5/7 Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)17:36 No. 632416 ID: 225ed3
File 142793498754.png - (274.88KB , 743x731 , Bullycat.png )

... until THAT one night, your father out getting supplies for the week, the feline cornered you on your way out of the inn, you shudder at the memory of his breath, cheap liqour and slurry words, he begins bragging of the things he did to your mother and demanded -YOU- to pick up what she left pending

6/7 Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)18:37 No. 632435 ID: 225ed3
File 142793866165.png - (426.49KB , 1033x800 , BamHeadshot.png )

... That's when you met HIM

it was all a blurr, one moment you feel him running his hand around your hair and pulling you close, the next, he's tumbling back with a loud yowl, as you sidestep, you see a tall, hansome deer, in a split second, his left hand starts glowing as he kneels down to bash the feline's face down to the ground, the feline spasms for a moment with a harsh meowl before remaining fully limp, the deer turns around and looks at you straight in the eyes "-are you okay, lady?"

7/7 Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)18:40 No. 632438 ID: 225ed3
File 142793881427.png - (124.69KB , 536x491 , omg.png )

... perfect black eyes... velvet-like cream hued coat of fur as he smiles, you feel a tingle as he stands up and offers a hand to you, the tingle however, makes you dizzy, slowly, the image starts fading and you feel your counciousness waning.... the same dream... however it rarely ends here, why did you had to wake up in the best part...?

>why did you had to wake up in the best part...?
What's the best part?

Now that you're awake, look around. Is your campsite as you left it?

Are you sure he didn't hire/manipulate that cat so that he could "save" you himself?

Well, you can figure it out later. You're not some dissed barmaid, you're an adventurer. Focus on surviving when there's nobody to save.

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)18:47 No. 632441 ID: 225ed3
File 142793924798.png - (410.98KB , 1280x800 , Crossbowtotheface.png )

>>632439

except for the loaded crossbow three inches from your nose, everything is preety much as you left it, yes

you get the impression that you where somewhat of a heavy sleeper tonight

>loaded crossbow three inches from your nose
Well, shit.

Don't move, and say "Hello?"

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)19:06 No. 632447 ID: 225ed3
File 142794037667.png - (854.23KB , 1280x800 , Crossbowtothefaceorangeglow.png )

the scope on top of the crossbow gives off a faint orange glow as your vision clears

-"what did you do with the mice?"
is the sole response from the raspy, masculine voice

insctintively, you try to hold both hands up, but you notice your wrists are tied together, just as your ankles

"don't you try anything sneaky... "miss" why don't you show me your true form and tell me where the miners are?"

Stay calm. We've got a paranoid adventuring type, here. Apparently investigating the same things you are.

I did nothing to the mice. These buildings were empty when I arrived earlier tonight.

I'm a priestess. If I demonstrate my abilities, will that prove to you I'm not something else disguised as one?

>>632447
"If you mean the pair in the cabin, they should still be there, safe as is possible this close to the accursed mine. I swear by the earth underfoot that this is my true form, and I would prefer not to reveal any more of it to a stranger, armed or otherwise. My name is Lina: What is yours?"

>>632447
Tell him the mice are down the road, in a building guarded by a golem that looks like you. They are safe for now. The miners are probably all dead, you don't really know.

Ask him why he thinks you're involved. I mean, you're sleeping in a barn.

>The miners are probably all dead
Don't say that. We don't know that for sure, and it will probably just aggravate him. And it could be misinterpreted as taunting him, which he could use to justify his suspicions we're part of this.

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)20:13 No. 632464 ID: ec1947
File 142794443947.png - (937.39KB , 1280x800 , Crossbowtothefaceorangeglowtokidoki.png )

the glow increases as you shuffle to think of an answer but lessens as you do, you can't help but to notice him whimpering slightly

you tell him about the mice in the cabin, but yeah, probably talking about the golem or dead miners won't end up well

-"you expect me to believe a sheep... a priest of all things, is going to be here all alone?" he glances quick to your armour on the floor

"wolf skins? no sheep could have that for clothing" he turns back to you, shaking a little, he seems disturbed "but it is clear you have magic in you, it's what brought me here... so... Sheep..."

you can see his right arm twitches and hear the trigger's mechanism tensing "I-I don't know what cabin you speak of, but if that's a t-trap it won't work well with me"

Tell him that it's an ironic fashion! You're just following someone and this entire adventure got so WRONG so fast!

>is going to be here all alone?
I came searching for my master, who came this way and did not return.

...who is it you've lost? (Stab in the dark, but the way he's tense and nervous, and taking this personally suggests to me he's got a personal stake in the missing people).

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)20:31 No. 632470 ID: ec1947
File 142794547676.png - (198.04KB , 860x650 , justwakingup.png )

focus Lina...

raspy voice, pointy snout, thin ears, certantly canine... inhale... think

dog? dingo? coyote?

you explain you're just looking for someone, and with your most sincere body language, explain how it all got waay out of hand, he doesn't seems convinced, he glances over to the stone hammer and visibly shudders "I knew I should have killed you while you where sleeping, I knew you would not give any information about the mice,very well... " he rolls his shoulder and props the crossbow, preparing to shoot but he IS quite shaken at this point, not really convinced

>>632468
(going to assume this is right after he takes aim!)

the comment about your master does makes him re-consider and he flicks his ears at your last sentence

"a mercenary has nothing... or nobody to lose, Sheep" he steps back and points the crossbow at your chest "I don't need to explain anything to you, but I have to prove myself, and no foul magic using demon is going to make me doubt about it"

...can we still cast while bound in iron? Sanctuary on ourself would be really helpful right now. We could make him lose his already shaky will, and tank a hit even if he fires. Plus, it is divine magic. Proof we're not a demon.

Say that the priestess Lydia in town mentioned him. She said that they had hired a mercenary from a guild and not heard from him since; I guess he is who she was referring to?

rolled 19 - 1 = 18

---

You can cast most divine spells with your focus handy (stone) but right now, you tap into your insctint and begin humming , weaving the earth's mana into the sounds as you look at him...

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)21:48 No. 632499 ID: ec1947
File 142795008407.png - (119.86KB , 467x394 , pufffff.png )

rolled 20, 16 = 36

---

... and it seems the magic didn't quite hit home, you attempted to calm down his feelings but he seems too altered and it had the contrary effect, tears swell on his eyes, however you do manage to mention Lydia, he whines

"It's just too scary! I am tired of this!!!" he pulls the crossbow away but his finger slips

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)21:55 No. 632506 ID: ec1947
File 142795055805.png - (102.79KB , 357x538 , ouch.png )

rolled 6 = 6

---

the canine steps back, looks at his empty crossbow, then at you, he stutters, the crossbow falling off his hand as he stumbles back "I- I'm..."

that certantly -hurt- you've experienced many things but the pain from your right arm is on a whole new scale, you feel an odd warmth irradiate from the bolt for a moment, but then it dissipates inmediately and it's replaced by the sharp pain

Ow. Ask if he can untie you so you can heal the wound.

Netsuki 2015/04/01(Wed)22:21 No. 632512 ID: ec1947
File 142795206627.png - (82.13KB , 355x488 , snap.png )

he runs back, heading for the door, trying frenetically to open it but you seem to have secured it too firmly

you get up and realize the rope he used isn't really that good, it only takes a firm flex of your left arm and the rope snaps, slowly, you prop yourself against the wall, twisting your legs slightly, you snap the rope on your ankle with surprising ease

Knock him unconscious. You can discuss this after he takes a nap and you heal that wound.

The crossbow is on the ground, right? Pick it up (without pointing it at him) and tell him to calm down and not go outside without his weapon. If he does try to get it make him promise not to shoot you again before giving it back.

>>632513
We might have to, but we should avoid that if possible, as physically attacking him will make it even harder to get him to stop panicking.

Pick up his weapon (don't load or aim it) and calmly ask him to stop running away. He shot you, he's not the one with something to be afraid of.

Stand there until he comes to his senses.

If he protests more : if I was a demon I would have struck you from behind while you were panicking.

Now would you help me get this arrow out? I can only reach it with one arm and I can't heal this with it in the way.

>>632512

Oh man.. the hammer is a divine focus, needed for magic, right? That probably won't calm the fella down at all.

Tell him he does not need to kill to prove himself here. The goal is protection. Rescue. If the curse of the mine can be sealed away again, or lifted entirely, that will save more lives than culling the victims of its magic. Your Master knows this too.

Netsuki 2015/04/02(Thu)07:03 No. 632604 ID: 225ed3
File 142798342970.png - (229.25KB , 860x800 , holdcrossbow.png )

you glare at the crossbow and resist the urge to stomp on it, instead you pick it up as harmlessly as you can (not that you'd even know how to operate it) and step towards him, as you start the 'if I was a demo-' he interrupts you placing a hand up in front of your face...

Netsuki 2015/04/02(Thu)07:16 No. 632605 ID: 225ed3
File 142798417766.png - (433.73KB , 1280x800 , Tanavar.png )

"... that bolt was aligned to destroy evil, you'd be withering in agony, if not dead by now if you where evil" he lowers his ears and undoes the scarf covering his face

"... for that matter, how DID you endured that bolt? you clearly aren't evil but now I can see how you made it this far on your own...you are strong...very strong"

he glances away and nods softly "... my clan has always been poor, and I joined the mercenary guild to bring fame and something to the table, I thought rescuing a bunch of mice would be easy, but I had to deal with all sort of weird things... I'm just so in edge..."

he lowers his head "I'm very sorry, miss, let me help you with that bolt... I won't promise it won't hurt though, I just hope you can forgive me"

Netsuki 2015/04/02(Thu)07:36 No. 632608 ID: 225ed3
File 142798538282.png - (153.69KB , 586x413 , pullitout.png )

"... name's Tanavar... by the way... are you ready? at your signal, I'll pull it out"

>afraid, on edge
>I just hope you can forgive me
He's going through the same thing you did, when you lashed out at the blind mice, before.

Understand, and forgive. Accept his help in treating your arm.

Exchange names, stories.

>>632609
And, I don't suppose you can help clear his mind the way you cleared yours?

>>632608
Yeah, alright.

Cast cure minor wounds afterwards.

Netsuki 2015/04/02(Thu)12:46 No. 632632 ID: 225ed3
File 142800396114.png - (175.04KB , 586x413 , yank.png )

rolled 3 + 4 = 7

---

>>632629
you nod and grit your teeth, he takes a deep breath and suddently pulls out

he reaches up with trembling hands to tend your wound but you shake a finger and reach down, taking a small pebble from the leftovers of your hammer, taking a deep breath, you focus on the healing spell and nod at him "... see? all is good now"

Ok, now that we are healed and calmed down we can discuss what we have seen so far and our plans next. The mice said that aside from our master they saw coyote and lynx mercenaries; has he seen either our master or the lynx? Also, has he been in the mine itself so far or just its surroundings like we have?

I was expecting a second post what with the roll.

Sit down, compare stories.

Check sheepedex. What time is it?

1/2 Netsuki 2015/04/03(Fri)10:09 No. 632756 ID: 225ed3
File 142808097864.png - (313.22KB , 1280x800 , sketch1428079109748.png )

after you explain the gist of your story, he nods and starts organizing his gear in the ground

he's an initiate in the silent howl guild, a pack of canines who work to support their comunity and earn respect

since he started this journey, he saved a ferret mother and her kid from a pack of weird blue critters, he tries to make himself sound brave and tough, but you know all too well the fear reflected in his eyes as he describes it, it seems he managed to barely have survived it

out of curiosity, you ask how many times he has been hired, to wich he lowers his ears, saying that other than menial jobs like escorting or rescuing kittens from trees, this is his first actual mission, wich he was already considered on quitting

he had a lot more weapons and equipment but he traded most of it for a special magic stone that glows in presence of magic, convinced by a sneaky saleswoman, wich he mounted on the crossbow, it's not very precise but it's a good indication, in retrospective though, he kinda regrets having sold his compass...

he has seven regular bolts, two bolts aligned to destroy evil, two bolts aligned to destroy chaotic beings

three throwing daggers, three healing potions, three packs of rations (ew, dried meat)

grappling hook, rope, healing kit and a set of climbing claws

2/2 Netsuki 2015/04/03(Fri)10:18 No. 632757 ID: 225ed3
File 142808149623.png - (309.32KB , 1280x800 , sketch1428078593387 (1).png )

he shakes his head when you ask about him being in the mine, he arrived from the east, skirting the mountains, since he sold his compass, it was the only reliable way to make it, but that did costed him an extra day and half of traveling

Lynx... and Coyote, he looks away for a moment, then nods

"if those are who I think... they're the glistening fangs... the coyote is a traitor from our guild, since he can read our jargon and shares contacts, they tend to steal our jobs, usually by less than honorable means, the lynx is an outright bandit, preety dangerous group, with the coyote's scent tracking and strenght and the lynx's hearing and sight, well..." he looks up at the hole in the roof "we might as well be wasting our time here, it's likely they have already either rescued what miners where there or dealt with them, we should just go back home"


while he talks, you adjust your sheeplex and do a quick check, 07:45 23 seconds, you can't get a precise moisture reading but judging from the moon yesterday, it didn't seemed likely to have rain today

I don't know about the miners, but it would take more than a pair of thugs to take our master down, and as far as we know he is still in the mine. Besides, if he hasn't come back yet that means that whatever evil is lurking in the mine is still there. He can head home if he wants, but we are still going in.

>we might as well be wasting our time here, it's likely they have already either rescued what miners where there or dealt with them, we should just go back home
Shake your head at that. There's still something wrong here. We both feel it. And my master is still missing. I plan to keep going.

I'll welcome the company if you decide the same, but your decions are your own.

Netsuki 2015/04/03(Fri)12:56 No. 632781 ID: 225ed3
File 142809098334.png - (597.77KB , 1280x800 , RESOLVE.png )

>>632767
>>632769

you tell the coyote to do as he likes, with that, you unfasten the leather straps from the barn door and remove the bar

looking back at him, you ask him to leave so you can get dressed up for going into the mine, as far as you're concerned, you are going in, with him or without him

Tanavar lowers his ears and packs up his things, walking past your side "... I am scared, but, I want to do the right thing, and I still want to prove myself, count on me, miss..." with that, he leaves and closes the barn door behind him, waiting for you outside


... you look around, no, no mouse boy around

Make sure you take turns on offense and defense; you have good fighting skills and healing abilities, but you are susceptible to magic and don't have many ranged spells. Tanavar has ranged skills and inventory items designed to target specific enemies, but not much else. Make sure you decide who attacks the enemies at close-medium range based on the situation.

Also, try to find a lantern, and some torches or some matches. You'll want to throw them into the caves to prematurely detonate any gas traps.

>... you look around, no, no mouse boy around
Honestly, if he had managed to follow you, that might almost be a good thing. We could certainly downgrade our threat assessment if children can walk around safely away from town after dark.

>no compass
Well, thankfully that's not an issue with sheep magic.

What's the duration on bless? He sure seems like he could use the morale bonuses, and if it would last all day, there's no reason not to start the day by buffing the party. (Whereas if it's short lived, we'd be better off conserving mana).

Netsuki 2015/04/03(Fri)14:47 No. 632806 ID: 9c7387
File 142809763770.png - (104.17KB , 619x617 , tinderdotcom.png )

>>632783
>>632796


there -are- three lamps by the barn's door, four bottles of kerosene with enough in them, several flint and steel pairs and a box with tinder available, more than enough equipment


Bless... the moral effect is inmediate and it does sustains for a while, but you know it's combat effectivity wears off if not used soon (it's a minute, but let's leave it as a whole encounter)

sheep... magic...

right, there's that, you need to meditate, an hour should do, and you need to do that before putting on your armour and gear, do you ask Tanavar to:

-wait for you outside patiently, maybe eat breakfast
-go outside to explore the surounding buildings but keeping an ear out for you
-ask him to stay close


(what do you guys say? should we call it a day and start off in chapter 2 starting in next response, new thread?)

Ask him to stay close. You don't want to be ambushed.

Chapter 2 sounds good. This thread's had a good run.

Sharing a meal before heading off into danger seems reasonable.

>new thread
Basically when you think it's necessary.

>>632807

(again)

Netsuki 2015/04/03(Fri)15:51 No. 632818 ID: 9c7387
File 142810151718.png - (228.00KB , 1280x800 , fooocus.png )

you consider it over and call Tanavar over, inviting him to have his breakfast in the barn while you meditate, as long as he doesn't interrupts your meditation and keeps an eye out for you, he's free to do as he likes

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