>>4578990
“Do you mean to suggest you have found such a being?” Sofia asks, her tone flat despite her obviously grim expression. “One who is genuine in this characteristic?”

“Two, actually,” you admit.

“That seems unlikely,” Sofia insists.

“We gave them an alternative,” Valentina joins in. “Though if I’m being completely honest, it’s still miss Noel’s story to tell.”

“One of them is your mother, isn’t it?” Isabel guesses quietly. “The one known as ‘Trueheart’ Sabela?”

You nod curtly. “That’s right. The other is named Solaris. The two of them live in the ruins of an old counter-castle on the far side of the loch. Their homes are built from the rubble.”

“You mentioned an alternative,” Sofia stares at Valentina. “Explain further please.”

“It’s some kinda plant,” she offers.

“Fungus,” Justina corrects her.

“So it’s a fungus,” Valentina continues, “kind of like mold or pond scum. It grows on other stuff like button or cap mushrooms. Glows in the dark.”

“We’ve learned that evidently the ‘dragons’ on the mainland eat it,” Helen explains more clearly. “It seems that awakened beings have a craving for it, which is why they eat human entrails. The fungus we discovered also grows in small amounts along with the other symbiotic gut flora.”

“It was at the bottom of a mine in Tarskavaig,” you clarify. “In a clearly artificially-cut chamber.”

“A chamber?” Isabel repeats curiously. “What sort of chamber?”

>I believe the dragons may once have lived here, a long time ago.
>It’s consistent with the ‘giant’ mythology of Hazaran. Beyond that I can’t say.
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.
>Other?

>>4578991
>>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.
But
>I believe the dragons may once have lived here, a long time ago.

>>4578991
>I believe the dragons may once have lived here, a long time ago.
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.
No jumping to guesses.

>>4578991
>>I believe the dragons may once have lived here, a long time ago.
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>>I believe the dragons may once have lived here, a long time ago.

>>4578991
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
>>It’s consistent with the ‘giant’ mythology of Hazaran.
but
>It’s not completely clear. I don’t think we’ve explored even a fraction of what’s down there.

>>4578991
“Exactly as I said,” you frown. “It’s a chamber, clearly artificial, with rectilinear corridors and large, regular steps cut from the living rock. Beyond that it’s hard to say… I suspect we’ve only explored a tiny fraction of what’s down there for us to find.”

“Speculate,” Sofia insists curtly. “If you will.”

“It could be that these ‘dragons’ from the continent once lived here,” you offer. “Or it could be related to the giants woven into Hazari folklore. Or it could be both: the giant-lore may actually all have been seeded by old evidence of the dragons’ presence here, a legend with roots in a distant and largely forgotten reality.”

“Both of those are intriguing possibilities of course,” Isabel admits, “but what I’m more concerned with is what effect this ‘alternative’ of yours has.”

“Consider it a dietary supplement,” Helen offers. “It lets an awakened being eat normal food.”

“That’s not correct,” Sofia points out.

“You’re right of course,” Helen admits. “But the real explanation is a bit complicated, with a lot of conjecture filling in the parts we’re not quite sure about.”

“And?” Isabel presses. “Talk to me like I’d understand.”

“We’re not sure,” Helen corrects herself. “It’s either a key nutrient that the ‘dragons’, and therefore the awakened beings and yōma, need in their diet, or it’s a missing element that aids in their modified digestive process.”

“It could also be a coincidence of both,” Laura adds. “Whatever the exact mechanism is, in practice it seems to balance their diet in such a way that it satisfies their less-than-natural cravings.”

“How stable is your crop?”

“I wish I could say, Sofia,” you admit honestly. “We’ve only been at it for a little while, but it doesn’t seem to care about growing seasons. It helps that we’ve only convinced two awakened beings to even try it, though our own policies tend to favor at least asking whenever we have the chance.”

“Solaris said yes,” Aurora muses. “Others have and probably will say no.”

“We’re not saints,” Justina admits.

[That’s right,] Serana frowns. [They say that a saint offers three chances. I wish we could afford that, but when an awakened being turns down a second chance I think it’s appropriate that we take them at their word.]

You translate for Sofia and Isabel, who listen patiently.

“So what the hell comes next?” Isabel wonders aloud.

>There are a few details we should cover with my regent in the capital, Noventus.
>I think we should approach the Organization openly. Tell them what we know and what we want.
>We should be prepared for a show of force, to make an implicit threat to the Organization’s interests.
>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.
>Other?

>>4580384
>>There are a few details we should cover with my regent in the capital, Noventus.
>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
>>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
>>I think that Isabel and Sofia should meet Sabela and Solaris. I doubt we’ve answered all their doubts.

>>4580384
“I doubt that we’ve completely assuaged the two of you,” you admit to Sofia and Isabel. “But I don’t know what else there is to do but let you meet them... now that you know something about what to expect.”

...

When you arrive on the far side of the loch a little less than an hour later, in the little clachan built by and for two awakened beings, you find that Sabela and Solaris are standing outside of their homes. They’re staring at a pile of what’s leftover from the castle which once stood here, some blocks that you could really consider ‘hewn’ and some little more than rubble.

“What do you think?” Sabela asks without turning to face the newcomers. “Honest opinions.”

“It’s a pile of stone,” Sofia replies bluntly.

“A real luminary, that one,” Sabela muses playfully. “Keep an eye on that one, my dear Noel. Nobody that smart acts that dumb without reason. Other one, what do you see?”

“Building materials,” Isabel guesses.

“That’s right,” Solaris nods, still without turning her head at all. “What do you think we should use it for?”

“Maybe pilings for a pier?”

Sabela finally glances over her shoulder. “I don’t think so. The bottom here drops off too quick for it to be worth even trying. But perhaps a series of noosts?”

“What’s a noost?” Isabel wonders.

“It’s a word we use here for a landing place,” you explain. “For small boats.”

“It makes sense then,” Sofia agrees. “The slots could be lined with cut stone faces. They needn’t even be full blocks... but why are we discussing such things?”

“Because those are the practicalities of the situation,” your mother insists. “Of OUR situation.”

“I think our newest comrades are more interested in your kitchen,” you muse.

Sabela nods. “Then I think our comrades could do to learn some patience... but I take your point, Noel.”

“Come. They shall see what it is they came here for.”
>1/2

>>4581433
Inside your mother’s home, she shows Sofia and Isabel the small chambers which produce the spice, as well as the various safety procedures you enacted to ensure that the spores (assuming as you have that the substance in question even spreads by spores) doesn’t escape to infect any nearby crops, or the local population of fish.

“This is where the proverbial magic...” Sabela muses.

“... and for all we know the literal magic,” Solaris quickly adds.

“... happens,” Sabela finishes the thought. “I assume that my daughter explained how it works?”

“She did,” Sofia confirms.

“Well, I suppose that whatever she told you was indeed the truth,” Sabela insists. “The ugly reality had been that we as awakened beings ate people. And now, however this substance actually works, we don’t.”

“I owe her more than you could ever know for that.”

“I was simply lucky that I trusted what she was saying,” Solaris replies. “I was offered a chance and I took it.”

“And that larger building?” Sofia asks curtly.

“You mean my home?” Solaris asks for clarity.

Sofia nods in confirmation. “It seems unusual.”

“I grow flowers there,” Solaris explains. “Miss Noel was kind enough to have something engineered, a sort of underfloor heating that keeps the flower beds warm.”

“My daughter is rather clever you see,” Sabela muses.

>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?
>Mother, I’m also here to ask your advice regarding Zoe’s situation.
>Other?

>>4581460
>>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?

>>4581460
>>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?
>>Mother, I’m also here to ask your advice regarding Zoe’s situation.

>>4581460
>>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?

>>4581460
>Mother, I’m also here to ask your advice regarding Zoe’s situation.

>>4581460
>>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?

>>4581460
>Mother, I’m also here to ask your advice regarding Zoe’s situation.

>>4581460
>Now that you’ve had a look around, are you two satisfied?
>Mother, I’m also here to ask your advice regarding Zoe’s situation.

>>4581460
“Well, there you have it,” you muse. “Have my explanations met with your satisfaction?”

After a few long moments, where Sofia in particular holds your gaze, carefully evaluating you, it seems that the tension begins to diffuse.

“I suppose,” Sofia admits with a soft sigh. “You and the others have simply given us a lot to consider in a short span of time.”

“Another continent,” Isabel adds, “warriors who awakened and then reverted, awakened beings who gave up eating people of their own accord and now grow flowers and mess around with building projects to pass the time... so many fundamental truths turned out to just not be what we thought.”

“What you were taught,” Sabela corrects her. “The truth is that too much of the time ‘truths’ are invented whole cloth to get you to do something, or to think a particular way. The Organization invented many such truths for all of us, and we’ve had to gradually un-learn them each at our own pace.”

“But there are actual truths,” Solaris adds. “So try not to let that get you too disillusioned.”

“Thanks for the advice,” Isabel inclines her head politely.

“One more thing,” Sabela adds quickly. “You don’t have to ask, I can tell that you’re worried about Zoe.”

“I wasn’t going to ask,” you admit.

“But you wanted to.”

“Yes.”

“Then I won’t make you,” Sabela tells you. “The Organization isn’t run by reasonable men... if they were reasonable, could they do the things which you know they are guilty of doing?”

“Probably not,” you agree.

“Then my advice to you is quite direct,” Sabela insists. “Speak to them in the language they are best able to understand if you wish to secure Zoe’s freedom.”

“It sounds as if you’re suggesting we wage war against the Organization,” Sofia frowns. “Surely I can’t be hearing that correctly.”

“You could interpret it that way,” Sabela admits. “Though my guess is that my daughter was taught well enough to know there are other interpretations.”

>I don’t think most of us, even considering our past experiences, are ready for anything too drastic.
>We could find an asset important enough to be worth eliminating, just short of all out war.
>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.
>Other?

>>4582408
>>We could find an asset important enough to be worth eliminating, just short of all out war.

>>4582408
>>We could find an asset important enough to be worth eliminating, just short of all out war.

>>4582408
>We could find an asset important enough to be worth eliminating, just short of all out war.

>>4582408
>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.

At least until we reach a point where we can get rid of them seeing as the association stands to gain the most by getting us killed.

>>4582408
>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.

>>4582408
>>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.

>>4582408
>We could find an asset important enough to be worth eliminating, just short of all out war.
>Other?
Target their source of income and take out Clarice or that number 1 girl.

>>4582408
>>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.

>>4582408
>Sometimes a credible threat of aggression is enough to change an enemy’s behavior.

>>4582408
Regular updates tomorrow, omake I was working on is probably gonna be pushed back to new years.

Till then, cheers anons.

>>4583188
“My father once told me that the mental arithmetic of costs and benefits is its own terrain,” you recall quietly. “Make a credible threat to something your foe holds dear and you can outmaneuver him without ever needing to take to the field.”

“That certainly sounds like your father,” Sabela muses warmly. “His mind was always so busy... it was his greatest strength as well as his weakness.”

“If what you’ve told us is right,” Isabel frowns, “then the Organization is in an even stronger position than any of us could possibly have known. So how is it you intend to counter them with sufficient strength to force them to release Zoe?”

“Their chief strength lies in their ability to blockade our entire region by sea,” you muse. “Or so it would seem to me.”

“Their ability to defeat an iron-clad warship such as the one you encountered would seem to suggest that,” Sabela agrees. “To turn an enemy’s strength against them is also a principle of warfare, is it not?”

“More of the old martial arts,” you insist. “To use an enemy’s strength against them is the key principle behind all ‘soft’ styles and forms.”

“I’m familiar with those,” Solaris admits. “In fact I was known in my time to be quite skilled with them. But I also recall that they were considered tactically-sound if not strategically relevant.”

“True,” you admit. “When an enemy over-commits to a plan of action they often expose themselves to counterattack, like the case of inviting an opponent into the ‘horns’ maneuver.”

You spare your newer comrades a glance. “The Hazari term for a pincer movement. Sorry, I should have used the common phrasing.”

“In any event,” Sofia shakes her head, “it is not clear to me that the Organization has committed such an egregious error in judgment. Would you agree in that assessment?”

>Broadly speaking yes, I think their current situation is sound. So we have to change their situation.
>Perhaps not tactically, but strategically their presence here must strain their logistical abilities.
>They’re not a military force, but an occupier. And occupiers always have some sort of weak point.
>Other?

>>4583506
>Their ships work on coal, and there's probably no coal on Lavinia. Meaning we can block their fuel supply lines.

>>4583506
>Broadly speaking yes, I think their current situation is sound. So we have to change their situation.
>Other?
Send Awakened beings to damage their iron ships?
Sabela and Solaris could do things like force them to run aground or beach them, damage propellers and hulls.

And since its its not "claymores" doing it, there's a work around for killing humans if it comes to that. I doubt we'd really want to use that loophole but its there...

>>4583506
>They’re not a military force, but an occupier. And occupiers always have some sort of weak point.

>>4583506
>>Perhaps not tactically, but strategically their presence here must strain their logistical abilities

>>4583506
>Broadly speaking yes, I think their current situation is sound. So we have to change their situation.
>They’re not a military force, but an occupier. And occupiers always have some sort of weak point.

>>4583506
>They’re not a military force, but an occupier. And occupiers always have some sort of weak point.

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>>4583506
“They’re in the position of an occupier,” you muse, “and occupiers always have a weak point.”

“How do they power their warships?” Isabel wonders aloud.

“Steam,” you reply. “From burning coal.”

“The Organization can’t ship all of its supplies here from a different continent,” Isabel explains her reasoning. “They must mine it here.”

“So you believe they must have a controlling interest in a coal mine somewhere on our island?” Sabela frowns. “And I think I know where that would be.”

“Where?”

“On Lavinia,” Sabela insists. “On part of that island where none of us were ever allowed to go without strict supervision and armed escort.”

“The alternative would be in Tamu,” Solaris offers. “Would you know anything about that, miss Sabela?”

“I doubt it,” Sabela shakes her head. “At least, I knew nothing of that when I was the number One.”

“But it is possible?” Sofia presses firmly.

After considering it for a moment, your mother nods. “I concede that I can’t rule it out, at least not based strictly on factual evidence.”

“Though Lavinia would also be an educated guess,” you sigh, “one which only Zoe would be well-equipped to confirm or deny without committing to a proper investigation.”

“There’s also the merchants’ guild,” Sabela observes. “They could make discreet enquiries.”

>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.
>I like the idea of using the merchants’ guild again. They’ve come through for us in the past.
>We may want to examine our premises: for example, are we sure it’s just OUR island out here?
>Other?

>>4584572
>I like the idea of using the merchants’ guild again. They’ve come through for us in the past.
If the coal is mined in Tamu, it must be transported to Lavinia. If we confirm such shipments, we can then track them to the source.

>>4584572
>>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.

>>4584572
>I like the idea of using the merchants’ guild again. They’ve come through for us in the past

>>4584572
>>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.

>>4584588
This was me, dropped me trip

>>4584596
Linked the wrong post. Lol phoneposting

See what I mean?

>>4584572
>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.

>>4584572
>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.

>>4584572
>I like the idea of using the merchants’ guild again. They’ve come through for us in the past.

>>4584572
>We may want to examine our premises: for example, are we sure it’s just OUR island out here?

>>4584572
>I like the idea of using the merchants’ guild again. They’ve come through for us in the past.

>>4584572
>>We may want to examine our premises: for example, are we sure it’s just OUR island out here?

>>4584572
>I think we’re forestalling the inevitable: someone will HAVE to go to Lavina some time.
>We may want to examine our premises: for example, are we sure it’s just OUR island out here?
>Other?
Can either awakened beings grow wings to fly?

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116 KB JPG

>>4584572
“We’ve been dancing around the issue,” you declare, your voice quiet but firm. “Nobody wants to be the one who does it, but sooner or later someone will have to travel to Lavinia.”

“That may well become a one-way trip,” Isabel points out.

“… we all make it sooner or later,” you admit. “We… should meet to discuss this in depth.”

…

After you say what needs to be said, your cohort are silent.

“I think you all know that I want to go,” you insist curtly, electing to be the first to speak.

[You have a people,] Serana insists silently. [You are their queen.]

“Monarchs’ reigns come to an end,” you observe.

[It’s not time for that yet,] Serana insists. [I’ll go.]

“There’s no need for that,” Helen counters. “I should be the one to go. When we left the Organization I outranked you.”

“Ranks are meaningless now and you know it,” Aurora rolls her eyes. “Don’t try and pull that nonsense with us.”

“I’m going,” Justina insists with her usual curt, decisive manner.

“Now hang on,” you raise your hands. “Let’s see by show of hands, who here wants to be the one to go?”

Every single warrior present raises her hand immediately, including Laura. Valentina even raises both her hands.

“I’m not going to let anyone risk their life just so I can sit back here and play things safe,” she insists, staring you right in the eyes. “We need each other.”

“Could this work?” Aurora wonders aloud. “I mean… if one warrior doing this alone is so likely to become a suicide mission why not take seventeen?”

>Because if this fails, we need someone to survive and carry the proverbial torch.
>Actually… what could possibly stop the seventeen of us together? That alone could be the threat we’re looking for.
>Backed with a conventional military force, several hunting parties may just do the trick.
>Other?

>>4585965
>>Actually… what could possibly stop the seventeen of us together? That alone could be the threat we’re looking for.

>>4585965
>>Backed with a conventional military force, several hunting parties may just do the trick.

>>4585965
>Other: aren't we trying to get Zoe out specifically because the Org can use her as a hostage if we scare them enough? Wouldn't going all out lead to exactly this case?

>>4585965
>Actually… what could possibly stop the seventeen of us together? That alone could be the threat we’re looking for.
>Backed with a conventional military force, several hunting parties may just do the trick.
>Other?
We should bring the awakened with us, they probably have their own, plus special weapons to deal with some major threat.
But what to do about the rookies that are trained there?
We also need to develop some plot armor secret kung fu weapon/attack.....

>>4585965
>Because if this fails, we need someone to survive and carry the proverbial torch.

>>4586354
Bringing the Awakened along would be a PR disaster. Every single warrior still in the Org will be set against us.

>>4586578
I doubt any of them currently with them have fought an AB, let alone know what one is.

>>4586586
You think the Org stopped sending hunting parties against ABs?

>>4585965
>Actually… what could possibly stop the seventeen of us together? That alone could be the threat we’re looking for.

>>4586613
Their low level claymores are weaker than ever and failed take on regular yoma. So either they are hunting themselves more often than not, or they are gonna be careful of their limited resources and waning quality.

>>4585965
“That may actually be a good way to do it,” you muse thoughtfully. “We were looking for a specific threat that could be strong enough to force the Organization to release Zoe, but not to rise to the level of a declaration of war. Just the fact that seventeen of us could all come together in the same place with the same goal is a huge implied threat... what could any of the rest of the Organization even do in such a situation?”

“It’s a fair question,” Laura admits.

“I do have one concern though,” Helen frowns. “And it’s a question I can’t answer. Only our new comrades can.”

“What is your concern?” Isabel asks.

“Does the Organization currently believe that they can match us using mainly their new ‘captains’?” Helen wonders. “For example, do they believe that a new warrior like Lunara is a match for even a non-awakened single-digit like Sofia, Isabel, or Aurora? And if so, how many of these captains do they have?”

“Perhaps I can answer this,” Sofia replies. “The Organization is aware that many of their newer recruits are not receiving the same degree of training, or gaining as much experience. They have taken to ordering newer ‘captains’ who never previously maintained a single-digit rank to join hunts together with those of us who did stand as single-digits in the hopes of improving their survival rate.”

“However, the only other veterans I can think of are Valeria and Luciana, whose single-digit rankings came mostly as the result of high-profile defections.”

“Especially Luciana,” Justina adds.

You can’t help but agree there. “Luciana was never suited to teamwork... expecting her to have a positive influence on a rookie captain is totally unreasonable.”

“So they’re counting on Clarice,” Laura muses.

Clarice... the one remaining single-digit warrior who you can’t rule out as a potential problem. It’s between her, and the risk that the Organization might choose to turn conventional weapons against you.

>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.
>If we all went by ship we could take the Organization by surprise. That gives us the best results.
>If we split our forces, we could make them believe that we’re travelling by land. That gives us an advantage.
>Other?

>>4586688
>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.

>>4586688
>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.

>>4586688
>>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.

>>4586688
>If we all went by ship we could take the Organization by surprise. That gives us the best results.

>>4586688
>>If we all went by ship we could take the Organization by surprise. That gives us the best results.

>>4586688
>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.

>>4586688
>There’s still some time. Our new compatriots need to get caught up on counter-firearms tactics.

>>4586688
“I think we can afford to take a little while to prepare,” you admit calmly. “We have a shipment of cannon coming, and besides that we have new comrades who haven’t gotten used to the routine of how we do things here.”

“What does that mean?” Isabel asks you curiously.

“Well, we all train to dodge gunshots and cannon fire,” you clarify.

Isabel slams her hands on the table. “I say we stay here and we do that.”

“Strong feelings on the matter, Isa?” Aurora smirks.

Isabel nods curtly. “You could say that. Last time that’s how the humans back east got me… guns and bayonets. I’m really eager to not go through that again.”

“I completely agree,” you add. “Having been shot before I really can’t overstate how much better it is to avoid, especially for offensive types.”

“You’ve been shot?” Isabel muses. “Of all people?”

“In the back,” you confirm. “By a priest.”

“There must be a story there,” Claire, one of the three new rookies to have come into your fold, speaks up.

“Claire!” Zara hisses. “Not now!”

“You’re right of course,” Helen smirks. “Eager to get into the training, that’s great to see!”

Nora fidgets uncomfortably as Helen and Justina lead Zara and Claire out front, before Isabel grabs her by the shoulder too.

“Come on, Nora,” Isabel insists. “If one of us has to do it we all do.”

Nora looks to Sofia for help, but Sofia has already quietly gotten to her feet and made for the door in a blatant act of betrayal.

…

As you watch a detachment of Hazari troops run drills with Claire, Zara, Nora, Isabel, and Sofia, you consider the defenses around Blackthorn Keep once more and find them wanting for the long term. There’s the problem of the ridgeline above Scaithness of course, the largest area of undefended terrain anywhere in the area, and it’s this problem you hone in on.

Any opposing force that could take and hold this ground would have a location to fire on the keep from, and while it’s steep enough and rough enough ground to make it hard to set up cannons a reverse slope position could be extremely advantageous. Had the commander of the attacking Inquisitorial force known to do this that battle might have ended differently.
>1/2

>>4588375
Unfortunately you’re forced to concede once more that there’s no good way to completely eliminate that problem. Instead, the only answer seems to be to double down on the defenses on that side of the keep and to devise a way to out-shoot anyone trying to take that high ground. This is what you have in mind when you draw up the plans.

The plan calls for a thicker shield wall facing that rise, and for two additional barbette towers on the headland with a curtain wall running between them. There’s barely enough to the crag Blackthorn Keep stands atop to accommodate the new thickness of wall, and so a steep glacis will need to stand below the base to protect the foundation of the new outer course.

But in the more immediate future, you have several new guns coming… useless to you of course, but only in their current form. They can be melted down from their current standard of twenty-pounds, an irregular size but serviceable for a stationary gun, and recast to the twelve-pound Hazari standard. The ideal would be to add four muzzle-loading guns to Blackthorn Keep with longer barrels, capable of firing explosive 12-pound shells at greater range. Not at the level of sophistication the outside world has reached, but at least sufficient to give a slight advantage: a simple cast-iron shell, a fuse on the muzzle end of the shell, and a wooden sabot to ensure the round is properly seated against the powder charge.

And really, that’s the best you can do. Blackthorn Keep simply wasn’t designed with this sort of situation in mind, and it will never be ideal. But short of building an expansive system of defenses on the far side of the ridge, which may at some point in Scaithness’ development become reasonable, there’s little more you can do.

“Having fun?”

You glance over your shoulder at Valentina, who has joined you atop what will eventually become the shield wall. “Yeah, how could you tell?”

“You always seem to enjoy that military strategy stuff,” she muses. “What is it this time?”

“Something to keep people occupied while we’re away,” you admit. “Particularly the use of the new bronze from the cannons being paid to Hazaran as compensation. They needed to be melted down anyway.”

“I see,” Valentina muses. “Different standards, right?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re really concerned that the Organization is going to attack here, aren’t you?”

>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.
>I think it’s a justifiable concern. They staged a coup against my father, so there’s precedent.
>I know they want to. I really do think most of the old men probably are that petty and cruel.
>Other?

>>4588395
>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.
The Org is sneakier than that. I don't think they'd attempt a frontal attack. But we need to be ready anyway, or a frontal attack will actually become the clever option.

>>4588395
>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.

>>4588395
>>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.

>>4588395
>>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.

>>4588395
>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.

>>4588395
>I think it’s a justifiable concern. They staged a coup against my father, so there’s precedent.

>>4588395
>Not really. But It makes sense to plan for all contingencies, even ones I don't consider likely.
I think they'd probably dump some failed project or experiments on us just to see if it can be repurposed for other things and to cause damage.
undetectable yoma maybe? What would happen if they gave yoma those yoki suppression pills?

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>>4588395
“Not particularly,” you admit with a sigh. “But if we never even consider the possibility I feel like we’re inviting it, you know?”

“I guess,” Valentina muses. “I don’t really think of it like that, but now that you mention it… I can see it?”

“Because even after all this you still have optimism,” you smile. “It’s one of your finest qualities.”

“Thanks?”

“They’re learning well,” you turn your attention back to the training session. “The rookies lately don’t seem that impressive in terms of pure combat ability, but at least it seems they learn quickly.”

“That’s true,” Valentina agrees. “And that’s an especially good thing right now.”

“We don’t exactly have that much time, do we?” you shake your head. “It’s too bad. The Organization forced them out into the line of duty before they were ready, and now we’re asking this of them.”

“When do you think they’ll be ready?”

>They’ll be ready when they’re ready. I refuse to rush them into a dangerous situation.
>Soon. Like with the defenses around Scaithness I don’t expect an immediate test.
>Not soon enough. If it comes down to it we have to be willing to sideline or protect them.
>Other?

>>4589557
>>They’ll be ready when they’re ready. I refuse to rush them into a dangerous situation.

>>4589557
>They’ll be ready when they’re ready. I refuse to rush them into a dangerous situation.

>>4589557
>They’ll be ready when they’re ready. I refuse to rush them into a dangerous situation.
I like the idea of a bunch of average Hazarian soldiers trying their best to shoot and stab the rookie claymores and failing.

Also, can't we turn the older cannons with the different bore size into indirect fire large caliber mortars? It would help us defeat enemies in defilade.

>>4589557
>Not soon enough. If it comes down to it we have to be willing to sideline or protect them.

>>4589678
Coehorn-type mortars exist in Hazaran, up to the 12-pdr standard, and there'd be some at Blackthorn, but those are made from iron and have a more limited range. A civil-war era coehorn at 24pdr powder loads could reach a kilometer in theory, but was basically never used that way because even if it COULD be done it wasn't very accurate. And these are much smaller.

For Hazari (and most other) artillerymen a mortar is for lobbing shells over a wall from a fairly short distance. The 12pdr breech loaders that comprise most of Blackthorn Keep's arsenal are designed to shred any formation of men that tries to get that close.

>>4589557
It’s the festive time of year again, which means some additional awkwardness as you’re all reminded of the differences between those of your comrades who have partially-awakened and those who have not. The main detail is how much you have to ask Gaius and Dominica to cook for you.

This time it’s ham, flavored with herbs and maple glazing that seeps deep into the slices in the flesh, and with it comes roasted sweet potatoes, sprouts with honey and balsamic glaze, slow-cooked rice with olives, peas, and capers, and spiced cider to drink with it all. Everyone, all seventeen of you, take at least a little bit of everything… for most that amounts to enough to a handful total, but at least it seems like the newcomers in particular are grateful for it.

They have a little tougher a time with the amount of food those of you like Serana, Valentina, and yourself take to satisfy your hunger… after the day you set yourselves up for, you do after all have a bit of an appetite.

“That was a nice tradition,” Isabel muses thoughtfully. “I’ve never lived in a kingdom where the monarch would spend a high holiday helping their subjects in drudge work.”

“Hazaran isn’t an easy place to live,” Valentina admits cheerfully. “A lot of places have got a ‘don’t work don’t eat’ sort of ethos in place.”

“It’s an old tradition from back before the Clans were unified,” you add. “My father’s clan used to spend the first day of every year working for others, directly and visibly. It served as a reminder to everyone involved what we were all here to do.”

[It doesn’t hurt that it gives us a better public image,] Serana adds silently with a look of sage wisdom.

“We need all of that we can get,” Aurora agrees with a shrug. “I know that sounds pretty scummy but it’s true… I can only speak for myself but I don’t want to go back to being hated by everyone I do a job for.”

“I’d have to agree,” Valentina admits. “I don’t think we’d be hated in Hazaran in any event, but the whole situation just seems better if we’re actually well-liked.”

“We typically give gifts where I grew up,” Claire, one of the newest rookies, admits. “Don’t you do that here?”

“We do,” Valentina replies, “but it’s usually something more… intimate, I guess? What I mean is that it’s usually between family and good friends, who each know what the other would appreciate in the coming year.”

“For example, this year I got old Gaius a rare and expensive ointment for his knees,” you explain. “He’d never complain about it but I know his rheumatism has been acting up more and more lately, and he wouldn’t appreciate anything less practical. As for Dominica, I made her a lacquered wood cosmetic case with the materials I finally managed to get hold of… I know she lost the one I made for her when I was a girl during the coup. When I gave it to her earlier she cried.”
>1/2

>>4590023
“That’s sweet of you,” Helen muses.

“Yeah, but that’s the problem,” you sigh. “I don’t know most of you well enough to have a gift like that in mind, but even those who I do know well I know aren’t easy.”

[Because most of us hardly have any personal desires,] Serana shakes her head as she signs. [I can understand how that would be frustrating.]

“That so...” Justina frowns.

Valentina simply shrugs. “I don’t need anything. I’m just happy with where we’re at right now, you know?”

“… yeah,” you eventually admit. “I guess I sort of feel like this is a gift, personally… even if it’s something everyday like that.”

“Still...” Aurora shakes her head quietly. “I don’t think I’d mind getting to know all of you better… maybe just a little.”

“Honestly?” Lucia interjects, “I feel the same way. I’ve been together with you for years now, and sometimes I wonder why we don’t talk honestly and openly with one another.”

“I never thought you’d want to open up,” you admit, a little stunned. “I thought I was giving you respectful distance.”

“There’s a tradition where I’m from,” Isabel insists firmly. “It’s a resolution for the coming year. Should we all resolve to know each other better by the end of it?”

“That’s not that hard,” Helen admits. “Make it that we should specifically work on being friendlier and more open with one another.”

“I can get behind that,” Aurora agrees.

Even Laura nods in agreement. “Same here.”

“Then it’s decided,” you nod. “Little by little… I want to know more about all of you. And next year, I expect to be able to find you all gifts. Agreed?”

For one rare moment… there’s no disagreement.
>2/2

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>>4589557
What you said to Valentina a week ago was nothing but the honest truth: you wouldn’t drag your new comrades into a battle they weren’t prepared for. But to your delight, you’re not forced to make a difficult decision regarding their inclusion in your plans to free Zoe. In your estimation they absorbed all the finer points about dealing with guns and cannons like five pale little sponges, and were ready in just three days.

Which is why you’ve now been on the road in a column together for two days, after having seen to the guard deployments within Hazaran’s borders, in and around Scaithness and the Capital in particular, and around the houseguests you’ll be leaving behind.

“We’ve been fortunate to avoid notice so far,” Helen muses as your group takes some rest during the day. “Travelling by night and off the roads has ensured that much. But we may not be able to maintain that for much longer.”

“I assume you’ve given this some thought?” you raise your eyebrow. “By all means, please share your thoughts.”

“We could travel by sea,” Helen suggests, “arrange for passage and sneak our number aboard under cover of darkness. Or we could continue overland, picking out increasingly complicated and circuitous routes to avoid detection.”

[Or we could simply dispense with that once it becomes too much to bother with.]

You have to admit, at least to yourself, that Serana’s silent suggestion has a certain appeal.

>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.
>We should try to avoid being noticed until we book passage from Hibernia to Lavinia.
>I say drop the pretenses. March through Hibernia, let regular people know what we’re doing.
>Other?

>>4590943
>>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
>>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
>I say drop the pretenses. March through Hibernia, let regular people know what we’re doing.

>>4590943
>>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
>I say drop the pretenses. March through Hibernia, let regular people know what we’re doing.
Cross the Rubicon.

>>4590943

>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
>>We have to book passage on a ship in any event. We can arrange that without being noticed.

>>4590943
“We’ve got to book passage on a ship anyway,” you suggest calmly, “and we can do that subtly, without being noticed.”

“How?” Helen muses.

“By arranging it through the guild,” you suggest. “Only one of us needs to show our face, we can board in the dead of night. Once we’re on the ship no one will see us until we arrive at Lavinia.”

[Giving us the advantage of surprise.]

“What did she say?” Isabel asks Justina quietly over her shoulder.

“Surprise,” Justina replies curtly.

“As in, we would have it?”

Justina nods, this time silently.
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 2, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4592609

Rolled 4, 3, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>4592609

Rolled 7, 3, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>4592609

>>4592609
You decide to head in under cover of night, with only Serana as silent ‘muscle’ to ensure that things go smoothly.

But what you find is that there’s currently no official guild presence, which you find somewhat strange. Someone you couldn’t really trust, that would make sense, but no presence at all is unusual. After making a few discreet inquiries you’re pointed in the direction of a cargo ship bound for Lavinia the next day.

Upon meeting with the captain, you lay out your needs.

“I have a total of seventeen passengers that need transporation to Lavinia.”

“I hope you’re willing to pay?” he asks without batting an eyelid.

“I am,” you insist, giving him the figure.

“No.”

You narrow your eyes. “What do you mean no?”

“This is entirely too sketchy to be legitimate,” the captain muses. “You’re paying me the rates for legitimate work. That’s not enough.”

>Tell me, what’s the value of your ship and all its cargo?
>How about some brass deck guns, deliverable upon our safe return?
>This sounds like a shakedown. If that’s what it is, you’re making a mistake.
>Other?

>>4592637
>>How about some brass deck guns, deliverable upon our safe return?

>>4592637
>How about some brass deck guns, deliverable upon our safe return?

>>4592637
>How about some brass deck guns, deliverable upon our safe return?

Hazaran needs a port, badly. Time to be Peter the Great?

>>4592637
>Tell me, what’s the value of your ship and all its cargo?

>>4592637
>How about some brass deck guns, deliverable upon our safe return?

>>4592637
And by brass I of course mean bronze. Because I'm not quite hitting on all cylinders right now.

>>4593620
What are the cylinders made out of?

>>4593636
Macaroni.

>>4592637
“How about we make a deal,” you muse. “Your ship seems a little… bare. How would you feel about some light bronze deck guns? To be delivered upon our safe return?”

“Breechloaders?” the captain asks, suddenly curious.

“Yes,” you nod curtly. “Four of them, no markings, and no further questions asked.”

“Do we have a deal?”

The captain takes a moment to consider before nodding. “Deal.”

…

“A warrior who gets motion-sick,” Isabel shakes her head. “Who’d have known it?”

“Shut it...” Vanessa grumbles, looking distinctly green around the gills.

…

Up on deck, you consider your next move.

>When you arrive on Lavinia you’ll march, visibly, to the fortress.
>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.
>One person takes the lead and makes initial contact.
>Other?

>>4594135
>>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.

>>4594135
>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.

>>4594135
>>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.

>>4594135
>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.

>>4594135
>>It would be better to stay as subtle as possible. Try to gather information.

>>4594135
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 6, 10, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>4595194

Rolled 9, 5, 9 = 23 (3d10)

>>4595194

Rolled 6, 8, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>4595194

>>4595194
Your arrival comes in practically no time at all.

After waiting aboard the ship you elect to slink off into the night, finding a warehouse where you can all lay low until you can gather sufficient information to make your next move. It’s already become obvious that you’re not the only warriors on Lavinia, but you can detect only two yōki auras of any considerable strength – both vaguely familiar to you. There’s also a third, Zoe, near several significantly weaker auras, probably trainees.

“It seems our arrival has come as a surprise?” Vanessa muses after confirming your suspicions. “Just miss Zoe, the trainees in the yard, and the other two we’ve sensed.”

“Or that’s all they can muster as a defense,” Aurora counters. “They may just be that badly off now.”

“Possible,” Helen agrees with a single curt nod. “But I wouldn’t trust it.”

[Who would?] Serana signs in the dim. [Especially after the things most of us have seen.]

“And the losses we’ve all suffered,” Lucia adds, gripping one of her replacement limbs idly.

“We’ll take a team of four to be sure,” you decide, “myself, Nessa, Serana, Valentina. Helen, does that sound good to you?”

Helen nods in agreement. “I see no problems. I assume you want to get Vanessa closer to the keep?”

“Proximity may let her sense more clearly if there’s anything prepared along the lines of a trap,” Laura interjects.

“That’s what I figured too,” Helen agrees.

“I should be able to sense anything within the keep’s walls,” Vanessa clarifies. “At least, anything over a certain level of yōki concentration.”

“Then by all means,” Helen insists.

…

The four of you wait for a moment when the nearby road is clear, and then you vault up from the riverbed that runs under the low stony bridge and onto the pathway. With your swords slung across your backs and the hoods of your travelling cloaks up you must make for an ominous image, but the people living here are no doubt used to it by now. If any take note of you it’s not with any particularly strong sentiments.
>1/2

>>4596037
“I feel it too,” you assure Vanessa after she warns you that the two stronger warriors have honed in on you and are approaching along a perpendicular street just ahead. “Stick close… don’t attack first, but be ready. Agreed?”

Once those conditions are laid out, you lead your party to an open intersection where two more cloaked figures meet you. These newcomers lower their hoods: one, with her short white hair looking more like soft down than anything else, you recognize as the young captain Lunara. The second, thankfully, is Valeria, who reveals her shoulder-length blonde curls and the serene smile you recognize her for.

You gesture for Serana specifically to lower her hood, and do the same yourself.

“Lunara and Valeria,” you greet the duo. “It’s good to see you both in good health.”

“Ah, if it isn’t our pink-haired traitor,” Valeria greets you cheerfully. “Luciana was complaining about you not too long ago, but seeing you here is quite a surprise. How have you been, Noel?”

“Fine,” you insist, “I’ve been in good health and good company since parting ways with the Organization.”

“I’m glad,” Valeria replies. “So why are you all here? You never struck me as the type to rely solely on naked aggression or intimidation.”

[Is this okay?] Serana signs silently to you.

“We’re here for Zoe,” you admit candidly. “I assume you’re here to stop us?”
[I think so. This is just typical Valeria, from back before she was made a single-digit.]

[I never worked with her closely,] Serana admits. [I’ll follow your lead.]

“Is that so...” Lunara frowns.

“This is complicated...” Valeria shakes her head.

>So… are you going to try to stop us or not? You both know Zoe as well, right?
>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?
>Why don’t you help us? You must understand what’s going on here as well as I do.
>Other?

>>4596043
>>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?

>>4596043
>That’s not the reaction I was expecting. What’s going on here?
>Other?
Is the Organization will to talk?

>>4596043
You can’t help but stare in surprise and deep skepticism. This absolutely wasn’t the outcome you anticipated.

“What’s happening?” you ask bluntly. “Don’t try to tell me the Organization is suddenly willing to talk, because I won’t believe it.”

“That’s good to hear,” Valeria replies, “because that’s not it at all.”

“Then what?”

“The Organization... has been doing some unsavory things,” Lunara admits quietly. “Even by their own standards.”

“Hard as it is to believe,” Valeria frowns. “People may accuse us warriors of being inhuman, they might even have a point. Some of us aren’t exactly the best people, we’ve always known that to be true. But those things aren’t even remotely human, not anymore. And I’m not sure we should be working with any organization willing to create them.”

“What do you mean they’re not human?” Vanessa presses in a grim tone. “Are they awakened? Or are they just plain yōma?”

“The Organization calls them ‘hunters’,” Lunara tells you. “I think they were created specifically to kill rogue warriors... like all of you.”

“Rude, I know,” Valeria shakes her head, “and I have to agree. But you have to remember Noel, they’re actually afraid of you. Because you’re threatening the one thing they can’t stand the thought of – a loss of control.”

Your own team share a series of subtle and not-so-subtle glances... that’s an uncomfortable thought, but also one that you can understand. It has a ring of truth to it, and to speak of fears these ‘hunters’ of theirs remind you of one of yours.

“Could the Organization really have manufactured the yōma in the first place...”

Valeria stares at you as you mutter something which, perhaps, should have been left un-muttered.

“What did you say?”

>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.
>Nothing for the moment. Our biggest concern is getting Zoe to safety without losing any of our own lives in the process.
>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?
>Other?

>>4597250
>Nothing for the moment. Our biggest concern is getting Zoe to safety without losing any of our own lives in the process.
>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?

>>4597250
>Nothing for the moment. Our biggest concern is getting Zoe to safety without losing any of our own lives in the process.

Many secrets have been uncovered and even more questions since we left the organization.

>>4597250
>Nothing for the moment. Our biggest concern is getting Zoe to safety without losing any of our own lives in the process.
>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?

>>4597250
>>Nothing for the moment. Our biggest concern is getting Zoe to safety without losing any of our own lives in the process.
>>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?

>>4597250
>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.

>>4597250
>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.
>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?

>>4597250
>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.

>>4597250
>>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.
>The girls they want above all suddenly have thier families attacked by youmma if they are not given up, youma move like an army to attack any province backlisted by them, They have not once addressed where youma come from and what we could do to stem the source. They attempt to strip away everything from us so they are all we have. It's pretty obvious when you can stare at it from the outside.

>>4597250
>I’ve been concerned for some time that the Organization has been creating both a ‘solution’ in its warriors, as well as the cause that justifies us.
>These ‘hunters’ you mentioned, why can’t Vanessa and I sense them? Can YOU sense them? Have you SEEN them?

>>4597250
“I’ve had some concerns,” you admit with narrowed eyes. “The Organization has too clean of a setup here, too hermetic.”

“How do you mean?” Lunara asks you.

“It all feels like a sort of closed cycle,” you try to explain the reasons for the doubts nagging at your mind for the last several years without the ability to produce any conclusive evidence. “You know how several of the current Abyssal Ones are actually twins, yes?”

“The few older warriors left do remember that,” Valeria nods along. “Though that information has been suppressed more recently.”

“That’s because the Organization was working to achieve controlled awakening by using youki synchronization,” you continue your explanation. “After they gave that up they decided they wanted me – the daughter of an Abyssal One and a human. And they organized a coup to get me.”

“You’re what now?” Valeria asks flatly. “Run that by me again?”

“Sabela is my mother,” you clarify quickly. “They wanted to see what would happen if they pushed me to awaken, so they sent me and most of the warriors I had grown close to on a suicide mission. We also now know that the Organization has long prevented any contact between our island and the outside world, and now you’re telling me that they’ve created some kind of barely-human ‘hunters’ to eliminate their problems – us. The experiments that got out of their control.”

“That... does seem...” Lunara struggles to find the right choice of words. “Tidy, I guess? Like every single occurence to do with youki traces back to them.”

“Both solving problems and creating them,” Valeria frowns, her expression turning grim. “A tidy little arrangement indeed, if that is what’s going on. There are a lot of things you just said that are a little hard to take on faith, just hearing it from you.”

[If these hunters are indeed meant for us, they are something we will have to fight eventually.]

You sigh, and shake your head. “True.”

>Ask Valeria and Lunara to take a message to the old men: release Zoe, and this can end peacefully.
>Ask Valeria and Lunara to join you in storming the castle, nineteen warriors in total.
>Ask Valeria and Lunara for advice on sneaking into the castle.
>Other?

>>4598916
>>Ask Valeria and Lunara for advice on sneaking into the castle.

>>4598916
>Ask Valeria and Lunara to join you in storming the castle, nineteen warriors in total.

>>4598916
>Ask Valeria and Lunara for advice on sneaking into the castle.

>>4598916
>>Ask Valeria and Lunara for advice on sneaking into the castle.

>>4598916
>Ask Valeria and Lunara for advice on sneaking into the castle.
Ask if they would like to join us back home?

>>4598916
>Ask Valeria and Lunara to join you in storming the castle, nineteen warriors in total

>>4598916
>Ask Valeria and Lunara to take a message to the old men: release Zoe, and this can end peacefully.
Honestly? I'd really like to see what happens if we did manage to fund a peaceful solution with the organisation, sure it's a long shot, but it's an interesting one

>>4598916
“Is there any way to sneak into the grounds?” you muse.

“That depends,” Valeria replies curtly. “What do you intend to do?”

>Free Zoe covertly, then ideally withdraw.
>Catch the old men off guard, force a settlement.
>Investigate these ‘hunters’ you mentioned.
>Other?

>>4600306
>>Catch the old men off guard, force a settlement.

>>4600306
>Catch the old men off guard, force a settlement.

I have 0 qualms with just getting rid of all of them after finding out their plans

>>4600306
>Free Zoe covertly, then ideally withdraw.

>>4600306
>>Catch the old men off guard, force a settlement.

>>4600306
>Free Zoe covertly, then ideally withdraw.

>>4600306
>Free Zoe covertly, then ideally withdraw.

>>4600306
>Catch the old men off guard, force a settlement.

>>4600306
>Free Zoe covertly, then ideally withdraw.
I guarantee you we won't be able to catch the old man we need. Too easy.

>will update in a bit

>>4601419
“There are two possible objectives,” you admit. “The first is the one that brought us here, which is securing Zoe’s freedom. The second is one I don’t anticipate being possible, but that we should consider should the possibility present itself – to take the old men captive and force a resolution to our dispute.”

“Hostages?” Valeria frowns. “That sort of move is usually accompanied with an implicit threat.”

“I’m aware of that,” you assure her. “As a queen I have a lot of ways to make threats.”

“And would you kill the old men if it meant protecting us?” Valeria presses.

>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.
>No. I won’t compromise when it comes to my morals.
>I can’t say until I’m faced with the decision.
>Other?

>>4601544
>4601544
>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>I can’t say until I’m faced with the decision.

>>4601544
>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>Yes. I’m willing to bet all my suspicions are right.

>>4601544
>Other?
Hold a quick drumhead trial first, and then do the deed.

>>4601544
“What I suspect of them is almost beyond the scope of any legal system I know of” you frown, tasting your words before you speak them. “Creating monsters and setting them on innocent people as public justification to recruit girls and young women into a program of horrific training and experiments before sending them out to risk their lives fighting the monsters they themselves created? How much death and misery is on their shoulders?”

“A lot,” Valeria admits.

“And if that’s true,” you continue, “it means we have to all re-evaluate our position... what we, morally speaking, should be doing. If it means stopping new youma from being created, I think we need to seriously consider killing the key personnel that keep the Organization functioning if that’s what becomes necessary.”

“So you’re saying that you are willing to break the taboo?” Lunara summarizes.

[If the only reason for the taboo to exist is to allow the Organization’s depraved acts to go unpunished, then it is a taboo that must be broken at least once.]

“That was my thinking,” you admit. “If the taboo’s just there to keep the Organization from facing consequences for its depravity, then is it a taboo that should be strictly upheld? I don’t think we should go out of our way to kill, but I also think that’s normative for regular people to begin with.”

Vanessa nods in agreement. “It’s something that should not be done.”

“But if no legal system applies to the Organization,” Valeria concludes, “then we need to be willing to apply some form of justice to them ourselves?”

“I don’t think that’s too far out of line,” you openly admit. “But if you want a short answer yes, I would take human life if it meant bringing the Organization to justice and ending the threat of the youma once and for all.”

“If you disagree with that I won’t hold it against you, even should it come to blows. I’ll of course go out of my way to spare you any serious harm, and I’m certain my companions will do the same.”

After weighing her thoughts for a few moments, Valeria makes a stark admission. “There is no way to sneak into the facility unnoticed, at least not to my awareness. I was told to send you to a ‘blind spot’ on the lower wall, but the Organization has observers in a building overlooking that spot.”

“They’ve got breech-loading bronze guns trained on that approach that would open fire the moment you tried.”

“So what do you suggest?” you frown.

“Come in with us,” Valeria insists. “Just put some trust in us and we can get you past the front gates.”

>Agreed. Thank you.
>What happens to you then?
>I can’t ask you to do that.
>Other?

>>4603152
>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
>What happens to you then?

>>4603152
“Then what?” you press. “I can believe that you could bluff your way in, but I’d find it very unlikely that you could bluff your way back out after something like that.”

Valeria seems to take your point into consideration. “I guess it means we betray the Organization in the end, doesn’t it? If they really are that eager to get rid of any troublemakers, they’d absolutely be aiming to get rid of us after that.”

“Consider it carefully, Valeria,” you sigh. “It’s not a decision you can go back on once you’ve made it. You’ll be a traitor to them, and to anyone who stays with them, and that’s all there is to it.”

“This is important enough,” Lunara muses quietly. “I’ve already made my decision, Valeria, so don’t be concerned about me.”

“Well that’s rare,” Valeria shakes her head. “If you’ve decided, Lunara, then I guess that settles the question. We’ll help them.”

“Follow us.”

…

Valeria and Lunara lead your group towards the main gate that leads up into the defended training grounds of the Organization’s stronghold. You stop short and take stock of the situation.

>Only you need to go in with Valeria and Lunara. The others can prepare to move in at a set time.
>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.
>You can surrender your weapon, the others will pose as your ‘captors’ to get inside the stronghold.
>Other?

>>4604370
>>You can surrender your weapon, the others will pose as your ‘captors’ to get inside the stronghold.
they can argue we are here to negotiate, relenquishing the weapons makes sense with our abilities, but would still be a sign of good faith

>>4604370
>>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.

>>4604370
>>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.

>>4604370
>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.

>>4604370
>>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.

>>4604370
>You will go in as a group, with your weapons, trusting Valeria and Lunara’s bluffing abilities.

>>4604370
>You can surrender your weapon, the others will pose as your ‘captors’ to get inside the stronghold.

>>4604370
You elect to go in as a group, only to be confronted at the gate by the guards.

“These four are here to report on the outcome of a hunt,” Valeria insists curtly to the armed men. “Stand aside.”

“A hunt?” one of the men, a captain judging by his uniform, repeats. “You’re going to have to explain in my detail.”

“No, we really aren’t,” Valeria scowls. “What business do you have interfering with the operations of the Organization? You’re here to guard the gate against miscreants and the curious, not to screen our warriors. That job is solely the province of we loyal warriors ourselves, and I’m telling you that these four have urgent business inside.”

“Urgent business that you’re currently impeding.”

“We’re supposed to be on the lookout...”

“For silver-eyed warriors with pale hair,” Valeria interrupts, and you can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Right. You know as well as I do that none of you can tell any of us apart. I know all our remaining warriors and most of our trainees by name, and I’m telling you to calm the hell down and get out of our way.”

After a moment, the guards evidently relent and allow you passage.
>3d10, high roll is better

Rolled 7, 6, 7 = 20 (3d10)

>>4605638
GO REALLY HIGH!

Rolled 10, 7, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>4605638

Rolled 4, 4, 4 = 12 (3d10)

>>4605638

Rolled 7, 10, 2 = 19 (3d10)

>>4605638

>>4605638
You manage to get all the way into the base of the keep without arousing too much suspicion, which is quite honestly an unusual and unexpected outcome. But with the way that you can march through the halls and courtyards like you own the place, you suspect it shouldn’t be surprising that most of the guards you encounter are eager to get out of your way.

>Head downstairs to the cells for trainees. They may know where Zoe is and you want them aware of what’s happening.
>Head for the wing of the keep where you understand that the old men are usually quartered. That’s the way to secure all your objectives.
>Seek out Zoe using yōki sensing. At this stage nothing else is of pressing importance.
>Other?

>>4605660
>>Head downstairs to the cells for trainees. They may know where Zoe is and you want them aware of what’s happening.

>>4605660
>>Head downstairs to the cells for trainees. They may know where Zoe is and you want them aware of what’s happening.

>>4605660

>Seek out Zoe using yōki sensing. At this stage nothing else is of pressing importance.

>>4605660
>Head downstairs to the cells for trainees. They may know where Zoe is and you want them aware of what’s happening.
Better get the kids out

>>4605660
>Head downstairs to the cells for trainees. They may know where Zoe is and you want them aware of what’s happening.

>>4605660
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 7, 9, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>4606979

Rolled 1, 8, 1 = 10 (3d10)

>>4606979

Rolled 10, 6, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>4606979
GO EVEN HIGHER!

Rolled 4, 3, 9 = 16 (3d10)

>>4606979

File: 1449646_p0.jpg (31 KB, 480x640)

31 KB JPG

>>4606979
“We need to start with the trainees,” you decide. “Agreed?”

“I can lead you there,” Lunara declares quietly.

“Do either of you know where Zoe is being held?” Valentina asks.

[Or can you sense them, Nessa?]

Vanessa nods quietly. “I can sense her… but I can’t sense these ‘hunters’ even now.”

“That’s a problem,” you sigh. “My best idea is to get the trainees to escape… Nessa, Serana, you come with me after that to secure Zoe. Valentina, Lunara, and Valeria – I’ll leave the trainees to you.”

“I agree,” Valentina tells you with a confident look. “We’ll take care of the kids, so you just be sure to take care of Zoe.”

…

The way is a little tougher, as you’re forced to knock a few guards unconscious since you’re nowhere even close to anywhere you could justify being right now. Which you suppose is a good thing – you suspect that once you reach your goal there won’t be any hiding.

When you reach the trainee barracks, the girls are all startled by your appearance… and you by theirs. Three of them aren’t even full hybrids: like you their hair retains enough of its previous pigmentation to tell what color it once was. But unlike you, it’s doubtful that the reason for that is the strong influence of an abyssal mother.

“What is this?” one of them asks, rubbing her eyes. “Emblemed warriors at this time of night?”

“You’re miss Lunara, right?” one of the failed hybrids asks nervously. “And miss Valeria… and another warrior like us?”

>No, not like you. I’m almost ‘too successful’ a hybrid, the Organization has been trying to get me killed for years.
>That’s beside the point. We’re here to take Zoe home with us, and you’re welcome to come with us too.
>Vanessa, tell them why you left the Organization and why they should consider finishing their training with us.
>Other?

>>4607012
>No, not like you. I’m almost ‘too successful’ a hybrid, the Organization has been trying to get me killed for years.

>>4607012
>That’s beside the point. We’re here to take Zoe home with us, and you’re welcome to come with us too.

>>4607012
>>No, not like you. I’m almost ‘too successful’ a hybrid, the Organization has been trying to get me killed for years.
>>That’s beside the point. We’re here to take Zoe home with us, and you’re welcome to come with us too.

>>4607042
>>4607012
this

>>4607012
Not quite, but we are similar in a way. Come little ones, you do not wish to stay and live through what they want to do to you after this. We will explain on the way to rescues Zoe, Vanessa, will fill in the rest.

Oof. We are in sketchy moral territory here with the younglings. One could make the case that the most humane thing to do for them would be to give them a quick death. (Not that I advocate that. Just pointing out how seriously messed up things are.)

They seem to already be post implantation phase, which means no going back, and they still have plenty of pain and suffering to look forward to.

It's vague in the canon, but the process of augmentation is supposed to be gradual and quite painful as their bodies war internally until they, hopefully, stabilize.

I could just be making this part up, it's been awhile, but as I recall they go through a cycle of pushing a neonate warrior's limits then waiting for them to stabilize before pushing them again until it becomes clear the warrior's body is taking to the grafts and actually handling the yoki. The process begins before they are even full-grown and, not surprisingly, is also painful as their bodies take on stresses not meant to be humanly possible. This often ends in failure for a whole host of reasons, as you can probably imagine. The suffering seems to taper off as they grow up. Not sure, biologically, why that is but it does seem to be a constant.

Although given the amount of "failed" hybrids we are seeing, they clearly have eased off on that stress test phase of their production. Assuming we do take them under our wing to train, we are in for a tragedy as we discover first-hand one of the many secrets the org has kept to themselves the first time we attempt to train their yoki control.

>>4607012
>That’s beside the point. We’re here to take Zoe home with us, and you’re welcome to come with us too.

>>4607012
“Not exactly,” you admit. “But anyway it’s beside the point. We came here to free Zoe from the Organization’s custody, and if you wish to come with us we’ll guard you and offer you safe passage.”

“To free Zoe?” one of the young trainees repeats, clearly confused. “Why, is she in trouble?”

Your confusion is equal to hers at first, until you realize what must be happening. “Yes,” you tell her, “she’s been in trouble with the Organization for some time. They’ve been using her as leverage against our cohort.”

“Wait, you’re the traitors?” one of the failed-hybrids demands, suddenly apprehensive.

“Only in the sense that we have disagreements with the Organization,” Vanessa shakes her head. “They sent my two friends and I on a mission with miss Noel here when we were just finishing our training... they intended for us to be killed by an awakened being.”

“Miss Noel saved our lives, and offered us a place to go when she and her cohort left the Organization.”

“You won’t be safe here,” Valentina adds. “The Organization doesn’t care about your lives... but we do. We’ve all left the Organization for our own reasons, but what we have in common is that we all look out for each other. Sort of like a big family, with an unreasonable number of sisters.”

“Miss Lunara, miss Valeria,” another of the trainees turns to the only two in your group they’re likely to trust. “You brought them here... does that mean you trust them?”

“Yes,” Lunara admits.

“And we’re going with them when they’re done here,” Valeria adds. “The old men finally asked me to do something a bit too gross for me to follow through with, but it’s been a long time coming.”

“We’ll finish your training,” you insist calmly. “So don’t worry that everything you’ve been through will have been wasted. And we’ve learned a lot about how a warrior’s body and her yōki actually work, things that the Organization has kept hidden from generations of warriors, so you’ll be in good hands.”

“But... we can’t force you.”

Serana, who has remained silent this whole time by necessity, nods in tacit agreement.

“You even have a warrior like her,” one of the failed hybrids wonders aloud, “permanently wounded... but still kept around?”

“Serana is one of my closest friends,” you counter, “and has always been a partner I can count on.”

[How sweet.]

[And true,] you shrug.

After considering your offer for some long seconds, one of the failed hybrids steps forward – the one who asked about Serana.
>1/2

>>4608966
“You’re going?” one of her pale-haired compatriots, a girl with straight blonde hair down to her mid-back, asks.

The mousy-haired girl nods. “They’re telling us about a place where I’d be treated like someone useful. I think it’s worth betting on them.”

The other two failed hybrids swiftly join her, leaving five trainees undecided.

Two more exchange a glance between them, before joining the failed hybrids. A third, who has been watching you carefully and silently the whole time, does the same.

“I’ll follow you, Marie,” one of the remaining two tells the girl with the long hair. “You know that.”

‘Marie’ spares her friend, a girl with short curls, a concerned glance. “Connie, you know you don’t...”

“I made a promise,” ‘Connie’ interrupts.

Eventually, Marie sighs and nods to you. “Then we’re coming too.”

...

You end up sending eight trainees away with Valentina, Valeria, and Lunara. They give you their names before they go: curly-haired Connie and long-haired Marie, who seem to have a history, along with Ilse, the quiet loner with multiple braids in her white hair. Hanna has a silver pageboy haircut and is close with Renate, who sports a blonde ponytail and leaf-shaped ears.

Then you have the ‘failures’: the bold one with the mousy brown hair is Carlotta, while Vera has long ears and silver eyes but with black hair, and Gina has silver hair but only one silver eye, the other being a natural blue.

You hope that your friends can get them to safety – you tell Valentina to make sure that Helen and the others have the crew that got you here in the first place prepare to cast off the second they sense you come running with Helen.
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 1, 5, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>4608971

Rolled 2, 8, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>4608971

Rolled 2, 2, 9 = 13 (3d10)

>>4608971

Rolled 10, 7, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>4608971

>>4609011
oh thank fuck

Rolled 6, 8, 8 = 22 (3d10)

>>4608971

>>4609012
Yeah, those were some uninspiring results.

>>4608971
In another twist, you manage to wind your way through several tunnels and down several stairways without being caught or pursued at all, following Nessa’s sense for the location of Zoe’s yōki aura. Eventually you reach a heavy metal door, obviously locked, behind which Nessa insists your objective can be found.

“Are the others outside the compound yet?” you ask.

Nessa nods curtly. “Last I felt them they were definitely out in the yard.”

“So if those hunters get involved they won’t be trapped in a corridor,” Valentina sighs. “Why does your way of thinking worry me so much?”

[Because you’re paying attention,] Serana signs quickly. [Don’t expect me to be very talkative on the way out.]

“I understand,” you insist quietly. “Well… you think you can do it, Valentina?”

“What, get the door open?” she muses. “Probably. Do you want me to put a claw through the lock?”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Valentina sizes up the door for a few moments before placing the tip of her middle finger against the keyhole. “It looks a lot more complicated than most locks, but I think I can still use the same trick.”

Then, after a momentary pause where she builds up pressure, her fingertip punches clean through the door, pushing all the internal mechanisms of the lock out the inner side before she turns her hand. As she does you can hear the bolt slide with a scraping sound before she wrenches her hand free. There’s a small splatter of blood, but nothing that won’t heal almost immediately.

“There...” she begins before you hear a loud noise like a shrill bell chiming continuously. “Seems like we raised an alarm!”

Serana quickly kicks the door in, and you find Zoe’s familiar face staring back at you in shock.

“What are you all doing here?”

You cut her binding chains, freeing her from the wall and handing her your blade hilt-first. “Rescuing you, of course. All this time locked up in their basement must have dimmed your eyes.”

“What about the trainees?” she presses insistently. “The hunters will...”

“… only be coming after us,” Valentina insists.

“The trainees are already outside,” Vanessa adds. “Come on, miss Zoe, we need to go!”

>Partially-awaken
>Don’t partially awaken
>Other?

>>4610256
>>Partially-awaken
Guns blazing!

>>4610256
>>Partially-awaken

>>4610256

>Partially-awaken

>>4610256
>Partially-awaken

>>4610256
>Partially-awaken

>>4610256
>Partially-awaken

>>4610256
>Partially-awaken

>>4610256
>Don’t partially awaken
This seems like a terrible plan. It gives ammunition to the Organisation with which to further turn those who remain against us.

>>4610256
>>Don’t partially awaken

>>4610730
But we can draw all the Hunters to us if we do.

>>4610730
I'm not sure that's the biggest thing to consider with the choice.

I think I know what might be, but I better not say because it's meta-knowledge and I might be wrong anyway.

What I will say is that we are probably in for a dose of humble pie.

>>4610256
“Noel?” Valentina asks as you allow your body to begin transforming.

“Just go!” you demand. “I’ll keep the ‘hunters’ off you if it comes to that!”

…

Sure enough, a fevered battle breaks out in the corridors back to the surface. The ‘hunters’ you were warned about are horrific to behold, and true enough they barely seem human even to you. Gaunt, pale, and eyeless, relying solely on their ability to sense yōki, they swarm your group in packs. Women or men, at this point it’s impossible to even tell which they were to start. They could represent a mix of both – it’s hard to imagine what sort of twisted scientific knowledge allowed the Organization to create them.

They make no attempt to communicate, or to coordinate, and if they have any concern for their own existence they never show it. It’s all too easy to slash them apart, though in their suicidal recklessness and their sheer numbers they get in a few blows of their own.

Vanessa loses a hand before Serana is able to cut down her assailants, and she quickly sets to work regenerating as other warriors step up to cover her. Valentina takes a wound to the shoulder, thankfully her left, before she can punch her extending nails through the heads and hearts of a half-dozen hunters.

Worst, in a howl of pain, Zoe goes down under a wave of seven or eight hunters, and comes up with a gash right across her eyes.

“Vanessa!” you order, “help Zoe! Valentina, Serana, cover their sides and follow me!”

Eventually you start encountering bodies, the odd hunter but a much larger number of regular humans. These men and some women must have once handled security, logistics, and surgical modifications for the Organization.

“What’s going on here?” Zoe demands. “Tell me, I can’t see through the blood...”

“They ripped up normal people?” Valentina realizes. “No...”

You nod curtly. “We have to keep moving. If these things were created to sense the suppressed yōki of a warrior, and the Organization has stepped up its patrols and training exercises lately...”

“Then they’ll attack civilians if they get loose,” Zoe realizes. “Damn those old men...”

>We need to get outside. Make sure that none of the hunters can follow.
>We need to see if we can find any surviving security guards. Coordinate our response.
>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?
>Other?

>>4611686
>>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?
Kill them now and the Org has to waste time trying to build more.

>>4611686
>>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

>>4611686
>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

>>4611686
>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

>>4611686
>>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

Yeah getting rid of these is must.

>>4611686
>>>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

>>4611686
>We need to find a way to wipe out those hunters. Any ideas where to start?

>>4611686
Huh. I was not expecting the hunters to be jobbers to this degree and solely reliant on numbers.

That's a twist.

>>4612603
The hunters are only viable against wearing down single targets. Keep in mind it took them a full year and hundreds of casualties and thousands of collateral deaths to kill an abyssal one. They wore him down via attrition. Attrition always favor numbers.


And this is when they were single target highly persistent predators. By taking the blinders off and making them multi target? They really screwed the pooch.

>>4611686
“These things have to be destroyed,” you decide. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“There’s a natural choke point at the first floor of the tower,” Valentina points out. “Nessa, can you sense where most of the hunters are?”

“They’re making their way upwards to that point,” Vanessa answers. “But not in any hurry from what I can tell.”

“Then there’s the powder magazine,” Zoe adds as you rip through another group of hunters... only four this time, not enough to really slow you down. Especially now that Zoe has given you your sword back, since she can no longer really see to make use of it. At some point when you’ve stopped for a while, maybe even after boarding the ship to escape, you’ll have to take stock of that situation.

“That’s a one-way trip,” Valentina counters. “We came here to save our comrades, I’m not gonna just agree to let someone sacrifice themselves to do that. It totally defeats the purpose!”

“She’s right,” you insist. “If it comes down to it I’ll hold the exit myself.”

That’s the moment when you nearly run headlong into a group of regular humans, one of whom points a firearm at you which you quickly grab hold of around the barrels and push upwards towards the ceiling before it can go off in your face.

“What the hell!?” the man carrying it shouts, a dark-skinned man of about thirty years you’d guess. “You’re not a hunter!”

“Brilliant deduction,” you roll your eyes, though your tone comes out a bit more like a snarl than you intended thanks to your partial transformation. “You have more men?”

“There’s a few of us still making our way out,” he replies. “The hell are you supposed to be?”

“Noel Tiberius di Hazaran,” you reply, “Queen of Hazaran and former number Seven.”

“Awakened?” he demands.

“Not quite,” Zoe insists from behind you. “Do you know where the sergeant at arms is?”

“Come on, I’ll show you,” he replies, now more compliant as he recognizes Zoe.

...

“Well my day just either got a whole lot better or a whole lot worse,” a stern, steely-grey man with a short haircut and a scar along his hairline frowns at you and your group. “The hell is this, Zoe?”

“Hard to explain,” Zoe replies. “You could call her the most successful experiment the Organization ever lost control over. She’s not awakened... not yet at least.”

“Sorry for the appearance,” you growl.
>1/2

>>4612963
“Things have gotten real bad around here,” the sergeant at arms admits. “I understand you’re all to blame... but that’s maybe too simplified. And it’s a question for later anyhow.”

“We have to contain this... whatever this is,” you insist. “They’re tracking even faint traces of yoki and taking them as enemies, which is why they’ll attack anyone who’s even been near a warrior. You and your men aren’t safe here either.”

“Damn,” the man grumbles as one of his subordinates passes him what looks like a rifle, with an odd curved handle at the back end near the breech. “Guess that one’s on the Organization, makin’ those things and not givin’ em any brains.”

“What was your plan?” you ask them.

“Take powder charges up to the ground floor of the tower and blast the exits shut,” he tells you.

>Good plan, but I have one better. We make our stand at the exit point, you cover me, I’ll slaughter them. That way we make sure they’re good and dead.
>Is there any way to destroy the whole facility without sacrificing one of ourselves? This whole thing was MEANT to be a rescue attempt.
>There has to be a way the old men intended to control these things. Are any of the people who worked on creating them still alive and available?
>Other?

>>4612968
>There has to be a way the old men intended to control these things. Are any of the people who worked on creating them still alive and available?

Is this how they were resetting the island, on occasion.

>>4612968
>>Is there any way to destroy the whole facility without sacrificing one of ourselves? This whole thing was MEANT to be a rescue attempt.