>>5951440
>Val Lasombra. You're great with magic, but even better with a pistol. Not one for words, you think actions speak much louder. The pilot of the group whenever Ramza is busy, and the mechanic.
Another anon mentioned it in the last thread, and I see no reason not to round out the crew PoVs.

>>5951440
>>Val Lasombra. You're great with magic, but even better with a pistol. Not one for words, you think actions speak much louder. The pilot of the group whenever Ramza is busy, and the mechanic.

>>5951440
>Val Lasombra. You're great with magic, but even better with a pistol. Not one for words, you think actions speak much louder. The pilot of the group whenever Ramza is busy, and the mechanic.

>>5951448
>>5951459
>>5951490
You are Val Lasombra. Ten years ago, when you were merely eight years old, you cowered in fear and hid in the crawlspace under your house while a Demon took everything from you. Not a day goes by where your mind doesn't go back to that moment, something inevitably reminding you of that fateful night. You can still remember the sickening smell of acrid smoke mixing with the gore of the demon's victims. Your village had been unprepared, to say the least, and their feeble weapons couldn't even leave a mark on the cruel being - all except for one. A gun.

Since then, you've dedicated your time to mastering the use of firearms to put that demon down whenever you find it again. But you know that a mere gun wouldn't be nearly enough to do the job, so you aim to master magic so as to tear down its mystical defenses when the time comes. You know fully well that it's a grudge that could go unfulfilled if anyone else should have managed to hunt the Demon themselves, but that's not going to stop you. Demons will always exist in the world, and it's up to you to stop them from making more people like you.

You're thinking about all of this right now, of course, because you're currently staring up at one. Ramza and Gigas have seen fit to call this thing 'Gremory' for some reason, and broke the news to you not too long ago that Gremory would be a member of the crew. It took a monumental effort not to strike Ramza in the moment for that decision, but restraint was always one of your strong suits - you waited until after he explained that 'she' would be revealing everything 'she' knew about demons to your group in exchange.

"Son of a bitch, man!" Ramza rubs his jaw, a bruise quickly forming. "You could have warned me at the very least!"

"You had it coming." You state matter-of-factly. Your captain's brow furrows, but he nods to it.

"I did, yeah. But I stand by my decision. I think we stand more to gain from having her on board with us than not." He replies.

"...It was...a smart choice, yes." You strain yourself to admit, turning to look at Ramza. "The opportunity to learn this is something few Demons would ever give, I imagine. Revealing your own weaknesses - no, your entire race's weaknesses. It goes against their nature, I would think."

"I can't reach my back." Gigas offers, and you turn to look at him.

"What?" You can't help but ask.

"The greatest weakness of Gigas." Is all he says.

"The price of having freakishly huge muscles." Ramza replies to the man with a shrug. "But let's not get side-tracked for the fifth time in ten minutes, Gigas. We've got details to pry from Gremmy."

"You've already nicknamed it." You glare at Ramza, before sighing and facing Gremory once more. "Yes, let's get on with it...tell us everything you know about Demons."

"Very well." Gremory starts. As she speaks, every now and then she pauses in the middle of a sentence in a jarring way, either to take a wheezing breath or simply because she seems to have felt the need to compose her thoughts again for a second or two. "Demons...are spawned from Human stock, exclusively. There are three kinds to exist: Naturalborn, Afflicted, and Ritual."

"Which one would you be?" You ask pre-emptively, to file it away for later. Just in case it becomes useful to you somehow.

"Thisss one is...born from The Ritual." she states. "The Ritual is a process through which Mana is used to separate Amalgam from monsters into its base components...and the resulting Soul is used to corrupt our essence intentionally. It is a controlled process. The resulting Demon keeps most of the memories it had in life. There is some influence on the form that one Becomes."

"Alright. And Afflicted?" Ramza asks.

"Those exposed unwillingly or unknowingly to Soul. Their process is rapid. Painful. Their mutations far more severe, and their mind sometimes reduced to a feral state. But still possessed of human cunning, the capacity to learn that which it lost once more." Gremory seems to speak of them with something akin to distaste in her tone. "The majority of the Afflicted...come from the frozen wastes. For soul is what seeps from the timeless and the abyss, mutating men and creatures alike that venture too close."

"So that's why there's more monsters than usual up there...and why everyone starts 'dying' once they get too close." You surmise.

"Precisely...now, Naturalborns. These are the products of two Demons, born from the exceptionally rare cases where breeding occurs. It is nigh impossible for a Naturalborn to be the result of Afflicted...their bodies are too mutated, their natures too different from one another. Organs malformed enough to be sterile. This one has met only a single Naturalborn...and it was alien even to I."

"What does that mean?" Gigas asks.

"My mannerisms...my way of thinking, they are both still born from a Human mind. Human memories. But Naturalborns never bore such memories, their mind was warped from the very moment they were concieved. Their only companion in life is the constant hunger we feel, and the unnatural instincts we act on."

"That's not terrifying at all." Ramza jokes, probably in some vain attempt to lighten the mood. "So what's the matchup looking like for the categories? Would one type consistently beat out another type?"

"Yes...and no." Gremory replies. "Afflicted are physically gifted, yet mentally stunted. Their rampant mutations give them a wide variety of abilities not natural to humans. Ritual Demons are magically gifted, but physically restrained so as to maintain a reasonable form. Though, this one admits, we all come from magically gifted stock to begin with...one must know a lot to cast The Ritual. As for Naturalborn, this one knows nothing of their strengths and weaknesses, as our encounter was quite brief. Although...language seemed to pose a clear problem to it, as it understood very little of spoken word."

"Ah, like a feral child that grew up in the wild. It wouldn't understand a lot of things that normal people would have plenty of chances to learn." You say, Gremory nodding slightly. "So that covers the types, what about broad weaknesses?"

Gremory makes a low rumbling sound for a few moments, before speaking up. "The spell that this one imbued within you earlier...it is effective against Monsters and Demons alike. When the Mana in the Amalgam is excited enough by energy, disrupted, it can separate from the Amalgam. Should this happen within the Chakra...the wound is great, many would perish."

"Oh! So that's what happened to that fucker!" Gigas taps a fist on the top of his palm. "I popped him because it went into his Chakra!"

"So it seems." You say, before gesturing for the demon to continue.

"In addition, strong sources of mana or soul can temporarily override our sensibilities. A lure, for instance. Even Ritual Demons would be driven to temporary madness when caught in the effect of one. Higher thinking becomes more difficult." She says.

"Driving one feral could be useful in the case of Ritual Demons." You muse, resisting the urge to rub your mask-clad chin. Ramza started doing it, then Gigas started with it. You refuse. It's too stereotypical a way to display that you're thinking, damn it.

"Purification spells are also useful, though somewhat less so...it can directly diminish the supply of Amalgam we use to fuel our magic. But it will not undo the corrupted form of a Chakra." Gremory goes on, before tapping a claw on her mask in thought. "But that is all I can say about our weaknesses, for if we have more, they are not known to this one. But as for strengths...even Ritual Demons are stronger than any mortal man, and those who bear an unfractured mind gain far greater understanding of the inner workings of magic than before. It is...an epiphany, of sorts."

"I doubt that first part very much." Gigas says with a laugh, flexing his biceps as he often does. "None can defeat Gigas! Not even you, Gremory. I've seen how skinny your arms and legs are."

You and Gremory both turn to stare disbelievingly at Gigas for a few moments, before glancing back at each other and, thankfully, choosing to ignore that stupidity.

"What about the Soul part of things? Mana enables you to use magic. What does Soul do?" You ask.

"They are both sources of magic...two halves that cannot be complete without one another. In one realm, the physical. Mana's elementalism covers that which can be seen, felt, grasped...of certain varieties, at least. It bears no hold on inert matter, for reasons this one does not know." Gremory begins to explain. "Soul covers that which is ephemeral, etherial. There are but two domains for it, covering concepts that may be tricky to understand for those not attuned to it. Time...and Space."

"What? You really expect us to believe that there's two more elements that nobody's ever heard of?" You scoff. "Let's see it then. Use some of this Soul Magic."

"Very well..." The demon raises one of her hands, concentrating greatly for a moment. Red motes coalesce above her palm, forming what you could only describe as a tiny hole of absolute blackness for a fraction of a second before the hole splits open to reveal the image of Threespice on the other side. Gremory pushes a claw through the hole, which now looks like she has a partially severed finger, and seems to wiggle it around for a few moments before retracting it and ending the spell.

"Holy shit." Ramza says. You, meanwhile, are utterly speechless. A tear in space, just to poke a finger through? Entirely unheard of. A concept you'd never envisioned before. What are the possibilities of Space magic? No, TIME magic? And why are those two domains the only ones associated with Soul? Shit, why does Mana only have four elements? A thousand questions are running through your mind, and you doubt the demon could answer even ten of them thanks to her intuition-based understanding of things. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't ask anyways.

>Do you have any further questions to ask Gremory, before she goes into her personal history as per the agreement?

>>5951746
I can think of a couple interesting ones.
>Do demons have a different understanding of the Core?
>We’ve heard about an attempt to put a new Pillar into the Core, to pull out unaligned mana. If that were to freely proliferate, how would that interact with demons and soul magic in general?
It’s the main reason I voted for bringing Gremory onboard from Ramza’s perspective. What Sato suggested was planned worries him enough that “demonic knowledge” suddenly becomes a really good selling point.

One from something she mentioned a while ago:
>She mentioned she’s a demon of water. Is there a demon for every mana type? What about untyped or space/time types? Scrying is something all water demons have, what do the others generally know, and how are they recognized?

I guess another fun one would be
>Can the corruption be reversed? Not to turn someone into who they were, simply to remove the Amalgam and make them “human” as a result.
Though I expect the answer to be “no”.

>>5951779
All good questions, but...

>>5951746
>Do you remember what it was to be human? Do you still care for the people you used to? or is that part of you gone?

>>5951746
>>5951950
I see that as more a personal question and we haven’t gotten there yet, but I was thinking too narrow. We could ask about it in the broader sense of all demons too.
>Do Ritual demons often disassociate from who they were after the change? Afflicted should because of the more violent mutations, correct?

Some more for fun
>Can any demons normally communicate with or disrupt monsters in a way that humans can’t? Something involving their amalgam?
>Mana is one part of a demon’s amalgam. How do they replenish the soul part?
>How often do demons fight each other? Are there rivalries between certain types due to general temperament? Can they drain each other of amalgam like they’d drain mana from a human’s blood?

Val better be taking notes.

>>5951779
>>5951950
>>5952170
After thinking it through for a couple seconds, which is a decent amount longer than you usually dwell on something, you opt to stay on the track of demonic strengths and weaknesses for a few more questions.

"Are Demons able to communicate with or disrupt monsters in ways that normal people can't? You both share Amalgam, after all." You ask.

"Yes, indeed. Thisss one has tamed several monsters, namely the humble Lume Beetle, to collect things for it...they do so love to find catalysts." Gremory says, reaching her clawed hand inside of her robes and extracting a wriggling insectile monster the size of your fist that looks around blankly with burning red eyes. It squeaks in protest, before Gremory runs the side of a talon under its 'chin' as though she was petting it, and it begins to calm enough for her to put it away again.

"That's pretty damn useful. Can you do it with ANY monster?" Ramza asks, seemingly more interested in that than the previous reveal.

"No, not any...smaller, weaker ones are easier to make docile. And easier to care for with limited Ethers to go around. It is only possible because we lack any desire to consume each other's essence." She explains.

"Do Demons ever fight each other, or monsters, regardless of that?" You ask.

"On occasion. Ritual demons know of the myriad uses for monster parts, and can harvest their amalgam in times of need. But fights between Demon and Demon are rarer, usually only occurring if a grudge is formed during their interactions...or sometimes in the case of a territory dispute. We are already rare creatures, far outnumbered by humans, so it is in our best interests not to attack one another usually. Instincts align on such things in the case of less ce-re-bral members of our species."

"A pity. It would be best for humans if they did." You comment tersely. You take another moment to think, idly chewing on the inside of your lip for a couple of seconds before speaking up once more. "How do you replenish the Soul portion of your amalgam?"

"Some of us take routine trips to the frozen wastes to do so. Others conduct rituals to harvest it from monster Amalgam routinely. But this one knows that to do either is not necessary, as our chakra naturally produces more Amalgam so long as we consume enough of either source. This one believes it is because, as your chakra naturally produces mana, ours produces both mana and soul. The only benefit to glutting one's self on external sources of soul...is to supress one's desire to attack beings made of pure soul, and you would be hard pressed to find one here that has yet to be corrupted."

"Can corruption be reversed?" Gigas pipes up to ask.

"No. At least, not by any means this one is aware of. The process is permanent. As stated before...the waters that flowed within before are not the waters that flow within now. And were you to return the waters from before...they would still never be that which was. The channel has been changed by its passing." She says enigmatically, and unnecessarily poetically in your opinion.

"Alright, so...can you or can you not become a human again, even if you're not the same person?" Gigas asks for clarification, clearly not understanding her point.

"...No." Is her simple response.

"You mentioned that you were a Demon of Water when we first met you. Are there demons for every element of Mana and Soul? Or untyped ones, at all?" You ask next.

"The majority are unbound by the elements, master of none. Ritual Demons are the most likely to use pure versions of the element they wish to attune to in the process of their transformation, and in doing so they gain greater knowledge of the element's nuances. Humans, too, can aspect themselves in such a way - but it provides little benefit to them unless they wish to restrict themselves to one element at the cost of efficacy in others." She sighs out. "This one has never met one attuned to Time or Space, but surely it must exist. Or is at least a possibility in the sea of potential."

"And these elemental demons, what do they generally know? How can you recognize them?" You push for more information, finally digging into some of the more useful information in your opinion. You make sure to file away the fact that you could technically attune yourself to an element if you ever needed to.

"It is difficult to say the depths of their knowledge. This one became aware of two particularly useful artsss considered lost today...Scrying, as you are already familiar with...and Cloning, the art to craft a simulacrum of one's self that connects to thy own senses. Along such, virtually any spell that makes use of Water is easily within my reach." She taps the tips of some of her claws on the metal surface of one of the ship's engines, almost boredly. "I have known a Demon of Lightning to render its opponents incapable of using magic with but a touch. A demon of Wind to take flight to the skies themselves unassisted. A demon of Fire to ignite a foe's mana to consume them in an inferno fueled by their own essence. But I do not assume to have ever known their full capabilities. Just that, in the end...they were not enough."

"I, uh...get the feeling like there's a story behind that. Say, I've got one more question, myself - do you remember what it was to be human? Are you still capable of caring about the people you used to, or is that part of you...just gone?" Gigas asks again. The Demon sighs once more, wearily, and slides down to a sitting position.

"It is time for this part of the bargain, then...very well, this one shall weave for thee a tale. One that you may even find familiar. It should answer thy questions well." Gremory begins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfZznRxRuOE

A long time ago, there was a girl who grew up in a village on the outskirts of Voda's territory. Life was simple, but peaceful. Her family's purpose was to maintain a fish hatchery, a job that the girl took great pride and care in. She had never considered anything in life other than what she already knew, and as she came of age, she was even betrothed to a handsome young man from one of the other local families.

Her future was taken from her on a night that should have been like any other. Gaoth raidships came under the cover of darkness, and the light of fire was what awoke her from her slumber. Men, women, and children alike had been silenced by merciless brigands that proudly bore the emblem of their nation, who complained that the few men who rose up had not been enough of a challenge for their liking. Houses were plundered, and then burnt. The hatchery itself was left destroyed, seemingly for no reason other than to quench their thirst for destruction.

The girl had escaped the same fate as the others by hiding away, too powerless to do anything else but watch as everything she knew was torn away from her. When dawn arrived, and she set out to look through the ruins for any other survivors like herself, she found her would-be husband. Decapitated. Left to rot.

A burning desire for revenge was born within the girl that day. A fire that consumed her every waking moment, a fire that almost seemed to drive her to madness. She vowed she would never be so powerless again, and would do whatever it takes to take her pound of flesh from the ones responsible. She left the ruins of her hometown, set upon a journey that would lead to nothing...but sin.

She journeyed to the lands of Lume first, where she met a man that held in his eyes the very same fire that rested within her. He was a Formist priest that lost his faith from an act much like hers, and taught her everything he knew of magic and scripture. Together, they had set out towards Eldingar, where they met a woman that contained a fury they knew all too well. She was a performer that learned to dance with swords, and taught her fellow woman how to handle blades. They had thought themselves ready, and made their way to Gaoth to strike back...

On the journey there, they met another man, one who held a familiar fire in him. A Fury deep within him. A madness in his eyes. She understood him most of all. He was a soldier of Gaoth who refused to do as ordered, and was forced to watch his entire family executed for his treason. He bore old scars that burdened him terribly, wounds that could hardly be healed correctly now. And he told them, in no uncertain terms, that they were all weak.

They knew it as well. They understood that four people, no matter how skilled, could never hope to topple a nation by themselves. So the Priest devised a plan, one to elevate them far beyond what they were initially capable of. They worked together to devise a ritual of profane nature, one which would give them all the power they could possibly need to exact their vengeance. On a terrible night, the Four Demons were born. The Demon of Fire. The Demon of Lightning. The Demon of Wind. And the Demon of Water.

The four demons arrived in the dead of the night at a city known as Typhon. It was formed on the back of a massive sky-turtle, and would soar through the skies as a mobile fortress - a testament built to demonstrate the power of the Gaoth. By the time that dawn came, there was not even one single survivor in that city. Not even the beast upon which the city was built was spared.

The four demons visited such wrath upon eight other cities over the course of three years, a time of terror in which every Gaoth lived in fear that their home would be next. When the demons finally carved their way through to the capital city, the wise king of the time knew of their arrival. At the start of their tenth massacre, he approached them and challenged them to individual combat for the right to save his people.

The demon of Wind stepped forth, and fought with the King of old for three hours straight. It was a legendary event, but eventually the demon dealt a fatal blow to the king with his knives of cutting wind, an invisible blow dealt at the same moment that the king decapitated the demon. With the Demon of Wind dead, the other Demons howled in anguish, and resumed the slaughter - or at least they intended to.

The full might of Gaoth was brought to bear on them, and with the Demon of Wind gone the Demons were at a far more significant disadvantage than they knew. The Demon of Wind had been the one to assassinate the strongest forces wherever they went, the one to redirect all that the Gaoth fired upon them. The next to fall was the Demon of Lightning, the forces of man focusing upon the one who would heal its comrades most readily. Finally, the Demon of Fire fell, eventually unable to purge the baneful venoms of the Gaoth.

The Demon of Water was felled - only for it to be revealed that it was not truly present at all. What was slain was a mere copy, manifested and maintained remotely by the cleverest of the four. Some say that the demon watches even now, waiting for the moment when Gaoth lets its guard down once more. But in truth, the Demon of Water had learned a most valuable lesson - that even a lion can be felled by a thousand ants. The fires of vengeance have been quenched by the blood of her comrades.

Though she will never forget her reason for committing the ultimate taboo, she too will never forget that slaughter begets slaughter...and that none can stand against the might of humanity by their lonesome.

One tale later...
You...feel conflicted. Her story resonates with yours, yet she is among the kind that set you on your path today. How the hell are you supposed to feel about this? You hate it. You hate her, but at the same time...you're not sure if you actually want to. If you had been in her shoes, wouldn't you have taken the same path? To do anything you need to acquire the power to exact your vengeance? Hell, isn't that exactly the path you're on right now?

You look over to Ramza and Gigas, before shaking your head silently to yourself. No, you're not on the same path. Her friends were all like her...a group of zealots in the end, pushing themselves forwards endlessly. But Gigas and Ramza aren't like that, they wouldn't do that. If they saw you going too far, they'd stop you - you know they would. You're just not sure if you should be grateful or resentful of the fact. What a bitter pill to swallow, to think a Demon would make you feel this way.

Through a tight throat, you speak up. "That explains a lot. But let's get back on track - your life's story isn't our main focus here. I still have...a few more questions." You pause, clearing your throat to try to loosen the damned thing. "The core. Do you, or demons in general, have a different understanding of it than we do?"

Gremory shifts, looking up as though she was able to peer through the metal and wood of the ship to glance skyward. Perhaps she can - you have no idea. "It calls to us. A strange allure we can never fulfil. A subtle call, quite unlike the drive to consume, one I'm not sure that Monsters are capable of feeling...it's like a promise whispered in this one'sss ear. A promise of something better. Perhaps it's simply the call of the afterlife, hoping to purify our tainted essence, as the Formists would say. But, alas...the pressure would kill us long before we could reach it, just as it would you."

"Like bugs to a lantern." Gigas snorts. "Strange thing to think about!"

Ramza snaps his fingers. "That actually helped me think of a question too. We’ve heard about an attempt to put a new Pillar into the Core, to pull out unaligned mana. If that were to freely proliferate, how would that interact with demons and soul magic in general?"

Gremory visibly stiffens, claws seeming to extend a little further than usual. "The artificial spire...thisss one has heard of it...and no good will come of it. An ill wind blows wherever the Other goes. For what reason, this one cannot imagine. But know this: The spire must not be completed lest Apocalypse reign."

>Any further questions?
>If you have no further questions, or if you feel like including it in your question list, then include anything you might want to buy! From either Gremory, or from local merchants. The shopping list can be located at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mP8FBy2Cl_FY30LQWOmXd71QDq6q5GMssX1CjCQghTk/edit#gid=0 for your convenience. You have a whopping 16,700 Gold to spend.

File: Lume Beetle.jpg (51 KB, 736x736)

51 KB JPG

>>5952707
Dropped the picture of him. The beetle!

>>5952711
>No further questions

Shopping honestly isn't my forte, but if we don't have perpetual wind in the sails of our main ship, I say we get it, some ether, and a top-tier spellbook for Val to study (and a catalyst for the other two. Anyone else got better ideas?

>>5952711
Last question, I guess.
>Has she ever considered distilling her own ethers? If we did, would she be willing to trade them for credit at her shop?

I’m not great at purchases either. The perpetual wind and armor ship examples are good, and the spellbooks are always nice. I’d also take an advanced water spellbook if she’s written it and could include the Clone spell. Scrying is a service she charges for so I don’t think she’ll be undercut by teaching that.

I’m wondering if she can imbue Scrying into a weapon indirectly. Have the scrying spell be “what is best time to fire this weapon within the next second” and have it tied to a sheet of water that is part of the trigger system somehow. I doubt it’s something she can do, but it might be fun to experiment with.

Shopping list
>Tier 1 ship-grade elements of every type - 2k
>Tier 2 light armor for our everyone with a -1 to the malus (no penalty as a result) - 2k
>Advanced spellbook (water, cloning spell requested) - 2k
> Tier 1 weapons (if we don’t already have them) - 600
>Tier 2 ship weapons and armor (light armor with -1 malus) - 4k
>Skill training (Alchemy, or whatever else would let us craft basic consumables like Mending Sap and Ethers) - 1k+?
>5 of the basic 3 consumables - 750
>Total - 11.75k to 12.35k+

>>5953218
+1

>>5952839
>>5953218
>>5953391
"Deeply concerning, but it answers all of my most pressing questions." You say, finding yourself once more chewing on the interior of your cheek in thought. Gremory's way of speaking irritates you to no end, as many of the terms she uses lack meaning to you but likely make perfect sense to her. You can't tell when she's speaking metaphorically or referencing specific concepts and entities. At least the general idea gets through - it seemed perfectly clear that she believes the Artificial Spire project is bad news for everyone.

"I only really have one last question, myself." Ramza speaks up next. "Have you ever considered distilling your own ethers? And if we did it, would you be willing to trade them for credit at your shop?"

"It is a...difficult process, without the right equipment. Equipment that none would be willing to sell to one such as myself. But if you have Ethers to sell, thisss one would buy them, for gold or...'credit'." The demonic merchant replies. "And speaking of business...are any of thee interested in my wares at the moment?"

One shopping spree later.

You take stock of everything you purchased today. Only a small portion of it was from Gremory, but Ramza had sent you off to find certain goods he was interested in from other merchants with a wider variety of stock. You made sure to look around for the best mixture of quality and price, as you're certain there's many charlatans and swindlers in a place like this that would fleece you without a second thought if you went for pure quality or pure price.

The easiest thing to get was a proper weapon for Gigas, so that he could avoid the issue he faced with an enemy that would damage him by touching it with his bare skin. It actually tied in nicely with your visit to an armorer, where you purchased some thin and flexible drakescale underclothes for all three of you that should provide some excellent protection without hindering your movements too much. And for Gigas specifically, a set of steel gauntlets would protect his flesh when he was busy brutalizing his enemies.

You also picked up a healthy amount of Mending Sap, Healing Honey, and Purging Peppers should an event ever come up where you might need any of them. Honestly, it might be too little with how much you know Captain Valentine likes to abuse Healing Honey to ease the pains of a hangover, but...well, you can always try to dissuade him from using a valuable resource like that by offering to use your magic instead.

The majority of your time had been spent inside the bustling Shipwright's guild, negotiating with the company's managers and flashing a bit of money when necessary in order to keep interests held appropriately. You managed to get a quote on a project to outfit one of the ships with a layer of Aerosteel armor and equipped with either a Long-range Harpoon Gun or a Culverin-type Cannon, both being roughly the same price. It would run about four grand and take about three days to complete the installation, assuming they have unrestricted access to the ship during that time. You wonder if you could cut down that time by lending a hand to the process, but...well, you should probably run that by Ramza first, as he might need you elsewhere over the next few days.

As luck would have it, the Shipwright's guild also had access to plenty of ship-grade catalysts, so you secured one of each. Each ship, at least for ships of your size, can only really be outfitted with a single catalyst at a time...but that doesn't mean there's no use in having them on hand regardless. Swapping them when needed would be a fairly simple process, and you would have some flexibility in mixing and matching which ship had which catalyst on hand.

Ramza also wanted you to look about for someone who could augment your group's knowledge of synthesis, which lead you BACK to the merchant you purchased all those consumable goods from to inquire about such things. Apparently he could indeed set you up with his supplier to try to learn from them, but the internship process can take a troubling amount of time that you simply don't have right now. You expect to be striking out at Felippe sometime within this or the next week, and something in your gut tells you that Threespice stands a good chance of not being particularly welcome for a while once that happens.

The last thing you got was after you returned back to the ship with the portion of your haul that was actually portable. A spellbook from Gremory - one written by her own hand - which she'd apparently made quite some time ago and detailed her abundant knowledge on the advanced applications of Water magic. Per your request, it apparently contained the knowledge required to cast the Clone spell, but she warns you that such magic is beyond the level of most, and only the most dedicated spellcasters can hope to utilize it with any amount of efficacy.

You spent a good amount of time after that just sitting by idly and listening to Ramza and Gigas shoot the shit with each other, only occasionally interjecting with something when you felt it was important in some way. With the skies now dark and the Core pulsing with a gentle blue light, Gremory has shut herself into one of the rooms that she has claimed as her own. Few people walk the docks anymore, but as you stand on the deck besides your comrades, you can see a familiar silhouette making his way across the wooden structure and heading towards the ship. The Flame of Arcadia specifically, as your group seems to have made it the de-facto mainship for now.

"Lobo! Welcome aboard." Ramza exclaims, spreading his arms wide as he greets the older pirate.

Lobo himself gives an impressed whistle as he looks around at the excellently restored work. "Damn, this is a fine ass yacht. What rich guy did you steal it off of?"

"No theft, just abiding by the finder's keeper rule! Promise." Ramza grins cheekily, patting the siderail. "The old owners got eaten by a real nasty monster, so we opted to take it with us and fix it up after dealing with that little problem."

"Damn, that's lucky. Not for the previous guys, I guess, but still! It's not every day you come across a free ship. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are those Eldingarian thrusters I saw attached near the bottom?" Lobo asks. Ramza looks to you for an answer, and you nod confidently.

"Yes. It lacks a traditional sail system in favor of jet propulsion. Some engineers actually explained it to me - there's a set of blades inside that start to blow air into a chamber fast enough to compress the gas. Then, aerosolized mana is introduced into the system, which activates a runic array that ignites the mix and produces far greater amounts of thrust than a ship is typically capable of." You explain. "But there are some emergency microsails that can be deployed if we run out of fuel."

"Yeah, that shit went straight over my head." Lobo admits, mimicking the motion of something sailing over him. "I'm not built for that kind of stuff."

"You and me both, brother." Gigas laughs off to the side, his arms crossed as he leans up against the railing.

"So, let's get down to business. You have that list of potential recruits, I'm hoping? We've got two ships to fill out. The Gleamrunner, which is an ultralight, and this one which is a midweight ship. I think she classifies as a superyacht, but I've never been clear on the differences." Ramza speaks up.

"It is." You clarify for him.

"Righto. So, first thing's first, if you're working with Eldingarian tech you're gonna want a trained engineer onboard. All of the ones in Threespice at the moment just came in not too long ago aboard The Leviathan, and while they're guaranteed to be damn well trained, they're going to be the hardest ones to convince to abandon their posts and risk being wanted by their homeland for desertion. I did find out, however, that there was supposed to be a group of independents that were coming to sell some of their inventions...they were meant to arrive about four days ago, but haven't yet for some reason. With any luck, you could find 'em somewhere along their route and see if they'd be willing to come aboard. Knowing Lume, they probably either got delayed by monsters or, you know, pirates." Lobo lays out the options for you.

"If you try to recruit Lieutenant Hara for the reasons I know you're thinking of I'm going to throw you overboard, Captain." You warn Ramza. "I don't think we'd want the kind of heat that comes with recruiting deserters."

"Pssh, what do you know? If it adds to our infamy, all the better, I say." Ramza proclaims. "But...you do raise a point, too much heat too fast is a recipe for disaster. We're not exactly the most well equipped pirates out there."

"I'd win regardless." Gigas claims, flexing his biceps and kissing one of them. "None can defeat Gigas. Not even an army!"

"I guess the moral of a certain story didn't really stick with you." You say while rolling your eyes.

Lobo chuckles at the antics, shaking his head. "Next on the priorities would be a Carpenter, to make GOOD repairs on all of the woodwork around here. No need for choices on this one, because I only know one that I'd personally rely on that's looking for a new crew - Doric of Gaoth. A gruff old fucker, but as experienced with wood as they come, and more than capable of performing all other regular duties on a ship."

"Damn it, an old man? Lobo, are there ANY hot chicks on your list?" Ramza gripes.

"It's not a very popular profession among females. Ridiculous, I know! We need to attract more women to the industry somehow, but that's a problem for later. Women though, uhhh..." Lobo pauses, pulling out a leather booklet and flipping through it. "Ah! Sari Firebrand, one of the locals. She's a Shipwitch, which is kind of an outdated profession. Basically, she specializes in controlling the flow of mana through a ship's catalyst, using it to cast larger-scaled spells centered on the ship itself. Used to be a lot more common before Eldingarian Wonders started cropping up."

"She's in." Ramza says immediately. Damn it, Ramza. You horny motherfucker.

After that, Lobo starts to list off a wide variety of potential crewmen specialized in different roles, all of them trustworthy according to him. The only one to really surprise you on Lobo's list was the inclusion of Harrison, the dockworker that initially greeted you all - supposedly he has a great number of contacts due to the nature of his job, and he's particularly skilled at handling paperwork and acquiring forgeries. There's a good amount to choose from for the rest, but the three of you work through the list, weighing the pros and cons of all of them together and ultimately coming up with a fine selection of individuals to bring on board.

>Your group decided to attempt to poach Engineers from the Leviathan.
>Your group decided to seek out the independent engineers and try to find them somewhere along their route.

As far as certain other choices mentioned earlier go...
>You bought a tier 2 long-ranged harpoon for the ship.
>You bought a tier 2 culverin-type cannon for the ship.

>>5953712

Wew, just caught up.

>Your group decided to seek out the independent engineers and try to find them somewhere along their route.

>You bought a tier 2 long-ranged harpoon for the ship.

Harpoon has better strategic use, I think

>>5953712
Supporting >>5953733

>>5952709
Qm I have a question
>Left to rot
body does not turn into mana and go back in the core?

>>5953712
>Your group decided to attempt to poach Engineers from the Leviathan.
>Hara get Ramza not gonna want that one to get away.

>You bought a tier 2 long-ranged harpoon for the ship.

I'm fine if we fail but ramza would at least shoot his shot.

Plus think all the info she could give us

>>5953712
>>5953733
Supporting, but I’ll add
>Track down Hara and see if she or her team know of any already-loose Eldingarians that may be looking for a good home.
We don’t need to steal someone from the Admiral’s ship, but I’d assume a crew that large has people who have friends or family that could go with us instead. They may be keeping their heads down in other cities on account of being deserters/disgraced, but they become sidequests for another time!

I’d vote for Val to handle it. Ramza is objectively better at social stuff, but it’d be more amusing for Val to put his foot down for the safety of the ship and Ramza to eventually agree.

Unrelated, I’ve had the idea of eventually turning the ship into a ram. Armor up the front, enhance the jets, and use it to smash into other ships and release pirates deep inside. But that’d need to wait until we got bigger ships to sail and we could afford to have this one used solely for boarding actions.

>>5953712
>Your group decided to seek out the independent engineers and try to find them somewhere along their route.

Unless
>We explicitely poach Hara and turn Ramza from El Seductor to a wannabe seductor that married the first girl he shagged.

>>5953770
In this case, the bodies of the slain were magically stabilized to enable people to identify the deceased, rather than wondering if they were just alive but missing. Gaoth raiding parties are exceptionally brutal, but they do still try to have some amount of honor.
It helps that it also hammers in the image of their might just a bit more.

Terribly sorry for the lack of today's update lads, I haven't been feeling well for the past two days! I've got part of it written out, but I feel like I could do better on it. Don't want to push out a low quality update. Thanks for your patience as always!

>>5954036
Having a partner with a better grasp of technical details would probably be good for him, but I don’t think he’ll be corralled that easily. But he does have a preference for Eldingarian women so it’s not out of the auestion.

Give him time for several other women to kick his teeth in and I could swing towards having him find someone who keeps his worst impulses in check.

>>5954455
No worries, bad days happen! I’m not doing so hot either, so I feel your pain.

>>5953733
>>5953737
>>5953958
>>5953971
>>5954036
>Your group decided to seek out the independent engineers and try to find them somewhere along their route.
>You bought a tier 2 long-ranged harpoon for the ship.

While the majority of the crew that would be recruited into Trinity was an easy decision to make, you did have a struggle convincing Ramza to go with the independent engineers. In the end, you had to make a concession to get him to accept the decision - and it's a fairly logical one anyways, so can't say you're exactly disappointed. You'd try to track down Lieutenant Hara again, due to her 'positive relationship' with the crew, and see if she knew any non-enlisted Eldingarians looking to join up with a crew like yours.

Once that business was settled, Ramza ended up inviting Lobo to relax with the crew for a while. Naturally, this ended up with Lobo pulling out a large bottle of rum and offering to pour some for all of you. Gigas and your captain accepted quite readily, and while you tried to initially deny it so that at least ONE of you would have a clear head throughout the night, you eventually relented to their constant pressuring. That's how you ultimately ended up sitting in the Flame of Arcadia's lounge area, sitting across from the other three men and watching the world lightly swirl around you while everyone exchanges stories.

"That- that captain of yours, Sparrow, he's the funniest bastard I ever met." Lobo stumbles over his words a bit. "You know he could shoot up the ranks if he wanted to? He's not the 69th most wanted pirate by sheer luck. Yeah, he's in a fierce competition with Robin and Swallow for it. They sabotage each other to make them raise or drop in ranks whenever possible so they can keep gunning for the spot."

"All that work for a spot that isn't even number one, what a dumbass!" Ramza laughs, slamming back a shot of rum soon after. "If he was me- fuckin, if I was him, I'd be number one forever. And that's what I'm gonna be! Gaoth...Gaoth ain't nothin compared to me. I'll make Gaoth look small time."

"That's some pretty big talk for someone that can't even hold their liquor." Lobo taunts him with a cheeky grin on his face. "How do you plan to do that?"

"I wonder this as well...after all, you would have to beat the mighty Gigas to claim the number one spot from him. After all, it belongs to the STRONGEST." Your brutish friend proclaims, showing no sign of the drink affecting him whatsoever.

"You watch it, Gigas, or I'll have you keelhauled for mutinous declarations!" Ramza threatens in an entirely unserious manner, only making Gigas laugh in response. "And it's VERY simple. I'll just go through the list...and make 'em all work for me, even up to the tippy top. One way or another. You'll see!"

"You're going to make the Gilded Reaper work for you? The NUMBER ONE most wanted pirate still alive? The guy who's responsible for the most daring raids of all time and never bothers with anything other than the most difficult and high-profile jobs? The guy who, need I remind you, nobody even knows the true identity of?" Lobo asks with clear disbelief.

"That's the one." Ramza shoots him with a finger-gun, clicking his tongue as he does so. "All I gotta do is give him an offer he can't refuse. As soon as I figure out what the hell that would be. And where the hell he is. And who the hell he is."

"I mean, I know where he is." Lobo states. Your eyebrows raise up curiously.

"You do?" You ask.

"Yeah. About three months ago he made one of the Merchant King's personal vaults disappear. Poof, right under everyone's noses. Nobody knows how he did it at all. But he left plenty of evidence that it was him. My boys tell me he headed up towards Eldingar after that, going along a route that cuts through Voda. Knowing him though, that's fake as shit - he definitely decided to cut through Gaoth lands." Lobo claims.

"Oh. That's what all that was about." You vaguely recall hearing about some kind of insane theft, but you were pretty absorbed in practicing down at the gunrange in Ship's Haven back then, so it slipped your mind until now. "Which Merchant King was it?"

"Domino. You're probably familiar with his work, he's got an iron grip on food production around Lume. Second worst merchant king after Felippe, in my opinion. He's gotten a bit better after his brush with G.R. though, probably got the fear of the reaper struck into him, gyahah!" Lobo chuckles, before trying to put back a shot and briefly choking on it. He goes into a coughing fit that almost makes you laugh yourself.

"Say, Lobo, you seem to know everyone around here. Have you ever seen me before, by any chance?" Gigas asks once Lobo's cleared his lungs, leaning forward expectantly.

"You mean outside of today?" Lobo asks, Gigas nodding. "Not at all, buddy. You're one of those rare new faces for me. Why do you ask?"

"Gigas lost his memories as a result of a monster attack." You explain for him. "Keats picked him up, patched him up, and had him join the crew. We don't really know anything about his past, as Gigas is just a moniker we came up with him owing to his size and strength."

"That's fuckin' rough. What the hell? Fuckin' monsters." Lobo scrunches his face up like he just tasted something bitter. "If it ain't soldiers mucking shit up for people, it's monsters. Hell of a world we live in, man. But nah, I've never seen you, Big G. But I can always ask around, see if any of my boys have encountered a fuckin' giant with a goofy ass smile before."

"I appreciate it!" Gigas slaps Lobo on the back, sending him back into a coughing fit. "Uh, sorry."

Idle chatter fills the rest of the night, merriment shared between kindred souls. Times like this make you wish you were more social and offered more than a handful of words at a time, but at the same time, you're content to be the one who watches. You much prefer it over trying to wrestle for the limelight with naturalborn showoffs like Ramza and Gigas - not that you disparage them for it, of course. If anything, their beaming personalities takes a lot of attention off of you, which you're more than thankful for.

Having been the only one to drink in moderation that night, it was your duty to put everyone to bed once they ended up too drunk to get there without slamming into walls. Gigas was easy, because although his thinking was clearly impaired, he still had a surprising amount of coordination - you just convinced him to go tell you what color the bedsheets were in his room. You dragged Lobo over to one of the many unfilled bedrooms aboard the ship and, as is the right of those in your role, punished him by using charcoal to give him a fake black eye and used just a tiny bit of mending sap to glue his sleeves together. A classic.

Ramza was, unlike Lobo, still half-awake at that point, in a delirious drunken haze. You had to walk him to his quarters with an arm supporting him, but at least you didn't have to fully drag him. As you tucked your captain into bed, he speaks up, saying something...quite strange.

"I'm not- I'm not like that, Val. I don't shee you that way. Okay? I jusht thought you were Celia the last time. You're NOT pretty." He says nonsensically.

"Ramza, what the fuck are you talking about?" You ask him.

"Celia told me that I was hitting on you the last time I got drunk. But it wash a honesht mishtake." He slurs.

"I think she was just fucking with you, buddy." You say, a rare laugh actually escaping from you. "Nah, last time you got drunk you just kept asking me to shoot shit off of your head." You tell him the truth. Not that he'll remember this tomorrow.

"Oh...daaaaaaamn..." He says, slowly passing out in the middle of speaking.

The next day...

After doing your rounds of healing people of their hangovers, with nobody save for you really recalling the events of the night once the heavier drinking started up, Lobo departs with a grumble and some torn sleeves. Ramza gathers you and Gigas together to make a gameplan to tackle the day, and in doing so you remind them that the Flame of Arcadia will be out of commission for today and two more days after such while it undergoes upgrades.

>Raid what you can of Stillwater's stashes. The early bird catches the worm.
>Spend some time reviewing Stillwater's Memoreel. Preparation is key.
>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.
>Meet with and recruit people from the list that Lobo gave you, to fill out your roster before doing anything else.
>Head to the Archives, where Lobo's dirt on Felippe is kept. You could probably also check out some other books while you're there.
>Spend some time reading one of your books. (Which one?)
>Write-in!

As an aside, which Ship Catalyst do you want installed in each ship? Those are very quick and easy to slot in. You could have Wind in the Gleamrunner and Fire in the Flame of Arcadia, for example. Or none in one and just pile them all up in a different ship so you can swap between all four whenever you want for that one ship.

>>5955164
>Meet with and recruit people from the list that Lobo gave you, to fill out your roster before doing anything else.
More people means more hands to do more work. Action economy! We can start with the dockworker Harrison since he may know some of the others and can help us cover more ground.

>Raid what you can of Stillwater's stashes. The early bird catches the worm.
I assume Val and Gigas can do this while Ramza recruits. Though we should meet up before he goes to recruit the shipwitch for both the obvious Ramza-related reason and since Val probably has a bit more to talk about with her professionally due to his magical and technical inclination. Assuming she’s into that sort of thing.

Head out on the Gleamrunner next with a wind crystal and some crew maybe?

>Wind for Gleamrunner, Fire for Flame of Arcadia, others in FoA
Make the scout the speedy boi, and while it’s a tossup on whether the magnetic or airborne contaminant protection is better I’d lean purification is better for the initial trip out.

>>5955164
>>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.

>Wind in the Gleamrunner and Fire in the Flame of Arcadia

>>5955200

I support all this

>>5955164
>Raid what you can of Stillwater's stashes. The early bird catches the worm.
Ramza and Gigas can do this.

>Spend some time reviewing Stillwater's Memoreel. Preparation is key.
Val should be good at this.

If we have time, we can then regroup, and we can then...
>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.

>>5955164
>>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.

>>5955268
>>5955164
>support

Rolled 3 (1d3)

You lads ever sleep for nearly 15 hours?
>>5955200
>>5955256
>Ramza recruits, Gigas and Val raid stashes
>>5955227
>>5955704
Gleamrunner time
>>5955268
>>5956148
>Ramza and Gigas raid stashes, Val reviews memoreel

By the will of allah, we have tied. I will leave the result of this up to the dice.

>>5956386
Allah be praised, for I have been chosen.

>>5956386
I’ve gone about 22 or 23 when I returned from a summer camp back when I was a kid. I was confused when I woke up since the sun seemed a little higher in the sky than I remembered when going to bed.

I was then really upset to learn I had slept practically an entire Sunday away. I wanted to relax before heading back to school, damn it!

>>5956425
All hail the new prophet, for they have been chosen to lead our people into committing theft against thieves and learning from our enemies.

File: a24.jpg (68 KB, 658x583)

68 KB JPG

Sorry about the silence there. After my last post I developed a massive migraine that put me down for the day. I thought it went away a few hours ago but it's coming in and out in waves now for some reason. Very strange, but I should hopefully be good to write and post tomorrow.
I swear that one day I'm going to sink some points into my Guts score and have a better physical constitution than a sickly coal miner's son who developed black lung at the ripe old age of 7.

If you happen to be bored while waiting for Lodestar to update, then try some of my recommended quests, such as: Versequest, Gotham City Beat Cop, Naruto Feeling Blue, Cyberpunk, Humanity Fuck Yeah, Disappearing Hogwarts, and Berserk. Or just play some kino vidyagames instead, I'm not your dad (and they can never prove otherwise).

>>5957732
No worries hope you feel better bruv. Breton knight quest is lit. So is the halo one.

>>5957732
>My quest not among the recommended ones

It's over, /Qst/ers. I didn't made it as a QM. Will I ever?

>>5957769
What's your quest? I just selected a handful of random ones that I'm currently up to date on.

>>5957732
You might want to visit a doctor

>>5957770
I won't shill here and there; don't worry about that, worry about getting better.

>>5957732
This has been a bad year for QMs getting super sick... Feel better soon, bud!

>>5957769
Neither Bananas nor GrandDragon are on the list, despite being prolific. You'll be fine.

>>5957923
Drop your qst bruv. I'm reading so many I lose count. Bet I'm in your thread senpai.

>>5958058
It was me all along!
Mastering >>5917974 and >>5930179 right now

>>5958132
I recognize that name!

>>5958132
>I read neither of these
It's so unbelievably over, dragonbros...

File: DualityOfQst.png (333 KB, 1190x1188)

333 KB PNG

>>5958165
Hello Archivebro! I might have joined this one because of your review.
>>5958248
Picrel.

>>5958440
Glad to see those are working! I do try to stick around long enough to leave a vote on all the quests I review as well. This is one of the stickier quests for me personally, I like my fantasy adventure quests and the dice system is a nice change of pace.

Though it does remind me constantly that I need to catch back up on the MHA quest from Present Mic that the QM mentioned it was pulled from. I haven’t watched much of MHA so it got harder to follow anons as time went on, and the MC’s social awkwardness can be a gut punch sometimes.

File: 79444dffab054439d11a17fcb(...).jpg (63 KB, 564x677)

63 KB JPG

>>5955200
>>5955227
>>5955256
>>5955268
>>5955704
>>5956148
After a bit of back and forth discussion, your team decided to actually split up in order to accomplish today's goals quicker, the thought of the looming unknown time for when the Guards would want to move against Felippe no doubt picking at everyone's brains. It's definitely picking at yours, at the very least. You don't like unknowns like that, not knowing how long you have to prepare before you'll have to move.

Ramza and Gigas would be busy liberating the loot caches that Stillwater spilled the beans on, while you were to remain behind on the ship to both oversee the initial installation of the upgrades and to review the Memoreel. They must have figured that you would be the best choice for such a thing given your minor obsession with the ways of magic, and while they're probably right, you didn't bother to tell them that you've never actually used a Memoreel before. You only know how to use it theoretically.

You hold the small golden orb in your hand, peering into it curiously, as the shipwrights of the day finish depositing the materials they need on the deck. A duo of workers pick up a sheet of aerosteel together and, at the direction of their foreman, move it into place against the walls of one of the cabin. While the sounds of hammering starts up, you turn the orb over few times, a cool breeze picking up and making the tails of your coat whip around.

'Here goes nothing.' You think to yourself, as you channel a small amount of your mana into the orb. Outside sensations begin to fade, the sounds of work dulling and the cold caress of wind on your face dwindling to nothing despite the fact that you're certain it's still there. You begin to see without seeing, a different picture of the world appearing in your mind's eye, much like a particularly potent daydream that one gets occasionally lost in.

In this waking dream, you imagine yourself to be Jerome Stillwater. You can tell intuitively that while you're in this state, if you think about something that Jerome would know and would have allowed the Memoreel to store, you would be able to 'remember' it clearly. So you start with the Countess, thinking about what Jerome knows about her...starting with her appearance, since you never actually got that information.

She's quite attractive, and the image of her bathing in an all-too-luxurious tub at her estate only serves to solidify it. Water flows over her flawless skin and down an ample chest, drawing Jerome's eyes to all the right places as he leers from his hiding spot outside. His hand reaches down and-

File: Nocturne Kamei.png (708 KB, 725x1120)

708 KB PNG

Your eye twitches in the real world and your jaw clenches. You forcefully think of things that Stillwater could use AGAINST her instead of this lecherous filth. The image in your mind's eye shifts to a letter in Jerome's hands. It's a love letter to the Countess, simply one of many belonging to the countless suitors she has. You idly note that it's written in an elegant hand, which Jerome thinks is the mark of pretentiousness.

What's special about this, and some of the others that Jerome intercepted in the past, is that it belongs to a powerful man. A powerful married man, to be specific. It's leverage she can use against them...but leverage that Jerome could use against her as well, by threatening to destroy the connections that keep her powerful. A large-scale scandal involving all of men she has wrapped around her fingers would positively ruin her, and very well could end up with her in the streets.

Jerome doesn't use this information yet, of course. He knows that as long as Felippe is around, he would only stand to suffer should Felippe learn that he's behind one of his connections taking such a hard hit. No, he'd just have to save this information for later, insurance in case he ever needs to stop the bitch from doing something stupid that would affect his own bottom line. And maybe a little bit of blackmail for a fun time or two.

It seems like that's the extent of his knowledge on what he could use against her, as he didn't want to be caught from prying into things too much. Jerome seemed to think that as long as you had one good piece of dirt on someone, it wasn't worth digging for more - the risk started to vastly outweigh the benefit at that point as far as he was concerned. With that in mind, you shifted your thoughts to focus on Nocturne Kamei next.

You're in Jerome's shoes again as he's mixing himself a drink at his personal bar, the one located at his old safehouse. A tiny flicker of a thought, not one born from the current moment, informs you that he had to switch to a new safehouse after this just to sleep well at night. The 'current' Jerome knows nothing about this, of course, continues to craft a Whiskey Sour to enjoy the night with - his favorite drink.

With it made, he walks out from behind the bar and goes to sit in his favorite cushioned chair by the fireplace, propping his feet up and knocking back the drink with a contented sigh. A sultry feminine voice speaks up from behind the bar he was just at, entirely unexpected and causing him to choke on his drink the moment he hears it.

"It's poor form not to make a drink for your guest, Jerome." Nocturne chides him in a way that seems both teasing and dangerous.

"Who the f-" Jerome tries to say, before a spike of pain goes through both him and YOU as you review the memory. Thankfully for you, it's only the idea of that pain, nothing that you can truly feel - your brain tells you that it should hurt more than it actually does.

This pain seems to be radiating from his hand, which now has the same knife he cut the lemon with impaled through it and the glass. It apparently hurts him so much that he can't even manage a scream for the first few seconds, his throat and tongue tightening up as a visceral response.

"Tsk tsk, Jerome! Didn't your parents ever teach you some manners?" Nocturne walks into view, bearing sharp Eldingarian features with almost snakelike eyes and wearing a form-fitting outfit that leaves little to the imagination. Jerome's in too much pain to recognize it, but you have to admit that she wears it well. You are left wondering where she would keep her weapons, though.

That's question remains unanswered as she seemingly brandishes a needle the length of her own hand and stalks forward, to press it up against the panicking Jerome. Looks like he couldn't tell where it came from either, just that it appeared in her hands suddenly and without warning.

"My parents told me that it was rude to look into people when they don't want you to. Do I look like the kind of person that tolerates rudeness, Jerome?" Nocturne asks him, and Jerome shakes his head quickly and violently. "Then you understand what I'm going to do to you if I catch you trying to find out aaaanything else about me, right?" She follows up, and he nods his head just as fast.

"I-I'm sorry! I really am!" He says, and she pats his cheek with her free hand.

"I know you are. Just remember your place and we won't have any more trouble, alright? You do your job, and I'll do mine. As long as it stays that way, we'll both be happy! Oh, and I hope you'll do the right thing and take what you learned out of that little Memoreel you've got sitting in your chest. I'll know if you don't, and I might just have to come back and edit it myself if that happens." She threatens him with an unfittingly cheery tone, applying a bit more pressure with the needle to prick the skin and cause a bit of bleeding on his neck.

"I promise! I...promise..." Jerome says, a strange sense of vertigo overcoming him and you both as he starts to feel suddenly tired. Within moments, he seems to pass out, and that memory ends.

It's pretty obvious to you that he only kept the memory of her threatening him, and did as she instructed in deleting whatever else he might have learned about her. Frustrating, to say the least...but it did give you hopefully valuable information on what she looks like, and of some of her capabilities. Not to mention the pecularities of her personality. She strikes you as the kind of person that has plans to kill everyone they meet and wouldn't shed a tear for any of them.

You stop the flow of mana into the Memoreel and feel your normal senses returning to you. It goes a bit faster than when they were fading away, and you can tell that you spent a surprising amount of time here - it's been at least thirty minutes since you started delving into the orb's contents. Ramza and Gigas aren't back yet, though, so you seem to have a bit of free time for yourself...and you're not really all that content to sit and watch people nailing plates and drilling holes into the ship.

>Help out with the upgrades until your comrades return, you might learn a thing or two about a shipwright's duties in the process.
>Kill some time reading one of your spellbooks.
>Try to review the Memoreel a little bit deeper in your quarters, maybe see if there's any way to restore what Stillwater edited out.
>Head out to the Archives, you're certain that Ramza and Gigas will hit that place up by the end of their stash-raiding.
>Write-in?

Thank you all for your patience! Sorry this took so long, the QM curse truly is real. And it seems to operate on a per-thread basis sometimes.

>>5958610
Was the location of the letter not specified?

>Help out with the upgrades until your comrades return, you might learn a thing or two about a shipwright's duties in the process.
Torn between magic and making a crewmember more experienced in ship repairs and refitting.

I can switch to studying spells (second choice) or heading to the archives (third choice) in the event of a tie.

>>5958620
Bundled up with the rest of the things that shouldn't have been in Stillwater's hands inside that one book at the Archives.

>>5958621
Ah.

>>5958610
Alright, I’ll change my vote to vote to
>Head out to the Archives, you're certain that Ramza and Gigas will hit that place up by the end of their stash-raiding.
>Bring the water spellbook with you to read in case you’re early. Easier to blend in if you’re stuck waiting.
then. We can inform them about the importance of the letter and decide if we want to use that leverage to some end of ours today.

>>5958628
Supporting this

>>5958628
>>5958610
>Support.

Uh guys idt ramaza gonna let us destroy the hot countess. We might have to do it for the good of the party.

>find those letters to snitch on the countess. Leak them to the press. Make some flyers post them in some public places. Send a nice letter to all her suitors to meet somewhere. That'll be Hella awkward when 20 dudes all show up to a location.

It needs to be done.

>>5958610
>Try to review the Memoreel a little bit deeper in your quarters, maybe see if there's any way to restore what Stillwater edited out.

>Try not to crush hard on the mysterious dangerous woman
>Fail not to crush hard on the mysterious dangerous woman

>>5958701
I’m debating whether we bring it to Lobo or the Guard. I don’t think the Guard could do much with it legally so I’m leaning Lobo. He’ll have no problem finding someone to use the material before it loses its worth when Silversmith’s operation is swept up.

If he asks why we’re handing it over rather than extorting her ourselves, Val can bluntly admit it’s because she’s attractive and that might get Ramza to lower his guard enough to escape. Can’t go without him either, he’s our best negotiator.

>>5958715
+1

>>5958610

>>5958715
The lady was pretty clear it’d be rude to look into her secrets without her permission! Obviously Val should ask her first. He seems like he’d be fairly polite to a professionally dangerous woman.

>>5958610
An additional vote
> Do not crush on a sadistic psycho killer

>>5958864
One chuuni edgelord deserves another.

>>5958904
You think Val is a chuuni edgelord? Why?

>>5958908
He wears a facemask everywhere and actively hangs out at the edge of parties with his arms crossed, all silent and stoic, so he'll get a reputation for being cool and aloof. He's like that kid who LARPed as Vegeta in his teen years, always goign "hmph" and "tch".
At least that's how I see him ever since he admitted to hamming up his too-cool credentials to Ramza

He's also the serious party member with the dark and tragic backstory.

>>5958913
I was kicking around the idea that Ramza may want to use the ritual Silversmith uses to get her attention to drop a letter asking to discuss rates. We’re more likely to fight her long-term, but can assume that if we’re paying her fairly then whatever we need her help with is really, really dire.


>”Val, Val, Val! I can assure you I have no untoward ideas about getting to know a woman who could rip out my spine with nary a tear in her eye. You said you were into dangerous women, and I adhere by the code! I’m your wingma-urk.”
>Gigas laughs as Val strangles Ramza.

>>5958628
>>5958660
>>5958701
>>5958715
>>5958764
Alright, make a quick roll for me to for some 'light' reading while you wait for the others at the Archive. 7d10! Only one roll.
You can also add up to three Relationship dice (to a total of 10d10) to this if you want to, as it relates to both studying new things and becoming the greatest spellcaster.

Rolled 4, 4, 2, 3, 6, 3, 5 = 27 (7d10)

>>5959911

>>5958628
>>5958660
>>5958701
>>5958715
>>5958764
It doesn't take much thinking to arrive on a plan. You'd go out to the city's Archive and wait for your comrades there, if only to stop them from doing something stupid like ripping up the love letter after deeming it 'useless'. You can definitely, without a doubt, see both of them doing that. Gigas moreso than Ramza, but the point remains.

After a quick stop at your room to grab the highly advanced spellbook on Water magic that you purchased from Gremory yesterday, you're off through the streets that are starting to fill out once more now that the morning's chill is starting to fade. The Archive isn't hard to find at all, being arguably the secondmost common reason for why people come to Threespice to begin with; It's a massive repository of information, requiring an entire tower to house the countless books, tomes, and grimoires contained within.

The front 'door' of the city Archives is a constantly rotating cylinder, cordoned off into person-sized sections with each divider stylized to look like a book's page coming off the central spine, so that when viewed from the outside it could be seen as a book being flipped through. Pointlessly artsy, but you can at least appreciate the dedication to their gimmick - you don't doubt that all of this was paid for by one of the merchant kings, though you have no idea which one nor why. Once you've shuffled through to the inside, a older man wearing a red vest looks up from his place at a checking station's podium, and gestures for you to approach.

"One piece for the day's entry." He says in the tone of someone who's said that exact phrase a million times over. Son of a bitch, now you know why someone sunk so much money into the single largest gathering of knowledge in Lume.

"...Right." You say, not saying any of the colorful curses and swears going through your mind as you fish out some of your personal funds to pay the man. Paying just to step inside...what a rip-off.

"Thank you for your patronage." He says, ripping off a perforated slip of paper from a long strip and handing it to you. Looking down at it, you can see that it's a ticket with today's date on it. Makes sense, you need proof if you're going to be in and out through the day.

You politely tip your hat to the man and move on, casting your gaze across the interior to get a feel for things. Everything is clean and orderly, with natural light coming in through plenty of windows dotting the building's multiple levels and a few mana-fed lamps augmenting the lighting where necessary. Assorted tables are arranged in central areas so as to allow people to sit and read their books of choice within the building itself, and twin winding stairs lead up throughout the various levels.

File: Archive Familiar.jpg (167 KB, 1024x1024)

167 KB JPG

Approaching one of the nearest shelves, you take a glance at the placards sticking out and at the books themselves. They seem to be arranged by subject first, and author name second. Efficient, you like that...but you're not entirely certain what subject the book you're looking for will be. You're about to turn around to question the old man from before, but you see something that stops you.

Another patron has approached one of the tables, upon which sits a tiny toadlike creature wearing equally tiny glasses, a tiny red vest, and an adorably tiny red hat. He matches the elderly man's attire, you idly note. The patron gently pats the creature on the head and asks it for the location of a specific book on poetry, to which the toad croaks out the floor, section, and shelf which it can be found. Useful.

You approach the toad yourself, of course, and lightly tap it on the head. "The Complete, Unabridged History of Bridges." You state clearly and evenly.

"Third floor, Occupational History, topmost shelf." It croaks as it moves its head to look directly where it referenced for a moment.

"Thanks." You say.

"Sorry, I am a Familiar with limited responses. I do not recognize your question." It croaks again. You sigh.

Moving away from the Familiar's table, you climb the stairs all the way up to the third floor, borrow one of the sliding ladders to grab the book, and once you have it in your possession you find an isolated table nearby to relax and enjoy yourself for a bit. You set the hollowed-out book down and slip The Infinite Depths of Water out of your coat, cracking it open to read.

About one hour later...
Gremory wasn't lying, the material really is quite advanced. You hadn't expected mathematics to be involved in spellcasting at all, but apparently Volumes are critical information when it comes to Water magic. Not only that, but thermal transfer is important to take into account if you don't want your spells to freeze up or turn into steam by pumping too much mana into them, but at the same time you can create internal structures while shaping those same spells which redirect the flow of heat within...

Oh, and you can't forget the different crystallization patterns and densities for artificial chakras that you'd need to memorize to create a Clone. Yes, you peeked ahead to the section that talked about it, and no, you didn't really understand a damn thing from that part. It was a frustrating endeavor, but at the same time one that hooked your attention. A challenge that needed to be defeated. A problem that needed to be solved. You wouldn't let a Demon eclipse you in understanding, you'd rather die than let that happen.

Thankfully, you did manage to get a grasp on one thing, though you're certain you would need to put it to practice later to qualify as actually having learned it. And that would be...

>Solidify
>Sense Mana
>Alter Memory
>Impart Thought
>Animate
>Write-in a different potential water spell. Water magic covers metamagic, mana-alteration, and more traditional water-related things like causing floods or generating whirlpools.

>>5960073
>Alter Memory
Handy!

>>5960073
Metamagic? I can think of a write-in then.
>Recast
Mirrors a recently-cast spell in your vicinity, even if you don’t know the spell in question. Taller successes dictate the effectiveness of the recast, wide ones can allow for multiple casts at increased cost.

I imagine this would be a lost art though.

>>5960086
That's a dope idea. Adding it to my list.

>>5960087
Some other ideas, though I’m not voting on these:
>Desiccate
Extract the water from a target into the air. Trivial on mid-sized, non-living objects. Requires a dice roll on creatures with mana or large objects. Causes cramps, muscle spasms, loss of voice, and vision problems in combat, causing damage to multiple areas depending on effectiveness.

>Reroute
Surges mana to one part of a body at the expense of another. Move x dice from one stat to another for y turns. On effect end, the dice that were moved do not return to the original part until magical healing is done or time has passed, roughly a half-hour. Concurrent uses can cause long-term damage to the body. Can be used on friends or foes.

>>5960086
>>5960073
>support

>>5960086
>Support

>>5960073
>Alter Memory

>>5960083
>>5960086
>>5960167
>>5960264
>>5960312
Recast. A fairly complex spell on its own, on the face of things, but at the same time surprisingly simple. Essentially, you create a bubble of pure Mana that reads the lingering traces of recently cast spells in the area and recreates them by restructuring itself according to what it finds - no further input usually needed from Recast's user. The book warns you that such a practice can be detrimental to downright lethal should it the lingering remnants of a spell be too degraded to copy the original spell, as the results would be unpredictable and unstable to say the least. Still, it's one part of the puzzle that is Clone, and a worthwhile enough spell on its own that you dedicated a good chunk of the hour to trying to piece together how it works.

You're about to move on to learning how to alter memories next, a tangentially related piece of the puzzle itself, when your lighting annoyingly goes dark. You peer up to see the massive form of Gigas blocking your light and grinning down at you like the act was somehow amusing.

"Reading indoors on a day like this? My friend, I am afraid that you may be a bookworm." He taunts, starting his boisterous laugh before a loud SHHHH is directed at him from a nearby patron. He sheepishly rubs the back of his head and leans in to speak in more of a hushed tone. "I thought you were going to stay at the ship?"

"I learned all I could from the Memoreel. Figured I'd cut some time out of the equation and meet you guys here, since you'd be coming here eventually anyways. Got our friend's book, too." You say, tucking the spellbook away and bringing The Complete, Unabridged History of Bridges into your hands instead. "How did things go on your end?"

"Ramza and I made it a competition to see who could raid the most stashes the quickest. I won, of course." He says, looking like he wants to chuckle again and trying VERY hard not to. He seems to opt for flexing silently instead. You would wonder why he always does that if you didn't already deduce that the cause was definitely some kind of mental illness induced by the same brain damage that lost him his memories.

"Did you keep track of the haul?" You ask, curious as to what kind of goodies a man like Stillwater would hide away.

"...No." Gigas says with a frown. "I was busy focusing on speed. I just assumed we'd count everything up later at the ship." He says, pulling an unfamiliar burlap sack off his shoulder and setting it on the floor. The loot, without a doubt.

"Fair enough. When do you think Ramza will be coming?" You inquire next.

"Soonish, maybe. He has terrible stamina, I could run circles around him. In fact, I did that at one point in the competition." He can't help but release a chuckle again, but this time he at least restrains it to a reasonable volume. "What did you find out from the Memoreel?"

"That we definitely can't let Ramza use it." You say resolutely, patting the interior jacket pocket you stored it in. "It's off-limits to the captain no matter what. There's sordid memories stored on it that he would definitely waste a lot of time reliving."

"Really? Let me see." Gigas says, reaching towards you. You try to bat him away, but he reaches for it with his second hand, and the two of you struggle childishly for a few moments before you pull out your gun and prop it up under his chin.

"Gigas. Stop molesting me if you want to eat solid food today." You order him calmly.

"Of course, Mr. Lasombra. My mistake. I must have forgotten my manners." He says stiffly, holding up his hands and backing away.

"I wouldn't actually shoot you, Gigas. It was just to draw your attention upwards. I would have hit you in the balls instead." You reveal. This time you're the one to chuckle, and with a completely necessary flourish you reholster your pistol.

"Dastardly..." He replies. "I might need those some day. There's a cute tanned athletic gal out there just waiting for me, you know."

"Right, and there's a..." You were about to reiterate your own tastes, before you pause. Surely Kamei doesn't fit the bill. Yes, she's dangerous, and yes, you're certain that she could kill everyone in just about any room she enters, but uh...that obviously doesn't count. Because she's an assassin that clearly gets off on her work. A real psychopath. Immoral, with not only her mentality but her physical appearance displaying it clearly. Even the tight, form-fitting clothes that look like they could practically be bodypaint shows her lack of morals.

Son of a bitch, you're attracted to her. That defies the logic you just laid out, damn it! You should be terrified of a woman like that, not wanting to bed her. Who are you, Ramza? You're supposed to be the logical one here. Well...as long as it's just a meaningless physical attraction and not something you actually act on, you suppose it's fine. At the end of the day, if she crosses you or your comrades, she's going to eat lead. That does prompt thoughts of her eating something else, though.

"A what?" Gigas breaks your train of thought. Oh right, you just kind of trailed off there.

"...Big fucking gun, out there, waiting for me." You make up something on the spot.

"Oh, yeah...that sounds like fun. Rolling up into a battle and just turning half a dozen people into red mist that quickly turns into blue mist." Gigas muses, rubbing his chin with a smile. "You definitely should invest in some Eldingarian guns someday. I bet they have something that can do that."

"True. But uh, back on the original topic, the Countess has a bunch of suitors that all seem to think they're the sole target of her attentions. Stillwater saved some of the letters in the book here. He figured that those letters could be used to eliminate her powerbase or blackmail her, since dozens of married aristocrats having affairs with a woman would destroy them AND her." You say, keeping your voice particularly low just in case there's eavesdroppers. "And for Nocturne, well...she punished Stillwater for digging into her, so all we have is an appearance that may or may not actually be what she looks like."

"And which one was sordid?" Gigas asks. If you were drinking something, you'd do a spittake right now.

"How is that relevant?!" You raise your voice unintentionally, receiving the shush of shame from a different person nearby. Your face goes red, not that anyone can tell with your mask.

"Was it both?" Gigas muses. "...Not at the same time, surely?"

'Maybe I really should shoot him...' You think to yourself as you cringe both internally and externally. Naturally, the thought of the Countess and Kamei together immediately pops into your head, courtesy of Gigas, before you banish it by thinking about complex spell equations as hard as you can.

Thankfully for you, Ramza arrives after just a few more minutes of the big man's torture. He looks...sweaty, to say the least. Like he just ran a marathon. Coincidentally, he has an identical bag to Gigas's, except his seems to be about half as full.

"Fuck...you..." He huffs, still catching his breath as he swears at Gigas. "Running around me like that...biiiiiiitch!"

Gigas doesn't say anything, but the shit-eating grin on his face and the unapologetic shrug he gives says more than enough.

"Captain. Need a minute?" You ask, inclining your hat at him.

"Yes, yes I do." He huffs, taking a seat across from you at the table. "Fill me in..."

And so you do, just as you told Gigas, except you don't mention any of the nudity or even allude to it - you know that Ramza would just order you to hand over the orb if you did. Thankfully, Gigas doesn't mention it either, apparently not a complete bastard...just mostly one.

"Alright, that makes a lot of sense. Let's crack open this sucker then, see what's inside." Ramza says, reaching for Stillwater's letter-stashing book.

The three of you look through the contents of the hollowed-out book, within which were dozens of letters that each were damnable. Orders on who to kidnap, what kind of slaves were needed on the market. Hits on lesser targets that needed out of the picture, things that Silversmith obviously didn't want to hire Kamei for given the costs. Event fabrication so that Felippe could blackmail people that were more useful alive than dead. More than a few of the Countess's love letters. And one thing in particular that caught your eye...

A correspondence that must have never reached its intended target, ending up in Stillwater's hands instead. A letter from Felippe, addressed to Captain Jaghatai. Not a pirate, as you were all hoping, but something far worse - a Gaoth nationalist leading one of the raiding groups that can sometimes be seen around the outskirts of Lume territory. It seems that Felippe was trying to engender trust and foster good relations between himself and the Gaoth Dominion, and in doing so willingly fed who knows how much information to them.

The letter itself doesn't seem too old. You would bet money that it's a more recent one, which means that this Captain Jaghatai must be in Lume's territories still. An unknown factor that could muddle up your plans to assault Felippe with the help of the Guard, perhaps. You could be wrong about that of course, Gaoth nationalists are exceptionally loyal to their own country, but hold virtually none for anything else. Still, the thought of their heavily-armored raidships showing up anywhere near threespice, especially if the Guard was out on an assault, makes you uneasy.

After a bit of discussion with your group, it was decided that the next thing on today's docket would be...

>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.
>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find Captain Jaghatai and his raidship party. You need info on the target. Maybe contact with him can help you get a good read on his intentions
>Meet with and recruit people from the list that Lobo gave you, to fill out your roster before doing anything else.
>Spend a good chunk of time practicing magic, all of you. You've all got spellbooks to read, and you at least have Recast that needs practice to put to use.
>Write-in!

While you're at the Archives, would you like to check out a book? Studying a subject can confer a dice bonus when the topic is relevant! For example, studying Barrier Tech could help you disable or disrupt a barrier. Alternatively, you could pick something just to get a bit more lore info out of me if you want, bearing in mind that the authors aren't necessarily right about what they write.
>Yes! (Write-in what books you want to check out. Maximum of three.)
>No! Reading is for nerds!
Yes, they have an erotica section.

>>5961044
>Meet with and recruit people from the list that Lobo gave you, to fill out your roster before doing anything else.

We need more bodies.

>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find Captain Jaghatai and his raidship party. You need info on the target. Maybe contact with him can help you get a good read on his intentions

Then go do this. We might run into the goath while we do anyways.

>Yes! (Write-in what books you want to check out. Maximum of three.)
>Barrier disruption
>Ether distillery stuff. We definitely want to start doing that. (Can we buy the equipment)
>romantic poems for ramza so he can try to hit on girls better (secretly for us too)

>also catalog our loot from the stashes.

>>5961044
>>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.

>>5961041
>cute tanned athletic gal
God taste
>Son of a bitch, you're attracted to her.
You don't need to implement every shitpost, QM

>>5961044
>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere.
>Yes! (Write-in what books you want to check out. Maximum of three.)
>Barrier disruption
>Ether distillery stuff
>Water magic theory

>>5961162
>You don't need to implement every shitpost, QM
Don't worry, I'm well aware. She simply fits Val's type. There was always going to be SOME amount of attraction to her if/when Val saw her, thanks to his preferences.
Whether that gets acted on or not in the future though is up to the choices that get eventually made. Men can't control what they like, but we can damn well decide what to do about it.

>>5961169
Val's type is bodysuits?

>>5961174
Dangerous women.

>>5961044
>Meet with and recruit people from the list that Lobo gave you, to fill out your roster before doing anything else.
Having a crew for our ships would be good before, y’know, shipping out to find people.

If we follow it up with going out, I’d do
>Look for the Eldingarians
since they’re the more immediate concern. Maybe Ramza can stay behind recruiting while we take some initial crew out?

>>5961057
I’ll support the choices here for books.

>>5961162
Yeah, the shitposting was with merit since Val mentioned what type of woman he likes in the first thread. It’s why I joined in!

>>5961044
>Head out on the Gleamrunner to try to find the independent Eldingarians along their route. Every hour can matter out in the wilderness, if they're stranded somewhere

>>5961182
Haha, it totally was, wasn't it? Called it, he's an edgelord.

>>5961212
>>5961044
Know what, on further reflection I’ll vote for books on
>Ether distillation/alchemy
>Barrier disruption
>Untyped mana

I’m curious how untyped mana is created, behaves, and interacts with other mana.

Ended up being damn busy today taking care of a sick family member, so update will come tomorrow!

>>5961057
>>5961080
>>5961162
>>5961212
>>5961237
>>5961489
The most pressing thing to do out of everything: finding the independent Eldingarians, wherever they might be. It was universally agreed that the less time you spent dicking around, the greater their chances of survival would be if they were stranded somewhere or worse. Monsters or black pirates could prey upon them at any moment, after all.

That being said, you did take a moment to check out one book each from the archives. You picked out an excellent book on Ether distillation, since it was going to be a valuable resource to keep stocked aboard the ship given Gremory's presence. Gigas didn't really know what to pick, so you picked out a book for him as well - one on Barrier technology called Barrier Failures: How They Happen and What to Do About It. As for ramza, well...you tried to convince him to get something useful, you really did. You suggested untyped mana studies or water magic theory, but in the end he stubbornly refused and picked up Lovestruck, Homesick. A fairly useless collection of poems that could only feasibly be useful for picking up shallow floozies, as far as you could tell at least.

With the new books in hand, the three of you make your way back to the docks and past the Flame of Arcadia, which you can see is still being worked on. You step onto the Gleamrunner together and start the process of undocking it, while putting away some of your goods that would be cumbersome to carry on your person all the time. It's here that you can actually take stock of what Ramza and Gigas collected from the stashes.

Across a dozen different hiding spots, they only gathered 2,400 shiny gold coins - 200 of them carefully placed in each for emergency funds should Stillwater only be able to access one of them. Next, and more noteworthy in your opinion, was a plethora of passports and citizenry identifiers for all four of the great elemental nations. Backup personas should he ever need to disappear into another country, a smart move...and something that you could repurpose for yourself and your comrades with a bit of work. The last commonality among each and every one of them was a wicked looking dagger covered in runes, with a slot in each hilt where one could store an Ether to fuel the effect.

You looked it over curiously, and while Ramza and Gigas continued to make sure the ship was ready to sail, you opened up the book you purchased from Gremory to cross-reference the runes with it. After a few minutes, you have an answer: One side of the dagger's blade held a spell that would alter the appearance of someone that was stabbed with it, while the other side would stabilize the mana so the body would only dissolve after ten minutes. Once it had time to get seen by someone, but not enough time to run tests to determine if the body had been tampered with. You have no way of telling what changes would take place to the body without actually using it, but you suspect that it would turn whoever got stabbed into an identical but dead copy of Stillwater himself.

The bastard planned to murder people just to fake his own death! You'd bet he would have just grabbed the first person he could, without any care for who they were. You hope the Guard is giving him a real nice treatment in his cell right now. Still, the weapons are good to have, and you're sure that you could come up with a way to alter the runes on it in the future to make them more useful.

"We're ready to set sail! Val, take the wheel." Ramza orders, stepping back onto the ship finally. "Gigas, you're our spotter today."

"Aye-aye, Captain!" You and Gigas declare simultaneously, taking your spots.

The helm feels comfortingly familiar in your hands as you twirl it around, breaking away from the docks and rising up into the sky once more. It makes you think back on when your dad took you out sailing all those years ago, back when everything was simpler and more innocent. Sometimes when you're at the wheel like this, it makes you think he's standing right there next to you, just watching you work with a warm smile. You know he'd definitely be proud to know that you're on your way to save people right now.

Players, please roll 6d10 for Val's sailing! We'll see if we can make good time retracing the path of the independents!
A 5d10 for Ramza to intuit places near their known route to check, while cross-referencing his map!
A 1d100 for general Luck!

Rolled 10, 10, 4, 4, 8, 10 = 46 (6d10)

>>5963004
For Val!

>>5963002
Also, based poetry-deploying, reading-for-pleasure Ramza. Poor Gigas will explode his brain with all that dry technical shit

Rolled 1, 8, 3, 3, 5 = 20 (5d10)

>>5963004
Ramza

>>5963023
>muffled eurobeat in the distance

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>5963004

>>5963023
>>5963061
>>5963085
Holy fuck the chad boys are back in town. Is gremmy with us qm?

>

>>5963023
>>5963061
>>5963085
Holy fuck the chad boys are back in town
Is gremmy with us qm?
>eurobeat increases tempo

>>5963091
Ffs my bad post glitched out on me

>>5963091
She is not, Gremory went back to man her stall for the day.

>>5963023
So Val is a better pilot than Ramza! Ramza didn’t do bad on his first voyage, but almost everything is weaksauce compared to a triple 10.

Val has a real talent with wind crystal ships, I suppose.

We are taking the other crystals anyway since our main ship is docked, right?

File: 7049ee62f264d168a9506b9bb(...).jpg (61 KB, 564x782)

61 KB JPG

Just to avoid radio silence, I haven't actually been able to sit down and write yet! Taking care of a sick nigga is quite a lot of exhausting work, as it happens. Plus I've been trying to get things ready for my ma's birthday soon. You gotta treat your folks right, you know!

So anyways, while I try to find the time and energy to get the brain juices a-flowing, I'll ask you lads a question as I love to do. If you were to sit down and make a character for Lodestar, as though you were playing the tabletop version with your buds, what kind of build would you go for? For me, it's gotta be a wind magic thief. Been far too long since I played a dickass thief.

>>5964959
Wind/lightning magic assassin. Anti mage with Disrupt Mana. And super speed/stealth to nuke people without them knowing I was there.

>>5964959
Wind magic monk type. Flying from island to island, exploring mountains and forests in an endless pilgrimage between the spires, documenting the things he sees, philosophical musings. That or an explorer/archaeologist type, I guess mainly physical, some water magic perhaps, it would be cool if there was earth magic though.
Also before our boys set out we should move all valuables to the Arcadia (i.e. the corrupted mana crystal thing)

>>5964959
Probably a mage delving into the workings behind mana

>>5964959
I prefer utility characters. Probably something like a shipwright, shipwitch, or explorer from what we know so far. Let the other players shine in combat, Il find a different niche to fill.

>>5964959

Probably something close to Gigas, honestly. Playing a macho dummy is always a good time, even if you’re the straight man in a wacky group

>>5964959
Healing specialist alchemist/scientist, or maybe a demon.

>>5963023
>>5963061
>>5963085
>>5964993
>>5965212
>>5965233
>>5966263
The wind catalyst currently sitting below deck and nestled within the relatively small subcore seems to be working wonders for the ship, as it has a level of responsiveness and speed that no ship without one could possibly have. It's like the spirits themselves are guiding your ship, turning the winds when you turn the helm and making sure you're always going as fast as you possibly can. In fact, the responsiveness almost throws Gigas off his feet when you make a sharper turn than he expected. When he throws you a sharp glare for the maneuver, you're particularly glad that your mischievous smile is hidden by your mask, especially when you sharply turn the other direction just to fuck with him.

"Hey!" Gigas stumbles and grabs hold of the side of the ship. "Be a little gentler, would you?"

"Avoiding some floating debris. Couldn't help it." You lie as easily as you breathe.

"Why I oughta..." Gigas grumbles, before shaking his head and waving you off like you're not worth the trouble. A smart move not to pick a fight with the pilot, in your opinion.

The route that Ramza guides you towards heads off into Vodan territory at some point, although that's still an enormous distance away. A sensible trail for Eldingarian traders to take, as any routes through Gaoth would be fraught with danger from the everpresent raiders. At least, you think it would be - you have no idea if the Gaothian military forces are any more friendly in their home territory than when they're out abroad.

The main dangers of the Vodan-born route are, instead, obstacles and monsters. Both were born in spades as a result of the Stormwar, unmelting massive fields of razor-sharp iceshards and titanic floating glaciers proving to be a deterrent to all those who can't manipulate their way through them with magic. The monsters, of course, found such places to be excellent areas to hide within to prey on those foolish enough to try to make their way through regardless.

Once you're out of Threespice's domain, about an hour out from the outskirts, you encounter one such field, unfitting swathes of ice marring the otherwise tropical appearance of Lume's lands. The skies aren't the only thing touched by the Vodan's magic, as plenty of their eternal ice has sprouted up on the lands both below and above, making you think that it could potentially be the result of a battle more than an intentionally laid barrier.

"Think you could get us through it fine, or should we go around?" Captain Valentine asks you, looking to you and no doubt about to judge your response.

File: Ice Hazard.jpg (208 KB, 1024x1024)

208 KB JPG

"With ease. Hold on tight." Is all you say, the ship lurching forward into the field of deadly and destructive ice without a moment's hesitation. You swerve the ship deftly around any and all obstacles in your way, taking full advantage of the ship's omnidirectional movement to navigate through it while avoiding even the smaller shardswarms that could only harm the crew rather than the ship itself. There's a brief moment where Ramza and Gigas panic as you thread the needle between two glaciers drifting towards one another, which slam together mere fractions of a second after you pass, but you were as cool as the ice all around you during the maneuver - you knew there was no chance of failure, you had every movement plotted out accurately in your head.

You keep up that performance for about half an hour, your crewmates white-knuckle grippling the sides of the ship the entire time. When you finally come out of the other end of the field and can take note of landmarks once more, you ask Ramza to check your positions on the route. Once he does, you idly note that you saved yourself quite the massive trip, as most ships would have had to detour for half a day to take the long way around that particular field. It's one of the more major obstacles around this area, it seems. You were quite lucky to have not encountered any monsters within it, too.

Things are a little uneventful as you follow Ramza's guidance for another half-hour after that, but then you take notice of a column of smoke from one of the nearby islands. You'd have missed it if it was any cloudier out here and if you followed more strictly the route the Independents were supposed to be on, but your presence at this minor detour is thanks to Ramza's deductive skills on viable areas to check out near said route.

"Smoke, Captain. Shall I bring us in?" You ask, looking to Ramza.

"Aye, do it." He orders, and with a nod you bring the Gleamrunner towards the island.

File: t2-engineer.jpg (80 KB, 700x850)

80 KB JPG

You weren't entirely sure what you expected on your arrival, but seeing a torn-to-fuck-and-back Eldingarian ship surrounded by a thick translucent barrier isn't it. The smoke appears to be coming from an intentionally laid fire, wooden planks from the ship having been ripped off and set ablaze to either signal people with or cook some emergency rations with - or both, you suppose. You bring the ship in to set it down just outside of the protective bubble, barely displacing anything as you masterfully land, and put the brakes on. Together, the three of you hop off the Gleamrunner and approach.

"Hey! Is anyone alive in there?" Gigas shouts, cupping his hands.

"What- others?! Are they still out there? Who are you with?" A thickly accented Eldingarian speaks up, coming into view after a few seconds when he pokes his head out of one of the massive holes in his ship. "I won't be tricked, you know! I told you bastards before, I'll set this thing to blow the entire island into nothing more than dust if you try to break in!"

You share a VERY concerned look with your comrades for a moment, before...

>You all decided to try to CALM the Eldingarian down, and try to convince him that you're here to rescue him.
>You decided to get more information first, making no move to break the barrier so as to not set him off. After all, it sounds like there could be enemy pirates nearby.
>You decided to back up, slowly, and get back on your ship. You're pretty sure the Eldingarian will calm down if you find the ship(s) that downed him and take them out.
>You decided to call his bluff(?) and reference the manual on barrier breakage to try to break that barrier.
>Something else?

>>5966862
>You decided to get more information first, making no move to break the barrier so as to not set him off. After all, it sounds like there could be enemy pirates nearby.

>>5966862

>Ramza decided to get more information first, making no move to break the barrier so as to not set him off. After all, it sounds like there could be enemy pirates nearby.
>Val and Gigas head back towards the Gleamrunner in case its cannons are needed.

We can mention we were here for possible search-and-rescue and hopefully recruitment, but he makes it sound like there’s pirates in the area and that takes priority.

If there were others in his crew still they’d be out for a show of force. No sense hiding them when they’d have already been spotted defending or repairing the ship when it was attacked. We can put Healing Honey and Mending Sap outside the barrier if it's because of injuries. If it’s because they were captured, then tell us what he knows and we’ll try to mount a rescue. We have a wind-crystal ship but spares of the other crystals if swapping makes sense.

>>5966862
>You all decided to try to CALM the Eldingarian down, and try to convince him that you're here to rescue him.
Make a friend, see if he has a gun we can turn against these 'bastards'
>>5966941
I'm not sure the Gleamrunner has guns, just a single harpoon I think. Also, did it always have a wind catalyst in the core?

>>5966967
It did not always have one in it, it was the recently purchased one that was chucked inside.
And yes, as an ultralight ship, the gleamrunner only has the Harpoon gun it came with. The Flame of Arcadia was getting geared up with better stuff.

>>5966967
Ah, my bad. I wasn’t really thinking about what weapons we had so I was loose with what I was calling them.

I’d still prefer to have people on the ship to ensure we don’t get ambushed. A single harpoon probably isn’t enough to tangle with another ship in straight combat, unfortunately. If we had cannons we might be able to dance around them while firing, but we’d need a lucky harpoon hit to the engines to keep a bigger ship from dragging us along instead.

>>5966862
>You all decided to try to CALM the Eldingarian down, and try to convince him that you're here to rescue him.

>>5966862
>You all decided to try to CALM the Eldingarian down, and try to convince him that you're here to rescue him.
>You decided to get more information first, making no move to break the barrier so as to not set him off. After all, it sounds like there could be enemy pirates nearby.

>Basically here to rescue you but we'll kill those pirates first. They weren't goath were they? Which way they go?

On the off chance that my terrible secret hobby is ever revealed: Happy birthday, ma!

Now that that's out of the way, why don't you lads roll me 5d10 for Ramza, 2d10 for Gigas, and 2d10 for Val to calm the guy down? Since Ramza's intent is to recruit this guy, you can also add 2 RD to his roll for a 7d10 instead if you want to invoke his Crew relationship here.

Rolled 7, 8, 9, 9, 2 = 35 (5d10)

>>5968169
Time to flex some Eldingarian diplomacy muscles

Rolled 4, 10 = 14 (2d10)

>>5968169
Rolling for our mightiest boi.

Rolled 1, 9 = 10 (2d10)

>>5968169

Rolled 2, 10 = 12 (2d10)

>>5968172
Adding crew relationship dice

>>5968247
Why? Double 9s

>>5968251
Now double 2s, too, I guess.

>>5968251
Could of got triples maybe... might as well they're not single use...

>>5968255
>>5968323
Not to be anal, but I don't think that's how they work anyway
>After all dice have been rolled for a failed roll, you can vote to use any number of your relationship dice as long as you can reasonably call upon that relationship. I, personally, will then roll the Relationship Dice that you called for, and the resulting rolls will be appended to the ends of each set.

>>5968347
You are correct. Only thing I've changed is that I let you lads roll it these days.
Basically, if you roll it and come up with a failure, you can roll the RD that I specified in that post. Kind of saves on time!
The 'only after failure' rule is mostly to ensure people don't inflate rolls that have already succeeded, which then defeats the purpose of RD. RD are there as a 'risky bet' - try to succeed where you failed, but if you still fail you damage the relationship.

>>5968387
So no need in this instance? More's the better!

"Follow my lead, we've got to calm this guy down before we do anything else!" Ramza orders, and the two of you nod at him in return. Turning back to face the Eldingarian, he addresses the man directly. "I take it that you've been attacked by some local pirates. I'm Captain Ramza Valentine, and these are my crewmen Val Lasombra and Gigas."

"Introductions are nice, but I still don't know who you're with or why I should trust you." The man says gruffly, his features softening only very slightly.

"We're pirates, but not THOSE pirates!" Gigas offers not-so-helpfully.

"Gigas, what the fuck-" Ramza starts to say incredulously, before the old man starts yelling again.

"Ahah! I knew it! You pirate bastards, you even admitted it!" He says, waving a wrench up in the air. "I should blast you all on principle!"

"We're BLUE pirates." You interject, trying to salvage the situation.

"Blue, red, yellow, you think I care what colors you fly? It means nothing to me!" He shouts back. Clearly, this man doesn't have any idea what a Blue pirate is.

"Sir, the ones that attacked you were Black pirates. Black pirates are the kind of scum that attack anyone that crosses their path, preying on innocents and merchants just to make some quick and easy profit. Blue pirates, like us, only target military vessels and black pirates. We defend people like you whenever possible, and in fact we were out here looking for you specifically because we suspected you ran into some trouble when you didn't dock in Threespice on time." Ramza calmly explains, salvaging things for your group.

"I see...I didn't realize that pirates had such differentiations in their structures." The old man seems to contemplate that for a moment, slowly lowering his wrench.

"It's not something very well known outside of pirate communities. We're honorable sorts, we just happen to value our freedom more than normal sailors do!" Ramza grins and thumps a fist on his chest. "Anyways, our group is called Trinity. Can you tell us more about the pirates that attacked you? We might be able to deal with them before we escort you to Threespice."

"You'd do that? For a complete and total stranger? That's awfully kind." He seems in disbelief, thinking deeply for a few moments before speaking up again. "The name's Aito. The pirates that attacked us bore a flag with a bird on it - a crow or a raven, I think. Some kind of corvid. It was a midweight ship, by itself but packing enough cannons to put the hurt on us. We foolishly thought we wouldn't need to pack weapons for our trip."

"That DOES sound pretty foolish. But at least you've got this barrier - seems to have kept them off you for long enough. I assume they tried to break it but couldn't?" Ramza asks.

"Spent a whole day trying. Probably still lurking around somewhere, waiting for us to run out of mana to power the thing." Aito says, glancing around behind you for any signs of them. "But they might have decided it was too much trouble, if we're lucky."

"If not, then they're waiting for us to pick you up so they can take out our ship as well." Ramza surmises, frowning deeply. "A corvid...from my knowledge, that could be Riston Lore. AKA 'The Raven'. Well known for pulling tricks on his targets. 76th most wanted on the bounty boards. Reward of 2,800 gold, dead or alive."

"Did you memorize the entire bounty book?" Gigas asks, looking amused.

"You bet your ass I did." Ramza grins back, swiping a thumb over his nose. "I'm going to be at the very top someday, so it just makes sense to familiarize yourself with your competition."

"Do you think you could take him on if it came down to it?" Aito asks, a bit of hope showing on his face finally.

Ramza looks over to you for this question, seeming to want your opinion on the odds. You oblige, naturally.

"An ultralight can outmaneuver a midweight with ease. We have to assume he's aware of our presence, so we should be ready to move the ship as quickly as possible once we get back aboard - one shot would be enough to cripple us otherwise. From there, we need to head into cloudcover as soon as possible to break line of sight. Then we can pull the Golden Mirage special to go on offense through surprise boarding, or disengage entirely and try to return to Threespice without entering into combat. Ship to ship combat would not go well with the Gleamrunner's weapons, unless we score an extremely lucky hit with the harpoon - it simply doesn't have enough power to handle a midweight under most circumstances, even if we could theoretically dance around them all day." You explain in detail.

"I see, I see. Well, three people against an entire midweight's crew is a bit of a stretch, but I think we could still manage it with the right planning. Either way, I think we're definitely not getting back up without the Raven trying to pull something on us. Might as well make things count, so let's do this...we're all going back to our ship and bringing in to hover right next to you. I want you to set those barriers to overload right before they go down, pump as much power into them in one moment as you can so they get REAL bright, then load yourself and whatever men you might have with you on as quickly as possible." Ramza instructs Aito, who nods.

"Blinding them during the most critical moment, a very smart plan. It will be done!" The old man snaps his fingers. "Yuzu, Jun! Prepare to overload the barrier generator. We're flooding it and getting out of here!" He calls back to two unseen figures.

The three of you board your ship once more, and exactly as Ramza said, you bring the ship in to float just off the ground about three feet away from the barrier itself. After a few seconds, it begins to audible hum, a crackling unseen energy building up in the air around it that causes a minor haze begin to form. You see movement off in the horizon, a ship pulling out from behind one of the floating islands nearby, and the barrier's translucent form begins to grow brighter and brighter. With a sharp crack not unlike thunder being released from a lightning bolt, a flash of unbelievably bright light that you can see even through your closed eyelids washes over everything, and the barrier shatters like glass.

A flurry of movement happens as you open your eyes back up and watch Gigas and Ramza help the trio of Eldingarians up onto the gleamrunner. The very instant that the last one's arms are in Gigas's hands, you begin to raise the ship, ready to perform evasive maneuvers...and not a moment too soon, as your ears hear a cacaphony of bangs from the nearby ship that indicate they've begun firing their side-mounted cannons your way.

Evasive maneuvers! Roll 8d10! (6d10 base, +1 Dice for blinded opponents, +1 dice for Catalyst-enhanced movement!)

Rolled 10, 9, 10, 7, 5, 4, 1, 3 = 49 (8d10)

>>5969745
Can Val repeat his maneuvers?

>>5969745
>>5969767
Not as quick under enemy fire, but he remains a leaf on the wind!

>>5969768
If you've seen the movie, you know that quote is a jinx

>>5969786
Wash actually failed his piloting check. It would have been a good line if he’d succeeded!

Slamming the brake forward as fast as you can with one hand and jerking the wheel off to the side with the other gives you the intended results; the Gleamrunner sharply spikes upwards and tilts harshly off to the side, just in time to avoid a trio of cannonballs that would have whizzed through two parts of the hull and the sails respectively. The ship goes shooting forward a moment later, and you note that Gigas has a deathgrip on the passenger he was helping up. They seem to have almost been left behind if the fact that they're dangling off the side of the ship still is any indicator - at least your larger friend quickly brings them up and forces a rope around their waist to keep them secure.

You don't have time to focus on that right now though. The blindness is sure to be wearing off on the occupants of the enemy ship by now, their aim a little too sure for your liking, so you immediately start ascending towards some of the local cloud cover. More cannon shots ring out, their use apparently staggered to avoid a lull between reloads, and cannonballs go whizzing past the ship as you take advantage of the distance they have to travel to weave between them.

Soon enough, a fog surrounds the ship and a certain dampness settles onto your skin and clothes as you bring the ship into one of the darker, denser clouds nearby. The mana suffusing the ship seeps into the cloudcover bit by bit, but it doesn't seem to have much effect that you can tell other than making the fog swirl around the ship a bit faster than normal. You look to Ramza for a moment, the unspoken question of what to do now that you're hidden hanging in the air.

Fight, or flee?
>Fight.
>Flee.

>>5969872
>Flee.
It's the better part of valor, innit?

>>5969872
>Fight them in the Fog. If they can't see us. They can't shoot us.

>Do the ol bordering party. Have Val buff gigas and himself with Slipstream. As soon as we see them ramza hits them with fire blast aiming for the cannons and their explosive charges. Goal is to have gigas and Val gank their captain to end the fight quickly.

Yummy midweight ship loot. I think they'll expect us to run they won't expect us to ambush them back. We should get a very nice surprise attack on them.

Tldr risk it for the biscuit.

>>5969904
question qm how many people are on a midweight? Is this captain a renowned fighter?

>>5969872
>Fight.
>Swing around to aim for their rudder with the harpoon. If they can’t steer they can’t give chase. You can also swing them to sail right into the island below!

I assume sky ships still have rudders. If not the rudder, the steering wheel should suffice.

>>5969904
I’m thinking they may keep fighting even if the Captain goes down. If they have enough people they may figure whoever kills the boarders gets to be the new Captain.

Boarding would be a good chance for Val to attempt Recast on Gigas’ Slipstream though.

>>5969906
The Raven's reputation has him winning through dishonorable tactics. He's never really been heard to fight fairly by any means. That being said, he's killed his fair share of people in combat before, thanks to the advantages of fighting unfairly. He's not exactly said to be a prodigy with a blade or gun though.

A midweight like this one has anywhere from twenty to fifty people crewing it, but not all of them are usually combat-capable. And not all would be able to respond to boarders.

>>5969931
Turning is done through manipulations of the sail in this case, rudders do exist on most ships but they're for if you have to go seaborn with the ship. Hitting the helm/wheel would cripple the ship significantly.

>>5969937
Gotcha. So have Gigas loudly declare we’re Blue Pirates, challenge the Captain to a duel, wait for someone to declare they’re the Captain, then Ramza goes for the shifty-looking guy who has a good angle to jump into the duel because he thinks we’re dumb pirates who don’t know better.

Alternately, take out the wheel and tell them we’ll drop them off on the island instead of sailing them through the ice floe field if they give up their Captain, and when they bring someone up we toss down the bounty book and tell them to confirm it before pushing him overboard.

Alternately alternately, do the Gigas thing and have Val rain down Mending Sap to stick the possible combatants to the floor.

So many fun ideas, only one can be used.

I wish we had the shipwitch, I’m sure she could do fun things in a raincloud with a lightning or water crystal.

>>5969872
>Flee.
It's half an idea to outmaneuver them and leverage what we have, but we don't have much in the way of 'taking swipes' to whittle them down. At most we could expend their cannon ammo at considerable risk to ourselves, maybe set some fires with personal magic, but the crew is likely to have guns, and we have precious cargo.
If we had the Flame, different story, but even best case scenario we would have 3 fighters to take down each, up to 10.

>>5969872
>Flee
While looting a midweight would be nice, this is absolutely the place where our dice will fail us, I feel it.

>>5969884
>>5969904
>>5969931
>>5970006
>>5970187
>Flee.

You can see the apprehension in Ramza's eyes, even if he might not know it's there himself. You know that he's torn between the valor of taking down an enemy pirate or prioritizing everybody's safety - whatever decision he makes will be one that will paint his image to the others. So you decide to make the decision for him, to take the option out of his hands so that he can maintain plausible deniability to anyone that would otherwise judge him for it.

With a nod to the captain, you bring the ship higher and deeper into the rainclouds, accelerating the ship faster to put some distance between yourselves and the midweight. "Rescue takes priority. There's nothing on the fallen ship or the enemy ship worth risking lives over." You explain out loud for everyone.

Ramza doesn't seem to reply with anything other than a nod back, and a slight frown on his face. You're not sure if the frown is directed at you or at himself though. He turns away from you to face the trio of engineers instead, looking over them. The wiry old man is already a familiar sight to you, but the other two are somewhat unexpected. A woman about your age with surprisingly clear and smooth skin for someone in her line of work, and a younger boy you would wager to be about fifteen with similar features. All three of them have white hair and those distinct eldingarian facial structures, so you imagine they could very well be related to one another.

"Sorry for the hectic pickup there, but you're in good hands now. We should arrive at Threespice in a few hours, at which point you'll be free to do whatever you please. That being said, we did come out here to get you for a reason - we're in need of engineers on our ships, if you're willing to tag along." Ramza explains to the trio.

The old man sighs, moving over to sit on top of one of the supply barrels. "Not solely out of the goodness of your heart then, huh? Feh..."

"Don't get me wrong, I won't force you to do anything. We can part ways and never see each other again once we hit Threespice. I ask for nothing, just that you consider the offer." Ramza replies.

"Hm...that's a better deal than most anyone would get in these parts." Aito begrudgingly admits. "Normally I would try to negotiate terms with you, but I'll be honest. We're in foreign lands with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Everything of value we had was lost with that ship. We'd probably starve to death before we'd get any charity or find some decent work around here. We'll accept."

"Are you sure, gramps?" The boy asks, Jun you think. "I don't think there's much room to work on a ship like this!"

"Ships, plural! The Flame of Arcadia is much bigger than the Gleamrunner here. It's a superyacht, and it's got some of your Eldingarian Wonders attached to it. Hence why we needed Eldingarian engineers specifically! Well, that and the fact that you guys are the best in the world by a longshot." Ramza corrects.

File: 3b6017e9a2fc2595570f4cfb2(...).jpg (85 KB, 564x705)

85 KB JPG

"Heh, don't we know it!" Aito laughs, now grinning and seeming a lot more chipper than before. "Well, I suppose now that we're members of your crew, introductions around the board are necessary. Like I said before, I'm Aito, you can consider me to be your head of engineering - I've got the most experience of us by a longshot."

"My name is Yuzu, it's my pleasure to make your aquaintance. My specialty is in phasic studies." The woman gives a slight bow.

"The pleasure is all mine." Ramza says with a sleazy smile, before he realizes he probably shouldn't do that in front of her grandfather. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking, what are phasic studies?"

"To simplify it, my job is to understand how to best manipulate the states of matter and mana. Think of it like how water can be a gas, a liquid, and a solid - I work with those kinds of things, using my knowledge to ensure we have the best substances and the best arrangements of those substances for things to work optimally." She explains. Suddenly you're a lot more interested in this conversation.

"So some things work better in a different state than you'd usually find them in? And your goal is to find the exact state that works best and force it into that within a construct for efficiency's sake." You clarify.

"Yes, exactly!" She nods her head rapidly. "You could make a good engineer someday, mister..."

"Lasombra. Val Lasombra." You slightly tip your mage's hat at her. "And thanks. I plan on investing time into such studies someday."

"Jun." Aito reaches over and taps the younger boy on the shoulder, before nodding his head towards your group.

"Right! I'm Jun. I don't have a ton of experience yet, but I'm really good with repairs! I can't make new things very well, but once I take something apart, I always know how to put it back together better than before." The young boy boasts, jabbing a thumb towards his chest and sticking his nose into the air as he brags. "Yup, I'm a certified pro-di-gy!"

"And since the three of you are already familiar with Val and Captain Valentine, that just leaves my introduction. The best for last! I am the GREAT-" Gigas stands up, striking a pose as he tenses every muscle in his body. "THE MIGHTY-" He shifts to a different pose, his flexing muscles threatening to tear his shirt. "GIGAS!" He takes one final pose that looks terribly uncomfortable, holding it for a few awkwardly silent moments before he lets the tension go from his body.

"That's, uh...that's something." Aito mumbles under his breath. You and Ramza can't help but agree. "Well, we're glad you all saved our bacon. We'll make it up to you no matter what, that's a promise!"

"Glad to hear it, Head Engineer. And welcome to the Trinity Pirates." Ramza says with a grin, walking up and extending a hand to the older man. He takes it, and the two shake on it.

>Roll 7d10 for the trip back home, with one dice being added due to having taken the route before.
>Roll 1d100 for luck on the way back!

File: 394655e16de0247243f24f705(...).jpg (57 KB, 564x564)

57 KB JPG

Jun, btw.

Rolled 8, 1, 6, 9, 3, 7, 6 = 40 (7d10)

>>5970697
Rolling for Val. Someone else can get the luck.

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>5970697

File: yikes.png (323 KB, 417x705)

323 KB PNG

>>5970770

>>5970697
>ask if they know about distilling ether. And what's their views on uhhh... hmm... demons?

>>5970862
Maybe we hand over the Water book to Yuzu before asking? If she sees something in there relevant to her mana phasic studies (which she probably will) then she’ll be more inclined to meet a demon. Probably can’t offer anything to the others to help convince them.

It’s clearly not forbidden knowledge, she’s selling it at reasonable rates!

>>5970862
Good point, we should probably prepare them for Gremory.

File: Reflections.gif (5.77 MB, 1000x370)

5.77 MB GIF

>>5970762
>>5970770
>>5970862
>>5970948
>>5970187
>>5970006
>>5969884
Your way back is, unfortunately, one that takes you a good deal longer than the way here took. The ice fields have drifted in frustrating ways, some of them moving together too quickly to dart past. The shards seem more numerous than before, likely a result of the titanic icebergs smashing into each other and splintering, and it requires a lot more careful movement to avoid them with the ship. Even then, you note that the sails get some minor cuts in them that'll need to be addressed later. At the very least, you were able to make sure nobody aboard the ship got slashed.

This slower pace through the fields affords you a better appreciation for the likely-unintended beauty to be found in a place like this. One particular moment where you're surrounded on all sides by pristine glaciers and can see little else other than drifting reflections of the Gleamrunner and its inhabitants sticks with you. It almost feels like you're trapped inside of some kind of spacial anomaly, the world fractured all around. You idly wonder if Space magic could possibly do something as terrifying as that.

"Tell me." You speak up, if only to break the monotony of the trip. It's already been at least an hour of navigating the damned ice, you could at least get some measure of entertainment out of it. "Are you three at all familiar with Ether distillation?"

"Theoretically." Yuzu confirms with a nod.

"Nope!" Jun shakes his head.

"They never proved that I was." Aito chuckles.

"What?" You look at him strangely, not sure what he meant by that.

"Oh, you know...just a bit of slang from older times, I guess. Eldingar went through a phase where alcohol was prohibited when I was in my twenties, and back then we'd call any kind of spirits 'ethers' if we wanted to be subtle when talking about 'em." Aito explains, looking a bit wistful. Which strikes you as odd, since it sounds like it'd be a fairly oppressive time to live in.

"I see. So..." You trail off, unsure if he knows about actual ethers or not.

"It's only mildly more difficult than normal distillation, sonny. Depending on what materials I have to work with, I could whip up a fairly hands-free Ether Distiller if you really wanted me to. And if you funded the project, of course." He pinches his fingers together as he says this, grinning. "A bit of a waste of my talents though, if you ask me."

"About that...it's more so we can ensure that one of our crewmates can satisfy a, uh, dietary requirement." You feel increasingly awkward about broaching the subject. "We recruited a rare docile demon, and as long as she has access to ethers, she can remain nonviolent apparently."

Aito whistles in an impressed manner, while Yuzu and Jun both look alarmed. "First time in all my years alive that I've heard about someone having a true Demon in their crew! Ain't that something. I wonder if they'd be open for studying...there's a lot we could learn about their kind with a cooperative one." Aito says, his two grandchildren looking over to him with shock.

"Grandfather, surely you joke!" Yuzu shouts. "Aren't Demons dangers to everyone and everything?"

"Eh." Aito shrugs. "Who can say? I've never met a Demon before, I've only heard stories about them, same as you. And we must not be so ignorant as to believe stories over what we can observe with our own two eyes. I like to consider the possibility that this is truly a tamed Demon, and if that's the case, I simply have to see it. I am sure that our saviors would not put us nor themselves in unnecessary danger."

You look pointedly at Ramza as he says that, and Ramza noticeably averts his gaze from you. You just roll your eyes at the silent exchange, and look back to the trio of engineers.

"Although I was against their recruitment, we've garnered a wealth of information from them already. On the nature of demons, and on Water magic in particular. Gremory, the Demon we recruited, is apparently quite talented with Water magic." You state, pulling out the book on water magic that she wrote and flashing it to them. "You can read it whenever you want, if you wish. It may contain something valuable for your phasic studies."

"Hm...I wonder..." Yuzu contemplates the book for a moment, obviously debating on whether she wants to accept knowledge that came from a demon or not. You can understand the hesitance, personally.

"Hey, what's that?" Gigas speaks up suddenly, pointing at one of the ice walls. A strange distorted gray shape is coming into view on it, and only once you've drifted a couple dozen feet further does the image sharpen up enough for you to suddenly tell what it is.

File: imperial_ship_transparent.png (1.02 MB, 1486x1120)

1.02 MB PNG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DDfLdN9Eko

"Shit, it's flying Gaoth flags! It's got to be a raidship!" Ramza says, and indeed, you can tell that you're seeing a considerably larger warship than the midweight that tried to attack you earlier. And if you can see it in the reflections of the ice right now, you'd bet your hat that it can see you just as clearly. A light pulse of mana pings off the walls and settles over you, before the communistone settled near the helm lights up.

"This is Captain Jaghatai of Gaoth, of the Skyseer. You have one minute before we destroy your vessel."

Ramza rushes over to the communistone, slamming a hand over it and speaking up. "W-Wait a minute, we're not hostiles! We were on our way to Threespice, we mean you no harm, Captain Jaghatai. We'll just be on our way if you want us to. And, uh, this is Captain Valentine you're speaking to."

"You mistake me, Captain Valentine. We will be destroying your vessel at the end of the minute no matter what. Gaoth Honor demands that you be given a chance to prepare yourself for your demise."

You can see Ramza wracking his brain as he tries to figure out a way around this confrontation. "And the reason for this attack would be...?" He asks, for clarification.

"You are enroute to Threespice and have witnessed the vessel Skyseer in Lume territory."

It feels as though the confrontation is truly inevitable, unless you can find a way to convince the bloodthirsty captain to stand down and hear you out. A minute isn't exactly much, and you don't actually have the full minute left if he's been counting this entire time. Maybe it would be best to use the time you have left to try to escape into the complex maze of ice. Sure, you wanted to touch base with Jaghatai, but not if it means risking total annihilation at the hands of his ship just because you crossed paths!

>Explain that you are aware of his dealings with Felippe, and wish to arrange for a new deal.
>Go ballsy. Threaten him just as hard as he threatened you. Gaoth are bound to respect something like that, right?
>Challenge him to an in-person duel. His honor wouldn't allow him to refuse, and it'd give you a lot more time to make your case to him.
>It's already too much risk. Cut contact and try to escape in the icefields.

>>5973582
>>It's already too much risk. Cut contact and try to escape in the icefields.
Show the sucker that Trinitys are slippery bastards;

>>5973582
>Explain that you are aware of his dealings with Felippe, and wish to arrange for a new deal.
Talk fast, Ramza. Here’s some bullet points:
>Lobo, a Felippe lieutenant, kept blackmail material implicating him and Felippe of conspiring together. We obtained it.
>That evidence is with trusted members in the underworld right now, and we’re deciding what to do with it. Both the Guard and Admiral Sato would be interested.
>If he wishes to continue operating here, he’ll need new partners in Threespice. We can arrange a meeting or bring terms if he believes his favor is worth more than others.
>If we are killed, the decision will be made without us or him. It will not be to his benefit, none would dare reach out first with the crackdown that will soon come.
>We request parley. If only for a fairer fight if we can’t find common ground.

I assume the blackmail materials are still with us, but he doesn’t need to know that!

>>5973661
I presume you meant 'Stillwater' instead of Lobo.
And yes, blackmail materials are too sensitive to have anywhere other than 'on your person'.

>>5973716
Yeah, I tripped myself up since I was already thinking about Lobo for the next bit about “trusted members” in the criminal underworld.

>>5973582

>It's already too much risk. Cut contact and try to escape in the icefields.

We have the advantage of mobility, let’s cut and run

>>5973582
>It's already too much risk. Cut contact and try to escape in the icefields.
Perhaps our new Eldingarian friends can whip up a distraction... or maybe something a bit more destructive?

>>5973661
>>5973582
>support

If that doesn't work...

>Honor duel...

>>5973582
>Explain that you are aware of his dealings with Felippe, and wish to arrange for a new deal.
>Challenge him to an in-person duel. His honor wouldn't allow him to refuse, and it'd give you a lot more time to make your case to him.
We challenge you for a duel to set the terms of a new deal!

>>5973791
>>5973791
>>5973849
Can I tempt any of you to switch? I’m confident in our ability to outspeed him, but we’re surrounded by ice walls. They don’t need to hit us, they might have enough punch to hit the ice and let shrapnel tear our sails apart instead. Same with punching through ice sheets we have to maneuver around instead.

I’m less opposed to an honor duel. Kinda depends on whether we’re expected to die at the end of one. But I’d still rather have Ramza try the one-minute speedrun to convince him he needs us if he intends to continue raiding effectively around Threespice since talking is his biggest strength.

>>5974080
Even if we win, I doubt we would be free to leave. We would be playing right into their hands, and their honor as soldiers demands we die, so it's a moot point playing by their rules. They have 0 reasons to let us leave alive, and they likely only gave us a warning to avoid being branded a coward.

The only viable option aside from fleeing is to convince them that we are allies, it seems riskier to hang around yapping than it is to weave ice, but since you asked I will change my vote. If only because we made Ramza sad by running earlier

>>5973582
Change >>5973849 to support >>5973918

>>5973619
>>5973661
>>5973791
>>5973867
>>5973918
>>5974139
>Explain that you are aware of his dealings with Felippe, and wish to arrange for a new deal.
With a side of
>Challenge him to an in-person duel. His honor wouldn't allow him to refuse, and it'd give you a lot more time to make your case to him.
If the first thing doesn't work.
Diplomacy with your words and then with your guns. God bless Lume.
Roll Ramza's 5d10, Val's 2d10, and Gigas's 2d10 on trying to convince him to just be chill! If we get no successes on this, then we'll be looking forward to a D-D-DUEL!

Rolled 9, 7, 8, 7, 2 = 33 (5d10)

>>5974425
Rolling Ramza.

>>5974449
I'll get you next time...

Rolled 9, 1 = 10 (2d10)

Go, Val

Rolled 9, 3 = 12 (2d10)

>>5974425
Come on MIGHTY GIGAS

"Felippe Silversmith!" Ramza shouts, causing your eyebrows to shoot up. You didn't expect him to bring that out, at least not over communications like this. "We're aware of your dealings with him, Captain Jaghatai, and wish to make a new arrangement with you. Silversmith is compromised, and if you wish to continue operations here, you'll need new partners."

There's a distinct pause, a tense one. Many seconds pass, and each moment that brings you closer to the end of the minute makes your heart beat just a bit harder. Finally, a response comes from the stone.

"Very well, Captain Valentine. We will hear you out and see about this new deal. I shall wish to speak to you in person, and will abide by the rules of hospitality on Gaoth's honor. Will you accept?"

"Of course. I was going to request parley if you didn't, these kinds of things are best done face to face." Ramza breathes out with a sigh of relief, a sentiment that you're sure you and everyone else aboard the Gleamrunner reflect. A quick glance to Aito shows that he looks terribly confused about everything that's been said so far, but you figure he can be filled in later, when you all have more time.

"Bringing us in." You say, grasping the wheel once more and steering the ship around the mazelike structure of the massive glaciers.

Once you have sight of the true Skyseer and not a mere reflection, you bring the Gleamrunner up to the side of it and engage the brakes. As Gigas deploys the ramp, you note a collection of heavily-armed-and-armored soldiers jogging up to form two procession lines about ten feet apart from each other on either side of your ship. Their discipline is immaculate, and soon enough a larger and more ornately-decorated soldier steps into view at the end of the lines. His armor is a gleaming golden color, but if you're not mistaken it would actually be made of orichalcum, no doubt a mark of his importance and status.

"Welcome, Captain Valentine and crewmembers of the Gleamrunner. I am Captain Jaghatai, and this is the Skyseer." He says, gesturing broadly about him as Ramza, Gigas, and yourself all step down from your ship - Aito and his grandchildren seem more comfortable staying put. "First, I would like to apologize for my threats. As we are foreign operators acting in a nation that would no doubt see our actions as hostile, we must ensure secrecy at all costs. Your ship and lack of affiliations with any of our allies had us convinced that you were merely an unimportant citizen or tourist of these lands, and not someone worth taking a risk on."

"That's alright, I understand. We take that ship specifically so we can seem unimportant." Ramza quickly makes up some bullshit, but the other captain seems to eat it right up.

File: WP50aAe.jpg (1.34 MB, 1200x1515)

1.34 MB JPG

"Ah, how clever...not something we could afford to do given our purposes here, but an effective tactic for a smaller group, I'm sure." He muses out loud. "But let us get down to business. How are you aware of our arrangement with the Merchant King?"

"Jerome Stillwater." Ramza replies, and the slight tilt of Jaghatai's helmet tells you that he probably has no idea who that is. "One of Felippe's trusted lieutenants. He intercepted one of the letters between you two and kept it so he could use it as blackmail material. Then, we came across it as we were dealing with Stillwater."

"Tsk. Such venomous behavior. He should have his head severed from his shoulders as soon as possible."

"Yeah, he was truly the worst. He kidnapped Gaoth citizens and soldiers, from what I could tell. And his escape plan for if he ever got caught was to cause a mass panic in the city by drawing in monsters."

"Outrageous! The worm! Where is he, I'll-"

"Dealt with, I assure you. The local guard saw to it that he recieve just punishment for all of his crimes once we finished interrogating him." Ramza looks over to you, seeking clarification on his fate.

"Public execution immediately after Felippe's detainment or execution." You state, recalling when you handed him in.

"Good. Very good." Jaghatai seems to calm down, no doubt having taken grave offense to the treatment of his people. "Now, what were you planning to do with the communications that Stillwater intercepted?"

"Contact you about it, actually. We were going to do a few jobs before then, but luck seems to be on our side, even if it wasn't the best first impression." Ramza says with a nervous chuckle, crossing his arms and propping a hand up under his chin. "You see, Felippe needs out. He's bad for our country, bad for your country, bad for everyone. He's ten times the snake that Stillwater was, and given how he's already compromised on multiple levels, you could stand to be working with someone better than him on this. Or at least cutting ties with him before we come down on him and tear everything he's worked towards down."

"I never did enjoy working with him. But needs must, as they say...very well, we shall cut ties with the Silversmith. As you say, we can no longer afford to maintain contact with one such as him. In fact, it would behoove us to ensure he can tell none of our dealings now that he's...compromised." Jaghatai replies, his voice gaining a cold edge to it. You can tell immediately that he intends nothing less than killing Felippe to silence him for good. "Of course, that doesn't tell me why I should be working with you instead. What can you offer for the glory of Gaoth?"

Shit. You're pretty sure he's the type that'll kill all of you if he thinks you can't offer yourselves as a suitable replacement somehow. And given how Felippe was offering Gaoth the location of various ships and other resource-rich places to hit, that would put you in a morally precarious predicament. Although maybe you can make a different agreement that's more in-line with your goals and ethics...

>Suck it up, offer the same thing that Felippe offered them. They don't need to know that it's temporary and short-term.
>Offer information on the movement of the Guards, since you happen to have an in with knowing when they'll all be busy raiding Felippe's manor.
>Offer Felippe and Nocturne, delivered straight to them to deal with as they please. It'll be tricky to get him away from the guards when the raid happens, but a tantalizing offer hopefully. Nocturne is the far trickier one to lure, but you have a few ideas...
>Offer the Pirate King Gaoth's journal, an one-of-a-kind cultural artifact of great importance to his people. Ramza would loathe to part with it, but if needs must...
>Challenge him to that duel. If you win, he must acquiesce to help you however he can. If he wins, the opposite.
>Write-in?

>>5974425
You wanted the honor duel, didn’t you? Such a shame that that diplomancing is such a powerful form of magic.

>>5974548
>Offer information on the movement of the Guards, since you happen to have an in with knowing when they'll all be busy raiding Felippe's manor.
>Offer connections that can provide military and pirate movements long-term, as well as assistance in raiding such targets depending on the deal. It won’t be as valuable as what Silversmith offered, but the people and the work will be far more honorable.

I consider info on the Guard movements near-term close enough to “military” matters, and he’s welcome to use the knowledge to target Silversmith himself.

I do think he’s skipped a step though. This isn’t a one-off trade, this is a potential partnership between him and us and the broader Blue Pirate community. We can’t match the resources of Silversmith individually after all, but a good word from the right Blue Pirates will let him find open doors in many areas. It’s more important to state what each side is looking for and seeing what each can offer to meet those needs.

Broadly, we seek to raid military targets that threaten us, Black Pirates, and general scum such as Silversmith. More specifically, we look to climb the bounty book to hit number 1. What does he seek for his nation, his crew, or himself? While he can serve all of them in many ways, he must have preferences either personally or because of the people and tools he has available.

Hopefully this approach marks us as an honorable sort and gives us better insight on the Gaoth military mindset for future reference.

>>5974548
>Offer the Pirate King Gaoth's journal, an one-of-a-kind cultural artifact of great importance to his people. Ramza would loathe to part with it, but if needs must...
(though I'm also cool with a duel)

>>5974548
Qm can we have a refresher of his deal with stillwater. Are they trying to capture 3 piece?

Otherwise I'd suggest something like this.

>We work with you feeding you information on Black pirates and any other military targets in the area so they can raid them. For example there is a midweight black pirate right behind us. We could bait them for you to side swipe them in a glorious pincers maneuver. As a nice first job to prove we're reliable and good to work with.

>Get them docking rights in threepiece if they promise not to wreck its shit. (I forget why they're here in the first place)

Basically a mutually profitable venture of wrecking our competition and a safe harbor for them to refuel, sell/buy goods at.

I'm willing to change my vote after the refresher though. Thanks ahead of time qm.

>>5974642
Oh apparently I need to read better.. oops.

I'd rather direct them towards more black pirates and other scum. Like slavers even other pirate colors other than blue. I'd rather have them raid gangs and drug dealers than just random rich people. Rich corrupt nobles are fair game though

>>5974548
>Offer Felippe and Nocturne, delivered straight to them to deal with as they please. It'll be tricky to get him away from the guards when the raid happens, but a tantalizing offer hopefully. Nocturne is the far trickier one to lure, but you have a few ideas...
Offer 'information on the whereabouts' of the journal

>>5974548

>Offer Felippe and Nocturne, delivered straight to them to deal with as they please. It'll be tricky to get him away from the guards when the raid happens, but a tantalizing offer hopefully. Nocturne is the far trickier one to lure, but you have a few ideas...

To be totally honest, if Jaghatai lets us escape here, that's the primary win.

If we actually make good on this deal, that's a bonus, as far as I'm concerned.

>>5974548
>Challenge him to that duel. If you win, he must acquiesce to help you however he can. If he wins, the opposite.

>>5974563
>>5974574
>>5974642
>>5974784
>>5974804
>>5975003
Consolidating certain votes that are close enough together, we seem to be at a three-way tie.
If anyone wants to break it within the next few hours, please choose between one of the following:

>Offer Felippe and Nocturne, delivered straight to them to deal with as they please. It'll be tricky to get him away from the guards when the raid happens, but a tantalizing offer hopefully. Nocturne is the far trickier one to lure, but you have a few ideas...

>Challenge him to that duel. If you win, he must acquiesce to help you however he can. If he wins, the opposite.

>Offer information on the movements of black pirates and military targets in Lume, including a certain pirate's ship that you recently fled from, as well as assistance in raiding some of those targets.

>>5975267
>Challenge him to that duel. If you win, he must acquiesce to help you however he can. If he wins, the opposite.
I'm >>5974574,and I will formally change my vote. Gotta' become #1 pirate somehow, right, ramza?

>>5975267
>Offer information on the movements of black pirates and military targets in Lume, including a certain pirate's ship that you recently fled from, as well as assistance in raiding some of those targets.

>>5975326
I was actually counting you among the duel votes since nobody else had voted for the journal, and you mentioned it below your post, but thanks anyways!
>>5975387
It looks like we're going to pull what the professionals call a 'pro gamer' move. Writing!

>>5974563
>>5974574
>>5974642
>>5974784
>>5974804
>>5975003
>>5975387
"A moment to discuss that amongst ourselves, if you wouldn't mind. We like to get each other's insights on such matters when possible." Ramza asks of the other captain, who gives a slight nod and gestures to your group.

"Of course, Captain. I am the same with my advisors." He acquiesces, thankfully.

The three of you turn to one another and huddle together, speaking quietly as you figure out the best thing you can stomach giving up. Gigas keeps insisting upon dueling the man, and while you can't deny that it would be valuable experience against a strong opponent, you don't exactly want to risk it against a guy dressed in Orichalcum fullplate - that's a quick way into Gaoth servitude. Ramza poses the idea of offering them Felippe and Nocturne's heads, but Nocturne's capture would be exceptionally finnicky, and you think Jaghatai would know that too.

That ultimately left the gang to agree with your option, and you present it to Jaghatai when you break apart finally.

"Much like Felippe offered you, we want to give you information on the movements of black pirates and military vessels." You speak up.

"Ah, but Felippe offered me more than that. Merchants and blues were included in that list, and it was quite valuable for our operation." Jaghatai counters.

"Indeed, I'm sure it was. But there's no honor in fighting those that can't fight back, is there? I'm sure a Gaoth such as yourself found it beneath you to go after civilians of all things. It was beneficial to your nation, but hardly something any of you would enjoy doing. We're offering an alternative that would make your ancestors proud while still benefitting Gaoth." You bring the man's own sense of honor against him, hoping it works.

"Mm..." Jaghatai grumbles for a moment, a metal-clad gauntlet reaching up to rub the faceplate of his helmet for a moment. "You speak true. We cannot expect to grow if we throw ourselves at only the weak, when they are at their weakest. And military targets are of far more value to us than mercantile - Silversmith was always hesitant to give us any information on the movements of Lume's Guardians. No doubt to help keep us in check if he needed to."

"We actually have some information you can act on immediately, if you want!" Gigas speaks up. "A black pirate by the name of Riston Lore tried to down us with a sneak attack right outside the icefields. He was in a midweight that had quite a lot of cannons strapped to it. It'd be a pretty damn juicy target, if you need more weapons on this thing."

"I do enjoy when business works quickly like this. It would seem it was a most wise decision to hear you out! Very well, we shall enter into a formal agreement with you. Should you need to contact us within a five day's journey around the Threespice area, simply attune your communistone to the frequency I contacted you with. We will answer." Jaghatai finally accepts the offer, clapping a fist over his chest in a tight military salute. "Glory to Gaoth!"

"Glory to Gaoth, my friend." Ramza mimics the gesture with a grin. "We would go with you to see you thrash that pirate, but I'm afraid the safety of our passengers takes precedence."

"Are you certain? I can assure you, no midweight stands a chance at harming anyone aboard the Skyseer. You can freely watch, or even participate. It would be a good opportunity to get to know each other on a more personable level, would it not?" Jaghatai says, surprising you. For someone that was immediately hostile to you on sight, he's oddly friendly now that he believes you're aiding Gaoth. You're not sure if there's some deeper meaning to it, or if it's just a byproduct of his fanatical loyalty to his nation...

"You're quick to change your tune, huh? Threatening to blow us sky high one minute, and offering front row seats to you doing it to someone else the next." Ramza barks out a laugh, which Jaghatai and the soldiers around join in on. You note the soldiers seem a lot more relaxed, but still maintain their positions.

"Adaptability is one of the core traits of my people, Captain! Of course, I'm sure you know that all too well." He says, gesturing to Gigas. "I must say, it was surprising to see one of Gaoth's own amongst your crew."

"I'm Gaoth...?" Gigas asks, looking a bit unsure.

"Of course. Or you at least bear heavy Gaoth blood in you. Is it not obvious from your stature and skin? Did your parents teach you nothing of your heritage, boy?" Jaghatai sounds somewhat concerned now.

"I'm sure they did, but..." Gigas reaches up to tap his head, before gesturing to the scars on his body in general next. "I lost most of my memories thanks to a monster attack, I'm afraid. I can't even remember my name, so these fine gentlemen that helped save me decided to call me Gigas."

"A testament to the extraordinary constitution of we Gaoth, then. Lesser men would have perished outright, I'm sure. A shame, though, that you have lost all of our culture. I would be glad to teach you once more, whenever I have time - perhaps it will jog some of those memories." He offers your gargantuan friend, stepping up and holding a hand out to shake. Gigas takes it, naturally, grinning.

"Of course! I'd like nothing more than to get back what I lost. Anything you can do to help would be fantastic. I don't suppose we could have met at any point, could we?" Gigas asks.

"Hmm..." Jaghatai leans left, then right, getting a good look for the different angles of Gigas' face. "You do look vaguely familiar, but not in a way that I can place. Perhaps I know your father, or your mother? That would explain this vexing familiarity."

"Perhaps, perhaps." Gigas responds, nodding slowly. "By the way, can I call myself Gigas of Gaoth now, since I'm Gaoth?"

"I don't see why not. It is an honor bestowed to all of our blood, and any who service our nation adequately." Jaghatai claps Gigas on the back hard enough to make even the giant stumble forward. Yeah, you can definitely see the similarities.

"Cool! Does that include-" Ramza speaks up.

"No." Jaghatai shoots him down immediately. "Perhaps in due time, but not yet."

"Damn it." Ramza curses.

Jaghatai chuckles, before gesturing over to the Gleamrunner finally. "Have you decided yet? Will you be joining us on our hunt, or returning to Threespice immediately?"

>Join the Gaoth on their hunt. If you perform well enough, you may even get a cut of the loot, hopefully! And it'll give you ample time to learn a thing or two about Gaoth culture.
>Return to Threespice immediately. You've still got a ton of things on your plate, and you don't want to be gone for too long.

>>5976355
>Join the Gaoth on their hunt. If you perform well enough, you may even get a cut of the loot, hopefully! And it'll give you ample time to learn a thing or two about Gaoth culture.
Glad appealing to his honor worked. Anytime someone says something like “pro gamer” I think back to the pro tip “Shoot the Cyberdemon until it dies” meme so I never know whether it’s meant as a good thing or a bad thing.

In any case, Gigas gets some answers (that he may not like), we get some action, the engineers get revenge and we can swing by their ship for anything of sentimental or technical value the pirates may have passed on, and we all get to learn a lite more of Gaoth. We have more things to do, yes, but damn if this isn’t a productive use of time.

>>5976355

>Join the Gaoth on their hunt. If you perform well enough, you may even get a cut of the loot, hopefully! And it'll give you ample time to learn a thing or two about Gaoth culture.

Why not?

>>5976355
>Join the Gaoth on their hunt. If you perform well enough, you may even get a cut of the loot, hopefully! And it'll give you ample time to learn a thing or two about Gaoth culture.

>We could act as bait so you can broadside them with a pincers attack then we can board them for a glorious Melee combat!

I want to salvage the eldigarians ship they said they had good loot on it. I bet they'd be happy getting their personal effects back. And we can sell their ship....

>>5976355
>Join the Gaoth on their hunt. If you perform well enough, you may even get a cut of the loot, hopefully! And it'll give you ample time to learn a thing or two about Gaoth culture.
Woo allies!

>>5976365
If we don’t find a use for our one harpoon cannon to help in the initial salvo I’ll be incredibly disappointed. Might be as simple as pulling them askew so their cannons don’t get a good broadside on the Skyseer.

>>5976407
Ooh I like that smart.

>>5976365
+1

>>5976355

>>5976357
>>5976360
>>5976365
>>5976397
>>5976407
>>5976458

"We'll join you, of course." Ramza says, nodding resolutely. "It's not the kind of opportunity that comes up often, I'd say. And who would I be if I spat in the face of a good opportunity?"

"Well said! Come to the bridge with me, then. It offers the best view in the ship, and I imagine you'll be rather impressed with what the Skyseer is capable of." Jaghatai sounds particularly happy with that answer. Based on the twitch of one of his fingers, you imagine that if Ramza was in the right position for it, he would deliver a lung-collapsing pat on your captain's back.

"Of course, Captain. Lead the way." Ramza gestures behind the man, before looking over his shoulder and waving in a 'come-here' motion to the trio still waiting on the Gleamrunner.

You all fall in behind Jaghatai as he leads you into the ship itself. He does stop at the door for a moment though, looking back towards the assembly of soldiers still lined up near your ship. "Back to your stations, men! And be on your best behaviors. By Gaoth's will, I will behead any of you that embarass us in front of our guests." He threatens his men, who all seem to take it in stride and salute their captain before jogging off in various directions.

"You, uh...you often threaten your men with beheadings?" Ramza asks, clearly feeling strained.

"Hmm? Of course I do. Just as my captain threatened me back when I was at a lesser station. It brings out the best in men to know what the consequences of failure are." He waves a hand above his shoulder nonchalantly.

"Have you ever gone through with it?" You ask apprehensively.

"I've only had to do so twice. Once was for insubordination, and the other for theft. There have been no repeats of such offenses since." He says with a chuckle. "I imagine that you Lumeans, with your softer hearts, must think me cruel? That I have estranged myself from my men?"

"If I'm being honest, yeah. Ruling through fear sounds like a pretty shaky way to handle it." Ramza responds.

"And you would hardly be the first to think so. However, each and every one of my men would take a blade or bullet for me. And I, them. We are in a mutual understanding with one another that those who perform poorly or act against the interests of the great Gaoth Empire are complacent in their duties and must be removed...one way or another. Were I to show mercy, I too would be executed by my very own men, and I would encourage them to do so."

"Enlightening...So the ruling structure is something of a meritocracy, then?" You ask.

"Of course. The strong are rewarded justly, and the weak are subjugated or culled, as is their place. We pride ourselves on not just physical strength, but mental and spiritual strength, too. We have seen what weakness has done to the other nations, and we have collectively rejected the endless downward spiral of corruption and degeneracy that it brings."

File: F6Hdbf0bIAAzoAL.jpg (783 KB, 2835x2008)

783 KB JPG

There's a momentary pause as you enter the bridge, seeing half a dozen soldiers manning various instruments and a dedicated pilot at the wheel. The glass covering the bridge must be enchanted in a similar way to the Guardian's Eye in Threespice, as you notice that you can easily make out extreme detail at a distance just by focusing long enough on any particular object - the microstructures of the ice around here are actually pretty interesting. You also take note of an interesting projection of the surrounding area, particles of mana showing a three-dimensional map of everything around. You wonder if it gets its information from that pulse of mana you felt earlier?

"Welcome to the bridge, where all the magic is done. Now, you said that there was a good midweight to target just outside of the ice fields, yes? Could you point us in the right direction?" Jaghatai asks.

"I'll assist with that." You say, moving over to the pilot at the helm. You note that, while he's definitely Gaoth in appearance, he's wearing an assortment of high-tech gear that most certainly doesn't feel Gaoth to you. Liberated equipment from Eldingarians, perhaps? Regardless, you start to feed the pilot directions, and feel the Skyseer lurch forward once more as you do so.

The gigantic ship heads directly towards some of the gargantuan icebergs blocking the path, and were it any lesser of a ship you're certain that would spell doom for it. You and everyone else aboard the ship braces themselves against a nearby surface, of which you now note the purpose of the plethora of metal handles sticking out over just about every surface, and the Skyseer jolts as it impacts one of the floating ice boulders. The berg begins to shift out of the way and crack, several pieces shattering off of it while the metal ship seems to be completely unharmed by the exchange. The ship pushes past it all unperturbed, picking up an increasing amount of speed that soon rivals that of the Gleamrunner's despite its slower acceleration.

"Incredible. The Skyseer is like a force of nature!" Ramza exclaims, leaning over one of the soldiers to get a closer look at the view outside despite the fact that it's completely unnecessary to do so. "How the hell do you make a ship this powerful move so fast?"

"The blessings of the Verdant Spire, my friend. A high-end Wind Catalyst coupled with a runic array throughout the ship affords us speeds normally only available to far lighter ships, and simultaneously provides yet another layer of protection that's invisible to the naked eye. Wind-infused alloys coat every inch of the ship, giving synergy to the array and cutting down on overall weight. It's the pinnacle of Gaoth engineering, and every bit the rival of Eldingarian 'wonders', no matter how they try to dress it up." Jaghatai boasts with pride.

"ETA one hour before we breach the fields, Captain." The pilot next to you says.

"Excellent. That shall give us plenty of time to talk." Jaghatai says, moving over to the Captain's chair and taking his 'throne'. He cuts an imposing figure in it, and you're certain that's intentional.

>Do you have any particular topics you wish to broach with the Goath?

Disc 1, Part 4 is loading...please wait.

That's it for this thread, I hope you all have been liking the journey just as much as I have, if not more! I'm going to take a small break since we're already on page 8, which should give us plenty of time for any and all questions that pop up over the next few days.
Any in-character questions should be prefaced with greentext, but if you have any questions for ME as well, feel free to ask them! I'm sticking around until we drop off like I always do.

https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Lodestar:%20Dawn%20of%20a%20New%20Age
Thread archived!

>>5977185
>Do you have any particular topics you wish to broach with the Goath?
Do the Gaoth have, uh, aspirations of bringing their way of life to our lands? (Are they planning global conquest, in other words?) They're kind of based in their own way, but Gaoth philosophy seems antithetical to the good-natured love of freedom which fuels our brand of piracy.

>>5977191
>>5977199
Thanks for running, btw!

>>5977185
>Ask the goath what they think/know of demons.

>Ask more about the array and wind infused alloy.

>Ask if they have wind infused cannonballs?

>Ask what they think of the eldigarians? And their artificial spire.

>ever heard of space magic?

>>5977191
Thanks for running QM

>>5977211
>>5977760
Thanks for playing! I really to appreciate how many of you lads ended up enjoying my autism-fueled fantasy. I wasn't entirely sure how well it would translate from tabletop to quest, but I think it went pretty damn well. It's also given me the chance to fix a good number of things that I messed up in the initial run. Which I'll be using to make an even better second run of the tabletop version someday. It's an endless cycle of improvement!

>>5977185
Really glad we didn’t try outrunning it now.

For Gigas
>What does a traditional Gaoth upbringing normally entail?

>For Ramza
>What is dating like in Gaoth? Asking for a friend.
He can pretend he’s doing it for Gigas’s sake since he doesn’t know about his own culture anymore and Gigas wouldn’t think to ask until it’s too late, but we’d all know the real reason.

For Val
>Any tricks the pilot is proud of? We were able to sail the Gleamrunner through the ice fields thanks to the new wind crystal installed in it. Seeing what someone experienced with them can do would be beneficial.
Val has plenty to be proud of recently, but that’s no excuse to not try and learn from someone more experienced. Whoever is piloting a ship of this size and power has to have some fun maneuvers or knowledge to show off.

More generally
>Glory for Gaoth can be found in many ways. Why did Jaghatai choose captaining a ship over others?
>Any recommendations on other places to visit for a crew looking for adventure afar?
>What’s the traditional celebration after a successful battle like we’re about to have?
>Got any competitions we can join to kill some time?

>>5977191

Great work, QM - top 5 quest on the board

>>5977883
It would have been a difficult escape, to be sure.
>>5977885
Based, what are the other four?

>>5977890

Discounting my own quest, and in no particular order, I’d put the other four best “character-driven” quests as:

Dragon’s Credenza
Cyberpunk Quest
False-Woman
Simple Space Empire

>>5977895
Damn. I got filtered in the first three posts of Dragon's Credenza, maybe I should try giving it another shot.
Cyberpunk is definitely a good one, it's on my list.
False-woman and SSE I know nothing about.

>>5977907
Dragon's Credenza is really good, but I'd personally put this quest in the company of Disappearing Hogwarts, Seven Against Thebes, and Cutémon or my top 4. Top five would have to include my own on general principle.

>>5977890
OOC question, were you hoping we’d try the honor duel so you could throw an armored Gaoth captain at us and watch us panic?

>>5978814
Contrary to popular theory, no! It would have been a pretty intense fight, but winnable with the right tactics. Potentially in one turn, even, depending on how rolls went down. After all, you have a spell that conveniently doesn't care how armored your opponent is.

>>5978866
Ah note to self if they're heavily armored hit them with mana disruption.

>>5979359
It makes sense, after all. It doesn't deal any damage, which means the Armor's damage negation does nothing, and being hit with it requires you to make a roll to resist the pain. A good ol' save or suck spell.

>>5986131
>>5986131
>>5986131
New thread, character vote time!