>>832025
>Gather all the heroes and attack it full-force!

hi Announcer

>>832025
>>I'll figure it out when the time comes!

>>832025
>I'll figure it out when the time comes!

>>832058
Hello!

>Next post almost done.

File: Yuuki_3.jpg (258 KB, 850x850)

258 KB JPG

"I'll figure that out when the time comes."

"Are you sure that's what everyone else wants?" Anna sighs, "To just blindly jump in without any plan or reason?"

"Well, it's worked great for us before, right?"

Anna smiles, "You should really go at the pace that everyone else has set. Trying to outpace them will just leave you too far ahead and alone."

"But they're just resting today, and today is the one day we may have to get Clair!"
"They're resting today because they need it." Anna stands up, "And if how long you were sleeping is any indicator, you need the rest, too."

"But what about Kayda?"
"What about her, Yuuki? It's been maybe two days since she last rejuvinated. She has a long time before she's in any danger. The last time that happened she was separated from her summoner for almost a month."

"Then we should start now!"
"No, Yuuki. We should wait until we know what we're getting into. I have messengers dispatched to Bruschetta, Gallete, And Pastillage. If she's anywhere on the open road, they'll find her."

"Then what? She has Greta as a hostage!"
"I was going to ask you the same thing, Yuuki."

You blink at Annette, "Excuse me?"

"Let's say you go with everything you got, and you confront Clair. She has Greta as a hostage, and Clair has shown before that she knows how to escape when cornered. What are you going to do at that point? Hope you can wrestle Greta out of her arms?"

"No, that's not what I-!"

"-Which is why, you should wait until everyone else is ready to fight before you go grab Amaretti's airship and fly off."

"I don't even know where to look, why would I-"
"Bruschetta." Anna states, plainly. "She's hiding in Bruschetta, if Aligot is correct."

You blink, you weren't expecting them to already know.

"So, now that I've told you that, you're not going to go running off after her, right?"

>I'll think about it.
>No, I'm going to go get other people so we can go running off after her.
>..Maybe you're right.
>I'm gonna get breakfast, first.
>I'll think about it.
>Other?

Brief thread interlude: Next week I have the whole week off. I hope to get a TON of story done during that week. Is that okay with everyone?

Uh oh, did I kill the thread?

>>832410
>..Maybe you're right.
>I'm gonna get breakfast, first.

>>832410
>I'll think about it.
>I'm gonna get breakfast, first.
>how did Aligot discover that?

File: Spoiler Image (652 KB, 600x835)

652 KB JPG

"..I'll think about it."

Anna continues to stare at you, arms crossed.
You just know that if you don't go along with this, you're at least going to get a talking to.

"Maybe you're right."
"Great! That's a start! So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm gonna-"

Then you feel it, that feeling that you haven't eaten all day.

Or yesterday.

You forgot to eat for two whole days, and you're just noticing right now.

"-I'm gonna get breakfast, first."
"Great! That's a great idea! I'll join you for it, even!"

"But after this, we get to work. I want to know how Aligot discovered that."

"Sure, sure." Anna waves you off, gently. "It won't be a problem. It's actually kind of interesting. Let's talk about it over breakfast."

--

You are so glad Anna stopped you.
This food; it's not like normal when you just feel a little hungry.

You feel really hungry.
You feel hungrier than you could have imagined.

It's funny how just distracting your mind for just a little bit can make you forget about something so important to your body.

Deep down, you wonder if this feeling isn't also shared by Kayda right now. You didn't see her on the way in, but you know she's around somewhere.

"Geez, Yuuki."
"What?"

Anna picks up a napkin, and gets uncomfortably close to your face. Lightly, she dabs your mouth.
"Anna! I'm not ten."
"No, but you're just so cute." Anna sets the napkin down. "You're eating like a beast who has never ate before."

"That's not-"
Your eye twitches, and you slowly look over your shoulder.

Dorje was standing at the end of the table when that exchange happened. His face has a light blush on it, and his jaw is agape.

"W-what are you looking at?" Anna suddenly sound defensive, "What did you see?! Why are you blushing?"
"Nothing! No reason! I just, Uh, I had a question and I was worried I might be interrupting something, so I'll just be leaving-"
"What did you think you were interrupting?!" Anna seems ferocious.

You think about what just happened, and how that looked from Dorje's perspective.
Then, you start blushing slightly.

>It's not what that looked like!
>U- Uh! Dorje! What brings you here?
>No need to panic! It was nothing. It just looked weird, that's all.
>Keep eating!
>Let Anna deal with the obnoxious boy!
>Other?

>>833105
>U- Uh! Dorje! What brings you here?
>Keep eating!

>>833105
>U- Uh! Dorje! What brings you here?
>No need to panic! It was nothing. It just looked weird, that's all.
>Keep eating!

>>833105
>Keep eating!

File: Dorje_2.png (341 KB, 600x660)

341 KB PNG

"U-uh, Uh! Dorje! What brings you here?!"
You say that just a bit too loudly, and you do the only thing you can do right now that makes you seem inconspicuous.
You eat.

You eat a lot.

Anna starts lecturing the young boy on not spying on other people and their conversations.
The whole time, he has a crimson blush on his face that only continues to get redder.

Which is just as well, because you've finished your food.

"Anna." You sigh, "What brings you here, Dorje?"

"I had a question, Aligot told me that you were thinking of going back to Bruschetta to find Clair, right?"
Anna coughs, "I told Aligot not to say anything, because I didn't want a bunch of people running off in hopes of stumbling upon her."


"But I want to go with you! I know you're planning to go after Clair, so I want to help, too!" Dorje seems extra pushy, all of the sudden.
"How did Aligot find where Clair was hiding, anyway?" You try to change the subject.

"Apparently he learned from a colleague of that Detective you met last night. He did some magic circle math, and came up with a location of where the wine would have taken you if you drank it. That's going to be our first place to look."

"Oh, are there several places?" Dorje seems excited.

"More than that, but we're not going to be rushing in." Anna shuts him down. "We're going to get some rest, try to get all the heroes together, and make a plan. Right, Yuuki?"

You grumble; you don't like that Anna is putting you on the spot like this, but she does seem to know far more about this than you do.
"Right."

"There we go!"

"So, uh, in the meantime, are we gonna try to get Jack up or find Kayda or something?"

"Why would we have to get Jack up?" You ask, confused. "He's already up, right?"
"Nope. I knocked on his door, and no answer."

That's not good; he usually wakes up before you.

"Wait, what do you mean 'find Kayda'?"

"Oh, Kayda was talking with Aligot earlier, she told Louise she was going to town and stepped out about an hour ago. Why? Is that a bad thing?"

You slap your forehead. You're starting to understand why Jack decided to stay in bed this morning.

>Thread Pause

File: 1410554422981.gif (1.09 MB, 480x270)

1.09 MB GIF

Okay everyone, sorry for the delays between posts. Had kind of a bad night, here.

But that's okay! We will continue either tomorrow or Thursday. Give me sometime to decide that.

Also, I'll be off for all of next week. Let me know what you think of me going really story-heavy during that time so we can get this arc finished.

Thanks!

>>833923
I might be late to the threads (like today), but I'll be here any day you want to run.

>>833923
I keep missing the first day of the thread, but sure, it would be very nice for you to run a lot during the week.

So how are we doing thus far, anyway?

File: Kayda_1.png (293 KB, 648x906)

293 KB PNG

Bruschetta.
She's hiding in Brushetta.

You don't have many places to look, but you at least have a location now! A place to start.

That was all you wanted in the first place, was a place to start looking.

You are Wihikayda, but most people just call you 'Kayda'. You're the former-hero of your kidnapped summoner, Greta of Konditorei.
Today, you're going to get her back.

It was no small feat distracting Louise long enough for you to slip away. Not to mention it wasn't easy getting clear answers out of Aligot (that man can talk about nothing for hours).
Not to mention leaving without anyone going to wake up Jack or Yuuki.

Oh right, Jack and Yuuki. They're going to be mad when they figure out that you left without them.
-But who cares! They should have known that you would go after your summoner. You're sure that they're not far behind. They just have to organize, or talk, or waste time, or do whatever those stupid adults do when there is something important to be done.

You don't care!
What matters is finding Greta.

Bruschetta. You could get there in a little under half a day by sprinting. Having mythical strength and speed has its advantages.
Or- you could get there in a few hours by finding an airship. You know of a shipyard not too far from here that you visited once. It was the place you were first captured!

You could also hitch a ride with some traveling merchants. That might take a few days getting there, but at the very least it would be the thing that no one suspected.

You're standing in Biscotti's town square now, with a cloak draped over your shoulders. You think this is probably enough for someone not to immediately spot you and try to drag you back to the castle.

You say 'Try', but anyone trying right now would get turned into a ball.

>Visit the shipyard, 'Borrow' an airship.
>Let's 'borrow' some camping gear and make haste for Bruschetta!
>Ask the merchants if anyone is leaving for Bruschetta, tonight.
>Maybe there's another way there, like maybe, someone you could tap for a ride.
>Oh forget it, you would probably screw everything up anyway..
>Other?

>>838471
>Visit the shipyard, 'Borrow' an airship.

>>838471
>Visit the shipyard, 'Borrow' an airship.

So we're going to be actual airship pirates now, then?

>>838471
>Visit the shipyard, 'Borrow' an airship.
>But try more legitimate avenues first, surely someone would do a hero a favor?

>>838501
Wouldn't we be better off keeping it a secret, though?

File: Kayda_sad.jpg (91 KB, 564x473)

91 KB JPG

There's no mistaking it.
You need to get an airship. You need something that will get you there long before anyone suspects that you may be on the way to fight Clair.

That's the problem with Yuuki and Jack; they want to get a whole bunch of people involved. If the last month should have been any clue to them; it should be that they can't trust anyone. There's probably someone watching both of them right now.
You're not going to give Clair the chance to run again. You're going to sneak right up on her and give her exactly what you wanted to give her!

Oh, the thought of her squirming and crying as you bash your rifle against her head just gives you goosebumps!

Stop, stop, wait.
Surely, there must be someone willing to give a hero a ride, right?

Surely.

You just have to find the right person to ask.
And- if that fails, you just have to find the right person to 'ask'.

..
Atsuko may have been right about one thing. Jack could very well be a poor influence on you.

--

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T HELP?!"
"'ey, Sorry Lass."

The shipyard's engineer sits upon the remnants of an old ship's stem. You can tell he's been hard at work pretty much all of today.

"-But we got no ships needin' test flyin' today and certainly not to Brushetta, and the only other ship ain't ours no more. It belongs to some fella named 'Jack' who apparently is in the Biscotti Navy. Neva' heard of 'im, myself." The engineer stands up, some of his joints pop, "Frankly, I think it'sn alias for someone important."

You blink, "R-right, well. I AM a hero of Konditorei, and I could offer a handsome payment for a one-way ride to Bruschetta! Official hero business, and stuff!"
Gently, as to not reveal how irritated you are, you try to smile.

"'Ey that's sweet n all." The gruff man coughs, "But if yous need a ferry, there are plenty a merchants and caravans headin' to Bruschetta every day. You could get 'here by noon Friday if you track one down leavin' town now."

This is NOT what you were wanting to hear!

"Y-know, maybe if you find this Jack guy, you could ask 'im to give you a ride."

No, no, that's not happening.

>Cont.

File: Red.Dragon.full.1076151.jpg (263 KB, 1200x1292)

263 KB JPG

"..Could you show me this airship? I want to know which one I'm talking about if I go find Jack."
"Ya, of course."

He leads you over to the 'pit' where they apply finishing to assembled airships. At least, that's what he calls it.
Inside, there is a pristine vessel of almost immaculate conception. A white airship with gold trim.
..It looks gaudy. How can anyone paint it that color? It's like a giant cloud with some tasteless trinkets attached.

"Ooh!" You feign interest, "can you show me aboard?!"
"Aye, sure. Come on."

He takes you to the gangplank, and leads you to the deck. You notice that there's really only one mooring keeping the thing on the ground.

"Anything else ye want to see?"
"Uh! yes! Over there! Is that a spot your crew forgot to paint?"

He turns to the bow, and walks slowly toward the tip of the ship.
"I don't see any-"
POOF

With a whack, a tiny animal ball slowly tumbles off the ship.
You quickly take out your rifle and smack the tie-off on the hull. The rope uselessly falls off the ship, and you make a beeline for the bridge.

You're presented with several differnt controls, levers, pulleys, and a big wheel. Fortunately! There's an easy-to-reference companion nailed right above the big wheel with lots of important-looking facts and logs.

Unfortunately, of all the things Clair taught you, reading was not one of them.

>Pull the lever!
>Spin the wheel!
>What does this pulley do?
>How about these switches?
>How about that button?
>Just try everything!
>Maybe you should go 'find' someone to help you fly this thing.
>Other?

>Try everything!
And hope it doesn't explode.

>>838593
>>Maybe you should go 'find' someone to help you fly this thing.

>>838593
>Maybe you should go 'find' someone to help you fly this thing.

Sorry about that.

>Maybe you should go 'find' someone to help you fly this thing!

Writing!

>>838804
Saying we're there on behalf of Jack for an air of authenticity should be doable. It's as obvious as our ears that we're one of the heroes, anyway.

>>838804
Hope it wasn't anything bad that interfered?

>>838824
I like this idea.

File: 0d8570d6b4aaf93930c7648a0(...).jpg (358 KB, 840x595)

358 KB JPG

Okay, so, this lever connects to that, which connects to-
Oh! this button.

Quickly, you tap this button, and you're off!

..

Nothing happened.

Okay. So, then, you'll pull this lever, and you'll be off!

The machine lurches several inches, but refuses to leave the ground.

So, so in that case! That means that the wheel has to spin. If the wheel spins, that must-!

No, no, that just makes the craft lurch back to where it was.


Okay, you don't know what you're doing.
You need someone to help.
Some-
Someone who is skilled at flying airships.

Think, who else can fly an airship besides Jack?

Someone.
Anyone..

--

You push the door of the bar open, and step inside.
Several patrons notice you enter, but none dare to say anything.

Your eyes scan the barroom and the stools. The person you're looking for has to be here somewhere.

Granted, you've only met her once, but you know she's here someplace.
Until, you spot that locke of black hair slumped over a table.

Quickly, you stride to her table and pull up a chair. Her face slowly picks up from the wooden surface.
"What do you want?" it rudely confronts you.

"You're that pilot Amaretti has, right? The one who helped Jack a couple of months ago?"
Her head lays back onto the table, "I don't give tours, kid. Go away."

"You fly airships, though. I need someone to help me fly an airship to Bruschetta. It's important hero business! I'm with Jack."

"Maybe you didn't hear me." The pilot lifts her head, and glares at you, "I don't give tours, and I'm done dealing with heroes! The last time I dealt with that 'Jack' guy, my ship was almost torn to pieces and I almost fell to my death!"

She continues furrowing her brow, and you continue glaring at her.

>Fly me to Bruschetta or you might have bigger things to worry about than falling to your death.
>Fly me to Bruschetta and I'll pay you.
>At least show me how to fly.
>Jack is in trouble, and if you don't do this then Biscotti will be mad at you!
>Grab her whether she wants to help or not.
>Other?

>>839013
>Ah that's a shame. Ah well. Guess I'll just go and get all the other heroes.
>You take good care of your tail, right? Cody really likes playing with those.

Or something, I dunno.

So unless anyone has any other idea, this is what we're going with, then?
Anyone got any problem with my suggestion?

>>839013
>At least show me how to fly.
>Jack is in trouble, and if you don't do this then Biscotti will be mad at you!

>>839013
>Calmly explain that we aren't in a rush or off to an attack, we're not Jack and not going to cause problems.

File: Kayda.jpg (361 KB, 819x1400)

361 KB JPG

"Listen! Jack is in trouble, and if you don't do this then Biscotti will be mad at you!"
"Let them." The pilot lays her head on the table, "I'm sick of this hellhole, anyway."

Darn! okay. Let's try something else.

"At least show me how to fly?"
"Do you want two practical weeks of flight school, or just the five-day rundown?" She raises her head from the table, "Either ways, it would take you less time to get there by carriage than it would be for me to show you."

You start to get frustrated.
How hard is it to get someone to just fly you to Bruschetta? Surely, it can't be any worse than-

Worse than-

You just got an idea.

"Oh well." You pop up from the table, and stretch your arms. "I guess if you won't help me, then I'll find someone you will help."
"Go ahead." She mumbles.

"Oh really? That's a real shame. I guess I'll just go get all the other heroes, then you'll have to deal with them instead of just me."

Her head perks up, "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you'll say no to a little girl, but good luck saying no to Jack or Yuuki, or-"

You smile, and nod at her.
"Cody."

"What was that?"

"Yeah, you heard me right. I'll go get Cody right now and have him make you fly me there." You smile, "I'm sure you've had more than enough of him by now, after all, he is the hero of your nation. I'm sure you've felt his grubby hands all over your tail and-"

"Okay, stop! Wait. Don't get Cody."

"Oh? Why not?"
"Listen! If you get Cody then Pastillage will get involved, then I HAVE to fly him on our airship, and that's not good. Never good!"

"Well, if it's so bad, why don't you just take me then?"
"Because you're not-"
"I'm not what? Important enough? I'm not in a rush or off to attack. I'm not Jack and I'm not going to cause problems."

Your smile widens, "But what about Cody? Do you think he would cause you more problems than I would?"

She frowns, "This is torture, you know that, right?"
"I don't care!" You smirk, "Just fly me to Bruschetta! It will be like you never left!"

"I don't-"
"Fine, I'll get Cody."

"-uh, I was going to say! I don't think I was doing anything else today anyway."
"That's the spirit!" You grab her by the hand, and make for the exit, "Let's go!"
"What about my tab?"
"Who cares?"

--

"Hey, I don't see any of the staff who are usually on-duty?"
"Who cares? Hurry! Hurry! Let's go!"

"Also, where's that engineer who is always nosing around here? I thought he practically lived here."
"Haven't seen him! Move!" You continue to order the pilot closer to the airship.

"Hey! You haven't even told me which part of Bruschetta we're going! It's a big country! Many times bigger than Biscotti!"

>I'll figure that out when we take off!
>I don't know, Aligot gave several places I should look first and I don't know where any of them are, maybe you do.
>The Capitol
>The 'Villas', whatever that means
>The Hinterlands. I don't know what those are.
>South villages
>Just pick one and go, your guess is as good as mine!
>Other?

>>839587
Well hey, that worked pretty well!

>>839587
>I don't know, Aligot gave several places I should look first and I don't know where any of them are, maybe you do.
Just explain we have a list of places to check, have her relate where they are and how we can check them out in faster order. If she can taxi us from one to the next, all the better. Offer to sweeten the deal somehow if necessary.

>>839628
Could always offer her some connection with royalty?
She's got heroes riding along, sure, but having the ear of the leadership could be worth alot if she was clever about it.

>I don't know, Aligot gave several places I should look first and I don't know where any of them are, maybe you do.

>>839635
Rather than making offers of specific things, offer her a favor of her asking that we can probably pull off.

>>839650
Alright now that sounds interesting...

>>839655
Between us and all the other heroes, there's plenty of strings to pull. Also... there was the matter of that silver.

>>839667
Well, problem is, this girl doesn't like the heroes because crazy shit keeps happening around them.

>>839716
There's a big difference between being in their immediate area of shenanigans, and benefiting from a favor a couple steps removed.

>>839735
Well, I guess.

File: Kayda_2.jpg (141 KB, 1000x850)

141 KB JPG

"I don't know." You grumble, "Aligot gave me several places I should look first, and I don't know where any of them are."

You take her up to the bridge, and let her examine the controls.
"So..-"

"So. I was hoping you would know something about this place."

"I probably don't, it's not like I get to-"
"Cmoon! I'll give you special connections with Royalty."

She looks at you, unamused, "Why would I want that? I just want my apprenticeship to be over."
"Maybe it would go faster if you had connections!"

"That might be illegal, also sit down."

"Why? What's going to- WOH!"

With a jolt, the craft shifts upward, and starts to ascend.

You almost avoid falling on your butt. Almost.
Gently, you stand to your feet as the pilot directs the craft east-ward. Slowly, it starts to sail.

"At the very least, I hope this doesn't take too long." The pilot sighs, "Bruschetta is big, and I don't want to spend-"

Suddenly, the pilot leaves her post, and peers over the side.
"Hey, that's a lot of guards coming into the shipyard, is there a fire or something?"

Slowly, you feel beads of sweat form on your brow.
"Nope!"

"You sure? They seem to be flooding the place. Did we miss something?"

"Probably not!"

"Huh, that's weird." The pilot returns to her post. "I wonder why they're upset."
"Oh! Probably some ruffian hiding out somewhere." You laugh, "But, let's not think about it."

That's right, let's not think about how angry they'll be when you get back.

>Thread Pause

File: 1410553588286.gif (385 KB, 848x480)

385 KB GIF

Okay, sorry to do this but thread pause until either Friday or Saturday. Maybe Saturday.

I'm tired.

Everyone have a nice night and let me know what you think of it so far.

See you then.

>>840266
This isn't going to help with her apprentiship, I think. Better tell them we had her at gunpoint.

>>840270
I like it thus far.

File: 1c95b657996121e85ca7bc19c(...).jpg (739 KB, 688x800)

739 KB JPG

>>840270
I like it, even though I never can participate due to work.

File: Kayda_sleepy.jpg (213 KB, 1500x1246)

213 KB JPG

It's cold.
Way colder up here than you expected.

You didn't understand why the pilot was wearing a fur-lined coat several minutes ago.
Now, you do.

You are Wihikayda, the extremely-cold hero of Konditorei. You finally did it; you managed to slip away from the other troublemakers who were refusing to let you go search for your summoner.
Now, your summoner is so close that you can almost feel it.
If you had any feeling in any of your fingers, that is.

"Why is it so cold?!" You yell, grasping at your shoulders.

"..That's how it is, up here." The pilot glances over her shoulder. "If you're cold, you can hide out in the cabin."

That's how it is?! It's winter up here, all the time?!

"..I think I'll do that. Remember, Bruschetta."
"Yeah, yeah."

You head downstairs into the cabin, and while it's much warmer; it's still not warm enough to justify not wearing a coat.

This sucks.
Flying sucks.
People were never meant to fly.

You sit down in the barren office downstairs. Apparently, they were meant to add furniture or something to make this place an actual ship.
It's just, that furniture was apparently never installed.

It's just an empty room in a creaking vessel sailing through the breeze.

You're cold.

"This SUCKS." You say to nobody.
Though, it did feel cathartic to state, nonetheless.

"I just want Greta back, is that so hard?"

..
Your eyelids slowly start to close to the slow hum of the airship's mechanics.
Maybe, maybe you just need to take a break.

--

"Hey, Kayda. I have a question, Kayda!"

..

"-Do you even like Greta? You barely know her. She's the wallflower who sleeps in the same bed as you. She never talks to you, and you know she's anchored to that maid. Do you think she even wants to be rescued?"

>Go away, disembodied voice in my head.
>-Of course she does.
>I want to rescue her, that's good enough for me.
>I have no other choice!
>I don't like her that much..
>Other?

>>847237
> i don't mind her, and it'll piss off the maid. Plus she'll probably enjoy being more than a political pawn

>>847237
>She was nice.
>Plus, it's what you want, and Jack and the others say that's what's important
>Would piss off that maid, which is another plus.

>>847237
>I want to rescue her, that's good enough for me.
Fuck tell me we aren't still possessed.

>>847293
...Well fuck didn't think of that.
Uh if so, can we get rid of this?

>>847303
Well it doesn't seem debilitating, but we should probably mention it to an appropriate adult when we get back.

Hope Announcer is doing ok...

File: Spoiler Image (479 KB, 1400x2400)

479 KB JPG

She was nice.
And I want to rescue her.
That's a good enough reason, right?
She was the only person who was nice to you in that wretched hellhole.

Greta may be the only one worth saving in all of Konditorei.

Besides, finding her will make the maid angry.

Making the maid angry feels like the right thing to do.

Do you need another reason than that?

"Are you sure she even wants to be rescued?"

Of course you are.
Because, you see, Greta would enjoy being herself more than being a political pawn.
She just doesn't realize it yet. She's never lived outside of someone's care, and that someone has never given her the freedom to expand. The freedom to live!

That's what you wanted someday.

Maybe.

You're not entirely sure, yet.

You just-

--

"HEY, YOU!" The pilot yells rudely in the door, you jump awake from your sleep. "We're almost in Bruschetta. What do you want to do? They might see the airship if I try to fly you to those places you told me about."

>Fly over and I'll jump off the side over the first point.
>Let's land at town, I'll get some info, and then we can hit them one at a time
>Try landing somewhere nearby. I don't want them getting suspicious.
>Actually, I'm not even sure where I'm going, so it's up to you.
>Other?

>>848233
what the hell is that pic?!

>>848233
>>Try landing somewhere nearby. I don't want them getting suspicious.
Oh and, ah, voting for this.

>>848233
>Fly over and I'll jump off the side over the first point.

>>848370
Don't want to try stealth?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Sorry about that.

1. Try landing somewhere nearby
2. Fly over and jump off

Writing!

Well, I'm heading off for the night. Thanks for running, Announcer!

File: a477dba93cd289c699c09359d(...).jpg (421 KB, 500x863)

421 KB JPG

"Ah- well-"

You think about what would be the best option.
You're CERTAIN that Clair probably has spies. So going to town is right out.
Not to mention that she is probably keeping a close lookout for anyone who may be trying to follow her.

So, what to do?
You could jump from the side of the ship. You've fallen farther and were just fine, for the most part.
Or, you could just land a safe distance away and try to surprise her.

Land, or jump. Land, or jump, land or-

"Oh for- Just make a decision already!" The pilot yells, "We don't have all day!"
"Fine! Fly low and I'll jump, Wait! No! Just land somewhere nice and I'll walk. Wait! Maybe I should jump, maybe-"

"I'm just gonna land over there and you can walk the rest of the way."

You blink, "Sounds good, I guess?"

The craft slowly creaks as it starts its descent toward the Earth.

--

"Why is it still cold?!"

"What, didn't you know?" The pilot is smirking, "Bruschetta is cold for most of the year. It's called the country of evergreens for a reason."

"OhhhHHH THIS SUCKS!" You yell.

"Ah, don't worry about it, kid. Just put on some winter clothes."

You tilt your head.
"Winter clothes?"

"Yeah, surely you packed for this, right? Even if you don't have something warm, you can just wear a couple extra layers of clothes."

You suddenly feel just a bit colder than before.

"..Well, surely you packed some food. Right? Just eat something, and you'll warm up in no time."

Strange, you feel a tad colder, now.

"...Did you plan for this, at all?"

"Yes! well, no. Well. I plan to kick someone's face in, does that count?"
"You went to another country and you didn't even pack food. Or clothes." The pilot sighs.

"It's not that I didn't think about it, it's just that I thought I wouldn't be here long enough to need them!"

"Look. Here's what I'm going to do." The pilot takes off her fur-lined coat, and hands it to you. "Wear this."
"R-really?!"

You slide the coat over your back, and notice that it's really big on you.
"It's just a loan!" She huffs, "Don't rip it, and try not to get it dirty. I'm going to go to a village not too far from here that I usually stop at and get some camping supplies. When this is over, I expect Biscotti or the heroes or whoever is funding you to reimburse me for every single cent."

"R-right, sure. Whatever that means."

"Okay, then. It will take me an hour, but I think I can get some good stuff. Try not to get the airship involved in any fights."

Right, keep the airship out of trouble. That seems important.

>You're on the ground, what now?

>Toward the villas on the hill, maybe someone saw something.
>Follow the pilot into town. You can ask questions there.
>Toward the river, where else would a bad guy hang out than the bank of a river?
>The forested hills. That seems like a good place for Clair to set up an ambush if she was expecting someone.
>Other?

>Either ways, roll 1d100, best of three.

>>849145
Thanks for playing. Have a nice night.

Sorry it's gone slower than I expected. I've had a lot of hangups tonight. That's what happens to me on Saturdays.

>>849155
Hope it's nothing too serious.

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>849150
Oh and, well, while I'm here...

>>849181
...Shit that wasn't good.
Anyway, heading off now.

Good luck everyone!

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>849150

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>849150
>Toward the villas on the hill, maybe someone saw something.

>>849208
I'm retarded, I forgot to put in an option
>Toward the villas on the hill, maybe someone saw something.

>>849164
Nah, it's just Saturday.

>>849208
Checked.

>Toward the villas on the hill, maybe someone say something

Writing!

Rolled 95 (1d100)

File: Kannon.Ouji.full.141564.jpg (173 KB, 600x800)

173 KB JPG

The pilot smiles, and turns to the path leading to the village.
"One more thing," she turns to point at you, "Don't get lost in the woods. It's easy to get lost here when it gets dark. It's just miles of Pine trees without any real distinguishing features."

"R-right." You mumble, "I'll try not to get lost."

"See you soon." She continues down the forest path, and you turn toward your destination.

There are some villas up the hill that you saw when you were landing. That might be a good place to check first. If there was anything suspicious going on; you would suspect that the rich people in town would be the first to know about it.

The rich folk always keep an eye on things. You're sure they would have some idea if Clair was in the neighborhood or not.

It wouldn't surprise you.

You walk up the embankment, and survey your options.
Four dwellings stand atop the hill. There are several more down the way, but these are a good place to start.

Or-

You feel the little hairs on your neck stand up. Immediately you spin around!
Your eyes scan the treeline, and you are extra cautious to double-check the path you just came down.

You're not sure what, but something was just spying on you!
Did Clair figure it out already? How?!

You had not been here but ten minutes tops, but you're already being stalked by someone.
Great.

Clair must be either extremely paranoid or more on top of her game than ever.

That's a disturbing prospect.

Then again, you haven't done anything she did not specify in her letter.
She said come alone, and she said only bring one hero. So if she's following you, then at the very least she isn't going to try and disappear.
You hope.

Speaking of hope, you're quickly starting to lose much of it as you veer back and forth from house to house.

What comes to no surprise, the maids here aren't very friendly either.

"Hello?" You stand under the loft of the third house you encounter.
"We aren't an orphanage, and we don't do charity, go away." A maid immediately tries to close the door on your face.

"Wait! Stop!" You effortlessly hold the door ajar. "Listen, I'm looking for someone, it's a maid named Clair from Konditorei, maybe you've heard of her?"
"I have not, good day."

With that, the door shuts.
This is going to be tough.

Okay, fourth house, last house. Then you'll have to find another place to look.

The door is immediately opened before you can even knock on it.
"Hello!" You smile at the much older maid who has answered the door, "I was-"
"I've seen you visiting every house, and I have the same answer." She frowns, "It's too early in the season for free soup, and you should know this. Away, Urchin."

"No! Wait! I'm not homeless! I'm looking for someone."
"I can assure you that-"

"Stop."

>Cont.

File: moonlit_wilderness.png (750 KB, 1137x900)

750 KB PNG

You hear a less harsh voice from inside.
An older woman approaches the door, and bows.

"Apologies, young lady. May I have your name?"
"Kayda." You state, "I'm a hero from Konditorei, and I've been working with Yuuki Kuschinashi. I was searching for an outlaw. Maybe you could help?"

"Nothing ever changes in his part of the country." She smiles, "But I had suspected someone may come by and ask about that. You see, there is one thing that has changed recently. Maybe you'd be interested in it."

She gestures for you to come inside, and the maid is right behind her. You follow her to the foyer, and then to a large grand hall! This hall is larger than even the hall inside of Biscotti's castle!
Amazing!

She carefully approaches the bay windows, and gently peels back the curtains.
You gaze out the window, and the old lady points downhill.

There's an ordinary looking house by the cobblestone path down the way. It didn't really stand out to you until she pointed to it.

"That house." She starts, gulping. "Was not there two months ago."
You blink, two months? Surely, it would take longer to build a house of that size.

"I tried telling everyone about that house. The guard, my neighbors, I even sent a letter to the castle. Nobody believed me that the house just sprang up from the ground overnight. The only reason I noticed is because it is sitting right on the place my husband and I went on our first date."

"Two months."
What happened two months ago?
That's right, that was the month that Jack captured you. That was the same month as the wedding.

"None of the architects know anything about that building, none of the laborers or carpenters ever recall working on it. It just appeared one day. I didn't expect someone chasing an outlaw to show up, but maybe you could go have a look."

This is it. That has to be it.

It has to be.

>Thread Pause

File: 1408684973153.gif (1.9 MB, 480x270)

1.9 MB GIF

Okay, pause for the night. I will pick back up tomorrow

See you then!

>>850650
...Well, here we go then.

>This 4chan pass has expired.

Damn it.
Just damn it.

Also I'm running out of relevant images for this thread.

Next post right after this.

File: 42470354.jpg (651 KB, 600x944)

651 KB JPG

Calling it a 'house' is an understatement.

Maybe even calling it a 'mansion' is an understatement.

Either ways, it's the creepy house that the old lady was talking about.
Inside, is either Greta and Clair, or another cryptic note.

You're getting close.

A part of you wants to rush in right now and just bash everything to pieces, but another part of you wants to wait for an adult.
You're so conflicted.

No, no. The correct way is to assess the situation! Don't be like Jack, is what Yuuki usually tells you.
She's right, and this one time you think you're going to listen to her advice.

You circle carefully around the structure and see if there are any places you can maybe sneak into the building.

Okay, there's an ash pit below the house that you could probably crawl to. You'll put that as a 'maybe' considering that you would have to go belly-down through jet-black powder to get there. There's a porch on the second floor you could jump to.

Then, there's the front door.

You peek in one of the windows to see if you could possibly glance any activity from inside.
There is clearly someone living here.

Your eyes scan through what appears to be a kitchen, and it's clear whoever inside has just ate a meal.
You sniff around the window.

Grits and onions.
That's the same stuff that Clair used to cook when you were out on the road.

She's not being very subtle.

Then again, you're not even sure if she's in the room.

How should you approach this?

>Raid the front door. The faster you rush in, the more off-guard Clair will be.
>Sneak in through the second floor.
>Back off for now. You're not sure who was following you.
>Break a window
>Through the ash-pit.
>Other?

>>853547
>Sneak in through the second floor.

>>853547
>Sneak in through the second floor.

>>853547
>>Sneak in through the second floor.

>>853539
What's that mean for you?

Hi, I'm back, sorry, I fell asleep at my keyboard.

>>854108
>What's that mean for you?
Well, I haven't really told much of how I was running for the past two years.
What I did, because I was having extremely flaky internet problems: was get an Amazon EC2 instance and run the quest from that. It works out great, because if my connection goes down, my progress is somewhere that lets me swap to another device or another computer and just continue where I left off. Not to mention that it means I can run from work, run from home, run from waffle house, run from basically anywhere and the work environment would be exactly the same. I would have all my pictures and progress and my IP address wouldn't have changed. No having to figure out a way to run from my phone or tablet.

That is, until 4chan blocked EC2 late last year. It was actually one year to today, because that's when I got a 4chan pass to bypass the block.

So now, my work environment can't post. I'm posting from my home computer right now. It's not a big concern, but it means that I won't be running from just anywhere for a while. I need to either decide to just drop the whole scheme I was using and just run quest like a normal person in the missionary position or renew my pass.
The past year hasn't given me a lot of drive to give money to 4chan for the obvious reasons. It's done the opposite, even.

But I think in the end I'll probably break down and renew my pass.

File: Spoiler Image (398 KB, 800x800)

398 KB PNG

You figure that your best course of action at this point is to try and sneak in through the second floor. Clair probably won't see you coming, and even if she's setting up a trap, it probably won't be on the top-most floor.

That's a good of a place to start as any.

With a hop; you land firmly on the elevated porch.
Your heels gently clack against the wooden surface, and you hit the floor.

Without drawing a single breath; you wait to see if you hear any movement in the house or around your footing.

The coast seems clear.

Gently, you approach the door, and slide it open. Clair didn't even lock this balcony. Which is a pretty silly move considering that she knows that you can jump this high.

Speaking of which, she knows that Jack can jump this high, too.
..Wait, so if she knows Jack can jump this high, why did she leave the door unlocked?

You suddenly have the tiny hairs on the neck stand up again.
She knew you would target this floor. Plus, she must know you would find this house.

This is another setup.

You open the door and walk inside.
The second floor looks much more organized than the first floor. Which makes sense, how many floors do Greta and Clair really need to themselves?

Just to be sure, you make a quick scan of the top floor and then proceed down the stairs.

This is the part that chills you to the bone. The part where you're descending into the blackened depths of the manor.
The hairs on your neck stand at attention, once again.

A cold chill blows in, and causes the curtains to sway.

You're too late, the front door is wide open.

Quickly, almost as a reflex, you punch yourself in the leg.

That is, until you look outside the swinging door.

There she is. There's Clair.
You don't see Greta anywhere.

>This is a dumb trap! Don't even give her the time of day.
>Yell at her from here.
>Try not to cry.
>Run right at her with your rifle out!
>Other?

>>854398
>This is a dumb trap! Don't even give her the time of day.

>>854398
Don't suppose we could use superhuman senses or something to notice if this is a trap?

>>854481
You could roll for perception if you would like. It would just be a 'stop and try to assess the situation' roll.

If you want to, 1d100, best of three.

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>854486
Well, sure.

>>854500
Man why do I bother...

Because I messed up and waited so long, I may have to continue tomorrow. It's later than I thought.

I didn't mean to fall asleep! I'm sorry!

Let's see if we can find two other people to roll, and if not I'll stop for the night and pick up where we left off tomorrow.

>>854505
It was a good effort!

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>854486

That 68 totally passes the DC, but I'm going to call it here because it is midnight.

I will continue tomorrow. Hopefully we will still be around to at least finish up this thread. We're close! We're really close.
See you then.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>854486
Lets try once more and see if we can do better.

>>854756
Still passes the DC

Also, I hope to have an answer as to how to fix my EC2 woes by sometime next week.

I would post the same image I normally would when thread pause, but it's so big my flaky connection can't post it. Yet another one of the advantages of running from EC2: Instant posts with even my 3+MB images.

>>854770
Hope things work out man.

File: 0e99b40b37c81516fa7e7cb09(...).png (427 KB, 800x1100)

427 KB PNG

You freeze in place, and try not to move.
Your eyes are locked on hers. She's not moving an inch.

This is another one of her dumb traps! You just know it!

She's expecting you to just walk right outside and then something is going to grab you!
Well, you're not having any part of it!

She blinks as you close the door. Then, you set to work trying to see if you can find the trick she's trying to pull on you.

You walk around the inside of the house, and peek out of every window.

No one is standing on the north side.
No one is standing on the east, or west side.

Clair is on the south side.

Okay, she's in the road, and that means that it would be hard for someone to sneak up on you.

Great! You're making a good start.

Okay, so, you do not see anyone in the road, and you don't see anyone on top of the house.

That must mean that whoever is waiting with Clair is waiting out in the woods.

So-

KNOCK KNOCK!

You nearly jump out of your skin.

"Kayda." You hear, ugh, HER voice outside. "Come outside so we can talk."

"No!" You yell at the door.

Then again, you're not entirely sure what to do right now. This is a very tough spot.

"Kayda." You hear her voice once more, "I'm glad you decided to come alone, like I asked you to. But you were not the person I was expecting. Did that Jack fellow put you up to this?"

"No!" You yell, once again.

"Because I addressed the letter to him, and you came in his stead. While I admire your bravery, you're being used like a tool."

>"And YOU DIDN'T USE ME LIKE A TOOL?"
>Don't say anything.
>"GIVE ME GRETA BACK AND I'LL LEAVE!"
>"I'm gonna come outside and beat you up!"
>Hide, she must be planning something
>Other?

>>856739
>"Don't worry, I'll have you meet Jack. And everyone else. Think they'll be really, really happy having your fluffball thing to deal with."
>Look around, is there any other way to get out of here?

Can we notice anyone else around?

>>856739
>>"And YOU DIDN'T USE ME LIKE A TOOL?"

>>856756
There's no one else around.

>Banter with Clair
>See if there's another way out

Writing!

Thread's gonna end soon I think.

>>857224
Nah, still some time.

I've been trying to get my EC2 instance working because it was SO MUCH MORE convenient than running here.

But I'm encountering problem after problem.

Next post almost up.

File: Dark_Woods2.jpg (484 KB, 1400x788)

484 KB JPG

"Oh don't worry, I'll be sure to bring you back to Jack as a fluffball!"

"That won't be necessary." Clair snidely replies, "You're not who I expected, but I can work with you."
"FAT CHANCE!" You yell back at the door. "There's no way I'm ever working with you again! Not after what you did to me!"

"Yes you will."

The fact she even thinks that you're going to cooperate brings your blood to a boil!

"You USED ME LIKE A TOOL!" You scream, "You turned me into a weapon for your stupid political games and you're gonna REGRET IT!"

You can't just stay here and keep yelling at Clair. You need to find a way out of here.
You need to find a way to put HER in a bad spot.

That's when you get an idea.

Quickly, you dart toward the stairs and climb up to the second floor.

Just as you remember, there's a window up here that overlooks the south side of the building. Right where Clair is standing.

Quickly, you take your rifle out.
Then, you jump straight through it!

SMASH!

Clair squeaks and covers her head, and you land right behind her with a thud!

That's when you raise your gun to your eyes and yell at her.


"Okay! Put your hands up!"

"Kayda, Kayda. I'm Unarmed."

"Give me one good reason not to just turn you into a ball and take you in right now!"

"I have the best reason, Kayda. Greta is alone right now, and she can't leave. She's left with no food, no water, and she's freezing." Clair crosses her arms. "If you take me in, she'll remain that way. So, why don't we have a talk?"

That bitch!
"Give me Greta and I will consider not destroying you before I get back to Biscotti."

"Lower the gun, and I will show you that Greta is safe."

>"No!"
>"Fine, this is how you want to play? I can play like this. I'm stronger, faster, and smarter than you! "
>What would Jack do?
>Lower the gun, but keep it at the ready.
>Other?

>>857282
>Or I can take you back with me. What do you think will happen if Jack sees me get sick when he's got you nearby to take his frustration out on?

Rolled 12 (1d100)

Ignore me~

>>857282
>Hit her in the face with the gun

>>857314
Actually yeah can we just fluffball her and gtfo to find the princess?
Preferably with something more quiet.

>>857312
By the way, hoping this is good for us...

You can totally hit her in the face and just take her with you.
Is that the consensus? Just hit her and worry about Greta when you find her?

>>857282
>Lower the gun, but keep it at the ready.
>Lead me to her or else.

I'm sure we can cause suffering without fluffballing.

Unrelated, but I think I'm going to just renew my pass. None of these methods are working.
I hate giving *you know who* money after the past year, but I'd like to finish my quest in peace, too.

>>857379
Could just shift the quest to somewhere else?

>>857373
Remember how not fluffballing screwed us?
And I don't think we can, with the whole barrier thing.

>>857381
Not really, because I started on 4chan and I'd like to end on 4chan, thank you.

I am highly against starting another quest here, but who knows what the future holds. I already got several quest ideas that I'm debating if they belong here or akun. Akun has kind of a stigma and I'm not sure how many of my readers would follow me there.

>>857373
No, it should end in suffering. Clair's suffering.

>>857386
Maybe, but we're in a bind here.

So 2 for Fluffing and 1 for not-fluffing?

Another thing I hate about not having the instance: posts randomly drop.

I'm guessing that means fluffing wins.

Next post almost done!

>>857495
Dang. Well she has to be close by, she wouldn't have let her starve if we never found the letter.

File: Dark_woods_cry.jpg (207 KB, 494x750)

207 KB JPG

"Or I can take you back with me."

"That wouldn't be a smart move." Clair sighs, "For one, I don't want to see Greta hurt, either. She's something that you and an entire nation of people could never find, so if you don't lower the gun, you will never see her-"

That's when you decide to lower the gun.

Right over her head.

She falls like a rock and bashes her head a second time against the floorboards of the porch.
Within an instant; Clair puffs into a ball.

That just leaves you, the Clair-ball, and the empty sound of silence.

You won; you think.

Clair is defeated, sure.
Greta is still out there.

It will probably take a couple of hours for Clair to return to normal. You think the mages at the castle could probably get her fixed up right away.

Maybe.

It's all a big maybe.

You're not sure of anything, anyomre.

Clair said herself, an entire nation of people wouldn't be able to find Greta.

Maybe you should have worked with her.

Maybe she was right.

No! No no nononono, no more second guessing. You can't second-guess right now.
You need to find Greta.

Clair may be heartless, but she's not dumb. She wouldn't seriously put Greta in any kind of actual harm, right? She's the princess after all.

Right?

>Thread End.

File: 1408793798236.jpg (96 KB, 1280x720)

96 KB JPG

Okay, sorry for the low post on this one. I guess I was just wearing down today.

I have tomorrow off. So expect it to start much earlier.

Which is a good thing, because I think starting too late is what kind of ruined tonight.

Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Let me know what you thought of the thread.

>>857662
Quality as always