Seeing as how you don't really have any time to waste, you relay to Marianne and Luciana everything that you heard from the Devil Child that Monique captured- the enemy's apparent motive, the masked man who hired them, the number of Devil Children hired for the attack (Andreas seems to have killed their leader while on the way here)... but Luciana seems to be particularly concerned about the traitorous guards.

"So that's how they were able to reach the castle's balcony..." Luciana says, gritting her teeth. "I had assumed that the guards on patrol that night were just slacking off, but to think that it was a purposeful breach of security..."
"The ones who attacked me were from the fifth division," Andreas says.
"As were the ones who I had punished that night," she shakes her head. "And they were the ones posted as security here as well."

Well that settles that.

"So now we know what part of the Royal Guard's been compromised, at least," you say.
"Yes, but we can't actually deal with them until we make it out of here," Luciana replies.
"I hope Father and the others are okay..." Marianne sighs.


>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that
>do something else

>>30449356
>>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356
>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

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aaaayyyy

>>30449356

>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356
>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356

>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356
>>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356
Ask Luciana how many people knew her father was planning on wedding her off to Monique. We might want to ask this quietly as to avoid telling everyone else, but if she knows anything it could help us find who is working with the assassins.

>>30449356
>>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>>30449356
>head over to the barrier to see how things are going with that

>writing

>>30449658
Prove it.

>>30449606
That's actually a good point.

Not that many people knew it was going to be a wedding instead of a knighting.

"Luciana, how many people knew about your father's plans to have you married off to Monique?" you aak. "Whoever was behind this seems to have known about it."
"I'm not sure how many people knew about it," Luciana replies. "And I didn't tell anyone aside from you and the others... and I'm sure that he had to have told at least a few of the guard captains since they had to plan for the security... detail..."

That narrows it down a lot.

"If the entire fifth Royal Guard division is traitorous then it would make sense for the Captain in charge of it to be as well..." Marianne says with a disgusted scowl. "and if whoever this person was told about your father's plans, then he'd have plenty of time to collude with his fellow traitors on the best way to carry out this attack."
"Yes, you're right," Luciana nods. "So the Fifth Royal Guard Division is our prime suspect. We need to inform Father of this as soon as possible."
"Speaking of which, I'm going to go and see how things are going with breaking through that barrier," you say. "You guys stay put, okay?"
"It's not like I have a choice otherwise," Luciana replies with an exasperated sigh. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Yes... you won't be protected by the Sanctuary so don't let your guard down," Marianne joins in.


>[1/?]

>>30450081
>[2/2]

Stopping just as you reach the Sanctuary's edge, you look around the area. What was once a lavishly decorated audience hall is now a slaughterhouse, with dead bodies littered all over the place. Shaking your head in disghust, you make your way to the southeast corner where Rana and Sylvie are busy trying to break through the battier that covers the doorway to where you last saw the Kings...

>roll 1d20

Rolled 1

>>30450197

Rolled 12

>>30450197

Rolled 16

>>30450197

Rolled 4

>>30450197

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>>30450216

>>30450216
>>30450229
>>30450233
Thank god, no crit fail

>>30450216
Well, my first roll was my last roll. Goodnight everyone. I'll see this in the morning to see how it turned out.

Rolled 3

>>30450197

Fuck, I keep missing these.

Rolled 19

>>30450197

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>>30450216

Rolled 4

>>30450197
why not?

Sensing something coming at you, you duck down just in time for a fireball to go zooming over your head and crashing into a nearby wall. Muttering curses under your breath, you ready your sword and dart your head in the direction that the attack came from.

You see somewhere in the vicinity of fifteen masked assassins swarming in from the door that Andreas crashed through, along with two people who are suspiciously not masked. One, a woman with all her features aside from her short black hair covered with a banadana, seems to be the one who threw that fireball at you, and the other is a large man with close-cropped brown hair and a longsword...

...and he's making a beeline for you.


>take a defensive stance and prepare Holy Shine
>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword

>>30450535
Clay spread this motherfucker

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Rolled 17

>>30450535

>take a defensive stance and prepare Holy Shine

Might want to start being conservative, unless we have enough magic reserves to keep doing stuff.

How much do we even have left anyway?

>>30450535
>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword

>>30450535
>take a defensive stance and prepare Holy Shine

>>30450535
>>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword
Might be a good idea to get the measure of the guy's agility before we get into melee range.

Even if he dodges them, the clay shots are still going to be going in the direction of the mass of assassins, so even a miss on the primary target could hit a secondary one and help delay them from getting into the thick of things.

>>30450563
>How much do we even have left anyway?
This is a good question.

>>30450535

Holy shine.

>>30450535
>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword

>>30450535
>>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword

Cleh

>>30450535
>>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword

>>30450563
>>30450587
>How much do we even have left anyway?

Current MP: 52/66

>>30450535

>try and hit him with Clay Spread before he gets close enough to attack with that longsword
gust slow him down

>writing

>>30450689
While we're at it, could we get an idea of the toughness of our Holy Shine again? We haven't actually needed to use it to deflect attacks in some time, so we might not have the proper measure of how much defensive ability we can expect from it.

Last time we got an analogue, it was still at around the toughness of a wooden door, and that was back in thread 46. At the time that was also explained to be nearing the expected limits of what the spell was capable of, but we were never told explicitly what that upper boundary was.

Are we there yet and/or what is that point?

>>30450728
Like a poorly made wooden door.

The assassins are directly behind the man who's racing towards you... might as well take advantage of that.

"Be you red with the blood of sinners or black like the hearts of the wicked," you chant, "heed my call and bring my enemies to their knees in penitence. Clay Spread!"

Invoking your spell with the man maybe five yards away from you, you hold out your free hand towards him and let loose with a rapid-fire burst of all six shots.


>roll 1d20

>>30450818

Rolled 1

>>30450818

Rolled 8

>>30450818

Rolled 20

>>30450818
DAKKA

Rolled 17

>>30450818

Rolled 12

>>30450818

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Rolled 16

>>30450828
oop
>>30450830
omfg

>>30450830
FUCK

>>30450836
WAT

WAT

>>30450830
>>30450835
>>30450836
IT KEEPS HAPPENING!

>>30450830
>>30450835
>>30450836
What the fuck

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>>30450836
Good save!

>>30450830
Oh god, Oh god, Oh god.
What did you do. WHAT DID YOU DO!

>>30450836
Oh thank god.

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>>30450830
>>30450836

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>>30450830
>>30450836

1-20 count: 3

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>>30450836
>>30450830

>>30450830
WRENLOFT!

>>30450830
>>30450835
>>30450836
so uhh, what happens now

>>30451012
It's a normal success.

Your first three shots miss the intended target by a narrow margin, zooming past your unnamed attacker and slamming into three different assassins just as Nicolette and Akemi to run their weapons through them. Well, it's less "her weapon" in Akemi's case seeing as how she's using her bare hands... wow that woman is scary.

Your last three shots hit true, however, their heavy clay hitting the swordsman clean in his chest before he's able to get within range and sending him flying back a few feet. With his midsection covered with clay, he struggles to maintain his balance...


>hit him with another Clay Spread volley
>run in and sword the hell out of him
>[OTHER]

>>30451073
>>run in and sword the hell out of him
ionori and

>>30451073
>hit him with another Clay Spread volley
we need this guy alive

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>>30451073
>>run in and sword the hell out of him

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

Rolled 8

>>30451073
>>hit him with another Clay Spread volley

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

>>30451073
>>run in and sword the hell out of him

>>30451073
>Tailwind time.

>>30451073
>>run in and sword the hell out of him

SORD

>>30451073
>hit him with another Clay Spread volley


>>30451083
has the right idea

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

>>30451073

>run in and sword the hell out of him
with allies in close combat we stick to swording

>>30451073
>hit him with another Clay Spread volley
Reinhold is the Knight of the Clay Bukkakke

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

Try to just chop his hand off so he can't fight, but if he dies we can take someone else prisoner.

>>30451073
>>hit him with another Clay Spread volley
Why would we enter melee with the guy who shown no ranged capabilities? Pin him with clay, then sword the magic girl.

>>30451073
Gib him clay!

>>30451073
>>hit him with another Clay Spread volley

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

He's off balance, finish him off.

>>30451073
>Clay Spread

I don't like this. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

>>30451073
>run in and sword the hell out of him

>>30451073
>>run in and sword the hell out of him
Aim for his limbs if feasible; blows aimed at his legs require him to block low or move oddly, both of which should either be difficult to do with his changed center of gravity or set him even more off-balance.

And getting his sword arm stops him nonlethally as well.

And both prevent our recently-applied clay from acting as some sort of improvised armor against the damage we expect to be inflicting.

The fact that he's not disguised implies that he is either part of the command structure or one of the turncoat guards.

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>>30451115
>Reinhold is the Knight of the Clay Bukkakke

>wriitng

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do do do do

Geek
The
Mage
First

He's off-balance, now's the time to make your move! Gripping tightiy on your sword, you race towards your quarry before he can right himself.

...and once you're within striking range, you notice that he has the pointed ears that signify that he's a Devil Child...


>roll 1d20

Rolled 5

>>30451485

Rolled 16

>>30451485

Glory!

Rolled 18

>>30451485

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Rolled 14

>>30451485

Rolled 19

>>30451485

trying to bake cookies and write at the same time is a Bad Idea.

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>>30451496

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Rolled 12

>>30451496

gimme some

god damn it i keep missing these rolls ;_;

>>30451496
i agree. you should just write nonstop.

Rolled 4

>>30451496

Doing anything while baking cookies is just asking for burnt cookies.

>>30451573
I'm actually on the last batch right now and have yet to burn any of them!

>>30451583
Cue archelon's house burning down from a series of increasingly unlikely events.

Such is the price of hubris.

>>30451639
I don't think Arch has anything even resembling AC-Guy's bad luck.

>>30451639
Nah, it won't be that bad. He's not AC-Guy after all.

>>30451639
Well, the smoke detector has gone off several times while baking tonight.
The damned thing's way too sensitive, it's even set off by steam.

>>30451659
>>30451658

Oh snap

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>>30451703

One of those days, a student's dormitory will burn to the ground because nobody pays attention to those anymore.

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You feel a familiar resistance as your sword makes its way through the man's upper arm, slicing through a thick layer of muscle as it makes its way through to the bone...

...wait. That's not right. Even if this sword -is- a loaner, you've cut down countless assassins already and bone most definitely does NOT feel like that. Pulling away, you jump back just as the man reaches for your sword with his other hand... which is now a dull gray.

"...the hell!?"


>battle plans?

Rolled 13

>>30451778
I roll to seduce

>>30451778
>>battle plans?
crotch kick?

>>30451778
Bury him in clay.
We really should have learned a single fuckin attack spell.

>>30451778
Devil child, grey arm, probably earth element. No more clay spreads, but brute force isn't going to cut it.

Shit, who do we have with us with offensive magical capabilities?

>>30451778

Jump back and reassess the situation.

Don't get hit by that hand, and don't get the sword broken or Agnes will fucking kill you.

Remove head from his shoulders whilst shouting "there can be only one"

>>30451822
Sylvie.
Monique

>>30451778
I hope he isn't destroying Agnes' sword! Kick him, retreat, clay spread him.

>>30451778
Just make sure the girl can't line of sight on us as well as use him as a meat shield of sorts.

If he make can appendages turn to stone then we just gotta go for something that isn't an appendage or use magic. This is assuming that his spell only works on arms/legs. I'd say consult someone with magical aptitude if we even could.

All I got...

>>30451834
Given what we know of their powers, switching off with Monique is the best option, here. He can just freeze him solid, earth-armor or no.

>>30451778
STAB HIM IN THE EYES.

He can't turn his eyes to stone, he need them to be fleshy to see. Hit the weak spot for massive damage!

Rolled 98

>>30451778
I think it'd be safe to say that he'll be a fair bit slower now with all that increased weight. I vote to use magic to further hamper him and to increase our advantage: speed and maneuverability. Furthermore, solid metal should be pretty brittle. If we can get Sylvie to smack him when he's blinded, we can probably disable him pretty well.

>>30451863
>>30451841
>>30451809
Lets think for a second, here. He's a devil child, which means enhanced magical capabilities. We've seen his limbs change in color and consistency. This highly suggests a magical effect--coupled with the color, earth alignment seems to make the most sense.

Reinhold is not equipped to fight this foe. Discretion is the better part of valor.

>>30451863
Err, disregard that last part. I though that the guy somehow absorbed the metal from our sword and recomposed his hands from that material. Devil kids can be other elements, and he's of metal affinity, that means his arms aren't made of rapier material. Punches probably won't be very effective or disable anything.

>>30451778
Clay spread to slow him down again, yell for Monique to switch targets to him. Go after the caster once he's busy.

>>30451778
If we're forced to engage this guy ourselves,
>>30451845
>>30451862
these guys have the right of it; attack vital areas that are either without bone or impractical to reinforce profitably (eyes, throat, possibly stomach?)

That said, someone who can Stoneskin themselves is a pretty fair match for a primary swordsman, so it'd be preferable to switch to a target that, while they might have other tricks up their sleeve, will be kind enough to remain squishy as we stab them.

Alternately, if we could find a sturdy blunt weapon to switch with our sword, it might also function reasonably well for our style of combat while faring better against the stoneskin plan.

>writing

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>>30451778
We're wearing gauntlets, right?

Flip our sword over, it's Mordschlag time, hold it by the blade, every part of a sword is a weapon, if we need to dewl with this guy having stone arms, then hold the sword by the blade and use the crossbar as a pick or the pommel as a mace.

>>30451952
Well, if Rein was a more religious man, we might have been able to rework Holy Shine into an offensive spell, but as it stands...

We should probably learn some offensive spells. Or really dirty tricks.

>>30451952
No matter what we choose, we should disengage at least temporarily first in order to see what this guy's ability does as far as handing the wound we already inflicted.

If he can stoneskin and then reshape the injured flesh, there's even less point in inflicting superficial wounds.

If his arm DOESN'T heal over, it might be worth focusing on his now half-thickness arm and trying to snap the damn thing off at the weak point we created.

>>30451988
First, we ain't got no gauntlets.
Second, gauntlets don't cover the inside. (i.e. no metal just a glove)
Third, we might actually do that if we keep rolling like we have been. Full Retard

>>30451988
That could work, if we had the gear for it.
We ought to do that some time in the future.

>>30452039
Gauntlet covers a rather wide variety of gloves and other armor for the hand, some of them did protect the fingers.

Also, you don't necessarily need gloves for it, it makes us feel better, but they were commonly performed without gloves, as long as your hands don't slide around they shouldn't get cut anyway, even without protection, this is a sword, not a straight razor.

And it is a very useful technique under certain circumstances, like the ones we find ourself under now.

If only we'd learned stoneskin

>>30452039
Historically, that was a completely legitimate way to use a sword. Most real swords weren't nearly sharp enough to cut you just from holding the blade like that, and it was easier just to bludgeon an armored knight unconscious with your pommel than it was to try to open him up with the blade.

>>30452137
isn't that a natural perk for Rein?

>>30452137
As interesting as "Stoneskin Punch-Out!" might have been, we'd probably be at a substantial disadvantage doing so due to having to invoke Script for it where he gets it scriptless due to being a Devil Child.

The way they work, you pretty much don't want to try and face a Devil Child (or any other sort of Contractor or Contractor-like entity) with the same angle of attack they're using because they get to be cheaty about it and you have to go through all the steps the fair way.

Way better to take what you know about their capabilities due to them being stuck primarily to one element and leverage that in other ways however you can.

>>30452187
only for his skull har har

This is bad.

Though his left arm is now limp at his side, you can see that the place where you cut him has stopped bleeding entirely. And his other arm looks like it's made of stone or something. This is pretty much the worst kind of opponent that you can face, what with you not knowing any attack spells. And if he's able to turn his entire body to stone, you'd end up breaking your grandmother's sword if you tried for another Tailwind-assisted attack.

With a roar, the Devil Child charges at you while you're in the middle of trying to figure out how to fight him. Luckily though, is limbs' conversion to stone seems to have seriously impacted on his speed. With little effort at all, you sidestep his vertical slash and kick him in his clay-covered chest as hard as you can, sending your top heavy opponent crashing into the ground...


>call out to monique and try to switch with him
>try and switch with someone else
>try to finish him off yourself somehow

>>30452244
>call out to monique and try to switch with him
"Hey, pretty boy! This guy is a bad match-up for me, you mind tagging in?"

>>30452244
>call out to monique, but work with him to take out the Devil Child.

>>30452244
>try to finish him off yourself somehow
More clay. All the clay.
Fucking. Saturate. Him. With. Clay.

>>30452244
>call out to monique and try to switch with him
WE BASH BROS WITH MONIQUE NOW

>>30452244
>>try and switch with someone else
I think Sylvie might be able to help here perhaps?

>>30452244
>Have Monique freeze him

Let's not break this sword...

>>30452244
>try and switch with someone else

Nearest person.

>>30452244
Wait. He still needs to breathe right? How about we just suffocate the asshole to death?

>>30452244
>>call out to monique and try to switch with him

>>30452267
don't word it in a way that makes Monique rage even more at us

>>30452244
>try to finish him off yourself somehow

He's on the ground. So flip our sword over and Mordschlag him in his stupid fucking face. We might not cut him, but we can bludgeon him like a motherfucker.

It shouldn't even damage the sword, at least not much.

>>30452244
>>call out to monique and try to switch with him

>>30452304
+1

Cave his skull with our sword's pommel

>>30452300
That's actually not a terrible idea. Let's try it.

Rolled 1

>>30452287
>>30452284

damn, decisions...

>Monique's sword waifu
or
>Sylvie's Fists of Fury

Then again, Sylvie is at the barrier, isn't she? Leaving only Monique

>>30452244
>try to finish him off yourself somehow

Go for the eyes and/or apply blunt force to his skull.

I can't imagine that he can convert his sensitive bits, like his eyes and brain. All the stoneskin in the world won't protect you from a concussion or having your eyes gouged out (unless he closes his eyes, but then he can't see).

>>30452360
We could try stabbing him in the dick. That would probably be a lot easier to hit than his head.

>>30452244
>>call out to monique and try to switch with him
He's probably the best guy for the job.

>>30452244
>call out to monique and try to switch with him
He's probably one of the better-equipped people to handle this guy.

No matter what we do, it's probably a good idea to point-blank Clay our downed opponent's legs in order to keep him occupied while we're tagging out. Especially so if whoever we're switching would benefit from our help in order to get free of whoever they're currently fighting safely.

>>30452300
This is actually an interesting idea. And if nothing else, at least it blinds him.

Just getting in his face and trying to cave his stone skull in with the pommel of grandma's sword doesn't sound like as excellent an idea seeing as he's probably lying on his back at the moment.

If he was face down that plan'd be far safer, since it'd mean he couldn't punch up at us nor could he easily protect his face with stone forearms.

>writing

All you guys asking for help are just proving why Reinhold is a useless bodyguard the second magic is involved. And that being a master swordsman means nothing.

>>30452463

Your opinion is noted.

Now go brag how alpha you are somewhere else. Only a fool lets his egotism get in the way of pragmatism.
>>>/r9k/

>>30452509
I have no issue getting someone more qualified to deal with this. Just pointing out the fact magic makes Reinhold useless. No need to resort to personal attacks, anon.

>>30452544
There's always a reason for personal atacks.

>>30452564
If it makes ya feel better go for it then. I just find it funny how people were going on and on about magic not making Reinhold useless and the first time we face someone with it we need to back off.

>>30452463
Well it's more a matter of we can't break this sword since it's important to Agnes.
If we could hack away at him without worrying about that we'd be all for swording the prick..

>>30452544

If you have no issue with it, why do you raise the question? Are you suggesting that people are so petty they would care about not being The Hero Who Does Everything By Himself? This fight is a collective enterprise, only the outcome matters, not the credit.

>>30452593
We already killed several magic users earlier today, or did you just conveniently forget that fact?

Wait, what am I saying? You didn't forget, you're just trying to stir shit. Carry on.

>>30452593
We just need to back off from this particular one because we can't sword through rock. Any other type of Devil Child and Reinhold might have been able to kill them himself.

>>30452463
We could go ahead and hack/stab the guy some more and potentially risk breaking the sword, or we can choose to use the best tool for the job, which just happens to be Monique right now.

Being resourceful is more important in our position than being an outright murder-machine.

>>30452602
Because people were going on about how magic isn't the be all end all in terms of fighting and that a normal swordsman can still beat a magic user. Yet that's not happening because people aren't confident enough to face the magic user.

>>30452629

WE HAVE A DAGGER IN OUR BOOT

STAB HIM IN THE EYE

>>30452619
I honestly only remember fighting the half-dragons.

>>30452630
We aren't confident that we won't break the sword in defeating him. With how choices have worked so far, it seems while we have a good chance of defeating him, we also have a good chance of breaking our sword doing so.

>>30452652
One of the Devil Children hurled a fireball at us.

We casually dodged it and chopped him to pieces. And that's just the instance I can remember off the top of my head.

>>30452652
We've killed a few of the Devil Children that were fighting Monique,

Using this opening as an opportunity to cast Clay Spread again, you look over to your side... while the others are taking on the remaining assassins, Monique seems to have his hands full with fending off that black-haired woman... and of course she's a Devil Child as well. That would explain the fireballs, at least.

"Hey Monique!" you shout as you fire two shots into your downed opponent, further pinning him to the floor. "This guy's a bad matchup for me, you mind switching opponents!?"
"Actually..." Monique says as he sends a wave of ice flying at the woman only to have it dissolve in an explosion of steam before it can hit her, "...I was just about to suggest the same thing."
Great, so it's a deal!"

After firing another shot at the Earth-aligned Devil Child and Monique sets up a thick ice wall as cover, the two of you quickly trade positions in hopes of getting more favorable matchups.


>[1/?]

>>30452630

So you are just complaining about something that's demonstrably untrue. I rest my case.

>>30452661
Fair enough then but that's really a case of he can deal with incompetent mages. If the fireball was casually dodged, thats a pretty shitty Mage.

>>30452698
Goalposts: The Movening

In a world where Ignorant Anon can't win an argument, he unleashes the most terrible internet weapon of all: fluid victory conditions! Can the forces of rationality stand against such reckless faggotry, or is Reinhold doomed to be called a pussy just because he isn't strong enough to solo God Himself?

>>30452692
If you say so. I guess people not wanting to fight the Mage because they're scared of breaking their sword is proof magic is not a problem for Reinhold.

>>30452698
But it proves that magic isn't the end all be all of fighting. Competency doesn't really mean much when we could get our shit pushed in just as easily by a better swordsman

>>30452683
>we get wrecked anyway
Would be hilarious.

>>30452727
Because the world is so cut and dry. If a dude picked up a gun for the first time, shot at a guy with a knife who manage to dodge the shot and then killed the shooter, are you going to say that's equivalent to someone who is a skilled shooter shooting? I just want to see a case where a magic user who is shown to be skilled is dealt with by Reinhold. Is that so much to ask?

>>30452683
>[2/2]

Making it behind Monique's ice wall just as its final vestiges dissolve into a geyser of steam, you take aim the second that the woman's silhouette is in sight and let loose with your last three shots...


>roll 1d20

Rolled 15

>>30452830
Hoooah!

Rolled 14

>>30452830

Let's give him the chill pill

Rolled 8

>>30452830
Let's get down and dirty with this girl

Rolled 2

>>30452830
Whoa bitch, time to cool down.

Rolled 20

>>30452830

Rolled 20

>>30452830

>>30452839
15 should be good enough for us to beat her

>>30452857
>>30452861

Now you roll.

>>30452857
>>30452861
WWWWHHHHRRRRYYYY?!?!?!

>>30452857
TOOOOOO

SLOOOOOOOOOOOW


>>30452861
NIGGA WAT

>>30452857
>>30452861
Whyyyyy couldn't you guys post sooner?

>>30452857
>>30452861
Woah, were both of those wasted?

>>30452857
>>30452861
So close...

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>>30452857
>>30452861
I'll fooking knife u m8 I swear on me mum.

I'll be satisfied with the 15 consolation prize though.

Though your first shot misses entirely, the second hits her right in the stomach, sending her staggering back in pain. Angrily sending out a burst of fire towards you as you fire the third, her flames only serve to bake the clay and render it a solid projectile...

THUD

>[1/?]

>>30452929
Ow.

>>30452929
Note for future:

Leanr how to shoot flaming clay spread

>>30452946
And people didn't want us to switch out.

>>30452958

I imagine some sort of flaming shield in front of us might have a similar baking effect when shooting our load of clay through it, in addition to providing a protective barrier.

>>30453019

On that note, however, there are dedicated spells that would be better suited for this. Why shoot porcelain globes when we can cast metal shards?

>>30452929
Even if this doesn't incapacitate her, I'm pretty sure Holy Shine is built for exactly this sort of combat.

Much like how Null Sphere is excellent protection so long as you're not up against any sort of puncturing weapons, Holy Shine should be able to hold far longer against someone throwing Fireballs as their primary attack (which are likely to derive more of their lethality from the fact that they're, y'know, made of fire rather than from imparting physical force) than against a melee combatant.

>>30453019
>some sort of flaming shield in front of us
>might have a similar baking effect
>when shooting our load

So, Bukakke-ing Luci is going to get us high?
heh

>>30453027
True, although "catch thing on fire and shoot it" is widely applicable to all manner of projectiles once we figure out how to do it.

>>30453034
This is actually a good point. We've never tested Holy Shine with Magic, only physical force.

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>>30452929
>[2/2]

Hitting her hard in the shoulder, the female Devil Child is sent crashing to the ground. While chanting the incantation for Holy Shine under your breath, you race through the wispy remains of the cloud left with your sword at the ready.

Aiming for her neck, you swing as hard as you can... only to be forced back as the area around her erupts into flame.

"Holy Shine!" you shout just in time to form its protective shield that completely blocks the girl's flames. But though you safely avoided being burnt to a crisp, her desperate attack gave her enough time to scramble to her feet. Limping, she pulls a short sword from its sheath behind her back...


>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack
>back away and try to hit her with another volley of Clay Spread
>[OTHER]

>>30453075
How about a tailwind charge?

>>30453075
Time to sword a bitch

>>30453075
>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack

We'll have better odds at swording range than we will in a shootout, and we've already got our defensive spell up.

>>30453087
Too close.

>>30453075
>[Other]
>Tailwind Crash tackle with holy shrine assisted shoulder.

>>30453075
>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack

>>30453075
>Devil waifu
Give that bitch the clay.

>>30453095
>>30453075
Wait, Nevermind.
>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack

Rolled 10

>>30453075
>>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack

>>30453075
>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack

>>30453075
>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack
It's almost guaranteed that we're a better swordsman.

>>30453055
There's not much call for catching projectiles on fire when we could just be shooting flaming projectiles from the beginning. This magic system doesn't tie you down to one element, after all.

>>30453075
>>rush in with Holy Shine at the ready just in case she tries another fire attack
We shouldn't expect it to hold terribly well against a shortsword thrust, but it protecting us from fire while we close the distance is probably a safe bet.

If we get to melee range before having to pop the shield, we should still probably use it to deflect her first sword swing rather than maintaining it, since a shield popping out of nowhere to intercept her attack rather than clashing swords with her should give us a good opening to get in an otherwise unexpected sword strike of our own.

>>30453075
I really don't think that this is the time to be defensive. She's obviously a glass cannon, and if we push our advantage now we can probably take her out. I'm voting for a the rush, with Holy Shine as our back up

>writing

>>30453075

interesting to note that the shield is capable of absorbing both heat and impact.

I was picturing our hand being roasted behind a plane of light to be honest.

>>30453188
Thank god this isn't Jim Butcher-verse, right?

>>30453188
We could have harnessed that to create Magitech Stovetops.

>Place food on Holy Shine
>Fireball underside
>nowwe'recookingwithgas.jpg

>>30453188
Dresden Plz

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>>30453188
Holy Shine confirmed for magical aerogel.

Yeah, I never even really considered the fact that the shield could be that selective. I couldn't imagine it being air-permeable, which rules out convection, and there's no reason a light wall should be conductive, so radiant heat was probably out as well.

Whatever. Either way, pic is, as always, related.

>>30453298
>>30453223
>>30453188

Idea:

Let's bug Niklaus with this later.

See if answering it drives him nuts.

>>30453188
Even that only happened because Dresden was a tard and didn't think he'd ever need to block intense heat using the shield bracelet he used to block everything ever.

At least he fixed that little problem in the next version, but damn that was a hilariously huge oversight.

Holy Shine... that worked way better than you'd expected. Maybe its primary use is against energy-based attacks as opposed to physical ones? Re-chanting its incantation, you rush in to close what little distance there is between you and your opponent. But he's not having any of it, sending a wall of flame right at you as she tries to back away.

Invoking Holy Shine a few feet in front of you, you keep on racing as both it and the flames that it protected you from dissipate. Now fully in range, you see a horrified look on the girl's face as you run your sword through her right side. Ignoring her shriek of pain, you then kick her off of your sword and onto the floor...

...but before you can finish her off, the entire room is rocked by what sounds like a massive explosion coming from behind you.


>how do you react?

>>30453377
Finish the bitch. I refuse the possibility of more waifu cows joining the herd.

>>30453377
finish her

>>30453377
Give her a quick kick to the skull to make sure we don't eat a fireball to the back, then figure out what the flying fuck that was.

>>30453377
>Dispatch of our opponent quickly before checking the explosion

>>30453377
Decapitate her.

>>30453395
I'll second this

>>30453377
Just knock her out and then investigate. Our last hostage didn't seem to know much, but this one seems like she might be higher up as she is not a generic assassin.

>>30453395
+1

>>30453377
Boot to the head, then investigate explosion.

>>30453395
This, knock her out

>>30453377
>End her and check the explosion

>>30453395
I agree with this, but make sure she's actually down before we turn around, and kick her sword away.

>>30453395
Thirding this guy's suggestion. We need a live officer for intel purposes.

>>30453377
incapacitate her, getting distracted in a fight means death

yeah, like this:
>>30453395

>>30453395
This. I'd like to keep her alive since she seems to be of a higher rank than the previous guy, and might know more.

>>30453377
Fast KO, then investigate.

Hopefully we'll have time to interrogate her later, and if not she'll be too unconscious to do anything about that nasty case of blood loss she just came down with.

>>30453377
We need to make sure she's going to stay down before getting distracted, otherwise we're just going to eat a fireball in the back. Whether we kill her or knock her out is irrelevant, though the latter is probably slightly preferable? She's not in good shape either way, so if we think we'll be back to interrogate her before she bleeds out, that's fine. I don't think she'll be coming to independently in any sort of fighting shape, so the two shouldn't be all that functionally different.

Do we have our back to the Sanctuary? Because it's entirely possible that stray debris could do some serious damage to our wards, seeing as any damage it does is incidental rather than intentional.

>Not dying to the first strike like the rest.

It's like you want another waifu war on your hands arch.

but I do admit her character portrait IS somewhat fetching.

>writing

After knocking out the Devil Child with a boot to the face, you quickly look over at the corner of the room where the explosion came from.

Please please PLEASE don't be some kind of horrible monster or anything...

But instead of a monster, you see Sylvie and Rana giving each other a high-five in front of the newly-opened doorway! Great! But instead of Celestino or Thierri, the first person to step through the doorway into the main hall is... is that even a person!?

With jet-black armor and glowing red eyes, the figure steps in front of Sylvie and Rana... and they simply let it by. What the hell?


>[1/?]

>>30453526
>With jet-black armor and glowing red eyes, the figure steps in front of Sylvie and Rana... and they simply let it by. What the hell?
THIS CAN ONLY MEAN THAT SYLVIE AND RANA ARE TOTALLY DEFINITELY TRAITORS. OBVIOUSLY.

>>30453478
>Another Waifu War
>Implying the first one ever ended properly

The Waifu War 'ended' the same way that Japan's involvement in WWII 'ended'. Nuked and burned away all but one side, and the survivors who stuck around are left marred and jaded and full of resentment.

>>30453568
And doped up on weird porn. Don't forget that.

>>30453568
I'm not full of resentment.

Just resignation.

Rana best girl.

Why.

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>>30453556
THEY WERE SPIES ALL ALONG! RANA IS WITH THE GUY THAT SENT THE DRAGON MERCS THAT KILLED VOLKER! AND SYLVIE IS JUST A TURNCOAT BITCH! That was fun.

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>>30453568
Just give em a generation or two, they'll get over it.

>>30453576
Yes. Rana is the best girl, but I'm glad she lost. She doesn't deserve to have Reinhold inflicted upon her. Luciana, however, deserves him.

It's because I love my waifu that I can let her go. Rana can keep being awesome far far away from Reinhold's stank.

>>30453574
Oh, definitely. Now that their spirits are crushed, attempting to adapt to the ideals and methods that were forced upon them, the stragglers will develop fetishes based on the extreme concepts of the other side, languishing in depravity - if they can't have another girl, they'll just funnel all the weirdest shit towards Luci.

>>30453576
Resignation to one's fate is another sign of a broken spirit, friend. Your brothers are here for you, though. We know your pain and your loss.

>>30453590
This is true. Though we cannot be certain if this is just because Reinhold is an asshole and a cunt as a whole, or because he is one as a result of the Luci Route. Protagonists in VNs shift their personality paradigms around a bit based on the Route they've taken, after all.

It could easily be that Reinhold would've become a fun-loving, boisterous bro had he gone with Rana. I imagine he'd have been a playful yet snarky, tit-for-tat tsun-defuser had he gone with Marie (basically how Archer deals with Rin).

>>30453526

And as the figure steps out into the main hall, something else rushes past at a blinding speed... you recognize the effect as Tailwind, and the caster is...

"Sir Gregory!" you shout as he zooms right past you and towards the crowd of the ten or so assassins who haven't already been taken out by the others. Landing right in the middle of their group, Sir Gregory stares the assassins down as he unsheathes his sword.

"Carmine Maelstrom!"

In an instant, a massive whirlwind forms around Sir Gregory and expands outwards, sucking in all the remaining assassins. Though they scream out in horror, they're quickly drowned out by the sound of the roaring winds as it tears them to shreds. Soon, it looks as if Sir Gregory is surrounded by a storm of blood... but it subsides just as abruptly as it started, dropping what little remains of the assassins to trhe ground.

>[2/?]

Honestly, I'm just glad anyone but Marie won. I hate Tsundere girls and Marie was just completely boring.

>>30453638
Holy crap Gregory...

>>30453638
Well that explains the nickname

>>30453639
Really? I found her to be pretty interesting and engaging. I looked forward to the idea of helping her overcome her personal issues and get closer as a friends before romantically getting involved with her.

Comparatively speaking, I always found Luci and Sylvie to be the most dull and uninteresting of the girls we had to pick from. Luci, in particular, just came off to me as the 'Easy Mode' of routes, considering she all but had her hand on our dick the second time she met us.

Should probably specify that I'm not trying to start shit, just voicing my side of this.

>>30453638
So that's where they get the name from.

Gregory-chan kowaii.

>>30453638
Neat.

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>>30453638
Gregory is the best, he will always be the best.

>>30453662
Sylvie-fag weighing in here. I'm probably least happy with Luci just because she seems like the absolute weirdest match for Rein, and I like shy girls and girls with glasses and big tits. I was looking forwards to the inevitable us being terrified of sir vincent. Which will still probably happen when we get back, but not, like, over dinner.

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>>30453638
Greg's so cool, I could watch him murder people all day and never get bored.

Well maybe not ALL day but you get the point.

>>30453638

"So that's how he got that nickname..." you mumble to yourself as the scent of fresh blood fills the air. But now's not the time to be impressed, as there's still the matter of that armored... whatever the hell it is that entered the room. Turning back to see where the hell it went, you find that it's moved from where it was...

...and is now standing right next to you. Quickly backing away, you ready your sword to defend against whatever attack it may have.

"C'mon, future brother!" a familiar voice says from within the armor. "I know that I look kind of weird now, but I -am- an ally."
"...Giancarlo?" you say, staring at the armored figure.
"Right now it's 'Giancarlo the Infernal Hammer' thanks to these things..." he says, holding up two massive hands. "But anyways, I'm glad to see that you guys are safe!"

>[3/?]

>>30453662
It mostly has to do with the fact that all tsunderes play out pretty much the same no matter what. Once you've seen one, you seen all of them. It also doesn't help that her fanbase was one of the most awful in the entire quest, and seeing them go on and on about 'muh true route' was annoying as hell.

But I agree, Let's stop this little derail before it gets out of hand.

>>30453718
Kickstarter for a live-action Giancarlo TV show when?

>>30453713
Oh, make no mistake, while I find Sylvie a boring match-up, at least entering her Route would've been met with SOME conflict, I imagine.

Luci's route is 'Bitch jumps our dick, now we're dating her and if we back out we cause a political incident and probably get executed, so looks like we're stuck.' Hence why I call it 'Easy Mode'.

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I don't think i would have minded if we made the devil child into a potential waifu.

>Go back to try and interrogate her.
>Find a missing body and a blood trail...which abruptly vanishes.
>She curses Reinhold as she seals her own wounds using fire magic, the first human person to land a mortal blow. Vows vengeance, goes to recuperate and plot.
>Many months pass, she trains hard. Constantly thinking about Reinhold, his sword skills, his charming face...the way he smiles...
>Stalks Reinhold from afar. Constantly confused over her new feelings.
>Reinhold rolls a 1 against a bandit, about to die only to be saved by a passing devil child.
>You shall die by no other hand but MINE.

>>30453718
Cheeky bastard did that on purpose.

I like him even more.

Rolled 10

>>30453742
much better tsun than marie

>>30453735
Let's be honest here, we had plenty of opportunities to back out of that route lock. Hell, We were the ones who initiated the kiss first.

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>>30453718
You're alright Giancarlo, you're alright.

>>30453755
Don't start this shit mate.

>>30453755
How many fucking times have we had this argument?

>>30453752
That's a yandere, bro.

We don't want none of that. Helllllll naw.

>>30453763
I'm not starting anything, I'm just responding to another anon. I have no further intentions of continuing this tired argument.

>>30453771
This will be the six hundredth time we've repeated this exact argument, and we've become exceedingly efficient at it.

>>30453755
I still stand by my stance that it was never a fair 'choice'. It was influenced by emotional blackmail, drama and baseline greed. Put any of the girls in that position, and we'd have gone with their routes just as easily as we did with Luci. Hell, just going to her room was blackmail enough since everyone in the STORY was looking at us all 'wellp, looks like it's a route lock then'.

And given Luci's incessant dick-grabbery, even if we hadn't kissed her, I'm inclined to believe that she'd have jumped him anyway. And continued to jump him. Hell, I'm not even sure that if we route-locked another girl that she's ever stop, the bitch is just that pushy and relentless.

>>30453789
Ssssssssttttttttooooooooooooppppppppppp

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>>30453771

>>30453780
Blood in the water bro.

Just because YOU don't intend to argue it, doesn't mean it won't attract sharks to tear the thread apart. You have to be aware of unintended consequences, but now it's too late and all we can do is pray.

And now I see why QTG hate this quest so much, it's not the content, it's the fanbase.

>>30453735

Another sylviefag here.

I don't look for 'conflict' in a relationship, and given Reinhold's background I honestly can't imagine that he would either. But hey, at least we can agree that what's done is done. And wait for the VN

>>30453718

>'Giancarlo the Infernal Hammer'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7bdr6fjg-k

>>30453815
That's why everyone hates everything.

Fans are the bane of fandoms.

>>30453789
The whole thing was meta-railroaded hard, and I've since stopped caring, and you should too, because the argument is just getting old and Arch evidently does not care.

>>30453796
It will never stop, and you know it. It might've stopped, had we locked in somehow legitimately, but this is basically going to be one of those 'stupid choices made that will stick with the quest for good' things.

Ya know, like 'rainbows' in Shadow Quest.

>>30453718
>[4/4]

As Giancarlo picks up the girl who you were just fighting in one of his massive hands (you're not going to say anything about ulterior motives), you turn back to the doorway just as Thierri, Celestino and Lisette make their way through the doorway and into the main hall. After nodding to Sylvie, Rana and Andreas, they make their way straight to you.


>greet the kings (and queen)!

>>30453815
90% of the players just sit quietly until there is something funny to comment on or something actually relevant to talk about. But thanks to the nature of anonymous posting, it only takes a small number of very vocal idiots to make everyone look bad.

>>30453815
Oh yeah, the writings not great but the fanbase is ten different kinds of awful.

>>30453806
I'm pretty sure the ocean was filled with blood before this thread was even made, bro.

>>30453773
Bitch, yanderes are true love. The truest.

The best girl is one that would terminate her rivals with extreme prejudice.

>>30453815
QTG is way worse than most of the people who post here. They hate the quest because of the duel, and were stupid enough to assume that Moni- why am I responding

>>30453819
Well, why do you think I call Luci-route 'Easy Mode'? Conflict is NEEDED in a relationship, it won't grow otherwise. A passive relationship where nothing is aired is just.. dead air. It goes nowhere. The two persons involved in it stay where they are and don't develop or grow as individuals, or as a couple. Just because you don't go looking for conflict doesn't mean that it is bad for the relationship.