[x] My strength with my fists.

[x] My accuracy with a bow.

Fuck yeah, archery.

[x] My strength with my fists.

IT'S FISTIN' TIME

[x] My impenetrable shield

Let's face it, Anonymous.

What's the point of going for firepower if we barely ever use it? At least with our mighty shield we'll be untouchable while we diplomacy people to death, which I'm sure we will regardless of what we pick here.

[x] My impenetrable shield

The best offense is a good defense.

[x] My impenetrable shield

Changing vote.

[x] My strength with my fists.

[x] My impenetrable shield

[] My impenetrable shield

NOTHING CAN PENETRATE MY SHIELD

[] My impenetrable shield

Shield won. Randomizing abilities and choosing a drop point.

>>9606

Damn, and I wanted to be Houyi.

FUCK YEAH, SHIELDER BUILD.

>>9611

Let me give you a (slightly) better pic.

Fucking hax.

>>9611>>9613

Faggots, there is only one shielder worth of mention.

You draw back your blade, ready to strike the final blow against your fallen adversary, a vampire that had been plaguing the area recently and making it's meals of the locals. In front of your might, you had pushed it back into the ruined tomb it called home. You lock eyes with the evil creature. You see something in it's eyes, some kind of shine. You hesitate for only a moment, but in that time it scrambles back, muttering under it's breath. It's incanting a spell! You rush forward to finish it before it can complete the spell, and you're greeted with a handful of shimmering powder.

"Agh!" you shout, staggering backwards and shaking your head, trying to rid yourself of the particles in your eyes as you hear the vampire skitter away. You blindly step in it's direction, and fall into open air. A pit trap? No... it's going on too lon-

You hit a solid surface, and your breath leaves you. You lie still, taking a moment to assess yourself mentally to see if you feel any possible injuries you might have sustained from the fall. Through the gaps of your armour, you can feel the tiny points of blades of grass and somewhere near by is flowing water. It must be some kind of underground cave system of some sort.

[] Lie and wait
[] Try to find your way around
[] Find the water and wash your face
[] Skills
[] Spells
[] Status

[] Find the water and wash your face
[] Skills
[] Spells
[] Status

Votes dropped off so fast...

Guess I'll let it sit overnight for now. Want at least 3 votes to call a decision (even though it's pretty obvious where it's going already).

[] Find the water and wash your face
[] Skills
[] Spells
[] Status

[x] Find the water and wash your face
[x] Skills
[x] Spells
[x] Status

Changing vote.

[x] Find the water and wash your face
[x] Skills
[x] Spells
[x] Status

Can we dual-wield shields?

[x] Find the water and wash your face
[x] Skills
[x] Spells
[x] Status

The water is nearby, you can probably reach it easily. It doesn't sound like anything much, a stream of some sort at best. You clamber to your hands and knees releasing your sword and shield and make your way over, trying to open your eyes through the stinging pain that fills them. You feel the ground give away into small rocks, and after reaching around carefully you touch the waters surface. You lean back, taking off your gauntlets, which seems so much harder robbed of your sight. Once you get them off, you lean back to the water and reach in. It's cold, and you scoop up some and splash it on your face. You repeat this a few times, opening yours eyes slightly to get water in and wash the stinging powder out.

After a few splashes, you're able to open your eyes, though they still burn slightly, you've managed to wash the blinding agent out. As you had guessed, the water is a small stream feeding into a lake, but much beyond your immediate surroundings is concealed by a heavy mist. It's definitely not underground either, as the night sky above would indicate. Where are you? The only lake near the town you were staying in was several miles away, and it was fed by a large river. Something doesn't seem right here. You stand back up and put your gauntlets back on, proceeding back to your sword and shield, both of which you pick back up. What you can make out around you seems to me mostly light forest, the mist covering the lake obscuring anything from sight in the distance. Far behind you raises the peak of a mountain, though it's exact compass bearing is lost to you. It is eerily silent at the lakes edge, aside from the quiet stream, there is no noise other than your own breathing. You take a moment to check yourself, make sure everything in in place. You have a feeling you might need to be prepared for anything.

Skills:
Health+ (Passive)
Shields *Master
Regen (Passive)
Aegis (Passive) - Preparations for death make it easier to survive fatal damage.
En Garde (Passive) - Chance to deflect an attack.
Smite - Shield bash that might disorient an enemy.
Provoke - Enrages a target into attacking.
Parry - Counter a physical attack to deal damage.

Magic:
Support:
Heal - Heals moderate physical damage.
Regen - Slowly heals moderate damage over time.
Cure - Removes most status effects.
Defense:
Barrier - Immobile shield absorbs damage.
Reflect - Reflects magical attacks.
Dispel - Removes one magical effect of any kind from target.

Status:
HP 119/126
MP 68/68

Equip:
Boar Spear +1
Kite Shield +2
Half Plate +1
Holy Symbol - Weakens undead in it's presence.
Ring of the Mind - Boosts magical reserves.
3 Medicinal Potions
2 Restorative Potions
200 gold

[] Cross the stream
[] Find a way around the lake
[] Head away from the lake
[] Navigate towards the mountain
[] Skills
[] Spells
[] Status

[] Find a way around the lake

>Equip:
>Boar Spear +1

I thought we had a sword?

[x] Find a way around the lake

No place more appropriate for a vampire-hunting paladin than the SDM.

[x] Find a way around the lake

Foul vampires and demons await their smiting.

>>9630

Eh, technically it's a Boar Sword, but I've seen the Boar Sword referred to as Boar Spear before in some places, Etrian Odyssey 2 for example.

[x] Find a way around the lake

Finding a way around the lake would be best, even if it was to get away from this mist. Furthermore, there tends to be civilization near water. The stream was a little too small for you to consider there to be much chance of a town along it, so no use searching in that direction. You slide your sword into it's sheath, though you keep your shield ready as you head away from the stream, circling around the lake. A quick scan of the sky reveals to you that it is still early night at the very least, still around the time it had been when you entered the tomb. That's at least a little comforting to know.

You travel for what has to be close to an hour by the time you come to a point you estimate to be 1/3 of the way around the lake. You've happened across a small dock with several small rowboats tied up to it. While these would be a sign of local fishermen, the boats look to be in a rather poor state of repair, and you consider that they might not have seen use for quite some time. You rationalize that the boats are probably in no state to use, and even still, you don't know if you want to be paddling out into a misty lake at night when you don't even know where you are. You look along the bank from where you stand, and you spot something in a nearby tree. A large crystalline formation seems to wrap around the tree, a faint mist flowing off of it. Several crystals hang low enough for you to reach, and so you walk over and reach your hand out. Ice? That's unusual, for some kind of crystalline ice to be in a tree like that. It doesn't have a particular shape, so it couldn't be a ward or symbol of any kind, and the weather definitely couldn't naturally support an ice formation like this naturally. There has to be some magical cause for this.

[] Investigate the ice
[] Call for anyone nearby
[] Context: Dispel
[] Ignore the ice
[] Inspect the boats closer
[] Try a boat
[] Continue along the bank

---

Not going to include the Skill, Spell and Status options if there are several choices at hand, and they might faze out of use entirely. Best to keep in mind that they're there however, because they will update the more you face.

Bed for tonight though.

[x] Investigate the ice
[x] Context: Dispel

Let's see if there were any frogs in there.

[x] Investigate the ice
[x] Context: Dispel

[x] Investigate the ice
[x] Context: Dispel

in during possible Cirno.

[x] Investigate the ice
[x] Context: Dispel

You take a closer look at the ice formation. From this angle, the bulk of the ice formation is on the other side of the tree from you, and only part of the ice wraps around to your point. You circle the tree a few steps, eyes on the ice structure as a small opening comes into view. It looks too small for you to fit through, but a child might be able to get in and out of it provided they could reach it. What is this? It's definitely magical at least, so maybe...

You take a deep breath and incant Dispel. You extend your hand towards the frozen mass and finish the incantation, and a bolt of white light leaves your finger and strikes the ice. Immediately, the ice begins to melt away rapidly, and after a few seconds, you hear a voice that quickly becomes a shriek as a mass of blue and white fall through the vanishing ice and onto the forest floor below. There was someone in there? You take a step towards the fallen person, a young girl it seems, laying on the ground rubbing her head. She sits up and looks at the vanishing ice and groans, scratching her head through her light blue hair. At this time, you notice the silvery wings on her back that take the appearance of ice. You're still looking at them when she turns her head to you angrily and stands up.

She starts shouting at you, though you don't understand the language she's speaking. You suspect she might be a fairy of some sort, but you don't know any fairy languages like the one she's using. After a few moments, she seems quite visibly upset when you don't respond and gets even angrier. This might be a problem...

[] Try to calm her down
[] Try to make sense of her gibberish
[] Draw your sword
[] Ignore her

[x] Try to calm her down

Her own inability to comprehend our language ought to give her pause.

[x] Try to calm her down

[X] Try to calm her down

{X} Try to calm her down

[X] Try to calm her down
[x] Rufflan'

>>9659

[ 9 ] Try to calm her down

[X] Draw your sword

We're no nice guy this time. Gensokyo is full of monsters and we are the holy knight that will slay them.

>>9661

Youkai and fairies dont die when they are killed, so yeah!

>>9661
She would just respawn after killing her, and then she would probably keep following us wanting a rematch.

>>9661
>we are the holy knight that will slay them

What is a knight without a squire?

[x] Counter her gibberish with gibberish of your own.

>>9663

But the character doesn't know that, does he?
>>9670

That'd be nice, actually.


[X] Draw your sword

So voting for this.

[X] Draw your sword

[x] Try to calm her down

[x] Try to calm her down by drawing a beautiful picture of your sword.

[x] Try to calm her down

She needs to be calmed down first. You get a feeling that letting her get too riled up wouldn't be too good, as she was in a cluster of ice for whatever reason.

"Excuse me, young lady, but-" you start, before you're cut off by some kind of groan.

"You... you su-.. supe-speaku... eh..." she replies, in a manner you can somewhat understand. However, it seems that she has quite a lot of difficulty, and her voice carries quite an accent. She looks lost in thought for a few seconds, before she groans again and angrily ruffles her hair. "Aaah! You! Why you do this!" she shouts, gesturing towards the tree angrily, wings on her back flittering slightly.

"Well, I didn't know what to make of it. I wasn't aware that there was someone, er, living inside it?"

She looks at you, an annoyed expression on her face. "We go." she says, quickly closing the space between the two of you and circling behind you. You can feel her trying to get a grip on you for some reason.

[] Resist
[] Attack
[] Question
[] Submit

[X] Question

Damned if I'm gonna let you feed me to the lake, but I'm feeling nice.

[x] Question

Where to now? And to what end?

[] Question

[x] Question

I'm now imagining Cirno try to push and pull on you with all her might, you not moving an inch.

[X] Question

[x] "Kyaaa! Where you touch!??"
[x] Blush.

[9] Question

Cirno~

Hopefully we get to meet Letty soon enough.

[x] Question

"What are you doing?" you ask as the girl tries several times to get a grip on your arms and shoulders, seemingly trying to pick you up and failing. After a few seconds, she gives up and screams in frustration as she pounds on your spaulders futiley. She then tries to push you a few times, only managing to shake you, but never mustering enough strength to actually make you move.

"What are you trying to do?" you ask again as the girl circles around in front of you. Red faced and short of breath.

"Big... stupid... heavy..." she rasps between breathes. She points one finger towards your feet. "Su-stay." she says, turning around again and flying off into the mists over the lake. You're left behind, wondering exactly what she was up to. Aside from trying to pick you up and move you, you still don't know what her ultimate goal was.

[] Stay and wait
[] Ignore her request and leave
[] Look around the area some more

[x] Look around the area, but don't wander around too much. Practice flexing in the meantime.

[x] Stay and wait

Probably a bad ice, but Cirno is adorable.

>>9726
>Probably a bad ice

That should be "idea".

⑨ on the brain.

>>9727

It's "My mind of mine on ⑨."

[9] Stay and wait.

Mode has told me that this should be a really hard difficulty, but there's no way Cirno would do something horrible to us, right?

...Right?

[X] Look around some more.

{X} Look around the immediate area.

[x] Look around the area some more

Let's find something shiny to distract her.

[x] Look around the area some more

They're setting us up for a prank. I can feel it.

[x] Look around the area some more.

While the girl is gone, flying over the lake, you take a bit more than just a cursory glance at the surroundings. However, aside from the tree that bore the ice structure, there isn't very much of interest. More trees, and more heavy mist. You do notice foot trail that leads to the dock, though it's overgrown by small plants, indicative that it probably hasn't been used for quite some time now. Judging from the state of the boats in comparison, you figure that to be the truth of the matter. Why, though, would a dock just be abandoned? Maybe these waters have been fished out? Or maybe there's something in the water that drove the people away. The latter thought causes you some slight unease. You are in an unknown area afterall, there's no telling what could be beneath those waters.

Your unease is broken though when you hear voices approaching from over the water. You recognize the girls, and another female voice. A few moments later, the girl returns, followed by a red-headed woman in a bizarre green dress wearing a look of confusion. She says something to the blue clothed girl in the same unintelligible language, and the girl replies angrily, shaking her head and pointing at you, then turning her head and sticking her tounge out at you. Well, at least she acts her apparent age.

"Ah, um..." the red-headed woman begins, also with an accent. "Hello? You speak... English?" she says, sounding a little unsure of herself as well, but not as much as the fairy girl. The only issue is with the language she named. English?

"I'm sorry, I don't know what this 'English' language you speak of is." you reply. You assume it to be some kind of dialect of elven, maybe some kind of feral wood elf dialect. It sure doesn't sound like it has a basis in any dialect of Common you know. The green-dressed woman turns to the blue-dress3ed girl and says something in their language, sounding a little worried, and the blue-dressed girl responds with an annoyed tone. The green-dressed girl turns back to you.

"I speak English. You understand?" she says, pointing at herself for emphasis. She turns her finger on you now. "You speak like this. English, see!" she continues, smiling a little. It must be a local dialect then, but it sure has a strange name. You decide not to press the issue.

"I get it then." you say with a nod. The redhead nods, and then clears her throat.

"So, why you attack Cirno?" she asks, looking at the blue-dressed girl, standing next to her with her arms crossed and frowning at you. Once again, a word you don't quite understand...

"Chee-Runo?" you echo, trying to mimic the pronunciation that she used. The redhead pats the blue-haired girl on the head.

"This." she says. "She tell me you attack when she sleep."

Attack? That's a bit of a stretch. It seems that in the time she was gone, her story seemed to have grown a little to sound a little more serious than it was.

[] "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."
[] "She was apparently resting in some ice I dispelled out of curiosity."
[] "It's her fault for sleeping somewhere suspicious. She should be grateful she didn't get hurt."
[] "The ice was anomalous, so I dealt with it. I'm sorry if she feels offended by it."

[x] "She was apparently resting in some ice I dispelled out of curiosity."

[x] Look around the area, but don't wander around too much.

>>9770

Damn it, slow poked.

[x] "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."

[x] "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."

{X} "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."

[ ] "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."

[x] My speed with a knife

[x] "I dispelled some magical ice and she fell out. I wasn't aware there was a girl in there."

"I had found some magical ice stuck to a tree. I dispelled it, and she fell out. I didn't know there was anyone up there." you say honestly. The redheaded woman turns to this 'Chee-Runo' and starts talking to her, though it's clear whatever she's saying isn't making her feel any better. The blue-dressed girl glares at you again.

"Stupid heavy." she says, seeming to settle on that particular phrase as her way of describing you.

"Cirno pretty mad at you," the redhead says, looking a little upset herself. "It take long time to freeze that much."

"I would bet. I'm sorry, for what it's worth." you reply, a little unsure of where she's going with this. In any case however, you're not getting much done standing around here. You're a little suspicious of where this green-dressed woman came from, as you don't imagine that the ice fairy had crossed the entire lake and back. The green-dressed girl says something to the fairy, who replies with something angrily, then her tone shifts to just simply annoyed. Once more the fairy glares at you before flying off to a nearby tree, where a blue glow signifies her beginning to rebuild the ice structure.

"Cirno say things to you I not repeat..." the redhead says, looking away and scratching her neck.

"I'm going to go now," you say, turning to head back along the lake edge. "I need to find civilization of some sort."

"Ah!" the redhead chirps. "I live close! Big mansion... but... ah..." she starts before trailing off, looking a little worried. "Others live there too. I guard gate." A mansion, she says? In that case, you think you realize now why the dock might have been abandoned, if someone in power claimed the lake as their own. If this is someone truly powerful in the area, it might be a good idea to go there. If for any other reason, you could use it as a temporary base to investigate more of the local area until you get a bearing of where you are and how you can get back home.

[] Accept going to the mansion
[] Accept, but go there later
[] Decline

[x] Accept going to the mansion

Don't ignore the plot hook.

{X} Accept going to the mansion.

At least there are people that can understand us there.
As for the symbol: as it's an item, it could just be unequipped.

>>9788

And what about the plate mail and weaponry? Because let me tell you, people finding a place to stay for the night usually don't go into a vampire's mansion looking like they're about to kill a monster.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sakuya ZA WARUDO's us into 17 pieces on sight for being a potential threat.

[] Accept, but go there later.

Don't drop the chance entirely.

[x] Accept, but go there later

Changing vote. Going there now, looking like this, is very retarded.

[x] Accept going to the mansion

So, I know this is hard mode, but I don't really think it's such a bad idea to go to the mansion armed.

>>9793
>"Ah!" the redhead chirps. "I live close! Big mansion... but... ah..." she starts before trailing off, looking a little worried. "Others live there too.

China does, though.

[X] Accept going to the mansion

Will Komachi steal our equipment and hide it somewhere in the Mansion?

>>9798

No, not my Alucard shield!

>>9791
that is EXACTLY why we should go! Look out, Smaug, we're coming for you.

[X] Accept going to the mansion

>>9783

Is the bad English on purpose?

[X] Accept going to the mansion

>>9835

Have you ever heard a Japanese person try to speak English?

>>9836

Have you ever heard a Chinese youkai in a predominantly Japanese world speak English?

>>9837
You just blew my mind, man.

[x] Accept going to the mansion

"I'm ready to go now then." you say, and the redhead nods, then floats up into the air.

"Come then." she says, floating away a few feet as you walk towards the dock, turning, then floating back. "Um... you coming?"

"Yes, I was going to try taking one of the boats." you say, gesturing to the dock. The woman looks at the boats, then back to you. She lands in front of you.

"Boats no good, sink often. You no fly?" she asks. You shake your head. Flying isn't something you're famous for. The woman sighs, then floats around behind you like the girl had. Except this time, she hooks her arms under yours easily and lifts you off the ground without any noticable effort, something which surprises you considerably. Before you even have a chance to state your displeasure with the situation, you're being carried over the lake, and the land soon vanishes into the mist. You keep still, she might be able to carry you through the air, but there's no accounting for her grip, and you don't want to hit the water in your armour either.

A few moments later and land comes into view again, and with it, a large red shadow looming on the edge of sight as the woman touches down at the bank.

"We reach island," she says, letting you go and floating ahead of you. "Come now, can walk." Though she said walk, she keeps flying, floating a few inches off the ground as she leads towards a large wall topped with a spiked metal fence, a large iron gate set into the face of the wall, a large courtyard and a walkway leading up to a large, red mansion beyond it. You notice that there are few windows on the mansion, something that strikes you as bizarre.

"This is the place?" you ask, looking at the large structure.

"Yes, and- oh!" the woman gasps. You look at her, and follow her gaze to a spot behind you, were another silver-haired woman in blue is standing. When did she get there? The woman says something to the redhead in the same bizarre language, and after a response, she looks to you.

"You speak English, do you?" the silver-haired woman asks, and you notice that her accent is much lighter. You nod in response, to which she sighs. She looks you over, and you note that she takes a few moments longer looking at your sword, and your Holy Symbol. "Are you some kind of Paladin?" she asks.

"Something like one. I make my living hunting monsters, and I specialize in undead." you say. Afterwards, as soon as you blink, you notice that she's holding your Holy Symbol and sword. How did she-

"I'm going to have to ask you to remove your armour."

[] Comply
[] Resist
[] Attempt to retrieve your items
[] Excuse yourself and leave

Goddamnit, Mode. You finally start this. I'm SO gonna enjoy this. Because this is the only CYOA that I can die every moment.


[X] Resist.
You can't take my trademark away, bitch!

[x] Shift nervously.
[x] "I'm ah, not wearing anything. Underneath."

...
...
...

Okay, maybe not. Sounds like it would chafe.

[x] Shift nervously.
[x] "I'm ah, not wearing anything. Underneath."

**Wrong!**

~~We're wearing socks!~~

[x] Shift nervously.
[x] "I'm ah, not wearing anything. Underneath."

Going by our inventory earlier, this is actually true.

With only half plate on, no less.

[x] Shift nervously.
[x] "I'm ah, not wearing anything. Underneath."

Not entirely true. We're wearing our lucky boxers.

>Not wearing anything underneath
so i herd u never wore plate mail in your life

>>9876

No, and I doubt Sakuya has, either.

[x] Resist, your armor can't hurt anyone.

lying to sakuya is an awesome idea right guys

>>9876
>so i herd u never wore plate mail in your life

*Sigh*, of course it's a joke based on just about every RPG that uses the same slots for clothes as they do for armor.

At least, I hope it's a joke. Chainmail + Genitals = AAAUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

[x] Shift nervously.
[x] "I'm ah, not wearing anything. Underneath."

"I'm not wearing anything beneath my armour." you say, a rather poor lie, but one you hope will pass with the woman. She simply takes a deep breath.

"Once again, remove your armour. I don't care if you're left naked." she says, her voice having taken on a somewhat colder tone than it had before.

[] Comply
[] Resist
[] Attempt to retrieve your items
[] Excuse yourself and leave

lol small update.

Write in corralling in strong effect. For informations sake, the write in was counted as a vote to'Resist'.

[x] Comply

[x] Attempt to retrieve your items

Jerks.

I'm tempted. Should we go "You first"?

[X] Excuse yourself and say you are leaving.
[X] Request for the sword and symbol back.

>I'm tempted. Should we go "You first"?

You have my axe.

[x] "You first."
[x] If she draws a weapon (whether it be knife or feather duster) attempt to pluck it from her grasp. "I'll be taking these as well."

4 votes all going in different directions?

Sorta like herding cats. Cats that think they are witty.

>What's the point of going for firepower if we barely ever use it? At least with our mighty shield we'll be untouchable while we diplomacy people to death, which I'm sure we will regardless of what we pick here.
>diplomacy

Now it's the time we should diplomacy her to death.

[X] Comply
[X] But at least ask to keep the shield with you. You feel naked without it.

well... lots of paladin skills need a shield to activate, right?

[X] Comply
[X] But at least ask to keep the shield with you. You feel naked without it.

Should I?

>[X] Also, make sure you have no clothes on otherwise. For extra awkwardness.

Charisma to saves is nice, but remember your skill set:

>Provoke - Enrages a target into attacking.
>Parry - Counter a physical attack to deal damage.

[x] "You first." (Skill: Provoke)
[x] If she draws a weapon (whether it be knife or feather duster) attempt to pluck it from her grasp. "I'll be taking these as well." (Skill: Parry)

>"I'll be taking these as well." (Skill: Parry)

At first I was like: "You can't grab something when the skill as written says to perform a physical attack, so shut the hell up already."

But then I was like: "But a disarm attempt can be made as an Attack of Opportunity or a Readied Action, so yeah!"

[x] "You first."
[x] If she draws a weapon (whether it be knife or feather duster) attempt to pluck it from her grasp. "I'll be taking these as well."

>>9942

If I have to stop being the author and start being the DM, dice are getting involved and all the readers are going to have to vote in order of initiative rolls.

Goddamn all of you.

Dice rolling is always fun.
...when played in real-time, that is.

[x] "You first."
[x] If she draws a weapon (whether it be knife or feather duster) attempt to pluck it from her grasp. "I'll be taking these as well."

"You go first," you say with a slight smirk. You're intentionally trying to provoke her now, get some kind of rise out of her. "That way we'll be even when it comes down to it."

The woman narrows her eyes at you. She doesn't say anything. You hear the redheaded girl behind you saying something you think is directed towards the silver-haired woman, but she doesn't reply to her either. She reaches her hand down and slides it up her skirt, grabbing hold of something.

[] Choose a number between 1-20. Only the first 4 votes will be considered towards the result.

{X} 13~

[X] Lucky Number Seven

Jackpot, baby.

[x] 2

Rolled a d20.

[X] 20
Natural 20.

[X] 8

>>She reaches her hand down and slides it up her skirt, grabbing hold of something.

IT'S A TRAP!

[x] 13

She moves something, then moves her hand and does it again. Finally, she pulls down, and starts removing one of her stockings. She lifts her foot from her shoe and removes it entirely, replacing her foot afterwards and tucking the loose garment into a pocket on her apron. She repeats this process with the other leg, then tucks both stockings far enough into the pocket so that they can't be seen.

"Your turn, remove your leg armour." she says, eyeing your legs. It would only be fair, you reason, and set about removing the pieces and setting them aside. It takes you a little bit longer than the woman to remove your leg protection, but you finish and stand.

"Now then," you say, leaving a long pause as you think of what next to say.

[] "Your turn."
[] "I'll finishing removing my armour."

[X] "Your turn."

Nerves of steel.

There's no backing out now.

[x] "Your turn."

Do it.

[x] "Your turn."

You brought this upon yourself, Sakuya.

[x] "Your turn."

In b4 she stabs us in the leg.

>Title suggestions are welcome.

Gensokyan Odyssey: Shield Chapter, "Super Ghouls & Goasts"

[x] (To Meiling) "Keep an eye out. We're being watched."
[x] (To Sakuya) "Your turn."

[X] "Your turn."

Arms crossed. Stoic face. use all GAR power you have to look intimidated.

>>9993

Hmm, that's somewhat better than 'Strange Adventures: Gensokyo Edition' and 'Fantasy Adventure Gensokyo'.

I'm still kind of partial to 'Western Fantasy in Eastern Illusion' though.

[X] "Your turn."

We just arrived at the SDM, have not even met half of its residents yet and Sakuya is already stripping for us? Awesome!

[x] "Your turn."

"I don't have the patience for these childish games," the woman says. "Take off your armour on your own."

"Are you afraid to continue?" you ask, a slight bit of sarcasm in your voice. The woman doesn't reply, instead, she uses one hand to untie her apron, which she removes and folds over her arm.

"There. Now remove your armour, and since I'm not wearing gloves, remove it all." she says coolly.

[] "Not good enough."
[] "Alright then."

[x] "Why, we have all the time in the world, Miss Maid."
[x] Remove your own "apron," the faulds along your waist and hips.
[x] "You may have no gloves, but I have no ribbons. Untie them and I'll remove my gauntlets."

[x] "Alright then."

anyone else smelling misdirection... like knives phased at our back while we watch sakuya strip? wonder if we can unequip the armor while we wield the shield or at least have it ready. im assuming its strapped to our back at the moment. also, we might need to apologize for our lack of nakedness. she might be expecting a show.

[x] "Alright then."

Just because this has been dragged out long enough already.

>>10106
>[x] "Why, we have all the time in the world, Miss Maid."

I see what you did there.

[x] "Why, we have all the time in the world, Miss Maid."
[x] Remove your own "apron," the faulds along your waist and hips.
[x] "You may have no gloves, but I have no ribbons. Untie them and I'll remove my gauntlets."

The only reason we went along with removing our armor is because we didn't actually expect her to start stripping; otherwise we would've taken our stuff back and left.

But we made this challenge, and Honor demands we then take the fight to its end.

[X]Remember your vows to the order. You're a paladin! Why are you asking beautiful women to take off their clothes!
[X]Cry out in depair
[X]Apologize
[X]Finish removing your armour but ask can you keep the shield. If not, leave, If yes, continue

[x] "Alright then."

You comply. You were surprised she even played along at all, and you don't really want to actually have her strip all the way down, it would be inappropriate. You have no hesitation in removing the rest of your armour, setting it into a pile next to you. When you're finished, you notice that the woman has her stockings and apron back on. Without your armour, you're down to a simple tunic and a pair of breeches. You don't have any shoes on hand however, so you're forced to go barefoot.

"Can I at least keep my shield?" you ask. The maid tips her head to one side for a moment.

"Yes, you shouldn't be able to be much of a disturbance with just a shield." she says, before your armour appears in the arms of the red headed woman, who seems as surprised as you by the event. The maid says something to the red head, then walks through the gate, the guard woman following behind her. She looks back at you as she passes through the gate.

"Come now!" the red head calls, and you follow. You're lead to the house, and the maid stops at the doorway, opening the door for the red head. The maid says something, and the green-dressed woman enters the house and disappears from sight.

"Now then," the silver-haired woman says. "Might I ask what it is that brings someone like you to this island?" she asks.

[] "I was told there was a mansion here, and I was curious as to it's inhabitants."
[] "I wanted to meet the Master of this mansion, surely he must be a Lord of some sort."
[] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."
[] "I considered that the Master of such a mansion would have need of my services."

>If for any other reason, you could use it as a temporary base to investigate more of the local area until you get a bearing of where you are and how you can get back home.

[x] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."
[x] "And maybe pick up a few quests along the way: This looks like a mansion with history, probably with an extensive sublevel; there wouldn't happen to be catacombs filled with ghouls and skellingtons in need of smiting, would there?"

[X] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."
[X] "And I couldn't refuse the offer of the cute girl in green beside you."

[x] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."
[x] "Seeing as you have gone to such lengths to disarm me, is there some sort of threat against the master of this mansion? Though I specialize in hunting undead, I am also a protector of the people. Perhaps I can offer my services in exchange for information?"

>>10125
Suicide option?

[X] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."
[X] "And I couldn't refuse the offer of the beautiful maiden just like you."

You want to make Sakuya rage by complimenting China in front of her? How bold of you.

[x] "I needed to find some form of civilization so I could get my bearings and find out where I am."

"I was looking to find some kind of place I could stop and rest," you say. "I've found myself lost in this unfamiliar land and needed a safe place to sit and collect my bearings and find my way home."

The maid doesn't respond immediately aside from a nod. "There are quite a few people that end up lost here and never live to find their way home," she says, smirking at the end. "Though you looked a little more prepared for any encounters."

"That I was," you reply. "I've been trained to hunt and destroy various monsters, including and specifically undead that terrorize humanity." You notice a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth. "I also couldn't refuse the offer of such a lovely woman, the gate guard woman, and I arrive to find yet another beauty employed by the Manor. Surely the Master of this place has fine taste."

Once again the maid smirks. "The Master is a woman herself. Well, more like a girl I would suppose. There is another woman living here as well, a friend of my Mistress, and her servant. However," she says, her tone dropping both volume and warmth towards the end. "No matter what you find in the mansion, you are not to raise your hands against it."

You get a slight chill from her words, and a slight dread. Could there be some kind of problem with the mansion? Some kind of lurking demon of some sort that threatens the life of it's inhabitants if provoked? It pains you to have to agree to such terms.

[] "I swear on my honour."
[] "I vow to do my best."
[] "I make no promises of inaction."

[x]I swear on the name of Istar the Enlightened

I got nothing.

[x] "I swear on my honour."

Est Sularus Oth Mithas
Solamnic anyone?

{~} "I swear on my honour."

[x] "I swear on my honour."

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."

[Meh] "I swear on my honour."

[x] "I fight for my friends!"

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it.

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."
+1 votespam

>>10186
[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."
Way to go!

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."
[X] "But what if I am being attacked by 'whatever it is I find in this mansion'?"

Call for Sakuya then?

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."
[x] "But what if I am attacked by 'whatever it is I find in this mansion'?"

good question

>[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."
>[x] "But what if I am attacked by 'whatever it is I find in this mansion'?"

Geniuses, what did you just say your shield was for?

>>10208
It's just a shield. You want to try to block everything until your attacker gets tired?

>>10219

SHIELD SLASH!

>>10219

Shitty superhero with shitty "weapon"

>>10219

So, what, we're just a jobber?

>>10221
0/10

>>10212
>It's just a shield. You want to try to block everything until your attacker gets tired?

Shield bash, motherfucker, do you know it?

>Smite - Shield bash that might disorient an enemy.

>>10242
Yeah, and we need to make sure that Sakuya won't get pissed off if we do that. Hence, the goddamn question.

>>10243

Yeah, I'm sure she'll give us total permission if we ask nicely. And we should definitely let her know that we can use the shield as a weapon; good thing she decided not to take it away from us!

:awesome:

[x] "Very well. A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."

"Very well then," you say, adjusting the straps that hold your shield in place. "A shield is a ward against violence, not the cause of it."

The woman smiles a bit and takes a step towards the door. "Good to hear. You shouldn't run into anything dangerous so long as you keep your hands to yourself and don't go opening strange doors." she says, turning towards the door fully and stepping through. She enters the uilding, then turns and gestures down the hall. "Come along now."

You follow her invitation, and as you enter, the door closes itself behind you. The maid has already set off down the hallway, and you pick up the pace so that you're practically on her heels.

"Where to first?" you ask, a little curious as to the destination.

"I'll get you situated in a guest room for now," the maid replies. "Then I'll talk to my Mistress and inform her of your presence so that she doesn't mistake you for a... dinner guest." You get a bit of a shiver at her phrasing, the slight pause in her speech only adds to your growing concerns that were introduced none to carefully. Were it not for the heavy mists and the isolation of the island, you thought it might be a better idea to retake your gear and leave, even if it meant swimming. That reminds you...

"What about my equipment?" you ask.

"In holding," the silver haired woman replies. "Noisy armour irritates Mistresses nerves."

"About this Mistress of yours," you say, curious once more.

[] "What kind of lady is she?"
[] "She must have some importance to own her own island."
[] "I would like to meet her."
[] "Could you tell me more about her?"

[] "She must have some importance to own her own island."

{X} "She must have some importance to own her own island."
{X} "What kind of lady is she?"

[x] "She must have some importance to own her own island."

She's in a better mood.

So I started writing an update yesterday, and somewhere along the way I stopped for some reason and didn't even remember it until I was going to bed, and now I'm sitting here with a half completed update and I absolutely cannot remember where I was going with it.

[x] "She must have some importance to own her own island."

"She must have some kind of important position to have her own island." you say.

"Something like that," the maid says after a few seconds. "At the very least, there's no one that questions her claim to the island, and no one dares to contest her opinions on what lands she does own."

From the sound of things, this mistress of hers sounds like she's either some kind of highly influential leader, or some kind of warlord. To stake claim on lands at whim without opposition? Not even Kings have that kind of luxury, she must have much more power than you realized, and you feel slightly intimidated by the idea that someone like that could exist. You find yourself wondering if she poses a threat to your homelands. You're also worried that such a person could exist, and no one had heard of her.

You wonder if you should keep asking questions.

[] "What kind of lady is she?"
[] "I would like to meet her."
[] "Could you tell me more about her?"
[] Stay quiet

>From the sound of things, this mistress of hers sounds like she's either some kind of highly influential leader, or some kind of warlord. To stake claim on lands at whim without opposition? Not even Kings have that kind of luxury, she must have much more power than you realized, and you feel slightly intimidated by the idea that someone like that could exist. You find yourself wondering if she poses a threat to your homelands. You're also worried that such a person could exist, and no one had heard of her.

This is obviously a frontier land.

[x] Stay quiet

[x] Stay quiet
More questions, more suspicious Sakuya will look at Paladinon.

baw no votes

[x] Stay quiet
There you go, you like it? Yeaaaah I know you like it, have another.
[x] Stay quiet

[x] Stay quiet

[x] Stay quiet

You decide it's best to stay quiet. Too many questions might make you look suspicious, and you'd hate to be a bother. You can always find time to ask later, or find out answers to any other questions on your own time. For now, you simply follow the woman as she leads you to a room in what you figure to be the far right of the mansion. It's rather plainly decorated, but still quite higher quality than a common room at an inn.

"This will be your room for now," the woman says, stopping at the door. "It's quiet on this side of the mansion, so you don't have to worry about being caught up in certain... events that may occur. I would recommend getting some rest, but the decision is up to you." the maid says. You've been looking at the room as she spoke, and when she finished, you turned to find she'd gone already. Very well then.

[] Rest
[] Explore, but stay close
[] Explore the Mansion

[x] Rest

{X} Rest

[X] Rest, while...
[X] grumbling. Being stripped off your armor makes you angry.

Paladin must have their armors on, even in bed!

>>10398

But sleeping in heavy armor leaves you fatigued the next day, so yeah!

{X} Rest

>>10399
I'm pretty sure our armor as one of those Armor Crystals that doesn't make us tired when we sleep in it.

[x] Rest

You should get some rest after all, you've had a long day, from trailing and fighting a vampire, to having to hike thorugh this strange land. You'd be lying if you said you weren't tired, you get the feeling you would need your senses to be sharp. This house has unsettled you since you arrived, and what little you know of the occupants doesn't help you much. You retire to the bed, dousing the few candles that lit the room and setting your shield by the bedside. You're asleep before you know it.

You dream that night, a dream of a time in your past.

"You okay?" a voice asks. A young woman kneels in front of you, lifting up her feathered cap and brushing some of her brown hair aside. "You look tired."

"This is... hard work..." you say between breaths, sitting on a log. "How deep does this go?" you ask. The girl mulls over an answer for a while, when a laugh comes from behind her. A young man with a bandage on his face and light armour stands grinning.

"No one really knows," he says, swinging his axe down from his shoulder and setting the head on the ground. "Could go on forever, as far as anyone knows." That wasn't very helpful to hear. You'd already gone down four levels of this bizarre dungeon world, and more often than not you've had to run for your life and fight to the brink of death. You'd signed up with a guild hall as a Protector, but maybe this adventuring lifestyle isn't for you. It's been several weeks, and you've already seen several fellow guildmates die in this labyrinth. There was a healer that could restore their souls, but the price was far too high. They might not ever come back.

"I don't know if I can do this." you say dejectedly, standing from the log. The girl gives you a soft smile and pats you on the back as she slings her bow over her shoulder.

"You want to call it quits then?" she asks, rummaging through a small pack at her side. She produces a small coil of wire and holds it up. "We should both go back now."

"What, you dropping out too?" the man asks, sounding a little frustrated. "At this rate we'll have no one left!"

"He's right though," the archer girl says, looking to the young man. "This is hard work, and every battle I feel like it might be my last day alive. I'll take my chances hunting in local, surface forests." she says, uncurling the wire. She hands one end to you, and looks up at you with a smile. The man with the axe starts to shout something as the world fades into white.

You open your eyes to darkness. You're disoriented for a moment until you remember where you were, that red mansion on the island. You're not sure of the time, or how long you slept. There's no window in this room, and you don't remember any in the hall either. You roll over in bed, closing your eyes again and trying to fall back to sleep. Next time you wake up, you'll check what time it is.

"Come out and play~"

You feel a chill run up your spine. Where did that voice come from? It sounded like a little girl. You remembered the maid saying the other inhabitants were all female, but not specifically mention any young girls, other than the fact that the Mistress of this house was young herself. It wouldn't be her, would it?

[] Stay in bed
[] Investigate

WARRIORS, COME OUT TO PLAY~

[x] Investigate

A wild Flandre appears!
[X] Investigate

>>10422
[X] Investigate

We've still got our shield, right?

[X] Investigate.

Etrian odyssey flashback? Poor paladinon.... ;_;

>>10431
In b4 pic related..."

[x] Investigate

[ˆｰˆ] Investigate.
Let us face that FOE!

[X] Investigate

What could possibly go wrong?

[x] Investigate

It's a little worrying to hear voices at night, especially in such circumstances. You feel you should at least take a look, but you grab your shield from your bedside out of habit and head towards the door. You pull the door open a crack and peek your head out, looking around the hall. A faint sliver of moonlight still illuminates the hallway from the far end. The rest is lit by faint patches of candle light that do little to actually brighten the hallway. You don't hear anything else, and you're wondering if it wasn't just a trick of the mind. Maybe you were still slightly asleep.

[] Head back in
[] Leave the room
[] Wait

[x] Head back in

As soon as you turn around, she is staring you right in the face.

[] Head back in

[x] Head back in


Remember: Short, controlled bursts.

[X] Wait and listen.

>>10446
[X] Wait