- Location
- The Great Beyond
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
our. Not out.
Monster Marriage Quest
- Thread starter Ghoul King
- Start date
- Original Romance Horror
our. Not out.
beast_regards
[Censored]
- Location
- Valid Location
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
Sounds determined, which is exactly what we player her to be so far, and it's probably too late to back down.
Sounds determined, which is exactly what we player her to be so far, and it's probably too late to back down.
Aoinfinity
Unlimited Blue Works
- Location
- a blue Infinity
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
- Location
- Wherever
Caras has been fighting Commoners for pretty much his whole life, and the Burner Worms in particular ever since they first showed up. He's just not been able to be aggressive before due to the limits of himself and his Breeds.
Sabrina couldn't say why the Commoners haven't attacked with a larger force themselves. If pressed for an answer, she'd probably guess the Commoner government is more focused on other threats that can range into their territory, or something of the sort.
Last edited:
Claytonimor
WE WILL TAKE JERUSALEM
- Location
- Loudon, TN
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
-[X] A good wife supports her husband when he can't, after all
--[X] and vice versa, of course
-[X] A good wife supports her husband when he can't, after all
--[X] and vice versa, of course
- Location
- Maybe?
I just ask because I don't want them to think we're just sort of generically attacking. I want there to be no doubt as to why.
- Location
- Wherever
So basically I need to make sure Sabrina loudly announces she's here to tear everything to the ground until no Burner Worm is left anywhere in their filthy stinking burny country of awfulness prior to actually beginning the assault? Because that would totally be in-character for Sabrina at this point.
- Location
- Maybe?
I mean the proper way would probably be to send an envoy or something. Admittedly this may interfere somewhat with the surprise, and also we don't really have anyone well suited to the role. Maybe after we kill the lot of them, we can pin notes to a few of their corpses?
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
I got the impression we were already at war. I mean, they did send a bunch of guys into Caras' woods to attack our minions and build siege engines for attacking our castle. I guess we could write them a letter declaring our offense at their brazen invasion... Do they use the same script across the border?
[X] You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
- Location
- Wherever
So apparently when I said I was sick but am doing better now what I meant was 'I'm about to be hit by a metaphorical freight train of illness'.
Now I'm doing better, assuming no more irony strikes.
So anyway vote closed.
Completely unanimous: Sabrina is ready to do this, she won't let Caras down.
Update incoming, please standby.
... hopefully in a reasonable timeframe...
Now I'm doing better, assuming no more irony strikes.
So anyway vote closed.
Vote Tally : Monster Marriage Quest - Original - Romance - Horror | Page 45 | Sufficient Velocity [Posts: 1127-1140]
##### NetTally 1.9.10
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
No. of Votes: 8
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
-[X] A good wife supports her husband when he can't, after all
--[X] and vice versa, of course
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 9
##### NetTally 1.9.10
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
No. of Votes: 8
[X]You're ready to do this. You won't let Caras down.
-[X] A good wife supports her husband when he can't, after all
--[X] and vice versa, of course
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 9
Completely unanimous: Sabrina is ready to do this, she won't let Caras down.
Update incoming, please standby.
... hopefully in a reasonable timeframe...
Claytonimor
WE WILL TAKE JERUSALEM
- Location
- Loudon, TN
See, now you're doomed.
Season 2: An Interlude
- Location
- Wherever
"To be a citizen of Neustadt des Glaubens is a thing of glory. To be a Commoner is a blessing," Ada recited, crouching in front of her family's Brandstifter sculpture. The entwined worms always made Ada feel better to look upon, a symbol of how much things had improved. Ada herself was particularly keenly aware of this fact, having been born a sickly child, lucky enough to live in one of the holy towns that administered Brandstifter blessings. If she'd been born somewhere less blessed, she might have died before a priest could be convinced her need was great and her piety greater. It had been a deep winter when her chronic illness had taken a turn for the worse, after all; a smaller village would likely have been isolated by snow, no wandering priests able to reach it.
So Ada was faithful to the rituals and visited the temple at least once a week, always marveling anew at how a journey that for a sickly child of twelve winters had been arduous was, for a blessed girl of sixteen winters, a pleasing pastime.
She only hoped someday the rest of the world was protected from the Dark Dominators' nightly predations. The stories her grandfather used to tell of people being stolen away in the night still sent shivers down her spine, wondering what awful things the Dark Dominators did in secret to their victims, unable to stop her imagination from conjuring ever worse scenarios. That so many villages still had to fear the night was truly a depressing thought, and every year since her own blessing Ada had volunteered to help take the latest batch of Brandstifters to be given to the pious. Alteisen in particular was still haunted by the sinister Nebelqualle ambushing hunters and woodcutters and anyone else that dared enter its murky woods. Ada missed her cousin, who had been lost to these Dominator depredations. Why couldn't these damned monsters leave Commoners alone?...
Ada clapped once, put the incense back where it belonged, and began prepping for today's walk, thoughts taking a sour turn as she was reminded that the crusaders had recently returned from their posting in Dominator territory, driven off before they could assault the dark castle. The Freelanders just West remained servants to the Dominators, a terrible fate, and there were rumors going about that the Dominators would surely redouble their own efforts to corrupt Commoner territory. Ada wasn't too concerned for herself, or her family, or her friends, as Neustadt de Glaubens was well-protected, but what of the smaller towns? Nirgensdorf was first on the easiest road, and even Dominators preferred roads...
Ada reminded herself she should count her blessings. The Sturmmonsters had passed through recently, and missed every town in the area. Likely some unlucky travelers had been hurt and had their goods stolen by the cold firelings, but usually their impact was much worse. Ada had particularly feared for her grandfather when they'd been on the horizon; her grandmother had died in a Sturmmonster raid, and she wasn't sure he wouldn't have gotten himself killed trying to avenge her. Nor had the Brandstifters in the cauldron been lost; the Sturmmonsters always made a point of killing growing Brandstifters if they could...
Ada smiled and waved goodbye to her father as he haggled with a foreign merchant, receiving an acknowledging nod in turn.
Now to get some spices.
Most of her list had been easy to acquire, the comfort of routine with old friends. The only major snag had been a Himmelian traveling merchant quoting an utterly outrageous price for a small bag of salt. Himmelian salt was good, but not that good! Fortunately, Ada had been through this before; some merchants started outrageously high in hopes their prospective customer wouldn't know and end up overpaying, convinced they'd gotten a good deal with their aggressive haggling. Ada had only needed to mention that she was friends with the local priests and idly speculate to herself how unlikely a conwoman would be allowed back into the city in future, to get the bag of salt down to a reasonable price. Indeed, with a crooked frown the Himmelian had given her a small discount for her discretion.
Next was her trip to the temple, to pray, to check how soon the next Brandstifter batch would be ready, and of course to have the priests make sure her own Brandstifter was in good health.
Prayer went well, Ada having not forgotten anything for the third time in a row. The priest watching over the congregation noted she might have a permanent place in the temple herself, at this rate, an idea that filled Ada to bursting with pride!
The cauldron was coming along a little slowly. Maybe another couple of weeks. Ada was a little disappointed, having hoped to help Nirgensdorf sooner, but had somewhat expected this. Even without Sturmmonsters breaking in, the chill of rain tended to slow Brandstifter development. She thanked Thomas for his time and moved on.
Her own Brandstifter was fine. Ada was told she should drink a little more water, preferably cool water, to avoid burning out, and scolded anew for persistently erring on the side of protecting her Brandstifter over herself. Ada apologized for the tenth or so time, aware she wasn't entirely sincere but unable to be otherwise on this topic. She'd be dead if it weren't for her Brandstifter, after all.
She'd been intending to make another trip for mushrooms tomorrow or so anyway. The creek was convenient, cool, and so far untouched by Dominator filth. As such, she thanked Father Ferdinand for his time, dropped a tin coin in the donation statue -a stylized depiction of a Brandstifter coiled protectively around one of the core fifty saints Ada generally preferred to not admit to not remembering the names of, a failing she hoped to correct soon- and headed on home, humming a festive tune to herself. Much better than the last time she'd asked, she still couldn't smell that fruit without gagging!
Her eyes were abruptly covered, which would normally be cause for alarm, but she knew right away it was Teo. "Guess whoooo~" he crooned.
She smiled tolerantly. "So good to hear from you, Old Ben!"
Teo groaned, of course, but removed his hands, sticking them in his pockets as she turned to get a look at him. "I don't sound anything like Old Ben," he complained good-naturedly -not to mention accurately. Old Ben used to work in a coal mine, and had the scratchy voice all coal miners inevitably acquired. Teo, meanwhile, sounded as vibrantly full of life as he looked.
Ada gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "The hands are about right, though," she teased.
Teo jerked a hand out in surprise, then scowled and pouted when he realized that of course it was a joke. His hands were callused and rough, certainly, but not nearly as shrunken and wrinkled as Old Ben's. "I sometimes think you enjoy my company purely to mess with me," he complained with a small amount of heat behind his words. Not literal heat, he still hadn't accepted a Brandstifter. Hopefully this year he would be allowed.
Ada softened her expression a little, slightly apologetic. "Oh, there's plenty to enjoy, don't you worry." Teo crossed his arms with a look of skepticism blooming in his ruddy face, so Ada dropped the teasing. "We would never have got along so well if you and I didn't share a sense of humor," she pointed out, attempting a faux-stern look.
Teo relaxed a little, then smirked very slightly. "True. What other lass would help me-"
Ada spoke up loudly, not wanting anyone to overhear about that particular youthful indiscretion. "So, Teo! Are you on an errand for Mr. Schmidt?"
Teo's face fell a bit. "Oh. Uh. Not... exactly." He shuffled uncomfortably while Ada arched one eyebrow daintily. "He actually burned himself-" Ada startled, as like any good smith Mr. Schmidt had a Brandstifter and really oughtn't have needed to worry about such unless he was extraordinarily careless. Teo grimaced appropriately. "-yeah. He's been pushing himself since the crusaders came back, I tried to not let it get this far, but you know how he is when it comes to Dominators." Rabid, was the word that came to mind, at least when not speaking in polite company. Passionate, for polite company. "So, uh... he's seeing a priest, and told me to-" Here Teo puffed himself up and affected a tone of an always-angry man with bellows for lungs. "-drag my worthless carcass home-" Here he relaxed. "-for the next couple of days."
Ada blinked a few times, tapped her lips thoughtfully, and remarked, "So you're free to come with me when I collect mushrooms tomorrow, you say?"
Teo took a moment to cotton onto the subtext, but when he did he brightened in that particular way Ada always enjoyed, such unvarnished enthusiasm. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, I am." Then he paused. "Wait, are we talking mushrooms for food or-" Ada put one finger to her lips, smiling. Teo stopped, smiled back. "Okay, I'll bring my gloves. Uh. Should I escort you home, or?..."
Ada shook her head. "Father likes you, but I think he'd like you a lot less if you showed up unexpectedly with me on your arm." After a pause, she added,"Mother probably wouldn't be thrilled either."
Teo deflated. "Oh. Yeah, the... yeah." Unsaid was the issue that he wouldn't be a worthy husband until he'd proven himself able to work with a Brandstifter, which obviously wouldn't happen until he actually had a Brandstifter.
Ada smiled again. "The Plan certainly wouldn't keep that between us four years in a row, yes? Don't worry." After an awkward pause, she reminded him, "See you tomorrow, right after dawn."
Teo started, remembered their date, smiled. "Oh, uh, yeah! See you!" Then he waved, starting walking backwards so he could keep on looking at her, stepped on a Himmelian's tail, was met with a hiss and an irritated snap of the jaws, and after an apology went on his way with one last wave and look at Ada while she waved back, smiling.
Ada watched where he'd last been for a moment longer, half-expecting him to concoct an excuse to talk to her for longer and half just basking in how much she enjoyed time with him, and then with a glance at the setting sun started herself. Father was probably already working himself into a gloomy mood, convinced her small delay was a sign of something seriously wrong. Even with her Brandstifter, he worried as much as he had when she'd been a sickly child, and occasionally did quite foolish things.
As such, Ada made the rest of her way home at an un-lady-like jog.
Fortunately, Father was still occupied with a Thriver traveler when she showed up, and when he noticed Ada she was able to quickly reassure him her minor lateness was nothing to be concerned about... though she didn't mention her encounter or plans with Teo. No need to give rumor-mongers material for accusing Father of failing to raise his eldest daughter right. The Thriver admittedly looked too overwhelmed to be likely to remember any such thing to spread around, but you never knew with foreigners. They had some pretty weird ideas about what actually mattered. Better safe than sorry.
Speaking of the Thriver, Ada dropped into her best Shopkeep's Daughter manner, asking him what the trouble was. Turned out it was a minor language issue, as the herb he wanted was called something utterly bizarre back home, and Father had entirely misunderstood when the Thriver had attempted to clarify he wanted an herb. The problem being Father had assumed 'Bylina' was a foreign name of a rather more specific persuasion and the two had been talking past each other for a while.
Silly Father.
The next morning, Ada pinched little Adal's cheeks, made silly faces, and then waved goodbye to her baby brother as she passed him off to Mother. She promised she'd be home before dark, picked up her basket, and hummed a minor prayer as she made her way to the western gate.
Teo was waiting for her, of course. He'd probably gotten up entirely too early, excited. Or maybe never slept at all. Foolish boy, she thought with fondness and a smile as he perked up and waved upon sighting her, and she waved back.
Once she was close enough to talk, a natural, easy conversation ensued, the kind she'd had with him most days since her own health had improved, and they walked out the gate with a nod apiece to the holy soldier at the gate. (Well, after Ada pinched Teo and gestured at the soldier; he often forgot these little niceties) They made their way down the loose trail made by countless feet trampling grass here and there for generations, up the hill that gave a good view of the treetops, and then down and onward to the woods no one had ever bothered to name. Once inside they both became a bit quieter; while their topics weren't private as such, it was always embarrassing to be overheard unexpectedly by someone else gathering mushrooms or firewood.
They picked up a nice selection, filling all three baskets with everything that was good to eat, and filling Ada's pockets with a few that were not so good to eat but were quite nice for pranks and similar. Ada wouldn't be able to keep up such fun in the future if she became a priestess, after all, and that day was possibly fast approaching. Then they stepped into one of their favorite clearings on the way to the creak, intending to stop for a moment to eat some of their pickings to make way for more...
... only to discover the clearing was not empty at all. It was scattered with large stones that hadn't been there two weeks ago, and a carriage of some dark wood Ada didn't recognize sat in the center. That was bizarre enough on its own, as carriages were ill-suited to the woods at the best of times, but while the angle was wrong to get a clear look at it, whatever beast of burden was at the front of the carriage was not a horse.
Ada and Teo fell silent quite abruptly, uncertain how to react. This was deeply wrong, but aside a couple of fairy tales about witches magicking the world so suddenly, it didn't match anything they knew about actual threats. For one thing, it was the middle of the day, and every Commoner knew the Dominators hated and feared the sun, jealous of all things that could live under it. The carriage, meanwhile, was clearly from someone wealthy and dignified; a carriage at all was a sign of wealth, of course, but this particular carriage was sculpted in an especially ornate way, and must surely have taken dozens of craftspeople weeks to get every little detail right. A high-ranking noble, or a particularly wealthy merchant.
... so where was the escort?
Politeness bade Ada call out, "Hello!" in spite of her misgivings, even as Teo hissed at her that they should turn about and let the holy soldiers know. This was not something peasants should be dealing with, he said, and Ada agreed someone else ought to be handling this, but she wasn't sure the carriage would still be here by the time the holy soldiers and priests had shown. And what if the carriage owner was sick, or injured, or otherwise requiring help?...
So she stepped a little closer and called out again.
You wake up, blinking against what little sunlight is making its way into the carriage.
You take a moment to gather your thoughts, still a bit confused. Your sleep has been a messy thing on this trip, and you keep having to re-order your thoughts.
Right. The trip itself. You had told Virmire you were ready to do this and wouldn't let Caras down, and preparations had been made. A carriage had been constructed, a Hauler grown, and your escort decided; a dozen Boulders, all the Suncrawlers and Rollers made available to you (A dozen Rollers, a half dozen Suncrawlers), and a dozen Workers packed into the carriage's luggage as well as one Gatekeeper and a pair of Runners. (They apparently squeezed into smaller spaces than you'd thought, fortunately) The trip itself had been relatively monotonous once you got past the novelty of travel occurring day and night; you'd checked the traps on the way out, but only found one ambiguous corpse of Commoner descent but uncertain qualities otherwise, kept an eye out for the bandits you'd released to harass the Commoners and been frustrated and a little bit sad when you discovered their heads mounted on pikes beside the road not far past the border with a sign saying they'd been executed for banditry...
... but otherwise the trip had been fairly boring. You probably should've brought a book or something.
Regardless, right now you were in the woods to the west of Neustadt de Glaubens, having had the Boulders manhandle the carriage during the previous night to get through the uneven terrain so you could rest in relative safety before attacking tonight. The Suncrawlers and Rollers were lurking in a nearby cavern -it had been a bear's lair, but the bear had taken one look at your Boulders and scurried elsewhere- soaking in the cave's dampness to get back fluids lost to the sunlight, the Boulders were curled up around the carriage in this nice little clearing, and-
"Hello, are you alright in there?"
-uh-oh.
Well, now you knew what had woken you. A Commoner girl, going by the accent. You squinted into the outside world, attempting to spot her, but the glare was harsh and you saw no figures through the windows.
You heaved a put-upon sigh and pasted a smile on your face. It was difficult to be cheerful on so little sleep, especially for someone that wasn't your husband, but this too was part of not letting him down.
Then you opened the carriage door and stepped out, wishing it was practical to sleep in your armor instead of leaving it in the luggage with the Workers. At least you still had a knife on hand. Squinting through the painful glare of the sun -was it noon? It felt like it was noon- in the general direction of the voice, two figures slowly resolved. Two Commoners with shocks of curly golden hair, one presumably the girl you'd heard a moment ago, the other a strapping young lad you might once have admired but now registered primarily for being bigger and much more muscular than yourself. Potentially a problem if this went the way you were worried it would go. You couldn't call out the Suncrawlers and Rollers with this intense of sunlight blocking the connection, and everything else would burn in this light, so for the moment it was you, two teens, and admittedly the Hauler. Maybe it could get out of its harness on its own?
Whatever the case, the two teens stared at you. It was difficult to tell through the glare as you squinted at them -whoops, smile, smile!- but the boy seemed primarily confused, while the girl was inching one hand to her gaping mouth. Horror, maybe? Foreigners could be strange, though. Maybe this was a Commoner religious thing or something.
"What is wrong with your eyes?" remarked the girl, arm with a basket hung over it pointing your way. The boy visibly startled, backing away slightly, and you assumed (The glare made it hard...) staring at your eyes himself. You noticed he was carrying two baskets himself, and thought you caught a glimpse of mushrooms.
That feels a bit unfair of the Great Plan, you thought. Were you really going to be caught out not by a perimeter of patrolling warriors, but by teenagers picking mushrooms? Admittedly, now that you were starting to wake up it occurred to you it could easily have instead been someone gathering firewood. Maybe this wasn't so unexpected after all.
Regardless, you...
[]Greet them warmly, and lie. You've never been much of a liar, but you're pretty sure the truth would go badly and it's not like they know that, right? You'll claim to be from... some far-off land they've never heard of or something.
[]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
[]Greet them warmly and approach one of them for a hug... and then stab them wherever seems most lethal. Sorry not sorry, you're the enemy.
-[]The boy. You don't think you can take him except by surprise.
-[]The girl. She seems the more confident of the two, for some reason. You'd rather not find out the hard way that this confidence is justified.
[]Affect a not-entirely-feigned bad mood. You don't know what nobles of other lands are actually like, but there's some stories from before the Gendarmerie came along. You'll play the role of a noble with no patience for wasted time and no interest in indulging peasant questions, and hope they go away offended but none the wiser.
[]Casually go to unhook the Hauler from its harness, and then direct it to trample them if at all feasible. Better safe than sorry. Hopefully it's faster when not pulling something, it's really not much faster than a brisk walk that you've seen so far.
[]Loudly and formally declare that you're here to erase every last trace of Burner Worm from this vile country, and then try to shoo them off into letting the town know. You'd intended to make a formal declaration of your intentions anyway, this is actually kind of convenient.
[]Blandly explain that there's nothing wrong with your eyes, this is just because you're married to your husband the Baron of Soul-Consuming Carapace Shadows. Honesty is the best policy, right?
[]Shriek as if terrified, point at something behind them, and then make a run for the cavern where the Suncrawlers and Rollers are waiting. The worst they can do is get the Workers, Gatekeeper, and Runners killed, you're pretty sure, and if they don't specifically set the carriage alight they'll probably get taken down in the process. And if they elect to follow you, problem solved!
[]Write-in.
So Ada was faithful to the rituals and visited the temple at least once a week, always marveling anew at how a journey that for a sickly child of twelve winters had been arduous was, for a blessed girl of sixteen winters, a pleasing pastime.
She only hoped someday the rest of the world was protected from the Dark Dominators' nightly predations. The stories her grandfather used to tell of people being stolen away in the night still sent shivers down her spine, wondering what awful things the Dark Dominators did in secret to their victims, unable to stop her imagination from conjuring ever worse scenarios. That so many villages still had to fear the night was truly a depressing thought, and every year since her own blessing Ada had volunteered to help take the latest batch of Brandstifters to be given to the pious. Alteisen in particular was still haunted by the sinister Nebelqualle ambushing hunters and woodcutters and anyone else that dared enter its murky woods. Ada missed her cousin, who had been lost to these Dominator depredations. Why couldn't these damned monsters leave Commoners alone?...
Ada clapped once, put the incense back where it belonged, and began prepping for today's walk, thoughts taking a sour turn as she was reminded that the crusaders had recently returned from their posting in Dominator territory, driven off before they could assault the dark castle. The Freelanders just West remained servants to the Dominators, a terrible fate, and there were rumors going about that the Dominators would surely redouble their own efforts to corrupt Commoner territory. Ada wasn't too concerned for herself, or her family, or her friends, as Neustadt de Glaubens was well-protected, but what of the smaller towns? Nirgensdorf was first on the easiest road, and even Dominators preferred roads...
Ada reminded herself she should count her blessings. The Sturmmonsters had passed through recently, and missed every town in the area. Likely some unlucky travelers had been hurt and had their goods stolen by the cold firelings, but usually their impact was much worse. Ada had particularly feared for her grandfather when they'd been on the horizon; her grandmother had died in a Sturmmonster raid, and she wasn't sure he wouldn't have gotten himself killed trying to avenge her. Nor had the Brandstifters in the cauldron been lost; the Sturmmonsters always made a point of killing growing Brandstifters if they could...
Ada smiled and waved goodbye to her father as he haggled with a foreign merchant, receiving an acknowledging nod in turn.
Now to get some spices.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Most of her list had been easy to acquire, the comfort of routine with old friends. The only major snag had been a Himmelian traveling merchant quoting an utterly outrageous price for a small bag of salt. Himmelian salt was good, but not that good! Fortunately, Ada had been through this before; some merchants started outrageously high in hopes their prospective customer wouldn't know and end up overpaying, convinced they'd gotten a good deal with their aggressive haggling. Ada had only needed to mention that she was friends with the local priests and idly speculate to herself how unlikely a conwoman would be allowed back into the city in future, to get the bag of salt down to a reasonable price. Indeed, with a crooked frown the Himmelian had given her a small discount for her discretion.
Next was her trip to the temple, to pray, to check how soon the next Brandstifter batch would be ready, and of course to have the priests make sure her own Brandstifter was in good health.
Prayer went well, Ada having not forgotten anything for the third time in a row. The priest watching over the congregation noted she might have a permanent place in the temple herself, at this rate, an idea that filled Ada to bursting with pride!
The cauldron was coming along a little slowly. Maybe another couple of weeks. Ada was a little disappointed, having hoped to help Nirgensdorf sooner, but had somewhat expected this. Even without Sturmmonsters breaking in, the chill of rain tended to slow Brandstifter development. She thanked Thomas for his time and moved on.
Her own Brandstifter was fine. Ada was told she should drink a little more water, preferably cool water, to avoid burning out, and scolded anew for persistently erring on the side of protecting her Brandstifter over herself. Ada apologized for the tenth or so time, aware she wasn't entirely sincere but unable to be otherwise on this topic. She'd be dead if it weren't for her Brandstifter, after all.
She'd been intending to make another trip for mushrooms tomorrow or so anyway. The creek was convenient, cool, and so far untouched by Dominator filth. As such, she thanked Father Ferdinand for his time, dropped a tin coin in the donation statue -a stylized depiction of a Brandstifter coiled protectively around one of the core fifty saints Ada generally preferred to not admit to not remembering the names of, a failing she hoped to correct soon- and headed on home, humming a festive tune to herself. Much better than the last time she'd asked, she still couldn't smell that fruit without gagging!
Her eyes were abruptly covered, which would normally be cause for alarm, but she knew right away it was Teo. "Guess whoooo~" he crooned.
She smiled tolerantly. "So good to hear from you, Old Ben!"
Teo groaned, of course, but removed his hands, sticking them in his pockets as she turned to get a look at him. "I don't sound anything like Old Ben," he complained good-naturedly -not to mention accurately. Old Ben used to work in a coal mine, and had the scratchy voice all coal miners inevitably acquired. Teo, meanwhile, sounded as vibrantly full of life as he looked.
Ada gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "The hands are about right, though," she teased.
Teo jerked a hand out in surprise, then scowled and pouted when he realized that of course it was a joke. His hands were callused and rough, certainly, but not nearly as shrunken and wrinkled as Old Ben's. "I sometimes think you enjoy my company purely to mess with me," he complained with a small amount of heat behind his words. Not literal heat, he still hadn't accepted a Brandstifter. Hopefully this year he would be allowed.
Ada softened her expression a little, slightly apologetic. "Oh, there's plenty to enjoy, don't you worry." Teo crossed his arms with a look of skepticism blooming in his ruddy face, so Ada dropped the teasing. "We would never have got along so well if you and I didn't share a sense of humor," she pointed out, attempting a faux-stern look.
Teo relaxed a little, then smirked very slightly. "True. What other lass would help me-"
Ada spoke up loudly, not wanting anyone to overhear about that particular youthful indiscretion. "So, Teo! Are you on an errand for Mr. Schmidt?"
Teo's face fell a bit. "Oh. Uh. Not... exactly." He shuffled uncomfortably while Ada arched one eyebrow daintily. "He actually burned himself-" Ada startled, as like any good smith Mr. Schmidt had a Brandstifter and really oughtn't have needed to worry about such unless he was extraordinarily careless. Teo grimaced appropriately. "-yeah. He's been pushing himself since the crusaders came back, I tried to not let it get this far, but you know how he is when it comes to Dominators." Rabid, was the word that came to mind, at least when not speaking in polite company. Passionate, for polite company. "So, uh... he's seeing a priest, and told me to-" Here Teo puffed himself up and affected a tone of an always-angry man with bellows for lungs. "-drag my worthless carcass home-" Here he relaxed. "-for the next couple of days."
Ada blinked a few times, tapped her lips thoughtfully, and remarked, "So you're free to come with me when I collect mushrooms tomorrow, you say?"
Teo took a moment to cotton onto the subtext, but when he did he brightened in that particular way Ada always enjoyed, such unvarnished enthusiasm. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, I am." Then he paused. "Wait, are we talking mushrooms for food or-" Ada put one finger to her lips, smiling. Teo stopped, smiled back. "Okay, I'll bring my gloves. Uh. Should I escort you home, or?..."
Ada shook her head. "Father likes you, but I think he'd like you a lot less if you showed up unexpectedly with me on your arm." After a pause, she added,"Mother probably wouldn't be thrilled either."
Teo deflated. "Oh. Yeah, the... yeah." Unsaid was the issue that he wouldn't be a worthy husband until he'd proven himself able to work with a Brandstifter, which obviously wouldn't happen until he actually had a Brandstifter.
Ada smiled again. "The Plan certainly wouldn't keep that between us four years in a row, yes? Don't worry." After an awkward pause, she reminded him, "See you tomorrow, right after dawn."
Teo started, remembered their date, smiled. "Oh, uh, yeah! See you!" Then he waved, starting walking backwards so he could keep on looking at her, stepped on a Himmelian's tail, was met with a hiss and an irritated snap of the jaws, and after an apology went on his way with one last wave and look at Ada while she waved back, smiling.
Ada watched where he'd last been for a moment longer, half-expecting him to concoct an excuse to talk to her for longer and half just basking in how much she enjoyed time with him, and then with a glance at the setting sun started herself. Father was probably already working himself into a gloomy mood, convinced her small delay was a sign of something seriously wrong. Even with her Brandstifter, he worried as much as he had when she'd been a sickly child, and occasionally did quite foolish things.
As such, Ada made the rest of her way home at an un-lady-like jog.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fortunately, Father was still occupied with a Thriver traveler when she showed up, and when he noticed Ada she was able to quickly reassure him her minor lateness was nothing to be concerned about... though she didn't mention her encounter or plans with Teo. No need to give rumor-mongers material for accusing Father of failing to raise his eldest daughter right. The Thriver admittedly looked too overwhelmed to be likely to remember any such thing to spread around, but you never knew with foreigners. They had some pretty weird ideas about what actually mattered. Better safe than sorry.
Speaking of the Thriver, Ada dropped into her best Shopkeep's Daughter manner, asking him what the trouble was. Turned out it was a minor language issue, as the herb he wanted was called something utterly bizarre back home, and Father had entirely misunderstood when the Thriver had attempted to clarify he wanted an herb. The problem being Father had assumed 'Bylina' was a foreign name of a rather more specific persuasion and the two had been talking past each other for a while.
Silly Father.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, Ada pinched little Adal's cheeks, made silly faces, and then waved goodbye to her baby brother as she passed him off to Mother. She promised she'd be home before dark, picked up her basket, and hummed a minor prayer as she made her way to the western gate.
Teo was waiting for her, of course. He'd probably gotten up entirely too early, excited. Or maybe never slept at all. Foolish boy, she thought with fondness and a smile as he perked up and waved upon sighting her, and she waved back.
Once she was close enough to talk, a natural, easy conversation ensued, the kind she'd had with him most days since her own health had improved, and they walked out the gate with a nod apiece to the holy soldier at the gate. (Well, after Ada pinched Teo and gestured at the soldier; he often forgot these little niceties) They made their way down the loose trail made by countless feet trampling grass here and there for generations, up the hill that gave a good view of the treetops, and then down and onward to the woods no one had ever bothered to name. Once inside they both became a bit quieter; while their topics weren't private as such, it was always embarrassing to be overheard unexpectedly by someone else gathering mushrooms or firewood.
They picked up a nice selection, filling all three baskets with everything that was good to eat, and filling Ada's pockets with a few that were not so good to eat but were quite nice for pranks and similar. Ada wouldn't be able to keep up such fun in the future if she became a priestess, after all, and that day was possibly fast approaching. Then they stepped into one of their favorite clearings on the way to the creak, intending to stop for a moment to eat some of their pickings to make way for more...
... only to discover the clearing was not empty at all. It was scattered with large stones that hadn't been there two weeks ago, and a carriage of some dark wood Ada didn't recognize sat in the center. That was bizarre enough on its own, as carriages were ill-suited to the woods at the best of times, but while the angle was wrong to get a clear look at it, whatever beast of burden was at the front of the carriage was not a horse.
Ada and Teo fell silent quite abruptly, uncertain how to react. This was deeply wrong, but aside a couple of fairy tales about witches magicking the world so suddenly, it didn't match anything they knew about actual threats. For one thing, it was the middle of the day, and every Commoner knew the Dominators hated and feared the sun, jealous of all things that could live under it. The carriage, meanwhile, was clearly from someone wealthy and dignified; a carriage at all was a sign of wealth, of course, but this particular carriage was sculpted in an especially ornate way, and must surely have taken dozens of craftspeople weeks to get every little detail right. A high-ranking noble, or a particularly wealthy merchant.
... so where was the escort?
Politeness bade Ada call out, "Hello!" in spite of her misgivings, even as Teo hissed at her that they should turn about and let the holy soldiers know. This was not something peasants should be dealing with, he said, and Ada agreed someone else ought to be handling this, but she wasn't sure the carriage would still be here by the time the holy soldiers and priests had shown. And what if the carriage owner was sick, or injured, or otherwise requiring help?...
So she stepped a little closer and called out again.
--------------------------------------------------------------
You wake up, blinking against what little sunlight is making its way into the carriage.
You take a moment to gather your thoughts, still a bit confused. Your sleep has been a messy thing on this trip, and you keep having to re-order your thoughts.
Right. The trip itself. You had told Virmire you were ready to do this and wouldn't let Caras down, and preparations had been made. A carriage had been constructed, a Hauler grown, and your escort decided; a dozen Boulders, all the Suncrawlers and Rollers made available to you (A dozen Rollers, a half dozen Suncrawlers), and a dozen Workers packed into the carriage's luggage as well as one Gatekeeper and a pair of Runners. (They apparently squeezed into smaller spaces than you'd thought, fortunately) The trip itself had been relatively monotonous once you got past the novelty of travel occurring day and night; you'd checked the traps on the way out, but only found one ambiguous corpse of Commoner descent but uncertain qualities otherwise, kept an eye out for the bandits you'd released to harass the Commoners and been frustrated and a little bit sad when you discovered their heads mounted on pikes beside the road not far past the border with a sign saying they'd been executed for banditry...
... but otherwise the trip had been fairly boring. You probably should've brought a book or something.
Regardless, right now you were in the woods to the west of Neustadt de Glaubens, having had the Boulders manhandle the carriage during the previous night to get through the uneven terrain so you could rest in relative safety before attacking tonight. The Suncrawlers and Rollers were lurking in a nearby cavern -it had been a bear's lair, but the bear had taken one look at your Boulders and scurried elsewhere- soaking in the cave's dampness to get back fluids lost to the sunlight, the Boulders were curled up around the carriage in this nice little clearing, and-
"Hello, are you alright in there?"
-uh-oh.
Well, now you knew what had woken you. A Commoner girl, going by the accent. You squinted into the outside world, attempting to spot her, but the glare was harsh and you saw no figures through the windows.
You heaved a put-upon sigh and pasted a smile on your face. It was difficult to be cheerful on so little sleep, especially for someone that wasn't your husband, but this too was part of not letting him down.
Then you opened the carriage door and stepped out, wishing it was practical to sleep in your armor instead of leaving it in the luggage with the Workers. At least you still had a knife on hand. Squinting through the painful glare of the sun -was it noon? It felt like it was noon- in the general direction of the voice, two figures slowly resolved. Two Commoners with shocks of curly golden hair, one presumably the girl you'd heard a moment ago, the other a strapping young lad you might once have admired but now registered primarily for being bigger and much more muscular than yourself. Potentially a problem if this went the way you were worried it would go. You couldn't call out the Suncrawlers and Rollers with this intense of sunlight blocking the connection, and everything else would burn in this light, so for the moment it was you, two teens, and admittedly the Hauler. Maybe it could get out of its harness on its own?
Whatever the case, the two teens stared at you. It was difficult to tell through the glare as you squinted at them -whoops, smile, smile!- but the boy seemed primarily confused, while the girl was inching one hand to her gaping mouth. Horror, maybe? Foreigners could be strange, though. Maybe this was a Commoner religious thing or something.
"What is wrong with your eyes?" remarked the girl, arm with a basket hung over it pointing your way. The boy visibly startled, backing away slightly, and you assumed (The glare made it hard...) staring at your eyes himself. You noticed he was carrying two baskets himself, and thought you caught a glimpse of mushrooms.
That feels a bit unfair of the Great Plan, you thought. Were you really going to be caught out not by a perimeter of patrolling warriors, but by teenagers picking mushrooms? Admittedly, now that you were starting to wake up it occurred to you it could easily have instead been someone gathering firewood. Maybe this wasn't so unexpected after all.
Regardless, you...
[]Greet them warmly, and lie. You've never been much of a liar, but you're pretty sure the truth would go badly and it's not like they know that, right? You'll claim to be from... some far-off land they've never heard of or something.
[]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
[]Greet them warmly and approach one of them for a hug... and then stab them wherever seems most lethal. Sorry not sorry, you're the enemy.
-[]The boy. You don't think you can take him except by surprise.
-[]The girl. She seems the more confident of the two, for some reason. You'd rather not find out the hard way that this confidence is justified.
[]Affect a not-entirely-feigned bad mood. You don't know what nobles of other lands are actually like, but there's some stories from before the Gendarmerie came along. You'll play the role of a noble with no patience for wasted time and no interest in indulging peasant questions, and hope they go away offended but none the wiser.
[]Casually go to unhook the Hauler from its harness, and then direct it to trample them if at all feasible. Better safe than sorry. Hopefully it's faster when not pulling something, it's really not much faster than a brisk walk that you've seen so far.
[]Loudly and formally declare that you're here to erase every last trace of Burner Worm from this vile country, and then try to shoo them off into letting the town know. You'd intended to make a formal declaration of your intentions anyway, this is actually kind of convenient.
[]Blandly explain that there's nothing wrong with your eyes, this is just because you're married to your husband the Baron of Soul-Consuming Carapace Shadows. Honesty is the best policy, right?
[]Shriek as if terrified, point at something behind them, and then make a run for the cavern where the Suncrawlers and Rollers are waiting. The worst they can do is get the Workers, Gatekeeper, and Runners killed, you're pretty sure, and if they don't specifically set the carriage alight they'll probably get taken down in the process. And if they elect to follow you, problem solved!
[]Write-in.
Yeah, uh, been over a year. Had a lot of drama going on, less ability to write than I'd wanted, so even though I was actually working on this on and off the whole time it took... this long. No idea what kind of schedule I'll be keeping henceforth, but things have stabilized enough I should be able to keep writing without year-long gaps between updates. Been working on the worldbuilding in the background, for one, so the Quest should hold up a bit better as we hit unexplored territory.
Oh, and I'm not dead. Clearly.
Oh, and I'm not dead. Clearly.
Last edited:
- Location
- Germany
I didn't think I would ever get the chance to vote on this! 
[X]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
By the way, a question: Is "Neben Qualle" supposed to be that way? It looks kinda strange, like "Besides Jellyfish"...
[X]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
By the way, a question: Is "Neben Qualle" supposed to be that way? It looks kinda strange, like "Besides Jellyfish"...
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
Oh yay, Monster Marriage Quest is updating again. Time for a re-read, I don't remember why we were scouting around enemy territory.
Last edited:
Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
[x]Blandly explain that there's nothing wrong with your eyes, this is just because you're married to your husband the Baron of Soul-Consuming Carapace Shadows. Honesty is the best policy, right?
- Location
- Nova Zeelandia
[X]Greet them warmly and with much hugging and enthusiasm! They may be citizens of the nation at war with your husband, but that's no call for rudeness or lying! You'll just leave out the part where you're here to burn their town to the ground and salt the earth so no Burner Worm will ever grow there. Maybe they won't even ask what you're here for?
- Location
- [REDACTED]
[X]Blandly explain that there's nothing wrong with your eyes, this is just because you're married to your husband the Baron of Soul-Consuming Carapace Shadows. Honesty is the best policy, right?
They don't actually know who the Baron is, I think, so this seems likely to initiate a dialogue that'll probably be very enlightening. For everyone.
They don't actually know who the Baron is, I think, so this seems likely to initiate a dialogue that'll probably be very enlightening. For everyone.
They're literally just called "Arsonists", but in German?
- Location
- Wherever
oh god come on N and L aren't even adjacent to each other on the keyboard... and I even had it wrong in my notes. Ugh.
Corrected to Nebel Qualle, thank you for catching that.
It wasn't what I was going for when I was digging for a German Burner Worm name, but I was too tickled by it to not go for it when I got this particular one.
So yes.