>>32596057
>Waited until the morning to set out on the mission. It would be easier to find her if you waited for your opportunity.

>>32596057
>Fled in the night to find Carna. Not a single second could be lost, and you couldn't risk Anlak and Kran stopping you.

>>32596057
>>Waited until the morning to set out on the mission. It would be easier to find her if you waited for your opportunity.
based retcon

>>32596057
If we leave early wont the Seekers know we're awol and try to kill us?

Thanks for running today Lib like 5 of the quests iI have been followin died in the past three days.

>>32596057
>Waited until the morning to set out on the mission. It would be easier to find her if you waited for your opportunity.

>>32596057
>>Fled in the night to find Carna. Not a single second could be lost, and you couldn't risk Anlak and Kran stopping you.

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Sheryl was surprised to see you in the morning, but she didn't say anything to anyone. You came to the conclusion to stick to the mission after calming yourself down.

"Feeling sick?" Anlak peeks over at you as you rise up from your stupor. It's rare for him to start the conversation. "You haven't looked well at all since the morning."

"It took me awhile to get to sleep." You aren't lying. You spent most of the night running over the thoughts in your head. Maybe you could tell Anlak the truth, but certainly not right now.

Anlak didn't look very good either, he'd started tying his hair back recently but it only brought out the dark around his eyes, on his already brown skin. He wasn't a morning person though so it wasn't necessarily anything strange.

"I hope you boys are holding up well. It's not a long trip to Artios but we aren't making any stops. I need you two wide awake when we get there, alright?" Kran yells over the sound of the wheels, although the caravan is small enough that she could certainly just say her part normally.
It might be worth spending some time studying weaves, if only to calm your mind. You could get some details about the mission, but you might not even end up taking part of it. From here on out, there'll be a lot less directing you.

>What do you do?

>>32596278
I am very, very sorry to hear that.

>>32596526
>What do you do?
Weaves are good.

>>32596526
practice weaves while thinking about our muh carna strategy

>>32596526
Stealthily jerk off to the drawing of Carna.

Or practice weaves, whatever.

>>32596526
We need some more details about the mission, especially if we think we're going to try to get away to do our own thing in the middle of it.

Knowing what we're going to be expected to do in advance means we've got more time to plan how to work around it without tipping anyone off.

You flip open the book you received from Ianc, looking over the spells you could research. It takes a lot of time to perfect a weave, but you've nothing but time right now. There's not much you can do to find Carna while you're stuck on this ride but you want every tool available before you reach her.

Now, you just need to decide what weave to study...

>Razor, increase the cutting power and radius of Blade enough to slice through most non-metals.
>Chill, temporarally create a cold area in front of you about a cubic metre wide.

I'm going to need to come up with some way to streamline skill learning in the future.

>>32596821
>>Razor, increase the cutting power and radius of Blade enough to slice through most non-metals.

we jack slash now

>>32596821
>>Chill, temporarally create a cold area in front of you about a cubic metre wide.

>>32596821
>>Razor, increase the cutting power and radius of Blade enough to slice through most non-metals.
more applicable.

>>32596821
>>Razor, increase the cutting power and radius of Blade enough to slice through most non-metals.
Being able to tear through barricades and improvised cover (doors, flipped tables, etc) and the like more easily is probably pretty useful.

Two fingers together, easy enough. The motion starts out like Blade. You hover your thumb between them, it seems you have to maintain a perfect centimetre of distance to hold the spell together. You're at a lack of targets to swipe at in the caravan, and end up sitting on the back-edge of it making practice swipes at bits in the road trailing behind you...

Swish, a corner of a sign slides off by the line you drew with your finger. An unfortunate target for your first success, hopefully it won't be missed too much. What you read of the remains tells you that you're not too far from your destination, just a small village on the Ridae side of the borders. Come to think of it, you'd been there before as a child once on a trip with your father. You put the thought into the back of your head and continue practising the weave...

The caravan pulls to a stop maybe an hour later. "We're heeeeere!" Kran yells out in a tone unbefiting of a woman her age. Hopping out beside you. The timing isn't too bad, your motion is just about perfect now. You exit with Anlak just behind you, and Kran goes to pay respects to your driver while you take a peak around.

The place looks similar to your childhood home. More south than Deneb, the snow hasn't managed to quite creep in on it yet but the air is still cool and most of the leaves have fallen from the trees. Modest wooden houses, modest working people.

>CONT

"Are you out of luck today?" A man in a dark tunic approaches you, he has a plain face; the kind most people would forget within a day. His hair is an average brown, and his eyes match it. He leans into you strangely, sniffing at the neck of your shirt.

"Excuse me?"

"We cross a black cat." Kran pulls you away from the stranger and places herself between the two of you.

"Then I shall fix your fortunes." The fellow smiles and takes a bow, "Just follow behind me." He starts to walk off and Kran gestures for you to come. The three of you walk after him...

"The records in House Hagaf will tell us how House Santo fell, and we need them quickly. I've prepared the tools you'll need for this mission as well as a demon for the job." It seems the stranger is a Seeker, a White Cat blended into the region to steal its secrets. "There're two guards at the gate, and two more on patrol around it. I'd estimate twenty more within the castle grounds, and at least fifty garrisoned nearby. Here is a layout of the building, I've marked off the necessary places and various escape routes."

"These two aren't ready to contract yet, so you can leave that with me." Kran talks to him over the details, while you sip at warm tea in the inn.

"Get this job done as soon as possible, word is that The Little Witch is in the area and if I'm correct, we may need this knowledge to capture her."

Perhaps you should ask him some questions.

>What do you do?

>>32597393
Ask who the little witch is.

>>32597435
No. Everyone knows we're looking for Carna and we don't want Kran to know we know Carna is in the area.

>>32597393
If we're going to ask about "the little witch" then ask why this info will help capture her. don't ask who she is we already know that.

And maybe ask when the best time to go in is.

>>32597519
I don't know it Kran knows we're looking for her. But it's better to air on the side of caution. Are we doing this tonight or what?

>>32597519
He litteraly just brought up the little witch, we can pretend to not know who that is and ask about it.

>>32597393
"Little Witch? Is she a Stray Cat or something?"

>>32597614
If he gives a name we're screwed.

"Is The Little Witch a Stray Cat?" You ask, "What does she have to do with this mission?"

"She's not a Stray, she's a contractor without any alignment. Her Rasci controls demons, and she seems to have an interest in devouring old fiends which puts her in our way. We've lost a few agents to her." The man snarls the last bit.

"And this knowledge will help us capture her?"

"We don't know if she was the first one to hold it, but her demon first manifested around here about ten years ago and proceeded to slaughter everyone in House Santo before vanishing. It may have been a different person keeping it then but if House Hagaf knows what weaknesses it has then we'll need that knowledge."

"We can head out tonight, The Seekers will probably be sending a hunting party out soon now that the witch has been tracked down." Kran stands up, "You boys relax while I work out a few details, we'll meet back here when the sun goes down."

Anlak nods before heading upstairs, it seems every room in the inn here has been booked up for your mission...

"What do you mean they're all taken!?" A loud masculine voice sounds out from the inn counter, "I'm here in service of the area's lord!"

"Sorry kid." The inn-keeper shoos off an armoured man. He's got a large stature, larger than Anlak's and messy blonde hair. He stomps off in a huff.

Should you start your search now? It might be worthwhile to see what someone else is doing...

>What do you do?

>>32597912
Could we sneak off and explore a little?

>>32597912
lets go get our demon wiafu

>>32597912
Tell Anlak you're going to go explore. Ditch them when you're sure you're not being followed.

>>32597912
>she seems to have an interest in devouring old fiends
d-did she kill our other childhood friend I forgot the name of

>>32597912
go to the place Where Carna Vanished.

>>32598238
He was probably talking about old friends of his.

You know the big guy that just got turned away from the inn. $20 says he's that former slave we met as a kid. Starts with a G

>>32598238
I don't think he's talking about friends anon.

>>32597912
Join the hunting party in hopes of finding muh blessed Carna

>>32597912
>>32598304

I guess we can have a nice chat with Gus too.

>>32598442
Why would they let us join a hunting party? We already have a job to do.

>>32598238
>fiends
Fiends, no 'r', like other demons.

Sort of like how Masoch works, I guess, only not affiliated with the Black Cats. Which means no compunction against going after contractors who are.

>>32597912
It'd be good to know how much time we have before sundown in case we can't make enough progress in that time.

If they're intending on waiting until the end of this mission to organize their raid, we might have a little more time.

Unless our sympathetic connection thing acts up, we've probably got a better chance of finding Sissel than finding Carna directly (since he's been the one going out to gather supplies and intel from what we've seen), and can go from there.

>>32598459
yeah lets do this to

>>32598442
If they know we know its carna we are fucked.

"I'm going to explore." You tell Anlak as he ascends the stairs, he doesn't give any sign that he heard you.

You place is peaceful and quiet, not in the same way Deneb was where each person minded to themselves, but in a more personal sense. You could see villagers greeting each other by name, talking and laughing about the changing seasons. It was a nostalgic feeling.

"Did you see the elf the other day?" Some words cross your ears that have you eavesdropping.

"Yeah, he was carrying huge bags out of town. I turned him away at my shop, but I suppose the Sandton can't afford that."

"That's what he gets for becoming an apothecary in a quiet place like this."

An elf, not a common sight anywhere but certainly not around here. The men get back to work quickly, and you do a go-around the uninteresting town in not too long a time. On your way back, you spot the armoured man from earlier sitting up against a tree with a cloth over his face. The two men are distracted from their work again, but their topic is just complaining about wives now. As much a hamlet as this is, there're plenty of stores where you could get personal supplies. It'll be good hours yet until nightfall, and if you head out now you might be able to visit the ruins of your home-town and return before the mission.

>What do you do?

Sorry. Got held up by something.

>>32598588
Go buy some supplies. Let's check out this apothecary fellow.

>>32598588
"Gus?"

>>32598588
talk to the guy by the tree and the apothecary guy then finally go after muh carnia

>>32598588
The elf is obviously Shryl's brother. We need to ask where he is or at least which direction he went.

>>32598588
>he was carrying huge bags out of town
Seems like reasonable circumstantial evidence for them hiding out in our old hometown, given that it's nearby. Familiarity with the area and the fact that odds are good nobody's going to be poking around in years-old abandoned ruins means it's probably a good place to choose to lie low.

>>32598588
I think I'd probably want to talk to the armored guy even though just assuming it's Gos is metagamey as fuck, even if things do fit loosely (went off to live with a paladin near the capital who was looking to raise an heir, which means the armor and claiming to be there on the lord of the land's business makes a bit of sense), since getting an idea of what other things are going on in the area helps us narrow down our search.

That, and an entirely full inn in a small town like this might strike him as somewhat suspect, and we'd prefer that he not go to the guy we're looking to investigate to request board for the night as a favor.

"Gos?" You approach the fellow by the tree, acting just off a feeling. It might be a bit much to assume you'd run into such an old friend here, but it was a small world held together by the spinning threads of fate.

"H-bwuah?" He kicks his legs up and flails his arms around, the map falls from his face, "I wasn't asleep, I swear!"

"Gos, it's me!" You wave him down with your hands, and he looks at you with wide eyes. His jaw drops and your name slips out of it...

"That's really you buddy? That's really you isn't it!?" The man jumps up and wraps large plated arms around your back, squeezing you tightly and painfully. It is Gos, after ten-eleven years, it is Gos...

"...so then I ended up just barely becoming a Paladin! I thought it was over when I slapped the instructor's helmet off!" Gos laughs, catching you up with his story. He's become massive over the last ten years, possibly as large as Carna's father was. "Don't stare so hard at my face buddy, I'm not the best looker but I'll still get ideas."

"I'm just surprised, you were smaller than I was back then."

"I was always a big eater, it just took some time to digest eh? Ten years does a lot to change a person, I bet the ladies don't leave you alone any more. You've got a nice face unlike me." Gos tapped his finger on his nose twice, "So what're you up to?"

It might not be the best to tell him about The Seekers, but it's not as if The Paladins are unaware of them.

>What do you say?

>>32599055
What do paladins do?

>>32599055
>after ten-eleven years, it is Gos
love how we know like down to the hour how long we have been apart from carna but not gos

>>32599055
We should at least explain that after what happened to the village, we went to live with Ianc (who was also an associate of Carna's father, so she and the paladin Gos went to live with may have also been aware of each other.)

Letting him know we're working with the Seekers is probably fine (the work at the lord's manor in Ridhome was actually at the behest of a very high-ranking Paladin, after all) but it probably isn't a good idea to explain that we're here now on business with them. We still don't want to compromise the op, even if our main concern is elsewhere.

>>32599181
I mean, it was 11 years ago by the calendar, but it was less than a year between when he left and when the town got torn up, so 10-11 is a reasonable enough way of saying it.

"Your village..." He doesn't need to finish his statement, you know what he's about to say.

"I was rescued by a knight and Iived in Ridaela with her for a few years."

"I guess that means your parents... you aren't serving the lord there, are you?"

"No. I joined The Seekers of Catus at the start of this year. Have you heard up them? Up in Deneb."

"The Seekers of Catus? I'm not quite familiar. What do they do?"

"We're librarians. We seek out old knowledge, ancient tomes, mysteries." If he doesn't know about the thieves and assassins bit, you should probably leave it for a better place in your conversation at the least.

"Ah. And how's Carna doing? Did her father take her to Ridaela with you?" Gos bares you a big grin, it seems he knows your village is gone but hasn't heard yet about how many survived.

You do your best to return his smile, but it's painful to hold, "I haven't seen her yet. Not once these ten years..." His smile vanishes; and he hangs his head low, rubbing the back of his messy hair.

"Sorry..." Gos sighs, "Well, enough of that. Let's talk about happier things now, eh buddy?"

"What work are The Paladins having you do?"

"They stuck me here to serve Duke Hagaf. Most of our job is guarding people and slaying demons, and apparently a whole lot of them have been roaming around the area lately. If you're travelling the roads I recommend you watch out, they're bursting out the seams all over."

>CONT

"I'm pretty forgetful about details, but something like a month ago they started cropping up around here. A contractor must be tearing open holes in the world to feed their demon."

"Are you here to purge them?"

"Yeah. We have no idea where they might be though, they must be on the move in the region so stay clear if you come across anyone suspicious. One of ours sent signal out that he'd found them and we only saw his bloodied armour left behind when we arrived. The duke has us all spread out over inns in the area; he hopes that we can find them before more lives are lost." Gos' tone grows more grave as he speaks.

"I'll do my best not to get in trouble then." You tell him, half-lying.

"Uuuurgh! The inn is all booked out though, what poor luck I have being assigned here... well, good luck that I met you I suppose! If you're staying here, you should let me stay in your room, like old-times right buddy?"

"We'll see about that Gos." It's too much of a coincidence that Carna is here and there're demons afoot. In the worst-case scenario that she's related to all this, there may be more than Seekers coming after her head. You need to find her, you know that much; but whether fast or careful will be harder to decide. There're still some good five hours before nightfall.

>What do you do?

>>32599830
Go check out the apothecary.

>>32599830
Find out were the elf went. If we need to get supplies lets go to the apothecary that the elf went to..

>>32599830
Dat apothecary
>inb4 Carna forces is to submit
>inb4 Gos is brutally murdered by her
>inb4 our heart doesn't hurt anymore
>inb4 we rage against the system
>inb4 she escapes
>inb4 we have a new purpose in life

>>32599830
our first vote when we find Carna better be to kissu her

>>32599919

Alternatively, Gos is killed, we get enthralled, we koll Kran and injure Anlak which results in him getting a murderboner for us.

So I didn't realize this ran last night and clicked on this thread a few minutes ago. Oof. Glad I made it in time tonight though.

>>32599830

Go see the apothecary.

>>32600169
>Bad End #3

>>32599919
>>32600169

Based on that dream I'm pretty sure she's going to kill us.

"Well, I need to pay a visit to the Apothecary." You stand up and hold a hand out to Gos.

"I'm just going to sit here for a little bit longer. Here's hoping someone checks out of the inn soon." He meets your hand and gives it a firm shake. You don't have the heart to tell him that his waiting is for naught. "Let's start exchanging letters buddy, we should catch up again soon."

"Of course." You give him your address in Ridaela, before parting ways...

The apothecary shop smells terrible, but it's still more pleasant than most similar places you've been. Plants hang off the wall, and large pots hold different sorts of elixirs. Strings of animal parts and non-distinct bags hang over the counter.

"Hello?" You don't see anyone right away when you enter, and call out to get some service.

"Y-yes!?" A head pops out from behind the counter, bumping into a hung rat. A man looks at you wide-eyed, he seems a bit nervous.

"I have some business here."

"Ah! Business, yes. I can do that." The man begins to pile unknown things on the table, half of them obscured in wrappings and the other half just too odd for you to recognize. "Ah sheps. I'm all out of hound's nip. That last fellow must've cleaned it all up."

"What's hound's nip for?" You ask.

"Soothes demons, or perhaps numbs is the better word?"

>CONT

"And someone bought all of that up? A shame, I'd like to try using some."

"The roads have been scary, it's probably a good idea to keep something to distract their sort on you. Let me see, I think I have some sheep's heart sitting around here." The man drops below the table again, "That stuff will draw goblins right to it..."

"Who was it that purchased all the hound's nip?" It doesn't seem like you'll need to be too clever to get words out of this guy.

"Some elf fellow. He mentioned a sickly companion... but there aren't any hound's nip remedies are there? Perhaps for another elf, or a contractor... ah. Here it is." He comes back up, slapping a dried but still sizeable heart on the table.

"Thanks..."

"Let me see, all of this will be... well, we can round it down to three hundred ras."

No thanks. And you don't need everything he set out. You probably don't need any of it. "So, where did the elf go again?" You ask what you mean to ask, and put some thought over what you should get while you're here.

"I have no idea, he isn't a local though. Perhaps he's staying at an inn? I doubt he's visiting anyone with how much he carried off."

>Will you purchase any thing? What will you do after?

No handy healing potions in this world. Don't pay mind to money. If there's something you want that doesn't stray far into the magical, it probably exists. If there's something you want that does, just ask.

>>32600427
>Will you purchase any thing?
What ever the Medieval equivalent of a first aid kit is. And some rations since you might not make it back for dinner and you need to keep your strength up.

>What will you do after?
See if you can find those people that were talking about the elf earlier. Ask what direction he left.

>>32600427
Demon poisons
There's gotta be some herbs that podiums them right?

>>32600536
>podiums
Fuck I need sleep should be poisons

>>32600427

Well, shit. I'm guessing they want the numbing agent to keep her demon at bay. I'm torn between whether we should buy things like poison, sleeping powders, or other things that could come in handy in a fight (or sticky situation), or just tear off for the inn not giving a second thought to the world of shit we're about to enter.

I think the second seems a little more likely, but I'd also like to see what others want to do, I'm open to other options.

>>32600427
Herbal tincture. Vitality potions.

>>32600427
Rather than something that distracts demons, is there anything that reacts to their presence?

It probably won't false-positive on whatever taint we've got in our system given that horses and the like don't run from us, and having something we can use to see if we're getting close and/or to help us avoid the lessers roaming the area might be nice.

They're obviously not at the inn we're staying in, and Gos wouldn't be annoyed if there was a second inn in town for him to stay in, so maybe we should ask about others in the area. If there aren't any, it's probably a good bet that they're hiding out in our old hometown.

>>32600427


>>32600615 is me.


>>32600523 is pretty good. I'd like to support this.

>>32600523
>first aid kit and food
Yes

>>32600536
>Demon poisons
Hound's nip was probably the only thing he had that would fit that description.

>>32600615
>things that could come in handy in a fight
Always good. Smoke bombs are extremely easy to make.

>>32600633
>Herbal tincture
Why not just by a bottle of whiskey?

>>32600427
demon numbing and a strong muscle paralysis potion. feels good to make my first post in this quest.
Also Lib I had this idea ever sense you did your first explanation of waving that battles between master weavers would look like a dance off until someone slips and there head explodes.

>>32600814
>Why not just by a bottle of whiskey?
Why would an apothecary sell whiskey?

>>32600824
>battles between master weavers
I think this is what you're looking for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iANRO3I30nM

>>32600824
>would look like a dance off until someone slips and there head explodes.
10/10 Fund it

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"I don't really need all of this actually, but if you would..." You sort out your purchases...

"Alright, a tincture to clean your wounds. To poison a demon, wolfsbane will work as well as it does on any animal. This draft here will wake you right up, and this draft here will put you to sleep when the first keeps you awake for too long. This gold thread will pull towards demons, but I don't know how handy it'll be with so many in the area. Finally, here's a healing kit."

Your pockets feel a lot lighter now, and the pouches on your body feel a lot heavier. Still, if you're going to be out alone for awhile you would do well to be nicely prepared. You've a good supply of rations on you, so you can pass up on that. Perhaps you could use some supplies from elsewhere, but it might be better to keep yourself as light as you are now...

"The elf?" One of the working men furls his brows at you when you ask about his topic from earlier. It seems Gos has wandered off in the meantime.

"Saw him leave east. Ain't nothing that way but forests and ruins for many hours walk though." His friend tells you. You're fairly familiar with where those ruins are. What memories they once held.

If you leave now, there's no way you'll return before the mission starts. Maybe you should wait, maybe you should go, maybe you have other plans...

>What do you do?

>>32600824
That's how I imagined them yeah. Contractor battles are Lovecraftian monsters slamming into each other.

>>32600877
Pharmacy's sold alcohol inthe united states all the way up until the 1950's. During the prohibition in the 1920's they sold "medicinal" alcohol. Just like some places sell "medicinal" marijuana today.

>>32600948
I really really whant to know what spell they are casting in this video.

>>32601033
Go to the ruins.

>>32601033
Check out the ruins.

>>32601033

Let's go. Nobody else needs to get hurt, we'll prove Anlak wrong.
So I was just thinking about something. When we first saw Sissel, we assumed he was in town with his Dad. Was that ever confirmed? If it wasn't, he may have been with Carna. She also might have been watching us this whole time. Sissel has also probably NTR'd us. Goddamnit.

So uh I'm new to this quest, but apparently we're looking for this Carna chick because we used to know her, but she summons demons just by living. Why exactly aren't we (regretfully, of course) killing her in order to, you know, protect the world at large?

>>32601146
I'm pretty sure it was confirmed that Sissel was NOT traveling with his father. And I guessed the Sissel/Carna thing right after we met him.

>>32601258
It is common courtesy to read the archives before posting in a quest. Reading the archives will answer your question.

>>32601146
swear to fucking Christ, if we get NTR'd, I'm dropping this quest like a shit of dog shit. NTR is the devils work

>>32601146
He was in town with Carna; IIRC he referred to the person he was travelling with and the person he knew in town who "didn't have long to live" as separate people, and was also picking up medicine in town when we first met him.

Sheryl also mentioned:
>"When my mother died I went to find him first, but I was told at the last town he'd visited that he'd been accosted on the roads... a Rasci made off with his life."
Which means this was probably when he met Carna.

I'm pretty sure that if we go, Gos is going to get caught up in the raid, given that he's intended to be guarding House Hagaf, and they won't begin planning their raid until they have parsed the information we're supposed to be finding there.

We'll have a head start on the Black Cat contractors regardless, given that we are probably more familiar with the area we believe they're hiding in, and would be able to take a horse rather than having to get there on foot.

I'd still like to wait a little longer, but I can understanding wanting to go right now also.

>>32601326
It's not really NTR. We haven't seen her for over ten years. I is completely normal for people to meet new people and get on with their lives. Carna explicitly said that she did not want to marry the MC in at least three flashbacks.

Her finding someone else shouldn't be that much of a surprise. How is she supposed to know the MC spent his whole life looking for her?

>>32601033
onwards to carna

>>32601033
Also my mental image of Contractors and throwing Weaves around is definitely some sort of Kung-Fu Hustle shit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVjf5CccAwY#t=146

There's no time to waste. You could take your horse, but it's tied to the caravan right now and the noise might draw attention. You set out for your old home on foot...

The forest between the two towns is smaller than you remember. You'd always looked at it from the other side, but the vaguely familiar canopy hangs closer to you as you walk. Sunlight peeks in past the clouds and the naked branches, and leaves crumble beneath your step. You're certain you're not being followed... but you can feel the air stirring about you.
You tied the golden string you picked up at the apothecary's around a pinky, out the way of your weaves. The ends of it point in two different directions, and you can hear distorted giggles in the woods. Not human, demons.
You keep your hand on your blade as you walk, they might be prepared to beset an unsuspecting traveller... but they're not prepared for you.

You keep on walking, and as your boots step down on a fallen twig. The sound of it snapping begins the attack.

From each side, two goblins leap out at you. Long ears trailing behind them, tails fading into the air as they run. Their maws open wide, and they each aim at a shoulder. You don't need to think, you draw your blade slicing through one and smash the other into the ground with a hand before stabbing it.
But another four pairs of coloured eyes watch you from the woods. Two sets on each side.

>What will you do?

1d12. Feel free to cheat to safer options if your roll sucks

Rolled 2

>>32601607
Use our new attack weave.

>>32601433
>It is completely normal for people to meet new people and get on with their lives.
Except for us apparently

And she also said that she was going to marry us and she also kissed us. Or was going to, I can't remember exactly

And hasn't it been decided that we were going to 'waifu' Carna to stave off the actual waifs wars.

Librarian wouldn't let us come to that agreement and the have us get NTRd by the girl we love

Rolled 7

>>32601607
Cast fire at them

Rolled 10

>>32601718
>And she also said that she was going to marry us and she also kissed us. Or was going to, I can't remember exactly
This is wrong. She was going to kiss us then decided not to because she wanted to wait for the man that she was going to marry. And she was sure it wouldn't be us. In the post you're linked to I said
> Carna explicitly said that she did not want to marry the MC in at least three flashbacks.
This was one of those flashbacks.

Rolled 6

>>32601607
>Use the flash weave to disorient
>blade weave the 2 on the left
>kill the other 2 with the sword

Rolled 3

>>32601607

>>32601743

Yeah, burn 'em.

Rolled 10

>>32601607
Use blade spell to trace a long line intersecting both sets of eyes on one side, then turn towards the others and cut them down with your sword.

>>32601767
Fair enough
But those are the flashbacks we've seen so far
She very well could have admitted romantic feelings or whatever in later flashbacks

>>32601743
>>32601776
You're joking right. Our fire spell has no ranged ability. We can't "Cast fire at them" We can only set our hand on fire then wait for the demon to come close enough to touch it.

>>32601778
This

>>32601314
Fuck you too m8

>>32601778
>>32601768
Combine these 2

>>32601869
The flame spell has some range.

>>32601911
It's range is limited to however long the main characters arm is. So I suppose it does have some range.

>>32601825
She could also have mentioned she builds sculptures of Lovecraftian monsters out of fresh fruit as a hobby in flashbacks we haven't seen yet. That doesn't mean it's at all likely.

>>32601743
>>32601776
>>32601869
>>32601911
>>32601973
It is common courtesy to read the archives before posting in a quest. Reading the archives will answer your question.

Seriously, don't shit up the quest with stuff that could be answered by reading the archives.

>>32601973
Flame is about 3 feet long. So yes, it has some range.

The demons begin to stir and using your [Cunning] you snap your fingers, stunning them. Acting quickly you shift your hands again, weaving a long line one way and then back again perfectly slashing your razor across the eyes of the two to your left. The two goblins on your right lunge forward, and you roll along the leafy trails to avoid them. The two with their eyes gauged out stumble forward to join the less disabled pair. Unfortunately literally--each clinging onto another's back before melding in. Two larger goblins stand now, with four clawed arms to work with. You sheath your blade and weave fingers on both hands together, calling forth a flaming sword. You back up, sweeping at the demons as they approach, not quite able to kill them instantly but leaving a burning line between the two of you. In the moment that they're distracted by the blades, you bring your fires back across and burn away at one with it. The remaining leaps across the flames at you.

There're certainly more coming, you can hear their sounds in the woods encroaching on you. You could start running, but you don't want anything to get between this chance to meet Carna.

>What do you do?


I'll run combat portions a bit faster than I run regular counts.

>>32601996
Good point
Let's just can it for now and concentrate on the quest
We can deal with all the other bollocks when it happens

>>32602114
>3 feet
>the demons are hiding in the fucking woods off the path.

>>32602131
We're outnumbered. Take one last swipe at them then get running.

>>32602131
>flash
>blade
>start choppin niggas up with our sword

>>32602177

This.

Rolled 8

>>32602131
Run farther into the woods.

>>32602158
And? There were two goblins ambushing you. Obviously you want to deal with those first.

>>32602230
Oh, you mean these goblins?
>You don't need to think, you draw your blade slicing through one and smash the other into the ground with a hand before stabbing it.

Rolled 7

>>32601767
>"Aaa! I just realized!" Carna's eyes pop open her arms fly out, shoving your chest and knocking you off the fences onto the grass beside them, "If I give you my first kiss, then I won't have a first any longer! Only a second!"

>"Whew, that was close. I was saving it for a prince!" Carna hops off the fence and stretches her arms, "A mayor's son is kind of like a prince, but only kind of! You have to be at least somewhat like a prince, you know?"
>"Well of course, if I'm going to be a princess then I can only kiss princes! That's how it works!"

This isn't serious at all; it's impulsive, childish romanticism, not evidence of a be-all, end-all conviction.

Getting all sorts of ideas in our head about what's going to happen when we get there and what has happened up until now is just going to prematurely color our reactions to what's actually going to happen.

Find Carna, ask where she's been all these years. Ask what happened, and why she left. Figure out the rest as it comes.

>>32602131
We don't want to get surrounded, so try and focus on that after we deal with the goblin that's right in our face.

Aim for the legs of the remaining four-armed goblin, since aiming for the torso means we're likely to hit an arm instead, and disabling one or two arms still means he's able to get us.

Then focus on keeping enemies on one side stuck in the woods by harassing them with Razor weaves so that we don't have to face enemies on both sides at melee range.

>>32602362
I agree with all of this

You take one last swipe at the legs of the goblin, searing into them. Fire is deadly in any circumstance, but against their semi-corporeal bodies it seems you can use your flame like iron. As the goblin topples forward, you turn and run down the woods, putting out your flame to draw your sword.

You can hear footsteps coming from one side of the forest, as well as the shaking of branches accompanying them. You peek over to your right where a large shape matches your pace. It runs on four legs, half of it resembles a brown horse, but a torso comes out from where its neck would be, revealing a wolf-like head and two axe-like arms. It gives you a freakish smile before running up further, slashing at trees and sending them tumbling in your path.

Perhaps it'll run off after it's had its fun slowing you down, but chances are you won't be so lucky. You duck past falling trees, and hop over the ones you aren't so fortunate to beat.

You'll hit a clearing up ahead and you can meet it there, but perhaps it'd be better to cut it off within the trees.

>How will you fight the monster?

Probably best to keep dice up for awhlie.

Rolled 10

>>32602513
Hamstring it with blade.

>>32602362
She makes demons, though. We gotta kill her.

>>32602513
Cut some trees so they fall on top of it/block its own path.

>>32602562
>killing the girl we've been obsessing over for the past 10 years
Yeah, right.

Rolled 3

>>32602543
>flash
>razor it's legs
> burn it to ashes when it falls

Rolled 1

>>32602513

>>32602543

This, I think it will be harder to fight out in the open where it can maneuver and make better use of its reach advantage.

Rolled 10

>>32602513
In the treeline is probably safer; makes it more difficult for it to turn properly and gives us obstacles to interpose between us and its weapons. Even if the trees continue to fall in one strike, it's better if it hits those rather than us.

Horse bodies aren't so good at lateral movement, so use that to our advantage.

Rolled 8

>>32602562
>She makes demons, though.
No she doesn't. I have a feeling this >>32601258 is you.

>>32602562
Demons typically don't create more demons because bifurcating spreads their power out and creates potential rivals.

That said, a demon that controls other demons is probably the most likely to create other demons, seeing as it can make sure its spawn don't turn against it.

But splitting into parts for the sake of utility also makes the parts easier to dispose of, so any potential generated demons destroyed weaken the Rasci itself semi-permanently.

Also if our last flashback is to be believed, it looks like she took the demon into herself to try and save our life because its apparent attempt to use US as its host was killing us.

>>32602821
You don't need to explain things we already know. Just make him read the archive.

>[Alacrity]
You watch it twist its body, swinging its arm into another tree in order to block your path. You have different plans though.
In the moment that it stops to bring the path down on you, you leap off the path and into the woods. You burst light into the darkening woods and duck in as you land, kicking off roots to propel yourself at it. Bringing your blade out, you slash into its hind legs as you dash underneath it. The demon lets out a fierce howl; you stand to face it.

It turns its body to face you, mumbling incoherently while crashing its arms into the trees on each side of it, sending them toppling down behind. It leaps at you, bringing the axe-hands up and then swinging them down fiercely. You drop your blade and weave a razor into its fore-legs, pulling it into the ground. Swiftly turning around to face the crippled beast, you call forth fire and sear into its gut; dark fog bursts out from it and consumes your vision...

When the smog clears moments later, the demon is gone. Vanquished into nothing. You pick up your sword and continue...

>CONT

The plains have grown freely again, the clearing before you where you once stomped over the grass is looks nearly untouched before you step into it.
Abandoned farmland sits on the far-side both ways. The berry bushes you used to steal from have grown loose and wild without someone to tend to them.
The gate to your home town not too far now and the words painted into the sign are long faded. Portions of the walls that protected your town have fallen down, and the sides are overtaken by creeping grass.

"Why did you come." A familiar face meets you at the gate, he sits on a stool as if expecting, "We should have left something bigger in your way. Something hungrier."

"Sissel..." You knew it was him, "Or, Arran?"

"The former please, I stopped being Arran ten years ago." He stands up, and reaches his hand over his violet eyes. He brushes his black hair back, pulling it behind him, "Please leave. Carna doesn't need to see you, just... please leave." He doesn't sound angry, he sounds pitiable. His voice is weak, he really is pleading to you.

"Where is she?" You're so close. You're so close now.

"She's resting where she feels most at home... please go, she's tired and she can't see you." Sissel draws two blades from his sheaths, pulling into a stance you recognize... from where?

>What do you do?

>>32603094
Well, we can't come all this way to not see her.

Use light burst to disorientate him then razor to disable his hand.

>>32603094
>What do you do?
Ask why

>pulling into a stance you recognize... from where?
Yu'yen?

Rolled 1

>>32603161
Yes. This

Rolled 10

>>32603094
Give him a chance to tell us what the fuck is going on. Then wreck his shit.

>>32603094
>pulling into a stance you recognize... from where?
This is probably the same as what we ended up using when we subconsciously slipped into autopilot. No real justification for it off the top of my head, but it just seems like the sort of thing that would be the case.

That said, if he knows why we came in the first place, he knows we're not just going to leave that easily. Especially not now that we know Carna's not well, and that people are coming to get her.

Rolled 8

>>32603261
>This is probably the same as what we ended up using when we subconsciously slipped into autopilot.
This is what I was thinking. I just tried to find that thread in the archives to double check. But I just realized that non of the description portions have a descriptions in them. It's really fucking annoying.

>>32603349
I can't even remember who we were fighting when we went into auto-pilot.

"Why? Why can't I see her?" You didn't come here to turn back, you didn't spend these last ten years searching so that he could tell you to leave now.

"Carna... for ten years, for ten years she's been looking for you. For ten years I have protected her and stayed by her side while she tried to find you." Sissel hangs his head as he speaks.

"Then tell her I'm here, tell her I've been looking for her as well."

"But she found you! From the window of Deneb she found you!" His voice grows, "She found you with your friends, with Sheryl and the others. She found you and realized how wrong she was to spend ten years searching for you... she can finally move on, and now you've come to ruin her again!" There's irritation in his voice, hate in his eyes, "I will not let you see Carna, not now, not ever! She has saved me, and I will not let you take her away! Her heart is ill, and it is because of you! In Deneb, in Ridhome, in Ridaela! It is because of you!"

You won't get any more out of him. You ready your sword. Nothing will stop you now.

>CONT

>>32603349
My apologies, descriptions have always been my weakest point.

>>32602821
What about holes being torn in a world to feed a demon? The paladins seem to think that's behind the sudden influx of demons into the area (>>32599830). Or is "feed" meant in the sense that it adds on more demon energies to the demon, making it stronger like when those goblins fused, rather than a necessary action to maintain the demon?

>>32602866
Aw, I'm sorry anon. Is my question-asking annoying you? Poor thing.

>>32603427
He is in love with her. Calling it.

>>32603515
No fucking shit? Hey guys, I think this anon's onto something revolutionary!

>[Cunning]
You blast light forth at Sissel, and cast your razor towards his hand, slicing through the skin. He drops a sword and you duck in to slice up at him.
He manages to parry you with the other, and cleaves down at your shoulder. You twist your body and avoid it, kicking your boot into him and sending him stumbling back past the gate. The stool he was seated on earlier falls to the ground, rolling away.

"Carna will hate me for this, but I will kill you for her good. I will apologize as long as it takes..." The blood from Sissel's wound flows faster, but the very bottom of the stream doesn't touch the ground. It hovers in the air and molds into a blade, he grabs a hold of it and rushes at you.

>What do you do?

>>32603430
I honestly don't understand how joining a quest 21 threads in would be enjoyable. Catching up in the archives I understand but this...

When you pick up a book do you immediately turn to the second to last chapter and start from there? What's the point?

Rolled 8

>>32603534
Can we duel wield fire sword and real sword?

>>32603534
Switch to fire and fire sword. If we cauterize all the wounds we leave, he can't use blood magic out of them.

Make sure to get his existing wound as well. Chances are his blood blade can do weird shit like flowing around your own sword, so burn that too.

>>32603617
This.
and fuck this guy
Carna is ours and we are hers

Rolled 12

>>32603596
Starting the fire takes both hands. But, we might be able to throw our sword into the ground (so that it's sticking straight up) make the fire, and then draw the sword back out of the ground.

I don't know how much time we have here tho...

Rolled 10

>>32603534

Can minor grip turn a blade? Can we grasp ahold of his blood sword with it and force him to miss? Can we use it to perform some sort of counter (e.g., attack with our sword as we make his swing wide) as he's rushing in?

If not, I think we just need to take a breath and try to dodge. Let's tire him out a bit.

>>32603642
We've been over this, this is creepy.

What if we just start screaming Carna's name at the top of our lungs?

>>32603647
With rolls like that we can do what ever the fuck we want.

>>32603713
If Sissel's yelling and sound of fighting doesn't draw her attention, she's probably not in a state capable of responding.

>>32603685
But still better then the waifu wars if we choose another girl

>>32603385
That four-armed contractor guy working as an enforcer for House Yu.

>>32603430
The "hole"'s already there, it's just a matter of accessing it or not.

We learned (first in a flashback and then from the Lord that House Santo was trying to bushwhack with demons in the first place) that our village was on a 'seam' in the weave, which is what made it possible for House Santo to bring the demons through to begin with.

>>32603617
>If we cauterize all the wounds we leave, he can't use blood magic out of them.
This is a pretty clever idea, but it's not like we're going to resort to only blunt weapons after that. We'd have to use exclusively fire and blunt weapons to keep him from having blood magic later on, which doesn't seem plausible.

Unless we can find the time to heat our sword with the weave as well, which seems like an awful lot of effort mid-combat.

>>32603685
It's a little less creepy (or at least mutually creepy?) when you realize that she was doing exactly the same thing, and only gave up because she found us first and jumped to the assumption that we had given up on her and thus that what she was doing was bad.

Or Sissel convinced her that that must have been the case in order to get her to abandon her pursuit. We're hearing the 'truth' of what happened from a fairly unstable source, after all.

Kind of sad, honestly. Whose "MUH CARNA" will reign supreme?

You jam your weapon into the dirt and curl your fingers, using both hands to weave--calling forth your flame. As Sissel runs in swinging at your head with his blood sword, you kick your sword up again and catch it, parrying. His weapon shatters on yours, but the bits pull themselves back together behind your blade. Predicting the attack, you've already begun to move to avoid it.
Ducking underneath him, you swing your flame across his wrist and seal his wound with fire. You step forward and low, swinging at his gut with your sword, gashing into his stomach. You see the blood that spills out forming into hooks ready to catch you, but a quick swipe of your flame cauterizes those wounds shut as well.

"You sly fucker." Sissel shoves his elbow down at your head, and you use your momentum to tuck and roll behind him.

"I don't want to kill you, so show me to Carna." In your way or out of it, he's still Sheryl's brother. But if you have to cut through him to continue...

"I will give my life a hundred times for her sake." Sissel uses his iron to slice along his own fore-arm, the blood whips around him as he steps towards you.

>What do you do?

I hate it when you guys roll well.

>>32603840
We used a fire sword with the weave here: >>32602131

File: only-a-flesh-wound.gif (1008 KB, 500x281)

1008 KB GIF

Rolled 1

>>32603845
Go Monty Python on his ass. then cauterize everything.

>>32603845
Can we just crush his fucking ribcage or knock him unconscious for a while.
I mean, goddamn, this guy is at least as obsessed with carna as we are.
he can still go eat a dick, we aint giving up MUH CARNA

Rolled 7

>>32603845
>I hate it when you guys roll well.
Don't worry, it wont last long.

Rolled 8

>>32603845
>spoiler
How cruel.

Don't bother parrying his attacks physically; he's able to reform them seemingly at will. Focus on avoidance and attempts to disable his movement.

Rolled 3

>>32603845

Wait we have a sleeping potion right? How much of his blood is outside of his body right now, is he going to have to draw at least some of it back inside of himself?

We could try dumping the sleeping potion directly into his bloodstream. If it's hardened or otherwise non-absorbent I'm not sure what to do. Maybe stun him with loud noise and run past into the ruins, re-position ourselves advantageously.

>>32603933
>We could try dumping the sleeping potion directly into his bloodstream.
This is a pretty sneaky plan, if a little ambitious.

That, and we don't know if it actually works in any way other than drinking it.

But it's definitely clever.

>[Alacrity]
The crimson whips come from his left side, and you manage to avoid them by running along his right. As you come at him, he swings at your head and quick step further to the right buys you the time to parry it. You bring your flame down along his shoulder, holding it onto the wound. He jabs his blood-sword into your arm, piercing through your clothes and skin. The weapon cracks against your bone before falling apart.
A hard kick into his ribs makes a short distance between the two of you. His movements are slower than yours, and you make the difference apparent when you dash in and slice across both legs. He begins to topple, and you spin your body on your swing to bring your sword again into his uninjured arm. Bones crack; you pull your blade loose and slash into his other wrist. The force sends him onto the floor.
Any normal man would be down by now, but you can't expect that of him. His wounds begin to pull together, his blood rolling back towards him. You jab your flame into each one, taking your time to seal them closed.

"Have some rest, I'm off to see Carna." When his most recent wounds are burnt closed, you use the tip of your sword to open up the gash on his stomach again. Taking your numbing draft out from your bag, you dumb the contents over the bloody patch.

Hopefully he'll choose sleep over death. You begin walking towards your goal.

>CONT

Untouched by all but nature, the village has barely changed in ten years. The bodies are all gone; but their memories cling into every spot of the street.
The bakery window is open, and you can imagine the smell of fresh bread drifting off of it.
An empty bottle sits on the table outside of the old drunkard's home.
Half of the stands in the market were still standing, their goods long gone now. The other half laid ruined as it did on that night where you lost her.

And now you'll find her again.

She wasn't at her home. You'd have noticed coming into the village if she was. There's only one place she could be...

You step inside the town hall, the place you once called home. A family portrait hangs on the wall over your fire place. The wood there is burnt, and the smell still drifts off of it. A pair of little pointed shoes sits by your doorway, you've never seen them before.

Your stairs were so imposing once, but you can skip tiers with each step now. They still have the same creak you remember.

You open the door to your room...

She lays there in your bed, a blanket pulled up and over her chest. Long blonde hair, messy, wavy. Her eyes stare out the window, watching the streets outside. They appear red in the reflection. She's become beautiful, she's become the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.

"Why did you come here..." Her voice is mature, each word bounds off your heart...

Your heart hurts.

>What do you do

>>32604375
"Let's elope."

>>32604375
To find her obviously.

>>32604375

"Why wouldn't I, I've been looking for you for the past 10 years?"

Take a step or two towards her as well, slowly.

>>32604375
I've been looking for you for ten years. Why didn't you come see me in Deneb?

>>32604375
Because somewhere deep down, we always thought she still had to be alive. And we weren't going to give up looking until we knew for sure.

And besides, we both promised not to leave, didn't we?

Better late than never.

>>32604375
'to find you'

File: 1397254595346.jpg (96 KB, 1024x576)

96 KB JPG

>>32604409
>>32604415
also...this is technically MY room

>>32604469
>this is MY room
I love this

>>32604375
>KISS CARNA KISS CARNA HUG HUG HUG

>>32604409
>>32604469
>>32604507
I can dig it
do these ones Librarian

"I came to find you, I... I've spent ten years looking for you." You begin walking towards her, and your heart beats with each step, "I've been looking for you for ten years Carna! Why didn't you come to see me in Deneb?"

You kneel down beside your bed. She doesn't turn to look at you.

"I knew you were alive, I knew you were out there. I wasn't going to give up, we promised not to leave each other... right?"

"Please leave my room. I'm not feeling well." She answers you quietly.

"This is my room, Carna..." It's a childish response, but time has started moving for you again. You smile to yourself playfully, lowering your head just a little, "Come with me Carna, I've been looking for you for so long." You stretch your hand out slightly towards her side...

"I can't hold your hand any more, my dearest." She lets her hand leave the sheets, touching the tip of her finger to yours... and you bleed.
Her hand is black, her three fingers and her one thumb are long and crooked. The tips and joints of each are razor sharp, you can see the mist of demons drifting off of them. "Please leave, I'm going to hurt you." She turns her body, letting her feet touch the floor. They're small, beautiful and white. The colour trails up her legs...

>CONT

>>32604628
She's just like Sheryl's dad isn't she

>>32604628
>can we just die in her arms and end the quest here

She stands up, and the blanket falls beneath her. Her body is slender and the light coming off the window paints her angelic. It seems the fates have been generous in her development...

But right below and between her breasts until down to just above her hips, a gaping maw sits. It breaths in and out, jagged teeth wiggling back and forth. Tainted air escapes it, and you can see little specks of demonic lights blinking at you from the depths.

"Leave now dearest, before the world tears you apart. I only warn you because I care." She touches your cheeks with her hand momentarily, leaving cuts as she pulls them off, "I have thought long and hard, about you, about I. And it is for the best that you go back to what little happiness you've found before I take it away."

"Why?" You don't know what else to say yet, her words don't make any sense to you.

"I've come to the conclusion that people in love hurt each other, dearest... and I've come to the conclusion that if you stay, I will hurt you."

>What do you do?

>>32604726
>stay
its been 10 fucking years
goddamn gaping demon void aint gonna stop us

>>32604726
Are both her hands turned into black claw things or just one? Where does the black stuff end on the hand?

>>32604774
Both hands, about 3/4ths up the way to her fore-arm.

>>32604726
So if we feed the demon alcohol would it get drunk?

>>32604726
"Hurt me more than abandoning me for ten years?"

>>32604726
Why Lib why must you hurt my heart so

At what point is is acceptable to get angry. We've been obsessing over this girl for years and now she wants nothing to do with us.

>>32604726
'its been 10 years. Im never leaving again'
or something equally cheesy
man, Im no good at this

>>32604678
Definitely the same sort of contractor (symbiotic), yeah. Probably not quite as severe a case, though, what with the constant use of herbs to numb the demon. Shanan's got out of control because of he needed to give it too much leeway, and while the demon in Carna might even be scarier than Shanan's, it's also been managed better.

This isn't nearly at Masoch-levels of existential horror, honestly.

We'd like a better idea of the progression of her condition, though. If it's possible to reverse the progression of the balance between contractor and demon, that'd be a good step one.

>>32604726
"And you think having to go wouldn't hurt?"

>>32604726
Hug her I don't care if we get eaten or something they both need this

>>32604869
>Go in for the hug
>You've been disemboweled.

>>32604849
>>32604808
This would be a good angry response if that's what you're going for.

>>32604782
Can she feel her affected hands? This is important.

>>32604903
I know what your thinking and that is way too lewd

>>32604869
>you feel something nibbling on your shirt
"C'mon, gutmouth. We're trying to have a moment here."

>>32604726

I can't decide between something sappy like "I'm sorry I couldn't save you" or "Can't we just stay together a little while longer?"

Or...

getting mad. "how can you do this to me? how long have you been following me? don't you know that I'll do anything for you?"

>>32604935
So when are we sticking our hands inside?

"It's been ten years Carna, you can't hurt me more now than you've hurt me already. You left me behind for ten years. Don't ever leave me again." You've spent so long searching for her, so long doing everything in your power to see her again. Her hands don't scare you, neither does the maw, and you won't let her words stop you now.

"I've hurt you so much more than you know dearest..." She kneels down on the fallen blanket to meet your level, looking closely you can see golden streaks dipping into her red eyes from the black pupil. She doesn't have Leona or Rein's sweet scents, she doesn't have Sheryl's gentle atmosphere. All you can smell is blood coming off of every pore. She runs a finger along your chest, cutting through the fabric of your clothes and leaving a thin red mark down the center.

"I couldn't save you Carna, but I'll stay with you forever now." Your heart beats, and you can hear it speaking. It screams at you to leave, it screams at you to escape. It screams that you'll die if you stay with her. Your every instinct wants to go.

"I couldn't save you either dearest..." She leans into your ear and whispers something, "All I could do was watch you die."

>CONT

Captcha: sexedur ascribed

>>32604980
que hot vore scene

"The Rasci tore open your body when it hit you all those years ago. You were dead the moment you hit the floor, your heart stopped beating. It was just a lump of flesh stuck inside a bigger lump of flesh."

"What're you saying...?"

"I couldn't let you die... so I contracted with the demon. I ate everyone in the village, everyone who was already dead, everyone was still alive. I ate your mother, your father, I ate them all up... I even ate my father, he couldn't even lift his axe when he saw me. And I ate your heart. I have your heart inside of me dearest, your heart is mine." She lays her chin on your shoulder, resting her hands on your lap. "I ate them all and I birthed a demon... do you know where he is? I will tell you... I put him where your heart was. And both your hearts belong to me forever..."

Your heart beats, it beats harder than it ever has. You feel your bones cracking as it tries to gauge its way out, as it tries to escape and run away from her.

"This is the last chance dearest. If you leave now, we can forget about each other. If you do not, I will make you mine forever."

>What do you do?

>>32605042
stay with carna

>>32605042

....what? leave her to die

>>32605042
So we should probably replace that heart somehow.

Inquire as to what she means.

>>32605042
>Tell her people are coming to kill her.
Or
>Have a panic attack.

The second one is more realistic.

>>32605103
"Literally, or figuratively?"

Also I would like to point out that the demon would have killed everyone in the village regardless of whether Carna helped or not.

>>32605127
Woops, meant to quote
>>32605042

>>32605042
>stay
tell her seekers are coming for her
>>32605127
good point
still, it hurts to hear that she ate them all

>>32605042
I want to vote to leave, but he just found out his best friend murdered his entire family along with everyone he ever knew. I can't imagine a scenario where he doesn't have a panic attack of some sort.

>>32605042
You can't deal with this shit. Hit the bottle.

>>32605127
>>32605145
We already know she means literally. Our actual heart is in her stomach. And, she has the power to control demons. Meaning she controls the demon heart also.

>>32605191
It's a joke. She figuratively controls our heart because we love her.

This is pretty fucked up.

>>32605042
>Leave
>But tell her you're not going to forget.

And one request. Make her promise not to give up. To stay Carna. The Rasci took us from her all those years ago; don't let it take her from her as well.

>"Birthing demons takes power away from the parent, and there isn't much reason to let other demons run around. They take away prey, and with enough power they'll certainly return to consume the parent."
Tell her that the Seekers are coming, and that one day when we're strong enough we'll find her again, and we'll do what we can to make things right.

File: can't deal.gif (997 KB, 500x262)

997 KB GIF

>>32605042
I don't know what to say. But, definitely push her away. You can't just rest you're head on someones shoulder and tell them you killed their family.

>>32605211
fuck that
we aint leaving again so soon

You don't know what to do any more. You want to stay, you want to leave. You've finally found her, and now she's telling you to go. Your mind is shutting down, and your chest hurts so much.

"I see you understand..."

You come to your senses, and she's fallen back against the bed. Her legs spread in front of her, your outstretched hands have pushed her away. "I didn't..." You did.

Carna stands up and she looks down on you. Your body shakes, you stand up in a panic and back up into the wall behind you, knocking over toys and books.

"I'm... happy you understand. Don't come back to me, never come back to me. Just go, and stay gone." Her voice quivers.

You turn and head towards the door, you can't stay here any longer. Every inch of you knows now that you have to leave... but still, you stop. "The Seekers are coming after you, The Paladins as well... I'm going to find you again so. Wait, wait until then." You tell her words that you hardly believe.

"I will kill and eat each and every one of them, and I will kill and eat you if you come dearest." You can hear sobs between her words, but you're too afraid to face her now.

You leave the room, you leave behind the girl you spent ten years chasing after.

>CONT

>>32605042
Stay and say don't worry about it ok?

>>32605331
Shit, that would've been good.

>>32605329
>>>32605042
c-can ye get a redo

>>32605329
What? We didn't reach a decision on what to do. Some people asked for a panic attack, others said to stay no matter what. Why didn't we ask more questions?

>>32605331
>>32605343
>>32605363
redo!!

>>32605393
GODAMNIT
RETCON LIBRARIAN PLS

>"You're not Carna"

I just realized that all of our problems would solved if we came to the conclusion that this wasn't Carna. He's obviously traumatized. But in this emotionally unstable state he could just decide that Carna died in the village that day and that this is just a demon that looks like her. Then we would be able to stop her from killing us guilt free.

But the QM has already written the response so it doesn't matter

The walk back through the forest path is quiet. Maybe Carna decided to let you go safely. You don't remember if you saw Sissel leaving, the village was nothing but blurs in your vision as you left it.
The cuts she left on you are still bleeding, so lightly. The wounds are so little, but they sting like nothing before them.
A feeling rises up in your gut and you end up spilling it out onto the pathways.

Your head is killing you, your body wants to just stop, and worse of all... your heart hurts. Not the same way it has these past months, it hurts in a different way. It isn't trying to escape, it's trying to vanish, it's curling up and something is squeezing down on it.

Ten years ago you lost her, Carna; your only friend. Now ten years later...

You topple over a root as you walk, landing into a pile of leaves. It doesn't hurt, but you just can't get up. You curl up, and tears begin to well up in your eyes. You just don't know what to do any more...

>Cry
>Write-In

>>32605363
>>32605390
>>32605393
This was going to be the end and when I counted votes, panic was at three, stay was at three and leave was at four. But only two could be reconciled. HOWEVER, THIS IS A QUEST SO SINCE YOU GUYS ARE SO KEEN... HERE'S ONE LAST CHANCE.

Well, I didn't think it would turn out like this. Are we even alive? How can we go on living when she can control our heart? Also, we pretty much betrayed the people who are in the best position to help us. We should have let her kill us.

>>32605425
Get drunk on that sweet, sweet ambrosia.

I mean the liquor.

>>32605425
>go back to her

>>32605425
>Write-In
Come to the conclusion that the person you just met wasn't Carna. Carna is dead.

>>32605425
>Cry

>>32605425
lets redo this good

>>32605457

this, we've got nowhere else to go

>>32605425
What can we do? I guess we could stalk her.

>>32605425
>Cry

I think you should stop here today Librarian, and let others not present some time to catch up in the archives. We all need time to think as well. Maybe next thread you can wait a bit longer so more people can vote.

This is arguably the most important decision so far and I don't think we should decide so lightly.

In any case, congratulations for getting me to care and feel something.

>>32605425
She died ten years ago

>>32605425
>>32605331
Go back to her and do this

>>32605425
>>32605460
Ya, I don't know why people want to go back. There's no living happily ever after with her. Ever.
>Cry

>>32605425
>>Cry
This is non-negotiable.

>>32605460
This is a reasonable rationalization even if we're not actually convinced it's the case; we know that Symbiotic contractors eventually take over their hosts if given too much slack, and Santo came to Carna's father because he believed that it would take someone on his level to control the demon.

Make our way back, tell them that we were attacked by demons and could not get back by sunset, and then sleep in the bed we've made for ourselves.

>>32605425
>Cry
She's already dead.

Counting at 45 minutes on the clock. My clock. Whatever timezone you're in, it's at XX:45. I usually do exactly 10 minutes from the first post but I think it'd be fair to give this one extra notice.

>>32605540
Why not just delete the post where we left Carna, rewrite it again and give us the chance to choose to say
'dont worry about it ok'
because the only choice the people are deciding on now is to cry and go back to the inn and kill Carna at a later date

>>32605425
>Cry

>>32605425
>Cry
>Stalk her when she leaves in the morning

>>32605425
>>Cry
>>Write-In
Go back to her.

>>32605540
So is crying the equivalent of giving up on her? I only voted for it since I think he would be crying.

>>32605550
Because that is a stupid thing to be this upset about.

>>32605550
Retcons of this magnitude never go well, ever. It cheapens the story and makes everything feel meaningless if you can just wind back time, as if your actions don't have consequences. The one we had at the beginning of the thread was only because half the people last thread didn't realize they were heading to the same place.

>>32605577
Weve spent 21 going MUH CARNA
now were going to kill her
its jsut seems like I've wasted so much time reading this quest

>>32605586
and these last few updates, we werent even given a fucking choice about how we reacted to the news of her killing our village
instead, it was just written that we pushed her way and then fucking ran

You begin to cry. The warm gentle hands that once led you are now cold and cruel. That angelic smile of hers has been replaced by a demonic maw. All those memories you had of her... the ten years you spent looking for her... what are they now?

You loved Carna, more than yourself, more than anything. Romantic, familial, platonic. It was none of those things, it was all of those things. The girl you knew was the world to you, and now...
You need to think. You need to decide what to do. But nothing makes sense, nothing works any more...

"Don't worry about it... okay?" You curl up against the leaves, telling yourself that everything will be all right.

In the shadows of the moonlit forest, you cry until you've no more tears...

And so, life goes on.

I always go for a smoke right at the end of sessions. So I'll answer as many questions as I can when I get back, I feel like this session deserves a quick "Let's catch up a bit and confirm details."

>>32605596
>now were going to kill her
not all stories have happy endings. Even if we do stay, what do you think is going to happen? She has multiple governments trying to kill her.

She is basically the same as Sheryl's dad. The only reason she hasn't become 100% demon is because of those drugs Sheryl's brother has been giving her. But, it's just a stop gap. She will go 100% demon eventually and the power of love isn't going to stop that from happening.

>>32605636
well this is depressing

>>32605646
What's going to happen to our demon heart when she kicks the bucket anyway?

>>32605646
>power of love
fuck that
I was thinking more like knowledge seeking quest, outrunning the seekers with the girl we love or whatever
totally rad

>>32605608
>we werent even given a fucking choice about how we reacted to the news of her killing our village
We were given a choice. We chose to have a panic attack. That's what we voted for. The QM interpreted that as shoving her and running away.

>>32605663

who knows? what if she can just kill us on a whim?

Also, why did she threaten us, but Sheryl's brother has been with her for years and she hasn't devoured him? Is he under her control, so when we met him in Deneb we were really talking to demon-Carna?

>>32605659
OP did say he had a fetish for tragedies after all. So do I.

If we abandon Carna, I hope that we don't suddenly go back to romcom antics and have happily ever after with [insert favourite character].

>>32605697
Jesus, I fucking dread that happening

>>32605596
If we wanted to kill her unilaterally, we would'nt have told her that people were coming for her.

It's a matter of being unable to reconcile Carna (the girl who we used to play with as children and who we cared about the most in the world) and Carna (the girl who told us if we stayed she'd enslave our heart so we'd be together forever).

We want her to live, but we also know what happens to Symbiotic contractors who give too much of themselves to their Demons.

Staying with Carna here means she has control of us entirely, probably the way she does with Sissel.
>>"Ahem. New born demons split off from the parent, starting off as tiny balls of chaos. Within hours, the demon will develop form, inheriting powers as well as some memories from it's parent."
(Given the fact that he was probably using the two-sword style our heart-demon seems to have inherited from the Rasci, for one.)

The only way to even try to find a way to prevent Carna from losing herself to her demon is to try and do so from afar, where the Demon isn't capable of absolute control or consumption of the thing in our heart that is responsible for our continued existence.

>>32605697
There's not a lot of other places that the quest could go.

Maybe we get back to the seekers and find out one of the girls got captured and then spend the next few threads going muh [insert character]

>>32605423
>>32605460
>>32605495
>>32605535
The PC is not delusional nor stupid, he knew that Carna would be different after 10 years, especially when that would amount to not having seen her for half of her lifespan. People change. He kept going anyway because he had hope, but must have at least thought about what to do if she wasn't. He was prepared to face it, we're not running away that easily.

>>32605757

Yeah, I was actually gonna say, I'm not really sure where this is gonna go from here. It seems to me that we're pretty much doomed to be a glassy eyed janitor at the Library, "oh yeah, old whats his name, failed his test way back"

I can't think of any way to untangle ourselves from having this pseudo heart other than to contract with another demon (probably have to be a more powerful one as well), thus becoming a monster ourselves.

>>32605768
There is a difference between changing as a person and having a giant mouth for a torso and literally eating an entire village.

I have a brother and if I found out he killed an entire village of innocent people. My reaction NOT going to be "It's OK, it doesn't matter"

>>32605816
That demon would've eaten the village anyway.

It's oveeeer, thanks for playing. You guys are overturning a lot of things I've been warned about before I started running. I was actually counting on an unanimous decision to stay with Carna because White Knight and waifu.

>>32605575
I don't like the idea of "routes" but I have no intention of shutting off Carna.

>>32605663
The protagonist demon is independent of Carna's demon. It won't kill him.

>>32605697
>>32605697
I enjoy writing romance a lot more than I'd like to admit, but romantic death-beds are the worst. I dislike quests that run for a loooooong time so if we head in that direction then I'll probably give like, five sessions of waifu then end it. I mean, if you guys pick a waifu and there's still stuff to do then that's fine but "job to job, kiss to kiss" is boring.
I don't really intend to move away from waifus, but I'd like to move away from romcom.

>>32605677
I love the power of love. I don't think it has a place here though.

>>32605816
He had memories of Carna trying to save him from the demon. He has always suspected that Carna was still alive only because she was captured. He knew she might be twisted but went on anyway.

>>32605837
Makes a nice justification in character.

>>32605846
Can't really see it becoming a romantic death-bed, what with the demons, seekers and friends.

>>32605846
We still get one question when enter the Seekers right. What happens if someone asks a question that can't be answered?

Couldn't we ask how to make Carna human again? If it's not possible will the head Seeker just be like; "not happening you just wasted your question."

>>32605794
>I can't think of any way to untangle ourselves from having this pseudo heart other than to contract with another demon (probably have to be a more powerful one as well), thus becoming a monster ourselves.

>As you can see, some demons come to like their arrangement enough to serve their host faithfully, while others are borrowed from thinly to the point where the host becomes dominant.
We're not necessarily going to become a monster just because of a Contract. It's a self-control thing.

Carna got in as deep as she did because she was young, desperate, and impressionable when the Demon coerced her into Contracting. Shanan got taken over because he gave in to the allure of forbidden knowledge. A genuine Lovecraftian sort of deal. He threw himself wholly into his obsession and then by the time he decided he was in too deep he couldn't turn back and was made of lizard parts.

Presumably, as long as a demon hasn't reached Synchronization (which Carna may very well have; that's a matter to investigate further) or taken total control in a once-Symbiotic relationship, there's still a way back.

I think step 1 is probably learning to draw more power from the demon we already have inside of us. That said, the rules might not apply as well to us, seeing as Masoch has told us outright that we're not actually a contractor at all. And he's pretty much the go-to guy on this seeing as he's probably got one of every demon in the book squirreled away inside his robes somehow.

So we figure out what kind of demon host we actually are, how to use what we've got (which presumably has the same skillset as Carna's Rasci, only undeveloped), and then go from there.

>>32605952
Yeah, it's looking like our one question is probably going to end up changing to "How can you reverse a Contract?" as long as this misadventure doesn't totally ruin our status with the Seekers.

If it was me, I'd search for ways to give Carna back control of herself.

Actually, we don't even know how much control Carna has of herself right now. There is no reason for her to be alone, just because she hurts with a touch and looks weird. If it is still her, even if psychologically damaged, we could totally be friends. She would need to stop eating so many people, though.

>>32605994
This isn't going to work though. The seekers aren't stupid. If we pretend we never met Carna here and complete the training, they'll know something is up when we ask a question like that since it's not exactly secret that we're trying to find someone called "Carna", but suddenly we're asking about reversing contracts when we supposedly don't know anyone trying to do so. They now know we'll most likely bolt as soon as we get the answer and betray them.

The seekers seem to be utilitarian people so holding grudges for past offence should be below them, maybe we can make a deal somehow.

>>32606087
>The seekers seem to be utilitarian people so holding grudges for past offence should be below them, maybe we can make a deal somehow.

If Masoch was actually correct about us not being a contractor (rather than just having such a low draw from our demon that it appears that way), our ability to investigate a fourth form of contract entirely is probably enough from a research standpoint.

They're not all cerebral, though. The undercover guy this very thread didn't seem too happy with what Carna and her demon were responsible for, for example.
>Her Rasci controls demons, and she seems to have an interest in devouring old fiends which puts her in our way. We've lost a few agents to her." The man snarls the last bit.

That said, it looks like their primary issue with Carna's Rasci is its searching out and consuming other demons that The Seekers are interested in. Even if our connection to Carna does come to light, if there IS any way to bring the Rasci to heel by helping Carna leverage her lingering connection to us to stamp its influence back down, I'm pretty sure they'd be interested.

And access to a demon with demon control probably helps their work. And we've got that power as well, somewhere, since ours is a bud off her Rasci.

>They now know we'll most likely bolt as soon as we get the answer and betray them.
We don't really have any fondness for Carna's Rasci, given that its rap sheet consists of
>Murdering us.
>Coercing our emotionally-distraught best friend to let it take control of her in exchange for turning us into a demon-zombie.
>Proceeding to make her eat our entire hometown for kicks and/or power-ups anyway, even though it already found the necessary host to let it stick around.

With the only redeeming bit being that it also helped eat all of House Santo, the dicks.

If there really is a way to break a contract, we're going to be perfectly happy making it a joint operation and leaving the Rasci out in the cold where the Seekers can get it.

so the plan is:

Kran and Anlak
>prepared at apothecary
>we went to visit our home. Admit it may have been a bad idea, but we were looking for Clues on Carna.
>got attacked by demons
>stayed hidden

When we face Carna
either:
>kill and cry about it later
or
>talk to Kran beforehand about reversing contracts or extracting demons and how to tell if synchronisation is too far gone.
>Use our one question/favor in advance
>Talk Carna down(may involve fighting)
>LET THE NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN
or
>Switch to Carna's side and try to not die.

this doesn't look good. It would be better if we were already a full-fledged Seeker.

Oh? What's this? The demon inside our waifu is a problem, like I was saying?

It's almost like you don't have to read the archives to get what's going on.

>>32609119
>>Use our one question/favor in advance
Not possible, unless you want to go back to the Archivar.
>Keeping our knowledge of Carna a secret
They are currently assigning ever more resources to destroy her. We need to reveal our knowledge at one point if we want to help her at all. Playing innocent will only get people killed now and make us seem more suspicious later on.
>When we face Carna
How about not doing any of those and instead begin searching for a way to help Carna. I'm also not sure what you want to talk Carna down from. Do you want her to stop eating demons? Or to stop defending herself against those seeking her out?

>>32611535
There's no way to help her, anon, and if we try we probably won't survive the encounter, seeing as she's quite willing to hurt us to make us go away, and she also can control our demon pacemaker. We have to bring in the paladins and anybody else we can get to help.