[x] Explore the mansion! And make sure you remember to take your Dee-Esh and stylus with you and take -accurate- maps. Damn survivalists, always thinking they're so good at cartography...

>>10500
[X] Explore the mansion

Wasted night was wasted.

[x] Explore the mansion! And make sure you remember to take your Dee-Esh and stylus with you and take -accurate- maps. Damn survivalists, always thinking they're so good at cartography...

Awesome.

[x] Explore the mansion! And make sure you remember to take your Dee-Esh and stylus with you and take -accurate- maps. Damn survivalists, always thinking they're so good at cartography...

Scarlet Mansion 1F map making, START!

[X] Explore the mansion

[x] Explore the mansion

You decide to take a look around the mansion now that it's day. If you're going to be staying here for some amount of time, it might be best to be familiar with the layout of the building. You should also see if you could try to find that maid, maybe ask her for a tour of the house if possible, to make sure you don't get lost.

First:
[] Go left
[] Go right

Then:
[] Try to find that maid
[] Try to find anyone
[] Try to find a specific room (write in)
[] Just walk the halls

>>10593
[X] Go left
[X] Try to find a specific room (Kitche)

I'm hungry.

[x] Go left
[x] Try to find a specific room (Kitchen)

Okay.

[o] Go left
[o] Try to find a specific room (Kitchen)

[x] Go left
[x] Try to find a specific room (Kitchen)

You'll start by heading left, with the intention of finding the kitchen. You haven't eaten since yesterday, and you're starting to feel the pangs of hunger. You take your shield with you when you leave the room, and set off towards the corner of the hall. As you round the corner, you realize that the surroundings are familiar, and that you are retracing the steps taken to reach your room in the first place. Along the way, you check several doors to try to find the kitchen. Several of the doors don't open, and ones that do lead to either empty storage rooms, sitting rooms, or empty guest rooms. You reach a T-junction shortly afterwards. If memory serves, you would turn right here to continue retracing your steps.

[] Turn right
[] Turn left
[] Change objective (write in)

>>10648
[x] Search the walls for a secret entrance.

>>10648
[X] Turn left

Why retrace? There was no kitchen there.

>>10654
[X] turn left
[X] Write a map.

[X] Turn left

Might as well go left. You don't remember anything that might have lead to a kitchen along the way to the room, so retracing your steps would be pointless. You turn down the hall and walk along, keeping close to the wall. You're making sure to pay attention to your surroundings as you mentally map out your course. You proceed down the hall, checking the occasional door and finding nothing in particular, aside from one bed room that looks slightly better than the others. You wonder if it's a special room for a moment before you continue. Halfway down the hall, you find a locked door. You notice that there is an etching of a cross above the doorknob.

You reach the end of the hall eventually at another T junction. A small winged girl in a maids uniform flies around the corner, and stops when she sees you. She gasps and turns, heading off down the hall to your left. It happens too fast for you to stop her, but she's not a fast mover, you could probably still catch her if you chased her.

[] Follow the fairy
[] Ignore the fairy and go left
[] Ignore the fairy and go right

[x] Follow the fairy

Trap that fucker in a bottle, it'll restore 8 hearts!

>>10702
[¬] Follow teh fairy.

If it struggles, bash it unconscious with the shield.

[x] Follow the fairy

She's going to be evil and steal away a Warp Wire! Then Paladinon'll be ambushed and eaten by Venomflies. Oh well.

[x] Follow the FOE fairy

[x] Follow the fairy

You break into a light jog, closing some distance between you and the retreating fairy. She looks back at you and panics for a moment, before turning and swinging her arm, several coloured lights appearing from nowhere and flying towards you. Magic? You sidestep the small arc and get closer, causing the fairy to stop completely and turn to face you. A few more steps later and she thrusts out her hands, a multitude of new lights appearing in the air around her. You skid to a stop and take a step back. You don't have much time to react as the lights start to move towards you.

[] Retreat
[] Try to dodge
[] Defend
[] Skill
[] Spell

[x] Barrier
[x] "ME HUNGRY. KITCHEN. WHERE. SPEAK."

[x] Spell: Reflect

[x] Try to dodge
[x] Timeout victory!

[x] Defend

We're good at it, so use it.

[x] Defend

[x] Defend

Updates not happening for some time. As I said in my Flight thread, my computer died, and I don't know what's wrong with it. It might be a week before I get my computer back.

Updates will resume again tomorrow, if there's still enough interest to carry it.

>>10983

I'm interessed. And I know other anons are too.

Another interested anon reporting in.

Is an Anon who prefers to leave a name still considered an Anon?

Bit late, and I know there are some others on IRC that are interested as well. I'll be resuming this as well soon. However, since it came up on IRC, I'll bring it out here and reveal the mechanisms of the game.

There is a level system I keep track of that determines your general survivabilty using a number system derived loosely from stage numbers. Currently, your combat level is 2, which means that you could handle and possibly win a toe-to-toe duel with stage 2 characters and below. There are varying factors that determine a character's ranking though, so it's not as straight forward as it seems. Even though Meiling is a stage 3 character, her combat level is 8, putting her at Phantasm level with Yukari, simply because of her martial arts skills having a more profound on your significantly weaker constitution compared to the youkai of Gensokyo.

There's also a class system, and multiclassing is possible so long as you're on good terms with the characters that can advance you in specific class skills. Some are obvious as to what they would teach, while some aren't quite as clear. New classes gained will become available for choice in the event of a character death, as well as certain class combinations.

>>10995

No...That's kind of the antithesis of anonymity...

>>11061

When I heard this story was hard mode and that you can loot your corpses, I thought of Nethack.

And I have a longing desire to play the Tourist class.

I will use this Yaranaika bento to force you to update.

>>11149

Jesus christ.

[x] Defend

It's your best bet to try and defend yourself. You don't know what this is, and you're not entirely sure how much you'd be able to do against it. You set your stance and raise your shield, crouching slightly to cover more of yourself. You quickly feel a strong impact on your shield, followed in quick succession by another hit and another. You can't react fast enough, and several impacts strike your exposed forward leg and push it back, causing you to lose your balance slightly, which the following impacts take advantage of by causing you to drop your guard and take several blasts to the chest. Each blow feels like you're being struck with a hammer, and the pain causes you to lose your breath. The fairy holds her position as well, looking down on you with a mixture of surprise and what appears to be confidence now as her hands begin to glow. You take another step back, not sure what she's going to do. You'd have to defend yourself much better if she makes another attack, and the only likely thing that will help you is magic. That is, if you didn't run away all together.

[ ] Approach her again
[ ] Stand your ground
[ ] Retreat
[ ] Spell

[x] Skill: Smite

Shield bash, baby!

[ ] Approach her again

[x] Spell: Reflect

Why didn't we do this the first time, again?
Now we have to waste mana on healing ourselves, and we have no tsundere magus to mana transfer with.

[x] Stand your ground.
[x] Sexy smile. You're ready for this now.

Manly option.

>>11169
Bash 'em baby!
[x] Skill: Smite

>You'd have to defend yourself much better if she makes another attack, and the only likely thing that will help you is magic.

[x] Spell: Reflect

[x] Spell: Reflect

How much HP do we have left?

>>11181

After healing from your rest overnight you had full health. After that last barrage:

HP 84/126

Also, keep in mind that defending did decrease the damage you took in the first place.

[x] Spell: Reflect

You close your eyes and take a deep breath, recalling the incantation for Reflect. You begin to speak the words, and the fairy reacts by raising her hands, creating another bunch of coloured lights. You had the advantage of starting first, and you quickly finish the recital of the spell and invoke the magical effect. A shimmering barrier of colour envelops your body as the fairy launches a cluster of lights that leaves streams of lights flowing behind it. You double your defense by assuming a defensive stance, shield at the ready to raise in case the attack is enough to breach your magical defense. The first cluster hits the magical shield with a resounding, hollow thump as the lights are bounced away from you, the magical shield brilliantly shining for a moment, followed by a rapid succession of thumps as the trailing lights impact the shield. A loud shattering sound fills the hall as your shield collapses quickly, and you react within seconds, crouching into a protective stance as the few remaining shots pound against your shield. With no gap in your defense this time however, the impacts cease and you lower your guard to find the fairy laying on the ground several feet away. You approach the downed fairy quickly to see her dazed expression, several rips and tears on her clothes indicate that she must have been hit by her own reflected attack.

Before you can do anything else, however, you feel a strong hand grab you by the collar of the shirt and yank you back hard enough to pull you off your feet, and you're dropped to the ground by the silver haired maid. She first tends to the fairy, and before you can even pull yourself into a sitting position, she steps over and drives her foot down into your chest, slamming you against the ground of the hallway and pinning you with impossible strength.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asks you, looking down her leg at you coldly. You spot several knives hanging from her hands, held between her fingers.

[] "I was just trying to get directions."
[] "I was following that fairy."
[] "I was trying to take a look around the house."
[] "I'm hungry."
[] "I was attacked first, it was self defense."

[x] Give a textbook definition on what 'Reflect' is. (Does nothing unless you're attacked first and only with what the aggressor tries to hit you with.)

Possible downside of letting other people know of an interesting and powerful ability of yours.

[x] Use Ring Of The Mind and get ready to use your Barrier skill. We may be down, but we're not immobile.
[x] "All I wanted were directions around the house! Suddenly she attacked me, so I just defended myself. She shouldn't be hurt... too badly"
[x] If she attacks, use support magic Heal. If she lets you go, use Regen.

[x] Give a textbook definition on what 'Reflect' is. (Does nothing unless you're attacked first and only with what the aggressor tries to hit you with.)

hahaha

[x] Use Ring Of The Mind and get ready to use your Barrier skill. We may be down, but we're not immobile.
[x] "All I wanted were directions around the house! Suddenly she attacked me, so I just defended myself. She shouldn't be hurt... too badly"
[x] If she attacks, use support magic Heal. If she lets you go, use Regen.
yay! update :)

[x] Give a textbook definition on what 'Reflect' is. (Does nothing unless you're attacked first and only with what the aggressor tries to hit you with.)
[x] Use Ring Of The Mind and get ready to use your Barrier skill. We may be down, but we're not immobile.
[x] "All I wanted were directions around the house! Suddenly she attacked me, so I just defended myself. She shouldn't be hurt... too badly"
[x] If she attacks, use support magic Heal.

(Regen portion cut due to it always being active.)

"All I wanted were directions around the house, but I was attacked instead. Naturally, I defended myself. She shouldn't be hurt. Well, not severely. Reflect doesn't do anything unless attacked, and only then it turns away the magic used against it."

The maid sneers and presses her foot forward into your throat, crushing the toe of her shoe into your windpipe. You instinctively reach up to grab her foot, but when she draws back her hand, you stop. She's got a very big advantage over you, and you simply try to hold your breath and ignore the pain. In the meantime, you rub your thumb on the ring you wear on your right hand. With even just a little focus, you can feel the magical charge it contains flowing through you, and you bring to mind your Barrier spell, you might need it.

"Had I have known you could use magic, I would have had you sealed before letting you in," the maid says, pulling her foot back and leaning down, grabbing you by the collar again. She pulls you to your feet and shoves you back against the wall. "Stay put." She turns back to the fairy, who is sitting up where she fell and looking a little better, though still battered. She says something to the woman, and glares at you. The maid responds, and turns back around and looks you over. You look a little worn yourself, with several small bruises on your arms and a few tears on your clothes as well from the barrage you suffered.

"So after you were hit the first time, what made you think it was a good idea to stick around and keep provoking her?" the maid asks.

"I-"

"And this had better be good," the maid says, cutting you off. "Most people would run away if they were attacked, or at the very least try to avoid getting hurt, not start fighting back against the staff of a house they're a guest in."

She does have a point, actually.

[] "I panicked, it was reflex."
[] "I would never turn tail and run from something like a fairy."
[] "I was hurt by her, and thought I would try to teach her a lesson about randomly attacking guests."
[] "I didn't actually think that far ahead, I was only worried about surviving a second attack."

Combining votes and taking fewer in an effort to get updates out quicker, hopefully attract more attention, and increase the speed and regularity of votes overall.

[x] Duty. Even though you're alone, you still move and react as if there was someone precious to protect. Surely you understand that?

Hm. This isn't coming out the way I'm imaginging it. Oh well.

[x] Duty. Even though you're alone, you still move and react as if there was someone precious to protect. Surely you understand that?

Sounds good.

[] "I didn't actually think that far ahead, I was only worried about surviving a second attack."

[x] "I didn't actually think that far ahead, I was only worried about surviving a second attack."

[x] Calmly you explain "Provoke her? No. I just simply did not wish to be misunderstood; she never even gave me a chance to speak with her in the first place". You speak louder and more clearly now. "But you're right; it was never my intention nor my right to harm any member of this household, and for that I apologize. No excuse I could give will make up for this behavior. As a warrior- no, as a man, I swear upon my honor, I will atone for my crimes".

Here's wishing we're walked in upon during this dramatic dialogue.

[x] Duty. Even though you're alone, you still move and react as if there was someone precious to protect. Surely you understand that?
I think this is pretty decent actually.
[+] Heal the damn fairy and get the shit over with. Leave if we have to, not like this is limited to SDM.

>>11209
This is good. Especially this one.
>not like this is limited to SDM.

[x] "Duty. Even though you're alone, you still move and react as if there was someone precious to protect. Surely you understand that?"
I think this is pretty decent actually.
[+] Heal the damn fairy and get the shit over with. Leave if we have to, not like this is limited to SDM.

[x] Duty. Even though you're alone, you still move and react as if there was someone precious to protect. Surely you understand that?
[+] Heal the damn fairy and get the shit over with. Leave if we have to, not like this is limited to SDM.

"A sense of Duty," you say, causing the maid the withdraw a bit and blink. "Even if I'm alone, I still move and act as if I'm protecting someone dear to me. I'm sure this is something you understand?"

The maids hard glare cracks a little from a slight smile, and she simply sighs and shakes her head.

"You will die very easily if you always fight to your fullest potential against every threat in this world. Save your enthusiasm for when there's really something worth protecting other than your own stupid skin," she says, turning on her heels. As she walks away, you turn back to the fairy. You prepare to quickly cast a healing spell, and at first she jostles and responds by raising her hands again, but once you cast the spell she eases up, fluttering her wings a little. She looks a little confused, and that's the state you leave her in as you catch up to the leaving maid.

"No matter your reasons, Mistress will be pretty mad to hear about you being an idiot in her home," she says rather plainly.

"Well, if she'll be upset with me, then I have no issue with leaving," you state. The maid chuckles a little.

"If you're going to run away, you should do it before she finds out. You might not be given that chance later when she does," she retorts. After a short while, the maid stops and turns halfway, looking at you. "I'm being serious. If you're going to leave, do it now. I can have your equipment delivered to you at the gate," she says.

[] "It's probably for the best..." Leave
[] "I'm going to accept responsibility." Stay

lol forgot to change my name back

>"I'm being serious. If you're going to leave, do it now. I can have your equipment delivered to you at the gate," she says.

Killing you and giving you good advice aren't mutually exclusive.

Still...

[x] Cross your arms and turn away, huffily. "Take my ball and go home? Maybe if I knew where home was!"

Blanch, sputter, backpedal.

I have no regrets; this was my only plot.
My entire life was Unlimited Corpse Works.

[x] "It's probably for the best..." Leave
[x] What a weird sidequest.

[x] "It's probably for the best..." Leave

Never staying in one place, always moving, making yourself known throughout the land. An interesting goal indeed. Hopefully not quite as drawn out as the one in /border/

[] "It's probably for the best..." Leave

Remi is clearly too high level for us, comeback after we lvl up and get someone to buff us

[x] "It's probably for the best..." Leave

Paladinanon should go to the town and spam LFG requests. Hopefully the leader will have loot distribution on or know a good place to powerlevel.

[x] "It's probably for the best..." Leave

We can tell where we aren't wanted.

[x] "It's probably for the best..." Leave

"It's for the best, isn't it," you say, looking down. "No matter my purpose, causing a confrontation with house staff and pursuing it was a bad idea. I'd prefer to leave with my life than die for misplaced pride." The maid doesn't respond for a while, and finally breaths a long sigh, giving you the first moderately positive look you've seen her wear since you've arrived.

"And here I was thinking you were just an idiot outsider. Knowing when to cut and run saves your life more than simply being hard to kill," she says. "Glad you're deciding to save me work in the end, as I'm sure I would have ended up needing to sponge your blood out of the rugs. I'll be along at the gate shortly. The door outside isn't far from here." The maid indicates to a point down the hall, where a thin beam of light can be seen piercing the darkness. Soon after, she vanishes, leaving you alone. You make your way to the door and open it, squinting at the daylight. You weren't aware how truly dark the interior was until you stepped into the light again. You trudge along the walkway to the front gate, where you find it already held open for you. As you step through, the maid appears in front of you, your gear set in a pile in front of her. She says something to the guardwoman, then vanishes again. Guess that's it. You go about the process of rearmouring and equiping everything that was removed.

After you're finished, you turn back to the house.

"A- uh, Told 'bring man to shore'," the guard says in her broken 'English'. You simply nod, not really sur eof any other way you'd get of the island. Once again, the guard woman lifts into the air and takes you under the arms, carrying you into the air easily. You're still a little unnerved at her strength, but don't struggle. After a short flight, she sets you down on the bank of the lake, near to where you were taken the night before.

"Okay, uh, bye bye," the woman says, flying back off over the lake. You look around the area, and realize you don't see any sign of the ice fairy you encountered last night. Maybe that's a good thing. Right now you have more pressing concerns.

[] Continue your exploration around the lake
[] Head back to the stream
[] Walk away from the lake and search for life
[] Skill
[] Spell

[x] Walk away from the lake and search for life

We need to find the Human Village.

[x] Check our remaining mana and health.
[x] Head back near the stream and search for life.

Since Regen is always active, and we just used our ring, we should be a bit better off by now. Intuition says I smell a battle with a youkai no matter which way we go. I cross my fingers with this choice.

>>11239
[x] Check our remaining mana and health.
[x] Head back near the stream and search for life.

It's where we arrived. It must have some clue why we're here.

I liked this Meiling. Broken English moe~

[x] Check our remaining mana and health.

Being such an easy choice, and also so important, the need for multiple votes for this isn't needed. So long as one person mentions checking, I'll post values.

HP 88/126 MP 43/68

[x] Head back near the stream and search for life.

>HP 88/126 MP 43/68

Hm, one Dispel and one Reflect, then the Ring. Perhaps it was a good thing we did not use Barrier afterall.

[x] Head back near the stream and search for life. Look for footpaths/trails made by humans, and grind up some xp on the way.
Paladinanon really needs some levels.

Updates happening sometime later today and I'll be back on track.

[x] Head back near the stream and search for life.

Your best bet is to follow the stream, you think. Civilization never tends to spring up too far from ready water sources, so if you follow it, you should find someone at least living along the water. You begin the slow trek back, retracing your steps heading away from the worn docks at the lake's edge. The journey back takes you a little less time, since you're not moving as slowly as you were the night before. Once you reach it, you turn away from the lake and follow it inland. The lightly wooded area at the lakes edge gradually thickens as you press on, with trees growing larger and closer together, and an increase in undergrowth. A dirt footpath exists alongside the streams edge, but it's overgrown with plants. You're still a little sore from your incident at that mansion, but you've begun to feel better. A short stop for a drink from the clear stream also makes you feel a little more energetic, since you never did get anything to eat before you left.

It's well into the morning, closer to noon, when you hear a sound, a rustling in some bushes off the path. You're slightly apprehensive about investigating, not sure what kind of animals might live in this area. On the same note though, you're hungry enough to risk the chance of an animal attack if you'd be able to kill it for food. You could still be walking for hours before you found anyone.

[] Investigate out of curiosity
[] Investigate with intent to hunt
[] Ignore the sound
[] Ignore the sound, and stay on guard

[X] Investigate with intent to hunt.

We're hunting alright, hunting for plot hooks!

[x] Ignore the sound, and stay on guard
[x] Get ready to sword'n'shield bash the moment something decides to pop out

[X] Ignore the sound, and stay on guard

[X] Investigate with intent to hunt.

[X] Investigate with intent to hunt.
and
[X] Sheild bash anything that will probably jumping at you.

[X] Investigate with intent to hunt.
Finally some xp and loot!

[X] Investigate with intent to hunt.

You slowly draw your sword, simply holding it as you step off the path. Being careful to mind your step, not wanting to alert whatever's causing the rustling until you're close enough to strike, you step through the underbrush. Careful, slow steps carry you towards the shaking bush, still periodically rattling. You can see now that it's some kind of fruit bearing bush, and you suspect that whatever is disturbing the bush is after it's berries. You step close to the bush, and raise your sword, preparing to step around and strike.

A young girl pops her head up suddenly, and you freeze. She looks startled to see you, and her eyes fall onto your sword, and you're slightly startled yourself at the sight of a large pair of vaguely animal looking ears on top of her head and animal-like golden eyes. It's not long afterwards that she stands and turns quickly, snatching up a small basket full of berries and taking a few running steps before leaping into the air. She's leaving! She could potentially lead you back to some kind of civilization, but if you're going to do something, you need to do it quickly.

[] Call out to her
[] Chase her
[] Let her go, continue along the path

[x] Call out to her
[x] Chase her

[X] Sheathe the sword.
[X] Call out to her

In before [] Call for Tewi.

>>11412
>She could potentially lead you back to some kind of civilization

[x] Call out to her
[x] Chase her

Our heavy armor will become a hindrace, but eh. Better to try and fail than not trying at all.

[x] Call out to her
[x] Chase her (with sheathed sword)
No mount....
Paladin need to find Aya for run speed buffs.

[x] Call out to her
[x] Chase her

"Wait!" you call, hastily shething your sword as you attempt to sprint through the brush after her. The girl slows somewhat and turns around, but doesn't stop moving away. You make up for it by following as best as you can, but the terrain is rather uneven, and a number of thick roots and plants make it hard for you to keep pace even with her slow flight. "Wait, please." You see a flick of grey, and you notice only now that she has a tail as well. Grey furred, matching the colour of her ears and hair. She reminds you of a wolf.

The girl says something, the same language the others used at the mansion. You're sure now that this must be the local language, and you're quickly becoming afraid that you'll have an incredibly difficult time even getting a small amount of help without understanding anyone else. The girl says the same thing, and this time sounds a little impatient.

"I... uh... don't understand," you say, accompanying with a waving of your arms, trying to illustrate that you don't, but give up when you can't adequately think of a way to gesture the concept of understanding. Instead, you simply place a hand on your stomach. "I need food."

The girl bobs in mid air for a moment, then slowly floats down to the ground, approaching as she does. She keeps her eyes on your sword as she closes the distance, until she lands in front of you. She's not much shorter than you, about a head, but you're not by any means tall. She only appears to be in her mid teens. She rummages in her basket, and pulls out a handful of the same berries she was harvesting and holds them out to you with a nod. You nod in return and accept them, taking only a cursory glance at them before popping some into your mouth. They're pretty sweet. She watches you for a few seconds as you eat, looking over your armour and looking both curious and cautious. Her eyes linger for a while on the holy symbol you have tied to your pauldron, a golden disc with a depiction of a right handed gauntlet. She looks up at you, then looks off into the trees.

"Could you help me?" you ask, causing the girl to look back at you. She does nothing but blink, and twitch her ears a little. She doesn't even seem to understand a word you're saying. "I don't suppose you could point me towards a town," you say, a little dejected. The girl doesn't understand, it seems, since she simply offers a small bow, says something, then turns around and floats into the air again. While you're still not much better off than you were, but at least you've got something in your stomach. You've also got a slightly odd feeling, a sense of danger. You look around you, not seeing anything. You're a little bothered, not sure what the source of this feeling is, or even what kind of dangers do exist in this world. You look back at the girl as she floats off through the trees.

[] Follow her again
[] Go back to the bush and try to harvest more of those berries
[] Return to the trail

[x] Follow her again
Can't let the nice girl face FOE alone.

[] Follow her again

[X] Follow her again

If it's Moemizi we're talking about I'm ready to follow her to world's end. Give me Momizi or give me death!

>>11441

For all we know that may actually happen.

[] Go back to the bush and try to harvest more of those berries

[x] Follow her again

Frankly, you don't want to take the risk of wandering alone. This girl is the only person you've seen other than that fairy on this side of the bank, and you're not going to pass up a chance to get some help at least. Regardless of if she understands you or not, you begin to follow her, trudging through the forest after her. Soon after you begin following her again, she looks back at you, but doesn't stop. She doesn't speed up either though, which is a good thing as far as you're concerned. After a few minutes, the girl flies down to the forest floor again and disappears behind some bushes. You pick up your pace a little, trying to catch up to her. You come around the bush she'd vanished behind, and find her tying a dead rabbit, securing the other end of the rope to the basket. She looks back at you as she stands, then floats away again, and you follow once more.

You're not sure how long you've walked now. The forest has become thick enough that you can't even see the sky anymore. Despite this, strangely glowing plants litter the ground, all sorts of odd shrubs and mushrooms you've only seen in alchemy labs and magic shops. It's almost nostalgic, this arboreal world. Surrounded by this strange, almost alien landscape, is a completely out of place looking house in a small clearing, a very thin beam of sunlight just managing to pierce the thinner foliage above. It looks similar to the houses in more upscale districts in the larger cities back home, not like something you'd find in the middle of a forest. The girl walks up to the door, having landed a few feet from the house, and opens the door. You're rather close behind her, when she turns around and holds out a hand, palm pointed towards you. 'Stop', it seems. She proceeds inside, and closes the door. You catch a glimpse of grey in a window nearby, but see nothing when you look towards it. You wait for a few minutes, spending your time looking around the area. The door clicks open, and the girl returns with another, almost identical girl. The only differences between the two is the new girl's hair has a short section of white at the forehead rather than the grey of the former, and that she wears glasses. They dress differently as well, though the only difference is the colour of the trim of their dresses.

They begin to talk amongst themselves, occasionally looking towards you and pointing in your direction. You're truly starting to feel frustrated with not being able to understand anyone. You look down at your feet, tapping one against the worn dirt underfoot. You stop for a moment, and poke at the dirt with the toe of your sabatons, and it breaks easily. That gives you an idea. You kneel down, loosening your shield from your arm, and use the tapered bottom of the shield to scratch the dirt. The two girls stop talking and watch you as you cut a rough circle into the ground, with a set of lines coing out of one side: the lake and it's stream. A smaller circle in the lake, and several primitive symbols for trees, symbolizing the forest. By the time you're done, the two girls are crouched around the rough drawing, and look at each other, then to you. The white-locked one scratches a rough house symbol into the dirt, quite a way away from the stream, then scratches some strange symbols into the dirt as well. The first one then scratches several house symbols farther along, and you rationalize that it must be a village. From the looks of it, you're not terribly far from a village. If you left now, you'd probably reach the village before sunset. The two girls start talking to each other again, sounding a little excited from the tone of their voices, and you stand up from your map. You're feeling much better with the knowledge that there's a village you can reach, though you feel you should try and do something for these girls to make up for the help they've given you.

[] Leave immediately for the village
[] Try to see if you can help them in some way
[] Wait and see if they do something

[x] Try to see if you can help them in some way.
Chivalry and quest exp.

[X] Try to see if you can help them in some way
paladinon is Paladin. And Paladin do good things.

[X] Try to see if you can help them in some way

[x] Try to see if you can help them in some way.

You wouldn't feel right simply leaving. The solid-grey girl was kind enough to give you some of the berries she gathered, and she didn't try to chase you off when you followed her, and now she's helped you by effectively pointing you towards a village. It's not even a question of will you, you must repay her kindness. The question is, how to get that point across to her in a way she'll understand. This would be so much easier if you had a more reliable way to communicate with her.

"Hey," you say, catching her attention. When she looks at you, you hold up one arm, and pat it. The girl looks confused for a moment, and turns back to white-stripe for a moment before standing and mimicing the action. No luck it seems. "Help you," you say, repeating the action. "Work."

"Hehpu eyou," the girl repeats futilely, mimicking the motion again. You'd probably be a little more distressed at your lack of progress if she didn't seems as ridiculous as she does. This isn't going anywhere though, so you try something else. You make a motion as if you were peeling something with a knife. The girl looks on with a confused expression, but white-stripe says something and she seems to catch on, realizing what you're getting at. Just as you feel you've made a breakthrough, you see some movement at the house, and look up to see the door open. An older man stands in the door now, wearing a very ornately patterned robe. He shouts something and the two girls jump up and turn around, hurrying back over to the door. They both bow slightly before hurrying inside, and the man stands in the doorway, staring you down. A few seconds later, white-stripe reappears and hands the man something. It's not until he exits the house and closes the door you see that it's a sword, one of those curved swords you remember those 'Ronin' using. The man approaches you, saying something in the same foreign language as everyone else. Even if you don't know what he's saying though, he sounds angry.

[] Prepare to defend yourself
[] Try to find a way to calm him
[] Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him
[] Run away
[] Skill
[] Spell

[x] Try to find a way to calm him
[x] Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him

[x] Try to find a way to calm him
[x] Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him

[x] Try to find a way to calm him
[x] Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him

{X} Try to find a way to calm him
{X} Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him

[x] Try to find a way to calm him
[x] Keep your distance, but don't try to provoke him

You begin to retreat from the man's advance. This isn't good, you're going to need to find some way to calm him down. However, your attempt to keep your distance quickly becomes futile as the man enters a charge, hand on the handle of his blade. It's the least you can do to raise your shield in defense as you move away. Your timing couldn't be better, as just as you raise your shield, he cuts forth with a lightning quick slash that glances across the face of your shield.

"Wait!" you shout out of reflex, and the man hesitates for a moment.

"Englishman," he says, chuckling a bit to himself, causing you quite a bit of surprise. He can understand you?

"I'm not an enemy," you say, still taking steps away from the man even though he's stopped advancing, holding his blade low. "I just needed help, and ended up following the grey haired girl here." The man doesn't move from his spot, but he does adjust his stance, raising his blade to waist level.

"Never enemy, always try to hurt my girls in the end," he says, starting to slowly advance again. "Send you back to town or to shallow grave."

"Please wait, sir," you say, maintaining your distance again. "It would be against my principles to hurt an innocent. I'm a-" You don't get to finish, as you're cut off by a shout from the grey-haired girl as she runs up and wraps her arms around the man's torso, trying uselessly to pull him aside, shouting something all the while. The man relents his advance, and looks at the girl as she tugs on his robe, talking quickly. After a while, the man nods, and drops his combat stance but still keeps his blade out. He pats the girl on the head and looks at you.

"Said you're not bad, and doesn't want you to die. Your death would upset her, so I yield for now," he says, raising his sheath as he stows his sword.

"I'm surprised you understand me too, even if you don't listen to me," you say, a little relieved. The man simply smirks and turns away, heading back to the house.

"Best to leave, Englishman. Don't need more people," he says on his way back to the house.

[] Take his advice, head for the village
[] Ask him if he needs any help
[] Try and persuade him to let you stay

[x] Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
[x] Take his advice, head for the village.

{X} Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
{X} Take his advice, head for the village.

[x] Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
[x] Take his advice, head for the village.

[x] Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
[x] Take his advice, head for the village.

{X} Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
"Thanks for the help, young lass. I will repay you somehow later."
{X} Take his advice, head for the village.

[x] Take a small bow, as a sign of thanks to the girls - there is nothing you can do to persuade the man.
[x] Take his advice, head for the village.

That's it then. There's nothing you can do so long as this man opposes you, and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to persuade him either. You turn away from the house, in the direction the village was suppsoed to be. At least with this you should be able to find it easy enough. Even if you're off by a little, you're not likely going to be able to miss something like a village so long as you're heading somewhere near it. You start off on your own again, walking into the strange forest. After only traveling a few feet into the forest, you hear something coming up behind you, and turn around to see solid-grey jogging after you. She presents a small bundle to you, which you accept. Kind of soft, wrapped in a cloth of some sort. You open it up to find a small amount of some type of bread, and you notice it has bits of those berries she had been collecting. Not freshly baked, but still better than nothing. She bows to you, and you decide to return the gesture, since it seems only appropriate even if you don't necessarily understand the true context or meaning of the action. With a smile, the girl heads back towards the house, and you repack the bread you had been given and tie the bundle to your sword belt.

The journey through the forest is long. With the sky still covered by the canopy overhead you can't get a good idea of the time, but with the few streams of light that manage to reach the forest floor, you manage to estimate that it is past noon, if your approximation of east and west are correct. You've taken a bit of time to try some of the bread you had been given, it had been quite good, sweet without any other toppings. You're still feeling a little bothered by your inability to do anything to help the girls, but in a situation like that you have to accept it can't be helped. You take your mind off the matter for now, looking at the forest around you. A distant crack catches your attention, and you think you see movement between two large trees surrounded by glowing plants. You're starting to get a bad feeling again.

[] Keep pace, you'll deal with anything that happens
[] Pick up the pace, you'd rather get out of the forest
[] Hold your ground and wait for something to happen
[] Draw your sword and investigate the movement

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

Whether it be some barrier or just shifting the stance to draw faster.

[x] Hold your ground and wait for something to happen
[x] Draw your sword and shield ever so silently.

[x] Keep pace, you'll deal with anything that happens

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

>She presents a small bundle to you, which you accept. Kind of soft, wrapped in a cloth of some sort. You open it up to find a small amount of some type of bread, and you notice it has bits of those berries she had been collecting.
Jane... ;_;

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

[X] Keep walking, but watch the vicinity and secretly prepare for a fight.

You're going to keep your pace at the very least, but you're not going to drop your guard. You bring your hand to your sword, keeping a steady hand on it in case you need to draw it to defend yourself. Your grip on your shield tightens as well. Several quiet cracks and shaking bushes follow you as you make your way thorugh this bizarre forest. You're definitely being followed by something. Another loud snap to the side, and a quick darting black shadow disappears from sight. Several feet more, you catch a faint shadow moving among the branches up above that quickly leaps into the cover of the canopy and disappears. You alter your course slightly, heading away from the spot the shadow vanished, expecting an ambush. You keep your eyes on the ground level for now, watching around you for signs of danger. Seems there's only that one figure following you, thankfully. However, whatever it is spends more time playing with you than it does making an attack. It seems that it wants you to see it sometimes, making noise to draw your attention then disappearing. It's trying to unnerve you, it's trying to scare you, make it easier to attack, you're sure of it.

A soft shine catches your attention, one of those glowing plants growing behind a dark leaved bush, faintly lighting a figure hiding within. A pair of red eyes watches you from the bush, glowing under their own power, before winking out and disappearing behind a nearby tree along with the figure. This is getting ridiculous now. You stop walking and simply stand in place.

"If you're spoiling for a fight, then come and get me already. I don't have time for these silly games," you shout, drawing your sword. You hear another loud crack and a rustle from above, and look up just in time to see a pair of red eyes bearing down on you. You quickly place your shield between you and it, and are knocked off balance by the resulting collision. You remain on your feet though, and the attacker lands nearby. At a quick glance, you realize it's another young girl, dressed in a blue shirt and long skirt though that's all the detail you can make out before she rushes in again and lashes out with a clawed hand. You block the attack easily, but are surprised when the same unarmed attack manages to make you stumble again. Such incredible strength, even greater than the impact from those magical lights the fairy summoned. Another strike lands on your shield and knocks you back again. The girl comes in for another strike, and this time you prepare to attack back. Holding your shield in front of her attack as you step aside, the impact against your shield knocks your arm aside, but gives you an opening to strike, and your blow lands firm, striking a deep gouge in her shoulder. She shrieks in pain and grasps the wound, jumping back. She shouts something at you in the foreign language of the land.

You ready yourself to advance, when she pulls her hand away, and you notice that the wound you had made has already begun to heal. Impossible... what is this girl? Some kind of monster? She sneers at you again and rushes in to attack. She's moving much faster now, and you can't ready your shield in time. Her strike catches you in the chest, and while she didn't penetrate your armour, the impact was enough to throw you back. Landing on your back, you scramble to your feet before the girl can reach you and take a braced stance, planning your next move.

[] Write in
[] Skill
[] Spell

[x] Use Barrier.
[x] Cast Dispel on your blade.
[x] Try talking with her. Explain your situation; you're obviously a foreigner and you have no idea why she's attacking.
[x] If talking does not work, use Smite the moment she strikes your Barrier, then use Parry.
[x] Keep your shield at the ready to deflect another attack; try to dash forward and stab her with the enchanted sword.

[x] Use Barrier.
[x] Cast Dispel on your blade.
[x] Try talking with her. Explain your situation; you're obviously a foreigner and you have no idea why she's attacking.
[x] If talking does not work, use Smite the moment she strikes your Barrier, then use Parry.
[x] Keep your shield at the ready to deflect another attack; try to dash forward and stab her with the enchanted sword.

Whatever.

[x] Use Barrier.
[x] Cast Dispel on your blade.
[x] Try talking with her. Explain your situation; you're obviously a foreigner and you have no idea why she's attacking.
[x] If talking does not work, use Smite the moment she strikes your Barrier, then use Parry.
[x] Keep your shield at the ready to deflect another attack; try to dash forward and stab her with the enchanted sword.

I'll listen to the man who's played mmos before

>>11777

>Whatever.

Squall, is that you?

[x] Use Barrier.
[x] Cast Dispel on your blade.
[x] Try talking with her. Explain your situation; you're obviously a foreigner and you have no idea why she's attacking.
[x] If talking does not work, use Smite the moment she strikes your Barrier, then use Parry.
[x] Keep your shield at the ready to deflect another attack; try to dash forward and stab her with the enchanted sword.

The impact comes hard, but you're ready for it. A vicious uppercut of sorts, leading with the tips of her claws rather than her knuckles. The blow lifts your shield slightly, but her strength no longer throws you off. You've fought things like this before, they just tended to look a little more decaying, or monsterous than a young teen girl. With the brief opening, you step forward, driving your foot into her midsection. The strike surprises her, knocking her off her feet backwards, lower half of her body simply spinning out from under her as she hits the forest floor with a heavy thud. Immediately following the kick, you begin to incant the short spell for Barrier as she hops to her feet and charges you. The spell goes off just in time, the flash of light as a rapidly expanding wall of coloured light springs from your shield causes her to hesitate for just a moment, and her hand rams uselessly into the magical wall with a hollow thump. At her strength though, it won't last very long, so you prepare your next spell, targeting your sword for a Dispel enchantment. The barrier lasts long enough for the second spell, and then some.

After a few blows, the girl stops, hopping back and shaking her hands.

"Listen!" you shout, taking a moment to eye the magical barrier. It's grown dim already, it's usual smokey, translucent form is little more than a wispy shell that threatens to flicker out at any moment. "I don't mean you any harm, I'm just passing through the forest." You're not sure it'll work, and you're reassured when the girl simply says something angrily, yet again in that foreign language. It might just truly be useless to try to talk to anyone, and you can't really get your message across any other way without lowering your defenses entirely. Though you're hesitant to want to admit it, you likely won't be able to end this fight without having to seriously wound, if not outright kill this girl, and the thought of is unsettles you. You don't know who she is, or why she's attacking you. You don't know anything about this place, and simply by defending yourself as you have you might be in the wrong. You curse a little under your breath as the girl simply blathers away angrily in her native language, pacing back and forth in front of you. You've fought things like this before, they just weren't young girls. Somewhere in the back of your mind, a doubt lingers about this situation. Your train of thought is derailed when another attack causes the magical shield to finally dissipate, and you take action the moment it drops by stepping in and thrusting your shield forward. There's a loud clatter as you drive the flat of your shield directly into her face, pushing her back.

She staggers for a few steps, clutching her face, and blindly swipes at you. You easily avoid the wild slash, and she readies another, and this time you intercept her lazy swing by smacking her hand away with your shield, stepping in once more and taking a cotnrolled swing. The tip of your sword drags easily through the front of her dress, near the bottom of her ribcage. It's not a very good cut, not something that would be fatal, but her hiss of pain that follows lets you know she felt it. You take a short hop back and retake a defensive stance. The rage in the girls face is unbearable, a twisted grimace of hatred and pain mixed with blood. Only now do you notice the two pairs of large canine teeth in her mouth, which almost seem to glow white in constrast to the muddled red that surrounds her mouth. She begins to glow, drawing back her hand. You recall the fairy you encountered at the mansion, and your heart jumps. Can she do the same thing? You can't get off another Reflect spell right now, and you're sure that trying to defend yourself entirely will just make it easy for her to counterattack, and you are sure that if she even gains the slightest advantage, it's over for you. You can feel your heart beating as a reminder of your own mortality, and the adrenaline pumps through you. You're not going to let her get this off. You charge her, abandoning your defensive stance.

With a snarl, the girl whips her hand forward, a concentrated burst of glowing lights materializes from her fingers. You meet the attack by making a leap forward, driving your shield towards the cluster. The incredible force of the multiple impacts throws your shield arm aside, and the few stray lights remaining pepper your now unprotected body, but the force alone of the shots aren't enough to stop your momentum, now powered partially by the turning inertia generated by your cast-aside shield arm as you descend onto the girl, driving the thick tip of your sword through her upper chest, and following with a heavy knee crashing into her shoulder, you tackle her to the ground with the sheer weight and land on top of her like a pile of stones. The sword itself has buried itself into the forest floor, and the blade has passed into her all the way to the hilt. Even though the wound wound surely be fatal, the girl continues to breathe painfully, growling with each breath as her chest presses against the intrusive blade.

Despite the situation, her hands find their way to your neck and she manages to rake you lightly before you fight her off, taking all your strength just to keep her hands away. It's not right, she shouldn't still be able to fight like this. Nothing you've ever fought has been like this, and you realize just how much you've been underestimating the girl. You need to survive, you have to kill her, but even despite your dire situation, surely staring into the livid face of death herself, your oaths flow into your mind. Sparing her, it's almost an alien concept. You're not fighting for your beliefs anymore, not like this. You're fighting to stay alive, but is it right? Can you even subdue her? Even if you could, can you even live long enough to carry it out?

[] Finish her
[] Incapacitate her

[x] Foot on her chest,
[x] Sword raised,
[x] Beheading time!
[x] SWING BATTER BATTER BATTER!

[x] Head---
[x] ---Say goodbye to the torso!
[x] IT'S A BEHEADING!

I'm going to pretend that this is that one wolf youkai girl from Border Crosser, making another attack on an outsider.

Haha, sucks to be her now.

[x] "F-forgive me..."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

>that one wolf youkai girl from Border Crosser

I thought about it, but that would probably be a little too faggoty of me. Plus I wouldn't let you kill her. :<

[x] "Forgive me."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

>>11941>>11963
That isn't very Paladin of you. Stop fucking with our source of power.

>That isn't very Paladin of you. Stop fucking with our source of power.

To be honest, it's not like we're a very good Paladin to begin with, given how we tried to trick Sakuya into stripping while outside.

It's like instead of Galahad, we're the ones who would spend hours upon hours systematically killing all the NPCs in a village upon finding out they give 1 XP and GP each.

>>11971

I'M A CRUSADER
I'M A CRUSADER
SUCK MY DIIIIIIICK
I'M A CRUSADER

[x] "Forgive me."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

[x] "Forgive me."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

Give her a proper burial if she does not dissolves into thin air, too.

[x] "Forgive me."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

Hate to do it, but she's obviously feral. Gotta put her down.

Are we killing someone especial, or just a random youkai? Blue shirt and long skirt isn't very descriptive.

>>11978

I'm guessing it is just a random youkai. Canine fangs, red eyes, claws, generic blue clothing, unreasonable anger, etc.

Either way, she'll come back to life sooner or later. By then, if it is someone important, we'll have someone to communicate for us, and perhaps we'll be forgiven.

[x] "Forgive me."
[x] Finish her.
[x] Manly tear.

It's not a girl. It's a monster. You have to tell yourself this as she violently thrashes her body against your blade. She only serves to make her own wound larger, and each thrust of her body drives the blade out of the ground more and more. Even as you struggle, you can see the wound you had made on her shoulder is reduced to what looks like a shallow cut. Even the cut across her chest is becoming little more than a superficial scratch. It's not magical healing... It's natural. Whatever she is, she has incredible strength and amazing regenerative properties. You're going to have to kill her outright. Summoning a burst of strength, you push her arms aside and stand up. In a second she's attacking your legs, and she's managed to dig her claws through the gaps of your armour, scraping your skin in a desperate attempt to pry your armour right off, and succeeding. Without wasting any more time, you stomp a foot hard onto the girls chest, causing her to cough as you grab your sword and wrench it free. You'd only pierced ther upper chest, you're going to have to get her heart. She struggles all the while as you put all your weight into the foot on her.

"Forgive me," is all you can say as you plunge downwards, weight behind the attack as you drive the blade into the center of her chest, breaking through her ribcage and piercing her heart. She spasms violently, hands ripping at your head, but her strength is already leaving her finally, a mortal blow struck. Her expression changes, but it's not a fearful expression of someone embracing death, rather it's a condescending sneer as she coughs lightly, teeth stained with her own blood now. The entire time, her eyes are locked on yours, and you only know she's dead when her eyes no longer follow you when you move. It's an eerie feeling, as if she can still see you. Just to be sure, you reach forward hesitantly, pressing your hand to her neck. You can't feel a pulse, and you look at her eyes again. The malicious light in them is gone now. You lean back, hand on your sword, looking down at your hand, covered in her blood. A spot of blood vanishes, then another. Your face is hot, and you realize your eyes are watering. No, that's not it, you're crying for the girl. the least you can do for her is shut her eyes. You withdraw your sword, wiping off the blood that coats it on the girls clothes, lacking much better to clean it with. You're bleeding yourself as well, you're sure of it. Your leg where she tore at your armour is hot, your face and head, and several dull pains begin to ache now that the adrenaline fades.

Your eyes trail back to the girl. Only now that she's still you can notice other details you otherwise missed. A pair of animal like ears are on her head, though they were hidden by her hair, pressd back against her head. She also has a tail as well. What's with this? It reminds you of the two girls from earlier. Are they... the same? No, they didn't attack you. Could they have? Why didn't they? You sheathe your sword and take a few steps away before you feel dizzy. No good, you've taken quite a lot of damage despite your victory. You stagger over to a nearby tree and lean against it. You can feel your mental fatigue, you used too much energy with your magic, and you're close to your limit now. You can't take a rest here though, and you reach to a pouch at your waist, pulling out a pair of small vials, a medicinal and a restorative potion, for body and mind respecively. These potions survived, thankfully. You have such a limited supply though, especially since you have no idea if you could buy anything like this at the village. While you could use their restoration, you're worried that you might be wasting them. Your entire body aches from the battle and the wounds you've suffered. You push away from the tree despite your pain. You have to go no matter what, you can't stay in this forest anymore. Which direction were you heading again..."Right. You manage to recover your bearings, and head in the direction the village is supposed to be, looking down at the potions in your hand.

[] Take them
[] Save them

[x] Take them.
[x] Hurry on towards the village.
- must improve chance to survive any way possible

[x] Check the body for loot without disrespecting the dead.
- must check for drops

[x] Save them

[x] Take them.
[x] Hurry on towards the village.

[x] Save them.
[x] Make haste, without taking on a speed grueling enough to worsen your health.

Once we reach the village, we will be able to ask for medical treatment and bed rest. Let's save the potions for boss fights.

>>11971

Oh, lighten up. We've pretty much chosen his personality by now, and have stuck to it so far; even if we wanted him to be an ass, we would have posted better write-ins. Both of those basically translate to "Kill her" no matter how you look at them.

[x] Take them.
[x] Hurry on towards the village.
I see myself in this post. In every RPG game I ever played, after a bossfight I have shitload of potions and those one-shot stat boost item. Don't be stingy. It's no use if we cannot stay alive to use it later.

[x] Check the body for loot without disrespecting the dead.
rare cards~

[Z] Take them.
[Z] Hurry on towards the village.

Are these potions identified?
I really hate quaffing shit if I don't know what it will do, especially when I've time to rest.

Drinking a potion of mutation in the middle of a battle and mutating in a negative way?
Not fun.
Funny, yes.
But not fun.

>>12025

>You can't take a rest here though, and you reach to a pouch at your waist, pulling out a pair of small vials, a medicinal and a restorative potion, for body and mind respecively.

Gee, I dunno.

>>12025
You drink a potion!
You feel dopey!
Xom finds this hilarious!

>>12026
"Medicinal" and "restorative" aren't very descriptive, though.
What am I medicating?
What am I restoring?


>>12027
Yes, he does.

Then he does it some more.

>>12028

If they weren't identified, you wouldn't know they were medicinal and/or restorative. What you do know is that they will restore health and mental energy, but what you don't realize is that this means that your numerical health/mana pools are looking a little grim, since you're not consciously aware of having 58/126 hp and 15/68 mp

>>12029

[x] Rub your ring. Rub it hard, rub it fast. Rub it until your thumb falls off from friction+mana burn.

[x] Take them.
[x] Hurry on towards the village.

You don't waste much more time worrying over the availability, and remove the stoppers, downing the potions right away. Immediately, you feel their effects, a spreading warth throughout your body as the pain fades and the familiar itching feeling of the scratches and cuts you've suffered closing. You're not completely recovered, but you feel much better. You also feel more energetic, the fatigue fading from your body, your senses sharpening as an after effect. You'll worry about finding a replacement some other time. For now, you're going to hurry to the village. So long as you can get there without incident, you should be fine.

---

It's early evening by the time the forest dwindles to a few scarce trees and you reach the sunlight, looking out over a clear, open field bordering a rather sizable village. This has to be it, and you breathe a sigh of relief as you make your way towards it. It isn't until you reach the outskirts of a market that it hits you that everyone here would probably speak the same foreign language, and after a few seconds of listening, you prove yourself right. Ah, great. You feel you should have tried to force that man in the woods to let you stay there. At least he could speak this 'English'. Though... maybe someone here speaks it. However, when you decide to try your luck, you notice that several people have already taken notice of you and have stopped in place, looking you over.

[] Try and ask for help
[] Keep looking on your own
[] Wait for someone to do something

[x] Try and ask for help

Also, FotLS needs a new thread.

>>12067

Done that. For the damnedest reason I was stuck on how to write the update for several days, and lacking a suitable image, so I spent more time on this and kicking around night school work. I'll be done that very soon though, only a week left to go.

[] Wait for someone to do something

[x] Wait for someone to do something

[x] Wait for someone to do something

You blank. You can't think of anything you could do to try to get a point across, let alone try to communicate with these people. You resign yourself to simply waiting to see if the small crowd does anything. A few of the people chatter amongst themselves, and you spot a young man heading away from the group, heading over to a few men nearby with dark coloured robes. As they head back towards you, you get the feeling they might be some kind of law enforcement. As expected, the first things they say to you are in the foreign language, and you shake your head.

"I don't understand," you say. "I speak... uh, 'English'."

"Eng-rish?" one of the men responds with a heavy accent, you nod and the group of men look back at each other, talking for a few seconds. Occasionally, they look back at you and, more notably, your sword. After a few seconds, one of the men makes a waving motion suggesting you follow them. The rest of them step aside as if to let you pass. You have a feeling you're being detained.

[] Go with it, it's their job.
[] Resist, you didn't do anything wrong.

[x] Go with it, it's their job.

Not like we've done anything wrong. We can't even understand what's going on.

>>12170
we can take on a pack of angry villagers just fine. If they decide to detain us, we bash their skulls.
[x] Go with it, it's their job.

{X} Go with it, it's their job.

[] Go with it, it's their job.

Bumping this as a reminder to myself later when I forget what I was doing.

Bumping this as a reminder to yourself later when you forget what you should be doing.

[x] Go with it, it's their job.

You don't want to cause a scene, so you decide to simply accept the situation and follow along. As you approach, the other men encircle you, and maintain their position as you're lead through the market, people all around stopping to watch the strange man in armour lead away. It's a little embarrassing, but you really can't do anything about it. You're not going to start trouble over someone doing what you imagine to be their job when you reason you really do look suspicious, considering you're in armour and carrying a weapon when no one else is, let alone the fact you don't speak their language.

It's a short trip to a sizable building, with barred windows. It's odd that despite the obviously foreign style of the people, the buildings you've seen so far have a bizarre mix of foreign design and design you're more familiar with, which causes you quite a bit of curiosity. You're lead inside, into several more men who go silent as you enter. The leading man says something to a few others, and you recognize the word 'Engrish' among the otherwise incomprehensible language, and one of them walks over to a barred door and unlocks it. You're then lead to the door, where a man stops you and pats the weapon at his side, nodding to you. It takes you a few moments to understand that he's probably suggesting you hand over your weapon. It would only be reasonable after all. You take a few seconds to remove your sword from your waist, and hand it over to the man, who then nods to you and gestures into the room. You enter without a hassle and the door closes and locks behind you. It doesn't seem to be a typical jail cell, more something to simply hold someone for a few hours or so, unless all cells in this... wherever you are are as large as this one. You remove your shield as well and set it against a wall, sitting on a bench next to it and simply biding your time.

In less than an hour, by your reckoning, a man appears at the doorway accompanied by the jailor, it would seem. Unlike the jailor however, this man doesn't look like he's one of the locals. The man adjust his glasses slightly before speaking.

"I was told you speak English?" the man asks, and you feel a wave of relief overcome you.

"Yes, yes I do," you reply, standing up from the bench and taking a few steps forward.

"Ah, good then. I'm sorry that you had to be detained like this, please don't hold it against us," the man continues apologetically. You hold up your hands.

"It's okay, I understand. I probably look pretty suspicious to a lot of people around here, so I don't have a problem with it. It's my duty to uphold law and order after all," you say. The man looks a little relieved.

"So, you're a... well, law man as well?" he asks.

"Not necessarily, not in the same way a guardsman would be. Rather, I bring good law to the people of the landsand uphold justice where there is none and deliver judgment where the courts won't go," you state, proudly declaring your cause.

"Oh, a... paladin was it? Sounds like something from one of those games..." the man says, sounding a mix of confused and amused. "In any case, you were just being held until I could get here. I'm one of the police of this village, though I don't see much work. I'm more useful dealing with foreign language prisoners, which we admittedly don't get a lot of."

"Foreign language," you repeat. "So, 'English' isn't the common language here?"

"No, that would be Japanese that most people speak here," he replies. That's not a language you've ever heard of, but that's why you don't understand a word of it. In the meantime, the man says a few things to the jailor in what you assume to be 'Japanese', and the jailor unlocks the door and pulls it open. "Well, I've vouched for your case. Since you were co-operative and don't seem to be intent on causing trouble you're free to leave, but I'll be accompanying you for a while."

"Understood then," you say, heading back to collect your shield and starting towards the door. Once you exit the cell, it's once again closed, and another man approaches carrying your sword. Instead of handing it to you though, he hands it to the man that had been speaking to you.

"I'll carry this for now though," he says. You nod in agreement once more, then the man turns away and heads towards the door to the outside. "Come along now."

You are taken back outside, and the man heads off down the street, with you following.

"I'm going to take you to the English quarter," the man says. "You should have an easy enough time there, at least until you decide what you want to do."

"What I want to do?" you ask, not aware there was a choice for you to make.

"Well, I imagine you probably don't want to stay here," he says, looking around. "Not that there's anything wrong with-" then he says something you don't understand.

"What was that?"

"What?" Then he repeats the word. 'Ghensewkeyoh?'

"Yeah," you say, though you're pretty sure you're getting an idea of what it is by now.

"Gensokyo is where you are right now. It's... well, a world within a world?"

"Is it some kind of plane?" you ask. The man doesn't seem to understand you now.

"Plane? Oh! You mean like, Material Plane, Ethereal Plane. Like that?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, I don't really know actually," the man says, stopping to think for a moment. "It's kind of hard to explain. It's enclosed in a magical barrier that removes it from the outside world."

"Why would that be?" you ask.

"Well, the outside world doesn't believe in everything that exists here anymore. Magic doesn't have a place in the modern world, so Gensokyo was created a long time ago to try to preserve a small amount of it I guess. That's why so many unusual things exist here still, like magic, actually, as well as all the various magical and supernatural creatures and beings you'd imagine." Your mind wanders back to that girl you killed in the forest. With the perspective of this world being filled with magical creatures, you understand now why she was so strong, but still don't understand what she was.

"Magical creatures?" you say. "Monsters?"

"I guess," the man says with a short laugh. "Though now a days some of the youkai have really calmed down. Quite a few are starting to prefer living like a human as well, so calling them all monsters wouldn't be right."

"Yokai?" you echo, feeling a bit bothered by the number of questions you have, but it's only natural you reason. You haven't had much luck finding people to talk to since you've arrived, and you haven't had a lot of explanations for what you've been dealing with.

"Yeah, uh... There's a lot to explain there. Basically, they're magical or spiritual beings. Some can fill a specific purpose, or have a particular role to fill, or represent some kind of special animal. In legend, they can be scary looking or outright frightening, but in reality is seems that most of them are rather pretty ordinary looking, so they can be hard to tell apart from a human. At least, unless you find one eating a human..."

"They eat humans?" you say, a little disturbed now. Now that gives you an understanding of that girls motivations most likely, and you feel a slight chill at the idea. You had thought you had made some kind of problem for the girl or invaded some territory or something, but to realize that it might have been little more than an animal instinct to hunt... "Doesn't that mean they're dangerous? Why would you want to live with them?"

"Hey, hey, calm down," the man says, sounding a little stern. "Yes, they can eat humans, but not all do. Some youkai were human before they became a youkai, so they're still human-minded. There's a bit of an agreement as well, that youkai won't attack the village. This is upheld by the fact that aside from their normal lives, almost everyone in this village is, or has descended from, professional youkai exterminators. The only people that have to worry about being eaten are people that fall through the border and end up lost, or people that leave the village alone at night and wander into the wilderness. New arrivals are fair game, and it's unfortunate to say, but sometimes it's for the best."

"They need to be protected though," you interject. "It's dangerous for humans lost out there."

"There's nothing we can do," the man says, shaking his head. "There's no telling where someone can end up when they fall through, and we just can't watch the entire landscape all day. We don't have nearly enough people. It is unfortunate that some scared people end up killed and eaten, but at the same time, it keeps the wilder youkai happy, and they don't cause trouble for us. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few to save many."

The mans words knot in your stomach, but you bear it. You don't like hearing it, but you can't do anything about it yourself.

"It's probably hard for you to hear this, knowing what you told me. We've gotten kind of far off the original topic though," the man says, coughing to clear his throat. "What was it you were planning on doing? Most people that end up in Gensokyo want to leave, which should be easy enough to manage, except..." he looks you over for a moment. "You're probably from the same 'outside' I am."

"What other options are there?" you ask, simply wanting to know your choices before you ask more questions.

"Well, the other option really would be to stay, but you'd be on your own there, making your own place in the village. We don't kick anyone out normally unless they become a problem. Some people leave on their own as well," he says. You're reminded of the old man in the forest, but you figure you'll ask about him later. "Here we are then," the man says, gesturing ahead. "English quarter. Everyone around here speaks English as well, so you shouldn't have much trouble communicating here. I'll take you to the Inn and get you set up with a free room for today, so you can have some time to rest and think about what you want to do."

[] You still have a few questions. [Write in]
[] Accept the offer
[] Decline the offer, you can afford it yourself
[] "Actually, I've already made up my mind."
-[] "I'm staying."
-[] "I want to leave."

[] Accept the offer
[x] "Actually, I've already made up my mind."
-[x] "I'm staying."

For justice!

[x] You still have a few questions.
-[x] Same "outside"?
[x] Accept the offer, but offer to pay back the boarding fees later.

I wish to know why he thinks the paladin wouldn't want to leave if he is from the same "outside". And more on the implications that there are multiple "outsides"

[X] Accept the offer
[x] "Actually, I've already made up my mind."
-[x] "I'm staying."

Let's be a cop.

[X] Accept the offer
[x] "Actually, I've already made up my mind."
-[x] "I'm staying."

"Thank you for the offer, I'll accept it for today, however," you say, taking a pause. "I'm going to stay."

The man seems stunned for a moment, then regains his composure.

"Well, okay, if you've already made up your mind. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard for you to fit in at least. You're going to have to find a job though. I'm only going to get you one night for free, any more you're going to have to pay for yourself," the man says, continuing along the road towards the Inn.

"That's fine," you say. "I wouldn't want to be a burden anyway. I'm sure there'd be a use for me, whether or not it requires my sword would be another question entirely."

"Hah, I wouldn't worry about that," the man says, adjusting his glasses again. "There's always a use for a strong arm. You know..." he pauses for a moment, turning his head to look you over. "You're a law and order type, how about joining the constabulary?"

It's a decent offer, but the idea doesn't really sit right with you. While it's true that you believe in upholding law and order, a domestic element doesn't really seem that promising.

"I'll have to think about that offer," you say. "I prefer to not have to be tied down to a civil justice system. I bring a balance needed by the wilds, to put my talents into local law enforcement..." you trail off. The man simply responds with a chuckle and pats your shoulder.

"I get it, it's okay. An adventurer lives for adventure. Still, it's a job, and you won't have to stay if you don't want to. I'll keep the offer open, because I think that if you gave it a shot you'll think a bit differently about the job," he says, then stops, gesturing to a building just down the street. "Here we are then. Come on, I'll get you a room." The building is a familiar sight. It doesn't differ much from the Inns you've used many times in your travels. Living up to his promise, a room was arranged for you with a simple request by the bespectacled man. Once affairs had been settled, he turns to you again. "Everything's good to go. You've got a special room set up for you, third floor, end of the hall. It's there for you whenever you need it until this time tomorrow. I'd imagine you'd want to take a look around the town though, so don't hold back. If you're going to be staying in this village, it's probably best for you to get acquainted with it right away. I should get going now though, let you do whatever you want for now."

With that, the man gives a short bow, and heads towards the door.

"Wait," you say, causing the man to stop and turn. "I feel I should ask you your name, in case you're not around if I take up your offer." The man grins in response.

"My name is Anthony," he says. In response, you tell him your name. He nods. "Right then. It shouldn't be too hard to reach me. Just ask for me by name at the station and someone will get me if I'm not there." With that, he leaves, and leaves you to your devices.

[] Rest
[] Take a look around the area for...
-[] A Blacksmith
-[] An Apothecary
-[] A General Goods store
-[] Any food maker
-[] A tavern
[] Inquire around the area for information regarding [write in]

[x] Take a look around the area for...
-[x] A Blacksmith
-[x] An Apothecary
-[x] A General Goods store
-[x] Any food maker
-[x] A tavern
[x] Rest

Map out the place, first. Splurge tomorrow.

[x] Take a look around the area for...
-[x] A Blacksmith
-[x] An Apothecary
-[x] A General Goods store
-[x] Any food maker
-[x] A tavern
[X] Make a map using your "DEE ESH"
[x] Rest

[x] Take a look around the area for...
-[x] A Blacksmith
-[x] An Apothecary
-[x] A General Goods store
-[x] Any food maker
-[x] A tavern
[x] Rest

need to get this updatan

[x] Take a look around the area for...
-[x] A Blacksmith
-[x] An Apothecary
-[x] A General Goods store
-[x] Any food maker
-[x] A tavern
[x] Rest

Making the most of the time you have right now is important. You reason that you should try to find everything you might need today, and deal with it tomorrow. Leaving the Inn, you head out into the street. Easily enough, you notice a tavern directly across the street. On a whim, you head to the right first, walking down the street. A few buildings down on your side, you come across what looks like a butcher's business. You continue down the street until you reach an intersection, and which point you see both the apothecary and blacksmith on opposite corners. So far so good, but your search continues for a while longer. You turn right again at the intersection and continue, noting that not quite as many people in this area are giving you strange looks as you had been getting when you first arrived, and that there's a bakery on this street. Once again, you reach an intersection, but see nothing of note. Not wanting to stray too far, you take another right. On this street, you finally find a general goods store, located on the opposite side of the block from the Inn.

Your search finished, you return to the Inn. You inform the keeper that you wish to take your room now, and you are given a key and directions. You hadn't realized how worn out you were until you got back. You had spent a long time walking already today, compounded with the fight you had and everything you've dealt with, a nights rest sounds really good right now. You head up to your room and begin removing your armour, setting it aside on a large table. It's really quite a big room, looks like some kind of special suite. Once you're finished with your armour, you trod over to the bed and lay down. Getting under the sheets is the least you can do before you fall asleep.

***

Total Physical Damage: 117 points
Total Mental Strain: 75 points

XP: 267

***

You dream. In your dream, you're training again, practicing with your sword and shield. As you practice, images of the battles you've been in since arriving flash through, the encounter with the fairy, and that youkai girl in the forest. You fought them and survived, and you feel stronger because of it. The image of your fight against the youkai returns, and the sight of you leaping into an attack in order to deliver a critical blow. The approach made all the difference, pushing your way through the barrage of lights. The scene replays itself again, except you never leave the ground. You rush in on foot, using your shield to plow through the attack and deliver a powerful strike that knocks the girl off her feet. You can use that, a technique to keep in mind for future battles.

* You learned Shield Charge
A powerful rushing attack that can push enemies back and stun them.
HP: 138/138 MP: 76/76

You wake up the next morning rather early, earlier than you expected at least, but you can already hear the sounds of activity coming from outside. Your long rest has left you feeling rather refreshed and feeling much better. First things first, you should get around to whatever business you had in mind. You head over to your pile of gear on the table and fish out your coinpurse. You hope at least that your coins will still have value, at least for their being gold. You need to decide where to go first.

[ ] Go to...
-[ ] Blacksmith
-[ ] Apothecary
-[ ] General Goods
-[ ] Butcher
-[ ] Baker
-[ ] Tavern

[ ] Go to...
-[ ] Apothecary

[x] Go to...
-[x] Blacksmith

You know what would go good with our new Shield Charge ability?

A Mithril Shield Spike! +7 damage!

>You learned Shield Charge A powerful rushing attack that can push enemies back and stun them. HP: 138/138 MP: 76/76
FUCK YES. I LOVE IT. I LOVE THE SMELL OF NEW SKILLS AND FULL BARS IN THE MORNING.

[x] Blacksmith

Shield repair and reinforcement - sword sharpening. Also get us some better gauntlets and bracers. We need hand-to-hand if we ever get a busted weapon.

>>12673

but the shield by our definition is to protect. Also, if we ever go back to SDM or something they wouldn't even allow that.

[X] General Goods

[x] Blacksmith
Equipment maintenance price check. Also check value of our coin. Lets make sure we have enough money for food. Can't fight on an empty stomach.

[x] Tavern
Always a good source of local information. Maybe we can land ourselves a monster hunting job.

[x] Blacksmith
[x] Tavern

When's the last time we ate?

So, finally declaring a hiatus. I haven't felt like writing much recently, and I have no idea why. Even the nagging sensation to write things I have yet to put into words is gone, so I'm taking a break.

[x] Go to...
-[x] Blacksmith
-[x] Tavern

The choice is fairly natural, the blacksmith will be your first stop. You want to see the kind of facilities they have, and see if there's anything you could get or have done to better your weapons and armour. You leave your room, and make your way out into the street, heading towards the blacksmith's shop you saw yesterday. It's a short trip, and you enter the front portion of the building, a shop section displaying several sets of armour and weapons. You can hear the sound of hammer on metal, and you spot a young man towards the back of the storefront. He soon turns to see you.

"Ah, welcome," he says, approaching the counter. "How can I help you sir?"

"Well, first," you begin, opening your coinpurse and pulling out a few coins. "How much value do these carry?"

The young man looks slightly impressed, and can't help a short laugh, looking between you and the coins.

"Not many people still use gold around here," he says, picking up one of the coins. "These have a good weight to them, I'd say that 10 coins would get you a whole suit or armour."

"Oh, really?" you reply, a little astonished yourself. Gold must have a fairly high value here, more so than any place you've visited in your travels. You could go a long way on what you have already. "I'm mostly interested in getting some work done on a shield and sword, reinforcement, sharpening, repairs," you say, thinking to your gear. "I could also use a good pair of gauntlets, in case I'm forced to abandon my weapon."

"Well, sir," the young man says, turning the coin over in his hand. "If you don't see anything you like here, normally, we don't do custom orders, but..." he looks down at the gold piece in his hand before handing it back. "I think we can make an exception for you."

"I should begin with what you already have," you say, not wanting to jump straight to the offer yet. The young man starts off to a room off to the side, and enters. A few minutes later he emerges with several types of gauntlets, and sets them down on the counter top. Several of them are fairly standard fare, though a number of them also look to have been built specially for a more specific purpose. You recognize a locking gauntlet style, designed to lock your hold on a weapon to keep you from dropping it. There are several styles with reinforced knuckles, and either spiked, or topped with sharply ridged caps, designed to inflict more damage with punches. You pick up one gauntlet, one of the ones designed to improve hand to hand attacks. This one in particular is longer than the others, a long curved plate extending far enough to cover the forearm, while underneath the plate the leather glove itself is studded with metal. The knuckles themselves seem to be a ridged band of steel inserted into the glove and sewn in, from feeling the fingers, it seems that the knuckles are held in place by a set of rings you would slide your fingers through. In comparison, it's also fairly lighter than the mostly metal gauntlets. They seem good enough, though only practice would determine their true worth.

"This one looks fine," you say, indicating the one you had been looking at. The young man nods and returns in short order with the matching gauntlet, placing it on the counter as well.

"Three coins should be enough," the man says. You hand him the coins, and he pockets them quickly.

"I'll return soon with my gear to have it maintained," you say, nodding to the man as you turn to leave. He simply smiles as he gathers up the gauntlets and moves them into the back room. True enough to your word, you return several moments later with your sword and shield, placing them on the counter.

"Sharpen your sword, and reinforce the shield, right?" the man asks, just to be sure.

"Yes, and any repairs that might need to be made," you add.

"Right then, I'll get to work on these now. Come back in a little while, they should be done," the man says, collecting your gear and heading into the back room. With that underway, you decide you should head to the other destination you had in mind, the tavern. You head back towards the building across from the inn. It's a simple enough establishment, about what you'd have expected. Despite still being fairly early in the day, there are a few people in the building already. You take a moment to look over the room as you approach the bar, where the tavernkeeper waits.

"What can I do for you?" he asks as you approach.

[] Have a drink
-[] ... and see what you can overhear
[] Seek information
-[] Surroundings
-[] Employment opportunities
-[] Rumours

[x] Have a drink
[x] Seek information
-[x] Surroundings
-[x] Employment opportunities
-[x] Rumours
[x] Try to look as if you're the least suspicious person in the world. Bright smiles and laughter, right?
---[x] Keep your money safe; watch for pickpockets during the entire time you're in town.

I think a helmet should be in order when we go back to the blacksmith. I'm also concerned about the half-plate, though if not a full one, we could get a thick leather torso to wear under it. Our arms are too exposed.

We still have 197 gold. With the expense, I doubt we'll be left with less than 150 by the time we've stocked up on everything we need, unless we get robbed. Here's to the level 1 town!

[x] Have a drink
[x] Seek information
-[x] Surroundings
-[x] Employment opportunities
-[x] Rumours
[x] Try to look as if you're the least suspicious person in the world. Bright smiles and laughter, right?
---[x] Keep your money safe; watch for pickpockets during the entire time you're in town.

[x] Have a drink
[x] Seek information
-[x] Surroundings
-[x] Employment opportunities
-[x] Rumours
[x] Try to look as if you're the least suspicious person in the world. Bright smiles and laughter, right?
---[x] Keep your money safe; watch for pickpockets during the entire time you're in town.

[x] Have a drink
[x] Seek information
-[x] Surroundings
-[x] Employment opportunities
-[x] Rumours
[x] Try to look as if you're the least suspicious person in the world. Bright smiles and laughter, right?
---[x] Keep your money safe; watch for pickpockets during the entire time you're in town.

"I'll have something to drink, light for now, it's still morning," you say, taking a seat at the bar. The keeper grabs a bottle and cup from beneath the counter and pours your drink, placing it in front of you. You retrieve one of your coins discreetly and offer it to the tavernkeep. His eyes grow wide at the sight of the coin. Guess gold really is that valuable.

"If this is what you're paying with, you might as well take the whole bottle," he says, setting the bottle on the counter in front of you now. "With money like this, you must be from an outside world."

"That would be the case," you say, taking a sip from your drink. It's a fairly weak alcohol, but you're not looking to get drunk in the first place, so it's solely to blend in a little. "I'm biding my time while the local blacksmith completes an order for me, so I thought I'd try to find some information."

"Well, I'd imagine you would. Gensokyo can be disorienting for newcomers," the man replies with a slight laugh. "What are you looking to learn?"

"What's the area around here like?" you ask first. "I wish to know more about this land."

"Ah, yes," thetavernkeeper begins. "Well, first and foremost there would be the Hakurei shrine in the mountain range to the east. The shrine maiden Reimu lives there along with a few others. She's the one that protects Gensokyo from the most dangers, and she's the one to talk to if you ever want to leave. Don't know how she does it, but she can send outsiders back. There's also the newer Moriya shrine to the west, up on the 'Youkai Mountain' they call it, tallest mountain in the range. North from the village are some untamed lands, the bamboo forest of the lost, and fields of flowers. South has the forest of magic and the scarlet devil lake beyond that. If there's anything beyond them places, I don't know about it or it's not worth mentioning."

"Scarlet Devil Lake," you repeat, thinking back to that lake and the large red mansion on the island at it's center. With a name like that, and with your brief experience, you have a lingering regret that you left as you did, as now you feel that it must be an evil place. "Would there happen to be any jobs available that you know of in town?" The tavernkeeper scratches his head for a moment then shrugs.

"I haven't really heard of anything around here, to be honest. Most people looking for a job take up a farm or open a shop and it becomes a family business. The local constabulary might be taking in new people, and there might be a few people and places that would pay for a quick favour, but a permanent job..." he trails off. "Well, unless you want to be a tavernkeeper," he adds with a grin.

"I guess I'll have to take a look around myself later then," you say, nursing your drink. "What kind of rumours are there going around?"

"Ah, now that's a tricky thing around here. Rumours aren't so much rumours as they are truths that haven't come true yet," he says.

"I'm not sure I get what you're saying," you reply.

"Faith is a powerful thing in Gensokyo. Faith and belief. They say if you believe in something strongly enough it becomes real. In Gensokyo, that happens. A child that fears a monster under his bed creates a monster from the darkness, a farmer worried about a plague of insects ruining his crops creates a bug youkai to terrorize his farm," the man explains. "Stories and legends are real here, so if you're worried a monster will eat you, you just might get eaten by your own monster."

"Sounds like this can be a pretty frightening place to live," you say. "Do people often have problems with youkai and such?"

"Not in the village. Youkai that live here are about as human as they get. They might be a little unsettling to be around for some, but they're perfectly hospitable folk," he says, pointing off to one side of the room. You follow his finger to a table where several men sit, but otherwise you see nothing unusual about them at first glance. "Would you be able to tell which of those men aren't human?"

You take a little while to study the men, and you notice one of them has golden coloured eyes.

"The man with gold eyes," you say. "Is he a youkai?" The tavernkeeper chuckles.

"Actually, he's the only human at the table."

You look back at the tavernkeeper with a questioning look, then back at the group of men. You can't see any kind of indication that the other men aren't human, they look like plain, ordinary people.

"The village is the only place where they're so easy to get along with, though," the tavernkeeper continues. "The village doesn't get attacked, but the outlying farms can be harrassed, and anything beyond that is youkai territory."

You return to your drink, taking another mouthful from the cup. You're slightly hesitant to ask the question that's on your mind, but it's worth a try.

"Do you suppose there'd be demand for a youkai hunter?" you ask. The tavernkeeper doesn't reply, instead looking like he's thinking of the possibility.

"Most times, Reimu is the one that does the hunting, and there are a few others around that do it, so I'm not too sure if there's any more needed, but I wouldn't discount the possibility that there are people in need."

"I might look into that, then," you say, finishing off your drink and sitting back. You feel that you should inquire about the other youkai hunters that are currently around, and try to find a way to meet them if possible. You also consider that your equipment might be ready to pick up by now. In any case, it's still early in the day and you have no clear idea of what you want to do with your time.

Due commands:
[x] Collect equipment

[] Information
-[] Other Hunters
[] Canvas area for odd jobs
[] Canvas area for requests
[] Shop [Specify location(s)]
[] Travel [Specify location]

An update!

[x] Information
-[x] Other Hunters
-[x] Namely Reimu
[x] Travel [Hakurei Shrine]

A fellow hunter as well as a person of faith... Paladin should meet her.

[x] Information
-[x] Canvas area for odd jobs
-[x] Canvas area for requests
-[x] Other hunters
-[x] Hiring assistants
-[x] Possible treasure hunts
[x] Give the man another gold coin for his time.

>An update!
Holy shit!

>>14290

>Holy shit!

I know, right!

Bumping for votes.

[] Information
-[] Other Hunters

[x] Information
-[x] Other Hunters
[x] Canvas area for requests

[x] Information
-[x] Other Hunters
[x] Canvas area for requests

So, I think I'm going to drop this. Admittedly, it's turned out a bit different from how I planned and somewhere along the way I lost the spark to continue it. Sorry to anyone waiting for updates for this, but with this gone I could possibly replace it with something else I've been itching to write.

>>17013
No! You bastard. ;_;

>>17017

I haven't updated in a month, and I'm not really that interested in writing it as I've said. It's supposed to be a lunatic mode no continues dangerfest, but I've gotten soft and it's lulled into an easy groove. I'd rather not have the guilt of not updating this hanging over my head so I can concentrate on what I do feel like writing. I might pick this up again some time later with a fresh start if I feel like it though.