CYOA: The Dying Kingdom

[Punished Dayni]

On 6/20/2020 at 8:20 PM, DragonFlames said:

I still feel exhausted. It was just one battle. Why do I feel like this? And even now, after recovering a bit, I still feel like I fought an entire army all on my own, even though it was just a few brigands, nothing like the huge numbers my sister and the others had to deal with after I left them.
My hand is shaking. I feel hot and cold at the same time.
Yet the time for a cold or other such sicknesses is already passed.

Why now of all times?

THE FLAG IS RED ALERT ALERT

Also, I got confused around here before realising you'd switched to Melissa by now.

On 6/20/2020 at 8:20 PM, DragonFlames said:

“This was the last letter she sent to me”, he says as he unfolds it. He then hands it to me. All that is written there is “I'm sorry”. Nothing more. For some reason, reading this makes my heart sink. I hand it back to him.
“It's the last thing I have to remember her by”. John continues as he carefully puts the letter back into his pocket after folding it. “I tried enlisting as a knight in the hopes of seeing her again, but… I wasn't accepted into the academy. And so, I became a mercenary instead”.

Well that's depressing.

This is going to end poorly, I just know it.

Also, this pushed John over the line for the best.

[DragonFlames]

11 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

I see a ship-worthy ship and I ship it.

I'll say, I wasn't sure how to approach the relationship between Sophia and Finley at first, but I am satisfied with how it turned out as of now.
Maybe the ship will sail. We'll see 😉

11 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

Great gaiden chapter! I'd have to say my favorite character at this point is either John or Finley, but I voted John because I really like mercenary characters. Looking forward to what comes in the future!

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

11 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

Sorry to hear that. I hope things get better for you.

Thank you for the concern.
It is nothing exactly serious, however. Just the weather going crazy that affects my sleep schedule and whenever the weather rapidly changes, I tend to get migraines.

1 hour ago, Dayni said:

THE FLAG IS RED ALERT ALERT

Also, I got confused around here before realising you'd switched to Melissa by now.

In hindsight, I probably could have handled the POV switch a bit better than what I did there. Definitely something to keep in mind for next time I do something like this.
Thank you for the feedback! ^^

1 hour ago, Dayni said:

Also, this pushed John over the line for the best.

Glad you like him!
I admit, he was one of the characters I wasn't too sure about when I first came up with the concept for him.

---

Next chapter is in the works and is coming soon!

[DragonFlames]

Sorry for the delay, I wasn't in the right mood to write until today. But here were are now with a brand new chapter! Enjoy!

CYOA - The Dying Kingdom Chapter 11: Rebellion

“Morning, sleepyhead!”
You groggily stare at the person standing next to your bed. You blink a few times to focus your vision. When you come to, you see Jenny staring at you with a wide grin on her face.
“Sleep well?”, she asks.
You are immediately awake and practically jump out of bed.
“What time is it?”
“Early morning, but everyone already had breakfast”, says Jenny. “But don't worry! Melissa left something for you”.
“M-Morning?!?” You stare at the girl in shock. “When did… what happened?”
“Well, you went to your room yesterday and didn't come out”, Jenny explains. “Your big sis came to check on you and said you apparently fell asleep. So… we decided we'd stay until you wake up. And now here you are!”
“Ugh...” You go red from embarrassment. You did not realize how exhausted you were when you went back to your room after your talk with Finley. You had planned on taking a small nap before heading back to Fabunil, but you didn't want to sleep through the entire day.
You hope the others don't mind as you hesitantly get up.
“How are you doing?”, Jenny asks you.
“Pretty good”, you answer, yourself surprised at how rested you feel. “I haven't slept that well in ages”. You remember your nightly training sessions with Richard.
“Hehe, good for you!” Jenny pats your back. “So, you ready to eat?”
“Yes, of course!”

You follow the girl to the dining hall.
“By the way, how long have you been standing there?”, you ask while walking.
“About an hour or so”. Jenny shrugs. “Your big sis asked me to go check on you, so I did”.
“So you stared at me for an hour?”
“Yup!”
“Um...”
“Don't worry, you didn't make any funny faces or anything!” Jenny giggles.
“Great, now I'm self-conscious about having a weird sleeping face...”, you think to yourself and sigh.

When you reach the dining hall, you are greeted by the smiling faces of your companions.
“Good morning, Sophia”. Melissa greets you with a smile. You immediately notice that her complexion looks a lot better than it did yesterday and you are relieved to see it.
“You kept us waiting, you know? Your breakfast's gone all cold”. John points to a plate next to him while he downs his beverage.
“It wasn't even warm before, stop lying”. Finley scolds the mercenary, who laughs it off.

“Sorry I'm late, everyone”, you say.
“Don't worry about it, little lady”. John shakes his head. “Thanks to your deep slumber, we could rest up a lot, too. I'm sure the Big Man will understand”.
“He will, I'm sure of it”, Melissa nods. “Father isn't the type to be impatient”.
“I know, but still...” You sit down at the table and stare at the food on the plate. It is just some bread and some water. Your stomach, however, tells you that this is a full-course meal and that you should indulge in it as soon as possible.

After eating, you follow your companions to the village exit, where you are stopped by some of the villagers you rescued as well as their families.
“We'll be going back to Fabunil now”, you inform them. “Take care of yourselves, alright?”
“We will”, says one man. “And thank you again. For saving our children”.
“You're welcome”, you smile at them and then make your way back to the capital. Behind you, you once again hear the villagers voicing their heartfelt thanks.

It starts raining once again as you reach the capital. You immediately notice that it seems to be a lot more busy than usual. You see soldiers, dressed in black, hastily running about, many more patrols than usual, at each corner of the city, there is a guard in black, jagged armor.
“What is going on here?” Melissa asks.
“Ah, Your Highnesses, you have finally returned!”, one of the soldiers greets you and Melissa. “Please, head to the castle immediately! It is urgent!”
You and Melissa exchange looks.
“First, please explain what is going on”, you older sister says.
“Apparently, a large-scale rebellion's broken out in three different cities along the northern borders of the provinces Suhma and Mallas”, the soldier says. “I think His Majesty has more information for you. I apologize, but I must make preparations to leave immediately...”
“It is alright, you are dismissed”. Melissa tries her best to calm the somewhat panicked soldier down. He bows, then goes back to preparing.

“A rebellion…?” Finley's face goes pale. “Why?”
“Can't say I heard anything”, says John thoughtfully. “Still, that means we're going to see some action soon!” He cracks his knuckles.
“This is no laughing matter”. Melissa scolds him. “If a rebellion has truly broken out, then the people will most likely be in a panic. We have to go and see father, and quick!”
“Yes!” You nod and follow her to the castle.

“This is my first time here”, says Jenny as you hurry through the increasingly wet streets of Fabunil. Several units of soldiers are already forming up to leave for the affected areas.
“We can go sightseeing later”, you promise her. “But for now, we really need to go to the castle”.
“Got it!”

“Will we even be allowed to go in right now?”, John asks. “I mean, neither the little girl nor I are with the knights, so...”
“So long as you're with us, you're fine”, you say. “Right, Missy?”
“Yes, it is fine”, she confirms.

As you reach the castle, you immediately spot many soldiers heading for the several stairways. You also see a flock of wyverns taking off from the rooftops, their riders belonging to the royal Wyvern Knights under General Cynthia's command.

“It's like everyone's preparing for war...”, says Finley.
“Well, if the rebels are armed, then it basically is one”, says John. “Just not with another country, but with your own people”.
Jenny looks at the leaving soldiers, her face betraying her complicated emotions she must be feeling.
“What's wrong?”, you ask her.
“Oh, it's nothing”, she says and forces a smile. “This just reminds me of something that happened when I was a kid”.
“I see”.

“John, Jenny, Finley, can I ask you to wait here?”, Melissa says when you reach the door to the throne room. “We will be back soon”.
“Of course”, says Finley.
“Sure thing. I'll wait”. The mercenary shrugs. “Not like I have anything else to do at the moment”.
“I'll wait, too”, says Jenny. “You won't even notice I'm here!”

You say a temporary farewell to your companions as you follow your sister into the throne room.
“Father, we are back”, she informs the king, sitting on his throne. “What happened?”
“You're late!”, you hear your mother's voice call out. “What took you so long? The kingdom is falling into chaos as we speak!”
“I apologize, mother”, says Melissa with a bow. “Our last mission took a lot out of us, so we took the liberty of resting a while longer”.
Lucille shakes her head in disappointment. “I had expected tardiness from Sophia, but now you as well, Melissa?”
“Mother, please”, says Elliot. “There are more important things than scolding my siblings right now”.
“Indeed”, King Gwendal agrees. “Sophia, Melissa. I'm sure you've been informed, but a rebellion has broken out along our northern borders. Groups in three separate cities, one in Suhma Province, one in Mallas Province, and a city at the border to the Duchy of Lampart have raised arms and vowed to dethrone me”.
“Simultaneously?”, Melissa asks. “What are the chances?”
“That is exactly what I was wondering about, as well”, says Elliot. “Three groups rebelling in three separate locations at the same time and for the same reason… the only explanation is that they are connected somehow”.
“That is the common opinion of the council”, says Gwendal. “Lord Mordred has already launched an investigation into the matter as we speak. We also entrusted him with the man you took captive during your last outing”.
“What is the situation in the three cities?”, Melissa asks.
“We have split our forces in three separate parts”, your father explains. “General Aldric is headed to Olgun in Suhma Province, General Ragnar is stationed in Tristram at the border to the Duchy of Lampart, and General Cynthia has left Fort Hektor to make her way to Norn in Mallas Province”.
“Then the rebellion should be over quickly”, says Lucille, apathetically waving her elaborately decorated fan. “After all, those three are the strongest Generals in the kingdom. Those rebels do not stand a chance”.

You silently nod in agreement.

“We should not celebrate too early”, says Elliot. “I heard reports that the enemy's force is larger and better organized than expected. We would do well not to underestimate them”.
“Elliot is right”, Melissa agrees. “If that is the situation, we should provide backup to the Generals, would you not agree, father?”
“I hesitate to send my children out into a warzone, but… I fear with the situation as it is, holding back our forces is not something we can afford to do. Lord Mordred agrees on this. In fact, he has already arranged for reinforcements to be sent out”.
“That's why the soldiers were so busy...”, you think to yourself.
“I still think this is unnecessary, but do as you will”. Lucille sighs. “A rebelling mob is just that: a mob. Angry fools who don't know their place. Is that not so, Elliot?”
“Those are exactly the kind of words that force the people into rebelling”, he says. “There has to be some reason for this. Nobody gathers an army and declares to dethrone the king just because they feel like it”.
Melissa is silent.
“Mother, aren't you worried about uncle?”, you ask her. “If he got hurt or killed out there...”
“My brother is strong”, Lucille interrupts you. “There is no need to worry about him”.
“Even so, one strong fighter cannot defeat an entire army on their own”, says Melissa. “General Aldric is your younger brother. Are you telling me you do not care if he dies?”
“I know that he will not die”, Lucille replies with utmost confidence. “Why would I worry about what is already set in stone?”
“Of course, the generals are all three very powerful”, says Elliot. “General Cynthia has her Wyvern Knights and General Ragnar is perhaps the strongest fighter on the entire continent. But we cannot abandon them when we know next to nothing about the enemy numbers and strength”.

“We should now decide on our next course of action”, says Gwendal. “I had planned to send one of you with troops to head to one of the cities, scout out the situation and provide support for the unit stationed there. Sophia, I will allow you first choice. Where do you wish to go?”

“Um, I want to...”

Who do you wish to back up?
Choice 1: Support General Cynthia in Norn, Province Mallas
Choice 2: Support General Aldric in Olgun, Province Suhma
Choice 3: Support General Ragnar in Tristram, border to the Duchy of Lampart

A small reminder as to who they are just in case:
General Cynthia was Finley's commander for a time (see Chapter 3), while General Aldric is Sophia's uncle (see Chapter 10). General Ragnar has had no appearances so far.

Vote for your preferred option in the poll!

Hope you enjoyed this and I will see you in the next one!

[Shrimpica]

27 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

“Why would I worry about what is already set in stone?”

Death Flag

That's why we should support dear uncle!

[DragonFlames]

18 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Death Flag

I think I should change my member title thingy. XD

[CustardPudding]

I'm beginning to both love and be even more suspicious of Jenny. The fact that she watches people sleep is a bit creepy so hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. 

I guess Cynthia, she seems pretty cool. Also, some sick part of me kinda wants to kill our uncle sometime in the future. Three Houses style

 

[DragonFlames]

16 hours ago, CustardPudding said:

Also, some sick part of me kinda wants to kill our uncle sometime in the future. Three Houses style

*Kill every last one of them! intensifies*

[Punished Dayni]

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

It starts raining once again as you reach the capital. You immediately notice that it seems to be a lot more busy than usual. You see soldiers, dressed in black, hastily running about, many more patrols than usual, at each corner of the city, there is a guard in black, jagged armor.
“What is going on here?” Melissa asks.
“Ah, Your Highnesses, you have finally returned!”, one of the soldiers greets you and Melissa. “Please, head to the castle immediately! It is urgent!”
You and Melissa exchange looks.
“First, please explain what is going on”, you older sister says.
“Apparently, a large-scale rebellion's broken out in three different cities along the northern borders of the provinces Suhma and Mallas”, the soldier says. “I think His Majesty has more information for you. I apologize, but I must make preparations to leave immediately...”
“It is alright, you are dismissed”. Melissa tries her best to calm the somewhat panicked soldier down. He bows, then goes back to preparing.

Excuse me, but this just kept playing in my head.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“This is my first time here”, says Jenny as you hurry through the increasingly wet streets of Fabunil. Several units of soldiers are already forming up to leave for the affected areas.
“We can go sightseeing later”, you promise her. “But for now, we really need to go to the castle”.
“Got it!”

Crazy theory time?

Crazy theory time.

Jenny's going to do something bad now that she's been let loose. Not because she's evil, but because there's something she's been convinced to tamper with for the good of wherever she'd come from.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“You're late!”, you hear your mother's voice call out. “What took you so long? The kingdom is falling into chaos as we speak!”
“I apologize, mother”, says Melissa with a bow. “Our last mission took a lot out of us, so we took the liberty of resting a while longer”.
Lucille shakes her head in disappointment. “I had expected tardiness from Sophia, but now you as well, Melissa?”

Shees Lucille, it's not like they knew a full on rebellion has blown up.

The suddenness of it really doesn't help, never mind the state of Melissa that I assumes she's missed.

Hmm, this choice is actually fascinating. Honestly it might be worse for Sophia, the least experienced of the three to go help the one most in danger. But with how little we know I can't make much more than a guess and hope that Sophia wouldn't be able to save Uncle Death Flag regardless, hoping someone else would.

I'll pick Cynthia, mainly because Ragnar's probably broken enough to be fine.

[null]

On 6/24/2020 at 8:32 AM, DragonFlames said:

“What is going on here?” Melissa asks.
“Ah, Your Highnesses, you have finally returned!”, one of the soldiers greets you and Melissa. “Please, head to the castle immediately! It is urgent!”
You and Melissa exchange looks.
“First, please explain what is going on”, you older sister says.
“Apparently, a large-scale rebellion's broken out in three different cities along the northern borders of the provinces Suhma and Mallas”, the soldier says. “I think His Majesty has more information for you. I apologize, but I must make preparations to leave immediately...”
“It is alright, you are dismissed”. Melissa tries her best to calm the somewhat panicked soldier down. He bows, then goes back to preparing.

On 6/24/2020 at 8:32 AM, DragonFlames said:

General Cynthia was Finley's commander for a time (see Chapter 3)

I think meeting with someone who knows Finley would give an opportunity to learn more about him and have him develop as a character.

--------------

Another interesting update! Looking forward to the next one!

[DragonFlames]

On 6/25/2020 at 2:13 PM, Dayni said:

Excuse me, but this just kept playing in my head.

👍
This does fit that scene pretty well!
I usually listen to music that fits the mood of the scene I'm currently working on, so I can get a better grasp of the emotional tone of it.

On 6/25/2020 at 2:13 PM, Dayni said:

Hmm, this choice is actually fascinating. Honestly it might be worse for Sophia, the least experienced of the three to go help the one most in danger. But with how little we know I can't make much more than a guess and hope that Sophia wouldn't be able to save Uncle Death Flag regardless, hoping someone else would.

Uncle Death Flag is how I'll be writing him in my notes from now on. XD

13 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

Another interesting update! Looking forward to the next one!

Thanks a lot! ^^

New chapter will probably be sometime this evening (well CEST evening, anyway).

Edited June 26, 2020 by DragonFlames

[DragonFlames]

Let's see how many death flags we trigger today!

CYOA - The Dying Kingdom Chapter 12: Dragons of the skies

You carefully consider your answer. You are convinced that all three of them are more than capable of holding their own and that your involvement will not make much of a difference as you currently are. Yet, you also do not wish to abandon them or their soldiers.
At the same time, you have not seen Cynthia in a while. And you are curious about how Finley was doing that past year he was stationed under her command. In addition, you have not yet been to Mallas Province or the city of Norn.
And so, you make your decision: “I want to support General Cynthia”.

“Very well”. Elliot nods. “Then I will go and reinforce General Aldric”.
“Which leaves General Ragnar for me”, says Melissa, who looks at you. “This means we will not see each other in a while. Be safe out there, okay?”
You nod. “I can handle myself, Missy. Don't worry”.
“Still, you should be cautious”, says Elliot.
“I will”. You promise to them and to yourself that you will make it back in one piece. Your eyes meet with your father's warm gaze.
“I wish you luck, my children”, he says. “I had hoped we could resolve this matter peacefully, yet as king, I cannot allow the flames of rebellion to raze the nation I am sworn to protect. I hereby permit you to do whatever is necessary to resolve this as quickly as you can”.
“I understand”, Elliot says with no hesitation. Melissa nods as well, and you follow suit.

As you are about to leave the throne room, Lucille's voice stops you.
“You wait in the entrance hall”, she says. “Someone will come to pick you up”.
“What do you mean, mother?”, you ask her.
She gives an annoyed sigh. “Do not call me that”.
Your heart sinks.
“Lucille, my dear, please, refrain from such talk”. Gwendal tries his best to soothe her.
“This is your fault”, the queen's voice is full of venom. “If you had not...” She cuts herself off and gets up. “I am retreating to my quarters. If you will excuse me”. She immediately leaves.

“Forgive her”, Gwendal says apologetically. “She… is just in a bad mood today”.
You stay silent as you watch your mother leaving the throne room through another door on the side.
“What she was trying to explain to you is that you will be traveling to Norn with a part of the Wyvern Knights”, your father explains. “I have arranged for Commander Anders to take you with him”.
“Thank you, father”, you say and leave the throne room as well.

“Do not call me that.”

Your mother's hateful words echo in the back of your mind. Why would she say that? She has always been somewhat aversive to your presence and you were practically raised by your siblings and Richard. Never before were your mother's words so harsh, so biting, though few they may have been.

You arrive in the entrance hall, where your companions are waiting for you, alongside someone else.
“Sophia, it has been a bit”, you mentor's voice makes your mood lighten up somewhat.
“Sir Richard!”, you greet the veteran knight. “Sorry I didn't immediately come see you when I came back”.
“No cause for concern”. Richard shakes his head and smiles. “I wished to congratulate you for rescuing those villagers. Your friends have told me what happened”.
“Sorry, little lady, if you wanted to keep your exploits a secret”, says John with a grin.
“It's okay”, you say. “Anyway, we have a new mission”.
“This soon? Where do we go this time?”, Jenny asks.
“Let me guess: we've been added to the forces that are supposed to stop the rebellion?”, Finley asks.
You nod in response. “Exactly that. I have decided that we will head off to Norn”.
“Ah, that place”, says John. “I've been there once or twice. That city is a nice place. They sell a good wine there, too”.
“So you will reinforce General Cynthia? This means you will probably be flying there”, says Richard.
“Exactly, we are supposed to wait here for Commander Anders to pick us up and then we will travel with a regiment of the Wyvern Knights”, you inform him and your companions.

Finley's face immediately goes pale as death.
“F-flying…?” He starts shaking.

“Oooh, I've never flown before!”, says Jenny, greatly looking forward to it.
“I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never done it, either”, John admits.
“Me either...” Finley's voice is still shaking.
“Then we'll all experience it for the first time together!” Jenny looks happy. “This makes this whole thing really friend-like, don't you think?”
“Still, we're sent to suppress a rebellion. We're not doing this for fun”, you remind her. “Which reminds me, this is Vales' business. You two aren't obligated to come along, so...”
“Not this again...” John sighs. “Look, little lady, if you want to get rid of me, just say so. I said I'd stick with ya and I meant it!”.
“Me too!”, Jenny agrees. “Don't send me away, please!”
“Alright, I get it. Thank you. And you, Fiffy? Are you ready to go?” Your childhood friend does not answer.

“Flying… we will be flying...”, he mutters, while the color steadily leaves his features.

“Sophia. You probably know this, but… this is far more dangerous than snuffing out brigands”, says Richard with a worried tone. “Be careful, alright?”
“I will”, you promise him and tightly clutch your staff. “I won't die just yet!”
“Be careful with those kinds of words. Those usually lead to death”. The old knight chuckles slightly. But it is not a happy laugh. “If I was still younger, I would accompany you to keep you safe. But at my age, I am no longer meant to be on a battlefield. Forgive me”.
“We'll be fine”, you reassure him.

“Princess Sophia!”
A man wearing jet-black armor approaches you.

“Commander Anders, it has been a while, has it not?”, Richard asks the man.
“Ah, Sir Richard! It is an honor to see you again!” The Commander bows respectfully before turning to you. “I was informed by His Majesty that I was to pick up someone else before leaving for Norn to reinforce General Cynthia. Am I right in assuming that you will be helping us?”
“That you are, Commander”, you confirm.
“Very well, then please, follow me”, he says. “And do not worry. We have enough room for your companions, as well”.

Jenny happily skips after the man and John follows her. You grab the nearly frozen Finley's arm and pull him along while saying your goodbyes to Richard, who wishes you luck on your assignment. Anders then leads you to the rooftop of the main building, where his soldiers along with their mounts are waiting. Your gaze falls upon the winged animals preparing to take off. One excitedly flaps its wings and lets out a bellowing roar.
“So those are Wyverns?”, Jenny asks. “It's my first time seeing one up close. This is so exciting!”
“Yes, these are Vales' pride and joy”, Anders says, prideful. He approaches a large green beast and strokes its lower jaw. “The ability to ride one takes years to master. And they are very intelligent, thus difficult to tame. Each Wyvern Knight is assigned one mount immediately after enrolling in the Knight's Academy to develop a unique and lasting bond with them”.
“So both rider and mount learn together? Sounds incredibly heartfelt, doesn't it?”, says John, cautious of the Wyverns' fangs.
“Wait, are we supposed to ride these things on our own?”, Finley asks, panicked.
“Hahaha, of course not!” Anders laughs. “Each of you will travel with one of the knights. Would you try to sit on a Wyvern's back with no prior training or time to bond with the animal, it'd throw you off in a heartbeat!” Finley freezes up again.

“We're all ready to leave, Commander”, one soldier informs him.
“Very well, then let's take off. Princess, you are with me. Everyone else, you may choose who to ride with”.
“I want this one!”, Jenny immediately rushes over to a particularly large Wyvern, whose black scales and yellow eyes make it look menacing, yet it seems perfectly calm. The knight helps the girl get on the beast's back, then gets on himself.
“This one seems right up my alley”, says John and approaches the one that excitedly flapped its wings earlier. “Yo, partner!” He jovially greets the knight, who helps him get on.
Finley meanwhile, is escorted by the soldier who reported to Anders earlier to a third Wyvern, while the Commander himself gets on the back of his green one and helps you get on. “Hold on tight, Your Highness”, he asks you in a gentlemanly tone. “We're taking off! Our goal is the capital of Mallas Province; Norn!”

The Wyverns give a roar and take off into the sky. You watch in awe as the castle grows smaller and smaller below you. Though you have worries, you trust that the Commander has the situation under control. You look around at your friends. Jenny seems to have a lot of fun, asking the knight she rides with to do loop-de-loops and barrel rolls in the sky, which he repeatedly denies, while John has his rider engaged in idle conversation.
You spot Finley hanging on for dear life and shaking like mad.

“You seem to be used to this, Your Highness”, says Anders, surprised.
“Well, I have actually flown with a Wyvern before”, you answer. “Cynthia once took me out for a flight some time ago. I was so scared back then...”
“Haha, I imagine”, he says. “Everyone is like that when they first take to the skies, but once you are accustomed to it, there is no better feeling than this”.
His Wyvern bellows, seemingly in agreement. You are surprised at first, but you remember Cynthia telling you that Wyverns are capable of understanding human language, though they cannot speak themselves.

The landscapes of Vales pass by below you, far beneath the clouds.
Everything seems so small from up here. You cannot even make out any people. The wind is cold against your skin and you start freezing a little due to how fast you are going. Commander Anders had ordered his squad to move faster so as to provide reinforcements to Cynthia in a timely manner.

Soon, you see the peaks of the northeastern mountain range extend towards the heavens, a clear sign that you have reached Mallas Province.
“We are landing!”, Anders shouts to his company. His Wyvern complies and starts to descend downwards. Below you, you can see a camp. Other Wyvern Knights are flying above it, most likely scouts, you think. Beyond the camp is a forest and beyond that, you see the city of Norn.

You land just outside the camp amidst other Wyverns, among them one that is about twice as large as the ones you have seen so far. This is Cynthia's Wyvern, you recall, the fastest and strongest in the kingdom, named Vandelhorn. Its silver scales are the ones that gave Cynthia her title of Silver Valkyrie. At least that is how you know the story.

It is now evening. Not that you could tell with the clouds blocking the sun, but you notice that it gets progressively darker.

“We made it”, you say with a sigh of relief as you are happy to have firm ground beneath your feet once more. Though flying was fun, you prefer solid ground. You look around for your companions.
“Aw, I wanted to fly some more...” Jenny looks disappointed. “Oh well… next time!”
She politely says goodbye to the knight who rode with her and comes over to you. “Hey, Sophia! Did you have fun, too?”
“Yeah”, you admit. “But now we should find General Cynthia”.
“Shouldn't be too hard, right?” John says, then he looks behind him. “Come on, kiddo. We're back on solid ground. No need to shake like that anymore”.
All that comes out of Finley's mouth is incoherent stammering.
“Are… are you okay, Fiffy?”, you ask him, but you receive no reply.

“Ah, Commander Anders. I am glad you made it safely”.
“We have come to support you, General!”, Anders says dutifully. “And we brought Her Highness Princess Sophia along, as well as her companions”.
“Sophia?” The woman who was talking to Anders looks to you. She wears black armor with silver adornments as well as a hairband with wing-shaped protrusions on each side, adding to her Valkyrie moniker. In her left hand, she carries a large halberd. “It's been a while, hasn't it?”, she greets you.
“It's nice to see you again, General!”, you greet her.
“I see you brought Finley along”, Cynthia says and looks at him. “I see he is still scared of heights?”
“Very”, you confirm.
“Snap out of it, Finley”. Cynthia's voice startles him back to reality.
“Is… it over?!?”, he asks, in disbelief. “Wait, General Cynthia?!?”
“We really need to work on that”, she says with a sigh, then she notices John and Jenny. “And… I don't think we have been introduced. I am Cynthia Valentina Mallas, the General in charge of this area”.
“My name is John, a humble mercenary. So you're the famed Silver Valkyrie?”.
“And I am Jenny. Nice to meetcha!”.
“'Famed', is it?” Cynthia crosses her arms. “Well, if that is what people are saying about me, I should not object, should I?” A wide smile makes its way to her lips.
“Humble as always, General”, Finley, who has recovered somewhat, quips.
“Anyway, what is the situation, General?”, you ask her. “Father said to come here to support you, so I want to help in any way I can”.
“Very well”, Cynthia says. “I thank you and your companions for being here. For now, please follow me”. She leads your group to a large tent in the middle of camp. In the middle stands a wooden table with a map of the area engraved into it.
The city of Norn as well as the camp's location are distinctly marked with small flags. Some of Cynthia's advisors are also here, as well as Commander Anders, who had gone ahead earlier.

“Let me brief you on our current situation”, she starts as you and your companions take a seat around the table. “As you can see, we are camping on the other side of a forest just beyond Norn”, she says. “The rebels have barricaded themselves inside the city and set up a magical barrier protecting it, which makes siege weapons of our own ineffective. Attacking from the air only leads to getting barraged by ballistae and catapults”.
“These rebels are surprisngly well prepared”, says John.
“Indeed. We estimated their numbers at 10,000 soldiers”, says Cynthia.
“10,000?!?” Your eyes widen in shock. “How are there so many?!?”
“When that soldier talked about a large scale rebellion, he wasn't kidding”, says Jenny.
“There has to be more to this, right?”, Finley asks.
“That is what we thought, as well”. Cynthia nods. “But all we have now are wild speculations based on situational evidence at best”.
“Three rebellions occuring in three separate places at the same time… there is a connection. There has to be”, says John.
“I agree. And unearthing that connection – the reason behind this rebellion, no doubt – is our first priority”, says Cynthia. “We are currently working on a plan to make it happen”.
“What have you done so far?”, you ask.
“We have put the entire area around Norn under surveillance”, Cynthia explains. “No one can go inside the city or come out without one of our aerial patrols noticing. If the three rebel armies are connected to each other, we have effectively cut off their communication”.
“Every little bit helps”, says John. “And? What's your plan to get inside the city to chase them out?”
“That we are still working on”, she says. “Our mages are currently analyzing which magical formula the barrier surrounding the city is made of. Once that is done, we can attempt to attack the walls, but… there are still the ballistae and catapults to consider”.
“Have you tried talking to the rebel leaders?”, Finley asks.
“That is the first thing we attempted”, answers one of the advisors. “But… they aren't willing to negotiate. We sent a messenger to them and… only his head came back. Right after that, they put up the barrier”.
“That's a rather unambiguous message they've sent”. John crosses his arms and puts on a grim expression. “They're out for blood”.
“Diplomacy is out then”. Finley looks troubled. “What else can we do?”
“Our objective is clear”, Cynthia says. “We will take Norn by force and capture the rebel leaders for questioning. But first, we must find a way past that barrier”.
“We could wait for the analysis to finish”, Anders suggests. “If we know how that barrier was made of, we might be able to do something about it on our end”.
“Or we could try to smuggle someone in so that they can take out the barrier from the inside”, Finley says. “Although… I suppose with the barrier there, that's going to be hard, isn't it?”
“Indeed”, says one of the advisors. “So long as that barrier stands, we are unable to enter the city”.
“No, he has a point”, Cynthia says. “All we need is to disguise someone as their ally and lower our surveillance of the city gate a little so as to not raise suspicions.”
“Or you could send your spy in!”, Jenny says.
Everyone looks at her, especially the people who do not know her yet.
“You are a spy?”, Cynthia asks.
“Yup! And a pretty good one, if I may say so! I could use my own magic to disable the barrier in one area and sneak in, even if we don't know how it was made. Then I could take care of it from the inside”.
“You can do that?”, you ask her in shock.
She nods.
“If you can do that, can you disable the entire barrier?”, Finley asks. “That would solve all of our problems at once!”
“Sadly, no”. Jenny shakes her head. “I can only dispel magical barriers at a single point and only for a very short amount of time. It's only enough to get myself or someone else inside of one. I can't disable a barrier that spans an entire city. But I can use that opening to sneak in, find the guy who holds up that barrier and take him out! What do you say, Sophia? Want to leave it to me?”
“Well...”

Leave it to Jenny?
Choice 1: Yes, of course.
Choice 2: No, we should wait until the analysis is finished.
Choice 3: We should disguise someone as a rebel's ally and sneak in that way.
Choice 4: I will do it myself, if Jenny helps me.

Vote for your preferred option in the poll!

As someone who is afraid of heights myself and as someone who always tries to visualize the scenes before writing them, that flight scene actually frightened me. XP
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter and I shall see you in the next one!

[Shrimpica]

28 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

She gives an annoyed sigh. “Do not call me that”.

huh

hmm

100% there is a bad ending here xD

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Choice 4 is 70% a bad ending.

hm

 

let's trust Jenny

 

[DragonFlames]

10 hours ago, Shrimperor said:

huh

hmm

100% there is a bad ending here xD

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Choice 4 is 70% a bad ending.

hm

:sipemoji:

[CustardPudding]

Let's see...

I'm afraid #4 is a bad ending, but I really don't trust Jenny at all, but maybe she'll be better at it? 

Uh...#4 and #3 might lead to bad endings, and #2 seems the safest, but...as much as I don't trust Jenny, I suppose #1. 

[Punished Dayni]

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

And so, you make your decision: “I want to support General Cynthia”.

“Very well”. Elliot nods. “Then I will go and reinforce General Aldric”.
“Which leaves General Ragnar for me”, says Melissa, who looks at you. “This means we will not see each other in a while. Be safe out there, okay?”

So, not the worst choices, but I still have to expect a death.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“You wait in the entrance hall”, she says. “Someone will come to pick you up”.
“What do you mean, mother?”, you ask her.
She gives an annoyed sigh. “Do not call me that”.
Your heart sinks.
“Lucille, my dear, please, refrain from such talk”. Gwendal tries his best to soothe her.
“This is your fault”, the queen's voice is full of venom. “If you had not...” She cuts herself off and gets up. “I am retreating to my quarters. If you will excuse me”. She immediately leaves.

Something's wrong with the mother, but I'm not sure if it's a recent thing or if she's always had issues with the kids. Or if possession.

Then again, what has Gwendal done for her to be mad? This is the question.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“Still, we're sent to suppress a rebellion. We're not doing this for fun”, you remind her. “Which reminds me, this is Vales' business. You two aren't obligated to come along, so...”
“Not this again...” John sighs. “Look, little lady, if you want to get rid of me, just say so. I said I'd stick with ya and I meant it!”.

Jessaber at it again with being too nice.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

You land just outside the camp amidst other Wyverns, among them one that is about twice as large as the ones you have seen so far. This is Cynthia's Wyvern, you recall, the fastest and strongest in the kingdom, named Vandelhorn.

Considering I've been reading Fire and Blood lately, I can't help but think Vandelhorn's like Balerion in comparison to other wyverns.

Less fire though.

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“Have you tried talking to the rebel leaders?”, Finley asks.
“That is the first thing we attempted”, answers one of the advisors. “But… they aren't willing to negotiate. We sent a messenger to them and… only his head came back. Right after that, they put up the barrier”.
“That's a rather unambiguous message they've sent”. John crosses his arms and puts on a grim expression. “They're out for blood”.
“Diplomacy is out then”. Finley looks troubled. “What else can we do?”

23 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

“Yup! And a pretty good one, if I may say so! I could use my own magic to disable the barrier in one area and sneak in, even if we don't know how it was made. Then I could take care of it from the inside”.
“You can do that?”, you ask her in shock.
She nods.
“If you can do that, can you disable the entire barrier?”, Finley asks. “That would solve all of our problems at once!”
“Sadly, no”. Jenny shakes her head. “I can only dispel magical barriers at a single point and only for a very short amount of time. It's only enough to get myself or someone else inside of one. I can't disable a barrier that spans an entire city. But I can use that opening to sneak in, find the guy who holds up that barrier and take him out! What do you say, Sophia? Want to leave it to me?”

Something about this is certainly suspicious, but I have a feeling this ain't quite related to her own aims.

So I might be okay with her involvement.

Screw it, disguise Jenny and John as allies, then she can make moves and have someone who can get her out.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Dayni

[null]

On 6/26/2020 at 4:29 PM, DragonFlames said:

She gives an annoyed sigh. “Do not call me that”.
Your heart sinks.
“Lucille, my dear, please, refrain from such talk”. Gwendal tries his best to soothe her.
“This is your fault”, the queen's voice is full of venom. “If you had not...” She cuts herself off and gets up. “I am retreating to my quarters. If you will excuse me”. She immediately leaves.

Wow. That's rough.

On 6/26/2020 at 4:29 PM, DragonFlames said:

She has always been somewhat aversive to your presence and you were practically raised by your siblings and Richard. Never before were your mother's words so harsh, so biting, though few they may have been.

Wow. Even more rough.

On 6/26/2020 at 4:29 PM, DragonFlames said:

“I will”, you promise him and tightly clutch your staff. “I won't die just yet!”
“Be careful with those kinds of words. Those usually lead to death”. The old knight chuckles slightly.

On 6/26/2020 at 4:29 PM, DragonFlames said:

“If you can do that, can you disable the entire barrier?”, Finley asks. “That would solve all of our problems at once!”
“Sadly, no”. Jenny shakes her head. “I can only dispel magical barriers at a single point and only for a very short amount of time. It's only enough to get myself or someone else inside of one. I can't disable a barrier that spans an entire city. But I can use that opening to sneak in, find the guy who holds up that barrier and take him out! What do you say, Sophia? Want to leave it to me?”
“Well...”

If I say choice 1, Jenny will probably die. I'll go with 2. That's the safest option.

----------

This was a very interesting chapter. Looking forward to the next one!

[DragonFlames]

Thanks for the feedback and the speculations, everybody! Even if I didn't respond to them this time, I still make sure to read them and take them into account when planning future chapters.
So, thank you for your continued support, everybody! It means a lot!

With that said, on to the next chapter! It took a little longer than I would have liked to, since I had like three different endings for it in mind and deciding on one was harder than I thought.
Hope the one I went with is to your tastes!

CYOA - The Dying Kingdom Chapter 13: Spy

You take time to think about your decision. Sending Jenny out on her own might be dangerous. On the other hand, you have seen what she can do. And you are convinced that what she showed in the mines was not the full extent of her abilities. Of course, there is the fact that you don't exactly know how she is going to get past a barrier you don't even know the makeup of. But something tells you that she can do it.

“Okay, Jenny, you can do this”, you tell her.
She smiles brightly. “Alright, leave it to me! I'll go in and get out before anyone notices I'm there!”, she says.

“Can you guarantee that?”, Cynthia asks. “If you fail, you probably won't survive. You are aware of this, I trust?”
“No worries”, Jenny says with confidence.
The general still seems skeptical.
“Let's trust her, General”, Finley says. “I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but I can vouch for her abilities”.
“Me too”, you chime in.
“Very well”. Cynthia finally relents. “I entrust you with this mission. Infiltrate Norn and disable the magical barrier around the city”. You can tell from the tone in her voice that she does not trust Jenny.
“Got it, boss!”, Jenny says. “I'll leave as soon as night falls”.
“Good luck, Jenny!”, you tell her.

---

So she says.
And I have no intention of disappointing her.
As soon as night falls, I leave camp in the direction of the city. It's finally time to show what I can do. “Mission Start”, I murmur to myself as I walk past the guards, who have been informed of the mission. The boss lady, General Cynthia, has ordered for nightly patrols to stay the same so as to not raise any suspicions.

Clouds cover the sky and make it hard to see… Or at least that should be the case but no sooner have I entered the forest and prepared for stumbling around in the dark, I notice that it's strangely bright, even without the moon or stars. When I check for the source of this weird light, I spot that the city is the source of it. It's a faint, blue glow that was nearly invisible during the evening earlier, but now it's pretty conspicuous.

A blue glow… I can almost imagine what this barrier is made of, but I'm far from an expert in magic, so I'll leave that to them.
By the way, the poor fellows are still working in their tent to find out what spell that barrier is made out of. This Cynthia lady must be pretty strict. Or she's just impatient. Either way, she reminds me of my own master, who would let me work day in, day out without breaks…

I hide myself in a shrubbery when I see two guards standing at the city gates. So even with the barrier up, they still have guards posted? They are prepared well, I gotta say. But I relish this challenge. With a smile on my face, I reach for my pouch on my hips and pull out a small ball-shaped object.

“Time for you two to hit the hay”, I murmur and throw the ball between them. A white mist spreads around.
“Hey, what is---?”, I hear one of the guards say before he falls over. The other soon follows.

“Hehe, Sleep Bomb success”.
I wait until the mist subsides before carefully approaching the guards. There could be more around, so I check the walls for any torch that might show, but thankfully, they don't. They must have relied on these two sleepyheads, who are snoring quite loudly.

So, this is the barrier?
I look up at the faint blue glow in front of me, contemplating how to approach this. If I touch it, I'll probably trigger some kind of trap. That is the case at home, too. Every magical barrier is rigged with a trap to prevent folks like me from waltzing in. But, since that is the case, there should be no issue if I do the usual.
First, I focus my magical energy into my hand, then I infuse both of my daggers with it. “Magic be nullified” I murmur as I do this.
I ram one of the daggers into the barrier, which makes a sound like glass shattering. With some difficulty, I can move the dagger and make a rather sizeable tear into the barrier. The other I throw at the city wall right behind the hole I made to scout for traps. To my surprise, there aren't any. Picking up my two daggers, I immediately hide in some shrubbery growing at the walls of the city and check my surroundings. The hole I made into the barrier closes almost immediately after I slip through it.

The coast is clear, so I continue sneaking along the city walls. There, just above me, I spot a window big enough for me to jump into. I think these are for Archers to defend forts with?
I throw one of my knives in first to make sure nobody is on the other side, then I jump after it and immediately invoke my Invisibility. I am now in a rather dark room with a lot of bows and arrows. I pick up my knife and walk out of the room, ending up on the city streets. I release my Invisibility and immediately hide behind some wooden crates as I spot some guards patrolling the streets with torches. Different from the soldiers in the capital Fabunil, these guys have white uniforms. It is safe to say that these are not soldiers of Vales.
Or maybe they are former soldiers who have discarded their old armor for these garbs?
Whatever the case may be, I have to proceed carefully and use my abilities sparingly. I can't risk running out of magical energy before I make it back to camp. The Invisibility as well as the Barrier Breakthrough have already done a number on my stamina. But still, I can't disappoint Sophia now. She and her friends saved me, so I have to repay them. And besides, my good name as a Spy is on the line, too. I cannot – must not - flub this one.

Sneaking through the city is surprisingly easy. There are patrols, yes, but hiding from them is simple enough, even in this place I am unfamiliar with. They must have a lot of faith in their barrier. Or maybe they just don't have spies like me in the royal army normally, so they don't count on them having me around? Old man John called me a thief, and Finley and Sophia also didn't seem to know anything about my abilities before I showed them off, so maybe I'm not too far off with this one.

My target is a particularly large building in the middle of the city. Since I learned that every barrier must have a center somewhere, that seems to be a good place to start looking for it.
The building itself is surrounded by a wall, but climbing over it is no problem at all. The problem is getting inside that building without being noticed. I see guards standing at the front gate. I already used the only Sleep Bomb I had on the ones outside, so I'll need a different approach to get past these two. Since this building is the only one that has guards stationed out front, it must be important somehow. I hope my hunch does not betray me.

The garden area is like a forest, luckily, so I have plenty of places to hide. Gazing into the mansion's windows, I see people at work. Even late at night, they still have tasks to accomplish, it seems.

From my hiding place, I spot a small hole in the side of the wall. Approaching it, I see it is just big enough for me to sneak into. I climb inside. This must be a ventilation shaft for the basement, because it is rather cramped in here. Crawling through it, I realize that someone taller than me would have no chance of going through here. Even I have to be careful not to get stuck or to tear my clothes. Through the holes, I can see multiple people walking around in the corridors. Some complain about their work, others express doubt that this rebellion will succeed. Others lament that they can't go out drinking because of the current situation.

I spot a grid in front of me. This is probably the way in, I think. I take care in removing it without making any sound, then I invoke my Invisibility and jump down. There are multiple people walking through the hallways, each having a conversation with each other, but no one blabs any information that could be useful. Nevertheless, since all the people walking around here have the same white garbs the guards outside are wearing, I have no doubt that this is their base of operations.

I hastily, but carefully make my way to the upper floors, searching for anything that might be the source of the barrier. I have to work fast, I don't have much time left.
I jump into an empty room and release my Invisibility.

“Damn it”, I mutter to myself. “I can't do this much longer...” I feel drained.
My reserve of magical energy is almost entirely used up. Have I overused my powers? No, I just need to rest a bit. I can't give up now.

After my little rest, I make myself invisible again and exit the room.
As fast as I can, I scour the hallways for any hint, before I stop in front of a particularly large door. Something about this door sends a chill down my spine. Or is it the room behind it? Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I open the door just enough to enter the room and immediately hide behind some furniture, as I notice that I am not alone here. I release my Invisibility once more to save energy for when I have to leave again. But I remain ready to turn it back on when necessary.

A man wearing the same uniform as the guards, only with more ornaments, is talking to a woman dressed in an elegant white robe. Next to the woman are five of the white-clad figures that killed the leader of the bandits. Another chill runs down my spine. That woman has an almost otherworldly aura to her. Those figures give off that same feeling.

I should not have come here. I should not be here.

The weird figures are silent as the woman discusses with the man. No doubt these two are the leaders of the rebellion. Even though the fear is paralyzing, I stay and listen.

“And you are sure the plan works out as intended?”, the man asks, skeptically.
“Of course. All you need to do, is to keep the royal army occupied”, the woman answers him.
Her voice sounds almost as otherworldly as she appears. It is a voice that sounds as if Heaven itself was speaking. Men would probably fall in love with this voice just from hearing it. And even I cannot deny that it possesses a certain pull. Dangerous, yet inviting.

“We have that taken care of”, says the man with pride. But I can tell that he, too, fears the woman in front of him. “They will never be able to break the barrier around the city. And we have enough supplies to last for at least two months, should they decide to put us under siege”.

“Very good”, the woman says. “I am glad to have such… reliable allies”.
“Of course! Our reasons may differ, but our goal is the same. King Gwendal must not sit on the Valessian throne any longer!”
“Indeed”. The woman giggles. “I have waited long for this moment”.
“Just to make sure… you have not forgotten about our agreement, yes?”, the man asks, albeit hesitantly.
“Of course not. Once King Gwendal has fallen and his cursed bloodline is eliminated, I will see to it that the Duchy of Mallas is restored to its former glory… with you as its leader, Duke Victor.”
The man named Victor nods. “You have my sincerest gratitude”, he says. “You can rest assured that the former duchies of Mallas, Calidon, and Harmun have your back, milady”.
“I know”, the woman says then gestures towards the strange white figures. “Should worse comes to worst, I permit you to use these. They have proven themselves capable to effortlessly slaughter Valessian soldiers five years ago. And… they are very well suited to sniffing out rats, as well”.

My blood suddenly freezes. All my nerves are set ablaze.
Have I been found out? Have they discovered that I'm here? I have to get away. I rush out through the door I came in from, finding the white figures hot on my trail.

“Who are you?!?” The guards spot me. I am surrounded.

“Hee-hee-hee-hee”
I hear their shrill laughter. Just like back then. Just like in those caves.

The guards grab me, as the white figures come closer and closer. The woman as well.
“You did well in sneaking in”, her voice is monotone, hinting at no emotion. Her eyes glow an ominous amber color. This woman… is not human. I am convinced of that. “But I am afraid your little trip ends here”, she continues. She lightly touches my face with her dainty fingers, traveling downward to my neck. “Such a shame. You are so beautiful, after all. But you are not the one I am looking for...”
I feel my consciousness slowly fading away. It is as if my life itself is getting sucked out by her. I grow weaker every second she has her hand on my. My vision blurs.
I let fear get the better of me. I reacted too soon. I should have stayed hidden. And now I pay the price. I thought I was prepared for it, but now that it actually happens, I'm scared.
I guess… I was a failure after all.

Master… Sophia...

I'm sorry…

---

“Jenny is back!”
You hear Finley's voice. You immediately rush in that direction and see your childhood friend carrying the girl on his back. When you get closer, you see that she has her eyes closed and is not moving at all.

“What happened to her?”, you ask, panicked.

“I don't know”, Finley shakes his head. “I found her while I was patrolling the forest for General Cynthia. She was just lying there...”

“No...” You look at Jenny. Her skin is unnaturally pale.
Your body starts shaking as you accompany Finley while he carries her to the medical tent. There, a black-robed Priest tells him to put her in one of the beds.

You tightly clutch your staff as you watch the priest examine the girl. Finley stands next to you, and John enters the tent shortly afterwards.
“What happened?”, he asks, his voice subdued as he spots the girl lying in bed.
“We don't know”. Finley shakes his head. “She was just… lying out there in the forest. Her body was cold. I brought her back, but… I don't know if she's still...”
“She's alive!”, you yell at him. “She has to be! She has to...”

The priest gets up and approaches you. “You are friends with this girl, yes?”, he asks.
You immediately nod.
“Her heart is still beating”.
His words lift a huge weight off of your shoulders.
“But… as strange as it may sound, her life energy is almost completely gone”, he continues.

“What? How?” John asks, puzzled.
The priest shakes his head. “I do not know”, he says. “It's almost as if… it was completely drained from her body by someone or something else”.
“Could it be because she used too much magic?”, you ask, remembering reading in a book about how magic is cast with a human's innate life force.
“There are traces of a slight overuse of magic, yes, but… no human being could conceivably use that much magic that they'd end up in this state”, the priest says. “Humans have the unique ability to be constantly regenerating their own life energy, which they can then convert into magical energy with enough talent for it. That is how magic is used, after all”.
He turns back to Jenny.

“But in her case, there is almost too little left for the regeneration process”, he says. “She's still alive for now, but… I'm afraid she won't see tomorrow. I'm sorry”.
“Can't you do anything?”, you ask him, desperate.
The priest shakes his head. “No”, he says, his voice sad. “The only one who had the ability to is long gone”.
“Grandma...”, you whisper and clutch your staff even more tightly.

“Sophia, I know how you always loved my staff. You can have it if you like. Promise you will use it well”.

Your grandmother's final words suddenly cross your mind. She was able to bring people back from near death. That was her unique power. But it was not her power alone that enabled her to do so. You know that there is a vast amount of magical energy contained within the staff she gave to you. She always put some in it after using it to supplement her own later. If only you could make use of those reserves. If only you had the ability to do what she did. Then maybe…

“We should report this to General Cynthia”, says Finley with a sad tone in his voice. “Are you coming along, too?”
“I...”

What will you do?

Choice 1: Stay with Jenny.
Choice 2: Go with Finley.

Vote for your preferred option in the poll.
Next chapter will be a Gaiden chapter. I'll see you then!

Edited June 29, 2020 by DragonFlames

[Punished Dayni]

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

As soon as night falls, I leave camp in the direction of the city. It's finally time to show what I can do. “Mission Start”, I murmur to myself as I walk past the guards, who have been informed of the mission. The boss lady, General Cynthia, has ordered for nightly patrols to stay the same so as to not raise any suspicions.

It's Jenny time.

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I hide myself in a shrubbery when I see two guards standing at the city gates. So even with the barrier up, they still have guards posted? They are prepared well, I gotta say. But I relish this challenge. With a smile on my face, I reach for my pouch on my hips and pull out a small ball-shaped object.

“Time for you two to hit the hay”, I murmur and throw the ball between them. A white mist spreads around.
“Hey, what is---?”, I hear one of the guards say before he falls over. The other soon follows.

“Hehe, Sleep Bomb success”.

Cue the music!

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Different from the soldiers in the capital Fabunil, these guys have white uniforms. It is safe to say that these are not soldiers of Vales.
Or maybe they are former soldiers who have discarded their old armor for these garbs?

Or Vales was a country where different regions tended to deal with their own armour, which I'm going to doubt is canon but would be more common in reality.

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

A man wearing the same uniform as the guards, only with more ornaments, is talking to a woman dressed in an elegant white robe. Next to the woman are five of the white-clad figures that killed the leader of the bandits. Another chill runs down my spine. That woman has an almost otherworldly aura to her. Those figures give off that same feeling.

I should not have come here. I should not be here.

The weird figures are silent as the woman discusses with the man. No doubt these two are the leaders of the rebellion. Even though the fear is paralyzing, I stay and listen.

“And you are sure the plan works out as intended?”, the man asks, skeptically.
“Of course. All you need to do, is to keep the royal army occupied”, the woman answers him.
Her voice sounds almost as otherworldly as she appears. It is a voice that sounds as if Heaven itself was speaking. Men would probably fall in love with this voice just from hearing it. And even I cannot deny that it possesses a certain pull. Dangerous, yet inviting.

Sophia when she inevitably meets this one.

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The guards grab me, as the white figures come closer and closer. The woman as well.
“You did well in sneaking in”, her voice is monotone, hinting at no emotion. Her eyes glow an ominous amber color. This woman… is not human. I am convinced of that. “But I am afraid your little trip ends here”, she continues. She lightly touches my face with her dainty fingers, traveling downward to my neck. “Such a shame. You are so beautiful, after all. But you are not the one I am looking for...”
I feel my consciousness slowly fading away. It is as if my life itself is getting sucked out by her. I grow weaker every second she has her hand on my. My vision blurs.
I let fear get the better of me. I reacted too soon. I should have stayed hidden. And now I pay the price. I thought I was prepared for it, but now that it actually happens, I'm scared.

That does mean she's likely looking for Sophia, whose bloodline she has an issue with. There's something there for sure.

Than again, I was reading a murder mystery and kinda got carried away on one character being the murderer, but it turned out he wasn't involved. Despite the fact that it made a ton of sense for him to be part of it. It also didn't help that the (one of the) actual murderer gets to give contradictory evidence for the whole book and I certainly saw no hint as to the truth until he confessed the lot to the protagonist. And got to walk with no consequence. I may have been a bit annoyed at the lack of consequence for him specifically, but hey it reads like sequel to me.

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I'm sorry…

---

“Jenny is back!”
You hear Finley's voice. You immediately rush in that direction and see your childhood friend carrying the girl on his back. When you get closer, you see that she has her eyes closed and is not moving at all.

ALERT ALERT JENNY SHOULD NOT BE BROUGHT BACK

3 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

The priest gets up and approaches you. “You are friends with this girl, yes?”, he asks.
You immediately nod.
“Her heart is still beating”.
His words lift a huge weight off of your shoulders.
“But… as strange as it may sound, her life energy is almost completely gone”, he continues.

Well too late and chances are she might not be able to be saved. That sucks, I had been thinking she should go with John before, but alas.

Regardless, based on that ending I know I'm picking 1.

[DragonFlames]

12 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Cue the music!

I was waiting for an inevitable Mission Impossible theme joke, as that one went through my head the entire time when writing this.
Yours was the more creative choice by far. XD

13 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Or Vales was a country where different regions tended to deal with their own armour, which I'm going to doubt is canon but would be more common in reality.

Very true.

14 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Sophia when she inevitably meets this one.

I know that sound effect, but I didn't know it was from Kill Bill.

15 minutes ago, Dayni said:

Than again, I was reading a murder mystery and kinda got carried away on one character being the murderer, but it turned out he wasn't involved. Despite the fact that it made a ton of sense for him to be part of it. It also didn't help that the (one of the) actual murderer gets to give contradictory evidence for the whole book and I certainly saw no hint as to the truth until he confessed the lot to the protagonist. And got to walk with no consequence. I may have been a bit annoyed at the lack of consequence for him specifically, but hey it reads like sequel to me.

Sounds interesting! What was the book called if you don't mind me asking?

[Punished Dayni]

7 minutes ago, DragonFlames said:

Sounds interesting! What was the book called if you don't mind me asking?

Tombland.

(I'll just put the rest in spoilers. I'm avoiding actual spoilers, but it's a bit long and wholly off topic.

Spoiler

It's part of a series of period mystery novels (unsurprisingly most of the mysteries involve murder) in a mostly consistent to reality Tudor England following a lawyer though different events (consistently trying to solve some case or a problem that arises relating to these events) in the 1530s to at this point end of 1540s. The protagonist has a physical disability (he's a hunchback) and this is an aspect that follows him throughout the series. It's also got a pretty solid supporting cast, I tend to find it a thick text but not overwhelming (He at least doesn't try to write it like it's the 1500s, we would all die trying to read it) and he likes to discuss the context behind which he makes the choices that he does for the historical events which is a nice little thing with each book (For this one it was 50 pages and considering the historical events were new to me I would say I learned something)

(There a bunch I could say relating to the author and his thought process with this series: he like the protagonist is a lawyer and his own writing of certain historical figures reveals his own opinions even if he's not so bad as to paint someone glowingly. Course my main issues with this stuff stem from a different book he wrote that I'm still miffed about.)

Course, coming into the book I felt that the previous book felt like the way to end the series, bitter as it was and that this, the seventh book, was unnecessary (It also had the longest gap between books at 4 years). I do prefer this book to the previous one though, partly because it takes a swing down a whole other route which I generally liked. Of course taking that swing means the initial mystery takes a back seat, which I think was a poor choice. There's also other bits and character interactions I would criticise (and one fucking yikes moment that is really not safe for.... honestly just about anyone to read).

[CustardPudding]

So...I don't trust Jenny. I'm afraid that if we revive her, she'll kill us or something. So...

I'm just going to pick Finley. 

[null]

13 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

So she says.
And I have no intention of disappointing her.
As soon as night falls, I leave camp in the direction of the city. It's finally time to show what I can do. “Mission Start”, I murmur to myself as I walk past the guards, who have been informed of the mission. The boss lady, General Cynthia, has ordered for nightly patrols to stay the same so as to not raise any suspicions.

I really like the change in perspective to Jenny and how you wrote her thoughts throughout the mission.

13 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

I feel my consciousness slowly fading away. It is as if my life itself is getting sucked out by her. I grow weaker every second she has her hand on my. My vision blurs.
I let fear get the better of me. I reacted too soon. I should have stayed hidden. And now I pay the price. I thought I was prepared for it, but now that it actually happens, I'm scared.
I guess… I was a failure after all.

Master… Sophia...

I'm sorry…

You really had me going there. Her last words were just like a death quote in FE.

13 hours ago, DragonFlames said:

Your grandmother's final words suddenly cross your mind. She was able to bring people back from near death. That was her unique power. But it was not her power alone that enabled her to do so. You know that there is a vast amount of magical energy contained within the staff she gave to you. She always put some in it after using it to supplement her own later. If only you could make use of those reserves. If only you had the ability to do what she did. Then maybe…

Time to activate the healing magic!

-------------

Great chapter! Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next! couldn't resist using this emoji

[DragonFlames]

17 hours ago, Dayni said:

Tombland.

(I'll just put the rest in spoilers. I'm avoiding actual spoilers, but it's a bit long and wholly off topic.

  Reveal hidden contents

It's part of a series of period mystery novels (unsurprisingly most of the mysteries involve murder) in a mostly consistent to reality Tudor England following a lawyer though different events (consistently trying to solve some case or a problem that arises relating to these events) in the 1530s to at this point end of 1540s. The protagonist has a physical disability (he's a hunchback) and this is an aspect that follows him throughout the series. It's also got a pretty solid supporting cast, I tend to find it a thick text but not overwhelming (He at least doesn't try to write it like it's the 1500s, we would all die trying to read it) and he likes to discuss the context behind which he makes the choices that he does for the historical events which is a nice little thing with each book (For this one it was 50 pages and considering the historical events were new to me I would say I learned something)

(There a bunch I could say relating to the author and his thought process with this series: he like the protagonist is a lawyer and his own writing of certain historical figures reveals his own opinions even if he's not so bad as to paint someone glowingly. Course my main issues with this stuff stem from a different book he wrote that I'm still miffed about.)

Course, coming into the book I felt that the previous book felt like the way to end the series, bitter as it was and that this, the seventh book, was unnecessary (It also had the longest gap between books at 4 years). I do prefer this book to the previous one though, partly because it takes a swing down a whole other route which I generally liked. Of course taking that swing means the initial mystery takes a back seat, which I think was a poor choice. There's also other bits and character interactions I would criticise (and one fucking yikes moment that is really not safe for.... honestly just about anyone to read).

Interesting, interesting. Thanks for telling me about it!
If I get the opportunity, I'll probably give it a read!

15 hours ago, CustardPudding said:

So...I don't trust Jenny. I'm afraid that if we revive her, she'll kill us or something. So...

I'm just going to pick Finley. 

Poor Jenny. XD

8 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

I really like the change in perspective to Jenny and how you wrote her thoughts throughout the mission.

You really had me going there. Her last words were just like a death quote in FE.

Time to activate the healing magic!

-------------

Great chapter! Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Thank you! ^^

8 hours ago, twilitfalchion said:

couldn't resist using this emoji

That's a cute emoji!
Welcome to the Nep.

[Shrimpica]

Jenny no!

Well, let's hope miracle staff can work...

 

Also Boss Lady reminds me of FE7 dude whatshisname, for some reason. Maybe due to sucking life energy and stuff...

 

Also is that even Jenny, i actually wonder..

[DragonFlames]

17 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Also Boss Lady reminds me of FE7 dude whatshisname, for some reason. Maybe due to sucking life energy and stuff...

Nergal?
"Give me your Quintessence! Bwahahahaha! I'm so evil".
I hope this Boss Lady will be better than Nergal, at least.

19 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

Also is that even Jenny, i actually wonder..

Who knows?