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That's right, this is the first thread of the final arc. Everyone is welcome. You can find the two recap threads to catch you up until this point here:

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1271747
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1311056

>>1406277
>Take the few minutes out of your peaceful morning to smash it into splinters.

oh, interesting!

>>1406277
>Take the few minutes out of your peaceful morning to smash it into splinters.

>>1406277
>Take the few minutes out of your peaceful morning to smash it into splinters.

I want to say "eat the demon", but that would be a bit weird.

>>1406277
>>Take the few minutes out of your peaceful morning to smash it into splinters.
Weeeell fuck I missed this.

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You really shouldn't care about a single idle demon.
This isn't your job, and you have important business to attend to.

It is really just another distraction in a long list of distractions. It would be just yet another thing to detract from your peaceful morning.

-But that doesn't mean that you're not going to take care of it anyway.
You almost feel yourself wanting to just keep going and not even look at it.
You feel a swear word leave your lips in a language that you're not certain you quite remember anymore. It's a sobering thought to have forgotten one of the three great tongues of the highland. Especially considering that you may be the last person who can speak it fluently.

You walk up to the edge of a cluster of trees, and stare down the offending piece of timber. You want to see if it makes the first move.

It continues to lay in the shadows. Maybe it just doesn't notice you, or doesn't think of you as a threat. Either ways, you're upset that it has decided to pull you off your day.

Without warning, the shadowy beast strikes from the underbrush.
Of course, it's been laying in the shade for who knows how many years. Its attempts to jump up and attack is an ill-advised move, at best.

With little effort; you grab the beast by the jaws and hold them shut with just the strength in your fingers alone.
You feel a wave of ice run up your forearm, and cover the beast over like an ice-cube.

Your hand spins, and the monster starts to twirl in his prison. With an arc of lightning; the crystal barrier explodes and the monster is demolished to tiny pieces of black shards.

You sigh. This isn't like the demons that you know of. All the ones you've encountered so far are mostly indolent, and ineffective. The ones of your era would be world-ending disasters if there were not heroes to confront them.
So what's wrong with these demons? Why are they so lazy?

You ponder this concern as you continue to walk. It doesn't make much sense for demons to simply lay around and absorb ambient energy. They have an instinct to feed, and that means they have an instinct to attack.
Is there simply so much energy in the barrier now that they can sit around and do nothing? While still maintaining enough energy to be satisfied? The thought is chilling, in a way. That would mean it would only take one really aggressive demon to sap the barrier of a ton of energy, and at that point it may be nigh-unstoppable.

Also, in your train of thought, an hour had passed by completely unhindered. You're not even sure you're wandering in the right direction anymore.

Ho, boy. You're not really a navigator, either.

>Walk toward the tower in the distance. Castles are made of towers, right?
>Back toward the woods, retrace your steps
>Find the path and follow it. You don't like footpaths, but you'll settle just for this one time.
>Time to find a drink, and eat.
>Other?

>>1409244
>Walk toward the tower in the distance. Castles are made of towers, right?

>>1409244
>>Find the path and follow it. You don't like footpaths, but you'll settle just for this one time.
can't get lost if we follow the path!

>>1409244
>Walk toward the tower in the distance. Castles are made of towers, right?
>Could probably get directions if nothing else.
>Failing that, jump and look to get the lay of the land.

>>1409244
>Jump up to get a better view

>>1409244
>>1410225
>Jump up to get a better view
This guy gets it

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There's a tower off in the distance. You're not sure how far away it is, but you could use a second landmark to find out how much further along you are.
You start your trek toward the tower in the distance, but are confronted with an opportunity to find your bearings.
A guard tower stands solitary in the middle of the wilderness. It's lumber has become covered in a mossy sludge, and it appears to have not been manned in a very long time.

In your day, guard towers like these would never go unmanned. If they made a guard tower; it would be a defensive structure which could hold out from an assault for at least an hour. Making guard towers out of wood seems to be the work of a people who never actually expect it to see any real combat action. Not to mention simply abandoning it despite being structurally sound.
You leap straight from the ground, and place your feet straight on the roof of the elevated shanty. You nearly slip on the thick blanket of moss that has covered the shingles on the roof.

From up here, you can get a much better look at the surrounding region. Your eyes focus on your shadow for a brief moment. If you are correct, it is roughly 1:23 in the afternoon right now; give or take a few seconds. It seems the tower is almost directly north of you, and slightly west of it is a town that appears to be very lively. You could visit the town, if you could find a disguise or maybe some way to hide your face. You're no doubt certain that Jack has told almost everyone to be on the lookout for you at this point. You shouldn't expect to get into any ordinary town without a fight. You should maybe consider heading straight for the tower, as it appears to be one of the spires of a castle off in the distance. You could-

"Hey!" You hear a small voice yell at you. One much unbefitting of any rogue or bandit.
"Hello?!" You shout from the rooftop. You don't see anyone around. Perhaps you've been visited by a ghost, or a-
"Down here!" The voice immediately answers your question.

>Cont.

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You peer off the roof, and down to the forest floor below.
At the base of the guard tower stands a small green-haired girl. She wears some bizarre mish-mash of leather and cloth armor, but doesn't appear to be wearing any chain or plate mail. It's almost like she's just wearing underarmor, but not any overarmor. She wears no helmet, and has two cat-ears protruding from her head. She must be some kind of merchant or squire, certainly not someone who should be out in the forest by themselves.
"Hello!" You shout, "What has brought you to the wilderness this time of the day? Are you lost?"

The girl at the bottom seems almost insulted by your insinuation.
"No! I'm wondering what the hell you're doing on top of that tower! Get down here!"
You find this situation almost bizarre. Why is she giving you orders? Surely, she has other things to concern herself with.
You leap down from the tower, and approach her slowly. You have almost a full two feet height on her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself." You adjust your voice. "-I am.. Adam.. Of Bruschetta."
"..Adam?" She gives you an inquisitive stare. "-I am Felice, one of the knights of Gallete. I demand to know your business in these woods during this hour without any assistance or escorts."

>..Seriously? You're a knight?
>That's.. none of your concern
>I'm glad you asked, I am lost.
>Are you certain you're a knight? You're sort of- miniature, from what I picture a knight to be.
>You're also underequipped.
>And a little girl.
>Other?

>>1410787
>I'm glad you asked, I am lost.
>Are you certain you're a knight? You're sort of- miniature, from what I picture a knight to be.
>You're also underequipped.
Consider that a little girl could maybe be able to do the job, adequately trained and magically apt. But she really needs proper equipment. Maybe discuss her background and training, but try not to be too obvious as a guy who hasn't interacted with society for centuries.

>>1410787

>I'm glad you asked, I am lost.
>Are you certain you're a knight? You're sort of- miniature, from what I picture a knight to be.
>You're also underequipped.

>>1410787
>I'm glad you asked, I am lost.
>Are you certain you're a knight? You're sort of- miniature, from what I picture a knight to be.
>You're also underequipped.
>Something something back in my day

>>1410787
>>I'm glad you asked, I am lost.
>>Are you certain you're a knight? You're sort of- miniature, from what I picture a knight to be.
>>You're also underequipped.
>>Something something back in my day

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"I'm glad you asked!" You try to take a jovial tone with the child. "I believe I am lost."

"Lost, you say?" She seems to be questioning your story. "How did you even get here, 'Adam'? Where did you come from?"
"Bruschetta, I suppose I must have wandered from the trail." You stick to your story. It's a good one, after all.

Felice sighs, "You should pay more attention. There was a mail carrier jumped in this area recently by bandits, real ones, with big swords. It's no place for you to be idly wandering around. Follow me, and I'll show you to town."
"Jumped?" You ask, puzzled. "I see, so your here with your escort to investigate. Where is your escort?"

She grits her teeth and mumbles something about pretending to not have heard that.

You follow behind her, and watch her cat tail sway back and forth as she walks.
It still doesn't make much sense. Why would she be out here all alone if she's scolding you of all people of being out here alone? At the very least, she seems to be buying your 'Adam' name for now.
Felice keeps walking on a straight path in the direction of the town. So you're at least sure that she's keeping her word and not trying to mislead you.

"So, you're out here all alone?"
"That is correct." You cough. "I've been traveling alone."

"Where's your wagon?"
"I didn't come with one."

"Did you ride any animals here?"
"No, I came by foot."

"Oh really." She spins around, "You came here, from Bruschetta, by foot, alone?"

You suddenly realize how crazy that sounds if any normal person had said it.
"...Yes."

"Are you sure you have nothing to do with the attacks in the area?" She asks a very loaded question.
"I assure you I've only arrived within the past few hours. I can find the town from here if you wish to leave."

"No, no. it's fine." Felice stands beside you. "I can walk you there."
"Fine."

Maybe this was a mistake.

"Are you really a knight of Gallete?"
"Definitely so, and I'm the most highly-acclaimed of the knights ranks." She flashes you a snide smile.

You feel a wave of confusion run up your spine.
"Seriously?"

Immediately, her tail extends outward. She spins around to confront you.
"What's so unbelievable about that?!"

"Nothing personal, Miss. It's just- I expected knights of any kingdom to be.. taller."
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT IDEA?!" She immediately loses her cool. "I can assure you I am just as skilled as any tall knight!"

"Ma'am, it's not that I question your skill. It's more that you cannot necessarily teach being six to seven feet tall."
"That doesn't mean anything!" She crosses her arms, "I can ASSURE you that you haven't met that many knights if that's what you think!"

You very much think the opposite, but you won't push that issue further.

>Cont.

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"Why are you underequipped, then?" You blink, observing her quilted armor, which seems clean and underused for the armor of a knight.
"Underequipped? What?"

"Your outfit.. it's missing the chain mail, and the plate mail of the knights I'm familiar with."
"Not all knights have to wear that. The barrier makes most armor pointless, anyway."

She turns away from you. "Let's just get going."
"If I may say so-" There's one thing you want to point out, "Relying on the barrier for protection is a poor idea. What if, for instance, the barrier's protections aren't available?"

"That's just silly. Come on. I'm showing you to the bar so maybe you can pick up some manners."

Felice almost storms away from you in a huff. You're not entirely sure what you said that was offensive, but you're certain that the knights you knew wouldn't get angry, but instead get even.

Back in your day, relying on the barrier for your armor was akin to relying on the callouses of your feet to stop prickly pears. Even if you were certain it would not affect you; it was still a poor idea to rely on it for the entirety of your protection.
This culture must have undergone quite a period of peace and prosperity if she is considered one of the best knights. She's more than a little bit of a runt, and not to mention being a girl with a hot head has likely not won her any favors on the battlefield. You would be more terrified what would happen to her if she was thrust into a real combat situation, one where she could be captured or killed.
The indolence on display is almost deafening.

You sniff something strange in the air. It's definitely not the fine strands from Felice's head, but the smell of someone tracking you through the underbrush. You have seem to have intersected the path, so you may have just found someone shy.

>Assure Felice that you can find the way back from the footpath, and bid her to leave before whomever is stalking you tries to strike
>Tell Felice that we're being watched.
>Likely just a shy person, continue walking.
>Inform Felice that you don't drink.
>Other?

>>1411690
>Tell Felice that we're being watched.
I figure Atlas might be curious how well a non hero fights, in case it comes up.

>>1411690
>Tell Felice that we're being watched.
>Inform Felice that you don't drink.

>>1411690
>Likely just a shy person, continue walking.
>Inform Felice that you don't drink.

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You're not one to cause a confrontation. You would prefer to simply let this one slide, and not try to draw attention to it.
At the same time, you're pretty sure this guy didn't just start following you. He was likely trailing Felice, and she was too busy scolding you to notice his presence.

Oh! That reminds you.
"Excuse me, I don't drink."
"So?"

"So, you said earlier you were taking me to a bar."
"That's right. You can be someone else's problem, then."

"I don't drink."
"Not my problem."

"So why are you taking me to a bar?"
"There are more at bars than just drinking. It's where the adventurers go after work. You can ask for directions there."

"I see, but I rather not go there if possible."
"Why not?"

"Many reasons, but I rather not be tempted to drink, for one."
"Why is that so important to you? Everyone drinks a little!"

"Not me."
"That's great."

Your ears perk up slightly just to confirm what you were thinking; that shadow is definitely following the two of you.

"Felice."
"Hmm?"

"Did you travel here with anyone?"
"Okay, yes. There are a couple of other knights searching around. Why?"

The guy in the underbrush stops.

"You're being followed."

She stops in her tracks.
"What?"
"You're being followed."

"Don't you mean 'we' are being followed?" Her tail whisks back and forth.
"No, he wasn't following me. He was following you."

"Is he still there?"

You listen in, but his smell has dissipated.
"Not sure."

Felice immediately charges past you, and looks toward the underbrush.
"HEY! I KNOW YOU'RE FOLLOWING ME SO YOU BETTER SHOVE OFF, RIGHT NOW!"

Silence.
Of course, you're not entirely sure what she expected from that.
"Come on, let's keep walking."

The next few minutes go by in piercing silence. Felice doesn't seem to want to engage you in conversation any more. Of course, if she didn't want your answers, she shouldn't have asked in the first place.

"Where are you REALLY from, 'Adam'? I haven't seen you in these parts before, and I find it really hard to believe you walked all the way here from Bruschetta."

>Tell her the truth.
>Oh, but I did.
>It just took lots of time.
>No, you're from Bruschetta.
>Actually, there's someone I know whom I'm looking for, his name is Jack.
>Other?

>>1412150
>Oh, but I did.
>It just took lots of time.

>>1412150
>Oh, but I did.
>It just took lots of time.
>Actually, there's someone I know whom I'm looking for, his name is Jack.

>>1412363
>This

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"Oh, but I assure you that I did."
"Really?" She seems inquisitive, "That's really quite something. It takes some of the best travelers a week to make the journey. Yet you're saying you did it on foot, all by yourself, with seemingly no supplies or assistance."

"It just took lots of time."
"Right."

The awkward silence continues as you both walk.
"I just find it pretty interesting. There aren't any outposts or villages on the path you walked on the way here. I mean, you must be the ideal adventurer to not require any supplies, tools, shelter, or even rations to make that trip."

"I assure you that none of what I said was a lie." You try to head this line of questioning off before it gets any more accusational.
"Never said it was." She pulls her arms over her head. "Just saying that it's funny, is all."

You can tell that her tone is more accusationary than anything else.

"Actually, there was someone I was looking for."
"Who would that be?"

"Some fellow by the name of 'Jack', have you heard of a 'Jack'? He may be a rather popular figure."

She stops, and turns around.
"What do you want with Jack? Are you some kind of assassin?"
"I assure you, I am not."

"Then why are you looking for him, when I've never seen or heard of you in these parts before?"
"We made a deal in Bruschetta, and I was seeking him to-"

"Right, made a deal. I made a deal with him, too."

She immediately reaches into her scabbard and draws a sword on you!
"-And that deal was to keep trouble as far away from him as I could. I don't know who you are or where you're from, but you're under arrest until we can get this bandit thing sorted out."

You eye the tiny implement she's holding. It's no doubt that she has plenty of skill in using it, but it's little more than a toothpick to you. Knights in your era typically carried broadswords, or something specifically geared at fighting other knights. This.. it's a longsword akin to what some of the calvary used to carry in your day.

You're not entirely sure how she jumped to this conclusion, but you're more than a little frustrated deep down that she's decided to confront you with such flimsy evidence.

>Grab the sword and bend it in half.
>De-escalate, assure her you're not a criminal.
>Lightning + Longsword = Puffball.
>Grumble and just ignore her. Walk to town yourself.
>Fine. You're 'Arrested'. Now what?
>Other?

>>1414755
>De-escalate, assure her you're not a criminal.
>"Isn't Jack usually LOOKING for trouble?"

>>1412150
>>Oh, but I did.
>>It just took lots of time.

>>1414755
>Grumble and just ignore her. Walk to town yourself.

Clearly she is not being reasonable, ignoring her should compound that until she gives up or calls on an Actual Knight for us to parlay with.

I accidentally closed the thing I was writing when I went to clear off some of my taskbar items.
So.
I'll post next update in the morning, and just let that last update sit there.

>>1414755
Try to de-escalate?

So... I'm sorta considering if Atlas and her could work together.

Rolled 67, 91 = 158 (2d100)

Just real quick.

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"I think you've made a mistake."
"Maybe I have, but your story just doesn't make sense. There are bandits ambushing travelers around these parts, and I'm supposed to believe you just walked here from another country? I'm going to have to ask you to come with me until we can verify your identity, 'Adam'."

"Miss." You're starting to lose patience with her. "I'm not suggesting that you've made a mistake, I'm telling you that you've made one."
"What is that supposed to mean?! Is this like before where you thought I was too short to be a knight?!" '

"No, I'm saying- "
You know what?

"-I'm saying that I have nothing left to say to you."
You turn and start walking; you can find the town yourself if you just go back to the path.

"That wasn't a suggestion!" She steps in front of your path, "You really are under arrest!"
"Move."

You barely touch the end of her blade, and it flies randomly off in some direction. You keep pacing toward the path.

"Hey! You may be crazy strong, but I'm still your ERRUGHMPH-"
Her voice is cut off by something as she's impotently yelling at you. You can feel a growl escape the back of your throat; she probably tripped or something.

"Listen here Ma'am, I'm-"

Then it hits you.
Quite literally, it hits you.

It first starts with one, but then another stacks on, and then another, and then another.
Soon, you are covered in what feels like the weight of fully-grown men. At least six or maybe seven of them have tried to tackle you.

They growl as they attempt to hold onto anything that can support their weight. You stand effortlessly under the dogpile.
Or, in this case, catpile.

"Excuse me." You try to address this as professionally as possible. "You are invading my personal space."
"T-the hell is with this guy?" One of them asks with much confusion.

You spin around and inadvertantly throw off a couple of the cat-eared men. You notice that Felice has some problems of her own.
Kneeling on top of her are four other catmen. one of them holds her in a headlock, while the others are searching her for weapons. You hear one of them say something about taking away 'that sword of hers'.

Oh, OH! Oh, now you get it.

These are bandits.

Ah! Darn this old mind, you almost forgot what bandits were for a minute. Here you are worrying about demons, while the hearts of man is where true evil dwells. Or something, like that.

You let an arc of electricity run over you, and all of the cats still clinging on immediately fall to the ground and puffball. With a windup, you march toward Felice and give the cats foolish enough to still be on her a good kicker's punt. Four catballs sail off into the horizon.

Felice coughs, and struggles to stand. You realize that person stalking you is still hiding in the underbrush.

>Help Felice up.
>Zap him, too.
>Carry Felice, just take her back to town.
>Your work here is done. Bid her good day.
>Other?

>>1418314
>Help Felice up.
>Zap him, too.

>>1418314
>Zap him, too.
>Help Felice up.
>lecture her about big swords and heavy armor

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This day is starting to turn sour for you, and it's starting to turn that way quickly.
Immediately, the person in the bushes tries to make a move. You respond by throwing a bolt of lightning in his direction.

He must be hardier than the other cats, as he doesn't puffball immediately. Instead, he falls over out of the brush with his clothes in cinders.

You swoop down and help Felice to her feet. Or rather, you pick her up and put her back on her feet.

"Ma'am, now you understand my insistence at heavy armor and strong swords. If you had been wearing proper plate-mail, then those men would have simply slid right off of you if they attempted to grab. A large sword could be used as a club, as well. Back in my day, we used these weapons for-"

"Oh my god- ANTONIN!"

She jumps away from your very informative discussion, and runs over to the charred man on the ground.
"Antonin! Hang in there! Speak to me!"

"Errugugm." Is all he manages, before coughing.

"You know this man?" You asked, puzzled.
"I do! This is Antonin!" She seems very worried about his safety, "He's one of Gallete's knights, but I thought he was back at the guard post!"

"I don't care what his name is. He was the one following us."

"He must have been worried about me, oh you stupid Antonin." She stands up, and hoists him over her shoulder.
That's when you notice that she, herself, has taken some damage from the attack. Her shirt immediately starts to tear as she hoists this 'Antonin'.

You effortlessly pick up the baked catman and hold him in only one hand.
"I'll carry him."

"No, no! I don't want any more of your 'help'! You're the reason he got fried to begin with!"
"Rightfully so." You sigh, "A true friend wouldn't have idly stood by while his comrade was besieged."

"I'm carrying him back, where I leave him is up to you." You grumble.
"Fine, Let's just take him to the guardhouse." She pouts.

--

Now this is more like it.
The inside is stone, lumber is only used for the flooring, this is what a guardhouse should look like. Few distractions, plenty of study material, and plenty of armor.
In fact, if they have so much armor just hanging on the wall, why wasn't Felice wearing some of it?

"Oh my god, Antonin!?" A maid comes over and desperately checks his charred arm, "Put him on the bed, quick!"
You lay him down, and observe as the maid starts working her first-aid magic on his arm.

You have to give this 'Antonin' guy some credit. He took a direct lightning strike and still managed to not puffball.

"How did this happen?!" The maid seems more confused than distraught.
"Oh, well he probably followed me to-"

"No, not that, I sent him to bed in the upper quarter an hour ago. How did he get outside? That room has no windows!" The maid desperately rubs some of the ash from his armor.

>Well, this has been fun, but I must leave.
>Ask some questions about where you are.
>What country is this?
>Where can I find this 'Jack' person?
>Why were all the bandits catpeople?
>Other?

>>1422525
>Why were all the bandits catpeople?
>Where can I find this 'Jack' person?

>>1422525
>What country is this?
>Where can I find this 'Jack' person?
>Why were all the bandits catpeople?

Rolled 2 (1d2)

quick thing

>>1423255
Is that good or bad?

Also, welp, looks like there's no chance for any Atlas/Felice thing to happen.
Dang.

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"Excuse me, Ma'am."

You try to ask the maid, but she seems plenty distracted taking care of Antonin's wounds.

"Miss, excuse me. Which country do we happen to be in?"
The maid continues mumbling to herself as she dresses Antonin. She doesn't seem to be interested in answering your questions at all.

"You know, I'm RIGHT HERE." You hear a rather annoyed voice from against the wall. Felice has patched her armor, and appears ready to set back out. "You could ask me what country we're in."

"But, I didn't ask you." You blink.

Wow, that made her really angry, for some reason. You were never much of a people person.
"Well, you DIDN'T ask, but you are currently in Biscotti." She crosses her arms.

"Oh! This is where I was headed!"
You're here already! Wow, that journey took way less time than you expected!

"I was worried you would say that." She grumbles, "We've been having bandit troubles ever since Yuuki arrived yesterday. It seems a bunch of them followed her."

"Why are they all cat-people?" You ask, with honesty. "Shouldn't Gallete bandits and Gallete knights be in Gallete?"
"That would be true, if we didn't have the festival starting in a few days." She sighs, "I was scheduled to go home last week, and now it's been moved to two weeks from now."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing." You say, puzzled.
"Of course it's a bad thing." She sighs, "Wouldn't you rather be spending time at home? There are way less bandits there, for one."

You-
"I.. Wouldn't know the feeling." You try to hide your disappointment. "In any case, I was still looking for Jack. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Nope." She stretches her arms out, "He comes and goes as he pleases. If you stay around Biscotti for a few days; I'm sure you'll run into him. Frankly, I'm sick of cleaning up his messes, so I'll just let him deal with you."

"Ah, thanks."

"Anyway, I'm going back out." Felice picks up the toothpick that she calls her sword, "I need to figure out what happened back there."

"Wait, you're going out, alone?"

"Yes, Is that a problem?" She has that look on her face, again.

>Yes, yes it is.
>You should have someone going with you.
>Volunteer to go.
>Nope, have a nice day.
>Other?

>>1423964
>You should have someone going with you.
>...Or at least wear a full suit of armor, really.

>>1423964
>Nope, have a nice day.

>>1423964
>>You should have someone going with you.
>>...Or at least wear a full suit of armor, really.

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"Yes, it is. You should really have someone going with you."

"I agree!" The maid snaps out of her task at hand to finally acknowledge someone, "If you were attacked once; you'll surely be attacked again! Felice, you know this! Why are you being so stubborn?!"

"I'll be fine! I'm not a kid, and I can handle myself."
"Go get Bennet, have him go with you!"

"He's busy with castle duty, and Pomelo said she was going to retrace the cart's route back to Gallete." She huffs, "So it's just me, then. I can take care of myself."

"At least wear a full suit of armor. There's plenty of it hanging on the walls."

She doesn't even listen to you, and instead turns and leaves the building.
What a stubborn woman.

"That's decorative armor." The maid whispers.

Oh, of course. Leave it to these people to hang perfectly good armor on the walls, but have it not even be functional armor.

"Great." You mumble. "Miss, do you know what the chip on her shoulder may be?"
"She's not normally like this. She's normally a happy, cheery person. Maybe the most outgoing knight I've ever met."

You frown, "So what is this attitude about? Have I angered her in some way?"

"No, it's.. She's going through a hard time." The maid tries to evade your question.

"Oh, I see. It's 'that time' for her, huh?" You nod, knowingly.

"No! No no no no." The maid blushes, and changes the subject again. "Her unit is undergoing a crisis, and she's not taking it well."

"A 'crisis'?" You blink.

"One of her knights, and friends, went missing shortly after the Princess from Bruschetta arrived with her hero. She went to investigate a report they filed about a bandit attack, and didn't return."

"Oh, well that's.. tragic."

"Felice has been searching almost nonstop for her. She's not taking it as hard as Antonin here; the one who went missing was his sister. I ordered him to bed because he had been searching for almost four days straight, but he won't stay. He'll wake up and head back out soon, I'm sure."

"I see." You sigh.

>Shall I accompany her back into the woods?
>I can help you after I attend to business, first.
>I wish you the best in finding your missing comrade.
>Let me ask around, I'll be back later to check up on it.
>Is there any way I could help?
>Other?

>>1426006
>I can help you after I attend to business, first.

>>1426006
>Is there any way I could help?
>>Shall I accompany her back into the woods?

>>1426006
>I can help you after I attend to business, first.

File: Penelope.png (2.01 MB, 1253x1770)

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"Well, that sounds like a problem."
"It is."

"I'll tell you what I can do; I have business in town to take care of."
"..Okay?"

"-When I'm done with that, I will return and can assist in finding your comrade."
"You can? Uh, who are you again?" The maid seems puzzled.

"Adam, Adam of Bruschetta."
"Penelope." The maid awkwardly shakes the big finger of your hand. Her eyes widen when she realizes just how much bigger your hand is compared to hers. "And, uh- Uh. What do you do, again?"

"I'm an adventurer." You state, with confidence, "I was searching for a man named 'Jack Albator'; I had some business with him about a recent trip I went on."

"You can find him at the castle, probably." Penelope wipes some ash from Antonin's head. "Or, maybe not. He was looking for her too, yesterday. I think he may have stayed out a bit too late and may be resting."

"That's fine, I can speak with whomever is in charge. Thank you for your time, and I shall return."

You walk out of the building, and wave to Penelope as you do. You should seek out the castle, and at least try to understand what is going on with the festival. By your estimates; you have about a week left to train. You're not really sure if you should be training, as you don't exactly think very highly of the resistance you'll be facing in the all-vs-one match.

There's a part of you that doesn't want to win it to begin with.
What were the stakes again?

If they win the festival; you agree to join Jack's crew and assist him in facing the greater demon threat at large.
So, servitude.

If you win, then you return to your life as a wanderer and let this entire country eventually become overwhelmed with demons and perish.
So, indifference.

You're not sure which is worse.
Servitude to someone of which you feel is inferior, or indifference to the destruction of what you admit is a very kind and loving culture. A kind and loving culture that has fostered some genuine people while being beseiged by malice.

You stand outside the castle gates. You don't hear any alarms, so you're guessing that no one here recognizes you. Or, that Jack never bothered telling anyone about what you look like.

Gently, you take a step inside. There's a maid giving directions to recent arrivals.

>Walk around the castle a bit, get a feel for the people of the place.
>Ask to speak to someone who can represent Biscotti.
>Try not to linger, Ask to see Jack immediately.
>Pretend to be lost
>Other?

>>1426812
>Try not to linger, Ask to see Jack immediately.

>>1426812
>Try not to linger, Ask to see Jack immediately.

>>1426812
>>Walk around the castle a bit, get a feel for the people of the place.

I thought Adam liked Jack?
Or at least considered him better than pretty much any of the royalty?

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You're not going to linger around this place. It's really only a matter of time before someone who recognizes you finds out that you've arrived.
At that point, you're unsure how they'll react. They may decide to pitch a fit, and you don't feel like destroying a castle today.

"Excuse me, Miss." You tap the maid on the shoulder, "I'm searching for Jack Albator, do you know where I can find him?"
"He's resting right now, could you come back later?"

"It's urgent business, I assure you."
"Down the hallway, knock on the big metal door."

"Thank you."

You head down the hallway, and try not to make eye contact. You can already tell that you're blatantly out of place in this castle.
Thankfully, you won't be here very long.

You weave between the foot traffic of the afternoon. It seems this place stays pretty busy most of the time. You can sort-of understand why Jack would have his hands full.
On the other hand, it is the afternoon and he is indeed sleeping. You wonder why he's busy resting when his comrades are apparently undergoing a crisis.

You try not to think too much into it, and approach the metal door. Your hand gives it a hard tap.

Several seconds later, the door opens, and a brown-haired lady stands in the doorway. She seems rather disheveled.

"Yes?"
"Greetings I am Atla- Adam, of Bruschetta."
Whew, you almost had a slip.

"Hello AtlaAdam," She smiles, "I'm Fritelli, the armorer around here. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Jack Albator, we had some business to discuss."
"Ah, I'm afraid you'll have to wait." She sighs, "He's.. indisposed at the moment."

"Very well, is there a representative for him which I could talk to?"
"Oh, there is Princess Tuile, but she's.. indisposed at the moment."

"They're both indisposed? What in the world for?"
"Beats me."
Very odd, for a moment you could have swore you saw a blush travel across Fritelli's face.

"Is there anyone else I may speak to, then?"
"You can discuss with one of the heroes. I think Yuuki is around."

>Okay, I can speak with Yuuki.
>No, I prefer to talk to Jack.
>Say goodbye, go find Jack yourself
>Say thank you, leave.
>Other?

>>1429461
>Say goodbye, go find Jack yourself
i want Atlas to have that "Ohhh!" moment

>>1429461
>Say goodbye, go find Jack yourself

>>1429461
>>No, I prefer to talk to Jack.

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"Thank you Miss, but I rather talk to Jack himself. "
"That's going to be really difficult." Fritelli coughs, "I think you should just wait until he's decent. It will only be a few minutes, probably."

You need to make it seem like you're not just going to run off and search for him.
"Fair enough, you say you're Biscotti's armorer?"
"That's right."

"I'm from Bruschetta; may I see your armory? I met several knights who seemed rather underequipped."
"That should certainly not be an issue." She crosses her arms. "Come in, let me show you."

Fritelli leads you inside and allows you to get a good glimpse of their armory. They have no shortage of variety, but-
"So, what do you think?" She seems absolutely beaming, "Isn't this the best armory in all the land?"

No.
But- you're not going to outright say that.
There is no shortage of generic weapons and armor, but it lacks the soul; it lacks the personality. There isn't a section specifically tailored for people who are aficionados of particular brands of weaponry. If your weapon doesn't exist in those stacks of heartless metal, then you suppose they're just out of luck.

"It looks good!" You try to feign excitement.
"Don't you think?" She smiles, you may have just made her day with that statement. "Speaking of which, why do you need to see Jack, again?"

"Jack hired me to come investigate a bandit problem you were having."
"Wow, Jack hiring someone? He must be more worried about Odelle than he lets on." She blinks.

Shoot, you shouldn't have said that. She can find out that was a lie fairly easily.
Oh well.

"Anyway, I am off, I'll be back later."
"Okay, thanks for stopping by! I'll be here all day if you need me."

You step out of the armory and head down the hall. The concept around castle construction hasn't seemed to have changed very much. There's still a wing for guests, a wing for more trusted guests.

You nonchalantly lean against a wall, and listen in on the brickwork of the castle. If you compare people's presence in the barrier against their footsteps, you should be able to 'feel' the heroes inside.

There's a tiny girl inside of the guest wing who seems to want to escape, her element is lightning. She seems worried about something, but she's not who you're looking for.
You also feel the presence of a small boy who is just walking back to the castle; he seems exhausted, his element is Earth.
There's someone accompanying him, a girl about his age. Her element is fire.
Wait, there's Jack. He's sleeping in bed in the guest wing.

You head upstairs and stand right in front of the door you think he's hiding behind. You listen to the air, and see if you can hear him breathing.

Strange, you must be picking up someone from another room. You hear his breath, but you hear another breath that seems almost in-sync with his. They're both fast asleep.

>Peek in the keyhole.
>Slowly open the door, and peek inside.
>Knock.
>Huh, they're both asleep.
>Oh.
>OH!
>Other?

>>1430262
>Just open the door.
>Oh.
>OH!

>>1430262
>Just open the door.
>Oh.
>OH!

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You don't have time for this.
You've been walking for almost a week straight, and you came here specifically to prepare for a battle against Jack and his armies.

It's mid-afternoon, he has better things to be doing instead of sleeping the daylight away. At the very least; he could be helping his knights.

You're just going to confront him on it directly. You didn't come this far to get ignored.

You open the door and start to enter.
"Mr. Albator, it is two in the afternoon, I demand to-"

You look in the room, and notice something unexpected.
Instead of two beds containing one person each. You're instead met with a single bed that seems to have two people in it.
On the bottom, is Jack.
on top, is a puff of auburn hair, and two small ears. It sighs in a very feminine tone. A single perky breast pops out from between them like-

Oh.

OH.

OH!

You quietly step out of the room and shut the door behind you.

Oh.

You can't believe you didn't deduce that sooner.
It seems you've slowed down in more ways than one in your old age.

Thankfully, only the girl seems to be disturbed by your entry. She shifts uncomfortably on top of Jack before quickly falling back to sleep.

Well, that happened.
You turn around to leave, and are met face-to-face with a pint-sized figure.

"Who are you?" The tanned little girl seems worn out.
"Adam, some help that he hired." You state, plainly. "I came to see Mr. Albator but he's.. busy."

"Busy?" The small girl crosses her arms.

"Yes, he's attending to, duties." You try to think of the best way to describe it to her.

"Well I just got back from that stupid search for that blonde ditz, and I'm tired. I'm going to tell him that we didn't find anything and go to bed." She seems more weary than she's letting on.
Speaking of which, why was a little girl going on a search patrol? Did she know this person? Oh well, you're not going to question it.

The small child shuffles past you, and reaches for the doorknob.
"Wait, you probably shouldn't do that." You say to her.

"Why not? Worried I'll wake him up?" She seems more than annoyed with you hindering her naptime.

>He's really busy.
>No reason, carry on.
>Talk to you later.
>He's not in there, go tell the woman in the armory.
>Other?

>>1431567
>He's really busy.
>Doing hero things?

>>1431567
>>No reason, carry on.

We are an important hero person and we don't have time to get entangled with telling lies to children.

>>1431567
>He's really busy.
>Just go to sleep, I'll report for you.