>>45666099
>"Are you all right?

>>45666099
"Are you okay?" You ask the princess.

"I'm fine... I'm just worried about my siblings. I'm worried that my brother will think I'm trying to steal his birthright." Hilana shakes her head. "I really don't look forward to fighting him."

"Sometimes there's things we don't like that we eventually have to come to terms with." You state. "Running away never solves everything."

"I wish I could believe that." Hilana mumbles.

Suddenly, Verna bursts into the courtyard, out of breath.

"Princess... I'm...here...to...Ugh!" She falls onto the ground, face-first.

You resist the urge to facepalm.

"Verna, get up." Hilana snaps at her. "Stop fooling around and tell us."

The swordswoman manages to pull herself together and shakes her head, "...Dinner's ready!" She spits out. "I came here to tell you that... So hungry..."

"...You came all the way here to tell me that?" Hilana frowns.

>"...How are you friends with her, again?"
>"I wish your dad hired a new bodyguard."
>"She's one of a kind."

>>45666401
>"She's one of a kind."

>>45666401
"She's one of a kind." You say in a flat tone.

"Honestly, I don't know why she acts like that. I swear, most of her family I've met doesn't act like that." Hilana sniffs.

"I think it's because of her mom." You reply.

"How do you know?" The princess asks of you.

"Because I've met her." You sigh.

"Dear gods, there's two of them." Hilana looks at you with a fearful expression.

"You don't have to worry. She's far away from here." You say, hearing Hilana sigh in relief. "So, how about that dinner?"

"I could use some nourishment." Hilana sighs. "Verna, what's on the menu?"

"Meat!" Verna shouts.

"....I don't even know why I asked." The blonde facepalms.

"Let's just go." You sigh and head for the kitchen, the two girls following you.

Soon, you reach the dining hall, where red drapes on the windows and a large marble table await you. It looks marvelous.

"Haha! The boy appears once again!" Rioel's king is sitting at the far end, his consort sitting near him. "How goes the training?" He bites into a piece of lamb's leg.

"Very well. Your daughter is improving in her sword skills-" You are cut off as the king claps his hands.

"Enough talk! It's time for feasting! Chefs! Bring in the griffin steaks and the bison stew!" He shouts as two servants head inside the kitchen.

"Don't expect anything healthy from my father. He's a total carnivore." Hilana mutters to you.

>"...Wonderful."
>"That's...creepy."
>"I bet he kills vegans."

>>45666754
>"...Wonderful."

>>45666754
"...Wonderful." You sigh as the servants bring in a pile of cooked steaks and a pot of delicious-smelling brew. "I can hardly wait."

As the food is given out and put on your plate, you slowly eat your dish as you watch everyone, save for the queen and princess, tear into their food.

"Thish ish gud!" Verna speaks with mouth full of beef.

"Verna, don't talk with your mouth full!" Hilana scolds.

"Why-HIC!" The blue-haired girl gulps and lets out a hiccup. "HIC!"

"...I wonder if she was dropped on the head." You mumble.

"It's a possibility." Hilana whispers back.

"Hahahaha!" The king laughs as he takes a swig from his goblet. "This is a good feast! Eat until you can eat no more!"

You let out a groan. You wonder how your sister is doing. Probably better things than this.

(Cont)

>>45667263
You are Kaire Bueller, and you wonder why you always find yourself in dangerous spots to be in.

One minute, you were trekking across the jungle, following the directions on your map. And the next, you are running from a cat-like monster, carrying a large turquoise snake with a necklace around its neck.

What the hell kind of place is this? You wonder if the gods had anything to do with this. Two paths are lying before you, and you are currently deciding which one will save you from this annoying monster chasing you.

>Left.
>Right.

>>45667385
>Left.

>>45667385
You run for the left path, only to see thorns and snapping piranha plants. This was going to be a cakewalk.

"Fuck," you curse as you maneuver through the thorny briars, hearing the creature's roar of pain as it gets stuck in them. You then duck beneath the snapping plants, nearly avoiding your body missing parts that you need.

You don't even bother to turn to hear the screams of the poor beast as the plants eat him alive. Literally.

You let out a sigh as the snake starts to relax its bothersome grip around your body. You wonder if anyone saw you, they'd think you're advocating animal cruelty by wearing the snake over...certain parts of your body that it's covering.

You walk over to a tree and sit down underneath it, looking at the necklace the snake has. Slowly and carefully, you take it pff and look at it. It seems to be dated from the Great War. You notice the brooch is actually a clasp.

What do you do?

>Open it.
>Leave it be.
>Fall asleep.

>>45667975
>>Open it.

>>45668691
You decide to open it up, and a folded piece of paper falls out. As you unfold it, you wonder why it was placed there.

The paper soon forms into a letter, which reads, "To whomever finds this, please help me. I have been cursed into a form of a snake by an evil sorceress, and I have no idea how to get rid of it. So, if you find this letter, follow the directions on this paper. It will lead you to the person who cursed me. Signed, Prince Walas."

...Weird. So that's why the snake seemed so docile when you first found it. Also, it happens to be a prince. Double weird.

Still, you can't let a request go unanswered. You sit up and decide to pay this sorceress a visit.

Following the map on the letter, you manage to make you way to a murky-looking hut in the middle of the forest. You wonder what approach you take.

What do?

>Rush right into the hut.
>Sneakily go inside.
>Make a distraction.

>>45669102
>Sneakily go inside

>>45669102
You decide the best way to go about this was the quiet way. You slowly move towards the hut, hand on your sword hilt, as you near the door.

With one swift motion, you push open the door and draw out your blade, expecting a quick sneak attack. But all you find is a terrified young woman with green hair, cowering in a corner.

...What is going on?

"Please! Please, don't hurt me! I haven't done anything wrong! I didn't mean to turn the village chief into a dog, I swear!" She whimpers out.

You sigh and slowly sheathe your blade. "I'm not going to hurt you." You state. "I'm only here because of the message in the necklace saying that you turned a prince into a snake for some reason."

The girl stops whimpering and stares at you for a moment. Then she glares at you and the snake on you.

"I knew it! You're just trying to get me to remove that curse from that pervert!" She points an accusing finger at you. "But it won't work! Because I'm not going to do it until he apologizes for ogling at my breasts!"

....What the hell was going on?! The snake is starting to tense up, clinging to your body something fierce.

>"Um, can you explain what happened to you?"
>"I don't care. Please uncurse him."
>"Can you change him into something else, then?"

>>45669499
>>"I don't care. Please uncurse him."
"His staring at your breasts is no excuse. I mean, telling him off seems proportional, this is too much."

>>45669499
>"I don't care. Please uncurse him."

>>45669499
"I don't really care." You sigh. "Can you at least uncurse him? He's starting to make me feel uncomfortable."

"That pervert always makes women uncomfortable just by existing!" The sorceress shouts. "I can't stand him doing these things to girls!"

You sigh. This was going to be a tough one.

"Can you at least turn him something... less constricting?" You ask.

"...Fine! I'll just turn him into this!" The sorceress points a finger at the snake, changing its form into a frog. The frog lets out a surprised ribbit and falls onto the floor.

"Thank you." You say, rubbing your body. "I really needed my limbs back."

"I hope you get eaten by a hungry bird. Do you hear me?" The sorceress leans down to the scared frog with a glare. "You pervert!"

"Um, miss.." You start.

"Galie." She replies back, not even looking at you.

"Right. Miss Galie, what did he do to you, exactly?" You ask.

"What didn't he do? That bastard dared to peep at me when I was bathing, and let me tell you, he was enjoying it with his stupid-ass grin on his face!" Galie rants and rants on about how he kept ogling her and making advances on her.

You slowly start to tune her out, ignoring the parts about how she suffered under Walas's wandering eye. Gods, you wonder how one of your friends are doing right now.

(Cont)

>>45670087
You are Elga Stormrider, and you are traversing the northern regions, searching for the fabled ruins of the ancient Dwarven Empire.

People keep telling you it's a myth, but you're certain it wasn't. Your gut is telling you so. You're certain you'll find it!

The winds blow through your grey locks, but they won't stop you from seeking your prize. The treasure, the history, and the fame. All will be yours once you find it!

Suddenly, you see a light in the distance. You think it could be a clue, or a trap.

What do?

>Press on.
>Go towards it.

Voting time extended.

>>45670159
>Go towards it.

>>45670159
It could be a clue to the fabled empire of legend! You head towards the light, hoping beyond hope it would lead to something good! And Kaire said you'd never find the imperial ruins!

As you reach the source of the light, you strain your eyes to see...something metallic.

The snowy winds stop blowing long enough to reveal a large metallic humanoid being.

A golem. And it was gold-encrusted. By the gods, you found proof! You've really done it! You can't wait to-

CREAK.

Did... Did it just move?

The golem is starting to move its legs into a standing position, its silver eyes boring down on... you.

Oh, dear.

>Run!
>Try to cast a spell.
>Hide somewhere.

>>45670556
>Run!

>>45670556
>>Try to cast a spell.

>>45670556
Run bitch.

>>45670556
You decide to follow your instincts and get the hell out of there. Your heart pounds like a drum as your lungs expel out heated air, running through the cold with a metal beast on your tail.

Dear gods, why did you have to attract danger to find a clue to the greatest find in history?

WOOSH!

You see a beam of light rushing towards you like a comet. Oh, poopie.

The snow is moving away from you as you fly into the air. You can see the golem point its fist at your direction, glowing with power.

This will not end well.

>Brace yourself.
>Cast a barrier.

>>45670976
>>Cast a barrier.

>>45670976
You quickly put up a barrier, just in time as the golem's fist launches towards you and sends you flying even further, bouncing off your barrier.

You can hear screaming, which happens to be your own as you see something coming towards you very, very fast.

Sweet mother goddess in heaven, may she take your soul to the heavens above.

You close your eyes and await certain death.

....

You're pretty sure heaven wasn't supposed to snow. You manage to sit up from where you crashed and shake the snow off of your cloak.

Gods, that hurt like hell. And what is up with these old ruins-

...By the gods. You've found it. You've truly found it.

The golden carvings of Dwarven origin, the giant, short golden statues of dwarven warriors...!

You couldn't be more proud than you already are. This was a dream come true.

In your face, Kaire!

What do you now?

>Check around the ruins.
>Take a minute to rest.

>>45671272
>>Check around the ruins
Make some sketches of the statues.

>>45671272
Rest can wait! Adventure calls! You rush into the ruins, eyes shining with desire to know everything about this place!

You run up to one of the statues and examine the dwarven glyphs on the plaque. It says, "All ye who enter here are one with us."

...That's strange. Oh, well. It just means you need to study this place more.

You wonder how the ancient dwarves died and why did their empire fall?

Suddenly, there's a loud clinking noise. Was it the golem? You hope not, you've had enough of that thing for one day.

What do you do?

>Ignore the noise.
>Check it out.

>>45671374
>Check it out.

Hope it's something cool.

>>45671374
You head off into the direction of the noise, hoping it wasn't the golem.

As you enter the room, you see gears spinning around and cylinders going up and down. This must be a machine-making room. You scan around and see robots making something. You can't really tell in this dim light.

You attempt to get a little closer, but your foot trips over a loose piece of flooring and you fall flat on your face, the robot workers stop and turn to you.

Oh, dear.

"Um, hello." You nervously say. "My name is Elga Stormrider, and I am sorry about this."

>To be continued.

Thanks for playing. See you all next Monday.

>>45671537
Thanks for running!

Good run but why were

>I don't care. Please uncurse him."
>"Can you change him into something else, then?"

The same option. That really annoyed me, starting to see what pissed people off about that thief.