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File 166139987844.png - (2.10MB , 1662x1172 , Work tagline.png )
1041764 No. 1041764 ID: b7732e

This is a short fan quest taking place way before the events of The God Damned by Whistler and Graphygraphie https://questden.org/kusaba/quest/res/944457.html. Fret not, as reading it is not necessary to understand this tale. Take it as an aperitif for a much grander one.

A day in the life of people who just want to get through the end of it.
Expand all images
>>
No. 1041766 ID: b7732e
File 166139998034.png - (754.34KB , 1078x584 , Work 2.png )
1041766

Ah, another day, another coin. Or it would be, if anyone apart from the Mongers dealt with money. A necessary evil when one must trade with the foreign philistines.

At any rate, today is a new day in ancient Silverlock, grand and steadfast mountain, hearth and home of thousands of faithful citizens. For centuries and centuries, its fine folk have built a deep and marvelous city that has stood the test of time, and shall continue to do so forever more.

On this day we will follow the exploits of two dutiful yet unassuming laprines, as they go on their daily routine.

First we have Trezi. She is a Martinet. Martinets are the guards and soldiers of Silverlock. If there is anything that may threaten the safety of the city and its inhabitants, they are always at the ready to defend them. They are lean, mean and disciplined to the core. And yes, their hair does grow like that, try not to stare too much.

Next is Chalker. He is a Toiler. Toilers work tirelessly to carry out the primary tasks that make up the backbone of the city, such as mining, farming, cleaning, cooking and building. They are gifted with a prodigious strength and long limbs with a very far reach, both of which are great for all the heavy lifting they must do. Please, forgive Chalker his posture, Toilers tend to slouch and life does not tend to give them much reason to stand tall.

We will follow one of these two people at they begin their duties, and every 1 or 2 hours we will switch perspectives to the other. We have 17 hours all told to get to know them (laprines need their sleep. Alas, another necessary evil).


Who should we follow first?

>Trezi the Martinet


>Chalker the Toiler
>>
No. 1041768 ID: 8483cf

Trezzi, she gets an extra z becauze she'z cool
>>
No. 1041778 ID: 899c9f

Toil.
>>
No. 1041785 ID: e7c7d3

Trezi
>>
No. 1041790 ID: fce62b

Chalker the Toiler, please.
>>
No. 1041793 ID: 407aa9

Trezi the Martinet
>>
No. 1041794 ID: 11f77a

I vote Trezi because they're cruise control for cool. What does that mean? Heck, I don't know.
>>
No. 1042367 ID: 747a37
File 166198556730.png - (2.94MB , 3508x2480 , Trezi 1.png )
1042367

Very well. Trezi jumps out of bed at the sound of the morning clarion, she stands at attention with her siblings in arms and forms a line to take her breakfast. She exchanges a few words with Maia and Alak. They will be mostly doing guard duty for Preceptor Mercury for today and next week. The two of them were always reliable, Trezi can clearly see why the Preceptor would pick them again for her retinue.

After leaving the mess hall, she goes to pick her spear and knife, she comes across Jezon confidently leaning a hand on the armory’s wall. He is bragging about his latest archery match to Yudi. Lucky her.
>>
No. 1042368 ID: 747a37
File 166198567192.png - (2.27MB , 3508x2480 , Trezi 2.png )
1042368

Trezi takes her weapons and heads out to her usual patrol. It is now 7:15 in the morning. There are three places she must stand watch over today: the Artisan Quarters, where the Artisan tribe lives and performs most of its craft; the Eastern Entrance, the grand opening in the east side of the mountain that leads to the exterior mountain range and the roads beyond; and the gates to one of the Curias, in which the uncompromisable leaders of Silverlock, the Preceptors, gather to survey and pass tough yet fair judgment upon it.



Which one is first in her schedule?

>The Artisan Quarters

>The Eastern Entrance

>The Curia
>>
No. 1042586 ID: e7c7d3

Artisan starts with A so it's first on the list
>>
No. 1042620 ID: 0838d6

> The Artisan Quarters
check out artists
>>
No. 1042769 ID: 81fb70

The Eastern Entrance.
>>
No. 1042933 ID: 629f2e

Artisan quarters!
>>
No. 1050603 ID: c96f56
File 166984879957.png - (1.98MB , 3508x2480 , Trezi 3.png )
1050603

>The Artisan Quarters

Of course. The Artisan’s Quarter is just around the corner from the garrison, after all. Trezi marches forth purposely to her usual street, her gait and expression relaxing slightly as she sees Tarana. She is one of the more approachable Artisans, happy to chit chat when there is time. Their workload tends to make them a bit stuck up, but she has always been a friend to Trezi.


“Making the rounds, Martinet Trezi?”- She says.

“Making the rounds, Artisan Tarana. How does the day find you?”
>>
No. 1050604 ID: c96f56
File 166984902975.png - (817.80KB , 1580x1660 , Trezi 4.png )
1050604

-“Quite fine, thank the Provider. I’ve got to bring these pots to Lanez’s kitchen up the street, so I’ll be able to hang back in my workshop most of the day. Pity you won’t be free for a while.”

-“Yes, I still have a couple busy days ahead before I can chat with you proper, but I’ll be glad to see you at the end of the week.”

-“Oh, yes. Do come by the shop, then. I’ll prepare some tea for the evening. Word of warning, though, I may invite Calianzo as well. I know you haven’t talked much with him, but he is a nice fellow.”

Calianzo, another Artisan. Tarana has been spending time with him quite often lately.

-“It’s fine, Tarana, I’ll try to come visit, and I’ll make sure to ask Denpo for that herbal tea I couldn’t bring you last time.”

-“Oh, you are so attentive, Tr- Martinet Trezi,”- Tarana hesitates before making a small bow.–“Well, I better finish delivering this cart, or Artisan Lanez will have my head. May your work goes without incident and your day be prosperous!”

-“And yours as well, Tarana. I hope to see you then.”- Trezi nods respectfully.
And with that, they both part ways and resume their day. As Trezi hears the cart rolling further up the street, she muses a bit on her friend’s invitation.


She met Tarana back when she had just hit her teens. Back then, Artisan Tarana had been working on the training grounds Trezi had been assigned to, crafting and supplying training tools, before she eventually was granted leave to pursue more civic endeavors. She had always been kind and forward to the trainees whenever they approached her, and Trezi came to respect her beyond what her duties required, and continued to do so even after both had left the academy. Talking with Tarana was not easy before Trezi graduated, but she always appreciated the Artisan’s candor whenever they were able to meet.

Calianzo was something of a surprised. Trezi had never met him before, and had not really seen many men get close to Tarana before, so she did not know what to make of their courtship. But she trusted Tarana’s judgment just as much as she respected her.

She respected most everyone, in fact, with a professional, dutiful air that allowed her to earn some level of confidence with people who seldom opened up to others. Even Monger Denpo had become a warm acquaintance, in spite of how aloof and abrasive his tribe was famous for being.


As she continues walking, Trezi thinks a bit more on this last point; she has always kept herself from being hostile towards others when it was not warranted. Firm, sometimes aloof, but always polite. Yet often this politeness came to her purely out of discipline, out of a distaste for disorder, out of being a stickler. She has plenty of friends and acquaintances, yet most were Martinets like herself. Tarana became a dear friend, but this was not always the case with members of the other tribes.
Aside from the Preceptors, most Martinets look down on those who not were not their own. Is Trezi any different?


How does Trezi feel about the other tribes?

>Disdainful, their bodies and their minds work in alien ways, they are contemptible beings and it is good to have the job of policing them.

>Dutiful, the Preceptors rule Silverlock, the Martinets are their loyal guards and servants, and the others keep the city running. Thus is the way of things, thus it should be.

>Protective, it is her job to keep the citizens from getting out of line, but also to keep them safe. Their well-being is imperative to the city as much to themselves.

>Intrigued, they come in different shapes, and more besides; some can bend metal with their hands, some can last without water for weeks, others grow markings that no other creatures can read. They are scary and dangerous yet they make life more interesting.

>Caring, there is plenty of good folk in the mountain and she is glad to spend time with them, even if her role in life often dictates otherwise.

>Something else? (Write in)
>>
No. 1050617 ID: e7c7d3

Intrigued
>>
No. 1050620 ID: 8483cf

Intrigued! Great opportunity to learn more.
>>
No. 1051164 ID: 53d46e
File 167040903419.png - (1.73MB , 1532x1661 , Trezi 5.png )
1051164

>Intrigued
Each tribe has a purpose, each tribe is divided, in a role that most befit them. For each tribe and creature is different and has their own part to play in the world.
While others may resign to this and shun what’s alien to them, there are those who, to a degree, embrace that strangeness, that broad range of beings, from the akin to the utterly foreign, who form a constant part of their world and indeed their everyday life. They are odd and mysterious, and the wise always affront such things with wariness, but there is ever an allure to be found in the mysterious.

As she settles on a proper spot to keep watch over the street, Trezi allows herself a little smile as she surveys the passers-by.

Each tribe has its role, each tribe is different. But strange as it may seem, Trezi is glad they are together.
>>
No. 1051165 ID: 53d46e
File 167040919855.png - (1.09MB , 1580x1661 , Trezi 6.png )
1051165

“Excuse me!”
>>
No. 1051166 ID: 53d46e
File 167040931091.png - (454.25KB , 1580x1544 , trezi 7.png )
1051166

“I-I’m sorry to inconvenience you, honored Martinet, but I need your help!”

A rather young Artisan with bright, curved markings approaches Trezi, joining her hands pleadingly and beginning to kneel as she speaks. Noticing a laprine or looking their way, Trezi walks towards her and signals her to rise, before letting her continue.

“One of my wards is missing. He stay home and continue practicing but after I came back from picking up breakfast, he was gone! “

“H-his name is Prielos. He is training to become a seamster, like me. Please, it’s been over an hour! I’ve been looking all over the neighbourhood but I can’t seem to find him. Would you help me look for him?”

Curses. Trezi is not supposed to leave her post today. Not until a couple more hours, at least. She has been a proper guardswoman for a couple years now, but she is still fairly junior in the eyes of her superiors.
Keeping the peace and helping the citizenry is what Martinets are meant to do, but if she goes looking for a missing kid, it may actually take her hours. If she abandons her watch for that long, she could get in trouble.

What should Trezi do?

>Help the Artisan find her ward.

>Point her towards a more veteran guard to help her, instead.
>>
No. 1051167 ID: e7c7d3

Go look for the kid, this is classic stuff, like helping old ladies cross the street
>>
No. 1052840 ID: 96d2e7

Finding a kid is more important. What you may be able to do though is organize or recruit some toilers who are lazing about or artisans between work to divide up the search between and find them faster.
>>
No. 1059340 ID: f69af6
File 167954798418.png - (829.76KB , 1080x1080 , Trezi 8.png )
1059340

>Organize or recruit some toilers who are lazing about or artisans between work to divide up the search.

Trezi nods to the young keeper and asure her she will help. As they start walking down to Artisan's house, it occurs to Trezi that she could use some extra eyes.
She looks around for a moment for possible candidates, she sees a pair of Toilers chatting across the street and takes on a sharp posture while calling attention to them. Their stop chattering and tense up as she approaches them.

-"You two, come with me, I need your help with something."

-"Uh, what do you need, Martinet?"- the closest one asks.

-"An Artisan kid's gone missing and I am looking for him. You are clearly not busy, so might as well lend a hand."

-"Um, I-I'm sorry, Martinet, I have to go work in a moment,"- the one in the apron says, -"I was just chatting with Chug here while he and I still had some downtime."

-"And you...Chug?"

"N...no, I don't have anythng to do right now,"-he sighs, -"I was just talking to her."- he motion one of his long, thin arms at his companion.

"Can you come and help, then?"- Trezi asks, with a less severe tone, knowing full well the answer.

"Yes... of course, Martinet."

After waving the other Toiler goodbye, Chug walks up to Trezi and she motions him to follow her.
They rejoin the Artisan keeper, who introduces herself as Karanil upon being asked, and resume your search.
As you continue on, Trezi asks, sometimes rather fowardly, for more volunteers among the more idle bystanders. Most of them, mainly Artisans, flinch and give ashamed claims to be on the way to do some errand or preparing for their imminent work shifts. Despite this repeated frustration, it only takes a short while before Trezi manages to bag two more Toilers to aid in her search.
>>
No. 1059341 ID: f69af6
File 167955042146.png - (694.17KB , 1080x1080 , Trezi 9.png )
1059341

After half an hour of peaking, tracking, running, proding, and the occasional ground-sniffing, Trezi and he entourage finally narrow down the trail to an specific corner of the neighbourhood: a small crossroads that connects the Artisan Quarters to its surrounding district.

At the end of the street, a badly lit tunnel opens wide in front of the searching party. It serves as an in-between point for the Artisan Quarters, the mines, and a nearby Martinet garrison. The distance between the three is not very long, but not all of the tunnel has been dug artificially and there is a number of dead ends and crevices that make traversing it hazardous for those not already familiarized with it. Moreover, if the child passed through here, the search might get more complicated if the signs of his passing are not glaringly obvious.

Downwards below the Quarters lay the Toiler Dormitories, where the local members of that tribe eat, sleep and bond when not on duty. They tend to be obedient, but are usually cagey when aproached by outsiders, and tight lipped when not asked specific questions. If someone down there is involved in the kid's dissapearance, it is hard to tell whether a well-trained guard will be able to wrest the whereabouts of those involved, or if maybe more well-acquianted people might find a lead.

Trezi tells Karanil they should splt up one final time and meet back again in their current spot in an hour to discuss their findings.
She suggests she would take Chug with her down one path while Karanil takes the other two Toilers down the other.
As she does, she takes a brief moment to decide which path to take.

Which path should Trezi take?

>The Tunnel.

>The Toiler Dormitories.
>>
No. 1059342 ID: 101092

SECRET TUNNELLLLLLLLL

SECRET TUNNELLLLLLLLL
>>
No. 1061380 ID: dbd547

Tunnel's best. It's more physically dangerous so you don't want an Artisan to risk themselves searching, and they may lack the stamina to do so if the way is treacherous. The other two toilers can interface with those in the dormitory.
>>
No. 1063904 ID: eb494d
File 168428231385.png - (593.76KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 10.png )
1063904

>Tunnel Time.

Off then, go Trezi and Chug, venturing into the darkened tunnel.

Not unexpectedly, the light quickly dims the further down they travel, blackness encroaching around the pair, until only the occasional luminescent fungi and the sparingly placed sunstones along the path.

Chug fidgets and rubs his arm, unsure of their current course, but Trezi’s steady and purposeful steps tug him onwards like an invisible leash, forceful yet oddly reassuring in their unbreaking pace.

He is a bit hesitant, Trezi thinks, but his ears are perked up and his head bowed low. That is what makes a good Toiler.

With that encouraging thought, she walks on.
>>
No. 1063905 ID: eb494d
File 168428241289.png - (551.09KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 11.png )
1063905

Like many other tunnels in the mountain, this one was dug up as a simple threshold, a connection between larger caverns, comprised of little more than a sinewy trail forward and backwards.

Still, it was not uncommon for such pathways to have a few diversions. Abandoned dig sites, miscalculated dead ends, and a couple natural caves and grottos.

It is in one of these modest formations that, after a few minutes of penumbral search, they notice a dim glow and the faint sound of exclamations, compelling them to investigate further.

As they get closer, the glow grows brighter and they are finally able to make out the sounds.
>>
No. 1063906 ID: eb494d
File 168428244561.png - (504.20KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 12.png )
1063906

Laughter.
>>
No. 1063907 ID: eb494d
File 168428250179.png - (529.03KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 13.png )
1063907

A gasp.
>>
No. 1063908 ID: eb494d
File 168428254877.png - (516.86KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 14.png )
1063908

An alarmed yell.
>>
No. 1063909 ID: eb494d
File 168428259379.png - (428.92KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 15.png )
1063909

A thud and a splash.
>>
No. 1063910 ID: eb494d
File 168428269116.png - (573.92KB , 1280x868 , Trezi 16.png )
1063910

Trezi picks ups the sunstone still lying on the ground and rushes to illuminate the edge of the crevice.

She and an increasingly nervous Chug look down to see the now screaming Artisan child laying on a rather large puddle a few yards below them.

Like a dam, the water of the small stream had pooled on a rock jutting out of the cliffside, trickling further down into the darkness. The boy’s impact must have caused the water to rise up and start falling all at once. The boy doesn’t seem to badly hurt, though judging by his cries and how tightly he is holding of his arms, the hit might have broken it.

What’s more, the child seems too preoccupied with his injury to stand up and, Trezi notices, his small body is slowly but steadily pushed towards the ledge by the risen water.

Trezi must come up with a plan quickly, a child’s life is on the line.
>>
No. 1063964 ID: e7c7d3

Tell Chug to jump down there and grab the child and then toss them back up
>>
No. 1064189 ID: a4d41c

It's less than 3 meters down, you can safely jump and then try to hand the kid back up, or carry them up another safe way if there is one. Then once the kid is up, use the spear to help lift Chug back up.
>>
No. 1064415 ID: eb494d
File 168486609190.png - (785.75KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 17.png )
1064415

>Tell Chug to go down.

Of course, can climb down the cliffside and-

>He can just jump and grab him.

At Trezi’s insistence, Chug jumps down onto the water-covered ridge, and promptly loses his footing, slipping and falling smack on his back, the puddle flowing down the crevice even faster than before.

It should be noted that Toilers, even the most shy and unassuming, possess three qualities that allow them to carry out their daily duties and pull through adversity: sharp reflexes during stressful situations, a very long reach,
>>
No. 1064416 ID: eb494d
File 168486613107.png - (598.59KB , 1280x1680 , Trezi 18.png )
1064416

And a ridiculous strength.
>>
No. 1064417 ID: eb494d
File 168486617621.png - (630.09KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 19.png )
1064417

The catch is a bit rougher than anticipated, but Trezi manages to stand tall and place the child safely on the ground above, before helping Chug make his way back up, offering the shaft of her spear for him to hold onto as he climbs closer.

Feeling compelled to present the child back to his charge herself, Trezi tells Chug to pick up the couple possessions lying on the ground while she carries the juvenile Artisan out of the tunnel. A workout would do her good, anyway.
>>
No. 1064418 ID: eb494d
File 168486651504.png - (652.79KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 20.png )
1064418

"Please, don't tell them."
>>
No. 1064419 ID: eb494d
File 168486659686.png - (689.22KB , 1280x1280 , Trezi 21.png )
1064419

“Please, don’t tell them what we were doing, I wanted to learn about fighting and he let me learn a bit. We only just started. Just tell them I was goofing off in the caves, please!”

Drat this kid, he really understands what he is in for, isn’t he?

It is the Martinets’ duty to fight and practice combat, not the Artisans’. Skimming one’s chores to go play is one thing, but training to hone the skills of a different tribe without authorization is quite another.

The punishment for such an act for a child would not be anything permanent, obviously, but it would be severe, especially for his Martinet friend.

The boy’s eyes and mouth continue to plead a little more, but he knows what is asking is a tall order. Chug would take some persuading to not tell anyone, and a punishment already awaits the kid for running off from her Ward. And besides, Trezi is not the kind to lie about such serious matters,

Is she?
>>
No. 1064421 ID: e5709d

Art requires knowledge of the subjects to be depicted. Maybe he thought he needed fighting expertise to sculpt an accurate soldier model or something. Ask him if he did and when he says yes, drop the issue.
>>
No. 1064444 ID: c56aa4

>>1064421
I agree. Ask the kid if their reason for practicing weapons was, in fact, something FORBIDDEN, or something PERMISSIBLE.

Hint, hint.
>>
No. 1064465 ID: 8f9bc4

Play is not training. Holding a spear is not combat. This is a child playing with his friend, not secret military training. A broken arm should be punishment enough.


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