File: The Forest Realms.png (770 KB, 978x1024)

770 KB PNG

>>338353

Last Time on Hero Guardian Quest: After awakening, Lin found herself imprisoned and charged with treason for consorting with the Red Flower and bringing it beyond the magical walls. A trial that ended with Chao punching and kneeing Lin to her freedom. Meanwhile, In an undisclosed location, a human hunter named ‘Aiguo’ had a successful hunt and came back to the Flat Hills (The very same ones from Lin’s vision) and met a company of humans with masks on their shoulders. He eventually confirmed his and Jiao’s feeling for each other.
____

You awaken to the chirping of birds and the rays of sunlight shining down upon you through the open hole in the treehouse. The bed is soft, filled with fresh leaves of both autumn and summer. There’s a short tree stump to your right with a tankard of water and a mug. No flowers. You’re not surprised no one has been allowed to see you yet.

Continuing your gaze through the room, you notice that a chair has been thrown to the floor a few meters away from the room’s exit and entrance. It stains the picture of this otherwise would-be asymetrical room. However, you find comfort in the fallen chair, more so than the perfectly orderly room. It broke the norm and not willingly, but it soldiers on.

I’m comparing myself to a chair...

A sigh escapes past your lips before rising up to a seated position. Thoughts and memories of the trial swirl back to you. Eventually your hands shoot up to your face to access the damage. That’s when you remember that you…

>Decided to let the wounds heal on their own.
>Used your Berserker Mode to heal the wounds instantly.

File: 1465165907515.jpg (230 KB, 1333x1000)

230 KB JPG

Fast clarification on the map!

The Star = Sensei's lake.
The Hole = The Crater
The Gravestone = Gran Gran's crushed hill.

There's an unknown amount of km inside each hex that makes up the lay of the land.
I can explain any other symbols that seems out of place as well if anyone asks.

Welcome to HGQ!

File: wolf1.png (340 KB, 614x1000)

340 KB PNG

>>338360
>Decided to let the wounds heal on their own.

>>338360
>>Decided to let the wounds heal on their own.
im not going to rage mode over this also since we dont know what that price is
thow im gusing we get more beastle or something

>>338360
>Decided to let the wounds heal on their own

I'll be back in 30 minutes to end the vote.

>>338372
>>338398
>>338402
The vote has ended!

Writing.

File: w3lYsnbKJzBWbuKyLmC7Oqs9K(...).jpg (43 KB, 320x462)

43 KB JPG

>>338360
>Decided to let the wounds heal on their own.

Your hands feel their way across the rough surface of your face, filled with bruises, cuts, and a black left eye. Nothing’s broken though. Maybe Chao didn’t go full out? Your fingers trail across your jaw and you wince from the sudden pain. No, he definitely went full out with his punches and his damn knee kick. He probably assumed he could be as violent as possible since you can technically heal yourself. Your body must have grown more durable to physical damage after its change. It still won’t stop a blade, but at least it’s something.

Speaking of change, you glance across the room, your vision seeking a certain someone or something. It doesn’t take long to find it resting against the end of your bed, unsheathed.

Your Guardian Blade. Its blade must be too long and wide for your old scabbard. Doesn’t matter. You’d much rather speak to the Red Flower than silence it. Rising from the bed with some ease and morning dizziness, you carefully navigate your way towards your blade.

Suddenly the door to the room flies open and in comes three individuals you have been looking forward to meeting: Heim, Jin, and Mei. The former seems tired while the two latter ones are well-rested. There’s an awkward silence between the three of you as you stand frozen by your bed and they by the open door.

>Get your Guardian Blade first. You have a lot of questions that needs to be answered now, and not later. Ask your team to wait a moment or two.
>Hold your questions for the Red Flower turned Guardian Blade for now and talk with your Team.
>Write-in.

>>338530
>>Hold your questions for the Red Flower turned Guardian Blade for now and talk with your Team.

>>338530
>Hold your questions for the Red Flower turned Guardian Blade for now and talk with your Team

>>338360
>>338371
To add to that: The point of Interest/The upside down triangle with a dot inside is where Lin is currently.

>>338530
>Hold your questions for the Red Flower turned Guardian Blade for now and talk with your Team.

>>338536
>>338547
>>338565
Ending the vote!

Writing.

File: Vice-Captain Jin before injury.jpg (410 KB, 1000x808)

410 KB JPG

>>338530
>Hold your questions for the Red Flower turned Guardian Blade for now and talk with your team.

The Guardian Blade can wait.

“...Hi.” Your voice comes out hoarse and you finally feel just how parched you are. The three of them make their way into the room, closing the door behind them while you pour yourself a mug of water. The cold liquid refreshes you and cools your throat and nerves. This is the first time you see your team again after they must have seen how your limbs healed and heard recounts of your trial. After they’ve discovered what you harbor within yourself. You’re not so worried about Mei or Jin’s judgment, but Heim is another factor entirely. You’ve been lying to him for 3 years, claiming each and every time that you didn’t know why your appearance and Guardian Blade changed. He hates the Red Flower just as much as he hates Humans, and finding out a piece of that hatred occupies a friend of his might do him in.

Before you know it, Mei has embraced you in a hug. It’s not a crying hug like Ming would have given you. It’s a hug of solace, to reassure you that she thought nothing of what she saw or heard. You’re still her Captain. Her silent reaffirmation brings warmth to your heart and you can’t help but smile as you embrace her back.

Throwing a glance up, you notice Jin with his eye-patch, staring at you as if he’s still making a pivotal decision. Heim’s gaze is firmly rooted in the floor,his face hidden from you. Mei eventually breaks the hug, patting your back and remains by your side. The two of you look to the others on the opposite side of the room.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jin gives voice to his concern, trying his best to keep a straight face filled a neutrality that lies on the edge between anger and relief. His question has effects on Heim. The Awoo’s fists clench and they do so harder at your answer.

“I didn’t know how.” You answer him truthfully, meeting your Vice-Captain’s gaze. It was never a question of whether you should tell them or not. You always advocate honesty with your friends, but this was something you didn’t know how to explain. It was so surreal and almost impossible to justify, even if Chao, Rushi, and the humanoid tree found a way to do just that. Jin breathes in deeply before sighing, nodding to himself and you, and cracking a silly smile. The kind of smile only he could make. He might not like it a lot, but at least he has accepted that it happened and he can’t change that. It’s time to accept and adapt.

Will Heim be as understanding?

You finally lock eyes with Heim when he looks up from the floor, knowing full well that it’s his turn to make a decision about this entire mess. Unbeknown to you, he already has. When his head rises, you’re met with something that triggers the same emotions you felt when you stared into Kun’s eyes right before he died.

>Continued

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (210 KB, 650x400)

210 KB JPG

>>338823

Despair and regret.

Heim’s eyes are filled with tears and his breath is ragged. His face is empty with a pair of hateful eyes staring you down from across the room. The sort of hate that’s poison to the body, mind, and soul. A poison that never leaves. He isn’t looking at his childhood friend. He isn’t looking at his Blood Guardian Captain. He’s not looking at a fellow Awoo. He’s staring straight into the maws of a lying and deceiving monster.

You try to take a step towards him, trying to form the words you want said. The words that will make all of this alright. The words that will mend all wounds and broken fellowships. You can’t find those words. Heim shakes his head at your futile attempt and storms out from the room.

What have I done…

>Run after him as best you can.
>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.
>Write-in.

>>338829
>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

>>338829
>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

>>338829
>>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

>>338829
>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

RIP friendship

>>338829
>>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

>>338829
>Let him leave. You’ll confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

>>338353
I've been lurking the last thread, thought you'd link the new one there.

>>338836
>>338838
>>338846
>>338850
>>338854
>>338856
Vote has ended!

Writing.

>>338868
No, I link it by Twitter and in the /qst/ discord. You're free to bookmark/follow the former or join the latter.

I wonder who our new fifth member is going to be and how they will react to us.

>>338915
Someone assigned to keep an eye on us at all time.

>>338932
But anon...

Isn't that what Jin's for?

Serriously though, you're probably right.

File: Mei2.jpg (805 KB, 1240x874)

805 KB JPG

>>338829
>Let him leave. Confront him again when his ‘wounds’ aren’t as fresh.

You watch him leave. Simple as that. You don’t know whether it’s because you’re still too dizzy to run after him or if it’s your subconsciousness holding you back, but you let him leave nonetheless. Maybe this isn’t the time to try to force a topic on him. Let him gather his thoughts and cool down while you do the same with the remaining part of your team.

“I knew he was mad, but not like this.” Mei murmurs just loud enough for the rest of you to hear it. As if she’s whispering so someone who’s not here can’t hear her. Her head is hanging low, burrowing her mouth and nose in her red scarf while restlessly caressing the grip of her Guardian Blade hanging sheathed by her waist.

“We’ll deal with him later. He can’t be angry at you forever.” Jin scratches his forehead, just above the eye-patch. You’re still not used to seeing him with that thing, but you’re not in a hurry to have whatever wound underneath it revealed to you in all its glory. It seems like the two of them are trying their best to ignore your wounds as well.

He has a point though; either Heim will come to you or you’ll find him eventually and all of this will be settled, one way or another. It’s the only thing you can hope for given the current circumstances.

>Continued

File: 1465435652905.png (415 KB, 1000x1000)

415 KB PNG

>>339152

“That aside,” the Vice-Captain catch the attention of the two female Awoo, straightening his back, “We’ve been discharged from the Ichigo Company.”

“What?!” You’re immediately on point and ready to rain questions down upon Jin. He interrupts those plans rather quickly.

“We’re still Blood Guardians, but now we’re more of a floating entity between the companies. Rushi will send you, the Blood Guardian’s new weapon, wherever you’re needed and we’ll be your team.” His explanation turns your gaze to Mei, who’s already looking up at you with her trademark confident bitch smirk, ready to call you Captain again at a moment’s notice.

“So while Rushi is fixing with the papers and acquiring our…” Jin trails off, suddenly remembering something or someone he has tried his best to forget. Your hand squeeze his shoulder, reminding him that his friends are here for him. Mei continues where her vice-captain left off:

“Rushi is fixing our fifth member. We’ll be stuck in this village for the next two days.”

“Who is it going to be?” You inquire with a mix of curiosity and half-doubt, taking a step back. It doesn’t sit right to fill the boots that most of the team would rather see unfilled, but five-man teams are the protocol and while Rushi talks a big game, he’s not one to break protocol.

Mei shrugs and Jin looks uncharacteristically just as uninformed. Sooner or later you’ll find out. That’s what matters.

“2 days until we can leave. What do you suggest we do?” Jin asks, clearly having no desire for anything in particular nor an idea on what to do. Mei’s eyes lit up faster than a firefly at night.

“I wanna try the honeyed water!” She’s practically jumping up and down, completely ignoring how much of a child she appears to be at this very moment. It successfully paints a smile on both you and Jin’s faces though. You could try the honeyed water, true. To be honest, you don’t even know which village you’re in, but in most villages in this second forest realm there’s always other Creatures of the Forest that you Blood Guardians don’t get to interact with so often given your duties outside the barrier and not within them. You can also go sightseeing or go about meeting someone from the trial. It’s only been a night between then and now. Most of them ought to still be around.

What to do…?

>Go try the honeyed water!
>Find someone from the Trial and talk with them. (Who?)
>Find a Creature of the Forest and talk with them.
>Go sightseeing.
>Write-in.

>>339156
>Go try the honeyed water!
>Go sightseeing.

>>339156
>Go try the honeyed water!
>Find a Creature of the Forest and talk with them.

>>339156
>Go try the honeyed water!
>Go sightseeing
Maybe on our journey will run into Ming or Chao...though now that I think about that 5th member...

File: q.jpg (1.75 MB, 1954x2613)

1.75 MB JPG

>>339156
>Go try the honeyed water!
>Find a Creature of the Forest and talk with them.

>>339156
>>Go try the honeyed water!
>Find someone from the Trial and talk with them. (Who?)
Lets see if we can run into Ming and/or Chao. They bailed us out pretty nice.

>>339186
+1

>>339160
>>339183
+2 Honeyed water and Sightseeing.

>>339182
>>339186
>>339202
+3 Honeyed Water and Creatures of the Forest.

>>339198
+1 Honeyed Water and Find Ming and/or Chao.

Ending the vote!

Writing.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>339260

>>339264
Oh shit

>>339264
so we dont get rotton fruit thown at us nice.
also whats the name the Qst on discord?

>>339260
We about to get drunk of some mead?

File: Red Flower.jpg (1.23 MB, 1944x2896)

1.23 MB JPG

>>339156
>Honeyed Water and Creatures of the Forest

It wasn’t much of a discussion between the three of you. Mei was determined to try the honeyed water that she has heard so much about, but never tried, and you and Jin are interested in talking with an actual Creature of the Forest. One of the beings you’ve sworn your life away on protecting. Most of them lives close to the World Tree, but there are still a lot in this second Forest Realm. Before the barrier fell, there weren’t a lot of Creatures of the Forest living in that realm. The first time you saw one of them, you were astonished. It felt surreal to see anything else than an Awoo in the forest. Some of them came to see the Guardian Graduation Ceremony, but most of them left in a hurry after it was over. Here’s your chance to finally speak with one of them. A cultural exchange, if you will.

Upon leaving the quarters where you were brought and slept throughout the night, you make sure to bring your Guardian Blade with you. No point leaving it behind if you want to talk with it later. You’re not planning to come back to this room until tonight after all.

”We are connected once more.” Your Guardian Blade, or rather, the Red Flower within the steel remarks within your thoughts. You nod at it. Hearing a Red Flower is unsettling, even if its voice doesn’t come close to being as grim and cruel as its stronger counterpart. You attach it to your back, where it readily grip onto your clothes and keep itself steady until you need it again. Since it’s unsheathed at all times, you’re sure to hear from it again throughout the day.

The three Awoo guardians of Team 2 leave the treehouse behind and venture into the village just over yonder. It’s buzzing with life so early in the morning, with both Awoo adults and children moving about, laughing and greeting each other. Of course, not all Awoo become Guardians, although it’s a significant amount of percent of the population that do, especially after what happened 3 years ago.

>Continued

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (187 KB, 782x1000)

187 KB JPG

>>339651

It’s weird to see any Awoo having other duties, but you can’t blame them for wanting a different life. You’re certain Chao would have no problems calling them ‘cowards’, but you’ve seen the horrors of Humans and what awaits any Guardian beyond that barrier. It’s not a life nor a duty anyone should take lightly or accept without reservations.

Out from the corner of your eye, you spot a little Awoo girl, no older than 6 or 7 winters, running into the arms of her father, both of them laughing and smiling brightly as he picks her up and throws her in the air.

As long as I draw breath, I will always put my life on the line to protect the smiles of all of these Awoo and the Creatures of the Forest. - You reassure yourself and you feel something warm glow in the back of your head and in your heart. For the very first time, you feel like an actual Guardian that you have dreamed of becoming for so long. You fought in the North, beyond the barrier for these people.

However, the journey to become the strongest guardian and the one everyone will call ‘Hero’ is still far off, but you’re now more determined than ever to fight and succeed in this struggle called life.

“Lin!” You hear a voice call out to you and as you turn about, you notice that you’ve been standing still for a while and your two companions have already procured three mugs filled to the brim with Honeyed Water. It has a golden colour to it and it smells like roasted vegetables for reasons you can’t explain. The three of you cling your mugs together before drinking. You all finish your drinks within seconds. The taste was sweet and bitter, with a warm aftertaste that left you wanting for more. While drinking it, you felt something sting in your tongue and the back of your throat, but it was a good feeling.

“Puuuaaaaah~! Kaaaaaaah~!” Mei screech gleefully after finishing her drink in one go. Weird. Jin looks just as pleased with the experience. While the two of them got to talking about the Honeyed water and arguing whether to get another round or not (You can already guess who’s on what side of the argument), you spot the second thing you left the quarters for. By the market there’s already a couple of Creatures of the Forest walking about. It would be weird to just go up to one of them and start up a conversation while they’re browsing items, so you scan the area for some idle ones. The only two ones you spot are an young Moth girl surrounded by three Awoo boys where she sits on a tree trunk looking shy and the other is a male Oni looking to be about your age, if not a wee bit older, who’s happily fencing with a fellow Awoo teenager with wooden sticks.

>Approach the Moth Girl.
>Approach the Male Oni.

>>339657
>>Approach the Male Oni.

>>339657
>Approach the Moth Girl.

>>339657
>>Approach the Moth Girl.

>>339657
>>Approach the Moth Girl.
Only if she looks bothered by the boys. That doesn't seem to be the case though so lets go talk with Oni-kun.

>>339657
>Approach the Male Oni.

File: 555556bb2ecfd.png (170 KB, 512x512)

170 KB PNG

>>339673
>>339699
>>339710
+3 Male Oni

>>339692
>>339694
>>339718
+3 Moth Girl

Waiting 5-10 more minutes for a tie-breaker before rolling a 1d2.

>>339762
One's deleted

>>339762
>Deleting your vote
...

Male Oni it is.

Writing shortly.

>>339770
Isn't it still 3 for the Moth girl though?
>>339692
>>339694
>>339699

>>339809
>That doesn't seem to be the case though so lets go talk with Oni-kun.
His vote for the Moth girl had a condition. Since it doesn't look like she's bothered by the boys from Lin's perspective, his vote is changed to Male Oni.

>>339657
>>Approach the Male Oni.

oh no, i've read RE:Monster Ex Quest, I know how moths work. At first it's all fluff and head pats, and then BAM! they shove a crown on your head and suddenly you're royalty.

File: Oni HGQ.jpg (130 KB, 995x803)

130 KB JPG

>>339657
>Approach the Male Oni

Maybe it’s better to stick to people your own age or close to it? It doesn’t look like those Awoo boys are bothering the Moth girl. She just looks shy. Approaching them without a good cause would just look outright weird. That leaves the Male Oni around your age who’s playing fence with the Awoo teenager. You motion for Mei and Jin to tag along as you approach the pair of boys in the field off to the side of the market situated in the middle of the village. From afar you can already spot the Oni’s horns reaching back from his head and his short, silver-white hair. The characteristics of most Oni’s. Some are hornless, others only have one horn, but most have two horns. They never cut nor groom their hair, so you can often determine how old they are by the length of their hair. You heard rumours once that the only time an Oni cuts its hair is if it has disgraced its family or the entire race and has to choose between death or a life of disgrace from having his/her hair cut to the roots. You’re not culturally enriched enough to actually know if that’s true or not.

Upon coming closer, you notice their fighting styles. The Oni is overly aggressive in his approach, always taking to the offense and never thinking of his defense. The Awoo is constantly dodging, hitting the Oni at his open vital points with his stick. However, the Oni always powers through what you’d imagine to be a somewhat painful or at least irritating ordeal. It feels out of place to call something like that ‘painful’ after having experienced how it feels to lose an arm and leg…

Despite their fencing, they notice your presence pretty quickly. The Awoo looks extremely embarrassed, although he stands his ground. He has already figured out what the three of you are, although his friend is still oblivious to that fact. The Oni gives you an empty stare, probably asking himself what these other Awoo want from him. The Awoo and Dwarf Oni’s have always had a good relationship since the latter aided with the majority of healing herbs and salves for the Guardians with their amazing herbalism and innate intelligence.

The regular Oni on the other hand has always harbored jealousy and some anger towards the Awoo after Kafuu named the latter the Guardian race. The Oni are a hard, enduring, and strong race that values strength, pride, and traditions above all. In a way, they share a lot with the Awoo, but their anonymity still remain in some parts of the Forest Realms to this day. These two seemed to be having fun together though. Old friends, perhaps?

>Continued

>>340268

“Can we help you?” The Oni inquires informally, and almost forcefully, in the language shared between all Creatures of the Forest. Every race has their own native language, and a common language shared between them all. It is said that the common language was taught to the Guardians of Old by the World Tree whom in return taught it to the races they protected. It’s just a tale though.

Unfortunately for you, the common language was one of the classes you were close to failing back during the Guardian Trials.

>Have Mei or Jin translate for you.
>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?
>Write-in.

>>340269
>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?

>>340269
>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?
SUPER POWERED AWOOO FEARED BY MANY! INCREDIBLY SILLY SHENANIGANS!

File: 1389178528995.png (89 KB, 500x368)

89 KB PNG

Last update for today/tonight. Continuing at around the same time I started this thread tomorrow (Wednesday)! Might get an update or two before the real session tomorrow. Twitter is at the top. I'll read any comments, feedback etc. you have for my QMing or the Quest itself once I come back.

Have a good one until next session!

>>340269
>>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?
Our friends can help us out a bit if we look too lost, but lets give it a shot ourselves first.

>>340269
>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?

>>340282
Thanks for running OP, see ya next time.

Nothing constructive to say but the quest has been a sweet read. On one hand it feels nice to be caught up and be able to participate, but on the other, it was really fun to just sit down and burn through the previous threads.

so random spitballing guess, I have a theory over what is up with the humans and why we can go through the barrier despite using the red flower.


see I don't think the barrier is meant to keep out the red flower, it's meant to keep out a specific red flower. Right now there is a single spirit of the red flower, and it dominates and consumes every other spark so that it remains the only spirit of the red flower. The barrier isn't keyed against the red flower itself, but that specific spirit.

when we got our infection and carried it beyond the barrier it allowed a spark to grow without immediately being subsumed for the first time in centuries.

now as for why there is only one spirit in the first place I have a theory. at the start the forest covered the whole world, and we know that the red flower and the forest simply do not get along, so I think the red flower spirits deliberately merged out of desperation, they were being wiped out until they found a champion in humanty and merged to create an unstoppable weapon.

presumably the red flower spirit spent the next 300 years going power mad and striving to end the war once and for all. Presumably the church of the red flower has a lot of political power, and has spent centuries preaching about how the forest races are demons plotting the downfall of mankind, so when they called for a crusade most were if not eager, willing to go along with it.

man... i just have an image of the main red flower as the soul of cinder boss from dark souls 3, that or bed of chaos from dark souls 1 if it somehow lit the world tree on fire.

>>340269
>Try your best with the common language. You might come out sounding stupid, but practice makes perfect, right?

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (174 KB, 582x824)

174 KB JPG

>>340318
Thank you!

>>340364
Interesting hypothesis. Is any of it true? Who knows~

>>340385
Those both look fitting, although not how I pictured whatever the "main Red Flower" is, if there is any "main one" that is.

>>340274
>>340275
>>340285
>>340291
>>340619
You will give the common language a shot!

Roll for Knowledge!
Roll 3d10
Best of 3
DC: 8
>Knowledge [++] = +1 to all dices.

Rolled 1, 8, 10 = 19 (3d10)

>>341076
Lets see how we do.

Rolled 7, 9, 6 + 1 = 23 (3d10 + 1)

>>341076

Rolled 1, 10, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>341076

>>341083
>>341085
>>341094
DC Reached!

I'll be back in 20-30 minutes to churn out the first update. Need to eat before anything else. After that, you have my full attention.

Writing.

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (117 KB, 850x598)

117 KB JPG

>>340269
>Try your best with the common language.

“We saw you fight. Want to fight?” You’re not entirely sure if you said the correct word, but this was definitely the informal way to say it. There’s two words that either mean ‘fight between friends/comrades’ or ‘fight to the death’. A very broad difference for someone of your poor linguistic caliber. Fortunately, the Oni smiles confidently and shouts a phrase unknown to you and your team members to the other Awoo. In return, he hands you his wooden stick that resembles a sword, but not really. He quickly backs away from your touch. To most Creatures of the Forest, you’re just a mutation, yet still part of the Awoo race. However, to your own kind, you’re a fearsome Raubtier nonetheless.

”What is the purpose of this? This creature is no threat to us and even if it was, you could end it faster with me than a wooden stick.” You sigh and shake your head at the Red Flower’s question and statement alike. It’s not accustomed to the ways of the Forest, even though it has lived within you for years. Maybe it wasn’t conscious until the Spiritual Trial, but manifested anyway? You haven’t given it much thought, and even if you did, this isn’t the time for it.

The duel has already begun. The Oni goes in for a thrust against your throat to end the fight instantly. Not the most honorable method, but the Oni is not known for their honor, only for their culture that demands total and absolute victory by any means necessary. Victory means pride, honor has nothing to do with it. Only the dead or the disgraced would spout about honor, of which the former can’t and the latter’s words are worthless to any and all Oni.

>Continued

File: 98714097801904.png (72 KB, 704x253)

72 KB PNG

>>341281

Although the Oni of equal age of you is fast and strong, you’ve faced even faster, stronger, and more dangerous foes. Your body kicks into action the split second your eyes catch the thrust heading for your throat. Alongside your body, something fierce within you activates. It’s not your Berserker mode. It’s your Inner Wolf. With your unnatural reflexes and speed, you dodge your opponent's thrust and drive the wooden blade into the Oni’s solar plexus; the only spot on an Oni’s upper body that isn’t hardened by their near iron-like muscles. However, you didn’t control the force of your thrust and send the poor Oni to his knees, puking his breakfast out.

His Awoo companion’s eyes widen in horror, assuming he’s next. You didn’t mean for your attack to be so hard, but you still don’t have full control of your Inner Wolf and its capabilities. From afar it might look like an battle experienced Guardian making a fool out of a less experienced Oni.

‘Bullying’ as Ming would call it. ‘Crushing a weaker foe’ as Chao would call it.

>Apologize and offer to help the Oni up.
>Watch him get up on his feet on his own and compliment his speed and stance.
>Throw the wooden blade to the ground and walk away. That Oni was too weak for your taste.
>Let him get up on his own in silence. See if he wants to continue the duel or forfeit.
>Write-in.

>>341285
>Apologize, don't help him up.

I feel like helping him up without prompting would be mocking him, considering what was said about the Oni.

"Sorry, that wasn't meant to be full force. I'm unused to pulling my punches these days. Can you stand?"

>>341285
>>Let him get up on his own in silence. See if he wants to continue the duel or forfeit.

>>341285
>Watch him get up on his feet on his own and compliment his speed and stance.

File: q.png (1.41 MB, 1000x1413)

1.41 MB PNG

>>341312

>>341285
>>Let him get up on his own in silence. See if he wants to continue the duel or forfeit.
Jeez, don't kick the guy while he's down. He'd probably commit sudoku if we told him we were holding back.

>>341312
Maybe a slight apology about excessive force.

>>341311
>>341312
>>341325
>>341347
>>341360
You have voted to not help him up and check if he wants to continue or not.

Since there's a mixed view on this, vote for this next!
>Apologize.
>Don't apologize.

>>341382
>>Don't apologize.
He'd think we're making fun of him.

File: q.jpg (1.16 MB, 849x1200)

1.16 MB JPG

>>341382
>Don't apologize.

>>341382
>Apologize.

>>341382
>>Don't apologize.
seems to fit with the culture, though an admission of error might be in order.

>>341386
>>341391
>>341392
>>341397
All right.

Writing.

File: 1449026072738.gif (19 KB, 500x332)

19 KB GIF

>>341285
>Don’t help him up, and check if he wants to continue the duel or not.
>Don’t apologize.

With the wooden blade in hand, you stand towering above the knelt Oni puking his guts out all over the grass field. His Awoo companion is clearly afraid and is contemplating taking the beating from the Oni later for fleeing rather than sticking around and facing the Raubtier. From behind you can feel the looks from Mei and Jin burrowing into your back. One is wondering if you’ll apologize while the other is asking himself why you almost went full out on the Oni.

When your former opponent is done puking, he takes a moment to breathe before rising to his feet, sword in hand. You won’t apologize because that might hurt his pride, but the second you’re about to ask him if he wants to continue the duel, he answers the unspoken question by himself. You dodge another thrust from below followed by blocking a quick and heavy strike from above.

You catch a glimpse of his face before he breaks the strike and goes in for a horizontal swing to your mid rim. He looks absolutely furious, steam-like air exhaling from his mouth with every breath. If this was a fight between actual enemies, you’re certain that you couldn’t have ended it by disarming nor dismembering him. Only death would have stopped this crazed beast.

The Oni is just as capable of becoming Guardians as the Awoo, if not more qualified in certain fields, but Kafuu chose the Awoo for his own reasons and all the Creatures of the Forest respect their saviour’s decision.

The second block sends you in the direction of the strike, but you remain steadily on your feet, still in control of your balance. The uncontrollable Oni charge you down.

>Dodge his charge, grab his horns, and use his momentum against him. Tackle him to the ground. Hold him there until he calms down and concedes.
>Aim for the solar plexus again with added force. Strike and dodge. He hasn’t learned his lesson. Humiliate him.
>Let him win without getting injured too much. Heal his wounded pride.
>Write-in.

>>341587
>>Dodge his charge, grab his horns, and use his momentum against him. Tackle him to the ground. Hold him there until he calms down and concedes.

>>341587
>>Dodge his charge, grab his horns, and use his momentum against him. Tackle him to the ground. Hold him there until he calms down and concedes.
Seems like a good plan.

>>341587
>Let him win without getting injured too much. Heal his wounded pride.

>>341587
>>Dodge his charge, grab his horns, and use his momentum against him. Tackle him to the ground. Hold him there until he calms down and concedes.

>>341597
>>341599
>>341601
>>341612
Use his momentum against him!

Roll for Agility Save!
Roll 3d10
Best of 3
DC: 5
>[Inner Wolf] +1 on the dice!

Rolled 6, 10, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>341640

>>341587
>>Let him win without getting injured too much. Heal his wounded pride.
>>341597
>>341599
>>341612
You guys are monsters

Rolled 5, 8, 2 = 15 (3d10)

>>341640

Rolled 5, 1, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>341640

Rolled 8, 6, 9 = 23 (3d10)

>>341655
He's already mad, it'd just hurt his pride if we went easy on him.

>>341650
>>341659
>>341661
DC Reached!

Writing.

File: Only+_53c5bbd030dbcb3bda4(...).jpg (72 KB, 600x800)

72 KB JPG

>>341587
>Use his momentum against him!

An idea strikes your thoughts at the sight of the charging Oni. Something you were taught the hard way in your guardian trials: Use the enemy’s momentum against them, especially those blinded by rage. The Oni doesn’t exactly have anything to grab, except his hair but that’s too short and can easily be ripped off. No, you need something firm that won’t easily fall off or get ripped off from the force. Then you spot them...

The Horns!

Your body and mind is ready for what’s about to happen. You throw the wooden blade aside just before the Oni comes in range. Dodging his charge just barely, you throw yourself in his direction from behind with your unnatural speed, grabbing onto his horns, and with controlled strength, you smash the beast face first into the ground. You hold him there by the horns, forcing him to taste dirt. His arms and legs are swinging wildly and his body twitches violently. You throw a glance back at your companions. Mei looks surprised and turns her head about, scanning the area to see if anyone else is watching this. There’s only a few on-lookers who won’t bother to get involved in the business between an Awoo and an Oni. Jin is shaking his head disapprovingly, but he won’t interfere. The Awoo companion to the Oni has fled the scene.

You hold the Oni by the horns for a solid 5 minutes before his body stop tensing up and his limbs calm down. He’s still breathing and seems to be conscious. He has calmed down and conceded. You remain vigilant because he can still try something once you release him. However, the second you get off him, he rises and groans loudly in defeat. The duel is over.

“You stronger --- you look.” Even if you won the duel, you still lose to your shallow grasp of the common tongue. Instead, you simply offer him a smile and a nod. The Oni offers to duel any of your companions as well, but they decline while perfectly using the common tongue.

“Show-offs.” You mutter irritably when the Oni has left. Mei and Jin chuckle at your expense.

“Now what?” Mei asks aloud, subtly glancing over at the market where they sell the honeyed water. Jin is eyeing the Moth girl by the tree stump.

Good question.

>Look for someone from yesterday’s trial. (Who?)
>Get another round of honeyed water.
>Go speak with the Moth girl who’s still around, albeit alone now.
>Go sightseeing in the village.
>Call it a day. You want to get back to your room and talk with your Red Flower for a while.
>Write-in.

>>341827
>>Go speak with the Moth girl who’s still around, albeit alone now.
>

>>341827
>Go speak with the Moth girl who’s still around, albeit alone now.

>>341827
>get common tongue lessons

>>341827
>>Go speak with the Moth girl who’s still around, albeit alone now.
We can talk to our Flower all night if we wanted to.

>>341827
>Go speak with the Moth girl who’s still around, albeit alone now.

>>341837
>>341842
>>341876
>>341897
>>341848
All right!

Writing.

>>341848
You cheeky cunt. Gave me a laugh.

>>341848
mybe we can get the team to teach us, better ten just grunting and pointing at things

File: Moth girl.png (125 KB, 500x556)

125 KB PNG

>>341827
>Go speak with the Moth girl, albeit alone now.

You’ve indulged in both your and Mei’s desire so far. Jin’s eyes betray him and decides the next point in the agenda for this day without worries or bloodshed. Without your vice-captain’s consent, you drag Mei with you on your way to the Moth girl. Jin quickly discovers your intentions, but decides to play along instead of whining. He must have realized his own thoughts betrayed him to his Captain.

The little Moth girl looks awfully shy and it appears as though she’s waiting for someone. She was surrounding by three young Awoo boys before, but they must have settled whatever interest they had with the Moth before leaving while you fought the Oni. Her wings are swaying with the fresh breeze rolling over the grass plane where the tree stump is sitting just as lonely as the one upon it. Her ‘mane’ or the hair covering her chest isn’t move an inch to the wind. She’s playing with her fingers restlessly while her eyes are drifting elsewhere, oblivious to your approach until you’re upon her.

“Eeek!” She screech for a second when she finally notice your presence. Your unique appearance frightened her for but a second before she realized by your companions that you must also be an Awoo of some sort. She clears her throat and you spot her cheeks gaining a slight hue of red.

“Um, What, uh, you do want?” She struggles to give way to her voice. She’s shy, but her wordings are off somehow. Your eyes narrow in thought, which only worsen her perception of you. She must be thinking she accidentally offended you somehow.

“Oh! You can speak our language?” Jin asks curiously and it dawns on you why she sounded weird. She nods shyly, meeting Jin’s friendly gaze, although she’s still disturbed his eye-patch.

>Continued

File: Mei3.png (598 KB, 700x993)

598 KB PNG

>>342193

Come to think of it, you look pretty battle hardened, even if you’re not that experienced as Guardians yet. You look like a mutated Awoo, Jin has an eye-patch over his left eye, and Mei… Well, Mei might just be the only one that doesn’t appear a veteran of some war.

“M-me father taught it ‘o me - we be travelin’ merchants, we are.” Her cute Moth accent seeps in with her attempt to speak your language. It makes you appreciate her and her father a bit more than the Oni, truth to be told. That’s pretty hypocritical of you, but who cares?

“That’s so cute!” Mei exclaims gleefully, to which the Moth girl only nods, her face now entirely covered in a red hue as she tries to hide it in her front mane.

“Are you waiting for your father?” You ask, taking a knee in front of her to get on the same height level. The others follow your example. She looks up with a weak smile and nods. You throw a few quick looks about to scan the area, but there’s really no other Moth around. What kind of father leaves his daughter out here in the field by herself?

“Want us to go look for him?” You inquire, but after thinking for a moment, she shakes her head. This must have happened a few times already. She’s used to it by now.

>Accept defeat and say good bye.
>Accept her decision, but stay and continue talking with her until her Father returns.
>Go look for her Father, despite her wishes.
>Write-in.

>>342197
>>Accept her decision, but stay and continue talking with her until her Father returns.

>>342197
>Accept her decision, but stay and continue talking with her until her Father returns.
Lets chat more. Why not, right?

>>342197
>>Accept her decision, but stay and continue talking with her until her Father returns.

>>342197
>Accept her decision, but stay and continue talking with her until her Father returns.

File: 1465429126596.png (300 KB, 880x1200)

300 KB PNG

>>342245
>>342248
>>342297
>>342337
You want to stay and chat.

Outside of talking about whatever comes to mind, is there anything specific you want to ask/talk to her about?

>>342375
What her father trades in, what she's doing here.

>>342389
>>342375
Gotcha.

Writing.

File: zqA3FEQ.png (297 KB, 884x903)

297 KB PNG

>>342197
>Accept her decision, but stay and chat until her Father returns.

Nodding at her, you accept her grown-up decision. “Okay, but can we stay and talk a bit more?” You continue, to which she nods again with a shy smile. If anything, she’s probably enjoying the company after sitting alone, waiting for her Father so many times before. Instead of remaining on one knee, Mei takes a seat in the grass. Most of it are still wet from the slow rain last night that you were unaware of, but there’s still spots here and there that have dried up in the sun. Unfortunately, Mei doesn’t find one of those spots, but she’s not very concerned about getting her bum wet. Both you and your vice-captain remain on your knees.

“So what does your Father trade with?” You ask, curiosity pressing you onward. She looks dumbfounded for a second, not entirely sure how to respond. Jin helps her out.

“Salt? Food? Clothes? Medicine?”

“All o’ ‘em.” She replies with uncertainty. She probably doesn’t know what kind of merchant her Father is, or maybe he sells what he can trade or acquire? Traveling merchant is a noble profession that individuals from most races dabble in. It is so because many villages are self-sufficient so they can sometimes get isolated in trades with the other villages, especially between Forest Realms. Traveling merchants eliminate these isolated cases, bringing trade, prosperity, and items that you could otherwise only get in one village to all the other villages.

Unlike Chao, you’d consider traveling merchants close to being as important as the Guardians themselves. Both professions protect and sustain the way of life in the Forest for all creatures and races. However, even so, you would never actually become one. Your calling in life was always to become a Guardian and your dream will never fade!

“Why are you waiting for him here of all places? Can’t you wait inside somewhere?” Mei asks, finally gotten used to the wet spot in the back of her pants. The Moth girl’s gaze falls to the ground while she rolls her thumbs. She’s obviously avoiding the subject, so Jin takes matters in his own hands.

“My name is Jin, she’s Mei, and that’s Lin, our Captain.” He points to himself, to Mei, and then to you respectively. You take note that he doesn’t inform her that he’s the Vice-captain, but maybe it doesn’t matter while talking to a child? “What’s your name?”

“盛開” She replies with a grin. The three of you stare at her with a mix of confusion and faked smiles, pretending you know what she said. She corrects herself shortly after she remembers something crucial: “Shengkai. It means ‘Bloom’ in your tongue.”

Cute.

>Continued

File: Second OP.jpg (227 KB, 1000x890)

227 KB JPG

>>342896

You want to continue this little chat with her, but before you know it her eyes lit up and she leaves the tree stump behind in a sprint. Turning your heads about, you watch her leap into the arms of an older male Moth. You’re uncertain how to determine the age of Moths, but he looks middle-aged if that’s any hint to you.

The three of you rise to your feet and meet the Father’s eyes. He smiles and nods, thanking you silently, before laughing along with his little girl at something his daughter said. It reminds you of gran-gran. It stings a bit. You sigh, blowing out the pain of these memories.

“That was interesting.” Jin muse out loud, both to himself and his companions. Mei nods agreeingly. Looking at the sun’s position in the sky, you determine that it’s a little bit past noon. You still have a couple of hours until you ought to head back to your room.

>Get another round of Honeyed Water.
>Find someone from yesterday’s trial. (Who?)
>Go talk with the Moth girl’s father.
>Go sightseeing through the parts you haven’t seen of the village.
>Call it a day and head back to the room. Time to speak with the Red Flower in privacy.
>Write-in.

>>342902
>Go sightseeing through the parts you haven’t seen of the village.

>>342902
>>Get another round of Honeyed Water.
>Go sightseeing through the parts you haven’t seen of the village.
We can drink while we walk.

>>342902
>Go sightseeing through the parts you haven’t seen of the village

>>342902
>Get another round of Honeyed Water.
>Go sightseeing through the parts you haven’t seen of the village

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (104 KB, 850x478)

104 KB JPG

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>342915
>>342921
>>342926
>>342947
Vote end!

Writing.

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (98 KB, 850x605)

98 KB JPG

>>342902
>Get another round of Honeyed water and go on a sightseeing trip through the Village.

There’s a smile in Mei’s eyes when the three leave the market behind with mugs filled to the brim with honeyed water. You take care to not finish it all at once this time around and enjoy the bittersweet taste, with the pleasant sting you get in your tongue and throat from it. You’ve agreed to go on a sightseeing tour through the village and possibly scout out some places to visit tomorrow on your last free day before your duties call you back to one of the fronts. The thought of meeting the new fifth member of team 2 was both exciting and weirdly depressing considering how the spot opened up.

“Here’s the main lodge.” Jin introduced the large treehouse located up a couple of wooden stairs built upon the stone slope leading up to the thickest and tallest tree in the area. “Rushi has taken up residence here with the Blood Guardian officers that were present during the trial.”

“Do you think I should go and thank him?” You wonder aloud, but Jin shakes his head.

“He’s too busy with the papers regarding you and from what I’ve heard, his new plans for both the Western and the Eastern Front. If I’m right, we’ll be sent to either one of them by the end of tomorrow.” The thought of returning to another possible battlefield drowns the group in silence until Mei shakes it off of her.

“Oh! There’s something I wanted to show you last night, Lin, but I was told to let you sleep!” And she scurries off, with both you and Jin hot on her tail. Eventually she leads you to a spot not too far from the market again. It’s a grassless mini-valley with a pond in the middle and trees surrounding the area. It feels familiar, on some subconscious levels.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Mei sighs pleasantly just as a red-blue coloured fish takes a leap up from the pond before crashing into the water again. All three of you take another sip from your mugs, finally finishing your honeyed water.

You still have a few spots left to visit in this sightseeing tour before the day ends, but at this very moment, you feel nothing but bliss.

____

Ending the session here tonight! Twitter is up top. Next session is happening again in this thread, 1-2 hours earlier than when it started today, to try and compensate for the possible slow pace Thursday’s usually brings. I’ll stick around for a short bit to answer any questions or reply to any feedback. If I miss anything, I’ll deal with it tomorrow!

Thanks for playing!

File: awoo.jpg (350 KB, 1733x2000)

350 KB JPG

>>343300
Thanks for running OP, see ya next time.

File: large.gif (383 KB, 500x285)

383 KB GIF

>>343340
Thank you! See you in a few hours.

File: Spoiler Image (542 KB, 1200x1749)

542 KB JPG

>>343300

Breathe in, breathe out. The semi-cold air fills your lungs. The tranquility of this place is extraordinary. Even if the fish splashes once in awhile, it doesn’t break your immersion or your serene thoughts. A magical place indeed. There’s only you, Jin, Mei, the pond with its fish, and the trees around you. It’s the kind of quiet and calmness you’ve been in need of after everything you’ve been through. The Fall of the first barrier, the death of so many near and close to you, being treated like a monster and an outcast for years, losing Kun, fighting with both Jin and Heim, The Grim Knight and the Red Flower that possessed him, losing your limbs and discovering some weird shit within you, the Trial, and the asswhopping Chao gave you. Even though it’s only been a month or so since you became an actual Guardian, you’ve been through so much. It feels surreal. Like it didn’t happen, or shouldn’t have happened, but it did. It’s not just in your head.

“̻͓̗A̻̪r̞̘͈̟͚e͍̞ ͈͓͕͕̦y͉͈͉o̞͚̠̮̭̺̬̭u͕̹̖͕̰ ̞̲͚̝ͅẹ̘̦n̬̻͎̝͚̟̫̥j̼͕o̯̩̮̼̘y̦̣̪͇̦͙ͅͅi̞͖n͈̬̻͕̹̬g̬̖̯̦̗̤̱ͅ ̜y̠̦͖̝̳͓̟o̝̣͇͔u̻͕̮̪̬̝r͙̩͕̝s̠̯e̮̺̤̖͚̣̩ḷ͇̻͍͙͕̳f͙͍̳̱̻̱̥,̪͖̱̩ ͙̥̣̹̜̤̫C͙̲̮̖a̻̺̻͓̙̯̮̞̬p̗̖̱̲̪̣͔̤ț̝̺̱̻̟͈̘a̲̗̙̳̩̦̱͇i̟̦̜̹̜͉ͅn͕̹͔̟?̩̥̯̪̺̪”̺̼
̹̳̹̦̱͈̭̝
̥͔̰“̖͕͇͎̩D̯͓̩̟̟̱o͉̟̳̲e̫͈̳͚̞͈̤s̲̘͎̳̜n͓̯’̝̫͙͓̘̯̖t̪̩̩̼͔̮ ͍̳̞̬͇̮͕t̖͙̝h͎̻̰ͅḭ̘̜̜͚̝̲̰ͅs̞͚̼ ̦̖̲̘̝l̻̗͖̳̤̖a̱̖̥̫͙k̼̤̞̣͇̗̞̮e̜͕̦̬̞̱̱̯ ͔̪r̖͖͎͇͉͓e̖̰̳̬̺̘̝m̼̟͓̤i͍͍̳̼̱̟n̗̼̳d͇̯̮̥̰̰ͅͅ ̰̹̯̹y͙͔͙̮̭̣̙͉̭o̦͙̥̹u͚̳̳̪͙̻̪͎ ͓͙͕̯̠͙ͅo̟̝f̣͙̠̱ͅ ̭̦̲̮̠̭̱͇S̺̻̞̝͇̙̜̝e̫̺n̥͙͉͚̱s̠͚̝̘͕̭͕͈ͅe͕̗̭̗̘̥̦̩̫i̝͕̬̥’̖̖̦̣̖̩̤̯ͅs͙͖͚̰͈ ̻͓̙l͍͔̱a̪̟͔k̹̫͎̺̬e̻̥͙̩?͔̻̠̳̙͍”̞͕̣̪͙̻̙


The two familiar voices emanates from behind, but they sound twisted and wrong. In horror, you whip your head around quickly, scanning the area. There’s no one there. However, you’re absolutely certain you heard them; Kun and Ai. You rise from your seat by the pond and dizzily start to patrol the area, checking between the thick scores of the forest to see if anyone’s hiding in there.

I know I heard them...

“Lin, are you alright?” A voice breaks your concentration and you swing around, ready to catch a glimpse of Kun or Ai, but instead you find a worried Mei, staring at you from afar. Jin is dipping his feet in the pond, enjoying himself too much to notice your weird behaviour. Aside from the colours of the wounds upon your face, you can already guess that you look pale. As if you’ve seen a Banshee, even if those disappeared after the fall of the first barrier.

>Continued

File: 9Yznwhg.jpg (327 KB, 700x700)

327 KB JPG

>>343856

Shaking the feeling of dread and confusion off of yourself, you convince Mei that you’re alright. You try to chalk it up to your own tiredness, but you’re still not fully convinced of that excuse. It feels wrong to have to lie to Mei, but you don’t want to jump to conclusions and sound like a crazy person. The two of you get Jin out from the pond and back into his boots before you all decide to leave for now. A soft memory ruined by something supernatural, or just an hallucination.

You could continue with what’s left of the sightseeing tour, or you could go about doing something else. You spent more time at the pond than you’d like to confess. It’s already close to dusk. You probably only have time to do one last thing before the three of you need to head back your rooms. Maybe it’s better to just return to your room? There won’t be a lot of Awoo or Creatures of the forest about this late.

>Finish the sightseeing tour.
>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers. (Anything specific you want to ask it?)
>Head back to your room and get a good night’s sleep. You obviously need it. You can speak with the Red Flower tomorrow.

>>343858
>>Head back to your room and get a good night’s sleep. You obviously need it. You can speak with the Red Flower tomorrow.

>>343858
Speak with red flower

>>343858
>Finish the tour
maybe we find some dirty secrets in the night

>>343858
>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers.
Maybe it knows what that spooky thing was

>>343858
>>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers.

>>343858
>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers. (Anything specific you want to ask it?)
What's the difference between you and that other red flower? Any idea on why I heard such distorted voices of my deceased friends?

>>343858
tour.
>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers.
Ask if it knows what the cost of berserk mode is since he is the one that gave us the ability.

>>343858
>>Head back to your room for the evening to speak with the Red Flower. Time for some answers.

File: Chao.jpg (239 KB, 850x1275)

239 KB JPG

>>343858
>Head back to your room to speak with the Red Flower. It’s time for answers.

You finally decide that it’s time to confront the Red Flower living within your heart and your Guardian Blade. It must have some answers for you. Answers to questions you couldn’t or didn’t know how to ask before. It’s more sentient now and more responsive. However, what’s stopping it from lying to you or outright refusing to answer anything you ask? You can’t exactly threaten it or sweet talk it, or anything of the sort…

“I think I’ll just head back and hit the sack.” You stretch your arms into the air, yawning loudly. You’re pretty tired, but answers comes before sleep in this case.

“It’s for the best. We’ve been up and about for just about the entire day. Only the Tree knows how many hours we spent by that pond.” Jin replies, fighting back a yawn. He loses.

“Good night, Lin! We’ll come pick you up tomorrow as well!” Mei waves happily when you leave and you return the good bye. Jin does a short wave before leaving as well. It’s strange how they’ve changed, but it feels as though they’re still the same. Mei has become more… happy? Energetic is the right word. She still has her Bitch-self lying dormant within, but she doesn’t show it as much anymore. Maybe that’s a way to cope with everything that has happened? Just force yourself to always be ‘happy’?

Although you’re sure Jin is still angry and sad deep inside over Kun, he’s forcing those emotions back while he’s around you and during missions. You can spot hints of it in his fake smiles sometimes. It wouldn’t surprise you if he cries himself to sleep and curses you and all Humans in his dreams and nightmares. Some day soon all those emotions will bare themselves true and you will have to face Jin head on and not fail him. Until then, you don’t know how to help him.

It makes me feel worthless.

It doesn’t take long to get close to the trees holding the housing rooms where you slept last night, but you spot something peculiar once you get close: In the distance your eyes train themselves upon the lone figure leaving the treehouses, heading straight into the thick forest outside of the village. Just before it disappeared into the scores, you caught the sight of its many weapons and the outfit it bore.

“Chao?”

>Follow Chao into the Forest. Curiosity might have killed the Horned Rabbit, but not a Guardian.
>Ignore him. You have another, more important task ahead of you.
>Write-in

>>344070
>>Follow Chao into the Forest. Curiosity might have killed the Horned Rabbit, but not a Guardian.

>>344070
>>Ignore him. You have another, more important task ahead of you.

>>344070
>Ignore him. You have another, more important task ahead of you.

>>344070
Follow chao

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>344073
>>344090
1

>>344077
>>344081
2

Vote has ended!

File: Raubtier Form.png (2.61 MB, 1920x1080)

2.61 MB PNG

>>344070
>Ignore him. You have a more important task ahead of you.

It doesn’t matter. What right do you have to pry yourself into Chao’s personal business? Prior to the Trial, you hadn’t seen him for at least one and a half month. He must have changed a lot from his experience on the Western Front. Maybe he has gone through a similar change to yourself, but on the inside? At the Trial for your ‘crimes’, you spotted the Guardian Blade he wore prior to the Spiritual Trial along with a few other new Guardian Blades that had clearly been tamed by him. Where did he get those? Fallen comrades?

You kill your curiosity of him and his activities in the forest. He doesn’t know what you’ll do in your room and you won’t know what he’ll do in the forest. An equal exchange of no information at all. With that matter out of the way, your room await you. The Red Flower has grown noticeably quiet over the last couple of hours for reasons beyond you. It might be sleeping or just forcing its silence upon you. You still know so little about the Red Flower and how it works. Hopefully you’ll get something out from it.

After marching through the small wooden corridor within the tree from the entrance, you turn right at the third door and enter your room. Upon locking the door, you feel a presence awakening on your back. Your Guardian Blade. Taking a seat in the bed, you pull the weapon from your back and hold its grip tightly, staring at its rustless steel and the red hue coming from the top end.

”We have felt your probing desire all day.” The Red Flower remarks before you can open your mouth. ”We know very little, but we will share what we know. Knowledge is power. Power is survival. We care only for our survival and it is tied with you, Guardian Lin.”

Its voice is far removed from the cruel and violent one from the other sentient Red Flower you encountered while fighting the Grim Knight. Whether or not it’s the same one from your visions and inside your head from back then remains to be seen. Pulling yourself back to the matter at hand, there’s a few questions already begging to be answered. With one hand on the grip of your blade, and the other’s fingers trailing across your still bruised face, you sigh.

>Continued

File: Empty.jpg (1.2 MB, 1600x1200)

1.2 MB JPG

>>344333

“When I gained the Berserker ability you said something about a price. What is it?” And so, the interrogation begins.

”The price is submission.” It replies without any further explanation. You need a better answer than that.

“Submission to what? What exactly is the price?” The Red Flower grows quiet for a few moments before it bares the truth to you.

”Submission to us. Whenever you use your ‘ability’ that we created with the other formerly dormant, but now awakened and driving force within you, you give yourself over to the other force more and more.

The White Wolf.

”Unfortunately for you, this other driving force doesn’t have the power to resist us. Use this ‘ability’ enough times and you will open yourself entirely to our control, whether we want it or not.”

“What?!” You already presumed before that the price wasn’t going to be something pleasant, but this was more than that. This was a life-threatening price. “So you want to take over?!”

“Unless we have to, no.” Again, it replies as if you can read its mind. Although, you’re not very convinced that it doesn’t want control.

“Unless you have to?”

”We do not fully know what will occur when or if this happens. It could result in no change whatsoever.”

“Then why is it a problem for me?” You still think it’s a problem, but you want to probe for more information.

”Nothing could happen, or everything can happen. Our own instincts might force us to take control of your body and mind when the opportunity presents itself, and return to whence we came, wherever that may be.” This was disturbing news. You already knew you can’t use your Berserker ability whenever you want to, but this restricts its usage even further. If you use it too much, you’re certain that you’ll be faced with an impossible decision in the future between having a limb or giving yourself over to the control of the Red Flower within you.

>Continued

File: The Grim Knight.jpg (248 KB, 1158x818)

248 KB JPG

>>344339

Your thoughts return to the Grim Knight.

“Is this the same as with the Grim Knight who was possessed by one of your kind?”

”No. While the host did lower his mental resistance, It still had to forcibly take control and corrupted its host in the process. We aren’t that strong nor will we ever be that strong. If control is given to us or if there is no resistance, the host will not be corrupted. It will simply become like we are now: a voice within a new host.”

“We would switch places.” Your voice trails off in deep thoughts. The silence from the Red Flower confirms it. This new information has hit you hard. It might become a boon as much as it can turn into a weakness. If you question the use of your Berserker ability in a crucial moment, it can mean the difference between life or death for your friends and fellow Guardians…

“Then…” You continue, trying to steer the conversation into another subject. You now know the price for your new ability after all. “...what’s the difference between you and the Red Flower that took control of the Knight?”

The Red Flower grows quiet for an uncomfortable long time, to the point where you’re growing too impatient to sit quietly and wait for it to speak.

”We do not know. It is stronger, more wild than anything we’ve seen or felt before. Every other of our kind that we’ve encountered has been controlled, either by its host or by something unknown. The one we fought, the wild one, was in control completely from any and all internal and external forces. If we have to describe it with one word after watching your way of life, it would be…”

You stare at the blade in your hand, the tension in the air building up faster and faster.

>Continued

File: Spoiler Image (109 KB, 209x192)

109 KB GIF

>>344346

”...Father.”

What? No, wait, what?! WHAT!?!

“Y-you’re telling m-me I f-fought the ‘Father’ of y-your kind?” You stammer with absolutely no means to handle and process all of this. Is it the same Red Flower the Humans used when they first came to the Forest world all those centuries ago, in the tales? Is it the first Red Flower, something the Creatures of the Forest has never heard of before? What is it?!

”A much weaker version, yes. We felt its true power attached somewhere else, though we couldn’t pinpoint where. Too far removed from us.”

This revelation has put a dent in your mind. It’s something that’s too large for you alone to know. The thought of sharing it with your team and possibly Rushi is now more enticing than ever. You also feel yourself on the verge of falling asleep. Now would be a good time to grab what shut-eye you can before first light, unless you can come up with anything else you want to ask the Red Flower now that you have its full attention?

>Go to sleep.
>Continue the conversation. (What do you want to ask it next?)
>Write-in.

>>344351
>>Continue the conversation. (How do you feel about your "family?" Do you know what I know? How do you feel about the guardians, awoo and others?

>>344351
>>Continue the conversation. (What do you want to ask it next?)
You'd let us know if you happened to feel that the original Red Flower was around right? If the original Red Flower was destroyed, would anything happen to you?

File: 827938127041.jpg (94 KB, 776x304)

94 KB JPG

I'm extending the voting period to 40 minutes. This is to allow people to come back in time to read and suggest what they want to ask the Red Flower. It will probably be the last time you'll get to talk with it so freely for a long time.

>>344351
Sleep. We can ask more tomorrow

>>344351
>>Continue the conversation. (What do you want to ask it next?)
Can we change it's form, does it's got any other useful skill that won't put strain on us.

>>344351
>Continue the conversation. (What do you want to ask it next?)
Can we get it to physically manifest so that others can talk to it?

>>344420
Adding to this, can't we just speak to it mentally? This way we might be able to talk to it on the go for a quick question or something.

>>344351
>continue convo
ask about where it came from - who threw it at you?

File: 1465164155991.gif (3.64 MB, 300x169)

3.64 MB GIF

>>344358
>>344376
>>344406
>>344407
>>344420
>>344465
>>344491
Voting has ended!

Conversation continues. Writing in a moment. Need to finish making the dinner.

File: 1465439951510.jpg (9 KB, 167x192)

9 KB JPG

>>344351
>Continue the conversation.

No. You need to know more. Sleep can wait. Screw the consequences. Rising to your feet, you make your way over to the small roots twined together to make a small curved bowl risen above the ground filled with fresh, cold water. There’s usually one in every room in most Treehouses. Splashing your face to shock yourself back to life, you soon return to your Guardian Blade and take a seat on one of the chairs with it held in your grip.

”More questions?” the Red Flower within the blade and your heart inquires softly. You nod at it before proceeding down the list of the next couple of questions. While mind-boggling, these answers will likely prove to be vital information for both you and the Blood Guardians.

“How do you feel about your… ‘family’?” It feels like a delicate question, but the response is instant.

”Nothing.”

“What? Why not?” You can’t imagine someone not caring about their family and friends, but the Red Flower is an unknown entity as of now.

”We do not share your feelings for bonds forged by blood or war alike, nor do we care to find or forge those feelings. We have deemed it a weakness for us, but a resolve for you. As we have stated, survival is the only thing important to us. If our survival is dependant on the destruction of the rest of our ‘kind’, then we won’t stop you.” It’s answer leaves you dumbfounded. The very selfish thought that they would value themselves over others, even their own kind, is something unthinkable and foreign to you. It’s wrong, but you’ve already decided that trying to argue such values and morals with the Red Flower would be a waste of time. At least now you know where it stands on your fight with its kind, but there’s another point of view that needs to be revealed as well.

“Then what do you feel about us Guardians? About the Awoo and the other Creatures of the Forest?” You press the issue and yet again, the Red Flower’s answer is uttered instantly.

”Nothing. You fight for your survival. To judge you for your actions - and inactions - would be to judge ourselves.”

“Huh.” You came to expect a more hateful or possibly a more emotional answer, but in the end you’re just fooling yourself hoping or expecting to find anything you’d find in a real creature from this… thing. The conversation flows onward, like the river.

>Continued

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (60 KB, 850x509)

60 KB JPG

>>345006

“If this ‘Father’ is around, will you tell me so?” Your question was of much concern. If what it said is true and accurate, then the thing you fought was nowhere near its most powerful form. You shudder at the thought of facing it at its strongest.

”If it show signs of hostility, then yes. Otherwise, we have no reason to tell you. If our survival isn’t threatened, your ignorance of its presence will be a bliss.” You suppose this is the best you’ll get from it. Better take advantage of it when the moment arises.

“What, eh, what do you think will happen to you if your ‘Father’ is slain or destroyed? If that’s even possible?” You hope it’s possible, otherwise this fight for survival might prove to be a futile struggle against an inevitable dark end.

”We do not know such things. If its destruction means our end, we will not allow it. For now, that is not certain and thus, we have no issues with its end. If such a thing is possible.” You sigh in relief. At least its with you on this, until you can figure out more. Hopefully its end won’t mean the end of your Red Flower, otherwise you’re in deep shit. You’ll want to end it and it will want to take control of you to prevent it. A fucking mess, at best.

“So…” There’s a question that has been probing at your thoughts for a while, but other matters were of much more importance until now, “Is it possible for you to take on a physical form? And do you have any other ‘abilities’ or such that I should know about?” This time it takes a while to think or to formulate its answer. It would be interesting to see it in physical form. Maybe even Mei and Jin could speak with it then?

”Physical form is impossible. We will never be strong enough to do so. We doubt even our ‘Father’ has sufficient strength to take on a true physical form. Not yet. And we do not know of any other powers that we could grant you. We know precious little of ourselves and our purpose, other than our survival. With time, we might discover more about ourselves. Or we may not. It isn’t certain.”

“Hmph.” Is it possible that this is what the Red Flower’s ‘Father’ is after? Physical form? But why would it want that when it can clearly move across great lengths and assume the control of Humans so far away from the source of its strength? It doesn’t make sense…

>Continued

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (94 KB, 850x569)

94 KB JPG

>>345013

“I’ve been wondering though: Why can’t I just speak with you mentally? Some Guardians can do it with their Guardian Blades. Can’t we do the same?” Your question is valid and a concerning one too. If you have to open your mouth and speak every time during a battle, it might compromise you and possibly slow you down slightly when you need to do two things at once.

”We have tried. It isn’t possible. Whatever you try to say to us mentally is intertwined with your conscious and subconscious thoughts. It is as though we stand in a dark room and several versions of your voice, bearing different messages, are screaming at us from separate directions. We cannot differentiate which voice is the one for us if you do not speak out loud.” A bummer, but it was a longshot nonetheless. One last question before sleep will force itself upon you.

“Do you remember anything before you were connected to me? Who controlled you before then?” It’s not overly important, but it could become important if it remembers anything particular.

”We remember only vivid thoughts as we coursed through our host that we shared with others of our kind. We were torn asunder and left both our host and the piece of us still remaining within it. After that we do not remember anything until we awoke anew within you.”

So that’s what happens when Humans throw the Red Flower at their enemies. Interesting.

____

You awake to birds chirping from the open hole in the wooden wall and a stream of light illuminating the room where a firefly had taken its place during the night. You don’t remember when you fell asleep, but you must have put your Guardian Blade aside and gone to bed. The door is open and on the chair you sat in last night you spot a letter with your name upon it. You claim it from where you lay, the chair having been moved closer to your bed. It’s from Mei and Jin. They claim to have been here earlier to wake you, but you refused to wake up. They’re waiting for you by the pond. The thought of returning there brings both a chilling and a pleasant feeling.

>Get yourself in order before going to the pond.
>Leave immediately for the pond.
>Do something else first. (Such as? Write-in.)

>>345022
>Leave immediately for the pond.

>>345022
>Get yourself in order before going to the pond

>>345022
>>Leave immediately for the pond.
Guess we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer.

>>345022
>Get yourself in order before going to the pond.

>>345022
>>Leave immediately for the pond.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>345036
>>345060
>>345067
>>345115
>>345138
Calling the vote!

Writing.

>>345165
Ha! Four is death.

Wait, if the red flower could potentially take us over, then it could take over other hosts too. Could the masked "humans" we keep seeing be humans that were totally taken over by instances of the red flower? That would explain their lack of emotion and the fact that they refer to humans as if they weren't human themselves.

File: 64747165074.gif (263 KB, 480x479)

263 KB GIF

>>345235
Who knows~?

File: Vice-Captain Jin2.jpg (191 KB, 850x602)

191 KB JPG

>>345022
>Leave immediately for the pond.

There’s no time like the present. No point taking a bath or fixing your hair. One day without the former doesn’t matter, and you rarely concern yourself with the latter. You contemplate bringing your Guardian Blade with you, but it feels as though you owe it some peace after bombarding it with questions last night. If such unrest even concerns the Red Flower.

Nevertheless, you decide to leave it behind today. It’s not far away and this village lies behind the second barrier, and a bit off from it as well. Word would reach it before Humans come upon the village.

The fact that I’m already considering the scenario just means I’m getting bored of this peaceful village. It’s been nice and relaxing, but I’m itching to get back in duty. Wherever that is.

You still remember the way back to the pond through the forest leading from the treehouses, past the market and the open field to your right and the river and the unknown tents in the far distance across the river to your left. It’s possible that’s the camp for traveling merchants. Your thoughts fall back on the Moth Girl and her Father, but your destination is the pond, never mind your unbecoming habit to digress.

Upon leaving the thick scores of the forest, landing roughly with your feet planted in the now dry grass, you spot Jin and Mei talking with someone by the pond. You recognize him immediately. Chao.

What is he doing here? Ugh.

You approach the trio by the water, your presence is noted pretty quickly. Jin and Chao continue their conversation while Mei gets up to meet you. None of them have their weapons with them today.

“We found Chao here, feeding the fish.” She explains while walking with you back to the pond where the boys are sitting. They cut their conversation short when they notice you towering above them.

“What the--” Chao goes off, looking frustrated from the very start. “Why haven’t you healed yourself yet, idiot?” Mei narrows her eyes at his rude question while Jin raises an eyebrow in confusion regarding the hostility. Obviously he still doesn’t know who beat the shit outta you in the trial.

I’m gonna cave your skull in. Don’t think I won’t.

“Hi to you too, jackass.” You reply, charming as ever. He shrugs at you before throwing what berries he had left in his hand into the pond. The coloured fish quickly catch them mid-air before diving back in.

>Demand that Chao leaves. You want to talk with your team in private.
>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.
>Write-in.

>>345527
>>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.

>>345527
>>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.

>>345527
>Nice for the guy who caused all the damage in the first place telling me to use my power recklessly. I'm not using because I don't want to get dependent on it like the humans do. That's most of why they're so messed up. They use it until the flower is in control instead of them. Then you get monsters like the Grim knight. No thank you. Emergencies only.
>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.

>>345527
>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.

>>345559
Seconding this, Fuck Chao.

>>345559
Let's NOT say all that. If you HAVE to give him a reason, just say, "I don't want to get too dependent on it. Humans use it a lot, and look at them." Leave it at THAT.

>>345527
>Ask that he leaves.

>>345527
>>345605
Agreed, don't need to go melodramatic here. Just tell him why, plain and simple.

File: 2009-08-25-191683.jpg (157 KB, 743x600)

157 KB JPG

>>345543
>>345558
>>345559
>>345571
>>345575
>>345605
>>345670
Calling the vote.

Back to writing. A lot of players in here on a Thursday.

>>345686
The red flower in us reminds me a lot of migi from parasyte

>>345686
can we also ask about his new weapons? couse he lost his one or did he get it back from the grim kight when the fight was over

File: sad+Awoo.png (66 KB, 600x600)

66 KB PNG

>>345527
>Ask Chao what he was doing last night in the forest. Fuck his privacy.

“I don’t feel like using my new power for a couple of bruises and a black eye. I’ve seen the shit it does to Humans.” Half of it is true. The other half is more of an excuse and a guess, not entirely sure if that’s the case or not. They might have other unique powers, but your Red Flower said it created this power with the help of your inner wolf. You doubt Humans have anything of the sort…

“Whatever you say, Raubtier.” Chao counters swiftly, laughing at you from where he sits. The tension is running high and while your mind is telling you not to, your heart has already made the decision for you.

“Why did you go into the forest late last night, Chao?” You ask aloud, Mei and Jin’s eyes landing upon Chao sitting nearby. He calmly turns his head to you with a fake smile.

“An Awoo can’t take a piss before going to sleep, eh?” He thinks he has won this one, but you already have your ace ready for this little game of wit between you.

“Of course you can, idiot. Just wondering why you were armed to the teeth with your new, shiny guardian blades. Where did you steal them anyway?” You spout irritably just to hurt him, not really in the mood to take great care of what you say, considering where his new weapons might come from. He gets up from his seated position, his smile twisted into a frown as he stares you down with a glare that can cut through oakheart.

“Say that again.” He challenges you with a voice much unlike his own, his fists whitening as they shake in a controlled fury. Mei looks uncertain on what to do and Jin is hunching down a bit, ready to tackle Chao at the first sight of a fight breaking out. You stare straight back at him. He knows he’d lose if he started a fight and yet he’s ready to go through with it anyhow. You really hit a nerve there. Something horrible must have happened to him while you were apart for the last month and a half. Did he lose someone or is he just pissy you’re considered better than him right now?

Honestly, why should I care? He was always a cunt, and he’s no different now. Maybe he should taste his own medicine for once...

>Say it again.
>Apologize.
>Ignore him and walk away.
>Write-in.

>>346308
>>Apologize.
We done crossed the line.

>>346308
>>Say it again.

>>346308
>Apologize

>>346308
>Apologize.

>>346308
>>Say it again.

>>346308
>Apologize

>>346308
>>Say it again.
time to give him a beating as well

>>346308
>Say it again.
We seriously need to put him in his place.

File: Spoiler Image (459 KB, 800x674)

459 KB JPG

>>346215
Good job spotting it. Here, have an Awoo.

>>346308
>Apologize

He is sort of the reason we survived the trial. We could thank him for that even though he wasn't doing it as a favor to us.

>>346360
Aww shucks, thanks Awoo. Really enjoying this quest so far.

File: Template.jpg (28 KB, 800x473)

28 KB JPG

>>346323
>>346331
>>346332
>>346350
>>346377
+5 wants to Apologize.

>>346325
>>346340
>>346355
>>346356
+4 wants to start a fight.

Vote has ended!

Writing.

>>346400
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I sure am.

>>346421
but but his such an asshole!!!!

>>346443
Never know, maybe he'll surprise us if we let him.

Maybe we'll get some answers about the blade issue as well.

File: 1463293061461.png (136 KB, 560x651)

136 KB PNG

Completely forgot.

Roll for Social/Diplomacy.
Roll 3d10
Best of 3
DC: 7

Rolled 8, 3, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>346460

Rolled 9, 7, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>346460
Rollan

Rolled 3, 8, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>346460
>>346459
mybe but im still not there yeat
also since im guseing his part of the team would we get team bost?

>>346465
>>346466
>>346470
DC Reached!

Now I'm writing.

File: SadAwoo.jpg (30 KB, 420x280)

30 KB JPG

>>346308
>Apologize

You’re just about to say it again straight in his face, starting a fierce fight and finally putting this asshole in his place, when something stops you. You see past his angry exterior made up of his frown, tensed facial expression, and his clenched fists. You see something else. His eyes are not angry. They’re empty. Sad. Hiding a pain only Blood Guardians know of. He’s just as close to crying as he is to beating you to a bloody pulp. It reminds you of Kun in his last moment. You can’t bring yourself to saying the words you so desperately wanted to say just a second ago.

“I’m sorry.” You finally break the tensed silence. His eyes narrows as they train on you.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Chao.” His teeth clench and for a moment you think he’s going to throw a punch. He doesn’t. He hesitates for a few seconds before finally giving in.

“Alright, just don’t say it again.” He tries to calm down, his fists unclenching as well. You still look at each other.

“No, Chao. I’m sorry.” You continue, and this time you’re not apologizing for what you just said. Your stubborn mind has finally figured out what happened to Chao and why he has all those Guardians Blades.

“Don’t, Lin. Just. Don’t.” He shakes his head at you, fruitlessly trying to make you stop.

“I’m sorry, Chao.”

“Why? Just stop.” He tries to look angry and serious, but his eyes are telling a different tale.

“I’m so sorry.” And with that, Chao starts crying silently in front of you, embrace you in a hug.

“Why couldn’t it have been me?! Why the fuck not!?! I tried so hard! I hate them all so much!” He grunts and screams through his painful crying as you hug him back firmly. Jin looks dumbfounded and Mei looks to you for answers, but you have none to give. The two childhood rivals stand there for a while, the tallest of them crying into the shoulder of the shorter one. Eventually Chao comes to his senses when his tears have started to dry up. He pushes you back as if your hug is hurting him and without giving you another glance, he marches straight past you.

“I’ll, uh… catch you later.” For what it’s worth, at least his way of saying good bye hasn’t changed one bit. You watch him leave the area, disappearing among the trees. You sigh, filled with relief.

In there somewhere, my old friend still lives. I met him today, gran-gran. Hopefully I’ll meet him again soon.

“What was that all about?” Mei asks when you turn to them. You haven’t cried. You’ve already cried over the people you’re thinking about right now. The only thing left are the fond memories and the thought of avenging them.

>Tell them. No harm, no foul.
>Don’t tell them. It’s up to Chao when he wants others to know.
>Write-in.

>>346678
>>Don’t tell them. It’s up to Chao when he wants others to know.
Just some friendly rivals sharing a hug.

>>346678
>Don’t tell them. It’s up to Chao when he wants others to know.

>>346678
>Don’t tell them. It’s up to Chao when he wants others to know
Jin will piece it together on his own. Mei...well she should hope to never know what that was all about. Or maybe she's had a moment of her own.

Guess he couldn't save that one Awoo, huh?

>>346692
>>346700
>>346707
Calling the vote!

Writing.

File: 1465439015010.jpg (495 KB, 1176x1000)

495 KB JPG

Can't keep myself awake anymore and the update is half done and filled with all sorts of typos and shit. I'll end the session here tonight and give you some options to vote for so I can add it to the update that I'll post once I wake up.

Last session of the thread happens tomorrow (Friday), starting in 12 hours.

Good night and hope you enjoyed yourself as I did!

____

>Time jump until tonight when you get the information about your mission and the new fifth member of your team from Rushi.
>You still have things you want to do around the village until tonight. (Such as?)

>>347016
>>Time jump until tonight when you get the information about your mission and the new fifth member of your team from Rushi.

>>347016
>You still have things you want to do around the village until tonight. (Such as?)
Dealing with Heim.

>>347032
This. And thanking Ming for testifying for us and such.

>>347042
so drinking at the pub are we?

>>347032
>>347042
Yeah these seem like reasonable purusits.

>>347016
>>347032
Do this.

File: __inubashiri_momiji_touho(...).jpg (216 KB, 850x1277)

216 KB JPG

>>346678
>Don’t tell them.
>You still have things you want to do around the village.

“Nothing.” You reply, staring at the spot where Chao disappeared past the trees, leaving the others in silence. Seeing Chao like that was unexpected, but now that you know the reasons, it makes more sense than before. Jin has probably already figured it out, but you’ll leave Mei in a bliss ignorance for now, unless she has figured it out too. She did lose Kun as a team member just like you. Although this was all about Chao, your mind can’t help but drift off to someone else.

You haven’t seen Heim since you woke up yesterday. He was gone the entire day yesterday and if he can, he’ll stay away from you today as well. Problem is, you want to see him. To talk with him. To figure everything out. You can’t just let things be as they are right now. He’s furious with you and he must feel betrayed. You must make things right with him! There’s a lot of things you need to make right, but this takes precedent over everything. You won’t allow Heim to break off this friendship between you that has grown stronger ever since the two of you joined the Blood Guardians.

“Let’s go.” Your words belong to that of Lin, the Awoo.

“Where are we going?” Jin calls out, following in your steps with Mei close by.

“We’re going to find Heim.” Your words now belong to Captain Lin of the Blood Guardians.

>Continued

File: Possible Heim.jpg (524 KB, 500x800)

524 KB JPG

>>347873

You can’t find him.

This is ridiculous! He can’t have just up and disappeared! You’ve searched high and low: The market, the grassfield, the treehouses, and all along the river running through the southern part of the village! You even visited the traveling merchants’ encampment past the wooden bridge over the river where you met the Moth girl for the briefest of moments before you left. Heim is nowhere. There’s still one place you haven’t checked, but would he really go to such lengths to avoid you? Rushi and his officer’s quarters. You wouldn’t put it past Heim to ask for permission to stay in with their strategic meetings to learn stuff, but you can’t imagine Rushi actually allowing him to stay, especially not for the night.

“That must be it though.” Jin argues after hearing your thoughts on the matter, “I spoke with the Guardians living next door to his room in our treehouse, but he hasn’t been sighted once. His room is practically untouched.”

“Want me to go fetch the idiot?” Mei suggests, but you shake your head. Mei would just stir the pot more than she means to when it comes to Heim. Play the diplomat on this one. You’ll entrust this to your Vice-Captain.

“No. Jin, I want you to try to convince him to hear me out.” You sigh, scratching an itch behind your ear. He nods, but hesitates for a moment, silently asking you with a look if he should drag the Awoo to you kicking and screaming. You shake your head at him and he’s off. That leaves you and Mei standing about by the other side of the bridge over the river. It’s wooden, with wines entwined with each other on both sides of it, reaching between the two connected grasslands.

“You think he’ll come, Capt’n?”

“He better.”

____

Before the hour is over, you spot two familiar figures slowly making their way over to where you and Mei are leaning against the bridge. However, it looks worse than you first imagined; both of them look irritated and they’re not talking with each other.

I told you to get him, not make him more pissed off. By the Tree Jin!

Eventually the two of them reach the bridge. Surprisingly, Mei and Heim share a ‘hello’ before his gaze falls on you again. It hasn’t changed much since yesterday.

“What do you want?” He spits out, eager to get this over with and leave.

>Be delicate. Apologize and submit yourself to his judgment.
>Be firm. You did nothing wrong and you’ll stand by that. Convince him of it as well.
>A mix of both. Apologize, but stand firm by the belief that you regret nothing of what you did. It was for the best.
>Write-in.

>>347875
>>Be firm. You did nothing wrong and you’ll stand by that. Convince him of it as well.

>>347875
>A mix of both. Apologize, but stand firm by the belief that you regret nothing of what you did. It was for the best.

>>347875
>Be firm. You did nothing wrong and you’ll stand by that. Convince him of it as well.

>>347875
>Mix

>>347875
>>Be firm. You did nothing wrong and you’ll stand by that. Convince him of it as well.

>>347875
>>A mix of both. Apologize, but stand firm by the belief that you regret nothing of what you did. It was for the best.

>>347875
>>Be firm. You did nothing wrong and you’ll stand by that. Convince him of it as well.

>a mix of both.

>>347875
>Be firm.

>>347881
>>347886
>>347997
>>348008
>>348042
+5 to be Firm with Heim.

>>347883
>>347896
>>348000
>>348035
+4 to use a mix of both aspects when dealing with Heim.

Vote has Ended!

Roll for Social/Diplomacy.
Roll 3d10
Best of 3
DC: 9
>[O Captain! My Captain!]: +1 on the dice!

Rolled 3, 4, 10 + 1 = 18 (3d10 + 1)

>>348062

Rolled 7, 5, 2 = 14 (3d10)

>>348062

Rolled 10, 6, 9 = 25 (3d10)

>>348062

>>348067
>>348077
>>348085
Saved by the last roll. DC Reached!

Writing.

>>348085
Oh captain my captain indeed.

File: 2011-10-19-21p97.jpg (225 KB, 792x1152)

225 KB JPG

>>348103

>>348085
Good job anon

>>348062
>that DC of 9
I do hope we at least give a slight apology. Hiding stuff from your few friends seems like a dick move, especially from someone like Heim's perspective. That said, I probably wouldn't have told him either.

>>348169
but at the same time the second they foud out they wanted to kill us, so i think we had a very good reasion not to tell everyone

>>348169
I happen to agree. Would have voted for both if I woke up earlier. Maybe we can apologize later when this all calms down.

File: No.jpg (10 KB, 236x229)

10 KB JPG

>>347875
>Be Firm.

The tension between you and the friend you risk losing is electrifying. You’re still uncertain what to say to make things better. There’s so many things you could and should say, but out of them all, you need to press one point more than anything else.

“I did nothing wrong.” Your reply tilts his head and he scoffs at you with narrowed eyes, partly to mock your response and partly to show his dissatisfaction with your shitty answer to the problem. Not the reaction you want, but the one you expect from him. At least he hasn’t left.

“Nothing wrong?! You lied to me, and to Ming, for 3 years! You know how much I hate the Red Flower after what happened to our village. To Ai…” For a moment his voice trails off on a saddened tone before he bares his teeth at you as if he has fangs, tempered fury burning in his eyes, “And all along I’ve been walking alongside, talking with, and laughing with someone who harbors one of those… things, inside of her! How is this not wrong? How can you not consider this to be sick?! Tell me, ‘Captain’!” He spits the rank in your face, like poison from a spitting snake.

Mei is close to losing it, but fortunately, Jin drags her and himself away from the conversation. It’s better if you speak with him in private, or as private as it can get on a public bridge in the middle of a forest village. Trying to relocate will be a vain attempt at best. He’ll probably just leave outright instead. However, the odds aren’t in your favor at the moment either.

“You saw what happened the second the truth got out, Heim!” You raise your voice to match his. Keeping the calm tone will just let him overwhelm you with the next barrage of accusations, “I was locked up and dragged in front of a Guardian Court. They wanted me dead the second it turned out I had a Red Flower within me!”

“That’s because you kept a secret from everyone for 3 damn years!” He counters, but you’re ready for it.

“Do you honestly think they would have been lenient to a 14 year old? They would have executed me without a trial to make an example of me. No one in power would have vowed for me. Not a single one!” A brooding silence overtakes Heim. He won’t give up on this easily.

>Continued

File: 1465167584536.jpg (68 KB, 559x600)

68 KB JPG

>>348287

His hands shut into fists, but he won’t hit you. If there’s anything you know of your friend, he won’t hit something or someone that still looks like his friend, despite what his mind might be telling him. In the constant struggle between the brain and the heart, the latter will always win when Heim makes decisions. Instead he groans angrily and storms off. You pursue him.

“You do this every time!” He stops mid-march and swings around to face you again, throwing his arms down, “Why do you refuse to acknowledge that you did something wrong?! Why can’t you just apologize like a normal, fucking Awoo?!”

“Don’t you see, Heim?” Your unnaturally long ears twitch, your yellow snake-like eyes meet his fully red ones, and unlike his teeth, your fangs remain hidden. “I’m not a normal Awoo. I can’t apologize for something that has been out of my hands from the very beginning. I never chose to become like this. I never chose to have a Red Flower inside of me. It’s all been forced on me!” Heim seems to be calming down, his gaze never wavering from yours.

“I can’t, and I won’t, apologize for protecting what little ‘normal’ I have left in me. Never.”

Your friend stares at you for a long time, no one daring to break the silence and the tension. Ultimately, Heim sighs loudly and walks away, throwing a glance back on his way.

“I’ll see you tonight at Rushi’s residence.” And with that, Heim leaves. It’s still tensed between you, but at least now he isn’t as angry as he was before. You can now mend things with him and that’s all that matters. It doesn’t take long for Mei and Jin to notice the end of your little ‘spat’ and upon re-joining you, they both pat one of your shoulders each. You sigh, finally ready to calm down as well.

>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.
>Time skip ahead to tonight when the meeting with Rushi starts.
>Write-in.

>>348290
>>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.

>>348290
>>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.

>>348290
>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.

>>348290
>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.

>>348290
>>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.
we are bussy bees arnt we

>>348290
>>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.

>>348290
>Don’t tell them. It’s up to Chao when he wants others to know
Well, at least it looks like Heim and Lin are at square one once more.

>>348315
>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.
Whoops.

>>348290
>Find Ming if she’s still around in the Village after the Trial.