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Character and setting info: http://pastebin.com/u/MagicalPrincess
Archives (Episodes 1-59): http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Archives (Episodes 60+): http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Start+Over+Quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MagicalMarquise
Ask.fm: http://ask.fm/MagicalMarquise
Collection of character descriptions (WIP, courtesy of anon): http://pastebin.com/pzYffs0R
Collection of quest art (NSFW): http://imgur.com/a/2nEyB/layout/grid (NSFW)

>>415784
>Examine the moated obelisk.

>>415784
>Examine the moated obelisk.
Sure.
Afternoon, MP!

>>415784
>Wait and see if you're still being chased.
>Examine the moated obelisk.

The whole thing is strange. Who excavated this moat? The grass platform on which the obelisk rests is way too regular for this to be a natural occurrence. Someone did something here, there's a human hand, or at least an intelligent one, behind it; no doubt about it.

The moat is about two metre wide. You could jump across it if you took a running start, worst case you would hit the ledge and be still able to pull yourself up. And hey, worst worst case? It's not that bad of a fall, it's not a spiked pit trap or anything either so you would be able to climb out relatively easily.

"Wait", you say, "Let's get to that obelisk. Won't having a moat around us be of help?".

Carrera stops and stares at you as if you just said something very stupid, but then she reconsiders and starts looking at the obelisk herself, albeit with a strange face, "... Can you get there without breaking a leg?".

You instinctively look at Parvaneh, she gives you a comforting smile as orange flames light her eyes. "Watch me, my dear leader".

With a quick dash that leaves you dumbfound she easily leaps across the moat, trotting around the admittedly limited space with ease, at least until Tama joins her. The arachne's leap was as sudden and quick as spiders' leaps are, and despite all her effort to show the contrary Parvaneh looks quite uncomfortable alone inside a limited space with a giant spider.

Fortunately Julio and Tahenohan quickly join them, with glee. Bryld looks at you, "I- I don't know if I can".

You were about to tell her something encouraging when her ears perk up at a sound only she can hear and she dashes off, springing with a hare-like leap that easily vaults over the obstacle. Carrera too casually saunters over the moat, looking at you as if wondering if you can make it on your own.

You take a running start and leap. You don't know if you tripped or if your legs just failed you, but you absolutely did not jump as much as you thought you would. You're certain you could have done much better. It appears you have underestimated your fatigue, or maybe the adrenalin is starting to hurt you more than it's helping. You hit the ledge of the moat with your chest; it's not a strong impact and the surface isn't hard, and you grab on.

A shriek and a roar, and a creature darts out of the woods to lunge at you, its outstretched arm reaching for your hair only to be cleanly cut by a ray of searing yellow light that leaves a scorch mark on the grass on the other side of the moat. With a panicked shriek, the vampire turns, only for its chest to be exploded by a volley of magical bolts of fire, shot with extreme prejudice and in excessive number, the other explosions filling the jungle.

>”Is that all of them?”.
>Rest and try to find out where you are.
>Examine the obelisk from up close.
>Other?

>>415834
Well, that was close!
>Rest and try to find out where you are.
>Examine the obelisk from up close.

>>415834
>>Examine the obelisk from up close.

>>415834
>Examine the obelisk from up close.

Bryld comes to pull you up, but it seems like she can't quite put enough strength in it, or you're heavier than you look, and the sudden scare makes it difficult for you to do it yourself. You have to rely on Tahenohan and Carrera to actually get you up and with the others. Parvaneh is still scanning her surroundings for more targets, but it seems like you're alone. For now.

You stay on all fours for a while because it's the highest you can get with your current breath and stamina. Bryld herself is still on her knees, likely because her legs have failed her. Relaxing does this to you. Now that the immediate danger's gone your bodies went out of emergency mode and all of the pain that this excessive effort caused has caught up with you.

The pounding from your spleen is enough to make you clutch your side and you're almost afraid it's going to burst. It certainly hurts as if though it's going to. You feel Bryld's head lean on your shoulder, a bit more heavily than you were expecting, as if she too can't bear it any more. You can't hear anything but your and hers breath, heavy and rough; both your lungs are throat are on fire and you feel the sweat dripping from your nose, and you're quite sure it's drenched your clothes as well from the inside, but there's precious little you can do about it.

Carrera kneels down beside you as well, offering you a canteen and helping you stay upright enough to take a sip or two. "Drink slowly", she recommends, and in fact at first you thought you were going to throw up, but the reflex quickly disappears and the sudden awareness you're dying of thirst takes its place. Yet, you are denied more water and instead patted on the shoulder, "Slow and steady. Breathe slow and steady".

She then proceeds to give Bryld the same treatment. You still can't feel your legs enough to stand, but you can kind of drag yourself closer to the obelisk and further from the edge of the moat, just in case another vampire decides to jump you. "Good thing they don't have bows or anything", Parvaneh comments, "It would be a bad position if they did".

"Hopefully we're far enough from the kobolds to not have to deal with them, then", Carrera answers.

While you recover your strength, you examine the obelisk. It has a square base, each of its four sides is carved with figures which you cannot recognize; judging from the amount of mould and hints of erosion it must be very old, but at the same time it's odd how the grass is oddly low just around it, as if someone keeps it trimmed. But it can't be, it's too irregular, it just doesn't grow beyond a certain point and it has a strange, yellowish colour contrarily to the deep, dark green it usually sports in the jungle.

>”Bryld, can you make a sketch of this?”.
>”Parvaneh, is this magical?”.
>”Tahenohan, ever seen anything like this?”.
>”Carrera, can you check if there's still vampires after us?”.
>Other?

>>415865
>”Parvaneh, is this magical?”.
>”Tahenohan, ever seen anything like this?”.

>>415865
>>”Bryld, can you make a sketch of this?”.
>>”Parvaneh, is this magical?”.
>>”Carrera, can you check if there's still vampires after us?”.

>>415865
>”Bryld, can you make a sketch of this?”.
>”Parvaneh, is this magical?”.
>”Carrera, can you check if there's still vampires after us?”.

>...as if she too can't bear it any more. You can't hear anything but your and hers breath, heavy and rough...
How lewd.

Just the three of us today, huh. Cozy.

"Parvaneh", you call. You barely have enough voice to actually call her but she faithfully trots to your side nonetheless, "Is this magical?", you ask, pointing at the obelisk.

She takes a moment away from scanning her surroundings and gives the obelisk a once-over. She looks like she was about to answer you immediately but then thinks twice and stares more intently, licks of purple flame shooting from her eyes, "... Maybe?", she sounds dubious.

"Maybe?", you repeat.

"I cannot feel any magic emanating from it but that doesn't mean it can't have a function of sorts", she decrees, "But it does look ancient... And in quite a strange position. It may not be a coincidence".

The figures, now that you look closely, are sometimes humanoid but way too oversimplified and mixed with other symbols that are either something stylized or words in a language you do not know. You can't quite tell what the decorations at the top are, it's a bit taller than you are, but it doesn't look like anything complex or noteworthy.

"Bryld, can you make a sketch of this?", you ask. She gives you a wide-eyed look and you immediately add "Not right now", which puts her at ease. You can't blame her, you still don't feel like you have the strength to get back on your feet yourself.

There is enough room on this grass platform for all of you, but thanks to Tama and Parvaneh it also feels a little bit cramped. You can't move around much without getting in their way, and they can hardly do the same without getting in anyone's way. Nonetheless, you notice that Tama seems to be in a very good mood, her spider legs tapping about in place. "This is exciting!", she exclaims. You hadn't heard her voice in a while and you still aren't used to how strange it sounds.

You certainly cannot deny that there's been some excitement, yes. "I would have preferred if it wasn't", you confess; long sentences are still somewhat difficult to utter without feeling like you don't have enough breath, "I don't want to get you in danger either". Truth be told you didn't want to be in danger yourself either; that and once danger struck you've become kind of useless, which is a bit painful to admit but realizing it has likely saved your pure red bacon back then.

"Oh no I don't mind", she gleefully shrugs. Not that you shouldn't expect this coming from a monster that beheaded another monster with her bare hands. You still have no idea how she did that. "But I've never done this".

"What?", it can't be fighting, she admitted she has already, and her clothes show it.

"Fighting with other people", she still looks and sounds excited, "I never done that".

>”How long have you been alone?”.
>”Do you think they're still chasing us?”.
>”Would you like to be part of our brigade?”.
>”Carrera, can you check if there's still vampires around?”.
>Other?

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>>415911
Forgot my trip, sorry

>>415911
>”How long have you been alone?”.
>”Would you like to be part of our brigade?”.

>>415911
>”How long have you been alone?”.
>”Carrera, can you check if there's still vampires around?”.

>>415911
>>”Do you think they're still chasing us?”.
>>”Would you like to be part of our brigade?”.

"How long have you been alone?", you wonder. You do remember arachne tend to be rather solitary... Or is it just because the few ones left here are the sole survivors of a tragic war and a following geography-changing disaster?

Tama thinks about it for a few moments, then shrugs, "Since I was... Six?". She then pauses, "Maybe seven".

Bryld makes a shocked face, and you think you see Carrera give her a strange look too. You grew up an orphan and you had way more of a family than she did. "I'm sorry. How... How did you manage?", you can't help but ask.

"Oh it wasn't too hard", she shrugs, "I just set a nest up- though I had to change a few of them, and then I had other people who helped me out a couple times. Most other people aren't very helpful, however", she confesses.

"Wait wait wait, go back", you stop her, "Who helped you out?".

"Linne and Regor", she smiles, then blinks, "Wait you don't know them?".

Of course you don't. You have never heard of them. They cannot be arachne though, both Leiana and Arianna were quite certain she was the only one left. "No. No I don't know them, where do they live? Who are they?".

"Oh, they're in the swamps out West", and she points. In the mean time you see Bryld has recovered enough to be able to sketch something, even if just to clear her mind, "Cozy place but it's full of leeches. They don't latch on me though so it's okay. They've been my friends since I was young and after my family died they sometimes came to check up on me".

So she wasn't completely alone. Well that is reassuring, and it also explains a few things.

"Hey", you go for a change of topic, "Since you're going to be in our company soon, would you like to be part of our brigade?"

She gives you an excited smile, clapping her hands. "What's a brigade?".

"A formation of fighting units, together with support arms and services". Parvaneh and Tama then awkwardly stare at each other in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"It's a group of friends that stay together for a common cause", you translate.

"Oh! That is fun!", Tama approves.

“Oh, Carrera”, you take the chance while she's passing by, “Could you check if the vampires are still around us? If you-”.

“I was about to do it”, she states, giving the surrounding jungle a strange look, “It almost feels like they've given up, and I don't like it”.

She casually hops over the moat without effort and quickly disappears amidst the foliage, barely making any sound.

“It'd be sad if they gave up already”, Tahenohan pouts, “I only got one kill, Parvaneh got almost all of the others”.

“Fear not my dear, I highly praise your valiant contribution”, Parvaneh reassures her, her eyes lit by orange flames.

>”Why would they have given up?”.
>”Isn't it normal to give up? We're clearly superior”.
>”What if it's a trap?”.
>”Well they were weaker than I expected”.
>”Well you're stronger than I expected”.
>Other?

>>415967
>>”Why would they have given up?”.

>>415967
>”Why would they have given up?”.
>”What if it's a trap?”.

>>415967
>”Well you're stronger than I expected”.
Mages are OP

Mental note to keep practising with our wands once we get back to civilization

>>415967
>”Why would they have given up?”.

"Why would they have given up right now?", you ask, to no one in particular, "They didn't look like the kind of people who just give up because it's reasonable to".

"Maybe we killed them all", Tahenohan suggests, and she sounds both delighted and disappointed at the idea, "That's why they're not coming. There's no one left".

"Maybe they're not as crazy as we thought and they realized it's better to just run", Bryld adds, giving you a look as she sketches the obelisk; she does look a little more relaxed, but still clearly tired, "I don't know. I wouldn't keep coming after people who have repeatedly shown they can tear my kind apart".

"No, but I couldn't, maybe they were just attacking us and hoping they could get away with it?", as terrifying as an idea it is, you have to admit it holds some ground, especially the first time it was suggested.

"Maybe they just really, really wanted you because you have demon blood and that makes you special prey for them", Julio then suggests with a self-congratulating smile, snapping his finger as if he just solved some kind of major puzzle.

"Oh, yeah!", Tahenohan instantly agrees, "That's true! I haven't thought of that!".

"What's a demon blood?", you hear Tama ask in the background. You hadn't considered this, but vampires do in fact suck blood, and it's possible that your blood is somehow important, or magical, or powerful... Of course it does nothing at all for you, it gives you no powers no nothing, just an odd look and a tail and a pair of horns and really that's it. And a penis, okay, but still no magic or anything.

But blood magic is a thing, you know because you can use it, although for good and not for ill, but you just failed to realize that you might have been their target all along.

"That would explain why they were targeting you the last few times", Parvaneh has a note of concern in your voice, "My dear leader, please stay closer to us for the rest of our journey, I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to you".

Bryld gives you a quite shocked you, as if she was the juicy vampire target instead of you. She puts her sketchbook down and drags her knees closer to you, hugging you tightly. "Don't worry", she tries to reassure, "I-I'll protect you".

That's very nice of her but she's the only other non-combatant in the party.

“That means they might try to hide from Carrera”, Tahenohan speculates, “They won't try to ambush her if she shows around if they're after Lillith”.

“Carrera wouldn't fall for an ambush like that”, Julio boasts, “But it's possible they'll try to hide from her if they're after Lillith, yes. Wait for another chance maybe”.

It's funny how they talk as if you weren't right there.

>”How about we get a move on as soon as Carrera comes back?”.
>”Parvaneh can I ride on you?”.
>”Tama can I ride on you?”.
>”This is all a joke right? I mean you can't know that for sure”.
>Other?

>>416017
>”How about we get a move on as soon as Carrera comes back?”.
Bryld a best bunnybutt

>>416017
>”Tama can I ride on you?”.

My semi-dedicated alarm-person didn't alert me of this!

>>416017
>”How about we get a move on as soon as Carrera comes back?”.
>”Tama can I ride on you?”.

>>416017
>”Tama can I ride on you?”.
You know she is going to notice your demon gift right?

>>416017
>>”Parvaneh can I ride on you?”.

>>416036
Nonsense anon, she has a hard carapace right? Probably won't notice at all!

You calm down. No need to panic. Well, you try to calm down, and you manage to simply because your body knows fully well it cannot take much more stress than it already has.

Still, they have a point. If they're targeting you, you're the person with the least chances of being able to defend yourself, and you need to rely on others. Fortunately your party is pretty strong so you should have no problems at all... At least you haven't until now, and you probably killed all of your pursuers by now so you might be worrying over nothing.

Or maybe not. Why isn't Carrera back yet?

"Tama", you call, patting Bryld to let her know you've been hugged enough. For now. "Would you... Would you mind if I rode you?".

She looks a little dumbfound by the request. Then she looks at Parvaneh, then back at you. "Oh!", the spark of understanding suddenly lights her expression, "You mean on my back?".

"Yes. Sorry but if we have to run again I don't think I can make it", you're partly honest. You don't know if you can take such a tense chase again and you're kind of afraid you can't.

"Can I come too?", Bryld then asks, grabbing your hand, "I have to protect her, since it's her they want".

"I don't know", Tama blinks, "I never had anyone ride on me. Like actually ride. I mean I carried Linne and Regor's kids on my back a few times but-".

"Ah, fear not", a blue and pink flame flickers from Parvane's eyes as she glances between you and Tama, "They can keep their balance, they are not children, you just move normally and everything will be fine".

"Oh, alright then!", Tama sounds excited, "I always wanted to try it anyways. I guess this will be practice for all the cute boys".

She's really into this idea. You'll have to keep a close eye on her when you bring her to Maner.

"I also suggest we leave as soon as Carrera comes back", you add, "Staying here longer than necessary will only hurt us. There's too many dangers in this part of the jungle to linger, and I'd rather get away from kobold territory if we don't really need to stay there".

"At least we found a landmark...", Bryld mutters, staring at the obelisk. It is, in fact, quite interesting, though its purpose and function escape you.

Slowly but surely, and dodging Tama's excited legs, you mount on her back. It is somewhat awkward and difficult, even if it's not your first time riding on a giant spider. Compared to Leiana, Tama is overall thinner and with less fat, but her shoulders are broader than they look once you see them from up close and it looks like her apparently thin arms, hidden by her extraordinarily long sleeves, are mostly muscle.

You can tell because her clothes are full of cuts and scratches, and from up close you can see the skin underneath. It doesn't seem like she's hurt, so they're likely old wounds or something.

But Carrera still hasn't returned. Julio doesn't seem concerned in the slightest, though.

>Wait for her.
>Go look for her.
>Other?

>>416084
>"Can I come too?", Bryld then asks, grabbing your hand, "I have to protect her, since it's her they want".
Cute.
>Wait for her.
If Julio doesn't worry, why should we?

>>416084
>>Other?
Defer the decision to the combat experienced. If Julio isnt, no wait he's an insane half elf..

I'd say wait, a party our size cant go out and search for her anyway when we need to stick together to survive. Most likely she would return and find us missing.

>>416084
>Wait for her.

>>416084
>Ask Julio why he isn't worried about Carrera taking so long.

>>416084
>>Wait for her.

The soft, furry spider back of Tama is strangely comfortable. Like with Leiana, you need to stretch your legs wide open and it's a bit uncomfortable, but she's a little smaller and sleeker which makes it all the best for you. But other than the glimpses of her naked back and arms through the various forms of abuse her clothes received over time, you get to see, and feel, other things from her.

For one, she has a peculiar scent that you haven't noticed until now, also because of your own sweat being in the way, but now that you're this close you realize she has a musk of wilderness about her that makes you almost feel like you're smelling a tree from up close. And yes, trees in a very humid jungle have a peculiar scent too. It's not outright unpleasant, but you're a bit surprised to suddenly feel her.

In addition to that, once you grab on her, as politely as you can, you do realize that she is, in fact, quite thin, more than you were used to considering the previous arachne and discounting Arianna's amazing amount of fat, though that's especially on her chest. Her humanoid part feels wiry but strong.

She throws her head back and bends her neck strangely to stare at you from very up close; her eyes really are blood red, dark and deep, with the black eyebrows and eyelashes of someone who never took care of them in any way. "He he", she smiles at you.

"You really trust her, don't you?", you ask Julio as Bryld mounts behind you. Once you're both on Tama's back she hops up and down a bit by extending and relaxing her legs, as if to gauge your weights. She looks wholly unimpressed.

"She works best alone when she's doing her thing", he shrugs, smiling calmly, "I would just get in her way. Besides, she's good at what she does, and what she does is kind of pretty".

You have no idea what that means exactly but that's why you don't press the issue. Because you have half-elf experience.

Ultimately, your wait bears fruit and Carrera returns, appearing as quickly and as subtly as she disappeared the first time, her fluffy purple tail following suit with a nice flourish. "Well damn those creatures and their nonsense, there's no trace of them. None", she begins before even leaping across the moat. You think back of when you almost fell down in it and feel like it's not right that she isn't even making an effort to jump over, it makes you look bad when she's actually just crazy jumpy.

"No tracks? Nothing?", you ask.

"None that lead away. Unless they're tremendously good at hiding them or have supernatural ways to move around I'd say we killed them all or a part of them stopped chasing a long time ago", she gives you a strange look, and then notices how happy and excited Tama is. "... Might be a good idea", she comments, unsure, "So where do we go?".

>”Home, fastest route”.
>”Let's ring the kobolds in case the vampires are still around”.
>”Let's get far away from the kobolds, then go back home”.
>Other?

>>416147
>”Home, fastest route”.

>>416147
>>”Let's get far away from the kobolds, then go back home”.

>>416147
>”Home, fastest route”.
I missed this

>>416147
>”Let's ring the kobolds in case the vampires are still around”.

>>416147
>”Let's get far away from the kobolds, then go back home”.
Looks like we are safe for the moment, no need to stir the kobolds nest


>you need to stretch your legs wide open
>"He he", she smiles at you
>and then notices how happy and excited Tama is
Told you, she would notice

>>416147
>”Let's get far away from the kobolds, then go back home”.
More travel fun!

>>416169
I'm sure it's okay! Probably.

"Let's get far away from the kobolds first, I don't want any more trouble", you order your troops from your valiant mount, "Then we go back home, have a bath and a nice, warm meal, and cherish our success".

"I can get behind that", Carrera nods, then looks at Tahenohan, "Since Tama's quite fast, can you keep up? Can your minion keep up? I'd like to try and be back before nightfall, if possible".

"Of course i can keep up!", Tahenohan answers with a bit of pride mixed with excitement, "And so can my minion, he is tireless!", she produces a big, manic green after saying that.

"Parv-".

"I am not carrying animated bones on my back", she instantly says.

"Well then", Carrera nods, "If we are ready".

"He is the strongest! He is the Highland Skeleton!", Tahenohan exclaims as your party starts moving again, "THERE WILL BE ONLY OOOONE!", she continues, shaking her fists in the air as her minion does the same, its skeletal mouth open in the soundless roar of someone with no lungs.

Being tireless sure feels nice after your most recent rush, which still makes you feel tired and drained, to the point even riding Tama feels like effort. Not that riding in general doesn't take any effort, and your legs are most likely going to try and kill you by the end of the day for all the treatment they've been through, but it sure beats being on foot and trying to keep these adventurers' pace.

You all move a lot less carefully than when you first explored this part of the jungle, but you have no complaints considering you're a sizeable party and you're on the back of what is probably an alpha predator for the local fauna's standards. Then again, you've learned that you should be ready to expect anything from the Shadow Marches, so it's better to not let your guard down.

The moment you reach a familiar landmark which Bryld remembered, a strange grove of trees with bright yellow vines holding the branches and forming an almost regular circle, you take a small break to eat something, and you have the chance to dismount to stretch your legs for a moment. It's not so bad, you can take it, you're mostly relieved that you're almost safely out of danger and with Tama finally within your party roster.

You'll have to tell Leiana and Arianna, they'll be delighted.

With Tama's glee, you mount her again and you ride quickly Southwards, hoping to get out of the jungle before nightfall, which would make any attempt to progress further quite difficult, and dangerous too.

You're reminded of how easy crossing the jungle feels like when you ride an arachne's back. The ground just blazes away around you with a speed you would never manage to achieve without running, which would make you exhausted before long, as you already had the chance to live on your very skin.

But despite all the thoughts that cross your mind about potential dangers and vampire hunting parties, the rest of the day is extraordinarily uneventful.

>Continue

>>416192
Great success!

It is dusk when you leave the last line of jungle growth and enter the plains once again, though you missed the lumbering camp by quite a bit. Not that it's a bad thing, it was a scene you could live with not seeing again if you could help it.

Thanks to your elevated position, you see that in the distance, past the very tall grass, lies Maner. The lights that shine around it, and from inside its outer palisade, must belong mostly to the military part, as the civilian one should lie behind and therefore be almost completely hidden from your current position. The bonfires appear to be placed at regular intervals, and even though you have no chance of seeing them now you bet there are soldiers stationed on guard duty.

Which reminds you.

You're riding a giant spider monster that nobody has ever seen before, and you're coming from a direction from which attacks from monster people came already. Fine, they were kobolds, and walking dead, but still, you'd understand if people were on edge. Especially because this one character has already exhibited quite a desire to share the company of "cute boys" and has likely lived in the company of nobody but some still unknown individuals, out in the wilderness.

That's not to say she's going to go in a raping spree but you don't want her to give the wrong idea. You didn't go through all the trouble of saving her and bringing her back just to have this kind of misunderstanding. She's under your responsibility now.

"I've never been this far away from my nest!", Tama hops excitedly about, torturing your already sore and tired backside, "Where is it? Where is the people?".

"Out there, in the distance", Carrera stares very intently at Tama as she squints her eyes and tries to guess where Carrera is pointing.

"There?", she squints still. Well, more or less that's it, yes. So it is true that arachne have bad eyesight.

"Good thing we made it out alive", Bryld lets out a long sigh of relief, leaning on your back. You're both tremendously sweaty both from the morning exercise and from the rest of the day, and could really, really use a decent bath. But yes, being alive beats any other amount of discomfort.

Tahenohan is celebrating with an odd dance in which her minion is also participating, which makes the scene even stranger to watch. Hopefully you won't have to remind her that she needs to hide that skeleton of hers before you go back to town.

You wonder if they have showers, like in New Royo. That was a really good invention from the locals, you have to admit.

“It feels good to be in the prairies again. My word, I would love to prance around freely after being in the jungle”, Parvaneh's eyes flicker with emerald green and bright yellow flames, and she looks like she's about to just start prancing around for real.

>Stay out with Tama, have someone call Cassilda out.
>Stay out with Tama for the night, go in the next morning.
>Barge in from the front door like you own the place.
>Other?

>>416223
>Stay out with Tama for the night, go in the next morning.
We can relax now, thankfully.

>>416223
>>Stay out with Tama, have someone call Cassilda out.

>>416223
>Stay out with Tama, have someone call Cassilda out.

This, we want to get inside the city walls, but not recklessly

>>416223
>Barge in from the front door like you own the place
Monster Brigade Leader coming through

>>416223
>Stay out with Tama, have someone call Cassilda out.
She probably didn't notice the dick if we got this far without her mentioning it.

>>416223
>>Stay out with Tama, have someone call Cassilda out.

"Alright Tama", you pat her on the shoulder, "Now we have to do a couple things before we go inside".

"A couple things?", she asks, though she still sounds quite delighted with the prospect of meeting someone new and possibly cute.

"Yes", you look at Carrera, "Could you and Julio please go ahead and look for Cassilda? Have her come out, she needs to see this".

"Indeed", Carrera agrees, and she nods at Julio, "Come on now", she sounds a lot more relaxed and even cracks a smile at her boyfriend. At least you don't think they're like officially married or anything. But what shocked you the most is to be reminded that Carrera can indeed smile, contrarily to Julio who does that almost all of the time, just like Tahenohan, who is burying her skeleton warrior while humming some sort of song.

"What about us?", Tama asks, as excited as you'd expect.

"We have to stay outside until a friend comes and reassures everyone that you are a friend, too", you explain her in the simplest way possible. You also try to not move around much because while Bryld is still hugging you from behind, from the way she's slumped against your back you'd say she's either on the verge of falling asleep or has already done so, suddenly, due to how dead tired she must be, especially from the accumulated stress.

You are, too. You're extremely relieved to be back home (almost, at least), and this awareness makes you feel like you're about to doze off too; a part of you just wants to get off Tama, fall into a bedlike piece of furniture and just not wake up until you forgot about this stressful day. Another part of you isn't that picky and would just sleep on Tama's back.

Tama is still proceeding ahead, towards Maner. You don't stop her, you want her to get closer, just not too close, and stay awake even if just to tell her when to stop. "That is a strange place, and big. How many people live there?".

"Hundreds", you don't know the exact figure, of course, but you feel like that's the best approximation you can make, "Hundreds of people".

Judging by her quite neutral reaction, you suspect she cannot even grasp the concept of hundreds of people living in one place. Which is unsurprising, really, all these "monster" communities you've got in touch with until now have numbered just a handful of members.

But that's going to change in the future, you're here for that.

And also to make sure there's going to be no raping on the way there.

You tell Tama to stop at a safe distance, and she keeps squinting her eyes to look ahead. You can distinguish the wooden gate and a couple bonfires lit at its sides to illuminate it. There's likely someone on guard but it's too far and too dark for you to see as the sun is going down quickly. Tama can likely just see the shape of the gate from here.

She rubs her pedipalps together, skittering in place. She's really, really eager to get inside.

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And this is it for Episode 68!

You sure made it back all right. Here's to hoping there is no vampire conspiracy that wants to kidnap you or anything. Better invest in a valiant prince charming to come save you, just in case.

We'll see each other again next week, and I might be able to shift the running time to a different slot. Like, in the evening, that would mean starting a couple hours from now (possibly less).

I don't know if that would be better, but I remember there being more people when I could regularly run at night.

>>416299
Back to civilization just in time for 69!

>>416299
Thanks for running MP! I'm sure nothing will ever go wrong.

You mean starting a couple hours after current start, or after now? I'd probably be able to catch the thread either way, just nice to know. I don't think there would be any harm in trying a later session at least.

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>>416303
After now. Not today of course, I can't run again today, don't overestimate me.

Maybe one hour after now would be much better. Two is too much, I'd fall asleep way too early.

>>416299
Thanks for the thread.

>>416302
I don't think the party would mind 69ing in the wild anon. Hell, might even prefer it.

>>416307
Sounds fine to me.

>>416299
Thanks for the run MP