>>2190140
>>HA! Fuck that! Kick him awake and tell him about the War Games announcement.
>>Poke him in the face til he wakes up.
Halfway between these. Poke him with our foot

>>2190160
Agreed.

>>2190140
>>Poke him in the face til he wakes up.

>>2190140
>>2190160
here

>>2190160
Supporting this.

>>2190140
>Have mercy on the poor bastard. Wake him up gently.

>>2190140
>>2190160
Sure why not.

>>2190160
>>2190175
>>2190189
>>2190386
>>2190446

You sigh and start nudging the man with your foot.

"Oi... Ahab!" You rouse him from his slumber. The sailor mumbles some curses under his breath but eventually wakes. He stares at you with bleary eyes and a disgruntled look on his face.

"What do you want? I'm trying to sleep." He grumbles and closes his eyes again. You kick him a little harder and fold your arms. "Fuck! Okay! What?"

"The Chess declared war on the entire fucking world. Made a big presentation about it with a projection on the moon." That wakes him up real quick, causing him to straighten up, nearly knocking the sleeping girl over. "In 3 days, they're hosting their War Games as an alternative to full-scale war at some castle the took over on the Southern Continent or whatever."

"Lestava? They didn't take Lestava did they?" The sailor sounds very concerned.

"No it was some other castle. Jelly Rules or something."

"Gheilerule Castle." He corrects.

"Fuckin' whatever." You growl in protest. You were close enough that he got the message, so who fucking cares. Honestly the announcement has put you in somewhat of a bad mood."We're leaving tomorrow morning. We only have three days to get there before the invitation expires."

"Then stop fucking bothering me and let me sleep." He tilts his head up and glares at you before slinking back down and closing his eyes again. "Honestly, you should try to get some too. You look like shit." He leans his head to the side, bringing his hand with the mug over his lap and moving his knee closer.

>Keep bothering Ahab [About what?]
>Check on Silver and her crew.
>Check on what Cecily is doing.
>Turn in for the night.
>[Do something else?]

>>2192241
>Check on what Cecily is doing.
after
>Check on Silver and her crew.

>>2192241
>>Turn in for the night.
Nap time. We can get a progress report from the others in the morning.

>>2192241
>>Turn in for the night.
Ahab's got the right idea. Today was kind of a bitch

>>2192241
>Turn in for the night.
Sit our ass right next to Ahab and try to sleep off our fatigue.

>>2192520
This

>>2192254
>>2192260
>>2192520
>>2192574
>Sit down under the tree right next to Ahab
>Sleep in the miraculously still standing cabin
>Sleep somewhere else?

>>2192911
>Sit down under the tree right next to Ahab
Is there a branch that could hold us on it? We could sleep above instead! Top bunk even when there is none!

>>2192911
>Sit down under the tree right next to Ahab
If it's good for the goose and all.

>>2192911
>Sleep in the miraculously still standing cabin

>>2192911
>>Sleep in the miraculously still standing cabin
I want a gosh darn bed.

>>2192911
>>Sleep in the miraculously still standing cabin
I gotta agree, we been training in the gate for months, and who knows if we'll get a decent bed again anytime soon. Let's take it while we can

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>>2192987
>>2193007
>>2193016
You turn away as Ahab begins snoozing again. You yawn, only now feeling the physical, mental and emotional exertion you gave over the last day and a half (or the last 3 months if you go by Training Gate time) between fighting the Chess, sifting through the remains of the village, and unlocking your Magic Power and everything that went along with it. You shoot a tired, dirty look back at your companion sleeping beneath the tree, secretly blaming him for reminding you how exhausted you are. Asshole... you hope he wakes up hung over.

You trudge your way back to the cabin. Surprisingly, it was one of the few structures that managed to stay standing after the Razing made its way through. The interior is even still intact, though it is currently occupied by several young kids, elderly, and injured who hoped to find refuge from the revelry. The beds have stayed cleared, you guess out of deference for Flint's apprentices who lead the relief efforts.

You crawl up to your top bunk, draping your dirty coat over the edge and dropping your shoes off the side with a pair of loud clunks. You let out a deep sigh of relief as you begin to relax, your eyes slowly closing. Before they do, however, you spy a pair of rabbit ears peaking over the side of the bed.

>See what Cecily wants.
>Close your eyes and ignore her.
>Tell her to beat it.
>[Other responses]

Sorry for the massive delay.

>>2201105
>See what Cecily wants
What's up, bunbun?
>roll over or back away a bit in case she also wants to sleep or something.

>>2201105
>>See what Cecily wants.
Make it quick, if you take too long I might not be awake to respond

>>2201105
>See what Cecily wants.
maybe she wants to sleep with us or something?

>>2201105
>See what Cecily wants.

>>2201127
>>2201168
>>2201376
>>2201773

You roll over to look her way, forcing yourself to stay awake just a little longer.

"What is it Cecily?" You manage to mumble out through tired lips. The ears perk up in surprise before drooping down as the girl sheepishly pokes her head up to look at you. Her eyes belie panic and sadness. You have an inkling on what she's going to say.

"I... I can't them." She croaks, her voice barely above a whisper. "Momma, Dad, Raphu and Taphu. They're not here." You can see she's holding it together somewhat, but just barely. Tears are welling up at the corners of her already red eyes. "I talked to Papa Flint, but he said he couldn't find them. So I went looking around the camp and tried to find them but they weren't there."

Ah Shit. The little rabbit girl is working herself back up into hysterics trying to tell you what her problem is. You can't begin to imagine the kind of panic she's feeling right now. There a part of your mind that wonders if this is the kind of reaction your own parents are going through back in your own world.

>Tell her to toughen up.
>Comfort her.
>Say nothing.

>>2202642
>Comfort her.
give her a hug. we'll find them

>>2202642
>Comfort her.

>>2202642
>>Comfort her.
Attempts to resist the cuteness are futile

>>2202642
>>Comfort her.
Make her your pillow.

>>2202647
>>2202691
>>2202796
>>2203062

You sigh. You aren't very good at this kind of thing, but you try to comfort her. It would be naive to promise her that you'll find them. You, Ahab, Silver, and Flint will be leaving for the War Games tomorrow morning. The rest of the refugees will have to be the ones to continue rebuilding this village, finding the trapped and... burying the dead. There's more than a small chance that the final fate of Cecily's family is somewhere among the deceased, and you know she knows that, but you can't bring yourself to snuff out that last desperate hope. You place a hand on her head, petting it slightly. Her hair is silky and soft to the touch. You hand brushes against the sides of her long ears. The fur is like a soft velvet that is just as pleasing a sensation as the rest of her hair. Cecily's huffing slows down to a more normal breathing pattern as she looks at you with wide eyes, still dewy with tears.

"The village will find them, I'm sure." You smile at her as she simply stares at you with her pleading eyes. "Tomorrow, Flint, Ahab, Silver and I are going to the War Games to punish these Chess punks for what they did. I promise I'll make them pay. It's what I was summoned to this world to do, after all!" Your smile widens cheerfully, but quickly recedes as Cecily's lips begin to quiver and the tears once again well up at the corners of her eyes.

You are surprised as, suddenly, the bunny girl hops fully into the bunk with you, wrapping her arms around you and burying her face into your chest.

"K-Kanaaa..." She cries out between muffled, hitching sobs. Hesitantly, you close your arms around the scared child, stroking her head softly.


---

You don't remember falling asleep, but you wake up the next morning with the sounds of whispering from over the side of the bunk. It takes you a second, but you recognize the voice as belonging to Silver.

"Kana! Are you awake?" The pirate's hat pop up into view and then her face up to the nose. "Oh, you've got a visitor already. Did you get any sleep?" You look down at Cecily, still asleep in your arms. You're hesitant to wake her up, so you simply nod at your comrade. She smiles at you. "Well once you're able to, we're getting ready to go. Flint dug up a Dimension ARM the Chess missed that will get us to the Games well within the time limit. We'll be in front of Flint's house when you finish cuddling." She just had to add that last teasing dig at the end. You scowl at her prompting her to laugh quietly before navigating her way through the sleeping children and elderly on the floor.

>Wake Cecily up. You don't want to be late to the Chess asswhooping!
>Try to carefully remove yourself from the bunny girl's grip. You really don't want to wake the poor girl up.
>She's pretty light and you don't really want to wake her up. Just carry her with you.
>[?]

>>2203405
>She's pretty light and you don't really want to wake her up. Just carry her with you.

>>2203405
>>[?]
How can I say no to the mystery box?

>>2203413
Sorry that's supposed to be the write in option

>>2203405
>She's pretty light and you don't really want to wake her up. Just carry her with you.

>>2203405
>>She's pretty light and you don't really want to wake her up. Just carry her with you.
Plus then she can be there when we leave

>>2203405
>>She's pretty light and you don't really want to wake her up. Just carry her with you.
>>2203420
Well I feel dumb, changing my vote.

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>>2203408
>>2203426
>>2203430
>>2203453

You think about prying free of her, but ultimately decide against it. You size up the sleeping girl. Fuck it! You're inhumanly strong here and she looks pretty goddamn light already. You could probably carry her even without the magnified strength. You move slowly, gently lifting her up in one arm. She barely weighs more than your Kanabo does, you think to yourself as you climb down from your bunk. You slide on your shoes and grab your coat with your free hand.

You check on her as you navigate your way through the cabin. Cecily is still sound asleep, slung under your arm. You quickly catch up to you group in front of the house. Silver and Ahab just smirk at you and your sleeping companion.

"Have a good sleep?" Flint greets you with a even gentle voice. "I'm sorry you wound up playing sitter for Cecily. When I told her we hadn't found Raphu and Taphu or her parents, she didn't believe me and ran off. I should have handled that with more tact." Even an old geezer like him makes mistakes from time to time, it seems. He bows his head to apologize.

"I didn't bother me any." You shrug, playing it off as no big deal, but quickly turn to meet his eyes with a serious gaze. "But you should be saying that kind of shit to Cecily. She was a wreck." Somewhere within the back of your mind, you amused to no end to be chastising Flint like this.

"I... suppose you are right. It's just at this point I'm also more than a little worried about them. Especially Raphu and Taphu. From Cecily's own account they met the Chess forces head-on. It isn't the most hopeful of circumstances." He sounds quite dejected.

"Its... okay." A small voice pipes up from under your arm. Cecily is awake. "I didn't want to admit it, but know they're probably d..." She stops herself, most likely in an attempt to choke back more waterworks, "... gone. I know I act like it, but I'm not just a little girl. I'm 14!" She pick up her head to stare at Flint. Behind him Silver's eyes falter and she looks away, an expression of worry rests on her face. Ahab keeps his eyes trained on the younger girl, but you can see his hands clenched tightly around the fabric of his sleeves. "I... I lost everything to those monsters! And I want them to pay! So I'm going with you! To the War Games! I can use ARMs, so I won't be a burden! I helped Kana fight off that Rougarou creep who was gonna eat some people at the cave! I know I can do this!"

All three pairs of your cohorts' eyes shoot to you and you nod hesitantly to confirm the story. You probably could have handled it, but Cecily ended the fight with that Bun Gun of hers with anyone dying.

"And... and... I'm not asking you if I can! I am going! Its just a matter of whether or not I'm travelling with you or by myself. She huffs and crosses her arms for a moment, staring defiantly at Flint. Of course, she breaks away from that to look up at you with a look that begs for approval.

>>2203721

>Well there's no helping it then. Welcome to the team, Cecily.
>Ugh, kids. You can come with us, but you're not fighting.
>No. This War Game is no place for kids.

>>2203727
>Ugh, kids. You can come with us, but you're not fighting.
>... but if you can take one of these three on and win, I'll think about it

>>2203721
>>Well there's no helping it then. Welcome to the team, Cecily.
It's honestly better to keep an eye on her than having her constantly push the limits we place on her.

>>2203727
>Ugh, kids. You can come with us, but you're not fighting.

>>2203727
>>Ugh, kids. You can come with us, but you're not fighting.
You need training before you fight kiddo

>>2203727
>Ugh, kids. You can come with us, but you're not fighting.
There are a lot of dangerous opponents. People who won't hold back against her. But if she can manage to prove her worth and take part in some training, maybe.

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>>2203743
>>2203754
>>2203764
>>2203774

You make a face and let the girl to stand on her own. She looks back at you with confusion. She must have thought you'd be impressed by her bravado. Bravado doesn't mean anything if you don't have the ability to back it up you've seen where that goes for people and you don't want something like that to happen to Cecily.

"Kids." You sigh. There's no talking her out of coming along. "You can come with us, but you're not fighting." Cecily looks crushed as you lay down the law. "Unless you think you can take on any one of us here. These Chess mean business and will probably be fighting to kill. All of us are more than capable of defeating Rook class Chess or higher. If you think you can go toe-to-toe with us, then I'll let you fight."

Cecily looks at you with uncertain eyes. Then to Flint. Then Silver. Then Ahab. Then back to you.

"I..." She stammers, clearly flustered and unsure. "I can... I'll fight Silver! If that's what it takes to convince you!"

Fuck. You really didn't intend for her to stand her ground on this. Luckily you think Silver probably has better control than Ahab or you. But you're more worried about Cecily's ARM control being amateurish and potentially harming one of the people you trust to go up against the Chess. Silver steps forward prepared to call out an ARM; Cecily squares up with a hand under the large cloak.

"I have a better idea." Flint interjects, diffusing the growing tension in an instant. "You're already coming with us, so how about when we get there, I send you into the Training Gate like I did with the others. You'll have plenty of time to train and maybe catch up to them." The bunny girl's ears perk up at the idea and looks to you for approval. You roll your eyes and nod. You're flattered at her deference to you, but she should really be making this decision on her own.

"Okay then! Its a deal!" She cheers and jumps into the air happily. Flint smiles warmly, grateful to have circumvented a relatively needless fight. She flings herself into a hug from the old man and the two of them laugh. For a moment you could almost believe they're related... well except for the bunny ears.

"So are we all done then? Can we get going?" Ahab chimes in with an impatient tone. You shoot him a dirty look for sullying a precious moment, but he only meets your glare his own.

File: Cross_Guard_emblem.png (26 KB, 148x210)

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>>2204869
"Yes, yes." Flint ignores the younger man's insolent tone and brandishes a new ring on his left hand. It looks like a circle with closed aperture like an expensive camera. "Andata, take these five members to Gheilerule Castle!" He speaks in a loud, clear voice and almost instantly you feel the world around you lurch forward and then back into place. You're glad all of you hadn't decided to eat breakfast before teleporting in, otherwise you be teleporting your food back out onto the ground... ugh. After regaining your bearings (and composure) you see you are not in the ruins of the port village near Reginleif Castle, but in a similarly ruined courtyard of some other castle! Though while what you had known has either been torn apart, burned down or blown up, things here seem to have been frozen solid and only now starting to thaw.

Not to your surprise, you see that there are already some fighters gathered here, all prepared to fight against the terror of the Chess. They are mostly men much older than most of you, but younger than Flint. All of them bear a cross-shaped symbol on their shoulders. They must be members of that Cross Guard group Silver told you about back when you first stowed away on her ship.

You realize now that you still have a whole 2 days until the start of games.

>Go mingle with the other fighters for a while.
>See Cecily off for her training.
>See if there somewhere you're supposed to sign in or register for the Games.
>[Do something else?]

>>2204898
>See Cecily off for her training.
>find some place away from Everyone to practice with your arms.

>>2204898
>>See Cecily off for her training.
Then
>>See if there somewhere you're supposed to sign in or register for the Games.
Surely they aren't just letting any old scrub waltz in and get themselves killed, right?

>>2204898
>See Cecily off for her training.
>See if there somewhere you're supposed to sign in or register for the Games.

>>2204898
>See Cecily off for her training.
>See if there somewhere you're supposed to sign in or register for the Games.

>>2204898
>>See Cecily off for her training.
>>See if there somewhere you're supposed to sign in or register for the Games.

>>2204942
>>2204959
>>2205303
>>2205963

You think for a moment, is there some place you're supposed to register to fight? Is that something the Chess would even think about? You wander off closer to the castle, your group in tow. Among the icy rubble are a group of figures in black robes as well as a couple all too familiar faces.

Nemo and the man he had fled from you with are standing among them, without masks or robes. Nemo is wearing a flashy indigo tunic decorated with gold, a cobalt sash wrapped around the middle under a black leather belt, mustard yellow breeches and curved, pointed, black boots. You are reminded of those old pictures of fancy nobles they had in school text books, but like you're viewing through some bizarre fun house mirror.

The man next to him you assume is Bluebeard judging by his dark navy facial hair. You might have thought it was black, but standing next to Nemo (who is sporting a long black beard) shows it to not be the case.

Beside them, you see another familiar face: the werewolf from yesterday, Rougarou. He sniffs the breeze before turning to notice you. He nudges Nemo's shoulder and motions at you, causing the pirate captain to smile.

You just roll your eyes and continue walking. You do briefly glance back at your party, all of whom show differing expressions at the gather of villains. Ahab looks to be barely containing his rage and disgust; tight fists visibly shaking. Silver's looks aren't nearly as intense, but you can still see an unforgiving hatred behind her leering eyes. Cecily gazes on with wary eyes that quickly dart between figures, studying them carefully. Flint doesn't even look at them, instead focusing on his pupils with eyes filled with concern and solemn resolve.

In an flat area, that you assume to be the arena, a single small man stands in official looking robes. The Chess insignia emblazoned on his conical hat. He kind of looks like a fantasy wizard, now that you think about it.

"Hello! Hello! Are you here for the Games?" He asks in cheerful, aged voice.

"Yeah. We're entering." Flint speaks for all of you. "Except for the little one. She isn't ready yet." Cecily looks up at the older man with a pouting face. You can't help but snicker a little.

"Are you sure." The wizardy man cracks a smile you don't like the look of. "We welcome any and all challengers. There's still plenty of time."

"We'll see after she finishes her training." Flint's tone suddenly fills with an edge of hostility.

"Fine, fine. You still have almost two days, after all. I hope that's enough time to train up, little missy." You're getting pretty fucking sick of this old asshole's tone towards Cecily. A part of you just wants to summon up your Kanabo and smash him into the ground like a nail, but being a mature... civilized girl, you refrain from such actions. Doesn't stop you from visualizing it though. Hehe...

>>2210211

The process of 'registration' is a quick and painless one. The wizard looking guy takes all of your names and just tells you to cool your heels with the other fighters until the appointed time. The five of you wander off to a secluded area where Flint can use the Training Gate without being disturbed.

"Just to be sure you're ready," Silver starts in. "I'll join you in there to give you some extra coaching." Cecily stares at her happily surprised. "I know what its like to want to punish someone for what they did to you and the people you care about." The two girls smile at each other before Silver turns to Flint, with a coy look on her face. "If she impresses me, I might even make her a part of my crew!"

Before he can say anything, the two of them jump into the gate, not to be seen for a couple of days. Flint tells you that, while he is using this Dimension ARM, he cannot move from where he stands.

"While I might appreciate some company, I think it might be far more beneficial for you to go and introduce yourselves to some of the other fighters. We're all on the same side, after all." He laughs lightly, folding his arms.

>Go talk to the younger fighters
>Go talk to the older fighters

>Go with Ahab
>Go by yourself

>>2210216
>Go talk to the older fighters
>Go by yourself
Or Ahab. It really doesn't matter.

>>2210216
>>Go talk to the older fighters
>>Go with Ahab
We gotta be there to punch Ahab in case he says some stupid shit

>>2210216
>Go talk to the older fighters
Would Alan count as young or old, here? he's younger than he was in the anime proper, but as an adult, does he count as "old"?

>>2210216
>Go talk to the older fighters
>Go with Ahab

Lets see what stories they have.

>>2210216
>>Go talk to the younger fighters
>>Go by yourself
I want to see other people getting pumped to kick ass.

>>2210216
>>Go talk to the older fighters
>Go by yourself

>>2210216
>go talk to the older fighters
>go by yourself

also look for the guy who summoned us here. If he wanted us to fight the Chess, it stands to reason that he'll probably either be fighting himself or watching us.