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>>594194
"That sucked."

"Yes, yes it did."

You stick a lime in your Corona's neck and take a sip. It takes like cheap lemonade, and that's if you're feeling generous.

"Didn't the fridge have anything better?" You ask Francis. The two of you didn't have anything better to do, so you decided to go on the hotel's roof and drink.

"Sorry, but this is all they have," Francis says. "Booze isn't exactly high on the commander's priorities at the moment."

Natanael's backstabbing resulted in the loss of half of South America's combat assets, so while Vucub-Caquix has been eliminated, someone needs to deal with its leftover birds, cultists and blood pits.

Fortunately, that someone is not you. That's one of the perks of going straight for a decapitating strike. You get to skip the grind.

You doubt that strategy will work elsewhere though.

"Straightening things out won't take too long with the Tower of Babel," Francis says. "How are you going to kill time?"

The fight against Natanael didn't bother you much; while it's rare for Relic-wielders to betray humanity, it's not unheard of, and you've dealt with it before. The rest of your squad, however, is not coping well.

Selene's taking it worse, perhaps because she buys into the whole hero thing more than most, but you can tell that Natsumi's pride has been stung, and Orianne is too quiet about what happened. They're all upset about it one way or another.

- Talk to Selene.
- Talk to Natsumi.
- Talk to Orianne.

>>594206
>- Talk to Orianne.

>>594206
>- Talk to Orianne.

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>>594206
"I'm going to see how Orianne is doing," you say. "I have a pretty good idea about how the others are coping, but her…"

"It's always the quiet ones you need to worry about," Francis says. "Well, I'll be here until we get our marching orders. Unless I decide to skip town and make a quick trip back to New York while the boss is distracted."

"So long as you don't get caught…"

Your current lodgings aren't too glamorous. They're not rundown by any means, but there's very little service staff left, and the absence of guests makes the whole thing oddly creepy.

On the plus side, you had your pick of the rooms, so you all picked something on the top floor. The walk to Orianne's room isn't very long.

You knock on the door and announce yourself.

"Come in, Eamon," Orianne says. She sounds a little tipsy.

You push the door open.

Orianne looks very tipsy. Her bathrobe is only just barely closed, her cheeks are a little red, and there's a neat row of Coronas on her nightstand.

"Please, have a seat and join me," she says. "I think I can borrow a few bottles from Natsumi if we run out."

"I can't turn down hospitality."

You mean that literally. Hospitality-related deaths are quite frequent in Irish mythology.

You sink into a chair and open another bottle of beer.

- "How are you feeling?"
- "We did great back there."
- "We should start thinking about our next assignment."

>>594441
>- "How are you feeling?"

>>594441
> - "How are you feeling?"

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>>594441
"How are you feeling?"

Orianne glances at her bottles. "I've been drinking alone," she says. "That's never a good sign, is it?"

"It's a usual scene for me," you say. "Then again, Irish."

"It's nice that you're proud of the stereotypes." Orianne sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "We killed someone, didn't we?"

"Yep."

"Was it your first time?"

"No," you answer. "Sometimes, people do some 'jobs' on decide, or they just break and give in. Relic-wielders are too important to be policed excessively, but every now and then, someone crosses the line and needs to be dealt with."

"What about us?" Orianne asks. "What happens if we give in?"

- "We'll be done long before we reach that point."
- "Don't give in. It'll keep things simple."
- "Then we die. One way or the other."

>>594657
>- "We'll be done long before we reach that point."

>>594657
>- "We'll be done long before we reach that point."
but if we're not
>- "Then we die. One way or the other."

>>594657
>- "Then we die. One way or the other."

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>>594657
You shake your head. "We'll be done long before we reach that point," you say. "More importantly, we're making gains. It's the people who lose the most or who are never satisfied with what they have who break first. Natanael wanted to profit, so he turned his back on humanity. So long as we focus on our mission and keep an eye on what's waiting for us beyond that, we'll be fine."

"You sound very optimistic," Orianne says. "Is that how you cope?"

"I'm a veteran," you say. "I learned how to recognize my victories and learn from my defeats so they don't bother me. I wouldn't really call it coping, but I guess it's not so different."

"Hmmm." Orianne falls back onto her bed, which gives you an amazing view of her chest rising and falling as she breathes. You can't help but wonder if that's intentional or not. "I suppose we'll be leaving to the next battlefront soon."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the Commander ships us off as soon as the new command structure is operational," you say. "With her power, she should be done in a day or two. I don't think we'll be getting a vacation next time."

"It was nice while it lasted," Orianne says. "I suppose we'll just have to wait. Although, I wouldn't mind having a pillow to hug tonight. I'm not sure if I want to be alone right now."

- "I guess I can keep you company."
- "You'll have to make do with a couch cushion, I think."

>>594911
>- "I guess I can keep you company."

>>594911
>- "You'll have to make do with a couch cushion, I think."
Gotta check out the whole crew

>>594911
>"I guess I can keep you company."

>>594911
>Let me check on the others first

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>>594911
"I guess I can keep you company for the night."

You kick off your shoes and lie down on your side on Orianne's bed. She wraps her arms around you and nuzzles her head against your chest.

"This is pretty nice," she mumbles.

It has been a while since you didn't have to sleep alone.

Not that that ended well.

You close your eyes and drift to sleep. Eventually, your dreams come into focus…

- You dream about your ex.
- You dream about your best friend.
- You dream about Orianne.
- You dream about your whole squad.

>>595102
>- You dream about your whole squad.
Let's not route lock just yet lads
Even if Orianne is best girl

>>595102
> You dream about your best friend

>>595102
>- You dream about your best friend.

>>595102
>- You dream about your best friend.
Full homo

>>595102
>You dream about your best friend.

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>>595102
You dream about the day of the fight.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We might as well. It's the most straightforward method."

You struggled valiantly, but in the end, you lost. Your Gleipnir simply wasn't as powerful as the Gae Dearg, and while you entangled him, it wasn't enough to slow him down. While your physical prowess wasn't weak, it couldn't be called impressive either. You lost.

It couldn't have happened any other way. You were going to shrug off your loss and move on, but then you saw her eyes.

She didn't care about the outcome of the fight. She never cared, one way or the other.

So what had you two fought for?

And why hadn't you told your friend it had been pointless?


You open your eyes and stare into Orianne's eyes.

"Good morning, Eamon," she says. "Are you crying?"

- "No, I'm not."
- "Just an annoying dream."
- "I don't want to talk about it."

>>595308
>- "I don't want to talk about it."

>>595308
>- "Just an annoying dream."

>>595308
- "Just an annoying dream."

>>595308
> no in not
Denial is the only option.

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>>595308
"Just an annoying dream," you say. "I'll get over it."

You roll out of bed and start looking for your shoes. Orianne pouts playfully and props her chin up with her arm.

"Some women like mysterious men, you know," she says. "Some women like men who are a little dangerous, too."

"That's because they don't know any better." You're over your bad boy phase. It was more embarrassing than anything anyway. Very embarrassing. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit," Orianne answers. "I've gotten over my powerful need to drink large amounts of alcohol, at least."

"A Corona is not alcohol. I checked."

You put your hand on the doorknob and suddenly remember that you're in a woman's room. It would be somewhat improper if you were seen coming out of your room.

- Sneak out.
- Give no fucks.

>>595521
>- Sneak out.

>>595521
>Sneak out.
Like a coward

>>595521
>- Sneak out.
I'd rather avoid trouble

>>594206
>Natanael's backstabbing resulted in the loss of half of South America's combat assets

literally how? dude was strong, but not kill 50 to a 100 relic users in a few hours strong. Less time if he waited until he knew we won.

this is getting kind of silly. were not being treated like we are ungodly strong anomalies, so we can't be that much stronger than other relic users. but things we steam roll seem to routinely kill npcs by the hundreds. you really need to work on making these things feel powerful.

>>595521
>- Sneak out.


>>595552
Mass mindrape from surprise. Remember he nearly mindfucked us with his relic? Turn them against each other or slowly take control of a lot of them.....

>>595552

Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror, is kind of a badass god as far as powers go.

>One of the four sons of Ometeotl, he is associated with a wide range of concepts, including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, war and strife.

Enmity, discord and strife are the key words here. Combat formations fell apart after they got mindfucked, so they got swarmed.

>>595629

unless he's been preparing this for a long time it would only take a few dudes rolling well to resist to put him in serious danger. in a direct fight he was only a bit stronger than us.

I can see him doing a lot of damage, but not without taking at least a few hits.

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>>595521
"What?" Orianne asks. "Are you waiting so you can watch me get changed?"

"No, I'm just waiting so I can sneak out."

"Oh, you're no fun."

A strand of Gleipnir slips through the crack under the door and searches through the hallway. As you suspected, Natsumi and Selene are passing through. You wait for them to leave, and ignore the sound of rustling clothes coming from behind you.

"I'll see you in a bit, Orianne."

You exit the room and take the elevator down to the restaurant on the first floor. There are more staff, but not many. The Commander said she was going to use it as an improvised meeting room for your team. Her temporary command center is in one of the conference rooms a floor above.

Natsumi and Selene are both sitting at a table and sipping coffee. They don't look downcast, but they're not cheerful either.

- "Good morning, you two."
- "How are you holding up?"
- "Ready for our next mission?"

>>595754
>- "How are you holding up?"

>>595754
>- "How are you holding up?"

>>595754
>- "How are you holding up?"

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>>595754
"How are you two holding up?"

Natsumi puts up a brave front and smiles, but you can tell it's not entirely genuine. "I am feeling all right," she says. "I was confused for some time, but this is also part of our duties. I cannot run away from it."

She's dealing with it as best she - and most people, for that matter - can.

You look at Selene, who hangs her head and stares at her coffee. She's not coping as well.

"Why would someone do this?" Selene asks softly. "We're supposed to be heroes entrusted with the powers of the gods. How could anyone turn against humanity like this?"

"Why does someone snap?" You ask the question Selene can't formulate herself. "People have been asking that question for years."

Selene turns her head to look up at you. "Do you know?"

- "Greed."
- "Selfishness."
- "Desperation."
- "Ignorance."
- "I don't."

>>595915
>- "Selfishness."

>>595915
>"I don't."
"It's different for every person, and everyone faces it eventually. You just have to hope you have people you trust to pull you through when it happens."

>>595915
> selfishness
Looks like Selene is in need of a little worshipping.

>>595915
>- "Greed."
>- "Selfishness."
>- "Desperation."
> - "Ignorance."

>It depends on the person, no too people are the same and everyone ahs their limits. Isolation, ego, avarice and more all can turn a heart dark.

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>>595915
"Selfishness," you answer. "Natanael didn't care about the rest of humanity. He just wanted to manoeuvre himself into a favourable position. We can't say he's the only one either. There are many heroes in mythology who only sought for their own glory."

"That is true," Selene says. "I guess I just never really thought about it that way. Or at all."

"It's normal," you assure her. "After all, you've only been doing this a few weeks."

You pour yourself a cup of coffee and sit down. Orianne arrives next, then Francis, who's obviously hung over.

Last, but not least, is Commander Sarah Blumstein. Her hair is askew and her eyes look like she hasn't slept in days, but her posture remains alert.

"Since you're all here, let's get on with it," she says. "You did well. South America is still fucked, but I hope to have the situation in hand by the end of the day. Someone will take over for Natanael, and you'll move on to the next area of operation."

"Have you decided where we should go next?" Orianne asks.

"I'm leaving the choice up to you," the Commander answers. "It's the least and best I can do, considering the circumstances."

Baelor, Lucifer, Arachne, Shezmu, and Andhaka still remain.

Baelor is located in your homeland of Ireland. The war there is difficult, but both sides are deadlocked. Killing him would free up resources that could be used for the rest of Europe, but it's not urgent.

Lucifer is somewhere around the Vatican. He doesn't have an army in the traditional sense, but he does have a widespread cult. You'd have to investigate.

Arachne dwells in a cave somewhere in Greece. She's not hard to find, but to make up for it, she has spiders. A lot of spiders.

Shezmu runs his blood cult in Egypt and the rest of northern Africa. He feeds on regular human sacrifices, so there is some urgency there.

Andhaka is the major power in India. His "subjects" are terrified of him, but some of them are loyal and he does have monstrous armies as well.

- "Baelor's next."
- "Let's deal with Lucifer."
- "Arachne shouldn't be too difficult."
- "Shezmu has to be killed quickly."
- "Andhaka. He endangers too many people."

>>596124
>- "Shezmu has to be killed quickly."

>>596124
>- "Shezmu has to be killed quickly."

>>596124
> Lucifer
Maybe give the team a break with some investigation instead of having then fight more human cultists immediately after being so shaken by fighting a human for the first time.

>>596124
>- "Shezmu has to be killed quickly."

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>>596124
"Shezmu has to be killed quickly."

"It won't be pleasant," the Commander says. "His blood vats aren't any less disgusting than those of Vucub-Caquix and without the support of the Smoking Mirror's divination, you won't be able to launch a decapitating strike. You'll have to fight through and find Shezmu yourself."

It's going to be a bloody mess in every way you can imagine, but even so, it has to be done. It's not like waiting will make it any more pleasant either.

"We're heroes," Selene says. "We're heroes, and Shezmu is killing people. We have to stop him no matter what."

"I must admit, I'm starting to enjoy these difficult fights," Orianne says. "As challenging as they are, they're also satisfying when we finally win."

"I believe we must save Shezmu's victims as soon as possible," Natsumi says. "That demon's rampage must be brought to an end."

"I'm just the taxi driver," Francis says. "Whatever you do doesn't matter to me."

"Thank you for your enthusiasm, Francis." You glare at your only male colleague. "Our decision is made, Commander."

The Commander accepts your decision with a nod. "You'll leave as soon as I'm done here," she says. "I'll have the intelligence reports prepared ahead of time. You've sharpened your skills since we formed this team, but don't overestimate yourself. The opponent is till much stronger than you."

"Yes, ma'am."

Your next course of action is decided.

>>596307
And that's it for today! The next thread of Relic Quest will take place on Sunday September 25th, as usual. I will also be running Beleaguered Prince Quest this Friday as usual. You can check my twitter @BeleagueredQM for updates.

As always, goodnight and thanks for playing.

>>596331
Thanks for running.