/monster/ - The Last Bastion of Romance★

Well the guy that suggested Solomon got in first but https://poal.me/5c95m5

Why don't dogs get botulism from the bones they bury? I know they have some resistance to it, but they are not immune and are known to die from eating rotten meat.

>>295793

Oh yeah I forgot about that. I actually like Midas better, but y'all can have a poll I guess.

Dogs most certainly can get Botulism, but the amount in the soil is likely very small. I'm sure it probably happens in very rare cases, but it's like, Toxoplasma gondii lives in soil, but many people who garden don't get titers of it.

Rommel can magic up some ice too put in his headscarf/turban to keep a 'cool head'. lol

>Story continue

With a great deal of puff and pomp, you say, "But sir, we are merchants!"

"Is that so?" The Guard says, looking dubious. His gaze drifts over to the hooded twins and then to the weapons at Tabitha and Alice's belts. He frowns and says, "So you are slavers then?"

Both you and Tabitha look a little disgusted at this accusation and you speak before you can correct yourself, "No, I would never do such a-" You cut off as Alice jabs you in the ribs and you grunt before saying, "Ah, it is not a profession I have looked into, sayidi almuhtarm."

His eyebrows raise for a moment at your decidedly shitty pronunciation,ut you only just learned the damn word, so sue you, right? He mulls over it for a moment before sighing, "Present your wares then."

"My ware." You repeat, looking at him in confusion. "You want to see… my wares." Honestly, you didn't expect him to ask this of you and you have to flounder about for a moment before Ebe steps forward and says,

"hu 'ahmaq mae eayan jayidat lilkham." She looks up at you and gives a sweet smile before saying, "Would you show the kind guard your ore?"

"My… ore." The words spill unbidden from your lips until it all snaps together and your eyes widen in realization. "Ah yes, my ore!"

Hands moving quickly, you dig into your coat and pull out your friends one by one, explaining what they are and how they function. The guard seems a little put off by how much you're pulling from your pockets, but he doesn't say anything until the end.

"A respectable collection, some of which are fit to sell." He nods his head and holds out a hand. "May I see your papers, then?"

Ebe winces and you cock your head. "Papers?"

"Yes, the papers received when your goods are reported. You did receive papers while at the trading outpost, yes?"

"I… seem to have forgotten them." You say, sweating a little. The guard narrows his eyes and you quickly sidle up next to Ebe. "Ah, but who needs that when I have my l…loving w…wife here? We got married and now I'm a citizen of Ectria so I should be able to-"

"I would appreciate if you did not waste my time." The guard says, though there is no one else around. He shakes his head and waves you away, to which you begin to blurt something out and his hand goes down to his curved sword at his waste.

"Are you certain there's nothing else I could do for you?" You say, winking at him. The guard's eyes go even more flat and he hisses,

"Homosexuality is punished by death in this country, Deleorian. If you make such advances again, I will cut you down."

"Wha-?" You say, looking startled. "No, I didn't mean that at all."

"Then you would whore out your… "wife?"

"No, not that either, I'm talking about- ugh, give me a moment." You begin to dig into your coin pouch when Ebe's wing touches your arm and she shakes her head.

"No, that will be enough." She turns and bows her head to the guard, "shurkraan."

"qad taeud, shaqiqatan." He says, giving her a smile with an odd expression, a mix of pity and lechery. Ebe gives him a wry smile but says nothing before turning back to you.

"I suppose we just need to head back to the outpost and get our papers, yes?"

"Of course…" You mumble cursing yourself for a fool not thinking this over. You could just incapacitate all the guards and make your way into the town anyway, but people would see and notice all of this from the town, especially Nane, who will bolt the moment she knows what's up. Of course, she'll probably do this if you make your way into the town anyway.

Thoughts swirl in your mind enough that you don't notice fully as Alice leads you away, the rest of your group entering the safety off the pass until you're far enough away that the guards can't see any longer. When you reach this point, Sophie lets down her hood and frowns back toward the end of the pass before sniffing.

"Well, that could have gone better. We'll have to find something with which to sneak by the guards I suppose. Perhaps your invisibility spell, dear sister?"

"It's not invisibility and I highly doubt it's going to work all that well in all that direct sunlight. Besides, did you notice the Anubis nearby? She'd smell us easy."

"I see." Sophie says, putting a hand to her chin. We'll need to find something, however…"

"I could kill them all?" Alice says, looking bright until Tabitha chops her head.

"No. No apprentice of mine will be killing innocents."

"But they're guards! They know the risks in their duty!"

>>295938

"And they are only doing their duty, nothing more, nothing less." Tabitha sighs out, shaking her head. "Honestly, every day if more of a struggle than the last. Why do you have to be so good with a sword?"

The two bicker with each other as you scratch your chin. Well shit, this is a fine pickle. Ebe can easily get past whether by flying or just walking across, but the rest of you are boned without some papers. Of course, you could go back to the outpost and demand papers be made, but with the current state of affairs, you'd rather not.

Besides, there's the matter of Nane. There's no choice for it now, you MUST kill the hedgehog. You have given her far too many chances to live and let live, and she's ruined them all. It's hard to remember ever being so vindictive as this but… she deserves it. You'll make a beast out of yourself for this moment just so the pain of being a man fades as you fire the rock.

"So, we can't walk in, I can't fly you in… what option does that leave?" Ebe says, frowning. You give her an amused smile.

"I thought you were going home? It didn't seem like the guard much wanted to keep you from entering, from the bits I gathered and his facial expression."

"O-oh!" Ebe says, blushing. "W-well, you see uhm, it's not that I don't want to go home it's just… uhm" She scratches the back of her head and sighs, "I meant to say this earlier but… you guys are the best thing that's happened to me and in awhile and while I know it might be dangerous I…" She gulps and then chuckles the rest,

"I thought, maybe I could, haha, uhm, keep with you? I never really had many friends my own age and… and-"

Ebe jumps as a pair of furred arms wrap around her waist. She looks behind her to see the smiling face of Sylphie who looks up at her and says, "Of course we want you along, you silly bird. We're friends, right?" Sylphie's hug grows tighter as she speaks in a lower voice. "And anyone who would help us find our parents deserves at least that."

The Gandharva's eyes go wide and she looks down before returning the hug. "Of course!"

You watch the two hug and smile, feeling within you a gentle warmth at seeing something so pure. A presence at your shoulder reveals Sophie, who has the same look in her eyes as yours. She turns her gaze to you and says, "I guess that settles that. I was wondering when she'd get around to asking."

"Did she think I was going to say no?"

"Come now Rommel, it's no secret some of your prejudices." She gestures over to Alice and Tabitha, who are still bickering back and forth, and then back to her sister and Ebe. "I'd like to think, however, that despite our differences, we can all get along."

"You sound like the Monster Lady." You say offhanded.

Sophie just smirks and watches as Sylphie and Ebe untangle themselves. Scratching your head, you look about the pass around you and see no one else coming down the path, which is good, very good. At worst you can camp out here, but you suspect that someone might be by tonight to warn Nane. Which means that you need to think quick in order to get into the town, upon doing so, you should be fine as they probably figure anyone there already went through the checkpoint.

"Can't go air, land, and certainly not stream, so that leaves… Ah, of course." You smack your forehead for forgetting such a thing and tap your staff on the ground, performing a [Survey]. Ah, so that's how it is. Yes, this will do quite nicely.

"Hmm?" Sylphie says, looking at you after she lets go of her hug. You used some magic, right? What's up?"

"There's a Wurm tunnel under the ground here." You say, pointing downward. "A good entrance we can use to get into the town."

"Huh. Okay." Sylphie says, sending her magic also into the ground. She nods her head and looks up at you with a smirk. "You saw me reading. I bet I know almost as much about geomancy as you do!"

"Child, please." You say, giving her a deeper frown. "But you see my point, yes?"

"Yes, yes." Sylphie says, turning to the others and explaining the plan. Ebe groans at having to go into the tunnels again, and you give her the option to fly to the town and wait for you.

"No, it would look weird if it was just me. Besides, I can… I can take it."

"Very well then." You say, nodding your head before turning to Erwin. "Do you think you can stay on the ground and guide our tunneling?"

{Eh. I suppose.} Erwin send. {Might do a little hunting. I hear there are desert foxes out here too. Maybe I'll find a little cutie and-}

{Yeah, thanks.} You say, cutting him off and noticing Sylphie blushing as you do. Nodding your head, both you and Sylphie begin to cast [Trench].

>>295939

A rat shuffles in an alleyway, feeling something off. The rat does not smell anything out of the ordinary, however the ground feels wrong to the rat, as if something unstable. The rat feels it's a good idea to leave, though it can't say why exactly. Well, there's plenty of trash elsewhere to eat. When the ground begins to rumble underneath it, the rat scurries faster away.

Rough dirt moves aside as a hole forms, revealing your face. A wash of cool, night air hits your sweat stained face like a hammer and you almost shiver in delight. Despite it being afternoon when you started to dig, it was still incredibly hot inside the tunnel with no airflow to keep you somewhat cool. Being out in open air again is like some kind of Gods send, and you struggle to pull yourself out before taking a swig of water and sighing in relief. The others pile out after you, doing the same, though Sylphie has to fill a little pot with water so Mr. Ed can drink.

"That was miserable." Alice says, dragging herself out of the hole, panting. "How are you keeping your cool?"

Tabitha shrugs, being the last one out. "I don't know what you're talking about, that felt rather nice, all things considered." She sighs as a cold wind passes by. "Almost miss it."

"Insane, you Monsters are insane." The swordswoman mutters, taking a swig of her own water. You watch the two for a moment before shaking your head and calling out to Erwin. He appears from behind a pile of rubbish, a rat caught in his mouth.

{I see you made it in one piece.}

{I see you caught yourself dinner.}

{Could you get Sophie to cook it up for me?}

{No. We have other things to do.}

{Rats.} He sends back, though you're not certain in what context he means the word.

"Well, we're here." Sophie says, putting her hood back on. "What's the next step.?"

"We get that hedgehog." You say honestly. "I have no idea where she is though, do you have any idea, Ebe?"

The Gandharva thinks it over for a moment. "Well… this trading town has little organization. At the center of town is the market, which also houses the little town hall. All around there, however, are houses and a few inns." She holds up a wing. "But… there is a section of town for the richer merchants. It caters to foreign merchants as well. If she's anywhere, it's probably there, yeah?"

Sophie nods. "Makes sense. She seems like the type who would rest in luxury if she could. There's no way she could know we'd be coming in like this, so we probably have an air of surprise."

"So, we find this hedgehog and execute her? Simple thing." Alice says, shrugging.

"Uhm." Ebe says, looking a little worried. "While technically m-murder out in the wastes is without punishment, inside settlements it will call down the wrath of the guard here." She points her wing to a dark building off in the distance. "The soldiers here can be mobilized if needed."

"Just like in Borne." You groan. "Well… we'll have to do this quietly and dispose of her otherwise."

Sylphie shivers, "I don't really like… talking about this so casually."

"I'm afraid it has to be done." Sophie says, touching her shoulder. "You can stay back, if you'd like? We would require lodging for the evening."

"I think I'm not suited for quiet and subtelty." Ebe says. "It would be best for us to find somewhere to rest I think. Would you like to come with me?"

Sylphie looks between you and Ebe and then nods her head, seeming a little grateful for the invitation. "I suppose too many people would be a burden as it stands. Yes, I'll take you up on that offer." Her gaze swings to Tabitha and Alice and she asks, "Either of you two wish to come?"

"Hells no!" Alice says, but Tabitha puts a hand on her shoulder and looks her dead in the eyes.

"You're going to find a way to make a fool out of yourself. Go with those two and keep them safe. In return, we can have a duel tomorrow."

Alice narrows her eyes before sighing and flipping her messy, yet still somehow captivating, hair. "Oh very well then. Perhaps I can introduce these two to a few men. Or are you prudes also?"

"No, thank you." Sylphie says with a flat voice.

"Uhm. I uhm, I think I'll pass!" Ebe says, cheeks red.

"By Solos, I have never met a group of such Gods damned virgin pussies in my life!" Alice groans, putting a hand to her forehead. "Ugghhh, Monsters, yeah, right. Come on then, I guess." With a wave she, Mr. Ed, Ebe, and Sylphie leave.

{Mind going with them?} You send to Erwin.

{What, go to the nice and comforting inn where three rather buxom women with very soft skin and hands might pet me instead of going to murder a slaver? Goshes, that's the nicest thing you've ever done for me.}

{I mostly need a way to find all of you later, but okay that works.}

>>295940

{Spoilsport.} He sends back before following after the others. Sylphie stops, cocks her head, and then scoops up the fox in her arms, carrying him like a baby. He flashes you a quick grin before they turn down the street.

"One of these days Erwin…" You mutter to yourself.

"Hmm?" Sophie asks. Turning to her, you shake your head and say,

"Nothing, let's get going." With your now smaller group of Tabitha, Sophie, and yourself, you head down toward this richer part of town.

The town, known as Heph-tun by those who bother to give it a name, is larger than expected and utterly different than any town you've ever seen before. While not nearly as large as Borne, the town is made up of many square buildings made of stone that stack upon each other to form neat rows that line hard packed earthen streets. A central marketplace dominates the town, but unlike Borne, it is quiet at night. In the distance, you see a garrison tower where torches burn in the night. It seems magitek is rare here, if present at all, the realization of which is a mild shock to your system.

Few people walk about the streets, meaning its later than you expected. You don't even attempt to fire up the [Port-o-Glass], knowing that you would get no connection if you tried, making it hard to say exactly what time it is. Somehow you feel like all the time spent tunneling transported you to a completely different world, as if stepping back into the past. How could a nation so close to Deleor be so much less advanced? Was it the lack of natural leylines?

Sophie seems to have a similar opinion of the place as you walk about the cool night. Winds breeze bits of sand in the air and you feel that having some kind of head-gear would be rather appropriate, especially later on. The few people you do see on the streets have the darker skin of the Ectrian people, though do you see a few Monsters here and there and even a Deleorian or two. No one bothers to say much to you though, as anyone walking down the streets seems very busy to get somewhere. Merchant town means merchants present and coin stops for no man they say.

As you approach the "richer" area of the town, you hear a rattle of chains and step aside as two guards, dressed in chain-mail armor, walk out from a side street. They give you sneers as you press against the other side of the wall, and a moment later you see the source of the rattle. Four prisoners walk by, one man, a Deleorian Catgirl, and two little human girls. They all wear dingy clothing that barely provides protection and have bare feet which are chained together, causing them to shuffle if they wish to avoid chafing. Expressions cast down to the ground with a hollow look in their eyes, they walk past you without even noticing while two more guards hold up the rear.

"Rommel. Calm down." Tabitha says in a calm, cool voice.

Her words roll through your ears and you have a blink a few times to realize she's said anything. Your hand hurts for some reason, and you look over to see it gripping your staff so tight that you have to expend some extra effort to dislodge your fingers, noticing that you're breathing a little heavy as you do.

"Openly walking about with slaves…" Sophie says, shaking her head. "I had heard such things… figured we'd see them but… Gods, how can they do this?"

"It is the law of their land." Tabitha says, her voice calm, but you can feel a deadly undercurrent beneath the words. "We go to break one law tonight, it will not do us any good to break others just for the sake of four slaves who are already broken."

"Four people." You whisper, even including the Catgirl subconsciously. How many others in this very city were like this? What kind of lives did they lead before being clapped into chains? Did they have families who missed them? Did-

You shake your head. No, this line of thought will do nothing but upset you. Tabitha is right, there's nothing to be done for it now. The only course ahead is to continue to ensure your safety here before heading out and rescuing the Grand Wizard. Perhaps later you can have the luxury of thinking about such things as the slaves… perhaps.

>>295941

The three of you continue on, walking through the various structures in this area. While made in similar styles as the other buildings, these had fine carpets hung on the walls or before the buildings, and far more guards stationed before some of them, perhaps on the lookout for thieves. You spot maybe four or five inns, and would have a hells of a time finding where she is if not for the knowledge that she took her wagon with her when she left, the whole thing having been brought in by Hilda and her traders.

After searching the third inn, you spot the wagon and find your mark as the "Sultan's Lap." The guards give you a wary eye, but a flash of two silvers from Sophie sees you into the inn without much trouble. As you enter, you find a fairly lively scene of ornately dressed merchants from both Ectria and Deleor sitting about tables and drinking, eating, and chatting.

A musician plays a harp on stage. While not a Gandharva, this musician is still a Monster, a lamia wearing a scanty outfit of green silk and a veil, showing off much skin as she plays. Sophie appreciates the sight and you have to tap her head to get her to focus. The three of you look about the common room but find no sign of the hedgehog, which may be a blessing rather than a curse. If she's up stairs then she'll be easier to kill without attracting attention. Of course, finding her room would be quite difficult unless…

Sophie nods over to the bar and the three of you sit down to find a burly looking man cleaning glasses. He looks the three of you over and says in sluggish Deleorian, "You want drink?"

You fumble about for words that Ebe has taught you and you say clumsily, "Nem uh… min fadlik?"

The man blinks a few times before letting loose a laugh that shakes the glass around him. "Ahaha! I am sorry, that was… awful? Yes."

>>295942

"Sorry." You say, feeling like an idiot, but the man shakes his head.

"No, no. Is fine. Is… refreshing to hear others try to speak language." He pulls out three mugs and fills them with ale, passing one to each of you. "Go, drink."

The three of you take a sip of your drinks, and you relish in the exotic flavor of it, putting it down in the counter before you and saying, "It is good."

"Yes, best in town." The man nods his head. "You are staying here?"

"No, we are not." Sophie says, her hood still up. The man turns to her and tries to look into her hood.

"Oh, a shame you hide. Voice says you are quite pretty, yes? What business you have?"

"We are looking to make a deal with a particular trader." She says. You look at her with surprise as she so casually speaks of such things. Your eyes flicker also to Tabitha, who says nothing but watches the scene and the room all around her with an unwavering gaze.

"Oh? I see." The man's expression grows a little more serious. "Much business here, much coin go past. Can not say who trades here or no."

"But you remember coin?"

He smirks, "Yes. Memory is good with coin."

Sophie digs into her pocket and pulls out a silver coin, placing it on the table and saying, "Have you seen a Hedgehog with a coin like this?"

He surreptitiously takes the coin, sliding it under the counter before rubbing his chin. "Hmm. Many Hedgehogs I have seen with many coins. It is hard to say from just one coin."

Sophie grits her teeth and pulls out two more silvers, which also vanish in a similar manner. The man's eyes sparkle as he sees her furred hands underneath, but he makes no comment on it. "Ah, yes, I do recall Hedgehog. There is one here yesterday, waiting for business partner. Are you they?"

"We have business with her." You say, nodding your head. "But she did not tell us what room she might be in. She does so wish to keep business matters… confidential."

You see a smile flash under Sophie's hood and she nods her head slightly as the man considers. "Hmm. Yes, very important to keep things confidential. We do not wish to anyone to learn any secrets, do we? However, I cannot seem to recall where she might be-" Two more silver coins clink on the bar. "-Ah! Room 23."

The three of you nod toward each other and drain your ales while the man chuckles and crosses his arms. "Buiness is good, yes! However, I must warn." His expression goes a little dark, "If business turns sour, then a… intermediary may cancel the deal for both parties, yes?"

His warning sends a shiver down your spine and you nod your head. "Nem sayidi."

The man's laughter rings in your ears as the three of you turn toward each other. Sophie speaks first, saying, "Should we just get inside and do the job?"

"Might get messy." Tabitha says. "And I feel that if we cause much trouble, this man will sell us out."

"We could always ambush her in the morning?" Sophie suggests. "Though she's a slippery one, I'm not certain how that will work…"

They both look to you for your opinion on the matter and you groan inwardly. This might not go well no matter how you play it, but it needs to be done. The only question is…

>What do you do?

And we're back! I mean, wednesday we're back cause I'm back to stormblood and such, but heeeeeeyyyy.

Anyway, because you tunneled in, you ended up in town later than expected. Sadly this ends up with a problem: finding the hog. Well, she's found! Now you gotta figure out how you want to get to her.

Have fun!

>>295940

why dig earth when you can just magically move it

>>295943

>>What do you do?

Bury the hatched and let her live in peace.

>>295943

Kill her quietly and leave the body looking like it's sleeping. By the time anyone figures out that she's dead, we'll be long gone.

Can we use the amplification magic in reverse to deafen the room before we head in?

>>295961

I like this idea, however the innkeeper will still notice when she doesn't come out in the morning. People dying in their rooms is not exactly good for business so he will be pissed off. If we do this, we will need to grab the girls and flee to the desert tonight.

Now, if we had some way to slowly kill her so that she'll feel fine in the morning but die within a week like a death cap mushroom then it would be perfect because we could just send Tabitha in with a bottle of wine and a business proposition. Or we could sneak in and dump a whole heap of obsidian shards into her flask but she'll probably notice that. If we remove the body and leave her purse where the innkeeper could find it, he'll be much less upset but how do we get the body out unnoticed?

Or here's a fun one: Rig a mana crystal to her bedroll so that as soon as she unravels it, it explodes.

>>295958

Reported.

How do y'all reckon Ace is making up the Ectrian? Garbled terrorist-speak? Al-Bhed-like cypher? Slowly making up an entire language from scratch? Or is it some language he made up when he was a kid?

>>296040

Mmm there's pieces of speech you're not supposed to get, but you're right, I should have made it clear what Rommel is saying.

And muhahaha, I am a mad genius who: Is typing shit into google translate to arabic.

>>295943

Just go up into her room and knock on it. Have Tabitha announce herself, since our enemy does not know her voice and then as soon as the door opens, blow her head off with Ronnie while looking her straight in the eye without saying anything.

Then calmly recover our iron buddy, close the door and leave. With the music playing downstairs and the festivities, no one will hear or even pay attention to a skull splattering open and a small rock falling down.

Rating: Silent Assassin

In case things go sour, have Tabitha stab her throat but I doubt there will be complications. She didn't bring any friends since the Wurms grabbed her prize so she is alone.

Don't forget to pick up all the rings that she will drop.

>>296105

Some witness should at least call the guard, it would be far too easy and convenient to go that smoothly.

Here's what we do.

>Bash her head with our rocks. Not enough to kill, but enough to knock her out.

>Suffocate her with a bit of dirt that we pull up from outside.

>Get enough dirt to cover and stick to her limbs.

>More her with the dirt Weekend at Bernie's style.

>Dump her in a trench.

>Get the fuck out of dodge

>>295943

Why not get Tabitha to simply lure her outside, by having Tabitha say she with the rogue guards?

Then, kill her outside by burying her alive.

No fucking melodrama! Don't give her the chance to escape!

Or ask Tabitha how she would kill her, as she has some experience with assassinations.

If we blow this, the same alarm gets sounded that will get sounded if the hedgehog bitch lives. Kill her.

>>296073

Solos, how horrifying

>>296210

I wouldn't do something so mean as that! Probably.

>>296228

>No melodrama

b-but

>>296277

You're not wrong. And goshes are you tired.

>>296228

>Then, kill her outside by burying her alive.

she's a hedgehog, she'll just dig herself out later.

having a recurring villain who always survives would be an improvement to the story

>>295943

If Nane doesn't receive her 'goods' soon, then it's highly probable that she will expect that something has happened at the outpost and that she will run while she still has the chance since there aren't many other reasons for her delivery being late other than the guards being incapacitated in some fashion, which would imply we have survived our ordeal at Blackfire Reach and are now aware of what she's tried to do to us. Since those guards are either dead, horribly injured or mentally scarred at Alice's handiwork, said delivery isn't going to happen and thus the outlined situation of her skedaddling out of town is nigh guaranteed to occur given time. In any case, we can't risk letting the bitch get away again so she needs to die tonight to avoid any problems later.

It's a shame we don't have better circumstances to work with, but we can make the most of this. Right now only the one guy serving drinks at the bar of whom may or may not actually be the innkeeper, he could just be a bartender is aware of us having any connection to the hedgehog and thus no one else will be the wiser to her fate unless alerted by him. As such, we need to ensure one of two things; either he stays quiet about our actions, which can be ensured by more bribery and/or making sure he remains the only person privy to her death, or he doesn't find out about what we've done until we're clear of the town, which can be achieved by stealthily executing the hedgehog and either leaving the body in a position which wouldn't raise suspicions until inspected like >>295961 suggests or hiding the body entirely by burying it underground where no one will find it when she is definitely dead. Since his warning can be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, it would be best to go for the latter, since we can't trust the man not to report us, and to go camp out in the desert for the time being while this blows over, leaving behind the three we split the party with to shop for items and then regroup with us later on, using Erwin to communicate with them.

As for the deed itself, begin by casting a [Privacy Barrier] to ensure no one will hear Nane scream when we attack and have Sophie keep an eye out for anyone that may be coming as we won't be able to hear any potential witnesses that may approach as a result of the spell. If we're aiming to put the body in a non-compromising position, then we need to avoid blood from entering the equation since the sight and smell of it would give away the trick immediately, so get Tabitha to snap her neck or to do something else which would limit the amount of blood drawn by strongly suggesting the action to her with logic and reasoning, because she has stated prior that she is unwilling to follow any orders we give and this won't change until we can gain her trust and stuff any wounds made with dirt to hopefully reduce the smell. If we're aiming to hide the body, we should still limit the amount of blood drawn so we have less to clean up or hide before we leave but don't worry too much about holding back so long as it isn't overkill. When leaving the inn, do so via any windows in the room, taking the body with us to bury if we're going down that route, making sure to use [Build the Wall] if we're very high up as leaving through the front door will prompt our only witness to question us, check the room himself or immediately call the town guard on us when he sees the body, all of which would be bad - if we doesn't see us leave, he won't check until much later on as he will still be under the assumption that we're talking business with the hedgehog.

Worst case scenario where we get caught red-handed and the town guard is upon us, just use [Trench] and hope for the best. They won't see what direction we leave in, they can't easily follow us underground if at all since we will collapse the entrance behind us and it will avoid combat for the time being of which would be even more tiring that just digging. It's not ideal, since we're tired and are likely to struggle to maintain the tunnel for long, but it's better than the alternatives should shit hit the fan.

>>295791

How are you finding Stormblood? I've rather enjoyed it myself outside of the Raubahn Extreme fiasco and server issues.

>>296228

>Or ask Tabitha how she would kill her, as she has some experience with assassinations.

If by assassinations you actually mean 'loudly pronouncing herself before her target and challenging them to an honourable duel', then I suppose she does have such experience in the second oldest profession. On a more serious note, Tabitha doesn't really strike me as the kind of woman who executes targets silently and swiftly in a dishonourable fashion, given that she is a proud Lizard swordsman and how the whole situation with the Wurm Queen went, not to mention how there is no mention of her assassinating anyone prior so it doesn't appear that she has any experience in this field.

What if we use aeromancy to suck the air from her lungs? Or at least block it's flow from her face so it's like there's a magical plastic bag around her head. There wouldn't even be strangulation marks.

You also forgot [Lead Ore] is Barry, [Tin Ore] is Stan and [Obsidian] is Donte.

>Story continue

Looking about the room, you notice a few eyes looking at you over cups, eyes which are used to searching out information from any and every nook and cranny. True to Ebe's words, this place is a den of merchants and those who owe coin more loyalty than anything. To be honest, you look far different than most of the patrons here and thus there must be something about you that could potentially be… profitable.

With a mild cantrip, you invoke the [Privacy Barrier] and turn to face the other two. "We can talk freely."

"Talk, yes, but otherwise…" Tabitha says, nodding toward the crowd. You see a few eyes drift back to their drinks, though you merely shrug.

"They'll find it odd if we just leave so suddenly after noticing them too, yes?" Sophie says, eyes hidden under her hood.

Both you and Tabitha nod and turn back to speaking, pretending not to notice those looking at you, the best way to make certain they actually aren't. Of course, you really want to, but you keep it within yourself and speak to the two Monsters.

"We agree that we can't let her live. She'll probably find some way to get at us again if we cross paths again, and if we don't do this tonight, she'll probably bolt. This is agreed, right?"

"Indeed." Tabitha says. "I am not well versed in the ways of assassination though. Personally I'd just run her through in one of these privacy barriers and be done with it."

"Unfortunately, if we make too much of a mess, we'd be suspects number one." Sophie sighs. "The bartender clearly knows we're up to no good, however if we keep it quiet and with another bribe, I doubt he'll cause a fuss."

"So we have to make it clean and dispose of the body easy enough." You say, rubbing your head. "Which means we can't break into the room or it will cause too much of a fuss later, and we can't cause a bloody mess."

"Oh, and you see over there." Sophie says, pointing toward a Deleorian Kobold who laps at a white drink. You hope it's milk. "She'll smell it is there's a lot of blood also. I think many of the Monsters here could smell these things."

"Sometimes I'm glad I'm a Lizard." Tabitha sighs.

"I thought Lizards could smell well?" You ask, cocking your head. "Don't you do that whole… tongue thing- ow!"

You pull back as Tabitha flicks your forehead, which actually really hurts! Glowering at her, she rolls her eyes and says, "Lizardman, Lizardman! I don't do that tongue thing." She mutters, shaking her head.

"Children, please." Sophie says, though you feel she's smirking heavily under her hood. "We can fight later. For now we need to kill a Hedgehog."

"Tch, I don't like hearing you talk like that." Tabitha says, and Sophie shrugs.

"We all have to grow up sometime."

The Lizardman looks uncomfortable at this and you also feel a sort of regret. Yes, they needed to grow up but somehow hearing her say it makes it a little more real. Well, nothing for it but to continue on. With this in mind, you say, "Alright, so we need to get into the room without breaking down the door, take her out with little bloodshed, and then dispose of the body."

"Sounds easy enough." Tabitha says, looking at you with interest. When you smile at her, she frowns and asks, "What?"

"Actually… it might be easier than expected."

>>296608

*Knock Knock*

"Hmmm? Who is it?"

The Hedgehog's voice calls muffled through the door, though you can barely hear it from your position at the end of the hall. Sophie watches the stairs further down from you and you look to her, getting a signal of all clear as Tabitha begins to speak at the door.

"Mistress Nane? I'm here from the Pass."

"The Pass? Took your damn time."

"Apologies, the task too more effort than expected. Your quarry was… more difficult to subdue than we thought."

Silence is the only response for a few moments, but eventually Nane replies, "Did you kill the Wizard?"

"Don't trust us, huh?"

"No, but I assume since you're alive, you did what needed to happen." The door clicks and swings open and Nane pauses, looking at Tabitha with a look of concern on her face. "A Lizardman? The Danuki would never hire a- oh fuck."

Nane makes to scream but in the blink of an eye, Tabitha thrusts forward the hilt of her sword, hitting the Hedgehog in the throat and cutting off her cry. Cursing, you move forward and cast a privacy barrier before the Hedgehog can recover, and both you and Tabitha enter the room, closing the door firmly behind you.

Shifting the barrier, you sigh out in relief, certain no one had seen you. Once this is done you look down at the Hedgehog who is on the ground, eyes wide with terror. Though you don't want to admit it, you feel an ugly sense of smugness at her expression. She looks about the room for escape, but Tabitha pins her down with her foot and shakes her head.

"W-What?" Nane croaks out, her voice raw from the injury.

"I gave you a chance." You say, walking over to the small window and feeling outside with [Survey]. There isn't any glass over the window, just a wooden shutter which keeps most of the wind out. With a little effort, you're about to pull a large amount of sand from the ground up the side of the building and into your hand. You doubt anyone who saw it would know what they were seeing anyway.

"W-we can cut a deal!" The Hedgehog croaks, trying to crawl away.

"I don't have time for this." You say, and force the sand into her open mouth. She doesn't have the chance to scream as it fills her mouth and enters her lungs, to which she begins to suffocate in possibly the most horrific fashion possible. It's disgusting to watch as she flails about, scratching at her own throat as the irritating particles deprive her of air.

Eventually her motions become sluggish, her eyes begin to bulge and then, with a final gasp, she collapses on the floor. Tabitha waits a moment longer before removing her foot, a look of disgust upon her face. She can't bring herself to look at you as she lifts up the body and feels a pulse. Making an annoyed sound, she says, "Still alive, if barely."

"She'll be dead soon." You say, shaking your head. "We can finish the job once we leave here."

"Might as well take her belongings." She says, nodding to the small pack in the corner of the room. "Make it look like she up and left at least."

"Fair enough." Grabbing the pack, you place it into the open pocket of your [Trenchcoat], the other being full of rocks and such. With the deed done, you open the window and look outside, seeing no one in the back alley behind the inn. Waving to Tabitha, you cast [Build the Wall] and raise a platform of sand up which the Lizardman gets upon.

Before getting on yourself, you send a small burst of sand under the door and wait a moment as Sophie enters the room, nodding her head. She looks at the form of Nane in Tabitha's arms and then frowns before quickly getting onto the pillar as well. Using your magic, you ease the four of you down to the ground where no one is the wiser.

Tabitha nods further down the alley and you move into the darker shadows where no one is until you're all but hidden in the darkness of the alleyway. Being so hidden, the Lizardman unceremoniously dumps the Hedgehog to the ground and says, "Finish her."

>>296609

"She's not dead?" Sophie hisses, looking out from the shadows to make sure no one is watching. "I thought you said she'd be dead!"

"She's about to be." You say, drawing your knife. You place it to her throat when Tabitha grabs your hand.

"What are you doing? If we were going to do that, we'd have done it already."

"What, are you going to break her neck then?" You hiss back. She frowns at you and then takes one foot, placing it on her neck and pauses, as if unable to act further. Gritting her teeth, she looks like she's pushing against something and struggles before sighing and saying,

"I can't. I can't kill someone like this. It's not right."

She looks away from you and walks away from the Hedgehog, leaving you with the grisly task. Very well then, how should you go about this?… You could probably just bury her and be done with it, as she's good as dead now anyway, but something in you says you need to make certain. A niggling little voice that will not allow you to leave her alive, something which demands that you have this slaver's blood on your hands.

The voice wins out in your mind. If you think of her as a slaver and not a Monster… not a person at all, then it becomes quite easy to do what needs to be done. Pulling out Stan and Ronnie, you form them into solid balls and manipulate them on the sides of the hedgehog's head. You have one moment of hesitation before you twist the two orbs, using enough pressure upon her head to violently jerk it to the side, snapping her neck with an eeirely silent popping noise.

And then it's done. The life leaks out of the slaver and what was once a spine in your side is now a pile of meat. Closing your eyes, you whisper a silent prayer to Nerg before opening up a large gap in the earth and sand underneath the Hedgehog and burying her deep within, closing up the grave with nary a trace left.

Sighing, you look up and see that Tabitha is looking away from you, a hard look in her eyes while Sophie watches, her feline eyes glinting out from under her hood. That piercing gaze of hers studies you, as if appraising the entire scene that just happened before her. When she catches your look, she turns away from you and says, "We can be going now, right?"

"Right." You mutter, standing up and pausing. You open up the pouch in your pocket and look inside her possessions. A ledger with some business dealings, a small sack of coins, some clothes, and a trinket which depicts two alluring women as mirror images, one angelic, the other beastly. Opening up the coin sack, you dump a few coins, mostly silvers and a gold or two, onto the dirt before pocketing four gold coins for yourself.

>You obtain [Nane's ledger]

>A small book of facts, figures, and business notes from the Hedgehog Nane

>You obtain [Twin's charm]

>A small, silver charm depicting Phallia and Dollora, the main deities of Ectria

"A bribe." You say, and with that, your group heads out of the alleyway. Only a few souls are still walking about, and they take little notice of you as before. There's no need to hurry or look at all suspicious, though you can tell that both of the Monsters have their own feelings about the situation. Tabtiha appears serious, not seeming to want to talk about the situation while Sophie seems pensive, a hand up to her chin as she walks without looking.

Hmm. Well, you got out without any witnesses and without calling an alarm. This could have been very bad if you messed up, but no one should know where you are and if you need to tunnel out of the town again well… so be it.

Speaking of which, you have no idea where you are either, but after conversing with Erwin you find the location of the inn you're staying in. A mid-class inn of affordable station situated near the center of town, it fits your needs quite well. Entering inside, you find it to be quite similar to the inn you were just at, but with more relaxed folk and less opulence.

>>296610

The common room is devoid of your friends, and after speaking with a worried looking innkeeper, he directs you upstairs to your friends, accepting a few coins in exchange for bringing meals up to your rooms. Your feet feel leaden as you walk up the stairs, physical and emotional exhaustion piling up on you. As you enter Sophie, Sylphie, and Ebe's room however you have to pause at what you see before you.

"-and that is how you should proposition someone for underwater sex." Alice says, her arms crosses under her breasts. She pauses as you enter, hand sliding toward her sword, though she cracks a smile as she sees its you. "Well, well, well, look who's back."

"O-oh!" Sylphie says, trying to hide her embarrassment by turning around. You see she's furiously trying to hide a notebook while setting herself in order. Sophie gives her a wry smile before moving to tease her sister.

Looking about the room, you spy Ebe in the corner, sewing something with decided grace, though you still have no idea how she's holding the needle or… whatever she's doing. She looks up from her works and blushes, saying, "Ahhh, it's not quite done! I hoped you'd be back later, though that would be bad too wouldn't it? Oh…"

{She's been working pretty hard on that for awhile actually.} Erwin sends. You track the sending and find him coiled in Alice's lap, which is mostly bare as the woman is only wearing a tunic. The fox rubs his face against her alabaster thigh, though he moves with annoyance as Tabitha walks over to the woman and begins to chastise her, much to Alice's amusement.

"Hmm?" You ask, walking over to Ebe as she puts down her materials and looks to the side. "What are you working on."

"Oh, you know uhm… Just a little something for… for you." She stammers. "I noticed you don't have any head protection and that you really should and I was ah… making a turban. For you."

"A turban?" You say, looking at the loose cloth before her. She blushes as you reach out to touch brown cloth. It appears fairly simple, lacking much of the ornate finery that some of the other turbans you've seen have. While not exactly your style, it would fit with your [Trenchcoat] without being too garish and would most certainly keep your head cool.

Feeling a little of your weariness vanish, you nod your head and say, "Thank you Ebe. I look forward to seeing it finished."

"O-oh! Well it shouldn't take much longer, it's a fairly… fairly simple thing to make." She seems positively radiant for some reason after that and you chuckle, turning to the rest of your party.

"Alright, see to it you get some sleep. We've all been up far too long and frankly my back hurts."

"Back problems?" Alice says, standing up and walking over to you. Her tunic barely covers her upper thighs and if she walked too fast, you're certain you could see her undergarments, which you're fairly certain she doesn't wear. You make to move away from her, but she dashes up behind you and, with a squeeze around your middle cracks your back.

"GAH!" You cry as you drop back to the floor, wobbling some. You turn back to the woman who chuckles and says,

"Well?"

"Well what you damn… damn…" The words fail you as you realize your back DOES feel a little better. This only makes you angrier and she chuckles in amusement before heading over and flopping down on the bed. You quickly avert your gaze as not to get a full view of her sculpted ass.

Sophie begins to bicker with the woman about how it's their room and she needs to leave while Tabitha makes to polish her sword and Sylphie sits motified in the corner. Sweeping you eyes over the scene you feel a sense of ease at it all, something you feel you sorely need after what you did today. There's nothing in all the hells that could make you regret what you did tonight, but it still doesn't feel good. The day that you lack any emotion killing slavers, the day that you are unable to enjoy this company, Monsters though the mostly be, that will be the day when…

When what?

Well, perhaps you should hope that you'll never have to find out.

>>296611

Morning comes and no one has thus far tried to arrest you. Sharing a breakfast in the common room, Ebe presents to you your brand new turban and wraps it about your head, showing you exactly how to put it on yourself. Of course, the fact that she does so facing you with her breasts in your face makes it a little difficult to fully processes the message and you have to have her teach you again, just from… a different angle.

Once food is settled, you find a map of Ectria and look over it. To the north lies the Chasm of Regret within the Desolation of Duarte. Very little lives there and the people found in that area are nomadic, always trying to stay a step ahead of the Monsters who make the Wastes their home. To the east, likes the Kingdom of Setet, the capital city of Ectria. To the south, port Amun'ra. The area in between is… not well mapped.

"I've never been to the Capital." Ebe confesses. She looks at the map and places the tip of her wing at a a path labeled on the map. "This is the royal trading road. Many merchants follow some derivation of this path, but there's little in the way of guidance between here and there. Towns and villages supposedly line the way, but no one really bothers to label such things behind Hatset."

Pointing at another spot about midway between you and the capital, she continues. "Hatset is a larger settlement renown for its horses and centaurs. They breed wonderful horses for the charioteers and the centaurs are proud warriors who fight for the crown."

"And that's… the only place worth mentioning?" Sophie asks, looking at the map with a frown.

"Well, it's the only place I know of. I'm sure there's other areas, and we may even find one of the Oasis within the desert! Oh, but just in case you were curious…" She points to another spot between where you are and the Desolation. "This is where my hometown is." Blushing, she waves a wing, "But uhm, we don't have to go there!"

"Heh." You chuckle. "We'll see Ebe. So it seems that at least heading for Hatset is the wisest course for now. I suppose along the way we'll gather more information?"

"Perhaps some of the traders in town know more too?" Tabitha says, shrugging. "Might do to stock up on more provisions if we need them too."

"It won't do to be unprepared, however… being too prepared can invite bandits." Ebe says, frowning. "Bandits are fairly common in Ectria sadly, some of whom are glorified slavers."

[Well, we'll deal with them if we see them.] You say in Ectrian, much to the delight of Ebe who then chides you for shitty grammar. Seems her lessons last night before bed are starting to pay off also! Now if only she could inform you of how to read Ectrian better, that would be lovely…

"Well no sense in sitting around here." Alice says, stretching.

>"What do you do?"

The Hedgehog is dead. You did it, you won the Quest.

Oh but now for that other stuff.

>>296612

it wouldnt hurt to get a [Desert Robe] for everyone (apart from Ebe) since wearing a fucking trenchoat in the middle of the desert is a terrible idea

only real issue with that is that we wouldnt be able to use our trenchcoat's bags of holding, but i suppose if ace-kun is generous enough, we could buy some and then sew them into the robe, which would give us a [Desert Robe of Holding], which is basically our trenchcoat but for desert weather instead

>>296612

Head to Hastet. On the way, we should see if we can work anything out involving the earth bending scroll.

Even if we can't, we should ask Tabitha to help us train since she showed that we're a bit lacking in that department and better reflexes and more experience will help keep our head on our shoulders.

Not gona lie, I also like the idea of Rommel and Tabitha coming to like each other, if only because it would be an amusing and rather grudging attraction on both sides.

>>296628

Nevermind. I feel excessively stupid.

Well, let's invest in desert gear. As we are good enough with sand, attempt to mold sand into shapes and such for practice.

P.S

Slaver, she may have been. But, Nane should had a cleaner death. The girls didn't like it and Rommel risks becoming… a real monster.

>>296689

Doesn't really matter if they like it or not, nobody should like killing but the fact remains that sometimes it needs to happen, a clean death is for someone with honour. Dishonourable scum do not earn such a luxury.

>>296612

We really should get everyone outfitted properly for desert travel before heading out as well. Something to remember for when we're traveling is that we need to work on that book of ectrian geomancy we bought, also start working out, we still need to get strong so we can punch and kick rocks at people.

>>296615

>>296616

These are good ideas, we need to be prepared for the desert and any potential close-range encounters. And also we need an excuse to spend more time with Tabitha

>>296714

Shantae…

I will say this:

You have good taste in your bellydancers!

>>296723

>And also we need an excuse to spend more time with Tabitha.

Yes Anon, I agree with this wholeheartedly!

>"Ahhh, it's not quite done! I hoped you'd be back later, though that would be bad too wouldn't it? Oh…"

Ebe a cute

>>296813

Someone that isn't a Tabitha-fag holy shit we must band together against them

>>296823

>>296813

Amen to that, I'll take anyone else over Sagitha the Christmas cake old maid. Tabitha would be better paired with Bearson rather than Rommel but that's a different CYOA altogether. Rommel should be paired with another magic user, like a lich or a baphomet. Pairing him with some grizzled old veteran just doesn't feel right for him.

>>296823

Same. The tabfags have been going nuts since introduction and no one else has been autistic enough to speak up. I see Rommel staying independent but if we had to take a love interest it be a better fit for her to be Ebe and the Kits.

>>296689

It was fitting. She tried to enslave us, Have us killed by guards, and abducted by wurms. We spared her life and the first thing she does is use her corrupt guards in town to try us again. She deserved what she got. Perhaps even more. The girls knew what we were going to do and agreed. Both of them lacked the resolve to finish it so we ended it as we saw fit. suffocation isn't the worst way to go, Not the best but is by no means the worst we could have done. All slavers who decide to screw with us die a dogs death.

>>296813

>>296823

Ebe a cute, but Sylphie a cutest.

>>296615

Trenchcoats were made for deserts! Right? Ha…

Anyway, sadly sewing bags of holding onto a robe won't work too well, even if you could find them in town. You'll either have to be comfortable or have convenience. Likely not both.

>>296616

Fair enough, Maybe you could ask someone in town about it too?

>>296636

Easy enough with [Flurry] and such. Have fun.

>>296677

Dubs don't lie, I suppose Alice could use something nice. Maybe a snug robe that hugs her curves…

Lot of implications in this post with these pictures and the hissing. Also, Ebe can belly dance.

>>296689

She deserved it, but perhaps not like that. It's the unfortunate truth of what you're doing

>>296692

>>296714

Ohh that could be fun. Also, a nile river like thing? Sure, but it would run near the capital.

I think that Tabitha could help with that. Staff probably won't be completely gilded anymore, but that's fine.

>>296723

>>296733

>>296834

>>296813

>>296836

Ah waifu wars. The best part is I don't much care however or if it even goes. I feel it wouldn't much fit hischaracter now but who knows? He's already changed.

>>296846

Wao

>Chasm of Regret

Wait, isn't that Dollora's naughty corner? I thought that would be a separate dimension like El Dorito and The Hells.

I'd like to visit Ebe's home town, but we can do that after. Let's go East.

>>296615

>>296636

We already have our [Wizard Robes] for some reason. They are cooler than the [Trenchcoat], although whether they are desert-suitable or not I don't know. I think a better solution would be to enchant or otherwise modify the coat to be cool in the heat and warm in the cold so that we don't have to sacrifice our nazi swag practical item storage. Seconding making sure everybody else has proper desert clothing though.

>>296677

Grape snakes are extinct, brah. Even if they weren't, the only one we wouldn't kill on sight is Smija.

>>296823

Virginity >>>> Ebe > Tabitha > Mr. Ed > Sylphie > Alice Tabitha can't sing to us to sleep as we rest our head on her thicc thighs and breath in her sweet feminine aroma. I mean she could try, but she isn't known for singing and her robot thighs are hard and smell like metal.

>>296856

The Chasm of Regret is a large canyon where nothing grows. It is something Dollora did to the world when she tried to betray Phallia.

Dollora's own little world is elsewhere and is totally a different realm.

>>296616

>>296848

>Maybe you could ask someone in town about it too?

Sounds reasonable enough. Add that on to what I suggested.

>waifu wars

I mentioned Rommel and Tabitha coming to like or be attracted to each other, but I'm not actually sure about going as far waifu-ing any of the girls (although Tabby vs Ebe seems to be the running thing at the moment). He really does seem like the kind of guy who could out of this without one, and that'd be fine by me too.

>>296862

That sounds like somewhere which may have forgotten tombs, maybe some rare ores, we should swing by if we're ever not that far from it.

If we get to the chasm of regret, we should take a piss into it. Mainly because it'll sound like a storytime years later.

>>296613

Tell me, what are we fighting for?

Isn't life worth so much more?

We should love one

Another

Oh, can't we just pretend

This war never began?

>>296612

>"It won't do to be unprepared, however… being too prepared can invite bandits." Ebe says, frowning. "Bandits are fairly common in Ectria sadly, some of whom are glorified slavers."

Bandits in this environment don't strike me as the kind of people who are going to ignore a potential target solely because they don't have much of value on them, since stealing anything is better than stealing nothing, especially when the land is inhospitable and full of danger. As such, there's no reason not to grab supplies more than we think we need to be safe, because we're not going to grab things we're unable to take or that would slow us down and bandits will attack us no matter what our situation is because they don't really have much of a choice given their lifestyle and locale, so grab supplies while we still have the chance. Preferably more water skins and perhaps some kind of implement or a collection of items to be used for purifying any water sources we manage to find out in the desert so we don't have to risk diseases and the like.

As for direction, it's been pretty much already agreed that we head towards Hatset, but we might as well make stops at every settlement we come across along the way both to top up on supplies, especially water, and to get a better understanding of both the layout of the land and any information which may be of use to us in the future, such as current politics or any exciting gossip from the surrounding settlements. I'd personally like to check out the Chasm of Regret at some point, because an canyon where life effectively absent just screams 'place where something interesting is hidden', not to mention Rommel, being a lover of history and rocks, might find visiting a location with strong ties to ancient lore that is going to be full of rocks to be fun.

In terms of what to do while travelling, finally get around to reading [Speak Up! Audiomancy for the Astute Mind] and commence party bonding, because there isn't much else to do in a desert when you aren't fighting for your survival and we could use both the variety in magic from the former and the increased trust with our party members from the latter especially since our relationship with the others may have become a tad shaky given their opinions on tonight's events Tabitha and Sophie especially, given that they were witness to them.

>Finding a dancer

Isn't Ebe more dancer than bard already? I mean, her PasteBin description for her songs says:

>Emotional songs which play up or down the emotions of those who hear/view her.

…Which implies that her movements also contribute rather heavily to the magical effects of her songs.

>>296689

>Rommel risks becoming… a real monster.

I wholeheartedly disagree. Rommel has killed 3 people thus far, with all of them being slavers and thus undeserving of life in the first place. Of those 3, only 2 died in an unsettling fashion, since Bahiti died via rock bullet through the skull which can be considered clean and painless. And most importantly, at no point did he take enjoyment in ending their lives; hells, this most recent example shows his distaste for his actions if the line "it still doesn't feel good" is any indication. Certainly, this could become a problem later if anything escalates which would require everyone to be onboard with it, but other than some very minor potential foreshadowing it's largely a non-issue at this point.

>>296714

>As for what we do, find a tailor in town to repair the gilded staff we got and then request Tabitha to teach us how to use it efficiently.

Why use that when we have a perfectly good non-broken sturdy [Wizard Staff]? The [Broken Staff] not only lacks magical properties, since we would have noticed said properties when we obtained the staff were they present and a non-magic using Anubis would have no need for a magical implement, but it could also cause problems for us later if it is recognised by anyone since that Anubis did seem to have family of whom would be out for blood the moment they realise we killed her and looted her corpse. Why take such risks for an item which does little more than look pretty?

>>296856

Neither can Ebe really, since she doesn't actually know any lullabies nor any songs which don't have any magical effects and as such anything she sings would completely ruin any possibility of sleep by making one horny or energetic or whatever. We should probably get her to learn something like a lullaby, now that I think about it, because it might prove useful later on.

Something worth mentioning in regards to the waifu wars:

In Wizardquest, the sole reason we waifu'd the cat is because we were forced into the relationship. Sure the Grand Wizard sincerely loves her, but the only reason he feels that way is because she is retardedly OP and chose to chase him around and fuck with him and he had no choice but to put up with her.

Similarly with Franklin: He was like 50 years old and already good friends whether he wanted to admit it or not with Croaky. He probably did love her beneath his tsundere mask, but she had to rape him in order for him to actually admit it. Had she not, he'd still be the same potty-mouthed virgin he was 20 years ago.

Toby is a normalfag. We had no reason not to waifu the goo, except that she is vastly inferior to Ginelle.

Rommel not only is much edgier and more traumatized than the other two wizards, who are just social outcasts that give 0.000 fucks, but also he has no long-time friend he has hidden feelings for or a demigoddess stalker with an autism fetish. The last OP monster to show interest in us got her arse kicked by somebody who wouldn't even give us a second look unless we beat her in a fight.

>>296862

>>296889

Yeah, sort of like trinitite. If nothing grows there for any reason beyond the depth of the canyon or some sort of magical herbicide cloud, then it's a reasonable hypothesis that her little tantrum has in some way affected the geology somehow.

>>297049

>Bandits in this environment don't strike me as the kind of people who are going to ignore a potential target solely because they don't have much of value on them, since stealing anything is better than stealing nothing, especially when the land is inhospitable and full of danger.

Yeah, except that every attack is a risk. If you attack every traveller for chump change you will not live long. A clever bandit will only take the risk and attack travellers when he knows that he will get huge returns, when it is absolutely vital or when there is 0% risk.

Right you are. But how does a musician not know any lullabys? They are normally the first song you would hear and something any prospective mother should know. I suppose since they aren't listed, even if she does know any lulabys they'd be directed at babies rather than 30 year old wehraboos anyway. Hey Ace, how exhaustive is Ebe's song list?

>Story Continue

"Well, we're in a marketplace." Sophie says, eyes sparkling. "Since this is the last place people go before heading to Deleor, I bet you that there's plenty of good items!"

"Not as good as Port Amun'ra." Ebe says, chuckling. "Not that I would know, but I hear the Port has better items because it's easier to transport via ship than go through the Pass."

"Not exactly a long trip on through the Pass?" Chimes in Tabitha, who frowns. "Though I suppose that they can transport a lot more and have a larger market as Port Dorning is where the Eastern traders all come in anyway."

"Correct!" Sophie says, nodding.

"We should stick together though." Sylphie says, to which Ebe and Sophie frown before nodding. A light sigh of relief escapes from her lips and Sophie ruffles her hair under her hood which makes her wave her sister away with a furred hand.

"We shouldn't be out for too terribly much longer." Ebe says, cheering up. "Unless we intend to stay another evening?"

"No, we should get going. Still have something to be done, of course." Everyone nods and you get up, gathering your items and heading off to the marketplace.

While smaller than Borne, the marketplace here is no less bustling. With the sun high in the head and little wind blowing, the stalls in the town made of light cloth and wood sit still as strong as stone buildings. People and Monsters of all different ages and races mill about, going to various stalls as merchants hawk their wares in Deleorian and Ectrian.

The majority of the people are, of course, Ectrian, however your group doesn't make anyone bat and eye, even with the horse that trails behind you. Seems they're pretty used to seeing a lot, though the guards do watch your sword wielding companions for abit, though if it is because of any danger or because they are ogling is up to interpretation.

The one thing you can say for certain about the marketplace is that with all the people and the sun overhead, you are hot. It becomes obvious quite soon that your [Trenchcoat] is not suited for this situation at all. You have to change into your [Wizard's Robe] at one point, missing your pockets but loving the way it breathes.

"Hmmm." Muses Ebe, looking at you after you've changed and then turning to Alice. The woman is sweating, waving her hand across her face and adjusting her collar, yet never removing her armor, much to the disappointment of many men in the area. The Gandharva says, "You look hot."

"Oh thank you, you have a very sexy figure yourself but I don't swing that way." Alice says almost on reaction before pausing and then chuckling. "Sorry, not the first time I've heard that one, you know?"

"Uhm. No?"

"Huh, how odd, I had figured someone like you might have… Ah, nevermind."

Ebe looks at Sophie for help, but the Cat o'Ninetails merely shakes her head. The Gandharva shakes her head and says, "I was just remarking that you're sweating a lot. A robe would be quite useful, and it could hide your face with a hood."

"Are you calling me ugly?"

"N-no!" Ebe says, looking helpless. "I just-I just don't want to see you burned!"

"Oh! Well then." Alice chuckles. "That's different and very considerate of you. I suppose we can look for such a thing." She walks up to the Gandharva and places her hands on her hips. "Well then, lead on!"

"Uhm… okay." Ebe says, shaking her head before walking into the crowd toward some clothing merchants. The rest of you roll your eyes and follow her into the sweaty press of people. It smells like a dying rat, but honestly you're not terribly unfamiliar with it. If only it weren't so damn hot… though you're afraid it's going to just get hotter.

Tabitha shakes her head and walks closer to you as the press of people pushes you in. The twins, Ebe, and Alice all chat around Ebe, the Gandharva nervously laughing as Alice annoys her. Sighing, you realize its in stereo with Tabitha who turns to you and smirks at realizing it.

"It's hard not to think of them as girls looking like that."

"They are girls."

"You know what I mean."

You concede the point, nodding your head to her. "I'm not terribly much older than them."

"I can't see you giggling while shopping."

{Tell her about your rock shopping trip.} Erwin sends, and you mentally frown at him.

"Perhaps not." You say, walking up as Alice looks over some robes. "You know, I've been thinking that we're going to have a fair amount of time while traveling the desert."

"And?"

>>297131

"And I think that one of my personal weaknesses is melee combat. I never much had a reason for it beforehand, but I figure as things get more dangerous, having a skill would be useful."

Tabitha frowns and looks you up and down critically before nodding to your staff. "You want to learn how to fight with that?"

"I suppose. I don't really need a sword on hand and having another weapon on hand beyond a knife would be cumbersome."

"Could have a spear?"

"Not magically attuned. If I could figure out how to make this attuned well…" You say, digging into your [Backpack] and pulling the [Broken Staff] out of your bag. "It's kind of broken."

"Could have it repaired?" She says, nodding over to some smiths. "Seems an interesting design."

Mulling it over, you say, "I wonder about that though. The Anubis I got it from she… seemed to have a family. Maybe walking around with it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Well, there's always plenty of time later to get it fixed. I assume this large settlement would have someone who could do it." The Lizardman nods as she says this. "But as far as your staff… I suppose I could teach you a few things. Staves aren't as elegant as a sword but they're useful in a pinch."

"I could tie a knife to it and make a spear?"

"You Wizards and your spears, honestly." She says, though her eyes twinkle with amusement before turning back to the younger Monsters. "Seems they found what they needed."

"Sorry about that." Sylphie says, frowning at her sister. "We found something for Alice but SOMEONE had to go and buy a few other things."

"Hmph, I'm sorry that my sister doesn't appreciate fashion." Sophie sniffs, stuffing something into her bag of holding. She smirks though and says, "But she will~"

"I don't… like that smirk." The other twin says, looking nervous.

"Those two are a handful, I'd hate to be their parents." Alice says, sniffing. Her armor is now covered by a robe of light, brown fabric that, while still loose on her, hangs a little more snug than it should. This woman and her insistence on showing off her body…

"We thought you should have one too." Ebe says, holding a bundle of cloth out to Tabitha. "Since your clothes are a little revealing also."

"Haha." Tabitha chuckles, shaking her head. "No, I think I'm doing quite fine. Being a Lizardman means I love the sun and the heat. To be honest, I could bask in this for quite some time."

"You don't burn?" Ebe says, looking surprised. "Even Bahiti wore coverings."

"Oddly enough, no. Of course, I don't tan terribly well either."

"A shame." Sophie sighs. "You'd look wonderful with a bit more color."

"Says the pale princess."

"Hmph!" Sniffs the Sophie again.

"Well that's that." You interject, breaking up the conversation again. "We're stocked on food, correct?" Sylphie and Ebe nod their heads. "Grain for Mr. Ed?" Similar nods. "Water?"

"Indeed." Sophie replies, patting her bag of holding. You look at the bag for a moment and consider something, asking Ebe if anywhere here sells bags of holding. She looks about but is unable to find anything, which is a damn shame. You really wanted to tie them onto your robes to make a makeshift [Trenchcoat], but you feel that might not work anyway since compromising the integrity of a bag of holding can lead to… catastrophic issues.

"We should acquire another tent." Tabitha chimes in. "It seems you only have one and I hear the desert climates are rough at night."

"Two should fit all of us quite comfortably." Sophie agrees and then pauses, looking to you. "You don't mind getting warm and cozy with us supple ladies, do you?"

Mr. Ed snorts in what you can only assume is amusement and Alice snickers as well. Your frown deepens and you say, "No thank you, I'll be fine."

"A shame." Alice sighs. "I hope we come across a few villages, my vag has an itch that hasn't been scratched in awhile and I know YOU'RE not going to help me out, are you?"

"You could purchase an item which may simulate such a feeling." Says Sophie, to which Alice rolls her eyes.

>>297132

"Please dear girl, you have no idea what you're talking about. Someday though, someday." Once again the swordswoman sighs, to which Tabitha shakes her head.

"Anyway, let's find some other suppliers." Ebe leads the group again and you find someone that sells supplies for desert travel, to which you purchase another tent, lashing it up to Mr. Ed. As they go about look over canvas, etc, you happen to notice a merchant selling scrolls and books. Everything is written in Ectrian sadly, but it reminds you of the [Scroll of Ectrian Geoflexing.] Out of a mix of curiosity and boredom, you walk over the man at the booth and greet him in Ectrian.

The bookseller blinks a few times before cocking his head and saying, "Can I help you?"

"Oh, you speak uh… Deleorian." You say, coughing into your hand. "Sorry, I was practicing my Ectrian."

"Oh, you sound as if you learned it yesterday."

"Right…" You mutter, feeling embarrassed. "Anyway, I have an interest in learning how to read Ectrian. I have an interesting scroll here I would like to read but… well, I can't."

"Hmm let me take a look." The man says, and you hand him the scroll. He pours over it before chuckling. "Ah, Geoflexing. A Geomancer you are, yes? Quite a lovely school of magic." He opens the scroll and points to the center.

"This is a model of the mana points within a person's body. A chakra point, for Ectrian." He points to a word that appears a few times. "Chakra, synonomous with mana. This scroll seems to say that you must gather chakra into your limbs and attune it with the earth around you. Only then will with the earth become an extension of yourself."

"Huh." You say, looking over the scroll again. The word, "chakra" appears multiple times pointing to parts of the sketches body, mainly in the hands, legs, and feet. It's still mostly gibberish to you, but concentrating your mana and attuning it… it's a start.

"It also details exercises for various techniques." He points to a certain spot. "I believe this allows you to use the earth as an extension of your fists. How interesting!"

"Thank you very much." You say, nodding to the man. "This is very useful information. The only other thing I could ask is if-"

The man chuckles and pulls out a small book with Deleorian words on it, "Basic Ectrian." He holds it to you and you look at it, seeing it to be a dictionary of sorts. Frowning, you look back at the man and says, "You sell this a lot?"

"A fair amount." He admits. "I assume you'll buy it?"

You look at the book for a moment before saying, "I suppose…" He chuckles as you hand over the coin, and as you do Ebe pokes her head in and says, "What's that?"

"A book to learn how to read Ectrian." You say, tucking it away in your non-magical pocket.

>You gain, "Basic Ectrian."

>It's a book for Deleorians to learn Ectrian. What a boring title.

"I didn't know they had those." She muses, tapping her chin. "Well alright! Maybe I can learn to read too?"

"Aww isn't that cute." The man says. He turns to Ebe and asks, "Hal'ant mtazawj?"

Ebe blushes violently at this and you cock your head, only understanding, "Are you?" or something to that effect. She shakes her head and you ask her what he said which only makes her blush more and the man break into full laughter. He pats you on the arm and says, "Good luck sir. Hi jamilat jiddaan."

"What?" You ask again, but the man turns to help another customer. Scratching your chin, you turn to Ebe to find her almost scarlet. "Are you alright?"

"Yes!" She squeaks out before turning her back to you. "We should be going!"

"Uhhh, alright." You say, shrugging. With nothing left to buy, save some mana potions for Sylphie since you're here, you make your way to the edge of town and look out into the distance past the gates. A wide stretch of low scrubland follows, moving off to sand dunes not terribly distance. You find yourself feeling small as you look out to all that sand and yet… a sort of adventure awaits.

"Safe travels." The guard next to the gate says after reviewing with Ebe your destination. Seems they are a little more lax since you managed to get inside alright. "Be advised. There is a creature on the loose which killed three people two days ago and was seen leaving the town after we chased it out."

"Creature?" You ask, confused. The man nods his head.

"Yes, something which may have been a Monster, though it was unlike any I have seen before. Parts of it seemed to blend into the darkness but…" He shakes his head. "Do not worry, there are more tangible dangers out in the wastes."

"Thank you." Ebe says, nodding her head. "Isde is the nearest village, yes?"

"Indeed. Directly to the east. You will find shade and water there."

"Thank you." She says, bowing to the man. He looks down her shirt for a moment and smirks before nodding and waving you on your way. And so, in the late morning, you're off in the desert toward your fate.

>>297133

You honestly thought traveling in the forests and Mountain pass was boring, but this is a whole new level of boring. The scrubslands with the few, scraggly trees here and there gave some comfort, but as soon as you begin to reach the sand, things get rather… dull. You encounter maybe one or two caravans on the last leg of the journey to market, but as the day wears on, you begin to see not much of anything.

Ebe converses with you more in Ectrian as you walk while Sophie and Sylphie take the time to walk without hoods when they can, though Ebe's chastisement has them put the hoods back on every so often, so they might not get burned under the scorching sun. You find you have a better grasp of some basic Ectrian as you walk, and while you'd love to read while walking, that's not… going to work too well.

Stopping for a break a little after midday, Tabitha decides to start your training with the staff. The first thing she teaches you is how to properly hold the staff and then how to perform a few simple blocks. It's easy work, though when you go to actually block a few of her blows with her sheathed sword, she manages to get through your guard and give you reminders that you're the student. You can't tell, but she might be smirking.

Ebe, Sophie, and Sylphie (with Rommel in her lap) talk while lounging on a nearby dune, sitting on a blanket purchased in town as not to get sand all over their asses. You notice Sophie is not wearing her robes and in fact is exposing much of her skin as she lays down, soaking in the sun. For some reason Ebe doesn't chastise as she does so and you wonder why not any longer…

A few bruises later, your group packs up and continues on the path. Training in the grueling heat was rough but educational, and you're glad you have plenty of water. How awful must this place be when it's full on summer, you wonder? Curiously, you notice that Sophie stows away that bottle of white liquid, seeming a little less full than before, into her bag, but no one else seems to bat an eye. Well, can't be anything too terrible, you suppose.

Mercifully, the sky begins to darken and Ebe decides it's a good idea to call it a night. There's nothing around you in all directions but sand, so setting up camp is basically setting up wherever you're sitting. Sadly this makes for easy prey for bandits, but where else are you going to stay? Besides, any bandits that attack your group are in for the last surprise of their lives.

Sophie cooks up a wonderful meal, and you notice her skin seems a little more tan than before. You're honestly surprised she hasn't burned, but don't make much mention of it as you set up wards around your encampment. The evening meal is spent with Ebe talking about her own journey to Deleor, and how she camped out with the slaver group, singing about the fires.

"You didn't turn them into horny beasts with your singing?" Sylphie asks, and the Gandharva chuckles.

"Of course not! I can sing normal songs too." She pulls out her Ectrian ghitar and strums it, singing a small song about an Ectrian tribesman who falls in love with a Griffon. He ends up following her to her lair and when she catches him as a thief, he accuses her of stealing his heart. Sappy, but it makes everyone around the fire smile except Tabitha who merely nods her head.

"What about a lullaby?" Sophie asks, curious.

"Hum, I know one but I'm afraid it might put people to sleep!"

"Is that so?" You say, perking up. "Think if you played it in combat, it might have that effect?"

"Well, no, not as it currently stands but… I suppose I could modify it? It's an folk song, but… sure!" She brightens. That might be fun, and a change of pace from Sveth's music. When you give her a strange look she says, "You know that… heavy music."

"Ah, of course." You shudder against a cool wind that blows and say, "I think we should be readying for bed. We have a long day of… sand ahead of us."

"Yes, sadly it's a few days until we reach Isde."

"Nothing else closer?" Alice asks.

>>297135

"I don't think so. Maybe off the path to the north or south, but we'd have to detour for that if I find anything by flying."

"Maybe we'll find something buried in the sand." Sylphie chuckles.

"Maybe." Tabitha says, rising and clapping her hands. "Alright, get this cleaned up and I want Alice, myself, and Rommel on guard. The rest of you, get some sleep."

Alice groans and you shrug while the others clean up. Tabitha walks over and says, "You're on final watch, alright?" You nod in reply and she taps your staff. "Do some practice of those forms, but keep it quiet,alright?"

"Yes ma'am." You say, rolling her eyes, though she frowns.

"I'm not that old."

"Yes, miss."

"Better." She kicks Alice who grumbles and heads to bed in their tent while you make for your own. Sleep is quick in coming and, as usual, it's quick in going when you're awoken by a bored looking Alice.

"Your turn. If you want me to keep you company though…"

"Alice."

"Fine, fine." She shrugs and walks back into her tent, leaving you to your own devices.

The first thing you do is practice with the staff, getting a feel for the blocks Tabitha taught you. The forms come easier now and the effort feels good as you haven't been working out as much as you should. Feeling a little warm despite the cool, you take your shirt off and practice until it feels right. When you put away your staff, you see the [Scroll of Ectrian Geoflexing] and study it next to the campfire. You still don't understand it but… it makes a little more sense.

Feeling a little invigorated from your work out, you close your eyes and try concentrating mana into your extremities like is shown on the scroll. It's strange, as you're used to mana as a nebulous sort of concept, not a physical feeling, but if you think of it the same way you grab hold of a rock just focused in your hand…

A tingling sensation spreads across your hand and you frown down at it. The mana feels… there but not quite solid. Putting a little more effort into it, you feel it become more tangible, but it dissapates soon after. You frown deeper and continue at it until the sensation sticks. With some effort you look at the ground and push your hand forward but nothing happens.

"Attune to the Earth, huh?" Muttering to yourself, you spread out your power via a [Survey] and get a good idea how what the ground around you is (it's sand) and then try to aethertically tune your hand to it. The tingling increases and you feel a weight upon you, as if anchored to the land. Looking down at your hand, you clench your fist and then push forward, to which a gust of sand moves and sinks back to the ground.

It's… not impressive, but it's something. Frankly it’s something that's taxing of energy as it stands and you stop, vowing to work on it more later. With daylight still not present, you spend the rest of the evening looking through [Speak Up! Audiomancy for the Astute Mind]. Most of the text is basic theory of sound on current knowledge and the first two lessons are for [Privacy barrier] and [Amplify], which you already know.

Skipping ahead, you find another spell, one that's not a simple cantrip, and more focused on the art of audiomancy. [Audio tap] is the name of the spell, and its design seems to allow someone to listen to something from a long distance away.

"While most audiomancy is at a close distance, this spell manages to take sounds from far away, or out of the practioner's view, and channels it with a small thread of mana to the caster so they can hear from the point. The basics of the spell are to create an anchor point of mana similar to the [amplify] and then thread a small amount of mana attuned to the initial spell over to the end point. This can be moved, and can be activated after the focal point is made. See diagram B-22 on the next page for the aetheric weaving needed to create the focal point.

When in place, sounds can be directly placed into the ear of the caster. While very useful, it is not to be used in illegal situations! A word of warning, this spell is difficult to shield and can be detected easily by another practioner. Please use with caution."

>>297136

You follow the diagram and with some difficulty make the spell work. Wondering how effective it is, you cast the spell within the girls' tent and listen in. You hear their soft breathing as well as Sophie muttering, "delicious copper, ufufu…"

Feeling a little silly, you decide to pull away when you hear Sylphie whimper. A mix of fear at being discovered and disgust for doing this flows through you, and you make to move away but Sylphie speaks as she sleeps, "Daddy…"

Pausing, you hear her crying some and you feel a pang of pain in your heart for the girl. Honestly, she's a good kid and you feel bad for her but… hells, you're here for business with her Father too. Her world changed so suddenly, traveling across the world like this and things will only get harder. Still… it's best not to listen further, and you remove your magic, turning instead to watching the light begin to play in the distant horizon.

>You learn [Audio Tap]

>By anchoring mana to a point, you can listen to far away conversations!

---——————————————-

Morning comes and you pretend you heard nothing, everyone going about their business without any issue. Tabitha gives you a knowing look, though how she knows you have no idea. Actually, she probably doesn't know shit, she just knows you know that she knows that you did something, you know? After a nice breakfast, you're back on the path of… sand.

Another boring, hot morning occurs as you walk through the sand, Ebe taking wing at a few intervals, circling above like a vulture. She comes down at one point in the mid morning and notes that there's something sticking out of the sand about a mile or two to the north.

"I don't know what it is." Ebe admits. "Sometimes you find little ruins in the sand here and there, but I'd be careful. They're often points for bandits to rally around, and while I didn't see anyone there…"

"We understand." Tabitha says. "Honestly we should keep going. I don't see what could be gained."

"History, for one." You say, rubbing your chin. "Rocks, for two."

"Here we fucking go." Sylphie mutters, rubbing her forehead. She sighs and says, "Okay Rommel, you're in charge so:

>What do you do?

Honestly,it's just some rocks in the desert. Not worth your time, but all that's around is sand anyway. Might as well keep going, right?

>>297128

Welp

Oh, and Ebe knows a lot of songs, just most of them not really combat suited, so not worth listing. Mostly folk songs and such.

>>297137

Sounds like a good time to practice [Audio Tap] some more. Tap the ruins and try to listen for bandits or anything else. If it sounds clear, make your way over and check it out.

>>297137

>>297154

Exactly what I was thinking, lets check out the ruins, but use [Audio Tap] first in case the creature is nearby.

>>297137

I remember in the beginning of the CYOA, we surfed on top of a rock to get around places. Maybe we might be able to practice the same thing, but with sand instead? We could use it to excise our mana reserves too.

Anyway, aside from what we can do on our downtime, I don't think it'd do us harm to investigate. We've just got to be ready for shit. [Audio Tap] to listen for baddies, nothing much past that I think. Clump up the sand and practice [Spinning Shot] before we actually attack them? The sand might be too smooth for it to stay clumped together midair. We might need to 'kebab them with sand spikes from underneath their position. Simply burying them in sand might not work as well as wanted.

Also, no mistakes this time. No more Nane's. Leader dies, period. Grunts underneath can be spared.

These ruins will be loaded with rocks. Plus they're the only interesting thing in a sea of sand. Let's do it!

>>297137

Let's listen on like the smart anon suggested. Most likely this will be our second killer cyborg encounter so inform Alice and Tabitha about her and get ready to fucking ignore it and walk around it in a very large fucking arc.

>>297137

Something I noticed in >>297135

>Ebe, Sophie, and Sylphie (with Rommel in her lap) talk while lounging on a nearby dune, sitting on a blanket purchased in town as not to get sand all over their asses.

>Ebe, Sophie, and Sylphie (with Rommel in her lap)

You mean Erwin, right? It would be a tad strange for Rommel to both get overly comfortable with anyone just yet and to refer to himself in the third person.

Any way, back on topic. Anything sticking out in the sands is probably of some interest to us, so we might as well explore the area if just to alleviate our boredom. As for who happens to be occupying the supposed ruins reminder that Ebe wasn't 100% sure herself about what she actually saw so said landmark could turn out to be something different entirely, there are three major possibilities in order of probability; bandits, That Thing as the PasteBin lovingly calls it or nobody at all. In any case, the recently acquired [Audio Tap] as suggested by >>297154 works wonders here in determining what we will encounter because the likelihood of us casting the spell in front of an accomplished Audiomancer here is extremely slim, so we don't need to worry about being caught, and any residents in the location would have no reason to stay silent nor hide since they don't know we exist yet, as the horizon is currently obscuring our position meaning neither party is able to see each other Ebe was flying when she spotted it, after all. As such, cast that and use what we hear or what we don't hear to determine who is present and go from there.

If bandits are present, then expect combat but don't actively seek it out - it would be pointless bloodshed and there's no reason to risk injuries in the middle of the desert of which would lead to wasted supplies when there are going to be plenty of encounters later on any way. If That Thing is present, then it would be in our best interests to do as >>297215 says and completely avoid it for the time being, keeping a careful watch on it to make sure it stays as far away from us as possible and to see where it disappears to, because at our current strength we still probably don't stand much of a chance at defeating whatever the fuck it is and whatever is of interest in the area is not worth the risk of Ebe being horribly murdered. If seemingly no one is present, then approach with caution nonetheless just to be safe but we should be fine to explore the area at our leisure.

Assuming we've dealt with whatever denizens may be present and assuming that the landmark is indeed ruins, then explore the ruins to see if there is anything of interest to us. Anything of material value will have been looted long ago, but there may be remains of culture in the form of scriptures or statues which could prove useful or at the very least interesting. It may also be worth looking for any runes or glyphs we can note down in a similar fashion to the [Runic Rubbings] for later usage when we can actually translate them since we're probably not coming back here for a while and it would be a shame to pass up on potential delicious exposition as a result of our lacking Ectrian literary ability.

>>297128

>Yeah, except that every attack is a risk. If you attack every traveller for chump change you will not live long. A clever bandit will only take the risk and attack travellers when he knows that he will get huge returns, when it is absolutely vital or when there is 0% risk.

That's the thing though: in a desert, especially in a section of desert where travelling merchants aren't common, you have to take such risks to survive because you don't know when the next target and thus chance for supplies might appear. You could ignore a target as there is danger to be had and end up starving as a result when no one else comes past because one cannot live off of the land when the land is nigh devoid of life. Were this on a commonly travelled path or a trade route between major settlements I would be more inclined to agree, but we aren't even close to such locations just yet.

>>297137

Rite!

Start off by scouting by having sending in Sylphie use her light bending thingy and Rommel using his audio tap. The two need to stay down wind. Once area is clear bring the rest in.

>>297174

Expanding on this, Since we are in the desert and might not always be able to find rocks, Or want to fire our friends into people, We can always fashion some glass bullets by burning the sand. They might not have exactly the same penetrating power as solid metal but all the glass shards from impact being stuck inside a open wound would be extremely painful and should still do pretty decent damage on more lightly armored opponents. And seeing as we are in an actual desert I imagine you're not going to see so much heavy armor.

I'm all for exploring the ruins. Lets see what we can dig up.

And on a side note, We should mess with Sophie in the future. Ask magicat about the basics of luxmancy. Use our rudimentary understanding to try and deflect some of the sunlight she's wanting to tan with. Make her think she's not tanning at all for the giggles.

>>297128

I forget, who is Franklin again? Was he from wizardquest 1 or 1.5?

>>297383

WizardQuest 1, he was the 40 year old Wizard (60 at the time of this quest, assuming he's still alive) with the Corgi who had shit taste in eastern theatre waifus and taught us Biomancy. We had a pokémon familiar battle with him.

>>297155

Sylphie is the first in line for geological adventures!

>>297174

Hum, directly on the sand maybe a little hard, but you could cruise quite easily if you had a board

>>297215

Pshaw.

I mean.

Guess you have to see, eh?

>>297266

Fug. Well, we all know that I blitz type and then directly post. Yes, it's Erwin. I goofed.

>>297315

{Trick of the light] is probably more effective here because of the shimmering in the sand, but it's not going to cover footprints, etc. It's probably not good for close up hiding.

>>297345

Pffff, that's kind of amusing.

>>297383

Franklin is the Biomancer Wizard from 1.0 who marries Croakly and has a Corgi who wears a butler's outfit

>>297390

>but it's not going to cover footprints

Just use aeromancy or [Flurry].

>>297390

>{Trick of the light] is probably more effective here because of the shimmering in the sand, but it's not going to cover footprints, etc. It's probably not good for close up hiding.

Simply use a low powered {Gust} to hide the footprints.

>>297137

We need to become one with the sand and spread it's coarse roughness everywhere within the ruins and with it sense what is within.

>>297567

Sorry for not saging

>>297390

>cruise quite easily if you had a board

Combine some carved out ruin rock and our blanket/carpet we laid out on the sand and we're good to go for the entire party.

>>297568

Gawd damn you!

>Story continue

"Well obviously we're going to look at it." Is your response. There is no other response worth giving, right?

"I suppose." Sylphie sighs.

"Aww, it will be fun!" Ebe says, trying to console her. "I mean, we usually seem to run into bad things when we go off the beaten path, but I doubt that will happen this time."

"Ha!" A bark of laughter comes from Tabitha."This takes me back."

"What else is there to do?" You say, shrugging. The others look to each other before shrugging in return. Sure, the Grand Wizard and the Monster Lady are being held captive and all, but you have time to look around at ancient ruins, right?

"There's plenty to be learned and it won't take very long." You say, waving a finger. "Besides, if it makes you feel better, I'll use a little trick I learned last night so I can hear from long distances to make sure nothing is present."

"Can't you just do that invisibility thing again, dear sister?" Asks Sophie, but to Sylphie's annoyance.

"Dear Gods, sister, how many times so I have to tell you that it's not invisibility? If you want invisibility, go ask Tobias."

"Dear, you're flushed from over-excitement."

"No, I'm flushed because it's hot and this is just some old ruins!" Sylphie says, stomping her foot on the ground. Everyone grows a little quiet at this and she sighs, shaking her head before taking a few calming breaths. "Sorry, I just don't do well with the heat, okay?" She rubs at the back of her head, "Who knew a desert would be so… hot."

You can see Sophie's eye twitching at her need to respond to that, but she too takes a calming breath and says, "We'll just go in close, take a look around, and leave, okay? We won't take too long before returning to the path to Mother and Father, alright?"

"Fine." Sylphie sighs. Mr. Ed walks up and nuzzles her cheek, to which she returns the gesture. "Alright, alright, sorry about that."

"It won't take very long." You say, looking out in the distance where Ebe indicated. "It might be good to use that spell though. With the way the heat reflects off the sands, we'll just look like some kind of mirage anyway."

"I can't hide our footprints though." She says, shrugging.

"I can do a little low level aeromancy." You suggest.

She thinks this over and then shrugs again. With that, you star heading toward the ruins indicated by Ebe. With the sands underneath you, it's not a fun walk, but it's not horrible either. The sand gets everywhere though, but you're about used it to at this point. Tabitha stops your group when you can see the ruins off in the far distance down a dune, and she nods to Sylphie, who sighs and casts [Trick of the Light]. With that in hand, you continue forward, casting [Gust] to cover your tracks.

Perhaps 300 yards away, you stop the party and scan the distance. No sign of anyone around, just another forgotten ruin in a land of sand. Clacking your tongue, you remember what you learned last night and reach out, casting [Audio Tap], forming the matrix upon the ruin itself, a spire that sticks out of the sand about 20ft. high. You can't really make out much about it except it seems to be made of a sand-like stone. Perhaps sandstone? Perhaps.

With the magic in place, you close your eyes and concentrate. Sounds come to you as the magic channels through a line to your ears. What you hear is… nothing. Nothing but the wind rushing through the sands. Dust blows and for a long minute you wait, trying to hear something, anything else. But nothing comes until-

A sound of something shifting comes.

Involuntarily you open your eyes and look over at the spire before frowning and closing your eyes again, listening. It comes again, a soft sound but it's like the sand itself is shuddering as something… moves underneath it. Frowning deeper still, you open your eyes again and look back to the group.

"There's something moving under the sand there… I think."

"You think?" Alice says, looking off at the sand. "I don't see anything."

Tabitha merely sighs and pats Alice's head. "So, you think a burrowing sort of Monster?"

Ebe's face goes pale. "Oh Twins, how big is it?"

"I don't know, the sound is faint though, so not very large."

>>297666

She sighs out in relief, putting a wing to her chest. "Oh thank the Twins, if it were larger we should run. We do NOT want to run into a Sandworm." When she gets a curious look, she says, "Utterly massive Monster who can swallow a caravan whole. They're extremely rare so close to civilization but… I don't want to fight them!"

"Fair enough." You say, nodding your head. "What else might be there?"

"Burrowing Monsters… sounds like maybe a Khepri? An insect-like Monster, though they aren't often seen outside of their trading covens."

"Dangerous?"

"No more dangerous than any other Monster. They'll steal men if they can help it, but they'd much rather trade for slaves."

"Great." You say, mood darkening. "I was hoping to go a day without violence. Come on." You wave to Sylphie and she sighs, moving your little group forward.

It's not long until you see the spire closer and you get to appreciate the worn architecture. The sides of the spire were made flat ages ago, worn down bit by bit with age and abrasive sand. It tapers to a square prism at the top and along its sides are multiple runes written in what you can assume is ancient Ectrian, at least so says Sylphie who can see that far.

Listening still, the sounds of burrowing have stopped near the spire. Perhaps whatever it is decided to leave without anything much to gain from being around the ruins further. It hasn't surfaced, so it can't see you, but you have Sylphie keep up the shroud anyway until you're about 50ft away from the spire. Stopping the group, you hold out your hand and cast [Survey], sending out your magic through the ground. You can feel sand, sand, and more sand, along with something… moving?

Oh hells, it's moving toward you! You hurriedly make to shift the sand when whatever it is dashes under you and bursts from the sand in the middle of your group, showering you with sand that gets into the eyes of everyone nearby. Only you, Sophie, and Erwin are able to shield yourselves from it and you flip about, staff in hand to block a blow from-

A cute, female face looks up at you from where she stands before you, copper skin flecked with sand. She smiles and says, "Woah, that's a cool staff!"

You falter, unsure of what to do when Sophie grabs the Monster with her tails, making her yelp as she's pulled backward. The little Monster lets out a shriek as Sophie binds her and drops her to the sand, her tails keeping the pair of membranous wings hidden by a black shell from fully emerging. Chitinous arms and legs flail uselessly and the girl's black hair sprays more sand about.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" Sophie says in a harsh voice, making the small Monster pause, eyes going wide in confusion and fear. The Cat o'Ninetails narrows her eyes and digs her tails in further, making certain the little Monster, who is clearly an adult now that you look at her, is completely bound.

"W-waaaah." The beetle-like Monster says, tears forming in her eyes. "P-please don't kill me! I'll give you all my treasures but pleeeeassseee don't killl meeee!"

A blade appears at her throat and Tabitha, her eyes red and tearing from the sand, growls, "And why the hells shouldn't I?"

"C-Cause I'm scaarreed!" The Monster begins to bawl completely and everyone falters, finding this to be a little surprising. Where you expected to find a hardened murder machine, you instead find this cry-baby. It's enough to make everyone but Tabitha lower their guards and look about in confusion.

"Oh, oh dear." Ebe says, blinking the sand out of her eyes like she's used to it. "A Khepri indeed. Oh, don't cry, don't cry." She flaps her wings and sings a soft little song that makes the Monster stop cry and go to sniffing instead. Ebe smiles and says, "There, there, we aren't going to kill you."

"Y-You're not?" The Khepri sniffs. "B-but she still has a sword!"

Tabitha narrows her eyes and then sighs, pulling away her blade. "You're not a threat."

"T-Thank you?" The Khepri sniffs again. "I'm so sorry, I heard someone walking on the sand and thought I'd say hi, cause who would be out here anyway?"

"Oh, mostly bandits." Ebe says, giving a sad smile. "Mostly bandits."

"Bandits move the sand differently." She says, pouting. "But you're not bandits… right?"

>>297667

"We haven't kill you yet, so probably not." You sigh, waving a hand to your face. "You really scared us."

"S-sorry." She says, dropping to the ground as Sophie lets go of her bondage. "I was just searching around her for treasures, didn't think anyone would be by."

"We were just coming to look at the ruins." You say, nodding to the spire. "Didn't expect to find anyone here."

"Well, of course not, there's nothing here." The beetle Monster sighs. "I should have listened to the matriarch, there's nothing left here but sand and rock. All the treasure was taken ages ago."

"I see." You say, rubbing your chin. "What is your name anyway?"

"Oh, of course." The Khepri says. "My name is Qi!"

"You have very good Deleorian, Qi." Ebe says, smiling. "Did they teach you in your coven?"

"Yep, the Matriarch really wants us to learn to trade with the Deleorians, so we're taught at an early age."

"Is your coven nearby?"

"Yeah, it's just up-" Qi freezes, as if she realized she just said something she wasn't supposed to. "Up… somewhere."

"I see." Ebe says, nodding. "Well, we are just here to look at the ruins. Since you have found nothing, I suppose you'll be on your way."

"I suppose." She says, seeming a little forelorn. "You don't have anything to trade, do you?"

"Depends on what you would like to trade." Sophie says, stepping forward, her eyes glittering. "Rommel, be a dear and look to the rocks while I talk with the girl."

"Uh huh." You say, turning to the spire and walking over to it, Rommel in tow. It looms over you as you approach, and you can feel that it extends deep down into a structure far larger than you would have expected. Infact, you can't even send your magic far enough down to get a good idea of it all, and excavating all of this would take way more effort than it's worth. You don't doubt that Qi didn't find any treasure though, she seems fairly earnest.

Running a hand over the structure, you find that it's made of, as you guessed, a kind of sandstone which is firm to the touch. Tracing your fingers downward, you find that there's additional runes carved into the stone, which you utterly can't comprehend. You take out some paper again and rub it on the runes, adding to your [Runic Rubbings]. Walking around the spire, you find with surprise that there's even a few pictograms present. You can't understand the deeper meaning of it, but you try to figure out what's being shown.

There's a group of what you think are people standing under what you think is a sun. The sun shines down until the moon covers it, and a serpent appears. A serpent with… breasts? Oh Solos… Anyway, the people start to bow down to the serpent until a figure with the sun shining behind her comes forth, flanked by dogs with… breasts. Anubis, probably. This figure holds a staff that shines like the sun and the serpent vanishes, the sun replacing the moon and the people bowing down to the figure. There's a myriad of other script about, but you can't tell at all what it is.

{Huh, neat story. Just like your Eastern Theatre, huh?} Erwin sends, looking it over from your shoulder.

"Perhaps." You muse, looking it over again. Seeing a recording of a history, or even just a folk story, makes you feel a little giddy inside. Writing down the basics of the story, you resolve to ask Ebe about it at the next opportunity. Feeling there's nothing more to be gained from all of this, you make to walk away before pausing and looking back at the structure.

"I don't have a friend like this…" You mutter to yourself and then send your magic out into the sand, finding a section of loose sandstone and dredging it up from the earth. It's larger than expected, and flat. When you place it on the ground, you're able to place both your feet on it. Far too large to carry, you'll have to break it and… hang on.

You can totally ride on this.

>>297668

Cocking your head, you send your magic into the sand and find it slides easily about. Which means you propel through it with far less effort that otherwise. Smirking, you use [Rock Slide] to slide the sandstone board forward and you glide almost effortlessly through the sand. Yes, it taxes some of your mana, but the speed with which you move is fantastic, and the wind it generates feels great! The sand in your eyes, not so much, however.

The others look at you in concern as you slide to a stop next to them, kicking up some sand, and you hop off your board and say, "I made a friend."

"Did that man just ride a rock?" Qi says, pointing at you.

"He most certainly did." Sylphie says, fanning herself as you rub the sand from your eyes. "Find anything of interest?"

"Some old runes and some carvings." You read your interpretation off to Ebe who frowns.

"Sounds like an Apophis. They were sworn enemies of the Pharaohs, though no one is sure why. Probably was Pharoah Kissa, the one who purged the land of the Apophis though why this would be on a story spire all the way out here, I have no idea."

"Interesting…" You muse, rubbing your chin. "So this place was an old city with a connection to the Apophis and-"

"This is quite interesting, but we were discussing trade." Qi says, her manner utterly changed. She has a business like attitude as she stares at you with cold eyes before turning back to Sophie. "So, you're interesting in seeing the wares I have?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing of interesting you have here." Sophie says, shaking her head. "I would require something more substantial."

"I see, I see." The Khepri says, musing. She looks over all of you and then smiles. "How about… information? You seem to be travelers and could use some knowledge of our lands. I'm sure the Gandharva here knows much but Khepri, we know much more."

"Such as…?"

"Locations of villages, watering holes, survival in the desert, many things."

You and Sophie trade looks before she asks, "What about news from Setet?"

Qi's face falters for a moment. "S-Setet? The capital, yes…" She seems to fidget for a moment before sighing. "I do not venture that far and know little of the capital city. I am afraid I cannot trade that information, however…" She thinks it over before saying, "I can fetch someone from my coven who does!"

"You wish for us to wait here while you go back to your coven?" Tabitha says, her brow creasing. "Sounds like a trap to me."

"N-no!" Qi says, shaking her head violently. "Not at all! It won't take long! Maybe just until tomorrow, not so bad, yes?"

"What if we went to your coven to ask directly?" Sophie says, crossing her hands.

"Sounds like a trap to me." Alice says, rolling her eyes.

Qi pales as she chews on her lip, thinking it over. She seems to be having a moral dilemma between bringing you to her coven and not making a trade. You wonder if she would be in trouble if she doesn't bring anything back? When you voice this concern to her, she pales further, somehow.

"I-I…" Qi says, tearing up again. "Oh, darn it, yes!" She sighs and sits down on the sand. "If I have no other choice I… I'll lead you to the Coven."

Sophie looks to you and shrugs. "Could be useful, but it is a detour."

Sylphie sighs and looks up at the sky as you think over your decision. On one hand, trading is good and information is better. On the other hand… it is a detour into the home of Monsters who work with slaver. A difficult choice, but you're used to difficult choices. Well,

>What do you?

>>297669

She's proably trustworthy, right?

Sand sucks man.

Nah. If we stay here for a day we can fortify and be prepared for an attack if she is scheming against us. Also we can't afford too many detours that are way out of the way. She still gets her trade and we get our information.

Her change in demeanor and behavior when we read out that story bugs me. I bet she knows something more about it. Whether that is some secret history or if there is a surviving apophis will be seen later, but it still bugs me. I say we wait in the ruins. We may lose a day but the ruins will at least provide some shade and we can prepare for an ambush if it is one. Alternatively if we go along there is a greater chance we'll find out more about this story. I'm actually torn. Staying behind will be far less risky but following her may give us information that could provide an edge we need later. I say we follow her.

Also

>"Uh huh." You say, turning to the spire and walking over to it, Rommel in tow. It looms over you as you approach

>Rommel in tow

>>297676

Erwin is now part of the family. He is now Erwin Rommel, manifestation of german power.

Seriously though, that damn name gets me every time and i'm sorry.

>>297669

Going for waiting in the ruins, also inquire the Qi about what she would ask or gain in exchange for the information. Better to know the price now than and if we are able to pay up.

>>297675

It is undoubtedly a trap, put some rocks in our pockets in case there's none there.

>>297669

We bring up the story again with the coven. That's what we'll trade for, as there really isn't much else they could give us. Also, judging from the bug and the species description, the coven probably isn't a trap.

Make sure to watch for surroundings.

>Yes, it taxes some of your mana

I don't like this. At this point it should be incredibly easy for us to do this.

I say we need to seriously brush up on some geomancy.

Lets wait in the ruins, it'll give us time to possibly learn more about the story, and more importantly give us time with some stone to TRAIN OUR MUSCLES and work on more of that geoflexing scroll and desert language. Also being stationary in the ruins will give us time to prepare for any ambush the Khepri may have planned. We have a dream opportunity here lads, archaeology, gains, geoflexing AND language skills will come to us, but only if we stay in the ruins for the night.

>leave before getting raped by a bunch of goldbugs

I just thought about something guys.

How is Chaika going to find the group?!

>>297669

Stay tight in the ruins for the night.

It would be ill advised to follow her into their home territory where they have vastly superior numbers. She seems fairly well mannered and isn't particularly threatening but you should always be preparedTo kill everyone you meet incase things go awry.

While we wait we should do some sand surfing. Rommel is always studying or fighting, He needs to have fun some times too. Let our boy cut loose for a bit and shred the sand. Erwin might find it amusing and we can teach Slyphie to do it. Ebe would also probably play along by flying really low to the ground to join in the fun. Think of the bonding experiences!

>>297701

>>297713

These two know whats good.

Definitely stay in the ruins, we'll have a much better chance if something goes wrong.

>>297829

Yeah Rommel needs some downtime, not only he'll bond more, he can practice and be more efficient at sandboarding.

My damn B key broke. Do you know how hard it is to type with a broken key? Guh… I miss the Ipad sometimes.

>>297675

Make a sand fort. Sounds like fun!

I don't think Sylphie will be happy though…

>>297701

Fair enough!

>>297713

Not like you don't have a lot of rocks, but actyally you should choose the rocks you'd like to have in your pockets since you're limited with the [Wizard Robes].

>>297729

It's not taxing in the point like last time, but you can't do it forever. You're much stronger than before and this is easier!

>>297741

What, wanna mud wrestle with Tabitha or something? Eh, geoflexing though, that could be fun to work on.

>>297807

Sir, not all of them are gold. Most aren't probably.

>>297818

About that-

>>297829

Awww that sounds like fun!

>>297871

Ah well. Sylphie has to know the importance of info sometime. Can't be rushing in there and potentially get captured like her parents after all.

>My damn B key broke. Do you know how hard it is to type with a broken key?

iktf. Can't even play certain games anymore without it being a pain in my ass.

>>297871

By training muscles I meant make a barbell out of the stone at the ruins and some weights and get pumping those chest / arms and doing squats. But wrestling with Tabitha sounds excellent as well. Seems like extra strength would go well with geoflexing so we can proper punch and kick stone at people.

>>297669

I hope we can get a QT Khepri party member out of this situation. Their one of my favorites and none of are current party members scream "best girl" or " a good fit with Rommel" yet. Though going with his character I'm more rooting for him just saying single. Disregarding romance and acquiring more magical power instead.

>Story continue

Qi looks hesitant as she waits for your answer. Part of you wonders why she is so interested in making a trade while part of you also wonders what kind of trap this may invite. Ebe didn't sound particularly afraid of the Khepri, but anyone who works with slavers can't be the best. Her change in demeanor too was troubling, though she did seem a little more serious before you told your story.

The information is too valuable out here not to have it, but you don't know if going out to the coven is the best idea either. If it is a trap, then you'll be in their home turf, and frankly you can do a lot of stuff with sand, but they can burrow and get the jump on you easily. No, it would make more sense for them to come to you, where you're able to entrench yourself against a threat.

A quick glance to Sylphie shows she's exasperated, her cheeks flushed. You can respect that she wants to hurry along to the capital, but without information you risk running into the same problem her parents did. Odd that you didn't notice this beforehand, but she's been a little irritable since yesterday, hasn't she? Well… you might need to have her sister have a talk with her then. Not like you're going to have a talk about patience, you're not her damn father.

"Could you give us a moment?" You say to Qi. The Khepri nods her head, though she still looks nervous. You give her a brief smile before gathering up the others in a little huddle. Looking between them, you say, "Alright, I think we need to work with her here."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Alice says, in a shocking moment of seriousness. "Walking right into the home of Monsters who can easily get the drop on us, it makes little sense if we don't have to."

"Sitting ducks isn't smart either." Tabitha puts in.

"No, but it gives us a chance to fortify our position. They'll know where we are if we stay here, but they can't surprise us as easily if we're ready for them." Shrugging, you add, "Besides, I doubt they'll bring the whole coven, and she doesn't seem like much of a fighter.

"Uhm." Ebe says, uncomfortable. "Their fingers are actually super sharp and, though you can't really tell, their teeth are super sharp too."

"Tch, overgrown bugs." Alice sneers.

Sophie gives her a sidelong glance before shaking her head. "So we are going to wait for them here?"

"Indeed." You say, nodding your head. "Besides, we can rest a little more and get attuned with the sand.

Sophie smiles a feline grin, "A tanned, you say?"

"No, I said attu-"

"Oh, I hear you loud and clear." The Cat o'Ninetails continues, cutting you off. She stretches and says, "Well, let us send her on her way then."

Sylphie, who has been silent the whole time closes her eyes and sighs. Tabitha looks at the girl and shakes her head before putting a hand on her sword and walking off. Following them for a moment, you turn your attention back to Qi who jumps as you address her.

"We are interested in your wares, however since you seem discomforted by our presence in your coven, we are willing to wait the day here for you to return."

Qi blinks a few times before her eyes go wide and the wing cover on her back raises slightly. "Oh! Well then, that's great!" She claps her insect-like hands together and then nods her head to you. "I will leave directly and bring back sister Gyasi.

"Ah, but one moment." Sophie says, re-appearing next to you. "Just so we can have it handy, what kind of payment are we expecting?"

"That depends on what you wish to purchase." The Khepri says. "We trade for a very good many things. The more exotic the item, the most sought after it is."

"Danuki…" You mutter to yourself, though you keep quiet as Qi gives you an questioning look.

"We mostly have traveling fare, some books, coins, some ore-"

Qi's eyes go wide. "Ore, you say?"

"Oh no." You say, raising a finger. "We are not trading my friends."

>>298089

"Friends? While we would be quite excited to trade one of your number as slave, especially the nine-tailed cat here, we were speaking of ore…"

"Yes, my friends."

The Khepri looks at you with the same expression one would give to a raving madman. Clearly, she does not appreciate rocks. "We… we'll talk about ore later. Coins of Deleorian origin aren't quite as useful to us as Ectrian coins however, since we can only really trade them in Borne."

"Is that so?" Sophie says, to which Ebe confirms. "Well, we shall have to change them later. We have a few other odds and ends as well-"

"Ah, like this." You say, showing the [Locket], [Broken Staff], [Twin's charm]. You pause at [Nane's Ledger] but decide not to show it without reading it for yourself. Wonder if there's anything about the Khepri in there? Well, no time to find out now sadly. You instead pull out the [Mana crystals] and she nods her head.

"Some of these might be good, the mana crystals especially. A locket could sell, though a staff from an Anubis… no, such a thing is too much trouble to sell, you understand?"

"Of course." You say, replacing the items.

"Are you certain you do not wish to sell any of the ore?…" She goads. You give her a flat look and she raises her hands. "Fair enough, again, we shall inquire later."

"Right then…" You say, narrowing your eyes. She fidgets and then bows to you before turning about, her wings popping from her back. The thin, translucent membranes beat quickly and she leaps into the air, her wings propelling her forward as she soars through the air until she's nothing but a pin prick in the cloudless sky.

"North by north-east…" Ebe mutters, watching her go. "That's in the direction of my hometown. I wonder if they're trading with them."

"Khepri come by often?" You ask.

"No, not often." She replies. "But they traded every so often, never a full coven though."

"I see." You say, shrugging. "Well then, I think we have a little break then. Let's gather ourselves, put our preparations in order and- what the fuck are you doing?"

Sophie blinks at you, holding her cloak in one hand, removing her skirt in another hand. She cocks her head at you and then clacks her tongue. "Right, sorry, I forgot."

"Did you?" You sigh, rubbing your forehead. "Why are you undressing?"

"To tan, of course." She says, smiling. "I always wanted to get a nice tan, and I figured this would be a good opportunity."

"Won't you just burn?" Alice says, frowning. Sophie waves a hand and chuckles,

"I normally would, but while in Borne I found a little something…" She digs in her bag and pulls out the bottle of white liquid. She pours some of the thick substance on her skin and begins to rub it in, humming. You feel a little sick as she does so and she looks up at you with a smile. "Something wrong?"

"You're rubbing semen directly onto your skin, what is wrong with you? What would your Father say?"

"Oh he'd call it disgusting, though I do believe mother would say it's good for my complexion." She chuckles, "This isn't semen though, it's not even based off semen, which is shocking for alchemy." She tosses the bottle to you and you catch it, looking at the label that says, "Solos's shade- tanning lotion."

"Normally, I wouldn't let her do this, but this stuff seems safe." Ebe says, nodding her head. "Besides! She's going to look wonderful in -mmmrph!"

Ebe cuts off as Sophie slaps a hand over her mouth, giving you a big smile. "Shhh, don't worry about it! Ebe just appreciates fashion as well."

"Whatever." Sylphie says, rolling her eyes. She looks about for shade and walks over to the spire, a book in her hand. "Let me know when it's lunch time."

Sophie looks a little pained by her sister, but shakes her head and then looks back to you. "Well… I'm going to catch some rays over there. If you don't want to see some young, supple skin, I wouldn't go over there." She points to a spot in the distance with good sun exposure and walks over, Ebe walking with her, the two chatting.

"Hmm." You say, looking around the group. Mr. Ed kneels down with Sylphie, giving her some extra shade as she reads her book, which you think is the book on geomancy. Turning to Tabitha, you find her performing exercises with the sword, Alice taking off her robes and armor to do the same. Watching them fight, you decide that you should probably do some of the same. Training your body with the staff exercises felt good after not doing such things for awhile. Fortifying the ruins can wait, mostly for you to figure out how to do that.

>>298090

You run through your stances, practicing the defense patterns that she taught you. Over and over again, until it begins to feel right. Sweat beads at your brow and you're forced to take your [Wizard Robe] off at one point, exposing your chest again. You really don't care much, though you know you'll have to put the cloth back on soon so you don't fully burn.

"Hey there~" You hear from behind you, and you turn about to see something hurtling at your head. Almost as a reflex, you hold up your staff, blocking a blow from Alice's scabbard, the leather bouncing off your staff as she pulls back.

"Ha! Hey, you are doing better sexy."

Frowning, you plant your staff and growl, "Alice…"

"What? I'm just stating the obvious." She scoffs and then nods over to Sophie. "Or maybe you'd like me to strip like the mongrel over there."

"Don't call her that." You snap, and she blinks a few times before chuckling.

"Oh~ someone's a Monster-lover, hmm?"

"Shut up Alice." Tabitha says, walking over to the two of you and bopping the swordwoman on the head. Well, it's more of a bop, it's actually smacking her hard enough on the head that the woman drops to her knees and wails in pain. You're pretty sure it's mostly an act, but Tabitha was really trying to hurt her.

"Form is looking good though." Tabitha says. "You're doing well. Perhaps a different exercise is in order."

"What, like mud wrestling?" You say off hand. She frowns at you while Alice's moans become snickers. Rolling your eyes you say, "Poor taste?"

"It's not all that funny." She says. "Wrestling is fine, it's a good test of strength, however mud-wrestling is just a sport to see females covered in mud."

"So what, you'd wrestle though?"

She thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Seems counter-productive. I think we should focus on training your weapon-play and your physical strength before doing anything like that."

Shrugging, you feel a sense of dissappointment for some reason. She probably doesn't think of you as much of a challenge at all. Well, maybe if you can bulk up some you might show her otherwise. Something feels a little wrong about that thought, but you put it out of your head as she comes at you with her sheathed sword.

Reacting again, you block her blow and find it to be much easier than before. Are you getting better? So quickly? Damn you're a natural! Well that or she's pulling her punches, and you quickly figure out that's exactly what she's doing, allowing you much more breathing room than before, on purpose. The only reason she would do something like that would be…

Finding an opening after you block a blow, you take a swing at her with your staff. She smirks and then deftly blocks the blow before turning he scabbard around and then slamming it directly into your chest. You cough before staggering backward and sinking to the ground, holding your chest. Tabitha walks before you and kneels down, holding out a reptilian hand to you.

"Ah, at least you understood. Clumsy, but you took inititive. Good thinking."

"T-Thanks." You groan, standing up and rubbing your chest. "Oww."

"Crybaby." Alice scoffs, still rubbing her head. Tabitha gives her an annoyed look and the woman rolls her eyes before turning away to practice her sword motions again.

"Mmm, well anyway." Tabitha says. "Let's go over a few attack patterns, alright?" You nod in agreement as she helps you stand. She shows you a few stances and then proceeds for the next hour to knock you back to the ground.

Lying in the sand, breath coming in pants, you groan and rub at your chest. Tabitha chuckles where she sits beside you and pats your head. "Ah well, he wasn't a champion at the start either."

"Great." You groan, picking yourself up to a sitting position, arms resting on your knees. "I should have mentioned I have a bad back."

"Crybaby!" Alice shouts before drinking some more water. You flick your wrist and the bottle turns to ice, to which she blinks and then continues to drink, holding a thumbs up to you.

"Well, you did good. That's about all I think you can take today, and you really should put your shirt back on."

"Why, is it bothering you?"

"Don't flatter yourself." She says, eyes going flat. "I don't need you getting burned."

>>298091

"Yeah, yeah." You say, taking her hand again as she helps you stand. "Guess I should look into building some defenses or something."

"Mmm, perhaps." She says, looking over to Sylphie. The younger Monster is sitting, back to Mr. Ed, her eyes open as she stares into the cloudless sky. Erwin sits in her lap, the fox sleeping curled up. Despite the peaceful scene, she looks somehow… forlorn.

"I think you should talk with her."

"Why, I'm not her father, we've been over this."

Tabitha gives you a sidelong glance. "Rommel, I know Wizards are inept at social situations, but you can't be this dense. That girl doesn't know if her parents are alive or not, and suddenly a Wizard arrives and gives them hope again? Someone who not only reminds her of her father, but has been able to see them through extremely dangerous situations."

Her words become exasperated. "She looks up to you in a way that she doesn't even to me."

Frowning, you look back over to Sylphie and study her. What you thought was a strong Monster Witch is instead still just a scared girl who desperately wants to see her parents again. Looking at that, you feel something stir in your heart, a sort of kindred spirit and you sigh, rubbing your head in annoyance. "Alright, alright, I'll go and talk to her."

"That's not so hard, is it?" Tabitha says, nodding her head. "Now then, I need to punish this idiot here with a duel. I really, really wish she wasn't so damn good with a sword." Grumbling, she walks over to Alice and draws her sword. You watch for a moment as they square off before shaking your head and walking over to Sylphie.

Mr. Ed raises his head as you approach and you wave a hand toward him. He snorts and then lowers his head, the sound alerting Sylphie. She turns her head to you and then closes her eyes before sighing. "Hey."

"Room for another?" You ask, and she waves for you to sit. Nodding to Mr. Ed, you sit with your back to the horse who feels warm to the touch. Sighing, you put down your staff and say, "How's it going?"

"Tired." She sighs. "Just wish we were moving to the capital."

"To your Mother and Father."

"Yeah." She says, shaking her head. "I just, you know, want to see them, alright? It's like we're so close, and yet so far away!"

"You know that going in without any information could be disastrous for us, right?"

"Yes, I know, I know!" The Cat o'Ninetails says, throwing up her hands. "I know it's stupid and foolish and dangerous, but I almost don't care anymore! What are we doing here, just sitting around?"

"We're waiting."

"And that's different how?"

"Waiting means there's a purpose to what we're doing. Sitting around is just killing time, but waiting means we're conserving our strength for a reason. With information from the capital, we can learn more about how to get into the city and possibly about your parents. None of us know anything, we're going in blind."

Sighing, you rub at your forehead, "I don't want to see any of you hurt, okay?"

Sylphie blinks, looking at you. A smirk quirks on her lips as she says, "You've changed some, haven't you?"

"I don't see how. I have a larger rock collection I suppose."

"Haha, alright, if you say so." She giggles some before sighing. "I read more of that book." Holding out her hand, she summons a [Flurry] of sand, creating a miniature whirlwind that dissipates soon after. She shrugs and then pulls up a wall of sand, the block holding form as she does so. "Looks good, huh?"

"Hmph." You sniff, pulling up your own block of sand, larger than hers. She frowns at you but you chuckle, "Don't mess with your elders."

"Tch." She sniffs before giggling again. "Damnit Rommel, you're so insufferable sometimes, and then you do something like this."

"Ah, well." You say, not certain how to react. "Thanks?"

"Gods, you really are clueless." She sighs, a smile on her face.

Erwin shakes his head at you from her lap and you frown before standing up and looking about. Alice and Tabitha are mid-duel, blades of power striking back and forth, sending up sparks as they duel. Over to the other side of the clearing you see Ebe chatting with the prone form of Sophie, who rolls over onto her chest, showing only her underclothes. Great…

Well what to do, what to do… You look down at the book on geomancy that Sylphie is reading and then to the sand dunes around you. Tapping your chin, you focus your magic on the ruins beneath you and pull up another slab of sand stone before summoning your own. Sylphie gives you an odd look as you get onto your board. Looking over at her, you smirk and say, "I have a spell I think you'll enjoy."

>>298092

"WOOOHOOO!" Sylphie says as she leaps from a sand dune, gaining some air on her sandstone board. She spins 360 degrees before landing and sending up a spray of sand all about her. A little unsteady on her feet, she wobbles on the board and then cries out, landing into the sand with a thud. She gets up on shaky feet as you slide in next to her, turning your board to the side and showering her with sand.

"Bhuwah! What was that for!" Sylphie says, spitting out sand. She glares daggers at you as you chuckle and offer a hand to help her up. Grumbling, she does so and wipes sand off her robes before she fumes at you. "That was uncalled for!"

"Maybe you should learn to stick your landings then."

"BAH!" Sylphie says, throwing up a hand before giggling again. "Aww damnit, that was fun though."

"It is kind of relaxing, even if it does drain some mana." You agree, nodding your head. "I think it's about to be lunch time though."

"Already? Huh, I'd lost track of time." She says, rubbing her chin. "I suppose we should tell Sophie and Ebe."

"Hmmm." You muse, looking over at the tanning Cat o'Ninetails. "Perhaps we could do one little prank first."

Sylphie's eyes light up. "A prank you say?"

"It will be educational." The Monster's smile lessens until you say, "I need you to teach me more about Luxmancy. I want to try to reflect some light away from Sophie."

Wheels turn behind Sylphie's eyes as she thinks this over before a large smile cracks her lips. "Oh, I can do that." She cracks a knuckle and says, "Luxmancy is all about scattering your magical attunement through the light about you. Capture and harness it."

"I don't understand." You say, frowning. "Light isn't physical."

"No, but it feels that way… or maybe sometimes it feels like a wave…" She thinks about it and then snaps her fingers. "Okay, think of it this way. You can make a light on your staff, right?" She continues as you nod your head. "Well, that mana you're sending in to create the light. It's catching light you can't even see, or maybe it's making it somehow. Either way, you harness that light that you create, or the light around you, and manipulate it."

"Huh." You say, wishing you had your staff handy. You left it with Mr. Ed to go boarding, but it's not important right now. Closing your eyes, you quest out with your magic and imagine the little light spell. Imagine how it feels and then spread that out, touching the particles near you and… ah. Opening your eyes again, you draw the captured light tigether and flare it, causing a burst of light before you.

>You learn [Daylight]

>Create a large burst of light to illuminate a wide area

"Woah." You say as Sylphie claps.

"Good job!" She say, nodding her head. "Keep practicing and you can get [Dazzle] soon as well. [Trick of the Light] is much… much more difficult though." She shakes her head. "I stopped learning much about Luxmancy early on though, but there's a lot more you can learn!

"I see, I see." You say, nodding your head. "Alright then. I don't think I can mess with your sister though."

"Oh, I already did that." Sylphie says. You look over to see Sophie the area around Sophie appear darker than before, as if the light was avoiding that area. Ebe looks incredulous, and Sophie gets up, blinking about in confusion before looking around for clouds.

"Agghhh, please tell me my tan isn't ruined!" She shouts, and both you and Sylphie snicker as Sophie grumbles and stands up, standing falling off her rather shapely body. She looks at to two of you and you both stand straight, whistling until you feign ignorance and say,

"Sophie! It's lunch time, want to get dressed?"

The Cat o'Ninetails, who already looks more tan, glares at you and starts dressing before walking over with Ebe in tow so she can start working on lunch. After she passes, you and Sylphie snicker again, though when Sophie turns about, feline ears twitching, you both quiet down and look off to the side. She narrows her eyes and sniffs.

Lunch is made soon and afterward everyone takes little naps, a watch being kept. When everyone is rested and the afternoon sky sits overhead, you begin to construct your fort of sand with Sylphie's help. It takes some time, but you make a solid rectangular structure in the old style of Deleorian castles. It makes you feel a lot more secure and even Tabitha approves, though all of you know that the damn Khepri can fly and burrow, it makes you feel cool.

The rest of the afternoon you spend time practicing the drills on the [Ectrian Scroll of Geoflexing] along with Tabitha, who seems very interested. While she is unable to make the sand move, you begin to get a better flow of it and with a punch, you send a blast of sand forward in a wave. Sure, [Flurry] may be more effective, but this certainly has much more flare! Imagine if you had more rocks around…

>>298093

>You learn [Geoflexing: Fists of Earth]

>With a punch, you send rocks, sand, etc forward toward your foes with decent accuracy and power.

Night falls and your group feels exhausted. It's a good kind of exhaustion and all of you have a good time as you tell stories and Ebe plays Ectrian songs. No one seems to regret the actions of today any longer, though all of you know it’s a day you could have spent traveling. Still, remembering your words from before, there is wisdom in waiting!

Sleep time comes soon and though you want to stay up, it's decided by the watchmaster Tabitha that you're going to bed. When you find you can't stand to oppose her, you grudgingly agree and go to sleep, feeling the warm embrace of your blankets in the cool night sky. Today, all things considered, was a good day.

---———————————-

It isn't until mid-morning again that Qi returns, two other Khepri in tow. The three fly to your little encampment, hovering in the air and looking confused at you as you mount the wall and shout, "Who goes there?"

"Uh… it's me! Qi! I've returned with two others to talk about uh… trade." She looks a little confused. "How did you build that?"

"Are you the only three here?" You shout. She nods her head, looking astounded, and then point to the ground. "Please enter on foot."

One of the other Khepri, a tall woman with brown hair and chitin clacks her tongue. "This better not be a waste of time, Qi."

"N-no! It's not!" She says, waving her arms. "It's not, they have some good things!"

"If you say so." The other Khepri says, a middle height woman with resplendent blonde hair and golden chitin. "We shall follow their orders, for now." The golden Khepri lands on the ground and the other follow suit, walking up to your walls. You shout down at the others and a door of sand seems to open in the structure, admitting them in.

"Ehehe… heh… see, interesting, right?" Qi says, sweating. The other two look at her with annoyed looks before walking inside to find your group fully clothed and arrayed about them. No weapons are drawn, but they look ready for battle.

The golden Khepri walks up and says, "I am Gyasi, trader of the Khepri. I have come hearing you wish to trade for information?"

"Correct." You say, walking down a set of sand stairs. "We wish to learn of the capital, news coming from there, especially in relation to any political prisoners the Pharaoh may have taken in the past few months."

The Khepri look between each other with surprised looks and they say something to each other in Ectrian before the brown one says, "You are not… of the Violet Sands, are you?"

"Violet-?" Sophie puts a hand over your mouth, forestalling you from speaking.

"Do you wish to trade for that information?"

The Khepri look between each other and then shake their heads as Gyasi speaks again. "We have much information on these subjects as there have been many prisoners lately. To say that we know specifically of who you're looking for though… that may cost more."

"You know our wares, what do you wish?"

The brown Khepri nods her head and says, "I am Salihah, and we wish to trade for the mana crystals, the locket, and a look at the ore we are told you have."

"Look, I'm not-" You begin to say when Gyasi cuts you off.

"We will, however, give you all the information you could ever want if you would trade one thing in your possession." She points at finger forward and everyone follows the direction of where she's pointing.

Sophie blinks and points at herself, looking about in bewilderment.

Gyashi nods her head and says, voice amiable. "We will trade anything you ask for her, the Cat o'Ninetails."

>What do you do?

>>298094

Uh, she doesn't get to bring take our friends.

We should get this hothead outta here without killing her though.

Well she did only say a look. Maybe we could secretly cut one of our friends and give them the cut piece?

>>298094

Make the sacrifice and say goodbye to one of our precious friends. I doesn't matter which one they choose, losing a member of our colection will really hurt but we need to keep the kitty safe and we need the info.

>>298094

Yeah just have her look at our ores, we don't need to lose Sophie again and have to take a major detour just to save her again

>>298103

>>298121

>>298122

Friends don't sell friends to slavers. This is just as much true for our ore friends. Y'all disgust me.

Just narrow down our questioning and trade using the other things they mentioned.

>>298123

Oi I said let her look. Worst case scenario we have to split one of them, but that sounds horrifying for our friends to go through so I really don't want to.

>>298103

>>298121

>>298124

We are NOT selling any of our friendsor sophie to slavers. It is out of the question!

>>298090

>"No, not often." She replies. "But they traded every so often, never a full coven though."

>never a full coven though.

Ace this had better not hint at what I think you may be hinting at, cause if you are nobody will be happythough maybe I'm just too used to soul crushing loss and betrayal because of slavsan

>>298094

Display the ores just to get some indication of their value. And tell her the cat isn't for trading. Thinking about it, it could be a big pain in the arse for us if the Khepri know that a cat'o ninetails is in Ectria, seeing that with the monster lord captured there's only two left in the world and it should be fairly obvious to anyone what another one would be here in ectria for. Sophie and her tanning bullshit.

>>298094

>The brown Khepri nods her head and says, "I am Salihah, and we wish to trade for the mana crystals, the locket, and a look at the ore we are told you have."

>Gyashi nods her head and says, voice amiable. "We will trade anything you ask for her, the Cat o'Ninetails."

With the way in which slavery is considered commonplace in Ectria, it wouldn't surprise me if situations like this occurred quite often. That said, they are probably used to potential customers refusing to sell any of their companions as slaves and are still willing to accept our other wares, so politely but firmly decline the offer of selling Sophie without getting angry as hard as that is for us, as revealing our true emotions on the matter will cause problems, and instead attempt to barter with the other requested items. Make sure not to tell them why if asked though, since they consider information to be valuable, meaning there is no reason to give something like that away for free in this case, and such information could potentially be used against us at a later date in some strange, unorthodox fashion.

In terms of our other friends, the Khepri probably won't be too impressed with our collection since such small amounts of unrefined ore probably won't sell for much, even in a land with scarce ore supplies as Ectria, so we likely won't be able to sell them even if we wanted to, which works out great because we don't want to sell our friends. If the option to sell them does become apparent, then we can either decline or sell some of the extra material we gathered back in Blackfire Reach, namely the copper, iron and obsidian chunks, if we are desperate for certain pieces of information; the latter avoids both the issue of us selling our friends, since the originals are still in our possession, and the issue of us harming our friends by splitting them if that can even be considered a problem since they're expected to fracture eventually, especially Greg and Donte, since we never actually attached the gathered material to the whole, while also giving us items to trade. I still disagree with selling anything ore related to the Khepri since we can still use said ore ourselves, but the option may be something to consider depending on the circumstances - just don't sell our friends, no matter the situation.

In the unlikely scenario that they attack us for any reason the most likely reason being greed at the possibility of getting their chitin-covered hands on the twins as was with the Anubis we encountered much earlier, then use the nearby sandstone as ammunition for [Pebble Gun] and repeatedly cast it at them to hopefully end them quickly and before they can do anything to us, as their shells are unlikely to protect them against rock bullets in the same manner as how armour in general doesn't protect against such attacks unless designed to do so. If they burrow underground, then cast [Tremor] to disorientate them and try to use [Survey] to track their movements to avoid us being caught by surprise when they re-emerge since we still need to figure out how to do this for the inevitable Sandworm encounter. Also, make sure to make use of [Gust] and [Ice] to disrupt the Khepri's mobility options in the air and on the ground when trying to hit them with [Pebble Gun], because it will make them easier targets and we have been neglecting our non-Geomancy divinations of magic quite a bit.

Other than all that, a final few points to make are to remove the picture from the [Locket] before selling it, because we don't need anyone knowing that we killed the Anubis slaver, to not tell them anything about our plans or where we are headed, because such information could be used against us if sold to the wrong person and they may decide to track and then ambush us later on as they know we have a person of great value in our party, and to make sure they leave and get out of our sight before we move anywhere for the same reasoning as before.

>>298140

The implications are there, but Ectria is a rather large country meaning that the coven could be anywhere in that direction and there is the possibility that Qi could have flown off over there before changing directions entirely when out of our sight as to mask the location of the coven from us, so it could just be misdirection on Ace's part. In any case, we can't guarantee anything unless we check the area ourselves when we go there later or ask for said information now, which will cost us more, so there's no point worrying about it until we get there and if something like what is implied has happened, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it any way given how far we are from there and how long it has probably been since the coven arrived in that area.

just realized, we're in a desert

we should activate our [Desert Fox] mode

>>298140

soul crushing loss and betrayal because of slavsan.

dont worry man im sure we can still pull this around and save kenzie.

>>298151

remove the picture from the [Locket] before selling it.

very good detail, thanks for thinking about it.

so we have a bid of a problem here.

these khepri identified sophie as a cat of nine tails, and they sell information.

thats bad like real bad, if these people sell that info to ((interrestet parties)) then every bandid, slaver and military unit in the region will be after us, plus the element of surprise being the only adventage we have against the pharao would be gone to.

so first answer we buy right of the bat, if the khephri coven in conflict with the pharao.

from their reaction we then can guage if we have to kill these 3 or not.

if they are against the pharaos rule then they might not sell us out and we can work with them, if they seem loyal then dont even say anything and attack we cant leave them alive.

fucking hell rommel turns more and more into his namesake, nesesary evil seems to become our standart at this point

if we can work with them then sell anything we can apart from sophie and our mineral friends for into on how the grand wizard and the monster lady were overwelmed, we need to somehow get a plan going to counteract that.

other then that maybe as for posible weaknesses to the pharaos dungeons in the capital, the most likely place where our targets are being helt.

so thats all i can think of about this situation.

one other thing though, so far we murderd/assassinated 3 people.

it is said that the cianiggers have a guidline that after a fieldagent killd 8 times he is tu be discarded from field duty.

because after your 8th murder it becomes normalized and it skewers your judgement and murdering people becomes to easy.

so if the cianiggers are to be belives rommel has 5 more times before he turnes into an actual psychopath, lets try tro aviod that and stick to combat kills from now on.

Yeah, this is not good. We know that she is going to run straight to the Pharoh as soon as she leaves. This information is valuable and the Pharoh can afford to buy it. As much as Qi and probably Salihah don't deserve it, we're gonna need to kill all three if we want to keep our element of surprise.

>Deleorian coins are less useful

Can't they just smelt them down into managable weights. It's not like Deleor uses fiat currency.

After this is all over, we are going to scold Sophie for being so careless about her identity.

>>298265

>if the cianiggers are to be believes

>believing cianiggers

M8…

No betraying our friends. Not even a little bit.

We need to nip this in the bud, but we shouldn't outright murder these people. We out front tell them that we will not be talking of slaving, and that we find the practice repulsive. Mention we've taken personal displeasure with Ectrians kidnapping our kinsmen. Maybe mention that the last three we ran across died horribly.

Throughout all of this, we should be icy cold and calm.

Maybe drop the somewhat cliche allusion to slavery not being a viable system in Ectria for much longer.

Ask them to consider the implications that their leader has kidnapped a major political power, and destabilized an entire governing body. Ask them what they think will happen if the wizards of Deleor suddenly think that the nation of Ectria poses a threat to them. Point out the fortifications that we've raised in less than a day, and ask them what they think would happen if groups of wizards suddenly felt threatened and acted in concert.

Make sure to tell them that if they attempt to set slavers upon us after we part ways, we will retaliate.

We really need to scold Sophie. Wish we had a water bottle to squirt her with.

I think we might have to kill them. Even if they do oppose the establishment there is no guarantee they won't sell us out. Fucking buggy Danuki. Go ask Tabitha what she thinks on this matter

Sorry about radio silence yesterday, I was out playing 40k most of the day (Sisters of battle OP). I think I'm going to take tonight off also so I can get a bit further on some things. Sorry!

>>298103

>>298123

The friends stay friends it seems. How friendly!

>>298122

No fun

>>298140

Slavsan pulls no punches, but I'm a god damned softie. Usually. Guess you'll have to find out.

>>298150

Nah, she's been fully clothed, except for that one time where she captured Qi with her tails. Something she probably wouldn't forget.

>>298151

Indeed, people will sell others off if they need to. It's a harsh place. As far as slavers go, the Khepri aren't bad at all and treat their wares very well. Usually they purchase males though, unless there's another reason for it otherwise.

Aye, locket picture removed.

>>298245

Go on

>>298265

I have so much catching up to do on crushing souls. I must try harder.

Maybe the Khepri would take something less material too? Probably would need a good offer though.

Damn CIA niggers.

>>298276

Probably could melt them down, but recasting would be a no-go due to purities. A moneychanger could spot the difference easy.

>>298342

Fair enough

>>298344

Well, it's mostly because it's a commonplace thing here, but yes, it is used a lot. I mean, I guess I didn't expect y'all to choose to sell Sophie, but the option needs to be there. Would have been different had you gone to the encampment

Let's not kill them right off the bat, but let's make sure, politely, that they know that trying to fuck us over will end very badly.

Do we have the magical control yet to make rock spikes? Because, for a bug girl, I don't think there's a much better visual than us gesturing off to the side to empty ground and having a spike erupt up. Let them think about being impaled and left like a bug in a collection.

>>298454

Yes, that kind of ability is very easy for you now.

>>298454

>Let's not kill them right off the bat, but let's make sure, politely, that they know that trying to fuck us over will end very badly.

Agreed, Qi probably told her coven where she and the other two were going and to meet who. Don't want to make enemies when we don't have too!

We aren't sell Sophie, full stop. I still don't know why you guys decided to have Rommel befriend rocks. That in no way can return said friendship beyond it being a funny quirk. He's not Tobias for fuck's sake.

Gyashi probably asked for Sophie, as a tactic to ask for something outrageous and then negotiate down from there for a better deal. Even if she was serious able Sophie, Rommel wants to say that he completely dismiss it out of hand, to leave no room for negotiation. It will set a limit on what can be discussed and it will put the ball back in Rommel's court. They've come all this way, they won't want to leave empty-handed.

Rommel also needs to be cast {Survey} every minute to make sure there is no funny business from below.

>>298151

>In the unlikely scenario that they attack us for any reason the most likely reason being greed at the possibility of getting their chitin-covered hands on the twins as was with the Anubis we encountered much earlier, then use the nearby sandstone as ammunition for [Pebble Gun] and repeatedly cast it at them to hopefully end them quickly and before they can do anything to us, as their shells are unlikely to protect them against rock bullets in the same manner as how armour in general doesn't protect against such attacks unless designed to do so. If they burrow underground, then cast [Tremor] to disorientate them and try to use [Survey] to track their movements to avoid us being caught by surprise when they re-emerge since we still need to figure out how to do this for the inevitable Sandworm encounter. Also, make sure to make use of [Gust] and [Ice] to disrupt the Khepri's mobility options in the air and on the ground when trying to hit them with [Pebble Gun], because it will make them easier targets and we have been neglecting our non-Geomancy divinations of magic quite a bit.

What if they were faster than the mc and just escape? What if the mc actually lost for once?

>>298524

Are they supposed to be a quick species?

I never pictured beetles as being speedy. Also we did lose a confrontation already, Against the Glutton. I think Rommel is thus far our only character to outright lose.

Oh and if thing do come to combat, Instead of doing all that, I got another idea. This would be a good time to use our Obsidian. Y'all ever heard about diatomaceous earth? tl;dr Its really tiny sharp powder that fucks pretty much all insects and various other things up by getting into their exoskeleton and bleeding them dry. Obsidian dust should prove far, far more effective since its so much sharper. Should be recoverable as well

>>298424

>Well, it's mostly because it's a commonplace thing here, but yes, it is used a lot

So we made the right call by not going along with her? I kinda wanted to kill the bugs tbh

>Story continue

"No."

Your tone is as cold as ice and the three traders stand taller, their backs going stiff in defense. There is no ambiguity, no "potential" to bargain. This is a declaration of intent and they understand it perfectly well. All three look at each other, wing's fluttering softly from their backs before Gyasi nods and says,

"Very well then."

"How did you know she was of-" You cut off as you think it over, remembering yesterday when Qi appeared. The party's eyes lock onto her and she gulps, taking a step back. Sighing, you shake your head and say, "It's known already."

"Indeed." The golden Khepri says. "Very well, if she will not be sold, then your other wares."

"That's fine." You say, nodding. "I doubt slavery will be very profitable in the long run anyway."

"Mmm, perhaps." She lets nothing else loose with that statement and waits as you pull out the [Locket], taking out the picture from it, and then getting out the mana crystals. Honestly, what are you going to use these for? With them in hand, you walk up to her and hand them to Qi who shows them to the older Khepri.

"Hmmm." Salihah muses as she looks over the crystals. "Yes, we do not often see mana crystals here. Deleorian quality far exceeds that of the Eastern nations."

"Good craftsmanship on this locket, human made I expect." Gyasi says. "Yes, it's made in the Ectrian style, so it's a local trinket. I will not ask where you acquired it."

"We thank you." Sophie mutters, watching them carefully. They seem to take it in turn, not worried in the slightest it appears. Your party, however, is not quite as sanguine, and even you are sending pulses of [Survey] through the ground, watching for any burrowing attacks. As far as you can tell, however, there is none coming.

"Yes, these will do." Salihah says. "Now then, your ore."

You begin to say no when Sophie shakes her head and you sigh, taking pieces of ore out of your bag. The brown Khepri seems to disregard most of the ore, especially the common ones from Blackfire Reach, but her eyes flash with some delight as you show the chunk of [Rutile] as well as Valinthia the [Bauxite], and the [Pumice], oddly enough.

"Interesting… it is not a large amount, but some that may be used for jewlery. The scour rock is good for removing debris from our shells. Most people don't bring it out to us, however."

"I agreed to show them, not to sell them." You say, putting the ore away, making certain no one can see Midas, the [Gold Ore]. The Khepri frown and look between each other, crossing their arms and looking generally annoyed.

"Unfortunate. We could have sold much more to you." Gyasi sighs. "Very well, trade all of these and we have some information."

"Very well." You say, nodding your head. "Can we fill the rest with coin?"

"Possibly. Coin is useful at times." She raises a finger. "However we cannot just melt down Deleorian coins, as reforging the purity to Ectrian coins is too difficult. The exchange rate will be different."

"We well decide that as is needed." Sophie says, frowning. "Are you ready to barter?"

"Yes!" Qi says, though at a look from the older Khepri, she shrinks back and bows her head. Gyasi sighs and waves a hand for you to continue.

"First thing I wish to ask is that you will not tell anyone about who we are, or what we are asking about." You narrow your eyes as you say this, the implied threat in your voice. Salihah narrows her own eyes and hisses at you, but is stopped by Gyasi.

"The locket can fetch a decent price. Simple enough to keep silent, I suppose."

>>298825

"And you will not speak of this to anyone, even for a higher price?"

"Do we look like Danuki? No, you have our word."

Sophie visibly releases tension as you hand over the locket and then shake your head. "Very well then. Next question, about political prisoners. Who has been taken in the past 6 months and what do you know them?"

"The load of crystals then." Salihah says.

"Quarter of them." Sophie interjects.

"That is quite the question you have to ask and you seem quite in need of the answer. You will give me all of them."

"We already have your assurances you won't attack us, and you came all the way out here. Do you really wish to go home empty handed? No, you get a quarter."

"Three-quarters then." The Khepri says, eyes shining. Does she enjoy this or something? How strange.

"Half." Sophie declares, crossing her arms, a smirk on her face. Seems she too has gotten over her funk and is in the zone, how interesting.

"Tch." The Khepri sighs. "Very well then." She pushes Qi forward, the younger Khepri taking an armload of the crystals from you and placing them in a sack she has at her waist. Once complete, Salihah nods to Gyasi who speaks slowly.

"In the recent months the Pharoah has become more aggressive, that is true. Slaving parties are sent to Deleor, as I am sure you are aware, and she makes quite the fuss with her soldiers. However, unknown to most, a large group of her elite have been scouring the sands, taking in cultists of the Violent Sands."

"The what?" You say, cocking your head and looking to Ebe. The Gandharva shakes her head, not knowing what exactly she's talking about.

"Mmm, so you do not know. How easy one can gain information for free." Gyashi chuckles. "But I will spoil you. No cultists of much influence have been taken, and they are sent to the dungeons for information. I assume most have died by now as they have little use." She raises an insectoid finger. "You see, these cultists believe in the return of the Apophis."

Ebe gasps, putting a wing to her mouth. The Khepri look at her and nod their heads in sympathy. "Indeed." The golden Khepri says. "As far as other prisoners… some who have declared her actions to be too aggressive, whisked away into the night, as well as two Deleorians, a man and a Monster."

"What do you know of them?" Sophie asks, sounding a little too eager. You put a hand before her and make a scolding face before shaking your head. She winces and backs down as the Khepri taps her chin.

"Mmm. That one is quite similar to you, dear child, and that the Pharaoh would be quite interested in more of your kind."

Sophie's back stiffens and weapons are drawn all around your little parlay. Qi yelps while Salihah's wings flutter from her back, but Gyasi doesn't move, her eyes locked on Sophie's. A quiet smile comes to her lips in the face of such a thing and Sophie falters, backing down to the show of indifference. Gyashi nods her head and says, "We have already traded, have we not?"

"Can you tell me when they were taken and how?" You say, feeling far more aware of their circumstances. You might have to kill them after this, there might not be any other way out of it. Gods above, you really don't want to have to kill anyone today but… but you'll do what has to be done.

"The rest of the crystals then." Salihah snaps, holding out her hand. "That is more information that a mere half would buy you."

"You damn scammers!" Sophie says, showing her teeth to the insectgirl. "You barely gave us anything!"

"A quarter of what is left." You say, cutting her off. Sophie glares at you, but Salihah shrugs and Qi takes more crystals. Instead of Gyasi speaking, however, the brown Khepri speaks up.

"No one knows for certain. Rumor has it they were caught trying to make their way into the Palace of the Twins and were captured there by the Pharaoh and her royal guard about three months ago."

>>298826

"There has to be more to it than that." Sylphie growls walking up to speak, "There's no way they'd just let themselves be caught like that! They're too strong!"

"Hmmm." Salihah muses. "I had heard there was quite the struggle, but, and these are just rumors you know, the Pharoah invoked the rites of Pah'sen. This is merely hearsay, of course, as such a thing has been forbidden since the age of Pharaoh Kissa."

"The rites of Pah'sen… I've heard legends but… I didn't think it was real!" Ebe says, looking dumbstruck. When you turn to her, she shakes her head. "I-it's a story told to children to make them behave about how Pharaoh Kissa bound the power of the Apophis into her staff when she banished them and locked it with powerful ritual magic called the Pah'sen. It's said that the power within the staff, if unleashed, would grant almost unlimited power to the user, but in doing so would unleash the power of the Apophis back into the sands."

"Correct." Gyasi says. "It is likely folly, as were such a thing to be true, the Pharaoh would not use such magic to stop two intruders, she is far too powerful for such a thing. And to risk bringing back the Apophis back into this world… no, it would be too much to imagine."

Salihah nods her head and so does Qi, though the younger Khepri looks pale, as if sick to her stomach. Ebe also looks a little green, so perhaps such a story still resonates well within the younger ones. She turns away as Salihah shrugs and continues to speak,

"No one knows much more past that. Rumor has it they're alive, mainly because the Pharaoh visits the dungeons every day. Guess she has something to talk to some prisoners about."

"This Pah'sen, does she still command this overwhelming power?" You ask, cocking your head.

"If she does, she hasn't done anything with it." Gyasi says. "That is not for a price, for there is no answer. She is content to sit in her palace, we suppose."

"That is all that will buy and more." Salihah snaps. "Now then, if you do not wish to sell the ore, I have but a trivial amount of information you could buy for the rest of the crystals and that is it."

"How would one go about getting into the palace dungeons, do you think?" You ask, rubbing your chin. Gyasi smiles in response, though Salihah frowns.

"I can give you a name, and that is it." You nod and she continues, taking the rest of the crystals. "His name is Ammon, he dwells within Hatset, last I heard. He will know more of such things, I suppose."

"Do you know anything else about him?" Sophie says, but the Khepri shrugs,

"Do you wish to pay anything extra?"

The Cat o'Ninetails frowns and says, "No, I suppose we do not."

"Does that conclude our business then?" The golden Khepri asks, and you make to say yes when Ebe holds up a wing and asks,

"Uhm, I'm sorry, but I have a question." Ebe asks, walking up to them. "How fares the village of Gahn? Are the villagers there doing well?"

"Last we checked, we are camped near there." Gyasi says. "We have last traded with them yesterday, though our group sent recently did not return before we left. As you know, we never bring the entire coven into a settlement."

Ebe sighs and places a wing over her chest. "Thank you very much."

>>298827

"There… was a detachment of the royal guard present, I'm told." Qi says, her voice slight. "When I returned last evening, I had been told that they came in the day before, looking for something."

"Probably rooting out bandits in the region." Salihah says. "It is of little concern, they will be gone and we will leave soon as well. As meager as this trade was, it is enough to be profitable, I suppose."

Qi sighs in relief, tension leaving her shoulders. "T-thank the Twins."

"I suppose we are done then." Gyasi says, turning about, her back carapace opening to reveal her wings. "I hope we may trade again in the future."

You briefly consider shooting rocks through their skulls and taking the skin from their bones with sand before burying them so deep no one could find them, but you decide against it. You… believe they will be true to their word, right? Ebe seems to think so and none of them seem very malicious, at all. You're taking a big leap of faith here, but if you fail to kill them things will only get worse.

From you behind you, you notice Tabitha shift forward, as if anticipating a fight, but you shake your head and she pauses, sighing and sheathing her blade. You sigh yourself and say, "I believe business has concluded. Thank you."

"If only you would have sold the ore." Salihah says. "There was much and more you could have learned."

"Now, now, that's poor form." Gyasi chides. Their wings burst forth from under their shells and they quickly take the air and buzz into the open blue sky, leaving your party in silence. You watch them go for a long time before shaking your head and turning to the rest of the group.

"Well, I'm not really certain what we learned there."

"We learned that Mother and Father are present in the capital and that the Pharaoh clearly was able to overpower them." Sophie says, rubbing her chin.

"We also learned the name of an informant who can get us into the citty!" Sylphie puts in, trying to help. "Also… also that they're probably alive." She holds her hands to her chest and closes her eyes shut tight as she says that. "Gods… they're alive."

Ebe places a wing around her shoulder and rests her head next to Sylphie's. "There, there. We'll see them again, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Sylphie sniffs, trying to keep herself from crying. She fails pretty miserably however.

"We should probably learn more about this Pah'Sen thing." Tabitha says, shaking her head. "I do not like the sound of it, as if we're not careful we could fall under the same power, whatever it is."

"Ugh, she said there might be grape variety snakes too." Alice puts in, looking disgusted. "How annoying. Do you suppose the increased cultists and such have to do with this?"

"Perhaps, but not something we should worry about now." You say, scratching your beard. "I suppose our next goal is to figure out where to go. The likely choice is to Hatset to see this Ammon? There will probably be villages along the way, I'd think."

"Sounds like the best plan of action." Tabitha says, though her eyes drift to Ebe who looks a little disheartened. She quickly looks down, blushing as Tabitha asks, "You want to go home, don't you?"

"No! I don't… not really." Ebe mumbles, her voice quiet. Sighing, she says, "No, I don't need to, but… you can't help but think about it, right?"

"I understand." The Lizardman says. "I think about home sometimes too. However we do have places to be, though no one is forcing you."

Ebe smiles softly in response. It's a simple gesture that says, "I'm fine." Well, with that all in place, you suppose all that's left is to pack up and get a move on. The day is still young and there's plenty of sand you can cross. Hatset is off to the east and a little south, should take a few days to reach. Of course, Ebe's reluctance gets to you some but you have a goal now and more information than before. Still,

>What do you do?

>>298828

>Gone for two days

>Posts a shorter, mostly dialogue entry

S-Sorry.

Anyway, tbh you'd have used a little too much coin to get other answers (and I don't think they'd know many other answers).

Anyway, you didn't have to kill them and they probably won't rat on you, so yay!

Probably.

so there is a chance the royal guard is seaching for sophie and sylphie an the off chance that they might be comming after there parents, well that aint good.

so that means we need to make the twins understand that they cant be found out anymore or our chance will be gone.

so lets keep moving towards the capital as fast as we can and find this ammon guy.

lets move fast and stealthy, avoiding any encounter we can.

>>298850

You're being a bit overzealous. Even if they are currently scouring the entire country, And we do manage to get found by them, We can easily handle a small detachment of soldiers. They would use multiple small groups to maximize the size of their net. The combat ability of our group trumps a squad of weekend soldiers. Besides, skipping straight to the final act isn't fun.

RITE!

First off, Rommel is going to ask Ebe why the return of gRape tits is so bad.

Second, Rommel and party are going to Ebe's hometown to check on her Mom MILF DETECTED.

Thirdly, Alice can be used to seduce the royal guard for info. Buy Alice a nice ribbon for her hair. It's not because Rommel likes her, it because her hair keeps getting in her face and that can be lethal in combat! They will not be there for the kitty twins! They have no idea the Twins are in the country.

Forthly, the murdering construct is obviously got a gRape snek revenant in it. It will be heading towards the Chasm. The more background info we can get, the more informed our decisions can be.

>>298990

you dont understand what i mean, if the pharao is already paranoid enough that she uses her guard on a country wide search then what do you think she will do when she findes out that there really is a group comming for her.

best case scenario she will lock down the capital and make it so much harder to free the grandwizard and monster lady.

worst cast she will do something stupid like execute them.

thats why i said stealth will be the most important thing

>>299005

Your making some pretty big assumptions without actually knowing how she will react. You have no evidence to support that she will kill them. There is no evidence that she even knows Rommel's group is in the region.

She's bested two of the strongest individuals in the Monster Nation/Deleor region. For all we know, sending out her Royal Guards is a trivial matter. The guard maybe there for an entirely differently reason. Such as checking on the Rise of the cultists.

Panicing and rushing in can be more dangerous to the group then trying to get more info on this region.

>>299019

the fact that some random sandpeople knew the species name cat of nine tails, shows that the pharao is asuming that the twins are comming and is looking for them.

and if she had to use the literal nuklear option of freeing one or "the" apophis to defeat our targets in the first place.

it isent a big assumtion that she counters on the twins being just as powerfull as her parents and plans accordingly.

dont forger the pharao isent some random poletician, she rules of an arabien style country, in history these were notorious for their intreags ans backstabbings, and she has ruled one for all her life, its a very fair assumtion that she is paranoid enough to plan for everything.

their is such a thing as a logical assumtion, how else do you think people planned battles and shit though out the ages?

again our ONLY advantage we have right now is the element of surprise, that even if the pharao things we might be comming she isent certen of it.

as soon as word gets out that we are in the country things will get that much harder if not imposible to acomplish our goals.

we already had one race against time with chaika after us, you can see the current situation a lot that that last one.

>all the crystals

FUCK

Alright lads how are we going to power the tank now? Are there other ways to store mana? Perhaps some sort of high-capacity controlled-release bitch ball?

>Honestly, what are you going to use these for?

ur a cheeky cunt

Anyway we should see this Ammon guy. I don't think the pharoh is losing her shit or expects anything in Ectria, but there most certainly is a ransom on the kittens' heads. However, breaking stealth would be disasterous so tell Sophie that from now on she can't show her tails unless it's absolutely vital, or she is certain that we're going to kill everything in sight.

>>299034

>literal nuklear option

>no nuclear weapons were involved

You are worse than a slaver.

>>299035

Can mana be stored in flesh? Can we go down the plagiumancer route and create growths on our body to store extra mana, a bit like a camel's hump?

>>299040

I think we'd be better of trying to figure out a way to store it in our gemstones then trying to disfigure ourselves

>>299034

>some random sandpeople knew the species name cat of nine tails, shows that the pharao is asuming that the twins are comming and is looking for them.

Actually anyone from Ectia seems to know the sandwan, lizrdtits and the hedgehog knew.

>shows that the pharao is asuming that the twins are comming and is looking for them.

No, this is you having a square peg and your trying to jam it in a round hole. Your guessing mate.

>it isent a big assumtion that she counters on the twins being just as powerfull as her parents and plans accordingly.

Your guessing again…

>dont forger the pharao isent some random poletician, she rules of an arabien style country, in history these were notorious for their intreags ans backstabbings

True, in Arabian countries. But you forget Ectian is based on EGYPT were their leaders were considered GODS. Or at least holy. I wouldn't deny she was probably shocked that she had to use the 'nuklear option', but that is me 'making' an assumtion on something I don't know for certain.

>again our ONLY advantage we have right now is the element of surprise, that even if the pharao things we might be comming she isent certen of it.

But, by your own logic she knows Rommel and the team are coming and will more then likely have layed a trap ready for them. Making a beeline for the Capital is a rather obvious move, they need to travel the paths not well trod upon.

FOOLS RUSH IN, WHERE WISE MEN FEAR TO TREAD!

>as soon as word gets out that we are in the country things will get that much harder if not imposible to acomplish our goals.

Harder yes, but hardly impossible.

>we already had one race against time with chaika after us, you can see the current situation a lot that that last one.

And Rommel managed to turn her into an ally.

I'm not trying to troll you mate, I'm just showing you the flaws and faults in your thinking. We all tunnel vision. We don't want another Bernsen and Cair event.

>>299040

>Can mana be stored in flesh?

Why would we want to give Rommel cancer? Fuck NO! Find another medium. The tank is sidelined until Rommel can actually make something work!

>>298828

Before we do anything, make sure the Khepri have actually left and are not waiting in the distance or burrowed underground somewhere nearby, because despite them showing no intent to harm us they never agreed not to and it doesn't hurt to be paranoid, especially given our circumstances. Once we have clarified that we are indeed safe from prying eyes and stalkers, start the journey towards Hatset to find Ammon. We're not in a huge rush, since the Khepri seem to be willing to keep their word about not mentioning our existence so we don't need to worry about being intercepted by the Prophet's guards, but we were headed in that direction any way and we might as well get any useful information we can while it is still probably available to us and before guard presence in the area begins to climb with the Prophet's paranoia. Ebe's home town is in no present danger if the Khepri are to be believed, so it can wait for now.

On the topic of what we've just learned, these rites of Pah'sen are rather concerning, especially that 'almost unlimited power' part, so we should definitely do some research into it when we get the chance if only to get an understanding of how powerful the supposed final boss is going to be and to find any potential counters. Since the only obvious downside to invoking them is that the mortal enemies of the royal line, the Apophis, will return to Ectria, it may also be in our interests to do some research into the Apophis and why they were banished in the first place as we could use their return to further our own goals should they prove to be beneficial in some capacity. Ebe might know more about this, so question her just in case.

Other than all that and standard party banter and activities along the journey, we need to talk with Sophie about revealing any of her features in public, since showing herself in vision of anyone we aren't planning on killing is going to lead to more situations like what just happened, with a witness mentioning Sophie's existence to others, which would be disastrous for us in terms of avoiding the notice of the Prophet and as such should be avoided at near enough all costs - her basking the glorious radiance of the sun when no one else is around is fine though. And get Erwin to name the bloody [Limonite] already.

>>299034

>the fact that some random sandpeople knew the species name cat of nine tails, shows that the pharao is asuming that the twins are comming and is looking for them.

The Prophet declared to the public about the existence of the Cat O'Ninetails and how she has an interest in the race, so it's no wonder the common folk are aware of what they are. This doesn't necessarily mean that she is actively looking for them however, since Selene and Wizard the Grand Wizard will have probably mentioned how they are safe in Deleor when questioned by the Prophet, if the two even mentioned their existence at all, meaning the Prophet would expect them to stay there. And in any case, the Prophet seems to be more preoccupied with dealing with any Apophis 'threat' than looking for rare prisoners, so we don't need to worry about actively avoiding detection, merely keeping Sophie and Sylphie's identities hidden will suffice for the time being.

>>299040

We've already been down the plagamancy route once and used it far too much, so there's no reason to do so again. Not to mention experimenting on ourselves without mastery of the divination is a really dumb idea.

>>298992

>Forthly, the murdering construct is obviously got a gRape snek revenant in it.

I'm more inclined to believe the occupant of the rogue construct is some form of eldritch horror or demon that is working alongside the Apophis as opposed to an Apophis itself, especially given that 'fulfil the covenant' line it gave us before departing and how the internal wiring of the construct was seemingly replaced with an inky darkness which has never happened in any previous examples of revenants, not even with the darkness-wielding Chaika.

Fuck me, I lost track of time, had to take a nap earlier and then got distracted talking to-

Look y'all don't care. I was going to have to end up having two days off anyway cause of 4th of July, so we'll postpone this to tomorrow. Guh.

>>298850

Highly unlikely tbh.

>>298992

This is actually where I realized this wasn't happening tonight. With the first thing. The second thing isn't going to happen sadly, looks like most people want to go to Hatset.

>>299019

This would seem… more likely tbh.

>>299035

Well, you wouldn't trade anything else! So… there we go!

>>299040

Yes, mana can be stored in flesh. You do not want to fuck around with this though as it's some serious biomancy which would be highly unstable. HIGHLY. Unless you do that spirit energy thing or whatever. Only nerds do that.

You're also a Wizard and you basically are a direct conduit for Solos's power. You have access to unlimited mana, however you do not have unlimited stamina.

>>299058

Yeeeeep. That's possible, especially for aetherically attuned minerals.

>>299067

It's not "common" knowledge, but those in the industry clearly will know such things as the Pharaoh has made it known.

The rest of it is actually guessing, yeah.

>>299156

Yeah maybe some elder or something somewhere would know about the rites. Seems that Sophie needs a good telling to! A stern talking too! You've treated Sylphie to magical ice cream and now Sophie needs a talk! Goshes it's like you're their-

I wonder what's up with that construct though? I doubt it will come back though.

>>299223

What the fuck are you doing.

>>299226

FLESH

TANK

>>299226

>The second thing isn't going to happen sadly, looks like most people want to go to Hatset.

That's because they have no sense of advanture and just like to play with rocks. And then not very big rock, just small rocks that can't hurt them. That and horse pussy, they really want horse pussy.

>>299226

What, No meeting Ebe's family? I want an official poll.

Vote time little nigglets

http://www.strawpoll.me/13345320

>>299282

>What, No meeting Ebe's family? I want an official poll.

Damn straight, Sire!

>>299282

>>299308

>strawpoll

Poal.me being superior aside, making a poll after the majority of people have already left the thread until the next update seems a bit cheap, not to mention how lurkers can just spam them without having any other impact on the plot so they aren't the most reliable of tools. If you want to vote for a decision, just do so in the thread - it's more reliable and actually gives room for discussion.

>>299317

Ain't democacy a bitch!

>>299361

>>299375

Rommel and gang will go to Hatset… after we see Ebe's Hawt Milf.

Nah, going to Hastet would just be a time sink

>>299375

best taste anon, Ebe is best girl in this round. she deserves hugs and fugs. and her own little band of daughterus

>Story continue

"So." Ebe says, stretching. "It's off to Hatset, right?"

"Hmm? What makes you think that?" You reply, watching where the Khepri left.

"Uhm. Because it seems to be the majority opinion and heads directly toward our end goal?"

"Mmm." You muse. "I had considered that, but you know, I think we might want to stop by your hometown."

The Gandharva looks at you with shock. "W-what? When did you- why did you?"

"I suppose it make sense to head to Hatset." Sophie says, nodding her head. "But… wouldn't it be nice to see home again?"

"I-I mean." Ebe says, looking overwhelmed. "But…but…"

A sigh comes from behind and she turns to see Alice scratching her head. "I mean, we can always head back south, right? It's not like it sounds like anything crazy is going to happen if we don't go now, right? Maybe we can see the chasm!"

"That's days to the north!" Ebe cries, rubbing at her head. "Gaaaah, when did all of you decide this?"

"Just now." You say, patting Ebe's head. She squrims under your touch before pouting.

"Ohhhhh, fine!" She blushes deep and looks to Sylphie. "Are you okay with this?"

"I seem to have been outvoted." The Cat o'Ninetails sighs. When Ebe frowns, Sylphie sighs again and shakes her head. "Ah come on, I know you want to see your parents again too. I'd be a hypocrite if I said not to."

"Thanks…" Ebe says, giving her a hug. Sylphie rolls her eyes and then smirks before hugging back. And with that, it's settled.

Packing up to leave doesn't take long, as you had most of your stuff packed and ready for a quick flight as it stood. Sending a few more pulses of [Survey] through the ground, you are unable to find any sign of Khepri or anything else living under the sands. With your safety guaranteed (for now anyway), you turn with the sun and head to the north-east.

The sun bears down upon you, as it has before. The turban on your head is a Gods send from Ebe and you thank her multiple times, to which she always mumbles humble praises. As is usual of desert travel, nothing of much value seems to occur as you travel beyond the sweat trickling down your face and the sand that always threatens to get everywhere. At least it's easy to remove with your magic/ put into other people's shoes, like Alice's!

Maybe you should do something nice for her at some point to make up for it.

"So Ebe." You ask as you trudge past a mile marker thrust into the sand. It's not really for miles but for some strange distance known as "kilometers." You've heard the term before, but frankly it's kind of silly. Miles just make sense, you know?

The Gandharva blinks and looks over at you. "Hmm?"

"Tell me a little more about the Apophis. Why were they so bad before?"

"Oh." She says, frowning. "Well, you have to understand, it was a long, long time ago that any Apophis lived. They were a race of lamia with purple skin and scales and they would entice people to follow under them, often treating them like slaves."

"I don't see much difference between them and the way the Pharaoh treats people?"

Ebe sighs. "I suppose you wouldn't. The Pharaohs may allow such acts, but they don't usually encourage it in the same way as the Apophis did, so I am told."

"So they what, were trying to make their own dominion?" Sophie asks, walking up to the rest of the group. Ebe taps her chin and contemplates.

"No, more like, their own army, if I recall? It was said that he Apophis would go to villages and make them worship them, becoming their thralls if they kissed someone. They were often quite free with bestowing blessings to women who served them well."

"Kiss?" You say, cocking your head. "I'm sure you mean, bite."

"I… I suppose." Ebe shrugs. "I'd heard somewhere that their venom had a major effect on people, but it's all just legend. Regardless, as far as blessings go-"

"Monsterization, I'd suspect." Sophie says, a grim expression on her face.

Everyone goes quiet at that, thinking over the implications of it. Monsterization is the process where a human woman is turned into a Monster. Someone would say the process merely changes their body, but after the events of twenty years ago and the nation of Galmathoria, that was proved utterly wrong. When a woman is changed in body, her senses heightened, her sexual drive empowered… are they truly the same person any longer?

>>299431

Even the Monsters in your group look disturbed by the thought. Some do not care about such things, but it makes you wonder just how different at times people and Monsters are when such things hit them the same way. That particular thought gives you pause and you shake your head, trying to remember that while there are many things you have in common, there are many others that you do not. Monsters are NOT human, and you need to remember that.

"Well… uhm." The Gandharva mutters, getting herself back in order. "I don't know much beyond that, and that they were said to want to overthrow the Pharaohs."

"That is rather important information." Tabitha interjects, breaking her silence. "I could understand why the Pharaoh would want to stop this cult from rising up again."

"Might be a good thing though." Alice says. "If she's busy putting out fires, she can't go to mess with Deleor."

"Which would suggest she might still have a use for the Wizard and Selene…" Tabitha muses. When Sylphie gives her a shocked look, she rolls her eyes. "You know this is serious and we have to think seriously. I want to see them again as well, and we have to think rationally about this. Why wouldn't she just kill them?"

"Either because she needs them for something or wishes to use them as political capital. Should the Monster Lady be shown to be a captive it would sow discord as the Monster Nation tries to piece itself together while the Grand Wizard would be a blow to the people of Deleor who see him as a hero."

Your response is a grunt of annoyance. Hero, right. Sophie gives you a frown and you wave your hand to say, "So her plan was what, to show them off and show discord before a full invasion?"

"Maybe." Tabitha says. "Or something else. Those two are a nigh unlimited source of magic, perhaps she intends to use them in a ritual or something."

"H-hey!" Sylphie says, bristling before looking aside. "I know you said it's serious but… don't joke about that."

"We'll get more information later, perhaps this Ammon will know more." Sophie says, reassuring her sister. Sylphie nods her head and continues forward, the hot sun beating down on all of you.

A break for lunch comes a few hours later, where you're all sweaty and tired. Unfortunately there's really no shade to be had, so you have to create a little alcove of sand with your magic, enough to keep the worst of the sun off you. The others lounge about, munching on some travel food that Sophie prepares or drinking some water while you flip through your [Clay in a Sculptor's Hand: Golem Creation and Theory]. You began to read some of it while walking and you've started a better understanding of how the golems work.

Midas, your chunk of [Gold ore], floats about you in a lazy arc as you get a better hang of the basics of things. You're fairly certain you can create golems from the minerals you're familiar with and maybe have three at most? Nothing too fancy with them yet, but it's a start.

>You learn [Imbue Golem]

>You can control up to three golems of mineral basis. They can follow simple orders.

"Finish your meal?" Sophie asks, walking up to you.

Looking up from your book, you nod at her and close the tome. "Yeah, it was good, like always."

"Oh dearest me, you'll make me blush."

"Hardy har har." You reply. "What do you need?"

"Not much, just checking on people and- AH WHAT THE FUCK!"

Sophie jumps back, tails spreading out as she sees the form of Midas behind her, the little golem poking her back. The Cat o'Ninetails looks at it with incredulity before turning to you and frowning with enough force to make a lesser man flinch. Of course, you are more than a lesser man.

"Hmm? Oh sorry, Midas likes to touch people." You say, waving at the others who immediately go on alert.

"Don't give me that." She sniffs, crossing her arms. "You can't be careless like that."

"I could say the same to you." You say, nodding at her. She frowns as you even deeper, if that is possible. "Sit down for a second, would you?"

"What, so you can touch me again?"

"No, and you damn well know I would never do that, now sit down."

Sophie blinks in surprise at the sudden shift in your tone and she hesitates before sitting down next to you. You look about at the others and they all turn away, not wanting to be part of this, though you damn well know those nosy womenfolk are listening in. Infact the only party member who isn't listening in is Mr. Ed and that's because he can't be assed to wake up from his nap.

"Sophie, we need to talk." You begin and she narrows her eyes.

"About what?"

>>299432

"Don't take that attitude with me." You say and she goes quiet, looking a little sullen, as if rebuked by… well, she did just get rebuked, didn't she? Rubbing your forehead you continue, "Those Khepri knew who you were and if we didn't buy their silence, you know exactly who they would tell." She begins to speak but you hold up a finger.

"You can't be so careless with your identity. Anonymity is our greatest strength here, that which will keep us able to find your parents. With our identities unknown we can go anywhere and be free of much trouble. You can rest assurred that bandits and slavers from all over will look for us, and that's not to mention the royal guard."

"I was reacting to a danger!" She says stubbornly.

"And the initiative was good, but you then left your tails out in plain view. Sophie, you are very gifted in fighting, speech, and trade, but you need to think a little more ahead sometimes. I need you two to stay safe, alright?"

Sophie looks nothing more like a sullen child as she pulls her knees up to herself and sighs. "I… I understand, it's just… I've never had to really hide who I was before. It's difficult to keep such a part of me underwraps when I know it could be useful for us."

"You know this journey would be hard when you set out, right? You knew it would fall to you to protect your sister, right?" She nods her head. "Well think of keeping your identity secret as a means to protect her. A weapon in its own right, one that should only be drawn when you intend to kill someone."

"Can you do that?"

Sophie looks into your eyes and nods her head. "Yeah, I guess Fa-" She shudders and takes a deep breath, a look of consertnation on her face as she breathes out, "Rommel."

"Uh huh. Well, as long as you learn your lesson. Do it again and you might find sand in your shoes."

"I don't wear shoes."

"Sand in other, less than savory places. "

She smirks and slaps your arm. "Pervert." You brush her off and stand up as the others, who clearly weren't listening at all, get up as well, gathering their things. Once you're all set to go, you drop the sand awn and continue forward toward Ebe's village. The others pass you by but Tabitha hangs back some and whispers in your ear,

"Good job handling that. Very father-like."

"Tch." Is your only reply, though Erwin laughs in your ear as he rides on your shoulder. What a little jerk.

You continue walking until the sun begins to hang low in the sky and the redness of sunset fills the horizon. Ebe says that her village shouldn't be THAT much farther away, though she only ever left this far out the one time and frankly she doesn't much know anything beyond that. You find this rather unfortunate as you could be going about aimlessly for all you know, but at least you have plenty of supplies… for now.

Sophie creates a nice meal around the campfire and your group has another bonding time. Alice wonders why there is always so much sand in her damn boots and you don't have the heart to tell her, mainly because she might take your heart if you're not careful. Over the campfire Sophie asks Ebe to talk about her village and the Gandharva obliges.

"Gahn is a small village of maybe forty people. My family is one of three Monster familes present, the others being a Desert Catgirl and a distantly related Anubis. Oh how they would fight at times. Still, we do our best and live off the land as there is a small oasis nearby and some arable land to which we can grow crops."

"It's a hard living at times, but the men and the Monsters bring back fresh beasts for food and we even have some livestock every now and then. Trade to the village is scarce, but occasionally a hunter will find a relic or something and we could rest a little easier for a time."

"How did the Monster families not just breed out all the humans?" You ask, something which earns you a shocked look from Sophie and an approving nod from Alice.

"Uhm… well, people come and go from the nomadic tribes out in the deserts. It's a small village but sometimes people leave to venture out and sometimes people come in. It depends. The Anubis had been there a long time and had a few children, but they left to go to the capital and the Catgirl was new, a wandering tribeswoman who fell in love and settled down."

"And your family?" Sylphie asks. Ebe consider and then says,

>>299433

"My Father died when I was young, killed by a greater Sandgorger, a lizard-like beast which prowls the deserts. And yes, I know what you are about to ask, but not all monsters became Monstergirls, especially not here in Ectria."

You look at her with surprise as she continues. "Uhm, yes, well, my Mother spoke little of him except that he was a kind soul who still knew when to fight. He was quite the warrior she said, but that eventually he decided to settle down. She did not speak much of when she was little but I always figured she must have come from one of the cities as her bearing was just so… regal, you know?"

Sophie and Sylphie nod as Ebe continues. "Her music is loved by everyone in the village and she taught me how to play and sing and dance." She chuckles, "The boys in the village were so sad when I left, you should have seen their faces! Of course, I suppose you soon will."

"Sounds like you miss it." Sylphie says.

"We all miss home, don't we?" Everyone nods their head, even you, though for different reasons. Erwin sends a pulse through your mind, worried about you, but you assure him that you're fine. The past is the past and you can't change it. You haven't had a true home to return to for quite some time.

"Well, let's get to bed then." Tabitha says, stretching. "We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow and we should be rested to greet the Khepri again and the village. Hopefully the royal guard will have left already by now."

Everyone nods and makes for sleep. You get lucky and get to sleep the whole night, wow! After some practice with your staff and the geoflexing, it's off to bed tired. It's a good thing.

---—————————————-

Morning comes and it's back to the road for another boring day of walking. You read through more of your book on golems and manage to make them appear in some semblance of humanoid form. Everyone gives you odd looks beyond Sylphie as you have tiny rock golems following behind you in a procession, but you refrain of calling them by name for now, because you don't think they'd understand it.

It isn't until about midday when you find a post in the sand, well worn with age, that declares that Gahn is merely a few kilometers away. Mile posts should be for miles, damnit! Well, it's good news all the same, and Ebe can't help but take flight and return, ecstatic that her village is nearby. With renewed vigor, you head toward the village, reaching the outskirts a few hours later in the afternoon.

Small buildings of rough, square stone sit near each other, their glasses windows shuttered with old, rough beaten wood to keep the worst of the sand out. Off in the distance, you see a small pool of water with some trees around it and a few animals penned up. You can't see anyone nearby until you get closer, but the overall vibe you get from the little village is that of "sleepy."

"Something's wrong." Ebe says, despite the distance, and she flying hops into the air, landing at the perimeter of the village as the rest of you catch up. As you arrive you find Ebe talking with someone, a frantic look on her face. The villager looks up at you, looking a little pale and the nods curtly to Ebe before turning about and walking away briskly.

"What's that about?" Sylphie asks, but Ebe just watches him walk away, not making a sound. The Cat o'Ninetails begins to look concerned and touches Ebe's shoulder, asking, "Ebe? What's going on?"

"T-The royal guards they… they took people." Ebe whispers. "On suspicion of being cultists and… and…"

"And one of them was your Mother, aye." An older, female voice says. Your party stiffens as from a nearby house an Anubis walks out, an older Monster with hard lines from years in the sun and raising children.

"Jibade!" Ebe cries, turning to the Anubis. "What happened? Why did they take her?"

The Anubis sighs and shakes her head. "They came in about three days ago and began to speak with the villagers, making all sorts of accusations. Your Mother wouldn't allow them to bully people, and one of the men decided she was obviously a cultist trying to protect the others and they took her."

"When did they leave?" You ask, frowning.

The Anubis looks you over before shaking her head, "They left yesterday, though I can't say for certain where they were headed. Took four people from us, claiming them to be Violent Sands cultists." She shakes her head, "Just because of our proximity to the Chasm…"

"Oh no…" Ebe whispers, holding her wings to her breast. She turns to you, tears in her eyes, "Rommel.."

>What do we do?

>>299435

>birb ended up sad anyway

Suffering.

See if we can figure out where they went, at least the general direction, either by tracking or by gathering intel from the townspeople. Ask if the townspeople have any riding horses that we can borrow. Have Ebe scout ahead and look for signs of their party.

We will not abandon Ebe's mom to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Let's hunt some MILF.

Ready the golems! Tonight we march to battle! MILF OR DEATH!

>>299459

Also, she might not even be in prison yet, she might be in a cart on the way to prison, or in a cell.

>>299434

Go to Ebe's house and find something for Erwin to track with. We going on a hunt boys.

Ask the milfy Anubis how many soldiers were involved. We need to speed in order to catch up with them so we can't bring everyone along.

Ebe can fly and Slyphie can surf like us. We might be able to take one passenger on our sand stone boards as well. Alice and Tabby.

That would leave Sophie and Mr. Ed. They can either stay at the village or try to follow along even if they can't keep up.

Assuming they are on foot/camel we might be able to catch up with them. They had to stop for the night and Im sure they were taking breaks to avoid over heating during mid day. Our boards allow us to move at the least equivalent to a horse full gallop on good terrain but considering our original scale was with a rock through land we should be a good it faster on the sand.

Average walking speed of a human is 3.1 MPH. They have a cart of prisoners so I can't see their mounts being able to move much faster then this. Average speed of a horse in full gallop is around 30 MPH. So on the low end we move around 10 times faster then they should be able to. If we do move faster over sand then even more so. We should be able to catch them within and hour or two.

>>299437

>>299456

>>299458

>>299459

>>299460

>>299470

This is what I like to see. A MILF needs saving and everyone pulls together to come up with a plan to save herand the other prisoners!

>>299428

But that's wrong anon, Ebe is second best girl.

>>299432

>The others lounge about, munching on some travel food that Sophie prepares or drinking some water while you flip through your [Clay in a Sculptor's Hand: Golem Creation and Theory]. You began to read some of it while walking and you've started a better understanding of how the golems work.

Wouldn't this kind of clash with one of Rommel's weaknesses mentioned back in thread 3?

>You try to make conversation with Tabitha, asking her a little bit about the road she's been down and the places she's been. She looks at you with some skepticism, but your explanation that you can't read terribly well while walking makes her smirk, apparently finding that amusing for some reason.

>"Hmm? Oh sorry, Midas likes to touch people."

Not sure if intentional, but nice touch detail there.

>>299434

Back on topic, it's rather unlikely that we can do anything to help the prisoners given the time frame a few hours after midday implies it's currently 3pm, giving the guards 15 hours minimum to be used to movement and rest, but we might as well try any way - just don't get your hopes up. To begin, gathering information as others have already stated is our best bet. We shouldn't stay for too long, but long enough to get the mandatory pieces of information such as the direction the guards went, what transportation is being used if any I sincerely doubt the guards would be on foot alone when the Prophet is likely to desire efficiency in dealing with her kin's arch enemy, so they would probably have camels or something alongside them to help with bearing load if not to outright ride, how many guards we are likely to be fighting, what equipment they have on them and also exactly when the guards left, because "they left yesterday" still leaves out what time they left and such information could be used to determine how far away from us they are.

If the guards left in the morning or afternoon, forget about it, the prisoners are fucked because we aren't catching up to them in any scenario; we move too slowly on feet and sand surfing is far too taxing for us to be able to keep it up long enough to catch up with the guards every instance of <Rock Slide> up to this point has been described as rather short which implies less than 30 minutes, and even if we do somehow manage it by some miracle occurring we will then be completely exhausted from casting such a draining spell for so long and unable to fight the guards stealth isn't going to happen because the guards aren't stupid enough to not keep watch during rest stops. If they left at night or during the evening at the earliest, then we might be able to catch up to them on foot if we're efficient and greatly reduce the amount of time spent resting, though that may backfire if we reach them and are too tired to solve the problem as a result of lacking rest, or by sand surfing, though that would limit the party to just us, potentially Ebe assuming she can keep up with us in the air and one other party member since there should be enough space on the rock and would still leave us and Ebe exhausted when we arrive under the assumption we can even endure such a lengthy cast in the first place.

>>299501

Since sand surfing is our best chance of catching up with the guards, I propose we do that and take Alice with us - Mr Ed obviously can't fit on the rock let alone keep his balance and will struggle to run in sand, Erwin is best kept with the party so we can keep in contact with them, Sophie and Sylphie are hesitant to kill anyone and thus would be rather useless in a scenario where we ideally don't want any of the guards to survive and Tabitha would be best suited staying with the others in case anything goes wrong back at the village as she is the most experienced fighter in our party not to mention she would oppose leaving either of the twins to fend for themselves. Alice is a very capable combatant and is not adverse to bloodshed if the messy outcome of the events at the outpost in the Ectrian side of the mountain pass is any indication, making her great for dealing with our opponents when we ourselves probably can't do much fighting. She is also a human and not a nine-tailed cat, meaning the attack may be seen as either bandits who are desperate for supplies or cultists coming to save their own by anyone does manage to escape with their life, allowing us to sort of keep our anonymity within Ectria intact.

In any case, make sure to take some supplies with us, because we'll need them for ourselves and the prisoners, should we managed to rescue them, on the journey back.

>>299470

>Slyphie can surf like us

Sylphie also learned that spell two days ago and has only used it once for a very short duration. If we, an accomplished Wizard with large amounts of training in Geomancy, are tired out rather quickly by sand surfing then it's quite likely that Sylphie, someone who picked up Geomancy very recently, would tire out even quicker, making the journey nigh impossible for her to endure at her current skill level, more so since she isn't completely topped up with mana. And this isn't even taking into account Sylphie's poor balance and general clumsiness likely slowing her, and as a result everyone else present, down, nor any complications that would arise if she was spotted by any survivors of our assault.

>>299501

>>299502

Sand surfing is far, far easier then sliding a rock through sand, And we've gotten quite a bit stronger since our last adventure with Rocky anyway. Even back when we were talking with the bugs it was implied we were at it for a while and we weren't that drained. Going in a straight line without doing crazy tricks should be a lot more efficient. We can manage it and still be in a good enough position to back up LizardTits and SlutTits. And hear I thought y'all would like the idea of sharing a small space with Tabitha.

>>299482

We gotta save the Ara ara burd man, There is no other option

>>299434

RITE

First off, Rommel needs to give Ebe a hug, whilst gently whispering her ear that he and the group will do all it can for her mom and the others. Rommel will know exactly how she feels

Second, ask MILFwan about the makeup of the royal guard This is the desert, bandits, feral monsters and fauna, attack all the time.

Thirdly… this >>299502

Fourthly Buy Alice a nice red or yellow ribbon for her hair, for a job well done.

>>299501

I will respond to more later, but it's honestly easier to read in the sand since it's fairly… empty. However yes, it's not ideal and you may or may not have fallen a few times.

Also Of course it was intentional :^)

>Story continue

A hush falls over your group as Ebe's tears flow. Tabitha grits her teeth while Alice frowns down at the ground. Mr. Ed neighs softly and the twins both look stricken, their pain evident on their faces. No one is immune to the pain of this, Ebe is too much of a friend. That some here also know of a similar pain makes it hurt even more.

Taking a deep breath, you steady yourself and say, "Ebe… calm down."

"H-How am I supposed to stay calm? They came and… and called my Mother a cultist and took her away and… and…"

"Ebe, We're going to get her back, but I need you to calm down." You hold out a tentative hand before placing it on her shoulder and looking into her eyes. "This isn't the first time something bad has happened, but we've always gotten through, right?"

She looks into your eyes, hers growing red and puffy from crying. Making to nod her head, she breaks into tears again before giving you a full bodied hug. To your credit, you don't push her away, and pat her gently on the back, though you have to school yourself to keep your face impassive. At least, you tell yourself that this is all a force of will, at least.

"Y-You're right. I just… I just lost track of myself and I didn't mean to." She takes a deep breath herself and says, "Right then. Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for feeling that way about your family." You say a little sharper than expected and both you and she blink in surprise before you continue. "Anyway, we first need to find more information, and then we're going to get your Mother back."

"You're planning on tracking down and fighting the royal guard?" The older Anubis says, shaking her head. You'd almost forgotten she was there for a moment to be honest. She gives you a sad look and says, "I'm sure you're quite proficient in whatever it is you do, however the royal guard are no slouches. They also came on horseback, though they did have one of those slaver wagons so…"

"So they couldn't have gotten that far away." Tabitha says. "However, are you certain it was the royal guard and not a band of slavers masquerading as them?"

The Anubis barks a laugh."Ha! Not even my foolish daughter would be stupid enough to pretend to be a Royal Guard. Slavers have to be somewhat smart to survive their job you know?" She shakes with mirth, "Hopefully she'll realize slaving isn't all it's cracked up to be someday."

Something about that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, but you don't comment on it. There's more important things to do. Nodding your head to the Anubis, you say, "How many men were there, and what direction did they go?"

"I told you before, I don't quite know where they went, but there was maybe five men and an Anubis like myself."

"O-One of the handmaidens?" Ebe croaks out.

"Oh goodness no. A handmaiden all the way out here? Ha! That takes me back." The Anubis smirks before shaking her head. "No, of course not child. Just a warden."

"What is a warden?" Alice asks, cocking her head. "Some kind of jailor?"

"Not quite. We Anubis have an innate blessing of the Twins upon us, for we were created to be the guardians of the Pharaohs. While it has been watered down through the years, we are still quite magically resistant."

"Wardens are the name of non-noble Anubis who serve in the military against spellcasters. They're quite excellent soldiers themselves, of course! Having one in a group is standard practice, which is quite fine for them as they have their pick of rather… virile men."

"I thought magic wasn't used very often out here because of the lack of mana crystals?" Sylphie asks, being drawn into the conversation. The Anubis turns to her and smirks,

"Well, trade DOES exist of course. And due to our proximity to the eastern nations who are drowning in mana crystals, the rich can afford to practice their magics. For the others, well… there are other methods."

"Ritual magic." Sylphie mutters to herself. You frown at this and then return to the Anubis.

"When did they leave yesterday? And do you think any of the others might have more information in town?"

>>300211

"Mmm, I think they left in the afternoon after their business was concluded and they'd whipped us into submission. Poor little Ultep got her lip split open trying to be a hero." She shakes her head. "Well… I think that's all the information I have on this subject, I am afraid."

"Alright, thank you very much." You say, bowing to her. She chuckles and shakes her head.

"We take after our own. Look after them like family! Haha, ugh." A grunt escapes her lips as her back spasms. Grumbling, she walks away, leaving you to yourselves.

"So, it's a small group with a wagon and horses. Couldn't have gotten terribly far." Alice says, shrugging.

"Far enough to outpace us if we walk." Tabitha says. "Of course, we don't know even where they went."

"Someone in the village has to know where they've gone, right?" Sophie says, patting Ebe's shoulder, the Gandharva sniffing. "Come on, let's check around."

Everyone nods in agreement and spreads out through the town, speaking with people about the Royal Guard.

Unfortunately most people aren't as forthcoming as the Anubis was, and even Ebe's group seems to get little from the people but averted gazes and half-whipsered apologies. About half an hour later, you find yourself before the small market in town, where a peddler of various wares sits talking with someone. Apparently trade doesn't stop in the wake of a tragedy…

"I am so sorry about your loss, but we have this excellent locket for purchase." A familiar voice says. Frowning, you walk forward to see who the source is and find a familiar, black shelled Khepri standing before the villager. She waves the locket you sold before the woman and says, "Look! Remarkable, isn't it? You can even put a picture inside it!"

"Qi?" You ask as you approach. The Khepri freezes in place and turns slowly to you, a smile appearing forced on her face.

"Why if it isn't Rommel and friends! W-What brings you here?"

"Decided to drop in when we heard about the Royal Guards."

"Oh, yes, dreadful. Came in, roughed people up, then took some of them north toward the Chasm." Qi says, shaking her head. "Terrible, but what can you do?"

"You know where they went?"

"Certainly, information is something the Khepri sell as w-" She pauses in her speech and then curses to herself. "Damnit."

"Qi." You say, walking up before her and looking down into her eyes. "We don't have time for games, we need to find those guards before anything bad happens to those villagers."

Qi's eyes narrow at you, searching your expression. "Those people were declared cultists. Causing trouble with the Royal Guard will brand you as criminals, insurgents even if they decide you're part of the Violet Sands."

"I'll take that chance."

Once again her eyes search your expression and the barest hint of a smile comes to her lips. "Is that so? You'd get in bed with the thrice damned snake lovers, hmm?" She shakes her head. "Well, that could make for something interesting in its own right."

"Eh?" Alice says, looking annoyed. "Look, you said they're going to the north, right? Great, thanks. Now keep your mouth shut and we'll have a good time, alright?"

You feel like Alice is an important member of the team right about now. Qi blanches some before nodding her head slowly. "R-Right. Of course. I think I’m done here anyway." She turns to the trader and then nods her head before walking away from the group, opening her wings, and flying off into the sky.

"Ugh, I thought she wouldn't leave." The villager says, shaking her head. "Honestly, those Khepri are live savers sometimes, but they've overstayed their welcome. We don't have much else to trade for!"

You look over what the woman has, finding various cloth goods, seems she's a village tailor of sorts. A red ribbon catches your eye and you remember saying you'd do something nice for Alice some of these days. Shrugging, you pull out a few silvers and say, "Is this enough for that ribbon?"

The woman blinks her eyes and looks over your coins before biting one and shrugging. "Silver is silver I suppose! Maybe those damn Khepri will take it off my hands. Sure, it's yours."

Nodding, you pick up the cloth and then hand it to Alice. "Here, for your hair or whatever."

She blinks in surprise, taking the cloth from you and looking at it without comprehension. "I… what? Why?"

>>300212

"You're a valuable member of the team?"

"I still don't understand."

"Maybe I haven't treated you nice enough?"

"But we haven't had sex. Why are you giving me a gift? Do you want to have sex?" She looks at you with eager eyes. "Is that it? Well let me get this sand out of my boot and we'll go out and poison the watering hole."

The villager gasps and you hastily chuckle and grab Alice's shoulder, pulling her away. "No you sex-crazed idiot, it's a nice gesture. No sex involved, just accept it as a gift."

Alice looks down at the ribbon and then a blush comes to her cheeks. It's utterly foreign to you based on what you knew of her so far and it makes her seem demure, almost cute. She coughs into her hand before tying her hair up with the ribbon in a ponytail so it doesn't get in the way. A little quirk appears at her lips and she says, "Well, this is embarassing."

"Yeah… You say, feeling embarrassed for her. It suits you though."

"Oh gosh, you're making me blush even more!" She says, punching your arm. "Are you sure you're not trying to get into my pants? They're open for just about any cock as it is."

"That is disgusting. How are you not a walking plague?"

"Magic."

She says nothing further and you throw up your hands, unable to win with this woman. The soft smile on her face though shows at least you did something right. Well, that will have to do as you regroup with the others, finding them near a small, square house.

"Find anything?" Sophie asks you, and you tell them about meeting Qi and what she said.

"The north?" Ebe asks, looking skeptical. "No one would say anything else but… that would be toward the Chasm."

"Isn't that where the Apophis used to be? Would make sense for them to head out there and investigate things." Sylphie chimes in.

"And they may have sent more than one band out there. Clearly the Pharaoh doesn't think it enough of a threat to send a full army after them."

"Or, she doesn't want to incite a major panic in the people. Just keeping it small scale." Alice chimes in. Tabitha nods her head at this, satisfied.

"Still, they've gone by wagons and horses… I could catch them by flying, and Sylphie could ride Mr. Ed but… we wouldn't be in much of a position to fight them."

"I won't lie, it will have to be bloody also." You add, giving a pointed look to Sylphie. "Would you be able to commit to killing every last guard? We can't have any witnesses."

"Uhm…" Ebe says, looking about. "Maybe we should come inside to discuss this." She opens the door to the little house and waves for you to enter. Frowning, you follow the others inside to find a small, well kept room. A table sits surrounded by a few carpets with a cooking pot over in the corner. A bed of a few blankets and a pillow sits nearby with only one other room where a larger bed is. Almost a hovel in a sort, but cozy.

"Well, home sweet home." Ebe chuckles, looking down. "S-Sorry it's not much."

"I think it's charming." Sophie says, sitting down about the low table. "You and your Mother live here?"

"Yes, that's her room there, that's my space there, and this is the… everything else." She blushes again. "Why am I so embarrassed at a time like this?"

"It's fine." You say, waving for her to sit. This room is not meant for so many people, but you manage somehow. When everyone is gathered, you say, "So, unless we pushed on through the night, reaching them by foot won't work. That leaves a few options as I haven't seen any horses around."

Mr. Ed nickers and you wave your hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. Anyway, what that leaves is a small group that could go with Mr. Ed or…" You pat the ground. "We sand surf."

"What." Sophie says, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, you missed it two days ago." Sylphie says. "Rommel and I can glide on the sand using rocks."

"Is that why you shoved those rocks into your bag of holding?"

"M-Maybe." Sylphie says, touching her fingertips together. "A-Anyway. That could work! It's super fast and you can go for abit over the sand, right?"

"Yeah, I should be fine doing that." You agree, nodding your head. "It will take some time soon, but I think we can find them, sure."

"Still limits who can go." Alice says. "I doubt you'll be fine with just yourselves."

"Why don't you come along then? I think I could bring one other person."

Alice looks a little perplexed before thinking it over. "Hmm. Would be useful to have me along I suppose. Why not bring Tabitha though?"

"Frankly, I think I need a bloodthirsty monster for this."

The swordswoman nods her head, as if understanding perfectly and taking zero offense. "Killing men isn't all that much fun, but the Anubis… ehehe, yeah that might work."

>>300213

"We could follow behind you and catch up later?" Sophie adds in, but Tabitha shakes her head.

"Makes more sense to sit here. We can't reach them in time for anything much to matter." Looking over to Sylphie, she frowns and says, "And you're staying here."

"What? Why?!" The Cat o'Ninetails says, bristling. "I can fight too!"

"But can you fight without revealing yourself?"

"I… I mean." Sylphie stammers, frowning. "I mean, I'd be an asset too…"

Sighing, you pat her head. "I think Tabitha maybe right. We might need you here anyway. We'll be fine, and if I need anything, I'll let Erwin know."

{Oh come on.} Erwin sends, sighing. {Leaving me behind again? Are our bonds of friendship so shallow?}

"Don't be like that." Sylphie says, rubbing the fox's head. Both you and Erwin give her an annoyed look and she blinks before blushing. "Ah, sorry, sorry."

"Ebe." You say, turning to the Gandharva. "I would like you to come along with us though."

"Huh? M-me?"

"Yes. You can keep up by flying, and frankly I'd like your eyes in the sky. Besides, it is your Mother, right?" As you say this, you smile to her.

Ebe blushes some and nods her head. "R-Right." Stammering, she takes a deep breath and gives a firm nod. "Right!"

"Ooooo kay then." Alice says, punching her hand. "Let's get our shit together and get off to kill- I mean, saving people!"

Everyone rolls their eyes and discusses supplies, and in no time you're prepared to get out onto the sand. Putting your sandstone "board" on the ground, you mount it and gesture for Alice to get behind you and wrap her arms around your waist. A few lewd comments later, she puts her arms securely around your waist and you're ready to go, one of the twin's bag's of holding at your waist. You'll need extra provisions for the prisoners when you rescue them.

Ebe flies high into the sky and you cast [Rockslide], gliding across the sand at good speed. The day wears on like this, making excellent time while Alice shouts in joy at the speed/ whispers lewd things in your ears. You're fairly certain she grinds her hips against you at one point, that that may be just to piss you off. Regardless, you have to stop as night approaches due to getting super tired/ it's dangerous to ride at night. Alice keeps watch and you wake up the next day to do the same thing.

About a full day after leaving Gahn, Ebe flies close and signals you to stop. Sliding to a halt, she lands next to you and says, "I see them, not too far ahead. I don't think they saw me, or if they didn't they can't have thought much of a lone harpy in the sky."

"Probably not, though there isn't much out here…" You say, thinking it over. "Can you tell me more?"

"They're arrayed around the wagon, with the Anubis on the cart while the men ride horses around it. Looks like the men on horses might have swords and spears. They seem pretty intent on going to Chasm based on their heading."

"Hmm. We can probably overtake them soon if we push." Alice muses. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little tired." You say, wiping your forehead of sweat. "But I can keep going, I'll have enough steam for this."

"We could do this tomorrow if we need to, or hit them at night?" Alice suggests. You frown and think it over. You honestly are drained more than you're letting on, but is it worth delaying this further? Ebe says it can't be more than a few days to the Chasm, and the longer you're out here, the more delayed you are otherwise.

>What do you do?

>>300215

>Are you happy?

Ecstatic. lol

>>300214

Wait for the night time to conserve energy and try to sneak in, we need to avoid starting a fight since not only it might tire us out on the middle of it we might ending up putting the royal guard on high alert and make things difficult for us on the future or make them go back to Ebe's village.

Wait until night. They have to stop or switch shifts at some point, Ebe can possibly try to put the rest of them to sleep with one of her songs. We also need to operate under cover of darkness because we only really have two fighters and one of them is ranged, we can't go toe to toe against trained fighters yet.

>>300214

Wait for the cover of night. Sneak downwind of the sandwan and pop her head open. Then we can try to impale the others with groundspikes like some other anon mentioned in previous threads, While Alice mops them up. Ebe should stay in the sky unless she is needed. She's a gentle soul.

Should by all means be a fairly easy encounter. Unless SOMEONE endeavors to make things not quite so simple

>>300214

Plan of Attack!

Attack at night. Go downwind. Use magesight to check for magic traps. Watch out for guards on guard duty. If Jackle is asleep, use Ebe to send guards and horses to sleep, then have her retreat (make sure Alice and Rommel have wax in their ears). If not, kill anubis first covertly. Then kill guards. Free prisoners. Rommel must be a gentleman to Ebe's Mom.

>>300214

>"And they may have sent more than one band out there. Clearly the Pharaoh doesn't think it enough of a threat to send a full army after them."

If we leave our attack off for too long then our targets will potentially regroup with any other guards nearer to the Chasm of Regret. We're already going to be fighting outnumbered in our current situation, so we need to ideally avoid letting them increase their numbers and further stacking the odds in their favour by attacking them soon. Dependent on how close we are to the Chasm and if Ebe can see anyone else in the distance, we should either attack very soon or during the night, though the latter is definitely preferred what with it allowing us to rest for longer and giving us the cover of darkness.

In terms of fighting we are going to be unable to kill all 6 members of the group without any of them noticing or fighting back, after all, have Ebe stay away from the fight. The guards are transporting a Gandharva of whom will possess similar enchanted songs and dances to Ebe, so they will probably already have countermeasures to protect against such magics and thus Ebe will be nigh useless in this situation. Even if they don't have such protections and are merely relying on stopping Ebe's mother from using her abilities via bindings and a mouth gag, the Anubis Warden will be immune or at least heavily resistant to any such effects and will probably focus on trying to kill Ebe as to release her comrades from Ebe's spell, which isn't something we want as Ebe is rather fragile. Ebe would be better off keeping to the sky where she will be safe and is able to make sure no other groups are approaching our position, alerting us if things are about to get worse so we have time to prepare.

The guards here are going to be a hell of a lot better than every other guard, mercenary or soldier we've faced thus far as the Prophet isn't going to hire bumbling idiots or inexperienced rookies to defend her and do her dirty work, so engage with caution and keep our distance. Since Alice uses a sword she may have difficulties dealing with the spear-wielders due to their range advantage over her assuming the guards are actually competent enough to use it and not be almost immediately dismembered by her, so we should prioritise killing or disabling them first so that Alice can do her thing and give us space to deal with the Warden. [Tremor] and to a lesser extent <Inhospitable Ground> should be enough to knock over any mounted guards for Alice to clean up and prevent them from charging at us the moment we are spotted, while [Flurry], [Ice] and [Lightning Bolt] can be used to slow down or kill any guards that somehow remain.

>>300347

The Warden is definitely the biggest threat out of the group due to her magical resistance, but as we sort of proved with the Anubis slaver they aren't resistant to Geomancy, as that divination of magic is almost entirely physical and doesn't involve conjury in any form. As such, be ready to crack out our friends, particularly the ever reliable Greg and Ronnie, for [Pebble Gun], or even just the dense Basalt we gathered if we feel like unceremoniously bashing the Warden's head in with a big, strong rock rather than doing anything flashy. We could also try attacking her indirectly with our spells similar to last time, such as freezing the ground where she's stood or moving to, but primarily focus on what we know works. Also, be ready to defend ourselves with our staff or one of the nearby weapons any guards might drop sword or spear, it doesn't really matter because the Warden is probably going to barrel towards us the moment we make our presence as one of the rare spell casters in this land known and we will likely struggle to keep her at range even with the likes of [Build the Wall] and [Trench] at our disposal and it would be good practise for our weapon skills too.

As for the aftermath, leave no survivors if possible. That said, while magic to allow one to commune with animals exists, we probably shouldn't kill the horses because they wouldn't give any useful information away even if anyone in Ectria could speak to them and killing animals who are just following their master's orders without knowing any better doesn't really sit right with me. After liberating the prisoners, loot anything that could be of use for us, such as weapons, armour and other goodies, and bury everything else deep within the sand where it won't be found for a long time if ever as to hide the evidence of what we've just done and to make any guards searching for the group waste a lot more time doing so, delaying them from increasing their alertness. Finally, start heading back to the others by foot, talking with Erwin either now or whenever we get back within range for mental communications with him to see how things are back at the town.

>The Anubis barks a laugh."Ha! Not even my foolish daughter would be stupid enough to pretend to be a Royal Guard. Slavers have to be somewhat smart to survive their job you know?" She shakes with mirth, "Hopefully she'll realize slaving isn't all it's cracked up to be someday."

While it's fairly obvious what is being implied here, there is definitely the possibility that our assumptions are mistaken, especially with all the Anubis slavers around. Still, check the picture that was in the locket which we didn't throw away when we're not being watched to see if it matches the Anubis back at the town. If it does, make sure not to mention anything about her daughter to her. Qi probably will probably try selling the locket elsewhere given that it didn't sell here, but if she does come back we should still be safe given the promise of silence the Khepri gave us and how Qi knows we could quite easily kill her.

>>300348

Basically what this guy said. My only caveat is that if the Anubis was related to the one we killed earlier we should say that she was attempting to kidnap us and several of our countrymen. As a wizard of Deleor we could not tell this stand.

>>300253

Good.

Good.

>>300254

>>300261

>>300265

>>300317

Whaaaaat. You don't want one to get away and spread the information to everyone? Psh.

>SOMEONE

Is it me?

>>300415

It might be you.

Alright friends, I havent been sleeping right and im getting behind on a lot of things. Im goinh to take tonigjt off also (unless i just HAVE to write.)

It really does hurt me when i go on extended breaka between updates as im sure ya'll have noticed. On the plus side, im told something nicd should be worked on tomorrow.

Yay.

If yall have any questions though, ask away!

>>300525

Can Rommel stand on a rock of sufficient size and then lift it using his magic?

In essence, Can Rommel learn to surf in the skies above like a harpy, atop our sandstone board? Like drop Bears. But instead of Bears it would be a loony Geomancer

>>300525

If a wurm can eat a rock and poop out a smaller rock, does that mean that if you stick a rock up a wurm's butt, she'll cough up a larger rock? Is the entire planet just one big mass of rocks that wurms stuck up their butts?

>>300525

That's fair enough, Ace. Take the time you feel you need.

>>300589

Currently, no. In the future? Still not likely. May be able to hover some, but its heavy, you're heavy, and the further something is away from the ground, the harder it is to control it. Small rocks and such are easy to manipulate but larger ones take more effort, of course.

this is what makes <rock slide> feasible as it has direct connection to the ground. Also you're mostly moving the earth around youmore than moving the rock itself.

>>300693

This is a science experiment which may end with you beinh raped. Want to find out?

>>300697

Thank

>Story continue

"We can't tell how far away they'll get later, nor if they'll have any reinforcements soon, but I do not relish the thought of attacking them over open terrain during the day."

Alice clacks her tongue as you say this. "I suppose you're right. It doesn't make a whole lot of tactical sense, especially since they have horses." She points at you. "You can move around them fairly freely with that spell, but I doub't we'd be very successful using it as a kind of chariot."

"So… what does that mean then?" Ebe asks, looking worried. "We just… wait?"

"Unfortunately." You say. "We have a better shot of taking them by surprise if we attack at night. How could they expect us to come? Who would be out here but bandits?"

"Or cultists." Alice says, shrugging. "Of course, what do we do if we're rescuing ACTUAL cultists anyway?"

"My Mother is NOT a cultist!" Ebe says, a touch of uncharacteristic anger in her voice. Both you and Alice look at her with surprise and she as well blinks in confusion before blushing and putting a wind to her mouth. "Oh… oh Twins, I'm sorry."

"It's fine Ebe, we understand." You say, patting Ebe's shoulder. She continues to blush but nods her head before sighing.

"W-Well, in that case, I suppose we'll keep tracking them then. Should I continue flying?"

"No, we're getting too close in that case. I believe we can conserve some energy and move slower." You hop off your board and feel your legs wobble a little with exhaustion. While you can keep this up far, far longer than you ever could before, it's still draining. You look up at the sky and frown at the sun full in the sky.

"I think we should take a rest, and when things get darker we can follow them further."

Ebe and Alice both nod and stretch as you make another sand hovel. Your group shares a small meal and, at the urgings of both of them, you take a nap. It's not like you protest terribly much against it however, and they are quite persuasive. Despite the heat, or perhaps, because of the heat, you find it easy to drift off into a light sleep.

You awaken what feels shortly to see the open blue sky turning a shade of red as nightfall approaches. Groaning, you make to get up when you feel something stroking your head. With a frown, you look up to see Alice looking down at you, her hand stroking your head. She smiles and says, "All rested?"

"What are you doing?"

"Stroking your head while giving you a lap pillow, of course."

"Who are you and where did Alice go?"

She smirks and raises her hands, feigning nonchalance. "Well, you see, I wanted to take you out of those hot clothes and sidle up close to you, but the bird-brain wouldn't let me!"

You look over to find Ebe tuning her ghitar and she looks at the two of you with a frown. "For once, she's actually lying. She decided to put your head on her lap without going after your penis."

Raising an eyebrow, you look back up at Alice who blushes. "Bah, she's just jealous that I monopolized you and uh…" Her words drift away in the face of your expression and she sighs. "Alright fine, I thought I'd do something nice since you got me this damn ribbon, okay? You already said I couldn't tickle your pickle so I had to do something else."

"I mean… I guess that's…" You struggle to find words before sighing and settling with, "Thanks. It's nice."

Alice closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Ugh, I am not used to this short of shit." Stretching, she continues, "Alright get your ass up, we have some soldiers to kill."

The swordswoman shoos you off her, leaving you to pick yourself up from her decidedly warm lap to stretch and get back in swing. Pulling out your board again, you gesture to Alice, to which she gets on behind you and holds tight. With her in place, you then turn to Ebe and speak.

"Alright, it'll take some time to catch up I suspect. Ebe, if they're stopping soon, they might be making a campfire, see if you can spot it and let us know. Once we have their location, I'll need to know where downwind is."

"Why would you- Oh." She cuts off as it hits her. "The Anubis, right."

"Right indeed." You say, nodding your head. "Once we know where they are, Alice and I will attack. I'll need you to stay back, however."

>>300938

"What!" She exclaims. "No, I'm going in there also."

"Think about it rationally." Alice says, her voice cool and serious. "If they can silence your Mother, what's to say they don't have something in place to make your songs ineffective too? I doubt they will have the intended effect on a warded Anubis. In that case then…"

"I'll just be a burden…" Ebe sighs. "I understand."

"We all have our places." Alice continues. "Don't be discouraged. We'd be in a worse position had we not your wings, disgusting and abominable as they are."

Ebe blinks in confusion. "I… thank you?"

"No problem feather butt."

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that." You say, getting their attention. "Let's move out. We don't have all night."

"Actually-" Alice begins, but before she can speak further, you push forward with <Rock Slide>. She yelps and you inwardly smirk as the evening sands fly by you as you skim over them. Above you, Ebe flies forward, searching for your quarry. Until she returns, well… it's back onto the track it seems.

Night begins to fall about you and the once vibrant sands become shadows in the darkness. The hot wind turns cool and somehow the sting of the sand isn't as bad as you recall. It's harder to see, to be sure, but by feeling the ground around you as you push it along, you can make sure you don't run into the worst of it.

"Hey Rommel." Alice says, intruding into your concentration. You grunt in reply and she continues, "How does a Wizard like you get involved with so many Monsters anyway? I don't get it."

"I told you the story when we met, it's not that hard. There's a common goal we share, that's it."

"Is that so? It's just, I'd heard growing up that Wizards used to be warriors against Monsters, that they were chaste and powerful. But of course, when people started seeing Wizards again, it really wasn't the case, was it?"

"Wizards are powerful, and we have to be chaste to even come into our power."

"Yes, but what does it mean when you can have all that power, but none of the responsibilities?"

You go quiet at that, focusing your mind back on the path ahead. It's a tough question to ponder, and you have a lot to focus on already, so you refrain from doing so. At least, that's what you tell yourself, because you're afraid to admit that you don't WANT to think about it.

An awkward silence persists as Alice hugs you tight, her head resting on your back. Unable to bear it any longer, you say, "You're pretty chummy yourself with Ebe today, and always with Tabitha. I thought you were part of the chantry?"

"The chantry is in name only these days." The former Hero says. "And I suppose you're right, my actions haven't fit my words recently." She goes quiet for a few moments before continuing,

"It's hard sometimes, to remember that they aren't human. That underneath it all is an encroaching darkness from a Goddess who rebelled against the heavens. Maybe the daughters shouldn't inherit the sins of their Mother, but thousands of years of death, enslavement, a push toward extinction… twenty years isn't enough time to just forgive and forget."

"Alice I…" You begin to say before going quiet again. How do you respond to that? In the interim, she continues,

"My family had a long record of service in the Deleorian military. Shocking, considering how many men are always either killed or dragged off to birth more Monsters. In the years of "peace" between the twelfth Monster Invasion and the failed thirteenth, we grew lax, thinking there was little to fear." She chuckles, "Of course, war doesn't mean there is actually peace."

Your silence is answer for her to continue. "Raids by Monsters near the borders continued. Some of the stories I was told of women being butchered and men thrown down and raped right before their daughter's eyes…" She takes a deep breath. "When you hear these stories, these atrocities, it makes you angry. Makes your blood boil. People can do some shitty things too, but this is just beastial lust. Something a common dog does when in heat."

"That's why you hate them?" You say in a quiet voice.

>>300939

"That's why I shouldn't trust them, at least." Her voice comes out as almost a whisper. "Do you trust them?"

Your answer is faster than you expect and leaves you a little stunned afterward, "Yes, I do."

Alice chuckles softly, "Aye, me too. Isn't that the fucking shit? Maybe the invasion actually succeeded after all."

"Maybe." You admit, feeling still yet more uncomfortable. "Where did this come from anyway?"

She chuckles, "When you're pressed up against a sturdy man and you can't even masturbate, the mind has to wander somewhere, besides, I'm more than just a killer on the battlefield and in the bedroom. Heroes have to be intelligent too."

"Is that so." You say, shaking your head in reply. Though you wish to say more, Alice perks up behind you and says,

"There! In the sky, it's the feather-head."

Wondering how many terms she has for harpies, you slow down as Ebe circles about you, landing nearby with a few hops in the sand. She continues forward and says, "Over that dune, they've made camp. Not much in the way of shelter, but they're making do it seems. Campfire and the wagon in the center with tents around it. I couldn't see much else though, sorry."

"That's fine." You say, nodding in appreciation. "What direction should we attack from?"

"Uhm." Ebe thinks about it before pointing off to the east. "Come around from there, should be out of sight and downwind."

"Should?" Alice says, a hint of mocking in her voice. Ebe pales some but nods her head with resolve.

"Right, we're off. Keep an eye on us from a distance, we'll meet up when we're through." The two nod their heads in agreement and you mount up again, moving quickly to the east. You're certain if you'd attacked earlier in the day, you'd be way worse off than doing this now. Such a strain to even move… but it's fine. You're fine now.

Coming from the eastern dune, you get a look at the camp for the first time. Just as Ebe described, from the center of the camp comes light from a small fire, the embers illuminating the shape of a wagon laden with metallic crates, similar to the ones you've seen before. Backlit by the fire you can see the shapes of two men in uniforms though you can't make out the details, patrolling around the camp. Disciplined… well, you didn't expect much different.

"I don't see the Anubis, do you?" Alice asks, to which you shake your head.

"No, I don't. I wanted to take her out first."

"Must be in one of those tents then." She says, pointing toward the tents. "Plan of action?"

"I don't think I can make a shot from here, not with much accuracy." You mumble."However, if I use [Tremor], I can put them off balance enough to make an opening for you.

"No way we're doing this 100% quiet." Alice mutters before stretching. "Alright, let's move in hard and fast. You get them off guard, I'll cut down the closest guard, then we attack them in their tents."

"Works for me." You say, shrugging. She punches your arm and you roll your eyes, making ready to move. Pushing off silently, you make toward the camp.

It begins with a faint tremor in the sand. The guards look about in confusion before they cry out as the sand shifts beneath them, swallowing their legs and throwing them off balance. The nearest one doesn't even have time to scream before Alice's blade slices through his body, the power of the sword mixed with her position on the speeding rock enough to slice through like cheese.

With one guard down, the camp explodes into confusion. You turn to a sliding stop on your stone, sending a shower of sand into the face of the other guard, making him cry out in pain before you fire a piece of Ronnie through his skull, retrieving the iron before looking about the camp. The three remaining men are crawling from their tents, weapons ready, and Alice goes to meet with one, cutting him down before he has time to position his spear.

Still outnumbered, you find yourself in a much better position than before however and you turn about to look for the Warden. It's damn good that you do, because had you not, you might have missed the spear coming straight for your head.

>>300941

Crying out, you throw up your staff, taking only a glancing blow on the wood and throwing you backward. As you move, you throw up a wall of sand to get a little more time, but as before, the Anubis crashes through as if it wasn't there, her eyes filled with annoyance. You parry another blow, but find yourself unable to find an opening to attack yourself. Tabitha allowed you opening to get the feel for it, but this Anubis was having none of that. Her eyes reflect the firelight and give off the visage of a guard dog roused to fight off an intruder. In a sense, that's exactly what this is.

"I could use some help here!" You shout, quick firing some pieces of Ronnie at the Anubis. Your aim isn't the best in this situation, but it's enough to make her move out of the way after the first shot misses. She positions her spear before her in a defensive gesture, watching the sands and your hands for any trickery.

You're able to get a better look at your opponent now, noticing that she's tall for an Anubis, and wearing a derivation of what the other guards are wearing, just much more… revealing. The majority of the outfit is white and made of an almost sheer cloth that attaches to a bronze necklace and covers the majority of her ample breasts before attaching to a bronze belt upon which blue, divided skirts dangle. While lacking in defense, it would be terribly distracting for most men and offer her plenty of mobility.

Thankfully, you aren't overly interested in her toned, sun-kissed feminine form. You're more interested in the spear she's thrusting at you, keeping you from doing much more than evading. Maybe this wasn't such a good plan after all…

"Huna li'iinqadh 'asdaqayik althuqafiiyna?" She shouts at you. You can't understand most of it, but you think she's saying something about here to… friends? Ah fuck, they think you're a cultist. Well, how else would this look, you suppose?

The horses in a make-shift pen neigh loudly as the battle continues. Gritting your teeth, you shout back in broken Ectrian {I am not friend!}

{I know that!} The Anubis cries, something you're able to understand with your limited Ectrian. She makes to strike with her staff but as you go to block, she instead twirls and delivers a devastating kick to your head, throwing you to the ground and making your vision grow black. Utterly disoriented, you lash out with your magic, throwing a cloud of sand up in a [Flurry], unable to think of anything else. The unfortunate effect is that you're not paying attention when you cast it, so some of the sand gets in your eyes and you cry out, eyes watering in pain.

Thankfully you don't feel a spear in your gut, so you back away, dissipating the sand and rubbing at your eyes, blinking in confusion to see the Anubis jumping backward, spear held before her. With bleary vision, you see Alice, her sword glowing faintly in the night air, smile on her face.

"Heeeeey puppy, how's it going? Sorry you had to play with that toy for abit, but I'm here to give you all the attention you could ever want."

{What?} The Anubis shouts, clearly not understanding Deleorian. Alice's face turns into a frown when she realizes this and she pouts, raising her sword.

"Oh, fine then. I'll just do to you what I did to the others." With that, she dashes in, getting low under the guard of the Anubis and striking up with the intention to break the spear with her sword. Energieschwert flashes through the night air and contacts the haft of the spear and-

knocks it out of the paw of the Anubis, the weapon still intact.

Alice looks in confusion at the unexpected outcome, and it's enough time for the Anubis to deliver a savage punch to Alice's beautiful face, sending the woman staggering backward. The Anubis drives forward with a series of punches and kicks that drives Alice back, the Hero having no time to recover. Before the Anubis can deal a savage two handed spike, you fire out of a piece of Ronnie, clipping the Anubis in the arm.

{FUCKING HELLS!} The Anubis screams, pulling back and drawing the sword at her hip as she dives for cover behind a tent, more pieces of rock flying at her. You growl as she goes out of sight, but use the time to shout to Alice, who recovers herself, though her face has a bleeding cut on it.

>>300942

Casting, [Build the Wall], you thrust the tent into the air before removing the wall, forcing the sleeping structure to hit the ground, in a heap, denying the Anubis her cover. Assuming she is still there, of course, which she isn't. Looking on in confusion, you see a dash of movement from another tent, and you repeat the same spell, this time too late however. The Anubis charges, curved sword held at the ready as she moves into attacking Alice.

"She's projecting her ward to her weapon!" You cry. "Your sword's power won't be as strong!"

"Oh gee, I never would have figured it out!" Alice says, prepared this time. She parries the charging blow and delivers a kick to the Anubis, who ducks out of the way and swings again. Alice blocks this blow and the two face off, blades sliding past each other as they duel.

You grit your teeth. With the two so close together, getting involved will be a detriment to Alice. In this case, your best situation is to free the prisoners and wait for an opening to attack if needed. Now that Alice is treating this like an actual duel, she is coming into her element, though you can tell she's a little winded after the beating she took. At last the Anubis is wounded too, so she has some edge, though unfortunately it's her off hand.

Leaping up to the wagon, you hear people calling out at you in Ectrian, what you can easily determine to be cries of help. The steel make-up of the locks is easy enough to break with your magic and you open the tops of the crates, helping people out. They watch the fight with some alarm as Alice and the Warden fight. If nothing changes, it's clear that Alice has the upper hand, her dueling prowess much stronger than that of the Anubis. Feeling a little more relieved, you open up the last crate to find the sleeping form of a mature Gandharva, Ebe's Mother.

"Wake up!" You shout, shaking the Monster. She shuffles under your ministrations and opens her eyes slowly before jumping backward in a flurry of feathers, not she can really move because of the confines.

{Who are you?!} She cries in instinctive Ectrian.

{I am… help.} You say back. She blinks a few times, looking you over before speaking again, this time in Deleorian.

"You… you're here to save us?"

"Yes, your daughter is waiting for us to finish this up. Come on, I need you out here."

"My daughter? Ebe is here?" The Monster says, looking alarmed. "She'll be hurt! She can't be here and-"

"Ma'am, I need you to cooperate, alright?" You hold out a hand to her and she looks at it before biting her lip and taking it with a wing, allowing herself to be pulled out of the crate. As you do so, you see Alice delivers a flurry of blows to the Anubis, cutting the desert Monster multiple times with small gashes and tearing her clothes to shreds.

Almost naked and bleeding, the Anubis looks at you and the captives and growls fiercer than before. She hangs back her head and lets loose a howl that shakes your bones and you curse, hoping no one else heard it. You find you have little time to worry about that though as soon enough you notice that the Anubis is now glowing faintly, her unclothed skin radiating in red tattoos, her eyes glowing deep red as well.

"Oh no." Ebe's Mother says, "The blood ward."

"The what now?" You say, looking confused.

"It's something that sets Wardens apart from Handmaidens, they can turn their magical wards inward and unleash a hidden strength. Their innate magical immunity is gone, but they're stronger, faster, and do not feel pain!"

You look at the Monster in disbelief. "How… wait, how do you know that?"

"Never mind! Look to your friend!"

Attention snaps back to Alice as you see the Hero grit her teeth and hold her sword up in a defensive posture. The Warden snarls a bestial snarl, her all semblance of woman-hood gone and replaced with that of a rampaging beast. She leaps toward Alice faster than you could believe and delivers a savage slice with her sword.

The swordswoman parries the blow, Energieschwert slicing the steel in two now that the magic is gone, but part of the plan. The Anubis grabs Alice with her wounded arm, all pain gone, and throws her to the ground with such force that the magical blade flies from her grasp. Alice bounces on the sand and twirls before coming to a stop, forcing her to push herself up, staggering some as her balance is utterly out of synch.

The Anubis leaps through the air with a howl and lands upon Alice, her paws seeming like claws in the wan moonlight. Knowing what's to happen, you have no choice but to gather your energy and [Pebble gun] into the Warden.

>>300945

She jerks as the pieces of iron slam into her back, making ragged holes, but she doesn't stop, hands raised to tear at Alice. Letting loose a cry, she begins to slam at Alice's back, the woman's armor absorbing most of the blows, but driving her onto the same. It's only a matter of time before she decides to just rip out Alice's throat.

You fire a few more shots, but they don't work, only annoying the creature. You need something stronger, something heavier, something…

The Anubis never sees it coming with the board of sandstone flies at her, sending the Monster soaring through the air before rolling in the ground herself. Alice gives a panting cry, pushing herself up and rubbing sand from her face before dashing for her sword. You look to the Anubis then, ready to put a shot into her head, but you pause as you see the Monster's red glow fading, her eyes turning back to their normal shade.

She whimpers in pain, her back at an odd angle. The sandstone is shattered from the blow, broken upon hitting such a sturdy target, but so is the Anubis. She looks at you with fear and contempt before gasping, her eyes rolling back into her head, and then going still.

A quiet fills the camp in the wake of this, the only sound the panicking horses and the crackling fire. It isn't until one of the man grabs your shoulder than you snap back to it, and you see a smiling face of a younger man, perhaps not even twenty years.

"You did it!" He says in Ectrian. "Praise the Apophis, you have been sent to save us!"

"W-what?" You say, looking a little stunned. "You're actually cultists?"

The men, all three of them, look confused. The first one says, "Yes, of course. We had thought we were hidden well, but the dogs of the Pharaoh sniffed us out. And I thought we had a friend with those damn Khepri…"

"Wait wait wait…" You say, looking over to Ebe's Mother. "You can't be…"

The Gandharva looks to the side and says, "No, but I understand why they do what they do."

You place a hand on your head and shake your head. "Ugh, well at least this group is done for. No one should know what's going on here, so we'll get you back to your village and-"

Alice shouts and you turn to see a streak in the night sky as something flies high and then explodes in a burst of red sparks. The swordswoman dashes out of sight and you heard a strangled cry before she returns, panting. "Damnit, one of them was still alive. He just set off some kind of firework!"

You hear flapping wings and a moment later, Ebe hits the ground next to you, looking alarmed. "Did you see that? Is everything alright?"

"Ebe!" Her Mother cries, and the younger Gandharva looks in surprise and delight as her Mother leaps from the wagon bed and embraces her daughter. "Oh… how good it is to see you again! Why are you here?"

"I- Mother, let's save that for later, we need to leave."

"She's right." Alice says, walking up with a mild limp. "That was obviously a signal for help. We can't stay here or we'll be caught by more of those bastards or worse, bandits."

"Then lets get going back to the village. I'll let Erwin know and-"

"Excuse me." One of the men says, this one a little older. "I know of a place near here, I believe. A cave where the Violet Sands has a small cell." He looks to the others who nod.

"I can take you there."

You look between the rest of your group to see a scared Ebe, a wounded Alice, and you without your board. Gritting your teeth, your mind rushes through possibilities.

>What do you do?

WE BACK.

I hope. Life is a bitch. Anyway, longer update this time and oh.

Oh dear.

This could be bad.