After watching your father get tossed aside like a ragdoll and your mother fall to pieces watching him almost die, you began to step forwards, full of fury. The world seemed to stop around you, and Allegiset appeared before you, informing you of the strength of your foe and giving you one last chance to prepare. After bolstering your body and accepting the boon of lighter bones and wings for enhanced speed, you charged into battle, combining your fire and swordplay to cut down your foe.

After striking down the duke, whose black blood had briefly turned into wolves to attack the crowd around you, you briefly spoke with your father who said that he needed to go and recover from this somewhere. Your mother blew a hole in the ceiling and two dragons arrived, one of which carried your parents off. The other had a familiar knight on it. You told the nobles of the city not to mess with you again, climbed aboard, and took off.

Character Sheet:
http://pastebin.com/CmrXBEyS

Thread twitter:
@BecomeQM

Previous adventures at:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Become%20The%20Dragon%20Quest

The rules:
Best of three rolls, critical threat on a 20, confirmed if another roll is 20-modifier or higher. Modifier is Stat being rolled+Relevant skill. You can decide which skill to apply. If no one applies one, no skill will be added on. If you don't have a logical reason to apply a skill, don't do it.
Critical fails are at least two 1s on a roll. May expand this later to increase shenanigans.
Success is on a sliding scale and is situational. Some things are easier than others. Use your head.

Check out the side story Millie's Day Off:
http://pastebin.com/9dmr6XWx

Now you have to decide where to go. Taret will take you anywhere, but you don't have a clear course in mind.

>Head to the manor and try to salvage what you can
>Use the earring to track Millie down and see where she is
>Have Taret take you somewhere he thinks is safe
>Other (write-in)

>>42577062
>>Use the earring to track Millie down and see where she is

>>42577062
>Use the earring to track Millie down and see where she is
We can't go anywhere without best loli.

>>42577062
>>Use the earring to track Millie down and see where she is
We need our friends.

>>42577111
With just a little help from them, we can probably get by.

Make a Spirit roll

Rolled 4 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42577787
First roll...

Rolled 11 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42577787
rollin hard!

Rolled 5 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42577787
Dice

Rolled 20 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>42577787
+ focus

>>42577920
These rolls really like to tease us on that fourth roll.

>>42578049
Two in three threads.

File: 40a14aae4c3854d05889d1477(...).jpg (860 KB, 1150x671)

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You put in the earring and focus as much as you can, trying to pinpoint the other end. You can feel the pull towards the north, and that's where you tell Taret to go. He nods and smiles softly as the dragon turns gently in the air, heading in that direction.

“By the by, I forgot to introduce you properly. This is Ruby. She's my partner. Your dad made me an honorary member of the Order of Scales.”

Ruby chuckles a little bit as the air around you hums with magic, and you slowly find yourself turning invisible along with her and Taret.

“I told him my name was Rubenesque, but he didn't know what it meant so he asked me if he could shorten it. I don't have the heart to explain it to him though.”

You can almost hear the smile in Taret's voice.

“Well, I may not know what it means, but so long as you like 'Ruby' then it's fine, right?”

“It works well enough for me.”

>Talk to Taret
>Talk to Ruby
>Other (write-in)

>>42578424
>Talk to Taret.

>>42578424
>>Talk to Taret
So what's happened with you since we last met?

>>42578424
>"Rubenesque means someone with an attractively round figure. You know, a lady with curves."

>>42578424
>Talk to Ruby

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“So what have you been up to since we parted ways?”

Not being able to see Taret when he speaks is almost as disconcerting as being several hundred feet in the air and moving at high speed without being able to see your own hands.

“Well, to make a long story short I turned in my formal application at the Order of Scales for my transfer. On my way out, suffering my second rejection, a man approached me and told me that they didn't know what they were talking about. He asked me if I wanted to learn to ride a dragon, and I told him of course I did. Then we, um... Well, we found two dragons that no one was using, one of whom was reserved for the exclusive use of the head of the order and Ruby here. Turns out the man knew both of them, and we sort of... flew away. Then when we landed outside the city the man told me a little about himself.

He turned out to be your father, actually, and we hatched a plan to get you out of the ball if you ended up being roped into going. It's been days of planning, training and working with this order that I had never really heard of before now. For now I'm an honorary member of the Order of Scales, but your father said that when the new leader arrives I might be considered for the Order of Fire. I really hope I can impress them... They're all about fighting wickedness disguised as justice, the purifying flame.”

Well, that explains a few things, like why he never came to visit you while he was in the city.

“Uh-huh... Well, that sounds like a lot of excitement then. By the by... Rubenesque means-”

You feel Ruby under you shift a bit, bouncing you roughly.

“Don't ruin it for the boy, dear. You have no idea how flustered he gets over the smallest things. We were talking about you earlier and he said you were pretty with the cutest blush on his face.”

Taret begins to stammer for a moment.

“R-Ruby! You promised me that you weren't going to say things like that! A man has to be bold enough to say what he means himself without other people doing it for him!”

Ruby laughs heartily.

“You weren't going to say it at all, were you.”

Taret pauses.

“I was... waiting until we weren't airborne. This is hardly the time for such things.”

>Write-in

>>42579394
>"So, Curves, (yes, I am calling you that from now on), Suppose I wanted to learn to fly, but had no idea how. Could you teach me?"

>>42579394
>Write-in
"... Anyways, Ruby, as you probably noticed, i have wings. Just grew them a few minutes ago so i would appreciate if you had any tips for how to use them.

File: 1440544375309.jpg (155 KB, 742x604)

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“...Let's change the subject. Ruby, I've only just gotten my wings and I need someone to teach me how to use them. Think you could help me out.”

You hear a gasp, and you can't help but imagine a giddy expression on Ruby's face.

“Someone looking up to me as a teacher and mentor? I mean, if you're sure. I'm a fairly young dragon by most standards but I promise to do my very best. Ooh! This is so exciting, normally we don't get to teach lessons until we have a few centuries under our belts... We'll start with the basics, alright? Make your way down to my tail and hold on tight, then spread your wings and just glide. I'll keep us aloft the rest of the way, you just focus on turning and getting used to controlling your movements.”

>Climb back and hang on
>Maybe now isn't the right time, what with us being so high up
>Other (write-in)

>>42579444
This'll do

>>42579658
>Climb back and hang on
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

>>42579658
>>Climb back and hang on

Time for fun!

>>42579658
>Climb back and hang on.

Speed roll and a Smarts roll

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>42579776
Lightning McQueen

Rolled 9 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>42579776
Speed+focus?
We're focusing solely on the task without distractions. Does that work? Or is that maybe for smarts?

>>42579842
That would be for Smarts, yes. The Speed roll adds on your currently nonexistent Flying skill.

Rolled 16 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42579776
Smarts+Focus

Rolled 15 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42579776
>>42579897
Smart+focus, then.

Rolled 19 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42579776
Speed+fly (0)

One more Smarts roll

Rolled 7 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42579776

You carefully make your way back along Ruby's tail, being especially careful since you can't actually see it, and you slowly ease your way to the tip, grabbing hold and slowly spreading your wings. You're pretty sure Ruby had slowed down while you were climbing, because she speeds up slightly as you manage to find your balance, and you start to practice angling your wings, moving up and down first, then side to side.

“See? Now you're getting it. Keep practicing like that.”

Ruby starts to move her tail, forcing you to compensate by adjusting your wings so you don't lose your grip. Little by little you start to get the hang of it, and you're fairly sure you could glide competently so long as something was there to boost you. You don't have a clue how to use the magic needed to help you actually fly though. You're about to tell her so when Ruby snaps her tail too hard to the side for you to compensate, and you lose your grip.

Crap.

-

Flying increased to 1!
Make a Speed roll and a Spirit roll

Rolled 2 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42580342
Speed + flying

Rolled 4 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>42580342
Spirit + focus

Rolled 7 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42580342
spirit

Rolled 9 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42580342
>Speed

Rolled 8 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42580342
Speed+flying

>>42580360
>>42580388
>>42580396
>>42580434
>>42580438
We had a good run.

Rolled 12 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42580342
Spirit

>>42580464
Eh, 13 and 15 is not that bad

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You try to retain control of yourself as you suddenly decelerate, spreading your wings wide to try to glide to the best of your ability. You manage to stabilize a bit, but you're still plummeting to the ground, and you do your best to calm down. You can't see Ruby, and you can't hear her either, but she would have noticed that you fell off. You're visible again, so she can probably see you as well. So you're safe. In theory, anyway. Part of you suspects that this is like what baby birds do, and if that's the case...

You focus, trying to summon up your magic. You've felt it before, when the gloves sapped power from you and when you used your magic to enhance your firesong. You push, pull and shake through every part of your being, trying to get it to work, to get the air around you to cooperate with your movements. The ground is coming up towards you all too quickly, so you close your eyes and push that fact to the edge of your mind. Fear is a distraction. You try again. Push. Pull. Something. Anything.

And then you stop. You can feel the air grow still around you and you hold yourself just like that, wings flapping gently. You release that mental grip and feel yourself sinking, and you squeeze it tighter and feel yourself rising higher. You open your eyes, and you can see Ruby circling above you, smirking playfully. At least it worked. You flap your wings hard, pushing them and your magic in order to get back up to where she is, and when you finally get up there you collapse onto her back, exhausted.

“So, how was your first flight? A good lesson, yes?”

Taret smiles softly.

“Sorry about that... I'm sure she meant well though. I mean, I'm certain she knew you had it in you. It just needed... coercing out.”

>Never do that again, that sucked
>Of course I could do it, I'm awesome
>Other (write-in)

>>42580817
Next time you're going to do a trial by fire, can I at least have my magic full up first?

>>42580817
>Of course I could do it, I'm awesome
>But please warn me next time, that could have ended badly.

>>42580817
>"Of course, yeah, I figured something like that, no problem.

...let's not do that again though, kay?"

>>42580817
>Let the fear go down but not the adrenaline. Start laughing uncontrollably giddy at how much of a rush that was.

>>42580817
>It worked, I'm awesome, Ruby is awesome.

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“Of course I could do it. I'm awesome. Just... Next time, a little warning before the trial by fire. I might be incredible, but I like knowing when I'm about to get thrown off a dragon.”

Ruby laughs heartily at that and continues on towards the north.

“I'll try to keep the surprises to a minimum then. Now hold on tight. It's time for some real speed.”

The sun is beginning to set, and off in the distance you can see some sort of glimmer. Something blue and bright, heading your way. It zooms towards Ruby, who tries to roll away from it, but it shoots past her and turns around, heading straight for you. Millie appears right behind you, grabbing your waist.

“I found them! And then I found you! And you found a dragon!”

Millie blinks.

“Or did a dragon find you? Anyway! Want a lift?”

Taret and Ruby exchange glances before looking at you and Millie.

“Um... Pardon the intrusion, miss, but I thought we were her lift.”

Ruby smirks slightly.

“Look at you, being all defensive. It's adorable.”

Taret turns bright red.

“I'm not, I just thought...! Nevermind...”

>Go with Millie
>Keep on riding with Taret and Ruby, talk to Millie
>Other (write-in)

>>42581108
>Go with Millie
"Well, i'll se you guys some other time."

>>42581108
>Keep on riding with Taret and Ruby, talk to Millie
Intel first.

>>42581108
>"Teleporting is all fine when your in a hurry, but Millie, Flying is fu-..it's really awesome."

>>42581108
>Keep on riding with Taret and Ruby, talk to Millie.
"Thanks a ton, Millie. How's everyone? "

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You smirk a little bit.

"I'm all for teleporting around all the time when it's a matter of haste, Millie, but right now I'm flying through the air on a dragon. I'd like to savor the moment."

Millie grumbles.

"Fiiine."

You turn slightly and hug her, and she hugs back before zapping past you, sitting in front of Taret and looking at him intently.

"Hmm... Sir Black, right? Thank you for not arresting my cousin!"

Taret looks confused, before smiling.

"Of course! I mean, it's not like she had actually done anything wrong."

>Ask Millie about your friends
>Sit back and enjoy the ride
>Other (write-in)

>>42581786
>"So, Millie, where is everyone? Also, did you find enough candy?"

>>42581786
>Ask Millie about your friends

>>42581851
Second.

>>42581786
>>42581851
This

>>42581851
Seconding

File: Water-Dragon-water-dragon(...).jpg (48 KB, 359x500)

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"Millie, you found everyone, right? How are they doing? And do they have candy?"

Millie perks up at the mention of sweets before smiling at you.

"Everyone is fine! Well, mostly. Sena's eyes are all red, and Gil got an eye patch. He looks like a pirate! Not much candy though, but Kat said she would fix that!"

Fantastic.

"Thanks, Millie."

>Ask about something else
>Relax and enjoy the ride
>Other (write-in)

>>42582420
>>Relax and enjoy the ride

That was by and large our major concern. We chill for now. Maybe play I Spy with Millie to relieve her boredom.

>>42582420
>Relax and enjoy the ride
"One question though, does that mean she became full vampire?"

>>42582420
>>Ask about something else
Why does Gil need an eyepatch?

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"Wait, so... Is Sena alright? And what about Gil?"

Millie tilts her head a little bit.

"Well, Gil went blind in one eye from an explosion. Kat set it off to blow through a wall but Gil got splashed by something. Kat's working on helping him. And Sena isn't all bitey, but her eyes glow red in the dark now. Kat's working on that too."

You're pretty sure that's all you're going to be able to get out of her right now.

>Relax
>Other (write-in)

>>42584077
>>Relax
Tell Millie what happened at the Party.

>>42584077
>Relax
Talk about the party for a bit.

>>42584077
>Relax

>>42584077
>Relax

>>42584077
>>>Relax
Let's not tell her what happened yet.

File: the_lightning_dragon_wall(...).jpg (51 KB, 640x480)

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"So the party was pretty exciting..."

Millie smiles brightly.

"It was? What happened?"

You take a moment to consider how to phrase things.

"Well... First I met Duke Lamiring."

Taret and Millie both stare at you, Millie in shock and Taret in confusion.

"He came back...? I thought he wasn't allowed in the capitol until the allegations against him were dealt with..."

You shrug slightly and recline, getting comfortable.

"He was there and kinda hijacked my carriage. I couldn't avoid going to the ball with him around. When we got there we danced a bit, I even beat Gimbly. Then I met my parents, which was funny. My dad took his sword back and he fought the duke with my mom. He almost won, but the duke stabbed him a bunch of times. Then I finished him off, and... here we are."

Taret pauses.

"So... Your father is...?"

You shake your head.

"My father isn't dead. But he's going to need time to recover."

Taret nods and frowns.

"I see... that's... I'm sorry to hear that."

Millie nods.

"That really sucks... Ildareth is really nice..."

You smirk and sigh.

"Yeah..."

>Relax
>Other (write-in)

>>42585538
>Relax
Now let's relax goddammnit!

>>42585538
>Stay alert.

I don't like how all we're getting is "relax." Somethings about to happen.

>>42585538
>>Relax
Scene change already

>>42585538
Play slaps with Millie, work on our janky new coordination.

>>42585635
'Relax' is basically 'scene change' like >>42585718
implies.

>>42585538
Relax.

>>42585750
Correct

File: 1400710906536.jpg (523 KB, 1000x727)

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You decide to just sit back and enjoy the rest of the ride, reflecting on your time in the city. You never actually dismissed your title, though without your testimony Tirio might go free and change that. You contemplate your next move as the sky darkens. Ahead you can see a light among the trees, and Millie points to it.

"There! Go there! That's where they are!"

Ruby turns slightly and dives, coming in low and gliding towards the spot, skimming the trees with her claws. The light fades as you draw near it, and for a moment you think you'll lose track of where it was before you spot a small cave. Ruby skids to a halt just outside it.

"This is where you get off. I still need to get back to the city."

You climb down with Taret and Millie, and an old man emerges from the cave to greet you.

"Welcome! I am Lecot of the Order of Fire. Please, do come in, we have hot tea and much to discuss."

Millie walks right past him into the cave, leaving you and Taret to deal with Lecot.

>Follow him in
>Talk to him first
>Other (write-in)

>>42586645
>Follow him in

>>42586645

>Follow him in

>>42586645
>>Follow him in

>>42586645
>Other: "Millie, you mind giving me some magic? I need to get Cenere back in functioning order."

FUCK YEAH DRAGON QUEST BEST QUEST

Read through the archives yesterday and caught up. Great shit, op. Gil is gonna be piiiiiissed. First thing we do when we speak to him is tell him we failed protecting Sena. But hugs all around, first.

>>42586645
> Follow that bitch in

>>42586844
What? We didn't even fail, we did all we could and there's no reason to apologize for something we didn't do wrong.

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You glance at Taret, who gives you a sheepish smile and bows a bit.

"Ladies first?"

You smirk and walk towards Lecot, who turns to lead you into the cave, with Taret following behind you. Unlike Gimbly, you can tell pretty plainly that Taret is trying not to stare to the best of his ability, glancing away regularly every time his eyes slip any lower than the small of your back.

The passage is narrow and twisting, and Lecot has to light a torch as you descend into the darkness. He stops and touches the stone of the wall, running his hand along it gently before there's a click and the wall swings inward, revealing a well-lit room. You can hear laughter and talking from within, voices you recognize and some you don't.

You step into the room and see the crowd of people there to greet you. Your mother and father, Sena, Kat, Gil, Millie, several people you don't recognise, and a dragon. You don't know how a dragon got in here, and you're too busy being tackled by Sena to puzzle it out.

"Kotijah! You're alright!"

She hugs you crushingly tight and smiles.

"I was so worried!"

>Sena, ow
>I'm too awesome to die
>Just hug back for now
>Other (write-in)

>>42586880
I suppose you're correct. Gil is touchy about everything regarding his sister, man.

He did say, though, that if she got hurt, even a little, he'd go back to protecting her. I think, anyway.

>>42586946
> I'm too awesome to die
> Hug back

>>42586946
> I'm too awesome to die
> Hug back
>Damn you got stronger.

>>42586844
I'm at work, Anon, stop filling me with pride in my story while I'm restocking shelves.

>>42586946
>I'm too awesome to die
>Hug back
>Hey, you got stronger.

>>42586946
>I'm too awesome to die
>Hug back

>>42586962
>I'm too awesome to die
>Hug back
>"...owow, okay lemme go real quick. Wow, you got stronger."

Soooo...did we lose QM?

>>42589024
No, sometimes he takes a while.

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You hug back and smirk defiantly.

"I'm too strong to die... You should have known I'd come back. And hey, it seems like you've gotten stronger too."

Sena releases you with a giggle, and you finally get a good look at her eyes. Her irises are blood red.

"Well, after you blew up the room, apparently I wandered around for a bit and ended up regaining my own balance. I thought the eyes were cool though, so I've been practicing shifting back and forth."

Her eyes turn back to normal and she grins.

"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone!"

>Sure thing
>I want to see my dad first
>Let me rest first
>Other (write-in)

>>42589256
>Sure thing

>>42589256
>>Sure thing

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"Alright, let's meet the troops."

Sena helps you to your feet and pulls you over to the group.

"So, we've got Leer, who does recon work."

She points to a man wearing goggles, who nods his head slightly.

"Supra and Nalak, the infiltrators."

She motions to two androgynous individuals who look like twins. They wave in unison, wearing identical smiles and outfits.

"And Esrito. I have no idea what he does, but apparently he's really important."

She points to a man who looks identical to Gimbly except for his hair style and color. He chuckles and waves slightly.

"And that's it. Oh! And Crest."

She points to the dragon, who sighs softly.

"Charmed. Or something. Whatever the human custom is."

>Write-in

>>42590105
> "Very nice to meet you." Curtsy thing or something
> "Sena, your queen demands you take her to our friends"

>>42590105
>"A pleasure to meet you, honorable one."
>To Sena: "So, all these guys are here to help kick ass and take names? Awesome. That said...I need to see Gil."

File: 1440582165806.jpg (108 KB, 768x1024)

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You turn to the group and curtsy, smiling.

“Nice to meet all of you. Particularly you, Crest. It's an honor to meet another dragon.”

Crest rolls his eyes.

“Whatever works for you is fine with me.”

You can see your father hobble over to Crest with his cane and start whacking the dragon with it, getting into an argument about proper respect and manners while your mother sits back to watch, looking amused by the whole thing. You turn to Sena.

“I need to talk to Gil and Kat for a bit. And you as well, of course. Can we chat somewhere private for a bit?”

Sena nods a little and motions to Gil and Kat, who nod in response. Sena walks off towards a door and you follow her, with Kat and Gil trailing behind. The room looks sort of like a dorm, with two bunk beds and a table in the middle. Sena takes a seat and you settle in beside her. Gil walks over to the chair across from yours and Kat takes the remaining spot. Gil looks at you for a moment, before removing his blindfold, revealing his damaged eye. It's completely white, without a pupil at all, and he regards you for a few seconds.

“So.”

You nod a bit.

“So.”

>Apologize
>Ask about what happened to Kat and Gil
>Ask about what happened to Sena
>Ask about where they've been
>Other (write-in)

>>42591136
> So
> So...
> Apologize
> Ask what happened to everyone
> Ask where they've been
> Apologize again

>>42591209
> Apologize profusely
> Ask what happened to everyone
> Apologize again
> Ask where they've been
> Apologize a third time.

>>42591379
Wonder when our strong dragon woman who don't need no man is gonna actually cry, if ever.

I figured she might now, due to sheer stress, but I dunno. Seems the type to repress shit.

>>42591439
Although, she's handled things very well, all things considered.

>>42591439
>>42591466

I made the >>42591379
suggestion as seeing her get more super depressed at failing to keep her word as everything kinda hits home. I don't think she'll tear up, but she'll get close.

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“I'm sorry.”

Gil quirks an eyebrow.

“For what, exactly?”

You take a moment to figure out where to start.

“For putting you in danger. For not being able to protect Sena. For getting you roped into this mess.”

Gil holds his hand up and closes his eyes.

“You didn't put us in danger. We were the ones who decided to stick around. You asked us if we had your back, remember? And we said yes. Sena was able to protect herself, and now...”

He glances at Sena, and smiles a bit.

“You were right. All she needed was to learn to control it. You should have seen her with her knife. It was actually pretty impressive. Gave me a run for my money. We roped ourselves into this, Kotijah. And Kat digs the eyepatch look, so it's fine. She'll fix it eventually, and until then I'm fine with it.”

Kat blushes and smirks at him before winking at you.

“I'm into bad boys, what can I say. Now he looks the part.”

Sena gags a bit and rolls her eyes, giggling. Gil leans back slightly.

“No matter what happens, we're with you. Apology accepted, boss. Now let's get down to business... Your dad told us a little bit about what happened. We know the broad strokes of it. The big question is what to do now.”

You nod a bit.

“Before we get to that though... You know what happened to me, but what happened to you guys?”

Kat chuckles nervously.

“I'll go first... So Gil and I were having a nice relaxing morning, when we were interrupted by some maids. They said that we had to remain calm and stay in the room and just left us there. They locked the door and I guess they thought they had us trapped. I got some stuff from my coat and made a bomb to blow us out of there. I may have measured the wrong amounts since I didn't have the right tools, and... Well...”

Gil folds his arms, eyes closed, smirking a little.

“And she blew the whole room up, blasting us out the window and blinding me in one eye. We grabbed what we could find to protect ourselves and fought our way through a few maids until we ran into Sena, who was recovering from some burns from being exploded by someone else, flipping back and forth between healing and necromantic magic, restoring herself and harming the maids. I gave her a knife, Kat grabbed a plank, and we pummeled the rest of the crowd until Lecot arrived to lend us a hand.

We cleared the rubble, got you out of there, and left you where your uncle would find you. He wouldn't look for us if he had you, and we had to get out of there or risk getting killed. Supra and Nalak snuck you some flowers and a note from us, along with a letter and a necklace from Cenere, who is... somewhere. Then we came back here to wait for you to either escape from the city or get dragon-napped.”

Sena smiles brightly.

“I was hoping for the latter. Taret was soooo excited to see us again, and he really wanted to help save you. It was really sweet! Oh, did he give you the flower he picked for you yet?”

You shake your head and Sena jumps to her feet.

“I'll go get him then!”

>Planning first, then you can get Taret
>Let's get this over with so we can get him in on the planning
>Other (write-in)

>>42591582
Yeah, that's about what I figured. I loathe the day she fails to protect her kingdom. Gonna end up killing everything vaguely evil in a fit of vengeance and then feel kinda bad about it.

>>42591615
> Just get it over with
> Eye rolls galore
> Hide the fact that we kinda like the chivalrous attention
Dragon lady being courted by a knight. Almost a carbon copy of our father and mother.

>>42591615
>>Other (write-in)

>"..."
>Laugh as she runs off...then cry just a tiny bit because WOW thought that was gonna be a lot worse than it was.
>>Let's get this over with so we can get him in on the planning

>>42591701
This. Tsundere dragon is a go.

Just realized. There must've been a ton of explosions. Kat's, ours, possibly Cenere...probably sounded like an artillery barrage.

>>42591891
> Tirio shows up
> "THE FUCK, MAIDOS? Why did you blow everything up?"
> "Yo boss, that ain't us. We din do nuffin."
> "Bitch, I'll shank you with an ice sword. Tell me the goddamn truth."
> "Boss, that was them bitches you wanted us to stop. They just blew up, man. We just rock and ice people, bruh. How we supposed to compete wit dat?"
> Tirio: "SHIT"

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You sigh a little bit. It's getting harder and harder to maintain a straight face with all these emotional moments blindsiding you.

“Let's get it over with. We've got a lot of planning to do.”

Sena nods and runs off, and Kat looks at you for a few seconds before smiling softly and pulling out a flask.

“Here. Something to settle your nerves.”

Gil looks at the flask, then at Kat, before looking as though realization just hit him.

“Right, that's the one with alcohol in it...”

You take it and sip slowly. It's awful and bitter, and you cough a bit before passing it back. You're fine with getting drunk and cutting loose, but not with that stuff.

“Maybe something that you don't use to degrease your flasks...?”

Kat rolls her eyes.

“No, that's the other one. Anyway... Are you sure you're alright? You look kinda... worn out.”

You give a nod.

“Dragons are strong. Dragons are tough. My dad is alive, you guys are ok, my uncle turned out to be a huge jackass just like I thought and the greatest threat to the kingdom right now tried to kill me and threatened me before dissolving into goo. Everything is... is fine. Will be fine.”

You rub your eyes a bit.

“Maybe the stress is getting to me a little. I'll... Go cool down a bit before we plan.”

You rise to your feet and head for the door, just in time to be cut off by Taret walking in with a single red rose. He smiles shyly, blushing a little.

“I, uh... Got you something. I picked this myself. It... reminded me of you. Not because you're pretty! I mean, not just because of that. Roses are... Roses are useful. They're used for medicines, food, they represent love, they're hardy and well-protected because of their thorns, but they can also be delicate. Roses are more than just pretty. A-And... You're more than just pretty to me. I wanted to give you this, because I... wanted to say that. Sorry, I'm rambling, I just... Earlier your father took me aside to talk to me, and I told him, uh... How I felt and he... said that a rose would be a good idea. But I didn't really plan this too much, and I've never given flowers to a woman before. Um, here...”

He holds out the rose.

“I mean, if you don't want it that's fine, but... And if you take it I'm not expecting that you're going to accept an offer of courtship or anything, I just... If you... say yes, then... then I'd be really happy, and if not, then... I hope that at the very least you'll forgive me for... overstepping...?”

He smiles nervously, and your mind connects a few dots. Your father, who was never keen on you spending too much time around the boys in your village, and who can see the hearts of people, told Taret to give you a rose. And there's no way your mother wasn't in on this to some extent. Taret is completely disarmed by the situation, his defiance in the face of injustice and laid back attitude towards life completely obscured by his mix of hope and fear. You can feel your eyes watering a little bit.

>Accept the rose
>Reject the rose
>Other (write-in)

>>42592111
>Accept the rose
Just do it. Don't let his dreams be dreams.

>>42592111

>Accept the rose

>"...D-don't get it twisted, I'm not tearing up because of you...but...thank you. I mean it."

>>42592111
>Accept the rose
Yesyesyesyesyesyes

>You know I'm going to be a true dragon one day. Ruby might not like you giving flowers to other dragons. Might start rumors.

>Then put it our hair.

>>42592111
>>Accept the rose

>>42592111
> inb4 Taret is Necromancer ooze-clone
> inb4 rose is red monster princess rose
> inb4 we turn into a mighty, wrathful, animalistic god of unknowable power and evil
> Accept the rose

>>42592196
Not a fan of that write-in.

>>42592240
Neither am I.

>>42592278
>>42592240

I'm also not really sold on it.

>>42592240
>>42592278
>>42592300
-3 votes. Damn. That means I'm off the island.

Make a Smarts roll, add Self-Control.

Rolled 5 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>42592338

>>42592338
amidoinitright?

>>42592392
Yep, you are.

Rolled 1 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>42592338
Why you gotta force this romance shit on us?

Rolled 1 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>42592338

Spaghetti no plz.

Rolled 2 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>42592392
Must have forgotten something, let's try that again

>>42592427
>>42592417
Cry.

Or you could break down and cry in front of him. That works too.

Seriously. One self control roll to avoid bursting into tears from stress and you critfail.

... At least make it funny.

>>42592417
Unless that was directed at the players unanimously voting for the romance shit, I don't know what you're talking about.

>>42592449
You say that like we have any control over the dice.

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>42592477
You mean you don't?

>>42592454
Cute/heartwarming would also work.

>>42592484
Pfffff if I did, I'd use it alllll day. The only 'tactic' I know of to even try and mitigate that is 'don't all roll at once, wait at least a minute between rolls if a roll is bad' and no one usually follows that because they say it doesn't work. I'm pretty sure it does.

>>42592417
>>42592427
> Taret path: Closed
> Do not open until xmas
> Do not pass go
> Do not cry
> Cry

>>42592427
>>42592417
Flaming spaghetti incoming.

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/799/290/e3d.jpg

I have honestly never seen this many fails and average rolls in a quest.

It's, like, the dice gods are saying 'fuck this place in particular'

Those are very clearly lemons, captcha. Not oranges.

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You hesitate for a moment, before taking the rose from him. This is it, you realize. This is the moment when you fall apart at exactly the wrong time. Your hand trembles a bit as you clutch the rose, and your vision goes blurry. You shudder a bit and hiccup, the weight of the last few days crashing down on you all at once. You fall to your knees and begin to cry, clutching the rose to your chest.

You've spent the last few days in relative comfort, only to have everything ruined piece by piece. Fancy new home? Destroyed. Teachers you can count on to train you? Probably working directly for your uncle. Your friends? Injured because of their association to you. Your own father? Stabbed repeatedly, and you didn't do anything until he was already full of holes.

And yet, right in front of you stands someone who likes you despite it, and the thought that after all that you're not hated, but admired, respected, and perhaps even cared for hurts like nothing you've ever known. You don't feel like you deserve it. You feel arms around you, and you lean into the person's chest. You can't tell if it's Taret or not. It almost doesn't matter.

The world is a blur and you can't quite hear what they're saying over your own sobs. You just cry and cry until there's nothing left to let out, curling up in the warm, safe embrace, trying to regain some semblance of mental balance. It comes slowly, and you feel something rub gently against your eyes. You blink them open to find Taret gently dabbing his handkerchief against your cheeks to dry your tears, looking terrified.

“I'm sorry... I... I didn't know that the rose would... I'm sorry...”

>I'm fine, just give me a minute
>You're a stupid jerk and I hate you
>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable
>Other (write-in)

>>42592642
> Hold me properly, you chivalrous moron, this is uncomfortable, but I like it

>>42592642
>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable

>>42592642
>>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable

>>42592642
>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable

>>42592671
Stop.

>>42592671
Mein Gott! This!

>>42592671
Either vote for the tsundere option by itself or make a regular dere option instead of that abomination

>>42592642
>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable

>>42592642
>Hold me properly, moron, this is uncomfortable

>>42592699
>>42592797
I'm much too soft, I suppose.

Change my vote from >>42592671 to what everyone else is voting.

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You close your eyes and sigh, leaning on him a little bit and grabbing his wrist, moving his hand so that he's supporting your weight properly.

“Hold me like this, alright? The way you were doing it was going to put my spine out of alignment, jerk...”

Taret blinks, then nods, smiling softly and shifting his hands a little more. Just shy of no longer being chivalrous, but it's more comfortable at least.

“Alright then... Better?”

You nod and close your eyes.

“Better... Just give me a moment like this... I've gotta catch my breath.”

He strokes your back briefly before his hands fall still again, letting you take the time you need to calm back down. When you open your eyes you can see your mother peeking around a corner behind Taret, and she's giving you a thumbs up before vanishing. You sigh a little and get to your feet.

“Alright... I'm gonna find something to change into... Go in there and get to know everyone if you haven't already. I'll be back in a bit so we can make plans.”

Taret nods as he stands beside you.

“Alright then... Um... I'll... wait patiently for your response.”

You look at the rose for a moment and walks past him with a small smile.

“Give it time. Roses don't open up overnight.”

You walk off, glancing over your shoulder. Still keeping his eyes pointed in a chivalrous direction. Good. You head off to the main room to track down some clothes so you can get out of this ball gown.

>Ask your mother, she'll have changes of clothes for sure
>Talk to your father, this place is his home base and mom will talk your ear off about boys
>You can't trust either of your parents not to ask how it went, try to find Cenere
>Other (write-in)

>>42592875
>Talk to your father, this place is his home base and mom will talk your ear off about boys

>>42592875
> Try to find Cenere
Ask the crystal we're wearing if we can fix him, or talk to him, or something. I dunno.

>>42592875

>Talk to your father, this place is his home base and mom will talk your ear off about boys

>>42592875
>>You can't trust either of your parents not to ask how it went, try to find Cenere

Evens father, odds Cenere

>>42593135
...uuhhhh...

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>42593135
roll?

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>42592875
>Talk to your father, this place is his home base and mom will talk your ear off about boys

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You approach your father slowly, and he smiles as you draw near.

“How's it going? Taret behaved himself, right? Because if he put one hand out of place I'll break it.”

He laughs heartily, but you can tell that he's probably not joking.

“Actually, I was wondering where the spare clothes are. I want to change out of this ball gown.”

He blinks, then nods.

“Sure thing. There's a closet just down that hall full of clothes for woman. It's got all kinds of things in there. Just don't open any of the black boxes. Those aren't for you. They're for your mother. A girl your age doesn't need those kinds of things.”

You walk away before he can fill your head with any more information. Those are things you just don't need to know about your parents.

“Thanks, father...”

You walk down the hallway and open the first door that looks like what you need, and find a fairly large walk-in closet with shelves and hangers full of all sorts of clothing. You've basically got your pick. One wall is half-full of black boxes, and you try your best to just ignore it.

>Something comfortable, doesn't really matter what
>Something showy, gotta look good
>Something conservative, secret organizations demand secret organization outfits
>Other (write-in)

>>42593311
>Something comfortable, doesn't really matter what

>>42593311
>>Something conservative, secret organizations demand secret organization outfits

>>42593311
>>Something conservative, secret organizations demand secret organization outfits

>>42593311
>Something Practical. A tunic thick enough for travel and some pants that offer full freedom of movement AND plenty of storage. Goes great with harnesses for holding lots of knives and pouches.

>>42593311
>>Something comfortable, doesn't really matter what

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You grab a few things that look like they'll fit and strip off the dress, setting it aside as you wipe off the makeup and remove the hair ornaments. You grab a fresh set of underclothes and pull on a pair of pants, a long-sleeved shirt and some boots. Comfortable, practical and sensible.

You walk back out and head for the dorm room, doing your best to ignore your mother's look of disappointment. When you get to the door you can hear Taret's voice.

"Alright... Never have I ever... Kissed a girl."

Gil retorts with "That's kind of a cheap sho- Wait, Kat, really?"

You walk in just as Kat says "To be fair I was very drunk and thought she was you. I mean, you looked kinda girly at the time when you had long hair. Oh, hey Kotijah."

Taret has stolen your chair, so you lean against the wall and smirk.

"Fun's over. Let's plan... First, we should..."

>Salvage the manor
>Get the White Blade
>Get the Red Rose
>Deal with Tirio
>Deal with Lamiring
>Other (write-in)

>>42593588
>White Blade
>Lamiring
>Tirio and manor
>Red Rose

>>42593667
Seconding, in that order if possible.

>>42593588
>>Salvage the manor

>>42593588
>Get the White Blade
Selecting anything beyond what we do next is either pointless or actively detrimental.

>>42593588
>>Salvage the manor
"I had elementals in my service and an armory. Both could prove valuable even if the structure is not in a form that can be saved."

>>42593588
>Salvage the manor
>Deal with Tirio
then
>Get the White Blade

>>42593588
>Salvage the manor
May as well do it while we're here and it's still fresh.

They're going to expect us to try for the manor again asap. We shouldn't go for it immediately.

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"First we should head west to get the White Blade. I'm going to need it to take care of Lamiring and the necromancers, and the Red Rose is pretty much in Lamiring's home territory at this point."

Gil nods.

"That's the wise choice. The problem is that the capitol might fall in the mean time. The Order of Fire needs support. We can't all just pack up and leave with you. We're all willing, obviously, but we need to leave people behind to help them out."

Millie pokes her head in through the doorway.

"Ooh! I can help! I know the city like the back of my hand!"

>Pick your team composition from among the following:
Sena the Priestess
Gil the Archer
Kat the Alchemist
Taret the Knight
Millie the Mage
Cenere the Mage

-

I will tell you straight up that this decision matters, so this will be my last story post tonight. Who you choose to take and who you choose to leave will impact the effectiveness of the Order of Fire at various tasks that they undertake while you're away. For the sake of the kingdom, choose carefully.

Oh snap, didn't see those extra salvage votes pop up til just now. Should I retcon? I'm still planning to pause either way.

>>42593942
I say no. Let it ride.

>>42593969
How long will Salvage take? It's mostly the Armory and (battle)meidos we want.

Tirio too if we can handle it fast.

>>42593995
Could be a day if all goes well. If all does not go well, probably much longer. No way of knowing before you try.

>>42594024
We're already here and our rep just spiked, best to use it now while the iron is hot.

>>42594063
I'll leave it for you guys to discuss then. Regardless, you'll have to pick a team for the job. Try to keep it at 3-4 at most.

>>42593942
>Sena
Always bring a white mage
>Taret
Always bring a meat shield
>Gil
He'll go where Sena goes.
>Kat
Not bloody likely, separating him and Gil

>>42594147
>separating him and Gil
Uh...

>>42594147
>>42593994
We might want to salvage our shit hile we're the hot topic. If we can free up the maids for the battles ahead that'd be great.

>>42594176
Kat is a trap and you know it.

>>42594147
On a personal level, it makes sense, but that leaves two mages and the others to handle everything else. I don't like that composition.
Here's my opinion, completely objectively:

(This is assuming we're gonna go after the sword as stated in the post)

>Sena
Agreed, we need a white mage, and her vampire half may come in handy- especially if those red eyes are Darkvision; if you recall, we're gonna have to go spleunking to find this sword.

>Gil
He's our ranged fighter, we might need that. And in a pinch he can whip out that dagger.


>Cenere: to round out Mage/magic duties.

That's IT.

For the city fight:

>Millie: She asked, plus she's right.
>Taret: He's a symbol of authority; he might do well in swaying some of the public on his side.
>Kat: Her alchemical concotions might be able to do more in the city if someone gets hurt- she'll have better access to supplies than if she goes with us.

You guys are really leaving our maids in the lurch? Need I remind you they're elementals too and would help a lot?

>>42594276
Alchemical supplies vary from location to location. If she comes with us, she might get the chance to use things she wouldn't have the chance to otherwise, in addition to the increase in skill that always comes from having to make do with less.

>>42594327
No, we're not forgetting them. I made that list under the hypothesis that should they be successful, the maids will provide much needed backup in the fight for the city. They're far more useful on ground they know than ground they don't, and taking the city is going to be a battle of attrition.

>>42594363
Except to get them out we need to salvage the manor. Otherwise they're still trapped in the vault Cenerre escaped only with our help.

>>42594342
>she might get the chance to use things she wouldn't have the chance to otherwise
That's a pretty big 'might' compared to the definite benefit she'd have here, and the odds of us finding an alchemical ingredient rare enough that it can't be procured fairly easily in the capital city riddled with magic are not only absurdly low, but the kind of thing you'd want a full lab for so you don't blow it, so she wouldn't be using it until we got back either way.

>in addition to the increase in skill that always comes from having to make do with less
That's not how skills work. Without a teacher, you can't increase a skill above 3, and it'd be a bit of a leap to assume Kat's Alchemy skill is less than 3 when that's her entire thing.

>>42593942
Can we get our guys to contact Fiona?

An update would be nice.

>>42593942
Sena, Gil and Kat with us, the rest are with the Order.

>>42593942
>Sena the Priestess
>Gil the Archer
>Kat the Alchemist
>Millie the Mage
This lets the order keep all their assets while we can travel quicker thanks to Millie. We've all also got experience fighting together so it's better for teamwork.

Why don't we just focus on city first instead of splitting the team. The sword isn't going anywhere soon, nevermind it waiting one more day.

>>42597067
We've already waited long enough, new problems will come up with time anyways

>>42597105
Yes but dealing with our title and trial is a more immediate issue that searching for a sword that hasn't been found in hundreds of years.

>>42597133
We know how to find it.

>>42597143
Yes we do, and with it we will become stronger. However it is not an IMMEDIATE issue. We will most likely be found guilty of killing our uncle if we run off after his death, even after saving people at the ball, because the city is currupt as hell and people want to exploit us or our name. Also getting our house in order will give us a better leg up in getting that 1000000gold in order.

>>42597143
As much as getting that sword found is fun and a long time goal, shit has hit the fan recently and we need to clean it up.

>>42597186
Well, the money could be good to get before it's lost, that i can agree on.

>>42597186
Not too mention our maids which are all elementals on Cenerre's level, are still trapped in that artificial vault he placed in the manor. We free them, the Order of Fire gets a good buff.

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So it seems that dealing with current issues rather than chasing a myth is the consensus. I'll retcon then.

-

“First we need to clean up the mess in the city. For one, I can't go running off until the trial over my uncle is taken care of. I want to close the book on that one for good, and we might be able to dig up the dirt we need. And for two, that's a lot of money and resources just waiting for me to get them back. With that kind of gold we could do a lot of good around here, get the Order of Fire better supplies, that sort of thing. Plus there are those other estates that are supposedly mine, which would make good secondary bases.”

Kat smiles.

“I like this plan.”

Gil smirks a little bit.

“Only because you know you're gonna get showered with coins for whatever science projects you come up with.”

Kat leans on him a little bit.

“Weeeeell... Maaaaaybe~”

Taret smiles softly.

“It also means that you'll be sticking around a bit longer before you head off, so you'll have time to catch up with your parents and get to know the rest of the order. What's step one for us?”

You turn and walk around the room slowly.

“Well, we need to tidy up the manor a bit and find out what went wrong there, as well as get my maids and butlers back. It shouldn't be a huge issue, honestly. I'll probably take Gil and Sena with me, and Kat too... I don't think I'll need anyone else for this since it's mostly sneaking around, so Taret, you can stay here if you want.”

He nods slightly.

“It makes sense to me. I'll stay here and continue my flying practice and training.”

You nod slightly and smile.

“We'll move out in the morning then. We've got a bit of a hike to get back to the manor unless Millie drops us off. We should probably get some sleep soon.”

>Call a top bunk and pass out
>Call a bottom bunk and pass out
>One last thing before bed
>Other (write-in)

>>42598897
Top bunk, cause we're topdragon

>>42598942
I forgot to add
>tease Taret a little before going to sleep

>>42598897
>Call a top bunk and pass out
>Don't tease Taret, we've got to focus on what's important

>>42598958
Dare I ask, tease in what manner?

>>42598897
>>Call a top bunk and pass out

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You walk over to one of the ladders and climb up.

"Dibs on this one."

Kat laughs a bit.

"I think Sena had called that one. We've got the one under her and Taret had the bottom bunk on the other side."

You nod and head for the other bunk when Millie walks into the room with a smile.

"So which one is mine?"

She bounces excitedly. Two beds, three people. Taret seems to have come to the same conclusion, and he gives a resigned smile.

"I'll go fetch some spare pillows. I'm used to sleeping on the ground."

>Tell Millie to share with Sena
>Share with Sena
>Share with Taret
>Let Taret take the floor
>Other (write-in)

>>42599182
>Share with Sena

>>42599182
>"Nuh uh. Millie's sharing with me. Cuddle elemental."

>>42599182
>>Share with Taret

>>42599182
>Share with Sena

>>42598999
>>42599182
I meant tease verbally, in the sense of remarking about sharing bunks, but now that it's come to this, I'd say share with sena, I don't wanna do more than toss him a bone for now.

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You shake your head.

"Take the top bunk over there, Millie. I'll share with Sena. Then no one has to sleep on the floor."

Millie zaps to the top bunk with a smile and flops onto it, and Taret starts to take off his armor.

"Rest well then."

He smiles a bit, and you give him a brief one before you turn to climb the ladder and join Sena up high. She smirks at you and whispers conspiratorially.

"I think he likes you a lot."

You shrug slightly and smirk.

"Maybe he does."

You get into bed and realize something dreadful. Wings. These beds aren't the grand, giant ones at the manor. You don't have the room stretch out properly without squishing Sena against the wall or smothering her under you.

>Sena can deal with it
>Suffer in silence
>Ask Taret to take the floor after all
>Take the floor
>Other (write-in)

>>42599355
>>Take the floor
>>42599392
That'd tear our wings.

>>42599428
What if we laid on our stomach?

>>42599442
That'd fall under us Smothering her.

>>42599442
Then Sena would have a wing in her face. You don't have precise control over your wings yet.

>>42599355
>Ask Taret to take the floor after all
Well, he said he was used to it.

>>42599355
Suffer in silence

>>42599355
>Have Sena lay on you

>>42599593
You know what? This might work best for everyone. Changing from
>>42599544
to this.

>>42599593
I am in agreement.

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You sigh a bit.

"Sena? Get on top of me."

You reposition with her, getting comfortable as Sena carefully lays down on top of you.

"How's this?"

Sena isn't particularly heavy, which makes things considerably easier on you. You close your eyes and relax.

"This is just fine, yeah."

You feel Sena curl up on top of you, and you let yourself pass into sleep. Allegiset leaves you alone, and you sleep soundly through the night, although when you wake up your neck feels a little sore in one spot like someone was gently gnawing at it during the night. Taret is already wide awake when you open your eyes, stretching and doing push ups. Without a shirt, you note. You can't tell if that's just what he does or if he's trying to be impressive. Sena is still asleep on top of you.

>Enjoy the view
>Get up and spar with Taret, see how good he is.
>Get everybody up and get ready for the mission

>>42599946
> Watch for a while, and then spar with him
Sweaty hand to claw/wing combat go

>>42599946
>Get up and spar with Taret, see how good he is.
Might as well get some training in, focus.

>>42599946
>Enjoy the view

>>42599946
>Get up and spar with Taret, see how good he is.

>>42599946
>>Enjoy the view
Then
>>Get up and spar with Taret, see how good he is.

Alright, make a Sneak roll

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>42600273

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>42600273

Rolled 10 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42600273
+Perception?

>>42600310
Perception doesn't help you avoid being caught while peeping on Taret while he's working out.

>>42600273
Say, did we ever spend our levelup points?

>>42600341
Yes, we got a wound slot.

>>42600341
Yes got an extra wound slot.

>>42600338
Self control?

>>42600338
I do hope that the DC to this is at least easy all things considered.

>>42600341
It go spent on a wound slot before your fight with Astonoro. Then he had shitty rolls and you didn't need it.

>>42600338
Alright.

I kinda want to fail because I think it'd make a more interesting scene in that case.

>>42600367
Even if we fail, maximum Taret blush sounds okay to me.

I wonder if we're rolling against Taret's spot check or Sena's. I think Sena would be funnier, personally.

I'm gonna be honest, i'm not for getting into romance stuff at this time when we haven't really managed to progress on the main quest for a long time. I'm not against not saying no to him, but i'm not a fan of getting more and more interested in him right now.
Just putting that out there.

>>42600517
I'm pushing for waiting about all this nonsense, but playing around a little bit with Taret and Kot in the meantime is fun. I doubt we'll have much time in the future, anyway, with how things have been going.

>>42600564
That's true. As i said i'm not against playing around a bit, but getting romatically involved right now is something i want to probably wait for until we've seen more of the story and is closer to the endgame.

>>42600517
Well we need to spar with him to find out if he's worth considering but I'm fine with getting back to the quest.

>>42600681
>We need to spar with him to find out if he's worth considering.
This is true, if he's weak in any way then this would never work.

File: 1398283685646.jpg (59 KB, 803x600)

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You lean forwards slightly to get a better view, mindful not to disturb Sena, and watch Taret for a bit. You notice a couple of things as your eyes wander. His whole body is covered in scars, almost all of them old and fading, likely from childhood injuries, and mostly on his back and shoulders. You also notice that he's not built purely for strength. More of a runner's body than a bodybuilder's.

It's then that you notice he's looking right at you. Crap. He doesn't say anything, just meets your gaze before looking away once more and doing a handstand, resuming his pushups like that. Alright, /now/ he's showing off. You slowly and carefully slip out from under Sena and climb down.

"If you want to train then let's spar."

He springs to his feet and smiles.

"My personal code of honor forbids me from striking an innocent, but I think spying on someone makes you not quite so innocent..."

He grabs his shirt.

"Follow me, there's a room we can use."

There's a moment of hesitation, and he holds out his hand, offering it to you.

>Take his hand
>Whoops, can't show that on a Christian imageboard. Lead on, no hand holding
>Other (write-in)

>>42600745
>>Take his hand
Lead on sir knight.


Let's see how he reacts to our literal claws.

>>42600403
It was both

>>42600745
>>42600777
I'm with Mr Trips here. Pop out our claws and take his hand.

>>42600777
The ones that just yesterday got filed down in preparation for the ball?

>>42600745
>Take his hand
Might be a good time to show off our claws.

>>42600797
Grow them out again with magic or something? Dragon-magic can do that, right? Otherwise i don't know how we allowed them to do that.

>>42600797
I'd assume we'd have objected if that interfered with their combat ability, so they probably still don't look like regular fingernails. Just more well-kept claws.

>>42600816
It happened while they were drugging you with the soaps and stuff. You were busy trying to keep your mind steady.

So, without your claws at maximum sharpness, do you still want to take his hand?

>>42600797
They're still larger than average. I'd imagine they're just really sharp and painted.

>>42600797
Oh, well, if we don't have them then I guess we'll just take his hand. They should grow back pretty quickly, though, right?

>>42600851
Correct. They aren't nonfunctional, they just look well-maintained.

Sleuth roll

Rolled 12 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>42600919

Rolled 4 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42600919
Sleuth + Perception?

>>42600955
Add perception for this one. I really need to get in the habit of describing the point of the rolls but perception rolls are less interesting when announced.

Rolled 5 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42600919
+perception

>>42600972
I thought you literally wanted us to roll for taking his hand or something with the claws.

Rolled 14 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42600919

You take his hand and smirk.

" Lead on, good sir."

Taret looks like he didn't expect that at all, his cheeks turning bright red. He smiles sheepishly and squeezes your hand lightly.

"It would be my privilege."

He turns and leads you out of the room. You can hear soft giggling behind you, and a quick glance tells you that both Millie and Sena are awake and watching you. You feel the heat rising in your own cheeks and move a bit faster to get out of their line of sight. Taret seems to take that as a positive sign, and gives your hand another squeeze.

"I'll try not to hold back too much, but I don't want to hurt you."

He leads you into a large empty chamber and releases your hand, tossing his shirt to the corner of the room.

"Ready?"

You nod and get into your stance, compensating for the weight of your wings.

"Let's go."

-

Strength roll, Speed roll and Smarts roll

Rolled 4 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42601047
Strength + Brawling

Rolled 18 + 9 (1d20 + 9)

>>42601047
Strength+Sword
Are we using swords? Do our claws give us any bonus if not?

Rolled 19 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42601047
Strength, add sword or brawling as appropriate

Rolled 17 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>42601047
Speed + Dodge?

Rolled 6 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42601047

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>42601047
Speed

Rolled 9 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>42601047
Speed add dodge when necessary

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>42601047
Smarts

Rolled 20 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42601047
Smarts plus focus

Rolled 12 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42601047
Smarts+focus?

Rolled 15 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>42601122
Guess I roll to confirm?

>>42601079
>>42601084
>>42601122
19 17 20 before mods. Kotijah strong swift and smart.

>>42601196
Yeah, it would probably be us going easy on him by the end of this if it weren't for that we usually go all out.

File: 1426253766961.jpg (180 KB, 900x1165)

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You go back and forth chipping away at each other. Every time you get in a good blow he counters with one of his own, and it isn't long before you work out Taret's strong point. He's got far more endurance than you do, and the gap between you gradually begins to widen until you find yourself on the defensive. He stops suddenly, just short of knocking you off balance with a punch, and smiles.

"That was fun... Thank you for that... Let's get some water and cool off."

>We're not done til someone hits the floor
>Yeah. Sure. Break time. I'm not worried about losing. Nope.
>Other (write-in)

>>42601320
>We're not done til someone hits the floor
It was just about to get fun!

>>42601320
>>Yeah. Sure. Break time. I'm not worried about losing. Nope.
Tease Taret about his endurance.

>>42601320
> Break time
We're still wounded.

>>42601362
Are we? I don't think so.

>>42601320
>We're not done til someone hits the floor

>>42601373
I thought we were, although the healing at the magic hospital may have fixed us up.

If we're not wounded, then for sure go until one of us is down. This time we go for quick damage and no endurance tests.

If we're going until one of us hits the floor, we oughta tease Taret about how the real fun starts then.

>>42601320
>Hah. You're a long laster, hmmmm?

>>42601498
... Please don't do this.

>>42601574
Mkay. Just a thought. No problem retracting it.

>>42601347
>>42601454
>>42601498
Can we not? Taret's just going to blush and stammer out something in return. I'm for messing with him, but some of those are shit.

If we have to, I'm with >>42601454

File: 34597-1920x1140.jpg (1007 KB, 1920x1140)

1007 KB JPG

"I'm not gonna stop until one of us is too worn out to continue. You're still standing, right? Well so am I. The real fun starts now."

You resume your stance and give him a smirk.

"You can keep it up a bit longer, right?"

The innuendo goes clear over his head for a few seconds before he turns scarlet and laughs.

"Alright then. One last clash. Winner take all."

He adopts his stance, and he charges you the moment you rush him.

-

Speed roll and a Strength roll

>>42601320
>This better be part of a plan to build up my endurance. I know I'm new to this but I will get better.

Rolled 9 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42601609
Strength + Brawling

Rolled 17 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>42601609

Rolled 16 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>42601609
Speed + Dodge

>>42601678
Remember that you need to declare what you're rolling for or else the roll won't count.

Rolled 19 + 6 (1d20 + 6)

>>42601609
Speed+dodge

>>42601678
>>42601699
Oh, I wasn't aware of that. Strength+brawl, was what I was rolling.