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>>800146
Commander Blumstein stands alongside your old boss, "King" Arthur. He's tall, blond and generally built like God hand-sculpted him for propaganda posters.

Arthur signed up for a duel of his own, so there are five other people with you in the room. Natsumi is directly to your right, followed by Mark O'Dale, whose Relic is the harp Uaithne, and Jean McGowan, who wields Gae Assail. Neil and Siobhan, who leans on Claiomh Solais, complete the line-up.

You're probably the weakest one here aside from the Commander when it comes to sheer killing power, and that's saying something.

"I didn't expect to see you here," you say to Natsumi. "How did you get roped into this?"

"The Commander asked for my help," she says. "One of the Fomorians uses fire."

"We need the best people on this mission," Arthur tells you all. "Balor has seven lieutenant. Together, they are capable of unlocking the seal on his Evil Eye. That's not something we want to happen. The ideal would be to kill them all, but even if we only get a few, that'll make it more difficult for them to unlock the seal. You've all been given your orders and you've all fought powerful enemies, so I won't take any more of your time. Good luck out there."

"Emergency evacuation will be available if you need it," the Commander says, "so don't throw your lives away."

The two bosses leave.

Mark is looking at you and Siobhan sideways, Jean is looking at you and Siobhan sideways, Neil is coughing awkwardly, Siobhan is very pointedly not looking in your direction and Natsumi is squirming, trying to figure out what's wrong.

Basically, this situation is very fucking weird.

- Just get to your duel.
- Talk to Siobhan.

>>800156
>Just get to your duel.

- Just get to your duel.

>>800156
>Just get to your duel

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>>800156
It's very fucking weird, but you have work to do. You can't afford to get bogged down in personal bullshit.

"Natsumi, be careful with your fight. One-on-one duels aren't like normal battles. There's no one to have your back if something goes wrong."

"You should be careful as well, Eamon," Natsumi says. "I do not want to see you wounded again."

"Wounds happen," you say, "but I'll try to avoid anything that might hospitalize me."

The mood in the room relaxes a little and you walk it. Francis' Vimana is marked right outside and people have gathered around to gawk at it.

"I'm surprised you're not using this to pick up women."

"I'm very loyal to my cute, red-haired, big-breasted bartender girl," Francis says. "It's an unbeatable combo."

"That it is," you say. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I just dropped off his majesty. You wanna go next?"

"Unless you want to keep posing," you say.

"Nah, I don't want to make it a common sight," Francis says. "Exclusivity creates value."

The two of you climb onto the Vimana. Before you can get your bearings, you're hovering over your assigned battle ground. Francis has definitely improved since your transfer to New York. You didn't even feel the trip.

Your chosen battle ground is a fjord. It's a classic, really. It's marked by three decapitated goblin heads, an open challenge to Balor's forces. They'll be dishonored if they don't answer it.

"That's your stop," Francis says. "Good luck."

- "Thanks, Francis."
- "I don't need luck."
- "I'd rather preserve my luck for Balor."

>>800353
>I'd rather preserve my luck for Balor

>>800353
>"Thanks, Francis."

- "Thanks, Francis."

>>800353
>- "Thanks, Francis."

>>800353
>- "Thanks, Francis."
but
- "I'd rather preserve my luck for Balor."

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>>800353
Enemy: Bres
Health: 4/4
END: B
SPD: B
DIV: C

"Thanks, Francis."

The Vimana darts off to taxi the next person to their battlefield. You stand on your side of the water and wait for your opponent to arrive. Gleipnir unwinds itself and floats around you, waiting for orders.

The first sign is a slight rhythmic quaking of the ground, followed by the flight of birds. On the other shore, the trees part to reveal a bare-chested man with golden hair that floats above him. Even across the distance, his voice sings like woodwinds.

"Balor has heard your challenge and sent me as his champion," Bres says. "You should have remained silent."

"Maybe," you say, "but maybe not. We'll just have to find out."

You're not here for banter. You're here to put Bres down so Balor has one less lieutenant to pry open his eyelids.

- [DC13] Go for a quick fight. Use Gleipnir to reduce his END to E.
- [DC13] Slow and steady. Have Gleipnir entangle Bres, reducing his SPD to E.
- [DC15] Suppress him completely. Try to reduce his SPD and END to D.

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>800530
- [DC15] Suppress him completely. Try to reduce his SPD and END to D.

- [DC13] Slow and steady. Have Gleipnir entangle Bres, reducing his SPD to E.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>800530
- [DC15] Suppress him completely. Try to reduce his SPD and END to D.

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>800530
- [DC15] Suppress him completely. Try to reduce his SPD and END to D.

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>>800530
Enemy: Bres
Health: 2/2
END: D
SPD: D
DIV: C

Gleipnir zips across the water and wraps itself around Bres, tying up his limbs and putting pressure on his muscles so he can't flex them properly. For the remainder of this fight, he'll be a hell of a lot weaker and slower.

Your opponent screams in range, but he can't shake Gleipnir off. He's not out of the fight though. Bres draws his sword and dashes across the river. In fact, he's running on top of the river. You're not certain you can match that. You might be able to pull it off if you try real hard though.

Still, Bres is charging and you need to do something about his attack if you don't want to get cut in half.

- [DC11] Duck out of the way as soon as he strikes.
- [DC10] Clash against him directly.
- [DC10] Move back until he starts losing momentum.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>800671
>- [DC11] Duck out of the way as soon as he strikes.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>800671
[DC11] Duck out of the way as soon as he strikes.

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>800671
>Clash against him directly

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>800671
[DC11] Duck out of the way as soon as he strikes.

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>>800671
Gained SPD B.

Enemy: Bres
Health: 2/2
END: D
SPD: D
DIV: C

You don't want to risk underestimating your opponent's strength this early in the match. You lightly prepare yourself to dodge out of the way as Bres charges across the water, his sword held up high.

Bres quickly reaches your side of the shore and brings his shining steel sword down on you. You respond by smoothly pivoting on your back foot while keeping your eyes on Bres. The sword passes an inch away from your body before burying itself in the ground.

Bres's missed attack leaves him off-balance and open to a counter.

- [DC11] Uppercut!
- [DC11] Go for the eyes!
- [DC11] Put him in a headlock!

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>800782
>[DC11] Uppercut!

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>800782
>[DC11] Uppercut!

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>800782
>- [DC11] Uppercut!

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>800782
>- [DC11] Uppercut!

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>>800782
Enemy: Bres
Health: 1/2
END: D
SPD: D
DIV: C

You clench your hand into a fist and throw a curving punch towards Bres' chin. His head snaps back and his teeth clatter. He stumbles back, leaving his sword behind. You immediately charge into his guard to get another hit, but he's a little too fast for you.

Bres steadies his feet and grabs onto your shoulder. His nose is broken and his wicked grin exposes a mouth full of bloody teeth. That uppercut got him good.

"I will make you pay for this insult, mortal!" He tilts his head back to go in for a headbutt.

- [DC11] Overpower him.
- [DC11] Slip away.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>800933
>- [DC11] Overpower him.

>>800933
- [DC11] Overpower him.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>800933
> [DC11] Overpower him.

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>>800933
Enemy: Bres
Health: 1/2
END: D
SPD: D
DIV: C

You tuck your chin in, nuzzle your head and wrap your arms around Bres' naked torso while desperately assuring yourself that this isn't as sexual as it sounds, looks or feels.

Maybe Orianne will pose in her bathrobe for you when you come back. Or you can ask Natsumi if she wants to go swimming. Just something to consider.

In your current position, Bres can't effectively hit you. His grip on your shoulders hurts like hell, but the best he can do is poke the top of your head with his chin. At the moment, you're in a good position.

- [DC11] Crush him.
- [DC11] Wrestle Bres into the ground.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>801087
>- [DC11] Crush him.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>801087
>- [DC11] Crush him.

>>801087
> [DC11] Crush him.

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>>801087
Enemy: Bres
Health: 0/2
END: D
SPD: D
DIV: C

You join your hands in Bres' back and squeeze as hard as you can. He struggles and flexes his muscles and screams in anger and frustration and you just tighten as much as you can until his spine starts bending.

There's a loud crack and Bres' legs go limp. You smirk and let him fall to the ground.

"That was a lot easier than I expected," you say. "Any last words?"

"Balor… will… avenge… me."

"Those are some shitty last words."

Bres' face is pale and covered in cold sweat. He must be in unbearable pain. It's time to put him out of his misery.

- [DC11] Strangle him with Gleipnir.
- [DC11] Crush his neck.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>801230
>- [DC11] Strangle him with Gleipnir.

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>801230
>Strangle him with gleipnir

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>801230
>[DC11] Strangle him with Gleipnir.

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>>801230
You snap your fingers and Gleipnir wraps itself around Bres' throat. There are a lot of ways to choke someone. You can crush the trachea and obstruct air flow. You can block their arteries to go for a blood choke. Either way, the end goal is to cut off oxygen flow to the brain. Gleipnir squeezes tighter and tigher. When in doubt, go for breath and blood.

Bres puts up one last futile struggle while you look down on him. Once he stops moving, you order Gleipnir to keep going. Just in case. You don't contact the Commander until you're absolutely certain he's dead.

"Boss, it looks like I'm done here," you say. "How are things on your head?"

"It's over one way or the other," she says.

Roll 6d20 best of three to see how the others did, DC 15.

Rolled 1, 15, 8, 18, 3, 20 = 65 (6d20)

>>801345

Rolled 10, 6, 15, 12, 12, 2 = 57 (6d20)

>>801345

Rolled 8, 19, 3, 5, 6, 12 = 53 (6d20)

>>801345

>>801350
>>801362
>>801371
That appears to be a pass for everyone but number 1 and 5, unless I'm counting incorrectly.

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>>801345
"Arthur and Neil are in the hospital with severe wounds," the Commander says. "Alice can keep them stable, but we're on a tight schedule so…"

"Arthur and Neil? What the fuck did the Fomorians have that was more powerful than Excalibur?"

"Relics aren't everything. Are you coming back?"

"Yeah, send Francis my way," you say. "I should at least visit the hospital."

Francis is almost immediately at your side. You don't talk much; you've got bigger things to worry about at the moment.

The hospital isn't any busier than it was when you signed out. As tough as the war is, there aren't enough Relic-wielders for mass casualties and few civilians want to stay anywhere near the front lines.

Natsumi is there as well, although she looks to be in good shape.

"Congratulations on your victory," you tell her. "Did it go well?"

"I was able to maintain my defence and immobilize my foe," Natsumi says. "I won with a clean decapitation."

"It was a but of a mess, but I didn't get a scratch on me," you say. "I'm just here to visit someone."

- Arthur was your old boss...
- You did decide to patch things with Neil...

>>801447
>- You did decide to patch things with Neil...

>>801447
> Niall

I assume he was our battle brother during relatively happier days

>>801466
Meant Neil

>>801447
>- Arthur was your old boss...

>>801447
> Arthur
Go tease him a bit

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>801458
>>801479
1

>>801513
>>801551
2

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>>801447
"My old boss didn't do as well," you say. "I need to see if he's okay, maybe rib him a little."

You can see Neil later. Siobhan should be with him and you don't want to make things more difficult for her than they have to be.

"I hope he gets better," Natsumi says.

"So do I," you say.

Arthur's room isn't hard to find. He's out of treatment now, so you just go to the room that has a bunch of guards. Your credentials are still good here, so they just let you through.

"Hey there, old boss," you say as you enter. "Heard finally lost a fight. I had to see it for myself. How are you doing?"

Arthur laughs, then coughs and holds his sides in pain. "I feel worse than I look, I can tell you that much." He sits himself up despite all the tubes sticking out of him. "I heard we were five for seven?"

"It's not a bad score." You take a seat next to his bed. "Losing two heavy hitters is going to make it more complicated though."

"I've been thinking about that," Arthur says. "Do you think you could coordinate the fight against Balor? I need someone with tactical experience."

- "Sure, I can handle it."
- "I'm sure there's someone more qualified."

>>801630
>- "Sure, I can handle it."

>>801630
> "Sure, I can handle it."

>>801630
>- "Sure, I can handle it."
coordinated for all the others anwyays

>>801630
> Sure, just another day at the office

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>>801630
"Sure, I can handle it," you say.

"That makes me feel a little better," Arthur says. "I want someone I can trust calling the shots. We killed most of his lieutenants, but if the two that remain manage to open his eye, someone will die. It'll be too late by that point."

"I've seen the battles, Arthur." You pat his shoulder. "I don't plan on sacrificing anyone at this point. Don't worry."

"In that case, you can scram and talk things over with your new boss." Arthur gets back into his bed. "I'd like to rest a little while I can."

You nod and let Arthur rest. The future is, as always, uncertain, but it offers good and bad. You'll have a lot more direct support against Balor than you normally do, but if he does open his Evil Eye, Alice is the only person you know who might be able to survive it. The slightest mistake will turn this fight into a slaughter on your end.

>>801747
And that's all for today. Relic Quest will return Sunday November 13th at 7PM EST. As usual, I will also run Beleaguered Prince Quest Friday November 11th, also at 7PM EST.

Thanks for playing and goodnight.

>>801763
Thanks for running.