/monster/ - The Last Bastion of Romance★

>Story continue

Taking a few deep, painful breaths, you steady yourself. This decision could spell disaster if it goes wrong, yet if it goes right, then you may very well save your sister’s soul. However, if it doesn’t work then you’ll only subject her to more torment or, even worse, accidently let loose the Apophis again. That thought in and of itself is sobering enough. It almost makes you want to put a pebble through her head and end the suffering.

But… Dollora’s words once again go through your mind along with the tears from the enraged Apophis before you. Is there really hope after all the mistakes you’ve made? Is it truly your decision to make?

Tabitha steadies you as you focus inward, weighing your options. The voices within telling you to end it are small compared to the voices telling you to try the ritual but are they right? In the end though, a half-forgotten, painful memory comes to the fore. A memory of a scared child being huddled away by his older sister in order to protect him from the Monsters outside. A memory of a family lost and the beginning of a vow that would define your life up until recently.

“I’ve seen enough.” You say to Tabitha, nodding your head. She looks at you with a worried expression before nodding her head and helping you outside. Behind you, a mix of furious shouting and sobs echoes in the room, being muffled as the heavy door shuts behind you.

“Well?” Selene asks, studying your expression. “You’ve seen her. What’s your choice?”

“We perform the ritual.” You say without hesitation.

The three look at each other with worried, yet resigned expressions. Alice sighs and crosses her arms while the Grand Wizard shakes his head. “It’ll have to be performed here. Ammon made it clear that he won’t have her transported to the Great Temple of the Twins, especially not after Liala had traumatized the Head Priestess.”

“Gods, is she alright?”

“Yes, she’ll be fine, but her last priestess was…” The Grand Wizard shakes his head. “She’ll probably pull through.”

“So we’re on our own.” You say, frowning. Turning to Selene, you ask, “Can you help me?”

“Yeah, sure.” She says. “I’ll need a few supplies of course, as well as something to put the spirit into.”

“I have a trinket I took from the Pharaoh.” You say, nodding your head. “It appears to be some kind of keepsake, but isn’t inherently magical.”

Selene’s eyebrows rise. “Oh? Ammon was quite interested in finding that. It’s a mark of the power of the Pharaohs, though it in itself is not magical it holds great importance. It should work.”

“Hmm. I’m sure Zoras would have loved to receive that as a gift though.” Alice says, tapping her chin. “Didn’t she tell you she wanted a souvenir from the Palace?”

“Ehm.” You say, seeming to remember that. “Well she lives here now so it’s probably fine. Ammon might give her something nice.”

“Yeah, because that’s the same thing.” She chuckles. “Eh, probably for the best, though a fight between Tabitha and her would have been hilarious to fight.”

You give Alice an odd look before turning to Tabitha who has a neutral expression. Frowning, you shake your head and say, “We’ll head back and grab it then meet back here. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“No, we won’t.” Selene says, poking your chest. You wince at the shove, still feeling weak. “It will take a little bit of time to make this ready and frankly, you’re going to fall over before you return from a trip there.”

“Will… will not.” You say, trying to mask your exhaustion.

“I’ll get him to bed.” Tabitha says, shouldering you.

“Thank you.” Selene replies.

“Hey, what about my opinion?” You ask. The Grand Wizard puts a hand on your shoulder and shakes his head. “Listen, when your wife decides on something, you just have to go for it. It’ll make for a better marriage.” He leans in close as the two wives nod. “Also, if you act up every now and then, the make up sex is great and- gah!”

The Grand Wizard pulls himself back as one of Selene’s tails catches his robes. He blows her a kiss and she huffs before gently tossing him aside. She shakes her head before looking back to you. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

A sigh escapes your lips. “We have to have faith.”

>>339301

As predicted by both Tabitha and Selene, you pass out almost as soon as you make it to your room. Your damn wife tricked you into the bed by asking you to take a quick nap. Oh what a fool you were to trust her on that, because next thing you know it’s dark outside and you ache all over. Tabitha accepts your glare as you realize what happened, yet she still helps you out of bed like a good sport.

Taking the [Keepsake Pendant] from your coat, you head outside with Tabitha to look for Selene. Thankfully you find her waiting outside along with the Grand Wizard, a few implements in their hands. They nod to you and you limp away to the dungeons again, feeling every step as it aches in your body. Of course, you notice that Selene uses her husband as a mild crutch at times too, so you can’t feel TOO bad for yourself.

The guards allow you to pass with no fuss, knowing all of you by sight. When you arrive at Hel’alin’s cell, you open it to find the Apophis once again staring at you with eyes devoid of emotion. As you begin to set up a ritual circle (Well, half-circle, she’s chained to a wall) around her, she watches with a cool glare.

“What do you think to accomplish?”

“It doesn’t concern you.” You say, watching as Selene uses a chalk to draw some runes associated with Dollora.

“You wish to drive me from this body? It can’t work. This is my body now, it was made for me.”

“I said, it doesn’t concern you.”

She chuckles. “Or do you think to tear me out? Your sister is dead, and she is the better for it. Can you imagine the anguish she would suffer through if I was gone? The terror at having EVERYTHING changed? That losing everyone she knew and being a creature she could no longer recognize?”

Hel’alin chuckles. “She gave in already. Free me, there is no other choice to keep her spirit in this world.”

Selene finishes marking the circle with a flourish. She turns to you and nods her head. Taking in a deep breath you say, “Alright, let’s do this.”

The Apophis’s eyes burn with rage. She hisses and spits at you, straining at her bonds while Selene begins to chant the words to fey light cast by the Grand Wizard and a handful of candles. The tears begin to flow from the chained Monster again, but you can tell this time that they’re tears of fear and anger. She doesn’t want the ritual to go forward? Good.

“This is a mistake!” She screams. “You’re condemning her to a life of anguish!”

“It’s better than a life again as a slave!” You shout as Selene’s words reach a crescendo. The candle lights flicker from an unseen wind and you sense that presence again, the feeling of something else in the room. Power swirls around you at Selene’s chanting, and Hel’alin hisses, before suddenly chanting words herself. Though she has no connection to magic, you can feel the balance changing, Selene’s chanting growing a little sloppy as she tries not to grow confused from the other Monster’s words as she speaks before Selene, knowing what she’s going to say.

The candles flicker even more and in different directions. You feel yourself shudder as the power of ritual starts to go awry. Hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your already abused body begins to ache even further. Selene looks on with worry in her eyes, but she can’t stop, continuing the chant as best she can. The Grand Wizard raises his staff to try and do something about it, but his magic distorts and ice appears a foot away from where he intended it to be.

“No…” You say, watching it fall apart. The room shudders, the door banging open to slam against the wall. Hel’alin’s bindings begin to rattle and you see one of the bolts holding her tail to the floor comes loose. Breathing rapidly, you fear there’s only one thing to do. With extraordinary effort, you push yourself off Tabitha and flounder forward, stumbling to collide into the Apophis. She reacts before you can reach her, trying to pull away and avoid you, but her bonds stifle her movement. Eyes staring down at you as her lips move, you slap your hand over her mouth and drown out her words.

>>339302

The turbulence stops as quickly as it began. The shaking quits and the candles return to normal as Selene’s voice rings out clearly, relief evident in her voice. Hel’alin stares at you with a mix of fear and rage as she throws her head side to side, trying to dislodge your hand. You can feel her tongue pressing at you, her teeth trying to scrape into your flesh, but you keep your hand firm upon her mouth, not allowing her to ruin this further.

Something pulses in the room and you get the impression once more of the spectral hand reaching forward. Hel’alin’s eyes grow wide and she shudders, going quite still. Her breath comes out in ragged gasps before she convulses. Though you’re too worn down to open your [Mage Sight], you swear to can see something being torn apart within her, an inner struggle to hold something back. She twists and turns, unable to let out, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. Eyes wide, they stare into yours the whole while, tears streaming until you say,

“Helene… I’m so sorry. Please come back.”

Something within those eyes changes. A forcefulness of a weary soul giving one last push against their bonds. In that instant the dynamic changes and the struggle within snaps. Hel’alin throws her head back and lets out a scream of anguish as malign energy is ripped from her body. Selene steps forward, holding the [Keepsake Pendant] aloft, and the spirit of the Apophis flows into it. The golden icon shakes violently, glowing with purple light as fractures begin to form on the metal. Selene holds it tight, straining against the magical force until it finally gives a last fit and calms, leaving on a soft, purple glow in the eye.

The Monster before you slumps forward on her chains, knocking you to the floor. Tabitha moves forward and pulls you away from her, looking over your hand for bites. Finding nothing, both of you look to Selene who slowly nods her head. The ritual appears to have been a success, however the real question will be if the end result is… desirable.

Tabitha helps you sit down as a trio of guards approaches, weapons held at the ready. They look over the scene before scratching their heads as Selene explains everything to them. Warily, they accept the answer before being sent away to bring food for everyone as they wait for the prisoner to awaken. No strangers to even the oddest torture, the Anubis guards leave, but at least shut the door.

And thus you wait. Eventually the guards return with rich, elaborate food for everyone and cold, delicious gruel for you. Mmm mmm mmm, gruel. At least Tabitha feeds you spoonfuls of it while calling you an idiot for jumping into something dangerous again. All the Grand Wizard gets is called an idiot when he asks Selene to feed him. All the while the Apophis slumbers, unconscious but still breathing.

Weariness begins to grip you soon enough. When you’re but moments away from falling asleep on Tabitha’s breast, you hear a clinking of chains. Stirring awake, you look up to see the chained Monster before you groan. Slowly, she lifts her head and blinks bleary eyes at you before whispering, “Rommel?”

“Helene?” You ask back, heart hammering in your chest.

Though she must have cried out everything she possibly could in her body, she finds enough for more tears to slide down her cheeks. “It’s… it’s so quiet. I… I can hear myself again.”

“Is… it is really you?”

Her mouth moves without making sound as she looks down at her purple skin and serpentine body. She shivers and closes her eyes. “I don’t know. Oh Gods Rommel I don’t know.”

You ask Tabitha to help you over to her. Your wife gives you a hard look but she eventually relents and helps you hobble to your weeping sister. As you approach she looks up, dark hair tangled in front of her face. Slowly, you reach forward and push it out of her eyes to show her scared expression. You look down at her for what seems an eternity before saying, “I’m sorry it’s late but… but I’m here for you, Helene.”

“Yeah.” She sighs out, slumping her head. “You… you are.”

>>339303

You ask Tabitha to help you over to her. Your wife gives you a hard look but she eventually relents and helps you hobble to your weeping sister. As you approach she looks up, dark hair tangled in front of her face. Slowly, you reach forward and push it out of her eyes to show her scared expression. You look down at her for what seems an eternity before saying, “I’m sorry it’s late but… but I’m here for you, Helene.”

“Yeah.” She sighs out, slumping her head. “You… you are.”

Her words sting as she says them. She maybe didn’t mean it, but you feel as if she jammed a knife into your heart. Maybe if you’d been there sooner you could have stopped her from becoming this was the implication. Maybe if you’d reached out, she never would have had to suffer this fate. You’ll never know what could have been though, but you fear this is something that will haunt you until your grave. Seeing as Wizards have an unnatural life span, this could be a very long time.

Selene steps forward and places her hand upon Helene’s face, eyes closed. Your sister accepts it, making no moves to attack or lash out. Satisfied, the Monster Lady removes her hand and says, “Well, it seems as if we removed the Apophis’s spirit, however…”

“She’s still a Monster, yes.” You sigh. “Dollora said this would happen.”

“Dollora said… huh?” Helene asks, confused.

“I’ll… explain it all later.” You say, shaking your head. “How are you feeling.”

“Thirsty, tired, cold.” She sighs. “I… I don’t think I’ve ever been this cold. Everything just feels so… so sluggish and… and…” She whimpers. “Oh Gods, what the hells did I do?”

“Helene…” You say, holding out a hand, but Selene shakes her head.

“I think she would benefit from some rest and talking with another Monster for now.” She nods to Tabitha. “Would you mind staying here? Having a cold blooded Monster nearby will be helpful.”

Tabitha looks to you and you nod your head. “It’s fine, I should probably get some more rest anyway.” Backing away from your sister, you allow the Grand Wizard to help you stabilize yourself and take you back to your room. You take a deep breath and look to Helene before saying, “I… I hope you’ll forgive me for not being there when I could, Helene. I’m just glad that I could have helped in the end.”

Your sister lets out a weak chuckle, still bound to the wall. She only says one word.

“Damnit.”

---————

The next day Ammon comes to speak with you. You awaken to Tabitha gently awakening you for his audience. While you feel a little rested yourself, Tabitha appears a little worse for wear, likely up all night with Selene speaking with Helene. Once more Ammon takes a seat and address you.

“You seem to be doing a little better.”

“A little, yes.” You say, nodding your head.

“Good to hear. I’m sorry your familiar isn’t doing better, however I have someone coming who may be more amenable to helping him.”

“Who?”

“Polah, of course.” He says, shrugging. “I’m sure you’re asking, ‘Why didn’t anyone have Polah come sooner?’” The man sighs. “She somehow managed to escape from my holding during the events following your unconsciousness when I was a little preoccupied. The Monster does NOT want to be found, but eventually we tracked her down.”

He leans forward, “You know, you must have left quite the impression upon her, because she was about ready to bolt again until my men mentioned that your little friend needed help. For most people she would have never looked back, but you! Well, she’s here and looking after him, though I’m not certain what more she can do beyond time.”

>>339304

“Thank you.” You say, bowing your head. “Really, thank you.”

“Ha, well, privileges of being the Sultan.” He leans back and crosses his arms. “Now then, about this little snake in my dungeon.”

“The spirit of the Apophis has been removed. She’s herself… mostly.”

“Yes, from what I hear anyway.” He nods to Tabitha. “She’s taking the adjustment hard though.”

The Lizardman nods. “Yes. The dehydration and lack of food didn’t help, but she ate. It’s going to take some time for her to come to terms with all of this though.”

“Which isn’t really a problem when she’s in the dunegons, however…” He looks at you with a serious expression. “She cannot be seen by the people. For all purposes, the Apophis are dead and gone. There cannot be another one still alive.”

“So you’re saying we need to take her with us.”

“Yes, and you’ll bring her to Deleor, the Monster Nation, wherever.” He makes it clear with the tone he uses. “She cannot stay in Ectria. If she returns for whatever reason, I will have her killed. Do I make myself clear?”

Both you and Tabitha exchange looks before turning back to Ammon. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Now then, if your recovery is going smoothly, we can make arrangements for your return to Deleor. The faster you return, the faster we can set up new trade routes, yes?” His eyes twinkle at that thought.

“Well, good to know some things never change.” You chuckle before wincing. Still hurts a little. Thinking about it, you ask, “What of Hent-ateh? Still no changes?”

“Nothing yet, and that’s fine by me. It’s in a warded chamber in the dungeons and no, I will not tell you which one.”

“What do you plan to do? She might not be held there forever?”

“Yes and that is quite a concern, but moving it would be difficult as well. Frankly I’m a little flummoxed on how to proceed, but I’d rather consolidate power instead of fighting that thing again, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose.” You admit. It’s doubtful you could fight the creature again anyway. “Maybe the Shoggoth in Deleor would have ideas.”

“Perhaps, perhaps.” Ammon concedes. “If you have other ideas I’d be happy to hear them, but for now, let’s just… let this lay where it is, shall we?”

“For now. She certainly won’t like being cooped up again.”

“Sucks to be her. Or it. Whatever.” He waves his hand dismissively. “I was here to check up on you however. Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know Ebe is in the Palace today if you’d like to speak with her. I’ll send her in.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s my privilege.” At this, Tabitha and the two Kunoichi in the room, who certainly are present, shudder while you feel a little better for some reason. What strange power words have. They leave soon after and you return to resting while asking Tabitha about what happened last night.

Helene did not take the transformation well and broke down into tears once you left again. Deeming it safe enough, Selene undid her bonds (beyond the collar anyway) and they discussed what being a Monster would mean. Tabitha got the distinct impression that your sister still had much emotional and mental stress from her ordeal, but she drank and ate well enough before falling asleep. Unfortunately, the only heat that could be provided was some fire conjured by Selene- the lack of ventilation meant a brazier couldn’t be used sadly.

It doesn’t take long before you hear a knock at the door. Tabitha walks over and opens it, smiling and waving in. A moment later Ebe’s head pops in and she looks about before noticing you and smiling broadly. The Ghandharva steps inside and you’re surprised by the change you notice in her demeanor and dress.

Where before Ebe was shy and reserved, she now stands tall and radiates confidence. Upon her back she has both her instruments and her clothing, which was flimsy and designed to captivate as a dancer has been replaced with a regal, red dress that manages to show her curves while remaining dignified. You’re still able to see the hint of a scar across her breast, but she wears it as a badge of pride as she smiles at you.

“Ohh, Rommel!” She says, walking over to you and embracing you with her golden-red wings. “Gods, I was so worried about you. How are you feeling?”

“Not so great, but better than before.” You chuckle. “I hear you’ve become quite the darling of the people?”

>>339305

“Oh, uhm, well.” She says, chuckling. “Yes, I suppose so! After Liala was killed, people were scared and afraid, so I thought I’d play a song to help them calm down. Turns out this drew a lot of people and well, I just kept singing and next thing I knew Ammon was asking me to fly around and sing for people.” Her cheeks flush. “They really just needed someone to tell them everything was going to be alright.”

“I really couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than you.”

“Oh, stop it.” She says, blushing. “I really haven’t done much, but… I guess in a way I’m helping people. For all his bluster, Ammon’s really different from the Prophet. I’ve seen the supplies he’s starting to send to the smaller villages, and the people he’s been talking to. He’s even asked me to be a go between at times and… and I’m really optimistic.” She beams and takes your hand with one of her wings.

“I… Well, this isn’t what I set out to do, but coming back here with all of you gave me this chance to gain a new resolution and help my people. Without you Rommel I may just have been a silly girl afraid of everything and still under the power of others.”

She presses her head to her hands. “Thank you so much.”

“Ebe, you’re going to make me blush.” You chuckle.

“Well that will make two of us then!” She says, chuckling herself, blush on her features. “I know before I sort of… you know. But I’m glad you ended up with Tabitha. You two make a cute couple.”

“I’d like to think we’re more of a dashing couple- oww!“ You begin but are cut off by Tabitha as she yanks your ear. Frowning at Tabitha, you turn back to Ebe and ask, “You’ve heard we’re heading back to Deleor, right? What are you going to do?”

Ebe grows a little crestfallen at that. “Yes, I did and… I’m happy for all of you but… my place is here, in Ectria.” A small tear appears at the corner of her eye. “I wish I could stay with all of you forever but this is how it has to be. I’m going to miss all of you.”

“It’s not like you can’t fly.” Tabitha says, smirking. “And when a Leyway gets built, visiting will be much easier.”

“Don’t forget the communion matrix.” You say, holding up a finger. “Though it might be difficult for you to uh… oh, no wait, you can sew with those wings.”

“Eh?” Ebe says, cocking her head before sighing. “Oh, you and your cheering me up. Fine, well with all this fancy stuff coming I guess neither of us have an excuse not to stay in touch.”

“Indeed we don’t.” You say. “Will you be here to see us off when we leave.”

“Of course!” She says, standing tall. “I’ll even sing a special song, you’ll see.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” You say, smiling at her. She hugs you and Tabitha one more time before blushing and then giving you a headpat with her wing and then walking away, a small giggle issuing from her lips.

“The more things change.” Tabitha says, shaking her head.

“The more they stay the same.” You finish, chuckling.

---—————————————————————

(At this point it’s difficult to continue with only Sophie’s conversation to be done, however there is more you can do as you’re stuck here for a little bit. If you’d like to move to leaving, please suggest either by land or by sea and any stops you’d like to make along the way. We’re wrapping things up!)

>What do you do?

Everything went better than expected!

Good job.

Also, great, a new thread right as we're at the end. D'awww. Anyway, there's probably a scene with Polah, Sophie… more with your sister and unless y'all have other suggestions in the capital it might be time to mosey.

It's up to y'all tho! Not quite epilogue time yet, but man this has been a ride, huh?

We should visit that sphinx one last time on the way back. But this was fun ace. Good job

>>339307

>more with your sister

oh there's plenty more

GIVE HER HEADPATS

>>339327

Ha! yeah, give her something worth guarding.

I suggest a land route, see some places and faces on the way back. At least we know where we can get a bath…

>>339327

She needs a nice gift. But what? Perhaps something from the palace?

On another note. Now that our "sister" is no longer a threat. To my understanding atleast. The sooner we get her out of that dungeon and out of the city the better it will be, not just for her but everyone els too.

We should get her mentally stable again and hear her story of what happend in the cult.

We should also take her into account when we finally find a place to live, as far as I know, she has nowhere els to go. Preferably a warm place with lots of men. She is going to have urges, no doubt about it.

>>339307

>right at the end

laughingwhores.jpg

Not a fucking chance. Rommel is too smart, suspicious and paranoid to just let this whole prophet freaky green tentacle bullshit go. We are going to search the palace for clues and interrogate the staff about what this whole pharaoh bussiness was about.

Then we will go to that gaping black wound in the desert for the postgame goodnes and commune there with Dollora to find out the truth.

But not before we carefully open up Hentateh's prison juuust enough to expose her head and inform her that all of her masters are dead and that we will let her go if she behaves like a good girl and becomes our faithful thrall. For all of her obviously evil tendencies, we saw firsthand that she takes her job more seriously than a nu/v/ mod, providing that there are clear directives. As payment for the contract, we will let her roam around and then when it's concluded we will introduce her to a couple or long lost relatives. We unfucked worse psychopaths in the past and the usefulness of a pet T-X starved for love, atention and physical affection is unsurmountable. And if she refuses then we can at least get some useful exposition from her for the ultimate secret final dungeon since she obviously is related to it.

>>339334

>GIVE HER HEADPATS

This is a very gud idea.

>>339337

>The sooner we get her out of that dungeon and out of the city the better

Agreed.

>>339339

>if she behaves like a good girl and becomes our faithful thrall

Another stupid fuckin idea! No we are not taking a psychopath around with us. Leave her in her cage. We're not snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

>>339339

DO NOT DO THIS. IT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA.

>>339334

She could probably use a nice feeling right about now.

>>339339

I suppose we could do some investigating. But the events in the cradle will be for wizard quest 3. That's when we discover that al sabbath is actually being controlled by phallia and all of our heroes will have to march there to defeat her.

>>339339

Yeah. No. I'd rather put a few more layers of metal and runes on her and then dump her in the most remote and deepest spot in the ocean we can find.

Also what happened to the pendant with the Apophis soul? Does Selene still have it? If we gave it to Ammon I'm sure he'd try his best to lock it away where nobody can use it against him or destroy it if he is able to do so. But maybe there is some merit in keeping it? I don't know.

>>339339

>>339341

Since we go on and on ad nausea about saving slaves, wouldn't it hypocritical of us to walk away from a girl who is epitome of that? Yes, she's a diabolical mass murderer, but Rommel isn't much better. She at least had the excuse that she was beholden, what's ours? Hell, we even offered mercy to the grape. Twice. Yes, she didn't take it, and we nearly lost everything in the process, but it was still offered.

Here's the way I see it:

Ammon has a thorn in his side in Hentateh, enough so that he'd rather wait until he consolidates power before even thinking about her. He already told Rommel to "fuck off with that" already. She's obviously a massive risk, not just in terms of lives, but the nation's stability as well.

Hentateh can't go home. The Apophis are defeated again and she is trapped, possibly forever, if the keepsake gets destroyed (someone more knowledgeable can comment on this). She's had a rough go, and it could still get worse for her. It would drive anyone mad, knowing that you are a pawn between gods, monsters, and chaos in a never ending cycle.

On the other side of the coin, she is quite insane, and we have no idea what she is precisely. We are currently on Ammon's good side, and dredging up a monster that could easily bring the country to it knees would not endear us to both him or the hair monsters.

Here's what could be done: Ammon stated that he wouldn't even tell us where Hentateh is. Fine. We don't want to know since we have the option of going back through the desert and we are an information leak. Tell Ammon that by asking four questions we can know if she can be saved. Rommel gets bagged and taken to her cell, we tell her that she has the option to lead a quiet life provided: 1) as her if she wants out and she will keep killing if she's let out. 2)ask her if she can break her contract, and if so, how. 3) will she be willing to have Alice or the Shogg as "bail officer". 4) will she take an oath of loyalty to us. If we get the willies from any of her answers we pack up and leave.

The risk analysis isn't horrible, but it is a risk (as always). She might get set off by seeing Rommel and get out somehow and kill him and everything else. However, she's trapped in a metal block that stopped her in the middle of the fight and was dug up and transported to the cell. At this point we are taking no action to let her out or interact with her beyond talking. Perhaps Selene can come with to counter any dark magic that Hentateh might have up her sleeve.

She is known to have some (even if forced) loyalty, and she seems to like Rommel in a weird way. Offer her an olive branch, if it comes back positive we might be able to take it further. If not, we dust off our coat and never look back.

>>339341

>>339357

>>339361

A certain degree of pragmatism and cautiousness is quite understandable but really:

>All of you recoil backward as you see the shape of a clawed arm sticking out of the metal. It looks to have been cast of the steaming iron as well as the face that presses out from the pit. Even more surprising than the arm is the face. Instead of rage, a look of agony paints her expression, as if the thought of being trapped again was her greatest fear. Unfortunately for her, this fear was realized.

This shit is is just simply too cruel a fate. Beforehand, she was in stasis at least but now she has no mouth and must scream.

She massacred a bunch of people in glee obviously, but she is not nearly purely malicious, cunning and treacherous enough to deserve a fate like that, especially since she was deliberately called into this world against her will and was forcibly bound to a construct and an unbreakable covenant to become a weapon with an express purpose to exterminate the royal family of Ectria and knew nothing but war throughout her entire existence.

With a single fateful coin flip, Saya could have very well turned out the same way if GW did not show kindness. If she accepts it like this anon suggested >>339363 then good for her and if she refuses, well, never say we didn't try.

>The golden icon shakes violently, glowing with purple light as fractures begin to form on the metal. Selene holds it tight, straining against the magical force until it finally gives a last fit and calms, leaving on a soft, purple glow in the eye.

We really need to find a way to dispose of this that doesn’t involve the trapped Apophis’ spirit escaping once again. We don’t really gain much from keeping it around and risking someone at some unknown point in the future setting off the events that happened here again, not to mention Hent-ateh’s covenant may potentially end upon the ‘death’ of the final Apophis, which would solve that problem if we're lucky.

>Seeing as Wizards have an unnatural life span, this could be a very long time.

At least we'll probably live as long as Tabitha.

>>339306

If we're sticking around in the capital for that Sophie conversation, then it might be worth a visit to the Great Temple of the Twins to see how the situation is there. If not, then the land route is preferable, both for the sake of Tabitha and Sylphie not having an awful time on the return trip and since all of the locations that might be worth visiting are not in the direction of the port we would be using to leave. Speaking of which, I’m going to refer back to what I said in >>338842 for things to do on the return trip, and add in visiting the Chasm of Regret since we never had the chance to do that previously. Also, this >>339334 is long overdue and Helene could use the affection right about now.

>>339363

>Since we go on and on ad nausea about saving slaves, wouldn't it hypocritical of us to walk away from a girl who is epitome of that?

That implies the abomination actually is a slave, which is something we can't be entirely sure about. Certainly, it was under the control of the Apophis, but it also agreed to become a servant if the legends about both parties making a pact is to be believed and I see no reason why it shouldn't be, given everything else has been accurate and it was given many opportunities to act on its own accord.

>Yes, she's a diabolical mass murderer, but Rommel isn't much better. She at least had the excuse that she was beholden, what's ours?

What did murdering those slavers in Deleor have to do with its pact? What about those civilians in Borne? What about when it targetted Ebe, who we know was never fond of the Prophet and may have actually made a decent thrall to the Apophis if given the chance? And really now, we're not much better? I don't recall Rommel randomly mass murdering civilians hell, we went out of our way to avoid collateral during our encounter with Hent-ateh at Hatset, nor revelling in the bloodshed of his own making. Certainly, we’ve killed some people, but they were all either A) slavers or B) trying to kill us first.

Furthermore, why would it opt to listen to us? It clearly hates us with a burning passion based on its previous comments, hasn't tried diplomacy at any point beforehand and, if its pact is not nullified upon the destruction of the apparent last trace of the Apophis, it knows that killing us is one of the final steps to earning its freedom, so there isn't any reason for it to start trying words now - the only thing trying to speak with it will achieve is it using the opening we've just given it to break out and murder us, because it can adjust its form to escape from any opening. And even if it is somehow still trapped, we don't know nearly enough about its pact, nor eldritch pacts in general, to bind it to our will, so everything hangs on it just fucking off should we release it, which it very clearly won't.

>>339364

>She massacred a bunch of people in glee obviously, but she is not nearly purely malicious, cunning and treacherous enough to deserve a fate like that

Yes the abomination bloody well is malicious enough to deserve that. Just because it can show fear doesn't mean it's suddenly a sympathetic character.

>With a single fateful coin flip, Saya could have very well turned out the same way if GW did not show kindness.

Saya is not an abomination from realms unknown with a completely alien morality system and thought process to us though, as she is made up from a sentient plague created by monsters and the thoughts and feelings of two since Victoria was kind of killed again individuals merged into a single entity, all things of mortal making.

>>339368

If destroying the keepsake ends both Hentateh's suffering and the Apophis, that would be a fine end. Walking away from her is not. Giving her one last chance is not a waste of time either, do we want to be cruel or better than her masters?

>>339363

>Yes, she's a diabolical mass murderer, but Rommel isn't much better.

No. Just no.

>>339364

>and if she refuses, well, never say we didn't try.

And if she refuses, well, she might go on another murder spree possibly killing someone we actually care about. Unless Ace chickens out as usual :^)

I'm not willing to take that risk. We can go talk to the shoggoth and if we come up with an actual working plan on how to send her back to whatever eldritch dimension she came from / make her not murder everyone we can go ahead and open up her metal grave.

But just improvising it without further knowledge about what that thing actually is and how to deal with it sounds like an easy way to completely fuck up our happy ending. As long as we don't know exactly how to handle this I wouldn't go near that thing.

>>339363

>>339376

>>339364

>Wanting to release the diabolical mass murderer who enjoys killing people.

Some silly fuckers never learn…

We should try to learn a way of turning the soul infused pendant into a magic weapon of some kind. Something tells me that a stone with lots of spiritual energy stuffed in it would make a neat catalyst for spells.

I go to play shadespire today and I return to find a veritable battlefield. Y'all are fantastic!

>>339327

Aww thanks, we're not done yet though!

And sure, we can see the kitty What's sad is I wanted her to pop up, but I was afraid she would be used as a "delete the enemy" button.

>>339334

Fine.

Fiiiiiinnnneeee

>>339335

Something worth guarding? Like… a duaghteru?! That's not good sir, that's NTR and that's bad.

>>339337

Sure you can probably find something nice from the palace. Hey, you have a cool trinket from a Pharaoh! Maybe she'd like that?

Sure, yeah your sister would do good with some sunlight. Sadly she can't see it until you're waaaaaay out of the city

>>339339

Please don't hurt me.

Eheh…. thrall? Uhh sure, yeah, that will work.

>>339341

1 for bad idea

>>339357

2 for bad idea

Yes, Selene has it

>>339363

2 for let's try to be good people and die- I mean, help things out

>>339364

Three for trying to help her out

>>339366

Three for DONT DO IT M8

>>339368

Plenty of options

Chasm of regret seems popular.

Seems we have four for NAH BRAH

>>339371

Five for havin giggles and fookin up

>>339376

Four for let's be nice people

>>339377

BEARDICUSSSSSSSSS

>>339380

Six!

>>339394

That's more the Grand Wizard's forte.

>>339421

Let him make a weapon for us then? Or atleast for himself. It would be a shame to just lock away such a powerful trinket.

>>339376

Why should we care about a being with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever whose sole purpose in this realm is to kill us and everyone else the Apophis tells it to? We certainly didn't show any mercy to the enthralled guards, who actually were forced into their position, so why make an exception now for something that doesn't warrant it? Hent-ateh is an abomination who seeks only to bring death to innocents and is all but confirmed to have entered its position by choice, so it can live with its own failures because it fucking deserves to for all the shit its done from when it was first summoned up until now.

>>339394

>>339424

>Using a trinket that contains the soul of an ancient grapesnek who hates us, something which will no doubt have repercussions

>Even considering the option that gives the Apophis a chance to return later only having learned from her mistakes this time when we have the perfect opportunity to permanently end her now

I’d rather be comfortable knowing that our enemy is dead and will no longer be a threat to anyone, thank you very much. We have [Heldoran’s Glove] already; we don’t need more power, especially not power which is liable to backfire or kill us at some future time.

>>339426

Can't we just "kill" the spirit and keep it's energy for ourselves? Or is that not how it works here?

>>339421

>implying i havent been constantly asking for rommel to headpat everyone or for holstaur art from your drawfriend since i have a feeling the story will end and we'll get an epilogue before the bump limit is reached, and holstaur art from your drawfriend would be a nice thing for the end of the entire series of threads

>>339434

I just put in for something else that might be comfy. A picture with everyone getting the pats would be… awkward. And expensive. Though I didn't really WANT to have this done yet, I'm sure people here will appreciate it…

And no Beardicus. No Holstaur for you.

>>339431

That is not how it works, sadly. Such power is tied in with the spirit, which is not a revenant. You'd either have to convince it or wait until it grows dormant. Neither is likely to happen.

>>339436

>And no Beardicus. No Holstaur for you.

that's a strange way of saying you've commissioned a piece of holst art from your drawfriend and are patiently waiting for them to get back to you on it

:^)

>>339421

One more for trying to help the poor shoggoth cast in iron.

She reminds me too much of Saya to hate her.

>>339454

Also FUCK i forgot to sage. Please kill me.

Why don't we just talk to Helene about Hent-ateh before doing anything incredibly stupid? She's spent more time around it than anyone currently alive, and talking to our sister is so much less retarded than freeing the crazy death machine while we are still barely able to move unassisted. If we do end up doing that thing we shouldn't do, at least prepare properly, like only freeing her face initially, and preparing a second layer of molten metal to put over the first if she so much as twitches in our direction.

>>339454

>She reminds me too much of Saya to hate her.

One WAS a confused newborn and the other IS an ancient mass killer…

>>339455

>Please kill me

Learn from your mistakes… and think before you post, m8.

>>339436

Ah darn, leave it with ammon then. I'm sure he would love to keep his eye on it.

Holy fucking shit, please don't release Hent-ateh. Don't even fucking think about it. We have Helene to take care of so let's get to that instead. Also maybe strike up a conversation with Alice at some point? Must have felt good to deal the killing blow after what happened the last time.

We narrowly avoided death after making a stupid decision that could have worked and now you retards want to make an even dumber one with no chance of working? it's like you want us to bad end or something

Let's not get everyone killed by releasing a clearly evil demon that has done nothing but kill and go see the others we haven't really talked to instead. After we can visit gahn and the chasm, MILFbirb would want to know her daughter is safe after all the shit that's happened.

>>339480

>>339485

>>339517

>>339519

Finally, the Common Sense reinforcements have arrived!

>>339431

>Can't we just "kill" the spirit

A soul can't be cut.

>Story continue

Despite Ammon wanting you to leave sooner than later, you take it upon yourself to rest further. Of course, it’s more Tabitha who wants you to rest, but who is counting? After another short nap you find yourself relatively famished. Around this time a maid should be arriving with- ah! A knock at the door heralds her arrival and you prepare yourself for the delicious wonder of sweet, sweet gruel.

You really don’t care for gruel.

Of course, you don’t much mind the surprise that comes when the door opens. Instead of a maid holding your tray of food, you find Sophie, a worried expression on her face. When she sees you however, she lets out a sigh of relief before holding the tray up high.

“Who likes gruel?”

“Oh, me, I fucking love gruel.” You say, smirking at her.

She flashes you one of those shit eating grins and places the tray before you on the bed. You watch her as she does so and notice that her skin is quite tanned, something she’s been trying to work on since arriving here if you recall. In some places she might actually even pass for Ectrian! The rather revealing clothing she wears of green silk that matches her eyes reinforces this image.

“Seems like someone went shopping while I was out.” You comment, nodding to her attire.

Sophie blinks and then smirks, twirling about to show off her ensemble. “Why thank you, I had assumed if we were to be staying her for some time I might as well dress appropriately.”

“You just wanted to show off some skin.”

“Mother calls me a flirt and I believe she enjoys that.”

“Do the young men in the Palace think the same?”

Sophie chuckles, “Not just the young ones, but I’ve had to spurn a few advances here and there.”

“Ah, so progressive.” Tabitha says, chuckling. “Kids these days, back when I was girl young Monsters like you would just rape a good looking man.”

“Tabitha, please do not jest about such barbaric times.” Sophie says, a mock of incredulity on her face. The mask is broken by a chuckle and she nods to the food tray. “You should eat before it grows cold. I would be insulted if you didn’t eat every bite.”

“You made this?” You say, looking down at the bowl. Where the other bowls were a grey mush, this one had an almost airy texture to it, though in the end it was still mush. One thing it had going for it though was a dollop of honey atop it along with a few traces of fruit cut into the mix. Your poor, poor stomach gurgles for the first time in awhile, demanding you devour this offering.

“Of course.” She says. “Otherwise I would have to make up a different excuse to visit.”

Taking up the spoon with a shaky hand you scoop up some of the gruel and bring it to your lips, immediately savoring the flavor. Oh yes, this is almost better than sex, which is something you can say now. In rapid succession you devour it all, both your tongue and your belly quite satisfied.

Tabitha sniffs and folds her arms as you nod to Sophie. “I believe that if I had to eat this for the rest of my life it would be fine.”

“In some places that is tantamount to a marriage proposal, dear Rommel.” She shoots Tabitha a grin before shaking her head. “I am afraid I must decline you as well. I’m not in the market for damaged goods.”

“Roses and thorns.” You mutter before shaking your head. “How are you feeling by the way?”

“My injuries were relatively minor so I’m quite well. I’ve been making sure everyone else is doing fine in my spare time, so nothing glamorous.”

“Beyond your clothing.”

“A girl must have priorities.”

Sighing, you ask with a more serious tone. “Your sister says you’re going to leave home when you return to Deleor?”

“Yes.” She says, expression growing a little somber. “I think it is best. While I will miss Sylphie and the others I…” She sighs herself. “I’ve learned much on this journey. Much about what I can do and what I can’t. Of what I have and what I have yet to experience.” Her gaze lingers upon Tabitha for a moment.

>>339570

“I believe I will head North to the Monster Nation and learn more of my people. Watching Ebe’s passion and the struggles here, I feel more than before that succeeding Mother may be my calling.” She shrugs. “Who knows, maybe I’ll find love too?”

Tabitha nods her head. “I think that if you become the Monster Lady someday, I would be proud to serve under you.”

Sophie’s mouth opens in surprise before slowly closing as she looks down, a girlish smile appearing on her face. “Thank you.”

“First, however, we need to get prepared for the trip home.” You say, stretching. “Have you heard the situation about-?”

“Helene? Yes, I’m glad to hear it. A shame Ebe will be staying as well as Zoras and the others, but this is their home, not ours.” She sighs. “I should love to visit again someday.”

“Indeed.” You say.

“I suppose we should inform Ebe’s mother if we are to go the land route, however.” Sophie says, holding up a finger. “Gahn is not that far away from our destination after all.”

“Land route? Might be better than water route after all.” As you say this, Tabitha lets out a sigh of relief. She still has some fear left over it seems. A thought occurs to you, “Hmm, perhaps I should pay a visit to Farya as well…” You mutter, to which Sophie cocks her head.

“The Sphinx you encountered? I should like to meet her.”

“You will.” You say, stretching. “If I can remember where she was…it’s kind of a large desert without many way markers, you know?”

“Well, if what Ebe said is true, she might find you, yes?”

“Possibly. First though I suppose I need to worry about getting better, as well as Erwin recovering.”

“Ah, yes, Erwin. I hear Polah is seeing to him now.”

You sit up straight at this, though you wince a little at the movement. “Polah is here? Where?”

“The little garden where Sylphie has been. Why, did you want to see her?”

“I’d like to at least say goodbye and see how Erwin is doing.” You say, motioning for Tabitha to take the tray. Sophie gets it before her and Tabitha helps you of the bed.

“Very well then, I’ll go return this. Don’t stress yourself.”

“I won’t, I won’t.”

“So you say.” She chuckles. “Still, it is good to see you doing better. When you took that spear I… I was afraid I’d lose you.” Shaking her head, she says, “I didn’t think so much of you at the start, but you’re practically family now Rommel. Thank you for everything. I mean it.”

It’s your turn to blush a little. How are you supposed to respond to something like that? Your awkward little, “Thank you,” doesn’t quite cut it, does it? Still, she smiles warmly and bows her head before leaving the room, tails waving behind her.

>>339571

Tabitha helps you dress and the two of you head to the little garden where you find an amusing sight. At the bench sits Polah, who appears far too big for it, with Erwin on her lap. At her side is a fretful Sylphie and that Shoebill. They both look on as Polah sings something while stroking Erwin, the little guy actually looking much better than when you last saw him. As you approach, the Shoebill looks up at you and Polah cuts off abruptly, a blush coming to her features.

“Ah, sorry for interrupting.” You say, holding up a hand. “It was beautiful.”

“I…I…ah…” Polah begins before looking down. A moment later a voice assaults your mind.

{Shut the fuck up.}

“Really though, it was quite nice.” You say, walking closer. Tabitha helps you sit on the bench and you stretch out a hand to touch Erwin. “He’s looking a lot better. I don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s helpful. Thank you.”

“Y-You too.” She whispers.

“Wow, that’s more words than I’ve ever heard her speak to anyone beyond the singing.” Sylphie says, smirking. “What went on with you two?” Polah looks at the girl and Sylphie begins to snicker. “Come on, it’s just a joke.”

“It’s fine.” You say, waving a hand. “Is he going to make it?”

{He’s a fighter. The poor guy had a spiritual backlash from his bonded being a fucking idiot, but he’ll live. He needed his spirit soothed and some more nutrition, but he’ll make it.}

You let out a long breath. “Thank the Gods.”

Something stirs then in the back of your mind. Surprised, you look down to see Erwin shudder. Even Polah looks surprised, her claw pulling back as the fox stirs. Sylphie moves in close too and all three of you watch as the thin little critter opens his eyes in a few blinks. His black eyes come into focus and he looks up at you, a soft voice echoing in your mind.

{Oh good. You’re still here. I figured you’d be lost without me.}

Fighting back tears you send, {I was buddy, I was. Glad to have you back.}

{You’re… loud.} He sends before falling back asleep. The familiar bond in your mind feels stronger now with Erwin more awake. You watch as the little guy slumbers and try to keep yourself from crying. Thank… thank the Gods.

{Well, that’s good. Sarcasm is a good sign.} Polah sends. {I’ll watch over him for awhile longer and then leave. I think it might be time for me to leave the capital.}

“Oh? Is that because of Ammon?”

{Partially, and also…} She trails off in your mind. A look of struggle appears on her face and she says, “I think… I should get out… more.”

“Woaaaah.” Sylphie says before quickly adding, “Oh! Oh this is a good thing! Sorry!”

Polah pouts but you just put a hand on her claw. Her eyes go wide but you merely nod your head to her. “I’m happy for you Polah. You’re too good a person to stay cooped up all day.” Her Shoebill familiar nods her head to reinforce this fact and Polah’s grimaces, yet doesn’t pull away from you.

“I… thank you… Rommel.” She says, still looking uncomfortable. Her eyes drift to Erwin and she says, “I’m glad… you decided to talk with me. I… I hope you two have a good… good life.”

You nod to her and spend the next while looking after Erwin, a great weight seemingly taken off your chest. At least that’s one of your problems taken care of, now if only you could take care of-

“Hent-ateh?”

Helene turns to you with a curious expression as she munches on a platter of food provided by one of the guards. Your Apophis sister sits back on her coils, which she’s gotten better at using and rubs her chin. “Not really a subject I’d like to go into, all things considered.”

“No, I understand.” You say, holding up a hand. “ I don’t want you to talk about anything you don’t want to, I just… Was thinking about her, is all.”

“You said she’s trapped in metal, right? It’s dealt with then. I have no connection to her any longer, despite being…” She waves her hand over herself. “Like this.”

You’re surprised at how well she’s taking this. Compared to what happened last night and what Tabitha told you, you suspected to find her looking awful. Instead, when you arrived with the food, she greeted you with a smile and ate ravenously- makes sense for someone who hadn’t eaten anything in days. Still, you notice a hesitation in her eyes, a kind of fear that’s being repressed.

>>339572

Sighing, you say, “Helene… you don’t have to push yourself. This can’t be easy.”

She hesitates. “I… I just…” Her expression becomes crestfallen. “Just want to put on a brave face.”

“I’m not a kid anyone Helene. We can be straight with each other here.”

“Yeah.” She sighs. “It’s just… it’s a lot to take in. I thought that this was the only way and then that thing was in my head and… I was so scared.” She hugs herself. “I’m still scared. Who am I anymore?”

You reach out and take her hand in yours, her cool skin now familiar to you after holding hands with Tabitha. Infusing a soft warmth, she gasps and then sinks down. In a quiet voice you say to her, “Your body has changed, but you’re still yourself. The Apophis is gone and won’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“Easy for you to say.” She sighs. “I’ve been forced to sleep with a few men when I was slave but I never really felt any kind of lust. Now however it’s… Rommel I’ll be honest it’s really hard not to rip your clothes off.”

Tabitha shoots her a glare and your sister holds up a placating hand. “I won’t, of course, but it’s… I see the world differently now. Literally. It’s disorienting.”

“It’ll take some getting used to, but now this is all over. You’re free now.”

“Freedom, huh?” She says, looking around. “Doesn’t look that free to me.”

“Well, once we leave the capital anyway. You can’t stay in Ectria, but you can go back to Deleor, the Monster Nation… hells, you can even go to any of the other countries in the world! You’re not bound by anything anymore.”

Helene gives you a smile that invokes far too many memories. The more things change right? “Maybe. For now… I just want somewhere I can rest and… think.” A silence fills the room, making things a little awkward until she says, “However, I suppose I should answer your question. Hent-ateh, huh?”

The Apophis rubs her chin. “Hent-ateh when she was bound to me always seemed impatient, as if awaiting commands all the time. She saw a goal and wanted to head toward it. Killing people was just… a side hobby. Fun, but not her goal unless it got her closer to the goal. The longer I was with her though the clearer this became. I don’t doubt she delighted in murder, but at the same time she really wanted to fulfill that covenant.”

“So, do you think she’s to blame for the way she is?”

Helene crosses her arms and leans back. “I don’t know. That’s a hard question to really answer but… does it matter? Hent-ateh was sealed away for multiple reasons and while I had my goals I… I always felt disturbed by it. As if something greasy was sliding across my skin and troubled my heart even further.” She points at you.

“Personally, I want to forget that creature, and so should you.”

You process that information carefully. You’d been having doubts about Hent-ateh since you awakened, thinking about whether or not there was anything else that could have been done for the creature. Yes, it tried to kill you and whatever, but didn’t Saya try to do the same thing to the Grand Wizard? Look where she is now- married apparently and doing important work. Could something similar be made to happen with Hent-ateh?

The more you think it over however, the more conflicting thoughts come into your head. Eventually though, you decide that Helene is right. It’s for the best to just… let it be. You’re already injured and frankly tired. Though it pains you somewhat, you’ve learned that your life isn’t just yours- other people care if you get hurt too. Besides, it could ruin the newfound trust you have with Ammon and the connections between Deleor and Ectria which are blossoming. It’s just not worth it.

“Alright.” You say, nodding your head. “I understand.”

“Good.” She says, bowing her head. She pauses for a long time before saying, “I’m proud of you Rommel.”

“Where did that come from?”

“Just… to see what you’ve become. It sort of… makes this all worth it, in a way.” Her chuckle is filled with a tinge of sadness. “No matter what happens you’re still my little brother.”

Pushing yourself up with effort (and a hand from Tabitha), you stagger to your feet and walk up to Helene. You look down at your hands, those terrible hands which helped to end Liala’s life and then gently raise one to touch the top of your sister’s head. Her eyes go wide as you begin to pat her, feeling that familiar curse within you taking hold. A soft warmth spreads still from your palm and she begins to cry.

“Let it out Helene. It’s over now.”

She takes your suggestion and cries until she can cry no longer.

>>339573

It’s another week before you’re deemed fit enough by the healer to travel. Your days are spent mostly sleeping, but you make certain to visit Helene and some of the others on walks to build your strength. Erwin transfers into your room a few days after waking and he bullies you incessantly as you apologize at every turn. He’s a good friend.

Polah leaves the Palace soon after that, giving you one final farewell. She didn’t tell anyone where she’s going so you’re not certain you’ll ever see her again, but there’s always sure to be a rumor about a Griffon with too many animals about, right?

Ammon arranges two teams of wagons for you along with horses brought in from Hatset. Mr. Ed pulls one along with the other horses, become a de facto leader of the teams. You’re actually embarrassed to not have spoken with him during your recovery, but he takes it in stride, apparently not even noticing you were out, which Sylphie tells you is a lie. He’s a good friend too.

With provisions in good supply, you assemble outside the Palace, a party of Ammon’s palace guards arranged to send you off. Though you wanted to see the Great Temple again, the traffic of people is unfortunately a little much for your constitution and frankly the Head Priestess is a little busy by herself now that the Phallian priestesses were gone. It’s said more people are praying to Dollora as it stands however.

Sitting in your wagon, you touch the bundle of cloth next to you. It wiggles softly and you ask, “Are you alright?”

“Much better than in the cell.” Helene replies. “Not really all that comfortable though.”

“Just bear with it.”

“Fine. At least I can wear some nice clothes again, though damn. I miss pants. They were my favorite clothing item.”

“Skirts are in fashion anyway says Sophie.”

Helene is about to reply when a trumpet sounds. Pushing yourself to the front of the wagon you look out toward the Palace to see Ammon approaching, his two kunoichi by his side. Surprisingly they’re wearing different clothing, ones which are still lose on their bodies but expose much, much more skin. You really hate to admit it, but Ako had one hells of a body now that you get a good look at it. Still so strange to see such pale skin in this land, but you’re sure even easterners will tan.

Next to the two bodyguards is Zoras and Ebe, the two looking rather resplendent as well. Ebe nods to you while Zoras waves, though they don’t say anything as Ammon speaks, his voice resonating in the courtyard.

“Dear friends, heroes of Ectria. It is with great sorrow that we see you leave this place that you have been so instrumental in changing. Were it not for your sacrifices, this land could be far, far different.” He bows his head. “As Sultan Ammon H’ulat the first, I give you the blessings of the sultanate and an eternal friendship of Ectria. You will always be welcome in these lands should you wish to return.”

He waves toward Ebe, who steps forward, Ectrian ghitar in her wings. “And now.” He continues. “To send you off on a fair journey the Singer of Hope, Ebe will sing.”

Ebe takes a deep breath and then looks down at her ghitar. A smirk comes to her face and she sets it down before taking her guitar from her back. Ammon gives her a strange look but you just smile as she takes a stance and starts playing.

Music strong as a mountain, steady as the earth, and tinged with a hint of sorrow flows through the chords and her lyrics. You’ve never heard this song, yet at the same time you feel as if it describes your adventures in Ectria perfectly. It’s impossible to tell how long you grow lost in the music but when it ends you’re left with tears streaming down your cheeks. Even the stoic Tabitha beside you has to try and hide her emotions, the music resonating in her heart as well.

Ebe bows her head when she finishes playing, sweat trickling from her forehead. She looks up a moment later, tears in her eyes as well and cries out, “You better fucking come back, you hear!”

“You can count on it!” You shout back in return.

Ammon merely shakes his head, and holds out a hand, giving the signal to head out. Alice, heading your wagon, and the Grand Wizard, heading the other wagon snap their reins and you begin your long trek back home to Deleor. Of course, you have a few other pieces of business to take care of along the way…

>>339574

And then Hent-ateh broke out and killed everyone in Ectria because you didn't show her kindness.

Theeeee end.

On a serious note, it wasn't going to end well for you if you freed her. As much as I'd like to say that you could turn her around, it wasn't going to happen. She's too unstable. However eventually someone will have to do something about her. But eventually isn't today.

Oh and you can talk to Alice on the trip. I couldn't find a good place for it today.

So yeah. Away we go. Farewell Ebe!

>>339577

in the epilogue we better go back and visit Ebe and find out she's found a husbando of her own

when are we going to give Erwin the ultimate shitpost and hook him up with his own little foxgirl waifu?

>>339577

Everything is nice again, for now. So, what to do what to do. Something is up with the gods, and we may be involed. Information is needed but from where?

Shit is happening in Delor and it sounds serious.

That silly ravine is a place that needs a look into. If that is where the gRape snakes were first made then it might give us see clues on what the gods are up to.

The g wiz and family will want to go to delor. Our sister and wifu will most likely follow us where ever we go.

The question is not what we should do, but in what order?

Oh, I forgot to write

>What do you do?

Not that… much would really change. Unless you have other conversations or ideas on the way back. At the moment itinerary is…

Farya… Gahn, and the Chasm. Then back to Gahn.

I think.

>>339585

Perhaps eventually. Perhaps eventually

>>339595

Good questions

So Wizard Quest 2.5 soon?

Your settig is pretty neat, Ace. Do you have any notes or maps for it?

I uh, wanted to try to get a run done for something in ff14 and then that took forever and I lost track of time. Little suggestions anyway so it's mostly gunna be me typing tomorrow.

Not quite all wrapped up and done yet, but this might as well be the coming back home type epilogue. Hrm. Well we're on the downswing though. Almost doesn't feel like it really.

>>339805

Aha, well, no plans on a Wizardquest 2.5

We might see a Wizardquest 3 however! It would be the finale of it all. Deleor is fun and all but you can only work so much with it.

I'd have to compile the few notes I made but honestly I don't have a big binder of world building, sorry!

>>339817

Oh, it's the hard to read map. But it is a map and it will do for now!

Ah the Khepri would have moved on by now (especially since they were in Hatset) will still see anyway!

You'd have to head back down the river to get to Jahardin anyway. Easier to go straight to Hatset… or around it. Either way, you kind of have the Sultan's blessing and Harpies move much faster than you do.

>Story continue

This journey feels different than when you began. It isn’t even the fact that you’re going through Hatset, or at least in that direction over land. The sand is the same annoying dust, the sun is still too hot, and you’re still rather thirsty all the time. None of that has changed in the slightest, no something else is different. It takes you perhaps the first two days on your way back to figure it out, but when it hits you it’s quite shocking.

What separates this journey back is the sense of levity. The pressure of making it to the capital in time, wondering if the Grand Wizard and Selene would be dead when you arrived, all the politics and danger of the cult… it’s gone. As you travel, talking and laughing with those in your wagon or around the campfire, you can sense everyone feels it too. Though there’s trouble in Deleor, it’s not here, not upon you right now. It’s a problem you will face when you get there.

For now, you can rest knowing you accomplished something and honestly, it feels damn good.

The third day into your journey, you find yourself sitting around the fire in the cool desert night. It’s funny how you’ve grown accustomed to this strange weather cycle and in some way enjoy it. You might find it weird readjusting to the Deleorian climate! Still, the warmth of the magically conjured fire and the smell of the delicious stew that both Selene and Sophie create a sense of closeness that all of you can sense.

“You should eat your gruel.” Helene says, leaning over next to you.

Frowning, you look down at the gruel and sigh. You’re still not in a good position to eat something hearty like the stew, but at least Sophie made something good for you. But man does that stew smell nice… and even Erwin can eat it, the little jerk.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get to it.” You sigh.

“Mmm, you’ll have to keep your strength up.”

“Please, we’re just heading back to Deleor, it’s not like we’ll have to fight for awhile. Besides.” You nod toward the others, who laugh at a joke that Alice of all people tells. “There’s plenty of people here who know their way around a fight.”

“Well, excuse a sister for doting on her brother.”

“Sure it’s not those crazy Monster hormones?”

“I’ll have you know that I can keep my raging sexual urges in check, thank you very much.” She puffs out her cheeks, which looks kind of funny given her purple skin and red eyes. Both of you look into each other’s eyes before you start snickering. It quickly devolves into laughter which draws the attention of Tabitha for a moment before she returns to her conversation with the Grand Wizard.

“Oh Twins, I missed laughing like that.” Helene says, wiping at her eyes. “I hadn’t really had a good chance to laugh in awhile.”

“Yeah.” You say, feeling a little somber. “It must have been hard on you.”

“Well, yes.” She shrugs.

Hestitating for a moment, you ask slowly, “What… what happened after we were separated?”

She thinks about it for a moment before sighing. “Starting out as a slave was… difficult. Especially once I was separated from Mother and sold to an Ectrian merchant. I wonder where she is now though…” She trails off and shakes her head. “Anyway, the merchant treated me fine enough. I was mostly used for menial labor though he had certain tastes and- well, needless to say I grew up faster than intended.”

“Gods, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s just sex.” She says before chuckling, “Well. That seems a little stupid considering the way I am now, doesn’t it?” She shakes her head and continues. “I spent a few years with that before being sold off when I was too old to satisfy him any longer. I was used to more menial labor, though blessedly little sexual acts. This lasted for some time until I found out the woman who owned me was in the Violet Sands.

Her eyes drift upward. “At first I was horrified at their intentions, but then I realized that they stood to change this order. Being a slave, you see everything. You see the depravity of this culture, you see their stains and their false faces. If the Violet Sands threw this all out of order then… perhaps life would be different.”

>>340048

A smile appears on her face. “I told my master I was interested in helping and so I was used to perform various acts and actions to gain more trust and further their plans. Back then the cult was smaller, so my actions and dedication caught the eye of even Liala. She bought my slave contract and freed me that I may instead serve her.”

“That seems…” You begin.

“Ironic, yes. But it’s what worked and frankly I was happy for it. I was seen as a PERSON again. You can’t really understand what that means, but it was everything to me. I was useful and recognized for it. It was beautiful.”

“No, I think I can understand.” You say, nodding your head. “So you went up the ranks until-“

“Until the Grand Wizard here helped spread the message faster than ever before. The power of the Apophis was soon released as well and we knew it was our time. Hent-ateh being released too? It was more than we could have asked for. My greatest task was to collect the urn, and then… well, you know the story from there.”

“Yeah, a little.” You chuckle.

“Mmm.” She hums. Her tail makes soft, swishing motions in the sand behind her. “To tell the truth, I asked everywhere when I found you again. I had to know if it was really you after all. I’d heard some strange rumors but… a Wizard? My little brother? He should have been drowning in pussy, he was so cool.”

“Helene, please.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons.” She says, holding up a hand. “But when I’d heard for certain through Aliph’s cell, I wondered if you’d do more with the cult, that I could speak with you. Unfortunately…”

“We didn’t. I wanted to but… something in my mind told me to keep distance.”

“Perhaps that was wise.” She sighs. “I did appreciate your letter though.”

“A little too late though.” You say.

She looks down at her purple skin. “Yes. It seems that way.”

“Did… you mean what you said in the Temple? That you were waiting for me?”

She gulps, keeping tears back. “Yes. I really was. I was hoping against hope that you’d bust into the ritual and stop me from doing this to myself, but…”

“But I didn’t.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Helene, I-“

“No. No it’s fine.” She says, shaking her head. “What’s done is done.” She holds out the flat of her hand toward you. “What matters now is that we’re back together, right?”

You look down at her hand. The soft, cold, purple skin blends in with the darkness of the night, proclaiming her as something far, far from Human. A time not long ago you’d have balked at this, or even flared in rage. Now though, you don’t hesitate a moment before taking her hand in yours.

She flashes you a serpentine smile in response.

>>340049

Turning south on the road to Hatset, you go a little out of your way, but with the wagons the time is better. At first the others think you’re a little weird for asking this, but there’s someone you have to speak with. Both Alice and Mr. Ed agree, though the former mostly just wants to prank the Sphinx. Mr. Ed doesn’t think that’s going to happen. He’s usually the smarter one.

With the detour you almost consider heading to Tet’ahn, but you figure you should find Farya first. The main issue with this plan is you really have no idea WHERE Farya’s place is. Because of this you waste an entire day traveling around the desert and using your magic to avoid sandwurms while also searching for her. Unfortunately, it comes to no avail, even with the Grand Wizard present to help you.

Huddling around the campfire that night, you stare once more into your gruel as Alice tells once again how she slew the ancient Apophis.

“There I was, sword in hand, watching as my dear friend Rommel died.”

“I’m still alive you bitch.” You groan. She ignores you.

“Tears running down my cheeks, I began to glow with the power of anger and sadness inside me. The Apophis, who was busy feasting upon poor Rommel’s brains turned, mouth dribbling what was left of his mind. Her eyes grew wide as I exploded in power, a glow surrounding me which matched the intensity of my sword.”

Alice stands up and draws Energieschwert. Her silver-blonde hair, which is not making any attempts at changing back to black, trails behind her in the night breeze. “AHHHHHHHH! I cried!” She shouts again. “AHHHHHHHHHHHH! My anger grew!”

Around her a soft light begins to form about her, swirling like mist. She screams again, her hair standing up this time. “AHHHHHHHHHH!”

The ground shakes around her and all of you look about in worry as she continues to grow more and more powerful. Holy fuck, did she actually do this? Was this not just a stupid campfire story?

“AND THEN, AT THE HEIGHT OF MY POWER, I RAMMED MY SWORD THROUGH HER FACE!” She mimics the motion of thrusting her sword forward and the earth shakes around her. Wind and sand buffets all of you and ruins your gruel before suddenly and without warning, it fades away.

Shocked, your group looks about in surprise before a surprising voice cuts in,

“Stunning and bold how you won the day, but honestly it’s both fake and gay.”

Everyone’s eyes snap to a figure sitting cross legged next to you. She brings her furred hand to her face and licks it before rubbing at her feline ears. A moment later, Farya opens her eyes and looks about before saying, “Hello.”

All of you pause for a long moment before you whisper, “F-Farya?”

“If that is a riddle it is a poor one.” She smiles. “I sensed your presence and decided to see what that was about when I heard her story. I may have… embellished it a little, but I believe her story is even more embellished because your head is still attached.”

Alice is the first to respond to this. “Oh, so you’re saying it’s not true because there are some factual anomalies? Tch, I thought you were shy and wanted to stay in your little tomb.”

>>340050

Farya blushes. “I- I’ve been trying to interact more! It’s just… uhm..” She fidgets. “There aren’t many people out here after all, though…” She looks over your group. “What are you doing out here again?”

“Looking for you, actually.” You say, smiling at her. Farya blinks before blushing furiously.

“O-Oh Gods, I didn’t think… well you’re handsome and love history and-“

“Well, actually I’m happily married now.” You say, cutting her off.

The Sphinx deflates. “Oh. Right, well… congratulations.” She sighs. “Well… it’s nice that you’re here to visit again. I’m not sure about all of you visiting my collection though…”

“It’s fine, we don’t intend to stay long. I just wanted to say goodbye and to tell you what’s been going on since we last met.” She gives you a wary look until you say, “It will be very historical.”

At that she relents and allows you to speak, even taking some stew some Sophie (though it has maybe a liiiitttlllleee sand in it.) When you finish your tale she looks at you dumbstruck. Her eyes flick to your sister before she gulps and says, “The… the Pharaohs are all dead?”

“As far as we know, yes.”

“Wow.” She sits back and looks up. “It’s strange how much you miss just being in the same place.”

“Maybe it’s time to move then? See a little bit of the world?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that.” She says, waving her hand. “I have to guard my collection.”

“Well, I have heard that the new Sultan plans to send people through Ectria to search for all the relics he can find and enshrine them as best he can. I’m not certain of the type of people coming through, but it might be better to work with him. I’m certain he’ll let you guard this new repository AND you’ll have a larger collection to work with.”

Leaning in, you nudge her. “Besides, it means you can meet some men without having them stumble into you on accident. Unless that’s your kink…”

Farya blushes furiously. “Ohhhh Rommmeeeel!” She says, burying her face in her bowl. This makes everyone else laugh as she sputters out sandy stew before blinking and laughing herself.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. You know though, now that we’re not running around the desert.” You begin, laughter winding down yourself. Reaching out, you pat the Sphinx on the head and say, “I would be fascinated to hear more about the history of your collection, just like I promised.”

Farya’s eyes widen with surprise before sparkling in joy. “Oh? Oh! Well then, let me tell you all about some of my more interesting pieces of the collection…”

>>340051

Farya spends the night with your group, something she seems rather happy with in the morning. Those on watch say she slept like a child and when morning came she was eager to eat with everyone. Poor girl was starved for attention in the end.

When you’re ready to head out you promise her to have a message sent to Zoras about the proposal. Though hesitant, Farya agrees.

“Next time I’m in Ectria, I’ll seek you out.” You say to her as you’re helped into your wagon.

“Oh, no need. I’ll know when you’re here.” She says, giving you a wide smile.

“Wait, so the thing about being marked by a Sphinx is true?” You ask, surprised. Before you can even finish though the Monster vanishes in a gust of sand, leaving no trace but a few, feline pawprints.

The rest of you look surprised before heading off back toward Hatset. It’s about time to get back on track after all. Though heading to Tet’ahn would have been interesting to see, you’re worried there would be lingering sentiments of hostility toward you. Besides, if they noticed Helene that would cause even more issues down the road, even if Lady Aliph is already in the capital. You do hope the best for those people though.

You reach Hatset easily enough and the guards allow you in, already having your information from Ammon. They don’t even search your wagon, though you can tell that bothers them greatly to do so. You spend the rest of the day there resupplying and resting, though you make it a point to head to the same Temple of the Twins in this city again and offer a prayer to Dollora. You feel nothing this time, but it still is helpful to do so. The other item of note is sending a message to Zoras in the capital via a harpy courier and letting her know about Farya. Hope that goes well.

Leaving again the next morning it’s another slog in the desert. Still, being with good company it doesn’t feel as bad. You feel your strength returning little by little and your bond with your sister and your wife grows daily. In fact, you feel like you’re growing closer to all of the people in your party, something you didn’t know you’d always craved being alone for so long. Perhaps you and Farya aren’t so different.

While on the journey to Gahn the Grand Wizard tells you about the Wizard’s Union and its odd history. Though he himself doesn’t care much for what it’s become, he does hold a grudging respect for their inventive nature. He promises to teach you the spell to travel to El Dorito, which sounds utterly bullshit of a place, as well. You seem a little skeptical at first until he hands you a small bit of a Heated Bread pouch. You almost break down into tears at how beautiful it tastes.

“You are a true Wizard after all.” He says with sagacity. “The Union is a tool in the end, but it is also the worst aspect of Wizardhood. It offers those who only think of power a place to refine that. Dangerous people or those without any sense of morality can join as long as they meet the requirements. I’m hesitant to work with them because of that.”

“I became a Wizard just so I could harness this power.” You say, frowning at him.

“No, you became a Wizard so you could stop what happened to your family from every happening again.” He says, finger raised. “In truth, you’re what Wizards are supposed to be now. A man who both looks to protect that which is precious to him. Rommel, out of all the Wizard’s I’ve met, you’ve exemplified this more than any I can think of.”

The Grand Wizard claps his hand onto your shoulder. “I’m proud to be a colleague of yours.”

Even coming from a man you used to hate with a violent passion, a man whom you wanted to kill for ruining the balance of this world, you can’t help but feel a little happy at his words. Sighing, you take his hand and say, “If we can’t bring the Wizards back to what they used to be, then we’ll have to just make them into what they need to be now.”

“Hah, a laudable goal.” He says, smiling. “Almost a shame I don’t have to kill you for getting together with one of my daughters. Then I’d have to cry about losing a son.”

“I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“And that, Rommel, is why they call me the Grand Wizard.”

>>340052

Oddly energizing conversations aside, the rest of the trip to Gahn is fairly unremarkable beyond Alice reprising her story about how she slew Liala about five more times. None of you really want to bring her down though, because all of you know it’s in good fun and honestly, Alice did a lot of work in that final battle. Though you pretend not to have seen it, you do notice Tabitha telling Alice she’s proud of her accomplishments. Even Alice breaks down into tears from this, which she deserves to considering what happened to her beforehand.

As you’re fairly close to Gahn, you also tell Alice you’re thankful for her help and everything she’s done. The woman, driving the cart as she is, doesn’t turn to look at you but merely says, “No Rommel, thank you for everything you’ve done. Without you this whole adventure would have been something different entirely.”

“Please, this isn’t the only world saving adventure you’ve been on.”

“No, but I was only there for the end, and I failed. I’m glad I redeemed myself, but in the end I’m more concerned at what to do in the future.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I haven’t forgotten what I said on the boat. I really am considering something like that, but more then that I’m considering joining the Order of the Heroic Brotherhood again.”

“Think they’ll take you back?”

“Think with the Grand Wizard, Monster Lady, and the Wanderer backing me, they won’t?”

“Fair point.”

She chuckles. “Well, I meant what I said, and I’m happy that you’re giving Tabitha the joy she deserves. I joke about her and make a lot of shit sometimes, but in the end I really do respect her deeply. If I didn’t, I never would have sought her out after all.”

“Well, I’m glad for you as well. Thought you should know.”

“Honestly, that does mean a lot too.” Alice says, turning and giving you a broad smile. “Now then.” She begins, pointing off into the distance before you. “What are you going to say to Ebe’s Mother?”

Though barely visible, you begin to see familiar shapes of Gahn, the little village where Ebe was raised. It feels lonely returning without her for some reason, but at the same time it means you’re one step closer to coming home.

>To be continued

A good stopping point for tonight. Guess it's Gahn and then the Chasm next update and then…

Huh. I guess you're back to Deleor. Wow.

>>340054

You're doing God's work, writefag. Waifufaggotry is the pinnacle of autism and you're the priest, the enabler. The old gods will remember that when you cross the veil between worlds. Blessings and good health to you.

The whole situation with Helene is pretty sad, but it makes for a better story so it's good that it happened I guess, I mean it's not a good thing it happened within the context of the story but for the writing of the story it's a good thing, it only happened because we were dumb though but I guess this is an example of our stupidity leading to some good writing on your part.

>>340130

>it only happened because we were dumb though but I guess this is an example of our stupidity

Some of the best stories are only the best because one or some characters act/behave in a stupid way.

>>340174

>Impregnating Tabitha

Oh definitely! This is a must.

>>340174

>>340179

Rommel, Tabitha, hot tub… go!

>Story continue

The arrival to Gahn was both uninteresting and welcome at the same time. Helene hid again under her covers while the wagons pull in, much to the surprise of the townsfolk. Even with all the recent trouble they still look happy to see travelers, though frankly they should have learned better. At the head of the pack is Ebe's mother, who lets out a cry of joy and leaps forward over the assembled others, wings sparkling in the sun as she lands. Her expression of joy turns to worry as she looks about and is unable to find her daughter.

"Don't worry." You say, holding up a hand in pacification. "Ebe is fine, she just has important buisness in the capital."

"Is… that so?" Chike asks before sighing. "Well, I suppose we might as well come inside with everyone." She looks over your new additions of Selene and the Grand Wizard. "I'm sure there's a story to be told here.

"Certainly is, however, there's one more we'd like to bring in rather… discretely."

The Gandharva cocks her head and looks over as Helene pokes her head out and waves her hand. She gulps, a look of fear on her face for a moment before she takes a calm, steadying breath and says.

"Story to be told indeed…"

---—————————--

The other villagers catch up soon after and you tell them about the change in leadership and the fall of the Cult of the Violet Sands. This creates a huge hubbub within the assembled people and Monsters, each of them either worried or excited about what this change will bring. It's not exactly like the rule of the Pharaoh was overly kind to them or anything.

The two men you saved from the Royal Guard thank you again for the help from before. They take the information of the fall of the cult with a mix of disappointment and understanding, though they’d heard some of it beforehand through their sigil connection. They really weren't on any kind of frontline here anyway and were mostly looking for something to do with their lives. The prospect of new work and easier policies for the little folk of the country under the Sultan does intrigue them however, and they strive to inform the others of the cult. Thankfully they don’t want to kill you, which would be very painful. For them.

While most of the townsfolk disperse to talk amongst themselves once they find you've nothing to trade and will be staying with Chike again, one stands out. Looking alone and deep in thought, you see the older Anubis, the mother of the slaver you slew so long ago. With a heavy heart, you have Tabitha help you walk up to her. She gives you a quizzical expression and clutches the locket you sold to the Khepri close to her heart. Of course she'd have it on hand- you didn't think this would be easy after all.

She accepts your story readily enough and though she doesn't yell or attack, you can see a rage and sorrow within her eyes. If your child was murdered, even for doing an unforgivable act, how would you respond? You try to give her some of the Ectrian currency that Ammon gave you but she refuses. Considering the actions her daughter took, blood debts had already been repaid. Her leave is curt though when she turns away you can see her shoulders shaking. Tabitha takes your hand and leads you away.

"You did what you had to do." She says, taking it in stride.

"I didn't have to do it like that." At least you didn't tell the mother HOW you killed her daughter. That would have been too much.

She doesn't respond.

When all is said and done you arrive to Chike's place to find the bathtubs you made before in use. She clacks her tongue and laughs as the first thing your group did after hitching up the horses was to get in the baths.

"To be honest, we've found a way to make communal use of them in town since there are two and this nice wall. It's tough fetching enough water sometimes, but it's quite useful." She says, shaking her head. "We expanded upon the wall you created, just to make certain no one is causing mischief, though it does get loud sometimes."

Behind her you can hear the sounds of women laughing and grow confused at hearing Helene's voice. When you point it out, the Ghandharva says, "Ah, well, one of the girls… Sylphie was it? Used some magic to hide her from view so she could bathe as well." She shakes her head. "Is that really an…" Her voice becomes hushed, "Apophis?"

"Yes and no." You say. "You don't have to worry about her causing trouble. We're leaving Ectria as it stands."

"Is that so?" She asks, clearly wanting to pry more. Instead she merely holds out a wing and asks, “Would you like to take a bath? I believe the other gentleman is in already.”

Tabitha pats you shoulder and you groan. “I’d love to, but my doctor says I’m not allowed to bathe quite yet.”

>>340199

“Doctor? She looks more like your- oh!” Chike jumps and places her wings to her mouth. “Oh goodness, are you two-?”

“Married? Yes, I’m almost as shocked as you still.” Your wife replies, chuckling.

“Well then!” The Ghandharava says. “That’s a much, MUCH more interesting tale.” She looks about before nodding. “I’m going to go get some refreshments and cushions, please wait here. I’m very interested to hear all about this.”

Both you and Tabitha shrug and sit down on chairs you make out of the earth, much to Chike’s delight. As the others bathe in the tubs (Erwin included, apparently he’s bathing with Sylphie again, the little scamp) you and Tabitha converse with Chike, telling her all about your stories, paying particular interest to the parts with Ebe.

It surprises you how long the story is, because before you can finish the others leave the tub, nice and refreshed, and you realize the sun is setting. Retiring inside for the evening, all of you (Helene included) make yourselves comfortable as you regale Chike with your story. She takes it all in stride, as she should for a Monster specializing in song and storytelling.

“And so, Ebe ended up rallying the people with her songs, bringing them hope and comfort. She’s become so popular that Ammon has asked her to stay in the capital.”

You set down your cup of tea as you finish your story, waiting for her response. Chike sits there for a long time, eyes looking up at the ceiling, an unreadable expression on her beautiful face. It surprises you when a smile appears on her face and she says, “I always knew she was meant for something greater. I always wanted a quiet life, but she needed a journey like this. I’m glad she found purpose while traveling with all of you.”

She looks down toward you, smile making you feel a little warm inside. “Thank you, all of you for helping her become who she needs to be. I couldn’t have asked for better friends for her.”

“She was a great friend.” Sylphie says, nodding her head. “We’re going to miss her.”

“Until we come to visit, that is.” Sophie says, holding up a finger. “Eventually leyways will exist in Ectria and I can assure you we shall see Ebe again.”

“Hmph, well we’ll see what happens first: These leyways appear or Ebe gets married.” Chike says, crossing her wings. Everyone looks at her with surprise and she says, “What? I still want Grandchicks. I’m not getting any younger.”

The laughter that fills the room then is infectious and makes your poor, abused body hurt. But it is so worth it.

---——————————————

When the morning comes Tabitha takes you outside and gives you a short bath, more of a rub-down than anything. Still, it feels good to have her touch your body in that way and though you feel a stirring within your loins you both keep it in check- for your health. You do still give her one hells of a passionate kiss since no one is watching. She doesn’t complain, of course.

Loading up the wagons with Sylphie’s help to conceal Helene, you stop to wish farewell to Chike. The Ghandharva offers you some snacks to go and, while you’d like to deny them for her sake, you end up taking them to be polite. They’re pretty good anyway, it just makes you feel bad.

“So, you’re on your way back to Deleor then?” She asks.

“Not quite. There was one more stop I wanted to make.”

“Oh? Such as?”

“The Chasm of Regret.”

The Ghandharva pauses and then slowly nods her head. “Very well then. With the Cultists driven out by the Royal Guard, I assume it is safer than it was before but…” She leans in. “Listen, the place still feels wrong, even to a Monster. Just be careful, okay?”

“Of course.” You say, nodding your head. “We might pass by here on the way back too, so it’s not really a goodbye.”

“Haha, so you say. I expect to see you visit every now and then, you hear?”

“Yes, yes.” You chuckle before making your way to the wagon and loading up. As the horses pull away you take a final look at the Ghandharva who watches you with wings to her breast. You can’t tell due to the distance (and [Farsight] wouldn’t be nice to use), but you think she’s crying.

>>340200

The journey to the Chasm is far longer than expected, you honestly don’t know how far you were away when you chased the Royal Guard on the sandstone board, but it must not have been anywhere close to the Chasm because you pass by the sand-covered remains of the caravan you attacked. The corpses of the Royal Guard are nowhere to be seen, though you have a feeling something ate them.

It takes maybe two days to reach the Chasm and by then it’s already growing dark in the sky. As you approach you understand a little of what Chike was saying beforehand. Even though you can’t see the Chasm itself yet you feel a strange, almost oppressive force about it. It makes your shoulder blades itch and causes you to be a little jittery. Your entire party seems to feel it as well, even Tabitha who grows alert, eyes looking for danger.

All around you even the sands of the desert begin to feel more desolate, if that’s even possible. Dry, cracked earth runs in large patches. Though it’s the desert, nothing grows around here, and you see no signs of life around. It’s unnerving more than anything but you can believe that whatever Dollora did to make THIS happen could have pissed off the other Gods something fierce.

As the sun begins to creep downward, casting shadows over the mountains that loom off in the distance, you grow close enough to see the Chasm. Stretching farther than you can see, it spans almost half a mile in width as far as you can tell. Though it appears to be nothing more than an empty chasm, you feel a calling toward it. A lingering sensation of something familiar pulses within you and you get the impression of what you felt from Dollora, though with the negative aspects magnified. There is no doubt that this place reeks of her touch upon the land.

Feeling uneasy but not wanting to travel at night, you set up camp near the chasm and under a full moon. Everyone finds it difficult to sleep that night, none so more than you yourself. Sleeping next to Tabitha in your bedroll you stare off into that moon, wondering what drew you here. Sightseeing? A need to see what this was about? Perhaps to search for the Cultist’s main base and make sure everything was destroyed?

As you think over these things a whisper of a thought drifts into your ear.

>>340201

“Rommel…” It says in a familiar voice that makes your spine tingle. You try to ignore the voice but it comes again, louder this time.

“Rommel.”

Groaning, you turn to Tabitha and see if she’s awake. She doesn’t stir and in fact seems utterly asleep. With a frown, you climb out of your bedroll, surprised you have the strength to do so. Guess the traveling isn’t so bad for you after all, is it?

Looking around, you hear the voice again, coming from… the direction of the chasm. You turn to see the person on watch, who is Alice at this hour, to find her looking off toward the Chasm herself, arms crossed. Walking up to her you ask, “Do you hear that?”

“Huh? Oh, Rommel. Hrm.” She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. What are you talking about?”

“This… insistent voice that’s in my head I think… I think it’s Dollora.”

She frowns. “Rommel…”

“Listen, she’s spoken with me before and… it’s only getting louder.” You stare off toward the Chasm. “I need to see what she wants.”

“Rommel, please you can’t just go out there alone.”

“I won’t be alone.” You say, nodding as Erwin walks up, yawning. “He’ll keep me in check.”

{I was having a nice dream where I wasn’t tired all the time and I was being hugged to Sylphie’s bosom.} He sends to you.

“I still don’t think this is a good idea.” Alice says, looking worried.

You put a hand on her shoulder and say, “If there’s trouble, I’ll send a signal, alright?”

She looks to Erwin who sighs and shrugs in a way only foxes can. Sighing herself, she waves you away but says, “I’m not covering for you if Tabitha finds out.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

Walking out into the desert with only your familiar for company, you hear the voice grow louder and louder, an almost insistent droning as you approach the chasm. That feeling of desolation and dread grows as well until you suddenly find yourself at the edge of the Chasm, looking down into it. You see nothing but an inky darkness, stretching off into eternity. Oddly enough though, it feels… comforting.

{This is creepy as fuck.} Erwin sends. {We should go back to camp, this is really dangerous.}

“Yeah.” You say before pausing. The voice… it’s gone? Confused, you look about but see nothing present. “Odd. Well, it’s gone now, so I guess we should return.”

Shaking your head, you make to go when the itching between your shoulder blades increases. You turn about on the spot but find nothing present. You begin to breathe a little heavy and turn to go.

Something stands in your way, a vague impression of a humanoid form made from moonlight. You stand there, slack jawed as it wavers in night air, sand rippling about its form. Gulping, you ask, “Dollora?”

The shape shudders and a voice whispers on the wind, “Why are you come…?”

That’s a damn good question.

>What do you do?

>>340179

>>340202

I had some time so I wrote a little at work today and then… well this happened. Anyway I figured I'd give one last little thing at the Chasm since people wanted to visit, but didn't say exactly what they wanted. I'm probably going to finish this up tomorrow, but if people need more time there's always thursday :^)

>>340074

I try!

>>340127

Its sad, but true. she gone

>>340130

This is hard to read! But thank you for the compliment

>>340174

>>340179

What story of mine would be complete without loving, tender, impregnation sex at the end?

One where you didn't take a spear in the gut and have doctor's orders not to have sex, that's what story :^)

>>340202

>"Why are you come?"

Poor Dolora sperging out due to years of isolation causing her to forget how to speak properly. Kind of endearing, really. :^)

Also the better question is: why did she call us? But let's not be too much of a smartass and honestly admit that we were just curious. Despite erasing both of the royal families in the country, there is no sense of satisfaction or triumph. Or safety for that matter.

Something is still bothering us. Like we are still missing a bunch of jigsaw puzzle pieces and don't quite know what the picture is supposed to show, aside from a vague idea of it's shape.

For some reason, this game is still on but we have no idea what the name of the game is, who are the players and the pieces and most importantly, what is the prize?

If the odds are good, we might be willing to go to her side of the board as a little thank you for her timely deis ex machina intervention that saved our life after we realized, in a brief moment of divine revelation, the true nature of her being.

I knew waiting for the 2am update would be worth it!

>>340233

inb4 it's crossdressing Jackor.

>>340204

Give her a hug and ask her what the hell is going on with the gods.

Also, a proper headpat. We could not give her one the last time we spoke.

>>340252

Getting too deeply involved with gods is a seriously bad plan. I got the impression that Dollora had a different atmosphere last time we interacted with her. Being polite and courteous is obvious, but getting information, even if wrong, is critical since we'll be able to compare it to what we've seen and done.

>>340257

Completely unrelated to the situation at hand, but it's just occurred to me that we still need to discuss what the plans for the future are with Tabitha, since we agreed to leave that conversation until we had recovered sufficiently, so we should probably do that during the journey following this encounter.

>>340202

My first thought is to question the identity of the entity before us, both because it hasn't identified itself and, as >>340252 brings up, Dollora has stated the following in our last conversation:

>{I have… said too much as it is. I cannot say anything more. This is the last time we shall talk Rommel, chosen of Solos.}

Certainly, the gods aren't as infallible as we are lead to believe and there could be many reasons for Dollora going back on her word, from creator oversight :^) out of necessity to her curiousity getting the better of her, but the fact that she would have done so if this is indeed Dollora before us means we can only really take everything it tells us with a grain of salt, as the information would be coming from either a fickle goddess who we have a questionable relationship with or an impersonator, both being unreliable and not guaranteed to be honest with us.

That aside, we should probably still talk with the entity no matter who it is, because it clearly wishes to talk to us and hasn't opted to kill us despite having ample opportunity to do so, which gives me the impression that it isn't going to be a threat unless we piss it off; our other options, those being fleeing or trying to alert the others, would likely anger it, so we're kind of in a bind here. I would also recommend we act as if the entity really is Dollora trying to communicate with us, as calling out its bluff or implying that Dollora is an impostor are both actions which will likely end badly for us, to give it the respect it deserves, as being rude to gods never ends well unless the god in question is Jackor, then it's expected, and, most importantly, to accept it refusing to give us certain pieces of information and backing off when told to, as pressing for information we clearly aren't allowed to have will have repercussions.

In terms of what to discuss, we should start by answering its question about why we came here: that being in search of answers to loose ends on this adventure though I personally wanted to come here to sightsee an important landmark and in some desperate final search for runite, but I guess neither of those things are happening at this point. Discovering what the hell is going on in the heavens is the most obvious piece of information we seek and the knowledge may be of use in the sequel to this quest if Ace decides to go through with that plan, so it should be the first thing we inquire about, though it's doubtful we'll get anything considering how our last attempt to learn about this went - following that, there are questions to ask such as whether or not Dollora was the one who intervened and saved us following our dumb ploy and, if so, why she did that when we had just killed her agent and potentially ruined her plans in Ectria, what our mission was actually supposed to be now that it has seemingly concluded, and what plans she may have for us now and why we should consider following through with them and trusting her. We're unlikely to get anything better than cryptic statements for any questions we do end up asking, but it's still worth it.

Should for any reason the entity begin to attack us and we haven't immediately perished, give a signal to the others and cast [Rock Solid] around ourselves with everything we have on hand, grabbing more material from the Chasm of Regret if necessary. We are in no state to fight and will likely not be able to harm the entity even when healthy, so priority should go to defensive manoeuvrers as our survival and Erwin's, too is of the utmost importance. Hopefully it won't come to this, but it helps to be prepared for the worst nonetheless.

>>340204

>One where you didn't take a spear in the gut and have doctor's orders not to have sex, that's what story :^)

It's a good thing there's going to be a time skip during the course of our journey in which our wounds heal enough to allow for such acts by the time we get settled then, isn't it? You know you want to write lots of lewd lizard loving, Ace.

>>340245

We've had enough stupid decisions this adventure that have nearly led to a bad end, so I'd rather not risk another during the home stretch. Still, I guess there's no harm in making the offer and acting on it if the response is positive, as the worst we'll get is rejection since Dollora didn't kill us the last time we made a similar gesture, so as long as we back off if told to I'm not entirely opposed to it.

>>340257

"rollseyes"

>>340267

>A well thought out plan of action

As per usual, this Anon's suggests are sensible and well thought out.

>You know you want to write lots of lewd lizard loving, Ace.

Indeed!

>We've had enough stupid decisions this adventure that have nearly led to a bad end

Agreed, let's try to not let the window licking anons that don't think ahead, dictating Rommel's fall. If Dollora would like headpats, that's fine with me. But do ask first!

>Story continue

The wispy form in the moonlight drifts there, at once being carried by the wind and yet not moving. Looking upon this shadowed form you get the impression of femininity and yet can see no defining features. Is this really Dollora? Something about this feels off, and it's not just the atmosphere in this land. When you met Dollora before, it was with an aura of kindness mixed with sorrow. This is just… malice?

Your eyes drift to the side where the Chasm behind you stretches off into the distance. Could it be because of this place? Perhaps the lingering power of Dollora allows her to form this shade? It's hard to say, but you immediately go on your guard, watching for anything amiss.

"Why am I here?" You say, repeating the words asked to you. "I'm here because… something isn't quite right. We defeated the Pharaoh, saved the Grand Wizard and the Monster Lady, and ended the threat of the Violet Sands. But it's just… something doesn't fit. What purpose did you really have for me here? Is this mission you're talking about complete or was there something else?"

The shade says nothing for a long while as it floats before you. Eventually you hear that voice from before say, “Your purpose is fulfilled.”

A sigh escapes your lips. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. Fulfilled in what way? Things just don’t make sense, like why did the Pharaoh think she needed Sophie or Sylphie’s blood to open the Nexus? The Grand Wizard could do it himself with little effort!” You shake your head. “But I’m most troubled about the references to Phallia. I know you’d not like to speak ill of your sister but… please, if you know anything about what she’s doing, tell me.”

The shade hisses, a sound like nails on a chalkboard. Even Erwin whimpers under the sound. “Phallia my… sister.”

You frown at that. With such a response it has to be Dollora, right? Or perhaps one of the other Gods, but none of them really interact with people as far as you know. Hells, Sveth coming down was a freak thing in it’s own right and honestly you’re still shocked about it.

“Yes, your sister. She’s doing something Dollora, something I’m sure you’re seeing. I’m afraid it’s going to cause conflict and most importantly she hurt YOUR priestesses in doing it.”

“I know.” The shade says, making your spine shudder. “I have seen all of these things.”

“Then why let it occur? Why not step forward to stop this. Why not inform your chosen about what is happening?”

Dollora… the shade, whatever this is says, “I cannot. I must remain in my realm and repent for my sins.”

“Sins? You mean this?” You hold out your hand toward the chasm. “Dollora, pardon me for being forward, but you have to forgive yourself! The balance of this world is changing and no one knows how or why.”

“No.” She says. A wave of uneasiness washes over you. Anger seeps from the shade and you almost take a step back as sweat tricks down your back. Oh lord, you didn’t think that through. You’d been told to know your place before but in the heat of the moment you went and did something stupid.

“Forgive me.” You say with haste. “That was improper from a mortal such as myself.”

The shade considers for a moment before replying. “Rommel… why do you fight for the Monsters, my… children…? Have they not harmed you? Have they not forced you into a life you never should have lived?”

“Why?” You repeat, surprised. Without even considering you answer, “Because they’re no different from us. Because we all understand love and what it is to be loved. We come into conflict because of ignorance but all we have to do is take the time to be in each other’s company.”

“Eventually they will destroy you, humanity will exist only within Nerg’s realm, and this world will be claimed by the Monsters.”

“I… don’t see it that way. I believe Solos wouldn’t allow it to happen either. One day there will be harmony, we just have to work toward it.” You say, shaking your head. These words from Dollora are… confusing. You knew she had some wrath to her, but this is just spiteful.

“Solos will not allow it.” She says, followed by a chuckle. “Perhaps, perhaps.”

An uncomfortable silence fills the air. You begin to grow nervous as you stand there, eventually looking up at the silent shade and asking, “Do you… have anything further to say?”

“Yes.” The shade says. “Go with your… your wife and live. Your duty is past, your time of weariness is over. You have succeeded in your task and I release you from responsibility. Troubles abound, yes, but you have earned your respite.”

>>340314

“Dollora, I would love to do that, but-“

“You dare question a Goddess? The nexus is opened and magic will flood this land. The Pharaoh is dead, the Priestesses of Phallia are dead, and this land is saved. You have done ENOUGH.”

Your skin visibly ripples at those words and your breath leaves you. Licking your lips you say, “I…I understand.”

In truth, you don’t understand. None of this is making any sense. Gods are fickle creatures, but this… this is too much. Despite facing down what was essentially a demi-god without flinching, you cannot help but cringe under this oppressive force. This isn’t the Dollora you remember, this isn’t the Goddess you’ve come to know… or thought you knew. Thinking back to the conversation you had before with her, something odd stands out.

“Dollora… do you remember the last thing I did before you left?”

“… It does not matter.”

“I would like to do it again, if you would allow me.”

The shade ripples as the wind picks up. “As a gesture of good will for your service, I shall allow this.”

Taking a deep breath, you walk forward and hold out your hand before reaching to place it atop the head of the shade. You expected your hand to pass right through it, but as you make contact something solid appears under your hand. You get the impression of warm, soft hair being parted by your fingers and a smooth, solid scalp.

“Ah!” The shade gasps, shuddering as your hand begins its divine work. Unable to pull away you watch as it begins to materialize, starting from the head and working its way downward. Blonde hair laced with flowers appears as a pale, beautiful face follows. The expression is one of bliss under your fingers and you stare in complete surprise as more and more of the woman appears. A dress of leaves and flowers covering her wondrous body and you figure out quite soon that is isn’t Dollora

“Well.” She says as you finish your pats. “That was quite wonderful.”

“I…” You say, hand sitting atop her head. “Y-you’re Phallia, aren’t you?”

“Hmm?” She says, looking up at you. “Oh. Yes, I suppose I’m found out.”

Suddenly very afraid you pull you hand back and prepare the magic within you. Holy fucking hells, why is she here? You would have expected Jackor or something, but this… this is the complete opposite of what you’d expected.

“Your hands feel like his you know.” Phallia sighs. The Goddess crosses her legs as she floats in the air, looking at you. “When Solos pats my head it is one of the most wonderful feelings.”

“Why, why were you pretending to be Dollora?”

“Because, I wanted to talk with you Rommel. I wanted you to remove yourself from all of this.”

“Remove myself? What?”

“You heard me.” She sighs and looks at her fingernails with an annoyed expression. “You’re an annoyance. At first you were quite helpful, but your actions in the capital allowed those damnable cats to survive being sacrificed for no purpose and a war was averted.” Her eyes flick to you and you feel the full weight of the malice from before in those captivating orbs.

“You shouldn’t have interfered.”

“What? You… you meant for this to happen?” Shaking your head in amazement you say, “Did you… did you put those things in their bodies? Twist the Pharaoh like that?”

“No. I merely gave them what they always wanted. An excuse.” She smirks. “Just like in Deleor.”

“But… but why are you telling me all of this?” You ask in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“No, I’m sure you don’t.” Phallia says, shaking her head. “But you see, Dollora does not like this place, though it reeks of her stench. She does her best to ignore it and only once has she returned here or even cast her gaze down upon it so that she might not reflect on her foolishness.”

Phallia reaches out and takes your chin, a smile on her face. “And because Dollora doesn’t tread here. Nor do the other Gods. Do you understand, Rommel?”

{Oh Gods, Rommel.} Erwin sends. {Rommel, you need to run!}

Phallia pulls herself in close to you before you can react, wrapping her luscious body tightly around yours. Her soft, godly skin touches your face and she smiles. Leaning in close, she places her lips next to your ear and whispers in a voice barely louder than your heartbeat hammering in your chest.

“Dollora will die and all of her children will be destroyed. Tell that to Nerg when you meet him, he loves to hear wild stories from new arrivals.”

>>340315

With that, she pushes you away from her and you stumble backward, arms flailing. One, two, three steps back and- Oh, there’s no more ground any longer. You fall backward into the Chasm of Regret, crying out in panic. Though you reach for your magic, you’re unable to take hold of it within this place and hopelessness and fear steal all rational thought from you.

This time you’re going to die and no one will save you.

Vaguely you can hear Erwin’s voice in your mind screaming at you, though that too begins to fade soon after you fall. Though you cry out in agony, you know nothing will save you. You’re going to leave Tabitha alone, go against your promise. Damn, she’s not going to forgive you this time.

A sound of something like a thundercrack booms from above. The next instant you see a blur of motion followed by something you never thought you’d see. Tabitha, free falling from the edge of the Chasm, legs flaring with magitek energy. She catches up with you in moments and, with a shout of pure anger, slams her feet into the wall of the Chasm, anchoring you both there.

The impact jars your body and makes your wound sear with blinding pain, but you’re alive and not falling any longer. Looking up at Tabitha you see her straining her body, tears forming in her eyes as her arms shake with the effort of holding you. Teeth clenched she growls, “WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LEAVING ME ALONE?”

“Don’t?”

“THAT’S FUCKING RIGHT.” She growls. Her magitek legs flicker as whatever magical draining properties of the chasm begin to shut down her magitek. She growls and channels her life force into them, causing the legs to hum with vibrant power. Taking a few, powerful breaths, she screams and then charges up the side of the Chasm, feet moving with such speed and power that she is able to carry both of you perpendicular up the side of the Chasm.

When you reach the edge, Tabitha throws you bodily over and you scrabble away from the side before turning to help her up. She merely leaps over you and lands in the sand before collapsing to the floor in a heap. Panting, she looks up at you and says, “I swear to the Gods, you’re more trouble than you’re worth sometimes.”

“I- wait, where is Phallia?” You say, looking around with worry. She could just push you down again if she wanted or something worse. However, as you look about you find no sign of her, nothing. Confused, you turn as Erwin tackles your chest, a barrage of sendings flooding your mind.

{FUCKING DAMN YOU AND YOUR ALMOST DYING.} He sends, burying his head into your chest. {PLEASE STOP DOING STUPID THINGS LIKE HEADPATTING GODDESSES.}

{Sorry I worried you again, but where did she go?} You send back.

He looks up at you with an annoyed expression. {I don’t know. She just up and vanished when I saw Tabitha running in at lightspeed.}

You turn to your wife, who is collapsed against you, legs powered off again. You cock your head and say, “I’m glad you rescued me but… how did you know I was here?”

She takes a moment to regain her breath before saying, “I was having a dream when suddenly I felt very cold, like something warm and important was taken from me. It was as if someone yelled in my ear to find what was wrong and it drove me out of my sleep. I woke up to find you missing and when I asked Alice, she said you were here. I came as fast as I could to find you falling off a ledge.”

“Falling off- Wait, you didn’t see me get pushed?”

She furrows her brow. “Pushed? By whom?”

You sigh and form a board of stone under all three of you and begin to push it back to the camp. “I think everyone is going to want to hear this story.”

>>340316

When you finish your tale those assembled look on with a mix of worry and anger. The most concerned of all are Selene and the Grand Wizard who whisper amongst themselves in hushed tones before conferring with you again. Selene is the first to speak, obviously shaken by the tale.

“This fits with what we’ve feared.” She says. “It seems inconceivable to believe, but if Phallia was so bold as to try and kill you like that and make it look like an accident… then she must be nearing something big.”

The Grand Wizard nods his head in agreement. “Her actions in Ectria with her Priestesses and the strange movements in Deleor before we left. She’s becoming bold, as if she knows something is going to happen.”

“But what?” You say, hands folded in front of you. “What would make her want to kill her own sister?”

“The better question.” Alice says, expression serious. “Is what makes her think she can get away with it?”

Everyone grows quiet at that. You came to the chasm partially to sightsee, partially to get answers, but in the end you only come up with more questions. One thing is for certain though- you need to get back to Deleor and find out what has happened and how to prevent the terrible fate Phallia has planned.

Looking at Tabitha, your wife, as she lays next to you, legs charging back up, you see the look of relief in her eyes at having you back. When you told Phallia why you fight for the Monsters you didn’t tell a single lie. You’d fight and die for this Monster and the future you’ll have together.

You look to the moon as it begins to settle in the west, toward Deleor. There you’ll make a new life with your wife and the friends you’ve made along the way. It might be hard, but you’ve done harder things during this journey. Though you’re still wary of the Goddesses and their schemes, you still believe in the words Dollora told you.

{Protect that which is dear to you and do not… lose hope.}

Tabitha’s hand squeezes yours. You turn your head and look into her eyes to see a fierce resolve there. A fire builds within your heart too and you smile at her, a gesture she mimics as well. Around you yours friends and comrades in arms smile too, determination filling their spirits. All of you have fought for what you have and you’ll be damned if anyone, Man, Monster, or God is going to take it from you.

>To be continued

>>340317

Frankly, I'm really tempted to replace the >To be continued with >The End. It's a really cheesy but kind of nice way to end it all, especially because I know I'm writing an epilogue.

I just don't really know if I want to incorporate this next part into the epilogue or make the epilogue a separate thing. Either way it totally wasn't Dollora and you guessed right, it was her asshole sister.

Tune in next time for the final bits of the story, but overall… it's over! We've got just a little left, but I'd like to thank everyone for their participation in this story and I really hope you had fun and enjoyed yourselves with this.

This story is the longest of the three at close to 450k words and nearly a year of working on it. It means a lot for everyone who has been reading since the original Wizardquest and those who ended up coming on board later on.

I have some special treat pictures being worked on (Hopefully this weekend, but I dunno. I kind of doubt it) that I hope y'all will enjoy.

Once the epilogue… other part.. whatever I'm going to do to finish this all up is done I'll be taking a break and probably doing short stories here and there again while working on a brand new Daughters of Khaine army. LAMIA BATTLELINE. AWW YEAH.

I'd be interested in writing more Tales from Deleor stories so if people have characters they'd like stories written about please let me know and I'd love to explore that.

As far as what the future holds for Deleor and the characters we've come to know and love? Well, I guess we'll see how things are in the ol' country here soon and who knows, maybe there will be a Wizardquest 3?

Ace you do a great job and make amazing stories. I may not always have smart or very in-Depth suggestions but I enjoy your stories a great deal and they brighten up my day.

Captcha caught me

>>340318

Naisu, very naisu. Would have personally liked a surprise secret super boss fight with an objective "Survive" here instead of a bold assassination attempt, especially with the excuse of not even gods paying attention to this place but it's already been a long ride so whatever.

Best part is that we get official confirmation that Phalia is a thot and a headpat slut, allowing any random asshole to touch her and getting a kick out of it. Now we only need to confirm how many futa tentacle cocks she has and how long they are.

>>340327

Headpats win again!

I do hope ace writes more wizard quest. This shit is good mang.

>>340317

Let me guess:

Phallia was able to provoke Dollora into attacking/framing her in the presence of Solos. Solos being the naive white knight casts Dollora out. I don't know the reason why Dollora created monsterkind. (I have a theory, but I need more data to comfirm or deny it.) Phallia gets Solos all to herself.

The Al-Sabbath summons Dollora to mortal realm. Not an Avatar, but the actual Goddess. Thus breaking the pact set out by Solos. Dollora is killed/descended by the combine pantheon for breaking the pact. The mystical backlash will either kill all monster kind or revert back into beasts. This would also effect plant monstergirls as well.

With no males to reproduce with, monsters die out! Thus Phallia becomes the one and only thot to Solos' cock.

>>340324

>all the headpat niggers up there

Actually the headpat helped reveal Phallia and her bitchiness. So it worked out in the end, m8.

>>340344

You are 50% correct.

>>340318

I'll save any words of appreciation and autistic speeches until we're actually well and truly finished, but it's been fun Ace. You did good.

Going off topic, but is there going to be a QA session right at the end? It's always interesting to see your thoughts and feelings on your own work, and with a project this long you no doubt have a lot of both.

>I'd be interested in writing more Tales from Deleor stories so if people have characters they'd like stories written about please let me know and I'd love to explore that.

You mentioned some time ago doing a short story on what Veronica has been up to since we didn't take the sea route, and while you're probably doing it any way, I'd like to express interest in that myself as Veronica hasn't had much love recently. Other than that, could we get a 'Tales from Ectria' for Zoras at some point? She wasn't with the party much in this quest and I feel like there's still a lot about her to look into which might make for an entertaining read.

>Story continue

Full of questions and renewed determination, you set out the next morning to head back to the Mountain pass. Angling more to the southwest, you pass close enough to see the Chasm again to it’s end before angling directly south. You have no further nighttime visitors after the first attempt on your life though you’re not certain why not. If Phallia could try and be rid of you without anyone finding out, why wouldn’t she just obliterate you?

The Grand Wizard suspects it’s due to her leaving a magical signature upon you that Nerg could detect when you cross over. It’s just speculation, but if that were the case then she couldn’t hide her involvement from him and it would fall back on her. Either way, you set up stronger watch and Tabitha locks you in place with her legs when the two of you go to sleep. It is at once endearing and incredibly uncomfortable, but at least you’re not going anywhere.

Due to your change of course, you end up not passing through Gahn again. Of course, since it’s so small, it would be easy to pass the village up with a minor course correction, but you’d rather make better time home. You’ve said what you need to say to Chike, might as well leave it at that for now. You’ll return someday, if the Gods are benevolent… though now that you think it, they very well may not be.

It takes a few days but you eventually reach the trading outpost on the border between Deleor and Ectria. You make one final stop that evening to resupply and get your things in order before making your way to the border pass the next morning. The curious thing about this outpost are the newer additions between your visit before and now. Much to even the surprise of the citizens, you find Wurms slithering around town.

None of them seem to recognize you, though you’re not certain they’ve been looking for you. Asking the innkeeper where you’re staying (and have smuggled in Helene) you find out that they recently migrated in some numbers to this part of Ectria. Finding the climate agreeable, they caused a nuisance for a few days before being given physical labor to perform. They took to this quite well and have actually been readily accepted by some people. You’re not surprised to hear that not a few of them have found men to be with as well- though the language barrier is… odd at times. Ah, they’re Wurms so it’s fine.

When you reach the checkpoint next morning the guards present are different than those you saw before. The people present seem sharp and committed to their tasks and you see more than a few detained slaver carts. Seems harpy word does travel fast here and Ammon’s connections must easily have moved for less corrupt officials. Good to see he’s not going back on his word after all!

They wave you through without issue and you head back into the mountain pass. Though you know you’re not yet in Deleor, it feels… somehow different crossing that threshold. It’s as if you took a step through a door outside the house you’ve been in for years. It’s at once disorienting and exhilarating as it finally hits you that you’re going home. That begs the question though… where is home for you?

As you ride along in the wagon, thinking this over you pose the question to Tabitha who thinks about it deeply herself. Folding her hands in her lap she says, “I’m not certain really. I know we mentioned it but… neither of us really has a place we belong, do we?”

“I have the place I lived back in Deleor.” You say. “But it’s not really meant for a uh… well, a family.”

Tabitha’s eyes widen for a moment before she looks down, smiling. Her hands fidget in an uncharacteristic way as she says, “A family, huh?”

“Well, we are married so… I mean, I’d hope you’d want to-“

“Of course I want a family.” She says, and you realize she’s on the verge of tears. “It just never… never really occurred to me that I could have one is all.”

“Well, you can, and you ah, well, you will.”

“Get a room.” Helene groans, rolling her eyes.

“We’re trying to think of a good place to make that happen.” You shoot back, to which Helene smirks.

“Mmm, fair enough. I suppose I’m in a similar boat, nowhere really to go.”

>>340445

“There’s always Blackfire Reach.” Tabitha says, shrugging. “The place is great for reptile Monsters and will certainly have an influx of people coming here shortly. At the very least it’s a temporary place.”

Helene considers this for a moment before frowning. “Well, if it’s so nice, why don’t the two of you live there?”

Both you and Tabitha exchange looks. You’d considered it but…

“Well, there will be a lot of families starting up there…” You say.

“They’ll need strong people and someone familiar with the earth…” She says.

“Plenty of fighting to keep things in check…”

“Lots of rocks…”

The two of you cross your arms and deliberate on this in deep thought until Erwin saunters in between you two and plops down, yawning. He sends, {It’s pretty warm there. Nice and cozy for naps, if smelly. Sure, let’s live there.}

{Hey, you can’t decide-}

He gives you a flat look. Welp, maybe he can decide.

Tabitha chuckles at your resigned expression before taking your hand. “Blackfire Reach it is.” She smirks, “Besides, it’s where we met after all.”

“Huh… so it was.” You say. “So it was…” It seems like so long ago that you were last there, fighting against the Wurm Queen to return the Reach back to its ancestral people. You know Tabitha didn’t want to say it, but returning to such a home and raising a new generation in the ways of the Lizardmen appealed to her greatly. You really can’t blame her and frankly it would make you part of history. Something about that tickles you pretty for some reason.

When the wagons stop for the evening in the Outpost between the two borders. You arrive wary, however the Deleorian guards present shy away when they notice you. You see a few familiar faces and sigh in disappointment. It seems more work is to be needed on your side to get things in order, but at least you have the leader of the Monster Nation who can speak with the King. Helene draws a few stares from the guards but no Ectrians seem to be in attendance today so there doesn’t seem to be any problems with her in plain sight, something she feels rather good about.

Once settled in, the first thing you do is open your [Port-O-Glass] alongside the Grand Wizard. The man’s fingers move over the runic keys with impressive skill as he pulls up information about what’s been happening in Deleor. He whistles softly and waves over his wife who reads the information with a look of worry.

“Blasted fools in Galmathoria.” She mutters, reading over reports in the country. “Look at the damage they’ve caused. Damnit, we should have been there to keep everything in line.”

“Looks like there’s still things for us to do.” The Grand Wizard says, nodding his head. “We’ll need to hurry back to Sanctifrond and get things in order. I’m afraid we can’t go home yet, though I honestly have no idea where Chaika or- oh hells.”

The man hurriedly accesses his leymail and curses. “This is going to take for fucking ever to read through. Fucking hells.” He shakes his head and just decides to type one mail before passing it to his wife who does the same on her own account. “At least everyone knows we’re not dead now.”

“That’s good.” You say, worried about the damage done in Deleor. What would have happened in the Grand Wizard and Selene had never gone to Ectria? If the Pharaoh attacked while this was happening? Or perhaps this never would have happened at all.

Questions without answers, unfortunately. You’re merely left with the present you have now and the future you want to make going forward. Still, you ask if there’s anything you and Tabitha can do with all of this.

>>340446

“I appreciate the sentiment, but not really. Most of this is politics.” The Grand Wizard sighs. “Besides, you two deserve a break, some happiness.”

“If you need a place to stay, there’s rooms in Sanctifrond I can get for you in the Embassy.” Selene says. “For Helene as well. As far as I’m concerned you are friends of the Monster Nation.”

“About that…” You begin before telling them of your intentions. Both the Grand Wizard and Selene smile at the suggestion, finding it a great one for the two of you.

“Good, live your life, look to the future.” Selene says.

“Having a family is a joy that you can’t understand until you have it.” The Grand Wizard says. “And should Phallia or Galmathoria or anyone cause trouble, I’ll know where to find a dependable ally. You’re really not that far away.”

“I suppose.” You chuckle. “I think we’ll have to go to Deleor every now and then, but for now-“

“You have more important things to worry about.” Selene says, cutting you off.

“Besides.” The Grand Wizard says, shrugging. “There’s always the leymail and El Dorito. Speaking of which…” He gets your leymail address and sends you a message with his, Selene’s and their daughter’s leymail. “There, now we’re all in touch.”

“Thank you.” You say, nodding to him. “This means a lot.”

“Yep, which means you better invite us when Tabitha pops one out.” He says, giving you a big grin.

“Uhh…”

“And I’ll know when it’s happening! I have to come service her legs every now and then anyway!”

“That’s-“

“That’s just who is he.” Selene says, patting your shoulder. “And I guess I love him for it.”

The three of you laugh at that and spend the rest of the evening getting caught up with the events in Deleor and what it all means in the future. None of you want to say it, but you have a feeling that something big is going to happen soon. Something which Phallia eluded to, but didn’t outright say. If… not, WHEN the time comes, you’ll all be ready.

The next morning both you and Tabitha deliver the news to the rest of the group. While disappointed, they all understand, though Sylphie has to try not to look like she’s going to cry. Sophie shakes your hand before sighing and giving you a hug while her sister outright hugs you enough to make it hurt a little. Alice nods to you and Tabitha, giving the two of you a worthy send off.

“When I next see you, I’m going to be the better swordswoman.” She says to Tabitha, who merely smirks and says,

“Is that a challenge?”

“You bet you scaly ass it is.”

Surprisingly Mr. Ed walks up after the farewells by the twins and Alice, the horse stands before you to look down into your eyes. Snorting, he lowers his head and touches it to your forehead. It shocks you to hear a strong, masculine voice in your mind say,

{It was an honor, Wizard Rommel. You have done well by the young ones and I hope one day we can meet again.}

You stare at him in shock as he pulls away and wickers before walking over to Sylphie and nuzzling her shoulder. With their farewells said, the Grand Wizard and Selene usher the others onto the wagons, leaving the four of you to travel on your own to Blackfire Reach.

You settle everyone upon a large section of stone you plan to cast <Rock Slide> on and sigh. Tabitha touches your shoulder and asks, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Just… overwhelmed.”

“Me too.” She says, leaning her head on your shoulder. “But I’m also excited.”

Chuckling at that, you slide the rock forward, off toward Blackfire Reach.

>>340447

The journey there is relatively short and, surprisingly, easier than before. Many of the random rocks lining the pathway have been removed and you see the signs of wagon wheels in the dirt. Though you see no one else on the path, clearly people have been moving through recently. Something else you see that surprises and worries you are the signs of Wurm tracks, fresh too. So some of them are still around here then…

You arrive at the massive gates before Blackfire Reach to find them closed. Looking between yourselves, you stop and get off the rock, walking toward the gates. As you approach a Wurm sticks her head out from the side of the gate. Her eyes go wide and she says, “Woooaaah, it’s Sveth! He’s back!”

“Huh? What are you talking about, that’s just a man.” Another voice calls. A moment later a black haired Lizardman with red scales pops her head out from the other side of the gate. She looks at all of you for a moment before her eyes go wide. “Holy hells, is that the Wanderer?”

Tabitha blinks in surprise. “Another Lizardman? Here so soon.”

The other Lizardman nods from her post on the gate and says, “Let me get this gate open! Chello, get your side working!”

“Right-right!” The Wurm replies, and a moment later the gate grinds open. The Lizardman appears soon after, beaming as she walks up and takes Tabitha’s hand.

“A pleasure to meet you. My name is Jeanne.”

“Well met, but what’s going on here?”

The Lizardman smiles and waves you inward. “Oh, you’re going to love this.”

---———————————-

As you walk through the other gates you gain more and more of a following. A mix of both Lizardmen and wurms trail you, as well as many human men and women. You spy some younger Lizardmen in the crowd too and it begins to dawn on you just how many have already arrived here. You didn’t think you were gone long enough to gather so many people but you’ll be damned if they didn’t arrive in droves.

The city itself looks much changed as well. Under the direction of the Lizardmen, many of the Wurms who hadn’t left the city for whatever reason instead turned their destructive tendencies to rebuilding. With the help of the Lizardmen, they’d begun repairing much of the broken structures and they now look lived in somehow. Perhaps the years of banishment into Deleor had gained a new found appreciation for color, but a sense of vibrant life exudes this city now.

Tabitha takes you hand and squeezes hard the more she sees, tears forming in her eyes. She even puts a hand to her mouth at one point as she sees one of the ancient statues (somewhat) formed back into a semblance of it’s former glory.

Jeanne leads the four of you to the Palace where you find, much to your surprise, Emphrasea, Queen of the Wurms present and speaking with both Wurms and Lizardmen. At your approach their conversation stops and the Lizardmen bow with respect to Tabitha while the Wurm Queen does the same. She licks her lips and looks to Tabitha before gulping.

“You’ve… returned so soon.”

“You’re still here.” Tabitha says with a flat voice.

“You have to understand.” Emphrasea says, holding out her scaled hands. “Some of my people left for Ectria, but without you present here to make them go and myself in poor condition, I found it difficult to make more leave. When the first Lizardmen came, I also needed to keep them from fighting between each other and one thing lead to another and…”

“And we’re working with them to rebuild.” A younger, yellow scaled Lizardman says, introducing herself as Lorielle. “My husband and I had learned that we were welcome here again and came as soon as we could. Though the stories my mother told me of the Wurms filled me with worry, I’ve found that once we could talk with each other, we can come together and work to make this city great again.”

The man next to her in the uniform of the Order of the Heroic Brotherhood introduces himself as Jake and says, “The Order is keeping an eye on things and is supplying trade to the city as Deleor desperately needs the ore and gold here. People who want to escape the conflict between Galmathoria and Deleor have come here in addition to the displaced Lizardmen as well as those who just want a new life.”

>>340448

Emphrasea shrugs. “I’m told even the descendent of the last Queen has been found too. Perhaps she will come of her own volition someday.” She cocks her head and asks then, “What brings you back here if I may ask.”

Tabitha looks to you and you nod, squeezing her hand reassurance for once. Things aren’t exactly as she thought they’d be, but you’re both here and Blackfire Reach is on the path to being on the map again. Still, you leave it to her if she wishes to stay and she knows this just by your touch.

Taking a deep breath, Tabitha sighs out and says. “I’m here to finally stop my Wandering. If you’d have me, let myself and my husband stay here and help build a new home.”

The assembled peoples and Monsters welcome all of you, Helene included, with open arms.

---—————————

You flop down upon the bed and let out a groan. It’s been a week since you’ve been in Blackfire Reach and you still don’t have a house of your own. Most of the usable rooms have been taken already and both you and Tabitha agreed it would be fine to stay in one of the guest rooms of the Palace for now. Thankfully the beds here are still very comfortable and you appreciate the soft blankets after your day.

Despite your recovery period, your geomancy is in high demand so you’ve sucked it up and gone to work in the mines and around the city. It’s rewarding work helping everyone, but man does it leave you tired. Still, you feel your recovery is going well and you even tried to eat whole food yesterday with success.

Rolling onto your back, you hear the door to the bedchamber open and you look up to see Tabitha enter, a smile on her face. Feeling a smile come to your lips as well, you wave for her to come over and she does, sliding up onto the bed next to you and snuggling in.

“How was your day, oh great Wanderer?” You ask her.

She rolls her eyes. “Ugh, not you too. Everyone calls me that still and I have to pretend I don’t care about the title.”

“They look up to you though.”

“I know, I know. It’s nice being on the council to get things in order, but it can be taxing mentally.” She rubs at her temples and then sighs. “At least I hear things are going well for you?”

“Pretty good. Cleared out another mineshaft with the Wurm crew and helped restore a few levels of a building. Things are moving well here.”

“Good to hear. How about your sister?”

“Oddly enough the children ADORE her. She’s taken a liking to babysitting and interacting with the children of all kinds.”

“Huh, interesting.” Tabitha says. “Maybe she feels protective of them like she did with you?”

“I guess, but she’s still a little clingy.” You chuckle before looking about. “Have you seen Erwin?”

“I’ve seen him sauntering about this place and riding on Wurms like he owns the Palace. He’s having way too much fun out here.”

“Hmm.” You say. “I should find a vixen for him. Having a lover of his own will kill him in line I think.”

As you say this Tabitha purses her lips and rolls over to lean her chest onto you. “Speaking of lovers… I wonder if-“

“Tabitha, you know they said that we should-“

“Shhh, I’m just going to take a check.” She says, reaching over and pulling down your trousers to reveal your member. A glint of lust enters her eyes and she touches your flaccid member with her hand, her cool fingers sliding across your head. Though it should feel odd with her cold blooded touch, you only feel a spike of pleasure shiver up your spine.

“Oh? What’s this?” She says, looking up at you. “It seems to be working.”

>>340449

You look down to see your cock rising under her caress, filling with all your repressed longing. Gods does it feel good to have her stroke you like this, but… You try to protest but Tabitha merely shakes her head and readjusts herself so that she can lean over and take you in her mouth.

You hips buck softly as you swell within her mouth, to which she utters a pleased sound. She hungrily slurps upon your manhood, using her scaled fingers to caress your balls as her head moves up and down your shaft. Unable or perhaps unwilling to fight it any longer you just lean back and wallow in the pleasure of her servicing. Soon enough you feel yourself come to your limit, brought to the brink by the lack of such actions for so long. She feels it too and works all the faster until you explode within her mouth.

A feeling of ecstasy washes over you as she pulls her head away, reptilian tongue licking up your semen. She moans in pleasure and looks at you with the hungry eyes of a beast that isn’t satisfied. You know you shouldn’t, and that the motions might be too much for you, but you say fuck it and smile at her. Her eyes flash and she hurriedly removes her clothing, exposing her toned, pale body and glittering green scales. It amuses you that her tail swishes behind her in gentle motions too.

“Damn you’re beautiful.” You say, to which she puts a finger upon your lips and hushes you.

“Don’t tell me. Show me.”

Though she says this, she pushes you down when you try to get up and instead takes your cock again in her hand, stroking you until you feel yourself grown hard again. The whole while she rubs at her own loins, sticky fluid running between her fingers and down her thigh in longing. When ready she uses her shining legs to lift her above you, positioning her vulva to your manhood and then sinking down atop you.

Both of you throw your heads back as you’re once again awash in the sensations of each other’s body. Tabitha’s tight, powerful pussy latches onto your penis which bulges within her, as if stretching out to reach her deepest places. She lets out a gasp of joy and then sinks further upon you until your entire member is within her body, pressing up against her womb. With a smile she begins to move, using her body shaped for battle to now ride you with sexual prowess.

Her hips move in powerful, ryhtmic motions that you find yourself matching, bringing both of you to greater heights of pleasure. Her breasts rock up and down as she moves, entrancing you with their beauty until she leans down and kisses you with a deep passion that you return, thrusting into her hard enough that she lets out a moan and pulls away to shudder against you, a look of bliss on her face.

“Is this showing you enough?” You say through short breaths as you continue your onslaught of her pussy.

“Ah… ahn, yes, I… I think this is getting the point across.”

You feel a familiar wave building up within you and you give her a wicked smile. “Let me bring it all home then, shall I?”

Her eyes go wide as you grab her legs and thrust even harder as you feel yourself coming to your limit. She grasps your hands and clamps down tight upon your cock, as if begging you for what is about to come. With a gasp of release, you let forth your sperm into her, flooding Tabitha’s womb with waves of white fluid. Weeks of pent up lust for your wife flow out from you, seeking her womb with a singular purpose.

When it’s finished, she leans down atop you and pants, her cold fingers warming up from the sex and your hot, sweaty body. She looks at you with tears in her eyes and kisses you deeply before pulling herself off you and touching her vulva which leaks trails of your freshly implanted semen. She sighs with joy and looks in your eyes before growing concerned.

“Rommel-ah!”

>>340450

She gasps as you rise up and push her onto her back. Taking your shirt off, you lean over and kiss her on the mouth, something she doesn’t fight. When you finish she takes short breaths and asks, “What is this?”

“Did you think we were done with just one time?” You ask, gesturing to your cock. It stands at full attention with barely contained glee to enter her again. “They say it can take many tries to make a Lizardman pregnant.”

“Well then.” She says, eyes sparkling. “I guess we’ll just have to keep trying until we get it right?”

She lays back and spreads her legs open, giving you a great view of her fantastic body. To her surprise again, you ask her to roll over. She does, waving her tail in your face until you grab it with one hand and her firm ass with the other. A gasp escapes her lips and as if on instinct she lifts her butt into the air, exposing her swollen pussy to you.

“Rommel, you aren’t going to- ahn!”

Her protests are cut off as you plunge within her from behind. Still gripping her tail, you slam yourself into her with a passion that distantly aggravates your wonders, though you could care less. She lets out a series of moans and gasps of pleasure from your powerful thrusts which quest deep within her. The cum you let loose early mixed with a new wave of her own juices lubricates your latest thrusts, bringing a heightened pleasure to both of you.

Your fingers stroking her scaled tail hit a spot which makes her let out an almost embarrassing cry of pleasure and you continue to tickle this while pressing yourself into her to tickle her womb as well. She turns about and gives you a tear filled scowl but the illusion is ruined when she next lets out a gasp of pleasure.

“R-Rommel.” She says through moans of pleasure. “Please- Please, let me hold you for t-this.”

Fucking hells, you can’t say no to this. Pulling yourself free from her, you turn her onto her back, the lewdest of all positions- Missionary. She holds out her arms to you and you lean forward to insert yourself within her again and allow her to envelop you in her embrace. As you thrust again her cold, metallic legs wrap around you almost without her knowing and you remember your first night together.

Kissing her gently on the lips as you thrust you say, “I love you Tabitha.”

“I think… you’ve made that point clear.” She says, smiling at you. “But I love you too.”

“Are you ready for this then?”

“What, the future or your load of hot spunk?”

“Why not both?”

She smiles and kisses you before leaning back as you thrust faster and faster to reach your climax. “I’ve spent my whole life being ready for you and all you have to give me.”

With those words you let loose again, feeling somehow as if this ejaculation is stronger than before. Her back arches as you fill every last inch of her with your sperm before both of you collapse into a heap, panting from the exertion. Still connected, you kiss her upon the lips and say,

“Nothing is going to stand in the way of me making you happy.”

“Is that a promise?”

“You can count on it.”

She lets out the most genuine laugh you think you’ve ever heard her give. It’s possibly the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. For that purpose and so many others, you’re thankful for your journey to Ectria. You left on a journey of adventure, exploration, and to settle a grudge, but in the end you found something far more important.

You couldn’t be happier.

>The End

>>340451

And with that, we finally reach the end. Can't actually have an ending without some tender dicking, can we?

While I do need to write the epilogue, I need to think about how I want to do that, and it's also late here so tomorrow at the earliest. For all intents and purposes though, the ride is over!

I really do want to again thank everyone for their participation with this. It's insane how long this lasted and all the craziness we went through but as long as everyone had fun then it's worth it.

>>340324

Given that things will Resolve maybe In Wizardquest 3 when/ if that happens Yes. Cliffhanger sort of. Sadly you do not just get to die. Not yet.

>>340327

TBH you would have lost a boss fight so badly and we were on the home stretch out. Another fight would have been weird and out of place. Besides, it's SETTING THINGS UP

>>340330

Aww, well, definitely the short stories!

As for anything longer, I'll need a break I think. Haha… ha.

>>340344

I dunno man. It could be.

>>340367

That's just a beautiful answer

>>340422

I mean, technically we have an epilogue to go, but this is basically done. I'm sure you've got some juicy ass tearing to perform. I shall get some lovely ointment for my rectum.

Yes, totally ask questions. I'd love to answer them and try to remember points of the story I totally didn't forget because I'm a competent writer.

Oh, yeah I suppose I should write about Veronica. Zoras though? Interesting! Yeah, I actually wanted her in the main party for a bit and if people pushed for it, there would have been a way to keep her around, but at the same time, we had a lot of characters to work with already so… yeh.

>>340447

>Mr. Ed finally talks to us through thoughts

>>340452

Take as long as you need. Another story so soon after this one would mentally kill you.

>>340451

Thanks for writing, Ace.

>Epilogue

“Rommel?” Helene asks, holding a Wurm child in her arms. “Can you help me with something?”

Sighing, you get up from where you’re sitting and walk over to your sister. She promptly hands you the small, wriggling ball of Monster who giggles and tries to crawl into your jacket. Groaning, you start patting the little girl’s head and she lets out a small sigh and then falls asleep. You give your sister a frown and ask, “Did you just want me to make her sleep?”

“Maaaaayyybbbbeee.” Helene says, taking the little girl back. She chuckles and places the child down in a little bed to drift off to sleep before sighing and nodding to you. “Thank you for the help.”

“At this point, I figure it’s part of what happens when I’m here.”

“Heh, took you two months to figure it out?”

Shaking your head you sit back down at the table and regard the room you’re sitting in. Helene’s house, granted to her due to her work with looking after children is small, but roomy enough for her serpentine body. She’s decorated quite nicely, even incorporating some Ectrian designs into the décor. You’d never really have taken her for such a domestic but she confesses that one of her greatest dreams was to find a loving husband and be a homemaker.

“I sort of figured that was off the table.” She confesses, places some cookies down before you on the table. You munch on one, your stomach much improved since your wound, savoring the flavor.

“Not half bad.”

“Please, they’re amazing.” She sniffs.

“Hmph, if you say so.”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Gods, I never really expected things could be so… peaceful for me. But I really love it here you know? It’s nice and warm and there’s plenty to do. I was afraid everyone would be afraid of me, but no one’s heard of an Apophis! It’s nice.”

“Adjusting well though?”

“Oh, yes. I’m starting to wonder how I got along with two legs.” Another chuckle escapes her lips before she sighs. “To be honest I’m still working on the lust thing though. With all those shirtless men working on all that rock, sweating like that…”

“That’s… descriptive enough.” You say, holding up your hand. “Haven’t you been spending a lot of time with Hector though?”

She looks embarrassed. “Well, I mean… maybe a little. He does seem to like to drop by every now and then and thinks my eyes are rather enchanting.” She flashes her fangs before hiding them with a hand. “Oh Gods, why do I keep wanting to bite him when I think of that?”

“Maybe… it’s an Apophis thing?”

“Ugh… I should look it up I guess.”

You laugh and pat her arm. “Well, I’m told one of the daughters of the Grand Wizard’s friends is quite a scholar. Maybe she’ll know something.”

“Hmm. Perhaps.” She says, tapping her chin. “Speaking of which, how are things in Deleor? I’ve been thinking about taking a trip there to see how things are.”

A sigh escapes your lips. “Well, it could be worse. Places like Cair are in poor shape from the assault by Galmathoria but things are sitting on a razor’s edge now. Deleorians are still scared but with Selene back in place and the Grand Wizard using his influence, they’re able to start getting things under control.”

“What about Phallia, has she made any moves?”

“Not that we know of except for the Cradle. They’re still not allowing people in and the Deleorian government isn’t in a position to do anything about it. Biomancers are worried about the magics they sense, but keeping the country together is far more important.”

>>340548

“I suppose.” She says, pursing her lips. “It doesn’t make much sense though; this war has actually driven the Monsters and the Deleorians closer together. Many of them consider Deleor their home too and they will defend it, even working within the Order of the Heroic Brotherhood.” Shrugging her shoulders, she says, “This doesn’t really seem to serve Phallia’s stated goal.”

“I know, which is why no one seems interested in listening. The Lord Commander of the Order has taken it under consideration but he has his hands full as it stands.” Groaning, you lean back and look up at the ceiling. “I’m wondering if she was bluffing or…”

“Or is something else brewing?”

“Yeah.” You say with a frown.

She shakes her head. “Well, I think that we might as well just treasure this peace for now. Build ourselves up and prepare for what could happen. No sense in living in paranoia, right?”

“I suppose not.” You say, shrugging. “Ah, I’ve heard about the twins by the way. Looks like Sylphie’s gone on a pilgrimage out west toward Hudson while Sophie has headed to the Monster Nation’s capital. They send me leymails every now and then and they’re both doing very well. Looks like Mr. Ed has had to deter more than one suitor for Sylphie and Sophie is learning some hard knock politics.”

“They’re nice girls. I wish I could have known them better.”

“Aye, they are. I’m glad they’re doing fine though. Ah, speaking of which Alice has joined the Order again and immediately has been sent to the frontlines. I haven’t heard much from her, but The Grand Wizard says she’s making a name for herself- a good one this time.”

“Huh. Any word from Ebe or the others from Ectria?”

You sigh. “Just a letter from Ebe. I’m surprised it actually found us, but the leylines haven’t connected yet so we can’t get in better communication.” Patting your pockets, you pull out a piece of paper and unfold it, releasing the scent of perfume. Helene raises an eyebrow and you cough into your hand. She leans over and furrows her brow.

“Can you read Ectrian?”

“I pick things up quickly.” You say, clearing your throat and reading from the letter.

“Dear Rommel,

It feels like it’s been so long, yet it’s only been slightly over a month. I hope this letter finds you well! I hope you and Tabitha are doing good and have settled down somewhere nice. I sent letters out to Sophie and Sylphie too, but I don’t know if it will reach them. I hope they’re doing well too!

Things here are going well here, better than expected. The people in the outlying villages have been starved for some change and so far Ammon seems to be quite for the people! I’ve been sent out to see the people at times and they love the aid he’s sent. Some people in the capital don’t appreciate the change still and some die-hard cultists cause trouble here and there, but the troubles are few and far between.

I met my Mother again and she’s so happy! I’m glad you said goodbye to her before leaving. Hopefully we can meet again soon too! I’ll send you more letters if I can, but I’ve been really busy. Maybe this leymail will come to us soon as well? I’d really like to talk with everyone again!

Oh right, I forgot to mention, but the Sphinx you met before, Farya is here and she’s so CUTE. Zoras and her are getting along great, though no one knows where Polah is. Well, Ammon might, but he’s not saying anything.

That’s all for now, but I hope all of you stay safe!

Love, Ebe.

P.S. There’s this cute boy named Urien I’ve been seeing. I’ll send more details later.”

You fold the letter back up with a smile on your face, one which Helene shares. She sighs and says, “I do wish I had been on part of your adventures. You met some… interesting people.”

A thought crosses her mind and she says,

“Oh, speaking of interesting people, I’ve heard Erwin…”

“Oh Gods. Yeah. I know.” You sigh, rolling your eyes.

“You know, when I saw that fox enter here I was a little surprised…”

“Yeah. I know.” You groan.

“Who would have thought he’d get close to her and…”

“YEAH. I KNOW.”

“There, there.” She says, patting your arm. “He’s still your best friend.”

“He never shuts up about how soft her tails are. He keeps flaunting it around for some reason and I know he’s just fucking with me but Gods damn.”

“Well.” Your sister says, shrugging. “Nia is a very cute Kitsune.”

“Honestly, if that fox was a human he’d be a dirty old man.” You grumble.

“Aww, are you jealous of him?”

“Not at all. I’m happy for him.”

>>340549

“I know, I know. I’m just teasing you. He’s a good one, he just needs to get out every now and then and have some fun. Maybe he’ll meet a nice, normal fox one of these days.”

“Hmm.” You muse before nodding your head and leaning forward again. “You’re right, of course.”

“I’m sure you hear that enough from your wife.” She chuckles.

“Gods, yes.” You say, taking another cookie. “But I still love her.”

“Ah, but how are you ‘loving’ her? I’ve heard the two of you are still-“

“Lizardmen don’t get pregnant easily.” You say, cutting her off. “Ask any of the older ones here.”

“Oh, I know.” Helene says, pointing at a sleeping Lizardman child in the next room. “The parents here keep telling me all sorts of tips and tricks to pass on to you. Did you know that if you apply lemon to her nipples-“

“Yeah, I think we’ll stick with the conventional way.” You say, cutting her off.

“Haha, well it will happen soon enough.” She says, giving you a serpentine smile. “I’m happy for you though. It’s nice seeing you smiling all the time.”

“I am?” You ask, cocking your head as you think about it. Over these past few months you have been pretty happy now that you think about it. Your work is nice and you even claimed a good home for your family and are in the process of turning it into a home. The leaders of Blackfire Reach, a council at the moment with Tabitha upon it look to you for your magically acumen so you have some respect in the community too. Honestly, things are going better than you could have imagined.

There is, however, one black spot on all of this. You failed to tell her about something the Grand Wizard and Selene told you in confidence the last time you met within El Dorito. During the conflict with Galmathoria, certain artifacts had been found with the potential to pull even a God into this world. While only a few people have been made aware of their existence, the concept scares everyone involved.

For now though, you’re using some of you spare time to search for clues about such items, for they’re assumed to not be the only ones in existence. It may be nothing, but if it’s even a possibility then whomever controls such artifacts could either drag this world into chaos or keep it stable. Either way, in order to protect the future you wish to create, you need to pay attention to this.

A knock sounds at the door and Helene gets up, slithering over to it. As the door opens you see Tabitha on the other sigh, a smile on her face as she asks. “Helene! Is my husband here?”

“Why yes, he is.” Helene says, smiling.

“Uh. What?” You ask, your attention taken from the doom and gloom and returned back to the present.

“Ah good, you’re here.” Tabitha says, walking over and sitting down next to you. She takes a cookie herself and waves it at you. “The council wants you to help mine some more mithril down in shaft three. Think you can help out?”

“Shaft three? That place smells like rancid farts!”

“I’m sure you’ll survive.” She says, taking a bite of the cookie with a loud crunch.

Rolling your eyes, you shake your head and say, “Yeah, I’ll gather a crew and head down there. They better thank me for this.”

“I’m sure they will. Maybe we’ll get a choice on some of the new good that have come in from Ectria. Ammon got those trading rights set up damn quick, didn’t he?”

“A good thing too, they’re shipping in food Deleor desperately needs.”

Your wife nods her head. “It’s good work and useful mineral. Besides, maybe you’ll find another bit of runite down there?”

“Maybe.” You say, looking down at your coat which has a vial of the mythical mineral. You’re not certain what you can do with it yet, or if you’ll ever find more, but legends say it can create magic weapons of incredible potency. As it stands the little pieces in your pocket resonate with magic easily, so who knows?

Tabitha shakes her head and leans over to kiss you on the lips before leaning forward and whispering in your ear.

“Don’t worry, once you come home tonight I’ll make sure to give you something to reward your hard work.”

Suddenly, all of your worries, even shaft three, seem so very trivial.

>>340550

That was shorter than expected, but I think I got the information out I wanted.

OKAY WE ARE FOR REAL DONE NOW!

Yaaaaaay!

I'll be uploading this to TFT starting next in digestible "Chapters" of like 20k words. It's not digestible at all, but what can you do?

Ah, speaking of projects, I'm going to finally buckle down and edit Wizardquest 1. I really want to make it into something more readable and if anyone wants to help proofread, be my guest. My end goal with that Is to self publish it for kicks and so I can get a physical copy bound and have it next to me. I just worry it would need to be trimmed down or made into multiple volumes!

Now then, it's time for Q&A, I'd really like to know what you liked most, what you hated most, and then what stood out to you about the story. Did it flow better than the other two? What comments do you have for me about the experience? Anything at all you'd like to say I would love to hear.

I shall prepare my ass cream for the rending I shall take.

Still though, it doesn't feel real that I just wrote the last few words of this installment. I've been doing it for so long it just felt natural to work on it (or apologize for not working on it!)

There's some art maybe probably coming, but if there's something nice you'd have in mind, ask away and it might happen! I love getting pieces done from the stories.

I'll be around as normal, so again, thanks for reading guys and I look forward to seeing all of you when I succumb to the itch and write more.

How am I going to juggle three characters th- I mean.

What?

>>340552

I liked it! Just a random list of things what I liked versus what I didn't:

Liked:

It was interesting to see the Wizard back in action, and you fit him in well despite the setting being a bit more serious now. Plus he didn't overshadow the other protagonists.

Tabitha and the twins were great.

Rommel and Erwin were great. Loved Rommel's magic.

Ammon was interesting, especially liked how he ended up not actually betraying everyone.

I'm a sucker for the "there and back again" style of storytelling. It really gives you time to sink your teeth into each area.

Your update schedule. This cannot be understated; I've been reading CYOAs/Quests for years and the fact that you're able to keep a consistant schedule is a fucking rarity.

Shoutouts to Barbarian/Warrior Quest. Wizardquest 3: Infinity Wars when?

Polah is a qt plz bring her back in the future I wanna fug the spergriffon plz sir

Disliked:

Some characters could have used more characterization. In particular I'm thinking of Ebe and Alice. I think another anon went into Ebe in an earlier thread, but I really wanted to see more of Alice. I don't know if we really know much more about her than we did at the end of Illusionist Quest. Would have liked to see more interactions between her and Tabitha (maybe if you're looking to do another short story or two…?).

I feel like Rommel's motivation for finding the Wizard didn't work that well. It should have been a source of conflict earlier in the story (maybe have one of the monsters catch him posting anti-monster shit on Wizard /pol/ or something lol). By the time he met the Wizard he'd been travelling with monsters long enough and was pretty much ready to plow Tabitha, so the only reason left to even talk with the Wizard about it was to tie up the loose end.

Probably anon's fault, but it would have been good to have more interaction with Helene before her transformation. Maybe if we had joined the cult properly this would have been the case?

Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. Great job, hope to see more!

>>340559

Thank you for the comments!

I'm glad the GW didn't overshadow. That was a worry of mine when he got some rest so I tried to make sure it was focused on Rommel and co.

Ah, I was worried that the twins, Sophie especially, had lost much screentime near the end and was forgotten. Nice

Heh, I did my best to keep Erwin from not being too much like Bubs. Glad their interplay resounded well.

I've said before about the update schedule, but I needed to keep it (somewhat) so I could make myself do this. There are times I really just wanna paint or play vidya but I needed to push forward. Even if people didn't like a section, or didn't read, I needed to finish the story for myself. It's better to make trash than sit there and do nothing I feel.

Oh yeah, I like slavsan's adventures. It's still really humbling to see that story and to read it. Everyone should follow along if you still need your fix!

Polah? Aha, yeah. I really didn't expect her to be so popular, but I never do with these characters. Maybe she'll get a short story?

Dislikes:

Yes, unfortunately it became clear to me very quickly I didn't get Alice the building she needed. I made sure she got some growth at the end of the adventure but she suffered from Veronica syndrome (What I felt that was anyway)- I just couldn't find a good way with her personality to get more out there. I tried harder near the end, but I understand. As far as interactions with Tabitha, I saw that too, but it was hard to squeeze those in while advancing the storyline. She came with Tabitha to train after all! Bleh.

Same with Ebe really. People really liked her but that one scathing review really put it in perspective. I hope she seems like she grew near the end, but too little, too late?

Most of the original plans were utterly scrapped in the beginning when you gamed by plan and had him go with both of the twins. His rage toward slavers was sort of a building upon his motivations, but I didn't want to outright say his intention either. Still, the journey itself is mostly that of growth and by the time he reached the GW a conflict wasn't going to happen. It did make that scene a little terse though, so c'est la vie.

I wanted more interaction with her too, but the major issue was with Aliph's cult. Had you gone more with her you'd probably have seen more of Helene. Even in the caves, similar story, or even in the capital itself! The opportunities weren't obvious, but they were there. Hard to build her up with the limited screentime, but that was also partially when I introduced her. RIP

Thanks for the comments!

>>340552

>Liked

The attempt at making a grey morality sort of story with the conflict between the establishment and the revolutionaries in the country acting as background events to the primary objective. It was almost as basic as Skyrim civil war kind of deal but the experiment was reasonably successful.

Setting. Once more, your most prominent and enjoyable skill is the varied locations and their descriptions, despite the story being set in a literal boring desert, it was always a joy to read about the new locales. My favorite being the river trip and the bandit caves.

The protagonist this time was better than GW's rather blank slate, his backstory and personality did not feel forced and added interesting tensions.

The magic. Best applications of it in the series to be honest. I quite enjoyed all the creative ways it was utilized in even at the start when trench was used to ignore the arbitrary choice to give up one of the twins.

>Hated

I'll be honest, this was probably your weakest story by far, including the shorts.

The plot. God damn, it was all over the place and confusing as hell. Mysteries and questions set up everywhere with either no or lame answers. The background lore of Ectria was solid but the present conflict was not shown well.

The violet sands were supposed to be against the tyranical rule of the Pharaoh but we never even seen her do anything of the sort. The only time we had encountered the royal guard was we noticed corruption at the border and when we had to fight them to free some violet sands members, which means that they were just doing their jobs.

The few communities that we saw seemed reasonably well off, the only major issue being with the bandits at the river. And you can't even blame slavery on the Pharaoh, the violet sands had no issues with it and neither did the populace, it was a strictly personal conflict of interests for Rommel. So why the hells did the cult garner so much support from the local populace then?

The Hentateh was such a random addition, seemingly existing solely to act as a recurring boss, her backstory never explained despite how seemingly important and powerful she was.

I will not even go into details about how big of a failure the focus on Helene in the story was, with her being generic, unlikable and completely failing to act as an objective for Rommel because you tried to be too mysterious about his past too hard for the first half in the story to establish her then and didn't have Helene seek her brother out herself when she learned that he was alive and well.

Even before we got to Ectria, the way how easily Blackfire reach has surrendered after being hyped up as Tabitha's final destination throughout Wizard and Illusion quests made me go "what in the goddamn?"

The Queen Wurm was the only smart one, okay that was cool. She felt guilty, that made sense but you are telling the Danuki with all of their political and economical influence just shrugged and gave up the biggest gold mining operation in the country and the lizardmen just went "whatever" when they came back instead of driving out and killing the shit out of the monsters that had driven them out and murdered countless relatives and friends? I like happy endings, but holy shit this was some fairy tale asspulling. When Rommel came back to Blackfire Reach what he should have met up with was the head of the wurm queen on a pike outside and the entire fortress filled to the brim with armed mercenaries hired by Danusreal with orders to kill them on sight should they get into walking distance of the city.

And no, Blake wouldn't do jack shit. He is for all intents a PMC head instead of a politician and trying to openly butt heads with the Danuki like that would be more trouble than it was worth.

Characters. Usually your strong suit too but you really dropped the ball hard this time. Aside from Rommel and Alice, everyone else felt forced and their interactions dry aside from occasional tender moments with Tabitha and Ebe. The twins were particularly egregious, obviously set up as a primary love interest with hardly any depth to them besides "they are the daughters of GW and Selene" and "one is smart and the other is pretty".

With who Ebe was, she should have been much more openly opposed to how Rommel dealt with Violet sands and especially should have bitch slapped GW and Selene after learning how hard they fucked with her land for the sake of personal interests. Massive waste of potential in terms of drama where Rommel would juggle his country's interests against Ectria's represented by Ebe. Zoras should have had a bigger presence for the same reason, possibly dropping hints about Ammon's real objective to foreshadow it.

>How did ti flow?

Worse than both Illusionist and Wizard 1. The pacing was all over the place.

>Comments

Illusionist was a direct upgrade to Wizard but this feels like a massive regress in quality. Potentially due to the loss of quality at the expense of quantity. It's not bad or anything, it was still fun to read but god damn, you need to put more thought into the plot and characters instead of just writing whatever comes to your head without any filters or QA.

>>340603

Wew

I don't even know if I can adequately address all of these points. I wish I didn't agree on some of them but in truth I did feel the pacing felt slow at periods followed by some areas (such as Hatset) running too quickly.

It's odd how one person feels Alice was underutilized and another things she was strong. Interesting, but you did pick up on my vibes of the twins. Ah, oh well.

Yes, Blackfire Reach sort of… felt anti-climactic also when writing. Partially anon choices and partially because the resolution was quick.

As far as the last comment, that's sort of what I'd mentioned before- ironically when I do plan things out further the implementation gets a little more wonky. At least it's how it feels. I'll be honest but I have extreme difficulty planning things out to the last detail, especially when writing these sort of stories relies heavily on audience interaction. Like Helene: Implemented ham handed, but could have had more interaction if it was pursued. There are a few things I'll force to happen but otherwise I'll roll with it.

So, at the end of it, I won't argue with the heart your points slavsan because it's your opinion and you're correct. Thank you for being blunt.

>>340640

Hey, if you wanted a circle jerk you should have been posting these on reddit. I ain't afraid yo call things for what they are, especially if I am invested in them.

As for why I believe Alice was one of the better characters? It's because she was a likable slut, something which is close to a mathematical impossibility to execute, especially knowing where we are and the target audience of the story.

Her sluttiness and vain, prideful attitude was not just an informed trait either, it was part of her character that actually had gameplay impact, so to speak, within the narrative when it was used to gain information and favor with an innkeeper.

It was a believable character flaw that added much needed depth to her. It was frequently played for laughs, with her getting defensive about it but not by aggressively rejecting the notion that it was something bad or something that was a part of her person.

Throughout the journey you could actually see her observe her surroundings outside of her comfort zone and start to feel more and more disgust at herself as well as showing signs of regret over being cast out from the Order and her failure to act as glory hound. Both her pride as a swordsman and honor as a woman being put to the ultimate test time and time again in a new unfamiliar land to her, until she pretty much stopped caring about besting Tabitha, realizing that she really had nothing to prove as a warrior and really, just always wanted love, acknowledgement and companionship. The hollow space in her heart which she had been desperately trying to fill her entire life with physical intimacy which, in itself, raises a few interesting questions about her past, family and friends. What lead to her becoming so vain and nympho in the first place? Even without getting answers to that immediately, the reader realizes that something is there which, once again, creates depth and makes him empathize with the character.

And finally, her character ark culminates in the final battle against Liala, where she is no longer fighting for personal glory to kill the ultimate enemy, but to protect the first and possibly only people that have accepted her and became someone who she can truly call friends, which reinforces her resolve. And finally, with the newfound purity of willpower in her heart, she manages to resist the dark energy attack, only getting away with a dyejob and ultimately strikes Liala down by using the precious opportunity that was granted to them through Rommel's sacrifice, becoming someone worthy of a title of a hero at last.

>>340663

I know where I am. Hope it didn't come off like I was looking for a circle jerk tho, even if you do have those strong, tender hands.

>We got more Tabitha lewds

Bless you sir.

>Anything at all you'd like to say I would love to hear.

Originally I was typing up something even more in-depth than what I have below, but I noticed I was reiterating a lot of points and that what I had was far too colossal, even by my standards, so I've scrapped that and put together this instead. Be forewarned, opinions are abound.

>The Plot

While the pacing was a bit off at times and frankly committed suicide during that three day waiting period after Ammon bailed us out of the Palace, I felt it wasn't that big of an issue on the whole and honestly I rather liked the pacing we had when moving through Deleor. In terms of plot progression, this quest is definitely the strongest out of the three image board stories, as we were given a character, a motivation and an overall goal to pursue right from the get go and every event and action in the story outside of the time we went to Gahn for literally no fucking reason because of a strawpoll, something we haven't used prior or since and had more votes than posting anons, but I digress served to bring us closer to that goal -- WizardQuest 1 was similar in this regard but the initial goal was achieved about half way through and the new goal of seeking the Ultimate Elixir felt a bit weak considering who the Grand Wizard was at the time, and IllusionistQuest kind of forgot about the whole pursuit of Fiora thing until the very end, opting to replace it with the execution of insane illusionists which frankly didn't feel like it had any real direction whatsoever.

In terms of the plot itself, I found it enjoyable but there were some pretty noticeable issues. My biggest issue is that, for a large chunk of the story, the Prophet didn't really have much impact on the setting, and nor did the Violet Sands. During our trip from Deleor to Ectria, there was plenty of influence from the Prophet in the form of slavers invading the country and progressively increasing their crimes, from the first slaver attacking feral monsters to the next two attacking settlements and other travelers respectively, which was great and gave us reason to oppose her later on. But after that point, we only really got a reminder of the Prophet being evil during the events in the Capital, what with her ordering the populace be trapped within the city walls, having those that attempt escape be executed, and the whole having the Deathbringers destroy the residential district with no regard for her subject's well-being, making many people homeless and killing anyone still barricaded in their homes until we intervened. The Violet Sands were much the same in that they only really did anything in the last act of the story, which is a shame because the subplot of the two factions duking it out and us being caught in the middle of it was great when it was actually present.

The other major issue that comes to mind is how certain antagonists or threats, like Chaika, Hent-ateh and Liala, were handled, because while I was fine with the Prophet the others had some problems.

Chaika was presented as a constant looming threat, one that will eventually catch up with us and that we had to rely on quick thinking and wits in order to evade for a time, and this worked well if Kittering is an indication. But then Borne happened, and she became a non-issue on the second time we saw her in the story, opting to leave the twins alone and head back to Deleor for repairs. I get that you probably didn't want her pursuing us throughout Ectria and that Hent-ateh kind of took up her mantle, but she probably should have done more overall. Perhaps one more encounter before she gave up?

Hent-ateh has similar issues in that it didn't really achieve much in the grand scheme of things, but it was at least a bigger threat than Chaika was and I liked the foreshadowing it had early on in the story to build it up as a threat. That aside though, I have two major complaints regarding the abomination. Firstly, we didn't really reach a conclusion on its origin or how the pact it made works, which is a bit disappointing considering both were implied to be very important to know when discerning how we were supposed to defeat it. Secondly, I feel like it was dealt with too easily. We sealed it in a metal casing and slapped a few runes on it with the intent of keeping it there until we had time to figure out a more permanent solution like nullifying the pact which binds it, but it ended up staying in its prison any way, even through the two weeks we were comatose. I guess it hasn't truly been defeated, as it will probably break out of its cast eventually, but it didn't really feel like a proper conclusion. I was kind of hoping it would break out during our fight with Liala or something, but that might be overkill.

>>340760

Speaking of which, Liala. I know this is more down to anon decisions than anything on your front, but I wasn't too much of a fan of how Liala didn't have much presence in the story until the very end, especially when it turns out she was the mastermind behind the Apophis' plans. I know she's supposed to be the de facto leader of the Violet Sands which is why she ended up being the final encounter, but Hent-ateh and Hel'alin were both better candidates for the climatic finish as the former has been present throughout the story and the latter actually did more plot-wise than Liala despite not being present much herself. Also, as a side note, the whole 'transferring control over Hent-ateh' thing was a pretty meh excuse for how Helene could control the abomination, and I'm sure you could have come up with something better.

Those two concerns aside, my only other issues with the story are Helene, who really should have been hinted at much earlier if she was to have much impact besides being an excuse at best, Blackfire Reach, which I'm not too fussed about let's be honest here, it was a jew joke that became an excuse for Tabitha and Alice to come into the plot, there wasn't too much to be excited about but I think there should have been more than a single Danuki representative present, especially when Emphrasea had an excuse to turn on her masters and could have easily revolted if it weren't for her apathy on the matter, the whole 'using my lifeforce to power my legs' thing that cropped up during the Prophet fight out of nowhere, which I think kind of cheapened Tabitha's part in the fight when a much more plausible action that has impact would have been to simply crawl over to the High Altar when the Prophet was distracted by us and the twins though I will give you points for bringing it up once again during the Chasm sequence, because at least it wasn't a one-off thing solely designed to solve that problem, and the lack of reaction to Tabitha, who by this point in time is a respected hero and idol to her people, stating that she's married, because you'd think something like the Wanderer being bested in a duel would cause shock or at least a few raised eyebrows. Everything else was fine.

On the whole, I rather liked the plot. Certainly, it fell short in a few areas, with some of those areas being more important than others, but at least the attempt was made and it was enough to keep me hooked throughout, so it sufficed for what it was intended to do. And honestly the ending was fine as it is; sure, there was the issue of the aforementioned apathy to Tabitha's marital status and everything being a bit too clean for my tastes, but Blackfire Reach is nigh impossible to breach so it's not surprising that things are well there.

>The Characters

This is one of your strong suits, and I'd argue you hit the mark overall bar a couple of hiccups.

Rommel is, in my eyes, probably the best of the three image board story protagonists, because that pre-existing character, motive and backstory actually gave us something to work with from the get-go instead of using a blank slate which could be rather messy at time. Seeing his opinions regarding monsters change over the course of the story was a pleasant experience, too.

Erwin I think was handled rather well, and it was nice to see how he somehow managed to become closer to Rommel despite already being close to him to begin with. The only unfortunate thing with Erwin in my eyes is that his intellect was downplayed a bit following his introduction, to the point where his tactical ability that he displayed right at the start of the story all but disappeared, but that's not a big deal.

The Cat O'Ninetails Twins both started out pretty strong in my opinion. I guess you could argue that they were somewhat cliché in terms of personalities, but they at least had enough quirks to differentiate themselves from the standard stereotypes, such as Sylphie's insecurities and Sophie's constant fretting over her sister, and clichés aren't inherently bad, especially if they're executed well. I only wish they kept being as vibrant as they initially were, because they both started fading into the background a bit about half way through Ectria, Sophie especially.

While I wasn't too impressed with how Ebe was turning out at the time and was rather apathetic towards her if my rant on the topic is any indication, I must admit you've managed to make me like her again, something which I previously believed to be impossible, so kudos there. That bit of backbone you made her grow really helped out a lot with a few of my prior complaints, and it was really cool to see her be confident enough to both help out in combat physically and chew the Grand Wizard and Selene out for their bullshit affecting her country. It's a shame that her magic stayed as limited and bland as it was though, but I suppose that couldn't be helped.

>>340761

Tabitha was a character I was a bit worried about, since she was a returning cast member from the original quest and I wasn't sure if her character in that would be preserved here, but my concerns were unwarranted as she turned out just as I would have expected her to. I've already said enough about her character during that one discussion at the start of thread six so I won't say anything more on that front, but it was nice to see that, in spite of having a character arc back in the original, she was still able to find flaws and difficulties to overcome, such as the constant stress of everyone relying on her, her crushing loneliness and her hydrophobia, the latter being something that was cool to finally explore after waiting so long.

Removing the stick up Alice's arse and humbling her a bit seemed to do wonders for her character, because she wasn't nearly as bland or repetitive as she was in IllusionistQuest and I was surprisingly rather fond of her. She fell victim to being overshadowed by other party members and didn't get much screen time until near the end as a result though, so I feel like her character development is a bit lacking overall. And I really don't see what >>340663 is getting at regarding her desired for acceptance, because that didn't really come up at all.

I don't really have much to say about the Grand Wizard or Selene, as both of them are pretty much how one would expect them to be. I do like how they didn't completely overshadow everyone else though.

As for everyone else, they filled out the roles they were expected to and tended to be fun or interesting characters in their own rights so I have no problem there; the likes of Ammon, who was an unexpected inversion of the standard information broker stereotype and had a sense of humour, comes to mind here. The only characters who stood out as being a bit bland were Ako and Sayaka, but that's more to do with how they didn't really do much but appeared by Ammon's side a lot, so it's to be expected.

So overall you did good here. It's a shame about how certain characters had problems with being out of the spotlight for so long leading to them lacking in development when it mattered, but that's probably more to do with how you had to juggle seven party members alongside other characters met along the way. It might be worth trying a smaller party size in the future.

I will also say that you layered on the affection towards us a little too much. I get that we're supposed to be a Wizard, but when everyone is after your dick, things get a little stale -- part of the reason I like Sophie, Tabitha and Polah as much as I do is that we had to work before they started seeing us in a positive light.

>Miscellaneous Notes

The story aside, the only other thing I can really critique you on is the writing itself. With regards to that, the only two things that have been bothering me that you aren't already aware of is occasional redundancy within sentences, with things like “Tabitha is the first to get everyone's attention, tapping her spoon against the stonework cup, getting everyone's attention” saying the same thing twice, and how you will occasionally use the same word or phrase multiple times which leads to certain blocks of text becoming a bit dry and samey; that final smut had a bit of this albeit it is somewhat hard to avoid this problem in that context. I have no issue with the quality of writing itself, though, and liked how your style of humour didn't suffer even with the slightly more serious setting.

>Final Verdict

All in all, it was definitely a fun read; I wouldn't be here doing overly autistic analysis if it wasn't. If I had to rank it among the other stories you've done for this board, I'd probably place it around the same area as the first WizardQuest in terms of enjoyment, being above IllusionistQuest. I think this quest was a step down in terms of characterisation from IllusionistQuest, but I'd have to re-read that in order to make a proper comparison, so take that statement with a grain of salt. And as a final point, I'm glad this quest didn't have something completely stupid like the sudden strength-sapping plague with no other side effects or adopting Akela during a dangerous quest despite not even being married.

There were also supposed to be questions here, but this is long enough as it is. I'll probably pose a few later so I don't take up too many consecutive posts.

I'll be honest, while I didn't like this quite as much as wq1, I still really liked it and felt it was stronger than illusionistquest.

I know people have made some good critique points, but I'd like to point out that this is still a cyoa written based on sometimes unpredictable choices. I think ace handled it very well with the time frame he had for each update and though some characters didn't get as much development as needed they were still fleshed out to a point where they weren't just taking space. This is partly a fault of the waifu wars but what can you do?

Also really nice world building as usual.

All in all I give it a Tabitha out of 10 and I can't wait for the next installment. Please don't let the hiatus be too long or I'll come find you.

Oh this is going to be jumbled. Let's see…

>>340760

Oh boy, longpost anon. Took me awhile to get to this, been away from the computer most of the weekend

>Tabitha lewds

I try

Okay lets see what we got here…

Plot- Yeh, as I think I mentioned to slavman, there were spots of the plot which didn't go as intended/ I wanted to gear toward something but it didn't happen. Such as just staying in Polah's house. On the plus side, you got Polah in good favor so like, Erwin didn't suffer a debilitation!

God, same with the last response, it would take me awhile to respond to each individual claim and half of them are opinions so I'd just be strokin my dick to respond.

I will say that Liala felt like a throw in because she kind of was. I actually was backed into a corner and she was a good way out- she certainly would have had more influence had you gone to the chasm beforehand though.

I did already kind of go over what I thought of Blackfire Reach. Yes, it was an overly done Jew joke but it got Tabitha and Alice into the story I suppose. God, imagine how things would have been had you decided to go the boat route with both Twins? Tabitha and Alice would have been absent the entire story.

Referring to that, With Chaika- Partially the issue with her not returning was that - how the hell was she supposed to find you? It would have been chance mostly. Secondly, looking at Zoras, I would have added her into the party if anyone showed any interest in it in Hatset. As it stood, it was probably fine because it allowed some extra behind the scenes shit and I could work with less characters. Let's be honest, having both Alice AND Tabitha I ran into that issue I did in Illusionistquest. Oddly, I didn't feel it was THAT large an issue in Wizardquest tho… hmm.

I probably could have used Farya more too, but I was super afraid of her being abused and way, waaaay too convenient showing up there.

Oh right, I think you also referenced the changes in plot lines. For Wizardquest, the intention was people would become invested enough to move forward to a slay the dragon. The ultimate elixir was good enough for the time being.

As for Illusionist- That story was NOT supposed to be that long. But people also pushed to eliminate the Illusionists for the bargain with Jackor so…. we went on a hunt to euthanize people. And ended up killing Beardicus… I mean, Beardlington.

>The writing critiques

Yeah, it's an issue with not editing, something which could solve MANY of these issues I feel. But I've said before that I really, really, REALLy hate editing and since I write all in one sitting, I would never finish a story. It just wouldn't happen. Short stories are an exception tho.

This is essentially the rough draft! Haha…ha.

Anyway yes, I try not to repeat, and it's something I've become conscious of in most cases. Something I'd fix in editing.

>Final Verdict

Aye, I hoped everyone at least had fun along the ride despite the bumps. And yes, The virus thing was the fevered dream of a madman who kept shilling for it and got support. Akela… man I did want her for sisteru or something, but like, Anon rule. That story was like, 1 vote shy of Ginelle being the waifu also. It's part of the way this is run.

>>340976

WQ one has a certain charm to it. Goofy but sometimes I read some older passages and am just like, "Huh. That was neato."

Aha, well, It's going to be abit. I really want to focus on painting for now and short stories. Maybe play vidya that isn't ff14 for awhile?

Thank you though. It's fine to have criticisms and opinions though, despite for format!

Oh and if people have specific questions, don't hesitate to ask those too. Like, "Why did X do Y?" Etc.

I'm afraid half the answers will be exactly what >>340604 was talking about, but c'est la vie.

>>341005

For a throwaway jew joke it sure as hell was a mountain of wasted potential.

Anyways, specific event questions,huh?

1. What was the planned way to handle Hentateh before we improvised an inescapable snare for it?

2.What kind of benefits and consequences would we get depending on who we left on the throne between Helene, Amon and the Prophet?

3.Was supporting the prophet an option? It kind of felt like a possibility at the cost of shitting up the relationship with the twins and Tabby. What about taking her down nonlethaly? If so, how?

4.How were we supposed to recruit one of the kunoichi and what race are they supposed to be?

5.Were there alternative ways to break the mummy's curse? Could Helene or one of her associates do it?

6. What was the point of hiring us to retrieve the urn when Amon was going to pass it to the cult anyway? And if he had a deal set up for it in advance why did Helene bother to retrieve it herself?

7.Why are Cats of nine tails so fucking OP? I can buy Sylphie's parents teaching her well so she starts with a strong basic setup but becoming a geomancer adept on a short notice? Selene was implied to live for centuries to gain her mastery of the craft.

8.Whatever happened to the crown of mind reading?

9. What exactly were the twins needed for again? The prophet looked like she wanted them badly.

10. What would happen if Hentateh's physical shell broke completely? Why didn't she do it herself if it was beneficial?

11. Not really a question per se but what's with Phalia making casual personal appearances in the mortal world? The others had a passing presence at best and only during events of great importance or as an intaginble shadow or by using an avatar. Yet Phalia casually shows up to congratulate GW and then tries to push Rommel off a cliff after getting a headpat. Is Phalia an attention whore?

Well I'm not much of a critic but I thought that cyoa went pretty well, the pacing seemed fine to me, though maybe it would be hard to notice weird pacing while the story is still being posted. In any case I was glad to be a part of this wizard quest. There was one problem though we didn't visit the wolverine girls on the way back.

>>341016

Y-Yeah

1. Since it came to that I wanted to see what people had in mind and then adapted from there. If it was entirely asinine, then someone would probably have been killed/ maimed.

2. Helene: If she wasn't purged of the Apophis then Liala (if she was alive) would have superceded her or killed her outright. Liala would have rooted out and killed everyone against her. Deleor would be safe for awhile, but trade would be cut off due to instability and merchants fleeing the country. This would negatively impact Deleor economically and potentially militarily if they assaulted Deleor- This would be many, many, many years in the future though. Ectria would essentially be taken out of the game, but Phallia would be stricken from the religion there.

Prophet: The Prophet would root out all sympathizers to the Violet Sands. Unless you could remove Phallia's gift, she would end up killing you, or attacking Deleor if you worked with her. She was not in a good place by that point and small "divine" suggestions were like to be acted on.

3. Sure, everything was an option. You could have likely ended her non-lethally, but you'd need to shut down her magic and remove Phallia's gift. There would have been a lot going into that and she was the primary threat to the other people fighting. With her out of the picture the old regime was like to fall no matter what unless you fought both Ammon and the Violet Sands.

4. If there was a very, VERY strong push toward recruiting them then potentially Ammon could have loaned one (Ako) to you since she kind of had a crush on you.They're both human sorcerers trained in Eastern magics. Pretty sure I pointed out mana crystals in Ako's pockets when she used her Sasuke- I mean, her not naruto fire jutsu.

I thought about making them Monsters but they're just women.

5. Veronica or anyone else who used Holy Magic could have done it with purifcation. Helene and her associates would not have been able to do it in time.

6. Remember, Ammon sold it to the Khepri who sold it to the Cult. He wanted the profit from doing so as well as having an intermediary who would need some prodding to spill the beans. Either way, he wanted to escalate this.

7. Wizard Blood No but really I don't have a better answer for this. Donutsteels and such. Seriously tho, Wizard Blood plays a part.

8. It was tied in with the essence of the Apophis in Helene. When the ritual was performed it took that essence and put it into Helene. When the Apophis was removed so too did the power.

9. She had the impression (thanks Phallia) that they were needed to open the Nexus. Part of it was also to make the GW and Selene suffer more if she got them. (Thanks Phallia)

10. She wasn't fully conscious of herself at the time and losing the physical shell would have made it difficult to get around. As she battled and progressed she remembered more and more/ become more lucid.

11. Phallia is an attention whore tbh. She has a much larger interest in this world currently than the others do and with particular people. Filios only cares for the sea, Sveth cares little in most cases, and Hevensferth basically ignores people. Jackor is Jackor and Nerg does what he can to keep a balance- or have mischief (which causes a lot of people to die at times).

Solos… he really doesn't like intervention and only does so when he feels necessary.

Funfact: I was going to introduce another Dullahan who replaced Heather but decided not to when I started this. Maybe next time!

Hope those answers work. Mostly.

>>341036

I could have made mention of this in the epilogue but I didn't see a compelling reason to head back into Deleor.

Yay, QA time! I’m going to split this into questions relating to your opinions, questions relating to specific details of the plot and other miscellaneous questions which don’t really fit in the previous two categories and number them because I think it looks nicer and more readable. I’m probably asking a bit much here, so feel free to ignore things if you want.

>Opinions

>>1. How enjoyable was this to write for you? How about comparatively to the previous two image board stories?

>>2. What character(s) were your favourite overall? What about your favourite party member, antagonist and ‘other’ character(s)?

>>3. Somewhat related to the previous question, what character(s) did you like/dislike writing?

>>4. Were there any suggestions that stood out to you as being really cool? What about suggestions that you thought were stupid?

>>5. Were there any abilities you granted us that you ended up regretting? What about powers you wished we utilised more?

>>6. I know you’ve mentioned previously about not really caring how they proceed, but what are your thoughts on the Waifu Wars now that they have concluded? Was the result surprising, agreeable, dumb, etc.?

>Specific Details

>>1. What would have differed had we spared the Anubis slaver? How about Bahiti or Nane (for a second time)?

>>2. What would have happened had we not gone to Gahn and instead actually followed the plot as intended?

>>3. What was in that vial that we used to cure the curse?

>>4. When it came to dealing with the Quicksands gang, how would have the stealth route played out? Would Sylphie still have taken a magitek rifle shot for us?

>>5. Speaking of which, why did you decide that Sylphie should get injured here? For drama?

>>6. How would things have differed if we destroyed or claimed the [Eye of Ant'anha] for ourselves instead of letting the Violet Sands take it?

>>7. You mentioned being disappointed that we stalled in Polah’s house in anticipation of the Royal Guard coming knocking which never happened. What did you intend to do were we to instead head outside again?

>>8. Was there a possibility of the Grand Wizard and Selene perishing if we took too long at any point in the story?

>>9. Could we have pulled off the ritual on Helene before the assault on the Palace as some anons were suggesting? What would have happened had we tried and failed?

>>10. Something I’ve noticed throughout this quest is that most poor or silly decisions trying to use diplomacy on a Wurm stampede, following in the Grand Wizard’s footsteps and going water-skiing, believing the power of love would save us from a spear charge, etc. were punished with varying degrees of severity, which differs from the first WizardQuest and a bit of IllusionistQuest where similar actions ended up working out. Was there any reason you decided to be stricter this time through?

>>11. Related, was there anything other than a lack of desire to end things on a sour note that led to us surviving the impalement?

>>12. Semi-related to that, were there any times you were considering inflicting permanent damage or death on any of our party members besides Sylphie getting shot, of course because of poor decisions on our part or otherwise, and if so, why didn’t you in the end?

>>13. What exactly was our mission for Dollora? Has it actually concluded yet?

>>14. Why would you make me suffer with no qt lizard daughterus? Hasn’t Tabitha had a hard enough life already?

>Miscellaneous

>>1. Remember that Wurm chef who said she was going to go on a cooking quest of her own back in the just-liberated Blackfire Reach? Did she find any success? Will she surpass Hardinclouse one day?

>>2. I know you’ve said you’re probably going to do a sequel to this at some point and wrap things up in Deleor, but do you think you’ll still be doing CYOAs or stories on this board after that point? It would hurt to lose you.

>>3. Have you beaten O8S yet?

On an unrelated note, it’s just occurred to me that I’m now out of an evening hobby. Fuck.

>>341077

Checked

1. Man, it's tough. Wizardquest 1 was my hobby outside ff14 in vet school, so it was such a nice release to do. I think I liked it more than Illusionistquest but I didn't have a "I should just drop this story" moment like I did at Cair I think. It's been awhile.

2. Oh, hmm. I suppose I really liked Rommel too, writing for him was neat. I also liked writing for Sylphie which made it hard to back away from her later on. Hent-ateh was fun at times!

3. I don't think I really disliked any character writing for them. Maybe Liala? Hmm.

4. Well, stupid would be the spear in the gut. I just laughed at that cause. Man. Oh the water skis was amusing too because it wasn't going to end too well. Heh.

As far as cool suggestions? I liked finally getting to the tank, but man there's been so many suggestions it's difficult to pick one!

5. Mmm, [Pebble Gun] was used too often at the start but I like how we pushed away from it later on. Same with the [Lava Flow] but it was easy to dodge at times anyway. So nothing was [Plasma Blast] I feel.

6. Waifu wars are super fun and watching people fight over characters means to me that y'all actually are invested. As it stands I didn't want Sylphie to be chosen because it felt weird to me. Ebe would have been an interesting choice tho!

>Details

1. The Anubis slaver would have eventually made her way back home and lived with her mother, broken after losing everything. If you arrived back again at the end of the story she'd probably be afraid of you.

Nane would have worked with the Pharaoh to hunt you down. She didn't like you. Bahiti… May have just done whatever you asked, she is a Lizardman

2. It wasn't so much Gahn than it was not going to the Chasm. So… not too terribly much, though Ebe's mother may have been used against her later.

3. Jizz. I mean, not totally jizz but there's jizz in there. It is a potion after all.

4. Stealth would have allowed you to get a drop on them and potentially ask more questions, etc. They didn't know terribly much, but Sylphie would not have been shot.

5. Drama/ punishment for being direct.

6. Actually it was a 50/50 chance if it was broken via random.org. It decided to stay in tact! Hel'alin wouldn't have had precognition and would have actually just been really, really cruel. She would be weaker too.

7. Part of it was not leaving more hints about the other districts, but I wanted you to wander into another district where the Violet Sands were more prevalent. You'd have had another chance to stop Helene from Monsterizing.

8. Mmmm. Nah. I did my best to push things forward when I felt they were taking too long. I may have taken another tail though :^)

9. Had you succeeded, the Violet Sands would suddenly be leaderless. Helene isn't as ruthless as Hel'alin and would frankly have been disoriented. The Prophet's forces would have made it very, VERY difficult for you.

10. It boils down to reading Warriorquest and seeing the results but mainly Ophelia. I am still kicking myself for not killing the rabbit, because she really, REALLY should have died for the choice y'all made. I just couldn't do it at the time so I decided to make decisions stick more. I'm still a pussy about killing people so maiming has to do…

11. I like happy endings.

12. Had you burned the Great Temple down and then went to fight the Prophet without communing with Dollora, I would have killed Ebe. No question.

13. You may never know…. but it may have to do with killing the Pharaoh and saving the Monster Lady, one of the stabilizing forces in the world. But, you just can't know.

14. Listen

Wizardquest 3 would take place fairly shortly after Wizardquest 2. Just wait anyway

>Misc

1. Oh, she ventured off into the mountains. There's nothing of value in the mountains beyond Manticores, but I guess she can milk think or something. She's probably not going to surpass Hardinclouse, but she might… make something nice?

2. I don't know if I will. Who knows where my life will be after the next Year writing a story But I assume I'll be around as long as I still love catgirls.

3. No, I saw most of OS7 on my off class helping out stuff so that's neat

I'm sorry, but have you considered miniature wargaming? A snake lady army is coming out….

>>340763

>So overall you did good here. It's a shame about how certain characters had problems with being out of the spotlight for so long leading to them lacking in development when it mattered, but that's probably more to do with how you had to juggle seven party members alongside other characters met along the way. It might be worth trying a smaller party size in the future.

I agree. One of the recurring complaints for your work is that you don't manage to flesh the characters out enough and give them the time they need. You always end up with a large variety of companions but you sacrifice their individual quality. Like for example, The twins started out so strong but eventually fell to the way side. The banter and conversations felt so much more natural and full compared to what we got at the end. You try to combat this by giving the neglected characters a big personal conversation dump with the MC every couple of updates but it never feels as natural and as a result I feel like we can't manage to bond super well with the characters. I think the hallmark of a good companion character is that you as a person overlook them as fictional characters and can even consider them friends. This happens pretty naturally at the start of your stories but stops entirely when we get a fair whack into it.

My gut tells me that keeping a smaller party will help with that and should make your writing and character dynamics easier and more natural for you. Perhaps try next time on like a 4 permanent character limit and perhaps expanding temporarily like with what we saw with Zora.

And I agree with other anon, I don't care about whatever asspulls you have to pull off to make it happen but we are bedding the Griffin next story. She is to precious to let go on the wayside. That we couldn't roll up under her wings, head resting against her mane and breathing in her musk with our hand around her back and our legs entwined is a travesty.

She was the only character I was willing to break our celibacy pact for but you faggots had to choose the broken, cold, half lizard

>>341119

>It boils down to reading Warriorquest and seeing the results

Are you saying that a round from one of my Checkov's guns, that I litter the narrative with to the point of oversaturation, had actually ricocheted right back into my own foot when it was time to make stupidly awesome decisions of my own?

S-H-I-T!

Karma is a bitch. At least it wasn't a bomb drop.

>>341598

>short stories

>inb4 a rock concert with Ebe, and a fan comes backstage to talk to her and they fall in love

:^)

>>341601

No beardicus you won't get any holstaurs

>>341603

talking about Ebe getting a husbando, not a cowgirl

but a short story in the wizardquest universe involving a holst would be nice though a nice story with a happy ending of course

>>344084

Apologizes, I haven't been following these threads so I don't know the context, but all I can hear when I see that second image is I CAN FEEL THE WARP OVERTAKING ME, IT IS A GOOD PAIN

>>344107

Fuck

>>341059

>I could have made mention of this in the epilogue but I didn't see a compelling reason to head back into Deleor

Well, I hope we see what they're up to in wizardquest 3

Is there a place to get all the art from wizardquests ? (There only miniature in the archived threads)

>>353012

Oh, uh, I can probably make that happen. I stopped following this thread but if you still are I'll work on that later tonight. Someone else actually put them all together in a different thread but that's fine.

Also, if anyone is still following this, there's a story about Veronica's adventure in Dead Man's Port in the writethread. This is basically what you'd have done had you gone the sea route though probably with more shenanigans. I'll refrain from bumping this thread for now unless people want some further discussion/ requests for stories.

I'm currently in the process of actually editing Wizardquest 1 so it might look like a different, if at least readable, story so I'll post that somewhere when it's finished as well as updating the art for that story so it matches the others from Manosdetrapo. Of course, I still don't know what I'd put for a book cover… Well. I'll get to that eventually.

Once that's done… I guess it's moving on to Wizardquest 3!

I'm 3 months late, but Tanya a cute.

>>359634

>Once that's done… I guess it's moving on to Wizardquest 3!

I do hope you're planning on taking a break following the editing process, because going from that arduous task straight into another seems like a recipe for disaster.

Imgur albums! Take em or leave em, this is what you get. This should be all the art minus a sketch or two… I think.

Wizardquest

https://imgur.com/a/OIvz2eJ

Illusionistquest

https://imgur.com/a/iHTDBSm

Wizardquest 2:

https://imgur.com/a/LCK0Nmw

>>359637

Yeh. I think so too!

Ugh but Saya's kid needs a name and-

I mean uh.

Anyway, we'll see what happens. I basically am in break mode and it's still kind of weird. I'll probably have to start painting my fyreslayers again soon and then I'll run out of projects so… Trying to make a conclusion to all of this is may happen this year! Well. Starting it anyway.

>>359743

>Forgetting.

Actually I couldn't find where I had saved it but I knew it was missing.