Wow, you have been... Really out of it since you were. Out. You were pretty sure you were dead or something, despite the last things you'd heard before blacking out, but apparently you were just so lacking in resistance that you had absolutely zero sway against your mind control.

Also, you're in pieces. This is a bit more pressing to you.

"Urgh... Give those back so I can regenerate already." You wave your right armless stub at Ellen, who still has your limbs on a skewer on her sword, and they too squirm in response. "This is really unpleasant."

"Wait... How do we know he's not still under someone's control? There've been cases of multiple layers of mind control, you know!"

Zoe, standing nearby, frowns, saying, "cut him some slack, Ellen... Besides, Wes and Irene know what they're doing."

She sighs, scraping your limbs off of her frankly terrifying sword and dropping them closeish to your body. Alright... Thankfully, brainwashed!you didn't waste TOO much essence, so a regeneration like this is only moderately essence-intensive.

Wes and Irene are quick to offer hands up once you're fully-formed, but you politely decline both by standing yourself.

>A. Ask if you did anything awful
>B. Ask what the hell Wes is doing out of Rakche
>C. Immediately describe the last thing you remember
>D. Ask what's happening right now
>E. Write-in response
>F. Be silent

>>45710299
>C. Immediately describe the last thing you remember
>A. Ask if you did anything awful

>>45710584
Wait, why are you wasting time with these pleasantries? You have very important information to report.

"There's this Advocate, Limin, and she and Zlatan are..."

"Co-conspirators, we're aware... I've yet to meet her myself, but you were controlled to knock me out when I mentioned as much to you," Irene says.

"Sorry about that, but my point is that it's way more than you think." Before you can be interrupted, you add, "she's Paula, under a lot of makeup, some hair dye, and a haircut. I don't know... How she managed to live a life as an Advocate, or why she's working with Zlatan, but...They use this restaurant, the backroom is... Soundproofed or something, and all red..."

"This... Is unexpected," Irene says, "but it also explains why I'm the last to meet her... Esmer and I used to speak with her quite a bit. There's a chance I might have recognized her immediately."

Meanwhile, you're nearsighted, glassesless and only sort of-kind of saw her once. Anyway, you say, "did I... hurt anyone or anything while I was out?"

Irene nods. "But... so we're told, they were all Dain and Groznyi. You were pretty prominent in the final battle there..."

"So Odo won that one?"

"Duchess Victoria's here for treaty stuff right now, actually," Wes explains.

>A. But why is HE here
>B. We don't have time to talk!
>C. That makes sense
>D. Write-in response
>E. Be silent

>>45710900
>A. But why is HE here

>>45711093
"But... Why are YOU here? That's something I've been meaning to ask since I got arrested for looking like you."

Wes sighs. "There's a... Bit of a story to this one. Basically, we figured that... maybe keeping me in one place that Paula knew the layout of, when she could teleport freely, was kind of a bad idea... Didn't TELL anyone that we figured that out, but with Ymira's cooperation, there's still two of me traveling around the world."

"And we're here to make him safe!" Zoe adds.

"Yeah, didn't ask, sort of figured," you say, earning an intimidating look from Ellen. "Still, though... Why here in particular?"

"I was... Visiting Noba for awhile in my travels, and Duchess Victoria invited us to come along on our return trip while she headed here."

"So that explains the soldier getup too, then."

"Yeah..." He rubs the back of his head, slouching a bit. "This is actually heavier than it looks... Worth it for the sake of disguise, though."

>A. Say something more (specify)
>B. Be silent
>C. Write-in response

>>45711254
>A. Say something more (So, any ideas on what our next move should be?)

>>45711417
You look around at everyone before asking, "so... What's our next move?"

One of the Malva soldiers suggests, "er... Maybe we should just get to the embassy first. We were told Captain Riga and the rest of Marrius' Group was staying there, right?"

Irene nods. "Wes, fix your helmet, please. Lloyd, act like nothing just happened."

"Easy, since I have no idea what's been happening in the past... Day, right? Day and a half?" The various guards shrug.

"Uh..." Ellen looks a bit embarrassed, "see, we... Might have a bit of trouble not sticking out."

"You made a first impression, didn't you?" Zoe asks, sounding exasperated but not accusatory.

"A... few guards saw me fight Lloyd. They didn't stop me after a cut-up torso spoke calmly, but I'm sure word has traveled to this Zlatan guy's desk that his cover's been blown."

"Right..." You shake your head. "And they already know about Wes because of the guard who got me arrested... We don't have long to act."

"I'd like to see them get close to anyone with me around!" Ellen boasts, gripping her sword and posing dramatically.

Zoe chuckles a bit at the undoubtedly-overblown sight, though you doubt she has even the slightest reason to legitimately question Ellen's competence. It was just... pretty funny.

"Zlatan would be at the Hall of Odo right now..." Wes says. "So unless we wanted to confront him in the middle of... However they handle treaties, we should be able to safely focus on this Limin woman."

>A. You agree
>B. You disagree
>C. Write-in response
>D. Say/do nothing

>>45711859
>A. You agree

File: FatesWitchPortrait.png (206 KB, 382x432)

206 KB PNG

>>45711901
"Right... And assuming Zlatan hasn't given her back Esmer's pendant, we probably won't be blindsided."

"But... Can we really safely assume that much?" Wes asks. "I mean, we were already acting under the assumption that Paula can warp in anywhere at any time when it comes to major cities..."

"And we still don't know for certain Zlatan isn't being mind-controlled," Irene adds. "So even if he had his own reasons for having the pendant to begin with, there's no reason to think Paula can't just have taken it back..."

"So," the random soldier pipes in again, her voice ringing through her helmet and coming out a bit metallic sounding, "like I was saying, we hurry to the embassy."

"Former embassy," Irene corrects her. "It hasn't been an embassy since the era of..."

"With all due respect, who cares? Let's go!"

And so you went, albeit with Irene a bit miffed at the interruption. Not that it matters.

As the lot of you get situated, Riga awaits Ellen and co. near the entrance to the ex-embassy.

"What took you so long getting here?" She demands of one of the soldiers, "we'd heard you were on your way like an hour ago!"

"Sorry, captain," the voice of Wes says through there, "we, er... Got a bit sidetracked."

"If you say so..." Riga says, not clear if she's any the wiser or not to his identity. She cracks you two a look. "I'll blame it on the outside help, then," she jokes.

"Just another in our line of failures, eh, Captain Riga?" Irene snarks back.

"You got it."

"Anyway, Captain, there is... Something important in need of discussion," Irene says.

"Right... Come on inside. It need to be a private thing?"

>A. Follow Irene and Riga
>B. Just head into the building without apparent goals
>C. Check out the Hall of Odo
>D. Stand around outside
>E. Seek someone out inside the ex-embassy (specify)
>F. Write-in response

>>45712436
>A. Follow Irene and Riga

File: Wyvern_lordGBAIcon.gif (2 KB, 80x69)

2 KB GIF

>>45712586
"It's... Something that probably should be kept between people we can trust," Irene says. "There's a lot of unfriendly ears in this city..."

"I know what you mean," Riga responds, "hell of a place Duchess Victoria sent us to save."

You follow them to a meeting room, where the door is shut and you and Riga have taken your seats, Irene having been about to before reconsidering. "Er... Just a moment," Irene says. "Ansi and I have been reviewing things a lot, and he's been investigating quite a bit on his own time, so let me go find him and-"

The door swings open loudly, Ansi glaring intensely at you. "I've figured it out, Irene! He's the weak fucking link!"

"Er, Ansi, we've..."

Ignoring Irene, Ansi bounds over and grabs you. "Hold still, Lloyd. If there's mind control on you I'll have it off in an instant, and if not, I'll kick your ass for doing this shit of your own volition."

"What's he going on about?" Riga asks.

"No, no... Lloyd, for your own sake, there'd better be a goddamn spell on you, or-"

"Ansi, he's already been addressed!" Irene shouts at a frightening tone before shutting the door and clearing her throat. "Yes, Paula mind-controlled him. If it wasn't already taken care of, him and I would probably killed you just now."

"Wait... You mean that."

"Yes... I fell victim as well," Irene finishes.

"Wait... You mean to say that Paula's been active in this very city, under our noses?" Riga bursts out.

"Precisely," Irene responds. "Have you met that Advocate, Limin?"

"No way, it's her?" Ansi and Riga say at the same time.

"A... clever disguise, I'm certain it is, though I've still yet to meet her in person."

"Grh..." Ansi balls up his fists. "We fuckin' had her, then. She slipped out between our fingertips!"

"Relax, hothead," Riga responds, "it's not over. Now, be calm, tell me everything you've all figured out."

>A. Skip ahead
>B. Nothing much you can contribute here. Go bother (specify)
>C. Write-in response

>>45712905
>A. Skip ahead
Wouldn't feel right to walk out right now.

File: FatesAdventurerPortrait.png (54 KB, 256x256)

54 KB PNG

>>45712954
While pitching in where you can, Irene and Ansi are much more on-the-ball about all this than you, due to having been aware during her mind control and not missing any time at all, respectively. Hell, even you're filled in on a lot of blanks by their story.

"Grh... So they've got at least three layers of conspiracy before you get to the truth," Riga says. "Pinning it on some guys pinning it on some guys pinning it on some guys... Makes my head spin."

"And we have no idea just how much or little their agendas interlock," Irene says.

"Well... They wanted to pin it on the Committee of Notary, right?" Riga says, feet kicked up on the table. "But I say if Zlatan and a mind-controller are complicit, there's no reason HE can't know who would succeed the Council of Odo if they died... Edit it, if he's not on the list." And she looks up at the ceiling. "And if Zlatan's at the treaty's signing, I dunno why he'd be allowed if he wasn't on the list of replacement councilpeople. He's not a notary or a magistrate, he's just a spy."

"So Zlatan's motives are simple greed or powerlust, no shit," Ansi says, "the real question is why the fuck Paula gave him the one way she has to avoid the whole continent honing in on her."

>A. Perhaps he's a mind-controlled puppet
>B. Perhaps she's being blackmailed/extorted
>C. Perhaps... (write-in theory)
>D. You've got no clue

>>45713261
>B. Perhaps she's being blackmailed/extorted

>>45713461
"Why all the complexity if he's just being mind-controlled, though?" You ask, "I mean... The power may be someplace we aren't even considering..."

"Shit, you're right..." Ansi slams the table. "Zlatan's the one with her on his finger, is that it?"

"It's a possibility," you say, "but if she's been here long enough to be a trusted Advocate, it wouldn't explain why she would have needed to sell the Wampyr staff when she did... Unless it was as a favor to Zlatan."

"So he looks the other way while she licks her wounds," Riga says, "and then he has a mind controller on his side."

"What's stopping her from just killing him, though?" Ansi asks. "Surprise him with a Bonewalker at night, make it disappear, case ends up going cold."

"That leads me into an alternative possibility with the same general payout. She might be supporting him now in exchange for his compliance whenever she kicks her master plan into action."

"And she trusts HIM to hold up his end of the bargain," Riga responds. "After working with him and by extension seeing him serve every damn side in this war."

>A. She has a few screws loose
>B. Who's to say she really does
>C. You don't know that
>D. This is all just speculation
>E. Write-in response

>>45713848
>B. Who's to say she really does

>>45714012
"Look, she's... Gotten pretty decent at thinking things through, swaying people with more than just passion alone," you say. "Who's to say she hasn't smartened up enough to plan on backstabbing the backstabber?"

"At this point, we're increasingly relying on conjecture over logic..." Irene shakes her head. "The point still stands, though, that we need to do something about Paula very quickly."

"The question still stands of where she would actually BE, though," Ansi says. "We can't just count on her to be an easy find."

"We could stand to inform the city's guards... And I'll certainly have all of my men on high alert to seize Limin on sight."

"We've got her backed into a corner," Ansi says. "Give us the slip once, twice, three times, it won't happen again!"

Right, so people are getting pretty pumped about this... What should you do?

>A. Seek out and stay close to Wes
>B. Talk to someone (specify)
>C. Join the hunt for Paula.
>D. Check out the Hall of Odo?
>E. Write-in action
>F. Do nothing

>>45714415
>B. Talk to someone (Leigh)
We should probably tell her we were mindfucked.

>>45714728
Right, right, probably tell your girlfriend that you've been literally out of your mind for the last few... However long it's been since that final battle of this particular war.

"Uh... You see Leigh around, Ansi?"

"Yeah, told her you were probably a brainwashed Paula-slave."

"You what?"

"Don't worry, I said I'd take care of it soon as I saw you next."

"You didn't do shit," Riga interjects.

"I would have, though!"

"So... I'm good next time I see her?"

Ansi nods before directing you to where she ought to be about now.

From there, the four of you part ways to go about your respective businesses, you in particular being stopped by a very concerned-looking Leigh in the hallway leading up to where you were told she was.

Sounding... Quite torn up, she asks, "are you... You?"

You nod. "I... wasn't mind-controlled for long, if that's what you were about to ask next. No clue what's happened since then, but it was only just before the invasion, right after the assassination... Zlatan and Paula, they..."

"R-right... Glad you knew what I meant when I said-wait, Paula? She's here?"

>A. Yes
>B. Explain the whole deal
>C. Just summarize things for Leigh
>D. Write-in response
>E. Be silent for some reason

>>45715029
>C. Just summarize things for Leigh

>>45715189
"Alright, so. There's an Advocate named Limin who's actually Paula and she's working with Zlatan. Zlatan is capitalizing on every bad thing to happen in Odo to rise in the wreckage, and we're not 100% solid on her motive for working with him in turn yet. Wes is here disguised as one of Noba's guards from Duchess Victoria's escort, and Ellen and Zoe are bodyguarding him."

"That's a lot to just be sitting on!"

"Yeah... Anyway, we've gotta be on high alert for Paula now. She's in the city and must know she's cornered, so..."

"Sort of like the Groznyi the other day, do or die time?"

You nod. "Thankfully, Riga should be leading most of the guards, local and Noban, to apprehend Paula. So unless she can sneak past all of that to get to this place..."

"Right, right... And what are the odds of that happening?" Leigh says.

>A. Imply that her saying that has guaranteed it to happen
>B. We need to be ready for the worst
>C. Yeah, she's probably right
>D. Write-in response
>E. Say nothing

>>45715395
>A. Imply that her saying that has guaranteed it to happen

>>45715471
"Don't jinx it, Leigh," you say in a rather serious tone. "It would be very difficult for us to deal with an assault from inside the building if she succeeded, and Ellen has apparently recently proven how easy it is to scare the shit out of trained Odo guards."

"So... Assume the worst, got it!" She draws her sword. "Let's stick close and make sure nothing hurts us!"

"It's a pretty widely-spread former embassy, Leigh. I'm not too familiar with the layout, but it's certainly imposing next to the Hall of Odo..."

"Right, so... We should probably go find wherever Ellen and Zoe are guarding Wes?"

"Probably... Now, do we have any way of knowing where that would be, exactly?"

"None whatsoever!" Leigh responds.

"Right... Let's just get to looking, then..."

You're not sure how long you're searching the building, only really bumping into fellow members of Marrius' Group until you're... Abouts somewhere on the second floor, by a balcony overlooking a courtyard.

"Nice garden..." Leigh notes idly, "but it doesn't have Wes in it..."

"Right... See anything else?" You ask, turning around idly and blinking with your nearsighted eyes.

"No, no, nothing..."

You think you... Make out a humanoid form approaching you and Leigh as her back is turned. Their head is very white, they're... Wearing brown and carrying a... Is that a bow? You can't really tell from even a few feet away...

>A. Attack them! (specify if with magic)
>B. Inform Leigh
>C. Step between them and Leigh
>D. Write-in response

>>45715711
>B. Inform Leigh

File: BonewalkerGBAIcon.gif (1 KB, 76x68)

1 KB GIF

>>45715896
"Uh, behind you, functioning eyes."

"Huh?" She turns and, without missing a beat, dodges an arrow and slashes through the assailant. Before they fade, a skull clacking down near you (and, well, the fading) tells you that this is a bonewalker.

Back in the main building, Leigh looks around to either side. "Uh, don't think you need GOOD eyesight to see this..."

Oh, lovely. The place is literally crawling with Bonewalkers. You think there's... Dozens or so on either side of you, and that's just what you can see in this one hallway.

"Told you not to jinx it," you say. "Either way, if they're just bonewalkers, they won't be hard to kill..."

"It's the fact that this many could appear so suddenly, though, that kinda worries me!" Leigh quips back.

For awhile, you and her fend off the threats physically (you're able to kill them with your drain attack, it seems, but not actually... Drain anything from them in the process), but more continue to pile in from you're not even sure where.

"Gh..." Leigh slashes through one. "We can't just hold them off forever at this rate," she says, "what do we do?"

>A. Follow them to their source
>B. Gather as many of us as possible
>C. Keep seeking out Wes
>D. Write-in
>E. Keep holding out here

>>45716086
>C. Keep seeking out Wes

>>45716216
"We keep looking for Wes' group!" You announce. "Don't tire out now, Leigh, the end is in sight!"

Leigh nods in agreement, and slashes her way through bonewalker after bonewalker. You absorb a decent few blows in the process of keeping the more mortal of the two of you alive, but they're all small prices to pay from damned bonewalkers. You won't be having a death of a thousand cuts from this, and you manage to actually cut a passable path up to the third floor of the former embassy.

There, you see the aftermath of what seems to be the middle of a fight.

"Alright, Leigh, I see actual humans. What's happening?"

"It's, uh... Zoe and Wes, it looks like. Bit up ahead is Ellen, trying to use that sword of hers to clear a path to... A short-haired woman in green? Context clues are telling me it's 'Limin.'"

"She's advanced this fast?!" You grit your teeth. "Always one step ahead..."

As Leigh says it, the bonewalkers are keeping Ellen from getting a clear ranged shot at this short-haired woman, and their thinning numbers are entirely because... Well, you can SEE the sea of bonewalkers from this far. As Ellen makes progress, Leigh claims to see "Limin" raising a familiarly sickly green staff...

>A. Hurry closer to stop whatever's happening
>B. Warn the shit out of Ellen... From afar
>C. Berserk somebody? (specify)
>D. Write-in response

>>45716538
Renewed.

>>45716538
>C. Berserk somebody (Paula)
If it works, she can't use nondamaging items (i.e. the Wampyr staff) and will probably just magically beat on her own sea of bonewalkers. If it doesn't, she'll probably direct her ire towards us since she'll likely make the connection that we cost her her hand. Also, she might not be expecting an attack from us, as it's unlikely she knows we shed the mindrape, so that might contribute a surprise bonus against her magical resistance. As long as we don't have to try (and fail) to fight Wamypr Ellen.

Hurrying is unlikely to work and I feel like shouting a warning would either not be heard over the din of battle or do that thing where it distracts the person being warned from focusing on the battle just enough that the attack she was being warned about hits.

This is assuming we're close enough to use the staff and that magical staves not relying on line-of-sight means we have the same chances as otherwise in spite of being nearly blind.

>>45716865
Adding on to that that after we use berserk, we can and probably should yell a warning about the wampyr staff.

>>45716865
"Head's up, you three!" You draw your rarely-used item of choice and wave it, aware that Paula is nearby and aiming for her in turn. "That green thing's the Wampyr Staff!"

"Er... I think it's working, she set aside the Wampyr staff!" Leigh says, sounding a bit hopeful...

You hear a vague howling noise, and see droves of Bonewalkers tossed into the air before they simply stop spawning.

"I think it's the... Right, Esmer stole back Lupus' Wolf Seng Fist and gave it to Paula, didn't she?"

"Pretty sure it was called Fist of the Managarm, Leigh. Still, though, fuck if I remember where it was... Ellen can handle it, though, right?"

"Don't jinx it..." Leigh says, cringing a bit, as magic strike and slightly-weakened physical sword-beam strike meet, the one that isn't impacted by being forged into a sword winning out and knocking Ellen aside.

It really dawns on you then how fucking painful it must've been for Marrius and Leigh to be hit by that thing, even presuming that Lupus was a much weaker wizard than this necromancer you can blurrily make out.

Paula, berserked, continues to attack Ellen relentlessly after that very slight advantage (who, to her credit, has amazingly not had a hole blown through her midsection yet), even as Zoe, Leigh, and Wes finish off the various bonewalkers that didn't rush downstairs to be the rest of Marrius' Group's problem.

Zoe, naturally, is quick to hurry to Ellen's side, Wing Spear raised, Leigh not at all hesitant to join her in rushing Paula, Wes giving you a "what the hell do we do now" look.

>A. Everyone attack Paula!
>B. Check up on Ellen! You have a mend staff!
>C. Write-in response

>>45717188
>B. Check up on Ellen! You have a mend staff!
Yeah, if we get caught in one of those blasts we'll literally vaporize, better to play healer and make sure nobody dies.

File: Prayer_Sword_(Artwork).png (166 KB, 402x984)

166 KB PNG

>>45717222
"Just don't screw us all," you say to Wes as you hurry over to Ellen's side, preparing your Mend staff.

"Ow ow ow ow ow..." You complain to yourself as healing Ellen hurts yourself.

"You alright, Lloyd?" She asks.

"Yeah, just... Magic hurts Wampyr. I'm not gonna die over it."

As you and Ellen speak, you turn to one side and notice Leigh, lying on the ground and saved from what looks to have been a potentially instantaneous death by her Miracle Sword bringing her back to the brink.

You, for one, don't even bother to see how Zoe's doing when you see Leigh's condition, hurrying to heal her.

When you finally turn to look, you think you see Zoe twirling her lance before straight impaling Paula through the chest with her Wing Spear.

"Oh no... I, er, don't think we were supposed to do that..." Zoe says, quickly withdrawing her lance before realizing that that's probably just going to make the stabbing worse and promptly dropping the thing.

Falling to her knees, one of her gloves fading away to reveal no magically-forged hand beneath, she asks, "am... Am I dying..?"

Wes, having just gotten closeish to you and opened his tome to get in on the fight, looks over to you and asks, "wait, did we just win?"

Ellen finds her sword and leans on it a bit, still looking more than a little sore from that... frankly quite brutal attack. She's still glaring intently at the bleeding and fallen Paula as Zoe picks up her lance and backs away. "King Garrus didn't want this to happen... H-he wanted to see his last sibling again..."

>A. No sense fretting over it
>B. This can't be genuine
>C. Give Zoe your condolences
>D. Come up with a sick one-liner (specify)
>E. Write-in response
>F. Stand in thoughtful silence

>>45717436
>C. Give Zoe your condolences

>>45717517
"I'm, uh... Sorry you had to do that," you say as you help Leigh up. She uncorks a vulnerary and downs it, still clearly feeling a bit not quite fully healed... And then another.

Zoe sighs, wobbling a bit and looking at Ellen. Ellen responds to the look with, "Zoe... Garrus understood that this was a possibility."

"Yeah, but... Gods, how do you think Lady Yvette's gonna take the news?"

"Devastated, I'm sure..." Ellen says. "She said that she never wanted to outlive another of Empress Alexia's family after Salia, and now..."

"Er, hey, Wes," you ask in awkward whisper, "we'd have the same type of shitty eyes, right? You carry spare glasses?"

"Yes, actually!" Wes whispers back, "there's this great optometrist in Rakche..."

"Right, right, can I bum a pair? My usual eye doctor died months ago..."

"Sure, sure," he says, reaching into his robes and shutting his tome as he hands you a pair of glasses. They're more his style than yours, but trying them on shows that the lenses are pretty much exactly the same.

"Oh, hey, thanks," you say, "thank the gods I can finally see..."

Clutching a rather ornate staff, the bleeding and injured Paula lurches forward, waving it madly.

>To be continued next thread
Well, that was... Rushed, admittedly. Groznyi Civil War has taken way more time than I'd expected.

Thanks for playing, as always. Update twitter/ask.fm are qmgrandflocto, and I'll be around in-thread to chat for awhile.

>>45717694
Thanks for running.

>>45717714
Always a pleasure.