>>1466176
>Say goodbye and head to the postmaster

>>1466176
>>Say goodbye and head to the postmaster

>>1466176
>>Your mom used to read your mail?
Seems kinda paranoid and rude.

>writing

"Your mom used to read your mail?" You ask.
"She did" Altea says. "I've lived in Locke for quite some time, but most personal letters to me were sent to Leon... and whenever I would visit, half of them would be open already"
"Wow. That's kinda rude..." You say.

Altea shrugs. "Mother was always nosy, and I knew that" She says. "Which was why I made sure that only the less-personal of my personal letters went to Locke. That way she could satisfy her curiosity without learning anything I didn't want her to"

"You couldn't just ask her to stop?" You ask.
"It's not that simple" She says. "But then, you haven't had a mother for very long so I wouldn't expect you to know how they'd be..."

You tilt your head, but before you can say anything further the door opens behind you.

You turn to see Pip slipping through the half-opened doorway. "Commander" She says.
"Ah, Lulu. Good, have you-"
"Not Lulu" Pip says.

Altea pauses for a moment, then closes her eyes and sighs. "Pip, yes. Terribly sorry" Altea says. "What brings you here?"
"Scouts are back" Pip says.
"Good news?" Altea asks.
"Not even close" Pip says.

Altea frowns, then turns to you. "You should get going, Yuu. Ths is likely to take some time" She says.
"Kay" You say. "I'll come back later"

>1/2

As you walk out of Altea's office, you consider asking the people you're with if all mothers are like that.

But then you remember that both of their mothers are dead, so you figure you'll keep that question to yourself until you're around someone who it wouldn't depress.

The three of you head down the hall until you reach the end.

"Last door on the left..." You say, as you turn into the doorway.

You look in to see an arachnid woman climbing up a shelf to put away some letters. The first thing you notice about her is that she's much smaller than Gwen or Ariadne. The second thing you notice is that she's also much fuzzier.

"Uhh... postmaster?" You call out into the room.

The arachnid swivels her head and focuses all 8 of her eyes on you, before skillfully hopping down off of the shelf and skittering over to her desk.

"That's me!" She says. "What can I do for you?"
"The Commander said I have some letters waiting for me" You say.
"Your name?" She asks.
"Yuu Gallant" You say.

"Ah, yes" She says. "Give me one moment"

The arachnid make one big jump from her desk to a shelf, clinging to it and climbing it easily as she checks the labels.

"Fo, Fu, G, Ga, Gal, Gallant! There it is!" She says, as she plucks the pair of envelopes from the shelf. She then jumps straight from the shelf back to her desk, and hands the letters to you. "Here you go!"
"Thank you" You say.
"No problem" She says. "Have a nice day!"

As you walk out of the spider's office, you read over the backs of the envelopes. One of these is from Stella, and the other is from Ilica. Once you're back out in the hall, you start heading back to the carts with Derrick and Cheska.

>Ask why that lady was jumping around so much

>Open up Stella's letter

>Open up Ilica's letter

>Other

>>1466337
>Ask why that lady was jumping around so much

>Open up Ilica's letter

>>1466337
>Ask why that lady was jumping around so much

>Open up Stella's letter

>>1466337
>>Ask why that lady was jumping around so much

>>Open up Stella's letter

>>1466337
>Ask why that lady was jumping around so much

>Open up Ilica's letter

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>writing

No tiebreaker in sight, so we let the dice gods decide
1 for Ilica
2 for Stella

huzza!

"Why was that lady jumping around so much?" You ask.
"Oh, that's Daphne" Derrick says. "She's a jumping spider"

You tilt your head. "How do you know her name?" You ask.
"She's been working as the castle postmaster in Locke for a while" Derrick says. "I used to get my letters from her when I was younger, too"
"Neat" You say. "One more question"

"Shoot" Derrick says.
"Is she called a jumping spider because she jumps so much, or does she jump so much because she's a jumping spider?" You ask.
"Probably the latter" Derrick says. "I think hopping around is just easier for her than walking, especially when she has to go up the shelves"

You nod, and turn your attention to the letters in your hand. For whatever reason, Stella's feels a little thicker then Ilica's...

When you reach the carts, Derrick pats you on the shoulder.

"You go ahead and read. I'm gonna talk over what we're doing with everyone" He says.
"Kay, thanks" You say, as you set Stella's letter aside and start working the envelope for Ilica's open...

>1/2

Once you've got the letter out, you unfold it and start reading. Ilica's handwriting is messier than what you're used to. But it's not unreadable...

>Dear Yuu
>Glad to hear that things went so well! Vivi's safely back where she belongs, being her usual self.
>And by her usual self, I mean that this will be my second time writing this letter, as Vivi knocked my drink over on the first one...

You chuckle and keep reading.

>You're welcome for the clothes. I figured you'd forget something so I decided to check your room.
>I'll call us even for asking my mom not to make fun of me.
>Mom has now informed me of what it actually means to "mark" someone. Sorry about that, I hope it didn't cause any trouble.

>My training is... going. I managed to hit the target today. It wasn't a bulls eye, and I didn't manage to do it twice but it's a start.
>What I'm trying to say is: I hope the battle is going better than my training.

>That girl you sent here is doing fine so far from what I've seen. Stella knows more, and I know she put more about it in her letter so I'll let you hear it from her.

>Good luck, and stay safe.

>Signed
>Ilica

>P.S. Vivi as also starting to mimic speech now, which means she'll be making the change from meow-ing to learning to speak soon. Hilariously, Mom and Dad had no idea. It's funny, they know all about what's happening with me, but they're both hopeless when it comes to kittens.

>P.P.S. And on the subject of kittens. New baby sister! So excited. =^.^=

You smile and put the letter down. It sounds like she's happy, even if her training's not going well. You'll have to send her some encouragement in your reply...


>Read Stella's letter now

>See what everyone else is doing

>Other

>>1466478
>>Read Stella's letter now

>>1466478

>Read Stella's letter now

>>1466478
>>Read Stella's letter now

>>1466478
>>Read Stella's letter now

>>1466478
>Read Stella's letter now

>writing

File: Happy Bun.png (15 KB, 437x530)

15 KB PNG

You put Ilica's letter back in its envelope, before working the envelope open on Stella's. Once you've got it open, you unfold the letter and start reading...

>Dear Yuu

>You failed to warn me about how cute little Esther is. Her poor aunt practically had to pry her away from me.
>She's settling in fine, by the way. Her aunt was more than happy to take her in, though it'll be a few days until she has a room for her.

>So the lamb is currently at the castle with us. As I'm writing this she's with the Gabby and the devils, so I'd say she's doing just fine.
>We were all happy to see Vivian home safe. Munchkin was so pleased that she, quote: "made you a draw", which I put in the envelope with this letter.

>Aside from the fluffy addition, things are pretty much the same here... well, with the exception of some news from Katherine, but I'll let Ilica share that one.

>I hope things are going well over there! Keep up the good work and all this fighting will be done in no time!

>Signed
>Stella Lepol

>P.S. I know I asked this in my last letter, but could you ask your mother if I can turn some of the courtyard into a garden? I'm starting to go stir-crazy, and I could use a hobby of some sort... I mean, if you have the time...

You nod as you check the envelope and pull out the other paper that's inside, smiling as you look it over. You'll have to pin this up somewhere...

You're glad to hear that Esther is doing alright. You'll have to get those kids some candy or something for being so good...

But for now, you put the letter and the picture back into their envelope, and then-

>Go see if Altea is still busy

>See what everyone else is doing

>Other

>>1466544
>>See what everyone else is doing
Might want to wait until a bit later in the day to talk to Altea

>>1466544
>See what everyone else is doing

>>1466544
>Other
Lets work on a reply for them.

>writing

You walk back to the cart and go into the cargo compartment underneath it so you can put your letters away in your bag. You'll write a response later, when you have a place to actually sit down and work on them.

Then you head around the cart to where everyone else is gathered.

"What's going on?" You ask.
"No idea" Derrick says.

"We usually have duties, but I'm pretty sure Yuu's our commander at the moment..." Paula says. "Come to think of it, I don't remember anything official about us joining you on that mission"

Flit gets up on her toes to whisper something in Paula's ears.

Paula looks surprised. "You did paperwork? When?" She asks.
Flit whispers some more.
"So that's where you went..." She says. "Alright then... we go where Yuu goes, for the time being"

"So... what o you want to do, Yuu?" Derrick asks.

>See if Altea has any work for you to do

>Find a place to stay

>Other

>>1466650
>See if Altea has any work for you to do

>>1466650
>See if Altea has any work for you to do

>writing

"I'll go inside and see if the Comomder has anything for us, and if not then... I guess we get another day off" You say.
"We didn't technically have yesterday off. That was all diplomacy" Derrick says.
"Even the tail brushing?" You ask.

Derrick nods.

"Huh..." You say. "We should do diplomatic missions more often"
"I've heard they're not always so pleasant" Derrick says.
"Darn..." You say. "Anyways, I'll be back"

Derrick nods to you, and you bump fists before heading back inside.

While you like the simplicity of the layout of this place, it's almost annoying how long it takes to get from one door to the other. It's probably no longer than a normal walk through a building, but it's all so samey and straight...

When you reach Altea's door, you knock a few times and wait.

"Enter" Altea says.

You open the door and poke your head in. Altea looks confused.

"Back so soon?" She asks.
"Yeah... me and my team were wondering if you had any work that we could do" You say.

Altea glances at Pip. "Come inside" She says.

>1/2

After shutting the door behind you, Altea motions for you to sit down.

She has a map of Lubars in front of her, and she doesn't look happy...

"What's wrong?" You ask.
"Unexpected circumstances" She says.
"Of the bad kind?" You ask.
"Very much so" She says. "Up to this point, our information about the loyalist army's positioning has been nearly perfect... until some of our scouts went missing..."

You stay silent, and lean in to look at the map.

Altea points to a spot on the map, to the north and slightly east of Sherton.

"Scouts that went missing sent their last contact from here" She says. "As far as we know, there are no loyalist troops in that area. We need someone to confirm if that's still the case, and if possible find out what happened to our scouts"

"Would it be bad if there were loyalists there?" You ask.
"Them having any sort of force up there means that they're trying to hit us from behind while we march on Contique" She says. "That battle will be difficult enough without having to fight it on 2 fronts..."

"So you want me to go up there?" You ask.
"Only if you're up for it" She says. "As of right now, your Rook happens to be the fastest small transport we have- which is something I will have to thank the hunters for -and you've got good eyes for this sort of thing... but there are plenty of others who can do this, if you don't want to"

>I'm in

>What about my team?

>I'll pass

>Other

Also

>Ask about Stella's garden? [Y/N]

>>1466780
>I'm in
But
>What about my team?
Also
>N
We can ask later

>>1466780
>What about my team?
>Y

>>1466780
>I'm in.
>What about my team?

>Y

>writing

"I'm in, but what about my team?" You ask.
"There are always things to be done..." Altea says. "When you go out, let them know they'll be transferred to Pip's command for the time being. Oh, and send Derrick and Emi to me. There's something I'd like to ask the two of them"

You nod and pull out your hunter's map, making a note of the location where the scouts went missing on it before putting it back in your pocket.

"Anything else I should know?" You ask.
"Plenty, but time is of the essence here" She says.
"If I find the scouts, how will I know?" You ask.

Altea makes a quick drawing of an insignia of sorts. "They'll be wearing this" She says. "There should be two of them, both avians. One is a raven, so she'll be rather tall, with black hair and wings. The other is a Siren, so... colours"
"Just... colours?" You ask.
"You'll know what I mean if you see her" Altea says.

>Any further questions?

>>1466863
Nope

>writing

>>1466863
No, but weren't we asking about garden?

>>1466863
Mention that if the 'colors' are illusions, we won't be able to.

"Alright" You say. "One more thing before I go. Is it cool if Stella makes herself a little garden in the castle courtyard back in Locke?"

Altea raises an eyebrow. "Well... I guess" She says. "I believe there are plots for gardens such along the edges. As long as she sticks to those she can do what she wants"
"Awesome. She'll be happy to hear that" You say.

"Is that all?" Altea asks.
"I think so" You say.
"Good, off you go now. I have to come up with something convincing for my chiefs while I wait to hear back from you" She says.

"Here's hoping it's good news" You say, as you stand up and start heading towards the door.
"For all our sakes" Altea says. "Good luck"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be either tomorrow or Wednesday.

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

>>1466966
Thanks for Running Smiley

Smiley, question about stats. is there a cap to them? because i think it might be ridiculous if Yu could do something like reach 100 strength.

You leave Altea's office and head back down the hallway, as you consider your new mission and ponder what might've happened to the scouts...

"New mission?" Cheska asks.

You whip your head around.

"You didn't even notice that I was with you, did you?" She asks.
You breathe out. "I figured you were with the others" You say.

She shrugs. "It's a long building and I didn't know if it'd trigger the shackle. So I figured it's better to be safe than sorry" She says.
You nod. "Yeah, new mission" You say. "I'll give you the details once we get going though. Mom seemed to want to keep it quiet"
"Oooo, cloak and dagger stuff" She says. "I'm in"
"You don't get much of a choice" You say.

She shrugs again.

"And neither of us has a dagger..." You say.
"That's not what that means..." She says.
"Oh" You say. "So what does it mean?"
"Nevermind..." She says.

As you pass by the postmaster's office, it occurs to you that you should probably let Stella know that she's got the go-ahead for her garden before she goes mad from boredom...

>Stop in and send a quick note to the bunny

>Leave it until you return

>Other

>>1471292
lol, refresh the thread and you are posting. Nice to see you smiley.


>Stop in and send a quick note to the bunny

>>1471292
>>Leave it until you return
Afternoon Smiley

>>1471292
>>Stop in and send a quick note to the bunny

>>1471292
>Stop in and send a quick note to the bunny

>>1471292

>Stop in and send a quick note to the bunny

We should answer Illica too

>>1471292
>>Leave it until you return

>writing

>>1470483
You'll hit the cap eventually, but keep in mind that the stats aren't a flat +(stat) to your roll. Instead they alter the table that you're rolling on.

>>1471397
thank you for letting me know, you see i am the kind of person that tends to focus more on stat increase then anything

"Just give me one second" You say. "Altea gave Stella the go-ahead to make a garden in the courtyard back in Locke, I'm gonna let her know before we head out"
"Don't be too long. I might get bored and go absolutely nowhere" She says.

You both poke your tongues out at each other, as you head into the postmaster's office.

The spider lady looks down at you from her perch on the shelves. "Ah, it's Yuu again" She says. "What can I do for ya?"
"I'd just like to send back a quick reply to the letters I got" You say.

"No problem!" She says, as she hops back to her desk and hands you a pen and paper. "Just let me know when you're done"

You take the paper and quickly scrawl out something to send.

>Hey Stel
>I don't have time for a full reply at the moment, so that will have to wait until my current mission is done
>Love the drawing. Tell Munchkin she's adorable for me
>Altea says go ahead with the garden, but keep to the plots around the sides

You look up from the page, trying to think if there's anything you're missing...

>Anything else?

Also

>Write one for Ilica as well? [Y/N]

>>1471442
No just keep it short
We can send Stella and Ilica proper response when we aren't about to go on a mission to look for missing scouts

>>1471442
>>Write one for Ilica as well? [N]

>>1471442
>Write one for Ilica as well? [N]

>>1471460

I think I'm going with this one

>writing

You nod and put your name on the bottom, then hand it to Daphne and tell her who it's going to.

"Alrighty" She says. "This'll go out with the next batch, since we've been dealing with too much volume to send each letter by sprite"

"Can't you send this one by sprite?" You ask.
"Sorry hun, but if I make an exception for you, then the next guy wants the same treatment..." She says.
"I get it" You say.

"If you want it to go out so soon, why not send it with that little one on your shoulder?" She asks.

You look down at Coral, who is currently sitting cross-legged on your shoulder. She shrugs, and you turn back to Daphne.

"Coral's been working hard lately, so I'm giving her a break" You say. "Plus I'd like to keep her around in case I need her for something urgently"
"Suit yourself..." Daphne says, as she hops over to the 'outward mail' shelf and files your letter away...

"When is the next batch going out anyway?" You ask
"It won't be too long" She says. "We ship them out at the end of each day"
"That's good to hear, thanks" You say, waving to the jumping spider as you head out and meet Cheska in the hallway.

"Took your long enough" She says.
"No it didn't" You say. "I didn't even stop to send something to Ilica"
"Hmmm...? Picking favourites now?" She asks.
"No, I just don't really need to send anything to her yet" You say. "Come on, let's get back"

Cheska giggles as she falls into step beside you. "Yes sir~"

>1/2

You head back to the carts once you get outside, and find everyone waiting for you.

"So?" Derrick asks.
"Cheska and I have a job" You say. "The Comomder wants to see you and Emi. Also Flit, Paula and Georg are reporting to Pip for the time being"

"She's sending you off so soon?" Derrick asks.
"Yeah, I'm going north" You say.

Derrick thinks for a moment. "We lose a scout?" He asks.

...

"How did you know?" You ask.
"It's the only thing I can think of that would require such a fast response" Derrick says,. "Which is why she's sending you, since you have our fastest transport"
"Nicely done" Georg says. "You have a mind for tactics?"
"Kind of... I'm not the best, but I'm pretty capable" Derrick says. "So the Commander wants to see us, yeah? Should we just head in?"

"Yep, she's waiting" You say.

"What about us?" Meyu asks.
"She didn't mention you" You say. "But you could probably just go with Flit"
"Why Flit, specifically?" Madelaine asks.
"Because she's the softest" You say. "Therefore she's in charge"
Zaine chuckles. "Your methods of promotion are astounding" He says.

"Thank you" You say.

>Anything further before you leave?

>>1471620
>>Anything further before you leave?
just be careful out there

>>1471620
I think we are good here

That is by far the best promotion requirement

>writing

When we made a shield out of our mage blade, for some reason my mind went to the black lance/sword weapon used here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcGX9n3_tGc

Emi slithers up and hugs you.

...

"Not gona tell me to be careful?" You ask.
"You're never careful" Emi says. "Just don't lose an arm, okay?"
"So I can-"
"Or a leg" Emi says.

...

"Darn..." You say.

Emi giggles and gives you a squeeze, before letting go. Then Derrick steps up and bumps your fist.

"Give em hell... well, if there's anyone to give hell to" Derrick says.
"If I can't find any, can I go looking?" You ask.
"Probably best just to find out what happened to the scouts and report back" Derrick says.

...

"Then can I go looking?" You ask.
"Then you can come back" Derrick says. "My sis always used to say that the problem with looking for trouble, is that sometimes you find it"
"That makes sense" You say.

You say the rest of your goodbyes, and then mount up as the others head inside.

"Ready to go?" You ask.
"I'll be glad when I never have to ride this thing again..." Cheska says.
"... is that a yes?" You ask.
"Yes" She says.
"Alright" You say, as you start up the Rook and get it moving.

>1/2

As you leave Sherton, you turn back to Cheska.

"So what do you think happened?" You ask.
"The scouts are probably dead" Cheska says. "That's the most likely reason why they wouldn't report back"

"What will we find if we go up there and they are?" You ask.
"With any luck, the people who got 'em will be gone" Cheska says. "If they're not, then we may be riding straight into the enemy"

"Well I promise to ride straight away if that's the case" You say.
"Let's hope it helps" She says.

"So what situations could make them not report back if they aren't dead?" You ask.
"They could've gone to ground, or had their sprites shot down, or-"
"People shoot sprites?" You ask.
"Sometimes" Cheska says. "Best way to make sure a letter doesn't get delivered is to shoot the messenger"

"But... they're sprites" You say. "They just want to be helpful..."
"All's fair in war, or something... I think that's how the saying goes" Cheska says.

You frown, and look down at Coral. She's settled down in front of you, sitting on the Rook in a spot under your chest where the wind won't blow her around.

"Stay close to me, okay Coral?" You ask. "I don't want you to get hurt"

Coral gives a stern salute, and you turn your attention back to the road.

"All right... time to hit the road" You say, as you turn the throttle and speed up. If you keep a good speed the whole way, you'll be at the target point in no time...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>1471849
poi~

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>1471849

Will we get a chance to train our mage blade soon?

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>1471849

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>writing

And focus

>>1471917
ahahaha, I think we got both.

Cheska's going to have a fun ride!

You work your speed up slowly, going faster and faster until until you've hit the Rook's limit.

The trees on the roadside fly by, and the only sound you can hear is the wind in your ears.

For whatever reason, Cheska seems strangely relaxed. It's a welcome change from her usual 'clinging for dear life' whenever you pick up the speed on this thing.

...

She definitely hasn't fallen off, which is a relief. You'd feel like kind of a jerk if she fell off and you kept going.

But you can't ask why she's being weird when you're going this fast, so you settle into your pace and keep it moving...

>1/2

A few hours pass with nothing interesting in sight, though you still keep your eyes out.

You see lots of birds flying about, and the occasional small animal. But no monsters... not that they could catch you with how fast you're going.

Just as you're beginning to wonder if you'll ever find something, you suddenly see a thing.

...

That doesn't really make sense, but it's enough to make you hit the brakes and come to a skidding stop.

"What's happening?" Cheska asks.
"I saw a thing" You say.
"What kind of thing?" She asks.
"I dunno" You say. "But I think it's important"

"O... kay" She says "Where did you see it?"
"Off in the woods over there" You say, as you look towards where you saw the thing. You can't see anything now, but you definitely felt like you had to stop here...

"So what are we waiting for?" She asks.

>Go check it out?

>>1472056
>Might as well.

>>1472056
yes

>>1472056
Let's go

>writing

>>1472056
You cant just ignore the thing once you've seen the thing, its just not polite.

You both hop off the Rook, and you take a moment to drain the energy from its engine so nobody can take it.

Even though you're in the middle of nowhere... Well, better to be careful. It's a loooong walk back to Sherton...

You then roll the Rook up and hide it in some bushes, and start heading into the forest.

"So you say it was a... feeling?" Cheska whispers.
"Yeah, like I had to stop here" You whisper back.
"You sure you don't just have to pee or something?" She asks.
"Pretty sure" You say.

You continue into the forest, being as quiet as possible. Until you start to smell something...

"Smell that?" You ask.
"Fire" She says. "Probably just a campfire... could be our scouts"
"Or someone else" You say.

Suddenly the quiet is broken by an ear piercing shriek. It sounds human, but you doubt any human could make that kind of noise...

>Run towards it

>Run away from it

>Other

>>1472186
>Run towards it

>>1472186
>Consider it might be a special ability of siren.
>Run towards it, be prepared for combat.

>>1472207
supporting

>>1472186
>>Run towards it

>writing

"What the hell was that?" Cheska asks.
"We're about to find out. Come on!" You say, as you run towards where you heard the scream.

"You want to go towards that? Are you ma- AH! Holy shit wait the fuck up!" Cheska says.

You slow down a bit so Cheska doesn't end up getting screwed by the shackle, and then you both run full tilt.

When you reach the source, you duck in behind some trees for cover and scope the place out. It's a small encampment, but there's much more than 2 people here...

Well, you say people...

"The legion" You say.
"Yep" Cheska says.

You can see their bloody flag planted in the center of the camp. There are about 10 demons here, as well as who you assume are the missing scouts. The tall one with black wings is passed out in a cage, while the other is tied to a post... her hair and wings are both dull gray, and she's passed out as well.

Doesn't seem like they know you're here, given all the commotion after that scream. With the element of surprise you and Cheska could probably handle these guys...

>Retreat for now

>Attack

>Other

>>1472303
>>Attack

>>1472303
>Attack

We must surprise them and save those birds ASAP

>>1472303
>Attack

>writing

>>1472329
>free those birds
https://youtu.be/D0W1v0kOELA

Rolled 26 (1d100)

"Cover me" You say.

Cheska gives you a look that you're pretty sure says 'You're not actually going in there, are you?' moments before you dive out from cover, and sprint into the camp.

You come up on the first of them just as your mageblade is activated, running them through the chest and finishing them off quickly with Heartbreaker.

Then you pull your blade out as the spikes retract, turning your attention to the next closest demon.

He's too far to reach before he gets his weapon, so instead of closing the distance you launch a blade wave at him. The blade cuts deep into his chest, and he drops.

But now you've lost the element of surprise... you did manage to get 2 of them, though.

...

Make that 3. Looks like Cheska set one of them on fire.

Only 7 more to go...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>1472407
WELP

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>1472407
RIP AND TEAR

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>1472407

>writing

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>1472407
well it's too late but i'll roll anyway. poi~

You rush in toward one of the demons as he draws an axe, but before you can get close you're forced to back off and dodge an arrow.

The arrow is followed closely by a sharpened chunk of ice, which you just barely manage to get away from. Then the demon with the axe swoops in with a downward chop.

You spin to the side and fire a soul bolt at his knee, knocking him off balance. But the sudden appearance of a spear in your face stops you from following up.

Now you're on the back foot, the momentum of your surprise attack all but lost. You manage to defend yourself from their attacks, but it's always close.

Just as you think you might have to turn tail on this one, the air starts to heat up...

Out of instinct, you lash out with your leg to kick away your nearest assailant, and drop to the ground.

As soon as you hit the floor, the area above and around you are filled with flames. The air swirls like you're caught up in a tornado, and then the fire vanishes.

You snap back to your feet, ready to take on whoever is left. But there's no one left...

"You're a dumbass" Cheska says. "We should have planned this out before you ran in like an idiot. You're lucky I noticed you were taking them away from the prisoners..."

You look over to where the scouts are, and see that their area is untouched...

"Uhh... thanks" You say.

Cheska looks like she wants to continue... maybe not with the yelling, but she definitely has something to say...

"Come on, let's see what's left here" She says. "Maybe there's something that'll tell us why the hell these guys were here"

...

You don't think that was it...

>Ask what's really on her mind

>Don't ask

>Other

>>1472540
>Ask what's really on her mind

>>1472540
>>Ask what's really on her mind

>>1472540
>Ask what's really on her mind
What could possibly go wrong?

>>1472540
>You know, this was really one of my more carefully thought out plans. I get credit for improvement, right?

>>1472540
>>Ask what's really on her mind

>writing

>>1472540
>Ask what's really on her mind

"In all fairness, this was probably one of my more carefully thought out plans" You say. "I get points for improvement, right?"

Cheska reaches up and bops you on the head. "Only when your improvement gets you out of 'colossal fuckup' range" She says. "If I hadn't been here, you would've been dead meat"

"Well it's a good thing you were here, isn't it?" You ask.

...

"Right?" You ask.

Cheska looks downtrodden all of a sudden, and you think you might know what's wrong...

"Okay" You say, as you step up and put an arm over her shoulder. "First you're completely silent about my speed all the way here, and now it's just really obvious that something's bothering you. What's up?"

She shakes her head and brushes off your arm. "It's nothing, don't worry about it" She says, as she turns to walk over to the scouts.
You grab her shoulder to stop her. "It's not nothing" You say. "Give me some credit here, Cheska. I'm at least this observant"

She tenses up. "You really wanna know?" She asks.
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't" You say.

Cheska sighs. "I... can't go to Leon..." She says.
"Because of what Namaki said?" You ask. "Because I told you I'd find some way around that..."
"I know. And that's why I can't go" She says. "You've got a job to do, that's going to be hard enough without having to drag me along..."

"It's not really dragging... I like having you around" You say.

Cheska looks right into your eyes. "Yuu... I have to go" She says.

You're not exactly sure how to respond to that...

>No

>Fine...

>Other

>>1472637
>if you really need to go just tell me why and where you plan on going?

>>1472637
>>No

>>1472653
this

>>1472653
I'll back this

>writing

"If you really need to go, just tell me why, and where" You say.

"I figure I'll go north" Cheska says. "I what that old fox was saying is true, I might find something good up there"
"You think so?" You ask.
She shrugs. "It's worth a shot, right?" She says. "I hear the Pale Queen can grant wishes or something. Maybe she can give me back my heart"
"You think they'll let a demon in to see her?" You ask.

"Hey, you guys let me see Altea" She says.

You frown.

"Relaaax. I'll be okay" She says. "I've gone this long on my own... I think I can go a little longer. At least until I'm really worth keeping around"
"But you are worth keeping around" You say. "Well to me, at least..."

Cheska smiles, as she steps in and hugs you. "I'm glad someone feels that way" She says.

You sigh and hug her back. "I suppose you want me to take the shackle off, don't you?" You ask.
"That would help" She says.

>Anything else you want to say?

>>1472720
>Make sure to write me. If you don't I'll come find you.

I guess that works? Idk man I'm sleepy. Maybe give her a goodbye kiss if this is going to be a long stretch without her?

>>1472720
>If you don't ever come back you realize eventually I will go do something stupid about it, right?

>>1472734
This
And
>Make sure you take care of yourself and don't burn any buildings down

>writing

>>1472720
>Give her a quick kiss goodbye
Then I'll back this
>>1472734

>>1472755
Wait, we DID get the legion cipher off her already, right? I don't remember that being stated

You pull the keystone from your pocket, and take her wrist.

"Make sure you try to write to me, alright?" You ask. "If I don't hear from you for too long I'll start to worry. Then I'll have to do something about it, and you know that it'll be something stupid"

"I'll try, but I make no promises" She says, flexing her wrist once you get the shackle off.

She then hugs you again, squeezing you tightly for much longer than what you think counts as a standard hug...

"I'll miss you" She says.
"I'll miss you too" You say. "Thing's'll be tough without anyone at hand for me to poke fun of"
"Yeah, and I'll have no one to tease relentlessly" She says. "I guess we'll both have to compromise"

"We could also bottle up all that teasing until we see each other again" You say.
"Nah, last time I had to let out that much teasing I ended up losing my bra" She says.

You both share a laugh, as she releases you.

"Just take care of yourself, okay?" You ask. "And don't burn down anyone or anything that doesn't deserve it"
"Same goes for you" She says. "If I'm gonna go through all this trouble to put myself back together, I expect to see you in one piece at the end"

"That sounds like a fair deal" You say. "Now go on, before I start having second thoughts"

She smiles, and nods, and starts walking away. She gets maybe 3 steps before she stops and comes back.

"One more thing... to remember me by" She says, as she hops up and latches onto you, throwing her arms over your shoulders and wrapping her legs areound your back as she presses her lips against yours.

She holds you there for what feels like a long time, even though you know t's only a few seconds. Then she pulls away with a smile.

You nod, with your eyes wide in surprise. "Yep, that's... I'll remember that. Definitely" You say.

She slips back to the ground, and starts walking away again.

"Be seein' ya, Mr. Cutie" She says.

You wave goodbye to her, as she moves into the brush. You watch her go until her form is too boscured by the trees to follow, then you turn and head over to the still-unconscious scouts...

Coral gives you a concerned look.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine" You say. "She's got her stuff, and we've got ours. I'm sure we'll see her again"
Coral smiles.
"Now, let's make sure those 2 are alright..."

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will probably be on Friday.

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

>>1472818
>"One more thing... to remember me by" She says, as she hops up and latches onto you, throwing her arms over your shoulders and wrapping her legs areound your back as she presses her lips against yours.

>She holds you there for what feels like a long time, even though you know t's only a few seconds. Then she pulls away with a smile.

>You nod, with your eyes wide in surprise. "Yep, that's... I'll remember that. Definitely" You say.

WEW

Thanks for Running Smiley

Daww, I've never cared for someone who wasn't my waifu pick so much. I genuinely feel kind sad that shes gone even though I know she will be back.

Great thread smiley!

>>1472818
Thanks for Running Smiley

Discuss good girl Cheska

>>1472832
I'm sad to see her go, but the old fox said we need to give her what ahe asks for
Hopefully we see her again and hopefully before a 5+ year time skip

>>1472832
best girl...to bad she is soul searching.....heart searching?

>>1466176
damn! I can't believe this is still goin!
I dropped off following it when /qst/ was made, maybe I'll catch up!

(it was the same picture that helped me find it again, kudos op)

As you make your way to the unconscious scouts, it occurs to you that you will have to return to Sherton at some point, without Cheska. There are bound to be people there who will ask where she went, and you don't really have an explanation as to why you let her go...

You let out a sigh. "Mom's gonna kill me..." You say.

Even still, you feel like letting her go was the right thing to do. You just need to figure out a way to explain that to everyone else...

...

But for now you have other things to deal with.

The 2 avians are still out cold, and both of them have chaos braces on their ankles. You guess it must be easier to put it on the ankle than to try to put it on the wing...

All around the grey one on the table you see large feathers that look like they belonged to her.

"Were they... plucking her?" You say to no one in particular. "That would explain the screeching..."

The one in the cage looks pretty much untouched, save for the bump on her forehead. The cage itself is just wooden, and you could bust it open easily...

>Bust out the crow first

>Wake the Siren first

>Other

>>1476613
>>Bust out the crow first

>>1476613
>Bust out the crow first

>>1476613
>Bust out the crow first

>writing

>>1474294
I did mean to change the OP before, but at this point it's become recognizable and I'm lazy so I'll probably just keep it.
And the quest will keep going until it ends, which is shaping up to be a long run.

You step up to the cage, which is simply tied shut instead of locked. You figure the presence of all those demons was enough to stop a breakout...

You activate your mageblade and slice through the rope, then swing the cage door open and step in. This doesn't stir the crow, so you give her shoulder a shake...

Her eyes flutter, squeeze shut, and open. She looks around, sees you, and scrambles back.

"F-foul demons! You'll get nothiing from me!" She says.
"Hold on, I dealt-"

The crow lashes out with her leg, and you just barely manage to avoid getting scratched...

"Hey, watch it! You could take out an eye with those!" You say.
"That's the-" She kicks again. "-idea!"
"Look, I'm not a demon. Alright?" You say. "I mean... well... I am a demon. Just not like those other demons who I just killed"
"What do you mean?" She asks, eyeing you cautiously.
"My name is Yuu, the Commander sent me to find you after the two of you didn't report back" You say.

"So the commander sent someone... my apologies, I didn't think anyone would be coming" She says, as she looks around. "Did you dispose of all those legionnaires yourself?"

>I had help

>Yes

>Other

>>1476712
>I had help

>>1476712
>>I had help
"Sadly, she left to go soul searching."

>>1476712
>I had help

>writing

"I had some help, but she had to leave..." You say.
"Oh" The crow says. "Is she coming back?"
"I don't think so" You say.

You help the crow to her feet, and you both go over to the table that the siren is tied to. The ropes are easy to cut, and the crow eyes your mageblade the whole time.

"Interesting weapon" She says.
You smile and give it a twirl. "Thanks! It was a birthday gift from my friends" You say.
"Not what I meant..." She says.

With the restraints cut, you step back. "I'm gonna let you handle this. I don't want to get kicked again" You say, as you lean down and pick up one of the feathers from the ground. "That's weird..."

It's a blood red feather. It's pretty big, and there are several of them around. It doesn't match the Siren or the Crow though...

"It's hers..." The crow says.
"But it's-"
"Red, I know" She says. "You've never seen a siren before, have you?"
"Not really" You say.
"Well... be prepared to see some blue" The crow says, as she goes to wake her friend.

>1/2

The crow gives the siren a nudge with her wing, helping her friend sit up as she wakes up.

"What hap- ow!" The siren says, covering her wing and wincing in pain. As she winces, a flash of red goes through her hair and feathers. The red only stays for a moment, before settling into an odd dull-yellow.
"You passed out" The crow says. "It uhh... it looks like they plucked out some of your feathers"

The siren looks around, and you hand her one of the red feathers. She takes it in her... foot, and looks it over with a frown.

"Ah... this is a flight feather..." She says, spreading out her wings to see where it came from.
"Shit... if we get you to a healer we can get them back in" The crow says.

The shade of yellow brightens slightly, the dulls out and turns blue.

"But I can't fly..." She says.

>I have a transport

>How are you doing that?

>I can't keep internally calling you guys crow and siren forever...

>Other

>>1476808
>>I have a transport

>>I can't keep internally calling you guys crow and siren forever...

>>1476808
>I have a transport

>>1476808
>>I have a transport
>>I can't keep internally calling you guys crow and siren forever

>writing

>>1476808
>I have a transport
>But before that, is there anything I need to know immediately about the legion?

"I have a transport" You say. "Unfortunately it only seats 2"
"I can still fly" The crow says. "Do you think you could take her back to Bell's Run?"

You tilt your head. "Why not Sherton?"
"Have we taken Sherton already?" The crow asks.
"Yes" You say.
"Oh. Good. That's much closer" The crow says. "I guess we've been a little out of the loop"

"What have you guys been doing out here?" You ask.
"We were tracking these Legionnaires, because it looked like they were en-route to a town near here" The crow says. "When we landed to send out our report, they ambushed us..."

"Yikes" You say. "Glad I could help you out of that"
"Yes, thank you... and when you see your friend again, thank her too" The crow says, lifting up her braced leg and looking around. "Now where did they leave their bracer? I'd like to get this stupid thing off ASAP"

"Oh, just let me" You say, as you gently take her leg and absorb the brace.

"Is... isn't that dangerous?" The crow asks.
"Well, for you maybe" You say. "I'm a chaotic, so it actually helps me"

The crow and the siren look to each other.

"What did you say your name was again?" The crow asks.
"Yuu" You say. "Well... Yuu Gallant now, but-"

The siren's eyes light up. "You mean that Yuu? The one everyone was talking about?" She asks.
"I don't know if there are any other Yuu's, so yeah... probably" You say.
"I didn't know your last name was Gallant..." The crow says.
"Well it wasn't, but the Comomder adopted me a while back..."

"The commander sent her own son to come and save us?" The siren asks. "I... Sh-should I be honoured?"
"Maybe?" You ask.

The crow's head perks up. "Oh gods, I even attacked you earlier!" She says.
"Well, you were still kinda confused" You say. "And I am still technically a demon..."
"I'm so very sorry!" She says, quickly dipping into a deep bow. "What can I do to make it up to you.

"I suppose you could start by telling me your names" You say with a smile. "I've been calling you guys 'crow' and 'siren' in my head, which is getting a little annoying..."

>1/2

After assuring them that you haven't been offended in any way, you finally manage to get the names of the 2 avians.

The crow's name is Jane, and the Siren's name is Ava.

"So she sent you because you have a really fast cart..." Ava says, as her feathers turn dull blue. "Here I was thinkin' we were important..."
"She did still send me" You say. "The cart was a bonus, because time was of the essence"
"I guess so..." Ava says.
"Ava, you're doing it again" Jane says.

Ava looks up, then down at her feathers. "Dangit" She says. She then focuses, and her feathers turn all different shades of green, brown, and black. "There, camouflaged!"
"Now if only you could keep it that way for more than five seconds..." Jane says.

"I can so!" Ava says, as her feathers immediately turn orange. "Darn it!"

As Ava tries to get her colours under control, you turn to Jane.

"Do you guys have a sprite? We should let Altea know about this" You say.
"We did, but I think she ran off when we were ambushed" Jane says. "That tends to happen with new sprites. She'll come back in a bit, now that the coast is clear"

>Ask how long that will be

>We can use Coral then

>Other

>>1476961
>>We can use Coral then

>>1476961
>Ask how long that will be

>>1476961
>We can use Coral then

>writing

"How long will that be?" You ask.
"No clue... we just had this sprite assigned to us, so she's not quite used to combat. She could come back right now, or she could come back once she gets hungry" Jane says.

"We can use Coral then" You say, turning to your shoulder to see that Coral is not there... "Coral?"

Coral pops out from behind Ava's head, where she was obviously examining her colour changing hair.

"What were you doing back there?" You ask, as you hold your hand out for her to land on.

Ava looks at your sprite curiously, as her hair turns light blue. "Wh-what was she doing back there?" She asks.

Coral lands on your hand, smiling and pointing back at Ava.

"Yes, she changes colours. I know" You say. "But you should probably let me ask someone if it's alright before you start examining them..."

Coral frowns.

"It's alright" You say, as you pat her head. "Just remember that for next time"
Coral lightens up and salutes.

"Now, I need you to take something back to mom..."

>1/2

You get paper and a pen from Jane, and write a quick report to let Altea know what the situation is.

You're honestly not sure which would be worse, finding the legion out here, or finding the loyalists.
Luckily Jane and Ava saw no loyalists, which should make Mom happy.

After rolling up the report and handing it to your sprite, you send Coral off.

With Coral gone, you help Ava gather up her missing feathers, and start making your way back to the cart...

As you gather them all up, Ava tries to test her wings to see if she can still fly. The result looks a bit like what might happen if you hopped off the ground and flapped your arms... needless to say, she's downtrodden.

"Aww man..." She says. "Leave it to the cruelest people on earth to do something like this..."
"They've done worse" You say.
"I know they have..." Ava says, her feathers now a deep blue. "This never would have happened if I could control my feathers..."

"You can't?" You ask.
"If I focus, yeah" She says. "But the second I lose focus, they go back to whatever colour I'm feeling... I thought I could help out if I could just stay focused, but I guess I can't"

>Sounds kinda like my mageblade

>Fighting's not for everybody

>Ask how the colour thing works

>Other

>>1477119
>How do you feel colours?
>Fighting's not for everybody

>>1477119
>>Sounds kinda like my mageblade

>>Fighting's not for everybody

>>1477119
>Sounds kinda like my mageblade

>Fighting's not for everybody

>>1477119

>Sounds kinda like my mageblade

>writing

"I get what you mean. It sounds a bit like my mageblade" You say, as you pull the weapon out and activate it. "I can keep the blade going as long as I don't break focus, but if I lose it..."

You let your mageblade sputter out.

"That happens" You say.
"Sounds like an inconvenient weapon..." Jane says.
"I've gotten pretty good at using it, and it brings just as many advantages to the table as it does disadvantages" You say.
"Like...?" Jane asks.

"Like..." You reactivate the mageblade and perform Heartbreaker. "Being able to kill a demon by stabbing them in the heart"
"Wow..." Jane says. "You can do that in combat?"
"Yeah, I actually took down that guy lying over there using it" You say, pointing back to the dead demon a few yards behind you.

Ava suddenly jumps up, as her feather quickly turn bright yellow. "Do you know the Monkey Queen?" She asks.
"The Monkey Queen?" You ask.
"The Monkey Queen!" She says.
"Yes, I know the Monkey Queen" You say. "Tian actually helped build this mageblade"

"I always wanted to see her perform!" She says. "My dad used to say that if I worked hard enough, maybe I could be on stage with her some day"

>You want to be a performer?

>Maybe I can introduce you

>Sounds like she's done performing for a while

>Other

>>1477206
>>Maybe I can introduce you

>>1477206
>you want to be a performer?

>maybe I can introduce you

>>1477206
>>You want to be a performer?
>>Maybe I can introduce you

>writing

"You want to be a performer?" You ask.

Ava smiles, and her feathers brighten to the point where they almost glow... "I've always wanted to sing!" She says.

You tilt your head. "If you want to be a singer, why join the army?" You ask.

"Ah..." She says, suddenly looking down. Her feathers turn dark blue again. "My parents were taken by the Inquisition, back when they first started their arrests. I thought I could help Commander Altea's efforts, since I can camouflage myself, but..."
"But she's really, really bad at it" Jane says.

Ava's feathers turn to a pinky-orange sort of colour, and she pouts. "Your honesty is appreciated" She says sarcastically.
"Why thank you" Jane says.

...

Ava slowly turns more orange than pinky. "I was being sarcastic!" She shouts.
"I am aware" Jane says.

The two of them start to bicker, and you realize that it probably wasn't all that hard for the Legion to spot them, between the vibrant colours and the bickering...

"S-so, uhh..." You say, trying to cut in and stop them from arguing. "If you want, I can introduce you to Tian... Y'know, if you find yourself in Locke"

Ava's feathers changing from orange, back to bright yellow lets you know that she likes that idea. "You can!? Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" She says, jumping up and hugging you with her wings, before wincing and backing off, holding the wing she lost feathers from. "Ow! That still stings..."

>Ask how the colour thing works

>Ask why she can't fly if she's only missing a few feathers

>Ask if they're always arguing like that

>Other

>>1477296
>Ask why she can't fly if she's only missing a few feathers

>>1477296
>>Ask how the colour thing works
>>Ask if they're always arguing like that

>writing

"There aren't that many feathers missing, how come you can't fly without these?" You ask.
"They're flight feathers" Ava says. "See how big they are? They do a thing to make lift when I flap my wings... or something. Plus they're only missing on my right wing, so I would never be able to stay balanced, even if I could still fly"

"Oh... that kinda sucks" You say.
"Yeah..." She says, her hair getting a tinge of blue, before brightening back up as she smiles. "But on the bright side, a good healer can put them back in, since they're all relatively intact"
"What if they weren't?" You ask.

"Well... then I'd have to wait until they regrew, which can take a loooong time" She says. "Easier to have a healer put 'em back in so I can get back in the air"

"I'm sure there's someone in Sherton who can do that" You say. "If she's not busy, I can get Emi to help you. She's always been able to patch me up"
"Neato" Ava says.

"So how does the colour thing work anyway?" You ask.

Ava thinks for a second, then shrugs.

"You don't know?" You ask.
"Nope" She says. "It just does"
"Ava is... not really book smart" Jane says.
"I am SO book smart!" Ava says, her feathers going back to that orange-y colour.

"You guys sure seem to fight a lot..." You say.
"That's to be expected when you pair someone as lively as me with someone as dull as her!" Ava says.
"Better to be dull and live on, than to be the liveliest corspe" Jane says. "We're lucky Yuu came along, otherwise we'd both be toast"

"Well I was keeping my wings camo'd, until you just HAD to poke fun at my writing" Ava says.
"I was only suggesting-"

The two of them start bickering again, making you sort of glad that you can only carry one of them...

>Try to break it up

>Let them be

>Other

>>1477394
>>Let them be
>Double check the area to make sure you got all Ava's feathers

>>1477394
>Try to break it up

>writing

"G-guys..." You say, trying to break up their bickering again. You quickly give up, and decide that the quicker you get to the Rook, the quicker you can separate them and be done with this...

You find it right where you left it, and pull it back onto the road.

"That's your transport?" Jane asks.
"It's called the Rook" You say. "A prototype soul powered cart that the Hunter's Guild was working on. I'm basically the only one who can ride it alone"

"It looks sweeeet" Ava says.
"It looks dangerous" Jane says. "How do you even fit 2 people on this?"
"Well, I sit there with my hands on the bars, and the other sits behind me" You say.

Ava eyes the Rook, and her feathers turn bright pink.

"Just be careful..." Jane says.
"People keep telling me that, but I must warn you that I'm exceptionally bad at it" You say.
"At... being careful?" Jane asks.
"Yes" You reply.

Jane turns to Ava. "You sure you don't wanna try walking back?" She asks.
"Are you kidding? Look at this thing! It looks so cool!" Ava says. "Is it fast?"

"I did say it was the fastest thing we have..." You say.

Ava looks like she's barely able to contain her excitement.

>Anything before you go?

>>1477511
Did the sprite come back?

>>1477511
>Just remember to hold on tight and let me know if you can't handle the ride

>>1477511
>Anything before you go?

>Tell Ava you're going to take it easy
>Go all out anyways

>writing

"What happens when your sprite comes back?" You ask.
"She'll find us in Sherton" Jane says. "It'll take her a while to fly there, but that's what happens when you abandon your people..."

"Kind of harsh" You say.
"Well... I might stick around in the air around here for a bit to wait for her" Jane says. "She is new, after all. Though she seemed a bit too skittish to fit as a military sprite"

"Is that normal?" You ask.
"Military sprites need to be a bit hardier than what the civilians use, just because of the job they have to do" She says. "My old sprite, now she was a trooper... but I think I can teach this one to be a little harder to spook, given some time"

"I'll leave you to that" You say, as you hold out Ava's feathers. "Is there anywhere we can put these? I don't have a hand to keep them in"

Ava takes her feathers and puts them in a pouch, and then you mount up on the Rook.

"Okay... so I sit here?" Ava asks, as she sits behind you. "How do I stay on"
"You hold on" You say.
"To what?" She asks. "Is there a... handle somewhere?"
"You hold on to me" You say. "It's awkward at first, but this trip won't take long"

Ava slips her wings around you. "That's what I thought, but I didn't want to assume" She says. "You are kind of a prince and all..."
"Don't worry about it. I've been told that I act nothing like a prince" You say.

"Tread careful, you two. We don't know if there are more legionnaires about" Jane says.
"If there are, they'll have fun trying to catch us" You say, as you stick your mageblade into the slot on the front of the Rook to add power to the engine. "See you back in Sherton"

You twist the handle and accelerate the Rook into full speed at a rate that probably would've made Cheska cry. Fortunately Ava is a much more agreeable passenger.

As you zoom down the road, you hear her squealing in what is either terror or delight. Looking down at her wings, you see that they're bright pink. It's safe to assume pink is not the colour of terror...

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will likely be tomorrow, starting around 3:00ish

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

Thanks for running smiley!

>>1477602
Thanks for running Smiley

Damn, missed this one. See you tomorrow, Smiley!

The trip passes peacefully, with Ava enjoying the ride behind you in relative silence.

But just as you're in sight of the towers of Sherton, Ava suddenly lets go of you, and the Rook gets a bit lighter...

You immediately hit the brakes, turning back to see Ava trying to glide behind you.

It works, for about half a second. Then her right wings dips and it becomes less of a glide and more of a crash...

And she's headed straight for you...

>Roll 1d100

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>1478893

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>1478893
>1d100

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>1478893

File: 9e8.png (263 KB, 680x687)

263 KB PNG

>>1478910
>>1478920
>>1478926
Off to a great start boys.

>>1478910
>>1478920
>>1478926
RIP Yuu

so smiley, will does you have a chance at being able to combine soul with his element?
>>1478910
>>1478920
>>1478926
ouch these rolls

>>1478931
smothered under bird ass

>writing

Does anyone know what the actual chances are of getting 28 on a best of 3 roll?

>>1478946
nope, and whilst I made fun of those rolls I probably would have rolled worse

>>1478946
http://anydice.com/program/bbc7
According to this, it's a 2% probability.

>>1478973
Wait, nvm. This counts probability from 1 to 300, not 1 to 100

You spin out your back wheel and come to a screeching halt, figuring you can just catch her, and be on your way.

But then Ava flaps her wings and maneuvers to avoid you, just managing to get over your head and forcing you to jump off of the still moving Rook to get a hand on her.

That sends you both crashing to the ground, but you manage to pull the crazy Siren into you and take the brunt of the fall with your back. You then skid along the rough surface of the road, before finally sliding off of it and into a ditch.

"Ow..." You say. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Ava looks up from your chest apologetically. "Eh heh heh... I thought I could maybe glide off since we were going so fast" She says.
"But you're missing feathers and can't balance. How does speed magically fix that?" You ask.
"W-well... I maybe kinda..." She trails off and mumbles the rest.

"What?" You ask.
"I forgot, okay?" She says. "I didn't remember that my wings were lopsided until I was already flying"
"Falling" You say.
"Fine, falling. Yes" She says.

You sigh, and pick up the incredibly light avian so you can sit up.

>Are you always like this?

>That seems like a big detail to forget...

>Let's just go...

>Other

>>1478992
>That seems like a big detail to forget...

>>1478992
>No one got seriously hurt, at least.

>>1478992
>>That seems like a big detail to forget...
this is true,

>writing

"That seems like a big detail to forget" You say, as you put the siren down next to you.

She tilts her head. "The falling, or the missing feathers?" She asks.
"Both" You say.

"Eh heh heh... Jane always says that I'm a little airheaded..." She says. "She also says that I'm too young for field work, and I'm too noisy for recon, and I'm too visible for stealth... Jane says a lot of things"

You think Jane may be right on a few of those points, but... "Hang on, too young? How old are you?" You ask.
"Uhh... 18?" She says, in a lie so clear that even you can see through it...

You stare at her and raise an eyebrow.

"W-well... maybe it's closer to like... 16... or uhh... 13..." She says.
"You're 13?" You ask. You knew she looked a bit young, but you didn't think she was younger than you.
"I'll be 14 in like... a month!" She says.

"How old do you usually have to be to join the army?" You ask.
"Err... 14..." She says.

You sigh again, and stand up. Your back hurts from when you hit the road, but everthing else seems fine.

"Well, at least nobody got seriously hurt... though I think I'll be slowing down for the rest of this trip" You say, as you start heading back to the Rook.

"W-wait!" Ava says, as she runs up and gets between you and your cart. "Y-you're not gonna tell anyone about this, are you?"
"About... what? You being underage?" You ask.

She nods.

>Your secret's safe with me

>You shouldn't be in the army...

>Why were you so eager that you couldn't wait to join?

>Other

>>1479095
>Why were you so eager that you couldn't wait to join?

>>1479095
>>Why were you so eager that you couldn't wait to join?

>>1479095
>Why were you so eager that you couldn't wait to join?

>writing

"If you're going to be 14 in 2 months, why not wait?" You ask.
"W-well... I told you my parents were taken..." She says. "I had to find some way to make money... faking my age to join the army was just the most honest way to do it..."

"That was back when they first started arresting people, wasn't it?" You ask. "So you were what... 11?"
"Pretty much, yeah" She says. "They stuck me with Jane as an aerial scout as soon as I finished training"

"I'm sure she loved that..." You say.
"She expressed some discontent, yes" Ava says. "But she's been like a big sister, and she's taught me a lot... Err... tried to teach me..."

You walk around her and pick the Rook up. It looks a little worse for wear after you had to jump off, but it doesn't seem to be anything you can't fix.

Satisfied that nothing is wrong with your cart, you hop on. "Come on, there's still a ways to go" You say.
"W-wait!" She says, stepping in front of the Rook. "Are you gonna keep this a secret or not?"

>I will

>I make no promises

>You should own up to it yourself...

>Other

>>1479202
>I make no promises

>writing

"I make no promises" You say.

Ava deflates, and her hair turns blue. "Please? I've got nowhere to go if I get kicked out!" She says.
You sigh. "Fine... but if someone asks, I'm not going to lie" You say.
She pouts, and her feathers turn orange and yellow. "I guess I can't ask for more than that..." She says.

"Now will you get on? I want to get back to Sherton sometime before it gets dark" You say.

Ava looks around. "It's still like... mid-afternoon" She says.
"I know" You say. "It won't stay that way for long, though. So let's go"
"Fiiiiine" She says, as she steps around and gets back on.
"And no trying to glide, please. You can fly all you want once we get your feathers back in" You say.

Once Ava is on, you reach up for the handlebars. But before you can get going, a little red light flies up to you.

"Heya, back already?" You ask.
Coral nods, and settles into her spot on the Rook. She didn't bring anything back, so you guess Altea must be waiting to see you in person.

Best not to keep her waiting... You pull back on the throttle and start moving.

Fortunately the rest of the trip passes without incident, and once you reach Sherton you-

>Go see mom

>Look for Emi

>Other

>>1479307
>>Go see mom

>>1479307
>Look for Emi

>>1479307
>Look for Emi

>>1479307
>>Go see mom
should probably get the news of cheska out of the way

Net went down for a bit there, but now it's back up. So...

>writing

You look down at Coral. "Hey Coral, can you take us to Emi?" You ask.
Coral gives a thumb's up, flying up to your shoulder as you slow down and pointing you in the right direction.

"Emi is your healer friend?" Ava asks.
"Yeah, I'm gonna drop you off with her and then go see the Comomder" You say.

"What's she like?" She asks.
"Who, Emi or the Comomder?" You ask.
"Well... both" She says.

"You'll probably like Emi. She's got a gentle touch, despite being a very big Serpid that can easily squeeze the life out of you..." You say. "She can also kick some ass when things call for it, but she mostly stays out of combat and patches everyone up once it's over"

"I've never met a nice Serpid before..." Ava says. "What about the Commander?"
"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but she can be surprisingly gentle too" You say. "She just prefers to look stern to most people"

"Huh... who'd've thought" Ava says. "Maybe I should give her a big hug when I go in to see her... might make her lighten up a bit and maybe not punish me for messing up so bad..."

>Do it

>I wouldn't recommend that...

>Other

>>1479468
>I wouldn't recommend that...

>>1479468
>I wouldn't recommend that...

>>1479468
>Do it

>>1479468
>I wouldn't recommend that...

>DO IT!!!

>writing

"I... wouldn't recommend that" You say.
"Boo..." She says. "I'll have to find some other way to try and sad face my way out of getting punished then..."

"You really shouldn't" You say. "Your screw up was pretty bad. Had I not been there, losing a few feathers would have been the least of your worries"
"But-"
"And it would have gotten Jane killed too" You say. "I'll try to get her to be a little bit more lenient, but whatever punishment you get, you take"
"Fiiine..." She says.

As you roll past a building, Coral tugs on your ear and points towards it.

"They're in there?" You ask.
Coral nods.

You look the building over. It looks oddly familiar...

"Oh! It's this place" You say.
"What place?" Ava asks.
"Where I met the quartermaster last time I was here" You say. "It must be a storehouse... I wonder what Emi is doing here?"

You pull the Rook up to the side of the building and dismount, then you head inside.

>1/2

"Heyo!" You call out, when you spot Emi.

Emi's head perks up, and she turns to you. "Oh, back so soon?" She asks.
"Yeah, turns out it was a bunch of Legion thugs" You say. "We dealt with them, but Ava here has a problem she needs your help with"

Emi looks around. "Who?" She asks.

You look to your side, where Ava was not 5 seconds ago... then you look behind you, where you see her hiding.

"Why are you hiding?" You ask.
"N-no reason" She says. Her feathers have taken on a murky yellow colour, which you think might be fright...
"I told you she's nice. Now come on" You say, taking an abrupt step to the side.

Ava lets out a surprised chirp, and scrambles to get back behind you. But you pre-empt this by stepping behind her first.

"This is Ava" You say.

Em gives your colourful friend a pleasant smile, lowering herself to be on level with her, and extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Emi" She says.

Ava peeks out from behind her wings, and hesitantly puts on in Emi's hand.

Emi's smile widens. "Now, let's see what's wrong..." She says.

>Head to Altea

>Ask what they're doing here

>Tell her about Cheska

>Other

>>1479622
>Ask what they're doing here

>Tell her about Cheska

>>1479622
>Tell her about Cheska
>Ask what they're doing here

>writing

Ava pulls out her missing feathers, all of which are blood red... probably because that's what colour they were when they were pulled out. She then holds out her right wing, and it's fairly obvious where the feathers go, so Emi gets to work.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" You ask.
"Inventory" Emi says. "Loyalists took a whole bunch of stuff with them when they left, so we're working with the old quartermaster to find out what's left"
"That's it?" You ask.

"Well... the army isn't abundant in people who can work with numbers" Emi says. "Derrick and I are the only ones who immediately came to mind"
"Huh..." You say. "I didn't think math skills were so uncommon"
"Can confirm. I'm completely useless with numbers" Ava says, before clenching her eyes shut asa Emi puts one of her feathers back. "Oh... that actually didn't hurt"

Emi smiles. "I'm very good at this" She says. "Do you know much about numbers, Yuu?"
"I dunno" You say. "Gimme a quick few problems and let's find out"

"Uhh... 2 plus 2?" Emi asks.
"4"
"34 minus 7?"
"27"
"13 times 13?"
"Uhh... 130... 169" You say.

Emi blinks in surprise. "That's actually very good" She says. "I suppose that's another bit of knowledge that you've retained"

"It must be" You say.

As Emi puts Ava's feathers back, they quickly change from red, to her current colour. Which is sort of a green-yellow at the moment.

Emi starts working on another feather, but before putting it in, she looks around.

"Is Cheska waiting outside?" She asks. "If you've got to go somewhere, you needn't wait"
"Actually... uhh..." You say. "That's a bitof a long story..."

>1/2

"Ah..." Emi says. "I don't think the Commander will be happy to hear that..."
"Do you think I did the right thing?" You ask.

Emi sighs. "Who knows?" She asks. "This seems like one of those things that only time can tell"

You nod, as Ava raises her left wing.

"What is it?" Emi asks.
"Why would the Commander be mad about this?" She asks.
"Well, Cheska was a blood demon that she kept shackled to Yuu so she'd stay out of trouble" Emi says.
"Not that the shackle ever stopped her..." You say.

"Ooooooo" Ava says, looking at you with a smug grin. "And here I thought I'd be in trouble"
You poke her in the forehead. "You are in trouble" You say. "I just... might be in more trouble..."

"You should go see her now. Putting it off isn't going to make things easier..." Emi says.

>Get going

>Wait around until she's finished

>But what if I put it off forever?

>Other

>>1479748
>Get going

>>1479748
>>Get going

>writing

"Yeah, I'll leave you to this" You say, putting a hand on Ava's head. "And once you can fly again, I expect you to head straight to the barracks"
"Kaaaay" She says.

You wave to Emi, and head back to the Rook. A part of you considers riding around for a bit to kill some time, but you know that Emi was right... you really shouldn't put this off.

So you hop on the Rook and head down to the barracks.

It looks exactly the same as it did the last time you were here, except now the entrance looks much more foreboding.

A pair of helmed guardsmen are at the entry, instead of the knights. So you've got no one to talk to before you head in...

After quickly making your way inside and down the hallway, you knock on Altea's door.

"It's Yuu" You call out.
"Come in" She replies.

You open the door to find Altea sitting behind her desk, right where you left her. "Welcome back" She says. "I got your report, and another came in from Jane a few minutes ago... but I'd like to hear it in more detail"
"A-alright" You say.'
"Please, sit down" She says. "Start from the beginning..."

>Lead with Cheska

>Try to slip Cheska leaving in so she won't notice

>Wait until after the report

>Other

>>1479846
>Wait until after the report

>>1479846
>Wait until after the report
>Mildly play up that Cheska destroyed a number of legion members during it.

>>1479846
>Wait until after the report

>writing

"Well we were driving up the road on the Rook, when I thought I saw a thing, so I decided to pull off. Cheska and I went into the bushes to see if anything was there, but before we could find anything there was this ear piercing scream" You say. "I figured it might have come from the Siren, so we went to check it out..."

You go through your story, telling her about the legionnaires you found, playing up how Cheska did most of the work eliminating them, skipping over the bit about how she left for now, and continuing through how you woke and freed the scouts.

"So Ava rode back... with you?" Altea asks.
"Yes" You say.

Altea pauses and raises an eyebrow. "Where did Cheska sit?" She asks.
"I was... getting to that" You say.

Altea shuts her eyes and lets out a sigh. "You set her free, didn't you" She says.
"Well... yeah..." You say.

She gets quiet, making you feel very uncomfortable. For a moment you think she might get angry, but instead she takes a deep breath, and says one word. "Why?"

>?

>>1479935
>She said that she needed to head north in order to get her heart. I believe that i made the right choice in letting her go. Besides i asked not to cause any trouble.

>>1479935
"It's sort of like how I thought I just saw a thing and went into the bushes. Sometimes I can't really explain things but it feels right. I had the sense it was time to let her go and do what she needed to do. I also started to feel like she was a comrade against the legion after that battle and I guess I couldn't keep her in a chain any longer."

>>1479935
>According to prophecy, with or without my permission it would have happened. I'd rather she leave on good terms than bad ones.

>>1479957
>That should have been in green.

>writing

"First off, Namaki pretty much said straight out that if she went to Leon she'd die" You say. "She also said that when Cheska wanted to leave, it would happen with or without my permission..."

"Is that all? Just the words of some prophecy?" She asks.
"Not really" You say. "It's like when I saw something off in the bushes before that. I didn't really know there was anything there, I just kinda... knew... you know?"

"You trusted your gut" She says.
"I guess so" You say.
"Do you believe it was the right thing to do?" She asks.

You think for a moment before answering. "I do" You say.

Altea nods, and steps out from behind her desk. For a moment, you think she's coming to slap you or something, so you brace yourself...

But then she ruffles your hair.

"Relax" She says.
"So... I'm not in trouble?" You ask.
"Oh, you're still in trouble" She says. "You really should have consulted me on this, but if you had been doubtful about it I'd definitely be much harsher"

"That's... good?" You ask.
"Mostly. I'd wait to celebrate until I actually decide your punishment" She says, as she steps back and sits on the edge of her desk.

As you wonder just what your punishment might be, a knock comes at the door.

"Who is it?" Altea asks.
"Ava, the scout" The voice from the other side says.
"Ah, I was wondering when she'd show up" Altea says. "Enter"

After a bit of fiddling, the door opens, and Ava walks in. Her feathers are the same green-yellow that they were when she met Emi, which you take to mean that she's nervous...

"Please, take a seat. I'd like-"

Altea is cut off as Ava steps up and gives her a big hug...

You have no idea how she'll react to that... and judging by Altea's expression, neither does she...

Seemingly at a complete loss, she turns to you.

>What do/say?