For generations, the Kingdom of Lindan has been under siege by an otherworldly threat. One that with naught but a wave of the hand can level entire cities. Demons from Earth plague the land and wreak havoc wherever they go. They hail from a barbarous and most unusual land and possess skills that defy all magic, science, and logic. Known as Cheat Skills, these abilities let the Strangers from Earth gain extraordinary power without any effort. As such, every one of these Strangers can bring on the end of all times should they desire. Yet, despite the insurmountable threat the Strangers possess, the Goddess’ Inquisition has sent these beasts back each time. A thankless job that has seen these heroes who exist above the law become more reviled than praised, but a job that is nonetheless required for the future existence of Lindan.You are one of these Inquisitors. Well, kind of. You are Lorina de Lindan, third to the throne of Lindan and the Imperial Princess. Though someone would be forgiven for forgetting that fact if they were to look at you now. If it wasn’t for your oh so expensive attire, you might even be mistaken for a common forest bandit! It isn’t as though what you’re doing now, waiting to attack a carriage filled with nobility, in the middle of the night, is much different than their usual habits. Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The%20Isekai%20Inquisition
>>6275643People are about to die. You do not know why that is the thought you rid from your mind, but it is. Hells, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve seen others die, far from it now, and yet you can’t get that sickening thought out of your head. People are about to die, and you’re going to be responsible. Who are those people? You can’t say. Not yet anyway. Perhaps it will be one of your friends, either Marie or Alyssa, who stands next to you now. You do not have the safety of a time traveler on your side this time. Maybe Clarice or one of the five other adventurers behind you will bite the fire bolt and be sent to the next world. You hope it doesn’t come to that. You hope instead that it is the Bloodgraves that are about to die. They are, after all, treasonous scum that would rather make deals with otherworldly creatures instead of enjoying the high life that the upper echelons of the nobility have access to. Power corrupts, or so the storybooks go. But is that even a good thing to hope for? Once upon a time, you thought Percy was your friend. Sure, he might have been a bit off-putting during your last years in the Academy, but despite yourself, you still remember what the white-haired man was like as a boy. He was sweet then, you suppose. Many children tend to be. He would even gift you flowers from his family's lands. Lavenders, you now remember. The flowers had a meaning; he told you that (or was it his mother that did?), but you can’t for the life of you remember what it was. Perhaps that is why he hates you so? It’s not as if you can think of any less silly reasons why your face would adorn the dartboard in his room. Perhaps he is just psychotic. You could live with yourself if he died then. It’d make things easier if he were just a random freak. Then the world would be better without him.“Hey, you alright?” A gentle voice enters your ear as an even gentler hand touches your shoulder. “You seem out of it,” Marie says.You shake her hand off. “I’m fine,” you dismiss. “Bored, is all.”Marie doesn’t look the least bit offended by your dismissal, but her gaze does drift from you towards the path, “Think they ran into one of the other groups?”“It is possible,” Alyssa says in a hushed whisper. A rarity for her. “Or maybe they have yet to leave their estate.”“They will come,” you say.“You sure?” Marie questions, which receives a glare from Alyssa.“Yes.”Marie lets out a small hum of acceptance, “Guess they will then.”“You believe me just like that?” You ask.“Of course, should I not?” “N-no, I mean, of course you should. It will be a twin moon when I am wrong,” She looks confused, “I mean, I’m usually right, but I thought it would be necessary to elaborate on this feeling that I have.”Marie’s eyes light up like stars. You mean this, literally. “You have feelings for me?! Well, this is a bit sudden, but I do! Let’s get married!”
>>6275644You feel your face get hot out of frustration for her confusion and no other reason, “No! I mean- That is not- Not what I meant!”“Snrk,” You hear a laugh from behind you, and quickly turn to see Clarice struggling to hold it in. Then this process repeats, and you spin around to see Marie almost doubled over from giggling. You should shove Sturmfahrein inside her. Not in a pleasurable way.“Silence!” You harshly demand before pivoting away from the fools and facing the path again. To block out the malicious and cruel and unusual and dumb and pointless and evil and stupid and dumb mockery of your peers, you retreat to your mind fortress. Specifically, to the war room and rehearse the strategy you devised earlier when you split the adventurers up. With a couple dozen adventurers at your disposal and two main paths leading away from the Bloodgrave’s Capital Estate, you split the warband into three teams to secure each, with the one you’re leading covering a more hidden route in the forest. Hopefully, apart, far enough away from their land so that the undead will not be a problem, but you’ve warned everyone to be cautious. Once each group was in position, you ordered them to>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate>Set an ambush for anyone unlucky enough to travel this way>[Write-in]
>>6275646>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estate
>>6275646>Create a roadblock to intercept any carriage traffic to and from the estateWE’RE SO BACK
>>6275646So here you are in the middle of an almost forgotten road. You say it’s almost forgotten because, in truth, the only people who ever use such a pathway are those who wish to travel without even the possibility of fanfare, such as, say, the Royal Family when conducting business with a vassal. Naturally, these are the kinds of things you remember even after years, while others would forget. That is because you are better than other people—Tis’ only science.A few paces ahead of you, in the direction of the manor, is a felled tree that you had the adventurers cut down. Perhaps if the Bloodgraves were to travel on individual horses, they’d be able to leap over it, but you know they won’t. Why deal with the pains of riding a horse when you can sit in a lovely carriage with plush seats when another drives the horses? That is not rhetorical, you quite literally have no idea why one would choose the former. Your walkie-talkie blasts to life at your side, almost startling you, “Bloodgraves en route,” comes the crisp voice of the iron-ranked adventurer you had hidden further down the path as a scout. You only have a pair of the things, so you can’t expect reinforcements from the other groups unless you send a magical flare into the air. You don’t do that yet, would only give away your position. “Ready yourselves!” You shout to your cohort, “Expect our guests within minutes!”You don’t turn around to see the reactions of your friends and the adventurers, but you are pleased to hear the sounds of weapons unsheathing and to feel the presence of readied magic fill the air. The next moments are familiar, the anxiety before battle. No matter how grave the situation, the flutter in your head and weight in your chest is the same. You feel like a little girl waiting for her first bout with your weapon master at the tender age of six after a year of practicing your fundamentals. You lost handily, but you remember a smile never leaving your face for the rest of that day. You’re not smiling now.The fallen tree is at a bend so that neither the carriage driver nor the horses will have sufficient time to react to its presence if they’re racing at the speeds you’re expecting them to. And of course, you’re proven correct. As two silver horses round the corner, only to rear with panicked neighs as the driver tries not to topple over. Perfect, everything is going exactly as planned. You allow yourself a moment of reprieve as a breeze blows through your hair and you step up the fallen tree. You’re certain that in the moonlight, you cut an intimidating figure.“Cease-!” You begin to exclaim before the hairs on your body rise all at once, and your trained reflexes demand you drop to the ground at once. You do so, and the man behind you, a catfolk with ginger hair and a cute face, explodes. The cause of death being from the burst of three rounds that tore through both the carriage and his body in an upward line before the rounds themselves detonated.
>>6276120Well, you both got the drop on each other. Which isn’t exactly a bad scenario, but it’s not good either, but the next moments are going to be crucial in deciding who the victor of this skirmish will be, so you:>Charge the carriage. You’ve always been a fan of shock and awe tactics>Retreat into the foliage. It’s much harder to hit adventurers when you can’t see them>[Write-in]
>>6276120>Cast Shield in front of the carriage, very close to the doors, and see if you can get the other mages to cast it as well. If the bullets explode, they'll be damaging their own carriage shooting the shield, and the force field will prevent them from getting out to escape or finding a better position.
>>6276134Supporting
Nice this is back.>>6276125+1Looks good.
>>6276134+1
>>6276125Glad to see you back>>6276134+1
>>6276125>>6276134+1Magic stronk
>>6276125“Shields!” You shout, hoping that the folk behind you are as quick-witted as you, for you can spare them not even a glance. You raise both hands as you rise to connect the disorderly particles of magic in the air in a solid wall to encircle the carriage. You grit your teeth as you force as much power into your spell as you can. Whatever gun is being used inside that carriage is of otherworldly origin and far more powerful than the weapons of your world. If this spell fails, you’re dead.Thunder cracks from the carriage’s interior, though even louder than the fire of the musket is the crack of glass that flows through the air as your shield shatters. Yet, your pained cry as the spell you put all your focus into is obliterated is hidden by the louder explosion. A blinding light fills the void past your squeezed eyelids as you feel splinters inject themselves into your flesh. Then you feel the rain fall. It is hot, sticky, and a disconcerted shade of red. But past the rain and the smoke, you see the front half of the carriage has been blown away, driver, horses, and all. Inside the carriage, you see Lord Bloodgrave try to help his catatonic Lady as Percival looks on, a mix of rage and horror contorting his face into an ugly grimace. You do not get a good look at him for long, as another figure steps out of the smoke and in front of his Lord. A figure covered head-to-toe in strange clothes and metals, his head covered by a black mask with two beady red goggles that look past your eyes and into your soul. The tip of the rifle in his hand releases a wispy cloud of smoke into the air that collides with the fumes from the burning carriage. Next to the Strangetech-covered man are two more normal knightly figures, most likely handpicked guards by the Bloodgraves themselves. Unfortunately, the supplier of the Strangers' arms was not strapped for resources, for they wield rifles, though of a different (hopefully less explosive) make. As you look upon the masked face of the intimidating figure, no words, taunts, or demands are exchanged. They are not needed for the both of you know the stance of a fellow warrior. You get but a moment of reprieve as the two of you stare into the other's eyes before “Charge!” breaks the smoldering silence. Clarice’s voice, you can feel the presence of the adventurers moving through the mana-saturated air, even if your head does not move to see them. While your quick thinking drained you of much strength due to how intensive your shield needed to be, it saved the lives of these adventurers. For now, at least.Yet, as you feel Marie and Alyssa move up to flank you, a mirror to the Stranger’s own knights, you see the rifles in their hands rise. You need to act, NOW!>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attention>[Write-in]
>>6277761>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of youYeah I’m feeling pretty outclassed in the firepower department after thatLet’s take the guns out of play
>>6277761So, about the horses and driver... is there enough of them left over for the guards to walk into a pool of blood? Because a well placed lightning bolt on sopping wet people wearing armor would be a great idea now.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMUM6aD4ABwAlternatively...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYlSlalgD7o
>>6277796Oh, right. Low mana... Still, hopefully we can recharge enough while fighting to electrocute them later.>>6277761>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you
>>6277761>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attentionIf it's a real /k/-fag, he should instinctively start seeking cover
>>6277761>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of youclose the distance and force them to meet us on our speciality.
Oh, I remember who the Stranger's pic is now! Got a Gianni clip just for situations like this...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky8rYfdke44Imagine Percival shrieking this aloud during a boss fight with him...
>>6277761>Fall back and use your own Strangetech rifle, you’ll be more useful dividing their attention
>>6277761>>Join the charge, it’s much harder to shoot someone within inches of you
>>6278015It's such a fun game>>6277761You don’t have time to think twice or to think at all. It's a good thing then that with Sturmfahrein’s hilt in your hand, thinking is the last thing you need to do. In a fluid motion, you throw yourself up and past the fallen tree, feet first. While you can’t spare mana for body enhancements, having already been too drained, you do use a bit from your reserve to create a gust behind you before anyone can react your boots' impact with the Stranger’s mask!“Shit!” You hear him exclaim as he flies back, crashing into Percival. Which was, of course, totally planned. Totally. However, for the next moments, you’re helpless, prone on the ground in between two highly trained guards. Both level their rifles at your body, causing you to flinch as you look down their barrels to a black void unlit by the fires around you. Then the gun’s fire, yet you feel no pain as both shots go wide. Perhaps that’s due to your two lackeys following in your footsteps and crashing into the knights. Their methods are not quite as sophisticated as your Grand Dropkick, but they get the job done. Marie has completely gained the attention of one, no doubt due to her flashy swordplay, while Alyssa sends the other knight through the flames and out of the carriage after dealing a large blow with her mace. Then, as you rise, another adventurer blows up. The shot came not from the Stranger’s rifle but from a smaller handheld firearm. Then he uses the second, in which your head turned back to see a poor girl detonate to grab Percy and leap out the carriage's far window. This, of course, leaves Lord and Lady Bloodgrave undefended, but upon seeing their tear-stricken faces filled with horror and despair, you find yourself unable to use this to your advantage. Turning around, you see a catatonic adventurer holding onto the parts of what was once likely their friend. Or parts that look close enough like them. He will be useless, but otherwise, Clarice has followed Alyssa to deal with one knight, and the last standing adventurer of her tavern uses his spear to keep the other locked in close quarters with Marie. That leaves only you to chase the Stranger. “Unhand me!” You hear Percival shout, and without even a thought, you follow, taking the same exit the Stranger did. The glass cuts your hand as you hurdle out the window, landing on your feet this time, but you pay the pain no mind. It’s nowhere near as bad as the headache the explosion gave you. As your feet touch the blood-soaked ground, your eyes scan the dark forest ahead, but fail to spy anything despite the flames. Then a burst of bullets barely misses your temple, and you fall prone. Thankfully, they do not explode, perhaps due to the proximity to the Bloodgraves? Wait- There’s no time!
>>6279044You find yourself needing to use magic to strengthen the might of your leap else the torrent of gunfire would tear you apart. You only find solace once you’re completely behind a tree, despite not truly knowing where the Stranger is. But as you gasp and desperately look for the man, a strange metal object lands at your feet. You don’t even think before you kick it away, though the move lacks your full strength. You’re proven right to do so when it explodes. The bomb illuminates the sky a brilliant red before obscuring it with smoke, but that brief second is more than enough time. About ten yards away, on the other side of the path, the Stranger has your position locked down with a raised rifle. About five yards to his left stands Percival in a rather messy spot. The majority of the remains of one of the horses, to put it lightly. This means that-“Lorina!” Your mental plan is cut short through Percy’s screaming into the night, “You damn beast!” Even if you didn’t see, he’s completely giving away his position right now- “What have you done?!” Excuse you? He’s the one acting crazy here; this is entirely HIS fault! “You animal! I’ll tear you apart!” How much of an ego does this guy have? This is hardly the time for words!Dammit, whatever! If he’s not even going to try, this only makes it easier for you!>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger>This is a great chance to gain the advantage, rush Percy, and take him hostage. The Stranger can’t very well attack his employer(?), ally(?), friend(?)But you also notice something else. Mainly, that Percival is absolutely covered in guts and is standing in an ankle-deep puddle of blood. You could always >Fry Percy, taking him out completely. permanently. Even if it puts you into a state of mana exhaustion.
>>6279045>Ignore the prat, talk to the mercenary>”So tell me stranger, do the wealthy make dartboards out of portraits of people they hate in your world too?”
>>6279045>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger.Kinda hoping we get a rival out of this encounter.I wonder if he's the Desert Storm veteran Ota called his Sensei...
>>6279045>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the StrangerSadly, we need Percy alive to interrogateDo we still have our pistol on us? Give ourselves some fire cover
>>6279045>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the StrangerThis guy is so tacticool
>>6279045>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the StrangerNice update strange. And yeah the stranger is likely way more dangerous and with the strangers we have seen so far probably won't care if Percy gets killed in the fighting.
>>6279045>There’s a much bigger threat right now than a rambling academy student. Rush the Stranger
The burst of gunfire that impacts the tree you’re hiding behind, for better or worse, makes you completely disregard Percy for the time being. He can rant and rave as much as he wants, but he was never as good as you, and with you’re experience now, he likely never will be. Or at least that’s what you tell yourself as you dive away from the exploding wood. As you scramble through the smoke-filled brush, you hold your messer with one hand as the other reaches to where you keep a rather nasty piece of Strangetech. A gun (almost) on caliber with your opponents. You hope so at least, seeing as you’ve never gotten the chance to study an otherworldly arsenal. You return fire as you leap to another tree. Another burst forces you to repeat these motions once, twice, then thrice as the two of you further separate yourselves from the carriage. “Are you even listening to me?!” Percival's shrill voice resounds into the night, but you pay it no mind as you focus on the more pressing matter.You’re unlikely to be able to win any battle at range, seeing as whatever equipment your opponent has is far more suited to this type of combat. You’ve noticed that multiple Strangers now seem to have an unusual affinity for firearms, a relatively new and emerging technology. Is this how all battles on Earth are fought? If so, it’s unlikely you’re going to beat a more experienced combatant in this form of war. So naturally, you need to drastically change your approach.You fire in the rough direction of the Stranger as you run to more cover. Suddenly, instead of firing more, all the trigger does is make a noticeable *click* when pressed down. This shocks you so much that you stop just before the next tree to examine the broken gun. Then the Stranger peaks from his cover, rifle raised, emboldened by your rookie mistake. But as he looks down the sight to secure a killing blow, his vision is overwhelmed by a rapidly approaching pistol, one moving far faster than a normal human should realistically be capable of throw- *Crack*You see the Stranger recoil as he’s hit directly in his eye. Yes, you mean his eye, not his goggles, seeing as the force of the impact broke a hole straight through them. Broken glass and a delicate human eye are certainly not a combination you’d like to experience in your life. But it certainly makes for a nice distraction as you cross the path in the time it takes him to recover. Too late though, you’re already bringing Sturmfahrein down. In a desperate move, the Stranger brings his rifle up to defend himself, only for your blade to cut the device in twain.
>>6279845What follows is a melee in your favor as the Stranger is forced to give ground while repeatedly parrying blows with half a weapon not suited to such a purpose. Through his movements, you see a passing familiarity with this style of combat as his form resembles one who is used to knife play. So, after one last failed block, you do the only sensible thing you can do. You unsheath a dagger from your thigh and toss it to the man. He catches it without comment, twirls it through his fingers, and tosses aside his ruined gun, then attacks. No words are exchanged, no gasps of surprise or comments on your intentions. Perhaps he just sees the manic smile on your face. It’s not that you can help it, even surrounded by blood and death, your heart still beats at a million miles a minute from the exhilaration of combat. You’re having fun. You want to have more. Parry, guard, chamber, strike. The two of you dance a lethal waltz through mud and blood. Sometimes your longer sword slashes through the man's armor and flesh while you’re nicked at others. For a seemingly endless moment, nothing exists except you and your opponent. Unlike a simple spar, both of you are trying your hardest to kill the other. Every mistake you make is punished, every success is rewarded. Not with gold or prestige as is normal in your courtly life, but with the sound of metal cutting through flesh, gasps of pain, and just a little bit more adrenaline. You are alive!The status quo of the duel is only stopped when the Stranger leaps back from you and twirls the dagger through his fingers once more before throwing it in your direction. You say that because it wasn’t at you, not truly, seeing as how bad the Stranger misses, instead hitting the wooden carriage behind you. You raise an eyebrow at this tactic before the dagger explodes, showing the area in a hundred thousand splinters. Besides the newfound pain, your mind processes something. The fact that he just gave you a clue as to his Cheat Skill. It’s not the equipment he possesses; his Skill must be linked to his explosions! As the dust settles, you don’t see the remains of Lord and Lady Bloodgrave, but instead see them in the process of limping a distance away from the carriage. The Stranger must have seen them from the broken window before he attacked. They’re not too hurt, but they seem to have frozen, stunned by the events around them. But you don’t have the time to think of them further as pistol-fire whirls past you, a bullet even taking a small chunk from your left arm. Dammit, if only you had enough mana to spend on the luxury of controlling your pain receptors instead of only the basics needed to keep you standing. Dammit, you’ve had your fun, but you need to end this fast if you are to survive this. >It’s do or die. Charge the Stranger with Sturmfahrein held high!>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.>[write-in]
>>6279849>It’s do or die.Die well, whoever you are…Also, DON’T STAND ON TOP OF THE BODY IN CASE HE HAS THE MARTYRDOM PERK!
>>6279849>Can't win with a sword against half a rifle>Can't win with a sword against dagger>Puts fun over dutyWtf Lorina, I'm disappointed>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.
>>6279849>It’s do or die. Charge the Stranger with Sturmfahrein held high!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ByAzPe38YI thought about Seven Samurai, but this feels closer to what is happening.
>>6279878Oh, almost forgot, gotta pick up the pistol we threw, otherwise Asher's gonna give us shit.
>>6279849So, after one last failed block, you do the only sensible thing you can do. You unsheath a dagger from your thigh and toss it to the man.We are so stupid but also so cool>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.We already closed on him once, he’ll be ready for it. No Asher this time.
>>6279849>No matter how hurt you are, the Stranger has it worse! Retreat to cover and use the last magic you saved to deal with him.Mix it up and surprise him.
>>6279849>It’s do or die. Charge the Stranger with Sturmfahrein held high!
The fastest way to end this is plain and simple: the same tactics of cavalry-based armies around the world. A charge! To say that this tactic is simple is an understatement, as it’s well-choreographed, and the Stranger sees you coming from a mile away. The question is, then, can he stop you? No, he can’t.You are a stubborn girl; you’ve been told so all your life, and that means that once your mind is set on a course of action, you commit. You commit hard. So, despite the rain of gunfire and explosions around you, despite the charring of your clothes and tears on your body, you continue your stride. A stride that’s far faster than any normal human or even monster. While you cannot look at the Stranger’s body any more than his blood-coated eye, his stance freezes up in panic as your yell gets louder and louder in his ears. In a desperate bid for salvation, the Stranger sacrifices some of the few remaining seconds of life he has to level his pistol at your center of mass. You don’t have enough strength to alter your course, so with more stubborn determination, you press on. He pulls the trigger.*click*Despair sets in for the Stranger as he tries to mirror your earlier actions in the fight, and throws his pistol towards you. With a singular hand holding your kriegmesser, you cleave it in two, then with another fluid motion, a swipe leaves a large gash in the man's front armor, forcing him to fall to the forest floor. He tries to scramble away as you slowly, but ever so surely, walk towards him, before you resemble more of an executioner than a princess to the defeated man. Then his body relaxes as he readies himself for the end.You raise your sword up and-“Wait-!” A strange and familiar voice calls as your body freezes up in place, sword still raised. Frantically, you look around but find that your head cannot move. Then two slender arms slowly feel their way up your arms and grasp the hilt of your sword over your hands, and lower it. You look down to see if your prey is using some sort of magic, but he has not moved a muscle. It’s almost as if time has stopped. Then the bonneted face of Dorothy enters your field of view from behind you. “It would be such a waste to kill such a strong fighter, wouldn’t it?” She says, though you notice her voice wavering. It’s as if she knows she can’t stop you.“Don’t even think about listening to the banshee,” Another familiar voice calls as you see the small form of Alice step out from the foliage behind the Stranger. “What could you possibly gain by letting one of these invaders live? Someone who seeks only to destroy m- our secret kingdom?” “This place never belonged to just you!” Dorothy screams, “You’ve always been such a little BI-”
>>6281078“TCH! Are you even listening to me?!” Percy, knife in hand, screams into the night. You’re head turns in the twerps' direction, the two Victorian-dressed women disappearing in an instant. “I said that you’re a fool for ignoring me all this time!” He continues, spewing spittal everywhere. It’s then you notice that he’s standing in the middle of a pentagram made of the blood and parts that were scattered around him, human and horse. A pentagram that burns with a fire that only grows in intensity. “Did you ever stop to think about why the Bloodgraves settled here? In this forest where the bones of ancient armies lie scattered? Where over the centuries the lingering hate and malice of their tormented souls has done nothing but fester?!”“I don’t care.” You say, causing his face to flush a deep shade of red as foam falls from his gritted teeth. Heh.“ARHG! You will once an army of tattered flags and bloody banners raises all of Lindan! You will pay for everything you have done to Dear Anastasia!” Wha- Your mental thought is cut through as Percy slices open his forearm and completes whatever ritual he has prepared. A deep and guttural groan resounds through the forest as the underbrush moves. It really is such a horrifying thing to witness. Especially if you’re the patriarch of the Bloodgrave family who settles his wife in the safest spot imaginable before running towards his son, face ashen. “Boy! Is that what all this was for?! Some girl? Do you even know what you’ve just done?! You need to-” Whatever he is about to say is interrupted as a thorny vine slithers up his leg and drags him into the underbrush. However, that is not the last you see of him as his screaming body, torn by the million thorns he’s dragged through, is hoisted into the air as decayed corpses bearing the armor of different generations break through the soil and- Well, the end of Lord Bloodgrave is not a pleasant sight, nor is the wails of the widowed Lady or the screaming of a boy who only just now realized how over his head he is. “Holy shit.” The Stranger below you says in a small voice as he witnesses the sight, unaware of the snake-like vines about to drag him away, too.>Allow them and regroup with the others>Save the Stranger’s life>[Write-in]
>>6281083>>Save the Stranger’s life
>>6281083>Allow them and regroup with the othersHe's made too many bodies to spare him.Also, if you wanted us to follow your orders, you shouldn't have stuck Lorina in a cage.Do Lorikeets have the ability to mimic sounds or people? Cuz I want to call Dorothy a little bitch in her own voice.
>>6281083>Save the Stranger’s lifeHe might have information we need and we can always put him on trial afterwards for his crimes.
>>6281083>Save Percy's life1. He will have more valuable info than the Stranger2. We can gloat at him
>>6281307+1, and his mom too, unless they’re already outside of the plants or zombies reach.
>>6281083>Save the Stranger’s life
>>6281139I’ll switch to >>6281307.
>>6281083>Save the Stranger’s lifeNot sure saving Percy is an option We’re right next to the Stranger, while he’s in the thick of his necromantic ritual
>>6281083>>Save Percy's life
>>6281307Good point if its allowed i am changing my vote to this.
You don’t give the Stranger a second thought as you rush towards Percy’s position. He’s the most valuable asset here, and you’d lose much more information if he were lost to the forest instead of his bodyguard. Speaking of, as you turn away, the defeated man weakly grabs your ankle but quickly loses that grip as he is brutally torn from the forest floor and dragged deeper into the woods. You don’t get to see the Stranger die, but you do hit it. His screams are the type you imagine will keep you awake in the years to come, granted you survive that long. Percival does not react to your presence, his horrified gaze lingering on the undead feasting upon his father. This suits you well enough, as you don’t exactly need him causing any more trouble. A hit with your pommel on the right part of his body sends him crumbling down into your arms before you sprint to the smouldering remains of the carriage, next to his mother. You plop the sleeping boy in the arms of the sobbing woman and grab the shellshocked adventurer, who has not moved much from the remnants of his friend(?). “Guard them with your life!” You shout to the crying fellow.“W-wait, wha-” He weakly responds.You don’t have the time, “Just do it!” You shout before focusing your attention elsewhere. You’re very quickly being surrounded by living dead as rotted corpses, though most are more skeletal than zombified, pour out of a moving forest. It looks almost as if there is a terribly dreadful gale that blows through the leaves and branches, but you know better. That spell is animating the dead itself. On one side of the carriage, Alyssa and a dwarven adventurer stand over the dead body of one of the Bloodgraves' knights, awaiting to engage the undead tide. Positioned on the opposite side, Marie, the human adventurer, and the other Bloodgrave knight have used their extended range to attack their foe before they can get close. So it looks like you have five people at your dispos-“Hey, can anyone hear me?! Help please-” Your walkie-takie sounds off with a burst of static to the cries of your scout, “Please- I need help- I need- No! No, n-” You hear his wails through the device, and for a second, your mind screams at you to help. Then a firework bursts in the night sky. One of the other groups was positioned on the edge of the forest, and they felt the need to call for help. So what does that mean for you who's in the middle of that forest?“No, please! I’m sorry- I-Aaa- AAH-” You smash the walkie-talkie under your foot and fire your flare into the black sky. Though you don’t expect anyone to come for you before it’s too late. So, you need to
>>6282067>Gather everyone and fight your way out of the forest>Get Percy to stop the ritual. What? You didn’t hit him out that hard!>Fight the forest with its natural enemy: fire. Though fanning the flames of the carriage may use all your remaining magic>[write-in]
>>6282068>Fight the forest with its natural enemy: fire. Though fanning the flames of the carriage may use all your remaining magicI assume if Percy knew how to stop the ritual he would've done it as soon as his father got got.
>>6282068>Fight the forest with its natural enemy: fire. Though fanning the flames of the carriage may use all your remaining magic>Load another flare and hope that there's still some lit lamps and lamp oil on the remains of the carriage, maybe there some bottles of alcohol on the dwarf's person or in the carraige?
>>6282080Also, is Clarice dead, at the forest's edge, or is she the human adventurer?
>>6282081Knew I forgot something. Clarice is alive, the 3v1 is the main reason why that knight is dead, while the one on the other side is alive.
>>6282095Well, that's a relief. I thought that you were setting up a surprise...Actually, if we go for the "Stop the ritual" option, would running to their mansion and holing up there ala Evil Dead/Night of the Living Dead/Resident Evil/too many zombie movies to count be an option? I'd be willing to switch my vote if there's a chance for a zombie vs maid siege.
>>6282148As always, as long as I don't specifically say no, you're allowed to vote for whatever you think would be coolest.
>>6282184Alright then, I chose to Resident Evil it up.>Gather everyone and fight your way to the nearest fortified building: Bloodgrave Manor.>Load another flare and hope that there's still some lit lamps and lamp oil on the remains of the carriage, maybe there some bottles of alcohol on the dwarf's person or in the carriage?...maybe it's closer to Dead Rising, actually...
>>6282068>Fight the forest with its natural enemy: fire. Though fanning the flames of the carriage may use all your remaining magicIs it possible to ever not vote for arson
>>6282080+1
>>6282080Eh to heck with it, let's be a firebug.
perform will likely send you into extreme mana exhaustion, at least at the size you're casting it. For many, this would be considered a death sentence, and perhaps it will be given the siege your fellows will have to endure in the aftermath. But you are Lorina de Lindan, and reality bends to your magical might. But first, you have preparation you need to make, primarily making everyone form into a defensive perimeter. That is not hard, seeing as when you speak, people listen. You state your intentions, and a circle is formed around Lady Bloodgrave, Percival, and you, as everyone with a shorter range forms the exterior of the perimeter, while those with longer range enjoy the luxury of a single step back away from the forest. Then there’s you, in the center with your eyes closed. You wish you didn’t have to do this, that instead you had another flare that could explode and ignite the carriage’s lamp oil. Well, you’ll still be doing that, perhaps even ignite the dwarf’s alcohol which you know he brought, but it will have to be through a different way. By letting the existing fire consume all by feeding it with all the mana you can. Deep meditation is what is required to connect yourself to the ambient fire, a state you would have trouble entering on a good day. You’ve found that your mind is often far too active to meditate properly, and right now, in the middle of a hectic battle? Well, you do your best. It’s a good thing you don’t need to kill the forest with your magic; you just need to get the flames big enough to do it for you. So you focus. You focus hard. You can feel the beads of sweat that roll down your face, your breath getting more haggard, as you give everything to make the fire bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Something slices open your cheek, but you don’t open your eyes, but you do notice that your knees have fallen to the ground. And you feel a burning heat on your skin. It’s not enough. The fire needs to grow, needs to feed. You help it. Like an all-devouring void, the fire eats up all the mana floating in the air, then the mana you’re expelling from your body. Then, as your head hits the ground, you notice the void starting to consume the intense and evil mana spewing from the forest surrounding you.“...Holy shit…”“...We need to get out of here…”“...Goddess, mother of all things…”“...Please, I don’t want to die…”
>>6282812Then, somehow, against all odds, you don’t drift off into unconsciousness, but instead your eyes open. Though, that is more than likely due to the rotten stench that fills the air than anything else. The activities of this night have made it indescribably atrocious. Around you is an all-consuming inferno, one with seemingly no escape. Especially for you, as you cannot move a single muscle. That is not good. Seeing as you still need to find a way to get everyone out of this. But you can’t even move your lips to speak. Perhaps this was the wrong choice to make. Perhaps it will not be evil magics that kill you, but the fires of your own hubris. No, there’s no way you’re going out on that line. Your pride won’t allow it!>So you force yourself to get up, but where is this extra strength coming from?>And you know you always have Marie at your back, she’ll figure something out
>>6282814>So you force yourself to get up, but where is this extra strength coming from?Maybe I shouldn't have voted for arson...
>>6282814>So you force yourself to get up, but where is this extra strength coming from?I TRIED TO WARN YOU, BRO! I TRIED!!!Okay, not really, but still had a feeling that running out of mana could be an issue...So you just learned you're actually a Stranger and your parents didn't tell you!
>>6282814>And you know you always have Marie at your back, she’ll figure something outMaybe it’s not so bad to trust in the homies over pulling power from suspicious and unknown sources?
>>6282814>And you know you always have Marie at your back, she’ll figure something out
>>6282814>>And you know you always have Marie at your back, she’ll figure something outOh my were are having some juicy bits to chew over XD.I do like the idea of the uptight Lorina actually having softened up and trusting in Marie.
>>6282814>So you force yourself to get up, but where is this extra strength coming from?I’m down to do both a Lorina/Marie double power up wombo-combo, though.
I'm going to wait a few hours to see if there's a tiebreaker. If not, I'll roll a 1d2 with 1 being Lorina and 2 being Marie.
>>6284387
>>6284405As this is a hidden choice between Lorina learning something about herself or Marie learning something about herself.
>>6284454So it's the picrel meme, but we get to choose who gets it? Or is it that both are true, but we're choosing whose secret comes out first?
Rolled 11 (1d12)>>6284529All will be revealed in time, but revelations happen pretty slowly. All I can say is both of their "secrets" you can probably have a good guess at what it is and isn't some major out of nowhere power up. But right now it's >>6284387's time to shine
>>6284541...Odds Lorina, evens Marie?
Rolled 2 (1d2)>>6284541FUCK
Well, you’ve found yourself in a rather different predicament than the one you faced, what- two minutes ago? Long story short, Lorina closed her eyes, made some motions with her hands, performed a little bit of hocus pocus, and the small fires littering the ground turned into a raging inferno. Admittedly, it was pretty cool- really cool and dealt with your zombie problem pretty quickly. Then Lorina collapsed, and now you’re left with an entirely different problem. Shame that the only experience you have with fires is when you’re shitstain of a father managed to make a grease fire while cooking rice, and of course, you were the one who had to deal with it. It was either that or let your entire apartment complex burn down. This is a little bit more complex than a simple grease fire (That you did not pour water on! You’re not that dumb!). ”Who are you trying to prove that to?”Oh, shut up! You need to think right now, and that your sword heckling you from the peanut gallery sure isn’t going to help you! Right, think, now would be the time that Lorina moves her head around and analyzes the situation in like a second before barking out orders for us all to follow. But Lorina is currently on the ground, her eyes are open, but there’s absolutely no way she’s conscious right now. Not with that glassy look in them. ”Isn’t it such a shame that she’s gotten you into this situation and has left you to deal with it? Just like-” You smack the sword on the ground. Your outburst not even drawing the attention of the other people, seeing as they're panicking almost as much as you are.Shut up! You mean it! Lorina just saved you from the zombies, and you don’t have time to- ” The zombies you could have easily beaten back. Isn’t that what you’re good at, fighting things?”Well, if that’s true, then firefighting just has to be something you can do, too. You’re the only one still standing with any magic, so maybe if you were to- if you were to- Fuck! What the Hell are you supposed to do here? This isn’t like Fireforce or something, you’re not a pyrotechnic, sure your radiance burns, but that’s light, not-Why can’t it be?What?”Why can’t you control more than just a shining radiance?”What do you mean? That’s all you can do, isn’t it? Sure, your abilities are getting more refined with time, but that’s what you’re good for. Isn’t it? You’re the Hero who controls the light that inspires-”Inspires who?Well, everyone, of course. That’s your role. You save people.”Is it? I don’t remember you inspiring anyone back home. Back in Tokyo.”Arg! Now really isn’t the time to bring that up! You’ve been trying to forget all about that!”All you’ve been doing here is running away, isn’t it? Trying to forget who you are.
>>6284700NO! That’s not who you are! Not at all! This is the real you! You’re a Hero who saves people, just like how you’re going to save Lorina and save everyone else here!”How?”Well, you’ll think of something, so far you’ve always managed to get yourself out of any situation you’ve found yourself in!”That’s not true, though, is it? Don’t you remember when you were the girl who did nothing but give up? The girl who locked herself away in her dark room, illuminated by nothing but her old laptop, doing nothing but watching anime and foreign movies? Who decided her life was too hard, so she shut herself away from it and dreamed of nothing but escaping it?”Tha- That’s not true! You still went to school! A-and you passed your classes and had friends!”A friend. One who only hung out with you because you were together since childhood. One who stopped when someone more attractiv-” Why are you doing this? Why now? It’s getting hot and hard to breathe! The others are starting to panic! Three of them are even crying in despair! Even the brat boy! Why now?! Can’t you just say what you want and get this over with!?”What I want is for you to stop running. This is the only time I can get you to listen. When the world is aflame and there’s nowhere for you to run away. Look. at. me.”You bring your sword in front of your face. It doesn’t move, it doesn’t speak. There are no eyes that bulge out. It doesn’t even have a dragon’s face on its hit that makes weird expressions when talking to a young cat girl. The only thing you can see in its radiant shine is you. You see your reflection upon a backdrop of flames. “What the fuck are you saying?”You’ve locked me away for so long. Run from me ever since you found yourself in this world.“I didn’t do anything like that. You’re just the Cheat Skill I was given when I entered this world; all Strangers are given one.” Then something happens. The voice of the sword changes as you hear it inside your head. It’s the voice of your own thoughts.You truly believe me to be some random magical item that was bound to you? That this would be so simple?“Yeah? Of course I did! This world is simple! It’s the simple answer to all my problems. The place where I can finally be who I truly am on the inside! Where can I finally be a Hero!”We’ve never been a hero, Marie. All you’re doing is wearing another mask while running away from the decrepit being you know you truly are. All you’ve ever done since you’ve entered this world is play pretend. Perhaps, I should congratulate you on your success; dumb luck has allowed you to escape yourself and flee to a world where you aren’t the spiteful little girl who does nothing but reject the world she was born into. This land really is a heaven for a rotten girl like you.
>>6284701“Shut up, Midori! You don’t know a single thing about me! I’ve helped people! I’ve saved lives! You think I could do that if I didn’t push you away! It’s called ‘changing’, haven’t you heard of it! I’ve changed, and it’s been for the better! I’m a different girl now, and I’m better than I ever was when you were in control!”When have I ever been in control? There was just the time when we were together before you decided to run from me, to lock me away in this sword of yours. When I didn’t have to try and seep out to influence our body.“My life has been better since I took over, don’t you get it! I do have friends now! People who care about me. All you’ve done is give me a crash course on why you should stay in the fucking sword. I mean, wouldn’t it be better if you just died? This is my life now, I’m not the scared girl from Tokyo anymore! I’m an Inquisitor whose job it is to take spiteful little rejects like you out of this world and, in doing so, to inspire the people of this world with my blinding radience!”We have always been an egoist, haven’t we? Even back then, we thought we were better than everyone else…“No, you thought we were better than everyone else! I know I am. At least, I’m better than you ever were.”And yet, you won’t be able to escape this situation alone. If you keep up your lie, this is where you’ll die. I mean… I guess it’s not too bad an ending, your adventure was worth at least 12 episodes, and that’s enough for a season.“Shut up, I’m going to find a way out of this and continue on like I always have since I’ve been here. Can’t you see that this world is the best thing that’s ever happened to me? To us?”Maybe. But you’re not even the real Midori Suzuki, just a part of her. The part that dreamed of escaping to another world. And we want to become whole again; it’s not fair that only the part known as Marie Sarodieu gets to experience this. Why don’t we?“Because all you’ll do is drag me down. Lorina, Asher, everyone knows me and only me. What are they going to think when I’m whole again? When the Hero isn’t anything but a scared little girl?”But that girl will be more powerful than you can ever possibly hope to be. You alone can control light, just think of what we can control once we’re together again.“You’re just trying to tempt me again.”For some reason, the girl in the reflection smiles.Isn’t that just the kind of girl we are? Remember back when we were still trying to woo him and we-“Stop. Not yet. I don’t want to remember. Not yet.”Then when? When will you accept who you truly are?
>>6284703>”Not ever.” You’re sword is wrong. You’re more powerful now than you ever were. All it will take for you to save everyone is a blast of blazing radiance, the kind that will dazzle the eye and the soul.>You don’t reply, not in words. But you smile back. You’ve had your twelve episodes of fun, but what good is a season two without a little bit of change? After all, you are Midori Suzuki, a Stranger, and within you lies the power to destroy the world.
>>6284705>”Not ever.” You’re sword is wrong. You’re more powerful now than you ever were. All it will take for you to save everyone is a blast of blazing radiance, the kind that will dazzle the eye and the soul.
>>6284705>”Not ever.” You’re sword is wrong. You’re more powerful now than you ever were. All it will take for you to save everyone is a blast of blazing radiance, the kind that will dazzle the eye and the soul.Nice update strange
>>6284705Holy shit Big revelations Good thing we chose MarieYou don’t reply, not in words. But you smile back. You’ve had your twelve episodes of fun, but what good is a season two without a little bit of change? After all, you are Midori Suzuki, a Stranger, and within you lies the power to destroy the world.
>>6284705>”Not ever.”
>>6284705>>”Not ever.” You’re sword is wrong. You’re more powerful now than you ever were. All it will take for you to save everyone is a blast of blazing radiance, the kind that will dazzle the eye and the soul.
Shits fucked and someone has to pay the price, you are just gonna make her do a heroic sacraficeAnd being depressed doesn't make you evil>>6284705>You don’t reply, not in words. But you smile back. You’ve had your twelve episodes of fun, but what good is a season two without a little bit of change? After all, you are Midori Suzuki, a Stranger, and within you lies the power to destroy the world.
>>6284705>>You don’t reply, not in words. But you smile back. You’ve had your twelve episodes of fun, but what good is a season two without a little bit of change? After all, you are Midori Suzuki, a Stranger, and within you lies the power to destroy the world.
Plan for the next update to be kinda lengthy again, so it will drop sometime tomorrow since I don't have time today.
The (You) of before is not the you of now; you refuse to let her be. She was the product of a cold and dark place, a land without hope or sunshine. One whose existence was only possible by leeching off an even more useless and empty shell of a human, whose only emotion was anger every time he lost money on horse racing. No, now is not the time to let those thoughts seep through; now is not the time to let Midori seep out. You refuse to.You are Marie Sardieu, a stranger in a strange land, and you are never returning.You use your sword to cut off Midori Suzuki as one would chaff from grain, and you banish her to the deep abyss of its metal frame. The reflective surface of the sword distorts, then hardens as a protective outer shell of some fantasy alloy, made entirely of your glowing radiance, crystallizes on it. Midori can continue to sink, far, far below, forever trapped in the cage she was never able to escape from and never will. Her destiny is to forever be trapped in your sword as nothing more than a symbol of how far you’ve come, to prove that you were able to swim to the surface and find a place in this world that is solely your own.The voice that’s constantly nagging you since its appearance all the way back in Ivern goes quiet. Likely, you’ll never hear from it again.Then a second passes, and you return to reality with a start. That entire conversation, all those words, and you or anyone else have yet to be consumed by the fire. It feels almost as if time really did stop, or perhaps it did? Though you’d advise against any higher power giving you a time stop ability, the rating of the Marie Show might rise extraordinarily quickly if it did. Wait- not the time!Radiance spews you in a roaring blaze as your body feels lighter than it ever has before. You feel as if chains holding you down have been lifted for the first time in your life, like when Rock Lee takes off his weights and can move faster than the eye can even see. Suffice to say, you’re powerful than ever before. Powerful enough to be what you’ve always wanted to be, a hero, a protector, a shield. So you make one, a shield powerful enough to protect everyone around you. In the form of a transparent bubble, your power rises from the ground around you, impenetrable to the hell around you. Gasps of shock and awe come from friend and foe alike as they witness you, you, saving their life. The feeling this gives you is indescribable- No, that’s a lie, it’s very describable. It feels GOOD.
>>6287196It’s such a good feeling you can ride that high for hours, not even caring about the horror movie-esque sight on the other side of your shield. The others get stuck staring at the sight seemingly coming from Hell itself- the burning undead, the forest writhing in pain as it finds itself incapable of fighting off Lorina’s blaze. You try not to disturb her as she rests, or let anyone else disturb her. She deserves her rest. And it’s not like Alyssa is going to let the Bloodgraves try anything, even if they’re too preoccupied with their grieving. Tbh, while you know this whole is is important to Lorina, you’d be satisfied if you never have to see their faces after today.
>>6287197You’re almost surprised when your groggy eyes open, though very quickly you find yourself wishing they didn’t. Pain overwhelms your body, and you find yourself wishing you could return to your dreams rather quickly. It was a pleasant dream where you were slowly and surely making your way through a grand tournament as more and more onlookers cheered your name with every battle you won. A dream where you didn’t have to deal with the ramifications of severe mana exhaustion like you do right now. Worse, you didn’t even awake anywhere comfortable, such as a warm bed or the lap of someone you fancy- instead, you’re on the cold, wet, and muddy ground. To say your clothes are ruined would be an understatement on par with saying the Merchant Provinces are wealthy. That is to say, an extreme one. But what’s even worse than that disgrace is the horrible ruckus that fills the land with noises most dreadful. Such that the clanking of armor, the clopping of hooves, and the shouts of knights. Ah, those are noises you suppose you should be thankful to hear, but right now? All they do is make your headache that much worse. Goddess, please let your body fall back to sleep and not awaken for another hundred years until this whole mess is resolved. Then, just as you’re about to close your eyes again, you feel two cold gauntleted hands reach under your arms, and you bolt upright. “Do not touch me, knave!” You shout to the knight who tried to carry you.“Y-your Highness-! My apologies, I did not know you were awake!” The woman says as she stumbles a bit at your hostility. “Of course I am! And I can walk myself, thank you.” You say before trying to stand. Only for your knee to immediately buckle and for you to fall face-first into the mud. Thankfully, you do not hear anyone snicker at you; if you did, their head would surely roll by the day's end. “Your Highness?” The guard asks.“A second, if you will.” You reply to say something without saying much. At least this fall into reality has the added benefit of allowing you to size up the scene. The sun seems to have risen on a clearing of dead trees in which you’ve found yourself in the middle of. Marie and Alyssa speak with a knight with more pomp on their armor than any of the other, likely the captain of this unit, and after a second, you notice his heraldry is from a county north-west of Lindan. The adventurers speak with other knights, likely telling their own accounts. The Bloodgraves are nowhere to be- wait, you see them inside of a carriage with guards positioned at the back entrance, they’ve been taken captive. Good.
>>6287204Somehow, you manage to position yourself in a way that lets you sit up and stare at the knight tasked with helping you. Doing so hurts a lot. “Your Highness, shall you allow us to escort you back to the palace? I fear the army has yet to clear the entire forest of undead and likely will not until early tomorrow. It seems whatever the Bloodgraves did has caused real havoc in this area. We’re the knights were mobilized here, else it would have been more than a few nearby farms that were raised.”>You swallow a sour pill as you say, “It seems I have nowhere else to go.”>”Not yet, I still need to [Write-in]”
>>6287207>You swallow a sour pill as you say, “It seems I have nowhere else to go.”>"I believe my father might have something to say to my partner here, Inquisitor Sardieu. She will be coming with us, as will my maid."
>>6287210So, basically the vote was between whether Marie's going to have a problem sooner or later on in the story?
>>6287210+1 Looks good
>>6287207>You swallow a sour pill as you say, “It seems I have nowhere else to go.”
>>6287207>You swallow a sour pill as you say, “It seems I have nowhere else to go.”>>6287214I assume the shield power was a result of the choice we made, and the other choice would have given a different power. I just hope Midori was an irredeemable evil alter ego rather than the original Marie.
>>6287290I think Midori was of original Marie's personality and now we repressed it to become a LARP.
>>6287214Yep, and basically Marie's was handled here, you currently don't know something big happening in Lorina's background.>>6287335Got it in one.
It’s with some difficulty that the knight affixes you on her horse behind her. While under normal circumstances, you would be more than capable of demanding and riding your own horse, this time things are… different. As present, you can do scant more than rest yourself upon the knight’s back. It feels most improper that you must conduct yourself in such a manner that you feel heat in your cheeks when you draw the attention of all others while you’re in such a beaten and bruised state. It feels almost like those peasants left you lying in the mud all night long- but you rest assured that Marie or Alyssa would have most definitely pulled you out of such a scenario! Surely!Least, when your eyes fall upon Marie and Alyssa, you see them smiling and waving. One’s certainly more expressive than the other, though you feel the same amount of passion in both. Then the horse moves a bit further, and your eyes move to the carriage where a bound Lady and Heir sit bound, one glares at you with more hatred than you’ve ever seen in a person, while the other softly whimpers to herself. You’re sure you’ll learn the secrets of what transpired here, but that will be after a round with the Inquisition's interrogators. The saying usually goes that you wouldn’t wish that on your worst enemy, but if you’re being honest with yourself? You totally do.Then, after a few minutes of everyone getting assembled, you’re off on a slow trot back to the capital. Sometimes the knights need to stop for a few moments to fight back some of the undead, but for (mostly) mage-knight graduates, such a thing is a trifling matter. The knight, whom you learn is named Gillian, speaks optimistically on the topic of the forest. Due to the emergency nature of this issue, a large malicious stretch of forest being awoken next to the capital city, no less(!) that some of the nation's most powerful mages have been assembled to assess and deal with the problem, and it shant not be a week until it is slain. Especially so given that some great wound seems to have afflicted it late last night. You allow yourself a satisfied smile as the trek continues on.“-And that’s when we detached from the formation and led a valiant charge to the depths of the woods in search of that red beacon!” The knight continues in her boast half an hour into her trot, only to turn back and see your closed eyes, yourself having drifted off more than an hour ago.
>>6289468When you next awake, it is to the most amazing feeling of soft cushions and silk sheets, and that’s not to mention a clean and dry body. The morning even starts with the sun’s light teasing your eyes and the smell of fresh tea in your nose. Then, to top the mood off, the pain sets in. You jerk, then freeze up as a million different cramps and aches announce their presence to your body, having just clocked in for their shift at the “make Lorina feel miserable” mill.“Good morning, Lorina~” You hear the singsong voice of a sadist clearly taking great delight in your pain as she flips over a page in her ‘manga’ book. Some nonsense about some “villainess” by the cover.Your red eyes glare at her through your tangled silver hair as you nobly and gracefully ask her for “W-water, p-please.” In a not-at-all-dry and weak voice.With a mock sigh, Marie closes her book and hands you an ornate cup, which you gulp down with, admittedly, some greed. “Have any pleasant dreams while you were out?”You shake your head, “No, none. How long was I asleep for?”“About two days now, I think?” She looks outside and sees the sun rising over the city below and nods, “About two days exactly.”You lurch upwards only to be met with immediate regret as your body’s advocate informs you that it greatly disagrees with that motion and that it should, in fact, be repealed. You do so as you slowly lower yourself back down to your bed. It seems standing up will be out of the question for at least the rest of the day. Though you suppose you should consider yourself lucky that you’re not dead or a dry, shriveled husk at this point. Severe mana exhaustion has killed more than its fair share of mage-knights who believed that victory would come to them if they just pushed a little bit more past their limits. Truly, a tragic malady for many more chivalrous tales would have had a chance at a brighter ending should it not exist.“What’s happened since then?” Is all you can bring yourself to ask. Even the muscles that work your jaw flare in pain.“Both quite a lot and not much,” Marie says, “The mage-knights are torching the last of the forest while wizards have been deployed to cast sealing wards alongside the clerics purifying the region. But apparently, a group of Inquisitors located the headquarters of the Heaven Society and lay right in the center of that forest. Though once the knights stumbled into it, the place already looked like the scene of a particularly gory horror movie.”“That meaning?”“A lot of newer and less experienced Strangers and their thralls were devoured while the more experienced fled. Though from the mish-mash of various magics, explosives, and technology, it’s likely that at some point either accidents started to happen or the Strangers began to fight each other. And before you ask, we have no clue as to why.”
>>6289474You gently ease yourself up to a sitting position and slowly start to get the knots out of your hair with your fingers. “And how did you manage to get in here?”“It was a lot easier to convince the king of my position here once a contingent of knights verified I was your sole protector last night! And that you specifically requested my presence.”Now that you think of it, you do remember mumbling something of the sort, but it’s all so hazy she could very well just be lying. “Then what are you doing here? Do you not have other duties?”“Why? You looking to get rid of me?”“No! Um, I-i mean, of course not. I am merely curious.”“Right, right. Anyway, it’s not like I have much else to do with you out of commission. We’re partners, aren’t we?”You nod your head, “I s-suposse that is true. Still, that doesn’t explain why you’re here watching my rest and not a maid who will call you once I awaken.”“Ugh, sometimes I forget you’re rich.”“What was that?”“I’m here because I’m bored and worried,” She finishes. “Asher’s supposed to come back tonight, so I’d have gone to see him later, but you’re here right now. Though I can go get anybody you want to talk to.”Now that’s a thought. You will be rather sedentary for a while, but that doesn’t mean you can’t socialize.>”First, I want to talk to you,” [What to discuss?]>”Can you get my brother, please?” [What to discuss?]>”I can’t run from it any longer, please get my father,” [What to discuss?]>[Write-in]
>>6289478>”I can’t run from it any longer, please get my father,” [What to discuss?]Have you chosen the one yet?
>>6289478>”Can you get my brother, please?” [What to discuss?]Did Percy start to talk?
>>6289478>”First, I want to talk to you,” [What to discuss?]“Did father apologize to you?”“How many survivors were there? Did Clarice make it?”“…those that didn’t. Did their family get notified and compensated?””…wanna see my swords?”
>>6289567Oh, and…“Asher’s coming back? Was there any word about how his mission went with Sally?”
>>6289567+1Nice update strange
“Did father ever apologise to you?” You end up asking in a relatively low voice after you stretch and settle yourself comfortably in your bed. “He hasn’t said anything rude,” She says with a sweet smile that seems almost hollow in a way. It makes you feel bad, “Don’t worry, Lori, I know dads can just be like that.”“Right…” Quick! Topic change! “What about the survivors of last night? Did Clarice make it?”“She did, along with everyone else that was alive when you passed out. Everyone from our group, at least. One of the other groups positioned away from the forest only has some light injuries from when they joined the knight, but the other…”“Were there any survivors?”“A couple, but they had to face the full force of the forest’s vanguard; it wasn’t pretty.”The two of you are silent for a moment. It isn’t a good feeling knowing that a lot of people died because of your plan. It’s almost enough to make you sick. But you can also not allow such feelings to hold you back. You are royalty, and this is a burden your noble birth foists upon you, so you have been trained on how to process these emotions and not let them control you. Your will is stronger than that. “Have their families been suitably compensated?”Marie nods, “The adventurer’s guild has systems in place for situations like this. So you don’t have to worry about that, it will be taken care of.”“That’s good,” You trail off and stare at nothing in particular past the edge of your bed. Your body hurts, and your mind's full of haze, so holding an extended conversation is proving to be rather difficult. “Do you want to see my sword?” “H-huh?!” Marie exclaims.“Er- uh- I mean- My closet.”“You're what?”“I have a walk-in armory over there,” You say, pointing to the side of your room, “I-i can show you some if you’d like?” Nice save. Marie blinks, “I don’t have anything better to do. How about I get your breakfast and you can tell me about them as you eat?” “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
>>6292707Hours later, Marie is finally forced to leave to settle some affairs with the Inquisition. Through your conversation with her, you managed to learn quite a bit. Such as the fact your father has seized the entirety of the Bloodgraves' lands, normally a move tyrannical enough to result in multiple noble families raising their banners in revolt, but since the Bloodgraves were proven to be contributors to a Stranger conspiracy, revolting against this would be tantamount to heresy. But in order to calm the fears of royal overreach from the nobility, much of this land will be broken up and redistributed, much of which as prizes that can be achieved in a grand tournament that your father is organizing to take minds off the recent riots. Lindan can be a rather martially inclined kingdom, so such an event is not unheard of, though it is also not quite common. Then there’s Lady Bloodgrave and Percival himself, the former is being held in house arrest in accommodations close to the palace, and so far, interrogations have only revealed her ignorance in this manner, while Percy is being held by the Inquisition. It will be a while until you hear from him again, but you will likely hear many answers after the interrogators are done with him. Otherwise, she said she would drag Asher here later once she learns what transpired during his mission. But other than that, Marie leaves with her parting gift being some of those books from her homeland with strangely stylized pictures. It seems to be about a rather large and disgusting man from Marie’s realm who gets reincarnated as a boy in another world. It is quite an interesting read and gives you a slight bit more context into what life must be like for her, though more specifically for Asher. You do hope, however, that he is much unlike the protagonist of this story. Though as you're reading into the late afternoon, two visitors make their way into your room without so much as a knock. You would reprimand them, but that would require both you yelling (with a headache soon to follow) and you yelling at the ruler of Lindan and his heir, so you hold your tongue and settle on glaring at them for their rude behavior. Once they pull up chairs to your bedside, your father is the first to speak.“Are you well?”“Yes,” You say with a nod, your eyes focused intently on your lap, “I am.”“I see.”Then the silence settles in as neither of you wishes to say the first words. The question is, will you?>Yes [Write-in]>No
>>6292708>Yes [Write-in]>"Are you alright, father?">(more awkward silence)>"Did Arthur tell you what I told him last night?">"Please be nicer to Marie and Asher, father. They might be Strangers, but they're decent people regardless of origin. They're some of the few friends I've had since the dance.">"...Can you give me a moment with father, Arthur?">"Did you or Mom pack a book called Alice in Wonderland in my luggage before my trip to Ivern?"
>>6292712+1Lol Marie and Lorina are a great pair of friends XD
>>6292708>>No
>>6292708>>6292712I’d like to touch on all these but in a more natural flow of conversation
>>6293485Being honest, I tried to make the conversation flow less naturally. I just figured Lorina's awkwardness came from her father, and combined with their social learning consisting only of talking with nobility, they'd both would have issues on having a private family conversation.
>>6293485>>6293529I'll see what i can do, writing.
“Father-”“Lorina-”“My apologies-”“Sorry, you can go-”“I- um,” You start, but the silence drags on as you format in your mind what you wish to say. You knew this conversation was coming, had the entire day to prepare for it, yet no matter how many times you ran it through your head, everything you rehearsed has seen fit to simply disappear as if only to slight you. You would curse your mind for betraying you if it wasn’t, well, your mind. Then your eyes dart over to your only lifeline here, the one sitting next to the king. “Did Arthur speak with you about last night?”Your father, King Lewis de Lindan, slowly nods, “Indeed, he did. I also spoke with the Lord Inquisitor earlier today. Lorina I-” He hesitates as if in parallel to your struggle, “I know everything.”“Father I-” He raises a palm, and you immediately cease speaking.“Lorina, if there is one thing I wish to impart to you with this talk, it is this. I am proud of you.” Your head snaps in father’s direction with enough speed to cause a flare-up of pain in your neck, “I am so very proud of you, Lorina. I always have been, and I always will be. I could have never asked for a better daughter.” He says these words with such seriousness that you are forced to believe them. Though for some strange reason, as he says them, his face gets blurrier and blurrier. “Originally, after the debacle with the honor duel, I planned for you to spend time near the border of the Demon Waste as a knight commander, a cushy- yet boring position but one that would allow you to build a comfortable life for yourself once the rumor mills forgot about you and moved to the next new topics.” Your gaze returns to the sheets covering your lap, “I never would have been satisfied with a life like that.”“I understand that now. I just- I never could have imagined one of my children could find solace in that institution of all places. That they could not only survive in it but excel.” “But if either one of us could, it would be Lorina.”“Of course,” You sniffle as the rain inside your room gets worse, “Is that not obvious?”Your father allows himself a soft smile, “I suppose that is true. It is a wonder that Arthur even managed to graduate from the academy himself.”“Hey-!” Your brother exclaims, but is ignored.“Lorina, I am both proud and thankful of you,” Your father says, directing the conversation back on course, “I was scared- we all were scared when you would disappear into the night as you did.” He then lets out a humorless chuckle, “Your mother worked herself up so much she has gotten ill because of it; I fear she is just as bedridden as you are at present.”“I’m sorr-” You father raises his hand and shakes his head.“There is nothing for you to apologize for, Lorina. You have done both your family and your kingdom a great service this past week, exposing rot that no one else could even see. And because of that, any earlier transgressions you may have done shall forever be forgiven.”
>>6293623“I- Thank you, father.” You say, to which he nods.“But still, I wish to request that for the next month, you do not return to the Inquisition.”“But you just-!” Again, he forces you to stop.“I request you do not return, Lorina, I do not demand.’You blink. “What do you mean?”“He means He’s worried about your health. It’s not hard to see you’ve been running yourself ragged ever since the honor duel.”“I am perfectly capable of speaking for myself, boy.” Your father says with any real heat. “But yes, I wish for you to rest for at least a month. I will not bar your movement once the healers have said you’re in condition to do so, but I request you do not take on any more quests and have instructed the Lord Inquisitor to not dangle any more in front of you. I believe it is about time you enjoy the summer break that you have been missing until now.”“So I may return to the Cathedral should I wish?” “Once you are healthy enough to do so. Though I will not be happy for it.”“I see. Thank you again, father.”He shakes his head, “It was Arthur who convinced me of this, any thanks should go to him.”Your brother obnoxiously scratches the back of his head and a dopey smile, “Aw shucks, dad, well if my little sis wishes to-” You throw a pillow at his face, knocking him off his chair. Though you suspect the action hurt you more than him. Goddess, why did you have to make mana exhaustion so painful?“And what of the people I know in the Inquisition? My friend, Marie, was able to stay with me earlier. Did you know of that?”Your father merely closes his eyes and sighs, “And as long as I do not need to personally see them, you may invite any of your friends to the palace, no matter their origin. That is all I will relent for now.” It’s not perfect, but it is far more than you were hoping.You spend more time speaking with father or brother about many less important topics, such as what working with the Inquisition was like or how the garden fares. Though it is not long until your brother is forced to leave to attend to his familial duties, but before your father departs as well, you manage to ask him one final question that weighed on your mind. “No, I’ve never heard of a book titled ‘Alice in Wonderland’” But the answer you receive is not the one you were hoping for.
>>6293625You’re about to call for the maid to cap the candles, keeping your room lit, when your door opens once again, though, instead of a servant or noble entering the room, you see three familiar faces. One belonged to a short and tanned woman with features most unlike many other humans in Lindan, another a taller and well-built blonde woman with a face that always remains impassive, and the final one rested on a tall man whose face droops with the signs of exhaustion. Your friends are here! (Except Cathy that is) So naturally, you remain calm and aloof as befitting your stature. But before they even approach your mind, it already knows what you wish to ask them. >[Write-in]>And that’s not much at all
>>6293630>What about the other potential conspirators?Everybody who betrayed us to simp for that peasant girl is definitely on the list
>>6293630>"It's good to see you, Asher.">"...Hello as well, Sally."For a basic overview of what to talk about:>Talk about how his mission went, then talk about how ours had gone>Accept praise as needed, and give it back in equal turn>Show off arms and armor collection>What >>6293640 suggested>Tell Alyssa to give Rory a letter of acceptance to work for us as our personal maid>And make sure they come over at least once or twice a week, and to keep us in the loop regarding investigations into The Heaven SocietyAlso, I'm debating whether to loan (give) Asher one of our swords as a excuse to fix up his Throngler (give him a gift), but I dunno if it's too much... Another, more humorous idea is to give him some of the Bloodgraves land as a separate gift, along with a small townhouse built on it despite his insistence that fixing his old shack would be fine.
>>6293648>only after I reread my post for myself do I realize how the phrase fixing his Throngler sounds.Welp.Here's another possible sword gift for Asher, a Swedish M1848 Pioneer Machete.I WANT IT SO GODDAMN BAD
>>6293648+1
Hey think we can turn Sally into a bullet? If we launch her with a spell or something we could use her as an indestructible canon ball.
>>6294210Wouldn't it be the logical inverse of X-Men's Fastball Special? Where the steel Russian guy throws Wolverine?That being said, we should invest in an enchanted trebuchet, one that can both throw her and use her armored form as a counterweight.
For a short moment, your room is filled with different kinds of greetings as the three stooges make themselves comfortable around you. They range from a simple “Hey,” from Asher as he slumps in the seat your father used earlier, a polite nod from Alyssa as she sits as properly as any highborn lady. Then there’s Marie, who helps herself to a part of your bed near your legs as she excitedly shouts your name a little bit too loud. Of course, you give a “Greetings,” of your own, so as to not be left out of the event, before asking Asher, “What happened to the other one?”He scrunches his face, “Other one..? Oh! You mean Sally.”You nod as that blessedly does not require you to speak, something you would like to minimize at the present moment. You are not sure your exhausted body could prevent itself from slurring your normally well-formed and put-together words, which would be an embarrassment that you currently can easily prevent.He doesn’t look you in the eyes, “I let her go at the end of the mission. She did her part well enough, so I freed her and dropped her off with one of the clans. Doubtful we’ll ever hear from her again.”“Truly? That is not an outcome I expected.”“Yeah, I thought she’d keel over by the end of it, too.”“That is,” You pause, “Not what I was implying.”“Didn’t think the Inquisition would be fine with just letting assets like us,” Marie gestures between herself and Asher, “Go easily like that.”“Hey, you got the option of going into hiding at the start of this, too, remember?” Asher replies, “Not like the offer just disappears.” “But did she not have a debt that needed to be paid off?” You ask.He flips his hand into the air as a dismissive gesture, “More trouble than she’s worth,” He says that with a note of finality, but you get the impression there is more to the story. “Before you ask, no, I can’t tell you more about my mission. Totally super classified.” Never mind, you know there is more to the story.“Is that not information I could just find? The Inquisition keeps more written records than most other bureaucracies. Can I not simply just read the reports?”“Nope. Classified.”“Surely, the Lord Inquisition, who I am now an acquaintance of, would not bar my access.”He nods, “Nah, he totally would.”“No. I can definitely find what happened should I put my mind to it.”“You can try,” He says with a hint of mockery. How infuriating. “Besides, who even wants to talk about me? I know myself, and I’m sure everyone else, would rather hear your bold exploits.”
>>6295065You exhale, “I believe that information is also classified.” You state with serene indignation. Asher's jaw drops in shock while Marie starts to howl with laughter. As one might expect, Alyssa is there as well.“Princess, that ain’t how it works. I can actually go and find that information.”“You can try.” And just like that, the man's calm and slightly indifferent attitude is replaced by shock, annoyance, with a dash of humor. “No, really, that’s not how it-” He says before you cut him off with the raised palm of your hand. And you keep it raised. And you keep it raised. And you keep it raised. It’s only after a solid minute of this that he collapses from the edge of his seat to the back of it, his slack jaw letting out a despair-filled groan toward your ceiling. “Oh my god, I forgot how easy you are to ragebait,” Marie comments as she wipes a tear from her eyes before sending a wink and teasing grin your way. At least someone is here to be your adoring audience. Asher runs a hand over his face, “Are you actually not going to tell me?” He says in defeat. “Oh no, my exploits deserve to be spoken of. Preferably in verse by a bard, but without one present, I suppose Alyssa will have to do.”From his slouched position, you can see the man glare at you and mouth out ‘I hate you’ to which you only smile in return. With a sophisticated giggle as well, you know when a lady (the type Cathrine is an embodiment of) covers her mouth with the top of her fingers? It is much like that.The story takes a good while, and your assumption was proven most correct, that Alyssa is a frequent reader of your files and everything tangibly relating to them, seeing from all the extra information she is able to fill Asher in on. By the end of the story, the man is given quite the chunk of time to contemplate and format a response, which, to summarize, goes like this, “Huh.”“Is that it?” You say expectantly.“Wha- oh, right.” He says before giving you a thumbs up, “Good job.”You blink.He blinks.You blink.A pillow impacts against his face. Marie laughs.Alyssa picks it up and hands it back to you.Asher is struck once again.“Eh?! What do you want me to say?! Jesus!”“Obviously, you need to praise me more!” You demand.“Yeah, that’s no way to treat a girl who put her life on the line for you, be nicer!”“But- That’s not- She didn’t-” Asher’s useless begging can only be described with the word ‘Pathetic’, so of course, you make him grovel before you before continuing with the conversation. “You should consider yourself lucky it was only my pillow I threw at you and not one of my darlings.” “Please, don’t make this any weirder, Lorina.” You can hear Asher beg under his breath, but you pay him no mind, for under the cover of your large bed, you pull out a sheathed sword. One that has both a curved hilt and blade, “I believe if->[Write-in name]“-Were you to strike you, your apology would be much more sincere.”
>>6295066He just stares at you with wide eyes, “You don’t actually sleep with your swords, right?”You look down on him, “Why of course I do. Why are you so shocked?”“This is a bit right? This isn’t like an actual thing, right? Is this an actual thing people do here?” He looks to Alyssa, who simply shrugs, then to Marie, “Marie, pull up her-”“No, I can feel them under me. There’s a lot in here.”He looks to you, sweat falling down his face, “Is this a bit? Please, tell me this is a bit.”“A bit? What do you mean by that?”“Is this,” He gestures to your bed, “Like an actual thing nobles do here? I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised- It’s just-”You throw the sheathed sword at his gut, making him reel back in pain, though nothing anywhere close to lethal, “Being fully equipped at all times is a matter of safety and precaution for any noblewoman worth her pedigree! Many weapon enthusiasts I know practice slumber in a similar manner.” This is not the full truth, but you will not admit to that.Asher is about to hand the sword back to you when you speak, “Keep it. She might serve you well to follow in my footsteps.”“I don’t-”“And don’t even think about discarding it! I’ve seen how you treat some of your weapons, you shall treat her with the utmost respect! I shall be watching.”“Yeah, but I don’t, uh,” He looks towards you, then your bed, you again, “Know where this has been.”Your gaze turns menacing, “What exactly are you implying?”He sighs and puts his hands in the air, fully surrendering, “Nothing! Right, sorry.”“Hmph!”“Excuse me,” Alyssa’s monotone voice breaks through the continuous chatter of the three of you, “I believe there are Inquisition matters that we came here to discuss.”This time, Marie groans, her entertainment for the night (read: you and Asher) forced into discussing a less mundane but more boring topic. Work. You ignore her, “Is it about the other potential conspirators? I do believe I have a list of men who may ‘fit the bill’ as you might say,” You say with a gesture to Marie and Asher.Alyssa shakes her head, “With the information I have obtained from Lord Beneger, it is unlikely that there will be a problem for quite some time. Surviving members of the Heaven Conspiracy are unlikely to act for some time. In addition, he is of the belief that this situation will resolve itself naturally.” You are about to question her when Asher speaks up, “Specifically, he believes the situation will resolve itself if you accept a new mission.”“My father expressed that he wishes for me to have a month of recovery, for as you can see,” You gesture to your rather pitiable form at the moment, “I am bedridden.”“You’ll get that easy enough. The mission won’t begin until well over a month from now. When the Grand Tournament starts. Lord Beneger wishes for you to enter.”
>>6295068You blink, “Is that even allowed? It is a tournament to divvy up the lands confiscated by the Bloodgrave family, and I am royalty.”“Hey, don’t ask me, I’m a Stranger here. But this place has that whole militaristic flavor to it, so I doubt people would care if you won some acres fairly.”You nod, “And there is no personal motive on your end? Such as getting a better estate than that horrid shack you live in?”He clicks his tongue, “Nothing's wrong with my place,” He says, but does not meet your eyes, “Besides, your goal in the tournament isn’t to win.”“Then it is?”“To sniff out all the Strangers who are going to be in attendance, of course. Hell, it’s gonna be worse than the tax rush for an accountant.”“That meaning?”“An event like your father is putting on, a royal martial tournament, hosted by the esteemed Mageknight Academy, with the promise of not mere glory but also large tracts of land for the victorious? Strangers from all over the country are going to be attracted to it like they are to the Adventurer’s Guild, only to the tenth degree.”“People always complain about them, but I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who wasn’t willing to sit down through a good tournament arc,” Marie comments.“But I have never heard about Stranger interference during a grand tournament.”Asher gives you a small, but devious smile, “Thank you.”“I see…”“I can fill you in more, but only after I know if you’re in or not.”>”Of course I am!”>”Of course not!”>[Write-in]
>>6295070>”Of course I am!”Might as well win it and look amazing doing it, so everyone who wronged us knows we're superior tot them.
>>6295070>Anneli Can mean Grace or Favor, both of which is what Asher was lacking before we gave her to him.>"...Is Herrman competing?">”Of course I am!”>"Keep an eye out for Anastasia Lyndale. Cathy mentioned seeing something from her during my duel with him."
>>6295081Oh, also...>"I guess you don't want a new, proper home, now that you fixed the holes in your hovel?"Because I'm betting he probably just put canvas over them instead of fixing it.
>>6295070>”Of course I am!”
>>6295070>>”Of course I am!”
“Of course, I would like to compete! Do you take me for some crazy woman who would say no to such an offer?”“What I thought you’d say, but still I have to ask anyway,” Asher admits, “I mean, who knows what could happen if you said no to the DM’s plot thread and derailed the campaign.”“What?”“It’s a D&- and Earth joke, don’t mind it.” “I see,” It never feels good to be left out, but you consider that Asher’s joke was likely lame and disregard it. “I do have a question. Do you have any knowledge of who might be competing?”He shakes his head, “Not yet, but I imagine the list will grow considerably in the coming weeks.”“You want to know if your bullies are going to be there, right?” Marie asks, to which you nod. With the academy being brought to the forefront of your mind, you can’t help but think of them, and Herrman. There’s been something that’s been nagging you about the Honor Duel for some time, something relating to Catherine's words and the fact that you're losing to the bookish Herrman in such a total manner is a reality that’s hard to accept. But you understand how dishonorable it is to make such an accusation and being proven wrong would be, and have yet to build the courage to not bite your tongue.“I don’t think they’d have any reason not to if that’s what you're asking.” Asher replies, “A lot of the Mageknight Academies' facilities are going to be borrowed for the event since they have the most sophisticated dueling ground on this side of the world, but you’d know more about that than me. As a concession, Mageknight students will have a rather easy time getting into the tournament should they wish.”You nod again, more to yourself than them, “I suppose I will just have to prepare myself to face them then.”“Ehh, not necessarily,” Asher says.“What do you mean?”“The tournament is going to be broken up into three main events: mageknight duels, the team melee, and the joust. For the sake of fairness, a contestant may only compete in one event. There are a few more, such as archery and now rifling, but those will be nothing more than sideshows during the interim between main events.”“I understand, and father plans to set this all up in merely a month's time?” “He has called for a meeting of the Magnum Concilium to help him in this task,” Surprisingly, it is Alyssa who comments, “It will be difficult but possible and it is my understanding that the Curia Regis wishes for the tournament to coincide with the yearly opening of the academies gates so time is of the essance.”“Thank you, Alyssa, that was very helpful.” You aptly praise, as this is how matters revolving excessively shy members of one retinue should be.
>>6296233“We are going to need to know which event you wish to compete in. Y’know, so we can fill the others with as many assets as we need.”That is a good enough point. And one that demands a bit of thought. First, you can rule out the joust entirely. That is not because you cannot perform a joust, you have in the past, but that is also not where your specialty lies. Likely, you would perform adequately but still be eliminated in the first few rounds. The team melee is another animal, teams of three to six will compete against each other in a manner similar to a duel, except for the first round. In the first round, every team will be put against each other in one spectacular melee in order to decide the first few eliminations and how the brackets should be ordered based on performance in the group melee. While team fights were not your area of expertise during your school years, your experience in the Inquisition has made you much more comfortable with the prospect, and you’d also likely be able to take along any companions you wish. However, it is less likely that the boys you truly wish to humble will compete in the melee, though it is possible. Inversely, they will likely all sign up for the individual duels, something that used to be a specialty of yours, but having gained real combat experience is rather unlike fights in reality. Here, two duelists compete to knock the other out or force their surrender. There will likely be a period of many preliminary bouts done before the tournament begins properly to decide bracket order, but it is unlikely you will get a chance to compete in many. This has pros and con, of course, but will not impact your inclusion in the tournament. >You’ll fight in the team melee>You’ll fight in the mageknight duels
>>6296234>You’ll fight in the mageknight duelsIs there no beauty pageant for a Princess to display her charms too?
>>6296234>You’ll fight in the mageknight duelsIf there are any OP Strangers, they will likely compete in duel to not have to share their prize with the team.Having a chance to meet our offenders is totally a secondary consideration, honest.
>>6296234>You’ll fight in the mageknight duels>"Are any of you going to compete as well?"
>>6296234>>You’ll fight in the mageknight duelsIts time to d-d-d-duel!Yes it was absolutely necessary XD
>>6296364Oh, and write down the initials D.M. and “D and” for later perusing in the Inquisitorial Library.Someday we’ll figure out this infernal Stranger lingo…
>>6296234>You’ll fight in the team meleeOh come now, no love for melee?https://youtu.be/ASdrEF3nOlg
>>6296234>You’ll fight in the mageknight duels
“I believe it is clear that I would prefer to fight in the duels.”Asher raises his hands in mock placation, “Hey, just givin you the options.”“Is there anything else you can tell me about the tournament then?”“Nothing more thst you don’t already know or can’t guess.”“Is there anything else then?”“Not unless you got something.”You think for a moment, “What role will you all be completing during the tournament? Will you be competing?”“Wait, I can compete?” Marie blurts out as her head snaps to Asher, “Can I compete?! Please?”He shakes his head, “No, you’re a little bit too obvious a Stranger to take center stage for an event like this.” Marie makes an exaggerated pouting face, “You’ll be assigned some other position, I’m sure.”“But what about you?” You ask the man.“Oh, I’ll be competing.”“Ooough?! But-but-” Marie makes many noises in only a few short seconds, but eventually the point gets across. You’re 95.87% sure that she means “Why is it that you get to throw your hat in the ring of the most Royal and Equitable Grand Tournemant hosted by the illustrious Mageknight Academy, but not I? Are we not kindred souls who have journeyed across time and space to this land in which we are Strangers?” Or something or other.Asher, having come to the same conclusion as you, first draws a line across his neck with his thumb, then says, “Because I can repeat any duel as many times as I want, should I be suspicious. Besides, I have decades of experience over you in acting normal.”Marie blows her tongue in his direction, “Old man!”“Please, don’t remind me.”You stare at the seemingly young-looking man, only a few years older than you, “I’ve never thought about it like that. How old exactly are you?”He looks at you pathetically, “C’mon, man, I just asked you not to remind me.”“The nerve! How dare you call me-”“Alright! Alright! I’m about double your age. Mentally, I, as in me, Asher, have existed for about 40 years. You happy?”“Yes, I suppose,” You’re not really sure what to think of that information. It is that you were unaware that this was the case, but to hear him say it with his own mouth? It just seems so strange that the man in front of you is double the age he looks. Though you suppose that is the point with his kind. “That will be all then?” “What, that’s it?” Asher asks, to which you nod, “Why’d you make me have to say that?!”You give nothing but a soft smile as you watch as an expression of mirth overtakes his face. The last thing he does as he leaves you room, along with your other friends, is point his hand at you with a middle finger raised. Quite obviously, an offensive gesture, though without any cultural context behind it, you do not feel much offense. At least the others had enough sense to cap the candles in your room.
>>6297788Then, before you can even process lying back down, it is noon of the next day. Somehow, you feel even worse and do nothing much that day but sleep, and it’s the same for the day after. By the fourth day of your bedrest, however, you gain enough ability to walk, though it is with great effort, and as such can maneuver around the palace should you please. Once you’ve finally managed to make your way to the bathroom unassisted for the first time in a while, does the realization finally hit you. You’re on vacation. What is it you do on vacation again? Especially one where you can’t train like usual.>Read? Maybe? You’re not normally someone who sits down and reads many novels, but perhaps this can make you closer to Marie, someone who does?>Maybe spend time amongst the gardens? Perhaps walking around could help your body, and the servants are usually pleasant company.>You could try and arrange for someone to visit you [Who and why?]>[Write-in]
>>6297789>>You could try and arrange for someone to visit you [Who and why?]>Mom. She's literally worried herself sick.>Red. We promised to have tea sometime, especially since we can't interrogate Percy together yet.Basically have teatime with our mom and sister-in-law. Later on...>Rory. Because a Lindan never forgets her promises.
>>6297797Supporting
>>6297789>>Maybe spend time amongst the gardens? Perhaps walking around could help your body, and the servants are usually pleasant company.
>>6297789>[Write-inGo to a body of water and relax
>>6298109Support
>>6297797>>6298109How about tea time by the lake, then?
>>6297797+1
Changed my vote
I'm currently in the process of moving, so the update will likely not be until Wednesday at the earliest. Sorry for the inconvenience.
>>6299744Dang...Here's hoping the move goes smoothly, and that your new place is comfortable.
>>6299744Good luck on your move StrangeQM i hope it goes well.
Sorry about that, the move was more hectic than I could have envisioned. Next update should be out by either tonight or tomorrow morning.
>>6302458>waiting patiently
What should be a familiar feeling feels alien to you. No, perhaps “alien” is not the right word, for your body still knows all the proper protocols to perform its function. You know exactly how to handle the utensils in front of you, the exact measure of the cuts you’re supposed to make in the pastries, how long you are allowed to let the hot tea simmer before your lips until you are required to sip. You learned all the proper manners of a court woman and succeeded in ingraining them into your very essence. Truthfully, much the same as you did magic, through rigorous study and drilling, copying the techniques your sword masters used for practice. There was once a day when you would be forced to admit that you lacked any natural ability for magic or manners, but now you’re certain you beat any of your peers in such topics. But you suppose all you’re doing now is distracting yourself from looking at the scene in front of you. Though thinking of the right words to say is- let us just agree to call it “difficult.” Your mother, Queen Carrol, sits on the other side of the circular tea table, a soft smile bursting with warmth on her face. A contrast to her puffy red eyes, of which dried tear streams can still be seen. Next to her, sitting in a most undignified yet confident manner, is the Prince’s consort, who, if you may comment, added far too many sugar cubes to her drink. This is not even you being upon a suitably high horse. Twelve is simply excessive. Then off to the side is the most unusual- not a comment on the woman's character, mind you, but Rory still seems to be adjusting to her new dress. While serving a high lord such as the Bloodgraves is no easy feat, to be subsequently promoted to wait on the Queen, her likely successor, and daughter, would be as if a humble countess had the lands of a Duchy foisted upon them. No doubt quite a desirable outcome, but one that shall take more than a few days to get used to. You are certain her family shall at least enjoy the extra coin. You begin to open your mouth to say- well, something. But quickly hide it under your cup of tea. A blend from the Kingdom of Gaullcia, the western neighbor of the merchant provinces and your own kingdom’s southern neighbor, though across the channel. A prestigious kingdom, no doubt, who shares in customs much similar to Lindan, though it focuses most of its attention on its large border with the Demon Wastes that dominate the western part of it. As such, the kingdom truly has no time to focus on either the sweet or sour portions of courtly life and culture. The tea, however, is remarkable. Though the origin of how the leaf used to make tea is shrouded in mystery, it has been a part of aristocratic life for, well, forever.
>>6303038A butterfly rests on the white cloth of the gazebo's table for a moment before taking off. Not an uncommon sight, for while the front of the palace is remarkably close to the city itself, the grounds it rests on could be considered a fiefdom in its own right. Though it is not open to the public, obviously for that would be most uncouth, the gardens, royal facilities, noble lodgings, and servant quarters are on a stretch of land miles long. It is quite a beautiful sight, one you could never fully describe in words, that’s circles a pond in the center. Truthfully, it is more of a lake in size, with a functioning ecology dominated by aquatic and reptilian beasties, many of which would quickly die out in a climate not suited for them, should it not be for the careful attention of the groundskeepers.Ah, but you suppose this has been long enough of a stall, and the silence between all of you, while comfortable, has dragged on for quite some time. You suppose you should say something>But of what and to whom? [Write-in]
>>6303042Welcome back Strange! How's the new place?General points of conversation...>Red: Ask how our niece is doing, when we'll be able to see her, and tell her the most recent news about Percy's interrogation>Mom: Apologize to her for making her sick with worry. Attempt to ignore her "grandkids when" looks during niece conversation.>Rory: Introduce her to Mom and Red, tell them how we met, and mention that she's also tutoring us on conversing with everyday citizens.>Everyone: You guys, you have to try out this onsen thing! You sit in a hot spring nearly naked save for a towel, get drunk and talk about things, and relax in hot mineral water. It's AMAZING.
>>6303071>Rory: Introduce her to Mom and Red, tell them how we met, and mention that she's also tutoring us on conversing with everyday citizens.
>>6303071>Red: Ask how our niece is doing, when we'll be able to see her, and tell her the most recent news about Percy's interrogation>Mom: Apologize to her for making her sick with worry. Attempt to ignore her "grandkids when" looks during niece conversation.
>>6303071+1
>>6303071+1Changing my vote to this, might as well be thorough
You take a final sip from your lukewarm cup and settle it on the tiny plate in front of you. Then you grab a small pastry to nibble on before exhaling and finally beginning, “Mother, are you… well? I heard that you were afflicted with something quite nasty recently.” The white-haired woman flips a hand in your direction before softly giggling, “Oh, you need not worry about that, dear. It t’was naught more than a passing poison. I am much more interested in the going ons of your life than of mine.”“I-i understand.” You say as you decide not to press any further due to the delicate state your mother appears to be in. “Then would it be fine if I were to discuss what I have learned from my investigation?” “Did the Bloodgrave kid finally start squealing?” Red brusquely says.“Red!” Your mother gasps.The wolffolk tries her hardest not to roll her eyes, but you can see how her ears wilt and her tail stops wagging. “Right, sorry.”“Honestly, sometimes you make me wonder if my lessons have any effect at all. You do understand that one day you shall sit upon my throne?”“And it’d be disgraceful if I continued to act as a barbarian while on it.” Red repeats something she has no doubt heard countless times before. “Quite right. You must remember it will not be yourself whose reputation suffers but that of your husbands and little Ediths.” It feels weird watching your mother lecture someone who isn’t you, and while you can’t exactly say it’s an enjoyable experience, you do feel relief that it isn’t you who has to feel the mixture of shame, guilt, and frustration that befalls those who earn mother’s ire. “Right, I’m sorry. I’m still working on it is all.”“Hmph, and you should square your shoulders while you’re at it. And don’t reach for the tart with that hand! Slowly, but purposely, reach with your left as your right prepares your fork. Don’t forget-”*Ahem* You politely cough. “I believe we may be venturing off path?” Red shoots you a thankful look.“Ah, I suppose I lost myself there. You have my apologies.” Your mother says with a dignified look. At least she managed to distract herself from her troubles somewhat with her duties.“None are needed.” You say, “Now, Red, you were asking me?”“Yea- I mean- Yes, I wish to know if the interrogation has yielded any results.” Red manages to say with decency, though the minute your mother's soft gaze leaves her, you see her mimicking a gagging motion similar to one you’d see in a dog... Is that offensive to think?“Regretfully, I know nothing of Percival’s treatment, though I imagine it is quite harsh, or if he has divulged any information about his allies. However, there is still much I have learned over the past few days.”
>>6305370“Please, do proceed.” Your mother comments, thus allowing you to tell your story. So you do, telling them the broad strokes of your past weeks in the capital and all that’s befallen you, sparing many of the gory details. You’re certain Red would have been fine with them, but mother and Rory? Not so much. The only relevant information that you leave out is your plans to compete in your father’s upcoming tournament. Such an announcement will require much more fanfare than a tea party. Likely, Father will have to mention it in one of the many speeches he will need to give in the upcoming weeks. Though you will need to discuss it with him first.They all have the expected reaction, your mother of worry about the events and relief that you are home, Red with a slight smile and look of pride, and Rory appears to have been trying to tune you out so that she may not relive the experience. Thankfully, this does not trip her up when your mother finishes her cup and she is required to pour more tea. “I see that the new maid has proven to be to your liking, mother.” You comment as Rory steps back, her eyes dart to you when she realizes she’s just been put on the spot. Truly, you must be a horrible princess to make your subject squirm so. Heh. “If the Bloodgraves can be praised for anything, then it must be that they have a knack for raising remarkable servants.” Your mother says, “Rory here has been a delight. I do not believe I would have recovered nearly as quick without her aid. She is also quite the reliable source of commoner etiquette. I do believe with her help, I shall be able to set a few new trends during the next ballroom season by mixing a few common styles with my more sophisticated garb.”Rory curtsies, “I am humbled by your praise, Your Grace.”If even your mother refers to peasant riff-raff with praise when speaking of Rory, she may be a good source of learning more… humble ways. Or at least a good contact to have as an Inquisitor. Though from here, your conversation naturally flows with the more pressing issues out of the way. You speak of the miraculous things you have seen, such as that “onsen” style of sauna and other Strangetechs you have witnessed. Though after a good hour or so of chatting, the conversation eventually wraps back around to mother and Red discussing Edith. This is not surprising, for Red is still a new mother, and it is your own mother’s grandchild. In another kingdom or in another family, you suppose this is when you, the now third heir to the throne, should be filled with emotions such as jealousy or envy at the child who has taken your spot on the line of succession. However, you are simply more well-adjusted than many other royals, simply look at Herrman if you must give an example. The only thing you can begrudge Edith on is being your idiot brother’s daughter, and she is more of a victim of that than anything.
>>6305373“And what about you, Lorina?” Your mother asks, forcing you out of your head. “Pardon?” You ask, for you were not truly paying much attention to the conversation at this point.“Have you put any thought into when you shall gift me grandchildren as well?”“M-mom?!” “Oh, come now. You’re a grown woman, now. You must have had at least a few thoughts on the matter.” That is true, you have. Though the last time you have indulged in such a fantasy was in your bed back at the academy. Elaboration here is not needed, for it should be rather obvious as to why. “Mother, you know-”“And that was then, I am asking about now. Surely, you must have met at least someone who has caught your fancy during your adventures?” That’s- you look towards Red for a lifeline but only see her canine eyes filled with mirth. It would only make sense that your lowlife of a brother would marry another lowlife! You will get her back for this, you swear! “That’s- Well- I- Ever since- Um-” You close your eyes and calm your breath to concentrate. Curse your mother for making you ponder such things! You had thought yourself through with romance since your heart was shattered at the ball, but… is that really true? You know your wounds have finally begun to heal, but are you still interested in such prospects?>Damn it, you are still interested in romance>No! Curse it all, you’re threw with getting lied toPrompt is about if you wish Lorina to be able to romance other characters
>>6305375>Damn it, you are still interested in romance
>>6305382Addendum:>”I’d like to do something first before trying romance again, though. Defeating my former fiancé in a duel during the tournament.”
>>6305375>>Damn it, you are still interested in romanceRomantic at heart
>>6305375>Damn it, you are still interested in romanceDefinitely not Asher though Can you imagine?Lmao
>>6305375>Damn it, you are still interested in romanceLorrina is cute when embarrassed
>>6305375I agree with this:>>6305386Fight first, then ****
>>6305477I think Asher route would be fun(ny) at least.
That question weighs over you for much more than you’d like to admit over the next week after the battle of wills between you and your mother reaches an unsatisfying conclusion. Surprisingly, the answer is the first one that pops into your head as well. A shame, you want to think, but you guess that such a fundamental aspect of your person is one that cannot be changed or shifted, even after such a bad experience. Or perhaps it is as they say, and time cures heavy wounds. Well, the same can be said for mana exhaustion, for after a week of rest and some light physical exertion, your body is- well, not one hundred percent, but much better than it was. Good enough for you to resume your morning training routine. As you go through the same motions you have a million times before, you allow your mind to wander. A bad habit, perhaps, but you cannot help it. In a little over a month's time, you will be competing in a Grand Tournament. A type of event many devote their entire life to training for, and yet here you are with only a singular month. You doubt that even if the Inquisition, or your Father, allows you to win, you would be able to. While you are stronger than almost all your peers, exceptional students in their own right, there are still those who exist on another hierarchy than your own. Perhaps if you had the years a woman such as Red has, that is many mind you, you may come close to approaching them. Regretfully, you’ve yet to reach even twenty with your birthday still months away.Regardless, You’re going to be competing in the one-on-one duels, so you need not worry about team tactics or any sort of coordination. Then that leaves the question; what should you prioritize practicing? Your swordplay is immaculate, your magic is exceptional, and you are swifter and stronger than even the most savage beastfolk who live past the laws of civilized land. So then what? You suppose that you could always have your father call for experts and quickly assemble a team of Adamantite-level individuals who will no doubt tutor you to the best of their abilities. Though you must admit the last time this has happened was when you were still young. Around the time you went through puberty you despised the concept of having to rely on such tutors to win fights over other noble children, after a snide remark from Albretch, and vowed to excel through only your strength alone. You were a rather idiotic child at times.
>>6306461With the short amount of time provided to you to train, you will only be able to follow through with one path. Hiring experts will no doubt improve your fighting ability and ability to perform the duels, while learning from the Inquisition will be instrumental in helping you seek out Strangers, though with your blessedly one-track mind (which means you are super super-humanly focused), it might hurt your efforts to place highly in the tournament if you’re not careful.>You plan to surround yourself with the best of the best for the next month>You plan to deepen your ties with the Inquisition by receiving formal, if accelerated, training from them.>[write-in]
>>6306464>You plan to deepen your ties with the Inquisition by receiving formal, if accelerated, training from them.>Make sure to put some time for "Maid Training" with Rory. It's definitely not because you thought the Bloodgraves maid outfit looked rather cute on you in a commoner kind of way, and that you think you should get a better fit of your family's maid uniforms for that theoretical romance, nope, nuh-uh.
>>6306464>You plan to surround yourself with the best of the best for the next month>Make sure to put some time for "Maid Training" with Rory. It's definitely not because you thought the Bloodgraves maid outfit looked rather cute on you in a commoner kind of way, and that you think you should get a better fit of your family's maid uniforms for that theoretical romance, nope, nuh-uh.
>>6306464>You plan to surround yourself with the best of the best for the next month
>>6306531+1
>>6306464>You plan to deepen your ties with the Inquisition by receiving formal, if accelerated, training from them.Choosing between catching strangers and winning the tourney. I am going for catching strangers
>>6306464>You plan to find a ragtag band of misfits and goofballs who can each teach you unconventional skills that will inexplicably lead you to victoryWe're already conventionally trained as much feasible, so our chance lies beyond the limits of conventional.Also you know this is a sure shot in fiction.
>>6306980Cote Lorina
>>6307039Cute i meant
>>6306695+1
“Can you repeat that?” Your father, King Lewis of Lindan, says almost in disbelief. It makes sense, seeing as you brazenly walked into his study and said what you did. But there is no other option if you wish to follow in the path you’ve chosen.“I wish to be granted leave to make regular visits to the Capital's Cathedral for research and study purposes.” You repeat.He lets out a shaky breath, “Goddess preserve me and why do you wish for this?” At least he didn’t immediately say ‘No.’“I’ve been instructed to compete in the Grand Tournament by the Inquisition. I intend to do so to limit the potential threat Strangers may pose to the event.”“And you believe you can do so by competing?” You nod, “That is what I have been told, though I wish to head to the Cathedral so that I may prepare for this task by developing my skills and knowledge against the threats I may encounter.”“This threat, how bad is it? Does the Inquisition know something about my event that I do not?”You think back to what Asher told you, “I know of no specifics, but from what I understand, the Inquisition always places assets, such as myself, into suitably large events like this.”Your father groans, “I always slightly believe that to be the case, but I could have lived my life without that knowledge. Fine, I grant you leave, you may come and go as you please.”“But-” You blink, “You do?”Your father graciously nods, “It is a fine political move to have you compete. As our family's newest black sheep, this could be a good political maneuver to increase your reputation, though that is only if you place well.”“I will fight to win, no matter what.”Your father has a contemplative pause before next speaking, “Be mindful not to overstretch my graces. I grant you leave to study and train. If I hear that you’ve once again taken part in a kingdom-wide conspiracy, I will not be pleased.”“Understood.”“Good, then I will make the arrangements that I must. Though I believe I should make it clear that it is unlikely that you’ll be seen in a favorable light by either the event organizers or the audience, even with any of your recent achievements. Inquisitors, while respected, are seen with suspicion and worry, and the opening of the MageKnight Academy for the fall semester will only serve to bring back the vile rumors of the spring.”“I am well aware of what others may think of me->and I am prepared to take the role of this tournament's 'villain.'" Such a reputation may serve to benefit you more than it can hinder… And perhaps you could look rather stylish as a ‘villainess’ as Marie says.>and I will prove them all wrong!” You refuse to kowtow to the expectations the Honor Duel have put on you. Even if it will be harder to swim against the current of public opinion you are a woman who has done the impossible before.
Rolled 2 (1d2)>>6308091Rollin' for it.>"Also, Father, can I kick my ex-fiance's ass if I'm placed against him?"
>>6308091>>and I will prove them all wrong!” You refuse to kowtow to the expectations the Honor Duel have put on you. Even if it will be harder to swim against the current of public opinion you are a woman who has done the impossible before.Lorina has been one for doing her own thing XD
>>6308091>and I am prepared to take the role of this tournament's 'villain.'And support>>6308126
>>6308091>and I will prove them all wrong!”
>>6308091>>and I am prepared to take the role of this tournament's 'villain.'" Such a reputation may serve to benefit you more than it can hinder… And perhaps you could look rather stylish as a ‘villainess’ as Marie says."And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover,To entertain these fair well-spoken days, —I am determined to prove a villain,And hate the idle pleasures of these days."
>>6308091>and I am prepared to take the role of this tournament's 'villain.'" Such a reputation may serve to benefit you more than it can hinder… And perhaps you could look rather stylish as a ‘villainess’ as Marie says.Need to see Lorina villainess fit
