Tom D03s06

TheTale: Day Three - Noon.
TheTale: The bridge out from the Court of Wishes.
TheTale: Kline walks a little bit ahead.
TheTale: On the sky ahead, the rippling bruises in the clouds burst open. The sun's peeking through.
Zen sighs, looking up, looking a little bit tired. He crosses his arms, looking at Kline's back as they walk, thinking
Eris‘ trails behind Kline, hands behind her head. "So you figure they’re actually going to be able to stop the amassing army…?"
Zen: "I have faith they can"
Zen: "What is distinctively different from being certain of it"
Linlea: "Doesn't leave us with many options though, huh? If we waltz on out there a battle would probably start. So what does that leave us with?"
Eris‘ rolls a shrug. "Waiting and seeing, I suppose?"
TheTale: Kline’s tail flicks.
Eris: "I'm sort of out of ideas at the moment. I don't think we had any leads on D2's other minions."
Zen: "There's more than one way in or out of this city, we should probably take one of those routes out unseen"
Linlea: "Could always ask Doc or Cri- Alice if they have any leads."
Zen: "Hrm… Sadly infiltration's not my specialty so i'm at a bit of a loss"
Zen: "Alice probably has something in mind"
Linlea: "Did Doc ever give us a follow up on everything he found out with that research he was doing?"
Charlotte: "I think our current leads amounts to 'follow the cue cards that may or may not still be active'."
Linlea: "We went to all that trouble of getting him access to the records too."
Eris: "No, I don't think we've checked in with him since … last night."
Linlea groans. "Scientific discovery doesn't come in a fortnight, I guess. Alice would probably be a better use of our time."
Eris‘ makes dismissive motions with her hands. "Well, whatever you decide. I’ve been driving this car for the last four and a half days, someone else can come up with an idea now."
Linlea scrunches up her face. "Uhm…"
Linlea: "This is the third day, though…"
TheTale: Kline turns around.
Linlea: "You feelin' alright?"
Eris: "Shh, shh, thinking isn't your strong suit, sweety, don't waste your thoughts on analyzing the number of days."
TheTale: "You're taking me to the Lost Quarter, of course."
Eris: "Sure, I suppose we can do that now instead of later."
Linlea: "Hopefully we don't cause too much of a ruckus."
TheTale: Kline shrugs a broad-shouldered shrug as she passes by a pack of nobles, with all the light ease of those who have nary a Fucke to offer.
Eris‘ would apologize for Kline, but that would be horribly out of character.
Zen shakes his head again, following "As Eris said, let’sget goiung"
TheTale: Down into the Centreville.
TheTale: The noontime alms are going out - goods being delivered out to the huddling, useless masses of the city.
TheTale: Food, clothes, blankets, fuel.
TheTale: Some knights are gathering up the ones swathed in yellow. They teem on fiend-drawn carts.
Eris: "That said, you do know where you're going yes? Or should one of us be leading."
Maria: "Any particular destination there?"
TheTale: A knight nods to Lady Maria. "We're quartering them in the Palace. The Queen's opening up a wing for the less fortunate."
TheTale: "Apparently, the risks of contagion have been overestimated…"
TheTale: "Hah! I'm burning my gloves after this, no matter what anyone says." The other knight says.
Zen: "Vastly so"
Maria: "Good to hear. Keep up the good work."
Eris: "How nice of her."
TheTale: Kline sniffs the air. "…"
TheTale: "…Lead on."
Eris‘ nods slightly, taking a few quicker steps until she’s in the lead.
TheTale: The gateway to the Lost Quarter.
TheTale: Is the ash thinning?
Linlea tilts her head. "I've always been kind of curious. Do you have some sort of super sense?"
Eris‘ is still pulling out her umbrella regardless.
Linlea: "I don’t really know how demi-humans actually work."
Zen: "I believe that 'Mysteriously ' is always a good answer"
Eris‘ giggles at Linlea saying ’demi-human'.
Charlotte: "That's a much more polite term."
Linlea scrunches up her face. "… what?"
Zen: "That's like saying it'd be more polite to call you something other than human, Charlotte"
Eris: "I'd think that here they'd probably take less offense to being called a monster than they would be referred to as part human, all things considered."
Charlotte: "For those of us not from around her, 'monster' is usually an insult or such. Oh, and that's a good point."
Eris: "Also I haven't heard anyone use that term in ages."
TheTale: "Oh," Kline says. "You were talking about me..?"
Linlea: "People used it a lot where I'm from!"
Zen: "Well, you're the new person in the party"
Linlea: "Monster just seems kind of offensive…? I'm not really used to it."
Zen: "People will talk a lot about the new guy"
TheTale: She shakes her head, looking off to the horizon - perhaps she can see something you don't.
Zen: "You seem worried, Kline"
Zen: "Want talk about it?"
TheTale: "First -" she points to Eris. "-She's right. Don't lump me in with Prospero's snivellers."
TheTale: "And, well, it's a long time since I've even thought about going home."
Linlea nods. "Yeaaaaaah. I think a lot of us can relate on that one."
Eris: "Mmhm." Eris spins her umbrella.
TheTale: "I'll take it from here."
TheTale: "Thanks."
Eris: "You sure?"
Zen: "Be safe, alright?"
Linlea stage whispers to Eris. "(Trammeletya didn't seem to have a problem being called a demi-human. Was she just being polite or is this a local thing?)"
Charlotte: "Take care of yourself, then."
Eris: "A local thing, dear. Haven't you been paying any attention to the setting at all? The Humans and Monsters have been at war for as long as any of them can remember."
TheTale: "Haha," she says. "I will."
Eris‘ nods her head towards Kline, then.
Zen watches Kline leave, looks up thinking
Zen: "Well do we have any hint on where another familiar may be?"
TheTale: She stretches upwards, and bends over, and her body twists - growing spines and a mane, growing to twice her size. You can’t see her face as she bounds down the path into the quarter, disappearing into the haze.
Zen: "She really need to put a bit more thought into subterfuge, though. But I guess all that time imprisioned she must be raging to get some action"
Linlea shakes her head at Zen. "We kinda put all our chips into the pile we just dealt with."
Linlea: "We could always see if one of the others had something they needed following up on, though. I can't imagine they're as fast as us at getting things done when they're running solo."
Eris: "Stealth is overrated."
Zen: "Let's go talk to Alice, then"
Zen: "If anyone she's probably got a lead or two. Maybe check up on the doctor to see if his research yielded something yet or not"
Eris: "Alright."
Charlotte: "It's as good of a plan as any."
TheTale: The Pure of Heart.
TheTale: "Okay, guys." Alice says.
TheTale: "The sign out front…"
TheTale: "Tell me what it says."
Zen waves to Alice as they come, and is kind of surprised once she appears all, apparently, afluster "Uhn…"
Eris: "The Pure of Heart"
Linlea takes a step outside and looks. Her money is on closed, though.
Zen walks back out, looks at the sign just to be sure
TheTale: "Yeah," Alice says. "And that's what I thought. C'mere."
Zen goes after Alice
TheTale: She pulls Zen by the hand, shoving him in front of the door to the washroom, where, uh -
TheTale: Okay, there's Shiba's corpse there.
Zen looks at the washroom "Oh, bleh"
TheTale: You know, snake-lady? Right.
Zen: "Bloodporting"
Zen: "Did she really have to leave it in the washroom?"
TheTale: "So there's nothing on my sign that could have possibly made her think that was okay, right?"
Eris: "That does seem a little big to simply flush, yes."
Charlotte: "…It doesn't look like it, no."
Zen: "Definitely not, I mean what could possibly have happened to require this to be done? It's kind of an emergency thing"
Zen: "Well, snake meat's pretty tasty I guess?"
Linlea pokes her head into the bathroom before frowning. She turns away and goes to sit down at the counter.
Zen: "Fairly sure if you clean it up right it shouldn't be a problem"
TheTale: Alice throws her hands up in the air. "Whatever. I'll deal with it."
Zen: "Need help?"
Eris: "She didn't even warn you…?" Eris looks amused.
Maria: "How rude."
Zen: "I mean we came by to see if you had any hint about a new D2 familiar but helping clean up a giant snake lady is fine too"
Zen: "I mean you could show it to her next time she shows up and go " Don'
Zen: "I mean you could show it to her next time she shows up and go " Don't go leaving your bodies around " or something"
TheTale: Alice falls into a huff, seating herself on the counter.
TheTale: "Whatever. Familiar-hunting, right?"
Linlea: "Pretty much, yeah."
Shiba shudders from afar. She didn't think it'd be a big deal!
Zen chuckles "Pretty much"
Eris: "Mmhm."
Eris: "Nothing else really worth doing around here if we don't have to single handedly crush an army."
TheTale: "Yeah, I guess they're turning back…"
TheTale: "Clears our slate."
Linlea: "Which is good. Because the sooner we deal with D2 the sooner we can get out of here."
TheTale: "So, we need to track down the next two familiars."
Eris: "Mmhm."
TheTale: "Well, I think I know what they are."
TheTale: "D2's M.O is sticking two things together, right?"
Zen: "Pretty much"
Eris: "Seems like."
TheTale: "So, we should think in pairs."
TheTale: "Name people that are like, matched, or opposites. Okay? Go."
Zen: "Uhn… Dangit. I'm a little out of it at the moment, sorry"
Maria blinks. "Um…"
TheTale: "Hey, I got no trouble driving this one."
TheTale: "Okay, the King and the Queen. And the Prince and the Princess. Those two are free."
Eris: "Well, the Prince and Princess, obviously, but we know the Prince is safe and whole…"
Eris‘ glances towards where ever he’s hiding nearby.
Eris: "Hm this is actually somewhat difficult since we've never gone to the other side."
TheTale: "…Hm."
TheTale: "You know what? You should head over."
Zen: "We have mostly been dealing with stuff on this side"
Zen: "Going there and doing some recon might be the best option in the end"
TheTale: "Meet up with Yesker, at least."
TheTale: "Say hi to the monsters."
Eris: "I suppose we could."
Eris: "Not like we're doing anything else."
Zen: "Haven't been there in forever."
Linlea: "Is it really that easy to cross over? Isn't an army still outside?"
Charlotte: "Maria, please don't rip out the hearts of any monsters without them attacking us first."
Maria: "…I'll try."
Zen: "Small units like ours can cross over with a lot more ease"
Linlea nods to Zen. "Honestly I've been wanting to check out the other city for a while now anyways!"
Eris: "Do you really think someone's going to stop us, Linlea…?"
Zen: "I know a handful of paths to make the crossing, especially some really tough terrain for a large army to march"
Linlea: "Well, no. I was just worried when we walked into the city somebody like Marco would recognize us. You know. That giant we beat up on our first day here."
TheTale: "Well, you're a Pure Heart, right?"
Zen: "Just say you're with me and we're looking for work with them for now"
TheTale: "Wear a disguise or somethin'."
Zen: "Well, I guess that's more for the more professional monsters the general populace is a little bit more angry"
Linlea gives a dorky smile to Alice. "This is the only outfit I have right now, actually. Travel light and all that. I'll just defer to Zen."
Linlea: "I'm guessing you can't freshen us up a bit before we make the trek over there?" She seems hopeful at least.
Eris: "It's okay, I don't plan on sneaking around anyway."
Charlotte: "Do you ever?"
TheTale: She nudges Linlea in the forehead. "What, you're getting tired already?"
Eris: "Nope!"
Eris: "Hence."
Linlea: "I'm just saying, I never thought those jerks who stole our travel supplies could pack such a punch. That's fine, though. We can find a way when we get there. Hopefully."
Linlea: "Like, seriously, they were more annoying than the captain of the guard."
Maria: "Well, he was outnumbered…"
Linlea presses off from the stool before stretching. "We should probably get going. If we factor in how long it took us to get to the mana tree which is the halfway point… we've got a long walk."
TheTale: "Yeah."
Zen: "Hey the trip is half the adventure"
TheTale: "Well, I'll keep the place warm for you."
Zen: "Because it's long"
Zen: "And a pain"
Linlea: "Got a message for Yesk if we see them?"
Eris‘ gives Alice a wave before heading out.
TheTale: "Nope. Pure Heart, right?"
Charlotte curtsies before heading out with the others.
Linlea nods before following after Eris. She glances to her side. "We can still do that? Wonder why it’s been so quiet."
Eris: "Do what?"
Linlea chews at her lip. "… nevermind. Musta misinterpreted or something." She continues to make her way out of the city.
Eris: "Okay then."
TheTale: The Lost Quarter.
TheTale: And then, beyond it, the Glozenfeld.
TheTale: …The sun, here, is shining.
Eris: "What did you want to do over there anyway, just see the sights, or…?"
TheTale: Much of the ice seems to be melting - the ice is dappled with cracks, and the shape of the bay beneath the ice floes seems to be slowly showing itself - the cliffs to the west, and the open ocean beneath much of it.
Eris‘ frowns slightly and starts paying a little more attention to where she steps.
Linlea grins before nodding. "Pretty much. If nothing else, we’re going to want to scout it out so we know how to handle getting the caravan through later."
Zen looks at the ice breaking down as they continue "Man i've lost track of time, is it the coming of summer already?"
Linlea: "How cold does it get out here at night, Zen? I imagine by the time we reach the city that sun isn't going to be out."
Eris: "I don't think time or seasons really have anything to do with it."
Zen: "It gets something like 'Bring Your Winter Clothes' cold on a bad day"
Linlea listens to Zens words before picking up the pace a little. Seems she doesn't want to be out here overnight.
Zen knows the way through here, he can probably find a faster route if they want a forced march [Survivalist]
TheTale: Zen: The Glozenfeld's never shifted like this before. But… soon enough, you make it through the Manalands. (Though a leap over a suddenly-developed creek makes you worry a little.)
Eris: "…This is all melting unusually quick, though."
Zen looks around as they go "Yes…"
TheTale: Er, not through the Manalands. To the Manalands! Though…
Zen: "This isn't the usual change of seasons, you are probably right, Eris"
TheTale: …That huge monster altar.
TheTale: The corpse is gone.
Zen blinks, looks up "What?"
Linlea tilts her head at Zen. "Something wrong?"
Zen: "I suppose you also noticed the lack of giant dead monster general here"
Zen: "We came by here earlier hunting a wolf, and I had the insight on calling the band girl here remember?"
Zen: "He's gone"
Linlea: "Ah, that was a thing wasn't it? Oops!" She scratches the back of her head before giving an apologetic smile. "Honestly all I remember about being out here was me having to revive Eris from the brink of death from that wolf and she wouldn't shut up about it for the next hour."
Eris: "Well, we did sort of wreck the place. Maybe the bones are sinking into the melting snow."
Eris‘ gives Linlea A Look.
Zen crosses his arms
Zen: "Band Girl used what was effectivelly a dead human captain, though"
Linlea sticks out her tongue at Eris.
Charlotte: "Or… we’ll be seeing it some other time. As not-so-much-of-a-corpse anymore."
Zen: "Let's just keep in mind we might have to fight Dog's old body"
Zen: "Anyway, better keep going"
Eris‘ shoots her hand out and grab Linlea’s tongue for a few moments, before letting go.
Linlea: "Mmmmmmf" She flails until she's let go. "Owowow."
Maria: "Wait, what?"
Eris: "Oh did you miss that part of the pity party?" Eris laughs.
Maria points back at the shrine. "The talking dog used to be that thing?"
Zen: "Yes"
Maria: "Words fail me."
Eris: "Mmhm. And the monk used to be some sort of terrible mad scientist that doomed the world!"
Eris: "It's really all quite tragic, apparently."
Zen: "Due to deeply regretting all the killing they've done, they decided to be a tiny dog next"
Zen: "No Shinzou wsa one of the creators of Zeroday Gardenglad, the fiend they just killed"
Eris: "That's what I said!"
Zen: "I was just adding detail"
Maria: "That sounds like a mad scientist, to be fair."
Eris: "You have to imagine them both staring down into their blood covered hands,"
Eris: "Sheading tiny tears,"
Linlea: "Man. I think my only fault so far has been NOT doing enough. But I guess they all did too much?"
Eris: "Sobbing, 'Oh God, what have I become…!'"
Charlotte: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions?"
Eris: Yes, exactly that sort of thing! "
Eris: "Very dramatic."
TheTale: The Manalands.
TheTale: Blue flowers and white moss.
TheTale: This is a holy place, you know.
Zen disagrees with them, but this isn't the place to fight a fight at this time
Linlea: "Well. Look on the bright side. At least we don't have to climb the tree again?"
Eris: "Yes, we just have to walk across the entire effective world."
Zen: "You will notice a much lighter density of extremely dangerous enemies right now"
Zen: "I'd take the walk"
Eris: "Actually do you want to see if anything is blocking the stairs down, while we're here?"
Linlea grins. "I bet the Puffin brothers are looking a lot more appealing now, huh? Huh? And you guys said I was crazy. We'd be IN sycorax right now~!"
Charlotte: "Maybe the real question is if there is any stairs down."
Eris: "Sounds like a 'yes' to me." Eris gently pets Linlea, before making a detour.
Linlea: "Oh. Yeah. We should probably check that out. I don't remember seeing any the first time we were there but maybe we were just so focused on climbing?"
Zen: "I am almost certain we will need to do some digging"
TheTale: Swinging by, then?
Zen is followin Eris, sure why not
Linlea is going to check out the base of the inside at least.
TheTale: There is, indeed, an abyss.
TheTale: A vertical conveyor belt draws up strange little dolls from the depths.
TheTale: Heading down?
Eris: "Huh."
Linlea: "That… definitely wasn't there before."
Zen: "Do you really wanna do this right now?"
Eris: "Are you sure?"
Linlea: "Are you saying all five of us missed it?"
Linlea: "Like, I know we were busy talking to the injured guy but…"
Eris: "We weren't exactly looking for a way down, so it's possible. The monsters had to come from somewhere though, and the belt was certainly active."
Eris‘ shrugs slightly. "The pathway being open might be new though. I don’t really recall!"
Linlea: "Going down now though, before we've dealt with the other two familiars… we're going to be dealing with a stronger version of D2 or something. That's how this works, right? Also I'm still really sore from that last venture. We should probably head to Sycorax and bum a resupply off of Yesker and go from there?"
Eris‘ squints into the abyss. "Confirmation there is a pathway down is nice, however. But I believe we probably want to take out the other familiars before going after the final boss."
Eris` nods.
TheTale: That’s right.
Eris: "Agreed."
TheTale: If you go down there, you <span style="color: #ff0000;">won't come back alive</span>.
Zen: "Thanks for being sane, Eris, I thought i'd have to drag someone out of here"
Zen: "Let's keep going"
Eris‘ spins on her heel, before resuming the long treck.
Linlea twirls her bangs. "Uhm. The last time D2 told us not to go somewhere threatening like that though we just walked up the stairs without another encounter and talked to the goddess."
Charlotte: "I think the last boss is a little different."
Zen: "I… Don’t feel like going through the great slog that is dealing with the stuff Band Girl throws at us, though, not right now"
Eris: "Don't get goaded by the ominous disemboded voice, dear."
Maria: "I'm okay with leaving this for another day."
Linlea: "I know!" She puffs out her cheeks annoyed. "I'm still curious, though… It's like if there's a big button in front of us and it says in big letters DO NOT PRESS. You'd totally press it, right?"
Linlea: "… or is that just me?"
Maria: "But the sign tells you not to!"
Zen: "It'd really depend"
Zen: "I mean it's very obvious this is a trap"
Zen: "And I wanna get into it with absolutely everyone"
Eris‘ shakes her head.
Charlotte: "Sometimes you really don’t want to tempt fate."
Linlea reluctantly makes her way out of the mana tree.
TheTale: There's signs of a large group coming here.
TheTale: The monster army, it seems, really was here.
TheTale: The air gets warmer as you approach the Denmarche. A dusty wind penetrates a ways into the treeline.
TheTale: And then, there it is - the endless, shifting sands that lie between the Manalands and Sycorax.
Eris: "…Desert?"
Julian: "And here's the great weather shift"
Julian: "Exactly"
Eris: "Huh."
Julian continues heading on through the desert
TheTale: Up on the rise ahead…
TheTale: A strange, metal beast, half-seen, swivels its eye at you.
TheTale: A single, growing rev, and it vanishes.