Setting Sun 1

>>1198933
>Wait until someone comes along.

You wait a while, feeling the bumps of the road under the wagon. One particularly large bump causes you to hit your head against the top of the cage, which stings for a bit.

After what feels like an hour, the wagon haults and you hear the driver step down from his seat. Muffled voices can be heard outside heading towards the wagon you are in. Bright light blinds you as the doors open up, exposing you to the harsh sunlight.

"Oi, ugly, get your ass up, it's time to eat." The person standing before you is Allan. You would think he'd be nicer since, as a midget, he's also disfigured, but in actuality, he's just happy to have someone who looks weirder than him to pick on.

He throws you a stale piece of bread. "Eat up, freak, it's the last food you'll get for another long while." Allan moves a small ways away from the wagon before sitting down to eat his own food. Anything you'd like to do?

> Write in

>>1198963
>Use that basic pyromancy to set fire to the dumb midget's hair.

Watching that smug little bastard in front of you fills you with rage. "It's time for revenge." you think to yourself. Taking a deep breath, you focus on Allan's hair. You feel the magic surge from within you and suddenly, there's a spark in his hair.

Allan doesn't notice it right away, but slowly, as the flames begin to grow on his head, he feels the heat. His eyes open wide in panic and he reaches up to feel his head. "WHAT THE HELL!" he cries out, attracting the attention of some of the people working around him. Allan leaps up and dives head first into the sand. Looking back, he sees that a few more people have stopped to watch, laughing at his plight. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU BASTARDS, HELP ME!" This only elicits more laughs from them and Allan redoubles his efforts in smothering the flames in sand.

It takes him another two minutes to put out the magical flames. By the time he does, a large croud had gathered to watch him flail about. Even the ringleader, Oswold, stepped out of his carriage to watch. "Allan, you should have let me know you were working on a new act," He laughs, "that show was so good, it could have made you the star of the show!" Allan tries to respond, but another round of laughter cuts him off.

Filled with shame, the now bald Allan runs off from the group. Oswold turns to the croud, "Alright everybody, show's over. Let's get back to setting up camp for the evening. By this time tomorrow we'll be in Umbertesk, preforming for the richest people in the nation!" At that, everyone went back to what they were doing before your revenge. Everyone, that is, except Oswold, who is looking right at you. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1199022
>Set fire to Oswold's hair too for the lulz.

u eet sand or yosho

>>1199026
He is already bald, sadly

>>1199029
>implying I meant the hair on his head

>>1199022
Spit in Oswold's face

>>1199031
Oh god. You need line of sight to set something on fire, you want to try his clothes?

>>1199035
Bit far away for that, might want to wait till he comes closer

>>1199040
>ask what he plans to do with you

>>1199037
Sure. Burn his trousers off.

Oswold moves into the wagon your cage is in, and looks down at you. "What do you want with me?" You ask. He smiles down at you and chuckles a bit. "Oh come on now lad, you're a smart boy, figure it out. With those scales of yours you are quite the oddity, I'd say people would pay to see that, don't you agree?" Any response?

> Write in

>>1199049
Wanna do it now?

>>1199052
>"I can think of a rather more entertaining spectacle for the people."
>Do it.

>>1199051
>threathen to kill him if he doesn't let you go

"I think I might have something more entertaining in mind." Once again, you focus your magic on one of Oswold's pant legs. "And what might that be-" He looks down at the small ember begining to grow on his pants. "Son of a bitch, what the hell?!" He yells before patting out the spreading flames.

He only barely succeeds in protecting his more delecare areas and he is left with a pair of tatered pants. "If you don't release me right now, Oswold, the next time I do that, I'll make sure it won't just stop at your pants. You'll be a pile of ash before you can even blink" Your voice is a growl and Oswold looks visibly shaken.

"Y- you can do that? You're a mage?!" Your threat seems to have worked as he fumbles for his keys. "Look, kid, I'm sorry for how we've treated you for the past few months," he reaches down and fits the key into the lock, "if we had any idea that you were of the upper class, we wouldn't have dreamed of-" Without warning, he grips the back of your head. With all his strengeth, Oswold slams your skull into the metal cage's door and everything goes black.

You wake up feeling dazed, but quickly realize you can't move your hands, or see. You are shackled and blindfolded. What will you do?

> Write in

>>1199069
>wait for something to happen

You sit in silence, waiting fot something to happen. You listen for the wagon wheels but hear nothing. Suddenly, a voice. "You know, I wasn't sure about you at first, kid." It's Oswold. "You didn't seem like much when we first bought you, but now, now I think I see a business opportunity." You hear him take a few steps forward. "Sure, I could parade you around, make you the star of the little show I'm running, but I think I have a better idea." You hear him laugh a bit. "All you mages are part of the upper class, right? So I think you'd be worth a lot more if I sell you to some friends of mine. They'll send out a ransom to the capitol, the higher ups will buy you back, and with the money I'll get from selling you, I can set myself up somewhere else. Live the good life, you know? Better hope someone pays though, my friends aren't quite as... kind as I have been to you." Any response?

> Write in

>>1199093
>ask who are his friends

"Who exactly are these 'friends' of yours?" You ask. "Well, it's this nice group of people called The Golden Shore. You might have heard of them somewhere."

You have, in fact, heard of them. They are a mercenary group that were founded within your lifetime. They mostly fight in wars against rebels within the empire or other forgin threats, but knowing what you know, they are not above holding you for ransom.

"We did some work together a while ago and they owe me a favor," he informs you"Anything else you want to know, kid? We'll be arriving in Umbertesk soon and I need to get ready." Any response?

>>1199166
>tell him you have a bad case of diariah and you need to go now

"Please," you plead, "I think I might be sick I need to-" "Please, don't give me that. If you have to go, shit yourself." You hear the creaking of the wagon door and Oswold steps out. You hear the wagon resume moving.

Contrary to what Oswold said, you are occasionally lead outside to use the bathroom, but you are still blindfolded and bound.

It takes another day of near nonstop movement for something to happen. You are sitting in your cage when you feel the wagon stop. You hear unfamiliar voices as well as Oswold's through the wood walls. You can't make out what they say, but it sounds like they are arguing. Would you like to do anything?

> Yell out for help

> Stay quiet

> Write in

>>1199245
> yell for help

>>1199245
>Set yourself on fire and burn to death.

"Hey! There's someone in here! I'm a prisoner of this group and they want to sell me for ransom!" The voices outside stop.

Suddenly, Oswold's voice takes on a frantic tone and the voices get closer. "Please, don't be ridiculous, you must have just heard something. I can promise you that-" "Enough!" The second voice yells. "This wagon will be checked for illegal goods right and I will have no more stalling."

Light shines through your blindfold as the door opens and you can vaguely make out the silhouettes of Oswold and this other person. "See, it's just a slave, nothing of note here." Oswold says to this other figure. "Slavery is illegal in Umbertesk, the punishment for this crime is immediate execution." The way this other person scentences Oswold to death is slightly unsettling. His calm tone and casual attitude to the affair seem... off to you. In addition, your father can be cruel to people, but you doubt he would impose such a law with such a heavy punishment. "Wh- what, but Umbertesk is the slave capitol of the empire, your city has always been open to-" he is cut short by the sound of steel sliding into flesh followed by a gagging sound coming from Oswold. Oswold falls to the ground while the other silhouette pulls its sword from his neck and steps up into the wagon, blocking the sunlight once more. You here metal striking metal and a hard thunk as the lock of the cage falls to the ground. Your blindfold is removed followed by your shackles. The man stands you up, "In the name of our holy lord, I free you, welcome to Umbertesk, friend." You are happy to be free, however, this is not one of your father's men. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1199312
You need line of sight, you couldn't see yourself through the blindfold

>>1199338
>Set the man on fire.

>>1199338
>ask the man for his name

"Who are you?" You ask. The man simply smiles, "We do not have names, we gave them to our lord in the hopes he would give us new life. Now come," he presses a bag of coins into your hand, "We will get you into the city now." He exists the wagon and motions for you to follow. What will you do?

> Write in

>>1199409
>Set him on fire.

>>1199409
>follow

>>1199415
Are you, like, an arson or something? Jeez dude. Anyway, I'll just ask, do you have an actual reason for setting this stranger on fire?

>>1199409
follow him

>>1199440
Just to watch him burn.

You step outside the wagon and look up to the massive walls of Umbertesk, but they aren't exactly how you left them. From the walls hang massive banners, a red sun on a black background. You notice the same symbol on the soldier's black armor.

The guard goes up to the gates and begins speaking with another man on the inside. Slowly, the gates rise up and the guard returns to you. "Welcome to Umbertesk, friend. I apologize for the way you were treated by those men, but you are safe now. Do you have any family in the city?" "Yes, my father." The man smiles again, "Excelent, safe travels and let the one true divine shine down on you!" You enter the city.
_____________________________________

Gonna cut it here for now guys, I'll come back when I can to continue.

>>1199484
>Burn the city, of course.

>>1199484
alright

You live here right? Just go home for now cause honestly we're apparently a neglected kid with no real survival skills besides setting stuff on fire, considering that I would just go home and sleep in my bed.

File: tegaki.png (11KB, 400x400px) Image search: [Google]

11KB, 400x400px

>>1202821
After sleeping in a metal cage for months anyway.

>>1202830
Ignatius just looks like a normal guy, but with patches of red scales growing around his body, no wings though sadly...

Sorry for waiting this long to continue, technical difficulties. Anyway, let's get back to it.
_____________________________________

Stepping through the gates you notice that many buildings look like they've been recently rebuilt, or at least heavily fixed up. This is too strange, but you decide that the best course of action for you would be to head back home and talk to your father.

You move through the crowds towards the Noble district of the city, where the palace (which is your home) is located. As you draw closer, it seems that the concentration of the strange garbed guards increases greatly.

Finally, you reach the inner wall that separates the commoners from the nobility of the city. You walk over to the guard manning the gates, but before you can say anything, he stops you. "Hold it there, no commoners beyond here." Well this is odd, you'd think that SOMEONE would recognize you, especially the guards tasked with guarding nobility such as yourself. Any response?

> Don't be stupid, I am the son of the sultan, Khalil, let me through!

> Just go with it, this is odd...

> Write in

>>1202844
I know but this is the image that comes to my mind cause it's funny

>>1202866
Just go with it, but ask about current stuff, something seems odd and I don't think we should be announcing who we are(or calling an armed guard stupid)

>>1202871
Haha, fair enough

>>1202866
>Set fire to the guard.

>>1202899
Dude really? what will that even accomplish?

>>1202899
Before I continue, I just have to admire your commitment to this

>>1202910
Admittedly our little pyrofag is endearing, if not completely insane.

"Sorry, sir." You respond, "I'm new to this city and was just exploring is all..." The guard sighs, "It's alright, it happens. Now move along." He starts to move back to his post, but you call back to him. "Wait!" "What is it kid, I've got work to do." He looks impatient, but you figure he'd be willing to answer some questions you have about the changes to the city. Anything you'd like to ask?

> Write in

>>1202913
Agreed

>>1202917
ask about current political situation I guess, (aka what is going on with dear old dad). Also depending on answer we should ask for a place to get work. Question though, from what I understand it mages are the elite of society, does that mean there is no mage guild to go to or at least mentors to train with in case we can't go back home?

>>1202932
Mages are the elite, so outside the capitol you will not find any Mage Guilds.

>>1202917
>"Can I set fire to you?"

>>1202955
So does that mean if we didn't reveal who we are, but show an aptitude for magic can be accepted in or is it family/noble thing?

You think for a moment before responding. "Out of curiosity, what do you think of the work of Khalil? Any good reforms he's made recently?" You never were much good at talking politics. "The sultan? Man, you ARE new here. We do not have a sultan anymore in Umbertesk. We of the Order of the Scarlet Sun liberated this city of his tyranny and made a truce with the greater empire." You pause for a moment before responding. "What... What exactly do you mean by 'liberated' the city?" The guard smiles wide, "We took the city, crushed the nobility and the bureaucracy living here, and took over. But do not worry, friend, we have done nothing but help the city since we arrived. Already we outlawed slavery and have put a stop to corruption. We have truly made this a glorious city, one fit even for the one true divine himself!" He's dead, he's actually dead. You never liked your father, but... May the divines lay him to rest eternally. "Anything else I a may help you with?" Your response?

> Write in

>>1202968
Aptitude for magic warrants a certain level of respect and can, if demonstrated to the right people, have you brought immediately to the capitol for further testing and training.

>>1202999
Ask the current situation of mages, could use a heads up in case magic is a big no no now. I know I'm focusing a lot on magic but right now it's our only real survival skill and I would like to know if using it as a form of income or survival will cause problems in the future.

>>1203014
Also training to become a powerful dragon blooded sorcerer/wizard would be pretty sweet.

>>1203007
So using magic to set this guy on fire *could* actually achieve something, then?

"I had heard that some mages from the capitol were assisting the sultan, what happened to them?" The man thinks for a moment, "I believe they were escorted out of the city during the take over, but you shouldn't worry about things like that. Our leader is perfectly capable of governing us without need for capitol interference."

Not exactly the answer you were hoping for, so you try again. "Are there any other mages within the city that you know of?" You ask. The man shakes his head. "Aside from our leader, we have no mages here that I know of. Why the interest in Mages?" Your response?

> Write in

>>1203053
It's just so different from what I heard of the city, I just wanted to understand the new changes to the city. Speaking of which I was wondering if there is any place for work?

>>1203052
Technically yes, but I don't think a man clad in plate armor wielding a spear would very much appreciate it and might result in an unfortunate outcome for you.

>>1203068
Worth a try anyway, right?

"It's just all so different from what I've heard about the city. I had no idea it changed so much, sorry if I'm being too curious." The guard nods, "Don't worry about it, we have done quite a bit to this place and I understand that a young kid like you would be curious. Anything else? I really must get back to my post." "Yes, actually, just one more thing. Is there anywhere to get work here in the city, I'll be here for a while and want spending money."

The man thinks for a second. "That, I'm afraid, I don't know. We usually don't concern ourselves with such things, we just do the jobs we have and keep to ourselves. You could try asking around though, I'm sure you'll find something, despite your... abnormalities... " You were wondering when someone was going to comment on your face... great. "Anyway, good luck with everything. May the one lord of all smile upon you!" With that, he goes back to his post. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1203094
I will tell you right now, he WILL stab you in the face if you try to set him on fire

>>1203100
Not if you burn his spear first.

>>1203097
Give your thanks to the guard and proceed to explore the city for work, might as well see how much has actually changed for the citizens.

"Thank you for your help!" you call after him. He simply nods at you and you decide to get moving.

You find a secluded spot and think over your options.

You need a job, that's for sure. You only have a small amount of money from when you were taken. That should last a few days, but after that... You definitely need a job.

There is much opportunity in Umbertesk. Despite the shift in leadership, it still is a trade city populated by all manner of people and all manner of jobs you could attempt to get. However the question is, where?

The city is divided into five different districts, the nobility district, the low district (where most of the peasants and commoners live), the trade district, the Steel district where one can purchase all manner of combat gear as well as watch fights to the death in a massive arena, and finally a district fondly refered to as the garden of vice, most of the more scandalous activities take place there. It is also the only place in the city where alcohol is aloud to be openly consumed or sold.

You know that you won't find any real work in the low district, nor the nobility district, but the other three might have some opportunity for work. Where would you like to check out first?

> Steel

> Trade

> Vice

>>1203189
Alcohol can be burned, so Vice.

>>1203189
Trade, it'll help us develop speaking skills(persuasion, diplomacy, perception, etc), gives us a profession that allows the luxury of travelling without coming off as suspicous(merchants bro), and I'm pretty sure we wouldn't survive in the steel and vice districts.

You walk through the city streets towards the trade district, observing the crowds as you go.

Not much with the people themselves have changed, but the city on the other hand has had some subtle, yet noticeable, changes made.

For instance, the temples to the Elemental Lords which used to dominate the skyline with their beautiful architecture are missing. In there place are massive piles of rubble with people working to clear it away. "If all else fails I might be able to get a job with them," you think to yourself.

The walk takes an hour and the sun is dipping below the walls as you arrive there. Before you are two long streets that wrap themselves around the city with a long stretch of sand in between them where the more nomadic traders set up their shops. This ring is only interrupted by a large port two hours walk down the road. On both sides of the street, there are shops of almost all kinds. You figure you could seek a job at any of these places. Where would you like to search?

> Port

> Traveling merchants

> Permanent shops

>>1203301
Traveling merchant, being realted to the old sultan means we should probably leave the city while we can, plus a guy the makes fire out of nowhere probably shouldnt be on a wooden boat in the middle of the ocean.

>>1203301
Port, for precisely the reason stated above.

>>1203407
Don't worry, the flames will come soon. Let us wait until the right time to use them.

>>1203415
>implying there's a wrong time.

You spend the rest of the day asking merchant after merchant for work. Most, however, either are too poor to hire anyone else or just want to keep the business to their families.

Finally, you stumble across someone who is willing to help you. His name is Samuel and seems to be a fairly successful merchant, or at least you think so by his yellow silk robes.

"Normally I wouldn't be so open to outsiders joining me." He says as he moves his wares into his wagon for the evening. "But you see, I am getting a bit old for this and might require some assistance with this sort of heavy lifting." He gestures towards a rather large crate. You help him lift it onto the wagon and then assist him with the rest of his wares.

"Well it seems you already are proving useful, you may come with me, but we will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Make sure you finish all of your affairs before then, I wish to be gone from this city and won't delay my departure for very long

"What's the pay?" you ask. "You will work for commission, you will get a cut of everything you sell. Don't worry though, I won't let you starve as long as you work hard. And of course I'll pay you for helping me move things where I need them." Any response?

> Write in

>>1203511
>Set him on fire.

Crap, gonna have to go for at least an hour and a half. Write in what you want, unless it's set the poor bastard on fire in the middle of a heavily populated area and get killed (like if it was in the middle of the desert I'd get it, but come on). Get back to you guys when I can.

>>1203511
Just thank him and get to work, I want out of this place as soon as possible. Plus try to observe our new employer when doing business, it would be a good idea to learn tips and tricks of the trade.

>>1203511
>>1203619

>>1203511
Thank you very much. This patnership is going to be mutual benificial. Before we leave town do you know anyone that looks like me, gesture to scales, I wish to know more about my origin.

>>1203945
I don't see a point in asking, we know what we are

OK, on break so I have a bit. Also, since I'm an idiot, I forgot to mention that there was a prologue type thing I did the other day that gives some more context. It's from the POV of the sultan before the takeover. It isn't necessary for understanding this story, but here's the link to the thread anyway: >>1185729

Anyway, let's get back to it...
______________________________

You thank Samuel for his generosity and tell him that you don't actually have a place to stay for the night. He offers a mat to sleep on by the cart. You accept his offer and you lay down to sleep.

The next morning you end up selling a few perishables before you leave under Samuel's supervision. "You seem to have a knack for this, Ignatius, I'm happy to have hired you."

While you sell, Samuel teaches you a few useful things. He goes over how to counter hagglers, how to spot someone who might cause trouble, and what to say to help calm down an angry customer. By the end of your time in Umbertesk, you've managed to sell most of your stock. You pack what's left into the waggon while Samuel goes off to fetch the camel he uses to pull it. When he returns, he shows you how to hook up the wagon and, once you are finished, you set off.

"This takeover buissness is bad news if you ask me." Samuel starts as a squadren of guards march past. "I don't care what they've done to fix up the city, this kind of revolution within the empire cannot be good." You nod in agreement.

You are at the gates to the city. At this time of day there is relatively little traffic, so you get right up to the walls very quickly. After a quick search, the wagon is let through and you are out in the desert, moveing north. "We are heading to Vulcainin next." Samuel informs you. "Beautiful city, a massive hub for religious types in the mountains, perfect for selling 'religious artifacts'." He makes air quotes as he say "religious artifacts" and laughs. "Honestly, people will believe anything if you're convincing enough.

You are on the road for 3 days, when in the distance you can barely make out a crumbling ruin of a watchtower. Squinting your eyes a bit you can see movement coming from outside. It appears it is occupied. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1203945
You are of draconic ancestory. Your great great grandfather had an affair with a dragon, resulting in what your father believes was a tainting of your bloodline. The draconic aspects never really showed up in your relatives, but for some reason you got scales.

>>1204141
>Burn the watchtower to the ground.

>>1204207
Made of stone and waaaaaaaaaay too far away

>>1204218
>Burn yourself.

>>1204141
Talk/warn employer

"Hey Samuel," you inform him, "do you see those people in the tower?" Samuel squints and tries to focus in on it. "I believe I do, yes, seems like some squatters. We'll stay on course and hope for the best, but just in case..." he pulls from under his seat a wooden box. Opening it, there is a sword. Unlike the scimitars of Umbertesk, this one is thinner and straight. It isn't quite a dagger, but even for a short sword it's rather small. "Here." he hands the blade to you. "You could weild it better than I can, I'm sure. Make sure you keep it hidden."

You come up to the watchtower. There is, in fact, a man standing in the shadow of the tower by the road. "Hold up there fellows." He says, stepping out in front of the wagon. "This is a toll road, pay up or turn back, order of the capitol." This man is absolutely not official. "How much is the toll?" Samuel asks. "400 gold pieces, no more, no less." Samuel thinks for a moment. "There never was a toll here before now." "There is now." He tells him. Would you like to do anything?

> Write in

>>1204337
Ok well now is clearly the time to set fire to this guy.

>>1204367
Hmm... I kind of don't want to just to piss you off

>>1204385
Go oooonnnnnn, you know you want to really

In all seriousness though, gotta clock back in, post responses and I'll be back in a few hours.

>>1204400
Go ahead man, your moment to shine.

>>1204337
> set ablaze and beat him with your sword then spot at his corpse

>>1205499
*spit

>>1205499
Lets tone it down a bit, just set fire to the nice bandit without making it obvious it's us. keep blade hidden till needed.

>>1205531
ok but we have to spit at his corpse after we beat him

>>1205531
I can accept that, just wait till the fucker is dead.

You aren't going to take this. There's no way he was going to let this ass take advantage of you and your new boss. For the third time since your escape, you reach within yourself and focus your magical energies onto this criminal.

"Well, you just gonna stand and glare at me or are you gonna- HOLY SHIT!" He bursts into flames. A bit overboard, but that's fine, right? "FOR THE LOVE OF THE DIVINES END IT ALL!" OK he is very on fire.

"Hey Jay, what's the matter with- what the hell!?" You look up and see another person on the top of the watch tower. "What is it, boss?" another voice asks, this one coming from within the tower. "Those sick fucks set Jay on fire somehow!" The person at the top of the tower is now pointing a very deadly looking longbow at you while the bandit now identified as Jay writhes on the ground in agony. "I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU ASSHOLES!" he yells, sliding an arrow into the bow. Samuel looks on in shock as all this goes down and then jumps off the side of the wagon, taking cover. You feel tired. What will you do?

> Write in

>>1205722
Take cover, get ready set bowfag on fire

Quickly, you follow Samuel's lead and jump behind the wagon just as an arrow burrys itself into the seat. "What did you do to him?" Samuel asks frantically. "We've got more important things to worry about right now don't you think?" you respond. At that moment, the camel pulling the cart seems to have gotten fed up with the screaming burning man in front of it and decides to run off, leaving you exposed to the bowman on top of the tower.

You attempt to focus in on him, however your attempt to ignite him seems to fail. In fact, the mere act of digging for your magic sends spindles of pain through your skull. "Crap." you mumble as a massive migraine hits you like a charging ox.

"You ready to die you fuckers?!" the bandit shouts down before he nocks another arrow. Your vision is spinning. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1206059
well shit, anything we can throw at him? not the blade obviously that would just be stupid.

>>1206059
Actually what do we see in the immediate vicinity? including whatever is on the bandit we just burned alive.

>>1206163
Just the tower in front of you and the man who's burning. Seems he's dead now and wearing now crispy leather armor. He has a dagger in his hand.

>>1206194
Is it possible to grab the dagger without getting shot?

>>1206217
You should do SOMETHING. He's gonna shoot you (or at least attempt to) no matter what, so...

>>1206233
grab dagger also is there anything to use as mobile cover?

File: tegaki.png (8KB, 400x400px) Image search: [Google]

8KB, 400x400px

>>1206309
There are some boxes that fell off the wagon, but you're going to have to choose here.

>>1206382
Might as well go all the way then, grab box to use as cover and proceed towards the tower to take down the other bandits

You dive for the boxes as the bandit shoots. It clips your leg eliciting a yelp of pain, but you made it to a box. Looking for Samuel, you see that he managed to slip under the overhanging tower. You then begin to army crawl towards the building. Another shot snags your leg, but doesn't quite catch.

Finally your under the building. "John, get ready, they're going to try to come in." The bandit with the bow calls out. You slide next to Samuel. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1206500
Get your blade ready and coordinate with Samuel so he can act as a distraction against the guy guarding the door, then go for the kill.

You steady yourself and attempt to shake yourself out of this dazed state. Recovering as best you can, you draw your blade. "I need you to be a distraction Samuel." He looks at you confused. "Are you crazy? If there's someone on the other side of that door, he'll just kill me as soon as I step in!" Seems he doesn't like the idea of being a distraction, but at least your head feels a bit better. Any other ideas?

> Write in

>>1206619
If bowman is in line of sight see if he can be lit up, if not ready blade and go in

You look up to the top ledge to see if you can see the bowman. Sadly, the angle isn't right and you can only see the bottom of the platform. Seeing that you can't kill the bowman, you pull up the sword and edge over to the doorway. You rush in, swinging your blade, but no one is there. There seems to be two stair cases, one going up and the other going down. You hear movement above you. What will you do?

> Write in

>>1206654
Last post for the night from me, I got work in the morning and I need sleep. This is going really well though. Thanks for running the game, I'll check on here tomorrow morning

>>1206706
Ok before I go, one last command. Go upstairs.

>>1206708
Sounds good, I'll wrap it up here too then after this.

>>1206727
Good game so far and good night.

You move up the stairs slowly, both because you do not want to alert the person up there to your position and because of your injured leg. You turn and see another bandit, this one carrying a war hammer and clad in chain mail. You lock eyes and, with a yell, the man charges you.

You nearly fall down the stairs trying to dodge the bandit's leap followed by a downward swing. You hear the stone crack under the blow and send a silent thanks to the divines for letting you dodge the attack.

You both are on the ground floor now, circling one another, both anxiously awaiting for the other to make a move. It's him who takes the initiative as he charges forward attempting to swing the hammer through your skull. Not having enough time to properly dodge the attack, you decide to just collapse under it. The bandit, using the momentum from the first swing, tries to bring the hammer down on you once more, but this time you anticipate the attack and roll to the side, getting up on a knee and getting a quick strike in on the bandit's thigh. He howls in pain but is undeterred. He turns to face you once more when a voice from behind you calls out, "I got you now ya little freak!" The man with the longbow is standing on the stairs, taking aim at you. He is unable to fire, however, as Samuel is now in the door with a throwing knife in hand. He tosses the blade and it hits home on the man's neck. It also appears that the blade cut the string of the bow as well.

As that occurs, you and the bandit resume your square off. Both bleeding from your legs, it is much slower going. Samuel attempts to get the jump on the bandit while he's facing away from him, however the bandit sees it coming. He turns to face Samuel and, gripping his robes, tosses him to the side. You think you hear a crack as he hits the wall. Not wasting this opportunity, you attempt a surprise attack and, unlike Samuel's, your attack ends up being in your favor. You race over to this bandit as he turns back to face you. You drive your shortsword using two hands down to the hilt in the man's chest. He falls hard, taking the blade with him, and drives it even deeper within his chest. He let's out a quiet moan of pain and breathes his last. What would you like to do now?

> Check on Samuel

> Check the bowman's body

> Attempt to patch yourself up

> Write in

___________________________________

If you see this feel free to respond and I will pick up the story tomorrow.

>>1206743
Thanks, that means a lot! Night Annon, looking forward to continuing, we've got a ways to go.

>>1206834
>Check on Samuel then search the bowman's for anything useful and attempt to patch yourself up

>>1206834
Check on Samuel then proceed to search for anything useful off the bandits including weapons and armor. Take the bow too as its much cheaper to replace the string than to buy a whole bow

>>1206834
>Set Samuel on fire
>Set the bowman's body on fire
>Attempt to set yourself on fire

>>1208392
I think we're tapped out right now

Got a lot of stuff going on today, so posts will be sporadic.
___________________

You move over to Samuel. The first thing you note is that he is breathing, seems the blow just knocked him unconscious. You roll him over to his side and then go up to the second bandit. The knife is sticking out of his neck. It was a good throw for sure, there's no way he should be able to get up from that. Looking to his bow, you decide to take it with you. After all, you might be able to have it fixed... and learn how to use a bow. What next?

> Upstairs

> Basement

> Write in

>>1208554
Basement

Moving back over to the staircase, you take a glance down to see if you can find anything dangerous you might be walking into, but, seeing nothing apparently dangerous, you decide it's safe to walk down.

You walk down the staircase and into a dingy looking room. On one side of the room, a pile of barrels and shelves cover the wall. On the wall opposite to you, however, there is what appears to be a prison of sorts. Inside of it, there is a figure huddled in the corner wearing torn rags. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1209010
attempt to talk to the figure, keep a moderate distance for safety.

>>1209010
>Set the prisoner on fire.

>>1209049
i was just gonna say that

>>1209050
>>1209049
I expect too much from you people...

Just give us choices op

>>1209083
>Let's talk to the mysterious figure

>>1209010
this>>1209102

>>1209100
I do give specific options sometimes, but I like to see what you guys do on your own

Oh, also, we're going with what you chose first.
__________

You, fearing the man might be a danger and still feeling tense from the fight, decide it might be best to just kill the man. You ready yourself for the attack. You focus in on the man, but the moment you try to reach for the magic, a splitting pain burns through you mind. The pain is so unbearable you collapse to the floor and blackness overtakes you.

You wake up outside, lying on a mat. Samuel sits nearby and calls out to you. "Good, you're up, we were afraid you would be passed out for longer." You sit up and rub your head, which still stings. Seems that Samuel managed to track down the wagon while you were out and brought it back. "Is he awake?" a voice from inside the tower calls. A man with a long beard pokes his head from the door. "You shouldn't use magic like that, you know." The man informs you as he walks over. "Didn't your master teach you that? If he didn't, I'd recommend finding a better one. Also, odd that the Reclamation Administration would take so long to send someone after me, and why did they send someone so inexperienced?" He asks. "It doesn't matter, you're here now and we can head back to the capitol, right?" The man smiles expectantly while Samuel looks on, confused. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1209151
"I'm sorry, I'm not with whatever group you're talking about and I have never been trained in magic use. My employer and I were attacked by bandits and we were defending ourselves. Finding you was really just pure luck. How did you end up here anyway?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not with whatever group you're talking about and I have never been trained in magic use. My employer and I were attacked by bandits and we were defending ourselves. Finding you was really just pure luck. How did you end up here anyway?" you ask him. "But then... I... n- never mind, the important thing is I'm free and can head back to the capitol to deliver my report. To answer your question, I was heading back to the capitol when Umbertesk fell, I was stationed there you see, and I... well... got a bit lost and wound up here. Then I went to ask those men," he motions to the two corpses of the bandits, "for directions, but they mugged me. And then, when they found I didn't have money, they threw me in that damn prison!" Any response?

> Write in

>>1209183
>Just try and set him on fire again.

>>1209183
"Well Samuel and I recently left Umbertesk so if we're going the same direction you could probably come with us, If that's alright with you Samuel."

You aren't sure why, but you do not trust this man. Maybe it's the delirium from your previous brush with unconsciousness or maybe it's some side effect of your overuse of magic. Whatever the reason, however, you try to set him on fire.

You collapse once again, feeling the familiar headache, but this time your ears are furiously pounding and you feel blood pouring from your ears and nose. You can also taste metal and feel your mouth filling with blood. Samuel comes rushing over to push your head forward so you don't drown in blood while the man from the capitol grabs a small vial from a pouch on his side. He puts it to your lips and forces you to drink it.

You feel a warmth spread through you and the blood stops flowing, but the pounding does not stop. Both Samuel and the other man are discussing something, but you cannot hear it. Samuel pulls out a rag and begins to wipe blood from your face Everything goes black for the second time today.

You wake up on the top of the wagon. Below you is Samuel and the other man, riding in silence. What would you like to do?

> Announce you are awake

> Try to get up

> Just keep laying there

>>1209223
Just keep lying there

>>1209223
>Keep trying to set the guy on fire.

>>1209248
Not an option

>>1209223
>Just keep laying there

>>1209223
>> Just keep laying there

You decide it would be best to rest after your ordeal and simply lie down. You look up at the night sky and just let your mind wander. "I killed two people today..." you think to yourself. "By the divines, I KILLED TWO PEOPLE AND ALMOST KILLED THREE!" You start shaking and you feel yourself shaking, sending pain through your mind. You calm yourself down a bit, but the thought does not leave you. You had rarely even left the palace and now you are killing people. It does not sit well with you. You dwell on the thought of these killings for a while until sleep overtakes you.

You wake up and it looks to be afternoon. In the distance, you see mountains with what appear to be buildings nestled all through them. Samuel and the man from the capitol are eating breakfast nearby. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1209354
Join them.

>>1209354
Set fire to them.

>>1209409
I think we tried to set enough people on fire already give it a rest

>>1209416
Awwwww just one more? Pretty please?

>>1209425
alright one more
>Set yourself on fire

You hop down off the wagon and sit with them. "I told you to be careful with your magic, you were very close to death." You nod and Samuel hands you a piece of bread. You take it and begin eating.

"We've been riding for a while now, those mountains are Vulcainin." He points to the mountains in the distance. "And from there I'll be able to get back to the capitol." Says the man from the capitol. "Sorry you can't come along, as an outsider you'll have to go there like a normal person. Any outsider mages aren't permitted to use the teleportation circles and I'll get in huge trouble if I make an exception for you, sorry. But if you find your way to the city, look me up. Names Orsomere, by the way." Anything you'd like to do before continuing?

> Write in

>>1209485
>Set him on fire.

>>1209514
>ask about the city

>>1209544
>"How flammable is the city?"

>>1209485
Introduce yourself, ask about city, ask for any novice mage tips, check on sweet loot you hopefully remembered to grab.

"I'm not much of a traveler, anything I should know about the city?" "Well first off it's populated by a bunch of fanatics, it used to be the center of a theoretic society before our empire took over. The leadership may have changed, but they still love their religion..." Samuel nods in agreement, "Not to mention any sins against the church of the Elemental Lords are considered crimes and you can get into some serious trouble for breaking their laws, so stay away from alcohol. I once heard a person was drowned in liquor for drinking ale..." Samuel adds. "Also, there is a hierarchy of temples headed by the temple dedicated to the Elemental Lord of flames, legend says the city was built by him, but I don't know about that. Any decisions made go up the hierarchy and the final decision is made by the Fire Lord's people." Samuel informs you. Anything else you'd like to ask?

> Write in

>>1209586
When you ask about your equipment, Samuel informs you he put it in a box in the wagon.

Seems those bandits weren't very successful, they weren't keeping anything of value.

>>1209612
he talked about some kind of group he was in, can we ask about that

"You mentioned a group before, who are they?" Orsomere thinks for a moment before responding. "Oh, right, the Reclamation Administration. Yes, when we mages leave the capitol, we run a high risk of be killed or captured by the jealous barbarians outside the walls of the city, no offense Samuel." Samuel seems slightly offended, but let's the comment go anyway. "So, in order to keep ourselves safe, we have a group of master diviners keeping tabs on our locations. If we are in an area we shouldn't be, they send a task force out to assist us. It's a bit... intrusive, but it keeps us safe!" His smile seems a bit insincere.

>>1209757
Any novice mage tips he could share

>>1209794
This. Maybe he can teach us how not to pass out every time we try to set him on fire.

>>1209829
>adv
exactly, also fireballs, we need fireballs

>>1209757
>Ask about the elemental lords

>>1209854
this too

"Any tips for for a novice caster?" You ask Osomere. "Sure, my specialty is telekinesis, so I can show you that."

You spend your time sitting on top of the caravan with Osomere, trying to learn the art of telekinesis. He gave you something at the beginning of your lesson which clears up your headache and you feel more in tune with your magical energies. "It's a simple compound that restores a little magical energy to the consumer. Like I said, it isn't much, but we aren't trying to do anything major, so it should be enough."

After a few hours, you are unable to lift even the smallest objects. In fact, at one point you even accidentally start a small fire on the roof of the wagon. "I just don't get it," Osomere says scratching his head, "these spells should be usable by even the most limited of mages... no offense. You shouldn't have any problem casting them though..." he thinks for a moment before continuing. "Maybe your magic is just different than a normal mage, this is something that should be examined further with someone skilled than me. If you come to the capitol I'll introduce you to someone who might help." He concludes.

You finally make it to the city, if it could be called that. What it looks more like is a small down at the base of a cluster of mountains and series of massive temples carved into the sides of the mountains.

Samuel sets up shop in the town center and Osomere says his goodbyes before climbing up the stairs to one of the largest temples. "I won't be ready to sell for another few hours, you may explore the city if you'd like." What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1209947
>Burn the city.

>>1209854
You already know of the Elemental Lords, they are the deities of this world and you worship them. There are the Elemental Lords of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.

Each one assisted in the creation of everything and left a gift for the mortals of this world to discover, but none have been asside from the Lord of Fire's gift, which is in Vulcainin.

It is a massive cluster of rubies that eminates heat. It is said that all the heat of the world comes from this ruby, and even powers the sun itself. No one but the high priest of the Fire Lord can view it.

>>1209947
Check you your stuff in the chest samuel left you then explore the city

>>1209947
vist fire temple

You grab your equipment and decide to explore the small city. Compared to Umbertesk, the city is incredibly small. You manage to look around and, aside from some small stores, you see nothing of intrest. The people of the city are quite boring as well. The only thing they talk about is their faith and it starts to get on your nerves.

It takes you two hours to walk around the city and you decide to check out the temples next. You walk up the stairs to the fire temple and are astounded by what you see. The temple is probably the greatest display of wealth you've ever seen. The walls are covered in rubies and opals. The floor is obsidian and through it lava shines brightly. Scattered about the temple are groups of people garbed in red and white going about their business. You also see some normal people, but they are in the minority. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1210215
Talk toa priest and ask about the temple

>>1210215
explore temple

>>1210248
Anything you want to ask in particular?

>>1210248
>>1210281
Talk about, sorry

>>1210287
Just about the temple

>>1210287
is their a sacrifice alter in the fire temple

>>1210386
Not that you can see, no.

You walk up to one of the groups of people. "Excuse me," you begin. The group stops talking and they turn to you. "Hello young one!" one of the women in the group calls to you. "How may we help you?" "Well I'm new to the city and these temples are quite extensive. I was just wondering, what exactly is in here?"

The woman who first addressed you begins explaining the many great areas of the temple, she describes the various worshiping places and holy sights, but as she speaks, something catches your eye. One man in the crowd begins whispering to another while glaring at you. The other man widens his eyes in shock and then proceeds to whisper to the woman next to him, all the while glaring at you. The two then become four, and quickly the whole group is giving you angry looks or seem repulsed by you in some way.

The woman stops talking as someone speaks to her and she is shocked. "Child, please... um, we feel all of us would be more comfortable if you... well... left, sorry." The woman looks very nervous, and before you can respond, another man in the group yells out, "Leave this holy place, light stealer!" His outburst elicits more yelling, and soon, it seems that all eyes are on you and everyone is either telling you to leave or seems absolutely repulsed by your presence. What will you do?

>>1210672
Ask what I've done to offend, no point in pissing them off but at least if we ask politely we can understand what the issue is.

>>1210672
Also ask if, as a worshipper of the lird of fire, I may be allowed to give prayer before I leave

"I don't understand, what have I done to offend you people?" A robed figure steps through the doorway at the back of the hall. "Your existence offends us, light thief." He says. You swear that as he enters the room, the flames of the torches in the room get brighter and the heat of the room rises with it. "You are, at least in part, related to a dragon, no?" He asks. "Your kind are thieving worms who deserve to be eradicated from this planet. In fact, if this was before the empire took over, I would have had you skinned alive and incinerated."

He walks towards you and the fires of the torches seem to follow him. At this point, everyone in the room has bowed down to this man. At this point he stands mere inches from your face, his expression is one of pure fury. "I suggest you leave, boy, before something regrettable happens." he growls. What will you do?

> Write in

>>1210715
You don't really have a chance to ask that last part before this happens.

>>1210825
Just leave, lets not piss of the flame pope

You decide it would be best to leave. This man does not seem to be the type of person you want to mess with. It's a shame, however, since he seemed to have a great control over fire. Once again, your abnormalities are ruining your life, but you don't dwell on that much and decide to just continue exploring. The next closest temple is the one dedicated to Montem, the goddess of the land, but you don't think it would be much further to any of the other temples either. You also could just head back to Samuel. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1210966
Lets try the next temple, they were just jealous of our sick burns anyway.

>>1210980
this

On your way to the earth temple, your thoughts go back to your religious studies. According to the Book of Creation, after the world had been created and was ready for life, the gods worked on all manner of life. The dragons, however, were special.

They were a combined effort between Montem and Caelum, the god of the air, to create a creature to dominate the world. Their creations were clever, strong, and swift. They, happy with their creations, let them into the world as emissaries of the gods, there to guide the lesser mortals and lead them in worship of the gods, but they were flawed.

The freedom of the air and the indomitable will of the earth made them vain, greedy, and entitled. This made them unhappy with their status. Yes, they were above all mortals, but the gods were still above them and they wanted to be on top. So, in an attempt to increase their power, they hunted for the gift of Lux, the lord of fire, and, when they found it, they began to consume it.

Seeing this, Lux attempted to destroy them, but was unable to. The dragons were immune to his flames, so he had to try something different. He got a contacted a priestess of Mare, the lord of water, to go to his gift to purge the dragons.

This champion managed to force the dragons to flee before they destroyed the whole gift, but still, much was lost. It is because of this that dragons can breath fire as well as why winter exists. The gift of Lux cannot remain at full power all year because of the loss and must now spend months charging itself.

You finish this thought as you make it to the top of the stairs of the earth temple. It seems more sparsely populated than the fire temple, so you walk in. The temple, while still massive, is a lot less extravagant than the fire temple as well. It lacks the jewels and decor of the fire temple. Instead, intricate carvings cover the walls depicting various legends from the Book of Creation (including the aforementioned tale of the dragons). What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1211119
Ok let's try this again. Ask a priest about the temple

You walk through the twisting hallways of the temples before finding a large room with a massive carving of Montem on one wall. In the room, you see a young girl dressed in a green robe cleaning a row of pews before the carving. "Excuse me," you call out, "would you mind telling me..." your voice trails off as she smiles warmly and puts a finger to her lips, signaling you to be quiet. She then puts down her broom and walks out of the room. She grabs your hand and begins leading you through the temple towards the doors. "Why are we-" You cut yourself off as she puts her finger to her lips once more.

You make it outside. She lets go of your hand and turns to face you. "Sorry, we aren't allowed to speak within the temple. My name is Ash, how can I help you?" You inquire of the temple and she tells you of the various rooms and their functions. It seems it is a near duplicate of the fire temple. "You are invited to explore as much as you want, but please, make no noise, for as the land is silent, so we must be when in the presence of the goddess of the land. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1211240
Explore the temple, give a quick prayer, could use all the help you're can get

You ask Ash to lead you to one of the worship areas and she leads you back to the room you were in before. You kneel down before the goddess and Ash kneels with you. You say a silent prayer and feel a bit better. Just putting your grievances out in the open puts you at ease, even if there is no reply.

You spend the next hour wandering the temple, looking at all the carvings and all the rooms. You find a few more people in worship or priests carrying out their duties. Eventually you get a bit bored and leave the temple. What next?

> Write in

>>1211385
Go back to Samuel.

You decide you've had enough of religion for now and decide to head back to Samuel. As you walk through the city, a few followers of Lux give you sideways glances, but aside from that nothing interesting happens.

When you get back, Samuel has set up his shop and is loudly calling out to people as they pass, trying to rope them into a sale.

He sees you and motions for you to hurry over, which you do. "Ah good, you're back. I need you to watch the goods for a bit, I need to restock some of my wares. See if you can get some of these stingy folks to open their wallets, OK?" You nod and he hurries off towards some of the other stores in town, leaving you alone with the cart.

It's been an hour, but not many people seem interested in your wares. Any ideas on getting their attention?

> Write in

>>1211487
Gather a crowd and set things on fire with your mind to impress them

"Alright," you think to yourself, "if they won't come on their own, let's see if we can get there attention with magic." Looking around for a suitable specimen to set alight, your eyes fall on a small barrel filled with a black powder. When going over inventory, Samuel informed you that this substance was an explosive some people like to use in fireworks (or used by shadier folks to blow open a safe). You smile as an idea comes to mind. Reaching into the pile of powder, you pull out a small handful and toss it high in the air. You focus in on the area in the sky and, to your delight, the powder catches easily and an arch of popping, sparkling appears in the sky.

People take notice of the display and stand back to watch your small display. Thought not exactly perfect, you manage to make some basic patterns in the air with the explosions, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Your plan seems to have worked as, while they don't buy tools and other practical items, they've nearly depleted your stock of snacks and sweets so they can eat while you work.

Samuel is very happy to see how much you've made by his return, and the money keeps coming. After a long evening of sales, you and Samuel decide to close up shop and find an inn to sleep in for the night.
__________________________

Gonna cut it here, I have to be up early. Thanks again for participating and I will see you all tomorrow, hopefully!

>>1211641
thanks, i like the story so far. good night

You spend three weeks in Vulcainin. Your fireworks displays manage to attract a crowd daily to the stall. Though Samuel doesn't like you using so much of his product, but he can't argue with the people and, by extension, the money it attracts.

At the end of the third week, you wake up to find a note attached to the door and find Samuel is gone. The note reads, "Ignatius, we're heading out today so when you wake up hurry down, I need your help packing.
-Samuel" At that you hurry to the ground floor of the inn you and Samuel have been staying at, pick up a quick breakfast, and go to meet Samuel.

It takes you until late afternoon to finish packing up and to check out of the inn, and after that you begin heading out.

"I was intending to head to Pescara, a small fishing village on the coast, after we finished here in Vulcainin, but Osomere seemed very insistent that you should meet him in the capitol for proper training and assignment. I could make a detour to there and drop you off. But, as you might be aware of, the capitol is only open to mages and the highest nobility of the empire, there is no room there for an old merchant like me. If you go there, I am not sure if we will ever meet again." What would you like to do?

> Head to Pescara

> Let's go to the capitol

>>1212716
>Let's go to the capitol

>>1212716
Let's go to the capitol

Ive gotten attached to the old merchant but it would be dumb to ignore an oppurtunity to train ourselves. Give him our heartfelt appreciation.

>>1212854
agreed

You decide that heading to the capitol would be the best idea. Informing Samuel of your decision, he bows his head and replies, "I understand, you must be excited to learn how to better use your skills." And with that, you set out once more through the sands of the desert.

Samuel informs you that it will take a week to reach the capitol and that you will need to make some stops along the way to rest and pick up supplies for the road.

You travel from town to town, only stopping briefly until you come across the final settlement on your way to the Capitol, Gold Brooks. It is a fairly large village on the edge of a canyon. Despite it's size, however, the settlement is sparcely populated and only about half of the buildings are occupied. A relic of a bygone era, miners once came here to test their luck in three decade long gold rush centered on the town. Once the gold ran dry, however, the town just barely held on, left nearly as a ghost town. Now it is fairly popular for those wanting to settle down as it offers cheap housing and is located in between Vulcainin, Umbertesk, and the capitol.

You pull into the town, and it seems there are preparations being made for a celebration of some kind. Samuel and yourself ask some locals about it and they happily tell you that it is a celebration of the Land Mother, Montem, and the anniversary of when the first miners discovered gold in the small stream at the base of the canyon.

Samuel seems happy to have come to town at this time. "What better way to say goodbye than with a massive going away party, right?"

The evening draws near and as the sun dips under the horizon, the town comes to life. People begin to exit their homes and take to he streets. One group of people even begin playing music and a group of people begin dancing. The bar seems to be handing out free drinks as well. What would you like to do?

> Write in

>>1213106
Get drunk and set things on fire (fireworks, not people).

>>1213118
This, let's party our ass off

You decide to enjoy the last downtime you'll have with Samuel, drinking deeply and dancing wildly with the other people at the festival. For the first time in a long while you feel genuinely happy.

Samuel decides not to drink as, at his age, no good can come of activities while in a drunken stupor. People applaud your fiery displays. At one point you took a swig of rum and blew into a small fire you made on your hand. It roars up into the sky and everyone is amazed by the performance.

The night goes on and the celebration shows no sign of slowing down. People laugh as their friends pass out due to overindulgence, but, seeing this, you decide to limit your drinking to the cup you have.

Another hour in, something odd happens. A man takes a swig of his drink and begins speaking to a woman. He trips and stumbles on his words and his feet, however he collapses like the others who drank too much. A few men come over to carry him to his home, but then the woman collapses as well. Then, more and more people fall to their knees and land face down in the earth. People begin to get nervous and the music stops.

One person, who identifies himself as the town's doctor, moves over to inspect a few of the passed out drunks. After examining the third body, he stands up shakily and faces the crowd. "These... these people... they're... dead, I'm afraid. It seems we have to cut the celebration short, could the friends or family of these-" He is cut off by a startled yell from the crowd. "THE BODY, WHAT'S HAPPENING TO IT." People quickly divert their focus from the doctor to the corpse beside him. It's moving. You hear the audible snap of bones as it convulses and shifts into unnatural angles. The doctor tries to back away, but the moment he moves, the once living person locks eyes with him and lets out a horrific shriek. The other collapsed bodies, numbering about 80, do the same thing, and then their up. The one the doctor was analyzing jumps him and latches onto his neck with elongated teeth, sharp teeth.

As it feeds, the thing's rib bones shift upwards towards its back before piercing through the skin and forming sharp spike like protrusions. The bones of the arms snap outwards, both elongating them and creating long, wicked looking claws that are each a foot long on either hand. By now the doctor has been reduced to a bloody mess on the ground and the creature looks at the now fleeing people. You look around and the other bodies have undergone a similar transformation and are now moving quickly towards their escaping prey. Samuel is nowhere to be seen. What will you do?

>Write in

>>1213231
>throw the alcohol at the monsters and set them ablaze

Thinking quickly, you toss what's left of your drink at the creatures and set them alight. The flames quickly spread to the areas where the alcohol, however, the creatures standing within it seem undeterred. With flesh melting from their skulls, they begin to drag themselves towards you. Step by step, however, they begin to pick up speed. Better act quickly, what will you do?

> Write in

>>1213328
Fight if you have a wepond if not run

As they charge towards you, you pull out your sword and get ready to fight. As the three charging creatures come closer, you notice a shift. While the center one comes sprinting at you head on, the others attempt to flank you. The middle one is lunging at you now. How will you react?

> Dodge, try to roll under the attack

> Parry, try to block with your blade

> Trade, take the hit, but try to swing as well so both parties are hit

>>1213411

> Dodge, try to roll under the attack

You quickly attempt to roll under the attack, but the creature reacts quickly. While you manage to avoid the brunt of the impact, the creature scrapes its claws up along the ground towards you. You feel lances of pain tear through your back, only broken up by a few of your hard scales. It isn't a deep cut, but it hurts.

The creature slides to a halt while the second rears up to attack. It is stopped, however, by a man in loose fitting leather armor who swings a mace into its skull. The first and third monsters now look to this new target and close in. What will you do?

> Move in and assist in taking down the second creature

> Try to fight one of the other distracted monsters

> Flee

> Write in

>>1213465

> Try to fight one of the other distracted monsters

Mustering up your courage, you attempt to attack one of the other creatures. The other person, seemingly much more experienced at the art of hand to hand combat, begins a savage assault on the creature with his mace.

You move in on the first monster who attacked you and deliver a quick stab into its jaw, causing it to stumble back, blood pouring from its open wound.

You here a snap behind you just in time to see the man deliver a powerful hit to the creature's head, causing it to collapse. The first runs off, presumably in search of easier prey while the last one closes the distance and, lunges at your neck. What will you do?

> Roll

> Parry

> Write in

>>1213593
Roll

>>1213593
Roll

You decide to try rolling under the attack again, with much greater success this time. The monster sails overhead as you dodge the strike. That flight, however, is cut short by a strike from the man's mace, slamming the creature into the ground with a noticeable dent in its skull. It does not get back up. What would you like to do?

> Write in

____________

Gonna wrap this up soon, I have to get up early.

>>1213635
Thank the man for his assistant

>>1213635
Make sure samuel is ok

>>1213647
You look around, but Samuel is still nowhere to be found.

>>1213644
thank him and then look around for more of the beasts

You stand up and sheath your blade. "Thank you." you say to the man. He simply nods before flicking gore from his weapon. "Recommend you get a move on, outsider. Place is overrun now and half the people have skipped town or were killed by whatever these things are." He begins to move off, following the sound of another scream. What will you do?

> Write in
_______

Post responses and I will be sure to carry out your choice in the morning, sorry I can't stay on later than this tonight. Thanks again everyone for participating, I'm having a lot of fun writing this.

>>1213670
I'm counting that second part as your input for the current action, if that's OK.

>>1213684
Look for Samuel and anyone who needs help

>>1213675
Can't wait till tomorrow to continue

>>1213675
Good progress today, looking forward for tomorrow

Moving through the streets is difficult. You decide that it would probably be best if you avoided contact with these creatures and moved stealthily. So far, you haven't seen any sign of Samuel or other people, but sounds of yelling in the background proves there are still some around. "Hey, over here!" I voice calls out from inside what looks to be a bank. "I need your help, please, quickly!" What will you do?

> Assist the stranger

> Keep on moving

> Write in

>>1216619
>Assist the stranger

>>1216619
> Assist the stranger

You move over to the bank and enter through the door. The man seems to have hurt his leg somehow and is in no shape to walk on his own. "Please," he pleads, "Help me get out of here, I barely escaped from one of those things the last time, and I don't want to do it again." What will you do?

> Help the man

> Leave him be

> Write in

>>1216977
help the man

"Alright," you say before helping the man to his feet, "let's get moving, I have to find my friend before we leave though. Our wagon is about a mile east of here, shouldn't take us too long. My name's Ignatius by the way." The man smiles at you, "My name is Edwards, thank you again for helping me. This whole situation is insane."

You make it half the distance before you hear a snarl coming from an intersecting street. From the sound of it, one of the creatures is heading towards you. What will you do?

> Attempt to hide in an alley.

> Stand your ground and fight

>>1217253
uuuhhh ignatius isnt going to pass out if he uses his pyromancy right?

>>1217201
hide in the ally

>>1217393
well are we leaving edward behind if we hide?

>>1217351
fire doesnt really work on them

>>1217414
well if we can hide in the alley WITH edward then i agree we should, but if we cant then i say fight.

>>1217401
we can take him with us

>>1217421
ok

"Come on." You whisper to Edwards as you help him limp to the alleyway. You duck down behind a set of crates. Just as you do, you hear the clumsy footsteps of one of the creatures passing by you. It stops for a moment and you hear it take deep sniffs of the air. It slowly moves towards your hiding place and you begin pull your sword from its sheath.

A long, boney set of claws wraps itself around the boxes you are behind and the monster makes a noise that is some cross between a growl and gurgling.

Its head slowly turns round the crate and you fully draw your sword. However, before it spots you, you hear a solid thunk and the creature cries out before whipping its head back, slashing open a few boxes as it does. Peaking out slightly, you see that it has been struck by an arrow.

The creature roars and lumbers after the archer who shot it down another alleyway. You hear a sharp gasp next to you and look to see Edwards gasping for air. Seems he was holding his breath that entire time. "We should get moving." You declare before standing Edwards up and continuing your trek to the wagon.

It takes two more close encounters with thise things and another half hour before you reach the wagon. By this time, nearly all the yelling has stopped. You can't tell if this is a good or bad sign.

Knocking on the back of the wagon, you hear a voice whisper from within. "Ignatius, is that you?" "Yes Samuel, it's me. I found another survivor and took him with me." You reply. You hear Samuel let out a sigh of relief before opening the door. "Oh thank the divines, I thought I had lost you to those things." You muster up a smile and step in, taking Edwards with you who immediately collapses on the floor. "Edwards! Are you alright?!" You call, getting down to his level. "Yes, sorry, I'm just... tired is all. We need to leave, any way we could do that soon?" Samuel shakes his head. "Sorry, but the camel that pulls the cart was checked into a stable when we got here. I'd risk walking to the next town, but to be frank, I don't think you'd make it in the shape you're in."

The stable he is reffering to is a quarter mile into the city. What will you do?

> Take your chances and walk

> Leave Edwards and walk with Samuel

> Go and get the camel back

> Write in

Go and get the camel

>>1217681
Agreed

"I'll get the camel." You tell Samuel. "Are you sure?" He asks. "It is very dangerous, perhaps we can wait this out and..." "We can't just wait this out, those things could come here and find us. We'll be sitting ducks unless we get moving. I'll be fine, I just gotta keep quiet and get back quickly with the camel." Samuel nods and both he and Edwards call out simultaneously, "Good luck!" as you leave.

You move silently from street to street. Years sneaking past the guards to your room taught you stealth at an early age and you were putting it into practice here for sure. The creatures, while strong and agile, seemed to mostly rely on movement and sound to track prey, so by moving slowly and quietly, you are able to avoid their attention.

You finally make it to the stable. The doors have been shreaded open and you hear the sound of scared horses and camels coming from within. You peer through the door and gag at the smell. One of the monsters is gorging itself on the carcass of a horse. From the look of it, this wasn't the first one.

In the third stall down, you see your camel. It is pressed against the corner farthest away from the feeding creature, crying out in terror. What will you do?

> Write in

Hit that bitch with a sneaking critical hit

You move as slowly and as quietly as you can to the feeding creature, readying your sword. It makes a grunting noise and moves over, causing you to freeze. It sniffs the air for a moment before continuing to devour it's meal you move closer and closer, the smell of it getting worse and worse as you near. Finally, you are directly behind the creature. You bring the blade down in a savage arc on its neck, hoping to cut the spinal cord, however, as you hit the bone, the blade merely glances off of it and out the other side. As you do this, the creature lets out a blood curdling screach as it swipes its claws in a wide arch to hit you. Luck was on your side, however, as the creature hit a patch of scales on your body, causing the tips of its claws to crack on the tips. It lets out another shriek before assuming a offensive stance and gets ready to lunge at you again. What will you do?

> Ready a dodge

> Strike first

> Run

>>1217915
Strike first

As the creature reers up again, you deliver a series of deep blows to its exposed areas. The wounds are deep and a river of black material pours from them, but the creature does not stop. It rakes down with a claw and you barely manage to dodge the hit, but the front of your shirt is torn and blood leaks from your chest. Seems cutting won't do you much good here. It goes in for another attack, this one a lunge. What will you do?

> Strike it

> Dodge the attack

> Run for the camel and try to ride out

> Just run for it

> Write in

>>1217971
try to run for th camel and ride out

You move quickly. The creature attempts to charge you, but its momentum carries it into a wall instead. Not having time to saddle up, you pull open the door to the stall and jump onto the terrified camel who almost runs out the door the moment you open it.

Now mounted, your trip back to the cart is much quicker and, while attracting some attention, you manage to outrun any creature that sees you.

You and Samuel waste no time in hooking up the cart and even toss some goods to lighten the load. You hop into the back while Samuel takes the drivers position and drives the camel as fast as he can down the road and away from the city.

_________

Sorry it was slow today, and sorry to cut this short, but I gotta sleep. See you all tomorrow and, as usual, thank you so much for participating!

>>1218081
np was feeling sleepy too

Sorry for not posting tonight. I'm extremely sick right now and can barely move. Will try to post again ASAP.

Well feel better soon then. Don't worry about us dude, get some rest.

>>1221177
Agreed

You ride for 3 more days. Edwards spends the time in silence, writing in a small journal while you and Samuel take turns driving the wagon. He seems to be alright when with you, but some nights you can hear him crying.

At the end of the trip, you can see the towers of the capitol. You've never actually seen it before, not even illustrations in books. The walls of the city, while not nearly as tall as those of Umbertesk, are bathed in a strange blue light. It washes over the walls in waves that, from this distance, make the wall seem to shift and bend. The spires and tall towers loom over the city, some so tall they almost dip into the clouds.

It takes nearly the rest of the day for you to come within a mile of the city. Before you can get closer however, two men in shimmering, almost ethereal armor step out from a small building alongside the road. They approach the wagon and call out to you. "You there, boy, state your name and business here, beyond this point only citizens of the capitol are allowed, so you'd best have a good reason if you expect to get in." The guard awaits your reply. What will you say?

> I wish to gain access to the capitol to improve my magic

> I'm just looking to trade in the city

> Write in

Side note, ask anything you want about the capitol and you might get an answer Ignatius is a fairly smart kid and probably knows the answer.

>>1229225
>I wish to gain access to the capitol to improve my magic

>>1230180
2nd option sound better

"I'm here because I want to improve my magical abilities." The man looks at you and scrunches his face a bit. "You look like a commoner, a commoner and delusional." Both men laugh. "Look, turn around now, trying to enter the capitol isn't a crime, but noncompliance is, so move along."

Begin to walk back to their post, but Samuel steps out from the back of the wagon. "He's telling the truth. I didn't believe it myself, but the boy is a mage in the making." The first guard laughs again, "If he's a mage then I'm a pixie." How will you proceed?

> Prove it

> Leave

>>1230775
Prove it

>>1230775
op can we make the story about becoming a powerful mage and get revenge on the woman who killed his father

>>1230971
That's up to you guys

>>1231087
let's do it

As the man, for the second time, walks away, you focus on the ground around him. Pulling the magic from yourself, you create a thin line of flames in a circle around him. The guard stops before the fire before slowly turning to face you. He has a wide smile on his face, "Well I guess I'm a pixie then, welcome home, brother."

"The two in the wagon, nor anything in it may be brought with you, but any personal artifacts or..." he nods to your sword and the broken bow on your back, "...outsider weapons may be brought with you should you so choose. When you have your things in order, I'll walk you to the city." "Well, this is it then, friend." Samuel puts a hand on your shoulder. "It's been fun these past few weeks, you were the best, and only employee I've ever had." You smile back and shake his hand. "Here," he places a fairly large bag of gold coins into your hands. "This is your payment for your services, 200 gold pieces." "Thank you, and thanks for all your help as well. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been here." He smiles. Edwards steps from the wagon. He supports himself on the wheels as he walks forward, his leg still not fully healed. He hands you a piece of paper. "Thank you so much friend, you saved my life. I didn't know how to repay you at first for taking that risk, but here. It will be useful in the capitol." You pocket the note, intending to read it later, and thank him as well. "Right then," the guard motions to the road ahead, "We'd best get a move on, if you're all set." You nod and, after one more round of goodbyes, begin to walk down the road to the great city ahead of you with the guard. Anything you'd like to ask this man?

> About the city

> About magic

> About his job

> Write in

About the city

>>1231109
And yeah lets do it

"So what's it like in the city?" The guard looks slightly surprised. "Geez kid, you look like some commoner AND you've never been to the city... wait but then how did you get your... never mind, it's not important." The guard looks up to the walls and gestures to the shimmering aura that surrounds it. "Well for one, there's a lot of that sort of stuff in the city. Lots of magic integrated into everything, even the water. Those high buildings you see are the famed Needles of Illithan. They project the inherent magical properties of the city that gave us our powers across the empire so that we can be at full strength no matter where we go. Speaking of, since this is your first time here, be careful with your magic. In the city, so close to The Source*, your powers will be increased a hundred fold." "And what does that look like in terms of casting?" You ask him. "Well, out there," the guard points to his station, "This conjured suit of armor is about as protective as a full suit of plate, but inside the city I'd say that the only thing that could cut through this is, well, a conjured sword. Anyway, other than that, the capitol is like your average city, only with more magic and less of the filthy commoners." Anything else you'd like to ask?

> Magic

> His job

> Just keep walking

> Write in

*The Source is said to be a gift from an as yet unkown god. Some even question if it IS a god's gift to mankind. What IS known, however, is that it is the source of all magic and the closer a mage is to it, the more powerful they become. It is the sole reason with Venora, the capitol city, was able to conquer all of its surrounding territories.

Magic

>>1231614
Anything in particular you'd like to ask?

>>1231658
Maybe where is the mages guild?

"Is there a mages guild in the city?" You ask. "Mages guild? Kid, this entire city is a Mage's Guild. Now, if you're looking for someone to teach you magic, you'll have to find a school willing to take you. Now to do that, well, you'd better have good connections, lots of money, or a powerful family, cause with a face like that, don't expect to get in based on looks." He laughs a bit, making you feel a little self conscious. Anything else?

> Keep walking

> Write in

>>1231767
Keep walking

Give me the night to make a next part, I'm still kind of recovering from being sick. Check back tomorrow afternoon and thanks for participating!

>>1232085
Thanks, see you then

Ask about the different schools of magic

"You mentioned schools, where can I find them?" "You will usually find people willing to teach magic near the center of the city. They are the closest to The Source as they can be, second to the beaurocratic buildings and other offices related to the state. Oh, and the state laboratories. Anyway, it will be tough to get into one without connections, but who knows, maybe they'll take a liking to you and give you some scholarship. Although, if you want my opinion, the schools are bogus. Sure they have the most resources, but there's no bond between teacher and student. I had a tutor when I was refining my skills and I feel much happier for it." Any other questions?

> Write in

>>1232984
Ask if he knows Orsomere.

"Just out of curiosity, do you know a man named Orsomere? He is a friend of mine in the city." The guard thinks for a minute. He then opens a small notebook he had attatched to his belt loop.

Putting his lips close to the first page, the guard whispers, "Orsomere", however nothing happens. "Well, I don't know him and he's not a registered criminal, sorry kid. But there are other ways of looking people up in the city. Actually, after we get to the in, I can take you to a diviner I know of who can find your... friend, I assume."

Whoops, forgot
___
Any other questions?

> Write in