Geegee's actually impressively formal and professional when she wants to be. Legs crossed, hands steepled, face impassive and showing practically no emotion whatsoever; she looks every ounce the careful, hardened businesswoman despite the clear bags under her eyes from having been woken up in the middle of the night. You could see why she handled the business side of things, really.

She'd figured out something was up simply by way of the fact that you'd come in without much warning and, in her own words, 'spooked me right the crap awake.' Not that you were trying to do so, mind, you'd heard something coming from the doorway and assumed she was awake. You had no clue she was a sleep-talker. Something new every day even at your age, you suppose.

By the time you “So...you found out that the church was spinnin' a giant lie, was mind controllin' dissidents, freed a bunch of prisoners they'd taken, stole summa their papers and now you're plannin' to find some way to condemn the church?”

“I thought it'd be in your best interests to know,” you respond.

She sighs. “Okay. So...whaddya want from me? This might be your big fat favor.”

>Nothing. If all goes well, I won't need anything from you. Just letting you know as a courtesy.
>I want you to back me up when I make my statement. If need be, I know a sanctuary for you.
>I need you to be my alibi in case the church tries to counter my statements.
>Other

>>591032
>I need you to be my alibi in case the church tries to counter my statements. Do you have any ideas? Is a goblin even going to be credible in the eyes of these people?

>>591032
>Nothing. If all goes well, I won't need anything from you. Just letting you know as a courtesy.
Let's not use up our favor just yet.

>>591032
>>Nothing. If all goes well, I won't need anything from you. Just letting you know as a courtesy.

>>591032
>>Nothing. If all goes well, I won't need anything from you. Just letting you know as a courtesy.
Although if you're fins he'd with those invisibility potions, you should keep one handy. Also, I don't think our betting scheme is going to fly.

>>591032
>Nothing. If all goes well, I won't need anything from you. Just letting you know as a courtesy.
>I need you to be my alibi in case the church tries to counter my statements.
We were never there!

Just makin' conversation. Writing!

>>591158
Wonder if we should go take out a loan...

By the way, how should we go about our duel so as to make the KotM appealing to our victim?

>>591379
You mean Adel? Tell him to put on a good show and then we pretend to be going all out while being as flashy as possible

>>591394
Is that likely to make him more willing to be recruited? I was thinking more along the lines of 'git gud, fagget, also there are good trainers among the KotM, hint hint.'

>>591416
He was spoiling for a fight, so let's give him a good one. He seems to be the type to follow the rule of cool and we are the coolest of them all. Sorina and Basil will take care of the rest.

>>591032
You shake your head. “No need to worry about that yet. I was largely just telling you as a courtesy.”

“Oh yeah?” She leans back. “You're that confident in whateva dirt you managed to dig up on 'em?”

“That, plus the witness testimonies from all the freed prisoners should put some pressure on the church,” you explain. “From what I'm aware of, Orind himself likely wouldn't condone this kind of behavior from people who supposedly respected him. That, and it seems like the church itself might be a bit more hardline in the public eye anyway than most who worship. Does that sound about right?” you ask. You had seen and heard plenty of people saying stuff like 'Praise the Noble One' and whatnot, but never quite to the extent you heard in the college or the church.

She gives it a bit of thought, but eventually nods. “Yeah, that sounds alright. Like you probably noticed, I wasn't the first to think somethin' screwy goin' on over there- but most folks are smart enough to keep it to themselves. I've seen a couple of folks real heavy into it, but they're not as common.”

“That's because they were most likely brainwashed and sent back into the streets, or secretly part of the church.” You note.

She shrugs. “Well, either way, you're bound to get a couple folks askin' questions if you go public with it- especially if you got hard evidence like you say.” She stretches in exhaustion, “Mmmm...but, the church is the Church, though- they're the ones who set up the Mages' College, and a bunch of other systems besides, so it might not be as easy as 'hey, these guys are liars, here's why' and suddenly everyone's breakin' out the torches and pitchforks.”

“I'm aware of that,” you acknowledge. “I'm just trying to get some people to realize.”

“Right, right.” She's about to clamber back into bed when she suddenly pauses. “Say, speakin' of. You're stayin' in here for the night or what? Those two are in your room, so whatcha gonna do?”

>I'll leave them be and talk to them in the morning. Do you mind?
>I'll get them a room for a night.
>It's still my room. I'm going back.
>Other.

>>591519
>I'll get them a room for a night.

>>591519
>I'll get them a room for a night.

>Other
When we escort them to their room, tell them that Tavis ratted out Sorina to the high priest.

>>591519
>>I'll get them a room for a night.

>>591032
>By the time you “So...you found out that the church was spinnin' a giant lie, was mind controllin' dissidents, freed a bunch of prisoners they'd taken, stole summa their papers and now you're plannin' to find some way to condemn the church?”
>By the time you-
Huh?

>>591580
Mistype.

>>591519
>>It's still my room. I'm going back.

We might wanna sabotage the Church a bit more, in case they get ideas about using their mages.

>>591568
supporting

Springing for a room.
And yet more uncomfortable truths.
Writing!

>>591519
>I'll get them a room for a night.

>>591658
Can't be more uncomfortable than having a falling out with your friend and comrade who is hell bent on sending you to a prison to be mind raped.

Like, that's got to sting you know?

>>591519
>“I'm just trying to get some people to realize.”
Hm, we should join the Church and partake in their fortune. All this goody-goody won't pay off...

>>591766
Hey, Acolyte Tavin has a squeaky-clean brain, it's not his fault!

We should go kidnap the woman in charge of the Reflection Area, she's an important witness.

>>591519
“I'll spring for a room for them,” you say. Would be a better option than sleeping in the same room with them, and if Geegee was a sleep-talker, then you weren't all that sure that sharing a room with her would be a great idea, especially considering it was already past midnight.

“Suit yerself,” is all she says, and she's practically out before you even close the door behind you.

It's a simple task to go downstairs and plunk down a few extra coins for a spare room, thanks to the advance you got. He points you to the next open room, and you quickly go to yours to get Sorina and Basil out of it. They're mostly curled up on the bed, Sorina leaning on Basil's shoulder. Judging from the tear stains on her cheeks, she just got through a crying session. Basil's face looks miserable, but he's holding together well enough.

They both look up at you as you enter. “I got you both a room. It's probably not a good idea for you to go back to your team right now.”

They both nod wordlessly, and move to follow you, Sorina being supported by Basil. She's not still hurt, you're fairly sure, but it seems like she's emotionally deadened at the moment. Their room fortunately isn't very far down from yours, so it's a short walk, and they quickly settle into the new room. “You in particular should be careful, Sorina,” you warn as you're about to leave. She looks back at you in confusion.

“Apparently, Tavis told them about your doubts. You might be a target.” The sheer shock on her face is the last thing you see when you close the door for them. Whatever happened tomorrow, you're sure will turn out at least somewhat interesting. As for tonight? You have a bit of rest to get. Hopefully this ceremony isn't going to be TOO early in the day...
–

As you wake up, you're surprised that you feel decently refreshed. As you head downstairs for the inn's breakfast, you know it's time for the tournament and medal ceremony. The only question is how you want to handle it.

> Go wake up Sorina and Basil and see where they stand.
>Head to the prince's castle, see if there's anything particular he wants from you.
>Head to the arena, that's where the whole thing will be anyway. They'll get to you.
>Other.

>>592056
Wake them up, and then go to the castle.

>>592056
While leaping to the prince seems like a decent idea, the high priest has surely already gotten the jump on us.

>Other.
>Scope out the arena and its surroundings, see if we can sniff out church agents and get a handle on their plans.

>>592056
>>Head to the arena, that's where the whole thing will be anyway. They'll get to you.

>>592056
>Go wake up Sorina and Basil and see where they stand.

>>592056
>>Head to the arena, that's where the whole thing will be anyway. They'll get to you.

>>592056
> Go wake up Sorina and Basil and see where they stand.
>Head to the arena, that's where the whole thing will be anyway. They'll get to you.

>>592056
> Go wake up Sorina and Basil and see where they stand.

>>592056
>Go wake up Sorina and Basil and see where they stand.
We're literally in the same building. Can't take that long.

Hokay. Waking them up, then going to the arena. Writing!

>>592056
Might as well check on your 'guests' first. After a quick meal of grits, eggs, and meats, you head back up to their room. You knock on the door a couple of times; they're probably up. You can hear a yelp and a thump rather suddenly- seems like someone just fell out of bed. Okay then, maybe you might've been wrong. There's only a bit of time before you hear footsteps, and Sorina answers the door, looking ragged and generally like she really didn't want to wake up. Behind her you can see Basil picking himself up off the floor- not too surprised.

“Just waking you up because of the event today.” you note. “I just wanted to know what your plans were for it. I'll be leaving shortly for the arena, myself.”

Basil picks himself up with a grunt, and looks at you with the always-eternal 'damnit, why did you wake me up' scowl. Some faces were absolutely the same, even across time and space.

To their credit, they seem to mentally clear up quickly. “Oh, uh...we hadn't really talked about it that much, it was mostly just...” She starts to say, but she just shakes her head. “...nevermind. We...we need to at least talk to Tavis. Somehow. I don't think he knows what he's doing, and we need to help him realize. We're worried about him, and if he doesn't know the truth of the church, then...”

Basil nods. “Yeah, Tavis is a good guy. Eager, dedicated to doing right! If he's being used as a patsy for this messed up stuff the church is doing? I'd hope he wouldn't stand for it...”

Sorina looks back at Basil. “My concern is just how deep the brainwashing goes...there's no doubt he's been affected, but I wonder if there's enough of him that's separate from the church to see reason...”

>I wouldn't bet on it. It sounds like he's extremely devoted, and the brainwashing is likely too thorough.
>It might be possible. If he's as honorable as you claim...maybe there's something else.
>Other

>>592422
>>It might be possible. If he's as honorable as you claim...maybe there's something else. But I wouldn't bet on it.

>>592422
>It might be possible. If he's as honorable as you claim...maybe there's something else.
Tragic past and hero worship of the original hero that the curch worships, use the fact that the Original Hero would not approve of brainwashing no matter how 'noble' the reasons.

>>592422
>>I wouldn't bet on it. It sounds like he's extremely devoted, and the brainwashing is likely too thorough.

>>592422
>Other
He went straight to the Head Priest to tell on you, Sorina. If he's able to just go and chat with the man himself he must be either deeply involved or the inner circle are certain his brainwashing is strong enough that they trust him. Things are going to go down, hard and fast, either during or after the duel- at least wait until after this.

>>592422
I blanked, that option is supposed to be:

>It might be possible. If he's as honorable as you claim...maybe there's something else that can be done.

I dunno why I just blanked on the end of the sentence.

>>592422
>It might be possible. If he's as honorable as you claim...maybe there's something else.
>I'll be honest, the chances are slim. But still, you know him better, and I'd rather have a full team then none.

>>592422
>Other
>Perhaps the KotM have something that could help him...

Maybe...but probably not.

Writing!

>>592590
(Isn't the Mind-Reading Great Artifact something that would be extraordinarily helpful for this sort of thing?)

>>592654
It probably would have been, but we'd need the centerpiece to gain access to its full power, and we already gave it to the Moon Men for a bonus.

>>592422
You've seen this before. People who refuse to believe that one of their own has turned. They'll fight and rant and rave against it in their own ways, but it usually ends up blowing up in their faces when they deny it to the point of nearly either getting themselves killed or whatever purpose they were fighting for ruined. Some could be brought back, you're plenty aware, but people like this? Brainwashed from near birth?

...But no, that's not the best thing to say right now. At least not exactly like that. You still need to be frank, though. “Well, from what I'm aware of, if he REALLY is as honorable as you claim...there may be a chance to make him see reason.” She starts to smile, but you shut that down quickly. “I wouldn't bet on it, however. Personally, I think that chance is too slim to risk. That said, it's not my call.”

“I...I don't want to admit that he's lost just yet.” Sorina states. “The idea that everything we've been through is only in the name of the church? That...that would...”

“It'd be possible,” Basil states. “And believe me, it SUCKS even thinking of it. But...” He sighs. “Agh, I didn't wanna think about this this early in the morning. I'd at least like breakfast.”

“They're still serving it downstairs,” you point out. “Clean yourselves up, have some, and I'll be at the arena. Like I said, I would...very much not recommend being by yourselves for now, or being alone with Tavis.” You close the door, leaving them alone yet again, and you make for the Arena.

When you get there, you're not surprised to see a large throng of people already standing around, and some filtering into the arena itself. It's of little issue to make your way through, however, and you reach the inside with minimum fuss. Aside from the early-bird spectators, you can still see workers setting up the stage, being instructed by a well groomed man in fancy garb- oh. Actually, you recognize that man. He's the fellow that Adel nearly got into a fight with the other day.

Looking out at the actual field, you can also see several other interesting peoples- a couple larger, beared folks that you think you saw the other day, a few leaner types, men and women that all seem like they had a similar idea as you to arrive early. Likely the competition that will be in the tournament. You're not a part of that, however, by your estimation- you'll have to double check that. You don't see Adel anywhere, however, nor can you see any obvious church robes. There are a few younger kids, however- teenagers as well, that see you when you look their way, and immediately start whispering to themselves.

>Go talk to the competitors.
>Go see what's going on with the teenagers.
>Talk to the snobby man.
>Keep to yourself until the Prince comes.
>Other

>>592981
>Go see what's going on with the teenagers.
Hello there.

>>592981
>Go see what's going on with the teenagers.

They're either calling us a heretic, idolizing us, or talking about how hot we are.

>>592981
>>Keep to yourself until the Prince comes.

>>592981
>Go see what's going on with the teenagers.

HEY KIDS WANT AN AUTOGRAPH?

>>592724
> Other
Check if Lillian is around, ask her if she saw anything odd last night.

Connecting with the youth.

Writing!

>>592981
>>Go see what's going on with the teenagers
What could possibly go wrong?

>>592981
>Other
>Start committing heresy as loudly as possible.

Do what the Church prefers us not to!

>>592981
Hm. Wonder what those kids are yammering on about. As you approach them, you can see them freak out in a minor fashion, and immediately they start pushing one of their own number in front of them- he's a spiky-haired young boy, scuffed up in multiple places, and looks every inch like a kid who still hasn't learned how to pick his battles yet.

As you get face to face with the kid, you can see him blush hotly, and try at every inch to avoid looking directly at you. Some of the kids are giggling fiercely, others just have a look of amused fear on their face.

“Hello,” is all you say. The rest of the boys and girls wave and greet you back, but the one in the front can barely get his arm up.

One of the girls is smiling like the cat that caught the canary, and nudges the poor boy in the side, causing him to glare at her. “Well?” she responds. “Go ahead and tell her what you told me. She's right here. I'm sure she'd LOVE to hear it.”

You raise an eyebrow at this, and focus on the kid again, who rounds on her. “No way! I'm not getting killed just for a joke!” What? What joke?

“Aw, dude, she's not gonna kill you,” another boy says. “She probably gets it like, all the time or something.” You look at the other boy, who grins wickedly. “Alright, if he's not gonna say it, I'll say it. He said just now that he'd LOVE to see what's under that-”

“DUDE, SHUT UP!” and the boy nearly tackles him to stop him from getting the words out, much to the other kids' laughter. “I swear, I didn't mean nothin',” the boy says once the other kid's incapacitated due to too much laughing. “It was just a line, I swear, stupid stuff- it's not about how hot you are or nothin' like that!”

“Pftahahah, y-you called her a-a succubus in armor, Kyle!” The girl from earlier is shakily laughing through the words as she turns to you. “He's TOTALLY got the hots for you, he was like, 'Man, I don't care if she's a demon or not, she's smokin'!' The girl can barely keep her composure as she breaks out into another giggle fit as the mortified boy slumps over and puts his hands in his face, beet-red.

> “...it's padded armor. Comfortable...but there's not a lot under it.” Walk away.
> “We wouldn't be compatible anyway.” Pat his shoulder.
> “Not much of a gentleman, are you?”
> “How romantic.” Flick his forehead lightly.
> Other

>>593548
> “We wouldn't be compatible anyway.” Pat his shoulder.

>>593548
>> “How romantic.” Flick his forehead lightly. Ruffle his hair.

>>593548
> “...it's padded armor. Comfortable...but there's not a lot under it.” Walk away.
Givin' no fucks.

>>593548
> "Shame you're a bit too young for me."
> “...it's padded armor. Comfortable...but there's not a lot under it.” Walk away.

>>593548
>> “How romantic.” Flick his forehead lightly.
>> “...it's padded armor. Comfortable...but there's not a lot under it.” Walk away.

>>593548
>> “...it's padded armor. Comfortable...but there's not a lot under it.” Walk away.

>>593615
Might as well add the head flick to my vote.

> “How romantic.” Flick his forehead lightly.

Fucks given: 0.

Writing!

>>593548
>> “Not much of a gentleman, are you?”
We missed out on something useful to see a kid spill spaghetti?

>>593705
It made me laugh, so it's at least something.

As for what to do next, I'd like MAXIMUM OVERHERESY if possible.

>>593764
And play right into the Church's hand?
Just because you expose the Pope's misdeeds and corruption doesn't mean that people will stop being Christians and join up with the atheists.

Woo, it's ti-
What.
Is he the same kid we saw a day or two ago that ran off?

>>593871
>And play right into the Church's hand?

See >>585611
>. “A demon is within our midst. From nowhere she came, and already she has demonstrated abilities that risk revealing our machinations to the highest degree! We CANNOT let this demonic influence go unchecked for any longer!” His voice raises, and trembles. “What we are owed, we have gotten, and now she threatens to snatch it away with powers that should not be hers, feats that leave DOUBT.”
>You can see some people nodding and hear a few agreements. “Should she call in to question the nature of Orind, we stand to lose much of that we have worked for- our right to rule, taken back as subtly as we can, as the descendants of the original settlers of this city! Even if we must operate in the shadows, this land is OURS. No king or prince can state otherwise, and we have PROVEN it!” There are cheers that go up suddenly. “The markets sell according to our desires, in the name of Orind. The soldiers come to us, before their own generals, asking for help and blessings in the name of a man who slew monsters fifty times his size! And the peoples consider us arbiter of law! WE WILL NOT LET SOME OUTSIDER THREATEN ALL OF THAT!” Wanton cheers go up. “And I urge you all to keep vigilant for her. She has been spotted consorting with members of Adept Tavis's group, and our training grounds for loyal mages has reportedly been compromised.” Rats. So they DID find out about the school break-in... “According to our witnesses, she was last seen near one of the canals, too close to one of our Justicar safehouses. I fear that if she somehow figures out what we do here, she will attempt to spreads her taint to him or his. If she does so, the results would be disastrous for us...”

>>594023
High Priest's plan:
>>585616
>“Have you a way to counter this, High Priest?” one brave soul asks. Fortunately for him, the High Priest simply smiles.
>“Oh, indeed, indeed. I have made manifest several actions that, tomorrow, should see fruition in causing her to be outed as a heretic and demonic influence, with proper proofs and witnesses.” His grin is vicious and assured. “Tavis has confessed to me personally about his concerns regarding his allies. I intend to utilize that to both reinforce his belief, and grant us a prime opportunity to remove this threat from the picture.”

>>594023
And then he goes on to say that he will out Miranda as a heretic and a demon.
>I have made manifest several actions that, tomorrow, should see fruition in causing her to be outed as a heretic and demonic influence, with proper proofs and witnesses.

So yes, you're doing EXACTLY as he wants.

>>593548
“Really? How romantic of you,” you say dryly. He lifts his face up from his hands to try to speak-

“Ow!” -and you flick him lightly in the forehead as soon as he does. That sends his friends into another laughing fit, while he's stuck rubbing his head. “Hey, what was that-”

“It's padded armor,” you interrupt.

Everyone quiets down at that, and the boy in front looks confused. “I, uh...pardon?” You sigh...although that's to hide the vaguest of smirks on your face.

“It's padded underneath. Good quality, very comfortable.” You give it a pause to let it sink in before you continue. “There's not much underneath, though.”

The gasps are in unison. You simply walk away, not even turning back to see their expressions. You CAN here a low, “Whooooaaaa...” come out from one of them...and then suddenly random cheers, although you're not sure if they're for you or the kid. Whatever. It was interesting to know that you at least had some sort of appeal among the youth, even if they seemed to be scared of you.

You soon find that although the competitors are still there, the stage seems to be finishing up- the snobby man having left already. The stage seems to be built to be quick to put up and tear down, for the sake of the fighting to be done later. You're still wondering where the Prince is, in that case...ah.

You turn around in the midst of looking for them, and while you don't see them, you do see someone else. A couple of someones, in fact.

Adel and Tavis. Adel's got the same cocky smile you last recall him seeing, looking over the crowd with an eager eye. He's got some fancy armor on, you've noticed- actual steel, grey and red trimmed, with a fancy jewel inlaid in the center. It's strictly a breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves, however. He suddenly sees you, and the grin shifts into a smirk. Tavis, the blonde-haired, brainwashed hero, at this point, also notices you. HIS eyes are much less kind, though you're not certain what he's thinking about you. Probably 'demon' or something like that. His lips move- you're not exactly a lip reader, but even you can make out what he's saying to his friend.

'Be careful, Adel. She's stronger than she looks.' Yeah, he'd probably know about that- although you GREATLY hope that he wasn't aware you were the one behind the last night, if he was even informed about it. You'd done what you could to hide your identity, but there was always the possibility...

Adel makes a big show about patting his friends back, to the latter's mild amusement, and walks off to talk to the other competitors. Tavis, for his part, simply glares at you once again, then moves to head off into the stands.

As for you...

> You need to find the Prince.
> Thinking about it, where's Basil and Sorina?
> Hm. Wonder if you can try to psyche out Adel a bit.
> Other

>>594087
Fair, but note what the priest is afraid of. Calling into doubt the nature of Orind is exactly what we should be doing!

>>594113
I think it makes more sense to call into doubt the actions the church is taking, sidestepping the whole faith thing is a lot cleaner.

>>594099
> Thinking about it, where's Basil and Sorina?

>>594099
>Get something to eat. Wonder if they sell popcorn...

>>594099
> Thinking about it, where's Basil and Sorina?

>>594099
> Thinking about it, where's Basil and Sorina?

>>594113
Let's wait until we get a microphone to do it at, first. Also, it's less about calling into question if the Noble One exists, and more about calling the Church out on it's bullshit.

>>594132
Dunno, the High Priest was kind enough to tell us exactly where their weak spot was.

We really were just handed everything that session, the High Priest just straight-up told us where the incriminating documents would be.

>>594149
With the megaphone spell, you don't need no microphone!

We'll have to give the Prince proof of corruption pronto before the tournament starts. Gives us some leeway when the High Priest's plan starts.

>>594099
>Thinking about it, where's Basil and Sorina?
What we need to do is to discredit both the Church AND the Prince.
If Sorina and Basil see that both the Church and the royalty of Alban can neither be trusted, then they should be more likely to switch allegiance to the Knights.

>>594171
We didn't even read the documents so we still have no idea what we got beyond a personnel list and some weapon budgets.

>>594190
We could let the High Priest carry out his plan, get us 'incriminated'... then use that as a basis for 'Alban can't be trusted' on the Longshots.

>>594187
>We'll have to give the Prince proof of corruption
Not going to be able to do that if we're looking for Sorina and Basil, you know.
If you want to tell the Prince before things start, why not go look for him now that it looks like the stage is prepared and ready to start?

Also, why give information to the Prince? If the Crown Prince of Alban comes out against the Church, and that he's going to clean it up, then what impetus will Sorina and Basil have to leave Alban and swear allegiance to the Knights?

Giving information to the Prince only risks Basil and Sorina deciding to stay with Alban in order to help the Prince clean house.

>>594099
>> You need to find the Prince.
Give him a little warning about the certainty of a church-led desperation move today.

>>594224
>then use that as a basis for 'Alban can't be trusted' on the Longshots.
I'm not following you here.

>be called out as a liar, heretic, and demon who can't be trusted
>mountain of evidence and witnesses backing such claims
>tell people that the accuser can't be trusted
>After we flat out told them that we have an agenda and are working with their enemy
It sounds like we're depending on it working just because we're the main character and everything should go our way just because we say so.

Where ARE those two?

Writing.

>>594099
> psyche Adel a bit
What's with all the politics? Can't we just eat cotton candy and beat people up? I've been waiting for this tournament for ages.

>>594235
It'd be more of a cleansing in the Prince's surrounding. Wouldn't want him to be assassinated before we wish so
...Yet he's likely not to believe our claims so quickly

Sorina and Basil are still our prime targets.

>>594300
Man, people keep voting for it, I just write. Like I said, I'm super open to 'other' options if you want. The options I give are just 'the ones I can think of at the time that make sense'.

>>594300
If you can come up with a reason for why that course of action would help us get a bonus in our pay, net us some neat magical artifacts that we can use in our missions, or learn some nifty new spell, then go ahead, suggest it.
Otherwise, people vote the way they will because it goes towards their desired goals.

>>594300
I'm open to eating caramel apples WHILE we shadowrun. I still need to shadowrun, though.

Hell, let's eat a pair of corndogs while fighting Adel. How about that?

>>594375
I dunno if the referees will allow that though.

>>594267
Nah, nah. See, the Longshots know we're innocent.

>>594300
Don't look at me, I voted for popcorn.

>>594235
>Also, why give information to the Prince? If the Crown Prince of Alban comes out against the Church, and that he's going to clean it up, then what impetus will Sorina and Basil have to leave Alban and swear allegiance to the Knights?
Good point, yes.

>>594438
If they did, though, it might be the first time someone ever won a tourney by making the opponent so angry he gets an aneurysm.

>>594444
Only two of them. There's still two, potentially three, other members of the party who don't know that.
And even if we're clear of heresy, Basil seems to be still suspicious of us, and would likely believe that we have some demonic influence.

>>594099
Now that you're thinking about all of them, you can't help but wonder where Sorina and Basil are. You know they're up and they should likely either be on their way, or already be here- the crowd's steadily making their way in now, and it's hard to tell the difference between one person and another in this crowd. You DO see Geegee, though, if only because she kind of sticks out in a crowd. She waves to you, and you give a quick wave and a nod of acknowledgment back.

You take a quick search around the perimeter, to the reaction of a few curious onlookers, but neither of them are present. Odd. Wonder what's keeping them. By the time you've circled the entire area, you're soon met by an older follow who's in a simply pair of pants and a shirt dyed blue and white, half and half down the middle. “Excuse me, but I believe you're one of the guests of honor, correct? You're needed in the the royal seating.” What? Royal seating?

Oh. He meant the box seats, essentially; the area where the prince is set to be watching the entire tournament- and apparently, you as well. So does that mean...ah, yes. Sure enough, you can see Adel already sitting down, legs crossed up on a table, sipping a goblet of wine. “Well, well! Seems like they finally caught up to my infamous rival!” He spreads his arms out. “Nice setup, right? Oh, before I forget, the prince wants to give us a last minute pep talk before we get our medals and the real show begins.” He twirls his swords a bit- you wonder if he realizes that everyone can see him if they wanted to. “When it comes our turn, I'm countin' on you to put on a good show! I've been trainin' hard, so let's not make it too quick, y'know?”

>Funny. I was about to say similar.
>So you've been talking to the Prince?
>Don't be so cocky.
>Other.

>>594500
>Basil seems to be still suspicious of us, and would likely believe that we have some demonic influence.
Basil, knowing the Church is perfectly capable of fabricating a case like that, believing them over us? I doubt it.

>>594557
"Oh, so you have been practicing to not be a quick shot?"
>Funny. I was about to say similar.

>>594557
>Funny. I was about to say similar.
Yeah, let's put on a good show.

Also, 'What's your story, Adel?' Let him know we've been talking to Basil and Sorina. Let's get to know him a bit.

>>594557
>Other
And where would be the other members of your troupe?

>>594557
>Funny. I was about to say similar.

>>594557
"...In that armor, you look like some highborn wastrel prick. I don't even think that'd normally be in your closet unless someone gave it to you."

That red jewel makes me extremely suspicious. Who want's to bet the armor was given to him by Tavis?

>>594557
> Don't be so cocky
"Rival? That's a little ambitious I think. I'm just here for the atmosphere"

>>594626
Support

...Okay, I'll get to this over time.

Writing!

>>594557
>Funny. I was about to say similar.
>So you've been talking to the Prince?

Fun quest, I'm reading up on the archives. I'm a slow poster though.

>>594954
That's okay. This is a slow board.

>>594954
What parts did you like most?

>>594557
>Funny. I was about to say similar.
it's happening.

>>594557
“Funny. I was about to say something similar.” You say, and he laughs. “I hope your training has given you some endurance.” He quiets down a bit at that, although the grin's still on his face.

“Oh, rest assured, I am QUITE capable,” he says as he winks. As you sit down, you regard him carefully. Really, Adel seems like a very...VERY energetic fellow, and on the whole not exactly the...devout sort. You could be wrong, but those are just your initial impressions. You're kinda finding yourself wondering what he's doing with a guy like Tavis, really.

“So. I'm sure you've heard a number of rumors about me by now.” you start.

He snorts. “Yeah, and I'm pretty sure most of 'em are bunk.” he replies. “You're a freaky one, but I ain't sold on any of that 'divine rival' junk or the sort. And if you were a demon, we'd have noticed by now. Or at least I would have.” He leans over. “I've killed a demon before, y'know. Nasty thing, all teeth and super-long tail and 'raaaawwwr',” he says, miming a biting creature, “and I don't think that'd quite fit you. I mean yeah, there's smarter demons out there, but last I checked, they don't much show up on the primary plane.” Interesting.

“Speaking of, then, what's your story, Adel? I've...encountered Sorina a few times. Basil once or twice,” you admit, “and they seem interesting enough. I don't know anything about you or Tavis, however. Where are they, anyway?”

“Ahh, well, Tavis was invited to the tournament, and I think the Prince asked if he wanted in. I dunno if Tav's said yes or no yet, though, and Sorina and Basil took off last night and haven't come back.” He leans in in a conspiratorial whisper. “Keep this secret, but I think Tavis has the hots for Sorina. Crazy, right? He's been in a funk all day. Makes me think he's gonna say yes to fighting.” Oof. “As for my life story...so, you wanna know exactly what you're up against, eh? Learn the history of just” He wags his finger. “Not so certain that's a great idea- you might get a bit too intimidated!” You highly doubt that. “But, if you insist, I'll regale you.”

Another voice rings out, suddenly. “You'll have to wait on that, I'm afraid.” You turn your heads to see the Prince walking in. “Apologies for the late arrival, but there were a few sudden issues that came up that I needed to deal with. Apparently there was a riot last night of some sort, and a bunch of nonbelievers started ransacking the Temple of Orind. Terrible, can you believe!?”

cont.

>>594954
thank you!

>>595030
You both nod, even if yourself only to keep up appearances. “Tch, losers, all of them,” Adel quips. “If they had a problem with it, they should've stood up in the streets and shouted it. Screw the rumors, let 'em know outright.” Huh. Weren't expecting that kind of response. “If you got a problem with someone, say so, don't pussyfoot around and try and be all sneaky about it.”

“Yes, well, the High Priest has informed me that they're on the trail of the people who've caused it, and are hoping to make an announcement after the tournament. But that's for later. I just wanted to thank you both for agreeing to this- especially considering my admittedly last minute change to a full tournament. It was largely the Head Priest's idea, really- I think he's hoping to use this to later drum up support for the Church in these harrowing times. I can understand the idea, of course. We all need to know that Alban and Tenimbaum have people that can fight. Now, do either of you have any questions for me before we begin? I think most people started looking forward to the tournament more than the ceremony, so I think we'll keep that part short,” he chuckles.

>Do you have any questions?

>>595035
I know it's a stupid idea, but I wish we could just hand the Prince the evidence we've gotten right now. Adel's face would be priceless.

>>595001
The way main character interacts with the separate worlds and the adventure, fun stuff. Currently somewhere in thread 2.

>>595035
Do you have any popcorn?

>>595035
"Non believers, in Alban? I didn't know they existed!"
Didn't Sorina mention that she had found out what the church was planning today? And we totally failed to ask her...

>>595035
Anything that would get me disqualified?

>>595035
"Any specific regulations I need to follow?"

>>595171
She did?

Guyyyyssssss, ask for popcorn! It's important!

Alright, taking a breather. Need food. I'll be back shortly and begin writing then.

>>595185
Support

>>595215
If there were, they'd tell us before the match. It's not something we need to ask the Prince.

>>595035
>>595185
>Anything that would get me disqualified?

>>595171
We have the pieces we needed for a #Churchleak, the problem is there's nothing prepared, organized. Didn't even plan with Sorani and Basil after their breakfast.
Now we lost sight of them at an important time.

>>595221

Right when we were about to rush out into the night we told everyone not to trust authority figures and she said that might change tomorrow because I know stuff. >>587978

>>595409
Nah, that means she found good blackmail material.

Back, have food, writing.

>>595221
Does popcorn even exist in this setting?

>>595726
We can't know unless we ask!

>>595035
“Just if there's anything that'd get me disqualified,” you muse.

“Ah. We'd have mentioned that at the start of the tournament, but in a nutshell, it's largely the obvious stuff. Don't kill or irrevocably maim your opponent, don't involve the audience, and if they concede, don't attack after it's been confirmed.” He takes a moment to think of anything else, but soon shakes his head. “The church agreed to donate dedicated healers for the event, and we have potion crafters who've made a stockpile as well, so as long as no one loses a limb, you should be fine.”

“Sounds like it's all gravy to me!” Adel says. “I say let's get this show on the road!”

You have to agree.

The medal ceremony has begun, and to be fair it's surprisingly well orchestrated, despite the simplicity. The Prince stands up and walks down towards the stage, you and Adel behind him, and he gives a fairly lengthy speech about the intelligence, integrity, and intensity of the Alban people. From what you can hear, he's indeed rather passionate about Alban, and every word out of his mouth is espousing about the importance of its people, 'both native-' -here he looks at Adel- 'and immigrant-' -and now he looks at you. You can hear a couple of cheers go off in the crowd- you're fairly certain Adel got more, but it's not bad for a few days' presence.

The medals themselves aren't that special- carved out of some kind of crystal, you notice- a green, however, which you're not entirely sure if that means anything or not. When he places it around your neck, you don't feel anything in particular. Hopefully that just means it's pretty rock and nothing more. Adel at the very least seems excited for it. Or maybe he's excited because the Prince is finally announcing the tournament. He also states, as he'd mentioned, that the winner of the tournament will face either you or Adel in combat, depending on who won.

As he announces all of the competitors, who walk up in front of the stage one by one, you notice that Tavis simply glares at you most of the time. You're wondering if he wanted to compete...which makes you wonder why he's not. At any rate, soon the announcements are finished- the number comes to a total of sixteen challengers who have rose up to partake, all of which stand in front of you and Adel.

“It seems that we've an even bracket,” says the Prince. “Excellent. I wish you ALL the best of luck, in both this tournament and in your daily lives. Now! Let the combat BEGIN!”

The crowd roars as the stage is cleared, and the tournament is finally underway.

“Kinda wish I had popcorn,” you muse to yourself once you're back in the box seats.

“Really?” Adel looks over at you incredulously. “Why didn't you just buy some? They're sold at the stands for cheap.”

...ah.

>You should make certain to watch every fight.
>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance...
>Most of them don't seem very impressive to you...
>Other

>>595985
This is a 'how much detail do you want'? vote, basically. Since you're not actually competing in the tournament proper, I figured that maybe writing all of the fights might get tiring for you...? Stuff that's going to happen will happen regardless, though.

>>595985
>>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance...
It's probably going to come down to Tarvis and Mr. Fancy.

>>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance

>>595985
>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance...
I'd like to scan the crowd for familiar faces for the less interesting fights.

>>595985
>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance...
by the way, do we HAVE to wear the medal? even when we fight? sure, it's shiny, but it's a bit uncomfortable, and will be a nuisance when we are fighting.

>>595985
> there's only a couple
Like >>595995 says
In the meantime just throw popcorn at any longshots in sight

>>595985
>You should make certain to watch every fight.
Always gather intel on potential competition/opposition.
Miranda's survived this long by fighting smart, and the one time she didn't, she nearly died, and learned not to underestimate the enemy.

>>595995
>>596047
It explicitly says that Tavis isn't competing.
We should be watching what's going on, because he'll probably try to suckerpunch us at the end so that the High Priest can announce the charges against us without us immediately beheading him.

>>596047
>In the meantime just throw popcorn at any longshots in sight
why though
sorina doesn't deserve this treatment
nor does basil

>>595985
>Other
>Go get motherfucking popcorn! Yeah!

>>596058
speaking of, this may be just paranoia, but I want to get out of this royal stat and remove the medal by the end of the competition match.
and like what he said, always be weary of anything happening nearby, be on guard.

>>595985
>>There's only a couple fighters that interest you at first glance...

>>596058
Where does it say that?

There's a few that seem to pique your interest...writing.

>>596078
That's an insult to the prince. Who, unlike the Church, could be on our side.

Adel has the same medal and he's been hanging out with zealot-Longshot. I think that means we're okay on that front.

>>596106
Ah, never mind. I see it now.

>>596112
maybe we can make up an excuse? more popcorn or something?
and you never know, they only LOOK the same.
I'm not trusting anyone until it's completely certain that they are on OUR side.

>>596112
>Who, unlike the Church, could be on our side.
That's pretty unlikely, since we're contracted to a group of people that want to topple the current government of Alban.

And why wouldn't the Church put some more brainwashing effort or a contingency into an adventurer that isn't fully in their grasp yet?

They've got no reason to tell Tavis anything about anything hidden in the medal, so what does Adel being a friend of Tavis have anything to do with it?

>>596068
This. Corn is a must.

Some small talk for Adel: "Hey, you thought about your end of the wager yet?"

Personally, I still want to wager that he'll be our lackey for a week.

>>596290
Knights of the Mooooooon

>>596371
I don't think we could get away with that, with everyone's eyes on us. And I think that the wager probably has its limits.

>>595985
There's only a few fighters at first glance that interest you; there's a guy wearing a bunch of pelts- he's built like a tank, and he looks like he could bench Basil if need be. You're pretty sure you saw him earlier. The second is a man who's dressed in a lot of reds, wearing a mouth mask, and has what looks like a staff on him. He's standing away from everyone else over in the small section reserved for competitors. The third is a girl, brunette with a sword and buckler shield in light armor. She just seems eager to get going. The fourth is an older man, with a halberd- the way he stands, you think he's a soldier, or an ex-soldier. The fifth is another girl, but she seems much more hardened- she wields a pair of daggers, and looks much like a thief archetype, including scar across the bridge of the nose. The last one that interests you is Mr. Fancy Pants, who simply sits there smugly.

“Ugh...” Adel's noticed him, too. “Can't believe that guy's involved in this...”

“Who is he?” you ask.

“Oh, some noble or something. Calls himself,” and here he puts on a pompous accent, “'Baron Voldin, of the distinguished Voldin Family.' He got up in my face the other day, said something about how I didn't deserve to buy something considering a 'man of his status' had so much as looked at it. Feh. I hate folks like that. If Sorina hadn't pulled me off of him...” he shakes his head. “Ah, but then I betcha he's expecting to just roll over everyone here.”

“Do you think he can?” you ask. He just growls and mumbles, but you can't make it out. You decide to just go get that popcorn before the first match starts.

A few minutes later, you're watching a man with a warhammer and some guy with a sword way, WAY too big for him clash. The big blade's intimidating, but its unwieldiness is quickly evident as he swings once and is batted away- and the hammer connects HARD with the poor sap's back, sending him flying. "Amateurs," you can't help but say. Adel scoffs and nods in agreement.

cont.

>>595985
“Hey.” you look over to Adel as he calls. “So, you wanted to know about my background, right?” You nod. “Eh, it kinda sucks, to warn ya, if I'm being honest. I used to live in Corinth, to the southeast, right? Great place, grew up around a lot of hardy guys. I was one heck of a rambunctious kid, lemme tell ya!” Yeah, you could believe that. “Anyway, one day I get into a bit too much trouble, not tellin' what, and before I knew it I was getting chased by a bunch of bandits. I knew that if I got caught, well, I'd be screwed. And then I turned into the wrong alleyway.” He smiles at the memory. “I thought I was done for...but this one guy- old dude, never caught his name- he steps in, had two swords in his hands. It was like, eight guys, but he put them all down in seconds. Didn't kill 'em, either, just smashed 'em all with the flat of his blades and that was enough.”

He chuckles. “I was hooked, in more ways than one. It was right then I knew I wanted to be the best swordsman I could. I thought, 'maybe one day I can save people like he saved me.' And maybe meet him again, if I'm bein' honest.” He leans back, satisfied with his tale. “I met Tavis a couple years into my training. He said he was on a 'spiritual journey' and was looking for someone with 'a lot of heart' to help him on his path. Dude was pretty good at talking it up big, and he swore I'd find tons of wrongs to right and people to save as long as I stuck by him. The fact that he seemed pretty okay at the time was a bonus, too.” He winks. “So, whatcha think of that? Like I said, not the most dramatic story, but it's mine.”

>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense.
>Could've used a couple more life threatening situations, maybe a fire somewhere.
>Other.

>>596433
>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense.

>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense.

>>596160
On our side against the Church. Maybe I got the wrong impression here, but I don't think the nobility are completely in the loop with the evil brainwashing cult stuff.

I didn't get the impression the Knights wanted to topple the government either. If there's a world where the Church is gutted and the war stopped without toppling the government, they'd prefer that one. They don't think it's likely, which is why they're planning to topple it. They planned to kill the Longshots and look how that's working out for them.

>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense

>>596433
>Other
"Eh, it's fine."
It's a dime a dozen story.

>>596433
>>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense.
Miranda is not a bard.

>>596433
> Not everything needs to be dramatic
Didn't he say he fight a demon? That sounds more dramatic.
Have we met anyone who fights with two swords yet? Maybe in the knights?

>>596433
>Not everything needs to be dramatic. It makes sense.
eh. typical.

>>596445
This is from Commander Argus
>“It has been several years since the rulers of Alban and Horinth declared war. Their quarrel over their nonsense has proven that neither is fit to rule.
> You raise an eye at the anger in this voice. “We seek to change that. To make for a world that has no 'gods', no masters invisible or falsely raised.

Sounds like he wants to tear down the current aristocracy to me.

Meh, 5/10.

Writing.

>>596508
Masters invisible is talking about the Church and falsely raised could only be referring to some of the nobility. They can't all be Church puppets.

>>596421
>You decide to just go get that popcorn before the first match starts.
\o/

>>596538
Regardless of whether they're all puppets or not, the rulers of both nations have proven that they are not fit to rule in the eyes of the Knights.
You think that removing the king isn't toppling the government in a monarchy?

I don't think that the Knights would be happy with the regime that got itself into this war staying in power.

Fully caught up, it got better every thread.

Were we going to give the Prince the documents we took before our battle? Or are we going to do a dramatic battle of words with the Church?

>>596433
“It's fine,” you insist. Honestly, it was a pretty meh story- one you'd heard umpteen million times. “Not everything needs to be dramatic, and it makes sense. You DID say you'd fought a genuine demon once-” suddenly cheers go up, and you only just now notice that the hammer man has finally knocked out his opponent. You and Adel clap politely when he faces your way, but otherwise you're not interested in it.

“Yeah,” Adel confirms. “It was quick, don't get me wrong- some creepy cult was trying to start up somewhere in the south near the frontier. Me and the guys put a stop to that real fast.” He chuckles. “Stupid thing barely got out the gate before I cut it up. The way it sizzled into nothing was creepy, though...”

“Interesting. Dissipated into nothingness, then?” He nods. “I wonder what makes people think of me as one, then.” Adel just shrugs. “I'd bet it's just foolishness.”

Suddenly, Adel perks up. “Oh yeah! Speakin' of 'bet'!” He leans on the chair, grinning eagerly. “So! I've managed to come up with a good, solid wager for ya! If I win our little tussle..” he leans closer. Please don't ask for a date, please don't ask for a date, please don't ask for a date, please don't ask for a date...

“You have to fork over that Horinthian sword of yours...” DAMNIT FIVE TIMES- wait, what? Huh. You...for some reason, you were REALLY expecting him to ask you on a date. “and you have to travel with us for at LEAST a couple of weeks! Because there's no way I'm letting it sit at just one win!” Oh. Well then. That wasn't...hm.

“So, what about if you win?” he challenges. “I've told you mine, now you tell me yours! We like 'em both, we'll shake on it!”

>What's the wager?

>>596683
>You get to be my toady for a week

>>596682
I hope for the latter.
It's about time we got cheesy with our dialogue.

>>596683
>> You have to be my lackey for a week.

>>596683
He has to be our lackey for a couple weeks.
Because that way, even if he doesn't join the Knights, he can be kept out of our way, still fulfilling the requirements of the objective we were given.

>>596708
>It's about time we got cheesy with our dialogue.
That's not how Miranda rolls, unless she's paid very well for it.

>>596720
She CAN do it though.

There is a certain personality trait of hers that is WILDLY out of character, but it's something of a massive weakness of hers, and you've yet to trigger it. I eagerly await the day you guys do.

>>596732
>She CAN do it though.
As I said, she has to be paid very well for it.
And the current contract doesn't seem to be enough.

>>596683
"Huh. I was thinking the same thing for the second bit."

"I should warn you, though, the adventures we would be going on... Well, they're going to bring you to some dark, dark places. Ones that are... rather distressing."

"But since you also want the sword, I'll ask for that ruby in your armor, to keep it fair."

>>596732
She's a recovering chunni, isn't she?

>>596683
>"You haven't anything in particular I want. But if you'd like I'll shake on it regardless."
This will infuriate him and put him in some perceived debt much more than any wager, I'd reckon.

>>596743
Are you actually intending to bring him to the Intersection?

There is no way that he's good enough to be a merc for SES, and given that if you don't make a profit for the Dealmakers, they'll throw you out into the interdimensional wastes for being a drag on resources, do we really want to have the attention of our corporate masters to make sure that someone we brought remains profitable?

>>596683
I suppose I could support the weeks servitude idea but it could get awkward.I suppose we could just ask him to watch gg for a while.

Also can we ask him how he does his glowy eye trick?
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/513191/#p535709

>>596683
>you have to follow me for a week
this was talked about before, right?

>>596720
if any out of character act can help in rubbing the truth on Tavis's face, I'm game.

>>596732
maybe she is secretly soft for her friends? I did catch hint of that in her thoughts.

>>596745
holy shit this could be a possibility.
>nebula blaster
yup. very possible.

>>596747
kek. might support.

>>596732
I saw the two slips. She used to be a chunni probably.

>>596683
You guys are pretty good at write-ins generally. Almost afraid to mess it up, but

"You have to work under me for a week."
or
"You have to visit the Knights of the New Moon and listen to what they have to say"

>>596759
>Are you actually intending to bring him to the Intersection?

GOD, no! I was figuring we'd have one last infiltration mission, and we'd take him along.

If there was a character I'd take with us, it'd be a toss up between Geegee and Sorina.

>>596762
Following us for a week will just slow us down, though.
Being our lackey and doing what we tell him to do would be better.
Either that, or tell him he doesn't have anything we want.

>>596683
>>596713
Switch mine to telling him he doesn't have anything we want.

Seems like the vote is "you follow me for a week."

Writing. (Last one for tonight. I've been running longer than I expected...)

>>596790
>bringing the loudmouthed hyperactive swordsman with no discernable other skills on a stealth mission
That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

>>596792
wait, but that's what I meant. sorry if it was unclear.

Wait, you got the change in before I said that, and I think that might change the outcome. Depends on what >>596762 says, I think.

>>596798
We can leave him tied up outside while we conduct business.

>>596811
what I meant was that he should follow us and do as we order, like what >>596777, >>596713, >>596711, and >>596701 said.

>>596798
It's basically him being a lackey, anyway, only with a shorter length of time for him to annoy us.

>>596816
He'd still slow us down, though.
We want to take things slowly to get paid more, but if we take too long then we'll start racking up penalties.

Alrighty, lackey it is. Writing!

>>596833
I think we are way way ahead of schedule. The team would slow us down, yeah, but it might not end up being a problem.

>>596683
It doesn't take you long to come up with a decent idea. It could be useful in a number of ways, so long as his pride doesn't cause him too much pain. Or losing it, in this case. “Simple. I win, and you have to follow me for a week. As in you have to do what I say, no matter what it is. My underling, in short.”

You didn't think someone could change expressions quite that fast. He went from confused, to shocked, to scared, to...aroused? To concerned, to confident, all in the space of about three seconds. “Okay! Yeah! I can do that!” He sticks out his hand assuredly, and your gauntlet-ed hand meets his in a firm handshake. “It's settled then!”

“I was considering asking for that gem on your chest, too.” you admit. “Is it supposed to be for anything?”

He looks at it and grins. “Yeah, it's a pretty hard gem. Got a secret or two in it, but THAT'S a surprise. I mean, I'm sure you figured it wasn't just for show, but...” He chuckles. “I'll tell you this, though, it's not something I usually wear. Got this baby gifted to me special!”

You nod. You had expected something of that sort. You don't think it matters much. Soon, they announce the second match, which happens to be the red pole-user against one of the guys wearing all those pelts. He's got a giant claymore in hand, and roars to the crowd as the slim pole user spins his staff a few times. “Alright, then,” you note. “This is a fight that I actually want to watch.”

“Oh yeah, I saw that dude earlier!” He says, pointing at the big guy. “I bet he's takin' it. No way that staff can smack hard enough to dent THOSE abs.”

“I think you might be wrong...” you can't help but note. With him merely giving you a grin, you both proceed to watch the match carefully.

Yeah, done for tonight. Sticking around for about a half hour then I'm outie.

>>596940
>“I'll tell you this, though, it's not something I usually wear. Got this baby gifted to me special!”

FORESHADOWING ALERT FORESHADOWING ALERT THE CHURCH GAVE IT TO HIM TO KILL US RIP THAT SHIT OFF LIKE AN OLD BAND-AID

>>596947
Are we on schedule right now? Ahead of schedule? Behind schedule?

What are the rules concerning bringing people back to the Intersection?

Does Commander Argus and the Knights actually want to replace the governments/royalty of the two nations, or will they be fine with just stopping the war and getting rid of the Church?

>>596940
He looked kinda worried at our terms, guess he isn't as confident as he makes out .

>>596961
Or we could one shot him and not give him a chance to use it.

>>596967 see >>596508

>>596940
Oh, yeah, forgot to add "Bet you two gold pole guy gets him in five minutes."

I checked the pastebins.
>9999 mana
>No mana costs

W-What?? We're even scarier than I thought.

>>596974
>Or we could one shot him and not give him a chance to use it.
I'm betting on drama overruling irony for this fight, so he'll take more then one hit. How much gold you want to wager? I'll go to about five.

>>596989
There's no mana costs written down yet because Handler is still coming up with them.

>>596967
I figure from the New Moon's standpoint, expecting your contractor to travel across the continent, locate a group with little initial intel, then maybe try to convince them to join your side is a timetable of more than six days. Especially since we've also crushed a bandit army and gathered two previously lost artifacts in that timeframe.

>>596967
- The Knights gave you a week's worth of supplies as a baseline. That was, again, them presuming that you'd just kill the Longshots and be done with it. Technically you're behind schedule, but they're considering the possibility that you're 'earning your paycheck' so to speak, what with the two Great Creations + a portion of the Centerpiece wrapped up and giftboxed to them.

-The only rule about bringing someone to The Intersection is 'they'd better earn their keep'. If you wanted to bring Geegee or Sorina or Basil or whoever back with you, there's nothing stopping you, provide both they agree and Sal agrees to transport them.

-Basically what >>596974 said. Commander Argus has no faith in the current systems.

>>596989
I said back then that the mana costs were being hidden, and will be revealed next mission. There ARE mana costs, but I felt it'd be unfair to introduce them mid-mission. My base text file includes mana costs.

>>596996
And yeah, the bandit thing had an effect. Like I said, technically, but they're not really surprised at all. In short, you're fine. You'll know when they start to get ornery, don't worry.

>>597002
How many days has it been then?

What does Miranda think about Sorina learning that float spell in less than a day? She impressed any? Could she do that kind of thing at Sorina's age?

>>596974
I made both of those posts. I wanted Handler to confirm that >>596445 is wrong.

>>596995
>expecting your contractor to travel across the continent, locate a group with little initial intel, then maybe try to convince them to join your side is a timetable of more than six days
We're actually behind schedule.

>>597009
About 7 days.

I guess if we don't have the heroes behind us by the end of the day, we are going to have to just move ahead and remove them.

>>597021
You're only behind schedule relative to initial expectations. They're revising said expectations. That's what I meant with those two posts. I probably shouldn't have bothered with the details just yet.

And yeah I'd have to reread all my entries, but I think it's been just about a week now.

>>597021
Day 1 - Go to Hatham's Hold
Day 2 - Go to Blake's Landing
Day 3 - Go back to Moon Fortress
Day 4 - Go to Tenimbaum, defeat marauders
Day 5 - Break into College
Day 6 - Break into Temple
Day 7 - Tournament/Duel/Medal Ceremony

>>597027
That's true, but it's a grim thing to say when we've gotten Sorina and Basil on lock and Adel looks extremely likely. Offing the zealot in cold blood will probably make Sorina, Basil, and Adel get cold feet.

>>597028
>You're only behind schedule relative to initial expectations. They're revising said expectations
I mean, yes, because we got two Great Creations and a Centrepiece component acquired within four days, and we are making some actual headway in successfully recruiting at least 1, potentially 3, members of the Longshots, they might extend our deadline.

But that's not a very good way to look at things.
We were given a deadline for deliverables, well within our capabilities, and some windfalls have allowed for unexpectedly fast progress on the main contract.
Just because the deadline for the deliverables got extended, doesn't mean we shouldn't be trying to complete the deliverables within the original schedule.

Again, you'll more than likely know if/when they're getting a bit anxious. I have situations planned if it comes to that.

>>597043
>you'll more than likely know if/when they're getting a bit anxious.
Worrying the client like that is not good business.

>>597042
True. And hey, y'all do you. I'm just the writer. At any rate, I'm headed to bed. Night!

>>597043
I'm guessing one of those situations is them calling up our employer and bitching? I want to hear that conversation.

>>596996
Yeah, I don't enjoy the sight of that ruby in someone else's possession. I'd say it either has magic resistance or drain, or will activate Adel's berzerk ability (red eyes) and put him in a frenzy. It likely is something to spring a trap against us.

For the actual battle, let's wrap the flamebringer sword in electricity.:
a) A steel armor would be very conductive, turning the armor into an electrified trap (can't take off quickly, easy to hit) or magnetize it, messing with his swings (Our fists clad in chitinous armor wouldn't be affected)

b) I like the incongruity of having an electric flame sword. Could even pass it as some divine power.

>>597042
>>597045
In short, we should work to be on-time but not ahead of schedule.
Unless getting ahead of schedule gives us a bonus greater than what we would have gotten for those days.

>>597043
>>597028
>>596996

Alright. I didn't think they were unhappy with our progress, from all the work we had been doing.

>>597042
Technically there was no deadline set, just a weeks worth of food given. And we might be able to report back before the day is out.

>>597050
I think it would be better to simply grab onto him when we lock blades.
Miranda has enough strength that she can force Adel to stay locked with only one hand, and her other hand can grab his gauntlet or the edge of his armor and channel electricity through it.

And we should have checked how much of a threat he actually is against us.

>>597050
Wait, we using a sword? Against a sword master? Why not play to our strengths and use force lighting?

>>597054
It'll put on a good show. This is a public event, I don't want to get booed for ending the fight in 10 seconds.

The boos will come later when we get accused of being a heretic.

>>597038
Grim maybe, but the job needs to be done.

>>597054
It never really worked out for Palpatine.

>>597046
Night Handler

>>596940
>He went from confused, to shocked, to scared, to...aroused? To concerned, to confident, all in the space of about three seconds.
what was going through his mind?

How can they have expected us to be done in a few days when they thought we would travel by horse? We jumped like Mario and crossed a whole mountain range in a few hours. Plus or targets weren't even where they thought they would be but we f found them by chance in a foreign countrys capital

>>597062
Don't they believe strength comes from the Noble One or something like that?

>>597062
Literally the whole point we practiced with a sword in public earlier was so that he wouldnt expect us to go hand to hand in the actual tournament. This was an entire discussion.

>>597235
Actually they assumed wed go on foot. They said they didnt have the horses available if i remember right. I can only assume they had to have been banking 100 percent on the Longshots being hot on their tail. Unwise expectations for them to have, but its the only way it makes sense.

Morning. Just saying hi.

I feel like this is more my bad writing than anything.

>>597284
This.

We should use or sword in the beginning however. Play a little then set fire on it and use it to cut/burn the straps on his breastplate so that we can get rid of that gem. It may react viciously to magic.
Once that's done we can throw the sword away or pretend to be disarmed and that's when we take off the kid gloves

>>597313
Hello. Not sure what you mean, it's not bad writing. Not inspired, but not bad.

>>597313
Its not a big deal because the knights are wisely staying off of our backs. If they did get on our case, however, we could leverage it as them trying to engineer excuses to rip us off.

Essentially, it boils down to this:

The knights of the new moon have pretty much no grounds to complain about us for a very long time. Our initial given orders were to take out the bandits, which has been done.

The other objective, which was to keep the longshits from interfering, is also technically done. We could straight up leave now, and theLongshots would be basically too busy with party infighting and heresy to be a credible threat thanks to our revelations. That said, we're halfway to recruiting a powerful adventurer group to th moons cause, AND were engineering an ideological rebellion in the second largest city in all of Alban.

On top of all that, we have now gained enough of an understanding of the value of their money (what with simple potions going for 10s of gold) to realize just how cheaply we've been acquiring Legendary artifacts for them at 10000 per.

They would have to be literally insane to complain about anything we have done. We could fuck off back to the intersection right now and they couldnt say they got a bad deal.

>>597286
They were banking on the sales pitch from Sal turning out to be true.
Not that the Longshots were in their territory.

>>597348
>theLongshots would be basically too busy with party infighting and heresy to be a credible threat thanks to our revelations.
Tavis is the one that has to be eliminated, though. If he's still around, he can still put together another adventuring team.

He's completely brainwashed, and there's no indication we can deprogram him.

>were engineering an ideological rebellion in the second largest city in all of Alban.
Don't assume that it will actually work. The Church has a lot of resources in this city, and they can still turn things around against us.

>>597394
>He's completely brainwashed, and there's no indication we can deprogram him.
Imprisoning works.

>>597408
Maybe counter-brainwashing.

>>597394
No they werent. They flat out apologized they weren't providing a horse, meaning they anticipated it being a problem.

The point is thateven if we stopped now, Tavis and Co have been and would continue to be too preoccupied for the forseeable future. They xant even trust each other due to what we have done, and their ideologies are now directly at odds.

Insurgencies dont get put down overnight, especually when said insurgencies have heroic rallying figures like half the Longshots.

The point was, we dont have to worry about the knights being dissatisfied. The only way they could complain is if they were all completely bugfuck loony.

>>597419
>Insurgencies dont get put down overnight
They can be if the insurgents number less than 30, have little to no support among the populace, none of them are actually trained insurgents but are instead random civilians plucked off the street, and the secret police already know who they are so they can be picked up again.

>>597429
This is why staying quiet is not to our advantage. We need to be loud.

>>597429
>>597419
>>597437

The Insurgency isn't our problem/job, it's only a concern as far as it works towards convincing the longshots to join our ship.

I think that after we beat Adel, and whatever happens happens, we talk to the team for a while to convince them our side is the best side. Then we grab Adel and take him to Moon headquarters (try today) and have him meet the big guys to talk and pledge his support.

>>597446
Tavis is unlikely to let that happen. We'll have to knock him out at the very least, and assuming they'll cooperate, get Basil and Sorina far enough away so they have a head start against Tavis and whatever support the Church provides to him.
Sorina may be on board to speak with the Knights, but Basil was still pretty reluctant.

>>597446
>>597457
Tie up Tavis, bring him along to the group meeting.

>>597446
>The Insurgency isn't our problem/job

Everything that gives the moonmen an edge is our business.

>>597446
That seems like the sort of thing we ask the higher ups about before we do it. I imagine they would want to vet any high profile groups before they were taken to their secret base.

>>597429
Maybe in modern times, when you have tactical networking, realtime communications, and detailed information databases that can be quickly filtered and searched.

I strongly doubt those are present here.

>>597471
>I strongly doubt those are present here.
Yes, but the Church does have the list of prisoners it had, who they were, and where the live.
And these people aren't smart enough to stay away from their families, as evidenced by Jacob saying that he's going home to his son.

>>597497
You think hes going to stay there? Of cousrse people are going to gather their loved ones before leaving. That doesnt mean they arent going into hiding. The church just slash and burned their hq and documents, they cant organize an immediate retrieval.

>>597313
Let's smell the daisies around with our magical nose. The nose knows.

>>597510
>just slash and burned their hq and documents,
They didn't destroy their documents, they were gathering the important ones so that they wouldn't be destroyed or fall into the hands of the escaping prisoners.

>>597517
They are still not immediately available. Their tunnel network is abandoned for however long, they have to deal with the fact that a significant number of people in their employ are injured, the have to find out WHO escaped by HAND, find their information amongst the hastily scavenged paperwork of which we stole a significant proportion of, etc etc. Any retrieval ops they try to mount will take a gross amount of time to organize.

About the payment...

We should see the flameguard official who apparently has an offer for us. We probably won't accept it, but his offer will give us another idea of what payment is usually like. If his offer has an extra zero on the end, we can be reasonably upset with our current arrangement.

>>597573
Its acually Sal who whould be pissed. He got taken for a ride.

>>597573
Aren't they searching for artifacts? We want artifacts. We won't give them artifacts.

>>597625
We've already got a deal in place. The contracts been hashed out. Its just gotta be something to note in the future.

>>597625
We want them as a side-job. Still, we just see what they offer.

>>597648
We aren't interested in their offer. It won't be better than the payment we're already receiving, and taking side-jobs is what fucks Lorelei over.

I hate my job. I hate it so much.

Run postponed until further notice.

deplorable

>>597723
Think a "don't" is missing in >>597648
's first sentence, else the second sentence wouldn't make sense.

>>597573
>Taking counter-offers mid-job is strongly frowned upon, but there is no formal rule against it- simply a policy of if it comes to light, you'll be required to surrender 75% of your earnings on said job instead of 15%. That's not even Sal's call- that's a mandate from HIS bosses. Hence it's generally considered only feasible if said counter-offer is a MASSIVE jump over the initial one.
The counter-offer would have to be at least 3,4 times higher just to set it par for our payment with the current contract, not talking about the extra time needed (we're pretty close from completing our objective).

>>597750
>>597754
Deplorable indeed.

>>597750
Uweh

>>597315
I'd rather not use a Horinth sword in the middle of an Alban patriotism party while beating up one of their heroes.

>>597799
We already used it to kill a lot of bandits. They know we have it and trying to hide it now isn't going to do shit. Just use it.

>>597805
Use it, but not as expected.
Don't make it aflame, electrify it! Swat any smug teen in your way, use the pommel!

>>597799
Can we at least use it to bisect the high priest in half after we fight Tavis on top of the church? I REALLY want to have him get a Darth Maul death.

>>597807
>bisect in half
I personally would prefer gripping him up by the throat and then electrocuting him to death.

>>597805
Was it on fire back then?

>>597750
I was wondering, how are our clothes/armors chosen when we transphase into a plane?
I suppose the accessories we wear in the Intersection has a certain influence, but what else? Is it like the CGI series ReBoot?

>>597811
As long as he screams in terror on the way down, I'll be fine with it.

Run starts in 30.

Writing!

The man with the claymore seems to be competent enough to realize that he needs to stay inside the staff user's range. In turn, the staff user is trying his best to avoid ending up too close to the mountain of a man. It's still just them feeling each other out, you can tell, though. The staff user is largely sticking to safe jabs and trying to keep the big guy off-balance; a smart tactic. The big man is taking the shots well, but he's not getting in easily.

“COME ON!” Adel yells. “CHARGE HIM! MAKE HIM SCARED!” You're not sure if yelling advice from the sidelines is permitted, but he seems to be getting into it. “YOU'RE LETTIN' HIM PECK AT YOU WHENEVER HE WANTS!”

You're not sure if the man heard him or not, but sure enough he manages to quickly force his blade to impact with the staff, and with surprising speed he twists and the pole slides off to the side, forcing the staff user to reorient himself and quickly jump away- now it's a bit of a chase as the staff user is forced to make full use of his agility and weapon to keep the man from hard pressing the advantage.

“Yes!” Adel leans back a bit, comforted. “That's the way!” He taps you on the arm. “See there! The small guy can dodge, but not forever! He's either gonna move in the wrong way and get caught, or he'll run outta steam, now!” He cracks his fingers. “Just a matter of time.”

You look back out on the field. It does seem like the giant has the pole user on the run. The pole user is continuously moving around, trying his best to make sure that he doesn't get tapped by that massive sword...but his movements are still fluid, not jerky, not panicking. He's having to do a lot more, yes, but he's still not getting hit, you can't tell any real forced adjustment on his part aside from utilizing more techniques, but...

> “You might be right.”
> “No...I think he's looking for something.”
> Other

>>598196
>> “No...I think he's looking for something.”
"Two gold says he finds it in under three minutes."

>>598196
>“No...I think he's looking for something.”

>>597765
Yeah, I was posting on my phone from work. I didn't even notice. It doesn't matter much in anycase.

> “No...I think he's looking for something.”

>>598196
> “No...I think he's looking for something.”