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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R

Previous episode was erroneously archived as "Episode 20", this is the actual Episode 20 and will be archived as Episode 20.5, sorry for the confusion.

>>37861135
>>Ask who digs these holes
>>Ask if anyone lives here
Does doing a census of the monster population count?

>>37861135
>Ask how far, exactly
>Ask who digs these holes
Yaaaay Start Over is back!

>>37861135
>>Ask who digs these holes
>>Ask if anyone lives here
And we've got a fever building?
Damn, what'd we eat last time? I missed the thread.

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>37861135
>Ask who digs these holes
>Ask if anyone lives here
>Ask for a ride

>>37861135
>Ask how far, exactly
>Ask who digs these holes
>Ask if anyone lives here

>>37861135
>Ask who digs these holes
>Ask if anyone lives here

>>37861241
>And we've got a fever building?
What? No, it's just hot and humid. We should really get some airier clothes when we explore, something loose and light but still covering enough so we don't get bitten or scratched as much.

You swipe some sweat off your brow, it keeps getting in your eyes and it kind of burns at the corners if you don't do that regularly. Bryld did offer you a handkerchief but it's... Well, pretty drenched by now. Your clothes also feel wet. Well, wetter than usual at least. "Who digs all these holes anyways?", you ask, part of your frustration showing in the tone; you're not too keen on wasting more time than necessary.

"Jungle badgers", Arianna readily answers, "They burrow underground in the dry season, and abandon their nests in the humid season. It's annoying because then it starts raining a lot and there's landslides because of their holes filling all the hills".

"That's why we regularly hunt them", Leiana explains, "Their natural predators don't show up much in this area because of us, so it falls on our responsibility to keep their number in check".

"Are they dangerous?", Bryld asks. Now that you think of it she hasn't eaten much this morning, and she is a bit pale-looking. Maybe she's sick? You're no medic, maybe you should have brought one.

"No", Leiana shakes her head, "Well not to us at least, and they won't attack you either, they're herbivores. They do make these annoying holes though".

"You could break a leg if you fall in, so be careful", you warn Bryld, but it's an advice you also keep for yourself as you don't want to force your whole expedition to a halt because you've been not careful at all when moving. You remember Tahenohan being very good with bones and claiming she could heal them very well; you've seen her help an elderly man with back pains and succeeding, but you'd still rather not break a leg. You never know. "Anyone else that lives here?".

"Other than Susanna and some harpies? No", Leiana shrugs, "Not that I know of, at least".

You wonder if you should do a monster census as well. Or how long it would take to.

>Proceed with due haste
>Check on Bryld
>Ask for a break
>Briefly check the surrounding area
>Ask for... (what?)
>Other?

>>37861445
>Check on Bryld
>Briefly check the surrounding area

>>37861445
>Briefly check the surrounding area
FUCK YEAH BEST QUEST

>>37861445
>Check on Bryld
And if she needs it
>Ask for a break

>>37861445
>>Check on Bryld
>>Briefly check the surrounding area
Hmm... Susanna should know most of the monsters, that may make a better way of censusing

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>37861445
>Check on Bryld

>>37861445
>>Check on Bryld
>>Briefly check the surrounding area

Something about Bryld seems off. She looks pale, the kind of green-tinged pale that smells of someone that's sick. Of course, you should have imagined, getting sick while out in the wilderness is not a good experience. How far are you from civilization, again? A five days' walk? Ten? You'd have to ask Bryld herself, who is probably better at calculating distances based on spiderback rides. Still, considering you'd be further slowed by a sick companion... If she's in need of medical attention, it could get ugly. Hopefully it's nothing bad.

"Are you okay?", you ask, trying to not sound overly concerned as you get closer to her. She blinks and pulls back a little.

"I-I'm fine, I'm fine", she mumbles, then bites her lip, "I- I'm just a little nauseous. I don't know, it's probably the water we drank back there, it's... It didn't sit too well with me".

Even if she didn't touch her belly you'd know what she was talking about. Carbonated water plus weird arachne herbal tea plus strange, nearly-poisonous additions to their dishes that the two huge spidergirls make, which amount to nothing but spice to them thanks to their constitution and massive size... You can see how she would get sick. It's actually a surprise you're not feeling sick in the bowels either.

And Tahenohan's just there, staring at you with that usual look on her face. How is she perfectly fine? Then again, she probably ate way, way worse in her barbaric past.

"How about we take a break?", you offer Bryld, "A short break, so I can take a quick look around and see if I can't find some landmarks myself? We're going to need those, right?", you suggest. You want to at least have an idea of what kind of area you're crossing, so that you're not just going straight ahead without even looking around a bit.

Bryld pauses, then looks at you, "Can you... Take sketches?", she asks.

>"Yes, let me handle that".
>"No, I'd rather you do it".
>"I'll just look around this time".
>"I have no idea".
>Other?

>>37861651
>"I have no idea".
Experiment time!

>>37861651
>"I have no idea".

>>37861651
>"I can try."

>>37861651
>>"I have no idea".
"Want me to draw you like one of my French girls?"

>>37861651
>"I have no idea but I'll try".

>>37861651
>"Yes, let me handle that".
Well, I assume we can if this wins. At least rough ones. Hopefully.

>>37861743
>after
"...is that a hand or-"
"That's your head."
"...but the fin-"
"Ears."
"I only have two ears."

>>37861651
>"I have no idea".

Oh dear.

Like everyone else who had access to a pencil and a piece of paper at least once in your life, you've drawn before. Well, it doesn't even take that: a stick and some mud, or sand, is going to be enough for most people to let their imagination run wild. That said, you've never actually delved much into such field, both because it's not profitable and because you were most often busy doing some actual work instead.

You really don't know if you can draw as well as Bryld, she's pretty good, you have to admit that her sketches were remarkably life-like, especially for being just quick sketches.

"I... I can try", you assure, trying to sound as confident as you can afford, "I'm not as good as you are, but if you feel like trusting me, I will do that".

Bryld sighs, accepting your intentions if anything. She rummages in her pack for a little before producing the small, leather-bound sketchbook she keeps her works on, along with a pencil, and hands them to you, "Please do your best then. And don't worry, you don't have to be too detailed".

You accept the sketchbook and turn to Leiana, "Can we take a break here? We need to stop for a moment, for...", you look at Bryld, and she glances back at you, "... We need to take a short break".

Arianna turns as well, "Eeeh? But we're so close!".

Leiana opens her mouth as if to tell her something, but then looks at you and just sighs, "... Alright then. But be quick".

"We're going to miss lunch!", Arianna complains in the distance.

"Thank you", you tell Leiana. She seems to be the most understanding of the two, or rather: she seems to be the only one that actually remembers you're considerably different creatures, with different needs and abilities. Arianna just kind of forgets that pretty often. "I'll take a brief look around in the meantime, I promise I'll be quick".

>Focus on sketching the flora
>Focus on sketching the fauna
>Focus on sketching the landscape
>Look for something in particular (what?)
>Other?

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the landscape
Seems most useful. Flora second priority.

>>37861941
>>Focus on sketching the landscape
Easiest and most useful for us.

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the landscape
Ah, that could have given Lillith the ability to draw somewhat.

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the landscape

It's not quite THAT hard to sketch hills and mountains and whatnot.

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the landscape

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the flora
I dunno if the landscape is really that relevant; if we're heading up a mountain you can probably reasonably make it out from distance.

>>37861941
>Focus on sketching the landscape
>>37862039
maybe but it's probably all we can reliably draw

The main obstacle in taking a good sketch of the landscape is visibility. If you're in the middle of a jungle you can't exactly see very far, no matter in which direction you look. You have to find a vantage point or something else to take a good look of your surroundings, something you can actually use as a reference before you try your hand at drawing for real.

You briefly flip through Bryld's sketchbook and feel your confidence waning. Now that you take a better, longer look at her sketches, she's really good. It feels like you could just pluck these plants from the pages, even if they're just in black and white.

But that's not important right now. You promised you'd try and you will at the very least try. Plus, cross-competence cannot hurt since there's just three of you, and unless you ever plan on adding more people to your party you will also have to develop skills outside of what you already have.

And then you suddenly wonder how you're going to get competent in what Tahenohan can do. Well, maybe she'll be an exception.

You swipe more sweat from your brow, you really have to get more airy clothing. You have to admit that those you bought with your advance pay were really good, both in terms of look and sturdiness, they haven't disappointed you so far and you'll be very content to wear them for a while longer, but maybe you can afford to take a small scratch or two or just be more careful in general as long as you're less... Hot than now.

Still, the only way to get a better look at the surroundings is to climb. Trees shouldn't be too hard to climb, but you'd have to pick a very tall one and get at the top of the canopy in order to have an appreciable look. Or you can just look for the tallest foothill around. Or you could go all the crazy way and climb that rocky, vegetation-covered pillar, that would definitely give you the best overlook. It is, however, very tall...

>Get on the higest foothill
>Climb the tallest tree
>Climb the pillar
>Other?

>>37862181
>>Climb the tallest tree
>>Strip down a bit, just some of the stuff on top, and loosen our belt a bit. We need the ventilation while we're "resting".

>just be more careful in general as long as you're less... Hot than now.
Lillith, you will always be too hot to handle.

>>37862181
>Climb the pillar

>>37862181
>Get on the highest foothill

>>37862181
>Climb the tallest tree

>>37862181
>Climb the pillar
She who dares, wins (a shitty drawing of the surrounding landscape)!

>>37862181
>Get on the highest foothill

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How do you get tied all the time?

How? Are you doing this on purpose?

>>37862381
We're sorry about that, it's not on purpose, promise!

>>37862381
It's because the numbers of reasonable people, dumb people, and lolhardcore people are perfectly balanced.

>>37862381
We just love your reactions, MP~
We do this, becaue we love you.

Could always roll to tie break it

>>37862442
Well, there should be a couple other voters around, just gotta jostle them.

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>>37862442
I'd rather avoid rolling unless it's the very last option.

I'd rather wait for a tie breaker.

>>37862181
>Climb the tallest tree

>>37862181
>Get on the highest foothill
seriously guys have you ever tried to sketch while balancing on a tree?

>>37862591
It's not like sitting on a branch leaning on the trunk is particularly unstable.

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So is it going to be the tree or the hill? There's quite a difference, so...

>>37862626
Maybe it's just me then, because heights freak me out

>>37862181
>Climb the tallest tree

You decide to climb the tallest tree. It'll get you higher than the foothill and give you a better look while also being reasonably easy of a task. The pillar would have got you much higher, but you don't feel like braving such a feat right now. For one thing, you're supposed to keep this break quick, for another, well, what if you're not that great of a climber and just fall off? You'd severely hurt yourself from that height. You might even not survive it, if you're unlucky and fall head first or something.

Trees you're more confident with, you've climbed them as a kid, like everyone else, and now that you're bigger you can leverage more strength and stamina and get higher. Or, sometimes, you're just tall enough to grab the higher branches. Plus, the trees in this jungle are laden with lianes, crawlers and other assorted plants that make it easier to grab on something.

It also makes it considerably easier to get ants on you but, well, jungle. Bugs everywhere. You kind of have to get used to that, no matter how annoying it is. At least the majority of these bugs don't seem to sting much, or if they do they're like mosquitoes and it's bearable. This is the part where you're glad you took decent clothes instead of airy bikinis, no matter how cooler it would make you feel.

You get halfway up, and damn is it hot and you keep feeling sweaty and the beads keep going in your eyes. Has it always been this hot or is the weather getting hotter? You've climbed about four times your height and you're already feeling out of breath. Granted, a short break should do the trick, the branches are still thick enough to rest comfortably without having to clutch for your life, but... Well, it was easier when you were playing around as a kid.

You look up, you'd really have a good view if you could climb all the way, and also be capable of sketching properly. It doesn't look unreachable or anything, you just have to keep climbing.

>Keep climbing
>Give up and get off the tree
>Other?

>>37862751
>Keep climbing
Been fine thus far!

>>37862751
>Keep climbing
well if we finally decided with the tree, then let's see it to the end

>>37862751
>>Keep climbing
>>Shuck off our top to cool off.
Still trying for it.

>>37862751
>Keep climbing

>>37862751
>Give up and get off the tree
I'm a wuss, so what?

>>37862751
>Keep climbing
>Shuck off your top to cool off.
Alright, I can't oppose this.

You can't let your efforts be stopped by a mere tree. You decide it's time to give your own decency a break and live with a few scrapes and bug bites: you take your top off and hang it over the branch you're on, so at least it's not on the ground. You're still not quite naked from waist up but you're considerably cooler now... And realize you need a bath. No, well, you practically are taking a bath, assuming your own sweat counts.

And you're thirsty again, and your throat feels really sore. Fortunately, you just filled your canteens and you got quite a bit of reserves, but still, you haven't drained this much water in the past days. Not that it's going to stop you: you promised you'd be sketching and you will.

As expected, the climb isn't difficult and you eventually manage to conquer the tree. Sitting on the tallest branch you can afford to be on, you turn and sit as upright as possible so that you don't crush your own tail beneath your buttocks and lean against the now relatively small trunk as you look out.

The tree canopy covers most of your line of sight, but thanks to the very clear weather you can see quite a bit in the distance. You think you're looking West-SouthWest, which gives you an ample panorama which, you have to admit, is quite breathtaking and well worth the effort of climbing. Off in the distance, you see the Crystal Sea, and something that might be Reboldeux and its fort. They look almost conjoined to each other even though there's actually quite a bit of a walk from one to another.

Many birds fly about, some above the canopy, and you can see even more in the distance. Foliage of all sorts flutters in the wind and larger birds dot the sky in the distance, travelling in flocks. The Shadow Marches, despite the gloomy name, really are full of life.

Your heart keeps pounding heavily after your climbing efforts, but now you're on top.

>Start sketching!
>Take a short break
>See if you can't spot anything funny
>Other?

>>37863005
>Start sketching!
We actually took off the shirt? We've shamed our demon ancestors by succumbing to this heat.

>>37863005
>Start sketching!

>>37863005
>Start sketching!
No time to waste!

>>37863005
>Start sketching!
we have finite amount of time and this landscape ain't gonna sketch itself also
let's try not soak the sketchbook with sweat,

>>37863005
>You're still not quite naked from waist up
What else are we wearing?

>Start sketching!
>See if you can't spot anything funny

>>37863005
>See if you can't spot anything funny
I can't resist

>>37863005
>See if you can't spot anything funny
>Start sketching!

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Threadly reminder

>>37863005
>Start sketching!

Well, this landscape isn't going to sketch itself. You can only hope you're going to be of some use to Bryld instead of just wasting a page and some of her pencil, but then again it can't be that hard, right?

You get to work, and can appreciate the working conditions up there. It's very airy, which helps you feel cooler, and although the wind sometimes tries to flip the page you're working on, you manage to keep it in place and continue in your valiant efforts.

Feeling like you're actually contributing to mapmaking, you think you begin to understand how Bryld's work is, and just how difficult it is to get right: you can't just get the sense of distance right, when you put it on paper it never quite feels the same as it looks with your own two eyes. Then again, if everyone was able to capture the beauty of nature with just a pencil and a piece of papers, works of art wouldn't be considered like that, and artists wouldn't exist.

Despite your best efforts you can't avoid to get Bryld's notebook a bit wet with your own sweat too. Some falls from your face, and even your hands are terribly sweaty. The simple, sleeveless shirt you left on your body is so drenched it's going to get transparent if you keep at it. Not that it's going to be a problem in your company, but it's feeling really sticky and uncomfortable.

Your eyes are also getting tired. You're not sure if it's because you're looking so much in the distance with the sun so bright in the sky or it's because you're focusing so hard on the sketch you're doing. You work on it for a while, but you don't think you're going to improve it no matter how longer you work: between the sweat on your brow and on your hands and the heat making it hard to breathe, you just fail to focus.

Good thing you're nested comfortably, so at least you don't have to devote energies into not falling. Your hands, however, are starting to feel a little numb, and so are your legs.

>Climb down
>Rest a bit
>Take something else off
>Other?

>>37863005
>>Start sketching!

>>37863292
>>Take something else off
You know, cool off a bit, wipe off the sweat.

>>37863292
>Climb down
can we not end up naked on top of a tree guys?
As long as we avoid that I think I'll be happy.

>>37863292
>Climb down
>Take something else off
Anything constricting, we can throw it down to the ground and climb down more easily!

>>37863292
>Climb down

>>37863292
>Rest a bit
I know you guys would love it, but seriously how good idea is being naked on top of a tree, with itchy bark scratching your skin, and biting bugs everywhere?

>>37863292
>Rest a bit
A little lull now that we're done.

>>37863292
>Take something else off

>>37863292
>Climb down

You consider taking more clothes off, but at that point you're just going to get more bug bites and scratches without really gaining much in terms of cooling. As a matter of fact, you're either stripping naked and taking a bath or, at this point, you'd almost rather put some clothes back on, at least that shirt wouldn't feel so terribly sticky on your skin.

Slowly, you begin to climb down, but your efforts are considerably slowed by a sense of fatigue. Your hands did really get number, and so did your legs, and so feels the rest of your body now that you think about it. You have to be extra careful to make sure your grip doesn't slip: your fall would be broken by a good chunk of branches and various intervening vegetation, which means it most likely won't kill you, but it will leave you battered and with broken ribs at the very least.

You're short on breath, your numb hands barely manage to grasp on the bark without slipping, sweat keeps getting in your eyes, which are mildly burning and preventing you from seeing clearly, and if you pay attention you can see your tail isn't even swaying involuntarily as it always does, it just hangs straight down. What is worse, being short on breath makes you pant, which is irritating to your sore throat and makes you thirstier, despite the fact you just keep drinking.

Fatigue forces you to stop halfway down and catch your breath. Looking down with burning eyes and your nostrils filled with the scents of wet bark and your own sweat, you see there's still three branches to go until you reach the place where you've left your top on the way up. Objectively, you realize you're not very high up, but reaching the ground without falling feels like a really difficult task right now, and your heart just keeps pounding heavily.

You start to consider that maybe, just maybe, you're not feeling all too well.

>Rest a bit, take it easy
>Climb down before you fall off
>Call for help, hope someone's close enough to hear you
>Other?

>>37863624
>Rest a bit, take it easy
See if it helps.
Hopefully just fatigue and not anything worse.

>>37863624
>Call for help, hope someone's close enough to hear you

>>37863624
>>Rest a bit, take it easy
Dehydration? Heat stroke? Or maybe we're coming down with whatever Bryld is having...

>>37863624
>Rest a bit, take it easy

>>37863624
>Rest a bit, take it easy
So fragile.

>>37863624
Well it could be heat/sunstroke and/or fatigue. It could also be the questionable meals we've had. Or it could be jungle disease/some asshole venomous insect or something.

>>37863624
>Call for help, hope someone's close enough to hear you
Well shit.

>>37863624
>Call for help, hope someone's close enough to hear you

>>37863624
>Rest a bit, take it easy

Climbing down while you're feeling like this is only going to make you fall, so you do what you think is the best option: you sit as comfortably and safely as you can and grab the trunk for support as you catch your breath and rest your head against the bark, closing your eyes as you try to wash the fatigue off yourself. How come? You were feeling fine up until this morning, was it this simple climb that ruined you this much? Wow, you thought you had much more stamina than this, you've been doing physical work all your life, you've never been this weak.

Which is what feels even odder, you can't manage to properly catch your breath again; you still feel like you've exerted yourself more than you should have, even though in a better day you could've climbed this tree all the way up, then down, then ran around for a couple more hours before coming back home, your pants all green around the knees, with the priestess superior asking where you've been all day and ordering you to leave those dirty pants to the cleaning sister and apologize to her for all the work you're making her do, even though that woman always laughed and claimed that if you didn't come back home with your knees green with grass, then you missed a day in your life.

And now you're reminiscing about your childhood. Yep, this confirms it: you're sick.

You look down, your vision is a little blurry though you're quite sure it's because your eyes are getting watery and you're constantly sweating. You don't think you're about to lose consciousness, you still feel in control of your body, no matter how numb your hands and legs are feeling. The ground isn't that far, and as long as you don't fall head-first you will very likely survive even if you slip. You would still rather not.

Your top is waiting for you on that branch, still patient, confident you're going to recover it one day.

>Climb down on your own
>Call for help, despite your sore throat
>Don't do anything, you'd only make it worse
>Other?

>>37863995
>>Call for help, despite your sore throat
I'm a little worried that we might get something we're not looking for, but I think it might be safer.

>>37863995
>Climb down on your own
Oh god, Lillith.

>>37863995
>Call for help, despite your sore throat

>>37863995
>Call for help, despite your sore throat
Awww, this sucks.

>>37863995
>Climb down on your own
Go slowly and carefully. And get that top.

>>37863995
>Don't do anything, you'd only make it worse
It'll pass. Worst case the spiders will come a-lookin' soon.

>>37863995
>Call for help, despite your sore throat

"Anyone?". Damn that rasped on your throat, and it doesn't feel like you were very loud. You wonder if anyone heard you. Well, they should, you weren't that far from everyone else, and while the jungle is full of sounds of all sorts, a human voice shouldn't be difficult to tell from the rest.

Not that you can hear anyone else's voice, but then again they don't have to shout, they're very probably close to each other and chatting amiably while you're stuck on a tree and unable to climb down like some sort of scaredy cat with not enough foresight.

You shake your head, this kind of pessimism is ill-suited for an expedition leader. You chalk it up to the fact you're not feeling well and you're probably running a fever and decide to try again, "Anyone? I need some h-*hack*".

Nope, your throat is too sore. You get a coughing fit that takes a while to calm down, insisting in giving you sudden, harsh coughs, the kind that hurt on the ribs after a whole day or two. You take the chance to gulp some more water from your canteen, you're really draining quite a bit of water from there, but it does help somewhat. Unfortunately, the problem isn't that you're thirsty... Well, you are, what with all the constant sweating, but your throat is sore for other reasons.

"Help!", you manage to call out, although with a weird voice and an unconvincing volume. Still, it's the best you can do and you can only hope that your best is going to be enough.

"Lillith?". You've never been happier to hear Tahenohan's cheery, manic voice, and see her small irises staring intently at you with her half-elven expression from the base of the tree, as if she's looking at some funny animal, "Are you okay?".

Well you're already feeling better now. Not physically better, but knowing you have help makes your fatigue subside a little.

"Why did you strip?", the half-elf asks, her tone a bit too curious.

>Climb down on your own
>Tell her you're not feeling well
>Toss her the sketchbook
>Other?

>>37864387
>Tell her you're not feeling well

Okay, i haven't finished the pastebin yet, (Sorry QM)
But so far I learned from the thread
>We are a tiefling
>We are female
>We were raised in a cloister of some sort

Did you guys recreate Neeshka?

>>37864387
>>Tell her you're not feeling well
Thank you Tahe, you're our only hope.

>>37864387
>Tell her you're not feeling well
>Toss her the sketchbook

>>37864415
Not a cloister, an orphanage. Also, Neeshka doesn't have a penis.

>>37864387
>Tell her you're not feeling well
Absolutely do not throw the sketchbook.

>>37864387
>Tell her you're not feeling well

>>37864415
Who?

Also, you'r ebetter off reading the quest over the pastebins.

>>37864415
>We are a tiefling
Right.
>We are female
Wrong. Futanari.
>We were raised in a cloister of some sort
Orphanage. We were an abandoned child.

>>37864387
>Toss her the sketchbook
>Say it was for the heat
>Tell her you're not feeling well

"I don't think I'm feeling very well", you confess, hoping that she will understand why you're perched there and not climbing down. Who knows, she might just think you're actually like a cat and you're too afraid to climb down now.

"So you're not okay", she confirms with a certain glee in her voice, as if she made a bet with herself about the situation and won, according to half-elf logic, "How not okay are you?".

Well that's a difficult question. "I'm... Feeling hot, and I keep sweating, and my body feels numb".

"Aaaaah", she says, with that tone doctors use when they see something they don't like, and then shut up for the longest time and just keep you in the edge, letting your imagination run wild, thinking up all sorts of weird, probably non-existent conditions that must be afflicting you and whether you'll survive another day. "Do you have a fever?".

You put a hand to your own forehead. It's terribly sweaty. "Maybe?".

"Come down here, I'll check".

You stare at Tahenohan. You stare long and intently until the human part of her half-elf brain starts clicking, or screaming hard enough for the elven part to understand there's a logical flow in the instruction she just gave you. "Ah, nevermind", she chuckles, giving you a very, very brief moment of relief, "I'll come".

Of course she wouldn't think of, like, calling for help, so that maybe a giant spider could come and grab you and easily bring you down, because you must feel like a feather in their arms. Especially Arianna's. Instead, you get a surprisingly agile half-elf climbing up the tree and pressing against your back as she practically hugs you from behind to get a hand on your forehead.

"Whoa, you're hot!", she claims, with gleeful surprise, "Like, really hot! You totally have a fever". She keeps on smiling, so maybe it's not serious.

>"Can you help me down?".
>"Can you call someone to help me down?".
>"Is it serious?".
>"Can you give this sketchbook back to Bryld first?".
>Other?

>>37864654
>"Does it seem serious?"
>"Can you call someone to help me down?".

>>37864654
>>"Can you give this sketchbook back to Bryld first?"
Our mission comes first.

>>37864654
>"Can you call someone to help me down?".

>>37864654
>"Is it serious?".

>>37864654
"You... you look really pretty you know?"

>>37864654
>"Can you help me down?".
Tahe pls

>>37864654
> "Is it lupus?"

>>37864654
>"Can you call someone to help me down?".

>>37864654
>"Can you give this sketchbook back to Bryld first?".
I think we've established that we are perfectly capable of sitting still for a bit.

"Do you think it's serious?", you ask, trying to not sound too concerned. You can't be sure, since Tahenohan is taking it all too comfortably, almost happily. Well, then again, she's like this with pretty much everything she does, so you can't be really sure. You guess this is how it feels like to be around elves. Well, half-elves. Full elves are probably worse.

Like every good doctor, Tahenohan too knows the secret trick to make patients panic by first telling them something worrysome and then remaining stubbornly silent for the longest time. Which fortunately isn't very long with her, "Nah, it's just a fever. You'll be fine if you rest. Maybe you just exerted yourself too much".

You probably did, and it was all new work, and travel, and exploration... And yet Tahenohan looks remarkably well-off. Then again, she's a magic user and an adventurer, so she probably has amazing, boundless stamina.

"Can you call someone to help me down?", you then ask, "I'm afraid I will slip if I try to do so myself".

"It's okay. I can help you", she offers. You're not sure she can actually physically carry you; you're a bit heavy, you do have a certain amount of muscle and aren't a small woman, while Tahenohan is skinny and short, especially compared to you. You just can't see her being able to carry you down. Then again, maybe she can use magic to help her. Then again, her magic is necromancy.

"Before you do that", you pull the sketchbook out of your pocket, "Can you please give this to Bryld first?".

She blinks, looking surprised, her pointy ears visibly tense and her pupils getting smaller, "Why?", she asks flatly.

"Well... I promised. My mission comes first, I-".

"No", she flatly refuses.

That was odd, you can't help but blink, "... Why?".

"That's a death flag".

She sounds amazingly serious.

>Agree to have her help you down
>Ask her to call someone else to help you down
>Ask her to warn the others but you can climb down yourself, you're not this weak
>Other?

>>37864944
>>Agree to have her help you down
... Well then, Tahe.

>>37864944
>Agree to have her help you down
Trust in the elf! She is clearly best girl!

>death flag
tahe pls my sides are going to collapse

>>37864944
>>Other?
Hug her "I-it's okay, you can go on without me Tahe..."

>>37864944
>Hug her "I-it's okay, you can go on without me Tahe..."
>Ask her to call someone else to help you down
Tahenohan, you're the best.

>>37864944
>Agree to have her help you down
Fine. FINE!

>>37865172
>I-It's not like I want you to hold me close to you, or anything. Idiot.

>>37864944
>Ask how she'd help you down
Details!

You wish you could comfortably turn around, but you're perched on a tree and feeling unwell, so the best you can do is grab Tahenohan's arms and hold her closer to you, clenching in a loving embrace, "I-it's okay", you begin with the most dramatic tone you can muster, "You can go on without me Tahe...".

"Stop that".

Wow, that sounded amazingly serious. You glance back at you and find that her small irises are staring with an intensity you have never seen in her eyes before now, her elegant brow furrowed at you, her ears tense and straight, and at the same time she is returning the embrace tightly, but her gaze is intense, serious, and very meaningful.

That is not what you were expecting.

"It's okay", you reassure her, "I was just pulling your leg, I don't plan on- look", you try and change topic, "Can you help me down? I'd really appreciate if you would".

"Okay~!", and her voice and eyes turn back to manic in such a split of a second that you can almost physically hear it snap, glee returning so naturally to her that it almost feels like it was never, ever lost. She pulls back a little and gracefully flips upside down and then twists until she drops on the branch below, which doesn't budge an inch despite she let herself literally drop down. She then raises her arms at you in a beckoning fashion, a wide, warm, friendly smile on her. "Come on, don't be afraid, I'm here!".

"How are you going to help me, exactly?", you can't help but ask, surely she's not planning to use the strength of her skinny arms to accomplish the task.

"I'm going to make sure you don't just slip and fall", she answers with the brightest of smiles. She's really planning to use those skinny arms.

Well, she looks confident, at least, you can't deny that, and if she heard you it means the rest isn't so far. And you're probably not going to break your neck from this height.

>Climb down with Tahenohan
>Inquire about this "death flag" thing
>Thank her but you'll climb down on your own
>Other?

>>37865342
>Inquire about this "death flag" thing
Time for the 4th wall to be tore down.

>>37865342
>>Climb down with Tahenohan
>>Inquire about this "death flag" thing
Let us down already!

>>37865342
>Climb down with Tahenohan
She's an elf, she knows about trees.

>>37865342
>Climb down with Tahenohan
Leave the flags for when we're safely down.

You decide to save whatever discussion for when your feet will be safely back down on the ground. "Fine. I-I'm coming down...". Trying to not sound like you're not confident Tahenohan will actually be of help, you start to climb down, slowly... Even if you're still as sick and feverish as before, and your body still is numb, not being alone makes everything better, and the distraction you got from your half-elven friends' strange behaviour is preventing you from thinking about how unwell you're feeling.

If she did this intentionally, she's a genius.

Slowly but carefully, you descend, you recover your top, and then you keep climbing down until you're at a height where you can just drop down and not get hurt. You end up falling to your knees, as your legs weren't strong enough to hold you up, numb as they were, but you get immediately back on your feet. You're okay, really.

"See? That wasn't hard!", Tahenohan then flashes her usual kind of smile at you. She's cute when she does that, you have to admit it, and a nice sight for sore eyes. Literally sore, they're still mildly burning.

"Er, Tahenohan?", you're not sure how to approach the issue, but you decide to, "What... Was that before?".

"What?", she asks innocently.

"About the death flag. What is that?".

"Oooh, that", she chuckles, "I'm sorry. It's an old memory and I never got over it. Don't let it concern you, I just... I just don't want to think about that time and I think you shouldn't either".

"That time?".

"When you'll die".

Well, that was... Direct. And a bit brutal. You guess everyone needs to be reminded about their mortality once in a while, but it's never pleasant when it happens, and you can see why she doesn't want you to think about it.

Still, she did mention never getting over something...

>"It was just a prank, I didn't mean anything with it".
>"What is that memory you never got over?".
>"Can't you just raise me from the dead when that happens?".
>"Let's go back with the others".
>Other?

>>37865693
>>"Let's go back with the others".
>>Other?
Give her a long hub

>>37865693
>"It was just a prank, I didn't mean anything with it".

>>37865693
>"It was just a prank, I didn't mean anything with it".
Don't we not know what our lifespan is expected to be, because half-demon? I mean, we might live as long as Tahe.

>>37865693
>"Can't you just raise me from the dead when that happens?".
Even in death, Lillith lives.

>>37865693
>>37865744
Sure, hug.

>>37865693
>>"It was just a prank, I didn't mean anything with it".
Let's not press for now.

>>37865894
Oh and
> Hug.

>>37865693
>"Sorry, I didn't consider it might hit a sore spot."

"It was just a prank, I didn't mean anything with it", you say, feeling there's need to specify that.

"I know", Tahenohan gives an understanding nod and pats your hip, "I'm sorry, it's just my unforgiving psyche, I guess it kind of happens when you know you're going to live long and you know it".

"What is going to happen?".

"That I will remember lots of things, and those that will stick with me will be the most meaningful memories. The most powerful and striking emotions", she smiles, "That means both my brightest days and my darkest nights, my most happy and most sad moments".

You can only work your imagination here, but you suppose that if you're going to be really, really old one day, possibly several centuries old, you'll have plenty of emotional baggage with you. You suppose that must be hard to deal with, and will become very, very heavy at a certain point.

Which reminds you, you don't actually know how old Tahenohan is.

"Then I just have to give you happy memories", you decide, and hug her tightly. You hug her like you don't want to let her go, ever, like you'd rather have her choke to death between your breasts than take a breath of sad air outside, no matter the cost. Which is a poetic way of saying you give her a long, heartfelt hug so that she feels good and gets away from the nasty feelings and memories.

And she does take it, and also returns the hug for a while. You also almost forget that you're running a fever, but the longer the hug goes the hotter you start to feel, and you realize that you're longing not just for a bath but also for a bit of rest. Also, your throat is sore again, and you feel thirsty even though you just drank.

You just can't travel like this.

"You're really sweaty", Tahenohan comments, pulling back from your embrace and looking at you. She then smiles, "Let's get you to Susanna as quickly as possible, you need a bed and some rest".

You don't really have a choice here.

>>37865798
We have no clue. I'm personally hoping that, centuries from now, a certain tiefling priestess and her half-elf will continue helping monsters and randomly become civic leaders for developing communities before moving on.

File: 1391801989145.png (504 KB, 500x748)

504 KB PNG

And this is it for Episode 20. The actual Episode 20.

Like I said, it will be archived as Episode 20.5 because I fucked up last time. Sorry.

Stay tuned on twitter for next episode!

>>37866077
what is this even from?

Also, I have to say that you write the most enjoyable quests where barely anything happens. I'm honestly digging it.

>>37866117
>where barely anything happens.
Dude, lots of things have been happening

>>37866077
Thank you for the thread!

>>37866117
I have absolutely no idea where it comes from. A yaoi eroge if I am to make any guesses, but I suppose that much was obvious.

>>37866077
Thanks for running!

>>37866199
>>37866117
https://vndb.org/v10290/chars

Yaoi indeed