Follow crow, then.

I'm a bit worried about the crows thinking of Cheese as a better friend than you, but they did she she seldom does much for them.

You know I don't think we ever told the crows the stolen item was dragoncloth. I don't think they realize the real stakes.

Well chase after Cheese and you can decide what to do with her depending on what happens when you catch up with her.

While we can't really trust her right now I would rather not kill her solely for the fact that we need her information network. Having her alive and working on your side would make things so much easier. We need all the powerful friends we can get.

That being said if she shows her true colors and is a horrible bitch about things go ahead and kill her.

>>710473

If they don't know what the item is, it's possibly they misidentified Cheese as still having it. Which means she might be running because she's already sold it and is afraid Fen will be unhappy about that. We still need to follow her, then, both for the chance she has and so, if she she doesn't, she can tell us who does.

Remember to take some care, Fen. If she's going east you might reach unharvested fields, and if I recall there are still dogs around the harvested ones, just not so aggressive. Also that lady earlier said there was a curfew and anyone out after sundown is supposed to be killed by the guards. You'll probably have to heavily bribe your way back in.

1/2 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)19:36 No. 710478 ID: dd338c
File 145844141092.png - (28.29KB , 800x800 , 328.png )

The crow starts fluttering. I seem to only be able to walk at an uncomfortable pace for it, but I begin running and it flies slowly.

It starts chittering angrily, snapping its head back and forth looking for Cheese.

"Wait."

Tracks.

Judging by the rain... this is at least a few hours old. I believe she meant to run as soon as she sent the note.

2/2 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)19:37 No. 710480 ID: dd338c
File 145844142071.png - (164.65KB , 800x800 , 329.png )

I follow. It goes off the trail. I don't even know precisely where we're headed but I feel somewhere between north and west. There's no fence visible, but the rain softened the ground just enough to make Cheese's tracks incredibly obvious as we go through what were once fields. If this were a vast expanse, I would consider myself hopelessly lost, as there's only a black fog around me. However, this place is packed tight with towns and linked with roads, so heading in a single direction will lead to a fence, worst case.

In this case, though, the tracks lead to Cheese between an hour and two later. The crow chitters again.

>"Go away, crows! We're done! I know that, so just leave!" She's out of breath, and is having trouble running. I can hear her wheezing, and the crow flies back behind me.

>>710480
Unsheath your sword. Ask her if she's going to give back what she stole from you, or if she'd rather make one last donation to the crows.

Cheese you are going to get sick at this rate. Its time to explain yourself.

I am pretty angry with you but if you can explain things we might be able to work something out.

And please don't do anything stupid. There are a pile of corpses behind me and I would rather not have you be one of them.

Aw. Cheese is down on her luck, I think.

>>710480
Cheese? Can we talk?

I'm not sure what the crow's note said, but it doesn't seem to have made you very happy.

Just call her name.

... Man, this must be kinda like a horror story from her point of view. Like she'll turn around and there'll be a flash of lightning showing you following behind her.

I say catch and disarm her first. Tell her she isn't done by a damn sight.

One bad decision I can forgive Cheese. I think the crows can as well. But the longer this goes on the harder it gets to forgive you.

How this ends is up to you. Return what you stole and explain yourself and I might just want to help you out of whatever mess you are in. I would rather be your friend than your executioner.

Are we walking into a ambush here? The last time she was seen she had guards with her, and it seems unlikely she would run on her ow. As she would have had to run through town, and risk getting ambushed like we did.

"Cheese, are you okay?"

If you want to go really intimidating on her:

"Cheese. Twice, you've tried to take advantage of my trust. Twice, you've tried to run from me. That's four times you've thought you could get the better of me. Rasyan also assumed he could get the better of me. His bodyguards thought they could get the better of me. A thug on the streets of the Fence, just two hours ago, also thought he could get the better of me. You have all been wrong. And every step of the way, you've all only made things worse for yourselves. You are the only one still capable of regretting it. The only one still able to rethink your strategy. I would suggest you do just that. You know what I want."

1/4 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)20:31 No. 710496 ID: dd338c
File 145844468436.png - (174.96KB , 800x800 , 330.png )

"Cheese."

She freezes. I take out my sword.

>"No... nonono..."
"I've left corpses behind me, but I would rather you not become one. I would like to talk. What did the crow's note say."
>"That... you're with them now." she's choking on her words. "That... I should give it back." She says, clutching her pack.
"Explain yourself. I sent you a message saying that I was willing to give you a second chance. Did you not believe me?"
>"I can't... give it back."
"Where are your guards."
>"I... I ditched them." She's still walking forward, but her tail is limp. "I ditched them, it doesn't matter!" She's just shoving herself forward as her tail drags in the mud. "They c.. I couldn't let them find out what I had! And when I turn in your cloth to pay off my debt, then they won't need to be around me! Then I can have privacy again, and can sleep without people staring at me, and I can visit my home, and... and! I already told - I told my boss I had the dragoncloth, and I have to give it to him! If I do... if I don't..."
"Stop moving. It's becoming harder to forgive you as you keep trying to leave. Return it. Twice, you've tried to take advantage of my trust. Twice more, you've ran from me. Rasyan thought he could get the better of me after I chased him."
>"Wai-what? Rasyan? You chased Rasyan? What happened?"
"I killed him."

There's a long silence. I feel like her tail is sinking deeper into the mud while we stand.

>"That... no. G-good joke, Fen. I'm, glad you can still.. joke at a time like this."
"Look behind you, Cheese."

Another pause. I take out Rasyan's seal.

2/4 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)20:31 No. 710498 ID: dd338c
File 145844469563.png - (202.84KB , 800x800 , 331.png )

"Cheese. You're the only one who can rethink your strategy on how you deal with me. Considering what happened to far better fighters than you, I'd recommend you take the opportunity. I'd rather be your friend than your execut-"

3/4 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)20:34 No. 710501 ID: dd338c
File 145844484452.png - (87.61KB , 800x800 , 332.png )

She screams, and takes an easily dodged swipe at me.

For a moment I was afraid Cheese might have been a skilled fighter. She's not.

4/4 Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)20:34 No. 710502 ID: dd338c
File 145844485367.png - (130.57KB , 800x800 , 333.png )

I push her forward with my free hand. Her legs slip from the mud and, unable to do anything with her tail, she lands face first in the mud.

She's trying to crawl forward, crying and screaming at me to let her go, that she'll do anything for me, but not the one and only thing that I want her to do.

Sit on her.

Who is her boss, and what are her debts? If the only way to get the dragoncloth back without her dying is to buy her freedom or "steal" her away, I'd say do it. She's important somehow, being involved with nobles and crows, it's not worth killing her.

>>710502
Ask her if she liked Rasyan. He seemed like an ass, and the papers you recovered implicate him in a lot of nasty business. It seemed like killing him did her a favor?

Also ask who she is in debt to. If it's nothing we can help with, just take the dragoncloth and go.

It's tempting to tell her why you want it so bad, but that's information only your closest friends should know, not a pitiable whelp like her.

Crouch down next to her.

How about you tell me what happened to you. Start from the begging? Who do you owe? What is it you need so desperately off your back? Maybe I can help.

It looks like if we want our cloth back, we're going to have to help her out of the whole she's in. Even if we kill her, we'd have to after the people she was entangled with, anyways.

...actually hang on, ask how much the debt is. I wonder if we have the money to cover it?

"Cheese. Calm down. You're not solving anything by screaming. Now, it sounds to me like I might not be the only one chasing you. So, we'll keep moving. And you will tell me everything, because it's not going to make things any worse for you at this point. Who is your boss, and what is your debt?"

Ask her what else she told her boss, if her boss knows about you then you'll have trouble just taking the dragoncloth and leaving. Helping Cheese may be the best option in the long run depending on what she's gotten into.

Take a few deep breaths and start telling me your whole story. If we are going to fix things for you I need to know whats going on.

When you met me you assumed I was just some barbarian out of the wilds. Did you ever think to ask yourself where I got something like that? Or how I might be more than just some ignorant savage? You tell me your story and I will tell you mine.

But first get up out of the mud.

Tell her to stop being a baby. She can't stop you from taking it back. Like, at all. Her chances of surviving dealing with the consequences of failing to steal the cloth are greater if she cooperates.

Especially if the alternative is forcing your hand.

Sit on her huge butt if its not to muddy.

Cheese calm down and start telling me whats going on. I think we can help each other but you have to relax and tell me what is going on. If you tell me your problems I will tell you mine ok?

This cloth is the only thing I have from the one I love, the one that inspired me. It is NOT money to me, it is my reason to move and get up and face the worst of the world. It is LOVE. I would not stop, no matter what gets in my way getting that cloth back.

Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)22:43 No. 710549 ID: dd338c
File 145845263810.png - (205.27KB , 800x800 , 334.png )

In the interest of keeping my new clothes clean, I avoid sitting on her. She is muddy. I do, however, put my hand on her.

"Calm down. You can't stop me from taking it. It's the only thing I have from the only person who I really loved. The chances of you surviving this theft failure will be greater if you cooperate with me."
>"N-no it's... I'm done. Once I'm found by basically any one who's anyone, I'm dead."
"Were you friends with Rasyan? His correspondences made him out to be bad."
>"He was bad! But! I still needed him! Well until the dragoncloth, then, I could get out of this whole mess!"
"It sounds like you got in over your head with the dragoncloth. Who is your boss?"

She pauses, and starts laughing. It's not a good laugh.

>"Which boss?! I work for Bardo of Graskin but only so I can throw him out so that Rozuihan, the mithril of Erja Nokol, can help put someone under her thumb in his place, so maybe my boss is Rozuihan? But Bardo suspects me, so he keeps me under heavy surveillance cause I've already deposed like 3 nobles before, and the only way I can ever have peace is by talking to another noble, like Rasyan, who pretended to be another noble to speak to me about Tunna's illegal slave trade in that breaktown we met at, while his body double took a northern path to make it look like we never spoke! We traded information on Bardo's dirt with the deal that Rasyan was going to depose him in the mithril noble's face and now Rasyan's dead and no one would believe me! Maybe Rasyan would be my new boss, or maybe I'd be transferred over to the new gold noble, but it didn't matter!
>Bardo's debt on me is way over three thousand gold! It's overkill! That's like what one hundred peasants make in their lifetime! And like a peasant, Bardo doesn't pay me enough to match the debt and interest he piles on me, and neither would my new boss, whoever it was, because I ruin the lives of every important person who I come across so people keep sending me at other people! The only way I could buy my freedom now is to get way more money than anyone could ever think I made. So when I saw that.. when I saw that dragoncloth, I knew that Cati, the gold of northern turtle, would buy it off of me for... well, a bargain, but still a pile of gold that I could buy off my debt, and then...and then I'd be free, and Rozuihan would consider my hometown worth something and the people there wouldn't basically just be bandit raiding practice and, a-and then I could go home and.. I'm so sorry, when I saw it, I thought no way, I'm not a petty awful thief, I'm better and I wouldn't do that to the... to the first person who was ever a little bit nice but then... I couldn't sleep and... I thought..." she chokes up and starts trailing off.
"Did you mention me to Cati or anyone that I had dragoncloth?"
>"N-no, just... no. Fen I just want to go home instead of just constantly getting passed around for information for the rest of my life. So... if you're going to take the dragoncloth, just... just kill me now, because when Cati's guard comes to get the dragoncloth and I don't have it, it... and if Bardo finds out Rasyan was killed so close to where my path was... and when Rozuihan finds out how hard I fucked everything up, then... then dying in the mud is way better."

"What makes you think your employer will keep their word? They could be lying to you, to make sure that you work extra hard to bring them what they want. From the rumors I've heard of you, you're their best informant, so why would they let their best informant go free? They're not going to let you go. They're going to get a Dragon Cloth and keep they're best informant."

Cheese, fake your death, like you should have done a long time ago.
We could also make his double work for us, maybe make HIM the new Rayson, somehow. Or something.

Cheese, you don't get good at ruining people without being good at planning. If you can't fake your death, use your political guile to use Rayson's death to work for you. Fake your death for a time, then come out of the shadows when the time is right. With dragon cloth supposedly in your possession, you are a target that would probably die, so hey, get creative girl.

No you don't get to take the cowards way out. This is a mess and honestly I have no idea how to fix it for you. I have all of two days experience in spy intrigue. But as long as you are alive there is still hope. And I am willing to give you a hand because maybe we can help each other.

So we need to find a nice place out of the rain to chat things over with our crow friends and see what we can come up with.

Do you want to know my story? Maybe hearing my mess will make you realize that your life is not so bad.

So my brother is Kingslayer Zizi. And I have given up my cozy life in the wilds to try and win myself a fortune by strength of arms so that I can steal Lord Shup's fiance away from him before they get married. I have until mid winter to become a noble strong enough to stand up to Shup.

Then tell her about the last few days.

>>710549
...I see a way out. Ask her how much of the dragoncloth she needs. You were thinking about having something made out of it, right? It's not like we need the rest of it, after doing that. I imagine a scarf won't use the whole cloth.

As for Rasyan, he died in a place quite close to where bandits operate, and only had two bodyguards. Plausible deniability. If anything, you'll be blamed for it, because you've been throwing around money like crazy.

>>710552
She's selling the dragoncloth to not-her-boss, to get the money to pay off the RIDICULOUS debt her boss has on her.

How did she even get that deep in debt? That seems outright impossible.

>>710549
>Rasyan pretended to be another noble.
Wait, we killed a fake noble?!?! O_o

Do you really think that giving the dragoncloth to Bardo is going to get out out of debt? As long as he is alive you will be his slave. The debt is just a trick to get you to accept the arrangement.

You need a better plan. The current one is just going to get your hopes smashed.

If I let you go with the cloth right now in a week you would be even worse off because you would be in the same situation with the extra guilt of having betrayed your friends.

>>710549
Where did the crows fit into in all that?

>>710552
This is probably right. Even if we let her keep it, they'd probably still screw her. They don't sound like the types of people to give up someone they can use, and the nobles make up their own rules.

Cheese, if you're going to get out of this, the dragon cloth isn't going to cut it. You need help.

Your name is Fen. Your bother is Zizi Kingslayer. From what you understand, he already made a pretty big impact in the empire once. You're starting to think maybe it needs shaking up again. A lot of these nobles don't see like they're using their power very well.

If Cheese is willing to work with us, we start on some plan to get our cloth back without getting her killed. Looks like we'll be overthrowing more nobles.

>now Rasyan's dead and no one would believe me!
You have a lot of his paperwork if that would help.
Has she thought about running away to the middle of nowhere and living with barbarians?

You know, it's sounding like the only way to save Cheese is to become the Nobleslayer, brother to the Kingslayer. Kill nobles to either pay off her debt or kill the noble who enslaved her to liberate her. Of course, with a debt of three thousand gold, either he's higher than a gold noble, or Rasyan was carrying nothing on his person. Or maybe he's trying to become stupidly rich and is making a debt high enough that he'd triple his coffers if anybody pays it.

...Or:
>>710554
>And I have given up my cozy life in the wilds to try and win myself a fortune by strength of arms so that I can steal Lord Shup's fiance away from him before they get married. I have until mid winter to become a noble strong enough to stand up to Shup.
Becoming a noble yourself is a good point. If she requires another noble to save her, then ask her to follow you. If you fail to become a noble by midwinter, your own life intentions are over, but if you make it, you can be the noble she needs.

>Has she thought about running away to the middle of nowhere and living with barbarians?
...That won't work. The nobles still have sway over barbarian tribes, and can easily eradicate any tribe who tries to shelter her.

Fen 2016/03/19(Sat)23:50 No. 710568 ID: dd338c
File 145845665100.png - (116.54KB , 800x800 , 335.png )

>Wait, we killed a fake noble?
No, Cheese was saying that Rasyan pretended to be a different noble, not that Rasyan was not a noble himself.

"So you were selling it to Cati to get out of a debt from Bardo?"
>"Yeah..."
"Three thousand gold? How did you get that much?"
>"He... I had to take out loans for stuff. And he also made me pay for bribery, which of course it's impossible to do my job without bribing, but I had to pay for it, and since I couldn't, he... loans."
"Rasyan only had about 20 to 30 gold on hand.
>"Well what would he spend it on? He just needed some pocket change, and gold is heavy."
"What makes you think they'd let you go?"
>"Because they still have to follow the law! I'd have so many witness nobles and stuff who would at least lift a finger for me since I could give them information! I have it set up so that there'd just be no way!"
"What if you faked your death?"
>"Oh, god, because if I was found, then, and.. it's tough for me to hide for a long time."
"... did you even need the whole dragoncloth?"
>"It... I thought about only taking half, but... I was scared and it was in the heat of the moment and I didn't think about it till way later! And I told Cati how much there is, and... all of it."
"Either way, Rasyan may be blamed on me or on other random bandits, as he only had a couple bodyguards."
>"There's still a bunch of other stuff!"
"I'm not going to kill you."
>"Why not?"
"I'll defend myself, and I've already killed more than one person per day since arriving here, but I'm not about to start murdering girls crying in the mud. I have to wonder, now. Where do the crows fit in this?"
>"They... I've done so much and I've been everywhere, there's way more than just the crows! They're just... they were a big help for a little while until they couldn't see me anymore."
"Wasn't there a body double? What if he acted like Rasyan?"
>"That uh... oh, would he agree? He must, if... I don't know! I don't know his body double."
"I also came across a lot of his paperwork. Would that be enough?"
>"Not unless he had a huge stockpile of stuff on Bardo." she says. It didn't seem like there was.
"Ever think about running away to the middle of nowhere and living with barbarians?"
>"South? That... Fen have you seen many non-draconian savages?"
"Not really."
>"I wouldn't last 5 seconds."
"Right, well, Cheese, my name is Fen, my brother is Zizi, sometimes called Kingslayer, apparently."
>"Wha?"
"I left home because I fell in love with Shup's fiance."
>"Wh- Lily?!"
"Er, yes. I want to become a noble and propose to her, and I have until mid-winter."
>"Fen that's insane you're insane."
"I've been told, and I don't disagree."
>"Um... what's your plan?"
"Enter the yearly gladiator tournament."
>"Oh, um... that's also insane. Um... you also know that... only about one in ten winners of that who become nobles stay a noble for more than a few years?"
"What happens?"
>"Other nobles push them out, cause it turns out that being able to kill people really hard doesn't, you know... doesn't mean you're good at politics. I can help you with that. Uhm... Cati, uh, Cati has some dirt on her, as nobles do tend to, and I have some of it. If you... Fen, if you're not going to kill me, then... if you just, let me sell the dragoncloth, I think that I can find a way to get it back. Do you mind having someone else have it, just for a little while?"
"I was planning on joining the army first, and then joining the arena."
>"Fen that's... you can't keep a dragoncloth in the army. There's no way they'd let you! Which arm - it's the dragon army isn't it."
"Yes."
>"You're going to have all your personal belongings stripped outside of the clothes on your back cause they just plan on having you die! If you do well in the army, though, then, you know... oh, I have a bunch of ideas. I can work with this. I'll make it worth your while, I promise! I mean - that is - I want to make it up to you. really. And I'd like to work for a noble I can call a friend. So... if you have ambitions like that... can I please use your dragoncloth this time, and I promise I'll come up with a lot of good plans on how you can steal it back? Think of it like an investment, and when the investment is over you get your dragoncloth back and one really grateful and indebted informant! As opposed to... well, an informant just at your mercy, which I guess is... anyway Dragoncloth is in a really weird legal area, and if you do it under the right circumstances in the right way, the empire will see you as the rightful owner."

Well, if the dragon army is going to just take it away from you anyways... May as well let her "Hold onto it" for a bit longer, sure.

"I understand we didn't get the chance to before, but in the future, tell me about things, and ask me about things. If we're going to help each other, we need to know what's going on.
Also, isn't she going to need a new guard? Although I'm not sure we can really just leave town just now. One, you have most of your stuff in the bank, two, curfew. You don't really need to be killing a bunch of innocent guards who are just trying to enforce the law.

>>710568
Deal. But tell her if she crosses you again she'll be worse than dead.

Hmm. Tell her about all the other loot you got off Rasyan. Can she fence it? Or will it be traced back to her?
Oh, another option is we could leave everything in the bank, and withdraw it when it comes time to go to the Arena. They let fighters take equipment in from outside, right? If not then I don't know what to do with it. Money's gonna be useless as soon as we enter the dragon army.

Oh, ask what you should do with the noble seal. Probably can't fence THAT.

>>710571
We already left town. Getting back in might be an issue, but we can probably just bribe them.

>I think that I can find a way to get it back. Do you mind having someone else have it, just for a little while?
Well, so long as she knows where it is, we always have the problem of getting it back the hard way. The sticking point is it may be irrecoverable depending on what anyone else does with it.

Long term, this is probably worth it. Having her working for you, with all those connections and inside knowledge, is one way this could actually work.

One downside is the dragoncloth won't be helping you stay alive in the army or the arena.

>the army will strip you down and
Right. Everything goes into a bank for long term storage before we enlist.

>"That uh... oh, would he agree? He must, if... I don't know! I don't know his body double."
I would think if she wanted to set up a false noble, we'd need more information (the crows might have enough?). And we'd probably need to use the emblem and maybe the necklace and weapons we took from Pocky to reinforce it. That's a long con though, and he'll probably need to be blackmailed / strongarmed into it. (Did the crows learn anything about that meeting?).

>>710568
Well... Lily did intend on me somehow using the cloth.
I suppose using it as part of a grand plan to attain nobleship is probably the best way to use it, because as armor I'll just lose it.

>>710568
Put your hand on her shoulder and give her a big smile and say, "Very well, if you've got plan, then I guess I'll trust you!"

Fen Quest Thread 2 END Fen 2016/03/20(Sun)00:48 No. 710579 ID: dd338c
File 145846012654.png - (294.53KB , 800x800 , 336.png )

"Wait - wasn't there a curfew out here?"
>"Only where there's crops or by towns that have a curfew."
"I can just go back into town then?"
>"Uh well if you walk back slowly then it may be daylight by the time you get back."
"What about you?"
>"I... I have to keep going. I was... ah, I got so scared when I got your note, I was gonna take a big risk by going to the Pit and try to intercept Cati there even though I said to meet me at the fence but I guess I gotta go back to the Fence now? That's probably best. Is this real? You're not going to... even hurt me?"
"No, not unless you backstab me again. I have things I'd like you to fence, and we should have better discussions in the future." I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. "So pick up the rest of your composure and get out of the mud. You look terrible."
>"That's how I feel."

>>710579
Cave kobold? More like mud kobold.