>Don't worry about it

Hey Smiley

>>1255711
>>Don't worry about it

>>1255711
>>Don't worry about it

>>1255711
>>Don't worry about it

>writing

"Don't worry about it" You say.
"That's what you said last time I asked!" Emi says.

Derrick sighs. "Alright, this is ridiculous" He says. "Yes, Emi. That was us"
"You guys... but why?" She asks.
"It was an accident" Cheska says. "They had this thing there that sucks in magic, amplifies it, and spits it back out. Derrick blew some fire, and the machine burned the whole place down"

"Why would you breathe fire near a machine like that?" Emi asks.
"We didn't know what it did" Derrick says. "We found it while we were looking around the guildhall for useful stuff, and someone turned it on..."

"Why didn't you tell Katherine about this?" Emi asks.
"Because then we would have been in trouble" You say.
"You should be in trouble" Emi says. "Messing with strange machines like that..."

"In my defense, I was busy saving Madelaine from the centipede" You say.

"You should still own up to it" She says.

>Fine...

>I'm fine keeping it a secret

>That place is better off now

>Other

>>1255879
>>Fine...

>Fine...
Although
>That place is better off now

>>1255879
>>That place is better off now
>>"If it wasn't for that picture of Hella's family i found i don't think anyone would of realized it was ever even a guild hall"

been meaning to ask, will yuu be able to use soul magic to create constructs, like things such as wings to fly or a giant arm to punch things, because it seems that besides soul being inherently destructive it is also could for making energy blasts and mage blades.

>writing

>>1255879
>>1255905
This.

>>1255919
The running theory is that Yuu's natural element is Water because how his 'heart' sounds, constructs are more of an Earth thing i imagine, wings are Wind i'd guess

But i don' t think Smiley ever said it's impossible to learn magic outside of your element, so it might be possible, but it'd definitely drain soul quickly, like how Ice taxes Emi harder than Water

>>1255919
Theoretically, his Mageblade can do those things; it's like a mix of a lightsaber and a green lantern ring.

>>1255919
>>1255968
These are good questions to ask Caiah or Terry next time you see either of them.

>>1255974
>green lantern ring
Wait, COULD we just embed a Soul Crystal into ring?

"Fine... but honestly that place is better off now" You say. "If I hadn't found that picture of Hella's family, I doubt I would've known I was in the right place"

"He's right. It was a mess" Derrick says. "We were lucky we managed to find what we did... although we did forget the firebombs..."
"Too late for those now. They all exploded in the fire" You say.

"You should still let them know what really happened" Emi says. "The way things are, they'll probably blame it on the people of Bell's Run..."

"Or the Inquisition" You say. "Perfectly good scapegoat there"
"Except it wasn't them" Emi says. "It's not about covering your butt. You should own up to your mistakes"

"Alright, alright. Fine" Derrick says. "I'll send a letter back letting them know what really happened. It was pretty much mine and Cheska's fault anyway"
"My fault? How?" Cheska asks.

"You're the one that fired the second burst to try and kill the centipede" Derrick says.
"Oh yeah..." Cheska says. "Well then that should be Yuu's fault for coming anywhere near me with that thing"

"Why were you carrying a centipede?" Emi asks.

>I forgot to put it down

>I wanted to keep it

>Other

>>1256020
>>I wanted to keep it
Centipede-kun!

>>1256020
>>I wanted to keep it

>>1256020
>>I wanted to keep it

>I wanted to keep it
F

>I wanted to keep it
i still want it as a pet dammit, smiley please let us keep it if we ever find it again, it could be a monster that we could tame and grow

>writing

"I wanted to keep it" You say. "It looked like it'd make a great pet"
"Centipedes are not pets. They're gross" Cheska says.
"It looked cool" You say. "I mean, did you see how many legs it had?"
"I saw" Cheska says.

"It would've made a good companion for Coral, though. Right Coral?" You ask.

...

"Coral?" You ask again.
"She's asleep" Emi says.
"That makes sense. She was working late last night" You say. "So, what do you guys wanna do now?"

"I could spar some more" Derrick says. "I kinda want to see if I can actually beat Emi, at least once"
"Maaan. There'll be plenty of fighting to be done once we're at the stronghold. Can't we relax?" Cheska asks.

>Sparring it is

>I could go for some relaxation

>Other

>I could go for some relaxation

>>1256126
>>I could go for some relaxation

>>1256126
>>I could go for some relaxation

>>1256126
>>I could go for some relaxation

are we ever gonna get the chance to train up our stats again?

>>1256171
They've been going up as you go. I haven't really been keeping track of them publicly, since I never know when to post them.

If you guys want, I could add them to the character pb, and just make that the general pb

>>1256202
That would be great

>>1256202
that would be nice, at least then we know what we are great at and what needs improving.

"I think I just wanna relax..." You say. "If I tire myself out too much now, I won't have much energy left for the mission"
"And you don't get to sleep in the passenger compartment this time" Derrick says. "You're riding the Rook there, right?"
"Yeah" You say. "How straight is the road there? I kinda want to see its max speed"

Cheska groans.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun" You say.
"I think I'm gonna go take a nap" Cheska says. "Wake me when it's time to go"
"Kay" You say.

"And I'd also like to spar some more..." Emi says. "I never thought of myself as that good of a fighter, but I'm kind of enjoying it"
"I see a few spots where you could use improvement" Derrick says. "I'm just too used to fighting people with legs. The tail is going to take some getting used to"

Emi and Derrick head out to Hella's backyard, leaving you with Madelaine.

Well, Madelaine and Coral. But Coral is sleeping...

>Ask if she knows any card games

>Ask about what she plans to do after going to the tower

>Ask if any of her memories have come back

>Other

>Ask if any of her memories have come back

>>1256257
>>Ask if any of her memories have come back

>>1256257
>Ask about what she plans to do after going to the tower

>>1256257
>>Ask if she knows any card games
>>Ask about what she plans to do after going to the tower

Best way to jog her memory is with cards.

>>1256257
>>Ask if any of her memories have come back

Actually, I'm curious about something: has Madelaine discovered her magic affinity, yet?

>writing

"Soooo... have any of your memories come back?" You ask.
"Not really..." She replies. "I get bits and pieces of things sometimes, when I'm not thinking of anything"
"Like what?" You ask.

"Faces without names, names without faces" She says. "Nothing I can piece together, but it's something"
"Anything stand out?" You ask.
"Not really" She says. "How about you?"
"Me? I've got nothing" You say. "Too focused on what's ahead to worry about stuff I can't remember"

"I guess that makes sense, but it's weird that I've got something and you've got nothing" She says. "I wonder if Storm's remembered anything..."
"Why would he... is he like us?" You ask.

"Yeah" She says. "I thought you knew"
"Well I do now" You say. "You'll get a chance to ask him. I heard he's at the stronghold"
"He is?" She asks.
"Yeah. The Inquisitor I interrogated was pretty sure that he's locked up there now" You say. "Apparently he disagreed with the whole demonic ritual thing, and decided that the best way to protest was to tell everyone that he'd go to the rebellion"

Madelaine sighs. "Maybe he should stay locked up then... for his own good" She says. "I'm not sure what to think of him, you know? He seems to have good intentions most of the time, he's just... kind of an idiot"

>Sounds like me

>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

>Big talk from someone who's scared of a little centipede

>Other

>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

>>1256358
>>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

I mean, even Yuu realized the Inquisition was bad.

>>1256358
>>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

>>1256358
>>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

>>1256370
Another thing to ask her: is that why Storm wants her to join his order? Because they've got that commonality?

>>1256358
>>Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd

Welcome back Smiley

>>1256370
>>1256378
Another observation: Yuu might not be getting solid memories back, but, his dialogue has been improving; he's using words and analogies that no one, to my knowledge, has been teaching him.

>writing

"Sounds like he just got in with the wrong crowd" You say. "You and I got pretty lucky with the people who found us"

"Not really" She says. "I got 'found' by a pack of hungry monsters, and you got 'found' by the Inquisition"
"Fine. You and I got pretty lucky with who we ended up with" You say. "Better?"

"Much" She says. "I'll admit, Meyu and the guys can be lame at times, but at least they haven't tried to brainwash me"
"At least you're never at risk of getting clawed" You say. "But who knows? Maybe Storm'll see the light once we let him out"

"So we're freeing him?" She asks.
"I thought so, yeah" You say. "Should we leave him locked up?"
"I kinda want to beat him to the tower..." She says.

>So... yes?"

>Why don't we all go together?

>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>Other

>>1256446
>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>>1256446
>>Why don't we all go together?
but
>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>>1256446
>>Why don't we all go together?
>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>Why don't we all go together?

>>1256446
>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>>1256446
>>Why don't we all go together?
>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>Besides, you can step inside first.

>>We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there

>writing

>>1256446
>Why don't we all go together?

"We'll see what kind of mood he's in when we get there" You say. "If he's willing to cooperate, then I'm game for it. Besides, the tower sounds like a dangerous place.The more people we bring with us, the better I'll feel"

"Odd hearing that from someone who has no problem crashing the Inquisition's Stronghold with nothing but a small force..." She says.
"The Inquisitors can only kill me" You say. "From what I've heard, the tower can do worse..."

"I talked to those hunters by the way" She says. "Apparently they heard some of the people who came out muttering to themselves..."

"Did they hear what they were saying?" You ask.
"Mostly gibberish, but one of the hunters asked about it, and... well, it gets kinda disturbing" She says.
"Go on" You say.

"Single guys begging for the lives of a family that they don't have, peasants claiming the throne was theirs, others calling out to dead loved ones, or lamenting the loss of their fortune..." Madelaine says.

"All mourning things they don't have" You say.
"Yeah, that's what I got from it too" Madelaine says. "Just what the hell is in that place..."

"I'm sure we'll find out" You say. "I just hope we're ready for it"

>1/2

You spend the next couple minutes playing cards with Madelaine using a deck you found in Hella's cupboards.

"Draw 2" You say.
"Draw 4" Madelaine replies.
"Dangit..." You say, picking 4 cards off the top of the deck. "Oh, nevermind. Draw 8"
"Crap" She says.

"How are you guys doing?" Emi asks, as she slithers in from the backyard.
"Poorly" Madelaine replies. "How's the sparring?"

"Derrick's taking a break" Emi says.
"So... not well?" You ask.
"I think he's getting the hang of it" Emi says. "But I've definitely tired him out..."

"Isn't he supposed to be driving?"
"I can drive" Madelaine says. "Not well, but I can"
"Works for me. I'll be a ways ahead of you guys anyhow" You say.

"Anyway, we should be going soon. Especially if you want to see Altea before we leave" Emi says.

You check your wrist. Emi's right.

>Anything else?

>>1256617
Go poke Cheska until she wakes up

>>1256617
this >>1256639

>>1256639
This

>writing

"I'll go wake Cheska, and then we can go" You say.
"We'll be waiting" Emi says. "Err... I suppose I should go make sure Derrick can still move"
"I'll come with" Madelaine says. "In case we have to carry the poor guy"

You head up the stairs, while Madelaine and Emi head out the back.

You walk into the guest room to see Cheska sleeping soundly, spread out haphazardly on the bed. You step up and lean over, poking her in the face a few times.

"Hey, Cheska" You say. "Wake up, we have to go"

...

"Cheskaaaaaaaaaaaa" You say.

Nothing.

Her tail swishes about beside her, giving you an idea...

>Grab it

>Don't grab it

>Other

>Don't grab it

>>1256752
>>Don't grab it

>>1256752
>>Don't grab it

>>1256752
>>Grab it

>>1256752
>>Don't grab it
Continue to poke

>writing

...

Best not. Her reaction to that last time was pretty extreme. You'd imagine that it would make for a pretty rude awakening...

So instead, you poke her face a few more times.

"Oiiii! Cheskaaaaaaaa!" You say.

Cheska's eyes shoot open, and she looks around to try and get a hold of her surroundings.

"Wakey-wakey" You say.
"Oh, it's just you" She says. "I was having the weirdest friggin dream..."

>What kind of dream?

>Get up, we're heading out

>Other

>>1256846
>>What kind of dream?

>>1256846
>>Get up, we're heading out
....
....
>>What kind of dream?

>>1256846
>>What kind of dream?

>>1256846
>>What kind of dream?
>>Get up, we're heading out

>writing

"What kind of dream?" You ask.

"Hmm... it was like I was tied up with long ropes, to something I couldn't see" She says. "The ropes were suspending me over a vat of my own blood"

"How would someone manage to fill a vat with your blood?" You ask. "And how did you know it was yours?"
"I dunno, I just knew" She says. "Oddly enough, I think the ropes were keeping me out of the vat. I felt like I needed to go in... what do you think that means?"

"That... uhh... you need another bath?" You ask.
Cheska sighs. "Nevermind" She says. "So if you're waking me, I guess it's time to go?"
"Correct" You say. "Ten points"

"Don't be an ass" She says.
"I'm not being an ass" You say. "I believe I awarded you with points. An ass would've given you nothing"
"Alright, smartass. What can I do with these points?" She asks.

>You can get out of bed, let's go!

>Trade them in for stuff (specify)

>Absolutely nothing

>Other

>>1256944
>>Trade them in for stuff (specify)
for hugs

>>1256944
>Rook rides.

>>1256975
This

>>1256978
Seconding

>>1256944
this >>1256975

>>1256944
>>1256978
I kinda like this.

>>1256944
this>>1256975

>writing

"You can trade them in for stuff" You say.
"Like what?" You ask.
"I dunno... hugs, Rook rides" You say.

"Can I trade them in to not have to ride the rook?" She asks.
"Not until the shackle is off, unfortunately" You say.
"How many to get the shackle off?" She asks.
"5000" You say.
"How do I earn these points?" She asks.

"By doing stuff" You say. "I'll just hand 'em out when I feel like you've earned them"
"Sounds good to me" She says. "Are they waiting for us downstairs?"

"Depends on if they've managed to get Derrick up yet" You say.
"He decide to take on the snake again?" She asks.
"Yep" You say. "Apparently he did better this time, but not by much"

"Alright, let's go" She says.

>1/2

When you get down, the others are waiting for you. Derrick seems well enough, for now.

"I warned you about overexerting yourself..." Emi says.
"I know..." Derrick says. "I just got a little carried away"

"We should go, we've spent enough time here" Madelaine says.
"Agreed" You reply.

The 5 of you head out, making sure to lock up as many doors as you can before you go.

You grab the Rook and walk with it, moving with everyone else.

"Ah! Crap..." Cheska says.
"What?" Derrick asks.
"I wanted to grab that stupid trident" Cheska says.

"Is it back at the guild hall?" You ask. "It's not quite out of our way"
"Can we go there?" She asks.

>It'll cost you 5 points

>Zip over on the Rook

>Do we have to?

>Other

>>1257218
>>Zip over on the Rook

>>1257218
>>Zip over on the Rook

>>1257218
>>Zip over on the Rook

>>1257218
>>It'll cost you 5 points
Nah, I'm just foolin'
>>Zip over on the Rook

>Zip over on the Rook

>>1257218
>>Zip over on the Rook

>writing

"I can zip you over there on the Rook" You say. "Then we can probably beat these guys to the barracks"
"That sounds... alright" She says.
"Cool" You say. "Meet you guys at the barracks"

You and Cheska hop on the Rook, and you kick it into gear. In no time at all, you've reached the hall.

"Ugh... I think I might be getting used to that" She says.
"That's good to hear, since we've got a long ride ahead of us" You say. "Now, you left it in the armory right?"
"Yeah. Let's get it and go" She says.

You head back through the burned out hall, to the training yard. The hatch to the armory is still closed, but somebody broke the lock, so it comes open easily.

You head down, leaving Cheska up above, and quickly look for the trident.

When you find it, you-

>Head back up

>See if there's anything else down here

>Other

>>1257346
>>See if there's anything else down here

>>1257346
>>See if there's anything else down here

>See if there's anything else down here

>>1257346
>>See if there's anything else down here
Plot hook is obvious.

>>1257346
>>Head back up
Leaving a demon next to the burnt remains of guild hall makes me worry, i doubt most of the army knows of Cheska

>>1257346
>>See if there's anything else down here

>writing

You spend some time looking around, to see if there's anything else interesting down here.

...

There's a mageblade here. You've already got yours, and this one has a mana crystal in it so it wouldn't work for you anyway, but you take it nonetheless. It'd be interesting to see some of the others try their hands at it sometime.

...

Doesn't look like there's anything e- oh, hang on. What's in this box?

You blow the dust off the top, click the latch holding it closed, and pop the lid open. Inside are a bunch of papers...

No, not papers. Maps.

It's a box full of old Hunter's maps.

To the common looter, this would be worthless, but you know that each one of these has a huge amount of info on them.

>Take it

>Leave it

>Other

>>1257471
>>Take it
Exploration calls to me

>Take it

>>1257471
>>Take it

>>1257471
>>Take it

>>1257471
>>Take it
We can always apologize later

>writing

You put the box under your arm, and head back to the ladder.

"Got it?" She asks.
"Trident" You say, passing the weapon up.
"Nice, thanks" She says. "You sure you're even allowed to give me weapons?"
"I figure it's up to me at this point" You say.
"Makes sense. If I was gonna murder anyone, it'd probably be you" She says. "Then I could get the shackle off and be on my way"

"The way you said that worries me..." You say, as you come up the ladder.
"Aww, I wouldn't hurt you!" She says, hugging your arm once you're on solid ground. "Honestly, where would I even go after that?"

"I dunno" You say.

"Exactly" She says. "Can't go back to Fran, since you guys are close. Probably couldn't stay in Lubars since you're a prince. West won't do, they hate me out there. Maybe north..."

...

"Much easier just to deal with being on a leash" She says. "Especially when the one I'm leashed to is so cute!"

You let out a chuckle, and scratch the back of your neck.

"Ahhh~ You're blushing!" She says.
"I-I am not!" You reply.
Cheska giggles, until she notices the box. "What's in there?" She asks.

You smile triumphantly. "Old hunter maps" You say.
"You're much more excited about this than you should be" She says. "What's so special about hunter maps?"
"A hunter records all of their journeys on these" You say. "There's bound to be a whole ton of information about the world in here!"

...

"I have every reason to be excited about that" You say.
"You and I seem to be excited by different things" She says.
"Knowledge is exciting!" You say.
"Whatever floats your boat" She says. "Come on, let's get going"

>1/2

>>1257618
>"You and I seem to be excited by different things" She says.
>"Knowledge is exciting!" You say.
>"Whatever floats your boat" She says.

>not excited for knowledge
0/10 waifu, drop her

guys if Yuu had a character theme what would it be?

You speed down the streets of Bell's Run as fast as your ability to turn will let you, which for now is really not that fast. Not in comparison to how fast you could be going, anyway.

But it still beats walking.

When you arrive at the barracks, you don't see any sign of the others. Rhea, who is standing guard, comfirms this.

"The Commander was actually waiting for you, Yuu" Rhea says "I think she wanted to speak with you in private"
"All right" You say.
"Maaan... I'm gettin' sick of waiting outside" Cheska says.

You pat Cheska on the shoulder, and head inside. Rhea looks a little wary about the demon being armed, but she doesn't question it out loud.

You reach Altea's office and head inside.

"Ah, Yuu. Glad you came" She says, pushing a sheet of paper across the table to you. "I need you to sign that"

>Kay

>What is it?

>Other

>>1257711
>>Kay

>Kay

>>1257711
>>Kay
>>What is it?

>>1257711
>>What is it?
It's probably the adoption papers or something.

>>1257711
>>Kay

>>1257711
>Kaaaay

>>1257711
>>Kay
>>What is it?

>>1257711
>I'm not getting married to someone, right?

>writing

You pick up the page and look it over.

It... has a lot of words on it...

"I'm not getting married off, am I?" You ask.
"What? No. Why would that be your first conclusion?" Altea asks.
"Oh, good" You say. "So what are they then?"
"The actual adoption papers" She says. "I'd been putting off the official stuff, but after hearing about how Katherine took your friend in, I figured it was time to go through with it"

"Oh" You say. "Well why didn't you ssay so?"
"I suppose I should've" She says. "Anyways, just sign your name at the bottom and we can make this official"

You put the paper back down on the table, and grab a pen. Looking over at Altea's signature, you notice that her writing is all curvy and fancy.

...

You figure you'll just write your name normally. It might be short, but better to keep it simple than to try and fail at being fancy.

Y-u-u. "There" You say, handing the paper back.
"Excellent" She says. "Now, it doesn't matter on this one, but in the future you'll be signing things as 'Yuu Gallant', alright?"
"Awesome" You say.

Altea smiles. "So? Feel any different?" She asks.
"Not really" You say.
"Me neither" She says. "Though I suppose that's because the resposibilities of motherhood haven't hit me yet... but then you are fairly independant"

"That's true" You say. "So... what now?"
"I'm not quite sure" She says. "I imagined this would feel a bit different..."

"Would it help if we hugged?" You ask.
"It's worth a try..." She says, as she stands up from her chair.

You walk over and hug Alt-... your mom.

...

This does feel pretty nice.

"Do I still have to call you Commander?" You ask.
"Mom, or mother will suffice" She says.

...

"Good luck on your mission... son"
"Thanks mom"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be on Monday.

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


The first part of the new Blood Moon isn't quite done yet. To be honest I'm having some troule figuring out exactly how long they should be.
Either way, part 1 should be finished by next weekend, hopefully.

>>1257890
Great thread, Smiley!

Now, I've been thinking about what you said about Glutton needing to come into conflict with a god to get his shit slapped.

However, isn't Saif The Fool? Doesn't he count?

>>1257890
Thanks for running Smiley, see you on Monday

>>1257890
Thanks for running Smiley

>>1257918
this quest isn't gonna have as much suffering as bloodmoon is it?

>>1258169
I hope not, but i imagine things will get pretty hairy when we confront Mahron if we don't 1v1 him

I expect friends to die if we plan or roll poorly, should we take him on as a team

After going over mission plans for a few minutes, you leave Altea's office just as Derrick arrives.

"Hey man" He says. "She in there?"
"Yeah" You say.

He tilts his head. "You seem pretty cheerful" He says. "We just get word that the stronghold is made of candy?"
"Nah-... is that possible?" You ask. "It would make getting in easier. We could just chew through the walls..."

"I don't think it is" He says. "So what's up?"
"Oh yeah, I just signed off on the paperstuff. We're actually cousins now" You say.
"Awesome!" Derrick says.

You bump fists with him, and then-

>Head back to the entrance

>Head back inside with Derrick

>Other

>>1264538
>>Head back to the entrance
Evening Smiley

>>1264538
>head back to the entrance

>>1264538
>Head back to the entrance

>>1264538
>>Head back to the entrance

>>1264538
>>Head back to the entrance

Once again Yuu shows that his dialogue is evolving on its' own; he seems to know what a cousin is, and I don't recall anyone teaching him that one.

>writing

"I'll be out by the entrance" You say.
"All right. This shouldn't be long" He replies.

You walk down the hall, and Cheska falls into step beside you.

"So you're adopted now?" She asks.
"I'm WHAT?" You ask.

...

"Yeah I'm adopted" You say. "I basically was before, it's just official now"
"Neat" She says. "And her first act as your mother is to send you into the Inquisition's stronghold?"
"She wouldn't send me there if she didn't think I could handle it" You say. "And technically her first act was to give me a hug"

"Aww" Cheska says. "I never really took her for the motherly type, but I've been wrong about people before"
"I made the same mistake when I first met her, too" You say.
"So what now?" Cheska asks, as you arrive at the entrance.

You look around and see Rhea standing guard. Madelaine and Emi are across the street talking about something.

>Try your hand at maintaining the Rook

>Talk to Rhea

>See what Madelaine and Emi are talking about

>Other

>>1264779
>>Try your hand at maintaining the Rook

>>1264779
>>See what Madelaine and Emi are talking about

>>1264779
>>See what Madelaine and Emi are talking about

>>1264779
>>See what Madelaine and Emi are talking about

>>1264779
>Try your hand at maintaining the Rook
GEARHEADS HOOOOOOO!

>writing

>>1264779
>See what Madelaine and Emi are talking about

>>1264779
>>Talk to Rhea
Time to learn about clowns!

You head across to Emi and Madelaine.

"What's up?" You ask.

They both look up, startled somehow by your appearance.

...

"H-hey Yuu" Emi says. "I kinda thought you;d be coming out with Derrick"
"Nah. He's probably got his own stuff to talk with Altea about" You say. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Girl stuff" Emi says.

You tilt your head. "Girl stuff?" You ask.
"The kind of stuff you can't talk about with guys around" Madelaine says.

...

"That means me doesn't it?" You ask.
"It does... sorry" Emi says.
"Fine, I guess I'll-"

>Eavesdrop

>Go look over the Rook

>Talk to Rhea

>Other

>>1264909
>>Go look over the Rook

>>1264909
>>Talk to Rhea

>Talk to Rhea

>>1264909
>Go look over the Rook

>>1264909
>Eavesdrop

>>1264909
>Go look over the Rook
as much as i want to know what they are talking about i don't want to ruin their trust if we mess up and they find us.

>>1264909
>>Eavesdrop

>writing

"-go make sure the Rook doesn't break halfway there" You say.
"Thank you" Emi says.

As much as you'd like to hear just what 'girl talk' entails, you get the feeling that you're better off not knowing...

So you walk over to where you parked the Rook, noting that Cheska stays behind with the other girls.

Remembering what Meyu told you, you pull out the tool kit that he gave you, find one of the maintenance panels, and se what you can do...

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>1265025

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>1265025

>>1265030
>Rook modified to go 300% faster

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>1265025

>>1265034
>The Rook gains Chaos guns

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>1265025
>>1265025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ0xBCwkg3E

>writing

>>1265085
Forgot your focus, Smiley?

>>1265094
Focus is only for combat and other life-threatening scenarios, mostly.

>>1265101
You oughta do focus more, it'd be fun
Seeing the path to success is good for more than combat and saving your ass

>>1265105
It has more to do with the whole 'path to success' thing being a sort of survival instinct, rather than something that just happens.

It wouldn't randomly turn itself on here, when you're just looking at your bike. But say you fuck something up now, and later almost crash it, then you'd get a focus roll.

You pop open the first panel and look inside.

Everything looks clean and in order. At least, you think it is.

...

Maybe you should've gone over this more thoroughly with Meyu...

Ah well. You pretty much know what you're doing, so you apply a little bit of oil to the parts that need it, close up the panel and move on.

You repeat this process with the other 3 panels, oiling up moving parts, tightening down any loose looking bolts, making sure there are no fractures or breaks in the crystal channels...

After a few minutes, you're all done. And more importantly, you're confident that this thing'll take you anywhere you need it to go... provided there's something resembling a road going there.

"All done?" Derrick asks.
"Yeah" You say, as you finish packing away your tools and wipe your forehead. "When'd you get back"
"A few minutes ago" He says. "You seemed pretty engrossed in your work, so I figured I'd let you finish"
"Thanks" You say.
"Any problems?" He asks.
"Nope. She should run smooth all the way there" You say.

"She?" Madelaine asks. "Oh, don't tell me you're gonna name it like Meyu did..."

>Nah, Rook suits it fine

>Give it a name (Specify if you want)

>Other

>>1265166
>Nah, Rook suits it fine

>>1265166
>>Give it a name (Specify if you want)
Betsy V.2 or Mini Betsy

File: [starry eyes].jpg (92 KB, 1280x720)

92 KB JPG

>>1265166
>Give it a name (Specify if you want)
Since I wasn't allowed to name Coral Mii, Rook is They.

>>1265166
>>Nah, Rook suits it fine

>>1265166
this >>1265209

>Nah, Rook suits it fine

>>1265220
>>1265210
>>1265190
All of you are no fun.

>>1265166
this >>1265209

>>1265166
>Nah, Rook suits it fine
Honestly, Rook is a pretty good name.

>>1265166
>>Nah, Rook suits it fine

>>1265166
>>Nah, Rook suits it fine

File: low class thinking.jpg (55 KB, 640x480)

55 KB JPG

>>1265240
>>1265239
>>1265232
>>1265190
>>1265210
>>1265220

>>1265254
your salty tears are delicious

>writing

>>1265254
I voted for Yuu and Mii but not everything needs to be a meme, man. Rook is a good name and They is a dumb one.

Also what this guy >>1265258 said.

>>1265254
Remember, Mii didn't win the vote but it was still incorporated into the post, that'll be nice enough, to get everyone's reaction to the name

>>1265254
You were wanting to go with They, that doesn't even cause the right amount of confusion and will just sound dumb.

"Are you taking they? / Going with they? / Riding they there?"

I probably would have been tempted otherwise if there was a better name.

>>1265275
I was going to suggest "Them" but i couldn't think of any fun alternate spellings, like Yuu or Mii

>>1265293
Wee could've been used.

>>1265298
Shit, I should have thought of that, or
>>1265293
"Oh, they're with Them."

God, I hate my fucking sleep schedule.

>>1265298
>"Are you taking Wee? / Going with Wee? / Riding Wee there?"

Still really doesn't work

>>1265310
>>1265298
Myself? Kinda sorta works... Could have been a "me, myself, and I" joke but sadly that train has left the station.

"Well I was originally gonna name Coral Mii... so why don't I name it 'them'?" You say.

Madelaine sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I ain't dealin' with this shit, Yuu" She says.
"How about Little Betsy?" You ask.

...

"I'm kidding. I actually like the Rook as its name" You say.
"Thank god..." Madelaine says. "We should get going now"
"Yep" Derrick says. "We're parked over there, so we'll meet you at the gate, Yuu"

You look over to where Derrick points, and see the old cart.

"Cool" You say. Then you grab the box youtook from the guild hall and hand it to him. "Mind putting these in there?"
"What's this?" He asks.
"A box of old hunter's maps" You say. "I found them when I was looking for Cheska's trident. I figured that since Vance's map had 5 of the ruins on it, some of these might have the other 3"
"Good call" Derrick says. "I'll put it in the storage compartment. All your clothes and stuff are down there too"

"Awesome" You say. "See you guys there"

>1/2

>>1265327
Miezelf would of been cool

>>1265333
What could have been. I would have voted for it.

"Madelaine seemed pretty excited about those maps" Cheska says, as the two of you mount up.
"She's got this odd obsession with the ruins" You say. "If I remember right, they're the only reason why she's with us"

"How so?" Cheska asks.

You ease the Rook into motion and keep it going at a smooth pace. No need to go too quick here.

"The Empire's forces wouldn't let her into the Howling Tower" You say. "Which is why they came back to Locke, and cut a deal with Altea"
"Ahhh... 'We help you with your rebellion, you let us into the ruins' sort of thing, yeah?" She asks.
"Exactly" You say.

"What about you?" She asks. "What's your interest in them?"
"Curiousity, mainly" You say. "They seem to be connected to a whole bunch of things, and I wanna find out why"
"But to do that, you also have to help the rebellion" She says.
"Yep" You reply. "Because if they turned Madelaine away, I doubt they'd let me in"

"I wonder where I'll be at the end of all this..." She says.

>Free, possibly

>Right here

>Who knows?

>Other

>>1265445
>>Right here

>>1265445
>>Right here
"I mean, if want you to be"

>>1265445
>Free, possibly
Or, if you want to be
>Right here?

>>1265445
>>Right here

>>1265445
>Staying with your sister again?

>writing

"Right here?" You say. "I mean... if you want to be. If not then hopefully with Fran"
"Your optimism is refreshing" She says.
"Why thank you" You reply.

"I mean, I'm not as optimistic as you" She says. "I don't think things will go the way you want them to"
"Well that's entirely up to you, isn't it?" You ask.

Cheska hugs you a little tighter.

"I guess it is" She says.

The rest of the ride is quiet, which you don't mind. It's hard to talk to someone who's stuck behind you. Maybe riding this thing with a passenger will take some getting used to...

When you reach the gate, Meyu's crew, as well as your skirmish team are already there.

"You guys are late" Meyu says.
"No. You're early" You say.
"Not by my watch" Meyu says.

You bring the Rook to a stop, and check your timekeeper.

"Huh. My watch just says 'the mission starts when I say it does'... weird" You reply.

Meyu laughs out loud. "Already settling into the role of a leader, eh kid?" He asks.
You smile back. "That's captain to you" You reply.

>Ask if they're all ready

>Get Meyu to double check your maintenance

>Figure out who's going in which cart

>Other

>>1265636
>>Ask if they're all ready

>>1265636
>Get Meyu to double check your maintenance
Explain to him what we did, and what the major things to look out for are.

>>1265636
>Figure out who's going in which cart
>>Ask if they're all ready

>>1265636
>>Figure out who's going in which cart

>Get Meyu to double check your maintenance

>Figure out who's going in which cart

>>1265636
>>Get Meyu to double check your maintenance

>writing

"So who's going in which cart?" You ask.
"We figured we'd split it so all the men were in one, and then have all the girls and Derrick in the other" Meyu says.

"So men in one, women in the other" You say. "Makes sense to me"
"I'm telling him you said that" Cheska says.
"He won't mind... probably" You say. "If that's all settled, then could you come look at something?"

"What's up?" Meyu asks.
"I did some maintenance on the Rook and I wanna make sure I did everything right" You say.
"Alright, let's have a look then" He says.

>1/2

"Everything looks good to me" Meyu says. "Just make sure you don't stress the lines, and you should be fine"
"Stress the lines? How would I do that?" You ask.
"Go fast than you should" He says. "Basically your 'max speed' is the fastest you can go without manually feeding the machine more energy. In a pinch, you can give it a kick yourself. But your lines are only meant to handle your engine's output, so-"

"If I put more energy into the system it could overload" You say. "Got it"
"Now, I don't mean 'don't do it ever'. In a pinch it's a useful card to have up your sleeve, just try to avoid it and make sure you check those lines afterwards if you do" He says.
"Alright" You say.

"Looks like someone's found a kindred spirit" Madelaine says.
Meyu smiles. "Just showin' Yuu how to care for his transport" He says. "You shoould show some more interest in your ol' man's hobbies"
"I already picked up the sword. What more do you want?" Madelaine asks.

Meyu laughs and ruffles Madelaine's hair. "I'm just yankin' your chain, kiddo" He says. "So we all set?"

>Anything to do?

>>1265769
Inquisition Elimination Squad Forward March

>>1265769
All good to go, unless there is anything we're forgetting.

>writing

>>1265769
Check carts for cats

>>1265769
We should see if we can upgrade the power lines to handle more than the engine output without adding too much weight or complexity.

"Before we go, you guys both checked your carts for sleeping kittens?" You ask.
"Double checked" Meyu says.
"None in ours" Derrick says.

"Okay, someone wanna fill me in? Why would you check for cats?" Paula asks.
"We'll explain on the way" Emi says.

"Alright, everybody into the carts! Let's get this show on the road!" Meyu says.

As everyone is getting on the carts, Meyu tells you which turns to take to get to the stronghold.

"It's almost a straight shot from here" He says. "There's only one real turn, but that'll be a few hours in. We'll stop for a rest sometime before then"
"Kay. See you then" You reply.

You and Cheska mount back up on the Rook, though this time she leaves the trident with Derrick. Then you wait for everyone else to get settled and start moving.

You take the lead, of course. Ahead of you, outside the gate, all you see for miles ahead is open road.

Once everyone is moving, you-

>Stick with the group

>Punch it

>Other

>>1265849
>Punch it
No forcing the Rook though

>>1265849
>>Stick with the group

>>1265849
>>Punch it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv13gl0a-FA

>Punch it

>>1265849
>>Punch it

>>1265849
>Punch it
Drive fast enough that Cheska holds Yuu tight

>writing

You call Coral from on top of your head, and tell her to go hang in Derrick's cart for the time being. Then you pull back beside Meyu and let him know what you're planning.

He smiles. "Testin' the new wheels on the open road, huh?" He asks. "Don't let us get in your way, just don't get too far ahead"
"I'll slow down once I'm done and let you guys catch up" You say.
"Have fun kid" He says.

You start to speed up gradually, immediately passing Meyu's cart.

"Are we really doing this?" She asks.
"Hold on tight!" You say, as you turn the throttle and kick the Rook into motion.

The engine hums pleasantly underneath you, as Cheska clings to your back for dear life.

You remember when Derrick was pushing your old cart as fast as it could go back when you were being chased by those raptors. This is nothing like that.

You can barely hear anything over the wind rushing past your ears. You get the feeling that one wrong move at this speed would not end well for either of you, but still... it feels good.

You're able to see and avoid upcoming bumps and turns from much further away than a normal person, and you use that to your advantage. If you were the only one making this trip, you could probably keep this speed going right until the final turn...

But as it is, you'd then have to wait a few hours for everyone to catch up. So you ease up and bring yourself down to a more reasonable speed.

"I'm done speeding, you can stop clinging" You say.
"On one condition" She says.
"What's that?" You ask.
"Never do that again" She says.

>You hate it that much?

>No deal

>Not unless I have to

>Other

>>1265950
>>Not unless I have to

>You hate it that much?

>>1265950
>>Not unless I have to

>>1265950
>>Not unless I have to

>>1265950
>>You hate it that much?

>>1265950
>>Not unless I have to
>You hate it that much?

>>1265950
>>You hate it that much?

>writing

"Not unless I have to... which I probably shouldn't" You say. "Unless we get chased by something that can go faster than us... which I don't think we'll find out here"
"Good..." She says, as her grip loosens.

"You hate it that much?" You ask.
"It's just... kinda scary, is all" She says. "I'm sure I'd feel differently if I were driving, but just the speed and the fact that I have no control over anything..."
"I get it" You say. "And you can technically drive this thing, if I'm on board"
"Really?" She asks.
"It just needs me to start it up and absorb the excess. Beyond that I think someone else could drive it, so long as I'm a passenger" You say.

"Huh..." She says. "I'll keep that in mind"

You slow down some more, turning the Rook as it comes to a stop so you can look back.

"Wow... we're a lot farther than I thought we'd be" You say.
"That's what happens when you take off like that" She says. "Anyways, this'll be a long trip. Know any way to pass the time?"

"I dunno..." You say. "Ever played I spy?"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be on either Wednesday or Thursday

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

Thanks for the thread!

>>1266016
Thanks for running Smiley

>>1266016
Thanks for Running Smiley
>Cheska takes the Rook for a spin
Oh Boy

>>1266016
Great thread, Smiley!