>Examine your injuries to make sure you’re fine. Then examine the Hotel Room.

>Call management with the phone on the nightstand and question them.

>Just lie down and rest. You’re still injured.

>As much as Delilah’s done for you, you don’t really find her safe. You should get going.

>Other

I'm sorry I left the last thread hanging, it archived a lot sooner than I expected. Anyways, welcome to Modern Fantasy Quest. Updates are once a day.

Questions/comments/complaints are welcome at any time. pls no bully

Are we just dead now?

>>3666369
It's the weekdays, things always tend to be slow. I just popped in because I've kept seeing this quest in the catalog but I already participate in too many others. Tell me, have you ever read Pact? It's a pretty cool urban fantasy webnovel.

Test

>let's just stay lying down and do a spot check. Maybe get up if there's anything of interest.

>>3666369
It still kicks when you zap it. This is my favorite quest, don't shut it down

>>3663183
why not, backing >>3666543

>>3666492
No I haven't, I'll check it out whenever I have the time.
>>3666548
Hey, thanks! I'll keep writing for now then.

>>3666639
https://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/

File: bg_056.png (359 KB, 640x480)

359 KB PNG

>Examine your injuries to make sure you’re fine. Then examine the Hotel Room.

The first thing you should do was examine yourself in case any of your injuries were more serious than you thought. The extent of Delilah’s medical care seemed to have been to remove any clothing in the way and wrap your wounds in bandages with a cold compress underneath. Rather barebones, but in a best case scenario, bare bones was all you really required.

Carefully, you test your wounds with your fingers. Both your chest and the back of your head felt sore, but not enough for there to be something seriously wrong with you. You weren’t really worried about your concussion, your inner mental defences would keep your psyche functional past all but the most severe head injuries. Your chest injury throbbed every time you moved, but the pain was simple pain. Given time, muscles would knit together again, as long as you didn’t get them repeatedly shredded by Ghouls.

So you decide to examine the room you were in. At the very least, it would be another way to test the severity of your wounds, seeing whether you were strong enough to do that.

Getting out from under your bed covers, you only spend a handful of minutes looking around before discovering that it didn’t take much energy to examine an empty room. Aside from your Portable Atelier on the chair and your discarded shirt in the corner, the room was completely undisturbed.

Just then, you hear a soft klick as the door unlocks. It swings open. Delilah walks into the room. She looked exactly the same as when you had first encountered her in the airport … no, that wasn’t true. Her dress was different. Thinking back, her dress may or may not have been splattered in blood when you had seen her last night.

“Hey, you’re up!” Delilah says in a congratulatory voice, before dropping some grocery bags on the bed and her suitcase on the floor. Her suitcase fell with a heavy Thunk.

>”You have my gratitude for saving my life.”

>”Where exactly did you bring me?”

>”The way you handled those Ghouls … What exactly do you mean when you say you’re a ‘Freelance Competitor Manager’”

>”Thank you for saving me … But I should leave now, before I am any more indebted to you.”

>Other

>>3666731
>"You're moving in?" Talking makes your injuries twinge a bit. "Or is this where you've been staying? Is this," gesturing at the 00's Ikea convention center furnishings that tipped you "Shangra-La?"

>>3666879
Probably say hi first and thank her

File: Resource22.jpg (37 KB, 800x800)

37 KB JPG

“Good morning, Delilah.” You greet her, “Thank you for saving me last night.”
Immediately, your injuries twinge a bit as speaking stretched your already-torn chest muscles.

“You’re welcome,” Delilah graciously replies, “But it wasn’t a big deal, Jayden. It really wasn’t much trouble for me to defeat that Ghoul, ahahaha!”

Delilah unzips her purse, pulling out a small collapsible tea kettle out of her purse, as well as a set of keys.
“Here you go! These are the keys to your room. I won’t hang on to them for you now that your awake, Ahaha!” Delilah laughs. She sounded happy, as if she rather enjoyed taking care of you.

“So this isn’t your room?”

Delilah gives you a slightly apprehensive, slightly amused look. “No no no, sharing a room with you would be too scandalous. I checked in this room in your name for you … Do you mind if I use your washroom?”

“Be my guest,”

Delilah went into your attached washroom, but didn’t close the door. You hear the sound of the faucet immediately turn on. Still, you didn’t look in.

“But this has been where you’re staying.”

“Yep!” Delilah confirms from inside the washroom, “I was on my way back anyways when I found you … It was just the closest shelter I had.”

You hear the faint click of some switch being thrown in the washroom.

“So, where is this place?” You ask, glancing around at the cheap furniture reminiscent of the inside of a cheap Ikea, “Shangra-La?”

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind a room in such a cheap place …” Delilah calls, “Oh, lunch will be ready soon … I hope you don’t mind instant Ramen.”

>”No, I don’t mind Instant Ramen … Why?”

>”Oh, are you staying for lunch?”

>”Thank you for checking on me after everything was over … but now that you did, can you please leave?”

>”Wait, what are you doing in there?” Look in the Washroom.

>Other

>>3668697
>"Cheap is great, this is where I was headed in the first place. And Ramen's fine." You try to sit up on your elbows and flinch instead, sinking back into the couch cushions "How did you get that strong? That Ghoul nearly killed me. I'm...jealous." You wanted to say suspicious, but she probably has guessed that much by now.

>>3669496
Eyeroll
Bed
Whatever

>>3668697
>"No I don't mind Instant Ramen (lie). I must have misunderstood your first explanation of what your job entails, I swear Ghouls abd cleavers never came up."

Sorry OP, somehow I always miss when you make a bew thread. Maybe a more distinctive opening image?

Sorry for anyone who's following my quest, but I don't feel so good right now.

Update probably early tomorrow morning.

>>3671811
It happens. Take your time.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

sorry for taking so long to update.

There's a small disagreement over whether Tristan should like Ramen or not so I'll roll to decide.

Odds - Tristan doesn't mind Ramen
Evens - Tristan minds Ramen but lies

“Ramen is fine,” You tell Delilah. You had a lot of experience with cheap Instant Ramen. As an apprentice, half of your meals had included Instant Ramen in some form, whether soaked and prepared properly, or dry and crushed as a kind of snack when you were in the midst of a stakeout without a kettle at hand. Instant Ramen was the taste of your youth.

“Really? That’s good to hear,” Delilah breathes a sigh of relief, before adopting a wistful look, “I like cooking for myself a lot more … But that’s not really possible in a cheap hotel like this ...”

“A cheap place like this suits me perfectly,” You tell Delilah, “I originally intended to stay at this hotel, in fact.”
You try to sit up on your elbows, but flinch and sink back into your bed instead.

“Whoa, are you okay, Jayden?” Delilah asks concernedly,

“I just agitated my wounds … It’s not anything life-threatening.“ You reassure the fretting Delilah.

“Really? That’s good to hear!”
As grateful as you were to her for saving your life, you still weren’t exactly sure whether Delilah was free of an ulterior motive or not. The caring and concerned girl seemed unlike the offsetting woman you had met back in Los Angeles. But they were clearly the same person. But still, the Delilah in front of you, who seemed to greatly enjoy taking care of you, didn’t even give a hint of the woman who had easily killed the Ghoul which had almost been the end of you. You didn’t know if you could have even lifted her cleaver without both hands, let alone thrown it accurately across the street.

“When I met you, I didn’t expect you to be that strong …” You admit, “How did you get that strong? You defeated that Ghoul easily. I’m almost jealous, in fact.”

Delilah tilts her head in confusion, “I don’t really understand what you mean. By Ghouls, do you mean the foreign humanoid-type monster you were attacked by? They’re not really undead, so I don’t know why you’d call them Ghouls … they’re not actually that strong though. Maybe if you didn’t use such a small weapon, you’d find it easier?”

You find Delilah’s answer rather inconclusive. You expected more of an explanation, you even pretended to be jealous! … Well, maybe you weren’t pretending.

“I must have misunderstood your first explanation of what your job entails,” You say, “I don’t remember monster hunting and cleavers ever being mentioned.”

Delilah frowns, “But I thought you understood what I meant by Competitor Management?”

“So Ghouls are considered competitors?”

“They eat people. They get in the way of business here. Wouldn’t that make them Competitors? … Oh, I think the kettle’s finished boiling. Let’s have some noodles!”
Well, you can’t argue against that.

>”Do you mean to say my weapon is insufficient for hunting Ghouls?”

>”What kind of business are the Ghouls interfering with in Winterpine?”

>”Why did you save me?”

>”I’m serious. Your strength is inhuman. How did you get this strong?”

>Other

>>3671350
That's a good idea. I'm willing to accept submissions.

>>3675249
>"Who or what else would be considered competitors then?"

>"You keep calling my weapon small, but I can't lift those cleavers you use. Until last night I'd never have thought anyone could usefully wield such oversized weapons. "

>>3675596
Seconded

Also,
>"I don't mean to be insensitive about this, but...are you really human?"

>>3675249
>”Do you mean to say my weapon is insufficient for hunting Ghouls?”

“Who or what else would be considered competitors then?” You ask, “Oh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Delilah replies, handing you your cup noodles before digging into hers. “Well, that’s pretty simple. Anyone who gets in the way of my client’s business in Winterpine! You better watch your step, Jayden! Ahahaha!”

“Should I be worried then?” You ask, slurping down the noodles. Chicken broth, huh? Not that bad … a bit nostalgic actually.

“Oh no,” Delilah shakes her head, “I was only joking. Don’t worry, if you don’t know what I’m talking about when I say ‘business’ and ‘Winterpine’, you don’t know enough to be any competition. Still … you should be careful. I’d feel kinda bad if you somehow ended up fighting me with only your sword …”

You sigh, “Earlier, you did mention something about the size of my weapon. Do you mean to say that my sword is insufficient for hunting Ghouls?”

Delilah slurps down a mouthful of noodles before smiling awkwardly, “Well, I guess it depends on how you use it, but you’re going to find it really tough to reach the vital organs of the monsters you want to hunt if you use something that delicate.”
Your straightsword had served you well the entire time you had used it. In fact, it sufficed for every threat you were expected to face. But then again, your fighting experienced consisted of little else other than fighting humans, occasionally slightly mutated ones. By Templar standards, you were still woefully inexperienced to be working alone.

“You may consider my weapon small, but I can’t even lift those cleavers you use.” You protest, “Until last night, I’d never have thought anyone could usefully wield such oversized weapons.”

“Well … I guess my cleaver’s a bit big …” Delilah admits,

“It’s massive to the point that it should be impossible to use for normal humans.” You point out.

“Huh? Really?” Delilah sounds surprised, “I got it from a human though … he was using it when I met him.”

“That may be true, but that still doesn’t explain the strength you swung it with … I don’t mean to pry but, are you really human?”

“That’s a funny question,” Delilah comments, before rubbing her chin in thought, “To explain it terms you would understand, I guess you could say I’m as human as anyone who heavily takes advantage of magic …”

>”So your strength comes from an application of magical knowledge?” That would be strange, classical applications of magic wouldn’t allow for the enhancing of physical strength. Delilah’s magic application would either be very advanced and esoteric, or heretical.

>”It sounds as if your Cleaver is a storied weapon …”

>”Do you have any advice for Ghoul hunting?”

>Other

>>3678536
>"Most humans don't take heavy advantage of magic. Where in the world did you learn to do so? I believed that my exorcist training organization had a monopoly on magic knowledge, yet I never learned anything like this."

If she didn't straight up admit to magic doping I'd figure the cleaver was storied, but she did.

>>3678536
>”Do you have any advice for Ghoul hunting?”

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40 KB JPG

>>3678536
So more like image related than like a hog splitter
>>3678913
Agree

>>3679342
Also
>"It sounds as if your Cleaver is a storied weapon …”

...just do all the responses...

>>3679342
I personally thought of it looking kind-of like the Saw Cleaver from Bloodborne except with a much shorter handle and the serrated edge on the inward-curving side.

Doing everything except for the part with Tristan commenting on the Templar having a monopoly on Magic Knowledge because that’s just not true and Tristan knows it.

“May I ask where you learned to use that kind of magic?”

“Huh?” Delilah looks at you quizzically, “Why is that? Why would you like to know?”

“It would be strange if I didn’t want to know.” You reply, “Most humans are incapable of taking heavy advantage of magic to the point that it changes the fundamental capabilities of their bodies, like you do.”

“Well, unfortunately, that’s a secret. Sorry to disappoint you, Jayden.” Delilah apologizes, “But it shouldn’t be something you should worry about, it would be impossible for you to gain strength the same way I did.”

Now that was interesting. A non-replicable feat of magic … That would mean that Delilah possessed something that was unique, whether it was a source of magic, or formerly lost knowledge. Perhaps the secret even lay with her cleaver itself … But there was no way to tell.

“That’s a shame,” You sigh, “Such strength would make hunting Ghouls much more convenient …”

“I still don’t know why you call those things Ghouls, but you’d probably find it much easier to kill them if you didn’t let them attack you,” Delilah comments, “They’re ambush predators, so it’s easier for them to attack than to defend. They’re not used to prey that fights back.”

“I see, thank you for the advice,” You say, “Still, it must be much easier to kill Ghouls with that cleaver of yours.”

Delilah gives you a strange, concerned look. “You seem to be really interested in my cleaver, Jayden …”

“It’s unlike any weapon I’ve ever seen before,” You confess, “Is it a storied weapon of some sort?”

“I have a lot of memories with it,” Delilah laughs, “So I guess it’s storied, at least for me …”

>”You seem to have experience with Ghouls …”

>”You said that you got your weapon from someone. Who did you receive it from?”

>”I’m serious when I say I want to know the source of your magic. Does it have anything to do with your cleaver?”

>Finish your noodles. You don’t want to push Delilah too hard.

>Other

>>3682510
>Who'd you get it from?

>Finish your noodles

>>3682510
>Finish your noodles. You don’t want to push Delilah too hard. Ask her if she has any ieda where i could a wepon like hers or just better suited for killing the monsters and what dose she call them?

>"If they're not Ghouls, what are they?"

>>3684387
Tristan already knows that the 'Ghouls' aren't true Ghouls and that everyone calls them that for conveniences' sake, and because they act sort-of Ghoulish.

>>3684549
I guess having a proper word for them might get rid of the mystique but then why do people keep correcting him when he calls them Ghouls? Is Monsters more general?

>>3684549
I guessed it was a bit like calling dogs Carnivorans.

Can't word

Also

>"Maybe I just don't want to get ripped to shreds again. I can't ask you to quit your job to fight my battles for me." Especially when they seem so trivial for you to fix, you don't say out loud.

>>3684953
>>3684964
Unplanned lore-dump time I guess

In-Universe, Ghouls are dangerous undead humans that eat humans.

Tristan calls the monsters in Winterpine Ghouls because Isolde called them Ghouls.

Isolde called them Ghouls because they were dangerous and ate humans. They're not undead though.
Delilah doesn't call them Ghouls because they're not Ghouls.

Isolde's job is to exorcise things, not to name them. Creativity isn't a necessary part of being an exorcist.

“Where did you get it from though?” You ask while finishing the last of your noodles.

“Eh? Where I got it? Well, that’s a long story … Definitely too long to tell you today. It’s actually really boring. You’d be bored.” Delilah looked kind-of reluctant to tell you, but that was information in itself, “But why do you want to know about my cleaver so much?”

“I would like to know how to effectively hunt Ghouls,” You answer, “It is inconvenient for me to be wounded because my weapon is too weak, and it isn’t as if I can ask you to fight my battles for me. After all, you’ve already saved me once.”

“Hmm,” Delilah nods, “I think I understand why you were so interested by my strength and weapon now … although I still don’t know why you call those monsters Ghouls ...”

“What should I call them then?”

“I don’t know,” Delilah nonchalantly shrugs, “I never needed to give them a name since all I had to do was kill them.”
You feel a chill from the way Delilah casually talked about killing Ghouls. It only reinforced the difference in strength between the two of you. If only you had her strength, then the threats you risked so much to defeat would be trivial to overcome. You would even be able to stop wondering if you would survive every mission you went on.

“I was wondering if there was somewhere where I could find a weapon more suited for killing the monsters ...” You press on, forcefully suppressing your rebellious sense of jealousy.

“Really?” Delilah rubs her chin, “Well, I know a weapon supplier in Winterpine. But he likes to know if he can trust their clients before he sells to them … You’d probably need a recommendation from me if you wanted to buy from him.”

“And would you give him your recommendation?”

“Well, that’s a little hard to say,” Delilah says, with a sheepish look on her face, “I’m not sure if I can completely trust your motives in Winterpine Jayden … After all, I’ve barely known you for a day …”

>”Is there any way for me to prove my trustworthiness?”

>”Could you at least tell me who made your cleaver then? It appears custom-made.”

>”Ah, I see …” Drop the issue.

>”Wait … You’re still not finished your noodles?”

>Other

>>3685154
>"Fair enough. Can you at least give me their name and location?"

>>3685154

>”Is there any way for me to prove my trustworthiness?”
Im just here doing templer things.
Was aksed to watch over this place.

>>3685154
Today has lasted about a month. Deep breaths. I guess it's our own fault for using a fake name.

>"It seems like you have some experience at least fighting those ambush monsters. Do you know anything more about them?"

And/or
>"What other types of monsters have you seen around town?"

>>3685209
>Be QM
>Quickly glance over votes cast in morning
>Oh sure, these all fit together, they don't contradict
>I'll just combine all the options like the last 5 times
>Be writing
>Read over options more carefully
>Realize one might really be contentious
>Well shit

No update tonight because your QM reads way to quickly. Instead, I will give you a lore dump to replace it. I'm very sorry.

>>3685209
You don't know if Delilah knows if you're a member of the Templar, or if she even knows what the Templar are. Are you sure you want to tell her this?

>>3688003
She doesn't even know our real name. I feel like acknowledging the existence of the Templar is need to know shit.

>>3688016
If no one else complains about revealing this to Delilah, I'll include it in tomorrow's update. Otherwise, I'll cut it out.

Regardless, thanks for your vote. It is greatly appreciated.

>>3688046
I object. Cut it out please.

https://pastebin.com/0WCU5d13

>>3688134
Not tonight I'm afraid. It's late for me and I wrote the lore update I promised.

Game Tip: Compare Winterpine Ghouls to regular Ghouls and see if you can gain insight to their true nature.

>>3688003
I guse just cut it out .
I was going off since shes in this bussnies she would know about Templars.
Guse keep it to ourslfs.

>>3688193
I was half thinking that Delilah was a Winterpine Ghoul at first.

“Is there any way to prove my trustworthiness then?” You ask.

“Nope!” Delilah shakes her head, “There’s no way I’d trust someone I’d just met no matter what they did for me … I’m sorry, but it’s hard to gain my trust unless I’ve been working with you for a long time ...”

“Fair enough,” You concede, “But can you at least give me their name and location?”

“I could, but that wouldn’t help at all. They won’t sell to you if you just show up,” Delilah smiles apologetically, “But I can tell you the name of someone who might decide to recommend you themselves if you impress them.”

You nod, “Please continue,”

“Okay then!” Delilah leans forwards to speak to you in a hushed tone. “Contact the mage known as Jungenczant. He’ll probably ask you to do a few favours for him and if you help him, he might decide to help you … Can you remember if I tell you his phone number?”

“Yes,”

“Okay then,” Delilah tells you the phone number. You commit it to memory.

“Thank you for all your help,”

“You’re welcome!” Delilah smiles, “If there’s anything else I can do to help, don’t be afraid to ask!”

“As a matter of fact, there is something,” You speak up, “It seems like you have a lot of experience fighting these ambush monsters so do you know anything more about them?”

Delilah blushes, “I’m sorry to tell you, but actually, this is my first time staying in Winterpine.”

“Ah, I see. Then it would be useless for me to ask if you’ve seen any other monsters in this town.”

Delilah shakes her head, “The only kind I saw were the humanoids … although I can tell you something I’ve noticed about them. They seem to have hints of what could be called an Eldritch essence.”

“Now that is interesting,” You admit. Things as foreign to the natural world as any sort of Eldritch essence didn’t occur well … naturally. Where there was an Eldritch essence, there was always an instigator …

“Now, If you have no other questions, then I have a few questions for you too …”

“I’ll answer if I can.”

Delilah pauses almost as if for dramatic effect before speaking.
“Who are you working for, Jayden?”

>”I can’t answer that,”

>”What do you mean ‘Who am I working for?’”

>”I’m not working for anyone. I’m operating independently.”

>”Well, you see, there is an organization known as the Templar …”

>”You see, I’m working for … (Write-in something really creative)”

>>3685223
Today's only been two weeks anon!

I know this quest might be a bit slow-paced. I apologize for that.

>>3691174
>I'm filling in here for a much higher ranking and experienced exorcist who was called elsewhere. I didn't think I would be in over my head so badly. Should have turned her down I guess.

>>3691275
Guse we do this

>>3691174
>Sit up if you can. Ham up the injuries, we're trying to appear serious.
>"You don't trust me, and you could kill me with one hand. It doesn't matter who I am or who I'm working for. If I told you the truth or if I was already telling you the truth or whatever, it's irrelevant because you can't really go and fact check me. I'm useless to you except as an acquaintance and you just met me today."
>"So. Here's what I really want to know."
>"Why does it matter to you if I live or die, 'Delilah'? Why'd you save me? How did you know I was in trouble? How long have you been following me? How much do you know about me that you're not telling me? Why bother with this dumb trust game? I suspect you know exactly who I am and who I'm working for and why I'm here. Why do you care about the truth?"

>I'm filling in here for a much higher ranking and experienced exorcist

To tell the truth, despite everything Delilah had done for you, you still found her deeply worrying. By Templar standards, she was a massive loose end, an unrestrained unique magic-user free to do as she wished with no safeguards against any fallout that might cause.
But at the same time, that also meant that Delilah was an invaluable source of information. If you handled her just right, you would have access to a contact into the deepest parts of the underground illicit magic community. That would necessitate you asking as many questions while answering as few as possible. Fortunately, Delilah had offered you a massive lever for manipulation: her sense of sympathy.

“I’m filling in here for a higher ranking and experienced exorcist who was needed elsewhere,” You say, before shrugging glumly. You pretend to wince in pain from your shrug. It wasn’t hard, you really were in pain. “I didn’t think I would underestimate the situation in Winterpine so badly … Perhaps I should have turned her down …”

“Ahahaha,” Delilah laughs at your glumness. Even though your glumness was (mostly) an act, it still stung a bit to have your inadequacy for the situation you had volunteered for laughed at. “Maybe you weren’t careful enough in the beginning, but I’m sure you’ll be able to stay alive in Winterpine if you’re careful from now on. Besides, they aren’t going to be a problem after a few days …”
By that, Delilah meant that she would have dealt with all the Ghouls in a few days. Yet another illustration of the difference in strength between the two of you.

“That’s good to hear,” You slowly say.

“Yup, I won’t be staying in Winterpine for much longer now …”

>”Where are you headed for after you leave Winterpine?”

>”Would you mind if I were to follow along on one of your Ghoul hunts to see if I can learn anything?”

>”Ouch! My Wounds!”

>Other

>>3692620
Unfortunately incompatible with the other option, but I hope you don't mind if I steal this for use at a later date.

>>3694317
>"There must not be a lot of those creatures in the city then? Or you're just that good? You aren't worried that they'll hide or you'll miss a few? Do you have some way of finding them too? That I'd love to learn."

>>3694317

>”Ouch! My Wounds!”

>>3694329
I dunno, I think you could have chopped a bit here and glued a bit there, but go ahead. And isn't that part of the idea of qst anyway, using the frustration of the obvious illusion of choice to mask the crowdsourcing of creative decision-making?

>Ask to accompany her on a raid.

“There must not be a lot of … ouch!” You sit up, before pretending to hunch over in pain.

“Jayden, are you okay?” Delilah asks worriedly, “Are my bandages too tight maybe?”

“No,” You dismiss her concerns with a false false bravado, “I just aggravated my injuries by moving in a way I shouldn’t have, that’s all.”

Delilah sighs in relief, “Thank goodness, that’s good to hear … anyways, you were saying?”

“Yes … If you say it will only take you a few days to kill them all, then there must not be a lot of those creatures in the city then? Or are you just skilled enough to finish in that short a time?”

Delilah tilts her head sympathetically, “I know it isn’t that way for you Jayden, but the monsters in this city aren’t that hard for me to kill ...”

“You aren’t worried that they’ll hide or you’ll miss a few?” You ask, “Do you have some way of finding them too? If you had one, I would be very interested to learn it …”

“Actually, I do!” Delilah replies, “But I’m afraid it isn’t one you can learn … my sense of smell is very strong, you see? I’m just going to walk around the city and kill any of the monsters I find until I can’t smell any anymore!”

“I see … it is true I cannot learn that,” You admit, “But there are other things I can learn from you …”

“Huh?” Delilah tilts her head, “What do you mean? Do you want to ask me something, Jayden?”

You nod. “Yes I would. Would you mind if I were to follow along on one of your Ghoul hunts to see if I can learn anything?”

“Wait, whaaat?” Delilah seems surprised for some reason. You find out why in short order, “A-are you healed enough to really do that? You’re still pretty badly injured … or at least that’s what I thought …”

>”It’s fine, I’ll manage,” You’ll just have to struggle through your pain, both real and nonexistent

>”I’ll be fine. I just an opportunity to heal myself with magic.” You’re spells can’t even heal your real wounds, but Delilah doesn’t know that.

>”Actually, I’ve been exaggerating my injuries to gain your sympathy … sorry.”

>”Never mind, forget I said anything please.”

>Other

>>3697280
>"I'm here to eliminate the *source* of the Ghouls. Firsthand information is key. And besides, they probably know I'm here now, and I certainly can't fight them off like this."

>>3697280
>"I should be fine if you're as strong as you claim."

“I should be fine if you’re as strong as you claim.” You answer, “Seeing as you’re as strong as you are, I doubt I’ll even slow you down.”

“But that’s not the issue,” Delilah protests, frowning worriedly, “You almost died last night. You’re injuries are still very severe, aren’t they?”

“They aren’t serious enough to prevent me from walking. You’re correct that I was almost to die, but it wasn’t from my injuries.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine pushing yourself so hard so soon? It would be dangerous to put yourself in danger if you still have a concussion.” Delilah points out.

“I have no choice but to push myself hard when it comes to the Ghouls.” You reply, “I’m here to eliminate the ‘source’ of the Ghouls and firsthand information is necessary for finding that source. Since you plan to finish hunting them all within a few days, I won’t be able to gather any information if I wait for my injuries to heal completely. Besides, I won’t have to push myself if you’re protecting me …”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Delilah suddenly interrupts you, “I’m sorry, but I think there’s something you should know before you rely on me for protection …”

“Oh, I see …” You nod understandingly, “I suppose protection is too much to ask for someone I only met a few days ago …”

Delilah shakes her head apologetically, “No that’s not it. It’s just that the way I fight isn’t very safe to be around. It’s very … unrestrained, I guess you could say. I won’t be able to watch over you very well …”

“I understand … However, I’ll still be as unsafe if I stay here.” You say, “They probably know I’m here now, and I certainly can’t fight them off like this …”

“I really wouldn’t worry about getting attacked in the hotel,” Delilah reassures you, “It’s not like they’re actively hunting for you, they’re just like wild animals. They only attack prey that’s the most available.”
You knew this already. Isolde had known about the Ghouls and dealt with them and she hadn’t even been worried about you staying here. you were just looking for a way to persuade her to let you follow her.

“Well, I suppose staying here isn’t as big of a risk as I thought at first.” You concede.

“It really isn’t,” Delilah agrees, before getting up, “I’m sorry but I need to take care of some business today so I need to leave now … If you need me, I’m in room 277. I can’t promise you’ll be able to find me there though ...”

“I understand … thank you for everything.”

“You’re very welcome,” Delilah says as she steps out the doorway, “Oh, and one more thing ...”

“Yes?”

“I know you’re faking your injuries Jayden.” Delilah tells you, “I’d really prefer it if you stopped lying to me so much …”
With that, Delilah stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

End of Thread

Another thread finished! Next time, we're coming back with a freshly minted distinctive opening image.

Until then, questions/comments/criticisms are all welcome pls no bully

>>3701256
Thanks for running!

Is there like a secure templar website or a way to contact home base and ask about Delilah? She seems way too good at literally everything to be an unknown.

>>3704286
No website because the Templar are behind everyone else, but you have a radio for that kind of thing.

>>3704325
Perhaps it would be better to stay behind and radio in to ask about her, but she isn't our (spoken) target.

Sayonara, thread, we hardly knew ye.