>>2479158
>>Speed ahead

>>2479158
>Speed ahead

>>2479158
>>Speed ahead

>writing

"I'll see you guys there" You say, giving a thumbs up as you speed ahead. "Hey Cheska, did you know this thing can go faster now?"

"It can do whaAAAAAAAA-"

You max out the throttle and switch on the boosters, turning the buildings on either side into blurs.

In no time you're at the south east wall. Nothing looks outwardly wrong, but you get the feeling that's not the case.

You and Cheska head into the main watchtower, where the sprite would have been sent from, and find it's a bit of a mess.

There were 2 people here, both wearing Lubrian uniforms. One is dead, the other is huddled up in the corner mumbling to himself.

"Yikes" Cheska says.

"Hey, are you alright?" You ask the mumbling guard.

He looks up, and you see that he's missing an eye. There's some kind of weird fluid leaking out of the empty socket.

You stare at each other for a moment, before the man's eyes widen and he screams.

"NO SECRETS. NOT HERE" He says, jumping to his feet and swinging his sword at you.

It catches you off guard, but the swing is clumsy enough that you dodge it with ease.

The man turns, sobbing, to try again...

>Talk some sense into him

>Knock him out

>Put him out of his misery

>Other

>>2479265
>>Knock him out

>>2479265
>>Knock him out

>>2479265
>>Talk some sense into him
We need information, but if it takes to long then knock him out.

>writing

Rolled 79 (1d100)

You step to the side again, this time hitting his sword arm with a chain flare to bind him to the ground.

"Snap out of it, soldier!" You say, in your most commanding voice. "What the hell happened here?"

"They came like bats! Millions and millions of bats! They flew into my skull and stole all my thoughts!" He says, still struggling against the flare's pull. "I don't know anymore! No more secrets! They took them all!"

He gives up on trying to break free of the flare, and instead grabs his sword with his free hand and starts trying to hack his bound arm off.

Before he can get in the swing, you smack his head with a well placed soul bolt, and he collapses.

"What the fuck" You say.

"My thoughts exactly..." Cheska replies. "You smell that?"

You take a sniff. You didn't before, but now that you're not focused on the fight you smell something sweet.

Cheska sniffs around, trying to find the source. She wretches as soon as she figures it out.

It's the liquid coming out of the soldier's eye socket.

"Just what he fuck is that stuff?" She asks.

"Maybe it's actually candy" You say. "Sure smells like candy..."

"So what, they ripped out the dude's eye and poured liquid candy into the socket?" She asks. "Actually, that sounds just brutal enough to be something they'd do..."

"Maybe..." You say. "But the Legionnaires aren't here anymore..."

"So we search" She says.

"We search" You reply.

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>2479336

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>2479336

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>2479336

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>2479336

>writing

Rolled 33 (1d100)

You look around the room for clues, quickly gathering a few details that will help.

"If they tortured the soldier for information, then it's likely they know how we've been communicating" You say. "Could they have gone to another patrol spot?"

"Not likely. Demons can't use sprites, remember?" She asks.

"So they'll be close by" You say. "They would have left after learning that someone would come here when we didn't hear back. So for all we know we just missed them"

"They'd stay close by, somewhere they could watch for us" She says. "Wait for us to do our thing, and then ambush us while we looked for them since they know it's just the one force doing these checks"

"So we go out and look" You say. "Spring the trap and turn it on them"

"Sounds just stupid enough to work. Lead on" She says, adding with a smug look "My lord"

"Cut that out" You say.

You head out of the tower and scan the surrounding buildings. The other carts haven't caught up yet, so you're on your own for now.

They could be in any of these buildings, but each one looks like it has different qualities to it...

"Now which one..." Cheska says.

"That one" You reply before she can finish. "Definitely that one"

You walk over to one of the buildings, a small shop, and step inside. The place looks kinda familiar, and the door's been broken in.

There's definitely other people in here...

>Roll 1d100 with focus
>Slight bonus to focus range for previous success

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>2479435
oh boy

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>2479435

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>2479435

Rolled 95 (1d100)

>>2479435

>writing

Rolled 28 (1d100)

You walk in further, keeping quiet while scanning the room.

"I know you're here" You say. "Come out now, and I'll go easy on you"

Someone slowly comes up from behind the counter. In the darkness you can barely make out the face, but it looks sort of familiar.

Then they suddenly lunge at you. For a moment you're about to clise them open, but then you recognize them and jump to the side.

The long, serpentine body hits the opposite walls and crumples to the floor. It's Aenea. This is her shop.

You briefly wonder why you didn't recognize the place at first, but then decide you have bigger problems. She didn't jump at you, she was thrown.

You hop up onto the counter and come down blade first on the person behind it. You miss, but it forces them out of hiding.

A thrown dagger glances off your buckler as you bring it forward to deflect, and then you're forced to move as you discover a second person hiding back here.

The second person has a large axe that nearly demolishes the counter with a single swing. You won't be able to block that with your bucklers.

Either way, neither of these two seem to be carrying a boon, so you'll need to be on guard for a third person.

But that doesn't mean you don't have to deal with these two... in fact you're not in the best position right now. You're going to have to fix that soon...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>2479531

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>2479531

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>2479531

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>2479531

And
>>2479538
hits focus. I almost forgot that the range was +/- 8 now.

>writing

... and you know just how to do that.

You backpedal, letting your bucklers cover as much of your back as they can while baiting the man with the big axe in.

He goes for an overhead chop, and you loose a flair at the demon behind you as you get out of the way.

Axe-man's chop almost cleaves dagger-girl in two, and while he's reeling from having destroyed his sidekick, you hit him with heartbreaker, ending the career of the dynamic duo.

...

Demonic duo might work better there. You'll have to remember that one so you can say it out loud next time.

Turning back to Cheska, you see why she didn't help you there. Aenea's eyes are fixed on hers, and they're glowing.

Cheska looks like she was frozen in place when she tried to help Aenea.

"Oi. Stop that" You say to the Echidna. "This one's friendly"

Aenea's eyes lose their glow, and she looks to you.

"Y-yuu?" She asks. "I wasn't... I didn't..."

Cheska collapses, and you have to leap forward to catch her. Nothing looks wrong, she's just asleep.

"What did you do?" You ask.

"Well I thought she was hostile so I put her to sleep" She says.

You sigh and try to shake Cheska awake, then ask Aenea-

>If she's alright

>If there were more demons

>Why she didn't try that on the other demons

>How that works

>Other

>>2479587
>>If she's alright
>>If there were more demons

>>2479587
>If she's alright
>If there were more demons

>>2479587
>>If she's alright
>>If there were more demons

>writing

"Well...that's over with. Are you alright?" You ask.

Aenea's eyes start to water, and she cries and sputters out words you barely understand.

Cheska starts to stir, and she opens her eyes. She looks thoroughly confused.

"Welcome back" You say. "Mind if I deal with this?"

She blinks off her tiredness and sits up. "Yeah... sure... go ahead" She says.

You leave her and go try to console the crying Echidna.

"Hey... hey... I know it was scary but it's over now" You say, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I need you to calm down and help me out, okay?"

She says another unintelligible thing, then throws herself into your arms and bawls into your shoulder.

Looking back you see that Cheska is still trying to figure out how she got on the floor, so you're on your own here.

But you do kinda need to know what happened here...

>Let her get the crying out of her system

>Assert yourself. This is no time for tears

>Try to coax out the information

>Other

>>2479681
>>Assert yourself. This is no time for tears
>>Afterwards tell her she can go back with the military and stay at our house for now.

>>2479681
>>Let her get the crying out of her system

>writing

You sigh and give the Echidna a comforting hug, holding her tightly with one arm and stroking her back with the other. Then you run through all the different 'comfort-y' phrases.

Along with her arms, her head-snakes have also wrapped themselves around you.

When Cheska's finally standing, you decide that you can't delay any further.

"Alright Aenea, I need-... I need you to-... Aenea!" You say, finally using your commanding voice.

"Yes!" She says, releasing you, standing up straight and backing off a bit.

"I need you to help me out, okay" You say. "What happened here?"

It looks like she might start crying again, so you put a hand on her shoulder and ask again.

"Stay focused, Aenea. I need to know where those people came from, how many there were, and if any got away" You say. "Start from the beginning"

She steels herself and begins her tale...

She'd been sleeping up in the rafters, figuring she'd hide out in her shop rather than try to get to one of the crowded shelters.

The demons came in when she had come down to get some water, and she couldn't fight them off. One of them tried to put some kind of spike into her eye, but they used cark magic to seep into the floor and escape when you came in.

"So it was just 3 of them?" You ask.

Aenea nods.

"Tell me about the one that got away" You say.

Aenea describes the escaped demon as a black-feathered harpy. A blood-demon with both a sword, and a strange flesh weapon that they tried to put into her eye.

She says the flesh weapon looked like a spike-tipped tentacle with a handle... which is starting to sound familiar.

Once she's done, you give her your shoulder and let her get the rest of her tears out while you confer with Cheska.

"Sound familiar?" You ask.

"Ohhh yeah" She says. "That's Raven"
"Is she... a raven?" You ask.

"Fallen Angel" Cheska says. "Angels change more than most when they become demons. Their magic turns dark, their wings turn black... though she didn't have a boon when I was with them"

"That's because it's new" You say. "It matches the description I got from my maids of a boon they tested on Stella when they brought her here"

"It's a boon that goes into someone's eye and what... drives them crazy?" She asks.

"We might get to find out from the source" You say.

"She'll be hard to follow if she's travelling as a little shadow pool" She says.

"She won't be. Only Devils can stay Seeped for long periods" You say. "A little something I learned from Fran while I was at the Archive. This Raven will only be able to stay down for 10 seconds at most"

"So we try to find where she had to come up, then look" Cheska says.

>Let's get started

>Wait for Meyu and the others

>Other

>>2479826
>>Let's get started

>>2479826
>>Let's get started

>>2479826
>>Let's get started

>writing

>>2479826
>Let's get started
>Also worry about Stella now

"Let's get started" You say.

You take a second to let Aenea know what's going on, and telling her that there will be more soldiers arriving shortly. You tell her to go to them, tell them about the soldier in the tower, and let them know where you're headed, then possibly ask for transport to somewhere safe.

When you're certain she understands, you take a look around the shop.

You didn't see anything leave, which narrows down the exits that the angel could have taken. You settle on the open window just out of sight of the entrance.

The window leads to an alley behind the shop, where the ground is muddy and wet. You see a slight trail where the angel's seeped form must have traveled, and where it ends you see footsteps.

You hop out the window and follow the footsteps into the street, where they end after a few muddy footprints. But that doesn't matter, because you can see where she is now.

She's further up the street fighting with a few other people who you don't recognize. You don't know if they're friendly, but they'll have your thanks for keeping her busy for you...

>Engage

>Sneak in

>Wait and see what happens

>Other

>>2479912
>>Engage
shes probably brainwashing them now

>>2479912
>>Engage

>>2479912
>>Engage

>writing

>>2479912
>>Engage

Rolled 73 (1d100)

You take a breath, and then dash down the street towards the scuffle with Cheska in tow.

The Angel spreads her wings when she notices you approaching, sending out a wave of darkness in all directions. The wave doesn't hurt the people she's fighting, instead it binds them to the ground.

Before any of them can fight off the forces holding them in place, the darkness shudders and impales 4 of them. The others are released, but seem put off by their comrades sudden deaths.

The Angel says something, but it's quiet enough that you can't hear.

"Oh shit. Is she doing what I think she's doing?" Cheska asks. "Stop her! Now! Stop her!"

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>2479977

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>2479977

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>2479977

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>2479977

>writing

You hold out your arm and launch your floating blace in the Angel's direction.

Not a direct hit, but it does cut her wing pretty bad. Bad enough that she won't be flying any time soon, at least.

It also distracts her from whatever she was doing, forcing her to defend herself as you blade comes around again and Cheska starts whipping fireballs her way.

With her on the defensive, the three remaining fighters all rejoin the battle... only for one of them to get cut down in seconds.

The other goes down as his shadow comes out of the ground and impales him, and the final one gets stabbed in the eye by the strange flesh weapon.

Before she can do anything with that, you're on top of her. She holds her ground fairly well against you. As swordfighters go, she might even be better than Derrick.

But this is more than a swordfight.

The combination of your attacks and Cheska's flames overwhelm her defenses, and she quickly finds herself backed into a corner.

You put your sword to her throat and ready a disruptor, then-

>Ask what her boon did to the soldier

>Take her prisoner

>Kill her

>Other

>>2480016
>Kill her

>>2480016
>>Ask what her boon did to the soldier

>>2480016
>>Take her prisoner
torture time

>>2480016
>>Ask what her boon did to the soldier
>>Take her prisoner

>>2480016
>>Ask what her boon did to the soldier

>>2480016
>>Take her prisoner

>>2480016
>Disarm her of that flesh weapon as quickly as possible.
THEN
>Ask what her boon did to the soldier

>writing

You take the flesh weapon away and toss it to the ground.

"Alright. Not bad" She says. "I don't suppose you two would be interested in round two?"

You take her regular sword away as well then toss her to the ground, laying her out on her stomach and straddling her so you can bind her hands.

"Oo! Rough boy. I didn't mean round two like that..." She says, shifting herself to rub her butt against you. "But I wouldn't argue..."

"Sorry Raven, this one's too dense for the slutty routine to work" Cheska says.

"Shame" Raven says. Her body starts to darken as she seeps into the floor, but you fire a disruptor through her torso and it stops.

"That doesn't work either" You say, creating crystal bindings around her wrists.

"... fuck" She says. "Can't be beaten, seduced, snuck away from... how do people beat you?

"They don't" You say.

"What? No, I was just saying that" Cheska says. "He's totally seduceable"
"I am not" You reply.

"You absolutely are" Cheska says. "I saw the 'Oh goodness' look you got when she started rubbin' on you. Don't even try to deny it"

"I did not get an 'oh goodness' look" You say, as you take your belt off and bind the angel's wings with it. "What does that even look like?"

"It looks like... uhh..." Cheska makes a face, her eyes widen a little, and her mouth hangs open a bit. "It's the univesal face that a dude makes when the blood is vacating their brain"

"The blood was not vacating my brain" You say.

"I've done that move many times" Raven says. "It always gets the blood flowing to the right places"

"Nobody asked you!" You say. "Now tell me what that weapon does, or your blood is going to many places. If you catch my meaning..."

>1/2

Raven seems to have the same nonchalant attitude about the Legion that Cheska did, and is quick to spill about what her weapon does under the threat of death.

"It doesn't brainwash a person. It just takes away their ability to say no" Raven says. "Anything you ask, they have to answer, any commands you give them, they have to do"

"What did you do to the soldier?" You ask.

"Got all the information about your army's position and how you all coordinate" She says. "Then I told him to attack the next person who talked to him and we left"

"And what were you planning on doing with this information?" You ask.

"What do you think? Cause a breakdown inside the city, draw the main force away from the walls" She says. "I was personally going to make some people riot... until those people attacked me"

"Who were they?" Cheska asks.

"Dunno, they never introduced themselves" Raven says.

"What were you trying to do with them?" You ask.

"Open a partial bloodgate so I could escape" She says.

"I thought so" Cheska replies.

>Ask if anyone else came in with her

>Ask where she got the boon

>Ask what a partial bloodgate does

>Other

>>2480081
>>Ask what a partial bloodgate does

>>2480081
>>>Ask if anyone else came in with her

>>Ask what a partial bloodgate does

>>2480081
>Ask if anyone else came in with her

>>2480081
>>Ask if anyone else came in with her
We will have time later for the rest.

>>2480081
>>Other
Secure her and destroy the flesh weapon. Check on the other people she was fighting with.

>writing

"Who else came here with you?" You ask.

"Just the three of us" She replies. "I assume the others are dead"

...

"I sense you don't believe that" She says. "Shame... I was hoping you'd buy it after I answered the last questions so faithfully"

"Who else came in with you?" You ask again.

The Angel says nothing.

"Look, Raven. We can do this the easy way, or-"

"Oh, sweetie. I don't think you're capable of doing this the hard way. No offense" She says. "You don't really look like the torturing type, and I am remarkably hard to break"

...

>Grab the boon

>I'm not, but she is

>I don't think you've met 'my type' before

>Other

>>2480106
>>Grab the boon

>>I don't think you've met 'my type' before

>>2480106
>>Grab the boon
>>I don't think you've met 'my type' before

>>2480106
>>I'm not, but she is
>>Other, Destroy the boon now while you have the chance.

>>2480106
>Grab the boon
>I don't think you've met 'my type' before
Hey, if Yu's holding it, wont it try to go after the closes Mana rich source it can touch?

>>2480106
>>Grab the boon
>>I'm not, but she is

>writing

You prop the angel up against the wall, and use your mageblade to grab the boon from where you tossed it.

Then you crouch down and lean in, steadying yourself with one hand against the wall behind her while the other holds up the boon.

It squirms in your grip, but it's steady enough to be threatening.

"I don't think you've met 'my type' before" You say, as you inch the spike closer to her eye.

"Y-you wouldn't" She says. "You'll never get anything from me like this, I'll-"

"It takes away their ability to say no" You say, quoting her on the boon.

"Oh shit. Oh shit. Alright! It was five of us. Three of us came into the city, the rest went back to bring the information we took from the soldiers back to command" Raven says.

"And what way were they going to take?" You ask.

"They were going south. East is too hot right now with the fighting going on" She says.

"And that's the truth" You say.

"As far as I know, yes" She says. "Don't believe me? You've got an easy way to check"

>Stick it in

>Destroy it

>Other

>>2480161
>>Destroy it

>>2480161
>>Destroy it

>>2480161
>>Destroy it

>writing

You give her a wicked smile, and start moving the boon forward.

"Oh, shit! No, wait! I told you everything, I-"

You destroy the boon before it makes contact, and she looks even more terrified than before.

"But I suppose there are limits to what I'm willing to do" You say. "What kind of vehicles were they using?"

"Carts... they were using carts" Raven says. She looks defeated.

"What do you think?" Cheska asks.

"I could catch them" You say. "But we have to deal with this first..."

Just in time, Meyu's cart rolls up. They come in and you tell them the situation. The sprite handlers call for another group to secure the Angel, but you have a decision to make...

At this point you've got the only cart that can catch up to the demons who got away. If they're using carts, then they'll have to take the road.

If they make it to their destination, they do so with critical information that does not beling in enemy hands. If you can stop them, you can stop that.

With that in mind, you-

>Stay and protect the city

>Go after them

>Other

That's all for tonight!

I'll be leaving this vote going until tomorrow at noon, following up with a thread shortly thereafter.

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

>>2480179
>>Go after them

>>2480179
>Go after them

>>2480179
>>Go after them
Even if we do stay and defend they will always be a step ahead of us and will know about how we detect them, we gotta stop this before it becomes a problem.

>>2480179
>>Go after them

>>2480179
>>Go after them

>>2480179
>>Go after them
I hope we at least remember to send the commander a sprite saying that there might have been some intel leakage. Us knowing that they know can be useful.

>>2480179
>Go after them
Only real option

>>2480181
So how will the others secure her and stop her from turning into a puddle?
What is her sin?

>>2480179
Im sorry everyone but i want this corrupted demon fallen angel to be part of Yuu harem....pretty please

You let Meyu and the others know what's happening when they come in to investigate.

"So she's braced, bound and ready for prison" You say. "I'd take her there myself, but I have to chase after her comrades"

"Why?" Madelaine asks.

"They're getting away with all the information she got from the guards" You say.

"And you have to chase them for it?" Madelaine asks.

"He's right" Meyu says. "That's a lot of information that we don't want in Legion hands. Get going"

"Let the Commander know what's going on here. I'll be back shortly" You say, before turning to Cheska. "You coming?"

"Of course" She says.

You talk with Meyu for a few moments more, giving him any more info he might be missing, then head out and retrace your steps back to the Rook.

From there you speed back to the southern gate and get the soldiers to open it a little so you can pass. As soon as you're clear they shut it and lock it behind you, and you hit the boosters.

You can just barely make out a cart gunning it down the southern road. They're pretty far away.

But you've got the faster wheels, and it's a long way to Riverhold. You just need to catch up...

>Roll 1d100 with focus

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>2481528

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>2481528

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>2481528

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>2481528
Can we get the focus roll please?

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>2481557
Yep. Sorry about that. You'd think I'd be better at this by now.

>Writing

>>2481565
I don't know if we still have the expanded range or not from earlier.
But if we do, that's a focus success? Maybe.

>>2481603
Your base range is +/-8, due to the time you spent at the archive. You don't have a bonus anymore, but you still hit it.

>>2481603
It is indeed a focus success
The range is 8+/- the Focus roll.

You follow them for a few minutes at full speed, before making a sudden turn and veering off the road into the tall grass on the side.

The land ahead is almost completely flat, save for the occasional small river or pond. The grass is tall enough to hide the Rook, but not so thick that you can't see through it. So you use it as cover for your approach, not slowing down in the slightest.

At your speed you catch up to them in no time, emerging from the grass right beside them and shouting
"Surprise!" as you blast one of their wheels off.

The cart veers to try and correct itself, but then it rolls over... and over... and over...

You grip the brakes and cut the boosters just in time, and even then you almost hit the rolling cart.

No need to check the demons inside. You watched all of them get ejected as the cart rolled, and they did not land softly so...

"Yeah. They're definitely dead" Cheska says.

"Should've worn their seatbelts" You say.

"Their whatnows?" She asks.

"You guys don't have seatbelts?" You ask. "What about airbags?"

Cheska shakes her head.

"I think I know what Lutain's business should be now" You say. "Auto manufacturing. We could make a killing just from R&D alone"

"You wanna focus on the task at hand?" Cheska asks.

"Right... sorry" You say.

>Check the cart first

>Check the bodies first

>Other

>>2481617
>Check the cart first
>Tell Cheska to watch over the bodies ready to torch 'em just in case

>>2481617
>>2481621
Agree.

>writing

"Keep an eye on the bodies, I'm gonna check inside the cart" You say. "If any of them move, I want to smell barbecue"

"Yessir" Cheska replies.

You head over to where the cart stopped rolling and take a look. It stopped rolling on its side, so it takes some work to get in.

The windows are smashed, and the inside is a wreck. But you figured it would be like that. You drop down into the driver's compartment and peek into the back.

You see some open storage chests... they have weapons, armor... some papers...

You reach in to grab the papers, when a second chest catches your eye. This one's smaller than the other, and it's only open a little. So you pop it the rest of the way open...

"That... that is a lot of spell bombs" You say, as the fist sized metal orbs pour out.

You hear a strange hissing noise, and notice that one of the bombs has a crack in it. Dropping out of the chest must have jarred it enough that the energy is starting to escape. It starts as a slow release, but if you're right then it's going to explode very soon.

...

Right in your face...

With a chest full of other spellbombs...

>Contain it

>Throw it out

>Get the hell away

>Other

>>2481675
>>Throw it out
>>Get the hell away

>>2481675
>Throw it out

>writing

After this goes off we should clear out right away. Enemy is going to see this and start moving in on us.

You reach in and grab it. The sphere sends electricity up your arm as soon as you touch it, but you grip it tightly and toss it out of the cart away from where Cheska is.

Peeking over the passenger's side doorway, you watch it explode and send bolts of lightning arcing everywhere. Just to be safe, you put up your bucklers to guard the cart from any strikes.

"What the fuck was that?" Cheska asks.

"Spellbomb" You say, quickly checking the rest to make sure none of them are about to go off. "This thing's full of them"

"Fuck" Cheska says. "Someone will have seen that. We should get back"

You reach back in and grab some of the papers. They all look like they've got some info written on them, so you stuff them back into the leather carrying case they came out of and put them under your arm...

>Set off the other spellbombs before you go

>Leave the cart as it is

>Other

>>2481742
>>Set off the other spellbombs before you go
>>Take an indirect route back.

>>2481742
>Take the chest of spellbombs back with you.
If we do get chased, cheska can toss some out at potential pursuers.
If we get back without a problem? Now we have a new shipment of spellbombs for the army to use.

>>2481742
>>Set off the other spellbombs before you go
Remember, cool guys don't look at explosions.

>>2481742
>>Set off the other spellbombs before you go

>writing

"Cheska get to the Rook" You say, as you reach in and pull the pin on one of the spellbombs, chucking it beck into the cart as you hop back out. "We're leaving"

"You just set off another spellbomb didn't you?" She asks.

"Not important! We've got a minimum safe distance to get to! Go! Go!" You say, shooing her on towards the Rook.

You're both on in no time and you max out the throttle almost immediately, riding back into the tall grass and away from the crash site.

After a few seconds the spellbomb goes off, rupturing all of the others and causing a massive, multi-elemental explosion that you can't help but look back at.

All at once you see beams of light, tendrils of darkness, tree branches, bolts of lightning, plumes of fire, chunks of dirt, blades of wind, and shards of ice all bursting from the wrecked cart. It's like the 8 elements are all vying for dominance over the wreckage.

"So pretty..." Cheska says. You look back and see her staring at the explosion, her eyes filled with wonder.

It's a nice sight, even compared to the explosion... though it passes quickly when she notices you watching her.

"I mean... pretty cool as far as explosions go" She says.

"That's not what I heard..." You say, giving her a wry smile.

"W-well... you heard wrong" She says.

You chuckle at the obvious front, reaching back and giving her shoulder a squeeze.

>Mission accomplished. Let's get back.

>Maybe the other camps have more spellbombs...

>Other

>>2481811
>>Mission accomplished. Let's get back.

>>2481811
>>Mission accomplished. Let's get back.

>>2481811
>Maybe the other camps have more spellbombs...
Also fucking tease her for poking fun at us being seduceable

>writing

"Alright. Mission accomplished. Let's head back" You say.

"Aww. You don't wanna see if the other demons have more of those things?" She asks.

"I'd love to, but we got the jump on these guys. You never know, maybe the next ones might try to seduce me" You say.

"Oh come on! You made the face" She says. "I've seen that face first hand. How do you think I convinced you to let me out in the first place?"

"You did not seduce me. You willingly gave up important information, and proved yourself willing to work with us" You say.

"And let you see me naked" She says.

"Accidentally" You say.

"Well yeah, but you made the face" She says.

"I did not make the face" You say.

Cheska giggles and hugs you, gently stroking your cheek and neck with her tail as she coos in your ear. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cutie" She says, giving your earlobe a nip.

...

"There! That face!" She says.

You let out an exhasperated sigh, and start the Rook back up. "Come on. Let's go before someone finds us"

Cheska laughs as you start moving.

>1/2

>>2481811
>>Maybe the other camps have more spellbombs...

By the time you return to Lutain you find that the siege has spread past the west gate to cover the south gate as well. The force is large enough that you won't break through on your own, so you're forced to back out and go to the east gate to get back in.

They let you in quickly, and shut the gates just as fast lest the enemy try to force in after you.

Pip comes down to greet you when you come in.

"Welcome back, Yuuster" She says. "Mission accomplished?"

"We got 'em" You say, handing her the leather case you got from the cart. "Even nabbed some of their stuff along the way"

"Niiiiiiiice. We'll get to work on these" Pip says. "You feelin' okay? You look a little red"

"Don't worry about that" You say. Behind you Cheska giggles. "How goes the fight?"

"I think they're starting to waver" She says. "I'm sure you noticed that they're now making an attempt at the south gate. That means we're in phase 3"

"Phase 3?" You ask.

"Phase 1 was the initial trading of magic and missile. Phase 2 was the siege of the east gate and their attempts to break in" Pip says. "Phase 3 is where they realize that their tactics aren't working, so they're trying other things"

"How many phases are there?" You ask.

"5. 4 is when they start packing up to leave. 5 is when they're retreating and we try to chase them down and blow up as many as we can" Pip says. "Oh yeah. Was that big explosion out there you?"

"Yeah. The getaway cart was full of spellbombs. I set them all off so the Legion wouldn't be able to get anything from it" You say.

"Alright. Cool. I'll note that in my report" She says.

>Ask where your prisoner ended up

>Ask if there's been any more break ins

>Ask how she's been doing

>Other

>>2481941
>>Ask where your prisoner ended up
>>Ask if there's been any more break ins

>>2481941
>Ask if there's been any more break ins

>Ask how she's been doing

>>2481941
>>Ask where your prisoner ended up
>>Ask if there's been any more break ins
>>Ask Cheska if she thinks she's seeing the face a lot lately or something.

>writing

"Has there been any more break ins?" You ask.

"None that I've heard of" Cheska says. "I mean, they've tried a couple times. But those just ended with a few more bodies piled up outside the walls"

You nod. "Speaking of that... where'd my prisoner end up?" You ask.

Cheska starts giggling again.

"She's in the town's jail right now" Pip says. "Reports say she's been cooperative, but tight lipped"

You nod, and Cheska giggles more.

"Quiet back there" You say.

"Am I missing something?" Pip asks.

"No. She's just being difficult" You say. "Keep up the good work"

"I always do" Pip replies.

>Get back to your patrol group

>Head to the jail

>See how some of the other groups are doing

>Other

>>2481993
>>Get back to your patrol group

>>2481993
>>Get back to your patrol group

>>2481993
>Get back to your patrol group

>>2481993
>>Get back to your patrol group

>writing

You say your goodbyes to Pip and her troop, then get Coral to lead you back to Meyu.

When you catch up to them, they're taking a break outside of a house. The house's owner is outside speaking with Zaine, while the others are all eating.

"Heyo" You say as you pull up with them.

"Welcome back" Meyu says. "You get 'em?"

"I got 'em. You may have seen the explosion from here" You say.

"I told you that was him" Madelaine says. "Now come on. A bet's a bet"

Meyu rolls his eyes and fishes out a few coins from his pocket. "Now that was... 2 coppers?"

"Silver" Madelaine says, holding out her hand. "And it was 3 of them"

Meyu drops the coins into Madelaine's hand, and she puts them away with a satisfied smile. "He thought the Legion messed something up, but I guessed that only you could screw up so badly that we could see it all the way over here" She says.

"That wasn't a mess up. I set off those bombs on purpose..." You say.

"You still did it. That's what matters" Madelaine says. "Oh, here. We've got food and coffee. Figured we'd take a break while things sound quiet"

"Did we bring this with us?" You ask.

"Your maids packed it all up for us while you were napping" Meyu says.

You get off the Rook and take the sandwich and little mug that's offered to you. "They're good maids" You say.

>Ask if you missed anything

>Ask what happened with the guard who attacked you

>Ask what happened with Aenea

>Other

>>2482035
>>Ask what happened with the guard who attacked you
>>Ask what happened with Aenea

>>2482035
>>Ask what happened with the guard who attacked you
>>Ask if you missed anything

>writing

"What happened to the guard who attacked me?" You ask, as you sip your coffee. It's not bad, though the best coffee you've had yet is stll the stuff Aenea made...

"He's in the infirmary under heavy guard" Meyu says. "Healers are working on fixing his eye, but we can't be sure how he'll act when he wakes up"

"He's still out?" You ask.

"Like a light" Meyu says. "You might've hit him a bit hard..."

"He started it... even if he wasn't in his right mind" You say. "I'll have to visit him when he wakes up... what about Aenea, the Echidna from the shop?"

"Sent her to your house" Meyu says. "The holdfast is basically full, and she seemed to know you so I figured she'd be safe-ish there"

"How did you meet that lady anyway?" Madelaine asks.

"I stopped by there to get baby supplies for Elizabeth" You say. "We talked for a while. She does this really neat thing with her eyes. Right, Cheska?"

"Ah yes, the Echidna's eye" Meyu says. "Any one of them could easily take over and rule a country with that kind of power... but they just don't. It's mind boggling"

"Some people just have stronger morals than others" Madelaine says.

"Yeah, but an entire species, and all of them are just..." Meyu says. "Well, I shouldn't argue. Not like it's a bad thing"

You take a bit of the wrap... like... thing, then turn back to Meyu. "We hear anything from the east?" You ask.

"Not much. They're a little busy I imagine" Meyu says.

"Who's leading that force anyway? I know the Commander is up on the airship doing general coordination..." Madelaine says.

"You didn't know? It's Derrick" Meyu says.

"Really?" Madelaine asks. "Wow. That's gotta sting for you, huh Yuu? One prince leading the entire army, the other on patrol duty..."

>I'm on go-fast duty

>Altea has her reasons

>Maybe a bit...

>Other

>>2482083
>>What was that? I can't hear you over all the fluffy tails swishing at my house.

>>2482083
>I'm on go-fast duty
>Altea has her reasons

Besides I'm pretty sure Yuu has no idea whatsoever about leading and coordinating a large force.

>writing

>>2482083
>I'm on go-fast duty
>Other
Yuu's not really the "army commander" type. He's more the "Strategic weapon" type. we'll not mention thats a term usually used for bombs and stuff

"We serve different purposes in this army. Derrick is a leader with a knack for strategy. I am a strategic weapon with a knack for shredding boon holders, and the only one who can ride the Rook" You say, as you take another bite out of your wrap.

"You could probably get a command position if you wanted it" Meyu says.

"No, I get what he's saying" Cheska says. "Yuu enjoys his spot on the front lines. In fact I'd go so far as to say he'd rather be out on the east wall right now"

"I'm fine here. More enemies I can hit with my sword" You say. "I mean... if more get in"

"Well it's gonna be a long night... never know what'll happen" Meyu says.

"Oh yeah. Did we ever find out who those guys Raven killed were?" You ask. "They weren't ours, I don't think"

"They looked like townsfolk, but they were much better armed than your average peasant..." Meyu says. "Our best guess is Antolian Resistance"

"Seems weird that they'd come after her specifically" Cheska says. "I mean... sure she got into the city, but they couldn't have known that"

"They've been dealing with the Legion for quite some time" Meyu says. "Could be that boon of hers's wreaked some havoc on theirs, and they've been tracking her looking for revenge"

Something occurs to Meyu, and you're pretty sure you know what it is...

"You don't think they'd try to get into our prison to kill her, do you?" You ask. "They'd have to get past our soldiers to do that, and we still kinda need her to talk..."

"They don't like us, remember?" Cheska asks. "It's worth checking"

...

>Ask if Cheska knew her before

>Ask if we've learned anything about the resistance

>Other

Also
>Go check on Raven? [Y/N]

>>2482130
>>Ask if we've learned anything about the resistance
>>Y
Getting tired of the resistance.

>>2482130
>>Ask if Cheska knew her before
>>Y

>>2482130
>>Ask if Cheska knew her before
>>Y

>>2482130

>Ask if Cheska knew her before
>Ask if we've learned anything about the resistance
Both
Y

>writing

"Have we actually learned much about these guys, other than the fact that some of them probably hate us?" You ask.

"That's about all there is to know" Meyu says. "Just keep your guard up around them and you'll be fine"

You sigh, finishing off your wrap and handing the mug back to Madelaine. "This shouldn't take long" You say.

"You go on ahead. I'm gonna stick around here" She says. "You probably don't want these guys seein' you parading around with a demon"

"Alright" You say. "But before I go, did you know this girl before? You seemed kinda familiar with her before"

"We met a few times. She's easy enough to get along with as far as blood demons go" Cheska says. "Just remember: don't make the face"

You wave her off and start up the Rook, speeding off toward the jail.

When you arrive, nothing looks amiss. The guards are outside, and-...

Hold on. Prisons don't usually have guards posted outside. Not this many, at least... It looks like all of them are out here.

"There something wrong?" You ask them as you get off the Rook.

"Nothing wrong, sir" The guard replies.

These guys aren't northmen, or Lubrians. They're Marshal Keeling's men, Antolian guards. Lubrians or Northmen wouldn't let anyone from the Resistance inside, but these men...

You hate to have to question their loyalty, but you need that demon alive. You head inside, but one of them stops you.

"Sorry, sir. We can't let you go in right now" He says.

Your eyes narrow.

>Order him to step aside.

>You understand what treason is, right?

>Shove past him

>Other

>>2482181
>>You understand what treason is, right?
>>Shove past him

>>2482181
>>Order him to step aside.
>>If they don't accept, hit them with a blunt force bolt.

>>2482181
>We have reason to believe that the resistance may try to get at the captive, move aside before you confirm my growing suspicion.
Screw subtlety

>>2482181
>>Other, Make a logic jump
"We need her alive for proper interrogation, you and your resistance buddies can kill her after we are sure we know everything we need."

>writing

>>2482195
>>2482201
Leaning towards screwing subtlety myself, though I personally don't want to deal with the resistance in any way. They are going to try and seize city as soon as our back is turned. At best.

"Step aside. I have reason to believe the resistance may be trying to get at our captive" You say. "Which would be fine, but we haven't had a chance to interrogate her yet and I would personally prefer that she survived long enough to spill some info"

"We haven't seen any resistance around here" One of the guards says.

"Really? So if I walk through this door- and I am going to get through this door -I'm not going to find anyone other than the prisoners who are supposed to be here?" You ask.

No answer. The guards look nervous.

"You're dismissed. All of you. Report to Captain Marshal and hope to the gods that I don't find my prisoner dead by the time I get in there" You say. "Go"

Despite the fact that they outnumber you 10 to 1, the guards back off. Not only could you take them all on, but they'd most likely get jail time just for trying.

Once the guards have left, you go up to the door.

"Locked. Of course it's locked" You say. The door is heavy, solid wood. Your current repertoir of spells probably won't cut it here...

Which means you're going to have to improvise. A number of things will do the trick, you just have to pick something and hit it...

>Beams

>Explosions

>Sharp things

>Other

>>2482232
>>Sharp things

>>2482232
>>Other
try to pick the lock with the mage blade then go with
>>Explosions
Inless we think we need to hurry then skip to explosions

>>2482232
>>Explosions

>>2482232
>(Maybe) Smart things?
We can create physical objects from our soul magic, right? Maybe we could try to create a shaped "buckler" inside the lock and attempt to open it, like a makeshift key?

>>2482232
>Beams

Guys we've already got floating blade and shield things. All we need is more beamspam and we'll be like a human version of an endgame gundam.

>>2482244
At one point we tried it with the mage blade it didn't go so well but maybe it will if we work on our shaping some more

>writing

>>2482244
Similarly, couldnt we just insert our mage blades and destroy the lock. then eject the pieces?

"Alright. If you guys are gonna make me break into my own god damn prison..." You say, pointing your hand at the lock.

You fire a bolt of energy into it, using a method you theorized back at the archive but never really tried. The energy doesn't immediately do anything, it just sits there and draws more energy, until it hits critical mass and-

BANG

"Piece of cake" You say, as you walk inside. That was effective, though you could see it being a bit messy if you tried it on a person. Maybe you'll stick to using it on materials, like armor, or other doors.

You've got your swords out and your bucklers up. Sure enough, there are people here trying to drag Raven out by her hair.

You give her credit, she's not making it easy for them. But it looks like they're about ready to give up on trying to kidnap her and just murder her... which can't happen. Not until you know what she knows.

So you clear your throat, drawing the strangers' attention.

"I believe my orders were 'keep her locked up. I want her alive for interrogation'" You say. "You guys aren't following those orders, which means you aren't my men, which begs the question: What are you doing in my prison?"

"This town doesn't belong to you!" One of them says "And you can-"

Another one shushes the first. "This one's killed many of ours. We're taking her with us" He says.

"She's killed some of mine too, so don't think that gives you any moral highground here" You say. "And she's got valuable information, which means she stays here"

"We're taking the demon" Another resistance member says. This time he steps forward, slapping his heavy mace against his hand.

>Did I stutter?

>You can have her when we're done

>Leave in peace, or leave in pieces

>Other

>>2482305
>>Did I stutter?
>bitch did i stutter
>you really think you can take me on?

>>2482305
>>Leave in peace, or leave in pieces
cold and to the point

>>2482305
>>Did I stutter?
>>Leave in peace, or leave in pieces

>>2482305
>>Did I stutter?
>>I think we'll have Captain Marshall look after you like the guards up top.

>>2482305
>>Leave in peace, or leave in pieces

cold yuu

>>2482305
>Did I stutter?
>Leave in peace, or leave in pieces

I'd really like to make nice with the resistance, but the way theyre going about things is just making things worse for their own side. theyre not going to make things harder on the demons by constantly getting in the army's way.

>writing

>>2482318
oh, Adding on to this, the hubris isnt endearing either. I'd like to see them try this if we hadnt already put those soul cuffs on her.

>>2482318
I'm more concerned they take over the city once we move army out and declare it the reborn Antolia free from the rule of the oppressors and cut our supply lines.

"Alright, you guys have two choices" You say. "You can leave in peace, or you can leave in pieces. Either way, she stays, you leave"

"You're gonna take all of us?"

"Alone, I could do it" You say. "Name's Yuu Gallant, and you guys aren't even close to the most threatening force I've taken on alone"

You step forward, and they back off.

"So you can all leave, and tell whoever told you to mess with our affairs that we'll have an easier time taking back your country if you help us, instead of getting in our way like you are right now" You say. "For instance, I could be out keeping the city safe right now. Instead I'm playing prison guard to keep you idiots from stealing our information sources"

You step forward again, this time spinning your floating blade up into firing position.

"Go" You say. "NOW"

The resistance force retreats, and you write up a quick note to Altea that the prison will be watched by Lubrians from now on, sending it off with Coral before turning your attention to the fallen angel.

Looks like she took a bit of a beating trying not to get taken, and her hair is a complete mess from all the pulling. The crystal bindings still have her hands held behind her back, and she has some trouble getting up off the floor...

Even if she is a murderer, letting her keep some small amount of dignity might help loosen her tongue. So you help her get into a sitting position. once she's up you notice that her clothing is pretty torn up, too...

"Th-thanks..." Raven says.

>Feeling talkative now?

>That wasn't for your sake

>You're welcome

>Other

>>2482333
Which would also be incredibly stupid since they dont have the necessary resources to defend it, otherwise we wouldnt even be here.

>>2482339
>>Feeling talkative now?

>>You're welcome

>>2482339
>>You're welcome

>>2482339
>>Feeling talkative now?
>>You're welcome

>>2482339
>Other
If we wanted you dead, I could have have killed you instead of putting you in prison. As long as you cooperate, you'll be under our protection, and as long as your under our protection, you'll be treated relatively fairly.
So...
>Feeling talkative now?

>>2482339
>>That wasn't for your sake
>>However, I'm not like the Legion or them.

>writing

"You're welcome" You say in a flat tone. "Feeling talkative now?"

She grunts and rises to her feet, stumbling as she comes up and falling into you. "Oh, sorry..." She says, rubbing herself up against you in a very obvious way before stepping back. "Little dizzy... I might've taken a few hits to the head"

"We'll have a healer look at you later" You say. "For now, get back into your cell. I'll have to find the keys for the others..."

She immediately hops to, stepping into her cell and standing in it. She looks confused.

"So are you feeling talkative?" You ask.

"That... depends on what you want to know" She says, still looking like she feels something off.

"Tell me about that boon" You say. "I want to know how it works"

"I don't know how it works. Mahron gave it to me a while back and told me what to do with it" She says. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Why did I tell you that?"

"He gave it to you?" You ask. "I thought you had to earn them"

"That's how it usually works. But I could never survive the trial" She says. "Mahron went to the Black God's Realm a few months ago and stayed there for a long time. When he came back he had that boon, and he gave it to me"

Raven covers her mouth, looking shocked that she told you all that.

>When exactly did he leave?

>Is something wrong?

>I thought living things couldn't go there

>Other

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?

Either Aenea is giving us a had or boon shenanigans.

>>2482370
>>Is something wrong?
>>I thought living things couldn't go there

>>2482384
I'll also add we should ask this while she's talking - "How is Erring involved in all this?"

>writing

>>2482370
>>Other
Listen, I'll be honest. You don't have a fluffy tail so their's nothing you can do to manipulate me. Please tell me about Mahron and the black god.

Hmmm. I'm guessing that Raven was somehow affected by the Boons power since she didn't earn it... fortunate for us

>>2482392
(What if Mahron's steel mask conceals the fact he is really a super fluffy tailed girl?)

>>2482406
what do you mean there is more fluffy than Namaki? Preposterous

>>2482412
That "Otuna barrier" that stops sprites and can only be broken by an anti-demon is a really convenient explanation if you want to hide your true identity as the dark lord, isn't it?

"Is something wrong?" You ask.

"N-no. It's nothing" She says.

"Seems like it's something" You say. "Just tell me whatit is"

"I'm confused because I'm doing what you tell me to without really thinking, and telling you things I really shouldn't" She says.

You search her face for a moment, and see that she just looks really nervous.

"Sit down" You say.

She immediately sits down on the bench/bed.

"Stand up" You say.

She stands back up again.

"Spin around, get on your knees, now on all fours" You say, and Raven just does it.

"I-is it too late to ask you to be merciful?" She asks.

"Bark" You say.

Raven barks, her face turning completely red with embarrassment.

"Interesting..." You say. "Sit back down on the bench"

She gets up and sits on the bench again.

"Tell me how Mahron can stay in the Black God's Realm when no living person can even stand in a doorway to the place without dying" You say.

"I don't know. He's not like the rest of us" She says. "I've never seen anything of him but his eyes. He covers everything else"

"Everything?" You ask. "I thought he just wore a mask"

"Because the mask stands out when he's wearing armor" She says. "When he's not fighting, he still covers everything"

"Tell me again about the Boon" You say.

"He called it Willbreaker. If you can get it to touch a person's brain, it saps their willpower" She says. "They stay normal for everyone else, but they lose the ability to say no to... me..."

"What is it?" You ask.

"Fuck... uhh... it's... uhh... just that... uhhhhhh I have to use the bathroom!" She says.

"Tell me" You say.

"The way they act towards me is exactly the way I'm acting towards you, and I suspect that something backfired when you destroyed the boon" She says. "Especially given the fact that I told all those other guys to stick it up their ass when they gave me orders, but couldn't do the same to you"

>What say?

>>2482427
Tell her to do something to prove it. She could easily be playing this up to get us to let our guard down. A little embarrassment is nothing if it means she gets to kill us.

And see if "stop being a demon" works. Just for kicks.

>>2482427
>>Ask her what the strategy and objectives are in the attack against Lutain.
>>Ask her what they did to Stella.
>>Ask if she knows anything about the deviant souls, especially Erring, being involved with Legion.

>>2482427
this is going to be fun

I don't know what to say but i can say that my paranoia is getting the better of me and i think this is an elaborate trap. She's here to lock us down. We need to get back out there as soon as possible. Maybe we say something like, "We'll get to the bottom of this in time. Maybe we'll be able to help the victims of this boon, but regardless, there's a battle on that needs to be dealt with first. Please try to stay alive. I'll ahve new guards sent."

>>2482427
>What is your deepest, darkest secret?
>What did Mahron's eyes look like?
>Do you or the legion at all associate with someone who looks like [describe terry here]

>writing

>>2482450
We should probably be kept apprised by sprite of anything, shouldn't we?

>>2482451
>deepest darkest secret
>i like handholding

>>2482451
ooo, these are good too.
>>248254
Yes, but not with coral. coral is for 'kill every motherfucker in the province" tier information. She has an honorary fluffy tail.

"I hate to say this... well I actually don't... but I'm finding this all hard to believe" You say. "Say something that will convince me"

She opens her mouth, then closes it... then she furrows her brow as she tries to fight against herself.

"Out with it" You say.

"There are more of us. We were 10 in total, not five. The other team Is making their way to the defenses on the east gate with enough spellbombs to blow the wall wide open" She says. "Oh god they're going to kill me..."

"Not while you've got info like that" You say. "As long as you're useful, you're under my protection. Now come with me, let's go confirm if anything you just said is true"

Raven stands up and follows you as you make your way back to the street.

"Tell me about yourself, Raven" You say. "What are two things you'd never want anyone to know about you"

"My name's not really Raven, it's Raphaela" She says. "I tell everyone that I became a demon by killing a bunch of guards, but I was actually a child prostitute who slit a bunch of people's throats as they slept"

"Like... night after night?" You ask.

"All at once" She says. "And to answer your next question: Yes. That was all at once too"

You grimace, but before you can inquire further Coral comes back. You send her off to the eastern gate, letting them know what's happening. Then you-

>Stay and wait for news

>Head to the scene with Raven

>Lock Raven back up and head over

>Other

>>2482476
>>Head to the scene with Raven

>>2482476
>>Lock Raven back up and head over

>>2482476
>>Head to the scene with Raven

>>2482476
>>Head to the scene with Raven

>writing

You tell Raven to follow, and though she clearly doesn't want to, she obeys.

The east gate is close by, so you go on foot.

"Alright. Tell me if you've heard the term Deviant Soul before" You say.

"Just once, before Mahron left for the other Realm" She says. "He said something about how one had fallen, and the Black God could give its power as a gift"

"So the Willbreaker was linked to Raligos..." You say.

"Who was what?" She asks.

"Shh" You say.

She tries to say something, but no noise comes out. She looks distraught.

"Alright, you can talk" You say.

"Oh gods, is this some kind of punishment for what I did to people?" She asks. "Because it's working. It's really working"

"Speaking of people. Tell me about Stella Lepol" You say.

"They brought her in from the raid on Locke. They brought me in to interrogate her" She says. "She spilled all the guild secrets, including how the cannon on the Pride works, then I told her to play dead when no one was looking"

"Why?" You ask.

"Because I thought it would be funny" She says.

"Tell me why" You say again, phrasing it as an order this time.

"Because I... urgh rg... felt sorry for her. She reminded me of my younger self when I used to cry for my parents. No one helped me then, so I figured I'd try something" She says. "They abandoned her in the dungeon when they thought she had died. Haven't heard anything about it since"

"Well if that was the truth, then thank you" You say.

"Oh, shove it up- you're... welcome" She says.

You get her to take you to a spot overlooking the route that the Legionnaires had planned. Lo and behold, they're there, sneaking their way up to the main defenses.

>Engage

>Get Raven to lure them out

>Warn the troops

>Other

>>2482503
>>Engage
aim for the magic bombs with a bolt

>>2482503
>>Engage

>>2482503
>>Engage

>>2482503
>Engage
Let’s keep instilling fear and dominance over demons

>>2482503
>>Engage
Tell raven to hide near by

>>2482511
Also start calling raven raphalea and touch her fluffy wings after this as a regard

>>2482513
Reward*

>writing

"Now stay here. I'll be right back" You say.

The spot she led you to is a building overlooking the the alleyway that the Legionnaires are using. You hop out the window and land blade first on the unluckiest of the five demons.

"Surprise!" You shout for the second time tonight, as you whirl toward the nearest of the remaining demons and carve them up.

The third one loses a hand when he goes for his sword.

The fourth one takes a spike to the head while trying to open the spellbomb case.

And the last puts up a brief fight before getting his heart broken.

You quickly check the case of spellbombs to make sure none of them are going to go off, then you pick it up and head out to the street.

A patrol passes, and you hand it off to them with instructions to bring it somewhere safe, then you head back to where you left Raven.

"You actually stayed put" You say.

"You told me to" She says. "I watched the fight. Has anyone ever told you that you're kind of terrifying?"

"I think so... once or twice" You say. "I'm only terrifying if you're against me, though... which discludes you, unless you've somehow managed to come up with a 'no' for me while I was gone"

"I don't think I have" She says. "Tell me to do something"

>Stop being a demon

>Ask what the Legion's endgame is

>Ask about her childhood

>Ask if she's seen anyone like Terry

>Other

>>2482531
>>Stop being a demon
>>Ask about her childhood

>>2482531
>>Stop being a demon
>>Ask what the Legion's endgame is
>>Ask if she's seen anyone like Terry

>>2482531
>Ask if she's seen anyone like Terry

Dont do the "stop being a demon "that seems cruel at best and possibly fatal at worst, depending on how she tries to carry it out.

>>2482531
>Ask if she's seen anyone like Terry
>Ask what the Legion's endgame is

>>2482531
>>Ask what the Legion's endgame is

>writing

"Sit down" You say.

The building is an empty warehouse, and there are some crates around you can use as chairs. Raven sits on the floor, figuring that this will be temporary.

"Tell me what the Legion's endgame is" You say. "I've always been kind of confused by that. Their way of doing things never seemed all that sustainable"

"Before Mahron joined, I don't think they had an endgame" She says. "They were just demons who got together to do demon things, but now... he definitely wants something"

"Mahron wasn't around at the start?" You ask. "Tell me about that"

"The original members are hard to find most days, but they all say that Mahron only joined once the group got going" She says. "He came and told them he could make them more powerful, and beat everyone who tried to oppose him, then started giving people boons"

"And him... does he have a boon?" You ask.

"Not that I've seen" She says.

"Interesting. Say... I don't suppose you've seen a guy around..." You describe Terry to her in as much detail as you can manage.

"Sounds familiar..." She says. "Tell you what, you don't pry into my past, and I'll-"

"Tell me where you've seen him" You say.

"Agh! Fuck! He's been around a few times. He mostly shows up and talks to the higher ups sometimes. I've never spoken with him" She says. "Can I just point out how humiliating this is? I would honestly rather be getting tortured right now, and there's nothing I can do to make that happen"

"You could cooperate" You say.

"Cooperation implies that the two of us are working together. This is just you getting everything you want, and I can't stop you. I can't fight you. I can't run. I can't..." She stops, and gets a wicked look in her eyes.

"What?" You ask.

She smiles and starts crawling over to you.

"What are you doing?" You ask.

"What do you think?" She replies, coming to a stop in front of you and slowly pulling her shirt up. "Nervous?"

"Maybe" You say.

"You can always say stop" She says, exposing her chest and fondling herself. "Unless... oh, are you afraid you don't want me to stop? Worried that my wiles might get the best of you?"

You swallow.

Her smile widens, and she starts climbing up into your lap. "Last chance" She says.

>Stop that

>Continue

>Say nothing

>Other

>>2482558
>>Stop that

>writing

"Stop" You say. "And put your shirt back on"

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck" She says, sliding back onto her feet and pulling her shirt back down. "I was so sure that was going to work. Fuckin' Cheska lied about you bein' seduceable"

"Just what exactly was your plan there?" You ask.

"I was gonna do the thing I used to do before I turned" She says. "Y'know. Fuck your lights out and slip away while you're sleeping"

"I could just say 'hey don't go anywhere' before going to sleep" You say.

"Oh, honey. That would be the last thing on your mind" She says.

"What would be the first?" You ask.

"Oh, gods, and yes" She says. "Those three words, in any order you please, over and over and over"

She sighs and slumps down against the wall, wincing as the belt digs into her wings.

"But that's all shot now, so what can I do for ya? Shine your shoes? Reveal more of my deepest secrets? Maybe jump off this building to see if I'll die?" She asks.

"You can start by calming down" You say.

She takes a deep breath, looking markedly less angry. "I didn't actually want to be calm. But now I am" She says. "I'm not even allowed to be mad"

"Look, I'm sorry. Alright" You say. "I've never done this sort of thing before, so I'm not really sure what crosses what lines"

"It's... fine" She says. "This is as close to a fair punishment as I could ask for that doesn't end with my head being separated from my body, so I guess it's not that bad... my head is staying on... right?"

"Hard to say" You say. "You did kill our guys, that's true. But the info you provided saved a lot more"

"I didn't provide that information willingly" She says.

"No one has to know about that" You say. "In fact, don't tell anyone yet. I'm not really sure how to explain this... For now you'll just be a regular turncoat, with all the good will that provides"

"I assume this deal comes with a guarantee that you won't make me do anything weird in public?" She asks.

You nod.

"Alright. That's better than I could hope for, given the circs. I can handle being a turncoat" She says.

"But for now it's back in the cell" You say. "I probably shouldn't have you out and about as it is..."

"That's fair" She replies. "So... be honest with me. How close were you to saying yes?"

"I am not answering that"

Wow this thread ran a bit later than usual. I kinda got on a run there and I didn't want to call it quits just yet.

Next thread will be on Wednesday.

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

>>2482581
Great thread as always smile, couldn’t participate much but I like de how Yuu has been growing

Thanks for running Smiley.

...All this talk about Mahron and his mask and not a single Anon went for "Tell me about Mahron. Why does he wear the mask?".

I am both dissappointed and impressed at the same time.

>>2482627
Let's ask that at the start of the next run.
We should probably also ask about the Legion's current resources, targets, and "anything else that you believe would be bad for the legion if we knew about it"

>>2482627
I'm pretty sure Raphaela doesn't know why he wears it, so it would be a pointless question. Let's hold off on the Bane references until we actually meet Mahron.

>>2482627
Thread went to almost 5:00 AM my time I didn't make it to the end.

>>2482581
I wanna ask what her own end game is. What are they gonna do if they win? They're parasites that can only live by killing or torment humans. Are they planning to just keep them around as slaves or cattle and take a ticket and wait in line for their turn to get their killing fix?

Hell, if they lose? Or just manage to get a cease fire and hold on to some territory... Cheska told us what happens to demons who try to resist their urge. If the legion is unable to win they'll just all end up murdering each other won't they?

I must be missing something because it's hard to believe they are an army of short sighted idiots who collectively lack critical thinking skills

I was thinking about this earlier, and I think it would be a good idea to see if we could have an echidna (either the one we know or another if she's too upset) charm Raven and see if she's really under control or not. Just enough to ask whether she's been lying about that or not. Probably not strain their code too much.

You lead Raven back to the jail using side streets and alleyways. You don't really want to be seen with her and have to explain to someone why you're on a casual stroll with a prisoner, or why her hands aren't bound in any way...

"So what does a guy like you actually do for fun?" Raven asks when you're about halfway there. She's been quiet for most of this trip, and you'd kinda been hoping she would stay that way...

Well... you could always just tell her to be quiet, but then if she spots someone she can't tell you...

"What do you mean?" You ask.

"A guy your age usually spends most of his free time trying to get laid, and you're a virgin so... what do you spend all that time on?" She asks.

"I don't get much free time" You say. "And what makes you think I'm a virgin?"

"Please. Your face turns bright red whenever someone mentions the 'S' word" She says. "See? I didn't even say sex and you're blushing like a little girl"

"I-I am not blushing" You say.

She gives you an amused smile. "Sex" She says. "Sex. Tits. Pussy. Fucking. Na-"

"Stop that!" You say.

Raven immediately obeys, ending her verbal onslaught. But she's still smiling.

"Tell me what you're smiling about" You say.

"I'm just feeling a little amused at the fact that you can't handle a couple dirty words" She says. "But I guess I should be thankful that you're such a prude..."

"Why's that?" You ask.

"Because a guy your age usually spends most of his free time trying to get laid" She says, echoing her previous statement. "Hand him a sexy little thing like me, remove her ability to say no, and... well... dirty words"

"There are more important things than my desires going on right now" You say.

You reach the prison and find that the new guards haven't arrived yet. You guess you're on watch duty for a bit until they arrive...

"But you do still have desires" Raven says, hugging you from behind as you enter the prison proper. She gently runs her hands along your chest and abs, and speaks softly into your ear. "You know it's unhealthy to keep these things pent up"

When you don't say anything, she presses herself against your back, closes her wings around you and breathes across your neck.

"Would you stop that?" You say.

She giggles and backs off. "Aww... I almost had you that time" She says.

"No you didn't" You say, as you open her cell door.

She steps past you, but stops and faces you before entering. "If you told me to stop trying, we would never have this issue again" She says.

"Just get in the cell" You say.

She runs her hands down your arms as she steps backwards, taking your hands and trying to pull you in with her.

"There's room for two" She says.

>Go to sleep

>No there isn't

>You can share it with another prisoner then...

>Other