>>831701
You quickly dart towards Lorelei’s direction. She was probably fine, but you never enjoyed taking chances. You COULD, but you didn’t like it. Fortunately, you didn’t have to this time. Like a streak of lighting you burst over towards the creature in one strong leap, and as you get in front of it, you prime a baseball swing, connecting right in front of the creature’s snout as the gem shines brightly. There’s a CRUNCH sound, and before you can ascertain what happened, you’re neatly knocked aside by the creature’s flailing. It didn’t hurt any, even as you tumble a bit and right yourself, but it WAS surprising.

“Geez, Mi- Glory, you freakin’ creamed that thing!” Lorelei shouts as the creature starts flailing mindlessly. You’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing- the way it’s going on now, it’ll be dangerous or at the least difficult to get up close to it at all- and with its erratic movements, it’ll be hard for Isabelle to get a shot on it to keep breaking away at it's shell.

Not that Lorelei seems to think about any of that right now. She's just glaring at the thing. “Alright, you fat sandy turd, come here!!” She’s pissed, clearly, and as she charges for the beast in it’s pain throes, you’re not entirely certain she’s got the best plan in mind. She wasn’t stupid, but if she was blinded by anger, she might end up overlooking something important- and that light wound might not end up being so light after all.

Then again, whatever she does might work out- if it’s clever enough. It’s fast approaching nighttime- the sun's near all the way vanished from the horizon, so hopefully he should be wearing out sooner than later, right?


>Let her go for it. Whatever it is.
>Stop her. It’s too risky with the thing flailing randomly.
>Join in whatever she’s doing.
>Other

>>831706
>Let her go for it. Whatever it is.

>>831706
>Let her go for it. Whatever it is.
>Be ready to back her up or cover her if needed.

>>831741
this

>>831706

Standing By.

Also Writing!

>>831706
Gah. Well, no. You’ve trusted her so far, and so far she’s done a fine job. You can keep that going, you suppose. That said, you prime yourself to be ready to support her in whatever she’s about to throw at the thing. And right as she gets in its danger zone, she leaps sideways- and she’s left something behind. A bright purple, translucent body-double jumps the opposite way as the genuine article races around. The creature is still shaking off the pain, trying to calm itself, and so doesn’t notice it being surrounded.

Quickly skipping in and out of its flailing, Lorelei moves back in as quick as she can, rears back aiming for a crack in its shell, and PUNCHES.

There’s a crumbling sound, but nothing more. And the creature looks like it’s nearly dealt with its injury. But then another gunshot rings out, and this time you can see the impact right on its snout, where you hit it, and now there’s blood. Before it can react to that, you hear another crack as the mana clone gets through as well. You suddenly see it prepared to move- and without thinking you hurriedly clamp your hands over the thing’s massive snout lips, and from there you have to put all your strength and strain into keeping the damn thing’s mouth from opening again as Lorelei and clone-Lorelei wail on it, not to mention keeping it still.

“How long do ya think you can keep it steady!?” Lorelei hurriedly yells. Well, that depended on how much you’re willing to exhaust yourself, but you didn’t exactly have time for a detailed pro and con breakdown.

> “Not very long!”
> “Just keep it quick!”
> “As long as you need!”
>Other

>>831843
>“Just keep it quick!”

>>831843
>“Just keep it quick!”
>“Take the club!”
I assume this is the mid-ground answer. Also, she should probably use the club since we know it's effective.

>>831843
> As long as you need, I've got it right where I want it
Then when we can't hold it much longer
> SUPLEX

>>831843
>> “Just keep it quick!”

>>831859
Yeah, I put them in order of length of time versus exhaustion once you let go.

>>831843
You’re already busy playing a tug-of-war with this damn thing, but on the plus side...you think it’s losing. For now, anyway. If it keeps this up much longer, tables could well turn. “Just keep it quick!” you yell out strained. Lorelei nods, and attacks with renewed ferocity. In the meantime, you have to keep re-positioning yourself to jerk it left and right as you do your best to counter its side to side movements as it attempts to shake you free. You can see the dark purple of the gravity gem glowing in the club at your side, but you’ve got both hands busy right now.

The way the thing looks reminds you of a lizard trying to scrabble, only far slower, if still frustratingly quick. It’s desperately trying to open its mouth- but at the very least you’re not letting that happen.

You can hear suddenly another juicy crunch- and then you can hear popping going off to your side- that’s Lorelei letting loose her fireworks. At such close range, they’re hopefully tearing up his insides bit by bit. You can just barely see the other clone do similar, but only a second afterwards, you can start to see mana leaking from the construct.

Another *CRACK* rings out, and you can suddenly see one of the thing’s hind legs spurt with blood- seems the armor there wasn’t nearly as thick. Understandably, that area would be hard to hit with it moving, but now…

The flat-snouted creature is shuddering to try and get away, but you’re still scrabbling to hold it steady, and sweat’s pooling down your face now. If Lorelei wasn’t done soon-

“OKAY!” Suddenly, she sticks BOTH arms in the hole made, and you can hear more internal popping as she tries to finish the thing off. Monstro shudders in pain, making your job worse, but then, Lorelei yells out again. “I’m good!”

With a grunt of effort you let it go, jumping away quickly. You take a moment to wipe the sweat off your forehead as you see the creature make a desperate attempt to lunge for you, however- maybe it just wants vengeance by now, but you can see it bloody, and clearly on its last legs thanks to Lorelei’s internal assault.

You, at the very least, still have some juice left in the tank.

> Crush it’s skull with the club and what physical power you have left.
> It wants to eat? You can feed it a mana-blast straight to the gullet.
> Throw up a Light Barrier and let physics handle it from here.
> Keep away, you’re getting a bit too winded for this.
> Other

>>831981
>Keep away, you’re getting a bit too winded for this.
Gotta conserve mana.

>>831981
Give it a flying elbow drop to the stomach!

>>831981
>> Crush it’s skull with the club and what physical power you have left.
iirc activating the club is pretty cheap

>>831981
> magi blast
Holding mostly took a physical toll right, we still have a ton of mana?

>>831981
>Keep away, you’re getting a bit too winded for this.
Best to just regain our footing. Lorelei is still on it, so we don't need to risk anything at the moment.

>>831981
Alrighty, looks like we're gonna lean back a bit. Low mana worlds are rough going, eh?

Writing!

>>831981
Damnit, you’re going to have to hang back a bit in order to catch your breath. You hop out of the way- the lumbering this Monstro was doing now was slow and desperate, and he missed you by a mile- only to get a mana-fist in the bloody face as clone-Lorelei struck at it with all the force it had left. You can see the body then dissipate after that last blow was struck- but it was a strong one, as the creature visibly reels.

You’re hanging back as the creature seems to stagger, but it faces you again, and you prepare for another attempt from the thing as it stumbles forth- but before it can, yet another shot rings out- and you can see a further crack, and blood spurt out from its fat neck, causing it to jerk violently. For a time, there’s quiet as it stops briefly.

Then, it takes one giant, plodding step. Then one more. Its gargantuan maw opens one last time, but only a slightly gurgle comes out. And it finally falls, dead.

...No one says anything for a moment. You look over to the side to see Lorelei carefully coming around to see if it’s finally done in. You can’t hear breathing or anything else. And as Lorelei makes it to the front of the beast, you can see her eyes light up. She just grins at you. You chance a small smile back.

...and then she looks back in the distance where you can see Isabelle, as a strange look takes over Lorelei’s face. Before you can ask, however, she beats you to it. “So what do we do about her?” You raise an eyebrow in question. “Should we...y’know?” she brings her voice lower. “Permanently change the terms of arrangement?” She makes a subtle hand gesture that makes it clear her meaning.

Well. She’d agreed to a lesser share, as you recall having talked it over on the way. Roughly 70/30, if you remember right. Even if it wasn’t a large amount of help, it was still help. But was it enough to warrant keeping the full bounty for yourselves? Would she possibly be of more help down the line? Questions…either way, she’s not getting any closer. Maybe expecting you to come to her?

> Kill Isabelle, keep all the money for yourselves.
> Split the bounty evenly as promised.
> Try and talk Isabelle down further.
> Other

>>832152
>> Kill Isabelle, keep all the money for yourselves.

She's seen that we're kind of freaks, and we want to keep our powerlevel a secret for the most part.

Also MONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEYMONEY motherfucker

>>832152
>Split the bounty evenly as promised.
Having a capable ally in the future is probably worth a fair share of the bounty.

>>832152
>Split the bounty evenly as promised
Remember that this is potentially a long contract with lots of side quests, so we should cultivate local assets.
An it's not professional to kill the help if they did their job.

>>832152
> Talk her down
All she did was stand back and shoot it with a gun. Literally any sharpshooter could have done that.
I guess I would be ok with killing her too but at least she has guts

>>832152
>Try and talk Isabelle down further.
Seriously, we did almost all the heavy lifting here. Surely she can see that.

>>832180
>we want to keep our powerlevel a secret for the most part.
Why would we want to do that when part of our contract is to intimidate the client's enemies into submission?

>>832152
> Split the bounty evenly as promised.

Also, is it possible to check to see if she'd be a good candidate for Silver Eye Solutions?

>>832152
> Split the bounty evenly as promised.

>>832199
>wanting to recruit
She's good, but not any better than a computerized sniper drone.
Why should we try to recruit her when she would become our financial responsibility back at the Intersection?

>>832198
That was never our job. We're here to kill things, not act like bouncers. People can't possibly prepare for how OP we are if they don't have a clue.

>>832152

>"...What the hell did I just see?!"

We're splitting as we agreed! Writing!

>>832208
Because I'd like to see a new recruit to the team. I'm looking at it through a role-play scenario, not a roll-play one.

>>832234
Then learn to role-play the character correctly instead of doing whatever you think would be fun but the character would consider to be stupid.

>>832234
SES is a money making venture. We can't just pick up new people for the sake of new people. We already have one underperforming member.

>>832152
It’s a curious idea, but ultimately you shake your head. “Nah, we’ll be fair about it. Even if she did hang back a lot, but part of me thinks that was just prudence on her part. From how my sources made it sound, this thing makes most folks lunch easily. Might’ve just been playing it safe.” Lorelei, just shrugs at that, seemingly alright with it on the whole. Wonder why she suggested it, then.

At any rate, you both begin the walk back to the sniper girl. She’s slow to get up, eying you both strangely as you approach. You notice that she’s got her rifle still in front of her, and judging from her posture, she’s a touch nervous. You suppose that can’t really be helped.

Eventually, however, Isabelle finally speaks. “What the hell?”

Lorelei just laughs. You just shrug. “Alright, so how are we getting this thing back?” you ask. The way they both look at you makes you wish you still had that wagon from back in Corson.

---------

It eventually takes going back to the city, convincing them that yes, you pulled it off, and having the sheriff himself ride out with you to confirm. As you see is face distort into an expression of pure disbelief, he takes a look at you both. “How the hell did you three manage to do THAT?!” You start to see Isabelle say something, but she suddenly shuts up. Lorelei titters, and simply pats his shoulder. “Skill, good sir! Simply skill!”

Well, it wasn’t technically wrong.

Later that night, you’re all back at the inn, splits already taken. You and Lorelei had both been awarded a grand total of 3750 Bills, a fantastic amount. Isabelle had gotten her 1,250...but she hadn’t left yet.

>You now have a total of 5,910 Bills.


Lorelei had decided to turn in, and you were about to do the same, when you hear a cough from Isabelle at the entrance to the Inn. It’s quiet in the streets, and a full moon. “You...you seem straightforward.” She gets out. “So...do you mind telling me...what the hell was that? People don’t have that kind of mana...ever. What are- who are you?”

>What do you say?

>>832431
>"We're no one of import, m'lady. Just a pair of hired hands. Long as you've done us no wrong, we'll be no worry of yours."
>"Well, unless a job makes us so, I suppose. No such thing so far, and correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem much the kind to have enemies."

>>832431
>"We're Mr Cain's new prototypes!"
But seriously. Just say that
>we are not from round here and thats all she is getting.
If she pushes warn her that you might just push back.

>>832431
"Contractors. We're outside consultants."

>>832431
"I'm a problem solver."
Maximum lack of fucks.

>>832431
Miranda has a chance to be cool here. Wonder if Isabelle will notice.

Writing!

>>832431
You meet her eyes steadily. “We’re just a pair of hired hired, miss. Outside contractors, you might say.”

“Yeah, I’m not too surprised with that, but I mean, what’s your angle?” She steps a little closer, curiosity overriding her concern about you. “You just going around to make money? Because you could really clean up if you ended up taking out ALL of the Big Seven! You’d probably be something close to the richest girl in the frontier with what folks are offering to be rid of those Seven, y’know? I can’t imagine you’d ever be at a loss for jobs if and when word gets out...”

You put a hand up, stopping her from talking any further. “That’s all you’re gettin’,” you insist. “I’d suggest you not dig too much further into that. We’re not your enemies unless you make us so.”

Isabelle jerks back slightly, but nods in acquiescement. “Fair ‘nough. Was maybe hopin’ I could latch onto that money train of yours, but…” She shakes her head. “Eh, don’t you worry ‘bout it. I suspect if it comes to, we’ll be seein’ each other again sooner or later, right?” You nod. It was certainly plausible, especially if she got ideas in her head.

The conversation seemingly at an end, she turns away to head to her own inn. “Thanks for lettin’ me on! See ya around, maybe!” And she walks off. As for you? You head back in for some very well deserved rest. Tomorrow’s yet another day.

>Current Mana:

>Glory (Miranda): 8700/9999
>Grace (Lorelei): 3250/7500

You wake up, stretching. As you head out of your room, you can see that Lorelei’s already getting an early meal of oats and eggs. You order up the same in short order and meet her at her table as she inhales her breakfast. “So! Any ideas for today?” Right- you still had to wait on your sword to be finished up. Hopefully, it’ll be fine by tomorrow. At the very least, the fact that Monstro’s dead removes a task off your plate.

>Look into the beef between Saint Augustine and Boorsville.
>See if there’s anything else you can hunt that’s plaguing the town.
>Check into Cain’s visit- he’d said he’d have been here.
>Other

>>832703
>Check into Cain’s visit- he’d said he’d have been here.
While the stated objectives were to eliminate beasts and outlaws on the Frontier, he's still the client and he might have some secondary objectives we could complete.

>>832703
>Check into Cain’s visit- he’d said he’d have been here.

>>832703
Let's see what nefarious (or not, who knows!) deeds our temporary boss is up to.

Writing!

>>832703
>Look into the beef between Saint Augustine and Boorsville.
What are we rustling cattle now?!

>>832703
The thing that comes to you first of all is really more a matter of curiosity than anything else. You’re wondering just what Cain got up to here. You recall that the other cities notably didn’t like the man, but these folks don’t seem to have said much left or right about him. You also can’t seem to find anything that indicates his presence here. Hmmm…

“Have you hear anything about our boss recently?” Lorelei perks up. “He said he was going to be around here, remember?” She nods as she swallows her mouthful. “I’m curious what happened, if anything. Sounded like he was going on some sort of promotional tour.” That, or he was going to gangpress the cities into accepting his services. How, though, is the question…”

“Makes sense,” Lorelei decides. “This sounds like something interesting. You figure we should keep it understated, right?” You nod. It was more likely that people would be forthcoming if you made sure to not act like you had a vested interest in that...but that might be a bit of an issue for you. At least Lorelei had a talent for talking.

“Well, if’n you want my opinion,” she says, fully getting into the swing of things, “I’m thinkin’ we oughta go our separate ways for a lil’ bit so as to better peruse the area n’ allow folks to trust us a bit more. Folks are more comfortable talkin’ ta one then two.” She had a fair point, admittedly. Guess that meant you’d be going solo a bit more.

>PICK WHO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE AS:

>Miranda
>Lorelei

>>832887
>Lorelei

That'll be it for me for tonight. Next run for Magical Girl For Hire will be Thursday, from 1-4 PM, and then from 9-11 PM.

Tomorrow, however, will be Hero Guardian Quest Resurrection starting at 1 PM!

So!

>Player Question
What do you think Cain's big fat plan is?

>Alt. Player Question
How would you feel about crossovers with other quests? No, this isn't promising or deconfirming anything, I'm just wondering.

>>832887
>Miranda

>>832887
Lorelei

>>832908
>Player Question
Take over the entire west and build up enough funds to create a giant mechanical spider.

>Alt. Player Question
Aside from passing references I don't really like them, but as with everything it all matters on execution.

Thanks for running boss!

>>832908
>What do you think Cain's big fat plan is?
Having full control of the Frontier and creating a massive robot army.

>How would you feel about crossovers with other quests?
Brief crossovers are okay.

>>832887
>Lorelei
>>832908
1. He clearly intends to replace all labor and security with robots in order to create a post-scarcity Utopian society. That, or a giant mechanical spider.
2. I see no problem with that.

>>832908
>miranda

I'm fine with crossovers, the setting of MGFH quest is unique enough that they're harmless to the story without being non-canon.

I kind of hate having to read the archives of something else just to understand what's happening here, but I don't imagine crossovers will be that common

>>832887
>Lorelei
Maybe then we can be actually ruthless. Rather than wants to be ruthless but often has a bleeding heart Miranda.

>>832908
The robots are controlling him. They wan't to harvest all the humans for their body heat, to power their civilisation combined with a form of fusion

Crossovers are fine but don't expect me to read up on the others quests.

>>832887
>>Lorelei
>>833863
>Maybe then we can be actually ruthless. Rather than wants to be ruthless but often has a bleeding heart Miranda.
Lorelei isn't just ruthless, she's psycho.

>>832908
>Alt. Player Question
I usually don't like them since they're not often done well. If it's well thought out and executed i have no problems with it.

>>833863
>wants to be ruthless but often has a bleeding heart Miranda.
It's called cultivating local assets.
We'll burn them when we need to without a moment's hesitation, but we're on a low-mana world, Miranda's MP is down by a quarter and Lorelei's MP is down to a half and we're not even halfway done with the mission, and we don't have a technological bag of tricks.

If the other 4 monsters are going to be as difficult then we'll need to use local assets.

>>834491
>It's called cultivating local assets.
>We'll burn them when we need to without a moment's hesitation
Nah, I don't think that fits with how nice we were on the previous worlds.

>>834491
>Miranda's MP is down by a quarter and Lorelei's MP is down to a half
Wonder if there's any way we can transfer some of our mana to Lorelei, if at some point we find ourselves in greater need of her abilities than ours, or vice versa.

File: You lost me.jpg (46 KB, 649x536)

46 KB JPG

>>834527
How could we do that?

>>834524
Then you missed how every act of kindness was a calculated move for greater profit or for helping to achieve our objectives.

>>834546
We were easily bought when it came to being nice; even when the payoff was dubious.

>>834536

>mana works like it does in the nasu-verse

We yuriboys now

>>834524
That was always because it was beneficial as the moment.

>>834527
Tantric sex rituals.

>>834546
Yes, Miranda finds it easier to rationalize such things (like you do) than to admit that she is not entirely comfortable with the facade she wraps herself in to distance herself from a multiverse filled with tragedy and suffering.

>>835646
She's perfectly comfortable with doing evil for pay.
But just because she's okay with evil doesn't mean she lowers her standards of professionalism.

>>832887
Allllrighty, then! Miranda’s game for the plan! Which means you’ve got yourself a bit more ‘you’ time. Really, you’re glad Miranda let you tag along on this whole thing- you’re makin’ oodles of cash, both with the general payout and with all the stuff you manage to sell. The fact that you’re splitting up again means that you’ll have some time to sniff out maybe one or two small day jobs. You still had that parcel you needed to get to Greenwater, too- probably take care of that tomorrow.

In the meantime, though, Miranda’s tryin’ to see just what’s up with the client. Snazzy dresser, you had to give it to the man. Kinda a bit too fake jolly, though. It’s clear he’s got some kinda plans for the place, but he never said what. He didn’t say a lot of things, really. At the moment, you’re more or less presuming that the main goal is to eliminate the Big Seven, although from what you’re aware of, that might not even be the case. But it likely is, and it’s making you guys cash, so hey! Why not? Although you can’t say you’re not wholly disinterested in what’s going on in that man’s head...

“I’ll be heading to the town hall,” Miranda says. “They’ve seen me there once before already getting information on Monstro, so there might be less questions towards me.” Hey, whatever she wanted. She doesn’t tell you to go anywhere in particular, however. “Do what you can, and we’ll compare information later this evening.” Works for you!

As you head out, you mull over the situation. There’s plenty of places you could head to, if you were really jonesing for info. General stores are always possible, and tend to be surprising founts of gossip. The Saloons- there were two of them. The Big Bull Saloon, which you’d already been to, and Goldie’s Saloon, which you’d not been to yet. There was also the sheriff’s station, which was on the west end of town. You might also get lucky just asking on the street. Or maybe think outside the box a bit…

>Try the general stores.
>Head to the Big Bull Saloon
>Head to Goldie’s Saloon
>Try the Sheriff’s Station
>Other

>>837947
>Head to Goldie’s Saloon

>>837947
> Goldie's saloon
Let's arm wrestle some hard men.
Ooh, let's ask who the richest people in the West are then ransom their daughter.

>>835825
>"evil"
Cute

Alright. Looks like Goldie's Saloon it is.

Writing!

>>837947
Hmmmm. Goldie’s Saloon sounds good. You’d never actually been in, but you’d passed it once or twice, and it sounded pretty fun! You recall someone getting chased out of the place for one reason or another, but the way he was yelling makes you think that it was at least halfway deserved. Sounded like they had dancing girls in there or something- Big Bull Saloon didn’t have that. It just had some kinda music show, which was meh. You’ve heard better.

It’s little more than a quick jaunt of a few minutes, as you pass by several townspeople who seem to be more than glad to see you. You figure word’s starting to get around about you and Miranda- which is just fine by you- and you can see the yellow painted saloon quickly around the corner. There’s nothing that jumps out at you- no bottles being thrown or people stumbling out or anything- so in you go.

What you find is a slightly larger area than the Big Bull, with a long bar, and manned by two bartenders, both male, idly watching the few goings-on. They both nod to you in greetings, which you return. There’s a curtained stage in back, but no one’s on at the moment. Must be too early in the day. Similarly, there’s only a few folks hanging out here at the moment- A big bear of a man with two shotguns strapped to him is sitting at one table, nursing a large mug of beer. He’s grumbling about something, but you’re not sure what. A younger duo- one male, one female, both in large hats- are playing cards. Judging by the smile and his pile, the guy looks like he’s winning. There’s also a girl in a rather fancy and frilly dress- a dancing girl, clearly. She looks like she’s close to napping, actually, the way her head is bobbing.

Leeeet’s see...who to talk to first, if anyone?

>The bartenders
>The angry man
>The card players
>The sleepy dancer
>Try somewhere else for now.

>>838083
>The sleepy dancer
sleepy people reveal more secrets.

>>838083
> angry man
Ask if he needs two shotguns because he is such a bad shot

Hm. I'll give it 5 more minutes.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Well, nerts. Alright, then, I'll roll for it.

1: Dancer
2: Man

>>838083
>the angry man

Lets find a big guy for us

>>838151
>being 3 minutes late

man fuck trying to post on my phone.

>>838160
I know the feeling. Although I'm tempted to let it slide if so many want to go to the man.

>>838171
Drag the dancer over to dance for us while we talk to the big guy

>>838171
You da boss bossman.

please go with the big guy tho. Ask if he wants to wrestle

>>838083
The big guy looks like he might be amenable to your ministrations...you sidle on over to him, and he almost immediately looks up, grunting at you. You just flash him your winningest smile. “Seems like you got a problem with the world.” You slip into the chair opposite him before he can say anything about it. “If you need an ear to yell into, I’m right here.”

The man just snorts. “Not like a lass like you’d be in a position to do anythin’ about it. I ain’t interested in anythin’ you’re sellin’ fer the moment.” He looks you up and down, as if apprasing you for something, but then shakes his head and downs another swig of beer. “So you kin jest get goin’ on yer way.”

“Well, you never know if I can help or not, if it’s a problem that I can help with,” you offer.

“It ain’t,” he counters. “I ain’t in the market fer any o’ that. I’m a trapper and a hunter, n’ I got a ladyfriend elsewhere.” Cute. But that’s not even close to what you’re after.

“Sure you don’t at least want a sympathetic ear? I’m sure you could stand to have someone understand what’s ailing you.” You place an ‘understanding’ hand on his own, which he looks at, and then shakes away idly. “Awww…” you fake pout. He’s just one of the tougher nuts to crack, is all. But crack he would, one way or another.

He gives you a rueful grin. “No offense, miss, but here's the thing- you look like you’d well and blow away with a light wind.” He laughs at that a bit. “I’d need me someone with a bit more bite to ‘em to even think about helpin’ me with my old woes. Ain’t something that you can much make go away with a gun, impossible though that might sound.”

>Well, I might know someone. Me!
>I think I can convince you either way I at least can hear you out…
>Well, if you insist…(go talk to someone else)
>Other

Alright, I gotta get going, I'll be back ASAP tonight.

>>838239
>>I think I can convince you either way I at least can hear you out…

>>838239
>I think I can convince you either way I at least can hear you out....

>>838239
> challenge him to arm wrestle
You won't hurt me, I'm a big girl

Wrote that one option in a hurry, it seems.

>>838294
This.

>>838294
I'll be a big girl. For you.

>>838294
Let's challenge him to an am wrestle to convince him.

>>838239
>>Well, I might know someone. Me!
>Do a trick shot!

Back, if anyone's still around. If not, I'll update the once anyway.

>>839812
I'm here, writing another damn paper. at least its week 8 of 12 so there's not much time for more papers after this, only tests! Haaahh...

>>839812
I'm not here.

>>838239
You fix him with a coquettish grin. “Weeelll, if that’s your case, then I’m thinking I can convince you- or at least make you be willin’ to let me hear you out.”

He looks at you with undisguised curiosity and disbelief. “You think so, girl? I ain’t too sure ‘a that, but if you think you got something special about ya, go ahead n’ prove it to me however you like.”

You place your arm on the table in a familiar pose- one that the big guy looks askance at. “Arm wrestling. I win, you tell me what’s eating you. I lose, and I’ll walk away without a word.” You can see his eyes bug out, and you can tell he’s making an effort to stop from laughing. Poor sap. But, you can make this work even better. “C’mon! I’ve beaten like, all of my friends! It’s all in the technique!”

He lets out a guffaw at last, but his smile is less mocking and more pitying. “Girl, there might be some skill to it, sure, but not nearly as much as ya might wanna think. You’d just get hurt goin’ against the likes of me.”

You wave him off. “Oh, don’t be shy, I’m a big girl! C’mon!” You can see the two card players off to the side turning your way in curiosity. Hah! Nice.

The man finally sighs, and then shrugs. “As you like. But ta make it fair, I’ll only use half my strength. I go all out, it’ll take your arm off, and I’m not gonna hear any complaints about it.”
You shrug. Up to him if he wanted to lose quicker. He meets your hand with his own, clasping it strongly. “Alright then. On go, clear?”

You nod, as serious a look on your face as anything else.

He just chuckles- okay, so maybe you’d been sticking your tongue out a bit to keep things funny. “Right then.” He narrows his eyes. “Three...two...one...go!”

cont.

>>839994
The slap when his hand hits the table is hard enough to briefly wake the snoozing dancer. She looks around briefly, and nods off again. The two card players quickly start talking amongst themselves, and you can see them looking back at you every so often.

The man’s still in shock.

You just smile sweetly, and shrug innocently. “Best two out of three?”

The man blinks owlishly, and then nods. “Yeah...sure...wasn’t quite expectin’ that. You a laborer, then?”

“Something like that,” you admit. “Ready?” He nods. You count down...and...go.

There’s slightly more resistance, but it’s about the difference between lifting one paper and lifting a pack of them. The crack this time is still more than enough to shock him. “One more?” You ask.

He shakes his head. “Then I believe we had a deal,” you say to him.

He locks eyes with you, and after a brief staredown, he sighs. “Bah! Fine, whatever. I been huntin’ stuff all my life, see? Me n’ my partner Amos, we was some of the best trappers and hunters this side of the river. Used ta make a real solid livin’, too. But now there’s more n’ more folk anglin’ to get in on my business! All thanks to these newfangled inventions! Makin’ it so any greenhorn can go out and bag him some meat n’ skin it. No room for professionals anymore!”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” you counter as you place your head in your hands, “But I suppose I can understand the worry. I heard there was a man who’d just showed up not long ago what was all about that.” You side-eye him as you gauge his reaction. Sure enough, you can hear him growl.

“Oh, yer talkin’ about that bastard Cain. Yeh, he was here, and I hope his next stop’s hell itself!” He slams the mug down. “He’s hoodwinked the mayor inta testing having his walkin’ metal boxes do huntin’! Says they can hold n’ skin a beast jus’ as well as a human, and dangit, he’s let that snake go and start throwin’ ‘em around the frontier out here to prove it.” He sniffs in anger. “I can’t jus’ bust ‘im up, though, or put stones in ‘im. I ain’t that stupid. I’d be a walkin’ target.” Ahhhh. Interesting. “I still been thinkin’ about roundin’ up a posse to waste that fancy pants. Know plenty of folk around here what’d be willin’, too.”

Okay, THAT you might have to address.

>So you don’t think you can beat him at your own game? That’s sad. What’ll you do once jobs dry up?
>Ever thought about ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’? I’m sure Cain would pay handsomely for practical expertise.
>Sooo...what kind of posse would you get? Anyone jump out at you?
>I might be interested in helping you permanently resolve your issues with Cain.
>Other

>>840001
>>So you don’t think you can beat him at your own game? That’s sad. Ever thought about ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’? I’m sure Cain would pay handsomely for practical expertise.

>>840001
>Ever thought about ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’? I’m sure Cain would pay handsomely for practical expertise.

>>840001
>>So you don’t think you can beat him at your own game? That’s sad. What’ll you do once jobs dry up?
>>Ever thought about ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’? I’m sure Cain would pay handsomely for practical expertise.

Meant to say, if it's not clear, the last two options basically equate to:

>Tell me who doesn't like him so I can kill them.
and
>I'm going to kill you once we're alone.

>>840001
>Sooo...what kind of posse would you get? Anyone jump out at you?
Acquire information concerning potential resistance members, confirm that they are joining the resistance, then kill them.
Maybe one or two can be suborned, but we'll burn that village when we get to it.

Writing, sorry!

>>840001
You give him a ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’ in pity as you think about it. “So, you don’t think you can beat him at your own game? That’s sad.” You can see the man glare at you at that.

“Now don’t you start gettin’ uppity with me, miss! I’ve see those things in action, but they ain’t like most stuff folks make. They just keep goin’ and goin’. Can be out all night, don’t stop for nothin’. Put a beast in, comes out skinned. I ‘spect I might be able to get a better cut on ‘im if I take my time, though…” he pauses briefly to mull on it.

“Ever thought about ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’?” He looks at you like you’re crazy or a traitor, but you continue regardless. “I’m sure Cain would pay handsomely for practical expertise, is all I’m saying. You’d still have a job, and-”

“Like HELL am I gonna resign myself to that snake’s will! He ain’t in it for anyone but himself, and I ain’t of a mind to help him not one bit, missy!” He glares at you, and you hold up your hands in a placating manner.

“I was just tossin’ out possibilities,” you state evenly. “Of course it’d make sense if you weren’t the biggest fan of that one, though. Sorry for insinuating anything.” He keeps squinting at you for a bit, before eventually sighing and slumping down.

“Meh. I ain’t mad atcha. You look from outta town- probably ain’t got much stake in this. But for me and mine? This is our livelyhoods. Our bein’.” Another drink from his mug, and he stands up. “And we gotta fight for it, kid.” He sniffs again, looking down at his now-empty glass. “An’ ya know what? I’m gonna go get started on that. I might see ya around, girl. I gots a posse to round up.” And with that, he leaves.

Hmmmm...ah!

Before you can make any other moves, the card players from earlier approach you, the boy speaking first. “Hey there! Appreciate the little talk you had with Benson. Name’s Mark.” The girl waves. “I’m Charlie. And you seem like a gal who might know a thing or two about how the world works, am I right?”

They’ve both sat down in seconds. “We might be interested in acquirin’ you and your prodigious strength as help for a lil’ project of ours, if you’re up for it.”

You look back out the door where the large man left.

> “No thanks.” Go follow the man.
> “Alright, I’m listening. What do you have to offer?”
> Other

That'll be all for tonight. Tomorrow is Hero Guardian Quest!

>>840278
>> “Alright, I’m listening. What do you have to offer?”

>>840285
Thanks for running, boss

>>840278
>“Alright, I’m listening. What do you have to offer?”
If Lorelei takes a job with these folks just so she can get paid three times doing a triple-cross, Miranda is going to be pissed at all the extra work for little gain.

Sure, profit's profit, but sometimes the small bonus just isn't worth the effort.

>>840278
>“Alright, I’m listening. What do you have to offer?”
Just hearing him out, no need to commit to anything just yet.

>>840278
>“Alright, I’m listening. What do you have to offer?”
Why the fuck didn't we offer to join Big Guy's posse? We could have fed them false information and led then on a big chase with a dramatic betrayal in the end :(

>>840311
You could argue for it if you wanted. the Other option is ALWAYS open and available for whatever you'd like.

Also didn't expect people to suddenly pop up like this.

>>840278
Hmmm...gah, the feeling of a possible payday is too much! You decide to let the man go for now- he probably won’t be any major troubles anyway. In the meantime, however… “I’m listening. What do you have to offer?” You ask, cooly looking at the both of them. They’re both dressed in sky-blue cowperson attire, and have thin hats. Charlie’s has a bow wrapped around it.

They both grin. Charlie speaks up first. “Well, you seem to be somewhat interested in the goings on of the frontier, right? Well, our patron is as well. And I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the issues regarding Mr. Theodore Cain, exactly, but he’s…” Charlie here pauses briefly, and Mark picks up the slack.

“He’s been proven to be a bit of an issue for our employer. Their goals are...mutually exclusive, shall we say.” You lean forward, indicating interest as Mark continues. “Mr. Benson has his heart in the right place, but we’re not quite in agreement on the methods he’s decided on. We, on the other hand, have something a bit more...thorough in mind. After all, even if Mr. Cain is murdered, he has a line of succession.”

“We told Benson as such, but he wasn’t in a listenin’ mood.” Charlie admits. “Too much alcohol, most like. But YOU, on the other hand…”

“We think you can help us with a bit of...call it deceptive marketing.” Mark says. They flip between each other a lot, geez. “We’ve got a number of assignments we need to get done in order to… affect Mr. Cain, and cause his empire to crumble- or at least set back his frontier aspirations a great deal. You and your strength are more than capable of rapidly accelerating our timetable- and rest assured, you will be paid quite well. How much, I cannot say right now- but I can promise you that it’ll make that bounty on Monstro look like a pittance.”

Oh...well. This could be very, very interesting…or not, really. It was generally not a good thing to go against your employer...but...hm. You might could make it work anyway, if you were of a mind to.

>Give me some time to think about it. I’ll be here for at least another day.
>I do believe I’ll accept that bargain, then.
>I’m afraid I’m not that much interested in his business aspirations.
>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?
>Other

I got a spark of drive and couldn't help myself. Last one, I SWEAR.

>>840484
>>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?

>>840484
>>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?
Erm, I guess I can support this as well. But just to state my intention:
1 If we actually betray Cain Miranda will beat us up and Sal will drawl at us for hours, so instead we
2 try to got some payment up front (%50 or some shit, easy!)
3 then try get in their organization as much as we can (we can even tip Cain off so he can make any hits we need to make not hurt as much)
4 then we screw these guys over.
And if at any point we screw up, we can just killem.

>>840484
>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?

>>840484
>>I do believe I’ll accept that bargain, then.
This is Lolerei. Lorelei ain't a professional, she's a seat-of-her-pants conwoman. Throwing something like this at her employer, playing both sides to get paid more by both? Definitely her sort of thing.

>>840736
Are you saying you wouldn't mind screwing Cain over or you just want to sting these people along and maybe do some minor shit? Or just go all in but keep it secret?

>>840484
>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?

I agree with >>840552

>>840754
I don't mind screwing Cain and these guys over. Most important thing is getting paid as much as possible and having fun along the way. Lolerei likes Ocean 11 style heists or scams for fun.

>>840484
>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?

Infiltrate them, grab their moneynin the process then wipe them out and get paid by Cain

>...Hey, bro?

>Yeah, sis?

>So apparently two girls came in a couple days ago...and killed the Hellsnipe.

>And somethin' else, too. They gotta be the same. These two are real threats.

>Right. Shouldn't we be warnin' folk?

>Wouldn't be worth it, sis. They ain't ransackin' towns yet, by the sound of it. Just comin' and killin' and goin'. Whatever Cain's got 'em doin', he ain't makin' 'em talk him up none.

>That ain't like him...

>Nope. But we should get a move on anyhow. Sheriff said they was headed southwest. I'll bet my Red Angel they're headed for Saint Augustine. We need ta catch up to 'em.

>Brother, I was thinkin'...

>Hm?

>Maybe we should call in a lil help once we get there?

>...Who ya got in mind?

>>840484
>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?
This can help us on our main mission

>>840484
>I do believe I’ll accept that bargain, then.
Lorelei is all about maximizing profits, much of the time to the detriment of the contract.
She's got a piss-poor contract completion record because of how many times she accepted sidejobs that interfered with her contract, and she's lucky that Sal hasn't cut her loose yet.
She's the type that will try to push things even further because she's got Miranda to finish the contract for her if things go south.

>>840484
>>Perhaps we could go somewhere a bit more private to talk about this, then?

And then we go mideival on thier asses. make them cough up thier plans to mess with our cash flow.

Big guy from earlier is kinda whatever, but THESE fucks are going to ruin our payout. Also like 90% certain it's part of our job to do just so.

>>841657
>Big guy from earlier is kinda whatever, but THESE fucks are going to ruin our payout. Also like 90% certain it's part of our job to do just so.
But Lorelei isn't actually the type to care.

Also, pointing out, I think Lorelei is actually whimsical enough to maneuver the big guy out of harm's way, rather than killing him. It's just a question of what she'll enjoy doing more.

>>841594
Um, yeah but this job is directly counter to the main one. So if you expect Miranda to handle that one while we play with these freedom fighters/luddites we will be fighting? Lorelei might be a bit... mercenary but she is not stupid enough to screw over the girl doing her a favour.

>>840484
>Give me some time to think about it. I’ll be here for at least another day.
Probably should talk about something like this with miranda first. Regardless of whether we want to pull a sting operation or just preemtively warning our original employer and acting as a double agent, this might cause harm to our credibility(for our handler obviously) if something goes wrong. So we need to make sure nothing goes wrong, checking anything that might go that way.

>>841717
Yeah who gives a shit. If we went with Miranda Lorelei could do what she wants, but that isn't what's happening.

also so far as I'm aware all the options given are in line with what Lorelei might do, get your head out of your ass you aren't handler

>>841746
Of course not, Miranda would be mad. We ain't telling her shit.

>>844870
And why would she be mad? Please elaborate.

>>845799
Because working with enemies of your employer is horribly irresponsible?

>>845807
>working with enemies of your employer
Uh... anon.
You should probably read my post again, because I never said anything like that.

Allo! Seems like we're going to be talking to them in private. Just them and us. No one else. Very isolated.

(I'll be writing in a bit, just need to wrap something up and letting folks know I'm here.)

>>840484
“Hmmmm…” you make a show of thinking about it. It would be career suicide (possibly literally) to go against the primary job you had now...but you could at least hear them out a bit more, perhaps? You lean forward as if you’re thoroughly interested (which isn’t far from the truth). “Perhaps we can get a bit more privacy in order to talk about this more thoroughly?”

The two smile, and nod politely. “I do believe that would be prudent,” Mark says. “If you would follow us?” He and Charlie get up, and proceed to walk towards the back of the saloon, instead of up to their room as you might’ve expected- interestingly enough, the bartenders don’t say a thing.

You pass through to a storeroom, full of barrels, crates, and sacks of food and liquor; some empty, others not. They turn to face you, both with smiles on their faces as Mark talks. “This might well be as private as we can get at the moment, so apologies for that.” Meh, you’ve dealt in far worse. “As for the deal of ours…”

“We simply seek someone to, at the moment, ruin his little Metallo project.” Charlie says. “Have ya seen em? The little man-lookin’ machines? What we need, at the moment, is someone to make it look like the things are defective- by using this.” And here she pulls out a device that looks like...well, it kinda looks like a fridge magnet. Only made of stone. “This little beauty will cause those metal wannabes to crack like eggs- and all ya need is to hold it close to one for a few seconds. Easy.”

“Of course, that’s not all,” Mark says. “We’ll also be needing you to halt his little railway project as well- that’s where your strength comes in. Normally, it’d be a bit of a trial to dismantle his tracks or otherwise make them look unsafe, but I suspect a gal of your talents would make easy work of it.” He shrugs. “There’s more to do, but that’s the main crux of it for now.”

“So, whaddya say?” Charlie asks.

Well...you know what they want. You’re alone, it’s just them. You COULD just kill them; Miranda would like that, and Cain might thank you well if he got wind of it. Or you could string them along, maaaaybe get some nice cash out of the both of them- IF you were careful and played your cards right. Hell, maybe you could get Miranda and Cain in on it- THAT’D be fun as hell. Messin’ with folks was always better in a group. More people to appreciate the craft.

>So, what do you say?

>>847089
"Sure, but I want some assurances. How about an advance? Because the way you're talking about him, this Cain feller's got some pretty hefty resources behind him."

Set them up for a double-cross, inform Miranda and Cain that we're trying to infiltrate the group that's working against Cain, and when we know enough about them and got their money, we'll kill them all and take their stuff.

Slow, but, fair enough. Writing.

(Wonder if it's just Thanksgiving weekend keeping people away.)

>>847089
Try get some money out of them like >>847184 says. Is this really their plan though? It didn't sound like it would do much in the long run. People aren't accepting the robots because they are useful, it's because it is some kind of protection racket.

Revealing a weakness to Cain should be with a bonus too.

>>847257

>Is this really their plan?
It is and it isn't. This is more step one than anything.

>>847089
All in all, it seems almost too good to be true, but you’re not gonna complain, whether it’s the real deal or not. That said...well, no duh you’re gonna take them for as much as you can. “Sure, but I want some assurances. How about an advance? Because the way you're talking about him, Cain’s got some pretty hefty resources behind him."

They nod. “That he does. You might be aware of his general person, but he’s not just a businessman. He’s got a rather...extensive network that has designs on this area. That’s all we’re authorized to say at the moment, but simply put, he’s not the most healthy fella for the frontier. Our patron is inclined to see that his overall operations are put to a halt.”

“As for an advance?” Mark raises and eyebrow. “Iiii suspect we might be able to forward you something. For now, though, I suspect this will have to do…” And here he pulls out a massive wad of Bills- you realize that it’s approximately fifteen-hundred after some quick counting. You look up in mild surprise, and he just grins. “Like I said, we’re quite capable of more, so long as you cooperate.”

Then they get strange grins on their faces. “Of course, we’ll be trusting you don’t have any second thoughts about this. Lest we might have to do something...untoward, regarding your partner we saw you with earlier.” You struggle mightly to keep the grin off your face as you nod, and fortunately succeed, judging by their non-response. “Of course, if she understands your position, so much the better. But we’ll be keepin’ an ear out, of course, just in case.”

“If you’ve any further questions, feel free to ask. If not..." Charlie places the stone in your hand. "Then I’d suggest you get on to Redrock as soon as possible. You’ll meet a contact there that’ll give ya proper instruction.” she states. "As for now, if'n you see any o' those Metallos doin' work...well, see what you kin do to stop 'em, alright?"

>Any further questions?

>>847440
Who's the contact and how do we know it's them?

>>847440
I think I'm really going to enjoy working with you gentlemen.

>>847440
Both of those work. Will write when I'm back!

Oh boy, this is gonna be good.

>>847440
The shrug you give is cutesy and non-comittal. “Just who he is, n’ what’ll he look like- don’t want to worry too much about not spottin’ him, after all.”

They chuckle. “Don’t you worry, he’ll look quite familiar,” Mark assures, gesturing to his sky-blue fancy threads. “As for who he is, well...rest assured, the important thing is that he’ll know who YOU are, when you show him this stone.” He stretches out the stone, and you take it easily. You feel a strange force coming from it...but aside from a mild buzzing feeling, you don’t feel anything else, and it goes away once you store it in your pocket.

“Well, then! If that’s all, I suspect we should take our leave- feel free to go first, if you don’t mind.” Charlies gestures politely out the door, and you take your leave without further ado. The bartenders don’t seem to pay you any mind at all- or rather, they’re forcing themselves to not look at you. It’s far too easy for you to tell.

As you step out of the Saloon, the sun’s beating hot and humid, and you give yourself a stretch as the dusty wind rolls through the town- things are getting a bit more lively now, and thanks to your recent deal, you’ve got a bit more cash to burn all your own! You WERE supposed to get information on what Cain was doing, but even if you technically haven’t...well, this is pretty good, if you’d say so. So the question now is…what next?

>Lorelei’s personal Bills- 3,375

>Head towards town hall. Maybe Miranda’s still there.
>Try and explore the town a bit more.
>Head to a shop to buy a few things.
>Other

>>849864
>Try and explore the town a bit more.

>>849864
>Head to a shop to buy a few things.
I don't even know what is in our inventory but we have spent a whole bunch of mana.
Also, ask the shopkeep what's up with those suspicious looking fellas in the light blue get ups.

>>849940
>Lorelei’s inventory:


>Shotgun (Pepper Stone)
>’Molly’ Pistol
>Spare Ammo: 1 Pepper Stone, 1 Shock Stone, 1 Water Stone
>Bentley’s Gloves (Two Slots)
>Spare Food (3 days worth)
>Spare Tent
>Cute Black Hat
>Carving Knife
>Fancy Whistle
>High Quality Rucksack

>>849864
>>Try and explore the town a bit more.

>>850009
Oh, well fuck the shop then, we are set.
>Explore the town a bit more
There is no try, there is do or do not.

I'll write this out, but then I need to get to bed.

Writing!

>>849864
Well, might as well see what’s what around the town, at the very least. You can see there’s a good few places you might be interested in at one point or another- a post office, a seamstress shop, another doctor’s office...you’re honestly just appreciative of a modicum of civilization anyway. It’s weird how areas that are supposed to be medieval can be more ‘civilized’ looking than this, but...maybe you’ve been in them too long.

As you walk around the city, just taking the place in, you can see you’re get more than a few interesting looks. Nothing overly towards, but a great many younger eyes (and not a lack of older ones) have certainly latched onto your figure. You wind up getting some rest under an alcove on a nearby side street store- sells knick-knacks or something, you’re not sure- as much as you hate to say it, you’d been a bit lax with your mana management as of late, and it’s taken it’s toll on you. The cold sweat that signifies impending mana depletion hasn’t made itself known yet, but you can feel it already on the cusp. Leaning on the post, you tip your hat over your eyes and relax a bit. You can get back to looking around about Cain-

“Hey.” Well, nuts. You spare a glance up whomever spoke. It’s just some traveler, judging from the dust, bandanna around his neck, and traveling gear, but he’s got a rifle slung on his back and is looking at you rather sternly. “Mind if’n I ask you where you got those gloves from? They look awful familiar.”

You look down. You were wearing Bentley’s gloves that you’d gotten off the man after you killed him. Hm.

> "The store."
> “Found ‘em.”
> “Why do you care?”
> “From a dead man.”
> Other

>>850527
>“Found ‘em.”

>>850527
>> "The store."

>>850527
>“From a dead man.”
If this guy wants to start something lets oblige him. Then loot his corpse!

>>850865
We should probably use the knife; don't want to waste ammo.
Also we can skin him for information.

>>850527
> “Found ‘em.”

>>850527
>> “From a dead man.”

>>850527
>“From a dead man.”

>>850527
>“Found ‘em from a dead man.”

>>850527
>> “From a dead man.”