're back in one piece, maybe you've been worrying over nothing. Maybe you were just tired and paranoid because of all the stress.

>Go upstairs to check on them.
>Wait for them to come or be carried.
>Go ahead to the Duke's palace with just Bryld, she's the one with the maps after all.
>Other?

>>42706629
That's a little mean to our male friends who'd have to keep away for that and not get a bath.

>>42706645
>Go upstairs to check on them.
Jesus dad, why you gotta be so embarrassing.
Tahe was obviously a lost cause already.

>>42706645
>Go upstairs to check on them.

>>42706645
>Go upstairs to check on them.

>>42706645
>Go ahead to the Duke's palace with just Bryld, she's the one with the maps after all.
Efficiency!

>>42706684
At least he has Meztli to look out for him. She seems reliable.

>>42706645
>Wait for them to come or be carried.

“Give me a moment, I'll go check on them”, you smile and set off, trying to ignore all of the back pain that keeps striking at your shoulder blades. Ow. Moving your chest muscles in some ways really hurts and there's little you can do about it.

When you go upstairs, you see Meztli wide awake and on her feet. So are Mosper and Tahenohan, although the first looks like he's been through a lot and the second seems to not realize she's left the party a long time ago, still sort of dancing about and laughing off, even though she did get her usual clothes back on instead of fancy stuff.

“Come on, come on! There's a whole day of walking and tiresome tasks waiting for us! Everyone's ready to go, don't hold us up!”, Tahenohan goes with her ever-manic smile and an excited tone, though she clearly sounds like she's taunting the old man.

“Oh for all the fluffy tails in the world... I'm too old for this shit”, he looks a little hungover, and Meztli is just staring at him, arms crossed, tapping her large, three-toed foot. Even all dressed up and armed she still eschews chest clothing, but not jewelry and decorations. You can't help but feel a little bit of envy, you'd be a lot less sweaty if you stripped, too.

“Counting up to ten, then I'm going to carry you”, the lizard woman states. Her voice has a low tone and sounds a little odd to your ears, but the volume isn't as low, meaning she might not be as shy as she appears.

“I'm coming, I'm coming”, he rubs his eyes once more, “Just make the elf stop spinning for a moment”.

“Half-elf”, she notes merrily while spinning round round right 'round.

You were not prepared for this.

>Try and make the half-elf stop spinning for a moment.
>”We're all waiting for you, come down”.
>”Where have you been?”.
>”Had fun yesterday?”.
>”Tahenohan, did you behave?”.
>”Tahenohan, did he behave?”.
>”Please tell me you at least won some money”.
>”Meztli, just carry him already”.
>Other?

>>42706900
>”Had fun yesterday?”.
>”Meztli, just carry him already”.
>”Tahenohan, did you behave?”.

>>42706900
>”We're all waiting for you, come down”.
>”Had fun yesterday?”.
>”Tahenohan, did he behave?”.
We already know the answer to if she behaved.

>>42706900
>Try and make the half-elf stop spinning for a moment.
>”Had fun yesterday?”.
>”Please tell me you at least won some money”.


>Oh for all the fluffy tails in the world
Heh

>>42706900
>”Meztli, just carry him already”.
> Carry the elfbutt down yourself.
>”Please tell me you at least won some money”.

>>42706900
>Try and make the half-elf stop spinning for a moment.
>”Had fun yesterday?”.
>”Please tell me you at least won some money”.

Hope we get the duke stuff over with early in the day so we can move a ways out of the city today. The wilderness is gonna be a much comfier place to sleep than anywhere near this place.

“Did you have fun yesterday?”, you ask with a probably not too sincere smile and a strange tone while you try and stop the half-elf from spinning, as she's giving you a headache too with those sick half-elven dancing moves, but even just approaching her requires more thought and strategy than you first thought.

“I can definitely without a doubt say that we had fun, yes”, your dad confirms.

“We had lots and lots of fun!”, Tahenohan agrees, “Everyone was dressed up in such a way I wanted to touch everyone's butt”.

“You and me too”, he nods sagely. Meztli looks completely unimpressed.

“Please tell me you at least won something”, you won't even ask if they behaved because you can already guess they didn't. You just hope whatever problem they caused won't reach them before you leave town.

“We... Won and lost”, your dad tries to be diplomatic.

“We spent lots of money on booze because the fool thought he could drink me under the table! Hahahaha!”.

“Hey, you started it!”.

You look at Meztli, she looks at you, and then you go “Grab him”, and she just grabs him and hefts him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Oh hey! Hey Mez come on! Don't be this rough- Hey careful there! I almost hit my head!”, he complains as he is carried downstairs, “This is embarrassing, you can't let everyone meet my butt before me!”.

While she does that, you grab Tahenohan and lift them yourself. She is, as always, surprisingly light, so you can feel as strong as that lizard woman probably is, except your victim goes “Wheeeeee!” instead of complaining.

Not quite the same thing, but she does feel amazingly light, it's a surprise every time. It feels so wrong and yet you can't really complain, especially because you wouldn't have been able to carry anyone else with the back pains you're suffering.

>To the Duke's palace, stat!
>Do some introductions, first.
>Do mention that Mosper is your father.
>Other?

>>42707261
>Do some introductions, first.
We can drop the Mosper thing later.

>>42707261
>you can't let everyone meet my butt before me!”.
I bet it's firm and nice.
>To the Duke's palace, stat!
>Do some introductions, first.
>Do mention that Mosper is your father.

>>42707261
>To the Duke's palace, stat!
Tahe a cute.

>>42707261
>Do some introductions, first.
>Do mention that Mosper is your father.

>>42707261
Are elves particularly adept at dancing?

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>>42707437
You have no idea, but Tahenohan seems to know her stuff.

>>42707456
She's quite fearsome with such a diverse repertoire of skills.

Before you leave for the Duke's palace, you need to get a few introductions going. Zillis and Bryld seem to have become quite acquainted with each other already, but to everyone else the rest of your newer friends are all complete strangers, and that's something you have to correct.

“Before we move on and leave for New Royo, there's some introductions I need to do”, you explain to get everyone's attention after you've put Tahenohan down and convinced Meztli to do the same with Mosper, “You already know Tahenohan. This one is Bryld, she's my cartographer, a very skilled one indeed, and helped me out in the exploration of this continent”.

“Oh, I... I did nothing special, really...”, she fidgets shyly.

“These two are Mosper and Meztli, they're the ones that helped me out when I came back to Reboldeux”.

“Oh it was nothing”, Mosper smiles, trying to look like he has some dignity other than to be carried around. He deals with hangovers quite well, or maybe they didn't drink that much after all. Or maybe they both have an appallingly high alcohol tolerance, you know Tahenohan has a quite high one.

“AND”, you point out, patting Mosper's back, “Turns out he's my dad!”.

That instantly crashes the surrounding area in a bubble of silence where nothing but awkward, strange looks of disbelief can be exchanged all across the quiet air.

“WHAAAAAAAAAT?”, Tahenohan breaks the silence, looking amazingly shocked, “You look nothing like each other!”.

“... My mom was a demon”, you explain, and that seems to immediately calm her down.

“Oh, that makes sense”, she quietly admits, instantly turning back to normal.

“W-what?”, Zillis asks, clearly as shocked as the rest of your friends, but not as much as your dad, who is completely frozen, “That... How do you even know?”.

>”Magic”.
>”Through a blood rite”.
>”Through a blood rite I performed”.
>”Daughter's intuition”.
>”Tahenohan told me”.
>Other?

>>42707700
Oh tahe.
>”Tahenohan told me”
>To the Duke before they can ask more questions!
Maximum confusion.

>>42707700
>”Through a blood rite I performed”.

>>42707700
>”Magic”.
It's true!

>>42707700
>>42707747
Supporting!

>>42707700
>”Through a blood rite I performed”.

“Tahenohan told me”.

“W-what?”, your father finally vocalizes his disbelief and absolute shock, and the moment he does, you turn around and point to where your real destination is.

“TO THE DUKE'S PALACE!”, you command, loudly enough to stop the questions that are doubtlessly about to come flocking at you for quite a while.

“TO THE DUKE'S PALACE!”, Tahenohan follows suit, copying your leadership and commanding shout. Meztli, who was left completely unimpressed throughout the whole exchange, wastes no time in following you as well, forcing everyone else to queue up or be left behind. Your only regret, other than you're going to get questioned to hell and back once you're on the road and/or have to stop for whatever reason, is that you can't quite turn around to see the looks your father is getting right now.

Fortunately your imagination can fill them in quite effectively. Eheheh, look at his face.

The central plaza, being the most familiar and iconic place in all of Reboldeux, is very easy to find and once you get there you have to stop the rest of your gang, since it would be rather improper and uncouth to lead a large group inside for what amounts to a simple job. You ask everyone but Bryld and Tahenohan to wait outside as you go in to collect your rightful due, also because you have zero money on yourself and would like to change this situation, if possible.

You feel somewhat disoriented once inside; the place seems, if possible, emptier than the last time you've been there, with less clerks being visibly available. Fortunately you still remember where you need to go, and you take a sharp turn to knock at a wonderfully crafted wooden double door, which will lead you into a smaller office. The place feels refreshingly clean and there's less stench of human sweat here, except for yours.

You hope it's not going to take long...

>Continue

>>42708045
A successful prank!

You are welcomed by the same clerk that you met last time, but there's considerably less papers around, and no ladies to help him out. It seems like plenty of things are being moved from this office that was once a mere waiting room, as if it's going back to its original purpose.

Fortunately, you're the sort of person that gets stuck in people's memories, and he instantly recognizes you, “Oh, I remember you. You were given an exploration charter, if I remember correctly...”.

“Yes”, you're actually quite glad he remembered, you're still feeling a bit sleepy, your back still hurts and the combination of all those elements make you a little dizzy and incapable of remembering basic things like what to call the job you were given, “We have returned, and have brought maps”.

“Ah, yes, that's very good”, he didn't look like he was expecting you to be back, or at least not right in that moment. He messes around with drawers and cupboards for a little before turning back to you, not seeming to have found what he was looking for, “Do you have them here?”.

Bryld pulls the papers out from her backpack, gulping and looking tremendously nervous, “I... I'm still just a beginner...”, she pre-emptively justifies herself as she hands them over.

“Oh, don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine”, and he rolls them open to take a good look at them. It is a few, tense moments as he parses the information before he gives a satisfied nod, “I'm actually impressed, this is a good work”, but you can't help but notice a somewhat sorry note in his tone, “You were also acting as a censor, am I correct?”.

“Yes”, you remember, “I have my notes about the population of New Royo somewhere...”.

“New Royo?”, he frowns, “Wasn't it Palmville? Or did another village pop up already?”.

>”It's New Royo”.
>”It's Palmville”.
>”They're still arguing”.
>”Anything wrong with the map?”.
>”Is something the matter?”.
>Other?

>>42708240
>”It's New Royo”.

>>42708240
>”They're still arguing”.
>”Anything wrong with the map?”.
It's just a prototype, fill in correct name later for finalization.

>>42708240
>”It's New Royo”.
>Though some people like to argue.
>”Is something the matter?”.

>>42708240
>”It's New Royo”.
>”Is something the matter?”.

>>42708240
>”It's New Royo”.

“It's New Royo. That's how the mayor calls it”, you explain, “Palmville came from the captain of the volunteers, but I don't think it's being used officially”. You hand over the data you collected as a censor as well. “... Is anything the matter?”, you then ask, voicing a concern that you're pretty sure Bryld is feeling as well.

“Eh? Ah, no, not really”, he lies as he rolls the maps up, “It's just that since the Shadow Marches have been reinstated and a new Marquise has been nominated, the exploration charters and population census are no longer under Reboldeux's jurisdiction”.

“Does that mean... Nobody will ever use that map?”, Bryld wonders with a hint of sadness in her tone.

“No, not at all, just... Well, it probably won't be on display”, he explains, though he doesn't seem to be capable of convincing her, whose bunny ears droop visibly.

“So we now have to go visit the marquise to get a new charter?”, you wonder, hoping the bureaucracy won't be crushing, or too complicated.

“Yes”, he nods, “But before that, ah, give me a moment”, he resumes browsing through drawers and cupboards for a while more until he finds a small wooden box, varnished with green and gold, and opens it to reveal a collection of silver coins. He pulls five out of it and lays them on the table.

“Unfortunately”, he begins as he realizes you might not be liking what you're seeing, “Reboldeux is in a dire situation due to the prowling undead and pirate attacks, and the Duke is directing all its efforts in protecting the population. This considered, I am not authorized to give you more than this pay”.

It's half what you were given as advance pay. Things have truly changed in but a month, you feel like you've done a very smart thing when you asked for that.

>”Is this all? Really?”.
>”Where do I find the Marquise?”.
>”Does the Duke not care at all about the Shadow Marches?”.
>”Thank you, have a nice day”.
>Other?

>>42708568
>"Give the map back, we will deliver it to the marquise."
Woah, what the hell. Only 5 coins? Seriously?

>>42708568
>”Where do I find the Marquise?”.

>>42708568
>”Is this all? Really?”.
>"Give the map back, we will deliver it to the marquise."
Seems like a fair idea.

>>42708568
>”Does the Duke not care at all about the Shadow Marches?”.
>”Where do I find the Marquise?”.

You just can't get over how absurdly little money you're getting out of this. Bryld seems to be sad because nobody will likely ever see her map as it's going to be stuck somewhere in a case and forgotten about, like the rest of this office which is clearly being closed and the room being repurposed for something else. Tahenohan is just looking at the paintings and seems to be snickering at a scene of battle for some reason.

“Is this all?”, you wonder, as if there's been some kind of mistake, “Really? I'd rather have the map back and give it to the marquise”.

“I am terribly sorry, but I can't do that”, he seems to be genuinely aware of how this whole situation feels to you, “Your charter has been registered in the Duchy of Reboldeux, you cannot claim it somewhere else, it would be a fraud not to mention a breach of the contract and I really would not want you to be put in jail because of this”.

You're not well-versed in either politics or administrations, but you know enough to realize that the duchy and the marches are two different political entities, even though they both ultimately answer to the kingdom of Rune. Still, a contract is a contract and if you've signed one with a party you can't sell the results to the other without getting into trouble. And you didn't come this far to end up in jail over something this stupid.

“... Where would I go about finding the marquise? Hoping he will care more about the Shadow Marches, of course”.

“You should reach Maner”, the clerk heplfully explains as he puts the coin box back where it was, “It's past New Royo, where the main encampment of the Royal Army is currently stationed; the rest of the town grew around it and it became the focal point of the Reconquista, that's where you'll find the marquise”.

>”Can't you spare some more money? We battled the undead to get this map to you”.
>”Thank you, have a nice day”.
>”I want to file a complaint, this is outrageous”.
>Other?

>>42708913
>”Thank you, have a nice day”.
No point arguing.

>>42708913
>”I want to file a complaint, this is outrageous”.
This sucks!

>>42708913
>”Can't you spare some more money? We battled the undead to get this map to you”.
I'm honestly angry at this.

>>42708913
>”Thank you, have a nice day”.

You feel a surge of legitimate anger at the treatment you're getting. You've been out for a month in the wilderness, facing perils, dangers, monsters, undead and other stuff you can't quite remember off the top of your head and come back to receive five silver and to be pretty much told nobody will give a damn about what you just accomplished because it's no longer the duke's business and therefore he doesn't care any more?

A part of you wants to get to the duke himself and show him just how much business you mean and demand you get actually paid for your actual work, but then you have to consider that Reboldeux is kind of in dire straits. You've lived through it yourself, and even assuming he actually has enough money to give you your due and isn't lying, you can't just argue about the city not needing more attention than your comparatively petty problem.

The main purpose of your trip back here was to get your friends out of this place, and while you were hoping to get some payment and recognition, you might just have to admit that it's not worth the problem to argue: assuming he will bother receiving you it won't be today, and you don't want to force your friends to stay another night sleeping in the streets. Besides, you don't really need money in New Royo as they don't quite have much in the way of economy yet, and you can't afford to do something stupid with a noble because that will put you in jail faster than you can say “I was only pretending to be angry!”.

“Thank you, have a good day”, you instead say, fake smile and pulling Bryld away with you, with Tahenohan following suit. You clench your jaw shut to avoid saying anything inconvenient and just focus on getting out of there.

As you leave the palace, you find your friends all gathered outside as your father is trying to fast talk his way out of explaining your latest joke.

You definitely have better things to do than argue with nobles right now.

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And this is it for Episode 42, thank everyone for participating!

My, we'll soon get back to some proper adventure and exploration it seems... Wonder where you'll poke your nose next.

As always, check my twitter for news and my Ask.fm for questions as I won't stay around much since it's pretty damn late for me.

>>42709227
Thanks for running MP!

>>42709227
Thanks for running!

I kinda expected bad news from the Duke, but this is beyond bad.

>>42709227
Thanks for the thread! It was a lot of fun.

I don't really remember ask.fm exists any more since it requires registration to ask now but I can probably wait for next thread if I think of a question anyway.

>>42709273
Eh, 5 gold sucks but we did at least get 15 of the 20 promised. Right?

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>>42709300
5 silver, you'd be break dancing in happiness if you got paid in gold.

>Ask.fm now requires registration
So that's why I've been getting so few questions lately!

>>42709336
Oh yeah, silver. Still.

And it's required an account for like 5 months now I think. A lotta QMs have quit using it.

>>42709336
I think the real reason is that we have exhausted the topics so far, and have gotten used to the setting. That was a LOT of questions.

Don't worry, we will reach 1000 questions eventually.

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>>42709392
Oh shit, I didn't know.

I thought people just kind of lost interest. I had no idea. Know of any alternatives I can use? It's kind of useful to answer stuff since I have a zany setting and all.

>>42709419
I know, but more topics could pop up. Especially if you get to Maner.

>>42709430
Some QMs have set up tumblrs for it. I dunno any other alternatives.

>>42709430
Why would you leave? If someone wants to ask something, making a throwaway email and registering is easy as hell.

And there is already almost 900 questions there!