762323 No.3978[Last 50 Posts]
Evening elegant gents and welcome to a new arc of A Tale of Monsters, ported over from halfchan /tg/ and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s been a long time coming. I’m doing something of a trial run for /qu/, I know my quest has been on for a long, long while ( probably the longest lived on that board) and that inevitably means there’s a lot of stuff to cover but I’m not going to impose the need of continuity for this peculiar arc I’ve got cooked up; while linked to the overarching story this part will have a new protagonist (putting the numbers to three) and knowledge of the settings isn’t going to be as vital, I’m going to do things a little differently until we go back to the main story, not that we’ll be wasting time doing this – as always, I play with high stakes- there is a lot of gain and just as much to lose.
For my regulars I believe you’ll find yourself at home very soon and probably guess what I’m attempting to do pretty easily and for any /qu/ newcomers, I’m welcoming with as much open arms as I can. I’ve never had a lot of popularity so I’m not expecting a sudden surge of players.
Sheets concerning important characters will pop up when the individual in question is mentioned, although most of them are stats related for direct confrontation with some information obfuscated until a proper reveal happen.
If anybody is curious about the archive, here it is.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Monster%20Girls%20QuestAnd here is my twitter.
https://twitter.com/TaleOfMonstersWithout further ado, here's some information about our protagonist, the introduction will begin next post.
http://pastebin.com/U2BrfMzG 762323 No.3979
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14th day of Prophecy. 17:10 PM, inside the royal castle of Ame-no-Uzume, central Zipangu.
Fresh and clean water spilled over the dug in ceremonious altar all the way to the floor of dark green ceramics; light of strong white shone from lamps built into the very walls of the temple depicting graphic imageries of ancestral humanoid entwine with a long, serpentine entity that would oftentimes leave them to entwine itself with a circle; another observation told the story of time immemorial, during the struggles of great Pretender gods and the same serpent withering abuses to protect this small globe sheltering a select few silhouettes; wherever one looked, images carved into the very stones told the long, long history of Zipangu and why the woman floating on the water was worthy of worship.
From four strategic opening on the walls, fresh water gently flowed to pool inside the large bath (some referred it as a grave), it’s continuous flow would easily be enough to flood the entire subterranean chamber in a single week, let alone needing more than a few hours to fill up the bed of slick, dark blue stones; yet the fresh, crystal clear liquid disappeared continually, absorbed into the body of the sleeping Ryu; those that didn’t live on this island referred to her instead as Orochi, a demonic slang. Gallant even in unending slumber, her body laid to rest and kept humid and comfortable thank to the water, her ladyship has been sleeping for years; the entire lower half of her body was one of a snake just like the many Lamia slithering all over the world, albeit filled with big green scales, each of them shining even underwater with a paler layer covering the inner side of her body that would be meeting the ground, were she not laying face up in the water. A kimono of dark green light up continuously from a set of visible runes threaded into its fabrics, hugging her body and concealing her womanly forms whilst her arms laid atop her tummy, hands crossed together in prayer; I was the one who put them like that, they were big, heavy monstrous limbs covered in scales and possessing only four fingers without thumbs, yet still big enough to palm half of my head; it always felt like a mutation every time I saw them. Her hair newly washed floated in the water like a tapestry, dark purple with smooth, silky threads that was always a privilege to touch and finally, her ladyship face itself was closed in peaceful slumber. Scales crept around her cheeks while wooden-colored horns slightly extended upward behind her head; she was the one living Saint of Zipangu, and only a select few were trusted to peruse upon this vulnerable sleeping person- keeping her beautiful and healthy is what I’ve been doing for years even if… the natural sturdiness of dragons made my activity relatively useless, it was always a bittersweet joy to come here, inside the most sacrosanct temple of my homeland and gaze upon such a precious friend of my queen.
‘’War has reached Zipangu soil once again, your Holiness’’
This year ought to have been the thirtieth anniversary of our island nation victory over the demonic invasion and instead a second crusade came to our shores nearly overnight and yet, just as quickly, the fortune of the war has changed in our favor. Good news of the front does little to stifle the shadows of unease and worries however, for the one I love is fighting.
‘’There’s always a legend surrounding certain monarchs to rise from the graves in their nations darkest hour… is it not the time here, your Holiness? Enemies are skulking in the shadows to stick a dagger in Zipangu heart; an end is an end, isn’t it time to awake anew to protect your island?’’
I knew my wishes were mere complaints as I worked my hand with as much care as I could behind the sleeping woman head, lifting it gently to allow her hair to rest smoothly around her horns and into the water; I only wish for the great matron to protect the one I loved, nothing more for can only curse my uselessness in these times – at least the ever sleeping Ryu kept on slumbering peacefully, air smoothly entering and exiting her nose and sometime she’d led out a sigh, as if taking an afternoon nap, going uninterrupted for twenty years.
‘’…I’ll be back tomorrow, Madame’’
It’s always unbecoming to linger in the presence of the Ryu; I was told that she was able to hear despite her current status but the years have piled and I haven’t been met with any reaction – losing faith is a dangerous thing - but pessimism wouldn’t be keeping me from my duties, the war has been keeping me away from my beloved and it has inevitably weighted on my mood.
‘’Sleep well’’
762323 No.3980
Uncountable years of accumulated corruption forced the water dragon into this coma, only once in my life did I get the privilege of witnessing her Ladyship in some form of activity and even as a child, I understood that the Ryu was a precious, precious person to the queen and her mother, both of them pillars of our entire island nation.
As I left, the lamp of white diminished until the protective door of stone slide loudly in place; I had more than enough history lesson to feel bored by the engraving in this tomb but the brilliant, shining runes momentarily flashing during their magical operation was always a joy to behold, even if it left me inside the cramped corridor leading up toward civilisation; this entire place felt like a retreat, its own dimensional bubble outside space and time – a very fitting atmosphere for the Saint of Zipangu.
As I emerged inside the small square room constructed as the public temple and the hidden opening was blocked anew by the runes, I heard a distinctive sound; a whoosh and swift break in the wind, a sound I remember distinctively well for I have grown up with its constant backdrop – even if evening fell onto the island there was no stopping my mother from her rigorous training and a light step outside the castle revealed her elegant presence holding her sword one handed, holding an unorthodox stance while holding her second hand behind her back as she finished a crossing strike with sweat pouring down her face despite the frosty air of the encroaching night; the walls of the inner castle were tall but I could still see the orange sun on the horizon casting long, eerie shadows from the many trees and lampposts.
‘’I can’t remember the last time you took a break.’’
My voice ran afoul the sounds of her training and my mother let out a long sigh, elegantly putting her katana in its scabbard in a swift movement while her brown furred tail swished gently in the air; similar large, animalistic furred ears propped themselves atop her head as she turned to look at me, wiping some sweat away with her sleeve. She, I and my older sister were wolves monsters, all of us under the care of Ame-no-Uzume and Tsukiyomi after some old history before my time, I haven’t quite pried into whatever reason that pushed my mother away from her mountain home, what I know is that the pair of foxes were gracious enough for my mother to proclaim undying loyalty of bloodlines – perhaps a bold decision – but I’ve been more than happy with this decision, taken long before my birth..
‘’I didn’t believe I’d see yet another war, at least your sister is helping out…’’
‘’…don’t believe yourself useless, mother; I feel much safer with you present and you aren’t that old, your cake has yet to collapse under the weight of its candles!’’
‘’Ha ha’’
Her grimace showed a dangerous glint of piercing fangs as she rested her hands on her hips, brushing her knuckles against the long hilt of her blade which elicited a light metallic click while facing me fully, her gaze straying toward the small rectangular shape of the temple behind me as I walked to her side, soon we’d both take off toward the inner parts of the castles – for now lingering inside the inner garden of the sacred dragon was enough to lift my spirit despite grim news and grimmer business; the war is far, but to know family and beloved are risking their lives weight heavily… Not that I should allow myself to slip into depression.
‘’Got some new residents when you were down there.’’
Mother spoke with some gruffness in her tone while keeping a hand on her sword.
‘’Tengu, just like you said; Matriarch herself, too. Talk about unearthing old history, this damn lightning war is worse than the three years with the demons I swear…’’
762323 No.3981
Mother was always grumpy but I couldn’t fault her soured mood now; she and that Matriarch have some old history related to my father. The whole story of the crows people with my family and the duo of rulers foxes isn’t easily brushed aside, the most important thing surrounding the Matriarch of these birds is undoubtedly the fact that they’ve long been the biggest political rivals of the Mikoto dynasty and were the undeniable masters of the island before Tsukiyomi arrival – the most recent events surrounding them lies with their outright banishment more than fifty years ago and since then the crows have (somewhat) happily stayed in their sacred mountain retreat far from Ame-no-Uzume capital. Not they were completely out of the picture, but I’ve never been very privy to politic and my mother involvement was a more personal one with the Matriarch whose complications were somewhat settled before my birth.
Whether we’ve invited a wholesome ally or another lion remains to be seen.
‘’Any complaints from the pair of inventors?’’
I first called them alchemists but their childish reprimand to use the proper term for women of progress (yes, that’s how they’ve put it) was enough to make me understand who they were; a little blond by the name of Ithel Hermingild and a demon goat in the form of a little girl named Belphegor came from the frontline with a spell directly made by Ame-no-Uzume – I haven’t been informed of the greater details- but the blond is apparently a defector of the Church while the goat respond directly to the Demon Lord.
I have no clue what’s happening, but at least they’ve been cordial, if a little too energetic.
‘’Not yet, let’s just hope dem crows don’t try to rub their noses where it doesn’t belong, least they aint here to disturb them’’
The girls were apparently on a commissions from our leaders and set up shop in the alchemical lab (of the now deceased) Garret Ciryon, who was the previous researcher and physicist of the queen afore his demise during the opening stage of the war. A curious man, I’ve never really talked with him but he did help me, my mother and sister during some bout of illness, it’s a shame to see him gone…
‘’So, still more duties?’’
We weren’t out of the garden yet, the vegetation’s of the queen inner castle felt like a forest; a small lake had somehow been architected inside its walls and as I progressed alongside my mother toward the proper fortifications we came across a familiar sight – a simple construction of wood occupying its own little space, an archery range built amidst nature.
‘’Maegan?’’
‘’Oh, right well…’’
It was tempting to lose oneself in reverie, however things aren’t so simple; for a moment I remembered the white tails, somber eyes and brilliant eyes of queen Ame-no-Uzume and felt compelled to hold onto the necklace around my neck; it was a simple chain of silver but the jewel on its center was the most magnificent gem, a mixture of brilliant dark blue that would oftentimes light up as some tiny sparks seemed to swim inside… My most prized possession.
>[As of right now, until we get situated, I’ll be giving greentext choices to help us along. As always, every option can be changed on a popular demand]
>’’I should go welcome the crows in your stead’’ [I’d like to spare my mother this unpleasantry; she doesn’t have the best history with the Matriarch…]
>’’I’ll be seeing our lively pair of inventors, see if they need anything. They’ve got an important job’’ [Ithel Hermingild and the demon Belphegor have gotten here earlier today; maybe they aren’t quite situated yet]
>’’…I wish to speak with the queen, would you see if our friends are doing alright for me, mother?’’[Maybe I’m simply stressed but I have a… bad feeling clutching my guts.]
>Free.
bb66eb No.3982
>cripplechan
dropped
31831a No.3983
>>3981>Welcome the crows.Better to make sure the politically charged tengus are taken care of first, I think.
762323 No.3984
>>3982I already announced my intentions during our last thread, if I hadn't gotten sick for two week straight this would have happened sooner.
2c7e7d No.3985
>>3981 >’’I should go welcome the crows in your stead’’ [I’d like to spare my mother this unpleasantry; she doesn’t have the best history with the Matriarch…] 6533ed No.3986
>>3981Welcome the crows, sounds like mommy doing it might cause a political episode.
And aye, so this is where Ame's keeping her Hoshi-no-Tama. Is it common practice amongst powerful Kitsune, Inari, and
Kumiho to keep their balls with deeply trusted attendants, close friends, and/or lovers instead of on their person?
762323 No.3987
>>3986>And aye, so this is where Ame's keeping her Hoshi-no-Tama. Is it common practice amongst powerful Kitsune, Inari, and Kumiho to keep their balls with deeply trusted attendants, close friends, and/or lovers instead of on their person?Not at all. The old myths surrounding kitsunes always tend to make a point about that ball, if one were to acquire it, they'd be able to enslave the Youkai because the Hoshi-no-Tama is a literal lifelink.
For the tailed folk to give it up themselves is a sign of immense trust, but also care, since the artefact bestow some of their magic on its holder.
I've also got a few sheets in the bank, namely for our protagonist mother, Ame and the crow Matriarch, do you guys want them?
8c9df6 No.3988
>8ch lags my browser to hell
W-well it was a fun run.
762323 No.3989
>>3988Is it really that bad? I'm making a trial run for this place but if my regulars can't even access it then I'll have to take a step back.
6533ed No.3990
>>3987Yeah I know that, I just try not to make any assumptions. Helps keep me frosty, a good thing to be around you. And sure, why not, presumably we'd have at least a hint of that info in character.
>>3988Really? Works fine for me.
21cdf9 No.3991
>>3989
>one reply>suddenly assume all your regulars can't access itINH pls.
>>3988Are you on Firefox? Because I heard certain themes on Firefox can cause problems. If you can manage it, check around /meta/ for the problem.
4bf832 No.3992
>’’…I wish to speak with the queen, would you see if our friends are doing alright for me, mother?’’[Maybe I’m simply stressed but I have a… bad feeling clutching my guts.]
21cdf9 No.3993
762323 No.3994
>>3990Here is the mother.
>http://pastebin.com/Mw8jrsFKHere is Ame
http://pastebin.com/1as1KXhpAnd finally, since we've chosen the crows, here is her sheet.
http://pastebin.com/kmibKJNWNow that its done, I'll begin writing.
6533ed No.3995
>>3992We can add this too, presumably this goes down with all concerned parties present so it shouldn't be too hard.
21cdf9 No.3996
>>3995Let's just hope INH leaves us some wiggle room for this in the next update.
762323 No.3997
>>3995You can't really speak but you could have Ame listen to what's happening.
762323 No.3999
‘’I’ll be dealing with the crows’’
‘’You sure? I haven’t dealt with them in years and I dunno how they tend to act during war time…’’
‘’The past is the past, mother; everyone know my standing with the queen, I understand you’ve been left in charge of the militia but I think I ought to go welcome her.’’
‘’…aight, I’ll probably cause a scene anyway’’
When Ame-no-Uzume and Tsukiyomi departed for the frontlines, they left a substantial garrison in the castle and even now, as I emerged from the forest, I saw the odd bunch of monsters standing around, garbed in chainmail and spears, trying to keep a peace that was already serene; my mother and myself were left as leaders of the castle simply because they trusted us more than whoever was in charge of these civil guards – the Demon Lord and one of her daughters infiltrated the inner castle itself- that wasn’t something the outside world needed to know but it was the reason for the increase in bodies.
‘’You aren’t as rude as you think you are’’
My remark elicited a brief, forced laugh as she palmed the long hilt of her sword, giving bad eyes to a pair of beastwoman in the garden that tried their best to look as professional as possible; the knights and soldiers of the castle always said that Evangeline Fayruz was the ‘’hardest of hardass’’ and it’d seem my dear mother already spoke her mind to our volunteers.
‘’I’ll check up on our new girls’’
She announced her intention and with it, the need to part way; the Tengus were in the main hall while Belphegor and Ithel remained in the late alchemist lab. I gave my mother a brief bow and went on my way, not before giving the archery range one last glance; that place was filled with many warm memories…
–
Tengus, the island sacred crows and first leaders; if there were any terms surrounding them that ought to be given afore discussion I wasn’t privy to the knowledge – still, this moment felt important enough- so I began to fiddle with the pendant on my neck, the stone of deep, dark aquamarine always shined with inner bright sparks. One of my pockets had a needle kept in a safe case, so on my way to the halls to greet the Matriarch, I pierced my finger as gently as I could and rubbed the blood on the stone before hiding it down my uniform; I knew it’d glow slightly in reaction but It’d also allow me to reach the queen, sounds would travel all the way toward her ears as if her ladyship was standing right beside me.
‘’They’re huh… here, mam’’
The single guard posted in front of the throne room looked humorously awkward – the majority of the people of the island were beast woman and this one was no different with brown cat ears and tails telling her origin.
762323 No.4000
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I ignored an animalistic compulsion to bully her and took a deep breath; the gem had grown warm against my inner clothes, physical sign of its activation – Ame and I had come with several easy to understand instruction related to our activities, the most important would be that I’d be the one speaking first if I was able to, else the queen would listen and judge herself what to do.
The door of wood was heavy and creaked at my pushed, before someone inside dutifully pulled it open; the throne room of Zipangu was empty and I felt relieved, for a moment I feared our guest would be brazen enough to sit.
‘’Hoho!’’
An excited voice resonated; overall, the hall was relatively small, obviously nothing to compare with the splendor of other monarchs, instead numerous engraving and banner of silks telling the past of Zipangu were strategically put on walls and roof while windows carved in the rock revealed a beautiful horizon of the inner garden and the outside plain leading to the capital – I was never bored of looking these decorations giving grace to both the numerous feat of arms of our nation and its religious roots.
‘’Good evening, Matriarch’’
I bowed low, this hall had just about twelves people now; the crow leaders had brought a little posse of her own but only three of them seemed to have some pure blood, while everyone aside from the leader were masked it was obvious to see the numerous bird feet and wings in place of arms, only three of them looked like description of angels of old; fully human with gorgeous wings extending from their backs.
Of course, everyone present was female.
‘’Aaah, the wolf maid of the queen; do pardon my intrusion, I would have come sooner but alas, this blasted war affect our entire island more that I imagined despite our string of success’’
Her left hand was holding a strange, orange plumed fan and she began to move her hand to give her face some fresh hair; this Matriarch was hard to describe, relaxes, incompetent or sneaky… There was a joviality I didn’t expect in her voice and, as she approached with a walk of grace, I found myself drawn to her brilliant eyes despite the fluttering wings.
Tengus are strange people.
‘’…would you be so kind as to show me the important places of the inner garden?’’
And straight to the point, not that I could expect some kind of sickening roundabout dialogue like nobles often like to do; there was a glint in her eyes, one of familiarity and knowledge – maybe she just wanted to keep away from all these birds around her.
>’’As you wish, the inner garden, right?’’ [I shouldn’t be difficult here, I know Ame is listening]
>’’I will have to insist that we keep away from a certain place, milady, otherwise I’ll be glad to show you around.’’ [The Sacred Temple of the Water Dragon isn’t something I can show to just about anyone]
>[Free]
31831a No.4001
>>4000>’’I will have to insist that we keep away from a certain place, milady, otherwise I’ll be glad to show you around.’ 762323 No.4002
>>4001If there's no more vote, I'll go with that.
Sorry for the slow build up, that's how I always tend to operate.
2c7e7d No.4003
>>4000>’’I will have to insist that we keep away from a certain place, milady, otherwise I’ll be glad to show you around.’’ [The Sacred Temple of the Water Dragon isn’t something I can show to just about anyone] 21cdf9 No.4004
>’’I will have to insist that we keep away from a certain place, milady, otherwise I’ll be glad to show you around.’’
6533ed No.4005
>>3999>Departed for the front linesMeta question so you can ignore if you want but… is this before the first battle with the crusade or the second?
762323 No.4007
>>4005Just after the second, meaning Ame is grieviously wounded, Batrion is dead and Emeth escaped that trap while activating the golems but the group isn't in the Rahall capital yet.
6533ed No.4009
>>4007Damn… So I read through the sheets and it sounds like we basically No Sell most any mind fuckery and may passively disintegrate corruption as it just don't "stick" to us. And I guess now I know why Ame's condition is so intractable. Having a conceptual weapon on that level, while insanely useful given our next target, would imply a steep price. Burn away souls… a pity that fire also burns your own in turn. Poor Ame, so useful, yet so cursed…
762323 No.4010
There was an undeniable pressure from this audience, while the Matriarch appeared friendly; the bright, long nosed red masks sporting grimacing expression of the Tengu was something else entirely, each of them seemed to stare at me in silence, judging my every action whilst their leader fanned herself leisurely. I had to fight an urge to cough and grasp the gem of my necklace before turning back toward Yumiko; she hadn’t spoken her name yet, but I knew it well enough.
‘’Yes, although I must warn you now that one place is off limit, I’ll mention it if we cross it.’’
‘’Hmm…alright then, I’ll be going with you alone too, spare us the ruffled feathers of these old birds’’
The lady gestured for her entourage, fanning the air two time while speaking a brisk ‘’go on then, find proper quarters’’ that was met with some reluctance, especially the pair of high blooded Tengu; the smaller ones obeyed well enough but these two took their time to glare at the dark haired Matriarch before they exited the room, disappearing into the long hallway and out of sight; good riddance.
‘’Now let’s go! No need for boorish politics, I’ve been meaning to do this from the start’’
One of her wing flapped form this unexpected bout of happiness and she even rubbed my shoulder; my full uniform made it impossible to feel anything but at least the gesture was appreciated; for a moment I thought she was just about to reach for my tail when I began to lead the way back into the garden but a sharp whisk of said limb was enough to deter it; crows are a curious lot.
–
To say I felt awkward was an obvious understatement; walking side by side with the leader of the Tengu isn’t exactly normal, doubly so inside the secured headquarter of the queen – part of me felt like I was committing a diplomatic faux pas of some kind, however… seeing her so carefree always reminded me of the history of our family; I wasn’t born during the trouble of the Tengus with my mother, but I do know that they both vied for the same man –namely my father- and he gave children to my wolfish warrior of a mom and this strangely friendly crow, her kids ought to be well over thirty years old now.
To think I have an unknown number of half-sisters out there…
‘’There’s no place like it in all of the world’’
Once we reached outside and into the garden properly, Yumiko tone changed as she stood beside me, the near-frantic fanning evolving into a softer movement as the cold air of the autumn night fell upon Zipangu; far away from here, war was raging but now, inside the inner castle, the vegetation became a light from strategically placed alchemical lamppost and natural organic luminescence; thusly our path became akin to a dream on a straight, narrow gravel line flanked by white and the odd shadow of blues, purples, oranges and reds; nightfall hadn’t fully settled, yet the magical flowers were already blooming.
762323 No.4011
I don’t know how a castle was made in near perfect synch with nature, but the entire land of this garden was akin to twice that of the outside courtyard and opened into a big, big forest as of yet untapped of its timbers, the whole land proclaimed sacred as the retreat of the Water Dragon; my own suspicion lied with the sleeping reptile, there was a tiny lake inside this place, used to nourish her with clear water and I believe that, in turn, she has blessed this land.
‘’I’m afraid there isn’t much of importance around these part milady; the wall are manned, the garden is inspected by more than fifty people day and night and we have some mages present as well…’’
I knew the Hoshi-no-Tama didn’t project any magic, else I wouldn’t have activated it in the first place or else –really- cause some kind of incident when asked about it; I could only hope Ame-no-Uzume was listening.
‘’Nonsense, I know you don’t want me anywhere near the temple so I’ll respect that, instead I wanted an excuse to talk about something else, much more important…. But first, let’s sit there.’’
With her plumed fan, Yumiko gestured toward the archery range, the building was one of the very few allowed to stand in the garden; it projected an aura of lonely serenity, several bows aligned in baskets with numerous arrows and far away targets to practice on, it had everything needed to train good archers – but the place was obviously used as a hobby by the rulers and their entourage, especially me; firing a few shots is always amazing to clear one mind.
Thus this winged dark haired crow sat on the edge of its wooden hall, letting out a sigh and proclaiming loudly
‘’Aah, I wish I had a good drink to share with you’’ while sticking out her tongue (is she trying to flirt…?). Maid I may be, I was still left with heavy responsibilities; thus instead of obeying her wish I sat beside her, taking careful care with avoiding her skin with my tail, which somehow emboldened the crow to put her wing around my back.
‘’This inner garden has been infiltrated twice’’
Just like that, I felt a needle pierce my heart and a cold sweat ran down my back as she simply smiled while leering sideway toward me, her head shaking as she whispered a brief ‘’no no’’ in a vain attempt to calm me down; so I grasped at my pants in futility. Of course she’d –somehow- know about that.
Ame-no-Uzume had a dear friend; whilst she and I are lover, a spider (Jurougumo) was also her best friend, a graceful lady by the name of Yuria was ten years my seniors – that person was somehow the Demon Lord in disguise and I don’t think Ame ever recovered from this betrayal, her dear friend was a sham and her treasured friendship discarded; whatever emotions she must have felt were undoubtedly swallowed as she focused on ‘’more important things’’
As if the state of her heart was of no consideration; but still there was more, for somehow, that same Demon Lord had one of her daughter torment one of our new arrival. That’s as far as I know, but this knowledge was privy to only a very select few – the direct entourage of the queen and her mother alongside me, my mother and my sister; all of us trusted by the fluffed rulers, so how did this crow…?
‘’Peace, Maegan, peace. I’m not here as an enemy, in fact I renounced the throne of central Zipangu after my banishment and beside that I’ve got great respect for you and your mother’’
Yumiko had taken a more serious stance now, face half-closed, scrutinizing the grass, naked legs peeking out of the opening of her kimono.
‘’I’ve one thing to ask, though; do you know about the Sabbath?’’
>[A little lore check, the Sabbath is related to the universe of the MGE, so answer what you want.]
6533ed No.4012
>>4011Well well well, looks like we gotta make a roll here. Fat chance in hell we'd let her just go all "chest burster" on Orochi. Just saying, she's a factor momma thought would endure.
6533ed No.4013
>>4011Well… Not clear on rolling a dice of any number here. How I roll X now?
762323 No.4014
>>4013>>4012I wasn't clear enough, sorry,
You can roll 1d20 if you want, or give an answer related to the Sabbath if you think you have it.
a56596 No.4015
>>4012Instead of making a roll, we can circumvent chance by actually answering.
762323 No.4018
Hm I'm having a little blank, forgot how dice worked here, I'l lgo look, give me a few minutes.
a56596 No.4019
>>4011Sabbath is a religious order in the Demon Realm, mostly comprised of Witches. It's supposed goal is to spread their belief in pleasure above all else.
Baphomets were supposed to be their leading figures.
762323 No.4020
 | Rolled 2 |
Here it is
762323 No.4021
>>4019Well then, that's a pass.
On to writing.
6533ed No.4022
>>4021Well I'm clocking out. Hope it all turns out well INH, for you I mean.
762323 No.4023
‘’A religious order of the demonic realm, isn’t it? Supposedly led by Baphomets, although this knowledge is rather old and come from the church so I’m not too certain of its veracity but they seem to spread the belief of pleasures above all else, no greater gratification than sex, experiencing all the joys of life…’’
It was an odd mention, my words seem to perk up the crow as her smile grew, whether impressed or amusement, I couldn’t say.
>You’ve left a good impression on the Tengu Matriarch
For a moment I thought about our pair of guest, both of them young looking girls, one of them being one of these mentioned Baphomet – the girl seemed to have the trust of Ame, at least, it’s not my place to put very dangerous doubts.
‘’Quite so, there hasn’t been a reinvestigation of this… sub-faction of the demons in a long, long while but the big lines are easy enough to understand, you’ve put them well; still, they’ve been very active in the demonic realm from what I’ve been able to gather and now, we had two little spies sneak inside the very sanctum of the Saint of Zipangu… It’s a good thing this news hasn’t spread, else our clergy would be up in arms about this.’’
Yumiko fanned herself some more despite the encroaching night; the orange-colored sun was now well behind the horizon but still somewhat present enough to cast a lukewarm light on the sky, rendering it a beautiful dark blue mostly free of clouds; it felt rather peaceful to sit beside her, maybe I had the wrong idea about these mystical crows.
‘’I want to know if our little Baphomet guest can be trusted’’
She said, voice grave and traits somehow relaxed, her voice alone was enough to tense to tail behind me, I hope the queen is listening…
‘’You know more than you let on’’
I was grasping at straws; still, the crow let out a good natured giggle and masked her mouth with her fan.
‘’Of course, it’s just that this demon is a puzzle… as are you, Maegan, I’ve come here to avoid a tragedy you see’’
‘’If you don’t tell me about it, then I can’t help you’’
All my life, I knew when to let go of my curiosity, queen Ame-no-Uzume and her mother, Tsukiyomi would often brush me aside when a discussion would venture into something potentially deadly – perhaps as a way of protection – this crow talk of tragedy was enough to rise some of my anger (and I believe myself very patient); I even felt my ears twitch and had to spend another effort of will to calm these unintended movements.
‘’I think you’ll have an answer soon enough Maegan; for now, I’d just like to ask you this – talk to the Baphomet, try to find out what she knows about the demons, I don’t want to suffer a third infiltrator, you see.’’
>’’I believe Madame Belphegor to be perfectly trustworthy, Yumiko and you should think the same; Tsukiyomi and Ame-no-Uzume wouldn’t be stupid enough to send a traitor in our midst. [I’m not good as these games of subterfuges, so I’ll just say what I believe.
>’’…alright, just know that I intend to make a friend of the Baphomet, so I might reveal my purpose.’’ [Ame once said she loved my gentleness… I don’t want to hurt Belphegor.]
>’’I can’t promise anything’’ [I may have to be pragmatic about it, maybe even lie… I don’t like it.]
>[Free]
[I'll be stopping here for tonight. I didn't intend this session to be too long so we'll continue tomorrow (if everything goes well on my end). Since this is a bit of a trial run for /qu/, I'd like to stick to this board for now, although if you guys really want to move back then I'll accept it.]
e7f1d3 No.4024
>>4023>Free"Tsukiyomi and Ame-no-Uzume believe that Ms. Belphegor can be trusted enough to be in our midst; I believe in them to trust their judgement. But I shall speak with her about the current actions of Sabbath, since it is better to have up-to-date information about such a dangerous group."
762323 No.4026
I'll restart the thread this evening unless something come up, as always don't be afraid to ask anything.
6533ed No.4027
>>4023Do what you want. I say we go talk to the Baphomet and her Humie helper in a kind and innocent way. Besides, I've been wanting to get at that not-loli's thinking process for some time now. Same for Ithel, I think I got her figured out, but I need a bit more info to be sure.
762323 No.4028
Thread should be back in an hour
31831a No.4029
>>4023>’’I believe Madame Belphegor to be perfectly trustworthy, Yumiko and you should think the same; Tsukiyomi and Ame-no-Uzume wouldn’t be stupid enough to send a traitor in our midstWe don't have any reason to distrust our resident goat, I think. And maybe Maegan could stand to have her mother's bluntness rub off on her and not be as meek.
762323 No.4030
>>4029I've already wrote a good chunk with the free option up above, if yours become the popular one then I'll restart.
5aa19d No.4031
>>4030How long will you wait?
762323 No.4032
>>4031Well, for now I'm no longer waiting, so I'm continuing my earlier plans.
762323 No.4034
"Tsukiyomi and Ame-no-Uzume believe that Ms. Belphegor can be trusted enough to be in our midst; I believe in them to trust their judgement.’’
If I didn’t I certainly wouldn’t be standing here tonight for the foxes faith is fragile and eternal. I resisted the urge to gently grab my necklace again while the Matriarch expression hardened in displeasure; I could only hope that Ame was hearing everything and that I’m doing her proud.
‘’I shall speak with her about the current actions of Sabbath, since it is better to have up-to-date information about such a dangerous group. Just know that I’m not going to try to hide my purpose."
Rubbing my hands on my uniform, the cold air of the night was slowly, but inevitably, sneaking into my bones – the light clothing of the Tengu made me wonder for a moment how she could stay so comfortable and assured, my words seem to have left her in slight ponders as her lisps closed around the orange tips of a feather of the fan she kept holding and like that a rather awkward silence followed, one that I tried my best to shoulder without looking like a nervous wreck.
‘’Well… I think your honesty shouldn’t rub her wrong.’’
Then the corner of her mouth curled upward as she let her colored apparel rest on her thighs.
‘’Thank for doing this.’’
That felt like a cue to proceed, so I did; her purple colored eyes seem to have a shine of their own in the dark as she watched me exit, the garden at night was certainly a grand, beautiful sight, I couldn’t fault her for staying alone here even if it felt rather wrong to leave such an important lady alone in darkness, there’s been quite a few change after what happened with the infiltrators; still, the sight of the archery range basked in blue, purple and red from the magical flowers gave the noble crow an undeniable otherworldly aura; whether the knot in my guts was fear, stress or awe, I didn’t know – but this Yumiko certainly left an impression, she’s not quite what I imagined given the history of our families.
–
When the demon and her little scientist friend came here earlier today they looked like old, nearly inseparable friends so finding one would be getting them both. The alchemical lab was the best place to look, even after nightfall; deep inside the castle was an entire row dedicated to alchemy and golems maintenance for some project I wasn’t privy too, with the knights away from the castle there wasn’t anyone else trusted to guard its secrets, meaning that my progress was met by an increasingly thinner bodies of servants and militias up until I emerged from the stairs leading to the basement without once coming across my mother – most likely, she was done with her own business and was onto doing something else related to the militia.
Rows and rows of rooms lingered my path, beds with clean sheets and pristine furniture gave this peculiar floor a rather lonely aura, silence would have reigned as well if it weren’t for the brief echo of activity emerging from a peculiar room with its half closed iron door.
‘’So… is it operable?’’
‘’I think so, we don’t have her right now but the blood we got, the scales, the measures… electrical stimuli make it twitch; it’s not liquid metal, but I dare say that we’ve got ourselves a nice budget prosthetic, although…’’
‘’Yeah, need some tinkering, that’s the long part anyway’’
‘’Two or three more days I’d say, gotta make dem lines y’know?’’
‘’How about the furnace? Done melting the gold?’’
…they didn’t stop talking, so I announced myself by knocking gently on the door, which immediately sent them silent and I proceeded to enter as quietly as I could, even if the door creak like a dying bird.
762323 No.4035
‘’Oh, visited by the second wolf’’
Belphegor and Ithel Hermingild was truly an odd pair; the demonic goat looked tiny and young enough to be my little sister yet undoubtedly beat my mother in years. Long hair of clear brown fell toward the middle of her back while a pair of brownish horns sprouted from behind her head, extending upward then curving down; her hands and feet were animalistic in a similar fashion to the water dragon, albeit with the distinctive features of a goat. Her hands looked nicely furred with only three claw-like fingers while her feet ended with the distinctive clops you’d find on centaurs – honestly, I found her adorable.
The other little one was a blue eyed, short haired blonde with the kind of demeanor that made you wonder if she grew up in a mine, yet still somehow conserved a startling amount of feminity; Ithel was an alchemist through and through, going as far as living the cliché of sporting dirty clothes yet her face was a constant beaming smile when I snuck a peek and now wasn’t any different.
‘’I see that the both can’t lay back.’’
The various tables had been refurbished to hold onto their projects, the duo were now observing some kind of metallic skeleton arm, with the blonde pinching some kind of small metal rod between her fingers.
‘’There be a war not too far, can’t exactly sit on me ass, y’know?’’
Still, Ithel spoke with a hint of fatigue, she may be tiny but there was an undeniable maturity about her that made it impossible to consider her a child, but perhaps not quite an adult yet; she was a bright genius, that much I came to understand fast.
‘’Well, I was thinking of stopping for the night anyway’’
Belphegor own personal project was a mess of mechanical part not too far from the furnace; I had no idea what it was and I wasn’t rude enough to ask.
>’’In that case why don’t you both retreat for the night? I can make you a nice supper.’’[I should try to ease myself into some kind of trust before trying to ask about a touchy subject. Although, this is likely to take the remainder of the night]
>’’I don’t intend to hold you for long…. But, Belphegor, I’d like to speak with you, alone if possible.’’ [Talk about awkward, I hope she’s not going to be mad about this…]
>[Free.]
5aa19d No.4036
>>4035
>’’I don’t intend to hold you for long…. But, Belphegor, I’d like to speak with you, alone if possible.’’ [Talk about awkward, I hope she’s not going to be mad about this…] 6533ed No.4037
>>4035>’’In that case why don’t you both retreat for the night? I can make you a nice supper.''I can't think of anything else pressingly important we could do tonight and I want to get to know them better.
31831a No.4038
>>4035Maegan is a little wolfy bundle of nerves. It'd be a shame if it became too much and she spilled her spaghetti all over Belphegor and barked out her questions suddenly out of anxiousness.
>’’I don’t intend to hold you for long…. But, Belphegor, I’d like to speak with you, alone if possible.’’ 762323 No.4040
Well then, seem like we've got our choice.
6533ed No.4042
>>4038Dude that would have been funny, and I like funny.
31831a No.4043
>>4042It's not too late for Maegan's nerves to fray and spill her spaghetti, meeting the tengu was awkward and stressful it seems and dealing with the little goat demon should be even more so.
762323 No.4044
>>4043>>4042Now now, she's not THAT awkward.
6533ed No.4045
>>4043Then I shall pray for spaghetti.
>>4044It's still a funny scene in my head, so I shall endeavor to make it happen.
31831a No.4046
>>4044Not even if Tengu and Goat and Mamawolf triple team her for turbo awkwardness?
762323 No.4048
>>4046I'm not sure why they would
31831a No.4049
>>4048Meals can be the most awkward of times, or the funnest for the torturers.
6533ed No.4050
>>4049And Ame being Ame, she might just make that happen. Thank God for the mischievousness of fluffy tails!
762323 No.4051
>>4049>MealsBut the choice seem to be speaking with Belph alone.
31831a No.4052
>>4051There's still room for a meal after the talk, though. Talk of demon cults isn't very good dinner conversation, after all.
6533ed No.4053
>>4052Yes, we can call it an apology for broaching the subject or something. If she's reluctant we can even offer the meal as a bribe for her to spill the beans. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal after a hard day at work.
21cdf9 No.4054
Why is wolf so nervous about everything?
762323 No.4055
>>4054That's simply how I've been picturing her, of course there's potential for change throug hactions and you guys could make her become someone else, I just think that mc with a bit of preestablished personality that can then evolve in numerous way are the best.
762323 No.4056
‘’Miss Belphegor? Can I have a moment? I’d like to speak with you’’
‘’Eh?’’
The mentioned girl quirked an eyebrow and as I tried my best to let out my hold up breath as silently as possible, I could feel my tail twitching slightly and I had to force myself once more into some kind of stability while both girl observed me in silence before staring at one another; my eyes kept on drifting toward the side of the room where a wicked looking steel scythe covered in dark runes rested leisurely. When I first saw the goat wielding this weapon (that was even taller than she was) I certainly felt some intimidation, it’d easily lop off anyone’s head.
‘’Hey, wolf?’’
Then I saw her small furred hand wave in front of my face and my little reverie ended as I focused back on Belphegor; she had already taken to the door and I swiftly walked beside her and out of the room and into the previous silent corridor.
‘’Still haven’t thanked ya and your mom for being such good hosts, but hey, ask me anything.’’
A little smile graced her face, which only reinforced my impression that she was an adult trapped in a child body and soon enough, I steeled what remained of my nerves to speak.
>’’I know it’s sudden, but I need to talk about the Sabbath, everything you know…I…was approached by the Tengu, so I’ll probably relay to her what you tell me, for some reason she want to know about that pretty bad’’ [Honesty is the best policy]
>’’I was reading earlier today and I came across something called ‘’Sabbath’’. It’s something led by Baphomet, say, do you know anything about it?’’ [Gosh, this is probably more rude than awkward…]
>[Free]
31831a No.4057
>>4056>’’I know it’s sudden, but I need to talk about the Sabbath, everything you know…I…was approached by the Tengu, so I’ll probably relay to her what you tell me, for some reason she want to know about that pretty bad’’ [Honesty is the best policy]Maegan is a good girl. Lying isn't suitable for a proper meido wanwan!
6533ed No.4058
>>4056>’’I know it’s sudden, but I need to talk about the Sabbath, everything you know…I…was approached by the Tengu, so I’ll probably relay to her what you tell me, for some reason she want to know about that pretty bad’’Because I don't think she's a very good liar. One should only lie if they have to, or if they're good at it.
5aa19d No.4059
>>4056>’’I know it’s sudden, but I need to talk about the Sabbath, everything you know…I…was approached by the Tengu, so I’ll probably relay to her what you tell me, for some reason she want to know about that pretty bad’’ [Honesty is the best policy] 762323 No.4061
‘’I don’t think there’s any easy way to say it.’’
My reluctance was met by a curious gaze as the Baphomet walked to my side; even if we were alone I still felt the compulsion to look down the hallways.
‘’I need to talk about the Sabbath, everything you know…I…was approached by the Tengu, so I’ll probably relay to her what you tell me, for some reason she want to know about that pretty bad’’
I felt a brief tightening in my chest when I saw the soft expression leave her face; one of her clawed hand went to hug her arm as she looked sideway, letting out a sigh before finally facing me again – it felt like an awkward and touchy subject to boot, I didn’t even need to feel my tail or ears to know they were dropping.
‘’It’s a rather long, touchy subject but I guess there’s no helping it’’
‘’You don’t have to force yourself to say anything’’
I really didn’t like how this conversation was turning and even bowed to show some sincerity, yet the demon let out a sweet giggle.
‘’Your pretty cute, y’know? But nah, I’m fine. You breached the subject and I’d like to do my part too, especially if it can clear some misconception about my friend.’’
‘’Friend?’’
‘’The Demon Lord’’
That subject was more than enough to completely change the atmosphere; I knew what that succubus did, for her to mention her almost casually is rather odd – but I’m not going to fault her for that, as far as I’ve seen Belphegor has been perfectly wholesome and again, the fluffed queen trust her.
‘’The Sabbath is sort of a religious splinter in the demon realm; on paper, the Demon Lord has dominion over every monsters but that aint the truth, Zipangu is a living testament to this rebellions and there’s another country of free monster beyond the swamp, but it’s impossible to reach some kind of hegemony without troubles abroad and within and that’s exactly what the Sabbath does, problems for everyone’’
She wasn’t trying to hide her bitterness and anger, she was also making a point to deliberately avoid pushing those sentiments onto me, thus the goat demon looked sideway, het little feet clopping the ground cutely and I had to repress the urge to hug her; this subject is serious, Maegan!
762323 No.4062
‘’It’s a coven of Witches and Baphomets hell-bent on spreading ‘’True Pleasure’’ on the lands like some kind of religion through the heavy use of corruption, y’know the kind of things succubus are accused to do. They go for quantity, mostly, because they target people souls through this lie of physical bliss in order to corrupt them completely; before the Demon Lord cracked down on them, it wasn’t farfetched to see entire families disappear overnight although, they only targeted humans on the fringe of civilisations, the place where the Church can’t reach easily and where human empires and countries aren’t quite as centralized to mount a proper counter force. I don’t think there’s a succubus alive that doesn’t’ hate Witches and Baphomets, because the Sabbath unleash a brutal civil to try and usurp the Demonic Throne… but that’s rather old history.’’
Belphegor took a little break to breathe in some air as I silently listened to every words; the world is vast indeed.
‘’Now, you know what happened to the dwarves and elves, right? Corruptions used without extreme cautious lead to tragedy, as is attempting to set one objective too high – that’s exactly why Lescatie didn’t eat itself. the Sabbath chose to ignore that hard lesson and instead go for the easy way of eternal, supreme bliss with the heavy use of corruption and most of all, whisking away people in another dimension; a place housing an eternal feast of debauchery without night, days or seasons – nothing more than a disgusting, frenzied stasis.’’
I felt at a loss of words, even my jaw hanged open; her description was a familiar one, for everyone accused succubus and demons of trying to transform the world into this evolutionary dead end.
‘’I’m sure one of their group would be able to describe their intent with a little more gentleness but that’s the Sabbath in a nutshell; some lunatics created their own dimensions for an unending orgy and go on to spread that belief and if ya aint receptive, well, they’ll MAKE you understand’’
>[Free choice]
31831a No.4063
"I'll be sure to relay what you said to the Tengu Matriarch, thank you for humoring me. If it's any consolation, the fact that you're here and not there is a testament to the fact that you're not an enemy of us - at least as far as I'm concerned."
Not really sure what else to say, it seems like we've fulfilled the Tengu's request.
6533ed No.4064
>>4062"That's… horrible. Don't they know about true love? Of freely wanting their partners to be happy and having that reciprocated no matter what? How could they think an orgy drowning in, in… in such base desires even compares?!"
The ways of the hardcore absolute hedonist will forever evade the minds of those who have not surrendered themselves to their base nature.
31831a No.4065
>>4063>>4064These responses aren't opposing so maybe a combo. And then maybe inviting Goatly to get some food to awkwardly try to lighten the mood.
762323 No.4066
File: 1422417273354.png (2.15 MB, 1062x1500, 177:250, 08f9fc3bbccf9d7e027d6731fe….png)
>>4064Corruption does bad things to you.
6533ed No.4067
>>4066Well the word "corruption" has VERY strong negative connotations for damn good reason. To "Corrupt" a thing is, in essence, to make something higher surrender to the base. To make the "higher" concepts serve "base", "fallen", or "lower" ends. It's a paradox in the end. To make something like "mind" work to further the ends of the "mindless".
How does that even work? How can a "mind" serve and desire a state that is comparatively the concept of "existence" serve "non-existence" in a way that could be construed as constructive from "existence's" point of view? Nature may abhor a vacuum, but it abhors paradox at base. Paradoxes MUST be resolved somehow, on one end is the "good" way, and the other is the "bad" way. It often ends badly. Lovecraft got big for a reason, his works basically hinge on the horror of "that which ought not exist" actually existing.
6533ed No.4068
>>4067Shit meant to say something like "existence" serve "non-existence" in a way that could be seen as constructive from NON-Existence's point of view. How the hell does your diametrically opposed rival serve you if you oppose it in any and all ways by definition?
21cdf9 No.4069
File: 1422418031172.jpg (Spoiler Image, 363.64 KB, 600x624, 25:26, 1421694504805.jpg)
>there’s another country of free monster beyond the swamp
Is that so?
762323 No.4070
>>4069Where do you think the High Sorceress of the south come from?
6533ed No.4071
>>4069The counter didn't go up so you've been here before but in hoping you're a newcomer I'll explain.
The world is basically bifurcated by "The Swamp". A "Death World" if there ever was one. Only the most hardcore badasses can traverse it without ending up either dead or corrupted. "South" of it is largely unknown to those "North" of it because of it. In the "South" (which IC we don't know much about because we North of it) is a land of monstergirls run by a "Pharoh" type MGE monstergirl. It's like their version of Zipangu. Demon Lord had a base there, had to get out fast after using a few too many portal spells consecutively. We really lucked out more or less in that thread.
>>4070That pic her court? I bet the Pharoh is a good girl who takes all comers who pass her test.
762323 No.4072
>>4071Actually, the ladns southern of the swamps are pretty dam nbig, there's a huge collection of kingdoms (simply called the Allied Kingdoms) bordering the swamp while the Pharaoh is further eastward.
Outside from that, your pretty spot on.
762323 No.4074
6533ed No.4075
>>4072Yay me I guess then. Still hoping we can put the current "nuclear" macguffin smack dab in the middle of it's "pass". I still want me my trade route. And "Strife" has, potentially, handed it to me on a silver platter. Too bad there are far too many variables I must solve for to know how exactly I can land my "best case" scenario with any form of certainty. I think about as hard and like pic related in regards to my own end goals. So this is most distressing yet not unexpected.
21cdf9 No.4076
File: 1422419048570.png (Spoiler Image, 751.73 KB, 764x749, 764:749, 1358117145341.png)
>>4074No, not quite. Just disregard me. 762323 No.4077
>>4076To think I actually have a cahracter in the guise of Sakuya.
I really like the Touhou.
Also sorry or being late, triyng to get back in my usual writting groove after that nearly month old illness isn't easy.
a56596 No.4078
>>4062"So the Sabbath is a rogue faction within the Demon Realm. But that the Tengu mentioned it, means that she thinks they may be operating near here. What is their current status? And what's the civil war that you mentioned?"
762323 No.4079
‘’That’s… horrible’’
In the end I was left with the simple disgust surrounding the existence of such a sociopathic band; the idea itself of this unending hedonism seem so stupid that I can’t fathom how they seem to have grown so strong, perhaps they thrive in hardship but… well… I guess I don’t know enough to fully understand.
‘’Don’t they know about true love? Of freely wanting their partners to be happy and having that reciprocated no matter what? How could they think an orgy drowning in, in…’’
I had to stop, else my voice break in anger; my mind drifted toward Ame-no-Uzume and it took everything I had to avoid growling in rage, instead my tail swished sideway rather ferociously (and quite unmaidenly like) as I straightened myself as best I could.
‘’This is them. Zipangu shouldered a demonic invasion not too long ago and it’s easy to see their little ideal isn’t going to find any roots in this place, so don’t go beating yourself up about them, alright?’’
Unable to reach my head, the little goat went to pat my shoulder instead and relented as best I could, grasping the gem inside my uniform before finding some manner of peace as I swallowed (awkwardly) some water from the gourd she handed me over.
‘’Thank for speaking so honestly, Belphegor. You understand that I’ll have to relay what you told me to the Tengu Matriarch, right?’’
She nodded at my words, albeit with a frown.
‘’Yeah, I don’t mind; I’m just wondering why she’d bring that up, I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned Zipangu resistance in faith, I’ve no idea of they’d be able to find –anyone- willingly to buy into their ideals so that’d make any operation incredibly difficult and counter-productive, even if the war has y’all distracted…’’
The pointy tip of her claw went to rub her forehead as her expression hardened again in displeasure; the vision of this adorable, childish goat made hugging her increasingly hard to resist (and for some reason, my tail is wagging…).
‘’So the Sabbath is a rogue faction’’
‘’Pretty much’’
My words seemed to be enough to distract her from whatever was bothering her.
‘’What’s their current status? And what about that civil war you mentioned?’’
My questions left Belphegor deep in thought; she went to press her back on the wall, her little feet clopping the ground gently and I decided to peek inside the laboratory and immediately saw Ithel hard at work that prosthetic, hand covered by some kind of strange gloves full of golden lines…She wasn’t paying any attention to our discussion.
‘’No idea about what they could be doing now, we’ve been finding and eradicating their cells wherever we could but that’s that; now that civil war… well, a proper explanation would take all night but the big lines surround the clash of ideals between the Sabbath and Épanouissement alongside a desire to not be ruled by kings and queens anymore. Now, that thing I mentioned means ‘’Blossoming’’ and it’s a rather popular train of thoughts with the Succubus; it mostly surround the strengthening of the individual wills with just a healthy dose of corruption and a bigger effort on supervising its effects, in essence allowing mundane, boorish individuals to become much more colorful and open, like a flower hence the name. I don’t really subscribe to these things tough, but boy is it a big deals with the demons.’’
762323 No.4080
’Isn’t it… dangerous?’’
‘’Blossoming? Well, yeah, you’ve got to understand your aim, what you want and what the person you want to ‘’blossom’’ truly wish for without the pitfall of projecting your own ideals onto them; Lescatie was a test of the philosophy on a grander scale but it wasn’t able to truly prove anything because the Church reconquered the country fast.’’
‘’I see.’’
‘’Ultimately… that inner struggle became the reason why this war with Zipangu happened.’’
‘’What!?’’
This time I simply could –not- raise my voice; Belphegor grimaced in turn.
‘’It’s one of the major catalyst at least, but I shouldn’t be speaking about that anymore; just know that Sabbath had a hand in it, their little eternal fiesta has friends in high place and some of them are –real- good at making up crime scenes and sneak around.’’
I’ll have to choose carefully what I want to relay to the crow… however, my hand went to squeeze my necklace again despite the clothing; my demonic friend didn’t seem to find anything odd, simply eyeing me with a mixture of fatigue and relief.
‘’Ever been told that you got –just- the face that make people want to trust you?’’
I think Ame once said that I wear my emotions on my sleeves.
Ultimately, I have a decision to make.
>Should I trust Belphegor?
>Yes
>No
Whatever happen, there’s also the remainder of this night to think about.
>’’Would you and Ithel join me for supper? I know it’s getting late, but I think my mother would appreciate the company’’ [A little food wouldn’t hurt anyone; beside I’m a good cook.]
>’’Thank you for being honest and thorough, Belphegor. I’ll go deal with that crow.’’ [Her little mission is over, I guess… I should report?]
>’’What have you and Ithel been working on? Need any help?’’ [Everyone is probably getting hungry but that’s the only thing I can think about now, to change the subject.]
>Ending here for tonight, I'll try to do some more work tomorrow before ending it for the week.
762323 No.4081
Oh I forgot to add the usual
>[Free]
As always, you can always make your own choice, my own choices are simply here to guide.
31831a No.4082
>>4080Trust and dinner. I hope they like spaghetti.
31831a No.4083
>>4082Also maybe invite the crow. I like her and can multitask by reporting to her at the same time.
6533ed No.4084
>>4080I say we trust her. Besides, we got a home cooked meal to bribe her. Loosen her lips through the power of delicious meals! We can net an awkward scene where she spills spaghetti yet. My main criticism on this whole affair is that we don't get you to let the silly to flow. We need silly, if only in a "gallows" humor sort of way…
6533ed No.4085
>>4084Oh and by the way, I do say we aim to feed our little group right now. It can't help but end well if we feed everyone a well cooked meal. I wonder what Ame has arranged for that outcome. She really does have a "panopticon" in regards to our current MC and I doubt she wouldn't revel in that in some way. Even whilst being pampered by Siggy or any other suitor, her plots unfold. They are, after all, a few steps ahead of mere mortals. Even if there is nothing "mere" about a particular mortal.
a56596 No.4086
>>4080Trust Belphegor.
>’’Thank you for being honest and thorough, Belphegor. I’ll go deal with that crow.’’ [Her little mission is over, I guess… I should report?]Get work done first. Just because the Sabbath won't find traction in Zipangu doesn't mean that they can't send agents in to stir up trouble that would ultimately benefit them back in the Demon Realm.
762323 No.4087
>>4084>>4085So the crow is invited while we proceed to an evening meal.
As for humor… well, I'll try.
>>4086Reporting to the crow and inviting her to dinner can be done.
6533ed No.4088
>>4087It's your only real flaw in my mind. You got most of the rest down pat to a commendable level, but…
Well, if you can't get a laugh in edgewise then it just weighs down on you. Even 40k has a good laugh or two here and there. Why you think the Orks are so popular? They funny, in a world where "humor" is almost non-existent. Humans need that "comedic relief" now and then.
762323 No.4089
>>4088Indeed, I'll see what I can do.
bb66eb No.4091
File: 1422489139604.jpg (Spoiler Image, 248.54 KB, 850x1183, 850:1183, 1383610285660.jpg)
Daily reminder that Hadraniel is the best girl.
762323 No.4092
>>4091Lewd.
Thread should begin in about an hour at most.
31831a No.4093
>>4092Time for a spaghetti dinner with mother, notmother, and the castle goat.
762323 No.4094
File: 1422493638846.jpg (2.05 MB, 1061x1500, 1061:1500, f7d6138a145136c8b17a5b1c33….jpg)
‘’Would you be willing to bring Ithel and head toward the private dining room for the retainers of the queen? I think it’s time to put some food to fuel those great minds of yours, I’ll see that you’ll be in good company while I prepare an adequate supper.’’
‘’Huh…’’
I could tell she didn’t anticipate the change in subject so I tried to put some emphasis on my honesty by giving her another little bow while she kept on scratching her chin thoughtfully; I had to unearth something quite unpleasant so at least I should try to be a good host in compensation!
‘’Don’t worry, you’ll be glad to come, trust me on that’’
My cooking was enough to make a queen fall in love with me, there’s at least a little fact to back up this pride!
Not that I’d just go parroting that, of course; after a long hard look at my face, Belphegor let out a chuckle.
‘’Is it fine if I bring my scythe?’’
‘’Only if you leave it on the wall inside’’
‘’Then count us in, I’ll drag that blond. See ya soon, wolfie’’
–
Next was making the trek back outside, trying to get a hold of my mother is nothing more than an exercise in frustration so instead I employed the clever tactic of relaying information through the servants and guards of the castle, before long it’ll reach her and we’ll have a white furred elder wolf waiting for her share of the food. My destination was the archery range where I found the Matriarch still sitting there leisurely, gazing up at the sky with the company of another noble crow, this one shorter but also possessing of majestic wings a little past her shoulders instead of the harpy physique of regular Tengus.
‘’Already?’’
Her voice was warm and polite as she acknowledged my presence, the woman beside her quickly standing up and making some distance that I didn’t need, a good look made me wonder about her age; for a noble crow she looked rather young, perhaps in late adolescence…
Well, if the Matriarch isn’t going to introduce us, I shouldn’t pry.
‘’Tsumika, do leave us alone, you ought to get yourself some food’’
‘’I was just about to prepare some, I’d like to invite you –and her- inside the reserved dining room, but also I’ve… finished what you asked of me’’
I was met with a pair of stare of dubious intent, the girl trying her best to avoid being too meek looked rather… lost, while the Matriarch full pink glossed lisps closed around the orange tip of a feather belonging to her fan as she appeared deep in thought; this atmosphere lingered for a few moment, enough to make me feel awkward until lady Yumiko finally spoke.
‘’Will your mother be there?’’
She even went and fanned herself despite the cold air.
‘’Yes’’
‘’Well then, count us in; could you inform me of your findings on the way? Also, meet Tsumika, she’s something of a bodyguard you see, don’t let her little innocent look fools you.’’
–
762323 No.4095
File: 1422493666735.jpg (201.6 KB, 625x530, 125:106, bb578bc847e4b4bffd2ba8c473….jpg)
Yumiko wasn’t so keen on sharing whatever thoughts she had about the Sabbath; the path to the dining room was a one sided conversation that ended quickly after reaching our destination. A small buzz in the room told of its activity, the unlikely trio inside were obviously hard at work waiting for food and once we stepped inside, I immediately looked for my mother whose face fell in an obvious awkward grimace upon witnessing the crows.
‘’Go on girls, inside, inside now!’’
And then someone went and tapped my back as I was lingering a little too much, I even felt a hand rudely grasp my tail!
‘’Who what…?’’
I had to work very hard to repress a deadly growl as I looked back to look straight into the red eyes of an Arachne standing pretty tall in the hallway due to her spidery lower half, none of the solid legs made a single sound as she…moved… sideway, inching closer to the kitchen while the crow Matriarch erupted in laughter; I couldn’t quite see why, unless the sudden red face of her body was worthy of some mirth?
‘’I’ll be cook so you go and keep the peace between everyone, alright? No no, don’t even talk, just go in there’’
This is the dreaded chief handmaiden and cook of the castle, lady ‘’Vanilla’’ (nobody knew her true name) was akin to these grumpy over energetic grandmother that never want to take a break with enough opinions to bury every inhabitants in dirt, trying to say ‘’no’’ when she insist on making food tend to make her numerous eyes red eyes a scary glows and now, her hands kept on trying to push me in there as I debated standing my ground; I DID say I’d make some food, but why in the world is she…?
‘’Um…?’’
‘’Sssh ,go take a break now little lady’’
‘’What are you?’’
‘’Keeping the peace, keeping the peace; someone has to watch out for this place without our lazy pair of queens’’
Then a voice erupted inside.
‘’Maaaegan! Cmere!’’
My first quick survey was rather erroneous because I failed to witness the wine readily drunk by my mother, it’d probably take a keg to drop her and I think she’d drink an entire barrel without some kind of supervision – a dangerous prospect, especially when the crow sad beside her.
>Insist on cooking to spare yourself some embarrassment, beside it’s your duty to see to your host’s needs!
>Just… go in there and do your best to avoid looking awkward
>[Free]
31831a No.4096
>>4095>Go in there and embrace the awkward.Only good things can come from this.
8c9df6 No.4097
>>4095>[x]Just… go in there and do your best to avoid looking awkward 6533ed No.4098
>>4095Is it possible to go in there, calm mommy down and get the booze away before she gets any more drunk, then double back and get to cooking?
762323 No.4099
>>4096Wolves don't like being awkward.
>>4098You could get the booze away but good luck getting away from the place once your in.
8c9df6 No.4100
dont forget to eat your vegetables
48874e No.4101
>>4095>Just… go in there and do your best to avoid looking awkward 762323 No.4102
Hm, sorry for the delay, I'm sort of having a hard time writing this up
762323 No.4103
I think it'd be best if I stopped, I've been drawing a total blank on how to write this scene since yesterday and I haven't made a breakthrough yet. Sorry for the dissapointement, but I should be good during once the hit week-end.
31831a No.4104
>>4103Well you earned a break for running 3 days in a row, in the least.
48874e No.4105
>>4103That's alright INH. Sometimes you need to sleep on it.
Just let us know when you're going to restart.
762323 No.4106
>>4105Just keep an eye on twitter, I'll announce it when I do.
>>4104Maybe, still feel like a failure on my part. I just hope the move is okay with everyone, I'll have to figure out how to archive now, in the meantime I'll save my updates on my computer. Thread should still be alive until the week-end at least.
21cdf9 No.4107
>>4106http://archive.today/ unless you can look into something that's better.
762323 No.4108
>>4107That site seem perfectly fine as long as the threads are listed properly in a nice little pastebin.
21cdf9 No.4109
>>4108As long as you (or someone else) takes the time to back up the URLs to a pastebin, then it sounds like you have your solution.
762323 No.4110
6533ed No.4111
>>4103It's cool man, I know comedy isn't your strong suit and you've been running for 3 straight days. Oh well, I can wait for the funny.
762323 No.4112
Thread will restart this evening.
762323 No.4113
14th day of prophecy, 21:05 pm. Inside the inner castle of queen Ame-no-Uzume.
Inviting a bunch of total strangers in a shady part of the castle was, in retrospect, probably not the wisest of things; the history between the crows and my mother was an old one but I didn’t intend to let this linger, the second chef of the castle (our daytime Scylla having taken a strangely early sabbatical) was hard at work providing the needed food to provide some homely atmosphere. I was intent on making –certain- my guests would feel at relaxed, even if it meant suffering some… oddities; I simply wished to show the crows that my Lady wasn’t carrying any bad blood after their banishment.
Perhaps I’m making too much fixation on things that happened before my birth but if I can help out Ame… Well, I hope my objective isn’t too transparent.
So it was after a healthy thirty minutes that the night finally started to proceed swimmingly following filled belly and a healthy uncorking of wines.
–
I always liked this rather small, square shaped private dining room; always nicely illuminated and warm by simple alchemical apparatus (namely lights and a warmer), the single wooden table was big enough to accommodate ten people, giving plenty of space for the crows, wolf and little scientists while the table piled a small feast of vegetables, meats and bread – no such things as leftovers for the kitchens the royal castle.
Sitting between my mother and her once-rival Yumiko, something of a rowdy atmosphere settled began to settle after a healthy amount of alcohol began to flow and, with some coaxing on my part, I managed to get people talking while keeping my unwritten rule of ‘’don’t make yourself awkward’’ very much in mind; it is a maid duty to oversee these evenings to perfection.
‘’Here try this’’
I heard the Matriarch speak to her left and for a moment I wondered if she was speaking to me when I felt her wing rub itself on my back but, her left hand was holding a long ornate pipe of gold and silver, a rather similar style to the few time I managed to witness the queen-mother indulge; bluish smoke escape its small circle from which herbs slowly burned.
‘’Eh, trying to drug me up now?’’
Having finished her latest tankard my dear overtly familiar mother nonetheless picked up the object and give it a sniff as I tried my best to make myself small between them; there was something…stifling in standing between them.
‘’Oh no, don’t worry about that I wouldn’t be so rude as to bring such herbs in this important haven’’
‘’Hmm?’’
As they talked (and of course, my seventy years old mother inhaled what was –totally- not drugs) I gave a look at the little smaller crow beside Yumiko who had been silent all this while, the girl seemed occupied with eating but caught my stare quickly and her wings flapped in some kind of nervous twitch before she quickly settled back like a statue with reddened face, the sheer awkwardness emanating from her cute silhouette was a near irresistible treat; I felt my tail wag before my better judgement stopped that at once.
762323 No.4114
‘’Y’know, I wonder how it feel ta fly up there in there sky, been seeing a few folks with wings now’’
Ithel Hermingild was the friendly small blond alchemist who came from the frontline, her eternally smiling face and short stature always gave me the urge to give her a tight hug. Her question was obviously directed at the crow and the Matriarch smiled at the blond with the mischievous expression I’ve come to identify her with.
‘’Describing the sensation is rather uncouth, would you prefer to have the experience?’’
For some reason, her eyes drifted toward me.
‘’Boy would I! I’m just a little worried with safety, one hell of a drop and all, y’know, the right reason ta get some cold feet.’’
I heard there were some angels on our side; perhaps she caught a glimpse of them…
‘’Most important thing is to goat a good grip, although soaring with winged people is usually quite the honor’’
Her friend was the demonic goat-like demon Belphegor who spent all this time silently enjoying the food and drinks; it was an odd sight to witness a child-like girl enjoy alcohol like a mature woman, stranger still was the tall, intimidating scythe of steel hanging nonchalantly on the wall near the exit; I tried to focus on the weapon instead of the bad pun whilst Ithel began to laugh.
‘’You’re right about honor, but I’ve always been at odds with the old traditionalists of my people so I’m not as stiff as them, how about tomorrow, little alchemist?’’
‘’Whoa whoa, you were actually serious?’’
‘’Everyone get scared on their first time, I’d love to see how you look.’’
Yumiko visibly licked her lisps as her dark eyes observed the girl quite intensely.
Hmm…perhaps I should try to do something, else the Matriarch steals the show!
>Try and talk to my mother, she’s been looking strangely nostalgic while smoking that pipe. [Is there something wrong with her?]
>Arrange a little flying rendezvous of your own to spare Ithel some embarrassment.[Being the self-sacrificing sort suck…]
>See if you can coax some more puns out of the goat to truly crash this supper. [Don’t underestimate wolves, little demon]
>Try and get to know that incredibly awkward crow beside the Matriarch; she’s supposedly her bodyguard but she’s so defenceless looking… [She’s stirring my predator blood]
>[Free]
31831a No.4115
>>4114>>Try and get to know that incredibly awkward crow beside the Matriarch; she’s supposedly her bodyguard but she’s so defenceless looking… [She’s stirring my predator blood]Engage her with wine, alcohol will get her to loosen up.
6533ed No.4116
>>4114All are tempting options but I'm going to go with the awkward tengu for maximum chance of spaghetti.
762323 No.4117
>>4116>>4115But whose spaghetti will it be?
31831a No.4118
762323 No.4120
Sorry for the delay, had to take care of something.
762323 No.4121
This second crow possessed a very different aura compared to the Matriarch; all the bodyguards I’ve seen always projected some form of confidence or visible vigilance but the short girl nibbling like a little animal on a piece of warm bread –really- looked completely defenceless. At first I believe her hair to be black, a proper observation under the white alchemical lights revealed it to be a long, smooth cascade of dark brown falling all the way down her back and a little over her shoulders whilst the pair of wings sprouting behind her shoulders was of a more somber, night colored plumage. My gaze must have been obvious enough for her eyes – of a deep, shining red- perked upward to meet mines and a renewal of blood went to color her cheeks as I smiled in turn, trying my best to be silently polite whilst Belphegor proclaimed something about a particularly ‘’Baaaaad day’’.
Seem like putting alcohol in the goat results in bad puns.
Thankfully I found an opening to slip away when the Matriarch stepped away from her seat to keep company with the two girls and I’ll gladly let them handle her; my mother had grown silent, perhaps stuck in the past or the herbs were really drugs, in any case the coast was clear and I made my way toward the crow while taking a free tankard of wine; I’ve never been one to drink due to my inability to get drunk, but it’s still a good ice breaker.
The poor girl shot a thoroughly distressed glance toward Yumiko that I was compelled to push forward, lulled by this alluring vulnerability; again I felt my tail move before better judgement calmed down my nerves. Now that I was closer, I could see that she must have been in late adolescence, albeit with a naturally small build, making her wings that much more grand and majestic; I’ve never seen a fabled angel, but I’m willing to bet this is how their wings must be, albeit in pure white instead of organic black.
‘’Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything, here, would you like some?’’
She eyed the tankard warily and shook her head.
‘’…I don’t like wine.’’
She whispered, making her tone hard to heard over the contest of puns unleashed by the matriarch and the crow, I had to mentally blank out any mention of ‘’goat’’ ‘’bad’’ and ‘’caw’’.
‘’Could you tell me your name?’’
Oh it certainly was awkward to stand beside her.
‘’Ayumi Takara’’
And that was that, her expression changed into a brief frown as our eyes met again and she quickly veered back toward her plate to nibble on, I couldn’t guess if she was full or actually hungry.
‘’You aren’t her bodyguard, right?’’
‘’No…Yumiko is my mother’’
Ah… right, I had some doubts, although that’d make her about twenty year’s old, like me, and she certainly doesn’t look the part; this reveal, albeit obvious, did give me some mixed feelings, after all were just about half-sisters.
>Free. [How should I try to get some talk out of her? She’s so awkward, she feel like a scared cat more than a bird]
31831a No.4122
>>4121Ask her if she knows about us or our wolfy motheru. Maybe that will give some common ground.
762323 No.4123
>>4122I'll wait a little to see if there's more input, if not then I'll proceed with that.
6533ed No.4124
>>4122As good a plan as any I guess.
762323 No.4125
‘’Do you know about my mother and myself, Ayumi? I’m Maegan Fayruz and my mother here…’’
I gestured for the white haired wolf that finally stopped smoking; my gesture elicited a brief nod as she silently endured the shenanigans from the girls whilst looking my way, for a moment I felt like I was treading on eggshells but the cute crow seemed intent on talking, at least, for she too stared back at my mother with a mixture of interest and renewed courage that was all too short lived.
‘’Yes…I know her name, my mother told me about you, her too.’’
Again, the whole story between Yumiko and Evangeline was well before my time and if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say the Matriarch is just as keen as my dear mother to avoid pushing their sins onto us; I never knew my father, only heard numerous stories that slowly and inevitably casted a shadow over who he truly was – was it the same for her, I wonder?
I shouldn’t try to reminisce now.
‘’…your good people, I can see it, your eyes are soft.’’
Again her voice was barely above a murmur, those large wings twitched gently which in turn, compelled a certain part of mine to wag.
>’’Hey, can I touch your wings?’’[It’s a good icebreaker, right?]
>Free
31831a No.4126
>>4125>’’Hey, can I touch your wings?’’[It’s a good icebreaker, right?]We can trade our tail for her wings. I'm sure our wolfy instincts won't get the better of us.
6533ed No.4127
>>4125I know I shouldn't, I know this may be a bad idea and we technically already have 2 MC's with the fever but…
>’’Hey, can I touch your wings?’’[It’s a good icebreaker, right?]Sorry, couldn't resist. Our tail shall serve as compensation.
762323 No.4129
‘’Can I touch you wings, Ayumi?’’
For some reason I had a craving for chicken and the delicious aroma in the room didn’t help but seeing these majestic dark wings was just too much; I know I take great care with my tail and ears, but these appendages really are without compare, largely eclipsing her mother’s – it’s a wonder why I wasn’t awestruck the first time. Yumiko wings were a little thin a bit of a pale black whereas Ayumi’s were full-fledged eagle-like limbs of pure jet black, not even a feathers dropped when she flapped them in surprise on my encroaching. I’m willing to bet money that not every crows possessed such well-defined, big and healthy wings; I just had to touch them.
‘’U-um I well…no?’’
‘’Please?’’
‘’Maegan…?’’
‘’Grab my ears in exchange’’
‘’That’s not…’’
She grew submissive fast, alas I had only the chance to rub my palm on the outside feathers of her flanks afore regaining my sense; this tails of mine kept on swishing and I couldn’t keep the damn thing still! Interruption however, came literally from beneath the table as the gentle Tengu kept inching herself toward the wall.
A little girl of brown fur, clopping feet, clawed hands and tiny horns emerged behind me, shuffling her way past my legs to rudely bury her hands in that wagging fluffed extension of mine, thankfully not too strongly; I still felt a prickly sensation but it, thankfully, stopped me in my track just as I was about to get a good caress of those jet black wings…
‘’Gotcha, wofly maid; I wanna sit in your lap, so come on, come on’’
Belphegor insisted, gently tugging my fluffed tail; I was now quite literally stuck on all fours, one hand extended toward Ayumi distressed and embarrassed face as she leaned out of my reach whilst everyone at the table, of course, gave me a long stare with the little goat being none the wiser.
‘’Cooome on, I’m sure you are a warm wan wan, can you bark too? Or maybe you want to eat a goat? It’s probably baaaad but… I’m adventurous.’’
…damnation.
>Free.
762323 No.4130
Also sorry for the delay, my internet crapped out so I ahd to fix it. These little fun filled interactions don't take so long to write.
31831a No.4131
>>4129A tiny Goatly is pretty endearing. Maybe pick her up and present her to Ayumi, asking if they met.
6533ed No.4132
>>4129Damned drunk loli goat demon ruining our fun! We shall have to remember this humiliation.
>>4131Y'know, I kinda like that idea. Present her like one would an adorable plushie.
762323 No.4133
File: 1422937536056.jpg (434.18 KB, 586x1000, 293:500, cute loli doing cute thing.jpg)
Swift thinking and complete lack of hesitation not only save lives, it keep honor intact; being caught red handed was humiliating enough but I know that, through this gem, Ame is listening too…
I had to leave the cute Tengu alone to concentrate on the goat that finally liberated my tail from her small grasp; swiftly the white fur of that puffy appendage of mine fled behind me as I peered at the goat with as much menace as I could muster (meaning none). Belphegor extended her arms upward, wiggling her few fingers and broke into a large, beautiful smile.
‘’Niiii~’’
I know this girl is not only an adult, but also intelligent enough to rival the genius little alchemist blonde but now, now… she was just a tiny goat-girl young enough to be my little sister. I just…had…to indulge. Swiftly, my hands went under her armpits and I lifted the Baphomet, only to inch myself closer to Ayumi while Belphegor tilted her head sideway in brief puzzlement, only to break into another beaming smile upon seeing the scared crow.
She’s milking her cuteness and by the ancestors, it’s super effective.
‘’Here, have this goat. She’s a smart and obedient girl, well behaved too; doesn’t take pet food, you don’t have to be too careful while handling it tough, so feel free to cuddle’’
‘’That’s…’’
‘’Mmmh?’’
Meanwhile, the other three girls were snickering amongst themselves.
‘’So I can have a mama wolf and a mama crow for tonight?’’
I could tell that the young crow beside was stuck between fleeing and melting, meanwhile Belphegor kept on prodding my arms with her tiny claws, almost like a cat…
>Free
31831a No.4134
>>4133Press the attack and distract Ayumi by giving her the goat, leaving us free to play with her wings. We'll break through her shyness yet.
6533ed No.4135
>>4134Yes! Hand her over like the loli plushie she can function as and force a spaghetti overload! Bonding through awkwardness, tis such a great thing.
762323 No.4137
‘’Of course, it’s time to enjoy your birdy mommy now, careful not to go back into your egg.’’
‘’Oookay’’
Somehow, Belphegor caught the hint and wiggled herself past my grip to inch toward the Tengu whose wings flapped in distress, I could still see the smile refusing to leave her face however and once the cute, tiny goatling broke the barrier to silently sit in her lap, Ayumi let out an awkward, yet definitely cute laugh and the two girls now began to gaze at one another in a fashion similar to a mother and a child, the impression was doubly reinforced once the shy girl gently caressed the smaller one between the horns, the crow expression was midway between drunken happiness and the desire to die whilst the little goat was innocently smiling while cuddling on the lap of the winged one; wings I was intent to touch.
Big, fluttery, flapping and nervous yet the feathers of ink black truly beckoned, almost –almost- as good as the white fur of Ame-no-Uzume tails (not that I’d ever say it out loud); when the pair began to smile at one another I moved in swiftly, making my palm slide around the outer edge of Ayumi eagle wing, the fluff was certainly something; as a wolf and lover to the queen I’ve taken great care to keep my own fur adequate for such a position. My skin moved on this dry, yet warm softness with a will of its own, I felt like I had to be very delicate else break the very fragile balance holding this beauty of night together; I’d probably need an hour to –truly- understand the mystery of this feathery softness, ancient Tengu magic no doubt…
Then someone yanked my tail, again; a forward momentum forced me closer to the poor shy crow whilst the goat had somehow timed her grab during the wagging and was, obviously, ushering me forward… Too late did I notice Ayumi second wing closed around Belphegor, that demon was certainly enjoying her side of the fluff, too.
>Give in and for this ‘’family hug’’
>A maid has her pride; you can’t just let this cute, delicious and vulnerable little goat walk all over you!
>[Free]
I’ll be ending here for tonight. Continuing tomorrow.
31831a No.4138
>>4137>>Give in and for this ‘’family hug’’ f03045 No.4139
>>4137>A maid has her pride; you can’t just let this cute, delicious and vulnerable little goat walk all over you! 6533ed No.4144
>>4137Is there a kind of middle ground? Can we resist somewhat only to ultimately give in to the power of the fluff and thus result in a mutual spilling of the spaghetti as everyone gives in to mutual affection albeit awkwardly?
Also, good to know this maid has touched fluffy tails and had it inspire her to keep her own as fluffy as possible. Ah, if only there were girls in reality who had such wonderful bits. I guess long silky hair will have to suffice until we can into gene splicing and the like.
762323 No.4145
>>4144As good an option as any, although this make the count 1/1/1. I might make a roll to break the tie.
762323 No.4146
My health isn't doing too good tonight but I'll try to keep up.
762323 No.4147
| Rolled 1 |
Might start a little later today but I'll try to make up for it tomorrow.
Also, now that we've been at it for a little while, it doesn't seem like the move was a successful one, feels like there's even less activity than usual.
21cdf9 No.4148
>>4147Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays might be shit days to hope for activity.
That, and whoever decided to drop this because you moved here
outside of, like, the one person having technical problems because of 8chan for some strange reason aren't likely to come back if you bring things back over to halfchan. Just saying.
762323 No.4149
>>4148A fair point, maybe I should try to stick to my usual schedule, although the begining of the week tend to agree with me more if I want to keep a solid amount of activity.
Regardless, the dice landed on the first choice, so we'll be going for a big hug.
8d765e No.4150
>>4149Then you ought to run on weekends.
8d765e No.4151
The choices available have been boring too. Are we going to get to something that doesn't involve feeling up and teasing others eventually?
359d18 No.4152
>>4151Nope, I hope you enjoy dropping this quest after every update.
762323 No.4153
>>4152>>4151I've been starting slow because one of the biggest criticism I've had after my shitty grammar is the fact that I've allowed very few moments to unwind, so I've bee w anting to try something milder for the introduction but if its boring, I'm going to ramp up the plot and start what I've been aiming for in earnest.
6533ed No.4154
>>4151The actual plot in this will show up eventually and INH makes it pretty heavy and high risk. I for one am enjoying this little episode of cute girls doing cute things and wish to see it continue until the plot plows into us like a freight train.
762323 No.4155
Well, I'll see what I can do, I think I'll make my post bigger to move things along, so I'll need a few more moments to write some more.
762323 No.4156
Given the time I'm taking I think it might just be best to restart tomorrow instead as I concentrate to make a bigger block of text. I'll try to keep both parties satisfied, but I think I just don't have the right hand for some entertaining shenanigans so I'll move onto the crux of the plot.
Sorry if I gave a bad impression, I guess I should just stick to what I'm good at.
6533ed No.4157
>>4156My own thinking was that after the dinner was over we might have another scene or two where things aren't utterly serious but the plot begins to show itself somehow. A bump in the night, a vision, or something like that. But do what ya want, I have grown to enjoy your wild rides.
Is this arc going to be more investigative mystery solving or are we gonna have to get our maid's hands dirty? She doesn't seem like much of a combatant like the other characters are and her special power is more geared towards an investigative reporter who loves to ask too many questions and learn too much than it is fighting. This one can't be mind wiped or brainwashed and assassinating her is too high profile. Besides, it'd piss off Ame. That kind of thing makes people not want to kill you.
762323 No.4158
>>4157>Is this arc going to be more investigative mystery solving or are we gonna have to get our maid's hands dirty?The approach is entirely up to you, I'll adapt either way, just keep in mind the sheets and the mc strength. So far we've been picturing her as wholesome and a little naive, so I'll continue along those lines.
>Besides, it'd piss off Ame. That kind of thing makes people not want to kill you.I haven't had any real chances to show the queen so I'm going to take all the opportunities I have here once things get going. the regular quest pretty much shwoed Tsukiyomi as the pilalr of the nation through her great use of subterfuge and support of Ame but here, I'll show yo uexactly why the queen-mother chose her as a successor, alongside giving very, very important (more or less self-contained) information that will bleed over the regualr quest as well, so this sidestory with Maegan is going to be quite important but also doesn't require knowledge of the overarching plot to succeed, which is why I've been confident with using that to start on /qu/.
I'm just really sorry with that bad show with comedy, I've been trying and I'm just too incompetent for that subject, so instead I think I'll focus on romance and general interaction, I think I'm much better for that.
21cdf9 No.4159
>>4158
>a single complaint>already apologizing like you've outright failedSeriously, chill with that shit.
6533ed No.4160
>>4158Please have Ame prank Maegan at some point. Pretty sure she's more laid back than her mommy and thus more prone to that sort of thing.
762323 No.4161
>>4159Sorry, I tend to take writing a little seriously and get very hard on myself.
>>4160Of course it'll happen. Anyhow, I fully intend to continue the thread tomorrow, so look forward to it.
31831a No.4163
>>4162Sassy.
At least the thread isn't going anywhere, here.
762323 No.4165
>>4164No. This is a bully free quest.>>4163That kinda bum me out, hopefully the board start to pick up little by little.
6533ed No.4166
>>4164Alice was best girl. Glad Luca realized that.
6533ed No.4168
>>4167Technically, we're fighting against it. I mean, we are in essence swimming against the tide. Tide says kill all monstergirls and bow down to "fate" in some way in regards to humanity. We seem to be taking a rather hard stance against that.
f03045 No.4169
>>4165>hopefully the board start to pick up little by little.It's been months, and activity hasn't increased since the initial week.
Be realistic here.
762323 No.4170
>>4169Well, I guess I might have been a little too enthusiastic. It's not like I get new players on /tg/ either, so I feel kinda stuck when it come to getting new blood.
>>4167None of that 21cdf9 No.4171
>>4170It was always too late.>>4168Shh, fellow anon. I'm merely making inside jokes with INH.
6533ed No.4172
>>4171Still gonna try for the elusive "happy" ending. Odds stacked against it though it may be, you'll never know unless you try.
21cdf9 No.4173
>>4172I'm well aware of everyone's dogged pursuit of the seemingly impossible "happy" ending.
I've sort of followed the quest since it's inception, after all. Provided that any veterans recognize this hint of my former avatarfagging back during the quest's earlier days. 6533ed No.4174
>>4173Glad to see you again Hazama, kinda fits into how I see this whole affair. This is basically MGE fused with NGE and all things Blazblue and Guilty Gear with a bit of "Dark Souls" thrown in for good measure and spice.
We're getting pretty dark here. But tis all in good fun. We're a few notches above such things but hey, it kinda all lead into the same situation. I hope you continue to provide input from here on out.
21cdf9 No.4175
>>4174While I may not avatarfag as Hazama anymore, I've still lurked around to offer my thoughts when it
rarely strikes my fancy. And you don't need to explain the gist of the quest to me. I've been around for exactly as long as INH has been running it so I know what's up.
I might have very well been the first person to draw the parallels between BlazBlue and his quest to INH himself in private.That said, I'm much more comfortable with speaking freely around here than I ever was on halfchan /tg/. The threat of iffy mods issuing bans for completely frivolous reasons and whatnot being one of the factors keeping me quiet. I even recall a time where I had gotten into an argument with someone in one of the threads once and I was banned for a week simply because the guy decided to report me for "avatarfagging". f03045 No.4176
>>4175Avatarfagging IS against the rules back there, so I find your complaint about being being banned for breaking the rules hard to sympathize.
If the two of you are going to avatarfag over here, why not just put your names in the name field? There's no rule against it here, you may as well.
21cdf9 No.4177
>>4176Thing is, I used a single reaction image and I still got banned. I don't regularly avatarfag exactly
because it was against the rules, but /tg/ had been cracking down hard on avatarfagging in general at the time it happened so I can only assume whoever issued the ban didn't particularly care to investigate the issue.
Not that I'm trying to garner sympathy in the first place. Just simply explaining a portion of my reasoning for not posting as often on /tg/ at some point. No need to namefag either, what with post IDs being a thing.
f03045 No.4178
>>4177>Not that I'm trying to garner sympathy in the first place.That is what you were subtly trying to do, framing your banning as unjust, that you only broke the rules infrequently.
You say you don't avatarfag regularly, yet you admit to avatarfagging back during the early threads.
That's the same as a person saying "I stole a single car and I got arrested. I don't regularly steal cars exactly because it was against the rules, but the police had been cracking down hard on carjacking in general at the time".
21cdf9 No.4179
>>4178Do you happen to be the fellow who regularly gets into arguments with the other participants during discussions back on the halfchan threads? Because you're reminding me a lot of that guy. Matter of fact, I've also tried to argue with him on more than one occasion before finally giving up.
If so, then you and I are in for a fun ride around here, buddy.
762323 No.4180
Given how long the threads last here, I'll probably archive this one once I feel like I'm done for a proper first part and do a part 2 upon next update. Arguing is all fine and good but I don't think it should take too big of a place between regular play for questing.
f03045 No.4181
>>4179Not others, just you and
>>4174Because it's always you two.
21cdf9 No.4182
>>4181Oh, so you
are that guy.
Thanks for confirming. I now know when to attribute value to what you say and when to disregard it, since you've proven time and again to suffer from some sort of condition that prevents you from properly comprehending the things you read.
Have some smug 2D "avatarfagging" in the hopes of annoying you further. f03045 No.4183
>>4182All you're doing is confirming that most of the time you post nothing but your own self-aggrandizement, or that you place the blame of your own failures on others.
f03045 No.4185
>>4184Your posts are now open for everyone to follow, so go ahead and say what you want.
All that'll happen is that you'll get called out on the content of your posts, and you don't care about that, so what's the concern?
21cdf9 No.4186
>>4185What does that have to do with anything? I already know you tend to argue with everyone for the sake of arguing while also pushing the opinion that your choices are the only right ones as you insult the decisions of all the other participants, so outside of obvious bait, there's really no point in holding any form of serious discussion with you. And in case you missed it, INH said that he doesn't want arguing to take up too big of a place between regular play.
I'm positive that if we had our respective ways here, we'd keep going and going well past the bump limit. Besides, I've already had my laugh at you, so I really have nothing else to offer.
Additionally, INH happens to be my tomodachi. I know many a way to push his buttons and piss him off, but personally shitting all over his own threads is not the way I'd like to go about it. Do try to demonstrate a modicum of respect for the QM's wishes as you participate. 762323 No.4191
I'll aim to begin the thread in about an hour.
762323 No.4192
Now… the opposite side of the table had the Tengu Matriarch cradling the little alchemist blonde with my mother occupying her second flank, all three of them intensely peering at our shenanigans; the mother crow was also eyeing my tail with a very envious (and scary gaze) that was more than enough to cause a sobering cold sweat whilst hugging the tiny blonde who looked midway between falling asleep and drunk whilst my (oh so dear) mom was smiling broadly as she kept the ornate pipe in her mouth. On the other hand, the feeling of the dark feathers of my half-sister wings was a drug in of itself while the tiny goat child-like behavior (perhaps a little forced) was just the best thing to melt one heart, even if she kept tugging on my tail; I couldn’t find the necessary…maliciousness to yank it off – tonight, it’s seem I’ve found a new weakness (fluffy things being the other one but I’m willing to believe it’s universal).
This goat is dangerous.
‘’Come on come on’’
Belphegor insisted, using a surprisingly strong grip to usher me forward as the Tengu cheeks blossomed into reinvigorated red at my inevitable approach; perhaps it wouldn’t’ be so bad to indulge, there’s only a few people here and beside… it’s probably a nice way to greet my half-sister, right? Maybe this’ll make us look like parents!
‘’Hehehehe~’’
I don’t know if that demon is drunk or merely pretending, still I decided to indulge as well (as opposed to giving in, it’s completely different!). A close creep followed by a hug of my steaming half-sister with the goat squished between our bodies as my tail acting as cushion; then bliss came once the large wing of Ayumi slide around my back, squeezing me gently as I rubbed my palm along its axillar.
‘’So fluffy…please don’t eat me wolfie~’’
Oh I’m trying but if she keep being so inoffensive…
However, an interruption came in the form of a brief little flash on the edge of my vision and I immediately turned to look at the trio on the opposite side of the table; the Tengu Matriarch was up to something, her veins suddenly possessed a glowers of bright green giving her peachy complexion a very alien image as the entirety of her skin was highlighted by her innumerable blood vessels. Her left hand was slightly ajar and out of her palm glowed a strange pattern of geometry in a mixture of greenish yellow appearing midway between powdery and solid, a small square inside a bigger circle was levitating above her lazy palm, unfortunately it disappear before I could identify the details, aside from a strange pattern of line aside (almost like an image…) I couldn’t discern much.
The way she glower, the Matriarch had embraced Focus or Trance as it is called amidst monsters; the physical state people with the gift of magic needed to enter before applying their crafts and talents
‘’Mother? No you… you didn’t… right?’’
‘’I’m afraid so’’
Ayumi couldn’t budge an inch but her wings flapped fruitlessly all the same as she tried her best to ignore Belphegor cuddling, looking at her mother with a mixture of horror and disbelief who abandoned her embrace of magic as suddenly as it came.
‘’Please no…’’
My half-sister squeaked in distress; perhaps I could help her, though… that goat isn’t letting go.
‘’What happened?’’
In the end I could simply ask the obvious and Yumiko licked her lisps, making a good show of it too whilst Ithel appeared to be sleeping on her lap.
‘’The three of you cuddling like newlyweds parents would for a most adorable painting; I’ve immortalized the image and I’ll put it to brush in the morrow’’
‘’Seriously?’’
‘’Yes’’
A quick look at my mother made it obvious she wouldn’t be any help at all, that old (but not wise) wolf simply smiled at me when our eyes crossed, she simply silently nodded while Belphegor simply enjoyed the fluff and warmth; in the end, I couldn’t really find much of an issue, it’s not like the painting of a Tengu will do anything…right?
–
762323 No.4193
It was only after some stressful minutes later that I could finally excuse myself for some very needed fresh air; time had trickled on relentlessly and what was to be supper became night, the members of the militia were easily visible thank to portable lanterns and every patrols was at a minimum of two; Zipangu was naturally cold thank to its eternal autumn and the moon was nowhere in sight, probably hidden behind clouds, making the dark that much thicker. The little dining room was still occupied of course and it warmed my heart to see the guests actually enjoying themselves, for a moment I was able to forget about the war but… the pendant had been possessed by a sudden tiny vibration, a signal from Ame-no-Uzume to seek isolation for milady wished to talk; I found a proper place in the neighboring kitchen now empty of its chef and assistants but still filled with the waft of meat, spice and pastry that was served in tonight little feast.
It was also completely pitch black, meaning that I didn’t budge after closing the door in fear of bumping my toe or knee and simply took out the necklace kept under my uniform; the colored gem continued to vibrate in my palm, shining with a quiet light that, in the dark, was at least enough to act as a makeshift torch; a spark no bigger than a grain of dust suddenly plucked itself away from the sphere to levitate upward, hovering above my hand and face as I pushed my weight on the door, at least it’d avoid anyone sneaking up on me.
‘’Indulging on this night, little Wan Wan?’’
Her voice emerged from this phenomenon as if she was standing right in front of me. Were I gifted with magic, we would be able to speak with our minds after using this jewel as catalyst, doing this was the next best thing and had, apparently, the effect of avoiding all magical projection, meaning that no rogue mages would be able to sense this otherworldly little event.
‘’My queen…’’
Her voice sounded a little hoarse, as if she was thirsty and tired.
‘’No no its fine’’
Here she paused to clear her throat; I couldn’t see her, but the gallant physique if milady sprouted to mind; tall, long-legged Kitsune of nine pale ivory tails with raven dark hair and brilliant, intelligent golden eyes. Many words can befit this woman, out of all of them I prefer ‘’Vixen’’ for she’s certainly a wily fox, sharp, intelligent and undoubtedly proud and possessive of the few precious things she has (namely, me).
I could lose myself in these reveries for hours…
‘’You’ve been a wonderful distraction, thank you.’’
‘’Distraction?’’
When she wasn’t talking with a hint of amusement and a little chuckle, it meant something was up but I felt strangely intimidated; my followings words of concern died in my throat.
‘’There was a decisive battle today and we’ve won, although I got wounded but hey, I’m fit and tough enough for a little romantic stroll, even if I can’t leave my room…’’
Romantic stroll…? Well, in the years I’ve known her Ame has gotten herself a few wounds so I shouldn’t pry too much or else reawake some pains; it’s not a maid duty to ask question or inconvenience her mistress.
‘’I’d love to have a little walk in the garden with you but… there’s something I’ve got to ask you tonight, Wan Wan. You talk about the Sabbath has me worried; I’ve just got to ask you one very question. In the last two months, during your duties for the Water Dragon, you didn’t notice anything odd right?’’
Her question had me immediately search my memories and, aside from the tumultuous events that led to the opening and now ongoing crusade on Zipangu, the times I spent with the dragon have always been hours of serenity.
‘’No’’
The little shiny dust glowered briefly, as if acknowledging my voice.
‘’That’s what has me worried. You see, two months ago I put a guardian spirit in the tomb Ryu in exchange for a demand; he wanted to interact with the living, albeit in his own way. Since you are the dedicated domestic of the dragon you’d be the only one going; yet you didn’t report anything for a long time and I began to… forget’’
Were milady speaking to a priest, she would have committed quite the faux-pas; the proper term of my position is the Acolyte of the Dragon (even if I don’t have any religious authority, I’m not as dedicated as a regular priest, either); I felt like teasing back but refrained, there was business to attend to after all.
Earlier this month was also the end of the Festival of Spring – a huge festival spanning the entire island that consisted of expunging all the corruptions from its inhabitants to put them inside the queen of central Zipangu who then exorcised it all; instead, Ame was forced to put it all inside the comatose Water Dragon. This gradual excess of Corruption eventually caused this unending sleep for her Holiness – truly, she deserved the title of Saint.
762323 No.4194
‘’…Perhaps the spirit moved on?’’
‘’No, I bound him –willingly- and the few humanoids spirits lingering out there aren’t the kind to go back on their arrangement, else they become poltergeists or worst.’’
What a strange thing it is to communicate with the Unseen Realm, it must take quite the toll…
‘’Maeve, I need to ask you something and I can’t rely on anyone else, which is why nobody must know what you will be doing, hell it’d be best if you could avoid being seen, too; you can’t tell or ask your mom for help either’’
There was something earnest in her voice, I know Ame was a dignified queen and were she to order me, I would die for milady without a doubt; to she’s also a little weak to simply keep the façade around certain people (namely, me) and I found myself smiling broadly despite the importance of the situation.
‘’I want you to go into my room to pick up an Ofuda; once you’ll be in there, I’ll also transfer you an additional one after that you’ll have to sneak back into the temples and put some protection for the dragon; I know I’m probably paranoid, but this is a better safe than sorry mission’’
Ofuda… I’ve often seen mages of Zipangu holding them; they consists pf spells written in special scrolls, apparently the calligraphy of the letters seem to give the talisman its power to retain spells, allowing a significant (sometime total) reduction of the physical strain to cast; a system entirely constructed by the queen-mother Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto.
It’s only drawback was the fact that you needed to be a mage in order to activate them.
‘’You know that I cannot wield magic, milady…’’
‘’…Which is why I’ll activate them once you are inside, don’t worry I’ll be there for every one of your steps’’
Ame-no-Uzume rarely asked me for favors however, unlike my mother, I’m not a good stalker. I was born in this peaceful castle and very rarely ventured outside, simply happy to stay here and enjoy the companies of the foxes alongside their numerous books.
>’’Milady I’m afraid your mission is outside my own competence, I’m just not… good enough, I fear, to accomplish what you ask for’’ [If it’s important, I think my mother would be the best one to ask, she could at least get inside without being seen]
>’’I’ll go into your room at once’’ [Ame trust me, she trusts my mother too but I am the queen lover – I’ve often yearned to be of use for milady and this is the perfect time. If I’m not good enough, then I’ll just HAVE to be]
>Free
31831a No.4195
>>4194>>’’I’ll go into your room at once’’No reason to refuse direct orders.
136311 No.4196
>>4194>’’I’ll go into your room at once’’ [Ame trust me, she trusts my mother too but I am the queen lover – I’ve often yearned to be of use for milady and this is the perfect time. If I’m not good enough, then I’ll just HAVE to be]If the spirit was supposed to be there two months ago, but we didn't notice anything, then some agent has had access to the dragon for two months.
6533ed No.4197
>>4194We were given an order, so we might as well do as we're told. Besides, we can't sneak, but I bet Ame knows how and she can see what we see. Is there any way we can put that speck in our ear and have her whisper helpful hints?
And our wolf girl is one of Ame's lovers? I'm actually rather OK with that.
If we play our cards right, can we get you to write fluffy yuri smut? 762323 No.4198
>>4197>And our wolf girl is one of Ame's lovers?You make it sound like there's several!
I'm not good at smutWell then, on to writing.
6533ed No.4199
>>4198I'm almost certain she has a harem of her own, and I don't mind. I am curious as to its size and component members though. What do you gotta do to get inside that Kimono? 136311 No.4200
>>4198Aren't there several? Or should we just assume that she plays with any maid or guard that catches her fancy, so the better question is: who is a regular?
762323 No.4201
>>4199Be an interesting personBut no she doesn't really have a harem, she does tend to have some flings here and there but Maegan is just about the only person she's serious about.
For nowShe probably doesn't realize herself how important to wolf actually is to her, but that's something we'll see develop during this arc.
136311 No.4202
>>4201So I was right here
>>4200 762323 No.4203
>>4202Yeah, the problem is actually catching her fancy, which doesn't happen often.
6533ed No.4205
>>4203But when you do I bet she throws the seduction into overdrive. Oh well, she's been around for a long time so every inhabitant should be well aware of the Queen's nature (or at least, you quickly learn once you're in the castle for a few days thanks to gossip). Thus she wouldn't break nearly as many hearts as this approach tends to (and avoids the spurned lover/crazy ex problem).
Everyone would know that, with Ame, it's a fling she's after so don't go falling for her or take it too seriously and just enjoy the fluffy tails while you can. How often does she get asked to let people touch fluffy tail? Given this tendency I'd think many would yearn to run their hands along them.
762323 No.4206
>>4205One does not simply ask to touch a queen fluffiness.
31831a No.4207
38a73d No.4208
>>4206Of course one doesn't simply ask.
One seduces, like Siegfried, and acts as an indulgent husband.
6533ed No.4209
>>4206I know I would consequences be damned. Worst case, I get pranked somehow. Ame is only slightly crazy and a nice person deep down. She wouldn't kill or permanently injure me over a faux pas.
Besides, I didn't ask how I would get to touch them, getting hit by them and sent across the room would still allow me a split second of heaven. My punishment may well become my reward!
21cdf9 No.4210
>>4206That's right.
One simply takes the first available opportunity. 762323 No.4211
‘’I’ll proceed to your room, everything has been left unlocked?’’
‘’Yes, not even my guards are lingering, the place is still off-limit but the militia shouldn’t give you any trouble, remember the hollow square under my bed?
You’ll find my Ofuda in there.’’
Being careful to a point of paranoia was probably why Ame was still queen after thirty years; I felt my heart increase its rhythm slightly at the prospect of actually having something of a ‘’mission’’ for milady, but also actually stepping into her room; in all my life, I’ve probably done so no more than three time.
‘’Very well, am I to deactivate the jewel?’’
‘’No, this tiny will-o-wisp will stay next to your ear, under your nicely smooth white hair…. You know, I really want to fluff you up~’’
‘’Now isn’t the time to be distracted, my queen.’’
‘’I suppose not’’
It only took a few words but my nervousness was already gone; that tiny brilliant orb gently levitated toward my left ear and disappeared from my view – a little tingling sensation on my skin revealed the magical phenomenon position and, taking a deep breath to gain some more courage, I exited the dark kitchen as silently as I could and found myself back in the open air hallway leading into the massive inner garden bereft of guests, only lingering guards who gave me a few nods; I don’t think any of them wish to stay out there but they didn’t have much of a choice.
–
Ame-no-Uzume private room was at the far west of the basement floor inside the innards of the castle, proceeding toward it was quite a tedious for there were several mini halls with set of doors separating wings from each-others before finally landing in a somber tiny chambers that was obviously meant as some kind of guard post with furniture to match; of course, it was also completely deserted – the guards of the castles were to patrol, not stay in there and the nature of my mission prevented me from taking a lamp with me, thankfully milady will-o-wisps was more than adequate to light my way.
The door to the queen private room was of heavy, strong metal; I had to actually put some weight to push it forward and the inside were as sober as I remembered. Wall of solid stones without windows inside a square shaped room with only a desk, some chairs and old books left on its surface and single big, queen sized bed with a foundation of steel – I was immediately struck (briefly) aghast by two pairs of chains linked to the bed; two for the wrists, two for the feet – exactly as I remembered.
Few knew of the queen secret – a nine tailed fox she is – but people believe her to be of the Inari specie whilst instead she is a Kumiho and, as far as I know, she always need to keep herself chained before bed or else someone will pay a hefty price during her deadly sleepwalking.
That’s why, to this day, I’ve never awoken next to her.
‘’Under the bed…’’
The bluish color of the tiny orb of magical light safely illuminated the room for me to navigate effectively and I scurried under the bed (finding the floor surprisingly pristine) and worked to jog my memory to remember the place I needed to push; it was an obtuse spot but Ame did showed it to me a few years ago…
Right, it was on the left side; my hand gently pushed a piece of the stone floor inward and I found what I was looking for swiftly; a roll of papyrus kept in a protective clasp.
‘’Got it’’
‘’Alright, I’ll give you the next one’’
Before my very eyes a phenomenon outside comprehension ensued; a tear in the very fabric of the air sprouted from nothing, what was a cracked line of gold transitioned into a portal of gold half my size, hovering above ground in total silence. I was immediately awestruck by such majesty and braced – only to be disappointed once another parchment kept in the very same protective item in my possession was thrown from the inside of this spiral and the portal swiftly closed.
…
‘’I’ll… go now’’
‘’You voice hurt my heart, is there something wrong, wan wan?’’
‘’No, nothing at all’’
I know it’s obvious she couldn’t have done that anywhere obvious but… dammit, I yearned to see her.
762323 No.4212
>>4210–
This is where the hard part begins.
Emerging back into the open garden inevitably meant crossing path with a few of the militias; I tried to pry my eyes open for the Tengus but they weren’t anywhere in sight, I could only hope my mother was dealing with them somewhat effectively, this also meant that Ame had to stop talking to me or else be overheard; perhaps she could magic me near the temple somehow but that’d also give my position anyway to anyone able to cast spells, for the mere act of using magic project a detectable trace; perhaps like some kind of smell6 I don’t know, and I doubt I ever will.
«I’ll have to choose the correct path, I guess…»
I fiddled with the necklace, my own little piece of the queen Starball before visualising the path in my memory.
First, the entire garden used a nicely maintained path of concrete as main artery all the way toward the small lake, cutting right in the middle of the garden with numerous little side paths of gravels for sightseeing and otherwise keeping near the magical flowers, even in the pitch dark evening glowers of red, violet, blue and yellow could easily be seen and I was in the outside hallway leading further inside the castle.
Few militiamen stood around, a few duos were deeper inside with their lamps – Ame wasn’t budging on the fact I shouldn’t be seen – civil guards do tend to be gossiper and everyone know my position as maid and Acolyte, I’ve already done my duty tonight…
Perhaps I could simply bluff my way past them; although that would be going according to my queen wishes.
In any case, the temple of the Dragon was built on the east side of the garden, rather deep too and decorated by all the magical flowers in the area, making its path obvious thank to the near-rainbow glowering in the dark – I wish I had some knowledge of botany to understand their purpose, but as far as I knew, these brilliant buds were of use to alchemist and mages.
Now, I could try going deep into the vegetation and try my best to avoid losing my way, going westward would be a detour but I could try circling all the way toward the temple; there’s only the patch of brilliant purple ‘’decibel’’ in there whereas the East and shorter path had a more grander collection and was obviously a little more popular with the guards due to its popular romantic spot; I could also simply walk the main path and try to circumvent and time my walks to keep outside the views of the militias but that’s… probably outside my area of expertise.
Well, so is creeping around; this isn’t something Ame can help me with, but I sure as hell don’t intend to disappoint my queen!
>Free [How should I do this…]
>You'll have to roll depending on how you do things 762323 No.4213
>>4212If you guys feel stuck I can always offer choices.
I'll need some time to think up a few traps and pass them off as legitimate choices though 359d18 No.4214
>>4212Sam Fisher skills activate! We shall sneak by the guards.
762323 No.4215
>>4214Crouch walking it is.
Take the longer but more secure path or will you try for the shortcut?
31831a No.4216
>>4214>>4212Sneaking works. If we get spotted just act drunk - I'm sure word has spread about our rambunctious dinner party.
6533ed No.4217
>>4216A sound strategy, but that hinges on whether or not people know we can't get drunk. If they know that then acting like that will get them asking questions. So, do we know what our own reputation is among those in the castle?
31831a No.4218
>>4215We're not really on a time limit, are we? Long way seems best.
762323 No.4219
>>4217Maegan hasn't gone around revealing that fact to anyone. Ame, her mom, Tsu and her older sister. are just about the only ones that know
31831a No.4220
>>4217Worse comes to worse and we panic, we can just spill all of our spaghetti and give a great big awoo up at the moon and run for it.
762323 No.4221
>>4220I swear, Ame would reopens her wounds in laugther if that happened.
21cdf9 No.4222
Why is wolf so bad at sneaking? Wolf is supposed to be naturally good at sneaking! Just needs to use her senses in order to get around without being discovered.
762323 No.4223
«The west side look relatively safe, only a few patrols and one area of glowing plants; I’ll have to cut across the main path eventually but I should be able to do it… yeah»
I don’t think the militia is the reason why Ame insisted on this discretion, I’m sure it’s the Tengu instead that has her worried; I’m not sure if I trust Yumiko…
Well, I don’t think now is the time to worry about these things, trying to unveil the intension of milady is fruitless; she’s been playing that feudalistic game for thirty years.
The matters of jumping over the waist-sized balcony was simply enough, I immediately landed in the grass and silently cursed the fact I’ll have to wash my uniform; at least it’s dark silk will make the patch of dirt harder to discern. I began to creep forward to my best of ability, practicing a ‘’crouching walk’’ that was, I’m sure, the best way to proceed in the vegetation that wasn’t exactly easy to navigate through, nor was it thick; I just had to watch my way, avoid trampling something obvious…
I’ve got wolf blood, I can stalk successfully dammit!
My first obstacle came after a long, arduous trek inside the garden without arising anyone’s suspicions (mostly thank to the distance between the main artery and my peculiar spot); I came into an oval shaped little garden with flowers in long pots of ceramics put all around a single fountain made in honor of the Water Dragon. All around, purples plants glowered in the night, giving off a definitive mystic aura to this little secluded spot that was, alas, occupied; a centaur was standing next to the fountain, gazing into it and then shifting her eyes toward the plant; her left hand was holding a most intimidating halberd and the clopping of her feet made my heart jump as I stared at the chainmail-clad blond.
«Dammit dammit»
Proceeding isn’t going to be easy, I’m at the edge of the wall and the grass has been cut for this spot; I could try to circumvent and cut straight across the main path early, or try my luck to creep forward; there’s only about… three meters of open air before landing back in the high herbs but the purple illumination would make hiding hard.
Hm… well at least the lady horse seems lost in thought by the majesty of these plants.
>Several way to proceed about this, I won’t offer any choices yet, however know that once we reach a solution I’ll ask for a roll. What do you do?
31831a No.4224
>>4223We could go for the classics and throw a stone against a far tree so she's looking the opposite direction from us while we sneak past.
762323 No.4225
>>4224I'll need 1d20 for that.
31831a No.4226
| Rolled 2 |
>>4225Surely nothing will go wrong for our wanwan.
6533ed No.4227
>>4223So where are we relative to the centuar? Behind, going to cross into her line of sight if we keep going forward, or to her side?
762323 No.4228
>>4226Yes, nothing…
I'll wait a little bit before proceeding.
>>4227Behind, she's facing the fountain but does tend to move around to look at the flowers, so her position isn't predictable.
6533ed No.4229
>>4228Where's the flowers relative to us then?
21cdf9 No.4230
>>4226First thread and things are already progressing smoothly.
762323 No.4231
>>4229All over the place, there's pots everywhere with bits of glowy flowers, the entire place is light up nicely in purple.
31831a No.4232
>>4228I stand by our last resort of awoo'ing at the moon as loud as we can before running for it.
6533ed No.4233
>>4231Shit, looks like the rock throw is the best choice. Love me dice gods!
6533ed No.4234
>>4233Crap, how the hell do I roll dice on this board?
31831a No.4235
>>4234In email field put: dice 1d20
762323 No.4236
>>4233Look here anon
>>4020I should take that two, yes I really should 6533ed No.4237
| Rolled 16 |
>>4235Thank you. C'mon dice daddy needs this…
762323 No.4238
>>4237I'm wondering if I should change my dice rule now, well… I've always strived t obe fair with the dice and a 2 isn't a 1 so rules of crits don't apply.
9069d7 No.4239
>>4223Just move back and take an alternate route that avoids this garden then proceed forward. There's no need to jeopardize our stealth.
762323 No.4240
PHew, getting mighty tired, I really want to go on so I'll try to persevere a little.
f03045 No.4241
>>4238It may not be a critical failure, but it's still a failure.
Wouldn't dropping our spaghetti and howling at the moon also be considered suspicious, since there are other canine guards and they don't do anything like that, nor has Maegan done anything like that in the past?
Or is that an actual thing that some canine monstergirls actually do?
Our character should know that well enough to know if it's a believable lie, or if it's unbelievable.
6533ed No.4242
>>4238You could always do the successful failure. Where things ought to have went south but we lucked out, causing wolfie's nerves to fray a bit from stress before making it free and clear.
Like when Siggy got the Soul Blast ability. Fucker wanted us to sit back and watch the carnage, and would have been able to force it, but then we cut on him a bit. That showed him! 762323 No.4243
Thankfully there was plenty of rocks lying around and I’m more than confident in my aim, however would a centaur really fall for this…. Cheap trickery? She seem to be enjoying herself, bending to observe the flowers and appreciate their aromas, her tall body was quite the intimidating sight (without mentioning the halberd) but I –had- to pass and, while making a detour followed by an early cut through the main road, this also open the fact that it’s the most well-traveled path that, in all likelihood, is seeing no end of patrols.
My aim was at least peerless; a quick throw sent the rock in an arc directly toward the entrance, landing in a soft thump that was, unfortunately, a little too quiet for my taste; still it had the effect of immediately catching the monster attention and I…stayed put and tried to be as still as possible when the blonde horse-woman began to investigate my surrounding area, her eyes were quite blue.
‘’Kaelan?’’
She said, turning toward the entrance, her feet clopping the ground; that’s when I emerged from my hiding spot, doing my best to crawl silently toward the other side (making damn sure I’m keeping my tail still) the centaur lady was just there, near the entrance, peering toward the main path when I finally found refuge inside the high grass and didn’t want to waste a second to proceed forward; I would have liked to stay and look at the flowers but… well. Not time for that!
‘’I can’t believe that worked, you threw a rock didn’t you?’’
Ame whispered in a very low voice, almost like she was right next to me; my heart was pounding too much for me to talk, if I were to I’d probably have a high-pitched tone.
‘’These militias really need better training, no really I can’t believe it this is so humiliating, and I’m sponsoring them…’’
‘’Did you want me to get caught?’’
Let’s hope nobody heard that, crawling through dirt and having an increase in blood pressure doesn’t warrant this rant, milady!
‘’Well… no. You are doing good work, proceed’’
The next step was to take a detour so I can safely cross around the less traveled path before retreading my ground toward the temple, it’ll probably take me around thirty minutes – I just hope it isn’t too late already.
>Ending here for tonight, can’t write anymore.
762323 No.4244
>>4242>>4241Oh even the 2 wasn't that big of a failure, Maegan have a natural, whooping +5 to the roll due to her aim.
f03045 No.4245
>>4244The rest of the question is still valid, though.
Do the dog-girls and wolf-girls have an embarrassing habit of howling at the moon?
Do they tend to get a little weird around that time of the month?
762323 No.4246
>>4245>Do the dog-girls and wolf-girls have an embarrassing habit of howling at the moon?No
>Do they tend to get a little weird around that time of the month?Yes
I'm staying silent 31831a No.4247
>>4245I can see it being plausible with pent up stress or being drunk. Or in Maegan's case both from dealing with goats and awkward family and dinner party all night.
762323 No.4248
Oh right, I'll put here my houserule for rules, just to keep it in mind.
Everytime you are caleld for a roll, you are allowed three of them and I take the highest (for that reason I usually have pretty high dc). Crits circumvent this however, natural 1 or 20 are immediately taken and only another crit cancel them.
So beside that 16, you had another chance at a roll too.
762323 No.4249
>>4248Houserule for dices*
762323 No.4250
>>4242Also as said here I also go with partial success/failures depending on how close you are to the DC.
It's been serving me well so far, so I'll continue along those lines.
6533ed No.4251
>>4244If only she were a mage, her awkward nature would give us all kinds of bonuses due to emotional states in many cases. Oh well, thanks to the gem we have FIRE THAT BURNS SOULS FOR FUEL nightmarishly powerful option if combat happens. Ame landed one hell of a buff/debuff power thanks to being a Kumiho. Does wolfie get a craving for fresh liver when she takes that gem into herself? It isn't the choicest cut of meat but as a non-alpha that might work out for her rather well.
It always helps when you call dibs on stuff people don't tend to like and love that. Like being into incredibly spicy food or otherwise "foreign" tastes in your meals. Few will challenge you for it, meaning you'll almost always get what you want without arousing a conflict. One man's delicacy is another's worst case scenario in the food department. Some, for instance, love grubs. Grubs are disgusting to most "normal" people, but if they taste great for you then most everyone will hand them over on a platter and be glad for it. You're the aberration "Game Theory" often forgets to take into account. That works for you ironically.
Like, if someone utterly believes "snitches get stitches" then his tendency will tend to stay silent in the "Prisoner's Dilemma" even though the "Nash Equilibrium" is to betray if you are only playing the game once. Fascinating field, I suggest people look into it. Explains a great many things IRL.
762323 No.4252
>>4251>Does wolfie get a craving for fresh liver when she takes that gem into herself? It isn't the choicest cut of meat but as a non-alpha that might work out for her rather well. No, a Kumiho is a Kumiho and a wolf is a wolf, you can't really mix even with the gem, you'll need to get a little more involved t oget a taste of the legendary nine tailed fox soul.
Anyhow, I'd like to aim for a Saturday/Sunday thread and probably another one in the middle of next week if I feel good enough, I want to have a good amount of activity before the 13 because I'll most likely get sucked hard into Monster hunter 4.
6533ed No.4253
>>4252Still in the same family of creatures. I get the romantic implications. Ame has given her a literal piece of her own soul. She has put her very LIFE in her hands. You don't just do that on a whim. Something deeper flows through it, it is anything but a mere "gesture" to the rational. Like you said, Ame values her more than she may know. Let's hope we prove why she did. True love is both rare and valuable. Most all of us wish to show our "significant other" just how much we love them. A tall order, for to make what is "irrational" rational to the outside observer is a nigh impossible task.
f03045 No.4254
>>4252>you'll need to get a little more involved t oget a taste of the legendary nine tailed fox soul.More intimate than a Soul Link?
Maybe a Soul Merge?
Or maybe some of the Soul magics that a Sea Bishop can perform?
762323 No.4255
>>4253Let's just hope Siggy doesn't get jealous when she drop the talk that she's not a one person kind of galBut yes, that little jewel is incredibly precious; but also very, very hard to temper with, Maegan wouldn't be able to break it even if she tried. The whole Hoshi-no-Tama isn't that sturdy but cutting a piece of it made it incredibly hard to break in exchange for pretty much cutting its potential by 75%
>>4254Same sex can't soul link, a merge tough is possible. You could also make a blood oath, but Ame isn't keen on doing any of those for obvious reason.
A sea bishop would be your best friend in that departement, at least, until the dragon wake up… 21cdf9 No.4256
>>4255Siggy's already well on the harem route to anyway, so I really doubt that would be a problem. f03045 No.4257
>>4255I don't think we went over what would happen if the dragon woke up, with all of that stored Corruption.
What do we know in-character?
762323 No.4258
>>4257Nobody would know what'd happen if she did woke up. So I can'T reveal anything about that.
6533ed No.4259
>>4255Ame never was. As far as I can tell anyway. She's a swinger there, and I doubt that she'd let him land a harem easily. Even Tsu acknowledges that she'd have to make room for Mylen and the like. Siggy is going for the ultimate happy ending. Gotta salute him on that front, for all his flaws at the very least, he hides none of his intentions. A full harem, with even the mantis girl on his side in the end…
All he wants is for everyone to be happy… I wonder if our current MC is much different. Can she "awhoo" to a good hubby? Only time will tell…
f03045 No.4260
>>4258Not even Tsu or Daiyu have an idea of what might happen?
762323 No.4261
File: 1423115467027.jpg (1.05 MB, 1000x1386, 500:693, 1d4e243ba9672a4b6715d666d3….jpg)
>>4260No. The best person to ask would be Mother Earth; everyone can only give hypothesis.
f03045 No.4262
>>4261I suppose it would be useful to ask Mom if the dragon had ever woken up in a previous timeline.
762323 No.4263
>>4262Well… you won't really have time in this arc, I've got big things planned here, so we'll see how this tale go.
f03045 No.4264
>>4263What were Ithil and Belphegor working on, besides the improved prosthetic arm for Athena and Leila?
Shouldn't Belphegor be working on the alchemical gun as well?
762323 No.4265
>>4264Guns and a prosthetic, which is now finished so Ithel is pretty much free; you could suggest them a new project (if this night goes well of course)
f03045 No.4266
>>4265Sieglinde is supposed to be upgrading the Golem Army, so they could work on that.
Could Ithel upgrade magitek armor to have alchemical gun pods? Or extra arms and weapons?
Is the prosthetic meant only for Athena, or is it an upgrade for Leila as well?
762323 No.4267
>>4266Only for Athena, as for the gun pods. That's a big, big no; out of their own volution they'll try to solve the puzzle of the gun on their own.
f03045 No.4268
>>4267So the gun hasn't been reverse-engineered enough to the point where Ithel and Belphegor could begin to think about making bigger versions of it and lashing them onto magitek armor?
Can Ithel produce better prosthetics for Leila?
Would it be done in time that she will be available to help Sieglinde upgrade the Golem Army?
762323 No.4269
>>4268>So the gun hasn't been reverse-engineered enough to the point where Ithel and Belphegor could begin to think about making bigger versions of it and lashing them onto magitek armor?It's not that easy to simply reverse engineer something like that but the girls are making some good grounds; as for the pod, you can't jsut say
figure it out within the next two days or something, it's a completely different ball game.
>Can Ithel produce better prosthetics for Leila? No, Leila prosthetics are a combination of rocks and flesh, Ithel specialise in golems.
>Would it be done in time that she will be available to help Sieglinde upgrade the Golem Army?That's IF she can upgrade them.
I'll touch upon the duo of scientists activity before long, depending on how events unfold.
f03045 No.4270
>>4269>you can't jsut say figure it out within the next two days or something, it's a completely different ball game.I was hoping for X-COM levels of miracle-working from those two.
Were any golems from the Golem Army activated near the palace?
Other than golems, what could Ithel work on?
762323 No.4271
>>4270>Were any golems from the Golem Army activated near the palace?No, the entirety of Zipangu golem army is around 50 000, out of those only 1000 could be woken up by Emeth and they were enough to send the church cannon suprise packing.
Tsukioyim really went overboard in stockpiling them>>4270Only basic alchemy, working on golem require quite a bit of talents in several fields but she's a little genius with golems and the near-autonomy that come with it; this is why the pair is struggling with the pistol since they don't have any real ideas how it work, so they've been studying it instead.
6533ed No.4272
File: 1423146716594.jpg (Spoiler Image, 302.91 KB, 812x1000, 203:250, Chibi KOS-MOS.jpg)
>>4265I thought their second goal after the prosthetic was a "combat mode" for Emeth, maximizing her lethality and survivability somehow. Y'know, giving her a "blue eyed" mode if you catch my drift.
And I know you do, you've already told us how much you like a certain robo girl.
762323 No.4301
Thread will restart this evening
762323 No.4307
Not feeling too good tonight, I'll push the update tomorrow instead, sorry to dissapoint.
21cdf9 No.4308
>>4301>>4307Forgot your trip.
Which isn't exactly necessary given the post IDs.
762323 No.4309
>>4308Indeed I did, as for the IDs, well, I've been using the trip since the quest inception so I think it's okay to continue using it.
21cdf9 No.4310
>>4309Was just pointing something out, m8.
762323 No.4314
Feeling much better tonight, thread will restart in around an hour.
762323 No.4315
14th day of prophecy, hours unknown (predicted to be late evening)
Creeping around inside my own home would probably be a story to tell a year from now on; I could only thank my lucky star for the incompetence of the centaur as I tried my best to stay as inconspicuous as possible. Our inner garden had its fair share of plants and trees but it was no forest, either. I could easily see the main path and the all the pairs of patrols walking along its length, all this while the queen tiny will-o-wisps whispered advices in a low, sweet voice, as if this creeping was some kind of romantic outing – although, milady did seem to have some knowledge in stealth (how or for what purpose, it’d probably be best to avoid knowing).
These words were probably the reason why I managed to make the long trek toward the temple of the Water Dragon undiscovered, watching my profile, my tail, looking ahead and behind me to make sure I don’t steps on some branch, try to coordinate my movements with the winds and the sounds of leaves, try to hear or smell anyone approaching instead of relying on my vision in the darkness (even if my eyes were acclimated) – she was a big help, I can’t deny that and relying on her instructions proved beyond helpful, even if it slowed my stride.
–
The temple looked more like some royal tomb with its relatively simple interior (a rectangle of dark blue stone with a greenish hue) but its grand insides were still vivid in my memory, although the usual sentiment of peace and reverence was… absent, total darkness having cast a different atmosphere for one of Zipangu most important place of worship; vision of the inside room was impossible thank to the thick blanket of darkness and obviously, I couldn’t bring a light with me; there were a few alchemical apparatus inside the chamber of the dragon but nothing for this first room.
…I’m not afraid of the dark!
‘’Hmm… you’ve got a little shiver, Maegan?’’
‘’It’s just cold, autumns nights are rather fresh’’
Of course, I had to get inside; there was a flight of stairs near the rightmost corner of the temple that lead further down in another square shaped room hiding a peculiar door that opened only to the bloods of a few chosen, I knew the path by heart – going there eyes closed wouldn’t be a problem, yes…
‘’I think it’s time for a little spell, once you step inside I can make things easier for you and I’d be able to help you swiftly if something were to happen’’
I felt my ears twitch at the words of my queen and couldn’t resist a retort of my own.
‘’Wouldn’t that give my position away with your projection of magic?’’
‘’Not quite’’
She answered swiftly, obviously expecting my answer.
‘’The stones of the temples absorb and dampen these projections, I’d need to blow it apart from the inside to give you away and if there is some kind of danger waiting in ambush, having a spell ready would buy us vitals seconds.’’
Such a casual remark; still, it IS very dark inside…
>’’Alright, milady, I’d like to rely on your help’’ [I know I’ve got my pride as a wolf, but being careful is probably the better thing… and I like the idea of Ame using magic for my sake]
>’’No need, I can proceed on my own, you don’t have to strain yourself.’’ [Ame mentioned earlier that she was wounded, I can’t just accept this good grace of hers; I know she’s an indulgent fox but she can be dense with her health…]
>Free
fab880 No.4316
>>4315>acceptWe take the magic but chide Ame for risking her health.
f03045 No.4317
>>4315>’’Alright, milady, I’d like to rely on your help’’ [I know I’ve got my pride as a wolf, but being careful is probably the better thing… and I like the idea of Ame using magic for my sake]Since Ame suspects some kind of trouble, better to be prepared.
6533ed No.4318
>>4315Wait, if we take the gem into ourselves wouldn't that let us use some magic without straining her?
If the answer is no then tell her not to do anything very large, small power expenditures are fine but we don't want her getting into a corruption coughing fit with those wounds. And chide her a bit for being so casual about risking her health.
We is good wolfy girlfriend, we worry about our lover in times like this.
762323 No.4319
>>4318>Wait, if we take the gem into ourselves wouldn't that let us use some magic without straining her? You aren't a mage, so no, you can't do that.
Also sorry for being a little late in responding, had a little interruption, now on with the show.
762323 No.4320
‘’I guess it’d be smarter to rely on your help, milady…’’
‘’I know right? Pride is a good thing but you can’t allow it to let you do something stupid, I knew you were a good wolf’’
‘’I wasn’t done milady, you mentioned you were wounded so don’t go overboard on my account, while I’m happy to take care of duties you wish to import on me that doesn’t extend to overburdening yourself during convalescence, you are after all the queen of central Zipangu and we are at war, you shouldn’t be so eager to spend your precious energy when the fate of our very home is at stake, so be sure to…’’
‘’Waaan waaaan, I already have a mother.’’
Ame took a distressed tone, midway between childish and heartbroken and I felt compelled to utter a small ‘’hmph’’ at her interruption, if the dust sized will-o-wisps wasn’t stuck to my ear I’d probably have glared, too. Still, this exchange did lessen the poignant dread in my heart and I found myself taking the necessary first step inside the total darkness of the temple without much of a fuss, only glaring in the dark to try and see through the blanket without much success – my walk reverberated very lightly in the stones and the tiny light projected by Ame spell was enough of a torch to avoid stumbling on my own feet but I quickly had to operate on memories to go deeper inside, up until I reached what I assumed to be the center, which ought to be more than enough for whatever magical show my liege had in store to be ‘’absorbed’’ by the stones; trying to make sense of foxy tricks is nothing more than an exercise in frustration.
‘’I think I’m more than enough inside, should I try to go underground?’’
‘’No, no its more than fine; I’ve listened to you steps and your breathing, so far so good at least, doesn’t seem to be anything up there’’
I could easily see the outlines of the walls; at least the temple was small enough to feel a little secure.
‘’Very well I’ll begin, although I need you to be ready, too; I know I’m only repeating the obvious but I still need you to understand that I –need- your consent with this, you have to trust me and allow me to use you as anchor on which my catalyst rest upon, you don’t need to do anything special at least, just continue being a good wolfy and love me lots~’’
She seemed in rather high spirits, all things considered; perhaps playing the armchair commander was stimulating her, of course I was more than willing to allow whatever shenanigans she needed.
‘’Alright, time to get serious.’’
Right afterward I felt the little piece of jewelry grow warm on my skin, I took it out as delicately as I could and saw that it began to shine on its own, projecting a secondary torch of bluish light that, with my already accommodated eyes, allowed me to see the entirety of the temple and it was, thankfully, empty of renegades silhouettes; brilliant littler flickers began to shed away from the Hoshi-no-Tama only to disappear after a few centimeters of falling; I began to feel briefly light-headed but only had to refocus to make the sensation disappear as the brilliant gem kept on shedding, up until a tiny column of flame erupted from its center and then, the gem began to vibrate incessantly, making me wonder if it’d actually break out of its attached chain.
‘’Maegan, right now I need you to imagine what you want as a weapon.’’
‘’A… weapon?’’
She said she’d use a spell to protect me, not that I’d have to protect myself.
‘’You’ll have to hold onto the catalyst for me to project my will and for you to protect yourself, a weapon is more than enough and practical, too.’’
Her previously relaxed voice was all but gone, the nine tailed fox was serious now so I gulped whatever shortcoming I had –I’ve agreed to my lady wish, so I should show some guts, after all I’m a wolf!
>’’Give me a bow, a short one that’d allow for fast firing in these small rooms’’ [I should try to synergise with my own talents, even if it wouldn’t be the most effective right now]
>’’A shield from you, milady, so that I can keep myself alive while you protect me’’ [I’ve never hurt anyone or much of anything before; I don’t want to start now…]
>Free [Perhaps I should ask for a full bodied armor? No; that’s not wise, it’d be a lot of magic, I know Ame would oblige but she IS wounded and there might not be anything at all…]
fab880 No.4321
>>4320>shieldAnd nag Ame more about overextending herself. Its delicious.
f03045 No.4322
>>4320A short sword, a kodachi. Something that can be used easily in this confined space.
762323 No.4323
>>4322>>4321I'll wait a little more for a potential tie breaker, else I'll roll a dice.
6533ed No.4324
>>4320Can we get a spiked shield or a shield and a small dagger? I wanna balance offense and defense here.
762323 No.4325
>>4324You can ask for pretty much anything, just depend on how much you want to drain the wounded queen. I'll go with your suggestion since its a good compromise of both votes.
f03045 No.4326
>>4325But how draining is it?
Is it more draining than one or the other?
762323 No.4327
>>4326Ame can take it, don't worry about that you aren't being unreasonable.
762323 No.4328
‘’A shield milady, I know you can protect me and… perhaps a dagger too, just in case’’
‘’A dagger? No, no that won’t do, I’ll give you something better’’
I asked for such a knife to avoid straining her further; it seem like I have to nag my queen again!
‘’Milady… my request is for your sake as well as my own, you don’t-‘’
‘’Maegan’’
The tiny will-o-wisps interrupted me as it hovered right in front of my nose, Ame tone held an authority I rarely see; it wasn’t the imperious voice of a queen but I still straightened my back all the same.
‘’I may simply be paranoid and there’s nothing down there but if there –is- the one that’ll pay the price is you; the temple is small, yes, but wielding a dagger effectively require considerable training so instead you’ll have a short sword if things get really desperate but if you do encounter some kind of foe, then you keep yourself safe above everything else.’’
There would be no debating the queen wishes; I felt my heart grow warm and I knew I must have had a goofy smile on my face, too – Ame-no-Uzume is a rather whimsical fox but she DOES care…
‘’Hear me now Obake of steel, give shape to my will and soul, wreathe thineself in my flames and be solid anew; I give thine purpose and, as per our pact thine wish I fulfill; thine host is pure hearted and righteous and no more shall thee be used for wickedness, come fort Obake, thine wish I fulfill, thine purpose I gave anew, come forth Obake…’’
Magic isn’t a subject I know but I understand that rituals and long chant like these are almost extinct; human mage can, quite literally, imagine spells and cast them within seconds and I know monsters can do the same but, as always, foxes seem to operate under their own rules and, as Ame-no-Uzume voice talked with strength and grace, the Hoshi-no-Tama dangling from its chain cease its vibration and instead began to glow much more strongly, flickers of brilliant dusts falling from its sphere as if the shining stars inside were escaping; I think this continued for a few minutes but time passed by in a flash in this grand spectacle up until some kind of gas escape the tiny jewel, a long drape of amorphous silver air floated beside me and I had to dumbly pick up my jaw when Ame talked again.
‘’Alright, put the Hoshi back around your neck and hold out your hands.’’
I did as I was told and the colored air encroached slowly toward me, which sent my heart in a frenzy of excitement, I could feel some –fear- from this strange…living one, yes, that was spirit no doubt about it, slowly it wrapped itself around my arms and I didn’t felt anything at all this…Obake simply moved there- then from the middle of my chest, a brief column of bluish foxfire erupted and spread in two, directly colliding with the silver air and weapons formed around my palms.
A sword and a shield, just like she said; the shield was large, of triangular shape and medium length with barely any weight, able to protect a good half of my profile whereas the sword was smaller and thinner with an incredibly sharp point; more of a thrusting apparatus than a slashing one – a gladius mayhap? Both item also had no hint of metals, they were burning in blue flames despite having all the necessary little hints of being true weapons, alongside some solid weight.
Now I felt like a magic knight.
762323 No.4329
‘’Whoa that’s… rather…excessive milady.’’
‘’I’d love to see your gallant form, huhuh, don’t worry now, you’ll be able to see adequately right?’’
The items were glowering like torches and, as I swung the sword in practice, I heard a brief whistle from its passing that wasn’t the usual sound of metal cutting wind; it was as if the item itself cried out.
‘’Hohoho, I think he took a shine to you, you’ve got a heart as pure as snow, Wan Wan.’’
That’s…
‘’Well, I’m glad my weapon like me then, perhaps I could invite him for some tea afterward?’’
Perhaps I’m being a little too relaxed about this, I’ve read some stories about sentient objects and this spirit… could it be one? I’m not sure if I should tell my mother about this, she loves weapons and that’d probably send her into a brief excited frenzy…
Well, at least, when I stepped into the darkness the blue flames kept it all at bay, perhaps it was only paper thin bravado but I didn’t feel any hesitation when I stepped down the stairs into –true- darkness.
–
The door leading into the Water Dragon secluded chamber was built into the very wall of the underground ‘’extension’’ of the temple. I always carried a little needle on my person and once I pierced my skin, a deem rumble began and ended briefly before an opening archway slide out without fuss after glowering in magical runes, like a well-oiled machine; the corridor wasn’t a big one and I took it without fear, Ame will-o-wisp also quit its hidden perch in my ear to float a little above me and I briefly fiddled with both protective cases carrying the magical scrolls.
The inside of her Holiness resting room was bathed in complete, total darkness; the alchemical torch would usually light themselves after the opening of the door but here, nothing – a malfunction like this may seem minor, but everything related to the Saint was taken very, very seriously.
‘’No lights’’
‘’Hm…’’
They’ll be replaced tomorrow.
The sounds of my feet briefly echoed until I stepped into the water flowing from the lake, humidity was always a constant thing for the dragon; my weapons casted a bright light and I observed my surrounding warily only to find her Ladyship sleeping peacefully in the same position I left her; elegant and beautiful even in coma.
‘’Doesn’t seem like there’s anything.’’
‘’Hm…’’
Ame must be concentrating, I’ll have to do my duty; I walked to the side of the dragon and unclasped the first Ofuda I was to use (or, more accurately, for Ame to trigger)…
But then, in the middle of my activity I felt something rather dubious; a sweet smell of candies was present in the room, as if someone with a tiny amount of perfume was standing next to me; perhaps it was simply my enhanced smell, although this is the first time I’ve actually smelled that, could it be from the dragon…?
>Roll 1d20 for perception.
fab880 No.4330
| Rolled 15 |
>>4329Time to fail!
323b2c No.4331
f03045 No.4332
| Rolled 15 |
>>4329 fab880 No.4333
>>4330>>4332Wanwan is very reliable tonight.
762323 No.4334
>>4332>>4330Getting lucky huh?
6533ed No.4335
>>4330>>4332Looks like we're finding out what's causing that smell
please don't let it by what I fear it might be, that'd be way above our pay grade.
762323 No.4337
‘’I’m smelling something…’
‘’What do you mean?’’
‘’…it’s rather sweet like candies and, I think…’’
Following its trail was actually harder than I thought; the biggest chunk of it was actually wafting from the dragon which actually obfuscated another source very well; I had to walk all the way toward the wall on the other side of the room, leaving her Holiness to be, once more, bathed in darkness. The wall didn’t appear any different than earlier today, same greenish-blue color, same symbols yet still this smell… originated from its center or at least close to it; I had to nearly put my face on it to actually pinpoint something with a scarce amount of accuracy.
‘’There’s two sources, one come from her Holiness while the other seem to be in the middle of the walls, although what’s coming out of Ryu is much, much stronger, I could have easily mistaken it all as her instead, I don’t understand…’’
I gently knocked the sword on the point, making a brief clang while the magical object let out another sound akin to a grunt of steel; very strange phenomenon for something made of solid fire.
‘’Wan Wan, it’s a sweet smell reminding you of candy right? Not really chocolate or vanilla just ‘’candy’’?
‘’Right’’
‘’Keep your wits about you; whatever you do now, do not –under any circumstances- turn around’’
Right on cue my weapon – the Obake- began to let out a strange sound, a buzzing of steel without vibrating, as if… warning? Was it actually warning me? There wasn’t any vibration, only this steel-like sound that didn’t feel organic or even possible; I felt my heart quicken and inevitably I breathed a little more sporadically, my mouth became dried in stress.
‘’It’s alright Wan Wan. The Obake is your friend, it’s ready to die for you but don’t turn around yet, don’t say a word alright? Continue to smell to search, appear busy…’’
The will-o-wisps had flown inside my fluffy ears and Ame was now whispering whilst the steel-like, loud vibration of my fiery weapon continue and I began to pick up something suspect – breathing- that was nothing like the elegance of the dragon, instead it was more akin to a faraway panting dog.
‘’Grues, a pack of them are behind you; that sweet smell tough, that come from Succubus, it’s an hypnotic corrupted spell that dulls your vigilance; that’s not normal for these guys but… at least that answer our missing spirit question, so for now, you have to do something important, Wan wan.’’
I could –feel- the danger creeping, the sound of breathing was closing in behind me, my tail immediately went limp, touching the floor of water and I tried my best to avoid trembling; the spirit-weapon at my side never once interrupting its chant-like vibration, I didn’t feel any different from the smell, at least.
‘’There’s a quick option. You can turn around right now, take out the –second- Ofuda and slash it with your sword, this should take care of most of them but you’ll probably have to kill the last one, the second thing you can do is to make a dash for the exit; I’ll seal it off, then you can ask… Belphegor to help you – I trust her.’’
>I’m not afraid, I’m not scared, I can’t leave the Dragon with these entities; I’ll confront and kill them. [Roll 1d20]
>I am not a warrior; it’s not shameful to flee when you know you are outclassed, this is the kind of thing you need exorcist and mages for and I am neither. [Roll 1d20]
>Free
>Ending here for tonight. We will continue tomorrow.
fab880 No.4338
| Rolled 8 |
>>4337>flee for goatlyBravely run away to our favorite loli.
f03045 No.4339
| Rolled 8 |
>>4337>I am not a warrior; it’s not shameful to flee when you know you are outclassed, this is the kind of thing you need exorcist and mages for and I am neither.A succubus and grues. One or the other, I'd say fight. But since there's a chance for there to be both, running is better.
762323 No.4341
>>4340>>4339>>4338So it seem like the popular choice is to flee, I'll allow one more roll from someone with a different ID so the other option is still open for now.
We'll see tomorrow.
fab880 No.4342
>>4338>>4339Wanwan is very consistent with the dice.
If only we could use that to roll multiple twenties.
6533ed No.4343
| Rolled 11 |
>>4337I beseech thee oh dice gods who govern our fates, let us live!
762323 No.4344
And so we have our results.
Let's hope the WanWan flight is without trouble.
6533ed No.4346
>>3978Damn this alien board…
I pray my 11 was good enough. That succubus could be an amateur dumbass toying with things she doesn't really understand, or she could be a pawn without realizing it and be doing it all "just as planned" by her unknown puppeteer.
You're the kind of GM I can't really plan against or for. You're like… a fuckrandom person from a "Game Theory" perspective. There is no true "Nash Equilibrium" with you. That's making it all exciting.
Hell, that crit fail against Kyorn was almost as if his shit luck was transferred to us in a GOOD way. We are kinda trained to think a nat 20 is good, yet there it would have been very bad. You keep me guessing, so I can only applaud you.
762323 No.4353
Not feeling the best tonight, I'll still pick up the thread but I'll do so with reduced activity.
762323 No.4354
I think it might be best if I use tonight to shape up and prep up tomorrow, possibly extend into friday (and cut into my hype for MH4). Woke up feeling like shit and it hasn't really passed, but it's nothing too serious, just having trouble focusing. So let's clock a proper update tomorrow instead.
762323 No.4378
>DC failed
I knew from the moment I accepted to be of use for the queen that dangers would be lurking. To still be faced with this reality was… incredibly jarring and my heart couldn’t settle down; I tried my best to stifle my breathing instead as I gently rubbed some part of the wall with the shield, its flames casting a brilliantly warm glower in the darkness whilst the spirit inhabiting it kept on vibrating; perhaps it was a warning, or maybe some kind of intimidation – I felt that, if I spoke, these entities would strikes, the only way to survive was to make the first move, because I’m no warrior, fleeing is the only choice.
«I don’t want to leave her Holiness like this»
My silence didn’t seem to stir these uninvited guests and Ame was, of course, intelligent enough to avoid remarking the obvious; only the ever present vibration of the Obake broke the silence which by now, convinced me of its protective benevolence ; how or why these creatures were somehow in this holy sanctum wasn’t’ a question I could afford to ponder.
I’ve read about Grues before. Creatures of darkness thriving where light doesn’t shine, entities of smokes that somehow prey on living beings (mostly humans), they tend to be represented as a face glowing in pure darkness since their eyes and mouths are the only ‘’solid’’ thing about them, making getting rid of these murderous beasts without magic a deadly prospect – doubly so when dealing with a ‘’pack’’ since they are creatures seeking isolation instinctively. Zipangu had quite a history with them during its past as well; just like how wolves plagued outskirts villages and outpost in the human kingdoms, the night of the island were filled with these wandering monstrosities preying in the darkness, it was only with the coming of Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto and her allies (apparently, five others nine tailed Kitsunes) that the creatures were put down, long believed to be outright extinct – obviously it wasn’t quite so – for a pack to somehow thrive inside the very temple of the Water Dragon was beyond blasphemous.
I had to get out of here.
The trembling in my hands lessened as I took a deep breath, shield and sword poised, I had about twenty meters to run before exiting in the underground stairs; a very perilous sprint when one has to dodge murderous creatures.
‘’Whatever happen, don’t stop running’’
Ame whispered in my ear and that’s when my tension finally broke; a surge of adrenaline mixed with panic and self-preservation instincts and I turned, finally getting a view of these enemies that appeared as nothing more than glowering floating eyes in the darkness, hovering above the sleeping body of the Saint Ryu and part of a single amorphous blob expelling dark fog that couldn’t linger in the light of the blue flames; movements quickly made me realize this ‘’fog’’ was actually numerous piece of tendrils trying to encroach in the light, only to continuously evaporate – the still vibration of the Obake never stopped.
So I ran, immediately creating as much distance as I could by making a dash for the left corner leveling my shield to face the blob in the center – my life was a gamble now, to be decided in the next few seconds as I attempted my dash, the entities collectiveness seemed to break at my action as I saw these glowering eyes pluck themselves away from their ‘’whole’’; the blue light of Ame-no-Uzume flames kept the mat bay, evaporating these ‘’tentacles’’ continuously…
762323 No.4379
Until an explosive pain on the back of my shoulder made me cry out, followed almost just as fast by another wound on the back of my thigh; it happened so fast it felt instantaneous, I ran fast enough to have my back upon them and somehow I missed something obvious, perhaps I moved my arm too fast in front of me, mayhap the light simply didn’t cover the back of my sword arm or perhaps the Grues somehow penetrated the light to pierce my body – millions of answers – the sword in my hand flew out as pain overtook all sense, it’s vibration mixing with the loud clinging of metal in this echoed subterranean chamber as my own cries of pain probably reverberated themselves into the main room; however I doubt any of the guards would hear anything, given the temple isolation.
The pain, thankfully, was strangely bearable despite the copious amount of blood flowing out from my shoulder and leg; obviously I couldn’t move those limbs anymore or else experience a crippling jolt and tears immediately began to obscure my vision, reducing me to a crawling mess but I could still think somewhat clearly, and see my missing sword glowering on its lonesome; its steel vibration kept on, sound mingling with my own plaints of pains as the blue light projected by tis mixture with Ame-no-Uzume foxfire began to dim; floating eyes were hounding it at every turn, zigzagging, solid pieces of dark fog prodding its lights whereas two of these Grues concentrated on me, observing me in the darkness with blank expression, spheres of glowing white looking at me continuously in unblinking silence and sweet smell.
‘’Oba…!’’
This spirit was inhabiting my weapon, the Hoshi-no-Tama having metamorphosed itself into shield and gladius and now, it was lying in the darkness, fighting off these malicious spirits; that was a piece of Ame soul but also its own sentient creature that had somehow sworn to defend me in the very short time I came to wield it; my heart pinched in empathy but also anger at my own uselessness.
‘’Calm down, don’t let panic or pain overtake logic, Maegan’’
‘’Aaaaah…’’
There was a breathlessness in my queen voice as I clutched the shield, this proud maid now reduced to a bleeding, crying mess, the shield had increased its glowering now, whereas the sword was weakening – I didn’t like this, a benevolent spirit about to be killed and eaten by beasts, never mind my own life being in danger!
‘’Just don’t strain yourself, you’ll be fine. I wanted to keep quiet but now… your life matters more than anything else.’’
‘’But the spirit you’ve given me… he’s…’’
‘’He knew the risk’’
>’’That doesn’t excuse leaving him out there! It’s a Chochin-Okabe isn’t it!? A living, sentient object! I’m not letting anyone get eaten by these things! Just do what you need to do to keep up BOTH safe, my queen, because I WILL save it!’’ [To hell with priority! I’ve lived my life with as few regrets as possible and I’m not about to start now!]
>’’I…I understand’’ [She’ll do what she can to keep me safe now isn’t the time to be rash, right? I can’t do anything to save that guy, like she said he knew the risk even if… No. I can’t do anything, I’m just a maid, a wounded maid, and I’m not a warrior.]
ee13b1 No.4380
>>4379>I understand.Continue our run to goatly.
762323 No.4381
>>4380You can't exactly run with a wounded shoulder and leg.
762323 No.4383
I'll stay for the rest of the evening but if there's no more votes, then I'll relegate the update in the week end. This is afairly important choice so I'd like a few more voices.
2c7e7d No.4384
>>4379>’’I…I understand’’ [She’ll do what she can to keep me safe now isn’t the time to be rash, right? I can’t do anything to save that guy, like she said he knew the risk even if… No. I can’t do anything, I’m just a maid, a wounded maid, and I’m not a warrior.] 2c7e7d No.4385
>>4384Actually changing my vote to >’’That doesn’t excuse leaving him out there! It’s a Chochin-Okabe isn’t it!? A living, sentient object! I’m not letting anyone get eaten by these things! Just do what you need to do to keep up BOTH safe, my queen, because I WILL save it!’’ [To hell with priority! I’ve lived my life with as few regrets as possible and I’m not about to start now!]
762323 No.4386
>>4385>>4380I might be best to wait for a tiebreaker instead of rolling for it.
21cdf9 No.4387
>>4379>’’That doesn’t excuse leaving him out there! It’s a Chochin-Okabe isn’t it!? A living, sentient object! I’m not letting anyone get eaten by these things! Just do what you need to do to keep up BOTH safe, my queen, because I WILL save it!’’ [To hell with priority! I’ve lived my life with as few regrets as possible and I’m not about to start now!] 762323 No.4388
Well we've got our result, I'll work on it, although I'll be willing to redo if there's a change of heart.
f03045 No.4389
>>4388What about the second Ofuda? Don't we still have that? Can't that be used to blow away the grues?
762323 No.4390
>>4389Yes, but that one is a bit of a gamble, so I'll require 1d20. The other two choices are a bit more
set in stones.
Are you willing to take a risk?
f03045 No.4392
>>4390Either one of the prior choices is Ame going loud and obviously using her power, correct?
The difference is in the amount of power, with one using a large amount and the other only using enough to shield Maegan.
Is it possible to use the second ofuda in combination with the first choice in order to lessen the amount of magic that is required, rather than depending on only one or the other?
Or does using the second ofuda at all require a dice roll and negates any attempt by Ame to keep both Maegan and the tsukumogami safe?
ee13b1 No.4393
| Rolled 20 |
>>4390Why not.
762323 No.4394
>>4392You could use the Ofuda with the choice we have now, but it'l lbe a bit overkill. As it stand right now, Ame will obviously be going in loud, so using the scroll alongside Ame efforts will pretty much make a 100% certain the Grues are deader than dead.
The roll is only for using the Ofuda on its lonesome, without Ame intervention (as its going to happen now). There's no real way to
lessen the cost on her, she's a ninetailed fox, what Ame has to do is limit herself so she doesn't kill Maegan and the Tsukumogami as well.
762323 No.4395
>>4393Motherfucker.
Okay now I need some time to think it through.
6533ed No.4396
>>4393You glorious bastard, you saved our asses!
>>4395Sometimes dice let you drink our tears, now they let us drink yours. Such is capricious nature of the almighty Dice Gods.
ee13b1 No.4397
>>4395Ame swerve. Wanwan coming through.
762323 No.4398
Hm, this udpate might take a little longer because I'm sort of forced to make a big reveal I wanted to happen later on.
Damnable 20 forcing me to give you guys a good end.
f03045 No.4399
>>4398It's a good thing I brought it up, then, and that we were lucky enough to get a 20.
6533ed No.4400
>>4398>Damnable 20 forcing me to give you guys a good end.>Forcing me to give you guys a good end.It's what we do INH, it's what we do.
And you love us for it. 762323 No.4403
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBaele3z2lU‘’Milady, I’m not going to simply… accept the death of this companion you’ve given me. Knowing the risk is one thing but I’ve lived my life with as few regret as possible and I’m not about to start now’’
Chochin-Obake aren’t your regular monsters and spirits; people often compare them to angels for they possess the same elusiveness and I’ve only seen them in books – decades to centuries of continuous growth led some precious, still intact items to somehow grow some form of ego and it is thusly said they can be of immense power and uses to whomever they find worthy – yet there’s no such thing as a process to create them, thereby making them very different than artefacts. If there was a way to class them, most people would agree to think of them as expressive golems.
What I’m seeing now isn’t some kind of simulacrum; a sword it might be, yet it shone in defiance to the malicious entities of the darkness, burning away their limbs in bright silvery blue as the steel vibration grew loud enough to hurt my ears; if music is a language, then I’m hearing anger, distress, fear but also rebellion to the Grues dominance – I can’t just… I won’t… this fear clutching my stomach and the pain piercing my limbs isn’t paralyzing enough to keep me from doing something! I won’t have this regret for the rest of my life!
‘’My, what a demanding wolf’’
Ame whispered and then I shifted my stance slightly as the burning shield shone even brighter and for the first time I heard a sound outside the musical vibration – a low serpentine hiss emerged from the darkness… alongside a metallic click.
That’s the Ofuda!
My heart immediately leapt, only the stinging pain in my arm reminded me of my wounds but I still moved my shield arm to grasp the protective capsule and unfurl the paper, putting it on my lap, uncaring of the blood staining its beautiful papyrus and the calligraphy of golds, silvers and blues; letters and symbols intermingling with the lines themselves changing colors, spelling something I couldn’t read, whoever wrote it took meticulous care to change pen mid-letters and drawing, it was so beautifully written that it could undoubtedly stand as a work of art.
‘’I have the talisman…’’
‘’…it’s very risky, I don’t know if the Tsukumogami can hold out if we only use it, it’s alright I can strain myself a little, I won’t let my little wolf get sad, don’t worry’’
762323 No.4404
For some reason, despite the gravity of the situation, the pain of my wound and the magnificent resistance of the Obake, my eyes glanced upward toward the ceiling; was it because of the loss of blood? I didn’t feel light hearted, even if my uniform was slowly soaking, the wounds were serious but I wouldn’t die of blood loss so soon; was it luck?
Of course the religious symbols hadn’t changed the carving were beautiful, each telling the story of the Water Dragon and the few mortals she came to love as friends; for some reason my eyes lingered to a peculiar depiction of the serpentine, draconic true form of her Holiness and what looked like a resting wolf; it was only one amidst others, easy to miss of course for this is my first time identifying this peculiar engraving yet it struck me with awe, making me wonder if I was growing lunatic – my mind raced back to the past as I clutched the paper.
Earlier tonight I remember seeing a show of magic so brief I simply discarded it as some shenanigan; the Matriarch of the Tengu has used magic like an afterthought but I do remember glancing at the spells, some kind of interlocking geometry of magical glyphs circling a little, strange symbol…
«In its earliest days, during the Great Wars of the Pretenders, Zipangu was an island of monstrous individuals, largely populated by warmongering Onis but there were a few human settlements living in peace alongside the other humanoids Youkais, namely crows, wolves and foxes – Tengus, Inugamis, and Kitsunes. It was a hard existence but still they resisted the man-eating demons, in no small part thank to the help of the Water Dragon but there was more; in these times, faith gave birth to gods and protectors. The sun was revered, for the Onis hated it, water was respected as giver of life and night was fear as the time of demons and hours of witches. You get all that, Maegan?’’
My mother homeschooled me, why is this part of history suddenly springing in my mind?
‘’Well, back then the island had three gods, although to this day only a single one is still alive; the protector of sun kept the benevolent inhabitants safe from the encroach of the Onis own God whereas the Water Dragon waged open warfare with the demons, doing her best to prevent them from crossing the sea into human lands. Over the ages of this long, long, unending war the Wolf of the Sun bore many wounds and when the Pretenders finally waned, exterminated by the intervention of Mother Earth and Father Sky, our protector was laid to rest and the few still living Youkais have now either gone into isolation, or intermingled with the inhabitants…Here’s that’s her symbol’’»
!
I had only a single ink available; I barely event thought this through, my fingers coped the area of my wounds and the jolt of pain made me cry out slightly.
‘’Wan Wan?’’
Lines, a squared sun, fiery rays; drew right over the piece of art that was the Ofuda.
‘’Oi, Maegan?’’
Zipangu oldest magic was tied to its original faith; to call upon ones great ancestors in time of need – there is no greater power than blood.
‘’Milady, Obake, I’m sorry for taking so long.’’
The sword was still resisting; I couldn’t see it anymore for the fogyish, ill-formed spot of dark fogs that were the Grues had enveloped it, but still its song of steel was resonating down to my very soul.
With a trembling hand, I picked up the Ofuda soaked in my blood; the blood of Youkais originated from Zipangu oldest mountain and slapped it on the burning shield, the contact with Ame-no-Uzume soul.
‘’What did you just…. Oh Mother!’’
Paper, inks, blood and the magic inside the Ofuda disappear inside the shield… and I heard a growl – everything else did- echoing down from the stairs, following by a frenetic pitter-patter that immediately provoked the handful of murderous Grues to react and adapt for whatever was coming.
762323 No.4405
A human sized beast squeezed through the tight entrance, loudly landing in the water; closer inspection immediately revealed it to be a wolf, unimaginably bright, gallant white furs adorned it’s… -her- body while fiery symbols of red were painted on its face and flanks. The furs on its legs seemed to transform onto the edge of blades from which fire of crimson red, orange and bright green rested like a blanket just above her back, burning hot yet the warmth felt like a gentle midday breeze; the waters around its paws was already boiling.
None could comprehend how they could be the presence of a god. Only when the Wolf of the Sun growled did the entities began to understand fear; her teeth face showed a murderous glint of rage as her brilliant eyes of oranges glowered, flames of mixed red, orange and green escaping her mouth as her sheer, raw brilliant was more than enough to illuminate Ryu resting tomb – revealing the Grues for what they were, seven amorphous blobs of pure dark with glowering hypnotic eyes and ever hungry mouths.
These beast of darkness were now confronted with their natural enemy – there would be no doubt for their fate – it wasn’t a battle; the wolf sprang forward, breathing fire and light and the demons of darkness simply evaporated as they fled toward the back of the room, even if it was a cul-de-sac. I didn’t felt much triumph, only awe but the presence of the sword, the Tsukumogami who so valiantly fought pinched my heart and so, I crawled toward it as it hummed again, this time gently, with brief interruptions in its music…
It was crying.
Then I heard another growl followed by a strange wind briefly sucking the air inside the room; the Wolf of the Sun was standing still, having already exorcised the Grues; what was to be the wall closing Ryu resting chamber had somehow been opened into a rectangular shape of a door leading into an unending abyss of total darkness – somehow, an opening inside the very tomb of her Holiness had been… camouflaged.
‘’…No bloody way…’’
I heard my queen whisper, aghast and short of breath; the Wolf then, turned her head toward and I gulped, suitably intimidated yet… she simply walked toward my side, her towering beastly form looking down and then directed her head toward my shoulder wound and gave it a lick – making me jolt in pain- yet I already began to feel numb, her care was infinitely gentle, reminding me of the few time I was sick, then helped by my mother…
But I wasn’t about to lose consciousness right now!
>Ending here for tonight. Good lord, the sheet of our protagonist will need serious updating now. You can still suggest course of action if you want.
6533ed No.4406
>>4405Wait, you saying wolfie is a type of demigod as well? Or is just that all wolf girls are its descendants and we got lucky in inadvertently performing a ritual to summon it?
Either way, yes! Friggin' god on our side bitches, succuslut doesn't even stand a chance.
f03045 No.4407
>>4405Gotta go grab the sword, first.
Then, even if we are healed of our most grievous injuries by the Wolf of the Sun, we're probably no match for whatever succubus was able to get in here.
Unless the Wolf's summoning lasts long enough for us to explore the secret room, we should retreat and gather our mother and the Tengu Matriarch at the least.
762323 No.4408
>>4406You/Maegan is the mortal descendant of Zipangu Sun God.
You have her blood in your veins. The ritual you've done is a very similar thing to what the Onis do with their own Ancestral calls.
>>4407Seem like some good options, I'll probably try to sneak a shortish update Sunday if I can.
f03045 No.4409
>>4408The Oni are able to speak with their Ancestral Spirits; can we speak with the Wolf of the Sun? Ask how long she will be able to be here with us?
Whoever set up the camouflaged door is likely to have been alerted, so we need to consider the benefits of going in now versus getting more support.
762323 No.4410
>>4409Of course you can talk to her, the summoning yo uahve will last about an hour, the Ofuda was meant for a quick, powerful attack.
f03045 No.4411
>>4410Is Maegan in danger of losing consciousness right now? Are her wounds healed, or is the pain simply dulled?
6533ed No.4412
>>4408Bitchin'. Timing on this summoning is important. As in how long will it be around? Seems to be like a hero summon and those come with clocks ticking down to when they return from whence they came.
762323 No.4413
>>4411If you let the wolf lick you up, her wounds will heal.
>>4412For now you need Ofudas to summon her, once you start understanding Ancestral Calls you might be able to do a few things on your own.
f03045 No.4414
>>4413Then let the Wolf heal Maegan's wounds then grab the sword.
The safest option would be to have the Wolf guard the revealed secret door, while Maegan runs to get her mother, Belphegor, and the Tengu Matriarch (assuming that Ame is okay with it). Then come back here in force to investigate the door and what lies beyond it before the summon expires.
762323 No.4415
>>4414Do you still care for stealth? All the magic of the wolf is still dampened by the temple
f03045 No.4416
>>4415It's still dampened? I thought since the Wolf appeared from the door to the outside, that there was some detectable magic leaking out.
ee13b1 No.4417
>>4414Yeah. We should still get backup in case the succubutt drags thing out too long. We should awoo at the god then get our friends.
6533ed No.4418
>>4413Sweet. So we're like a nascent summoner support class. That could come in real handy during the final battle against the Church. Pretty sure a "god" can at least tank Orion for a time.
We only need enough time to make that hole in his steel hide with a good soul blast and get that knife jabbed into it shortly thereafter.
If all feels hopeless on our side, but our enemies must have seeds of doubt as well. They know things we don't, we know things they don't. Everyone is grasping at straws trying to find the way to realize their goals before the multi-pronged opposition fucks it all up somehow.
3-way clusterfuck, that's intimidating for all sides. Nothing is certain, everything could go wrong. For each side, this is the pressure cooker. It's on, and damn are these stakes high. Everyone left is going "all in" and nobody knows if that river will be the answer to their prayers or the worst possible card to come down for them. No way to know until the showdown. Tis little wonder why Tsu was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When you bet everything you've ever strived for, the sweat will start to pour. If it doesn't, you ain't right in the head regardless of the type of being you are.
762323 No.4419
>>4416Nah, The wolf appeared on the above floor; the entire temple dampen magic inside, our Sun God isn't anywhere near full strength.
(Still terrifying of course, but this IS a quick summon with a totally unprepared talisman).
>>4418Mate, the church will be the leas of your worries in this arc.
Also I'm thinking of archving the thread now, I don't know how big threads can get but this one is getting quite lengthy
6533ed No.4420
>>4419Doesn't really matter. Every major player is playing a game bigger than they may know. They feel this even if they don't know it consciously. This is "fate of the world" or "Armageddon" level. Ya just don't get much bigger than this. Again, the pressure is on for the big players. This is it, you win or lose it all on this playthrough. Both the "true" and "worst" end await you depending on how you play.
762323 No.4421
>>4420Its fun being a high roller.
But then you guys roll 20 and get a god quite a bit earlier than I wanted. AND you've gained the eternal gratitude and loyalty of a Tsukumogami.
Gosh.
f03045 No.4422
>>4419The general autosage is 300 posts, so we are technically in autosage. But since there are 15 pages, it will take a long time before this slips off the board, or even the first page.
762323 No.4423
>>4422Yeah, but there's alot of post here so far. I'm thinking ti might be best to delete it and start part two after this reveal, altough I can't delete the thread on my own and making yet another thread would be pretty attention whorish.
6533ed No.4424
>>4421It's both very fun and VERY stressful. You're all in now. Lex, Orion, Siggy, Tsu, Ame, Beast, Deruella, and everyone else! Everyone is going all out. This has never happened before. Everyone is truly giving their all for the first and likely last time. This IS the showdown it feels like. You either got the cards, or you don't. Woe to all who don't, but it's now too late to pull back. Once you say "I'm all in" you can't take it back. It's your hand vs everyone else. Pray you hold the "Royal Flush"…
762323 No.4472
15th day of prophecy, midnight, inside the resting chamber of the Water Dragon.
I’ve always wondered if I’d ever find myself at –true- risk of death and how I’d react in such a situation. My mother stayed a warrior in her late years and has, obviously, lived through conflicts I didn’t witness (she was quite privy to details as well) while the person I love, queen Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto has obviously known her share of battles that I can scarcely imagine and my older sister (such a distant person) has become something of a confidant to Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto, queen mother of central Zipangu and also considered the founding mother of civilisation on the island itself.
With such a colorful row of monsters having (in all likelihood) taken someone else life, I’ve always thought myself inadequate, wondering if the comfort I felt in the shelter of the castle to be a sign of weakness… I don’t know if tonight answered anything.
Zipangu holiest sanctum housing our sleeping Saint was truly the last place I expected to find danger; Grues floating above the dragon, as if feeding on something… or perhaps simply waiting in ambush, balls of darkish fog with glowering eyes and solid beastly mouth ready to tear into ones flesh, they also possessed a set of hidden, long limbs that were more than enough to pierce skin as I felt them stab my leg and shoulder – the entire experience was a blur of pain that I can scarcely remember now, with the rush over there was only the realization that I’ve indeed faced real peril, alongside someone else.
My hands still clutched the blessing of my queen, a sword and shield of blue ember and solid ephemeral steel enchanted by a spirit whose magical, vibrating tune seemed to herald an emotion of peace and gratitude, I don’t know why I felt compelled to abandon this Tsukumogami to the hyenas that were the Grues – the reason why I took such a stubborn stance was because I was enraged and disgusted that this idea crossed my mind and seemed to actually be ‘’for the best’’ as if knowing the risks was enough of a good excuse to leave someone (yes someone, I know the legends of the Chosin-Obake) to die as a snack for these… unearthly jackals.
‘’I’m sorry’’
The fact that my incompetence by this singing one in jeopardy was… really upsetting, now that I was actually able to think clearly.
‘’You aren’t at fault’’
The one to speak was my queen, whose presence was ever-so-subtle through a tiny, shining will-o-wisps; the pain in my shoulder and leg had all but vanished thank to the gentle efforts of the… second wolf in the room.
I still don’t know what to think of this.
A large canine was standing over me, bristling white fur with colored patch of reds as marking here and there with a prominent one on its head, the cold dampness of the Ryu humid room had been replaced by the warm glow of her colored fire of orange, green and red, hovering across her back, from neck to tail – she had taken to lick my wounds and the pain vanished alongside the unstoppable hemorrhages; the Wolf of the Sun was standing before me, one of Zipangu three oldest gods – her mere presence had been enough to exorcise the evil creatures of the dark, allowing this chamber to grow peaceful and serene once more, aside from Ame-no-Uzume odd little comments here and there about said…person that was, apparently, my ancestor- there’s no other explanation as to why her symbol resonated with me so intensely.
762323 No.4473
I feel like sleeping…
‘’So there’s a door here?’’
As the wolf finally stopped her gentle ministration, I felt my ears perk at the comment of the ball of light hovering above my head; the bright eyes of the canine locked on it for a few seconds before it turned gently toward the open archway, seemingly carved right into the far end of Ryu chamber, as if it’s been part of the architecture all along; it was nothing more than an open rectangle in the darkness meant for something rather large, none of the Onis that I knew would need to scoop or squeeze themselves in there; a fogyish dark similar to the cloaks that kept the Grues concealed seemed to eat all projected light, be it from the two alchemical lamps or the fierce fire of the fiery wolf whose protective stance betrayed obvious nervousness, she wasn’t quite pacing, more like prowling, her heavy paws momentarily splashing in the water before making it bubble and evaporate, without a hint of steam – the natural order was thusly shattered – yet I knew I could easily reach out and caress her white fur through the colored flames.
Not that I would, of course.
‘’I can only observe a brief change in the floor, milady; the Ryu chamber has no stones of pristine white but this strange opening seem to possess it – pure darkness conceal everything else’’
‘’Hm… I think we’ll need the Tengu to keep this place secured’’
‘’Are you… certain, Ame? Maybe there’s someone inside and stepping away would also mean wasting our opportunity’’
‘’We’ve been rash tonight, Maegan and you –alongside your newfound companion – were almost killed’’
It seem she has made up her mind, being her lover allow me to speak my mind, at least.
>’’Even so I want to peruse the inside, I have the Sun God with me; I know I’ll be safe’’ [If someone or something is threatening her Holiness that I have to get rid of it… right, quietly if possible too]
>’’Yes… I’ll do as you say my queen.’’[It’d be best to act in wisdom; I just hope there is no more bad bloods between the crows and foxes…]
>Free
31831a No.4474
>>4473>>’’Yes… I’ll do as you say my queen.Gondor calls for aid. Fetch our goatly and birdy and maybe mother wolfy.
515ceb No.4475
>>4473>’’Yes… I’ll do as you say my queen.’’[It’d be best to act in wisdom; I just hope there is no more bad bloods between the crows and foxes…]It is what we planned to do, even if it means that this examination is no longer secret.
INH, can we have the Wolf watch over and guard the secret door while we get reinforcements?
762323 No.4476
>>4474Unless more votes come in, I'll be going with this.
762323 No.4477
>>4475Of course.
Also my above post came after yours yet the time say otherwise. Spooky 4a54c4 No.4478
>>4477Then please have the Wolf guard the door, to make sure that nothing gets out and tries to bank the Dragon, while we go get help.
If the Wolf stays inside, then won't our secrecy be maintained (at least, until we come across a militia patrol)?
762323 No.4479
>>4478Yes, nobody wil lbe the wiser about her presence unless they step inside and into the sacred cahmber of the water dragon.
762323 No.4480
‘’I’ll do as you say, my queen’’
Putting some weight on my previously injured limb didn’t elicit some kind of poignant pain, going back on my feet wasn’t laborious; it was as if the wolf had used holy magic to heal up the holes in my body, my somber uniform was thusly the only sign of struggle and it was evidently ruined; the white and dark having taken a new crimson shade thank to my blood, it’s going to raise a few questions; not that I have the luxury of caring about that.
‘’You don’t have to call me that y’know…’’
The will-o-wisps hovered above me, Ame voice growing strangely soft.
‘’But you are my liege.’’
‘’And you are my wan wan, don’t be afraid to call me Ame now, especially in these times, I was really scared y’know?’’
‘’I’m sorry…’’
‘’Oi, none of that. You’ve got a sharp mind’’
‘’It was only luck, Ame, I just glanced upward and saw the-‘’
‘’That’s bullshit and you know it’’
Her words forced me to silence, perhaps I’m simply too hard on myself, I really wished to be a person of excellence to help her out and evidently, my first encounter with danger hadn’t gone as I’d hoped; instead of trying to argue I simply walked toward the big wolf that was now sitting beside the watery bed of Ryu. Her ears twitched upon hearing my feet walking on the water and her brilliant eyes turned to observe me again.
‘’…could you watch over her?’’
I’ve no idea how to address my ancestor, let alone a god yet the wolf nodded and I felt a wave of relief while clutching the glowering weapons and immediately set out for the surface in a sprint (that I was quickly forced to turn into a jog).
–
Before going outside I had to discard the weapons, it was easy enough for Ame-no-Uzume to stop channeling her magic keeping their consistency but the spirit inhabiting them wouldn’t leave my side; it came to possess the single item in my possession aside from my clothes: the needles I constantly used to pierce my skin in order to open the door to Ryu chamber.
Well… I don’t think I can complain about that, it’s good to have a new friend.
–
With all ideas of stealth gone, my path through the garden was obviously found out by the patrolling militia quickly and, my face being relatively well known inside the garrison I was quickly interrupted and nearly stopped as they saw my stained, wet clothes but instead I tried my best to be authoritative as Ame will-o-wisp sought refuge near my ears (again) and directed them to seek out the Matriarch of the crows, current situation be damned- something that threw a cold bucket on whatever passed as worry or enthusiasm amidst the civil guards.
‘’Are you alright? Your clothes aren’t-‘’
‘’Yes I am, please leave me alone, I’d like to speak with her ladyship as soon as she step here’’
762323 No.4481
I had to insist with a little bow, even I felt worried when I glanced at my clothes but at least I was much better than I looked… and my insistence was enough to convince their leader who reluctantly stepped away and back into the castle, leaving me alone with a little waiting game.
‘’Hm, might have been wiser to change uniform, everyone is so protective~’’
I felt like retorting to Ame teasing but bit down my words, the last thing I needed now was to pass myself a lunatic by conversing on my lonesome.
…Not that it’d really matter. Up above, near the trees I heard a strange whooshing of wind followed by a distinctive flapping of something solid, quickly followed by a youthful voice.
‘’So now you are seeking out us crows so fervently as if that tail of yours was caught on fire after some kind of nefarious-looking business in the garden; nobody saw you enter yet you’ve emerged out of the ethers of darkness covered in blood without wounds, yet without any traces on your face, yes… I sense… nay smell something nefarious afoot oh white wolf of Zipangu, could it be that the inoffensive maid of the queen hold secrets of great nefariousness? Have thine hands been forced, finally Ooh white wolf of yonder?’’
…what? Finding the origin of the voice was easy enough, the trees weren’t thick enough to hide some flying upstart, and an obvious thick spot of darkness was hovering a few meters above me, like some kind of floating splotch of ink carelessly thrown on the canvas of the world.
‘’Ah so you’ve found me at last, I’ve been watching you Maegan‘’
She put emphasis on the name, her energetic voice trying hard to sound gruff and dramatic, as if my name wasn’t well known already…
‘’One hour you were enjoying supper, the next you disappear into the castle…only to emerge covered in blood from the garden! It isn’t often that my nose for mystery is tingled; to think you would reveal yourself so soon, right after our arrival… you play a high stake game; unfortunately you’ve caught my eyes in your attempts at stealth! Forsooth young wolf, you have to reveal thine secrets now!’’
What in the world…
‘’Wan wan, I think you have a lunatic on your hands’’
You don’t say my queen, you don’t say.
>Free.
31831a No.4482
>>4481"There is a situation inside the temple. I will explain more once we are inside, in private."
Do we still want/need goatly even, now that we have our wanwan god? Do we know the time limit on how long the god will stay around?
762323 No.4483
>>4482Well Ame specifically said to bring the Tengus, if you want to
try to wake up a tipsy goat then we can simply assume you've given that directive to the militia.
As for the God, she'll be staying for at least an hour.
31831a No.4484
>>4483I remember previously we wanted to get the goat for protection or something, but then we a god.
6533ed No.4485
>>4481Is this the matriarch or just some random Tengu?
4a54c4 No.4486
>>4481"My time is limited, and I do not have the patience now for this banter. Your Matriarch is needed at the shrine, as is my mother. Now either assist me in my duty of protecting the great Dragon who sleeps, or do not hinder my task."
Yes, we need Belphegor.
31831a No.4487
>>4486Sounds good then. Worst case we throw a drunk goat at a succubutt and laughingGirls.jpg with matriarch and ame.
>>4485Good point, changing
>>4482 to getting the matriarch and not one of her lackeys.
762323 No.4488
>>4484Aye, that 20 sort of gave new possibilities.
>>4485As far as you know it's a random Tengu, ehr voice doens'T fit the Matriach.
>>4486Ver well, seem like we've got an agreement.
6533ed No.4489
>>4488How much more time would getting Belphegor take? If it's only a few minutes it won't matter too much, but any longer than that and I'll have to start working through the cost-benefit of it. She can cancel being drunk by entering trance correct?
762323 No.4490
>>4489Getting Belph won't bring any time penalty and yes she can cancel that with Trance.
762323 No.4491
‘’My time is limited, I need your Matriarch wisdom in the shrine of the sleeping Ryu, I’d very much appreciate help in this task instead of hindrances.’’
I was obviously dealing with a crow; that ‘’splotch’’ of darkness was of magical origin, more than big enough to conceal a human silhouette and as expected, the girl voice emerged from inside, youthful and energetic. I’ve never met truly ‘’crazy’’ people but I don’t think they’d sound like that.
‘’Of course, my mother can be easily lulled into a sense of security and trust, especially with you wolves; the best friends come from your bitter rivals, I think. But now there’s something much more important to uncover, yes? Why the need for secrecy? You came from the shrine, I see and with all this blood… Hm!’’
I heard a brief chuckle emerging from that splotch of darkness before letting a sigh escape, still there was something interesting in that nonsensical rambling, namely that part about ‘’mother’’ – could I be dealing with the second daughter of the Matriarch? There’s no way it could be that eagle-winged introvert, the voices didn’t match at all.
‘’Mwee, morning’’
Then I finally took sight of my savior; Belphegor emerged from the main hall, carrying her scythe (a more accurate description would be hovering it next to her person, the thing was ungodly heavy-looking) and rubbing her eye with her freed hand; her veins had become alight in colors but the phenomenon quickly disappeared as she laid eyes upon me, then quickly trailed toward the sky and that lunatic in the darkness.
‘’…What?’’
I think it’s the most sensible thing I’ve heard after exiting the shrine; I could hear Ame snicker softly on her side of the world.
‘’Ah! So here we have an-‘’
Whatever she had to say next, the crow in ink was suddenly interrupted; I only saw a brief silhouette charging right inside the dark, feathers of dark and feet of birds betrayed whomever that was to be a harpy of some kind or, more accurately, a Tengu of lower blood. Immediately a scream of ‘’Caaaooow!’’ was uttered by the girl and she flew away like a crossbow bolt, simply launching herself upward in a gust of wind that travestied all the way into the ground, quickly pursued by her silent assailant; I did caught a brief glimpse of this would-be investigator at least, she looked like a young woman with beautiful dark wings, the night quickly enveloped her silhouette before I could see anymore, unfortunately.
‘’Oh this girl I swear…’’
The next person was the Matriarch, coming from the northwestern entrance of the garden, her clothes immediately betrayed the fact she was previously in bed; her nightgown of dark purple was quite… generous in revealing her womanly silhouette and her wings, small yet shapely flapped gently here and there as her brilliant eyes focused on my person, obviously seeing the blood.
‘’…but thank for calling on me, Maegan. I just hope you won’t think too harshly of my eldest daughter, she love her fantasy a little too much’’
‘’Eh? Wait’’
762323 No.4492
File: 1424489559342.jpg (398.37 KB, 900x1482, 150:247, 129f7ba6d443e02cf906ba3b42….jpg)
The little goat suddenly pranced to my side, her feet clopping loudly on the stone ground as she reached with her freed hand to gently caress my shoulder, her claws looked wicked at first glance but she was very careful while scooping out some of the blood staining my uniform.
‘’…who the fuck…’’
Her voice trailed off in a low growl, her hand on the scythe tightening, even her jaw clenched in rage; I suddenly felt very intimidated by the goatling and remember that she –IS- the confidant of the Demon Lord.
‘’I’m fine, don’t worry. Your questions will be answered once we reach our destination, the shrine of the water dragon.’’
‘’Then let us go at once’’
I saw a pair of harpy-looking-Tengu shadowing the Matriarch, the two of them quickly took off to fly just above the trees, heading in the direction of the tomb.
‘’…hm, what about my mother?’’
I haven’t seen her anywhere, neither did anyone else.
>Wait for her?
>Or proceed? Knowing my mother, she’s likely to already be inside the shrine.
>Free.
6533ed No.4493
>>4492We know mommy pretty well right? So if wan wan thinks mommy's already at the shrine she's likely to be correct yes?
Then again, did mommy get drunk too? I know we tried to prevent her from going too far and she probably has the constitution to sober up really fast but I'd like to know.
762323 No.4494
>>4493She's drunk, yeah. Definetly enjoyed herself back there. As for your first question… yes. Maegan knows her mother very well indeed.
31831a No.4495
>>4492>>Or proceed? Knowing my mother, she’s likely to already be inside the shrine.But if we see any more militiapersons tell them to check on mother.
6533ed No.4496
>>4494Then we head for the shrine. She's either still drunk and stumbling about the castle (in which event she'd be useless in combat unless she's got a "drunken master" type of fighting style in her repertoire) or she's sobered up and is, like her daughter thinks, already there or on the way.
Tell the guards to look for her though, just in case. We just found out we got divine blood in our veins. Mommy might not know that and it could make her and us a target. Worst case is a certain hedonist is out to waste more than just those serving as seals on a big evil mountain. I don't wanna lose mommy to the felwhore's plans!
8b5b6e No.4497
>>4492Proceed immediately to the tomb, and set any militia we find along the way to making a perimeter and getting some palace guards to take control of the situation.
762323 No.4498
‘’…I think she’s already at the shrine’’
‘’A fast wolf, let’s not keep her waiting’’
The entirety of the Tengus were up and about, the sky was aflutter in activity alongside the confused militias who, kept from investigating the draconic shrine, began a thorough investigation of the castle instead; our path was thankfully unhindered and for a moment I wondered why I actually bothered to stealthily make my way inside the venerable tomb, but then… I couldn’t exactly expect to be ambushed by old demons of yonder; Ame had also grown completely quiet, I could hear a steady, constant breathing from the will-o-wisp.
I do believe my queen has fallen asleep – she did say she was wounded earlier today – now coupled with the aftermath of today huge battle on the frontline, I’m not going to fault her for being so thoroughly exhausted as to fall asleep; I’m safe, after all.
Of course, I bothered the civil guards to direct my dear mommy our way, should they ever cross paths.
–
The short travel was very somber, neither Belphegor nor Yumiko said anything and for a moment I wondered if the crow was cold with her light clothes but, the moment our eyes crossed, she gave me a wink followed by… what I can only describe as a seductive smile, whereas the gaoling had taken my hand in hers, I was more than happy to squeeze it back.
The entrance in the tomb was secured by the duo I saw disappear in the night sky; two harpies of dark wings, dark hair bad light clothes stood beside the entrance, sitting without a word as their wings covered their legs, the ladies gave a brief nod to our group.
‘’The wolf Youkai went aside after our arrival’’
…well at least that answer one question.
‘’Okay, let’s go now’’
‘’Don’t let anyone enter, not even my daughters, alright?’’
‘’Aye mam’’
I felt a brief rise of nervousness, how would they react after seeing the Sun God?
–
Belphegor and Yumiko jaws simultaneously fell open after arriving in the hidden chamber of the sleeping Ryu, the colors of red, orange and green were spreading into the stairs, heralding the marvel inside that was the wolfish avatar, glowering in magical flames, evaporating the constant stream of clear water; meanwhile my mother was standing in front of Ryu, arms folded, tail waggling with a big broadside grin as she stared into the open archway of pure darkness, something the oversized wolf was also cautiously observing, undeterred by our arrival.
‘’What?’’’
‘’…bullshit’’
I felt I had to try and straighten up something as the duo had lose their composure, which… well, I guess I wanted to see that.
Quite the unforgettable faces.
‘’She um… well, she came to help me’’
‘’Good old grandma isn’t exactly keen on allowing her precious little granddaughter getting munched on by foolish animals am I right?’’
762323 No.4499
Mother suddenly spoke, tilting her head to look at us now, her words provoked a response from the ‘’Grandma’’ in question whom slapped the water with her tail.
‘’…jeez and I thought I’ve lived long enough to not be surprised anymore’’
Yumiko spoke while rubbing her forehead but then, our eyes crossed again and she broke into a large smile, a glower in her eyes briefly tightened my stomach as I realized that I may have just awakened the interest of an immortal crow.
‘’This thing… hey, you wolves smelling something?’’
Belphegor broke our handhold to walk ahead, taking big, audible breath through her nose; her question made my mother and… (Perhaps I should refer to the Sun God as grandma?) Look at one another in brief confusion.
Now, I realized that the sweet smell was gone.
‘’There was one before when… I was ambushed by Grues’’
‘’Grues? You mean these monstrous piece of fog?’’
‘’Yes’’
‘’….ffffucking’’
Then the girl rubbed her forehead with her claw, almost digging into the skin whilst the Matriarch walked toward the oversized wolf, taking out her fan to conceal her mouth as the two began a brief staring contest; making her wings jolts incessantly.
‘’Ya seem rather knowledgeable on that thing we got here, missy goatling.’’
‘’Yeah, cause I’ve seen this thing before. I strongly advice y’all to move that sleeping Saint somewhere safe’’
I expected as much.
‘’That’s rather drastic, doing something like that WILL bring the heads of the Water Cult in here and knowing them, they’ll meddle with everything and probably try their best to keep us out, too, with only the queen authority able to convince them otherwise, unless of course, you don’t mind starting a potential religious war right in the middle of our defenses against the crusaders.’’
Quick to business I see, I felt momentarily overwhelmed as the previous friendly atmosphere shifted into a serious one… but I felt compelled to speak out, perhaps I should try my best at being an arbiter.
>’’Perhaps we ought to hear out Belphegor before making any decision?’’ [I don’t think my…grandmother… will be staying for much longer, maybe there’s something hidden in there waiting for her disappearance]
>’’I think we should make a priority to keep her Holiness safe above everything else’’ [It goes without saying that Ryu is the very soul of Zipangu…Although, meddling priests doesn’t seem like a good idea.]
>Free.
6533ed No.4500
>>4499How much longer before the god goes bye bye?
762323 No.4501
>>4500About 20ish minutes. meaning she'll just about dissapear in the post after the next one
762323 No.4502
Actually it might be best to stop here tonight since I fully intend to continue tomorrow and Sunday, shortish update but I do want to continue the week-end marathon.
31831a No.4503
>>4499I want to say go with goatly but I don't know if we know if there's even anywhere safer to move Ryu to.
f03045 No.4504
>>4499>Free"Should we not examine the hidden room while we still have the assistance of our great Wolf of the Sun? Her time here is limited, and it feels as if there is something only just waiting for her to disappear before making its move."
We have 20 minutes left. Go into the secret room with the Wolf on point and fuck up whoever is in there.
762323 No.4505
>>4503Someplace safer for the dragon pretty much imply anywhere that isn't next to this big spooky archway, so you'll have to make a safe place. Which will obviously make the cults of the water dragon upset.
>>4504A good course of action, I'll be taking this tomorrow unless there's a more popular vote.
31831a No.4506
>>4504That works.
>>4505We could always stuff her into Tsu's alchemy lab. That seems like it'd be one of the safest places in the castle, knowing her.
6533ed No.4507
>>4501Then we hear Belphegor out. If she's seen this kinda thing before we need to know what exactly is going on so we can formulate a good counter strategy.
Is it possible to walk and talk at the same time. I would like to attempt to spark any coming engagements while the god is still up. Force the enemy's hand, keep them off balance, that sort of thing.
Only question is who do we leave to guard the Ryu? I really don't wanna leave her without some form of insurance. The enemy was a succubus if I remember, and those are sneaky sons of bitches.
Deruella looks different enough from a normal succubus for wan wan to have noticed something weird if she saw her at least right?.
762323 No.4508
>>4507>Deruella looks different enough from a normal succubus for wan wan to have noticed something weird if she saw her at least right?.If Deruella was here, Wan Wan wouldn't be standing right nowSo you want to drag Belphegor with you into the dark archway?
6533ed No.4509
>>4508Pretty much. I'll await the next post to make a true decision in regards to the composition of the away team, but let it be known that I favor going in there sooner rather than later. That 20 gave us a kind of tactical advantage I fully intend on capitalizing on here. Bel is the obvious choice, but you made the Matriarch to be almost Hadraniel/Embodiment-Tier powerful. It'll depend on certain things for me in the end.
I'm a consummate analytical thinker, as my now compromised anonymity has probably made clear. Nothing is true or false for me unless it has been verified utterly. Though I'll probably miss the next few posts tomorrow though. Real Life calls, I got things scheduled around the time I expect your return sadly.
f03045 No.4510
>>4508Does the Wolf of the Sun have enhanced magical senses as well as her other magical abilities?
Since she is only concentrating on the door, is it safe to believe that there are no other entities in the chamber besides who we already see?
762323 No.4511
>>4510>Does the Wolf of the Sun have enhanced magical senses as well as her other magical abilities?Yes, she can sniff out magic very, very well since her speciality was to root out and annihilate all kinds of demons, be they sneaky or overtly monstrous.
>Since she is only concentrating on the door, is it safe to believe that there are no other entities in the chamber besides who we already see?Yes, you have the Tsukumogami as well who is a full-fledged spirit, it would have given a warning if some belligerent, invisible spirit entity like the Grues was lurking about.
6533ed No.4512
>>4510Then we go all in, as I doubt you're the kind of GM that would use certain statements of "fact" to fuck us over somehow.
I mean, you'd love to, but I've yet to see a true asspull out of you to get your jollies out of our suffering unjustifiably. I respect that. All good GM's give you "just enough rope to hang yourself with" after all. Even the knife is *just* wrong enough for those particularly vulnerable to it to see and feel it for what it is, the key to their untimely gruesome demise.
Sun Wolf wouldn't be an exception as we saw how Sieglinde and the gang reacted to Siggy unsheathing it. Siggy wasn't quite separated enough from mortality to instinctively get the threat, but boy were they!
f03045 No.4513
>>4511The only thing, then, is to have Belphegor take the rear and the Wolf be on point when we enter the hidden chamber.
Belphegor can prevent anyone from escaping, and the Wolf is the best tank we have.
762323 No.4514
Update soon, probably 30 to 40 minutes.
762323 No.4515
‘’Before trying to make any final decision I think it would be wiser to press with the advantage we have currently; while I can’t pretend to understand everything about this flaming wolf or…’’
I fumbled with me words as every eyes turned toward me, even the canine head tilted slightly and I swear I saw a brief emotions pass in her eyes that aroused a pinching guilt in my eyes, still, for all the authority surrounding the Matriarch, she didn’t seem against actually listening to me, a mere maid.
‘’…what exactly happened, I think going forward and investigating the archway with the blessing of my grandmother is the best course of actions, at least to help us put some realities in all our hypothesis.’’
‘’And you volunteer to go?’’
Yumiko asked, having fully turned to face me while hiding half of her face with the large orange plumes of her fan, her face had taken a strangely closed expression; I felt the briefest hint of dread tickle my heart and for a moment, wished that Ame was awake – her will-o-wisps had already disappeared.
‘’Yes, she is my ancestors and they cannot…act without a proper anchor, I’m the one who summoned her so I ought to be at her side for the few minutes it’ll take to press onward and see for myself what’s beyond this dark path’’
‘’I’m supposed to stand there and let ya go on yer lonesome right after ya almost got eaten alive? Come on girl…’’
I think the Tengu had something else to say but her face showed no other expression when my mother interrupted, placing a hand on the long hilt of her katana; however, before I could say anything else, Belphegor tapped the ground with her scythe as she walked forward, coming a little ahead of me, making it obvious she, too, had something to say.
‘’I know you mean good, Maegan but you aren’t going anywhere. Its way too dangerous.’’
‘’Perhaps you could tell us why?’’
The Matriarch asked the little goat, which made an obvious angry grimace spread on the face of my mother.
‘’Oi you want to send my child in this obvious deathtrap?’’
‘’Peace, Evangeline, peace. I intend to go with her, so you don’t need to worry.’’
‘’Lookie here peeps’’
I heard a brief growl from the goddess of the sun when Belphegor tapped the ground once more, this time with obvious anger.
‘’This door isn’t leading to some kind of enclosed room or some other convenient bullshit; I’ve seen something like it a long, long while ago, before Daiyu was even on the demonic throne – a big exit carved into a room as if it were part of the architecture all along. We talked about the Sabbath earlier, right?’’
She faced the crow, whose eyes glinted in some unseen expression thank to her fan.
762323 No.4516
‘’Some mighty fine timing ya got, crow, cause that’s just about what we’re dealing with now. Y’see the reason why Sabbath managed to elude the Demon Lord during the apex of her power is because they operate from their own enclosed little dimension, reaching out into ours and carving passageways like those in places of interest – now don’t go asking me how cause I haven’t got a damn clue – but all they needed to accomplish that is a survey of the land which I reckon ought to have been easy to do during the thirty years of peace after the war with the demons.’’
‘’We have a god among us and you are wasting her time, you haven’t answered questions about dangers, Belphegor’’
Yumiko gently twirled her wrist to move the colored plumes of her fan, her words somehow coming through the obstacles unhindered. The tiny goat let out a long sigh, her youthful features appeared much more mature now – tired would be a good descriptor.
‘’I’ll make it short. Yer very likely to land into a labyrinth of some kind with some entities defending it that would be –very much- at home in the Cursed Swamp. Now couple that with the Sabbath most fearsome weapon; a gas that completely and utterly warp your mind to seek just about one thing; don’t need to paint a picture, right? Every breath you take means degenerating into a slut – and that’s me being polite – see that fog? It’s trying to spread in here, I reckon it’s been doing that for years’’
The Cursed Swamp – My queen recently went there and hasn’t been quite the same since – all the tales and stories I’ve heard describe this land as some kind of horrific open wound on reality itself with predator beyond comprehension dwelling inside. A place beyond dangerous, it outright reject living people, perhaps even animals, too.
‘’What’s impeding its progress?’’
My mother asked, having turned her attention into that dark doorway, the fog mentioned by the goat was like a drape of dark linen flapping through some kind of unseen breeze.
‘’No clue, perhaps this place is much harder to infiltrate than they thought, or this dragon has a few tricks up her sleeve even now - that’s why they sent those Grues, perhaps they wanted to get rid of the Ryu’’
The timing feels a little too perfect; the carnivorous ghosts were waiting in ambush, they could have easily killed her Holiness during the time I was sneaking back in here.
‘’Anyhow, ya aint going nowhere maid, you got almost killed tonight’’
‘’Hmm… if the air is toxic, I’m inclined to agree’’
Meanwhile, my mother simply bite her lisps bitterly, she knew very well about my ‘’talent’’ that went beyond mere resistance to manipulation of the mind or, in this case, degeneration.
>’’I think I’ve had enough excitement tonight’’ [I could always summon the Sun God tomorrow]
>’’My mother can vouch for me; this dark, poisonous fog isn’t going to affect me, I want to go in there and scout out the area for twenty minutes. Just give me that, twenty minutes – my grandma is more than strong enough to keep me safe’’ [Her presence is a boon I simply can’t waste; I took the risk to save the Tsukumogami and he’s now by my side, I have to continue…]
>Free.
31831a No.4517
>>4516>>’’My mother can vouch for me; this dark, poisonous fog isn’t going to affect me, I want to go in there and scout out the area for twenty minutes. Just give me that, twenty minutes – my grandma is more than strong enough to keep me safe’’ [Her presence is a boon I simply can’t waste; I took the risk to save the Tsukumogami and he’s now by my side, I have to continue…] 762323 No.4518
I'll wait a little more to see if there's a little more inputs before proceeding
f03045 No.4519
>>4516>Free.If the doorway actually leads into a pocket dimension, then scouting it out is less of a concern than actually closing it.
"Belphegor, how can we close this doorway? Can this place be warded against future intrusions?"
762323 No.4520
>>4519I was already a fair bit into my update but I guess I'll wait for a majority vote before proceeding/restarting, since this course of action is pretty important.
762323 No.4521
| Rolled 1 |
Making a roll for the final say
f03045 No.4522
>>4520If we go through the doorway, can the door be closed behind us?
How do we get back if that happens?
762323 No.4523
>>4522This is the inherent danger with taking the first step, I can't answer that for obvious reason - nobody knows.
762323 No.4524
‘’I’m not afraid of the dangers inside, Belphegor because not only have I a god to watch over me, I have no need to fear this gas; I know it sound unbelievable but you can also ask my mother – my mind cannot be manipulated in anyway, be it with corruptions, hypnotism, drugs or alcohol… I won’t be poisoned by this fog’’
It was easy to tell that my mother was none too happy about my words, she let out a gruff growl and turned her attention back toward the archway while the goatling simply glared… Maybe I’m trying too hard to be useful?
‘’Not quite so unbelievable’’
Yumiko spoke with confidence, twirling her fan once more, this time taking the object away from her face as she smiled with an expression of confident mischief that ought to become her natural state by now.
‘’My daughters are the same –immune to the manipulation of the mind- if it was anyway feasible to have them go alongside Maegan and our God, I would insist on their presence but now… I think we’ve wasted more than enough time – a reconnaissance of twenty minute is adequate enough, it’ll allow us to know if we can shut down the archway or if we need to erect a sanctuary around Ryu’’
‘’All fine and dandy but what if the damnable thing simply swallow them up and close down?’’
‘’In that case…’’
As my mother and the Matriarch spoke I felt a cold sense of dread travel the length of my spine; something that didn’t escape Belphegor as the goat shook her head, whispering a light «please?».
‘’…I hope our Wolf of the Sun has a few tricks inside that white coat’’
One of the big flaming paw of the animalistic god struck the ground fiercely, making the water splash and boil as she suddenly began to walk toward the cavernous archway – something I was immediately compelled to follow upon with nothing more than bravado as fuel.
‘’Damn it all’’
My mother had always been protective of me compared to my sister; perhaps it’s because we’ve led vastly different lives; I still felt slightly shaken by the revelation of the crow – but I didn’t have time to linger – for the Wolf was beckoning me onward. She seemed rather… eager to go in there, at least one of us has spirit to spare.
‘’You be careful aight? If you aint back in twenty minutes, I sweat on the dragon before us that I’m going in there – I’m already counting the seconds in my heads’’
‘’Oi, Maegan, don’t try to disturb anything in there but you might be able to find something of note so, if ya do… put it in there’’
Belphegor gently trotted toward me to hand me a cube of steel engraved in various runes with a strange cylinder housing a bright, greenish-silver liquid put in a dug-in compartment on its side; it was small enough to carry in my pocket, but it did look rather… pricy.
‘’Should isolate it for the next 24 hours, just don’t go out of yer way, but ya might get lucky’’
As I stood facing the archway, the fog seemed to thicken, my eyes seemed to pick up some geometry in its dust-like composition, a square there, a circle here… the white wolf walked forward ever so slightly, standing straight, proud and defiant and, before I could make up the nerve myself, she began to step inside headfirst, her body slowly swallowed by the archway and I, too, followed suit.
>Roll 1d20
f03045 No.4526
| Rolled 20 |
>>4524 f03045 No.4527
>>4525>>4526Well. This is quite a predicament.
31831a No.4528
| Rolled 10 |
>>4527the 1 was a bad roll, did 1d10 not 1d20
762323 No.4529
>>4526
>1d10 and crit failling
>>4525>Legit 20There's something afoot. Nobody is that lucky.
f03045 No.4530
>>4528The timestamps and post order are wonky is what I'm referring to. It's happened before, and it's quite frankly odd.
762323 No.4531
>>4529And then I mixed up the post.
Well, seem like we've got a 20 on our hands. Again.
Doesn't seem like there's alot of people here tonight, I'm thinking of ending it early.
So I can figure out how to deal with that damn crit. How is Maegan this lucky? 31831a No.4532
>>4531So she summons grandma's grandma, right?
762323 No.4533
>>4532Well no, there's only one grandma and she's pretty much the origin of the bloodline, that roll was for… something else.
I've got to think this through. Which is why I think I'll take an early leave so I can figure it out.
6533ed No.4534
>>4526Thanks anon, have these cookies.
>>4531Don't worry INH, everyone is lucky until they're not. You'll get your nat one eventually
but not just now.
762323 No.4535
>>4534Maegan luck is EX. There's no doubt now.
6533ed No.4536
>>4535A pity, or perhaps divine irony, that we need such to even hope for a truly good end seems on its face unfair, but it has happened IRL countless times.
Still going for that man, though I know the struggle is essentially futile, sometimes ya just have to take a chance. Real people never know when to quit.
762323 No.4537
Update should be coming in about 30 to 40 minutes
762323 No.4538
…and emerged in darkness with the only light coming from the flames of the stalwart wolf, projection of red, orange and green intermingled in a soft light that chased away my gnawing worries and fears; all sounds on the other side of the archway had disappear, immediately reinforcing a sentiment of strong loneliness. The ‘’gas’’ as Belphegor put it was real – the phenomenon of smoke that was concealing Ryu tomb seemed to linger constantly in this new area, as if some kind of uncontrolled fire was raging – each time I took a breath, I could see the blackness being vacuumed in my mouth or nostrils, thusly forcing me to be acutely aware of my respiration.
‘’Not exactly subtle… is it poisonous?’’
It was a good thing that I wasn’t alone; the Chosin-Obake vibrated gently on my side in response to my query whilst the brilliant white wolf of fire was dutifully waiting for me, having walked a little ahead in this room, when I crossed eyes with hers she gently shook her head and I nearly wagged my tail in response, at least that was some good news! I may have some immunity to having my mind toyed with, poison is another story.
‘’Thank for looking out for me, now let’s get to it, alright?’’
Bravado is a fickle thing, I was quite full of it before coming inside and now that I was here… well.. My hand found the coat of my wofly grandmother as I ignored the fumes; only the light of her magical flames allowed us to proceed without stumbling blind, the scenery was a sober one indeed.
‘’Are these… catacombs?’’
This room appeared identical to Ryu inner chamber in term of geometry; a simple rectangle stretching for about twelve to fourteen meters into an obvious opening (a doorway of stone bereft of anything), except this time there wasn’t any elevations on the floor or an obvious bed of stones, some indentation on the sides large enough for adults bodies reinforced my first impression but the colors of this place simply clashed with the austerity of the environment; as far as I could see, everything was white and sterile. Stone of snowy colors (marbles perhaps?) was used exclusively for the walls, floor and roof with even superposed indentation on the walls that looked suspiciously like open air coffins, yet for all the impression of being underground the roof was rather high up (perhaps about five to six meters) and there wasn’t a hint of corpses or old bones, everything was, quite simply, white and empty, with only an open archway inching on the left leading into an opposite corridor that was, of course, made of the same stones and full of the same gas; a peek in the hallway revealed two possible paths (namely, right and left). The walls looked thick, the stones appeared slick, newly cut and of course the roof was high, nearly concealed by the fog.
‘’It’s rather…’’
My protector quickly interrupted as I stepped back into our previous room; her ears perked atop her head as she raised her body, facing the left side of the corridor with obvious wariness that transpired directly into my own mood, I immediately began to feel nervous as I clutched her bright fur, keeping my own ears peeled for whatever suspicious sound that could be coming from that place…
It was a soft echo, perhaps coming from another room not too far from our own, uneven thumps as if something or someone was walking one second only to run for the next moment; to continued like this for a few seconds until a loud cavernous boom reverberated itself across the entire hallway, nearly making me choke with saliva as I, at least, conserved some form of pride to avoid trembling with the fear that suddenly twisted my guts – there wasn’t any clearer warning that I wasn’t alone in this place.
>Investigate?
>Retreat?
>What should be done?
31831a No.4539
6533ed No.4540
>>4538How much longer will we have the wolf? We're a sitting duck the instant it goes away.
762323 No.4541
>>4540You have about thirty more minutes (but agreed to come back after twenty), I'll begin a countdown after my next answer, saying X minutes have passed.
6533ed No.4542
>>4541Then we investigate. It's a god, it can handle a few enemies.
f03045 No.4543
>>4538Don't investigate, go right.
762323 No.4544
The tight fit of the corridor meant that I would need to walk behind my grandmother and the fog hindered vision to a scarce few meters, giving the impression that both paths led into eerie darkness; I could hear constant stomps from the left side now, rendered almost nil by distance and echoes – for a moment I thought I heard some kind of wet splotches- but if it was my mind playing with my fear or simple reality, I couldn’t quite say; it was only when I felt the cold nose of the magic wolf gently nudging my arm that I finally worked the nerve to proceed.
‘’Let’s go and see, I didn’t come here to get cold feet now.’’
I gently squeezed the pendant linking me with Ame-no-Uzume, its eternal warmth alongside the presence of the Wolfen God finally enough to make my trembling stops; my resolve must have been enough for her at least, as the canine nodded dutifully and set out first into the corridor and I followed sweet, keeping a hand on my needle housing the Chosin-Obake whose constant steel-like hum was enough to chase a few more of my worries.
It was a long, straight path with our own footstep inevitably causing some small echo that that didn’t seem to be heard by this rather loud individual. The corridor itself was made of the same white marbles, numerous open archway led into small square rooms with vastly uneven architecture; each of them bigger or smaller than the last, with the same holes dug onto the wall in bed-like manners that I’ve seen in the room of my arrival – it was beyond eerie resemblance to some open air coffin, the more I proceeded in this place, the more I was convinced that it was some kind of catacombs, albeit completely absent of corpses or bones.
It didn’t take long for the corridor to veer from its single minded path; a sharp downward cut led into what looked like a cul-de-sac but closer inspection revealed a heavy looking door of stone nearly completely closed; I could hear some shuffling inside, a bigger stomp echoed all the way through this heavy duty thing and I nearly forgot to breath as the wolf sat down silently, dutifully observing forward without any kind of alarms.
There was… some definite activity outside and I’ll need to push this thing open, which will be a struggle, but still doable; the problem is, of course, if I’m willing to take the risk, Belphegor did say that bad, bad things tend to linger in here as some kind of ‘’defense’’… she wasn’t wrong about the gas.
>5 minutes have passed
>What should be done?
762323 No.4545
I'll tweak the map during non-update tiem to make it look better, I'm trying to see if its a good idea to help you guys get situated.
f03045 No.4546
>>4544Does Maegan know how to use the storage cube that Belphegor gave her?
Given that Belphegor warned us to not disturb things here, I'm more inclined to explore the right hallway.
Will it take us 5 minutes to walk back to the intersection?
762323 No.4547
>>4546Just about five minutes, yeah. As for the cube, of course she wouldn't have given it without informing Maegan of its working. You can also linger here and try to pick up the sound, or explore the other side as you've said.
762323 No.4548
Should I wait or go with what's been suggested?
f03045 No.4549
>>4548Wait. Give the people who wanted to investigate a chance to vote to open the door.
762323 No.4550
>>4549Very well. I'll see about doing another smaller update tomorrow as well, we've got some progress to do.
31831a No.4551
>>4544Open the door. I'm not a afraid of no ghosts.
6533ed No.4552
>>4550Hmmm… is there any way to open it just a tiny crack? Just curious.
762323 No.4553
>>4552It's already a little bit open, peaking is a possibility.
6533ed No.4554
>>4553Ooooo, then a quick little peak wouldn't really disturb anything. Best of both worlds!
762323 No.4555
‘’I think I could get a peek…’’
The entryway was as tight as the corridor so shuffling position with the wolf silently was rather laborious but not impossible, the constant echoes emerging form that room seemed to have lessened in intensity – thankfully nothing like the massive boom happened- but my heart beat a drum in my chest all the same as I wormed my fingers toward the white stony door as I stood on my knee, the big wolf face inching close to my shoulder as her fire dimmed slightly – the opening was thankfully big enough to peek inside.
And what I saw…
The room didn’t change in term of colors and material but instead of the usual squares and rectangles shaped tombs, it appeared to be a large oval shaped expanse with a spiraling flight of stairs stretching downward; there was also a startling lack of fog but that alone wouldn’t be enough to see things so clearly – an alchemical lamp was sitting on the floor, a little past the stairs, extruding a potent bluish light that cast away most of the darkness.
A woman was inside, scooping close to the floor (which was in various bits and pieces, as if thunders and cannons and fired all over the place, breaking the marbles and the various empty ‘’coffin’’ on the walls) facing a corpse of… something. A beast? No, a humanoid was lying motionless beside he, with long limbs stretching a slimy dark skin thin, a caved in torso and its right leg had been torn off in some obvious struggle; long, dark, slimy and twisted in some kind of mockery of a human being, the woman who had emerged victorious form this struggle was also holding its head which appeared somewhat feminine, with long oily hair falling toward the floor and an eternally open mouth, her jaw big enough to take the places of her cheeks with broken teeth jutting out what must have been a fiendish predator jaw.
The victor was a… strange looking woman; sporting short hair of alabaster and what looked like a maid uniform of darkened blue and milky white whose damages revealed the entirety of her arms, as if the sleeves themselves had been torn off completely. Her skin was of a strangely shiny ivory, when I scooped to observe her limbs a little closer, I noticed several joints on the wrists, elbows and shoulders – obvious artificial limbs.
But what truly twisted my stomach was when this woman of alabaster turned her head to observe the door; I don’t know if I made any sounds (perhaps my breathing itself gave me away?) but her eyes locked with mine and they were red, the brightest carmine I’ve ever seen, bloodiest than blood and more dreadful than the Red Moon, glowering by themselves like a pair of torches, leaving small trails of light each time she moved.
…yet that’s all she did, observe m in silence without a hint of expression; if my grandmother wasn’t here, I think I might have panicked.
>What do you do?
f03045 No.4556
>>4555Remind me again; red eyes are for those that are completely Corrupted, and gold eyes are for this that are in complete control of their Corruption?
762323 No.4557
>>4556Not quite completely, red eyes also despict particualrly strong corrupted creatures (usually in the between moment of being fully corrupted and resisting), Golems, and those completely lost whereas gold usually depict monsters that were born with corruptions and thus, have an easier time to resist.
f03045 No.4558
>>4557So, the red eyes could indicate that this is a golem.
The artificial arms don't really mean anything since prosthetic alchemical arms are a well-known thing in this setting.
Can Maegan smell anything through the opening, such as the scent of blood or anything?
762323 No.4559
>>4558>Can Maegan smell anything through the opening, such as the scent of blood or anything?No, nothing and that's an odd thing because, with the dead creature, there -should- be something. Not even the goddess nose can pick up any scent.
762323 No.4560
I'll see about continuing tomorrow. I don't want to stop the update quite yet.
31831a No.4561
>>4555Maids are lovely respectful creatures. We should politely call out to her and ask if we can come in.
762323 No.4562
>>4561I'll try to start in about an hour (maybe a little more) If there isn't anymore votes, I'll be going with this.
31831a No.4563
>>4562It's time for the most intense of negotiations - a meido attempting to enter another meido's territory.
55d90d No.4564
>>4555She's seen us. Too late to back out now. Greet the maid and say we mean her no harm.
6533ed No.4565
>>4561>>4564Might as well, wan wan's a lover not a fighter. Keep an eye out for anything coming for us or trying to get the drop on us. This place is creeping me out, I'm scared man.
31831a No.4566
>>4562Wild meido encounters take time to write.
762323 No.4567
Glowering red eyes with light of their own; a sign of corruption if I remember my old books but such an intense color is usually only found in Succubus and I see no horns or wings with this woman of white that hasn’t moved a muscle since her half-turn to glare at me with those carmines circles, sending a most potent cold sweat down my spine – maybe I’m not too good at this whole sneaking thing- or this one is much more alert than the militias.
‘’Let’s get inside and see if she’s friendly. Let’s hope the enemy of my enemy is our friend.’’
I spoke, minding my tone to a whisper near the ear of the wolf that nodded dutifully, and shifted toward a readied stance as I stood up, the white marbles felt smooth and cold to the touch as I pressed my palm upon them and, with a deep breath as final preparation, I began to push.
It immediately protested to my effort with crackles and stony rubbing that reverberated into the large circled room, the opposite maid stood up slowly, letting the head in her palms fall onto the ground with a light, wet thud; I had to put my entire strength into pushing the damn door open enough to let myself and the wolf through, the brilliant goddess at my side was the first one to step inside as I felt my arms numbing very slightly from the effort; the fire on her back glowering in that shower of magnificent colors, revealing our side of the room that was, overall, left relatively intact from the struggle; some gothic decorations adorned the place here and there, (mostly angelic statues and a few gargoyles) but again these open ‘’coffins’’ occupied the majority of the walls, superposed up to two story high, large enough to adequately support an adult human.
Probably places for five to six hundred people in this place alone…
Meanwhile, this woman of alabaster stood up at our approach, her face barely changing expression as her hands balled into obvious fists, the entirety of those obviously artificial arms seemed to glower slightly. Close inspection of her palms revealed a very light amount of smokes slowly wafting from the skin and, now that I was actually in some proximity to her, a distinctive smell of burnt meat came from behind her, where the corpse of whatever abomination was lying dead in the darkness.
The white wolf was ready to lunge, her flame glowering, brightening and growing in a small hurricane of activity without exiting her body whilst this unnamed person simply observed us in total silence, obviously wary – I put my hand atop the head of my nervous grandmother and took a step forward, sensing my tai land ears twitches in nervousness.
‘’We are friendly, in fact it hasn’t even been an hour since our arrival’’
Her eyes now shifted toward me and nailed my own with a strong, heavy stare that churned my guts; tens of seconds passed in silence during which her eyes never blinked, yet still I felt drawn, if anything there was some kind of stalwart gallantry to this white haired, red eyed fellow standing alone and, apparently, hunting nightmarish entities…
‘’I advise you to turn back the way you came, this place is far too dangerous for idle curiosity’’
Her voice was even and strong and she finally turned to peer downward, her foot gently kicked the discarded head of that monstrous creature into the darkness.
‘’We don’t intend to stay for long’’
‘’Good.’’
Curt, yet not unfriendly or hostile; the woman was obviously on her guard, this environment warranted nothing else after all and her increasing silence meant that she wouldn’t’ be one to pursue this conversation quite yet, instead her eyes concentrated behind my, peering over my shoulder into the corridor of black smoke behind me, ignoring my and the Sun God presence (at least grandma seemed to have relaxed considerably).
>Should I say anything?
31831a No.4568
>>4567"Can you tell us what you're doing here, in the crypts beneath our temple? Maybe we could move together or leave for our castle above and share what we know?"
55d90d No.4569
>>4567"Who are you? What is your purpose here? What can you tell me about this section of the labyrinth? My time here is limited, and I am charged with learning as much as I can before leaving."
31831a No.4570
>>4569Convincing her to come with us might be the best thing, then. That way we can chat her up without this time limit.
55d90d No.4571
>>4570That will require the appropriate dialog.
"Since our time is limited, if you have no other engagements, would you accompany us as we explore the immediate area?"
INH, is there a door at the other end of this chamber behind the maid?
We should decide whether to conti UE down this branch or go down the right hallway.
762323 No.4572
>>4571There's no other door that yo ucan see beside the one Maegan pushed, there's a spiraling set of stairs descending into total abyss; can'T really see anything because of the fog.
31831a No.4573
>>4572>>4571Well the meidoGolemn seems to have no problem at all taking care of herself down here and doesn't appear to be in any hurry herself. I vote for inviting her to return to the castle with us so we can talk and she will be free to return to what she is doing down here - and when she does return we could tag along to investigate properly.
762323 No.4574
‘’I would like a proper discussion but our time here is limited, so I intend to be brief’’
My slightly echoing voice made her refocus toward me and she gave me a brief nod, standing completely still; it was only now that I began to notice something – the woman of alabaster wasn’t breathing.
‘’Would you accompany us to explore the immediate area? I’ve got about… ten minutes before I need to head back and report my findings; perhaps you could help me share whatever information you have? I’m afraid I know nothing of interest aside from this fog and the fact I came through a gate full of this dark air; would I be right to assume you came through similar means?’’
‘’Yes, there’s one of these gates downstairs, three floors downs. I’ve been here for about… two to three hours, although time is becoming increasingly harder to judge without sun or moon’’
Then her eyes shifted toward the wolf who reacted by letting out a grunting bark and for the first time I saw a brief glimpse of emotions; her mouth curled upward in a hint of smile. Maybe she like dogs?
‘’Could you tell me your name? I’m Maegan, Maegan Fayruz’’
I might be strapped for time but that doesn’t mean I can just skip some vital formalities if I want her to trust me!
‘’…Hildegarde’’
Her voice took a more… dry tone as her glowering eyes concentrated on the door I’ve opened once more, making the wolf beside me peer back as well; for a moment I thought something was lurking but the lack of reaction from the Tsukumogami and my dear grandmother was enough to convince me otherwise… for now.
‘’I’d like to invite you to the castle I reside in so we can pool our information, the way out isn’t far, we’ll simply need to go back into the corridor for about five minutes’’
‘’I’m not here as an emissary, I’m here to hunt’’
‘’…hunt?’’
Her hand pointed toward the motionless corpse of the entity she… slaughtered (for lack of a better term, that battle was one sided given her lack of wounds aside from ruined clothing).
‘’My mark might be a shapeshifter, so I intend to kill anything I find here… well, intended to; you don’t have the scent of abominations, nor do you seem poisoned by the air, so I've no intention of harming you.’’
Interesting, she certainly does give the impression that she knows what she’s doing but… I feel like I should try harder to bring her with me – having such a warrior apparently immune to the gas as an ally sound invaluable.
>10 minutes have passed – you have only 10 more left before deadline
>«I should reveal to her who I am, where I come from – come clean and be honest, that’s what I do best; I’m sure we can help her as she help us».
>«Perhaps it would be best to leave her alone – she has her purpose and I’ve got mine. Someone ‘’hunting’’ in this enclosed, poisonous dimension is most likely a danger, too…»
>Free
31831a No.4575
>>4574>>«I should reveal to her who I am, where I come from – come clean and be honest, that’s what I do best; I’m sure we can help her as she help us».plus "If it helps, we wouldn't impede you from returning here to resume your hunt and can even get you a fresh uniform - hunting is no excuse for shabby clothing, after all!"
Maybe some levity will endear ourselves to her.
e62382 No.4576
>>4574«I should reveal to her who I am, where I come from – come clean and be honest, that’s what I do best; I’m sure we can help her as she help us».
762323 No.4577
‘’I think we can help each other out, back where I come from there’s someone who seem rather knowledgeable about this place, I’m sure you’d like to understand these catacombs a little better, right? There’s no way to know where your ‘’mark’’ has fled to’’
If she mentioned having come from three floors down, I can only imagine the true length of this place; for the supposed realm of ‘’supreme pleasure’’ it’s certainly devoid of anything at all, as if the entire place was abandoned, left for jackals and ghouls to inhabits.
‘’I’m from Zipangu the is-‘’
‘’Land of free monsters? I see, that explains the ears and tail. So, your place isn’t a myth’’
Hildegarde crossed her arms together, peering at me with a mixture of curiosity and slight amusement; is my tail waggling again…?
Dammit! It is! Stop that, Maegan!
‘’N-no. Were… well, were having some very big problems right now, with this fog gate numbering amongst them. The blood you see on my uniform was caused by Grues, they came through here and ambushed me, nearly ending my life right then and there.’’
‘’…something actually came out?’’
I could see a brief hint of confusion –and worry- flash on her face before she quickly regained her composure; honesty was always my best policy and I think it’s working here… at least somewhat.
‘’Yes. You just need to look at my own uniform for the truth, I was magically healed that’s why I’m standing before you now.’’
‘’…I see’’
She wasn’t one for much words, Hildegarde untangled her arms allowing me to witness the joint and peerless white ceramic-like flesh of her arms; I couldn’t see any traces of runes that would usually be found on regular prosthetic, also the previous steam-like smoke that exited her palms was now gone; this ‘’artificial’’ skin didn’t seem to extend toward the flesh of her face, at least – the rest of her body was concealed by her clothe.
‘’And I’m going to make you a promise – nobody will impede you from returning here to resume your hunt, I just believe we can both help each other out. I want this place sealed and gone from its connection to my homeland, we might have to do… something very drastic to ensure that, which just might give you the opportunity you need to find your mark. Also, as a maid myself, I’d like to give you a new uniform- hunting is no excuse for shabby clothing!’’
Probably a pet peeve but dammit, seeing a maid in ruined clothing was really frustrating!
‘’Hehe. You’re a refreshing sort, just like her’’
‘’Her?’’
‘’The one I’ve swore to protect’’
Her voice turned warm at the change of subject, not only that but her face also broke in a semi love-struck smile (at least that’s the best way I can describe it, I even felt my heart skip a beat!), our somber scenery however, quickly chased this emotion out of her as Hildegarde refocused toward me.
‘’As long as you don’t mind the fact that I intend to slaughter everything we come across – then I’d be happy to take your hospitality, just know that I intend to go back here in earnest; I don’t need much rest’’
Then I felt the fiery wolf gently nudge my side, reminding me that I was short on time.
>Am I fine with this condition?
>5 minutes have passed, you only have 5 more before the deadline!
31831a No.4578
>>4577That sounds fine, I don't see any reason to say no. She isn't hostile to our kind of monsters, anyways. I don't know how much more information we'd get from searching for only 5 minutes before we have to head back and she seems knowledgable, so should we just head back with her?
f03045 No.4579
>>4577Yes, quite fine with that condition.
We intended to run away from or kill anything and everything in this place anyway.
6533ed No.4580
>>4577Acceptable. I doubt the succubus and whatever posse she has is intent on showing themselves so long as we got a god on our side.
Still, I'm a bit paranoid right now. Red eyes, lovestruck smile, might not be a golem, I hope this is just me being utterly paranoid but, yeah, she takes point. And make sure those hands don't go anywhere near our necklace!
Other than that, let's get back to our posse after one last quick glance around to see if there's anything worth snagging. Then bolt for the exit.
31831a No.4581
>>4580We can distract her hands with our tail.
31831a No.4582
>>4577Also maybe we should send Hildegarde back with a friendly note from Zipangu or something like that. It couldn't hurt. Is it possible to wake up Ame to consult with her?
6533ed No.4583
>>4582Ah I see, some form of proof that Zipangu exists so as to undermine Church propaganda in some far off land. Might be fun to play this sort of long game. Part of our long term goal would be International Relations with other countries.
31831a No.4584
>>4583Well that too, I suppose. I was more just thinking a friendly note to set a diplomatic precedent with where-ever she's from.
762323 No.4585
>>4582>Is it possible to wake up Ame to consult with her?No, ame is so completely exhausted that not even her Kumiho nature is waking up, she's completely 100% out.
f03045 No.4586
>>4585>so completely exhausted that not even her Kumiho nature is waking upIs this what Siegfried has been looking for?
Just exhaust Ame in bed so much that not even her Kumiho nature can get up, and he'll be a safe husband?
31831a No.4587
>>4585Do we or anyone else in the castle have the authority to make an official note or something for Hildegard to take home?
762323 No.4588
>>4586Well… not really, remember that she's been wounded earlier today during an important battle, so that take a huge toll.
>>4587The Matriarch could, although she's not quite a direct vassal of the queen and lost quite a bit of prestige over the years after retreating from general politic.
31831a No.4589
>>4588Well Ame trusts the Matriarch… We could make this situation even more of a win/win maybe by approaching it as a chance for the tengu matriarch to do good by the queen and improve their own relations.
So maybe add that to our to-do list when we get back to the castle.
762323 No.4590
‘’Trust me, I’ve no reason to begrudge your wish’’
While I can safely say that I would be very hesitant to harming another human beings (even an animal, I know that all too well…) the nightmarish creatures that were now undoubtedly populating this place were another matter entirely; whatever part of the half-hidden corpse I could see aroused disdain and nothing else – pure, natural dislike.
‘’I’ve promised to be back in about… oh, five minutes now so I’d like to be quick about it, alright?’’
Hildegarde simply nodded – I’d love to ask her quite a lot of things of course, but time marched on mercilessly and I immediately turned around with a little spring in my step… but stopped as I peered back into the hallway and its blind spot of a corner; the fog was efficiently concealing the outline itself of the walls but sound was something else; I heard an echo, first of a pitter-patters of feet, then of breathing, loud and uneven coming through broken by the unnaturally white catacombs.
‘’We weren’t alone, I see.’’
Whom… no, whatever it was quickly grew silent as distance completely muffled whatever it was doing, perhaps simply running away; I was still rooted on the spot tough, could something have escaped the notice of my grandmother? When I peered toward her, the white wolf ears were pointed upward and her mouth grew into a wicked snarl as the flames of her coat grew, basking more light around us; her growls echoed in our circled room… in fact every sounds echoed slightly against the white marbles be it my tiny steps, the solid march of Hildegarde or…
More sounds came from behind, erupting up the stairs in a concert of unintelligible grunts, scratches and loud stomps that seemed to betray the presence of large, wet beasts.
‘’Oh what? Come on really!?’’
Dammit, I really felt myself panic now.
‘’I’ll make a little guess’’
Meanwhile, my fellow maid was completely relaxed ,going as far as walking in total nonchalance to pick up her lamp.
‘’Either our every words were listened to and someone didn’t like that we became chummy…or the fact that I’ve killed five of them already stirred a nest’’
‘’Think your mark is coming?’’
The way she was portraying herself, I fully expected Hildegarde to stay horde and face the coming horde but the maid simply shook her head softly and jogged up to me.
‘’No, it’s too cunning for something like that and it can’t go back, either because Kreszenz portal has been fully quarantined before I came here – I think it’s your presence that made them upset.’’
Kreszenz? Is that where she come from? I’ll have to remember that.
‘’I’ll take the rear, I’m sure that flaming wolf is a very adequate vanguard; unless you'd prefer I pick you up instead?’’
How can she be so relaxed!?
>’’I… I’m a good sprinter, let’s just go!’’ [I can run just fine!]
>’’W-well.. Just follow the wolf okay?’’ [A goddess flaming quadruped and an undoubtedly supremely trained warrior-maid? If I try to run between them, I’ll just slow them down! A maid has to put down her pride sometime.]
6533ed No.4591
>>4588Still, is there a way to exhaust her so in the future? It would be a nice thing, just once, to give her the experience of waking up in the arms of a kind, loving, and still very much alive husband who still has a liver?
762323 No.4592
>>4591Honestly? It'd be akin to playing Russian Roulette with three bullets.
Also, I'll be back in 20 minutes.
31831a No.4593
>>4591in a previous thread there was the idea of having tsu try and reverse-engineer one of those church masks to help ame with her instincts.
>>4590>>’’I… I’m a good sprinter, let’s just go!’’A good group only can moves as fast as its weakest link, which is us. Having them go ahead will just end up in us getting our tail chewed on.
f03045 No.4594
>>4590>’’W-well.. Just follow the wolf okay?’’ [A goddess flaming quadruped and an undoubtedly supremely trained warrior-maid? If I try to run between them, I’ll just slow them down! A maid has to put down her pride sometime.] 6533ed No.4595
>>4592Damn, being Ame is suffering.
>>4590>’’I… I’m a good sprinter, let’s just go!’’ [I can run just fine!] They may also try and isolate us so as to either draw them back in as they attempt to save us or we get abandoned and killed if we tell them to just go as fast as they can.
Sadly, we're weak and can't fight for shit. So we get mid as the god and maid protect us from these monsters.
Though if we do slow them down too much tell the maid we're fine with her picking us up.
And I know this may seem disrespectful but, is it possible to mount the wolf and ride our god out of here?
31831a No.4596
>>4595I'm okay with riding grandma out of here.
762323 No.4597
>>4595>>4596Damn. Creativity save the day. Of course it's possible to ride her, she's a big girl.
f03045 No.4598
>>4593>Having them go ahead will just end up in us getting our tail chewed on.Isn't the "follow the wolf" option to allow the maid to carry us, so we don't slow them down?
That's what I got from it, since Hildegarde offered to carry us, and this is in direct response to it.
31831a No.4599
>>4597Tell Hilde "Try not to enjoy this too much" and then take off on grandma.
762323 No.4600
>>4598Yes, that's exactly what it meant.
6533ed No.4601
>>4597Non-linear thinking saves our asses again!
f03045 No.4602
>>4600Then is there much actual difference between riding the Wolf and being carried by Hildegarde?
31831a No.4603
>>4602We get to cop a feel of Hildegarde instead of Hildegarde copping a feel of us?
762323 No.4604
>>4602How exposed and safe you are.
Seem like the consensus is to jump atop grandma, so I'm going with that.
762323 No.4605
‘’I um…’’
With such an intense situation I did the only thing that came to mind; with my grandmother beside me growling and ready to pounce, the flames on her back didn’t deter me one bit once I jumped and straddled her back; the colored fire seemed to wrap itself around me, going over my shoulders to cascade toward my grandmother head; it felt like a hot blanket (as opposed to burning alive) and my tail safely peeked out behind out, out of the fire which also concealed all of my lower body.
I heard the wolf grunt under me as she adjusted to my weight.
‘’I know it’s probably disrespectful but you’ll do what you can to protect me, right grandma?’’
She responded with another gruff sound – I have the distinctive impression that’d she’d burn anyone else that’d try the same thing. At least she didn’t have any trouble supporting my weight; Hildegarde also walked up to us as the sounds grew even more frenetic, she levered the lamp she held upward and pressed a button under it, which light up a stronger blue flame inside its metal center; the strange maid proceeded to throw it toward the stairs, the object making a nice curve to land right into it and then… exploding in bright blue flames, somehow staying alive against the naked stones.
‘’Should slow them down for a spell, now then lead on, wolves’’
Grandma wasn’t one to wait; she took off in a sprint so intense I had to grasp her fur with all of my strength and lower myself to avoid being thrown off when she rounded the incredibly tight corner. ‘’Mounting’’ was incredibly easier said than done, with the smokes I could barely catch a glimpse of anything, thus I could only fully entrust my safety to my grandmother and try my best to peek behind… and I saw that Hildegarde was shadowing us incredibly well, leaving a scarce meter of distance, running a feverish sprint without breathing too loudly, only her loud steps echoed alongside those of the grunting wolf – her red eyes shone constantly and that’s when I missed something.
When we passed the first room, flames erupted from my grandmother to violently lash into a silhouette inside the small chamber which in turn cried out in pain before the distinctive sound of flames engulfed its plaints – the same happened again as I was barely able to get my bearing on the situation, a line of red and green fire lashed out to slap a tall silhouette inside and the entity screamed, reduced to ash in seconds.
I decided that the best course of action was to simply concentrate ahead; the wolf flames struck into each chambers we passed, killing whatever was inside in one, single strike of pure heat rivalled only by the sun.
I don’t know how I would have reacted if I was actually running… m-my legs are giving out already!
762323 No.4606
Thankfully there was no more obstructions as we came to our destination, closing the entire distance of that long hallway in less than a minute but the wolf passed the opening slightly, stopping her feverish pace by digging her claws on the slows which left a brief trail of flames; Hildegarde managed to enter without problem as I caught another glimpse of her own sprint – the woman literally punched a hole in the stone wall, grabbed it for support and directed her body into a tight running turn to land directly inside the big rectangular room that was, thankfully bereft of sounds; more echoes were coming from both ends of the corridor now; but there was also something much more sinister echoing in the darkness facing us.
A woman voice seemed to be singing, her voice was becoming increasingly clearer by the second.
‘’Come on! It’s clear!’’
Hildegarde came out, screaming over the voice as I picked up two words –Yasra Yora- before dearest Grandmother loudly slapped her paw on the floor and the flames on her back grew so much that my vision was momentarily obfuscated in a mixture of bright color; her mouth had opened and a spiraling, multicolored flaming trail emerged, launching directly ahead like a springing cobra and collided with something only a scare few meters ahead, briefly illuminated it.
I… I don’t know how to describe it; a tall humanoid with the face of a goat, oversized horns, an organic chimney exuding dark fumes in the middle of its head, two gray orbs as eyes a pair of dark wings behind its torso – it’s body ending in some unintelligible mass of half-liquid, wriggling darkness; I couldn’t anything more as the flame of the goddess disappeared; I felt the urge to vomit as a smell of putrescence suddenly came from that end of the corridor.
‘’Come again without your posse you walking stinking fart of a goat I swear to every living gods that I’ll kill you; I’ll beat you dead with that mutated cock you so proudly show!’’
Hildegarde spoke in a lowered voice of pure, raw, hatred – something perhaps even more dreadful than that demonic…mutated…thing; this also seemed to extract the white wolf from her momentary torpor and she quickly jumped back (even with me atop) and gestured for the gate as I peeked back; a naked humanoid shaped was running on all four toward us, perhaps even closer than that…mutated singing goat with the voice of a diva.
There wasn’t anything to impede our exit, one thing was clear however; this was the realm of the Sabbath and they didn’t want us here.
>Ending here until next update good folks
6533ed No.4607
>>4606So… did we make it? Did we manage to clear this dungeon and get our posse into a good spot in the end?
Again I say, If we can can land that sun god we may just be able to win against Orion just yet!
762323 No.4608
>>4607I didn't make it obvious? You did made it out, alongside a new companion.
That damn twenty threw me on a loop I swear 6533ed No.4609
>>4608So we beat the sabbath cult here eh? Her luck is truly awesome in that case…
I wonder how jelly she is Siggy now.
762323 No.4610
>>4609Ame love Wan Wan more than Siggy 31831a No.4611
>>4610Siggy is for politics, WanWan is for loving.
323b2c No.4616
ｒｅｍｉｎｄｅｒ ｔｈａｔ ｈａｄｒａｎｉｅｌ ｉｓ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｉｎ ａ ｃｏｍａ
762323 No.4622
Late morning in the 15th day of prophecy, inside the castle of Ame-no-Uzume, central Zipangu.
>Hildegarde stat sheet (yes I know, she’s an absolute monster.) http://pastebin.com/A7bQbnxgI see a clearing covered in tall golden wheat, lines of trees forming a circle of autumnal colors as the evening sun disappeared behind the second tallest mountain of the island; a place of undisturbed nature, of the somber colors and shimmering wheat, wet from recent rain, dancing to the tune of the western breeze; a picture of nature fit for a painting with a lake of crystal blue water a few paces to the east.
A whine emerged from the sea of gold, barely audible above the chanting whisper of the breeze filtering through the vegetation. The sound came from a white spot trampling a few of the high herbs, soon revealed to be a living wolf in a white coat whose body revealed numerous wounds, crimson blood flowing out of lacerations and punctures visible through the fur, warping the tribal tattoos on her torso and face.
A sad sight; too wounded to move, too exhausted to pull herself together – I see the great wolf that is my grandmother lying there for a time I can’t predict; the sun travel a few centimeters in the sky in the span of a few seconds, her breathing continues on ragged and hoarse, yet slowly steadying itself, as if nature itself was extending a hand; until a loud snapping from the forest heralding a brutish snort as a demon stepped into the magical wheat clearing, followed by a few others emerging a fair distances from one another. Ogres of red, blue and mauve, they stood two meters tall, pointed horns on their heads, wide open mouth full of wicked teeth, fire escaping their throat from each heavy breath as fumes escaping their scorching bodies; each of them gluttons sporting wide guts, finding them here corrupting this little paradise was revolting and terrifying, each of their steps burnt the ground, each expiration was followed by flame and a rancour odor; their eyes nothing more than colored orbs of fiery orange, quickly finding the wounded dying wolf.
With hands big enough to crush a man head, they didn’t need weapons; with laughter of triumphs high off a feeling of conquest the colored triplets celebrated the wounds of the great white wolf, protector of mankind and Youkai, alone in struggles and even now trying to get herself back up on tired limbs to confront the demons stepping into paradise – no matter how much she’s hurting, the duties of the Wolf of Sun are sacred.
–
I woke up feeling thirsty.
762323 No.4623
‘’Ah?’’
The last thing I remember was clutching my grandmother furs as we made a mad dash out of the white catacombs after being faced with that… thing looking like a goat; I knew the damn thing would give me nightmares, I never expected some kind of cryptic dream instead – although that clearing felt vaguely familiar, I didn’t know whether to wave as the usual confusion following an intense delusion or actually believing this gut feeling of mine.
Oh well, no matter; I knew I was exhausted last night but passing out like that is truly a first, especially while having a stranger in tow. Someone (likely my mother) put me in my personal room at least, a simple thing with a bed, some furniture and fresh clothes inside the innards of the castle; describing it as poor was accurate (I prefer to think of it as Spartan). Ame certainly liked to complain about this, saying I deserved much better but… I rarely even sleep in here; a small room without window is adequate enough.
‘’Still, passing out like that…’’
How unmaidenly; I immediately squeezed the necklace around my neck, not even bothering to put on new clothes as everything that happened yesterday night came rushing back, sending ears and tail in a flutter as I sent one of my chairs crashing on the floor. Hildegarde, grandmother, the Tengus, the Grues, the Tsukumogami and of course my queen… What an outrageous evening.
Outside, the hallways looked as peaceful as ever, with a few servants keeping a few rooms clears I was wished many a good day on my way toward the inner garden, only passing by a few of the citizen guard keeping watch over a few key points here and there whilst the general activity made me feel rather uncomfortable; did yesterday events happen at all…?
Emerging in the courtyard answered my questions; not only was the air fresh and the militias presence redoubled (I could also see a group inside the archery range) but a stalwart presence was sitting straight on one of the many benches of the open air corridor; everything about her felt severe, yet also foreign and mysterious; a tall maid of white hair and piercing red eyes isn’t seen every day, at least she managed to get a new uniform during the time I spent sleeping, giving her a much more proper, elegant look with the pale white and dark uniform identical to my own; the castle has many servants, but no true maids aside from myself.
‘’It’s good to see you are doing better’’
‘’I’m sorry!’’
I immediately bowed toward Hildegarde who frowned at my gesture.
‘’Why?’’
‘’Because… well I just passed out like that without being able to help you out, stepping in… that… place is a rather big deal’’
I shouldn’t be speaking so openly about the inner chamber of the Water Dragon, I doubt the new of our late night activity could be contained no matter how severe my mother was on the militia; we’ll likely be visited by some priests before long.
‘’Yes, but the wolf was there and that goat made any protests an afterthought after I mentioned the reason of our escape; a serious enough situation that made trusting me a necessity, although now I do admit that I’ve grown rather… bored, I’ve always been fascinated by the land of monsters but I don’t trust myself in avoiding getting lost were I to explore this place, I’ve rested enough by my lonesome.’’
No doubt the crows were busy enough erecting some kind of sanctuary, given the lack of general activity inside the castle, they haven’t moved the Dragon (else it’d definitely be a subject of conversation that I would have overheard). Still, the way she was so casually sitting like that… Part of me believed she simply intimidated the entire gallery into giving her some peace; why is it that my impression of this fellow maid was always pulled between admiration and dread?
‘’I see…’’
‘’If you wish to go back, do allow me to accompany you’’
‘’Ah… well…’’
>Here is where things open up big time, the amount of stuff you can do is pretty high; be it preparing for another trip in the catacomb or getting to know some of the people we’ve encounter a little better, with pros and cons in everything (namely, time; it’s not an infinite resource and things WILL happens, but what you do will obviously have an impact, be it making new friends or seeking out information about the catacombs that could also be false). Basically, you have time and how you use it is entirely up to you.
>I can suggest a list of things to do but it’s pretty obvious stuff. (Getting to know Hildegarde better, finding the pair of alchemist, going into the temple, trying to investigate your dream, finding more about your Tengu half-sisters etc.) You guys have to decide on what the WanWan will do for a certain stretch of time.
762323 No.4624
Forgot my trip.
348b7d No.4625
>>4623Ask Hildegarde to accompany us to find our mother, to ask her about the place where the Wolf of the Sun fought in our dream.
Along the way, ask Hildegarde about where she is from, and who she serves. In exchange, tell her about Zipang and Ame. Nothing classified, but the stuff you can get by asking servants around the castle.
31831a No.4626
>>4623We were talking about, before, of having the Tengu matriarch handle giving Hilde an official note or letter or something to go back with. We should ask Ame about that. Beyond that, I vote for spending time with Matriarch and Hilde.
762323 No.4627
>>4626>>4625So it seem we have a general consensus with taking Hildegarde with us and going for the temple (since its where mother and the crow matriarch are currently located).
Very well, I'll be going with this.
762323 No.4628
’…I would like to meet back with the Matriarch and my mother after passing out to rudely’’
I tried my best to conceal the fact I was hungry and thirsty, clearing my throat just before speaking to Hildegarde who promptly got up after my sentence, eyeing me seriously and giving a nod to reinforce what was already a serious attitude; I had to swallow hard in front of such a prim and proper lady, a true maid I could only aspire to become…
‘’You’ll accompany me?’’
‘’Of course’’
‘’Then perhaps we could chat on the way, too?’’
Not that we’ll be having a long route but I could, perhaps, take a slower stride in order to lengthen it, this woman of alabaster has me very curious; I could barely wait politely to ask – she simply walked beside me as we exited the archway, the previously paved road giving way to the gravel path and, even with a few militias hanging around practicing a few drills I took the opportunity to speak.
‘’You mentioned you were from Kreszenz, right?’’
‘’Indeed’’
She nodded curtly, back straight, each steps she took appearing solid and direct, the kind of cadence usually seen on folks trained for combat – yet she still appeared somewhat relaxed; enough to avoid eliciting a sentiment of nervousness, at least.
‘’You haven’t heard of it, I presume?’’
‘’Nay, I’m sorry… we don’t have much news about what lies beyond the Swamp’’
Obviously it couldn’t be some magical land beyond the vast ocean.
‘’Likewise, we have only dealing with the Church, not the lands bordering it headquarter. Now Kreszenz… it is the queendom bordering the Swamp, describing it as a frontiers of the Allied Kingdoms wouldn’t be farfetched for it is a place incessantly beset by horrors and abominations and –as far as I’m concerned- the one place of the entire empire of alliance that has something of an healthy tolerance of monsters, born exclusively out of necessity.’’
It was easy to deduct she’d veer the subject a certain way given the current scenery, at least she gave a rather adequate picture; a land bordering the Swamp itself isn’t easy living, I can scarcely imagine the resolve needed to endure something like that…
‘’We do have our belligerent neighbours and I suspect we’ll have war in a decade at most, although that’s not the crux of our problems; we live somewhat apart from the general political amalgam of the central juggernauts due to our position, yet still the queen managed to revitalize the faulting economy of the land, outlawing various malpractices like usury and foreign guilds; all this while beset by horrors, one of them being the reason you found me in that dark place.’’
Rather chatty; we stepped beneath the trees of the garden, Hildegarde voice temporarily growing softer here and there as we crossed path with a few monsters of the militia enjoying themselves amidst the flowers.
‘’Perhaps… you’d like to hear about Zipangu?’’
I could only offer something in kind.
‘’I’ve already taken a great interest in your land, milady –‘’
«Milady» I felt my heart skip a beat. What an honor! I can scarcely believe…
‘’- Currently responding to a crusade of the church; something that ought to have trickled well beyond the swamp, yet didn’t. The entire island divided in three clans, with true civilisations born two hundred years ago after the arrival of the Godmother fox following the end of the Great Crusade. No civil war happened yet thank to her guidance and even so, well before the current clans were erected your land itself has old mythologies stretching all the way back to the War of Pretenders, your living sleeping Saint being an earthly proof of that very fact and…’’
Hildegarde red eyes scanned the area around us as she dropped her voice to a whisper.
‘’The Wolf of the Sun being another – living breathing gods akin to guardian archangel blessing this island nation. Only now do I realize that mythology was revived in that catacomb; an impressive prospect no matter how much I try to downplay it, truly a magical land.’’
She’s… could she be buttering me up? I didn’t need to know my face was all red, I felt the heat in my cheek; I tried to spy some kind of mischievous expression on that woman of alabaster but her face was a mask of seriousness with those eerie, glowering red eyes focusing on me. She had grown silent now, having said her piece…
>‘’There is much more to say about Zipangu. I’m… privy to some information’s, especially regarding how we deal with horrors of our own, I wonder tough, perhaps Kreszenz has something unique in this department…?’’ [Not exactly subtle, I doubt she’s a regular citizens of her land, just like she must also know I’ve got access to a little few secrets of my own…]
>’’I…I’d like to visit your land one day! Although, with the way we met…. How did you end up in that catacomb? Is the ‘’portal’’ to your home secure, too?’’ [Perhaps it’d be best to avoid exchanging potentially secret information…]
>Free
31831a No.4629
>>4628>>’’I…I’d like to visit your land one day! Although, with the way we met…. How did you end up in that catacomb? Is the ‘’portal’’ to your home secure, too?’’ [Perhaps it’d be best to avoid exchanging potentially secret information…]Maybe add something along the lines of "If a reliable portal between our realms was secured I'm sure we would be able to help each other out quite a bit."
f089ef No.4630
>>4628>‘’There is much more to say about Zipangu. I’m… privy to some information’s, especially regarding how we deal with horrors of our own, I wonder tough, perhaps Kreszenz has something unique in this department…?’’ [Not exactly subtle, I doubt she’s a regular citizens of her land, just like she must also know I’ve got access to a little few secrets of my own…]Exchange a secret for a secret, but be careful which secrets.
The Swamp is a mutual enemy, and Kresnez does sound like a potential ally among the Allied Kingdoms, but we still don't know much about them.
762323 No.4631
>>4630>>4629I'll wait a little for a potential tie breaker.
f089ef No.4632
>>4631What are our secrets anyway?
Summon scrolls and Ancestor Spirits?
What do we use that could be called secrets?
762323 No.4633
>>4632Ame-no-Uzume being a Kimuho, the fact she killed someone as a kid, Tsukiyomi being a Tenko, artificial Demon Lord and (whilke still somewhat common knowledge, its still not an appropriate subject) the potions she gave the Onis.
Aside from that, privy information about the Water Dragon and also some knowledge about the golem army, which is Zipangu turmp card. Your secrets are mostly about the queen and her mother.
762323 No.4634
>>4633>KimuhoWait, the right word is Kumiho.
f089ef No.4635
>>4633Oh, if our secrets are about the Royal Family rather than something actually useful like a special potion or ritual, then change
>>4630To keeping our secrets a secret for now.
I thought our secrets had something more immediately useful to fighting things from the Swamp.
762323 No.4636
>>4635Nah, while Zipangu is pretty competent in that departement (mostly thank to the fluff knowledges). Kreszenz is jsut aobut the best of the best when it come to dealing with otherwordly/dimensional entities.
Anyway getting to it, sorry for the little delay tonight.
762323 No.4637
‘’I’d like to visit your land one day!’’
I didn’t need to feign cheerfulness on that part; I never thought there would be a land beyond the Swamp tolerant of monsters (especially if I take Zipangu neighbours into account). In Kreszenz case, I guess that necessity trump old fears and propaganda.
‘’I’m sure the princess would like to know you as well, although your ears and tail would most likely come under constant assaults.’’
Hahaha… yes well, I know a certain queen that love touching them and just doesn’t leave me alone, too…
With the ever approaching temple the presence of the militia grew considerably thinner, allowing me to breach a rather sensible subject with a little more courage now that I was truly alone with Hildegarde; I saw her glowering eyes focus on my ears as they inevitably twitched (how I wish I could stay elegant all the time like Tsukiyomi…)
‘’Have you been informed about the Grues that attacked me after discovering that gate of fog?’’
Her face tightened at my word and she wordlessly nodded, grim and serious.
‘’I know I might be stepping over my boundaries, Hildegarde, but what pushed you to go in the gate? For me, it was simple necessity over a potential threat alongside the fact that I’m immune to manipulation of the minds found in the gas poisoning its halls, was it the same for you?’’
‘’Not quite.’’
There wasn’t much pleasantry in her voice and for a moment I thought that was it, right there as she peered forward silently, her gloved hands balled in fists… but I think something convinced her; Hildegarde took a few seconds to peer into my eyes before letting out a little sigh (she’s actually breathing now).
‘’I am the personal maid and bodyguard of Princess Anaïs Swanhild Wilhelmina, heir to Kreszenz throne. That post was previously occupied by another one, a maid of monstrous origin; a catfolk I believe. Anyhow, -something-‘’
The way she said that word ‘’something’’ was like a gust of icy wind in summer; raw, calm hatred spilled forth out of the emotion wall the maid had erected for a brief moment.
‘’Has been stalking, harassing and otherwise making her ladyship life miserable since childhood; the only reason why she is still alive today is because her parents took her plight seriously, but my predecessor also tried to take matters into her own hands… only to end up dead in a most gruesome way, with the spectacle found by the little princess like some kind of taunt – I became her permanent bodyguard six month later and have been defending her nightly ever since.’’
We arrived at our destination before Hildegarde finished her tale and, honestly eager to hear more, I stopped to face her before we entered the place; now truly alone in the grand garden full of vegetation, I felt my heart pounding for the plight of this woman of alabaster; which seemed to make her uncomfortable for she wasn’t able to meet my eyes. If she had stayed silent, I would have insisted on going inside instead.
‘’Three days ago it tried to kill the princess, but I was there and I followed its retreat, shadowed by Anaïs father who was alerted by her Ladyship; the entity fled in the catacombs and I didn’t hesitate to follow – and lost it in the tunnels. When you found me, I had searched its depths for three days for my mark’’
And didn’t look any worse for wear, staying three days in the darkness with nothing but an old alchemical lamp isn’t something I could do.
‘’I see…’’
For lack of anything else to say, what words could lift her spirit?
‘’…I know the Prince of Kreszenz is doing his job with a quarantine alongside the expertize of the Order of the Watch, so I know I’ve got some time on my hand before he take matters into his own hands. I suspect they must still be dealing with a countermeasure for the smoke.’’
Still, three days did pass for Hildegarde, the people on her side are bound to be worried, something that didn’t’ seem to bother the woman at all.
>Anything else to ask the woman of alabaster?
f03045 No.4638
>>4637"You mentioned that your target is a shapeshifter; what can you tell me about it, in case similar things are around here? Where there is one portal, another can be opened, after all. It was by pure chance that we found this one."
762323 No.4639
‘’You mentioned your target to be something of a shapeshifter…’’
I didn’t know her face could grow even harder; the sheer weight of her stare made me feel like I was threading a thin line; I decided to hope it was only my impression and not what Hildegarde truly felt.
‘’You’ve been in there for three days and we’ve only discovered our portal yesterday night, if there’s any way we can help you, I assure you, we will…’’
For some reason, her face grew into a brief smile as she crossed her arm, stare drifting toward the temple, staying silent for a few seconds as she, undoubtedly, juggled some inner desire.
‘’While it may be able to change form, I’ve seen it doing it only twice. One is the body of a small adolescent blonde whose hair reaches her waist; a cute girl to be sure with bright blue eyes and an affectionate smile; the second is completely different. A thin, tall humanoid shape whose arms and legs stretches for well over three meters without any distinctive face and countless dark tendrils emerging from its back; the mere fact of peering into it, however, seem to cause some kind of brain hemorrhage – the sheer pressure of its presence is able to somehow kill, I suspect it some kind of trick with corruptions. If it has any different forms, I haven’t seen it myself – it’s only active at night, thankfully.’’
A brief change in the wind made me realized we must have talked for some time; the fresh northward breeze lifted the short white braid of the woman as she turned her back to me to step a little closer to the temple; for a moment I was reminded of my big sister, someone whose inner strength and capacity for murder excelled to a point of making it their very character – yet still I felt drawn, likely because I was convinced there was something warm dwelling inside those impossibly strong emotional walls, too.
‘’Hildegarde! Do feel free to ask me about anything, alright?’’
My fellow maid turned toward me, the previous glimpses of savagery gone, replaced by a face of indifference that had become a natural sight.
‘’I do happen to have a request… but it’ll wait, instead we ought to go inside, shouldn’t we?’’
I tried my best to clear my throat quietly as my tail wagged; I hadn’t had a wink of water or food since I woke up, but I guess I can endure, right?
>A good hour passed during your conversation with Hildegarde. Do you have anything else to ask?
f03045 No.4640
>>4639Not right now.
Let's go inside.
762323 No.4641
‘’Thank you for being so forward’’
‘’Those creatures are everyone problems, it just so happen that I live next to them’’
Perhaps she has a hard time accepting compliment, I couldn’t really predict her mood for this maid is always so reserved, so instead I simply took the lead to walk inside, allowing my tail to wag honestly; a quick side-glance told me she was eyeballing it and her hands became victim of a few unfortunate twitches of temptation.
Is there a more wondrous weapon than fluffiness I wonder…?
–
My suspicions about the crows were proved true once we stepped inside the temple; the upper, public part had a pair of dark winged harpies standing vigil near the open stairs, my and Hildegarde presence were quickly acknowledge and the magicians parted way as I felt tempted to scoop one up in a hug (harpies are adorable…); golden eyes and dark plumage is something only seen in these Tengus…
The chamber holding the Water Dragon was much more somber; three additional alchemical lamps bathed the entire room in lukewarm white and blue whilst magical talisman were plastered onto the back wall, forming something of a warning sign all around the fog gate whose ominous presence was enough to completely change the usually reverent atmosphere into something dreadful. The dragon also hadn’t been moved from her watery stone bed, her peaceful sleeping form ignorant of the activity around as my mother and the Matriarch turned toward me and Hildegarde, both of them of rather somber expressions; there was a handful of harpies crows in the room as well, erecting a few more talismans on the walls whilst another pair were sitting close to the gate, both of them humanoid woman sporting marvelous angel wings of dark feathers.
I immediately recognized one as shy Ayumi thank to her long hair; the second one was her perfect portrait in everything but coiffure as she sported a shorter, set of dark hair not unlike Hildegarde.
Twin.
‘’Doing better now?’’
Mother suddenly asked me while the Matriarch turned back toward the gate; they must have been discussing something that I’ve, unfortunately, interrupted.
‘’Um, I’m sorry if I’ve being a bother…’’
‘’Nonsense, we were just speaking about how ta deal with the cult, given the stuff we’ve been doing they’ll be coming to investigate tomorrow’’
‘’Yes, we don’t have much to say about the insides of the fog yet but we couldn’t quite move her Ladyship without causing too big a fuss, so instead we’ll be readying ourselves for anything that could be coming out; I’d love to send some agents but that poison make that impossible’’
Mother and Yumiko spoke in turn as I gently pressed upon the necklace hidden beneath my clothe; for now everyone seemed to be in some kind of impasse…
I'm ready to go alone
Hildegarde spoke, taking a few steps away from my side as she barely cast a glance to the crows, instead focusing on the gate.
A little too soon for that; but I can't stop you, I'd like to prepare a more adequate expedition instead, with you as prime protector.
The Matriarch words seemed to satisfy the maid who, I suspected, was just about ready t owalk inside the darkness and dissapear in its depths.
>What should be done?
>I’m also stopping here for tonight.
762323 No.4642
>>4641Hmm seem like there was some odd bits with the writing format near the end. The italic is meant to be dialogues.
f03045 No.4643
>>4641Check in with the Alchemists, see if Belphegor knows of any potions that can counteract the fog.
Maybe some charms and wards to help protect the gateway from intrusion.
762323 No.4644
>>4643That would require going all the way back into the castle to get them, though.
f03045 No.4645
>>4644We're waiting on the Cult to arrive, make a fuss, and then prepare to move the Dragon, right?
We can ask Mother about the place in the dream we saw. See if it's around here.
And Hildegarde is going to wait for an adequate expedition to be readied, yes?
762323 No.4647
File: 1425448259901.jpg (502.88 KB, 1000x1237, 1000:1237, 4f1725409250c56b1b852ee9c0….jpg)
>>4645>We're waiting on the Cult to arrive, make a fuss, and then prepare to move the Dragon, right?It's on the list, not the main thing but their arrival is inevitable.
>We can ask Mother about the place in the dream we saw. See if it's around here. Will do next post. Do you want to be public or private?
>And Hildegarde is going to wait for an adequate expedition to be readied, yes?She's actually wishing to go alone, maybe yo ucan convince her otherwise…
f03045 No.4648
>>4647>The Matriarch words seemed to satisfy the maid who, I suspected, was just about ready t owalk inside the darkness and dissapear in its depths.This implied that the Matriarch's words stopped her and satisfied her initial desire to go, and that she would wait for the expedition to be readied.
762323 No.4649
>>4648She'll wait, yes. It highly depend on how long you take to go in there, since said expedition also require WanWan, but they could make do without.
6533ed No.4651
>>4641Damn. Missed an update. Oh well that aside, I say we get a good posse together with this new character. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we ain't losing anybody else if I can help it. Going for the ultimate happy end, and Wan Wan and this maid is apparently part of it now.
Ame has yet to introduce Wan Wan to Siggy for instance, it'd be a damn shame if they didn't meet in the flesh at least in the epilogue if nothing else. May need to meet sooner too, with our own Embodiment down we need something to tank that Iron Angel of Strife and that Wolf would definitely be able to fill her shoes. That god should be able to stand against what is a god in all but name. Would love to see his sorry ass try and oppose what amounts to the embodiment of the sun without great effort.
Plus, if we can, she'd be a big asset in the coming final battle. And hey, we're pretty much against all that Sabath stands for. Endless orgies, surrendering unto the base nature, and simply fucking for all eternity? Yeah, not what we're too keen on from any front. Too bad they've essentially sided against us more than they have the church itself. Eh, who said being the good guys was easy?
762323 No.4652
>>4651>Ame has yet to introduce Wan Wan to Siggy for instanceIn the end, I believe that our trio of protagonist will come full circle for the finale, although we have until the 18 of prophecy to finish up Wan Wan side story.
Whether its good or not, we will see, but on the 18 is the day where something major will happen, enough to affect Siegfried/Athena story itself.
762323 No.4657
Update should be coming soon enough
762323 No.4658
The enigma surrounding the woman of alabaster had at least one obvious thing; while still willing to wait, it was she wouldn’t linger for me unless I could manage to somehow convince her to go at my pace. As she left my side and stopped near the dragon, her bright eyes falling to observe the sleeping Ryu, I felt a brief longing not unlike the times Ame had to leave to accomplish her duties; in a sense, Hildegarde aroused a similar feeling in me, I felt safe beside her and I wished to make that feeling endure, especially after yesterday… But I opted to avoid indulging and instead squeeze the necklace beneath my clothe once more, wondering what it is that Ame could be doing right now, I was usually privy to information from the frontlines but there wasn’t any news now…
Well, enough of that I suppose, while curious about the current state of the chamber that wasn’t the main reason of my coming; mother and Yumiko had probably some lengthy discussion as everyone attention fell on the darkened portal of fog; the calm before the storm, no doubt. With all the activity in there the cult is bound to come investigate and of course our incoming expedition in the catacombs isn’t going to be the safest, especially since the strongest of us couldn’t help out; it was easy to see the frustration ravaging my mother as she continuously bite down on her bottom lisps.
‘’Say…’’
Meanwhile, I had taken to walk beside her and kept my voice low, there wasn’t anyone beside us and the slight activity from the Tengus was enough noise to keep this incoming conversation somewhat quiet.
‘’…I had a weird dream; I think it was about the wolf. There was a beautiful clearing in autumn I think, with a nearby lake and golden magical wheat and a mountain in the backdrop; I think it might have been someplace important, it gave me… a stronger feeling than déjà vue.’’
I think I might have confused her as her brows furrowed at my (evidently) confusing explanation – dreams are always fleeting, even now the memory of it all felt murky, I couldn’t quite grasp the concrete, vivid images that were present a few minutes after waking up.
‘’Bright golden wheat, beautiful clearing of autumn adjacent to a lake and a tall mountain; yes I know what place your talking, it’s the retreat of the crows, just about the one place and village left where the Youkais of Zipangu haven’t mingled with the population yet.’’
Oh, well… that was easy… although something of a weird expression flashed across my usually severe mother as her eyes obviously scanned my face, eliciting a brief, uneasy nervousness in my heart which probably became obvious as she turned her gaze back toward the gate for a few seconds, letting out a brief sigh.
‘’Guess it’s not just a coincidence…’’’
She muttered before squeezing the long hilt of her katana, my mother was nervous.
‘’I don’t like talking about that place Maegan, bad memories from both the time before you were born and a little after that, too. Old demons should be laid to rest’’
>’’But my dream can’t be some coincidence, grandmother might have been trying to pass some kind of message, seeing what I can only suspect as her death bed the night after her summoning isn’t a coincidence.’’ [Old demons? Bad memories? And a retreat of Youkais? I know I should focus on the catacombs but that’s another mystery that shouldn’t be kept in the dark…]
>’’I understand, I’ll see what I can do about this on my own’’ [My mother is a stubborn sort, she’ll probably clamp up if a press too hard; there’s other things to worry about]
>Free.
31831a No.4659
>>4658>>’’But my dream can’t be some coincidence, grandmother might have been trying to pass some kind of message, seeing what I can only suspect as her death bed the night after her summoning isn’t a coincidence.’’ [Old demons? Bad memories? And a retreat of Youkais? I know I should focus on the catacombs but that’s another mystery that shouldn’t be kept in the dark…] We're not a fighter or an adventurer like the others. We're the best kind of person - a quest giver with a mystery to solve!
6533ed No.4660
>>4658So is this a choice between going back into the catacombs or investigating the dream? I'd like to do both if time allows but will the order make a huge difference?
762323 No.4661
>>4660Not quite making a huge difference yet, unless you decide to commit. It's more or less one of the three possible paths I've laid out to gain…something with your time.
You'll lose some time for investigating if you so wish of course, but you've got to seriously commit to really get things moving.
6533ed No.4662
>>4661Ok, just to be sure before I vote, our new maid is gonna wait for a kill team to get assembled before going back in there right? I don't much like her chances of making it back out alive or sane if she goes in alone and I'm starting to like her. Besides, she's connected to the royalty of a land that's not hostile to monsters.
We're gonna want to ally with them down the road because of that and returning that maid to them alive after aiding her in eliminating some eldritch horror would make a good first impression.
762323 No.4663
>>4662>Ok, just to be sure before I vote, our new maid is gonna wait for a kill team to get assembled before going back in there right?That entirely depend on how long you wish to take; you've got a few hours ahead of you, but Hildegarde WILL venture out on her own soon enough.
31831a No.4664
>>4663I'm interested in the dream, but more interested in Hildegard. So changing
>>4659 to dealing with the dream later, but still telling motheru that we'll need her help when the time comes.
762323 No.4665
>>4664Hm alright. I had some writing done but I'll change some stuff accordingly, unless of course there's other votes.
6533ed No.4666
>>4663Damn, I admire her gumption but after what happened with grandma it's obvious she's in over her head on this. I'll stick with the maid for now. Hopefully we can get this taken care of without wasting too much time.
Any way we can get another Ofuda? Once Ame is up and about it should be possible to summon grandma again and by the looks of things we're up against a Lovecraftian malign deity. Best way to counter a god is to have one of your own at your side. Or that knife, but that's still in the felwhore's possession at this time.
762323 No.4667
>>4666>Any way we can get another Ofuda?The Matriarch can provide.
So it seem the consensus is to drop the issue of the dream for now and concentrate on other things, then?
762323 No.4668
I've been feeling dizzy for a few hours now, I think I'll have to call it early
6533ed No.4669
>>4668Darn, I was looking forward to some more cute meido adventures. Oh well, if you're not up to it right now, then you're not. Unless other people make their presence known at least ya got a course of action for next time.
762323 No.4670
Yeah I think I'll move the update for Friday instead. I've been pushing myself writing but I don't feel up to it tonight, I'll try to make up for it by making a pretty long intro.
Also, I'm wondering if it should betime to make a new thread? We've got 500 replies, might be too big for anyone to catch up.
>>4669
>cute meido adventuresThat's going to continue, I'm really liking Wan Wan so far.
f03045 No.4680
>>4670>if it should betime to make a new thread?We haven't left the first page in the entire time that this thread has been here.
Is it right to make a new thread, when this one is likely to stick around for a good long time?
f03045 No.4681
>>4670>>4665So wait, if we're not going to push on the issue of the dream, what are we doing?
The option to let the matter drop for now doesn't specify what we're going to do instead, and seems like it's just going to waste time.
We need to convince Hildegarde to stay a while longer, and that requires giving her a convincing reason to wait.
Good reasons to wait are:
1. Alchemists providing some potions that might help, or something to help mark their way, and providing any group that goes into the labyrinth a way to counteract the fog.
2. Summon the Wolf of the Sun again to provide a heavy-hitting summon
3. Maegan with the Obake (ask if it can pierce shapeshifting to know a thing's true self)
We also should ask Belphegor if she recognizes Hildegarde's target, and if there's a better way to track it than to run blindly through a labyrinth hoping to come across it whilst fighting Witches and other horrors.
762323 No.4683
>>4681The Matriarch and your mother are mostly waiting on some material, you could say that you come too soon into the temple. But there's still plenty to do, one of them being convincing Hildegarde as you've said, seem like a logical course of action.
I take it you want to go to the alchemists?
f03045 No.4708
>>4683Yes, but convincing Hildegarde to wait comes first.
6533ed No.4709
>>4681>>4708Yeah, gonna have to agree on this. Hildegarde should wait for Zipangu to form a good fully equipped kill team in order to maximize her chances of eliminating the target. We can basically figure everything else out later, but we really need to keep her from doing something rash. I don't want our cute and probably mostly corrupted meido to die in vain.
762323 No.4736
I'll continue the thread saturday instead of today. Got some more prep to do.
762323 No.4747
I know my mother; she’s about as stubborn as a Kappa and once she’s entrenched with some ideas it take someone equally stubborn to dislodge it, unless of course you give her some space and time to deal with it (which has been the best course of actions in years). Of course I wanted to know more about the dream; in fact the fact such an obvious mystery was dangling in front of my nose was quite irritating but the subject appeared somewhat touchy for her – so trying to pull the truth out of her would be akin to tugging her tail (something she hate!); mothers has always been rather forward, maybe I’ll just need to remind her tomorrow…
‘’I’m not one to allow demons their rest, mother but I understand, we’ll speak about this another time, alright?’’
‘’Pfeh, you aint gonna drop this right?’’
‘’Maybe, maybe not, there’s other stuff for you to deal with right, like the militia? How has that been going?’’
Our voice had a little echo to them inside the room whilst the crows seemed to be finished with erecting their collection of talismans on the walls, occupying a good third of the back-end space, my vision shifted toward Hildegarde for a moment whose interest lied toward the pair of twin Tengus kneeling in prayers at front of the darkened fog, her silhouette stirred something uneasy in my heart, I felt like she would charge in there and disappear forever…
‘’Pretty well, there’s that to be happy about at least. While it’s impossible to hide the fact something is going on inside the temple they aint prying and this entire place is something of a high ranking zone, while they’ve got a commander I’m still the chief of the castle garrison so instead they’re whipping themselves into a little shape- I made sure to report what we’ve been doing to Ame-no-Uzume at least’’
‘’Indeed, the queen is marvellously charming, although I have to admit my surprise – it was as if she expected not only my presence, but that of my daughter and close retainers, too…’’
Yumiko flowery tone suddenly wedged itself in our conversation as her black wings stretched and folded to rest over her hips; a little distance away the twins stepped back, both of their face expressing serious concentration; I just now realized that their veins had bulged in magical gold – only visible sign of magic, the various Tengus also sported similar attributes. Given how…casual… everyone seemed to be about this, I tried my best to keep my own nerves in check.
‘’Can’t outwit a fox, much less an actual queen I say’’
‘’Hmm… I see Tsukiyomi taught her well’’
I ignored the Matriarch wink as our eyes crossed; while it was common knowledge that my mother had an artefact allowing brief communication with the queen, my own precious necklace holding a part of her Hoshi-no-Tama was a secret shared only between milady and myself.
‘’Ayumi, Akira; be sure to synchronize’’
‘’Yes mother’’
‘’Of course, the prince of darkness is waiting to pounce on us now; this shouldn’t take more than a few seconds’’
‘’Now isn’t the time for delusions, Akira’’
‘’Mother, please – only through clarity have I subverted the enemies of the dark prince lurking on the other side, his plane of gloom shall not-‘’
‘’Akira’’
No doubt about this, this short haired eagle-winged crow standing beside the demurred Ayumi was the same lunatic that accosted me yesterday night inside that strange spot of magical ink; her face sported a grand smile of mischief as her mother scowled back. Having an actual look at the person did surprise me; I only caught a brief glimpse earlier during that quiet prayer. She and the longer haired and equally majestically winged Ayumi truly looked the same; I’ll have to make sure to avoid mixing up names… Look like I’ve got a colorful sister.
762323 No.4748
‘’Let’s finish this quickly’’
The others harpies jumped a few pace back as they embraced their own Focus and within moment, the entirety of the posse of crows bursts in light aside from the Matriarch standing beside her daughters, I saw the faraway Hildegarde take a prudent step back at the sudden intrusion of powers and I quickly scampered to her side as whatever preliminary needed for this ‘’sanctuary’’ was being done by the magicians; the sisters and the following harpies started to traces various symbols in glitter gold that I quickly recognized as stars. The symbols lingered for only a few seconds before disappearing, only to imprint themselves on the plastered Ofudas; next Akira and Ayumi joined hands and raised their freed ones toward the gate from which a bluish green, glass-like, solid materiel emerged to hover above ground, keeping contact with each of their outstretched fingers, visible pentagons that left me momentarily speechless.
‘’Is this… old magic?’’
In ages of yonder when gods walked the lands, magic was a rather elaborate affair that also required outside fuel; what I’ve always seen was near-instantaneous casting with only little preparation needed beforehand- maybe the fact I’ve grown up alongside supreme arch mages of multiple vulpine tails spoiled my experience- the crows weren’t any slouches either. Hildegarde appeared completely entrance, her red eyes big and focused on the Matriarch whose left hand had also formed this strange geometrical symbol only… I saw something of a thin golden magical lines liking it with those of her twins; her fingers reached inside this…. Phenomenon, engulfing half of her hand which visibly tensed after grasping something, an object that was quickly revealed to be a key wreathed in flames of red, oranges and greens, spreading wide and lively, enough to tickle the surface of Yumiko’s knuckles whose face tightened in an unreadable expression.
‘’Some kind of artefact?’’
I heard Hildegarde whisper- I couldn’t answer her query. That object…
There are three great magical Regalia in Zipangu, three items that kept the island safe time and again; one is the Pen of Creation, wielded by Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto, godmother of our monster civilisation, the second is the fan of the Dragon, wielded by the queen of Central Ame-no-Uzume while the third one… was a key? No, I don’t think so, if I remember it was a scepter, given to the High Sorceress of the south.
Even so the Matriarch item roused a profound sentiment of déjà vue, not unlike the dream.
During this impromptu magical ceremony, Yumiko grasped that magical object, walked right in front of the gate and jabbed the key in its center, which seemed to trigger the finale of whatever it was the crows were doing; her wrist made a tight turn as if she was locking a door which provoked an avalanche of golden lines to erupted, landing right into a piece of Ofudas whose newly acquired stars glowered… and just like that, it was over, with the twins letting out a synchronised sighs as their mother massed her hand gently, face warped in a scowl as she glared toward the fog before taking a step back of her own, wings flapping gently at her movement.
762323 No.4749
‘’We won’t be having any problems with last night interlopers with this’’
I heard the Matriarch speak, turning back while still nursing her hand that now appeared to tremble; still whatever pain she had didn’t cross her face but it did pang my stomach… However, I saw Hildegarde move in the corner of my eye and immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her; I knew fully well she allowed me to do this for her body tensed the moment I began my movement and now, her bright red eyes and rather towering height bore down on me, making me swallow awkwardly; there wasn’t any expression on her face but I wasn’t about to let some silly dread deter me.
‘’Please don’t go just yet…’’
I whispered, feeling a slight hotness spread on my cheek as we became the momentary focus of attention; although my step-sisters began to fuss about their mother which provide an adequate distraction to chase my embarrassment.
‘’I believe I’ve waited enough, I can scout the path ahead; taking an advance of a few hours seem sensible to me, I operate much better alone’’
‘’I think it’d be best if you were to join the expedition, Hildegarde. At least, I’d feel much safer and I know we can help each-others out’’
She fell silent at my words, her gaze drifting toward the gate; her completely unreadable face made it impossible to deduce her train of thoughts but I’d like to believe the crows ritual had an effect – if I can’t reach her, then at least Zipangu magical competence should have awoken some kind of interest…
‘’Are you sure you can actually handle that place?’’
This sudden interest in my wellbeing caught me completely by surprise, her deep red eyes bore into mine without pity only something I can somewhat describe as analytic, rousing some nervousness that motivated me to grasp my necklace. I don’t know if I was afraid, there was something… barely human about her, no matter how much I tried to believe otherwise; Hildegarde didn’t have a scent, scarcely possessed any emotions and was a definite outcast in the castle – still I felt drawn, a feeling similar to the time I first saw Ame-no-Uzume…
Instead I simply stared at her silently, squeezing her hand for a few long seconds…
>…and drag her outside the temple, if we’re going to have a talk, I want it outside. [What should I even say? Simple honesty, that I’m scared of going without someone as strong as her?]
>…let go. I’ve no right to impede on her, Hildegarde is a guest.
>Free.
4e9599 No.4750
>>4749>>…and drag her outside the temple, if we’re going to have a talk, I want it outside. [What should I even say? Simple honesty, that I’m scared of going without someone as strong as her?]We're afraid, since the enemy is likely to be squatting nearby the entrance.
And we might be able to provide her with some help, alchemical and magical.
6533ed No.4751
>>4749>…and drag her outside the temple, if we’re going to have a talk, I want it outside. [What should I even say? Simple honesty, that I’m scared of going without someone as strong as her?]We feel like we can be friends, and friends don't want friends to die. And we want this thing dead, best chance of making that happen is waiting for a good kill team to be set up.
3e7f03 No.4752
>>4750this. We promised not to impede her returning but there's a lot more for all of to gain by working together on this.
762323 No.4753
Seem like we've got our course of action.
762323 No.4754
Instead of answering right away I pressed on her hand a little harder, which elicited a new, confused scowl from the maid. ‘’Come with me’’ I said simply, dodging her question and forcefully tugging on her hand, my insistence made her yield quickly and, under the gazes of the crows, we exited the room swiftly as I tried my best to ignore the odd feeling her limb gave me. The sensation was like holding onto a peerless piece of lukewarm metal and, despite the woman walking by my side, it didn’t feel like my grip was linked to a fellow living being – still, each time I crossed eyes with Hildegarde I decided to stubbornly believe the opposite and we quickly found ourselves outside the temple and back into the forest with a little polite farewell from the sentries above the resting chamber of the Dragon.
‘’I’m sorry if I’ve offended you…’’
Hildegarde began but I quickly shook my head and decided to give her a smile to ease some of her worries.
‘’I understand your concern, I know I’m not a warrior, let alone a champion like you’’
Her face broke into a smile at my words and I felt my hear quicken just a bit.
‘’I hardly deserve such a title, milady.’’
‘’You have more than enough gallantry to be one, let alone resolves and strength’’
This time Hildegarde softly shook her head, yet her smile took a few seconds to disappear; again tough, I was reminded of the simple humanity inhabiting this woman, yet somehow her physique was so scarce of humanity that it always raised my furs in fear…
‘’I believe sending you alone to be a mistake, given yesterday events I believe our enemies might have just placed a trap of some kind near the exit or worst, perhaps they are waiting in ambush. A bigger group would certainly give us more chance of survivals, and also be more efficient in the catacombs.’’
Whether my words reached her, I couldn’t say; Hildegarde simply gave me her usual blank red stare before retorting.
‘’Sending a single agent to investigate this possibility would not only make it much safer for the following group but also, if the worst truly does happen, your country isn’t going to lose the people of this expedition to these entities.’’
‘’Meaning you’ll be lost to the dangers of the catacombs? You think it’s an acceptable compromise?’’
‘’There’s no such thing as an easy way to solve this, milady, dealing with otherworldly entities is always a risky thing’’
I could tell she had much more experience than me, I’ve seen the way soldiers and warriors carry themselves and very few possessed the confidence to face lethal dangers without breaking in cold sweat, the sheer raw inner strength emanating from the woman of alabaster momentarily struck me silent.
‘’Beside, I’m not an easy kill’’
She spoke with a smile, a cruel grin of anticipation that told me what I needed about her disposition; Hildegarde liked conflicts, or at least this ‘’hunt’’ wasn’t something she did entirely out of duty.
‘’We have alchemical and magical expertise, you know? I’m sure we could help you, at least give you some other kind of weapons…’’
I was really scrapping the bottom of the barrel here; my words made the opposite maid straighten herself, back so slid it was like facing a doll.
‘’My body doesn’t need further upgrade, milady.’’
She spoke with finality, I felt my ears and tail drop; that peculiar subject was a sensitive, that’s what my instinct told me.
‘’I’m sorry I didn’t want to offend…’’
‘’You didn’t, I understand what you meant; I’ve already had a glimpse of Zipangu magical wonders, but I’ll simply ask you to believe my own words as well’’
Even so, Hildegarde was starting to convince me to let her go, too; pragmatic and eager for conflict, I could tell Tsukiyomi would love her already but I’m… I’m not the queen-mother, nor do I share the burdens of my queen as well.
>’’Aren’t we friend, Hildegarde? Having you with us would put me at great ease; also, I think you deserve all the information we can get about this place, which is why I indeed to pay a visit for the goat. I don’t want you to rush ahead, at least I know our own expedition would be much safer with you.’’ [Nothing more than an appeal for emotions but I’ve got nothing else.]
>‘’…’’ [I guess she’s right, sending her on her own is the most logical thing to do, scouting the area of our expedition would certainly help out.]
>Free.
3e7f03 No.4755
>>4754>>’’Aren’t we friend, Hildegarde? Having you with us would put me at great ease; also, I think you deserve all the information we can get about this place, which is why I indeed to pay a visit for the goat. I don’t want you to rush ahead, at least I know our own expedition would be much safer with you.’’ [Nothing more than an appeal for emotions but I’ve got nothing else.]Emotions are wanwan's strongsuit, she's a lover.
762323 No.4756
I'll wait a little more to see if there's going to be more inputs
6533ed No.4757
>>4754"Aren't we friends Hildegarde? I'd feel much safer with you around. And what about your lord, Princess Wilhelmina? Don't you think she'd be sad if you didn't come back to her? Wouldn't she be happier if you both killed this monster and returned to her side? Besides, you know more about fighting these things than we do. Having you with us could be the difference between success and failure."
If you're gonna appeal to emotion, do it right. She wouldn't be going this far if she only saw her relationship with the princess as a mere Master/Servant one.
fa21f1 No.4758
>>4754Can Maegan summon the Wolf of the Sun again?
762323 No.4759
>>4758Not yet, she need to put her blood on a talisman to summon the wolf, no other way of summoning has been discovered yet.
>>4757Sound like we've got an agreement.
fa21f1 No.4760
>>4754>’’Aren’t we friend, Hildegarde? Having you with us would put me at great ease; also, I think you deserve all the information we can get about this place, which is why I indeed to pay a visit for the goat. I don’t want you to rush ahead, at least I know our own expedition would be much safer with you.’’ [Nothing more than an appeal for emotions but I’ve got nothing else.]It doesn't feel like a good option, though.
762323 No.4761
Am I the best at judging the most logical course of action for dealing with these catacombs? No, absolutely not; that’s why my mother and the Matriarch of the Tengu are actually making decision. I doubt they have much of a clue about dealing with this maid, else Hildegarde would be lingering with them instead of me; neither native to Zipangu or loyal to our cause, perhaps the only thing that made her linger in the island is simple curiosity about our ‘’fabled’’ land…
That didn’t satisfy me.
‘’Aren’t we friends, Hildegarde?’’
I finally said it, which immediately made the woman of alabaster scowl in confusion.
‘’What do you mean?’’
‘’I’d feel much safer with you around in these tunnels, and the fact you seem so unafraid of death make me afraid; don’t you have people to go back to?’’
I could tell she didn’t like where I was going, her expression changed into a frown as her voice let out a gruff ‘’I…’’ that didn’t really go anywhere, simply dying into silence as she cupped half of her face, covering her mouth with her porcelain hand.
‘’I also believe that you know much more about these entities than we do, having you by my side is going to be vital if… when combat is joined. Zipangu doesn’t live next to the swamp; the people going in these white tunnels are persons like me, immune to mind manipulations. You’re a much more precious existence that you give yourself credit for, Hildegarde. I can’t speak for your home of Kreszenz, but at least here in Zipangu, you’ll be vital to help us resolve this portal conundrum, which I believe would also result in helping out your own queendom for we fully intent on finding a way to close it down; without keeping know-how away from you.’’
I felt my tail wag and my ears perk up as I gazed into those red eyes of hers, which could scarcely hold me in a glare as she kept looking away, so instead I went to grasp one of hands in my owns as my heart beat on incessantly; I was convinced that, were she to go in the fog, she wouldn’t be coming back out… I know I was making some very dangerous presumptions, but I’ve spent my whole life with Ame-no-Uzume and Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto; while I can’t pretend to know affair of states I’d like to believe they’ll be willing to acquire the good grace of another country – even if it is separated by the swamp.
‘’How in the world…’’
She muttered as her cheek gained a little reddish color that didn’t linger, instead a smile crept on her otherwise severe façade.
‘’…think me a friend already?’’
She asks something so obvious I had to fight off the urge to laugh.
‘’Hilde, when there’s love at first sight, the same goes for friendship!’’
Then she laughed, a sweet little giggle that sounded just girly enough for a woman like her, a porcelain hand hovered toward my ears and tis lukewarm, solid skin gently slide over the fur, eliciting a brief ticklish feeling as the skin and muscle gave way to her gentle treatment that, alas, lasted only the time of a breath as Hildegarde caught herself, immediately taking a backward step that also made her pivot, offering her back to me.
‘’I don’t really mind…’’
I said, giving the necklace at my neck a brief squeeze. I think I might be feeling a little guilty.
‘’Ahem!’’
Hildegarde cleared her throat.
‘’Fine. I’ll wait, not for long, as long as we return in the next few hours…’’
>’’Good, good! Now come with me, I want to get a late breakfast, I’m starving! You could also ask that favor you wanted too, you asked me something before we came to the temple right?’’[I guess the alchemist can wait.]
>’’Then let’s go for our alchemists! I’m sure you’ll like them.’’ [Biological needs be damned!]
762323 No.4762
I forgot the usual
>Free
3e7f03 No.4763
>>4761>>’’Good, good! Now come with me, I want to get a late breakfast, I’m starving! You could also ask that favor you wanted too, you asked me something before we came to the temple right?’’[I guess the alchemist can wait.]Plus invite the alchemists to breakfast, may as well multitask and make our request to them.
6533ed No.4764
>>4763Aye, good idea. Besides, they gotta eat too. It's hard to do SCIENCE on an empty stomach. I also wonder how our new maid is going to react to our more demonic friends.
Perhaps we should warn her about that, she might have trained to reflexively attack them on sight. We know she doesn't mind regular monstergirls but we don't know what she thinks of demons.
fa21f1 No.4766
>>4761>’’Then let’s go for our alchemists! I’m sure you’ll like them.’’ [Biological needs be damned!]We are pressed for time, and the alchemists will need time themselves to do their work.
fa21f1 No.4767
>>4764Hildegarde already met with Belphegor already when we first escaped the labyrinth.
There is nothing to be concerned about there.
762323 No.4768
‘’Follow me now, I want to get some food before we go and finish up the preparations, so you can ask that favor you wanted’’
I squeezed her hand a little harder before letting go and walking away from the temple, feeling a little burst of energy in my limbs and tail quickly saw me well away from dangerous, yet serene building and into the long path of the inner garden; part of me felt like taking a stroll near the fresh water used to keep the dragon healthy but instead veered toward the proper way of the kitchen, with Hildegarde making a little jog to reach my side.
–
For some reason Hildegarde hesitated to actually reveal this ‘’favor’’ she wanted all the way until we actually reached the dining room a little way off the garden (I also charged the few militias monsters of relying a message toward the duo of alchemist for state related business. These guys may be a bit stuffy but it’s certainly useful to have so many people around, I don’t need to seek out people anymore, it’s like having permanent messengers!).
Now that we were actually in the kitchen (she followed me for some odd reason) I actually felt brave enough to face the woman of alabaster and thusly did; putting my hands on my hips I felt my ears twitch as I looked up at her, which made her own eyes glance away, yet still they shone like rubies.
‘’I can’t read mind Hild, just tell me what it is you wanted’’
She certainly had much more decorum when delivering the news; still she ignored my gaze to instead peer at the kitchen that was recently cleaned, all the needed food and alchemical apparatus were there for a quick and easy breakfast.
‘’Um… I’d like you to teach me how to cook’’
…come again?
‘’…’’
She just stayed silent, making the light brouhaha of steps outside the door the only sound in our secluded spot for a few long seconds.
‘’You… don’t know?’’
Hildegarde cheek had grown an actual shade of red and she cleared her throat and tried to move – no doubt to offer her back to me- but our close proximity made it impossible. This kitchen is rather small.
‘’No, my only purpose is battle; every time I brought the princess meals I had an actual cook do it in secret. So far it’s been an effective ruse but I can’t put it up eternally. You look like an actual maid, Maegan so… You must have some expertise in what I lack.’’
While I’d like to ask why she didn’t ask to be taught in her homeland I made sure to stay silent.
>Hohoho this could be fun, I think I can make the alchemists wait…
>’’Another time then, I’ll give you my fuuuull attention~’’
>Free
>Continuing tomorrow.
6f9def No.4769
>>4768>>’’Another time then, I’ll give you my fuuuull attention~’’ We'll promise to do that on our first visit to her place. Extra motivation to the mission, we don't want to kill to much time on breakfast, and our countries are so different she'd probably have trouble adapting what she learns in our kitchen to hers, being a novice.
762323 No.4770
>>4769>We'll promise to do that on our first visit to her place.Said place is on the other side of the swamp, how do you plan on going there? Hild won'T be staying in Zipangu for long.
6f9def No.4772
>>4770Isn't part of this mission trying to establish a secure portal or something between us?
4e9599 No.4773
>>4768>Hohoho this could be fun, I think I can make the alchemists wait…>>4772The portals go through the Sabbath's Labrynth. The path would constantly be under attack, and since they use abominations from the Swamp, it would e almost as bad.
It would be shorter distance, but the monsters would be far more concentrated.
762323 No.4774
>>4772Creating a secure portal in her country isn't going to be easy. Zipangu has a few, all of them being carved into the rock.
Creating something similar in Kreszenz? Not so easy, you'll need to send the Matriarch in their palce at the very least but that's not quite possible with the poisonous gas… Or someone similarly powerful could come from Kreszenz, but they aren't as magically developped compared to Zipangu.
Not impossible, but far, far from easy when yo utake the catacombs/Sabbath into acocunt.
6f9def No.4775
>>4773Then what about setting up a long distance portal? Our mages set up one end, we escort them through, and they set up the other end in Hilde's place.
6533ed No.4776
>>4773Technically, all we need to do is get a mage capable of making portals to her country through this conduit. Once a mage has been to a place, they can portal there. Not many mages fit that bill but there is a way despite the difficulty.
So we'd just need to escort said mage safely to that side of the labyrinth. After that they just portal back to Zipangu, get a few more portal-capable people to that area, portal back and boom, we got portals ready to order in a sense to her realm without the damn evil labyrinth in the way. Not exactly easy but quite in the realm of possibility.
762323 No.4777
>>4775Could be possible, but that would two of the most powerful mages of the island, the vast majority of them are occupied with the war.
Perhaps yo c ould set something up with the crows, that's something you'll have to talk about in character though.
It'll be a pretty major thing to do, and not something Hild might agree with given that'll be doubling back on the way she came from, away from the creature she set out to kill.
>>4776Indeed, the hard thing is bringing someone over so they can port back.
6f9def No.4778
>>4777Maybe we should invite the matriarch to breakfast as well to discuss this as a group. It'd be up to the alchemists to keep her safe from the gas anyways.
Wanwan has an S rank in love and luck. I'm sure we can persuade Hilde in the name of our platonic friendship love.
6533ed No.4779
>>4777Ah, but the advantages of forming an alliance with Zipangu may be worth it. Once this crusade is dealt with (hell, they may even help us out a bit here) I'm sure both sides could come to some rather mutually beneficial arrangements.
We got magic and numbers, they got tough motherfuckers and tons of experience fighting shit straight out of Lovecraft. Kinda like Cadia, they're right next to the greatest nastiness in setting. Both sides got stuff the other would really like to have.
And besides, if all works out as planned from Siggy's side we got a Holy Nuke inbound on that swamp. Perhaps they'd know where best to drop that son of a bitch to form a nice trade route.
762323 No.4780
>>4778>Wanwan has an S rank in love and luckThe earlier twenties does give that sentence credence. I set out for something like that in the first place with the wolf. And so far it seem like you guys are taking her that way, too.
>platonic friendship love.Taking a fancy to sitting on that fence?
>>4779We'll see. Kreszenz is a fun place, this whole otherwordly tunnel certainly made Zipangu not feel so big anymore.
6533ed No.4781
>>4780Wait, I just thought of something. The now comatose Anubis seemingly used Ame's memories (and a bit of her blood apparently) to help form a portal to the swamp. Is it possible to use the memories and experiences of Hildegarde in a similar manner? This would enable us to circumvent the labyrinth entirely and allow for her to focus completely on the mission instead of worrying about escorting a portal capable mage.
For if this is possible, we could just grab one, cut on the meido a bit as she laid back and thought of Kresznez, and be there without too much effort. Assuming she still has blood or something, it seems she might be a soul bound to a kind of doll or puppet. Like ol' Batrion was a soul bound to a suit of armor.
6f9def No.4782
>>4780>>4781I wonder if gramma could help with the portal
762323 No.4783
>>4781You'll have to take the time and try this out in story with Hildegarde to see if its a success or not. No easy answer from me now>>4782Grandma never went into Kreszenz
6533ed No.4784
>>4783Drat. Still, worth the ol' college try though. I'm sure her princess would appreciate the benefits of an alliance with other like-minded lands that don't hate on the monstergirls and instead hate on corruption itself.
762323 No.4785
>>4784Well you are making some dangerous assumptions, don't forget the fact that Kreszenz is still part of the whole Allied Kingdom shenanigan. You could sit with Hildegarde for a more profound discussion of the land too, provided nothing bad happen of course.
6533ed No.4786
>>4785True, stuff on the other side of that death world is kinda a hard thing to really grasp for most people who understandably can't get at the whole picture.
Even so, we've pretty much been taking huge ass risks from day one in our desperate grasps for a happy ending. What's one more death flag in this giant field of em' eh?
6533ed No.4787
>>4768"Then promise me you'll survive. As my friend, I won't hold anything from you. I'll teach you everything. Every dish I know, Stir-Fry, Curry, spices, seasonings, marinades, East, West, North, South, and everything in between! Even bizarre combinations of things that seem disgusting at first but are really quite delicious, I'll teach you everything that I know! So please, it'll take a bit more time than you may like but I swear I will. Promise me you'll be there to learn so that you can cook a meal for your princess with pride and confidence!"
Feeling a bit hot-blooded here and I'm not fighting the urge. Lay it on!
e8c246 No.4788
>>4787Yeah, no. Fuck all that noise.
Really out of character for Maegan.
762323 No.4789
>>4787Cooking is a very big deal.
6533ed No.4790
>>4788Really? I think she takes quite a bit of pride in being a good meido. That has little to do with combat and more to do with things like good cooking, taking out the trash, answering the door, and other such mundane yet ultimately important things.
Plus the other things like understanding their master and such and wanting them to be happy above all else. Good help is hard to find. Hilde is good at murder and all, but it's quite understandable that she regrets being skilled in little else. She wants to make her princess happy, and she thinks that making her delicious meals is a good way to do that. I dare you think that's wrong. EVERYONE loves a good home-cooked meal. Anyone who says otherwise is a damn dirty liar.
>>4789Damn right it is. Nobody, and I mean NO-BO-DY… hates a good cook.
762323 No.4791
>>4788I think we got one vote for both options, I'll wait until tomorrow to write the continuation anyway so we got time for more votes.
It is a bit out of character though, but I can always rework it.
>>4790Wanwan is a good meido.
e8c246 No.4792
>>4790A proper maid is also ever calm, refined and elegant, and doesn't bring embarrassment to their Mistress. Burning hot blood is the opposite of this.
Besides, INH said it's out of character.
6533ed No.4793
>>4791She showed some hot blood when she expressed the desire to fix up her torn maid outfit. So I wouldn't say it's "entirely" out of character for her as things stand given our decisions.
>>4792Ame is… unique. She's not the average monstergirl, has a hankering for livers while asleep, and a whole bunch of other weirdness. And hey, she's a friggin' Kumiho, most any sane person would RUN from that at full speed!
That Wan-Wan is her one steady paramour is… puzzling. Hope to find out more as this arc progresses.
762323 No.4794
>>4793Oh yes I'm not saying Maegan can't have some hotblood, but it's always tempered.
Well, I think that's how you guys have been picturing her so far; honest, almost naïve but also having some very solid nerves who doesn't lose herself to emotions but instead channel them; little burst of excitement instead of a huge HOTBLOOD like the speech above. Like Siegfried, she has an inherent charisma but instead of respect, people tend to feel at ease with her.
I'll see about the course to take tomorrow anyhow, both are just as valid since everything is about how we want to manage our time.
I should probably put a clock to help you guys out.
e8c246 No.4795
>>4793What does Ame being a kumiho have to do with Maegan being a maid that doesn't have emotional HOTBLOOD outbursts?
6533ed No.4796
>>4794Well I was being a bit extreme, but a toned down version of it would work just fine. She can be passionate and all but she doesn't have to set fire to the scenery with her passion for being a good and proper meido… Yet it should still matter to her in a way it would seem given what we've decided on so far.
762323 No.4797
>>4796>>4795Hm, this whole exchange reminded me to put some focus on Ame and Maegan relationship. Another thing for later.
762323 No.4800
With all the discussion it wasn't made clear on waht vote hold majority for what to do next, so I'll call for a revote before I restart the thread. If were at an impasse, then I'll roll a dice.
>Hohoho this could be fun, I think I can make the alchemists wait…
>’’Another time then, I’ll give you my fuuuull attention~’’
>Free
3e7f03 No.4801
>>4800>>’’Another time then, I’ll give you my fuuuull attention~’’ Plus either way we go may as well invite matriarch to breakfast so she's included in the planning, both for the expedition and for setting up a portal.
ac6307 No.4802
>>4800>’’Another time then, I’ll give you my fuuuull attention~’’ The Alchemists need as Mich time as possible to get preparations ready, so we should talk with them as soon as possible.
762323 No.4809
Now then, I'll be getting to it. Sorry it's so late, getting busy on my end.
762323 No.4810
I've got a little situation on my hands tonight, nothing bad but something that might suck some time, so that'll probably slow down my progress. Sorry about that.
762323 No.4811
I'll be making a single big update instead for tonight, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for me.
762323 No.4812
‘’Thank for telling me’’
I answered, combatting the strong urge to hug her as she struggled with her own shame; it was such an adorable thing that the urge of pointing it out nearly overcame reasons and, to spare my nerves, I turned my own back to Hildegarde and headed into the kitchen properly, intent on cooking a little something quickly and perhaps make a few snacks for guests.
‘’I’ll be sure to give you my fuuuull attention later, don’t go thinking I’m forgetting this promise’’
I turned back toward the woman of alabaster whose gaze was firmly set on me, although my words seemed to have caught her unaware.
‘’It’s not a promise…’’
She said, protesting for the simple sake of it.
‘’Oh it is, Hildegarde. Trust me on that, I’ll teach you a delicacy of Zipangu so you can surprise your princess before you go back home’’
–
What little time I took to fiddle with the alchemical apparatus and the nicely kept food was intensely observed by the woman of alabaster to a point I almost felt like showing off (I would have done so if the alchemists weren’t coming). I almost regretted not taking up her offer but her sheer honesty in watching me work convinced me to try and prepare a little something special when the time came to give her some –proper- instruction; the princess Hildegarde wished to cook for is one lucky little lady…
–
It must have took a good ten minutes for the pair of little ladies to arrive in the dining room , with me and Hildegarde coming just a little later as they made themselves comfortable; the goat had taken to carry her scythe around, most likely because of all the recent dangers while Ithel was as smiling and jubilant as ever, happily digging into the foods I hastily cooked for them; Hildegarde presence didn’t seem to strike them with astonishment (as I initially feared), perhaps I missed some introduction during my sleep.
‘’Still sure ya don’t want me to check out those limbs, white lady?’’
‘’…I’m fine, thank you’’
‘’You sure? Ever heard of liquid metal? I’m the one that came up with it, in fact my prototype was successfully craft on a golem here’’
‘’The Hermingild are known beyond the swamp to those knowledgeable in alchemy, little dame, but I assure you my prosthesis are working perfectly despite the traumas of my recent battles.’’
‘’Well we do have some time, y’know? I just wanna make sure everything is alright with ya…’’
‘’I appreciate the sentiment.’’
‘’Sentiment alone aint gonna keep those at peak efficiency’’
…and so on, the small alchemist plopped herself beside Hildegarde who was also sitting at my side, on her knees in a stance so proper I could mistake it as royal; Ithel was certainly insistent while indulging herself (with what was supposed to me MY meal!) as she kept grilling the stoic woman of glowing optics, I know she’s specialised in golems but I don’t think Hildegarde could be one.
At least, I’ve never heard of an artificial creature with actual emotional depth; then again if a Tsukumogami can exist, I guess something like an emotional golem isn’t a farfetched thought.
I gently patted the needle housing the spirit as the idea crossed my mind.
Meanwhile, the little goat put something on the table while her blonde compatriot kept on gently egging the patient bodyguard; a bundle wrapped in red silk made a brief ‘’thunk’’ as she gently dropped it, her claw-fingers working to undo the knot, the object inside looked pretty big and rather uneven, more on the long side than large and it was soon revealed to be a strange item that left me and Hildegarde speechless as we both observed in confusion.
762323 No.4813
The one word to perfectly describe it would be ‘’cylindrical’’. A long tub-like object made in metals (perhaps steel?) extended outward in a single line with its tip empty and round, as if something was to go out or inside. Some kind of handle allowed the goat to grip it effectively while one of her fingers danced around a strange protuberance protected by some kind of metal line, some…thing also extended upward for a purpose that left me completely clueless; still it was an odd, if impressive piece, I also noticed that Belphegor took great care to avoid pointing the empty tip at anyone and instead placed the object back on the table facing the wall.
‘’What in the world is that?’’
I heard Hildegarde speak as she leaned over to observe this strange object a little closer.
‘’Not sure, but hey we finished putting it back together an hour or so ago, but that doesn’t quite answer how it work; but hey at least that’s one mystery down’’
Ithel spoke as her chest huffed in pride while the more demurred goat gave a laugh in turn.
‘’Well she’s the one that figured it out’’
She said, pointing at the blonde who made a show of putting one of the steamed vegetable in her mouth with the smuggest smile I’ve seen on such a cute little girl.
‘’As it stand right now this thing is still completely useless; it’s supposed to expel a small projectile with so much speed that it’d render armor useless –without- the use of magic, we’ve yet to figure out how it’s supposed to do this damn thing, but hey, for now avoid walking in front of that empty tube, alright?’’
The goat said, pointing to said part of this item while looking at me and Hildegarde in turn.
‘’As much as I like being praised there’s a reason why we brought it‘’
Ithel spoke with a little more seriousness now as she reach for the object; gripping it by its handle and then outstretching her arm toward the roof; it didn’t look too weighty given her slender limbs, something like this would definitely be an efficient weapon for such a small girl.
‘’Aye, I don’t want to put you on the spot, Hildegarde, but I do have to ask you something’’
The maiden of alabaster simply straightened herself and nodded at the demonic little goat.
‘’The Allied Kingdoms have the university of alchemy in their central plains but they also have a single outpost, located in Kreszenz; now this object was…’’
‘’Stolen?’’
I finished her trail of thought; Hildegarde didn’t seem to have any issue with that, then again she’s always interdict.
‘’…Well yeah, it’s been stolen. Now I’d like to ask you if you have any ideas about it; given recent development I’m sure you’ll agree I’d make an efficient weapon for our doggy maid’’
‘’Me…?’’
I’m used with handling bows and crossbows, not some strange apparatus; still, my fellow maid answered swiftly, first by shaking her head.
‘’Whatever knowledge I hold of the university is old and likely out of date now, they aren’t focusing on these… types of weapons when it come with their dealing in Kreszenz; while certainly lethal, this thing only look useful to murder human and monsters, not the entities of the swamps’’
Something of an awkward smile grace Belphegor face at this statement.
‘’Yeah, I suspected as much, but hey we’ve got to work with what we can right?’’
‘’I agree that sending Maeve in these tunnels without a weapon is foolish, if I could help you, I would, but I’m afraid I can’t’’
>And so the conundrum begins. The girls made some progress with this ‘’weapon’’ but it seem they’ve hit an impasse – what should I do?
31831a No.4814
>>4813"Well if it expels a projectile all you need is a driving force behind it - like air pushing water through a pipe. Even if it's designed to not need magic it shouldn't be that hard to use alchemy as a shortcut to create that force to drive out the projectile, right?"
That seems common sense enough that they would of thought of that immediately but I have no other idea of what to say.
6533ed No.4815
>>4813Wow, so handcannons are useless against swamp horrors? What, they all got high-level healing factors or can phase shift almost at will most the time?
Muzzle loaders wouldn't have the necessary output to deal with those problems but once you figure out cartridge ammo you're good to go essentially. Why it took so long for that to occur RL is beyond me as it's a pretty damn simple concept as well as common sense if you want everything to work in the rain. They're ignoring the "boom" because they don't see the potential to turn that into dakka! Oh well, visionaries are always hard to find.
I know we got our hands on a few of those new cannons the church used to fuck Ame up. They should have nabbed some of that gunpowder and ammo that went with them as well as seen them being operated by the humie cannoneers. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together on this one. Never took "primitive" cultures very long to figure these types of weapons out once used against them. Haven't they read any battle reports regarding those new weapons?
762323 No.4816
>>4814Hm maybe I'm not making it obvious, but this is an opportunity to try and give them a new (potentially right) idea or solving the mystery outright (if you want to spend some time o nit, of course).
>>4815>Wow, so handcannons are useless against swamp horrors? Not quite, were dealing with a regular pistol here, not a handcanon. Even so the early guns we've got don't fare too well with the incredibly lethal entities of the swamp paired with its perpetually humid/rainy temperature.
>Haven't they read any battle reports regarding those new weapons?No, that's pretty highly classified and the battle is only a day old. You could try ringing Ame up.
31831a No.4817
>>4815The reason why so many things that seem common sense took so long, historically, is because often they lacked the knowledge from different sources of those who worked on the problem before they did to figure it out.
As for figuring out how a gun works, once they know its design is to propel a projectile at high speeds it's just a matter of throwing together an alchemical explosive charge that won't blow up the barrel and rigging the trigger mechanism to ignite it.
762323 No.4818
>>4817>once they know its design is to propel a projectile at high speeds it's just a matter of throwing together an alchemical explosive charge that won't blow up the barrel and rigging the trigger mechanism to ignite it.Pretty much, there's several way to help them out, just gotta think back on everything that happened so far. I won't spell out the solution, WanWan is no engineer, but she -is- learned in quite a few thing, one of them being simple rudimentary alchemy; gas operated kitchen, for instance. I’ll wait for tomorrow to see if we’ve got a course of action, else I could always offer some >greentext choices.
6533ed No.4819
>>4816I see, so the early lock systems would indeed be rendered next to useless then. They'll have to at least figure out percussion caps before they'll have any utility and cartridge ammo before they become utterly reliable then. As expected of a Death World really, only the best will save you.
762323 No.4820
>>4819Good thing magic even the odds
31831a No.4821
>>4819With such high level alchemy available I don't know why they would care to figure that stuff out beyond curiosity and what overlaps with alchemical solutions. Gunpowder firearm technology would only seem relevant to monster groups like the lizards or oni or maybe the cats who don't have such readily available magical resources like the fox kingdom does. Once Gil gets that mage/alchemy school back up and running I doubt even the human kingdom of the commonwealth would care that much about gunpowder.
6533ed No.4822
>>4821True, but then if you set up or discover things like anti-magic fields and such it'd become more relevant. Besides, a mage only has so much mana and Siggy's just lucky to have a pool way bigger than most, any way to conserve it would be welcome to grunt troops and lower leveled mages.
762323 No.4823
>>4821Another good point, which is why I'll readily rework most mention of black powder if we get down to it. The overall technology is doing pretty, it just went in a different way.
And why this pistol is pretty much relegated as an odd project in an alchemical university.
762323 No.4824
Is
>>4814 the vote for what to do next?
31831a No.4825
>>4823I'm out for the night but at the next available time I'd like to vote for talking to Hilde and Matriarch together about setting up a portal between our two places.
6533ed No.4826
>>4824I suppose something along those lines would work. It is the basic principle behind firearms after all. Even utilized in more primitive ways with blow darts.
There should be some kind of alchemical mixture that either explodes or burns up in a flash to quickly produce the necessary quantity of expanding gasses and pressure to fling that bullet out of there at far greater speeds than arrows.
22e7d2 No.4827
>>4813"If it needs to push something out, what about converting something alchemically from one thing that has a small volume to something that takes up more space to push the projectile out? Like water to air?"
762323 No.4829
As the silence in the room prolonged itself, Ithel gently put the weapon back on the table which finally allowed me to grasp it; my movement of course, the attention of everyone else as the weapon weighted in my hand; it was rather comfortable, striking a good balance between weight and lightness – if anything it could be used to club a poor soul on the head, especially with that bluntness on what I could only hypnotize as its hilt. A quick look down that tube (while keeping my finger away from the ‘’danger spot’’ as Belphegor called it) revealed it to be completely empty the strange…sculpture that also sprouted from its side revealed some kind of strange opening that I couldn’t quite guess the purpose.
For a stolen weapon, it certainly was a mysterious thing; thus I gently put it back down while Hildegarde look at me in indifference as I wracked my own brain, the two alchemists having taken to eat and create some activity in the rather plain dining room.
‘’Well, thank for being honest Hildegarde’’
Obviously the woman of alabaster lack of knowledge was quite the setback…
I’m not going to pretend myself an alchemist; while learned thank to growing up in the castle I wouldn’t call myself a scholar either, I know that the first big ‘’invention’’ that started a widespread curiosity with the science of alchemy came with the discovery of a ‘’wooden sludge’’ that was nothing more than wood transformed into a slimy liquid that could still catch on fire, albeit at a reduced (and much more controllable) rate, making it the basis of nearly all known lamps for simple, sheer longevity. Of course it was also made into a weapon, a much more concentrated version usually lead into a bluish light, the lamp wielded by Hildegarde on our first meeting that she used to block the entrance of the stairs with flames.
If I remember right a pope actually banned further research into this ‘’weaponized sludge’’ because it was unethical and heretical to the dogma of the Children faith.
Well that doesn’t quite answer our problem.
‘’If it expels a projectile all you need is a driving force behind it - like air pushing water through a pipe. It doesn’t have the obvious stock and mechanism you’d see on a crossbow so it’s definitely using something else that shouldn’t be magical; that tube isn’t big so the projectile is equally small, isn’t there some kind of alchemical weapon or fuel that we can use?’’
‘’Yep.’’
‘’Aye’’
The girls said in unison, which made my heart leap just a tad but their lack of enthusiasm was more than enough to kill that little feeling of triumphs burgeoning in my heart.
‘’There’s Hork formula to transform water into steam in the blink of an eye’’
Ithel began.
‘’Problem is tough, we’ll need to reduce it into a tiny, fragile capsule for the hammer to break, making it very, very unreliable to use and still liable to blow up the muzzle, hell it’ll probably make the entire thing explode since there’s no way to actually balance the transformation reliably.’’
If I remember my history a conflict between the central Kingdoms and Gwynedd saw the military use of this peculiar weapon also banned by the church after a horrific battle where the widespread use of the formula resulted in an incredible amount of casualties of non-military personnel.
‘’Another thing would be the Red Sand. Highly flammable stuff found in most of the bombs used in combat, we thought we had it too with the idea but…’’
Belphegor began, stabbing one of her tiny claws into a piece of ham on the table then bringing it to her hungry mouth, severely reducing the size of my breakfast.
‘’It leave tiny pieces of crystals after combustions, you’ll need to thoroughly clean the barrel after firing if it doesn’t break outright, hell it’ll probably make the lock completely unusable’’
This peculiar material is probably the most widespread use of weaponized alchemy in the world; light up the fuse, throw the small metal bauble toward your enemy and take cover to avoid the rain of deadly metal. While easily countered with a holy shield (or most solid form of magic), it’s still a very effective tool with predictably grim result, although I never knew it left these ‘’crystals’’ imprints but then again I’ve also never seen actual use of the Red Sand.
Honestly, it seems like the girls really did think of everything; little geniuses stuck in an impasse are a sad sight, especially after realized they’ve been wracking their brain for a way to keep me safe.
‘’I’ve been thinking we might have been going at it the wrong way’’
762323 No.4830
I heard the small blonde speak up, her eyes darting toward Hildegarde for a spell.
‘’I was hoping this pretty girl would be our missing link but I guess we gotta do everything our way; I’m thinking this damn thing use a specific kind of fuel and honestly, we don’t have much to work in the labs. The castle got some real state of the art stuff that undoubtedly cost a fortune to keep, let alone maintain but it’s all stuff related to medicine and golems, not weapons, let alone an efficient way to find alternative means of propulsion for our little conundrum.’’
I saw the goat nod at the girl, apparently that must have been something they talked about to some length.
‘’Me think we ought to try and play to Zipangu strength; magic’’
‘’Mi…Ahem’’
Hildegarde cleared her throat and I felt my cheek heat up.
‘’Maegan isn’t a mage, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of this weapon?’’
‘’Probably, maybe, I dunno; magic is widespread here and I’ve never seen it so efficient anywhere else thank to these talismans, Ofuda they be called right? I know you gotta be a mage to activate em but… well since we don’t have access to the true way to use this thing, I believe we should try something completely different instead and so, maybe enchant by some magical means’’
To say Zipangu specialize in magic is a half-truth at best, the island has a long, long history with ancestral communication to summons beasts and spirits for battle or, in some rare case, the actual enchantment of artefact, making the entire ‘’belief’’ extremely hard to properly pinpoint, only the Ofudas actually set some kind of precedence by their abilities to store spells for later uses or, as seen down in the temple, greatly facilitating what would have been a long and elaborate ritual.
What Ithel seem to want is to combine alchemy and magic; effectively creating our own piece of ‘’Magitek’’ or maybe make it all magical instead? Still, her entire proposal filled with a strange sense of déjà vue instead of the confused wonderment of trying to answer the problem.
>Should I spend some time to help them out?
>Or leave them to it, do I have somewhere else to be?
>Free
f03045 No.4831
>>4830Wasn't Ame telling us to cut the second ofuda back when fighting the Grues a second, less known method of ofuda activation?
31831a No.4832
>>4830"We do have magical entities that can inhabit objects to our benefit - I was using one just last night before we found those tunnels. As for the technical problems for this weapon, if you have you develop a special alchemical charge for it why not just design a new weapon from scratch that plays nicer with our methods?"
762323 No.4833
>>4831Indeed, but she was still there and present and would have activated the spell, cutting it is simply a way to brute froce a change in the spell stored within (namely, using the energy within for another purpose). It's also only possible to do so if you are the original maker of the Ofuda
762323 No.4834
Dropped my trip again
6533ed No.4835
>>4830Hmmm… how much time we talkin' when it comes to spending time to help them out? We do need to get our hands on another ofuda and be with Hildegarde when she goes back into those catacombs.
762323 No.4836
>>4835Probably an hour at most depending on how things goes.
It's about 11 AM in quest, so you do have some time.
762323 No.4837
>>4832Is this good enough as an unanimous choice?
f03045 No.4838
>>4830>Should I spend some time to help them out?This weapon is meant to be used by Maegan, so she should be there to test it.
31831a No.4839
>>4837>>4838Hilde may be interested in observing this kind of thing as well.
762323 No.4840
>>4839She's not going to leave your side quite yet, so yeah, you can expect her to tag along.
762323 No.4841
Perhaps it’d be good to try and help them out as best I can; the idea of moving onto a potential piece of Magitek sounded logical enough, even if I was simply following along. Still, thinking back on what happened yesterday, the mention of enchantment was enough to make a little idea burgeon (which inevitably made my ears twitch again).
‘’I know of something. I’m… friend with an entity capable of inhabiting objects, he was with me last night when I was ambushed by the Grues’’
Being ambushed and putting the Tsukumogami in very real peril always filled me with shame, no matter how much time people would tell ‘’you aren’t a warrior or soldier’’ the facts remained I put someone else in danger through my incompetence, that’s not something to wash away under a blanket to protect me; I fucked up and I should do my best to own up to him… at least it was inhabiting my needle now, but perhaps I could give him a new purpose
‘’But for our weapon… it seem like it’d take less effort to actually design a completely new object for our purpose’’
‘’That’d take days, weeks, years. Don’t exactly have that much time on our hands’’
MY words tough, seemed to reenergize the duo, most of their lethargy shed away as they both inched closer to me (and consequently, Hildegarde who gave an expression reminiscent of an angry hedgehog).
‘’A spirit that can inhabit object you say? Can you communicate? Do you need magic to stir it into activity or something?’’
Of the two, Belphegor was the most… invasive as she plopped herself right beside me with a strangely wide smile and shining eyes; the youthful adoration of yesterday little game of cuteness was completely absent and I honestly began to miss it. Why a little goat does have to look so mature…?
‘’Um, I don’t need to do anything special, he’s simply there…’’
I spoke, gently fiddling with one of the pocket of my uniform to extract the secured needle of steel; taking it out of its capsule, I gently pinched the object and laid it beside the weapon on the red cover of silk; everyone immediately grew silent as I approached my face, seeing nothing out of the ordinary – usually there was a little sign, some vapor-like movement of air around it…
‘’Chosin-Obake, can you hear me?’’
My voice was answered with the only language it knew; a brief murmur of steel reminiscent of the wind flowing through a small cavity.
‘’Oooh, seriously…?’’
Ithel, sitting right beside Hildegarde (who was making an effort to endure the little blond) leaned over for a better look as the flowing sound seemed to catch all the girls completely unaware.
762323 No.4842
‘’Are you doing well?’’
I asked gently, the response was a spirited flow of this ‘’Steel song’’ that I could only interpret as a yes.
‘’My friends have been having some problem, do you think you could inhabit this object beside? It’s a weapon and…’’
The response was as evasive as ever, the needle tremble slightly as, for the first time, the spirit began to be visible as vapor-like air wafted upward, and settling over the needle, making it look like the object itself and part of the silk sheet were caught in a heat haze.
‘’…you can do that?’’
I asked, with the similar response of this high-pitch steel song; something of a translucent tendril extended from the amorphous cloud of vapor to hover near the blunt handle of the motionless weapon.
‘’Is it… if he inhabit that weapon, he’s going to completely change it, won’t he?’’
The one to speak up, surprisingly, was Hildegarde; her glowing carmines optics formed a line from her furrowed brows as she glared down at the tiny Tsukumogami – the purpose of enchanting an item was just that, to make a complete and total change to an otherwise mundane object.
‘’Yeah’’
I answered as the spirit seemed too hesitated.
‘’I don’t mind at all’’
‘’Neither do I, this thing was meant as a weapon for you, Maegan.’’
The fact they seemed so eager made me suspicion and, with a brief stare at both alchemist, I decided to ask my question.
‘’And why, exactly, are you so intent on giving me a weapon?’’
‘’Well…’’
The first one to hesitate was the tiny blonde who looked away momentarily but her interest soon refocused back on the floating vapor-like spirit that was now gently blanketing the equally strange weapon.
‘’Ame and your mom asked us, as a favor’’
…well, I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else. But these girls really did put some efforts into this while having absolutely no ties or loyalty to the crown, they’re good people. Right?
>If I let the Tsukumogami (the object-spirit of steel) fully enchant that weapon it will inevitably change it up completely, probably make it impossible to solve the enigma surrounding its mechanism in exchange for gaining a potential artefact, a piece of Magitek – combination of technology and magic.
>Should I proceed with this? Or would it be wiser to leave that weapon intact?
6533ed No.4843
>>4842Have they sufficiently analyzed the parts and obtained the measurements to make a carbon copy of this thing at a later date? This is rather important.
762323 No.4844
>>4843Everything is on paper, but they still can't reliably reproduce it; it'll likely take a good long while to see a replication.
The main reason why they struggled with the pistol in the first place was because it was in pieces and needed to be put back together from the ground up.
6533ed No.4845
>>4844So they managed to put it all together from the ground up without an instruction manual. Please tell me they wrote how to put it all together down.
762323 No.4846
>>4845Of course they did, its just that finding a reliable smith isn't such an easy thing to do with the war going on.
31831a No.4847
>>4842I don't much like wanwan having a weapon but I guess she does have to have something reliable for self protection in those tunnels, and that pistol isn't going to do much to the horrors down there from what Hilde said without us having it be possessed.
The engineers know enough to make their own version of a gun based in alchemy at this point, I'd say they've learned what they need to from this pistol, so let's modify it for ourselves.
6533ed No.4848
>>4846So mass production on a scale big enough to make any noticeable difference in the coming final battle would be next to impossible then?
Could we contact Ame and ask her if she knows anything about stuff like this given how she was on the business end of this kind of weapon and likely read a report or two on the cannons? I am leaning towards letting our spirit take the gun over but I'd like to see if we can get one more clue for these girls so that the mystery is pretty much solved so that when they do start producing the weapons are usable as is without needing Chosin-Obake to possess them.
f03045 No.4849
>>4842>Should I proceed with this? Or would it be wiser to leave that weapon intact?If the Tsukumogami is going to alter it completely to work, why not create a copy and have the spirit inhabit the copy?
The copy, even if it isn't as strong or working as the original, will be changed to work, right?
Because right now the pistol is just mechanical parts, no alchemical pieces.
762323 No.4850
>>4848>So mass production on a scale big enough to make any noticeable difference in the coming final battle would be next to impossible then?Correct.
Zipangu did capture some canons but it's been just about a day, figuring out how they work and how a pistol work take time, especially when said pistol is a secret prototype in the first place. Ame wouldn'T realyl be able to answer this, best you could do is send Ithel and Belphegor on the frontline to inspect the canons.
>>4849>If the Tsukumogami is going to alter it completely to work, why not create a copy and have the spirit inhabit the copy?Creating a copy could take between 2-3 days, they'll need a competent smith and said smith would probably need to remake a few parts in order to familiarize with how to make the parts she needs to get.
Basically, a copy could happen, but it'll take some time. Time you might not have to spare.
6533ed No.4851
>>4850Drat, I'm guessing the front-line thing would take to long and Hildegarde ain't gonna wait for us to do that and get another Ofuda for to summon grandma again if SHTF.
In that case, do it, we need a good and powerful weapon now not later.
762323 No.4852
>>4850>Creating a copy could take between 2-3 days, they'll need a competent smith and said smith would probably need to remake a few parts in order to familiarize with how to make the parts she needs to get.Dammit I worded this like trash. Basically no smiths have any competence with making gunparts, so it'll take some time for them to get it right.
>>4851>>4847Seem like we got two votes for enchantement.
31831a No.4853
>>4851Even if they could mass produce firearms I seriously doubt they would make an impact on the coming battle in a few days without time to organize the logistics for distributing them, the ammo, then figuring out how to train everyone using them, pulling people off the lines or reserves to be trained, then actually training them, and then re-deploying them to the front line.
Deploying new weapon technology like this is not a matter of days without some serious fudging.
f03045 No.4854
>>4850>>4852I don't like losing the gun prototype, but since we're not going to be able to deploy it in any other form by the time of the decisive battle, and actual mass production and deployment would take months, if not years, I see little alternative.
The acquisition of another prototype from the University of the Allied Kingdoms will simply have to be arranged.
>enchant the weapon 23b899 No.4855
>>4854>and actual mass production and deployment would take months, if not yearsThere is a reason that firearms became the norm for warfare.
762323 No.4856
‘’I want to let him do his magic…’’
At my words, the melody of vibrating steel intensified slightly, just enough to avoid hurting my sensitive hearing; a sparkle of interest light up in all the girls eyes at this reaction, even Hildegarde leaned over to observe the fantastic spectacle of this vapor-like cognitive spirit now hovering over the weapons of iron, steel and wood.
‘’…Were you looking for a way to show your gratitude?’’
Again, the same sound resonated in the room, flowing out of the vapor; a gust of wind filtered through a circle of steel resulting in a brief chant of emotions that I couldn’t quite translate, however… whether truthful or only hopeful belief, it felt the spirit accepted my question as legitimate and thusly, I became willing to accept it.
The translucid cloud started to grow white as it expended to cover the expanse of the weapon, filtering into its inner mechanism the carefully polished iron and wood began to enter a change visible to the naked eye; a dull grey color was spreading on every parts of the pistol like a careful painting of a sculpture; it was slow and methodical and soon the entirety of the weapon changed like this, the brilliant silver of the iron turned grey, the blackish brown of the wood from the handle becoming a dull silver, decorative engraving completely gone, replacing the barrel with smooth steel; a brief reenergised melody heralding the spirit ending its…haunting? Inhabitation?
A strangely elegant change; I took a deep breath and gently approached my hand from the handle as the three girls on my sides gulped in tension – then I witnessed the absence of the steel needle – it was completely gone.
‘’It’s actually weightier’’
Because the weapon itself was burdened with entirely new materials; everything had changed to steel, even the ‘’hammer’’ (as Ithel described) yet still the sculpture moved when I gently fiddled with it. The entirety of the material was now uniform – steel, boorish, grayish steel.
‘’Damn, that’s impressive’’
The little blond said.
‘’Wanna try it out?’’
The goatling at my side spoke, glowering golden eyes filled with childish wonders; there was a brief chant coming from the spirit as my eyes rested on the empty spot that held the previous needle…
What could that mean? The spirit didn’t appeared distress; it was merely making its usual chant.
>What could the missing needle mean?
And
>Should I indulge with Ithel and Belphegor and ‘’try out’’ the newly enchanted weapon, as they put it?
f03045 No.4857
>>4856>What could the missing needle mean?The needle must have punctured or struck something that would initiate the alchemical reaction.
Whatever was used to propel the projectile must therefore have been self-contained.
Maybe a cleaner version of the Red Sand, or a combination of alchemical reactions, such as Red Sand followed by water vapor to clean out the tube in preparation for the next projectile.
>Indulge Ithel and Belphegor. Besides, we should test it before we have to use it in combat.
6533ed No.4858
>>4856>What could the missing needle mean?I don't know. It seems to always need something to inhabit. Maybe because it didn't have an outside source of magic, or perhaps it was consumed to fuel the changes in the weapon. It's something to ask Ame about, she'd know better than us.
And yeah, let's try it out. Get a feel for it while we have the chance, could mean the difference between life and death.
31831a No.4859
>>4856Try it out to figure out how to actually operate the gun worth a damn. Make sure to offer Hilde a chance to play with it.
762323 No.4860
>>4858>It's something to ask Ame about, she'd know better than us.You can always bother her by activating your side of the Hoshi-no-Tama
6533ed No.4861
>>4860Um, will that do anything overt? I don't want to hint at how important that necklace really is to other people. If anyone figures out what it really is it'd be really bad for both us and Ame.
762323 No.4862
>>4861It'll be overt enough that you'll need to excuse yourself and go alone to extract some of your blood for the gem.
6533ed No.4863
>>4862Then it can wait until we can get some alone time in a more organic, subtle way. I'm worried that Belphegor and Hilde are the type to react to suspicious behavior with sneaking and curiosity. For different reasons of course.
31831a No.4864
>>4860Given everything that's happened since Ame went to sleep last night we definately need to call her after we try out the new weapon. Report to her our misadventure in the tunnels and bringing home a new friend from a human kingdom from across the swamp. Tell her about our plans to go into the tunnel with her and we magic'd up a gun to protect ourselves with. Nag her to not over extend herself while she's wounded.
762323 No.4865
>>4864>>4863Pretty clear then. Let's concentrate on the gun first.
992776 No.4866
>>4863Im pretty sure that all we have to say is something like 'excuse me I need to go report to the queen before I forget and we go into the tunnels.'
762323 No.4867
Actually I might have to stop here, been going for a pretty long while now and I'm feeling the fatigue.
Were approaching 700 post, not sure how long the thread will last, but I'll be stopping here for tonight and probably resume around friday.
f03045 No.4868
>>4867>not sure how long the thread will lastSeeing as we've been in autosage for nearly a month and only now made it to the top of Page 2, it'll be here for a long while.
762323 No.4869
>>4868I honestly feel like it's about time to make a new one, 700 replies is more than good enough.
6533ed No.4870
>>4869Feels like I'm gonna have to make a separate summary for this before it drops off the face of the net. You can post PDF's here right?
762323 No.4871
>>4870Not sure, I'm leaning on a
no but it might be something that's going to be implemented.
514dfb No.4890
>>4869I can raise the bumplimit for the time being if you have such wish. It's not that we're having that many threads to need it right now anyway.
>>4870>>4871PDF posting is enabled.
Post last edited at
762323 No.4896
>>4890Thank for offering, but I'm also thinking about the archives. I think 700 replies is more than good enough if anyone feel like reading it and the quest has progressed well enough to move onto its second part
514dfb No.4897
>>4896All is here.
http://8archive.moe/qu/thread/3978/Guess I can agree with your point, new thread would probably spark a bit more motion than a lengthy browser-killer. Gravity and me are hoping to release our collab Quest and start repopulating the board soon, it'd be of much help to have your thread on the front page at that time.
Having said what I said, enjoy your stay here. Hope you guys may eventually find yourselves interested in the rest of the board as well, presuming we manage to restore it to its former glory.