>>5286550>>5286533>>5286520>>5286518>>5286513>>5286509>>5286507>>5286501>Bring one person along>Emilia.“You all; stay back except for Emilia.” You step ahead of the dhampir, a hand on your rifle. “We’ll investigate first. If we need you, we’ll signal for it. Or we’ll die, I suppose.”
“Just you two..? Then, very well.” Ava sighs as she plants a rapier into the ground and sits before it. “But try to avoid dying. We’re quite a ways away from the shrine now. It’ll be very troublesome for me.”
“Take care, you two.” Noelle bows her head. Millicent hides behind her.
[...]
You make it along another hilltop, careful to keep an eye on the anomaly–in spite of your direct approach, the entity does not seem eager to acknowledge your presence. It simply hangs in the air, ever rotating, shifting, warping. As you grow close, you find yourself conscious of its other quirks, like the strange sound of grinding metal as the shape contorts, or the odd glow of the flowers flowing up about it like water.
“What the hell <span class="mu-i">is</span> it?” Emilia scoffs. “..Looks.. kind of like a person, don’t it?”
“Does it really?” You fold your arms. “The thing looks more like a machine to me.”
And, at the sound of your voice, the warping of its head and lilting of light stops. You almost feel more apprehensive at the sudden cessation of its movement–and then, countless pinpricks of light between the gaps in its head converge on you like eyes. You move for your rifle, but a strange sound booms before you.
"mY, mY.. I DiD NoT ThInK We wOuLd mEeT AgAiN." The noise almost sounds like words, but in tones–like countless out of tune, discordant piano keys smashed together and twisted through a strainer into the shape of words. “mY HeRo. My sAvIoR. tHe oNe wHO sHATtErEd mY BiNDInGs aNd gRaNtEd mE ThE MeRcY Of dEaTh."
“You know her?” Emilia scowls, ripping your greatsword up from off her back.
>Pull your rifle out. Perhaps you can get the drop on it.>Continue your discussion with the entity.>Try your hand at flirting again.>Write-In. 