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>>1126893
[Seal Break: 70/100]
>Seal Breaks are short breaks from the story, usually in the form of dreams and triggered by lowering the Seal Value stat sufficiently.

"Wait!"

I call out for her, but she doesn't seem to hear me.

"MISTRESS!" I call as loudly as I can. "WAIT FOR ME!"

Still, she just keeps running towards the strange Light and I can't seem to keep up. I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes as the distance between us grows. I feel hope draining from my body as I sit down on the cold ground. I feel sadness overwhelm me as I bury my face in my hands.

Salty, sparkling drops trickle down from between my fingers as I wonder what I did to deserve this, what I did to make her angry enough to just leave me behind. And what am I even going to do without Mistress..?

"Aww, I'm sorry sweetie!" Her soft voice whispers as I feel her gently patting my head like she has done so many times before.

"Huh, Mistress? You came back!" I almost find myself screaming with joy as I feel that familiar touch and see her familiar face, those sky-blue eyes shining back from between her golden locks, smiling as she carefully wipes the tears from my face with her finger.

"Heehee, I'm sorry Little One! I just got a little excited because we're so close now. You didn't really think I would ever leave you, did you?"

"I uhm," I whisper between sniffles. "I was really scared and uhm, and you didn't hear me and it was sca-a-ary!"

"You worry too much, it's not good for you! You should know I couldn't ever leave you. Besides, there's no way I could've gotten this far without you, and I'm definitely going to need you where we're going too! So cheer up, you silly-willy-bunny. Friends stick together forever, right?"

"Friends?" I whisper in disbelief. She really thinks I'm a friend?

"Well duh! Who has ever had as good a friend as I do? Now come on!"

"Okay, Mistress!"

She sets off again, but I have no trouble keeping up this time. I feel so proud, like I could conquer the whole world right now! I can think of nothing else but how hard I am going to work now to make Mistress proud. Not a single worry shrouds my thoughts as I follow her into the Light.

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2/3
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>>1126896
Fear is the first of the worries to return as I cross the boundary with her and feel a veil of darkness descend upon us, around us, and even within us.

Regret soon follows as I feel the both of us falling, as if being pulled downwards by some distant presence. I look to Mistress, begging her to explain what is happening.

Determination beams from her eyes, even as I feel the darkness pressing against every last speck of my being. I try to hold tight to her body for comfort, for that familiar sensation.

"Shh, trust me." She whispers to me. "It's necessary."

I want to. I really want to trust her, but I am so afraid. I scream, but no sound comes out. Instead, I feel the darkness force its way into me, I feel it slowly changing me... I have to get out!

As if sensing my fear, Mistress pushes me tighter against her, tighter and tighter as I struggle to free myself.

"Trust me." She whispers again.

But I'm so scared! Why are we here? I don't understand! I don't like it! I don't know what to do!

"Trust me."

I...

>Trusted her. I stayed with her through it all, no matter how scary it was. Friends stick together forever!
>Did not trust her. I was too scared. I pushed away with everything I had and fled. I abandoned her!

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>NEW THINGS: WAQ now has both a summary and a timeline of previous events. Check them out below!

>Nadja's Seniors:
>Mistress' current opinion: 40/100
>Lily's current opinion: 25/100
>Camille's current opinion: 10/100

>Seal: 70/100

>Nadja's Witchy Skills:
>Herbalism : Initiated (Potions and such!)
>Pencraft: Fledgling* (Hexes and wards!)
>Infusion: Uninitiated (Making things be magic/enchanting!)
>*Nadja has proven to be naturally talented at this set of skills. She learns more quickly and has a chance to intuitively understand this type of magic simply by looking at it.

>Communication:
>Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendQM

>Archives:
>4plebs archive (thread 1-24): http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/order/asc/
>moe archive (threads 25+): http://archived.moe/qst/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/type/op/order/asc/
>Suptg archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=witch+apprentice+quest (Now updated to link to the /qst/ archive for obvious reasons)

>Resources:

>Summaries. Brief descriptions of the most important events in the quest, enough to give you a rough idea of what's going on. So far there is only one:
>Chapter 1 (Threads 1-31) Summary: http://pastebin.com/g3i9AMgP

>Timeline. A much more detailed day-by-day account of previous events. Not mandatory reading by any means, it is intended as a useful tool for players old and new to keep track of the past. Fair warning, it's quite lengthy and has not been edited. Reading all of it in one go is to be done only at your own risk.
http://pastebin.com/xMiP9nYf

>Nadja's Notebook is intended to serve as your reference material for witchy things and other stuff related to the quest. REMEMBER: YOU CAN ALWAYS REQUEST TO HAVE SOMETHING ADDED TO THE NOTEBOOK. It's divided into the following categories:
>1. General Witchcraft: Intro to Nadja's Notebook as well as any witch-related topics outside of the three major arts will go here when Nadja learns about them:
http://pastebin.com/FvemAzKN
>2. Herbalism: Everything about herbs and how to use them to make potions:
http://pastebin.com/vMWeFhd0
>3. Pencraft: Hexes and wards that Nadja knows of and how to make them:
http://pastebin.com/BTUR8F94
>4. Infusion: The art of bestowing magical properties to items that otherwise had none. For example, the creation of wands or flying brooms. Pastebin will be added once Nadja actually learns about any of this.
>5. Nadja's Notes: Where Nadja writes her notes about various things, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE PLAYERS REQUEST THAT SOMETHING BE ADDED TO THE NOTEBOOK.
http://pastebin.com/76btWGte
>6. Characters: Nadja doesn't actually keep a written list of people she knows, but you may find it useful to have:
http://pastebin.com/GbRsNuw3

>TO-DO LIST:
>Nothing, to the best of my knowledge.

>>1126900
>Trusted her. I stayed with her through it all, no matter how scary it was. Friends stick together forever!

>>1126900
>Trusted her. I stayed with her through it all, no matter how scary it was. Friends stick together forever!

>>1126900
>>Trusted her. I stayed with her through it all, no matter how scary it was. Friends stick together forever!

>>1126900
>Trusted her. I stayed with her through it all, no matter how scary it was. Friends stick together forever!

>>1126900
Damn, I'm late for witching.
>Did not trust her. I was too scared. I pushed away with everything I had and fled. I abandoned her!
Interests me this one.

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[Origin Path Locked: Friends Stick Together Forever]

[The Past can no longer be changed. The Future is yours to be claimed]

I want to apologize for having to cancel a week ago. After planning a thread for THAT long, I can tell you that did not feel good, disappointing you in such a way.

On a related note, I am still quite weak after having been sick since last Saturday, so I also need to apologize if things are a little slow. But you guys are more than used to that, aren't you?

So let's not make more excuses, writing begins now!

>>1126954
That's okay, we have witches now after all!
And somehow you made this vote sound a bit ominous there.

Hope you had a good turn of the year, Friend. Apprentices were sorely missed.

>>1126900
I trusted her. After all, friends stick together forever!

I accepted its touch. Soon it meant nothing, no different from the touch of my Mistress. Guiding me to the path where I am needed. Molding me into what is needed of me. Teaching me all the things I need to know. And giving me the strength I need to never again give up Hope.

Fear evaporates once more as I come to understand that all of this is necessary. That this is how we're going to make everyone happy again.

The feeling inside grows in intensity, burning stronger and stronger, almost ready to be released...

"Not yet." Mistress whispers into my ear. "It is not yet time for that."

It does not stop, though. Something is wrong! It burns, Mistress! Make it stop, make it stop! Please!

She whispers again. "Not yet."

But it... Mistress...

IT HURTS!

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>1/2
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>>1127017
Trembling.

"Oi!"

Everything keeps trembling, faster and faster.

"Nadja, stop!"

Up and down, left and right, over and over, until finally...

"WAKE UP!"

A blinding flash

The world falls quiet, finally, even as I feel my heart pounding as if seeking to escape my breast by sheer force of will, my chest galloping like after a full meal of some Mrs. Tahlens finest feed. The flash fades, colors and shadows assemble themselves. I see Amalia's face, half in the dark, half bathed in flickering light. She's frowning, worried. About me? I don't want that. I smile.

"Good morning, Amalia."

She doesn't smile. Why not?

"Good morning? Ya jokin'? Shakin' like a freakin' earthquake, white's a corpse, 'n it's good morning?"

She's angry now. I don't like it. I try smiling wider.

She stares at me, still angry. Then less angry. Annoyed? She rolls her eyes and sighs, then lies back down on her side of the bed. Though.. I don't seem to have left her much of a side, huh? I wonder if that's why she's angry?

"Weirdo." She whispers just loud enough to be certain I heard her. "So what gives, then?"

"Huh? Oh right! I should tell you about the -ngugh-"

Immediately, she jolts upright again as my voice seems to snap in half and I find myself bursting into violent coughs though... It doesn't feel as if anything is actually stuck in my throat and a few moments later I feel perfectly fine again.

"Huh. That was weird. Anyway, like I was saying I -hnnngh-"

Again?? Just the same as before, though the coughs feel intense, it's over in just a moment. Despite that, a growing look of concern stains her face as she pats me on the back. A little roughly, but I know she doesn't mean to, she just tends to forget how strong she really is.

"This is so weird, it keeps happening every time I try to tell you about -guuurgh-"
"THEN STOP TALKIN' DAMMIT!"

She's angry again. But I'm sure she won't be when I explain it all.

"I'm fine, don't worry! I just need to-"

"NO." She commands, placing her hand tight over my mouth. "You ain't right. Imma find that crazy witch, ask her what's up. You stay."

"Lily? Uhm..."

>"Okay, if you say so." [Wait patiently for Amalia to return. By taking a look at all the old stuff in the room.]
>"I don't think that's such a good idea. She might not be... herself right now. Let's go back home."
>"No, let me come with you! So she doesn't uh, try anything funny again!"
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1127022
>"No, let me come with you! So she doesn't uh, try anything funny again!"
Not being able to talk about it sure is inconvenient.

>>1127022
>"No, let me come with you! So she doesn't uh, try anything funny again!"

>>1127017
Well, guess that choice wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.

>>1127022
>"Okay, if you say so." [Wait patiently for Amalia to return. By taking a look at all the old stuff in the room.]
I can't remember why we'd worry about Lily not being herself so uh...guess I should have re-read some threads beforehand huh.

>>1127022
>"No, let me come with you! So she doesn't uh, try anything funny again!"
Who knows what state she's in today, so it's better that she doesn't go alone.

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Friends stick together!

>>1127041
>I can't remember why we'd worry about Lily not being herself so uh...guess I should have re-read some threads beforehand huh.

I'll do my best to ease you back into things, then! I'm supposed to remind myself to do that anyway.

>>1126893
Also, go away you with your ominous chapter titles, since I forgot to mention that first time around. Everything will be fine.

>>1127082
Well, it's not as big a deal when sticking together won I suppose. Friends can deal with it.

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>>1127022
"Let me come with you! So she doesn't uh, try anything funny again!"

Lily did admit just yesterday how her unusually calm mood was in fact not usual at all, and that most days she does not have that sort of clarity. She didn't have it the first time I met her, that's for sure. What exactly that means, or why she has become like that I still don't know, but the important point is that she may not be very predictable right now. Or she might. That too, is unpredictable.

"... you sure?" Amalia is still not smiling. I don't think she's going to until we've figured out what's going on. It's nice that she's concerned about me, but I'd rather if she would just be happy and trust in me. That would make me happier.

"Heehee, of course I'm sure! Friends stick together! Right?"

Besides, this place probably still isn't completely safe. That dumb test that Lily lured me here for by kidnapping Amalia, something I wish people would stop doing already because it's getting way old, that test is over. But this old fort could still have other dangers, or just some kind of defense set in place by Lily. Apparently she's decided to live down here in these damp and smelly underground halls.

"Friends stick together." Amalia repeats, the faintest of smiles on her lips as she nods weakly. It seems I got one after all!

She grabs the still-lit candle from the old captain's desk and begins leading the way out, only stopping for a brief moment to listen for sounds nobody else would hear. I only vaguely recall the layout of this place and wouldn't really know where to start looking for Lily, so I'm glad that Amalias senses can show the way.

I have sometimes wondered just how much more than the rest of us she hears, if the world is notably different when seen through her eyes. She doesn't seem to hesitate as she wordlessly leads us down the hallway I remember to lead back towards the courtyard of the fort, and that room. The scary one, the one with the orb that makes weeping noises. I saw it yesterday, and I did not like it one bit.

"In there." She says, pointing to the exact door I did not want to see again.

"Uhm, maybe we should just wait out here..?"

In a manner not even slightly atypical for her, Amalia turns immediately upon hearing my words, grabs the handle of the door and swings it open, revealing...

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>1/2
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>>1127259
A complete mess!

The entire floor is covered in shards of glass, its origins made painfully apparent by the empty stand in the center of the room. Beside it, the newly familiar and more adult form of Lily, is sat on her knees and carefully leading her hand over the now-empty stand as if feeling for something that cannot be seen with just the eyes.

"Mistress Lily!" A high-pitched voice erupts from within the room as a brilliantly blue light springs from behind Lily and begins to dance happily through the room. Seel, Lily's blue-winged fairy familiar. So far, she has seemed friendly and helpful. "Miss Nadja and Miss Amalia are here!"

Lily does not interrupt her work, giving answer without turning her eyes for even a second. "A little busy here. Show them to some breakfast, Seel. We'll talk later."

"Okay, Mistress!" Seel obeys, cheerfully.

>Follow Seel. Breakfast sounds good.
>"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"
>"No, first tell us what happened here!"
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1127262
>"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"

>>1127262
>"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"
I mean, strictly speaking it might wait until after breakfast. But Amalia might not agree.

>>1127262
>>"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"

>>1127262
>"No, first tell us what happened here!"

>>1127262
>"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"
Would love to know what happened here too though

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Looks like waiting is not in style this season!

>>1127083
You can't stop Fall. It comes every single year, without fail.

>>1127312
You're thinking of autumn!

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>>1127262
"No, this can't wait! We need to tell you something!"

I can't help feeling a little pushy. Lily is my senior after all so if she says to wait it feels like I should just do that. But at the same time Amalia is probably not going to calm down until we've figured this weirdness out, and I wouldn't mind some answers either.

Lily does not seem to mind all that badly though, a soft smile on her face as she stands and begins to wade casually through the many shards of glass. She shows no sign of having been touched by a single of them, meaning she probably wasn't around when whatever happened here, happened.

"That does sound interesting, then. Tell me what is so important."

"Well uhm... That part might be a little..."

Amalia does not hesitate to step in front of me, determination painted thick over her face. "She was shaking and groaning in her sleep, and as pale as a ghost. Some kind of nightmare, I assume. Every time she tries to talk about it, she breaks into vicious fits of coughing instead, though she claims to be fine otherwise."

Her words are surprisingly enunciated and thorough, compared to her usual manner of speaking. Though it is not the first time she has shown me that she has more than just one voice.

Lily quickly passes Amalia to look me up and down, smiling with amusement. "You're A LOT more fun than you let on, aren't you Nadja?"

More... fun? I don't know, am I? If she knows something, I wish she would just say it because I don't understand this at all.

"It's quite obvious. A Hex of Silence. A little gift for you from a fellow practitioner of the Craft, it seems. And one quite lacking in subtlety too..." She points to the mess of a room behind her.

"You mean..."

"Hells know how you did it Nadja, but it seems you have managed to managed to put an end to more than a decade of the crazed hag's weeping. And it also seems she doesn't want you to tell anyone how you did it. Fascinating!"

"The..."

"Oh yes, no doubt about it! The owner of this hex is none other than the Mad Witch Queen herself! Haha! For more than a decade she has been idle and now she finally moves again! Times are about to get quite interesting!"

THE Witch Queen? What does she have to do with anything? And what does all of that-

"We should speak more of this over breakfast." She announces, beginning to lead us back the same way we had just come. "You must be quite confused still."

>"What is a Hex of Silence? Can you remove it?"
>"Are you saying that the mess in there has something to do with me? How? Why?"
>"...Why are you so happy about this?"
>Something else? More questions? [Write-in!]

>>1127506
>"Why would The Witch Queen hex me?"
>"What is a Hex of Silence? Can you remove it?"

>>1127506
>"What is a Hex of Silence? Can you remove it?"
>"Are you saying that the mess in there has something to do with me? How? Why?"
>"...Why are you so happy about this?"

>>1127506
That sounds dangerous!
>"Are you saying that the mess in there has something to do with me? How? Why?"
>"What is a Hex of Silence? Can you remove it?"

>>1127506
>"What is a Hex of Silence? Can you remove it?"
>"...Why are you so happy about this?"
Mad Witch Queen doesn't sound like someone we want to be involved with

>>1127506
>"Are you saying that the mess in there has something to do with me? How? Why?"

So it's been way too long, do we know anything more about this lady than her hanging out in crystal balls and scaring people?

>>1127570
Guess not...
Wonder what Mistress will say about all this.

>>1127506
>>"Are you saying that the mess in there has something to do with me? How? Why?"
>>"...Why are you so happy about this?"

>>1127506
"Seel! Go grab the good things and meet us outside."

The fairy responds immediately, darting off at amazing speed. I don't know how someone her size could grab anything, but she seems set on accomplishing her task.

"As for your-"

"What do you mean Hex of Silence? What's that? Why do I have one? Can you remove it? Why-"

"Easy, Nadja. A witch does not scare so easily."

"But I-"

"A Hex of Silence is exactly what it sounds like, a Hex placed upon one who knows something you don't want them to speak aloud. You can still speak, but any attempts to communicate the thing she doesn't want you to will be subconsciously stopped by your own body. Speaking, writing, even dancing, none of it will work."

So... she doesn't want me to talk about my dream? But I don't even know what any of it meant. But it does mean that she has something to do with it, even though I know next to nothing of her. Did I... use to? Is that why?

"As for removing it, I cannot. A Hex of Silence is fairly difficult to cast, requiring certain very personal and difficult-to-acquire ingredients. Which does make me wonder, how exactly you know our tyrannical friend and vice versa. But then, even if you knew, you couldn't tell me. Hah!"

"And you think the mess in there..."

"I had always thought she was unaware that the orb was even there, that I had found a secret glimpse into her mind. The timing involved here makes it quite obvious though, that she was quite well aware of the connection, that she was staring back all along. And, quite clearly, she has seen all that she wishes to see."

Morning light dimmed by a heavy fog greets us as we finally, once more, reach the end of these tunnels and emerge into the plains outside of the fort.

"So, essentially," Amalia breaks her silence once more, looking none too pleased. "You can't help?"

Weighing the words, Lily lets out an annoyed sigh. "Seel should've been here by now... Oh well. Yes, of course I can help. The hex stays, but at least it can't harm you. And..."

"Hellooo!" The seemingly ever cheerful voice of Seel calls from above, a sack several times her size hanging from her hands.

"There she is. As I was about to say, I can ensure that whatever move the old girl tries to make, you will know in advance. Seel will be my personal messenger to you. And of course, there's my-"

"PRESENT FOR MISS NADJA!" Seel screeches with joy, swinging the sack no more than a hand's length from my face. Still a little confused, I open it up and find...

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>1/2
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>>1127820
Eh? Bread for breakfast I understand, but... Wine?

"Were you not looking for this? Or did I mistake-"

"OH! Oh right! The Rosé! For the poison! Tranquilizer-thing! I remember now, we need to make a poison to knock out the werewolf! Wow, it feels like so long ago I had completely forgotten!"

"I... did distract you from your task." Lily bows her head slightly, taking a more solemn tone compared to the mischievous I usually expect from her. "I caused you some trouble, so I should make up for it, I feel."

"This is great. Now we have everything we need to make the poison! I bet Mistress will-"

Eh? Mistress? Isn't that... someone else?

"Will be so proud to see it when it's done!"

"And as for this new revelation..." She turns to Amalia, rather than me. "The way the cards have been played, all we can do is wait, and trust that Nadja figures out the mystery on her own."

Amalia says nothing in return, simply looking angrily into the distance instead. In the direction of...

"You should return to your duties, and I to mine." Lily declares, then returns to her lair. She was a lot more talkative yesterday...

She's probably right, I do have duties to mind. The werewolf mission is tonight, and the poison is not ready yet. The plan is to have Amalia poison it with her arrows, so that I can safely use the Thorn to reverse the transformation. And I also never got a chance to tell Papa I wouldn't be home last night. He might be worried.


>"Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."
>"Let's go home, I want to make sure Papa isn't worrying. We have time for
>"Amalia? What do you think we should do now?
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1127826
>"Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."

>>1127826
>"Let's go home, I want to make sure Papa isn't worrying. We have time for
Time for what???
Well, I'm still voting for it.

>>1127826
>>"Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."

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>>1127846
>Time for what???

Woops! That's supposed to say "time for a quick stop before we get to work."

>>1127860
Figured it'd be something like that.

>>1127826
>"Amalia? What do you think we should do now?

>>1127826
>"Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."
We can head home after preparing everything there.

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Straight back to work, it seems. The only obvious choice for the dutiful apprentice!

>>1127570
Very little. Let's ask someone who does know!

>>1127826
>"Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."

>I don't like this place
Poor Lily's place is getting bullied!

>>1127901
Good to hear SOMEONE does know. Well, someone other than Lily since she didn't want to part with much info apparently.

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>>1127826
"Come on, Amalia. Let's hurry back to Mistress' house and eat there. I don't like this place."

"HUH?? You hate it here?!?"

Oh... I forgot Seel was still here. And that it is her home too.

"I uh... That is, I mean..."

"I WILL MAKE SURE THE LAIR IS NICE FOR MISS NADJA NEXT TIME! I PROMISE!"

Rather than insulted, it seems Seel has only become further motivated as she too vanishes back into the tunnels beneath the old fort. That's lucky. I didn't particularly want to offend yet another fairy.

"You shouldn't bother. Fairies are all lies 'n tricks." Amalia grumbles as we begin the walk back to Mistress' house - why does it feel so strange to say that word all of a sudden?

"Why do you hate fairies so much? The book I read said that fairies can't lie at all."

"It... don't matter. Remember something yet?"

Remember.. I actually remember a lot. I remember her, though her face is gone like her name. I remember being so incredibly scared. But what it means, and what does it have to do with that Witch Queen person? It doesn't make sense.

"Well, 'spose you can't tell me anyhow. But her, the Mad Witch Queen, I know her. From back when."

Back... Back in her old life? Those scary times she told me about?

"Through the old man. Met her once. Gave me a job. Kill that witch, Weeping Lily. Never did it, obviously."

Wow. I realized her old life wasn't pretty, but if it involves someone like the Mad Witch Queen, the crazed tyrant of Lent who sends her soldiers to steal little children in the night, then it's even worse than I though.

"She was... friendly. Had a fairy too, just like this one, and twice as bubbly. But we know it ain't the truth. 's a game they play, psychos both of 'em. 's why ya can't trust 'em."

>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"
>"Can you tell me more about the witch queen? I'd like to know as much as possible."
>"Let's forget about that for now and concentrate on our plan for tonight. It needs to be perfect!"
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1128101
>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"

>>1128101
>>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"

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And I think with that I am going to say goodnight for now. My plan is to continue once again tomorrow evening, same time as today. I think that's how we used to do this. Votes are open until then.

Sorry about being so slow tonight, pretty sure even more than I used to. I am still not in great shape and am really feeling that. Not that it's an excuse, but there you have it.

If you wanna discuss things, ask questions, or anything else, I will as always be available a little while longer and otherwise will get back to you in the morning. And if there is nothing else, then goodnight!

>>1128101
>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"

>>1128123
Night, Friend! Maybe you can catch a couple more anons tomorrow.

>>1128101
>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"
>"Can you tell me more about the witch queen? I'd like to know as much as possible."

>>1128101
>"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"

>>1128123
Nice to see you back to running.

>>1128123
Don't worry about your speed too much, It seems fine enough.

Good night.

>>1128101
>"Can you tell me more about the witch queen? I'd like to know as much as possible."
Thanks for writing

>>1128123
Do you think you'll be able to run somewhat regularly now? Granted it's tough to predict the future with any accuracy.
Was Amalia really good enough at assassinationing to be sent on a mission against Lily?
Will all these new twists interfere with Nadja's cuteness?
How will Mistress take the news that Nadja has another Mistress?
More best sis when?

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Just seven more hours until we're planned to resume!

>>1128167
>Don't worry about your speed too much, It seems fine enough.

You're too kind. I recognize rust when I see it, and pretending it isn't there won't help anyone. I know I have exceptionally patient and supportive players and I am thankful for that.

>>1128329
>Do you think you'll be able to run somewhat regularly now? Granted it's tough to predict the future with any accuracy.
This semester is going to be a hard one, no doubt about it. But one major burden has just been finished and come off of my shoulders just this week. That helps a lot, so now I am looking to bring back the old plan of running every other weekend at minimum and every weekend whenever it seems possible.

>Was Amalia really good enough at assassinationing to be sent on a mission against Lily?
Would she lie to you?

>Will all these new twists interfere with Nadja's cuteness?
That depends on whether you find secret conspiracies aiming to make everyone happy cute.

>How will Mistress take the news that Nadja has another Mistress?
If Nadja could tell her? She would probably be quite happy to have her overly-attached apprentice stop calling her "Mistress" and begin to stand on her own feet more. And probably miss it a little bit afterwards.

>More best sis when?
You mean biological sister with a fondness for shipping and swords, don't-call-me-sister sister with bacon and secret plots, or rival sister with a susceptibility for forgetfulness and frogification?

>>1128101
>"Can you tell me more about the witch queen? I'd like to know as much as possible."

>>1131670
>You mean biological sister with a fondness for shipping and swords, don't-call-me-sister sister with bacon and secret plots, or rival sister with a susceptibility for forgetfulness and frogification?
Why not all?

Not caught up yet in rereading, did Nadja ever ask Seel about Hope? She was in the fairy book.

>"She was... friendly. Had a fairy too, just like this one, and twice as bubbly. But we know it ain't the truth. 's a game they play, psychos both of 'em. 's why ya can't trust 'em."
clearly she has a different fairy from the book, hah

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>>1131810
>Why not all?
Well... They'd distract each other? I should remember to put Alina and Cinnamon in the same room at some point. They should have good synergy.

>>1131870
>Not caught up yet in rereading, did Nadja ever ask Seel about Hope? She was in the fairy book.
There will be time for that, considering Seel has just been assigned as Lily's personal messenger to Nadja. Can't ever have too many fairies after all!

>>1131900
I bet they'd all get along great!

>>1131907
Also we should probably get our answer to Lucia already, when we get a chance.

>>1128101
"Wait... you hate ALL fairies just because of one? What did she do that was so bad?"

For a long time Amalia does not respond, leaving me to think I poked too deep and thankful that she did not react in a worse way than the silence we're left to walk through returning to the Wald. As we climb up from the mist of the low-lying plains that surround the old fort and mark the farthest border of the Empire, a fresh wind picks up and miraculously clears both the heavy fog and the silence.

"Pretended to be my sister."

The answer appears as if out of nowhere, taken me completely by surprise.

"Eh? Oh, that's right! You said you were..."

"Third."

"Right, the third daughter of Whatshisface! Which means you have two sisters, right?"

"Did."

"And so this fairy... she disguised herself and-"

"No disguise. Jus' pretended to be her, pretended to know me, pretended to know the old songs..."

She stops completely, clenching both fists in anger before continuing.

"All jus' a prank for cheap laughs, all just to screw with me. Psychos, both of 'em. That witch's the one that took her to begin with, sold by Father in exchange for rotten old books, and that psycho wanted to rub it all over..."

"Whaaa? Your papa sold her?"

"Hrng." She grunts affirmatively.

"How mean! But... how do you know she was lying?"

"'Side from being ridiculous? They clearly made her tell 'em just to-"

"It's not that ridi-"

"She's dead. Real life ain't a fairy tale where your sister magically turns into a fairy and you go on adventures with cupcakes and magical friends."

"But it could have been-"

"IT WASN'T!"

I'm starting to feel like I should stop asking Amalia any questions, the answers always turn out dumb and sad anyway. But... hiding things we don't like isn't right either, I guess.

>"But what if it really WAS her? We need to find her!"
>"If you're sure... What about your other sister though? What happened to her?"
>"Well okay... What about the witch lady? What was she like?"
>No more questions, that's enough Amalia-stories for one day. Talk about the werewolf-job instead.
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1132508
>"Well okay... What about the witch lady? What was she like?"
We can leave off it for now, it's not an urgent thing. But uh...sounds like something to follow up.

>>1132508
>>"But what if it really WAS her? We need to find her!"

>>1132508
>"Hmmm, then, did she do anything else to prank you?"
Detective Nadja is on the case!

>>1132508
>"But what if it really WAS her? We need to find her!"
>"I read somewhere that fairies can't lie, and I've seen for myself a witch transform her apprentice into a frog! Why couldn't a witch transform your sister into a fairy?"

>>1132508
>"Well okay... What about the witch lady? What was she like?"
She seems quite insistent, maybe we'll have more luck discussing it some time later.

>>1132554
Yeah I'm kinda worried she'll take it badly thinking she rebuffed her fairy sister, if it was her sister.

>>1132554
>>1132559
At the same time, is she ever gonna take it BETTER than now?
Of course, we could wait until we have more info regarding whether it could be the case too. Would be bad if it turned out it wasn't her sister after all, somehow. Not that I find it likely.

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3 votes for variations of continuing down the current line, 2 votes for asking about the owner of the fairy instead.

Oh right, I forgot to mention!

>>1131911
You did! An elegant and dutiful maid has already delivered your reply!

>>1132565
She might take it better after she has calmed down and had some time to think, and we know quite little so it very well might not actually be her sister.

>>1132584
I guess it could have been some situation where the fairy knew her sister, but I dunno how she'd give the impression of being her wwithout lying then.

>>1132582
Ah I see, I was going off the characters pastebin. It's not up to date then, or?

>>1132590
That could very well have been overlooked. I'll have to make a note of it!

Amalia had a hard life, huh.

>>1132590
Amalia said that the fairy pretended to know her and some old songs, so it is possible that the fairy didn't actually say anything about being her sister. But based on the information we have currently who knows what happened.

>>1132611
I considered it, but...if she knew the fairy belonged to the same witch who bought her sister, why wouldn't Amalia assume the fairy learned about her/the songs from her sister, rather than that the fairy actually was pretending to be her sister?

>>1132618
Someone might have actually told the fairy to pretend to be her sister.

>>1132628
But that'd still be lying, which they can't do, wouldn't it? I can't remember exactly what the book said since it's been a while.

>>1132633
No, they can't lie, but they can "be clever". and it is also possible that the fairy didn't even know what she was doing.

>>1132508
"Then... Did she do anything else to you?"

"No. Played her game, pretended to 'member old times, we laughed, then she whisked off when her mistress called. So they could go laugh."

"Well... I read somewhere that fairies can't lie, and I've seen for myself a witch transform her apprentice into a frog! Not me, mind you! Another apprentice! Anyway if a regular witch can do that, what's stopping this witch queen from turning your sister into a fairy?"

"Nothin'?"

"So it could totally have been her! Which means we need to find her! It'll be great, two long lost sisters reunited after so long and we can find a way to fix her and-"

"Wasn't her."

"Wha'- Well how can you be so sure?!?"

"'Cause, if it was her, she'd 've stayed."

"But..."

"That's how I know, alright? 'Cause if it really was Tabs, SHE WOULDN'T 'VE LEFT ME AGAIN!"

"I... Guess? Unless maybe-"

"No! No unless! End of story!"

"Sorry."

That... could have gone a lot worse, actually. It almost felt as if she wanted to tell me, even though she still insists that it was all a lie. She doesn't look any happier, but...

Well, I probably shouldn't push my luck even more. Walking the rest of the way in silence kind of sucks, but at least the air feels clearer. In more than one way! The fresh wind picking up really manages to underline that Summer has ended for good, and just one week into Union too... I'll have to start wearing a coat every day soon! But on the upside, soon there's be crispy, orange leaves everywhere soon, crunching under my feet and piling up to play in and painting the ground and the houses and... And mushrooms! There'll be mushrooms! And mushroom stews, and it'll be my first Fall as a witch and it's going to be GREAT!

Oh. She's staring weirdly at me now. Oh no, I was looking all happy just after that sad story wasn't I?

"Ah, no no, it's not like that I was just-"

"- thinking about something happy."

"Yeah! Mushrooms!"

A half-suppressed giggle escapes her as she shakes her head, bemused. "Whatever works for you."

Yes! Victory for mushrooms! Though, one thing does kind of bother me. Why is it that, instead of making me feel sad that story made me feel all... jealous about the witch queen having a fairy too. Do I want a fairy familiar too, is that it? I don't think I wanted one before? I mean Flimflam is kinda cute but she's also a lot of trouble.

Maybe I just want a familiar? Witches do need familiars, and it'd be kind of like having a pet but even better! Maybe I should ask Mistress about it later? Though what kind would I want..?

-+-+-+-
>1/2
-+-+-+-

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>>1132728
"Good, both of you are here."

Oh, there she is! Did she know I was thinking about her? No... No way, she can't know stuff like that, she's not that good!

"It's time for today's lesson and you're both needed for this one."

Huh? Amalia is needed for this? I thought we were supposed to keep witch things secret? And besides...

"But Mistress, we still need to have breakfast, and to finish preparing for tonight and-"

"Oh you definitely want to hold back on that breakfast. Now listen."

Swiftly, she reaches into the satchel at her side and pulls out... some kind of necklace? No, more like a wall decoration, made up of strings criss-crossing in this weird pattern forming an eye at the center.

"This is The Seeing Eye. We use these to watch locations from afar. Today you'll learn to use these, and for that-"

With the same swiftness as before, she grabs Amalia by the wrist, provoking a slight snarl but no immediate violence, and places the strange item in her hand.

"- we'll need you to go set this up. Simply find a far away location, hang it up by the thread, preferably in a corner, then memorize the location. It will be Nadja's task to tell you exactly where you placed it, to prove she mastered its use. Understood?"

She pauses before responding, visibly annoyed at being given this order, until a mischievous smile takes form on her lips and she nods in affirmation. "Got it."

"Excellent." Mistress notes casually before waving her off and turning her attention back to me. "Now, as for you..."

>"Wait, first I need to tell you what happened this morning!"
>"Wait, shouldn't we focus on the preparations first and save this lesson for tomorrow?"
>Be quiet and pay attention to the lesson.
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>Whatever you choose, please roll 1d20 each!

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>1132730
...I'm somewhat apprehensive about where she's decided to put that thing.
>Be quiet and pay attention to the lesson.

>>1132734
Well damn.

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>1132730
>>"Wait, first I need to tell you what happened this morning!"

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>1132730
>"Wait, shouldn't we focus on the preparations first and save this lesson for tomorrow?"

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>1132730
>"Wait, first I need to tell you what happened this morning!"

Wonder what the roll is for.

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>Rolled 1 (1d20)

Because everyone knows that crits and critfails overwrite everything else!

>>1132734
Sometimes even Mistress must use actual pockets to carry her things in.

>>1132788
>1
I'll take responsibility, anons.

>>1132730
"Wait, first I need to tell you what happened this morning! Though how do I..."

"Nadja spent the night with the crazy black-haired witch that isn't you, had a weird dream, nobody knows what because according the crazy witch she's been hexed by the evil crazy witch queen and can't tell anyone what the dream was."

Amalia wastes little time in her explanation, just as she wastes little time at all before darting off, eye-thingy gripped firmly in her hand.

Despite the rather... blunt delivery, Mistress doesn't seem nearly as bothered as I was hoping for, giving me little more than a raised eyebrow.

"Sounds like there's very little I can do about that, then."

"Bu- But you're not surprised at all? Not worried?"

She lets out a long, drawn out sigh. "At this point? With the company you keep? No, I feel fairly confident that whatever madness you've surrounded yourself with this time will resolve itself in a mostly harmless manner."

"But-"

"Obviously, she is not particularly welcome news but it not unheard of for her to play minor tricks of little consequence. And even if she intends something more, well, I trust Lily to keep an eye on the situation. She is an experienced and accomplished witch, she doesn't need me to babysit her."

"But-"

"NOW, as for the lesson. Using the eye is fairly trivial, you simply need..."

Once more, she reaches into the satchel, this time pulling out what appears at first to be a simple pebble but at closer inspection is covered in small etchings. They sort of resemble letters like the ones used in the magical circles I already know, but at the same time they're completely different.

"the matching Linkstone. Each of these has a specific set of Eyes created to match it perfectly. Simply hold it in your hand, focus on it, and you'll be able to see what the Eyes see."

"That doesn't sound too bad!"

"The actual trick is... Well, let's just say the experience can be a little intense, getting worse with the number of Eyes linked to it. Which is why we should begin practising now, rather than later."

She puts the stone in my hand, a little roughly, and closes my fingers around it.

"Now, close your eyes. Turn your vision inward, and imagine reaching out, far away from here, far beyond your body and-"

*THUNCK*

Wha'... What was... Why am I so...

.

.

.

Soft.

Warm.

Safe.

I like this, I want to stay like this. I feel myself let out a happy sigh as a hand softly strokes my cheek. The warmth on my face lets me know its morning, time to get up. But it feels so good here...

>Just five minutes more...
>Oh no, I'm going to be late! Get up, get up, get up!
>Something else? [Write-in!]

>>1132974
>Oh no, I'm going to be late! Get up, get up, get up!

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>>1133001

Looks like you win by default! Congratulations anon!

>>1132974
>Just five minutes more...

>>1132974
>Oh no, I'm going to be late! Get up, get up, get up!
>>1133057
Sorry, browser took ages to autoupdate for some reason.

>>1133057
Yay?

>>1133057
Does seem like anons might have wandered off for some reason. Well, maybe it's just a coincidence.

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>>1132974

>Rolled 1 (1d20)

Oh no, I'm going to be late! Get up, get up, get up!

"GET UP!" I yell at myself, loud as I can to motivate my body.

I push away from my bed with hands and feet as hard as I can, hurrying to get up and get dressed as quickly as possible, though my pillow feels much softer than usual and the rest of the bed is all covered in... feathers? I need to clean up today!

That's not the only thing that's strange though, as my bed seems to have grown much larger and my feet find nothing but just air where their should have been floor, leaving me falling forwards until the sound of a loud

*SMACK*

fills my ears while my face burns red with the unmistakable sting that can only be felt landing face down on the hard floor.

"Oww..."

As I rub my eyes fully awake, I realize the issue. This is not my room, but Mistress' room. And it is also the sound of her laughter, behind me, and her amused grin that comes into view as I roll over.

"Well, that failed as miserably as my lesson did, but at the very least..."

>[Mistress' current opinion of Nadja has increased by 5!]
>[Mistress' opinion of Nadja is now 45/100!]

"You know how to warm an old woman's heart."

[END OF CHAPTER 2 THREAD 1]

That'll be all of this weekend! Since next weekend will be busy for certain, the next thread is scheduled for 2 weeks from now.

Thank you for following me even through that several months long break, and thank you for bearing with me as I get my grip back on how to even do any of this.

Good night, and see you next time!

>>1133121
Thanks for running Friend.

>>1133121
Thanks for running.

>>1133121
Thanks for writing! Really looking forward to next time.

>>1133121
Thanks for running. Glad we got a bonus despite the roll.

>>1133220

You should use bigger numbers for the threads. Why are you using a two? I thought this was a different quest dammit!

>>1133351
Sorry for the confusion, but quite honestly part of the reason IS to make the quest look more new than it is. The other parts of the reason include marking the return after a long break, marking the progression into a new phase with regard to both the world, plot, and the MC, and lastly my ambition to just generally make the whole everything run better. You know, beginning a new chapter both literally and figuratively.

>>1135761
I don't know why you think this is a good idea, I completely avoid quests that haven't proven they have staying power by having a bunch of threads in their visible history

>>1135804
That seems like a dumb way to find quests desu senpai.

>>1136066
At least I have standards.

>>1135804
I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm the complete opposite. I don't have the time to scrape through an archive to catch up on a quest so I only pick up new ones, though so far the only new /qst/ quests I've stated reading where from QMs I already followed.

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>>1133151
>>1133220
I'm glad you're glad. Honestly I'm not very happy with even my ability to write a goofy-cute scene right now, but there's only one way to get the rust off and that's by plowing ahead. So thanks for being happy!

>>1135804
>>1136066
>>1136069
I can understand that, if nothing else then because of my pessimism towards /qst/. I don't share it, but I'm pretty sure I see where you're coming from. Personally, when looking for quests I always look for new things since for me it's important to be part of the process from the beginning, otherwise it just doesn't feel like "my" quest.

That aside, I don't think I ever said I thought it was a good idea. Decisions made as a QM shouldn't and can't be based on good ideas, because the only rationally sound decision you can make is to not quest. And I don't want that, so irrational decisions are all I'm left with. Please try to enjoy our fate.

>>1136678
I used to like looking for new quests and get in on the ground floor (though I've always liked binging long quests too), but I slowly tired of it after /qst/ launched. It just felt like 95% of the new quests I tried got few players and barely lasted two threads, and getting exited or invested in them was just meaningless at best, exhausting at worst.

>>1136678
Thanks for the quest so far. Hopefully the bellyaching doesn't get you down. This is by far the most comfy quest around.

>>1136678
Thanks for running!

>>1136678

I am really angry because I look over qst about 3 hours a day and I thought this was a different quest - -

>>1138162
>Not following his twitter so you don't have to look over qst about 3 hours a day

>>1139931

Because looking over 20 twitter accounts a day would have been easier?

>>1139986
>Looking over twitter ever
I keep it open in a side tab and notice the notification in the tab if any QM has posted anything.

>>1139987

Yeah because I will keep open a tab for every single quest I follow. No thank you.

>>1139993
Make an account or just use the list?
https://twitter.com/Eisenstern/lists/quest-runner-directory

>>1139993
>Literally retarded

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>>1137012
Complaints and general backlash is very welcome, lets you know somebody cares enough to get upset about things. Silence is the mind-killer.

>>1139986
>>1139993

That's interesting.

Twitter has been THE way to follow quests since before I even started my first, so I'm curious about this. How DO you follow quests without using it? Where are you getting alerts about run times, how do you find your quests when they run, how do you get in touch with QMs when they're not running?

I've really never heard of anyone nowadays not having either an account or using the quest directory, so please, tell me how you work. For science! Oh, and also because if this is actually a common thing it'd be nice to know if there's some way to accommodate it.

>>1140059
I don't have an account or use the quest directory, but I do check some accounts once in a while and whenever something is scheduled to start.

>>1140059

I use the quest directory I just pointed out that for me using Twitter would mean keeping a lot of tabs open since I do not have the app installed to avoid lag and stupid alerts all the time.

>>1140059
There's a website tweetdeck that's pretty nice for following QM twitters since you can have separate columns for QMs and other people, and you don't have to deal with annoying twitter ads/promoted tweets. I think you still need a twitter account, though I'm not sure.

>>1140059
I obsessively refresh various quest sites.

Sometimes I bookmark an individual twitter account and obsessively refresh that too if I'm super into a quest.