Ostentum (Magic Knight Errant Quest)

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Just let her go, there's no reason to keep bothering with her.

---

Bah. There's no use bothering with this woman, any longer. You take a moment to watch as she leisurely walks away before you move to return to the crummy tavern. You motion for Ancillas to come with you, and he does.

"Sorry about that, my- uh, Ancillas. It ended up being a waste of time."

"Well, not entirely...I'm grateful for your efforts."

You re-enter the small building.

You both return to the table you sat at originally. In front of Ancillas' seat is one empty plate, and another plate with a modestly sized and totally untouched cut of meat. He sits for a moment, staring at his water, before addressing you again.

"I'm sorry, I, uh, completely forgot to mention beforehand," he says nervously, averting his gaze, "But I don't eat meat."

You feel your heart skip a beat. You immediately berate yourself; you fool! How could you have not thought to ask the prince, first? And to present a hungry prince with food he cannot eat, you may as well be mocking him!

"My...my sincerest apologies, prince Ancillas!" You fall back into loyal knight mode, devastated you could have made such a simple mistake. "I can find something else right away..." You jump to your feet, when he quickly stops you.

"Please don't worry about it," He gestures for you to remain calm, "I think, for now, I've had enough. More importantly, I don't think the food should go to waste. Aren't you hungry at all?" He holds the plate toward you.

Such...a kind soul. Your knightly spirit weeps in gratitude for this generous, forgiving, noble boy. You sit down, gently take the plate and set it before yourself.

"Thank you...very much, prince Ancillas."

"Just Ancillas." He smiles warmly.

"Right." You nod. You look down at the dish.

...You still feel it would be rude to just start eating in front of the prince. You'll wait. At the moment, there's something more important to discuss.

"Well, anyways. Ancillas," You start firmly, "I think we should really decide on what exactly to do, next."

"Ah...well that sounds reasonable." He nods slowly.

"So, clearly, we must start heading north to see you back to the capital as soon as possible." You muse out loud, before more directly asking him, "If we depart this town today I'm sure we could reach the next town some time early morrow. But would you rather try to rest overnight in this town?"

"U...uhm..." He pauses, maybe a bit overwhelmed by the decision.

Ancillas takes a slow breath, then tries again.

"I was...thinking, actually," He starts uncertainly, but finishing with more conviction, "About what that woman said. Idunna, was her name?"

Your brow furrows once again.

"That woman..." You murmur.

"How far is the city she mentioned...? Is it too much out of the way to travel there?"

You contemplate silently. To travel directly north to the nearest town of Klause would take about a full day's trip on horse, thanks to the relative closeness of the southern towns near the border.

On the other hand, the city that woman mentioned, Charnet, toward the northwest. It's more west than north; it's even farther from Klause than it is from this town. You'd wager it would take two days and maybe a half to get there. Unless you were to stay awake the entire trip, you'd be spending a night outside, something you wouldn't dream of making a prince do.

On top of that, you can't say you're too ready to trust what that woman was saying. She's just too suspect.

"Two days and maybe a half," You repeat your thoughts to the prince, "It's not a difficult trip, but not one I would make a prince undertake."

"What..." His expression drops, "You don't think I could do it...?"

"I...that's..." You fluster a bit, worried at having offended him, "I just don't think a prince should...ahem. You know what I mean, yes?"

He just stares at his drink thoughtfully.

"So...what should we do?" He implores you.

Seems you've got travel planning to do...

[] Straight north, the town of Klause.
-[] Leave today
-[] Leave tomorrow

[] Northwest, the city of Charnet
-[] Leave today
-[] Leave tomorrow

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Northwest, the city of Charnet
-[X] Leave tomorrow

---

You silently contemplate this situation, and ultimately you decide to go with the prince's wishes and try traveling to Charnet in the Northwest, as per that mysterious woman's suggestion.

"Very well," You nod, "Tomorrow, we'll make our way toward Charnet."

"Ah, thank you..." prince Ancillas smiles happily.

"I'm still not sure about making a prince spent a night outside, but...I will do my utmost to keep you safe."

"You have my thanks again, miss Writham."

You're only too happy to be of service.

--

You finally leave the crummy alehouse, though not before making short work of that bit of meat. If you're leaving tomorrow, you'll need to look for a place to stay tonight. You asked the tender at the dingy place you fed the prince at, but it seems they didn't have rooms to stay in. He was helpful enough to tell you where to find some, though. Closer to the center of town is Fauge's only inn.

It, too, is fairly shabby, though not as much as the alehouse. It's a simple one floor building with maybe 10 rooms. Upon inquiring, it turns out to be 30 silver for a room with one bed, which is the only price you need to hear. There's no need for any more expensive option, you think. You'll let the prince have the bed, and sleep on the floor, yourself. You've slept in much less comfortable places, after all.

The prince raises no objections to staying here, though it's not like there's anywhere else you could have gone anyways, so that's good. You pay for a room with a single bed.

(-30 silver)

Just a bit later, you arrive at the room you've rented for the night. It's...a fair size. Your plan of sleeping on the floor will work just fine, here.

You set some of your things down and look to the prince, who is checking the room out, as well.

"Do you think it will do?"

"I...yes, it's fine. But...you'll really sleep on the floor?" He glances around the room, concerned.

"Yes. Don't worry about it. Sleeping indoors is enough for me to get a good rest."

"I...I see."

You stretch a bit and let out a quiet sigh. The prince sits on the bed at the corner of the room.

With this, you've secured a place to stay until tomorrow, and you've decided on your plans for that day, too. As far as preparation...you think tomorrow morning you should be able to find simple foodstuffs to bring with you. Normally you'd just pack a ton of jerky, but, if the prince doesn't eat meat, you'll probably have to stick to some less amazing options. Like hardtack. Eugh.

Your eyes wander to gaze out the small window. It'll be night before too long; the sun is setting. What should you do with what remains of the day?

[] Head out on the town
-[] Try to find some extra supplies. (See what you can find on the market)
-[] Look for some authority. (Try to find help or information)
-[] Just wander.

[] Remain at the inn
-[] Chat and keep company with the prince. (Write in discussion or question, if you'd like)
-[] Study your magics. (Bust out that book of magical study)
-[] Just turn in early.

 

[GonnaSneeze]

It's best to wait the remainder of the day out in the room, nearby the prince. You explain as much to the prince, and he nods lightly.

"Thank you again for your kindness, Miss Writham."

"Please, I keep saying, it's nothing. I could never call myself a knight if I refused to help my lord."

"Just Ancillas. There's no need to address me like that, really."

"Euhh...right."

Even so, when a prince addresses you so respectfully, it feels fundamentally wrong to not answer in kind...

You settle by the room's single desk, dragging the rudimentary "chair" (wooden box) over to sit. You've decided to make use of the extra time by studying your magics. You fish out the unreasonably heavy book that you've been using.

This tome, while not the most advanced, has been your main resource for training yourself in magic since you left. Your teacher determined it would be the best text to learn from based on your current level.

Of course you haven't used it all that much during your journey. A total of once, in fact.

...Magic study and training is tedious and difficult, and you've come to find that it's even more challenging with no teacher. Add to this the fact that your natural magical talent is definitely below average, and ultimately, your progress is very slow.

Still! Even so! You've got to improve yourself! In your care is a young prince. A huge responsibility lies with you, and so you can spare no effort to strengthen your abilities.

You set yourself to work.

--

You lean back from the page and slowly rub your eyes. You aren't making such good progress, in fact it's even worse than usual. Your mind feels a bit heavy, most of what you try to read doesn't seem to sink in. Maybe you're just a bit mentally drained? Could it be the pressure of the task before you? You haven't really found yourself fretting too much, so that's doubtful. Regardless, you won't expand your knowledge at all, at this rate. How troublesome.

"Miss Writham, is something wrong?" The young prince peers over your shoulder. Ah, you hadn't even noticed him approaching. He glances to your book. "Oh, I didn't know you studied magic."

"Yes," you say as you nod, "I guess that I didn't mention, but my training is to become a rune fencer."

"Ooh." The prince gives an awed 'ooh'. "So then, what you're learning is…"

He examines the book laid in front of you.

"Ah...hm...well...it's old material, but I see you know quite a bit, huh?" He smiles softly.

"Old material? For you, you mean?" You cock your head curiously at the prince.

"Well, it seems like it...these practices, and-" he points out a part of the page, indicating a large passage, "These concepts, I remember learning them long ago…"

"Hahhh…then you're much more adept at this than me, I suppose." To think a boy as young as him could know more than you about magic.

You wonder just how much the prince does know. He is royalty, and attending a legitimate magic college, apparently; surely his education is superior to yours. Well, you did spend a lot of time devoted to learning other practices, not just magic. Still… "My progress has been rather lackluster, I admit."

"Oh, I wouldn't say...well…" he fidgets, "You seem very capable in many other things, so I imagine...I bet your progress is rather impressive, considering that…"

"You flatter me, my lord," you shrug, "But really, these difficult studies are not my strong suit."

"Just Ancillas," he corrects you again, but continues before you can answer, "But...are you having trouble, then? With what?"

"Er, well. Trouble? That'd probably be…"

…

"Ohh...no, think about it like this, see…"

…

"Everything on these pages is so vague."

"Ah, yeah...for that one I don't know what to...uh, it kind of means, like…"

--

For some time, Ancillas sits and helps your study. Fortunately, it seems he has an impressive understanding of magic leagues above your own, and he's practically as good a teacher as your actual instructors back home. Unfortunately, some hangups on your part stop you from getting too far, but you at least made some progress tonight. (Max MP +1)

Now, it's gotten late. You think it would be a good idea to turn in soon, and you tell the prince as much. He agrees. You're pretty sure he's very tired anyways, so of course he'd want to sleep.

Before long, Ancillas has settled in to bed. You follow suit, setting out a spare sheet and pillow to sleep on the floor.

--

You wake acceptably early, as the sun is barely visible on the horizon. The prince is still sleeping soundly, and you'd never disturb his rest! For now, anyways. You'll get your things ready in the meantime.

You get your pack in order and look back over your things. 507 silver, hum...heading north to the capital would normally be no problem for you on this much, but caring for another person on top of taking this random detour, will it be alright? Well, you shouldn't go broke as long as you're careful, and you'll have to take care to avoid emergency expenditures. You don't imagine anything will go terribly wrong, so you probably don't have much to worry about there.

Your next immediate expense is food. Today you plan to find food to cover your travel to Charnet. If you stick to cheap dried foods, you ought to be able to get enough for the both of you for around 10 silver. Or, so you hope.

You look to the prince, who seems to be stirring, possibly from the noise you're making shuffling your things around.

[] Leave, secure supplies, and depart town as soon as you're able

[] Write-in (If there happens to be something else you want to do, here. Or maybe a further plan.)

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Go to the Authorities for Help and Information.
-[X] The condition of the roads.
-[X] Ask about Charnet. What's so Special about it?
-[X] Ask if they know Idunna. Maybe she has a reputation?
-[X] What shop offers the Best Deals for a pair of travelers?
[X] Secure Supplies, then Depart.

---

"Good morning, Ancillas."

"Mh, good morning...miss…"

You greet the prince as he gradually wakes.

"Ah," He exclaims as he suddenly sits upright, "Have I slept too late?"

"Not at all. I only woke just a bit ago, actually." You reassure him, and he seems relieved.

"I see…"

He doesn't have much with him, so it doesn't take long to get ready. Well, it takes a bit. He fusses with his hair for some time before you finally leave.

You depart the inn, an objective already in mind. It would be best to find an authority or someone to answer some questions you have. Maybe you could find out why, exactly, this Idunna woman wanted you to travel to Charnet. Or who she even is.

You retrieve Adalverne from the shoddy stable she was left in for the night, and help Ancillas up onto her. Then, you head out, leading Adalverne as you go. You explain a bit to Ancillas as you go.

"We'll find some town authority to answer some questions, find supplies, and then depart for Charnet."

"Okay." He nods quickly.

So the search for some kind of authority begins. From the size of this town, and the single sentry you saw when entering, it's likely all that's here is a simple town's guard. Even if it's small, they ought to have an office or base or something. You ask a passerby if they could tell you where to go, and you learn that the town watch station is 'the small building by the north edge of town'.

Well this place isn't exactly filled with buildings, so even with the vague instruction, you're sure you'll be able to find it just knowing the direction. You thank them and move on.

--

You approach the station. Well, small is right. A simple, single room hut with a sign that says "watch" hung on the side.

…

You help Ancillas down and head in, leaving Adalverne outside.

Inside, you find a mostly unfurnished room with a counter at the front. Behind the counter is a man in a worn uniform that seems to belong to the town watch. And he's asleep.

…

You approach the counter and clear your throat loudly.

He jerks a bit, clearly woken, but not stirring much. Slowly he sits upright and squints at you with tired eyes.

"Can I help you?"

You suppress your discontent. Hopefully he'll be able to answer your questions.

"I just had some things I wanted to ask a town authority. We're traveling, see."

"Uh-huh." He straightens his posture, stretching subtly.

"Would you know anything about the condition of the roads to Charnet? Anything we would need to know?"

The man scratches his head, grunting a bit.

"Well, not really. There's been problems on the road straight north, to Klause. Heard nothin' about the road to Charnet, though."

"Problems? What problems?" You furrow your brow.

"People gettin' attacked. The watch here and the guards in Klause're pretty tied up with it. Far as I know they think it's animals."

Well, that was...almost informative. Supposedly there are issues with the road north to Klause, and no information about the road to Charnet.

"I...see." You nod firmly, processing that. "What about Charnet - is there anything special about it? Or maybe anything strange you've heard recently?"

He gives you a puzzled look.

"No?"

Seems he doesn't quite get what you mean, but if that's the case, there's probably nothing about Charnet that stands out to him, right? You'll just leave that line of questioning.

"Another thing I was hoping an authority might help with," You start, holding his attention, "Have you heard of a woman named Idunna?"

"Nope." He responds with a slight shake of his head. "Why?"

"Nevermind." You almost sigh, but manage to repress it. You're about ready to leave, but before you go, "Do you know, by the way, where a pair of travelers could find the best deals?"

The guard looks at you with a troubled, uncomfortable glare.

"I imagine...at the store."

"The store?"

"Yeap. Fause general. S'where you can get your travel supplies and such."

"Is that the best place to go, then?"

"Yeah. It's the store."

…

"I see." You answer simply, "That's all I had to ask. Thank you."

"Mhm. Stay safe." He calls unenthusiastically as you and the prince are already leaving.

--

As you traverse the town, you do come to find 'the store', learning that it is in fact THE store of Fause, as there are no others. There's a small marketplace for fresh goods, but you haven't got need of anything there, so you end up at...the store.

You manage to get what you hope is enough food for the journey for only 7 silver, leaving you with an even 500.

--

Preparations complete, you're ready to depart for Charnet. You climb up onto Adalverne, this time letting Ancillas sit behind you.

"Are you ready, prince?"

"Ancillas."

"...Are you ready, Ancillas?"

"Mhm."

You depart for Charnet, setting out on the almost two day journey.

"Um…" Ancillas murmurs.

"Hm?" You look behind you.

"I just wanted to thank you again, and apologize for making an unreasonable request..."

"It's nothing." You smile reassuringly. "I'm happy to be of service."

Before too long, you can hardly see the town behind you. You ride on quietly.

[] Journey on!

[] Any other things worth putting into a vote?

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Journey on!
-[X] Talk about Magical Theory.

---

Your journey begins in earnest as the last signs of civilization disappear from sight.

The prince remains silent as you proceed. He seems to be admiring the scenery, or lost in thought. Hum...you should try to entertain the both of you. Your only options are conversation, though.

"Ancillas," You start, peering back at him, "Do you remember what you were saying last night?"

"Hm?" He turns his head to face you, "What do you mean?"

"Ahh, it was about magic...'conduction'?"

"Oh...yes. What about it?"

You spend some time asking things about and related to magical theory and practice. The prince is happy to answer you; he seems to enjoy teaching you about this. And considering how much he knows, there's a lot for him to teach you. Though, he does a good job of coming down to 'your' level and avoiding topics too advanced for you.

Hours pass in this conversation. The longer it continues the more impressed you are at the prince's knowledge of magic. He must be very bright and talented to know so much at such a young age - you almost shudder to imagine what kind of magical power he'll have once he ages. Why, even now he could likely be a fearsome magic caster.

You make a short stop at some point to let yourselves eat and to let Adalverne rest a bit. Then, your travels continue.

Your magical conversation continues as your trip progresses. You really don't get how this boy could be so talented with magic; it's a real wonder. You have to wonder. That woman, she said few people were ever able to teleport long distances. You aren't sure exactly how talented one would need to be to do that, just approximately very talented. Could Ancillas have done that, himself? Possibly by accident? There's a lot of unknowns, but you suppose it's possible, if a longshot. And if he did, perhaps the use of the magic simultaneously pushed past his limits and caused the memory loss. ...It's a theory. Though, a part of you is still unwilling to trust what that woman said, anyways.

As you move along, you notice it will be dusk soon. Hmm...so then, it's not much longer until night falls.

You observe the sun starting to sink and think about tonight. Sleeping outside. You've done it plenty, or at least, enough to be semi-comfortable doing it. The prince, however, you can imagine has never had to deal with that. You do regret having to make him sleep outside, but there's not much you could do.

Just shy of a few hours later, the sun has nearly gone, and nightfall is approaching.

--

You're setting up for a night's rest by a small fire, Ancillas standing nearby with Adalverne.

Your first stretch of travel is done for the night. Now you need to eat a bit more and let everyone get some rest. You sit near Ancillas as you all eat.

"Will you be alright tonight, Ancillas?"

"Oh...I think so. I'll try not to be a bother..."

"Perish the thought!" You affirm firmly.

He laughs lightly.

"Oh, uhm," He looks up at you, "Thank you for the day's conversation."

"Ah, no," You shake your head, "Thank you. The talk was very, enlightening."

And enlightening it was. You have a feeling you may not have as much trouble when you next study magic.

So, finally, the time to sleep approaches.

...This begs the question. How will you go about this?

The prince will surely need sleep. But dare you both sleep at the same time? If danger should come, you would need to be awake, for the prince! You've staked out the night before, you could certainly neglect sleep for the night. But then, you can't just not sleep. Your rest is important too, if you intend to keep the prince safe.

Maybe there's no need to worry about danger? You had no information about the road, but traveling was uneventful, so far. Then again...it's night, now. Surely night is the time when any dangerous fiends and creatures would appear. Are there any of those in this region? You don't know, but do you want to take that chance?

Indecision tears at your knightly heart...

[] Neglect sleep to keep watch

[] Rest for the night

[] Just stay up...a little bit.

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Just stay up...a little bit.

Once the prince starts yawning, you conclude the night is drawing to a close. He'll need rest.

"You should try to get to sleep," you pat him on the shoulder, "We'll need to rise early again."

"That's fine...I was getting tired anyways," he nods lightly.

--

The prince has set to rest with the makeshift 'bedding' you prepared. Just the thought of forcing royalty to sleep like this...you shudder.

Now. You'll not be going to sleep just yet. Instead you will stay vigilant for a bit. You'd rather watch over the prince as long as you can - you can rest after a while.

And so, vigilance…

--

Your tired eyes stare at the dim fire. Keeping the flame thus far has been a bit of a task. You've stayed as vigilant as you could, given the circumstances, and you're feeling like now...is a good time to rest. The prince has been lightly snoring for some time; apparently he didn't have as much trouble sleeping outdoors as you'd anticipated. That's a relief, at least.

The other relief is that nothing has happened. You hope that this means there really is nothing to worry about, and that you're just being paranoid. Well, not paranoid. Cautious. You can't be too safe when your charge is a royal child.

Either way. You need to get some rest, now, too.

You lay out, using a cloak you'd packed away as a sheet and close your eyes, breathing deeply. Sleep…

--

You wake as the sun begins to rise. Sitting up, you look out at the subdued sunrise, determining you've indeed woken up early enough.

...Too early. Ugh...you didn't get much rest. It's your own fault, but still. Hopefully this drowsiness will leave you.

You finally stand and move to wake the prince, but stop, noticing that he's already waking up.

Slowly he sits up, looking around with a slightly confused gaze until his eyes focus and he's finally fully awake. He looks up at you, clearly still tired.

"Good morning, Ancillas. Sleep well, I hope?"

"Good...morning," He says slowly, words separated by a stifled yawn. "I think so, yes. I had an...interesting dream…"

"Hm?"

"I was at the academy...and…" He trails off, looking thoughtful.

His eyes widen, his posture shoots straight up.

"I...I think I've remembered something…!"

"Ohh? Really?" You answer curiously, head cocked. Could he have recovered an important memory while sleeping?

"Yes, what I was doing, before I wound up out here…" He pauses, and you nod at him to continue. "I was...walking through the academy, to a meeting room. Because...my sister was visiting, I was going to meet my sister...!"

You nod a few more times, waiting for him to continue.

"..."

He sits silently, staring intensely at the ground, when he suddenly deflates.

"Th...that's all I remember…"

"I see…" You just nod once more. So in the end, what he remembered doesn't seem to be important.

"I don't suppose you remember any strange happenings with your sister's visit?"

He shakes his head.

"No...Lilya couldn't have had anything to do with it…" He stops to explain, "Ah, that's her name, my sister...Lilya."

Hm. So Ancillas was able to recall some of his lost memory, but what he's remembered seems to be inconsequential. He was meeting with his sister Lilya, most certainly a royal princess.

Yikes...that could actually make the implications of this worse. Could two royal children have gotten caught up in...whatever caused this? You certainly hope not…

Whether the new information was helpful or not, it's affirmed to you once more that you should hurry on your journey to get the prince to safety!

You shift the topic and let the prince know that the two of you need to start moving, soon. He agrees and hurries to get ready. Fortunately the two of you have very little to do in the way of getting ready, other than a light breakfast of your favorite...hardtack.

--

And you're on the road again, continuing on your way to Charnet. With the pace you've gone at, you're pretty sure that your estimated travel time was correct. That is to say, you expect you'll reach Charnet by late afternoon. This detour isn't terribly long, at least. So long as nothing happens on the road, you'll be at the city in practically no time.

--

And nothing does happen on the road. You spot Charnet in the distance and let Ancillas know you've made it. He smiles happily at having made the trip.

You ride to the city gates, where you're easily let through by the posted guards.

You've arrived, at the city of Charnet. It's significantly larger than the town you left. Not quite 'sprawling', but a decent sized city nonetheless. All you really know about Charnet apart from its size is that it is the smallest city, population wise, in the kingdom to have a military recruitment office and training center. It's generally the place where small-town men and women in the south travel to to enlist.

Aaanyways. You had a reason for coming here.

Yes...because that mysterious woman. Idunna. She claimed if you traveled here, you'd learn more about what happened to Ancillas - presumably, whatever it was that she knew and wasn't telling you.

With that said, there's a problem. How exactly are you going to learn more? What, is it a prophecy that you'll learn something here by chance? Do you need to start asking around because someone here knows? You haven't a clue. But you've made the trip here, so now you've got to figure out what to do.

[] Well, first you ought to find a place you can stay

[] Seek authority again

[] Maybe you ought to find a meal

[] Explore the city

[] (Write-in}

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Well, first you ought to find a place you can stay

---

Well, first thing's first. You ought to find a place you can stay.

You leisurely pass through the city, going past the market near the entrance. You need to look for some kind of inn. Preferably a cheap one. But not TOO cheap, the prince needs a decent bed, at least.

Luckily, you got some directions! You stopped a patrolling guardsman and asked him. He was a bit hard faced but answered you simply, telling you the way to a simple inn nearby, before continuing his patrol.

So you continue on your way, following the instructions you were given, looking out for the inn, and anything else that catches your eye. There has to be something special about this place…

But, you spot nothing of interest on your way to the inn. Ah, you've found the inn! Once again you hitch Adalverne, help Ancillas down, and make for the entrance.

You notice before going in that there's a large piece of paper attached to the door post. You've seen this a few times - the town crier would leave the paper he read the day's announcements from on the post of the town's inns. You take a glance at it, attracted by the very large writing, and stop in your tracks as you read the message.

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT
WITH GREAT SADNESS DO WE BRING THE FOLLOWING NEWS
THE EIGHTH ROYAL CHILD PRINCESS LILYA OF KR'JORA
WAS KILLED SEVERAL DAYS AGO
BURIAL TOOK PLACE IMMEDIATELY AND HAS FINISHED
OBSERVE ONE MONTH OF MOURNING IN RESPECT FOR THIS LOSS

FURTHER NEWS
SMALL TAX INCREASE PLANNED IN
CHARNET FLARON HAUD

LOCAL NOTICE
DO NOT DISCARD RUBBISH IN THE RIVER
OR FACE CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT

Click to shrink...

You stare with barely-masked shock at the "urgent announcement".

How terrible! Ancillas' sister was killed!? And it's the same one he just spoke of, that he was seeing before he disappeared! It couldn't be coincidence, could it? Could Ancillas be in danger? If Ancillas was there...why is there no news about him? What does this mean...? Is this what that woman was talking about?

The thoughts whirl around in your head until,

"Miss Lethis?" The prince in question gets your attention, still waiting behind you as you hog the space in front of the post. "Is everything alright?"

[] You'd better tell the prince about this

[] Everything is fine, let's go in

 

[GonnaSneeze]

Pretend there's a post above this that shows a tally of Hannz' vote winning

[X] You'd better tell the prince about this
-[X] Once you're in the privacy of your room.

---

"Lets' hurry inside," You drag Ancillas along with you into the inn.

This inn is a fair bit larger than the last one you stayed in. It's got a second floor full of rooms in addition to the ones on the main floor. It's also got a bar, which you suppose makes the place a tavern? Ah, and of course, there's actually people here. It's not crowded, but the seats at and around the bar are mostly taken, and there's some people loitering about the main room, chatting in low voices. You shuffle past them as you make your way through to pay for a room. As you pass you catch bits of conversation-

"Which one was it again?"

"Wonder how that could've happened."

"More worried about the taxes, myself..."

"Seriously? Didn't catch him?"

You approach the innkeeper at the front of the room while he's still talking to someone at his side.

"-already asked the crier when he came by," he notices you out the corner of his eye, but continues his talk, "All he could tell me was he heard it was pretty messy."

You clear your throat and he finally turns to address you.

"Seventy silver for two beds."

"One bed." You correct him.

"Didn't want to assume. Forty silver."

You aren't sure, exactly, what that comment was supposed to mean, so you ignore it. Forty silver...as far as you can tell, for an inn of this quality in a city this size...sounds right? You think.

(-40 silver)

You quickly lead the prince away toward the room the innkeeper has indicated is yours.

It's simple. Not much else to say about it. A single bed room on the main floor. It has a desk and a chair, as well as a few unlit candles. The foot of the bed is a small trunk, which is convenient, but you aren't traveling with a whole lot. You set down some of your things on the desk, then look to Ancillas, still looking around the room.

Unsure how to start this, you slowly address him.

"Uhh-. Ahem, er, prince?"

"Yes? Er, just Ancillas." He quickly adds after answering, noticing you've called him prince.

You really aren't sure how to start this. You are telling him about his sister's death, after all. You're no good at being gentle and sensitive, but you've got to give it your all for the prince.

"Well, ah, why not sit down, here..." You indicate the bed to him, as you pull the chair over to sit, yourself.

"Um...okay." He does sit, but looks at you curiously, "What's wrong?"

"It's about, the post at the entrance. The news?"

He nods, waiting silently for you to go on.

"It's not...good. You won't like it, so, er, I'd suggest you steel yourself."

He gulps, already unnerved.

"Wh...what is it?"

You sigh lightly.

"Your sister that you were talking about, Lilya," You say softly, "The post said she was killed a few days ago."

He stares at you, frozen.

"She..." The silence breaks as he slowly speaks, "Is that...really?"

You nod stiffly.

"That's..." He looks away, staring hard at his hands on his lap, "That's..."

He quickly runs a hand across his eyes, sniffling lightly.

"How awful..."

"I'm sorry," You try to sound comforting, "I read it and thought it wrong not to tell you."

He shudders as he tries to control his breathing.

"Lilya and I...I didn't see her much, and we hardly spoke...but..." He shakes his head, "It's so terrible...who could do something like that...?"

You remain silent as he sniffles quietly a few more times.

"Wait, if...if it was a few days ago, then..." He looks up to you; his eyes are a bit wet, "Was it...does it have to do with...?"

"I couldn't say," You answer calmly, "It's not impossible."

It's a bit much to make sense of with so little information. Ancillas last memory was of going to meet the late princess. Between then and Ancillas' appearing in the forest, the princess was killed. It's certainly a possibility that whatever strange circumstance that led to Ancillas appearing on the other end of the country, was the same circumstance that resulted in the death of princess Lilya.

Could they have been attacked? It would have to be quite the attacker if they were responsible for sending Ancillas so far. Or maybe Ancillas transported himself...? It may not be impossible that it's as you thought earlier, and Ancillas teleported here himself, but the magic use strained his mind and resulted in memory loss. For him to teleport so far and use so much magic, he may have been in danger. Then again, you...still don't know if Ancillas is capable of teleporting at all.

...There's too much that you don't know. The prince's missing memory is seeming more and more important...sigh.

"So awful..." He shakes his head slowly. It seems he's recovering a bit. "It's hard to believe, really..."

"I was surprised, as well," You nod, grim faced, "For someone to attack, even kill a royal family member, it's insane."

"...I guess...I could be in danger, huh...?" He quickly raises a hand, "Not to...insult your protective prowess, miss Lethis..."

You shake your head. "I agree; it's probably best we get you to the capital as soon as possible."

He remains silent for a few moments before answering.

"R...right..."

With that said, you aren't sure what to do, from here. Is that all you were meant to learn from coming here? What's more, if it is, then that woman knew about the death of princess Lilya already. Why would she know that? Is there more to learn here? Where, or from who?

...All of your worrying about Ancillas makes you wonder, again. The news had no mention of him. If he was at the magic academy in the far north and suddenly disappeared, around the same time that a royal sibling he was meeting with was killed...well, isn't that important!? If they thought him dead, they would have announced his death. It wasn't, so they must not think he's dead, but at the very least he should be thought of as missing, right?

You shake your head rapidly, eliciting a weird look from Ancillas.

"You alright?" You quickly ask him.

"Y-yes...I'll be fine." He nods with a weak smile.

He's obviously sad, but you guess he's a bit stronger than you thought. Hopefully he really will be alright.

Now the question is...what to do next. You've got the rest of the day in Charnet, then you imagine you should leave in the morning. Eh...you could check the markets, but with your money, you aren't sure if you should be buying anything expensive. Maybe you could look for more information on what happened with the late princess? You could always stay sedentary, too: study magic, rest a while.

[] What do?

 

[GonnaSneeze]

[X] Stay with the Prince.
-[X] We don't want to overstep, but if Ancillas ever needs someone to talk to, we're here to listen.

---

Hm. For now, you think it's probably best to stay here, with the prince.

"Ancillas, forgive me if I'm past my boundaries, but I'm here and willing to help and listen if you're troubled." You try to assure him. His smile, previously having left, creeps back.

"Thank you," he wipes his eyes again, "And please don't worry - I'm glad to hear that. I don't deserve such kindness..." and, the smile is gone.

"Nonsense," you answer curtly, "There's no need to be so hard on yourself."

He stares off silently. You aren't all that sure what to say.

The room is quiet for some time. Ancillas has drawn his feet up on to the bed, staring ahead in thought. You start arranging your things on the room's desk, not wanting to be idle.

"It was the last time I saw her..." Ancillas slowly murmurs, "And I can't remember it..."

"Er..." you try to think of something... "You've remembered a bit, haven't you? Maybe the rest will come back to you, still."

"True...maybe..." he nods slowly.

Silence returns. Ancillas sits in thought.

"Ah, what was she like...?" You ask with some real curiosity, gaining his attention, "Princess Lilya, I mean. I aren't well acquainted with the royal family."

"Lilya..." he quietly stares downward, "She was very pretty. A bit...acerbic...er, abrasive...? She wasn't...a bad person. Maybe a bit too prideful..."

You nod along slowly. His description is not all positive, but...he doesn't seem to mean ill.

"I always felt she didn't much like me, but...she still treated me fairly."

"I...see."

"Oh, rest her..." Ancillas shakes his head and stares down again, "I hope my other family aren't in danger..."

Your talk dies off once more. This time, you're well and truly out of ideas for what to say. Still you would prefer to avoid staying idle like this. As long as you're resting with the prince, you should find something to do.

[] Talk more with the prince? (You're gonna need to write in)

[] Magic study !

[] Power nap, catch up on rest

[] ???

 

[GonnaSneeze]

My veneer of professionalism crumbles early as I already give up on bothering to put up a tally when it's a bandwagon

[x] Magic study

---

You guess there's not much else to do, huh? You get your study book out once more.

You set to work vaguely where you last left off. On top of Ancillas' help the last time you studied, you spent a fair amount of time talking with him about magic during your trip - and much is still fresh in your mind. You feel conflicted about getting the prince to help again, but you decide him having something to do is for the best. He helps you with a few reminders, a couple bits of advice...and you start really making some progress!

A lot of progress - you aren't sure the last time your understanding or control of magic grew so quickly. At this rate, you might...

Merely a few hours later, you're making big steps, studying and restudying the texts in this overly thick tome. You visualize, you meditate, you practice control...

--

(New skill get!)
(Pick what type of magic ability your studies taught you.
- The listed categories are all of the kinds of magic your study material can teach you.
- The actual ability learned will be a random basic magic under the chosen category.
- If you don't know any magic under a category, its description will be ??? until you've learned one.
- You can instead just name a skill you already know and strengthen it if you want.)

[] Element
(Standard fantasy elemental magic. Got your fire, water/ice, wind, shock and etc. Quite broad.)

[] Void
(???)

[] Enchant
(???)

[] Mirage
(Strange magics making use of projected images; your Phantom Edge is one.)

[] Name a skill