>>2594646
Grinning wide enough to expose some rather interestingly sharp canines, more similar to those of a wolf than the average human or Witch even, Lucille fires back, “I’m in your head already, Solana. If I didn’t want to play, I could just dig around by force but there isn’t any real fun in that, you get me? No point hunting if there isn’t some kind of challenge present.”

Whistling low, you think about her offer for a moment. On one hand, you’ve got so many different questions you might forget how to phrase them into words if asked but on the other, this might be a bad idea for a number of reasons.

Bah, screw it, you jeer mentally at your own objections. It’s not like you were in any hurry to leave or anything, stuck in your own dreams as you are yet again.

(You can ask multiple questions at the same time.)

>Why exactly are you here? Who do you work for?

>You know anything about what happened last night in Narrowater? What were those things attacking us?

>What’s up with Fenris? He’s not like any other familiar I’ve ever seen.

(2/2)

>>2594648
Oh, forgot to mention that you can ask questions outside of the prompts!

If you have anything you want to ask, don't be afraid to!

>>2594648
>Why exactly are you here? Who do you work for?

>You know anything about what happened last night in Narrowater? What were those things attacking us?

Voting period will run for next fifteen minutes!

This >>2594661

>>2594658
>>2594727

Called! Writing now!

I would have asked how to keep people out of our mind but eh, she'd probably sidestep or lie to us.

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“Why exactly are you here? Who do you work for?”

You nearly blurt out a few more questions, but you manage to catch yourself and refrain from overwhelming Lucille with anything else before she can answer you back.

Putting a free hand on her pointy black hat, Lucille fidgets with it as she visibly displays a concerted effort to put her thoughts together in a satisfactory manner. Finally, she looks you in the eyes with considerably less warmth than she’d been doing for the last hour and pulls up an air of absolute seriousness.

“I’m here in your dreams at this particular moment because I’m absolutely sure nobody else but you and me will ever hear our words or know what we said. Well, except Fenris, but he barely talks to me as it is. He takes that lone wolf stuff rather personally, I’m afraid.”

Though you’ve a few more questions solely off of that answer alone, Lucille cuts your thoughts off with as she continues speaking, “The dreams of most people, even of Witches, are fairly easy to access if you’ve the expertise to do so, but before I broke into yours I personally attended to a few…precautions to ensure our privacy. In the kind of world I live in, physical privacy is among the most difficult things to secure by any stretch of the imagination but it isn’t the same in the world of dreams, I must say.”

“As for who I work for, I’m going to ask your pardon for not being so straightforward here but it isn’t for any trivial reason. What exactly do you know about the history of the Blackwood territories?”

Though you’ve been present in the land proper for a year, you actually haven’t heard any stories about the establishment of the land itself, and that fact shows plain on your face as Lucille smirks and gets her answer.

“Right, well, I’ll try and make it quick.”

“Long, long ago, the land they call the Blackwood Territories was nearly uninhabited, untouched by man and in some places, even by normal animals. There were strange creatures that settled in those black, shadowy forests, living under that sunless gloom, aided by their own natural abilities and the savagery inherent in every moving, breathing, red-blooded being that defies death. Although life was bloody, brutal and short, it was simple and pure, free and exhilarating. You know it yourself, that feeling in your breast when you defeat your enemies, knowing that once more you have triumphed through your own efforts, your own sweat and blood, do you not?”

Ruefully, you nod your head, remembering those fleeting moments when you’ve felt more alive than you thought ever possible. The beating of your heart, the exultation screaming itself through your mind as the fear melts away as you gaze upon the broken bodies of your opponents.

(1/4)

>>2595438
“It is said that this exact feeling comes from a God that once dwelt here, an unnamed deity that sustained itself through bloodshed and the struggle for life. Those same stories say that this very God met a crying woman, banished from society, running through his forest covered in mud, blood, and dirt. Although the creatures of his land gazed upon her as a quick, albeit exotic meal, baring their thousand teeth and slavering jaws, the God of the forest commanded them to stay in place, for he had never seen a human before. Kneeling before him in sorrow, it is said that the two spoke for two moons, though what was said has never been revealed. At the end of their talk, the God healed her wounds and granted the woman some of his powers, and soon she returned home to break those who had wronged her and then formed a community of outcasts, the first covens.”

“That woman was the First Witch, and her descendants all carry some of her blood within themselves. If any of those stories hold any weight, then you, me, and the Witches I work with come from the same family, the same roots. That is why I haven’t yet harmed you, or any other Witches myself, though unfortunately I can’t say the same for some of the Witches I work with. The Witches of the Vosegin Coven, as we are known by our foes, are not famed for our restraint, nor our mercy.”

Remembering the detailed reports of various Witches and civilians being kidnapped and slain all over the Territories, your thoughts turn dark and you snarl out your reply, “Aye, I’m sure you’re doing a service to everyone by slaughtering those who can’t defend themselves. Must be a thrill, killing and kidnapping innocent people, huh?”

Refusing to rise to your bait, Lucille merely continues to give you an emotionless expression, seemingly preferring to simply present her side of the story without any investment. “Again, I’ve no hand in most of that, but I won’t say I’m unbiased. The Vosegin Coven as a whole will do what they think is right in order to further their goals, and though I disagree with many of their tactics, I’ll state again that I believe that sometimes we must do bad things to achieve good ends.”

Nearly spitting out your retort at that, you take a deep breath and attempt to keep your temper in check before asking her, “Oh? And what kind of goals are they pursuing, exactly? If you say money or power I’m going to tell you right now, I’d be thrown screaming into a fire before I’d join you miserable shrews.”

Chuckling at that and breaking her air of seriousness, Lucille immediately switches back to deadpan and replies without a hint of emotion, “Erasing civilization from this land.”

(2/4)

>>2595443
Taken aback completely at her response, Lucille continues before you can even shout an interjection out, “This land is the true home of all Witches, Sol. There are those Witches who work with the Kingdom, but they are simply misinformed, or worse, traitors knowingly fighting their true nature. And the citizens, I’m afraid, have shown that they refuse to move off of the land that is rightfully ours. We have determined that the only way to get them to leave is by demonstrating how savage this land can truly be. Both have no right to the land, and believe that they own what is not theirs to begin with so we are left with no other recourse than violence.”

Scoffing, you simply shake your head, thinking of a way to properly display your contempt. Failing to find a proper outlet, you wear your disgust on your face, plain for Lucille to see. “You know how much of a goddamn lunatic you’re sounding like right now Luci? We’re talking about thousands of innocent people here, not rats or cockroaches! You want us to go back to throwing spears and gathering roots or something, fine, but don’t expect me to give you the time of day when you’re killing people who think differently.”

“They don’t belong here, Sol, surely you can see that,” Lucille responds quietly, unnerving you far more than if she’d screamed something back at you as the raw conviction of her beliefs seems to linger in the air, “They might like us Witches now, but how long until that changes?”

“Maybe a crop harvest goes bad, or maybe something happens to their cattle or a wildfire wipes out a town. People are fickle, you should know that like the rest of us Vosegin Witches. They don’t look it, but the minute something goes wrong they’ll blame us, the outsiders once again. You’ll see exactly what I mean if you hang around them long enough, I promise you that.”

“Bullshit!” you shout back, surprising yourself with the volume of your own voice. “You’re all hurting, I can guess that much, but there isn’t a Witch alive who hasn’t felt the same way! Finding some bloodstained philosophy to cling on to with those ancient folk tales, that’s no way to move on from your suffering.”

Nodding slowly, Lucille closes her eyes for a moment before giving you a warm smile that completely contradicts the serious demeanor she’d held for the last solid minute. “That’s why I like you so much, Sol. You remind me of myself when I was younger, I suppose. Red-hot blood and some faith in humanity, one hell of a combination. Anyways, I promised you answers but I never promised that you’d like them or that they’d make sense to you, though I have a feeling that’ll change in time.”

“If your next question is about what happened in Narrowater last night, well, I suppose after telling you all that you’re able to figure out who was responsible now.”

(3/4)

>>2595448
Taking another deep breath, you attempt to cool your temper after weighing the benefits and consequences of trying to stab Lucille instead of answering. It probably wouldn’t do much good, this taking place in your head and all, and besides presumably being an expert combatant, the Witch is doing you a real favor by answering your questions and ignoring the whole misanthropy angle, you can’t bring yourself to hate the black-clad woman.

“Those green-skinned fellows are friends of yours, I assume?” you ask mildly, reflecting on the absolute carnage of the battle for Narrowater’s walls and your own struggle in the gatehouse.

Lucille merely chuckles, “Not my specialty, they’re ‘friends’ of one of our other Witches. I won’t say much else besides the fact that the savage creatures that lived in the Territories before the first humans settled it are still around, they’ve simply moved further into the recesses of the Blackwood. If you look hard enough, you’ll find them or more likely, they’ll find you.”

Before you can even think about the ramifications of the statement, Lucille immediately changes the atmosphere by leaping to her feet and approaching you with a mischievous grin. “Now it’s my turn to ask the questions, so you better get ready, Sol. I’m not pulling any punches!”

As you narrow your eyebrows, the Witch fires off her question like an arrow, and it immediately produces a similar effect as you recoil back, “About that Robert fellow, what do you think about him?”

“W-what?” you blurt out in abject surprise as you freeze up like a hunted deer.

Lucille seizes you by the shoulders and stares intently into your eyes, “You’ve got some opinion on him, based on that reaction. And don’t lie either, I can read through you like an open book, Sol!”

Needless to say, the blood rushes to your face faster than you can even think.

>”I-I think he’s a good man and a good friend is all.”

>”The man can fight and he can tolerate me and my familiars. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

>”I’d need to spend some more time with him to give you an honest answer.”

------------

Sorry about that, I seem to have picked up a mild cold or something. No real bother, but I think I should run tomorrow to make up for lost time today.

>>2595453
Goddamnit I wish I could edit my posts properly sometimes.

(4/4)

>>2595453
>>”The man can fight and he can tolerate me and my familiars. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

>>2595453
>>”I-I think he’s a good man and a good friend is all.”

>>2595453
>”The man can fight and he can tolerate me and my familiars. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

>>2595453
>>”The man can fight and he can tolerate me and my familiars. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

>>2595593
>>2595678
>>2595783
>>2595797
Called for option 2.

I think I'm going to continue tomorrow, this headache is making it increasingly difficult to think properly and I don't want to do the whole "I finish an update 10+ hours after I call it" thing I've been doing the last couple threads because I'm too stubborn to know when to quit "writing".

I'll announce the start of tomorrows session on twitter!

Have a blessed night everyone!

”The man can fight and he can tolerate me and my familiars. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

Lucille stares intently at you, boring holes with her eyes and making you profoundly uncomfortable for a few moments before shaking her head and pouting. “Bah, you’re no fun at all! I would have figured you’d have somebody by now, but I suppose I shouldn’t worry too much. You’ve got some time to work with, after all.”

Tilting your head in puzzlement at her words, you narrow your eyes, “Excuse me? What do you mean by ‘somebody’?”

Stepping back and beginning to pace back and forth, the Witch barely seems to register your question as she seems lost in contemplation when Fenris, her mangled wolf-beast, returns with the bucket full of snow and Lucille immediately places the bucket by the fire pit to boil some water.

Turning around and facing you, Lucille smiles and taps you on the shoulder and looks intently back into your eyes. “Right, then! Let’s get on to the second round of questions. Hit me with whatever you’ve got, Sol!”

You drag a free hand behind your neck and frown, “How many rounds are we doing, anyways? I mean, I suppose I won’t be going anywhere until you leave, but I’d still like to get back to everyone you know.”

Snapping her fingers, Lucille simply beams and stretches out her arms and legs before responding, “If you’re worried about time, then we’ll just do one more. After that, I think we should get a little sparring in, just to see where both of us are and then I’ll not trouble you any further, sound good?”

Feeling a little excitement burn in your veins, you crack your knuckles for the first time in a long while and grin, “Works for me. Be fun to see who’s the better fighter, huh?.”

Crossing her arms, the black-clad Witch merely gestures you onward as she begins to pace and hop back and forth. “Then quit stallin’ and ask me something good!”

>”What are the Vosegin going to do next? What am I up against, exactly?”

>”Why is Fenris so…different compared to any other familiar I’ve ever seen?”

>”Why’d you give me your knife last time we met?”

>>2598695
>>”What are the Vosegin going to do next? What am I up against, exactly?”
>>”Why is Fenris so…different compared to any other familiar I’ve ever seen?”
>>”Why’d you give me your knife last time we met?”

Bah, I forgot to add.

>Write-In, whatever you'd like to ask you can include.

>>2598722
This.

>>2598695
>How do i keep people out of my mind and dreams?

Wanting to know how not to end up like the other witches in comas or be at the whims of the guy that wanted us to kill zombies sounds neat.

>>2598722
>>2598762
>>2598799
Called writing now!

Goddamnit, I did the "Get sidetracked by things happening with friends during an update and then finish it half a day later" thing again. Fuck I hate myself so much, but at least memorial day is a federal holiday.

I'll call the vote whenever I wake up, and hopefully that's soon.

>>2600047
Thinking of a few good questions, you decide to ask about the most important line of inquiry after the last round, that of the actions of the Vosegin Coven and their plans.

”What are the Vosegin going to do next? What am I up against, exactly?”
Chuckling, Lucille just shrugs her shoulders, opting to continue warming-up rather than staying still and answering you for a brief moment before responding, “You know, I’m not exactly sure. We aren’t a very logical bunch, though I guess you can figure out why based on what I’ve told you so far. That being said, if you want to know what you’re up against, all I’ll say about it is that I’d bet against you and the King.”

Frowning, you refrain from inserting too much venom in your tone when you retort, “Yeah, I bet you haven’t had a shortage of volunteers to test your Witchcraft on, huh.”
Not even disputing your point, Lucille instead turns to the bucket by the fire pit, adjusting it by pushing it further forward to speed up the boiling. “None of us really enjoy doing what we do, but if the Kingdom refuses to leave this land, we’ll just continue to refine our techniques. It’s not personal, really. You might say otherwise, but we’ve set aside our own feelings about it in favor of our objective. That’s just what it is, I suppose.”

Not exactly content with the answer but recognizing that Lucille won’t exactly diverge any further details about her organization, you move onto your next line of questions. ”Why is Fenris so…different compared to any other familiar I’ve ever seen?”

Earning a pointed glare from the wolf-beast sitting patiently nearby at the mention of his name, the Witch walks over and pats him lovingly on the head in response. “Well, to be honest with you,” Lucille continues as she rubs his ears down, earning a gentle murmur from the creature, “He just likes to hunt fight too much, and the worst part is that sometimes he doesn’t even tell me about it!”

Poking him in between some of the loosely-hanging flaps of torn and shredded skin with her index finger and then transitioning to firmly grasping some of his fleshy tentacles, the Witch grins happily, “So one day after I found him all chewed up and looking like I might lose him, I decided to do a little experimenting with some corpses and other materials I had laying around to make sure he’d be alright on one of his little escapades without me. He might not look natural anymore, but at least now I don’t have to worry about him leaving without saying goodbye to me, you know?”

Smiling back awkwardly, you consider the fact that Fenris seems to have been artificially modified with different appendages and patched together with what looks like various kinds of dissimilar skin and bone and the explanation seems plausible enough.

>>2600059
Certainly, one would be hard pressed to argue that this hulking perversion of nature would be incapable of taking care of itself against opponents of any caliber. The razor-sharp bone barbs hiding at the end of each tentacle, the additional rows of teeth waiting within those bulging jaws, and angled, wicked claws would see to that.

Ignoring your urge to call her insane once again for her actions and just attributing that to the fact that every Witch in the Vosegin Coven must simply have their…quirks, you push forwards and ask another pertinent question.

“Why’d you give me your knife last time we met?”

Scoffing, Lucille walks up to you slowly with an almost irritated look before quickly sticking her hand out and knocking your hat off and then ruffling through your hair in one smooth motion.

Nearly swatting her hand off in abject outrage, you leap to your feet and fix your hair with one hand while sweeping up your hat off the ground. with the other. “What the hell was that for?!”

Whistling low, the Witch just continues to stare you down with a growing pout, as if expecting some other response.

Eventually, she just lets out a little sigh before leaning against the wall of the cave, “Because you remind me of a younger me, and because I don’t feel comfortable seriously killing people who share the same blood. I wasn’t goin’ to just let you die, you know. The others might have made peace with that whole thing, but not me.”

So, she feels bad for hurting [i]some[/i] innocent people, but not others? You figure that at least she isn’t nearly as mentally compromised or misanthropic as the rest of her outfit but seems to still have no real qualms furthering their aims as a whole.

Flipping the knife out yourself, you compare it to the one lying on the ground near the fire pit and note how they seem virtually identical. Holding it up and pointing it at the other knife, you meet Lucille’s eyes with a curious look before she kneels and plucks it off the ground, brandishing the blade with a sudden, complex flourish.

“I’ve a few more of them, if that’s what you wanted to know. A little annoying to make, I can’t say they weren’t something of a real challenge to deal with, but they’re not normal knives and they’re the best at what they do.”
Blinking as you stare at the black steel, noticing perhaps for the first time how the metal isn’t exactly a simple shade of black that still allows light to exist around it. No, the longer you look, the faster you come to the realization that the space the blade occupies is [b]completely[/b] devoid of light, as if it is actively devouring any trace of illumination that comes near it.

“What exactly does it do? I know I can bring it with me into my dreams, but besides that they don’t seem to do much else besides look nice.”

>>2600064
Lucille twirls her knife with practiced ease and runs her other hand across the flat of the blade with a friendly smile, “Well, I think I’ll cheat here and answer that and what you wanted to ask next since I think we’re both a little eager to spar, huh? These knives are special tools that I use for one of my Witchcraft specialties, the world of both dreams and nightmares. Since we’re unfortunately destined to oppose each other and the other Witches of the Coven, I’ll have to refrain from telling you how this whole thing works, exactly. That being said, I’ve already given you a good way to deal with it if you ever have problems waking back up and I’m not the one visiting.”

Waving the black knife around, you look back at her and raise your eyebrows.

She merely shrugs her shoulders and grins, implying that you’ll soon figure it out yourself before visibly thinking about it for a moment and then slashing in the air with the blade forcefully. Despite your expectations of it merely swishing through the air, you nearly leap back in shock as you hear a sickening, thunderous ripping noise follow the blurring trail of the pitch-black metal as it flashes past.

“That’ll be the only hint you get about it, alright? I could’ve left it out so the next time I see you, promise me you won’t cut and run, okay!”

Nodding dumbly, you put your own knife away gingerly, careful to avoid any effect like the one Lucille had just produced with it. Stretching your own limbs, you lock your gaze with your…friendly enemy? You’re sure that the two of you would be the closest of friends if circumstances had turned out differently, but right now, all you know is that despite the growing bond between you and the Witch, the distance of her wild allegiance to what you can only consider to be a group of mentally unstable Witches following an ancient, bloodthirsty code.

You’re still completely unable to find an answer to that problem, as a matter of fact.

It would be an honest stretch to call yourself anything more than a journeyman at your own craft and even the thought going up against a coven of extremist predatory Witches would normally have your physical body shivering were it not for the fact that you’re currently taking refuge in your own head.

Taking a wide stance with your feet and slowly pulling your sleeves back, you shift your weight evenly and prepare to fi-

“Whoa, now. I didn’t get to ask you my question yet!” quips Lucille, seemingly moments away from readying herself to spar in earnest but somehow managing to remember your end of the game.

“I was wondering, and you don’t need to answer if it’s too personal for you, but where exactly did you grow up? How’d you get into this whole business, anyway? We might all share the blood of the First Witch, but it isn’t a given that anyone with it pursues the path we walk, you know.”

>>2600075
Pausing in shock in the fact that your background matters to [i]someone[/i] for the first time in years, you struggle to answer for a few lingering moments before deciding on how you’ll approach the subject.

>”I grew up with two loving parents in a village a long, long way away from the Territories. After my mom taught me everything she knew about Witchcraft and my dad helped me pick up a little street fighting, I decided to see if I could make it alone as a Witch and hit the road after kissing them both goodbye. Whether or not I find what I’m looking for isn’t important to me, I’d just like to be able to go back to them one day and say that I’ve made it as a Witch, whatever that means.”

>”Got by on the streets of a city, an eternity away from here. Ran away from the orphanage they sent me to after my parents died as soon as I could. You learn things like basic Witchcraft and how to fight real quick when you’re barely surviving day to day, and I guess for all my talk of self-improvement I can’t seem to shake my old habits. A little money, some good fights, and somewhere to practice my craft is all I need.”

>”Just got lucky enough to be born into a functioning, peace-loving Coven I guess. Granted, they were all vegetarian, prey Witches but I still love everyone there from the bottom of my heart. But fighting and the kind of Witchcraft I wanted to learn just didn’t fit in there, so I decided to spare them the heartache and left before I caused any more trouble there. Been looking to find a place to fit in ever since.”

---------------

>>2600064

So both the italics and bold tags didn't go through. I don't even have an image capable of displaying the depths of my absolute frustration right now.

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>>2600079
This one too. God I'm so fucking done right now.

>>2600079
>”Just got lucky enough to be born into a functioning, peace-loving Coven I guess. Granted, they were all vegetarian, prey Witches but I still love everyone there from the bottom of my heart. But fighting and the kind of Witchcraft I wanted to learn just didn’t fit in there, so I decided to spare them the heartache and left before I caused any more trouble there. Been looking to find a place to fit in ever since.”

>>2600087
The board uses posters' IPs to check who the OP is. Since your IP's changed as of >>2595867, you won't be able to format your posts, as you're no longer recognized as the OP.

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>>2600097
So this is the power of my bullshit internet. I hate everything and I'm going to sleep.

>>2600079
>”Just got lucky enough to be born into a functioning, peace-loving Coven I guess. Granted, they were all vegetarian, prey Witches but I still love everyone there from the bottom of my heart. But fighting and the kind of Witchcraft I wanted to learn just didn’t fit in there, so I decided to spare them the heartache and left before I caused any more trouble there. Been looking to find a place to fit in ever since.”

>>2600079
>>”Just got lucky enough to be born into a functioning, peace-loving Coven I guess. Granted, they were all vegetarian, prey Witches but I still love everyone there from the bottom of my heart. But fighting and the kind of Witchcraft I wanted to learn just didn’t fit in there, so I decided to spare them the heartache and left before I caused any more trouble there. Been looking to find a place to fit in ever since.”

>>2600097
>>2600173
>>2600459
Call't for Coven.

Guess I won't be using italics or bold for the rest of the thread.

”Just got lucky enough to be born into a functioning, peace-loving Coven I guess. Granted, they were all vegetarian, prey Witches but I still love everyone there from the bottom of my heart. But fighting and the kind of Witchcraft I wanted to learn just didn’t fit in there, so I decided to spare them the heartache and left before I caused any more trouble there. Been looking to find a place to fit in ever since.”

Lucille nods sagely before planting her own feet and taking a fighting stance, “Figures. I knew you had some kind of background with Witchcraft and you do seem like the type to love fighting and raising hell at times. Didn’t expect you to be a lion born among sheep, but life is strange like that.”

Breathing deeply, she holds both hands open closer to her face and slightly lowers her head, clearly seconds away from preparing to fight.

“Right, then. Why don’t we get started?”

Clenching your own fists, you grind your heels on the stone and shift your stance in a flurry of movement to warm up properly.

“The sooner we start, the sooner I can wake up. Let’s go!”

Without a word, the two of you slowly cross the distance between each other, watching cautiously for any sign of movement before getting into range to exchange strikes. As the two of you eye each other like wolves hunting prey, a blur of movement flashes into life as you and your opponent throw simultaneously. Managing to remember something at the last second, you grit your teeth as you send the relevant signals to your arm and stop it from traveling through the air milliseconds away from landing. Blinking as movement from the corner of your eye stops and manages to materialize as Lucille’s own fist, positioned precariously close to your face.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Lucille’s face immediately shows a strange mixture of amusement and concern. “Something the matter, Sol? You’re lucky I was watching so closely or I might have taken your head off right then and there!”

Rubbing the back of your neck with a sheepish expression you reply, “Well, I was thinking that maybe I ought to get something else out of this, you know? I mean, no offense, but it doesn’t feel like you’re not the one who needs to worry about how long they stay here, you know?” Seemingly lost in thought, Lucille steps back and leans against the wall of the cave again with her hands cradling her face, “Something else out of this…hmm.”

Suddenly springing back off the wall, Lucille claps her hands together and beams. “I’ve got just the thing! You’ll probably need some new techniques if you want to make it against us, so how about I teach you a few things every time I come to see you! Make our time here a little more productive, what do you say?”

Shrugging your shoulders and grinning, you scratch your head with a free hand before responding, “Sounds good, but what exactly can you teach me? I’m sure you’re not going to give away any trade secrets or anything and I don’t even have a good idea of what you know.”

>>2601487
Chuckling, the Witch just steps up and taps you on the head playfully with one finger, “Well you can just ask, you know! I can help you with fighting, Witchcraft of the sort you’re probably more familiar with, and even a few other skills besides. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you’re interested in, Sol.”

Fighting, Witchcraft, and some other unspecified skills huh? Well then…

>Ask to be taught some new fighting techniques

>Ask to be taught a few new things about Witchcraft

>Ask to learn whatever unrelated skills Lucille is keeping secret for now

>>2601494
>>Ask to be taught some new fighting techniques

>>2601494
>Ask to be taught some new fighting techniques

>>2601543
>>2601741
Called!

“Maybe you could give me a few tips on how to fight better? Seeing how it’s what I do most of the time these days, I think it’d be useful to add a few moves here and there.”

At that, you gently remove your pointy hat and place it clear of the fire pit and your chosen sparring area, with Lucille quietly following your lead and setting her own black hat down.

Stamping her feet and throwing herself back into a wide stance, Lucille simply grins madly, nodding as she leaps back, ready to fight. “Awfully confident that I can teach you something about fighting, huh? Well, alright, I’ll be sure to show you what I can do if you’re so set on it.”

Bringing your knuckles together, you just return her smile and lower your center of gravity before rushing forwards and preparing to strike. Taking one, two, three steps into range, you throw a half-hearted jab at Lucille’s head, causing her to naturally step back and trace your movements, giving you the perfect opportunity to shift your weight, posture, and movement as you begin to launch a massive overhand right aimed directly at her face.

Suddenly, something moving fast, far too fast to make out with your eyes slams into your face and nearly crumples you to the floor. Managing to catch your balance in time on wobbly legs, you rapidly fight back the shock and step away from Lucille reeling from the blow. Blinking, you note that Lucille hasn’t moved at all, merely waiting for your next move with a friendly, yet menacing grin that only seems to widen by the moment.

“You’re going to have to be a little quicker than that if you want to hit me, I’m afraid. But feel free to give it another go, I respect you so I won’t go easy!”

Shaking your head, you grimace in frustration. What even hit you?! You’re never had an attack fly that fast toward you before, hell, you can’t even tell if she punched you or kicked you. Rubbing the spot on your cheek that took the impact, you feel the tell-tale signs of swelling. Spitting and stepping back into stance, you hide your fears from Lucille with a confident grin, “Maybe you should hit me a little harder next time. If that’s the best you can do, then maybe we should call this one in my favor right now.”

Lucille just scoffs, clearly seeing through your disguise but you don’t drop the façade for a second. Even if you know you’re outmatched, the moment you start thinking on that fact you’ll lose for sure. An old, bloody fact you had to unfortunately learn the hard way in your youth but one that you won’t ignore now.

>>2602843
Glancing at her static stance, you figure if you come at her like a regular opponent you’ll be seeing stars in your own dream. But at the same time, you can’t just sit back and do nothing the whole time, you need some way of taking the initiative. Thinking for a moment, you decide that you might play it slower this time, attempt to figure out what kind of technique hit you last time. You might also try to brace yourself and grapple hand to hand, a possibility given that the size difference between the two of you isn’t large enough to be too relevant. If all else fails, you suppose you could prepare to take some punishment and launch a flurry of strikes in the hope of overwhelming Lucille with pressure and attrition.

With your blood fully up, you definitely can’t deny that you’ve decided to put everything you’ve got into winning now.

>Play it slow, counter if you can.

>Brace yourself for some tough hits, you’ll try to tie Lucille up close.

>Prepare yourself to bleed, if the normal approach doesn’t work than redouble your efforts.

>>2602846
>Brace yourself for some tough hits, you’ll try to tie Lucille up close.

>>2602846
>>Brace yourself for some tough hits, you’ll try to tie Lucille up close.

>>2602846
>>Brace yourself for some tough hits, you’ll try to tie Lucille up close.

>>2602863
>>2602872
>>2603217
You’ll have a better chance if you get straight to grappling, you think quietly as you continue to watch Lucille’s perfectly still form. If you take a few more good hits like the one you just ate, there’ll be no coming back.

Stepping forwards with confidence, you hover around at the same range from before, being careful not to overextend right into another hit. Taking a quick breath and wincing involuntarily at what comes next, you suddenly lunge straight at Lucille’s hips, attempting to grab one of her legs to take her down. Not even two steps in, you take a blow to the head so powerful that you nearly black out on your feet, leading you to botch the takedown and instead continuing to stumble towards her chest.

Wobbling momentarily, you grit your teeth and chase after Lucille after she attempts to dart around you and lead you into the nearby cave wall. Leaping in like a pouncing tiger, you drive your shoulder into her chest and pin her against the wall, forcing a short, pained grunt from the Witch while you nestle your head against her neck and take firm hold of her hands to avoid taking any more damage.

Laughing slightly while breathing a little harder than normal, Lucille seems to regard the development as something interesting rather than a genuine threat, and even the tone of her voice sends chills down your spine. She can’t be good at grappling too, can she?!

Whispering into your ear, you continue to hold her arms down while she seems to not feel pressured at all by your efforts. “Not bad, Sol. You’ve got a knack for figuring things out on the fly, I gotta say. Unfortunately, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see it coming.”

Wordlessly, you feel her shift her weight on one of her outside legs and instinctively you widen your stance and feel the tell-tale swish of air as her foot sweeps clear of it. Sweat begins to drip from your face, whether from the pressure of trying to stay ahead of Lucille or that you just narrowly avoided being tripped and thrown to the ground, where you’re certain you’d be taken apart off your feet. Growling with frustration, you slide one your right hand up from her arm suddenly and bring it flinging back to your side and slamming your elbow into the side of Lucille’s exposed head and wiping the grin off her face.

Immediately resetting and pinning her briefly free arm to the wall, you think frantically for something to work off of, knowing you won’t have the energy to hold the Witch down for much longer. Suddenly an idea comes to mind, and you grit your teeth once again, knowing that you might not get a second chance to try it. Releasing her arms, you instead wrap your arms around her back and grunt as you pull your hips in and-

>Roll 1d100, taking best of 3!

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>2604827

Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>2604827

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>2604827

>>2604945
>>2604946
>>2605041
Before you can even start lifting her off the ground, Lucille immediately wrests her arms clear of your hold and angles her head above yours. Flickering by like a bolt of lightning, a brutal elbow crushes its way into your face and sends you reeling backwards. Staggering backwards in a daze, a flurry of blows seemingly from nowhere begin to slam into you without a hint of mercy. Despite putting your arms to shield your face, you’re still unable to tell how or where you’re being hit from as the colossal blows begin to hit faster and harder. As you finally regain enough of your senses to try and step back, a surgical strike cuts into your chest so hard you feel like you’ve been stabbed, leaving you collapsing to the ground in agony.

Writhing in pain, you try to get back up but immediately fall back down to the rocky stone floor in a heap. Shaking your head furiously, you slowly push yourself off the ground with your hands and attempt to rise to your feet once more. Under the guarded gaze of Lucille, you drive upwards on wobbly legs and nearly make it to a standing position before they give out and leave you sprawled out, nearly immobile.

Looking down at you with a mixture of concern and respect at your effort, Lucille walks over to you and offers a hand that you bluntly swat away. Narrowing her eyebrows, an incredulous expression appears on her face, “You did good, Sol, but I think it’s time you called it quits. There’s no shame in admitting defeat if you’ve given it your all, and I’d say you’ve showed more heart in the last minute than most people ever do. And besides, I think maybe I’ve shown you that I have a few things to show you so you’ll have something to look forward to when I visit next time.”

Nearly slamming your fists against the rock in frustration, you try to figure out why you’re so determined to prove something to Witch. She already knows you better than most of the people you’ve simply met or befriended in the last few years, how much you like fighting and your desire to try to find a place to fit in. By all rights you ought to just accept her hand and call this sparring session over but something keeps you from simply admitting defeat, and that something gets your mind racing even as daggers of pain stab themselves through your body from the various blows you’ve already taken.

What could it possibly be? Pride? Shame?

No, you think to yourself with absolute confidence after a moment of bloody introspection. You can’t accept defeat because you know you haven’t shown her everything you’ve really got. If you could just make it up to your feet, you might be able to prove exactly how much you’ve learned throughout the years, that you haven’t just been simply out-classed in everything as this fight seems to suggest.

One more try! You won’t give up just now, dammit. Even if you get put down again, you WILL let her know that you aren’t just some worthless rookie who wears a pointy hat for show!

>>2605261
You focus every fiber of your being on making it back on your feet by slowly crawling to the nearby wall and bracing yourself against that as you eventually get yourself standing after several miserable failed attempts. Trying to shake off the weakness in your legs, you carefully keep yourself balanced knowing you might not be able to get back up if you go down one more time. Looking at you with something approximating respect and excitement, Lucille just returns to her neutral stance with her feet evenly apart with open hands high and low. “Well if you want to convince me that you’re tough, I’m just letting you know that I think you’re too damn tough for your own good. But if you want to prove something to yourself, well, then I suppose I’ll help you out.”

Nodding grimly, you somehow stumble into orthodox stance and prepare yourself to settle this in one, final exchange. If it goes past that, then you’ll be able to admit defeat yourself. With your body nearly reaching its limit, you know that if you have any single advantage aiding you this time, it’s that you’re not willing to hold anything back. Grinning madly all of a sudden, you feel your heartbeat beating rhythmically as the snowy tempest outside slowly dissipates into nothingness, leaving the cave perfectly devoid of all sound, Fenris even willingly being quiet as he watches the two of you with curious, yellow eyes.

One last exchange. That suits you just fine.

>Charge and aim for a brutal double knockout!

>Lunge for the takedown!

>Settle this with a furious combination!

>>2605262
>Charge and aim for a brutal double knockout!
Though I suppose
>Watch for her next attack and go for a counter.
would probably be more like what I have in mind. Basing your plan off actually getting hit isn't exactly the best way to win fights.

But it's clear from how quickly she recovers from our blows that they lack the strength to have much effect on her. And she's too quick for us to try anything fancy. Then, perhaps the only way for our attacks to have an impact is to use her own force against her, hitting her at the moment when she moves to hit us.

Naturally both our strikes will gain the added force of the others', so it's preferable (if unlikely) that we avoid getting hit.

>>2605262
>>Charge and aim for a brutal double knockout!

>>2605262
>Charge and aim for a brutal double knockout!

>>2605290
>>2605326
>>2606122
Lucille would ordinarily be considered in your opinion as an elite class of Witch, someone years ahead of you in nearly every way. In your quick bout of sparring, she’s demonstrated that not only is her Witchcraft many, many tiers above your own but her physical prowess seems to be unmatchable despite your best efforts. If you weren’t so damn stubborn, you’re absolutely sure you would have collapsed to the floor already.

But you are, and even if this is just a friendly brawl you feel like you owe it to yourself to prove that the gap between the two of you isn’t that far apart. And the only way you know that’s going to happen is if you knock Lucille down once, how you do it doesn’t matter.

Slowly inching forward, you push through the pain and review the situation in your head. You’re slower, have less power, and can’t read any of her moves at all. Grappling had no real effect, and now that she’s seen that avenue of attack it’s unlikely you’ll manage to be able to get close enough to even reach her again. You still need one more piece of information before making your final move, however, and that is just how long her reach really is.

Squaring yourself up, you feint a quick combination as you zip in forwards, taking special care to remain balanced and to not step into your punches. Before you can make it halfway through your motions, you sense something beginning to fly at you and instinctively lean back in time, avoiding a blow that, had it landed, would have likely knocked you out cold. Unlike the other blows, however, the afterimage of the object in motion reminds you of something…something black and pointed.

Her boots?

Lucille has been kicking you! From the force generated and the angles of attack, you’re absolutely positive that you’ve solved the puzzle. No wonder when you managed to threaten her leg with the takedown, she’s had to resort to closer ranged tools like her hands or elbows that seem to hurt almost as much but most of which you’ve at least been able to track.
Of course, this doesn’t explain how she’s still able to move faster than you can see or hit with the same kind of force that you’d expect from a club or mace, but with the mystery being dispelled you gain some confidence back.

Without a doubt, you’ll need to neutralize her bone-shattering kicks and still land a strike of your own, a task that far more difficult than you could possibly imagine considering your current condition. An idea slowly begins to form, one you realize is going to take every last inch of willpower you have left. The only way you’re sure you’ll be able to land a hit is by trading a hit, one you can be certain will happen if you go in and fake a takedown.

>>2606292
Steeling yourself to get hit hard once again, you take a deep breath before darting forth and faking a dive at Lucille’s legs. Making it nearly halfway once again, you hear a chuckle from Lucille as you continue to push forwards, step by step.

“Figured me out, have you? Blast, you catch on quick!”

As expected, Lucille throws a bolt of lightning disguised as a hook rather than one of her instantaneous kicks, but as her fist closes in on your face, you turn your head in the direction of the blow. As it crashes soundly into your skull, you manage to push through it thanks to the force deflected away and step into your own counter. Gritting your teeth hard, you bring wind back and fire off one last strike with every ounce of energy you have left.

The punch sails through the air, aimed directly at Lucille’s shocked face and…

(Roll 1d100 best of three!)

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>2606298

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>2606298

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>2606298

>>2606881
>>2606977
>>2607289
Perfect! You feel the dull shock of your knuckles as they collide with Lucille’s face, snapping her head back and for a brief moment the two of you stare at each other, sharing a dumb, friendly smile before collapsing onto the stony floor. Crumpled in a heap, you stay down this time, accepting the fact that you won’t be making it back to your feet for a short while and simply breathe slowly with your eyes closed.

Against the odds, you managed to prove to yourself that whatever happens, you’ll be able to not just survive a superior opponent, but also adapt to their own tactics. And although you feel battered and bruised, your spirit feels stronger than ever.

You can’t stop a content grin from making its way across your face the entire time. A few moments later, you hear the tell-tale footsteps of Lucille’s boots tap their way next to you. Opening your eyes, you find an outstretched hand waiting for you from a joyful Lucille, smiling with a visible bruise on her cheek. When it soon becomes clear that you can’t stand up by yourself, she quickly supports your arm and lifts you to the nearby wall, releasing you to sit against it.

Rubbing her cheek, wincing as she puts a little pressure on it, the unflappable Witch seems to be positively beaming with joy. Perhaps she was impressed with your ability to adapt, or the fact that she was hit at all, but whatever the reason, Lucille skips like an excited schoolgirl outside where she begins gathering a handful of snow. Returning quickly, she shows you a few pristine white snowballs close to your face, seemingly ready to give them to you for your swelling.

Of course, she nails you in the face with one instead.

Shaking in abject indignation as well as from the sudden bone-chilling cold, you snatch a snowball yourself and fling it through sore arms straight back into her face. Lying back against the wall and wiping the freezing stuff off of your face to the ringing laughter of your new friend with a deadpan expression.

“So, how’d I do, doc?” you spit sarcastically, dropping the expression with a sharp wince after realizing how painful contorting your face begins to get with all the swelling.

Slowly stopping her constant laughter, Lucille wipes a tear from her face before straightening up and gesturing for you to watch. “You did pretty damn good, better than I expected and I expected a lot. Since you’re so eager to go, I’ll tell you the most important thing first. You’re not utilizing your blood at all.”

“Huh?” you blurt out before you can even catch yourself, then deciding to just continue talking rather than appreciate how stupid you’d just sounded, “Witchblood doesn’t affect your physical ability, right? That was the first thing I learned at the Coven when I started learning Witchcraft to begin with.”

>>2609222

Hushing you with a finger, Lucille returns to her static stance and puts the knuckles of one hand against the wall of the cave. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath before retracting her hand, reaching back and slamming it into the wall with a thunderous crash that kicks up a cloud of dust and dirt that forces you to cover your face and nose.

“Shit! What the hell are you do-“

As the cloud clears, you stare wide-eyed as a massive hole, surrounded by shattered rocks, replaces the solid wall that had been perfectly complete seconds before.
Dusting off her knuckles with a fanciful flourish, Lucille just grins at your surprised face. “The blood of a prey witch, maybe. Predator Witches like us? The hotter our blood gets, the more power you can harness if you know exactly how. I can’t really show you how to do it yourself, since it’s much more innate than just chanting words. But it shouldn’t be much of an issue for somebody like you, to be honest. Anyways, that’s my instruction for now. Find how to use your blood, and the next time I see you I’ll teach you some advanced techniques with it.”


“I’ve said it already but I kind of want to say it again, I’m impressed. I don’t know if anybody else would have even been able to touch me without using their Witchblood, so I was thinking that maybe I’d bring you a gift one of these days but I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”

Kneeling at your side, Lucille ruffles your hair with a hand, forcing an irritated growl out of you but not much else. Everything hurts a little too much to make a fuss about it right now.

“What kind of gift?” you ask slowly, again attempting not to make anything else hurt more than you need to.

Unceasingly rough with her ruffling, Lucille pulls her hand back after a few moments and shrugs her shoulders, “I’ve got some cute little articles that I think might help you out. A few weapons lying around, some armor, I think a trinket or two somewhere. What exactly would you prefer, Sol?”

>”A weapon would be nice.”

>”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”

>”A trinket couldn’t hurt, I suppose.”

>>2609229
>>”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”
We're far too happy to rush into the thick of things with nothing but our clothes. Something that'll keep our vitals (and noggin, if possible) protected would be best.

>>2609229
>>”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”

>>2609229
>”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”

>>2609229
>>”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”

>>2609229

>>2609229
>>”A trinket couldn’t hurt, I suppose.”

My apologies, an update was in the works but I'm still dealing with a little illness on my end. I should get something out at least the end of today, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience and my slow pacing.

>>2610729
I don't mind the slowness but you apologize too much dude. I think we're all comfortable with a game that runs over the course of a few days/a week or two because we got our own shit to take care of. It's a blessing, not a curse.

>>2609229
>Eat my ass bitch, I don't have armour or clothes but I did correctly call the end of the bear market in June 2018, so when Bitcoin went on an epic bull run, I made so much money that I don't have to justify my lack of armour or clothes t anyone, I do what I want when I want and I dgaf

>>2610729
Its really no big deal dude.
As long as you don't go missing for like a week without notice we won't really mind

”I guess I don’t have much in the way of armor, much less clothes.”

Lucille grins immediately, clearly having something in mind for your gift already. “Perfect! I know I’ve got something real special for you to wear, but I might have to spend some time doing alterations. Don’t worry, though, I’ll figure a way of getting it to you without anybody noticing when I finish.”

Putting one of your arms across her shoulders, she lifts you up with monstrous strength, helping you limp over to the fire pit and letting you down on a more comfortable patch of wall nearby. Nodding as the heat seeps through your body, distracting you a little from the pain, Lucille cocks her head at Fenris, who leaps to his feet instantly.

Propped up against the wall, able to enjoy the loving warmth of the fire nearby, you quickly realize just how tired you really are and in seconds find yourself having trouble keeping your eyes open. Noticing immediately, Lucille just smiles at your attempts to stay awake before finding her black knife on the ground and washing it clean with the now-melted snow sitting in the bucket.

Waving one hand at you and holding her knife in the other, Lucille whispers soothingly, “See you soon, Sol. Don’t hurt yourself too bad while I’m gone…”

Chuckling, you think about quipping something clever but after a warm few moments, you simply shut up and wave back drowsily. As your eyes shut completely despite your best efforts, you hear a sharp tearing noise from nearby before your head lolls back and everything goes black once more…
-------
Slowly waking amidst a warmth completely different than the fire you’d fallen asleep next to, you feel a firm hand gently grasp hold of your shoulder and rocking you back and forth. Not exactly keen on away from the comfy feeling you’re engulfed by, you groan audibly and turn your back, burying your head into what must be some kind of pillow.

The hand shakes you again, more insistently this time, and you simply curl up tighter into a ball. Lifting off of you, it seems like the owner of the hand has simply given up and you smile as you continue laying down in bed.

Suddenly, a stern, gravelly voice interrupts the silence and whispers into your ear, “If you don’t get up now, I’ll start with the dog first. Maybe the screams will get you out of be-“

At those words, your eyes snap open and you force yourself upright, with an elbow flying from the direction of the voice with furious intent before you recognize the face you’re attempting to break. Stopping yourself mid-swing, you roll out of the bed and land flat on your butt as you glare at a cackling Robert.

“Hey!” you shout in abject indignation, “That wasn’t funny, you idiot!”

Somehow not bothered that you’d nearly clobbered him in the face, Robert Holton, undercover agent and your only male friend, nearly doubles over laughing. “God, the look on your face! Whew, you’ve got an overprotective streak alright!”

>>2612879

Rubbing your eyes angrily, a look of confusion appears on your face as you realize that your surroundings are disturbingly familia-

You’re…home? Weren’t you just in Narrowate-

“Robert, how long was I out?” you ask worriedly, forcing him to take a deep breath and quit laughing like a madman.

“A good day, I’d say,” he replies somberly, “Definitely long enough to miss the little ceremony the town held for us for helping them hold the town. Quick question, though. You a fan of hearing good news or bad news first? Personally, I enjoy a little mix of both to balance things out but tell me what you prefer.”

>”Good news first.”

>”Bad news first.”

>”Give me a mix. Your style, I guess.”

------

Apologies, will be busy until tomorrow, but I'll announce when back!

And yeah, I guess I do apologize a lot but I always feel bad for some reason when I can't update more often. Weird but I guess a holdover from the olden days.

>>2612882
>>”Bad news first.”

>>2612882
>>”Bad news first.”

>>2612882

>>2612882
>>”Bad news first.”

>>2612882
>>”Bad news first.”

>>2612916
>>2613087
>>2615218
>>2613219
>>2616036
“Bad news first.” You sigh morosely and gesture Robert to continue, “Hit me with it, Rob.”

Unflinching, Robert nods his head with a smile. “Well, for starters, Narrowater lost a solid portion of it’s available manpower for the foreseeable future. The Guard is decimated, and the King and nearby towns have been preparing for battle. Frederick told me to apologize for him leaving without saying anything, but he said he needed to get back to work as soon as possible and that we might be very busy, very soon. I’ve heard rumors of smaller attacks far and wide along the roads and in the backwoods, threatening our relationship with traders travelling in and out of the Kingdom.”

You bite your lip and shake your head at the news, and as your mind starts working you come to a number of unsettling, horrifying possibilities of future actions against the Kingdom now that you know the identity of your foes. Rogue, misanthropic Witches with a penchant for collateral damage. At this point, you’re uncertain whether or not the Kingdom will survive an all-out attack by the kind of raw, unnatural power that angry Witches can bring. But you’re too deep now to back out, and a part of you tells you that even if given the choice, you wouldn’t run from what’s coming.

This barren, ramshackle hut is the only place you can call home now, and anybody who threatens it has to answer to you.

Rubbing your neck, you glance at Robert to continue, which he does gladly.

“Good news? A lot of wounded guardsmen in Narrowater owe you their lives, Sol. Given a few months, most of them should be back on their feet thanks to you taking the triage cases and ensuring the doctors and apothecaries didn’t run out of supplies. Your efforts didn’t go unnoticed, apparently the mayor and others are still trying to get a little parade going for you some time in the future but they did their best to show their gratitude before that.”

You raise your eyebrows, granting Robert a suitable reason to pause for dramatic effect before reaching low under the bed directly next to you and retrieving a heavy burlap sack, jingling and jostling.

“I was trying to argue that you might not actually need so much, but I guess I can’t blame them for being so enthusiastic.”

Loosening the sack, he pulls out a single golden coin, spotless and glistening in the light before placing it carefully back inside. “I guess you won’t have to worry about money for a little while. Frederick did mention that he’d picked out a few masons and carpenters if you were looking to spruce the place up. Considering you don’t have much actual furniture, I’d say that you should take his advice when you can.”

>>2617668
Making it to your feet, you feel the sack of coins yourself with amazement, reaching inside and grabbing a handful of coins to stare at. Gazing at the printed figures and faces, you take a short moment to bring them to your nose and smell the strange scent of shiny, hold coinage before dropping them back into the sack with audible clinking.

“You…okay there, Sol?” asks Robert, clearly a little unnerved at your bizarre reaction to the money.

“Sorry about that,” you admit sheepishly, “It was just that I’ve never had so much money in my life, you know. There was a point in my life where I think I thought I might have had to resort to rob, cheat, and steal to survive and now I’ve got people happy enough I exist to gift me an entire sack of it.” Sniffling for a brief moment, you rub your eyes once more to make sure you’re not dreaming before continuing, “I guess I’m a little overwhelmed is all.”

“Right,” Robert says with an amused, yet somber expression on his face, “Well, don’t let it get to your head or anything and make sure you don’t waste it. A gift is a gift, would be a shame if you didn’t make the best of it.”

Turning to head out the door, Robert nods to himself, perhaps reassuring himself that you’re completely the same as you were before your second period of magically induced sleep. “We’ll probably get our assignment within a few days, and I’ll be over at the Warden’s lodge nearby if you need me for anything. But before I go, I’ve been meaning to ask something about your bird.”

“Scourge?” you blurt out instinctively, “What about her?”

Standing around, perhaps finding a better way to phrase his question, Robert finally answers you, “You have a way of contacting her, right? We’ve not seen tooth nor nail of that bird since our fight and I was wondering if maybe you knew where she went.”

Haven’t seen her since then?!

You frantically put a finger to your temple and search through your mental link to see where your familiars are right now…

(Roll d100 best of three)

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>2617669

Never try and write while sick and tired ever again holy shit I feel disgusted by my own writing.

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>2617669

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>2617669

>>2617670
>>2617681
>>2618020
Heart-racing, you send out an immediate mental cry to your familiars, focusing on receiving their thoughts and senses, whatever they may be.

A few moments later, you hear a loud snoring noise, and sigh quietly as you recognize the silent nothingness of pure sleep and guess from the rhythmic twitching that this link belongs to Terror.

Robert walks up and gives you a strange look, which you probably deserve considering the way you look right now. He places his hand on his neck, an awkward expression combined with the realization of exactly what you’re doing. “Your dog is sleeping right outside, you know. Took a while to get him to leave you alone and take a nap. He’s a good boy.”

Nodding and smiling in agreement, you strike the joy from your face as you attempt to see if you can reach Scourge or at least find out where she is.
The first thing you feel as soon as you manage to access her link is…pain? Doubling over as a tidal wave of horrifying, intense pain overwhelms you, you nearly let out a deafening scream, but somehow you manage to cover your mouth in time with both hands and muffle it enough to avoid hurting Robert’s ears. Nonetheless, you visibly wobble on your feet as the pain begins to drill into not only your head but the rest of your body, a consequence of the close bond you share with your familiars.

“Shit! Sol, what’s wrong!” shouts Robert as he leaps in to grab you by the shoulders and making sure you don’t collapse and hit your head.

Biting your lip hard enough to draw blood, you force your eyes open with teeth bared and shove Robert off instinctively. Groaning under the stress, a smoldering ember of anger emerges as you realize that Scourge must have been suffering this terrible pain alone. That somebody would put ANYTHING through this kind of torment, let alone one of your closest friends, sparks to life a burning inferno in your heart. You feel Scourge come to for a moment at your prodding but nearly insensate with agony, hunger and thirst.

“Scourge! Where are you?!” you think out almost angrily as you attempt to keep your thoughts entirely clear between the fire stirring in your heart and the blinding pain.
Your familiar tries to think something back to you but the words are completely torn apart by her muddled mind, and this time you do scream in frustration to Robert’s incredible surprise.

“Alright, then just try to look around and let me see where you are. I’m coming, don’t you worry Scourge!” Opening her eyes for the first time, Scourge sluggishly swivels her head in a circle and giving you a clear view of a nearly birds-eye view of a verdant forest lit by a radiant sun. A forest that you’re awfully familiar with…

>>2620847

Within seconds, you recognize exactly where these trees. Scourge is close, perhaps not even ten minutes away on foot!

“Just hold on, Scourge!” you think to her with a combination of anger and resolve, “Stay put, we’ll get you back in no time at all.”

Breaking the link and ending the horrific pain, you curse violently and slam your fists together in frustration before immediately running over to your meager pile of possessions in the corner and beginning to dress yourself for battle. Wrapping your hands, elbows, and knees with bandages, strapping what tools of war you have on your person, Robert watches silently nearby as he reaches and tests the tautness on his hunting bow before checking the edge on his knife. Without so much as a word, the Agent seems to fully understand your intentions and goal just by looking at the rage burned across your face.
“Where we headed?” he asks with a grim smile, clearly steeling himself for another bout of bloodshed before adding in, “Seems like the longer I spend with you, the more fights I get in. Doesn’t seem healthy, really.”

Kneeling and scooping up your broomstick in both hands, you divert one to stick your most prized possession, your pointy Witch hat atop your head before heading outside with Robert following you silently. “Ten or so minutes on foot…must be North of here,” you answer tentatively, trying to wrestle within yourself the need for emotionless caution and blistering rage, “Scourge might be bait, from what I could see I think she’s dangling from a branch somewhere high.”

Taking this in wordlessly, Robert quietly crouches near your mastiff familiar by the entrance and gives him a gentle shake, waking him with a drowsy yawn. “What’s everyone doing up so early, anyhow!” grumbles Terror, who begins to stretch his legs stiffly. Glancing at the hatred streaked in your eyes and the calm, calculating stare of Robert, Terror immediately shakes his head and quits acting the mutt, “Headed to a fight, already? Feels like you might be looking for fights on purpose now, Sol!”

“Maybe,” you think back to him quietly, “But only because these bastards have Scourge with them, and they’ve got her in a bad way.”
Growling at that, Terror licks his chops and it seems his blood begins to boil the way yours is at the very mention of Scourge in pain. “Works for me, then. Lead me to them, I’ll deal with them right quick.”
Twirling the broomstick about, you plant the end into the dirt and give your familiar a pointed glare before thinking back with finality, “We’ll do this together, T. You weren’t planning on getting all the action for yourself, were you?”

>>2620848
Scoffing, the mastiff keeps quiet and waits patiently for you to discuss your plan with Robert, merely keeping himself busy by stretching and leaping back and forth like an excited rabbit.

Tapping Robert with your broomstick to catch his attention, you give your face neutral as you ask him, “You think it’s a trap? Having her hanging out there in the woods all alone?”
Without blinking, the Agent and occupational game warden nods firmly before responding, “Without a doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if the people who’ve got your bird have several different surprises planned. They brought her all the way here, after all. No reason to do that unless you’re baiting some kind of reaction out of your prey.”

Gripping your broomstick tighter, you struggle to remain calm and collected as you reply, “Funny, that. Must be the first time someone important has ever tried to play me as prey. They’ll find the truth out soon enough.” Before you even get two steps into the brush, Robert grabs your shoulder and glares into your eyes with both concern and amusement.

“Just planning on walking into it? You’re not even going to bother trying any other means besides rushing in the *clear* trap set for you?” he quips incredulously at either your guts or ignorance. Swatting his hand off, you match his glare with one of your own, anger bursting through your demeanor with ease, “So, I’m just supposed to let my familiar get tortured out there? I’ll run in there and kill everyone myself if I have to. Let them bring whatever they need to try and survive, it won’t matter much when I get in close.”

Adopting a scolding tone, Robert merely shakes his head as he fires back, “And what if you can’t get in close? What if they prepared for every action you’d normally take?

Nearly spitting as you concede your point, you throw up your hands in irritation, “Alright, then fine! What would you suggest I do, General?” Rolling his fingers over the wooden frame of his bow and grinning, Robert leans forward and exposes his quiver filled with arrows before replying, “We stay low, lower than them and that should help us get around the site. Alternatively, we can abstain from this encounter for the moment while I get some reinforcements from the town and nearby patrols to clean up the place for good.

Hmm…

>Rush into the trap, fight your way out of it. It’s harder to plan for a suicidal opponent if you a an close the distance.

>Stalk quietly forwards, harder to be caught before you’re in your own effective range and grass is a comfortable material to work with.

>Retreat, get Robert to call up reinforcements. Cede Scourge for at least a few hours but reduce them to annihilation

I don't even know what I'm typing in anymore. Sickness + No sleep = Brain has stopped working writing.

going to passs out now and hopefully when I get up I feel better

>>2620849
>Stalk quietly forwards, harder to be caught before you’re in your own effective range and grass is a comfortable material to work with.

>>2620849
>>Stalk quietly forwards, harder to be caught before you’re in your own effective range and grass is a comfortable material to work with.

>>2620849
>>Stalk quietly forwards, harder to be caught before you’re in your own effective range and grass is a comfortable material to work with.

Was trying to put something out but I just couldn't, I'm sorry guys. Bad headaches and messed up temperatures killing any coherency I have. I'm gonna try and wake up, get through the day and get some more updates out tomorr- / later today.

Cursing silently, you realize that Robert has a point. Running in like an idiot isn’t going to help you accomplish anything more than getting you and other people you care about hurt or killed. You’ll just have to suppress the raging fire burning in your breast and play this one slow if you want everything to go right.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way Rob,” you admit quietly, “Just make sure we get there soon, I’m telling you now that whatever is happening to Scourge ain’t pretty. If we have to step in to save her, it doesn’t matter who or how many we find, we’re going all-out.”

Nodding, Robert’s usual smile immediately disappears as he draws an arrow from his quiver and a look of razor-sharp focus fixes itself on his face. “We’ll get there fast enough, we just won’t be blundering into a trap. Now just follow me and try not to make a sound, if you can’t just try to move like I do.”

Lowering his center of gravity, Robert seemingly disappears like a ghost into the nearby underbrush, leading you to frantically follow him but failing to remain nearly as quiet. Running into an irritated glare from Robert as he turns around, you take a few deep breaths as the Agent resumes his nearly soundless movements through the forest.

Trying to imitate his stalking, impossibly methodical pace, you realize just how much experience the man must have in this field to be able to nearly glide through the woods with ease. Without anywhere near that kind of training, you decide to simply copy his footsteps after noting that Robert expertly avoids stepping on branches or stray leaves, anything that would make excess noise.

Glancing back at Terror, who immediately speeds ahead of you having been an expert hunter from birth, you hold back a vile curse and begin to methodically trail behind the two, keeping your eyes and ears open on your long trek to Scourge.
----------------
After what seems like an eternity of silently treading through the gradually darker, thicker underbrush of the inner forest, you nearly walk straight into Robert’s fist when he holds it high and freezes in place. Biting back a protest, your question dies on your lips as you hear an audible, bestial gurgling in a clearing nearby, leading Robert to dive behind a nearby tree.

Caught off guard, you nearly trip on a rock before stumbling forwards and falling into an adjacent tree trunk which you hug for dear life to avoid hitting the ground.

“Hear that, boss?” asks Terror as he slowly creeps to peek from his own hiding spot under a thick patch of berries and thorns. Peeking in tandem with Robert into the clearing, what you see nearly elicits a violent shout before you manage to catch yourself, opting instead to clench your fists around the broomstick tight enough to turn your knuckles white.

>>2624774
Your familiar, Scourge, hangs limp from a nearby tree with a fraying rope tied around her feet suspending the bloodied falcon high in the air. Surrounding the tree are perhaps a half-dozen or more goblins, the very same kind you fought in Narrowater, armed and armored to the teeth with crude iron. Waiting patiently, they circle back and forth like toy soldiers, held in line by an imposing, hulking green brute dressed in jagged, pitch-black plate armor. Raising a sole finger at some nearby trees, Robert points out several spots in the treeline where you soon make out the camouflaged figures of more goblins, these armed with shortbows.

“See, this is why we don’t walk into traps headfirst, Sol.” He whispers with a grim smile as he begins to quietly track the positions of your foes and their armaments.

Gazing intently at your foes, you let yourself feel a little taste of the building fury within you as you stare futilely at your bleeding, broken familiar. Despite your anger, the cold reality of the situation becomes clear to you as you begin to consider the possible scenarios that this fight could play out.

None of them play out in your favor.

Closing your eyes in rage at the utter helplessness of the situation, a strange rumbling seems to begin come from nowhere. For the first time, you understand exactly what is about to happen before it does chuckle as the blazing hatred you’d become so familiar with months ago allows you to dive out of the thundering path of Stomper, your golem unknowingly trailing you as it is directly connected to your subconscious.

Smashing through the trees, Stomper doesn’t hesitate to drive its wooden fists directly into two flat-footed goblins, who die instantly.

Revealed in the aftermath of the golem’s rampage, you, Robert and Terror burst from the remains of the underbrush to engage your now now-exposed foes...
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Thread End!

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Sorry I'm going to call it quits for now, it's legitimately so difficult to remain coherent right now I can't imagine even doing this any longer. Hopefully I'm better by next weekend, because at the moment I can't even focus on writing this very hard at all.

God bless everyone though, have a good week!