So you want to be a zako? (1 Viewer)

[Shabaz]

Andaragashkat the goblin hums to himself, content, as he crawls in the lower levels of the fort. Things are going great. The powers from down, down the goblin town will be happy, with the tribute that had been sent on their way... and the rest of the usurperof the goblin home, are confused and distressed for the loss of one of their leaders. Pathetic weaklings.

He helped dig the grave, and attended the funeral with his saddest face, which wasn't only a mask. He hated to see all that meat going to be spoiled, for human sentimentality.

He looked around, and seeing the bunk area empty, went for Alice's bunk, taking it. For a moment he wondered what to do... and decided to put it hidden, under Desti's bed.

 

[Shabaz]

Tristan head pulsed from the concussion, from that last fight with the so called knight, as he came back to the Goblin fort.

When help was asked to dig the grave, he readily offered, not out of a good faith, but because normally people expected to do such things from a farmhand, and he was good at that digging business.


Then, after the service (the whole time he angrily remembered how Giraud had none of this) he went to pick up some herbs for Aria, and to return to his work as his assistant. While the witch thought this to be a heavy work, while harder than being a bandit, wasn't as hard as the farm.

As he returned to Aria, he was happy to see in her hands his payment, held by the witch with a grin in her face.

Thanking several times his mistress, he wondered about his possibilities...

He smiled dumbfounded, thinking in the exotic features of the one he was infatuated with... he had never seen a half werewolf before. But maybe now with this potion, he will have the courage to speak with Rain. Without the fear of rejection.

 

[Shabaz]

Aceline sighed, as she cleansed the kitchen. Bandits where a filthy bunch, and this group was not the exception, for how they keep in an ever growing pile the dishes.

So far, Marco and Raquelle were the ones doing the cleaning around, but while helpful, they weren't really good at it. Or as being bandits... maybe if that maid orc helped, it would be easier?

Between cup and cup she washed, she looked back at the fight with the young knight, wondering if she shouldn't have used the chance to surrender to the man: after all, she became a "bandit" so she could leave the fort -something as a maid she couldn't do-, and that jackass was an honorable one. If she surrendered, maybe it could have been her way out? But if she did to soon, and it could have been her end as well.

She sighed. Maybe next time, she will have to be more careful and more lucky.

Now once the dishes were done, she had to go to Naomi, brandishing her better smile and enchanting attitude. She sighed.

 

[Kayfabe]

Doing this now because I probably won't get the chance on Monday. Also we've had some level-ups, so you can peep the updated roster if you want!

Spoiler: Roster

1: Krista (Average Ranger, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 1/10 XP (Fine)
2: Princess (Incompetent Thief, 16/F): 4/4 HP, -2 Atk, 10 Def, Lv. 1, 7/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL
3: Sasha (Elite Fighter, 25/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 4/10 XP (Fine)
4: Alice (Elite ??? ?/F): 30/30 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 3, 3/40 XP (Fine)
5: Elena (Average Ranger, 26/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 6/10 XP (Fine)
6: Jenessa (Elite Fighter, 22/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 5/10 XP (Fine)
7: Kuroneko (Elite Thief, 20/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def, Lv. 1, 2/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL
8: Amuria (Unlucky Healer, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 4/10 XP (Fine) <333
9: Meredith (Elite Monk, 34/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 3/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL
10: Desti (Average Fighter, 21/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 6/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL

11: Mary (Average Ranger, 21/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 9/10 XP (Fine)
12: Neve (Average Healer, 20/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 2, 4/20 XP (Fine)
13: Rain (Elite Ranger, 26/F): 12/12 HP, +8 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 3/10 XP (Fine)
14: Ariadne (Average Thief, 19?/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 14 Def, Lv. 2, 0/20 XP (Fine)
15: Naomi (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 4/10 XP (Fine)
16: Raquelle (Incompetent Fighter, 19/F): 4/4 HP, -2 Atk, 8 Def, Lv. 1, 7/10 XP (Fine)
17: Marco (Incompetent Fighter, 18/M): 4/4 HP, -2 Atk, 8 Def, Lv. 1, 0/10 XP (Fine)
18: Xylia (Average Fighter, 25/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 0/10 XP (Fine)
19: Gnorg (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 1, 7/10 XP (Fine)
20: Amanda (Incompetent Healer, ?/F): 4/4 HP, -2 Atk, 8 Def, Lv. 1, 3/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL

21: Leanna (Elite Fighter, 207/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 3/10 XP (Fine)
22: Andaragashkat: (Average Ranger, ?/M): 13/13 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def, Lv. 2, 0/20 XP (Fine)
23: Tristan (Incompetent Fighter, 14/M): 5/5 HP, -2 Atk, 8 Def, Lv. 2, 0/20 XP (Fine)
24: Aceline (Elite Thief, 16/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def, Lv. 1, 7/10 XP (Fine)
25: Aria (Elite Mage, ?/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def, Lv. 1, 7/10 XP (Fine) NO KILL

11/26/18, Queen of the Damned

"Andaragashkat..." It's a woman's voice, and vaguely familiar.

Andaragashkat's eyes snap open. He can't remember the last time he heard his own name pronounced correctly. But did he really hear it after all? With his ears? Or had the voice just been a dream? Weird dream. He shakes his head, and settles back into his bunk. The one he had taken from the succubus, Alice.

"Andaragashkat..."

Alice. It's Alice's voice! Now that he's awake he's certain of it. He leaps out of bed and looks around, but the other nearby bandits are snoring, fast asleep. If anyone else can hear the voice, it isn't enough to wake them up.

Alice continues to call to him. He follows her voice. It's leading him forward, but a part of him already knows where he's going. As he listens, he's sure there isn't really a sound. Alice's voice is in his mind. Normally, Andaragashkat wouldn't trust the stupid succubus any further than he could throw her. But this isn't Alice, a part of him knows. The same part of him that knows where he's going. It isn't really Alice. Not anymore. Just her voice. And whoever it is that's using her voice, Andaragashkat trusts them implicitly.

Undetected by the others, Andaragashkat makes his way through the unlit parts of the dungeon. Following Alice's voice, he makes it.

To the shrine.

There, Andaragashkat finds the missing succubus. He only recognizes her by smell. Her face and body are obscured by a hooded robe so black it looks like it's actually made of shadow. For all he knows, it might just be...

"Andaragashkat..." No more telepathy. Alice is speaking out-loud to him now. "The time has come. The Empire falls..."

"That is what they do," says Andaragashkat.

"Yes." This seems to amuse her. The corner of her mouth is just barely visible, and it twists into smile that fills the goblin's heart with hope. "Yes, they do. But they also rise, don't they? Tell me, Andaragashkat... are you yet my loyal servant?"

"That depends... who are you?"

"Call me Alice. Her body and soul belong to me, so why shouldn't her name be mine as well? But you already know who I really am. You know my true name. Even if it would kill you to say it."

"Your Majesty!" Andaragashkat falls on his knees and presses his forehead against the cold stone floor. "O Terrible High Queen of Hell!"

Alice laughs. "Even in this sad, sad time, you and your people are true to me. Soon you will all have your revenge, I promise."

"Command me!" Andaragashkat almost shrieks.

"Another faithful servant approaches," says Alice. "You'll know it for certain when she arrives. Obey her as you would obey me. In the meantime, be good to these poor, stupid girls."

"The bandits, My Lady? Why?"

"Humans have their uses, Andaragashkat. You see a pitiful little band of wretches. And indeed, that is what they are. Now. But I see something in their future. I see an invincible legion of champions. The core of a new and mighty horde." Alice raises her fist. "We will use these humans to their fullest!" She laughs. "Return my effigy to this shrine, and speak nothing of our meeting this night."

With that, Alice melts into her own shadow and vanishes. "Take heart, Andaragashkat, your years of pain and humiliation will soon be at a glorious end!"

+30 XP for Alice, +10 XP for Andaragashkat, +5 XP for Ariadne, +3 XP for Neve, Princess, Sasha, and Tristan

 

[Shabaz]

Knowing that the goddess spoke to him, he was quick to do her biding, and returned to the bunks, looking for the effigy he placed under Desti's bed, for the shrine.

 

[Severity]

Naomi, noticing Aceline had started cleaning and washing dishes regularly, approached her.
"Hey, Aceline! It's really nice of you to start cleaning the dishes! If you ever want any help, just let me know."
Later, she shares her plans for the future with Aceline. She tells her that, as a deserter, she wanted to escape the reaches of the nobleman whose levy she deserted, and that when the time came for her to leave, she'd be very grateful if Aceline would consider leaving with her. She does her best to make clear that it's completely optional, and adds that Aceline can stay or go at will. She is, after all, a free person.

Rain is, as she usually does, keeping to herself. She's beginning to make a plan involving her departure. It also involves stealing a not-insignificant amount of the group's loot and leaving in the middle of the night. She does her best to not let anyone else know, of course.

Ariadne is satisfied with the effect of her threats on Princess. It's too early to tell if it'll stick, of course, but she has a good feeling about it.

Neve begins to get a strange, uneasy feeling whenever she's near Andarakashgat (she mispronounces his name). She reasons that it's just fear of the different, especially because he attended Mercedes' funeral, and even looked genuinely sad. She begins vaguely considering returning to her order and training as a Holy Knight after the punitive expedition, in order to do the good in the world that Mercedes wasn't able to.

 

[Gunsmith12]

After Tristan leaves, Aria laughs. A love potion costs far more than a few bundles of herbs, and she's learned of his reputation among the gang members since her arrival. What he now carries is practically wastewater from actual potion production; it'll have an effect, but little more than a slight infatuation. Assuming his victim doesn't simply throw it back up, which is a distinct possibility. If he comes back demanding an explanation, she'll make something up about him failing to apply it properly.

Sasha regrets allowing Ariadne's little revenge scheme to go though; Princess has now elected to sleep in Sasha's bunk for protection.
Everyday she comes closer to drugging the girl and dragging her back home. Additionally, she's let her watch on Princess's and Gnorg's interactions slip: Princess almost asked Gnorg why she was dressed as a maid when she was a warrior, almost revealing Gnorg's error.

Princess has also finally realized that Leanna's name is very similar to her own, Leianna. This has led Princess to two conclusions:
1: Leanna will be her friend
2: Leanna is also nobility
She's probably wrong on both counts.

Amanda has started having odd dreams similar to, but distinct from, the ones the succubi were having before. It seems that whatever stirs under the fortress is directly opposed to the god who cursed her, and the two powers aren't playing nice. Maybe she'll be able to figure out something's up, or maybe she'll just start self-medicating with some alcohol before bed.

Finally, the Goddess herself has met one of Amanda's friends, who instantly realized something was wrong with her. The Goddess, exasperated at the modern world after sleeping for 2000 years, simply explained the situation as it stood.
This was instantly accepted, as it was far more realistic than Amanda going without her phone for three weeks. She's now getting a crash course in pop culture.

 

[Henchgirl 29]

Gnorg is growing ever increasingly suspicious of Princess. Several people had firmly told her that having the nickname Princess does not mean she is a princess and that if she was a princess she would clearly have told Gnorg already because princesses don't lie. (Which, to Gnorg seemed pretty sound at the time, I mean who wouldn't want to embody a princess. Plus, as a princess, Gnorg can't remember the last time she lied... or what a lie even was.)

Nevertheless, the more she talked to Princess, the more Princessy she seemed. (Also the more rude she seemed. The other day she almost insinuated that Gnorg was but a lowly maid, which was a very Princessy but altogether most infuriating.) She was almost ready to stab her this morning with a rather sharp knife she found in the Kitchen, just to see if her hunch was correct (if she was wrong, big deal just another dead human.) However, she stopped when it was revealed to her the Princess's real name was Leianna.

"Wait.... you're Leianna? the elf???? But..... where are your ears????"

After a lengthy converation in which princess explained that there were two girls with similar names over the course of a solid 20 minutes, Gnorg retained nothing. Was Leanna Leianna? surely there isn't two of them? I mean, she definitely hadn't seen both of them in the same place? Or had she? Gnorg could barely remember what she had for breakfast... Speaking of which, Gnorg was hungry,...

She decided that it was too confusing to to talk to Leianna... Leanna? Princess? For the time being. Her suspicions of there being another "Real Princess" in the base would have to wait until she could figure out who the real Leianna (...Leanna?) was, and that was going to take her quite some time.

 

[Kayfabe]

A finely-dressed young woman approaches the gang bearing gifts of gold, arrows, horses, potions, food, and wine. She claims that this is a goodwill offering from the Thieves' Guild to the gang, and that she's been assigned to be their advisor indefinitely. She's charming, and seems friendly. Apart from "helping" (taking over for?) Jenessa, her other main duty will be to serve as a go-between between the gang and their counterparts inside the city walls. In other words, the gang's search for a good fence is officially over.

Shemhazai (Elite Thief, ?/H)

A high-ranking member of the Poromian Thieves' Guild (Porom is the nearest city and capital of the kingdom you're in), Shemhazai is best known for being run out of town after starting a devil-worshiping cult that turned out to be a front for a highly-profitable smuggling ring. No longer welcome within the walls, she still has close contacts in the city, which she can use to make sure that her new comrades will always be able to a) sell their loot and b) buy what they need. Charming and outwardly friendly, she is nevertheless unaccustomed to living rough in the forest. This is why she claims to be turning the first floor of the dungeon into a "palace".

Although they've never met before, Andaragashkat recognizes her at once. This is the one Alice told him about. Shemhazai is no petty confidence man. She's not even human. This is a high priestess of the Queen of Hell.

Spoiler: Shemhazai (Human Form)

 

[dinomoneymaiden]

-Jenessa notices the lack of morale around camp recently. Shifty eyes, whispers of the possibility of leaving, odd new recruits, and strange occurrences. She offhandedly reminds everyone that treachery will be punished with death, which causes more than a few awkward glances. The situation with Alice was annoying and confusing for Jenessa, as she had little knowledge of the occult and whatever happened with her seemed very occult. She was worried because even if she was a weird sex-demon lady, she was always a relatively good egg and Jenessa had shared many drinks with her over the time since they had met. Then there's the shady mysterious benefactor... On one hand Jenessa's utterly ready to let Shemhazai take over as leader, leaving herself to just being a general and sticking to the tactics side of things, but on they other hand, it felt like they were just being, well... bought out in a way by some random weirdo they'd never even met. It didn't feel right, thus Jenessa still tried to keep a grasp on a bit of leadership. People know her, and they seem to respect her well enough, so she hoped this new chick wouldn't completely buy their trust away. All the stress lately has also caused Jenessa to start drinking even more than usual, and rather than the "Happy-Drunk" type she usually was, she started having more "Sad-Drunk" occasions.

-Elena eventually picked up a trail from the adventurer who killed Mercedes, leading to some sort of family ranch where the boy lived with his grandmother. They didn't exactly seem insanely rich or anything, but they did have a decently sized plot of land and even some girl they had hired to help tend to the ranch, who most likely watched over it while the boy and his grandmother were gone. With the possibility of profits, Elena figured that maybe this could be more than just a revenge mission at this point. When Elena told this information to Jenessa, she was told that they'd depart immediately after they get a group put together. Of course the prior volunteers had been Jenessa, Elena, Neve, and Trista. Jenessa hoped others could be swayed to her cause, but she wasn't planning on being patient, so they took only a short time gathering bandits before they departed. Jenessa was confident in "Operation Ranch Raid" as she called it, and and the thought of the possibility of failure never even crossed her mind. She only thought of how she was going to enjoy hacking the boy's head off with her axe like he had done to her friend...

 

[Severity]

Neve has an immediate, instinctual dislike of Shemhazai. She has no easy explanation this time, and so for the time being decides to ignore her feeling.
She's glad to be on Ranch Raid, but slightly wary of Jenessa. After all, she'd never intended to die here, and so if Jenessa insists she must, something may have to be done. She doesn't know if Shemhazai is any more accepting of departure than Jenessa, but she supposes it doesn't matter. After all, once she leaves, the bandit gang will probably be more interested in looking for more loot than chasing her.

Rain, deciding to take advantage of the gang's newfound riches, steals a horse, some food, and a lot of gold before vanishing into the night, continuing her journey West. While she didn't take enough to cripple the gang, she did take significantly more than her share of the gold. She didn't view this as any sort of betrayal, since she'd tried to make clear her intentions of leaving after a while the whole time she was there.

Ariadne, during one of several celebratory drink binges, tells Jenessa that she's a great leader, and that she's done everything exactly right. In fact, she praises Jenessa so much that she'd be forgiven for thinking that Ariadne's coming on to her. While drunk, she also tells Jenessa that she'd planned to gather skulls and present them to her one morning as 'The Head General's Head Soldiers', but couldn't find the skulls to do so. She hopes Jenessa appreciates the thought.

 

[Kayfabe]

11/27/18, Ranch Raid

Rain picked the perfect time to disappear. Jenessa is fully focused on avenging Mercedes. Shemhazai is supportive of the raid. It's a good enough target that the gang would have probably hit the ranch eventually, but now they have a reason to do it immediately. She does caution Jenessa that losses are generally unavoidable. Jenessa agrees, but doesn't see why they should go unpunished. Hers won't be the kind of gang that you can just kill a member of and then walk away like it's all water under the bridge. Shemhazai agrees, and offers to look into the whereabouts of the bouty hunter, Moya. Jenessa is thrilled, and sends her Guild sponsor to do just that while she assembles a team of the gang's best fighters. She may be angry, but she isn't stupid. By all accounts, that platemail punk was pretty tough.

The party arrives in the early evening. Jenessa has them simply start looting the barn for horses, supplies, and equipment. This sends the farm hand screaming and running into the house, where a little bit later she's replaced by the adventurer. He's wearing work clothes this time, but he's still carrying his longsword, unsheathed. It glints ominously in the failing light.

"Can I uh... help you girls?"

Jenessa looks up and smiles sarcastically. "Yep!"

Spoiler: Lineup

1: Jenessa (Elite Fighter, 22/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
2: Elena (Average Ranger, 26/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
3: Neve (Average Healer, 20/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
4: Krista (Average Ranger, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
5: Meredith (Elite Monk, 34/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
6: Leanna (Elite Fighter, 207/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
7: Kuroneko (Elite Thief, 20/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
8: Aceline (Elite Thief, 16/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
9: Aria (Elite Mage, ?/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
10: Naomi (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def

1: Luke (Average Hero, 19/M): 56/56 HP, +4 Atk, 15 Def, Lv. 1

Aria and Neve begin casting spells, while Elena and Krista loose arrows immediately. The adventurer, Luke, dives for cover. Elena's arrow embeds itself in a fence post, but Krista's goes into Luke's lower right arm with a satisfying *thunk*. He screams.

The fighters charge. Jenessa, Meredith, and Leanna flank his position from the left, while Kuroneko, Aceline, and Naomi approach from the right. Luke switches to his off-hand and crashes his swords against their weapons. The fight is exhilarating, and the gang is actually holding its own, but neither Aria nor the rangers can get a clear shot.

Noticing this, Meredith executes a powerful kick that sends Luke flying backwards out of the fray. As soon as her comrades are in the clear, Aria fires some kind of sparkling bolt from her staff that flies through the air like a rainbow rocket and explodes at Luke's feet, sending the poor boy hurtling further. Neve casts Protect on Naomi.

Luke is on his feet in an instant. He charges back into the gaggle of fighters, who at this point are running up to meet him. The clashing of steel is heard again. Naomi is saved from a probably lethal sword-thrust by Neve's spell. Others are able to block, parry, or in Meredith's case, dodge, but Leanna and Jenessa aren't so lucky. Jenessa takes a fairly shallow cut, but it's enough to stop her as he gets her right in the lower right leg. Leanna actually fares much worse, although she's able to stay on her feet. She screams as her left arm is taken clean off below the elbow. Blood spurts thickly from the stump, in time with the pounding of her heart. Bad news.

Meredith grabs Luke and puts him in a headlock. Before he can escape her grapple, the big amazon disarms the boy and pins him to the ground.

Spoiler: Aftermath

1: Jenessa (Elite Fighter, 22/F): 6/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
2: Elena (Average Ranger, 26/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
3: Neve (Average Healer, 20/F): 13/13 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def
4: Krista (Average Ranger, 22/F): 8/8 HP, +4 Atk, 12 Def
5: Meredith (Elite Monk, 34/F): 9/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
6: Leanna (Elite Fighter, 207/F): 1/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def (Injured)
7: Kuroneko (Elite Thief, 20/F): 10/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
8: Aceline (Elite Thief, 16/F): 11/12 HP, +6 Atk, 18 Def
9: Aria (Elite Mage, ?/F): 12/12 HP, +6 Atk, 16 Def
10: Naomi (Average Fighter, 18/F): 8/8 HP, +2 Atk, 12 Def

1: Luke (Average Hero, 19/M): 1/56 HP, +4 Atk, 15 Def, Lv. 1 (Captured)

While Neve works on reattaching Leanna's arm, Jenessa prepares to take her revenge...

 

[Gunsmith12]

The arrival of the thieves guild liaison was the final straw for Sasha. As things stood, Princess wasn't doing anything that could endanger her position seriously: She might get some public admonishing, but that's easily dealt with. Involving herself with the thieves guild, though, presented a very real threat to her future in her house, and could result in rumors swirling around her for years!

Sasha decided that, while protecting her from humiliation and fear may not be her job, preventing her from making a mistake this major IS. She had a passing relationship with the new mage, and saw inside her workshop on a few occasions. Specifically, she saw the bottle of Ether Aria uses in cold medicines. Snatching the bottle, some food, and a horse, she drugged and hogtied Princess before riding off towards the town!

Spoiler

I'll write a more thorough epilogue some other time. For now, just assume they're partying with Kayla from the last game.

 

[Shabaz]

Tristan sighed, heartbroken, playing with the goal of Aria (supposed) love potion. Rain left, before he could declare his love, and now he didn't knew what to do with the powerful (eh) love potion.

With a sigh, he put a string to the goal, and put it around his neck and under the shirt as a collar, before returning to his duties on Aria's laboratory ...

__________

 

[Gunsmith12]

Spoiler: Princess and Sasha's fate

Sasha had done many things in her life. Raised on a farm, she joined the military after her family was slaughtered and her fields salted by an invading army. Once there, she quickly rose through the ranks on account of her quick thinking, strong arms, and odd ability to come out of suicide missions unscathed. After her nation failed to find the money to pay its own soldiers, she deserted and joined a mercenary band, quickly establishing herself as a top player in her region. Then, in a rare failure, she was captured by the very nation she deserted; Now under new, better management. Expecting to be executed a deserter, she was saved through an odd trick of fate: It just so happened that a minor noble owed a debt to her father from many years past that he failed to pay before his untimely death. Seeing this as a chance to make right with an old friend, Lord Bottclair took her on as a slave bodyguard for his daughter, who he spoiled maybe a bit too much.

The important thing to note here is that at no point did she ever truly interact with a noble court, understand the inner workings thereof, or honestly truly respect. She defended Leianna more as a way of repaying her debt to Lord Bottclair than any real sense of duty toward her charge.
So when Leianna woke up from her drugged sleep and begged Sasha to turn back until her father settles matters lest they face the consequences, Sasha ignored her. What could the brat know that she didn't? The threats of the reprisals that would befall them fell on deaf ears as Sasha knew that nobles did wrong all the time and faced no punishment for it.

Sasha failed to account for the fact that the nobility did wrong to the peasantry all the time with no consequence, and that nobles doing wrong to nobles is a whole different matter.

Had Leianna challenged her opponent to a proper duel, nothing wrong would have happened. But, in her rage, she failed to follow the right procedures and thus her imagined duel of honor instead became assault. The Fiance was a vengeful woman, and the only proper reprisal she could find for the humiliation of (slightly) bloodying her dress in front of her betrothed was a humiliation magnitudes greater. The courts, preferring to stay out of such petty squabbles, would not intervene. Lord Bottclair, while he could have possibly done something if given more time, sadly did not have the manpower or clout to prevent the Fiance's revenge.

And so, upon their arrival back home, Sasha and Leianna were immediately captured by the Fiance's forces. Sasha was tied and gagged, as the Fiance "Only wanted to hear the moans of the pathetic tart that defied" her. Helpfully, Leianna had already been tied for them. They were both marched to a local theater square, where they were humiliated in front of the people of the Bottclair fief for nearly a day and a half. They would eventually be let down and returned home, but not before the spectacle became known throughout the entire kingdom. Eventually the populace would forget. Eventually.

Sasha learned a very important lesson that day: Maybe, just maybe, Leianna had some clue as to what she's doing.

Spoiler: Image

Spoiler: Some side notes

That was a lot of backstory to make up on the spot. I figured since these two didn't really get much characterization compared to what Amanda and Aria already got, I would retire them and maybe introduce new ones. Then, in the epilogue, I proceed to make all the characterization they were missing. fukkin hell

This is pretty open ended, which was intentional both because I don't like unilaterally bad endings and because I might try to introduce them back into the game at some point. Since I fixed my main issue with them and all. Might do something about them trying to find a place to wait for the gossip mill to die down for a while. I just wish I kept them on long enough to reach the conclusion of that thing with Gnorg, that was funny.
also I reread this like eight times so hopefully I don't read it again in an hour and find a typo or something I forgot and edit this post a million times like normal. EDIT: i failed, made the wall of text flow a bit better and threw that fancy last name around a bit. "Lord Bottclair" sounds better than "Leianna's father".

 

[Severity]

Neve frantically tries to reattach Leanna's arm. Initially she casts a healing spell, more out of reflex than in response to the specific situation. While it is possible to regrow a limb, Neve knows it takes time and a lot of specialty materials, so it's unlikely to be doable in the fort. That said, fortunately Neve also knows that if the limb is present, all that's required is to hold the two pieces together as they were and cast first a regeneration spell, then wait a few seconds and cast a healing spell. Thanks to the first healing spell, it'll take a little longer than it otherwise could've to heal, and there'll be a scar, but she'll be alive and have both arms.

Ariadne is amused, disappointed, and happy all at once - she'd looked forwards to more threats to Princess, and possibly eventually carrying out part of them. Oh well, such is life.

 

[Henchgirl 29]

RIP Leanna's arm, good thing we've got people like Neve on the team.

Spoiler: Leanna's story (with kisekae)

Leanna was upset, she was happy to aide on the mission to deliver vengeance on the human farmboy that had killed Mercedes (she truly didn't give a shit about either of them she was just happy to be given a chance to do more killing). However, what was really getting her down was her uniform. Her previous one had been destroyed by those caravan guard sluts, and there wasn't any chance of her acquiring some premium elf armour anytime soon. As such, she was stuck with some metal suit she had found gathering dust in the base. The thing was big and boorish, heavy and just horribly designed. Maybe she could make it work.

The first end of the battle went fairly okay, however, she could tell that she was clearly held back by this heavy piece of metal on her bosom.

As the dumb farmer was disarmed (literally) and shot over to the other side of the barn. Leanna decided to take a second outside to check and see if this stupid set of armour had any other settings. She messed with one of the straps, however, all it did was make her tits look a size bigger. She sighed, what human pervert designed something so unelegant.

Screaming came from inside the barn, Leanna distracted to put up a finger, she'd be there in a second,

"god these humans are so impatient," she thought to herself,

A figure flew by her, she felt a cold searing pain. As she looked up and her eyes widened, where her arm once was, was a disgusting bloody stump, which oozed out what seemed like gallons of red liquid.

She began to scream, louder and longer than she'd ever screamed before.

How could something like this happen?! By a human male no less, Impossible?! The pain was unbearable, and she fell to the ground.

Everything flew by in a blur, The human was captured, a couple other came and comforted her, however, whether it was the loss of blood or the sheer rage she was feeling, she didn't remember much of it.

Neve took the rest of her arm and reattached it, there was a brutal scar she said it wouldn't work for a month. After that, it would be occasionally faulty for a year. Leanna couldn't care less, she was infuriated and humiliated. Today was a day she would not forget, and although she still found humans comparable to insects, she vowed to not be caught off guard again.

 

[dinomoneymaiden]

-Jenessa beheads Luke and ends up having a chat and joking with Ariadne about how her bizarre pun about the "head general" title ended up being true in an odd sort of way. She takes Luke's greatsword as a trophy despite not planning on using it. Her trusty axe had always suited her well. Upon returning to camp though, she's upset to find that three girls had up and fled. At first she's totally pissed that Rain had stolen from them before leaving, but realizes that she only took a small fraction of their funds. Realizing Rain could have easily stolen it all and left the gang utterly poor but didn't lowers Jenessa's anger from "I'm gonna freakin' kill her next!" to "I'm mildly annoyed with her." territories. Sasha and Princess also fled without any goodbyes, but the quickly spreading news of their public humiliation was more than enough solace for Jenessa. She found it a bit funny, felt bad for them a bit, but mostly figured that pair had better just be thankful they weren't executed.
"But I thought you said treachery is punished by death?" Neve had questioned.
Jenessa replied, while somewhat drunk but not totally wasted, "Hehah... I may exaggerate a bit. Just runnin' away ain't quite treachery. Stabbin' us all in the back is. Rain pissed me off a bit, and if she ever comes back imma give her a stern talk, but I don't wanna kill willy nilly unless ya piss me off, got that, lass?" Neve seemed relatively pleased with this response.

-Elena teased Leanna a bit about her arm, but only once it was sure she'd be okay and they'd returned to camp, as she was initially concerned for her friend, or at least someone whom she hoped was considered her friend. (She wasn't quite sure because Leanna had always been a bit of an ice queen). "Older and wiser than me, huh? Sure your age isn't slowing your reaction time a bit?" She said with a cheeky smile. "Oh whatever! You didn't hit a single shot today!" Leanna huffed in retort. "Relax, I'm just teasing a bit. Overall I thought your fought fairly gracefully today, with just a small hiccup," Elena assured, though Leanna still didn't seem too amused, especially considering she knew that was a lie since she didn't really fight at all.

 

[Gunsmith12]

One of the primary issues with love potions is how unpredictable they can be: the wrong person can drink it, they could fall in love with someone other than the user, and the potion may not be properly diluted, leading to a much more possessive love than intended.

Aria's research seeks to rectify this, starting with appropriate targeting. She's made a batch that, if all goes well, will only make human women fall in love with human men. Luckily, with Leanna, Gnorg and Desti in the base, she has a good sample group right here.

While Tristian is working in her lab cleaning some cauldrons, she makes a bit of a show explaining how if this little vial of concentrated potion were to somehow make it into the water supply, everyone in the base would treat him and Marco like princes. A few hours later, she conveniently 'loses' the vial under a desk Triatian is supposed to clean, and tells him she thinks someone else stole it. Now she just needs to wait for the carnage, and make sure to drink only from the barrels of clean water she's hidden away from everyone.

The effects of the potion should only last a day, and it's not a high intensity potion; at most, everyone would just want to cuddle with the boys. Of course, Tristian doesn't know any of this.

 

[Shabaz]

While Jenessa executed in cold blood Luke, Aceline goes into the farm house. As she crossed the door, the farm hand girl (the same that Elena scouted, and that as soon began the fight run into the house) tried to attack her with a frying pan. However, her clumsy attack and shriek of fear was easily evaded by Aceline, who went under her guard and elbowed her in the gut, making the girl drop the frying pan and fall to her knees. Breathless.

Aceline looked around, and seeing no immediate danger, picked up some pieces of cloth from the kitchen, and grabbing the girl by the ear, made her stand up, forcing her hands behind her back and tying them up. Then, she pushed the farmhand girl outside to the courtyard.

The girl, seeing the beheaded body of her former patron, panics and is quick to swear that she had always, always dreamed of becoming a bandit, for absolutely sure, yes ma'am, the best bandit of them all, right now!

Aceline rolls her eyes at the farm girl, but as she pleads that they surely will need some extra hands to carry all the loot back home, she can help! really!

Vierge joins the Quinn Sisters Gang!!

Age: 18
Race: Human
Personality: Coward and an opportunist.
Appareance: Flatter than a board and a slim body, with short blonde hair and a freckled face with light blue eyes
Background: Vierge, a lowly serf in her former life, doesn't want to always be one. She wants to climb in the social lader, without much work, and when Luke's state needed a domestic maid, she thought it was her chance to get there, seduce Luke and marry into a wealthy landowning family.
Role: Incompetent Fighter (Cludgel)
Fate: Kill
_____________________________________________________________________

Tristan looked dumbfounded the vial he had found, and couldn't believe the power he had in his hands, remembering Arias words. Should... should he do it?

Should he?

He looked around, and pocketed the love poison. And then, he decided, if anything was to be done, he needed somebody to help think him this trhought. It was time to talk to Marco, to hear what he thinks... will he too want to be a king?

__________________________________________________________________________

"My miztrezz" Andaragashkat said, bowing so low, that his nose touched the floor, while Shemhazai was doing some accounting in the books of the band. Until recently, nobody had ever thought of the band having accounting books. "What shall we do? I am here but to zerve. What is the Wizh of our Lady?"