>>4502126
>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
>>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.
claymores are forbidden to kill humans, let's use that to our advantage

>>4502126
>>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
>>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
>>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
>>Once at the capital you can direct search efforts personally, using Hazaran’s resources.

>>4502126
You decide that you can best direct the search efforts once actually at the capital, and once you’re there you could even draw discreetly from Hazaran’s resources. That will provide you with the most information the fastest, so if there’s a reason to jump straight into a situation you’ll be well-positioned to do so.

“Unless anyone has any objections, we’ll leave immediately,” you declare. “I’ll take Alysheba as well… been a while since he’s been out for serious work.”

…

It’s not a fast ride for Alysheba of course, but it does turn into two days’ travel which have you arriving in the capital in actually shining armor, a warrior-queen flanked by your fellow half-bloods, parting crowds in the street wherever you go.

When you arrive at the palace you hand Alysheba off to a stable-hand, and head inside to meet with your regent Noventus.

…

“You seem tired, old man,” you smile, offering an otherwise ‘masculine’ version of an embrace. “Has it been that busy?”

“A lot of busy work, of course,” Noventus replies, gesturing for you and your company to sit at the table with him. “I received your letter, but had no idea you intended to be here in person. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Two things, one we came here for, and the other came up along the way,” you admit. “The first is that we’re investigating reports of other warriors in inner Tarsus who seem to be behaving oddly. A team of four is usually a dedicated ‘hunt’ as we call it, but usually such hunts have specific goals. These warriors seem to be wandering aimlessly.”

“That would be strange,” Noventus agrees. “It definitely isn’t consistent with my impression of the Claymores for them to be wasting time like that.”

“The second issue is I want horses,” you decide. “At least three that are as tolerant of a half-blooded rider as my own Alysheba is.”

“I don’t know if I can guarantee you any new information,” Noventus admits with a chuckle, “but the horses we can at least try to oblige you on.”

“Would you like to freshen up and rest while arrangements are being made?”

>No, I think it’s best if we move immediately to arrange for observers to gather information on the warriors we’ve heard about.
>Yes, I think it makes sense to settle in first. We may end up being here for a significant amount of time this time.
>No, I think it might be a good thing to at least sit in on some official proceedings… I AM technically “in residence” right now.
>Other?

>>4503264
>No, I think it’s best if we move immediately to arrange for observers to gather information on the warriors we’ve heard about.

>>4503264
>>No, I think it’s best if we move immediately to arrange for observers to gather information on the warriors we’ve heard about.

>>4503264
>>No, I think it might be a good thing to at least sit in on some official proceedings… I AM technically “in residence” right now.

>>4503264
>No, I think it’s best if we move immediately to arrange for observers to gather information on the warriors we’ve heard about.

>>4503264
>>No, I think it might be a good thing to at least sit in on some official proceedings… I AM technically “in residence” right now.

>>4503264
Give a sloppy messy kiss to them

>>4503264
>No, I think it might be a good thing to at least sit in on some official proceedings… I AM technically “in residence” right now.

>>4503264
>No, I think it might be a good thing to at least sit in on some official proceedings… I AM technically “in residence” right now.
Give the good man a break, and let him enjoy the garden. We still do have a garden right?

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>>4503264
“I’m technically ‘in court’ at the moment,” you realize aloud. “I should probably make an appearance. Sabrina, Aurora, Valentina, I’ll trust you to inform the observers selected by regent Noventus.”

“That won’t be too difficult,” Aurora agrees. “I take it you’ll be somewhere around the palace?”

“That’s the plan,” you confirm. “But cleaning up is going to take a little bit of time first.”

…

You head up, further into the place, to the three floors and the tower at the top of the hill that comprise the official royal residence. Here you send a request to heat bath water from the high cistern, fed by a combination of rainfall and an intricate system of pumping stations… these having been designed and installed at your father’s request as an exercise in pushing civil design. Similar systems of pumps and cisterns now supply many of the taller buildings in the city.

Here you bathe, apply and wash off the usual oils, and lightly dab your skin with peach-scented perfumes before examining the clothing you have available, selecting a beautiful silk dress with long, close-fitting sleeves in a single shade of blue. Over this you select a fine but simple short-sleeved deel, held together by a fancier sash, with riding boots.

Once you’ve arranged and lightly-scented your hair, you take up your sword and descend back to the administrative complex below.

…

“Apologies for arriving without much notice,” you incline your head politely to the assembled group of ministers and high-status citizens of the capital. “Continue as you would normally have done.”

Then, having passed by them all, you seat yourself in the normally-empty throne.

…

The proceedings are what you basically assume to be normal… lots of talk about numbers and detailed projections and regional trends. So much of the affairs of state seem to involve money.

But eventually the time comes for public complaints, and a young man who seems stunned to be looking at the actual queen of Hazaran enters the room, momentarily forgetting what he was even here to do.

“You are here from the north district of the city,” one of the councilmen muses. “What is your business, exactly?”

“Our water supply system is breaking down,” he declares, unsure who to look at. “We tried to go to the council for remediation, but we were told that no funds are available?”

“That doesn’t sound right,” you muse.
>1/2

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>>4504359
“Your grace,” one of the other councilmen stands and bows courteously. “If I may… we have shifted some funding for repairs of that sort towards pursuing your goal of introducing mass steam power.”

“What in particular calls for such actions?” you ask.

“Identifying new coal seams,” comes the reply.

“Surely we can slow that effort to ensure the quality of life of the citizens?” you muse. “Or else raise taxation rates slightly to compensate?”

“The landowners will balk at that,” another man asserts.

“Look at it this way,” you explain. “In order to maintain its own freedom the Kingdom of Hazaran must keep pace with advances in the rest of the world. Either we must use the resources available to us, or someone else will, likely through coercion and violence.”

“When someone else threatens to take their land by force, to be stripped for minerals or ranched for cattle to be exported, how many of them will come crying to the crown for help? All because they balked at paying a few extra coins every year to keep their greater investments secure.”

“I… see your point, your grace,” the man admits, sitting down.

“Should any man be concerned at the loss of so little a fraction of their wealth let them speak their mind to me directly,” you declare, “and I will set them straight myself. But before that, effect repairs to these people’s water supply system as soon as possible. For now, bigger projects can wait.”

“Thank you, your majesty!” the stranger who brought the complaint bows profusely before being lead out of the room.

You can’t help but frown when you’ve seen the back of him. “That still feels so strange...”

>Have the doors closed. If it will stifle any further complaints, then it makes sense to inform the council of what you’ve learned.
>Be vague. Warn them that the neighboring countries in the western region aren’t the only threat to consider anymore.
>Be vague. Reiterate your point that technological breakthroughs, kept only to the hands of your rivals, will destabilize the whole region.
>Other?

>>4504375
>Other
If we reveal the truth here, it will certainly come out, and who knows how the Org will react. Yet if we don't, we might not receive the cooperation we need.
Let's meet the key councilmen individually and reveal what we've learned to them personally. I feel it'll make them more likely to keep the secret. This way we also can leave out anyone we consider too unreliable or not important enough. We need to tell the truth to as few people as possible, only the ones that are absolutely critical to our effort.

>>4504375
>>Be vague. Reiterate your point that technological breakthroughs, kept only to the hands of your rivals, will destabilize the whole region.
>>4504384
i disagree, we have to disclose that at some point, yes, but if think it is to soon for anyone to worry about it besides us and maybe Noventus
at the moment we can simply push technological advancement

>>4504375
>>Have the doors closed. If it will stifle any further complaints, then it makes sense to inform the council of what you’ve learned.

>>4504375
>Be vague. Warn them that the neighboring countries in the western region aren’t the only threat to consider anymore.

>>4504375
>>Be vague. Reiterate your point that technological breakthroughs, kept only to the hands of your rivals, will destabilize the whole region.

>>4504375
>Be vague. Reiterate your point that technological breakthroughs, kept only to the hands of your rivals, will destabilize the whole region.

Stability is what we are selling. We aren't trying to give ambitious minds ideas about potential crises or vulnerabilities to exploit.

>>4504375
>Be vague. Reiterate your point that technological breakthroughs, kept only to the hands of your rivals, will destabilize the whole region.

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>>4504375
“I feel like I need to reiterate a point,” you insist with a frown. “What we’re trying to do here is a long-term strategy. I don’t expect to have a centralized steam-driven power network by next Tuesday, and I don’t expect it to take priority over maintaining stable conditions within Hazaran. These are just the first concrete steps towards an eventual goal that may take longer to achieve than any of us have to see it.”

One man at the table raises a hand, and you gesture for him to speak. “Actually… there was a man who came here last week.”

“Not that crackpot and his experiments,” one of the councilmen near him grumbles.

“If I may,” the first man gestures for an attendant to bring a box to the meeting table. “I think we should present this to you for your consideration.”

What comes out of the box is a bizarre contraption, with a spinning metallic wheel and a U-shaped magnet, evidently connected to a glass jar of water by thin wires of what looks to be copper. For a few seconds the man spins the wheel, then offers to let you touch a second wire leading out of the jar of water. When you do so, you receive a light shock to your fingertips.

“It generates and stores electricity,” you realize. “By using magnetic forces in moving objects? We were taught a little bit about this on Lavinia, since sometimes you get a rare ability that seems to work on the principles of magnetism… so this is how it works scientifically?”

“You know what this thing is?” the second man, the skeptic from before, wonders aloud.

You nod. “I’ve heard theories that you could use this sort of device together with a steam-driven system to convert energy into a form that could be stored or transmitted long distances… to have one of these at a larger size, operated even just by a large windmill… who is it that brought you this?”

What you don’t tell him is that you’ve realized that this is probably what the stranded warship you encountered on your most recent excursion to the north coast used to generate power from its steam engines… a series of pistons could probably be responsible for turning the strange, fan-like devices at the stern, but to light the interior, to turn the turrets, and probably other tasks besides they probably generated electricity with a more advanced version of the very thing sitting on the meeting table in your palace.

If this plays out well for you, it could be a technological coup. Things in Hazaran could be poised to take a great leap ahead of anyone else in your corner of the world… a thought which leaves you both excited, but also wary.

“An inventor,” the skeptic replies hesitantly. “It was… well, it seemed like a sales pitch.”

>Bring him here. I want to speak with him.
>Find him and tell him to be in Scaithness one week from today.
>I’ll deal with that later. Is there any other business?
>Other?

>>4505858
>>Find him and tell him to be in Scaithness one week from today.

>>4505858
>Bring him here. I want to speak with him.

Really though, Queen, Noel knowing as much about this as she does looks like an asspull. It's a huge leap from an electric shock to an incandescent light bulb or an electric motor.

>>4505858
>Find him and tell him to be in Scaithness one week from today.

>>4505866
I mean, it's almost like she's literally SEEN that kind of technology already.

To see something and to know how it works are two very different things.

>>4505858
>Find him and tell him to be in Scaithness one week from today.

>>4505858
>>Bring him here. I want to speak with him.

>>4505887
due to her teaching as a princess she has basic knowledge of how physics works, but no actual application.
in the ship however she saw exactly that, a more or less functional example. a machine whose basic design she recognised here.
You don't need the basic physic teachings to recognised the design basics, but she does need to have seen a more or less complete example.

i do give you that it is a bit of a stretch, but not as much as you think it is, since due to the lack of a big number of pictures it is harder to convey these similarities in short updates

>>4505858
>Bring him here. I want to speak with him.

>>4505858
>Bring him here. I want to speak with him.

>>4505858
“Find him and bring him here,” you declare. “I’d like for him to make his case to me directly. In the mean time, I intend to return to the mission which brought me here.”

“Inform me when our ‘guest’ arrives.”

…

So now you have three things in your immediate future… finding horses that will tolerate you, investigating this new concept for generating power from steam, or even from the look of it by a windmill, and discerning what this ‘hunt’ is doing in your territory. So until more progress can be made on the first two, you turn your attention to the third.

…

You find that Aurora, Sabrina, and Valentina are sitting in a smaller room in the palace compound, seemingly meeting with a total of eight men. Seven of these seem to be civilians, while the eighth wears the simple official uniform of the palace guard.

“What’s he doing here?” you demand with a frown.

The palace guard glances at your fellow warriors, then back at you. “Me, ma’am?”

“Yes, you,” you confirm.

“Lord Noventus has ordered me to serve as a liaison,” he bows politely. “My name is Cal Kiran.”

“And how long have you been a palace guard?” you question him.

“I was one of the first that Lord Noventus brought in after ousting most of the ones who were here when he arrived,” Cal explains nervously. “Is there a problem, ma’am? I can arrange to have someone else...”

“No,” you insist with a sigh. “No, the problem is mine. That uniform simply brings up bad memories. Pay it no mind.”

Cal Kiran nods quietly. “As you wish. In any event, these seven men have been selected to increase our surveillance of the area your cohort have identified as being of interest.”

“Are they satisfactory to you?” you ask Aurora, intending the question to go to all three despite looking to the technically highest-ranked of the three.

“I’m fine with these choices,” Aurora nods.

“I see no problems either,” Valentina agrees.

Sabrina simply shakes her head. “I don’t know that it would make a real difference who gets sent.”

“You may have a point, Sabrina,” you sigh. “But this is still a procedure worth going through. Okay?”

“I’ll listen to your judgment,” Sabrina shrugs.
>1/2

>>4507104
Once the men have been sent on their way, Cal Kiran bows politely. “Queen Noel, Lord Noventus did warn us that when you were a child, it was the palace guard who nearly killed you during the coup. I’d like to reassure you, if it helps, that all of us are here for a reason.”

“We may not all share the same degree of loyalty to you as Lord Noventus does,” he continues, “though speaking only for myself I know that I do. But in any event, each of us was selected because we understood our commander’s loyalty to you. I hope that puts you more at east to know, ma’am.”

“And if it puts you more at ease, you have my apologies,” you incline your head politely. “It was an instinctive response, and it wasn’t fair to you.”

“I humbly accept your apologies, ma’am,” he bows even more deeply. “You honor me with your concern.”

After a few moments, you nod to yourself. “Now, I suppose this means it’s back to waiting.”

>Once I speak with this ‘inventor’ we’ll rest for the day. News will reach us here as we arranged.
>After speaking with this ‘inventor’ I feel we could move to a fortress closer to the border.
>I think Noventus and I need to discuss some things in private. Cal, please arrange a late meeting.
>Other?

>>4507119
>I think Noventus and I need to discuss some things in private. Cal, please arrange a late meeting.

>>4507152
>>4507119
Agreed, of all people here he is the one we can trust with these secrets
But, make sure to apologise for burdening him further and with such revelations

>>4507119
>I think Noventus and I need to discuss some things in private. Cal, please arrange a late meeting.

>>4507119
>I think Noventus and I need to discuss some things in private. Cal, please arrange a late meeting.

>>4505927
I'm just going to chalk it up to the org giving a very thorough education on a number of eclectic topics, tactics and skills.

Let us not forget: Claymores are taken as children and trained until they pass or die. They don't exactly get to have free time. They also don't sleep as much as humans do. That's a lot of potential instruction time.

Although, to be fair, I think they also go through various therapies and something like hypnosis that are essential to their creation process, and those take up a lot of time as well.

>>4507386
My problem wasn't with how Noel specifically knows it, but how the Org knew it in the first place.

>>4507402
The Organization knows it because the Organization is from the outside world and maintains the blockade that would ordinarily keep anyone from stumbling into their experiment.

>>4507119
“Cal,” you muse. “If you would be so kind as to contact Noventus for me and arrange a meeting later this evening, I’d appreciate it.”

“A meeting?” he repeats. “Will you need to contact anyone else?”

You shake your head. “No, this will be a private meeting between myself and my regent. No one else may be present, not even guards. Understood?”

Cal Kiran nods curtly. “Yes, ma’am.”

…

The royal residence is much more ‘finished’ than it was when you were here last, with actual furnishings in all of the rooms. It reminds you a little of when this was your home, though most of the exact details are different such as the colors in the tapestries or the carving on the chairs and desks and bedframes. But that’s fine, it’s actually not the worst thing that things have changed with time. It wouldn’t do to live in a reminder of your past like that.

With no news from the inventor, you progress through the day.

Dinner is served punctually, a small meal in the old communal style with three small dishes and fresh flatbread: thin pieces of grilled yak in a spicy, creamy stew, vegetables in a thickened bone broth, and soft fresh cheese with herbs.

Afterwards you open the door for Noventus, who seats himself across the low table after removing his boots.

“You sent for me, lady Noel?”

“I have to update you on something,” you frown. “It happened several days ago on the north coast, in Hibernia.”

“Does it have to do with your letter?” he enquires curiously.

You nod curtly. “A ship ran aground in a powerful storm… a ship from the outside world. There were survivors.”

“From the outside?” he repeats. “You have proof?”

“The technology it used was beyond anything that exists here,” you explain. “Iron armor belts, explosive shells, steam-powered propulsion. The surviving crew gave us the first glimpses of what life is like on the far side of the world.”

“Is that so...” he frowns. “Iron armor and explosive shells, and steam power… no wonder you’d be keen to push what industry we have in a new direction.”

“And I suspect there’s an inventor living in the city who has one of the missing pieces,” you add. “A device for turning motion into a form of energy that can be stored and moved: electricity. Are you familiar with it?”
>1/2

>>4507488
“Only in passing,” Noventus admits. “Toys for eccentrics and professors, I always figured.”

“Think about it,” you muse. “Converting the movements of the wind into light in people’s homes, in the street, deep inside mines… pumping water out of the depths and air into them.”

“And it could help in producing what’s necessary for the other things,” Noventus nods along. “New weapons, that sort of thing?”

“That’s probably true,” you tell him. “We just don’t know when a problem from the outside might arrive on our shores.”

“So you mean to pursue this?”

>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.
>I think it can improve the lives of my people, so yes. I plan to pursue this.
>At very least, new weapons designs will guarantee a little security. That may become a priority.
>Other?

>>4507505
>>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.

>>4507505
>>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.
but also
>>I think it can improve the lives of my people, so yes. I plan to pursue this.

>>4507505
>I think it can improve the lives of my people, so yes. I plan to pursue this.
>At very least, new weapons designs will guarantee a little security. That may become a priority.

>>4507505
>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.
>I think it can improve the lives of my people, so yes. I plan to pursue this.

>>4507505
>>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.
>>I think it can improve the lives of my people, so yes. I plan to pursue this.

>>4507505
>At very least, new weapons designs will guarantee a little security. That may become a priority.

>>4507505
>Slowly, one bit at a time, and under a watchful eye, yes. This is a dangerous line to walk.
>Eventually them accidentally finding us won't be stopped, and we'll need to be able to stand up to them, lest we become a proxy for them.

>>4507505
“I’ll oversee this personally,” you decide, “for the time being. But I’m convinced that quite aside from the potential military developments this could make the lives of my subjects better… so I’m going to pursue this.”

“Then I’ll just have to do everything I can to facilitate it,” Noventus sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t worry about it too much, just send me the expense reports… and try to keep the numbers down, would you? I can only explain so much without announcing what you’ve told me to the world.”

"Which I assume is why you spoke to me privately," he adds, almost as an afterthought. "Because you of all people should suspect the sort of chaos that a revelation on that order might lead to."

>I’ll tell you tomorrow what happens when I meet that inventor. That should give you a good idea.
>I’ll act in the way I feel best for our nation, but I’ll also be sure to keep in closer contact with you.
>What we could really use is a scapegoat, some external force to give us an excuse to work with.
>Other?

>>4508564
>I’ll tell you tomorrow what happens when I meet that inventor. That should give you a good idea.
>What we could really use is a scapegoat, some external force to give us an excuse to work with.

>>4508564
>>I’ll tell you tomorrow what happens when I meet that inventor. That should give you a good idea.

>>4508583
>>4508564
Supporting this

>>4508564
>>4508583
In with this guy

>>4508564
>I’ll tell you tomorrow what happens when I meet that inventor. That should give you a good idea.

>>4508564
>>4508583
Supporting

>>4508564
“I should be meeting with that inventor tomorrow,” you muse. “So I’ll be able to tell you more after that. It should give you a much clearer idea of the situation. But there is one other thing I would like to suggest, and get your input on.”

“Name it,” your recent replies, interested in your idea.

“I think it may help to have a scapegoat or a ‘boogeyman’,” you admit carefully. “Not one that could be attacked, or that would cause panic, but a credible reason behind what we’re trying to do.”

“One other than the rather fantastical notion of a broader world,” Noventus strokes his beard thoughtfully. “I trust you understand that this would be rather risky. It could work but it would have to be done carefully.”

“I know that,” you agree. “My first thought is to present it as a yōma-related problem, but I’m not sure about the specifics of that particular lie.”

“How could yōma problems tie into industrial growth...” Noventus frowns, brow furrowed. “I suppose certain metallurgical advances would require mining and processing beyond what we’re capable of?”

“Iron maybe,” you suggest. “Increased steel production?”

“Iron,” he muses, “for guns you mean?”

You nod in confirmation. “That’s what I was thinking, yes. The guns and armor belt aboard that ship were all iron, and the shells were explosive. So while I’m not completely certain the two may be connected and if so we would be wise to adopt both at the same time.”

“Okay,” he agrees. “I tend to think you have the beginnings of a good idea with that. And certainly the yōma would be the appropriate boogeyman in that no human lives would be lost because of it.”

“Then would you be willing to pass this lie along?” you enquire.

He nods in agreement. “Yes, I think I would. But what remains is to decide what exactly the lie should be about in substance? What ‘changed’, would you say?”

“We have a bit of a boogeyman of our own,” you muse. “They’re called ‘voracious eaters’… the lie we were told in training is that these are yōma which have become larger and more powerful than any others over time, which is a thing that exists.”

“The lie?” he repeats.

>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.
>Keep that particular truth from him. He’ll understand.
>Other?

>>4510281
>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
>>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.
I like Noventus. I think he can handle it.
“Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid.”

>>4510281
>>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
>>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
>Tell him the truth about awakened beings and the ‘dragons’.

>>4510281
“The truth is… a bit unbelievable,” you admit honestly. “This is what you need to know… what we in Hazaran used to call ‘giants’ actually exist in the outside world. Humanity once fought a war against them and nearly lost, because these ‘giants’ have the ability to ‘awaken’, transforming their bodies to become living war machines that humanity once mistook for mythical ‘dragons’.”

“We silver-eyed warriors were created by an independent organization that’s trying to restart that war with the hopes of winning it,” you continue to explain. “Their rules and procedures are designed to create warriors like me who can use that same ‘awakening’ phenomenon. So far, most of their attempts have failed.”

After digesting that series of massive revelations, Noventus finally settles on a question to ask. “What happens to the failures?”

“They’re either killed by their own comrades, or they awaken,” you explain. “They lose their minds and become monsters worse than yōma. One of our tasks as high-ranking warriors is to eliminate these ‘awakened beings’ any time they start to cause a problem.”

“And you say you’re a success? Why is that?”

“There are a few warriors who have gone past what we call the ‘yōki limit’,” you continue to explain, “which is normally the point where regaining control becomes impossible. But in some cases, we can come back anyway. We’re not sure yet why or how some warriors can manage that and others can’t.”

“For me, I awakened fully after several days of nonstop fighting against an awakened being, but ran out of yōki in practically the same instant. My body couldn’t maintain its transformed state and reverted.”

“And these awakened beings eat people?” Noventus asks for clarification. “As yōma do?”

You shake your head. “Actually, what we’ve learned is that they’re really after… something not too unlike pond scum. It’s a part of the ‘giants’ diet, and the human gut contains just enough of that substance for yōma to survive… like how deer will instinctively go to a salt lick.”

“There are two awakened beings living outside of Scaithness who have been eating what we call ‘spice’ added to regular food,” you inform him. “We’ve been growing it there, and they haven’t reported any… cravings.”

“This is...” Noventus muses, cradling his head in his hands. “This is a lot.”

>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.
>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.
>It’s also a completely unpredictable situation. We need to be ready for anything.
>Other?

>>4511478
>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.

>>4511478
>>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.

>>4511478
>>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.
You are right this is a lot, i apologize for putting that much on your shoulders, but this way you can better understand why i took the measure i did, why i couldn't return to my kingdom alone.

>>4511478
>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.
Back to the mines or Moria!

>>4511478
>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.

>>4511478
>You are right. This is a lot, and I apologize for putting that much on your shoulders, but this way you can better understand why i took the measure i did, why i couldn't return to my kingdom alone.
>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.
>But it’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.

>>4511478
>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.

>>4511478
>>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.
>>The ‘giants’ have a treaty with humanity… if we could gain their recognition, we could protect our homeland.

>>4511524
>>4511478

>>4511478
>>It’s also going to be a long time before we need to do anything about it, so long as the Organization exists.

>>4511478
“Apologies for putting so much on your shoulders out of nowhere,” you sight dramatically. “Small consolation, but it’s not likely to be an immediate concern so long as the Organization still exists.”

“And were the Organization to suddenly withdraw?” Noventus wonders aloud. “What would happen then if we aren’t ready to look after ourselves?”

“Then we may need to put some faith in these ‘giants’ of the far side of the world,” you muse.

Noventus shakes his head. “Is that wise?”

“The silver-eyed warriors share their blood,” you reply, “and they have a treaty with humanity that guarantees them territory on extremely favorable terms. If we can convince them that this region is our home, the provisions of the treaty may be extended to us. This island and any like it where my kind exist would become our territory to administer, and things would continue much as they have been this past century.”

“And in a century?”

“I may still be here,” you admit. “We warriors stop aging when we undergo our procedures. The oldest warrior I ever met was more than eighty years old and still looked like a young woman… though if you really looked into her eyes, closely, you could tell she was far older than that.”

“That’s a lot of weight to bear, and you’ll be bearing it a long time with any luck,” he shakes his head. “You have my sympathy.”

…

Later in that day, you’re informed that this mystery inventor you heard about yesterday has been brought to the palace’s administrative offices. He’s a middle-aged man with a neatly-trimmed beard and spectacles, who seems a bit nervous when he’s brought before the members of the council who were available on short notice.

“Relax,” you insist from the far side of the table. “I want you to sell me on this device you designed.”

“Of course, your grace,” the man bows deeply, but awkwardly. “To put it simply, I’ve designed a mechanism for converting mechanical energy into electricity, which is then stored in what I’ve called a ‘lightning-jar’.”

“Clarify how you intend for it to work,” you press. “What supplies the mechanical energy?”

“Either a windmill or a waterwheel,” he tells you. “The turning shaft would have a large wooden or metal gear around it, which is connected to a smaller gear in what I’ve called a ‘gear-box’…”

“Which causes the smaller gear to turn faster,” you nod, to demonstrate that you’re following along as best you can.”

“That’s exactly right,” the man agrees. “The shaft that the faster gear is on then turns this metal disc, which generates electricity.”
>1/?

>>4513082
Update will be finished in a few hours, I have a thing to go to.

>>4513082
“How?” one of the councilmen demands.

“It’s complicated,” the inventor sighs awkwardly, “but let’s try putting it this way… have you ever held two poles of a magnet together?”

“I’ve been given the briefest instruction,” you admit. “Mostly in the context of navigation by compass, and in the mostly-theoretical ability of certain yōma to apply similar principles as a means of attack. Though I confess to have no idea why a magnet works.”

“Then you know the sensation of trying to press two magnets together,” he continues, “where their poles are matched?”

“If you mean when they repel each other yes,” you acknowledge. “I’m familiar. You’re saying it has something to do with that force?”

“Yes,” he nods vigorously. “Yes, exactly! It has to do with the interactions of magnetic fields which is very complicated, but simplified it means that you can generate electricity by a circular movement of the disc.”

“How much electricity are we talking about?” you press. “Enough for use in industry?”

“In principle, you can have one turning shaft drive multiple ‘generator’ discs,” the inventor insists. “So with full-sized discs powered by, say, a large windmill, in theory it could produce substantial power, moved across an electrically conductive cable material. The real question is what to do with the power once it reaches its destination.”

“And your answer to that?” you frown. “I assume you do have an answer.”

“I do,” the man admits. “I do indeed… a fine filament of appropriate material can be heated to incandescence by means of electric charge.”

“What kind of filament?”

“I have tried two types,” the inventor informs you. “A carbon filament vacuum-sealed into a small glass vessel is the first. The second uses platinum… an otherwise useless product found in in some abundance in Hazari mines… placed into a glass tube filled with a noble gas. My models have used nitrogen, though in theory argon could also be used.”

>This all sounds good to me. I’d like to see you build something functional out of it though.
>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.
>Other?

>>4513292
>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.

>>4513292
>This all sounds good to me. I’d like to see you build something functional out of it though.

>>4513292
>>This all sounds good to me. I’d like to see you build something functional out of it though.
>>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.

>>4513292
>>This all sounds good to me. I’d like to see you build something functional out of it though.
>>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.

>>4513292
>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.

>>4513292
>Other

Vacuum sealed? How? Why? What?

Gases that are noble? What on earth?

>>4513292
>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.

do we know what nitrogen is? a little bit of >>4513517

>>4513292
>This all sounds good to me. I’d like to see you build something functional out of it though.
>How did you figure all this out? Most people in the world don’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ IS.
>Other?
How does one vacuum seal things?

>>4513292
“There’s something I don’t understand,” you admit. “I don’t understand how you know all of this… when most people, including those in this room, wouldn’t even know what ‘nitrogen’ is?”

“I assume you are familiar with it?” he asks you.

“I’m familiar with the modern concept of elements,” you admit. “As of ten years ago there were thirty-three?”

“Up to thirty-seven now,” the man informs you, “including gasses, metals, and nonmetals.”

“What I know about nitrogen is that it’s related to saltpeter,” you recount, “that it’s an asphyxiant and it doesn’t burn.”

“There are quite old references to the elements and their properties,” the inventor explains, finally answering your question. “Many of us have based our current studies on foundations in those early texts, which are mostly related to production methods of certain useful substances such as saltpeter, fertilizer, various medicines, and so forth.”

“We chemists keep this knoweldge alive, and try our hardest to expand on what we can achieve with it. Though, admittedly, there are very few of us.”

“So you share information,” you muse. “You’d probably only be a specialist in one topic?”

“That’s unfortunately quite true,” he admits. “The technique for removing the air from a vessel, for fractioning off other elements from the air to isolate nitrogen, practical techniques for creating wires and fuses… these are all things I had to learn from others, in order to make my understanding of magnetic and electrical fields into something useful.”

“And have you shared your knowledge with them in return?”

“Some,” he makes another awkward admission, “though I do not believe anyone else but me has all of the pieces necessary.”

>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.
>I think you and I need to speak privately on the matter we just discussed… the spread of scientific knowledge.
>Other?

>>4514398
>>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.

>>4514398
>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.
>I think you and I need to speak privately on the matter we just discussed… the spread of scientific knowledge.

>>4514398
>>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.
>>I think you and I need to speak privately on the matter we just discussed… the spread of scientific knowledge.

>>4514398
>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.

>>4514398
>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>I think you and I need to speak privately on the matter we just discussed… the spread of scientific knowledge.

>>4514398
>>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.

>>4514398
>I think you and I need to speak privately on the matter we just discussed… the spread of scientific knowledge.
Institutions, not men.

>>4514398
>If you can figure out how to transform electrical energy back into mechanical energy I’ll hire you for the rest of your natural life.
>I’m interested. I want to be the first monarch in this world to see the potential of your research be realized. Travel to Scaithness.
>Other?
What other friends of yours holds similar knowledge, or in different fields that can be of use to me?

>>4514398
>update will be in a few hours at least

>>4514398
“If you could figure out how to transfer that electrical energy back into mechanical energy you’d be on my kingdom’s payroll for the rest of your natural life,” you admit. “But short of that, I’m interested in seeing your research turn into something practical. As it happens I have some land just outside of Scaithness. You could use some of it to build a full-scale system along the lines you’ve suggested?”

“That would be… an incredible opportunity!” he admits. “Of course it would take some time to move all of my laboratory equipment, and to acquire the necessary raw materials.”

“I have contacts for that,” you nod curtly. “Though I just realized… I’ve never asked your name?”

“It’s Finney, ma’am,” the inventor replies. “It’s William Finney.”

“Mister Finney then,” you declare. “Begin whatever preparations you require. I’ll send an enquiry to the merchants guild, see what options are available for getting you and your things to Scaithness.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Finney replies excitedly. “Right away, ma’am!”

…

“So that’s the situation,” you conclude your report to Noventus an hour later. “I believe that Finney genuinely knows what he’s doing.”

“You’re probably correct,” Noventus agrees, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Though I’m curious to know what you make of this idea that modern ‘chemists’ are basing their work on a much older corpus of knowledge?”

“It’s consistent with what we know of the emergence of a common writing system,” you admit. “It suggests a very sudden burst of development.”

“Or the aftermath of a very sudden reversal,” Noventus muses.

“I’ve considered that possibility myself,” you admit. “That the techniques used to create warriors like myself, and swords like the one I carry, are some sort of ‘lost knowledge’ that disappeared here for some reason centuries ago.”

“What do you think it means?” Noventus asks.

>I think it means that our colonizing ancestors brought knowledge with them that became impractical to maintain.
>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.
>I think we can’t jump to any conclusions, but it DOES warrant further cautious investigation.
>Other?

>>4515764
>>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>The 'lost knowledge' was important and integral to our ancestors that the absence and loss of that knowledge caused the decline of this region for three centuries.

>>4515764
>>I think it means that our colonizing ancestors brought knowledge with them that became impractical to maintain.

>>4515764
>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
>I think it means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for some three centuries.

>>4515764
“It means that something, or someone, caused our whole region to stagnate for three centuries or so,” you speculate. “As for who or what, I couldn’t say. But what’s clear to me is that we’re just now starting to re-learn some of the things we were once able to do.”

“Do you think it was the Organization?”

“If it was my guess is that they came in later,” you offer. “They may have worked to hide recorded knowledge of certain topics to produce this effect. But again… that’s all just speculation.”

“If they were involved,” Noventus wonders aloud, “what will their likely response be?”

“I can’t be sure,” you admit. “It feels like any time they assign other warriors to ‘deal with us’ it only convinces more of them that we may be in the right. Even assuming that they can somehow sic yōma on us normal yōma are hardly a threat, and no awakened beings would listen to them.”

“Even if they did we have one of the strongest on our side, and several half-awakened warriors. I’m honestly not sure what the Organization can do now that we’ve succeeded in freeing ourselves.”

“Their measures were meant to prevent this sort of hitch in their plans rather than resolving it?”

You nod curtly. “And their mistake was putting too many of us together on a single suicide mission. They failed to dispose of us and gave us a good reason to defect, and now they’re stuck with us.”

>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.
>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.
>If it’s a slow creep of progress they may not see it as being worth responding to.
>Other?

>>4517396
>>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
>>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
>>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.
>>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.
>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.

>>4517396
>>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.
>>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
>>That being said, we should be prepared for them to do SOMETHING.
>>I suspect that they’ll take retributive action against a friend of ours who they’re holding hostage.

>>4517396
“I’m convinced they intend to do something,” you admit carefully, “though it’s hard to guess what form that retribution will take. The most likely may be hurting Zoe… a friend and mentor to a lot of us that they’re holding hostage on Lavinia.”

“A hostage?” Noventus frowns. “Why this woman in particular?”

“She’s an older warrior who enjoys mentoring trainees,” you explain. “She was already serving there on a defensive deployment when I went through training. I can only think of a single warrior who would wish her harm, and that’s because she’s a psychopath.”

“Then why haven’t you rescued this Zoe?”

“Because the one who’d be willing to execute her was ranked first among our numbers, and I don’t know if we could beat her even if we were working together.”

“So the situation is at an impasse?”

You nod curtly. “If we were to rely on the power of an awakened being or two we would win for certain, at the cost of creating entirely different problems.”

“You can only rely on awakened beings when fighting other awakened beings?”

“Something like that,” you admit.

“As a tactician I can only identify three possibilities,” Noventus scratches his chin. “Strike a bargain, rescue her covertly, or abandon her.”

>What sort of ‘bargain’ would you think we could strike in this situation?
>There’s a fourth option: an overt threat. They wouldn’t anticipate that.
>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?
>Other?

>>4518325
>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
>>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
>>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
>>We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan. Would you be interested in advising?

>>4518325
“We’ve been considering a covert rescue plan,” you admit. “We had spies examine their ‘conventional’ defenses for gaps to exploit. Would you maybe be interested in joining the effort as a… what should we call it… as a ‘military advisor’, perhaps?”

“That could be interesting,” Noventus admits thoughtfully. “What did your spies tell you to expect?”

“Very little out of the ordinary,” you inform him. “The town guard are fairly standard compared to any other region. It’s really just the citadel that poses a problem.”

“Explain.”

“It’s a concentric castle,” you explain, “with three lines of defense. The first is a raised platform that has the outward appearance of a curtain wall with towers and gates… that contains the training yards and barracks. Then within that there’s a massive outcrop which has been refaced and mined out to create an inner bastion. Atop this higher bastion is the main keep, and the only entrance into the lower levels of the hollowed-out bastion.”

“Which means you have three distinct points of entry,” Noventus muses. “Quite the challenge to do it unnoticed.”

“So how would you attack this problem?”

After a moment, Noventus shakes his head. “I don’t know whether this will help you, but I wouldn’t.”

“I’m listening,” you nod.

“What I would do is position a counter-castle nearby,” he explains. “Maybe not on the ideal defensive location, but at a passable location capable of harassing supply lines and troop movements in the area. Make it impossible for the enemy to get the full value out of their own castle, while spending as little of my own resources as possible to do so.”

“So a strategy of denial,” you summarize.

“Exactly.”

“How would we put that principle into action?” you enquire. “This case is a little unusual.”

“Where does the Organization get their supplies?”

“There’s a trading port on one end of Lavinia,” you recount. “Here, give me something to draw on.”

You sketch out the basic details of Lavinia as you remember them: the outlines of the coast as you could see them from the citadel, the location of the citadel itself, the extend of the settlement there and the main roads, and the wall around its perimeter.
>1/2

>>4519474
“This is all I know about Lavinia,” you explain. “The few times I’ve seen anything of the wilderness outside the wall didn’t really tell me anything.”

Noventus frowns. “Do you know of any ships that have travelled around the far side of the island?”

You shake your head. “No, I don’t. Why?”

“Because you mentioned that the Organization maintains a blockade around our continent,” Noventus explains his reasoning. “If they go to such lengths to ensure that no one sees the far side of Lavinia, then that implies that they use a port there as an anchorage.”

“I see what you’re saying,” you admit.

>But how would we actually make that threat into something credible?
>I like the idea, but we could probably use a less extreme measure to bargain for Zoe’s life.
>That would be quite an escalation. I don’t know that they’d respond well to it.
>Other?

>>4519563
>>That would be quite an escalation. I don’t know that they’d respond well to it.

>>4519563
>That would be quite an escalation. I don’t know that they’d respond well to it.

>>4519563
>But how would we actually make that threat into something credible?
>The Org has ships able to defeat even an outside world warship.

>>4519563
>>But how would we actually make that threat into something credible?
>>The Org has ships able to defeat even an outside world warship.

>>4519563
>But how would we actually make that threat into something credible?
>The Org has ships able to defeat even an outside world warship.

>>4519563
>But how would we actually make that threat into something credible?
>The Org has ships able to defeat even an outside world warship.

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116 KB JPG

>>4519563
“The Organization evidently has ships that can destroy armored warships like the one I encountered off Hibernia,” you point out. “Steam-driven, heavily armored, with explosive cannon shells. If they do have an anchorage on Lavinia… and I think you’re right to suggest they should… it may be similarly difficult to approach.”

“So with that in mind, where do we make our move to present a credible threat?”

“That I can’t say,” Noventus admits. “My intuition is that even one ship lost in its home port is a convincing threat… it doesn’t back them into any corners and confirms that you can do something along those lines. Perhaps strangling trade to the civilian port you’ve mapped out for me would also place enough pressure on them.”

“There is one other unique angle we could attack them on,” you admit. “The Organization uses flesh grafts from yōma to create half-blooded warriors. If we could destroy the laboratory where they do that, that would send the message.”

“Which would require you to get inside the citadel.”

You nod. “That is the catch. Though perhaps once inside the citadel, one could bargain from a position of strength?”

“That’s another decent principle to observe, where possible,” Noventus agrees.

>I think it may be best to put this whole matter on hold for now. It’s unlikely that they’ll budge at all in the coming weeks, even months.
>When our mission to the west is done we should contact the Organization. Our first ‘official’ meeting will let us feel their position out.
>We should look into ways of getting onto Lavinia undetected. What we do once we get there will have to be up to the rest of my cohort.
>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.
>Other?

>>4520517
>”
>When our mission to the west is done we should contact the Organization. Our first ‘official’ meeting will let us feel their position out.

>>4520517
>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.

>>4520517
>>There’s one other weakness to the Organization: an uprising among their silver-eyed pawns. That’s why they maintain such draconian rules.
this is very much the route we've been going down. Long live the Queen

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141 KB JPG

>>4520517
“There may be one more weakness,” you admit, slowly coming around to the point. “Their reliance on my kind.”

“On the claymores?”

You nod calmly. “Yes… that’s why their rules for us are so draconian. Our reflexes, our regenerative abilities, our ability to use awakening… even rifles and cannonshot wouldn’t be enough. The only concern anymore is our own rule prohibiting us from taking human life, but that can be worked around.”

“You would have to win over a significant number,” Noventus ponders the issue. “And they would have to be strong enough to match the warriors likely to be set against you.”

“We have five former single-digit warriors,” you explain, “and seven other warriors whose abilities can be counted on. Of those five, including myself and two other former single-digits, have much greater than average control over our own awakening process. On top of that, we have two awakened beings, warriors who have passed their limits and fully awakened, who align themselves with our cause.”

“And how many warriors does the Organization currently maintain?” Noventus presses.

You shake your head. “Irrelevant. No warrior ranked much lower than tenth is likely a match for even our lowest-ranked warriors.”

“So what do you need to secure victory?”

This time you’re the one who has to consider it carefully. “Lunara maybe… a recent replacement of some skill who may be swayed. Isabel and Sofia are single-digits who may also be reasoned with. Any two of the three would secure a clear supremacy over the Organization’s single-digits.”

>I think it would be wise to recruit Isabel and Sofia. They’re a known quantity.
>Lunara is young and impressionable. Her joining may net us both Isabel AND Sofia.
>The risk is if we start openly recruiting, the Organization may take retributive action.
>Other?

>>4521709
>The risk is if we start openly recruiting, the Organization may take retributive action.

>>4521709
>The risk is if we start openly recruiting, the Organization may take retributive action.

>>4521709
>I think it would be wise to recruit Isabel and Sofia. They’re a known quantity.
>The risk is if we start openly recruiting, the Organization may take retributive action.

>>4521728
>>4521709
this one has it right

>>4521728
>>4521709

>>4521709
>I think it would be wise to recruit Isabel and Sofia. They’re a known quantity.
>The risk is if we start openly recruiting, the Organization may take retributive action.

>>4521709
“I think contacting Isabel and Sofia would be a wise step,” you admit. “I know them, by reputation at least… they’ll listen to what we have to say. But taking action immediately may not be the best thing.”

“Because the Organization might take retributive action?”

“That’s right. They’ve done it before.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Noventus frowns. “The more I find out about the Organization’s inner workings the less I like them.”

“In any case, our mission here comes first,” you declare. “Then I’ll have to discuss with the others.”

…

It takes another two days before you get information from inner Tarsus. It’s more than a day old by the time it reaches you, and the rider’s horse nearly collapses from exhaustion from the effort. But the news gives you confirmation of a few things. First, it’s confirmed that the four warriors you were told about are still together, and second that they seem to be camping out just outside a small crossroads town. It’s not entirely clear what reason they have for doing so, but reports indicated that they’ve spent several nights there.

It’s possible they’re waiting for a contact from the Organization to find them, which seems unusual… the men in black tend to be way more diligent than that.

“So?” Valentina asks after you’ve reviewed the information. “What do you think?”

>I think we should go immediately. Approach them as friends and comrades.
>I think we should try luring them to a point of our choosing and meet them.
>I think we should wait for them to leave and catch them on the move.
>Other?

>>4523034
>>I think we should go immediately. Approach them as friends and comrades.

>>4523034
>I think we should try luring them to a point of our choosing and meet them.

We can't expect them to be friends and neither we can't expect them to be foes. Better to meet them in a situation that is advantageous to us as much as possible

>>4523034
>I think we should go immediately. Approach them as friends and comrades.

>>4523034
>I think we should wait for them to leave and catch them on the move.

>>4523034
>I think we should try luring them to a point of our choosing and meet them.

>>4523034
>I think we should go immediately. Approach them as friends and comrades.

>>4523034
>I think we should go immediately. Approach them as friends and comrades.

>>4523034
>>I think we should try luring them to a point of our choosing and meet them.

>>4523034
>>I think we should try luring them to a point of our choosing and meet them.

>>4523034
“I think the ideal plan would be to meet them on neutral ground,” you admit. “If they come to us they surrender any advantage of having made preparations first, and we meet on equal terms.”

“Perhaps a little more stressful on their side than it would be if we approached them instead,” Aurora muses. “But then again, it also provides us an opportunity to demonstrate that we mean them no harm. Words alone can only go so far.”

“You’re right,” you admit. “I don’t think I actually gave that aspect as much thought as I should, because if I’m being honest… being aware of the possibility that they’ll be jumpy doesn’t change what we’ll have to do that much.”

“How so?” Sabrina presses you.

“Because convincing them to listen to what we have to say was always the first step,” you offer your thoughts. “But still… I don’t think that approaching them outright is the best idea. For one, it could be interpreted as a prelude to aggression.”

“How many warriors seek out our own without reason?” Valentina muses

You nod curtly. “Exactly.”

“Then we’ll do it your way,” Sabrina concedes. “You convinced me with that.”

…

The plan turns out to be incredibly simple: head towards the hunting party’s last known location and let them sense your unrestrained yōki. Then see what they do: ideally they leave whatever sort of encampment they may have set up and come to you. If not, then it may make sense for one of you to approach them.

For this you choose a little depression at the top of a hill outside the town in inner Tarsus where the hunting party has been waiting… and you can sense that they’re still there.

It’s shortly before dark when the four approach, one separating from the others and taking a lead. You’re sitting patiently on stones arranged in a circle around a small fire, together with Valentina, Aurora, and Sabrina, when that lone leader arrives.

“Sofia!” Aurora recognizes the newcomer and rises to her feet. “It’s been a while, how are you?”

“Aurora,” Sofia nods curtly. “Well, thank you.”

“So this is ‘Empty Heart’ Sofia?” you muse, rising to your feet as well. Sofia’s hand slowly reaches towards the hilt of her sword, pausing at her shoulder. “I only know you by reputation, same no doubt as you’d know of me.”

“Your hair is as pink as they say,” Sofia replies flatly… her gaze, her demeanor, her tone of voice, all of it seems so devoid of any emotional content. So this is how she earned that nickname.
>1/2

>>4524772
By the dim light of the fire and the fading sun you can see enough of Sofia for a general impression. Her blonde hair is tied back in a single thick braid, her ears are the human norm, and she has what you’d consider a strong chin for a woman. It doesn’t quite qualify as what you’d consider ‘masculine’ but it’s well on its way. She also has a noticeable scar on her right cheek, two lines in parallel from her cheekbone to the corner of her mouth.

“The others with us are Valentina and Sabrina,” you offer. “Formerly thirteen and seventeen.”

“We no longer use numerical rankings,” Sofia stares at you. “Your reputation is rather checkered, miss Noel, formerly number seven.”

“How so?” you wonder.

“If all the things people have said are true, that would make you a daring coward who both routinely saves warriors in trouble and gets them all killed, a charming woman who infuriates people just by being present, who is simultaneously loyal to humanity’s cause and her fellow warriors who should be respected and a traitor to the organization who should be killed on sight.”

“Which of these is true remains to be seen.”

You pause for a moment. “You’ve been speaking with Luciana, haven’t you?”

“I have,” Sofia admits. “We were called to a meeting shortly after Aurora defected to reorganize the Organization, and Luciana was there. She was rather impassioned when the topic of your own defection came up.”

“She gets that way,” you sigh. "I still have no idea what I did to her..."

“Tell me, Aurora, Noel, Valentina, Sabrina… why have you come here?”

>To ask you the same question. There’s nothing we’re aware of that could account for a hunting party waiting around like this.
>Because we considered that you might be in trouble, which would make it worth the risk to ourselves to get involved.
>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?
>Other?

>>4524794
>>To ask you the same question. There’s nothing we’re aware of that could account for a hunting party waiting around like this.

>>4524794
>>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?

>>4524794
>>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?

>>4524794
>>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?

>>4524794
>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?

>>4524794
>How much do you know about WHY we defected, and what the Organization has been doing to anyone who even MIGHT follow us?

>>4524794
>To ask you the same question. There’s nothing we’re aware of that could account for a hunting party waiting around like this.

>>4524794
>>To ask you the same question. There’s nothing we’re aware of that could account for a hunting party waiting around like this.

>>4524794
“How much do you know about us?” you ask her calmly. “About why we’re at odds with the Organization, and what the Organization does to warriors like us?”

“I have surmised that you were forced to leave under less than ideal circumstances,” Sofia tells you. “But the Organization and its handlers prefer to avoid any such discussion.”

“It’s… not a good look,” Aurora confesses.

“Before we say anything else,” you interrupt, “warriors have died for knowing what we’re about to tell you. I would keep this from the other three unless you intend to defect immediately with us, and lie through your teeth if anyone ever asks you what we talked about. Tell them we were offering help in case you were in trouble… which has the benefit of being true.”

“I understand the risk,” Sofia acknowledges flatly. “That just proves that I need to at least listen to what you have to say.”

“Then what you need to know is...”

…

You tell her the truth, as ugly and as sinister as you know it to be. That the Organization is deliberately keeping this island isolated and suppressed in order to experiment on its warriors, who it considers entirely expendable. You detail how all their rules fit in with their experiments into controlled awakening, and what you’ve learned about the ‘dragons’ on the main continent and the war that the Organization wants to rekindle now using you as living weapons.

You tell her about your mission, the one which ended in so many needless fatalities. You tell her why most of you were there, about your half-awakenings. You tell her about the coup in Hazaran and your heritage, laying out your absolute certainty that the Organization directly supported the overthrow of a lawful government and caused years of turmoil in order to procure an interesting specimen. You explain to her that your mother is the abyssal one Sabela.

You tell her about the warriors who didn’t manage to defect successfully, about Laura and Olivia’s plights, about how they’ve taken Zoe hostage to use as a bargaining chip against you. Then you tell her about the ducklings and how they were essentially sent along with you to die on a mission they should never have been assigned, as well as how they ended up defecting to avoid being disposed of. Then Aurora adds in her own part of the story, detailing her reasons for joining you as well as her experience with you since then.

…

“I have one question,” Sofia asks you with a slight frown. “Do you believe it is possible that the Organization has been creating the very yōma we are ostensibly created to fight?”

>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.
>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.
>… you’ve heard the rumors about what happens when you don’t pay the man in black.
>Other?

>>4525772
>>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.
>>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.

>>4525772
>It’s possible, they don’t have youma in the wider world, and only those tied to dragons can use youki, meaning there is a connection. Since they can make us, it’s possible they could make the youma. We have not found any proof one way or the other though. It is very much possible though.

>>4525772
>>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.

>>4525772
>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.
>… you’ve heard the rumors about what happens when you don’t pay the man in black.

plus there's that whole bit where yoma don't exist anywhere else in the world

>>4525772
>>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.

>>4525772
>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.
>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.

>>4525772
>>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.
>>… you’ve heard the rumors about what happens when you don’t pay the man in black.

>>4525772
>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.

>>4525772
>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.

>>4525772
>I have no evidence of that. If there IS evidence, it’s on Lavinia.
>I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. It’s consistent with everything else we know.

>>4525792
This would out the fact that we somehow know about the wider world and could put the sailors in danger. If we tell her this, it should be after her defection and if we can trust her.

>Other?
If you do not use ranks anymore what do you use? What system has replaced it?

>>4502126
archive link: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=Claymore%3A+Second+Swords+Quest

>>4525772
“Even if the Organization has a tight control over that evidence,” you muse, “it’s consistent with everything we’ve learned… and with the rumors...”

“You mean the rumors that it is the Organization which destroys towns that fail to pay?” Sofia asks pointedly.

“We’ve all heard them,” Aurora contends. “I didn’t believe them before, but now?”

Sofia regards you carefully, before nodding once. “I swear that I will not share any information you either have offered me already, or intend to offer me from this point onward. You have my word as a warrior.”

She slowly draws her sword and holds it out, and after a moment you do the same. The others in your party all follow suit, essentially taking an oath in the form which all half-blooded warriors consider a sacred bond of honor. The sort of warrior who would break such a vow before her sisters would probably never make it in the first place, as the expected outcome of breaking a vow like this is that her aggrieved sisters would hunt her down and take her head.

In essence, Sofia is offering her life against the value of her word.

“Okay,” you nod, sheathing your blade. “But remember… your secrecy here is as much for your sake as ours. We met survivors from a ship that ran ashore in Hibernia after being shot at by the Organization’s blockade. By interviewing them we confirmed that yōma don’t exist on the continent they come from.”

“So not a confirmation,” Sofia observes, “but an observation that has no alternative explanation. Is that a fair summary?”

“Definitely,” Valentina nods.

Sabrina also nods in agreement. “It satisfies me.”

“I think so,” Aurora chimes in.

You simply nod once, having nothing really to add to what you already said.

Sofia, far from the totally impassive facade she first met you with, seems to betray her feelings now… if only just a little. This news seems to trouble her on a deep level, and despite her repressed bearing it doesn’t take someone like your mother to see that in her.

Slowly, her expression returns to neutrality. “What would you wish to see me do with this knowledge?”

>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.
>Join us. Go missing, and let the three back there return to the Organization for now without having to lie.
>Call in the other three. We’ll give them the bare minimum information and let them choose for themselves.
>Other?

>>4527045
>>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.

>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.

>>4527045
>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.

>>4527045
>>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.

>>4527045
>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom

>>4527045
>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.

I feel that this is somewhat fishy, but this is a good chance to get Zoe away from them. Still the Organization isn't stupid and has most likely planned something like this happening so if shit hits the fan, it shouldn't be a surprise.

>>4527045
>Call in the other three. We’ll give them the bare minimum information and let them choose for themselves.

>>4527045
>Contact Isabel, QUIETLY. With seven former single-digit warriors we could bargain for Zoe’s freedom.
We are all the same person.

>writing
Sorry it took a while to get around to this, some stupid busywork came up around lunch that's taken all afternoon.

>>4527045
“I’d like to see you contact Isabel,” you explain your thinking, “and quietly. The two of you will need to confer, and in the event you decide to defect, and do so entirely in secret.”

“The Organization had our fellow warriors killed for intending to leave,” Aurora adds. “I don’t think any of us doubt they’d do the same to you if you let them.”

“By Clarice?” Sofia asks you.

You nod curtly. “Most likely.”

“Then that is quite an effective threat,” Sofia admits. “I will be discreet.”

“Thank you,” you reply. “Send no messages, and choose who to speak to about this carefully. And if you defect, do so together. Under no circumstances should you leave each other alone.”

“I understand,” Sofia nods in confirmation. “And what would you have me do about the other three warriors in my hunting party?”

“Our main goal is to barter for Zoe’s safety,” you admit. “At the time picking a fight with the Organization isn’t a part of our plans.”

“But surely three more warriors will be of some benefit?” Sofia counters.

“And I’d like to say they deserve to know the truth as much as anyone,” Valentina adds.

>You can tell them later. But the more people know what’s happening the more chances of a leak of information, and a leak could be fatal.
>Make plans now to meet them at a later date. You can make them an offer after you know what you and Isabel intend to do.
>You could tell them some things… but make it clear that if they speak about this to anyone else it could mean their deaths.
>Other?

>>4528614
>Other?
Ask Sofia what she knows about her ducklings, and what she can tell us about their personalities and history.

>>4528614
>make plans now to meet them later, ...

>>4528614
>You can tell them later. But the more people know what’s happening the more chances of a leak of information, and a leak could be fatal.

>>4528614
There is also the fact that the more warriors we cause to defect, the less inclined the Org will be to release Zoe.

>>4528614
>>4528626
Supporting

>>4528614
>>Make plans now to meet them at a later date. You can make them an offer after you know what you and Isabel intend to do.

>>4528614
>>4528626

>>4528614
“Tell me about the three ducklings that are with you,” you insist.

“… ducklings?” Isabel repeats flatly.

“The three other warriors,” you clarify, “who I’m guessing are rookies. I call our own rookies ‘ducklings’… affectionately of course.”

“Which would make you the ‘mama duck’, in this instance?”

“Something like that.”

“I can tell you only a little,” Isabel admits. “Claire is a defender, very active… almost over-active. Though I would not call her nervous. Zara is unusually tense and serious at all times… is Justina among your number?”

“She is,” you admit. “Why?”

“Zara is comparable to Justina in many ways,” Isabel explains in her characteristic flat tone. “She is a sensory specialist, tense and terse… but I sense that her tension is less self-imposed strictness and more stemming from actual concern, bordering on paranoia.”

“Nora is a skittish young warrior. She is prone to overreaction and overanalysing situations. As for myself, you will no doubt have noted the degree to which my emotions have been suppressed. This has two practical results: it affords me unusual precision in battle, and it allows me to concentrate more on the opposition’s emotional state.”

“And what does our mental state tell you?” Sabrina frowns.

“That miss Noel and miss Aurora are speaking the truth, and that their concerns for my safety are genuine,” Isabel answers, her unnerving gaze passing you over. “That Valentina finds me unnerving, but that her concerns are genuine as well, and that she seems extraordinarily loyal towards miss Noel in particular. That you, Sabrina, are deeply insecure and that you struggle to trust anyone because you do not believe you can...”

“That’s enough of a demonstration,” you interrupt. “I think based on what you’ve told us it may be best to arrange a meeting with the three of them at a later date, after you think you’ve arranged to meet with Isabel.”

>Now, I think it’s best that we depart immediately.
>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?
>Now, I’d like to offer our assistance with whatever mission you’re on.
>Other?

>>4530033
>>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?
if anyone asks or mentiones us, we have offered assitance, but you didn't trust us completely since you sensed we weren't telling you something

>>4530033
>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
>Now, what business brought you here in the first place?

>>4530033
I just realized that I wrote this entire update typing Isabel when I meant Sofia. That confused the hell out of me on reading it today.

Just for clarity, Sofia is the one present now. Isabel is the one who you're asking Sofia to contact.

Update in a minute.

>>4531163
“Now, may we ask what brought you here?” you enquire.

“You may,” Sofia replies with a slow, slight nod. “We were ordered to come here, with the expectation that we would receive further orders. As of this point we have yet to be contacted… it was my understanding that there is an awakened being to eliminate.”

“But you haven’t been met by the Organization?” Aurora guesses.

Sofia nods in confirmation. “Correct.”

“That’s strange,” you admit. “But it could be explained by the death of the handler you were meant to meet here.”

“That is true,” Sofia agrees. “But it is also true that we could simply be chasing the proverbial wild geese out here.”

“How long did you intend to wait here before you made a decision of your own?” you ask. “Surely there must be a limit to your patience?”

“There is,” Sofia confirms calmly. “And that limit was tonight. As things stand I believe I will have to make a decision to either pursue our assumed mission, call off the hunt, or arrange to contact the Organization.”

>If you were to contact the Organization it may be possible to contact Isabel at the same time.
>I’m offering our assistance in finishing your mission. The others need not know what we told you.
>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.
>I don’t see any reasonable way for us to get involved.
>Other?

>>4531166
>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.

>>4531166
>>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.

>>4531166
>I’m offering our assistance in finishing your mission. The others need not know what we told you.

>>4531166
>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.

>>4531166
>I’m offering our assistance in finishing your mission. The others need not know what we told you.
Good publicity.

>>4531166
>>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.
sneaky sneaky

>>4531166
>>I think we can help you from a distance. The other three need never actually see us.

>>4531166
“If we could help from a distance,” you muse, “would you be willing to accept that?”

“I think so,” Sofia agrees calmly. “But how would you propose to do that?”

“It’s only simple on paper,” you sigh.

“I think I know where this is going,” Aurora offers. “Our presence allows you to search in a different direction… you could go north for example, and we could go south.”

“Is that what you were thinking, Noel?”

“More or less,” you admit. “There are a few ways we could coordinate… the constraint being that it can’t be too intricate, or rely on active communication.”

“That’s right,” Valentina nods in agreement, “part of the point is staying away from them.”

>We can split up, with one of us shadowing each member of your team during the search.
>Heading in opposite directions makes more sense. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll adjust.
>We can run in parallel, so long as none of the others SEE us they won’t know who we are.
>Other?

>>4532777
Sorry the updates have been so short, shit's gotten real weird for me lately and my own writing has created a lot of "but how do you DO that" updates.

There's a "stride" there for me to fall back into, but for now it's going to feel a little awkward. So please bear with me.

>>4532777
>>Heading in opposite directions makes more sense. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll adjust.

>>4532777
>We can split up, with one of us shadowing each member of your team during the search.

>>4532777
>>Heading in opposite directions makes more sense. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll adjust.

>>4532777
>>Heading in opposite directions makes more sense. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll adjust.

>>4532777
>Heading in opposite directions makes more sense. Tell us where you’re going and we’ll adjust.

>>4532777
“Tell us which way you’re going and we’ll go the other way,” you suggest, “meeting back here at a designated time. Does that sound like a decent plan to you?”

She nods in agreement. “We will head north. You can head south. We’ll meet here tomorrow at the same time. Does that sound like what you had in mind?”

“That will work,” Aurora agrees. “See you then.”

…

As per your agreement you walk south towards the border with Hazaran, more or less in the direction of Applecross. Since you don’t need to rest you think you’ll probably be able to canvass a pretty wide area.

“Let’s do a wide loop overland,” you suggest. “Instead of going straight out and coming straight back. Cover as much ground as possible.”

“We can split into two pairs,” Aurora suggests, “and disperse just far enough that we can still sense each other. One team can follow the main road, the other will travel overland.”

“Then when we turn around we can do the same thing on the way back,” Valentina nods in understanding. “I think it’s great, Aurora!”

“I’d prefer backtracking separate from the road,” you admit, “to cover half again as much ground. But that would leave us no way to track the road precisely. We’d be leaving gaps in our search.”

“Agreed,” Aurora nods curtly. “I don’t think it’s ideal either, but I see little alternative… if we were searching in a circular pattern we could sweep a massive radius around their meeting point, but then again that would put undue pressure on the furthest teams… and it would be working too closely with them.”

“It’s a compromise,” you admit. “But one I think it’s better to make.”
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 3, 9, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4534032

Rolled 8, 2, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>4534032

Rolled 3, 6, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>4534032

Rolled 4, 3, 4 = 11 (3d10)

>>4534032

>>4534032
You follow the plan to the letter.

By nightfall you’ve made significant progress, only slowed somewhat by the need for you and Valentina to cross a deep river valley that Aurora and Sabrina have switchbacks and a bridge to cross. Eventually you reach the turnaround point and start cutting a path back towards the road. Between your sensing ability and Aurora’s, you’d guess you covered a fifteen-mile sweep in high detail, and probably twenty-five miles if you assume the awakened being was using its yōma.

Which isn’t all that likely, you think. So that means fifteen miles is what you’d consider your best guess.

“I sensed nothing,” Aurora admits. “You?”

“Same,” you agree. “We’ll go back by the road this time.”

“Agreed,” Aurora sighs dramatically. “That’s only fair.”

“Careful in that gorge,” you muse as Aurora and Sabrina head out. “It’d be a pretty nasty fall.”

“Right, right. See you when we get back to that town.”

…

By the time you reach the town, a few hours ahead of schedule, it’s nearly midday. Your own mission was accomplished flawlessly... it's just you didn't find anything worthy of notice.

“Nothing,” Sabrina shakes her head. “Almost a waste of our time.”

>Wait here for Sofia’s team to return.
>Head North, just to make sure.
>Poke around the nearby town, see if anyone’s noticed anything.
>Other

>>4534192
>>Head North, just to make sure.

>>4534192
>>Head North, just to make sure.

>>4534192
>>Head North, just to make sure.

>>4534192
>Head North, just to make sure.

>>4534192

>Poke around the nearby town, see if anyone’s noticed anything.

>>4534192
>>Head North, just to make sure.

>>4534192
>Head North, just to make sure.
We can poke the town later.

>>4534192
>>Head North, just to make sure.

Just in case as shit can hit the fan

>>4534192
You decide to head north… just in case the other team encountered trouble.

By evening you can sense them… Isabel is still alive and well, while a second seems exhausted. A third seems perfectly fine to you, but the fourth seems to be badly wounded. Her strength is failing.

“Can we do anything?” Valentina asks you.

“Three options,” you suggest. “Keep them protected from any other yōma at a distance, make contact with them to offer assistance, or only take the wounded one for treatment.”

“I’m all for dropping the pretense,” Valentina insists.

Sabrina shakes her head. “I’m not sure that’s the wisest decision.”

“But it is the human thing to do,” Aurora replies quietly.

“That it is,” Sabrina concedes.

>We’ll move in and help their wounded.
>We should try to stick to the plan, only contact Isabel.
>We’ll stay out of their way until they get their wounded into town.
>Other?

>>4536122

>We’ll move in and help their wounded.

sedition yes

>>4536122
>We’ll move in and help their wounded.

>>4536122
>>We’ll move in and help their wounded.

>>4536122
>>We’ll move in and help their wounded.

>>4536122
>>We’ll move in and help their wounded.

>>4536122
>Other?
We pay humans to come and help them?

Maybe we establish some "unit" that can act on our behalf without us being directly involved. Leaving supplies, funds, healing equipment, and "safe houses" for them to use.

>>4536122
>>We’ll move in and help their wounded.
it is not worth the tears of that one tortured child

They're going to kill some of them because of this.

>>4536122
And that sentiment overrides all other considerations, especially to your mind. If you start ignoring your fellow warriors in need now, then are you any better than the Organization? The answer is probably yes, but not by enough.

…

You find that the wounded one is a younger-looking warrior, with her silver hair in a side-braid and elegantly-elongated ears, though all of them are bloodied. A second warrior with wavy blonde hair and a scar across her lips, probably from training, scampers behind Isabel… that must be Nora, based on Isabel’s descriptions. The fourth, a young woman with a short white ponytail and leaf-shaped ears, shifts her weight nervously. Although she has more blood on her uniform than the others she doesn’t appear to be wounded: simply exhausted. She’s the one who is carrying the wounded warrior in her arms.

“So you’re the ones Zara was sensing?” the bloodied girl with the short ponytail asks.

“Forget that,” you insist curtly as she sets her comrade down in front of you for you to examine her wounds. “These are serious… she needs to be treated if she’s going to stand a chance healing them herself.”

“We need to take her into town and get a few things,” Aurora insists curtly. “Follow us.”

“It’ll be faster this way,” you insist, picking the unconscious warrior up. “Valentina, get the ponytail. Sabrina… maybe better to let Isabel carry the skittish one. You go ahead and get the water ready, and any medicinal herbs and bandages if you can.”

“I understand,” Sabrina nods curtly before turning to sprint the ten miles back to town.

…

Zara, the silver-haired sensor Isabel told you about, takes a while to treat. You have to wash her numerous, deep wounds with hot water, before rubbing witch hazel and lavender oils in and around them to stave off infection. Then you can wrap her in sterilized cloth bandages. She remains unconscious, so you leave her on the floor of of a storehouse… the only place the frightened locals would let you treat your wounded.

The others’ wounds are less severe, but you give them similar treatment. Mostly what Claire, their defender, needs is a wash and a brush, along with a new uniform… unfortunately you can’t provide that for her.

Isabel catches your attention as you’re separated from the others. “So now what?”

>Now… I guess this changes things. I can offer you and the others safe refuge.
>We have to go our separate ways now… it’s just a question of how we account for this.
>I have no idea. I didn’t think that far ahead.
>Other?

>>4537222
>Now… I guess this changes things. I can offer you and the others safe refuge.