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>>959538
>Go up right now and give her a piece of your mind!
Also, unlucky, man. Gobble's running her quest tonight.

>>959538
>Go up right now and give her a piece of your mind!
>Wait, she takes orders from other people too huh.
>Well figure out what's going on anyway!

>>959553
Oh pffft, this is what I get for not checking the front page.

If I knew I was competing with a gobble quest, I probably would have postponed considering how late this is going up.

Oh well.

>>959538
>Go up right now and give her a piece of your mind!
pocket the bead, of course

>>959553
and so is REQM!

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Oohh! That Odelle! She completely ignored EVERYTHING you asked her to do!

You're going to give her a piece of your mind!

You're going to tell her that you explicitly said NOT TO LEAVE THE CASTLE!

No going out.
No opening the doors.
And ESPECIALLY no going back into the field where there was a demon attack!

Stupid, stupid Odelle!

"Hey!" You call out to the blonde knight. "What did I JUST say!? Stay indoors! Stay away from-"
"Shh!"

Did she just 'SHH' you?!

"Odelle!"
"Louise, I'll go inside in a moment. I was asked to watch the detective."

"Here it is!" The girl in the plaid hat next to her stands up. She has a small set of tweezers with something between them. "It's a bead."

"A bead?"
You reach into your pocket and pull out a similar orange bead.

Slowly, you approach the girl and raise the orange bead up next to hers. The one she has found seems to be blue.

"Huh." Odelle questions once more, "I guess the monster had some kind of.. jewelery?"

"Not quite." The detective examines your bead, and then hers. "These beads are made out of stone. Stone beads which are painted. No animal did this, that had to be the work of a human."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Maybe a.. human made them? Or maybe it kidnapped a human?"

>That's very interesting and all but I have to get everyone back inside.
>Let her continue her investigation
>Wait, what do you mean "Maybe it kidnapped a human"?
>Would that mean.. OH NO! Go check Kayda's room!
>Other?

>>960225
>I think they belong to Kayda.
>>She's safe... right?

>>960225
>Would that mean.. OH NO! Go check Kayda's room!

>>960225
>Wait, what do you mean "Maybe it kidnapped a human"?

>>960225
>Wait, what do you mean "Maybe it kidnapped a human"?
*Dawning comprehension*
>Would that mean.. OH NO! Go check Kayda's room!

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"I think they belong to Kayda." You put your bead back into the pocket it came from. "She had a necklace that had beads just like that. I'm not sure where it went."

"That's strange." The detective puts her hand to her chin.

"Wait." Something else catches your thoughts, "What do you mean 'Maybe it kidnapped a human'?"

"Oh, that? Well, monsters sometimes kidnap humans to leech off the barrier. Most of them are unable to take advantage of it on their own, so they-"

You immediately drown out the sound of the detective talking.
Instead, you turn your attention to the matter at hand.

Okay. so- monsters sometimes kidnap humans. Okay! that makes sense.
After all, all the monsters in your storybooks do the same thing.

But why would it have a bead from Kayda's necklace?
So these monsters are linked to Kayda somehow. How are they linked to her?

You remember something on the edge of your mind about this. Something about hunting? Hunting, hunter, hunted-
Click.

"I gotta go checksomethingI'llberightback!" You stammer out as fast as your mouth can move.
"What?" The detective blinks.

Immediately, you speed past them and into the castle. Maids topple over and soldiers scramble to arms as you speed past them and toward the guest quarters!
Quickly, with a bounce, you hop up two flights of stairs and are left face-to-face with Kayda's room.

"HELLO I KNOW YOU'RE NOT AWAKE BUT I'M COMING IN!"

Whoosh!
The door flies open, and you're left with the confused stare of the two girls inside.

"Louise?!" Greta jumps as you enter, she covers herself with a nightgown.
"H-huh?" Kayda manages to stammer out as she sits up in bed. You can tell she hasn't been awake very long.

"Oh thank goodness, Kayda!" You give her one of your signature running-hugs! "I was so worried about you, I thought you were kidnapped after you came back and-"

"Uh, uh-" She gently tries to push you, but it doesn't work! "Where am I? Greta? Louise? Is that really you?"

"You're back in Biscotti castle, silly! But also-"

You notice something else, she's missing her necklace.
"-Where did your necklace go?"

She grasps at her neck, but catches nothing. She wearily starts searching around the bed.
Suddenly, her other hand grabs at her wrist! She hisses and falls backwards!

"Kayda?! W- let me see!"

You take her other hand off of her wrist, and that's when you see it.
A wolf-like burn pattern, surrounding her wrist. It almost looks like it's been tattooed on.

>H-hey, I remember something about this!
>Something... very important!
>Where did your necklace go, Kayda?
>Greta, have you seen her necklace?
>Try to recall as much as you can about where you've seen this before. You feel it's important.
>Kayda you went to Bruschetta! Remember? How do you feel?!
>Y-you should get back to sleep, I'll have the doc come look at you soon!
>Other?

>>961031
>H-hey, I remember something about this!
didn't her father get the same kind of mark in the dream?
>Something... very important!
uhh... something about a curse?
we should tell her about the father thing anyway, she probably misses him!

>>961031
>H-hey, I remember something about this!
>Something... very important!
>Try to recall as much as you can about where you've seen this before. You feel it's important.

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Hey!
You've seen that tattoo before!

You didn't realize that Kayda had a tattoo there.
Huh.

That..-
You're remembering something about this. It all seems very.. familiar.

"Kayda, where did you get that?"

She continues to hold her wrist in her hand. You can tell it's bothering her.

"It burns."
"What burns?"

"This thing!" She shouts, rubbing the tattoo, "It's burning! I don't even know what it is!"

She had a tattoo on her wrist, and she doesn't remember it?
Wait!

That's something else important!

"I remember someone telling me something about this." You wrack your brain to remember. Something about- "Something about a curse?"

"Curse?!" Greta jumps.
"It's too early to talk about this, imma go to sleep." Kayda lays back down.

"Wait! Hold on, Kayda. Tell me what happened in Bruschetta. You've been passed out for a whole day!"
"I-" She sits back up, "I'm not in Bruschetta?"

"No. I brought you back home."

She continues staring at the blankets until she suddenly tries to stand up.
"I- I gotta go, Clair. I gotta find Clair-"
"Stop! Sit down, Kayda!" You hold her in place, "Tell me what happened!"

"It's Clair. I- I found her and I beat her up, but when I punched her I felt worse than I ever had before and that's the last I remember. Where is Clair. Did you find her?" Kayda weakly struggles in your grasp, but you can tell she has zero strength to fight you with.

>Uhhhhhhhh-
>Sort of!
>We just found you!
>Who cares about that, there's something important.
>About a curse.
>Oh! And your father, or mother, or something? I don't remember quite well.
>Other?

Either ways, Give a 1d100 with your answer. Best of three.

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Everyone, it's that time of the night where I go to bed. I am going to leave this last choice hang and I"ll pick it up tomorrow.
See you soon!

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>961395
>Who cares about that, there's something important.
>About a curse.
>Even if she's the one who cursed you somehow i'm sure we can get rid of it without her!
>Oh! And your father, or mother, or something? I don't remember quite well.

>>961405
alright, see you

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>961395
>Who cares about that, there's something important.
>About a curse.
>Oh! And your father, or mother, or something? I don't remember quite well.

>>961395
>Uhhhhhhhh-
>Sort of!
Also, try to calm her down.

>>961946
forgot your roll, anon.

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>961951
Eh, I'll do it for him.

>>961946
Cheerio!

>>961999
Huh well that worked out pretty well?

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"Uhhhh."

You suddenly realize that you may have forgotten about something.
Something important!

OH! You remember!

"Kayda! Snap out of it!" You give her a gentle shake, "There's something more important than Clair right now! I think you're being hunted! Or worse! I think you've been cursed!"

"Cursed? That's silly, you're silly Louise."
Immediately, Kayda tries to lay back down again. You hold her aloft as you try to explain the most of what you remember about the situation at hand.

"Listen! Kayda! I had a dream about someone, I think it was a man."
"uh huh." Kayda slowly nods.

" He claimed he was related to you! I think he was your father!"
"uhh huh."

"And, get this, he says this mark you have on your wrist is a curse! Greta! Do you remember this mark on her wrist?! I don't! I think she got it after she went to Bruschetta!"
"huh, okay."

"Say, now that you mention it." Greta examines Kayda's wrist closely. "I don't remember that at all. And I've been with her almost every night!"
"that's nice." Kayda's eyes are fluttering.

"Listen, I don't know what this is about, but I think Clair is involved! Do you remember her doing something to you?!"
"nope."

"Well something happened! There's monsters prowling around the shrine and outside the castle! I think they may be trying to kidnap you!"
"ooh, that's too bad."

Kayda breathes another sigh, and wrestles from your grasp. She flops nonchalantly onto the bed."
"..wake me up if I can help with anything."

"Kayda, wait!"
"Kayda?!" Greta grabs her hero's wrist.

Just like that, she's out like a light.

Darn it!

>Where the heck is Madeleine?! It's morning! She should be giving her special super-cure-everything potion now!
>You don't have time for this! Leave and go try to solve this monster problem, first.
>Stay here with Greta and Kayda for a few more minutes. Maybe ask Greta what happened in Bruschetta.
>See if you can find more beads around the room
>Go get a guard for Kayda's room. You have some things to take care of today.
>Other?

>>963971
>Stay here with Greta and Kayda for a few more minutes. Maybe ask Greta what happened in Bruschetta.
>See if you can find more beads around the room
>Go get a guard for Kayda's room. You have some things to take care of today.

>>963971
>Where the heck is Madeleine?! It's morning! She should be giving her special super-cure-everything potion now!
>Stay here with Greta and Kayda for a few more minutes. Maybe ask Greta what happened in Bruschetta.
>See if you can find more beads around the room
>Go get a guard for Kayda's room. You have some things to take care of today.

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"Kayda?! Kayda!"
Greta keeps shaking Kayda's sleeping form. You gently nudge Greta to make her stop.

"Stop, stop. She needs to sleep."
"But she's slept enough! I'm getting really worried!"

"Okay, okay. Greta. What happened in Bruschetta?"

"I don't know, I wasn't with Kayda. Greta took me to the cabin, then Clair tied me up and left me there."
"Anything else? Think of something, did Clair have some kind of weapon or something?"

"No, Clair didn't even pack food. I was hungry and cold."

Well, that's just mean.

"Anything else? Do you recall her having Kayda's necklace?"

Greta looks away, and traces the walls of the temporary room she finds herself in.
She can't go back to her normal room. What, with it being ransacked and all. You're still not sure where she's going to live now that Konditorei is mad at her.

"..I don't remember seeing Clair with it, but that doesn't mean anything. She could have hid it."

Darn.
You hop off the bed and start scanning the floor. Maybe Kayda dropped a bead off of her hair, or her-
Oh! You found one.
It's a tiny yellow bead, it appears stuck in the floorboards.

You pick it up, and add it to the other one in your pocket.

Greta continues staring at you. She seems confused as to what you're doing.
You have to admit, it does seem kind of strange to see you slowly scanning the floor. As well as put what appears to be a yellow pebble in your pocket.

You better change the subject before Greta gets the wrong idea!
"Where the heck is Madeleine?!" you wonder out loud.

"I don't know, didn't she say she would be here in the morning?"
"Well it's morning, and she's not here!"

This makes you upset.
"Greta, stay inside today. Whatever you do, don't go OUTSIDE!"
"Okay! okay. Don't yell."

You feel like it's necessary, especially after the insubordination earlier.

Quickly, you take to the hallway and try to find someone who looks tough.
Oh! there's someone. It's a black-haired dog-knight. You think his name is.. Bennet? Maybe?

Either ways, you're entrusting him with an important task.

"Bennet!" You hope you got his name right.
Ah! He looked back at you. That has to be worth something!

"I think Kayda is in danger. Can you guard her room today?"
"I'm off in two hours." He gives you a weary look.
"Two hours is fine! Just long enough for Madeleine to give her some medicine. I need to get to the bottom of something and all the other heroes are gone!"

"..Fine."

"Great! Thank you!"

With that, you're off to find Madeleine.

--

You find Madeleine in the library downstairs. She seems to be mixing potions at a table, all by herself.

Snake lady pours a couple of bottles into one another. They mix, and make an angry-looking green elixir.
You're reasonably sure this has nothing to do with curing Kayda.

>Oh great! Give her a piece of your mind, too.
>Calmly ask what she is doing
>Just watch
>Go try to find out more about demons while you are here at the library.
>Other?

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Good night, see you in the morning.

>>964496
>Calmly ask what she is doing
don't want to startle someone working with potentially hazardous magics
>Tell her that Kayda woke up.

>>964496
>Calmly ask what she is doing
>Inform about demons and beads?

>>965097
Also
>Talk about the curse mark

>>964496
>Calmly ask what she is doing
>Tell her that Kayda woke up.
>...But she went right back to sleep! Something is still wrong, isn't it?

>>965126
This and
>>965099
this

Happy holidays, if I don't have a chance to say it later, Announcer.

>>966333
Happy holidays to you as well.
And thank you to everyone who has stuck through my silly quest until now!

I am home, and I am writing.

>>966407
I've been here, don't think since quite the start, but fairly early.
Not gonna leave until the end, that's for sure.

>>966407
yo ho ho
been here since the start of CPM and enjoying it a lot

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"Madeleine?"

The snake lady calmly looks up from her work.
"Good morning, Louise. Have you visited with Kayda this morning?"

"I have." You cross your arms, "She woke up for a few minutes and fell right back asleep."
"That's good." Madeleine finishes pouring whatever-that-is between containers.

"That's GOOD?"
"It is. It's good for people with the cold to wake up every now and then. I just wish she had gotten some food or drink before she went back to sleep."

"So is it okay now? Can you cure her?!"
"I'll certainly try." She puts the strange, green ointment back into her leather pouch. "I'll go start my checkup in just a moment."

"One more thing! There was a demon attack!"
"I heard. It's part of why I've been having to mix these potions instead of buying them from the store." She sighs, and examines her long tail.

"-More than that though! I went and looked, and every one of those demons seems to be carrying a bead from Kayda's necklace."
"Huh, she must have dropped it, or something. They may be attracted to the scent."

You blink, "The scent?"
Madeleine nods, "Demons are naturally drawn to maidens. They sense the barrier within them. Especially at.. certain times of the month, or when they think the maiden is particularly vulnerable."
"D-does that mean they're hunting Kayda?!"
"Probably not, she's inside of a castle." Madeleine finishes folding the last few leather pouches, "They just probably thought her necklace smelled nice."

"Well, here's the other thing. There's a marking on her wrist. I heard something about it regarding a curse?"

Madeleine stops packing her bag, and then slowly starts unpacking it.
Then she gives you a quick glance.
"You didn't mention the curse part."

"What?"

"Louise, I don't know anything about curses, or magic, or magic curses." Madeleine frowns, "Are you sure this marking is related to a curse?"
"Uhhh Well! I don't know, maybe, I, uh- uhh."

"Louise, breathe."
You follow her command and draw in a breath. She continues her instructions.

"It's true I don't know anything about curses, but I can still treat her symptoms. If it's a real curse, then someone will have to find the root of it."
"C-can a demon be created by a curse?"

She gives you a stern look, "Absolutely."

"What can I do?!"
"I don't know, let me go look at her. In the meantime, go over there and ask that woman at the table about curses."

She's pointing to Gougere, one of Gallete's arch-mages!
"Would she know about them?"
"I don't know, but it seems like she might know them better than I do."

With that, Madeleine takes her pack and slithers out of the library. You decide to follow her instructions and talk to Gougere.

>Cont.

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--
"Here's the next book." You lay down another ten books in front of Gougere. This makes the second trip to the librarian you've made.
It's funny, you only told her the basics about the curse. You mentioned Kayda going to Bruschetta, fighting Clair, and then the marking on her wrist. You didn't even mention the sleeping spells!

Gougere thumbs thorugh each and every parchment you lay before her. You didn't realize someone could read as fast as she's reading now!

Which begs the question; why is she being so silent?
"Anything?"
"You say this 'curse'." Gougere stops at a page in one of the books, "Are you worried the demon attack is related to it?"

"I am! This only started after Kayda came back from Bruschetta."
"Does she have any visible wounds on her?"

What kind of weird question is that?
"No, of course not."

"Louise, I'm going to be plain with you." Gougere adjusts her glasses to her face, "I believe that, if this is a curse, then someone planted it on her, and used her necklace as a focal point. That can be done a number of ways, but I suspect it was done with a cursed blade. Is she asleep right now?"

You gasp, "How did you know that?"

"Curses feed on the barrier's protection of a person. It slowly drains them to give life to something else. It's like a... parasite. Have you ever been bit by a mosquito?"
"..Kayda has magic mosquitoes?"
Gougere bites her lip, "Sort of. It's sort-of like that."

"Well forget that!" You cross your arms, "How do we get rid of it?!"

"Two ways, either find the point on her body where she was cursed, and remove it. Which.. I don't think is a very good idea. Or- you go squash the mosquito- Err. I mean the thing that is feeding on her barrier."

>So.. just kill the demons, right?
>I can do that!
>Right?!
>Oh no, this is getting more complicated than I thought.
>..How long do I have to do this?
>Go tell Madeleine right away, see if you can find the place she was cut.
>Other?

>>966778
>I can do that!
>I think...
>Ready yourself to fight.
>Can you get any other hero to help out?

>>966778
>So.. just kill the demons, right?
>and get the beads back
>I can do that!

>>966791
Oh, add in "and get the beads back" to my vote.

>>966778
>I can do that!
>I think...
>Ask how to fight this quick demon.

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Oh!
That's it?

"I can't do that!"
"You really think so?"

"Yeah! It's just, kill some demons and get their beads, right? How hard could that be?!"
"Were you with Jack when he killed that one?"

"Well, no. But it couldn't have been that bad! I heard Yuuki did most of the work, anyway."

"Yuuki is a tad bit stronger than you are, and also-"

Gougere looks around the library.
"Listen, Louise. If I tell you this, you must not tell anyone else. Okay? especially not Charlotte."

"Uhh."
Okay, THAT doesn't sound ominous or anything!
"I promise?"
"(I think that demon that Jack killed in Gallete. I think they caught your scent, and realized you were sick, and was hunting you.)"

That doesn't seem to mean much to you, right now.
"So?"
"(So, I think these demons are almost certainly hunting Kayda. But at the same time, they wouldn't be hunting her if they did not think it was an opportune time to do so)."

"So what?"

"So, I don't think going out by yourself to fight it is a very safe thing to do."
"What am I supposed to do?! Just let them kidnap my best friend?!"
"Definitely not that, but maybe you should just consider.. staying inside the castle until you can get backup?"

"How long would that take?!"
"I don't know."

"Well forget it! It attacked the castle earlier, so I think it's trying to find a way in. I'm going to stop it before it gets that far!"

"Louise.. You outrank me, so I can't tell you what to do. But as an adult-"
"No, that's enough! Just tell me how to fight it. It runs almost as fast as I do. So I just need to think of a way to slow it down!"

Gougere cups her face in her palms.
"There's a way to slow them down."

"Really? How?! Tell me!"

"Lightning is way faster than the monsters." She peeks at you through her folded hands.
"Okay, and?"
"You're going to have to train, and learn, how to strike these monsters while moving. A few good hits should slow them down enough to fight them."

>W- TRAINING?!
>Isn't that like, work and stuff?
>Can't I just, use a trap, or something?!
>..Okay, where do I start?
>Should I ask someone else to run a distraction?
>Other?

>>967377
>W- TRAINING?!

>>967377
>W- TRAINING?!
>Isn't that like, work and stuff?
>..Okay, where do I start?

>>967562
Votin this.

>>967377
>"I can't do that!"
Err, you mean I CAN do that, right?

>>967642
Thanks for catching that.

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"W-"

Wait, is she suggesting-

"TRAINING?!"
"That's right. Training."

Shock! Shock I say!

"But- Isn't that like worthless work and stuff?! I want to just blast the monster!"

"Louise. Some of the best warriors ever spent their time training. It doesn't come just naturally to people."

"But it comes naturally to ME!"

"Louise, Louise. Just-"
"Just what?"

"-Just get with Fritelli and tell her what you need. She can arrange a training schedule."

"Oh I hate her training!" You huff, "She wakes you up early, makes you run for a long time, and then tells you to do the same thing over and over again until you're tired. Her training sucks!"

You almost audibly hear a gasp from one of the scholars in the room. Apparently, her reputation precedes her.

"Louise, you have to find a way to slow them down, and you're not going to do that by chasing them. Since they seem to be connected to the woods, you have to find a way to snare them before they get back to safety. "

"But they run so much faster! Even if I strike them, why would they-"

You suddenly remember something from the other night.
The purple monster, stalking outside of the shrine.

That's right; if you don't do this, then Keiko isn't going to have a home to go back to.

"..Where do I start?"
"Huh?"
"You're right, Gougere." You pout, "I need training, and I need help. Where do I start in getting these things?"

"Fritelli, ask her to assist you. Tell her your plan." Gougere stands up, "I'll search some books for lightning magic. That's a very powerful element you've inherited. It can do all sorts of things that you haven't even dreamed of!"

That makes you blink.
"Thing I haven't even dreamed of?"
"That's right! There are wizards who specialize in lightning magic, and they can do things like make objects hover in the air. Even swing swords they aren't even holding!"

She seems oddly excited by this prospect.

"Uh-, right. So. I'll just go find Fritelli now, uh- Let me know if you find anything."
"Will do!" She seems suddenly excited, "I'll start searching the books for this magic, right away!"

You walk away feeling confused. You feel she may be doing that more for herself than for helping you fight monsters.

>Let's go find Fritelli and ask her about that
>Wait, first, let's go tell Charlotte what your plans are.
>No! Wait! Let's go find that kid and try to arrange a meeting with Charlotte.
>No! no! Gosh, you have so much to do..
>No, you should go find Madeleine and see if Kayda will be alright.
>Other?

>>967767
>Let's go find Fritelli and ask her about that
The rest can wait probably

>...Try to make a dagger hover with lightning magic?
Just while we're on the way to Fritelli. Don't zap the library.

Sleep, see you tomorrow.

>>967767
>Let's go find Fritelli and ask her about that
>No! Wait! Let's go find that kid and try to arrange a meeting with Charlotte.

>>967767
Seconding
>>968091
>Let's go find Fritelli and ask her about that
>No! Wait! Let's go find that kid and try to arrange a meeting with Charlotte.

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You decide to follow Gougere's advice and find Fritelli. She needs some kind of advance warning on forming some kind of training for this specific purpose.

Of course, you don't know how she's going to accomplish this. Just that you're going to ask her to do it!

You make your way to the armory, and find it in an interesting state of disarray.
Fritelli stands before her troops. She seems to be giving some kind of speech.

"-It's true that the heroes are away right now, yes. But! Our job is not to hunt the monsters down. Our job is to protect the castle and everyone living inside of it. From here on out! There will be a curfew until the situation is resolved. The residents are to sleep at-"

You tune her out, and instead examine the people who are assembled.

Wow, there are not too many soldiers for her to choose from. You silently wonder where the rest of them went.
Speaking of which, none of these soldiers appear to be from Gallete. What are your soldiers doing at a time like this?!

"-Remember, do not pursue them outside of the castle grounds!" She huffs, "Make positively sure that no one leaves the castle after dark. The same thing applies to yourself."

Good, you're glad that Fritelli is keeping her troops in line.

"Also!" She continues, "I know some of you have been talking about the heroes stationed at the castle. The one hero who is able to respond is Louise Lacerte, Gallete's hero. I want her treated just as if she was a civilian."

Wait, what?!

"-Hero or not, she's still just a child, and shouldn't be expected to fight off a monster attack. You're on your own, if one happens."

HEY!
YOU FEEL INSULTED!

"-So, everyone. Grab a spear or a polearm, be sure your guns are loaded, and head out." Fritelli does a small salute, "Dismissed."

You are almost about to voice your disapproval with this plan, but then a wave of soldiers and knights brush straight past you and nearly trample you underfoot!

"H-hey! W- watch, FRITELLI! We need to talk!" You step forward and accost the quartermaster.
"Good morning Louise." She blinks, "What's going on?"

"I need training."

She seems a little shocked.
"But you hate training."

"This is different! I need training to fight those monsters. I need to be able to zap them while I'm running. I think that's the only way I'll-"
"Forget it. Did you hear what I just told them? You're staying inside with everyone else."

>But FRITELLI!
>Fritelli, like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much.
>So please let me fight.
>I'm a good fighter!
>If I beat you in a duel, will you let me fight?
>Other?

>>970088
>Fritelli, like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much.
>So please let me fight.
Should we also mention that Gougere told us to come here?

>>970088
>Fritelli, like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much.
>...Even if the other heroes are stronger, I'm the only hero you have.
>So please let me fight.

>>970088
>Fritelli, like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much.
>So please let me fight.
>I don't want anyone to be hurt!

Announcer, I've gotta ask... are you doing ok, generally?
Cause it seems you regularly have pretty stressful days.

>>970123
Yeah, I say we should mention it.
We need to have it be known that we've got backup on this.

>>970088
>Fritelli, like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much.
>I'm a good fighter!
>and i can do magic!

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"Fritelli." You pout, "Like it or not, I'm still a hero. I'm pretty, cool, and invincible! They, not so much."

"You're still too young to be shouldering this yourself, Louise. Can you imagine what Charlotte would do to me if I got hurt?"

"I'm a good fighter!" You continue staring her down, "Really! I am!"
"You're also Charlotte's prized hero."

"AND- And! I can do magic! Like, real magic! Powerful magic! It struck them down once before, I have no doubt it can do it again with some practice!"
"You're also just as dangerous to yourself with it if you make a mistake."

"Even if the other heroes are stronger, I'm still the only hero you have!"
"Until Jack gets back."

"Which is why, you need to rely on me. I don't want anyone to get hurt! So please, please let me fight."

Fritelli gives you that scowling look. That drill-seargent-was-just-talked-back-to-by-her-recruit look.
Gently, she gives a small smile.

"You're a lot like me when I first joined the army, you know that?"
"Huh?" You blink.

"Meet me in the training grounds in ten minutes. Not five, not fifteen, ten minutes exactly. I'll have something set up for you."
You can feel your eyes shimmer.
"Really?!"

"Don't test your luck." She smiles.
"R-right! I'll be-"

"What's the correct salute?"

You put your legs together, and place your right hand to your forehead.
"Ma'am, Yes Ma'am!"
"Atta girl." She ruffles your hair, "See you in the training yard."

You're so happy you can almost feel it bursting from your face!

..That is, until you see him.
That's right.

him.

What is Ethan doing here?! You thought you told him to scram before he starts mooching on Gallete's dime!
Oh, you're going to give it to him, now!

Where did he get those clothes, anyway? Who paid for that?!

>Go RIGHT NOW and make him take off those fancy clothes and give them back!
>Wait, no, you don't mean it that way.
>Okay, fine. You did promise he could see Charlotte.
>As long as it doesn't take more than ten minutes..
>Other?

Folks I had something happen IRL. Nothing serious but that's why I'm just getting this post up now. My apologies. It might be too late to make a third post tonight.

>>970715
>>Okay, fine. You did promise he could see Charlotte.
>>As long as it doesn't take more than ten minutes..

>Okay, fine. You did promise he could see Charlotte.
>As long as it doesn't take more than ten minutes.

Ask one of the Knights to take him to Charlotte, if not just have him wait nearby while we train.

>>970715
>Okay, fine. You did promise he could see Charlotte.
>As long as it doesn't take more than ten minutes..

>>970715
>Okay, fine. You did promise he could see Charlotte.
>As long as it doesn't take more than ten minutes..
>>970753
yeah, a knight or a maid

>>970753
On one hand, I didn't really want to send him along alone, there's that whole being a thief thing to worry about. On the other hand, he might be fine with just some advice.

>>970856
The actual problem is that the maids will gossip that Louise sent a /boy/ to see Charlotte.

Which is less a problem than it is hilarious.

>>970871
A hint of the truth will be even more gossip worthy, I expect.

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You grumble.
Okay, fine. You did promise him that he could see Charlotte.

Also, judging by the way he's looking around; you're going to guess that he's out here specifically rto find you.

Let's get the more pressing matter out of the way first, shall we?

"HEY!" You catch his attention in the only way you know how. "Now where did THIS new outfit come from?!"
"Oh! Hey Louise!" He smiles, and waves. "When you told me I was dismissed last night, the maids went and made up a room for me and even got me a new outfit!"

"A new outfit completely free of charge, right?"
"Exactly! No need to worry about that!"

You can feel your head throbbing.
"I did promise that you could see Charlotte today." Your hand is still cupping your forehead, "But something REALLY IMPORTANT has come up and-"
"So? Just tell me where her room is and I'll go there."

"Nuh uh, no. It doesn't work that way." You cross your arms, "For one, I'm NOT sending a boy unattended to Charlotte's room."
"What's the big deal?"

Boys are so dumb, you swear!

"Never mind. Let's just see if I can find someone to bring you to her."
"Okay!"

You flag down one of the maids, and try to explain the situation.
"Excuse me. I need you to take this boy to Charlotte's room. Can you do that?"

The maid blinks, and only manages to squirm out a quiet "h-huh?"

"Never mind! I'll find a knight to do it."

She immediately runs off with her hands cupped over her cheeks. Ethan seems more confused than anything.
Oh! Odelle. Good.
"Odelle!"
"Louise, there you are! Was Kayda okay?"
"She's fine, but I have an important job for you! I promised this boy a meeting with the princess. Could you take him to her?"

"..Louise are you saying I should take a boy to the Princess' room?"
"Not unattended, Odelle!" You huff, "You go there with him, and make sure he doesn't try to steal her watch or something."

"Aye!" Odelle gives a salute. "Will do!"

She takes Ethan toward the guest quarters, and you can see some of the maids stop in their tracks as they pass by.

Good, that's one problem solved.

Quickly, you make your way to the training grounds.

--

"Okay, what is this?"
"Oh, This?"

Fritelli gives a beaming smile as she introduces a few changes she made to the training grounds.

"The dummies are moving!"
They're off their wooden stands and are floating on their own power!

They dart in every which way and quickly make sharp turns and angular jolts!

"How did you do that?" You gaze in awe.
"Never mind that. Show me what you got. Use only the magic you intend to use against the monsters."

>Lightning spears!
>THUNDER!
>The big axe toss!
>Throwing knives!
>Other?

>Either ways, 1d100, best of three.

With that, I sleep. See you all tomorrow!

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>970949
>THUNDER!
>Other?
Ponder out loud that you should use your fastest stuff, and lighting can seek out targets right? But your daggers can home in on metal? Do demons have metal? Maybe Fritelli has extra advice here.

>>971125
Also, play around with the lightning a little, maybe a little more or less control has better results.

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>970949
>THUNDER!
UNLIMITED POWER

Rolled 23 (1d100)

Writing

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You concentrate on all the stuffed dummies seemingly darting around under Fritelli's power.
Even if there were just one or two of them; you could probably clear this pretty quickly.

Unfortunately for you, there are at least twelve.

Maybe Fritelli is overdoing it in the 'training' department.
Or.. Maybe this is some kind of test.

You need something that can fell each and every one with relative ease. You're kind of rusty with your axe; as fun as it may be to use! You just need something with a bit more range than the axe right now.

There are the throwing knives, but those only seek toward metal. Are demons made of metal? You don't actually know.

If putting lightning on throwing knives makes them seek your enemies, then maybe just regular lightning would do the trick? Time to find out!
You put your hands together, and watch as tiny blue sparks start to erupt from your palms.

You're going to knock them down with one big thunderbolt!

The sparks in your hands start to arc into vibrant flashes and bolts!
Each time, they get stronger, and bigger!

Slowly, you feel the tiny strands of your hair start to rise from your scalp!

This is gonna be a big one!

You feel all the pent-up energy in your body start to shimmer, and shout!
Within an instant; all of your worries, your hate, your regret, and any sense of sadness or rage is replaced with the sensation that something is holding you.

Someone is holding you. It's a gentle, warm feeling.

BOOM!

Fritelli dives into the dirt as a blue serpent arcs and jumps from doll-to-doll! Each one turning to complete ash!

Then-
OW!

For whatever reason, it feels as if you just took a mis-step into a hole! Did you twist your ankle?
..There's no holes under your feet, or anywhere near you. How did you take a mis-step when you were standing still? It's almost like.. almost like you were, floating.

Yeah! It's like you were floating and were suddenly dropped.
But that can't be right. Something else had to have happened.

You search around the training yard, and-
Surprisingly! You don't see any dummies left!

"I DID IT-"
"Fail." Fritelli stands up, and dusts herself off. "Not all targets are destroyed."

"Wh-what?"

You spin around, and notice that one of the dummies somehow ended up behind you.
"So, I guess you can't hit something if it goes behind you." Fritelli ponders.

>SET IT UP! I WANT TO TRY AGAIN!
>Fritelli, was I.. flying just now?
>Try something different.
>Like knives
>Or Spears.
>I need a break, I'll be back.
>Go check on Charlotte
>Or Kayda
>Other?

>>971912
>SET IT UP! I WANT TO TRY AGAIN!
>Fritelli, was I.. flying just now?
>Work on this hitting behind problem, either by targeting or by moving.

>>971912
>SET IT UP! I WANT TO TRY AGAIN!
>You cheated, i'm sure!
> spin on yourself while you cast

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>972319
Is... is that good for us?

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"SET IT BACK UP!" You shout, feeling that fluster reaching your cheeks. "I WANT TO TRY IT AGAIN!"

"Wow! This is a change of pace." Fritelli is smiling, "During yesterday's training, you were asking 'Are we done yet' and 'Can this be the last set'. Now it's 'Please'!"

She's really smiling, oh that ticks you off!
"If I knew that it just took a few moving targets to get you motivated; I would have done this a long time ago!"

OH
THAT REALLY MAKES YOU MAD!

"I'm only doing this for Kayda!" You snap back at her, "Besides, I think you cheated a little."

"I would be lying if I said I didn't give it a little bit of a push."

Ohhhh!
You can feel yourself pouting!

"-But that was still very impressive. That would be twenty five fluffballs in the blink of an eye. Considering how close the next tournament is; I'm a little scared to keep training you!"

That is true. She's a Biscotti general/quartermaster/whatever. You're a Gallete hero.
At the same time-

"I think we have more to worry about than if the festival is going to happen, right now." You say, dryly.
"Of course, of course!" She waves off your concerns.

Suddenly, another wave of dummies float out of the store room. Quickly, they re-take their positions on the training field!
With a wave of her hand; Fritelli causes them to dart around in multiple directions!

Oh look, she's put several more behind you because she knows your weakness! Darn!

"Let's try round two!"

"One quick question."
"Hmm?"

"Last time I attacked, was I..flying?"
"You were floating a little, yes. What, did you not mean to do that?"

You didn't even realize you had the power to float!
"Well, try to concentrate on this fight and we'll look into it later. Also, heads up!"

Swiftly, you jump back as a target dummy passes inches in front of your face!

You're not going to be bested by her! You're going to show her that her little games don't phase you a bit!

>Cont.

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She quickly dives behind one of the walls as she notices you glowing blue.
You're mad, now! You're mad and you're gonna show it to her!

You can feel the arcing, the anger, the fury! It starts to manifest as a strong, blue light hovering in front of your face. It slowly starts to encapsulate you.
This isn't a lightning bolt.
This isn't thunder.
This isn't even an attack, it feels like.

It feels like someone is lifting you, and holding you close. Someone who is trying to ease you of your pains, and fears.

KRAK-A

You feel a buzzing sensation in your head. Over the castle, little flames made of blue and yellow dance around the weather vane perched atop.

RUMBLE-rumble-rum

Huh, that's strange. Just a moment ago, you could have swore that it was a sunny day.

KRRSSHCRKCK

You try to pay some attention to your surroundings, but it's difficult to discern where you even are. The training ground is at least fifty feet below you.
And you still don't think you can hit those dummies behind you, darn!

Gently, you try to spin yourself around to meet the dummies face-to-face.
..That's when you start spinning!

Rapidly spinning!
Oh no! You're going to be sick! You're going to be-

KA-BOOM!

Ssssftttt, sss. sssssssssst.

There's little left of the training yard now, except lots and lots of sizzling embers. Your hands are black with ash, and you puff up a small cloud of dirt as you hit the ground HARD!

"G-Good job Louise!" Fritelli peeks out from behind the brick wall. It looks like a wall made of shale, now. Plus, you can tell that you may have singed some of her clothing. "L-let's take five and I'll set everything back up!"

>Cross your arms and smile at her.
>"U-uh, do you need help? Like, need me to get new clothes for you or something?"
>No, no gloating! That was way too slow. Those monsters could out-run that.
>SET ME UP AGAIN!
>Go get something to eat, you skipped breakfast.
>You're also thirsty.
>And tired.
>Other?

>>972373
>Cross your arms and smile at her.
>...Destroying everything isn't always going to be a good idea huh?
>Learn to focus! Later.
>Go get something to eat, you skipped breakfast.
>You're also thirsty.
>And tired.

>>972382
Actually, scratch off tired. We'll have one more round before napping.

>No, no gloating! That was way too slow. Those monsters could out-run that.

After the next one is food.

>>972373
>No, no gloating! That was way too slow. Those monsters could out-run that.
>Control might be an issue.
>Focus on that feeling.

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No! No gloating about that. That was way too slow. Those monsters could do circles around you while you were busy doing your big-powerful-ultra-lightning-attack!

You'll need to be faster, next time!

You need to be-
What's that buzzing noise?
Grumble.

Oh no.
You're hungry.
And thirsty.

Maybe even a little bit tired.

You suppose you should have expected that. That was probably more energy than you've ever put into an attack.
Not to mention, it might be a good idea to let Fritelli catch her breath.

"Okay, Fritelli! I'm going to take a small break. Have it set up when I get back, okay?"
Fritelli only lets out an exhasperated 'Uhguhh' at that remark.

Good! You'll assume that means that she agrees.
You set off for the cafeteria.

The maids eye you suspiciously as you walk past them. Oh geez, is this about earlier with Ethan?
You're not going to live this down, are you?

Especially with the throbbing headache you just noticed.
Oh, that's going to sting, as well.

Walking into the cafeteria; you flag down one of the waiters. He obediantly heads for the kitchen, but gives you a strange look on his way out.

"Hi Louise." You hear a familiar voice.

OH!
"Felice!" You run over to the green-haired girl. She's one of your favorite Gallete knights!

You try to give her a hug, but she gives the 'no way' gesture.
"Y-you can hug me after you get all that soot off of you."

Soot?

You look down and notice that the entire lower-half of your body is COVERED in ash!
Why didn't anyone tell you sooner?!

"That's cute, Louise." She smiles, "I think you put every person in the castle on a state of alert after the light show earlier."

"You saw that?" You try to dust off the black charcoal, but to no avail.
"I'm pretty sure there are people living on the moon who saw that, Louise." She giggles, "Very cool to watch, though! You made the entire sky turn red for just a moment."

>WHAT?!
>Excuse yourself to go change your clothes.
>You don't care, you're too hungry.
>Ask what she thinks of the demons
>Ask if she knows how to slow them down.
>She's a talented knight, one of the most talented! Ask for her help in training.
>Other?

Merry Christmas, to my players.

>>973055
>WHAT?!
>So cool!
>anyway, food time

>>973127
merry christmas to you too, announcer

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Folks, it is midnight. I have to travel tomorrow (Yes, travel on Christmas. I like it about as much as it sounds). But: Fear not! I'll be back either tomorrow or Monday. We'll have to see!
Probably tomorrow afternoon just to be sure to wrap up this thread.

See you then.
>>973154
And to you as well.

>>973055
>Neat!
>You don't care, you're too hungry.
>Ask what she thinks of the demons
>Ask if she knows how to slow them down.
>Food and talk, then back to train and THEN we can change.

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>>973055
Seconding
>>973176

Have a good trip Announcer, Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, Announcer.

>>973655
Was meant to quote this
>>973127

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"WHAT?!"
"It's true, the whole sky and even the clouds turned orange and then red! It was impressive, even if it did scare all the guards and make them run inside."

You had no idea...
"That's so cool!"
"I thought so, too." She gives you a warm smile.

You would go ask around to see if she's just pulling your leg, but you're hungrier than you'd like to admit.

You lean back in your chair, and think about other things to ask Felice.

"What do you think about the monsters that attacked earlier?"
"They're a serious concern." Felice continues smiling. "I think that it's foolish for Fritelli to not include you in her plans for fighting them. I wonder if she's starting to think that herself after that little display you put on."

Well, you didn't mean to make it THAT flashy.

"So now that she's seen it. Do you think she'll let me fight?"
"Louise, let me tell you something."

She takes a sip from her teacup, and adjusts her voice.
"You don't have to listen to Fritelli on what to do."

"I don't?"

"No, you don't. You don't even need to listen to me. The only person you need to listen to on how to act is Charlotte."
"..Really?"
"Yes, really. Louise, you're Gallete's hero. You're our hero. You're also the only hero who is capable of fighting right now, if I understand it. Something about Kayda catching a cold, I'm not sure. Either ways, do you think Jack would wait for Fritelli to give him the all clear before he went out to fight those monsters?"

"..No."
"Then why concern yourself with it? I think you should be cautious about it, but I think not using our strongest fighter in defending the castle is silly. Especially if you want to go out and find these things."

"Yeah but.. I'm going to need her help eventually. These things are FAST, and even running full-pace I can't keep up with them."

Suddenly, the waiter appears. He has a whole bunch of food balanced on his arm!
"Enjoy your meals."
"Thank you." Both you and Felice say in unison.

The next few minutes pass by.. relatively quietly. Felice eats like a beast, and you try to remember your table manners when you're with an adult.
Of course, watching her makes you wonder how much of an adult she really is.

"Maybe there's something I can do to help about that speed problem." Felice is already done?! How? "The armory has an array of traps and snares for hunting. Maybe we should go have a look while Fritelli is busy coughing the ash out of her lungs?"

>Sure!
>Snares? That sounds dangerous.
>I don't know, I might end up getting caught in my own traps.
>Maybe later, first I need to check on someone.
>Other?

>>974399
>Sure!

>>974399
>Sure!
[spoiler that thumbnail looks a lot lewder than the actual image

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"Sure!" You finish your last bite just as Felice stands up. "Let's do it before Fritelli shows up and wonders what we're doing in her armory."

"Great idea!"

You happily follow her out of the cafeteria, and let the butler deal with the mess you made.

--

"So, we have- Tripwires."
"Not sure it will work on those things.."

"How about a net?"
"What do I do with the net?"
"You throw the net."

This isn't helping.

"Ooh! How about- Beartraps!"
"I might step in them.."

Something on the wall catches your eye. Naturally, you're drawn to it.
It's a.. cable of some kind. Not just a regular rope, but a metal strand cording two steel beads!

"What is that?" You point to the strange implement.

"Oh, those are called 'Bolas'." Felice goes back to admiring the traps, "They take some finesse to use, which would mean more training."

"I want those."

Felice looks at you, strangely.
"Why?"
"I think they might be helpful. I'll get some other kind of trap to help as well! I just, I think this might be a good sign."

Felice shrugs, "Okay, Louise."

She takes them down off the wall and hands them to you. Thankfully, they fold up very nicely into your ring.

"What do you suggest on something that moves as fast as those things?"

"My thought is: "

She turns around, rummages in a pile of nefarious gizmos, and pulls something out.
"This-" She holds up a small multi-pointed thing. "Is known as a 'Caltrop'!"

"A cowdrop?"
"Caltrop."
"What is that?"

"Watch!"

She grabs a handful of the things, and drops them on the stone brick.
Surprisingly, every single one of them landed with the pointy-part up!

"Oohh."
"They're little spikes that keep people from pursuing you. If you can get Keiko to use some priestess magic on them, I bet they would stick in their little monster paws and make them howl!"

"How would I get them to walk over them?"
"The answer is simple. You just have to make the monsters think that you've bit off more than you can chew. Make them think you're weak! When they go to pursue, they'll quickly find themselves unable to run!"

That's..
"That's kind of mean."
"You have to be kind of mean!" Felice seems a little irritated. "You're not adopting them as a pet, you're trying to vanquish some monsters!"

>Well, even then. Still.
>Okay! Sounds good! Thanks Felice!
>Go practice!
>Oh, very quick though, I should check on Ethan and Charlotte.
>Or I should go check on Kayda.
>Other?

>>974963
>Okay! Sounds good! Thanks Felice!
>Go practice!

>>974963
>Okay! Sounds good! Thanks Felice!
>Go practice!
Unfortunately I think charging the cantrips will just make them bunch up together.

>>975113
could work that way, or we could somehow delay the charge and have them lock tightly once they're in place (allowing us to use homing attacks)

>>975119
Anything beyond pumping raw power into something right off the bat requires fine control we haven't yet achieved.

>>975113
>cantrips
Dammit, just noticed that. I need to spend less time in d&d threads.

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"Okay! Sounds good!" You smile, "Thanks Felice!"

"Hey, anytime. And if you need any help. I'll be right here by your side."

She gives you a warm pat on the head.
The truth is; you will need help. You doubt you'll be able to do this alone.

"Thank you."

--

These little 'catrips' things are kind of a hassle.

For one, there is no good place to put them in your pocket. Every place you put them in your pocket finds a way to poke through to your thigh! It hurts, you say! It hurts!

Darn these stupid things! If only there was a good way to carry them. You'll have to find a pouch or something to wear around your waist, because your pockets aren't doing it!

You take a glance out the door into the training yard, and notice Fritelli barking orders at some men to help sweep everything up.
Yeah, you don't think the training grounds are ready, yet.

Fortunately, you got the courtyard! You walk out the doors and into the garden. With the recent monster attack; no one else has been going outside. So that leaves all alone to try out your new toys.

You take a handful of the little jerks out of your pocket (ouch! even picking them up stings!) and you toss them onto the ground.

Sure enough, all the 'catnips' landed with the pointy-side up.
So, you decide to see what they can really do.

Slowly, you focus some energy into your hands.
Suddenly, all of the little 'cowldrops' start to shudder, and dance!

With a scattering sound; the 'captgrins' form into a big ball!

A very big, pointy ball. It rolls around as it emits little yellow sparks.
Then, the ball loses composure and falls apart. Putting the tiny 'craftblobs' back into their pointy-side-up position.

So you can form them into a ball. That's neat! Maybe you could just throw it at them in one big ball.

Speaking of one big ball.

You reach into your ring, and retrieve the bolas.
Now THESE things look serious!

You start to swing them above your head, and take aim at a signpost along the garden's brick road. With a heave, you throw it!

-And you're immediately hit in the knee by one of the balls on the uptake.
Darn! That hurt, too!

You stomp your boot, and pout. Then you put it back into your ring.

Well! At least you found out something neat about the 'catnips'! Maybe now you can-

You can.

Oh shoot. You left Charlotte alone with the catBOY. You know Odelle is with her, but still. There's no telling what he has stole at this point.

>Trust in Odelle, you need to focus.
>Try some focusing training, now. You seem to got power down.
>Maybe go check with Fritelli
>No! You can't trust that kid. Go see what he's up to.
>Go back to Felice, tell her the Cowrips aren't working like you thought.
>Other?

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With that, I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow.

>>975367
>Trust in Odelle, you need to focus.
it's fiine

>>975367
>Trust in Odelle, you need to focus.
>Try some focusing training, now. You seem to got power down.

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You're going to trust Odelle's best judgement here. You have to train! You have to be focused!

You have to keep your cool and rely on the adults here. Even if you just have to rely on them for just a moment!

This is more important. This could mean the safety of everyone in the castle.

You wave your hand and make all the 'cabnaps' cluster back into a ball. Quickly, you pick them up and place them back in your pocket.
If nothing else, they're way easier to carry this way.

You need to focus.
Focus on, being a little more careful with your power.

Focus on, being more gentle with your actions.

Focus on, being just a little more protective than angry.

You take aim at a statue's head, and keep your motivation in mind.
Slowly, you start to concentrate.

BZZT!
Blam!

Wow.
You showed that bench who the boss was.

You kick a stone on the path as it accurately strikes the statue in the head. Even the STONE is more accurate than you are.

"Hey. I don't think Tuile would appreciate you zapping her statues like that."
You turn, and notice that a green-haired knight followed you out to the courtyard.

"Felice?"

The green-haired knight was watching you this whole time.
"I think you got the talent, certainly have the power. You're just trying to run before you walk."
"Then what is 'walking' when it comes to throwing big bolts of electricity?" You huff.

"Well, turning the training yard to ash is a good start."

Great, now your favorite knight is starting to get snarky with YOU!

"I'm SORRY that I have to fight off a monster attack with such a short time to do it. Sorry if I'm doing it the wrong way." You cross your arms.

"It's not that you're doing it the wrong way, it's just; you're trying to do far more with your power than you've practiced how to do. That's dangerous, for both yourself and for others."

"I know that, but this isn't like swinging a sword!" You puff your cheeks, "This is magic! And I don't know who I can ask right now to help with everyone gone and Fritelli being less-than-helpful!"

Felice gives a small smile, and closes her eyes.
Her hands come up to her chest, and she holds what appears to be something at her neck.

She snaps her fingers, and points at the statue!

POP!
The statue's head blows clean off in a bright-blue flash!

"WOW!" you admire the smoking statue head, rolling along the ground, "THAT WAS AMAZING, FELICE, HOW-"
"My element-" She mashes some ash between her thumb and index finger, "-is also lightning."

Felice.. Why does she look so sad?

"C-can you teach me?" You run up and grab her hands.
Why does she seem so sad? Quit it, Felice!

"-I can maybe show you a few things." She smiles, but you can still tell she's sad.

>GREAT! WHERE DO WE START?!
>Should I blast that statue to bits?!
>Patiently wait for her instructions.
>Why didn't you tell me about this before?! This seems important!
>You didn't tell me you were a master at lightning magic?!
>If you need a moment, I'll be right back
>Other?

>>977017
>Are you ok?
>Let's go whenever you're ready

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You blink, and examine Felice a bit closer.
Oh god, she looks like she's about to cry!

"H-hey." You try not to say anything that might make her even more sad. "Are you okay?"

She blinks, and keeps her eyes closed.
Then her eyes pop open and she seems totally fine!

"Of course!" She happily smiles, "I'm perfectly fine!"

"You just.. looked kinda sad there for a minute, is all."
"Sad? Noooo, I was just thinking of something. You know, did I ever tell you what the name 'Felice' means?"

"..No."
"It means 'Happy'! Or more specifically, given to a child who is to be happy. It's a really nice name, and I really like it!"

You don't believe her.
In fact, you think she's a big liar.

"Okay, but- Let's go whenever you're ready. I really want to get a few tricks down."
"Great!" She claps, "But it's more difficult than just 'let's go'. I think that's something you picked up from training with Jack. Do you know the true name of our magic?"

"Lightning? Thunder? Make-things-go-boom?" You tilt your head.

"C-close, But actually- The true name of our ability is 'Electricity'."

"..What does that mean?"
"Electricity is something more complicated than just throwing fire or water. You can see fire, you can see water. Electricity is different. Electricity is all around us, all the time! At every moment of the day!"

You don't see big lightning bolts anywhere you go, so you don't get where she's going with this.

"Come over here, let me show you something."

She leads you over to the garden section of the courtyard, and then takes you over to the flowers.
"Look at the bees."

Tiny honeybees prance back and forth between bright yellow flowers. They aptly throw their bodies from one huge blossom to another.

"How do you think those bees find their way back to their hive?"

"..I don't know, magic?"
"Close! Very close! The answer is electricity!"

You seem skeptical.

"And look up! Those birds. It's getting late in the year, but you can see how they're forming into a V? They're doing that because they're flying south. They know to fly south because of electricity!"

"I'm confused." You huff.

"The point is- Electricity is one of the most complex types of magic to learn, but that means it's also the most powerful. It can go anywhere, and maybe even do anything. That's why you have to walk before you run with this magic. What you did earlier on the training field shows that you have some real potential, but you need to learn how it works. You need to feel it. Once you can feel it, you'll be noticing it everywhere you go!"

>Is it too late to learn fire magic?
>I think throwing fireballs right now might just be the answer.
>O-Okay.
>Just nod or whatever, this makes no sense!
>You think your head hurts. Take a small break and think about it.
>Please tell me more.
>Other?

>>977306
>You think your head hurts. Take a small break and think about it.
>Like the difference between fire and heat?
>It's gotta be simple somehow, even if things are invisible and weird.
>Please tell me more.

Bad night to run a thread, it seems.

Writing!

>>977607
Christmas time and all, I'm sure.

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You think-

You think your head hurts.

"Like.. It's the difference between fire and heat? Like that kind of feeling?"

"Well, sort-of. It will be more obvious as you start to use it more."

"I don't have time for that, though!"
"You have your whole life to learn it, Louise!"

It's like Felice has forgotten that there are monsters clawing at the castle gates or something..

"O-okay. Can I sit for a moment?"
"Sure!"

Felice walks over to the fountain, and starts doing something-you-don't-know.

It's gotta be simple somehow. It can't be as complicated as it sounds!
Even if things are invisible.

Invisible and weird.

So how is it? It's in everything? It's around everyone? How is that possible? You don't see lightning jumping back and forth between people. Do people just have lightning inside of them?
No, that's silly. Felice is probably trying to talk kid-speak to you about how this really works.

That just makes you mad!

..Not enough to tell her off, but just a little mad.

"-Please tell me more."

"Come here, Louise."

She shows you something glimmering in the center of the pond. It's a stone she placed there. Water seems to splash up over its surface as if it's a small island.

"Do you see that stone? Notice how the water ebbs over it?"
"Okay.."

"Electricity is the same way!"
"I don't get it."

She dips her cupped palm in the water, and splashes it on the brick path.

The puddled water streams between the mortar joints. Sometimes, the small river gets stuck and finds a path by going over one of the bricks.

"Notice how the water seems to find its way around the brick? Even with no way of knowing what is ahead of it? Electricity works exactly the same way."
"Why?"

"Electricity follows all available paths, starting with the path of least resistance." She draws something in the pooled water. "This is why your lightning earlier struck the bench instead of the statue. The bench was easier for it to strike than the statue. Much like how it's easier for the water to move through the grout in the brick than over the bricks themselves."

"Oh."

This reminds you of something. Something about a bolt on the airship? Like how you made it turn cherry-red?

"Watch-"

With her finger, she draws a path over the brick using the puddled water.
Strangely enough, the pooled water starts to slowly follow her finger as she draws.

"Okay?"
"Do you see what I just did? I created a path, with my finger. You have to do the same thing, but with lightning. So-"

Felice stands up, and points to the stone in the small lake.

"With that in mind, I want you to strike that stone with lightning."

You nod, and concentrate once more.
BAM!

Your yellow bolt of lightning uselessly strikes the edge of the water. There's a yelp as a frog hops out and into the bushes.

>Cont.

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You furrow your brow, "Darn."

"You did it." Felice pats you on the shoulder. "Good job."
"What?"
"Didn't you notice the frog?"

Without even GLANCING in your direction; Felice extends her hand.
Like.. you don't know, some kind of magic trick; the stone effortlessly seeks out her palm!

She turns the stone over, and points to the bottom. There's a huge black marking on it!

"You did it. You struck the stone."
"Y-yeah, I guess?"

"The problem, Louise. Is that you're too caught up on striking the object. You're not thinking at all about what the electricity will run through to strike it. Lightning doesn't travel very well through air, but it travels amazingly through water. So therefore, you should have been trying to strike the water this whole time."

"Okay, then how did you hit the statue head, and furthermore! How did you just make that stone fly into your hand?"

"Well that's a trick I'll show you in a moment, but right now. The statue:-"

Felice inhales and starts on a very long technical explanation of which you are not necessarily a part of. It's long, and winding and involves lots of terminology that you've never heard before in your life.

Oh, you just noticed the bench you were resting on. You think you'll pay that visit.

You walk over to the bench and sit down. Slowly, you feel your head get heavier.
"That's nice Felice." You say, as she continues on another long, rambling explanation.

Your head gently lays onto the half-melted steel, and you feel your eyes close.
You're just going to rest them for a moment.

Just a moment.

Any moment now.

Zzzzzz.

>Thread End.

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Folks, I would like to apologize to my players for only posting on average 3 posts a day. That seems pretty bad. That is approaching Hexer levels of slow (Don't tell him I said that, though!)

The reason is, probably not as a surprise to some who have followed, is that I'm having a bit of writers block. For whatever reason, my stories aren't as fun or exciting as they used to be. I mean, it figures. I am on Chapter 130 of a quest I started in 2014. Fortunately, little side paths like this one keep me invigorated. (I love my side characters! By that I mean Jack.)

I have a thought on fixing this, but let me see how the weeks goes before I go through with anything.
Something I did in 2014 that worked out great could be happening soon.

Either ways, thanks for participating in my thread. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

>>978092
Thanks for running I hope you can work through the block.
Part of the reason might be that, well, we've gotten pretty cruel and harsh against characters recently?

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>>978298
You know, that's a very good point.
There has been a lot of drama and very little fun.

I'm going to fix that. I will make Dog Days Quest fun again.

>>978328
Looking forward to it!