Light

Don't Forget Me

<Snipped quote by Light>

I can say that it's a gritty sci-fi adventure, think of it like cowboy bebop, The Expanse, fire fly for inspiration.

As for the mystery, you'll have to find out.

@LanaStorm

So we should stick to mundane humans for our characters, no special powers or crazy augments or anything?

Don't Forget Me

This has big Scum & Villainy vibes and I'm here for it. Sign me up.

Is there an element of the supernatural here? Xenologic lifeforms? Advanced sci-fi tech? Any form of magic or "the force" adjacent stuff? Or is it all down-to-earth gritty gunplay?

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

Hopefully this week's page isn't too small. Some moments of dialog can require more frequent choices on Verity's part.

But what is cool is a special option that is available: Advantage! Advantage options are for when you have the upper hand specifically because of something specific that you have or chose in the past. This time around, the fact that Verity is a rouge who has already shown on screen that she is very quick on the draw will help her greatly should you all choose Start a fight.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> "Fair travels as well, what do you need?" <

---

Your pace slowed as the driver called to you, coming to a stop before you could pass them fully. Aika managed another step or two beyond you before she realized you were stopping, catching herself before she wandered too far away from you. You could feel her quizzical eye on you as you looked up at the driver to reply. "Fair travels as well," you replied in kind. "I think we could spare a moment, what do you need?" Your eyes glanced back and forth between the members of the caravan, especially as those on foot drew a bit closer. As they coagulated on this side of the carriage, it began to feel more and more like you were being surrounded.

"Well, you see," the driver unfurled one hand from the horse's reigns, using their wrist to gesticulate their speech. "We've been on the road for quite some time now, and while the next town over is not too far ahead, I'm afraid we've come up a bit short on funds for food and a place to stay. We would greatly appreciate if you two could spare us just enough to get by, out of the kindness of your hearts, of course." Were it not for the obvious posture of the swordsmen that flanked you, you might have felt this driver was at least somewhat genuine in their request. You opened your mouth to reply, but Aika threw in a comment that would wrap everyone up onto the same page quite nicely.

"Usually highwaymen are the ones attacking a wagon, not riding it to rob folks on foot," she pointed out with a smug grin on her face- one that told your possible assailants that she was all too aware of their con artistry.

It didn't seem like her quip was very amusing to them, though, and the hoodless swordsman flicked his cloak to the side and laid his hand on his blade in a similar readiness. Quicker than any weapon could be drawn, the driver shook their head in attempt to make one more plea. "Your words burn me, even up here in these cold mountains," However, their voice took a darker tone as they laid an ultimatum before you. "Surely you don't think that you'd be able to do anything about it, if you were to be outnumbered two-to-one and unburdened of all your coin, no?" With that, they held their hand out to you expectantly.

"Don't make this painful on yourself, now."

---

• Hand over your gold.

• Try to strike a deal with the caravan crew.

• Start a fight.
[Write in: Choose your first target]
[Advantage: Rogueish agility]

• Try to flee.
[Write in: Choose backward toward the village, or forward down the mountain path]

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

It might not be the safest, but I say:

• "Fair travels as well, what do you need?"

@Garth

Welcome! Thanks for popping in and voting!

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Take the direct route past the carriage. <

---

With a bed and breakfast already taken care of, and a hint of urgency in your plans, the detour of a nearby village seemed largely unnecessary. A nod away from the town as you looked to your traveling companion resulted in an agreeing nod up and down from her, and you picked up your pace slightly to continue on your trip. The fork in the road was left behind as you traveled south-west, meaning that- should you keep to the path- there was no way to avoid crossing paths with the carriage. Then again, the surrounding mountain side was pure white and very fluffy. Even two humans on foot stuck out like a sore thumb in the otherwise visually featureless landscape, especially with the dark blue cape that Aika kept clasped around her.

As you approached the wagon and the people accompanying it, your view of them became more clear than a few faceless figures in the distance. Drawn by one horse, the slightly under-average sized caravan had a tarp of beige fabric covering its contents, stretched over the back with lumpy shapes of several objects beneath. One figure sat atop the wagon's front seat, bundled up tight against the frigid weather and the horse's reigns clasped in their mitts. A scarf covered too much of their face to ascribe much to their appearance, beyond a rather mundane set of brown eyes that peeked at you from between this scarf and a wool cap. To the sides of the wagon marched three more in long dark green cloaks covering their bodies. Two of them had their hoods pulled up, the one without instead sporting an open-faced helmet. At about waist level of all three of them, you could see the signature shape of a sword's scabbard underneath their cloaks.

You saw a slight shift in the corner of your eye, and taking a glance revealed that Aika had once again rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, in the same precaution she took when she had met you. The crunching of snow from the many footsteps among your pair and their group culminated as you ended up face to face with them. There was width enough along the road to simply move to the side and walk beside them, but even as you began to do so, the driver of the wagon called out to you.

"Fair travels, you two," the medium toned voice spoke in the local tongue, but with an accent similar to yours. The owner of this voice flicked their wrist, signaling the horse before them to stop. "Might you have a moment?"

---

• "Fair travels as well, what do you need?"

• "Out of our way. We don't want any trouble."

• Ignore the caravan crew and keep walking.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> "We should rest for the rest of the night." <

---

"I'm all for raising a drink to adventure but," you began as you lifted your mead to join the others above the table. You spoke again with a sigh, finally letting your fatigue catch up to you. "I'm beat. My legs are killing me Aika." You looked up at her as she half stood across the table in readiness to run out the door, the glint of adventure in her eye hesitating for a moment. "There's no way I could make it down this mountain tonight, unless I just lean off a cliff and roll all the way down," you cracked a tired smile along with your joke, which seemed to land rather well among your company here. "Ahh, of course. Tonight is the night of getting-ahead-of-myself, it would seem," Aika replied with a smirk of her own. With a mutual agreement on the matter, you both turned your attention to Umildraen expectantly.

Post-toast, his face was deep in the mug before he realized that he was now the center of attention. He looked a tad flustered as he rushed to finish his drink and reply. "Well, if it's a place to lay yer head yer lookin' fer, then look no further," he set his mug down and stood up. "Any proper mountain-guide worth his beard's got an extra cot or two layin' around for exactly this!" With his hands triumphantly on his hips, he expected some sort of awe-filled acknowledgement, but with the night growing longer and longer, he was only rewarded with two slightly amused looks veiled in readiness for rest. He cleared his throat and turned to the door behind him with a slight hustle. "Er- th'guest room's right through here," he said as he opened the way. "Make yerselves at home, an' we'll send ye off in the mornin'." With that, he made his way around the table to a door on the other side, and excused himself off to bed.

With the promise of a good night's sleep ahead of you, you and your new ally wasted no time packing it in as well.

---

In the unobscured sunlight, the snow was nearly blinding as you and Aika stepped out into the world beyond the cozy cabin on the mountainside. It wasn't much warmer than it was last night either, the only saving grace being that it wasn't currently snowing to make the wind even worse. The dwarf behind you waved you off with another wish of safe travels as you bid your good byes and took to the narrow path that led up here from the world below. At the least, the soreness in your legs from dealing with that troll last night seemed to be gone.

The whirling breeze kept the silence of the hike at bay, with the singular path leading the way down the mountain. The road slightly-more-travelled here was visible mostly because it simply had less snow than the area around it, enough that you could move along it without having to trudge though the stuff. As you moved along though, turning around a cliff face revealed to you a split in the path. From your altitude, you could see quite well down each, enough to see more immediately where they led.

To the south-east, the road you were more familiar with on your way up here was certainly the most direct route back home, it would bring you ever closer to the Daldon-Geland border at the base of the mountain in about another day's travel. Further down this road, you could see a carriage of some kind, accompanied by several humanoid figures walking with it, heading west towards you.

Directly south, the road steepened toward a small village. It would only take a few minutes to make your way down to it from here, and seemed to be the mostly likely destination for the carriage, but it was out of the way compared to the other route.

---

• Take the direct route past the carriage.

• Take the detour towards the village.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

@Guardian Angel Haruki No worries.

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

> Give Aika the chance to reply first. <

---

In your head, you knew the answer to Umildraen's question. At least- you knew it according to Gelish legend. What you and Aika had discussed before the dragon was indeed the tale passed down in the wake of the Golden War, a dark and bloody three years where Minervan forces sought to conquer the lands that would later become the Gelish provinces of Vatiir, Cesbury, and central Geland. On the eve of what historians now mark as the Second Era, Syr Roethel Geland led humanity to victory against the dragons, defeating Minerva's greatest general Frindiath atop the Prismatic Spire in the city of Albrigh, and capturing her son Zorkuth as a prisoner of war. A temple dedicated to his name certainly seemed like a plausible place to house Zorkuth, and in seeing the body of one silver dragon did little to dismiss the story either. However- to comment beyond common knowledge- you felt that it was not your mission to speak of. You did vouch for seeking aid, but was Umildraen the right person to ask for help? Divulging the truth of the temple here would ultimately be Aika's call.

You turned your attention to her, directing Umildraen to do the same. She seemed to share the same longing for wonder, travel and adventure that your host did, as her eyes were as glazed as his as he spun the tale of the blue knights. When it came time for her to reply though, she shook herself right and leaned over her stew one more time before speaking. "Well," she began, slowly pausing to buy herself more time to decide. "I suppose it's a rumor everyone knows about, isn't it? That- and you've been nothing but kind and helpful to us so," she reasoned out her choice- more to herself it seemed than to him. "Yes, it's true. Zorkuth himself rests within the temple's inner chamber- or rather- his corpse does."

Umildraen almost leapt out of his seat at this news, bellowing a mighty "Har har! I knew it! In m'heart o'hearts, it just had to be so!" He cleared his throat and sat back down, regaining his composure and eyeing Aika intently. "Ye say it'was his corpse, though? Ain't dragons supposed to live ferever? Unless somethin' kills 'em, that is..." his question turned into an inward wondering, and with a gasp he almost shot back up again. "Oh m'gods! Did someone come along an' kill Zorkuth?! Who'd even be strong enough to do that?! Huhh, perhaps t'blue knights did him in..." He seemed to be getting carried away again, spinning into his own theories.

You and Aika both shrugged in unison, and you took a turn to speak up. "We don't know. There didn't seem to be any wounds on his body from what we could tell. It was almost like he was just sleeping," you explained. "It's been so long since the Golden War, too. Maybe dragon's aren't immortal?" It was your turn to wonder out loud, but Aika shook her head side to side in retort. "I've never heard of a dragon that only lives two-thousand years. Even if Zorkuth was born before the Golden War, he didn't look terribly ancient up in the temple. It's strange indeed, which brings me to uhh- well- the reason we're even here having this conversation," she pushed her now empty bowl towards the center of the table and looked to the dwarf. "My master tasked me with finding out exactly everything we just told you. I need to return to Geland and give him the news of- Zorkuth's death- it would seem. In the event that we must return here, can we count on your guidance up in these mountains?"

"Aye," Umilraen replied, hoisting his mug into the air. "Hikin' these peaks is m'livelihood, after all. I'll hike ye anywhere yer itchin' to go."

"Excellent," Aika smiled, lifting her mug to join him. She turned to you, the look of ambition in her eyes. "What say you, then? Let's hit the road, we've got a long way to go and important news to carry, yeah?"

---

• "Agreed, let's get a head-start."

• "We should rest for the rest of the night."

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

<Snipped quote by MercuryHg34>

Actually, Aika did identify the dragon is Zorkuth earlier... ^^"

<Snipped quote by Light>

@Guardian Angel Haruki

I'd guess you don't want to vote "We don't know" then, @Guardian Angel Haruki?

And also would this change how you want to vote @MercuryHg34?