>>989317
Shop for things you'll need on the trip.

Update Victoria 2021/02/28(Sun)01:59 No. 989447 ID: fde50b
File 161450634631.png - (2.48MB , 1668x2388 , 89BF78C2-FCCF-46D2-ACF0-1E49A9E110FC.png )

“Could we just wander around today? I wanna explore!”
“Alright Viccy.” She smiled.
Muuna hands me a new set of mana crystals to insert into my heated clothes, as we change into traveling clothes.

The walk towards the nearest village was as uneventful as ever. This far out, the snow and cold still blows in from outside the barrier, as under the snow came wet gravel and rock. We can barely hear anything other than the howl of the wind and the rustling of any grass capable of growing out here. The only bits of green in contrast to the white snow and grey rocks. Not even dirt is visible this far out.

Update Victoria 2021/02/28(Sun)01:59 No. 989448 ID: fde50b
File 161450639284.png - (3.66MB , 2388x1668 , 1A8B9E11-BC94-4C92-AA06-C4DBDFF69FAA.png )

A few hours distance away, longer with us taking the time to talk and watch the wild beasts that somehow survive out here, comes the first sign of civilization.
The small tree farm village of Nixabor. There’s nothing much here, except for valuable wood.
Here, the road splits the ground, separating where the rocks ends and the dirt starts. Already overtaken with long grass, it’s here where the kingdom starts. We could go in, but then news would spread of where we are.
“What do you think?” My sister asks, “We could probably keep going for the whole day.”
“What about your studies?”
“Bah.” She frowns, “I’d rather spend a day out here than stuck in the castle.”
I giggle, “And of Francis?” Her betrothed.
She blushes, “He can spend a day without me. Besides, he has a meeting with the big three today. Something about the changing mana in the air or something. I don’t know, I barely understand his projects.”
She reaches down to rub my head, “Plus, I’m here for you. Wanna keep going, or head to Nixabor?”

Keep going, and meet your people!

>>989448
Its a day off, why stop? Keep going!

Keep going.

You can quickly check out Nixabor. I think you should be able to hide your faces so you wouldn't be recognized.

>>989457
No they can't. They're dragon-blooded, so they're white whereas no one else is.

>>989458
Aren't they fully covered with clothes? If they can cover their faces and tuck in their ears, no white fur should be visible.
I'd argue that the two are probably already experienced with this and that it's likely how they got to where they were unnoticed in the first place.

Nixabor sounds fun. They must nick a lot of arbor there!

Update Victoria 2021/03/06(Sat)23:06 No. 990130 ID: fde50b
File 161510078511.png - (2.78MB , 2388x1668 , 1AF252C5-0BDB-4CBF-911B-B6BF0AB53F93.png )

“I still would like to walk around before we have to get back.”
“Well, they would have noticed us missing by now, I’d say we have till noon before the knights finds us.”
I frown, “Well, maybe show me what’s there to see?”

We spend a few hours walking across the path, avoiding towns I don’t recognize, and hiding our red eyes from people traveling across. Sis easily conversing and getting along with our people, to an envious degree. Eventually we walk behind a large boulder and set down our packs.
Muuna skillfully sets up a small fire and heats up some rations for breakfast.
I ask Muuna for some more stories about the outside world as we eat, taking care of our hair now that the morning winds have died down.

“Do you feel that?” She whispers.
A large pressure rolls onto us far from us, hidden behind the boulder, as if something dangerous is coming.
I nod quietly, feeling my hands begin to shake. “What is that?”
“I don’t know.” She says, quickly stacking up our tools and shoving them into her pack.

I could take a look, or help her to escape.

Look. What menacing presence can project itself unseen?

>>990130
How much combat training do you have? Look if you think you can fight it. Otherwise escape.

>>990130
No time to explain, It's time to go

Look.

>>990130
If its bad enough to make your sister run without even seeing it, its time to go.

Update Victoria 2021/03/13(Sat)07:10 No. 991018 ID: fde50b
File 161564825838.png - (2.15MB , 2388x1668 , 79951CE1-A315-4629-847A-408A28BEE49B.png )

Sister has more experience outside than I have, but we are more trained to fight behind guards. But for her to be this flustered, it must be something overly serious.
I try to help her pack, Muuna yells at me to skip some of the cooking tools, pushing my pack at me.
“Forget this, we can try to get it back later!, just run!”
“But what is it?”
“It’s a...” she trails off, looking behind me as the pressure stops moving.
I look behind me to see a black giant standing on the Boulder next to us. I didn’t even hear it move.
It’s skin so black, like light can barely land on it, highlighted by the brightness around us. The only thing that stands out are it’s six red eyes, three on each side of its head, and a large red gem in its chest.
My mind keeps wanting to refuse to see it, as if if I were to blink, I won’t remember it. All I can do is still my breath as I stare at it.
It wanted us to see it.
“... a dragon...?” Muuna whispers in confusion.

Without moving, I can hear it mutter in an unknown language.
[PRIMARY TARGET FOUND]
I can feel it’s focus on me.
[ACCEPTABLE HOST FOUND]

The giant warrior wants you for something.
But princesses don't let trespassers capture them without a chase.
RUN!

>>991018
A dragon...?

A DRAGON! Step forward. Wave, a little excitedly.

“Hello? Can you understand me?”

Sexy.

Host or... a client?

Well, this is awkward. Your sister told you to run away, but it seems a bit late for that.

Just stand still and keep looking to see what it does. Or what your sister does.

Pretty. Reach out and touch it, just to make sure this is real.

>>991018
Nah, it's time to run

Best to run

Run! And dodge if it attempts to do anything to you!

>>991018
Aren't dragons basically the good guys?
Find out what it wants.

Update Victoria 2021/03/14(Sun)07:55 No. 991231 ID: fde50b
File 161573372788.png - (1.25MB , 1668x2388 , 3F69E985-C384-49A2-9E5F-ED481E77883B.png )

Screaming, I turn and run towards Muuna, as she tosses what she can and starts to run towards me, an arm reaching out as I reach for hers.
It didn’t make a sound, or disturb the wind as it is suddenly in front of her, causing us to freeze in our tracks.
The dragon grabs Muuna’s head in a hand, and she’s gone limp.

I try to yell out, but no voice escapes me, and something flashes from my chest.
I look down, and there’s a bolt of mana piercing my chest from behind.
Heat flushes out from my mana core, as I can feel the mana of the bolt begin to force its way into me, and an indescribable pain floods from my heart.

I voicelessly scream as tears blur my vision. I can barely see the giant as it presses its other arm into Muuna’s chest, and with it between us, I can’t see around its body.
I could try to fight what the bolt is doing to me, or try to rush to Muuna, but I don’t can’t concentrate on both.

Fight the power.

Rush for Muuna.

Go save your sister.

Fight it. Minimize the damage it does to you.

You're the target. Whatever it's doing to you, you can't stop it. The best you can do is try to help Muuna.

>>991231
Rush to Muuna!

Munna!

Rush to Muuna, whatever it's doing to you might not be good, but it's not trying to kill you, it would have already if that was it's plan. Make sure it doesn't kill Muuna.

>>991231
Go to Munna!

Update Victoria 2021/03/21(Sun)09:00 No. 992422 ID: fde50b
File 161634243583.png - (2.74MB , 2388x1668 , 916CA259-F295-4AA6-B363-BF0E5AF4F1CA.png )

I grit my teeth, feeling my blood boil inside of me.
Sweat covers my hands and tears fills my eyes as I ignore the pain in my chest and run towards Muuna.
Reach to my back, I grab my anti-mana pickaxes, a tool and weapon we’re taught to use since young. The cold tools soothe the mana in my hands as I grow closer to the giant.

I barely reach its thighs, as I see what it has done to Muuna. I freeze.
She’s not moving, it’s arm pushed deep into her body, and I don’t see it’s arm coming out the other side. Tendrils of the blackness it’s made of seeps into her, moving in pulses.
I... I can’t-
I can feel it in me.
I can’t defeat it.
I can’t save her.

My body is shaking, my mana is growing cold, corrupted by the bolt in my chest.

I need to run, I need to get help, I need to...
> run
> fight
> surrender

Fight!

Winning or escaping was never an option, here. But never let it be said that you didn't go down swinging, spitting in fate's eye, defiant to the last!

Die well.

Begin negotiations.

It wants you, right? And it thinks it can just take whatever it wants because neither of you can kill it.

Grasp the pole, threaten to twist if it doesn't spare the person who it wasn't ordered to kill.

>>992422
>Can't win

That's the things influence talking, whatever it's doing clearly takes concentration.
Fight!
You can't outrun the bolt already in you and surrender only speeds it along, fight if only to deny it.

It does not want to be interrupted. You hold it's anathema, use them, sever the connection.

>>992422
She's not dead. No obvious injury. It's just... doing something to her. If you fight, that might change, either from you screwing up what it's doing to your sister, or it deciding it needs to escalate. If you run, you'll just waste your energy, and if you can actually get away you might return to find your sister missing.
Surrender. At least you can see what happens this way.

You're going to remember this moment. Might as well make it a moment you fought tooth and nail for. Bring that pickax down on it's back. Somewhere it won't easily be able to take it back out.

>Pulse disappearing into Muuna's chest
>Can't fight it
>Can feel it in me
Swing up and smash your anti-mana-tools into ITS chest - its core - and pray it will interrupt all of the everything that is going wrong.

fight

>>992433
this

Surrender. What is it doing?

Fight, in your own way.
First, try to stop resisting the mana bolt, it may be poison but there's nothing you can do to stop it, and resisting will exert yourself more, allowing it to do more damage, instead you should focus on saving Muuna, it's holding an active role in doing whatever it is it's trying to do to her, so strike at it's arm that's fusing into her.
I repeat, strike at it's ARM, if you try to strike it's mana core, you could fail and leave it more pissed, instead you should strike the arm to stop it from affecting Muuna anymore.

shank that motherfucker

Fight!

Update Victoria 2021/03/27(Sat)09:52 No. 993343 ID: fde50b
File 161686395363.png - (2.41MB , 1668x2388 , F826F9E5-74EF-4851-B14C-84CA360F4416.png )

> fight

I exhale, letting the nervousness flow out of me as I whisper a small chant, letting my mana flood my body. The bolt sinks into my chest, as the body enhancement tenses my muscles.
I run.
I scream as I leap at the giant, bringing my picks together and smash them into its arm.
It’s screech reminds me of a mix between bells and whistles, but my concentration is broken as I hit the ground.
It’s tail had spun around and smashed me into the ground, and when I am awake, it is gone. I don’t know how long I was out, as I grip the ground.
Gravel and dirt gives way as I pull myself to Muuna.
I can here her whisper something, as I pull myself closer. The remains of the arm deeper, but no longer pulsing.
I pull myself onto her, trying to hear what she’s saying.

[HOST ASSIMILATION COMPLETE]

End Victoria 2021/03/27(Sat)09:53 No. 993344 ID: fde50b
File 161686399645.png - (25.08KB , 600x400 , 2A95B8B9-F085-43A6-8C53-599EBACB810A.png )

I awake, gripping the dagger under my pillow as I feel a presence near me.
“Emils...?”
“Hello.”

We spend a minute looking at each other as I calm down.
“What are you doing here?”
“Watching you.”
“...why?”
“You were in distress.”

I sigh, letting go of the dagger and run a hand across my face.
“It was just a nightmare... why aren’t you asleep?”
I look out the window, the moon is high in the sky.
“I’m not sleepy.”
“... I guess sleep wait till tomorrow.” I slide off the bed to get something to drink.