The "Best" RPG Ever-126

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Their visitor was a familiar avian sporting bright purple plumage. Hyacinth took on a slightly tense, defensive stance, but Aria hopped to her feet and waved as she landed. "Yo, Kayriel! You back on regular duty already?"
"Well—kinda. Cap's hoping that that..weirdness is enough like a disease that I'll be immune after having it once. Anyway, I'm just delivering a message here. One of the other scouts spotted a big swarm of bug monsters way out to the north, with a...thing leading them. He couldn't find good words for what that thing was, but bug monsters aren't known for being led around in the first place, sooo.."

"So that's probably our target. Alright, I'll wake the others and we'll be on our way to town shortly."

---

"I've some good news to go with breakfast, everyone!" the prince announced. "We've been making excellent progress lately. I'm sure our well-traveled companions are already aware of this, but at our present pace, we should arrive in town by early afternoon tomorrow."

The soldiers cheered, some of them making a toast with their neighbors even though their mugs only contained water.
"Civilization again at last!"
"They've got running water, 'aven't they? First thing I want is a long, hot bath.."
"Don't celebrate too soon," a more sour one said. "Could be all manner of monsters along the road 'till then."
"Well, don't hex us wivvat!"

Under the noise of the crowd, Zack took in a deep breath and let it out again before quietly muttering, "Two more days..."

You holding up okay? Katherine asked.

I'll be fine, he answered, more sincerity behind the thought than any similar reassurances he'd given her the day before.

Rayna seemed to be staring off into space—not an entirely unheard-of expression for the fox-girl, but Lynn gently elbowed her to get her attention anyway. "What?"
"You alright there? Not pushing yourself too hard or anything?"
"Uhh, no? I'm perfectly fine," she nodded. "The very picture of health. What made you think otherwise?"

"I just thought, you've certainly been doing a lot more brisk walking the last couple of days than you're used to, right? Plus keeping up illusions, including the more advanced stuff, and 'scouting' for us nonstop. It's not too much, is it?"
"Nah," she shook her head. "The exercise is good for me, I say—never felt better!"
"But you were kinda zoning out for a minute there."
"Oh, that? I was just thinking about...stuff." From last night's dream, she further clarified mentally.
"Ah. Well, just don't keep it to yourself if you do start to get tired. That wouldn't be a good surprise for anyone."

"Yeah, yeah..."

---

After everyone quickly got dressed and grabbed something for a breakfast on the way, the group went through the door to town and started out toward the city's north edge. Aria seemed to have been correct about them welcoming Hyacinth's help, as there were no particular objections after the shifter announced her presence.

Lupa won the "swallowing her food whole" competition—if there was one—but Mira was a close second. "So," the witch started, "let's talk strategy. Rose and I can fly, we've both got high strength and a way to bind the super-monster. So we should focus on knocking her down to the ground and getting her relatively still. That leaves her open for you to get the chaos junk out. Maybe—stick close to Lupa? She can keep you safe."

"Yes!" The short wolf-girl seemed to take this as a cue to abruptly produce a gigantic axe and excitedly brandish it one-handed up in the air, startling some of the few people on the street around them.

"Put that away," Nora said sternly through a half-full mouth, and Lupa whined apologetically while complying.

"Yeah, and maybe keep away from me," Aria chimed in, as though the business with the axe hadn't happened. "I can go a little wild when the sword's out, and I'm not interested in finding out what Vulpin blood tastes like. But I guess Nora and I'll be chopping up the small fry anyway?"
"That's the idea!" the witch said, then turned the Vulpin's way again. "Anyway, feel free to pick off some of the bugs, but don't take any unnecessary risks. Pump the chaos into Lupa if you can, but any dispersal at all is helpful. That okay with you? I, uh, guess you're probably used to calling the shots, buuuut..."

Hyacinth paused, thinking: 'calling the shots'? Another odd phrase, like the one she'd used to dispel her curse before...but out of the rest of her group, only Lupa seemed confused by it. From the context, however, it was clear enough what she meant. "You're the ones with experience in this, and all have better resilience to injury than I do. Your plan seems sensible to me, and I have no difficulty taking orders."

"Cool!"

---

After breakfast, Clera went on a brief flight, more to stretch her wings than out of any concern that scouting was necessary. But she came back to land not long after taking off, starting the prince's way after setting down. "Is something wrong, miss Clera?" he asked, noticing her.

"Not necessarily. But someone appears to be headed our way." Do you sense a mind out in that direction? she asked Katherine mentally, not actually using the words 'that direction' but rather the concept of which way she meant.

Now that I'm looking...yes. And...I think he spotted you, so now he's started running this way.

Trouble? Rayna asked, turning the same direction.

At a glance...his mind looks normal to me. I don't think we're dealing with whatever is going on back in town, at least.

By this point, the stranger had come over a hill and into view, and set to waving and yelling to get someone's attention. "Oi!" The sun was mostly behind him, making visible only the silhouette of his figure: a somewhat tall, slim body with clearly-visible triangular ears poking past his short hair and a slim tail behind him.

Taking charge, the prince walked partly in that direction and waved back. "Greetings, sir! Are you friendly?"
"Well, I'd hope so, in these environs," he said. "I got a little lost on my way out to the frontier—saw the smoke from your fire. Then I was pretty sure your flier saw me, so—figured it was better to announce myself properly. Permission to approach?"

Before responding, Peregrine sent a brief mental signal the psion's way. I don't feel any dangerous intentions or anything, but there's always the possibility he's obscuring them, she replied.

Rayna and I have eyes on him, Lynn reported through the same channel.

This mental chatter took only a second or so, and the prince was able to answer as if without pause: "Certainly!"

While he walked closer, Rayna tilted her head slightly—her powers having given her his name and some other basic information about him. What? Lynn asked her.

We know this guy! Or, at least, we've heard of him.

Well, who is he then? The archer could make out that he had bright blond hair and fur, and eyes about the same shade, and was wearing light clothing—no armor to speak of, despite apparently surviving a trek more than halfway into the frontier. He seemingly had a sheathed sword on his right side, held by a belt—but the way it swung as he moved gave the impression that it was lighter than a blade its size ought to be.

He stopped just shy of actually entering the camp. "Greetings back—now that we don't have to shout. Name's Dorian," he said with a bright grin. He was smooth-faced, and even though the sun was behind him, the big grin seemed to make his face sparkle a bit. "And—my, am I in the presence of royalty here?" he asked, noticing the look of Peregrine's clothes.

"Allow me an introduction first. Peregrine Bertrand Lyxeris, or 'Perry' for short," he replied. "And, yes—I hail from Kyzerath."

"Oh—Dorian the dancer?" Lynn said, accidentally having her realization aloud.

"Hmmh? I suppose someone in your entourage has heard of me," he said, turning partway to face her. "Truly, I'm honored."

In response to a questioning look from the prince (and a few others), the archer explained: "Sorry. He's in the same line of work as us—or what we used to do, anyway."
"A little more famous than the two of us, at that," Rayna added. "Unless you've changed up your act lately—you throw a stick around and play with lightning, right?"

"It's, more impressive than that makes it sound, I'd hope," he said. "But that does more or less fit my occupation."

"And what brings someone like you, out here?" Lynn asked. Thankfully, Peregrine didn't seem to mind the two of them taking over the conversation.

"Only the most exceptional invitation," he said, reaching a hand back into a backpack strapped across his shoulders. "Tell me, have you lot heard of the Troupe of Strangers?"

"That sounds...vaguely familiar?" Lynn said after a moment's thought.
"Enlighten us, please," Peregrine said. By this point, Dorian had found what he was after, and produced a piece of paper, offering it to the prince about as carefully as someone might hand over a million-dollar check to a bank teller.

"The Troupe of Strangers is a legendary traveling performance, only given once every few years or so at most. The main gimmick is right in the name—most of its members spend most of their time doing other things, and only gather when invited by the leader to a particular town at a certain time and place. Some years back, when I was but a young boy, I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of theirs, and it inspired my present occupation. So of course I was more than delighted when a courier brought me that personal invitation to join them this time! Apart from some apprehensive about the location—and my own ability to reach it."

Peregrine examined the invitation while he listened. It was ornately decorated, with one side of it taken up by a stylized silhouette-drawing of a woman from about the neck up in profile, with a stream of rainbow coloration taking up the space her hair should occupy. The performance's location couldn't be much clearer. He carefully handed it back to its owner, who just as cautiously put it away again. "At any rate, it does appear we're headed toward the same destination. Anyone brave enough to travel to the frontier alone must at least possess some martial prowess, as well?"

"I'm reasonably capable at defending myself," Dorian said, nodding.

His stats look pretty good, Rayna pointed out mentally—just to their party, not the prince. It's maybe worth mentioning: He's really a shifter, not a Felis. But, that also might be something he doesn't want broadcasted.

"Then, we would be happy to have you along the rest of the way. Unless any of you have a particular objection?" he asked, looking to Lynn to represent the adventurers' opinions.

"No, it should be fine," she said.

"One extra person in the wagons wouldn't make the escort any harder for us anyway," the fox-girl added.

"Excellent! I'm glad to meet your approval," he said.

When they set out, Dorian happily took up a spot patrolling outside the wagons with the party. Lynn went over his way. "So, who's that on the invitation? Or, is it just some kind of symbol of the Troupe?"

"You could say they're one and the same. Reiaza, the present leader of the Troupe, has had that dazzling rainbow-colored hair since at least the time I saw them perform. Far as I understand, leadership gets passed down from one performer to another in some sort of formal process at the end of a performance. She's an illusionist—practical sort, I mean, rather than using magic to project images—but I'm pretty sure hair color like that could only be a result of actually using magic on it."

"That, or—well, actual illusion magic like Rayna's, I'd guess?"

"I could make my hair really look like that if I wanted," the fox-girl pointed out from a bit farther away. Of course their conversation wasn't difficult for her ears to hear.

"By the way..." Dorian said, a little more quietly and conspiratorially. "That Empath girl who first spotted me?"
"You mean Clera?"
"Right. Is she, let's say..spoken for?"

Lynn gave him a sideways look for a second or two. "No, but. If you're really that interested, you're in for a challenge," she said just as quietly. "You do know the kind of commitment someone has to have to become an Empath in the first place, right? Plus something went weird with the..merging or whatever, so she kind of has a combination of the 'donor' soul's personality with the 'original' one."
"Well, it's not like I'm saying I'll make any moves right now. Besides, a tough sell just means nobody else will outpace me, doesn't it?"
Lynn shrugged. "Maybe."

---

I can't help but feel like this is a bit of a short, lame part to come back with after such a long hiatus from this story. The problem was that I felt there was kind of a crippling pacing issue with the way this part was coming out originally, which had additional cuts back and forth between the two parties, and the in-town party was just about to have an action scene, so the bad pacing was kind of killing the tension...or something like that. That's besides the fact that said action scene itself was/is a big source of writer's block for me in this story. So I've reorganized what I already had written to shove that problematic bit into the next part, filled in a little bit to make this part flow better and make sense, and put it out, mostly hoping that forcing the next part to just be that action scene will help me focus and write it a bit better. I can't make any promises on how soon I'll finish it, though.

Well, as kind of an apology for the mess in this story right now, or just a little bonus if you like...while messing around with image generators, I thought to try and get some images of Vae! As a character whose appearance I simply made up, no drawn image was ever going to match her, and...these don't quite match either. Specifically, her fur is supposed to be a much darker shade of blue than her hair, and I don't think I ever specified her eye color in-story, so maybe it is blue? But anyway, check them out:

I think the strong tendency of image generators to overcompensate and put a lot of something if you specify that it should be in the background actually did a reasonable job here, for once, since there really are a ton of plants all throughout her home like that. The outfit is perhaps a little better-fitting than something she'd actually wear, and that outer coat would definitely be buttoned up. And then...

This was an attempt to get her appearance after Rose petting her in the forest. Well, the figure is about right (maybe slightly too busty, actually), and the background does vaguely resemble a forest. But the outfit is quite wrong for that scene. I could see the shorts, or at least something similar for lowerwear, but she wouldn't have unbuttoned anything, and has probably never even owned anything resembling that top. Oh well, that's image generators for you.