>>40112616
You take the time to use the bathroom, and you're pleasantly surprised to find hot, clean water comes right out of the tap. You're used to freezing cold water that isn't always the purest. Walking to the bedroom, you find that it's a bit musty for you. Opening the window and flopping onto the fresh white silk sheets, you enjoy your first taste of luxury- at least what you know of it. A Sunlit elf would probably scoff at this living arrangement.

You place your money deep in the third shelf of your new dresser, which is full of clothes similar to what you're already wearing. You don't even feel the need to strip out of them or into something else- they're extremely comfortable. And with that, you rest your eyes.

And then, a few minutes later, you hear a noise from outside. Your eyes shoot open, and you catch a short glimpse of something moving out the window. A thief?

>Jump out the window and chase the thief.
>Go outside and tell Earka.
>Stay inside. Don't bother.

>>40112625
>Jump out the window and chase the thief.

>>40112944
Without hesitation, you climb out and start running after the thief. It's just as dark as before, but your eyes have adjusted a little bit more.
Looking around, it's hard to pick out anything both than the houses and the crystals sitting around the place, until you notice something dark green zipping behind a house.

"Hey, stop running! That's mine!"

You continue to give chase, gravel crunching under your feet with each pace, until you lose sight of the bastard. Hopefully he's not planning to attack you when you're not looking. You've never been much of a fighter. Even when bullies would kick you around and steal your snacks, you tended to let Mother do all the stick-waving. But then again, Mother's not here. You've gotta look out for yourself.

So, the question is, which way did he go?
>Left. He went behind the other house.
>Right. He's following the road back to town.
>I don't care. I'm going to tell Earka.

>>40113559
>Left. He went behind the other house.

((I hope I haven't run y'all off with my poor timing on everything. Right now I'm just waiting to see if people show up, I'm watching the thread, but I hope I haven't burnt up the little following I got. Trying to do better and be more consistent as a QM.))

>>40114802
Just...keep writing. Really. It's that simple. Your threads are irregular as fuck and you kept vanishing after two or three updates, that's gonna turn some people off, yeah. Maybe some are busy today, I don't know.
But seriously. Keep writing, damnit.

>>40113647
Left it is.
You make a mad dash in that direction, hoping to catch whoever the thief is before he gets away. There's no way he's getting away from you.

"Stop now, before I call the... uh..." Were there guards? That was an interesting question. Was there anyone he could call for help? You'd think Earka would tell you about something like that beforehand. Maybe crime just isn't that common around here. That makes this guy even more suspicious, honestly.

Turning around the corner to face the side of the house, you notice a wooden bin. Probably for holding refuse? In any case, this guy might just be hiding in it. ...Or he's ran off, and you're chasing a wild goose. You've had a long day, and you really cannot afford to chase a wild goose. You've work in the morning, after all.

>Open the bin.
>Keep running. He's not here.
>Just call for Earka already.

>>40115283
>Just call for Earka already.

>>40115352
There's no way you're gonna keep this up. Might as well just call for Earka.

Running over to his house, you beat on his door, shouting his name.
"There's a thief, Earka! Someone took all of my money, please help!"
A few moments later, he comes to the door, still wearing that same hood.

"Ilafi, you said something about a thief?"

"Yes, someone came in through my window and took my money, please help me!"

He walks past you, groaning a little, and rubs at his face, still hidden from your sight. He curves his neck about lazily in hopes of finding someone, then turns back to you.

"I really doubt there was a thief. We don't really have thieves around here. We're pretty small compared to Ksana, and any stolen money would be rather easy to trace."

"I've been chasing him up and down, please, just help me!"

He holds his arms up in defeat. "Fine, fine, I'll help. Where was he headed when you last saw him?"

You point out where it was, and the path you've been taking thus far. "There's a bin that I thought he was in, and-" After pointing out the entire trail, you turn back to the house with the bin, and that's when you notice something sneaking away from it.

"There he is! That's the thief!"

Earka turns sharply, then back to you. "I didn't catch it, but if you say so, I'll call the guards. Wait there." He runs off in the direction of the town.

You stand there, waiting impatiently, certain that the guy's long gone by now. You're even looking around at all the houses, hoping that he'll reveal himself. And then, you actually do. A green flash from the house with the bin. You weren't wrong; he was there the whole time!

>Wait. The guards will be here soon, and he can't run far.
>Chase him. Earka won't make it back in time.

>>40115950
>Chase him. Earka won't make it back in time.
The MC is hallucinating, isn't he?

>>40115950
>Chase him. Earka won't make it back in time.

Here it is! My favorite quest around! QM, the only thing I'd say is to try to make your threads a tiny bit more regular. Your regular playerbase just likely isn't around yet; I know I only noticed this in the catalog a few minutes ago.

>>40115999
>>40116590
You can't let this opportunity slip. He might take this opportunity to fade away for good.

Darting after the mystery figure, you manage to close the distance enough to where you catch the figure slinking away behind your neighbor's house.

"Get back here with my money!"

And like that, he dashes away, fleeing from the houses in the direction of the water. He's wearing a green hood, much like Earka, but he's smaller, probably around your age. Would certainly explain how he was able to sneak in and get your money without a sound.

"Stop, that doesn't belong to you, it's all I have!" Maybe alerting him was a dumb idea. All this yelling is a waste of breath as well.

He's only a little faster than you, but you're capable of keeping up with him. Eventually, he reaches the pier, then stops, facing you. He pulls off his green hood, leaving him with nothing but a set of brown trousers on, then immediately climbs down off the platform and lowers himself into the drink. He does it so fast, you can't get a look at his face.

"Hey!"

>Dive in after him.
>Wait. Either he'll come up for air or Earka will show up.
>Run back. Earka did tell you to wait.

>>40117276
>Dive in after him.

>>40117276
>Dive in after him.

MC really is hallucinating isn't he?

>>40117360
>>40117384
You jump in after him, fresh clothes be damned. It's way too dark to see anything, but the same goes for the thief, so you start swimming in a straight line, in hopes that you'll catch him. You aren't entirely sure what you'll do once you catch up, but...

Your train of thought gets interrupted by a bright light up ahead of you. Whatever's causing it reveals the thief's location. Surprised, he stops, giving you time enough to catch up to the bastard. Grabbing onto his leg, you hold him down, but then he starts twisting about, holding the both of you under, dragging you down deeper.
When looking around for something to grab, however, your eyes are drawn to a pouch on his waist. He's got it! But can you get it?

>Let go and surface for air.
>Snatch the pouch and make a break for it.

>>40117843
>Snatch the pouch and make a break for it.

>>40117843
>Snatch the pouch and make a break for it.

>>40117893
>>40118202
Give me a sec, eating. I'm gonna run this all the way into the night.

>>40117843
>>Snatch the pouch and make a break for it.

bump

>>40117893
>>40118202
>>40118816
Wrestling with his leg, you manage to hold him long enough to reach for the pouch. You try to reach for it, but he starts kicking, and you're not trying to get a kick to the head.

Your lungs are really being used to the limit, what with how much you've exerted yourself, but you're fortunate that elves have good lungs. That won't last you forever, though. You need to get to the surface before too long.

Right when you think you've got the pouch, that asshole snaps out of your grip, shifting you away from him, and dislodging the pouch from his waist, sending it sinking to the bottom. He takes the opportunity to swim away, as in the end, nothing of his was lost but time.

>Ascend.
>Descend.

>>40120639
>Ascend.

>>40120639
>Ascend

>>40120639
>Descend.

>>40120639
>Pursue
that asshole ain't getting away

>>40120716
>>40120673
45 challs was a big deal back in Ksana. It's probably a big deal down here. But all the money in the world can't help you if you drown. You immediately swim towards the surface, but you're deeper than you imagined. Your chest burns. Might not make it to the top.

But you do. You breach the surface, and begin flailing and gasping and sputtering, desperate for air. You begin wading back to the pier, where you can see a familiar hooded figure standing along with two spear-wielding guards, wearing light plate armor with green-dyed leather.

Climbing up top, a guard kneels down to pull you up. Once again, you catch your breath on the wet wooden platform, but also try to explain the situation.

"Swam off... lost the money... he's gone."

Earka turns his head over to you, silent for a second or two.

"That's strange. You say he swam away? That's not possible. Nothing is out there, it's just more cavern, he'd either drown or get horribly lost and starve to death out there."

You snap back at him with a look of alarm. "What?"

"I'm afraid so. Are you sure you're not just playing games with me, Ilafi?"

"I'm not, I swear, I-"

>...I'm certain he's out there.
>...suffer from hallucinations.
>...don't like the way you're accusing me!

>>40121292
>>...suffer from hallucinations.

>>40121292
>...I'm certain he's out there.

>>40121292
>...suffer from hallucinations.

>>40121292
>suffer from hallucinations
Gotta let them know.

Bump

At least warn us when you are going to disappear. I am getting tired of this, man.

>>40121335
>>40121386
>>40121843
"I hallucinate sometimes. I think it happened just then."

"What?" Earka turns to the guards, who shrug at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I mean it! It's been happening since I was very young, I can't stop it. Please understand."

Earka groans. "I feel like this will get in the wwy of your work. You can't go off chasing fake thieves in the middle of work, especially not as a webgatherer, you'll go off the path and get eaten by some spider.

"No, please, it won't be an obstacle, I swear, I never lost my job because of it!" Largely because it was easy to dismiss hallucinations of the factory burning down, or giant rats skittering around. This was a bit new.

"Please know that if we see it become an issue we'll reassign you for your own safety. Are you very sure that you don't want to reassign? Web gathering isn't that dangerous, but for you..."

"No, I made up my mind, I'm fine!"

"Alright, but either way, I'm going to have you stay at my house until the waking bell. This way I can keep track of any other mishaps."

>Object to it, citing the fact that you can handle it.
>Object to it, admitting that you don't know enough about him to trust him.
>Agree to stay with him.

>>40124124
((I am working on being a better judge of whether or not I can stay awake to finish a post. My aim was to say "sleepy, this is the last post for a while, continue later" but instead I'm going to continue now until I have made progress. I'm gonna be writing all fucking day and I'm gonna fucking churn out pages. I want this to succeed.))

>>40124315
>Object to it, admitting that you don't know enough about him to trust him.

>>40124342
Well, good luck with that, I am dropping out for today.

>>40124315
>>Object to it, citing the fact that you can handle it.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>40124385
>>40124453
Rolling.

>>40124385
>>40124931
What's with this? A strange man you've never known until today giving you orders like that? No. You won't have it. You're tired of being led around like a steak-spider. Eventually something bad is going to happen id you don't take control.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

You stand up straight and do your best to strike a serious pose, arms folded and all.

"I'm in the dark like this, and you're telling me to stay in your house! I don't know you! Like, I know your name, I know where you live, but beuond that I barely know a thing. I don't trust you."

"I see. Guards, you can go now."

They nod, then jog back to town. "Ilafi, what is it that would make you trust me? Seeing my face? I already told you there was a nasty burn that I don't like sharing. You want ne to give up something valuable? I don't make that much money. I make about 120 challs a week, which is more than you'll ever make up there, but down here, it really isn't much compared to what the Sunlit haul around."

"I just want to know that I can trust you. That you're not going to snatch me up at night and throw me out, or, or send me away to the Sunlit, or-"

"What, you think I serve them?" That's the first time he's ever raised his voice.

"Well, I-"

"Of course I don't! Let me tell you the full story of that night, then, boy, since you're so determined to peek into peoples' lives. I didn't share the full story because I didn't want to get emotional while working. But it looks like that's just not good enough for you, huh? Sit down."

You sit down on the pier, and listen intently. He sounds furious.

"Back then, when they stormed Ksana for what was probably the twelfth time since I was born, they came down to burn it, essentially. It was horrific."

[cont.]

>>40125335
"What that man did wasn't just a petty crime to them, he was committing treason in an already tense time. Shithead probably forgot that, what with how shortsighted he was. Called himself a freedom fighter or some nonsense. You can't call yourself a fucking freedom fighter when all you do is screech and squabble and get shot down by Sunlit thugs. It doesn't work that way! Especially when you get your whole family killed! And here, here's what I didn't tell you! Listen up, because this here's fucking important!"

His voice grows even more bitter as he speaks.

"Wasn't just his family and friends that got slaughtered, they went after the families of his friends too. Asked them questions and had them shot if there was the least bit of suspicion. Know what they did? They charged into my house one day, as they were making rounds. Asked my wife and son questions. He was just a 8 year old little boy. Eight! And they had them both shot because he answered funny! Know where I was? Hidden under the floorboards, waiting for Moffa to sneak me out. He was sure they'd be fine, and I don't blame him, he couldn't have seen that coming. No. It's that wretch Kudla I blame, for taking away my entire fucking life, and leaving me trapped down here. I couldn't even bury them, you know? Couldn't even do that. Just had to leave shortly after those thugs left. They made jokes about it, you know. I don't forget. I dream about it. It's terrible. I'm going to repay the favor, someway, somehow. Because his wife lived. Wanna know why? The bitch was pregnant, that's why! Must have hit their limit of depravity there, and refused to kill her. Isn't that just grand?"

He lets out a hoarse laugh, much like that of a broken flute, or a dying animal.

"I have no reason to turn you over to the Sunlit. Understand? Now what will it be, are you going to sleep at my house, yours, or do you want to go back to chasing Mister Fish the Mystery Thief?"

>Accept his offer.
>Decline his offer.

>>40125349
>Decline his offer.

This guy obviously has PTSD. He might harm us if we trigger him.

>>40125349
>"I'll go back to my house. Sorry for your loss."

>>40125425
>>40125471
His tale is terrible, and you've no intent to force him to relive it further.
"I'm very sorry. I'll be off to my house, I won't trouble you about that again."

"Make sure that you don't."

As you hurry off to your home, you can hear a sigh coming from Earka.

When you get to your room, you double-check the dresser. The pouch is still where you left it, with all 45 ch present. You kick the thing, angry that your delusions caused this whole mess to happen. Lying down, you try to sleep for the remainder of time you have left.

You dream about Mother. It's your 20th birthday, four years and several months ago. She's made you a lovely birthday loaf made of burnt bread she was allowed to keep, and butter and sugar she saved up to buy. It tastes really strange, and you aren't sure if it'll make you sick or not, but she tried so hard to make it for you, so you can't possibly upset her. You're thankful enough to have a mother that even cares enough to try.

And hey, some of the bread isn't that burnt!

Your friend Zita is there. She's only 16 years old, and while she gets annoying and loud at times, she's easily your best friend. You remember her being really smart, too. Her parents had a bunch of human books, and she even knew how to read them! That's how you learned of your hero, Detective Kohme. Someday you'd like to meet him. You wonder why he never came down here. You honestly don't know much about humans, other than the fact that they look so varied compared to elves. They're generally taller, and have weird, rounded ears, and their skin varies greatly. You've never seen an elf with dark skin in your life, but you have seen a human come along with a trading group. Whatever humans are, the Sunlit seem to hold them in somewhat high regard. But at this point, you aren't dreaming, your mind is actively wandering.

You miss Mother.
You miss Zita.
You want to go home.

[cont.]

>>40125994
The day comes, dark as the night, and the bell in the center of the circle road heralds its arrival. You can hear a slight commotion from the other houses. Time to get up. You get clean and dressed, and find a spider steak and eggs(the like of which you've never seen) and a map with directions to the webgathering building on your table. The steak and eggs must be your ration. Scarfing it down, you make your way out the door, and see people shuffling to work. You're up earlier than expected, with time to kill. According to the map, you should be able to get there in 20 minutes of walking. It took you 20 to get up, bathe, and eat, so it makes sense that there's time to speak to Earka, if he's there.

>Straight to work.
>Go talk to Earka and apologize.

>>40125994
>Go talk to Earka and apologize.
So we're 24 huh

>>40126012
>straight to work

Rolled 2 (1d2)

ROLLING
>>40126344 (1)
>>40126935 (2)

>>40126012
>Go talk to Earka and apologize.

I'm sorry for being late OP, I thought that you'd left yesterday.

bumpu

>>40127497
>>40126935
You don't see much point in aggravating him further. That's all you'd be able to do, you think.

So, you walk off and head to work. According to the map, it's through the center of town, then you take a right, crossing a bridge into another section of the caverns. By the time you reach the town, you can already see people running back and forth to get to their jobs, and a few hauling things around, already putting in work.

Curiously enough, you see a few humans headed in the opposite direction of the road you're headed in. A short, pale woman with curly red hair, a tall man with dark skin and braided hair, black as the abyss, and an older-looking, wrinkly pale man with wiry gray hair. The three are smiling, as if they very much enjoy each other's company.

You'd follow them, but that road leads to the mines, and you need to go looking for webs. You come to the bridge after a bit more walking, and it's as large as expected. A massive wooden bridge supported by steel beams, it joins the gap between the caverns created by the chasm. The usual crystals mark its sides, and the floor is embedded with the things. You can even see several hanging from somewhere above, allowing you to see a bit more in front of your face. A lot of elves and a few humans are going back and forth on it, all wearing shades of green. It's a lot quieter than Ksana. Nobody's really talking, aside from one or two groups walking together, and even they speak softly.

[cont.]

>>40128595
By the time you reach your destination, you're ready to get things done. It's a two-story building made of stone, possibly carved out of the wall of the cavern. It has glass windows on both floors, and the usual crystals all over its sides. Several people stand outside, as if waiting for something. You join them, staring at the thick metal door, until suddenly it flies open, and a large, muscular looking elf flies down the staircase. "Hello!"

Looking him up and down, you can quickly tell that he's put in time on the job. His sleeveless shirt has red, diagonal stripes, which you believe to mean something important, and his thick arms bear ugly scars, and matching tattoos of battle axes. He has a dark, almost blackish green eyepatch on his right eye, along with visible scarring around it. You could probably lift up the legs of his trousers to reveal more scars, or maybe a hidden blade or something. The thought makes you snicker. This man is probably more scar tissue than flesh.

"Something funny, boy?" He gives you look over. "Aren't you the new one they told me about? Ilafi? I hope you're not a troublemaker. Troublemakers aren't needed out here."

He motions to you all to follow him inside. There's a variety of weapons and digging implements handing on racks, as well as trophy cases with spider eyes inside. Some are ridiculously large.

He sits down on a stool, and waits for you all to file in. "Last one, close the door." You hear the door shut as your eyes stay on him. He looks in your direction once, possibly trying to guess what you're thinking.

[cont.]

>>40128634
"In here, we deal with spiders. Big. Nasty. Ugly. Important. Without their being here, we likely could not. But if we were not here, they would control the whole of the caverns and make life impossible. Some of you are here to kill them. Some of you are here to pick webbing. Some of you will not make it back here in one piece. To those of you who have been here before, you know what to expect, and at the same time, you know that you can never know what to expect. To those that are new here, my name is Awendi. I will do my best to guide you so long as you put forth your best effort. We go as one, or they will tear us limb from limb."

He stops for a moment, as if to let it sink in. Then, he pulls out a clipboard, presumably containing a roster. "We don't have any new hunters or trappers, but there's a few new gatherers here. You gatherers will be sent in twos. You are not to separate for any reason whatsoever. Are there any questions before you depart?"

One elf raises her hand. "What do we do if we see a spider?"

"Curse out the trappers, because they didn't do their jobs right." He chuckles. "But seriously, on the off chance you see one, you should stay quiet, don't do anything to excite it, and hope it's not interested. It's not slower than you, it's not stupid, you can't fool it, and it will get you if it wants to. Trust me."
Her hand lowers shakily, and she nods back at him.

"Anything else?"

>Ask a question. [WRITE IN]
>Stay quiet.

>>40128663
>Stay quiet.

>>40128663
>Stay quiet

>>40128747
>>40129704
Nobody says a word. Looking around, you can see well over thirty people all around you, mostly adult elves.
"Very well. Hunters, trappers, you're dismissed. Gatherers, line up in front of me."

At least twenty people leave the room, and the rest of you form a line.

"So we have eight today, then? That's good, more than usual. Like I said before, stick with your partner, don't go off too far, and remember to check your map constantly, especially if you're new. Gatherer teams each get a wagon, two poles for gathering webbing, enough food and water to last the day, a compass, and a set of poppers with earplugs. The poppers are to alert everyone around you that you are in danger. One pop means that you're stuck. Two pops means there's a spider. Three pops is both. To use it, just hold it in your hand and pull the lever on the side down hard, and quickly, if you need to pop multiple times. The poppers will fuck your ears, so if you aren't interested in goes deaf, plug your ears."

He walks along the line, inspecting each of you, then sits back down. "When I call you, get your wagon and get moving out the other door. Yefu, Lirte, you're a team." Two older male elves nod at each other, and leave the building with their wagon. "Hida, Hadi, same as before." They're younger elves, probably sisters, as they high-five each other before skipping off to their wagon. "Bilja, go help Siliki out, she's new and could your help." An adult elf with a braided ponytail steps forth, bows, and beckons to the girl that asked the question earlier. "Ilafi, you'll be going with Teomo. Teomo, keep him out of trouble."

A young human is all that's left. He's a little short, compared to most humans you've seen. His skin is pale, and his hair is shoulder-length, black, and messy.

"I'll certainly try, Awendi."

And then, the two of you leave and take the wagon with you. You can already see the other three teams moving through the cavern, following trails marked with crystals.

Alright. That'll be all for now.
Next time, I'm shooting for a longer thread.
Next time will either be Wednesday or Thursday at 3 PM EST. I will be on time.

Thank you all for sticking with me, considering all the bullshit I've put you through in terms of delays and vanishing. Every thread is an opportunity for me to become a better QM.

>>40131317
No problem. Take care, OP.