Dragon Harem Quest - Or: Saying You Were Gay Wasn't The Conversation-Ender You Hoped For

Poor Takara. All that effort and some random angel dude swans in and calms the savage beast before he can rip their throat out. It sucks being a fox with a death wish.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

Issachar will be around. i'm more pressed about getting shit outta takara

i mean, we know what's up with them. eldy doesn't.

[X] Find Issachar's room and speak to him. It's time to get the full story from him. No more tastefully-omitted details

[X] Find Issachar's room and speak to him. It's time to get the full story from him. No more tastefully-omitted details

ZerbanDaGreat said:

"DO NOT BE AFRAID"

A light as brilliant as the sun bursts to life before you, a wave of heat washing over you. You stagger back as you're forced to squint, throw up your hand to shield your eyes and look away, blinking away stars. Something materialises in the space between you and Takara, and by the time your eyes have adjusted to the light the sight of it takes your breath away anyway.

It's like a construct of awe-inspiring artistry and complexity married to the finest work of a world-renowned sculptor. Some marvel of precursor civilisation that should never have seen the light of day for fear of exposing it to the unworthy. Its shape is that of a man, carved from a single slab of the purest obsidian and sculpted in such reverent celebration of the male form you could teach an anatomy class with it. Every flexing muscle connected by taut golden sinew, every crack or seam in the glossy surface somehow seeming deliberate, as if the sculpture could be accomplished without but a statement had to be made. It hovers just above the ground, taloned toes just a hair's breadth from touching, holding up similarly clawed hands to ward you and Takara away. It hovers on an array of wings, so many you can barely count them, so bright that you can barely stand to look at them straight on. Wings that glitter and shimmer, overlapping and blurring into one another, shedding light as golden as the morning sun. Its face is a blank mask, a gleaming obsidian mirror deeper than the night sky, and the longer you look the more clearly you see the golden lights glimmering within like stars and constellations.

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Yooooooooooooo ngl Isaachar's true form is rad as fuck.

I liked this update a lot in general actually, the fact that the battle does have a real tactical flow to it and that Takara's kinda constantly lowkey on the back foot because Eldingar just keeps crashing through their nested workings and layered traps before they can properly get stuff off the ground is great and the thunder trick was clever as hell, and fit neatly without feeling just like an asspull. And Eldingar's boiling rage wearing off and giving way to this kind of guilty, gutwrenching feeling is super : ok_hand : too tbh. The big blue dumbass probably can't bring himself to kill in cold blood but in the heat of the moment? Yeah, he probably could. And he might. And that's something he's sort of got to reckon with now, is reckoning with.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

It's time to have a second conversation with the fox I think, and this is especially relevant since Eldingar's currently wrestling with the after-embers of the aforementioned murderous pride and fury and Takara's been physically wrecked and decisively beaten but didn't get their suicide-by-fifty-ton-lizard-moment. Neither of them are able to make much pretension otherwise and it's pretty likely that Ljósingar is going to leave recommendation about what to do with Takara in our hands I think. Since I can't imagine that they want to deal with the hassle of hosting two powerful, partially-godly entities in their holy city long term and would probably be more than content in dumping the issue on our laps and telling us, is somewhat polite terms, to please fuck off back to where we came from.

Time for some emotionally exhausted honesty and for Eldingar to get some actual insight into what Takara's like and us to maybe even learn why.

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

// The only one who might not have some plans for Eldingar. So, perhaps some truth to be found?

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

Let's be real, what is "the truth" going to get us about Issachar that Eldingar didn't already know on some level, beyond the obvious question of "why are you an angelic creature of such terrible beauty that to look upon you is to be struck dumb with awe and terror?" We already know Issachar is mysterious, and has a future-related agenda. We have also figured that he gives great hugs. There has been no real shift in their relationship as a result of Issachar revealing what Eldingar already kinda halfway suspected. Whereas Takara is in an interesting place now emotionally and I wanna see where it goes.

Inclined towards Petros over Takara, mostly because the latter isn't going to give an honest opinion of themselves (and/or may still be deaf/feigning deafness to get out of an awkward conversation).

Issachar meanwhile... yes, we should probably ask about that, but I wouldn't say we need to do so right now. Like, I doubt even he's imagining he can keep up the 'look at me so innocent human' act after pulling that trick. Petros, meanwhile, would give Eldy more insight on what he and Takara were running around doing, which will be directly relevant when interacting with Ljósingar in the morning.

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

Wow, who could've guessed that Issachar was actually an angel?
everyone who ever looked at this sweet cinnamon roll

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

... Look, I just want Eldin have what are apparently the best hugs in town.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

That was actually really satisfying to see Eldingar go full on dragon and not fall flat on his face.
Also, Issachar the-totally-a-normal-mortal-human-honest's true form is amazing.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.
I was afraid to hope for victory, but now that we're here, let's finally go talk to fox and get some answers.

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

Romv said:

That was actually really satisfying to see Eldingar go full on dragon and not fall flat on his face.
Also, Issachar the-totally-a-normal-mortal-human-honest's true form is amazing.

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His little victories keep escalating and growing, it feels like. Who knows how long that will last, but it feels like some of the growing tension finally loosened up. Good for Eldingar being awesome.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

[X] Find Takara's cell and speak with them. Some things still just don't feel right. Maybe you can at least get them to tell you where the map is.

What's the chance that Takara will rat out Eldingar for that heist we carried out together?

Madou Sutegobana said:

What's the chance that Takara will rat out Eldingar for that heist we carried out together?

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I don't think they'd try to pull that with how things are now.

Like if Takara wanted to rat us out they could've done so at any time, so I don't think they hate us that much.

(Besides it's probably more fun to screw with us when we aren't sitting in a cell)

ZerbanDaGreat said:

They're just trying to rile you up. Just like when they left that calling card. Just like they have been with almost every word they've ever said to you. They play with people. They manipulate people. They must be expecting you to go barging in, blunder through whatever traps and wards they have prepared like some clumsy oaf, but you're better than that. A storm rages in your very bones. You don't need to get close at all.

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Baw. No full on dragon moment for you.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

It seems you ah, misjudged the speed of your approach. You find yourself kneeling in a crater where some of the paved walkway used to be, the ruin that once was the familiar's paper torso driven so much deeper beneath your claw that you burst a water pipe. It 'dies' without a sound, sagging completely flat beneath you, and when you withdraw your hand it's soaked in inky, waterlogged paper 'guts'. You grimace and shake it clean as you straighten up.

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Hey, it could be worse, given our big blue dumbass's luck I wouldn't expected a sewage pipe.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

They duck down, and whatever they do next your attention is drawn more to the dog-faced warrior sprinting full-pelt at you. It draws its sword and casts the paper sheath aside, setting upon you with a silent snarl and all the fury you could expect from a real warrior. Its ferocity is matched only by its agility, darting left and right, to and fro, striking a new place every time you move to block a previous blow. For a moment even you are stymied, thoughts whirling in search of any idea how to defeat your clearly skilled opponent, before the simple fact sinks in. Though its impossible paper blade may be sharp as a razor, it would have to be a thousand times sharper than that to have any realistic chance of hurting you. So the next time it falls you just close your hand around it and tear it in two.

The dog-faced swordsman looks down at the ripped stump of its blade almost in offence. You reach out and lift it in the air, one claw grasping it by the haunch and the other by the chest, and simply tear it in two. The spell breaks with a loud rrrrrip and what was once a familiar falls between your talons in so many shredded scraps.

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And here we see Eldingar's fighting style in a nutshell: Get absolutely clowned on skillwise, bull through it anyway on the basis of Being A Dragon.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

And then you have an idea.

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Oh No.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

"DO NOT BE AFRAID"

A light as brilliant as the sun bursts to life before you, a wave of heat washing over you. You stagger back as you're forced to squint, throw up your hand to shield your eyes and look away, blinking away stars. Something materialises in the space between you and Takara, and by the time your eyes have adjusted to the light the sight of it takes your breath away anyway.

It's like a construct of awe-inspiring artistry and complexity married to the finest work of a world-renowned sculptor. Some marvel of precursor civilisation that should never have seen the light of day for fear of exposing it to the unworthy. Its shape is that of a man, carved from a single slab of the purest obsidian and sculpted in such reverent celebration of the male form you could teach an anatomy class with it. Every flexing muscle connected by taut golden sinew, every crack or seam in the glossy surface somehow seeming deliberate, as if the sculpture could be accomplished without but a statement had to be made. It hovers just above the ground, taloned toes just a hair's breadth from touching, holding up similarly clawed hands to ward you and Takara away. It hovers on an array of wings, so many you can barely count them, so bright that you can barely stand to look at them straight on. Wings that glitter and shimmer, overlapping and blurring into one another, shedding light as golden as the morning sun. Its face is a blank mask, a gleaming obsidian mirror deeper than the night sky, and the longer you look the more clearly you see the golden lights glimmering within like stars and constellations.

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Hey Issachar. Fancy meeting you here, I guess the others wouldn't wait any longer?

Also, props for the traditional angelic greeting.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

"We have precious little time and you must listen carefully," it goes on.

"sorry if you're saying something i got nooooo idea" Takara says before it even finishes, drunkenly indicating one still-ringing ear.

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This is such a Zerb Moment. Or maybe it's just this quest. The arrival of something grand and glorious, only to be immediately short-circuited by irreverence. It's a recurring element, and it's not getting old.

ZerbanDaGreat said:

When you open your eyes Takara has sagged all the way down to the ground again, propped up against the gazebo with their head turned away - no doubt so they don't have to witness a moment more of this disgusting display.

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Not gonna lie, I actually feel bad for Takara here. Think about it from their perspective, soaked in self-hatred as it is - Takara just got their keister handed to them, and now instead of killing them, their would-be executioner instead got a cool-down hug from his literal angel of a boyfriend. Given how lonely Takara seems to be... I mean, salt in the wound much?

ZerbanDaGreat said:

A god rises from the sparking, crackling aftermath of the strike, drawing itself up to its full height and striding proudly from the crater to meet the upstart interlopers causing so much chaos and destruction. Ljósingar is an avian sort but only just, for the sky is the natural domain of those that fly. They have been called upon to win many wars with their great power and greater wrath, and thus they are a being of war themself; a sleek, sharp thing of steel and silver, their beak a cruel hook, their talons like knives, their very wings like bundles of blades forged together without flaw or seam. Their head is like an iron helm, sleek and smooth but for a backswept crest of bladed feathers, their eyes burning with the inner cerulean light of the storm that sustains them. A light that shines through a few other joints and seams now that you take a closer look, flickering and brightening as the god draws closer and takes in the scene before them.

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/me squints

Inhuman, hot, paragraph of description, aesthetically and thematically distinct...

Secret tenth husbando, is that you?

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?

Issachar will keep. The cat's out of the bag about his angelic nature, that's enough. Given the way the vote is going we're clearly going to see Takara and it's probably the right thing to do but I can't pass up a chance to go see the Wholesomest Beefcake In The Land the first chance I get. I want to see Eldingar kind of boggle at him.

Madou Sutegobana said:

What's the chance that Takara will rat out Eldingar for that heist we carried out together?

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Slim to none, I should think. Apart from anything else, who would care? We're a long way from Söfnun, and the victims have already been bought out. Is there even a sophisticated enough legal structure to press charges for this kind of financial espionage?

[X] Find Petros' cell and speak with him. You have a second-hand account or two, but this is your first chance to speak face-to-face with what you suspect is another map-boyfriend. He even managed to spend days on end in Takara's company. What was his secret?