>>34489978
>It's time for one of Old Wolf's lessons.

>>34489978
>It's time for one of Old Wolf's lessons.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Warhound%20Quest

Ha ha, forgot the archive link.

>>34489978
>It's time for one of Old Wolf's lessons.
Take the elf to school.

Okay! That's enough to get started. Like I said in my tweet, we'll be taking it slow and easy well into the early morning (I hope). This will be a strictly intermission session, so if we somehow run out of things to do, I'll just wrap it up.

>>34490771
I'll be in and out for as long as you're running, but I'll throw questions at you as they occur. You up to answering some between posts?

>>34490937
Sure, some.

You can feel a grimace crawl over your face as you watch Lyon try to wrap the poncho around herself like a shawl. Your fist trembles.

You're not much of a teacher, and it's probably not a smart idea to go educating one of your business rivals but...but!

You just can't let an idiot like this run loose on the field! How as she survived up until now!? What the hell!?

You grab her by the scruff and set her down on a nearby bench. You glare at her and puff out your chest, trying to seem as intimidating as possible. You remember your many lessons with Panther and summon up your courage. Time to set this girl straight.

"Is there something wrong, Master Wolf? Does my taste in garments displease you?"

No, there's something much more fundamental than that. You try to calm yourself and ask Lyon about her basic understanding of tactics. She looks puzzled and then picks up her sword and shield.

"I find the strongest foe on the field, usually their leader, and challenge him to a duel! Once I have subdued their leader, I scatter their ranks with my ancestral blade."

...Is that it? Is there no greater strategy?

"D-does there need to be a grand strategy, Master Wolf?"

Okay, time to go back to basics. You explain to her that all battles are won in preparation. You ask her what she usually does for preparation.

"A thousand swings of my blade to warm my blood. A finely honed technique shall lose to no one!"

You feel a migraine coming on...

>Start with the obvious. Necessary equipment.
>Intelligence is what wins both battles and wars.
>There's no helping this idiot. Tell her some bullshit about winning battles through sex appeal.

>>34490978
Cool. Heading out now, so expect questions in a while.

>>34491054
>Start with the obvious. Necessary equipment.

>>34491054
>There's no helping this idiot. Tell her some bullshit about winning battles through sex appeal.
She is a business rival after all. The fact that this will probably backfire has nothing to do with my picking it.

>>34491054
>Start with the obvious. Necessary equipment.

You decide to regale her with your tales of painstakingly picking out the perfect black finish and rubber grips.

>writing

>>34491054
>There's no helping this idiot. Tell her some bullshit about winning battles through sex appeal.
Just to tie things up...

>>34491337
You're too late!

Yes, equipment. Gear. That's why you came to this dusty little market in the sands, isn't it? Even if she has the blood of some weird clan in the sky, she's still fundamentally human. She needs to be prepared for hunger, thirst, the elements, and the realities of injury on the field.

You tell her about proper rations to begin with. You start to tell her how to forage and prepare the proper meats and starches needed for a combat diet. At first, she seems very interested, bobbing her head with shining eyes every few seconds. By the end, her eyes have glazed over, and you can see her fighting to stay conscious. Your pride as a soldier...no, as a man is injured. You reach down to her long ears and give them a pinch as punishment.

Immediately, Lyon yelps and jumps back, covering both of her ears. She gingerly nurses her earlobes and gives you a cross look.

"That hurts! Why would a man of your stature do that, Master Wolf?"

Because a certain knight felt that she could sleep through Master Wolf's lesson! She should consider getting pinched to be a light punishment, because you considered doing far worse to her. She bites her lip and nods.

"I expected more chivalrous behavior from the Greatest Soldier's heir."

What was that?!

"N-Nothing, Master Wolf! Please continue!"

And so you continue your lecture to her for the better part of an hour. Every time her attention slacks, you need merely glance at her ears in order to regain her attention. You briefly consider giving her a pop quiz afterwards, but your wrath had long since run its course. You pick up what few items remain on your list and let your partner know you're finished.

"If that's so, Master Wolf," Lyon begins, "Would you be so kind as to escort me again? I have somewhere that I wish to visit as well."

>No. You're the boss and you're still upset.
>You suppose you can humor her.
>Make her beg. You need to maintain the upper hand on the hired help.

>>34491781
>You suppose you can humor her.

About ten more minutes and I'll just go ahead.

>>34491781
>Make her beg. You need to maintain the upper hand on the hired help.
This.

Oh man, tied vote. Diceroll in 60 seconds.

>>34491781
Make her beg.

I guess that's that.
>writing

Fine. You'll go with her.

But there's just one condition.

"What?"

She has get on her knees and bark like a dog.

"Excuse me, Master Wolf? Perhaps I didn't hear you correctly...I thought you said-"

Bark like a dog on her knees. You won't be led around by your own hired help. If she wants you to go somewhere that isn't part of the mission, she has to make it worth your while. It just so happens that you feel like seeing her bark like a dog. Does she have a problem with this arrangement?

She chews on her lip and looks down, her shoulders are drawn up tight. She idly draws circles in the sand before looking back up to you.

"I-I'll do it, just this once."

Then do it. You don't have all day to wait around for her.

Trembling, she gets down on the ground and smooths out her skirt. She raises up her arms, bending her wrists as she looks up at you. A sick feeling of satisfaction washes over you, but you push it back. You're not really into this kind of thing, are you?

Lyon takes in a breath and mumbles something unintelligible.

"W-Well? How was that?"

She needs to do it much louder and clearer than that. She shakes and stares at the dirt beneath her. Lyon's breath grows ragged and unsteady, and you can see her legs quivering underneath her. With her face burning, she snaps her head up at you.

"Ruff! Ruff! Bow-wow!"

The crowd around you suddenly stops, all eyes turn on the poor girl that you just humiliated, and then you can feel their gaze turn to you. You want to say you feel ashamed, like you've done something horrible, but you don't. Instead, you can feel the stress flow out of you, all of the tension and uneasiness of the day bleeding away as you watch this proud knight beg like a common dog.

This could be a problem if you let it become a habit.

"W-Well, Master Wolf? Was that good?"

>Apologize for your indiscretion and accompany her.
>Tell her that you really enjoy how she looks right now.
>Silently walk past her.

>>34493099
>Apologize for your indiscretion and accompany her.

Wow, I picked the totally wrong hour for this. Like before, 10 minutes and I go ahead.

>>34493099
>Apologize for your indiscretion and accompany her.

>>34493099
Master Wolf gets off on this, eh? Oh well. Apologize. Mention she'd look good with appropriate ears for next time.

Looks like the consensus is to apologize for objectifying her. You have a soul after all!

>writing.

You've got to rein yourself in. This isn't good for your image...or your mind. You quickly apologize to Lyon and tell her to go ahead and show you were she wants you to go.

"Of course, just this way."

...

You find yourself in front of a long wall, made of large, white blocks. The stone is covered with vivid paint, a single large mural stretching across its entire length, which you imagine to be something around forty meters. Upon closer inspection, you see that the mural is all of a single person, a man you would guess, and each section of the wall is its own contained picture. This is all very nice, but you're not sure what it has to do with you.

"This is the story of the Old Wolf! I imagined you would want to see it for yourself before you left this town behind."

You lean closer, and true enough, the central figure of this mural has the distinctive facial scar and blind eye that the Old Wolf was known for. But why is it here, and why would Lyon want you to see it? It's a nice picture, but...

"Allow me to direct you to this section, Master Wolf."

She points to a figure on the wall, and on it you see a man with long pointed ears fighting beside Old Wolf.

"This is from one of Old Wolf's most famous adventures, where he slew the King of old Varan."

Old Varan...doesn't the Royal Army still claim allegiance to that dead state? Lyon nods solemnly.

"Yes. The man you see there is my ancestor, who believed the old King to have grown mad. He supported the Old Wolf when he killed the King."

You're caught off guard and silently stare at her.

"That's why I chose to work with you. We have shared history."

>You suppose that explains everything. You should head back to the Inn for now.
>Isn't it bad for her, to descend from a traitor? You heard the TRA likes to hold grudges.

>>34494152
>You suppose that explains everything. You should head back to the Inn for now.

>>34494152
>You suppose that explains everything. You should head back to the Inn for now.

Got it. Time to return to the Inn

>writing

That makes sense.

You give Lyon a nod and tell her you're heading back to the Inn for now.

"E-eh," She looks confused, "That's it?"

Yes? Was she expecting something more than that? Lyon pulls at her ear and shakes her head.

"O-of course not. How could I expect Master Wolf to be caught up in the past. Ha ha...he is a man who lives in the present and looks to the future."

You suppose that's right. You collect your supplies and head back.

...

A few hours later, you find yourself pushing down a cool pint at the Inn's tavern. You're not much of a drinker, but every now and again, you like to savour the taste of alcohol. You don't think you'll ever be a stumbling drunk like Panther is, however. You check your pocketwatch and think. Tomorrow you need to set out for the mission, but you have a whole night to yourself. It might be good for you to cut back and relax a bit while you can. Explore and learn more about this town? On the other hand, a well rested soldier is disciplined and ready for action. Probably. You have a sinking feeling that Lyon will try to bother you if you made your presence known.

With all the options available to you, it's hard to simply pick one course of action.

>Go carousing.
>Explore the town sober.
>Free Response: Talk among yourselves and figure something out that you want to do.

That's right, I'm doing a write-in for this. You can come up with something if you want, and we can try to implement it.

>>34494754
Hmm. What is there to do in a place like this? Might as well have a night on the town. Check for rumors I guess.

>>34494754
Try to teach Lyon something about real fighting, maybe drunkenly, I dunno

>>34494952
>>34494962
Talk amongst yourselves and reach a consensus?

>>34494952
Lets do this and bring lyon around, sound good?

>>34495156
Relax with the elf knight? Everyone okay with that?

>>34495352
Just got here, I'm fine with that. Wouldn't really know what I'd want to do around town otherwise though.

>>34495479
In the interest of informing players, it's an oasis town, on the border of a large desert. Trade comes through here, so there are many merchants of all kinds and many different types of recreation. Most of the people in the town are simply passing through, so rumors are easily found and traded.

Finally, there are several more murals dedicated to local or folk heroes.

If nothing else pops up, I'll start writing in 5 minutes.

>>34495542
I wouldn't mind exploring a bit and see if we overhear anything useful. If we're taking the knight with us we can head towards the murals and get educated. We already went shopping today.

It's still a pretty young quest, as we learn more and develop our own secondary goals we'll have a better idea of what we want to do with our free time I think.

Okay, I'll try to put something together that matches the suggestions

>writing

You decide it would be best to relax and maybe put your ear to the ground for rumors related to your mission. You remember that you were always the subject of ridicule when you would relax by yourself back on base. Reluctantly, you ask Lyon to accompany you as you rest your mind and body for the operation ahead. She isn't your first, second, or even third choice for companionship, but she beats being alone and it isn't as if you can ask Panther to come and babysit you for the night.

"M-Me, Master Wolf?" Lyon peeks her head out from behind her door, her ears practically flapping on the side of her head. You've got to get used to that at some point, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather have a...a courtesan?"

No. Courtesans were always disappointing to you. You never quite got why all of the other men in the Hound were so wild about them, they always just seemed like haughty politicians with greasy words in your eyes.

"You prefer me? I haven't prepared myself for such a thing! I do not know if I can give you a proper answer just yet. It's so sudden...would an evening stroll satisfy you for now?"

The nobility is strange. After what seems like twenty minutes, Lyon comes down from her room and waits by the door for you.

"Master Wolf, where shall we go this evening? I am anxious to hear what plans you have for your off time."

You were thinking of maybe getting a nice dinner. You know that people get to talking when they've had plenty to eat and drink, and anything you can find out about this Sultan and his rivals early will help.

"T-then, might I make a few suggestions?"

>"There is a traditional Oyashima tavern in town. I-I hear they have exotic entertainment, and seafood is a rarity this far inland. There may be some important men there..."
>"Or maybe you want something more local? The natives love smoked lamb strong spices. My family recommended this restaurant to me if I ever went with...if I ever went there."
>Write-in: Pick a type of cuisine.

>>34496328
>"Or maybe you want something more local? The natives love smoked lamb strong spices. My family recommended this restaurant to me if I ever went with...if I ever went there."

When in Rome don't get Mexican. Or however that saying goes.

>>34496328
>"Or maybe you want something more local? The natives love smoked lamb strong spices. My family recommended this restaurant to me if I ever went with...if I ever went there."

>>34496328
>>"Or maybe you want something more local? The natives love smoked lamb strong spices. My family recommended this restaurant to me if I ever went with...if I ever went there."

>>34496328
>"Or maybe you want something more local? The natives love smoked lamb strong spices. My family recommended this restaurant to me if I ever went with...if I ever went there."

Sounds good.

It's time for lamb. Heavily spiced lamb.

+1 Lyon points

>>34496741
The best points

Lamb sounds good, yeah. You could do with a good chunk of meat right now.

"Truly? Excellent! I shall show you the way."

Hm? She knows where it is? You thought she was more sheltered than this.

"My mother showed me this place once. She told me that...that it was good. Yes. It's good."

...

The eatery is full of thick, heavily perfumed smoke and you wave your hand in front of your face to push it away. Around small tables, men of all shapes and sizes are huddled around curious vessels, dragging down puffs of smoke from tubes. In the back, you can see several large spits of meat slowly rotating over fires, and the pungent smell of spice cuts through the cloud.

You and Lyon are led to a similar table, and sat across from each other. You are not handed a menu, and are simply given a pitcher of water. Lyon takes the lead here, speaking to the natives in their own tongue. After a few minutes of gabbing and lots of pointing, the attendant returns with a small bowl of crushed leaves. Lyon stuffs the leaves under the vessel and begins to light a fire. She must have noticed your curious look and looks aside.

"Have you never seen one of these before?"

You admit, this is all new to you.

"Then let me introduce you to this world," She smiles brightly and hands you a tube, "This is a local herb that is often smoked before meals. It has relaxing properties, to the point where it has been known to bring even hated enemies into lifelong friendships. Would you like to try it?"

>No, you need your wits about you.
>Lyon goes first.
>...Fine.

>>34497057
>No, you need your wits about you.

>>34497057
>Lyon goes first
We'll at least see the effects first-hand then decide.

>>34497057
>Lyon goes first.

Smoke peyote erry day

So you're the kind of guy who wants to get the girl tipsy first, huh?

>writing

You feel a little wary of the strange smoke, and tell Lyon that she can go first. You'd like to see it in action before you decide to take a puff of anything.

"Me first?" Lyon looks a little hesitant, "I didn't plan for...no, no it should be fine. But maybe..."

Is she going to get on with it or not?

"Yes! I'm doing it!"

Lyon sticks the tube in her mouth and inhales sharply. The smoke leaks from her mouth, as she finishes her pull and she puts on a brave smile.

"See," she coughs and a gout of smoke billows forth, "N-nothing's wrong."

You raise an eyebrow and take up one of the tubes. You're about to take a drag when you notice Lyon leaning over the table, resting on her elbows. Her face is flushed and she's staring at you.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to try, Master Wolf?"

You should be asking that question. Is Lyon feeling alright?

"Perfectly fine, Master Wolf. Just perfect. This entire day has just been perfect. Did I tell you that we were destined to meet? Because we are. Isn't that so exciting?"

...either Lyon is an incredible lightweight or she wasn't joking about the euphoric effects of this smoke. You see her take another pull as she flaps her ears, growing more red.

"Hurry up! You're supposed to breathe it in deep. Mother told me so."

Your eyes dart down to the tube in your hands.

Dare you?

>You dare.
>You're not that crazy.

>>34497839
>You dare.
No longer will they call us a stick in the mud.

>>34497839
>You dare.

What's the worst that can happen?

Oh goodness. Wolf succumbs to peer pressure on this afterschool special.

>writing
>cackling madly
Lyon and Panther's relationship improved somehow.

>>34498189
Panther likes to stalk us in our free time. I'm also surprised Lyon turned out to be a knight of Snoop Dogg, but I guess elves are into that green stuff.

>>34498393
Well, Lyon's mother gave her this idea...

>>34498433
Advice from a baby boomer elf, it all makes sense now.

You dare.

You take a drag off of the curious vessel and your stomach turns over. Your head feels dizzy, and your body grows hot.

"Yes! Finally! Mother's plan is perfect! Now, just look at me and..."

You get up. Your mind is being flooded with images. You remember fire. Screaming. The roar of gunfire. You claw at your skin, at your shoulder and leg. You can still feel the wounds. The world around you grows hazy and indistinct. Your ears are pounding, and you can smell blood. You feel small, so small. You stumble forward, through the doors and into the tall grass.

The woods lie in front of you. You turn back to the structure behind and find your face blasted by a wave of hot air. The fire is reaching up into the sky, and your fellow villagers are running all around you. A spray of bullets fans out across the crowd and sends them to the ground. Blood is everywhere.

Men emerge from the fire, wearing foreign coats and colors. Their weapons still smoke, and they advance toward you.

You have to run!

>>34498763
You dash into the woods and hide under the cover of darkness. A hand reaches out for you, a knife in hand, but you bite it. The taste of his flesh causes you to gag, but you manage to chew off his fingers. You take up the knife and leap upon the soldier. You plunge the knife into his neck again and again before the sound of rustling sends you off into the brush.

It repeats for days and days, and eventually you lose all sense of time. You're starving. You're thirsty. But you can't stop. You can't stop. They'll kill you.

Once more, you hear a noise from beyond the leaves, and you jump from your hiding place. You slash the intruder's leg as deeply as you can before leaping upon their back. You drag the knife across their cheek until you find their eye-socket and...

"Master Wolf, stop!"

...What?

You come to your senses.

You've pushed Lyon to the floor, and you see bites and scratches up and down her arms and neck. A skewer in your hand is held just inches away from her eye. All around you, guards and other patrons are bruised and battered, thrown across the eatery like ragdolls.

"Please, Master Wolf. You can have me if you want just...just don't take my eyes."

>Get the hell out of here. You need to cool down.
>Stand your ground and apologize.
>Blame Lyon. This...this is her fault.

>>34498797
>Get the hell out of here. You need to cool down.

>>34498797
>Get the hell out of here. You need to cool down.

>>34498797
>Stand your ground and apologize
Be a man.

Also wow, that was messed up.

>>34498797
>Stand your ground and apologize.
I don't think this is how Wolf relaxes...

>>34498797
>Stand your ground and apologize
We shouldn't have dared and that was a bad move

>>34499148
Nonsense. This was Wolf time, where Wolf can just be himself for a little while.

Also, this little incident is probably going to cut the night's festivities a little shorter.

>>34499149
I've smoked a lot of things in my time and that has never happened. Of course we should've known because drugs are always bad, right?

>>34499251
I'm glad I voted for him to smoke it, now we know it's a bad idea in the future.

>>34499251
This is an afterschool special, son.

>Writing

>>34499149
Seconding this.

I wish this was on Youtube. http://www.adultswim.com/videos/superjail/weed-wacked

>>34499415
>I dunno I don't want to get addicted, I'll stick to good old cigarettes.

My sides

You put the skewer down and pull yourself off Lyon. You cast a glance around the rest of the restaurant but nobody dares to catch your eye. You suppose that they're just going to pretend this didn't happen. At the very least, you feel like you should apologize to Lyon.

"No, no I should be apologizing."

You raise an eyebrow.

"I, um, tricked you into coming here, Master Wolf. My mother...she told me that long ago, she won over my father at this restaurant. I had hoped to gain your good graces here as well."

That's...nice. But what does that have to do with you having a bad trip?

"Well, you see..." She gingerly touches a bitemark on her neck, "The Heathaze herb affects one's senses. It conjures up deeply held, and usually fond memories. When people experience these things together, they often bond unusually deeply and unusually quickly. And so in this land, it is customary for two people to smoke it together before...before... Anyway, when I took it, I remembered hearing stories of your predecessor, and how my mother told me that our fates were linked. It made me feel like a starstruck girl again. But, I had forgotten. You are the Wolf. Even as you are now, you must have seen countless tragedies, countless battlefields."

She moves to her knees and prostrates before you.

"I'm sorry! My deepest apologies! This wouldn't have happened if I didn't try to manipulate you!"

>Accept.
>Do not accept.
>Walk away. You already said you were sorry.

>>34499660
>Accept.

>>34499660
>Accept.
She didn't know we had a grimdark repressed past

>>34499660
>Accept
>>34499904
more like she doesn't realize we're happiest on the battlefield

You opt to not increase your bad boy factor and instead apologize for savaging this woman along with the rest of the innocent bystanders.

>writing

Now you just feel guilty. It's not her fault. She didn't know about your memories, or about how the drug would mess with you. You tell her that you accept her apology, but only because she clearly wants you to. Lyon immediately pops up from her position, beaming like the sun.

"Your kindness and mercy know no bounds! I never dreamed you would be so gentle and sweet, Master Wolf!"

No, you really don't think that's entirely correct.

"No, no! I did a most shameful thing, and without a second thought you accepted me," She puts a hand to her breast and gazes at you, "Your sense of honor and chivalry has touched me deeply. I know now that it is no platitude to say that our destiny is shared."

"Let these wounds you have given me seal my oath," she takes up your hands, "Henceforth, I am yours to command! Wherever you go, whatever you need, you shall have my aid with but a word. You are my boon companion as of now, and someday...someday perhaps more."

You're getting kind of creeped out, honestly, but you just nod and step back.

"Then tomorrow we shall set out over the sands to our mission. We shall dazzle the sultan and his daughters with our display of prowess and this new, yet unbreakable bond!"

Lyon practically skips away from you and back toward the Inn. You're still not really sure what just happened here. Does the nobility like this sort of thing? You've heard rumors of their debased practices but...

[Thread End]

There's really not much more I can do in the Intermission for now. Next time starts the mission. I hope you had fun messing around with Lyon.

>>34500429
For some reason I though the update ended with (cont.) I was waiting for nothing like a chump. Thanks for running Free, always fun.

Archive is up and I'm out.

>>34500861
Sorry about that. It was a short thread again, even though I said I was going to try to go the distance this time.

>>34500880
No it wasn't about the length I just would've said something sooner if I had noticed you finished it there, length was fine. Though any thread you want to go real hero distances for is even better.

>>34500429
Just got home from work, thanks for the thread OP, much funs, any idea when the next thread will be?