Days... You had spent every waking moment since you arrived in this underground study, a life of perpetual wisp light as your only companion as you poured over the texts. Asche had been kept busy navigating the 'public' section of the archives in search of something to help shed light on what had taken Ari, or at least how one could go about engaging in conflict with an entire forest.

Suffice to say, neither of you had made very much progress in that regard. It was only the occasional visit from Kara which served to even alert you to the fact that days were passing at all, as your demihuman Testament would often come in to check on you when she wasn't out supervising her newly acquired pack.

Every day you spent researching here was another day wasted in your efforts to get your most timid Testament back. Though it wasn't as if you knew nothing in comparison to when you started. Having spent so much time reading had given you insight into...

(Pick one)
>Aeons
>Fae
>East Heaven
>Demihumans

Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest (1-43)
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen%20Quest (44+)

Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM

Assorted Supplemental:
Current Abilities - http://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoires - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE

Misc notes:Memoirs still not complete.

>Demihumans

>>382575
>Fae

Welcome back, Riz

>>382575
Pick one, huh?
>Fae
then.

Nice to see you again, Riz!

>>382590
Demi!

>>382594
>>382596
Fae!

It's been so long I've forgotten what my voting window is, so I'm ballparking it at 15-20m. That sounds right, doesn't it?

Writing.

>>382606
15-20m sounds right, yes!

Fae were an anomaly to you, an existence that until recently you had considered to be more the product of stories and superstition than anything real. At some point in time, it seemed that your family had forged some manner of compact with them that allowed you residence along the border of their forest. If your brief conversation with your aunt when you arrived had been any indication, it seemed that the relationship between them and House Valen was at the very least favourable enough to call in the odd personal request here and there.

Luckily your founder had seemed to have a relatively better understanding of Fae. One that, as with most everything else you had read through thus far, had been garnered and recorded almost entirely from personal experience. The good news is that it had shed a little light onto the nature of the 'Lords of the Forest', breaking down the mystique that their mythical nature had granted them.

What you found was... Less than grand.

Naive sprites, whom stood outside of time and watched the world flicker past. They were disturbingly hive-like, with little notion of individuality between them - A word spoken to one was known to all, and each individual's word was one echoed by the rest. Far from the arcane and charismatic presence you had expected, it seemed like Fae were more than willing to interact with, and befriend, just about anyone who wandered into their territory. To befriend one of the Fae was something seemingly so simple, yet due to their skewed perspective of time, it may as well be an act that would stretch out for one's entire life.

However, that is where the good news ended. The friendship of Fae, according to your founder's word at least, was a one of unceasing loyalty and devotion. They never forgot their friends, and while it was difficult for them to travel beyond their realm, would occasionally throw themselves into frenzy in an attempt to follow them beyond the border.

But friendship between Fae was... Anything but healthy. In their zeal to be loved, the Lords of the Forest saw nothing wrong with purposefully setting in motion events to ruin one's life, machinating the self-same strife and despair that they would be there to support you through. It was good natured earnesty which so often led them to acts of unparalleled malice as they tried to think of ways to 'help' the people they cared for.

Honest loyalty and concern which permeated their every thought, surpassing common sense and becoming a poison that bled through their actions. In a word, the most prominent trait that could be attributed to Fae was 'Jealousy'.

...While unsettling, it did little to explain why they had inundated your house with alcohol, nor why they had taken Ari.

But perhaps this was the limit to what you would learn here. What you read shared little resemblance to the sheer rancour that you had felt when the forest had rushed you back then, and you were left wondering if what you had encountered had been a Fae at all.

"'Rue?"

Maybe it was time for a break.

>Track down Asche
>Find your aunt
>Check in on the demihuman pack
>Other? (write-in)

>>382717
>>Find your aunt

>>382722
I agree with Curios here.

>>382722
>>382776
Writing this, then.

We seem a bit dead tonight. Maybe sunday was a bad idea.

Setting aside the book in your hands, you murmur an acknowledgement to Kara and pry your stiff body from the chair that you had become all too familiar with since you arrived. The lazily burning ache of your stretching muscles served quite helpfully to rouse you back into into a more waking state as you took joined your demihuman Testament in wandering back up to the surface.

The main library was as quiet as ever, though you did make note of a small area that Asche had seemingly claimed as her own during her own research efforts. Other than the two of you, however, it seemed as if the Valen archives had been devoid of visitors since you had arrived. You let out a sigh, pausing briefly as your eyes wandered across the nestled away work station that Asche had left a small stack of books upon before - presumably - leaving to continue her search.

You considered trying to track her down and compare notes, but dismissed the idea after a moment's breath. Your mind was still too murky and tired to start sifting through yet another person's share of findings.

Even after everything you had found on the Fae, the nature of their compact with House Valen was still a mystery to you... Though, with the way that the founder had seemingly felt compelled to record the rest of their variety of experiences for future generations, you somehow doubted information of that particular topic had simply been forgotten through the ages.

Which meant either it was stored elsewhere - Which was a very real possibility - Or it was passed on in some other manner.

You split ways with Kara near the front of estate, watching your demihuman Testament wander out the front door to find the rest of her pack and resume working on... Something. She had been telling you about her attempts to get them moving again as you walked, but between your own distractions and the apparent lack of success on her part, you weren't paying attention to the details. Seems like withdrawal was starting to set in on the pack now that they had been separated from the Faedka for some time, leaving them tragically sober and in various states of unhappy.

Kara assured you that she had it under control though, so you'd leave it to her.. For now, anyway.

In the meantime, you still had questions. About the Fae, the compact, why you were STILL unknown to most of the world, and why your presence almost seemed to have been deliberately obscured this past decade or so.

And so it was that your feet, much like these questions, would eventually lead you back to the one woman who likely held the answers. You found her easily, having only needed to ask her direction from one of the servants within the house to learn that she had left for the stables in riding attire not long ago.

"Our reclusive heir braves the light of day?" You offer a tired and forced smile at your aunt's casual jab after you caught up to her, glancing up at the hanging moon. "I've been gone longer than I thought, if this is what passes for daylight."

"So you have." She agreed with faux concern, a tone that gave way with the shifting of her weight as she settled her attention upon you properly. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

You frowned, watching the moon in silence for a little longer. It was some ways into the night, and the cool air which had settled around you nipped sneakily against the nape of your neck, and the not-so-distant clopping of hooves sent an instinctual shudder down your spine as you retroactively realized why your aunt would be out this late in that kind of clothing.

>Ask about the compact
>Ask about the royal visitor from before
>Ask about something else? (what?)
>Talk about the Archive's puzzle.
>Other? (write-in)

>>382899
>>Ask about the royal visitor from before

>>382899
>>Ask about the royal visitor from before

File: nw1ve4NcT91tyak95o1_r1_500.gif (1.78 MB, 500x281)

1.78 MB GIF

>>382574
Pic very related

>>382899
>Ask about the compact
>Ask about the royal visitor from before

File: Spoiler Image (106 KB, 636x782)

106 KB JPG

>>382910
>>382930
Royal visitors!

Writing.

>>382942
Life is hard! I'm aiming to get back into a weekly schedule, though.

"Less than I'd hope." You reply vaguely, deciding against turning to your aunt for the answers to this particular problem just yet. You still needed to compare notes with Asche before you would consider taking the more direct, and potentially more costly, route. Especially considering that, for all the minor prods and barbs you traded, you still felt the looming existence of something larger playing out just out of sight...

...Frustratingly, it seemed that you were going to be a part of it regardless of whether you were aware of it, or not. "How did the meeting with the royal messenger go?" you cross your arms, both to ward off the chill and to clearly emphasize your stand-offish feelings on the matter. The result of the meeting was a polite inquiry, but it was just a pleasantry - You still remember being asked to leave, and the manner in which your aunt had insisted on it left a bitter taste in your mouth.

"As well as could be expected." She replied with pursed lips, traces of a subdued groan just barely discernible. "I trust you learned of the situation during your stay with my son?" You nodded, perking up marginally as your aunt seemed to have come to a not-entirely uncooperative conclusion. "The boy has my heart for politics." She continued with a fond sigh, "Unfortunately, it seems he's my head for it as well."

"...Caylen is good at politics?" After a moment's silence, you blurt out your disbelief, only to receive the strangest look from your aunt that you could recall having ever seen. Shortly there after, said expression broke into a large grin that she had little chance of hiding, even as she turned away.

"I'm sorry, sometimes I forget..." She didn't bother to hide the mirth in her voice as she shook her head, "No - No, my son would have you believe that standing up to do the Right Thing is all that matters. He lacks the experience in these matters to... Temper his good intentions." the lilt of her voice began to sink as she recovered from the unexpected font of amusement. "It's made him an easy target... One which I feel we can ill afford to have of late."

The grass rustled underfoot as you shift forward reflexively. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Clara shook her head dismissively, tone sobering quickly. "At least, nothing yet. It was convenient for us that he was willing to stay put as long as he had in order to look after you, up until your recent... Social debut, let us say." You felt a scowl tugging at the edge of your lips. "But times change, and now we don't have any such leash to keep him grounded".

...Leash. You had, on some level, realized Caylen had served as something of a guardian for you - A watchdog, so to speak - But...

"Yes." Your aunt interrupted your burgeoning realization with a faint, amused smile. "I don't need to explain the rest to you, do I?"

Even a watchdog had a chain. You had been so focused on how they had hidden you, that it never occurred to you that Caylen himself might have been manipulated as well. Now that you had broken that chain...

"Caylen left the area not long after we declared your Rite a success." Clara confirmed idly, "Being overruled left a bitter taste in his mouth, to be sure... Though it seemed that the two of you had already gotten into a squabble well before that." She considered you curiously for a fleeting moment, "Whatever the case, it seems he could leave no quicker after it was decided you no longer needed a guardian."

"...To where?"

"According to our esteemed visitor," Clara drawled unimpressed, "It would seem my son has taken a rather meandering path westward."

West... If you were on the easternmost border, then west could mean anything. How far west? To the other noble's houses? To the repossessed lands? To the royals themselves? Further?

"It isn't something you need concern yourself with." your aunt interrupted your furrowed thoughts, a firm hand pressing down upon your shoulder as she looked you in the eyes. "If it is a danger that one important child of House Valen wanders abroad in this day and age, then adding another to the mix would only make it worse."

...And so she chained you to Carona.

"...What was the messenger here for?" It was your initial question, but one that you had very nearly allowed yourself to be distracted from as your mind swam through the implications of what you were hearing.

"A friendly warning." Clara's grin looked hollow under the moonlight, "That my son's journey had already taken him close to the toes of the local land owners."

>Tell your aunt something about Caylen (What?)
>Talk about another organization (Who?)
>Discuss your affairs (Carona)
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
>Other? (write-in)

I'll leave this post here for the night, since it's getting dangerously close to monday morning.

We'll pick back up either tomorrow night, or tuesday!

>>383027
>A forgetting
>While I'm at work away from my archive dump
>AAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Good thing the thread pauses now!

>>383027
>Talk about another organization (Who?)
The La'Fiel royals.

>>383035
Please don't restart the thread until I get home Riz

>>383027
I just discovered and read through the archives for this quest, and man, what a trip. I'm still salty about shadowrue.

At least we have plenty of time for the forgetting.
>>383067
works with me

>>383027
>Am I forgetting something...?

Ok, so:
-Caylen is "champion, chosen by a mysterious Goddess who stands above all, destined to fight seven great evils and bring the crippled world to light", though he himself is doubtful of this
-Maran drags him along on some plan foretold in a prophecy
-They're working on a "tight shedule"
-In four months after Irue visited Caylen some "Artemis" should have returned from Ephlesia, which is somehow important. How much time has passed since then, by the way?
-Artemis is an international organization of Luna worshippers "dedicated to the gathering and documentation of realized information, as well as the further realization of yet undiscovered wisdom and its spread". Their HQ is in Ephlesia. To the West.
-La'Fiel royal family limited education, which should not sit well with Artemis
-Things are already diverging from the prophecy
-"I have some friends in an organization that would be particularly cross if something were to happen. Some things have already gone off the rails, so I'm trying to make sure the rest is running smoothly before they arrive." - told by Maran in Carona

My guess is that being freed from looking after Irue Caylen began to act on Maran's directions in earnest. He's going to Ephlesia, and his meandering path is meant to hide his true destination.
That being said, let's
>Talk about another organization (Artemis)

>>383555
Shadowrue was too good for this world (

>>383821
seconding.

>>383821
this

>>383821
Also that the Salamander priest is a spy, or sketchy in some sort of way.

Really we should probably make an overture towards our Aunt to start working with her instead of against each other. Unless she plans on burying the rest of her sister's family, we're now the head of the house and she's going to have to come to terms with that.

do I still have OP powers?

Writing up a post now.

>>383555
Welcome to the quest!

>>383821
Admittedly, I didn't think anyone would get this one.

looks like our vote is overwhelmingly to talk about Artemis!

West... There were plenty of things he could have gone west for. Indeed, if you thought about it then if your dear cousin Caylen wanted to do anything in La'Fiel then he would likely need to travel away from this eastern border to do it. On the surface it seemed common sense, but something stirred just below memory; Refusing to simply let you leave it be.

'I have some friends in an organization... I'm trying to make sure the rest is running smoothly before they arrive.'

You remember Maran's offhand comment back in Carona, one that had seemed innocuous at the time... Or perhaps you had simply forgotten why it was important back then. If all things held true thus far, you could certainly attribute your cousin's sudden departure to her continued urgings for him to play some part in her oft referenced plans... No, if anything than it was an understatement to simply say he was 'some' part.

'You're the Goddess' Champion, act the part!'

Long before you had arrived, it seemed your cousin had gotten wrapped up in some manner of prophet business... And scored a leading role, at that. If you had to place blame on anyone for that particular (mis)fortune, then you certainly need look no further than the damnable woman who kept to his side. If Caylen had gone anywhere, you were willing to lay down what little money you had that it was at the behest of that insufferable harpy.

...But even if you knew who had stirred him to leave, you still didn't know why-

'Another four months at least, long enough for Artemis to return from...'

"Ephlesia."

You breathe the realization absently as pieces of a puzzle begin to fit together in your mind, only distantly hearing your aunt's curious inquiry.

Artemis was an organization of Luna Adepts who had cherished the sanctity of knowledge so dearly they broke apart from the Shrine in its entirety, whose base of operations was the eponymous City of Scholars - The self same city-state which the La'Fielan royalty had deliberately closed its borders to! If Maran urged Caylen to move, then it would be to accommodate some facet of her goals... Goals which were tied to the arrival of Artemis in La'Fiel; An event which in and of itself would serve as a veritable powder keg should the Crown come to know of it.

An event which should have been taking place in-

"Has something occurred to you, Irue?"

A month at Caylen's.
Near a month dealing with Carona.
A month of... Drunken escape.

Your sense of time was hazy at best, given the circumstances of what you had been going through at the time, but if your estimations were correct... That left you a month before their arrival? Give or take a week?

...No.

No, it had been four months until Artemis arrived in Carona. If you cut out the final edge of the trip, then that would mean that they were already here. If Caylen was travelling westward, then-

"He's going to meet with Artemis."

You spat the realization as if dispelling a bitter venom from your tongue. For what it was worth, it seemed the statement served to alarm your aunt as fitfully as a viper of comparable vitriol. "Are you quite certain? The Ephlesian border..."

"Was closed by the crown." You agreed, scowl deepening under the moonlight. "And not long after, the crown began to restrict those who could be allowed education in La'Fiel, a policy which the Luna Adepts of Artemis-"

"Would have strongly objected to." Your aunt finished the implication gravely, jaw setting with such an intensity you could very nearly hear her teeth grit behind those tightly pressed lips. "Fool boy. How does he expect to get beyond the Crown's border guard?"

"He doesn't need to." You shake your head irritably, the realization of how far of a headstart he had gotten already beginning to dawn on you. "Artemis is already in La'Fiel, he's aiming to rendezvous with them inside the country".

"Where?" You felt, rather than heard, the steel unsheathe behind your aunt's tone; A moment which served to straighten your spine almost reflexively in the face of the commanding woman. Such questions as 'why', or 'for what purpose' were discarded at this juncture - Their conclusions accounted for, assumed, and equally measured unacceptable.

Unfortunately...

"I don't know."

That was something you didn't have the answer to.

"Then it is ill likely to head the boy off." She grit, turning away from you with a sharp whistle as she strode towards the dark. "Tell your uncle what we discussed, and that I have gone ahead." She called back, even as the once distant pounding of hooves stamping into the ground drew miserably closer.

It was a silence shattering cry that finally revealed the dread Nightmare which had haunted you since childhood; A beast of billowing smoke in the vaguest form of a horse, whose eyes shown like hot coals. In its wake spread a draft of choking fog, the tell-tale sign of its dire passing...

And without so much as pausing, your aunt had thrown herself into its hazy aura and found purchase upon the Nightmare she had tamed and so cheerfully named 'Ser Stomperson' during her own Rite so long ago, rearing it away with all the imagery of a black rider set upon their hunt.

You were left standing alone in the cool night air, body slowly reminding you that it needed to breath in order to live as the irritable beast of your childhood carried your aunt swiftly away. Your cousin was liable to be en route to do something tragically stupid, and you were left to... To do what. Tell your uncle? Watch your aunt ride off to handle it?

...Your lips raised in an aimless snarl, fists clenching at your sides even as you turned upon your heel to run back inside. Even if you could go after Caylen now, you still had Ari's rescue and the Fae to contend with.

>Find your uncle
>Delegate telling your uncle, meet with Asche.
>You have orders for Kara and her pack.
>Other? (write-in)

>>386396
>>You have orders for Kara and her pack.
>> Delegate telling your uncle, get Asche to do it.

Get Kara and them ready to roll on out, we have some Fae to face down.

>>386402
>Delegate telling your uncle, meet with Asche.

>>386402
>Delegate telling your uncle, meet with Asche.
>You have orders for Kara and her pack.
Can we have one of them check out whats going on in Carona?

>>386463
Well, not the Demihumans. That's asking for trouble.

Besides, pretty sure we have Rinnier on that.

>>386423
>>386463
Orders for Kara!

>>386449
>>386463
Meeting with Asche!

>>386423
Have Asche tell your uncle.

... I think I can handle packaging this. writing.

In the meantime, what kind of orders do you have for Kara and the pack?

>>386498
Can't really think of anything the pack can do right now. If possible, I'd like someone to go ahead to Carona and report back whats going on.

>>386498
Status report, see who's doing well with withdrawal and who isn't. Get a grip on whatever Kara is doing to deal with it.

Then get them started to pack up and get ready to move. Mostly I'm just wanting to check up on Ms. "Booze solves everything" new plan.

She is literally retarded you guys.

"Asche!" The doors to the archives slam open without a care as you stride into the tranquil repository, "Where-"

"Here."

Your raucous was cut unexpectedly short as the m/aid you were looking for appeared near immediately at your call. While this wasn't an unusual thing, you had somewhat expected her to be somewhere else in the library. "We're out of time, what have you found?"

Asche blinked briefly at the declaration, but nodded regardless and retrieved a sheaf of paper covered in the small, neat script you had come to associate with your long-time friend and assistant. You wasted no time scanning through its contents, taking note of the alphabetically arranged list of books and citations that various information had been pulled from in order to support-

Your hand sunk half an inch as you realized that you were reading an actual research paper that Asche had thrown together in the past few days. Sea-green eyes placidly met your own incredulous stare, as if to ask if something had been missed within its content.

'East Heaven Methods of restraining Adepts include purging them of Mana...'
'..Renders the subject muffled and unable to contact ambient, or internal, Mana...'
'...Symptoms include sensitivity to light, muddled senses, gaps in memory...'

You glance up at Asche, having skimmed most of the content and likely missed some of the finer points. "How does this help us?"

"Faedka." She replied flatly, and you were left blinking for several moments before tentative connections started to form. "...Are you telling me it's not even alcohol?" Asche nodded, leaving you flat footed as you tried to make sense of what you were being told. The Fae Forest was all that separated your particular corner of La'Fiel from East Heaven; Much like the rest of its rather imposing forestry, it served as a strong deterrent and powerful natural barrier for the nation... Had you been sabotaged by someone from East Heaven?

...No, that can't be. Interacting with the Fae couldn't have been so simple that East Heaven could just walk through there, and it did nothing to explain the Dryad or Ari's disappearance. More over, the guards had explicitly told you that what had brought the faedka was... More of those wooden golems. The same that had begged you return, even as they fell apart before you.

You shook your head. This was the kind of information that answered nothing and only gave you more questions. "Listen, I need you to find my uncle..." You relayed the information to your m/aid, alongside the order for her to meet back up with you in front of the estate after she was done. She nodded blandly, the same unspoken confirmation of her orders as always, and set off immediately as you made your own path to locate Kara and her erstwhile pack.

Locating the demihumans wasn't a difficult affair, receiving rather grateful directions from offput guards who were more than happy to foster off the watch of the motley crew of hungover - Or drugged - demihumans to their supposed owner. "Kara, get everyone rea...dy." You stopped to stare at the demihumans strewn across the yard and covered in dirt and clumps of grass. Kara herself looked no worse for the wear as she rocked back and forth on her heels, tail wagging casually as she deftly grabbed Raid by the scruff of his neck and sent him sailing head first into the dirt.

You winced as the younger demihuman hit the ground and skipped before finally managing to dig his clawed fingers into the ground and arrest his own momentum by digging divots in the wake of his flight.

Unfortunately, his minor success was short lived as a demihuman whose name you didn't know promptly crashed into him like a well-aimed spear, sending them both careening out of control in a flurry of limbs that only barely came to a rest in front of you.

"Ugh..." Raid mumbled something indiscernible as he was rolled off the other demihuman, though neither of them seemed intent on getting back up immediately.

"..." You look at them for a few more seconds before Kara's greeting rang out across the ruined portion of the yard. "A'ight, practice s'over!" She clapped her hands together, eliciting a... well, the groan wasn't quite synchronized, but you felt the sentiment there in spirit. "What'cha need, 'Rue?"

>We're going home.
>What was that?
>I want one of you to get me a report on Carona.
>Get ready to hunt down my stupid cousin.
>Other? (write-in)

>>386706
>>We're going home.
>>What was that?

We can have our Aunt and Uncle ask for our help if they need it. But we should probably bounce back to Carona, grab our friend who apparently got kidnapped by the Fae to grab our attention, and hook up with the temple.

>>386706
>>We're going home.

>>386706
>We're going home.
>I want one of you to get me a report on Carona.
Can you throw them that far?

>>386706
>What was that?
>We're going home.
>I want one of you to get me a report on Carona.
But no mugging and things like that! You have an honest job now.

>>386706
>>We're going home.
>>What was that?
having demihumans in Carona is what kick started the entirety of part 1's problems. Let's not send one there unsupervised.

>>386711
>>386712
>>386723
>>386725
We're going home.

>>386709
>>386723
>>386725
What was that?

>>386712
>>386723
Carona report!

Writing!

>>386749
Yay, I'm sure we won't have a morally ambiguous detective problem if we send a demihuman to Carona unsupervised, where we have to pick a citizen or a demihuman to believe.

And probably end up summoning a shade of regret and hurting everyone just because.

"...Am I interrupting something?" You let your gaze travel across the handful of groaning demihumans as they - sometimes literally - pulled themselves out of the ground and began to gather back up together. "Did they get into trouble?"

"Trouble?" Kara shook her head easily, "Nah, nothin' like that. S'teamwork exercises!"

"...Teamwork?"
"Yup!"

You had your doubts, but looking back, you did notice a few of them actually helping each other standing up... With varying amounts of success. One pair of them simply leaned against each other just to stand. "Raid n'I were talkin' right, an' he said that it'd be quicker t'beat family inta'them than try and convince 'em, an he was right!"

You watch the amiably grinning demihuman as she offered an earnest, toothy smile. "Course' I don't wanna really beat'em, cause I might kill 'em, but I was thinkin'-" The last time Kara was thinking, she came to the conclusion that booze would solve terminal depression. "-That Dullem guy y'got bossin' yer night-thingies around does a bunch of practice stuff like this, yeah? An' since we work for'ya.. Well, I mean they listen t'me, and y'ain't done me wrong, so-"

"So you tried to get them to be closer with each other through sparring?"
"Yeah! S'workin, too!"

The demihumans were slowly gathering some ways off, very nearly collapsing against each other. If you squinted, you suppose this probably was a far shot more altruistic concern than you'd seen them display before... Or they were just learning to work together out of self-interest in getting help themselves. The more you thought about where the line between those things really was, the less sure you were whether you should really raise an objection to this.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Since we got here." Her words were punctuated with a rhythmic 'paft'ing as her tail swashed back and forth carelessly, "S'good too, they were gettin' antsy on th'way here." They probably would have been going through withdrawals on the way here, now that you think about it... "No one's tried t'kill each other, or anyone else since, though!"

You stare at the proud announcement.

"We're one..." Her fingers curled down thoughtfully as she bit her lip, "Four days without someone tryin' t'die!"

You waited in the silence after that statement to hear someone ask to be killed, feeling as if it was only a matter of time. Seconds stretched on into a solid minute of awkwardly exchanging stares with your demihuman before you gave up on karma finding its mark.

"Well, get them ready to travel; We're going home."
"Kay!"

As Kara walked off to address the rest of her pack, you glanced down at her little brother - The younger demihuman having managed to play dead long enough to avoid being caught by his enthusiastic sibling as she returned. "So I take it things are going well with the pack?" He groaned wordlessly. "I'm surprised she talked you into actually sparring with her." You didn't think anyone who actually knew Kara would actually volunteer for that.

"Faedka." He muttered, wincing as he pulled himself off his back and sat up. "Sis made a deal: If they could take her down, she'd give them more of it."

"..." You crossed your arms, glancing out over the sorry state of demihumans as Kara roused them back up with seemingly endless enthusiasm. Enthusiasm which, you note, was not shared by her exhausted pack. "Raid, we didn't-"

"I know." He cut you off with a sigh, "And she knows they can't touch her." He glowered up at you, some a complicated series of emotions fleeting through his eyes while he was too tired to guard them. "Everyone knows it... But they're desperate. Rather than let them tear themselves apart, she got them focused on her instead."

"...And then she beats them into exhaustion each night." You mutter in understanding, catching Raid's nod absently as you looked back out to your Testament. "They're too tired to try anything by the time it ends." He grunted, trying to gather the energy to get fully off the ground.

>Offer him your hand
>Leave them to their devices
>Other? (write-in)

>>386833
>>Leave them to their devices

>>386833
>>Leave them to their devices

>>386833
>Pull him up

Teamwork!

>>386833
>Offer him your hand

>>386837
>>386839
Leaving!

>>386843
>>386844
Teamwork!

...rolling in 5 unless there's a tiebreaker?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

1. Leaving
2. Helping

Welp.

You spend a moment watching Raid struggle to stand, your attention drifting back out to Kara as she began to reach down and pull up those who couldn't stand on their own. They were exhausted, and more than a few of them were cradling themselves in ways that bespoke of injuries... But in their exhaustion, they took her hand without a second thought. It didn't matter to them who was pulling them up, or that the very person responsible for putting them in such a state was now helping them walk.

For a moment, your memories cast back to the three-way stand off between your strong hearted cousin, fiery Testament, and yourself. Back then, you had all struggled in your own way to find a path to help the people who had become your knights... And even though it was a time met with fierce disagreement, the conflict was never in regards to whether they should be helped - But how.

There was no denying that these demihumans were anything but broken. You had seen to that yourself, and Raid's words implied that what you saw before you was little more than a mask for the wounds left on their psyche; A distraction from problems where were still very prominent.

Did Kara understand that what she was doing wasn't addressing the underlying problem? Or did she take their actions at face value? Or... As you watched them go shoulder to shoulder, walking together in a way that looked as if it was swiftly becoming familiar to them, was this just like it had been back then? The sort of mental, and emotional, wounds they suffered weren't the type which could show any kind of immediate improvement. For some, you wondered if they would ever fully heal at all...

First the drink, and then this physical exhaustion. It was hardly what you would have done; Even now, you find yourself unwilling to actually approve of the manner she was handling it.

...But could you have done better? Would your methods have been any more effective?

If asked, if put into the position she was, what would you have done in her place?

The times you could have helped someone like that...

I don't... Want to experience this again.
Shade fucking forbid I live my own life, right?!
there's nothing for me to go back to!

You turned away from the demihumans, leaving Raid to wait for one of his pack to come help him to his feet. What had lain before your eyes was solidarity in the making, and even if you doubted the methods, you had little right to complain. For now, you could only wait; Wait and trust that your Testament's good intentions and persistent efforts would show results.

For their sake.

For her sake.

For your sake.

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http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen%20Quest (The new one, 44 Onward.)

And we are archived.

I'll lurk the thread for a bit to try and answer some questions if I can.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

Hopefully we'll have our next thread this coming saturday (as was our usual schedule), but if not then I'll give a heads up about it before then.

>>386885
Still planning to run Fox Fire?

>>386885
We haven't found out anything about the Valen's compact with the Fey, right?

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>>386891
Y-Yes.

It's liable to run most often when I'm stressed out, or trying to procrastinate doing something. I feel kind of aimless when I write FoxFire (which is deliberate, as the quest is meant to have a very 'wandering' feel) so I actually get tired and frustrated if I focus on it for too long. Luckily, unlike Valen, I doubt it will ever be the kind of quest where you need to re-read huge archives to remember why you enjoy it. Most of FoxFire is self-contained arcs that won't last more than 2-4 threads each.

>>386898
Information on it wasn't in the archives, thus Irue theorized the information was either stored elsewhere or passed down in some other manner. Your aunt likely knew, and you had the chance to ask her, but the voting swung a different way and now she rides valiantly into the night to savekick the living shit out of her son.

>>386882
Reminder that you faggots killed shadow rue.

Never forget.

And now you just threw away the chance to maybe help save Kara's younger brother.

But you faggots snubbed him.

I had to work, so no chance of me being able to tiebreak the vote.

That's okay, though. Riz can write a good tragedy.

>>386901
Thanks for running.
I have no idea why we didn't want to ask auntie about the Fey. they are the reason we came all the way out here.

>>387149
Auntie is not a person we want to be indebted to.

>>387306
Sure, but she's one of the few that might actually have information about our family pact with them. Now we're back to square one, still without useful information about them.