>>413972
>>Head back to the courtyard

>>413972
>>Head back to the courtyard

>writing

"Kay" You say. "I'll come back if I need you again"
"Please don't get injured again" Emi says.
"I make no promises" You reply.

Emi sighs and ruffles your hair. "I'll see you later" She says.
"See you" You say.

You and Tian head out of the weird storage room where you found Emi, and follow the trail of blood drops back to the coutyard.

...

Someone is probably going to have to clean that up. Maybe you should let somebody know about it?

...

Ah, they'll find out eventually.

"How has your other training been going?" Tian asks. "We sort of jumped righ into practice so I never got to ask"
You shrug. "Did you see me on the gound when you came in?" You ask
"Yeah, I was going to ask about that too" She says.
"It's pretty much been like that" You say.
"Ah..." She says. "Harsh teachers?"
"I guess" You say. "They don't seem to like easing you into things"

"Straight to the hard stuff?" Tian asks. "That's probably how they were taught, so it's all they know"
"I guess..." You say.
"You seem to be in one piece, though" Tian says.
"For now" You reply.

She chuckles. "For now, yes" She says. "Let's hope that if you do lose a piece, that it's something Emi can fix"

>[1/2]

>>413972
>Ask what she was doing when you came in
>Ask if she wants to come along... just in case

Nobody seems to take notice as you walk back into the courtyard. Which is good, because it means that nobody saw you leave clutching your bleeding arm.

Most of the kids have taken up a good half of the courtyard, as they chase each other around. You don't know much about what they're playing, but you feel like the 2 girls that can fly have an unfair advantage over the rest of the children...

Lily and Daisy are still by their board, but now Gabriella, Hella, Ilica, and Vivian are that too. Daisy seems to have given up her drawing tools to Hella, and is laughing about something with Gabriella. Hella and Lily are both absorbed in their papers.

Ilica keeps her eyes on the other children while cleaning her paws with her tongue. Vivian clumsily mimics Ilica.

The knights are also back from lunch, and it looks like Lulu and Pip are doing a bit of sparring.

>Go see what the girls are drawing

>Ask Ilica if you missed anything

>Watch the knights spar

>Time to keep training

>Other

>>414122
>>Go see what the girls are drawing
>>Ask Ilica if you missed anything

>>414122
>Time to keep training
Come on Tian.

>>414122
>>Time to keep training

>writing

"So, want to keep going?" You ask.
"Sure" Tian says. "I figured you'd want to keep going with the knights, since they're back"
"They look busy" You say. "Plus, I can get stronger all I want. It won't matter all that much if I suck with my weapon"

You reach down to your side to grab your mageblade, but your hand finds nothing.

"Right... I dropped it" You say.
"Ah dang" Tian says. "Need me to help you look?"
"Nah, it's right over there" You say.

You walk over to where your mageblade is laying in the grass, and pick it up.

"You could see that?" She asks.
"I have good eyes" You reply.

Tian nods. "Alright then... what now?"

>Let's continue where we left off

>I'll practice something else this time...

>We should go grab those practice blades

>Other

>>414188
>Let's continue where we left off

lad needs to try think of the weapon like a whip instead of a blade, see if that helps its flexability.

>>414188
>>Let's continue where we left off

>WRITING

Rolled 91 (1d100)

"Let's keep going where we left off" You say. "I think I really had it there"
"Until you stabbed yourself" Tian says.
"Details" You reply.

Tian shrugs. "Alright" She says. "You remember the steps. Take a deep breath, and focus"

You nod and hold your blade out in front of you. Then you let the energy build up in the emitter, before releasing it to create your usual blade.

"Well, you've got the activation down at least" She says.

You look up and smile, before turning your attention back to the blade. Then you take a deep breath in, and focus...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>414297
Rev up those 1s!

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>414297
Look at this one.

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>414297

>>414307
>96
FROM ZERO TO HERO

>>414311
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa0lMzaljTk

File: Freddie.png (126 KB, 600x749)

126 KB PNG

>>414307

>writing

You look at the blade with new eyes.

It's not rigid.
It isn't made of steel.

It's made of you. Of your energy.

If it has to bend, then you can bend it.

Shaping has increased by 2 (currently 2)

"Very nice" Tian says. "You get the idea, I assume"

You bend your blade back and forth a few times, excited that you finally have this down. Then you look up and nod enthusiastically.

"Well, that's new" Derrick says. "Did you just figure that out?"
"Yeah!" You say.

"Any idea how to use something like that practically?" Derrick asks.

You look from Derrick, to your blade. "Not a clue" You say, as you turn to Tian. "Any ideas?"
Tian puts her hands up. "I'm a dancer, not a fighter" She says. "I can only show you how to manipulate the blade, not how to use it"
"I'm sure it must have some uses" Derrick says. "Beyond warding your opponents out with a floppy blade..."

>Why don't we go a few rounds and see what I come up with?

>I still haven't seen Tian do her dance...

>I'll keep practicing and let you know if I think of anything

>Other

>>414373
>>I still haven't seen Tian do her dance...

>>414373
>>I still haven't seen Tian do her dance...

Could inspire some ideas

>>414373
>>I still haven't seen Tian do her dance...

>writing

"I forgot you were a dancer" You say.
"I thought that was the whole reason why you first came to see me" Tian says.
"I came to see you because Stella told me you use a mageblade" You say. "I don't think I've seen you dance yet..."

"You weren't at the guild when I did a bit of it there?" She asks.
"I think I was out fighting demons..." You say.
"Oh yeah" she says.

"Can I see it?" You ask.
"What... my dance?" She asks.
"Yeah"

Tian looks around. "Too many people" She says. "I'm not a fan of crowds"

Derrick looks bewildered. "But... you're a performer" He says. "Crowds are kind of your thing"
"Yeah, but at the stage back in Bell's Run I had lights on so I couldn't see the crowd" She says. "And they set up the same sort of thing at the guild hall..."

"So you're fine with crowds if you can't see them?" You ask. "Why not just wear a blindfold?"
"Because then I can't see at all" She says.

>Why become a performer if you hate crowds?

>Could you do it if it was just me?

>What if we made a setup like that?

>Other

>>414455
>>Why become a performer if you hate crowds?

>>414455
>Why become a performer if you hate crowds?
>What if we made a setup like that?

She could perform for the kids!

>writing

"Why become a performer if you don't like crowds?" You ask.

Tian shrugs. "I like to dance, and there isn't much else that I'm good at" She says.
"How did you do it before you started performing at the place in Bell's Run?" You ask.
"I never really did a performance that wasn't on a stage" She says. "As for the stage in Bell's Run, I own that place"

"You do?" You ask.
"Yeah, I bought it back when the town wasn't a sh-... bad place" She says. "This move is starting to look a bit more permanent, so I may look into finding a nice theatre in Locke"

"There are a few" Derrick says.
"I know, I just have to get around to talking to the owners" She says.

"I know!" You say. "What if we set up a stage like that?"
"Here?" She asks. "I doubt you could do it out here"
"What about inside?" You ask.
"I guess there are a few places that could work..." She says. "But I'm not really dressed"

"Yes you are" You say.
"I mean I'm not dressed for dancing" She says. "The hunters were generous enough to loan Ari and I some clothes, and I appreciate the gesture. But whoever these clothes belonged to is a few sizes bigger than me"

You tilt your head and look Tian up and down. She isn't wrong about that. Her shirt and pants both sort of hang...

"And you still have training to do" Derrick says.
"Oh yeah..." You say.

Tian chuckles. "I might take you up on that offer later though, if you really think you can get a setup for me in here" She says. "I've got to take Ari out clothes shopping anyways"
"Alright" You say.
"And speaking of Ari, where did she get off t-... son of a..." Tian trails off when she sees Ariadne up in a corner building a web. "I should go deal with this"
"Good idea. One of the cleaners complained about the last web" Derrick says.

Tian walks off, leaving you with Derrick.

"So, ready to get started?" He asks.

>Can I go back to mageblade training?

>I guess...

>Other

>>414562
>>I guess...

>>414562

>I guess...

>>414562
>>I guess...

>>414562
>>I guess...

>writing

"I guess..." You say.
Derrick chuckles. "You sound so enthusiastic" He says.

"You guys keep beating me up" You say.
"Well, we can't really afford to go easy on you" He says. "This is kind of Altea's way of teaching: if your enemies won't go easy on you, then we shouldn't either"

"I haven't had much trouble with my enemies" You say.
"I've heard" He says. "It's strange... Carthac would probably be able to beat me easily enough, and yet I can beat you"

"I dunno. It feels different when I'm fighting someone that might actually kill me" You say.

He chuckles again. "Nothing we can do about that" He says. "Not without risking Emi's wrath"
"You don't think you could take on Emi?" You ask.
"I wouldn't try my luck" He says. "If you asked me a few days ago, I'd probably say that I could. But after seeing what she did to Marybell... I don't think I'll try my luck"

>Maybe I should be training with her then

>Train skill with Derrick

>Train speed with Marybell

>Train reflex with Pip

>Other

>>414661
>>Maybe I should be training with her then

Hey... didn't Yuu consider asking Emi to teach him her Serpid -Style, so he could incorporate it into his mageblade shaping?

>>414661
>>Train skill with Derrick

>>414675
Observe her taking down the knights, then take a crack at replicating the action, himself.

>Maybe I should be training with her then

Hmmmm, maybe she can teach us kung fu.

>writing

"Maybe I should be training with Emi then..." You say.
"And if you could actually learn Eido, I might suggest that" He says. "But you have nothing to coil people with at the moment"

"I have this" You say, holding up your mageblade and bending it back and forth.
"Can you get it any longer than that?" He asks.

You look at the blade, and try to make it longer. It lengthens a little, but not by much. Maybe there's a trick to this one too...

"Thought so" He says. "If you manage that one day, then I'm sure Emi would be willing to teach you a few tricks, but..."
"Until then I'm stuck training with you guys" You say. "Got it"

Derrick nods. "So who's going first?" He asks.
"You, I guess" You say. "I wanna do some normal swordfighting to see if I can figure out any new bendy-blade tricks"

"Alright... I guess I'm the only one that needs a practice sword then" He says. "You can keep that thing blunt, right?"

You shrug. "It's easier to make it blunt anyways" You say. "Maintaining the blade takes focus"
"Really? You never seem like you're focusing on it" He says.
"I multitask" You say. "Well... that, and I can't really get it to be that sharp anyway"

"Ready up then, I'll go grab a sparring sword and we can get started" He says.

You nod, and set your feet. Your mind still feels sharp from your earlier practice, so it doesn't take long to get focused.

After a minute or so, Derrick comes back with a few practice swords. He puts most of them on the ground, keeping only one in his hand.

"Ready?" He asks.

>Roll 1d100 with focus
>+3 focus range, from your previous success

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>414742

File: 1422850365205.png (292 KB, 653x577)

292 KB PNG

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>414742
I won't be beaten!

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>414742

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>414742

Forgot to roll your focus.

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>414766
Yes I did.

>writing

>>414760
>>414774
Can't remember the last time we solely passed focus.

>>414780
I don't think it's happened before

>>414780
>>414788
pretty sure we did, it was on our way to Locke for the first time,when we were practicing with our mage blade emitter and the focus was a 3 and I rolled a 1

You take a breath in, and let it out. Derrick's beaten you pretty handily before, but that won't happen this time.

"Ready" You reply.

Derrick smiles and takes up his stance, and the two of you stand at ready, waiting for the other to make a move.

Derrick breaks the standstill first, by leaping a good portion of the distance between you, and dashing through the rest. He comes at you with a thrust aimed at your stomach.

You question his choice of target, thinking that the chest would be a better place to strike. But he knows you have no heart, and he knows he'll be fighting a lot of demons in the future. So he's preparing for that.

And whether or not his strike might be lethal a thrust with all his weight behind it would probably leave a nasty bruise, and Emi said no bruises... so you step to the side and parry.

He stops his charge, ready to follow up off what would be a normal parry. But instead you curve your blade into a 'U', scooping his sword and pulling it up over you. Then you straighten the blade out, and swing it down inside his guard, striking him in the shoulder

Skill has increased by 1 (currently 3)

"Ow!" Derrick says, stepping away as he clutches his shoulder.

"That worked" You say.
"It sure did" He says. "Maybe I have a few things to learn..."
"I don't think you were expecting that" You say.
"I wasn't... and I think that goes for anyone else you might face as well" He says. "You're gonna want to practice tricks like that"

"I will" You say. "Your shoulder okay?"
"Yeah... you just surprised me is all" He says.

>Keep going

>Talk about anti-demon strategies

>Other

>>414839
>>Talk about anti-demon strategies

>>414839
>>Talk about anti-demon strategies

>writing

"I noticed that you weren't going for the chest" You say.
"Saw that, did you?" He asks. "You're right"

"Practicing fighting a demon?" You ask.
"Yeah. I figure it's best to learn now" He says. "Unforunately, the usual place to go other than the heart would be the head and neck, but I don't want to poke one of your eyes out..."
"Thank you" You say.
"You're welcome" He says. "But that lunge I did, or planned to do, is one where you go deep and stab upward"

He steps back and shows you, lunging forward and curving his sword thrust up.

"Like this" He says. "If you can manage to get it past someone's guard, you go up under the chin and that tends to end fights pretty quickly"
"That sounds like it'd be deadly" You say.
"It was" He says. "I used it when we were fighting with the demons in Sherton"

"Oh" You say. "I guess it worked for you there"
"It did... but... I don't think I want to talk about that" He says. "And it obviously didn't work here, so I may need to go back to the drawing board"

"We've got time" You say.
"And an audience... apparently" Derrick says.

You turn back to find a good portion of the children, mostly the boys, are watching. You're surprised that they even saw that short exchange earlier...

"Shall we give them a show?" Derrick asks.

>I'm in

>I guess we could try to set up that stage for Tian...

>Other

>>414920
>>I'm in

>>414920
>>I'm in
We are certainly becoming a pretty high skill character. Might need to buff up endurance and strength soon to match skill.

>>414920
>>I'm in

We'll make our own mageblade show

>writing

"I'm in" You say, as you take your stance up again.

"Care to make a wager?" He asks.
"Sure... uhh... loser buys dinner?" You ask.
"You have no money" He replies.

"Right..." You say. "I'll just have to win then"
"Wow, don't get too cocky there, Yuu" He says. "How about... loser has to..."

"Guys this is taking forever" Pip says. "How about: winner gets the rest of the night off?"

"Does that mean I won't have to train anymore?" You ask.
"If your can beat serious Ricky, you probably don't need anymore training" Pip says.
"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, but it's my head that gets put in the vice if Altea finds him lacking..." Derrick says.

Pip shrugs. "He's pretty much good to go anyway" She says. "So what do you say?"

>Agreed

>Let's just not wager anything...

>How about something else? (specify)

>Other

>>414989
>Agreed

>>414989
>>Agreed

>>414989
>>Agreed
If he wins he earned a break. If we win, we could still train for extra stats. Sweet, glorious stats.. or mageblade training.

>>414989
>>Agreed

I like how Derrick's using a wooden blade, and Yuu's packin' the fusion of a Swiss Army Knife and a lightsaber.

>writing

>>415010
Can we make a benis out of the mage blade? Imagine beating Carthac with a giant glowing benis.

File: Me.jpg (155 KB, 745x670)

155 KB JPG

>>415024
Yuu, match 3

>>415031
Imagine Carthac explaining that to his boss. 'the kid who kicked my ass and stole both my spears, stole my spear once more.. and beat me over the head with a mage blade in the shape of a phallus.'

I can't help but imagine this, when thinking about Carthac's anger towards Yuu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtIsx1Js_vM

"Sounds good" You say.
"Easy for you to say..." Derrick says.
"Even if I win, I'm probably just going to keep working on my mageblade skills" You say. "Now that I've seen what just bending it can do for me, I kinda want to learn how to do more"

"That can wait. I kinda want to see this" Pip says.

"I dunno..." Derrick says.
"Not happy with that wager?" Pip asks. "Fine then. Let's say... winner gets to marry Marybell"
"WHAT?!?" Marybell shouts, loud enough to make Pip cover her ears.

"Alright, scratch that then..." Pip says.
"You'd better-"
"It's now loser has to marry marybell" Pip says with a sly grin.

Marybell's face freezes in shock, and then she looks mad. "Pip. I am going to trample you" She says.

Pip giggles. "Well, let me know how this turns out. I've gotta run!" She says, as she makes a mad dash for the door.
"You won't get away that easy!" Marybell yells as she gives chase.

You and Derrick exchange a glance.

"Is that normal?" You ask.
"Only when Derrick's around" Lulu says.

"Shouldn't you go after them?" Derrick asks.
"What am I, a babysitter?" Lulu asks. "No way, I'd just get dragged in and I kinda want to see this too"

Derrick sighs and turns back to you. "I guess that wager's fine with me... the night off one, not the marriage proposal" He says. "My head's not in the grinder as long as you aren't just slacking"

"That sounds painful" You say.
"You have no idea" Derrick says. "Should we get this started?"

You smile and take up your stance. "Ready when you are"
"Good" Derrick says. "Why don't you start this time?"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread should be on Thursday, if all goes according to plan.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time!

>>415064
>"It's now loser has to marry marybell" Pip says with a sly grin.
that's good stuff

Thanks for running Smiley

>>415064
Great thread, Smiley!

Question: what's your stance on the ItA reboot? Are you still going to do an online story, chapter by chapter?

>>415081
Already working on the first chapter now.

As far as a release schedule goes, I'm still working on it. It'll either be released chapter by chapter or in larger chunks. Still working on a time frame for it.

>>415110
Neat.

You and Derrick slowly circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

... well, he's waiting. You're trying to figure out how to go about this.

Attacking him head on seems like a bad idea, and he probably knows that and expects you to try something else. But if he expects you to try something else, does that make the head on approach a good one?

His reach is longer than yours, but not by much. And that's only because his sword and his arms are longer than yours. You could fix that by lengthening your blade, but that's not the kind of thing you can do on the fly right now.

On the other hand, a diversion or a fake out could give you an edge. If you darted left and then ducked right, it might catch him off guard...

Derrick clearing his throat breaks your concentration.

"You know it doesn't count as a win if I pass out from exhaustion from circling like this all day" Derrick says.
"Darn, I was hoping that you wouldn't catch on to that" You say.

Derrick chuckles. "We still have an audience" He says. "Stand offs aren't the most entertaining things in the world"

You nod, and take a deep breath.

Then you charge.

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>421649
damn focus rolls...

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>421649

Might need to give the roll period a bit of an extension, in this case.

I'm gonna be mighty ticked if we're stuck with a 66.

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>421649
Incoming 1

File: Exactly.jpg (113 KB, 859x679)

113 KB JPG

>>421725

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>421649

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>421649
Now to nail the focus roll hopefully

>writing

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>421649

Rolled 63 (1d100)

You close the distance quickly and swipe at Derrick's stomach. He guards, and you try to do the same thing you did before and scoop his sword out of the way.
But you can't seem to make your blade bend as far as you did before, you can only seem to curve it forward.

It still catches him off guard, as your sword drags his away slightly instead of sliding off. But he adjust quickly, pushing forward and whipping his sword around for an overhead slash.

You swing your blade upward to counter his, as you curve it back towards you. When your blade meets his it slides right off as you step to the side.

Derrick is caught off guard this time, as he was expecting the blades to clash. His momentum carries his sword down into the ground where you were standing, as spin around and strike his flank.

"Dang..." He says, as he stumbles forward and regains his footing. "That's going to take some getting used to..."
"Now's a good time to practice" You say.
A"a good time to practice would be when nobody is watching" He says. "Were you trying to do that same scooping move before?"
"Yeah" You say. "I guess my head wasn't in the right place to make it bend that far this time..."

He nods, as he takes his stance again. "Good to know" He says. "Shall we continue?"
"After you" You say.

Derrick smiles, and you can see his body tightening like a spring. "If you insist..."

>Roll 1d100
>Not going to say 'with focus' anymore. You guy know the drill

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>421803

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>421803
woooooooooooo

>writing

Slow night tonight, I guess

>>421844
I apologize, I was called away. Still, nailed roll and focus.

Derrick is coming at you in earnest now, hoping to regain face after losing two rounds to you.

He'll go for your leg to fake you out, switching his stance and position completely and going for your neck instead.

Maybe if you tried-

No, that wouldn't work. Moving your leg and guarding you nek will just let him get a free shot on your other leg...

What about-

Again, failure. He'll see a counter coming a mile away.

You search for a path that will lead you to a win, and eventually find one. So you take it.

As Derrick makes his first swing, you jump back and out of his reach. Keeping up the pressure, he steps forward with an overhead chop.

You thrust upward at his sword, splitting your blade into a "V' and catching his in the middle

"What?" Derrick asks, as your blade closes again around his.

Then you slide your blade down until it's level with his forehead, and poke.

Derrick looks dumbstruck.

"Hang on, you couldn't do that before" He says. "And what's with your eyes?"
"What about my eyes?" You ask
"They're shining" He says.

"They are?" You ask.

Lulu steps over and looks at you. "Well I'll be damned" She says.

>Is that not normal?

>Should we call someone?

>Soo... round 3?

>Other

>>421875
>Damn, wish Altea, and the other knights, could've seen that.

I mean, he already knows that his eyes glow when he does his time dilation thing, and he already knows that it's not normal.

>>421898
Even if he wasn't told about the glowing bit, I'm thinking that he'd safely assume that it's definitely not normal, and just part of his unique powers.

Incidentally, though it's not likely, I kinda hope that Stella saw that badass display.

>>421898
I seem to have forgotten some things while I was on hiatus then.

>writing

Rolled 1 (1d100)

"They do that sometimes" You say. "It's normal"
"No it isn't" Lulu says.
"It is for me" You say. "I think it only happened maybe once before, when I was fighting Carthac in Sherton"

"You mentioned something weird happening there" Derrick says.
You nod. "I could see what was going to happen depending on what I do" You say.

"You can see the future?" Lulu asks.
"No" You say.
"No?" Lulu says. "But you just... I don't get it"
"Me neither" You say. "But it comes in handy"

"I'll say" Derrick says. "I didn't think you could split your blade like that"

You look at your sword, and try to do that same thing.

"I can't" You say.
"So you can also do things you couldn't do normally" Derrick says. "Any idea how it... turns on?"
"Not a clue" You say.
Derrick shrugs. "It was worth asking"

"Should we continue then?" You ask.
"Yeah" He says. "Who knows? Maybe I can come from behind and take this"
"You'd have to get behind me first" You reply.
"That's not what that means..." Derrick says.
"Oh" You say.

"Let's just get this going" He says.

>roll 1d100

Rolled 31 (1d100)

>>421989

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>421989
here ya go.

>>422000
Awesome, still a pass with the skill bonus.

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>421989
>Derek rolled a 1
My sides, dude

>>422039
That's your focus roll target, not an opposing roll.

>writing

>>422044
Oh, darn.
It'd be fun if it was both

"Who's starting this time?" You ask.
"I did it last" He says.
"Alright then" You reply.

Derrick assumes his stance, and without missing a beat you close in. You don't think he was expecting you to rush him like this, as he quickly backsteps and puts his sword out in front of him.

Unfortunately you aren't able to do anything with his surprise, as he parries and counters.

You strike again, trying to take advantage of your blade's utility to get the edge, but he doesn't fall for it this time. The few tricks you know might not be enough to get you through a longer battle.

Well, at the very least it's good that you're learning this now, rather than when your life is on the line.

You and Derrick battle back and forth, neither of you able to get the edge on the other.

After a while, you can tell that the weight of his sword is starting to take its toll. His movements become slower, and his breathing gets heavier.

But at the same time, you're beginning to have trouble keeping your focus. Your blade starts to flicker, and you can't quite seem to curve it all that well anymore.

Just when it seems like this stalemate will last until one of you breaks, a sudden shouted "Helloooo~!" from somewhere behind you breaks your concentration.

Without your focus, your blade shivers, and then it breaks as Derrick's sword comes into contact with it in an overhead slash. With no more energy blocking its path, Derrick's sword crashes straight into your head, sending you stumbling back.

"Ow!" You say. "owowowowow"

"Oh, crap!" Derrick says. "I didn't think that would hit, are you alright?"

>[1/2]

File: tegaki.png (11 KB, 400x400)

11 KB PNG

Before you can answer, your foot hits something and you fall over backwards. You then hold up your hand with a thumbs up. "Peachy" You say.

Derrick sighs. "Right, I forgot that you're pretty resilient" He says, as he walks over.

Sitting up slightly to see what tripped you, you see little Hella sitting there looking very sad.

"Hella, what were you doing there?" You ask.
"Wass dwaw" She says, pointing to something on the ground.

You sit up a little more to see what she's pointing at, and see a piece of paper that looks like it got crumpled.

"Is bwoke" She says.
"Aww... I'm sorry" You say, as you scoot closer to her. "What is it?"

You pick up the crumpled page, and look at the other side. It looks like a drawing of some sort...

>What say?

>>422139
>What is it?

>>422139
Is that me?
what's coming out of the stomach?

>>422139
>That's a pretty cool drawing.

>>422155
If i remember right, we're wearing a hunter's guild shirt that has a dragon's head on it.

I figure she drew a picture of us.

>writing

"Is this me?" You ask.
"Yeah" She says, as she standsup and waddles over. "Iss a hat, ana cape, ana vvvrrrrrrrrrr"
"A vrrrrrr?" You ask.
"This one" She says, pointing to the sword in the drawing's hand.

Oh, she means the mageblade.

"Awesome" You say, as you point to the drawing's stomach. "What's this?"
"Iss the bear" She says. "Igos gggrraawwwrrr"

Youtilt your head in confusion. Why would there be a bear in your stomach?

"Grrawwwwr!" Hella says again, as though that will clear things up.

You chuckle at her enthusiasm, and ruffle her hair between her ears.

"Well I love it" You say.
Hella squeaks happily and does a little hop, as Derrick comes up to the two of you.

"Well, we seem to have lost our audience" He says.
"We did?" You ask. "Where'd they go?"
"Looks like a few of the guild bunnies are here" He says. "They brought cookies"

>Should we keep going?

>Is Stella here?

>I want cookies

>Other

>>422262
>>Is Stella here?
>>I want cookies

>>422262
>>Is Stella here?
Surely she would have saved us some extra cookies.

>>422262
>Bear in Stomach

Because our Stomach Growls so loud!

And Ask if Stella is here.

>>422262
>>Is Stella here?
>>I want cookies

>writing

File: Breaking Point.jpg (218 KB, 1600x800)

218 KB JPG

Considering that Yuu has only been with Altea's knights for a few days, it's damn impressive that he beats Derrick, apparently there best swordsman, according to Lulu, 3 times in a row, and only lost the 4th because of a fluke.

He learns hella fast.

"I want cookies" You say, turning to Hella. "Do you want cookies?"

Hella nods enthusiastically.

"Then let's go get cookies" You say, as you lift the little rabbit up with one arm. "I wonder if Stella is here too"

"Didn't you hear her?" Derrick asks. "She was the one who yelled out when she came in"
"She was?" You ask. "Huh... I don't remember that. Maybe I took one too many blows to the head"
"You've only taken one blow to the head" Derrick says.
"One can be too many" You reply.

"No heads!" Hella says.
"Yes heads" You say. "I might get by with no heart, but I don't think I'd last very long with no head"

Hella starts babbling out an argument, and you try your best to make sense of it as you make your way over to the crowd of children all happily muching away.

"Stello" You say.
"Hey Yuu" Stella says. "How's it go-oh my gosh! What happened to your face?"
"Is something wrong?" You ask.

Stella's surprise attracts the attention of the other rabbits. There are five of them here, but you only recognize Stella and big-Hella.

"Th-that's a pretty big goose-egg" Big Hella says.
"Where?" You ask. "I don't remember seeing any geese"
"On your forehead, silly" Stella says. "Where'd you get that?"

>Not important, want cookies.

>You broke my concentration

>Derrick hit me

>Other

>>422344
>>Not important, want cookies.

>>422344
>Can tell you after/during cookies

>>422344
"You broke my concentration, now give me cookies."

>>422370
I kind of like how she owes him a few cookies

>writing

"It's your fault, technically" You say. "You broke my concentration when you came in, and then I couldn't keep my sword up to guard"
"Oh... I'm sorry!" Stella says.

"All will be forgiven, if I can have a cookie" You say.

Hella yanks on your collar, and you look down to see her with her cheeks puffed out.

"And Hella too" You say "All will be forgiven if Hella and I can have a cookie"

Stella giggles, and hands you two cookies. You give one to Hella, and take a bite out of the other. It's very sweet.

"What's that in your hand?" Stella asks.
You finish chewing and swallow before answering. "You mean Hella?" You ask.
"No! Your other hand" Stella says.

You hold up the hand with the cookie in it, and remember that it also has the drawing.

"Oh yeah" You say. "Hella made this"
"Oooo! Let me see" Stella says, as she skips over to your side to get a view of the drawing. "Very nice, sweetie! But... what's that on his stomach?"

Big Hella comes up on your other side to look at the picture as well.

"Oh, it's a bear" Big Hella says.
"It is?" Stella asks.
"Yeah!" Little Hella says. "Iggo's grawr!"
"How do you know it's a bear?" Stella asks.
"She uhm... drew one of me too..." Hella says, letting out a nervous laugh.

>Can I see it?

>What brings you guys here?

>You stomach gets the rumblies too, huh?

>Other

>>422418
>>You stomach gets the rumblies too, huh?
>>What brings you guys here?

>>422418
>>You stomach gets the rumblies too, huh?

>writing

"So your stomach gets the rumblies too, huh?" You ask, as you take another bite of your cookie.
"Eh-heh-heh... yeah..." Hella says, blushing as she puts a hand on her stomach.

"So what brings you guys here?" You ask.
"We all pooled together and managed to finish up early, so we baked cookies to bring to the groups of kidlets" Stella says. "We also wanted to check up on the babysitters and see how they're doing"

"Everything's going okay?" You ask.
"So far, yes" Stella says. "But it seems like Ilica is taking sort of a relaxed approach to her duties..."

You look around, but you don't see Ilica herewith the kids. So you turn and find her laying on her back in the grass, taking a nap with Vivian curled up on her stomach.

"She's probably fine" You say. "Lots of people here to watch the children"
"Still..." Stella says.

>Should we go and wake her?

>She's fine

>Other

>>422484
>>She's fine
But
>Should we go and wake her?

>>422484
>Should we go and wake her?

>writing

"She's probably fine" You say. "I think she mentioned that the kitty was one of the higher up's kids or something..."

"But she shouldn't be sleeping on the job" Stella says resolutely.
"You're one to talk there, Stella" One of the other bunnies says. "I recall seeing you napping at your desk, and waking up with ink imprinted on your face"

Stella stiffens up and her face turns red. "Th-that was different!" She says.

The other bunnies giggle, as Stella steels herself and marches over to Ilica.

"Did that really happen?" You ask Hella.
Hella nods. "It was kinda funny at the time. You could clearly see the writing from the page she slept on imprinted on her face" She says.
"Huh" You say. "I never took her for the type to take random naps like that"

"She'd just pulled an all-nighter... I never really held that against her" Hella says. "Should we... maybe... stop her?"
"Nah, it'll be fine. Ilica is usually pretty cool in the mornings" You say.

Suddenly, you hear some very angry cat noises.

"Or we could go and make sure nothing bad happens" You say. "Just in case"

That's all for tonight!

I should be able to continue tomorrow evening, with a bit more notice this time.

I've been meandering a bit lately, so expect things to really start moving soon.

As always, I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time

>>422544
Thanks for running Smiley,
Made it in time for the last post

>>422544
Great thread, Smiley!

>>422544
Thanks for running

You and both Hella's go over to where Stella is.

Ilica isn't awake, but Vivian is. She doesn't look happy about being woken up, as she stands on all fours on Ilica's stomach, with her fur puffed out trying to look about as scary as a Felid her size can...

"What happened?" You ask.
"I tried to pick her up to move her and she flipped out" Stella says.
"Hold this" You say to Stella, as you hand her little Hella's drawing.

You then crouch down next to Ilica and the angry kitten.

"How's it goin'?" You ask. "Grumpy 'cause Stella woke you up?"

You reach a hand towards Vivian, but she swipes at it.

"Ow" You say. "Did you really have to use the claws?"

Vivian grumbles.

>You sure we can't just leave them?

>I'm out of ideas

>So you wanna play rough, huh?

>Other

>>425152
>>So you wanna play rough, huh?

>>425152
>Use mageblade to pacify

Cats get distracted by shiny things, and the idea of her following it around and swiping at it amuses me greatly.

>>425152
>>So you wanna play rough, huh?

>>425152
>So you wanna play rough, huh?

>>425182
Plus, I'm sure he can handle making a few funny shapes.

>writing

"So, you wanna play rough. Huh?" You say.
"Yuu... please don't fight the kitten" Hella says.
"Not fight" You say. "Not really, anyway"

You put Hella down, and slowly reach towards the angry kitten with both hands. Vivian looks nervous for a moment, before you dart in and grab her.

She struggles in your grip, as you maneuver her so you can... just... there. Cradling Vivian on one arm, you scratch her behind the ears with the other. You remember this working out pretty well when Ilica was high on catnip, so you figured it'd work here too.

And it does.

"There we go" You say. "See? She's a good kitty. She was just grumpy"
"Awww..." Stella says as she crouches down next to you. "Sorry I woke you, kitty cat. Can we be friends?"

Stella holds her hand out to Vivian, and Vivian rubs her face on it.

"Was that a... yes?" Stella asks.
"Probably" You say, as you put Vivian down. When she's on the ground, she does a little shake.

"Hee-ko, Kitty" Hella says, offering half of her cookie to Viv, who happily takes it. The two of them then sit down together.

"Oh... that's almost cute enough to make me forget what I came here for" Stella says, as she turns back to Ilica. "Almost..."

>[1/2]

Stella shakes Ilica by the arm, and she jumps awake.

"Wuzzgoinon?" Ilica asks.
"You were sleeping" Stella says.

Ilica blinks the sleep out of her eyes, and looks around. "When did the rabbits get here?" She asks you.
"When you were asleep" You say.
"Oh..." Ilica says. "Whoops"

"Whoops is right" Stella says. "You're supposed to be supervising"
"Relax, the kids are fine" Ilica says.
"Yuh-huh" Stella says. "So where's Gabby?"

"Gabriella?" Ilica asks, as she looks around. "She's... uhh... shit"

You take a second to look around as well. You don't see Gabriella or the devils either.

"I should go look for them" Ilica says.
Stella nods.

>Want me to help you?

>Where'd Derrick go?

>I should go back to my training

>Other

>>425437
>>Want me to help you?

>>425437
>>Want me to help you?

>>425437
>>Want me to help you?

>writing

>>425437
>>Want me to help you?
Although
>>Where'd Derrick go?.

"Want me to help look?" You ask.

Ilica hops to her feet and shakes herself off. "If you want to help, yes" She says with a sigh. "Ugh, those three could've gone anywhere..."

"That's why you should've been watching them" Stella says.
"I know... but I layed down in the grass for a few seconds, and Vivi came and curled up on my stomach" She says. "I didn't want to wake her, so I couldn't move. So I just kinda... took a nap"

Stella gives Ilica a stern look, as big Hella giggles.

"What?" Stella asks.
"You're acting like you wouldn't have done the same thing" Hella says.
"I would n... okay, you got me" Stella says. "But that doesn't make it okay!"

"Yeah, yeah" Ilica says. "Are you two going to help look?"

Hella shakes her head. "We'll stick around here for a while, and make sure nobody else gets into trouble" She says. "Good luck you two"
"Thanks Hella" Ilica says. "Come on, Yuu"

Ilica heads out of the courtyard, and you follow.

"Any ideas?" She asks.

>They might've gone somewhere quiet

>They might've gone to the armory

>They might've gone to get vengeance on Jade

>Other

>>425601
>>They might've gone to the armory

Picture a babysitter's worst nightmare.

>>425601
>>They might've gone to get vengeance on Jade

>>425601
>>They might've gone to get vengeance on Jade

>writing

"They probably went to go get vengeance on Jade" You say.

Ilica grimaces. "That sounds messy..." She says.
"Let's hope I'm wrong" You say.

You and Ilica head to the library where you'll likely find Jade. When you get there, you don't find them. Jade, however, looks fairly angry.

"Hey" You say.
"Ah, hello Yuu" Jade says.

You walk in and see that the library is a bit of a mess.

"What happened here?" You ask.
"A couple of runts from the guild came in here and spooked my sprites..." Jade says. "They all dropped their books and fled into their house... it'll be a while before I can coax them out..."

"And in the meantime, you can't do anything" You say.
"I can't even leave..." She says.

You look at the floor and it's clear why. The path between her desk and the door is littered with books that would get slimy if she stepped over them...

>Offer to help clean

>Ask where the kids went so you can make them help clean

>Other

>>425722
>>Ask where the kids went so you can make them help clean

>>425722
>>Ask where the kids went so you can make them help clean

>writing

"Did you see where they went?" You ask.
"Not really" She says. "But they went right when they left"
"Alright" You say. "We'll go get them and come back"
"Please do" Jade says.

You and Ilica head out and make a right.

"So they went this way, huh?" You ask.
"They might not have gone far" Ilica says. "Let's check these rooms first"

You and Ilica start down the hallway, peeking into each room as you pass it. You continue until you hit a branching path.

"Dang..." Ilica says. "What now?"

If you remember correctly, the right path leads to the baths and a few empty rooms, while the left one is where the kitchens are, and it ends at Altea's office...

>Let's split up

>We'll go right

>We'll go left

>Other

>>425821
>>We'll go left
>>Your like, part cat right? Can you smell them?

>>425821
>>Your like, part cat right? Can you smell them?
This makes sense.

>writing

"You can't smell them?" You ask.
"What?" She asks. "Why would I be able to smell them?"

"Don't cats have a really good sense of smell?" You ask.

Ilica covers her face with a hand, and flicks your forehead with the other. "That's dogs, you jerkwad"
"So cats don't have a good sense of smell?" You ask.
"Not good enough to track with" She says. "At least, I don't"

"Dang..." You say. "Are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I be sure?" She asks. "If I could sniff them out, I'd be sniffing them out"
"Dang..." You say. "I guess we go... left then"

"Why left?" She asks.
"I dunno" You say. "The kitchens are this way. That's where I'd go"
"I'd disagree, but both you and Lily are the types to think with their stomachs" She says. "Lead the way.

You nod, and head down the left path.

>[1/2]
>reposted with formatting fix

You come up to the kitchens and go inside. The cooks are busy preparing tonight's dinner, but you manage to find someone who isn't too busy and talk to them.

"You didn't happen to see 3 little girls come in here, did you?" You ask.
"What kind?" The cook asks.
"A rabbit and 2 devils, 1 red and 1 blue" Ilica says.

"I didn't, but if you give me a second I can see if anybody else did" He says.
"Really? Thank you!" Ilica says.

The cook nods and turns to the others. "EY! ANY O' YOU COCKROACHES SEEN A BUNCH A KIDS COME BY?" He shouts.

The other cooks stop for a second, and you hear several of them say no, a bunch of them shrug, and a few of them call the cook you were talking to an asshole.

"Well, there you have it" He says.
"Darn... thanks anyway" Ilica says.
"No problem" He says.

You and Ilica leave the kitchens and start walking down the hall again.

"Any other ideas?" Ilica asks after a while.

You're about to answer when a shout from the direction of Altea's office grabs your attention...

"What do you mean 'not ready'?" You hear Altea shouting.

You can kind of hear a reply, but it's faint...

>Check it out

>Keep looking

>Other

>>425914
>>Check it out
I smell a plot hook

>>425914
>>Check it out

>writing

"I wonder what that's about" Ilica says.
"Wanna go see?" You ask. "I wanna go see"

"Really? Do you know how much trouble you could be in if you get caught eavesdropping?" Ilica asks.
"Not eavesdropping" You say. "Passing by"

"No one is going to buy that" Ilica says.
"Don't worry" You say, as you walk quietly up to Altea's door.

The door isn't open, but you can make out voices from inside.

"Why the change of plans now? We still have 2 days" A male voice says. It sounds like Derrick.

"Pip, hand him the report" Altea says.

There's a pause, as Derrick is handed the report and starts reading it.

"Scout's report..." Derrick says. "A flare up of chaos at the prison. What is that supposed to mean?"
"2 things, and neither of them are good" Altea says. "Either they know we're planning something and they intend to "empty" the prison before we can get to it, or they intend to fire it"

"Fire the chaos engine?" Derrick asks. "At what? Locke? No way. It'd kill everyone. Even f-... even the King wouldn't stoop that low"

"It doesn't matter does it?" Altea asks. "Our hand is forced now. We move, or we'll be too late"
"But he's not ready" Derrick says. "If we could just have a few more days"

"Why don't we ask him if he thinks he's prepared" Altea says. "Marybell, would you mind bringing Yuu here for me?"

You hear hoof steps coming towards the door...

>Run

>Knock

>Act natural

>Other

>>426018
>>Knock
>>Act natural

Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting something, but, was wondering if you saw some kids run by here.

>writing

Ilica straightens up beside you, and she looks like she's ready to run. You turn to her and shake your head.

Then you raise your hand and rap your fist against the door a few times.

"Who could that be?" One of the knights asks.

Then, Marybell opens the door. "Yuu?" Marybell asks.
"Hey, I was wondering if either of you had seen a few kids run by here" You say. "The two devils and the rabbit that Ilica brought with her from the guild"

"No, I can't say I have" Marybell says. "I was just going to get you though..."
"Really? What a coincidence" You say, turning to Ilica and giving her a covert wink.

Ilica rolls her eyes and pats your shoulder. "Go on, I'll keep looking" She says.
"Okay" You say. "Good luck!"
"Thanks" Ilica says, as she turns to leave.

You look back at Marybell and smile as you walk into Altea's office.

"So... what's up?" You ask.

Altea gives you an odd look, before signalling Pip to hand you the report.

"Read that" She says.

>[1/2]

You read through the report, so as to not arouse suspicion that you were eavesdropping. It says pretty much what Derrick did, though it takes longer for you to read it than it did for him.

"Is that bad?" You ask.
"Very" Altea says. "Flare ups at the Mortifas Chaos engine either means that they're executing everyone inside as quickly as possible, or they're ramping it up to fire"

"Fire... what could they shoot at?" You ask.
"It's a very large engine" Altea says. "With a day or so of charging it could hit Locke with a blast that could wipe it off the map"

"How long ago did it start charging?" You ask.
"It started this morning" She says. "Jade's best guess is that it will be finished charging by tomorrow night"

"Can we get to the prison by then?" You ask.
"Not on foot" She says. "And mobilizing my forces to clean the place out once the engine is destroyed will be nearly impossible..."

"So what do we do?" You ask.
"There is only one thing we can do" Altea says.
"Commander please... there has to be another way..." Derrick says.
"And if it presents itself within the next hour or so, I will take it" Altea says. "Until then, I have just one question"

"What's that?" You ask.
"Can you destroy the engine?" She asks.

>I can

>I'm not sure I'm ready...

>Other

>>426106
>"I can try"
>"What's the worst that could happen?"

>>426106
>>I can

"there is no try"

Quietly ponder where we got that line from, as we swing around a big red lightsaber

>>426106
>>I can

>writing

"I can... I think" You say. "Even if I can't... if it's going to destroy the city, I have to try don't I?"

"Well said" Altea says. "If that's the case, then you should start saying your farewells now. I'm sure there are a few people who would like t know where you'll be going"

"Okay" You say.
"And Derrick, go with him" She says. "Once preparations are complete, I'll need to conatact you. Sprite have your scent, but not his"
"Yes ma'am..." Derrick says.

"Good, now get going" Altea says. "I need to fly out and speak with the Huntmaster. If we can use the Archer's Pride, then this wll be much simpler..."

You nod to Altea, and leave the room. You guess you'll go see-

"Are you sure about this?" Derrick asks.
"About what... the prison?" You ask. "I was always going to go there, wasn't I?"
"Yeah but... I just wish we had more time" He says.

You shrug. "We'll be fine" You say. "Besides, you and Pip will be there to make sure I don't botch this too badly"
Derrick sighs. "Yeah... you're right" He says, as he pats you on the shoulder. "You've never let us down before. Just... don't do anything stupid"

"I never do anything stupid" You say.
"I have every reason not to believe that" Derrick says.
"Okay... I never try to do anything stupid" You correct yourself.
"Still not buying it" Derrick says.
"... I'll do my best" You say.

Derrick chuckles. "Well, that is all I can ask for" He says, as he walks away.
"Aren't you supposed to stick with me?" You ask.
"I'll be at the castle's entrance. Come find me when you're finished" He says. "I've got some things of my own to deal with..."
"O-... kay" You say.

Derrick heads off down the hall, leaving you to-

>Find Ilica

>Find Emi

>Go to the courtyard

>Other

>>426182
>>Find Ilica

>>426182
>>Find Ilica

>writing

You figure you'll go find Ilica first, and maybe help her find the kids before you go. So you head back down the hallway you came from, thinking that she probably doubled back and went the way you didn't take at the branching path.

You find her peeking into one of the rooms, and her ears turn towards you as she pulls her head out.

"Heyo" She says. "How'd it go? Did they buy it?"
"Yep" You say.

Ilica giggles. "I have to hand it to you, that was pretty smooth" She says. "But yeah... how did the rest of it go?"
"Preparations are happening now, apparently" You say. "I'm leaving as soon as possible"

Ilica's ears droop. "Oh... back to the prison, huh?" She says.
"Yeah" You say. "Well, that was always the plan anyway"
"I know" She says. "I was kinda hoping tha-"

"You're leaving?!?" a young girl's voice calls, just before Lily darts out of a room just up the hallway.

"I KNEW you guys were hiding down there!" Ilica says.
"Not important!" Lily says. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah" You say.
"He's leaving?" Daisy asks as she also comes out of the room.
"He is!" Lily says. "Where are you going?"
"To Mortifas" You say. "It's a bad place, and I'm gonna go blow it up"

Lily's tail swishes around for a moment. "You're coming back, right?" She asks.
"Of course" You say. "I still have to see that picture you drew, remember?"

Lily nods, then she runs over to you and jumps up for a hug. Daisy follows shortly after, and they both wrap their tails around your stomach as you hug them back.

"Promise?" Lily asks.
"Promise?" Daisy echoes.

"Promise" You reply.

That's all for tonight!

I'll try to run this weekend if I can, but it's unlikely that I'll get the time. If I do end up running, you guys will have at least a few hours' notice.

As always I'll be sticking around for question/suggestion time

>>426260
Great thread, Smiley!

>>426260
Thanks for the thread!

>>426256
Good thread