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Rene and her crew are able to easily dispatch the birdman bandits that came to their campsite, and they rest easily afterwards, confident that more Vautou aren't going to be particularly close.

"I... I..." Hauteclere, back at the transport group, quietly buries her head in her hands in the aftermath of Rene and co's escape.

The monsters fading as Kristina goes out of range, the rest of her group approaches, looking over the deceased. Samson, having been close by at the moment of betrayal, gives the queen a concerned, sympathetic look, before approaching the recently-fallen Jack, Riley, and Jovan. Dyrus takes his place at the queen's side, the prince trying his best to find words of encouragement, but none coming to him.

Samson shakes his head, remembering Veiz. After all the progress she had made, how hard it must've been for her to admit to herself that the world she grew up in needed to fall... He barely knew her, and yet he feels the utmost hurt that she threw the future away like that. This whole damn pointless thing just got a little longer, and she's done nothing but enable Rene's poisonous task when it was looking like there might be a future.

You take over as Samson, several days earlier, when he and General Taniel were just coming close to reuniting with Hauteclere and Jovan's groups.

"I hear they've captured Rene and her group," Taniel says, thankfully, "that's one more loose end that won't need tying up."

>A. Talk to someone (specify)
>B. Skip to reuniting

>>48249560
Vote time renewed.

>>48249560
>B. Skip to reuniting

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>>48249743
Naturally, when groups reunite, one of the first people you see is your father.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF5z4tmHG68

"Samson!" Excitedly, your father approaches, looking, thank the gods, no worse for wear.

"Dad," you say, still audibly excited as you stand before him.

"Have you grown even taller since we parted ways?" He asks, rubbing his chin and looking you over.

"No, no, you're imagining it," you respond, rubbing the back of your head, "it's good to see ya, though."

"Yes, yes it is... I've heard already of your exploits since we've parted ways, and I must say I am absolutely proud of your accomplishments."

"Honestly, I'll just be happy when I never need to 'accomplish' that sorta thing again."

"Oh, without question!" Your father nods fervently. "How this in no way comes naturally to you... It only makes me prouder that you were able to power through everything to reach this conclusion." Looking upwards awhile, Lazare's grin goes bittersweet, and he shuts his eyes. "I think your mother would be proud too..."

>A. He thinks so?
>B. Yeah...
>C. ...
>D. You're not sure... (specify reasoning)
>E. Write-in response

>>48249895
>A. He thinks so?

>>48249895
>A. He thinks so?

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>>48249925
"Ya think so?" You ask.

"Yes, definitely," Lazare says, "she put a lot of stock in a person's skill in battle, and you've... More than delivered on her legacy."

"Yeah, you're right... Which makes me curious, though," you say, "how'd you manage to fall for her? Before the, uh, everything I remember about the last half of my life."

"Well, that's a... Bit of a story in and of itself," Lazare says, chuckling a bit, "but... It's really not a story whose details should be shared, if you understand me."

"Er... Right, right," you say, dismissing the topic. "Still, though, you're not hurt, right, dad?"

"Oh, no, no, I've been treated quite... Well, not well, given that I was a prisoner, but not inhumanely as many were before we were finished with Fort Dalshin."

"That's good... Gods, I've missed you, dad. This whole time we were fighting, I figured they'd do something to kill you, and..."

"No, no, even among the famously-cruel figures of Central, there was opposition to Methodius and his granddaughter's scheme to take me captive," Lazare assures you, "and after I helped your school friend devise a plan to get away and find you, I was certain it was only a matter of time before we met again."

"That was your idea?" You ask, a bit surprised.

"Well... He had the basics of the plan come up with himself, but I came up with some of the finer touches to really sell his falsified death! I knew that anything short of perfection would make his demise legitimate, given that Kristina's cruel streak."

>A. Say more here (write-in dialogue)
>B. Talk to someone else (any party member from any group)

>>48250115
>B. Talk to Norman

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>>48250206
You, Norman, and Adam are all hanging around, when Adam excitedly goes to reunite with his former captain. "So he an' Veiz were working together all that time... I never shoulda doubted him."

"Glad it turned out okay," Norman says, following him.

Soon enough, the three of you do, in fact come across Alfred, in the midst of a walk with Veiz.

"...if you need someone's company when you tell her the truth, you know I'm always at your call."

"Ahem... r'we interruptin' something, captain?" Adam asks.

"...Adam." The swordmaster and Veiz' embrace ends, and he stares the three of you down. "I trust you're well."

"I... Yes, captain. An' it's so good to hear that yer' back on the side of what's right."

"...mhm." Alfred sounds a bit disinterested, while Veiz just sort of. Stays back, a bit.

Norman asks you quietly, "er, Samson, is that..?"

You nod a bit. "Yeah, that would be her," you whisper.

"She looks upset... Like, really upset. Even though she's doing the best thing for herself and her sister."

"Yeah..." You observe, agreeing with Norman.

"I don't get it. She's been dedicated to what she's doing," your fiancee's younger brother observes, "and her friends have pretty much all been taken alive... Seems like this ended as well as it possibly could for her, right?"

>A. Yeah...
>B. It's more complicated than that
>C. You don't know
>D. Maybe you should talk to her
>E. Write-in response

>>48250520
>B. It's more complicated than that
>D. Maybe you should talk to her

>>48250520
>B. It's more complicated than that
>D. Maybe you should talk to her

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>>48250656
"It's, uh... It's more complicated than that, Norman," you say, shaking your head. "She's had to do a very difficult thing right now, and... Probably needs friends to reassure her."

"You're friends?" Norman asks.

"I mean, sort of! I think we're on friendly terms anyway. I'll, uh. Talk to her."

You walk past Alfred and Adam as they reminisce, the former giving you a pensive look before Veiz motions that it's fine, that he can keep talking to his old pal.

"...Samson, right?" The girl asks, quieter even than when you met her on the day her father died. You wish you could meet these people on less unpleasant terms.

"Yeah, hey," you say. "You, uh... I know it's hard, but you did the right thing."

"I know..." Veiz says, backing up a bit, "it's just... I hate all of this. I hate having to choose like this, but... Rene's going down a path of self-destruction. I mean, I know most would say I should have more faith in my sister, but... God, even if I thought this wasn't ripping her to shreds, I plain don't want to see this Empire revived."

>A. A good viewpoint
>B. So she should stop beating herself up over it
>C. You dunno what to say
>D. Write-in response

>>48250837
>A. A good viewpoint
>B. So she should stop beating herself up over it

>>48250837
>A. A good viewpoint
>B. So she should stop beating herself up over it

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>>48250903
"It's the right viewpoint to have," you assure her, "you did the right thing, Veiz. You're a good person who was stuck in a terrible situation, and... You shouldn't beat yourself up over it."

"I... I've known Rene since I was eight, maybe seven years old, and she's been a truer sister to me than many blood siblings can call their own. But she's so... She tries so hard to be this pillar of excellence that any sign of weakness in herself only makes her act harder."

"You'd know better than me," you say, shaking your head, "all these kids these days are way more mature than me... At your age, I don't think I would've been able to pull something like that off."

"How young do you think I am?" Veiz asks, chuckling.

"That's... Usually a dangerous thing to guess around a girl," you answer, laughing a bit yourself, "I mean, at least, that's what Millie tells me..."

"Millie? Oh, that would be, er... Millicent, correct?"

"Yeah... Uh, thanks for getting 'em to let me see her again. On, uh, Fort Dalshin."

"Don't mention it..." Veiz sighs, folding her arms and shaking her head. "By all means, I ought to hate you and this Prince Dyrus."

You're silent, fairly certain what she means, but wanting her to finish.

"Hera was as much a beloved aunt to me as Rene was my sister, always able to dole out sage advice when we met... My mother died when I was very young, and she was by my side constantly in the ensuing days. And my father... Well, he needs no introduction. I was blessed with a loving, supportive parent, despite his Imperial leanings, and..."

You see. She's referring to the two of you and your direct hands in their fates...

>A. DOES she hate you?
>B. You're glad she doesn't
>C. Write-in response
>D. ...

>>48251113
*as Rene is my sister, even
Didn't mean to get past-tense there.

>>48251113
>B. You're glad she doesn't

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>>48251182
"I'm, er, glad you don't," you say, a bit awkwardly. "You'd have every reason to, yeah, and it's big of you to move past it."

"Yeah..." Veiz is distant, frowning. You suppose you don't blame her for not having much to talk about, given how you barely really know each other.

"And I mean... You ever need anything in Holmstead after all this, just know you've got friends in that neck of the woods."

"Right... I've always imagined that we could be friends, if we both survived this mess," Veiz says.

"Well, now we have. So... Yeah, Millie and I would be happy to see any of you!"

"I hear you're engaged now?" She asks.

"Yeah, yeah," you say, "some old acquaintances, Jack and Riley, we heard they got married, and the conversation just sort of led one place to another."

"That's... Really sweet," Veiz says, sentimental-sounding as her gaze shifts towards Alfred, "romance is just darling..."

"Er, yeah," you say, "definitely! Gods, I love Millicent so much..."

"Oh, my, let me talk about Alfred awhile, won't you?"

"...you're embarrassing me," Alfred pipes in, pale features turning a noticeable red.

"Come on, let me brag about you~" Veiz insists, putting on a cute face for her beloved swordmaster.

"Fine... Brag away."

Norman and Adam just watch the exchange with amusement until whenever they can butt back in.

>A. Say more to someone (write-in dialogue)
>B. Talk to someone else (again, choose anyone)
>C. Skip ahead

>>48251522
Vote time renewed.

>>48251522
>B. Talk to someone else (Dyrus)
After letting Veiz brag about Alfred for a while (and possibly counter-bragging about Millie), of course.

>>48251522
>C. Skip ahead

>>48251863
Switching to this.>>48251844

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>>48251844
After a decent amount of time just... Chatting it up with Veiz, bragging about your respective significant others enough to embarrass Alfred as well as your fiancee's brother. Adam just sort of shows himself away with Norman at some point, and you bid Veiz farewell on good terms. "I have faith in you, Veiz," you tell her, "you're gonna do great things in life. You've got a good head on your shoulders, years ahead of ya... No amount of loss is the end if you can move past it."

"Y-you're right... I. I think I'm going to speak to Rene now. It won't be easy, but... You've affirmed my views in my mind. I'll be strong, tell her what she needs to hear... Just the two of us."

"Good for you." You smile a bit. "Be strong, alright?"

After that, you bid Veiz farewell, speaking to Dyrus.

"Hey," you say to your fast friend, "thanks for helping my dad, really."

"It was a group effort, really," Dyrus insists, "just... the end result of being part of a really large battle."

"What a finale to the war, though," you say, "that's gonna be one for the books... Er, hate to mix business and friendship, but you mind talking about it a bit?" You produce a pen and paper, intent on hearing every detail. You'll receive first-person accounts from the other fighters in the battle, maybe a few of Rene's number to even the perspectives for historians' sakes, but Dyrus is a good start.

"Oh, man, where do I begin? So, right out the gate, the bandit who killed Laurise..."

Dyrus goes on and on and on about the fight, and you're glad to say that he's not nearly as upset as he was when you last met. Everyone's in high spirits, really.

"And, uh... One more thing," Dyrus says, "I know you're probably in a bit of a hurry to get home, marry Millicent, put down your sword, but... I'd really like for you and your friends to come back to Neir with us, celebrate our victory. Veiz could warp you all back right after..."

>A. You'd love to
>B. Rene's story already said you agreed

>>48252244
>A. You'd love to

>>48252244
>A. You'd love to
What's the difference with the other one?

>>48252300
None. I was close to character limit and thought it'd be a decent gag option.

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>>48252300
"I'd love to," you say, nodding.

"Great, great! We should get to another lesson sometime, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. A prince should be cultured, after all, and I'd be happy to keep working with you."

The two of you discuss various things, manage to squeeze in another music lesson with Via before the day is done. You swear, you should set them up sometime, but... Dyrus did specifically mention during his interview over the recent battle that he's putting romantic interests out of mind until at least he gets back home. Out of respect for that, you continue to not make any teasing comments about this whole situation.

Jovan, Fabrice, Jack, and Riley decline the royal family's offer to travel East to celebrate, saying there's 'much too much work to be done,' but they do agree to accompany you 'a little ways into the desert' before splitting off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf7b_me03-o

No one was expecting monsters to strike in the middle of the night as you passed into the deserts. You all had extra security placed on Kristina precisely to prevent this, but she got the upper hand on them anyway, and now... Gods, Rene's group have busted out.

You and Millicent are faced with a quite monstrous giant spider, and nearly even succumb to its poisons before Hautclere flies in with her axe and her staff. Nearby her, Veiz and Alfred warp in.

"How could... Kristina shouldn't have been able to get this many monsters out and summoned," Hautclere says.

"I... Suppose we underestimated her," Veiz says. You and everyone else, bar Alfred, haven't talked to her much since she spoke to Rene... You just sort of figured it took a lot out of her. "Kristina was always like that. She made no secret of her fierceness, but her true power was always hidden away..."

"Find Rene," the queen orders Veiz, "try to talk sense into her..."

"R-right..." Veiz nods, leaving Alfred with a dracozombie.

>A. Say something (write-in dialogue)
>B. Skip forward a bit more

>>48252645
>B. Skip forward a bit more

>>48252645
>B. Skip forward a bit more

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>>48252809
And a little more fighting later, four of Rene's posse have been rounded up in one place. Rene herself, Ludwig, Saye, and Kristina are all in one place, being overwhelmed by your superior weaponry and numbers, the Staff of Katri has weakened Rene again...

God, though, Jack and Riley are just... Dead, and Jovan too. They weren't even going to accompany you to Neir, and now...

Shit, you were going to invite them to your wedding.

And in just as much of a blur, Hauteclere's been wounded, Alfred's back by Rene's side, he's stolen the Staff of Katri...

Sh-shit, that's Veiz!

"I thought a lot about what you've said," Veiz says to... God, she's saying that to RENE.

"She'll tell you more when we're not here!" Cicero's voice rings.

"Everyone get close!" Kristina calls, calling forth eyeball monsters.

"Veiz..." You try to raise your voice, ineffectually pleading with the apparently-not-so-former Imperial you'd came to empathize with, "you're better than this!"

You catch up with the posts of the beginning of the thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbzCochNBx8

"Why did... I don't..." You shake your head. "No, no more of this..."

"Samson..." Millicent approaches, looking over at Jack and Riley and covering her mouth.

Adelais, as well, appears from the woodwork, looking quite worn out herself. "Shit, Samson, I'm... I was fighting right alongside them, but then... I let them die and just ran away. I don't even know what came over me, but I just turned my tail and hid from the same monsters that were used to kill my father as they did the same to my newest friends..."

>A. There's not much more she could've done
>B. ...
>C. This isn't about you, Ada!
>D. Nothing to do about that now
>E. Write-in response

>>48252954
>A. There's not much more she could've done
>D. Nothing to do about that now

>>48252954
>A. There's not much more she could've done
>D. Nothing to do about that now

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>>48253029
"There's... Not all that much you could've done about it," you say, holding back tears of your own, "but... There's also nothing more we can do about it. It... They..."

"They served as good, dutiful soldiers of Noba, and will be honored as such," Fabrice says, stepping in.

"So..." Millicent figures, "the next step is to find this heiress, right? We have no time to lose if Veiz knows where she is too!"

"It's... Too late to stop that," Hautclere says.

"Huh? I mean, sure, she can warp around, but why so certain?" Dyrus asks.

"She's... Been with Rene's group the entire time. She IS Rene, even," Hautclere says. "That wanderer, twenty-two years ago, was..."

"Th-then..." The sides of your mouth curve up into an incredulous grin, and you clutch the sides of your aching head, beginning to laugh from the sheer stress of the situation. "One goddamn thing after another... One goddamn thing after another..."

"So... We're an entire desert away from Xouide's resting spot, and Rene can get to it in... In an instant," Felix chimes in, equally horrified, "after... After everything that..."

"All is not lost."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOV8rRYvRAg

A dark-redheaded figure in a... frankly odd-looking mask covering his lower head rides in on a horse from the North. He strikes you as... Vaguely familiar.

"And... Who is this now?" Ada asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"My name is not important... But I suppose you can call me Eichel."

"Wait..." Fabrice blinks, looking up. "Biff, is that you? What are you doing in that infernal mask?"

"What? I have... No idea who this Biff you speak of is! None whatsoever, no!"

"Why are you in that silly disguise? I suppose you'll say that mask has a dark origin story..."

"What? No, it's just to preserve my anonymity! Anyway... All hope is not lost upon this new era, even if the great beast of the Gerxel rises again."

>A. Pull that mask off
>B. Let the man speak
>C. You're confused
>D. Write-in response

>>48253343
>B. Let the man speak

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>>48253382
"Anyway... 'Eichel,'" you start, humoring the man. Biff is apparently a completely trustworthy man of good spirits, "I don't think you would approach us out of the blue if you didn't have something in mind."

"Xouide is... A gift of the Ice Dragons," Eichel says, "a 'blessing' for the Gerxel lineage by the Ice Authority."

"I... Think I see where this man is coming from," Sara continues, "the... Staff of Katri, it too is a regalia of the Ice Authority, correct?"

"Yes, but... Rene currently has it," Fabrice points out, "so... While there is stock in your theory that it could be used to weaken and counter even Xouide, allow it to be resealed or even destroyed outright, our foes are already one step ahead of us."

"Ah, but remember that Rene has a team of only seven, albeit highly-trained and powerful. She will not immediately have the time for a full-fledged assault on a castle, even with its main forces a desert away," Eichel points out. "She'll need to prepare for it, and the actual fighting could last days... If we act quickly enough, that is enough time to arrive... just a little while too late for Xouide to arrive," Eichel estimates. "It's... Not looking good, I admit, but it's far from hopeless. See, it's quite likely that Rene's first order of business after reclaiming the capital will be to send Xouide to punish the Tarvosians!"

"Are you suggesting that we use my people as bait for Rene?!" Nahuel spits back. "You've got a lotta nerve!"

"Oh no no no, nothing of the sort. Merely that, during this time, 'Empress' Rene is a smart enough person to know that she cannot charge alongside Xouide. So she'll remain in the safety of her recently-reclaimed castle. I have no doubt that Veiz will have rounded up any Imperial sympathizers to protect the castle's walls in the meantime, but... It will be a far easier battle than the valley's."

"So... a chunk of our forces is gonna need to take the brunt of Xouide's assault," you say.
>character limit

>>48253598
"I recall reading that... Xouide can also summon further monsters of its own to aid and protect itself..." Sara frowns.

"Aye," Eichel says, "every warrior who would go to face Xouide must be prepared for the sobering likelihood of meeting their fate in the process, should the Staff of Katri not be retrieved quickly enough."

"It's better than allowing Xouide the time to build a monstrous Gerxel army anew," Hautclere says, "or to let it lay waste to the Kingdom of Neir's largest populations."

"Everyone should be ready to lay down their lives against Rene or Xouide!" Nahuel insists. "The nomads can't take more slaughter... I'll gladly be on the frontlines if it means facing down Xouide!"

"And... I'm going to face Rene again," Hautclere says, "I won't have my own daughter usurp me."

>A. You'll help hold out against the monsters!
>B. You'll help face Rene!

(for "give everyone something to do" reasons, whatever Samson doesn't choose for his endgame scenario, Dyrus will. The parties will be able to be shuffled around a bit during the next Dyrus thread)

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>>48253709
>A. You'll help hold out against the monsters!
It's the only logical choice. The troops need support.
>tfw Rene is my favorite and I have to find a way to defeat her
;_;

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>>48253753
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ShWajCUDhs

"I would like to face Xouide!" You say, putting your foot down. "Everyone who fights it is going to need every bit of motivation to stay alive and hold that thing off until Hautclere and Dyrus arrive with the staff."

"Samson... I'm going to go too, then!" Millie insists. "For the same reason... And so we'll both make it through this!"

"...I'm gonna face Rene," Dyrus says, "it's... my responsibility as a prince just as much as it is my mother's as queen to stop my sister."

"And you can count on the Lords of Chance to have your backs the whole way!" Fortune assures him. "You'll need all the luck in the world to finally get Rene to quit, and I'm happy to supply it."

"As for myself, I'll be happy to stand against Xouide... That mountain pass was the sight of my humiliation and shame," Eichel says, doing REALLY poorly at hiding his true identity, "my skillset on a horse, however, is peered only by my partner's."

"How is By-er, this anonymous partner of yours?" Fabrice asks, rolling his eyes.

"He's alive and well in Neir," 'Eichel' says, "but with wounds greater than mine at Imperial hands, he won't be participating in the rest of this fight... I was only just able to fully recover from my own injuries."

"I... Think I'll face Xouide too," Sara says, looking down, "I don't want to face my siblings in a fight... Even if they need to be stopped, and I hardly knew them. You and your mother impress me, Dyrus."

People would be mulling over which monumental task they would rather risk their lives accomplishing the entirety of the unusually-quick trip through the desert, but... That's a point to be told from a prince's perspective.

>to be continued next thread
Fret not, anon! I already plan on the next battle between Rene and Dyrus' parties letting the players choose who to be!

Thanks for playing, as always. Update twitter/ask.fm are qmgrandflocto, and I'll be around in-thread to chat for awhile.

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>>48253993
Thanks for running, Octo.

>>48254023
Always a pleasure.

This is my third FE-based quest now, and I'm only just using the "giant horrible monster end boss."

Eheh, what kind of hack am I?

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>>48254061
A great one. Always good to build up the story.

>>48253993
Thanks for running.

>>48254085
Much appreciated!
>>48254079
Glad to hear it!