The "Best" RPG Ever-61

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Zack and Katherine returned with two borrowed books, and the catgirl mentally "invited" Nora down to the house's library help put them somewhere someone would be likely to remember to renew or return them. Of course, there was a more important reason to get her in the same room as them.

You really think that will work? the elf thought.

Of course. The best lies are mostly truth. Anyway, we've been gaining new information through these dreams this whole time—or, everyone but me has anyway—so it's not a big stretch to say that a couple of new skills got unlocked.

And this guy seems friendly enough with you that it would sorta make sense for the 'wolf' one to show up, Zack added, mentally indicated the wolf who had started following him as soon as he got inside.

I am a little worried about the follow-up questions. Whether we need to go get a pet cat or something...

The answer is 'maybe' anyway, Katherine replied. We don't really even know what the other hidden skills tied to that one are, much less the requirements for unlocking them. Maybe one of them is 'tree spirit' and you can't very well expect that to require petting a tree or tree-person, after all.

The books were marked and put away by now; they sat down for a moment. The catgirl noted, You still seem pretty nervous.

I admit I know from experience that I am an extremely poor liar, Nora said.

That's why you're telling just us about it now. Seeing the wolf reminded you about the weird dream and the skills that revealed themselves afterward, and now you're trying the active one out to see what it actually does, Katherine said, giving a sly grin and waving a hand slightly in the elf's direction.

Oh, kaaay...? She shifted into the part-wolf form, looking mildly confused about where this was going.

There. Now Zack and I can do all the talking. You know how to lie, right? she thought, mentally nudging the wolf-girl.

Yeah, yeah. The bigger of a deal we make of this the more obvious it is something's up, though, he thought back.

Maybe it should just be me, then...

---

"I have some land picked out that should work. A couple of unsafe old buildings need tearing down anyway, and once the debris is gone there will be plenty of room. However, it's still covered in red tape," said the Captain. She had finally been back in her office once Rose came back from eating lunch.
"Oh.." The dragon-girl at least understood that as far as 'not yet'.
"You don't think I would have mentioned it to you this morning if it was ready?" she added.

"Well, um. I-it slipped my mind so I didn't know whether you'd forgotten too, is all," Rose said nervously.
"The legal part should be sorted by tomorrow," she said with a clear, slightly annoyed emphasis on 'should', "and the demolition may take a day or two after that. Regardless, I intend to inform you as soon as possible once everything is ready."
"Okay. Thank you!" she said, brighening up again.

The Captain nodded. "If that's all?" she said, glancing briefly in Mira's direction.

"Just moral support here," said the witch, standing up and nodding to Rose. "Let's leave her to her work, hmn?"
"Oh. Sure. Um, sorry," said Rose, standing up herself.
"It's no trouble. You've been an important ally of this town since before we even know you existed," said the Captain. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Will do~!"

Outside of the guardhouse, Mira said, "Honestly, she seemed nicer than usual just now. But maybe it's just being serious about your being an ally and all."
"I thought she was just always nice," said Rose, frowning slightly in confusion. "Is she mean to everyone else?"
"Weeellll...she is nice. Just, usually it's a meaner kind of nice." The witch shrugged, leading the way back to the house. "Maybe she's just in a good mood for some reason."
"Ooh! Do you—" Rose paused and pointedly waited until there wasn't someone nearby. "Do you think she had lunch with someone?" she said at an almost-whisper. "Like, with someone?"

"Come on, that's not the only reason for someone to be in a good mood. Anyway, it wouldn't be nice to spread a rumor like that around," said Mira quietly.

"R-right. But still!"

"Just think about it. What kind of person would a human 'cursed with immortality' even be interested in? Or—who would willingly keep something like that about one of the most important people in town a secret?"

"I dunno...buuuut...."

"I think we're reading too much into the slightest hint of friendliness from her," said Mira. "Better to just drop the whole thing."

"Okay, okay."

"Now then..." By now they were at the town door to the house; Mira used her key to open it, and waved the dragon-girl through. "In we go."
"Mm-hm!"

---

Rast was suitably impressed by Lynn's outfit. He blushed shyly and talked a little nervously when he first saw it, and told her how beautiful she looked in it five or six times over lunch until she said: "Okay okay, it's getting embarrassing at this point!" Besides that, she thought, it was so cute she was going to get flustered soon.

"Uh, sorry miss Lynn. Just, when I really look at you it's hard to come up with somethin' else to say."

"Well, don't feel like you have to talk nonstop. We can always just enjoy each other's company," she said with a small wink. He blushed, looked away, and laughed nervously at that, all of which was just adorable.

Outside of the restaurant, he looked around nervously for a moment or two, inadvertently making it very clear there was something he wanted to say, so she waited patiently for him to build up the courage. "Uh, you know, if you're not too busy today..I still have a few hours off. We could, see a play if you wanted to,"/ he said.

"Well..sure," she said after thinking about not for long. She hadn't realized there were plays on anywhere, although it basically made sense. The knowledge that they existed made her instantly curious how drama had progressed in this world, compared to that of various cultures back on Earth. "Next thing I have planned isn't until tonight. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"Err, not p'rticularly. Just...thought we might see what was on, if anything looked good."
"Well, lead the way then."

There was a building with a few small stages, a play going on each that afternoon. Since she obviously didn't recognize any of the titles, Lynn just went with Rast's first recommendation. It seemed to be a historical drama, maybe a little like what one Shakespeare's would look minus the centuries of idolization and imitation by surrounding culture. The more interesting things to note were the use of actual magic when the characters were supposed to be casting it, as well as for "special effects" in general.

Outside, Rast looked around a little nervously. "Uh, so what'd you think, miss Lynn?" he said. "I'm sure you've seen better 'n we have around here, but.."
"I'm not that great a judge of acting, but I think it was a good show," she said.

"You ain't?" he said, seeming surprised.

"I'm a trick shooter. As performances go, that's pretty far off from acting."
"I just thought, since you've been all over, you mighta seen plays by some more famous actors, or in the bigger stages they got in those cities there," he said.
That sounded like something Lynn certainly would have done in this world, which stalled her for just a second. "Well, true, but...fame is overrated," she said, recovering. "Real talent shines no matter how little exposure it has. And a big budget can motivate people to work harder sometimes, but it can't hide an overall poor or uninspired production."

"Awful wise words."

"I dunno about that. It just seems obvious after seeing enough," she said.

By now they had stopped off on a less-busy part of the street, across from the entrance to the playhouse. Rast put a hand behind his head, scratching at it. "Gods, Lynn, I..I sure would like to see as much as you have someday. I just lived in this one frontier town my whole life. This place'll always be my home, I couldn't bear the idea of never comin' back this way, but..I'd just like to go 'round the whole world someday and see what all there is with my own eyes."

"I'd say go for it if you can," she said. "It's definitely not easy, but it's worth it."

After looking at each other for a minute or so—which part of her mind informed her should be awkward, but it wasn't—Rast finally said, "Well, I gotta get back to work pretty soon. It uh, it's sure been nice, bein' with you for a while, though..."

"Heheh," Lynn giggled lightly, and pulled herself up and forward, pulling her arms around him and her head against his for a kiss, which was quicky reciprocated. This one was a little longer and more intense than earlier ones, and ended with both of them still holding on and panting slightly.

"Y-you're uh.." Rast fumbled incoherently.
"Hey," Lynn replied, reaching up a hand to run through his hair a bit. "You just let me know when you want to go on another date, alright?"
"Oh! S-sure," he said, blushing furiously.

"Great! Now, I think I can feel a few people staring," she said more quietly, gently pulling herself out and back down off of her tiptoes. "So, I'll see you again soon."

"'C-course you will," he said, nodding.

---

"Well, this is pretty neat," said Rayna, looking at Nora's "wolf" form. "Your stats even change. If you need more physical endurance or strength that'd be the way to go. Say, it still lists your race as 'elf' even though you really don't look much like one that way..."

"Does this mean you know what all those mystery skills are, now?" said Aria.

"Um, no...j-just these two. However, s-since it's all related it would be r-r-reasonable to assume the other ones are similar to this," she said.

"And you needed to spend skill points to figure these out?"
"Um.." Nora closed her eyes for a second. "...No? It looks like I was g-given the level one v-ver-vers—um, for free, but I c-can spend points to improve their effects. Th-the 'spirit weave' one is r-really vague about what improving it actually d-does, but 'wolf spirit' s-says exactly how much the s-stat changes can be improved by.."
"Well, I don't think I need to tell you, but—"
"Add it to the paper. R-right," she said, nodding.

"Yeah! Good girl. Uhh," Aria looked at Zack nervously for a second. "Sorry, didn't mean it like that at all."

"Then don't say it like that?" he suggested.

"I can't help what comes outta my mouth sometimes! Don't you ever have that problem?"

The door opened, and Mira led the way inside, the dragon-girl following her. "Hey, what's going on everyone?" she said, noticing how many of them were gathered in the living room.
"Nora learned a new trick," said Rayna, gesturing in her direction.
"Aaah~!" Rose ran up to the shapeshifted elf excitedly. "They're so cuuute!"
"Uh, t-thanks..?" Nora backed off a step or two nervously.
"Oh! I'm sorry," she said, stepping away a bit herself on realizing how close she'd just gotten. "Are those—is that real? How'd you do that? Can I do that?"
"U-um.." she looked around the room nervously; explaining this to someone who was not a player hadn't been discussed in their plan at all...even though in hindsight it was a clear necessity.

"A new use for her magic came to her in her dream last night," Katherine explained, stepping in to rescue her. "It's all part of the spirit weaving stuff she normally does, and seems to mostly affect herself. Right?"
"Um, r-right."
"Aww..."

"Still, I'm pretty sure you're powerful enough that you could give yourself wolf ears if you really wanted to," said the catgirl. "No idea how, but I'm sure a spell for it exists somewhere."
"Oh. Um, heheh. It's okay, I just got excited. I'm happy enough just being a dragon," said Rose. "Those are seriously cute on you, though.."

"And mine aren't cute?" said Rayna, looking mock-offended.
"Uh! Um. They are! B-but, you always have them, so it's already uh, it'd feel weird to always point them out specifically," she said nervously.

"Anyway," said Zack, with the tone of someone who wanted to change the subject as quickly as physically possible. "We found a primer on monsters and a book with some info on demons at the library. It might be a good idea for everyone to at least skim those sometime, in case there's anything useful to learn from them."

---

Late into the afternoon, Katherine made supper for everyone—Lynn and Clera both helping this time—and they waited an hour or so for the sun to set and the food to settle before going outside and beginning to get everything ready. Rose stood a decent distance away from the ritual, Zack next to her to keep her from jumping in and spooking the sheep or kicking up the ashes or something; the others were around the circle, with Aria closest to the middle and Mira holding onto the sheep's leash.

"...Eugh." Mira frowned at the creature. "Okay, I've never exactly been of the 'save the animals' camp but actively killing one is a new thing for me."

"Well, does the ritual require you to be cruel, or can you just..snap its neck so it doesn't feel too much pain?" said Aria.

"The latter, thankfully..well, actually I'm supposed to slit the throat." Mira sighed. "It has to be me that kills it, though. Think you could hold this guy still?"
"Hmm, probably." She stepped a little closer and leaned her hands onto the animal; it bleated quietly. "The thing about sheep—or really, domesticated animals in general—they trust people practically by instinct. As long as we're calm he won't think anything's wrong."
"Honestly that just makes me feel even worse about—wait. Hoooow do you know that?" said the witch, in a tone of voice that suggested she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

"I got an uncle who's a sheep farmer," she shrugged. That was as much detail as she could go into with Rose around.

"So I guess you've been to the farm, and involved with the uh...?"

"Yeah." Aria waved a hand. "You eat the meat, you accept that someone has to do this. Maybe it'll give you a better appreciation for what goes into your meat from now on."
"Uh, sure, maybe. A-anyway, I guess we're getting off track...let's just, get this over with." She pulled out her scythe.

Something sparked in Aria's head. Her eyes flicked briefly in Rose's direction. The dragon-girl looked...happy. Normal. Not confused by a reference to tracks. To getting off track. When someone who'd clearly been all over civilization like Loren evidently found the concept of trains entirely foreign, why did someone who'd been hiding from civlization for so long that she forgot about the reason she ran away from it in the first place appear completely ufazed by a reference to them? Well, maybe she just didn't hear, or was distracted by thinking about something else. But that just drove up the shifter's desire to push this test a little farther.

This train of thought drove past the station in the span of less than a second: Short enough for her to almost immediately reply: "Right. Let's get this trainwreck a-rollin'." Loudly, enough to be heard and cut through any distractions. And, as predicted, Zack groaned, calling even more attention to it.
"Really? We had a hard enough time with the last demon," he said.

Rose had no particular reaction. Suspicious. Aria thought of the perfect response to make one further test juast as she said it: "Hey, I'm just teasing Murphy's law. If you're optimistic then a disaster makes you wrong and in a bad spot; if you talk like a pessimist then ol' Murphy has to pick one or the other."

"Whatever..." The knight just shook his head in annoyance. And...apart from mild, cheerful interest in the conversation, Rose had no reaction. There was no way someone as specific as "Murphy" associated with a pessimistic law coincidentally also existed in this culture, and even if there was, why would a dragon exiled from society be familiar enough with the meme to not even be mildly confused about it? That clinched it, as far as Aria was concerned. Asking Loren a couple of very specific questions would make this definitive proof of her suspicions..but that would have to wait.

"Are you done talking now?" said Mira, a little impatiently. She'd been holding her scythe in "ready-to-strike" position during that entire exchange, but Aria was pretty sure she'd actually been glad for the distraction while she was busy working up the nerve to swing.
"Yep. Chop away."
"Eechk." The witch winced her eyes shut, but achieved a perfect swing across the animal's neck all the same. It was a clean shot, and the poor guy probably didn't feel much pain before going out. Aria released the body from her hands and then drew her sword, unsheathing it and then plunging it straight in the middle, sucking out all of the blood in a couple of seconds and feeling like she'd had a light snack after a three-day juice diet: Such an appetizer only seemed to make the hunger worse.

Thankfully, her recent shift in skill purchasing decisions and personal sense of determination gave her the self-control to pull the sword out of the body, take several steps back, and patiently wait a few minutes more while Mira picked up the dead body, set it on the altar, and burned it, working her way through some chanting and dancing, even using the scythe like a deranged majorette's baton...until finally, the portal began to open. Aria wasn't salivating but the demon in her sword certainly seemed like it would be if it could. The meal was just about to jump out, and then they could...play. Everything else could wait until after that.

---

Had all but that last scene written and got stuck trying to figure out what should come next. Eventually I decided that nothing else important really happens this day before the demon fight, and since I already knew how this scene should go it was easy to jump to it and just go.