We finally return. Sorry about the delays.

“You know, you’ve got a good eye for these things. I take it you’re familiar with runework?” you ask.

The woman looks up at you with a blank stare. No dice.

“Why did you try to rob us, during a lunch break of all times?” you ask, slightly incredulous.

She tries to move her shoulders in a shrug, but is bound too tightly to do so... did she really expect it to be an honest mistake or something?

You think about it. She hasn’t spoken yet, not even a sound. Is she staying silent because she’s good at keeping secrets, or because of something else? Perhaps... she simply can’t speak?

“...Are you mute or something?” you ask.

The woman nods. Well, that’s one way to do it. Still, you’re not sure if she’s telling the truth.

>Threaten her. She’s lying, she must be able to speak.

>Free an arm. Give her something to write with so she can answer your questions.

>Just wait for the City Guard to arrive. They can take it from here.

>Kill her. If she can’t speak, she’s useless.

>Ask her another question.(What?)

>Write-in.

>>996517
>>Just wait for the City Guard to arrive. They can take it from here.

>>996517
>Write-in.
Drag a knife across her skin to try to elicit a scream. If she doesn't then
>Just wait for the City Guard to arrive. They can take it from here.

>>996517
>>Just wait for the City Guard to arrive. They can take it from here.
Let her know they're coming, might get her to start talking if shes lying.

>>996517
>Touch her in inappropriate places that should illicit a response if she is mot mute.
Not trying to make lewd happen but if it work it work.

Touching, hurting, and ultimately waiting. Writing.

You ponder about your predicament. A mute thief or assassin would be pretty useful, as not to give away any information, so you can’t really say that the prospect is impossible. However, since you would definitely like to get some kind of info out of her before she’s hauled off to prison...

“Sorry. I just need to confirm something.” You say.

While you might not have the most experience out of all the people you know, you’ve got a general sense of where to touch to make people squeal. In this case, the inner thigh. The woman blushes and struggles against your touch. She clearly didn’t expect that. You can hear her breath quicken, but there’s no moaning or similar sounds(or at least, what would sound like a normal moan).

You decide to confirm your suspicions by taking a dagger from your toolkit, and cutting her with it. Nothing particularly sadistic, just a quick nick of the skin. When you do so, she yelps. Not what a normal yelp would sound like, but rather, something more akin to a forceful expulsion of air. It kind of sounds like a squeak, honestly.

So, you know she’s either actually mute, or really good at pretending to be mute. That helps, you guess.

When you look at her, she’s furious. She’s stripped down to her unmentionables, bound to a chair, and was slightly molested. Then again, it was her fault for entering in the first place.

>Threaten her, you’re still not convinced.

>Test your theory some more and try to elicit a response.(How?)

>Free one of her hands and give her something to write with.

>Just wait for the City Guard.

>Ask her some questions.(What?)

>Have some fun with her. They won’t mind, and she’s in no position to stop you.

>Write-in.

>>996638
>>Just wait for the City Guard.

>Sorry had to be sure.

>>996638
>Laid out a bunch of alfabet and ask her to point to them using her feet to answer our previous question.
>Also apologize we are after all a gentleman

>>996659
This tbqh famalam

Looks like we're apologizing, but I need to know if we're planning on using
>>996659
or if we just want to wait.

I should always update the page before posting. Writing now.

>Just wait for the City Guard.

>>996638
>>996647
I don't see why we can't do my plan while waiting for the guard

You give the woman a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that, I just had to be sure.”

She turns her head away, still red-faced. She probably understood why you did it, but as she was on the receiving end, she certainly didn’t enjoy it. You begin to write down each letter of the alphabet on a sheet of parchment, and then you rip it to pieces, each fragment containing a single letter. You lay each piece down in the floor in front of her.

You untie her left leg. She can’t possibly do anything with just that. Not without exposing herself more, at least.

“I’ll ask again. Why’d you try and rob the store?” you say.

She gets the idea, and uses her foot to point at each of the letters in sequence. You take note of each of the letters she points at. That’s an ‘F’, ‘U’, ‘C’, ‘K’... You frown, and look at her. She looks angry, defiant, and frankly, a little triumphant. She looks at you smugly as you sigh. You suppose she’s got the right to be angry.

Now you’ve got a way to communicate, even if it is a little rudimentary.

>Threaten her to answer your questions. You’ve got her at your mercy.

>Try to convince her to answer your questions. You can make this easier on her once she goes to jail.

>Torture her for information.

>Just wait for the City Guard.

>Write-in.

What questions do you want to ask her, if any?

>Who are you?

>Who sent you?

>Why’d you try to rob my store?

>What does this mean? (Show her the paper)

>Write-in.

>>996763
>Look, right now the City Guards are on their way here but I haven't told them about you. You answer my question and I can guarentee that I won't immedietly hand you over to them. Please.
>Now, why did you rob my store

>>996763
>Write-in.
"I told the guard I was robbed, not that I caught the theif. Unless you wish to go to prison then perhaps you could answer my questions."
>Who are you?

>Who sent you?

“Look, right now the City Guard is on their way here. I haven’t told them that I captured you.” You say.

She raises an eyebrow at this, but motions you to continue.

“If you cooperate, I can guarantee that I won’t immediately hand you over to them.”

The woman ponders about your proposition. After a moment, she sighs(but at this point, it sounds more like a breath, really). She looks at you and nods, accepting your deal. She’s got little choice, anyway.

“Who are you?” you ask her.

She uses her foot to spell the name “Lena”.

“Lena, huh? Well, why’d you try to rob my store?” you ask.

Her foot points at several letters. They collectively spell out “Target”

“I’m a target?” you ask.

She nods in reply.

“By whom? Who sent you?” you ask, slightly worried.

She shrugs and spells out the word “Unknown”. Go figure.

Lena looks at you pleadingly. She’s asking you to release her.

>Ask her what the paper means.

>Ask her something else.(What?)

>Wait for the guard to arrive and let them take her away.

>Release her. She cooperated.

>Knock her out and hide her away somewhere in the shop where the cops won’t find her.

>Write-in.

>>996852
>>Ask her what the paper means.
>Ask her something else.(is she part of a guild?

>>996852
>Ask her something else.(What?)
Am I the target or is something within the store the target?
If it's the item ask which one then cut her loose and give her just her clothes backs.

>>996852
>Ask her what the paper meant.
>*Evil grin* I said that I won't "immediately" hand you over to the guards guess I'll just take my time to explain about the break in before handing you over. Of course, I will release you if you provide a good reason for me to do so; say like leading me to the place where you're supposed to hand off my stolen merchandise.

>>996852
>>996872
Seconded.

“Hold up, I’ve got more questions.” You say.

She frowns, and motions you to hurry up.

“Am I the target, or is it something in the store?”

“You” her leg spells out. “Loot” it spells afterwards.

So you were the target and she was free to loot the store as she pleased? Maybe you were targeted and that meant not killing you, but looting the store? Or perhaps it just meant after she killed you, she could loot the store. You’re not sure, but it’s probably something along those lines.

“Are you a part of a guild?” you ask her.

Lena uses her foot to spell the word “Nightbrand”.

Nightbrand? You’ve never heard of that guild before. Either they’re a new guild, a secret guild, or just one that was unheard of. Either way, at least you have some sort of semblance of where to find her.

You reach into your pocket and retrieve the slip of paper Abigail said was on Lena’s body.

“What does this mean?” you ask.

She looks at it, before spelling the words “Encoded Orders”.

You frown once you realize what she’s playing at. Lena wants you to release her, and then she’ll tell you. Of course, she might tell you what it means afterwards, or she might just bolt.

>Release her.

>Wait for the City Guard to take her.

>Execute her, she’s outlived her usefulness.

>Knock her out and hide her somewhere.

>Write-in.

>>996983
>Release her.
Honor is the true path.

>>996983
>*Evil grin* I said that I won't "immediately" hand you over to the guards guess I'll just take my time to explain about the break in before handing you over. Of course, I will release you if you provide a good reason for me to do so; say like leading me to the place where you're supposed to hand off my stolen merchandise.
We not that honorable

>>996983
If this is possible
>take a collar enchant it so only you can take it off. *bluff* here's something you employer definitely didn't tell you about me. I have many eccentric clients one of them happens to be an illegal slaver and he requested some items to keep his merchandise obedient. *puts collar on her* you can't take it off and with just a simple command off goes your head.

>>997031
Oh, you can actually do this, if you wanted to. The only problem is, you don't have the time to enchant a collar with a rune or two. You can try, but the guards might get here before you do. Outright deception is also a possibility. Either options will require rolls.

>>997031
Did you . . . choose your ID?

>>996983
Might as well let her go.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>997050
I just noticed that actually.
Don't want to let our only solid lead to get away

Two votes to let her go, and one vote to tag her with a morally dubious collar. I'll let you guys decide first, and just this once, I'll include that roll if you decide to go for the latter. Next time, be sure to remember only to roll when I say so.

By default though, we're going with the former.

>>997055
I dunno, cumz. Seems mighty risky keeping her around with the guards downstairs. Hope they're just run of the mill fuckups and not Sherlock.

>>997079
Actually, Fuck it. She can't scream or anything. Let's get ourselves a collared assassin.

>>997075
Sorry bout that. I should've known better than to influence the player choice through pre-emp dice roll.

>>996983
>Collar the assassin. Install killswitch and release.

>>997094
It's fine, just something to keep in mind next time.

Looks like we're collaring the mute assassin. I honestly didn't expect this, but I probably should've.

Going to need 2 more rolls of 1d100+10(++Runecrafting, -Time Constraints).

>>997095
Killswitch wasn't a thing though we prob don't have the time or the ability to make an exploding collar. We just trick her so we know who wants to steal from us.

Rolled 13 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>997102
Okie-dokie.

Rolled 63 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>997102
Rollan

Pass. The first roll saved you, because DC was 85.

You decide to let her go, but not before leaving her with something to remember you by. You take a long strap of leather and begin carving a relatively simple, but lethal combination of runes into it. A barrier rune and an amplification rune prevents tampering by anyone that isn’t you. A force rune and an expansion rune means that upon activation, there’ll be enough force to crush a windpipe. Using a contingency rune, you set it to trigger upon removal, upon tampering, by codeword, and finally, upon your death. Satisfied with your work, you walk over to Lena.

“I’ll let you go.” You say, as you tie the collar around her neck.

“Don’t try to remove it. You’ll die if it triggers.” You continue. She looks furious, yet scared.

“If I want to trigger it, you'll die. If I die, the collar will trigger, and then you’ll die.” You explain.

“Which means you’re going to help me. Or else.” You finish as you begin to untie the ropes.

She’s completely unmoving as you do so, and when you free her from her bindings, she won’t move. At least, until you hear the commotion outside. You look outside the window. The City Guard have arrived. If you weren’t so talented with Runecrafting, you might not have been able to finish the collar in time.

“Well...” you tell Lena as she starts to get up.

>Tell her to return here tomorrow.

>Tell her to come back here later in the evening, during closing time.

>Tell her to meet you near the town center tomorrow.

>Tell her to the town center and meet you there later.

>Tell her to hide in the closet for now. You’ve got things to discuss.

>Write-in.

As for her equipment...

>Return all of it. She’ll need it for later.

>Return her clothing, but keep the weapons. You’ll leave her with some dignity.

>Keep everything. She’ll have to make due with what little she’s got.

>Write-in.

>>997177
>Hide her in the closet
We let her go her employer would know she's compromised ergo we lost the lead
>Give her Abigail/your clothes to cover her up
Not trusting her yet

>>997177
>Town center, after we go to the clinic.
>giver her back all her things.
She's not a threat to us and it'll tip anyone else off if she's being watched or followed by her "guild." Let her leave with a few stolen items that you can write off to the guard.

>>997207
convinced. switching

>>997207
Alright I'm convinved. Switching to this

>>997217
Freakin captcha shenanigan made me post twice

>>997177
>>997207
This

You walk over to the sack and place a few of your cheaper items inside, along with one or two more expensive ones. You begin taking the rope and placing it back in the storage closet.

“Get dressed, take your things and go. Meet me in the town center later this evening.” You say to her.

Lena nods apprehensively and retrieves her clothing and equipment. You had left her with just enough things to make it look like she did escape with a relatively hefty sum. The City Guard will probably provide recompense for it, either in goods or services.

“Boss, I’m here with the City Guard!” Abigail shouts from downstairs.

You take one more glance at Lena, who has the appearance of someone who is both angry, yet resigned to their fate. She escapes through the window, out of sight from anyone in the streets.

You make a mental note to create more security runes for your shop and home, just in case.

You head downstairs, having cleaned up the scene upstairs, and find yourself face to face with the man who appears to be the captain himself, judging by his armor. His face is weathered and pockmarked by scars and depressions. The bags under his eyes indicate that he is quite tired.

“Mr. Grayson. I’m Thomas Gates, Captain of the City Watch.” He says, confirming your suspicions.

“Abigail here told us you would be able to tell us what happened here?” Thomas asks.

>Describe everything to him in detail, including the collaring.

>Describe everything up to the fight, but instead say she escaped once she began to lose.

>Describe everything , but say by the time you got here, she had already gotten away.

>Write-in.

>>997263
>Describe everything, but say by the time you got here "whoever had looted your store" had already gotten away.
It's a bigger lie, but that means it's less likely to confuse Abigail, who would have no idea that we let her go. Hopefully she's loyal enough to roll with it.

>>997213
>>997220
>>997263
Also, happy New Year!

>>997272
Happy New Year, anon!

>>997272
Soild plan senpai

You explain to Thomas that you two had been out for a lunch break, and by the time you had returned, the shop had been ransacked and looted by someone. The captain listens to your story. You can see Abigail frowning, but she says nothing.

“Abigail, can you confirm his story?” Thomas asks.

“Mhmm, yeah. That’s pretty much how it went.” She says.

“Alright then. I’d ask for a description of the thief, but since you weren’t there to see it, there’s no point in asking.”

You and the guardsmen quickly go over what you’ve (supposedly)lost, and give you a month’s worth exempt from taxes. They tell you they’ll try and look into it and make sure the thief gets thrown behind bars.

“Do you want us to station some men here, Mr. Grayson? It might help with this thievery business.”

>Yes, please.

>That won’t be necessary.

The guardsmen get ready to leave, having inspected everything. You shake Thomas’ hand, and he takes his contingent and walks away. It looks like they believe you for now.

Abigail sighs. “So, what’d you do with her, boss?”

>Explain everything about Lena to Abigail.

>Explain everything about Lena to Abigail, barring the collar.

>Explain certain details while leaving others out.(Which ones?)

>Lie and tell her she got away while you weren’t looking.

>Write-in.

>>997298
>That won't be necessary.
We're gonna rune the he'll out of this place. Guards could potentially hinder and/or accidentally trip those.
>Explain certain details
Tell her that we made sure the thief won't be a problem for us again, but we let her go because we didn't want that kind of potential trouble with a larger organization. I don't personally think we should tell her about the meeting later, but if other anons do then I'll roll with it.

I'm also a huge newfag, and this is my first /qst thread, so if I end up doing anything wrong just call me a faggot. Chances are it wasn't meant to grief.

>>997305
Glad to meet you, then. I'm fairly new to QM'ing myself, so its always nice to have some participation in a thread. You know how to roll, and you express your opinion, which is more than enough for me.

>>997310
Hey, thanks, man. It's getting late for me, so I'm a check back with you guys in the morning.

>Don't burn the store down.

It seems that participation has died down a bit. Timezones can be a little irritating sometimes. I'll wait for some more activity before continuing.

>>997298
>That won’t be necessary.
>Explain certain details while leaving others out.(Which ones?)
Say she was a mute paid to hit the store, but through our great speaking skills we convinced her to not try that whole crime bit round this store no more.

Telling her that the the thief was mute and will probably not return. Writing.

Having told Thomas that an extra posting of guardsmen will not be necessary, you turn around to explain to Abigail. You tell her certain parts and leave out some of the more unsavory bits. You tell her that the thief was a mute paid to attack the store. You also tell her that they won’t try something like this again.

Abigail gives you a look of suspicion, but opts not to go through with it.

“Alright then boss. I’ll take your word for it.” She says.

You help Abigail clean the store up. Lena certainly didn’t do you any favors in that regard. Time passes relatively quickly after that. On the upside, you did manage to get a few more customers than usual, thanks to the publicity of the City Watch visiting.

You’ve spent some time up here in the workshop, for the most part. Would you like to make anything before the day ends?

>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>Opt to carve some runes into your pistol. A couple force runes would cause it to fire off bullets with extra power.

>Decide to read a tome on runecrafting. (Learn new runes)

>Decide to read a tome on magic. (Learn new spells)

>Make some extra stock. You need to make up for what was stolen.

>Choose to take a nap. You might need the energy.

>Write-in.

>>997335
>Decide to read a tome on runecrafting. (Learn new runes)
Geez, I play some dark souls and when I'm back everyone's gone.

>>997335
>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>Opt to carve some runes into your pistol. A couple force runes would cause it to fire off bullets with extra power.

These and then:

Enhance your shops and homes security, by placing defensive and reinforcing runes in addition to rune alarms and traps.

Probably should have said. You've only got time in the day to perform one action. However,

>Fortify the shop with some runic defenses.

is also an option.

If it wasn't already clear, going to need a decisive vote. One choice only, please. There's also the fact that people probably aren't online at this time, so I'll just wait until we've got enough votes for something.

>>997368
>Fortify the shop with some runic defenses.

>>997368
>>Decide to read a tome on magic. (Learn new spells)

You get to work, creating some things you should have honestly made a long time ago. With magical ink and some infused parchment, you create barrier seals. You place these slips of protective paper on the windows. Using some twine and tallow, you leave a few alarm runes hanging from the ceiling. If someone unfamiliar or uninvited enters the workshop, you’ll know.

For extra safety, you change the location of the strongbox entirely. Now all there is underneath that loose floorboard is an alarm trap. You hide the strongbox inside a wall panel. You needed to get that one removed anyway.

Near the end of the day, you begin to close down the shop. You place a few stone tablets around the shop. They’re set to mentally notify you if any of your alarms are triggered. You put on your coat and step into the streets, but Abigail stops you before you get too far.

“Boss, whatever you’re doing, be careful, alright?”

You give a reassuring nod, and go your separate ways.

You’ve still got time to find a clinic, but you’ve also got Lena waiting on you in the town center.

>Head to a clinic. It shouldn’t take too long.

>Meet up with Lena. Your wounds were minor anyway.

>Write-in.

>>997417
>Go to the clinic
Safe than sorry

>>997417
>>Head to a clinic. It shouldn’t take too long.

You decide to head to the clinic. Lena can wait a while, after all, she doesn’t have much of a choice. You take a detour down a side street. There should be a doctor’s clinic close by. After some time, you manage to find it.

You knock on the door twice before entering. Inside is a young girl, no older than eight.

“You’re looking for the doctor?” she asks.

You nod.

The little girl runs off into a side room. Soon after, a middle-aged man walks out of that same room. They have the same brown hair, and the same emerald green eyes, likely father and daughter.

“Good evening.” He says. “I’m doctor Maxwell, but you can call me Solomon.” He says. “This is my daughter, Anna.” He continues as his daughter waves at you from behind him.

“I’m Balthazar Grayson.” You say in reply as you shake hands.

“Now, what did you need?” he asks you.

You tell him of the incident. How you got into a fight, how you got shot, and how you treated it. After you show him your wound, he treats it again. He cleans it, applies a poultice of some sort to the wound, and then bandages it up again.

“You’re pretty lucky. If that bullet had gone any deeper, you’d have bled out hours ago.” Solomon says.

The doctor tells you to clean the wound at least once per day, applying the salve once you do so. He also tells you to visit once you encounter any more problems. When you ask about other things, he begins to list them down.

He tells you that in addition to the salve, he can give you a tonic that dulls pain and steadies the hands. However, it is soporific and is likely to cause you to fall asleep within hours of consumption. There is also a different tonic that encourages flesh and bones to heal. It is not instant, however. He also has a tonic that many mages use to recover from mana burn faster.

You look in your coinpurse. You can buy at least two of these things, not including the salve.

>Don’t buy anything. The salve is all you need for now.

>Buy the healing tonic.

>Buy the painkiller tonic.

>Buy the mana infusion tonic.

>Buy some first aid supplies.

>Write-in.

>>997459
>Buy some first aid supplies

>>997459
Healing tonic

It's getting late over here. I'll count the votes tomorrow, and we should hopefully continue in 10-12 hours.

>>997459
>First Aid supplies.
Those will have the most immediate impact of we get injured again.

>>997459
>Buy some first aid supplies.

>>997459
>>Buy the healing tonic.
>>Buy some first aid supplies.
We used all of them when we were patching our self up if i remember right. Plus we can come back for more later

>>996514
>runic quest
Are there boybutts yet?

>>997459
>>Buy some first aid supplies

Sorry I'm late anons, had some things to do.

You decide to purchase some first aid supplies. Along with the salve, these should make sure that if you do get into a scrape again, you won’t be completely unprepared. You pay the appropriate amount of cash, leaving you with a reasonable amount in your coinpurse, and head out.

After a short jaunt, you find yourself in the town plaza. The sun has long since retreated below the horizon. The cold air nips at your skin, and you’re quite thankful for the protection your clothing provides. You scour the area to find Lena sitting on a stone bench in front of the fountain in the middle of the town center. There aren’t many people around at the moment.

She’s abandoned her shadowy garb for a less conspicuous outfit. A blouse, a longcoat, and a sturdy pair of boots. The collar of her blouse and coat cover it up, but you can see the collar from here. She frowns as you approach, having clearly expected you, but not liking what is to come.

Lena has a book and a pen in her hands. It seems she is prepared to speak to you.

>Ask her about the encoded orders.

>Ask her about Nightbrand.

>Ask her if she has told anyone about her predicament.

>Ask her something else.(What?)

>Write-in.

>>1000930
Ask her to walk with us, and stroll in silence to a more secluded spot.
Also
>late

>>1001012
Sorry about that anon. Timezones can be a bit of a bitch, and the fact that my computer wasn't working only made it worse. Still, I'll try and make sure it doesn't happen too often.

>>1000930

>>1001012
This

>Ask her how she got her orders, and ask about Nightbrand, and then if they typically give her encoded orders. Ask how longs she's worked for Nightbrand

“Walk with me.” You say to her as you scout for a side street. She gets up, and you walk alongside each other in relative silence. You begin to speak again once the only thing you can hear are the crickets in the grass.

“How’d you get your orders?” you ask.

She begins writing on the paper with astounding speed, all while walking with her eyes forward. It seems she’s used to talking like this.

“Orders received from dead drop.” is written on the paper with surprisingly neat handwriting, all things considered.

“What is Nightbrand?” you ask her.

“New criminal organization. Guild of thieves and assassins.” She writes.

“Do they typically give encoded orders to you?” you ask, slightly curious.

“Yes. Everyone receives orders written in Nightbrand Cipher.” Is written on the page.

“...how long have you been working for Nightbrand?” you ask.

“One month.” She writes simply. One month? It’s no wonder she got caught, she’s probably new to this.

>Ask her where you can find Nightbrand’s base of operations.

>Ask her for a translation of the Nightbrand Cipher.

>Ask her if Nightbrand knows what happened to her.

>Ask her something else.(What?)

>Write-in.

>>1001046
>Ask her for a translation of the Nightbrand Cipher.
>Ask her how she got into Nightbrand
>Ask her how long she has been doing criminal work like this

>>1001046

>>1001047
This
And >Ask her if Nightbrand knows what happened to her.
>Ask if Nightbrand operates in just this city, or if it has branches in other places

“Do you have a copy of the Nightbrand Cipher? I’d like to know how it works.” You say.

Lena flips her book to a different page and tears it out. She hands you a paper with different markings and symbols. You recognize that in the middle of the page there is a neutralization seal, likely there to make sure that nobody can use magic to translate the symbols easily. Written on the bottom of the page are the words: ‘Burn after learning’.

The mute woman writes something on her book and presents it to you.

“City Guard is currently looking for any whereabouts of Nightbrand. Keep out of reach of guards and informants for your safety.”

You tuck the page into your coat and turn to ask her another question.

“Does anyone know that you work for me now?” you ask.

She looks at you defiantly, before writing ‘Unlikely’ on the page.

“Does Nightbrand only operate here in Fiallon, or do they work in other cities as well?”

“Focused here in the city, but they have contacts in other places.” She writes.

That’s... disconcerting.

“How did you get into Nightbrand?” You question.

“Rogue in training. Recruited from adventuring guild.” She writes.

Ah, so while she was an adventurer, she quit her current guild to join Nightbrand? You briefly wonder what could have caused her to do such a thing. Most adventuring guilds provide a dangerous, but steady income for most people.

“How long have you been doing criminal work like this?” you ask her.

“A few weeks.” She writes, somewhat embarassed.

Oh, she’s a greenhorn. It’s no wonder she did what she did. Looking back on it, Lena did perform a lot of mistakes. When you look at her, it’s clear that she isn’t the super elite assassin that someone of her profession would typically imply. Still, you could probably find a use for her somehow.

>Ask her where you can find Nightbrand’s base of operations

>Ask her something else.(What?)

>Turn her into the City Guard. You’ve learned what you can.

>Write-in.

>>1001085
Slight correction.

>Turn her into the City Guard. You’ve learned what you can.

"into" should be "in to". You'd be giving her up, not transforming her into a guardsman.

>>1001085
>Ask her why she works for Nightbrand

>Ask her where you can find Nightbrand’s base of operations

Let's not turn her in, period. She's an asset that can be useful, especially if we turn on the stockholm charm and get her to not hate us/ eventually like us. Make an ally out of an enemy.

>>1001085
>Ask her where you can find Nightbrand’s base of operations
Ask if she'll keep getting jobs, if so tell her to drop off a copy of every contact at our assistance place of residence, where they will pass it onto us.

“So, why do you work for Nightbrand anyway?” you ask her.

Lena shrugs and writes the words “It’s exciting. It pays well if you don’t get caught” on the paper.

That’s a good enough reason as any, but unfortunately for her, she did get caught. By you, of all people. You both walk down the corner of the street, illuminated by oil lamps. This area is relatively deserted.

“Where can I find their base of operations?” you ask.

“Docks. Would not recommend searching for it. It will result in swift death.” Is written on the page.

You’ve learned a lot from her so far, and it’s getting somewhat late. The moon is high in the sky.

>Ask her another question. (What?)

>Say your goodbyes and cut ties with her completely. She’ll keep quiet about this, like it or not.

>Say your goodbyes and leave her with some way to contact you.

>Turn her in to the City Guard. You’ve learned all you can for her, and she’s outlived her usefulness.

>Kill her. No witnesses.

>Invite her to dinner, because why not?

>Take her back to your house. She doesn’t have much of a choice.

>Write-in.

>>1001132
Updated late and didn't see this. You can also ask this of her.

>>1001142
>>1001140
Goddamit dont rape her.
Yer fucked up OP.

>>1001146
I just give the options. I'm hoping you won't do it, but I will typically leave the option to do something blatantly evil in most choices.

>>1001140

>Ask her where you can find Nightbrand’s base of operations
Ask if she'll keep getting jobs, if so tell her to drop off a copy of every contact at our assistance place of residence, where they will pass it onto us.

“Will you keep getting jobs working for Nightbrand?” You ask her.

She nods.

“Whenever you do get a job, make a copy of it and send it to my assistant.” You say.

Lena looks taken aback. She nods once more.

“I don’t want any details left out. Names of the contact, information on the job, everything.”

She nods again.

“And I’d like it if you wouldn’t get caught. For both your safety and mine.” You finish.

You give her Abigail’s address. You haven’t really told her about what you’re planning, but this works. You make sure to tell her not to leave it anywhere conspicuous either, instead opting to leave it in her garden shed.

Just in case Abigail isn’t too keen on the idea of using her as a middleman, you can always retrieve the letters later on. Hopefully, at least.

Lena looks at you expectantly. She looks rather bored.

>Ask her another question.(What?)

>Give her some orders to follow.(What?)

>Part ways for tonight, and head home.

>Write-in.

>>1001166
>Part ways for tonight, and head home.
And sadly we part ways for tonight too Shroud

>>1001198
Alas, my timezone appears to do that to many people. Good night anon.

“That’s all for tonight, Lena. You’ll know where to find me if you need something.” You say.

Lena nods and walks off into a side alley, leaving you alone in the streets. You sigh. Today’s been one hell of a day. You decide to head home before anything else happens. After what seems like an eternity, you make it back to your house. You were wise enough to make some extra runes, so you place some barrier runes and alarm runes around the house just to be sure.

Once you lay down on the bed, you fall asleep almost instantaneously. Today was quite taxing.

The night passes without any issues. None of your runes have been triggered, and you feel refreshed. You take a bath, clean your wounds, and go through the processes of your typical morning routine. The shop doesn’t open today, as its your free day. You’ve got a lot of things to do.

It’s relatively early in the morning.

>Take up Eli’s offer and head to the Noble’s District for a visit.

>Do some searching at the docks.

>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>Opt to carve some runes into your pistol. A couple force runes would cause it to fire off bullets with extra power.

>Decide to read a tome on runecrafting. (Learn new runes)

>Decide to read a tome on magic. (Learn new spells)

>Make some extra stock. You need to make up for what was stolen.

>Choose to take a nap. You might need the energy.

>>1001220
>Take up Eli's offer

>>1001220
>>Decide to read a tome on magic. (Learn new spells)

>>1001220
>Make some extra stock. You need to make up for what was stolen.

>>1001220
Warn Abby about the chance of a new visitor or
>Make some extra stock. You need to make up for what was stolen.

>>1001220
Let's see what our noble buddy wants. Maybe he has the connections we need to take out these assassin's running for us.

2 for heading to the Noble's District, 2 for creating some extra stock, and 1 for reading a tome on magic. Going to need another vote. Otherwise, I'll roll for the result in a while

>>1001220
>>Make some extra stock. You need to make up for what was stolen.

>>1003706
Locked in. Writing.

You finish eating breakfast and head into a sideroom where your tools are held. You take out some blank staves, wands, and other foci and begin working on them. This might take up the whole morning. You sigh inwardly and get to work.

>Roll 1d100+30(++Runecrafting, +Expertise), Best of three.

Rolled 78 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>1003764
Here's hoping

Rolled 97 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>1003764

>>1003831
And that's a crit. You'll make some high quality stuff with this roll. Unfortunately however, I have to step away from the computer for some time. I'll have to write up the post later.

I'll also need a third roll, preferably from different anons.

Rolled 24 + 30 (1d100 + 30)

>>1003839
You got it.

>>1003839
1-6 hours
7-12 hours
12-24 hours
Or 24 plus?

>>1003882
I return, and it looks like 7-12. Writing.

Your hands move on their own with speed and precision borne of experience. The morning passes in a blur, and before you knew it, you had more than enough high-quality stock to make up for what you had given away. In fact, you’ve had enough time to carve up something for yourself: an improvement to your magic ring. This should make casting spells easier.

Item added: Ring of Magic Amplification(+5 to Spellcasting rolls)

You stare at the clock. It’s about noontime. You stretch around, touch your toes, and yawn. Even though it might not have seemed like a long time, you were at your desk for a while now. There’s still a lot to do today.

>Take up Eli’s offer and head to the Noble’s District for a visit.

>Do some searching at the docks.

>Visit Abigail. Might as well tell her that she might be receiving some mail.

>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>Opt to carve some runes into your pistol. A couple force runes would cause it to fire off bullets with extra power.

>Decide to read a tome on runecrafting. (Learn new runes)

>Decide to read a tome on magic. (Learn new spells)

>Choose to take a nap. You might need the energy.

Oh yes, and write-ins are almost always an option even if I forget to write it in the post.

>>1004591
>>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>>1004591
>Visit Abigail. Might as well tell her that she might be receiving some mail.

>>1004591
>Visit Abigail. Might as well tell her that she might be receiving some mail.

Right, I'm going end here for tonight. Apologies for the glacial pace and the ungodly run times, but they're what I've got to deal with. It's unlikely that I will run in the next few days, but I'll do my best.

Regardless, follow me on Twitter for updates.

https://twitter.com/ShroudedRebirth

>>1004591
>>Opt to carve some runes into your sword. An amplification rune would allow you to cast spells using your blade as a focus.

>>1004591
>Visit Abigail. Might as well tell her that she might be receiving some mail.

>>1004746
Visit abigal