What's The Truth?

Back at the lair, Ellen walked into the workshop to find Chloe already working on stuff. Chloe turned to Ellen and said, “Did your boobs get even bigger?”

“Yes,” Ellen said, pursing her lips.

“I thought the desserts were supposed to have worn off for you already.”

“They did. Then I got hit by a breast growth cactus, and Mark increased my size further.”

“I see… Can I get any of the needles from that cactus? I bet they would be a useful weapon.”

“No. Absolutely not. Chloe, the growth from the cactus is semi-permanent. You have to eat a flower from the cactus for it to reverse. So, no.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Any idea what we should do today while waiting for the others?”

“Well, you definitely need to catch up some. Here, this might help.” Chloe handed over a vial. “This is a substance that will bond with your symbiote.”

“How do I use it?”

“Just pour it onto the symbiote.”

Ellen didn’t hesitate, as she had already committed to upgrading Symbietta. The green viscous liquid landed in globs on the shiny black coating that was Symbietta. A few moments later, the liquid was completely absorbed by Symbietta, who said, “OH! This feels NICE! So tingly.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased, Symbietta,” Ellen said aloud for Chloe’s benefit. “Who’s the choker for?”

“Mary. It gives all her healing a boost. I looked over the options on the task board. The way I see it, we have two options. Either you go solo again. While Mary and I craft. Or the three of us try to take one or two relatively easy quests for us.”

“Not worried that you will fall behind just crafting?”

“Not too much. I didn’t really fall behind anyone else despite being here for two days. But that could be because I’m still contributing. Upgrading Flora’s arrows, I’m sure, has helped her do more damage. Also, I’ve had plenty of time to hone my mixing and crafting skills.”

The two of them kept chatting, and Chloe kept crafting while they waited for Mary. After several minutes, Mary joined the two in the workshop. Mary walked up to Chloe and kissed her on the cheek. “Morning.”

“You seem chipper,” Chloe said.

“Hmm, I guess I’m just glad that a conversation I’ve been dreading didn’t go as poorly as I thought it would. Plus, the date with Ellen was great.” Mary grabbed Ellen’s arm and rested her head against it. Mary then deflated slightly. “Which makes me less than happy with what I need to talk to you about Chloe.”

Chloe crossed her arms and turned towards Mary on her stool. “Pull up a seat. Is this conversation private?” Chloe turned towards Ellen.

“Yes, but Ellen needs to be here,” Mary explained. “Ellen can talk with Laura. While I can communicate with my other self, we can’t discuss anything that could be considered affecting the LARP. We’ve found a workaround.”

“I see,” Chloe replied neutrally.

“Chloe, I’d like to ask of you a favor.” Chloe’s eyebrows rose. “Could you promise me that for the next fifteen minutes, you will be honest with me and not hold back details from an answer to a question I ask you? This is about Sadie.”

Mary could see Chloe clench her jaw. “I promise not to deceive you through falsehood, misrepresentation, or omission intentionally, as well as to do my best to answer your questions that pertain only to things about Sadie or Sadie and myself and only for the next fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you. Chloe, first, do you know if Sadie is the one who is messing with you at your job, or do you simply suspect?”

“Mostly suspect, she’s the only one who makes any sense. Although I do know she has taken some direct actions against me. Anything that was obviously done by her could arguably be viewed as her retaliation against something I did first.”

“Okay. I want to say she claims that isn’t her.”

“Of course she would.”

“Now… Can you tell me about the initial incident? You telling Sadie you were interested in me, and her asking me out? I’ve heard it from her, and I’d like your side of things.”

“We were sitting in between classes, in a common lounge area. The area had enough noise that we could have a quiet, private conversation without being overheard. We were talking about stuff, I honestly forgot what at this point, but eventually it got to boys. I mentioned I liked you. Then, less than a week later, she asks you out.”

“Do you remember anything else in the conversation where you told Sadie you liked me? Specifically, after you mentioned that to her? What was her response?”

“She seemed positive, and I remember that our conversation got cut short because class was about to start.”

“Okay. Now, please don’t shoot the messenger. Sadie claims she asked you if it would be okay for her to ask me out and possibly even share me, and you said yes.”

Chloe looked at Mary with such incredulity that Mary felt like she was shrinking before her gaze. After waiting for a long moment, Chloe said, “Obviously, she’s lying through her teeth.”

“Just to confirm, you didn’t say that it would be okay to ask me out?”

“No, I did not. I would remember if someone was like, ‘Yeah, that guy you're interested in, I’m interested in him too. Do you mind if I ask him out? Oh, I’m even willing to share with you.’ That last bit is what would definitely make it stand out.”

“Hmm… why would she say that then?”

“I already told you, she is manipulative as hel-heck.” Chloe’s eyes flicked towards Ellen.

“Chloe, you said so yourself, she isn’t dumb. She even told me herself that she realized lying to me would screw her over so bad, and I agree. If she really did lie to me, she’s probably in for a rough time.”

“Mary, I just told you point-blank that what she said I told her, I didn’t. I can’t lie to you right now about things involving her.”

“I know. Ellen, would you mind sending this info to Laura? I don’t think there is anything more right now.” Mary released Chloe from her promise early.

Ellen nodded, and a short time later, she said, “Done, Laura knows.”

Mary asked, “So what are we doing today?”

Chloe said, “I think the two of us should stay here and craft while Ellen goes out solo. I found two missions for her that I think she can handle.”

Ellen extended her hand. “Mind showing them to me?” Chloe handed over two pieces of paper. After a minute of scanning them. “Oh… Yeah, I can do these. Got to wait just a bit longer for True Love’s Kiss to wear off, though.” Chloe raised an eyebrow, but before she could question it, Ellen got up, gave Mary a kiss, and walked off.”

“Sooooo… Mary, what was that about True Love’s Kiss?”

“It’s the name of a TF I got. It allows me to suppress up to three TFs on a person if there is mutual love between us for one day a round.”

“And you used up the one day on her?”

“I used up her one day on her, yes. I can do it once a round for each of you.”

“OH, that is… interesting.”

“Sorry, but I can tell you don’t qualify.”

“And Ellen does?”

“We… might have cheated a little to get that. I used Merida’s boon to help things along with Ellen’s consent. So, I guess we should get down to work then.”

“We could…” Chloe began, “But…” Chloe leaned over and kissed Mary passionately. “How about a little fun first. I have these wonderful thoughts about what we can get up to for a little bit.”

Task: Frame The Lord of Hardrock

• Risk: Low to Medium
• Reward: 300 XP, 3 CP, additional reward based upon success and manner of framing.
• The Lord of Hardrock and the Lord of Brightwood hate each other. They currently have a truce due to an imperial decree to deal with the threat of us. Reinstigate the feud. Eliminate one to three members of Lord Brightwood’s family and make it look like Lord Hardwood’s doing. Alternatively eliminate. Brightwood’s Head Butler, Head Maid, and Captain of the Guards, in place of one of his family members. Note: Completing this quest after igniting the feud will be more difficult.

Task: Frame The Lord of Brightwood

• Risk: Low to Medium
• Reward: 300 XP, 3 CP, additional reward based upon success and manner of framing.
• The Lord of Brightwood and the Lord of Hardrock hate each other. They currently have a truce due to an imperial decree to deal with the threat of us. Reinstigate the feud. Eliminate one to three members of Lord Hardrock’s family and make it look like Lord Brightwood’s doing. Alternatively eliminate. Hardrock’s Head Butler, Head Maid, and Captain of the Guards, in place of one of his family members. Note: Completing this quest after igniting the feud will be more difficult.

Ellen noted the locations on the Map in the lounge and set off to Brightwood first, as it was slightly closer to their lair. On her way to the town, Lucia returned to her mind. “Ellen, please don’t suppress me again. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but it was odd.”

“Noted, but no promises. It was nice to have only one voice in my head for once.”

“You still had Symbietta and Laura, that is hardly one voice.”

“Fair.”

“Got to say I’m upset I wasn’t here for us having sex with Mark. Even if I can remember it clearly.”

“Sorry, not sorry.”

“It’s fine. Also good on you for calling out our sister like that. ALSO, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SIBLINGS! LITTLE TINY SIBLINGS!”

“Yes, it’s hard to believe, but yes, I can.”

“So, we’re off to shank some people, it seems? They don’t really die, even within the lore of this story, right? They just get hurt?”

“Yeah, but that makes humiliations all the worse.”

“Can I have more orgasms?” Symbietta butted in.

“I’ll stop near Brightwood and rub one out for you, but I expect you to behave for the rest of the day.”

“YIPPIE!”

Ellen shook her head as she rode towards Brightwood.

Mary’s and Chloe’s makeout session was interrupted when Aubrey reached out to Mary, asking about various candies. Chloe and Mary looked through her candy store, which she found that she could still access despite the BP store being closed. After helping Aubrey, they reluctantly stopped fooling around and started to work on some crafting projects.

Chloe found a crafting task to build traps for the lair in case the other team actually found the lair, and they had to be neutralized. Mary worked on crafting a few consumables, but took a break to go visit Ethel and bring her some food.

“Knock, knock,” Mary said as she carried a tray of food into the room. “Did you enjoy the books?” Mary put the tray through the slot in the cell for Ethel. Ethel just stared at Mary silently from the bed with clear suspicion in her eyes. Mary looked at Ethel. Not sure what was up. “Not interested in talking?” Still no response. “Is there something else I can get you to make you more comfortable?”

Ethel held up a book. “Why did you give me this? What were you hoping to accomplish?”

The lighting was dim, so Mary didn’t see which of the books she was holding clearly. “I just thought something might help with the boredom of sitting here all day.”

“So you gave me someone’s journal?”

“Journal? What are you talking about? I gave you two books yesterday, and neither was a journal.” Mary said, standing up and moving closer to the cell to get a better view. “How did you get that?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. It was in the stuff you left me.”

“Let me see that,” Mary demanded.

“Ha, as if I’m going to comply with your orders.”

“Ethel, I’m asking you nicely, please let me see that journal.”

“Nicely, you say.” Ethel let out a hearty laugh. “You are keeping me as a prisoner, and you say, asking nicely.”

“Fine.” Mary pulled the tray with the food on it back out and put it on a table from across the cell. “I’ll wait.” Ethel frowned.

“So, you’ll starve me? I doubt it.”

“No. I won’t, but there is a difference between feeding you and feeding you a nice meal that I cooked you myself. Honestly, I’m thinking of letting you go.”

“Yeah, right, no way you do that.”

“Honestly, keeping you here is a greater liability than getting rid of you. I won’t feel great about what I think the others will want to do with you, but I won’t feel too bad either.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m thinking that they will incapacitate you and drop you in the village you were trying to save. Infecting you with Mad Cow-Girl. Heck, if they think they can manage it after making sure you’re infected, they might take you to the other side of the empire and have you be patient zero for a secondary outbreak.”

Ethel’s eyes went wide. “I thought you said you weren’t evil?” Her voice had a tremor of fear laced in it.

“We aren’t. I told you before, this is a game to Cassandra. If there were real stakes and consequences, I wouldn’t be willing to do this.”

“Again with the obviously fabricated story. You want me to believe you? Why did I sense a spark of divinity from you yesterday?”

Mary looked confused. Hmm… I wonder… I stopped being overly protective of my hoard when talking with her yesterday, and now I’m overly protective again. Meaning Mark likely swapped out the TF. Probably straight up copying Laura’s goddess TF.

Mary shrugged, “I doubt you would believe my explanation, but it’s likely because Mark ate out Laura. I have the ability to copy certain things from any member of my harem. I’m pretty sure he copied the thing that made Laura a goddess. I was told I had a dragon’s aura yesterday and felt like I had a hoard, which would be him eating out Samantha. That stopped when talking with you, but has started again this morning.”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

“Look, Ethel, I’m sorry you’re caught up in all this.” Mary grabbed the food tray and slid it back through the cell door. “I don’t want to fight with you, and I hope when this is all over, we can be friends. You seem like a decent person. Please take care of that journal and enjoy your meal.” Mary walked out without another word.

Ethel sat in the bed for a long time just clutching the journal. What is she playing at? Ethel had spent most of her time reading the diary, reading Daisy as Astrid called her. She read about the life Astrid led. In a world totally unlike her own. Ethel knew there were other worlds; after all, the heroes were from another world, as apparently the champions of Smug were as well. To read about one, though, was something else entirely. What didn’t make sense to Ethel was that she recognized the names of all of Astrid’s sisters, but not Astrid’s name. Then she got towards the last entries.

“Noxtus 2nd, 4107

Round 1, Day 0

Daisy, I think we might be screwed. We were kidnapped, and our magic has been suppressed. A witch with power like I’ve never seen before told us we were to be part of a harem. All my sisters and I. Apparently, to some abused guy who was born without magic like Slevia… I know, right? Completely insane. I also got altered; I’m now a cyborg… Well, duh, Daisy, it is obviously because of my prowess in combining magic with technology. I’m worried, [THE MASTER], seemed nearly gleefully malicious, at the opportunity to do with us as he willed. I have a ‘date night’ with him in a few days… Yeah, I know I haven’t had time for that before, but I promise I’m going to try to make the best of things. Since I’m apparently stuck, this witch Cassandra is so much stronger than all of us.

I love you, Daisy. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to write, with circumstances as they are.

Astrid”

Ethel reread the passage, pausing on 'This witch Cassandra…' That line just played over and over in Ethel’s head. It wasn’t helped when she read on.

“Round 1 Day 2

Daisy, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to break that promise to you.

A”

(The next page is stained with tears)

“Round 1 Day 6

Daisy… [THE MASTER]... he… he **** himself on me. I figured it would happen…

I don’t know why… why he’s doing this… we tried to help people like him…

Slevia is terrified; it’s her night with him. He’s been particularly mean to her, Petra, and Hilde. I don’t get it… I know Daisy. I can’t let this go on. I’m sorry if I don’t write again. I’m going to try to end this.

Love,
Astrid.”

Ethel skipped ahead a few more entries, not caring to reread Astrid’s failed attempt to escape to try and get help, and the resulting punishment. Nor did she want to read about the **** the six of them suffered while she was planning what was apparently her final scheme. She noted that while Astrid hated Cassandra, Astrid had realized that it wasn’t truly Cassandra pulling the strings, and that she tried to ease the burden of the sisters when and how she could. She turned to the last entry, though.

“Round 4 Day 0

Daisy, I love you, you know that, right? … Good. I’m sorry, but I’m going to do it tomorrow. So this is likely my last entry, because even if I succeed, I doubt I will be coming out on the other end. He is an evil scumbag. The idea of having to carry his progeny is revolting to me, but he hasn’t gotten gentler with Petra even after she’s gotten pregnant; in fact, he was outraged when he found out and beat her. She hasn’t told any of the others yet. She doesn’t want to lose the child. So, I’m going to do it. If I’m successful, and I can’t write, I want you to find Petra’s daughter when she’s all grown up. Let her read you. Let her know about her Aunt. Take care of her and be a friend to her like you have been to me.

Take care of Ethel, that’s the name Petra has chosen. Watch over her.

With my eternal love,
Astrid”

Ethel read over the last line, again and again. Is it a coincidence? I mean, Maja is a super common name, and there are like a dozen variations of Freya’s name in the empire. The others aren’t as common, though… I’ve heard of all of them except Astrid. I only know of one Hilde, and she’s long dead, but she was the fastest woman alive, just like the one mentioned here. Ethel walked over and ate the food Mary brought while thinking. Damn, this is a nice meal. When she was done, she took the fork that Mary brought with her and started to sharpen a tine against the wall. She pricked the back of her hand with it and dabbed the tine on the other side in her blood. She wrote on a blank page in the journal.

“Hello, Daisy?

My name is Ethel.”

Words appeared on the page, in black ink.

“Hello, Ethel. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

The words disappeared, simply being replaced by a “...” continuing off from where she had written. I’m going crazy.

“Daisy, can I trust Mary?”

“From my interactions with her, she is not malicious. Trust is valuable, though. I’ve trusted her, but that is because I have no one left to put my hopes in but her.”

Ethel wasn’t sure if she could trust the journal.

“What hopes?”

“To save Astrid. I know you read me, I know you read what happened. I’m sure you can guess what happened after the last entry. Astrid is broken. I wish to help heal her.”

“And Mary is key?”

“She is a piece. A pivotal piece, but not the only pivotal piece.”

Ethel considered that. So Daisy here doesn’t seem to be overly on Mary’s side, just she doesn’t have any other options.

“Are Mary and Mark the same person?”

“Yes.”

Ethel continued to write. “Why do you think I’m the same Ethel?”

“Your blood. You are a blood relative of Astrid. If you weren’t, your words would not remain on these pages.”

Ethel snapped the journal closed, unsure of what to think, but doubt had crept into her mind. Is this all a lie?