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>>859259
>Bet it was those fucking bears or something. Do we have any magic to find where it went?

>>859259
>"Get my gun."
Nobody steals from a pirate.

By the way, hiya Announcer.
You doing ok?

>>859403
I'm doing fine, but I started REALLY LATE

I hope I can get a few good posts done before bed.

>>859417
Yeah, hope so as well.
Glad to hear you're doing good, tho.

>>859259
>>"Get my gun."

So we're going for getting Jack's gun then?

>>859516
Looks like, I mean it is the most JACK response among the standard ones. aside from having her get us a gun so we can steal another

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What follows is a string of swears that you're not entirely sure was appropriate to say in front of Yuuki.
Though, who cares, someone took your airship.

You bet it was those-
"-fucking good for nothing fleabitten BEARS. GET MY GUN, YUUKI."
"Uh, you're still wearing it, Jack."

"THEN GET ALIGOT. There has to be some kinda magic or somethin' to find where my ship went!"

"I don't know about-"
"Just ask 'im, okay?!"

"Fine, fine."

Yuuki leaves the room, and you get started suiting yourself up for war.
Quickly, you scour the room for your tools of choice. Your gun, your cutlass, your ring, your flask, your flask, your flask, your other flask, and-
You know, maybe taking that ring along that can talk to Clair would be a good idea, too.

You want to taunt her a bit, after all.

You grab your flask and set out the door. Quickly, you push past the maids and the idiot freeloaders from Gallete on your way to the library.
There is only one man who can help you now.

You barge in, and scare the eggheads pouring through books that seem to live here on Biscotti's dime. Your target is much more humble: the man in the back with Yuuki standing next to him bombarding him with questions.

"But where in Bruschetta did she say she was going?"
"The south portion, or maybe the east portion." Aligot mumbles, with his head against the desk. "I'm not sure which."

"Hey, what's going on? Do you know how to track my airship, Aligot?"

"No need, I'm pretty sure Kayda took it."

Kayda..?
"Why?"
"I screwed up, Jack." Aligot raises his head, and frowns, "I told Kayda where I thought Clair might be from my research last night. I think she found the fastest way there and slipped the guards I had watching her and Louise."

Damn it, Aligot.

"Who cares about that, just tell us where you think Clair was hiding!" Yuuki huffs.
"I think she was hiding in one of a few possible places. The wealthy villas on the south end, the Hinterlands to the east, or the-"

"It's the villas." Yuuki frowns, "C'mon Jack, let's go."

"How're ye so sure?"

"Because Konditorei, at one time, asked for an embassy in that part. We never approved one, but we let some nationals in anyway." Yuuki crosses her arms, "Anna was bugging me about it before I came to Biscotti a couple months back to go check it out, but I didn't think it was anything."

>Aye, who're we takin with us?
>Get Dorje, he needs the experience.
>Go get Louise, she has a sense about these things.
>..Has anyone seen Cody lately?
>Aligot, come on board.
>Go get yer princess, Yuuki. We may visit the castle.
>Other?

>>859634
>Cody, Louise, Aligot, Dorje and see if Yuuki can come along.

>>859634
Actually, don't suppose we could bring along Tuile?
Or would that cause problems?

>>859634
>Get Dorje, he needs the experience.
>Go get Louise, she has a sense about these things.
>..Has anyone seen Cody lately?
>Aligot, come on board.

Anyone got any other ideas of people we could bring along?

>>859653
Nope, Tuile is fair game.

Sorry I forgot to post this, so:

>Dorje
>..Cody?
>Louise
>Aligot
>Yuuki
Sounds good? If so, writing.

>>859783
Well if it's okay to bring Tuile, I say lets go get her.

>>859848
Okay, adding her to it.

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"Great, get Dorje, Louise, and-"

You blink, as if you suddenly remembered something important.

"..Has anyone seen Cody around recently?"

"Yeah." Aligot coughs, "He was going to the bar after dropping the kids off, earlier."

Uh oh. You wonder if Camille broke the news to him.

"Aye, okay. Aye'll go have a look fer him. Meanwhile, get yerselves and-"

"Hold it." Yuuki coughs. "I'm not sure I'll be able to go. I'm grounded."

You just barely resist the urge to slap yourself in the face from that remark.
"Yer 'grounded'?"

"Anna told me I couldn't go anywhere after last night." She pouts, "So I guess I'll have to sit this one out."

"Aye, new plan then:" You smile, feeling the gears tick in your head, "Get Anna AND Yuuki, act like it's a trip to the castle."

"..Wait, really?"
"Aye, if we make it about business, then she has to let ye go."

Yuuki blinks, and then scurries off to fetch everyone.

You reach other and grab Aligot by his collar.
"Yer goin' too."
"But- Why?!" Aligot grasps the tightened fabric around his neck, "Bruschetta is cold this time of year."

"No excuses, ye be the only one with enough know-how about this magic stuff. So get packin'."
He sighs, and heads off into the back room.

You head for the front entrance of the castle. Your sights are set solely on the town.
You have someone else to visit.

--

"And you see." A man sits at the bar, wearly holding a single shot of liquor. "Where I came from, we didn't ride on birds, or have magic at all. It was just the jacket on your back, and the horse you rode on."

"Horse."
"Ay, man, tell us more about this 'horse'."

"Well." The strange man leans back, "It's simple, really. A horse has four legs, covered in fur, and is the strongest and most spirited animal to ever grace the Earth."

"Barkeep, how many of those has he had?"
"Hah, he doesn't even drink from it." The bartender laughs, "He drinks from the bottle. He just likes to hold that one."

The bar erupts into laughter, just as you step in.
Within a moment, Camille appears out of no-where and approaches you.

"Jack! Thank god! Something's wrong with Cody! He passed out earlier and then when he woke up I haven't been able to stop him from drinking!"
"Did ye tell him about the baby?"
"..I did."

>It's fine, Lass. It's just something he needs to drink off.
>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>Take him anyway.
>Leave him, let him drown his sorrows.
>Other?

>>860086
>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>Take him anyway.
Sounds like a man who needs a distraction

>>860086
>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>Get drunk with him

>>860086
>>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>>Take him anyway.

>>860086
>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>Take him anyway.
>Take a few bottles/barrels for the trip

>>860086
>>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it
>>Take him anyway.

question have we slept with Ice lass yet and i dont mean Yuki

>>860454
We've bedded tulie and the snake.

>>860468
then i shall try and thaw the Ice lass completely

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>>860471
The anons until now have all voted against interacting meaningfully/lewdly with Ice Lass for some reason.

Also we haven't gone a demon-slaying yet, which is odd to me since we voted for literally that job(foxes) when the quest started.

>>860483
it is odd

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>>860490
I guess I should clarify a bit, it actually isn't bad that we(Jack) haven't had to fight demons yet, and I don't hold it against Announcer at all, I'm more just curious if it will come up again.

>>860525
id like to go demon hunting again it was fun

>>860529
Jack would consider it a damn vacation, compared to the drama he's been putting up with.

>Aye okay, Aye've seen this before, let me handle it.
>Take him anyway
>Consider getting drunk on the trip

Writing!

Sorry about the gap there. This is the last post of the night. We will continue tomorrow after this is done!

Also, I posted this message about 45 minutes ago and got a connection error. This is another thing my previous method had that was superior to what I'm doing now.

>>860483
>Demon-slaying
Maybe it will come up again!

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"Aye okay, okay." You step into the bar, "Aye've seen this before. Let me handle it."

You walk up to Cody and look him right in the eye. He just seems to stare off into the distance.

"Cody." You muster a commanding voice, "Let's go."

"Ah, go where Jack? To town?"

"Yar, to town. Aye got somethin' for ye to do."

"Ah, okay." Cody coughs, "Aye was just thinkin' of goin' there, we takin' the carriage?"

"Yar, sort-of. Pack yer stuff and follow me."

"Yeah, sure."

With that, Cody slams the shotglass in his hand.
Then, he immediately falls over onto the floor.

Much to the dismay of Camille, and the thunderous applause of the bar.

You grab Cody by the arm and haul him out the door.
But! You're careful to grab a bottle of the stuff he was drinking before you do.

Him and you are going to need the liquor by the time this is over.

--

"Aye, we got everyone?"
"Everyone we need for now." Yuuki leads Louise by the hand onto Pastillage's royal airship. "Amaretti is letting us borrow this, but only if-"

She pauses when she notices that Cody isn't moving.
"..Is he okay?"
"Yar, probably." You grin, and take a swig from the bottle. "What's more important is that he's here."

"Yeah, speaking of which-" Aligot emerges from the ship, "The pilot's no where to be found. Do you know where she went?"

"Nah, didn't see her."

"Do you think Amaretti will be okay with you flying her ship, then?" Aligot asks a pointed question, "She was kind of anxious about it, last time."

Yar! of course it's fine.
What's the worst that could happen?

You say as you finish the bottle of liquor.

>Thread Pause

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Sorry for the low post count. Today was nothing short of wild.

I imagine as it gets closer to Thanksgiving, it will get even stranger.

Hopefully! Tomorrow will go much more smoothly.

See you then.

Also I am glad someone brought up the demon hunting thing. I think we'll be seeing the return of that in the near future.

>>860633
Sounds good

>>860633
That'd be fun!

Oh, and, we're getting our princess along as well, right?

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Of course Amaretti would be okay with you flying her ship.

Why wouldn't she be?

After all, you are the handsome, galliant, and completely sober skyfaring captain; Jack Albator.

You've handled far more than just flying a ship that sails through the sky while mildly intoxicated.

"Jack, aren't you gonna take off?" Louise has invaded the bridge to watch you fly.
"Oh, yar, yar. Sure." You cough and hit the release. Slowly, the ship starts to ascend.

You take another hit from the bottle that Cody was caught with, and you concentrate on your duties: getting you to Bruschetta mostly in one piece.
Aligot snagged a pretty good map for you to follow, so getting there should be a breeze.

"Jack!" Louise grabs your attention, "Is it okay for the ship to be rotating like it is?"

Aye, it is true that the ship has taken on a bit of a spin, but you can handle it. You just turn toward the spin, and soon enough; you're out of it.

Yar, you can handle this.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Tuile stumbles out of the cabin, "Jack, are you okay?"

"Yar! Why wouldn't aye be?"

Tuile stands in complete silence for a few moments, and then decides to ask a troubling question.
"How many hits of that bottle have you had?"

"..A few."

"Are you sure you can fly this thing, Jack?"

"What kinda question-"

Hahah, she just asked if you can fly this thing.
That's funny!

"-of course I can, Lass."

You hit the throttle, and away you go!
..And so do the passengers. Louise nearly falls on her butt, and Tuile grabs onto the railing and watches as you pilot the ship into uncertainty.

"Next stop, Bruschetta!" You proudly proclaim.

--

Oohh.
How long were you asleep?
Where are you, anyway?

You stand up, grab your cap, and head outside. You can tell that the airship is still speeding through the clouds.
Who is flying this thing?

You step out into the passageway and almost run face-to-face with Tuile.
She has a very snide smile on her face.

"Oh good, you're awake."
"The heck happened, Lass?"

"Simply put." She pulls at your collar, and adjusts your coat, "You proudly proclaimed 'Next stop, Bruschetta!' and then fell over. Thankfully, Anna was taught how to fly when she was young."

"Ah, great." You cough. "How much longer till we hit?"

"I was just coming to wake you up. We're about to land in town."

>Grab everyone who is coming with me and we'll disembark when we land.
>Great, I'll go investigate, everyone else watch this ship.
>I'll take a few people to come along, we don't need many.
>Other?

>>861774
take the heroes with you
and jump?

>>861777
You totally could, it wouldn't hurt them a bit.

>>861774
I'd be ok with taking the heroes. Maybe give a goodbye hug to Tuile or something?

>>861779
i know, that's the whole point, jumping into action before having to find a parking spot

well, "action", we still have to find Kayda first

>>861779
Actually, would that be ok given we soooorta lied to Yuki's princess?

>>861787
Only if she finds out about it early enough to stop it.

So sure, it'd be just fine.

>>861774
>Grab everyone who is coming with me and we'll disembark when we land.

Can we also get that Tuile hug?

>>861951
Err get Tuile that hug.

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"-I'm takin' the heroes with me. You need to stay here with Anna and Aligot and watch the craft."
"Sounds good, Anna apparently has a contact in town, anyway."

"Speakin' of which, is Yuuki clear to leave to go with us?"
"No, but I didn't think that would stop you."

"Aye, ye know me well, Tuile."

You climb up onto the deck to be met with Yuuki, Dorje, and Louise.
"Whar's Cody?"
"Still in his room."

Damn, that must have been some powerful stuff.
"Aye, fine, we'll go without 'im this time."

"It's fine, I can stay here with him." Yuuki coughs, "When he wakes up, we'll both come find you."
"Yer comin' with me, Lass."

Yuuki blinks, "No I'm not, Anna told me not to."

Har.

"If Anna told ye to jump off a bridge, would ye do it?"
"It depends, how big of a bridge?"

That's exactly the answer you were hoping she would have learned was unacceptable.

So, you decide to ignore it and have a look over the landscape. Yuuki warily stands behind you.

"Whar we landin'?"
"That town in the distance, you can see the lights from here if you squint."

Heh, that would be a good place to start. A big open town, plenty of people, lots of booz-

That's when you see it.
Hidden in the trees, in a field, completely abandoned.

Someone took _it_ and docked it right in the middle of no where. Like it meant nothing to them.

"'ey Lass, quick question." You glance over to Yuuki. "You said you would jump off a bridge for Anna, but what about an airship?"

"Uh, well, that would be hard. I mean, I would need, uh, some reason I guess- and-"

"Hey Tuile." You ignore Yuuki's stuttering, "Lass, we gotta go, but we'll come find you in Town. Love you, Kisses." You grab Tuile into a hug and kiss her on the cheek, "Try to hold back Anna for me when she finds out."
"Finds out what?" Tuile blinks.

"Yuuki, here, take this. I'll take this one." You pick a confused Dorje up and hand him to her, and then you grab Louise into a piggyback.
"Take Dorje? Why? What are we doing?" Yuuki looks around, confused.

Then, she peers over the side of the airship.
"Oh no, you wouldn't. Jack. This is not-"

Before she can say anything, you give her a little push.
Then, you jump after her.

--


Yuuki coughs, and gags. Dorje stands above her offering some of his canteen.
You land with a splash, thanks to your magic training. Being able to conjure water at any time sure is handy.

"JACK!" Yuuki bolts upward with a leap. "HOW COULD YOU?!"

"What, Lass? My ship's over thar, which means Kayda can't be far away. Besides, ye landed safely."

"NO THANKS TO YOU!" She stomps her foot, "If it weren't for Dorje, I don't know what-!"
"We can talk 'bout that later, Yuuki. Right now, we needa start lookin'."

"Great, I think I need to get away for a while. Come on, Dorje. We're going to check out the woods." Yuuki grabs Dorje by the wrist.

>C'mon Lass, Don't be mad.
>We needa stick together here.
>Good idea! Aye'll go check out the villas with Louise.
>-But after I check out my airship.
>Other?

>>862185
>Good idea! Aye'll go check out the villas with Louise.
>-But after I check out my airship.
Priorities.

>>862185
>Point out that Kayda might be in danger and we need to come up with a plan.

Go on Yuki, you'll be plagued by your guilty conscience if you leave now!

>>862231
>>862267
All of this

>>862185
>Good idea! Aye'll go check out the villas with Louise.
>-But after I check out my airship.
>And empty a flask

I've been writing, it's just my post got dropped again.

>Point out that Kayda might be in danger and that we need to think of a plan, first.
>Good idea! Aye'll go check the villas after I check the airship.
Still writing.

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"Yknow Yuuki, I know yer mad at me and all, but Kayda could be in danger, here."

"I know, which is why we should split up and try to cover the most ground as we can."

Yuuki says that, but you get the wandering suspicion that she wants to go vent her frustrations someplace that isn't here with you.
Fair enough, as long as she does it somewhere that's not here with you, then she can do that.

"Alright, Lass. Sounds like a good idea!" You smile, "Aye'll go check the villas on the hill, but first aye gotta do some checkin' on an old friend."
"..You mean the ship, don't you."
"Aye."

Yuuki sighs and walks off with Dorje into the woods. Even from here, you can hear her start to slowly build up in volume as she begins her ranting.

Poor Dorje.

"Hey, hey." Louise seems worried, "Are they going to be okay?"
"Yar, Yuuki will be fine."
"but, what about Dorje?"
"Hey, come along now, Louise. Ye can help me check on my ship!"

Louise immediately forgets about the question she just asked and happily comes along to assist in the inspection!

So far, everything seems pristine about it.
You didn't even realize they had got it into flying shape.

The last you heard of it, it still had some touches to be done to whatever the engine is on this thing. They had told you that it would be ready to fly in a month.

Yet, here it is.
Looks like whoever flew it here did an excellent job docking it, at least. It's moored in the freshly-iced grass of Bruschetta. There isn't a single scratch or a blemish to be seen anywhere on the hull!

Amazing!

Louise happily emerges from the inside to announce to the whole world that nothing appears to be stolen.
Which is strange, because you don't see anything on the ship to steal.

So, that about settles it then, now you can go search for Kayda in-

"Hey!" Louise's voice changes from happy to worried, "There's something BIG moving in the bushes!"

You blink, and then gaze over the side of the ship.

She's not lying, there's something huge in the bushes.
Plus, it's coming right this way.

>Jump off and confront it!
>Wait for it to get closer!
>Hide!
>Tell Louise to go downstairs, you'll deal with it!
>Other?

Rolled 64 (1d100)

Okay so this just happened to me:

I asked myself "Hey why has it been three hours without a single post?"
Then I realized that it dropped my last story post even though I submitted it several hours ago.

I'm going to fix this thing first thing tomorrow and we'll be back to regular posting capacity. I should have fixed it earlier this week so we could get more than three posts a thread done.

Anyway. Ignore this roll.

>>862839
>Jump off and confront it!

Okay, I think my technical screw-up may have axed the thread for the night, so instead of pausing; I'm going to let the last vote hang and continue in the morning.
See you there.

>>862839
>Jump off and confront it!

>>862839
>Jump off and confront it!

I'm still around, but Thanksgiving may result in the thread either being pushed back or delayed. I'm writing the follow-up to last post right now.

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Immediately, without even thinking, you vault over the edge and down to the forest floor.

That thing is coming straight for you, and your ship! Oh, and Louise too.
But most importantly, that thing is coming straight for your ship!

You're not going to stand by and watch it eviscerate your hard-earned winnings!

With a thump; you land on the frozen leaves. Your cutlass draws, and your pistol levels in front of your eyes. You're at the ready!

A hundred feet, fifty feet, this thing just isn't stopping!

It barrels through trees, bushes, and even overturns felled logs! It snarls and roars as it tramples down the fauna!
This isn't some ordinary monster, this is nothing short of a demon!

This is-

"ROOOOOOAAAARRRRRRRR!"

Oh god.

"HEY JACK!" Nothing short of a fur-covered mountain emerges from the underbrush. "I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE YOU HERE, JACK! I THOUGHT THIS WAS A WEIRD PLACE FOR A SHIP, JACK!"

"Oh bloody hell." You can feel your face contort. "Gilles."

"I THOUGHT I'D FIND CLAIR HERE, BUT FINDING YOU IS JUST AS GOOD, JACK." The muscle-bound, white-haired, bear of a man Gilles seems to bellow with every sentence. "I WOULD ASK YOU WHERE CLAIR IS, BUT SOMETHING TELLS ME WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE SAME THING, JACK."

"Lookin' for the same thing, eh?" You look at Gilles, and you can see the steam rising from his body. It seems the cold hasn't slowed him down one bit.

"THAT'S RIGHT, JACK. YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME?"
"Aye can think of a few things."
"THE DIFFERENCE IS, JACK. I STILL BELIEVE, JACK. I STILL BELIEVE IN A NEW FUTURE FOR US." Gilles bursts into laughter.

"..So yer lookin' for Clair to do that?"

"THAT'S RIGHT, JACK. IF I TRADE CLAIR'S NECK FOR FAVOR, THERE IS STILL A CHANCE!"

>..Why don't we work together?
>Get lost.
>so, you can trade Clair for favors, huh?
>Favors to whom?
>Other?

>>864278
what are you even blabbing about?

>>864278
Pretend I'm the dumb one here and explain to me how that works.

>>864278
Be ready for a fight, ask for an explanation - then, once the idiot gives it, beat him down already.
This fucker's been smug enough, time to change that.

What was this guy, again? A bear?

>>864572
Bear prince who's also batshit insane.
Like, totally nuts.

>>864584
Yeah THAT part didn't slip my mind at all.

Also, even the bear king thinks this guy's fucked up in the head.

Rolled 34, 21 = 55 (2d100)

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That makes-
No sense at all.

What the hell is he even blabbering about?

Trade favors? With who?
Who would want Clair in exchange for 'favors'?

Okay, hold up, your mind just went to places that you're certain he was not intending.
For one, you're certain that Clair doesn't have the attitude for that market. No ship would take her.
For two- you're certain he meant a bounty of some kind.

You're thoroughly confused right now. Nothing that Gilles has said makes any sense whatsoever.

"A new future?"
"YOU GOT IT, JACK." Steam is pouring off of his body at this point, "YOU KNOW MY DAD, HE'S IN A TOUGH SPOT RIGHT NOW."

"Yar, he's in my country's dungeon, and he ain't gettin' out."

"SO I THOUGHT I COULD TRADE CLAIR FOR HIS FREEDOM."

"To who?"

"TO BISCOTTI, JACK! I FIGURE IF YOU'RE HERE, THEN CLAIR MUST BE WORTH A LOT TO YOU."

"Yer an idiot."

"AND I KNOW SOMETHIN' YOU DON'T, JACK."

You barely stop yourself from laughing.

Trading the captured king of a country for a fugitive maid. There is literally no one who would make that.
No one.
Anywhere.

"What is it?"
"NOT TELLIN'"

That's when you fire your pistol, within an instant; the behemoth is on you.

He may not be a hero, but he still grapples like a champion weightlifter!

His grip starts putting pressure on your back as he squeezes into a bearhug. Your cutlass starts slicing and gashing into his face and his head. Each blow causes a little more of his uniform to blast right off of him.

That's when you hear a deafening crack, right next to you! It barely missed your head!
Gilles pulls away; clearly startled by the massive bang right next to where you're standing.

That's when you grab him by his suspenders and give him a throw as hard as you can!

"THAT'SAGOODTHROWYOUGOTTASHOWMETHATSOMETIMMMmmmee-" He disappears over the treetops to the deep woods. You could have swore you heard a splash somewhere in the distance.

You turn around, and notice Louise standing on the bow of the ship with one of the docking spears in her hand. She's panting, as if she just ran a marathon.

"Aye, good girl."

"Was I?! Was I a good girl?!"

>"Absolutely."
>"Don't take my head off next time, tho."
>"Nah, just kiddin'."
>Off to the Villas.
>try to follow where Gilles landed
>You may want to go tell Yuuki about that, Louise.
>Other?

>>865061
>"Absolutely."
>Pat head

>You may want to go tell Yuuki about that, Louise.

>>865061
>"Absolutely."
>"but i'm sure that this idiot will come back"

>Off to the Villas.

>"Absolutely."
>Pat head
>Off to the villas

OK that was funny.

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Louise jumps down, and happily stands at attention.

"Absolutely." You pat her on the head, and rub her scalp. "Ye did some fine work, thar."

Of course, you have no idea how she learned to do that.
It makes you wish you could throw lightning around like Zeus.

Which also puts you in a difficult spot. You know that whacko is out there somewhere.

You also know that Yuuki is out there somewhere.

Louise seems to be liking the attention, either ways.
"'Ey Louise, Aye think that idiot may be back, so I'm appointin' you to be my lookout."

"Lookout?"

"That's right, if ye see that Gilles guy again, just, do whatever it was you just did, but don't miss this time."

"Got it!"

"Aye, good girl."

You give her one more pat for good luck and head off toward the villas on the hill.

--

"No, no, stop."
You grab the door just before this rude maid closes it, and then explain in plain terms what you want.

"A kid, about this tall-" You place your hand over Louise's head, "A little tanned, ye seen her?"
"Go away."

Just for that, you grab her tail as the maid closes the door on your face.

Shrill bitches.
Technically they're rabbits, but still. They're being a bunch of bitches.

"Next house." You grab Louise's hand and take off for the last one on this row.

You knock on the door, and the maid inside opens up.
"This again?" She says with disbelief in her voice.
"Heya Ma'am, Aye was lookin' for a-"
"If you're looking for the kid, she was just here thirty minutes ago."

Thirty minutes?
"Whar'd she go?"
"House at the bottom of the ravine. Follow the trail, first on the right, Goodbye."
"Do ye know what-"
"GoodBYE."

With that, she slams the door in your face.

That's a good enough of a place to start looking.

You proceed down to the black house overlooking the river. Until you notice something.
There is smoke slowly rising from the house.
Plus, the windows appear to be glowing.

You immediately rush ahead of Louise. Something is definitely not right here.
Your suspicions are answered when you approach the front porch!
This building is on fire!

You immediately focus on your ring, and kick open the front door. With a rush, a wave of icy water flows into the home and destroys the smouldering floorboards. A puff of smoke erupts from the inside.

Quickly, you place your shirt over your nose and charge in. The fire appears to have erupted from the other room!

You emerge into the kitchen, and find what caused the fire: A glowing red hole in the side of the building. It looks fist-shaped.
Kayda was here, and for whatever reason; she set the house on fire.

>Turn this house into splinters if you must, find every trace of Kayda here that you can.
>Leave immediately, you need to keep on her trail.
>Try not to tell Louise what you think happened.
>Tell Louise to go back to the Airship, you would be faster without her.
>Other?

>>865530
>Turn this house into splinters if you must, find every trace of Kayda here that you can.

>>865530
>Turn this house into splinters if you must, find every trace of Kayda here that you can.

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

1.09 MB GIF

I got next post mostly written, but fell asleep again. Darn!
Okay, Thanksgiving threw everything off. We will continue tomorrow morning, See you!

>>865530
>Leave immediately, you need to keep on her trail.
did she firepunch the maid THAT hard? i hope so.

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

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Something isn't right here.
There was definitely a fight, and Kayda was involved. Nothing else can explain the fire.

You push out the back door and look at the hole from another angle. There is no doubt about it, this is the size of that kid's fist.

Damn it, she must have gotten in a fight. With Gilles, maybe? No, Gilles probably wouldn't have left the house standing.

Which is a good thing, because the house still may have clues as to Kayda's whereabouts.

You get to work, busting up parts of the kitchen and overturning tables and furniture. There has to be some trace of Kayda in this building.
You continue your ransacking of the house upstairs. The floorboards and railings snap off like breadsticks to your mighty strength. Each time, you carefully inspect the edges and the corners for any kind of clue as to what happened.

Louise blinks, and watches your rampage. She clearly doesn't understand what you're trying to accomplish by tearing the house apart piece by piece.

Suddenly, she gasps sharply!

"What, what's wrong?"

She picks up a piece of hand-railing you tore off, and points to a corner.
Wrapped around the edge of a corner is a small patch of fabric. It looks brown, and very sturdy.

"That's from Kayda's dress!" Louise exclaims, "She was here! It must have ripped off of her!"

That's what you were afraid of. It looks like she came inside, was searching for something, and then got in a fight just outside the back door.

You rush back downstairs and examine the path leading away from the back door.
There's a set of footprints leading away!

Ah ha, you think you can follow this pretty easily.

"ey Louise, Hop in my shoulders."

She gladly bounds upwards onto your back. You start slowly following the trail of footprints in the icey dirt as they make a straight line for the woods.

Either she thought that someone might be out here, or she thinks something was following her.

If she went out to the woods to lose Gilles, then good girl. That was the right thing to do.
If she went out here to find Clair, then she's getting desperate at this point and has probably already wandered off somewhere else.

You're hoping it's the first part, but it could very well be the second.

Her footprints continue through the woods until they stop at a frozen-over river. You can't see a good way to cross it without jumping, which she could do just fine. Except, you don't see any footprints on the other side of the river, either. Far from it, you see some indentations in the snow of what appears to be a carriage. It stopped, turned around, and then left. Maybe because it couldn't cross the river?

>Follow the carriage
>Follow the river northwards
>Turn around, she probably went another direction
>This isn't getting you anywhere, time to try something else.
>Other?

>>866949
>Follow the carriage
maybe she hopped in?

>>866949
>Surf a wave of snow to get a good vantage point?

>>866949
>Follow the carriage
If there's no other tracks to follow, then what else makes sense? Unless there is unsnowed ground or we think she waded in the river.

File: Maidism.full.8340.jpg (523 KB, 1113x1600)

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You hop over the river and continue down the path the carriage seems to have taken. It winds through the forest and down the icy paths.

You find it very odd, at this point. It seems to continue down toward the river. It can't be going to another village, could it?
"Where is this?" Louise peers around the woods, from your shoulders. "Aren't we getting farther away from town?"

"Aye."

"Why would Kayda come all the way out here?"

"Aye dun know."

You peek ahead and notice the cart tracks making a hard right toward the ravine.

Down the slope, by the river; there is a line of cabins with a water-wheel. A cabin with smoke bellowing from the makeshift chimney stands prominently in the center. Almost like it's the most important building there.
Plus, a cart parked outside.

You head down the path and toward the cabin.

--

Knock knock.

The hollow sound of fist-against-wood pierces through the completely silent wilderness.

There's some stirring inside, but no one answering the door.
You see someone peer through a foggy window just out of the corner of your eye.

The door unbolts, and then opens.
"Hello?" An older woman inside answers the door, her face seems extremely tired and a little worried, "Who are you?"

"Jack Albator, Ma'am, Aye'm lookin' for-"

"That's doesn't matter now!" The woman pulls on your sleeve, "Come in! Quick! I need your help!"

"'Ey, 'ey, hold up, Aye dun help nobody for nothin'."
That's slowly becoming more and more of a lie, but you'll live with it for now.

"No! This is different, I need help."

You step inside of the cabin, and are treated to an interesting sight.
"KAYDA~!" Louise yells, running over to the bed.

It's Kayda, all right. She lays in bed with only a blanket covering her. Kayda's cheeks are beet-red, and Louise is admiring just how cold Kayda's fingertips have become.

"You know her?!" The lady exclaims, "I was going to town earlier, and I found her on the road!"
"Aye, we know 'er." You huff, "Ye say she was knocked out on the road? Did ye see anythin' else?"

"Yes! Yes, this little girl was carrying an animal ball. I was short-handed, so I had my neighbor take care of the ball if I took care of the girl. Our cabin is much warmer than his, you see."

>Try to get Kayda awake, maybe you have something that could do that?
>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.
>Ask more about the circumstances, Did you see anyone else? Pass anyone else?
>Do you know what that house up the road is for?
>Other?

>>867628
>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.

>>867628
>>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.
This means we go after the fluffball, right?

>>867628
>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.

>>867628
>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.
somone's getting their door kicked open with a "you have an evil fluffbal cunt and i'm here to take it"

>>867628
>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next door.
There only so many people that would have gotten fluffed around Kayda, and all of them need to have an eye kept on them.

>>867806
Now now, for all we know it could be Greta. Don't metagame.

>>867848
Hey long as we actually go and check up on that I'll be happy.

>Louise, keep an eye on Kayda, I need to check next Door

Sorry about that, writing!

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>868044
is that good? Or bad?

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"Ye say she was carrying a ball?"
"Yeah! I don't know why she didn't turn into one, but she was in rough shape when I found her. Poor thing.."

Your mind starts to bounce around between possible people Kayda could be carrying around out in the cold.
Did she bring someone else with her? Maybe some hired help?

Someone had to fly the airship, and you don't think she has the capability to get it all the way over here without more than a little luck.

Maybe she was carrying her pilot?

No, it's something else. Why would the pilot go with her out to the woods? The pilot would stay with the airship, unless something went wrong.

Like, for instance, Gilles attacking.

You know what? You're going to just answer the question yourself.
"Louise, watch Kayda. I'm gonna find out who her little friend is."

You step out the door and back into the cold. Fortunately, you can see someone standing just outside their door.

"Are ye the one who took the animal ball?"
"Y-yes." A young boy answers in return.

"Aye, did it wake up yet?"
"Oh, she woke up and left already. She said she was going to go get help."

"How long ago was that?"
"I don't know, ten, twenty minutes ago?" The young boy responds.

"Did she say who she was or what she was doin' with the young lass inside?"

"Yeah, she said they were traveling together."

Ah, so it was her pilot.

"What'd she look like?"
"Well she was tall, and had black hair, and-"

"No, her ears, what'd 'er ears look like?"

"Rounded, like, uh, a Squirrel? a Bear?"

Squirrel and a bear.
Okay, well there's that black-haired pilot who usually flies Pastillage's airship. That could have been her.

A bear, well that-
Ah damn it, that might have been Greta. If she found Greta and was carrying her, then she would go for help.

Now Greta might be wandering around in the woods.
You sigh; for a moment you were hoping you could just grab Kayda and Greta and just leave.

>"Yknow which way she went?"
>"Did she tell you anything?"
>"What other places could she go for help besides town?"
>Other?

>>868073
Goddammit, she's getting away?

>>"Yknow which way she went?"
>>"Did she tell you anything?"
>>You're a hero. She's not. Superspeed run to try and find her? And also use superhuman senses to try and locate her? Or something?

>>868073
>"Yknow which way she went?"
>"Did she tell you anything?"

>>868073
>"Yknow which way she went?"
>"Did she tell you anything?"

Rolled 12, 18, 68 = 98 (3d100)

>>868812
...what do these rolls mean?

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Rolled 100 (1d100)

"Did she say anythin' to ye before she left?"
"Nuh uh, well! Uh, she told me that she was going to get help, and- uh. I'm not sure. She just said she was going to town to get help."

"Y'know which way she went?"
The boy points down the road.

"Thanks."

Twenty minutes ago, on foot that would probably bring a normal person not even to the house that has burned down.
If you can intercept this mystery woman, then you can just gather everyone up and head back.

Yes! You might be back just in time for happy hour!
Which is every hour, for you!

You quickly duck into the cabin, and tell Louise to stay by Kayda until you get back. You're gonna get things done, today!

With a hop, you're off. A couple of quick bounds put you airborne over the chilly winter landscape.

Ha! Like this, you could easily-

..

You could easily..

You see a girl in a hood, one that clearly doesn't fit her, strolling up ahead.

You aren't quite there, but a couple of hops put you pretty close to where she is.
The girl stops in front of the house you just ransacked.

She searches around.

Then she goes inside.

Weird, why would they go back to that burned-out house?
You decide this is simply too strange for you to ignore, and decide to have a look.

Carefully, as to not attract suspicion; you peek into the back door.

That's strange.
The girl is gone.

>I must have missed something.
>Is she wandering around inside of the house?
>She must have went out the other side, go have a look.
>Try searching around the house.
>Okay, no, seriously, did that girl seriously just walk inside and vanish? Something must be amiss.
>Other?

With whatever you pick, roll 1d100, best of three.

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>869036
>Okay, no, seriously, did that girl seriously just walk inside and vanish? Something must be amiss.
>I must have missed something.

nat 100? ohh boy

>>869036
>Okay, no, seriously, did that girl seriously just walk inside and vanish? Something must be amiss.
>Bet it's more of that goddamn wine.

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>869110
Shit

Is it that time of the night again where too few people are playing to get 3 rolls?
Truth be told though, that 100 kind of makes this awkward.

I will start writing, and if someone who has already rolled wants to roll again: be my guest.

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>869180
Fuck it's a contested roll, huh? Well here you go, different IP so you can pretend I'm new.

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>>869192
This just gets better and better!

>QUICK CHANGE IN PLANS!

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>869180

>>869180
I was distracted, or I would've rolled, sorry.

>>869192
Nicely done.

>>869207
And I hope that means something good, then...

>>869246
It's fine! It's just getting late and I want to write this last post before pause.

>writing continues!

File: Uhoh.jpg (123 KB, 1280x720)

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Something's not right.

That girl just walked right in.
She has to be here, somewhere.

You're starting to suspect that the animal ball that Kayda was carrying isn't her pilot.
Nor is it her summoner.

No, this hooded figure moved with a purpose. It wasn't just someone searching for help for their frozen friend.

Damn it, was Kayda trying to tell you something?
You missed something important.

Quickly, you walk into the house and start a second look for anything that may have changed since you looked last.
You destroyed the stairs going up; so she probably didn't go that way. All the closets are torn out, now. Half of the kitchen is burned.
Not to mention that you're certain there exist no secret rooms. After all, you tore some of the walls out.

So what is it? What could you possibly be missing?

You start to-
Whomp.

..

You tap your foot on the hardwood once more.

Tap, tap, tap.
Then, again, on this part of the floor-
Whomp, whomp, whomp.

You bend over, and grab the boards. With a yank, an entire section of flooring flips upward!
A trap door.
Clever.

That may have been why the house was on fire when you arrived. No one would look for a trap door in a torched house.

You wonder if that's what Kayda was trying to tell you.

Quickly, you jump down and blindly follow the dark tunnel. It winds and weaves, and each time gives you a rough bump on the nose with every blind corner.

Eventually, you come to a ladder.
Not to mention the yelling, you hear quite a bit of yelling from up above.
Something is afoot!

>Cont.

File: Greta.jpg (100 KB, 850x661)

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You leap so hard upward that you come up through the flooring, and you find yourself in yet another cabin! A cabin that seems to have no front door!

Immediately, two figures screech in surprise. It takes a moment to tell who they are, but-
-but it becomes apparent when one of them grabs the other, and holds a knife to her throat.

"Stay back, you." Clair grips Greta around her neck. "I don't know how you found me, but you're not coming another step closer."

"Clair." You're more surprised than angry, "What th- the- bloody, damn hell? Whar ye doin' here?"
"I should ask the same about you. Did Kayda wake up? Is that how you found me?"

"No."

"Well something is up." Clair grasps Greta just a bit closer.
"Yar, it is." You smile, "Yer jig is up, that is. Ye gonna do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"No, stay back. Don't. You. Come. Close."

Greta yells into Clair's palm, but you just smirk at her.
"Ye know aye'm not an idiot, right? Worse ye can do is puffball 'er."
"Wanna bet?"

She gashes the knife slightly into her neck, and-
Blood comes out?

Now THAT is something that surprises you.
"How'd ye do that?"

"Shut up, Jack. Listen closely. You're going to help us out. We're going to get on that airship you came in on, and we're going to leave."

You're still not convinced that this is any serious threat.
"Leave to whar, Clair? Last time runnin' didn't work out so well for ye."

"I'm not running Jack, far from it. I need to make a trade with an important man. If I can get this man on my side, then you and-"
"What 'man'?" you interrupt her.

She, on the other hand, wasn't paying any attention to you.
Her eyes are starting to widen.

You don't hear it at first, the cabin's echo from your voice seems to mask it, but it's unmistakable.

wwwwwwooooo-boom
-ooooaaaaaaaaa- thunk-
"aaaaaaAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH-"

SMASH!
Splinters, boards, and lumber barely miss your head as the entire wall opens to the outside!

Within an instant, far too fast for your eyes to process, a gigantic behemoth crosses right in front of your vision!
Quickly, you reach out and snatch Greta up into your arms. Clair, on the other hand, is snatched up into a pair of arms, herself!

"EEEEEK!" The bear-woman shrieks as a bear of a man grasps her around the waist like a ragdoll.
"AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHACLAIRYOUALMOSTGAVEMETHESLIPTHEREBUTYOUwerenomatchformybrains-" Gilles' voice trails off into the distance as he continues to careen off into the distance. Trees are thrown over, rocks upturned, and snow erupts from behind him like smoke.

You stand still, holding Greta in your arms. She pants and coughs, while gripping onto your collar. This entire trip really only brings two things to your mind.

"Holy shit."

>Thread pause

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

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Okay, that nat 100 and that 98 really changed the way that was supposed to go

But I'm happy for it!

Anyway. Thread paused, I'll pick up tomorrow but you may not want to expect much because >saturday threads

See you soon!

And for anyone curious: that Nat 100 was Gilles' roll

>>869575
I get the feeling she would have wished she'd gone back with us.

>>869590
Glad my luck helped out. Both Kayda and Greta don't deserve any more bullshit.

>>869593
Ahh that makes more sense. Sorta. How did you justify that roll? Flash of cunning and animal instinct? Or did he just follow us?

>>869612
Also what would failing that last roll have done?

File: 1438414511360.gif (1.51 MB, 500x281)

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>>869575
Well this was a pleasure to come home to.

>>869575
Oh and before I forget, let's see if she dropped that knife. If it wasn't something done to Greta by other means or a skill used by Clair, then that knife is important.

>>869575
Greta was the princess who was actually a boy, right? Is it Jacks turn to find out now?

>>869612
That his roll for following you, the DC was really high.

>>869619
Standoff between Clair and Jack with the latter having to use his wits, calm, and sense of urgency to negotiate a hostage situation Just kidding, I'm sure everyone would have found some other equally ridiculous way out of it.

>>870113
Maybe

Anyway, I am here and I'm going to start writing as soon as I can. Hope to get a post up soon.

>>869575
HAH!
Fuck you Clair!

OK this was great.
Now we need to get Greta to Kayda and make sure they're both ok.

Guessing she was trying to make a deal with that ancient hero?

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"W-w-w-where did Clair go?!" Greta continues to tremble in your arms.
"Away." You smile, "She went away for a while."

You gently set Greta down. She continues to shiver, and you're not entirely sure why.

"'Ey, kid, lighten up." You take your coat off, and drape it over her strangely-square shoulders. "We're gonna go back and get Kayda and Louise then-"
"But, what about Clair?"

..
Wait, kid;
Seriously?

"Yar, what ABOUT Clair?"
"Aren't you going to go get her?"

"No, why?" You eye the young girl.

"But.. then.. What are we going to do without Clair?!"

"Lass she just held a knife to yer neck, do ye really care what yer gonna do without her?"

"I do! I really do! I've never lived without her! I don't know what I'm going to-"
"Lass, it's time to learn, then." You laugh, "It's a good time to!"

"I don't want to learn! I want what's best for Kayda!"
"What's best for Kayda is to get as far away from that woman as possible."

"I really don't know what to do, though!"
"Why ye complainin?" You step through the hole in the wall, "This is yer chance to finally be a princess. Ye can take the throne now, who's gonna stop you?"
"I can't take Konditorei yet." Greta seems to be crying, now. "I don't know anything about leading, that's why Clair was still helping me! We need to get Clair back!"

"No we don't, kid."
"If I don't have Clair, then I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"Best way to swim is to try, kid."
At least, that's how you learned to swim.

"No! Wait! stop! I think it's more important than that!"

You stop, and turn toward the blonde beargirl.
"What?"

"I think." Greta hesitates, sharply. "I think Clair has something to do with Kayda, but I'm not sure what. It's just, I wasn't there when Kayda was summoned."

"..Ye weren't?"
"No, she was summoned when I was imprisoned."

>"Then who's her summoner?"
>"Y'know, let me teach you the secret to life. When you got a question like that-"
>"Ignore it!"
>"Put it aside."
>"Worry about it later."
>"Aye dun care, Kayda's safe, yer safe, next stop: Biscotti."
>Other?

>>870988
...uh, remind me.
Didn't Kayda explicitly get better when around Greta?
And Clair wasn't around then, was she?

>>871005
She did, and Yuuki confirmed that she did.

>>870988
>Try and calm the kid down, crouch next to her and speak quietly.
>Kid. Kayda got better when she was near you. That's how us heroes work, we regain strength from that.

>>870988
supporting: >>871025

>>871025
This.

Actually we should add:
>If there something funny going on about it, we'll figure it out and fix it, promise.

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"And if something's wrong with Kayda and Clair's not around then I don't know what I would even do!" The kid continues to sob. "I don't want Kayda to be left somewhere if something was wrong!"
You frown.

"'ey, Kid. Kayda always got better when ye with with her, right?"
"..M-maybe? Yes?"

"Then dun worry about it." You pat her on the head, "That's how heroes work, kid. We regain strength when we're with our summoners."
"But, then-"

"Listen, try not to think about it." You pick the kid up, and put her on your shoulders. Wow, that is some strong muscle definition for a girl. "Aye bet all that needs to happen is ye two go home, get some sleep, and ye both will be just fine. And if it's not! Aye'll find it and fix it."

"..You promise?"
"Absolutely." You laugh. "Listen, if things weren't gonna be just fine, then I wouldn't be leaving."

"why not?"
"Because I don't like makin' work for myself!" You take a flask out of your pocket, and pop off the top, "Aye like things bein' done nice and easy. Back thar, that was the easiest job aye've done in months. Aye sat back, let someone else deal with it, now aye'm happy."

You're not entirely sure where that line of thought was going. It just seemed to trail off into oblivion at the end.

You don't care, though. With a toss, you drink a huge swig from your flask.

"..I don't understand." The kid grips onto your collar.
"That's fine, it's just the liquor talkin'."

You laugh to yourself as you continue down the way, and toward the cabin.

--

"Kayda I am so sorry." Greta grips onto her unconscious form. "I never meant for it to be this bad."
"Greta, stop!" Louise pulls on her grip, "You're going to hurt her!"

You smile, taking yet another drink from your flask.
Looks like the day is saved. Thanks to you and absolutely NO ONE ELSE!
Nope.
Nobody else had anything to do with it.

That's the story and you're sticking to it.

"Is she going to be okay?" The old lady seems to be pleading with you.
"She'll be fine, just needs some rest." You cough. "Speakin' of which, aye should really-"

>"Go find Yuuki, she's probably searchin' around for me right at this moment."
>"Go tell Tuile what happened. She's in town right now."
>"-go outside and drink. Collect my thoughts."
>"Wait right here until Kayda wakes up. Then we can go."
>Other?

>>872250
>Other?
>Yell out as loud as possible from here to Yuukie and Tuile to come back.

>>872250
Do we have any magic for communicating?
Does Tuile?

>>872250
To mention what I was thinking, I was hoping we could do the following
>Go tell Tuile what happened. She's in town right now.
>And hopefully she'll have some magic to communicate with Yuuki so she can also head back.

>>872250
>get back with both airships
>>and find the other pilot

>>872395
You have a ring that could communicate with Yuuki, but she's probably not wearing it.

So, anyway.

>Go tell Tuile what happened
>Get back with both airships and the pilot

Writing!

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"-aye should really go tell the others what happened. Aye'll be right back to get the heroes, but they need to know."

"Is it really that urgent? Did you say you were with the castle?"

"Aye." You smile at the nice woman, "We were just traveling through, lookin' for a scoundrel who might have been in these parts."

the woman blinks, "A scoundrel? Is he dangerous?"
"No need to worry ma'am, the problem is being handled as we speak."

Manhandled, hopefully.

"Aye'll be back in just a sec."

--

The trip back to the village was faster than you expected. If you just followed the river; it's only a twenty-five minute detour.
Unless you're you, then it's less than five minutes away.

You approach the airship, and effortlessly hop onto the deck.

On board, you find a strange sight.

Cody stands over a black-haired girl who is sitting in a chair. She looks less than happy about it.
"Ey, Cody."

"Hey Jack." Cody puts a cigarette to his mouth. "I found who stole your airship."

"Ye-"

The gears grind in your head, and suddenly the pieces come together!
"Why lass?!" You yell at Pastillage's pilot. "Why'd ye steal my ship?!"

"Kayda asked me to!" She yells back, "I thought she was with you! She said it was very important!"

"Kayda's like- "
Hold on, this might take a little bit of thought.

So, uh, Kayda is.. Ten? Eleven? Louise is Ten, so that makes Kayda..

"-Twelve or something!" You huff at her, "Why'd ye listen to a twelve-er-somethin' little girl?!"

"She said she was with you!" The pilot scoffs, "I'm not going to turn down a hero just because of their age!"

"That's silly." You reach into your coat and pull out your flask, "Yer silly."

"Any luck on the hunt, by the way?"

"Aye, we found 'em."
Cody turns to you, "'em'?"
"Aye, both Kayda and her summoner, Greta."

"Well-" Cody slaps your shoulder, "Damn fine work, Captain. How'd you do it?"
"Luck." You drink from the flask. "Good timin' but also luck. Ye seen Yuuki?"

"No, I thought she was with you."

Oh damn it. She's probably still out in the woods someplace.

"Aye'll be back in a few."
"Sure, take your time."

>Go look for Yuuki right away.
>Get the kids, get them to the airship. Yuuki is fine for now.
>Ask the pilot to your ship, and to fly it low. Maybe you can see her if you fly slowly.
>..You will get right to that AFTER taste testing at the bar!
>Other?

>>873520
Get the kids to the airship so Cody can protect them. THEN go and look for Yuki. We do not want any more kidnappings today.

>>873520
>Get the kids, get them to the airship. Yuuki is fine for now.
>You probably have a flask or two stowed on the ship...

>>873520
>tell the pilot to take everyone on your ship and leave
>>go look for yuuki alone
we have a 2nd ship, should b good

Hey, real quick, give me a 1d100 roll, best of three

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>873834
Uh ok.

>>873889
Well, better than average, that's nice.

>>873834
Oh and, what's the winning vote?

>>873889
Close enough, I'm going to start writing and we'll see if anyone else rolls a 1 before I finish and mess everything up.

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>873834

>>873911
Sorry.

>Get the kids, get them to the airship
>Then go look for Yuuki

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>873834

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"Hey Pilot, all is forgiven if ye do one thing fer me."

Her little ears perk up, and you have her undivided attention.

"The kids are still out there, in a cabin a bit up the road. If aye go get them, can ye fly them back to Biscotti? Aye need to get them squared away first before lookin' for Yuuki."

"Deal!" She hops to her feet, "Give me a few minutes to get to the ship, but I can probably-"
"No, no, we leave now."

You grab her into a carry, and then take off toward your ship.
This is accompanied by much screaming and squirming. You think you can manage, though.

--

"Alright Louise, make sure ye hold onto her tight, a'ight?"
"Sure b-but." She uncomfortably shifts Kayda around on her back. "Are you sure I can do this?"

"Aye, Kayda is a hero, that's why I'm carrying Greta."

You lead Louise along outside, and are sure to give the nice ol' woman inside a good tip.
That tip being an IOU for Bruschetta castle. You won't tell Anna you did that, but it's good to reward the people who help you.

With a hop, you're off.

Louise manages to keep a good pace, even though she's carrying someone who is almost equally her size.
You wish you could say the same for Greta. She desperately clings onto you while keeping her eyes shut as tight as she can manage.

Fortunately, you're not more than ten minutes away from the ship. You and Louise land gracefully on the deck. The pilot is just finishing the last few pre-flight checks before she heads out.

"Hey! Jack! Where are you going?" Louise sounds almost a little betrayed.
"Aye gotta find Yuuki, Lass. Stay on the ship and aye'll catch up with ye."

"Wait! Aren't you going to take me along?!"

Louise HAS been very helpful lately, but at the same time; you're still not entirely sure what has taken Yuuki so long.

"Not this time, sweetie." You pat her head, "You need to keep an eye on Kayda. Promise you won't cause the pilot too much trouble?"

"Okay.. fine, I promise."

"Atta girl!"

The ship slowly starts to lift-off, and you gracefully hop off the deck and back onto the frozen Earth.

>cont.

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--

Yuuki and Dorje were clearly not being very stealthy.
Furthermore, you think Yuuki may have had more than a little anger built up in her from earlier.

For one, every other tree you come across has a fist-size indentation in it.
For two, those fist-sized indentations are accompanied with mysterious blocks of ice that have manifested around them.

You take another drink from your flask. Finding Yuuki may be more detrimental to your health than hers at this point.

You slowly walk across another clearly, until you see something.

Above the trees, there is the bellowing of smoke.
A campfire?

Quickly, you advance past the ice-covered trees and toward the erupting cloud.
A few hundred feet ahead of you, in a snowy field, appears to be a small camp set up.
In that small camp, you can see two tents.

Which you find kind of odd, because you don't remember giving Yuuki any camping equipment.
Maybe someone unrelated?

Not quite.
Leaning against one of the tents is Yuuki's polearm. It shines in the sunlight.

>Approach cautiously.
>Scope this out for a minute.
>Just walk into camp, and see if anyone is around
>Charge in, and demand to know what is going on
>Other?

>>874482
>Approach cautiously.

>>874482
>Approach cautiously.

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Okay it's 2AM, I will write the response in the morning.

If anyone else wants to throw their vote in, in the meantime; have at it!

>>874482
I don't know, stay where we are, but shout to get their attention, get ready to attack if necessary?

>>875178
We aren't exactly fragile, you know. An overabundance of caution isn't going to help that much. How about we approach and call for Yuki at a reasonable volume when we're close? Having a bit of distance gives us time to react to whatever.

>>875259
Yeah that works.

>Approach Cautiously
>Call out Yuuki's name when you get close

I'm here, and I'm writing.

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Okay, you're not going to lie.
This seems very strange.

You've already been almost-the-victim of one trap today. You would rather not try for two.

Your footsteps slow down as you approach the camp. It seems someone has just recently kindled the flames of the fire. The ice surrounding the camp has melted, and you can feel the heat of the bonfire on your skin as you approach.

There is definitely someone else here.

You walk into the perimeter of the camp, and stop.

"Yuuki?" You call out.

"Freeze."

You hear a voice from behind you, and immediately you spin around to confront it.
Your eyes first lock onto her weapon of choice. A bow, with a very ornate arrow holstered in its sights. You slowly trace the drawstring up to a pair of gloved hands gripping nervously at the arrow.

The owner of those hands is none other than a barely-five-foot girl with a blonde ponytail draped behind her. She keeps the bow accurately trained, but you can tell she isn't quite dressed to be this far away from the campfire. Gently, her legs are shivering.

Out of the top of her head, are two fluffy bunny ears.

"I said freeze! Are you deaf?! That means don't move!" She barks commands at you, which causes her ears to sag.

That's just-
That's adorable.

"Why are you smiling?!" She bites her lower lip, "This is serious!"

"Yar, sure it is."
"What?! You think I won't shoot?!"

"What's yer name, Lass?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing!

"Aye, well my name is Jack Albator." You almost stop yourself from laughing. "That name mean anything to you."

She pauses for a brief moment, "No."

Yar, you should have expected that one.

"Well, aye have ye know, that Yuuki is a friend on mine. And that there is her spear. So aye have some questions for ye." You smile.

"Quit smiling! Do you think I'm not serious?!"
"Yar."
"Then, do you think I'm not threatening?!"
"Yar."
"You just don't take anything seriously, do you?"
"Yar."

With that, you reach forward and grab the arrow out of the bow before she can even react. She drops the string to the invisible arrow she was expecting to shoot.

"Now, that we're on good terms." You spin the arrow in your hand, "Would ye tell me yer name?"
"Costa." She is scowling, now. "Cassata Costa, Royal Ranger. Now, if you don't mind: put your hands above your head."

You look down and notice that the arrow is gone, and that Cassata has it back in her hand.

>Laugh and restrain her.
>"How'd ye do that?"
>Fluffball her
>Grab those fluffy, fluffy ears.
>Ignore her and go for Yuuki's tent.
>Other?

I have to travel today for about 3 or 4 hours and I leave soon. So I'm going to let this last post hang for a bit. Sorry!

>>875974
>Lass, I'm a hero. How about a deal? We'll walk over there and then I get to pet your ears in exchange for not causing any trouble while we wait for your princess' hero to come out?
>Where is she anyway?

>>875974
>nice trick!
>Ignore her and go for Yuuki's tent.

>>876016
>>876233
All of this, ignoring if she doesn't play along.

>>875974
>Grab those fluffy, fluffy ears.

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You look at your hand, and then back at the arrow in her hand.
"Hey, nice trick."
"Shut up, put your hands up."

"Lass." You reach into your coat, and take out a flask. "Aye'm Jack Albator, the hero of Biscotti. Aye'm cold, it's gettin' late, let me get Yuuki and we will be out of yer hair."

"Likely story." The bunnygirl scowls, "You look like a rough hobo with that flask in your hand."
"'ey, Let me make ye a deal." You put the flask away, "We go over and get Yuuki, and aye won't ruffle up your ears while we wait for yer Princess' hero to come out."

"No deal!"

"If that's ye wish.."

--

"Stop!"
"No."
"Stooooop, Please!"

"Nuh uh."

Your hands rub along the long, furry ears atop the ranger's head. She struggles and pushes against your grip, but to no avail.

You laugh and drop her, but make it a point to put your hat back on. You walk into the camp and gently hit against both of the tents.
"Yuuki."

"Uh.. huh.. What?"
"It's Jack."

"What?! How di-"
You hear some rustling inside of the tent. You back away to give her some privacy, and hear rustling coming from the other tent.

"Jack?" Dorje emerges from his tent. "How did you get here? Where's Cassata?"

"She's havin' some problems." You smile at the kid as he throws his coat on. "She'll catch up in a minute. How did ye get here?"
"Oh! well we didn't find much of anything, but we found Cassata! She's apparently on watch for today, and she offered to let us rest."

"Ah, that's nice of 'er"

Just as you say that; you see a very ruffled and angry ranger stomps up to Dorje.

"Do you know this man?" Cassata has the sourest look you can imagine.
"Yes, yes. This is Jack Albator." Dorje grabs onto your sleeve, "He's the hero of Biscotti."
She continues with the same extremely foul expression, and crosses her arms.

"No hard feelin's, Lass." You try to make it better, but you think that may have made it worse.

Yuuki pushes the tent flap open, and emerges fully clothed.
"Hi Jack." Yuuki stands up, "Any luck with Kayda?"
"Aye, we found them. We can all head home, now."

"'Them'?"
"Aye, found her summoner, too. So the whole thing is taken' care of."

"Good, then I guess now you can focus on throwing me out of more airships." She crosses her arms.
"He did WHAT?" Cassata exclaims.

"No, no, Lass. Ye see, Aye did that 'cause it was faster than landin'. Aye didn't meant to hurt ye or anything. It's just time to go, and leave the nice ranger to her watch."
"Oh, okay. So I suppose I get to ride in the airship this time?"

You reach into your coat and pull out your flask. No good deed goes unpunished, after all.

>"Lass, seriously, stop bickerin'."
>"Fine, aye'm going back to the airship, ye can come find me when yer cooled off."
>"Dorje, come with me."
>Don't say anything else, just let Yuuki get it out of her system.
>Other?

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Okay, I am going to pause for the night because it is 10PM and I have work in the morning.

I will continue tomorrow. Hope to see you then! Feel free to respond to the last story post so I have someplace to start out when I get back.

>>877983
>Let Yuuki rant. To be honest she probably needs some stress relief, and a good captain always makes sure the crew gets some way to blow off steam when getting to port.

>>877993
Thanks for running, Announcer.
I had fun.

>>877983
this: >>878020

>>878020
Aye

>>877983
Invite her to hit us after she rants a bit, if she's really all that upset. I doubt she is, but it's not like we can't take it.

>>878878
Eh she is also a hero, though.

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You decide that being rude right now isn't the answer. At least, not the answer if you expect Yuuki to talk to you anytime today.

So, instead, you let her rant. She's deserved it. Maybe you didn't do anything wrong by throwing her out of the airship, but at the very least you can understand where she might get more than a little angry by the sentiment.

It was just a small fall anyway, geez.

Anyway, you try not to complain or even interject as Yuuki pours her heart out all over you. You just slowly nod, and sometimes say 'uh-huh' like you know you have to do.

"-And maybe next time you can have the decency of telling Anna before you THROW ME OFF A SHIP!"
"Uh huh"
"-Not that it has stopped you before, anyway! I swear, I can't even travel ANYWHERE with you without something that ungodly stupid happening!"
"Yar."

You resist the urge to drink, and instead focus on future problems at hand.

Kayda and Greta are safe, for one. Yet, yer not sure what Gilles and Clair were insinuating about trying to win special favors.
Gilles thinks that Clair can be traded to someone for influence. Clair thought that Greta could be traded to someone for influence.

Influence over who? Over what?

Yuuki continues to rant about the hero team, and her role within it.

"FURTHERMORE!" Yuuki's face is really red, now. "I don't even get respect when I'm in my own country, anyway! We only banded together to fight this guy from the mountains or something, and evne then I don't get to lead when I'm in my own country! I'm tired of this, I haven't been here in two months and I want just a little bit of respect!"

"..Guy from the mountains?"

"OF COURSE THE GUY FROM THE MOUNTAINS!" Yuuki grabs your collar, "He's the reason we even formed a team, remember?! Beating him? You should know him, because you're the only one who has seen him!"

"Yar.. Yar that's right."

You did see him.
Last time you saw Gilles, you saw him.
Last time you spoke with Gilles, he was there.

What was it the 'Man from the mountains' wanted? He wanted to rebuild his kingdom?
You feel you just had an epiphany.

>..Yuuki, aye needa go talk to Aligot. catch up when ye cooled down
>Hold that thought, let Yuuki gather herself and you can set out together.
>Stay here a bit, she wants to spend more time in her country? Let her.
>Try to apologize for everything that has happened up until now.
>But you don't regret it, not one bit.
>Other?

>>880793
Wouldn't the obvious idea be that they're trying to get the favor of that ancient hero guy we met?

>>880793
>>Try to apologize for everything that has happened up until now.
>>Then mention that you kinda need to talk to Aligot about something really important.

>>880793
>Try to apologize for everything that has happened up until now.
>..Yuuki, aye needa go talk to Aligot. catch up when ye cooled down

>>880793
>Try to apologize for everything that has happened up until now.
>But you don't regret it, not one bit.
>aye know what ye need, a good fashioned adventure! explore some unknown land, plunder some fresh booty and all that

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"Look Yuuki, I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too."

She turns to walk away, but you grab her shoulder.
"-I'm sorry that aye dragged ye through all this and didn't once consider how you felt about going along on the adventures." You continue, "Aye just thought ye needed some practice, some experience, we're in this together, Yuuki. Aye don't think either of us will be goin' home anytime soon. If anythin' was my problem, aye wanted it to be yer problem, too."

"Very considerate." She says, sarcastically.

"And I don't regret it! Not one bit, Yuuki. Aye would do it all over again if I had the chance."
"What is your point, Jack? That you didn't need my help all along?"

"Hey, now. Aye think ye've done a great deal of good. Ye were the one who helped Kayda originally."
"Yeah, and I couldn't even help her, now."

"Well, then start! Figure out why Clair was here, in yer country. Aye, myself, have a few theories."

"It's a good hideout?"

"No, Lass. Aye think it's something bigger than that. Aye think aye need to go talk to Aligot about something. Can you and Bunny over thar catch up with me, later?"

"I HAVE A NAME!" Cassata finishes rolling up Yuuki's tent.
"Yar, sure ye do." You take that one drink you were waiting to take from yer flask. "'Ey, yer a pretty cool Lass, catch up later. We might need some knightly stuff done."

"I'm not a knight, I'm a ranger! There's a huge difference!"
"Yar, sure." You ignore her, and pat Dorje's head. "Aye'll be back in a few."

--

You land in front of the airship, much to the shock of dozens of bunny-eared denizens wandering around. You simply smile at them and take another short-hop onto the airship.

"'Ey, Found Yuuki." You greet Cody as you effortlessly land on the deck.

"That's good, because-" Cody suddenly starts to whisper, "Anna's mad. Anna's so mad that she wants to rip off your scalp and nail it to the castle walls."
"Great!" You smile.

"I think she's been talking with the guards about having you arrested, even."
"Great.." Your smile turns into a flask, which has magically materialized just outside your lips. "Aye need to talk with Aligot, whar is he?"

"Downstairs, wrapped in blankets."
"Thanks."

You head down into the cabin, and find the reading room.
Sure enough, there's Aligot pouring over some maps.

"Hey, Aligot." You greet the bundled-up scholar, "Aye had a thought about somethin', why would Clair make 'er big escape someplace like Bruschetta? Why was Gilles here, too? Do ye-"
"I think that old hero you encountered might be around." Aligot answers before you can finish, "I was looking up some things about Bruschetta, and I found that they discovered some ruins here quite some time ago. It may be worth looking into."

>Oh. Thanks Aligot.
>Ask more about what this guy may want
>Tell him about Gilles told you about making a trade
>Ask what someone like him would want in a trade like that
>Okay, go find Tuile and have her keep Anna from putting a hit out on you.
>Other?

>>881397
>Ask more about what this guy may want
>Tell him about Gilles told you about making a trade
>Ask what someone like him would want in a trade like that

>>881397
>Ask more about what this guy may want
>Tell him about Gilles told you about making a trade
>Ask what someone like him would want in a trade like that
maybe a new summoner? (as a regen bot)

>Ask more about what this guy may want
>Tell him about Gilles told you about making a trade
>Ask what someone like him would want in a trade like that

>>881397
Also adding: bring up what Greta said about not being there for the summoning and thinking something else important about Clairs involvement. What bullshit could she have pulled with the summoning? What could we do about it, if so?

I forget if Jack knows about it, but redoing the contract might be wise.

>>881440
Oh good let's go with this as well.

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"Ah, glad we were thinkin' the same thing." You notice how cold it is outside comparing to this cabin, and then shut the door behind you. "What do ye think he wants?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that yet." Cody looks up from his literature, he looks like a big fuzzy ball in that blanket. "You should know more about that than anyone else, you're the one who spoke with him."

"Aye think he's just a nutjob."

"Nutjob or not, he's still a rare anomaly. I can't even find any literature on heroes from that time period. I didn't even realize they had heroes that far back."

"When aye was fightin' Gilles earlier, he told me that he was wantin' to make a trade. Clair said the same thing, about Greta. Something about trading for favors. Do ye know what that might mean?

Aligot says those last few words to himself and leans back in his blanket.
"Sex?" He says, almost plainly and straightforward.

"Naw, yer not my type." You laugh as Aligot frowns.

He's still frowning.
"Ah lighten up, Lad!"

"I'm trying to be serious here, Jack." Aligot's frown is not changing.
"Aye know, but I couldn't help it."

"-In any case, it's also possible he just wants companionship. Being alone for that long could do a number on any man."

"Aye was alone most of my life, and aye turned out just fine."
You say as you take another drink from your flask.

"You said he wanted to rebuild his kingdom, right? Maybe this has more to do with trying to get favors from other kingdoms."
"What would he want that he can't just take?"

"For one, barrier strength is determined by how many people live there." Aligot thinks for a moment, "He could want a way to rebuild his kingdom and repopulate it."
"No one would help him with that."

"Someone might, Konditorei certainly did. They were doing the whole kidnapping thing with the magic circles. Maybe they thought they could get him on their side? He could be in Bruschetta to try the same thing again, but with another kingdom."

You figured that was self-explanatory, but it does make sense that now Konditorei's corrupt staff is out of the picture; then he may be scoping out another kingdom to try and make the same offer with.

"Ah, one more thing." You sit down next to Aligot, "Greta, Kayda's summoner, see? She says she wasn't around for the summonin'. She also says Clair is related to Kayda somehow."
Aligot hums, "That seems like a longshot. I mean, Greta and Kayda were together when Clair was away, and Kayda seemed to recharge just fine. So it seems more like Clair has planted a lie in Greta's head. I'll go check when we get back to Biscotti and we'll do some tests, though."

"Could ye? Thanks."

"Oh right, one more thing, Jack."
"Whar is it?"

"You might want to get to the castle, soon." Aligot sighs, "Last I checked, Anna was trying to find someone to sketch your face for a wanted poster."

Ah, right.
Just like the good ol' days.
Where the worst enemies you had were the ones who rode in on the same ship as you.

>Thread End

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Thanks for the thread, Wow! I got a lot done the last week. This totals to 24 story posts. I hope it feels like a lot got done, because I'm not going to get a break like that until Christmas Which, for me, Christmas Vacation is like two weeks away so don't think about it so much

But that's good! Maybe I can get firmly into the final arc soon. I think we're almost there. We made lots of story progress.

Tell me what you thought of this thread and this arc.

Thanks!

>>881847
Drat, forgot to mention that blood drawing knife incident. We should bring that up with him at the start of next thread. Or whenever, I guess.

I trust the knife itself wasn't important? You didn't address my suggestion to grab it.

>>881864
Aye it was good. Nice to still have mysteries this far in. It'd be nice to pop a couple of them, though.

>>881951
I thought I mentioned it. You are in possession of that knife. You can show it to him next thread or I can incorporate it into the next thread's OP

>>882099
I double checked that whole section, didn't see any mention of it. Integrate it however works best for you, can't really suggest what's best without knowing your plans. But a quick mention before moving on to everything else probably works best.

I also sorta want to get someone to, uh, tutor Greta. Poor kid has some twisted perspective.