"Bathing did not go as planned," Asche shifted course without so much as blinking, "Shortly through the process, the smaller one awoke and began to panic after noticing your absence. It was postulated that the episode would more easily subside if you were present."

You look over at the softly breathing former-slave who had claimed a rigid death grip on your arm, and a feeling of deeply seated exasperation wells up inside you. Between last night's meltdown and this, you're beginning to get the sinking impression that you've taken on a basket-case. You've little interest in playing a pillar of support to some neurotic waif, which means you'd need to figure out what was causing these problems, and how to address them, soon.

She was a part of your Testament - Things like this wouldn't fly in any type of evaluation.

"That idea proved to be correct." Asche concluded, drawing you from your thoughts. "The demihuman was insistent on keeping watch over the smaller one, and thus they stayed in the same room."

"My room." You note abysmally, once again attempting to extricate your arm from the panic-prone Testament's grip. "What if one of them had been a seed from dear aunt and uncle to silence me?"

"In consideration to Irue's safety, I chose to keep watch."

You pause for a moment, shooting a half-hearted glare at Asche as she blandly added herself to the group of people who had taken up residence in your room without permission. The only one whose where-abouts you were missing now was...

"Where is Rinnier?" you finally ask, successfully slipping your arm free and moving to get your legs out from under the surprisingly heavy demihuman that had sprawled out across the foot of your bed.

"That one has declared an empty room near your library to be her domain." You make a note at Asche's method of referring to the spit-fire former princess as you manage to drag one of your legs out. "She fumed well into the morning, but has not left the room yet."

Finally free of your uninvited guests, you slip out of bed as quietly as possible - Probably not necessary, considering your conversation with Asche had yet to wake either of them - and take a moment to steady yourself.

You feel... Kind of terrible. The hangover is affecting you still, making the act of thinking difficult. You've little doubt that today is going to bring another headache completely independent of the alcohol still running through your system, but given the nature of its origin, it is something you're looking forward to dealing with. Or if not looking forward, you are at the very least enthusiastic about addressing. One step closer to finishing this Rite.

Before that, however...

>Get out of my room!
>Show me to Rinnier, we have matters to settle.
>State of Affairs with Asche, you need to discuss how to proceed from here.
>Sustenance is required.
>Write-in?

Previous Threads:
https://archive.moe/tg/search/tripcode/!y56qKWqxyc/results/thread/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=valen+quest

Where things are said:
https://twitter.com/Riz_QM

Misc notes:Would like to run a little longer than usual to apologize for calling the thread early last week.

>>40355554
>Sustenance is required.
And while breakfast is being made we can talk to Asche so
>State of Affairs with Asche, you need to discuss how to proceed from here.

Also, Faedka - make sure to throw away the bottle.

>State of Affairs with Asche, you need to discuss how to proceed from here.
>Sustenance is required.
Really now, these kinds of things are better discussed after a proper fry up. Provided that someone else is doing the frying, cause all that noise would suck during a hangover.

>>40355554
>>State of Affairs with Asche, you need to discuss how to proceed from here.
>Sustenance is required.
>Remove Faedka from the premises.

>>40355554
>State of Affairs with Asche, you need to discuss how to proceed from here.

>>40355643
>>40355678
>>40355709
>>40355769
Breakfast and planning with Asche.

>>40355643
>>40355709
Remove Faedka.

Writing!

You look yourself over: Wrinkled clothes that smell of some oddly sweet alcohol, with dirt stains around the midrift and smudged into your chest. You hadn't had the presence of mind to change into sleepwear last night before collapsing onto your bed, though that seems a fortunate mishap considering the morning's events. "I need to make plans from here," you announce quietly, handing the near empty bottle of Faedka off to Asche as you gather a set of clothes. "I'll think better after breakfast, though."

"Light?" Asche asked, tilting her head to look at the Faedka inquisitively as you hand it to her. You hum in agreement, "It will be ready." Exiting the room as quietly as possible so as to not disturb the still sleeping Testaments - Part of you is quietly indignant about having to sneak out of your own room, in your own estate, but you've more important things to do this morning than deal with the ensuing fallout of them waking up. "Oh, Asche-" You call out to her after the door clicks shut behind the two of you, "Make sure that drink is removed from the premises."

Her grip tightens lightly on the bottle, nodding once as you split ways. Left alone in the familiar quiet of the empty mansion, you take a breath and strain your neck from side to side with a few obliging cracks before setting off to the baths to take advantage of the relatively early morning hour. Your thoughts are left to drift during the interim, assembling the things you know about the current situation into a more mentally browsable format...

You had chosen your Testament. By choosing all three you had successfully managed to place a respectable dent in the finances of your dear aunt and uncle - Serving them right for trying to corner you as they did - and given their specific selection as 'difficult' cases, you're sure that if you can manage to pass this Rite, you'll be nearly unquestioned in your inheritance of House Valen's leadership.

You shake your head, allowing the hot bathwater to rinse over you and melt away the tension accumulated in your muscles from yesterday. Not 'if' you can pass this rite - 'when' you pass it. Your first experience with your Testaments last night had given you a glimpse of the struggle you were going to be going through, and you grimaced under the scalding water for reasons entirely unrelated to the temperature.

The first real conversation with the demihuman - Kara, her name was Kara - and you already wonder if she's going to try and kill you if you falter in some dance she's expecting you to go through. You have little idea what goes through her mind other than 'being curious about interesting things'. At times she seems more beast than human, with physical differences so casually displayed that you're not certain they were being done deliberately, or if she was really just that disconnected.

But there was intelligence there, gleaming through slitted eyes. Not simply animalistic instinct, there was a sentient and thinking mind easily concealed beneath her otherwise careless nature.

Then there was the still unnamed part of your Testament. While likely in no real danger of outright killing you like Kara was, she was no less of a hurdle. There was a deep well of problems inherent in that one, neurosis and mental instabilities that you can't even begin to ponder the nature of save for they had somehow chosen you as their linchpin. As bad as the mind was, you're nearly certain the body was broken just as thoroughly; Glances at the discolored and mottled skin beneath her garb, and a moment's remebrance of how easy it had been to carry the frail waif came to mind easily. You don't know the cause of the abuse, but it would likely show itself in some frustratingly apparent problem later on.

The slavemaster had said she was beaten to keep her docile, but from what you've seen - and heard from him personally - she was possibly the most docile thing on the continent. You find it hard to imagine them having to do anything to keep her that way... There was suspicion easily raised towards the veracity of that explanation. It would explain the damage, but raise the question of 'why was it even done in the first place?' Low lifes by trade the slave business may be, it was a business first and foremost. Needlessly cruel and antagonistic behavior was not profitable. Something was missing.

And speaking of something being missing, your thoughts turn to Rinnier as you dry yourself off and set about slipping into your clothes. The former princess of Teranford, a nation of blistering heat that had evidently been nearly wiped from the map by some kind of nomadic army - the concept of which still baffles you to think of. She was as hot-tempered as her homeland would suggest, and merely talking to the older girl had been enough to stir your temper. Displeased with everything in your estate, complaining from the start about the inadequacy of every resource available, you wondered if she even realized the position she was in.

Nominally you were her master. She was still a slave, legally purchased and owned by you. This thought sprang to mind time and time again as she had railed on about your failings, a fact you desperately wanted to bring up just to shut her up. You still had things to discuss with her, and you've no doubt she would be just as prickly later as she was last night.

You pause in the hall, wondering if it would be worth it to bust in on Rinnier while she was likely still asleep to try and steer the conversation in your favor through her disorientation. It's tempting. So tempting.

...You open the door to the kitchen, gratefully smelling a light breakfast already prepared as you notice Asche setting out utensils for you. Rinnier could wait.

Tearing into the light breakfast arranged before you, you glance up at Asche as she quietly sat across from you.

>What do you think of Rinnier?
>What do you think of Kara?
>What do you think of The Panicky One?
>Has anything new happened since yesterday?

That took too long.

>>40357311
>What do you think of The Transcendent One?
>Has anything new happened since yesterday?

>>40357311
>What do you think of Kara?
>What do you think of The Panicky One?

>>40357410
Wut?
>>40357311
>What do you think of Rinnier?
Asche has been dealing with nobles for a while. Analyzing them ought to be her specialty.

>>40357311
>What do you think of Rinnier?
>What do you think of Kara?
>Has anything new happened since yesterday?

>>40357311
>>What do you think of Kara?
>>What do you think of The Panicky One?
Rinnier probably didn't interact with Asche much after last night; she had the most interaction with these two.

Most interested in Kara being weirdly cooperative, too.

>>40357410
>>40357457
>>40357586
Panicky thoughts?

>>40357457
>>40357557
>>40357586
Kara thoughts?

>>40357460
>>40357557
Rinnier Suriah Lamandra thoughts?

>>40357410
>>40357557
Anything new?

Writing!

"Did you learn anything about the panicky girl last night?" You decide to start there, since her mental state was probably one of the most concerning things you needed to address quickly. Letting it set for too long may cement inconvenient habits that you would much rather avoid - Like an obsessive chronic dependance on your presence.

You really want to avoid that.

"She is weak." Asche's simple answer disturbed you a little, you motion with your fork for her to continue, idly taking another bite of the food in front of you. "Her body is unused to supporting itself. Between musculature atrophy and malnourishment, the sole reason she has been able to stand upright was due to the manacles chaining her up." The stoic girl obliged your request with a soft monotone, her thoughts - if any - kept indiscernable in the report. "A large portion of her body is covered in deep bruising, though given the frailty of the body, I am unsure if they could be attributed to physical abuse-"

You blink, trying to piece together the implications behind that. "Could you explain?" you interrupt her, "If it's not from abuse, then what caused them?"

"I can not be certain." Asche shook her head, denying that route of questioning. "Though it is normally possible to inflict flesh wound without internal injury, the state of her body, and the spread of her bruising, leaves me unable to assert that it could have been caused without at least fracturing the bones." She pauses, watching you for confirmation before continuing her report. "Beyond that, she is unused to eating. She threw up the sandwich not long after waking up."

You swirl the chilled fruit juice in your mouth contemplatively, swallowing it after several moments of thought as you narrow your eyes. "You said she was malnourished, she should be starving." Asche shook her head once again, "She has been starving for a long time. It is not unheard of for a body to adjust to harsh conditions, and then suffer backlash when re-exposed to normalcy."

"...You mean that she can't even eat a sandwich?" You deadpan incredulously.

"Not at first, no. Perhaps half of one, as a feast."

Half of one... She had only eaten half of her sandwich last night, hadn't she? It took her over an hour. Your face twists in dislike as you remember that debacle.

"Did you gain any insight into why she was having breakdowns?" You move forward, taking another bite of a breakfast which was decidedly less appetizing than it was a few moments before.

"None that I can be certain of, save that your presence seems to allieve them to some extent." Asche replied ambivalently. So that was a dead end as well...

"What about Kara?" you venture, "Her strength is insane, but she's been strangely cooperative." The last place you want something to blindside you from is that demihuman - You don't think you could survive a surprise attack from that direction.

You don't think the house could survive a surprise attack from that direction.

"Kara-" Asche rolls the name around her mouth briefly, repeating it under her breath before she continues. "-does not speak often. Her cooperation is unusual, but I believe she has taken an interest in the..." She pauses, fishing for a word. "panicky one. She was of great help in subduing her when she awoke, and the choice to stay in your room seemed to be derived entirely from the panicky one's presence than your own."

One golden eyebrow quirked in interest, your wine red eyes widening slightly. That was interesting.

You had no idea what it really meant, or why it had happened, but if Kara had taken an interest in the panicky one, and she had become fixated on you, then you could probably leverage that somehow.

"Otherwise, she seems content to observe." Asche finished succinctly, moving to take the empty dishes from in front of you as you sat back in thought.

"What about Rinnier?" You finally ask, causing your stoic aid to pause briefly as she set your cleaned dishes to the side.

"I do not like that one." She answered flatly.

...She did not seem to be volunteering more information.

>Press for thoughts on Rinnier.
>Has there been any new developments?
>Thoughts about how to proceed?
>Write-in?

>>40358356
>Has there been any new developments?

>>40358356
>Has there been any new developments?
>Thoughts about how to proceed?

>>40358356
>>Has there been any new developments?
Just to be sure.

If nothing important/pressing,
>>Thoughts about how to proceed?

We can deal with Rinnier when she wakes up - save the headache for post-hangover and all.

>Press for thoughts on Rinnier.
May as well get familiar with how much more of an annoyance she can be

>>40358374
>>40358486
>>40358517
New stuff?

>>40358486
>>40358517
The way forward?

>>40358661
Rinnier Take Two.

Writing!

You blink at the verbal deadend you had just encountered. You could probably get more out of her if you insisted, but the complete shutdown seemed to imply another route of conversation would be preferred.

"Have there been any new developments I should know about?" You decide to err on the side of caution and change tracks, allowing Asche to refill your glass before she returned to her seat. Only a moment after asking, you start to feel ridiculous; Asche had already told you that she spent the night in your room. She probably hadn't had time to-

"Your esteemed aunt and uncle have sent a notice cancelling the financial support which has allowed you to order supplies and books, effective immediately." Asche interrupts your thoughts with her smooth monotone, a declaration that... doesn't quite shock you, but isn't pleasant all the same. You had expected something like this to occur after yesterday's events, after all.

"I suppose it came early this morning, then... Given their time leaving yesterday, they probably sent it out as soon as they got home." You hum in thought, "I thought you were watching Kara and the panicky one, though?" You wondered just how vigilant she really could have been, if she had time to slip out and answer the door for the missive.

"I was."

Silence ensued at the table as Asche met your flat stare impassively. "There is a limit to how competent one person can be." She nodded in acknowledgement, matching your gaze unblinkingly. "Have you even slept yet?" her short black bangs shook from side to side briefly, steady sea-green eyes keeping a careful watch on you as you began to massage away a growing headache that had nothing to do with that abominable beverage. "Are you going to be okay today?"

"I am adequately prepared to assist." She replied steadily.

You sigh, "Then we need to make plans. I need you to take stock of the current supplies and how long they will last us." Your thoughts flash back to Kara's insatiable appetite, "I've got some ideas for to handle this, but we need some kind of time frame to work with."

Asche nods, moving to stand at your words. Inexpressiveness aside, no one could fault the sheer implacable work ethic in the diminuitive maid-secretary. "Depending on how we handle this, I might be able to turn it to my advantage as well..." You mutter, gears already shifting as you try to put together different methods of resolving the issue.

In the mean time...

>Talk to Rinnier. You've matters to resolve, and her experience as a princess might be able to help you make the most of the meager resources you've found yourself with.

>Wake up Kara. She might have some ideas about how to handle the food problem.

>Wake up the panicky one. You need to address that quickly, and you're not confident she won't have another episode if she wakes up without you there.

Additionally, roll 1d100 if you want to try and take one of them breakfast.

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>40359385
>>Wake up Kara. She might have some ideas about how to handle the food problem.

>Talk to Rinnier. You've matters to resolve, and her experience as a princess might be able to help you make the most of the meager resources you've found yourself with.
Panicky One can hopefully chill for a bit without us if we leave her with Kara, which will give us a moment to talk to Rinnier about the situation. Besides, it's high time we actually spoke face-to-face with the former princess, rather than let her run wild on our meager collection of book not related to magic.

>>40359385
Does this mean Rinnier's already awake? If so, no need to wake up the others right away. Might prove to be more work than help.

>>Talk to Rinnier. You've matters to resolve, and her experience as a princess might be able to help you make the most of the meager resources you've found yourself with.
Plus, need to find her a niche so she doesn't just keep complaining about the state of things.

>>40359452
Kara wanted to hunting, didn't she?

>>40359566
>>40359637
May as well settle things with Rinnier.
If she wasn't already awake, she's about to be.

Writing!

You decide go ahead and get your appointment with Rinnier's unpleasable nagging out of the way. You've got the feeling that if you let it stew, she'd just cause more and more tension to rise between your Testament and the rest of the household - It's better to address her concerns now, and maybe see if you can find some kind of common ground to work from. With any luck, her experience as former-princess of Teranford gave her some insight into managing financial affairs.

A short trip with Asche later brings you to her chosen room, one of the empty ones that would have eventually become another compartment of your library given time - Now evidently belonging to the demanding royalty that is Rinnier Suriah Lamandra. You rally yourself and rap your knuckles against the shut door, eliciting a sharp staccato of knocks that were shortly reciprocated by said door clicking open to reveal it's ever-haughty occupant. The red haired spitfire was immaculate nearly to the point of being unfair, considering her apparel consisted of still dirty slave garb, and if Asche's assertion was correct, she likely hadn't had a chance to bathe yet. All the same, she retained a regal bearing of formality as she looked you over in consideration.

The effect she was aiming for likely would have been better served if she weren't legally your slave. You meet her eyes and offer a smile - An amiable expression, lips curved tightly along your teeth so as not to bare them unintentionally. "Good morning," You greet her as casually as you can, her expression still set in a persistent, yet small, frown of distaste. "As promised, we have things to discuss, yes?"

She glances to the side finally, breaking eye-contact as her cheeks color lightly and she steps away from the doorway to invite you inside, clicking the door shut behind you. You take a moment to appreciate having been invited into a room of your own house, and glance around subtly to see what changes had been made.

For some reason, you find yourself surprised at how... Familiar it is.

She had nothing. There was no furniture to move in, no personal possessions to arrange. This was the room she had chosen, but aside from the couch being in a disarray, you could barely tell anyone had been present in the room at all. You're almost disappointed that you hadn't stepped through the threshold into a completely unrecognisable room.

Nothing had changed.

"You have a great many books on magic." Her voice startles you out of your thoughts, the subtle inspection have gone on longer than you had intended. "Are you quite sure you've no aptitude for it?" The conversation was casual, just an arbitrary topic to test waters after last night. You were glad for it's introduction, as well as the implication its presence held.

"Unfortunately." You reply after a moment, "I've never held any particular favor with the different Mana... Though from what I've read, perhaps I should consider that a good thing." Rinnier smiled slightly, motioning towards the a chair near by for you to sit. The act of formality was nearly surreal, but it didn't hurt to adhere to the familiar chain of social etiquette. "Still, I've found the concept fascinating, as you can likely tell; I've spent a lot of time reading various texts on the subject."

The flame princess at least seemed to calm a little as the discussion proceeded on - There were several books here she had heard of, but never had the chance to read herself. You find yourself parsing the conversation, trying to discern genuine interest from polite form of course. You wouldn't go so far as to say that the discussion was anything approaching comfortable, but she wasn't actively biting your head off this morning at least. Perhaps sleep had calmed her nerves?

>Start from the top; Reintroduce yourselves!
>Explain the resource problem, see if she has any ideas.
>Broach the topic of last night. She's not just going to talk her way around that! (Rebuke!)
>Find out what she believes your shortcomings are. You may as well have a working understanding of why she thinks you're incompetent.
>Ask about Teranford. The country was destroyed by a nomadic army?
>Ask about Salamander. What happened to cause their family to lose its favor?

>>40360404
>>Find out what she believes your shortcomings are. You may as well have a working understanding of why she thinks you're incompetent.
>Ask about Salamander. What happened to cause their family to lose its favor?

>>40360404
>Start from the top; Reintroduce yourselves!
>Explain the resource problem, see if she has any ideas.
Then:
>Broach the topic of last night. She's not just going to talk her way around that! (Rebuke!)
But afterwards:
>Find out what she believes your shortcomings are. You may as well have a working understanding of why she thinks you're incompetent.

I bet you guys she's got some sort of magic or junk.

>>40360404
>>Ask about Teranford. The country was destroyed by a nomadic army?
>>Ask about Salamander. What happened to cause their family to lose its favor?
It might do good to show some sympathy/interest in her former affairs. Might turn out to be particularly important too, and it's never a bad thing to be more worldly.

Conversation allowing, however,
>>Broach the topic of last night. She's not just going to talk her way around that! (Rebuke!)

We need to build up both respect and dominance with her. She seems to be the least likely to cooperate otherwise.

>Start from the top; Reintroduce yourselves!
The rest of that can wait. We need to get down to basics and have a foundation to work on with Ms.Ms.Rinnier.

>>40360434
>>40360443
Shortcomings galore

>>40360443
>>40360596
From the top!

>>40360443
>>40360518
You're not going to sweet talk your way out of this!

>>40360434
>>40360518
So I heard god hates your family now.

>>40360518
So I heard your country is dead now.

>>40360443
So we have financial problems....

W-Writing...!

The polite conversation continued for a while, slight verbal edgings between the two of you to try and prod the boundaries that were being quietly set. You realized in a bout of silence between topics that this stalemate would never be broken if you both kept playing by the rules.

Etiquette was for maintaining the status quo - You needed to break it. Not too harshly, lest you risk alienating what little levity you've managed to acquire. Not too softly, it wouldn't do to give her the impression you'll forgive being walked on as she had. "Last night." You start, drawing her attention sharply as you broach the topic that had been on your mind since you came here. "We agreed that I would be more than happy to hear out your complaints in private." You lean forward, raising your eyes over a bridge of laced together fingers that sat just in front of your mouth, watching her jaw set as she realized you weren't just going to let that incident be forgotten. "I expect there to be a lot of interesting trials in the days ahead, Rinnier, which means I need to know exactly where we stand."

She nods stiffly, her hands idly moving to smooth out the dirty slave's garb. "You are... Not what I expected from House Valen." She admitted after a moment, "Even in Teranford we know about this noble house, but you... As heir, I expected sophistication. Wealth. Knowledge." She looked you over critically, her sagging shoulders unable to hide the disappointment in what she saw, "What I found was a brat that lived in seclusion, playing with slaves and throwing parties. You've a single staff member on hand, and though you've obviously had the opportunity to build up a small library of information, you chose to spend that entire time on a child's hobby - Researching a facet of life that doesn't even apply to you."

She took a breath, her voice heating up as she gained steam and barreled on. "You're ignorant. You know nothing of the outside world. Have you just been living comfortably, expecting to one day gain an inheritance to throw your weight around in a bigger pool? Most nobles at least leave their houses and interact with the public, at least in Teranford, do you even leave the house? Do you know anything beyond these walls? The state of the world?"

"How do you suppose I felt? Being carted out into the middle of nowhere in a caravan of nobles in some foreign country, only to find I'd been delivered to be some scion's toy!? House Valen no less! At first I thought perhaps this was a chance, but what are you, even?"

Your eye twitched as she ranted on, a similarly hot feeling coalescing in your gut as she laid into you. The evaluation stung, not in the least of which because you recognized pieces of truth in it. Coming from someone who had lived outside, every word out of Rinnier's mouth was another nail in the coffin that reminded you of the ever growing list of inadequacies you weren't aware you had. The kind of list no one who lives in seclusion would realize even existed....

"I am Irue Valen."

But your crime was not stupidity. It was ignorance.

"Heir to House Valen, as recognized."

Ignorance could be fixed.

You stood up, offering a light bow to the taken aback former-princess. "The terms we agreed to was one of partnership; By choosing you as part of my Testament, I implicitly gave my word to help you in regards to your people." You smile at her, more confident now. "Circumstances have led to you finding me rightfully lacking, but do not mistake me for sitting idle on my laurels, Rinnier Suriah Lamandra." Her back stiffened almost imperceptibly, "Your presence here in the first place means I've decided to rectify my failings. Holding out your hand to the former princess, you make a point to conclude your reintroduction.

"There are problems I suspect we'll need each other to face, so I hope we can cooperate a little more easily in the future, while I fill in my gaps."

After a moment, the former-princess took your proffered hand and rose as well. "...I do not rescind my evaluation of you." She responded tentatively, "As you are, you are a worthless noble... But I will give you the chance to redeem yourself."

Again with the chances. You grit your teeth, patiently enduring the urge to snap back about how slaves - Testament or no - should stop offering you a 'chance'. It's their chance, dammit! "I don't make a habit of disappointing." You reply blandly, "Speaking of chances for redemption, however," Your vitriol spilled out before you had a chance to reign it in, "What are the circumstances behind the Lamandra family losing the favor of Salamander?"

Why yes, that was like spitting acid. Why yes, you did enjoy seeing her flinch. Let's talk about inadequacies now, yes?

"...I don't know." She replied lowly, averting her eyes quickly as she stepped back, "It will return, it is only a matter of time. It is of no consequence - The spirits are fickle."

>Press the issue. You've found something good to get back at her with.
>Explain the current situation with finances and resources.
>Ask about the world outside the forest, what have you missed?
>Excuse yourself, you've spent too much time here.

>Ask about the world outside the forest, what have you missed?
Pressing the issue about her lost favor with Salamander could be seen as condescending or hostile, best to broach it at a later time. For now. Let us remedy our igborance, one step at a time.

I hella misspelled Ignorance.

>>40361525
>>Ask about the world outside the forest, what have you missed?
Give her an opportunity to show off, and to demonstrate we can learn.

>>40361608
>>40361627
Outside world. What's going on beyond this forest?

Writing!

You nod, accepting that for now. "Tell me about the world." You start instead, "You're the first real source of current events I've had in a long time, what's going on out there?" A hint of excitement slips into your voice towards the end. To be honest, you weren't even entirely sure where 'here' was. You knew you were on Valen land, but that was like saying there were fish in the sea - You had no idea what settlements were even near you.

Your aunt and uncle were at least a day or two's travel away, but that didn't tell you much.

All the same, Rinnier snorted at your question, a dark look flashing across her eyes as she looked at you with a mix between black humor and pity.

"This continent is falling to ruin."

She dropped that statement on you flatly, outright laughing at your expression as your face fell. "East Heaven Kingdom is one of the few remaining powerful nations still maintaining absolute control of its borders, no doubt because the monsters in their lands are more dangerous to outsiders than they are to the locals." She started to recount several major names, "You already know that Teranford, neighboring East Heaven Kingdom to the south, has fallen. We came under assault from a 'nomadic army', a force of raiders whose numbers were nigh endless, but flew no banner."

Her eyes darkened as she spoke, "In the last few months, Father was certain they were being funded and supplied by someone, but he never discovered who. I should not have to explain, but it's impossible for that kind of thing to exist, you know? The larger a force gets, the more supplies it needs to sustain it - A nomadic army can not just exist out of the blue, they can not pose a threat to an established nation. They would disperse from lack of supplies and held ground."

"Teranford is allied with East Heaven Kingdom, isn't it?" You ask, trying to remember something from the smattering of books not related to magic that you had acquired. "If the problem was that severe, why didn't you ask for aid?"

"We did." The flame haired former-princess sighed, "Several times. It never arrived, we do not even know if our messengers made it into their borders. Last I heard, East Heaven Kingdom has closed its borders due to an internal power struggle between the Princesses as to who will rule." She bit down, her fist clenching unconsciously by her side. "For that reason... They couldn't support us. Or they wouldn't." Her head hung, "Or they never got the message. I don't know."

"It's too late now, anyway..." She sniffed, wiping hastily at her eyes as she moved forward quickly. "Ephlesia in the west has taken in refugees from Teranford. I'd like to go there some time, to see what I can find." She pauses, looking towards her feet as her chin dipped, "Who I can find." she muttered under her breath.

You were expecting some local information, but this was suitably depressing as well. Not for the first time, you hate how isolated you've allowed yourself to be these past ten years. "I fear Ephlesia is the next target for that nomadic army. That place is full of worthless academics... It's only the presence of the Aeons which kept it sovereign - Bandits won't recognize things like that. They're too ignorant."

Aeons - There was a term you recognized. Things who held the favor of several Mana simultaneously, having embraced their nature to the point of their own basic existence being irrevocably twisted into something beyond the core of their origin. They ceased to be sentient in the sense of society, but maintained domains within the world where in they could near eternally immerse themselves into a crucible of spiritual refinement.

Not all Aeons made their Sanctuary - Ateliers - in the domain of Ephlesia, but it was a heavy concentration.

>Ask about Ephlesia
>Ask about East Heaven Kingdom
>Ask about something more local
>Ask if she wants breakfast

>>40362041
>Ask if she wants breakfast
Was lurking, but I'll vote I guess.

>>40362041
>>Ask about something more local
The depressing state of the world is great and all but what about around here? Also,
>>Ask if she wants breakfast
Might as well grab food while chatting.

>>40362041
>Ask if she wants breakfast
>Ask about something more local
Feels nice to get back in time from my workout to see voting is still open.

>>40362070
>>40362114
>>40362151
That is a lot of depressing information. Let's have a slice of instead.

>>40362114
>>40362151
That's great, the world's going to hell, but really I was asking about the nearest town.

Writing!

>>40362180
You're killing me Riz.

The atmosphere in Rinnier's room was a fair mark heavier than you had expected it to get, and your mind began to work rapidly to make sense of the information you had just received. After it was clear that she had nothing else to contribute at the moment, you clap your hands together quickly and snap her attention back onto you - A bright smile cheerfully greeting her surprised expression.

"It's time for breakfast." You announce simply, drawing a confused blink from the former-princess. "Asche is busy with a task I set for her earlier this morning, but we can attempt to evoke some manner of kitchenmancy in her absence."

You see her attempting to mouth the word 'kitchenmancy' in confusion, but choose not to address such trifling things. "Breakfast, Rinnier." You repeat insistently, "I have more questions about the world, like... more local things. The nearest town, for example." Her confused expression twisted into further incredulity as you moved right along, "But before that, I've had you discussing a lot of heavy material before you've even properly woken up." You move towards the door, clicking it open as you turned back to the spitfire royalty behind you. "We'll feel better after we eat, and then we can continue this lesson."

She nods, looking slightly lost as she moves to follow you. That was good enough, for now, really.

Breakfast was important. You'd already had breakfast, so it wasn't so important for you persay, but you had just made a vital amount of progress in getting your relationship with Rinnier off to a start that did not include hellfire and brimstone spewing from her mouth about your life choices. While the information you gained in the process was extremely interesting, you had no point of context as to how you could make use of it - Breakfast bought you time to internalize it, and hopefully come to some kind of conclusion from it, and also helpfully served the purpose of physically bribing Rinnier through her stomach.

"I'm not really sure about local things." Rinnier admitted as you looked through the kitchen, "Most of my knowledge is from the base of Teranford's capital, and the world politic in relation to it..."

People were happy when eating, a happy Rinnier meant less chances to return to horrible ranting. All of these things were good and important. These were your thoughts as you stared into the kitchen and began to muse about how to go about this. At a glance, there seemed to be some sort of... eating... substance. Of various colors, even. Some were even in shapes.

"I believe the nearest town is Caroline? Or.. Koralu?" She hazarded, "I heard it echoed often through the holding cells, but it was never spoken of near me. It was where they took several shipments of their... merchandise."

You recognized them, it was wonderful, but you didn't really know how to prepare them - Looking at the drawer beheld to you an armory of pointed objects and various lengths of sharp toothed metal that you assumed to be for committing gross domestic violence upon your sacrificial foodstuffs. Asche had left the altar out on the counter, thankfully, and you could see a number of cut marks on it's hard surface; A reminder of its past victims.

"They did not seem especially concerned about the royal family of this region however, so I presume it to be far from the capital. Given the forestry around here, I can't help but wonder if we are close to the East Heaven border."

There was also a cabinet containing various ritualistic herbs and spices you know, from close inspection of your secretary-maid's previous endeavors, were to be chosen based on some manner of shamanistic logic and then applied sparingly lest it corrupt your offering.

"Do you really not even know where you live?" She asked finally, the question more curious than inflammatory this time.

"I haven't left the forest." You reply absently, "The things I needed - food, books, cloth and the like - all of it was delivered to me." Your eyes narrow at the stage of sorcery before you, brow knitting in concentration as you try to think of someway to get out of this successfully. "The forest is home to a number of dangerous beasts, so I didn't have the ability to travel away of my own discretion."

...You begin to second guess your decision to do this yourself, and wonder where Asche was right now.

>You are Irue Valen, and you will make a sandwich.
>Call for Asche before you do something irrevocable.
>Subtly imply that Rinnier can make whatever she wants, and then watch carefully.
>Make excuse to leave, you need to check on Kara/The Panicky One.

>>40362500
>You are Irue Valen, and you will make a sandwich.
>Subtly imply that Rinnier can make whatever she wants, and then watch carefully.
We follow along.
Also are we straight?

>>40362500
>Subtly imply that Rinnier can make whatever she wants, and then watch carefully.
>You are Irue Valen, and you will make a sandwich.
This order is more fitting. And god damn. I heard of people who can't do their laundry. But this is the first time I've seen it exhibited so plainly.

>>40362500
>>Subtly imply that Rinnier can make whatever she wants, and then watch carefully.
The first true test of your Testament's capabilities!!

>>Call for Asche before you do something irrevocable.
Just in case you're both terrible

>>40362564
We are, but I believe we want to have our positioned settled since we could lose it if we aren't careful.

>>40362564
>>40362593
>>40362607
You're free to make whatever you're interested in, Rinnier.

>>40362564
>>40362593
You are Irue Valen, you will make a sandwich.

>>40362607
Deploy Emergency Asche.

>>40362564
We are completely straight.

Writing!
Pray ye survive.

>>40362665
Hey, do we at least get to roll for this? Even with a bad modifier? You got to give us a chance man! Valens make their own fate! They struggle and strive!

>>40362696
You are welcome to roll in an attempt to faithfully recreate Rinnier's results.

In doing so, you take your fate into your own hands.

Rolled 22 - 100 (1d100 - 100)

>>40362729
I'll chance it. What's the DC?

Rolled 100 (1d0000100)

>>40362729
Rollan' over or under?

Rolled 88 - 100 (1d100 - 100)

>>40362729

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>40362729

>>40362747
Over.

I'm pretty sure this covers it.

For future rolls, though they will be exceedingly rare in most cases, the format is Best of 3 - Roll Over.

File: excellent.gif (3.56 MB, 347x244)

3.56 MB GIF

>>40362762
Holy shit. I can't believe I did that. Staying up this late was worth it.

>>40362747
This sandwich of mine glows with an awesome power !

Rolled 99 (1d0000100)

>>40362747

>>40362762
>>40362747
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0e1au1JwQc

>>40362762
Such is the power of the friendship sandwich.
Rinnier better appreciate this.

Rolled 43 (1d0000100)

>>40362811
>>40362747
I can't tell if anon rolled a Nat 100 or if the 0s before the 100 mess with the dice.

>>40362827
Apparently he just nat 100

>>40362747
Just got settled down with my unholy pastrami-sunnyside-mayo-butter-liver pate-baguette sandwich. This is gonna be great.

>>40362889
Right? I just woke up, and what a nice time to do so!

"I don't know what you would find palatable," you hedge, an idea coming together even as your lips move to put it into action. "So you're welcome to browse through what we have and make what suits you." And you would watch, divining the secrets to the creation from her actions. You step aside as Rinnier nods and begins to look through the pantry. It doesn't take her long to begin getting several ingredients out, fishing out some kind of wide half-orb thing and filling it with the ceremonial annointment oil.

"Thanks." She sighed, "My maid once told me it was rude to impose on another's kitchen, but... I think some familiar food would be preferrable." You nodded easily, taking note of the things she got out: dried strips of meat, various vegetables. The process by which she creates them is rapid and well practiced, but your are Irue Valen and adapting on the fly is your specialty - This level of strife was nothing to the heir of House Valen!

You very casually begin to follow her lead, filling your own decidedly less wide and spherical pot-pan-cooking container as you look at the stove. It's almost relaxing as the two of you quickly begin to prepare the vegetables into smaller slices and rub spices onto the lightly oiled meats. You glance surreptitiously towards Rinnier as you move along just a slight step behind her, easily finding ways to appear distracted or busy when she pauses.

After a while everything seems to be in order, and all that remained was actually offering the prepared sacrificial foodstuffs to the altar of flame. "You know this dish?" She asked curiously, a measure of surprise in her impressed expression. "It's something from my homeland." You nod along easily, "Though... normally it's made in a larger type of pan - deeper. It lets us stir the contents as it fries, so the food doesn't become burned in the flames."

You glance down at the pot you had arranged yours in, mind like a steel trap issuing an answer before she has a chance to notice your pause. "Perhaps it is slightly different? We make it as a stew here." Rinnier seems intrigued at the concept as she flashes the first friendly smile you'd seen on her since you met your Testaments.

"Well I suppose now we just need to get the stove lit." She muttered, looking at the compartment beneath the top where a fire was meant to be stoked. "You burn... wood in here, right?" She asked slowly, looking to you curiously. You look down at it, humming in thought as you quickly accessed the memories of Asche cooking...

"Yes, there should be wood..." You walk off for a moment, returning with an armful of cut wood strips to be fed into the stove's hungering maw. It took a minutes of fiddling with matches - "I'm sorry, normally we would just... coax fire to life." She muttered awkwardly as you tried to do just that, though with significantly less magic power. After nearly twenty minutes of attempts and failures, your temper was beginning to fray as it seemed the complete lack of fire was starting to drive down Rinnier's mood.

Not that it bothered you particularly, but ruining breakfast was not a good way to end this note. For that matter, you are Irue Valen, and you are going to make this food. With a final frustrated grunt, you strike one more match, a spark leaping to life as the sound of metal striking metal reverberated in the stove. There was a brief flash from your wrist as you jerked back, but it was too late - The small spark erupting into an all consuming inferno.

bright yellow and crimson tongues roared out of the stove, turning the top a cherry red as the flames twisted and curled upon itself, raising a high pitched screech from the abyss of whatever pit of hell it was summoned from. You winced, stumbling back as the eruption of flame blasted both you and Rinnier away from the stove. The island you normally ate at arresting your flight prematurely with a bone jarring thud as Rinnier was sent tumbling further back. You raise a hand to shield your eyes as you see the stove itself being devoured from within by a violent and seemingly self-aware flame that sought to coalesce into a vaguely humanoid figure.

Well, Teranford was known for having a lot of fire mana, and the favor of Salamander. When Rinnier said she coaxed fire, she evidently meant it literally. That meant this was a success, right?

"Irue!" Her panicked call from the far side of the kitchen caught your attention, you hesitate to peek over the island and find the flamehaired princess now making a literal example of her name as little embers fell out of her crimson tresses. "Get away, it's wild!"

Wild? You turn back to the rogue fire mana phantoming into existence before you.

That was bullshit, you did everything exactly the same! Why did only her offering offend the kitchengods?!

At that thought, the Mana shimmered, splitting itself into separate flames that began to establish themselves in the corporeal realm by melting the pots and stove you had been using into liquid slag beneath them.

Yes, this was better. Now she would never know.

"IRUE, RUN."

>Rinnier knows what she's talking about, time to juke.
>Call for Asche, you have done something irrevocable.
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich.

>>40363067
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich.

What the fucking hell? How did these chain of events even fucking happen? I don't understand!

>>40363067
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich.
I don't think you understand how cereal I am about this.

>>40363067
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich.
Kek I can't wait for our servant to see this.

>>40363067
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich.

>>40363067
>You are Irue Valen, and you WILL make a sandwich

Damn straight you will, stare that flaming asshole down as you move to make a sammich.
Make it submit like your bloody testaments.

Will we officially be banned from using the kitchen?

>>40363067
>>SANDWICH
SANDWICH

>>40363084
>>40363090
>>40363100
>>40363122
>>40363125
>>40363143
We will make a sandwich now.

Writing!

>>40363168
We're going to die, aren't we.

>>40363168
I stayed up awake til 4 to convince Riz to let us roll. I stayed up til 5 to roll that Nat100. And by god, I'll stay up 'til 6 to make that god damn sandwich. I'm just so tired. Where the hell do you live Riz?

>>40363183
Hey, we read all those books. Gotta be good for something.

>>40363183
No we're going to make a perfectly wonderful sandwich.

It's the flame mana spirit who's gonna die or submit.

In the face of two rogue flame mana manifesting in your kitchen, as the heat bears down on you, you realize with an absolute clarity that kitchenmancy was dangerous. That you had tred upon unholy ground with heathen hands, and possibly brought some manner of unwanted foreign arts into the realm of Asche's domain. You can feel your skin beginning to prickle from the flames, and behind you there is the absent sound of Rinnier yelling something - You're not entirely sure, it's all running together with the roaring flames before you. In the midst of all this, with a clear and precise resolve, you feel calm. You feel at ease. You close your eyes as that tranquil calm overcomes you.

You hear your own breath as you breath out, wine red eyes slowly opening to reflect the maelstrom in front of them.

You are Irue Valen.

You WILL make a sandwich.

You dive to the side as one of the flaming twins drive their flickering tongues into the island that had so faithfully caught you, the stone table chipping off into blackened chunks on impact. You'd question how immaterial flame managed a physical reaction, but higher thought was beyond you at the moment. Your rational mind was sedately watching from somewhere far above and behind you, watching your body move with an instinctual drive and agility you never realized you had as you deftly avoided fireball after fireball from the flame twins.

Flashes of silver through the air are your only warning before the clatter of superheated knives careen outward from a recent explosion, your left arm rising before even instinct can catch up to deflect one at the wrist, grasping another from the air and returning the blade to the fires that launched them. You barely have a chance to react as the re-thrown knife is engulfed in an oncoming fireball and launched back at you as droplets of molten slag that you quickly block by kicking a nearby chair between you and the blaze.

That chair is tossed aside no sooner than you had grabbed it, the super-heated wood crunching against the wall as you rise in the fire bathed aftermath with blonde hair stubbornly wafting out behind you.

Your breathing is steady, though pieces of your sleeve have been blackened from the flames, revealing your sister's bracelet firmly attached even now. A single breath fills your lungs with fire, burning inside you, yet you exhale easily. Your mind was twisting, memories flickering behind your eyes far quicker than you could process.

Fire.
Mana.
Rogue Elemental.
Apparition.

The exact knowledge is lost to you, but you understand the things in front of you. From your spot far behind yourself, you see your body begin to tense as your fingers are drawn into fists. You realize it's over-

"Irue, we need water!"

-And like that you are looking through your own eyes again, feeling exactly how this infernal blaze surrounding you is even as your skin cracks and screams in the heat. You jerk your head to the side to see Rinnier hauling some kind of bucket back into the room... Had she left the room?

No, now wasn't the time for that!

>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?
>Help Rinnier - Water was anathema to fire mana, even more so than to actual fire.
>Call Asche, this is bad.
>Distract it while Rinnier prepares, find some way to keep it's attention. (Write-in?)

>>40363313
>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?
We species into this, we might as well use it.

>>40363313
>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?
The apparition will serve us. It shall bow to us.

>>40363313
>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?

>>40363313
>>Call Asche, this is bad.
Okay maybe it's time to call hypercompetent maidcretary. You know. Just in case she didn't hear the multiple explosions by now.

Also, mana responds based on the individual, right? Desperately trying to snuff it out proves little. Tentatively voting for
>>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?
If only because I have no idea how to distract fire.

>>40363313
>Try and remember what just happened, what were you about to do!?
God dammit firecrotch, your inability to control fire is already legendary, just let us get shit done.

>>40363300
>Distract it while Rinnier prepares, find some way to keep it's attention. (Write-in?)

Launch into a verbal tirade about how this is YOUR house and that the fire mana ought to BEHAVE.

Maybe they'll see reason or something, I dunno we just have to wait till Red throws water at them right?

>>40363344
>>40363352
>>40363366
>>40363368
>>40363396
Remember, dammit. We have an entire library of books on this, we damn well know it!

>>40363368
Asche plz.

>>40363402
Attempt to sass living fire into it's place.

Writing!

You Jerkily dive to the side as another fireball races towards you, wincing when you hear it explode against something further behind you. Your breathing was picking up as adrenaline surged through your veins and your mind screamed against itself to try and figure out what to do. "Asche!" You yell, not daring to take your eyes off the flame twins as their attention seems to be shifting between you and Rinnier. Think, think, you had studied magic for years, you knew this!

What was the chain of thoughts... Fire... mana- Water?
No, Rinnier said water. That wasn't it, adding water would only make it worse because... because why!?
It was a rogue elemental, but not fully formed. It was an apparition, it used components of its surroundings to exist.
This was special because...Because the components it was using to keep it manifested included meat, vegetables, iron and....

...Oil.

You stood up quickly from your cover, watching as Rinnier moved to throw the bucket of water at the flame twins even as a fireball was being formed to race towards her.

>Intercept the bucket! (Leaves Rinnier unprotected)
>Protect Rinnier! (Allows bucket of water to hit the flametwins)
>Regret meddling in kitchenmancy.
>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)

>>40363451
>Regret meddling in kitchenmancy.
>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)

>>40363451
>Regret meddling in kitchenmancy.
>>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)
Damn kitchen magic.

>>40363451
>>Regret meddling in kitchenmancy.
>>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)

>>40363451
Can we tackle Rinnier knocking the bucket out of her hands?

If not then
>Regret meddling in kitchenmancy.
And
>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)

Hopefully the water will dissipate some of the heat.

Guys, can we agree to rant the shit out of Rinnier once this is over ? She did literally everything wrong right there, and I think a bit of firmness might help cull her horrible temper

>>40363451
So trying to snuff it out would only make it more desperate to burn its surroundings or something...? Shit.

>Throw yourself into the path of the bucket and fireball. (Situation will not escalate, but at what cost?)
Hopefully Asche shows up fast enough to deal with the aftermath of our decision.
How was option 2 and 4 any different?

>>40363501
Telling us to run from danger?
Attempting to put out a fire with water?
Panicking at the sight of uncontrolled flames?
Dude, it's like you haven't panicked once in your life?

Panicking shits up a lot of human desision making, that's why they always have you "calm your tits" before doing stuff in an emergency.

We could tease her over losing her cool later on though, over breakfast/lunch.

>>40363524
One let's water hit oil the other ruins our clothes and maybe hair.

>>40363524
I mean, technically.
https://youtu.be/v3F4c5o4J7M?t=68

>>40363524
Rinnier eats a flame-sandwich instead of us. Something we don't want because we're trying to earn points with her.

Also making her mistake injure us is a really useful social springboard. It gives us an excuse to get angry at her, thus calming her explosive ego, something we can swiftly follow up with an apology to ensure our position as the better man. I think it also qualifies as 'something interesting'

>>40363554
She used to be powerfully attuned with similar spirits, and yet is too retarded to not try and throw water on a fucking oil fire. That's middle-school tier knowledge at best.
Anyway, panic or not, it's an excuse to pull her off her fifty stories high horse.

>>40363467
>>40363476
>>40363485
>>40363488
>>40363524
We regret breakfast.
'
Writing!
Rinnier did nothing wrong.

>>40363587
We'll tease her like a good natured elder sister anyway

>>40363613
She's older than Irue.

>>40363624
Doesn't matter. Also makes victory all the more sweeter

There wasn't time to protect Rinnier and stop the waterbucket. If you rushed to protect her, who knows what kind of catastrophy would come from the flametwins being exposed to water... But if you stopped the bucket, you know almost without a doubt that Rinnier wouldn't be able to avoid the sphere of flames heading towards her. Your body moved even before you had a chance to think, reflexes taking heed of your intent long before your conscious mind could catch up and say 'No Irue, this is a bad idea.' Your feet raced across the ruined kitchen floor, the sole of your shoe slamming down onto a piece of ruined island as you ignored the searing pain of scalding stone to use your hands and thrust yourself up onto the remains of the table.

When the piece of you that logically thinks about the things the rest of your body does finally caught up to the rest of you, it had only two thoughts to provide you. These two thoughts kept you company as you swiftly kicked several dishes out of the way and slid to a halt on the table, the heel of your shoe skidding across the superheated table surface in a trail of it's own boiling leather.

The first thought was simply, "I regret my foray into kitchenmancy." And it was a rather poignant thought as your right hand slapped the bucket off it's trajectory, sending the water splashing across the table in a hiss of steam that rose uncomfortably up your singed dress-skirt and bit into the exposed skin of your arms. You hissed in response, in pain, as the fingers on your left hand began to curl in time with your lips, a furious, and resolute snarl ripping itself from your throat. Your hand rose, flame glinting off the dual golden bands of your sister's bracelet, reaching out towards the fireball as your right had the bucket.

Your second thought, the only thought that encompassed the entirety of your mind as that sphere of flames reached your hand and began to consume flesh and sleeve both within it's mass-

"I..." Cracked fingers grasped immaterial reigns as you felt something twist and writhe within your grip. "Am Irue Valen!" The warcry that rips from your throat carries specks of copper blood and skalds your tongue from having opened your mouth so close to the blaze, your vision obscured by frantically tearing eyes in an attempt to resist being dried out. Not knowing what you held, you rip the fire aside, dragging forward a shocked fire elemental into your waiting right fist.

A crack fills your ears as your body twists into the a devoted strike, fist piercing through its immaterial body like the intangible fire it actually was; emerging through the other side with a small oval of molten flame pulsing furiously in your palm, sizzling against your skin and melting away the flesh.

In a screech, one of the flametwins ceased, it's desecrated body literally going up in flames as you stamp your foot into the ground and hastily throw the molten core-heart from your hand.

-Your second thought, as you stare down the one remaining flametwin, the one which had spawned from your mimicry, was something far more personal. Something violent. Something primal.

This thought was your sole companion as the kitchen burned around you, and you staggered towards the sole remaining flametwin - A charcoaled baguette grasped from the ashen remains of your first victim. Right hand screaming in pain, more pain than anything you had ever known before. Sleeves ripped and burned to pieces, you're fairly certain your dress-skirt was on fire as you moved. You knew it's heart now, you remembered what you had realized - The core of an apparition, the transmutation of material that kept their bodies contained.

There was mania in your dedication, but by god you would not be denied. You would conquer this!

You would make your own food!

You WILL make a sandwich!

It is perhaps your saving grace when your staggered advance is arrested by a small arm physically folding you in half at the waist from a haymaker that drove the wind from your sails. A familiar sea-green eyed impassive stare meeting your surprised gasp before you find yourself airborn and crashing into Rinnier.

You manage to crane your neck up in time to watch Asche pointing at the flametwin before the remains of the kitchen island was lifted completely free from its ruins.

"Down we go!" Kara's voice cuts out into your senses, the demihuman stepping into view with the entirety of the island held above her in a single handed grip, through a tattered and blackening glove. It was all over with a house shaking thud that crushed the final twin, extinguishing it through sheer physical force. "That was neat." The amber-eyed demihuman whistled appreciatively, looking down over the ruins of the island. "You got more of those somewhere?"

>Pass out
>Where is Rinnier, is she okay?
>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."
>Curse kitchenmancy

>>40363879
>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."
Then as we pass out ask about Rinnier.

>>40363879
>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."
>Curse kitchenmancy
Fuck you kitchen magic.

>>40363879
>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."

The only real answer.

>>40363879
>>Where is Rinnier, is she okay?
When we find her,
>>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."

You take a moment to breath, looking over the ruined wasteland that had at one point been your kitchen. Asche had tred past the charred and scorched remains to kneel beside you, efficiently, if roughly, separating your flame-kissed body from the relatively unharmed, but crying, Rinnier.

With the dredges of your strength, you motion for Asche to help you stand; Uneasily leaning against her diminuitive frame as you rise above the ruins on shaky legs. You can only assume your legs are shaking right now, because you can't actually feel them. If it weren't for Asche, you doubt you'd be able to stand in general.

Your unburned left hand clutches into a victorious fist, pieces of your sleeve disintegrating into pitch black ash as you raise it over head.

"I made a sandwich." You rasp, smiling tiredly at Kara as you leaned heavily against Asche.

...The ensuing silence blanketed the distraught kitchen, only the crackles of smoldering wood breaking the solemnness of your declaration. At least until one person gathered the confidence to speak.

"You dumbass!"

Shut up, Rinnier, I didn't see you make a goddamn sandwich.

The one-woman applause from Kara was much appreciated, however. You decided to have Asche help you hobble out of the room as Rinnier went directly to work trying to convince Kara that what happened was in no way related to sandwich making and- No- she was not going to make a sandwich too.

"Irue." Asche whispered, "Upon revision of my assessment, we have enough supplies for dinner." She didn't look at you as she reported, not even bothering to question what had led to the battlefield she had stumbled into. "I believe we have enough funds to have you healed as well, but it will leave us with little afterwards."

"If you had plans, then now is the time to instruct me." She stopped, looking to you flatly, "Also, please do not spend time with that one unescorted again."

>>40363879
>Raise your fist high; "I made a sandwich."
>Where is Rinnier, is she okay?

Will we be bad enough to be the musclemage?

>Healers are in town, right? How do you propose we get there?
>Save the money, we'll need it - It's just a few burns, I'll be fine. Just need to rest.
>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
>Where is the last Testament?

>>40364080
Sorry, I forgot to call vote after I started writing.

It was unanimous anyway.

>>40364084
>Healers are in town, right? How do you propose we get there?
We are a noble after all.
>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
Ask her to tell us the secrets of kitchenmancy.
>Where is the last Testament?

>>40364084
>Healers are in town, right? How do you propose we get there?
>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
>Where is the last Testament?

>"You dumbass!"
Lord what an insufferable cunt.

>>40364084
>>Healers are in town, right? How do you propose we get there?
>>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
>>Where is the last Testament?

>>40364084
Just how bad are our burns? If they aren't too bad (unlikely)
>Save the money, we'll need it - It's just a few burns, I'll be fine. Just need to rest.

Either way,
>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
Manners first.

>Where is the last Testament?
She's probably sobbing somewhere. Does she even have the energy to have a panic attack?

>>40364084
>Sorry about the kitchen. Bad things happened, I should have called you sooner.
We are a gentleman, afterall.
>Where is the last Testament?
I want to force her to clean our wounds

>>40364125
>>40364133
>>40364160
Heal me!

>>40364125
>>40364133
>>40364160
>>40364181
>>40364211
Mistakes were made. The kitchen has paid the price. The sandwich was worth it.

>>40364125
>>40364133
>>40364160
>>40364181
>>40364211
Where's the panicky one? She's got to be awake after all of that.

Writing!

>>40364211
I have to ask... But why?

>>40364211
>>40364227

For the keks Riz, for the keks...

Maybe she actually likes seeing injury and would make her happy :^)

I'm also fairly intoxicated

"Mistakes were made." You announce finally, apologizing genuinely, if only to Asche, and in private. "I should have called you sooner, maybe this would have turned out better." She didn't reply, neither affirming or denying your thoughts as the smaller black-haired maid-secretary helped you limp towards the baths. "I don't... know how that happened, to be honest." You continue to ramble to your silently listening helper. "I know cooking doesn't just... summon fire mana."

you're pretty sure it doesn't. You're not an expert on cooking by any means, but you are relatively informed about magic - At least academically. Summoning fire mana wasn't something a mistake in cooking could bring about. With the battle over and Asche helping to guide your steps, you finally have a chance to think back over the fight... A lot of things didn't add up, honestly.

Your left arm shifts, unblemished and healthy skin almost mockingly filling your sight despite clearly remembering having used the arm to physically stop a fireball - To grab it, and jerk the immaterial flame to you. The fact you had literally no sleeve left on this side being more than enough affirmation that you weren't mistaking a memory from the adrenaline rush. Your late-sister's bracelet glimmers in the midday sunbeams, the metal not so much as tarnished from the flames. You heave a sigh, letting the arm drop back down as you notice Asche watching you quietly. "Do you know where my sister got this bracelet from?" You shrug as you ask, flames of pain ripping across your back as you did so.

Ow.

No more shrugging.

Asche didn't respond however, her sea-green eyes keeping lock with yours in a steady, impassive stare. "Right, I guess not." You sigh, "Where's the last Testament at?" You switch courses, letting Asche lead you into one of the bathrooms.

"Left her in your room." the stoic maid said softly, "Already panicking when I arrived to retrieve Kara. It is unlikely she has had the ability to leave."

You're not sure how to feel about her just being... left up there. For one, it's still your room - not her hamster cage. For another, you get the distinct feeling that being forcibly abandoned after waking up alone was just going to make things worse. You can't exactly fault Asche for her course of action, as the last Testament was probably the most useless of the three in any kind of altercation, but you know it's not going to be pretty when you, or anyone else, goes back in there. You'll need to think of some way to try and handle that fallout before you even pull the pin on that one.

... God you hoped Rinnier or Kara didn't just rush up there to check on her.

Settling down onto the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, you shift uncomfortably as Asche begins to try and clean the burns out. Your back was burned from something, several pinpricks of metal shards having pierced into you during the fight - They were small, barely fragments - but they hurt.

Aside from that, the worst injury was just your right hand, which had been charred an ugly bright red across the palm that boiled up grotesquely. Probably what you get for having tried to get into a fist fight with the apparition of an oil fire.

You WON that fist fight, of course, which assauged the pain a little.

Only a little.

"I can handle it from here." You mutter, brushing Asche's hands aside as she went to peel the back of your shirt. "Make whatever preparations are necessary to get us on the road. The time frame is shorter than I had expected, but I'll..." You exhale, grimacing at the way it burned. "I'll figure out how to handle this."

Asche's hands hovered for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to oppose you, but finally she withdrew and stood up, nodding to you.

Before she leaves, though...

"Asche... Thanks."

She stops at the door, her hair bobbing as she nods - though refusing to face you - and the door clicks shut behind her.

God, you're exhausted. It's not even evening yet and you want to go back to bed. You want something to dri-

....

"Ooooow..." You hiss, shedding your clothes as the water gets ready.

You have no idea how long it took you to get yourself cleaned, since the pain of the burns was still quite happily dancing on the nerves of your hand and back, but Asche had since returned to lay out the plan of travel for you.

Simply put, Asche had wrangled an agreement from Kara to defend the group from beasts and assailants on the journey. That was the long and short of it: The demihuman was to be a bodyguard.

From there, it was a matter of what the rest of them were going to do. The panicky one was still sealed into your room, and you doubt she'd be of any use to take with you - But leaving her here would probably cause her episodes to intensify. You don't know what use Rinnier would have, but given her knowledge of etiquette and interaction far outclassed Kara or Asche, she would probably be your best bet if it came down to having to talk to people...

Asche, of course, was willing to go or stay as you desired. Her impassive gaze giving you little hint as to her preference. You wonder if she would start trying to clean up the kitchen while you were gone.

Beyond all of that though, you're forced to wonder if Kara would even stay with you if you went alone. It would be a superb time to leave you, what with your injuries, and make away with the funds you took to get healed with. Similarly, you could take Asche but leave Rinnier here and deal with the fact that the spitfire former-princess might get more ideas in her head in your absence.

Decisions...

>Kara and I can travel fastest, I'll take the risk.
>Asche should come with me to keep Kara on leash, Rinnier shouldn't be too much trouble after today... right?
>Everyone should come, we'll make a trip of it and we can keep an eye on everyone.
>Everyone but the panicky one can come, she'd just slow us down.
>Rinnier will come with us, Asche needs to stay and look after the panicky one.

>>40364643
>>Everyone should come, we'll make a trip of it and we can keep an eye on everyone.

>>40364648
>Kara and I can travel fastest, I'll take the risk.

>>40364648
>>Rinnier will come with us, Asche needs to stay and look after the panicky one.

>>40364648
>Rinnier will come with us, Asche needs to stay and look after the panicky one.

>>40364648
>Kara and I can travel fastest, I'll take the risk.

>>40364648
>>Everyone should come, we'll make a trip of it and we can keep an eye on everyone.
Can't leave panicky one while she's panicky. That's the opposite thing to do for panicking.

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>40364671
>>40364779
All aboard the healtrain.

>>40364683
>>40364734
Kara and I can make tracks the fastest, we'll get this done quick.

>>40364726
>>40364729
Rinnier should come with, I may need her for things, and I've still got questions.

...These options are mutually exclusive.

Rolling it out, then.

1. Everyone comes
2. Kara and I make tracks
3. Rinnier's on board.

Writing, whatever the dicegods tell us.

File: 1433155856235.jpg (96 KB, 1024x768)

96 KB JPG

>>40364796
The dicegods have spoken.
Im gonna blame you guys when everything goes to shit tho.

>>40364796
Sweet, we get to know our allegedly not-so-intelligent just here for not-boring things monster girl.

"Kara and I can make progress the fastest." You decide after a while, gratefully taking Asche's hand as she helps pull you to your feet. The threat of her deserting you was very valid, but given the alternatives, this was the one option that you were most comfortable taking. Asche nodded in acquiescence and helped you hobble out to the main hall. Your altercation with the flametwins in the kitchen seemed to, thankfully, have been mostly contained to the kitchen itself. It almost seems surreal to be walking through an untouched house you just had a fist-fight with fire in. You feel yourself grinning as you see Kara waiting around, distracted by her own reflection in the brass stair guard - Not because of Kara, mind you.

But because you won that fist fight with an actual fire.

Hearing you approach, Kara shifted her amber eyes towards the two of you lightly, her own lazy grin moseying up alongside a half-hearted wave. "Yo, we runnin'?" She asked, glancing between you and Asche in curiosity. Why was she even looking at Asche, though? Asche was the maid. Secretary. Crutch.

Look, the point is that you're the heir to House Valen. Why are you being put on equal standing to your help?

Asche nodded in the meantime, turning you over to the demihuman whose deceptively normal looking arms hoisted you up into a princess carry without so much as a hitch in her breath - Yours hitched, however, as you hissed in pain at the wounds along your back being aggrivated. "Oops, hehe..." You fight the urge to outright glare at Kara as she drop- SHE DROPPED YOU.

You hit the ground with a thud, this time not quite resisting the urge to scream. "Aw..." Kara moaned above you, her hands reaching out awkwardly as if unsure how to approach the situation. She looked between your curling form and Asche's blank expression before visibly wracking her brain - Literally shaking one hand violently through her messy black hair - and arranging to get you onto her piggy back.

With a farewell to Asche that sounded far too lackadaisical for your liking, the demihuman jaunted down the front steps casually, jerking you up and down a bit as you tried to keep comfortable on her back. You had just left the house, and who knows how long this trek was going to be, but you wondered if you'd last for it all. " 'kay back there?" She asked curiously, hands wrapped around your thighs to support your unsteady grasp on her torso. You don't know if that was a rhetorical question or not, though, as she slowed to a halt not far out into the pathway leading to the forest, two tufts of hair twitching in front of you...

No, you realize, not hair. A set of droopy dog ears that blended into her shaggy head. You'd have missed those for who knows how long if your face wasn't literally right against the back of her head right now.

"Hold on tight, ye'?" Her voice breaks your inspection, eliciting a confused groan as she shifted her grip and started bouncing on the balls of her feet. You opened your mouth to ask why, and only just barely had the reflexes to tighten your grip around the wolf-like demihuman's neck as the ground beneath her audibly exploded - A sudden hurricane like gust of wind smashing into your face and sending your singed blonde hair streaming out behind the two of you like some dementedly whipping ribbon that was apt to snap every which way in the wind. Outrageously long strides carried you down the branched pathway, each step punctuated by the outright crunching of the stone and packed dirt unfortunate enough to be her stepping stone as Kara raced along.

Your eyes squinted shut in the wind, trying to see ahead through the swiftly passing trees to no avail. To even have a remote chance of seeing where you were going, you'd have need to use a hand to create a windshield - The hand you were currently using to direly hold onto the dashing demihuman, most likely, as you'd rather not use your burned hand for anything.

You'd never ridden an actual horse before, memories of unpleasant summers spent with Ser Stomperson aside since that was less a horse and more a manifestation of primal hate and darkness disguised into the shape of a horse, but you have to wonder just how one would compare to Kara in a race. At this speed, you wouldn't be surprised if you made it to your aunt and uncle's within a day, or perhaps a few hours.

You've really no measure of context for distance and speed.

But you weren't going to your aunt and uncle's, you were going into town to find a healer, and town was...

Where was town?

"Kara!" You shout over the wind, noting almost absently her you could notice the tufts of hair you recognized as her ears twitch at your voice, "Do you know where we're going?!"

"Healer, right?" She shouted back casually, "Som'ere in town, I think."

"Do you know where town is?!"

The demihuman blinked, sniffing curiously at the wind as she soared past a ditch and very abruptly twisted in mid-air, slamming her foot into the ground and skidding a furrow who knows how long before blasting off directly into the woods beside the path itself, sending you swerving around to the side in the resulting curve.. "I can sniff it out, no worries!" You're horrifyling reminded of how easily she had nearly wandered off just between the wagon and your backdoor as she seemed to happily begin following her nose off into the unmarked wilderness - Now so far away from the estate that you couldn't even see it if you had chanced to act on the urge to look back.

>No, get back on the road! Bad dog!
>Trust Kara, it's not like she's going to forget why you're out here, right?
>Ask how sharp her nose is, can she really hunt down a town from where-ever you're at?
>Pass time with conversation, you've (probably) got a long ride ahead of you.

>>40365265
>Trust Kara, it's not like she's going to forget why you're out here, right?
Remind her from time to time if her path becomes erratic
>Pass time with conversation, you've (probably) got a long ride ahead of you.
Probe at her past a bit if you can, and ask her why she remained in captivity for so long. Surely she could've broken out with her insane strength

>>40365265
>>Pass time with conversation, you've (probably) got a long ride ahead of you.
We kind of have to trust her at this point anyway, this far away from the estate, while injured - might as well get to know her better before we reach town.

>>40365321
>>40365351
Getting to know the dog.

>>40365321
Kara please don't forget why we went for a walk.

Writing!

>>40365265

>Trust Kara, it's not like she's going to forget why you're out here, right?
>Ask how sharp her nose is, can she really hunt down a town from where-ever you're at?

You sigh, resolving to hold on a bit tighter as one hand reaches back to pull your hair closer to you; The last thing you wanted was to get your hair snagged on a branch or bush while you were being rushed at presumably literal breakneck speeds. You could, of course, test whether or not the speeds would actually break your neck should your hair get stuck, thus removing the 'presumably' from the equation entirely... But the little mysteries in life kept it interesting. You would just have to wonder. You tried to keep track of where you were moving, a task made almost unfathomably more difficult by the lack of familiar landscapes, as well as the ridiculous pace being set by your erstwhile carrier. The most you could hope for was to try and remind her just why you were out here if she started making too many abrupt turns.

Of course if she started doing that, she was also liable to just fling you off her back by accident. You're not sure your body was made for this kind of travel in its current condition.

"Have you been in this town before?" You call out after listening to the wind whistle past for a few minutes, "The slavemaster said you were loaned out often!"

"Ye', always movin' me 'round!" Kara replied easily, "Lotsa borin' jobs. Lift this, carry 'at, kill 'em. I dunno where all ah've been, er'where seems the same after a while." You listened quietly as the demihuman casually added bloodwork to her resume, a thought that didn't terribly surprise you considering the sheer potential for violence she had demonstrated thus far. If Kara wanted something dead, then by the sheer speed she was traveling now, coupled with her scent tracking and feats of strength, you've little doubt in your mind that anything could manage to elude her hunt. That did raise a pretty valid question which had been bothering you since you saw her rip the chains free the other day; Why was she a slave?

Undoubtedly this monstrous demihuman could have just waltzed out of whatever holding cell they tried to put her in. You wondered if there were even enough guards in the royal palace to restrain her if she decided to go all out - The sheer scale of her potential was beyond anything your inexperienced self could imagine. It was awe inspiring in ways that the average person couldn't even fully wrap their mind around it. Just how much had uncle been made to pay to purchase her? If she was so useful to them, why were they even selling her? ...Had that slavemaster managed to sell the least aggressive of your Testaments for a similar price as Kara, based on a group deal? The mind boggled.

You almost wanted to promote the man, and you didn't even want anything to do with his business.

"Why didn't you just leave?" you asked, almost snap your mouth shut after the words slip out, the very question almost seeming to tempt fate itself as you inadvertently urge the demihuman to start thinking about reasons she could just leave if she felt like it. When the answer wasn't forthcoming, you chance a look over Kara's shoulder, noticing the distracted look in her eyes as she idly side-stepped a tree that had the impertinence to have been growing for the past several decades in the path the wolf-demihuman had arbitrarily chosen to take. "Kara?" You hazard after a few moments of continued silence, the tufts of hair twitching again as her habitual lazy smile slide back across her face easily.

"Sorry, got lost for a bit." She explained sheepishly, "Wha' were we talkin' bout?" Your lips thin, despite knowing she can't see the expression on your face. You're not sure if the absent-minded demihuman had actually zoned out, or if simply didn't want to answer...

You wonder if it's worth it to press the issue.

>You want to know, pry a bit more.
>Ask something else, she seems comfortable chatting. (write-in?)
>Relax for the rest of the trip.
>Try and figure out what path she's been taking. (Roll 1d100)

>>40365861
>You want to know, pry a bit more.
Be gentle, and if the subject turns out to be too much of a minefield, immediately switch it.
>Ask something else, she seems comfortable chatting. (write-in?)
What does she think of the Nameless one ? She seems to have taken a liking to the poor thing

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>40365861
>Try and figure out what path she's been taking. (Roll 1d100)
It'd be good to know this for various reasons, most of which being that you don't get out often.
New to voting in these, watch me do rolls wrong

Also, prying sounds like a bad idea if she deliberately avoided it. It wasn't a wise decision in the first place.
>Ask something else, she seems comfortable chatting. (write-in?)
Inquire more about previous masters; poke at the fact she's been employed to kill before, ask why she's been moved around so much.

>>40365861
>>40365945
This lad's got the right idea. Supporting the tactically tactful approach.

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>40365945
This anon here, somehow missed the last option. Adding it to my vote.

>Try and figure out what path she's been taking. (Roll 1d100)

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>40365861
Incoming crit inbound.

>>40365945
>>40366018
I'm curious!

>>40365945
>>40366003
I've got other questions.

>>40366003
>>40366032
>>40366092
'Where The Hell Are We?' and other such tales, by Irue Valen.

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>40365861
>>Try and figure out what path she's been taking. (Roll 1d100)

You take a moment to glance around, trying straining your eyes to make out some hint of the path you've been following for the past couple of hours. There was almost nothing but forest all around you, and if it weren't for the fact that you were likely riding on the scariest thing out here, you'd start to be worried about being stuck in the woods when the last vestiges of sunlight finally vanished from the the interlocking branches far above the two of you. Your first couple of attempts came up with nothing, but there were signs and tracks flashing past that you were starting to vaguely recognize. Now, the fact you could recognize anything in this forest was probably bad, considering it was your first time ever being here... Which meant it was rather very similar, or it was exactly the same.

On it's own that was due cause for concern, but the fact that the things you were recognizing were trees that had their lower bark ripped away from them and rent with deep clawed gouges were something you almost didn't want to bother considering. "So what did you think of the people you got lent out to?" You hazard absently, keeping a more careful watch on the slight turns and routes Kara was taking as you tried to strike up another conversation. "You never had a problem killing for them?"

"s'was fine, I guess?" She answered kind of distractedly, one of her hops arresting itself abruptly as she had to dodge another tree. "Put down a lot of weaklings, the people were mos'ly the same. Go here, lift this, carry 'at, kill 'em. You know, normal stuff." That was almost word for word what she had told you last time, but you hardly considered that normal - and told her as much. "Well, maybe not normal for you 'guess." She hummed in thought as she slid to a halt and held her nose to the air inquisitively. "normal for me, though," she clarified in a slightly more somber tone, "people like me. Other demihumans."

You blink, shifting against her back as she sniffs the air for another couple of seconds. "Other demihumans?" you carefully try to coax more of that topic out of her. "The slavemaster led me to believe you were... unique." You weren't sure exactly where to tread here.

" mjus' an airhead, though ye'?" She laughed, "'mpared to the rest o' you, I'm not too bright. Can barely remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday." Finally satisfied with whatever she had sniffed out, she started to move again, this time in a relatively slower gait, bouncing from place to place as silently as she could amongst the rustling leaves. "Ever met 'nother demihuman?" She asked suddenly, "Jus' heard 'bout em? 'ey're usually more beast 'an human." Her bouncing slowed to a halt with one final leap directly up into the overhead trees, the branches snapping against your bodies during the ascent. Once she reached a particularly suitable height, Kara latched onto a branch and held herself there - slitted amber eyes gleaming out in the shadows as she spoke in softer, whispered tones.

"spend most of our time growin' up in a pack. Mates ya were born with, the ones ya ran with, fought with." her eyes shifted from side to side as one hand gently moved back a branch of leaves to open a small window to the forest darkened forest floor. "Packs'd get inta fights. Territory, alphas, matin, resources..." Heavy thuds finally came to your ears, large padded feet softly lumbering across the forest in the direction you and Kara had just came from. "Animals can learn, ya' know? They gotta, to... Adapt." the word rolled unnaturally off her tongue, a taste of disdain, as if she had heard it before and found the premise a waste of time. "The smarta ones, they learn ta... do like? They see others, and..." Her tail wagged to the side a few times, one hand grasping at something in the air as she tried to visibly demonstrate what goes on in her mind before shaking her head.

"they do tha same if it's workin. They kinda figure it out, and if it works, then it works, ye?"

One of the largest creatures you'd had the misfortune of seeing in your life finally lumbered into view; An oaken barkclad bear whose massive girth stretched and undiluted between the trees, tearing off bits of bark and assimilating it into the ever growing wooden armor which adorned it. Your heart caught in your through, breath seizing up at the sheer size of the thing - At least the flametwins had been comparable, this thing looked as if it could simply step on you and be done with it.

"...Thing is, most of 'em don' ever realize what ey're doin. What it means. Tha..." She trails off, weight shifting on the branch as the bear came to a halt beneath the two of you; Its great muzzle lifting to the air much as Kara's had not long ago. "That reas'n behind it." For a brief, horrifying moment, you feel all of your weight pitch forward into gravity - The demihuman's grip releasing from the branch and dragging you both into a freefall which brought a scream from your mouth unbidden; drawing the attention of the wood-clad bear far beneath you. Not far enough, however, for that brief moment of alertness to make a difference as you feel the muscles in Kara's body ripple in the descent and one of her arms lash out to the side as the two of you slam onto the bear's back.

You're treated to backseat view if a rodeo you won't soon forget, cut tragically short as the amber-eyed demihuman dropped your thighs for a single heart clenching moment to wrest her arms around the bear's neck and jerk it back up towards. You tipped briefly, the bear's mass beginning to turn as it tried to roll over and crush the interlopers only to be caught by the very trees it had been gathering armor from.

It roared, the sound vibrating through the densely packed forest and nearly choking you with the smell of rotten flesh - It was the only roar it was allowed, silenced with a wet crack that dropped the bear forward unceremoniously.

Kara finally let her breath out, her chest heaving from the exertion as she slipped her arms back around your thighs and steadied herself on the back of the multi-ton creature she had just murdered in the midst of her story. "Oakenbear. Good eating, but tough ta kill." She explained, evidently having forgotten her previous conversation. "It'll be a pain to take it with us, though. s'too bad." She tsk'd under her breath, looking the creature over before raising her nose to the air once more, "Town's 'at way. I think."

>"Were you hunting that thing this whole time?"
>Try to ask her to finish her thoughts from earlier.
>Can we bury it and come back for it? We're short on supplies now, and if it's actually good...
>...Could this be sold?

>>40366851
>"Were you hunting that thing this whole time?"
>Try to ask her to finish her thoughts from earlier.
Okay, she's got memory problems. I don't have much hope but pushing her to continue her train of thought might help.
>Can we bury it and come back for it? We're short on supplies now, and if it's actually good...

>>40366851
>Try to ask her to finish her thoughts from earlier.
>Can we bury it and come back for it? We're short on supplies now, and if it's actually good...

>Can we bury it and come back for it? We're short on supplies now, and if it's actually good...
>...Could this be sold?
Something this size, if it really is decent eating, could be worth a pretty penny, either it's hide or a portion of it's meat. Hell, this thin's probably big enough to take some home and make some cash off it still.

>>40366851
>>Try to ask her to finish her thoughts from earlier.
>>Can we bury it and come back for it? We're short on supplies now, and if it's actually good...
>>...Could this be sold?

>>40366888
>>40366939
>>40367010
Can we bury it?

>>40366888
>>40366939
Anyway, before you killed the titan bear, you were telling me things?

>>40366888
Is this why we kept going in circles?

>>40367010
Profit...?!

Writing!

>>40367078
Missed you.

Adding vote totals.

"Can we bury it?" you ask quickly, halting the demihuman before she takes off again. "If it's really that good, then we're pretty short on supplies thanks to those rogue mana earlier." You look over the massive creature, it's corpse spawning almost four times your height in length. It was probably taller than Kara standing on four legs... Not that any of that had saved it. The almost casual ease with which she had ended its life was... You'd say it was hard to forget, but in truth it was very forgettable. It wasn't even a dramatic moment, nothing notable in her posture or attitude after the fact.

She hadn't even seen fit to drop you off, or warn you. It was like swatting a mosquito, and so you doubted Kara would even remember doing this tomorrow. No, with your recent conversation, you're almost certain - This wasn't even remotely interesting enough to Kara to bother remembering. It was the same old thing. Maybe not for you, but...

For her.

"Ya want more?" She asked curiously, jerking you from your thoughts as she looked down contemplatively at the great corpse. "Mos' people jus' want 'em gone." she muttered confused, "It'd take a while, but I could proll'y cover it up, I guess." She still seemed unsure about your question, and you felt like there was a vital miscommunication going on.

"We bury it so nothing eats it, and we can come back and get it?" You try to explain, pointing out what you figured would be common sense for hunting like this. That's how it worked in the books you had read, anyway. Kara shook her head, her hands waving off towards the dead beast in some dismissive manner. "Nah, Oakenbear aren't really bear, ya' know? They're trees 'at learned the taste o' flesh. Made a bear outta bark, ye'? Trap things in the woods and eat it, add the meat to the body." She lightly kicked the wooden shell you had mistaken for armor on the creature, "All the dead stuff is inside. Container for hunts."

You did a double-take at the bear, trying to combine what she was telling you what you had just seen. "It was following us, though - It smelled us." You tried, to reason it's behavior out as Kara seemed to start growing bored again. "at's just how bears hunt. Can't actually smell." She offered absently, "Ya sure you want me ta' bury it? It'll come back to life in a few days 'at way."

Your eyes narrow irritably at the frustrating demihuman - She just said it wasn't a bear, now she says that's just how bears hun-

Her words from before shifted the statement into clarity, as you began to understand what she meant.

"Will it come back to life if we don't bury it?" You ask quietly, trying to think of some way to avoid having wasted the meat. "Maybe if we bury it, we could come back and kill it again, with a container for the meat?" Kara shrugged at the suggestion, seemingly okay with whatever as long as some decision was made soon. "How long would it take to bury?" You try again, the demihuman looking to the sky thoughtfully in response.

"Till night, I guess?" she wagered, "I 'pose we coul' try ta come back for it, like ya said. Prolly be smaller then, less kills." She looks between the corpse and the sky a couple more times, "s'far as I know, the trees 'at made the thing will die if ya leave it out to rot. Other animals will be drawn in ta eat it - Life 'turns ta life."

>Yeah, bury it. We'll come back and kill it again - a little is better than nothing.
>Leave it, let's go.

>>40367568
>Leave it, let's go.
>Try to ask her to finish her thoughts from earlier.

>>40367614
Leave it, let's go.

Writing. This was just a minor interlude for take/leave anyway.

She did expand on her thoughts from earlier, though. The implication she left behind regarding the oakenbear is as far as she is willing to discuss currently.

Make of it what you will.

>>40367864
Understood. Return to scheduled program of slowly probing info out of her through small talk

I think I'm the only anon who survived this far
And it's only because I'm a yuropoor

>>40367901
I'm here as well, it's that some votes I don't care what wins so I don't vote.

"Leave it, let's go." you finally decide, refastening your grip on the demihuman as she casually bounced back and forth, this time pointedly tucking your hair between you and her back so it wouldn't grab any unwanted snags along the way. Kara took a deep breath, he tension draining from her body for a brief moment, and then she was off again - Bounding through the forest at a blistering face, with the familiar hammer like wall of wind slamming directly into your face. The acceleration was hard, but it levelled off after some time when she seemed to reach a pace she was satisfied with and transitioned into the easy, loping glide-steps that carried her across ridiculous spans of space in a single bound. A comfortable silence lapses between you, though you doubt it's a result of Kara no longer wanting to talk exactly; She simply had nothing to talk about.

(Un?)fortunately, you still had some questions for her. "What do you think of your fellow Testament?" You speak up over the rushing winds. "There aren't any problems, are there?" You could sympathize with having problems with Rinnier, at least. The former-princess was a veritable bounty of problems, and she never quite seemed satisfied with your progress or efforts. It would probably have discouraged lesser people - People who were not Irue Valen, heir to House Valen, and thus inherently superior to most of the populace.

Regardless of your inner thoughts however, Kara seemed ambivalent on the matter. "The red girl is loud." she commented after a moment of thought, "She's afraid often. Most o' the time, I'm not even sure what she's afraid of. It's confusin' for me, prolly confusin for her to. Get's louder when she worries." The demihuman winced at that, the two tufts of hair twitching sympathetically from some phantom sound in her memories. "Too loud."

You smirked at that, "You pay a lot of attention to her, then?" You ask, not having expected that much information from the Testament who seemed to have spent the least amount of time or interest in Rinnier. "Nah, jus' sense most of it." and the smirk drops off your face abruptly - She got that much off senses? "You... sense it?" You repeat pointedly, trying to make sure you're not misunderstanding something. "Ye', body responds in differen' ways when ya' feelin things. Easy ta' read, general stuff can happen 'cross 'at house o' yours." She twisted her neck back, evidently unconcerned with flying through the air blind, "Speakin' witch, ya tol me not ta' break the place, then ya went and blew up tha food nex' day." The demihuman's accusatory tone was more invested than you had expected, like she took it as a personal offense that you went and broke something before her.

"I did not destroy the kitchen." You correct her indignantly, "I made a sandwich."
"Tha red one' told me tha's stupid."
"The red one didn't make a goddamn sandwich, either." You shot back slightly more viciously than you had meant to.

It seemed to satisfy Kara though, as she hummed in thought and finally turned back to facing front as she ran. "Was neat, ye'? Teach me how to make sandwiches some time."

"I promise you will be there the next time I make a sandwich." You deadpan, backhandedly pledging to bring Kara along the next time you expect some manner of catastrophically bad fallout to occur. Given what you had seen so far, it seemed like a good idea anyway - The fact she seemed to perk up at it was just... well, a perk.

"What about the other one?" You press on, having broached the topic specifically for her in the first place. Kara's unexpected interest in the panicky Testament having left you confused for a decent portion of the morning. You could always subtly try to figure it out, but if she was willing to just tell you, then.... There wasn't any point in spending unnecessary effort, right?

"She's scared 'lot." Kara answered, her voice shifting inflections slightly to something you couldn't quite place. "Familiar fear, sensed it before. Not the good kind, s'dangerous." You look ahead at the horizon, stars poking through the falling night sky as smaller, relatively brighter lights begin to flicker through the thinning woodline ahead of you - Your heart jumps unexpectedly, recognizing what you hope, and moments later confirm, to be the town.

It isn't, however, enough to distract you from what Kara had said. "There are different kinds of fear?" You pressed, hoping to derive some sense of understanding of the panicky ones problems from the demihuman's evidently latent empathy. "A lot o' kinds you can run from." She explained solemnly, slowing to a halt at the edge of the woods and only slightly trotting out atop a hill overlooking the town itself; Her amber eyes shifting from slits to wide, nearly human irises in the dark as she looked down at the town ahead. "Kinds you can face are the best. Get over 'em quick." She shook her head, "That kinda fear will eat you alive. It's not somethin' ya' can face alone."

She falls silent, the quiet cries of the night filtering into the space between you.

"Le's go, ye'? Still need ta' find your healer."

>Rest outside tonight, search in the morning.
>Get an inn room with some of your funds, search in the morning
>Try and have Kara sniff them out tonight. What do healers even smell like? you remember vanilla...
>Try and get directions to one tonight, you want to get healed ASAP.
>Other? (write-in)

>Get an inn room with some of your funds, search in the morning
Much as i'd like to cheap it out and sleep under the stars, the heir of House Valen should not camp out like some commoner. Also, I want witnesses in case Kara makes off with something.

>>40368546
>>Try and have Kara sniff them out tonight. What do healers even smell like? you remember vanilla...
>>Try and get directions to one tonight, you want to get healed ASAP.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>40368684
Getting an Inn, being healed tomorrow.

>>40368803
Get healed tonight, you can probably find directions.

>>40368803
Putting your dog to work.

These two posts are mutually exclusive. Summoning the dice gods to decide, writing out their eternal will.

1. Inn
2. Healed tonight!

You think you made an amazing time getting to this town, a large wooden sign hanging from it's main entrance whose worn letters only barely making themselves known amidst the sleepy lighting.

"This isn't Caroline or Koralu." You grumble with an agitation you can't quite place as Kara passes under the 'Welcome to Carona' sign, the gates to the town sliding shut behind you a moment later. You look around street from over Kara's shoulder, noting the number of people who had undoubtedly noticed your entrance... And were making as much distance between themselves and you as possible. "Did you do anything here?" You asked offhandedly, trying to puzzle out the reason for their hesitation. Kara simply shrugged, "I don't really 'member." Ah, good. Well, at least the guards weren't rushing the two of you with pikes drawn or anything, so you can probably rule out the problem being crime based.

"Prolly 'cause o' my tail." she suggests after a few minutes of walking, a respectably large bubble of space being maintained around the two of you as you ventured down the streets. Attempts to get closer had resulted in a few embarrassing cascades, and one man had simply given you a bag of apples and apologized before hurrying away. You bit into one of those apples, which, while juicy, did not contain instructions to the healers to fix your burns.

Therefore, they were worthless!

Still, you shared them with Kara as you continued walking. "Demihumans really do have an interesting reputation, don't they..." you mutter to yourself, absently noting how quickly the side of the plaza Kara had chosen to stand on had begun to clear out. Despite the stigma, she seemed to be obliviously content to chew on the apples you handed over her shoulder and wag her tail. Which, while convenient you suppose, got you no closer to a healer - You couldn't even get them to talk to you, because Kara was just carrying you around.

You'd have had her chase someone down, but that would probably cause an unnecessary commotion... You had tried to ask the guards, only to be met with stern glares and had been rudely informed that 'your kind shouldn't bother healers', whatever that meant.

You made a note of the guard's face and name - He will be fired once you complete your Rite. Taggart MelRomark would rue the day he implied you, Irue Valen, was not important enough for a healer.

But that left you sitting in this plaza and eating apples as the chill night air descended. "Kara, do you know what Vanilla is?" You shake a little, tucking closer into her broad back as she hums in thought, finally shaking her head. "Dunno, maybe?" That wasn't helpful. You tried to think of something she may have had that contained vanilla, but given you'd only known the demihuman for a day or so, you unsurprisingly come up short on that list. "Look, there's a cake shop over there." You point off to a small building that wasn't so much a cake shop as it was some kind of tiny pastry-creating hole in the wall. "We'll get some vanilla there." The demihuman shrugged, wandering over to the small store and rapidly removing its customers in the process. One purchase later, you have happily left the shop carrying a vial of vanilla extract!

"Take a whiff of this, and try to find some place that smells like it." You instruct her.

She sniffs the vial, turning her nose to the air in contemplation, tracking the scent as she slowly turns in place and begins to pick a direction to follow.

"Found it." She announced, her tail wagging in front of the pastry store you had just left.

"...Find somewhere else." you groaned.

A good half an hour of searching later, you had found that Carona evidently had quite a few shops that stocked and used vanilla regularly. Only one of these had been a healer - Emphasis on 'had', as in it was remodeled into a mana-damned grocery store almost five years ago.

When you finally did find a healer in Carona, you had Kara knock on the door - What ensued was a fascinating discussion with a healer involving exactly who you were, and the persistent threat of the variety of ways in which he would become sorry for having discriminated against you because you happened to be ferried around on a demihuman.

Kara wagged her tail the entire time, chewing upon an apple. It seemed she was unusually used to this kind of treatment, and found the entire process to be beneath her notice - It was enviable, noble almost. It made you proud of her as a Testament that she was already capable of ignoring the ignorant peasants. It would help, however, if those peasants would stop ignoring YOU in turn.

You eventually did get your burns healed, however. The fascinating effect of a Wisp mana user, able to coax proper regeneration out of your body using the faint white glow of a specifically conjured apparition.

This was a way you much more familiar with them occurring - Purposefully summoned by healers, normally Wisp apparitions, as their kind tend to be, if not benevolent, then docile and pliable to their summoner's desires. Their existence could be nurtured and fed with different salves, taking turns to sink themselves into various patients and gain the 'life experience' needed for them to eventually mature into full fledged Wisp elementals.

After everything was said and done, you were down half a bag of apples, most of your funds, and it was late into the night. You could probably sleep out under the stars, it would be better for what funds you had left, but Irue Valen does not arbitrarily live as a peasant for the sake of funds! At least not when Asche wasn't here.

It took you several more visits to find an inn that didn't attempt to outright kick you out upon learning that you expected Kara to share a room with you, and you wondered if maybe you shouldn't have visited one more after that just to be safe. You had been making a list of all these people who had offended you since you got to town, and frankly it was so long that the only person you could reliably remember at this point was that damn guard.

In the morning, you'd...

>Go home. You don't want to be away from the rest of your Testaments and Asche for too long.
>Try and gather information around town. Find out current events before you return to the estate.
>See if you can find some way to get some funds in town, you've still got to manage that somehow.
>Investigate this demihuman stigma, now that you could walk freely from Kara's back.
>Visit the Shrine of Mana in Carona Plaza, speak to the attendants about Salamander, Teranford, and oddly placed rogue fire elementals.

>>40369954
>Try and gather information around town. Find out current events before you return to the estate.
>Visit the Shrine of Mana in Carona Plaza, speak to the attendants about Salamander, Teranford, and oddly placed rogue fire elementals.

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>>40370026
Gather information - current events are important!

>>40370026
Also, about those rogue fire mana.

---

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Valen+Quest

And we are archived.

I'll lurk the thread for a bit to try and answer some questions if I can.

Apologies to all anons who participated in Valen Quest but died at their keyboards wondering when QM would finally stop.

To those who did not make it to the end, we will never forget your sacrifice.

>>40370288
'till next time.

>>40370288
So how long do we have to train our testaments again?

Do you think it might be a good idea to get a stuffed animal or something as a gift to the Despondent one, something she can use to steady her nerves?

>>40370367
>How long do we have to train our Testament?
You never found out.

>Stuffed animal for the despondent one.
It would be unlikely to calm her nerves any.
Though I imagine she would treasure it.

>>40370288
Holy shit. That's what we get for a Nat 100? I regret the entire chain of actions that lead to it. Was Rinier always going to piss off the local fire spirits? And what was up with our body that entire time? Calculating the trajectories of incoming fireballs and thrown buckets, and intercepting them with our body? Catching a freaking knife by the handle and hucking it backwards? I don't suppose we had intensive physical training as a scion of House Valen, did we? What we did seems very much at odds with a girl who doesn't even know how to make a sandwich.

>>40370288
I want to point out that this insane nigger has been running for nineteen hours. I'm starting to find the AI theory more and more plausible.

>>40370416
>Though I imagine she would treasure it.
Then we probably should do it

>>40370416
We could use it as a reward. We'll ask her to speak, and have her or Asche tell us how she was behaving the entire time we're away. If she's been a good girl, she gets a teddy. If she's been a whiny baby, no teddy.

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>>40370424
>That's what we get for a Nat 100?
As requested, the roll was for accurate recreation of Rinnier's actions, and you managed it perfectly - For better, or worse.

>Was Rinier always going to piss off the local fire spirits?
Rinnier is part of the royal family of Teranford, who are directly responsible for the loss of Salamander's favor. Specifically speaking, her entire family line is currently at odds with fire in general.

Though I think it's interesting that people jumped on her for her approach to the fire elementals and not knowing about grease-fires. Having lived with the favor of fire all her life, her entire knowledge of how fire works is limited to 'ask it to do things'. She's never had to manipulate it like lesser people.

>what was up with our body that entire time?
The simplest answer is It wasn't Irue Valen.

But simplicity trades conciseness for details, and details make a world of difference.

>>40370447
>this insane nigger has been running for nineteen hours.
This thread was deliberately run a bit longer, in apology for cutting thread 2 short. I begin to make an unacceptable amount of typing errors near the 19 mark, and so regrettably doubt I will ever be able to push past that.

>>40370555
>The simplest answer is It wasn't Irue Valen.
Now that's interesting and somewhat ominous.

>This thread was deliberately run a bit longer, in apology for cutting thread 2 short. I begin to make an unacceptable amount of typing errors near the 19 mark, and so regrettably doubt I will ever be able to push past that.
Mate I don't think anyone can even ask you to go past that. I woke up at six this morn, and you were already running, I'm about to go to bed and you just finished.
I'm not saying I don't love it, I'm saying you a cray ass mofo

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>>40370555
So we turn into a freaking spirit-killing machine and slap wild spirit bitches down when they try to step up? That's pretty badass.

Do we have some sort of "ancestral rage/berserk mode" or something?

>>40370555
Just wanna say this is first quest I've been following in a looooooooooong time, and I've been really enjoying it. I'm also quietly praying for some kind of yuri antics becasue I'm terribly hopeless like that.

>>40370706
>Do we have some sort of "ancestral rage/berserk mode" or something?
No. Valen heritage has given us the rights to two things, one of which we abuse mercilessly - But somehow never when we need it.

>So we turn into a freaking spirit-killing machine.
As some players might notice, I call back to choices made/not made earlier in threads fairly often. In this case, having chosen Magic at the start of the thread, you had the latent knowledge of dealing with mana.

Other choices you might have noticed being called back to is the fact that our total lack of politic/economic set Rinnier's first impression of us into antagonistic range.

It's generally safe to assume that if you're choosing something, it will affect you later down the road in some way.

Not taking Rinnier on the trip to Carona made you miss out on a major financial windfall, and caused it to be more difficult to get to the healer. However, it gave you quality time with Kara, and allowed you to make it to Carona in record time and learn about the Oakenbear - One of the inhabitants of the forest Irue Valen lives in.

>>40370758
I'm glad people seem to be enjoying. (Un?)fortunately, if any yuri-antics ever do occur, it will be some time from now. With little exception, the cast is at-odds with each other, and mostly straight.

>>40370854
>mostly
And with this tiny crack I shall obtain my victory!
But seriously, it's all good, I'm not really expecting anything of that sort, yuri or not, there's more important things to do, and seducing any of the testaments is just poor form (and probably political/actual suicide)