>>2365234
>>What if we just asked not-nicely by pointing out the manor isn't going to stop what the city walls wouldn't?

>>2365234
>Look for the window Ilica was thrown from

Yuu's pretty good at getting into high/awkward places with the springboard shit. If it really is lightly guarded then a solo sneak mission could work out pretty well to bust open the general defenses (again).

>writing

"What if we asked nicely?" You ask.
"I somehow doubt he'd let us in if we asked" Madelaine says.

"What if we asked not-so-nicely" You say. "Less 'hey let us in' and more 'I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!'"
"Okay Mr. Big Bad Wolf" Madelaine says. "Why don't we work on a real solution?"

"That is a real solution..." You say.

"On a house made of sticks or hay. Graumer is clearly a 'third little piggy' kinda dude" Madelaine says.
"I guess you're right" You say.

Georg and Paula both look very confused.

"So... any ideas?" Paula asks.
"Ilica said she got chucked through a window" You say, as you look up. "That one, specifically, I think."

"Which one?" Madelaine asks.

"That one" You say, pointing to a window on the seventh floor. "It looks like it's been fixed, but it's not reinforced like the others"

"That's a long way up" Georg says.

>Launch me

>We have any of those airship chain things?

>Look for another way

>Other

>>2365332
>>We have any of those airship chain things?

>writing

"We have any of those airship chain things?" You ask. "Fire one of those straight up into the window, then we can all ride the chain in"

"I don't think we do" Paula says. "We heard about the northerners using those against the Legion's airfleet, but it's their weapon and their forces haven't arrived yet"

"Huh..." You say.
"We could work something out, I'm sure. It'd probably be easier to use the launchers on the ships" Georg says. "Not as powerful, but they'll do the trick"
"Let's do that" You say. "Go in through the window and sweep down. Can you contact the airships?"

"I'll get right on it" Paula replies.

While Paula heads off to signal the airships, you take a look around.

Lutain looks much nicer than what you'd imagine a Legion occupied town might look like. You expected ruined buildings, bloodied streets, the occasional corpse... Lutain just looks like a normal town with a few legion banners strung about...

"I wonder why" You say to Madelaine.
"It's easy to keep a town clean on the surface" She says. "Remember Leon?"
"I guess so..." You reply.

"Alright. The Whitecap is swinging around our way" Paula says. "They'll pick us up, and then get us in. Anything you guys wanna do before we get this started?"

>Anything?

>>2365423
>>Nope, let's get this going.

>writing

"Nope, let's get this going" You say.

The Whitecap comes down low enough to drop its anchors and allow your team to get on board, then you launch a chain straight through the window.

"Nice catch with the window" Paula says.
"I'd've never seen it if Ilica hadn't told me about it" You say. "She used to work here. I promised to punch this guy in the face for her"

"Well don't punch too hard. We'd like to see if he's got any info first" Paula replies.

"Alright everyone. Down the chain! Let's move!" You say, as you clip your climber on and zip through the window.

No one is near the window where you entered, so you keep watch while the others come in.

Once the team is inside, you start checking the floor room by room. Most of the rooms are empty, except for one.

You go in with Madelaine, and find a young girl in a maid outfit cleaning the place. She doesn't hear you come in, only noticing you when she turns around.

You immediately see why she didn't hear you: she doesn't have human ears, and her animal ears are held down by a headband.

The maid stares at you like a deer in the headlights, and you-

>Ask where Graumer is

>Remove headband

>Apologize and step out

>Other

>>2365503
>>Remove headband
>>Ask where Graumer is

>writing

"H-hey" You say, taking on as non-threatening of a posture as you can. "Do you know where we can find the baron?"

She continues to stare.

...

...

"Can you hear me?" You ask.

...

"Alright, I'm just gonna..." You approach slowly with open hands and gently slide the headband off her ears. They're pointy, so she could be a Canid, Vulpid, Felid... anything. "There. Can you tell us where the baron is?"

She nods, still staring wide-eyed at you.

"Great!" You say, clapping your hands together.

The maid jumps at the sudden sound.

"Oh calm down. Nobody is gonna hurt you" You say. "Right Madelaine?"

You look back to Madelaine, who is leaning against the doorframe looking bored. She yawns and nods.

"See?" You ask. "Now, let's go find the Baron!"

>1/2

You start walking out of the room, and Madelaine clears her throat.

"You forgot to ask where he is" Madelaine says.
"Oh" You say, straightening up and turning back around. "Right. Where is the Baron?"

"H-he's in the-..." She replies, her voice getting quieter with every word, making every one past the third impossible to hear.

...

"What was that?" You ask.

The maid panics, her eyes suddenly searching the room for a way out.

"Hey, relax" You say. "We're friendly. No one is going to hurt you. You have my word on that"
"Yeah. We just want to see the Baron. Maybe punch him in the face a few times, and throw him in a cell" Madelaine says.

"Wh-who are you?" The maid asks.

>I'm Batman

>Introduce yourself

>Give your full name and title(s)

>Other

>>2365593
>>I'm Batman

>>Introduce yourself

>>2365593
>>I'm Batman
You should know better than to make this an option.

>>2365593
>>I'm Batman
oh hell yes

>writing

You guys must know that Madelaine is going to hit you for this one, right?

>>2365623
worth it
so worth it

>>2365623
After this everything will be said in the batman voice.

You grab the edge of your coat and bring it up to cover the bottom half of your face. "I'm Batman!" You say, in as gravelly a tone as you can manage.

Madelaine immediately bops you on the head.

"I thought we weren't trying to scare the maid" Madelaine says.
"Sorry. I saw the chance, and I took it" You say, as you turn back to the maid. "My name's Yuu, and this is Madelaine. What's your name?"

The maid shies away.

"If you don't tell us your name, I'm gonna have to give you one" You say. "How do you feel about the name Robin?"

Madelaine sighs.

"No objections? Good" You say. "Can you show us where the Baron is?

Robin shies away more.

"I-I can't. They'll hurt me! They'll put me in the cells!" She says.

>So you can talk

>He's the one going into a cell

>No one's gonna hurt you

>Other

>>2365650
>>No one's gonna hurt you

>>2365650
>>He's the one going into a cell

>>2365650
>>He's the one going into a cell
>>No one's gonna hurt you

>>2365650
>>He's the one going into a cell

>writing

You put a hand on her head. "No one's gonna hurt you, okay?" You ask. "If anything, he'll be the one going into a cell... after I punch him"

You notice something moving behind her, and look to see her tail wagging under her dress. She's clearly trying to keep it still, but it's not working very well.

Tail wagging's not a cat thing, so she must be either a Vulpid or a Canid. Slowly narrowing things down.

"So, Robin. How about we go find the Baron?" You ask.

"O-okay" She says. "H-he'll be downstairs on the third floor, in the tea room"
"Guess it must be tea time" Madelaine says.

"Well, it'll be tea off... time..." You say. "When I punch him, and-... oh, scrap that. Let's just go get him"
"Wise choice" Madelaine replies.

>Bring the maid

>Tell Robin to stay put

>Other

>>2365688
>>Bring the maid

>>2365688
>>Bring the maid

>writing

"Come on. You can show us where the tea room is" You say.

"Won't his guards have a problem with us?" Madelaine asks. "You really want to bring a child with us?"

"I am more confident in my combat abilities than I am in my navigational ones" You say, as you offer Robin your hand.

She takes it, rather reluctantly, and you head off.

As you walk back to the rest of the group, Coral emerges from your shirt to investigate the newcomer. As she's going about her inspection, you find Paula and Georg.

"Where did you find a child?" Paula asks.
"She works here" You say. "She's helping us out by showing us where the Baron is. Right, Robin?"

...

Robin is hiding behind you, but she still manages a nod.

"Well... that'll help, I guess" Paula says. "What's the plan now?"

>We'll head straight down

>We should clear the rest of the floors

>I'll head down, you guys clear

>Other

>>2365740
>>I'll head down, you guys clear

>>2365740
>>I'll head down, you guys clear

>writing

>>2365740
>>We should clear the rest of the floors

"Madelaine, Robin and I will head down. The rest of you keep clearing" You say. "Give me a progress report when you hit the third-floor tea room, and then keep on going"
"You got it" Paula says.

As Paula goes to relay your orders to the rest of the team, you get Robin to lead you to the stairs down...

"Y-you guys aren't demons?" Robin asks.
"Nope" You say.

"You are" Madelaine says.

"I don't count" You reply. "I mean, Cheska does... but she's not a legionnaire"

"Where did you come from?" Robin asks.
"Lubars" You say. "We've just taken this city back from the Legion"

"But everybody says the Legion can't be beaten" Robin says.

You put a hand on her head and ruffle the hair between her ears. "Everybody was wrong" You reply.

>1/2

When you reach the third floor, Robin leads you to a quiet room. She stops outside, and points in.

"This one?" You whisper.

She nods.

You peer inside and sure enough, there's a man in a chair drinking tea.

He's not at all what you were picturing. The name "Baron Graumer" brings to mind something more like a fat old dude in fancy clothes...

Graumer himself looks fairly young, with long blond hair and a smooth face. He's not fat, though he doesn't look all that muscled either.

Robin looks apprehensive about going in there, but you're ready to go. So you walk in, and-

>Punch him

>Make yourself at home

>Announce yourself

>Other

>>2365786
>>Make yourself at home
>>Announce yourself after doing so.

>>2365786
>Punch him
A promise is a promise.

>>2365786
>Punch him
>Announce yourself

>writing

You step confidently into the room. "Good afternoon, Baron Graumer" You call out.

Graumer turns to you, looks shocked, and tries to stand. You drive your fist straight into his nose, forcing him back into the chair, before sitting down yourself.

"That was for Ilica" You say

"
Graumer clutches his nose. "Gods, what the hell? Who are you?" He asks.

"Prince Yuu Gallant" You say. "Lutain is ours now. Have anything to say for yourself?"

He wipes his eyes and sniffs. "Gods, you actually won?" He asks. "The coalition managed to beat the Legion here?"

"Disappointed?" You ask.
"Impressed... and relieved" He says. "I didn't think you could do it..."

>Weren't you their ally?

>Well we did

>Ask why he made Robin cover her ears

>Other

>>2365854
>>Ask why he made Robin cover her ears
>>Ask how long he's been the baron here. Just to make sure.

>>2365854
>>Well we did

>>Ask why he made Robin cover her ears

>>2365854
>>Ask why he made Robin cover her ears

>writing

"So while I've got your attention, why do you cover your staff's ears?" You ask.

"Because women weren't made to be these animal creatures... there was a time when they were pure and beautiful" He says. "I would not put anyone through mutilation, so I keep my staff as close to that perfection as I can... get... them..."

The Baron's eyes are fixed on something, so you follow his gaze to where Madelaine is sitting next to you, looking mildly weirded out.

...

"What?" She asks.
"You're... perfect" He says.

Madelaine looks shocked. "I'm... what?" She asks.
"I'm not missing anything am I? There's no strange ears, no tail, no deformities on the forearms or legs" Graumer says, standing up as he gets excited.

"N-no..." Madelaine says.

Graumer gets to his knees in front of Madelaine and takes her hands. "You are beauty incarnate, what I have been searching for my entire life!" He says. "I must have you!"

...

>Punch him again

>See what happens

>Other

>>2365911
>>Punch him again

>>2365911
>>Punch him again

>>2365911
>Punch him again

>implying our friends aren't cute
I bet this loser would say the devils weren't cute, too. The bastard.

>>2365911
>>Punch him again

>writing

You tap him on the shoulder, and then punch him again when he turns to you. Madelaine looks relieved.

"I think I'll go up and help the others" She says while Graumer is still reeling. "You good here?"
"Yeah, I've got my sidekick, and Coral is here if I need to send for someone" You say.

"Your sidekick...?" She asks. "Oh. Robin. Seriously?"
"I was wondering when you'd catch that" You reply.

Madelaine sighs. "I'll see you in a bit" She says as she quickly makes her way to the door before Graumer recovers.

As she walks out, you notice Robin peering in through the doorway. Madelaine gives her head a rub in passing.

"She left?" Graumer asks.
"You came on a little strong" You say.
"I just... I've been searching for someone like her ever since I read the old tales" He says. "Malieria turned our women into these... monsters, and-"

"They're not monsters" You say. "And if you call them that again, I'm gonna punch you"

Graumer flinches. "Noted" He says. "Well... since you came all the way here to meet me, the least I can do is offer you some tea"

"I thought you were allied with the legion" You say.

"What, because I surrendered?" He asks, as he cracks his nose back into place. "Just what the hell was I supposed to do?"

>Fight?

>I don't understand the question

>Other

>>2365948
>>I don't understand the question


Also hes been taking these punches like a champ for a noble, not even a fucking peep outa him.

>>2365948
>>I don't understand the question

>>2365948
>I don't understand the question
>Fight?

>>2365948
>You're Alex Graumer aren't you? The guy with the reputation for torturing prisoners, tormenting staff, killing messengers, and so forth. It seems like you would fit right in.

>>2365959
Just for the record, this guy hasn't actually introduced himself as Alex the baron. Are we sure he's not his eccentric nephew or something? Maybe the legion executed the original baron. I really feel like we should figure this out before we start in on him again.

>writing

"I don't understand the question" You say.

"You're clearly not in the know, so I'll fill you in" He says. "Antolia was defeated. There was no one coming to help. If we fought them we might hold them off, but they were going to take this city and then countless would die in the slaughter that followed. So I agreed to meet with them, and give them the city in return for some mercy"

"You bargained for your life" You say.

"Yes. I bargained for my life, and the lives of countless others in this town" He says. "The Legion's conquest has been one bloodbath after another, and bargaining was the only way I thought I could avoid that"

"You are Baron Alex Graumer, right?" You ask.

"I am" He says.

"Reputation for torturing prisoners, abusing your staff, killing messengers, and the like" You say.

"I do not torture" He says, finally taking his hand away from his nose to reveal that he's healed it. "I perform experiments to further the goal of perfection!"

...

>Ask Robin to point you toward the dungeons

>Punch him again

>Your idea of perfection is stupid

>Other

>>2365968
>>Punch him again
>>Your idea of perfection is stupid

>>2365973
What this guy said.

>>2365968
>>Punch him again

>>2365968
>>Ask Robin to point you toward the dungeons
Well, now that we've made sure, might as well. Mostly due to his hobbies. I actually think he has a reasonable point about resistance.

>writing

You sigh, and then punch him again. This time hard enough to knock his lights out.

"Your idea of perfection is stupid, and I probably should have told you that before I punched you out" You say. "Dangit, Yuu. Quip first, then punch. Otherwise, no one will hear how witty you are"

You heft the unconscious Baron over your shoulder, and head for the door.

"Still there, Robin?" You ask.

Robin peeks in and nods.

"Good. You know where the dungeons are?" You ask.

She looks scared.

"Not for you. For him" You say.
"Promise?" She asks.
"Promise" You reply.
"Th-they're this way" She says.

You follow the little maid through the manor. She seems tense, as though she's worried about something...

>Ask

>Leave it

>Other

>>2365988
>>Ask

>>2365988
>>Ask

>>2365988
>Ask
"You seem really nervous and I need to know why so I can help."

>>2365988
>>Ask

Didn't ilica say he killed all her siblings?

>writing

>>2365995
No. Ilica's parents went broke and had to sell some of their children. None of them were killed.

>>2365996
Okay, I remembered wrong

"What's wrong, kiddo?" You ask.

"What will happen to me now?" She asks.

"What do you mean?" You ask.

"If there's no master in the manor then I have no work... and I have nowhere else to go" She says.
"Nonsense" You say. "We can't leave the town with no one in charge. We'll set somebody up here, preferably someone a bit more mentally stable than Mengele here"

"But what if they don't want someone as young as me working for them?" She asks.
"That won't be an option for them. They either accept the current staff, or we find someone else" You say. "I can make that happen"

"You can?" She asks.
"I am a prince... not much point in the title if you can't throw it around a little" You say.

Robin looks shocked, and immediately drops to her knees and bows. "I'msosorryforAH-"

You pick her up by the scruff and hold her out in front of you. "Not that kind of prince. You don't have to kneel for me" You say as you put her back down.

"Oh..." She says.

"But if you really want to do something for me, I could use a smile" You say.

Robin shies away, but you see her lips curve up juuuust a little.

"There it is" You say, as you pet her head. "But you know you don't actually have to keep working here if you don't want to, right?"
"I don't?" She asks.

"Of course not. I'm sure there are plenty of places you could go where you can be an actual kid" You say. "And if you do want to keep working, I know a girl who's in desperate need of a new handmaiden..."

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow.

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

>>2366010
Yu just keeps collecting more daughters. Gotta catch em all, I guess

>>2366021
That was the true sin that turned him into a pure demon. He is now doomed to love and care for all the little girls for the rest of his days.

>>2366026
its a tough job, but someones got to do it.

Despite how many things he did wrong, Graumer seems like someone dedicated to his obsession. He's the first person we've seen who's shown interest in pure humans and beneath every madness is a reason for it. I feel like he's done his research and might know quite a bit about them.

Just something to keep in mind if we ever decide to look into the mystery of Yuu's origin and the world he came from. He should be one of our prime leads and we should interrogate him and/or go through his study/experiment rooms for clues.

Once you've tossed Graumer into a cell, checked to make sure he didn't have any keys on him, and locked the door, you head back up the stairs.

At the top you see Madelaine.

"There you guys are" She says. "I was wondering where you went after you weren't in the tea room"

"Yeah, turns out Graumer's nuts. I had to knock him out and toss him in the dungeon" You reply.
"Ah, that's a shame" She says.

You raise an eyebrow.

"What? It's not every day you get called 'beauty incarnate'... even if it did come off a little creepy" She says.
"A little?" You ask.
"Okay, a lot" She replies. "But compliments are compliments. You take 'em where you can get 'em"

"Oh" You say,

>You're weird

>Well I think you're pretty neato

>How's the clearing coming?

>Other

>>2367443
>Well I think you're pretty neato... but you'd be better with a fluffy tail.

>>2366307
What I think is interesting about Graumer is that he thinks about the beast girls as abnormal. Everyone in this world ought to generally just think of them as a fact of life. I also think we should do some investigation on him.

>>2367443
>>Well I think you're pretty neato

Even though you don't have adorable ears or a tail

>How's the clearing coming?

>writing

"Well I think you're pretty neato" You say.

Madelaine sighs. "Just 'pretty neato'?" She asks. "You know, the other Yuus I saw in the tower both called me beautiful"
"They did?" You ask.

"Yeah, the one was all 'Oh Madelaine, you look so beautiful' and the other was like 'just as beautiful as I remember'" She says.

...

"That doesn't sound like me at all" You say.
"To be fair, I'm not entirely sure the second one was actually you, and the first one was definitely not you" She says. "Too suave. Dead giveaway"

"What? I'm plenty suave" You reply.

"Suave guys are able to intentionally woo a girl. The only way I could ever see you getting into a relationship is by clumsily bumbling your way into one" She says.

You smile. "But the clumsiness is part of my charm" You reply.
"Sure it is" She replies with an obviously sarcastic tone. "That's why I feel soooo charmed right now"

"To be fair, you're not really my type" You reply.
"Do I want to know what your type is?" She asks. "Do you even know what your type is?"

>cute tails

>cute ears

>scratchy spots

>Not a dang clue

>Other

>>2367564
>>cute tails
Will this question generate as many replies as the batman option?

>writing

"I like girls with cute tails" You say. "Devils, Felids, Canids, Vulpids, Leprids. All of them"

"That's pretty much the answer I was expecting" She says. "Hang on... Leprids have tails?"

"Yeah. Not big ones. Just little tufts where a normal tail would come out" You say.
"Huh... I didn't know that" She says, before smiling and nudging you with her elbow. "But then you'd know more about bunny biology than me, am I right?"

You tilt your head.

"Nevermind" She says. "Anyways. Clearing's done"
"Cool" You say. "Should we open up the drawbridge?"

"Already done" Madelaine says. "I'm gettin' outta here to go meet up with Meyu. Wanna come?"

>Stay here and look for Graumer's notes

>Go find Cheska

>Go find Derrick

>Go find Lyvia

>Other

>>2367637
>>Stay here and look for Graumer's notes

>>2367637
>>Stay here and look for Graumer's notes

>writing

"I think I'm gonna see if I can figure out why Graumer is so into girls like you" You say. "If he was this obsessed with it, he must know something of use..."

"You know in any other circumstance, having to study why someone finds me attractive might be a little insulting" Madelaine says. "I mean, I get it. But still..."

Robin tugs on Madelaine's sleeve.

"I-I like your hair" She says. "It's really pretty"

Madelaine smiles and rubs Robin's head. "Aww, why thank you!" She says, as she flips her hair back. "See, Yuu? That's how you give a compliment"

You tilt your head.

"They work best if you focus on something specific" Madelaine says. "In this case, my hair"
"I see..." You say. "So it works something like... hey Madelaine I think your eyes are really pretty"

Madelaine laughs it off, but her cheeks do turn a little red. "Y-yeah. Something like that" She says. "Anyways, I should get going. Meyu's probably helping to clear out the rest of the city right now"

"Oh" You say. "Should I be helping with that?"
"We might not need you right now" Madelaine says. "But if we run into a tough boon user I'll send for you, kay?"

"Kay" You reply.

Madelaine waves and heads off, leaving you with the little maid.

>Ask her if Graumer kept a journal

>Ask what her actual name is

>Ask what kind of girl she is

>Other

>>2367678
>>Ask what her actual name is
>Ask her if Graumer kept a journal

>>2367678
>>Ask her if Graumer kept a journal
>>Ask what her actual name is

>writing

"Do you know if Graumer kept a journal of some sort?" You ask.

She shakes her head.

...

"Was that 'no he doesn't keep a journal', or 'no I don't know'?" You ask.

She holds out 2 fingers.

"You don't know?" You ask.

She nods.

"Is there someone who might?" You ask. "Other than the baron, obviously..."

She nods.

"Who is it?" You ask.
"The head maid" Robin says.
"Know where she might be?" You ask.

She shakes her head.

"Well then we'll look together" You say. "And while I'm asking questions... I never did get your actual name. I can't keep calling you Robin forever"
"R-robin is fine" She says.

"Was that an 'I'm too intimidated to question your decision' Robin is fine, or an 'I actually like the name' Robin is fine?" You ask.

She holds up two fingers again.

"Aww, you actually like it?" You ask.

She nods, and you can see her tail wagging under the dress.

"Robin it is, then" You say, giving her a scratch between the ears. "Now, let's go find the head maid..."

>1/2

You find the head maid with Paula and Georg. She appears to be an elf, but the tips of her ears are hidden under a headband much like the one Robin was wearing.

They appear to be arguing about something, though you can't tell what as it stops as soon as you enter.

"Something wrong?" You ask.

"Just explaining the nature of conquest to uhh... Beller-"
"Belladonna" The maid replies with a strange accent. "You Lubrian brutes had no right to imprison ze baron wisout due process"

"Yes we did" You say. "Lutain is now a Lubrian territory, which means that the people within are subject to Lubrian laws. That includes the Baron, who will be tried for his crimes and punished accordingly"

"And on whose authority do you levy zese charges?" Belladonna asks.

"Can I tell her?" Paula asks. "I wanna tell her"

You hold up a hand to Paula. "My authority, as Prince Yuu Gallant of Lubars" You say.

Belladonna's expression becomes unreadable for a moment. "So... he is staying imprisoned, zen?" She asks.

"Well I certainly don't plan on letting him out" You say.

The head maid is quiet for a moment.

"Got a problem with that?" You ask.

Belladonna rips off the headband holding her ears back and throws it to the ground, before walking over and embracing Robin. "My dear, I am so sorry for what we put you through" She says.

Robin looks thoroughly confused, and you have to admit that you're a little confused as well.

>Ask about the sudden mood change

>Ask if Graumer kept a journal

>So... you don't like the guy?

>Other

>>2367754
>>Ask about the sudden mood change

>>So... you don't like the guy?

>>2367754
>>So... you don't like the guy?
>Ask if Graumer kept a journal

>writing

"So... you don't like the guy I take it" You say.

"Oh heavens no" Belladonna says. "But if he found out zat I didn't try to help when he was imprisoned... well... zere would be consequences"

You're having a hard time placing her accent. It sounds vaguely French, which is strange because you have no idea what that is.

"So you fought for him until I made it clear that he'd never be in a position to hurt you or the other maids" You say.

Belladonna squeezes Robin and nods.

"I see" You say. "I probably should have expected that, given that everyone I know who's ever worked for this guy has given him a bad review... Robin, Ilica... now you"

"Ilica?" Belladonna asks. "Ilica is alive? How? Ze last time I saw her she had been thrown from ze window. We searched ze moat for her, but-"

"But she survived the fall and escaped" You say.

Belladonna smiles, looking relieved. "How is she? Is she well?" She asks.

"She is, but we can talk about that later" You say. "You wouldn't happen to know if Graumer kept a journal, do you?"

>1/2

Belladonna agrees to take you to Graumer's study, but only after giving her a chance to spread the word about Graumer's capture.

Paula goes off to set up a guard posting for the Baron, just in case he had some backups, and then you head on your way.

The study is on the ground floor at the center of the manor.

"He keeps his journals here" Belladonna says, pointing to a bookcase. "All interrogation logs here, and experiment logs here"

You nod, and step toward the bookcase.

"There is also a hidden door on zis wall, that I am certain he thought I did not know about, that leads to 'is laboratory. I 'ave not been inside so I do not know what you will find" She says.

You noticed something off about that wall as soon as you came in, and you were planning on investigating it eventually. Nice of her to point it out, though.

"Now then, if you would like my help I could stick around for a time. But otherwise, there are things I must attend to" She says.

You nod, and head over to the-

>Hidden laboratory

>Journals

>Interrogation logs

>Experiment logs

>Other

Also

>Should Belladonna stick around? (Y/N)

>>2367851
>>Hidden laboratory

>>Should Belladonna stick around? (N)


Obviously we gotta hit the important secret areas first

>>2367851
>>Hidden laboratory
>Should Belladonna stick around? (N)

Get the worst of it over with.

>>2367851
>>Hidden laboratory

>writing

"I don't think I'll need help" You say. "Can you take Robin with you? I dunno what might be in this laboratory of his, but I don't think it'll be a good sight for young eyes"

"As you wish, your highness" Belladonna says, giving you a bow before taking Robin by the hand.

"And don't feel the need to call me by that title. Yuu is fine" You say.
"Ah, my apologies" She says.

"No worries. I think you'll find that any Lubrian royalty you meet out here won't be a stickler for titles" You say. "Especially Altea. If you see her, remember that her title is Commander. Not Lady, or Princess, or anything like that"

"I will remember that, thank you" She says. "Come along now, we'll let Yuu do his work"

"Will I see you later?" Robin asks.
"Of course" You reply.

Robin smiles, and you can see her tail wagging again.

"Maybe we can make a tail hole for you. I can't imagine hiding your tail is too comfortable" You hear Belladonna say as she heads out.

"Alright... let's see what he's hiding..." You say.

>1/2

You push against the wall, but it doesn't budge... and when you look around you don't see any sort of switch or keyhole.

"Oh... screw it" You say, as you start firing soul spikes into the edges of the hidden doorway. Once you've got a good perimeter set, you bed the spikes and pull them back.

It takes some effort, but the door does come off. You let it crash to the floor, and step into the room beyond it.

Inside there is what looks to be an operating table with heavy straps for a person's limbs, some kind of chemistry table, a desk with a bunch of notes, a bunch of skeletons held together by metal bits and hung from a rack, and several different body parts in jars...

You also see a heavy vault door that appears to have a combination lock on it. If you wanted to you could probably coerce Graumer into giving you the combination, but you know a few other people who might have other ways in...

But that can wait. You figure you'll start with-

>The chemistry table

>The desk

>The skeletons

>The jars

>Other

>>2367895
>>The desk

Always start with notes, just in case there's a hidden surprise with everything else

>>2367895
>>The desk

Incidentally, subsequent to our training period, how knowledgeable is Yuu in general so far as how science and magic operate?

>>2367895
>>The desk

>>2367895
>>The desk

>>2367905
You spent most of your time studying yourself and your own abilities, but you did learn some other miscellaneous stuff that'll come up every now and then.

But as for anatomy, he only knows basic stuff and other weird things from before the memory loss.

>writing

You head over to the desk and sit down. The chair is kinda comfy, but it doesn't quite compare to the one the Grand Inquisitor had.

The notes aren't the experiment logs, which means the experiment logs outside are the ones from the experiments done in here.

Instead, they're his actual theories and findings. It seems like he was trying to use healing magic to change the shape of a body part in an attempt to find a way to safely remove the animal parts from a woman.

Sounds like his experiments bore no fruit. Healing magic is meant to mend the body and return it to how it should be. That's why you can do something like regrow a limb, but not create an extra one.

Unless you turn into a formless flesh monstrosity like Arlen, but that's a whole 'nother bag of psychopath.

His process of trial and error would be fascinating, if you didn't know that each 'trial' involved an unwilling subject.

The only other thing here is a catalogue of the other stuff in the lab, so you decide to go check out-

>The skeletons

>The jars

>The chemistry table

>Other

>>2367933
>>The skeletons

>>2367933
>>The chemistry table

>>2367933
>>The skeletons

>writing

You walk over and examine the skeletons. There's a number on each of the skulls, corresponding to a note in the catalogue.

Most of them are intact, but one of them has a weird deformity in the skull so you read that ones entry.

"Number: 8, subtype: Leprid, Age: 17" You read aloud. "Relevent experiment logs: 8a-8f. Succumbed to infection following experiment 8f. Bone structure cleansed of flesh for use in further research..."

You leave the room and look for the corresponding log, taking it off the shelf and opening it up.

He tried to remove the top of her skull and replace it with that of a male's, just to get rid of her ears.

You stop reading there, and toss the log onto the floor as you fight back the bile rising in your throat.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Cutie" Cheska calls out from the doorway. "Madelaine told me I'd find you here, and- hey, is something wrong?"

...

>Wanna help me bury some skeletons?

>You don't want to be here

>Yes

>Other

>>2367960
>>Wanna help me bury some skeletons?

>>Yes


Absolute fucking trash that man is

>>2367960
>>Yes
>>Wanna help me bury some skeletons?

No wonder the Legion left him alone, he's practically one of them.

>>2367960
>>You don't want to be here

>>2367960
>>Wanna help me bury some skeletons?
can we make a guillotine right quick

>writing

"Yes" You say. "I'll explain later. For now help me find a shovel and a place to bury these"
"O... kay" She replies.

You head out with Cheska to find Belladonna. The French Elf Maid is with the other maids, celebrating their newfound freedom.

She informs you that there's a yard behind the manor with a shed where you can find a shovel, which will also make for a good place to bury the skeletons.

"So why are we burying these skeletons?" Cheska asks.
"You really wanna know?" You ask.

"I've heard some pretty crazy shit about this Graumer dude. But you remember that I used to roll with dudes like the Puppeteer and baby eating Guz, right?" She asks.

"Well..."

You tell her about your interactions with Graumer, and your discoveries in the lab.

"I might need to buy Madelaine a drink" She says when your done. "So is he still alive?"
"For now, yeah" You say.
"Why?" She asks.
"If we execute him all willy nilly, any remaining Antolian nobility will probably think twice about coming to us" You say. "He'll stand trial and we'll shine a nice big light on all of his atrocities, let everyone see just how much of a monster he was, and-"

"And then he dies?" She asks.
"And then he dies" You say.
"Cool. So long as that's the end result" She says.

>I thought you didn't have problems with killing

>Ask how long ago she reached Lutain

>Ask if Pip is nearby to crack the safe

>Other

>>2367987
>>Ask if Pip is nearby to crack the safe

>>2367987
>>Ask how long ago she reached Lutain

>>Ask if Pip is nearby to crack the safe

We also gotta make sure Illica gets her punch in.

>writing

"How long ago did you get here?" You ask.

"Not long. The nothern forces just arrived" She says. "We were kinda disappointed to see that the work was already done"

"Oh... sorry" You say.

"What? This means I get a break after not really doing all that much" She says. "I mean, after we're finished with this"

"You're going to help?" You ask. "I thought you were allergic to manual labor"
"I'll live" She replies.

You open up the shed, grab a shovel, and pick a spot for the graves while Cheska goes to bring out the actual skeletons.

The digging is easy, as the ground is nice and soft. But it still takes a while.

"All done?" Cheska asks.
"Looks like it" You reply.
"Where to now?" She asks.

>I'm kinda hungry

>I want to see if there's anything useful in Graumer's journals

>Other

>>2368001
>>I want to see if there's anything useful in Graumer's journals

>>2368001
>>I want to see if there's anything useful in Graumer's journals

>writing

"I'm gonna head back to the lab. His experiments may have been atrocious, but his journals may give us some insight into what the Legion's been doing" You say as you head back inside.
"Good call" Cheska says. "Just about every raid into Lubars goes through here, and more often than not we'd impose upon the good Baron's hospitality"

"Just so long as you were never rude to the maids" You say.

"Can't speak for anyone else, but I never laid a finger on them" She says. "I kinda felt bad for them, actually"
"Well they're in better hands now" You say.

When you reach the study, you look over the journals.

"Pretty convenient that he kept a log of just about everything" You say, as you pull out the most recent one and open it up.

"Some people are anal like that" she says. "Anything good in there?"

You flip through, looking for dates that stand out and stopping at an entry just after the recent attack on Locke.

"I think so..." You say.
"What is it?" She asks.
"Like you said. Their escape ship stopped over here on the way back" You say. "They stayed here for a week, and... there's something here about Stella!"

"Anything we can use?" Cheska asks.

"They kept her in the dungeons here" You say. "But it says she wasn't with them when they left"
"Maybe she's still here?" Cheska asks.

You shake your head. "I hope not..." You say, as you flip through the next few pages. "And here. He discovered the entrance to a resistance tunnel down there. Had a Legionnaire check it out, and it lead out of the city"

"So?" Cheska asks.

"So she escaped. The resistance got her out" You say. "Come on. The Comomder will want to hear about this"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be tomorrow.

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

>>2368019
Oh fuck yeah!
I hope some of the others they took escaped too.

>>2368038
I just hooe the resistance managed to keep anyone they saved from being recaptured.

>>2368072
Might be just me being paranoid but this resistance doesn't really sit well with me. My gut tells me they would stab us in the back no questions asked if our interests no longer aligned.

"Hold on a sec, hot stuff. Let me see that" Cheska says.

You hand the journal to Cheska, and wait impatiently as she reads through the pages you mentioned.

...

She reads too slow.

"Huh..." She says.
"Right? So this means the Resistance has her, and-"

"Why didn't they search?" Cheska asks.
"What?" You ask.

"The Bun's a prime hostage. They had no way of knowing she wouldn't go straight home to rally up the Hunters" Cheska says. "If she really did slip through their grip, then why didn't they search?"

"You think she's-"

"I'm not saying she's dead or anything. I'm just saying you shouldn't be jumping to conclusions" She says. "Us demons trusted Graumer about as far as we could throw him, which for some of us was pretty far, but still not far enough to let him in on our plans"

You hold out your hand and get the notes back from Cheska.

"They might have made the tunnel themselves to trick the Baron, in case he decided to get in touch with us" Cheska says. "She could just be dead, or you could be right and she's escaped and for whatever reason, they didn't look for her"

"So what do we do?" You ask.
"I dunno. I'm just tellin' you what my gut tells me" She says. "You're the one with the actual brains around here"

>Don't put yourself down like that

>Maybe Belladonna knows something

>We should check out the tunnel

>Maybe we could squeeze some more info from Graumer

>Other

Also

>Comment on the fact that hot-headed Cheska is urging you to be cool? (Y/N)

>>2368951
>>Maybe we could squeeze some more info from Graumer.
>Comment (Y)
>Could she maybe melt in the vault?

There's quite a bit we could squeeze really right now.

>>2368951
>>We should check out the tunnel

>>Comment on the fact that hot-headed Cheska is urging you to be cool? (Y)

>writing

"You're right" You say. "We should confirm some of this before jumping to conclusions. The Tunnel is in the dungeon, Graumer is in the dungeons. 2 birds, meet 1 stone"

Cheska looks confused.

"Killing 2 birds with 1 stone?" You say. "It's a metaphor for getting 2 things done at once"
"Ahhhh. I gotcha" She says.

You head to the dungeon with Cheska besideyou. It's pretty deep under the manor, but compared to Locke's dungeon it's like a quick stroll.

"Heh" You say.

"What?" She asks.

"Usually I'm the level headed one" You say. "Says a lot about my state of mind that you were the one who had to hold me back"

"If it makes you feel better, I can do something completely stupid for you" She says.

You stroke your chin.

>How stupid we talkin' here?

>Please don't

>That would make me feel better...

>Other

>>2369000
>>Please don't

>writing

>>2369000

>How stupid we talkin' here

"Please don't" You say.

"Fiiiiine" She says, walking ahead of you while her tail swishes in circles. Then she looks back and winks. "But only since you asked so nicely"

Cheska then skips the rest of the way down the stairs, making you pick up the pace to keep up.

When you reach the bottom, you find Cheska holding a little ball of flame out to see by.

"Alright, who does a devil have to tease to get a torch or somethin'?" She asks.

You spot a pile of torches nearby, grab one, light it on her fireball, and hand it to her.

"Oh, why thank you" She says.
"No teasing" You say.

Cheska pokes out her tongue at you.

You can feel a bt of a draft down here, so you assume that the tunnel is still open. Graumer is still out cold, though there's a water device and a bucket you could use to wake him up...

>Baron first

>Tunnel first

>Other

>>2369058
>>Baron first

>>2369058
>>Tunnel first

>writing

"Tunnel first" You say. "Let the Baron get some more rest before I break his nose again"

"Is he braced? I don't see the machine anywhere around here" Cheska says.
"I made one myself" You reply.

"Thaaaaat makes sense" She says. "Dunno why I didn't guess that in the first place"

You go up to the entrance to the tunnel. It's in the farthest cell from the stairs, covered up by a few pieces of wood.

After tossing the wood aside, you peer in.

"Looks pretty long" You say.
"Bit small too" Cheska replies. "I'd definitely suggest plugging it up once we're done here. If the Legion knows it's here then they could try and get back into the city using it"

"Right" You say.

You don't see anything in the tunnel worth noting, though there could be something at the other end...

>Head inside

>Stay here

>Other

>>2369100
>>Head inside

>>2369100
>Stay here
We have orders and a position in the army, we should be reporting our findings and make a search when things have calmed down in the town

>>2369100
>>Stay here

>writing

"As much as I'd like to check it out, I'd rather not leave the city without telling anyone" You say. "We should interrogate Graumer, maaaybe talk to Belladonna, and then report in"

"Sounds like a plan" Cheska says. "But who's Belladonna?"

"Head maid here" You say.
"The name sounds familiar..." She says. "What does she look like?"

"Elf, light skin, white hair-"

Cheska snaps her fingers. "And does she talk like zis, wis thrrrroaty r's, and soft th's?" She asks, doing a pretty good imitation of Belladonna's accent.
"Bingo" You say. "What accent is that anyway?"

"Old Antolian" She replies. "They only speak it in the mountain and coastal cities, but it's got a really noticeable accent"

"It's a nice accent" You say.

She nods. "I've always thought it sounded pretty fancy" She says. "So, shall we wake our honoured guest?"

"I'll fill the bucket. You wanna splash him?" You ask.
"It would be my pleasure" She replies.

>1/2

You hand off the bucket to Cheska, and she tosses the water into the Baron's face.

"Wakey wakey" Cheska says with a deceptively cheerful lilt and she crouches in front of the cell. "We've got some questions for ya, and you hope you have some answers"

The baron coughs as he sits up. "Don't you mean 'we hope you have some answers'?" He asks.
"No~" She says.

Graumer suddenly looks very nervous.

"The Legion ship that came from Lubars. It stopped here. I want details about that stop" You say.

He looks like he's about to refuse, until he looks at Cheska again. "Oh, gods. Alright, alright" He says.

You look down at Cheska and see that her red eyes are glowing, but the glow fades after a moment.

Then Graumer spills everything. Mahron came with a few of his lieutenants and dragged someone down into the dungeons.

When he asked about what they were doing, Mahron told him they were testing a new boon. He also said to ignore any screaming, and to record nothing about the boon.

When the Legion left, they left without the prisoner. After their ship left, Graumer had someone check the dungeons figuring there'd be a body. Instead they found the tunnel after the airship takeoff caused the ground to shake and clear away the entrance.

>Ask him if he saw this new boon

>Ask him where that ship went

>Ask him about his experiments

>Leave

>Other

>>2369208
>>Ask him if he saw this new boon

>>2369208
>>Ask him if he saw this new boon

>>Ask him where that ship went

>>2369208
>>Ask him if he saw this new boon
>>Ask him where that ship went
>>Ask him about his experiments

Let's try to find out everything we can

>writing

Is the prisoner he is talking about Stella? Sorry for asking but I am barely awake and yet at the same time suffering from insomnia.

"Did you get a look at this new boon?" You ask.

"It looked like a whip, but it was too thick and there was a spike on the tip" He says. "They didn't tell me what it did"

"And the prisoner, did you get a look at them?" Cheska asks.
"I didn't... not really. They had a bag over her head, but it was definitely a girl" He says.

"And where was the ship headed next?" You ask.
"To the capital" He says.

"Anything else we ought to know?" Cheska asks.
"They're going to kill me for this" He says. "They're going to kill me, you, and everyone here"

"Let them try" You say. "My belt could use a few more notches, and you're not long for this world anyway"

"I'm-"
"I found your laboratory" You say.

"So you're just going to murder me anyway..." He says.

"It won't be murder. It'll be justice, pure and simple" You say.
"But my work is-"
"Your work is done" You say. "I think we're done here. Come on, Cheska. Let's-"

>Talk to Belladonna

>Report in

>Other

>>2369253
>>Talk to Belladonna
I still want to know where his work ended up though... and get into the damn vault.

>>2369253
>>Talk to Belladonna

>writing

"-go see the maid" You say. "We'll let the Baron stew for a bit"

"This prison won't hold me for long, you understand that don't you?" He asks. "There's no bracer down here"

"You lack imagination" You say, letting soul energy crackle between your fingertips.

Graumer looks at his wrist, and his eyes go wide.

You don't stick around for the rest of his reaction.

When you find Belladonna, she's sitting at a table in the yard where you buried the skeletons sipping a cup of tea.

"Yo" You say.

She gives you a light nod over her teacup. "Welcome back" She says.
"Where are the others?" You ask.
"Modifying their uniforms" She says. "They've made something of an event out of it. I find it refreshing to see them all in such high spirits"

"They've got a few good reasons to be happy" You say. "What are you doing out here?"

She taps a pencil on the stack of papers sitting in front of her. "No more Baron, but someone has to be in charge. I'm doing my part to ensure a smooth transition of power... well, finance-wise at least"

"Why do that out here?" You ask.

"I like it out here. It's not the mountain air, but it's nice and fresh. I'm also pondering how much of the fault I share for them-" She says, motioning towards the row of fresh graves.

"I would say none, but you probably don't think so" You say.

"I did nothing..." She says. "I guarded my own girls as well as I could, but did nothing for them..."

"That was all you could do" You say. "We don't all have the authority to break a Baron's nose and toss him in a cell. What's important now is that he won't hurt anyone else... but there's still someone who's in danger"

Belladonna cocks her head to one side. "Something you need?" She asks.

"The tunnel in the dungeon and the missing prisoner" You say. "I need details..."

>1/2

"I only know what I've been told, but I can call the one who saw it first hand" She says.

"That would help" You say.

She smiles and nods. Then her lips start to glow green, and she appears to be saying something but no sound comes out.

"What was that?" You ask.
"A unique trait of my elven tribe" She says. "We are not called the Windspeakers for nothing"

"So... you used that spell to call the person who discovered the tunnel?" You ask.

She nods, and her lips glow green again. This time when she speaks it sounds like she's whispering right into your ear.

"A useful skill, no?" She asks.

You involuntarily flinch at the implied proximity of her voice, and she laughs.

"It takes some getting used to" You hear, in your other ear this time.

"It's a little weird at first, yeah" You say.

>You seein' this shit, Cheska?

>How do you know where to send it?"

>Other

>>2369315
>>You seein' this shit, Cheska?

>>How do you know where to send it?"

>>2369315
>>You seein' this shit, Cheska?
>>How do you know where to send it?"

>>2369315
>>How do you know where to send it?"
>>I have a wind ability too.

>writing

"How do you know where to send it?" You ask.

"I send it to a room. It's all a matter of keeping my girls on schedule" She says. "You need a more exact location for someone outside, which is why it's not good for much outside of the manor"

You nod. "I could see that" You say.

Again, her voice whispers straight into your ear. "But if you want to speak to someone close by wisout being heard, to converse on somesing clandestine, or communicate on a hunt"

You shake your head off.

"Still feels strange?" She asks.

"A little" You reply.

"I'd say you'll get used to it, but you probably won't be sticking around zat long" She says.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll take over as the new lord" You say. "I'll need to do something once I run out of bad guys to beat up, right Cheska?"

...

You look around. Cheska isn't here.

"Who is Cheska?" Belladonna asks. "The name sounds familiar..."
"The Red Devil who was with me" You say "You might have met her. She was with Carthac's group at one point"

Cheska steps out of the doorway and into the yard.

"Well, my cover's blown now" She says.

>Ask why she was hiding

>Ask if she thinks you'd make a good Baron

>Show off your own wind thingy

>Other

>>2369381
>>Ask why she was hiding
>>Show off your own wind thingy

>>2369381
>>Ask if she thinks you'd make a good Baron

>>Show off your own wind thingy


>"Who knows? Maybe I'll take over as the new lord"
Oh god that would be amazing

>writing

>>2369390
Graumer even did you a favor and filled the manor with cute maids. What more could you want?

File: 1516516457479.gif (2.29 MB, 300x314)

2.29 MB GIF

>>2369406
Please don't tease me like this.

"You think I'd make a good baron?" You ask.

"You plan on torturing people, abusing your staff and ignoring your citizens?" She asks.
"No" You say. "I plan on doing the opposite of that"

"Well then you've got my support" She says.

Belladonna's voice comes in your ear again. "Why is there a legionnaire with you?" She asks.

"Ex-legionnaire" You say. "And you don't have to worry about her. She's friendly"

"Yup" Cheska says. "After they betrayed me, Yuu here took me in and showed me the joys of slingin' fireballs at the bad guys"

Belladonna says something in a language that you assume is Old Antolian. "Zat is good to hear" She says.

"I do know a bit of Old Antolian" Cheska says.
"Ah... My apologies" Belladonna says. "I did not mean-"

"That's alright. I've got my own doubts too" Cheska says. "But if you guys are gonna be talking to someone about legion matters, having a demon around will only make them nervous"

"You don't have to go..." You say.

"It's fine" She replies. "I'll go let the Commander know what we've found and bring her the ex-baron's journal, kay?"

"Okay" You reply.

Cheska blows you a kiss with her tail. "Catch ya later" She says, as she walks out.

"You two seem close" Belladonna says.

"We were chained at the wrist for a while. It was bound to happen" You reply.

>1/2

Before you can get into the nitty-gritty, the maid Belladonna called for arrives.

She's got two big curled horns on top of her head, and hooves instead of feet. You assume she's some kind of goat woman...

"Lina, zis is Prince Yuu" Belladonna says.

"H-hello" Lina says, as she gives you a deep bow.

"Straighten up, I'm not the kind of prince you bow to" You say. "I hear you were the one who found the tunnel"

"That was me" She says.

"Mind giving me some details?" You ask, motioning for her to sit down with you and Belladonna.

Lina takes a seat and begins her tale...

Once Graumer was sure the Legion had actually left, he ordered someone to go down and clean up whatever mess they might have made in he dungeon.

"He said to expect a corpse and a lot of blood, so the others and I drew straws" Lina says. "I lost..."

She continues to say that the place was pretty much clean except for all the spit on the floor, and some weird ooze in the cell where she found the tunnel. While she was cleaning it up, the ground started to shake and a bit of the wall fell away.

>Ask if she went through it

>Ask about the ooze

>Ask how she managed to hide her big horns like everyone else hid their ears

>Other

>>2369452
>>Ask about the ooze

>>Ask how she managed to hide her big horns like everyone else hid their ears

>writing

"This ooze... what was it like?" You ask.

"It looked disgusting, like someone soaked orange rinds in Hulker bile" She says. "But it smelled sweet. Like... really sweet. If it didn't look so gross I might have tried tasting it"

"Weird" You say. "Anything else?"
"It didn't clean up without a fight" She says. "Took hours to finally finish after the tunnel opened up"

"You didn't go in?" You ask.
"Of course not" She says.

"Alright, I'll have to check it out myself then..." You say. "One more question, and then I think you're free to go"

Lina looks at you expectantly.

"I know Graumer liked to have you all hide your animal features... how did you manage to hide those horns?" You ask.

Lina nods, and then parts her hair, pulls it up, and wraps the two sides around her horns in a strange, double bun-like updo.

"Ah..." You say. "Good thing I showed up. Your hair looks much better when it's loose"

Lina giggles and blushes. "Why thank you" She says. "Is that all?"

>Any further questions?

>>2369477
I honestly have no idea what to ask, this just seems really strange, I've no idea what to make of it. I'm curious about why the tunnel was hidden until after she started cleaning, maybe the Legion didn't know it was there?

>>2369477
Were good here, thank her for her time.

>writing

"I'm good. If I think of anything else, then I'll come to you. Sound good?" You ask.

She smiles and gives you another bow before taking her leave. This time the bow is more relaxed, moreso just a maid being polite, where the first one was like 'oh god royalty'.

"Satisfied?" Belladonna asks.

"Not just yet..." You say. "But I'm not sure if I'll be able to piece this all together here. I'll have to meet with someone from the resistance to get the whole picture"

"Zat I cannot help you wis" She says. "I know zey have a presence here, but I know no way to contact zem"

"I'm sure they'll contact me at some point" You say. "Speaking of which, I left my cart in town too..."

"Is zat a problem? It should not get stolen" Belladonna says.

"It's fine... I just have to remember how to get to it" You say.

"Where did you leave it?" She asks.

"Up the street from where they had that giant cannon" You say.

>Ask if she knows anything about that

>Ask if she knows that area

>Go check out the tunnel first

>Other

>>2369511
>>Ask if she knows anything about that

>>2369511
>Go check out the tunnel

Send Coral off to let someone know first. We've spent enough time at the manor.

>writing

"You know anything about that?" You ask.

"No. But I do know zat ze towns engineering guild was hired to make it" She says, taking a sip of her tea before continuing. "Hired is not quite ze right word, but I'm sure you know what I mean"

"Think the guild will know a bit more about it?" You ask.

"It is worth checking" She says. "I do not believe zey were killed after it was completed, so zere is bound to be someone you can talk to"

You talk with Belladonna for a while longer, and after getting the location of the Engineer's Guild, as well as a general area of where you might find the Rook, you bid her farewell.

"Oh, and one more thing" She says, stopping you before you exit the yard.

You turn back and pause.

"Thank you" She says. "For everything"

You smile. "No problem. Punching bad guys is my job" You say. "And I happen to both excel at it, and enjoy it"

That gets a laugh out of her, and you make your way back inside...

>1/2

You decide to leave using the tunnel. You can get outside, see where it goes, and then either swing around to the nearest gate or head back into the tunnel.

Graumer is passed out when you arrive, which is fortunate because you don't really feel like having to talk to him.

The tunnel itself is just a bit too short for you, making you crouch to get inside. But before you enter, you make up a quick note about what you're doing, hand it to Coral, and send her off to Altea.

It takes about as long as you thought it might to reach the end, and judging by the distance, this puts you a decent distance away from the town.

...

When you get out, you look around.

The town is closer than you thought it would be, which means less walking to get back. This particular side of the town doesn't have an entrance on it, though. The ground is much too rocky and steep.

There are obvious signs of travel into the tunnel in the form of footprints, but anything more than a couple meters out are obscured by the tracks made by the Legion as they retreated... and the craters made by the airships that rained fire on them.

"Jeez... it's a wonder the tunnel stayed intact at all..." You say, as you continue to look for clues. "Hello there..."

You lean over and examine a nearby bush, picking up an object that's hanging off of it.

It's a bowtie, like the ones on the Guild Rabbit's uniforms. It's completely intact, as though someone took it off and left it here.

"Like someone wanted it to be found" You say.

"Who goes the- oh" A familiar voice calls out.

You look to see Lulu approaching with a sizeable infantry force.

"What are you doing out here?" She asks.

>Tunnel

>Smell this

>The Yuusual stuff

>Other

>>2369559
>>Smell this
time to track the bunny

>>2369559
>>Tunnel
>>Smell this

>>2369559
>>The Yuusual stuff
We have a reputation to keep up, okay

>writing

>>2369559
>The Yuusual stuff
>Smell this

"Oh, just the Yuu-sual stuff" You say with a smile.

Lulu sighs. "Nice... but seriously"

"Oh, yeah. I found this tunnel that leads to the dungeons under the Ex-Baron's manor, and for military reasons I need you to smell this bowtie" You say.

"Think it belongs to someone we know?" Lulu asks.

You nod.

"Alright, I'll give it a whiff, see what I get" She says, as she walks up and grabs the bowtie. "So he's the Ex-Baron already, huh?"

"You wouldn't be surprised if you met him, or saw his laboratory" You say.

"Not surprised at all, just askin'" She says sniffing the bowtie. "Smells kinda... sweet? And a little familiar... who do you think this belonged to?"

"Stella" You say.

She gives it another couple sniffs. "It's been dulled by exposure, and whatever this sweet stuff is, but it definitely belonged to her" She says. "What's going on?"

You grab the bowtie back from her. "Nothing's official yet, so I'll have to tell you later" You say.
"Where are you off to?" She asks.

"To get the Commander's take on this" You say, as you start running back to town. "Keep up the good work!"

"I always do" She replies.

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will be next Tuesday.

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

>>2369595
What would the ex-baron think about a giant leviathan being turned into a nearly human cute girl?

>>2369602
probably the same thing he'd think about any other "nearly Human" girl.

>>2369686
But it WOULD be the opposite process, monsters turning human-ish instead of humans turning monster-ish

File: 2dd.jpg (15 KB, 300x300)

15 KB JPG

>French Elf maid

You head around the town to the north gate, but find it closed. The guards on the wall let you know that the gate's been ordered shut, and that the only way in is further along to the east gate.

You sigh and make your way along. "Maybe I should've just gone back in through the hole..." You say.

As you continue on, Coral comes over the wall.

"Hey there" You say. "You bring Altea my message?"

Coral nods.

Doesn't seem like she sent anything back, so you'll have to talk to her at some point soon. In the meantime, you feed Coral some soul and a dried berry.

Then someone lands on your shoulders. Judging by the weight and the obvious lack of pants...

"Hello Lyvia" You say, as you look up and confirm that it's her. "Miss me?"
"I thought you'd be coming right back" Lyvia says, looking grumpy. "Instead you went gallivanting off with Elves and Barons and goodness knows who else"

"Aww, you did miss me!" You say, as you reach up and tug on her cheek.

She folds her arms and tries to look angry, but how angry can she be if she's not bothering to climb off your shoulders.

"What's happening in town?" You ask.
"Lubrian and Northern leaders are meeting in person for the first time" She says.

>Shouldn't you be there for that?

>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>How's that going?

>Other

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Other
>>Shouldn't we be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't we be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?
>>Shouldn't we be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?
>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

>>2382550
>>Shouldn't you be there for that?

>>Shouldn't I be there for that?

"Shouldn't you be there for that?" You ask. "And for that matter, shouldn't I be there? A meeting between Lubars and the North is happening and the two people who could keep them away from each other's throats aren't there?"

"Your mother said that the two nations will need to learn to cooperate without interference, since we won't always be present at these meetings" She says.

"That... makes sense" You say. "So what brings you out my way?"

"I'm here to keep you occupied" She says, sounding very proud of herself.

...

"Were you supposed to tell me that?" You ask.
"It is quite possible that I was meant to keep that to myself" She says.

You chuckle. "So are you taking orders from my mom now? I thought you were the queen" You say.
"It was not an order. I volunteered for the task because sitting in the meeting sounded boring" She replies.

You sigh. You might have to talk to your mother about how she interacts with this one... childish as she might be, she is still royalty and it's probably not a good idea to be manipulating her like this. Even if it is really easy.

You can now see the east gate, and the large amount of troops filing through it. It takes some effort to squeeze your way through, but no one questions your presence despite your lack of uniform.

"Yuu?" A familiar voice calls.

You turn and spot Marybell coming your way. She's wearing light armor, with some chainmail draped over the horse part of her body.

"Hello" You say.
"Who's this?" Lyvia asks.
"This is Marybell. Marybell, this is Queen Lyvia" You say.

...

"I have several questions" She says.

"I've got some time. What's up?" You ask.

"Well, for starters I'd like to know when and how you left the city" She says. "I'm also curious about why the Northern Queen is riding on your shoulders, and why you don't seem at all concerned about this"

>Should I be concerned?

>I found a tunnel

>Lyvia doesn't like walking

>Other

>>2387458
>I found a tunnel.
>I'm not concerned because I'm batman.

>>2387458
>>I found a tunnel
>>Lyvia doesn't like walking

>writing

"Oh, Lyvia doesn't like to walk" You say.

"She... doesn't like to walk?" Marybell asks.
"Because her legs are so small" You say.

"And I'm not wearing shoes" Lyvia says, holding her feet out in front of you and swaying them around.
"That too- what? Why aren't you wearing your shoes?" You ask.

"I don't like any of the ones I have" She replies.
"You have like 15 pairs of shoes and you don't like any of them?" You ask.
"They're uncomfortable" She says.

You sigh. "We'll deal with this later" You say, as you turn your attention back to Marybell, who is stifling her laughter.

"Okay. I get it now" She says. "Still doesn't explain how you got out there"

"There's a tunnel under the Ex-Baron's manor" You say. "Looks like the resistance used it to bust a prisoner out just after the Legion stopped here on the way back from their last raid on Locke. Pretty sure that prisoner was Stella, but I've got nothing concrete yet"

"Well the Commander is in a meeting now, but that tunnel poses a bit of a security risk" She says. "If you have no further use for it, do you think you could show one of our earth mages where it is so we can seal it?"

>Sure thing

>I might wanna sniff around a bit more first

>It's just inside the dungeon. Can't miss it

>Other

>>2387561
>>It's just inside the dungeon. Can't miss it
My last vote tonight

>>2387561
>It's just inside the dungeon. Can't miss it

>Other
>Get the earth mages to check if there are side passages hidden with earth magic that we couldn't spot

>writing

>>2387561
>It's just inside the dungeon. Can't miss it

Would also support this:
>Get the earth mages to check if there are side passages hidden with earth magic that we couldn't spot

"It's just inside the dungeon in the last cell. You can't miss it" You say. "If they need to find the dungeon, tell them to ask Miss Belladonna about it"

"Sounds simple enough. I'll see who I can rally up" She says.

"Oh, and tell them to ignore the Baron" You say. "He's in one of the cells down there too"

"I imagine he'll be staying there for a while" Marybell says.
"I think he'll be staying down there for the rest of his short life" You say. "But I'll tell you more about that later"

"Alright" Marybell says. "And... good job with all this"

"Thanks. Taking out the cannon was actually pretty easy-"

"No, I mean all of this" Marybell says. "Without you, the North would never have agreed to all this. But now that they have, we can finally start really fighting"

"Oh. No problemo. Nobody was more eager to beat up some demons than me" You say.
"You know I sometimes find it hard to believe that you're the same person Derrick brought to us those months ago... yet I can't seem to think of any way that you've changed" She says.

...

>I'm the same person, just stronger

>Is that a compliment?

>I got taller, apparently

>Other

>>2387673
>>I'm the same person, just stronger
>>Is that a compliment?

>writing

>>2387673
>>I got taller, apparently

>>2387673
no sides huh

>I figured out clothes

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not" You say.

"It is... at least I think it is" She says.

You chuckle. "Well I got a bit taller, at least that's what people keep telling me" You say. "I also figured out clothes, to the point where I can now help others get dressed. Right Lyvia?"

"Right" Lyvia says. "Hey, waaaaaaait a minute"

Marybell laughs. "I must take my leave now" She says. "Lots to do, only so much time to do it with"

"Gotcha" You say. "Oh, and is there any chance you could get those earth mages to check for side passages on that tunnel?"

"That kinda stuff is standard practice for military tunnelers" She says. "Don't you worry. They'll give it a thorough check before they collapse it"
"Cool" You say.

"Is there anything else you need?" She asks.

>Ask where Derrick is

>Go find the Rook

>Look for someone else (specify)

>Ask if anyone needs a hand

>Other

>>2387784
>>Go find the Rook

>writing

"I'm good for now. I left the Rook somewhere around here and I'd like to find it before I get into anything else" You say.

Marybell nods. "I will see you later, then. It sounds like the Commander is gathering all of us together after the meeting for a meeting of our own" She says.

"And I'm invited to this one?" You ask.

"Well... yes" Marybell says. "I was told to invite you..."
"I'm kidding" You say. "When does it start?"

"Depends on how long the current meeting takes" She says. "We'll send a sprite to let you know when that will be"

"Cool" You say.

You bid Marybell farewell and head off.

The town is now swarming with soldiers. Some are patrolling, some are setting things up, some are going house to house trying to clear out any legionnaires hiding in the cracks.

Thankfully they seem to be treating the Antolians well. The armies will probably be based here for a while, so it wouldn't be good to make them hate you... which might be a difficult task, given that you just booted the Legion and the Baron out.

But on that matter, you don't really know all that much about their feelings on the Baron. You know that some opposed his decision to surrender, but did any of them really know how bad he was?

Perhaps you'll get a chance to ask at some point...

>1/2

>>2387784
>Look for someone else (specify)
cheeks
>Go find the Rook

>>2387892
Cheska*
Being a phone poster is suffering

You find the Rook right where you left it. Whoever set up the false wall has since taken it down, so you pull the Rook back out onto the street.

With that done you peek inside the house, but find it empty. The people who were in there when the kid was leading you through seem to have packed up and left along with the kid himself, so you've got no one to question.

"Ah well. At least I've got my Rook back" You say.

"What is this thing?" Lyvia asks as she slides off your shoulders to get a closer look.

"This is the Rook. It's my vehicle" You reply. "It runs off a small Chaos Engine, and moves much faster than your average cart"

She gives it a sniff. "Doesn't smell very fast" She says.

...

>Care for a ride?

>What exactly does "fast" smell like?

>Well smells can be deceiving

>Other

>>2387916
>Well smells can be deceiving