Oh, and roll a d100 for the fighting options.

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>36303078
Rip out one of the eyes of the thrown guy
and eat it
fight will stop

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>Go kick the thrower's ass. That was YOUR beer.

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>36303078
>Go kick the thrower's ass. That was YOUR beer.

Nice relaxing casual violence to get the taste of all that stressful serious violence out of our mouth.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>36303078
>>Keep calm. More alcohol first, punches later.

>>36303078
>Keep calm. More alcohol first, punches later.
You're not nearly drunk enough to enjoy this, so grab another beer and then relocate to a spot less likely to let you get dragged in.

>>36303103
Top fukken lel

>>36303103
Does that guy have a beer?

Beat him up and take his beer.

>>36303115
You haven't seen last thread, huh? Lady luck is on MC side.
>>36303120
No beer. Finished before starting the fight

>>36303128
No I definitely remember the last thread.
What's hilarious is that the luck is still keeping.

>>36303154
Only quests I've recently seen that are that good with luck are ImprovAizen and Pokémon Southern Shore

You rise up and walk towards the bald man. "That was MY beer you bastard!". He laughs at you "And?" "And this is my fist." You punch him in the face. He staggers, rage rising on his face, blood tracing his cheek. You should pull your punches or this won't be fun. At all.

He steadies his feet and charges at you. "My turn now!" You let him get you. "Wheeeee, the fair is in town!". Mocking him can only make this better, right? Right. He rises you on his shoulder and slams you to the floor. The fair is gone. Pain is what's in now.

>Kick him, get up on your feet, continue.
>Let him mount you, if you don't give advantage this will be over in a flash.
>Bend his arms, hug his neck, turn this around.
>Other.

I'm trying a suggestion from anon last thread about fights, as to make them more player based. Tell me how this works out.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>36303199
>Kick him, get up on your feet, continue.

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>36303199
>Bend his arms, hug his neck, turn this around.
NO MERCY TO THOSE WHO WASTE BEAR!

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>36303214
>>36303223
Luck left us, it seems.

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>36303199
>>Kick him, get up on your feet, continue.

>>36303256
Not so!

>>36303199
Glad to see you're continuing. This is a good quest.

>>36303354
>>36303199
Agreed.

>>36303387
>Take his hand, get up.

You draw your legs in to kick him on his chest. Too slow. He's over you, keeping your legs in check, his body weight against you. You slip your feet over his neck, getting a good punch right on the top of his head. Slippery. Ugh, bald sweaty men are gross. You join your hands together and hit him again. Another one, you can never have enough. Another, for good measure. He seems half dazed there. Ok, you can have enough. Like when the next one is going to make him faint and you still haven't had enough. It's enough but it's not enough? Whatever. He shakes his head, laughs, his eyes back in focus. He picks you up again and returns you to your last position. Fast. The floor hits you again.

Hello, my friend. What is that, I shouldn't lose myself in thought while fighting a brawny bald man? What do you know, you're a floor, so just shut up.

And then he smiles and offers you a hand. The baldy, not the floor; he hit you hard, but not THAT hard.

"You got some fight in you. I like that. Are you in need of a job?". And it was just getting to the fun part. Would continuing the fight be ok? Pretty please?

>Take his hand, get up.
>Slap his hand, get up.
>Get up on your own, continue to fight.
>Drag him down, mount him, punch him.

>>36303411
>>Take his hand, get up.
What is different?

>>36303411
>>Take his hand, get up.
A job offer? Business before pleasure.

Also, OP. Don't delete your posts just because of some minor things. Anyone following through the archives see them anyway.

>>36303398
>>36303414
Couple of typos, rewrote 2 phrases, a punch more. Autism, fundamentally.

>>36303421
What? Why? Oh god, they can see my fuckups?

>>36303429
>Couple of typos, rewrote 2 phrases, a punch more. Autism, fundamentally.
It's good I believe, means you care for your work here.

And if they see it, no big deal. To err is human.

>>36303429
They can though archive.moe. Once is fine, any more and seeing a lot of deleted posts gets annoying.

>>36303442
Well, they have a different colour to signal they were deleted. Just skip them.
While on the subject of minor details, is there a good place to get some images to go with my posts? A booru for standard fantasy stuff, maybe?

>>36303411
Get up on your own, continue fight with a grin. Tell him you're interested while hitting him over the head with a bear mug or something.

>>36303469
https://thraen.minus.com/uploads this guy kindly offered his collection some time ago.

>>36303469
/tg/booru is alright. I usually dig through the mountain of shit that is DeviantArt.

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>>36303469
TG has character art threads that contain a lot of useful images. Pic for instance. Just scrape through that sort of thread occasionally and build up a stockpile

You take his hand and he lifts you up. "You still owe me a beer." You won't forget that beer. "Heh, yeah, let's get that" The area around the counter seems a sacred haven. The people are still getting some exercise, but nobody comes near the counter.

Unwritten laws. That's good, you wouldn't want a second beer to go. He sits on a stool and gestures to the one on his right side. "A soft cider and a beer."
Soft cider? What? He catches the look on your face and answers with a smile "Technically, I'm working right now."
"If the job you're offering has drinking and punching people as a description, I want in"
He laughs again. "Well, punching people is part of it, drinking is not really suggested. Not while on a job, anyways."
Interesting. You think you know where this is going. Your beer arrives, and the man continues.
"Before all that, shouldn't we exchange names?" He smiles again his friendly smile. What a nice man. Maybe.
Janus Myrson. That's your name. But when one of the big 7 kills number 1 on the list, common sense dictates not giving away you were the one causing a succession war. So...

>Give him your name
>Give him your "name" (write in)
>"Why should I give you my name? I thought this was business. Are you looking for something else?"

>>36303595
>Give your "name"
Wilmod Hemmels

Most people just call me Will.

>>36303595
>"Why should I give you my name? I thought this was business. Are you looking for something else?"

>>36303617
I'll go with this.

The Seven are like the knights of the round table, right?

>>36303595
>>36303617
Sure why not.

>>36303645
Not really. They are the seven most important families in Mechina. The crowned tiger, the Branvers, are the king's house. The other six houses hold vast amounts of power over the land, high enough to influence the court itself. There's a legend about the foundation of Mechina that mentions the houses' ancestors, but there's not a "round table" or something like that. It's a feudal country.

>>36303617
>Wilmod
Why not Wilmad

>>36303595
What's our real name again?

>>36303732
Wilmod Hemmels

>>36303898
That's his "name", not his name...

>>36303617
Wait, we're not a girl?

>>36303912
Uh I thought it was pretty clear we were guys.

>>36303898
>Wilmod Hemmels
backwards this is fairly close to bad stupid life

"I'm Wilmod Hemmels. Call me Will" No risk in giving away a false name; and the guy seems friendly enough.
"I'm Matias. Just Matias. So, are you good with a sword?" He knows the answer to that already
"Good enough. Why you ask?" You know where this is going too, but you must dance as society dictates. It would be bad to shout 'MAKE ME A MERCENARY ALREADY'. It would be faster, too, but you're in no hurry.
"Well then, here's the thing. I'm part of a mercenary group and we're looking for new recruits. You seem to be one of those that can make it. Interested?" Oh, pretty direct. Not a slow, romantic dance, then. You like that.
"Yeah, could be. What's the pay?"
"Depends on your worth, depends on the mission. You'll have food and lodging in our common house as long as you're one of us. We'll give you the gear you need and we'll train you if needed. Prove yourself worthy, and you're going to swim in gold."
"That's pretty vague."
He laughs again. "You're a mercenary at heart, aren't you? A good man on a difficult job will make about 3 gold coins a day, provided they don't take too much to complete it. And that's just on the third step of the ladder."
You do the math. Not so bad a deal. Not on par with your income one week ago, but you should take what you can.
"So how do I get to that level? What about first and second step?"
"First step, you're a recruit. You'll be lucky to get a silver coin out of a mission. Second step, you're a proper mercenary. You just need to come back alive a couple of times and you'll get there. They get about half a silver coin per day. To get to the third step you have to prove yourself a leader of men. Take charge of your group and bring them back alive, or something like that. So, interested?"

>Interested. Lady luck is on your door again.
>Let's think about it.
>Not interested. I can get better deals.
>Other.

>>36303924
in my language that is

>>36303732
>Janus Myrson. That's your name.

>>36303925
>I challenge you to a duel!
>When i beat you, you upgrade me to step two immeditately

>>36303925
>Interested. Lady luck is on your door again.
>Other?
How many men in your company?
Is there any kind of test to decide on wheter one needs training or not? Or a placement test?


>>36303948
Sorry, this headache business makes me borderline retarded.

>>36303925
>Interested. Lady luck is on your door again.

>>36303925
>Interested. Lady luck is on your door again

"Yeah, I'm interested."
Another one of his smiles. "Good, come to the plaza tomorrow morning then. 8 o'clock. Not the main plaza, the one with the fountain"
"Where is that?"
"Right in front of the church of Light. Ask for that."
"Good. Now that we got that out of the way, I had a reason to be here"
A puzzled look on his face "And that is?"
You get up and take center stage, throwing a grin at him. You're here to drink beer and kick ass, and you just finished your beer.

Matias rises and takes your back. Just Matias. Keeps the risk of getting a stool on the back of your head low. Nice guy. You could have done that too; throwing your surname away, that is. You always liked your name. Janus. You block a punch from a guy with a scar on his face. Tied to The Two, and they are not your god, but you always liked Janus. You punch him back and he loses his footing, slamming on a lanky bearded man.
Vernodes is your god. Or he was. You're not sure if he's with you now you're not in power any more. Lanky comes at you with a "HEY!". Still, her consort has paved the way for your escape, and that must mean something. One for lanky too. Soft beard, nice to the touch. Hard bone, he goes down. Maybe you'll just have to get some power back. Third step, huh?

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The guys in here pose no serious challenge to you or Matias. The beer was good, heavier than Mechina's ones, and that doesn't help you in keeping yourself in check. 10 minutes later, the tavern is littered with unconscious bodies and the fight has died down.
"Well, had your fun?"
"Fun is where the heart is."
"What?" Right, what?
"Yeah, that was fun."
He pats your back, another warm smile for you "Well, you're a good guy, Will, and I'd like to stay and chat, but I've somewhere I must be right now. See you in the common house."
You smile back at him. "Yeah, see you." You watch him leave. It was nice to have a comrade by your side.

>Stay and drink.
>Leave, you need to be up early and you'd like to take another bath
>Follow Matias

>>36304352
>Leave, you need to be up early and you'd like to take another bath

>>36304352
>Leave, you need to be up early and you'd like to take another bath
Well it seems we had a small drop

>>36304352
>Leave you need to be up early and you'd like to take another bath.

I see no reason to follow the guy... unless this is bizarro /tg/ and we're aiming to make a husbando

>>36304352
I like the inner psyche of this character, low-key, calm, reserved. It makes a lot more sense to me than a lot of quests and even books. I don't know what that says about me, but good work anyway.

Thread seems pretty quiet right now unfortunately.

Matias is gone and no more fun to be had here. Time to go back to your inn. You walk towards the marble towers, the cold night air a prickle on your skin, as you look around.

The buildings follow the same classical style. Golden section rules the city, giving a sense of order that seems to be out of place on some of the establishments. Should a brothel have a veranda supported by etched marble columns? Why not.

The walk to the inn is tranquil as you take in the sights the palaces show you. Everything has some kind of geometric pattern. It's so perfect that it seems natural to you, like the whole town was spawned from thin air as-is. How is it possible that every propriety is so finely decorated? Is everyone in this city rich enough to do that?

You reach your inn, ask to be waken up at 7 and walk up your stairs. The front desk girl answered with a 'Yes, sir', a soft expression on her face. How can everything be so perfect? It's all going like it should. Maybe you're dead already. Maybe this is paradise.

The lynx that waits for you in your room doesn't seem to think so. The vacuous eyes painted on your armour resent you. Should I have just keeled over and died? That's not how it works, lynx, and I don't care if you don't approve. I'll just have to scrub you off from my armour when I have the time.

You take a quick bath before lying on your bed. You should take a book out and read now, as you've always done, but you don't have one and you don't think you can get one right now. So you just let your mind wander, thinking about the last two days. You're strange. Broken, in some way. But that saved you, and you're not going to forsake your self. You could very well be a monster but if that is what it takes to be alive you're going to embrace every facet of it.

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Sleep comes to take you and you let your conscience go. You dream of friendly forests, of cold rivers and loyal horses. A young voice wakes you up.
"Wake up, sir."
"I'm up now, thanks"
"No need for thanks, it's my job" What a suave voice. This inn is just perfect.
"Well, thank you anyways." She walks away with soft steps as you rise and shine.
You go through your morning rituals and dress up. Going for the great meeting, then.

>Bring your sword and armour. You never know.
>Bring the dead guy's sword.
>Bring yours.
>They told they'll give what you need. You're going to take them up on the offer.
>Other.

>>36304797
>Bring both swords and your armor.
>Dress for the job you want.

>>36304797
>Bring your sword and armour. You never know.
I do hope we're going to take some steps to hide the heraldry asap.

>>36304797
>Bring your sword and armour. You never know.

>>36304797
>>Bring your sword and armour. You never know.

You take your time to don the armor. It's a slow job, but easy enough. The armor was made for you, not just fitted. Throwing away your gauntlets and armguards will cost you and you haven't had the time to scrub the coat of arms away. Better cover it. You take the tunic that saved your life and cut it up. A chasuble to cage the lynx. Add a cloth belt and it could pass. You put your sword on your side and you're ready to go.

Your breakfast consist of some of the dried meat and bread the Allies of Justice gifted you. You're spending a fortune for this inn, you're going to cut expenses where you can. Out in the city, the streets now frolicking with people, the shouts of the market coming from a near street.

Asking around and losing your way a couple of times, you reach the fountain plaza. The church towering over it is a magnificent sight, light playing around on the gold lines detailing the facade, a beautiful rose window reflecting the sun like a multicolored mirror. Your gaze wanders caught by beauty until you notice the group of people already on the plaza.

No Matias there, but 8 people are around an armed man. That's probably who you're looking for. They all seem people you could have punched yesterday. Correction, not all of them. There's a kid in there. No older than 16. He will probably be dead in less than a month. And a woman. With what you've heard about women, rape and the military she could very well end worse than dead.

You walk to the group. The armed man acknowledges your presence and starts talking. Rugged voice. He talks as he's trying to scare the guys. Hardships, death, blood, metal. Being a mercenary is not a walk in the park. He's the leader, bow down. Insubordination is met with death. You call the ones better than you sirs. You'll get three days of training and then your first mission. You come back, you're a merc. As you're getting tired of his speech, he tells you 'bunch of worms' to follow him. That's your lady at work.

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You follow him to the common house. As big as a manor. A big manor. The annex is an armoury and the backyard is a training ground. Could have started out as a manor, but with how architecture works in this city you can't really be sure. They they seem to have done good for themselves. Good for you. 'Leader' takes you guys to the field. He leaves you guys with a young looking man. Auburn hair, well built, a little on the short side. He teaches the sword and today your ability with one will be tested. He tells you guys to take a training sword. You comply. Time to get to work then. He calls for you. You're the first, as you seem to be versed in the subject.

>Fight him with all you have.
>Spar with him, no need to be serious.
>Refuse to fight.
>Let someone else be the first.
>Other

Roll 1d100 for fight options, best of 3.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>36305343
>Fight him with all you have.

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>36305343
>>Fight him with all you have.
Sorry for lateness

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>36305343
>Fight him with all you have

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>>36305383
>>36305444
>>36305464
Well shit.

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>36305343
>Fight him with all you have.

>>36305464
>>36305444
>>36305383
Well 52 ain't that bad. I mean, it's like we were doing okay but then tripped on our cloth or something. More like we accidentally than fucked it up completely.

Plus not like the fight lasts just one round either

>>36305484
>this roll didn't come up earlier
Well. Hoping the fight is longer than one turn so we get a chance to recover.

"Show me what you got, boy" You take a couple of steps towards him and ready your weapon. He has a smug expression on his face. Ok then, this boy will rise up to the challenge.

You start by testing him. Let him block a couple of your strikes, stop his blows, play with him, humor him a little. "Come on, boy! Is this all that you've got?" He's taunting you. Maybe you should make him sweat. You pick up your pace and start putting some strength behind your strikes. He keeps parrying, but you leave him no room for a counterattack. His arms seems to tremble.

"Ok, ok, that's enough" He's keeping calm, but anger seeps through his mask. You drop your guard and bow. He kicks sand in your face. Bastard. You take a step back and rub your face with your free hand. "That's not fair."

"Life is not fair" he moves towards you "And you're a mercenary now. Don't expect fair fights" you catch a glare coming for your arm. Your vision is blurry. You rise your sword to meet his, but your sword is not where it should. Pain springs forth from your right shoulder as you suppress a scream. If this wasn't a practice sword it would have been bad. Shouldn't have humiliated the guy, he made the thing personal.

Well, now it's personal for you too. Your vision is getting better, and you're not going to wait for his next hit to connect.

>Surrender. That's enough.
>Continue. You should right every wrong.
>Go easy on him, he's the one deciding your fate.

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>36305781
>Continue. You should right every wrong.

>>36305781
>Continue. You should right every wrong
Don't lose face.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>36305781
>Go easy on him, he's the one deciding your fate.

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>36305781
>Go easy on him, he's the one deciding your fate.

>>36305826
>>36305840
>>36305843
Oh wow. If he had asked for rolls we'd be raped right about now.

File: the waaaaarp.gif (1.82 MB, 150x114)

1.82 MB GIF

>>36305840
>>36305826
>>36305843

W-why are you rolling. S-stop, please. Oh god...

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>36305865
Hey, he didn't ask for them so it's kay.

Just hope when he does ask we don't do as horribly, heh

>>36305826
>>36305840
>>36305843
>>36305883
MC's affair is over, it seems.

>>36305893
huehue

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>36305893
I assure you when push comes to shove we'll do well
maybe

>>36305781
>Continue. You should right every wrong.
give him a fair fight, kek

Rolled 2 (1d2)

That's it. You're not going to take it and shut up. You're going to make him understand why duels have rules. His smug face is back, but not for long.

"Still wanna go?" "Sure, let's dance" You get back to your stance and wait for his move. He shifts his weight on his left foot and comes at you from your right. You stop his sword and slap him. He scowls. Another swing from the left, aiming to your shoulder again. You slap him harder and smile. This is fun. He's not of the same opinion. He's fuming.

Just as he takes a knife from his belt, a voice calls out for him "Jo, what the fuck are you doing?" Leader. "Ah- nothing sir. I just...lost myself in the challenge." "You're in, boy. No further training needed. Talk to the big girl inside to get a room." "Yes, sir." You answer. What is with this 'boy' thing? You look at Jo for an answer, the grimace on your opponent's face stopping you from asking. You just made an enemy, you're sure of it. Well, not much you can do about it.

What now?

>Watch the other guys' turn. Better know who are the men you take on your first mission.
>Go take the room, bring your stuff from the inn.
>Go around the city and buy what you need (write in)
>Other

>>36306199
>Watch the other guys' turn. Better know who are the men you take on your first mission.
>Other:
Maybe talk to the people as the fights progress?

How many of the other guys are there?
I'm guessing descriptions will come with the fights though.

>>36306199
>Go take the room, bring your stuff from the inn.

>>36306199
Watch the other fights

>>36306227
I'll support this. Maybe give the ones we think have potential a couple of tips.

>>36306317
That seems good.

>>36306199
This is hilarious. I like this MC.

You sit on the side and wait for the other guys to perform. Ringside seats, that's nice. Jo takes a couple of minutes to calm down. He's shaking. You got him good; better hope the rooms have locks, or you're not going to sleep much tonight.

"Ok, next one up" All better now. You're still going to look out for that knife. Another guy comes up, full of confidence, sword held with two hands over his head. Strange stance, but you've seen it work. As he tries to strike, a hard truth becomes apparent: one of your men has never held a sword before.

One of your men? You don't even know his name. A big, short guy with a buzz cut, that's what you know of him. His strike is deflected easily, the sword slipping from his hands. That's not a club, you idiot. He takes a good punch to the stomach but bears it, unmoving. He's tough. Still unskilled, he's out. "You've never held a sword before, right?" "No, sir" "Ok, go take a room" That's it, kick hi-what? Take a room? "Come back as soon as you can, training starts as I'm finished with the others." 3 days of training. If the mission is not disinfestation, the guy is done for.

You stand there and watch as every one of them takes the test and gets a room. You have buzzy, the one who's never held a sword, blondie, the talkative guy that asked for throwing knives, blackie, the one who blacked out after the first punch, runner, the one who fled before taking the test, hobo, discharged from the town guards, kiddie, showing some experience and making up what he lacks with talent, vet, the guy who has seen more battlefields than you, girlie, surprisingly adept with a sword, and rager, the one who bodyslammed Jo down while screaming after being hit a couple of times. Everybody got a room, only a couple of them deservig that. What a band of merry scrubs you've got for yourself.

Nobody stopped to talk to you, some for fear of Jo, some curious of the room they got, some lost in thought, some seemingly unable to speak. So that's what their names are and will be. Their fault, not yours. You should write them down.

You think about what to do now as this skinny guy comes to you. He doesn't seem much of a fighter. A mage maybe? Nice ponytail though.
"You shouldn't have done that." he says.
"Maybe so, but I'm not going to let lesser men push me around."
"Your choice, but it's going to have consequences. You don't need the training, but if you have the time you could help the others."
He seems to be the boss trainer or something like that. "Have you seen those guys? All the help in the world couldn't save them. 3 days and they're gone. Why did you guys accept every single one of them?"
"I'm not sure, but our leader ordered to accept you all as recruits." He clearly doesn't approve of that decision. So it's not the way things usually go. Maybe they need to bolster their number. "Why don't you take one of the guys and teach him? Three days could be enough to let him survive the mission."

>"Ok, (write in) seems a good bet. I'll take him."
>No time. Take the room, bring your stuff, scrub your armor, (write in)
>"I have some suggestions for the training" (write in)

>>36307026
>"Ok, I'll take Kiddie and Girlie seems a good bet. I'll take them.

>"I have some suggestions for the training"
"Considering how little they know it's best if they can at least survive until someone more experienced can help them. I'd say focus on teaching them defensive tactics and stances, maybe how to DODGE properly."

I take so much time writing I'm killing my quest with my own two hands. And I still can't write faster. That makes me sad.

>>36307026
>"Ok, Buzzie seems a good bet. I'll take him."

Tanks are nice. Teach him to use a mace, and he'll be unstoppable.

>>36307096
I know the feel man.

And you actually took less time than you usually take for big updates, and got us more text.

>>36307096
Personally I like slower updates. I have a lot of shit going on, so I can only casually check every hour or so. This lets me actually get involved.

Just some thoughts on roles and combat "placement"
Looking to minimize casualties here

>Buzzy, the one who's never held a sword
If he can overcome his utter lack of skill he'd do well.
Probably give him a mace and some plate because he'll tank for us.
Charge lead.

>Blondie, the talkative guy that asked for throwing knives
Rogue probably, if he has any skill he'd do well with us.
Keep him in the mid-back and send him for flanking works.

>Blackie, the one who blacked out after the first punch
This one is fucked, keep him in middle. If he survives the first mission he'll get to learn how to be a merc.

>Runner, the one who fled before taking the test
Don't get this one, he quit? Is he still with us?

>Hobo, discharged from the town guards
Should be decent at fights, keep him mid-front near the actual fighting. Don't have him lead the charge though.

>Kiddie showing some experience and making up what he lacks with talent
He seems good, put him along with Hobo.

>Vet, the guy who has seen more battlefields than you
Charging center with us, he should be able to command a flank by himself and help out the newbs.

>Girlie, surprisingly adept with a sword
I'd say put her close to the mid-front like Hobo and Kiddie.

>Rager, the one who bodyslammed Jo down while screaming after being hit a couple of times
Second Charge lead. Give him good armour and a good heavy weapon.

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Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>36307114
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
>>36307091
I'll roll 1d2 then, 1 is kid and girl, 2 is tank

>>36307284
We should really get to meet the others.

>>36307215
And yeah, the runner quit. 'Leader' speech was bad enough for him, seeing the other guys getting curbstomped made him decided he wasn't cut for merc work.

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"You should try to focus on how to not die. Teach them how to defend themselves and maybe I can bring some of them back. I could see getting something out of them after three months, but right now the only ones that have a chance are the guy in ragged clothes and the guy who's served. The girl and the kid seem to be trained, but they're still green. The big one could probably get something out of a heavy weapon. The blond guy seems agile enough to make a good assassin, not really the kind of guy I'd take on a battlefield. The one who fainted... I don't know. And I think if the guy with the buzzcut could get a mace, a shield and some dedicated training he could have a chance."
He nods slowly as you speak. "That's a good assessment. So, are you going to give the guy in a buzzcut his training?"
You think about it. He could prove a great asset to you. "Yeah, I'll teach him what I can."
The guys are coming back from their rooms. "I'll ask someone to bring a shield and a mace for him. Anything else?" Still missing blackie and blondie. "Nah." Blackie is back. Thought he would be gone by now. Probably needs the job. Boss trainer talks to a minion trainer and five minutes later, you get the shield and mace to buzzie. "I'll teach you today."
"So slapping the shit out of a trainer makes you a trainer, uh?" What amazingly brown eyes. Can eyes be more brown? You look around. Only blondie missing now.
"More or less. I'm Will."
"Sornen. Pleased to make your acquaintace, master" Irony. His face opens in a smile, tracing lines to his flat nose. Ok, blondie is here.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll teach you how to survive your first mission. Does that interest you?"
"Sure it does, man! Come on, let's start."
"Block with your shield then."
You hit him on the shield a couple of times. He takes it like a champion, doesn't move a step. You fling your sword towards his open side and he mechanically follows your sword. He blocks that too and still stands his ground. That's good.

"Good, that's a good start. Now try to hit me with the mace."
"Okie dokie." He rises his mace and swings it towards you. You block. Holy shit, that's heavy. He has strength. Still, his swing is slow. You let his mace slide to your side and bring back your sword towards his stomach. He moves his shield too late and your sword hits him. Not like he seems to mind.
"That was a strong blow. That's good, but try to swing faster. Don't rise your mace over your head or I'll know that it's coming. And expect a counter to your blow. Keep your eyes on your enemy's movement and try to guess where it'll come from."
"Yes, MASTER." He's smiling. Well, we have time, and he seems in high spirit. Let's kick this in gear. You spar with him for the rest of the morning.
He has decent reflexes and his endurance is great. He takes everything you throw at him without flinching. Still, your blade has no edge. You teach him how to move while blocking, how to distribute his weight, how to tell where the enemy will attack from and how to use his mace. He soaks it up, but his reactions are still slow. He should practice this every day for a month at least before being useful in battle. He could not have that time.

As you think about what to do, a big woman calls everyone in for lunch. You put back your sword on the rack and follow the whale's song to the canteen. It's full of square tables. Six persons per table. What about camaraderie? Not a priority? Sornen takes place while striking a conversation with Vet. He sits beside him. Hobo and rager are drowning in blondie's words. Why hasn't rager killed him yet? Blackie, the girl and the kid are sitting in silence on another table. The kid seems to be waiting for somebody to talk, fiddling with his hands.

Why is nobody else here? Why didn't the trainers follow you guys? Who knows. Time to take place. Free food, yay.

>Alone.
>With (write in)
>Eat out.
>Other?
>What do you talk about? (write in)

>>36308707
With kid, blackie and girlie. Pep talk a d introductions

>>36308707
>>Eat out.

>>36308707
>With the silent ones, kid and the other 2.
Time to know them better. Ask for bsckground, give a version of ours, motivate them, share stories, joke, be cool and help them relax

You sit with the silent guys. Save the kid, at least. "Hey guys. I'm Will, your new comrade. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, whatever." That's not nice, blackie. He doesn't even look at you.
"I'm Totter, Totter Gram. Man, you were great. You showed that Jo guy how it's done, huh?" The kid beams. He was waiting for someone to open his mouth, and you're your saviour.
"Nikan. Nice to meet you too." You could at least TRY to mean it. It's not that difficult. A smile would help.
"So, I saw you guys fighting. You're doing good. Keep it up and our first mission is going to be a breeze."
"Sure it will! Man, I've trained for five years already, but the army wouldn't take me. Are you kiddin' me? I'm better than half of them, but I can't enter just because I'm not of age yet. Fuck that, I'm gonna be the best mercenary that ever was. And that will show them. Right?" Pretty confident for a scrub. Let's hope he doesn't go running at the first sight of blood.
"Yeah, right. Just keep at it and you'll have your own company in no time." Or maybe you'll be dead before the next moon. Who knows.
The whale throws a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread in front of every one of you. Doesn't look so good; still, it's free. You take a sip. What is this thing? Doesn't taste like anything edible. It's more like... Leather soup?
"Hmmm, this is good." Totter, you should get checked. This is not good. This is not even mediocre. It's the worst thing you've ever had and probably ever have.
You try to distract yourself from the taste of the soup. "So, what about you guys? Why are you here?"
You look at blackie. He's not looking at you. Not good, blackie, if you hang your head a little lower on your bowl you're going to drink your soup from your nose. Well, doesn't matter, he's dead meat anyways.
You turn your head to Nikan. "You first." she says "Where did you learn to fight?".

"Well, I was a knight not so long ago. Just had a fall out with my liege because I didn't respect one of the rules. They threw me out without a thought." Technically true. Surely not killing your liege's son is part of the rules, right? "You next. Why are you here?"
"I'm the last remnant of the ruling dynasty of Vantreis. I'm going to take matters in my hand and get back what is rightfully mine." Heh. Clichés abound. Out of the stupidest novel ever or something? And how can she spread it around like that? Assassins are always looking for a job, and you believe the new Vantreis rulers will have the gold to spare for that. Not that you're expecting her to survive long.
"That's so COOL, man! What the fuck, when you get back in power I'm going to be your first knight. We're gonna kick ass, man!" A kids novel. She laughs. What, you can be deluded and the kid cannot? How does that work?
Blackie finishes his lunch, rises and takes his leave. You could at least say good-bye, blackie.
"What's up with the guy?" you ask.
"He's just a little aloof. Must have problems of his own." That's it. You're sugarcoating it, girl.
"He's not 'aloof', he's a jerk. I only heard him speak four words: 'yes, sir' and 'yeah, whatever'." Kids only speak the truth.
"Well, maybe he's just not accustomed to having company. He'll open up with time, just let him be for now." Be diplomatic, Janus. They taught you how and why, now go do it.
"Yeah, no. Jerkiness doesn't wear off. It's forever. Once a jerk, forever a jerk." Kids and truth. 'Jerkiness' must be an eternal state of being. What about reincarnation and transmigration?
You're about to ask for it as the cetacean calls: "Okay guys. Out of here. Now. You have two hours to go do whatever it is you do. Get back for training in two hours."
"More training? Man, that's harsh." Stop it, kid. You're only useful if you can stay alive.
You smile at him. "Well, it was nice talking to you guys, see you later."
"See you."
"Yeah man, see ya."

You get your key from the whale and go out on the corridor, waving to Sornen on the way. They showed you how to move around the mansion. Pretty easy when everything is geometrically perfect and symmetrical. You get out.
So, what it is that I do when I do the things that I do?

>Go get your stuff.
>Go buy something to scrub the painting off your armour.
>Go buy a book (write in, roll 1d100)
>Other (write in)
The two hours you have could be enough for more than one choice.

>>36310488
>Go buy something to scrub the painting off your armour.
>Go buy a book (write in, roll 1d100)
Something about leadership and diplomacy
Maybe something on lore and history

By the way OP, do we know first aid?
If yes I suppose we could look for some health care supplies.
>Other: Look for medical supplies if we know some about em

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>36310541
Forgot Roll

>>36310541
>>36310472

eh this is ok enough

>>36310488
>>36310541
This guy, but maybe a book on mixed unit tactics or other types of weapons.
MC is obviously pretty well versed when it comes to fighting, but could probably use a pit of extra knowledge when it comes to other types of weapons.

Rolled 65 (1d100)

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>36311357
?

>>36311369
Well the rolls are usually best out of three. So I decided fuck it. Why not roll again?

>>36311432
Hmm okay.

Well, you go out shopping, that's what you do. First of all, you will need a fine arts shop. You don't want your lynx pouncing at you and ruining everything. So, fine arts shop.

You ask around and find what you're looking for. What should you use to strip paint away from metal? The clerk knows. The clerk knows everything. You'll need oil of turpentine. And remember to cover the metal again with wax, or it will rust. Turpentine then. 5 silver pieces for a bottle. Are you ok with that? Yes you are, but you have no idea if you should. Ok, the lynx has what it was asking for.

Now what? A book. A book is always the answer. That's the answer they gave you. And the same answer you got from the books. Not like a book would tell you to not read books. Well then, book store it is. Hey, you guy with the tonsure, is that a choice or nature hates you? You mean, does this city have a book store? Sure it does. More than one. Three. Three? Really? Is literacy that high here? Let's walk to the nearest book store then. No, the tonsure guy is not part of the group. You just meant yourself.

First bookstore. Nice smell. Tanned leather. Parchment. You look around. What should you read tonight? A nice little book on your new home, maybe. On the inner political workings and history of this place? A lot of questions sprung to your mind from the day you were here. Books. Answers. Ok, let's go with this. Now, something on war. What do you mean, no warry thinghies here? Not even the classics? Well, whatever, 2 others bookstores to go to. So, how much for this? 8 silver coins. I'm ok with that too. Here's the silver coins and here's the book. Ok. Thanks. Bye.

You lost time wandering through the shelves. Something less than an hour left. And maybe you should still take what you left at the inn. Warry thingies first. Just taking a man more back from the mission will be worth it. Next bookstore. Leather, parchment, mold. The clerk is old enough to be the source of the smell. Smells. Now, they do have a section on the art of war. What to get, what to get? A book catches your eyes. It's about unit tactics and leadership. Preparing for step one while looking forward to step three. Seems good. What's it worth? 11 silver coins. One gold and one silver, you mean? Yes, eleven silver coins. Has time done a number on him? But I'm ok with that too, just give me my book.

And now time does his number on me. 10 minutes left. You run back to the manor, get to your room on the first floor, throw the books and turpentine on your bed and sprint to the grounds. Nobody there. What, isn't discipline part of training? Shouldn't everyone be here ten minutes before the appointed time? Did they just tell the guys the training is somewhere else while you weren't there? Oh fuck, you hope not.

People start showing up and you're relieved. Blackie comes alone, late again. Eternal jerk, he is. Training resumes, not much changes. Sparring, teaching, same boring stuff.

What about you? What are you going to do?

>Continue with Sornen. Teach him (write in)
>Change your focus. Train (write in)
>Spar with (write in)
>Other (write in)

>>36311486
>Continue with Sornen Focus on dealing with more mobile opponents. Tell him he has power in spades, all he needs is some more speed.

>>36311486
>Other, Have Sornen spar the quickest guy we've got.
Watch and give them pointers, to both of them of course.

It'd be nice if we could also have a small spar with someone in the group afterwards.

>>36311486
>Change your focus. Train
train the cliche backstory person.

>>36311619
>>36311486
This

"So what now, MASTAH?" He's having fun with the master thing. Well, let him. It doesn't change much for you.
"Now you spar with someone else. Someone who can highlight what you're doing wrong" So, let's see how he fares against a mobile opponent. Mobile opponent....
"Hey blondie. Come here." He's sitting on the ground, resting. Strange enough, he rises on his feet and comes to you.
"I'm not 'blondie', I'm Tristam" he says, a little offended.
"Yeah, sorry about that, Tristam. I'm Will. And I'd like for you to spar with Sornen." Tristam. You could have guessed.
"Ok, I guess?" He's guessing too, now.
"Come meet my shield!" Sornen seems to be having real fun. He must be one of Matias', you think.
"Try to attack him from his blind spots, circle him around, feint your moves. Try unusual tactics. Get in and get out." He does that. He's decent enough, his mobility probably coming from a different job from the one he's doing now. Is he here on behalf of Vantreis' new rulers? Nah. You're going too far.

Sornen doesn't seem to fare too well against him. "Try to keep your eyes on him. Follow his body, not his sword. Use your feet as pivot points, turn around without moving, follow him with your shield. Don't let him set the distance. If he has the advantage, charge him with your shield or take a step back. Swing only when you know you will hit, don't leave yourself open."
You continue to give them pointers. They both seem to find this exercise fun, so after a while you leave them at it and search for a sparring partner.

The girl is idle right now. Nikan. Nobility should spar with nobility. Heh. You pick a training sword up and walk towards her. You rise the sword in front of your face. She gets you and does the same. You lower your swords, measuring the distance between the two of you. Your swords meet. Light. Fast. Again. She's precise, clean, fluid. Keeps her balance. Doesn't overexpose herself. You can only see part of her leg. She keeps the rest of her body behind her sword. She's good.

She's using sabre techniques, and she's good at it. And she's using a longsword. Will that keep her alive out there? Who knows. Depends on the enemy. But she's good. Really good. She has the moves, she has the instincts and she knows what she's doing. You can't say that of the other guys here. What about power? What will she do about heavy strikes? She has the moves for that too. She lets your sword fly out of target with a flick of hers, or lets it slide on her blade. She has no noticeable flaws. But the 'fashionable art of swordmanship' won't work on real battlefields. Or so you think. Maybe she'll make it work.

You continue sparring with her until you're called in for the supper. You all go in. This time, other guys are here. Other mercenaries you don't know. Matias is not around. But beers are, and that's a good thing. This time, Tristam and Sornen take a table. Totter and Nikan are together again. Blackie has switched tables, substituting for Tristam with Hobo and Rager. You don't seem to see Vet around.

What now?
>Sit with (write in)
>Sit alone
>Eat out
>Talk about (write in)
>BEER!
(Beer is always an option)

>>36312425
>Talk about unity
Get the tables together, have a kind of meeting. Explain to them the risk they'll be facing and try to make it clear that they'll need teamwork to make it out alive.
Alone we're not much with how barely we trained, but together we can definitely survive whatever is thrown at us.

See if they agree and then move from that to
general introductions, and talking of each one's strong points, backstory (or not) and their weak points, and how the team will cover for them.


OH YES AND BEER
BEER FOR EVERYONE

Ok guys, I've been running for half a day and the quest seems to be half dead. I'll try again tomorrow or the day after that. I'll keep the votes you cast in this thread, so you can keep voting.

tl;dr: [End chapter]
Oh, and:
https://twitter.com/CiollonzQM

>>36312500
>>36312425
not a bad plan, go for it

>>36312566
Eh, it's usual for new quests. And you know that time is a turnoff, but at least people are willing to stick with it, because the story is pretty damn good.

Also, there's 20 individual posters. Take it as a sign people are lurking and looking at the archives later too.

Your quest is good, so don't lose your faith

>>36312566
Archived the thread.

>>36312604
20 individual posters and 2 voters for every decision point means I'm doing something wrong and killing the quest really bad. 20 people were interested enough to pass and leave a vote, but not enough to stay with me. If some of them get around to this post: what am I doing wrong? Is it just the pantagruelic delay between posts?
>>36312650
Thank you, kind anon.

>>36312694
You forget people have time and can't stay by the pc all day sometimes. I caught the beginning and tale end of your quest. Missed the most of it due to work.

>>36312694
I think it's just the waiting.
Don't worry it doesn't kill your quest. It impedes following, yes, but doesn't necessarily kill if the story is good enough.

Also note some people just pass by /tg/ then go away to do something else.

Four things you can do to help:
1) Work on the mechanical part, as in how fast you type
2) Work in the mental part, as in how well you leave the first drafts and avoid have to make multiple corrections
3) Work on your own views, try to see when you're overnanalyzing. Sure editing is good, but if you feel like you're pushing it then just ignore that bit of text.
4) Look on the web for tips on writing faster

You'll do well mate.

Also having some pre-planned stuff helps, dunno if you have notes on setting and characters but it definetely helps.

>>36312694
Timezones mean that any quest that runs for more than a few hours a day, especially during a weekday when people have work/school, will have a rotating player base. Your run time in particular is right smack dab in the middle of the US school/work day, so people are going to float in and out. Like me, I was here for the first two votes before I had to fuck off for work, and now I'm back.

>>36312875
It runs at about the time of my university classes too.

>>36312694
Cio, what's your timezone?

>>36312776
I do have notes, but my notes didn't correspond with the direction this took.
>>36312971
I'm GMT+1
An hour has passed from my midnight.

>>36313026
That sucks mate
But don't worry, winter is coming and people'll have more spare time.

And about the notes, dunno what you can do bout that mate. But good on you for preparing, just try to prepare as best as you can but remember: plans often get fucked by players.

>>36312694
Well, you'll have at least one more vote for next time.

I was too stressed out from waiting for my bar results so I couldn't actively participate, but I'll see you around next time.

>>36313026
Hey man, i just read the thread and i really like your writing style and the MC's "voice". Even if it takes you a bit longer to produce it, you do great work.