File: whycantiholdallthisadventure.jpg (156 KB, 1000x700)

156 KB JPG

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

>>40699404
>”Doesn’t Yomi have wings?”.

>>40699404
>You never rode a staff before.
Wink wink. I feel terrible for this.

>”Is it safe?”.
>”I’m ready, let’s go”.

>>40699404
>CHICKEN OUT
This seems like it'll be mad uncomfortable.

"Are you sure it's safe?", you wonder, arching an eyebrow. It looks like it's going to get quite uncomfortable for your crotch, but then again Astreya has done it a ton of times, you presume. Well, maybe she has a much tougher crotch than you do, or maybe she's so sexually frustrated that-

No. Bad Lillith. That's not very kind to even think.

"It's safe, don't worry", she smiles reassuringly. "Just hold on tightly to me if you're afraid to fall, I don't mind".

"Yeah bitch, you even took my spot you goddamn cheapskate, I was there before you were even born", Yomi helpfully contributes to the conversation. He doesn't even look mad, he probably is incapable of being actually mad, he might just constantly be like that.

"Don't you have wings?", you wonder, "Why would you even need to ride with Astreya?".

"Why would I want to fly on my own when I can hitch a ride? Besides, she pretty much fucking owes me big deal for even being able to cast her fucking spells".

"He does have a point...", she admits with a smile.

"That's right you ungrateful bitch, I hope this continent's food will make you so fat your crotch will sink on the staff when you ride it-".

"Now now Yomi", she smiles, though it's a different kind of smile, "Let's not get too graphical here, okay?", she then offers you a much kinder smile, "Hop on, we've got some friends to visit".

You sit uncomfortably on the staff and clench your thighs around it. You slide closer to Astreya to hug her from behind and hold her actually as tight as you can without taking the breath out of her. It’s about as uncomfortable as you imagined, but you can bear it.

“Ready? Then let’s go!”, she announces, and the sudden burst of acceleration leaves you breathless as you instinctively squeeze Astreya as tightly as you can to avoid falling down to your inevitable doom.

Air rushes by so fast that, for a long moment, it’s difficult to even breathe, let alone open your eyes and look around.

>Continue

>>40699702
Stop being so lewd Lillith!

The night breeze is extremely pleasant, enhanced by the significant speed at which you're travelling through the sky. Once the big rush passes, the wind becomes quite pleasant, howling around your horns to flow through your hair and into your collar and cleavage, sending pleasant waves of freshness and relief across your skin, at least the parts that aren't pressing tightly against Astreya's back.

After a while, you hear the constant, kind but hurried patting of a delicate hand on your knuckles, and you instinctively loosen your grip on the wizard that's piloting this staff through the sky.

"Thank you", she answers with a grateful, if breathless, tone, "I know I told you to hold on tight but... You don't have to hold that tight".

"Sorry", you apologize, hurting the wizard in control is not a good idea, you don't want to crash, and you don't want to go off-course either. Neither sound particularly fun. "It took me by surprise".

"Oh I understand, don't worry", she chuckles. Her grip on the staff is solid, and she's leaning forward slightly, a position you attempt to imitate while also not driving your knees up her thighs, or holding her too tightly. Strangely, you don't feel the wind trying to push you off the staff, which is actually a very good thing because when you dared look down... You couldn't see much.

But even if you can't make the details out, you see that the landscape is moving fast. It's still bright enough for you to tell that much. Especially because you're leaving a shiny trail of sparkling white light behind you as you traverse the sky, like a falling star, though it makes you more visible from below rather than the opposite.

And Yomi is flying not far above it, trailing. He's staring right at you with an undecipherable expression.

>”This feels nicer than I thought”.
>”This is kind of horrible”.
>”Do you do this often?”.
>”Have you brought other passengers before?”.
>”How long will this take?”.
>Other?

>>40699868
>>”This feels nicer than I thought”.
She can show us the world. Shining, shimmering splendid.

>>40699868
>”Do you do this often?”.
>”Have you brought other passengers before?”.
No hurting the Astreya!

>>40699868
>>”This feels nicer than I thought”.
>>”How long will this take?”.

>>40699919
That monkey wasn't nearly as annoying as Yomi anon.

>>40699948
Yomi hasn't gotten us trapped in a sand tiger yet. Or get us in trouble while sneaking a princess away from an apple merchant.

>>40700006
Only a matter of time I'm sure.

>>40699868
>”This feels nicer than I thought”.

You're starting to relax a little, although you're still holding on to Astreya and clenching your thighs so hard it's like the first times you practiced pole dancing, when you use way too much force and your legs get tired way too fast and you go home with a pair of pole-shaped marks on them.

As a matter of fact, you suspect your legs will hurt a lot before you touch the ground again.

"This feels nicer than I thought", you nonetheless admit. The breeze alone makes it worth it, it's somehow less hot up here or maybe it's just because the rushing air makes your whole body feel a lot better, and feeling it run through your long hair is especially pleasant, if anything because it gets it off your back and makes it feel a little less sticky.

"It is", she answers. You can hear her fine because you're both quite close to each other, while Yomi is a little further behind. That must be why he's not insulting you yet, and if you don't look back you don't even register his strange stare, "It's a spell I designed myself. It's useful and also very pretty. It's a little less comfortable in winter, though, but I recall that there's no winters in the Shadow Marches".

Yes, you suppose it would feel a lot worse if you were flying with this kind of wind in the middle of winter. Or in a snowstorm. "Have you brought other passengers before? Other than Yomi".

"A few people, but not many actually", she looks back at you to give you a smile. Her face is close, but she knowingly tilts her head so that her horns don't accidentally hit you, "You're one of the lucky few!".

You probably should pull back from her a little. With both of you sporting horns, it might get uncomfortable.

“How long will this trip take?”, you ask, trying not to think about how your thighs hurt already.

“Not much, don’t worry. We’re not going very far”, she assures you.

>Try to guess where you are.
>”What do you know about Susanna?”.
>”What does an Autarch do?”.
>Other?

>>40700163
>Try to guess where you are.
>”What does an Autarch do?”.

>>40700163
>”What does an Autarch do?”.

>>40700163
>”What do you know about Susanna?”.
>”What does an Autarch do?”.

Start Over Episode 33: "Two Horny Girls Ride a Long Hard Staff" edition

"Say", you idly wonder as you look down at the ever darkening landscape. There's not much you can make out at this point except there's trees somewhere, possibly covering most of the ground, "What does an autarch actually do, in the end?".

Astreya sounds amused at your question and actually does chuckle for a while, "Everything and then nothing, we rarely are given duties by someone, most governors and land-owners don't think of calling us unless it's a dire or very strange situation and their usual option already didn't work. I'd say we mostly do what we want".

"And what would that be?".

She smiles, you can tell even if you're behind her, "We take care of us and our families. Our... Non blood related families. You'd call them friends usually, I suppose, but friends are the family you choose rather than be born into, so that still counts, right?".

"Are Susanna and the others your... Family?", you wonder.

"Well, we don't really know each other much, but I have a better time relating with them than with people of my own race, so... I care for them".

You pause for a moment, but decide to ask questions one at a time, "What do you know about Susanna?".

"She's an ogre magi", she explains, "The most problematic kind of giant if you consider that people are already more than wary of them, not that they don't have valid reasons to, but it makes her ability to peacefully interact with our species quite difficult".

"Is it because she's a magic user?".

"Yes", she nods, "And she doesn't make any effort to hide it. People are afraid of Fomors, and she might just look the part to anyone that's still a little paranoid after the last war".

Actually, now that you think of it, Yomi did mention that she's a lot older than she looks.

>”Have you been involved in the last Fomor war?”.
>”Do you trust Susanna?”.
>”What are you going to do to help them?”.
>”Can you help the arachne reproduce?”.
>”How long have you been an Autarch?”.
>Other?

>>40700651
>”How long have you been an Autarch?”.
>”What are you going to do to help them?”.

>>40700651
>”How long have you been an Autarch?”.
>”What are you going to do to help them?”.

>>40700651
>”Can you help the arachne reproduce?”.

>>40700651
>>”How long have you been an Autarch?”.
>>”What are you going to do to help them?”.

>>40700651
>”Have you been involved in the last Fomor war?”.
>>”Can you help the arachne reproduce?”.
Wonder if we will be able to bring Susanna to new royo and help them be friends.

"How long have you been an Autarch, anyways?", you wonder as you begin to ask yourself just how old this woman might be; now that you think of it her face and body don't have any particular features that stand out, age-wise. She doesn't look old but she doesn't look particularly young either.

"Mh... Well, I wonder if I should answer", she chuckles, "But I'm not that old yet, no. I have been an autarch for over sixty years, but less than seventy. I'm still not so old that I lost touch with other people, so there's no reason to be concerned".

You can't help but notice that she's talking about her time as an autarch, and not just her time being in this world in general. She's likely older than that. Regardless, you have better questions to ask: "What are you going to do to help them? Do you have any plans?".

"I don't have nothing special planned yet", she admits, "I'm more concerned in making sure they make it through whatever hardship befalls these lands, here and in the foreseeable future. There's so few of them we can't afford to lose even a single one, especially the arachne".

"They do want to reproduce, in fact", you inform her. Well, one in particular wants to, the other doesn't sound too eager, and you've never seen the third one, "Can you help them in any way?".

"Believe me, in my experience monsters can help themselves fine if they want to mate", she gives a meaningful chuckle, "What we need to worry about is to make sure everyone is happy and peaceful when doing so. The can deal with the rest on their own".

Sounds easy when you put it that way, but you suspect it won’t be that simple.

“Have you... Been involved in the last Fomor war?”, you then ask.

Astreya does not answer immediately, and for a few moments the rushing air is the only sound gracing your ears.

“I’ve seen more than one”, she answers, “Let’s not dwell on that now”.

>Insist
>”How do we make people accept them?”.
>”Think they can come to New Royo?”.
>Other?

>>40700928
>”How do we make people accept them?”.
Not the time for old wounds.

>>40700928
>”Think they can come to New Royo?”.
>"Can you at least tell me about the Fomor?"
I want to know, but don't want to intrude too much.

>>40700928
>Fast Forward?

We're asking an awful lot of questions for a supposed servant.

>>40701043
We are not serving anyone yet.

>>40701095
Weren't we serving streya for a day?

>>40700928
>”How do we make people accept them?”.
>”Think they can come to New Royo?”.

>>40701107
It will be sometime in the future, not today. Yomi has yet to choose when that will happen.
And even then, that doesn't forbids someone from making questions. Let Astreya decide when enough is enough.

>>40700928
>>”How do we make people accept them?”.
Step one: get the arachne to not rape humans. Step two: get the arachne to not rape US.

>>40701180
Silly anon, that's for harpies.

You decide to let the topic of Astreya's past experiences with war go. Nobody you ever talked to about wars, Fomor wars in particular, was too eager to go about its details. You might not be very knowledgeable or a schooled fellow, but you know enough to understand that there are wounds that don't mar the body and don't heal very quickly. And often leave scars.

"How do we go about making people accept our friends?", you ask, focusing on the task at hand, "Do you think we can invite them to New Royo?".

"No", she sounds strangely adamant about this, "Shock therapy is for emergencies only. We'd do that if their lands were invaded by something terrible and there was no other way, but ordinary people must gradually come to accept and trust their monster friends".

"Gradually?", you wonder how you're going to explain Arianna that she'll have to go gradually about her stuff.

"Yes, gradually. Humans are usually weaker than most monsters", Astreya explains, "Magic users, proficient fighters and exceptional individuals are, of course, another matter entirely, but for the majority of commoners even normally harlmess monsters, like alraune, can be scary and very dangerous, simply because of the massive difference in strength and abilities".

If you put it that way, the world doesn't quite feel fair, there's some creatures that seem to have it easy in a certain sense. "It's surprising this thing works at all, then".

Astreya chuckles, "Iria made us to love each other, and believe me, when that mechanism gets triggered everything else stops being important. Common sense included".

She has a point. After all, Tahenohan was born, meaning that if someone can be crazy enough to mate with an elf then Arianna likely has pretty good chances at scoring. Assuming people don’t try to kill her on sight.

Which is what you’re trying to avoid.

>“How gradually are we talking?”.
>”Will the arachne agree?”.
>”Will Susanna agree?”.
>”Can the marquise help?”.
>Other?

>>40701270
>“How gradually are we talking?”.
>”Will the arachne agree?”.
Cause one is getting quite antsy.

>>40701270
>>“How gradually are we talking?”.
>>”Can the marquise help?”.
It'd be nice if some legal precedence or something was set to make monsters acceptable in society. It probably won't work, but still.

>>40701270
>”Will the arachne agree?”.
>”Can the marquise help?”.

>..."What about the harpies?"

>>40701312
>Cause one is getting quite antsy.
Depending on how long it'll take, we might either have to do some direct recruiting for a chap to love a spider, or bite the bullet and drop the pants.
I'm hoping the latter doesn't happen, to be honest: not that I'm against smut or spiders, but we've came this far already, it would feel like giving up.

>>40701362
But giving in can feel so good anon...

>>40701270
>”Can the marquise help?”.

>>40701362
We just need to find someone with exotic tastes.

"How gradually are we talking?", you have to wonder, especially to distract yourself from the burning pain in your thighs and your crotch. You get what Yomi was saying about seeping down on the rod, even if Astreya didn't let him be that graphical. Maybe Astreya has much stronger thighs than you do or maybe she has a rock hard clam or who knows maybe it gets pleasant if you learn how to take it right, "Because Arianna is getting a little antsy".

"I understand her, but the last thing we want is our first peaceful encounters turning into rape", and you can't argue with that logic, "We have to think for the long term, even if they don't".

"Will the arachne agree?", you ask, a few doubts arising in your mind.

"We'll make them", she diplomatically says. You know she's smiling even if you can't see her face.

"What about the marquise? Can he help?", you're not very knowledgeable about politics, but you seem to remember one was appointed, "We're in his lands after all and this is for our own good, too".

"That's actually a good idea. Try and ask him if you have the chance", Astreya is audibly pleased with your proposal, and her tone is full of praise, "I'm sure he'll listen to someone like you".

This would almost sound like a kind of insult or joke if it didn't come from a magic user who has more contacts with monsters than humans, "Are you... Sure?".

"Of course. You have a good way with words, I can tell".

You silently stare at her back for a while, letting the wind caress your face; you would loosen your cleavage and adjust your collar a bit if you dared let go of your hold on Astreya, "... What about the harpies?".

More silence follows, and your parable begins to take a slowly descending angle.

"... Crap", she says.

>"On second thought everyone knows about harpies, it should be okay".
>"This was a "Crap I didn't think of the harpies", right?".
>"Please tell me we're not going to crash".
>Other?

>>40701543
>>"Please tell me we're not going to crash".
WE DON'T WANT YOU TO SHOW US THE WORLD THIS CLOSE!

>>40701543
>"This was a "Crap I didn't think of the harpies", right?".
>"Please tell me we're not going to crash".

>>40701543
>>"This was a "Crap I didn't think of the harpies", right?".

>>40701543
>"This was a "Crap I didn't think of the harpies", right?".
Oh god

>>40701543
>"On second thought everyone knows about harpies, it should be okay".

>maybe it gets pleasant if you learn how to take it right,
Oh Lillith~

"That was a "Crap I didn't think of the harpies", right?", you ask trying to hide the sudden bout of panic that's crushing your stomach, which still hurts a little bit so you're feeling it even worse than normal. You suspect you're also crushing Astreya's stomach by clenching her very tightly.

It takes her a moment to answer, "Oh. Oh sorry, yes, I... Really didn't think of the harpies", but you suspect she corrected the course a moment. Of course, it might just be a perfectly normal manoeuvre, what do you know of rocket staves.

"... We're not going to crash, right?".

"Huh? No. No, of course not", she goes silent for a while, and you think you can hear her mutter, "How did I not think of the harpies" in a somewhat concerned tone.

You are descending, however, and the air is rushing even faster. You briefly catch a glimpse of a house with a lit light which might be Susanna's. It was only for a moment and you've seen it only once anyways, you wouldn't be certain you could recognize it even if you had more time to ascertain its details. The staff bends a little and you slow down considerably, bumping on Astreya's back and sliding your crotch along the staff for a very short distance. It's still enough for you to feel it.

Astreya hops down with ease, and you climb down too, albeit it takes you a moment longer to recover from the tired, burning feeling that's only made worse by the fact your lower body got tremendously stiff from the effort and tension. The latter in particular.

"Enjoyed the ride, bitch?", Yomi's wings have a very subtle flapping sound and he lands with surprising grace, "Did you rub your crotch on her staff so she can smell your fluids later?".

Astreya sighs and shakes her head, "Don't mind him, he's been making these kind of jokes for decades".

"Not my fault it never gets old", he shrugs.

>"Where are we?".
>”How do you ride? It’s quite uncomfortable”.
>”Does it actually become arousing if you get used to it?”.
>Other?

>>40701821
>”Does it actually become arousing if you get used to it?”.
I need to know

>>40701821
>”How do you ride? It’s quite uncomfortable”.

>>40701821
>"Yeesh, splinters. I'd rather not."
>”How would you ride? It’s quite uncomfortable”.

>>40701821
>"Where are we?".
>”Does it actually become arousing if you get used to it?”.
And that's how Lillith became a wizard.

>>40701821
>>”How do you ride? It’s quite uncomfortable”.

"How do you ride this? It's quite uncomfortable", you're pretty sure that staff left some dents in your thighs, but fortunately those marks heal without problems. You know, you've pole danced after all, but this is different. For one thing, if you want to slip off from the dancing pole you can, any time you want, but you can't climb down unless you want to just die.

"Oh, it's just a matter of habit", she reassures you, "The first times I tried I almost gave up because it didn't feel right, but I was assured that many other magic users have handled staves or even brooms as means of transportation, so I kept going until I got used to it".

"Does it actually become arousing at that point?", you ask, half-joking.

She takes it in stride and just laughs it off, "I don't know I usually have my mind elsewhere".

"She'd rather stick it in than just rub on it, is what she's saying", Yomi adds.

"Oh but let's go and meet Susanna. Even if she knows that falling star was actually me we shouldn't keep her waiting. Come, her house is nearby", and following Astreya's lead you trace your steps back, approaching the abode.

Walking around in the dark is a good way of getting lost and tripping on something that will sprain your ankle or worse, but fortunately Astreya's staff has lit up since you arrived and she's using it like some sort of ghastly, vivid grey source of light that's bright enough to see comfortably. You don't even have to waste your own lantern oil, which is good.

When you arrive at Susanna’s house, you see that she’s waiting just outside of her back door, a light and breezy night gown on, looking almost impatient, but giving you a long stare once she recognizes you.

“Greetings”, she says, sounding a little stiff, “Didn’t expect to see you again so soon”. She’s clearly talking about you.

>”I’m here to help”.
>”I’m accompanying Astreya”.
>”Would you rather I hadn’t come?”.
>”Is everything okay?”.
>Other?

>>40702167
>”Is everything okay?”.

>>40702167
>”Would you rather I hadn’t come?”.
Rude

>>40702167
>”I’m accompanying Astreya”.

>>40702167
>>”Is everything okay?”.

I had completely forgotten it was night.

>>40702167
>>”Is everything okay?”.
>>”I’m here to help”.
>"...I hope it isn't a problem"

"Is everything okay?", you diplomatically ask. You remember she had problems trusting humans and she wasn't too happy about you the first time either. She still nursed you back to health and everything though, even took you in her bed, you guess you can excuse her being grumpy for at least this once.

"We're doing fine", she answers after a short pause. Her booming voice feels even more so at night, and you guess that if there are any dead animals or monsters out there lurking in the darkness past Astreya's light they must all know of your presence. For sure. Well, not that your shiny trip through the sky had much of a chance of going unnoticed in the first place.

"Oh, look who's there", you hear Arianna's familiar voice as she sneaks up behind you without making a sound; you realize her presence just in time to turn and face her giant pair of hairy pedipalps. Looking up, you of course find her other giant pair, still covered by nothing but her own hair which really doesn't leave much to the imagination. She looks rather happy about seeing you, "Have you brought any cute boys?".

"We're not a kidnapping service", Astreya answers with a smile. Yomi is completely ignored during this conversation, "Good to see you're all in good health. Susanna".

"'streya", she nods back, a much kinder expression when she looks at the magic user.

"May we come in?", and the ghastly grey light snuffs out, leaving only the lantern and candle light from inside the giantess' abode to let you know where you are. It's still quite enough for you to get by, and realize that Leiana is shortly behind Arianna, fidgeting with her hair. How can spiders that big be so silent?

"Sure", the giantess answers, leading the way, "Make yourselves at home".

>”Did you have problems with the undead?”.
>”How are you finding yourselves?”.
>”How are you doing Leiana? Everything fine?”.
>”How are you doing Arianna? You okay?”.
>”How are you doing Susanna? Are the harpies behaving?”.
>Other?

>>40702497
>”Did you have problems with the undead?”.

>>40702497
>”How are you doing Arianna? You okay?”
I like Arianna.

>>40702497
>>”Did you have problems with the undead?”.
>>”How are you doing Leiana? Everything fine?”.
>>”How are you doing Susanna? Are the harpies behaving?”.

>>40702497
>”How are you finding yourselves?”.
>”How are you doing Leiana? Everything fine?”.

Oh, right, we should give Leiana a heads up about Pyo being interested in her sword.

Since Astreya and Susanna seem to have a personal relationship and the latter trusts her much more than she trusts you, you turn your attention to the spiders, giving them plenty of room to come inside the giant-sized house as well. As a matter of fact, you guests are by far the smallest beings in here and everything looks unnecessarily large to you.

"Did you have problems with the undead while we were gone?", you ask, but the two spiders look at each other, shaking their heads after they're done.

"Haven't seen a single one", Leiana claims, caressing the pommel of her magical sword, now slung again at her shoulder rather than the hip, "Not that it would be a problem if they did".

"How are you doing?", you then ask Leiana, "Everything fine?".

She gives you a long stare, knowing what you mean, but in the end she just gives a silent nod, holding back something that felt like a complaint of sorts, "I'm better, yes".

You of course can't expect the sort of wounds she has to heal overnight, but you give her a comforting smile, showing your appreciation for her attitude before turning to Arianna, "What about you? Are you okay?".

"I'm fine", she mentions, then her willpower clearly fails and she does not manage to hold back the following question "So when are we going to be introduced to some pretty boys? We need to get Leiana someone as well".

"Oh for the last time I-".

"You need to get knocked up, yes, I know, I'm working on it", she explains as if Leiana was actually in a hurry, which earns Arianna a rather fiery glare, the sort which you suspect she receives pretty often every single day.

You can’t hear much about what Astreya is saying, but Susanna’s voice is booming even when low. They’re discussing magic and the surrounding area, the lake in particular.

>”Easy Arianna, you have to be patient”.
>”She has a point Leiana, I think it’ll do you good”.
>”Glad to see you’re getting along”.
>”Anything happen while I was gone?”.
>Other?

>>40702808
>”She has a point Leiana, I think it’ll do you good”.
Well...it's true.

>>40702808
>>”Easy Arianna, you have to be patient”.

Hm... can't think of a casual way to talk about the sword...

>>40702808
>”Easy Arianna, you have to be patient”.
Mention sword stuff to Leiana.

>>40702808
>”She has a point Leiana, I think it’ll do you good”.
>”Glad to see you’re getting along”.

>>40702808
>>”Glad to see you’re getting along”.
>>”Anything happen while I was gone?”.

>"I've met someone who was interested in your sword, Leiana."

>>40703018
>>40702870

If we say that, I'm pretty sure they'll ask us to find someone to knock her up.

>>40703095
I am perfectly fine with that. But honestly, I think that while Arianna would ask that, Leiana will hesitate and maybe consider it again and try to be more brave or to let the grudge go.

"Easy Arianna, easy", you smile, "You have to be patient with this kind of thing. Besides, you have to make sure people start appreciating you instead of running away screaming, or you will never get your chance".

"Fine", she agrees with the tone of someone who doesn't really agree, sitting down the way arachne do, "But I can't wait too long or my womb will rot and fall off if I don't use it".

"That's not how it works how many times do I have to tell you again?", you don't know, but Leiana sounds like she's been repeating this for a long, long time.

"Not that it woulnd't do you any good", you look at Leiana as you say so, "It's just a matter of priorities, you'll have to make sure the long term works as well, not just the short one. Or reproducing is going to be... I don't want to say pointless, but, you know...".

They look like they both know, except for Arianna who just nudges Leiana, "See? Told you".

"If you had your brain in your head instead of your crotch you'd know there's a lesson to be learned here".

You smile at their exchange, "Glad to see you're getting along. Did anything happen while I was gone?".

"Not much of note", Leiana immediately answers, eager to change the topic, "You haven't been away much, besides. It's quite peaceful here, even the wyverns don't seem to give much trouble".

"The wyverns?", you wonder.

"They live up near the top of the Iron mountain", Arianna explains, "I think they prey on animals on the other side, maybe there's less trees in the way".

“By the way Leiana”, you continue, “I found someone who’s... Interested in your sword”.

She looks understandably surprised, and blinks in confusion, “I’m sorry?”.

>”It’s someone that wants to steal it, be careful”.
>”It’s someone that wants to exchange it, would you be up for it?”.
>”It’s someone that wants to buy it, is coin of any use to you?”.
>”I’m not sure myself, I just had to warn you”.
>Other?

>>40703181
>"I think she'll want to trade for it at first at least but I dunno how far she'd go to get it I'd you refused."

>>40703181
>”I’m not sure myself, I just had to warn you”.
Why can't I choose everything?

>>40703181
>>”It’s someone that wants to exchange it, would you be up for it?”.

>>40703181
>”I’m not sure myself, I just had to warn you. She seemed VERY dedicated.”.

>>40703181
>>”I’m not sure myself, I just had to warn you”.

>"She might want to steal it, she might want to trade for it."

>"Would you be up for a trade?"

That's a very good question, and you're not sure what to answer.

"It's a woman, she... Well, she wants your sword. It matches the description she gave me. Oh, I didn't tell her about you", you immediately reassure her, "And I think she'll want to trade for it since I asked her to not do anything bad, but she's not beneath stealing. Not at all".

Leiana's absent-minded caressing of the pommel turns into a nervous but also determined grip of the handle, "She doesn't sound like a nice person".

"Well...", you can't blame her for thinking that, "She won't hurt you, I think? She made it a point to state that she's not an assassin".

"And how does she even know about this sword anyways?", Leiana's expression begins to show more confusion, rather than less, and you frankly understand her, this whole sword hunt has been an... Odd coincidence, now that you think about it.

"I think someone told her to go look for it, if I got it right", you do realize, as she's asking questions, that there's amazingly little you know about the whole situation, which sounds more and more suspicious as time passes, "She had a description of the sword and knows it's magical. I think it's all a strange coincidence".

"I think I know what happened", Leiana claims, "Someone knew about this sword, found it missing in their inventory, and wants it back. Maybe it belonged to someone who couldn't flee from the last Fomor war. I did find it in the middle of nowhere, now that I think of it", her grip turns into a gentle caress along the hilt and pommel, but her eyes are steeled with determination, "Well, I don't care who the previous owner was. It's mine now".

“Would you be up to trade, eventually?”, you try, “She sounded... Very determined”.

“What does she even have to offer?”, she asks with the tone of someone who has little patience left for this topic.

>”I’m sure she has plenty of riches stashed”.
>”She has a magic sword herself”.
>”I don’t know”.
>Other?

>>40703564
>>Other?
"I'll make sure to ask."

>>40703564
>”I don’t know”.
Maybe her body?

>>40703564

seconding>>40703575

>>40703564
> Other?
"She seems pretty capable, she could probably get you anything you wanted. That is, if you don't mind receiving stolen goods..."

>>40703575
Sure, sounds good to me.

>>40703564
>>>Other?
>"I'll make sure to ask."
Acting as an intermediary sounds good.

You don't really know what Pyorindel can honestly offer Leiana. You suspect she has all sorts of strange, certainly illegal deals and rings she can refer to, or she can just steal whatever she needs; after all, she was tasked to retrieve a sword from somewhere in a continent by someone, and this isn't the kind of job any bounty hunter of sorts would take lightly, you presume.

"I'll make sure to ask", you point out, "She seems pretty capable of getting you plenty of things you might need, but they might be stolen".

"I don't need anything", Leiana stubbornly states. Well, in all honesty, you have to admit that being a monster and living in the wilderness makes you not need a lot of things you would otherwise give for granted. Money, for example. Or farms, considering that there's little enough of them that they can very well feed themselves just by accumulating what they forage from these ridiculously bountiful lands.

And that's as far as the topic goes, you have to admit. Arianna didn't seem to understand much of what was going on, until she looks at Leiana with a curious stare. "It's a pity that it's a woman looking for your sword, if it was a man you could invite him over and have sex while using that sword of yours as an excuse".

Leiana rolls her eyes and waves her hand, indicating she won't even bother replying at this point. Arianna does seem to be quite single-minded, as a matter of fact, you can understand Leiana's frustration dealing with her every moment, day in and day out.

Still, they really seem to be getting along well, which makes you confident they will actually be fine. Besides, they don’t have anyone left of their respective families, and since they’re so close to extinction, at least as far as you know, it makes sense that they stick together.

>”Isn’t there a third arachne? Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?”.
>Go bother Astreya and Susanna, time to hear what they’re talking about.
>Other?

>>40703877
>”Isn’t there a third arachne? Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?”.

>>40703877
>”Isn’t there a third arachne? Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?”.
Yeah, where?

>>40703877
>>”Isn’t there a third arachne? Where is she? Why isn’t she with you?”.

>>40703877
>>Go bother Astreya and Susanna, time to hear what they’re talking about.

"By the way", you begin to wonder while you have the two arachne at hand, "Wasn't there a third one of you? Where is she? Why isn't she with you?".

"Oh, Tama?", Arianna is of course the quickest to answer, "She lives farther up North, past the place where I've been told you put the main encampment".

"It's a long jungle strait before the scraggly hills", Leiana explains, although the directions don't really make sense to you. They would if you had a full map of the area, but you'll have to work on that before you can use it yourself. With Bryld's solid help, of course, "She and her family always lived there, but had problems when the other inhabitants became controlled by Fomors".

"She's the sole survivor too. Poor girl", Arianna nods.

"So why isn't she with you? You should stick together. All of you", you explain.

"Because she's far and it's getting full of humans on the way there", Leiana sighs, "We can't just go and fetch her. What if they spot us?".

She does have a point. While you would like to reassure her that everything will be fine, you are fully aware that the spearhead of the Reconquista might not feel like taking chances, especially considering they've suffered the brunt of all attacks by both random monsters and organized ones. Which means that it might be best if either you or Astreya found this Tama before anyone else does. Or before she wanders off and does something stupid.

“It would be great if we were all reunited”, Arianna claims. She always has a rather cool and collected tone and demeanour despite her actual feelings and the content of her sentences, but you’re starting to learn how to read her properly, and you realize that she cares about her as much as she cares about Leiana.

“Tama is a little... Particular”, Leiana explains, “Air-headed and somewhat eccentric, she also likes to spin silk a lot so finding her will be tremendously easy”.

And they both stare at you, expecting you to say something.

You know what to do.

File: 1397602065751.png (326 KB, 547x800)

326 KB PNG

And this is it for Episode 33!

I think this is a good moment to close, and besides I'm getting way too tired to continue.

Next time (which should be next friday) we'll get to know what's actually going on between Astreya and Susanna.

Thank you for following my quest even after 33 episodes of FUCKING NOTHING.

>>40704255
Thanks for running! I enjoyed this session a lot.

>>40704231
>And they both stare at you, expecting you to say something.
Well, I guess we're getting our elf and rabbit and fetching her, then.

Thank for the thread!

>>40704255
Thanks for writing MP!

>>40704255
>Thank you for following my quest even after 33 episodes of FUCKING NOTHING.
Wroooooooooooooong