Notail Simulator Beta (4/4)

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 5 is rolled.

There were thick grasslands to the north, some of it even reached up to your neck. You kept checking back to make sure Midnight was behind you and sure enough he was tagging along as close as possible.

There wasn't much food to be found. Grass was inedible and all the animals and capture creatures around were steed types, big enough to ride and thus too big for one kid to take down. All the food the H-class had packed for you was mostly ruined when you fell in the water.

As night was setting on your 4th day of trekking slowly across the landscape you came across a fire and quick camp setup. You approach the two kids who sat by the fire with no worry. Usually other notails were fairly safe and were willing to lend a hand even if they were a little snobby about it.

"Hi, do you guys mind if I camp with you all? =3"
"Yeah sure, long as you don't take our stuff. :)"
"We already lost enough this year. (;"
"Oh, same. =3"
"Let me take a guess, you got kicked out of your swarm? (;"

One of them points to the E on your shirt.

"Oh, no I don't have a swarm. =3"
"Hmmmmmm does that smell like a lie? Cause it doesn't smell like one just by the tone of voice, but it sounds like it might be a lie. :)"
"No no, on further thought, it is most definitely not a lie. (;"

You decide to scan the two notails. Both of them are I-classes from Dove Peak.

"You could have just asked us where we were from instead of scanning us. (;"
"They're one of those types who needs to scan everything. :)"
"Anyway, we were going to say, if you got kicked out-"
"-then you and us would be in the same boat. :)(;"

It's a little weird that they finish each other's sentences. In fact it feels like you're talking to one person, but they own the fire so you're not going to point this out and possibly offend them.

"Oh, what happened to you two? =3"
"We've been living in the settlement in the bottom left of the woods. All the way in the corner. :)"
"We've been living and working there for as long as we've been in these woods. (;"
"We have less than a year left and we get kicked out because they believed we stole some dumb anomaly artifact the landlord had. :)"

"Well actually they only believe one of us stole it. (;"
The other I-class whispers while folding their arms and looking away. The other I-class jabs them with their elbow.

"Some silly coin of the Sleeper. (;"
"Landlord was obsessed with it but she was protecting the settlement so we just pretended nothing was wrong-"
"-and just hoped that the adults would take it away from her when she exited the woods. :)"
"But then the coin goes missing. We try to investigate what happened...."

The I-class looks over to their partner and mumbles.
"...and then someone just had to make a joke about how I would totally steal the coin if I could. :)"

The other I-class jumps up.
"Well you admitted to them when they asked if you would steal the coin if you could! (;"
"Yeah but that's only because I refuse to lie! I didn't steal it but I WOULD steal the coin if I could so I could-"
"Get it away from the landlord. :)(;"
The other party mimics the other in a mocking way.

Both of them shoves their leftovers over to you at the same time.
"Take this I'm not feeling hungry right now! :)(;"
"Thanks. =3"
"You're welcome!!! :)(;"

The two start arguing and you just leave them be. You haven't eaten much in the last few days and you don't intend to let these meals go cold just because of the two fighting in front of you.

When it's time to go to sleep you move to a location away from both of them, just in case they have another argument and finally get some rest.




=



You wake up as someone lifts you up and brings you to the camp site. Your senses are confused as you're tossed on the floor near the two I-classes from before.
Three other notails surround you and the I-classes. All of them with quite sturdy sticks in their hands.

"Ha! Your friends here ratted you out. >=3"
Says the largest and most imposing kid of the group. He was able to carry you so he was easily as strong as you, if not stronger.

"Sorry we're bad liars. :)(;"
"You two didn't even attempt to lie. >=3"
"That's what makes us bad liars. (;"
"Idiot. :)"

The kid swings his stick, hitting the I-class in the arm. You flinch at the quick movement but the I-class takes the hit without even a yell.

You scan the attacker.

A Hawk kid.

"Lets not anger the people who have access to weapons when we don't. ;)"
"Psh, this bozo hits like a 1 legged gwech! :)"
The I-class spits out in anger.

As the kid gets ready to hit the I-class again you get in the way, taking the blow yourself. You could tell the I-class was in more pain than they let on.

You fall back and the Hawk kid instantly turns to you.

This situation wasn't like the one with the eagle kids. The eagle kids were roughhousing, admittedly with a person who was in no way interested in such play, but the hawk kid wasn't playing. This wasn't for fun. This was for a show of power. The other two kids were shifting through bag contents but you saw them keep a close eye on the situation. Not on you guys, but on how the kid handled the situation. Should he fail handling this situation you're sure the other two, who also seemed to be Hawk kids, would pass heavy judgement.

"Oh, so you want to take the hits huh? I'm not going to kill you cause killing notails is wrong, but a broken arm wouldn't be too bad to shut you up. That's what all you other village kids do right, you break an animal's leg to gain control over them? >=3"
Part of that question almost seemed genuine. Did this kid not know how capture creatures worked?

As he got ready for another strike something barreled through the tall grass and lept on the Hawk kid. Attempting to fight the stick away from him was Midnight. Having gone to look for food he only just got back.

"I thought! You said! There weren't! Any! Stupid Creatures! >=3"
He waves the stick left and right but Midnight keeps holding on. The other two Hawk kids don't even bother helping him. They just laugh at him. Loudly.

"L-Let go! Let go of my w-weapon! >=3"
He sounded like he was going to cry but you had little sympathy for the jerk. The two I-classes saw that this was a good distraction and jumped for the bags. One I-class slammed into one of the kids who was closest to a certain bag while the other grabbed it, quickly fishing around for what they needed.

Thank goodness Hawk kids don't know too much about capture creatures or else they would have taken an item that would save you. They pulled out a capture cage and activated it.

As you watched the large and imposing creature burst from nowhere, the kid had finally tossed Midnight off the stick.

You quickly scanned the creature, a force of habit.

The creature swipes at the two other Hawk kids causing them to run while yelling back that they were cheaters for using a creature.

You were so impressed by the creature you didn't pay attention to the other fight.

The kid lifted that stick in the air-

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 1 is rolled.

-CRACK-

A well aimed blow to the neck had killed Midnight instantly.

Everything suddenly felt muffled and far away. Your head unfocused from the world.

You watched what you think was one of the I-classes tackle the last Hawk kid while the other took the weapon from him. You really couldn't pay attention past that as your vision distorted from tears you were trying to hold in but failing to do so.





=




You didn't pass out, but you felt like you did, and when you finally were able to pull yourself out of your haze you were just a foot away from Midnight while one of the I-classes tried to talk to you.

"Hey, are you ok? ;)"
"Are they not responding? Do you think he hit them in the head? We don't want to have to drag you to a forest center but we might have to if you don't respond. :)"

You put one hand on Midnight. He didn't look like he was dead. He didn't look like the time you went with a swarm and you watched one kid's creature get attacked. Midnight wasn't covered in blood, have wounds, or was struggling to live, giving the owner at least a few moments to say goodbye.

He was just dead.

You didn't know what to say to "Are you ok?".

No. You're not ok.

And yet you didn't want to say you weren't. You have to remove your emotions and keep them inside, that's what you were taught at your time at the village.

"I'm fine. =3"

You said bluntly as you picked up Midnight's rag doll of a body, still trying to process what happened.

They're I-classes, a class that smells out lies with ease.

They knew you were lying.

But they didn't mention it.


You have personally died once but no one you've been close to has ever died before. You laid part of Midnight's body on your lap and placed your hands on him.

Stupid anomaly powers couldn't bring your pet back to life.

"What do I do with the body? =3"
"Most people just leave it there. :)"
"Or eat it. No use wasting good meat. ;)"
"To be honest that's a strange question to ask. When a body dies it's no longer useful so you just throw it away right? :)"
"Yes as we think about it we would say that's right. ;)"
"Speaking of which. You owe that Crane kid a capture creature and us a heap of our supplies. :)"

The I-class talks down to the Hawk kid. He's clearly been roughed up, he doesn't attempt escaping.

"Hope you're really proud of yourself. ;)"
"Capture creature code says you shouldn't kill another notail's capture creature unless you think it's going to kill you. :)"
"But a dumb Hawk like yourself wouldn't know that. ;)"
"You don't even get capture creatures at that dumb village right? :)"
"Everything about Hawks is awful, including everyone who comes from it. ;)"

He just takes the insults thrown at him. He doesn't attempt to defend himself. You've seen this kind of person before. He tried to act tough but he was just a [pushover].

"Ugh. I hate that we had to bring out our shared capture creature out for this. :)"
"Look at them, they want food. We keep you inside the cage cause it takes so much effort to feed you but it looks like we have no choice, we'll have to keep it out to defend ourselves. ;)"
"Hey Hawk kid, look at me! What happened to this place? We were heading to the settlement around here. We took a trip here for a trade like 2 years ago and I don't remember this being the type of place that would tolerate Hawks. :)"
"Hawks raided it...a-a-a few m-months back. So they all left. >=3"
"Figures. :)(;"

"I don't think I've heard of anything else good being around here. :)"
"There's a forest center somewhere up north, looks like we'll have to stay there for as long as they let us until we can find somewhere that doesn't suck. ;)"
"So we can live out our last few months here in peace. :)"

The two I-classes gather up their supplies, or what's left of it.

The Hawk kid just sits there without moving.

You do the same. You're still trying to take in this whole event. The I-classes acting like this is natural is so jarring to you. They got attacked, robbed, had to fend off the intruders, and then after that they just went back to acting like everything was ok.

You're [Observant] and noticed that both of them were slightly shaking due to the stress of the event as they picked up items and looked them over.

They're both older than you.

So they're better at pretending they're ok than you.



=




After a bit of packing they waltz over to you and hand you your bag. A quick glance in it showed that you were missing your emergency ration and whistle. Thankfully for you it looked like the kids were more interesting in looting the other two.

"Hey if you're heading up north you can come with us. :)"
"We don't want you to get attacked. ;)"
"It's clear that SOME KIDS want to make the woods even more stressful than it already is. :)"
"You don't look so good. You can rid on our Mix-Match until you feel better. ;)"

"You know, even though I want to drag that idiot around to make him repay us in work, I really don't care now. :)"
"Because I realized that when he gets back to his camp his friends are going to be quite crossed with him. ;)"
"I think the quick beating we gave him might as well be butterfly kisses compared to what Hawks do to failures. :)"
"Which to Hawks, he is. ;)"

"We're ok if you want him to drag him along though. :)"
"You can just use him as capture creature bait to get you a new creature. ;)"
"He killed your creature, having to capture you a new one is going to be peanuts compared to all the work you likely put into that thing. :)"

That thing was Midnight.

"Just know that if he tries to run away we aren't going to catch him. ;)"
"Oh, but where would he run back to? The Haaaaawks? ;)"

The two laugh while the Hawk kid lowers his head to look at the ground.

Did you want to take him with you?

And....what are you going to do with Midnight?

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Spoiler ((This is an actual choice.))