1/2 Raelynn 2024/03/02(Sat)16:01 No. 1085130 ID: 75b262
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This underground shelter is old, even by my people’s memory. Water flows around the massive tree roots it was built within. Nutritious mushrooms flourish under bioluminescent moss in the ceiling. For our small group, we can hide here as long as Kayk’s caloric needs permit. If she’s willing to go hungry, we can stay even longer.

The only way inside is to know exactly where the entrance is, and exactly how to open it. Spells older than the last terrible war between Elves and Humans still protect us from prying eyes. The Censors chasing us are incapable of finding us, even with their divination.

We’re safe from Pierre’s people, but not mine.

My druidic circle, Circle Uí Liatháin, has expanded our territory in the last decade. My brother will brook no intruders- he’ll have watchers attuned to the tree roots, knowing which shelters are being accessed without his orders. The longer we stay here, the greater the certainty he’ll take us prisoner. Serah won’t be used to the treatment he’ll give her. Her nobility will provoke my people; her ancestors ordered us slaughtered. We haven’t forgotten.

I try to ignore that I’ve led her to one of my people’s safe havens. I’m a traitor to the secrets entrusted to me; what grace I had in exile is gone, now that I’ve proven I can’t be trusted.

I’m nervous about what might happen if we stay here too long. No, I’m afraid. For myself, and the people who’ve put their trust in me. I shouldn’t have come here.

A mental image of a fluffy bunny pops into my head from Odin’s divine Tweet spell Taranis has access to. I can tell the bunny is nearby due to the forest flora.

Why is this important? I reply tersely. You’re supposed to be keeping watch.

My stormcrow companion sends a small wave of calm and boredom along with his next image, which is the forest around our hiding place. It’s possible to attach condensed emotions, or emoticons, along with tweets. I’ve never liked emoticons, but Taranis sprinkles his messages with them like sickeningly sweet candy. He doesn’t like to use words in his communications, just as he doesn’t speak out loud to me, even though he has the capability. I haven’t pressed him as to why, and it’s his business anyway. He’s always tweeted words at me when it’s important.

Don’t get sloppy, I respond to him, but immediately regret my tone. I sigh. This isn’t going to be fun, sitting cooped up in a cave, worrying about how long it will be before we’re all captured at the point of an arrow.

2/2 Raelynn 2024/03/02(Sat)16:09 No. 1085135 ID: 75b262
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I hate emoticons. He knows that. Why is he bothering me right now? Surely he can sense my stress, and he knows I need to focus on my problem of how to protect Serah, and Landi, and Dotti, and Kayk, all while somehow stopping my brother’s insane plans to start a war against the entire world, and-

An absolutely absurd mental image pops into my head via Odin’s Tweet spell.

It’s Taranis.

In fluffy pink cat ears.

Wjhat is tht? Why cat easrs? I blurt out, the mental reply coming out garbled. He just responds with a bit of condensed mirth and a mental image of cat ears. No, I don’t want to wear them!

I can’t focus on the important things when he’s harassing me like this. I reply with a terse UGH and tell him I’m busy with something else. Anything else.

What is my excuse to stop being harassed by Taranis’s pictures of bunnies and cat ears?

1. I’m going to talk to Serah and Kayk about tactics, caloric intake, and how we might prepare for my Circle trying to take us prisoner. This is stressful, and I don’t really want to think about it at the moment, but it should be done sometime…

2. I’m going to talk to Pierre and Landi. Pierre’s shivering and soaking wet from the storm and Landi is acting more confused than normal. We can’t exactly light a fire down here- is he going to be okay?

3. I’m going to talk to Dotti, who’s busied herself digging into the dirt floor of the shelter next to a tunnel entrance blocked by rocks and rubble. There’s a reason we sealed off the tunnel network, and I ought to tell her not to dig too greedily or too deep. Still, she is very happy digging. Maybe I should let her be for now.

1. but first, give pierre your hooded cloak before you head to Serah. You'll be fine in the cold, you're strong. He's only borrowing it until he warms up.

leave Dotti alone. While it is a risk, consider she could also be digging an escape route so that maybe she can escape if you and the rest gets spotted. Then she can prepare a sneak attack or something when the time is right.

2, You can trust Serah to know her place, even if she hasn't been here before. She's not a fool, and she has a good mind for politics. She doesn't need a debriefing. As much as I love Kayk, talking to her isn't super important either.

Dotti too is of lower priority right now. She's happy, and you can trust her to dig responsibly. She's a fox for pete's sake, she probably has a better mind for it than you.

Pierre is new to all of this, and it seems that his first trip out of the city has been a rough one. He's the one you need to address first. Offer him some comfort, but also let him know what to expect so that he's ready for it. You may not be great at the comforting, so lean on Landi to help out with it where necessary.

2. We should figure out what's going on with them before we form a plan to not get captured.

2) Immediate concerns first, if someone gets sick it will make any confrontations so much harder.

>>1085139

Wait, you should comfort him? You? Do you really do "comfort"? At the very least congratulate him for beating impossible odds. Maybe once you see Dotti, you can suggest to her that a warm, fluffy, fiery fox girl might be helpful at warming and drying Petra's son.

>>1085135
2.

2 plz

Raelynn 2024/03/02(Sat)18:59 No. 1085160 ID: 75b262
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I brush off another round of cutesy images from Taranis with a terse reply that I need to check on Pierre’s well-being. Strangely, this seems to please Taranis, and he immediately stops. What a weird bird.

I walk toward Pierre, set on making sure he doesn’t catch a chill. If he gets sick while under my people’s care, they wouldn’t offer him any care; best not to put him in that position. Human prisoners are lucky to get food, let alone hot soup or medicine.

Landi is hovering over Pierre, oohing and ahhing over something. “It’s like you’re not even here,” she says. “I can’t godmother your robes dry, or get a fix on ‘em. You’re the invisible man!”

Curious, I stop for a moment. Pierre was behind me the whole time on Kayk, but now I have a good look at him. I fixate my gaze on him. Sure enough, my seer’s eye can’t perceive him at all, not even a vague shape.

This guy is, for lack of a better phrase, giving me the absolute creeps.

Pierre wrings out his robes, and water collects on the floor under him. He doesn’t have Serah’s immunity to cold from her mutagens, Landi’s dust, or my Venmiphi-made gear that would let him shrug off the cold and wetness. Pity.

I approach this party newcomer and assert my authority as survivalist-in-chief.

“Lady Kensington told me you were the one behind the escape,” I say. “It was a good plan…”

“Thank you,” Pierre says. “I put a lot of thought into it.”

“…Except for the end,” I continue. “You relied far too heavily on an unknown allied force. Did you really believe Lady Kensington’s retinue would be able to withstand a concerted assault from at least two directions, each consisting of highly-trained inquisitors with divine guidance leading them to you? Even if you’re immune to scrying, ‘Kayk Terrorscale, daughter of Mai Terrorscale, who was at Giornico less than three hours ago’ is not a difficult target to focus divination spells on.”

“I had to put my faith somewhere,” Pierre says. “Except for one uh, incident, it hasn’t been misplaced.”

“Your faith led us here,” I say, more harshly than I intended. “Elven lands. If we’re captured, I shouldn’t need to remind you that for your time here, you see nothing, hear nothing, and remember nothing.”

“The elves… um, your people won’t throw me out to the Censors, will they?” Pierre asks. “If they find out I’m the reason the Censors are flying above us.”

“Worse,” I say. “They’ll take an interest in you.”

Pierre shivers, this time not from the cold.

I twist my finger through my bangs. This isn’t helping Pierre. I need to do what I came here to do- get him warmed up.

Who do I ask to help warm Pierre up?

1. Myself, who has a very comfy cloak. This is the worst option.
2. Serah, who is very tall and immune to cold thanks to her mutagen, but she’s a noble.
3. Landi, who can godmother warmer clothes for Pierre out of Dotti’s spare clothing. I’m not sure how effective her spell will be if Pierre’s anti-magic affects his clothes too.
4. Dotti, who is fluffy and can conjure fire. Asking her to help will mean she stops digging, though.
5. Kayk, who has a sweater and is a dragon. I don’t see a downside to this option.
6. More than one of the above. Helpful, but will make Pierre uncomfortable being the focus of so much lady attention.

2 or alternately 6. Serah's a very caring and responsible leader!

5 is the correct option, and this isn't up for debate beyond maybe asking for additional help. Kayk literally has dragon fire in her core, she can loan her sweater without just changing which party member is cold. If not that, then she could literally just create a small fire for Pierre.

4) a nice fire to dry his robes. Unless, would having a fire in here get you even more on the druids' bad side? If so, then borrow Kayk's sweater.

5, because I've been told by a reliable source that is the correct answer. Remember, Kayk can also breath fire to warm him up since Dotti is too busy. It's the best choice.

The downside to 5 is that he'll drain Kayk's mana. In his current state that could happen to a significant amount, enough to actually affect Kayk.

What you should REALLY do is get EVERYONE who can help to help, except Dotti who is doing something. Nobody needs to give up their clothes though, and I don't think godmother'd clothes will work either. Just huddle around him.

Oh, there's another thing we can do: Pierre can remove his clothes, which will let Landi dry them.

6) You and Serah. You don't need ambient magic to survive. Also, Serah was planning on marrying the poor bastard, so you should present yourself as a second option-
Kidding! But you should de-sensitize him to the stigma of getting comfy with women. He's not gonna touch you there for the same reason he's too scared to feel you. His upbringing had prudishness as a crippling flaw.

It's true you and Serah are the only ones who couldn't get hurt by Pierre's creepy... not magic thing.

Is Archibeard still in Serah's bagpack? He has big cozy beard and can also yell Pierre into shaking cold off.

No? Well then, Kayk and Dotti can huddle with him. They are a lizard and a fox, so he'll likely not feel so embarassed.

>>1085175

This would actually combine well with getting Kayk to help. Pierre might be more receptive to disrobing if she can lend her sweater for him to change into.

>>1085160
4) Dotti may be happy embracing her fox instincts and digging, but she also loves proving she's the best and most helpfullest lady in all the world so I'm sure she'd appreciate you calling her specifically to help.

if not

2) Serah. She may be a noble, but she's far from believing others are some sort of inherently filthy untouchable like so many other nobles. Besides, she wanted more adventure in her life, this is what adventuring looks like. Can always pull the Noblesse Oblige card too.

Kayk's sweater may be the easiest path, but that leaves Kayk nude. Sure, she has scales to cover her true nudity, but Pierre may still be uncomfortable with that regardless, and it means Kayk has to be much more self aware lest something slip.

You know, if we have Serah helping us, we can also discuss plans to her as we warm up Pierre. Kill two birds with one stone.

>>1085200

Tbf, I think if Kayk stripped down herself, it'd be easier to comvince Pierre to take off his own wet robes. It's a tough sell as is, stripping in a room full of women he sort of just met a day ago, especially being the lone guy. Having something he can change into while he waits for Landi to dry his off AND making him not the only one going through with the awkwardness would probably help him a lot. Assuming Kayk wouldn't mind either, it's the best case scenario.

1/2 Raelynn 2024/03/03(Sun)12:08 No. 1085225 ID: 75b262
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We used to be able to light fires in these underground shelters (the tree roots are protected so long as there’s no once-in-a-generation drought drying it up), but since we sealed off the tunnels, the air flow isn’t enough to allow a non-magical fire without making the shelter noxious. We’ll have to make do with fox-fire and dragonfire with no nonmagical fuel- meaning Dotti or Kayk would be constantly burning their own mana to keep the fire going.

Pierre’s shivering isn’t improving, and Landi hasn’t figured out how to make her magic work on Pierre in the panicked, tired state he’s in.

“I don’t get it,” Landi says. “I godmothered those lucky panties onto you. Why isn’t this working now? We can’t have you going commando forever!”

“Please be quiet about that,” Pierre whispers. “As for the magic… I’m tired and focused on the residual bad luck from the, um, buff spell. I’m sorry, sometimes my control over my condition is better, and sometimes worse.”

“You’re not gonna, like, suck my dust away like your little sister did, are you? Are you gonna accidentally do worse to Dotti if she comes over here?”

“I’ll keep it under control,” Pierre says, though he doesn’t seem very confident.

I grit my teeth at this. If Dotti really is vulnerable to Pierre losing control of whatever his anti-magic condition is, then I need to keep her safely away from him… but between her fox fluff, non-noxious fire magic, and her willingness to help Petra’s family, she’s one of the best choices to help warm Pierre up.

Another option is to have Kayk offer her sweater and keep a small stream of dragonfire going, but Kayk isn’t known for the precise control over her fire. She’d be more resistant to Pierre’s mana drain than Dotti (if that’s actually what it is), but she’s tired from flying this far, this fast, and transforming immediately after. I don’t want to push Kayk too hard, especially if we need to fight anytime soon.

“If more than one person is nearby,” I say, “Would your condition affect all of them equally, or would it divide the siphoning proportionately amongst them?”

“If I lose control? The more people nearby, the less it would affect each of them.”

I don’t feel like taking any chances with our party’s health. It’s time for the simple, straightforward option: everyone is going to pitch in, even me.

Ugh.

“Pierre,” I say, “You need to warm up. Landi, you mentioned he wasn’t even wearing a base layer?”

“You mean his undies?” Landi snickers. “Ventura took the lucky panties with her when she left, so our jailbird here needs some warm clothes, stat.”

“I see.” I call over to the other side of the shelter. “Kayk, Pierre needs a sweater. I’m requisitioning yours. Serah, you’re immune to cold. Once he’s changed into Kayk’s sweater, make sure he’s warm.”

“One minute!” Kayk says, pulling her arms under her sweater and fiddling around for a moment.

Serah looks over to me, then to Pierre. Thankfully, she doesn’t object.

“Did you just give an order to Lady Kensington?” he asks, sputtering objections as Landi starts tugging on his robe and giggling madly.

“But-“

“Pierre, I don’t want to hear it.” I cross my arms. His mental comfort isn’t my concern; his physical health is. “You need to get used to following my directions. Now let Landi dry off that robe.”

2/2 Raelynn 2024/03/03(Sun)12:09 No. 1085226 ID: 75b262
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Pierre still hasn’t confirmed he’ll follow my orders. I tap my foot.

“He’s a prude,” Landi informs me gleefully. “Churchy boi can’t handle being naked around hot girls like me.”

“It’s okay, Pierre.” Serah says. “We’ll turn around while you change. I understand that this is uncomfortable, but I promise we’ll be respectful.”

“Yeah! Give him that sweater, Kayk! Whoo!” Landi cheers. “Serah gives the brea- uh, best cuddles. Trust me, I speak from experience.”

“Landi…” Serah gives a long-suffering sigh.

“Yeah, yeah, sure, sure. No peeking. Oh, here you go! One set of briefs, brief-ly borrowed.” She pulls Pierre’s previous underwear from her inventory and drops them near him.

Kayk whisks her sweater off and hands it to Pierre. As she does so, Landi’s glow pulses and warps toward Pierre, dimming slightly until she pulls away from him. Suddenly I’m very glad Dotti is busy digging her hole at the moment.

“Whoa!” Landi gasps. “Easy, tiger!”

“I’m sorry!” Pierre says, doing his best not to look at Kayk. We all turn around to give him some privacy. In the meantime, I beckon Landi to follow me over to Dotti’s foxhole.

“Hey, Dotster! Have you hit lava yet?” Landi calls into the hole.

She’s answered by little fox snorfing sounds and excited panting. Dotti’s head pops out of the hole, eyes shimmering. “This is great!” she exclaims. “There’s so many tunnels here! And here, and here, and here! This whole thing is like a giant den! Elves really learned a lot from foxes. They’re smart!”

“If you want a break, we could use your help,” I tell Dotti.

“Pierre the Prude needs fox fluff,” Landi says. “You’re warm and snuggly. Can you sit with him for a bit and maybe do that warmth magic thing you did a while ago? You don’t have to, it might be a bit dangerous if he brushes against Serah’s boob and sucks all our mana out.”

Dotti whimpers. “Are you helping too, Landi?”

“Yeah,” Landi says. “We’re all gonna risk it.”

I nod.

“If you’re gonna lose your glow if I don’t help… then I’ll help too,” Dotti says. “Even if it hurts a little.”

“You’re a good fo-“ Landi clears her throat. “A good person. Thanks, Dotster.”

Dotti beams with pride.

Once we get the okay to turn around, we join Pierre, now in Kayk’s oversized yellow sweater that comes down to just above his knees. Serah offers Pierre a seat in her lap, and he accepts as calmly as he can, with the rest of us huddling around for warmth. Dotti casts her warming spell, and though it’s muted, I can still feel it.

Landi’s job is to dry out Pierre’s robes as quickly as she can, but finds that her own magic isn’t affecting the robes as well as she’d like, so she flits over to us while they dry naturally.

All of us are huddled together and it’s awkward. How does Landi break the ice?

"99 bottles of beer on the wall..."

Landi... actually apologizes for the lucky panties thing. If it wasnt for her, they wouldnt be in this mess.

Did you know elves huddle in shelters like this to hibernate through the winter? It's true, my elven anatomy studies professor said so!

Talk about homosexuality!

>>1085229
She's grown as a person. And she definitely wouldn't immediately follow that apology with trying to start a game of Never-Have-I-Ever.

>>1085321
Yes! apology in a form of a game!

>>1085226
I outright -love- 99 bottles of beer, but its more of a scene closer than opener.

Hmm
She asks pierre about all those warnings he was given by the churchies about the depraved, predatory womenfolk lying in wait out here for him.
Get some deets.
Get some heat into his cheeks.

Let him slowly realise he's now the protagonist in his own multi species harem story.
Just like in those very forbidden eastern shun-ga wood carving stories he saw.

Hi!
Love the Landi apology idea! Perhaps it goes to the church warning deets after?

1/2 Raelynn 2024/06/04(Tue)19:09 No. 1092422 ID: 9f8647
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It’s quiet for a bit as everyone gets settled and Pierre warms up. For some reason this is intolerable to one of us.

“So, like, uh, this is a bit hard to say,” Landi says, interrupting the blessed silence. “I’m just gonna come out and address the dragon in the room.”

“Me?”

“The other dragon in the room,” Landi continues, unabashed. “I can’t help but feel like some of this is my fault.”

“Some of what?” Serah asks.

“Some of this, well, everything.” Landi flits away from the group. “The hiding in a tree. The thing with Ventura wouldn’t have happened if not for the Lucky Panties. I should’ve taken care of that way long ago.”

“But if you had,” Serah says, “Pierre wouldn’t have gotten to wear them and get lucky.”

“Lady Kensington!” Pierre gasps. “I- I- I-“

“For your escape, of course.” Serah says. “Landi, perhaps you are having a bad influence on us.”

“Yeah!” Dotti says, her voice much quieter than it is normally. She fluffs her tails a bit and makes a face of concentration, and through my ruined eye I see her gathering mana to raise the volume on her spell; some of it is being sucked through the void where Pierre should be. “Landi is a bad influence, but she still does good stuff. Kind of like me, but opposite!”

“How so?” Serah asks.

“I’m a good influence because I try really hard to help Kayk, but I do some bad stuff according to humans. But that’s okay, because humans are dumb sometimes. So that means Landi’s good too.”

“Thanks, Dotster,” Landi says.

“Please don’t feel bad, Landi,” Kayk says. “We all have things we regret doing in moments of weakness, or laziness, or anger. Sometimes we do things we regret, and the important part learning so we don’t do them again.”

That’s a tender sentiment, but it’s not helping me. For my part, I already regret bringing my companions here. We’re stuck in this bunker until the Censors leave, and that gives my Circle far too much time to track us down. They’ve already been alerted that this shelter’s been breached, I’m sure of it.

We can’t leave through the entryway; that’ll put us on the forest floor, and the Censors might detect us if we leave too early, and my Circle will find us once they leave. That means if we want to have any chance of evading capture, we’ll have to go into the network of tunnels that have been sealed off by rocks for centuries. The druidic Circles haven’t had the numbers to maintain or patrol the network for generations; there’s horrible things down there. I can see through the tunnels with my eye, but they can sense tremors in the earth. Kayk wouldn’t be able to transform, either. And that’s assuming we could even get into the tunnels; the best way to do it would be to have Dotti dig around the rocks, pop up on the other side, and have Landi portal us through once she’s confirmed the space we’ll exit. Landi’s portals would take an absurd amount of mana to get Kayk through, and Pierre might not be able to go through at all. We’d need to really commit a lot of our remaining potion resources to get through or blast our way in, and that would alert everyone and everything to what we’re doing. Plus, we might even get captured once we leave the tunnel network. I don’t feel good about taking this option.

2/2 Raelynn 2024/06/04(Tue)19:10 No. 1092423 ID: 9f8647
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The best option, as much as I hate to admit it, is to allow ourselves to be captured by my Circle. It’s why I came here in the first place… and it’s how I can make good on my familial duty. My brother…

No, best not to think on that. First problems first.

My Circle always pairs one elf per prisoner. For more troublesome prisoners, there are more elves assigned, but they always report to the elf in charge of managing the prisoner. I’m sworn not to tell outsiders of our ways, so I can’t explain this to Serah, but what I can do is use this knowledge to focus on the elf in charge of one or two prisoners. I won’t be technically taken prisoner, so I’ll have relative freedom of movement while the rest of the party is separated and imprisoned.

They’ll all lose their gear and weapons, and be placed in separate restraints. There’s no getting around that. Landi will have her inventory searched and emptied, so we can’t get around that unless I use my influence to ensure that the search isn’t very thorough. If I focus on improving Landi’s treatment and distracting the elf in charge of the search, we can probably even smuggle Serah’s dragon-fired armor in her inventory.

My immediate concern is for Serah. My people hate humans for what they did to us in the war centuries ago that destroyed our civilizations; we hate human nobility even more. Serah won’t be killed, but if the wrong elf gets assigned her jailer, then she’ll be treated the worst of all of us.

Kayk will have plenty of focus on her, and I know at least one elf that was obsessed with ensnaring a dragon mount via a variation of our domination spell. I’m afraid of what might happen if I just assume Kayk will be fine.

Dotti will likewise be kept a close eye on. My people know how dangerous fox spirits are, and they won’t take any chances. They will shoot on sight if Dotti tries to sneak around in fox form. If the wrong elf gets assigned as Dotti’s jailer, they might even take her bow from her.

Pierre isn’t nobility, but he would be treated poorly too. The Circle doesn’t know he’s the reason the Censors are chasing us, and we would never speak with the Censors: we shoot invading war parties first, ask questions never. But if my people interrogate Pierre, I don’t think he’d last long under pressure. Maybe I should give some effort into diverting suspicion from him.

If we’re captured, I can only do so much to improve the treatment of my companions. Who should I prioritize making sure is treated well? 1 is highest priority, 5 gets little to no help.

- Serah
- Landi
- Dotti
- Kayk
- Pierre

Alright, I think it makes more sense to work in reverse, because there are several people who we CAN'T put at the bottom of the list.

- Serah would almost definitely be treated terribly
- Kayk might have her autonomy stripped away in a more permanent way
- Dotti would probably have her bow taken, meaning she'd spend the entire stay in a state of great distress

So it's really just a matter of Landi or Pierre, and I think that's gonna have to be Landi. She's getting searched, no matter what, and unless we really commit to helping her smuggle something valuable in, I think losing her inventory is the least troubling outcome. It's not tossing her under the bus, she genuinely just has the least to lose right now.

That puts Pierre in 4th, because however bad it may be for him to be interrogated, I can see three outcomes listed above that would be significantly worse. I could see an argument for Dotti being here, if you think this is the lowest she can go while still keeping her bow. I don't have that much faith.

Dotti's next for me, because her accommodation is the simplest of the three remaining: Let her keep her bow. If she fucks around and gets into trouble for some other reason, that's on her. You can only give out so much protection right now, so she's just gonna have to be on her best behavior.

Kayk takes second, as we really just have to be sure no attempts are made to dominate her mind. Arguably, you could switch her with Dotti, given the threat the Terrorscale name carries. We are not going to take that risk however, because there is no outcome in which we want to have a mind-controlled dragon under The Circle's control.

And finally, that puts Serah in first. Yeah yeah, part of this is definitely just bias. You've known her longer than Kayk, and she does so much for the party. After all the sleepless nights she spent looking for Petra, and the risks she took in helping Pierre escape, it feels wrong to put the greatest stress on her again. Your people aren't going to like her, even under the best conditions, so the least you can do is give her the most comfort you can offer. She deserves that much.

So, just to sum that all up:

1: Serah
2: Kayk
3: Dotti
4: Pierre
5: Landi

1 - Serah cause nobility
2 - Landi because she has very useful stuff that could help you later
4 - Dotti she was able to single handedly save Petra. Plus she is more sneaky than you realize
5 - Kayk. If worst comes to worst, Mai terrorscale can save Kayk. Otherwise, she is a strong dragon.
- Pierre 3. Hes human, and has no fighting abilities as the weakest member. Also, his secrets must be gaurded!

1) Serah. At the end of the day, she's your sponsor. If she dies, your paycheck dies with her.
2) Pierre. You cannot let the druids or the elves learn about his bloodline power. They will suck him dry and breed an army of misinformation saboteurs from his corpse. If it comes down to it... you must kill him if the alternative is his unwilling conception of the end of the free world.
3) Landi. She has the least combat experience and a fragile metabolism.
4) Dotti. While physically the weakest, she has the most combat experience. She should be fine unless she's forced to fight above her shapeshifting weight class.
5) Kayk. I mean... dragon.

Man, this is a DIFFICULT decision for Raelyn to make… I’m noticing people are prioritizing Serah pretty heavily, so I’m gonna go against the grain a bit and put Serah in slot 5. It seems like the rest of our party members have some higher value to the elves, some sort of safety to ensure or secrets to guard. Serah just has how she’s treated over her head.

Serah is interchangeable with Landi who goes in slot 4. If we really like Serah, we can help her a little at the expense of all our cool stuff, but I’d hate to lose absolutely everything. I’d work to maybe hold onto something useful, even if it’s small.

Dotti goes in slot 3 simply because helping her seems the simplest. Just ensure she keeps her bow. ‘Nuff said.

>>1092424 Himitsu here makes a lovely argument for why Kayk should be second, although I think you could switch her around for who remains to be placed first.

This leaves the number one spot to Pierre. If they find out his secrets, that could compromise the entire mission as a whole. They might find it in their interests to just… turn him back in to the Censors, if not worse. We need him in one piece for sure.

To summarize
1. Pierre
2. Kayk
3. Dotti
4. Landi
5. Serah
(Sorry Serah!)

Landi, Kayk, Serah, Dotti, Pierre.
Or you could just take the tunnel system.

>>1092423
Okay, so, people we absolutely can't put at 5:
Kayk, because of the domination thing. Yes, her mother could rescue her, but you don't want that to happen to your Circle do you? Then again maybe mentioning that at all would be enough to discourage the domination? Mai *does* have a reputation, doesn't she.
Dotti, because of the bow.
Pierre, to keep him from being interrogated and ruining everything by revealing the secret to his magic immunity.

Keeping items in Landi's inventory... isn't important. Serah not getting the shit kicked out of her is probably more important than that. And honestly, a few items aren't going to make much difference when the rest of the party is unequipped. Plus, uh, I think only Serah cares about being unequipped? You're keeping your stuff, Kayk doesn't use anything, same for Dotti, Pierre isn't a fighter, and Landi has her magic even though she'd like to have bombs and stuff.
So:

1, Pierre
2, Serah
3, Dotti
4, Kayk
5, Landi

>>1092439
I agree with this. Serah as nobility might be hated, but that also makes her valuable as a prisoner. It's those who the circle would find more valuable as a slave or worse that should be prioritized.

>>1092423
Hrm.
You are in a pickle raerae.

You may have sworn not to tell them of your peoples ways, but that doesnt mean uou swore not to tell them of yours.

Some of your problems on that list can be ameliorated with some warning about what youre going to do.
Then things to watch out for.
For example, while the methods they would use are certainly secret, their personal desire to claim a dragon mount by any means is hardly something that can be called a clan way.

A little preperation on the parts of those you have to keep less of an eye on.

As such
.
1. Pierre. Keep his secrets, keep him safe.

2. Dotti. As much to keep an eye on her as the jailer. An incident with her has highest chance of escalation into chaos.

3.serah. smart enough to look after herself, still worth watching due to chance of an insult nobility cannot overlook. Their honour is a bit weird and complex. Kinda like nobles.

4. Kayke. Large. Intelligent. Far more used to these kinds of threats than we may realise given her family. Comes with an added safeguard of implied fiery wrath of parents and siblings should she be mistreated in any way.

5. Landi. I dont like leaving her till last but she has the least complications.
Being last is, in a way, a position of trust. you can say you wont have time to keep an eye on all of them, so the ones you dont check in on are the ones your relying on. Framed that way, she may find resolve to hold off on the mischief and keep her temper.


Now, all of this is precluded by the idea that you are going to tell them the plan is to be captured?
Because that is not the kind of surprise that folk like.
It could blow up into a fight otherwise.

Raelynn 2024/06/19(Wed)18:47 No. 1093136 ID: 9f8647
File 171884802950.png - (20.48KB , 409x312 , LF8 8.png )

Landi, Serah and Pierre are talking about something I’m not paying attention to. I have more important things to worry about. Like prison.

My first instinct is to protect Serah. As a human noble, she’ll be targeted specifically for the worst abuse by her jailer, and anyone else who cares to join in.

However…

If I take a step back and look at the big picture, it’s Pierre who needs the most help. He’d crack under pressure, I’m sure of it. I don’t need my brother finding out about what he can do, or why exactly that Censor war party is circling above us. It’s entirely possible for us all to get separated and evicted from the forest, minus Pierre if my brother realizes he’s an asset. Pierre will need to be protected as priority one, with Serah second.

I’m not terribly concerned about Landi’s ability to take punishment. Landi is used to being treated harshly, especially after our visit to the Terrorscale lair. She can handle being locked up in a lantern if needed. It’ll be worrisome to lose access to all the items in her inventory- I can expect Serah’s armor, gold, spells-in-a-flask or whatever they’re called, bombs and potions to be confiscated.

That leaves Kayk and Dotti. Kayk would be a terrible foe if dominated, but her family’s reputation might offer some protection. I don’t know how her mother or father’s trained her, if at all, but I have to assume that her heritage gives some resistance. Gecko, for example, resisted Dotti’s mind magic, but that might be just because she’s too stubborn to have her mind changed, even by magic.

Dotti, for her part, is resilient but ill-tempered. I don’t think my people have the ability to seal her like the Censors did in Giornico, but we do have some spirit specialists. They’ll likely have a few tricks I never learned, and will irritate Dotti. If she gets into a fight with her captor, that could spiral out of control fast.

If it comes to it, I can’t say for certain whether I’d make a snap decision of whether to focus on Kayk over Dotti if I can only shield one of them. I hope it won’t come to that.

Dotti yawns widely. Her mana’s been siphoned by Pierre as she warms him with her magic, but not enough to do her harm other than making her a sleepy fox. She excuses herself and goes to sleep in a corner opposite the entrance, near her makeshift fox den. I guess this is a comforting place for her- we are in a giant fox den, of a sort.

Without Dotti digging, though, that means we can’t put my plan to use Landi’s portals to bypass the rocks into the tunnel network unless we wake her up. There are new inhabitants down there, and we’d need to tread into territory my people abandoned because it wasn’t worth fighting them. In all likelihood the monsters down there can sense tremors, and my eye can’t see through tunnels as far as they can sense vibrations. Plus Kayk can’t transform that deep.

Still…

As things are, my people will find us hiding in this bunker. They’ll order us out, and I’ll have to face them.

What if they send Ailín?

I don’t want to think about that. I don’t have to think about that. What I should think about is how to handle this retinue’s first impression on whoever shows up. If I lead us down the tunnels and we come out into the open away from a place they expect us to be, I’ll have some measure of control over the situation.

Or, I could instruct Serah to come out with her hands up and face the music right away. My people might respect her more if she comes out armed to the teeth and wearing her armor… or maybe I should ask her to play up her human noble image, and have her stay in her fancy dress. They’d treat her more seriously in her armor and assign her a more careful guard, but if she stays in her dress she’d be treated worse. I also can’t see her being allowed to keep her armor even if she’s wearing it.

For that matter, I’m not sure if it’s advantageous for Dotti to stay in her true form, or if she should transform into her anthropomorphic self. It’s unusual, and might inspire curiosity, instead of simply putting her in a warded cage.

Should I:

1. Wake Dotti up and have us go into the tunnels, or stay here and prepare?

2. Have Serah present herself as a pampered noble, or a hardened warrior?

3. Ask Dotti to be a fox, or take on her anthro form?

1. Dig dig dig. Sorry dotti, but this be serious
2. Warrior, to keep her safe, and can be ready for combat if needed, and she can avoid harsh treatment and torture if treated as a noble. and if we can get Dotti to dig, serah can be ready for whatever is down there
3. Stay in fox form. If she is gonna dig, it'll wear her out. Transforming will probably wear her out even more.

When all this is said and done, Serah needs that armor back. She will be out thousands of gold if she loses that armor, not to mention Kayk's scales will go to waste. If you can think of a way to get it back from your clan when you escape, by hook or by crook, good. Otherwise, that armor needs to be buried where only she and Dotti know where to find.

Wake the sleepy fox up and get down into the tunnels. Serah will need to go in wearing her armor, whether she comes out in it too depends on whether she finds a good hiding spot or not.
Have Dotti assume anthro form. The elves will likely prevent her from shapeshifting, and if she's on two legs she can disguise herself as a human under a cloak. That may come in handy later.

>>1093136
I thought we couldn't use the portals to get into the tunnel because Pierre can't go through portals? Also weren't the portals too small for people to cross...?

>>1093142
Rae isn't a portal scientist, and she hasn't asked Pierre if there's a way to get him through. I've asked for the post where Rae affirmatively states Pierre can't go through to be changed to Rae giving it her best guess.

>>1093143
Then I'd say it's time to ask Landi and Pierre if the portal plan is possible, before consdiering waking up Dotti.

2: Yeah let's go with warrior. Her gear's getting taken away regardless, so this is a free way of getting her treated a bit better. We didn't have any plans to stage a jailbreak in the longterm so her having a more cautious guard won't affect anything.

3: She can stay in whatever form she feels comfortable in. Though, I wonder if being in her humanoid form would make them less likely to take notice of the bow?

...hmm, won't waking Dotti up make her grumpier and thus more likely to fight a guard? Better not.

>>1093146
Agreed.
On all parts.

Especially the armed and armoured.
If the tunnels are ahead, itd be best to be ready.

>>1093146
Agreed on all points except 3. Dotti can choose the form she likes, but I personally wanna see more Anthro Dotti. Anthro Dotti is so cute! Don’t force it though. Definitely ask her to switch, but if she doesn’t wanna she doesn’t gotta.

1: You'd be better off staying put and preparing. Don't wake focks

2: Assuming you don't wanna just ask Serah what she wants, I'd go armor on.

3: Again, Dotti should get to choose, but if we have to then I say anthro.

>>1093157
After taking a work shift to think it over, yeah, I'll go with Himitsu's plan.

What if Dotti dug a small tunnel, just big enough for a fairy and fox? The elves know someone is using the bunker, but not how many. The two smallest could hide in the tunnel, with the entrance hidden by some loose rocks, and then be free after the rest of the party is captured. How hard would it be for a fox and fairy to sneak through elf territory?

If Serah's armor is going to be confiscated anyway she should wear it for a more favorable first impression.

If not digging let Dotti rest, full strength for whatever happens.

>>1093165
Doubling down on this, can Kayk shapeshift into something cat-sized?

Very sound thinking.

I still remember the old ways and ancient wisdoms
"Thou shalt not split the party" was one of the main commandments.
But...
Even in defiance of this, it may be a good way to put some vulnerable people out of reach,

Unless the elves have better detection magics than we have obfuscation magics...

Alternatively, if we want less people captured, they could just hide here until the Censors leave. Buuut I favor not splitting the party, tbh.

Wait a second. Let's see if I have this analyzed properly. What they know is that somebody busted in here. What they don't know is how many have. So. Hide everybody but Rae in the tunnels. She achieves her goal of finding her bro. Everybody else is undetected, just as planned.

>>1093266
Theyll know by basic tracking theres more than one non elf here.
Some are going to have to be caught so they dont search too hard for others who hide.
If they only find rae, theyll know for sure

1/2 Raelynn 2024/06/23(Sun)19:47 No. 1093319 ID: 9f8647
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The party is going to be captured. The question is, how do I prepare for that?

I briefly consider asking Dotti and Landi to hide in the bunker in a tiny fox tunnel. While it’s impossible to hide Kayk’s arrival even with my skills (try covering up all of those broken tree limbs on touchdown), it’s trivial to hide Landi and Dotti. However, if Dotti or Landi are spotted skulking around our warcamp, my people will shoot them full of arrows without a second thought. Dotti might be able to escape with a good deal of luck and illusion magic, but Landi isn’t good at stealth at all, and I don’t trust her to coordinate with Dotti in a pitched fight without resorting to her summons, which will draw even more attention. I decide to tell Serah to keep the party together, come what may.

I can’t wait for my Circle to find me. I can’t come crawling out of this hole looking like a weakling. If they’re going to take me seriously, they need to respect me as a threat. That also means keeping them off-guard. I know for a fact that none of them have seen an anthropomorphic fox spirit, so I’ll tell Dotti to take her half-human form. What she wants is irrelevant; what matters is making sure she plays her part and doesn’t get trapped in a warded cage.

Speaking of playing her part, it’s time for Dotti to do her digging duty. I get up and walk over to the napping fox and kneel down. I don’t need to wait for if Landi can get Pierre or Kayk through the portal; if Dotti takes too long to dig through, none of that will matter.

“Wake up, Dotti,” I command. “We need your help.”

Dotti’s ears perk up. She gives a big yawn and rolls over. “M’tired. I’z cozy. What help?”

“I need you to keep digging through to the other side of those tunnels,” I say. “We need you to-“

“Sleep!” Landi interrupts me.

“What?” I hiss.

“We need you to rest up and be ready to dig as hard as you can,” Landi says. “You’ve had a big couple days meeting Petra. We gotta rest up while we can.”

“Just because you’re a lazy fairy doesn’t mean everyone else can slack off,” I snap at Landi. “You don’t know what’s at stake. Don’t make me go to Serah over this.”

Dotti looks up at me, to Landi, and back again.

“Okay,” Landi says. “Let’s go talk to Serah, then.”

Dotti looks to me, and… there’s fear in her eyes. Why is she afraid?

“Fine,” I say, turning on my heel. Dotti curls up in a ball and nods off again.

Damn it, Landi! You’re going to ruin everything. Like always.

2/2 Raelynn 2024/06/23(Sun)19:48 No. 1093321 ID: 9f8647
File 171919732974.png - (80.26KB , 560x483 , LF8 10.png )

I explain to Serah that my people respect warriors, and that we’ll need to present ourselves as capable, competent threats, and not pampered nobles. She should show herself as a dangerous adventurer, and we shouldn’t come groveling out of the bunker begging for clemency.

“That means I should remain in my armor, even for diplomacy,” Serah says. “Landi, if you would?”

“One wardrobe change, comin’ up!” Landi swaps out Serah’s dress to her armor in a waterfall of sparkling dust.

“Thank you, Landi. Now… If we follow your advice to its logical conclusion, we would need to have Kayk in her true form as well, so we would present a more dangerous threat. Unless we leave the bunker now and have Kayk transform (and potentially reveal our position to the Censors), then the only realistic way to have her transform without being attacked is to get her into the tunnels in her lizardfolk form, then leave the tunnels somewhere else, have her transform outside.”

“I’m confused,” Landi says. “Couldn’t we just… you know… fly away once she does that?”

I pause.

“Raelynn?” Serah asks. “Would we be able to escape, if we do as Landi says?”

“Yes,” I say softly. “We would probably be spotted by a scout when we leave the tunnels, but…”

“Unless one or two of your Circle’s scouts are enough to ground a dragon,” Serah says, “We could take off if Kayk transforms quickly. Would a scout shoot to kill targets of opportunity, if they were obviously trying to leave?”

“Yes,” I say quietly. “They’d shoot you, Serah. Or Pierre. Almost certainly.”

“I’ll ask Dotti to make Pierre invisible, then. She should be able to handle a single person well enough. Can your Circle’s scouts pierce Dotti’s illusion magic?”

“I…” As much as I trust Serah, I’m not comfortable telling a human noble our military capabilities. It’s just not done. “I can’t say.”

“You can’t say? Or won’t say?” Landi shoots back. “Rae, what’s your problem? This is Pierre’s life. If Dotti can’t protect him, just say so, and we’ll make other plans so he doesn’t get fucking arrow’d. This is important.”

“You don’t understand!” I say, voice rising. “Of course it’s important, but this isn’t about Serah’s silly dress, Pierre’s uselessness, or Dotti’s bleeding naptime. This is the first time I’ve been in my people’s power for years. You don’t get a say in this!”

What am I even doing? They don’t need to be here for this. In fact, Serah has a point. They should just fly away and leave me to solve my problems my way.

Yes, that’s the way. Landi won’t ruin this. Serah won’t make it about her. Dotti won’t cause any chaos. Kayk won’t get her family involved. Pierre won’t need protection.

This is something I need to do myself.

It’s for the best.

You have one chance to change Rae’s mind.

You should answer Serah's question, Rae. Your friends have done more for you lately than any other family.

Screw honor.
Your brother is planning to summon soul-devouring demons. If he has his way, he'll raze the kingdoms and forests into deserts as if they'd never existed. If you seriously think he'll duel you in a fair fight, I have a bear claw I'd like you to stare at.
This is war. And no hero has ever won a war alone.

You will die.

Objectively speaking, trying to do this by yourself won't end in any other way. You are not good enough to deal with your brother on your own under the current circumstances. You might be able to beat him in a duel, and you could conceivably best him in a more tactically favorable position. Within the current set of circumstances though, there is no chance of you even possibly succeeding.

He has the home-field advantage. You may have lived here once, but any information you have could be out of date.

He has followers. Not only that, but opposition to his reign has been silenced. You will not find allies among your people.

And if we're being painfully honest, he has already won the mental game. He's in your head without even knowing it. With your mental state the way it is, you won't be able to fight in top form. Your weakness will not go unnoticed, and it will be taken advantage of.

It may sound cruel, but these are the facts of the matter. You are not good enough by yourself.

Your allies have their faults, granted, but they introduce uncertainty to the situation. Your brother and his followers will need time to determine how to deal with them. They might make the wrong choices with some, having to improvise in the face of the unfamiliar.

Your brother and your people know you, at least to some degree. Just as you will anticipate them, they will anticipate you. If you go in by yourself, you will lose the information game. With your party however, it may just give you enough of an advantage to turn the situation around.

Let me reiterate: Going in alone is suicide. You have no advantages in the current situation, whereas your brother has many. Your current party, for as obnoxious and disastrous as they are, are currently the only advantage you have.

Do NOT overestimate yourself.

Dont forget that while it is dishonorable for you to reveal elven secrets, your brother is doing something far more dishonorable by summoning demons for power, and potentually ending the world.

even if they were to leave you to solve your problems yourself, who knows what Pierre's bad luck might do to the party if you aren't there to protect them.

Consider that the reason why you need them with you is because they've had your back when during your own hardships. Youve had their backs all this time, and you need theirs when you go face your circle and you brother.

Also think about the things Pricilla told you: "faith is a willingness to accept and move forward, even in the face of uncertainty. It takes bravery to have faith.” and "peace is often kept through upsetting means, and she (Eirene) understands that. Nature is violent, and it takes enlightenment to overcome it. Not everyone is enlightened."

I think this applies here too. You need to have the bravery to have faith in telling your friends the truth so that you may get their help for peace. And as Pricilla said, peace is often kept through upsetting means. Telling your friends about your circle's tactics and secrets is going to be upsetting, very upsetting for your honor as a member of the circle. But to prevent the demon summoning to protect the peace of the world, you'll have to make this sacrifice. Think hard about what matters here.

Not sure if Taranis can hear us from here since he's out keeping watch, but if he can, I would love for him to send Rae an emoticon of a symbol of the Church of Eirene, and/or a dove or something. Remind her what really matters for the fight for peace against your brother's action.

Raelynn, I think you’ve grown too accustomed to being the straight man while Landi rambles nonsensically. So accustomed, in fact, you’ve been blinded to the fact that right now, those positions have reversed. You care about your friends! Ditch the whole “emotions are for the weak” facade for a second and THINK! These people have zero clue about this whole thing with your brother because you’ve been so cagey about the whole thing. If they knew, they wouldn’t abandon you if you PAID them! They’d be by your side helping you deal with your problems like you’ve done for them COUNTLESS TIMES because they CARE about you! Himitsu is right in that you cannot do this alone, but even if you could, you shouldn’t HAVE to.

Just for posterity, let’s go over your current plan.

1) Send your friends away without you with limited information. (They could die. I’m 90% sure you’re confident that unless you spill what your people are capable of, at least one of them WILL die.)

2) Confront your people, alone. (Couldn’t they just refuse you an audience with your brother altogether? What if they kill you on the spot?)

3) Confront your brother, alone. (See >>1093326)

4) P-Profit? What happens once your brother is defeated? Will you be stuck in elf land rebuilding society or something? That sounds like strenuous busy work you would HATE! “OhHhHh I have one gajillion contingency plans to delegate that to someone capable or whatever” FINE! But you’re still resigning yourself to a life hovering over their shoulder paranoidly ensuring that they don’t take the same path as your brother, miserable in the forest forever, with no way to contact Serah, or Kayk, or ANYONE! Your friends!

In conclusion, this whole plan of “I’m going to push away everyone close to me and completely disregard their wellbeing and my own.” Is NONSENSE! So snap out of it, RaeRae!

These are your friends Raelynn, they'll help you, if you let them. Tell them what's going on. If you try to do this alone you will fail, not because you are weak, but because no one is that strong! It's pushing allies away that is a weakness. Trust them the way they trusted you in guiding them here.

>>1093321
Hey, if you look weak, then they'll underestimate you. Your *brother* will underestimate you. Then you can kill him easier. Consider the surest path to success, regardless of your pride.
Also uh I thought we couldn't fly anymore due to the storm?

...say, if Serah gave you some potions, would you be able to keep them for the duel?

Raelynn 2024/08/18(Sun)19:36 No. 1096045 ID: 9f8647
File 172403498643.png - (16.56KB , 361x500 , LF8 11.png )

I don’t answer Serah’s question, even with Landi’s insistence. Serah’s gaze is icy cold.

Good. The more she distances herself from me, the better for both of us. I turn away and pace to the other end of the cavern, leaving them to sit in silence. I can feel their eyes on my back.

I need to do this myself. There’s no one else who can handle the responsibility without getting hurt. I’ll be doing them a favor, sending them away. They’re not ready for what it means to be captured by my people. I can’t tell them my plans- they’d insist on staying to protect me, as if I’m some child who needs watching over.

I feel a brush against my senses. Taranis. He’s sent me… an image? The symbol of the Church of Eirene. What does that have to do with anything, other than that she’s the only human who knows why I’m here, and why I fight?

That priestess doesn’t know anything. She’s a peace-loving weakling who lost a fight against Taranis. I can’t rely on her advice. I can’t just have faith. How can she possibly give me advice? What’s that worth, without knowing me, really? It’s worth nothing. Nothing at all!

I send Taranis back a mental image of a wall, telling him to shut up. He ignores me, and sends back an image of… myself? Huddling around a campfire with Serah, Dotti and Landi. Back from when he first met me.

Is he telling me to talk to them? No. Opening up to Serah, pouring myself out in front of these people, one of whom I’ve barely met… it’s not right. This is against everything I’ve been taught. I’ll never be respected again. It’s for their safety. They won’t listen to my commands. They’ll question me. Familiarity breeds contempt.

They’ll pity me.

No! I don’t need their pity. I’m no weakling. I’ve trained for this since I left. These last few months, seeking out the strongest to duel against. My new mutagen, sharpening my reflexes to react far faster than any normal elf, even my companions among the Circle. I can handle this, even if my brother has planned something I’m not ready for.

I’m strong enough to do this alone. My mother believed in me so much that she passed on when I promised her I would do this. I can do this, no matter what advantages my bother has, no matter how many followers he calls on. I’m not the weakling they cast out. I’m not!

But… no matter how strong I am, can I really handle anything? Do I really think going in alone is anything but suicide in the long run?

No! It doesn’t matter. I’ll beat my in the duel. I’ll… I’ll kill him. Take my birthright of Imbolc. Then I’ll be done. I’ll have proven myself, and finished things without revealing my secrets.

I just need to accept that I might die, that’s all. As long as I kill my brother and stop those soul-devouring demons, nothing else matters. Yes, that’s the most important thing. I’ve expected to die young, just like my father. Just like everyone else I’ve ever known. Do I really want to live a shriveled, decrepit life like that elf in the caravan I met when I was guiding everyone to the Terrorscale lair? A coward’s life, hiding from the world, separated from my people? No!

Focus, Rae. Focus! Get your thoughts together. You can do this. You can do this! You can do this!

I… I can’t do this. I know where it ends.

And… I don’t want to die.

I don’t want to die!

I don’t want to die!

This is all too much. I need to keep silent. I can’t break down. No, not now. I need to help Landi and Dotti figure out a way to get Pierre around the rocks in the tunnel so we can all escape into the tunnel system, and be ready for a fight.

Am I going to cry? I can’t cry. Not here. Not now. I need to stay focused, but I can’t. There’s this great, gaping wound in my chest and it’s ripping me apart.

I… feel so lonely.

1. Do I call for Taranis? I shouldn’t. I can’t! He’s our only scout outside this cavern. It’s foolish!

2. Please, Gods, ancestors, anyone who is listening… give me the strength to push through this. I can’t break. Not now.

Calling for Taranis will leave the party BLIND to the outside world.

Giving Rae STRENGTH will allow her to focus and motivate the party to immediately get into the tunnels. If Raelynn does not get the party moving now, they will NOT make it into the tunnels before the Circle finds them here.

However, moving into the tunnels and being on guard means that Rae will have no time to TALK...

>1 Do I call for Taranis? I shouldn’t. I can’t! He’s our only scout outside this cavern. It’s foolish!

don't call for him, keep him scouting. Also, he's already been helping you plenty with some advice.

>2. Please, Gods, ancestors, anyone who is listening… give me the strength to push through this. I can’t break. Not now.

That's what your friends are for, to help give you strength. You can't just rely on the gods or ancestors or spirits alone to help you here. Serah and her party grew stronger, braver too. They are capable to help you. Heck, they've already been helping you all this time. if it wasn't for Serah, you wouldn't have had been given that cat mutagen, or useful items like armor. and Landi and Taranis helped pull you out of your depressed state earlier.

Remember this: your old circle can't do everything on their own individually, they rely on each other to succeed. Even they know that teamworks helps them pull through. That's why you gotta do the same, but rely on your own friends in the adventuring party who stuck by with you for so long and helped make you stronger in their own ways to succeed against your circle and your brother

your friends are not as weak as you think they are. Pushing them aside is an insult to all the growth they went through

Call that bird. Get them in those warrens so Kayk can transform.

>>1096047

As he says, even your circle work together.
Despite his clains of personal strength, you dont see your brother running around on his own.
He has folk at his command...

And...
What is your party but a circle of another kind?
Perhaps even a better kind in a way.
Every member is here by choice and should one leave, the party still would look out for them.
It expects only honesty, loyalty and support.
It hever asks more than you are willing to give.

Your strength is theirs and theirs is yours.
Knowing this and choosing not to let them lend their strengths to the task is intentionally holding back on applying the fullest of your ability to succeed in your goal.

You don't need gods or ghosts to lend you strength Rae, you have friends. One friend in particular sees what you're going through and wants to be there for you.
Let the bird in.

>>1096045
1

Got a plan but you may not like how it goes. Since it's a huge bluff. Hide everybody but Kayk in the tunnels. Emerge with Kayk and have her go full dragon mode. Declare to the scouts that unless your bro accepts your challenge your dragon ally will burn his circle's territory until he does. He must face you in a place you both agree upon so that you can veto places that leave you at a disadvantage. General hope is he falls for the lie of using a dragon for harassing while underestimating you while you have equal footing.

It sounds like you need to hug a bird, Raelynn. Call Taranis in, and he will give you strength. Your friends will help as well. The major issue here is time. I really really really want Raelynn to express all these feelings with the group, but the circle is approaching. We need to get into those tunnels and at least far enough that they’ll lose you. Definitely find a spot for a RaeRae mental health stop ASAP, but we gotta keep the group safe. I can only hope you hold up ok till then, Raelynn. Hang in there!

>>1096056
This guy is right, being strong doesn't mean being alone. Let others be your strength today, and don't for a second be such a fool you think that means you're weak.

Raelynn 2024/09/22(Sun)13:34 No. 1097660 ID: 9f8647
File 172703726472.png - (23.24KB , 580x590 , LF8 12.png )

Please…

I’m trapped. Trapped in this bunker, trapped by fate, by circumstance, by my promise to my mother, by my obligations to my Circle. I’m not strong enough to fight. I can’t run anymore.

I’m terrified that I don’t have the strength to… do anything. I can’t even respond to Serah and Landi’s questions. This isn’t who I want to be- this isn’t who I need to be.

I see the bunker’s door in my mind’s eye. Taranis is sending me a picture- is he telling me to flee? No, he’s… I focus my scarred vision and peer through the solid earth to see my companion hopping on the other side. Did I really call out to him without meaning to?

I don’t care. Without a word, I stride over to the door and tap the sigil to unseal the concealed entrance just enough for him to enter. He leaps into my arms, a bundle of feathers thankfully not wet from the storm.

A wave of relief washes over me. I’m not alone. I have at least one companion, no matter how bad things get. He’s been there for me, and I’ll be there for him. We help each other, even though he’s not a elf of the Circle, and I’m not a bird.

“Rae?” Landi asks, fluttering across the room. “Are you okay?”

Maybe… if I imagine Landi is a tiny bird, it would be okay to ask for her help, too.

“No,” I whisper back. “No, I’m not.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

No. But…

“A bit.”

Serah joins us. A bigger bird, to be sure, but a stronger one. I think Taranis’s thinking might be rubbing off on me.

I tell Serah and Landi about my mother. About the war I trained for, about my greatest failure. The expectations I failed. My exile. My brother. The things he’s done, the lines he’s crossed. By the end of it, I feel empty, like I’ve been turned upside-down and poured the acid in my guts onto the floor.

I didn’t cry. That’s all that’s important.

Landi doesn’t judge. She joins Taranis and sits on my shoulder, tucking herself under my braid, sharing her warmth.

“Rae-Rae,” Landi says, “You’ve been carrying so much on these shoulders… Fuck, girl. Just… Dotti doesn’t know about the soul-devourers coming back, does she? This is gonna be a shock to her… Fuck.”

Serah, for her part, is even paler than normal. That icy stare is gone, replaced with a look of horror. Of course- it’s natural to be horrified at my brother, he’s-

“I’m so sorry, Rae,” Serah says. “I didn’t mean to suspect you. I thought… Well, you carried yourself so well, I had no idea you were suffering like this. If there’s anything we can do- anything at all- please, let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”

Now is when I have to fight back the tears. Thankfully, I do.

If I ask for help… what do I ask for?

>>1097660
Sudden realization. The Censors will want to stop the soul devourers, won't they? That would be a higher priority than retrieving their runaway. If we can somehow tell them about this crisis without letting them have immediate access to Pierre, they might call off the search in favor of squashing the devourer threat. Would the Censors be able to stop your brother on their own? Or... would you be able to work alongside them?

>>1097667

Honestly, there is absolutely something to be said for pitting the Censors against the Circle on this point. I don't know if we'll be able to pull that off now, but it can at least be a long-term point of consideration.

For now, you need a plan. If there's anything you can rely on Serah for, it's navigate social situations. Tell her what your concerns and expectations are for how your people will act, and ask her to decide for the group how you'll engage with them.

Ask for Serah's expertise and planning. Now that you're all on the same page you can get her opinion on how to proceed. An outside perspective never hurts.

>>1097660
Bravely done rae.

>>1097670
Agreed.
Fresh perspectives.
New vantage points to view the situation from.
Give that beautiful bird tanaris a scritch while you listen to their takes
Its good for both of you and he deserves it.
then you can decide a path with a calmer mind.

>>1097667
Corruption has consumed the Censor Church. They won't just 'do their jobs'. They could ignore the soul devourers entirely to continue pursuing the low-hanging fruit... or even worse, successfully capture the soul devourers and breed them to conduct human soul experiments.

Your objective should be to inflict conflict, as much as possible, between the elven extremists and the corrupt priests. Give the task of monster slaying to beings you can trust to do actual slaying.

Help getting everyone out of here, fast.