"No, there's a drop-point near here for moving products. We get in, put our mark on the package for credit, and call it a night." Olivia shook her head, this time succeeding in ripping her arm from the man. "Just shut up and follow me."

She gruffly shouldered her way past the larger man to extend her uninjured hand towards said product, trying to flash a comforting smile at the calmly observing girl. Tonight was one disaster after the next, but it could still be salvaged. "Sorry, I-"

A sharp pain arched through her back. "What...?" She almost staggered forward before being yanked back by her broken wrist, a large hand clamping down over her mouth moments before she could scream. The pain in her back exploded as the intruding blade ripped free and gouged out a second pit in her flesh. Her body rocked, a desperate attempt to free herself as a third stab was made, and a fourth, a fifth.

In the agony her eyes fell on the pale skinned beauty she'd tried to run with, still serenely watching as Johnathan drove his knife into her back.

A lot of words came to mind, but none of them made it past the calloused fingers gagging her lips.

"Frigid bitch." Johnathan growled, spitefully ripping the knife out of Olivia's back one last time before reversing his grip on the bloodied thing and burying it to the hilt between her legs. He withdrew his bloodied hand and disgustedly wiped it clean on her tunic. Her muffled screams would probably draw attention if he left her, so as much as he'd rather she suffer through the night... He couldn't take the risk.

Her body shuddered as he tightened his grip on her chin, one final convulsion as she tried to struggle free, before he twisted her neck around with a wet crack and let her dead body slump to the floor.

...He'd expected to have to chase down the girl after all that, but she seemed unconcerned with what he'd just done. The same placid expression, almost hinting at curiosity and enjoyment that she'd born all night still plastered to her face.

"C'mon, you mute bitch." He grabbed her by the upper arm, dragging the pale-skinned girl along with him. The sudden movement jostled her hair, nudging one of the spindly tendriled flowers lacing her hair from its roost. She looked up at him curiously, her eyes almost glowing in the dim light.

For a second, he hesitated. His body stilled involuntarily. A passing moment of paralysis.

"...Shade take me, you're kinda creepy." He shook it off, tearing his eyes from her inquisitive gaze and faintly present smile. "Don't give me any trouble, you're still my meal ticket."

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Left alone in a quiet alley, the spider lily's stem sipped from a pool of fleeting life. Thin roots, like strands of hair, tasted flesh... and found fertile purchase.

"Well, well! My favorite customer!" Across town, a man with short-cut red hair clapped his leather-clad hands together welcomingly as he descended a flight of stairs. His voice was the only thing to cut through the unspoken silence of the basement as he approached with a grin. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to take me up my invitation so soon. This isn't a complaint about your purchase, I hope? No-" He shook his head before you could answer, an amused smirk across his lips. "No, I've heard you've done quite well for yourself. So, what brings you?"

"Isaac Lupre." You greet evenly, finally finding yourself free of the stalemate his assistant had waited with you in. Almost the moment he had arrived she'd subtly excused herself, reducing her presence to allow the proprietor to take center stage.

"The one and only." He beamed back jovially. "I hope my assistant kept you entertained while you waited?"

"..." You cast an aside glance at the woman, her whole body the picture of professional deference as she lowered her head in acknowledgement.

You are Irue Valen, head of House Valen, and you haven't met this man since just prior to your rite. It was through him your family purchased your Testament, putting him in the potentially unique position of being the person who knew the most about your undertakings outside of your own people.

If the fact he was the merchant chosen for such an endeavour wasn't enough to hint at his influence in the business, the conversation you'd just had with his supposed assistant should have tipped the scale; Employing someone as proficient in her skillset as that woman, to say nothing of her being armed with a Relic, was something few could boast.

"Something like that." You allow. "We need to talk."

"Business or pleasure?" Isaac's brow quirked.

"Business."

He nodded, gesturing towards the room you knew to contain a passage to the second floor basement. "A room review, then. If you'll accompany me, I'll have my assistant help demonstrate."

You wondered if he would have pointed to that room regardless of your answer. More over, following him would be walking straight into a large number of his guards. Was it worth trusting him to not already be compromised?

>Follow him
>Suggest an empty room instead.

And for that matter, what did you want to bring up? You came here hoping to get his help, but the more you asked of him, the steeper the potential price tag got. You saw the ledgers back home, purchasing your Testament would have bankrupt lesser nobility.

>Demihuman presence in Resuri
>Artemis presence in Resuri
>The tension between the mayor and merchants
>Missing Teranford refugees
>Tier sisters
>His assistant (what about her?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>5819353
>Follow him
>His assistant (what about her?)
Buy her contract

Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

Where things are said: https://twitter.com/Riz_QM
Where things are asked: http://ask.fm/RizQM

Assorted Supplemental:
Irue Things (up to 74) - https://pastebin.com/PchcdWpw
A List of Forgotten Things (up to 74) - http://pastebin.com/kPEscJ3h
Irue's Memoirs (Scares the QM to update) - http://pastebin.com/sWnicrK7

Arc I - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DMjxLjSbvr-xcxqX9M_ysKaBV1zkUmu5/view?usp=sharing
Arc II - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cXL1fIYb22IqQ51wWUp3-IMZa2nV5TY8/view?usp=sharing

"Really I'd say anybody catching up should read threads instead of this because of what goes on in them, so this is more for looking back I'd say." - Ebook anon

Write-ups:
Kara's Day Out - http://pastebin.com/8ZbiSKLs
Adventures with Asche - http://pastebin.com/RNviCBJu
The Reclaimed Doll - http://pastebin.com/n6miP1qT
In Your Shadow - http://pastebin.com/EfeeHFAE
Friends Forever - http://pastebin.com/Yn0QaTVB
The Woman Beneath Steel - http://pastebin.com/pMGgiHC3
Paper Flowers - https://pastebin.com/Pk0W7rEm
Merciless Compass - https://pastebin.com/8Hy0krxv
Better Strangers - https://pastebin.com/mvShXpCt

Misc notes:The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is comparable to a religious experience in terms of inspiration. There's so much about the way nemlei writes I need to learn. To internalize.

Memo:
1. Work through dying before it causes issues with the Shade scar.
2. Return and investigate the Dryad Shrine
3. Investigate the Valen catacombs

Itinerary:
1. Discern knights with an affinity for Mana worth polishing.
2. Contact the Crown
3. Track down Asche, who left to find the descendant of the Ice Queen's bloodline.
4. Track down the Tier siblings, currently located in Resuri.
5. Expedition for resources to the north.
6. Unfinished business at the Ruined Shrine.
7. Meditate to Shade today with bracelet removed to try and deal with the claws

Current Goal:
What's On Your Mind:

>>5819353
>Other? (write-in)
Stage dressing relating to;
>The impending civil war
Caylen's defection (and his stance on slavery)

The Crown's existing moratorium on Slaves

>Intent to remain neutral and limit the potential for reprisals.
And so the resultant need for Change in Resuri.
Does he believe that he could run(working alongside the Mayor) an amnesty & Valen tax reinvestment / rolling Slave buy back scheme on our behalf to resolve our issues?

Otherwise;

>Follow him

What he can actually directly help with
>Tier sisters
>Missing Teranford refugees
>The tension between the mayor and merchants
>Artemis presence in Resuri

Can U literally start at a worse time
I'm going in on 3 days in the woods starting this morning
Fackin sheit

Hi Riz! I was wonderning, are you an INFP?

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>>5819926
I had to go take the test again since it changes off and on, but I got INTP. (57% T vs 43% F). The third letter is the only one that's ever changed for me, though.What brings this up?

>>5819915
It's okay anon! At most you will miss 3 votes, assuming I can even manage a daily update schedule! This thread is liable to be running on into december.

>>5819353
>Follow him
>Tier sisters
>Missing Teranford refugees
>The tension between the mayor and merchants
>Artemis presence in Resuri

>>5819353
>Suggest an empty room instead.
>Tier sisters

>>5819358
>>5819459
>>5820781
Follow!

>>5820984
empty room, no unnecessary trusting.

>>5819459
Feeling out Isaac's thoughts on how things stand and how open he might be to cooperating outside of our immediate goals.

>>5819459
>>5820781
>>5820984
Tier sisters

>>5819459
>>5820781
Teranford refugees, tensions, Artemis

>>5819358
I wish to buy your assistant.

Alright, probably won't start writing tonight but this should be it!

File: You came back!.gif (1.62 MB, 498x298)

1.62 MB GIF

>>5819360
Can't believe I almost missed the thread

>spoiler
Oh God

You follow Isaac towards the basement without complaint in the end. "As I was saying, I didn't expect to see you again this soon. If I were to be quite honest, I might even say my invitation was more of a formality..." He flashed a smile, trailing off as his assistant shut the door behind you, leaving the three of you in a sparsely decorated room.

A large bed occupied the majority of the far wall, with a handful of curious tools hanging from a rack fixed to the wall. It took you a second to realize his assistant was standing next to them already.

"Always better to make a good first impression with potential important customers," He concluded once you were out of the public space. "And it doesn't get much more important than the Valens. I don't suppose the roads are cleared up now that you're here?"

"Something to address after my business here is over." You weren't even aware it was a problem until you made it to Resuri. Embarrassing in a way, but you were still getting your affairs in order after seizing control of the territory. "We both have bigger problems than troubled roads at the moment. How is running a slave trade working for you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't considering a more profitable rebranding." Isaac smiled. "Did you get a chance to indulge in the entertainment upstairs? It's surprisingly lucrative, if a bit too hectic for my liking."

"Hectic?"

"I won't bore you overmuch with a lecture on my career, but suffice to say, one of the hallmarks of trading in the products I do is-" He stopped himself, amending his choice of words with a patient grimace. "-Was consistency. Demand rarely changes, so my expenses are rather static... Accounting for certain outliers, of course." Here the slavetrader winks at you, "I'm not in the habit of moving high spec' trophies, you understand."

"Really." Your arms cross over your chest, taking care not to accidentally stab yourself with your serrated digits.

"Really! It's not that I can't, as I imagine might be the source of your skepticism, but that I don't want to. There's no telling how much you will pour into acquiring or training someone up to standard, only to never find someone capable of giving you a return, much less a profit. It's inconsistent, unreliable work..." Isaac sighs theatrically, gloved hand gesturing towards the ceiling. "Much like what I'm doing here. The hours spent chasing fads and testing waters just to attract vapid clientelle, themselves only chasing their fleeting fetishes. Lucrative, yes, but the stress? The work load? I could be doing anything else."

"At least it's legal." You point out, "I'm surprised you'd still risk losing everything to keep your old business running in the dark."

"Indeed." Isaac studied you for an uncomfortably long minute, "Unfortunately for all of us, the Crown handing down their edicts does little to curb reality for the rest of us. Supply and demand are the same as ever, only now the transaction is harder to make. I couldn't exactly dump my product at the drop of a hat, nor did I initially have much on hand to finance the kind of hard pivot doing such a thing would demand... I should be thanking you, in fact. Much of what you've seen above was only possible thanks to your generous purchase earlier this year."

...Yeah. You remembered the ledgers. You couldn't contain the slight wince at the confirmation of where all that money had gone.

"So then what's left? Finding a way to move the rest of your 'product' before you leave the business for good?"

"Potentially." Isaac agreed coquettishly. "But if the tensions between the Crown and nobility keep rising, maybe I can afford to keep minding my own business."

He was weighing his options. Not a surprise to you, but you had to wonder. "Which side do you think would be more profitable for people like you?"

"The nobility, much like yourself, of course. They know the reality of supply and demand."

"And if they proved to be the worse option?"

"Then..." Isaac began slowly, "Nothing. I move my product, do some renovating, and become your friendly local purveyor of exotic excitements." He shrugged, "I've been more candid with you as a favor for what your prior purchases allowed me, so perhaps you'll indulge me a little as well. Why the curiosity, Ser Valen? I seem to recall you were rather taken aback by my trade in the first place."

"House Valen has done everything it can to remain neutral in the spat between the Crown and nobility." You say after a moment's thought. "...But I think you'd agree that the status quo can't be maintained. We will eventually need to take a side."

"And you favor the Crown?" The slavemaster seemed interested, unperturbed even, but the question was tremendous. A 'yes' or 'no' answer and you'd little doube it he would radically adjust his plans and activities the moment your meeting was over.

...The truth of the matter was even more difficult however, as you couldn't exactly tell him you favored whichever side would let you strangle Artemis more effectively. What you could tell him was- "Rather than what I favor, you'd be better served knowing that my cousin Caylen has almost assuredly put his backing behind the nobility."

"...Yes?" Isaac frowned.

"Having never met the man, you'd be forgiven for not knowing that Caylen is a very high-minded individual with..." Stupid? Short-sighted? Idealistic? "Uncompromising principles. Some of which he rather shares with the Crown."

Isaac's frown deepened. Good, he was beginning to understand the problem.

"The side House Valen takes will ultimately have a strong influence on what comes after, and the time left for us to choose is running out. How much do you think the nobility will concede in order to secure the public support of a member of House Valen?"

"Rough waters ahead no matter what." Isaac's expression darkened. "Would it be pushing my luck to ask you again where you stand, Ser Valen?"

"I have bigger problems." You echoed your prior sentiments dryly.

"Bigger problems than a civil war? The life of nobility really is hard to imagine... Would I be wrong to assume your visit today is related to those problems?"

"And what, pray tell, would a slavetrader be able to help me with?" Your brow quirked. He wasn't wrong, or so you hoped, but the confidence in which he insinuated it begged to be put to the test.

"The simplest answer is slaves, of course." Isaac bowed theatrically, his assistant stamping her heel against the floor meaningfully. Through your idle connection to the web you felt the guards just beyond the room begin to move in response. A latch clicked in the silence of the room, unlocking the passage deeper inside. "But our relationship was not so close as to warrant you seeking me out all the way in Resuri just to gossip. There was something you needed a slave trader for, and if your prior ambivalence is any indication, the only thing that would bring you somewhere personally would be matters associated with those 'bigger problems'."

He really wasn't wrong. Even if he didn't know what you wanted from him, he'd reasoned out that there had to be something... Which made working with him that much easier.

You glanced down the opening passage, past the flanking lines of armed security Isaac kept stationed beyond the threshold, and nodded. "Good answer."

"Pleasure to live up to your expectations, Ser Valen. At this rate, I might even snare you as a repeat customer before long." Isaac took the lead, walking past his guards without a glance. It was only when the passage began to close behind you did you glance back and realize the assistant had remained behind at the threshold.

Her face blurred as you looked back, but you felt there was a smile behind the obscurred features. The passage was shut and locked again without fanfare.

"...I don't suppose you'd be interested in selling me your assistant." You muse unenthusiastically.

"A few years ago I would have jumped at the offer." The slavemaster laughed, "Now, I'm afraid she's become too valuable."

You expected as much. And truth be told, you weren't entirely comfortable around the woman in the first place. "Sounds like there's a story there."

"One fraught with disappointment and unreturned investment, I'm afraid." Isaac sighed, then cast a curious glance your way. "Have you heard much about her?"

"...? I don't even know her name." You shake your head. "She refused to give me any straight answers, and I wasn't in the mood to play games."

"Hmm." Curiosity gave way to consideration, then, realization. "Ser Valen, what do you think determines a slave's worth?"

"Excuse me?"

"Hmm, another way then." Isaac muttered to himself, then snapped his fingers. "I told you I dislike trading in trophies before, didn't I? What do you suppose makes a trophy?"

"..." A frown tugged at your lips, but it wouldn't hurt to humour the man. "Their skills?"

Isaac nodded. "In some cases. Anyone would pay more for someone betterat their work. What else?"

What else? "You said demand was static. What kind of people buy slaves, exactly?"

"Merchants and craftsmen, mostly. Though for the purposes of this conversation, you should be thinking higher. Nobles, wealthy merchants or local government officers, collectors..." Isaac rolled his gloved hand through the air as he listed them off. "They're trophies because they're for showing off."

"Then they'd only be worth as much as they could be bragged about." Your lips pursed at the notion, a frown tugging steadily at their corners. "Rarity, fame, the more difficult it is to obtain, the better."

"Sharp answers, you've got the air of a collector yourself, Ser Valen." You struggled not to sigh at Isaac's teasing praise. "Rarity, something exotic. Something strange or taboo. Demihumans are a good example, imagine, owning one of those beasts!" He laughed, and the urge to kick the man down the remaining stairs grew stronger. "Fame is important as well, of course. Well known names of fallen families or scattered organizations. Sometimes even just the association is enough... For example: Teranford is a hot topic now, its royalty even more so."

"Don't test me, Lupre." You intercede with a low hiss, eliciting a swift show of deference from the man. "What's your point in all this?"

"Do the words 'Undine's Doll' mean anything to you?"

You stopped, foot hesitantly held aloft as lowered yourself to the next step. Your brow creased behind Lily's mask, wracking your memories of studying Mana for why that would be familiar, but- "...No." You shake your head slowly, almost suspiciously. "I've never heard the term."

Lupre smiled and it made you want to punch him reflexively. The amusement and self-satisfaction bundled into the red-haired man's face at that moment was incredible. "I suspected as much. It's a common nickname for a certain type of slave. A certain, very expensive type." He emphasized seriously. "Much the same way the value of art changes based on how it was made, the value of slaves will vary tremendously by how they were trained. In the case of an Undine's Doll, their training begins with a ritual of consignment."

...That was a term you recognized. Often considered an aid to the grieving, it was a ceremony overseen by Undine's adepts where participants would ritually sink tokens representing the pieces of themselves they wanted to part with.

Undine, the Mana of Water, was also known as the secret keeper. It was impossible to know the extent of what lay forgotten within its stygian depths. Even to Luna, who, herself, was said to have consigned things better left unknown to its sibling's watery shroud.

You had a bad feeling about this. "What do they part with?"

"Almost everything." Isaac's answer made your stomach lurch. "Their past, preferences, tastes, personality... And their names, of course. By the end of it, they're little more than dolls; completely blank slates who only remember that they wanted this. Hence the name: Undine's Doll. Their training begins from there, though I almost hesitate to call it 'training'... It is akin to raising them from the ground up. Language must be retaught, communication skills, mentality, proficiencies..." He trailed off, listing fundamentals one after another with increasing exasperation.

You wished he hadn't listed them at all.

"You cannot begin to imagine the time and resources required to raise even one Undine's Doll, and make no mistake, they are custom. Raised explicitly for their client, to their client's tastes, to do anything and everything that client wants. A masterpiece, whose hilt was forged to fit a single hand, whose blade was balanced against a single master. Their master."

"...Why are you telling me this?"

"You seemed frustrated that my assistant didn't tell you her name." He explained casually, "I'd ask you not hold it against her. She doesn't have a name to give you. They don't receive a name until their master gives them one."

He fell silent after that, a faint smile taunting at the edge of his lips before he turned away.

"...And that besides, I thought someone ought to tell you."

Arriving in the second floor basement, you realized the layout wasn't of any surprise to you. It couldn't be, since the web had told you everything you needed to know in that regard well ahead of time. What was surprising was the living conditions.

If you weren't keenly aware just how far underground you were, you would have easily mistaken the place for an inn. Or maybe a boarding house was a more apt comparison? Clean floors, well lit halls, and even the occupants of the floor seemed comfortable.

Or they were, until they caught sight of Lupre and yourself. Word spread quickly via hushed whispers and rushed shuffles, flurry of abrupt activity that the slave master deigned to acknowledge with a satisfied grin and little more. Men and women of a wide variety of ages moved about, some making brushing out imperceptible wrinkles from their simple, uniformly clothing, while a few others seemed to continue with their snacking or studies with minimal fuss.

But you could feel the eyes upon you, and this wasn't anywhere near the full extent of the floor.

"Well, what do you think? I doubt you have much interest in common workers, but we can take a break while you browse, if you'd like. Otherwise, I'll show you to my office and we can discuss the reason you're here in earnest."

>Change the subject: The tier sisters.
>Inquire more about the assistant (what?)
>Break off to look around first. (delays talking about the topics in >>5821737 )
>Other? (write-in)

>>5823270
>Inquire more about the assistant (what?)
So the client didn't buy her in the end. Bankruptcy, sudden death? If it was years ago, it's probably not that sensitive of info anymore. How many years ago, btw?
And I take it her blurry face is due to consignment too? Is this a standard practice?
(I wanna know whether the assistant factors into the grand plot somehow)

>>5823270
>Inquire more about the assistant (what?)
So the undine's doll treatment is a different thing entirely from the (branding?) artefact. And Ari is an undine's doll, right? Everything he just described applies to Ari, just that we did the training ourselves (unwittingly) and turned her into a sociopath. lol

>Change the subject: The tier sisters.
I'm hoping he'll have information on Priat too, there's no way he just blundered around the merchant estate without Lupre at least hearing about it. Might have even been the one to catch him if we're lucky(?)

>>5823345
>Everything he just described applies to Ari, just that we did the training ourselves
I'm pretty sure she could speak, think and function when she was purchased.

>>5823270
>Change the subject: The tier sisters.

>>5823270
>Break off to look around first. (delays talking about the topics in >>5821737 )
Look for oppai lolis, lolibabas, and huge, bulging, hulking fighters/artisans/spymasters.

>>5823320
>>5823345
Assistant inquiries!

>>5823345
>>5823413
Focus, we came for a reason!

>>5823915
Little bit of window shopping?

Will get to work on the update sometime tomorrow!

>>5819948
Just curious! The vast majority of /qst/ seems to be T types.

Also: if you are good with and understand emotions and can often pinpoint the intentions of other people and /why / they do things, but have a very hard time making yourself useful and fixing problems, odds are you are an INFP. Otherwise, if you struggle figuring out how to behave correctly with others or perceiving their intentions, but are good with systems and understanding /how/ things work, you may be an INTP.

Been really busy and I missed thed vote. Just wanted to say its great to see your qst up again Riz

"Your office. I still have a lot to take care of after we're finished." You were beginning to realize your understanding of slavery as a practice was skewed, but now wasn't the time to correct it. Artemis and your Testament came first. Speaking of... "How common is it for Undine's Dolls to not be bought?"

Many of the slaves kept an eye on the two of you as you passed, but none were particularly anxious. Little more than idle curiosity. Isaac himself seemed unconcerned with the attention being garnered, or your continued interest in the topic of his assistant, as he led you through the basement quarters. "It almost never happens. Although if I may be so bold, Ser Valen, the question itself is wrong." A shadow of irritation danced across his face. Regret and consternation, as if he'd just tasted something disagreeable while thinking. "The procedure itself is rare, so typically there are multiple buyers lined up well before a single doll is trained. The cost of raising them is extensive, but the return is almost guaranteed... Almost." He sighed, a wry, tired smile politely forming as he repeated himself. "Almost."

"What happened with your assistant, then?"

"An unfortunate string of deaths. Her first master died several months after purchase." The slavemaster didn't so much as glance your way as he amended himself. "Natural causes. An elderly gentlemen. She was returned and most of what she was sold for was returned... I don't normally accept refunds, but as you may imagine, Ser Valen, some customers are too important to displease."

"...So you couldn't sell her again. For something like an Undine's Doll, exclusivity must be important."

"Right you are, Ser Valen! ...But also somewhat incorrect." He grinned when your head tilted. A little sign he'd gotten your attention. "The price tag goes down for a resale, but it's not impossible. A pre-owned work of art is, at the end of the day, still a work of art. So she did find a new client, not terribly long afterwards, actually."

"And then?" You prodded.

Isaac sighed again, this time as a threatric for his story rather than personal begrudgery. "Well, that one died to. And so did the next one. And the one after that." He shook his head, "You cannot imagine how much money I lost constantly having to refund my clientelle. Eventually I was even happy when the list of buyers interested in her initially withdrew their offers. She'd built up quite a reputation for being something of a curse, at that point."

...That was a long string of fatalities. Even you had to wonder if she was involved with some of them at that rate. "So you've been stuck with her ever since?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no. If I didn't sell her to someone after all I spent raising her, I would have been out years of my annual revenue. I did manage to find one more client willing to place their bets on the 'killer doll', if you will."

"..." You kept a carefully neutral expression as you waited for him to continue.

"...He died as well." Isaac shrugged.

"No refunds this time?" You mused. "Client not important enough to warrant playing nice?"

The red haired man smiled back complicatedly. "He bought her not to keep, but because he was organizing an expedition into an Undine aligned Atelier. Something about the fact she had undergone the Ritual of Consignment so thoroughly had meaning to the expedition... It could have been any Undine's Doll, of course, but why buy a brand new one when a deeply discounted one works just as well?" Isaac shrugged again, stopping before a simple wooden door. He stepped aside politely as the latch clicked open, inviting you in. "Well, maybe it did matter. It isn't something she talks about."

"Who returned her after that?" You wandered in, taking a seat as your host shut the door behind you.

"A couple months after I sold her to the client, she showed back up at my doorstep on her own. The rest is history." Isaac said, chuckling to himself. " I gave up after that, spent about a year half-expecting to die spontaneously myself, but that's her story. I put her to work to earn her keep and she's become indispensable since."

You ruminated over the story, leaving Isaac time to move about the room. Two glasses, a bottle of alcohol, and the man laughing under his own breath as he prepared them. A story of tiresome memories that ended in a not-so-bad way.

"Whiskey?" He asked, pouring the amber liquid. Its hue reminded you reflexively of Faedka, but... The tell-tale scent was absent. You shook your head, regardless. "Suit yourself." The slavemaster acknowledged, throwing back the entirety of his glass in a single violent motion. His whole body shuddered before he exhaled with a restrained grimace.

"Doesn't seem pleasant."

"All at once? It's awful. I wouldn't recommend drinking like that to anyone, Ser Valen." Isaac's comfortable chuckling died down as he refilled his glass. "I down a glass everytime I tell the story, though. Reminder of how miserable that period of my life was, just in case I'd ever get the queer idea I should try investing in another Undine's Doll."

"...But you did." You rest your chin on your palm, leaning against the armrest of your chair. "You sold one to me, didn't you?"

Isaac considered the question seriously, a somber look in his eyes as he swirled the refilled whiskey around in his hand. "After everything I just told you, please don't tell me you're here for a refund, Ser Valen."

"...No." You smirked despite yourself, though what mirth his displeasure bore swiftly dwindled. You didn't feel like entertaining even the joke of trying to sell Ari back; The girl already had abandonment issues. "I was just curious what inspired you to involve yourself in an Undine's Doll again... And, I suppose, why the one you sold me was in such poor condition if she was so valuable."

"Hm. Fair questions, I suppose." Isaac nodded, taking a contemplative sip as he settled into the chair across from you. A minute degree of tension you hadn't quite noticed in the man seemed to have drained once he confirmed you hadn't come for a refund. "Did you name her yet?"

"Ari."

"Ari." He repeated gratefully, "Easier with a name. Ari wasn't my idea, in all honesty. She only came under our inventory when her first master decided she no longer wanted the girl. Whoever raised her first was apparently less inclined than I to maintain good relations, and you'd be quite right to think I wasn't keen on the idea either, after everything that happened... But, my assistant made her case." Isaac paused to sip at his whiskey. "Something about Ari caught her interest. Maybe empathy for another unwanted doll... Whatever the case, she seemed confident she could turn a profit, so I acquiesced to the purchase and left Ari under my assistant as something of a pet project. She managed your doll's retraining, re-education, day to day life, and of course, resale."

"...So the sorry state Ari was in when she rolled up in that carriage are because of your assistant?" You intoned slowly. You weren't sure whether to feel retroactively hostile over the affair, but- Before you could really consider it further, Isaac shook his head.

"I stopped attempting to trade in Undine's Dolls because I've, apparently, the world's worst luck with them. Ari was sold several times, and while her prior masters never died... They all inevitably returned her, for this or that reason. To be quite honest, she wasn't even supposed to be in your selection Ser Valen. Shortly before finalizing the roster for your Rite, her latest master decided she wasn't what he wanted after all and made a scene dumping her off in my care once more. My assistant suggested we had nothing to lose presenting her as a possibility."

You got the feeling Isaac politely refrained from informing you it was a fantastic decision, as given her price tag and the history you were only just now learning, it would have multiplied your natural inclination to bury your fist in his face.

Part of you wanted to ask more about Undine's Dolls, to take the opportunity to maybe get a better understanding of, just maybe, why Ari was the way she was. Even just this had shed an unsettling light on why it was such a struggle to curb her habit of calling you master...

But you set that feeling aside for now.

"Thank you for indulging my curiosity with all of this, but I really shouldn't get too distracted."

"Of course, Ser Valen." The slavemaster sat forward, carefully nudging his whiskey glass aside to focus on you. "What can I do for one of my favorite customers?"

"My hope is information, if nothing else." You began, wagging your Shade clawed fingertip idly as Lily's vines gingerly coiled around it. "I received information that members of one of House Valen's retainer families have shown up on the slave market. Seeing as you told me that even association with fame could lead to a higher price-tag, should I assume you'll have no problem finding them?"

"It shouldn't be difficult." Isaac agreed slowly, as if trying to understand the intent behind your request. You didn't think it was that complicated. "It won't affect my efforts any, but may I ask- Hrmn." He cut himself off, visibly thinking better of his choice of words before they'd even left his mouth. "...On second thought, it may help me produce results if you would allow me to inquire around the circumstances of their servitude?"

"Circumstances?" Your brow arched.

"To be perfectly blunt, Ser Valen, as you may have noticed I do not traffick involuntary slaves. Everyone who comes to me, the deals I make, function as a beneficiary between people of wide array of circumstances and backgrounds, and an equally wide array of people in need of reliable bodies."

"You personally sold me the princess of Teranford." You point out flatly. "I can assure you, she has made it very clear it was not a status she volunteered for." He also sold you Kara, but you weren't actually sure how she ended up in his possession. Inquiring now wouldn't help anyone.

"Yes..." Isaac allowed with a careful cadence. "However, the deal Byrn and Clara Valen approached me regarding was to source for selection the best candidates available. Your 'Ari' came from me, the princess I acquired elsewhere and acted as a middleman in regards to acquisition and payment for. For clarity, regardless of whether their enslavement was voluntary or involuntary, I can find them... But it will take me much less time if I know which direction to look in first."

Your frown deepened, but more out of spiraling thought that displeasure. "The people of my retainer family, the Tiers, were kidnapped some months ago, roughly around the time of my Rite. So, involuntary."

"I struggle to imagine the kind of people who would blatantly steal from the Valens in their own territory." Isaac remarked. "Should I set a price range for their purchase, or...?"

"No." Your growing frown tilted, one corner of your lips arching up into a lopsided smirk. "Just get me their locations. There are a pair of sisters specifically, the heirs to the family; If you find no one else, find them."

Isaac chuckled nervously, wordlessly raising his whiskey glass to his lips. "Fully understood, Ser Valen."

You closed your eyes behind Lily's mask, drawing in a deep breath. Compliance you didn't need to fight for was so... Novel. You felt good, may as well keep pushing and see what else Lupre could do for you. "I also want you to keep an ear out for any slaves native to Teranford, voluntary or otherwise. For the voluntary ones, put together a list of prices for one of mine to review later."

"I'll collect the locations and sellers of the involuntary teranford natives for your perusal separately. I presume that would be for the best?"

"..."

You wanted to say 'yes', but there was a lot to slavetrade that you clearly didn't have a full grasp on. All of it was illegal now, voluntary or involuntary, and it didn't take you a great leap of logic to understand that Isaac's distinction between the two was one of preference rather than morality. With the Tiers, you were fully justifed in taking back what was stolen from you, but would trying to do the same with the Teranford refugees be different?

Even if it was, legally you were in the right to destroy any trading ring you found, Lupre's included. Doing so repeatedly wouldn't go unnoticed though, and eventually it would get harder and harder to find them. On the other hand, you had no idea how many there would be to buy, nor their prices- Your funds were already tight preparing for the coming war. How many could you afford to buy? What would you be unable to afford because of it?

The enemies you could make, how quickly you could get them back, the effort it would take, how many might slip through your grasp in either scenario...

>Purchase the Teranford refugees where possible. This is the best you can do right now.
>Seize them by force. Enemies be damned, you promised Rinnier.

You also had time to think... You had Lupre's help as a slavemaster, but was it worth trying to make use of him in a more general sense? How much of a permanent connection did you really want with this man? Trying to involve him in your war on Artemis could backfire at worst, and even if it didn't, he'd made it clear that he tried to avoid offending potentially influential customers. It wouldn't surprise if Artemis counted among that label.

>Talk to him about Artemis, he represented an information network in Resuri that you sorely needed.
>This is your problem, and well outside his purview.

There were was also the possibility he could help you both above and below the table as a merchant in trying to resolve the tensions between the Resuri government and the wealthy upper class here... But he wouldn't do it for free. Did you want to offer an olive branch and officially align yourself behind him in order to acquire a cat's paw?

>Propose more official cooperation, if he seems capable of being useful.
>You didn't want to back a slavetrader. Even if it helped short term, that connection could cause a disaster later.

>>5825073
>Purchase the Teranford refugees where possible. This is the best you can do right now.
>Seize them by force. Enemies be damned, you promised Rinnier.
let Rinnier decide; she has a view of our finances so can make a decision, though alerting any owners that there is effectively a standing offer for them would be an idea.

We should also see if he knows / can find anything concrete about Priat's whereabouts as that will be useful if we need to get the guards involved.

>Talk to him about Artemis, he represented an information network in Resuri that you sorely needed.
it's improbable that he doesn't know, and could at least serve as a contact between us for now at least, since we know Maran is here in Resuri.

>Propose more official cooperation, if he seems capable of being useful.

At this point its a matter of survival, we can deal with the fallout later if we ever need to.

>>5825073
Oh cool I was right. I wonder if the reason Ari knew about Doppelrue instantly is because she lived with a that skinwalker hooker.

>Teranford refugees
I lean more towards seizing them but I feel like this is something we should confer with Rinnier about before deciding. We're probably overdue for talking with her anyway.

>Talk to him about Artemis, he represented an information network in Resuri that you sorely needed.

>Propose more official cooperation, if he seems capable of being useful.

>>5825073
>Seize them by force. Enemies be damned, you promised Rinnier.
>Talk to him about Artemis, he represented an information network in Resuri that you sorely needed.
>Propose more official cooperation, if he seems capable of being useful.

>>5825073
I wonder now whether it was us that raised Ari to be a sociopath, or one of her previous owners, or the assistant.
>Purchase the Teranford refugees where possible. This is the best you can do right now.
>This is your problem, and well outside his purview.
He may well be connected with Artemis. We've seen a slave wagon in the Carona refugees' camp
>You didn't want to back a slavetrader. Even if it helped short term, that connection could cause a disaster later.

>>5825073
>Seize them by force. Enemies be damned, you promised Rinnier.
>Talk to him about Artemis, he represented an information network in Resuri that you sorely needed.
>You didn't want to back a slavetrader. Even if it helped short term, that connection could cause a disaster later.

>>5825147
>>5825073
Changing muh voote. I do want to keep working with this guy but not publicly.
>>You didn't want to back a slavetrader. Even if it helped short term, that connection could cause a disaster later.

>>5825113 (mention standing offer)
>>5825147 (prefer to seize)
Consult with Rinnier!

>>5825214
>>5826057
Take them by force!

>>5825338
The peaceful method is for the best. Funds will be difficult, though...
---

>>5825113
>>5825147
>>5826057
>>5825214
Drag the slavemaster into your Artemis conspiracies!

>>5825338
He doesn't need to know shit about your business.
---

>>5825113
>>5825214
Work with this guy to pacify Resuri!

>>5826325
>>5826057
>>5825338
Public cooperation is unnecessary.
---
side note to inquire about Priat as well.

Writing!

You hesitated. An opportunity to finally make good on your promise to Rinnier and you weren't sure how to best make use of it. Left to your down devices your gut was to simply take them back, but what if the trouble was more than it was worth?

...More than it was worth.

The only person allowed to decide what her people were worth was Rinnier. The best thing you could for her in this circumstance was to tell her what you'd learned and let her make the final decision. "For now, just gather information. I'll consider putting out a standing offer for their acquisition after I see what you find."

"I'm confident I can start showing results within the week, Ser Valen."

Lupre was quick to assert his confidence in the task, and you reconsidered yet again whether he warranted a more formal relationship. In terms of influence alone, it was undoubtable. His personality left something to be desired, but you felt he could be trusted to act in your best interests, so long as your best interests coincided with holding the largest stick in the room.

The biggest problem was, and always would be, his trade of choice. It was too dangerous to make use of him as a cat's paw in the public spotlight no matter how immediately useful his connections and influence may have been.

"Normally I do charge a middleman's fee for connecting clients with other people's stock..." The slavemaster drawled.

The implication was plain, but also one you had been expecting. Your name and status carried more worth than your proverbial wallet, but you were loathe to use much of either if it could be helped. "What kind of price do you plan to set on me reclaiming my people?"

"Regarding the matter of the Tiers?" The slavemaster suggested innocently, "Free of charge."

"Unexpected." You admit. Though not unpleased with the revelation, it left you wary. "What are you getting out of it?"

"Our good relationship staying that way." Lupre raised his palms as he shrugged. "I'd also prefer if you thought of our dealings warmly in the future, when making decisions regarding my trade... But that's just a personal wish of mine, I've no intention of putting it on a receipt."

"Hmm... But this is only in regards to the Tiers." You shoo lily's vines away from your clawed hand before resting the digits against its wooden surface and allowing their tips to sink into its frame. "You do have a price for the others."

"As beneficial as our continued relationship is, at least one business peer I'll be looking into is about to be made an example of." Lupre agreed tactfully. "Whether the same can be said for the owners of the Teranford refugees or not is a risk that comes with the commission, so, naturally I'm reluctant." His attention drifted blatantly towards the rivets carved into the armrest of your chair, seeming more dismayed over the damage than anxious over the implication of violence. "Ser Valen, what do you think would be worth the risk of burning every bridge I've ever made by tainting my every inquiry with the shadow of an inquisition?"

Alright. Fair. You couldn't promise that wasn't exactly what would happen. "If you're trying to negotiate a more peaceful acquisition..."

"No- Haha, oh, no. Mana bless, I wouldn't dare. All I'm asking is for you to make it worth doing!" The slavemaster wiped a faux tear from his eye through the fit of laughter, "If you were going to buy them, it'd have been as simple as taking a cut off the top for their purchase. Standard finder's fee... No, discounted, for you." He winked and you repressed the urge to sigh. "But you won't be doing that, will you? That princess wouldn't stand for it, would she?"

You had better control than to react to the obvious taunt, but he had more of a point than you liked. Phrased like that, what would be worth effectively committing social suicide?

More importantly-

"This will be your only warning not to speak carelessly about my Testament."

-You wouldn't tolerate your Testament being used to taunt you.

His grin twitched as if he'd just heard something nice. However, ostensibly because of your firmly hissed warning, he kept his thoughts to himself.

You leaned forward, resting your elbows on his desk and carefully laced your fingers into a bridge. "You've spent a while analyzing who I am and how best to work with me, so let me do you the honor: You're smart, capable, and cautious almost to a fault. You've done everything you can to make it clear you want to continue a beneficial relationship with me rather than extract money for your coffers, but you've stopped just short of actually seeking to gain anything. The worst decision you could make would be to antagonize me unnecessarily, so... you wouldn't."

"I'm flattered."

"You're wasting my time." You retort coolly, "Tell me what you wanted me to agree to so badly that you risked pissing me off."

The slavemaster sipped from his whiskey for a long moment, then held his gloved hands up in surrender. "I have a problem. One that is proving difficult to solve on my own, which I was hoping you could be convinced to help me with."

"I'm listening." And reflecting on the choices that led you to having any connection to this man. The rashness of your youth all of a year ago just never stopped paying interest.

"There's an event being hosted in the next couple days. Officially it's a gala of sorts between the merchants in the Southern District, a place to make connections and keep a pulse on the market trends as they change. Very high profile, very exclusive."

"And you want me to get you in?" You surmised.

Lupre blinked owlishly before chuckling. "Do think a little better of me, Ser Valen. I'm a VIP, my invitation arrived before the gala was finished being arranged." He shook his head, trying in vain to shed his amusement. "No, my problem is- Hmm... Putting it into words is difficult. Call it a merchant's intuition."

Your head tilts to one side, Lily's ivy shifting in your hair behind you with the movement.

"I'm losing market share. Not at an alarming rate, but slowly. Clients I've had for years are making less purchases, seeking me out for less headhunting. If it were a matter of demand dying off due to royal edict it would be one thing, but on a handful occasions I've discovered they've been taking their business elsewhere."

"The same place?"

"If it were that easy." Lupre grimaced. "But I'm not the only one. There are a handful of my peers who are like me and finding their usual clientele... Less than receptive."

It could have been a simple turf war among their trade, but remembering the slave wagons you saw in the mercenary camp upriver, you smelled Artemis on this mess. It was something you were going to have to rip out by the roots one way or another, the real question here was... "So what do you want from me, exactly?"

"I want a bodyguard. The best you can provide me." Lupre concluded seriously. "For the gala at a minimum, but the longer I can retain them, the better."

You blinked, the surprise in your crimson eyes gratefully obscured beneath Lily's wooden frame. The rest of your body wasn't so lucky however, as you sat up straighter almost reflexively. "A bodyguard? You think you're in danger?"

"A feeling." Lupre demured. "The gala has a secondary purpose, and that is an auction that I and others like me are hosting. A place to get a headstart on the new and exotic trends for those with the power or wealth to afford it. If anything were to happen, it would either have to be during the gala, or spread out over the coming months."

You nodded slowly, feeling Lily start to grow restless as the conversation stretched on. She had behaved herself remarkably well already, so you urged her to be patient a little longer. "Your assistant isn't capable of protecting you?"

"Her talents aren't quite suited to what I need."

"I can think of something." You murmur after a moment's consideration. "But I have an additional request."

"Oh?"

"A Salamander adept has gone missing in Resuri recently, and I suspect he was trying to investigate your gala. I can field you a bodyguard, but I want you to find out anything you can regarding what happened to him."

"Done!" Lupre clapped his hands together eagerly. "If this adept of yours was caught snooping around then I can frame it as concerns over security and have the information to you by tomorrow, easily."

If this really was related to Artemis, you'd be helping him indirectly anyway. May as well build some gratitude towards you in the process. Your chair scraped against the flooring as you rose, "Give me some time to consider how I want you to handle the teranford refugees and I'll get back to you."

"By all means, Ser Valen. I am ever at your disposal." Lupre stood along with you, bowing at the waist in response to your tacit dismissal. "Will you be taking some time to see if anyone catches your interest on your way out?"

"..." You considered all the ways of telling him you weren't interested in buying any more slaves, but it was a waste of breath. "No."

You turned on your heel and saw yourself out.

>Check in with Rinnier.
>Look around anyway, who's going to stop you?
>Talk to some demihumans, they seemed to recognize you.
>Other? (write-in)

>Check in with Rinnier

>>5827494
>Check in with Rinnier.

The only options I can think of would be available on such short notice is ourselves What better way than to have a reason to go to the Gala without need to to sneak inor a Squad borrowed from the Mayor, we don't really know anyone suited to "close protection".

>>5827494
>Talk to some demihumans, they seemed to recognize you
>>5827681
Aegis. Strictly ordered to remain in the human guise.

>>5827810
>Aegis.
Who is currently missing, yes. That might be a slight issue.

>>5827494
>Check in with Rinnier.

It sounds like we have a couple of days before things kick off? That's more than expected, we should have enough time to get our ducks in a row, starting with Aegis. What was that resource we discovered we have in Resuri before we started travelling? Some kind of cartoon deployable wall or something?

>>5827883
We can call her with the bracelet. Tell her not to get lost this time.

>>5827494
>Look around anyway, who's going to stop you?

>>5827910
When has anything ever been that easy?

>>5828472
It will be different this time. TRust me

>>5827676
>>5827681
>>5827891
Rinnier!

>>5827810
Demihumans!

>>5828056
Can't hurt to take a peek?

will get started writing a little later tonight!

Lily successfully behaved herself until the night sky was overhead once again, but little longer. You stroked the preening leaves of her rustling ivy with the tip of your finger while she coiled about.

You'd immediately made to disappear into the night atop Scar once you left Luprecalia, partially to avoid curious eyes, but also because you... Just didn't like crowds. Resuri was packed, and while it was an awe inspiring, novel experience, your wonder could only outweigh the fatigue for so long.

It was funny in retrospect. You spent years studying and refining body language, sharpening your ability to follow implications and play subtle games - A skill set that had been both a mark of pride prior to your Rite and served you well during it! - But given the choice, you'd always prefer to have simply stayed home with Asche. The expertise to flourish in a place you didn't even particularly want to be, much less for very long at a time...

You snorted, a tired grin lilting across your lips. Lily's curiosity trilled across your connection briefly, as if she'd taken a moment from her playing just to look back and make sure you were still watching before she continued. Scar was the reluctant target of her harassments at the moment, and the bastard was both unhappy about it and unwilling to provoke the little Dryad apparition by trying to push her away. He'd settled for flattening his smoke-tipped ears against his skull and doing everything he could to ignore her.

He was mindful of you as well, in his own way. Taking the time to shoot you loathesome stares from time to time. You derived some measure of perverse satisfaction out of the realization that even the young nightmare was ultimately not a fan of crowds... Although, you weren't sure if it was anxiety or the stress of repressing sadism which fueled that particular distaste.

You'd find out quickly if you let him loose, but either outcome would result in having to chase the bastard down again.

You set the thought aside and pulled the 'Echo' from its sheathe. Cool night air shifted ever so slightly against your skin as you interfaced with the stillborn thing, tying your senses to the artificial Relic.

"Checking in." You let your head fall back, taking in the starry sky with an absent expression. "Maybe she's already asleep."

Resuri churned along in the not-so-distant background for a few moments before the wind whispered back. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing dangerous." Your first instinct was to simply say 'no', but you doubted she'd believe you. Being thorough would be better. "I'm inside Resuri now, spent most of my time here acquiring contacts and gathering information. Are you somewhere private?"

"Yes, I was reading in my room while I waited."

"...Reading?"

"I took some of the wisp cores from your family's archive as night lights..." Rinnier's voice trailed off in the manner it did when there was more she was going to say before she caught herself. "So, what did you find?"

"Resuri's in bad shape. There's some problems between the mayor and merchants that Artemis is probably involved in. Priat's gone missing, but I should have more information on that tomorrow..." Her people were the big topic, but you weren't sure how to present it yet, exactly. "Something is going to happen over the next few days. I don't know what yet, but it's going to be big."

"'Something'?" Rinnier echoed suspiciously. "How big? Irue?"

You hesitated, scratching your cheek nervously. An action which mercifully went unseen over the call. "Well... I don't know yet."

"Is this going to be like Carona?"

"Er... Which time in Carona?"

"Irue." The sharpness she hissed your name with could have drawn blood, yet what followed was only exasperation and worry. "You promised you wouldn't make me regret this." Raw, genuine worry.

>?

>>5830188
>I cannot die, Rinnier. They can't kill me in a way that matters.

>>5830188
You worry too much. It's not as bad as it seems.

>>5830188
>I'm trying my best!
>But yeah, probably.
>What were you waiting on?
Rinnier is upset, what's new? Give her an overview of what we know and get an update of events on her end. Ask for advice and remember to tell her about the behemoth. Gossip about the weird mindflayer hooker we ran into if she isn't seething at us when we tell her what's up.

>>5830332
>>5830188
Oh! And ask about our Aunt and knights.

>>5830188
And tell her to warn Ari the road is blocked by potentially hostile forces. Apologies for the multiposting.

>>5830188
>Whatever happens, I'll come back to you in one piece.

Aegis

Drop. Drop. Drop.

Water flowed along beneath meters of brick and stone. A ladder stretched out through a shaft far above, only dimly lit by the handful of Wisp cores inlaid in the opposite wall. Perhaps there was a time their lights shone strongly, but Aegis doubted it. They were pitiful, weak things. The children that clung to life through those flickering shells had likely returned to sleep soon after their emergence.

"Tsk, dark as Shade's arse. Miserly twats only ever get the cheap ones..."

The friend who had roughly carried her along wasn't as enthusiastic as he was prior, but why remained a mystery. He had insisted Aegis descend first, and their descent had taken quite some time because of it. The darkness held no meaning to her, it didn't slow her the way it did her petulant friend; Every step and rung was found with unerring ease. What did slow her were those flickering cores.

Small things. Pitiful. Pitiable. Not at all like hers had been. She emerged from something vibrant. A gem of crysallized amber chosen with care by her mother, polished and nurtured. She had kept it on her wrist as a matter of pride, so that everyone could see.

She had been quite childish back then. Before mother's nightmares ripped at her flesh.

The twinkle of one of Wisp's fading cores drained moments at a time in her fixation, until her friend's foot inevitably started pushing down atop her head. She had to keep moving or he couldn't come down, so Aegis descended.

"Dick fucking hurts..."

Whatever happened to her core, she wondered. Like a treasure of childhood, she'd lost it as she matured. Separated herself from its rootbed once she was strong enough to exist on her own. Maybe she should try to find it again...?

Something echoed in the laddershaft. The scraping of stone against stone, with all the accompanying grit such a thing brought with it sprinkling down on their heads. Aegis' scarlet-amber eyes peered skyward, peaking through the minute gaps left by her friend's body as he, too, seemed to grew excited again.

Johnathan

"Fuck meeee, go, go!" His foot pushed more insistently down on the girl's head, but unlike before, it felt as if he were trying to move a tree. He tried to look down, immediately regretting that decision upon meeting the pair of eyes staring impassively back up at him. He kicked the girl more roughly, leery of being too harsh in case she lost her grip and fell... But the shock which reverberated up his leg made no sense.

Craning his neck back, the man's eyes squinted through the dimly lit shaft to try and make out who was coming. Who was pulling the cover from the waterway this late at night. Best case scenario it would be more like him, and even then he'd be guarding his claim on the girl from them the moment they saw her... But his luck tonight wasn't that good. It was probably the guards.

He didn't know how, but it probably was. Just to fuck his life even further.

And this absent minded meal-ticket wasn't moving! "What are y'waitin' for?! Get down th' ladder 'fore I kick you down!"

Grit dusted his hair, dragging his attention upward. Nervous sweat greased his palms... But that cover was opening slowly. Way too slowly for it to be the guards. Maybe he could still salvage this. Maybe he...

Some form he couldn't quite make out lurched over the partially opened hole. Silhouetted against the upper surface lights he couldn't see much more than their figure. Too small to be a man, too lithe for armor, hair- He recognized the figure just moments before their foot slipped and sent them plummeting.

He braced himself mere moments before a woman's body crashed into him, a tangled flailing of limbs grasping at his shirt and near choking him before the worn cloth tore, unable to arrest the woman's sudden fall. She tumbled past him, past the girl beneath him. His heart stabbed cold, beating as if it to fracture his ribs from the inside, and it was with great effort he finally found his trembling voice again. "C-Come on, get on down there..."

This time she moved, and his mind whirrled too anxiously to think much more on that.

"Oh Mana..." Johnathan let out a shakey breath as he finally climbed down off the ladder and saw- confirmed- the corpse crunched against the sluice walkway. "Dammit, 'Vi. You were still alive?" He reigned in the tremor in his throat, nudging the body over with his foot to get a look at her face... And nearly threw up because of it. He'd jerked it to that face for years, maybe still could have, if the caved, bloody pulp in front of him hadn't carved itself into his mind.

"Fuck... Fuck." He drew a heavy, shuddering breath. "Fuck." Spiteful bitch couldn't have just died in an alleyway like she was supposed to, she had to come screw him over one last time.

Johnathan tore his attention from the broken corpse to check on the slave, only to find her unphased. A faint smile and wide, curious eyes stared down at the body. Not for the first time, he grew suspicious that the girl was Shade-touched in some manner. He killed the bitch, snapped her neck even, and this freak was smiling? Not even a gasp? Shouldn't she be screaming?

"Alright, whatever, just... Come on. Gonna get this night over with." He muttered, pushing the flower haired girl down the walkway. This place was like a damn labyrinth, largely because it was apparently built ontop of one. Some old, decrepit winding passages that stretched out further than they had any right to- All he knew was getting lost in those meant never being seen again. This labyrinth, the waterways, were more negotiable.

Not by much, but still. He just needed to find the drop off point and leave.

That was when something sharp bit into the back of his knee cap.

He howled as he staggered, crumpling until he kneeled as the dagger he left buried in Olivia burst through the top most edge of his shin.

"uuuu..." Wordless groans, little more than air forced through punctured lungs and shattered jaws, breathed a chill of horror down his spine.

Olivia

Agony.

Her body screamed. It ran cold. She couldn't feel herself, but she could feel the pain.

Scarlet amber drove her. Whispers she couldn't make out. Promises she didn't understand.

It guided her.

To this cover, down this hole... And the man who betrayed her.

She hated him. She hated him. She hated him.

Into the darkness, glimmers of light screaming past, and then a very sudden, terrible stop. The pain before was nothing, she realized. It could have been so much worse. It is so much worse. It wracked her mind, paralyzing her beyond capacity for thought and sense.

Merciful unconsciousness claimed her, but even there, she heard whispers. Their voice clear. Kind. Welcoming her back, with a warmth she only remembered from her parents. This unconditional love. Its tender embrace.

Her broken heart swelled; It did not beat so much as convulsed, squeezing thick, viscous blood from its ruptured arteries. It flushed her torn skin, sealing bruises with sap like beading.

Awake again. Alive again. The whispers drove her. She ripped the dagger from her body and felt nothing.

She hated him. She hated.

His howling was like a balm to her soul. The agony she felt soothed only when she knew that he felt it as well.

The girl from before... She stood. She watched. As you clambered onto his back and sank your jagged teeth into his neck. She saw you. Recognized you in those beautiful eyes.

She whispered to you.

She drove you.

She guided you.

She loved you.

???

"Wisp bless, that's a mess." The howling had stopped, but not before it had drawn attention. Light emerged from the waterways, the warmly glowing radiance of torches, even in these humid tunnels. Short lived, temporary, but enough to travel by. Disposable.

A group of three found them. A pale skinned girl with scarlet hair filled with flowers who stood untouched in the midst of a splatter zone. Blood paint the floors, walls, and even speckled the ceiling where her prior companions, or more likely, jailers had killed one another.

...But to say 'killed' was an understatement. It was hard even to look at. The sheer violence they had inflicted on each other couldn't have been described as anything short of cruelty. It was difficult to imagine how they had carved and broken so much of one another without the fight having ended sooner, but what remained would have been more presentable if it had been ravaged by dogs instead.

Even still, the girl turned to the newcomers with a faint, untroubled smile and curious eyes.

"What do you think?" The torch wielder of the group cut his eyes back towards his compatriots.

"...This ain't our problem, I say we just ignore it and go. Report it when we get to the drop off point." A woman in padded leathers remarked, eyeing the flower haired girl suspiciously. "And I don't like that one, either."

"I Think she could fetch a pretty profit." Her brother disagreed, "But she's right, the rest ain't our problem. Rope the lass and let's get going before we get blamed for something."

The torch wielding man nodded slowly, gesturing the curious eyed girl closer as he unhitched his rope. "Aight, I don't know what happened here, but no use running now, red. Moment you get lost down here, you're as good as dead..."

File: Nature.png (207 KB, 607x405)

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The spider lily's stem sipped from a pool of fleeting life. Thin roots, like strands of hair, tasted flesh... and found fertile purchase.

A second seedbed to nest within.

In darkness, a bud sprouted from within a scarlet carcass, its spider like petals blossoming with tender life.

>>5830227
I cannot die in a way that matters!

>>5830236
Calm down, it's not going to be that bad!

>>5830332
>>5830337
>>5830352
Lots of stuff!

>>5830831
Don't worry, I'll come back to you.

Will start writing later tonight!

>when irue leaves someone alone for one minute

So now we have a zombie apocalypse on our hands. Marvelous.

Delays, but still writing. Update should be up tomorrow night.

"You're worrying too much."

"I don't think you're worrying enough."

"It's not going to be like Carona, Rinnier. It won't be that bad."

"You just said it was going to be 'big'." The flame haired Testament retorted. "What if you die down there? Do you have any idea how important you are?"

"At least as important as aunt Clara, and she did this kind of thing all the time." You defend, the roll of your eyes going unseen.

"Really, Irue? That's the example you want to use right now?"

Ah... You scratched at your cheek nervously. Maybe appealing to your aunt's track record wasn't the most reassuring thing to do, but you weren't going to retract it. Even as badly as she had come out of her last adventure, she was still alive. For much the same reasons you were confident you'd still be alive.

"...They can't kill me in any way that matters." You murmur, more to yourself than anything else... Yet the winds carried your words regardless, and the silence that fell on the other end told you it had only made her mood worse. You grimaced, trying not to imagine the expression she was making. "Listen, I-" You drew a heavy breath and sighed, and as the silence stretched on you found yourself wishing she had seized the opportunity to start fussing again.

But she didn't.

"You're right, it will probably be like Carona." You admit in resignation, "But I don't think it's ever going to not be like Carona, Rinnier. The best I can do is try to limit scope of what happens. And I am trying."

Silence. You shifted uncomfortably. "Rinnier?"

"...I'm sorry." Her voice came back small, but with every word you could hear her trying, with mixed success, to sound as she normally did. "I'm being unreasonable, it's not your fault. I know." You heard her sigh, realizing with some self-consciousness that your own sighs had probably been audible as well.

Unfortunately, the apology only made that feeling of discomfort stronger. Something was wrong, and you had neither the context nor the circumstances to try and address it off the top of your head.

"I'll come back to you in one piece, I promise."

"Please." She returned with an uncharacteristic softness. "I'll-" Her throat cleared, a familiar firmness slipping back in place. "I'll see what I can do on this side in the morning. It may be too late for the knights to arrive immediately, but they can at least be on their way."

"Alright, that was actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about." You perked up tentatively, leaving the back of your mind to stew over Rinnier's mood. "There's apparently trouble on the main road leading down to Resuri. The mayor suspects bandits of some kind, potentially holed up in ruins somewhere nearby. It's been interrupting the majority of the trade and communication with the rest of the region."

"Hmm... That would explain the gaps I've been finding. I guess it's lucky you took the river after all." Rinnier mused, pausing at the end. "...There weren't any problems down the river path, were there? You didn't report any."

"No, it was peaceful."

"Okay. That's good. Sending someone to deal with the roads would have had to be done eventually regardless, so it's convenient timing."

"Why ask about the river?"

Another sigh, this one harsh and exhausted in such a way that you could sense the Testament dragging her fingers down her face. "Ari might be taking the same route you did, I don't know."

You leaned forward, propping your elbows against your knees. "Already?"

"Yes. She came earlier today and said she was finished and leaving. We disagreed on that."

Venom dripped off those last words, coaxing a hesitant smile cross your lips. "How did that go?"

"She said you wanted her to follow you down to Resuri."

"I told her she could follow me after she was finished interrogating the people we caught." You correct. "Did she really finish that quickly? I thought it would take longer. What did she find out?"

"...Not much I could use." Rinnier groused, grunting with exertion before resuming. "Let's see... We have a timeline for Byrn Valen working with Artemis, and it's... It's been a while. According to this, they've been coordinating since even before he married into the family."

You snorted. The heat you should have felt in your gut barely stirred... He betrayed you. You already knew that, and you'd already confronted him. You'd considered that the more you learned, the more embers it might stir, but you felt... Nothing, really. Just more thorough in your disappointment. "Did she find out why, at least?"

"Either they didn't know the details or she couldn't get it from them." Rinnier mused, "But from what was gathered, he was relying on Artemis' Luna Adepts ability to predict the future to strengthen his position, both as a merchant and in the family."

"Any hint on what they got out of this charity?" You asked, though you felt you already knew. If he had been working with them prior to marrying your aunt, then they approached him with the goal of him doing so eventually. First they helped secure his love, then his marriage, and finally...

"A heir, most likely." Rinnier concluded darkly. "Byrn's cooperation from within your family allowed Artemis to slink into your family's territory relatively unnoticed for years, but based on the events so far, I suspect their ultimate goal was Caylen."

"Right." You grunt an unenthusiastic agreement when her conclusion aligned with yours.

The damning extension of that line of logic being that you could all but confirm your suspicions Artemis were connected to the death of your family. Once the existing head and their descendants were out of the picture, Caylen slotted neatly into place as the heir to House Valen, and from there it was inevitable your family would dive headlong into the coming war.

"Does aunt Clara know yet?"

"No. She's still convalescing, and to begin with, there isn't any strict evidence from the interrogation that it is what we suspect. But..."

"But it's hard to draw any other conclusion." You finish shared sentiment, receiving an appreciable hum for your efforts. "What about the Prophet or their plans, anything new on that front?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." You perked up at that. "The time for them to take an active role in events is rapidly approaching, if not already here. You'll be pleased to know that Artemis considers us an 'active and persisting threat' to the coherency of their plans."

"Oh good, the bitterness is finally mutual." You deadpan... Though it would be a lie to say you weren't happy to hear it. Maybe your efforts really weren't for nothing.

"Well... Sort of." Rinnier hedged, her voice dropping uncertainly. "There's something strange about it that had been bothering me, but... Ari and I are the only ones listed by name as 'destabilizing variables'."

"...What am I listed as?"

"...You're not."

Your mind comes to a stop. "What?"

"You're not listed as anything. Your name never comes up even once, and some of this information even includes the demihuman pack, but none of-" She cuts herself off, reformulating what she was trying to say. "As far as the interrogation results are concerned, you don't exist. Ari, myself and that demihuman are still listed and recognized as Testament, but it assumes Caylen was the one who underwent the Rite."

"...The Fuck?"

An entirely undignified snort came from Rinnier as she tried to stifle her laughter. She failed. "I'm sorry, you sounded so..." She giggled despite herself, "...I don't understand it anymore than you."

It would be one thing if they weren't focused on you, but to not show up at all? To attribute your Testament to Caylen? You haven't exactly been subtle about your presence and opposition, either.

>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)

"Setting that aside though, if Artemis is involved in whatever 'big' thing you said is happening in Resuri soon, I'd work under the assumption you'll encounter the Prophet in the process. Despite not existing, you've been a big enough thorn in their side so as to warrant their direct intervention in order to keep matters on track."

"Wonderful." On one hand, you didn't need any more dangerous elements showing up... On the other, if you cut the head off of Artemis' prophet, who knows? "I'll try and get rendevouz details to Ari before she gets to Resuri. There are some familiar faces there that she-" You trail off, second guessing that train of thought. "-Might be interested in seeing again?"

Rinnier's interest caught as you drew the word out hesitantly. "Familiar?"

"People she knew from before the Rite. I think." The truth was more complicated, but you didn't know that it was a good time to discuss Undine's Dolls with Rinnier. "Which reminds me, there was something else I needed to talk to you about."

"I'm listening."

"I have someone collecting information on Teranford refugees who've been taken as slaves." Her breath caught sharply on the other side, but she didn't intercede. "They've been proficient in their work in the past, so I expect we'll have both the purchase price and the location of some of your people before long. Best case scenario... We might be able to locate all of the ones that wound up in Valen territory in a month?"

It was an arbitrary time span, but you weren't sure how quickly Lupre could work. For all you knew it may happen sooner.

Rinnier, though...

After a long period of silence, her response was carefully controlled. "That's... Good news." Hesitant. Reluctant. But even then you knew her well enough to recognize the tremor of excitement as she continued. "Excellent news, actually."

The problem was that you also had enough experience with her to recognize when she wasn't happy.

"You don't sound as pleased as I thought you'd be." It wasn't an accusation, but it stopped just short of asking her why.

"I am, it is fantastic news Irue, I mean that." She returned earnestly, "I just don't want to get excited and have it slip through my fingers... I've already lost them all once." She stopped, but no degree of steadied breathing would disguise the vulnerability as anything else. "I've already lost everything once. I'm terrified it will happen again, Irue." ...And the feelings you tried to parse when you realized she hadn't even tried to do that much were going to make your head split.

"..." You frown, shifting uncomfortably in the dew-kissed night air. Your instinct was to poke and prod, to make a sarcastic remark, but you couldn't.

'Can't kill me in a way that matters'. Shade forgive, you felt like an ass. You couldn't have known but... You ran your fingers back through your hair frustratedly.

"Rinnier-"

"It's alright." She sniffed softly. "I shouldn't be distracting you like this. It's late."

"I'll come back, no matter what happens." It is the best you can do. To make her realize you understood. "About your people... We can buy them or take them by force. I'm prepared to do either."

"...We don't have the forces to spread that thinly, and I don't know how much-"

"Do you want them?" You interrupt firmly.

"-I do! But logistically, we... I don't know if we're in a position to..."

>Rinnier knew your circumstances better. If she was hesitating, best to yield to her decision.
>You knew what she wanted; Take the decision from her hands. It would be harder for you, but better for her.

You can opt to add other topics to the conversation queue, or drop them altogether given what you've seen so far. By default, anything still in the queue will attempt to be included regardless of your decision here.

Remaining Conversation Queue:
>Lupre's assistant
>Advice on Resuri
>?

The Forgetting has a couple valid answers. Getting any of them will count, but getting all of them will provide an immediate lead and additional context on what, exactly, it means.

>>5833599
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
What are you wearing?
>You knew what she wanted; Take the decision from her hands. It would be harder for you, but better for her.
>Lupre's assistant

>>5833599
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
The Prophet's prophecy, as retold by Maran, completely ignored us. She didn't expect us pulling up to Caylen's manor. Nobody knew about us in Carona as well. The Artemis leader in Carona (whatshisname) referred to Caylen as the heir. Finally, even though Maran was present when the start of our Rite was declared, she still didn't connect the dots about us. It's like she specifically is unable to consider us important.
I'm way past bedtime and can't search the archives right now. Please have mercy and wait for tomorrow.

>>5833604
>Rinnier knew your circumstances better. If she was hesitating, best to yield to her decision.
If I understand correctly, the greentexted topics will be covered regardless? Then I don't have anything else to add right now.

>>5833599
>Am I forgetting something...? (write-in)
How do we "know" that Irue actually survived the assassination attempt, considering that we were the only survivor?

As we now know that Undine dolls exist, and if combined with the Diary or otherwise something like that the physical side of things is easy.
With Luna's Sect's assistance altering memories is easy.
With Faedeka the Mana Side of things is sorted too.

For all we know we could be the "Plant". and considering Artemis / Luna's control of information would it really be so unrealistic that there may be various versions of the "Prophecy" to encourage various actions from people that actually works towards whatever their envisioned end goal is.

>>5833604
>forgetting

Our Aunt deliberately kept us off of Artemis' radar out of respect for our Mother, she went the extra mile to hire independent educators so it's not too far fetched to think she took additional steps. This raises the question of why our Uncle didn't clue them in but if he's to be believed, he thought we'd just stay holed up in the manor until it was too late and only summoned us when we became a clear loose end after establishing ourselves, possibly indicative of an Artemis knowledge gap concerning Irue.

>Conversation queue
So long as we don't forget to tell her about the behemoth I'm satisfied.

>>5833859
I think that's it.

>>5833604
>You knew what she wanted; Take the decision from her hands. It would be harder for you, but better for her.

>>5833599
>>5833859
Now that I've had some sleep, I've found some more things.
Byrn said that "Clara was always very possessive of you. She was picky over who she'd hire, interviewed each of them personally. She was very steadfast on not having you taught by Artemis"
That said, Byrn knew perfectly well whose Rite and Testaments it was, and said nothing to Artemis? Could he have been trying to set up Caylen as the real heir in Artemis' eyes to strengthen his position?

>>5819948
I started playing this game too. Its interesting. BUt its a shame I already spoiled myself on a bunch of stuff,.

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>>5834394
I don't think the plot of the game is worth caring about, honestly. In terms of how interesting the events are, and whether there are twists, it has... Very little of note? I'd even go so far as to say it's bland and forgettable. You could probably be spoiled on the entire game, scene by scene, and lose nothing for it.

But by that same metric, you'd also gain nothing. The game's quality is carried almost entirely on the quality of character writing and interaction, so it's in an interesting position where experiencing what happens matters more than knowing what happens. Even knowing what a conversation is about in summary doesn't matter, because you'd miss the words used and the way it reflects or otherwise informs character personality.

That's my evaluation of it, anyway. I could easily get carried away and drop whole walls of text on character analysis and details of how the specific style of writing carries so much weight, but suffice to say I walked away with an active desire try and improve my own character dialogue and interaction. There's just so much more for me to keep in mind that I'd never really considered in an conscious sense. There's a lot in terms of Valen's cast's mental states, for instance, that I feel I've just utterly failed to convey in an organic and meaningful manner.

I also ended up diving through the rest of the dev's work. No Good Noelle and Better Half were my favorites after Coffin. Still haven't touched Divilethion though. Better Half in particular had a refreshing and fun way of portraying chronic depression and the difficulty that comes with trying to exist with it.

anyhow I'll be calling the votes later tonight!

>>5834710
I agree with you a lot about the plot now that I'm almost done with it. I really noticed the expressive use of exclamation marks and curse words

>>5833676
>>5834224
You know what she wants. That's enough.

>>5833859
You trusted Rinnier to advise you in these matters, even in this state.
---

>>5833859
>>5833979
Part 1 of 3

>>5833914
Special shout out to the anon who had faith that I have been building up to a MGSV reveal. Everything you said is plausible, but not related to this Forgetting.

Writing!

>>5835972
I just had a thought. What if Maran and Byrn knew full well we're the heir, but hid it from the Artemis rank-and-file for some reason? Maybe a reason tied to the prophecy? Or the Artemis' ideology?

>>5835972
>Part 1 of 3

What does it mean?

>>5836323
>>5833604
>The Forgetting has a couple valid answers. Getting any of them will count, but getting all of them will provide an immediate lead and additional context on what, exactly, it means.
1 of 3!

>>5836325
But those posts are completely different guesses!

>>5833979
>>5834273
I wasn't too confident in this theory, the problem I had with it is why does it matter what information they're getting or failing to get via mundane means when their defining feature as a faction is that they're ruled by people who can just pull whatever knowledge they want out of Luna's ass. But then didn't we learn that even Luna sometimes sacrifices knowledge to Undine? Now that we're aware what kind of conspicuous information gap is left behind when that happens it does seem to line up and I can't think of a better topic for Luna to give up than stuff concerning Dryad.

>>5836411
I'm not sure it can work like that. The assistant's face, sacrificed to Undine, is imperceptible to everyone, the way the knowledge of Dryad isn't. Also the knowledge of Irue's existence doesn't automatically give away anything about Dryad.

>>5836437
The assistant's face is a result of her Relic!

>>5836440
Huh.

Nothing was more important to Rinnier than her people. The foundation of your entire relationship had been built around a deal that you would save them. She promised her support and cooperation to see you through your Rite, only so long as you returned the favor as the heir to House Valen in gathering the people of Teranford. Almost a year later, not as the heir of House Valen but as its head, you were in no better position to make good on your end of the deal than you'd ever be.

...But she was hesitating.

If not now, then when? With civil war coming, your prospects wouldn't improve. Once La'Fiel descended into chaos, even this opportunity would very likely slip between your fingers.

She knew, likely better than you did given how much you relied on her administration, that you weren't in a position to simply throw resources and bodies at the problem. If you yielded here, there was nothing she could blame you for later. You saw the opportunity to uphold your side, told her, and she was the one who chose to put it off. Who chose to prioritize preparations for war and the pursuit of Artemis.

"I thought you'd be happy to finally have some progress on finding your people."
"I am... It's complicated."

...She was hesitating. Again.

"You've got an excuse for everyone you've met, Rinnier. If it's not one thing, it's another, some reason you can't rely on them."

"no, I don't trust you. I don't want to trust you, or anyone else. I lost everything I trusted, and all I have left are responsibilities. Once my people are safe..."

You shook your head, ending the bittersweet reverie before it could drag you any further.

"I'll make the arrangements tomorrow morning." You murmur, already estimating how best to work with Lupre. A standing offer for their purchase would probably work for bait.... A crude, two-stage plan started to form. "Put aside as much as you can, we'll gather as many as we can with money at first and plan on rescuing the rest by force."

"...You're really..." Rinnier huffed, "Not listening to me at all, are you?"

You made a face at that, one side of your lips quirking up awkwardly. "I heard you just fine." Somewhere between faux-offense and the old, arrogant smirk you sported so often back then. "You said you wanted them."

The wind carried her frustrated growl back to your ears. "I said we weren't in a position to pursue them."

You know.
You don't care.
You opted to ignore it.

There was a time when you would have done this on principle to show her you could be trusted. To uphold your end of the bargain. In the past, there was a time you'd done exactly that and wound up with a polearm through your intestines for your trouble.

"Rinnier." There were times like those. You were well beyond them at this point. "They're important to you, so they're important to me because-"

"Now is really not the time for another hang up on what being a Testament-"

"-You're important to me." You walk through her interruption unbothered, smugly savoring the abrupt manner in which she'd shut up. "I'm bringing them home one way or another. We'll figure out what to do with them after that."

Having said that, you mused on what you'd actually do with a bunch of Teranford refugees for a couple seconds. You weren't really sure where you'd put them, and you didn't particularly want to make them a private army. Well. It wasn't like you were short on land. If they could fill a whole extra town, that'd actually be more convenient in some ways than trying to squish them alongside existing residents.

Sweeping that problem under the rug, you circled back around to what you'd learned from Ari's interrogation reports- Namely, the fact that you just... Didn't exist in them.

Something nagged at you from the back of your mind about that. It was weird but disparate pieces of you felt like it was something you'd already known on some level. Hadn't you already experienced something like that when you...?

...?

The memory eluded you, effectively vanishing along with your good mood from earlier.

Your aunt had apparently taken great pains to keep you out of Artemis' influence, tucking you away and well out of sight of public eye, even combing through the teachers hired for you to be certain nothing slipped through. If it were any other opponent, you'd be perfectly willing to entertain the idea that they just overlooked you... But Artemis was an organization founded by Luna adepts. They were defined, almost categorically, by their ability to simply divine knowledge directly from Luna.

It didn't matter how thorough your aunt was, there was only so much mundane efforts could do to obscure your existence from Artemis - And that's even before accounting for Byrn as an active traitor in your midst, or your ongoing relationship with Caylen.

The more you turned it over in your head, the less it made sense, and the more a sense of fathomless depth gnawed at you. The only explanation- It wasn't even an explanation, as it didn't explain anything- Was that somehow, Artemis had just run roughshod over a glaring gap of knowledge where ever you were concerned. As if they fundamentally couldn't factor you into their thoughts.

As ridiculous as that sounded, it...

You squinted, having to forcibly reconsider the idea.

It might have more merit to it than you were giving it credit for. When that insufferable wench Maran had been going on about prophecy, it didn't really seem to include you. At the time you didn't think much of it, but there were a lot of instances, in retrospect, where she seemed utterly bewildered that you were that all.

In a roundabout way, the fact you interacted so regularly with people you knew for a fact to be Artemis informants, members or supporters but still weren't accounted for by the Luna adepts only added more credibility to the bizarre notion that they were specifically unable to consider you in any meaningful manner.

...And maybe that was exactly why you'd been able to operate so successfully against them this entire time.

In the end however, that just posed another question: Assuming you were correct about being a blindspot... How?

-No, not 'how'. You knew well what could deny even Luna access to knowledge. How many times had you said it already? Undine kept everything consigned to it from the light. Everything better left forgotten lay dormant in Undine's stygian depths, so deep even the light of Luna would never reach it. If you truly were a blindspot to Artemis, then presuming it wasn't the work of a Relic, there really was only one answer. You knew 'how'.

The question wasn't 'how', it was 'why'.

Consignment to Undine was something that had to be done voluntarily, but you'd never so much as considered it... And even if you had, to have forsaken so much of yourself as to become incomprehensible to a Luna adept would have implied a loss bordering on, if not defined as, existential.

You squirmed uncomfortably. It would have helped to have a point of reference for what this actually meant for Artemis' perception of you. People still knew you, they could remember you, and your family and Testament clearly made plans involving you throughout your life. Where was the line drawn? How was it drawn?

The discomfort grew. The longer you spent pondering aimlessly on this, the more unsettled you'd probably become. In the end, what mattered the most was that your decision to move alone may have been more advantageous than expected. As far as Artemis is concerned, you may as well not even be here. The alliances you made, the schemes you put together... If Ari's interrogations were any indication, they would try and draw conclusions which didn't involve you.

But those were conclusions. Something determined after the fact. There was a possibility that Artemis fundamentally could not anticipate ripples caused by your involvement.

You tried to put the nagging question of 'why?' out of mind for now. "Rinnier, do you have any advice for moving forward in Resuri?"

...

"Rinnier?" You repeat, realizing belatedly she hadn't spoken at all in the last few minutes.

She may have gotten so fed up with you she went to bed rather than keep dealing with you. You considered the 'Echo' in your hand in hopes of figuring out if the other end had gone dead or not... "Remind me what the situation is?"

You perked up as her voice finally carried back through the wind. "The quickest summary is that the merchants are retaining a mercenary force large enough to rival the guards, so the mayor is losing the ability to enforce order where needed."

"...Right." A distracted sigh tickled your ear. "It could be a natural problem caused by the national climate, but it's difficult not to suspect Artemis involvement. If we had more time I would suggest finding ways to gradually freeze their resources, but in short order..." She hummed disgruntedly. "Mnn... Dividing them would be best, I think. If they can be convinced to squabble amongst themselves, you can find or create justifications to do as you will from there."

You nodded shallowly. You didn't know enough about their circumstances to tell how viable that kind of advice would be, but your enemies fighting themselves would be convenient. Probably a more elegant solution than storming their front gate with Lily and Aegis, at any rate.

"Ah, that reminds me. I met someone with a Relic in Resuri. I don't know its details, but their face was... Blurry? I couldn't get a solid read on them even through the web."

Rinnier's voice sharpened to an edge. "Are they an enemy?"

"No. Or, probably not. They're working with one of the contacts I'm cooperating with in Resuri. I tried recruiting them specifically, but it didn't go anywhere."

"No... I don't suppose it would be that easy to recruit another Relic holder to our side." The rigid edge in her tone softened again, "I'll make a note of their presence and ask Clara if she knows anything in the morning. I wouldn't count on it, but I also wouldn't be surprised if your aunt kept tabs on Relic holders in her territory."

"Ah, she might have." You blinked thoughtfully, "Good idea."

"Hmm..." Rinnier returned a non-commital hum and yawned. "Irue... It's late."

"I don't have anything else to report." You affirm, grunting lightly as you roll forward onto your feet and push yourself off the ground. "I should get back to work, night Rinnier."

A delay measured in moments hitched her response. "...Yeah. Good night, Irue."

"Ah- Wait!"

"Yes?"

"What were you waiting on earlier?" You arched your back as you stretched, savoring the minor burn in your muscles after all that time spent resting.

An exasperated sigh blended in with the slight breeze. "Something important."

"Hm?"

"It's been taken care of, don't worry about it."

You blinked again, rousing Lily and Scar's attention as your movement signalled a potential return to business. Checking the night sky, it was pretty late... But you felt fine. The viscous Shade quivering beneath your skin would let you work like clockwork even if you didn't sleep, piling up unfelt fatigue like a debt to crush you later. But later was later, and there was probably no better time to make use of the colt bastard than right now.

>Work through the night. You're on a tight timeline. (What's your plan for the night?)
>Rest through the night. No need to overexert yourself this early. (1-3 side scenes while you sleep)

>>5836411
Though it technically came after i called the vote, I still hadn't reached a point in the update where it would have required reorganizing the scene to accommodate, so...

Part 2 of 3!

>>5836761
>Work through the night. You're on a tight timeline. (What's your plan for the night?)
Find Aegis, we'll need her for what's to come. Maybe she could pre-emptively kill Maran before she can play whatever role she has in the happening!

>>5836763
This was a pleasant surprise, thank you Riz! Was the 3rd part something to do with the prophet being Artemis' source of this incomplete information and also being present in this town where we can claw them to bits?

>>5836755
>Hadn't you already experienced something like that when you...?
>...?
The Dryad shrine and how it was retgonned by Luna?

>>5837051
Or maybe nightgaunts.

>>5836761
>Work through the night. You're on a tight timeline. (What's your plan for the night?)
Find Aegis, sneak into Maran's home and strangle her, frame some merchant for her death to put them against one another, pee on her corpse, weave a city-covering web to prepare for later.

>>5836761
>Work through the night. You're on a tight timeline. (What's your plan for the night?)
Investigate the Deed we found in the Mayor's office, looking for Maran. If that falls though pay a visit to the Estate of the Lishp family.

>>5837103
Supportan tgis + find aegis

>>5837159
We should probably avoid using the bracelet to call again, maybe Lilly can help us track her down.

>>5837161
>We should probably avoid using the bracelet to call again
Why?

>>5837191
Because.... because we just shouldn't OK???

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>>5837017
>was the third part...
No! Though if I am being specific, you managed parts 1 and 3, but missed part 2.

Anyhow, warning that updates may hiccup over the coming week due to a mix of christmas decorations and thanksgiving cooking + prep + food coma. Please enjoy your holiday, everyone!

Irue really is ceaselessly diligent, huh... Or maybe my anons just don't want side scenes.

>>5837238
Riz, U know you can write and post those side scenes anytime u want. We cant stop you. We cant solve more than 2/3 a Forgettin

>>5837191
>Why?
A roll would likely be involved, and historically apart from the first roll that was called, we have rolled terribly, things have a fair chance of going badly.

Also as shown there is no guarantee that it will work as Aegis has yet to turn up after the prior usage, so it clearly is not binding in any sense.

>>5837017 Find Aegis
>>5837059 Find Aegis and find Maran!
>>5837103 Find Maran!
Working through the night!

Aight, will get to writing later tonight!

>>5838381
Was Irue's actual gender sacrificed to Undine?

You sheath the 'Echo' and, in the process, dug out the information on the recently sold Lishp estate. Long, thoughtless moments passed as you wavered between work and sleep, a subdued grin playing idly across your lips. "Alright," You take a final glance at the address and meet Scar's impatient glare. "Let's ride."

Blithely ignoring the Nightmare's perpetual displeasure, you reached out and allowed Lily to weave her ivy snare around your arm, pulling yourself up and onto the bastard's back in a single motion. The little Dryad apparition was all too happy to be moving again, cooing wordlessly as she wove her way around the stamping beast's neck. Scar hoofed ornerily to one side, then the other, trotting a plaintive semi-circle before he lept and both horse and rider evaporated in the night.

Tendrils of smoke coalesced nigh invisibly through the night sky, twisting together to form a thick, hazey cloud. No sooner than it had formed, the Nightmare and its rider ripped free from its veil; Sight returned once Scar's hooves touched down, propelling the two of you across the nearest rooftop with an eager gait. Lily's ivy was quick to bind your hair together, but did little to prevent the blonde streamer left in the Nightmare's wake as it leaped from building to adjacent building.

Leaving Scar to navigate the path on his own terms, you looked out over the lamplit streets of Resuri for the second - third? - time that night. Aegis was still out there somewhere, and the fact she still hadn't shown up made you a little unsettled. It was probably unfounded, you realized, as your primary concern with Aegis had always been that she would go berserk unexpectedly like she had during your Rite... But Resuri glimmered through the night utterly unperturbed. If the Dryad Aspiration were causing trouble, you should have been able to see it from anywhere in the city.

You weighed the possibility of trying to find her yourself, but unless you wanted to comb every alley of this place, your only other alternative would probably be to sit and weave a web spanning all of Resuri until the missing Aspiration popped up. One was impractical, the other... Wasn't a bad idea.

Turning Scar's course towards the upscale property of the Southern District, you made a note to revisit the idea of a giant web later. For now, your priority-

...As much as it pained you to say this.

-Was Maran.

An agent of Artemis you knew by name, one with close ties to Caylen, who as far as you knew had probably been with the idiot when he ran away. She was here in Resuri, and you had a hunch as to where to start looking.

The closer you got to Resuri's Southern District, the more the rooftops thinned. Tightly packed buildings began to breathe, alleys widening into full blown yards surrounded by walls of varying height and design. You were familiar, having passed by on your way to the southern wall earlier in the night, but this time you needed in.

Schemes to find keys to the locked gates. Patience and dexterity to sneak past the occasional mercenary guard keeping watch over their employer's house even in the middle of the night.

Your senses were lost to haze in the brief moment between Scar's shifting. In the time it took to blink, you were already beyond the threshold. Your approach could be heard, each strike of the Nightmare's hooves upon carefully maintained brick echoing in the empty street, but the unpleasant creature avoided the glimmering motes of light cast around the lampposts of its own accord... And so long as it remained in the dark, you knew first hand it couldn't be seen.

As its rider, whether the bastard liked it or not, that convenient ability was naturally extended to you.

You found yourself staring down the well kept yard of the former Lishp estate far sooner than you expected. It was a small house, relative to its peers at least. Only two stories, with an emphasis on a garden of flowers wound through with a rustic cobble path branching off from the front door and looping around the side. There was almost certainly a back door it connected to, but you were in no hurry to confirm it just yet.

The second story boasted a veranda supported by heavy wooden columns, overhanging the ground floor by some measure. Its large, open space may have once boasted furniture, but now only a single, small, table remained. A circular thing with elegantly curling legs, flanked by a pair of matching chairs. They stood perched near the edge of the railing, and well beyond them you could just barely make out the large frame of a double-door set.

The grin you wore en route didn't falter, but you lingered just outside of the yard itself. Watching. Scanning.

A silent nudge prompted Lily to share her sight with you, and it served primarily to confirm the unique silence that hung around the manor. There were no mercenaries in this house, or even around its yards. In fact, there wasn't a single sign of 'life' within its entirety. The place was abandoned.

But a single window on the second floor was open, all the same.

You adjust the dual-ringed bracelet on your wrist absently, making a second attempt tonight to urge Aegis into returning as your crimson eyes trained on the open window.

>Leave this place alone. You had better things you could be looking into. (Like what?)
>Enter with Scar. He can poof the both of you inside immediately, though having a horse in a house will make maneuvering difficult, you could remain invisible atop him.
>Climb in on your own. You'll have to hide on your own as you look around, but anything is quieter than being mounted.
>Other? (write-in)

>>5839046
>Other? (write-in)
With no one around there should be no need to be too quiet, and we can rapidly search the place with our web, to scout things as we need to. So we can expediently collect things in person if we find anything of note.

>>5839046
>Enter with Scar. He can poof the both of you inside immediately, though having a horse in a house will make maneuvering difficult, you could remain invisible atop him.

>>5839046
>Enter with Scar. He can poof the both of you inside immediately, though having a horse in a house will make maneuvering difficult, you could remain invisible atop him.
Marin is a Wisp adept, if she appears unexpectedly while Aegis is still missing I'd like to be able to flee.

Is it really true that our options for finding Aegis are so limited? I was under the impression Aegis and Lily could sense eachother as the 2 strongest Dryad sources in the city and function as some kind of Skyrim quest marker.

>>5839046
>enter with scar

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>>5839111
You can absolutely hot/cold with two of them! But don't you want to weave, anon? Don't you want to do something more reliable and certain? You spent so little time weaving once already, surely you could do it again? Just a little more?

It's worth remembering also that you didn't bring Aegis with you. You brought an extension of her; a little avatar she inhabits. You are still correct in that Lily would be able to lead you to her, but it would not be quite as instant and unerring a trip as you might expect.

Rather than a quest marker saying "Talk to this NPC" you could think of it more like a circle on the minimap saying "your target is somewhere in this area". It's still very doable, but represents a relatively significant use of time rather than a trivial "pick her up on the way" type objective.
---

>"So why did we go directly to Maran? The votes were clear about the order of things: Find Aegis first, then find Maran."

I went this way for a couple reasons, but the tl;dr is because it felt in character after weighing the overall voting sentiment.

Two votes mentioned finding Aegis, while all three of them eventually coalesced around finding and/or wrecking Maran's face. So there was a definite period of consideration where Irue would have gone "I'd really prefer to have Aegis with me for this..." Before shaking their head and deciding it wasn't as important.

Irue has prior experience with Maran and has no reason to believe she would be a danger that you, Lily and Scar could not handle.

Aegis, on the other hand, does not seem to be causing any trouble and has proven to be somewhat distant and quiet, yet still dutiful and diligent child. Unlike Lily, she's not an Apparition clamoring for your attention and approval anymore - She's an Aspiration. If the extent of her indulgence in the independence that comes with that is taking her time, it's a blessing.

So the compromise reached was to remind Aegis she had somewhere to be while moving ahead with your own plans.

Having gotten a preliminary look at what you're going into, you're welcome to insist on finding Aegis first if you'd like. I probably will not be updating until after thanksgiving, so there is plenty of time for anons to peek back in to change their votes, but I think this interpretation was acceptable?

>>5839302
I got no problems with that

>>5839302
No that's fair, I didn't realise how involved finding Aegis would be. One more question though, when we were facing down that paladin I think I remember you mentioned that we could have invoked our shade scar on him instead of getting murdered but at the cost of destroying the shadestuff and it wouldn't come back, is that right? If so, is that still how it works or has it settled into being a part of us now? If we gore a wisp adept with our claws and provoke a violent reaction that cancels out of the wispstuff/shadestuff, do we still lose what doppelrue left to us forever or would it grow back?

>>5839596
So the general principle is that Shade and Wisp negate one another in equal measure. At the time your Shade scar was something more akin to a ticking bomb than a piece of you; a dense package of latent Shade mana waiting to be tapped. At this point it is very much a part of you. You've undergone the necessary steps to accept it for what it is and embrace it as your own.

While it is still entirely possible for a Wisp adept to scour it clean from your body given enough strength and effort, it will "grow back" for lack of a better word. For better or worse, it's a permanent fixture in your life now.
---

The following is unrelated to your question, but it is a cute bit of lore-related trivia:

A Shade adept is a Wisp adept's worst enemy. It doesn't matter how strong a Wisp adept makes themselves using their Mana's favor, they're reduced to being just another human being. Their regenerative abilities are crippled, their reservoire of stamina is clogged.

None of these things are why they are archetypically considered poor match ups, or why Wisp adepts as a rule of thumb try to avoid direct conflict with Shade adepts if possible... Because the Shade adept is in no better position.

The scale tilts in ideology.

Wisp, ever coaxing, always ready to offer aid, but never satisfied. It expects you to fail. To fall short. It lends you its support because it truly believes that those who need help to meet their dream should receive it. Should be empowered to strive for even unreachable, unreasonable goals. The Wisp adept, there for, is perpetually in a state of rigid self-improvement. Unceasing, similarly unsatisfied; Willing to ask for aid the moment they feel it necessary, but always acutely aware that their own efforts were not enough.

Shade promises nothing, but has absolute faith in its favored to grasp success in whatever form such a thing takes, even if that form is a spiteful compromise. The only gift it will ever give you is the opportunity to do your best.

Stripped of their respective Mana, a Wisp adept is deprived of the steadying hand at their back and the forgiveness that comes for the mistakes they make. A Shade adept, on the other hand, is the same irrational, single-minded, venomous snake they were a moment ago. Possibly smugger.

At the end of the day, the Wisp adept is in this conflict because of a grander design. The Shade adept is usually there just to ruin your day. One of these things is easier to accomplish than the other, and as such, the realization you are getting into a fight with one is usually a sign you have already lost. The ensuing conflict is a formality to determine the degree of that loss.

Even if the Wisp adept walks away from this conflict the winner, it will be a bloody, pyrrhic experience. Their victory conditions are too fundamentally different. Shade's favored will take their cut, and there is very little that can be done to prevent that.

>>5839656
I just had an idea. Please tell me how wrong it is.

So, we've learned that we don't need any particular favor with a Mana to command it through the bracelet. This makes me think, what if no one actually needs it? What if anyone can command any Mana to some extent, as long as they aren't especially disliked, and the lack of multi-Mana Adepts is because of the difficulty in adapting your mind to communicate with different Mana?

>>5841042
This is all basically correct! The only thing I'd note, and it is a wording change for clarity, is that humans cannot "command" a Mana to do anything. They make requests, and the Mana naturally adore humans, so they're typically happy to do what they can when asked.

This has been discussed a bit, but the depth of favor one commands is largely equivalent to how fluent one is in a Mana's specific language, allowing you to make your request more specific, more easily understood, more appealing to the Mana in question. The problem then, as you note, is communicating with them in the first place. Mana are cognito hazards, so fluency in their "language" necessitates changing yourself to be more like them. More on their wavelength.

>>5841368
How does this mesh with Mana jealousy?
Also this implies Mint was hated by three Mana, which I'm not surprised to learn.

>>5841578
>How does this mesh with Mana jealousy?
In terms of how the Mana's jealousy affects the bracelet user, the answer is that it largely doesn't. The bracelet does not care about your affinity or lack there-of, and serves as a complete buffer between yourself and the Mana through which all communication is filtered like so:

You <-> Bracelet <-> Mana

The reason for this has never really been explored, because... Well, it's cosmology background that has never been necessary to anyone. The answer isn't unusual though: Mana love all of creation, but at the moment, they love humans especially. They are precious children, to be treasured and adored. Even if you aren't one of their favorite, they look upon all of man kindly and are happy to lend their aid when asked; Particularly when asked in an easy to understand and fluent manner.

I'll emphasize this a bit, because I have reiterated that the Mana love people and jealously pick favorites. I need to drive this home. You become more fluent and easily understood to a Mana as you cultivate yourself in their image, this allows you a stronger, more potent and enduring control of their influence, yes...

But remember, these same Mana may barely be able to understand what you're saying before that time. What you're asking, what you want, if they can hear you even remotely, they go out of their way to try and figure out what it is you want and give it to you. It's exhausting, it's tiresome, but you are children and it cannot be helped.

...Now imagine if, rather than hearing the unintelligible babbling of a child, sometimes distant, often gargled beyond recognition... another kid just clearly and simply said "Can you help me with this? Thank you."

Even if they weren't your favorite kid, it takes comparatively no effort at all to just... understand what they want. And typically even less effort to help them in the first place. What could a child want? A twig moved? Some water splashed? A word of encouragement? Trivial.

You are all their children, communally. They pick favorites zealously, but their love is not exclusive like their language.

>This implies Mint was hated by three Mana
Not necessarily. Mint's legacy, publicly, was that she was the only adept to command the favor of multiple Mana. She has remained the only adept to ever do that since.

But you've since learned a slightly different story. Mint's bracelet, later your late sister's bracelet, now passed down to you, largely handles translating on its own. It's entirely possible Mint had no meaningful affinity and leveraged her bracelet to do what she did. Given her personality, it's also equally possible she had a natural affinity for Shade that just never get polished.

Why she only used five has never really been touched on, but the answer isn't a game changing plot reveal or anything. It is as disappointing as it is straightforward and expected of anyone who knew her personally.

Alright, festivities are concluded. Will get back to questing tomorrow!

Scar's hoof stamped impatiently. It didn't matter how many times you scanned the perimeter, there was nothing. No sign of life, no guards, no traps... If it weren't for the window left open, you'd have expected it to be abandoned. Maybe it still was.

Or maybe you had an opportunity to slip inside while its current occupants were out.

"Think you can fit in that window?" You glanced down at your mount, casting a crooked smile over its enduring displeasure. You brought the Nightmare around, slinking through the empty yard to get a better look at your entry. There was always the option of having Lily help you clamber in on your own, but if Scar could just shift inside, why complicate things?

One final due diligence and even your patience was waning. You tightened your grip on Scar's ivy reins and urged him forward; One moment your sight was swallowed in darkness, and the next you were emerging into an altogether less offensive darkness as Scar plodded uncomfortably from the reassembled cloud of haze left in the now cramped room. Your eyes readjusted quickly, tracing out the lines of furniture in the dark.

The room was familiar, but nowhere you had been before. A needlessly large bed took up most of the space near the window, leaving Scar squished awkwardly between its four-poster frame and the wall... Further down the room was a padded bench set at the foot of the bed, and whatever else lined the far bedroom wall was covered in sheets. You could still take a guess at the figure of a dresser and wardrobe among them, but the details eluded you.

Your bedroom had been a lot like this a long time ago. Back before you opted into something smaller to make it easier on Asche. There was a time you shared a room like it with your sister, too...

You shook your head idly, looking around carefully for whatever else might be of interest. The furniture clearly hadn't been in use until recently, save for the bed itself, which... You glance down at the heavy comforter which sprawled across it. Whatever sheets it may have had were swallowed whole under the amusingly fluffy looking thing, leaving what should have been a majestic appearance to be marred by frumpy little lumps that led up to a deep valley of assorted pillows.

A snort caught in your throat at the ridiculousness of it all. Scar had just begun to wander towards the closed door on his own accord when your lingering gaze sussed out the vaguest imprint of a body buried under all of that fluff.

...And it was a body, though you didn't smell anything unusual to have given it away. You'd checked time and time again with Lily, and even now the little Dryad apparition reported no other sign of life in the room.

>Leave it alone, explore the rest of the house.
>Get a closer look, this place was already weird.
Choices are mutually exclusive.

>>5845725
>Get a closer look, this place was already weird.
Omg bestie sleeping with a dead body in your bed is soooo mee

>>5845725
>Get a closer look, this place was already weird.
Have Lilly assist us.

>>5845725
>Leave it alone, explore the rest of the house.

>>5845725
Ah, the old bear traps under the covers trick.
>Get a closer look, this place was already weird.
Ask Lily to peel back the covers from a distance.

>>5845819
>>5846140
>>5846241
>>5846459
peek! With lily's help.

Writing!

>>5847183
brain fried, one of these votes is not like the others.

It doesn't change the outcome, but goddammit.

You weren't exactly unused to dead bodies at this point, but you weren't in any hurry to go poking around in its face either. Particularly not if it were... A trap, or... Something. Something was setting you on edge and that was really all that mattered. A mental nudge towards Lily was enough to spur the curious little thing into action in your place.

Her vines stretched across the gap between your extended arm and the needlessly fluffy bed, curling around the edge of the comforter and tugging it back. Pale, light skin eventually peeked out, covered in a thin, silken gown wrinkled from sleep. More of the covers were dragged away, the outline of a young woman near your age becoming readily apparent.

"Mngh... Caylen?"

...Your lips parted involuntarily as the corpse sleepily murmured your cousin's name. One of it- their- her? hands reaching out to blindly paw for the withdrawn comforter. "C'mon... It's too late for teasing..."

Your brain stalled. That was the best way to explain it, and why you didn't think to tell Lily to withdraw immediately when the corpse started murmuring. It was too late now, as the affectionate little Dryad apparition's vines cheerfully curled around the outstretched hand, eliciting a sleepy giggle from within the mountain of plushy pillows. "Hm? Did you get me flowers?"

You felt incredibly uncomfortable as that pillow mountain shifted, and from its depths emerged Maran's bed-messed blonde hair. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, her gown stretching with some difficulty as she arched her back with a yawn. It took her a moment of staring down at Lily's vine tendril to realize it wasn't a flower, and you sat frozen on Scar's back as she traced the length of Lily's vine down her bed, up your arm, and finally to you with large, bewildered eyes.

She shouldn't be able to see you. She probably shouldn't have been able to see Lily's vines. All relaxation fled from her body as her eyes sharpened on you, comforter thrown aside as she scrambled to her knees. "What do you want, Clara? Come for your son again?"

A titanic effort saw your jaw shut, but your mind was still jarringly stalled. You searched for something to say, anything, but everything about this entire conversation was wrong.

You came expecting to run into Maran eventually, but not like this.

...You were taking too long to respond. If you didn't take the initiative quickly, she would, and she already looked ready for a fight.

>Abandon course, flee immediately.
>Kidnap Maran into the night.
>Have Lily tie her up and hold her hostage.
>Other? (write-in)

>>5847308
>Kidnap Maran into the night.

>>5847308
>Kidnap Maran into the night.
>Have Lily tie her up and hold her hostage.

If she gives Lily trouble invite Scar to kick her in the face, be ready to gore her/mutually cripple ourselves if things get out of hand. If we're not drawn into a fight then -

>Ask Lily about her
Why doesn't she register as alive? She can at least see and hear her though, right? Can she feel her affinity? It almost feels too good to be true.

>>5847308
Get her / Lilly to take off her shirt, assert if Maran is like Byrn or not.

Are any of the sects able to create clones of themselves? The issue here is that Lilly doesn't indicate that there are any of the mana at play, and she isn't "alive" something is seriously wrong.

>>5847308
>Kidnap Maran into the night.
Lmao

>>5847308
>Have Lily tie her up and hold her hostage.
>Investigate the rest of the mansion

>>5847541
Maran can't be held together by Nymph's Wood, Lily would've felt that immediately.

>>5847323
>>5847398
>>5847674
kidnapping...! Where are we taking her? Figure it out later! Why are we doing this? It seemed like a good idea at the time!

>>5847398
>>5847719
>>5847541 *
Hostage taking with Lily!
*This was not a vote for hostage taking, but it's the only way you're getting this outcome.

>>5847719
House takes priority.

It's finally happened, my anons have voted to strip an innocent woman and kidnap her...

>>5848523
Rizzy getting more depraved with each update

>>5848523
It's Maran, it doesn't count.

Do something.

Maran's body tensed, she was ready to spring at any moment. It was a little enviable considering she'd just woken up, you certainly couldn't move that fas-

Focus!

You couldn't respond or she'd know you weren't your aunt. Would that matter? Wouldn't she find out anyway? How were you going to interrogate her without asking-

Focus! For Shade's sake, do something!

Her eyes shifted, confusion bleeding from her posture. She noticed something. You had to do something now. Now, now, now! Your stalled brain ground frustratedly as you kicked the gears in exasperation... But Maran moved first, and the sudden dive triggered something that finally dislodged your confusion. A flash filled the room, silhouetting Scar and blinding the Nightmare in one as Maran leapt from the bed in a dash for the door.

The Wisplight she'd flashbanged you with seared, giving you a novel first experience with what it was like to have a viscous gel sizzle and writhe beneath your skin, but it was ultimately harmless - And her escape was just as impotent; Lily's mask had blocked most of the flashbang in the first place and the little Dryad apparition had reflexively snatched her in its coiling ivy the moment she'd jumped.

You had the briefest moment of seeing Maran snared in vines before your sight went black and you, along with everyone in the room, vanished.

A startled scream pierced the empty night sky when you could see again, but it vanished almost immediately there after following a second searing flashbang and another stint of sudden-onset blindness. The sequence repeated itself three additional times, leaving a disjointed trail of fireworks and screaming in your wake as Maran's chained Wisplight bursts startled Scar into shifting all three of you in a random direction, the sudden displacement in turn spooking the insufferable woman into setting off another flashbang. By the time you even realized what was happening you had already crossed most of the Southern district and could do little but hold tight to Scar's ivy reins as it shifted yet again.

You had a scant, disorienting collection of moments between uncontrolled shifting and screaming to do something, but even finding what direction Maran was in relative to you was a tall order when it took you near half as long just to find which way was down after the panicking colt began taking to walls and rooftops in a vain effort to dislodge the abrasive harpy strapped to its tail.

Releasing her wasn't an option, you had no idea how long it'd take to calm Scar and turn him around to go retrieve the woman. For similar reasons, if you bailed now and let the Nightmare escape, you'd be damned if you actually saw the bastard again.

Another flash and the rooftop you had just landed on vanished into black, replaced moments later with the street once again. You were going to throw up if you had to take much more.

You clenched your thighs around Scar's back and hoped you wouldn't get bucked in the time it took to grasp hold of Lily's trailing vines and pull Maran, bound and screeching, from the air. Lily was quick to tighten her hold on her, ivy tendrils criss-crossing her body in a haphazard mess. It was a genuine effort to help you, and as Maran's eyes awkwardly met yours, you realized it did not do that at all.

Because she did not need her hands to deploy yet another flashbang in your face.

You tightened your grip on Lily's ivy just as the light erupted, a physical revulsion rankling through your body with an involuntary shudder... But that proximity dulled the flashbang in turn, and you seized the opportunity to hug Maran's hogtied body flush to yours. Every piece of your body recoiled from the contact, in both a literal and figurative manner, but such close proximity to your Shade scar seemed to finally cripple Maran's endless supply of Wisplight mini-novas.

With one hand keeping a deathgrip on Scar's reins, you wrap your serrated fingers around the miserable woman's pale throat... And with one last panicked shift, the screaming finally stopped.

You rode Scar in silence for several minutes, knowing for a fact you'd left a trail of chaos in your wake... There was no way you were sneaking back anywhere in that direction now. Not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow night.

But you had Maran and that was... Something.

The woman in question swallowed thickly, the scent of lavender mixing distractingly with her sweat in the cool night air as you guided Scar somewhere quiet. You had a hostage now, for whatever good that did you.

"...Who are you?" Your brows furrowed involuntarily, the tempting grip around her throat tightening threateningly. Headstrong as she was, she ignored the implicit threat and continued. "You're not Clara Valen, so what do you want with me? You've made a big mistake kidnapping me like this."

>?

>>5849570
Circle gets the square.

>>5849588
Anon am I going to be disappointed if I google what this means

>>5849590
Come on, Riz. It's me, anon. Would I really do something like that?

>>5849570
>"Really? How big of a mistake? Like a grain of sand or a dust mote?"
Let's see if in the course of attempting to intimidate us she lets slip something useful.
>Don't tell her who we are.

>>5849570
>"I might not stop at kidnapping."
Take her somewhere we could interrogate her quietly. Also shes been shacking up with caylen Yuck

>>5849570
>?
She talks too much! Make her stop permanently.

Slit her throat / crush windpipe & Chop her into bits. Since we have her now, no point waiting for later.


We don't actually need answers, we want to feel better and the fact that we can also reduce Caylen's bad influences, and fuck with Artemis' plans for Resuri simultaneously is even better.

We can't let her keep interacting with Caylen (or Lilly) the way we have, so things need to change.

And If we had a future need of her we can get to it together. With better living, through Dryad's influence.

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>>5849570
>Drag her into an alleyway, find out what we can about the incoming happening and then put her down

Shame, but we can't afford mercy. We know what Artemis is capable of

>>5849811
damn nigga you make a compelling argument. BUt we might as well question her since we went through all this trouble
Can always kill her after that THOUGH

Feeling murderous today? Maybe at least wait for Master Interrogator.

>>5849570
I wonder if Maran could shed some light on Irue missing from Artemis intel.
>Irue shows her face but says nothing.

>>5850247
We could ask her about "the girl who Maran met near Caylen's estate" and about "Caylen's cousin" and see what she tells us.

>>5850252
Maran will totally recognise us the second we start talking. Maybe if we keep teaching Lily how to speak she could talk to people for us like the robot in ironman's suit.

>>5850252
>and about "Caylen's cousin" and see what she tells us.
it would probably be better to specify the current "Heir to House Valen", or the "one she Met in Carona" since the listed options potentially ID Rinnier & Ari. and Ariel respectively, not Irue like we're angling for.

>>5850511
BRO that idea is sick. Lets make it happen

>>5850538
"Current Heir to House Valen" points to Caylen himself, as we've found out.

>>5850686
Maybe combine them to be hyper-specific?
e.g.
Caylen's cousin, the Heir to House Valen.
or
Caylen's surviving cousin?

Even if they're both not entirely accurate anymore, it fits what they know best.

We don't exactly want to give away the fact the Byrn is currently "hamburger", or prompt further interest in the Estate.

Also Maran's response points to the fact that she wasn't with Caylen / Alouette for the confrontation with Clara, or at least aware of Byrn's side of the plan otherwise the mistaken identity wouldn't be possible.

Also we need to permanently "borrow" her Jinn phone if we can.

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>>5849570

got to appreciate irue's development - smug nerd to horseman of the apocalypse
>bracelet containing nuclear destructive power
>wears the spawn of a forgotten god as a mask
>rides a magical dark horse
Pimped out to the max at all times

>>5851393
>has a cursed right hand too.

>>5851400
oh shit I forgot about that. Thats even more badass

>>5851401
Or the broken neck / discombobulated wrist.

Gonna sort through all the replies and try to tally up a course of action!

I can't fucking wait for Riz to write a write-up and its gonna be Maran and Caylen fucking and explaining motivations and personalities and shit

>>5851444
...Anon, do you want a write-up of Maran and Caylen fucking? Is this something you want?

>>5851448
I was gonna say "no" but now I'm wondering if you are asking for tacit approval to make valen quest more lewd and shit

>>5851450
There was this one time when TotallyNotOP started writing Irue x Rinnier.

>>5851453
>TotallyNotOP
It is funnier to insist on it being Totally OP. So shall it be.

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>>5849588
I am guessing this means 'correct'! I don't know, no one explained it to me so I googled and did my best.

>>5850247 (against talking)
Taunt her! See if she says something useful!

>>5849699
>>5849673
>>5849841
>>5851115
Threaten her! Also some disgust over the implied relationship.

>>5849811
>>5849841
Kill!

Well. This might take a bit, or it might come out relatively short. I'm not entirely sure how I'll form this just yet.
---

>>5851450
I don't need approval to do that, anon! However lewd quests aren't something I feel the need to write, so whenever it comes up I have tried to maintain a tasteful approach to it and to ensure that it served a greater purpose; Character development, establishment, lore, something of that nature.

In the event you did get something like that, you'd likely get it more in the fashion you did in the other write-up where lewd things happened: Vague descriptions as an emotionally charged backdrop to something else.

However there absolutely is that elusive 'something else' in the idea you had, and it may never be organically come up in the quest itself, so if you were ever going to find out, that would be the way.

...You're going to be finding out a lot in relatively short order regardless though. I don't think anons really understand how close to the end of the quest's overarching story we really are. The time to uncover most of the world's little secrets is just about over.

>>5851453
>>5851457
It's always funny to me to think about how Rinnier went from being the #1 most disliked character that everyone voted to try and avoid dealing with to the closest confidant and ally you have.

>>5851485
>with to the closest confidant and ally you have.
It wasn't that hard when the other two decided to step out for "milk and ciggies", nad have yet to reappear.

Competence is a conserved quantity in Valen apparently.

>>5851485
Your assumptions are wrong. I was always a #1 Rinnier stan. Rinnier army assemble

>>5851498
>the other two decided to step out for "milk and ciggies", nad have yet to reappear.
One of the things I regret most about Valen is honestly how little screen time Asche has gotten. She got sent away almost from the start to try and multi-task, and then either by player choice or other circumstances has been mostly left off screen dealing with or supporting other problems.

Speaking strictly in terms of the quest, your Testament have spent more time with Asche than Irue has! It took the originally planned relationship with her in a weird direction without a lot of trust or intimacy, which ultimately led to her current outing.

Ari's pretty much always been there, though. She wasn't physically that useful early on, but she's never hesitated to step up in terms of psychological or emotional support! She's also been passed over in this regard on basically every occasion, which has pushed her in the direction she's in now.

Kara was relied on fairly often, but... Emotions scare her tremendously, now more than ever. She was strong enough to do what needed doing physically, but the best support she could have given you otherwise was to awkwardly be there.

That's just the immediate cast, though. Mim's stubbornly tried to break in to your life on multiple occasions, but decisions regarding Dryad have necessitated keeping her at arm's length.

Rinnier conversely was probably the single most resistant and reluctant person to offer you, personally, any form of support beyond your business agreement for the majority of the quest. It took active, dedicated, and repeated attempts to drill into her to get any form of companionship that wasn't using one another for mutual benefit.

I can't deny that it has resulted in a competent dynamic, but the outcome you have now was built on a lot of stubborn, repeated effort that could have been avoided or directed elsewhere - Or to other people, in this case.

>>5851533
Which means we are locked-in on Rinnier. I see this as an absolute win

>>5849570
>The woman in question swallowed thickly, the scent of lavender mixing distractingly with her sweat in the cool night air
East Heaven thing

No point wondering how she came to that conclusion. She still hadn't puzzled out who you were, but... That wouldn't last long either. "Really? How big are we talking?" You murmured, playing into the kidnapper's role as you scanned the area for somewhere to drop Maran.

"Even if you beg forgiveness now, it's going to be too late for you." She returned promptly, and you nearly rolled your eyes at the confidence building in her voice. She'd gotten much braver now that she wasn't being treated like a ragdoll.

You swallowed a much lengthier retort. "Somehow I'm not concerned."

"You never told me what your goal was, either." She tried to look over your shoulder, but abandoned the effort when doing so grazed the edge of your claws against her skin. It was almost more frustrating when she returned her focus up front and leaned her back against you. "Do you know who I am? What you've done?"

"Maran Jenseits." You answer flatly. "For now, I've kidnapped you. I can add more to that list, if you'd like." You were going to add more to that list whether she liked it or not, but maybe threatening her would tamp down on her attitude.

"Oh, should I be scared? Are you going to kill me? Rape me? Maybe even in that order?"

It did not.

"Those are certainly ideas." You grit out irritably. "Are those words a noblewoman should be saying so easily?"

"I'm sorry kidnapper, are you lecturing me on manners and etiquette?" She almost sounded offended, and with that you decided you'd had enough and shoved her off the colt's back. An undignified squawk cut-off abruptly as she landed face-first into the earth, her silken nightwear tumbling unflatteringly through the grass and dirt. You took your time bringing Scar around, trotting a casual circle around the fallen harpy as she struggled against her ivy bindings. She finally crawled to a sitting position, glaring up at you with dirt smudged across her nose and forehead. "You're going to regret this."

"I regret a lot of things." Nearly everything to do with this woman, for example. "Why don't you make this easier for both of us and tell me what you're doing here in Resuri."

"I was sleeping peacefully in my own house." She retorted snidely. "Having pleasant dreams and bothering no one until you ruined my night."

Should you get Scar to kick her? The thought crossed your mind unbidden. Should you really just kill her here and be done with it? No more insufferable wench at Caylen's ear, dragging him around on ill-advised, self-righteous crusades or luring him towards Artemis...

...You imagine Artemis would just replace her with a new agent the moment she was disposed of, but in that gap you might be able to drag Caylen back kicking and screaming. And he would be kicking and screaming, if he ever found out you were the one to kill her.

Your relationship was still a good one. You think. You parted amiably last time, and as rebellious as he was being towards aunt Clara, it didn't necessarily involve you. You didn't even care if he was running rampant around the territory, so long as he wasn't doing it under the misbegotten notion that Artemis was going to help him find justice for the people, or whatever equally ridiculous idea this lurid bitch had apparently been whispering in his bed.

You ruthlessly repressed the retching filth which crawled between your teeth at the thought, closing your eyes before your mind traitorously attempted to supply any further ideas about what she may have gotten up to in her dirt wrinkled lingerie.

"What is Artemis planning?"

For a single, fleeting moment, Maran's taunting attitude vanished. She looked at you for the first time that night as if she were actually paying attention. That moment passed, but if she had any more amusing little quips, she kept them to herself.

You dismounted, flexing your Shade-woven claws as you approached. "I know exactly who you are, and who's behind you. If you're here, Caylen's probably not far behind."

"...Irue?"

You paused, letting the two syllable question sink in the empty air between you. You were never going to successfully interrogate Maran without her recognizing you... So it was with a resigned acknowledgement that you shifted Lily's mask aside to meet Maran's wide-eyed confusion face to face.

"You... What happened to you?" She gasped, "No, what do you think you're doing? Have you gone Shadetouched, Irue?! What are you even doing here?!"

You crouched down before the blonde harpy with a solemn frown tugging at the edge of your lips. "Maran, I cannot under emphasize how close I am to just killing you for how much trouble you've caused."

"Me?" She exclaimed, "I haven't done anything!" She wiggled pointedly, Lily's ivy bindings rustling for her effort. "Certainly nothing that deserved this!"

You laid the tip of your clawed finger against her cheek, its razor-edge slowly losing coherency as it brushed up against Maran's skin. Yet you were gentle with it all the same, dragging a thin red line from her earlobe towards her chin. "You've been luring Caylen into Artemis' schemes."

"I haven't lured Caylen into anything."

"You're responsible for what happened to aunt Clara."

"I didn't tell Caylen's nanny to do a damn thing!"

"And you're causing problems here just like you caused them back in Carona." You concluded dully.

"I- Ugh." Maran started up again, cutting herself off with an aggrivated sigh. She closed her eyess, heaving a forced, heavy sigh. "Irue... Look, I know you've had a problem with me for a while now, but you're better than this. You know I'm not responsible for any of that."

"..."

"Caylen is his own man. I'm not making him do anything, he's too stubborn for it in the first place. Everything he's doing?" She paused to stare you unerringly in the eyes, "He's doing on his own accord. Believe me, I have tried to sway him over certain things, but he's deadset on doing what he thinks is 'right', and no one is changing his mind on what that is. You know that."

"..."

"And you know as well as I do that that Alouette woman doesn't answer to me. Half the time she doesn't even answer to Caylen. I don't know what her problem is or why she got into a fight with Clara, and last I checked, Caylen didn't know either!"

You broke eye-contact, letting your gaze drift towards her neck as she spoke.

"I don't know what's happened to you, or why things have gone the way they have, Irue, but I'm sorry. There's nothing I could have done about any of it... And there's nothing you could have done, either. You can't blame me for it any more than you should be blaming yourself."

"So you're telling me it's all a coincidence that everywhere you've been, I've had to deal with Artemis making a mess of things until I rip them out by the roots? That it's a fluke that you seem to unerringly be the herald of all the bullshit that's been going on lately?"

"I'm saying the world's already in motion, Irue." She returned gently, "I can't change how it flows. People make their own decisions."

"...Answer my questions." You sigh. "Are you working with Artemis?"

"Well... Yes." Maran gave you a strange look. "I was born in Ephlesia, of course I am."

"Does Artemis have designs on Caylen?"

"I wouldn't call them... 'designs'." She hesitated, "But they do have a vested interest in supporting the nobility. Nudging House Valen in that direction will tip the scales in their favor. Caylen's important for that."

"Are you influencing Caylen on their behalf?"

"..." She closed her mouth, dragging the silence on long enough for you to raise your eyes again to look at her. "I am their point of contact with him, yes, but I'm not manipulating him. It's all pointless if he doesn't take our extended hand of his own volition. And-" She trailed off haltingly, visibly struggling for the right words. "-Our relationship has nothing to do with Artemis, either."

"...Really." You mutter unenthusiastically.

"I have my own reasons for wanting him." Maran admitted candidly, "Even if Artemis wanted nothing to do with him anymore, I'm prepared to abandon them for him."

Really. Really? Yeah, you initially hated her because she was seducing your stupid ass cousin, but you'd gained plenty of other great reasons to loathe the woman since, and she was cycling back to this?

"It feels like... All of my years would have been a waste if I had to let him go."

Fuuuck, you wished she was lying to you right now.

>She's cooperating, you have other questions. (what are they?)
>Other? (write-in)

>>5853280
>Other? (write-in)
She is Lying, Kill.
If She Cared She Would Be With Caylen Right Now.
Kill.

>>5853280
My proposal is to intimidate her into spilling as many beans as possible on her own volition and then decide whats next
Im 50/50 on ending her or letting her go after
>Keep tightening the vines and hurting her slowly
>you're just another artemis plant, like that insect Byrn, aren't you?"
>"whats another loss to Caylen at this point?" (Both his parents are almost dead. We died too.)
>Imply subtly what terrible fate we put byrn into and wonder if she has nymphs wood too
>"I didn't think I'd snatch you so easily. I guess you're expendable."

>>5853280
>She's cooperating, you have other questions. (what are they?)
Why aunt Clara can't be healed (this is to see whether Maran will lie)
What's in the Prophecy
Who is the Prophet
Where's Caylen and what is he intending to do
Where are the Tier sisters
What does she know about Priat
Who does she receive her orders from
Who commands Artemis in the city
What are nightgaunts
What does she think is Artemis' ultimate goal

>>5853662
>Who does she receive her orders from
>Who commands Artemis in the city
these are very good things to find out, supporting to extract this out of her
will make our job easy

>>5853620
This is the opposite of interrogating her, you're just debriefing her on what we know.

>>5853764
Thats all meant to intimidate her. Show her we know a lot and have the motivation to kill her so she starts trying to convince us otherwise by telling us info. Which I think we will lmao
IDK it sounded good in my head

>>5853280
Damn bratty girl, seducing an adult. Correction is needed.

>>5853662
>>5853280
Seconding this one.

>>5853339
Survey says... Kill!

>>5853817
Survey says... Uh.

>>5853620
Violent interrogation and intimidation!

>>5853662
>>5853709
>>5853883
Casual interrogation, she's playing nice for now.

No update tonight, but I'll squeeze it out tomorrow.

"If you cared that much about him, you'd be with him now." You mutter, urging Lily to tighten her grip on the frustrating woman in front of you. Maran spared an uncomfortable glance at the tightening ivy, casting a cryptic frown in their direction, but little else.

"Are you telling me you don't care about anyone?" Maran retorted.

"I'm not playing this game with you." Lily's ivy constricts warningly, eliciting a pained wince from the woman in question. Her eyes never broke contact with yours though, and her smirk only grew more irritating. "After everything Caylen's gone through, all you have to say for it is you love him? Is that the only trick Artemis knows? First Byrn-"

"Don't you dare compare me to Byrn!" Maran snapped, "That oaf gave whatever we asked in order to keep a life he never deserved."

Your arms cross skeptically. "You're different?"

"Obviously." She sniffed, somehow managing to turn her nose up at you in offense despite being on the ground.

"Really?" You drawl, forcing her chin back down with your thumb to glower at her. "Because I'll be honest Maran, I didn't expect I'd have you tied up like this so easily. I get the impression you're just as expendable as Byrn. The only difference I see is that you don't have Nymph's Wood implanted in you to keep you alive after I'm done with you."

Maran's eyes widened... But not in fear. She just seemed surprised. "You dealt with him?"

"He's still alive. For now." You agree, frown deepening as you tap your clawed fingertip against Maran's cheek in a pointed effort to remind her of the danger she was in. Somehow, finding out you had already dealt with Byrn was the most startling part of this entire experience to her, and that didn't sit well with you at all.

"That... That doesn't make sense." Maran's brow furrowed, her hurried murmurings more a method of thinking aloud than meant for you. "If Byrn's been dealt with, who's in control of House Valen? Did his mother actually..."

You poke Maran's cheek with your clawed finger forcefully, failing to draw blood despite your half-hearted effort as the claw dissolved away in contact with her face. "Me."

She looked at you blankly.

"I'm the head of House Valen, Maran."

The blank stare continued. It was starting to unnerve you a little.

"How? No, no if Clara's still too wounded then she could have elected a representative-" You jabbed your finger into her cheek with a scowl, interrupting her second descent into murmured thoughts. "-Ow! Do you mind!? I'm thinking!"

"I was always going to be the head of House Valen, Maran. I'm the heir."

She made a face as if a child had just tugged at her sleeve and declared the sky green. "No you're not."

"..."

"...You're serious, aren't you?" She hesitated, eyes flicking across your face swiftly. "No, that- That doesn't make sense. Caylen is the heir to the Valen bloodline. The other heir died."

You weren't about to get into the death of your family with this woman... But whether it was to satisfy yourself, or to snap her out of her ramblings, you didn't spare a thought before backhanding her. Maran's head snapped around, her tenuous sitting position lost as she sprawled across the ground in a heap.

The whole back of your hand hurt, like you had tried to smack a cooking pan and seared yourself in the process. You shouldn't have done that. Something about this woman always brought out the worst in you. Even now, you were moments away from trying to strangle her.

It was only when you felt Lily start to grow agitated that you forced yourself to step back. You didn't want to teach her this.

"Answer my questions and maybe I'll let you go, Maran. But if you don't cooperate..."

Maran snorted from the ground, rolling onto her back to look up at you with an unmarred face. "Look at you, threatening a tied up girl like you're something big." She smirked derisively, "Fine, Irue. Take what you want from me. I have nothing to hide."

"Who do you receive your orders from?"

"Mm... Actually, that's kind of complicated. Pass?" She met your glower with an apologetic smile that contained no remorse whatsoever. "Ow, ow, ow- Don't step on me, my clothes are dirty enough already!"

"You're lucky I don't just throw you in the lake." You deadpan, "Answer the question."

"Whoever's in charge of the area, I guess?!" She blurted out, rolling around to try and dislodge the boot you'd planted on her diaphram. "I'm just following the prophecy!"

"Who's in charge of Artemis in the city, then? And what's actually in this 'prophecy'?"

"A member of the merchant union called Gulla coordinates the Artemis presence in Resuri." She returned petulantly, "Now get your foot off me!"

You rolled your eyes, stepping off her... For now. "And the prophecy?"

"... Well, the short version is that a champion will be chosen by the Goddess to defeat seven great evils and bring this crippled world to light."

"I've heard that already." You frown. "What about the rest?"

"The rest is more like a book... Or, maybe several books?" Maran shrugged from the ground. "In broad strokes, it's the history of the future."

You tilt your head. That was a turn of phrase you were unexpectedly familiar with. Luna adepts who looked too far into the future could only identify large, specific events: Occurrences so significant that it was almost impossible not to have them come to pass in one form or another. You could alter the path taken to them, but to avoid them in their entirety would take something truly dramatic.

"One by one, the seven evils will fade because of the Goddess' champion. Artemis knows this to be true, so they're setting the stage to support the champion's crusade."

"This civil war, the fall of Teranford... The business in East Heaven, all of that was to set the stage?"

Maran shrugged again, expressing a genuine lack of concern. "They seem to believe so. I don't think it matters, personally."

"You're surprisingly non-chalant for someone betraying her country and organization." You observe suspiciously.

"I suppose it must seem that way, doesn't it?" She returned idly, "...I am rather fond of Artemis and Ephlesia, of course, but I told you already that I won't hesitate to abandon them for Caylen."

...Did she think this was for Caylen? Part of you wanted to ask, but it would only cause more trouble if she changed her mind at this point. You resisted the urge to remind her that she may not even survive the end of this conversation. "Who is the Prophet?"

"A medium blessed by the Goddess- Ow!" You kicked her in the ribs, barely suppressing the wince at having struck what felt like a solid wall. Even through your boots, that hurt. "I answered you, what was that even for?!"

"Who is the prophet, Maran." You reiterate with a growl. "I need names. Descriptions."

"Ill-tempered, underdeveloped nitwit..." You kicked her again, this time flipping her over to land face-first in the grass. "What is the Prophet is the correct question, dammit! It's not a person, it's a thing, like a Relic!"

You left her alone to try and fix her posture. You weren't sure what to expect from the Prophet, but to have been a tool the whole time... "Then whoever has the tool is the new prophet." The idea rolled around in your head a bit, but nothing clicked. It wasn't actionable information. You knew the Prophet was en route to Resuri, but as for who had it?

Maran wasn't any help in that regard.

Leaving Artemis aside, that really only left you with a few questions. Of those, she had no idea who Priat was, but was able to confirm that the Tier sisters were meant to appear on the auction Lupre was set to attend.

"Where's Caylen now?" Though you'd said it earlier, Maran should have been with him as far as you knew. "If you're so devoted to him, you should know what he's planning."

"Now? Who knows. Tomorrow, maybe the day after?" Maran grinned. "He'll be in Resuri. He's coming to save the Tiers."

"The Tiers Artemis placed here deliberately for him to save." You deadpan, receiving a shrug that told you Maran couldn't care less. On the other hand, that meant you actually made it here ahead of him... That gave you options.

"By the way, Irue. I'm surprised you're not more afraid of the dark."

You glanced down at Maran after she'd finally managed to wiggle her way up onto her knees. She hung her head to one side, trying in vain to shake out the dirt from her hair with a scowl. "Why?"

"The last time we were together like this, we barely escaped the nightgaunts. I have a light, of course, but what about you?"

"..." Your eyes narrowed. "Why bring them up now?"

"Just curious." The way she grinned sent a shiver over your skin. "Do you remember what I told you back then?"

>?

>>5859212
>?
She is planning something.
Kill.

>>5859212
Nightgaunts are afraid of light and fire.
She's talking in prophecies again. Like she always used to. It all makes sense in retrospect, from the very beginning she's been like this!
And she doesn't seem to give a fuck about anything as a result. I don't like this talk of nightgaunts
>Kill her
I got the feeling its gonna blow up in our face right now anyway lolol

>>5859212
What Maran had told us:
>Nightgaunts are afraid of light
>Only fire can reveal them
>They make more nightgaunts out of the people they kill

What she didn't tell us but we know:
>Our knights unknowingly let them out of the Dryad's Shrine ruins
>They're likely the spirits/memory imprints of the Dryad's adepts killed by Artemis

Action:
>Use the bracelet to summon a bit of fire and look around.
I personally think she's bluffing. What would nightgaunts do here?
>Don't kill Maran right now.

>>5859230
>Actually no, don't look around. I bet she's gonna try to escape. Just summon some fire and tell her we'll protect her while being smug.

kill the ANNOYING BITCH

>>5859217
>Kill
Are we near the lake? Can Lily just hold her under the water? Our claws are gone which limits our options, as amusing as it would be to light her on fire in response to her question I don't think Irue is going to be able to speak to other Mana using the bracelet the same way she can with Dryad. I suppose we could test it, but if Lily can just drown her in the lake then we shouldn't need to.

>>5859329
>>Kill
>Are we near the lake? Can Lily just hold her under the water? Our claws are gone which limits our options, as amusing as it would be to light her on fire in response to her question I don't think Irue is going to be able to speak to other Mana using the bracelet the same way she can with Dryad. I suppose we could test it, but if Lily can just drown her in the lake then we shouldn't need to.

The how doesn't matter the important bit is that she dies.

>>5859329
You are near enough that Irue threatened to toss her in earlier, so it can be attempted if you'd like!

>>5859329
>I don't think Irue is going to be able to speak to other Mana using the bracelet the same way she can with Dryad
The Bracelet literally caused Mistral's Child to apear out of "thin air", power scaling might be a non-issue but the outcome is not in question.

>>5859212
I say we let her go!

>>5859352
Cool. Ideally Lily should continue wrapping her as hard as possible and Scar should teleport us all close enough to start drowning her before she figures out our intentions, maybe even teleport at an angle where she rematerializes underwater. She seems too confident so I assume she still has some gas left in the wisp tank even though our shadescar has melted, so don't give her an opportunity to respond.

>>5859217 h8fa
>>5859225 sqlH
>>5859329 BtTA
Kill!

>>5859230 QIPN
>>5859373 oY0f
Restrain murderous impulses!

I was going to flip for this at 2:2 on whether you wanted to kill or not, since >>5859329 was replying to another anon rather than the prompt, but since they continued to plan how to murder Maran, I am going to accept that as their intent was to vote for kill as well.

Which means survey officially says kill! It is locked in now and cannot be changed.

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>>5860118
That was a mistake, I didn't even realise!

Yeah, I'm thinkin its bitch murdering time.

"They're afraid of light." You remember that intimately, "But only fire can reveal them, and they make more nightgaunts out of the people they kill."

Maran's eyes brightened, causing your stomach to roil. "Wow, you really do remember! I-"

She was speaking, but something about her voice wasn't registering. Every syllable she spoke was like a rough hewn rock scraping at a scab in the back of your mind. "Maran, why would they be here?"

"----?"

Craning your neck back in frustration, you stared into the open night sky. Searching for... Something. Some sign, or answer, to quell the bitter vitriol you'd felt since meeting her again. Your lips peeled back, words not quite forming. "You know, Maran-" You exhaled angrily, "-I've spent a lot of time looking into nightgaunts. No one had any answers, the Shrine didn't even know. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"Not particularly?" Maran hesitated, eyeing you strangely. "There's plenty the Shrine doesn't know."

Your eyes closed as you nodded, one of several disparate feelings inside you locking discomfortingly in place. "Things that Artemis would know, right? Because they were there for it."

Maran's mouth opened curiously, caught somewhere between fascination and amusement as she smiled.

You wiped your palms clean and got to your feet, instructing Lily to drag Maran back into the air as you turned your back to her and approached Scar. "I hope we never meet again, Maran."

"That's going to be difficult considering my relationship with Caylen." She was quick to observe. You spared her a single, dispassionate glance from the Nightmare's back, but when it became clear you weren't going to respond, she continued. "Our relationship doesn't need to be like this, Irue. I think we could get along."

"..."

"You're important to Caylen, and I know he's important to you as well. I don't dislike you, either."

You shift in Scar's saddle, adjusting your grip on his ivy reins as Lily carried Maran's bound and restricted body towards you. The way she looked at you when she was finally right in front of you... It was disorienting. As if you blinked and were two steps to one side with no memory of moving. A sensation of familiar circumstances, just different enough to tell you something was wrong.

"Why don't we start over?" The scent of lavender tickled your nose again. "We can work together, this time."

Ah. That was it.

"̸̝̌Ṣ̶̆h̷̠̾è̶̤ ̷͚͆ẖ̶̔a̴͙̐t̴͉̔e̶͉͐d̵̦̒ ̵̱̄l̸̥̔ä̵͔́v̶̰̎é̷͈n̷͓̊ḏ̶̈ę̷̔r̸̩͂.̶̥̓"̶̹͛

"...Eh?"

Lily thrust Maran under the surface of the lake with a splash, sinking her to the muck covered bottom even as her breath fled to the surface in a trail of foaming bubbles.

You sat atop Scar, watching the fading bubbles over the lake's surface with a complicated expression. You didn't like Maran Jenseits. Most of the time, you'd even say you hated her. She seduced your cousin, was the herald of most of your problems with Artemis, and just generally annoyed you to interact with. She was a wretched harpy, and you were finally rid of her.

...You felt nothing for it, even after the bubbles stopped and stillness returned to the lake. In a way, that was another irritation Maran had left you with.

She had been planning something, you were sure of it. You weren't sure what, but the nagging instinct to simply kill her and be done with it hadn't abaited since meeting her again... And it bothered you.

Because you didn't like her, you wanted her gone, and you weren't going to pretend you wouldn't have killed her if push came to shove... But it hadn't. Something had stirred upon seeing her again. It... recognized something about her and the urge to kill had simply been there. No matter how she acted, or what she said to you, that urge had only repeated itself. Gotten stronger.

Staring out at the lake, you frowned as you realized that urge was still there.

"Lily, is it finished?" You adjusted the dual-ringed bracelet along your wrist anxiously. Cheerful and eager to reassure you, the little Dryad apparition didn't respond. "...Lily?"

A quick check confirmed the connection to her was still there, she was... Dormant. As if she'd fallen asleep somehow.

A splash further down the shore of the lake piqued your ears. One staggered step before another, a sodden head of blonde hair covered in muck gradually emerged from the waters. Maran Jenseits grumbled her way back onto shore, disdainfully picking pieces of Lily's torn ivy from her soaked lingerie as she came.

"And now I'm filthy." Her irritable muttering was something you could pick out due to how quiet the lakeshore otherwise was this late at night. "Why do all of these malformed things think they can act however they want? I try to be patient, I try to be generous, and every time..."

She stopped, holding her wrist to her nose to sniff at it curiously. "What was that even about?"

In the moments between thoughts, before you realized what you were looking at, or even what you were doing, you'd urged Scar forward. You didn't have a weapon to strike her with, but Scar himself was a predator, and he was all too happy to hunt.

Your vision clouded as Scar shifted, and when you'd emerged from the smoke... Maran had already looked up from her self-inspection to lock eyes with you. There wasn't any light, you should have been invisible - Your reflection wasn't even cast off the lake's surface. You were.

Whatever shiver ran through your spine never touched the Nightmare you rode. He descended with his fanged maw split wide, swallowing the gap between Maran's head and shoulder in a single ravenous chomp and forcing her to the ground beneath his hooves. Scar crushed her into the lakeshore, stamping the full weight of his body down as he ripped from her flesh.

Yet, beneath him Maran remained utterly unmarred. Unbruised and unmarked from the assault... Though what remained of her nightwear was in little more than tatters.

"How am I going to explain this to Caylen..." Even now she barely paid you any mind, weathering Scar's cruel stampede as her body tremored with each impact. She bounced and flailed beneath him no differently than a ragdoll, but simply seemed distracted. "Would he buy self-defense? That guy'd probably still not forgive me. Haa... This whole family..." She reached forward, shoving the whole of her forearm down Scar's throat as he ducked his head for another bite. He bit down reflexively, gnawing on the offered limb ineffectively, even as its owner sighed. "Do you mind? I am trying to think."

You recoiled when her eyes shifted to meet yours. "Control your pet, Irue. I'll deal with you presently."

Regardless of whether it was something she wanted, you pulled back on Scar's reins and tried to drag the Nightmare from its prey. Even this stupid beast had to realize at some point it wasn't making any progress...

"Ah." Her arm popped free from Scar's mouth as you finally pried him away, the fingers curling down until only her index finger was left pointing skyward. A single spark erupted at the end, blossoming brilliantly into flame the size of her palm-

-And at that moment, silhouettes that stretched around you in a swaying circle flickered into existence. Vaguely humanoid, but without distinction. Your body locked, frozen in Scar's saddle at the sight. Almost as one they shuddered back, retreating into the darkness and disappearing from the tiny radius of light cast from the scarlet tongue at the end of Maran's finger.

>Kill (Attack her yourself)
>Kill (Use the bracelet)
>̵̑K̶̖̚i̶̮̿l̸͐l̷͉ ̷̥̃(̶̊ͅH̸͇̽o̴͖̐w̸̻͘ ̶͙͝d̶͖̄i̶̋d̶̻̐ ̸̢̓s̵͖͒h̷̨́e̸̯̓ ̴̭̐d̸̺͘o̵̼̾ ̸̥̎í̴͉t̸̹͑.̷̰͆.̵̻͝.̵̬̓?̸͍̀)̷͇͝
>Other? (Kill)

Regardless of your option, everyone gets to roll a 1d100 with their vote.

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>5860342
>Other? (Kill)
Use man's redflower.

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>5860342
>Kill (Use the bracelet)
Fuck Resuri, we never liked it anyway.

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>5860342
>>̵̑K̶̖̚i̶̮̿l̸͐l̷͉ ̷̥̃(̶̊ͅH̸͇̽o̴͖̐w̸̻͘ ̶͙͝d̶͖̄i̶̋d̶̻̐ ̸̢̓s̵͖͒h̷̨́e̸̯̓ ̴̭̐d̸̺͘o̵̼̾ ̸̥̎í̴͉t̸̹͑.̷̰͆.̵̻͝.̵̬̓?̸͍̀)̷͇͝

Is this what you meant by Valen ending soon? Is Maran an Aeon?

>>5860398
>Is Maran an Aeon?
Considering what we've seen she's probably a bit more, since I don't think Wisp Aeons "should" be able to summon fire, breath underwater or put Lilly of all things to sleep.

She either has a ridiculous number of Relics or something that mimics our bracelet, and the experience to go with it.

Could also be a revived / cloned Mint or something as well, but shit's fucked.

I'll go back and see if I can find the prior set of rules for the last time we had to roll, though an average of 75 looks pretty good.