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>>42756554

Yes, well, this wasn't something you'd planned for. You weren't even looking for him, you insist, you just... crossed paths quite unexpectedly. In either case, you appreciate the little demon's efforts regardless – did she learn anything while she was out there?

“Plenty,” Undine nods, “Oberon's the talk of the town – and not for any good reason. They're saying he's to hold a trial, with all his absent enemies represented by effigies. When he finds them guilty – no “ifs” about it, boss – he'll burn them all. Titania, Cu Chulainn and Cernunnos.”

Wait, you pause, trying to remember what the king's most recent delusion had been. He means to find Cernunnos guilty of his own murder? And then execute him, for murdering himself? The thought alone, just trying to imagine the tortured lunatic logic that goes into a decision like that, makes your head throb with a dull pain.

“Uh, boss, that's not the worst bit. He's burning them in effigy because they're not able to face trial. Problem is, there's still some people who ARE there to get dragged up in court,” Undine bites her lip fretfully, “He's saying Cassandra had some part in this conspiracy. Without anyone else there, she might end up a scapegoat.”

That's it. There was a line, and Oberon just crossed it. Waltzed across it. Leapt across it with a hop, skip and jump. He's gone too far this time, and you're not going to just turn the other cheek. For this, you're going to crush him – but you've got to get there in time first.

“Perhaps I can help?” Titania offers, “I believe I can take us there in an instant. Picture the audience chamber in your mind – can you do that, Amelia?”

Damn right you can. You've been there enough times to picture it clearly.

“Then hold that thought in your mind,” the queen advises as she joins hands with you and Cu Chulainn, your bodies forming a circle. Then, with a blinding light, you feel your body wrenched away.

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>>42756561

Consciousness returns a moment later, and you open your clenched eyes to see the audience chamber, just as you'd imagined it. Cassandra stands to one side, her wrists and ankles chained and the looming form of Oberon's chief thug standing behind her. The king himself is standing at his throne, apparently paused in the middle of some pompous speech. All eyes fall upon your little group, and none of the assembled witnesses dares to make a sound.

“So,” Oberon recovers quickly, touching two fingers to the Lunar Crown perched atop his head, “The rest of your conspirators have joined us at last, human. Are you here for your judgement, traitors?”

“Oberon!” Cu Chulainn roars, pointing his spear at the king, “Cease this madness at once, for your own sake!”

“Madness? You, a murderer and a coward, speak to me of madness?” Oberon laughs, and edge of hysteria in his voice, “You should all burn!”

It's a tense moment. Cernunnos is ready for summoning, his icon displayed in bold colour on your phone screen – that should put an end to these accusations, right? But then, with Oberon gripped by insanity, it might just force him to make some irrational move.

>Summon Cernunnos and deny the murder charges
>Summon your demons and attack Oberon
>Try to reason with the king
>Other

>>42756568
>Summon Cernunnos and deny the murder charges
He needs to be there anyways, but also hover your finger above Heartless's icon. Oberon tries anything summon him too.

>>42756568
>"Is Cernunnos dead?"
>wait for reply
>Summon Cernunnos and deny the murder charges

Heartless can stay in the shadows, I guess? That or whoever we have that can defend against fire.

>>42756568
>>Summon Cernunnos and deny the murder charges
Oberon remember our chat about attempting to crush people under heel and how it causes rebellion? I'm sure you do. Remember what I told you happens to those who threaten me and mine?

>>42756600
>>42756677
>>42756736

What crime, you demand, have these people committed? The silence draws out a moment longer as the eyes of the crowd turn upon you. The murder of Cernunnos?

“Vile murder!” Oberon snaps, “The killing of a defenceless nobleman cannot be allowed to go unpunished!”

Objection, you shout, gleefully drawing upon every courtroom drama you've ever seen. The defence, you add as you pull your phone out and point it at Oberon, calls a witness! A single slip of your thumb is all it takes to summon Cernunnos in all his glory. Tall, broad shouldered and crowned with the skull of a vast stag, the horned god of the hunt brandishes his spear and bellows a victorious cry.

You've had your differences with him in the past, true, but it lifts your heart to see him out of that miserable pit and standing upright again. Judging by the astonished gasp from the watching crowd, there wasn't a single man among them who expected to see the nobleman materialising before them. Even Oberon is speechless.

“You thought you'd finally gotten rid of me?” Cernunnos sneers, “Think again, cur, my revenge is long overdue!”

You lock eyes with Oberon, savouring the moment when the blood drains from his face. Does he remember what you told him, you shout, about threatening you and your friends? He's about to get a damn good reminder!

For a moment, it actually looks like Oberon is going to stand and fight. His hand drifts down to the sword sheathed at his hip, the other holding tightly onto the rim of his cursed crown. Could he really hope to stand against Cernunnos, given the sheer advantage the horned god has in physique alone? But, before you get to see them putting it to the test, Oberon turns to flee, flying hastily down a darkened passageway. Dirty coward.

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>>42756818

Morrigan, his chief thug, wastes little time in leaping across the courtroom, her dark wings carrying her a great distance in a single bound, and blocking the exit. “I won't let you threaten the king!” she snarls, drawing her own sword and lowering her body in a guarded posture. The rest of the guards, dotted about the hall and spread throughout the crowd, mill about in confusion – unsure of what to do with recent events. Cernunnos' return, you realise, has shaken Oberon's grip on them.

“We'll hunt him down,” Cernunnos snarls, his breath carrying the stink of carrion, “Cut down any who stand in our way, and when he has nowhere left to run, destroy him.”

“I advise caution,” Cu Chulainn argues, twirling his spear as he watches Morrigan carefully, “She's no slouch this one.”

“Bah,” Cernunnos spits, “What happened to you, man? You've spent too long with women and shrieking babies, they've dulled your lust for battle!”

If those two are QUITE finished, you snap, maybe you can all do something about this? Before Oberon flees to wherever the hell fugitive fairies flee to? Despite your words, Cernunnos and Cu Chulainn glare at each other for a moment longer, and you sigh in despair. Fine. You'll make the first move. Idiots.

>Attack Morrigan (Summon one extra demon)
>Check on Cassandra
>Try another route – maybe you can cut Oberon off
>Other

>>42756867
>Check on Cass
>Summon Heartless in case Morrigan tries anything funny

>>42756818
He's going to grab the Gae Bolg. Great.

>>42756867
Tell them to rally the crowd. Gather everyone under the banner of Titania AND Cu, while WE
>Check on Cass

>>42756867
>>Check on Cassandra
Our priority. Those two can handle Morrigan. Summon Heartless as our escort.

>>42756867
Heartless for escort, check on Cass. Then find Carnby.

>>42756878
>>42756888
>>42756889
>>42756947

Those two fools... You grab Cu Chulainn by his shoulder and pull him around so you can meet his eyes. Keep the crowd under control, you tell him, they'll listen to him – trust him, even. If he can get the crowd on your side, that's great, but he should focus on keeping them out of harm's way for now. You've got other priorities.

You hurry away, leaving the squabbling pair stunned for a moment before you hear Cu Chulainn raising his voice in a plea for calm. It doesn't seem to win the crowd over, but they look a little less inclined to stampede now – and that's the best you can hope for, under the circumstances. When you arrive at Cassandra, you soon realise why the girl has made no attempt to flee – her chains are passed through an iron ring set into the floor. Not even Troll would have the natural strength to rip the metal clamp free.

You, on the other hand, don't need to resort to natural strength. You stoop low and punch the iron ring with your enchanted knuckleduster, causing the metal to buckle and split. A second blow frees Cassandra, who sags gratefully at her new found freedom before her eyes grow wide with fear. You spin, expecting an attack, but realise that it's only Heartless, your summoned bodyguard, that startled her. After seeing what it did to Gabriel, maybe you shouldn't be surprised that the girl is afraid of him.

“Amelia?” Cassandra asks, throwing worried glances around the chamber, “Nobody's told me anything about what's going on, they just grabbed me in the middle of the night! Since then it's just been questions, over and over again...”

The full explanation might have to wait, you tell her tersely, was Carnby with her? Has he been arrested as well?

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Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>42757091

“I think he's still in the archives,” Cassandra rubs her forehead, wincing at some pain, “I've not seen him though. He could be anywhere!”

But, if you know your father, he's probably still there buried under a pile of books and ancient scrolls. Maybe he hasn't even noticed what's going on – the library, from the few times you've been in it, almost seemed like a separate world from the rest of the palace. Silent, no matter what was going on around.

“They took my phone, my sword, everything,” Cassandra tells you, “I can help you look, but I won't be much help if it comes to a fight.”

You're about to reply when a heavy wind, utterly unexpected in the enclosed hall, knocks both you and Cassandra from your feet. The same wind scythes through the hall and scatters the crowd, even managing to drive Cernunnos to his knees. Cu Chulainn is one of the few left standing, straining against the force of it.

“Fall, you dog!” Morrigan screeches, swiping her sword through the air and battering you with another blast of wind, “I'll strip the flesh from your bones, you damned animal!”

Cursing, you send a mental command to Heartless, urging the demon to his feet and to the offence. The murderous demon slips and slides across the ground with a boneless motion that nevertheless offers Morrigan's deadly winds nothing to catch hold of. If you can just distract her long enough to make her drop her attack...

>Please roll a D100, I'll take the highest of the first three

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>42757120
pls

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>42757120

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>42757120
>Gun time

>>42757142
D A M N
A
M
N

We should probably have a heart-to....heart....with Hearless like we did with Ripper sometime.

So we're we rolling for Amelia or Heartless there?

>>42757185
Does it matter? My 100 insures Morrigan is about to have a bad day.

>>42757185

>Heartless

>>42757200
Well if it was Amelia it'd be cool to see her go Muhammad Ali on Morrigan.

>>42757223
Or just pull out a gun and double tap.

>>42757232
Unfortunately when the gun isn't enchanted and its just mundane it doesn't do much damage.

>>42757248
A bullet for each eye then. Eyes are squishy after all.

>>42757142

Hissing and snaring, loose drops of spittle flying from his bared teeth, Heartless squirms and writhes his way towards Morrigan, every movement he makes going unnoticed as the warrior woman focusses her attentions on Cu Chulainn. You swear you can see the corners of Heartless' grimacing mouth twist up into a vicious smile as it gets within striking distance of Morrigan, one hand lashing out to seize her ankle and, with a violent pull, drag her kicking and screaming down to the ground. Immediately, the winds die down and you jump to your feet.

Tangled up in Heartless' boneless limbs, his grip shifting and changing with each passing moment, Morrigan's long, gleaming sword is rendered useless, just another burden for your demon to wrestle away from Oberon's thug. You hear bone creak as Heartless tightens his grip on Morrigan's wrist, his hand clenching until the joint is first broken, and then sliced apart. She screams, rage and pain mingling in her shrill voice.

“Call it off!” Cu Chulainn yells suddenly, his hand falling heavily on your shoulder, “She's done! Finished! We need to find Oberon, not waste time breaking every bone in her damn body!”

Maybe he's right – or maybe it would be quicker just to kill her now. No need to worry about her coming back to haunt you later.

>Have Heartless restrain her for now
>Leave her, chase after Oberon
>Kill her quickly, move on
>Other

>>42757288
Heartless knock her ass out. We have a king to catch.

>>42757323
>>42757288
Sure. She isn't going to heal from that anytime soon, magic or no.

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>>42757323
>>42757352

Cu Chulainn is right. There's no need to waste any more time on her – that's not the kind of wound she'll be able to just ignore – and you've got a king to catch. Just knock her out, you tell the killer as you hurry down the passageway. Before you lose sight of her, you get a brief look at Heartless grabbing a handful of the warrior's hair and slamming her head against the stone floor. You said knock her out, not kill her...

Still, whatever brutalities Heartless had planned, they don't last long. By the time you've turned a few corners, he's already caught up with you, slithering along on quick limbs. After a while, you start to recognise this stretch of corridor – this is leading to Oberon's private chamber. Does he still have Gae Bolg hidden away here, ready to use as a weapon of last resort? That question still haunts your path as Cernunnos ploughs through the door, breaking into the king's last line of defence.

“So, you're here at last,” Oberon snarls, “All of you, ingrates. Worms. None of you would be anything if it wasn't for me, and now you're just going to get rid of me? I'm just one last inconvenience in your grand plan, is that it?” As you feared, he thrusts Gae Bolg madly at the air in front of him. Even Cernunnos leans back, away from the gleaming tip.

“Give. Up,” the horned god growls, “Surrender, cur.”

“Surrender to you? Ha!” a harsh bout of laughter escapes Oberon, “You'd be nothing more than a petty hunter if it wasn't for me! And you, human, I should have thrown you to the wolves when we first met! Is this how you repay my mercy? My kindness?”

Once, that kindness would have meant something. Now, though, the mad fairy before you is but a pale shadow of the king you once knew. It's really come down to this, has it? Spitting curses and bitter regret in a drab, dark room. Not a noble way to end things.

>>42757550

“Who do you think she'll have killed first, then?” Oberon sneers, “As soon as one of you fools speaks out against the queen, she'll have your head! You can be king, but you'll never be safe from her!”

“Just shut up,” Cernunnos growls, “Stop wasting your breath you wretch.”

“Your majesty,” Cu Chulainn adds, attempting a more diplomatic solution, “This is hardly behaviour befitting your status. Be calm, please. Stand down now, and you will be treated with the respect a king deserves. We treat prisoners well – you know that.”

“No, no...” Oberon clutches his head, his mood swinging from wrathful to melancholy in the blink of an eye, “The things I've done, what you've MADE me do... there's no redemption from that. No hope of peace...” As he lapses into murmurs, the deadly spear dips low in his hand. Maybe now you've got a chance – an opportunity to strike.

>Try and seize the crown
>Knock him out quickly
>Talk a little more, convince him to come quietly
>Other

>>42757600
>Knock him out quickly
We can take the crown off after he stops being a threat.

>>42757600
>Knock him out quickly

>>42757635
>>42757717

You're not just going to stand here and listen to more of the king's paranoid ramblings. In fact, you're long past the point of caring about anything he has to say – watching him rant and rave is like seeing some sinister force living on within the shell of a departed friend. True, you were never quite “friends” with the king, but you had your moments of respect for him, moments which seem cheapened with every second he spends as an unstable tyrant.

So, in the end you waste little time in lunging forwards and landing a solid punch – not with your knuckleduster, you don't want to kill him – across his jaw. Whatever the king was about to say dies in a gurgle as his wings falter and he drops to the ground, motionless. It doesn't even feel that satisfying, despite all the times you thought – fantasised, even - about punching his lights out. Well, that should be the end of it – you'll have to content yourself with that.

“Huh,” Cernunnos laughs bitterly, “Just hit him. I never thought that would work.”

Sometimes that's all it takes, you tell him with a backwards glance, kicking the Lunar Crown away from the king with your foot. You don't even want to touch that damn thing, let alone pick it up with your bare hands. Don't let anyone near that crown, you warn the pair, who both nod. They've seen its effects up close – they understand the dangers better than anyone else.

“We'll keep him in the dungeons for now,” Cu Chulainn tells you, stooping to pick up the king's limp body. There is a surprising amount of respect in his motions, as though he is only now beginning to realise what he has done. For Cernunnos to act against the king was easy – and certainly not a new or unique thing. Even Cu Chulainn had enjoyed his moments of defiance, but this was different. Now, you really do feel like conspirators, collaborating to dethrone the monarch.

Even if he really did deserve it.

>>42757927

“It had to be done,” Titania announces from behind you. All three of you, Cernunnos and Cu Chulainn included, stiffen in surprise as the queen approaches, involuntarily parting to let her past. “Had we left him to his own devices, the king... Oberon, would have dragged the kingdom to the point of destruction. This was inevitable, from the moment he put on that crown.”

From the moment she gave him that crown, you correct her, drawing all eyes back to you. It was risky, but it needed to be said. All this, all that happened, was because of her plans and how quickly she lost control of the situation.

“Yes, that theory of yours,” Titania allows herself a small smile, “But you profited from it as well, did you not? You were all too quick to start making demands, once you knew there was an opportunity.” A pause, here, and Titania's smile grows wider, “Regardless of the danger your friend might have been in.”

That's a low blow, and she knows it – that infinitely small smirk that passes across her face reveals how much of your reaction she was able to read, and how much it amused her.

“Speaking of your, ah, requests,” the queen adds, as though rubbing salt into the wounds, “I've ordered your new quarters to be prepared. The best we have, built for visiting diplomats during more peaceful times. Now, they seldom see any use at all – I would be happy to offer them to you and your companions. You must need a rest, surely?”

Well, she's right about that at least – the closest thing to a rest you've had since the battle for the third cornerstone involved you getting strapped to a chair and sent to Hell for a bit. After that, anything would be relaxing.

“Then go, sleep,” Titania waves you away, “In the morning, we have much to discuss about the future.”

>>42758189

Well, she was right about one thing. These quarters ARE nicer. The bed is larger – not that that's really much use for you – and the sheets are made from some fine, silky material. In fact, just about everything is an upgrade over the old guest room you were given when you first arrived. This feels closer to a fancy hotel room, compared with the functional dormitory style of your old room.

“Apparently the professor is still in the archives,” Cassandra tells you, settling down into an overstuffed chair and sighing in satisfaction, “You know what he said when the guards found him? He didn't even realise something was going on. Not the coup, I mean. All that fighting, and he couldn't even look away from those books for a moment.”

You laugh, although it feels a little forced. You don't know if you should be worried or not. Yet, you know that the longer Carnby works at doing his research, the sooner you'll get a lead on the fourth and final cornerstone. After that, the keystone itself, and whatever lies beyond. It's a little intimidating to think about, the idea of some final battle between Heaven and Hell.

Cassandra lapses into silence, slowly pulling her legs up and hugging them to her chest. The conversation between you feels... stilted. Forced. You wonder if she's still in shock, or something like it, from the stress of recent events. Maybe she just needs a rest – you both need some decent sleep, that's for sure.

“You came as quickly as you could, right?” she asks suddenly, not looking at you.

>What's Titania been telling you?
>Of course I did
>Rushing in would have been dangerous, you know that
>Other

>>42758344
As quickly as I could get you out safely. I couldn't tackle Oberon and the court on my own. We'd all be dead then. I am sorry I couldn't watch out for you better. Oberon caught everyone by surprise.

>>42758344
>>Other
"As quickly as I could with a plan and back up that could work. Believe me, if I thought me and 2 of my demons would have done the trick I would have been here sooner. The situation was so fucked up. Everything is okay when we leave to go get the cornerstone and then suddenly both you and my dad are hostages and I have to pretend to kill Cernunnos to prove my loyalty. The fact that I was even allowed to go outside to get back up was a blessing."

>Cassandra being needy again
Someone needs to tell her that the world doesn't revolve around her

>>42758482
She got abducted in dead of night, accused of shit she didn't do and knew nothing about, likely got beaten and tortured too.

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>>42758482
Dude she was suddenly taken prisoner and we, the person who said we'd always watch her back, was nowhere to be found. Not to mention Titania is probably being a bitch telling her shit. She's allowed to ask whats up.

>>42758419
>>42758461

You came as quickly as you could get a plan together and the reinforcements to pull it off, you tell her carefully. Once you got back from the cornerstone, everything happened so quickly – both Cassandra and Carnby were hostages, or as good as, and you needed some way to make a show of loyalty to Oberon. Killing Cernunnos, or at least making it appear that way, was the only way you could get outside.

“I see,” Cassandra says quietly, but adds nothing to that ambiguous sentence.

You needed to get help, you stress, you had to make sure Cu Chulainn was warned, and then you had to go north, to rescue Titania. As you talk, however, you realise how bad it all sounds. Everything you say seems to revolve around rescuing other people, making sure others were safe. Even when you were reunited with Cassandra after your time apart, the first thing you did was ask after Carnby. You wish you could have looked out for her more, but you weren't prepared for this. Oberon took everyone by surprise, with his sudden... deterioration.

“I knew there was something wrong with that crown,” Cassandra murmurs, “I knew it, but I brought it back anyway. I just... wanted to do something for myself. I guess I was chasing after glory, just like Cu Chulainn, right?”

Knock it off, you snap, throwing one of the numerous ridiculously lacy pillows your bed is covered with at her. How was she supposed to know that the crown was cursed, just because she got it from a, ah, a giant... devil? All this stuff, it even took Titania off guard, and you're pretty sure most of it was her idea in the first place!

“Maybe,” Cassandra stands, stretching with a pained grimace, “You did your best. I, uh, I know that. I mean, getting killed running into a trap wouldn't help anyone, right?”

>>42758744

Right, you smile, relieved to see that she understands. Your smile falters a little when you see her shirt ride up slightly, exposing a mottled bruise colouring her stomach. No wonder she looked to be in pain earlier. She'd been hiding it as best as she could, but when she stretched...

“It's nothing,” she insists, pulling her shirt down to cover the injury, “I mean, it's a bruise, yeah, but I'm fine now. I will be fine.”

She doesn't look fine – if anything, she looks pale and a little sick – but you're tempted to let the matter go. You can't imagine that Oberon's goons were gentle with her, especially if she was suspected of some farcical plot to murder their leader. Fanatics always go too far, and you've been on the receiving end of one of Oberon's orchestrated beatings to know how bad they can be. At least all her limbs are working – that's more than you could say.

“Back to work tomorrow,” the injured girl yawns, but pauses, “Amelia, do you really think we're safe here, now? I mean, that's the end of it, right?”

The end of Oberon and Titania's little squabble? You damn well hope so – you can't imagine the king carrying out a campaign from a jail cell. Still, Titania was able to pull enough strings that way...

>Get some rest, Cassandra. We'll be busy soon
>I don't think we'll ever be safe. Anywhere
>We're safe, for the time being
>Other

>>42758820
>>Other
"I hope so Cass, I really do."

>Get some rest, Cassandra. We'll be busy soon
"Have Unicorn see if he can take something off those injuries."

>>42758820
>We're safe, for the time being
But given Titania's proclivity to intrude in my room when I sleep I'll be posting a guard. If you want we can have a sleepover.

>>42758860
Eligor best guard.

>>42758860
>a sleepover
I know where this is going

>>42759052
Shadow puppets.

>>42759052
Shadow puppets and reading Fujoshi bait. Then Cassandra leaves in the middle of the night to go Test Cu Cuhlain's "Gae Bolg" herself.

>>42758856
>>42758860

You're safe for the time being, you tell Cassandra, at least you hope you are. But she should really get some rest, maybe see if there's anything Unicorn can do for her injuries.

“Healing magic, yes,” Cassandra nods, “I mean, it's worth a try, right? No point in just enduring stuff like this. It doesn't... make you tougher or anything, right?”

Is that what she was doing, just letting her bruises ache to try and get a little tougher? Because that'd be pretty dumb.

“Of course not!” Cassandra laughs nervously, “Ah, uh, pretty dumb, yeah!”

Look, you tell her with a weary smile, you're going to be posting a guard at your door regardless – you've had enough of Titania's midnight visits to last a lifetime – so she's welcome to crash in your room for the night. You could have a sleepover, whatever one of those involves. You've never actually had one before. It hardly fitted with the tough-guy, troublemaker image you spent so long cultivating. You've got to admit, you're a little curious...

“Really?” Cassandra gives you a strange look, not quite meeting your gaze, “That's what you're into? Um, I mean that's fine! That's... you know... fine! Not what I expected, but...”

Wait, you ask hastily as you feel your cheeks heating up, just what the hell is she thinking?

…

In the end, you spend half the night talking, bickering and joking around. So much for getting some rest. Still, you feel better than you have in days by the end of it.

>>42759237

In the morning, the palace seems a changed place. The corridors are alive with the sounds of conversation once more, with pixies rushing from place to place and muffled music coming from distant rooms. Whether the people are truly happy, or simply relieved to be free of Oberon's unstable influence is something that only time will reveal, but for now queen Titania has been welcomed back with open arms.

Still, the sight of her sitting next to that empty throne is an unsettling one, a reminder of recent events. You're just sitting down to a late breakfast when you hear your phone chime. Cernunnos, his icon flashing red with a particular urgency. Frowning, and hoping he doesn't want to duel you over the dinner table or anything like that, you summon the horned god.

“Oh please,” Cassandra groans and she covers her eyes, “Put it away!”

“That throne,” Cernunnos, ignoring Cassandra's complaints, rumbles, “It should be mine. It's a bad omen to leave the throne empty for too long. Ruin will come to the kingdom.”

Is that so, you ask as you carefully keep your eyes above waist level, so what's he going to do about it?

“I must wait, see if the queen will choose me as her next husband. A formality – who else is there?” there is a certain arrogance in Cernunnos' voice as he grunts a brief laugh, “I will be king, no doubt about it.”

Oh really, you raise an eyebrow and smile a little. You can think of a few other candidates that Titania might be willing to court. Some of them might even make good kings, given the opportunity.

“What would you know about it?” the horned god asks, “Bah, human, who would you name as the next ruler, then?”

>>42759471

Well, truth be told you're hardly the expert here. You just wanted to take some of the wind out of his sails. That said, the only proper candidate you can think of is Cu Chulainn himself. He's noble, brave and would put the kingdom before all other concerns. You can't think of a better man for the job. Do you really want to tell Cernunnos that, though?

Besides, you were kind of hoping that you could convince Cu Chulainn to join your party of demons, or maybe persuade him to accompany Cassandra. If the hero was made king, there would be no way he'd be able to travel with you full time. Come to think of it, the same could be said for Cernunnos – he'd be too busy ruling. That's a strange thought – the barbarian sitting on a throne, dictating taxes or doing whatever a fairy king is supposed to do. Ridiculous.

Cernunnos' eyes bore into you as he awaits your answer. You're a little tempted to joke around with him, just to see his reaction.

>Cu Chulainn should be king
>I think Titania's got her eye on the professor, if you ask me
>I'll do the job myself, damn it!
>No, it should be you after all
>Other

>>42759481
Well you and Cu are the clear front runners. But I doubt either one of you would enjoy it long. After all you'd have play politics all day, set taxes and be regal in bearing. For one thing you'd have to dress up and forgo that wild ness you love so dear, for another you'd have to deal with Titania, her machinations and her indiscretions. You remember what happened last time I hope? Politics suits you like the heavens suit Lucifer in his true form.

>>42759583
>>42759481
I like yours better, seconded.

>>42759583
This

>>42759583
>>42759675
>>42759718

You think about making some bad taste joke about you taking the job yourself, or giving it to Carnby, but the thought alone of that second option sends a shudder running down your spine. Seriously though, you say as you look back to Cernunnos, you're hardly the expert here. If Cernunnos is set on being the next king, he should probably make his case to Titania in person.

Truth be told, though, you're not sure either would enjoy it much. Being a king looks like a lot of work, and hardly any of that work would be the kind that Cernunnos is suited to. He'd need to think about taxes, about carrying a regal bearing, about... wearing trousers. The point is, he'd need to turn his back on the wild and deal with Titania all the time. Her constant scheming, plotting and, ah, indiscretions.

If you're being entirely honest, Cernunnos suits politics like Lucifer suits Heaven. They parted ways a long time ago, and perhaps that's for the better.

“Perhaps you're right, human,” Cernunnos muses, “I shall take this matter to the queen directly, when I have decided where my true desires lay. What of you, then, what do you plan on doing now?”

Now? You're not sure. Wait and see what come across your desk, perhaps. You might get lucky and find the location of the final cornerstone pretty soon this time.

“Bah!” Cernunnos complains, “You should seize the initiative, go out and find this trophy for yourself!”

He makes it sound so simple. It's not like you've got the whole of London to search, or anything.

>It's early, but I'm going to have to stop there for today. I hope to have the next thread ready for Tuesday/Wednesday. Apologies for the brief session.

>>42759990
Thanks for running! This is a good stopping point anyways.

>>42759990
Thanks for the run boss.