>>566698
>>Wake Emi
Lets get some food in her if shes feeling up to it.

>>566698
>>Wake Emi
then get food

>>566698
>Wake Emi

>>566698
>>Wake Emi

>writing

You put a hand on her shoulder and give her a shake. Emi stirs, and mutters something you don't understand. But she doesn't wake up.

...

You kinda get why she didn't want to wake you up the day you left. She looks really peaceful right now... but it's a fact that she hasn't eaten in a long time, so you shake her again.

"Mm-mmmmm..." She mumbles, as her eyes squeeze shut.

You shake her again. "Time to wake up, Emi" You say.

She breathes in and opens her eyes, slowly lifting her upper body off of the bed as she does so. She rears up and stretches, before wiping her eyes.

"Good morning" She says.
"Good morning" You reply, as you sit up as well. "Sleep well?"
She nods. "I had some pretty weird dreams though" She says.

"I could imagine" You say. "You were on the floor when I came to check in on you yesterday, and you mumbled something about swords when I dragged you into the bed"

"How did I end up on the floor?" She asks.
"I was hoping you could tell me" You say. "Whatever you did, it sent your blanket up to the curtain rod"

Emi looks from the bed, to the curtain rod. "Impressive" She says.
"It was" You say. "So..."

>Breakfast?

>What was your dream about?

>How are you feeling?

>Fill her in on the things she missed

>Other

>>566970
>How are you feeling?
>Breakfast?
>What was your dream about?

>>566970
>>Breakfast?

>>How are you feeling?

>>566970
>How are you feeling?
>Breakfast?

>>566970
>>Breakfast?
>How are you feeling?

>writing

You throw your legs over the bed and stand up, before turning back to Emi. "How are you feeling?" You ask.

She gives you a tired smile. "Better" She says. "Still drained, so I won't be casting anything anytime soon. But I definitely feel better"
"That's good" You say. "Are you hungry?"

She puts her hands on her stomach. "Starving. I feel like I haven't eaten in days" She says.
"Should I let them know to bring you a double portion then?" You ask.
"I wouldn't go that far" She says.
"Okay" You say.

Emi slithers off of the bed, and over to the dresser. She then picks out a few pieces of clothing and looks back. "Mind stepping out for a minute?" She asks.
"Why?" You ask.

Emi puffs out her cheeks and holds up the clothes she pulled out.
"Oh, yes. Gotcha" You say.

"That reminds me... did you sleep in those?" She asks.
"Yes" You say. "Is that not normal?"
"No. That's how you get dirty" She says.
"But I just bathed" You say.
"Your clothes didn't" She says.
"They kinda did. I mean... I spent about 2 hours getting soaked by Lulu" You say.

Emi looks worried. "Was that apart of your training?" She asks.
"We were duelling" You say. "I have spells now"

Her worried look dissolves into a smile. "That's wonderful!" She says. "But we can talk about that in a minute, for now I need to change"

"Okay. I'll be right outside" You say.

>1/2

After a few minutes, Emi opens the door and pops out.

"Ready to go?" You ask.
Emi nods, and you both make your way to the dining room.

"So, spells?" She asks. "What kinds?"
"I only have 2 so far" You say. "One is a wave that's good for knocking things back, and the other is a projectile that's good forhitting people"
"Do they have an element?" She asks.

"No, it's all soul from what I saw" You say.
"Interesting..." She says. "I was wondering if one would emerge when you learned to cast, but I guess not"
"Is that bad?" You ask.

"It's different, but I've come to expect that from you at this point" She says.
"Oh" You say. "Is that bad?"
"Of course not" She says.

"That's good to hear" You say.

When you reach the dining room, it's pretty empty. You only see Ilica, Madelaine, and Altea...

Ilica is currently sleeping with her head on the table, Madelaine looks quite annoyed by something, and Altea looks like she's not quite awake yet...

>Wake Ilica

>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her

>Ask Altea why you don't usually see her down here

>Other

>>567203
>>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her
>>Ask Altea why you don't usually see her down here

>>567203
>>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her

>>567203
>Wake Ilica
>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her

>>567203
>>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her

>Ask Madelaine what's bugging her

>Ask Altea why you don't usually see her down here

>writing

You walk over and sit down next to Madelaine, deciding that waking Ilica is not the best idea, and Altea doesn't really look like she wants to be bugged right now.

Well, when you think about it, neither does Madelaine...

Too late now.

"Yo" You say, giving Madelaine a short wave.
"Good morning" She grumbles.

"What's got you so down?" You ask.
"I'm not down" She says.
"That's exactly what someone who was down would say" You say.

"It's also what someone who wasn't down would say" Madelaine says.

"I guess you're right" You say, as you sit back in your chair.

...

"Alright fine" Madelaine says. "Those 3 guys ditched me to go drinking last night, and they're still hungover in bed. We were supposed to go back to that cave and see if we could discover anything else, without death lightning cutting our trip short"
"Oh" You say. "You can't go later?"
"We should be gone already" She says. "It's the whole reason why I'm up so early"

"Is it early?" You ask.
"Yes" Altea says.
"Oh"

Madelaine looks pretty pissed, you should-

>Tell a terrible joke

>Tell her what you heard about the tower

>Offer to hang out with her

>Other

>>567378
>Tell her what you heard about the tower
>Offer to hang out with her

>>567378
>>Tell her what you heard about the tower
>>See if Derrick is free to hang out with her

>>567378
>>Tell a terrible joke

>>567378
>>Tell her what you heard about the tower
>>Offer to hang out with her

>Tell her what you heard about the tower

>Offer to hang out with her

>writing

ah, i'm too late to vote for terrible joke.

"If it makes you feel any better, I heard something interesting" You say.
"What is it?" She asks.

"So the hunters who were on monster duty at the wind ruin came back yesterday" You say.
"I'm listening" Madelaine says.
"Apparently they got a research team inside. Hella says that when they came out, they were... broken" You say.
"Broken how?" Madelaine asks.
"Mentally" You say. "Beyond that, I don't know. I was going to track those hunters down at some point so I could try to get details"
"Send me an invite for that" She says. "The more I know about that place the better"
"Will do" You say. "If you want, you can always hang with me today. Save for the deal with the demon devil downstairs, I'm pretty much free"

"I'll think about it" Madelaine says. "If I don't do that, I'm probably gonna bum around the courtyard for a while. See if I can get some practice in"
"Whatever works" You say.

As you finish that conversation, a server girl with 4 arms comes in. Each arm has a tray, with what looks like ebough food and drink for all 5 of you.

She sets the plates down in front of each of you, starting with Ilica.

As soon as the food is in front of her, her nose stars to twitch, and her eyes pop open. With her eyes wide, she surveys the room, and then settles down.

>Ask Ilica why she was sleeping

>Ask Ilica what she's up to today

>Ask Altea when the next mission will be

>Other

>>567572
>Ask Ilica why she was sleeping
>Ask Ilica what she's up to today

>>567572
>>Ask Ilica why she was sleeping
>>Ask Ilica what she's up to today

>>567572
>>Ask Ilica why she was sleeping
>>Ask Ilica what she's up to today

>"Send me an invite for that"
Sounds like some of that modern day Earth lingo is slipping through

>writing

>>567572
>>Ask Ilica why she was sleeping
>Tell a bad joke.

"Good morning" You say. "Sleep well?"
"Buuhhhh..." Ilica says. "No"
"Why get up so early then?" Emi asks.
"I have to be at the guild early" Ilica says. "My training starts today"

"Oh?" Altea asks. "Joining the guild, are you? Who's your trainer?"
"I don't think I'm a part of the guild just yet, but Katherine agreed to show me the ropes" Ilica says.

Altea raises an eyebrow. "Katherine... as in the Katherine?" She asks.
"I-I think so" Ilica says.

Altea nods. "Listen to everything that woman says" She says. "She may seem... flighty at times, but she knows what she's doing"
"I plan to" Ilica says. "When I said she'd be teaching me around the other hunters, they told me some stories. Some of them may have been false, but they were all impressive"

"Well eat up then" Altea says. "You'll need your strength"
Ilica salutes. "Yes ma'am" She says, as she starts eating

You look between Ilica and Emi, noticing the distinct difference in their manners. Despite skipping dinner last night, Emi eats gracefully... which is not an adjective you ever thought you'd use for someone eating. Meanwhile, Ilica tears into her food like it might escape.

...

Speaking of eating, you should do that too.

>1/2

As you finish eating, you notice something out of the corner of your eye. When you turn, you see that it's a sprite.

The sprite flies into the room and circles the table a few times, before landing in front of you.

"Hiii!" It says in its squeaky voice.

"It talks" Altea says. "Is that one of Jade's?"
"It doesn't look like it" Emi says. "What's your name, little one?"

The sprite gives you a big smile. "I'm Celty!" It says.
"Oh!" You say.
"You know this sprite, Yuu?" Emi asks.
"She was at the Guild in Bell's Run" You say. "Did Hella send you?"
"Aye Aye!" It says, holding up a folded up note. "Message for you!"

You take the note and open it, as the sprite takes a seat on your plate.

"What does it say?" Emi asks.
"Gimme a sec" You reply, reading it over carefully. "Cool. Sounds like there's a party at Fran's house today. She's making a cake and everything"
"For what?" Emi asks.
"To celebrate a job well done" You say. "Lance planned it"
"Excellent!" Emi says. "What time?"
"Mid-afternoon" You say

"I can manage that" Ilica says. "Should we send back a reply?"
"Nah, it says not to" You say.
"Okay. Well, I'll see Hella when I get to the Guild, so I'll let her know you're in" Ilica says.
"Thanks" You say, as you put down the letter.

The sprite looks at you expectantly...

>Pet it

>Ask someone to give it mana

>Feed it

>Other

>>567820
>>Pet it
It is the destiny of all cute things to be pet.
>Ask someone to give it mana

>>567820
>>Ask someone to give it mana

>>567820
>>Pet it
>>Ask someone to give it mana

>>567820
>>Other
Ask what you're supposed to do. Then do it.

We should make our own soul sprite

>>567882
I agree, we should go about trying to do this soon.

>writing

>>567890
>>567882
We may need to get a better hang on our magic than 'shoot big thing' and 'shoot smaller thing' before we go about that

>>567918
I dunno, they said the guild could show us how to make them right? It can't be that hard.
And if we learn now but cant do it, it could still be useful later when we don't have access to someone to teach us.

You reach out and pet the sprite's head.

It starts to giggle. "That tickles!"
"You're supposed to feed it something" Emi whispers.
"Oh... uhh..." You say, looking around your plate. All that's left is a few scraps of bacon... "Do sprites eat bacon?"
"No..." Emi says.

"Come here, little one" Altea says.

Celty turns to her, and flies out from under your hand. She lands in front of Altea, and Altea reaches into her pocket and pulls out a cherry that's bigger than the sprite's head. Celty accepts her offering happily.

"I get missives and reports by sprite all the time, so I keep treats for them" Altea says. "You also can't give this one the other thing it needs..."

Altea's finger glows blue, and she holds it out. Celty sits on it, absorbing the blue glow as she munches on her cherry, getting its juice all over her face.

"Could I make a soul sprite?" You ask.
"It's possible" Altea says. "No one but you would be able to feed it, which would mean no long distance messages. But shorter trips would work"
"Awesome" You say. "I just need one of those molds, right?"
"We have one here" Altea says. "There should also be a few at the guild, if you're going there today"

"I probably will be, but the one here is closer" You say.
Altea nods, as Celty floats off her finger and does a quick loop. "Thank you!" She says.
"You're welcome" Altea responds, as Celty flies away. "If you want to see the one here, you'll have to talk to Jade"
"Alright" You say.

You look back down on your plate, picking the last few pieces of bacon off and eating them. Now that you're done, you can-

>Go make a sprite

>Go visit Cheska

>Hang/spar with Madelaine

>Other

>>568056
>>Go make a sprite
Lets do this, first of its kind a Soul Sprite!

>>568056
>>Go make a sprite
then
>Hang/spar with Madelaine

>>568056
>Go make a sprite
Might as well while we have the chance

>>568056
>>Go make a sprite

>writing

"I might as well do that now" You say.
"Can I tag along?" Emi asks. "I kinda want to see this"
"I don't see why not" You say.

Ilica stands up and stretches. "Lemme know how it goes. I've gotta get to the guild" She says.
"Good luck with your training" You say.
"Don't work too hard" Emi says.

Ilica says her goodbyes, and takes off for the guild.

"I have work to do as well" Altea says as she stands. "I look forward to meeting your sprite"
"Me too" You say.
"Have you thought of a name?" Altea asks.
"Not really" You say. "Will it need one?"
"Of course" Altea says.
"Alright then... I guess I'll name it once I've made it" You say.

Altea nods. "Well, good luck" She says. "I doubt she will, but if Jade gives you any trouble feel free to call me"
"Why would Jade give me trouble?" You ask.
"She gets moody sometimes" Altea says. "I wouldn't worry about it"
"O-okay"

Altea waves to you, as she heads out.

"Coming along, Madelaine?" You ask.
"Might as well" She says. "Who knows? Maybe I'll make a little sprite of my own"
"Cool. Let's go"

>1/2

"How did this happen?" You ask, as you step into the library.

"Ah! It's Yuu! Just the guy I wanted to see" Jade says.
"I can't imagine why..." Emi says.

On top of Jade's desk is a large, red, coral-like structure. Similar to the ones created by the lightning in the cave. At the center of it all is a strange machine.

"Well, you see I was fiddling with our prison-brace maker, trying to see if I could change the shape they come out in" Jade says. "This thing uses Chaos in the air, to create solid crystal braces to put on prisoners to stop them from using magic. But I may have fiddled too much, and the machine exploded..."

"Want me to get rid of it?" You ask.
"I was just about to send for you, actually" She says. "This is kind of a problem as my sprites are curious creatures, and the crystal will kill them. The explosion scared them into their hideaways for the time being, but..."

"I get it" You say. "This works out for me, too. I could use a recharge after yesterday"

You approach the reef-structure and place a hand on it. There is a tingling feeling in your hand, that moves up your arm to your chest as the structure disappears, revealing the now broken machine underneath

"Yikes. I'm probably going to have to repair that... later" Jade says. "Either way, thank you"
"No problem" You say.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" She asks.

>I want to make a sprite

>Why were you fiddling with it?

>How does a brace stop magic?

>Other

>>568382
>I want to make a sprite
>Why were you fiddling with it?

>>568382
>>I want to make a sprite

>>568382
>>Why were you fiddling with it?

>>568382
>>I want to make a sprite
>>Why were you fiddling with it?

>writing

"There is, but before that... why were you fiddling with the machine?" You ask.
"Well, normally the arm of the prisoner goes in here-" She points to a cylinder in the center of the mechanism "-and a miniature chaos engine creates crystals on the arm. Altea wanted me to see if I could get it to create different shapes"

"Why did she want that?" You ask.
"No clue" She says. "Now, what was it you wanted?"

"Right!' You say. "I want to make a sprite"

"A-..." Jade says. She looks momentarily confused, until the realization hits her, then she looks excited. "I'll get the mold!"

Jade's arms start to glow, but nothing happens. She looks embarassed. "Eh-heh-heh... I forgot that they were all hiding. Emi, would you mind getting the mold for me?"
"Sure" Emi says. "It's on the back shelf, right?"
Jade nods and Emi slithers off, returning moments later with a wooden case with a glass orb embedded in its side and putting it on the table.

"Thank you" Jade says. "Now, to make a sprite all you need to do is pour some energy into this thing"

"That's it?" You ask.
"Well... not really" She says. "You also have to assign it a task. Most sprites are assigned as messengers. Mine are all helpers, etcetera"
"How do I do that?" You ask.
"Just think of it as you put the energy in" She says.

"That's it?" You ask again
"That's it" She says.

You nod, and put your hand on the glass orb. It glows red as you start to move energy into it.

Now, what kind of sprite do you want...

>Messenger

>Helper

>Friend

>Other

>>568577
>>Friend

>>568577
I feel like messenger is our best option here. I can't see a helper being very useful, nor a friend because we have plenty of those.
>messenger

>>568577
>>Messenger

>>568577
>>Friend

>Messenger
Can we mold it into a different creature or is it only a sprite?

>>568577
>>Friend

>>568585
You know, friend and messenger don't have to be thought of as mutually exclusive.

>>568627
Then...Friend/messenger?

>>568634
I can work with that

>writing

>>568577
>Messenger

Well, you want a sprite so you can send messages and the like... but you wouldn't want it to just be a worker. Thinking about Celty, you remember how friendly she is. You'd want something like that.

So a friend, and a messenger... a frie-ssenger...

...

You hope this thing works on concepts and not words, otherwise this will not come out very well.

And you do hope it comes out well.

"That should be good" Jade says. "You can take your hand off now"

You do as Jade says. The glow of the glass orb dims, but it doesn't fade.

"Now, pop the case open and let's see it" Jade says.

You look around the case and find the latches holding it closed, popping them open one by one before opening the case.

As soon as it's open, a red blur zips out and does a few laps around your head. It eventually comes to a stop in front of your face, and gives you a big, happy smile.

"It's alive!" Jade says.

You move your face closer to it to get a better look. Its small, feminine form is only about as tall as your hand. It's red, in contrast to the normally blue sprites. Another difference are its wings. All the sprites you've seen until now have had jagged, crystalline butterfly wings, while yours has smooth, curving, flowy wings.

"She's beautiful" Emi says. "I don't think I've ever seen wings like that"
"Me neither" Jade says. "Do you have a name for her?"

>Of course (Specify)

>Ask for a hand

>>568696

>Of course (Me)
Name it Me. Never let the confusion end.

>>568696
>Cherry

>>568712
>>568696
Perfect, though perhaps spell it Mii

>>568696
Id say something simple like Ruby, or Garnet

>>568696
>>568712
Similar idea to his.
>Of course (Mii)

>>568735
Or even Coral, considering how Soul manifests physically

>>568762
Ohh, Coral is nice

>>568696
We'll name it Selene, and it will be our daughteru

>>568762
I'll second Coral

>writing

"Of course" You say. "She can be Mii. Then It'll be Yuu and Mii"

"No" Madelaine says. "It's bad enough when it's just you. I refuse to let you add someone else to that terrible joke"
"Fine..." You say. "What about... Coral?"

Madelaine looks like she was expecting another bad idea, so she looks surprised at your second suggestion.

"Coral" Emi says. "Like how Soul manifests?"
"Yeah" You say.
"I like it" Jade says.

You smile, and turn to your new sprite. "Do you like it?" You ask her.

The sprite crosses her legs, still floating, trying to look pensive. Then she smiles and starts doing laps around your head.

You look back to the others, confused.

"That usually means yes" Jade says. "An energetic sprite is a happy sprite"

Coral comes to rest on your head, as Jade's sprites start to emerge from their hidey-holes to see what's going on.

"Now, you'll have to introduce her to new people before she can take messages to them" Jade says. "There's a short manual on Sprite use and care in here that you can read, but for now..."

Jade hands you a nut, which you take and offer to your new friend. She hops off your head, hovering around your hand for a moment to examine your offering before taking it and going to your shoulder to eat it.

Jade smiles. "Congratulations" She says.

Coral smiles as you stroke her head. "Thanks"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be tomorrow or Thursday.

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

>>568871
Aww... she's cute. Great thread, Smiley!

Quick question: Was it Coral who said "Thanks", at the end?

>>568871
What happens when a sprite made of soul collides with a sprite made of mana?
I have a feeling its bad.
Also do sprites only eat, like fruits and nuts and stuff?

>>568871
Thanks for running Smiley,

>>568885
It was you. I probably should have specified that.

>>568887
I'm gonna say nothing happens. Logically they should counteract and destroy each other, but I'm running a light-hearted quest here.

They can't eat meat, so yes. People tend to feed them smaller stuff because it's easier to carry a bunch of nuts than it is to slice an apple everytime somebody messages you.

File: wLlsf4T.png (568 KB, 792x535)

568 KB PNG

>>568920
Makes sense, I was more just making a bad reference to terrible memes.
Also time to start carrying around some nuts.
Like a pound of them.
I'm just gonna go.

Thanks for running

>>568920
Well, I would consider it to work slightly differently than 'annihlation of both entities'.
See, sprites seem to incorporate neutral matter into their composition over time, in the form of regular food. I'm no expert on your setting, but the fact that both soul creatures and mana creatures eat it just fine without ill affects seems to suggest that it is in fact a neutral thing to both.
The neutral matter in the sprite might act to stabilize them a bit when it comes to encountering their opposite. Instead of poofing out of existence when touching an opposite sprite, it might end up draining a small amount of their energy, slowly but surely. Deadly for extended contact, but as long as they've got plenty of that neutral matter in them, they should definitely be fine for short periods of contact. Kind of like a low-grade kryptonite that saps their strength, but they're fine the second they stop touching each other.

>/qst/ Thread Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Beyond%20the%20Gate
>QM Twitter: twitter.com/SmileytheQM

You sit at the desk in the library, reading the short booklet about sprites that Jade gave you.

Coral sits on the desk in front of you, facing the booklet. Occasionally she looks back and points to a picture, and you tell her what it's of.
She's already been 'introduced' to the people here, by way of hand shake. And you took a few minutes to test her memory.

Sprites can remember everyone they interact with, no matter how short. On top of that, they can find any of those people when asked, no matter how far away they are. Jade says they still don't know how they do it...

"Done" You say, closing the booklet.
"Excellent" Emi says. "Now she just needs a home"

"She does?" You ask, looking down at Coral. "Do you?"

Coral shrugs.

"Of course she does! Every sprite needs a home. They get nervous without a place to return to" Emi says.
"She seems fine to me" You say.
"He's right" Jade says. "She seems awfully calm... most sprites would have left to find a place of their own by this point"

Emi looks at Coral for a moment. "You're right..." Emi says. "How strange"
"She should still have a place to call home, though" Jade says. "Most people use jars, since sprites like the light. My own have their little cubbies around the library, but you can use whatever you want"

>I have pockets

>Can I have a jar?

>She can stay in my hat

>Other

>>572055
>She can stay in my hat

>>572055
>>She can stay in my hat

>>572055
>She can stay in my hat

>writing

>>572077
>>572087
>>572106

Little red Navi is a go.

"She can stay in my hat" You say.
"Won't it be too dark?" Emi asks.

You think about that for a moment, and then turn to Madelaine. "Can I see your sword for a minute?"
"... why?" She asks.
"So I can make a little window" You reply.
"That could work" Jade says. "Why don't I get you some scissors, though"
"Okay" You say.

Jade sends one of her sprites off to fetch a pair of scissors.

"How do they know where everything is?" You ask.
"Same way messenger sprites remember people" Jade says. "It helps that they like to keep everything in the same spots"

You nod, and look back down at Coral. She's opened the little booklet again, and it comparing her wings to the ones in the drawings. After a moment, she looks up in confusion.

"Yeah, they're a bit different" You say. "But that's okay"

Coral smiles, closing the book before flying around your head a few times.

As Coral zips around in excitement, Jade's sprite comes back with the scissors. It hands them to you, and you take your hat off to cut a window...

"There" You say, after cutting a little square flap in the front of your hat. "A little flap, so she can close it if she wants to"
"Smart" Jade says. "Let's see if she goes for it"

You put the hat back on your head, and call out to Coral. "Hey Coral!" You say. "Come see your house"

Coral floats down, examining the little hole in your hat for a moment before darting into it. You feel her getting comfy on top of your head, by the window.

"I think she likes it" Emi says.
"It certainly looks like she does" Jade says. "What a curious creature... if it's not too much to ask, could you let me know how she behaves? Right out of the gate she's already different from normal sprites. This is a good opportunity to study this new creature"

"I guess I could" You say.
"I'll make note of things as well" Emi says.

"Excellent. Thank you both" Jade says. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

>Ask where you can find sprite food

>Ask her about the book Fran was looking for

>I think we're good

>Other

>>572241
>>Ask where you can find sprite food
>>Ask her about the book Fran was looking for

>>572241
>>Ask where you can find sprite food
>>Ask her about the book Fran was looking for

>>572241
>Ask where you can find sprite food
>Ask her about the book Fran was looking for

>writing

>>572241
>>Ask where you can find sprite food
>>Ask her about the book Fran was looking for

"I still need food for Coral" You say. "Any idea where I can find it?"
"I can give you some of mine" Jade says. "With 8 sprites, I keep a big stock"
"That would help" You say. "And while we're on the subject, there is a book that a friend of mine was looking for..."

"Monuments and Mysteries?" Jade asks.
"I don't know the title, but that sounds like it could be right" You say. "How did you know?"
"Because I looked for that same book myself a few days ago" She says. "We had it. I know we did. But when I sent my little ones to find it, they came back confused. Sure enough, when I checked there was a pile of ash where the book was"

"A pile of ash?" Emi asks. "It was destroyed?"
"Looked like it" Jade says. "No idea who or what did it, but if they could bust in here and destroy it without being seen or sensed, then I wouldn't have wanted to mess with them"

"How strange..." Emi says.
"I agree" You say. "That's like... the one book in this place that I actually might want to read"
"I'm sure there are others" Jade says.
"Okay, then it's the only one that comes to mind" You say. "Either way, it's weird"
"I agree" Jade says, as a sprite comes back with a pouch. "There it is"

Jade hands the pouch to you. "Keep that on your belt, or in a pocket" She says. "It's mostly nuts, but thre are a few berries in there too"
"Cool. Thank you" You say.

"Now, if that's all. I have work to do" Jade says. "This machine isn't going to fix itself"
"Alright" You say. "Thanks again"
"You can thank me by keeping notes on that one" Jade says. "You take care now"

The three of you leave the library, and head out into the hall.

>Go show your new sprite off/introduce it to people

>Pay Cheska a visit

>Go spar for a bit

>Other

>>572351
>>Go show your new sprite off/introduce it to people
Cheska is probably a visit we need to do alone.

>>572351
>>>Go show your new sprite off/introduce it to people

>writing

>>572351
>Go show your new sprite off/introduce it to people

"Where to now?" Madelaine asks.
"I wanna go introduce Coral to a few more people" You say. "Ones that I'll need to send stuff to, like Derrick, Altea and the knights"
"Good idea" Emi says. "And we'll be seeing Ilica and Fran later, too"

You nod. "I dunno if Derrick's up yet, so I guess we'll head to Altea's office first" You say. "She did say she wanted to see her, if I managed to make one"
"You sure you should be bothering her?" Emi asks.
You shrug. "She said to come show her" You say. "Now come on"

You sart walking towards Altea's office, and after a few seconds Emi and Madelaine follow.

"What's she doing up there anyway?" You ask. "I can't really see"
"She's just relaxing" Madelaine says. "Leaning on the flap, looking around"
"She looks excited" Emi says.
"This is all new to her" You say.
"I know, but sprites aren't usually all that adventurous" Emi says.

"Maybe I didn't make a sprite" You say "What if a soul sprite is different from a mana sprite"
"You're probably right. I'm guessing that's why Jade wants to know what she acts like" Emi says.

>Should I get a notebook?

>Does Coral mind beng a research subject?

>Are there clothes for sprites?

>Other

>>572470
>>Does Coral mind beng a research subject?

>>572470
>>Should I get a notebook?
>>Are there clothes for sprites?

>>572470
>>Are there clothes for sprites?

Ask her if she wants clothes. Either way, her response would be cute.

>>572470
>Should I get a notebook?
>Are there clothes for sprites?
I'd say matching cloaks but that may be a bit hard with the wings in the way

>writing

File: Demi-fiend.jpg (38 KB, 550x500)

38 KB JPG

So we have a sprite now too, and you're telling me that this ISN'T us?
Because it's seriously the only thing I can picture in my head for what Yuu looks like.

>>572538
Pixie a cute.

>>572538
Maybe Coral will become superpowered if we take her to all the towers, and we'll unlock the 'Pure Demon' ending where we punch god in the face

"Should I get a notebook?" You ask.
"Absolutely" Emi says. "Now that you'll be travelling with a messenger, you'll want something to write messages with"
"Right" You say. "I should also practice writing... I haven't really had to do that yet"
"It may take some getting used to" Emi says. "But you can read fine, so I don't see why writing should be a problem"
"Here's hoping it isn't" You say. "Learning to read was hard enough..."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it" Emi says, patting you on the back.

You walk a bit further, and as you turn a corner something occurs to you.

"Are there clothes for sprites?" You ask.
"I believe there are" Emi says. "There's a market for people who keep them as pets, and like to spoil them and dress them up"
"Hmm..." You say, lifting your hat up a little bit. "How would you feel about clothing?"

Coral pops down from your hat and into your vision. She examines herself, does a quick twirl, and then shrugs.

"I don't think she knows what clothing is" Emi whispers.
"Oh" You say, pointing to what Emi is wearing. "It's like that"

Coral looks Emi over, slowly circling her as she does. Then she flies back up to you, and shrugs again.

"I don't think she cares about clothes" Madelaine says.
"That works too" You say. "I was just curious. You can go home now"

Coral nods, and zips back up into your hat.

>1/2

When you reach Altea's office, you knock on the door and enter when she tells you to.

"Hello Yuu" Altea says, looking you up and down. Her eyes settle on your hat. "I see you were indeed succesful"
You nod. "Go say hi, Coral"

Coral zips out through her window, flying over to Altea and stopping momentarily in front of her so she can wave.

"Hello little one" Altea says. "Coral, was it?"
Coral nods.
"She is a beauty" Altea says, as she extends a finger for a hand shake. "I've never seen wings like that in my entire life"

When Altea breaks the handshake, Coral starts zipping around her, stopping momentarily to examine her wings, horns, sword, etc.

"How peculiar" Altea says. "Were there any problems making her?"
"None" You say. "I even got to absorb some extra soul beforehand"
"From where?" Altea asks.
"From the exploded prison brace thing" You say.

"The prison bracer exploded?" Altea asks.

You pause, and turn to Emi. "Should I have told her that?" You ask.
"It's fine..." Altea asks. "Jade knows how to fix it. I was just following up on a complaint about our braces from the guest downstairs, and was curious to see if they could be reshaped"

"Cheska?" You ask.
Altea nods. "Apparently the one we gave her chafes" She says.

>Maybe I could try something

>Why go that far for her?

>Go find someone else

>Other

>>572688
>Maybe I could try something
>I assume if you're going that far that she's being helpful?

>>572688
>>Why go that far for her?

>>572688
>Maybe I could try something
>I assume if you're going that far that she's being helpful?

>writing

>Maybe I could try something
>I assume if you're going that far that she's being helpful?

"I could try something" You say. "It's weird that the machine forms soul as a crystal like that. Whenever I do it, it makes coral"
"Is that where the name for this one came from?" Altea asks, as Coral continues to circle her.
"Yeah" You say. "I was gonna call her Mii, but Madelaine wouldn't let me"

"I'm surprised Coral didn't smack you for it" Madelaine says.
"Coral wouldn't do that. Right?" You ask.

Coral zips back over to you, crosses her arms, and nods.

"See? She's a nice sprite" You say, as she flies back into your hat. "Anyway, I could try and do something about the brace"
"It should be fine" Altea says. "I'm fine if she gets a little chafed. I was just curious to see whether we could do it or not"
"Oh..." You say. "So has she been helpful?"
"Aside from what she's told you?" Altea says. "No. But she was much easier to get into and out of her cell, that's for certain. I wasn't quite sure what to think when the soldiers reported that the other prisoner wouldn't fit"

"He is pretty big..." You say.
"Demons of body, formed by the sin of gluttony always are" Altea says.
"He's not a blood demon?" You ask.
"Nope" She says. "Green eyes, not red"
"Huh" You say. "The way Cheska talked about him, he sounded like a blood demon..."
"I can see how you'd make that mistake. The man has a... reputation" Altea says. "Chances are high that he'll be executed if he doesn't talk... we may execute him regardless"

"What'd he do?" Madelaine asks.
"You don't want to know" Altea says.
"I don't?" Madelaine asks.

>You don't

>He eats babies

>What will happen to Cheska?

>Other

>>572842
>>You don't
It's nasty

>>572842
>He eats babies

>>572842
>>You don't
>>He eats babies (whisper)

>>572842
>>He eats babies
>What will happen to Cheska?

>>572842
>You don't
>What will happen to Cheska?

>writing

"You don't" You say, as you lean in and whisper. "He eats babies"

Madelaine grimaces. "Like... actually?" She asks, shuddering. "You're right. I didn't want to know"
"Only one in a long list of crimes, my dear" Altea says.

"What about Cheska?" You ask. "Will she be executed?"
Altea gets a difficult look on her face, like she's uncertain. "That will ultimately be up to her" She says. "If that devil can prove that she's willing to play nice, then perhaps there is a place for her..."

"You mean... you'd hire a demon?" Emi asks.
"A complex issue" Altea says. "The Antolians used to employ blood demons in their army, which ultimately backfired. There's also the issue of finding a squad that's willing to work with a demon..."
"So it's unlikely" You say.
"But not impossible" Altea says. "Like I said: It'll all depend on her"

You nod.

"Anyways, if you're introducing Coral to people, the knights will all be on duty right now" Altea says. "I believe you'll find 2 of them at their usual gate. Not sure which 2, since they like to switch"
"Any idea where Derrick might be?" You ask.
"Eating breakfast. Probably" Altea says. "Either way, I have work to do"

"Understood" You say. "Let's go"

>Go see the knights

>Go find Derrick

>Go to the courtyard

>Go visit Cheska

>Other

>>572980
>>Go find Derrick

>>572980
>Go find Derrick

>>572980
>Go find Derrick

>>572980
>>Go find Derrick

I also want to see him get a little flustered around Madelaine

>>572980
>>Go find Derrick

>writing

You head out from Altea's office, going back in the direction of the dining hall. It's weird that you've finished breakfast and done so many other things before he's even up...

When you reach the dining room, you see Derrick sitting at the table. He's sitting alone, but he isn't the only one there. The other people look like soldiers.

Before entering, an idea strikes you...

>Go say good morning

>Hide, and send Coral in to surprise him

>Other

>>573057
>>Go say good morning

>>573057
>>Go say good morning
Don't risk Corals safety with some sleepy, probably jumpy soldiers over a small prank.

>>573057
>Hide, and send Coral in to surprise him
time for pranks

>>573057
>Go say good morning

>Hide, and send Coral in to surprise him

>writing

>>573057
>>Hide, and send Coral in to surprise him

>>573126
Just missed it

You walk in. Best not to risk Coral's safety. These people are probably used to seeing sprites by now, but this one's yours.

"Yo!" You say as you approach Derrick from behind.

He turns in his chair, mouth still half full of food. He chews it and swallows before speaking. "Hey man, what's got you up so early?"
"I've been up for a while now" You say. "The sun was in my eyes"
"Is that why you got up?" Emi asks.
"Maybe" You say.

"You couldn't have just shut the-... curtains" Derrick says, fork poised in front of his mouth as he stops to look at your hat. "There's something in your hat"
"I know" You say.
"It's waving at me" He says.

"Well don't be rude" You say. "This is Coral. Coral, meet Derrick"

Coral zips out, landing on Derrick's fork hand and looking at him expectantly.

"H-hey" Derrick says, offering her his other hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you"
Coral smiles and starts zipping around, examining Derrick the same way she did with Altea.

"When did you make a sprite?" Derrick asks.
"Maybe half an hour ago" You say, as you sit next to him.
"So you did get up pretty early" He says.

Coral continues her examination, peering inside Derrick's ears, messing with his hair, watching how he eats...

"She's certainly curious" Derrick says. "I don't think any sprite's ever acted like this before"
"We've figured out that she's a little different" Emi says.

With her inspection finished, she returns to her home.

>Let Derrick know about Fran's party

>Ask him if he wants to spar later

>Ask him if he wants to hang with Madelaine

>Other

>>573209
>>Let Derrick know about Fran's party
>Ask him if he wants to hang with Madelaine
By extension, hanging out with us.

>>573209
>>Let Derrick know about Fran's party

>>573209
>Let Derrick know about Fran's party
>Ask him if he wants to hang with Madelaine

>>573209
>>Let Derrick know about Fran's party
>>Ask him if he wants to hang with Madelaine

>writing

"Oh yeah. We got a message from the guild earlier today" You say. "Apparently there's a party at Fran's house this afternoon to celebrate us blowing up Mortifas"

"Alright" Derrick says. "I'll be there"
"Cool" You say, sitting back.

After a moment, Derrick goes back to eating breakfast, as Madelaine and Emi both sit down.

You look from Derrick to Madelaine, and an idea comes to mind.

"You hear what Meyu and the other two did this morning?" You ask.
"No... why?" Derrick asks.
"Madelaine knows better than me" You say. "You tell him"

Madelaine gives you a weird look, but ultimately gives in.

"Wow, that's too bad" Derrick says.
"Yeah..." She says.

You lean in and whisper to Derrick. "Hey, why not ask if she wants to hang with you?" You ask.

Derrick looks at you like that's a terrible idea. But it seems to dawn on him that it would be the right thing to do.

"Why not hang with me for the day?" Derrick asks.

Madelaine looks confused.

>Slip out

>"That's a great idea"

>Thumbs up

>Other

>>573282
>>Thumbs up

>>573282
>"That's a great idea"
>Thumbs up

>>573282
>>"That's a great idea"
>>Thumbs up

>>573282
>>Thumbs up
Don't forget goofy smile.

>"That's a great idea"
>Thumbs up
Yuu is the best wingman

File: Death.jpg (33 KB, 392x468)

33 KB JPG

>>573282
>>"That's a great idea"
>>Thumbs up

>writing

You smile and give a thumbs up behind Derrick's back, where he can't see it.

"Uhh... sure. I guess" She says, still looking a little confused.
"Awesome" He says. "I'm gonna finish up here, and then we can go find something else to do"
"Okay" Madelaine says.

Emi stands up and stretches. "I'm gonna head back to the library" She says. "It looked like Jade might need bigger hands than her sprites can offer"
"Still coming to Fran's?" You ask.
"Of course!" Emi says. "Send Coral to me when you plan on heading over there, and I'll meet you at the front gate. Okay?"
"Sounds good" You say. "Your first job, Coral! Are you excited?"

Coral bounces on top of your head.

"I don't think I've ever seen a sprite get excited like that" Derrick says.
"Coral is special" You say with a smile.

Emi says goodbye, and heads out. Derrick's only about half done his breakfast, so you-

>Hang here and wait for him to finish

>Go find the knights

>Visit the dungeons

>Other

>>573374
>Go find the knights

>>573374
>>Go find the knights
We can spar with those two after a bit.

>>573374
>>Visit the dungeons

>>573374
>>Visit the dungeons

>>573374
>>Go find the knights

>writing

theory: Soul exists in smaller amounts than mana, but is more potent.
Observations that could support this theory:

The soul sprite is overall more energetic than other sprites. The device used the same amount of energy as if with mana, but the increased potency means she has more 'kick' inside of her.

Mortifas staffed a chaos engine instead of a mana engine. This could be due to a chaos blast being significantly more powerful than a mana blast.


Observations that go against the theory:

Mortifas was used to imprison. A mana generator would make people stronger and wouldnt prevent their magic.

A mana blast is likely to be easier to prevent or neutralize due to mana being far more researched.

Yuu has been equal to pip with magic.

Counter to the imprisonment argument: they could have just used the soul cuffs to keep prisoners weak. Mortifas may have been used just to feed the chaos engine for war.

Counter to yuu-pip argument: He JUST learned magic. His spells are likely unrefined, and maybe he isnt expending a lot on them. He did last a whole day doing it nonstop.

You stand up and strech, just like Emi did.

"I'm gonna go too" You say.
"Where're you off to?" Derrick asks.

"I wanna go introduce Coral to the knights" You say.
"Ah" Derrick says. "Lulu and Pip should be at the gate. Not re where Rhea or Marybell are right now"
"Cool, thanks" You say. "When I'm done there, I might come back and find you guys. Do you think you'll be in the courtyard?"

"Maybe" Derrick says. "If you want to, you can always get Coral to lead you t us if we're not there"
"She can do that?" You ask.
"Yep" Derrick says. "Sprites are useful creatures"

"Why don't you have one then?" You ask.
"Because a normal sprite isn't content living in a hat" Derrick says. "Personal sprites aren't exactly convenient, though some people still keep them"

"I see..." You say. "Anyway, I'll see you guys later"
"See you" Derrick says.
"Later" Madelaine says.

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be either tomorrow or Friday.

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

>>573444
Thanks for running Smiley

I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of shenanigans Yuu gets into with Coral

>>573453
Thanks for running

>>573444
Great thread, Smiley!

>/qst/ Thread Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Beyond%20the%20Gate
>QM Twitter: twitter.com/SmileytheQM

"So this is your sprite, huh?" Pip asks.
"Uh-huh" You reply. "Her name is Coral"
"She's awfully friendly" Lulu says. "Did you just make her?"
"Pretty much" You say. "I'm just going around introducing her to people right now"

Coral flies around behind Lulu, watching her tail go back and forth with a perplexed look.

"So that's what brings you here" Pip says. "I thought you were just coming to hang out"
"I-I could hang out, if you want" You say.
"Nah, I'm just yankin' your chain. We're on duty here remember?" She says.

"Alright" You say. "Do you guys know where Rhea and Marybell went?"
"They'd be at he big camp outside the walls" Lulu says. "They're running drills out there today"

"Cool" You say.
"If you're planning on going there, just head straight down this road" Pip says, pointing down the road out of the gate. "Camp's set up outside the main gate. Can't miss it"

>I think I'll go check it out

>Maybe later (Find Derrick)

>Maybe later (Head to the dungeons)

>Other

>>580944
>Maybe later (Head to the dungeons)
Hi Smiley

>>580944
>>I think I'll go check it out

>>580944
>Maybe later (Head to the dungeons)

>writing

"I'll go later" You say. "I still have a deal to keep, so I'll head out afer that maybe"
"Up to you" Pip says. "It's not like you're never going to see them if you don't go"
"Good point" You say. "Come on, Coral"

Coral backs away from Lulu's tail and salutes, before flying up into your hat.

"See you later, Yuu" Lulu says.
"See you!" You reply.

You head back into the castle, and head towards the stairs. You did promise you'd visit again, so you figure it's best to get that out of the way before going anywhere else.

Down and down and down the stairs... There must be a quicker way of doing this. These stairs take forever.

In the dungeons, you look down the hallway and see 2 torches once again. But this time, only one of them is on the far end. The other is much closer, so you make your way to it.

You find Cheska sitting cross-legged on the ground, still in her underwear, drawing stuff in the dust on the ground.

>Ask what she's drawing

>Ask why she's half naked

>Introduce Coral

>Ask how she likes the new locale

>Other

>>581201
>>Introduce Coral
>>Ask how she likes the new locale

Make sure to introduce her cautiously though; Derrick's not wrong about demons being untrustworthy.

>writing

>Introduce Coral
>Ask why she's half naked

File: The Kid.jpg (327 KB, 1024x1536)

327 KB JPG

>>581214
By the way, Smiley: I found a new picture that fits how I imagine Yuu's hat; his description makes his gear sound a lot like Giles, so I try and tweak a few things, in my mind.

>>581285
He wears a wizard hat. More like Gandalf than Giles. Now with a little flap in the front.

File: Black Mage.jpg (68 KB, 600x848)

68 KB JPG

>>581295
Ah, I gotcha now.

"Hey" You say.

Cheska looks up from what she's doing, her expression unreadable. "Okay, this time I don't have an excuse for not hearing you" She says as she sits back. "What brings you here so early...? Is it early? Hard to tell down here"

"It is, kind of" You say as you sit down in front of the bars. "I have some other things to do, so I figured I'd come visit first before I get too occupied"

"D'aww, busy man taking the time to come visit lonely ol' Cheska?" She asks. "How thoughtful"

You shrug and look around. "How are you liking the new location?" You ask.
"It's quiet, and it's a little cooler... though not by much" She says, wiping her forehead with theback of her hand and sweeping her short black hair back. "I'm sure you've noticed"

"I did notice" You say, trying not to look at what you noticed...
"Not the clothes, dumbell. The humidity" She says.
"That's what I meant" You say. "But I thought demons don't feel the elements"
"It's not the heat. I can handle heat" She says. "It's too damn humid down here... My clothes all get too sticky and soak through to the point that I might as well not be wearing them. At least my underwear is dark enough that I don't look like a bimbo at a wet t-shirt contest"

"What's a wet tshirt contest?" You ask.
"Something dumb" She says. "You'll know one when you see o-..."

Cheska trails off, her eyes on something bove your head.

"What's wrong?" You ask.
"Are you aware that there's a tiny person in your hat?" She asks.

>THERE'S A WHAT?

>Yes, and her name is Coral

>Other

>>581379
>THERE'S A WHAT?
>GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF

>>581379
>>Yes, and her name is Coral

>writing

Kinda slow this evening

>>581379
>>Yes, and her name is Coral

You smile. "Her name is Coral" You say. "She's a sprite. I made her this morning"
"Does she live in your hat?" Cheska asks.
"Yes" You say. "Go on. Go say hi"

...

You hold a hand up to your hat, and Coral comes out and sits on it.

"What's wrong?" You ask.

Coral looks uncomfortable, probably because of Cheska.

"You don't want to say hi?" You ask.

She shakes her head.

You look back up at Cheska. "No offense" You say.
She shakes her head. "None taken. It's a known fact that sprites don't like demons" She says,
"How does the Legion communicate?" You ask, resting the hand holding Coral in your lap, resting your other hand beside her soyou an pet her head with your thumb.

"Messengers" She says. "Usually riding raptors, sometimes wyverns"
"Sounds inconvenient" You say.
She shrugs. "It lacks the speed and coordination of a good sprite, but it gets the job done" She says.

>Ask about the Legion's leaders

>Ask about the demon transformation

>Ask if she knows what they're planning

>Other

>>581530
>>Ask about the demon transformation

>>581530
>>Ask about the demon transformation

>>581530
>>Ask about the demon transformation

>writing

"She is a cutie though" She says, hugging her knees to her chest so she can rest her chin on them. "Even if I can't do anything with her. It's just another on a long list of things I can't do"

"Because you're a demon?" You ask.
"Yep" She says.
"How did it happen?" You ask.

She purses her lips. "That's a bit personal..." She says.
"Sorry..." You say. "If you can't tell me how it happened to you, can you tell me how it happens?"
"In general?" She asks. "They didn't teach you that?"
"I got the gist of it, but I'm interested in hearing it from the source" You say.

"Well, that confirms my suspicions about you, anyway" She says.
"What suspicions?" You ask.
"That you're not a normal demon" She says. "Tell you what: You tell me how you lost yours, and I'll tell you how I lost mine"

>Deal

>No deal

>I don't really know how it happened...

>Other

>>581685
>>I don't really know how it happened...
We can tell her about the cave, but we shouldn't tell here where it is.

>>581776
her**

>>581685
>>I don't really know how it happened...
I was dragged up a long set of stairs, bleeding.

>writing

>>581776
I would hold off on even mentioning the cave, and just be ambiguous.

"I don't really know howit happened" You say, letting up on the headpats to lift up your shirt. "The first thing I remember is being cold, and lying in a pool of blood"

"Yowch. Be glad you don't remember that one. It looks like it hurt" She says.
"It did... for a few seconds" You say. "But then the pain went away"

"That definitely sounds nothing like a normal demonization" She says.
"How does it usually feel?" You ask.

Cheska flattens out her legs and leans back, a happy, nostalgic smile on her face. "It's... ecstasy. Pure and simple" She says. "The best feeling I've ever had"
"Wow" You say.

"It happened when I was but a wee little devil" She says. "Maybe 7 years old"
"How old are you now?" You ask.
"16" she says.
"What happened?" You ask.

She looks you up and down for a moment.

"What?" You ask.
"Trying to decide whether your little tale is worth a trade..." She says.

>Up to you

>I can bring you back some cake

>Nevermind then

>Other

>>581879
>Up to you

>>581879
>Weeelll, that's up to you.
>What do you think Coral? Do we have somewhere to be?

Deploy 'I totally don't care'.

>>581879
>I can tell you what kind of demon I am

>>581914
this

>writing

"Well it's up to you" You say, turning to Coral. "What do you think, Coral? Do we have somewhere else to be?"

Coral tilts her head in confusion.

"Fiiiiine" She says. "You can have a summary of events without personal details"

You raise your eyebrow at her.

"I aint givin' you more than that" She says.
"Okay" You say, settling in for storytime. "I'm listening"

"Alright, where was I..." She says. "So I was 7, and a very good pyromancer... for that age. There was a building containing a number of people I hated, so I lit it up"
"Just because you didn't like them?" You ask
"Hate" She says. "There is a big difference between dislike and hate here, and that distinction is important"
"Sorry" You say, unsure of why you feel the need to apologize. It does kind of feel like you offended her... "Go on"

"Like I was saying. I lit it up" She says. "And I don't mean I started a small fire and let it spread. I set that whole place ablaze. Like all the anger and all the hate was fueling my magic. I stood out in the streets and watched it until people started to arrive"

Cheska's smile widens, and her breathing gets heavy. It's like the memory excites her...

"It was too late. It was always too late" She says. "The screams had died down long before they arrived, and by the time they put the fire out there was nothing left"

"Is that when it happened?" You ask.
"It happened... when I realized that I was enjoying it" She says. "When I accepted it, it felt as though I was a part of the fire, being reborn from it like the great phoenix. The warmth grew in my chest as the feeling rose and-"

With a sigh, she slumps back on the ground. Her breathing still heavy, as she chews on a finger.

"... and?" You ask.
"And it dribbled down my insides, as it melted my heart" She says, moving a hand down her midriff. "It was the best and worst day of my entire life"

>How was it the worst?

>Give her a moment to calm down

>Ask about the legion's leaders

>Other

>>582073
>>Give her a moment to calm down
Then
>How was it the worst?

>>582094
Not gonna lie, that seemed like she was getting off on remembering her first kill(s).

>>582073
>>Give her a moment to calm down
You need some alone time?

>>582073
>>How was it the worst?

>writing

You wait a moment, while Cheska catches her breath.

"Do you... need some alone time?" You ask.
She giggles. "I've had plenty of alone time, cutie" She says, as she sits up.
"Is that... normal?" You ask.

"I'm not sure" She says, looking at her hands. "The memory just seemed so... vivid. Like I was there again, rising from the ashes"
"Are all demons like this?" You ask.
"We are" She says, as she flops back down. "A moment of ecstasy, damned for eternity"
"It seems to have its advantages" You say.
"The advantages are nice. But the disadvantages aren't worth it" She says.
"What are the disadvantages?" You ask.

"The urges. The ones that keep us up at night, and grow stronger and stronger and stronger until you finally sate them" She says, with a crazed sort of look in her eyes. "They never go away. They just get worse, and the longer you put them off, the harder the release is"

"The... release?" You ask.
"The kill. The longer you put it off, the more you have to take to staisfy it" She says as she sits up again. "I already feel it, just sitting here. It's not so bad now, but give it a week, maybe two..."

She stops and curls up, hugging her knees to her chest again and resting her forehead against them.

"... and?" You ask.

...

"I think I might appreciate that alone time" She says, looking up from her knees. Cheska looks... tired, all of a sudden. Like she's been awake for days...

>I'll come back later

>Should I bring you some cake?

>See ya

>Other

>>582251
>>I'll come back later

>>582251
>>I'll come back later
Got people to find. Also, we should bring her cake as a surprise.

>>582251
>Should I bring you some cake?
I don't think Cheska likes being a demon

>>582284
Doesn't seem to mind the killing, though.

Seems to me that, if you took away the 'urges', she'd still be completely fine with setting people.on fire.

>writing

You place Coral back in your hat, and stand up. Then you take a step over to the bars and reach in to put a hand on Cheska's shoulder.

"I'll come back later, okay?" You ask.
She gives a weak smile. "That'd be nice" She says. "I promise not to be so weird next time"
You shrug. "I can handle weird"

She brushes your hand off. "Get back to work, busy man" She says.
"Kay" You say, as you step away from the cell. "See you later"

She waves you off, and you make your way back to the stairs.

That was... interesting. You didn't think demons worked like that. But then you didn't ever think about how they worked. 'damned to their sin forever' seemed to make sense on its own.

And Cheska didn't seem to like being a demon... you wonder idly if there is a way for her to change back.

Maybe if she went and saved a bunch of lives? Has anyone tried that before?

It's worth looking into.

...

Damn it, why are there so many stairs? Would it kill them to have somewhere more convenient to store the prisoners? Maybe somewhere that doesn't have a marathon of stairs going both ways?

>1/2

You finally reach the top of the stairs and take a look around. You're pretty much free of obligations until Fran's party right now.

You could go check out what Derrick and Madelaine are doing, but that might interrupt them. You thought it was pretty smooth getting them together like that, why ruin it now?

There's also the camp to check out. You can introduce Coral to Marybell and Rhea, and possibly see what the army is up to.

But then, if you're going through the town you might as well do some exploring. There's plenty of places around Locke that could be interesting, and this is the first real chance you've had to go to any of them.
Plus if you get lost, you can always have Coral lead you back to Jade, who you know will be here.

As you think that, Coral's head pops out from over the brim of your hat. She looks curious, wondering why you've stopped...

>Find Derrick

>Head to the camp

>Explore the town

>Other

>>582499
>>Head to the camp

>>582499
>Explore the town
Chance encounters best encounters

>>582499
>Head to the camp

>>582499
>>Head to the camp

>Explore the town

>writing

As you start moving again, Coral drops down and flies over to rest in the ruffles of your cloak. You hand her a little nut for her to munch on for the trip, and get going.

You head for the gate, and stop to talk to Lulu and pip for a moment.

"Yo" You say.
"Heyo Yuyu" Pip says. "Back already?"
"It was a short trip" You say.
"Heading out to the camp now?" Lulu asks.

"Yeah" You say. "But I was thinking about checking out the town for a while first. Probably just the stuff that's on the way"
Pip strokes her chin. "It's all shops and stuff on the way to the main gate. You have any money?" She asks.
"No... where would I get money?" You ask.

"Well, normally you would have been paid by us for the work you've done" Pip says. "I guess nobody's really thought about it yet"
"So do I go talk to Altea?" You ask.
"Nah" Pip says, as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a few coins. "I'll give ya some spending coin... let's see... 5 silver. Write that down, Lulu"
"Thanks" You say.
Pip shrugs. "Don't thank me. I'm gonna get it back later, from Altea. I'm just giving that to you as part of your pay"
"Neat" You say.
"Now, don't spend it all in one place" She says.

You look at the 5 coins in your hand, and then back to Pip.

>Just what can I buy with this much?

>Head out

>Where would I go to get paid?

>Other

>>582758
>>Just what can I buy with this much?
Priorities

>>582758
>>Just what can I buy with this much?
yea, Yuu has no idea how much anything is worth.

>writing

"Just what can I buy with this much?" You ask

"Well, one silver is ten coppers" Lulu says. "3 coppers will get you a decent meal on the central strip, or a great meal off of it. 5 will get you a decent outfit, while a silver will get you a good one..."

"No, no. That's all wrong. Things are much cheaper than that" Pip says.
"Only the way you shop" Lulu says. "Don't listen to Pip. She haggles until the shopkeeper's ears fall off"
"Only because they try to rip me off" Pip says.
"They only try to make a decent living..." Lulu says. "It might be best for you to shop around before you buy anything. See what something is worth elsewhere, and decide for yourself what it's worth to you"
"My god, Lulu. That silver will be gone in minutes if he does that" Pip says. "Always lowball. If he says 5 copper, tell him you'll give him 3"

The two of them look at each other, and then at you.

"On second thought, you may have come to the wrong people for advice on this..." Pip says.
"In the end, it's just 5 silver. Your pay will have much more than that" Lulu says. "Do what you want with it"
"Just don't buy anything dumb" Pip says. "One time Rhea bought this big wooden clown statue, and Altea told her to either chop it up or take it back"

"What's a clown, and why would Rhea want a statue of one?" You ask.
"You don't wanna know, and who knows?" Pip asks. "Either way, the poo-taur was heartbroken"
"Rhea loves clowns" Lulu says.

"I'll keep that it mind" You say. "See you guys"
"See you!" Pip says.

>1/2

>>582967
>>"Rhea loves clowns" Lulu says.
how horrifying.

>>582967
>poo-taur
Upper body of a human, lower body of a pile of poop? Sounds like a strange creature.

>>582967
>poo-taur
wat? Poor Rhea, I bet she likes frilly dresses that no one makes in minotaur sizes too.

>>582967
>>582989
>>583067
That was supposed to say 'poor-taur"

You walk from the gates into the town, taking in all that you can see.

It occurs to you now that you've never really just... walked. You're always going somewhere. And while you're going somewhere this time, you're also taking the time to take in the sights.

The people here all seem lively, if not a bit on edge. They give you strange looks, and whisper to each other as you pass.

For a moment, you wonder why. Is it because you're a demon? Is it because they know who you are? Do you have something on your face?

"Do I have something on my face?" You ask Coral, still sitting in the ruffles of your cloak.
She shakes her head.
"Well you do" You say, knocking a crumb off of her cheek. "Honestly, that thing is the size of your cheek. How did you miss it?"
Coral shrugs.

"Who're ya talkin' to?" A familiar voice coos into your ear from behind.

Coral jumps and zips up into your hat, startled by the sudden intrusion.

You turn to see-

"Why Stello there" You say, ruffling the munchkin's hair "And Gabriello, and Munchkin"
Munchkin babbles something in response
"Hey Yuu" Stella says. She's got the munchkin in one arm, and her other hand is holding Gabriella's "What brings you out here?"
"I was heading to the camp outside the gate, and I figured I'd take a look around" You say. "How about you?"
"I'm shopping!" Stella says.
"Shopping for what?" You ask.

Stella giggles. "It's a secret!" She says. "So?"
"So?" You ask.
"Who were you talking to?" She asks.

>It's a secret

>... you?

>Coral

>Other

>>583098
>>Coral

>>583098
>>Coral

>>583098
>>Coral

>writing

"It's Coral" You say. "You can come out. These three are friendly"

Stella looks around, trying to find who you're talking to.

But Munchkin's eyes go straight to your hat. She points and gasps. "Look Costella! Issa itty bitty!" She says.
Stella looks where Munchkin pointed, and smiles. "Hello" She says, daintily holding up a hand palm down. "Look at you. You're beautiful!"

Coral comes out of your hat, and floats near Stella's hand. As Stella's hand starts to glow a light blue, Coral looks confused.

"She doesn't need that" You say.
Now Stella looks confused.
"I made her out of soul this morning" You say. "She can't feed on Mana"
"Oh..." Stella says. "You made her? She's gorgeous. I love her wings!"

"Hello itty bitty!" Munchkin says. "I'm Hella!"

Coral floats over to Munchkin, where she receives an over-spirited handshake that rattles her a little. After shaking it off, she floats around over Munchkin's head, examining her ears.

"Itty-bitties are what she calls sprites" Stella says.
"Oh" You say.
"So you're lookin' around, huh?" Stella asks. "I am too, kinda. I don;t know the shopping district here as well as I knew Sherton's. Why don't you join us?"
"That sounds good" You say. "Lead on"

That's all for tonight!

I'll be running again sometime this weekend, probably starting at around 2pm EST on either Sat or Sun, so keep your eyes peeled.

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

>>583279
Great thread, Smiley!

>>583279
thanks for running

>>583279
Good stuff as always, Smiley. Thanks for running.