>>44119224
It takes a moment for the scene before you to set in. Lord Kraemer's body is currently lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his room, cut from shoulder to hip. Blood soaks into the carpet beneath him, still oozing from the grizzly wound on his torso. Just a few hours ago you were in the council's meeting room with him, discussing the crusade. Now here he is, lying dead on the floor right in front of you.

You're still trying to decide what to do when you hear footsteps coming from down the hall. It sounds like a large group of people are heading this way. You wonder if they might misunderstand the situation if they see you here alone with Lord Kraemer's body.

>Hide somewhere, you can't afford to be associated with this by the council.
>Run away, perhaps you could open the window and fly back to your room.
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.
>Ask Leviathan for help. Maybe she could use her powers to help somehow?
>Other

>>44119239
>>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.

>>44119239
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.

>>44119239
>Check for signs of life (despite how very dead he appears).
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.
>Ask Levi to keep an eye (or rather Mind) out for anyone nearby who is agitated. It's a long shot, but maybe we'll get lucky.

>>44119239
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.

Like what we've said last time,we don't even have any blood on us

>>44119239
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.

>>44119239
>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.
Get Levi's help for investigation only, no need to hide things

>>44119239
>>Alert the council. You've done nothing wrong, and you can prove it if anyone suspects you.
We dindu nuffin

>Improved prowess - Over time, you have absorbed enough energy from Galadriel to receive a passive increase to your strength and spellcasting. In time, your abilities will continue to increase as more energy is shared with you by Galadriel, boosting your strength, spellcasting, and other abilities as well given enough time. This is a passive effect which requires no activation or cooldown.
Why didn't she stay some time hidden with previous wielders so they get a lot stronger?

>>44119788
That would be optimal, but she's full-blown Lawful Good (which has a hard time standing by while innocents suffer). Also consider that there was a rather intricate ceremony for prospective champions. Galadriel going missing (and the demon lords knowing she's not dead) is a pretty sure sign that something up or that the demons have a free shot.

I don't think it would occur to Ms. Pigeon-Brain that it's a viable strategy.

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I'm still disappointed that you didn't choose to fly with her.
>>44119874
>Ms. Pigeon-Brain
Levi pls go.

>>44119788
The holders aren't with Galadriel all the time, so it would be suspicious for someone to constantly be near the sword without switching shifts.

Considering the spy networks of the demons, I don't think it'd be very easy to get away with AND train in proper use of the power.

>>44119931
>notice that I forgot Joan's glasses
>I'm currently laying low so no tablet-using just yet

So much for hindsight

>>44119874
>Lawful Good
Honestly with her disregard for her Angel in Chief's commands and not really giving a crap about Iseria's bureaucracy I think she is more Neutral Good. Sieg is more on the Lawful side being a guard and all.

>>44119971
Speaking of Joan I'm surprised she never used Mind Link.

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>>44120000
>sacking Berry
Anon pls

>>44119976
Perhaps, but there's some wiggle room. The correct answer is that she's somewhere between the two of them since she desires order and goodness, while neutral good typically only cares of goodness and incidentally order if it brings about good.

I don't think it effects the example though, since a neutral good character would also have difficulty dealing with the thought of innocents being killed while they attempt a gambit strategy of secretly training a super-soldier.

>>44120041
It simply is a very convenient spell for someone mute.

>>44120084
Eh strictly DnD alignments are dumb anyway. More to a person than that.

>we still haven't mind linked everyone in our honor guard to talk with Galadriel
We have to fix that.

>>44120130
Gotta be one at a time and we need to record Reinhardt's reaction.

>>44120161
The fanboy's reaction should also be amusing.

>>44119239
You take a deep breath. Calm down Siegfried, you've done nothing wrong here. If you just take a breath and explain yourself, everything will be fine.

With that in mind, you sheath your sword and rush down the hallway, towards the sounds of footsteps. It doesn't take long for you to find the source, as you nearly bowl over one of the high councilmen right as he turns the corner.

"Whoa there, watch where you're going." The councilman says indignantly. Behind him, you find that the rest of the council is here as well, on their way back to their quarters.

"Siegfried? What's all the rush about?" Lord Bernadotte asks.

You point down the long corridor, towards the still-open door to Lord Kraemer's room. "There's been an attack." You tell them, trying your best to stay relatively calm.

"What?!" Lord Moeller exclaims. "On who?!"

"Lord Kraemer, sirs. He's dead."

You hear a few audible gasps from the council. Immediately, everyone rushes to Lord Kraemer's door to confirm what you said.

"By the Void!" A few cry at the sight of Lord Kraemer's dead body.

"Who did this?!" Lord Traultmann demands, reaching for the handle of his sword.

"I don't know, my lord. When I arrived, I found Lord Kraemer as he is now."

"'When you arrived'? What, so you just 'happened' to show up and find Lord Kraemer like this?!" Lord Moeller declares, taking a step away from you.

"Lord Moeller, now is not the time to start throwing around aimless accusations." Lord Bernadottes states in a surprisingly calm tone given the situation.

"Agreed! Look at the boy, there's not a speck of blood on him anywhere." One of the other councilmen agrees.

"He could have easily cleaned himself off!" Lord Traultmann counters. "Besides, what was he doing in Lord Kraemer's room anyways?"

>Tell them about the demon spy, how you came to investigate because Galadriel sensed something was wrong.
>Give them another explanation. One of them might be the spy, let them think you're not on to them for now.

>>44120412
>Tell them about the demon spy, how you came to investigate because Galadriel sensed something was wrong.

>>44120412
>Give them another explanation. One of them might be the spy, let them think you're not on to them for now.
While the first option sounds like a good explaination,it might be best not to reveal our hand just yet

>>44120412
>Tell them about the demon spy, how you came to investigate because Galadriel sensed something was wrong.
But leave out Ganelon.

>Do you want to have a word with Angel Galadriel?
I mean seriously, Galadriel picks Champions for integrity. To doubt us automatically when we still have Galadriel implies that he doesn't trust the angel herself.

>>44120412
Give them another explanation. One of them might be the spy, let them think you're not on to them for now
Tell them Galadriel woke you up as she sensed something unusual was happening.

>>44120515
>>Do you want to have a word with Angel Galadriel?
Good choice, doubting an angel's word is heresy.

Gotta step out for a sec, will count votes and write once I get back. First though, let me answer a few questions.

>>44119788
Keep in mind, the demon attacks only stopped 200 years ago, after Andras' crusade. Before that, the demons were almost constantly at war with humanity, meaning the other champions didn't have the luxury of waiting until they were stronger before they had to start leading troops. Besides that, you never know where Lilith's spies are watching, so often it was safest for Galadriel to just bring the champion to the Watchtowers right after they became champion.

>>44120000
The answer to that is simple: Mind Link costs energy to cast, just like every other spell, and being that Joan relies primarily on spellcraft she decided it was easier to just write down what she's thinking than cast a spell every time she wants to talk to someone, which would leave her tired if she needed to bust out her spells for some reason.

She didn't really find writing her thoughts to be a pain anyways, though Berry certainly has made things simpler. For one, she doesn't have to buy so much paper anymore.

>>44120515
>can you prove that the voice is Galadriel?

>>44120412
>Tell them about the demon spy, how you came to investigate because Galadriel sensed something was wrong.

Seriously, if one of them is a demon assassin who was assigned to kill shit under the nose of a super-angel then thy'd probably be aware that she can get a rough feel of demonic activity.

Doesn't seem like we're really tipping out hand.

>>44120412
>Tell them about the demon spy, how you came to investigate because Galadriel sensed something was wrong.
We have to protect the other councilmen

>>44120590
>The sword is floating in front of your face, sir, I don't know what further proof you want from me. Writing on the ground is rather undignified and destroys royal property.

>>44120589
Another question then. When you use mind link is everything you think sent to the others or can you filter what you actually want to say? If it is the latter then it'd be very useful to cast it in the morning (since it lasts the whole day) to the guard and have a phone call with them whenever you need.

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>>44120161
Because I've been putting this off for too long

>>44121690
That Gal face.

>>44120412
"I was in my room when Galadriel sensed that something was wrong." You explain. "She led me to Lord Kraemer's room, and that's when I found him like this."

"What do you mean 'sensed something was wrong'?" One of the councilmen asks. "What, precisely, did the Sword Maiden feel was wrong?"

"She said she could sense there was a demon in the castle." You tell him. "Which means the one that killed Lord Kraemer must have been a demon in disguise."

"Preposterous!" Lord Moeller exclaims.

"I don't know if I'd call it preposterous. Lilith has been known to send spies into mortal lands, and given the topic of our meeting..." One of the councilmen warily points out.

"Why would they target Lord Kraemer then? I thought he was against the crusade?" Another asks.

"My point exactly!" Lord Moeller says. "I know for a fact that Lord Kraemer intended to vote against participating the crusade!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Lord Bernadotte points out.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I spoke with Lord Kraemer not long after my arrival here in the capital. In that time, I convinced him to vote in favor of the crusade instead."

You see Lord Moeller's wrinkly face start to flush red with anger. No one mentions the iron deal, but you get the impression Moeller has an idea of how Bernadotte changed Kraemer's mind.

"Then...could someone have killed him because they knew he was changing sides?" One of the councilmen suggests.

"That's a possibility. Though then the question becomes, how did they know? As far as I'm aware, only myself, the Champion, and Captain Laurentius knew that Lord Kraemer was changing sides. It would be ridiculous to think that either the Champion or the Captain are the imposters, and as you all know I was in the council room with everyone else when Kraemer stepped out to retrieve something from his room."

>>44121868
"There's also another question we must ask ourselves." Lord Barthelmes interjects. "If this murder was related to the council's decision on the crusade, perhaps it would be prudent to cancel the council's meetings until the matter has been resolved?"

>Yes, put the meetings on hold until the spy is found.
>No, we don't have time to delay. Iseria needs to come to a decision soon.

>>44120664
You actively choose what you want to say through the mental link, yes.

>>44121905
>>No, we don't have time to delay. Iseria needs to come to a decision soon.

>>44121905
>>No, we don't have time to delay. Iseria needs to come to a decision soon.

>>44121923
We should begin using it more then.

>>44121905
>No, we don't have time to delay. Iseria needs to come to a decision soon.

>>44121905
>No, we don't have time to delay. Iseria needs to come to a decision soon.
"However I want to bring up another matter. Now that we have confirmed demonic infiltration the King and his heir's sudden illness during the meeting that can change the fate of Iseria is starting to look suspicious. We need to look into that."

>>44121905
You shake your head. "There's no time to wait, Iseria has to come to a decision soon."

"Then what if the murderer comes for someone else?" One of the councilmen asks.

"Most of you came with bodyguards, right? Stay close to them, or ask some of the castle's guards to protect you for now. Captain Laurentius and I will get to the bottom of this, in the meantime don't go anywhere without guards to protect you."

There are some murmurs of discontent, but the majority of the council agrees that the meetings can't be delayed. With that settled, you wonder how you should go about finding the spy.

>Start investigating the scene, look for anything that might help you figure out who killed Kraemer.
>Interrogate the councilmen, ask them about what happened prior to Kraemer leaving on his own.
>Wait for Laurentius and Ganelon to get here and help you investigate.
>Other

>>44122402
>>Start investigating the scene, look for anything that might help you figure out who killed Kraemer.

>>44122402
>>Wait for Laurentius and Ganelon to get here and help you investigate.
coordination is key.

I'm thinking that we ask for the King, Ganelon gets on the demon scent trail, while Laurentius starts poking at the councilmembers he knows fairly well.

>>44122402
>Wait for Laurentius and Ganelon to get here and help you investigate.

>>44122402
>Start investigating the scene, look for anything that might help you figure out who killed Kraemer.
At this point the spy'd probably have a fake account ready if we interrogate them.

Come to think about it,do we have some way to detect whether someone's lying?

>>44122402
>>Wait for Laurentius and Ganelon to get here and help you investigate.
Though we might as well use our angel gloves on everyone here.

>>44122483
>we might as well use our angel gloves on everyone here.
Supporting.

>>44122402
>>Wait for Laurentius and Ganelon to get here and help you investigate.

>>44122402
>>44122687

Good.
Backing this.

>>44122483
I'll third this.

>>44122483
And don't forget to use it this time. I don't want to get kidnapped AGAIN

>>44122483
Seconding.

Disguise as regular gloves and act normal,so the spy won't suspect anything until they're caught red-handed.

>>44122402
"Lord Bernadotte, have you seen Laurentius or Ganelon anywhere?" You ask, recalling that Ganelon said Laurentius had left to speak with Bernadotte.

"I parted ways with your captain not too long ago. I don't know who Ganelon is, but I assume he's part of your honor guard, and I haven't seen any of them since we parted ways at the meeting."

That explains why Ganelon is taking so long to get here, odds are he didn't find Laurentius in the meeting room and is looking for him now.

"Alright then. I'm going to wait for them both to get here before I start investigating, but in the mean time, here."

You reach down to draw Galadriel out of your belt, still sheathed, and hold it out towards the rest of the council.

"Galadriel burns demons on contact." You explain. "So, just to be safe, I'd like everyone to step forward and grab Galadriel's hilt."

"You're saying you suspect one of us is the killer?" Lord Traultmann objects.

"I'm just being careful, sir. It's...not the first time I've dealt with shapeshifting demons."

There's a moment of hesitation as everyone on the council glances at each other, but they all step forward one at a time to do as you ask. Lord Moeller seemed a bit twitchy this whole time, but nothing happens when he grabs Galadriel's hilt, so he must not be the spy. One by one they all touch Galadriel's hilt, but none of them are burned.

'That's strange.' Leviathan remarks. 'I'd have thought for sure at least one of the councilmen would be a spy.'

Not too long after that last councilman touches Galadriel's hilt, Ganelon and Laurentius finally arrive.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Ganelon apologizes, sounding a bit out of breath.

"What's going on here?" Captain Laurentius asks immediately. "Why is the whole council gathered here?"

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>>44123203
You fill them both in on what happened. You show them Lord Kraemer's body, and Captain Laurentius frowns.

"And you said that none of the council reacted to Galadriel's touch?" He asks.

"No sir."

"Then our first priority is to look for clues to the demon's identity. Someone should alert the king to what's happened as well."

>Investigate the scene.
>Interrogate the council.
>Check on the king, alert him to what's happened.
>Other

>>44123203
>'I'd have thought for sure at least one of the councilmen would be a spy.'
They are a spy for sure, but not a demon.

>>44123224
>>Interrogate the council.

>>44123224
>Investigate the scene.
>Check on the king, alert him to what's happened.
>Other
Investigate the King's healer?

>>44123268
>Investigate the King's healer?
Also investigate the sickly prince.

>>44123203
>Why is the whole council gathered here
BUT KRAEMERS NOT HERE

>>44123224
>Investigate the scene.
>Check Laurentius again

but it's probably a human spy, from the council

>>44123203
Well alright,so much for doing the checking secretly.

>>44123238
Actually that makes sense,nobody said a mortal can't work with a demon.

Also
>>44123268
seconding this

>>44123283
>>Check Laurentius again
Sure. we must check EVERYONE
>>44123287
It was even stated a few threads ago that there are some humans working with demons.

My suggestion for the investigation is to gather the honor guard + Laurentius, cast mind link in the whole group and split up in pairs to investigate. That way we can cover more ground and always be in touch.

>>44123224
>>Investigate the scene.
>Check on the king, alert him to what's happened.

Time to put our experience with murder mysteries from our time in the guard to good use. Then check on the king, something smells fishy there.

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>>44123224
You nod. "Then let's take a look at the scene, see if we can find anything."

The others agree, and you start investigating the scene. Ganelon checks the body while you have a look around the room. Meanwhile, Laurentius starts interrogating the council.

The first thing you check is Lord Kraemer's door. The door doesn't look like it was forced open, and from what you can tell the lock hasn't been messed with. It seems like the door was unlocked when whoever attacked Kraemer came in.

The next thing you notice about the room is that there isn't any signs of a struggle. Everything seems to be in place, nothing's been knocked over or tossed about. In fact, it's a little eerie how neat and tidy the room seems. Whoever it was that killed Kraemer must have caught him completely by surprise, because as far as you can tell there was no struggle.

The last thing you notice is that one of the small drawers in Kraemer's desk is open, but nothing's inside. Did the killer take something from the drawer before he left? If so, then what was it?

"Anything you can learn from the body?" You ask Ganelon, once you've finished searching the room.

"Not too much, no." He admits. "Although one thing in particular does stand out."

"What's that?"

Ganelon points to the wound on Kraemer's torso. "This wound is a few inches deep, and cuts through some of Kraemer's ribs. It would take quite a bit of strength to cut through bone like that, though given that it was a demon that attacked him that's not surprising."

You force yourself to take a closer look at Kraemer's wound and confirm that several of Kraemer's ribs have been cut clean through. The sight of the gore makes you feel a bit queasy, but Ganelon seems surprisingly unaffected.

"Anything else?" You ask.

Ganelon shakes his head. "No, that's all that I can tell I'm afraid."

"Alright, then let's wait for Laurentius to finish and see what he found out."

>>44123980
The two of you wait in the doorway for Laurentius to finish speaking with the Councilmen. Once he finishes, he enters the room so you can share your findings in private.

"From what I can gather, Lord Kraemer left shortly before the meeting ended to go and fetch something from his room. The meeting ended shortly after he left, but most people stayed behind to continue discussing certain matters with other councilmen. At that time, Lord Moeller and Lord Barthelmes stepped outside to discuss something in private. They came back about ten minutes later. After that, the council started heading back to their quarters together and that's when they ran into you."

"Then the only ones that were out of the room for any length of time were Moeller and Barthelmes?" You ask.

"Correct."

You ponder this new information a bit. It's not unthinkable that either or both of them could have reached Kraemer's room and killed him within ten minutes, but you're not sure they'd have time to change out of their bloody clothes, hide the weapon, and return in that time frame. Plus, as Ganelon said, it would require abnormal strength to cleave through Kraemer's ribs the way they were, and since Galadriel didn't burn them you doubt either of them have that sort of strength, particularly Moeller considering how old he appears.

"It's not much to go on, but it's a start at least." You admit.

"A start is fine, but we need to find the spy quickly, before they have another chance to attack." Ganelon states.

"Agreed. Ganelon, go and inform the rest of the honor guard on what happened here. Siegfried, go with him and return to your room. I want someone standing guard outside of his room at all times, set up a shift schedule if you have to. I'll go and alert the king to what's happened here."

>Ask to go see the king instead
>Oblige, go back to your room for now and get ready for the next day
>Other

>>44123997
>>Ask to go see the king instead

>>44123997
>Ask to go see the king instead

"Come on now, even in the guard they taught to never investigate alone when there's a criminal on the loose."

>>44123997
>Ask to go see the king instead

>>44123997
>>Ask to go see the king instead

>>44123997
>Ask to go see the king instead
Check the healer at the meantime

Also betting 5 quid that while Moeller and Barthelmes couldn't be the direct culprits,chances are they have contacts with other demons so they won't be the ones to get their hands dirty.

>>44124062
It's obviously possible that they're in league with demons, but I think it's pretty odd that the high council of the land would be involved so heavily in it. If they're just plain greedy, then there's a huge just on the evil spectrum from "Not throwing my weight around without some coinage" and "Actively working against what's best for the people".

I haven't seen enough screentime to determine if they've crossed the moral event horizon, but generally people who are that far gone have some issues with behaving normally.

Now this mystery king and suspicious prince on the other hand...

>>44123997
Let's go see the prince and the healer

RECHECK LAURENTIUS

>>44123997
>Ask to go see the king instead

>>44123997
>>Ask to go see the king instead

>>44124062
Doubt its Moeller. I think he is just a greedy stubborn old man.

Don't think it's Moeller too. Seems to me that he's just afraid that Gal will find out (SIN THAT NOBODY KNOWS) when he touches it, damning him.

>>44124264
....huh. Can't Gal read memories or something?

>>44124270
She can,confirmed that when she talked about her first impressions of us

>>44124264
>>44124288
sooooo is this sin actually not that bad?

>>44124288
i remember when she told us her opinion on Siegfried after we pulled the sword we laughed and said yep thats Seig

>>44124326
Or maybe that was in her side-episode.

My memory's not very good,after all.

>>44124351
it was like 3 or 4 threads in

her side episode was her remembering Seig laughing

>>44124351
2nd thread. She told us in very blunt terms we were not meant for this job. We laughed and agreed.

How wrong we both were huh?

>>44124351
I know you don't do lewds, but I was wondering if you could do a funny borderline case.

Sieg is shining his armor as per proper maintenance while Galadriel is spacing out in her mindscape.

After a little bit of curiosity he gets his sword and starts applying some mineral oils and Gal is drawn out of her trance saying "Wait, Siegfried that's not really necc-"

Have a panel of him casually shining the sword and saying "What was that?"

Cut to Galadriel (in the mindscape) looking hot & bothered (and fairly confused), saying "n-nothing..."

>>44123997
"Actually, sir, you mind if I go to speak with the king instead?"

Laurentius looks at you quizzically? "What for?"

"I just thought it would be best to check him and the prince as well. Particularly the prince, given that there was a point where he could have been impersonated by a demon."

Laurentius thinks about it and nods. "Alright, but be as subtle as you can. The last thing we need is to alienate the royal family by pointing fingers at them. Take Ganelon with you as well, now that we know there's a demon on the loose I don't want you going anywhere alone, whether it's in town or inside the palace."

You nod, and head for the upper floors of the palace with Ganelon in tow.

----------
It doesn't take long to find the king's quarters. Two large oak doors, decorated with the motif of a crown, mark the king's quarters on the top floor of the palace. Six guards stand outside, each wearing fine armor and bearing the king's heraldry. One of them stops you when you approach the door.

"The king is asleep, he has specified that he's not to be disturbed until morning."

"It's an emergency." You tell him. "Lord Kraemer has been killed, and we believe one of Lilith's spies may be to blame. We came to alert the king."

The guard looks taken aback by this information, but doesn't budge. "I will make sure the king receives this news first thing in the morning. However, the king specifically stated he does not wish to be disturbed until morning."

"Then you're not going to let us in?"

"No, I'm sorry. I promise you, I will deliver the news to him personally, first thing in the morning."

>>44124483
You sigh, but accept it. If the guards won't let you in, then there's not really anything you can do about it.

As you and Ganelon are leaving, however, you see a soft flash of glowing light come from another room adjacent to the king's quarters. Two guards stand in front of the room, but it looks like the door is open. Perhaps that's the prince's quarters? You could go investigate, but you're not sure the guards will let you in.

>Investigate
>Leave it for now, you need to get ready for tomorrow and discuss the situation with Galadriel and Leviathan.
>Other

>>44124490
>Investigate

The flash is probably the healer we've heard about before. Doesn't matter too much if we poke around, but if they tell us to piss off then there's not much we can do about it.

>>44124490
>>Investigate

yo, can we get snek to help us by maybe mind controlling one of the guards to enter the king's quarters? Under the cause of 'just making sure thing's are right'

>>44124490
>>Investigate

>>44124490
>>Investigate

>>44124490
>Investigate

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>>44124457
That's

Uh

It's going to take some heavy convincing,m8

>>44124707
just think of the funny final panel beyond the nothing

"what are you doing Seig"

"Just polishing my sword"

Alright Murrican here falling asleep. Euros assemble to take over.

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>>44125249
Asian time for me,so a solid 12-hour difference between here and Murica.

Either way I have to run off soon,leave requests until I'm back

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>>44124490
Well, you figure there's no harm in trying at least. Besides, you wanted to check on the prince and make sure nothing's impersonating him anyways.

Ganelon follows you as you make your way towards the prince's quarters. As before, the guards outside stop you from going inside.

"Sorry sir, but the prince's room is off limits. Only His Majesty and the royal healer are allowed to enter."

"That flash just now, that was healing spell then?" You ask.

"The royal healer is currently attending to the prince, yes. You have nothing to worry about, Champion, now please-"

"Jurgen? Who's out there?" You hear someone call out. The voice sounds young and weak, perhaps the prince?

"It's the Champion and one of his companion, my lord. They were just passing by." He states.

"Champion...? You can let him in, I don't mind."

"My lord, now's not the time for visitors. You should rest for now, and let the healer do his work."

"I've already done all I can for today." Another voice calls out. "I say go ahead and let them in, the boy hardly ever gets visitors anyways."

"...Very well then." The guard says, sounding oddly reluctant. "You may pass, please mind your manners around our young lord."

You and Ganelon pass by the guards and enter the prince's quarters. The room is quite lavish, as you'd expect, though all the furniture seems a bit smaller, intended for a young child. You even seem a small toy box sitting in the corner of the room, unopened. At the center of the room lies a small bed, with a child lying under it's covers. The boy has short brown hair and short pointy ears, evidence of his half-elven heritage. You've never seen him in person before, but you recognize his description. Prince Dietrich III, of Iseria. Sitting in a chair next to him is a middle aged man with combed black hair and a trimmed beard, presumably the prince's healer.

>>44125376
"Hello. Are you the Champion?" The bed-ridden prince asks, politely, pointing towards Ganelon.

"Me?" Ganelon asks, pointing to himself. "No, I am not. My name is Ganelon, I am part of the Champion's honor guard. This is Siegfried, the real Champion. It's an honor to meet you, young one."

"Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." The prince says apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, you're not the first to make that mistake, actually."

"I'm not?"

"No, Captain Arnault at the Red Watchtower was. He made that mistake in front of the whole watchtower, actually. He was really embarrassed when I stepped forward and told him the truth."

The prince laughs softly. Meanwhile, the royal healer grabs a glass of water and takes a drink, setting it back down on the nightstand before addressing the two of you.

"So, Champion, what brings you here to visit the prince, if I may ask?"

"Well...really, we came to speak with the king, but he was asleep. We saw a flash of light coming from here so we thought we'd come see what was going on." You tell him. Of course, your real reason for coming here was also to check the prince and make sure he's not the demon in disguise, but you don't think saying that would sit well with anyone.

"Ah, I see. Well, that's a happy coincidence then, his majesty here was actually hoping to see you."

"Wait, he was?"

Prince Dietrich sits up and nods. "Father said that the Champion was coming to the castle. I've never seen a Champion before, but I've heard about them from the stories Otmar tells me sometimes. Do you have the sword?"

"You mean Galadriel?" You ask.

"Can I see her?"

That request catches you by surprise. You were just trying to think of a way to subtly test the prince with Galadriel, and here he is asking if he can see it.

>>44125383
"I don't see why not." You answer, drawing Galadriel out of your belt. You pause for a second to check with the healer first, but he nods his approval. Having permission, you pull Galadriel out of her sheath and hold it for the young prince to see.

"Whooaa." The prince remarks, looking at his reflection in Galadriel's golden blade. "Can I hold it?"

"Sure." You tell him, grabbing onto the flat of Galadriel's blade and holding the handle towards Prince Dietrich.

The prince grabs the handle of the blade. He's not actually lifting it, of course, as Galadriel would fall like a rock if he were, but he seems content just to hold the sword's handle. His hands do not burn when he touches it, proving that the prince is not a demon.

"I wish I had a sword like this." The prince remarks. "Otmar, do you think father will let me have a sword like this one day?"

"Perhaps when you are older." The healer replies.

'How peculiar.' Leviathan comments.

'What is?'

'This child.'

'What about him?' You ask, confused.

'His aetheric reserves, they're not something I'd expect to see in a young mortal.' Leviathan explains. 'I honestly thought there was two spellcasters in here when we were outside.'

'I thought the same.' Galadriel says. 'Though this does explain why the prince has been sickly for so long. He's not sickly in body, he's sickly in spirit.'

'Sickly in spirit? I thought having large aetheric reserves was good?'

'Normally, yes. This is different though, it feels as though the prince's soul is too large for his body.'

'Is that possible?' You ask.

'Yes. It's very rare, but it does happen sometimes. It's an accident of the Void, where a soul too large for a mortal shell is reborn as a mortal.'

>'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?'
>'Is there a cure?'
>'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them then?'
>Excuse yourself, return to your room.
>Other

Sorry for the long wait, had a lot to type and had trouble staying awake. Probably going to wrap it up soon.

>>44125399
>>'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?'
>>'Is there a cure?'
>>'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them then?'
ask everything

>>44125399
>'Is there a cure?'
>Other
Ask to speak to the healer in private and tell him about this. Probably after checking him of course.

>>44125399
>>'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?'
>>'Is there a cure?'
>>'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them then?'
Exposition,ho!

Sorry for forcing another wall of text,but hey we'll need that info either way

>>44125399
>'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?'
>'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them then?'
>'Is there a cure?' - 'If he learns some magic and burns off the excess would that aleviate some of the problem?'

>>44125399
>>'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?'
>>'Is there a cure?'
>>'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them then?'

>Show the prince that you can shape shift the sword into a gauntlet and shake hands with the healer.
>Tell the kid you can enchant him another sword that can shape shift like that but that it won't be quite as strong as Galardriels sword.

>>44125699
>>44125399
Double dubs.

We must offer the kid a gift later then.
Also might be a good motivation to learn better healing magic to cure him and Joan.

>>44125775
>learn better healing magic to cure him
Why bother? Just allow Levi to have half his soul for a snack.
Problem solved in less than a minute and everyone calls us saint for curing the prince's disease.
Lets not do this

>>44125800
Siegfried will practice healing magic anyway.
We want to be able to rez our selves like Andras.
Erika beheaded him and he still got up.

>>44125821
I'm not sure,that much rezzing power might be due to him going half-demon (or was it full demon at that point?)

>>44125844
Uh only half.
He got a bit of angel taint as champ.
That's why he would have been able to safely grab and kidnap Gal if Siegfried didn't stop him.

>>44125844
Also Sparks said in a previous thread that we can regenerate like that if we practice healing magic enough but it wouldn't be passive like Andras did it but a spell we have to cast.

>>44125844
We have Galadriel though. I'd assume angels have the same regenerative capabilities as demons and Sieg's soul is slowly fusing with Galadriel's.
Maybe we'll eventually get to the point where we can regen lost limbs and stuff. It seems like a passive ability rather than a magic spell to me though.

>>44125399
'Why didn't the prince start falling ill until after he grew older then?' You ask.

'When a soul is reborn within a physical shell, the soul is weak but grows stronger as it reaches maturity, along with it's shell.' Galadriel explains. 'When the prince was young, his soul was probably still within his body's power to contain. As he's grown older, however, his soul has steadily grown stronger to the point where his body cannot handle it.'

'What happens when someone's soul is too big for them to handle then?'

'They die.' Galadriel states sadly. 'As the soul grows stronger, the body strains itself more and more to contain it. Eventually the strain proves too much, and the body dies. Sometimes, the soul is just weak enough that their body can contain it, just barely, though at the cost of constant health problems. I fear the prince does not fall into that category, as already his soul seems far too strong for him to handle. I would guess that he will die in a few years given the rate his soul seems to be growing at.'

'Is there a cure?' You ask, alarmed at this news.

'No, there is none. To save him, someone would have to reach into his soul and attempt to mold it in a way that his soul would not strain against his body so much. Few beings in this world possess that power, many of which are our enemies.'

'Aren't there any angels that could do that?'

Galadriel thinks. 'Suriel, the Virtue of Sincerity, had the power to accomplish such a task. She lies within the Void, however, like the rest of my kind. I'm afraid I know of no one else that could help him, besides Alastor and Malaphas himself.'

You frown. You sincerely doubt that either Alastor or Malaphas would help save the prince's life. That leaves only Suriel, but as Galadriel said she is in the Void with all the other angels. Perhaps you could ask Zaphiel for help the next time he appears in your visions.

>>44126128
"Sir? Is it true you can change your sword into anything you want?" The prince asks, interrupting your thoughts.

"Well, not anything, but I can change it into a few things. Watch."

With Galadriel's blade in hand, you will her sword to change into a gauntlet on your right hand. It does so, quickly shifting around your hand and into the shape of a gleaming gauntlet, intended for striking things with but a gauntlet nonetheless.

The prince stares in disbelief and smiles. "That's amazing!" The prince cries weakly. "What about wings? Can you grow wings like the stories said too?"

The healer, Otmar, stands up from his chair. "It's getting late prince, I believe the Champion will want to go to sleep soon."

"Oh, right..." The prince says, a little disappointed. "Can you come to visit tomorrow then?"

"If I can, sure." You tell him. That seems to brighten the princes mood a bit.

"Well, thank you for coming." Otmar says, extending a hand towards you. You shake it with your gauntlet hand (again, no burns), and bid the prince goodnight.

>>44126145
---------
The guards salute to the king as he approaches the door. It was part of his everyday schedule for him to come and visit his son during the mornings, and even now he wanted to check on his son and make sure he was alright.

“Good morning Dietrich, did you sleep well?” The king asks kindly.

The sickly prince stirs in his sheets. Slowly, he sits up straight and rubs his eyes, smiling at his father as always.

“Good morning father, I slept great.”

“Good, good.” The king says, taking a seat on his son's bed. “And how was your day yesterday? Did Otmar tell you another story?”

“It was great!” The prince cried. “Otmar told me another story, and I even had a visitor yesterday.”

“Oh? Who came to visit you yesterday?” The king asked, puzzled. He hand not arranged for anyone besides Otmar to see his son, who came to visit him unannounced?

“The Champion, Siegfried.” Dietrich said with a smile. “You should have seen it father, he even let me hold his sword!”

The king's smile started to wane. “Oh...is that so?”

“The Champion said he would come to visit me again if he had time, I reall hope he does. Do you think we could be friends, father?”

“...”

“Is something wrong father?” The prince asked, concerned.

“No, nothing's wrong.” The king said, forcing himself to smile. He touched his son's forehead, feeling the heat. “Jurgen, fetch Otmar for me again, would you?”

“Right away sir.” One of the guards replies.

“Am I gonna pass out again...?” Dietrich asked, fear starting to creep into his voice.

“No, no, that's not why I called for him.” The king reassured him. “I just thought you might like a little company since your father's going to be very busy today.”

“Oh.” The prince said, visibly relieved.

“Now, make sure to drink lots of water like Otmar said, alright? I have to get going, but I'll come by tomorrow morning just like usual, alright?”

“Okay...” Dietrich said faintly. The king knew his son was sad that he couldn't stay longer, and indeed the king would stay here all day if he could. But that was not possible, a king's duties simply demanded too much for him to spend the entire day with his son. Today especially he could not stay, on this day that he'd been dreading for so long.

“I love you son, I'll come visit again as soon as I can, I promise”

With those last words, the king left his son and made his way back to his room. The doors behind him shut, and he heard that voice he'd come to loathe speak once more.

“You aren't having second thoughts now, are you?”

The king shook his head. “No, I'm not.”

Indeed, it was far too late for second thoughts. He'd already committed, it was far too late to back down now.

It would all be worth it in the end. It had to be. No one would forgive him for his transgressions if they found out, but that didn't matter so long as it paid off. Besides, if everything went well, no one would ever know what he'd done.

Today was the day. There was no turning back now.

>>44126186
King made a deal to heal his son?

Okay, I'm going to call it a night now. I'll be running KMQ sometime tonight if I'm feeling up to it, if not then I'll run on Sunday instead. Keep an eye on twitter just in case something changes.

Sorry for how infrequent threads have been lately guys. The good news is, the semester is over and I should be able to run more frequently. Thanks for playing everyone, I'll stick around for a bit to answer questions if anyone has them. Speaking of which...

>>44125821
>We want to be able to rez our selves like Andras.
>Erika beheaded him and he still got up.
That actually wasn't him rezing himself, that was just him not dying very easily. You have to remember, Andras was turned into a demon by Malaphas himself, which means that there is a tiny fraction of Malaphas circulating around in there. The result is that he's very difficult to kill through mundane means, although Galadriel is very capable of killing him.

>>44125869
>Also Sparks said in a previous thread that we can regenerate like that if we practice healing magic enough but it wouldn't be passive like Andras did it but a spell we have to cast.

There are spells (and possibly angelic abilities) which will make it possible for you to regenerate, yeah, but not to the extent of what Andras can do. Andras is unique in that he got a lot of his power (regeneration included) from Malaphas, whose regeneration is a bit different than that of other immortals. The kind of regeneration you guys have access to might let you eventually regrow arms or non-vital organs, but there's no coming back from losing your head.

>>44125881
> I'd assume angels have the same regenerative capabilities as demons
They do. Malaphas's regenerative abilities are different from normal angel or demon regeneration though, like I said.

>>44126210
looks like it.

>>44126261
thanks for the thread OP!

>>44126210
Hopefully, we get a vision soon, so, we can make a counter deal.

>>44126261
Thanks for the run Sparks.
Get a good rest.

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Alright I'm back

Might as well post a shitscribble from my sketchbook

>>44124789
I'm not sure,feels like it's going to open the floodgates,so to speak…

>>44128070
Fighting the temptation, eh?
We're fine with whichever way you choose. You've already been too kind when fulfilling request imo.

>>44128171
Yeah


It's not working very well

I have a request
>Prince talking about how cool Siegfried is and hoping he'll come visit again
>Siegfred: "Y-yeah, sure..."
>Thinking to himself how the prince is nothing like he imagined, and how feels guilty for suspecting the little sick kid
>Picture of what Siegfried though the kid would be like in a thought bubble. Looks the same, except he's laughing evilly or has devil horns.

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>>44128463
Kid looks pretty similar to a rogue character I thought up long ago,actually

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>>44128463
>>44128616
>shadows intensify

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>>44128704
Time for PARANOiA

>>44128616
Requesting Siegfried walking past a tree.

Behind the tree there are several elves sticking out:

Aleria (while she was blonde)

Captain Lauretenius (stalking Sieg to make sure he has a Honor guard by his side)

Nirellian (tapping the captian on the shoulder and telling him that he's watching over Sieg)

Aleria (brown hair version questioning the first Aleria about who she is)

uh that fanboy elf

Nirellians daughter face-palming and saying ''So the strange people that were stalking someone out in broad daylight was referring to you guys?''

>>44128754
Don't think I've drawn Aleria,Nirellian nor his daughteru

Guess I'll be needing some ref pic support

>>44128795
Wait a minute. I'll dig them up for you.

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>>44128795
I have the ones for Aleria and Nirellian but Nirellians daughter never got a ref pic so imma google something with female-elf-guard.

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>>44128795
And here's mister mid life crisis.

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>>44128976
Maybe this could work?

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>>44128795
Ok here's something modest that will work for Nirellians daughter Sybille.

>>44129053
I said daughter.
You posted a male elf.

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>>44129053
Or something like this for bright hair?

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>>44129107
It's not gay if it's cute.

Also I'm pretty sure that's a girl.

>>44129155
Anon don't try to make drawnon draw yaoi.
She said she won't do lewds.

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>>44128616
That's funny, thanks Drawnon. What makes it funnier is that when I was brainstorming stuff for this arc, the prince actually was going to be the demon originally. I figured that was too predictable though, so I went with a different idea.

>>44128976
>Nirellians daughter never got a ref pic
Yeah, I never grabbed a reference pic for Nerillian's daughter. I figured it wasn't worth digging for since she'll probably only be showing up in-person for this arc.

Also, I think you forgot Aleria's pic from after she changed disguises.

>>44129111
This one's the closest from the examples that have been posted. In hind sight, maybe I should have just found a ref pic for her.

>>44128795
Oh one more idea.

Post a last panel with Siegfried looking at his stat-block and abilities and pause on one title that says: Loved by elves - grants passive aura that attracts all beings with the elf-trait.

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>>44128754
Dammit Sybille looks like a boy here
https://images.plurk.com/vYcJsxEvaPrvXt3Nx7byr.jpg
Bloody hell

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>>44129635
Daww

>>44129635
The chest is almost manly but it's okay.
She's a half elf so that feature is more pronounced anyway.

Also we need more SOL interactions between Sieg and Gal.
Gal is like a shut in sister who only speaks with her brother figure.

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>>44129731
Oh god no

>>44129915
Dawww

>>44129179
Considering how I don't like fujoshit in general,yeah fat chance getting me to draw that.

>>44129915
Requesting Sieg lecturing Gal after she called him Onii-chan and telling her she should be acting like an adult and that she's 3 meters tall for gods sake.

>>44129973
And thank you for that drawnon.

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>>44129973
Actually he was just complaining about the posted elves being too flat.

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>>44130054
>>44129973
>>44129179

>>44130054
No i wasn't and a true man likes all breasts both flat and heavy!

>>44130085
I want this redrawn with this line:

Elves are quick to recognize Siegfried.

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>>44129975
Goddamn it's almost half past 2 in the morning,why am I still awake

>>44130343

Thanks Drawnon.

And please go to sleep, don't get wrinkles by staying up so long.