To most, the idea of being reincarnated into another world was a mere fantasy.But to you...It was reality.Your name is John Doe, and a few months ago you got hit by a truck. After your death you met Herta, the beautiful (and perverted) Goddess of Artifice. She told you that you needed to pick a cheat skill before she could send you to one of the many generic isekai worlds available."Because that's heavenly policy!" She'd said.But instead of picking between those boring options, you took the Goddess Herself and brought her with you to a world of her own creation.This universe of hers was slapped together with 'tags' and generic fantasy themes. Some might scoff at the abundance of stale tropes and cliched genres, but things were just the way you liked them.Well, you were still getting used to the unfamiliar logic and morality of this brave new world. Beyond being mere ideas that were held by people, these conceits extended deep into cultural thought, sculpting history and even shaping the laws of physics.But that wasn't all this universe had in store: Soldiers, airships, mechs, clockwork robots, walking artillery units, all of these and more marched from their homeland's borders to fight in a neverending skirmish against their enemies.Yet these modern conflicts were petty when compared to the Demon Lord's invasion. So great was that war, that the scars from that era lingered like a thorn on the side. Corruption magic threatened to destroy everything if not purged whenever it was found, despite it being many millennia since the demons were vanquished. This evil magic will grow and fester if no precautions were taken. Thankfully there were many organizations in the world that dealt with these sorts of things.Today, gold poured from the coffers of nations as everyone clamored to get a slice of the goods and weapons available. In spite of the constant wars and battles, commerce flowed through the planet, giving and taking away fortunes in an instant.These realities gave testament to some of this universe's priorities - war, trade, and steampunk tech.And that didn't even mention what is blatantly the most important of this universe's conceits: Slavery. It was a fact of life. Everyone you'd met in this world approved of it and spoke about it like it was the most common thing in the world. Which, in this world's context, made perfect sense.As Freeborn Men are people, thus women and the lower classes are considered property. Although one could argue that slavery in this world was not the same type of chattel slavery that might pop into your mind whenever someone in your old world mentioned the word 'slave'. Providing evidence to support that theory, the Bondage Accords, which are a sort of international agreement most nations adhered to, granted certain protections to the enslaved despite their legal status as objects.
And as odd as it might sound to those unfamiliar with how this universe was run, most slaves found joy in their bonds. You'd go as far as to say that this system of slavery was one of the most important aspects of this world's stability. Slaves, especially slave-wives, are generally happy about their lot in life and would defend the structure of slavery against any that threatened it.You didn't doubt that Herta was to blame for the state of things. Especially since she gave the 'happiness in slavery' tag tons of weight.Apart from that, and apart from what you could expect, like catgirls and elves and giant mechs, this world had elements that weren't too common in most isekai. For example; the male to female ratio was skewed with women making an overwhelming part of the population. It was common practice for Freemen have harems. This was further encouraged by the droves of desperate women that wanted to be under a Master-husband.Again, you knew that a certain perverted goddess caused the world to be organized this way. And if the amount of perverted women you came across was any indication, then Herta's influence on her creation was stronger than she thought. Despite how ignorant she was about the very things she brought into existence, you could safely say that a large chunk of the global population of women looked up to her as an example to be followed.Not that you were complaining. All of these facts were conveniently to your ambitions of having a harem of consenting slave girls. But managing them, in addition to all the other stuff you had to do, could be draining. Sometimes literally.But having their unconditional love and seeing them happy made it all worth it. Not to mention how nice it felt to have a bunch of beauties devote themselves to you.Following classic reincarnation tropes, you decided to get a gaggle of beautiful women to pamper you. There were times, however, when you wondered if you were the one spoiling them instead of the other way around. It was obvious that your presence and attention boosted the morale of your wives, making you suspect that your domineering personality (which caused you problems in your past life) was considered attractive to the women of this world.Whatever the case, you loved all eight of your slave-wives.Being surrounded by people that truly cared about you helped soothe your soul. The constant and unwavering love Herta showered you with cured you of your fears of intimacy. She and the rest of your slaves' affections helped you open up your heart to others again. Even though you'd only been living in this world for a few months your past life felt like a distant memory.Anyway, you considered how far you've come since arriving here. Though you worked hard for this peaceful life, admittedly much of what you had was because of Lunacy Savantae and your status as a Savant.
Most everyone knew about Savants and Lunacy Savantae. Anyone could tell you that it was a rare condition which allowed those under it to understand divine engineering. Savants could build amazing machines, structures, and contraptions using the 'madness of creation' as a guide. It also granted superhuman strength, focus, and stamina while active, and opened up your ability to enchant items almost like an artificer. Since you were already decent at building stuff, it made sense that your Lunacy Savantae increased your talents to an exponential level. Everything created while under Lunacy Savantae's influence was usually difficult to put into words, even though you understood how it worked in your mind. For example, your clockwork soldiers, which you called clankers, were impossible to build with standard engineering. Then there was your pride and joy, the BoatMech, which was a massive mech that was your Bonded Vessel. It was also impossible to explain to non-Savants, although if one was smart enough it was possible to learn how to pilot it. And that didn't even touch the smaller household robots and countless magical artifacts that defied conventional logic. Even Herta's sewing robots proved hard to explain to the average person, despite not being too different from actual sewing machines.Savant or not, you didn't stop your tireless working. You'd make sure your home would be safe for the children you were gonna have.Thanks to your and your wives' efforts, your estate finally had a semblance of security. No longer did you have to worry about goblins, bandits, undead, or the golems that patrolled the dungeon beneath your manor. Even the high level Monster Rooms that gathered around the mountainous periphery of your territory were quashed.Not having anything urgent to worry about was a rare blessing. There wasn't much going on other than preparing to rescue your catgirl's dad, planning your wedding to an elvish princess (that also happened to be a Saintess), and getting rich using your modern day knowledge. So yeah, your secretary could clear your schedule for the time being. You were gonna take it easy.But these moments of peaceful laziness had an expiration date. You were currently scheming against the ugly bastard that forced your feline father in-law to work hard labor in the mines.Also no less relevant was your marriage to that elvish princess. While she was already your slave-wife, you needed her father's blessing. You'd hold your wedding with her once she finished her studies. A private ceremony, that the Goddess of Creation Herself would preside over, was being planned by you and your wives.The time for action was soon approaching, since next week you were gonna meet with your elf wife again in the Centrian City hopefully to clear everything up and bring her to your estate.
And you couldn't forget the meeting you scheduled with your other dad in-law, following up on the aluminum deal you made with the kitsune. Then there was the question of whether you wanted to counter Rostchilde's moves while he was in Centria. And you were also tempted to find out what the hell was going on with the Academy.Your next trip to the City of Merchants was gonna be a busy one, that was certain.Alright, that was enough thinking about the past and the future. Best to focus on the present. It was deep into fall, and the air was getting chilly... what were you doing right now?>Hanging out with Herta and Bertha. You three were chatting about the wedding you and Aila were gonna have. Bertha talked about all the food and pretty clothes she wanted to make for the occasion, while Herta considered a few different things as she thought about the event.>Discussing Continental civilization and magic with Ruby Rose and Yumi. There was some emphasis on Eastia and your findings with the Orb, especially since you and Ruby were scheming against Rostchilde. Yumi was surprisingly knowledgeable when it came to Eastia.>Overseeing the fighting techniques Cattleya and Ayane were working on. Both women even did a few mock battles against each other. They convinced you to referee a few of these fights.>Working with Mel and Gerty. While preparing to build the wall, Gerty used the construction clankers to assemble a temporary obstacle course for Mel. Your Holy Knight assured you that she was gonna consult you before she began building, though you three were talking about what the estate might look like in the future.>(Write-in).
Archive:http://thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=NotIseQMCharacter Info Lists:https://rentry.org/IsekaiCheatQuestCharactersTimeline (incomplete):https://rentry.org/IsekaiCheatQuestTimelineMy updating schedule varies, but I aim for writing at least every other day and not any later than 3 days.
>>6316474Welcome back QM, almost thought you were gone>>6316499>Discussing Continental civilization and magic with Ruby Rose and Yumi. There was some emphasis on Eastia and your findings with the Orb, especially since you and Ruby were scheming against Rostchilde. Yumi was surprisingly knowledgeable when it came to Eastia.High intellect talk
>>6316499He lives! Welcome back NotIseQM. Now I dont have to write in victorian english missing QM post to QTG.>Hanging out with Herta and Bertha. You three were chatting about the wedding you and Aila were gonna have. Bertha talked about all the food and pretty clothes she wanted to make for the occasion, while Herta considered a few different things as she thought about the event.The wedding is next week if am not wrong so time to make Aila very happy.
I think I'm in pre-harem pre-isekai living. I need to get to the other world and harem, I know God already knows exactly what I'm looking for however if you all can help please do!
After getting a bad dose of the Curse I'll admit that some bad scheduling on my part was also to blame I'm finally back again. As always I'm open to any questions and comments you guys have.I'll keep the vote open for a few more hours, then I'll start the runoff/roll off if there's still a tie.>>6316517>>6316520Sorry about disappearing for longer than expected. Thank you both for the welcomes!>>6316625Gotta grind irl happiness to get your waifu.Shitposting aside I hope you find some fun here in qst.
>>6316499Got a little bit concerned but wasn't worrying. I know you ain't going nowhere.>Hanging out with Herta and Bertha. You three were chatting about the wedding you and Aila were gonna have. Bertha talked about all the food and pretty clothes she wanted to make for the occasion, while Herta considered a few different things as she thought about the event.We are gonna make sure this is the best wedding ever and the chances of any hitches are zero. Even if that will jinx it.
>>6316499>Hanging out with Herta and Bertha. You three were chatting about the wedding you and Aila were gonna have. Bertha talked about all the food and pretty clothes she wanted to make for the occasion, while Herta considered a few different things as she thought about the event
You good QM?
>I violently shit myself and cry before scanning the room for witnesses.>There are many..
>>6318487Yeah I'm alright. Sorry about taking so long without saying anything, some technical software issues made it hard for me to post and use my computer, and I got a bit of a scare about losing my notes. Thankfully I have backups, not that I really needed them since I got my original notes back.I'm just just checking over I've written and I'm doing some last minute editing, I'll update soon.
After not coming here since that 4chan blackout, I've caught up again! Would just like to say: I really like this Quest QM, thank you for running it.>>6318544Soon as in today? Tomorrow?
>>6318995Thank you! Glad to have you back!>Soon as in today? Tomorrow?An hour or two from now. Knocking on wood.
===STATUSRace: Reincarnator (Human)Class: MechwarriorSkills: Appraisal, Devices, Engineering, Perception, PilotingAbilities: Bonded Vessel [BoatMech], Custom Special [Laevantein], Tinkering, Strategist, Item EnchantWould you like to replace [Laevantein] with another Custom Special ability?A familiar sensation tugs at your mind as your status board, and with it the expected prompt about changing your ability, suddenly popped up. You give your it a quick look.You had a decent understanding of how [Custom Special] worked, but the fundamentals of the status board remained clouded in mystery. Not even Herta was clear about these sorts of things. Though in her case it was likely for a lack of trying than it being beyond her potential comprehension.Although her understanding of things slowly increased over time, it was hinged on her worries about the hereditary effects a Fertility Blessing could have on your descendants. This led to the Goddess of Artifice finding more about cursed and blessed skills. And of these, the difference between those that were permanent, the hereditatry ones, compared to those that were temporary.You knew she wouldn't fully dedicate herself to research anything if it wasn't something you asked for or something either of you worried over. Her hobbies, when not happily following your orders, mostly revolved around creating things or in finding ways to please you. These weren't mutually exclusive things.But beyond any idle theories your slave-wives might have, you considered the practical uses your tangible game-like powers had. You realize that you hadn't used the Laevantein much since you chose the weapon.It was was around time to replace it with something else, as was your tradition to switch your skills if only to check out the new abilities available. Yet you couldn't fully discard the desire to use your cool flaming sword-whip for something other than practice and mob enemies.Upon summoning and wielding the Laevantein, you felt the expected heat radiate even while the flames were inactive. It's whip-like state hung limp like a rope of embers that stretched unnaturally— and these in turn hardened to flames as you switched it's mode to a sword-like form.A precise use of mana, good hand-eye coordination, and enough spatial awareness were all needed to control the fire's output and actions. The shift between configurations was easy enough, only requiring a thought while you held the hilt.Though it was a hard weapon to master you, couldn't deny how fun it felt to use. The temptation to go out and hunt down demons and vampires rose considerably every time you swung it around.But then again you were still curious about what your [Custom Special] choice-buffs would look in practice.
Herta and Ruby had worked on the research and given you their best theories, but this was as good of an opportunity as any to test things out. You knew you'd get a larger selection of options and have whatever ability you choose influence the BoatMech in some way. Lacking a proper battle for your BoatMech, you hadn't tested much of the latter. But the implications for it's potential remained untapped.Even the one choice that wasn't focused on, the "flexibility to choose a past ability", was slowly being worked on by your goddess and your mastermind. Ruby in particular reminded you of the potential breakthrough that would soon come when [Custom Special] became more understood.Still, the holographic question hovered in front of you.>Keep it. Stick with what you know. (Keep Laevantein for now)>Swap it out. Get something fresh. (Will offer a choice next update)===You decided to follow the chatter of two women that were talking up a storm in the kitchen.Cans and jars lay strewn around the room, top of tables and counters and whatever else had space for them, causing a semblance of organized chaos to spread. Bertha had been busy making pickled vegetables and canned fruits for long storage.Not to say that was all she was doing. For the past couple of days she served you and the others the magically preserved meals she was experimenting with. Injecting mana into certain foods could give it a subtle change in taste, and this was especially the case with some squid meat you had to spare from turning the kraken into a trophy. Her cooking remained delicious — though that was more of a testament to her culinary talent than any form of magic that preserved freshness.Herta on the other hand was just hanging around. She lazed about and bragged about herself. Although calling it laziness might be inaccurate; it was more like she was resting. While the construction of the dam was stalling, it wasn't completely idle. Even as she made almost empty references to the river she was planning to use, her progress on building powerlines and looking into what materials she should use was going well enough. And, to the surprise of most, she and Gerty were competing for the use of the construction clankers.After a considerable amount of grumbling and pouting from your cute goddess, you were finally able to convince her that there wasn't any shame in using construction clankers to build things. Despite how much she boasted about her own power, and of how useful and essential she was to you, you could tell that her movements were getting more and more labored with each passing day. Compounding on this was her lack of sleep. This was mostly thanks to the overzealous kicks your children keep doing, almost as if they were conspiring to be active whenever she lay down to sleep.That, how often her mana ran out, all the impromptu naps she had to take and all the pleading she made to get some of your massages were all proof that even a goddess had her limits.
On the plus side, her already impressive chest had been swelling as she became closer to motherhood. Her orbs became full with the nourishment your twin children would one day need.Not to say Herta was fragile. She's the only wife of yours that was a Savant like you. It might be more accurate to say that you're a Savant like her, since she, as the Goddess of Artifice, was responsible for (unknowingly) creating the phenomenon of Lunacy Savantae. And she had the stamina and resilience of a Savant as well. Phrases like "I can handle more punishment, Master~" would be said to you if she ever thought you were being too 'gentle' with her.Besides the natural chemistry you and Herta's have for one another, there were other things that brought you two together; how you both entered this world and surviving with each other, the connection you had with her through how she was directly 'communing' with you, led to the uniquely intimate bond you and Herta shared.You still worried about her sometimes. And not just because of her physical exhaustion.At first, you thought she had an infinite mana pool. Or at the very least had a nearly endless well of Holy Magic in flowing through her veins. It was true that her Divine Power was massive and could self-replenish much quicker than the average human. Her body practically overflowed with the stuff. Doctor Nicodemus was the one that brought that to your attention, insisting there was a cause for concern. But his scrutiny, and subsequent conclusion, lacked a key element: The fact that she is the Goddess of Artifice. Meaning she was perfectly healthy in that front.The total amount of mana she had easily overshadowed everyone else's mana. And that was only a fraction of her full powers as a goddess. That didn't mean Herta didn't have limits; she still suffered from the occasional bouts of mana sickness whenever she was too absorbed in the madness of creation, exceeding what she's capable of. This part is why you tolerated her lazing around, since you knew she wasn't taking advantage of condition to skip her job (unlike a certain mastermind).Potions, whether they be for recovering stamina, healing or even mana, didn't do much to replenish the amount of sheer magic she needed to use. But that said, you felt like you were overlooking something obvious here...Either way, it didn't really matter. You felt heartened simply by being around her.She only requested your 'cruelty' in return for her servitude. It was something that you were getting more and more comfortable with. At first glance it sounded superficial, a carnal relationship at best, but she was the only person that cared enough to help you get out of your shell. She'd become someone truly special to you, almost as special as you were to her. Your closest friend, your lover, the companion that always stuck by your side and cheered you on. You felt like you could trust her with anything, and you knew she likewise trusted you the same way if not more.
Of course there were subjects you both still didn't talk about; you with your past and she with her family. Despite this, there was a silent understanding that you'd both be willing to hear each other out one day.The timing wasn't there yet. This was something that needed to be done at the right moment. Same as any other cliched isekai that had those emotional scenes...And sure, Herta was an incompetent idiot that could be useless in the worst possible moments. But she was your incompetent idiot. And you loved her still; strengths, faults and all.Before your thoughts got too sappy and corny, you considered the other woman in the room; Bertha.Your hammer-wielding warrioress was often called simple-minded, but she had her own charms that made you fond of her.She was honest, hard working, and her background as a farmer girl gave her some practical experience. These included her cooking and domestic abilities, lessons taught by her family which she happily absorbed. She realized from an early age that in order to make herself useful to any would-be Master-husband she couldn't rely on her basic Warrior class.You felt lucky that you caught her when you did, since she was ready and willing to devote herself to a man that would care for her. And you weren't planning on letting her go any time soon.Although you weren't as close to her as you were, say, Herta, it didn't mean you loved your warrioress any less.Also her body was hot. She was easy on the eyes and soft to the touch, winning the genetic lottery when it came to her looks. Bertha was rightfully grateful for having been blessed to have this. It was a definite positive that you had no criticism of. Her efforts to care for herself showed too, another fact you're grateful of.Bertha proved to be more hardy than the Goddess, thought that might be because her gestation hadn't progressed as much yet. Still there was no denying that she was the strongest in a fight, even more than the muscle-headed Cattleya. While an excellent fighter, she finds her calling to be the more domestic side of things. Yet she also held many qualities which were in your opinion underappreciated. For starters; she's as loyal as a dog, as she had told you herself. Her honesty was appreciated, though she could be blunt at times. She liked you for who you were with such pure devotion, loving you for the fact that you didn't dismiss her or think less of her even on account of her being a common Warrior class.You'd made sure to treat her right. And she gave you her heart for it.Right now Herta and Bertha talked about your future wedding. While Gerty was the main organizer of the event, that didn't mean the other women didn't share their thoughts of the event.Far from it.It was the current thing your wives all liked to gossip about. Bertha was the biggest offender when it came to that idle talk, especially when it was about what dresses they were gonna wear and what foods she was planning to make.
You found them mid conversation."... and while I was thinking of the divine blessing I needed to come up with, I realized something." Herta said. "A Saintess that's more aligned with the Goddess of Knowledge and Magic suddenly getting a blessing from a superior Goddess like me? That might cause her a bad case of mana sickness. I don't personally care much about her, but Master would be troubled if his slave-princess got sick on his wedding night. But there's nothing to worry about, since a genius like myself already figured out a way to safely bless them! All I'll need to do is make a magic circle over them and pour some Divine Magic through it.""What?" Bertha frowned a little."You know. Sort of like a strainer." Herta tried to provide an example."I don't really get it." Your busty warrioress replied. "But Master and you and Gerty know what to do, so I won't-" She noticed your arrival. "Heya, Master!""Hey Bertha, Herta. What's up?" You replied, moving some jars from a chair to the floor, taking a seat close to them. "I see you've been busy, Bertha.""Yup!" Bertha smiled. "I made sure that those things kept their flavor when-""Master!" Herta interrupted, turning to you. "I was just talking about the amazing work I was planning and the blessings I was gonna give you and all the things you've done for us!""Yeah, I heard." You replied with a chuckle. "How's the dam going?""Amazingly!" Herta was quick to respond with enough sincerity to surprise you.She began to describe the work she'd done and the places she found to start construction. Her suggested location was a strong river that flowed from the mountains, through the forest and into the ocean many miles away from the manor proper. It was around 30 minutes from the new dockyard Herta had built last week. A few other rivers were spread across your territory, mostly sprawling down from the mountainous border connected to Riverdale, but Herta's pick was, she'd claimed, "a good starting point to test out hydroelectricity"."Those power lines you suggested are brilliant, Master!" Your goddess continued. "And you know it's a great idea when the cute and intelligent Goddess of Artifice is saying it's a good idea!" She gave you a cute smile."As if that means much from a worthless pain-addict like you." You replied with a practisedly scummy grin."Ah, you're such a cruel Master~" Herta smiled, a lustful expression rising on her features. "I'm only saying this because you wanted to use the river as a power source. So I made a few adjustments on the powerlines on the blueprints. Because of that, the electric flow has become way better! Well, there's actually not that much of a difference, but it is better than before. Harnessing natural electricity will probably never be as useful as it was in your old world, but hey an improvement is an improvement."Herta was right. Electricity wasn't as good as steam power. You ran the tests yourself.
The steampunk tag this universe was created with. Honestly you didn't fully understand how the laws of physics changed between your previous world and this one. Current experiments to see if making the universe slip a "dieselpunk" tag was possible were still on the backburner. Physics just ended up being another mystery of how this universe worked, so you didn't question it. The fact that Herta was able to even do something about it was impressive, even if she was just relying on her Lunacy Savantae and her divine knowledge to make things more efficient.Still this was more than you imagined Herta would've usually done. It made you feel proud of her."So you haven't been completely idle. Impressive, at least for a foolish goddess like you." You said, giving yourself some airs. Despite Herta's incompetence in almost everything, her talents in certain things tended to shine through. "You've pleased me with your actions, slave."She puffed up her chest with pride.The conversation soon returned to the wedding. A few minutes in and ideas were already being suggested."I'm guessing it'll be, like, outdoors and stuff." Bertha said. "Because elves love nature, right?""The location ultimately depends on Master's wishes." Herta countered. "But if it were up to the bride's family, it'd likely be in a church or a palace.""Huh? Why?" Bertha asked."Aila's a high elf, not a wood elf." You answered for your goddess. "High elves are less in tune with nature than their forest cousins.""That's right." Herta nodded. "High elves are all nobility. Not just by blood, but in spirit too.""So they basically like fancy things instead?" Bertha guessed.Two nods, one from you and the from Herta, confirm it. You decide to open one of the pickled foodstuffs, with Bertha giving a thumbs up when you ask if they're ready to eat yet."I thought all elves were super fond of nature and stuff." Bertha spoke idly. "I mean, fairies are related to elves and they're, like, basically made out of nature. Right?""Nope." Herta shook her head. "The Fae aren't so connected to elves in this world. Sure, you could argue some relation exists, but it's the same sort of relation that all demi-humans to each other.""You made some interesting comments about fairies last time you talked about their origins, Herta." You recalled how your goddess offhandedly mentioned how fairies were some sort of afterthought in this universe."Well, yeah." Herta answered. "Fae were made from the surplus of divine power that remained after the universe was created, given shape in order to hold all the excess energy that needed someplace to go.""For real?" Bertha tilted her head, the gears practically whirring in her mind. "That's interesting. I think?"You and Herta continued to digress about the universe's origins and other things that only Savants might follow. Bertha didn't seem to understand half of what you were both saying, as much as she was trying to keep up.
"Can we talk about the wedding again?" Bertha requested. "All of this Savant stuff is making my head hurt...""Oh, whoops." Herta said, then turned to you. "We got a bit carried away. Didn't we, Master~?""Don't lump me with the likes of you." You grope her under the table, your words and actions holding enough 'harshness' to force out a cute sound out of her lips. You then turn to Bertha, composing your tone to something friendlier after shooting an apologetic look to your Warrior woman. "I know you've been wanting to learn more about weddings ever since Aila talked about it with us three. I'll answer as much as I know about how they worked in my old world.""Master, why are you nice to her after you yelled at me!" Herta asked, a pleased tilt in her voice. "That's so unfair!""Shut it, you useless goddess." You replied."Kyaah, Master is being mean to me again~!" Herta exclaimed with a flush of excitement."Hey Master, I'm, like," Bertha said with a smile, "Looking forward to having a stud like you 'teach' me more about weddings~" She granted you a flirty wink.The wedding's details were discussed again. Behind the topics you already covered, now the location, decorations, the attire and meals that were going to be served, were all brushed upon. Of these, the latter two were already accounted for (mostly by Gerty and Bertha) but the former was more open to consideration."So," Bertha continued to hold her smile "Are you guys excited or what? I personally wanna try whipping all the tasty recipes I've been thinking about!""I'm looking forward to what you have in store, Bertha." You said with a smile. Your birthday didn't feel like it was long ago but you were still in the mood for some good food; something which Bertha excelled at."As long as Master likes the food, I don't mind what I'm being served." Herta smiled. She rarely ate anything other than your 'protein', not caring much for actual sustenance."I get that." Bertha nodded. "But, like, if you had to eat, what would you wanna have?""Hm." Herta pondered as she closed her eyes. She opened them with a wistful expression. "As a goddess, I don't need to eat. It isn't bad for me to eat every once in a while, there's just no reason for me to. But if I had to choose, I'd like to eat anything that's glazed and coated with Master's thick, white, creamy-"More than once you had to steer the conversation whenever Herta dragged her fetishes into it.Thankfully normal topics were picked such as location. As you and Herta stated earlier, high elves weren't as in tune with the forests as their wood elf cousins. But outdoor weddings weren't too unpopular these days in elvish culture, at least according to Aila.
Your upcoming wedding was a common subject in the letters you and Aila shared with each other. Aila wrote of her time in Centria and of how she made connections with your kitsune in-laws and Ponnamie, both of which proved to be surprisingly good resources for her to have at hand. Every letter was laden with paragraphs upon paragraphs of how much she missed you, almost to the point of obsession. But your favorite parts were doubtlessly how she persistently and, despite her best efforts to the contrary, not-so-subtle attempts at asking about what sort of gift you'd like for your belated birthday. You never missed a chance to tease her about this subject in your letters. Besides that, Aila's excitement for the wedding practically bursted from the paper.She commended you for your choice to make the wedding smaller and more personal, as she worried about how much of a stir it could make if some people caught knew that an elvish princess was getting married to a relatively unknown Savant. But with how your aluminum plans were progressing, you don't think that was gonna be much of a concern for long.Aila wrote that it wasn't unheard of to not invite anyone from the bride's family, especially in the case that a Savant personally requested that the wedding be a more private event.Nonetheless your elf considered inviting some trusted family members of hers to the ceremony; her youngest brother and two of her half-sisters. She mentioned that King Aldaron and his third slave-consort, Elleth— her parents— might also wish to attend if Aila's siblings do. If they found the time, that is. Though she could simply give them a formal invitation in order to help give them an excuse to come by. These possibilities were something both Herta and Bertha gossiped about with you about.You commented about how Herta would be presiding over the wedding as a sort of Patron Goddess. Both of your wives didn't really get what you were trying to imply, so you put it in a way they could understand:"Are they gonna start thinking we're heretics if we invite them to the wedding?" You voice what you think is a reasonable concern. "And are you gonna try to prove to them that you're the Goddess of Artifice, Herta?""Eh." Herta gave a nonchalant shrug. "We'll see what happens. I'm sure it'll all work out somehow.""Master, I have a thought." Bertha said. "Savants are usually seen as strange- Uh, no offense Master.""None taken." You said."Thanks, stud. So, basically, the elves might just chalk it up as Herta being a high priestess under Lunacy Savantae's delusions." Bertha continued."And them believing that won't cause any issues?" You asked."I dunno." Bertha said, now her turn to shrug her shoulders. "Maybe Aila will talk to them?""Hm." You thought about it.Honestly, your gut feeling was telling you not to worry to much about it and just go with the flow. It was unlikely that Herta would be believed if she just called herself the Goddess of Artifice.
Herta wasn't subtle about her status as the deity, but she did try to conceal it if you ever specifically asked her to. And with Aila's dad being a type of elf pope-king, you felt some concerns... but that was a bridge you'd cross when you got there.A positive of holding the wedding in Centria, not that it was your final choice, was the fact that it'd be easier for her family to attend. Her snobbish cousins would likely remain in Centria by that point, long enough to be there for the event if you held it there. Whether this was a good or a bad thing, you couldn't say. Although Aila didn't seem thrilled about the prospect of having them be part of the event."I do not hate them" Aila would write "I simply cannot see it ending well if we invite my cousins, or any member of their clique."This all assumed that you were getting the king's blessing. While Aila assured you that things would go well, she said that it was best if you immediately met with her after landing in Centria to better coordinate. A description of the place was were given, and you made sure to use your Orb to confirm the rendezvous point.Either way, Aila was almost certain that her mother was planning to meet with you both in person and give her blessing to your wedding.You decided that Aila would...>Invite any family members she wanted, including her parents.>Invite only her most trusted family members to the wedding.>Not invite anyone, keep this between you and your wives.>(Write-in).You knew that Aila didn't necessarily have any preferences for where the wedding would be held, so long as it was romantic. But she seemed surprisingly open to having it at your estate instead of a church or somewhere in Centria. She also thought it was a good excuse for it to be a welcome to her new life in Heaven's Landing, as the start of a new chapter that she would "...cherish and hold close to my heart for as long as I live".Alternatively, the wedding could be held abroad, likely to a nearby town. She wasn't against this either, but she confessed that these places, even a areas like Centria where her only good memories were of meeting you, she would feel at home if it was something you decided on.For example, there were large churches and structures in Centria that regularly organized weddings, but with you opting on something smaller, either the castle, Cirrus Tower or the flying island you owned might make good places; the former for how easy it was to hold and traditional, the second because of the stunning view from the top and the last for the memory of having a wedding in the sky (also with the novelty of having a scenic view).Then there was the possibility of having a beach wedding. It sounded more fun than it did elegant, though there was a certain beauty to be seen when it became sunset, when the waters invited the sun to take a dip. And that's not to mention the island-hopping you could do if you went deep enough into the ocean.
Of course, if you wanted something more humble and rustic, stopping by one of the smaller villages in either Eastia or Westphalia was an option. The closest were Northumbridge to the west and Vonstadt to the east. While Northumbridge was arguably the better option for its more ideal classic, and apparently idyllic-looking, countryside appearance, Cattleya said that Vonstadt wasn't "A half-bad place to get hitched, guv". Despite the latter being a mining town with all the stereotypes of one, your catgirl told you of a small abandoned church that was near a pristine lake.Ultimately, after having some correspondence with Aila and doing some organizing with the rest of your wives, you decided that you'd hold the wedding... (Future choices will be derived from this one)>In Centria.>At your estate.>Upon a beach/island.>When visiting a small town.>(Write-in)"I didn't know there needed to be so many plans for such a small wedding." Bertha sighed. She really didn't have much care for subtlety. "Now I get why you put Gerty and Rubes in charge of dealing with the boring stuff.""Yeah, well," You clear your throat "I wanted to make this special for Aila."Aila was arguably the most shy, clumsy and romantic of all your wives, even giving Mel a run for her money in terms of timidness."And not just for her, but this is also something of an event for me." You go on. "I've never had a wedding before." You went to some in your old world, but being part of an actual wedding where you and a cute chick got married? That's a whole different beast. You decided you were were gonna take it in stride."When you put it that way..." Bertha's smile beamed with understanding. "Then I wanna make this the bestest wedding possible for Master! Something for him to look forward to! And something to give him happy memories!""Yeah!" Herta exclaimed with enthusiasm. "We should make Master's first wedding something to remember-" She paused. "This is Master's first wedding..." A small frown troubled her lips."Master~" Bertha spoke to you before you could ask Herta what was wrong."What's up?" You said as you opened a jar some fantasy vegetable with a name you didn't bother to remember, and taking a few bites out of it. It tasted good, though it's a little bit on the sweet side."Great choice, Master~!" Bertha was enthusiastic. "I heard that if men eat monster walking-sunroot then your sweat starts to smell really strong~""Right..." You're taken off guard as you're reminded of Bertha's love for your 'natural scent'. "You should really start writing the names on these jars.""Don't worry about it, stud~" She gave smile that was more innocent than it had any right to be. "Anyway," You discarded the offending vegetable "What were you gonna say?""Huh?" She blinked, confused, a lightbulb going off in her mind somewhere. "Oh! I was thinking about what you were planning, and I wanna know what sort of stuff elves like to wear.
"It'd be nice to try and match their clothes, sort of like what I did with the kimonos and yukata I made for you and your fox family! I even made a little one for the baby you'll have with Ayane."That sounded... adorable."You might have better luck talking to elves and the kitsune with that one." You answered. "I'll write to Aila about that if you want.""You would? That'd be super!" Bertha smiled. "Thank you so much, Master~!"And so you and Bertha went on a bit of a tangent, talking about things like elves being vegetarian and how that affects cooking, the type of decorations you'd like for the event and so on. Her inquiries about wedding traditions and recipes from your old world were proof that she also wanted to make things special for you."-I was thinking of making some floral patterns for some curtains, maybe make them a little see-through for the light to come in?" Bertha said. "Sort of like a veil. Speaking of that, if Aila still has her wedding dress then I could ask what material its made out of, right? I mean, if it's the same dress she wore when we met her at her inn room, then-"Your goddess, deep in thought, began to stir. After some minutes of silently staring at you, she mustered enough confidence to put her thoughts into words."Master." Herta interrupts Bertha. The gaze she held at you eyes had an indescribable intensity. "Let's get married.""But we're already married." You reminded her with a grin. "Or are you taking me for a fool?""Ah, um, I'm talking about-" Herta stumbled on her words."Spit it out already." You act impatient. Your harshness energized her enough continue."I also want to have a wedding with you." She declared."Oh?" You were intrigued. "I didn't think you were the type.""I didn't want to trouble Master with such a demanding, greedy and selfish wish from a pathetic slave like me." She continued, a spark lighting in her eyes. "But we've both taken so many of each other's first times, Master. I want our wedding to be another first for us.""And you don't think you're being demanding by saying all this?" You teased."I'm your first slave-wife." She said with a surprisingly amount of boldness. "And your crowning jewel."That was what you'd described her as the night you broke the bed with her."What, you want a wedding right now?" You said, feeling amused as her face suddenly flushed red."It d-doesn't have to be today!" She shyly looked away and fidgeted "I just want to have the honor of being the first slave-bride you have."It was rare to see Herta so demure.>"Bertha, can you make a wedding dress to fit Herta?" You'll make your cute goddess happy before the week is over.>"Maybe." You'll tease her about it. There's probably gonna be some opportunity to have it with her before Aila, anyway.>"Don't be so haughty, Herta." You didn't want to complicate things, and this sounded like it was gonna take a bite out of your time. You'd have to make it up to her somehow.>(Write-in).
Finally. That was more of a nightmare to post than it needed to be. Sorry about the wait, anons. I'll try to free up my schedule and update sooner next time.Alright, time for me to pass out.
And we’re back>>6319085>Swap it out. Get something fresh. (Will offer a choice next update)It’s tradition >>6319171>Invite any family members she wanted, including her parents.Leave it to her, it’s her family and by the time we have a wedding it’s basically a done deal so no one can stop us>>6319252>In Centria.Our estate there should be enough to accommodate everyone, and it is a castle. I am also willing to switch my vote to our actual home but we are probably gonna have to do a lot of renovations. >>6319287>"Bertha, can you make a wedding dress to fit Herta?" You'll make your cute goddess happy before the week is over.I am sure the other girls will want one after they see it. >>6319290Thanks for the long update, don’t let the curse get you.
>>6319085>>Swap it out. Get something fresh. (Will offer a choice next update)I like Laevantein but I want see the selection >>6319171>>Invite any family members she wanted, including her parents.It would be make her happier and I dont see why not, it is not like this is the first time we dealt with our wife's semi-"hostile" family members.>>6319252>Upon a beach/island.Having it middle of the city, feels like defeating the idea of private wedding.>>6319287>"It'd be nice to try and match their clothes, sort of like what I did with the kimonos and yukata I made for you and your fox family! I even made a little one for the baby you'll have with Ayane."Bertha shines in those moments and should clearly be rewarded for her initiative.>"Bertha, can you make a wedding dress to fit Herta?" You'll make your cute goddess happy before the week is over.How jealous of her, is she having fears of losing her place to Aila again? No wonder she doesn't talk about her family when she is this "fearful" of her sister's influence on us. Well it's not like we are not already married and this way she WILL be at her best behavior (and happy) turing ours and Aila's wedding.
>>6319082>Keep it. Stick with what you know. (Keep Laevantein for now)I'm not too worried, I think it's fine as is for now.>>6319171>Invite only her most trusted family members to the wedding.We did say to keep it small. Only a handful of the closest and most trustworthy family or friends, whoever that may be - she gets to choose who that is.>>6319252>At your estate.It'll make the logistics and prepwork much easier on our end and let our future in-laws scope us and our place out some. The mansion still has plenty of fancy rooms for function hosting.>>6319287>"Bertha, can you make a wedding dress to fit Herta?" You'll make your cute goddess happy before the week is over.Of course. Any of our other wives can also have their own ceremonies with us if they want to do it themselves afterwards. I'm sure Bertha will find it interesting to make a dress that incorporates Herta's fashion "sense" and rather large baby bump.If she wants to go through the whole traditional marriage thing, I wonder if she'd like to adopt our last name for good measure. I think she'd be very enamoured with the notion of even her name marking her as ours.>>6319305I doubt she'll kick up any fuss with Aila, she'll be content so long as she's our First Bride as well as just First Wife. Herta has a critical lack of tact, if she actually felt that Aila was a threat to her position then she'd be much more bombastic about it while this conspicuously OOC behaviour says to me it's her wanting to reassure herself for an important and personal thing that she's realised she really wants as our First rather than to show off or be catty.>>6319290Take care. Also, I see the timeline is still providing suitable QM torture.
Caught the thread, nice>>6319085>Swap it out. Get something fresh. (Will offer a choice next update)Gatcha addiction is strong.>>6319171>Invite any family members she wanted, including her parents.Long as they're aware it's going to be small it should be alright.>>6319252I'm fine with any location that'll make her happy, so I'll back any vote that wins.>>6319287>"Bertha, can you make a wedding dress to fit Herta?" You'll make your cute goddess happy before the week is over.Interesting. Can't see her getting too unhappy even if we reject it. Especially if we spin it as us entertaining her masochism.
>>6319252>>6319305Changing to>In Centria.
>>6319290Curse getting you QM?
>>6320693Yeah a bit.I'll try to update tonight/tomorrow.
Sorry for the long wait.A dose of the Curse mostly to help my parents with some legal stuff has been keeping me away from having the time to write.Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, but I can't make any promises.
>>6321966It is October, curses are to be expected
>>6321966I hope you're doing all right still. Tis the season for curses after all.
Happy Halloween!I was planning to have a small [Halloween Interlude], but I'm feeling like it might be too late for that (and it could drag out the story some). But I'll leave it to a vote.Do you guys want to have a small (and late) Halloween Interlude?>Yes. Time for some spooky scary ghost time.>No. Focus the main story first, it's already been long enough.>>6321977Looks like this rang true. October really hasn't been a good month for me lmao>>6326331I wish I could say I've been doing alright, but some stuff out of my control has kept me from writing. Soon I'll be back with an update, hopefully tomorrow or later tonight.Thankfully I've been able to help my parents resolve most of their legal issues, there's just a few things I need to clean up on before I can get back to putting any real effort onto writing again.
>>6326427>Yes. Time for some spooky scary ghost time.Fuck it we waited awhile we can wait a bit more
>>6326427>>Yes. Time for some spooky scary ghost time.Sure sound good
>>6326427Happy to hear things with with your parents have mostly been cleaned up and looking forward to having you back soon.Might as well have the interlude, it's never too late for it. It's been over two weeks, what's a few more days?
Mild concern. Curse still got you man?
>>6333024>Curse still got you man?It has. That said it hasn't been too bad, just been pretty busy helping some family move has eaten up a bunch of my free time alone so I don't have much a chance to write. But I should have something out by tonight.Anyway thank you all for bearing with me and sorry about taking so long. On a more positive note I'm not going to flake or to end the quest, so don't worry about that. Honestly I'm looking at trying to draw some world maps and maybe add some other flavor with the help of websites like worldanvil or inkarnate (the latter since I'm shit at drawing), but that's all mostly in the rough draft stages. It'll probably take a while for anything to happen on that front.
>>6333073Yeah, I understand, no nagging. If you're busy, you're busy - just occasionally sounding off, y'know?
>>6333073Yay not dead quest
<><><>Some weeks ago..."Filled with longing, the spirits of the dead linger in the land of the living. Endlessly they search for peace and closure — or at the very least a chance to settle unfinished business within the mortal realm...""Or so it says.""Verily." Yumi agreed, closing the book with her telekinetic power.She looks towards the man who, not even a half an hour ago, was her flesh and blood Master.That man is you: John Doe.The two of you had been practicing near the graveyard. Yumi declared it to be a good 'haunt' for ghosts to practice. The only downside was its proximity to Herta's Haven — a direct source of Holy Power which considerably lessened the strength of any ghost.You and Yumi accidentally overcharged the mana needed for you to use ghostly magic, making you become a spirit. Sort of. You weren't exactly sure what happened.You weren't dead. That was something Yumi made very clear to you. No, you were just more 'soul' than 'flesh' at the moment, if that made any sense.This sounded like a form of mana mutation— if what you learnt from that lecture in the Centrian Academy held water. Herta might disagree if she were here, considering your sanity was still intact and neither you nor Yumi could sense corruption in either of you. But that didn't mean you weren't affected by it, or by something similar. Then again, Herta had spent centuries studying this sort of stuff, so this was probably a different phenomenon you stumbled upon.In place of your skin was your translucent form, bright like a sci-fi hologram and coated with a thin layer of what was best described as ectoplasm. You glowed a gentle blue hue, like almost every other ghost. A coldness naturally permeated from your body, yet you felt no discomfort.At least you didn't have to worry about it getting dark.Of course there were negatives: Lacking touch, taste and smell was not fun. Thankfully your eyesight and your hearing remained, though the former was far more useful than the latter if a little more esoteric; the fact you could see the souls of living creatures was as interesting as it was difficult to explain. You quickly realized why Yumi was so adamant about ghosts not being undead— a Specter's soul was very much like any other soul, meanwhile the undead were like a mockery of the living. It was almost painful to look at.Things were staring to get weird for you. Worrying about keeping any sanity meters high wasn't how you were planning to spend your day.You felt at peace despite the current situation. It wasn't a peace brought on by a good night's rest or from a conscious realization, but something more instinctual. It felt like you were on the verge of being pulled into an invisible current. That idea behind that thought brought you peace. But at the same time you dreaded it.Again it was hard to put into words."I guess my regrets kept me here still." You half-joked. Yumi gave you a blank expression.
"Master-sama, you speak as though you're dead. Which you are certainly not. Believe me, I would know." Yumi scoffed."Yeah, yeah. You don't have to repeat yourself."She silently levitated the now closed book you were both reading, borrowed from Ruby's collection. You're glad you had the foresight to bring it here.Yumi gave the book's cover a disappointed glare before slipping it into the bag of holding. "This tome bears fragments of truth, yet it spoke in circles and lacked proper context. Even the most foolish of spirits would be frustrated with what was taught.""Yeah, 'foolish spirits' is right." You quipped."Forsooth. But no matter!" Yumi said with a flourish, ignoring or not realizing you insulted her. "I promise that I shall save us from this trouble, Master-sama!""This is the longest I've 'gone ghost', you know?" You in turn ignore Yumi's declaration and tap the crystal wand she was stuck in.Despite your incorporeal state (Yumi again reminded you to treat this situation as temporary), the crystal wand that served as her prison once more remained firmly in your grasp. But at the same time, it wasn't in your grasp. An invisible force prevented it to have contact with your 'skin', despite the fact that you held it in your hands. It was like a type of mini-telekinesis. And it felt instinctual. Whenever you weren't using this force the held object just phased through you.On the plus side, this gave you an idea on what might be needed to be done to make Yumi a physical body."While some might despair, this situation is a clear sign of my genius tutelage." She puffed up her nearly plank-like chest with pride. "Ultimately this will assist in your mastery over ghostly things. Think of it as one of the perks you shall get from your continued fealty, my faithful disciple!""And do these 'perks' include you getting stuck in the crystal again and me not being able to change back to human form?""I promised that it is all reversible! Don't you trust me?""Let's say I do." You playfully roll your eyes. "I'd still like to have a second opinion. Herta-""H-hey, stop! There's no need to involve her!""Why not?""If your deranged deity finds out that you got stuck as a spirit while under my watch she'll kick me into the abyss!"You pretty sure you could calm Herta down if you wanted to, no matter the situation. But your perception was high enough to read between the lines of what Yumi was saying— she was practically begging you to let her prove herself to you. It was honestly sort of cute.
"I thought you said this was temporary.""It is! All I need is some time and I'll rectify it.""Well you better get to that, right?" You smirked, deciding to give her a chance to prove herself."Of course I will. Just watch." Yumi said with a grin, her eyes closing. When she opened them again they were now glowing with an almost intimidating light.Any respect she might've inspired completely vanished when she started doing poses and making some of the most chuuni chanting you've ever heard. You think she even said a few words in German? Well, it was called Eastian in this world, but it's basically the same language. The point was that she was somehow giving you second-hand embarrassment.She usually got all glowy-eyed when using her ghost powers to look for something or when thinking really hard. The most notable of the former was the time she was searching for Aneko's soul. You hoped the added poses and chants were just her giving a dramatic flair rather than some requirement anyone with ghost magic needed to do, but if they made it so that things wouldn't end in a disaster like that small scouting mission you, Yumi, Mel and Herta did on the cave, then you'd take it.Thinking of ghostly magic made you realize that someone's presence was fast approaching under the cover of illusion. Unfamiliar as you were with these ghostly senses, you still intuited a 'loud' feeling from the illusions surrounding this person. You could somehow tell it was a beguiler, a very skilled one at that, and the ability used in crafting said illusions had some fae magic mixed in. Yumi had shared with you that ghosts could see through illusions, but you expected that to be more like how you usually saw through illusions, not whatever this was.If the fact that it was both a beguiler and the fae wasn't enough to tell you who it was, you soon discerned the familiar mana of your second tallest slave-wife.Mel standing before you with some curiosity, binoculars in hand. She'd been looking into the mystery of the dead sharks last you saw her."Mel, I know you're there." You said towards the presence. You could practically pinpoint its exact location, something which you usually struggled even with how used to her abilities you were."Master?" Mel stripped off her illusions, silencing the feeling you had when looking at them. "That's you. I can tell that's you. Are you alright? Is this part of the powers you were practicing with Yumi? What are you doing here?""I'm fine. Yeah, I've been practicing this stuff with Yumi. This is less of a power and more of a mistake. And I should be the one to ask you what you're doing here." You replied to each of her queries. "I thought you were by the shoreline looking into the dying sharks.""I was. I think we're dealing with a big squid.""What?""I'll tell you the details later." She said. The more she stared at you, the more concern was held in her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Master? Do you feel... off?"
"I mean, yeah I feel weird. I'm a ghost." You shrugged. "Don't worry, I'll return to being the normal human Master-husband you love so much soon enough. Right, Yumi?" You glanced at Yumi. The ghostgirl, still in her trance, gives you a small nod. Though you catch some hesitation in her expression. You mentally file that away for later and look at Mel again."Well to be fair you don't look that different from when you were a human, Master." Mel tilted her head. "Other than you having transparent body, I mean and the other obvious ghost stuff." She smiled. "Ghost or not I still love you, Master~!""Thanks. Anyway back to my question. What are you doing here?""Huh? Oh! Ah, I'm looking for the flowers that Ayane planted when she was prettying up the graveyard." Mel proceeded to give you some details about the foxflower. It was a rare magical flower that only grows in the wild, usually near graveyards or sacred areas.Mel was able to figure out an impressive amount of details regarding the little flowers— enough for your vixen to entrust her with gathering them. "And that's the only reason I'm here! I'm t-totally not using this as an excuse to stalk you with my binoculars, Master! Hahaha!" She played with her hair, glancing to the ground and then back up at you again."Sure you aren't." You grin. But then you get a bit serious. "Mel, would you say that going ghost for more than an hour is bad?" You give Mel the details of what happened this morning. She listens intently to you."Hey, I just said it was fine, didn't I?" Yumi huffed, almost offended."And I said I'd like a second opinion." You shot back."Can't an acolyte such as yourself trust the great, cursed and condemned servant known as Yumi?" Yumi said."No.""Huh? Wha-""I think you're alright. For now, at least." Your beguiler said while Yumi kept talking. Mel had taken a few seconds to look you over. "Um, I'm not familiar with ghost stuff, but my mom taught me that if you get rid of corrupted mana before it gets to its second stage then you'll have a stronger chance of survival. I mean, it'd still be reversible even after the first stage, but you'd be in tons of pain and-""It's not corrupted mana!" Yumi said, now fully breaking her concentration doing whatever ghost stuff she was doing. "For the umpteenth I, Yumi, assure thee both of my competence! I know that I know what I'm doing!""That's, eh- um, can you at least promise that Master will be safe by the end of it?" Mel requested Yumi. "And that nothing weird will happen to him.""Verily. Rest assured, O doubter, that I wouldn't be as foolish as to endanger Master-sama and myself." Yumi reassured you both. "As much as the great spirit know as Yumi would like to educate him in the cursed and the arcane, it is not worth the deadly fate that would befall us if we tarry."
"Ah, that's good." Mel said. "I was afraid you'd dying to keep a handsome guy like Master in ghost form." She joked, blowing a raspberry at no one.An awkward beat of silence follows. Mel's face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to laugh at her own joke."... Master-sama." Yumi broke the silence, turning to you again. "I have found what ailed us; we strained your mana's connection to its mortal coil as we practiced doing curses, and one of the curses likely got caught upon us by accident. It can only be reversed through mana. As it stands, fate has granted an auspicious path for Master-sama to gain a better mastery over the ghostly arts. Let us no dilly-dally, for the longer we take the worse things shall become. The other graveyard would be the ideal grounds to reverse this.""Are graveyards the only good place to use ghostly powers?" You asked, mentally unpacking everything she just said."They're ideal, though it really depends on what you're talking about." Yumi replied. "Shall we leave?""Why not do it in this grave or practice by Herta's Haven?" Mel asked."It's not ideal. Save for the remains of those unfortunate women, the main graveyard is empty. It is good for practice, but not for serious control over dark magic, since what is left of those buried here can hardly be called corpses. And worse is the Holy Magic surrounding the place; it poses too great a challenge onto us who practice the dark arts.""What do you mean?" Mel continued."Too much Holy Magic in the air makes it difficult for even a strong Specter to reach their full power. We would have no chance in attempting to fix this by remaining here. In fact, I would prefer it if only ghosts accompanied us.""I'm sure it has nothing to with the fact that Mel is butting in again into what's supposed to be something private between us both, Yumi." You said to your ghost servant.You both glance at Mel again. She gives a shaky thumbs up.It wasn't too long ago since Herta and Mel tagged along you and Yumi into that corrupted goblin cave misadventure. Herta and Mel managed to squeeze themselves into what was supposed to be a quick activity done by you and Yumi. Apparently everyone's shenanigans made Oghlurk come back with a legion of undead goblins.At least Ayane got some closure with Aneko as a result of that whole debacle. Also you got a cool sanctuary soul-purifying thing for your trouble."Well obviously I don't-" Yumi was beginning to speak, but a glance at you makes her rethink her words. She clears her non-existent throat. "As much as I would like to shoo her away, your desires as my Master, John-sama, are to be honored. If you want your fae voyeur pining over you from afar then I shall hold my criticism."Mel stuttered for a bit, giving you an almost pleading look."If things go badly she can rely on me." You decide to bring your cute beguiler with you."M-Master!" Mel's smile, touched by your comment, became less nervous.
"Fine, whatever." Yumi sighed. "Shall we depart?""Alright." You said.With Mel following close behind, the two of you talk and practice magic as you float towards the bandit's graveyard.These 'ghostly arts', as Yumi called them, still felt strange to you despite all the practice you've done with Yumi. Unnerving to use, it took you all you had the first time you phased through something. You were already getting the hang of floating around, although going through anything lasting more than a few seconds required a frame of mind that was less 'living' and more 'spirit'. It's something that you had a hard time grasping."You said that ghosts can't possess living things or corpses, but then how do you explain the skeletons that get reanimated by spirits?" You asked. "Or can ghosts not possess a person?""There is a flaw in your assumption, O acolyte of mine." Yumi replied. "A spirit can possess others through a conduit; which what we spirits call an item that is worn or held by a host. And said conduit can only be something of sentimental value to both the spirit and the host."So it's like an enchantment."There is more than one type of possession." Yumi continued. "Shall I unfurl the tapestry of truth before your very eyes, Master-sama?""Sure.""A wise decision!" She exclaims with a flourish, proceeding to explain how possessing people worked.As far as Yumi knew there were three different types of possession:Standard possession was when the host didn't know it was happening, only acting upon the spirit's will subconsciously once the conduit was being worn by the host. This type of possession required the spirit to go into an item, casually referred to as a conduit, to be worn or often held by the possessed. While it was effective, if the host was aware then he or she could fight against the spirit's influence.The second was corrupted possession, which was the sort of thing you'd see in a horror film. Corrupted possession usually happened when Shades or demons wanted to torment somebody, using something akin to corrupted mana in order take over the host's body. Defeating Shades and demons required a priest or someone well versed in Holy Power, but in rare occasions there were other forces that could counter said spirits (your mind immediately went to cliches like the power of friendship and love.).You didn't have to worry much about this type of possession since most of your estate was marinated in Holy Magic. Due to Herta's efforts it was nearly impossible for something like demonic possession to happen (unless you went out of your way to summon a demon or Shade and allow yourself to be possessed for whatever reason).But then again there were rumors that certain powerful Shades could briefly sneak around Holy Magic in order to possess people.
The third one was direct possession. The most uncommon form of possession, it was also the one you were most familiar with due to the media of your past world. This was when a person was directly controlled by a spirit. It required tons of mana, almost an insanely unreasonable amount unless you had an enchanted artifact conduit that was specifically made to make possession easier. Since both of these things weren't readily available to the average ghost, it was rare to see it happen naturally. Not to mention that the host would need to have less natural mental protections than usual.Apparently all living creatures had some sort of natural passive defense against mindfuckery. Though this could be weakened with debuffs, mental corruption and certain curses.To stop a ghost's possession one must replace the conduit with a substitute of equal or greater value to the host in order make sure that the possession doesn't happen again. Otherwise the possessed individual would still have the spirit's influence linger on.For example, if Yumi were to turn one of your slave-wives' rings into a conduit and possessed her, then you'd have to replace the ring with one made with a better material and/or another heartfelt romantic gesture of yours. That or simply use a concentrated amount of Holy Magic to purify the item (though this would require daily mental purification done by a Holy Magic user).Despite all this talk Yumi told you that you shouldn't try to possess people when going ghost. Borrowing her powers whenever you did ghost stuff meant that you couldn't really rely on your own mana for anything other than powering her skills and abilities up (unless you wanted to chance getting both your souls fried). You wouldn't be able to hold your form for long enough to cast the spell and possess the item needed, current circumstances excluded, meaning that you might, worst case scenario, accidentally harm your soul once you returned to normal.Also Yumi wasn't the best in 'the art of possession'. Meaning that you did too, because you were controlling her powers through the crystal wand and all that."So you're saying I can't possess anyone." You began, disappointed."Most likely." Yumi said. "But you're a Savant, so anything is possible. Just realize I specialize in curses, not in possession nor attacking, so keep that in mind before you do something that might tear apart our souls.""This sucks.""Did you expect to just have the power handed over to you?""Yes.""I thought so- wait, what?"Maybe you could get more abilities as time went on, but right now you wanted to fix your current situation. You didn't want to stay stuck as a ghost."Hey, don't ignore me! What the heck do you mean by 'yes'? You think some sort of cheat power is gonna be randomly given to you and-"As Yumi rambled on in her crystal you considered ways to get her a physical body.
Having her directly possess someone might be an option, but the amount of mana needed was an issue. Besides, you had a hunch it might cause problems down the line with the possessed. Then there was giving her a physical form, sort of like an inverse of your 'going ghost', which was what you were already working on. And it couldn't be something that only lasted a few hours, it needed to last for months (or at the very least have her retain the same properties as before). You considered making an artifact that could let you physically contact her. Your Lunacy Savantae gave you a few ideas, though this sounded like it would take a dedicated effort to perfect.Yumi once explained that spirits couldn't really touch each other, having a sort of repelling force field around them. Only ghosts with strong negative emotions that died in violent or tragic ways, while in close proximity to another spirit, could come in contact with each other— and this always resulted in the merged horror that was a poltergeist.You could probably overcome this no-contact limitation with your Lunacy Savantae, though it would require some brainstorming.Talk of evil spirits like poltergeists led to the subject of Shades; beings filled with so much resentment that they became purely malicious. They were as dangerous to the living as they were to other ghosts, with Specters like Yumi often being their target when no living being were nearby.Needless to say you'd rather avoid getting a bad ending from one of these ghosts.Thankfully you weren't actually dead, so there was no reason to fear that sort of stuff happening to you.Right?You could barely sense your invisible beguiler as she kept her eye on you both. Yumi agrees with you in saying that she can't sense her, though not without a comment about how she should've used invisibility instead of illusions when near ghosts.Still you feel proud of how far Mel has come.Eventually you approach closer to the bandit's graveyard. The path to it was unkempt from disuse. It wasn't as though anyone was giving their respects to the place or putting in flowers, unlike that small graveyard near Herta's Haven which was dedicated to the women that perished, to Aneko, and to anyone in the future that might be close to you.Only some simple unmarked tombstones served as proof that there were people laying in the ground to begin with. Nothing was made for the sake of honoring them beyond what was strictly necessary to keep the estate from being haunted by vengeful bandit spirits.Still Yumi considered the place more ideal for a ghosts to haunt, mostly due to the actual corpses that were buried. She mentioned that she wouldn't be half surprised to find some spirits here.
You both sensed some spirits in the interior of the this lesser graveyard. You instructed Mel to keep some distance and watch everything that happened to you both with her invisibility, giving her a signal if you needed the help.You and your ghostgirl finally got to the bandit's graveyard, bracing yourselves.In there you found less than half a dozen ghosts lazily floating about. They were talking and laughing amongst each other without a care in the world. All but one of them were clearly the deceased members of the Bandit King's army."Everybody, look! Some new guys!" One of the dead bandits chicks said as she floated closer to you, a friendly tone in her voice. You felt like you've seen her before."Did the Savant get you too?" Another spirit spoke. This one was very obviously her sister. She squinted at you. "Hm, you look familiar."And then you remembered where you saw these two from: They were the assassins sisters that tried to kill you right after the first wave of the Bandit King's invasion ended. One of them died in front of you and the other died while infiltrating your estate, taking down a clanker with her.Before you can reply Yumi speaks."Foolish spirits! How dare you speak so casually when in the presence of the cursed servant, the mistress of magicks, the power of the hidden clockwork: Yumi!" She struck a pose."Who?" The two dead sisters said in unison."Tch. As expected from lesser spirits." Yumi scoffed, turning away... only to immediately twirl back around and point at them. "O simple phantoms, chained to your graveyards, knowing nothing about the hidden truths or the clockwork secrets... It shall take another century before you can match the power that is Yumi!" She continued to let loose her chuuni-isms.Now all of the other ghosts seemed to be just as confused as the two assassins."Is she alright?" Another Specter asked. This one was a horse beastfolk, the only one of her kind here, meaning she was part of the 'cavalry' that attacked your estate."Yumi's always been a special case." You spoke with a kind smile. "Please be patient with her delusions.""Ah, I see." The horsegirl ghost said, her expression towards Yumi morphing from confusion to pity. "I have a little brother back in Westphalia that's like her, so I can commiserate.""So, what are you guys doing here?" You asked, taking control of the conversation."Nothing much." The horsegirl ghost sighed. "Merely wallowing in regrets and unwilling to pass on.""No plans of vengeance against the estate or anything?" You press."Nah." Another ex-bandit replied. He was the only guy in their group. Another ghostgirl, whose face you don't recall, quietly floated by his side as he continued. "In my opinion it's no better than suicide. And I don't wanna die.""We're all already dead." One of the ghost sisters deadpanned.
"Don't be silly, Millie! You know Rob is talking about getting exorcised." Millie's sister chided her with a giggle. "I mean, it's not like big sis Mary's ideas of revenge ever end up good for us! And now that we're dead none of us wanna go through that again.""Yeah, dying once is one too many times for my comfort." Rob added. He turned to you. "If you have any plans to go against the estate, we won't you. Going against Savants just isn't in the cards anymore."Of course you had no plans to attack your own home."It's funny." The ghost woman next to Rob spoke for the first time. You didn't recognize her, but it was clear she was close to Rob in some way. "When I was alive I thought the Savant living here was a mindless butcherer, like so many Savants before, or a second Grand Machinist that wanted to bring his robotic tyranny to the world. But the fact that this Savant was considerate enough to make a graveyard for mere bandits like us has made me rethink. Was this Savant truly a person that stood in the way of our ideals? Maybe he was misunderstood, like the Bandit King was?"You barely stop your laughter. Comparing you to the Bandit King? Bandit ideals? What the hell was she going on about? Her arrogance puts you at a loss for words."Maybe we're just full of ourselves." Millie's sister giggled again."Maddie!" Millie exclaimed."Am I wrong?" Maddie replied to her sister, somehow still holding onto her bubbly tone. "We've just recently come to terms with the fact that all our efforts amounted to nothing. We should be grateful to even have blank tombstones."All of the ghosts present assented to that, some more despondent than others.Your high perception meant that you could read between the lines and notice how people were feeling; and now you found that these spirits all ultimately accepted Maddie's words regardless of what regrets they had. Unless these guys were extremely good actors or there was some ghost nonsense going on, you doubted they were brewing was any secret plot.Maybe the Bandit King was their brains, and with him out of the picture they were without direction. Maybe whoever killed the Bandit King had ulterior motives. Maybe you were overthinking things; this was all were pure conjecture on your part."Also we're all probably going to hell if we pass on, if you want a more direct answer." Rob said to you. "The Savant Lord probably a person under him that has a mastery over Holy Magic. I might be repeating myself, but none of us are too keen on getting exorcised.""You underestimate said Savant Lord. He has ownership of more than one holy woman." Yumi said with a defeated laugh, suddenly switching gears from her rambling introduction. "Even an army of spirits wouldn't be enough to defeat him.""My point exactly." Said Rob."Huh." Millie looked at the horsegirl ghost. "Guess this place really is worthy of being called the Bandit's Bane.""Bandit's Bane?" You repeated.
"It caught on between us after Ginny started calling these lands that." Millie replied, glancing once more to the horsegirl ghost. "Maybe she was trying to feel better about dying on the same side as bandits.""It's a title given to places that defeat bandits." Ginny defended herself. "To think I would die and be grouped with felons..." The horsegirl spirit sighed quietly, her horse ears drooping. "Is this the legacy of Riverdale's Dragoons?""The estate is called Heaven's Landing." You corrected."Noted." Ginny said. "Though a lofty title... but after my experience here while alive, it is deserved."Feeling weirdly bad for her, you gave her some info. "News is that Riverdale's missing soldiers valiantly perished by defending Westphalia's borders from a major bandit assault."At least that's what Ruby's and Ayane's connections in Centria said. No doubt Forthwythe was trying to soften the blow of his fumble, although you're surprised that they even got mentioned at all. But it wasn't as if details were given about their deaths."Wait, what?" Maddie said, a little incensed. "What the heck?!?! We fought for them!!!""A small conciliation. Thank you." The horsewoman bowed her head to you in gratitude."That noble bastard..." Rob said. He and his ex-bandit allies seemed to share in their simmering frustrations against Forthwythe."I see you've all acknowledged the cursed nature of a soul made manifest." Yumi said with a nod. "However: Is there truly no lingering resentment against those that had slain you?" She reiterated your question while squinting at them.Now it was the horsegirl ghost's turn to reply. "Seeing how we're still individual spirits and not a clumped up pile of poltergeists, I'd say it's stubbornness that keeps us going.""That doesn't mean you should give up!" Yumi declared. "Any phantom worthy of being a spirit should haunt the living! Abandoning this spectral honor is tantamount to madness!""Yumi what the hell." You said."Honor?" Millie scoffed. "You know the type of people we are, right?""I for one am not against honoring my duty." Ginny said."Like Rob said, we aren't suicidal." Maddie answered Yumi. "'Sides, dealing with an angry Savant sounds like WAY too much trouble. Add in the fact that he probably has a bunch of priestesses as wives and we'll probably get a fate worse than death if we anger him. So no thanks!""That doesn't mean you should abandon what makes you spirits in the first place!" Yumi continued, offended and impassioned. "Or does the cowardice in bandit a hearts live on even after death? Perhaps you-""Anyway!" You interrupted Yumi. "Some introductions are in order."After confirming that Mel was listening under the cover of invisibility — it was extremely subtle, so much so that you almost weren't able to find her, thankfully you knew your beguiler's mana well enough to figure out that she was still nearby — you introduced yourself.
With Mel nearby, ready to get in the fray and call for backup at a moment's notice, you doubted there was any reason to feel more than a passing worry. Still, you merely introduced your name. Though a few of the ghosts said it sounded familiar, none could truly pinpoint where it was from.Yumi could probably wipe the floor with them despite being trapped in the crystal again. No matter how outnumbered you two were, Yumi had centuries of experience as a spirit compared to these mobs and your Lunacy Savantae served as plot armor against these mobs.Said background mobs introduced themselves: The two elite bandits who served as the Bandit King's last guards, a man and a woman, a monogamist couple named Rob and Willa respectively. Then there was Millie and Maddie, the assassin sisters that once took orders from the Bandit King (glaringly, third sister, Mary, was missing. The still living sister was apparently at large, though you haven't seen or heard anything of her as of late). And last but not least was the horsegirl ghost, Ginny, who was a soldier from Westphalia.From what you gathered all of these new ghosts but Ginny were part of the Bandit King's elite squad, and all of them were beguilers in their life (except for Ginny again, whose class was called Lancer). Ginny was a soldier trained in Riverdale and a part of Forthwythe's personal levy. Forthwythe called them his 'dragoons' even though they weren't provided the required equipment to be considered such, as Ginny made very clear to you in a rant.Not to say that you were as open as they were in terms of introductions. You hardly gave them any information about yourself other than your name, and that was more to see their reactions, while you let Yumi soak up all the attention as she regaled them about her past in Oceanippon. It was something she was more than happy to do, clearly grateful about how you let act her theatrics.You try to press them for information, but they seemed unable or unwilling to talk about most of their histories. That or their claims of having only awoken last week, with their memories being a little fuzzy, actually held some truth (Yumi gave it some validity by recounting how her own memories were blurry right after she died. She claimed that thoughts got clearer as time passed).This wasn't the first time you've seen ghosts in the forest, much less in the graveyards. But usually they were mindless ghosts that would attack at random, or pranksters like small Will-O-Wisps; you'd never had a random encounter with a Specter who had intelligence and sanity intact. Maybe this was because they had a graveyard? Herta and Gerty confirmed that there were no malicious spirits around after the bandits all died.How did these ghosts manage to remain here, then?And how did they evade discovery until now?
With a lack of answers on the former question, you decide to voice the latter."Discovery?" Maddie repeated. She seemed to have a habit of doing that. "Oh! You mean from the tall fairy girl?""Yeah, it was pretty obvious she was around." Her sister added. "We just went into the ground whenever someone was trying to look for us.""Explain." You said."I don't know what to tell you." Millie continued. "We just went to where our bodies were buried and then fell asleep again."Yumi gained a rare pensive mood from those words."And how did you know there was even a fae girl to avoid?" You asked how they evaded Mel's recon."She was... loud?" Maddie said. "Like whenever she was around, it felt like it was pretty obvious a fairy beguiler was hiding. Not that we ever saw her, so we have no idea what she looks like.""How do you know she's a beguiler?""She did a bunch of known beguiler tricks and illusions while she was walking around. Almost all of us are, uh, were beguilers, so we're super familiar with that stuff.""You think the tall fairy girl nearby?" You asked."Nope. I'd be able to sense it if she was." Maddie said.Seems like they were all ignorant that your beguiler was nearby. Mel still had an advantage in her invisibility."How can you be sure?" You continued to feign ignorance."Perks of being a ghost I guess." She replied with a shrug."What about the rest of you?" You asked. "Can any of you sense anything?" They all replied in the negative.You frowned when hearing this. On one hand, Mel was no slouch when it came to invisibility and illusions (unless you count that whole misadventure with the cave, but that was a fluke that Mel had learnt from), and you were willing to believe in her competence after she spent so much time and effort working on herself. On the other hand, you had a mind to not trust the words of dead bandits. At least not until Yumi spoke."Honorable Master-sama," Yumi began, "A beguiler's mirage alerts us spectral phantoms to their very own presence like a beacon in the night. We both know this already. And I find nothing to indicate that a beguiler, much less a faeborn, is anywhere close to us."That was Yumi's way of reassuring you that Mel had successfully hid her presence from the ghosts."Honorable Master-say-what-now?" Maddie said."Master-sama is the ruler of the manor and a renown Savant Lord. I have found him to be worthy of being my Master." Yumi boasted. "He alone is the only being with enough strength to control the cursed servant that is Yumi! Master-sama holds complete dominion over my powers, as I am to him through this magic crystal wand!"For a moment you tense, a healthy dose of paranoia keeping you aware of the reactions of these ghostly convicts. Though there didn't seem be anything to fear in that front, as none of them had the will to fight against you. As realization dawned upon them you regretted not introducing yourself sooner. Their expressions were priceless.
"So you kicked the bucket too?" Millie said with a almost cocky smile. "Huh. Didn't expect a Savant to just up and die so easily.""Nope. This is just something I can do." You replied to her smile with a shit-eating grin of your own."As I have said, he can transcend into phantom form and back to human again thanks to the mystic pact John-sama and I have made." Yumi added. You're certain that whole 'mystic pact' part was just a metaphor for how she's been teaching you stuff... right?"Ya tellin' me you can turn into a ghost at will?" Rob said, letting an accent slip. He suddenly looked very tired. "Fuck, man, we should'a just stopped bothering you when we had the chance.""Hindsight is both a curse and a blessing." Ginny sighed."Actually," Yumi said "Hindsight is an advanced spiritual skill that has little to do with-""Either way it's nice to see some new faces." Maddie interrupted. She'd proved herself to be the more talkative of the sisters. "No offense to the current company (except you, Ginny. You're lame!), but it gets boring after talking with the same people over and over and over and over-""Why don't you just leave if you wanted to meet some new places?" You interrupt her back."We're stuck here." Millie said."Are you bound to this graveyard?" Yumi asked."That's literally what I just said." Millie deadpanned."Is this a hallowed ground, then, sealed by an ancient pact?""I'm... no? I don't think so?" Millie sounded a bit lost, looking between her companions in confusion. They replied with shrugs and equally confused expressions. "Look, can you speak in simple Common?""Is this area designed to capture souls? Can it form ethereal chains that bind?" Yumi continued, ignoring that last comment. "I doubt that this place is considered meaningful to any one of you. Which leaves one explanation!"Lesser Specters, though greater than a mindless ghost, are condemned to haunt the graveyard where their corpses lie. Especially so since this forest reeks of Holy Magicks. And so, upon the day the world is better aligned with the realm of spirits, there comes a time when some waiting souls can slip back into the world..." Yumi explained. "The Pumpkin Feast, All Spirit's Eve — Lemuria.""What's that?" You asked.
"A celebration of fear and horror! When ghosts are at their most powerful, when skeletons wander! A time where tricks are given like treats onto those unwilling to celebrate! Respect for wandering spirits abounds! It's-""I get it, it's Halloween." You concluded."Hallo-what?" Ginny said."It's a Savant thing." You didn't feel like explaining yourself, especially not in front of a bunch of ghosts you just met. "So, Yumi, how does a holiday relate to them being here?"Yumi cleared her non-existent throat. "Like I said, most spirits are unable to remain in this temporal plane for long. Only those with great will, or with strong connection to the world, are worthy to learn the forbidden techniques. It's a surprise mere bandits are able to do so.""I'm not a bandit!" Ginny huffed."Doesn't mean you aren't going to hell with us if we pass through the other side." Millie said nonchalantly. "I know for a fact you aren't as innocent as you claim, even though you work for the legal side of-""Reincarnation is a more likely fate for you all." Yumi said, though none seemed to listen to her. "Unless there is an outside force, then-""Yumi, focus." You said."Yes, enough digression!" Yumi agreed. "There is another exception that allows the spirits of the dead to return! At the time of Lemuria, if one has recently perished and had good enough willpower, then there is a chance one's spirit-""Didn't Lemuria just end?" Maddie said."...what?" Yumi said."Yeah. It's been over a few fuckin' weeks already." Rob said."But..." Yumi looked at you, distraught. "But the hauntings! The ghostly magic!!!""Maybe next year." You consoled her. She pouted. "Don't look at me like that, I had no idea a knockoff Halloween was happening. I mean, you should've kept track better if you liked it so much.""Maybe I would've if I wasn't trapped in a crystal..." Yumi muttered."You shouldn't of tried to put a curse on me when we first met." You said innocently."I'm never living that one down, am I?" Yumi sighed."If you two are gonna have a lover's quarrel you should get a room! I heard that privacy for lovers is popular-" Maddie suggested."SHUT UP!!!" Yumi shouted, her blush in full force. Yumi's face turned a darker shade of blue. "WHY DOES EVERYONE ASSUME MASTER AND I ARE- Gah! I need not prove myself to anyone! Master-sama and I deserve respect from you felons!""It's alright, Yumi." You said with no small amount of sympathy. You felt like fucking with her a little. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're great the way you are.""R-really?" Yumi said, her eyes lighting up before looking away with an uncharacteristic timidity. Unexpected.Yumi quickly regained her confidence, though her blush remained strong on her face. "Ahem, I mean, of course I am! As my disciple, it's not surprising that you could notice my finer qualities! Thank you, Master-sama." She added the last part more quietly.
"Heh." Maddie smiled and gave you a playful elbow. Well, she would've, but being both incorporeal ghosts made the effect more like she was trying to awkwardly push you. "Didn't know you were such a silver tongue, sir Savant.""It's just the truth." You strain out a smile. Why the fuck was she being so chummy with you? Wasn't she trying to kill you not too long ago?"Why are you bandits being so nice to us?" Yumi asked what you were thinking."I'm still not a bandit." Ginny said."I'm being nice 'cause I don't wanna get exorcised and go to hell!" Maddie beamed. The rest of the ghosts agreed with her. "But I repeat myself."Well you could appreciate the honesty if nothing else."I'll repeat myself as well." Yumi said. "It's more likely that you shall all be reincarnated instead of condemned to hell, if an exorcism was to occur."Her words seemed to gain some traction this time. You knew for a fact that Yumi was as averse as they were on the subject of exorcism, but she was still presenting it as an option to get out.Yumi answered most inquiries they had, dismissing what she didn't know as 'idle and meaningless' and theatrically speaking about what she did know. Discussion began to dwindle off after some minutes, thankfully with the other spirits getting over the novelty of new faces. During this time you subtly checked up on Mel.Everything seemed to be fine on her end. She, with subtle, near complete silence, informed you that she was ready to call the others and attack at a moment's notice.Returning to Yumi, who despite still being trapped in the crystal had enough telekinetic power to make the wand float, was talking to the other ghosts. You waited for a moment to rejoin the conversation.That is, until you begin to feel a bit light headed. Yumi used to complain about headaches and the like, but this sort of thing was different from being alive.One thing was instinctively clear; you shouldn't keep yourself in this form any longer than you needed to be."Master-sama." Yumi seemed to notice your change, whispering while the rest were distracted by some random conversation. "I believe you can transform back into your human form now.""Just like that?" You whispered back."I've been working on it while you were all talking. The graveyard, as well as the presence of these lesser spirits, made the natural decay of any unnatural mana go faster." She said."Alright, let's do it."Yumi casts a spell and instructed you to force out any unnatural 'ghostly' mana you somehow clung onto. After this you both found yourselves in an unnatural quiet.It was there that you noticed that nobody was moving or talking. In fact, you were no longer at the graveyard.
A light had begun to envelop your surroundings. It wasn't like Herta's Holy Light, which gave warmth and healing, or the natural light of the sun; these were too comforting to be compared to what was around you now.The longer you felt it, the stronger it grew. It was tugging at you, trying to draw you in.Uneasy feelings swirled in your mind.The air grew warmer, and heavier, pressing against you in a way that made your breath shallow. The light was so blinding that you couldn't see anything. Not even your own transparent blue form that proved your existence. Only your ghostly senses could detect that you weren't alone.But then it stopped, with your sight returning. Before you, in this place of unnatural white, something jumped into your vision.It was a Shade — an evil spirit. An inky blot of darkness that served contrasted to the cold white. And it had just startled you.Instead of being filled with dread, all you could think of was how jumpscares were a cheap form of horror. You weren't amused by the emotional whiplash this event was giving you...Yeah jumpscares were always annoying. It was starting to piss you off a little."MASTER!" You heard Yumi shout from somewhere. And before you could say something she continued. "It's trying to take over! Channel your mana and help me dispel the evil!"You did as she asked.As she was doing this you saw something try to sneak up on you both. Not taking any chances, you punched it away while Yumi finished up chanting.Whatever it was that she did seemed to have done the trick, as you felt your flesh return to you. The intellectual part of your mind realized that you should feel deeply disturbed by the sensation, but right now the relief of being alive evened it out, so it was more uncomfortable than horrifying.Needless to say you hadn't felt this while going ghost before, back then your mind simply glossed over it.But just as soon as things were reaching a crescendo, you were back to what you once were.You shared a look with Yumi. A worried expression remained on her face.The fuck was that? You thought to yourself. Was that some ghost shit messing with my head?Yumi seemed to catch onto your thoughts, and she mouthed a silent "I thought it was a Shade at the heat of the moment, but I don't know what happened"."Guess you weren't kidding about having ghost powers." Millie said to you.You were back to being human again and Yumi had been freed from the crystal wand. Speaking of, the wand itself was on the ground. It felt like it was a miracle that it was intact. You pocketed it."What was that light show just now?" Maddie approached you curiously."It was me turning human again." Was your simple reply.You honestly weren't in much of a talking mood. It was clear that goodbyes were gonna soon follow, and they did."If you see Mary, tell her to come visit!" Maddie said to you."Who?" Yumi asked."Older sister." Millie continued.
"The Bandit King said she wanted to get revenge on me." You said. "I haven't seen anything of her yet." You're half convinced he just told you about her to make me nervous."That might change soon. Her desire for vengeance is very real... if a little questionable." Millie sighed before muttering 'unfortunately' right after that. "Not that I wish to have any part of it. I've already wasted my life trying to avenge dead people." She sighed again, then gave you a curious look. "But just to confirm if she's already started, Savant Lord; have you noticed any missing valuables from your home?""I can't say I have." You said.Gerty, Ruby and even Ayane were always keeping track of all of the details and none of them found anything off. You personally haven't seen anything off either."Well you should keep watch and make sure the place is beguiler-proof." Millie said."I don't think I'll need to worry about that." You said. After Mel designed traps to catch any beguilers, you doubted anyone would be able to steal anything from there.You would also begin to passively place anti-ghost traps around your mansion. Just in case.You said your goodbyes without much fanfare.Still, you intended to keep watch around the bandit graveyard. There was no reason to underestimate anyone.You regroup with Mel after finally leaving the spirits."Were you able to find the foxflower?" You asked her."Huh?" She blinked. "Ah, I was watching you so much that I completely forgot... ehehehe.""Good. I'd of been mad if you weren't keeping tabs on me after finding those ghosts." You joked.A few beats of silence pass."Master-" Mel said."Mel, how did you miss the spirits in the bandit graveyard on your recons?" You interrupt. There was probably a better way to say this, but you felt a bit tired."Those ghosts weren't here last time I checked, I swear!" Mel defended herself. She looked guilty. "I'm-I'm sorry! I was so distracted with the shark stuff that I hardly went into the forest this week... I should've known...""That's alright." You sighed. For all of Mel's good qualities, she wasn't as good at detecting spirits or undead. That would a job more suited for Herta, Gerty or Yumi."But still... I'm sorry. I should've done a better job keeping tabs on the forest. I'm a fae that knows Woodland Stride, it's how I'll best be useful for you, Master... I promise I'll be more useful to you next time." Mel said."Don't sweat it. You know you can come to me if anything is too tough." You said."Thank you, Master." She smiled. After a second she spoke again. "Master, you look like you've run a marathon." She observed, soon asking if she could give you a quick checkup.Feeling a bit worn out by that whole event, you nonetheless let your detailed beguiler do so. Yumi looked at you with some guilt, seemingly on the verge of speaking but keeping herself quiet."Master?" Mel asked. "Are you feeling alright?""Yeah I'm fine, just tired." You said honestly.
"I can imagine." She commiserated. You doubted you could hide anything from her. "But I'm still worried." There was a change in her expression, it only lasted a split second, but you could tell that she was trying to gather her nerves to ask you something. "There was..." Mel paused before continuing."Usually when you switch from ghost to human or back again it's almost instant." Your beguiler said. "But this time it felt different; Your body went all bright and you looked like you'd just run a marathon afterwards."You gazed into her emerald eyes.Yeah this wasn't something you could keep from her, even if you wanted to hide it. She'd figure it out, if not today then eventually.You told her about everything you'd just experienced in that white void. She listened quietly, that small flash of worry steadily growing in her eyes."Master, I'm-" Mel was interrupted by a disconcerted Yumi."You punched a Shade?!" Yumi nearly shouted. "Do you realize how dangerous that-!!!""Be quiet." You ordered your ghost, turning to Mel afterwards. "What was it you wanted to say?""... Sorry about not doing anything." Your beguiler finished. "I had a feeling you were in danger, but I didn't want to mess things up like with the last time I tried helping with ghostly magic...""Hey, it all worked out in the end. So it's fine." You gave her a smile."Master..." Mel smiled at that, though a little more self-deprecatingly. "I would've been shaken for days if what you just went through happened to me. You're really though.""It was more like a mild annoyance." You reassured her. "Nothing worse than what we saw in the cave.""Ah." Mel said with a blink. After a few beats of silence she wrapped her arms around you in what was more of a pounce than a hug. "Master... I'm glad you're safe."She wasn't strong, but she was getting better at holding onto you recently. You blamed the workouts you've been making her do. Still she was light enough that it felt like you could break her if you weren't careful.You continue to reassure your beguiler that you're alright. She gave you a few intent stares here and there, but by the end she had a relieved expression. Soon her optimistic attitude returned in full."Ah, Master is the best~" Mel sighed.
"Glad to hear I still have the magic touch." You said.Mel grinned, still holding onto you. "I think I need to give you another checkup before we go back." She said a bit quicker than needed. "You know, just in case!""Sure." You grinned, already seeing where this was going.That was all the permission Mel needed to further invade your personal space. Gone was the innocent worry— replaced by her desire for you; if Mel feeling up your muscles while her face tinted red was any indication.Admittedly you weren't the most muscular guy around. But you'd done enough physical labor since you came here to make you body tone.Your beguiler certainly wasn't complaining about it as she showered you wit kisses."Are you sure this is necessary for the checkup?" You smirked at her, barely keeping yourself from teasing her about how she was using this as an excuse to get some skinship with you. Honestly you were happy to indulge her."Very necessary, Master! Ehehehe~" She finished off your 'checkup' by giving you an almost desperate kiss on the lips.You were starting to feel refreshed."Should I be here?" Yumi asked, nonplussed.You exchanged a glance with Mel. The two of you shared a laugh.===A few weeks later..."Hey, Yumi." You said to the ghost girl. "Remember that time when I nearly died?""Hmm." Yumi replied, distracted.The two of you were playing cards in the attic. It was a rare to find the time to talk with the ghost girl without any of your other wives barging in. And even rarer was for her to be in a subdued mood.Yumi was getting into the competitive spirit of the game, to your amusement."Herta got so mad at you she almost killed you that day." You prompted."You'll have to be more specific, Master-sama." Yumi deadpanned. "That insane goddess has tried to exorcise me more times than I care to remember.""It was when you forgot when Halloween was.""Ah yes, that otherworldly holiday of yours. The cheap imitation of All Spirit's Eve.""I thought you'd be all for Halloween." You raised an eyebrow."In theory? It's an acceptable holiday." Yumi sighed as she took another card. "Bleh, accursed cards.""You know, you're not supposed to say when you have a bad hand-""Silence, acolyte!" Yumi said with a flourish. Already you were thinking of ways to bully her. "What were we talking about?""Halloween and that day I went ghost for too long.""Ah, the Shade-mana incident.... Right. in practice, Halloween is just an excuse to wear costumes and get free candy. It sounds like entertainment over actual meaning. At least from what you've described." She avoided the topic by speaking about Halloween."Pretty much." You said. You'd actually never been able to celebrate Halloween properly. It wasn't as though your family didn't celebrate it, they just never did it with you.You stop that train of thought and put down your cards. "I win."
"How are you so lucky at this game?" Yumi groaned."I honestly couldn't tell you." You smiled. "Maybe you just suck at it?""Even Master-sama doesn't respect spirits! Woe is me~" Yumi lamented.You rolled your eyes."Really, you should consider honoring me more." Yumi continued. "This generation seems to forget that ghosts are more than pranksters.""You know, sometimes I forget that you're centuries old.""Slumber consumed much of my ghostly existence. The fire of my youth still burns in my heart." She said. Although even with that argument you knew that she's been conscious for at least a century or two."You certainly act like a brat." Your smile turned a bit teasing. "That brings me back to what I was saying. Remember that time when-""Yes, I recall. All of your wives became angry at me to some extent. Even Mel was slightly miffed for a few days.""Yeah, I had to order them to not exorcise you." You chuckle a at the memory, making Yumi fume a little. "You owe me for that, you know?" You winked at her."I can't believe I fell for this sadistic mortal..." She mumbled under her breath."What's that?" You said playfully. "You said you wanna go back into the crystal and become target practice for some holy attacks?""H-hey, no need for rash decisions, Master-sama!""Don't worry, I still think you're cute.""W-what does that have to do with anything!""You seem to like it when I call you cute. I mean, you're blushing and smiling right now.""I'm- I'm not!" She was.And that was how the two of you continued to talk. You teased her getting some flustered outrage from her in reply. Despite this, she still held you in high regard."Master-sama..." Yumi looked like she wanted to say something, but the silence stretched on for more than what you felt was comfortable."What is it?""I'm sorry.""Oh?""I failed you that day." She looked down, a mixed expression of guilt. "In my excitement I overdid things, and we both almost got corrupted by Shades because of it. As your teacher I was supposed to protect you, but in my selfish desire to have a personal moment with you I needlessly endangered you.""Alls well that ends well." You're a bit surprised at her words. Yumi isn't one to apologize easily, and she looked like she wanted to put all of this behind her."But I still failed you!""Will you repeat that same mistake?""Of course not!""That's good enough for me." Honestly you were happy that she'd become so devoted to your wellbeing. Though the idea of punishing a cute ghost girl did sound appealing..."I don't just want to be good enough... I want to be someone you want to have." She whispered. It was only by chance that you were able to hear her nearly inaudible words."Oh?" You said, a shit-eating grin pulling your lips upwards. "Was that a confession that I just heard-""Onto other topics!" Yumi spoke quickly.
"You wanna talk about Halloween again?" You said with a chuckle. "We're much closer to Thanksgiving, you know.""I don't know what that is!" She sighed, happy that you at agreed to change the subject."It's in the name." You said."A holiday about giving thanks?" She guessed. At the nod of your head, she gave a small hum. "I suppose it is a facsimile of The Grateful Week or Harvest's Celebration in the Continent." Grateful Week? That sounded like it was something you'd look into."A week sounds a bit excessive, don't you think?""Some say it isn't enough." Yumi said. "And speaking of gratitude... those spirits we saw that day had best be grateful to you! Though those bandits and that guardswoman are fellow spirits, I would not hesitate to curse any who would raise their hands against Master-sama! At your command they shall suffer my wrath!"It was cute to see her so fired up for your sake.She suddenly turned to you. "By the way, what happened to them?"Right, Yumi didn't know yet.>"I had Herta and Gerty exorcise them." You didn't want any bandits on your property. Even Ginny was guilty since she attacked your estate along with them.>"Don't know. I left them alone after that day." As long as they didn't bother you you didn't care about what they did.>"I occasionally talk to them." You occasionally speak to them, if only to use them as test subjects for your plans to give Yumi a physical form.>(Write-in).<><><>
And that ends the 'little' interlude.Holy shit it's been way too long. The Curse really tried to kick my ass, but I did it.Still, sorry about being so late, and thank you guys remain for bearing with me!
>>6338707>>"I occasionally talk to them." You occasionally speak to them, if only to use them as test subjects for your plans to give Yumi a physical form.Ginny seems like useful source of information (and I sympathize with dutiful horsegirl) and the assassin sisters could useful way to solve possible problems with Mary peacefully.>>6338709Welcome back, NotIseQM
>>6338707holy shit OP cooked, that's the better part of 11k words. Small interlude my posterior and good to have you back.>"I occasionally talk to them." You occasionally speak to them, if only to use them as test subjects for your plans to give Yumi a physical form.I don't necessarily bear them ill will, they've paid for their transgressions with their lives already. May as well keep them as acquaintances, no reason not to and they could be useful yet.
>>6338707Welcome back QM>"I had Herta and Gerty exorcise them." You didn't want any bandits on your property. Even Ginny was guilty since she attacked your estate along with them.The afterlife awaits them>>6338709Quite a long interlude QM, hopefully the next update isn’t nearly as long for you
===John Doe, please select one of the following to replace [Laevantein]>Laevantein: A sword that sears in flame and also acts as a whip. [CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE]>Stormwarden's Coat: Greatly decreases the chance of bad weather when using vehicles. Allows you to see through fog and mist.>Admiral's Cap: Enhances the strength of mechs and other vehicles while worn. Reduces terrain and nautical penalties while also increasing concealment.>Elemental Reinforcement: Allows you to make multiple weapons get better resistance or infuse a single weapon with elemental powers. Available once per day.>Reaper's Gambit: Gain a 1 in 5 chance to instantly defeat an opponent. However, losing will make you feel sluggish for ten minutes.>Worker Boots: A pair of boots that increase your stamina, speed and reflexes.>Shifting Moon Glaive: A weapon with different effects depending on the phases of the moon.>Clockwork Cane: A cane with a blade concealed within it. A miniature clockwork mechanism inside it makes its handle double as a gun.>Hardlight Axe: An axe made of solid light. Can create ephemeral copies of itself, useful as a flung weapon or to dual-wield.>Warding Aegis: Light armor that protects against curses, debuffs and offensive magic.>Pursuer's Bind: A large coil of magical rope that can instantly tie almost anyone or anything up.>Aether Wire: Threads of magic that act as a highly manipulatable razor wire.>Shellstrike Gauntlets: Gauntlets for punching... that are also a shotgun with the ability to charge up an explosive blast.>The Lightning Rail. A rifle charged with electricity, that can be charged up to empower the shot.>Quick Scope: Allows greater reaction speed and accuracy in every weapon you use.Further integrations with your [Bonded Vehicle] will be available upon use.Are you sure you want to swap out [Laevantein]? [*Yes] [ No]It was a shame to get rid of your Laevantein without testing it in serious combat, but these new choices weren't half bad.You stifle some disappointment. Everything was progressing as usual with your [Custom Special]. Sure you had more options to choose from, and a large chunk of your past abilities were now given as options, but you expected something different.Another message popped up in front of you as if in reply to that thought.Due to your continued development of [Custom Special] your ability can now be given a passive upgrade.Well this was new. You almost accepted immediately before another popup shoved itself in front of you.
WARNINGAccepting this upgrade will require you to use large quantities of your mana, limiting your ability to enchant and create artifacts. This effect is temporary and you will have full access to your mana once your [Custom Special] has finished upgrading, meaning that your full strength will return in one to two weeks. Are you willing to upgrade [Custom Special]?Note: If selecting [No] then the choice to have this upgrade will be presented to you again after an indeterminate amount of time.That was enough to give you pause. You frown. Indeterminate amount of time? How long was that? Weeks? Years? Would it pester you daily until you agreed? For some reason you had a feeling it wouldn't be the last one.Anyway, you knew what this was; getting a temporary affliction for a long-term investment. While not being able to enchant items or make artifacts sounded like it sucked, you were very curious to figure out what [Custom Special] had in store. You had a hunch it was gonna be overpowered.You select...>[Yes]>[No]
It's good to be back! I appreciate the words, anons. I'll try to manage my schedule and balance it with how much I write.Here's a smaller update you guys can vote on while the proper one gets finished.Since I'll be busy this Thanksgiving, I'll try to post next update day after tomorrow or the day after that (knock on wood).Tune in next time when John and Herta get properly(?) married!
>>6339007>Warding Aegis: Light armor that protects against curses, debuffs and offensive magic.Let’s try something less flashy this time>>6339020>[Yes]We aren’t going to be doing any mana intensive activities during this time so should be fine>>6339025Happy thanksgiving
>>6339007>>Worker Boots: A pair of boots that increase your stamina, speed and reflexes.I am speed>>6339020>[Yes]Hopefully this doesnt mean we cant train our magic>>6339025Happy thanksgiving, NotIseQM
>>6339007>Admiral's Cap: Enhances the strength of mechs and other vehicles while worn. Reduces terrain and nautical penalties while also increasing concealment.Look at me, I am the captain now. But also because I think this could be very useful in the future when we gain the ability to freely swap between Specials.>>6339020>YesI mean sure, we probably won't need too much mana in the next one or two weeks and we can just ask Herta to do it for usI'm sure the ceremony will go off without a hitch and there will be no drama, no complications and no weirdness. Right?
Rolled 3 (1d3)Happy Thanksgiving to you all as well!Hope you've all had a good one!>>63390201 is for Warding Aegis, 2 is for Worker Boots, 3 is for Admiral's Cap.Rolling between them now, but I'll keep the vote open for the next 12 hours or so in case someone wants to change their vote.
