[x] Stay disguised and loot as much food from the place is possible.
[x] Let Kogasa eat the remains of the dead human.
[x] Return to the ship with whatever can be carried.

We're in a farm, right? Surely there must be something to take.

[x] Discretion is the better part of survival. We have a fine corpse for leftovers, now let's get it and make like trees.

[x] Stay disguised and, as quickly as you can, loot as much food from the place is possible.
We are in a farm. Logic indicates that the nearest human that can be of any help is kilometers away. Logic is such a liar.

>>124043
Kogasa and Nue will have thick, hard wood?

This is an interesting story development.

[X] Dine and dash

[x] Stay disguised and loot as much food from the place is possible.
[x] Let Kogasa eat the remains of the dead human.

[x]Hunt the child down.
While the girl won't be able to identify us, because we were disguised, she was hanging out with Kogasa for an undisclosed amount of time, and will surely alert them about her. And that is unacceptable.

Life has been interesting as of late. Work is taking up most of my time, and if all goes according to plan I should have an update up by Sunday evening. I wouldn't count on it, but here's to hoping.

>>124225

Take all the time you need.

“Hey, Kogasa,” I say, turning to the girl who’s shirt I’m grabbing, “We’d best get out of here.”

“But I haven’t eaten yet, remember?” she tries to pull herself free and succeeds, but only because I let her. She seems ready to fight me tooth and nail to stay put, but from what I see we have all that we need here. More harm will come of loitering here than good, and Kogasa may be the only one who fails to realize this.

“If you want to live, you’ll do as I say!” I pull her into the barn, impressing upon her the direness of our circumstances before throwing her at the corpse of the human man I just killed, “If you’re hungry, eat that!”

“Eeehh?” She groans, poking the body’s leg and looking at me mournfully, “I can’t eat this. It’s dead!”

“I just killed it, so it won’t make you sick,” I grab one of the pots the man was studying when I ambushed him and head outside. Kogasa’s slowness angers me, “Hurry it up, will you?! I won’t stand for getting killed by humans a second time!”

I grab tightly onto the jar and head for the trees, making sure to check the contents before I’m too far away to exchange it. It’s full of rice. Good. I manage to get a good meal for me and a good meal for the others all at once. Now if only Kogasa would hurry up so we don’t get caught, I’ll be happy.

She’s quick to follow me once I’m a few paces away, and she struggles with the extra weight on her back to catch up. A human body isn’t necessarily heavy, but for a starving youkai it can be a bit more of a burden than for most. I offer to switch with her since I’ve eaten; an offer which she graciously accepts.

As soon as I heft the human corpse onto my back, though, I really begin to wish I hadn’t done that.

The corpse bloodies my clothing as I lift it, and tying off the open neck out in the middle of a barren field would be an err in judgment. I find myself dragging it the rest of the way into the forest, and it leaves a convenient bloody trail for the other humans to follow when they finally do arrive.

I can’t let that happen. As soon as I can, I take off the head and tie some leaves over the stump. It was bleeding from the wound in the neck I had made, but I don’t believe from anywhere else. Had I been given more time to think over my decision to carry away the body, I might have opted to head farther into the human settlement instead of beating a hasty retreat. I’d have been able to grab a meal for Kogasa by doing so, and the humans would likely not have expected a youkai to behave so boldly. On the bright side, I have a full stomach and a clay pot of rice to show for my efforts, but a bleeding human corpse wasn’t something I had intended on taking back with me.

As I move deeper into the forest, I take a moment to stop and think. Maybe it would be a good idea to stop and have Kogasa eat her fill here and dump whatever is left over. I can think of a number of benefits of doing so; more than I can come up with for carting the body back to the ship. Of course, to stop for even a little while allows time for the humans to organize and come after us. Ahh, what a quandary~

>

I doubt the human village would go on a Youkai hunt this late in the day. If they're even going to mobilize immediately at all. After all, the one going to alert them is a small child who's probably just seen something out of her nightmares. The first thing her parents think is that she just had a daydream.

[X]Stop and let Kogasa have her fill

[x]Cut off a leg. It should be plenty for Kogasa. Ditch the rest and gtfo.

I doubt the human village would go on a Youkai hunt this late in the day. If they're even going to mobilize immediately at all. After all, the one going to alert them is a small child who's probably just seen something out of her nightmares. The first thing her parents think is that she just had a daydream.

[X]Stop and let Kogasa have her fill. Hide while she eats and keep watch.

>>124449
>>124454
The first time I've seen a copy paste of exact comment.

[x] Stop and let Kogasa have her fill
I think the sooner we stop having to carry around the fucking body the better.

[X]Stop and let Kogasa have her fill. Hide while she eats and keep watch.

How is the corpse bleeding? Anyway,

[X]Stop and let Kogasa have her fill

[x] Stop and let Kogasa have her fill

>>124484
There was another one last week or so, but they forgot to include the italicizing.

>>124520
Dead things with lungs full of blood can still drip with blood. Think of it as more of a small spill than a good long shower.

[x] Stop and let Kogasa have her fill

The more she eats, the less you have to bury.

Some new shit has come to light! Updates will be infrequent and probably unpredictable for a while.

Humans organize slowly, and a short rest to lessen the load would be nice. The dead human body weighs heavier on my back as I walk, and using my ability to lift a heavy load would be just plain stupid of me. I set the body against a tree and turn to my companion Kogasa, who seems utterly oblivious to the world around her.

“I’m taking a break,” I say, pointing to the body, “Eat up, will you?”

“Can I cook it first?” she asks, prodding the body’s chest with her finger, “I don’t like to eat raw food.”

“If you want,” I roll my eyes, “but you’re seriously one weird youkai.”

I don’t know how she intends to make a fire, or what she intends to use to butcher the body, but one thing is clear: I have no intention of helping her. To elaborate, I have the intention to help her as much as she has helped me in the past; which is simply not at all. With that in mind, I backtrack a bit to look and listen for any potential followers. Just because I do not intend to help her feed herself doesn’t mean that I will refuse to protect someone who could be useful to me. She knows much about this part of the world, or at the very least more than me.

But I get caught up in my own thoughts as I walk, and I backtrack too far. I stand yet again in the tilled field of the same farm, and I stare at the granary in which I had killed my first real meal of the day. There are still no humans gathered around, which can indicate one of two possibilities. One, the humans have not seen fit to organize or not enough time has passed for them to be alerted to an attack. Two, they have organized already and are on the hunt in the forest as I stand here gawking and thinking to myself about what-ifs.

I feel the pit of my gut drop at the thought that they may have already come upon Kogasa, and I rush back to her as quickly as my feet can carry me. Such a short distance to travel, and yet it feels like hours before I finally make it back. Thankfully she is unhurt, and not a single human save one headless body is around. She somehow managed to have started a fire in my absence, and is currently roasting one of the arms over the open flame. I don’t bother to ask what sort of trick she had used to get it all going.

“Ah, Nue,” she says, looking up, “feeling better?”

“Better… how?” I fail to understand her meaning, and I feel foolish for asking.

“You were gone for quite a while,” she smiles, “I figured you’d just eaten too much and went out to take a poo.”

“That’s enough out of you!” I’m about ready to wring her neck! What sort of brain disorder is this girl afflicted with to be making such foolish assumptions?!

“Ah, I was wrong then,” she looks back to her food, utterly ignoring me, “Looks like this one’s about done~”

“Eat it quick, then,” I say, “The humans haven’t started searching yet, but they will soon enough.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” she explains, “It takes a full day and a half to reach the village from here by foot.”

“Day and a—“ wait, were we not supposed to travel to that village? Also, were we not supposed to be back before nightfall? Has Kogasa listened to even a single word of what has been said to her?! That’s it! I’m furious now, and I’m not about to take this one sitting down! “Listen here, you! Why in the he—“

A rustling in the bushes cuts my little tirade short. It frustrates me to no end to not be able to tell her off good, but we seem to have been detected by a… something.

It moves, and my eyes follow the shape of something large jumping from bush to bush and into the trees. It moves quickly, far faster than my eyes can travel. I can only tell that the object moving is about man-sized, yet moving far too fast to be human. I can only assume it’s a youkai.

>

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

Truly, it feels like forever since my last update. I believe it has only been a week, but still. I expect to update maybe once or twice in a week's time with my current schedule.

[X] Be on guard.

>“If you want,” I roll my eyes, “but you’re seriously one weird youkai.”

It's not so weird that she has human tastes, since umbrellas are human-made.

[x] Pursuit.

If it's a spying youkai looking to steal your kill, it will come back, but you might not become aware of its presence the second time around.

[x] Engage.

[X] Political debate

[X] Political debate
Because I want to see a writefag's tears

[X] Political debate
>Because I want to see a writefag's tears

I support this

[X] Political debate
I'm up

[x] Be on guard against those engaging in political debate.

[X] Political debate
hurr durr

[X] Political debate

Okay, I bite. Curious as to what the hell this would result in.

Yeah, this is the kind of vote that kills stories, guys.

>>125658
Not voting is a vote that kills stories.

This vote makes it look like no one read the update.
Political debate? Debate what? We're choosing how to deal with a potential threat. At the very least, include your rationale for "political debate"

Don't just copy and paste the winning vote, think about it.

I'm gonna go sit in the corner and take it easy now.

[x] Be on guard against any possible attacks while you attempt to reason with it.

Wow I didn't think anon could be THIS stupid. This is the wrong story for stupidity.

[x] Be on guard against any possible attacks while you attempt to reason with it.

[x] Be on guard against any possible attacks while you attempt to reason with it.

Piss in that tide.

[x] Be on guard against any possible attacks while you attempt to reason with it.

>>125679
[x] Sit in a corner and take it easy.

Sounds good to me.
I didn't get why we killed a innocent, since we ate at Kourindou.

>>125699
Normal food doesn't quite do it for Nue for some reason. Fear soaked human is the best thing for her, that and feeding Kogasa some more so she doesn't do anything stupid.

>>125682

Going with this as the winning vote. Political debate makes no sense in context, and though votes for it outnumber the one I've chosen as winning, it does not make sense. And you know what they say, if it doesn't fit, you must acquit!

Though it might make for an interesting side-story. I'll keep it in mind.

And assuming that it is actually a youkai, I have to be on guard. I can only surmise that the smell of freshly-killed human is what has attracted it, and that it wants to steal my—now Kogasa’s meal.

I follow the shape with my eyes as it hops from tree to tree, making an oddly mechanical noise as it moves; perhaps something on its clothing is causing to make such odd sounds. I turn to Kogasa, who doesn’t seem to be paying this any mind as she picks at what little meat she has left on that arm she took. Sure is a fast eater, that one. But her ignorance cannot be left alone, and I must say something to alert her.

“Hey,” I whisper, leaning down next to her. She immediately jerks her food away as if expecting me to try and take it, “We’ve got company.”

“Oh, that,” she says unsurprised with her mouth full of half-chewed meat, “Yeah, it’s been following us for a little while now…”

“So why didn’t you say anything?!”

“Should I have?” she seems confused by my anger, but continues to eat without pause.

“Ugh…” I rub my head; preventative maintenance for the headache prolonged exposure to this girl’s colossal ignorance is sure to cause. I decide it’s time to confront the threat outright, rather than let it observe us freely. Turning away from Kogasa, I find that it seems to have vanished without a trace.

I ready my trident regardless. “I know you’re still up there,” I shout, “Come out and face me!”

Much to my surprise, it does. The figure jumps from the shadows directly into my path. It appears blurred at first, but becomes clearer when it comes to a stop. I give the creature a good look only to find that it—she appears awfully familiar.

“…Minamitsu…?”

No, wait. The hair and face are similar, but this girl is not her. I lower my weapon in the hopes that I might be able to speak to her, but I keep my mind ready in the event that she does turn out to be hostile.

“…Who?” she asks, tilting her head. The smile on her face gives me no indication of her intent, but it does make me feel uneasy.

“Nothing,” I reply, “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Oh, oh!” she smiles, raising something slung around her neck to eye level. It makes the same odd mechanical noise I had heard before, “Just taking a few pictures, is all. It’s not every day that a human is abducted and killed by youkai… Frankly, I’m surprised that you can speak at all. Most youkai still in the business of killing humans are… well, let’s just say they’re not the sharpest tools in the shed.”

“…Are you insulting me?”

“Oh, no no no!” she touches the end of my trident with her fingers, feeling the sharpness of the tip, “Not at all! I was just being a little cautious is all; some of the duller youkai have difficulty telling humans and youkai apart, and they’ll eat just about whatever they can kill.”

“I may not eat you, but if you don’t state what business you have with me now, I might very well kill you.” I push my trident closer to the girl’s neck, pinning her between the points and a tree. Putting her at a disadvantage seemed too easy though, as if she allowed herself to be caught by me.

“Like I said,” she smiles, trying to hide her nervousness, “I was just taking a few pictures, is all. Capturing the moment, so to say. It’s what I do! I’m a reporter.”

“A what?”

“A reporter! I write for a local paper…?” she pauses, “Oh, you don’t get it at all, do you?”

“…”

“Oh, whatever,” she shrugs, as I allow her to push the weapon away.

She hardly seems a threat at this point, but as a youkai what she tells me makes no sense.

“Look, I’m way behind schedule already, so would you maybe… you know, mind letting me go? As much as I’d like to stay and chat I have work to do. A lot of work. All of which needs to be done by today.”

>

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"

>>125710

Fair enough.

Don't take it too badly we were mostly just joshing you. (And I had trust that you would do this if it really didn't work.)

[X] "You can wait tell we're done."

>>125782

Normally I'd bite the bullet and just write it. But it wouldn't fit the tone of the story and with all of my current stresses I have in my life now I doubt it'd come out well at all. tl;dr my now ex-boss can kiss my ass.

On the bright side, quitting my job means I have a little more time for writing until I find another, better job.

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[x] Not going to happen. Keep her trapped, keep an eye out for her tricks.

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[x] Not going to happen. Keep her trapped, keep an eye out for her tricks.

>>125828
It's a tough economy right now, good luck. I'm assuming that you live in the States, but I could be wrong.

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

I'm glad I took all those Bitch Grabbing Classes!

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

in b4 Aya is my waifu.jpg

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

Aw, hell, how could I note choose this? It's worded so well, too.

hm...Two very good options, each with a chance to win.
Aw hell, why not both?

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[X] RAPE TIME

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[x] Not going to happen. Keep her trapped, keep an eye out for her tricks.

No raping Aya, please.

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

Don't let her escape!

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[x] Not going to happen.
Did she expect her to let her go just like that? Come on!

Didn't we just get through a round of asinine votes?

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"

[X] "...Wait, "reporting"? You're going to tell everyone about me?!"
-[x] Not going to happen.

No raping, please. That's a bad vote and you should feel bad for going with it.

>>125989
I fail to see how staying in character is a bad idea.

We're motherfucking Nue for fuck's sake. Let's act like it. To much compromise and holding back going on in this quest.

>>126042
How the hell is raping somebody in-character for Nue?

>>126087
Well, she did try something similar the first time she fought Okuu.

>>126089
And hasn't been wearing underpants for a good three threads now.

And is kind of a callous, insensitive, selfish bitch who feeds on the suffering of others, so yeah, we should be fucking laying on the suffering.

The ship crew we HAVE to get along with. For Murasa's sake if nothing else. But this slutty Tengu offers us nothing helpful and is generally just an annoying obstacle in the path of our life. We should punish her. We should punish her so she never forgets our name.

I'd be up for the Aya rape option only for Snake to show up right then and kick Nue's ass.

Exactly.

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

Actually, I haven't voted yet, have I?

[x] IT'S RAPING TIME

Nue uses rape. It's super effective! Tripfag has fainted!

Also, pretty full schedule this week and next. Who knows if I'll have time to write anything at all. Expect nothing, but hope for something. Hope keeps the writefag alive!

>>126294
>hope

Hooray!

>>126294
I hope for your success.

I also hope you're BEARy preBEARed for this unBEARable BEAR of a battle.

All this talk of reporting worries me. Just what is this girl reporting, I wonder? The thought runs through my mind that she could be reporting attacks on humans… But reporting to who? And why? I debate with myself for a moment, and then decide that it would be better to silence her here and now to avoid any possible complications. She stands close enough that I can simply grab and immobilize her, and sometimes a simple approach is best. I suppose I could have a bit of fun with her, but the basics come first.

I shoot my hand forward and latch onto her arm, grabbing at her with all my might before she can get away.

…But my hand only grabs air, and she no longer stands in front of me. Damn, she’s faster than I had anticipated! Where did she go?! My eyes dart from tree to tree, looking for moving shadows as I listen for any sign of her presence. I see and hear nothing, save the sound of her voice.

“Tisk tisk,” she says with a gloating tone, “And here I was hoping you were above committing acts of violence against your own kind…”

“Like you’re anybody special!” I call out into the open, trying to draw her out. All I hear is laughter, and all I see are trees. Hell, I can almost imagine the grin on her face as she circles me and giggles to herself. Every time I catch a glimpse of what might be her in the treetops, she vanishes before my very eyes. Has my reaction time slowed or is she just that fast?

Thump!

I next find myself face down in the dirt with my arms being held down at my sides. My shoulder feels like it’s being wrenched out of place, but I lash out with all I’ve got at whatever’s holding me. It doesn’t seem to do me any good though, and her grip only tightens as I struggle. She’s even able to predict where my arm will be when I turn it to mist and try to escape her grasp! The speedy bitch!

Something presses into my head. A cold sensation, followed by a sharp pain as it feels like it’s trying to force its way in through my skull. When I try to move away from it the pain only becomes worse, so I’m forced to either bear it or sit still. So I sit still.

“Bad idea,” says another voice, “Oh, Aya. You almost let the other one get away, just FYI.”

“There was another one? Heh, whoops,” she has yet to relax her grip, and whatever is being pressed against my forehead seems to pose a very real threat. I’ll wait and see what happens, and save the flashy stuff for when I really need it. At the very least, I know where this Aya girl is as long as she sits on top of me, and she can’t try to flee without me knowing.

“You must be losing your touch,” says the voice as something—someone lands hard and heavy next to me, letting out a quiet “Oof!” as she hits the ground. Looks like they’ve caught Kogasa, too. Just my luck! Now if I try and escape they may as well kill her in the name of retribution.

“Gift-wrapped and everything?” says the girl holding me down, “How sweet of you.”

“Now if you don’t mind me asking, what gave you the idea that talking to them directly was going to do any good?” the other voice seems angry, “Not one of your better ideas, I must say.”

“Maybe not, but it turned out okay I guess,” she shifts her weight, but not enough to let me find an opening in her defenses, “Now what should we do with them?”

“Maybe we could—wait, is that a human arm?”

“Surprised?” says Aya.

“A little, but where’s the rest of the body?”

“Eaten, probably. Bones and all. Now are you going to help me with this one or not?”

“Sorry, all out of rope,” the other voice laughs nervously, and I hear Kogasa beside me and Aya above me both whine in unison.

“Damn,” Aya says, “You’re pretty useless in regards to this kind of work, you know that?”

“No kidding,” the second one steps closer to me, feet placed at shoulder width right in front of my head. I believe they’re leaning down over me, “Any idea what kind of youkai these are? You know I can’t tell worth shit.”

“That one’s a karakasa for sure, and this one is…” she pauses, “Well, I don’t right know. Mind giving me a hint, girly?”

>

>>126437

I just BEARly made one update by the end of this week, depending on time zone.

[x]I'm whatever you want me to be, girl.

[x]I'm whatever you want me to be, girl.

Okay this response is Nue! True, but also deceptive and bitchy.

[x] "I'm whatever you want me to be, girl."

[x] I'm whatever you want me to be, girl.

OH YYYYEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

[x] "I'm whatever you want me to be, girl."

[x]I'm whatever you want me to be, girl.

[x] "I'm whatever you want me to be, girl."

Smooth.

[x] "I'm whatever you want me to be, girl."

[x] "I'm whatever you want me to be, girl."

Ugh. First I’m thrust into this rather disadvantageous situation, and now what is this interrogation? Under her weight I find the want to respond very low on my list of priorities. First up, escape, plain and simple. Now maybe… maybe after a bit of wanton slaughter and an interrogation of my own will I place my desire to answer her stupid questions.

“I'm whatever you want me to be, girl.” I give her a worthless answer. A rubbish answer to an equally inane question, and I even get a bit of a giggle out of saying it.

Ack! She proceeds to thank my by ramming her knee into my ribs. What a wonderful sort, this one. I might like to rip that leg off when given the opportunity. Preserving the health of myself and Kogasa is of importance now, but I will not think twice to do it once we’re both free.

“Not quite the answer I’m looking for,” says Aya as she drives her knee just slightly deeper into my side. It’s all a rather painful experience, so I change my shape slightly to accommodate the intruding appendage. She takes no notice and continues blabbering on, “A name or species might be nice, for starters.”

“I can tell you now that my first answer was no joke,” I say, feeling my now hollow rib cage flex even more as she tries to break some bones. I decide to prove my point, now that she has begun to physically pressure me, and she suddenly finds herself sitting atop a cloud of fine black powder.

“See what I mean?”

I materialize, leaning against a tree to her rear. But as I speak I move to attack, and I pin her to the ground with my trident. Oh, I don’t actually hurt her. But the slightest movement of her head might make her neck bleed a bit. The other attacker moves to recapture me, but I give the cretin a good glare and move the trident to drive the point home. The girl Aya sheds a drop or two of blood for it, but the wound is nothing that won’t heal within a day or two. Her second picks Kogasa up as a hostage, and holds a blade to the girl’s throat.

“Let me go!” Aya yells, grabbing at the prongs of the weapon at her neck and trying to push it back. She dares not struggle, but I do not believe I can release her without having to fight her and possibly kill her anyway. How quickly this situation has degraded is quite astonishing.

“Ah, what an awkward situation I find myself in,” I say aloud, turning to the one holding Kogasa hostage. Now that I get a good look at him… her… er, it, I see no defining features. A hood covers the head, and only the voice can give me a clear indication of gender. I believe male, but I could be mistaken. On a more important note, one wrong move on my part will cost Kogasa her life, and I don’t believe tsukumogami have any spares of those.

“You there,” I continue, “How’s about you let her go and I don’t take off the head of little sweet cheeks here?”

Aya grimaces at the name I call her… or perhaps at the possibility that I may very well kill her, or… Well, to be honest there are a number of things that could cause her to make that hideous face, but her timing suggests it was because I called her sweet cheeks. Pfft, what a laugh!

But the… man I think… shows no signs of budging. He… I think, says nothing, and slowly takes a step back. Kogasa seems to understand that her life is in danger, but says and does nothing. She simply complies with everything the man wishes for her to do. Good girl.

“Well, I suppose there’s nothing stopping me from tearing her head off,” I say, turning to him but keeping a foot planted on Aya’s face just to keep her quiet and still, “To be honest, the youkai you’re holding hostage isn’t exactly a close friend of mine or anything. Rather, we’d just met not even a full day ago.”

“Your point being…?” he asks, holding the blade closer to her neck. It wrenches my gut as it starts to draw blood, and keeping my face straight takes more willpower than I can muster. My first inclination is to run at him, but by the time I get all the way over there he would have already killed her. It begs the question, why does seeing Kogasa in pain bother me so much?

“My point being,” I can hear my voice shaking, but can do nothing to stop it. The sight of her blood on that knife chills me to the bone. I have to convince him to release her, but I can do naught but bluff. “…is do you truly believe taking that girl hostage gives you any sort of leverage? If her worth to me is zero, what good would holding her or killing her do?”

I pause, wondering if this is the best course of action. He could call my bluff and kill Kogasa if this goes poorly, or he could release her. I can’t see his face, so I have no way of telling. My bones turn to ice and my chest cavity feels like it’s freezing over more and more with every word I speak.

“You haven’t killed Aya yet,” he says, “so this girl clearly must mean something to you.”

I feel a knot growing in my stomach. I feel sick. I worry that by bluffing I’ve made the wrong decision and that by doing so I’ve cost Kogasa her life. But this man seems to be easing away, and the distance between the knife and Kogasa’s neck begins to widen and grow.

“Simply put,” he continues, “we both find ourselves in a similar situation. But I’ve no intention or reason to kill this girl. I can’t speak for you, however, and I cannot let her go until Aya is free. You let Aya go and we’ll be on our way.”

“Easier said than done,” I take one look at Aya. After having been stuck on the ground with a trident holding her neck and my foot on her face, her face is one of incredible rage.

“I can handle her, don’t you worry,” the man holding Kogasa steps closer, easing his grip on the blade a bit, “just… let her go, and we’ll be on our way. No need to unnecessarily shed any more blood.”

>

>>128569
Okay yeah, I'm going with this.

But the panty shot would be nice while we have the opportunity.

Edit >>128569, typo:

[x] "Our situations are similar, but not the same. If you kill me, and her, you don't have to worry about an entire clan of tengu hunting you down to settle a blood debt. That's why I haven't killed you both. So let the karakasa go first. She's not your leverage."
[x] "I killed that human. You saw what I just did now, so you should understand that you'll never be able to imprison me against my will. Now with the scenario changed, you'll probably want to talk with your superiors about how to proceed."
[x] "As for 'a name or species'? It's Nue."

Aya is enraged, but I don't think she's the one really in charge, and even if she turns on you when you let her go, I don't think this guy will quickly go back on his word. You can probably to appeal to tengu vanity here as a race, if not as individuals.

Admitting guilt is probably not absolutely necessary, but it distances Kogasa a little bit from what the tengu would see as, if not a crime, then as an act which could upset the status quo.

[x] "You said I haven't killed Aya because Kogasa matters to me, that's imprecise, I was never going to kill her, merely incapacitate and rape her."
[x] "After all, it was you two who acted out of order in the first place, it is perfectly within my rights to exact compensation from this girl."
[x] "Worry not, if you let Kogasa go, Aya will return to you, alive, if not entirely unharmed."

[x] "Our situations are similar, but not the same. If you kill me, and her, you don't have to worry about an entire clan of tengu hunting you down to settle a blood debt. That's why I haven't killed you both. So let the karakasa go first. She's not your leverage."
[x] "I killed that human. You saw what I just did now, so you should understand that you'll never be able to imprison me against my will. Now with the scenario changed, you'll probably want to talk with your superiors about how to proceed."

Agreed with this, but there's no reason to tell them who we are.

[x] Let her go.
No need for drama. The person is already loosening his grip on the knife, indication that he is telling the truth. Maybe I'm just being naive.

[x] "You said I haven't killed Aya because Kogasa matters to me, that's imprecise, I was never going to kill her, merely incapacitate and rape her."
[x] "After all, it was you two who acted out of order in the first place, it is perfectly within my rights to exact compensation from this girl."
[x] "Worry not, if you let Kogasa go, Aya will return to you, alive, if not entirely unharmed."

[X] Killing and eating another youkai? How barbaric.
I was planning on just eating her, if you know what I mean *suggestive eyebrowwaggle*
[X] Let's let them go on three. One, two three!
[X] Well, you didn't let go of her either.
[X] Ok. Ok. You take the knife away from her throat, I take the trident away from your girl's back. We both hold onto both hostages at the same time and then we can let go without the danger of one of us stabbing their hostage just because, allright?
[X] (During the changeover, grab hold of Kogasa when we get our hands on her and pull her away while pushing Aya into the other person)

[x] >>128575

This sounds like the best course.

[X] Let her go

Were it just us that was involved, it would be the other option. But as it is what we do now represents the Myouren group as a whole, if we do something to piss the Tengu off, they'll be feeling the repercussions of it.

[x] "Our situations are similar, but not the same. If you kill me, and her, you don't have to worry about an entire clan of tengu hunting you down to settle a blood debt. That's why I haven't killed you both. So let the karakasa go first. She's not your leverage."
[x] "I killed that human. You saw what I just did now, so you should understand that you'll never be able to imprison me against my will. Now with the scenario changed, you'll probably want to talk with your superiors about how to proceed."

Enough with the rape votes, already.
This is hardly an appropriate situation for that.

[x] "Our situations are similar, but not the same. If you kill me, and her, you don't have to worry about an entire clan of tengu hunting you down to settle a blood debt. That's why I haven't killed you both. So let the karakasa go first. She's not your leverage."
[x] "I killed that human. You saw what I just did now, so you should understand that you'll never be able to imprison me against my will. Now with the scenario changed, you'll probably want to talk with your superiors about how to proceed."

You people and your elaborate write-ins. I swear it's rare to see a write-in that doesn't involve at least 2 full lines of dramatic speech.
[x]Incapacitate her and then let her go.

Can't risk a two on one, after all.

>>128605
You have convinced me. Of what I am not certain.
[x]Incapacitate her and then let her go.

[x] Let her go.

Let's just get back to the Palanquin with our food.

[x]Incapacitate her and then let her go.

[x] "You said I haven't killed Aya because Kogasa matters to me, that's imprecise, I was never going to kill her, merely incapacitate and rape her."
[x] "After all, it was you two who acted out of order in the first place, it is perfectly within my rights to exact compensation from this girl."
[x] "Worry not, if you let Kogasa go, Aya will return to you, alive, if not entirely unharmed."

Guys, don't tell him Nue killed the human, it would be best to keep that as a cecret. Also, Tengu clan? What if he is a tengu too? For all that we know, he migh be bluffing too when says he doesn't care about Aya.

>>128649
>Guys, don't tell him Nue killed the human, it would be best to keep that as a cecret.

You know, it ain't exactly a secret:

>“Maybe we could—wait, is that a human arm?”
>“Surprised?” says Aya.
>“A little, but where’s the rest of the body?”
>“Eaten, probably. Bones and all. Now are you going to help me with this one or not?”

Maybe you're thinking we should explain it as natural causes?

>For all that we know, he migh be bluffing too when says he doesn't care about Aya.

And where does (s)he say this?

>>128682
>“Simply put,” he continues, “we both find ourselves in a similar situation(...)"

I assumed he also meant his relationship with Aya, though I could/probably am very wrong.

>>128683

That 'similar situation' is that you both have hostages. As he explained, taking a hostage doesn't work very well if the other guy doesn't care about the hostage. He never implied that Aya was a worthless hostage. On the contrary, he then suggested the exchange.

This man makes a convincing argument. Were I any dumber I probably would have bought his whole earnest act and let this Aya woman go, leaving him to kill Kogasa or do whatever he pleases. But I don’t buy it. He’s too nice for a man holding a knife at a woman’s neck. The thought does cross my mind however, that if by some miracle he is this mister nice guy he wants me to believe he is, he certainly won’t live long in a world of man-eating beasts.

“Nice try,” I say, “But I’m not that stupid. You have the advantage here I believe, so you go first.”

I see the man quiver slightly; out of fear or shock I cannot tell. I’ve clearly caught him off guard with my response, and the girl under my food squirms.

“What advantage?” He asks, intrigued and taking a step closer.

“Don’t… ack! Don’t trust her!” Aya yells, trying to kick dirt into my eye as she grabs at the prongs on either side of her neck.

She fails miserably at her attempt to blind me, only succeeding in cutting her hands on the barbs as she tries to fight her way free. I give her a good few kicks for her troubles. The man falters as I lay into the woman’s side, but does not dare pull back his knife. Kogasa is scared stiff by now, I’m sure, but I see no way out of this coming any time soon.

“Will! You! Knock it! [/i]OFF![/i]” I grunt, kicking her in the ribs with every other word that comes out of my mouth. Once she stops squirming, I stop kicking. She doesn’t do much more moving after I’ve finished with her. I take a deep breath and--

Ah, hell! I lost my temper just now. Real bright of me, going and making everything worse by letting my anger get the better of me. The man holding Kogasa has retaken his defensive stance from earlier and has started backing away, and we find ourselves back at square one.

“Hey,” I say, “Don’t give me that look. She made me do it, you know. She asked for it!”

“Do it again and the girl dies, got it?” He says quietly.

“Yeah, uh… Sure… I mean…” My mind feels like it’s seizing up. Words don’t come out like they should, and my head starts to hurt.

I don’t know where to go from here. I make demands that go nowhere, I’m too shaken up to think straight, and I have a man holding what may very well be the first thing I’ve taken a liking to since I woke up hostage. Negotiations seeming to have failed, I think on how I should proceed next.

>

Been kinda busy lately guys, sorry for the delay.

[x] The man has left you with no choice: make a complicated question, look behind him in 'shock' immediately after and attack him during his brief moment of distraction.

You know when several people ask for your attention at the same time, you spend a minute trying to decide which question to answer first? Well, that works too with events and double for distressing situations. I think the mind tries to multitask itself into doing all things at the same time and you have to 'manually' realize that it is impossible before actually doing something.
I went with all this complicated stuff because I fear that distracting him with one thing will not do. He has to be confused, trying to answer a question and turning back at the same time. If Kogasa's life is on the line (she'll revive, but whatever) we should take all possible precautions.

[x]Let her go.

This guy would have done something already if he was that sort of scum. We already have his promise to let her go. Let's just forget this ever happened, and head back to the ship.

[x] The man has left you with no choice: make a complicated question, look behind him in 'shock' immediately after and attack him during his brief moment of distraction.

>make a complicated question

What a cop-out. At least come up with something instead of completely relying on the author.

[x] Let her go.

Nue can't verbalize coherently. Her thoughts are a mess. She's already made with the threats and violence and so should be past her pride. She's frustrated, and this is the course of action that would appear to get rid of that frustration quickest.

[x] Let her go.

[x]Let her go, gently. She's out of the fight, back away from her.

At that point if he kills Kogasa, then it's a straight up fight, but I doubt it'd come to that.

>>130366
I'm not sure I can come up with something that isn't, at least, a bit OOC. His Nue has surprised me more than once so far.

[x]Let her go, gently. She's out of the fight, back away from her.

[x]Kill her and I kill your companion. And then I will kill you after her. And eat both corpses so none of you can come back from the dead.
[x] Use the holy powers of the Nue and confuse his mind with illusions to take him unguarded.

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

The main issue was that Aya might still be angry enough to attack us once released, but as it is she's probably knocked out. At that, I doubt the hostage taker will object to Nue keeping the evidence of her existence so long as everyone gets out alive and (relatively) unharmed.

>>130388

Good point.

>>130375 here. Adding:
-[x] Keep the camera

I'd rather she come after us later for the camera, instead of coming after us for straight-up revenge.

>>130387
The only way this vote could possibly be stupider, was if you decided to put rape into it.

God damn. Fucking full retard.

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

[] Let them go.
[] Keep her hat.

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

Out of all that shit, a somewhat coherent vote emerges. You got me.

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

[x]Let her go.

I need to reread GiG, I'm starting to wonder if we're dealing with Snake here.

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

>>130395

Oh really? Why do you think that?

When nice diplomacy fails, you use threats. If the threats fail, then either you carry them out, or comply to the enemy's demand. There is also the option of trying to rescue the hostage while keeping another hostage, though. I just decided to try both.

>[x]"Kill her and I kill your companion. And then I will kill you after her. And eat both corpses so none of you can come back from the dead."

Fixed, forgot the quotes.

And adding [x]"But before I eat the corpses, I'm going to rape them."

[X]Let her go
-[X] Keep the camera

>>130453

Nue does not have a death wish, which is what making threats against a foe you won't beat amounts to. Sometimes winning means living to see the next sunrise.

So yeah. Christmas is upon us, and I've no time for anything except work and more work. Writing will be on hold until after the new year starts, probably. No sage so people will know that I am still alive.

>>131630

We'll be waiting.

Rabies and mentlegen, It is my honor and privilege to announce my return to THP TH-P. My schedule is starting to look a bit clearer for the coming weeks, so my broke ass might have a few treats in store for the ignorant masses my lovely readers. Stay tuned for the subsequent rescinding of all previous statements updates!

I weigh my options again and again. And then another few times for good measure. Same conclusion: someone dies no matter what I do. And it’s usually Kogasa and the strange tengu man holding her at knifepoint. But perhaps I’ve thought about it too much.

…Or not enough. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. If they had planned on killing one of us from the start, would this not be the perfect opportunity and excuse to do so? I find it entirely possible that this man had been entirely forthcoming with me all along in that his intention is to simply take this Aya girl and part ways without bloodshed. I was quick to dismiss it all as trickery previously, but I’m beginning to see releasing Aya as a viable option.

But if I hesitate, I’ll get to thinking again. I don’t want to think too hard on it and loop back to where my train of thought began, so I take action.

I pull my trident from the ground, and by extension away from Aya’s neck.

“I’ve had enough of this,” I say to the one holding Kogasa captive, “Let’s make a trade, shall we?”

“Very well,” he says, pushing Kogasa towards me.

The motion is simple, yet well thought out. Push Kogasa into me, and when I go to catch her the two of them beat a hasty retreat with whatever information they have collected. Tengu are sneaky, but their manner of sneaky is very straight-forward.

I take the little black box from Aya’s hands as she stands, and crush it to pieces as Kogasa staggers into where I stood a moment ago.

“Ah, hey!” Aya attempts to attack me, but the man quickly scoops her up and flies away.

Hopefully, that will be the least I’ll ever see of them. For everyone’s sakes I will hope for it.

“Ueeeehh~” Kogasa cries, picking at her clothes, “My shirt’s ruined!”

“At least you don’t have red all over it,” I grumble, grabbing one of the rice-filled sacks and starting off back towards the ship. Valuable time has been wasted here, and I want to avoid as much of Shou’s bitching as possible.

Of course, by the time I finally make it back, the sun is nowhere to be seen in the sky. Kogasa stumbles every other step due to her inability to properly see in the dark, and the only light ahead shines down on us from the ship’s deck.

I jump aboard, set down the sack and try my best to not get spotted on my way down into the room I had taken. Reservations are of course strictly unofficial.

But before I can make it so far as the second flight of stairs down, I hear voices fast approaching. Neither one of them sounds particularly friendly, so I hide. Shou and Minamitsu step into the hall from a lit room ahead carrying on about this and that. They’re too busy trying to speak over one another to allow me to get the gist of the conversation, though it seems to involve me at least somewhat. They bicker all the way down into the next room, thankfully passing me by on their way there.

>

[x] Follow them.

No sneaking or whatever. If they wish to speak about the Nue, they can do it right to her face.

[x] Listen in on their conversation.

[x] Listen in on their conversation.

[x] Listen in on their conversation.
-[x] Interrupt in the right moment in a dramatic fashion.

Damn, this story was ninja-updated, now I need to catch up.

[x] Listen in on their conversation.
-[x] Interrupt in the right moment in a dramatic fashion.

[x] Listen in on their conversation.
-[x] Interrupt in the right moment in a dramatic fashion.

Why not? It'll be funny.

Ah, but they’re carrying on so loudly. It’s as though they want me to follow them. Which I do, of course, and in my usual fashion. They won’t see me, they won’t hear me, nor will they be able to smell me. Three advantages I hold, as well as the element of surprise, which I will use as well to my advantage when I spring out to scare them later. Oh, I can just imagine their faces!

I listen in first, though. Any conversation involving me is important. Especially if that Shou girl is involved. She probably wants to have me kicked off of the…

“I’m telling you, it isn’t right!” Shou says rather loudly. I would think it unnecessary, but Minamitsu seems a tad drunk, “I know exactly what you’re up to, and it’s wrong!”

“Oh?” Minamitsu sniggers, waving a bottle of something smelly in Shou’s face, “And what exactly would that be?”

“Ugh,” Shou holds her face in her palms, “I will not repeat myself again. One time is fine, But two, three, four times is too much! If you’re going to start bragging about it, when you know it doesn’t sit well with us, you’d best sober the hell up and be prepared for what’s coming!”

“Ahh, fuck you too, stripes,” Minamitsu slams the door to her room in Shou’s face, effectively ending the…

Well, Shou just opens it back up, but it did seem to piss her off quite a bit. I don’t think anybody would take kindly to having a door slammed on them, but this being Shou, I can barely contain my laughter.

I slip in under the cracks as the door slams back shut, and I spread out and cling to every wall in the room. It seems that the two might be a while, and the longer they carry on, the less fun it seems like it’ll be when I jump out into the mix. I’d rather not add fuel to an already raging fire unless I’m absolutely certain I can either put it out or run fast enough to not get burned.

“Are you even listening to me?!” Shou wrenches the bottle from Minamitsu’s hands, slamming it against her desk and breaking it. …The desk, that is. Seems the wood has more or less rotted through. The bottle stays intact with hardly a scratch on its surface.

“’Ey!” Minamitsu jumps up, grabbing for the bottle, “Givvit back!”

“Mitsu, listen to me!”

“Gimme!”

“No!”

This time, the bottle does break. Shou seems at first to want to break it over Minamitsu’s head, but thinks twice and hurls it at the wall. The contents of the bottle spill down the wood surface and are soaked up by Minamitsu’s bedsheets. The smell is something awful—a pungent odor that burns my… well, I can’t say nostrils in this form. I move away from that portion of the wall and bed, and continue to spectate.

“Ah!” Minamitsu seems devastated by the loss of her liquid companion, and sinks to the floor, “What a waste…”

“Now will you listen?” Shou crosses her arms, looking down on the poor ship captain as her flaring temper slowly cools. A low boil, at best. The two fall silent for quite some time, just staring at one another. Have I missed something important while I was out?

“Shou,” Minamitsu says quietly, her voice shaky. I can’t tell if she’s about to cry or if it’s the drink causing it. “I’m only doing what’s best for us. We all want the same thing here.”

“That’s no excuse for what you’re doing. I want nothing of it, Mitsu!”

“Sure, sure. I’m just as fed up with waiting as you,” Minanmitsu gets to her feet, “And we’re so close now… I can’t afford to let the opportunity go to waste. And I can’t have you or anyone getting in my way!”

“And I won’t have you selling our dignity! Do you think she’d want that?” Shou grabs her by the collar, throws her up against the wall. Oh, ladies and gentlemen we most assuredly do have something juicy here!

But weren’t they talking about me before? Has the subject changed? At this point I’d rather they just stop with the babbling and duke it out like real men… er, women. Whatever! Either way I’m all for Minamitsu winning.

“We may free her, sure,” Shou continues, “but to stoop as low as to offer up another in exchange...”

“You’d just as soon give up, I know.” Minamitsu pushes Shou away, “You already have, remember? We’ve been through this already. It’ll end the same as last time: we fight, you leave with the others, and I do it alone. I don’t see why you have to be so damn pigheaded!”

“Of course you don’t, Mitsu. What’s one more body atop the oceans of those you’ve killed already?” Shou moves to leave, but stops at the doorway, “…Get some sleep, I’ll be gone by morning.”

The door slams, Minamitsu shouts, “Good riddance!”

I debate whether or not to come out of hiding. I’ve missed my opportunity, for starters. I’ve also been able to understand none of what was said beyond the string after string of insults lobbed from either side. How I factor into all of this nonsense is still a mystery, and I don’t think I’m getting an answer out of anybody in this room.

>

Even with meta knowledge, that's not simple.
There's a price to pay to deliver Hijiri?
Murasa is a drunken goast murderer?
Shou is an annoying and violent bitch?

They want to put Nue in Byakuren's place to free the latter. Shou opposed. Guess she remembered who got them out of the underground.
Nue should talk to her pronto, to settle things out, I mean. A divided crew is weak.

[x]Retire to your room

No point in talking to either of them. Shou is pissed off, and doesn't even like us. Murasa is drunk as shit, and is advocating locking us up for eternity; I dont think she will be forthcoming with that information.

We have nothing else to do. Might as well go to sleep and roll the day forward.

We know that they want to free Hijiri, right? Beyond that, I don't see why Nue wouldn't at least be as intelligent as us, and possibly come to the same conclusion. I can't remember if Nue actually knows or not, though--anyone?

[x] Talk to Murasa

Best to get what's going on absolutely clear.
If it's as bad an idea as Shou thinks,maybe we can talk her out of it.

Not to mention, if it's an idea that does indeed involve sacrifice, maybe we can get somebody else to be the patsy.

>What’s one more body atop the oceans of those you’ve killed already?
That's an horrible thing to say, Shou. You are now a real BITCH.

[x] Talk to Murasa.
Nothing else to do. Except maybe talking to Shou-hahaha yeah right.

They're also assuming that the pot or whatever is lost when it's in Nue's bag.

[x] Talk to Murasa.

[x] Talk to Shou.
She stood for us.

>>132848
Is it really that horrible if it's quite possibly true?

[x]Retire to your room

[x] Talk to Shou.
[x] Then talk to Murasa.

[x] Talk to Murasa.

So, Murasa has been playing us? Getting on our good side, just to use us as a scapegoat?
Or am I just jumping to conclusion...
Either way we need to clear this up.

[x] Talk to Shou.
[x] Then talk to Murasa.

[x] Talk to Shou.
[x] Then talk to Murasa.

For some reason, I think she'd actually be honest with us.

>>132848 here, changing my vote to:
[x] Talk to Shou.
[x] Then talk to Murasa.

[x] Talk to Murasa.

It might be easier to call Murasa on her bullshit while she's still drunk and if she thinks we were listening to the conversation from the beginning.

[x] Talk to Shou.
[x] Then talk to Murasa.

>>132854

Yes, though possibly necessary.

[x] Talk to Murasa.

[x] Talk to Murasa.

>>132901
Well, it's canon that Murasa is a murderer.
To be totally honest, she doesn't kill. She just sinks the boat.
Not really a murder.

But perhaps THIS Murasa is different. Everything depends from the writefag.

>>132907
It can be assumed that in the act of purposely sinking a boat one will be counted as the murderer of those who died within the boat.

>>132910
Gonna be annoying with that, but I think that is like a pyroman. Except that instead of putting thing in fire, she sinks them.
You can of course blame a pyroman if he accidentally kills peoples, but that's not really what he wants to do.

I think that Murasa just like sinking boats. Killing peoples in the process is either... a bonuse, either just an accident.
It's up to you. Or up to writefag.

Saged because I'm overthinking instead of voting. Just like in Shikigami story.

>>132911
Are you kidding? She capsized boats because there were people on board, both to increase her own powers as a youkai and because she was a grudgeful little shit.

>>132914
Yeah.
But it doesn't matter, she didn't wanted to kill them, she just wanted to sink the boat.
Read UFO's omake. Murasa is just obsessed with sinking boats and sinking boats and SINKING MOAR BOATS.
She don't give a fuck about the crew.

>>132919
Thats like saying that someone who trows sticks of dynamite at cars riding along the highway is not guilty of murder because he was aiming at the cars instead of the people inside.

>>132921
That's the thing, she is guilty of murder, it's just that killing all of those sailors/fishermen/travelers wasn't her main intention, she just hated the fact that she lost her ship and suffered from the whole "If I can't have it, no one can" mentality due to her being a ghost carrying a grudge.

It also explains why she immediately gave up that life(death?)style when Byakuren showed up with the Palanquin ship for her to captain.

>>132922
In sinking ships she gained more power, she thought if she did so enough she'd escape the ocean.
Byakuren offered her a faster way out.

>>132923
And also a ship to command, just like the one Murasa lost.

[x] Talk to Shou
[x] Then talk to Murasa

I hope Nue gets forced to apologize to Satori at some point. She forced Orin to give Nue back her seeds despite everything Nue did to her and her family.

>>132993
why should we apologise to Satori?

She tried to make us into her pet

>>133000
>pet Nue

imokwiththis.jpg

>>133000
Because that's a load of bullshit. Satori was incredibly patient and forgiving.

I did say force for a reason, though. I know Nue would never voluntarily apologize or even realize she has anything to apologize for... Byakuren might be able to persuade her, assuming she gets freed and somehow gets Nue to tell her why she hates Satori. Not bloody likely.

>>133041
Patient and forgiving while trying to force someone into agreeing to be her pet.
Nue turned her down repeatedly, and rather forcefully too. All signs should have said to back off, but Satori kept pushing with it.

>>133048
I don't remember too much forced asking, and I get the feeling if anon didn't get carried away on the whole "independent youkai" thing, that would have been our main 'hub' as opposed to the ship. I'm quite surprised that anon didn't do similar with Shou and co.

>>133058
Underground as main hub? No way. She might have given us more information and help, but Nue would starve if she didn't head for the surface. Satori knows that.

Closest thing to an SA route would likely have been Satori asking Nue to bring her sister back and sending her on her way. We'd probably end up with the UFO crew regardless, just with an extra side quest.

>>133058
I remember trying to use force to prevent Nue from leaving, both personally and through sicking Okuu and Orin on her.

>>133086
Nue hit Satori before the fight, and Satori sent her pets after Nue because she wanted to return Nue's seeds to her. Unless you think it was a coincidence that Nue's seeds just happened to fall out of a geyser after Orin signaled.

>>133060
the whole needing fear to live was something Anon insisted on, thus it stuck. Had we gone about with more normal methods, then it wouldn't have been such a big deal.

>>133138
Nue would still want to get back to full strength as soon as possible. Human food can't do that.

>>133148
Says who? It's soley due to Anon's insistence that "Fear/human meat restores power" is the rule.

>>133168
>I need food with a little more… substance. The meat of some bovine will give me a menial amount of energy alone, but without the necessary elements of terror that only humans possess I cannot regain my powers.
Here's one.

>>133172
Was that before or after Anon started to make a fuss? After all, how do civilized Youkai sustain themselves in a peaceful place like Gensokyo? They can't go about terrorizing and eating people too much lest they run into Keine and/or Reimu. It could have easily turned out that any food here works better than normal.

But the real point is that any messes that Nue's in is basically the fault of the majority of the readers.

>>133180
Civilized youkai sustain themselves with danmaku. That's why the spellcard system was created.

>>133181
Well, edible danmaku is canon...

>>133180
>But the real point is that any messes that Nue's in is basically the fault of the majority of the readers.
No argument here. I still can't believe you guys attacked Aya.

>>133183
Nue needs no excuses.

>>133247
That attitude is going to get her into trouble she can't get out of; chances are it was that attitude that got her sealed up ultimately.

>>133247
You're right. She doesn't need excuses... but she does need reasons. Preventing the pictures Aya took from getting out was a very good reason. I just think it could have been handled a bit more politely.

that I'm an Aya fan has nothing at all to do with this

Expect updates after this weekend. There are a bunch of freeloaders coming over for the weekend, so I don't have a lot of privacy (lol) until later Sunday. Expect updates somewhere between Monday and the end of eternity.

>>133301
Hooray!

So early in the week fell through. Then again, so did a lot of other things. Like my job. More on this probably never, and I'll update probably after but possibly (unlikely) before I have some sort of gainful employment.

>I'll update probably after but possibly (unlikely) before I have some sort of gainful employment.

Hooray!

‘Anybody in this room’ meaning Minamitsu, I think it best to head after the other party involved in the altercation: Shou. Granted she’s been nothing but distrustful since she first met me, and I’d be crazy to think she’d talk openly about something so serious with me, but… Yeah, I must be losing my marbles. Nevertheless, I head out after her in the hopes that somehow, someway that fight with Minamitsu softened her up a bit for me.

And on my way I think about what I’ve just witnessed with my own eyes. The argument was plenty vague, but loaded with emotion as well. The two have an obvious history together, and judging not only by their words just this past moment but by Minamitsu’s words to me as well, their partnership in whatever endeavor this ship represents has been rocky at worst. Though what begs further questioning is the sort of dilemma they find themselves faced with. How I factor in is a complete mystery, but I can tell for sure that it won’t go well for me if I don’t find out what Minamitsu is planning.

And then I find myself at Shou’s door, having followed a relatively weak scent trail all this way. I don’t bother knocking; I enter it as I would any other door—through the cracks and completely unnoticed. I find her violently throwing what meager belongings she has into a sack.

“So what’s all the commotion,” I say, retuning to my original form for the first time in what feels like months. I pretend to have suddenly taken notice of her baggage, “Going somewhere?”

“Yes,” she says sharply, “and you should leave as well.”

“Oh, but I quite like it here,” I smirk, floating over her person, “The rotten wood keeps the rain out… Some of it.”

“You’ll find plenty better places than here,” she stops packing and turns to me, all rather abruptly, “I’m not telling you this to get you out of my sight as you might expect. The warning is genuine: leave now.”

I decide to save my taunts for another day and cut right to the chase, “About Minamitsu, what exactly is she planning?”

Shou’s face goes pale. She didn’t expect me to know that. If anything, she thought I knew nothing at all.

“Obviously you’ve underestimated me,” I snicker, “but that isn’t important now. What I need to know from you is simply how these plans might affect me.”

“She—“ Shou tries to speak, but falls silent and immediately rethinks saying anything at all, “I-In any case, please leave! I don’t care how or with who, but you can’t be here when the ship departs!”

Stubborn fool! Despite her clear distaste for Minamistu’s plan she will tell me nothing? Perhaps I should beat it out of her. Though looking a little more closely into the situation I can see just how much further I’ll need to push her to make her talk.

>

>>134321
A small update for now. I've been quiet for far too long. Then again, I've been jobless for far too long. On top of that, I get horribly, violently ill as well. Safe to say things haven't gone my way this past month and a half. Here's to hoping I get everything back on track.

As soon as I can breathe normally again, that is.

[x] "I know for a fact that this ship won't depart unless I wish it to." Let your power leak out. "Now, are you going to tell me or not?"

The ship can't fly without the bowl. Nue has the bowl fragments. Nobody knows she has them. She's safe, no matter what Shou says.

Glad to see this back, even if it's only because you're too sick to do anything more productive.

[x]Make her talk

I don't really care about the implementation. I would prefer to go about his diplomatically, but Shou is being tight lipped for some reason. Oh well, we have our ways.

>>134321
Who is Jeff Goldblum?

[x] "I know for a fact that this ship won't depart unless I wish it to." Let your power leak out. "Now, are you going to tell me or not?"

Break her mind.

[x] "I know for a fact that this ship won't depart unless I wish it to." Let your power leak out. "Now, are you going to tell me or not?"

I think this is the best kind of leverage Nue can expect to have in this conversation.

>>134348
>Who is Jeff Goldblum?

Just fucking Google it.

So why are we revealing that we possess the bowl?

Just seems like a pretty dumb idea to me to reveal that information in this kind of situation and to Shou of all people.

[x] Any option that does not reveal our possession of the bowl

>>134352
We aren't? We could be saying we'd murder the entire crew for all Shou knows.

>>134356

In this situation death threats are so much better...

You forget that our only ally on this ship could well be planning to sacrifice us to revive Byakuren.

Threats should be kept as a very last resort and not until other options have been tried.

>>134357
Threatening her doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do, but it does seem like the sort of thing Nue would do. She hasn't exactly shown herself to be very forward-thinking in the past... and she doesn't even like Shou.

As for allies... we should be able to get Ichirin on Nue's side easily. Assuming she's being kept in the dark about Murasa's plan. If all else fails, we can always take Kogasa and ditch the place.

The thing is Shou's obviously shaken up and her pleas of Nue to leave the ship are in a panicked tone as opposed to the colder tune she would have assumed earlier. Something big's going on.

>>134352
telling her that the ship can't take off without it, as such help force her hand. And the only reason Nue has it is because it's of interest to the group.

>>134377
In that case our response could be phrased better.

>"I know for a fact that this ship won't depart unless I wish it to." Let your power leak out. "Now, are you going to tell me or not?"

reads as a threat and it would give the impression that we have the bowl for our own purposes.

>>134428
Propose an alternative, then. Even something like RAPE TIME will work.

[x] Seduce her. But be SUBTLE about it, this fucking Shou we're talking about here. Let's see if we can get more out of her with diplomacy than with scathing remarks.

Also because Shou is hot.

>>134430
Wouldn't it be better to go to Murasa and try to seduce her into telling us what she's planning? Nue's already fucked her and doesn't hate her, for a couple reasons.

really, imagine asking Murasa what she's planning during the afterglow. the look on her face would be priceless

[x] Explain about how you have the bowl and were looking for a good time to reveal the fact. You're willing to hand it over in return for knowing what's going on.
-[x] Remark on her change in demeanor.

>>134435
this is a much better option.

[x] Explain about how you have the bowl and were looking for a good time to reveal the fact. You're willing to hand it over in return for knowing what's going on.
-[x] Remark on her change in demeanor.

[x] Explain about how you have the bowl and were looking for a good time to reveal the fact. You're willing to hand it over in return for knowing what's going on.
-[x] Remark on her change in demeanor.

[x] Explain about how you have the bowl and were looking for a good time to reveal the fact. You're willing to hand it over in return for knowing what's going on.
-[x] Remark on her change in demeanor.

She seems… unsettled enough as it is. I don’t expect dishonest tactics would work well in my favor. Surprising though it may be, she seems honestly concerned for my safety for a change. Her sudden change in demeanor might frighten normal folk away with ease, but I find it remarkably easy to keep calm and try to reason with her.

“I have it on good authority that this ship will go nowhere without my say so,” I say, kicking my feet up and relaxing somewhat in mid-air. My wings are plenty capable of supporting my weight despite being utterly useless when it comes to any manner of flight. “My authority,” I add matter-of-factly, just to see the expression on her face.

My words only serve to confuse her. “And how is this possible?” she asks, dumbfounded yet still so very demanding. Some things never change…

In response I simply lift up the small pouch I had kept as my waist to where she can see it, and give it a good shake so that she’ll recognize its contents. It takes her a moment; gears turn within her head like rusty clockwork, and she pounces. She grabs for the pouch much like what I had expected her to do, and naturally she comes up empty-handed.

“Naughty, naughty~” I snicker, twirling the bag around my finger—taunting her with it. She grimaces, realizing that not only do I have the advantage; I also hold in my hands the means to whatever end she hopes to achieve. Giving that up would be foolish of me, so I put the pouch away.

“That’s right, I found your precious little trinket,” I continue to taunt her further, seeing no reason to stop before Shou ceases her belligerence, “Shame you had to go and lose it like that… But I assume you want it back?”

“What do you want, Nue?” she asks, giving in to my yet-to-be-established demands, yet refusing to play along with my little game. Her tone is harsh yet defeated. Her shoulders droop but she refuses to lower her head. I should do well to remember her strength of character.

“I want you to tell me all about Murasa’s little plan~” I lean in close, getting back onto my feet. My wings are strong, but supporting my weight for so long on top of trying to fend on Shou’s advances is taxing.

“Very well,” of course she has no choice but to obey. The best part is, she knows it! “However, I will want one shard in advance. You’ve obviously broken it, haven’t you?”

“I have broken nothing,” I give an honest answer. I did find it in pieces, yes? “But I’ll take your offer into consideration.”

>

[x]"When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

We retire to our room, go to sleep or some shit, and while we are relaxing, Shou will sit and stew on this until she comes to tell us everything. That's when we don't give her the shard and demand our information anyways. Shou understands the power dynamics here just as well as Nue, so what's she going to do; whine at us?

There are two possibilities for wanting a shard.

A) All of them are needed to fly the ship, just like we're doing, as long as Shou has one she has leverage over Murasa

B) She needs to confirm that it is actually what we say it is.

I'm leaning toward the latter, Murasa doesn't seem too bothered by the shards at the moment, so it's unlikely they'll be good for leverage.

[X] Toss a shard in her direction, give her a moment to examine it.
[X] "So, now that you're totally aware of what our respective positions are, perhaps you have something to tell me before I go and spread these shards to the four corners?"

[x] Don't give her a shard.

She's trying to trick us. Fuck her.

[x] Give her a shard.
[x] "Whenever you're ready"

She stood for us and we owe her this and much more.

[x] Give her a shard.
[x] "Whenever you're ready"

[x] Don't give her a shard.
[x]"When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."
Why give her a shard? We have the upper hand in the negotiation here, and maybe a single shard is enough to lift the boat. We don't know.
She gets the shards when we get what we want.

[x] Don't give her a shard.
[x]"When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

[x] >>134861

>There are two possibilities for wanting a shard.

No. It's the same ruse that negotiators use when dealing with a hostage situation. She's trying to gradually chip away at Nue's leverage in return for meager concessions.

[x] Don't give her a shard.
[x] "When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

[x] Don't give her a shard. Just show it to her.
[x] "When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

[x] Give her a shard.
[x] "Whenever you're ready"

[x] Don't give her a shard. Just show it to her.
[x] "When you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

Glad to see this story is up and running again!

>>134973

I got a job, so I've been able to take a break from constant searching to actually sit down and write. It's pretty awesome, and a load off my mind to not have to worry about having no monies anymore.

tl;dr I'm glad it's up and running again, too.

Full schedule this week, bros. I'll update probably by sometime next week or this weekend.

>>135442
Hooray!

Another busy week this week, folks. To prevent people from thinking I will never write again, here's a status update.

Combined with a fair number of work days this week, I find myself plagued with automotive difficulties and technical mishaps. Brake pads apparently need replacing when they wear down, computers don't react well to lightning strikes, and with my car FM transmitter biting the dust I will be replacing the head unit as it's cheaper in the long run and produces better audio quality. Life has intruded yet again on my writing time, and I must yet again push it back to another day. I expect that day is going to be Thursday, seeing as I don't work then nor do I have anything else planned. The computer issue has been fixed thankfully, so all that is left is working on the aforementioned jalopy I so spitefully adore. The stereo I bought comes with an installation guide, so I won't make myself look too stupid putting it all into place. If all else fails, there's always the weekend.

tl;dr you are all awesome bros, have a Nue for being so patient~

>>136046
Waiting warmly

I do consider her offer in the end. Just not in the way she might have anticipated or hoped for. Rather than give so much as a mote of thought to giving her a shard, what strikes me as odd is the fact that she wants one at all. I hold the success or failure of whatever she wants to accomplish in the palm of my hand, and I have nothing to gain by giving her a shard. My options are not limited to making this trade at all! Why, if I so wanted I could simply leave this place; be free of these wretched youkai. My curiosity will not be sated, but I’ll have no worries in regards to Minamitsu chasing me.

The answer is clear in my mind; I will not give her so much as a speck of the broken bowl and nor will I show her proof that my claim is accurate. I can’t help but smile as the words flow from my mouth.

“How about no?” I say, shuddering with glee as a dejected look creeps onto Shou’s face. She says nothing, but I can see in her eyes that I’ve already won. She realizes that I speak the truth, and that there is nothing she can do but cave to my demands.

“Well,” I continue, heading for the door, “that was easy. Come find me if you decide to talk~”

“Wait!”

She calls after me, and I stop dead in my tracks. Her voice was not forceful, just desperate. She almost seems to want me to know what Minamitsu is planning. I pause to turn around, just long enough to study the girl’s expression.

As I thought: desperation.

She’s confused—torn between helping me and protecting her friend. Betrayal is no simple task for her, and to speak to me of the situation at hand would be akin to just that. But of course, this is all merely how I interpret her motives. In reality it could be very different.

Nonetheless, I have broken her will successfully, and rather easily I should add. I have done nothing noteworthy in my mind to cause such a significant change in her attitude towards me.

It was too easy. A trick, perhaps? Might she be trying to goad me into a false sense of security before skewering me and taking the shards for herself? Doubtful, her personality is far too straight-and-narrow to permit such action.

I cross my arms, deciding to hear her out. It is doubtful that she has much to say that will interest me, but to see her on the verge of tears is beyond satisfying.

“She… Mitsu, she’s—“

“She’s what?” Not that she needs it, but I goad her into talking.

“She’s going to kill you!”

“Oh?” Well, this is unexpected. So she’s going to kill me, is she? How or why she would want to do such a thing is confusing. I—

I feel sick. Physically I feel fine. It must be something else. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest. I don’t understand! I don’t understand it at all but it’s infuriating! I can’t breathe—I want to rip my own lungs out and throw them at the wall.

“You’re joking, right?” I ask, knowing very well what Shou said was true.

I can hear my voice quivering. The sound makes me sick to my stomach. Why am I so affected by this? I’m used to betrayal. Youkai kill other youkai on a daily basis—this is a fact of life. Even the humans do it. I’ve survived to this day simply by being stronger than all the others. Kill or be killed, right?

And to think, a puny little ghost bound to a crumbling ship thinks she can get the better of me? How? Why?! It makes no sense! I’m far more powerful than her. Easily ten times her superior, and yet she still tries to get away with it?

I slam the door shut. I need some air.

>

[x]Head to the prow.

Time for some self-reflection while gazing upon the horizon. I didn't think Murasa's betrayal would hit her so hard. They barely know each other.

[x] Go find Kogasa. Sit or lie down and clear your head.

Kogasa won't betray you. Kogasa won't betray anybody. She's too dumb for that.

[x] Head to the prow.

Poor Nue. Being human-shaped is a bitch, isn't it?

[x]Head to the prow.

'Forced' evolution is a pain. I wished we found out more about why she's about to kill Nue as it could be prevented with the shards Nue has.

[x]Head to the prow.

[x] Go find Kogasa. Sit or lie down and clear your head.

>Kogasa won't betray you. Kogasa won't betray anybody. She's too dumb for that.

Yep thats what minions are for. So highschool taught me.

[x] Go find Kogasa. Sit or lie down and clear your head.

[x] Go find Kogasa. Sit or lie down and clear your head.

I wonder, was Nue affected by that because of her intimacy with Murasa or because Murasa is weaker than her.

[x] Go find Kogasa. Sit or lie down and clear your head.

Long work week this week. So far only one day off, and I'd hardly consider it as such. Updates maybe some time this weekend, but everything really depends on whether or not the same moron calls out again for next week.

I head up. Away from Shou, away from Minamitsu, away from everyone. The stale air down here in the belly of the ship makes me sick even without the notion of Minamitsu’s betrayal in my head. I suppose all this time spent unconscious in a cave has weakened me, both physically and emotionally. To think that such a common occurrence would faze me—that my reaction to this treachery would be so strong…

It’s absolutely unthinkable!

I throw open the hatch and come up to the ship’s deck. I take a deep breath, and feeling no better I take another. Despite the fresh air and the quiet of the night sky it would seem impossible to sort out my own thoughts. But I inhale deeply yet again, and try once more.

Part of me wants to curl up in a corner and weep; just bawl my eyes out like a human child. The other part of me, the one that wants to find Minamitsu’s head and crush it like an overripe grapefruit holds much more sway over my current emotional state. I find rage to be far more comforting than despair; despair would be both unbecoming of a youkai like me and counterintuitive. Why let it get to me when I can open up a whole new can of worms for Minamitsu and her lackeys as payment for their deeds instead? I take solace in the knowledge that I still hold all the cards, and that they were dumb enough to let their plan slip before they held the advantage.

So revenge it is, then. At least that sly, vindictive part of me is still as I remember. It feels good to know that I can still hold onto a part of me that hasn’t changed since I awoke nearly three days ago. Ah, but perhaps it is not the revelation of Minamitsu’s unfaithfulness that has me reeling. Maybe it’s all of this change within myself that has me so unstable. My emotions, my reduced strength… Even my own body is something completely alien to me. Waking up in that cave is probably the worst thing that has happened to me this month. Having to deal with the stresses of daily life outside of my own body, now combined with the fact that I have a clear and present enemy has taken an immense toll on me. The straw that broke the horse’s back, that’s what this is. I simply failed to notice until now.

I suppose the only thing I can do at this point would be to get used to it. Walking on two legs I can handle. Blending in with humans is basically a dream come true, so yeah. But the constant emotional battle within myself? That may be a bit more than I can bear. All of these… feelings are not something I should have to contend with as a youkai. I can ignore them sure, but the end result would be compounded into another breakdown moment like the one I experienced just now. I can’t ignore myself, no matter how hard I may try and want to.

On the flipside, I could just as easily give in to them completely—live a life of utter transience. Give in utterly to the human condition and go wherever my dreams may take me. And perhaps while I’m at it I could also become a hermit, live up in the mountains studying asceticism and eating dirt. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do it, but the opportunity exists.

As with all other aspects of myself that have changed, I will simply have to cope with it until I find some sort of middle ground. But the mechanism for said coping has yet to be found and I have no legs to stand on… Figuratively speaking. I see no reason why I can’t behave like Kogasa and simply attach myself to the first being that shows me even a speck of kindness…

Wait, I tried that already! And what did it get me? A knife in the back and one really long boat ride to nowhere going fast. I don’t think it wise to give that a second run, no siree, Bob. So I give up looking for a solution. Where I’m standing there doesn’t seem to be an easy way out, and maybe it’s set up like that for a reason. Perhaps it’s the whole reason why humans search their entire lives for happiness and yet never manage to find it. And perhaps it’s also the reason why some animals like to devour their own excrement. Trying to find a reason why something is the way it is is ludicrous.

I stop thinking about it entirely. It’s starting to make my head hurt. At least I don’t feel sick to my stomach any more, but I’ve shut out one bees nest of problems and shoved my face into a new and even bigger one. It doesn’t help to know that it was there the whole time; pretending the hive isn’t there doesn’t stop the bees from stinging.

Exhausted and dead tired, I head back down below to the room I had set aside for myself. I should do well to watch my back from this point onward, but for now I’m too tired to care. Kogasa sits wide awake on the far side of the door, and I lock the two of us in.

“I figured you’d be back soon,” she says with a smile, “it’s been a long day, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” I grumble, trying not to think about any of it. Still, bits and pieces I can’t hold down float to the surface—the Tengu attack from earlier, coupled with everything that has happened recently has left me utterly drained of energy. I feel that my earlier meal may have been entirely meaningless.

Kogasa leans forward, scowling as she looks me over, “Did… something happen?”

“Yeah, kind of,” I don’t really want to tell her. I change the subject, “So anything planned for tomorrow?”

“Why?” Good, now I’ve confused her.

“No reason. I might just have something planned for the others, is all.”

I finally get to lay down. Kogasa seems to want to keep talking, but I ignore her. My ‘bed’ may be a cold wooden floor, but it seems to embrace me more warmly than any being alive’s arms possibly could.

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

I awake to the sound of Kogasa’s beating heart. Her body warms me, but I feel that it’s a little close for comfort. Unfortunately, her arms are wrapped around me as well and I’m unable to pull away. I don’t feel comfortable waking her just yet, so I lay on my back with her still next to me.

Thin trails of light flood in through the porthole. It’s barely sun-up, and cold enough that I can see my breath fog. It trails through the light in thin wisps, and then disappears entirely. I wonder if the others are still asleep?

>

[x] Confront Murasa as soon as possible.

No use putting it off.

[x] Fake being asleep while focusing your hearing as to pick up on any activity.

I kinda d'awweed at the part of where Kogasa was keeping Nue warm. Despite the shit that might have went down, Kogasa's loyal.

I don't know what to vote for, but as always, Snake, you have exquisite taste in Nue pictures.

[x] Change your form to escape Kogasa's embrace without waking her.
[x] Confront Murasa as soon as possible.

As much as Nue likes that feel, she's got to make sure she'll still be able to experience it tomorrow.

New thread: >>138904