File: MonumenttotheLost.png (5.22 MB, 2500x1759)

5.22 MB PNG

>>2728029

It is a solemn place, the Divotium Heights, easily the largest graveyard in all of Proelium despite not containing a single body, or gravestones, within. The bodies, if the departed is lucky enough to still have one after passing, are sent off to the next of kin, allowing for the families of the fallen hero to mourn as they deem fit. In place of a corpse, the weapon of choice for those slain in action are left within the grasp of this great grassy palisade, usually grouped with the squadron they fought alongside. The practice is positively ancient, the massive weapons of some of the Apostles a testament to how old the tradition is, but the exact reason for it is in a bit of conflict. Some say that the weapons shall be claimed by their wielders before they are presented to the Gods of Judgement, as proof of their devotion and sacrifice in life. Others say they are left to give those who walk among them the chance to draw strength from their everlasting vigil, the cold steel representing those who have come before continuing to watch over those to come.

And a minority think they’re there to show just how poorly humanity is doing against the Armies of Darkness, to show that their heroes are being slaughtered fast enough to fill up a mass grave.

Those voices tend not to last very long, at least out in the public.

Sections of the Heights are marked out by great stone slabs, with the inscriptions of various places, campaigns, and even the companies of soldiers to mark their resting places. They are not true gravestones, for they do not mention individual names, but they offer a brief showing of respect to the fallen; a way for visitors to be guided to their departed among the fields of unmarked graves.

A single man, standing without armor or other marks of ceremony, looks up at one such stone slab, reading off the inscription just as he has everytime that he has visited.

To those who gave their lives in the valiant defense of Saint Peter’s Keep.

They displayed valor in combat and showed courage in the face of overwhelming odds, freely and willingly giving their lives to ensure that the Seers and Seeresses of Saera, Sarasvati, Skadi and their guards were able to escape and gather the reinforcements necessary to reclaim the fortress.

Among the fallen are the 71st, 152nd, 239th, 403rd, 511th, 710th, and 726th Verton Armored Infantry Divisions, the 37th and 90th Ehkicaster Combat Engineering Squadrons, the 54th, 85th, and 118th Carram Mage Squadrons, and the 20th, 65th, and 94th Carram Field Artillery Squadrons.

May their souls be gathered by the Apostles, and may the weight of their sacrifice never be forgotten.

>>2728029
was this the quest where a demon made us his heir so he could test his children against us or something? If so, welcome back dude.

File: DivotiumHeights_Graveyard(...).jpg (56 KB, 482x651)

56 KB JPG

>>2728042

Said traveler stares up at the bleak words, not moving for several moments, before he turns and walks past the slab. Haphazardly, forming vague patterns if one stared for long enough, scattered through this clearing are multitude upon multitude of weapons, every shape and size from basic infantryman’s longswords all the way up to ballista. Despite the impressive sight, he walks past them all in search of a specific squad’s resting place.

After all, he is here to return their final member to them.

Morgan Anderle, the Reaver of Saint Peter’s Keep, is dead. One of the many men slain destroying the most recent Hell Gate to appear outside of Blackstone Keep, though he was the only one of two to engage the enemy’s commander, a Baron Rank Demon, and is being credited with it’s destruction after the total annihilation of both.

Of course, despite how major an accomplishment it sounds, to someone like the Reaver, a confirmed Prince-Slayer, it’s almost a footnote in comparison. A mere blip in the violent and, sadly short, life of Morgan. One that can’t be truly encapsulated within the greatsword Pat Blatteus now carries to its final resting place, even with the lengths he went to recreate the lost blade. The man who fought until his weapons broke, then his armor broke, then, with recent events, he himself broke.

Walking up to the proper area, the mercenary leader takes the faux-sword and places it alongside a pair of scimitars, a longbow, a buckler and gladius, a rapier, and a warhammer. The weapons form a rough circle and, for the first time in years, the entirety of the Storm Squadron are together once more.

Five of the top warriors to graduate the Orders within their generation and a single outsider who could keep up with them; those were the individuals who composed the top Squadron of the 726th Verton Armored Infantry Division. Each and every one credited with numerous demon kills, surviving battle after battle and serving with distinction. Champions, masters of their arts, above and beyond the pale. And they were, right until they were sent to Saint Peter’s Keep, where heroes died by dozens.

Seven weapons, six members, and not a single corpse left between them.

Silence echoes out across the area, only the sound of wind running across the bare weapons breaking it. It is a hollow, haunting noise; one that chills a man straight to his bones. Pat stares down at hilt of the sole greatsword, burning the outline of the blade into his mind.

File: Pat_GloriousleaderHimself.png (213 KB, 343x550)

213 KB PNG

>>2728052

Correct.

>>2728053

After some amount of time, the ethereal nature of this place making it hard to properly judge, the serene atmosphere is broken by the sound of a second person approaching.

“It’s been several years since another weapon was added here,” Turning around, Pat looks over neutrally at the coming priest who, from the black robes and the thin symbols embroidered upon them, is a follower of Kharon. He stops a respectful distance away, a small smile across his face.

Not responding, the mercenary leader looks back at the ring of weapons. With a slight sigh, Pat speaks up, “I heard that they were setting aside another section for Blackstone Fortress, but I felt this was more appropriate; this is where we met, after all.”

“Oh?” That gets a raised eyebrow out of the priest, “Hmm, I’d say you were one of the men who reclaimed the Keep after the battle then?”

“That’s right… By the time we got there, there was nothing but corpses littered around. Thankfully, there weren’t many demons still around, but we didn’t realize why that was until we found Morgan,” Running his fingers over the hilt of the greatsword, he gives it a nod before turning away fully, “To this day, I don’t know how he survived; his left arm was broken, he was bleeding everywhere, and yet he was still there, swinging this sword around like he has the Apostles himself at his side. But now, Morgan’s dead and gone.”

With a note of finality, the mercenary begins walking away. Barely halfway out of the area, his exit is interrupted by a single line.

“The Seeress of Saera wishes to speak with you, Patrich Blatteus.”

File: Hyancia_TendertotheFlame.png (355 KB, 675x422)

355 KB PNG

>>2728058

You are Morgan Anderle, a mercenary turned Dreadknight, and you realize that you are currently staring down a Chaos God Dragon. The sheer weight of his presence is almost as suffocating as the heat the permeates the air, which would make it rather hard to breathe if you weren’t already aware that this is some kind of weird dream-vision.

It’s been a rather long week.

Hyancia simply returns your look, those strange, slitted eyes belying nothing of the thoughts behind them, with a kind of detached neutral expression that you’re not really familiar with. Still, this is Verona’s boss, patron, god, or whatever else you want to call it, so you should really get around to responding to it.

Despite not being in reality, at least as you know it, you still feel the need to clear your throat, trying vainly to get some of the dry heat out of it, before speaking.

CHAOS GOD DRAGON HYANCIA, TENDER TO THE FLAME

>”It’s, uh, good to meet you.”
>”Verona really didn’t do you justice.”
>”You’ve got something for me?”
>Other

>>2728067
>>”It’s, uh, good to meet you.”

>>2728067
>>”It’s, uh, good to meet you.”

>>2728067
>Good to meet you

>>2728287
>>2728177
>>2728092

Greetings, Dragon.

Writin'

File: Hyancia_JusttakingaQuickSmoke.png (908 KB, 1000x562)

908 KB PNG

>>2728067

Forcing down your nerves, you square your shoulders as best you can, "It's good to meet you, Hyancia."

You're not sure in the slightest what the etiquette is for speaking to dragons, but if this one is at all insulted he doesn't show it. Instead, he takes another draw of some strange kind of pipe, holding it for several long seconds before bellowing out a thick, black cloud of smoke. It floats out into the space between the two of you, slowly sinking to collect along the floor. Perhaps he's considering his words, perhaps he's wondering if you're worth the trouble, or maybe perhaps he's thinking of the best way to fry and eat you. Regardless, those piercing eyes eventually force you to look away before Hyancia responds, "So, this is the latest pawn of Dygteus. Another gambit of a rotting demon that's spilling his foolish plots into my dominion."

That's uh... Really not the response you were expecting nor hoping for. You've taken on some serious shit before, not even counting your recent dive into fucking Hell, but the thought of having to fight Hyancia, as you are, is not a pleasant one.

After taking another puff, he puts down the pipe and the Dragon focuses entirely on you again, "No matter. We are not here to discuss the machinations of a dying Lord. We are here to discuss the service that you performed for my sole Warlock. The way you handled the situation was quite... curious."

"It was the best I could do, but thank you anyw-"

"Silence."

You freeze at that, feeling a pain beginning to spread across your skin as the heat in the room skyrockets and drags out painful memories.

"I have little interest in mortals, and even less in servants, but you will not interrupt me. Now, I was against getting myself involved, but my Warlock was very insistent on the point." Standing up, Hyancia slowly walks over to you, showing not even the barest hint of needing to rush, before grabbing you roughly by the chin and forcing you to look up.

Even though he's only holding you by a few fingers, the heat coming off them feels like its burning away your bare face, your skin going molten, your bones scorched black from the contact. Vaguely, you feel like you should be screaming, but you simply can't.

Then, it suddenly ends and the Chaos God Dragon steps away, walking back to his seat before taking another drag of his pipe.

"Hmm..." For the first time in this entire conversation, Hyancia stares upwards in thought. You can't tell how long he does, between the strangeness of this place and your skin still crawling from the sensations you're unable to, but then he goes back to staring at you, "Now this is interesting."

[1/2]

>>2728545

[2/2]

"Given a few... unique aspects of your current state, there are options for what I can give you as a gift. Naturally, the armor you now wear is more than capable of receiving the rewards, much in a similar way to how you are familiar with. On the other hand, I could give you something similar to what my Warlock has; something that would be entirely independent from your armor. Lastly, I can restore your family's sword back to its original condition."

Still focused on recovering your composure, you don't have to worry about another accidental faux paus. What he's said alone is almost enough set the memories off again, but you force yourself them down.

"So, what will your choice be? The Armor, the Body, or the Blade?"

Taking a steadying breath, you look Hyancia in the eyes and give him your answer.
>Armor
>Body
>Blade

>>2728637
>Body

The sword is a nice memory, but we can always be disarmed. With the body upgrade, we may never be disarmed or be without a weapon again.

>>2728637
>>Blade

>>2728637
>What's the catch?
>Body

>>2728637
>>Armor

>>2728637
>>Blade

>>2728637
>>Body

>>2728654

Just for reference, the Body upgrade is not a weapon

>>2728739
nah, but our body is a weapon. and a tougher body is a tougher weapon.

who doesn't want to strangle a demon lord?

>>2728637
>Blade

Body is pretty useless as long as we're in the armor, and we're always in the armor.

>>2728783
not really, it could give us enhanced senses, agility, strength ect

>>2728794
Maybe, but it could also give us tougher skin. Bit of a gamble. I'd rather go for the sure thing. Not to mention, Morgan as a character would probably be most interested in restoring a family heirloom over the other 2 options.

>>2728822
I see him as being more interested in surviving than restoring a sword. Even one he treasures,

>>2728700
>>2728794
>>2728822

I should have put a bit more substance into the descriptions; my bad.

>Armor: Combat upgrade, appears Chaotic while in use.
>Body: Non-combat upgrade, appears Chaotic while in use.
>Blade: Equipment upgrade, mundane appearance always.

>>2728834
Well, >>2728839 claims it's a not combat upgrade, so now the sword is more likely to aid survival, and it won't make us appear Chaotic and give away the source of the power.


Sticking with the sword.

>>2728839
What does "appears chaotic" mean exactly?

>>2728839
.........With this in mind, i retract my answer. I change from body to sword

>>2728654
this to Sword

>>2728846
I think it means "none human, so fuck you people know wanna lynch you"

>>2728839
Can I switch
>>2728700
From body to
>Blade
?

>>2728839
Body: Non-combat upgrade, appears Chaotic while in use.

>>2728839
>Blade: Equipment upgrade, mundane appearance always

>>2728657
>>2728716
>>2728783
>>2728848
>>2728853
>>2728932

Blade it is.

Writin'

>>2728977
But way??
We can just cast magic on it toget the same look

>>2728998
Because it presumably makes the sword more powerful and isnt just an aesthetic change

>>2728998
Um....do you think him restoring the sword is a purely cosmetic change?

Either you have badly misunderstood what he's offering, or I have. I'm pretty sure this guy is way too prideful to be that cheap though, based on his behavior.

>>2729112
>>2729179
Blade: Equipment upgrade, mundane appearance always
Is wgat it says so im thinking it ether makes the sword bran new and looks like its normal
Or just makes it look good and mybe it cuts better.
I mean sonce we can store differnt types of wepons in our armour and makeing our sword look normal shouldnt be the bigest rhing as we could aslo just corver it when not useing or just use a differnt wepon.
Thr body one sounded thr most interesting and its some thing that we cant just improve normaly

>>2729210
I think OP meant that even though Hyancia is using his power to restore it, it won't leave traces of Chaotic magic that can be picked up on. Whereas the other two options would be obviously Chaotic, and would give us away.

File: Hyancia_AWealthofInformation.png (163 KB, 390x260)

163 KB PNG

>>2728637

"You said you could restore my family's sword?" There's a point of hope that swells up in you, one that you can't decide to crush or hold tightly, "How? How would you do that? It's... it's fucking dust."

"Indeed it is..." Smoking away thoughtfully, Hyancia taps a finger against the arm of his chair before turning to the side. With nothing more than the wave of a hand, a series of glowing objects appear - some kind of illusion magic? - and he appears to look them over. After some time, the Dragon returns to you, "Despite the fact that the original has been destroyed, that does not mean that it is beyond recovery. In fact, you yourself is perhaps the only individual who can restore it."

Suddenly finding a burst of strength, you manage to push yourself to your feet. The air in the room is still stifling, but you ignore it in favor of getting closer, "Go on."

"You were the wielder of the blade when it was destroyed. Simply put, the visceral connection between yourself and the weapon still exists to some degree. To restore the weapon, you will need to draw out that connection, and the memories that compose it, into this," With that, he tosses something over his shoulder.

Nearly fumbling the object in question, you tightly hold onto something that's the general size and shape of a shortsword, but is not made of metal. Instead, it is made of some kind of hardened rope.

> You have obtained: Dreamcatcher Blade!

Hyancia doesn't turn to look at you as he speaks, clearly focused on something else, "The only warning that I will give you is that you will be forced to relive those memories, and that the blade itself will need some time to process them. Once it is done, you shall have your desired blade."

Running your fingers over the strange weapon, you consider the singular purpose of the blade.

"Now, our business is finished. Begone."

The heat of the room suddenly rushes away from you, being replaced by a dizzying feeling of vertigo that fills your head.

Then, everything goes black.

[1/2]

File: Laura_ABitWornwithBattle.png (70 KB, 300x214)

70 KB PNG

>>2729226

[2/2]

The feeling of warmth, far less severe or vicious than you're familiar with, is what draws you out of the abyss; the usual aches and pains that accompany sleeping outside and in armor is the next.

Sitting up, you take a second to look around the meager campsite that you remember setting up the previous night. Doesn't appear that anything has changed since you went to sleep, though the fact that the sun is up fully means that you definitely overslept.

Oh well. While you do have some things to take care of, none of them are exactly pressing.

Beginning to move, your hand tightens around something and you bring it up to examine that 'blade' that Hyancia gave you. Now that you get a better look at it, you can see the strange, twisting patterns that compose its surface. Odd, truly, for a weapon to be more of something to look at than to kill.

Stuffing it away into your bag, you collect yourself before walking over to where Laura is happily curled up, sleeping soundly under the sun. Kneeling down, you give a few shakes, having to put more and more force behind them, before the girl eventually wakes up.

"Nh... Morgan?" Letting out a small yawn, she blinks up blearily at you while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "Wha?"

"It's the morning, kid," Standing up, you pull out a Ration and hand it over to her. Girl's still growing, after all, "C'mon, we gotta get moving."

Accepting it, Laura begins taking a few bites of the portable meal before pausing, "Morgan, what are we doing today?"

> Hunt down some hobgoblins, time to make some coin.
> Continue training Laura.
> Tell Laura to do some training, go raid the armory.
> Leave, head to St. Augustine Citadel.

>>2729278
>goblins

We raid when we don't plan on staying around or coming back for a while

>>2728029
>Dreadknight Quest Thread #3
Is this that quest with a Dark Souls-like theme where we had a goddess who gave us a [Goddess’s Tear]?

>>2729340

Nope. There is a Dark Souls-like theme, but no Goddesses have shown up yet.


Actually, forgot to put up this, but here's the quest info:

Previous Threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Dreadknight+Quest
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/storyteller_QM
Discord: https://discord.gg/WA5wRv3

>>2729278
> Hunt down some hobgoblins, time to make some coin.

>>2729278
> Hunt down some hobgoblins, time to make some coin.

>>2729278
> Hunt down some hobgoblins, time to make some coin.

>>2729657
>>2729581
>>2729539
>>2729315

Hobgoblins it is.

GOBLINS!?

Writin'

>>2729879
Inb4 some dirty hobo with weaponised autism shows up.

>>2728029
Fuck yeah the quest is back again.

>>2729278
Can we get an upgrade if we kill enough fodder? Say, a small army or large platoon?

>>2729340
I miss that quest? What ever happened to the QM? Have you read the one where the MC is a cloth golem?

File: Laura_TheJourneyContinues.png (80 KB, 273x226)

80 KB PNG

>>2729278

Sitting down, as you know that it'll take a bit for the young lady to get herself collected, you draw your claymore and start going over it. It's seen some wear and tear, your usual style of swordsmanship not exactly prioritizing keeping the shine intact, but aside from a few marks here and there there's no issues from what you can see. While not exactly sharp to begin with, the edge of the sword hasn't begin to dull yet. You'll have to pick up a whetstone at some point.

Looking back up, to where Laura is expectantly looking at you in between bites, you remember that you've got a question to answer, "We're gonna go hunt some hobgoblins. It'll be a good way to get you some experience, and some extra silver in your pocket."

At your words, the girl eagerly scarfs down the remains of the Ration, roughly wiping a couple of crumbs before jumping to her feet, "Alright! Let's go!"

"Go where now?" Tossing your greatsword in the air, you easily catch it before sliding it back into your sheath. Throwing some dirt over the remains of your fire, you motion for Laura to follow you, "Relax. The job's for the Eastern trading route." Resisting the urge to laugh at the pout now adorning her face, you follow the footpath away from the fortress heading vaguely East. Granted, you're not entirely sure just how specific an area this guy's gonna pay you for, but considering that you didn't spot any hobgoblins on the way here you can strike that right out.

Apparently, your thinking is a bit moot as you come up to a well cleared, stone-brick road leading due East. On either side of it is the same kind of semi-mountainous, semi-woodlands terrain that you've been dealing with in this part of the region.

Stopping at the entrance to it, you take a second to consider your options.

>Stick straight on the road. Any prepared ambushes are going to be focused along it.
>Wait for another group of adventures to come along. With them around, you'll have to keep a few of your tricks hidden and you won't have a monopoly on the hobgoblins, but you will have additional help if the need arrives.
>Stalk through the terrain. Odds are good that wherever the hobgoblins are living in is around here, and if you can find it you'll be able to take them by surprise.
>Other

>>2730052

Of Hobgoblins? Killing a ton of them will get you a lot of money, at least relatively, but no upgrades to the armor from them.

Demons, on the other hand, I'll have to think about.

>>2729995

Welcome back.

>>2729953

Out! Out! Out from my notes!

>>2730064
>Stick straight on the road. Any prepared ambushes are going to be focused along it.

>>2730064
>Stalk through the terrain. Odds are good that wherever the hobgoblins are living in is around here, and if you can find it you'll be able to take them by surprise.
Always better to be the ambusher rather than the ambushee.

>>2730064
do you have a pastebin for inventory? What weapons do we have in our Kite Shield Bulwark?

>Stalk through the terrain. Odds are good that wherever the hobgoblins are living in is around here, and if you can find it you'll be able to take them by surprise.

>>2730105

Forgot to put that up. Here you go:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r8k-KzoKSenfcBog5ZFbhGdCtWRODemEzc0OhYUu4ok/

>>2730209
it says i need permission.

>>2730222

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r8k-KzoKSenfcBog5ZFbhGdCtWRODemEzc0OhYUu4ok/edit?usp=sharing

That should do it.

>>2730235
If we improve our Bulwark Control skill, can we eventually stuff siege weapons inside of it? Stuff like Rams/Siege Towers, Catapults, Ballistas and Trebuchets?

>>2730268

As it currently stands, the Bulwark can hold ANY weapon that does not count as 'Improvised'. Increasing your level with it will grant other bonuses.

>>2730268
>>2730277

Though, thinking about it, I don't think Siege Towers really count as 'weapons' exactly; more so a method of transportation. Rams would count, however.

>>2730064
Stalk through the terrain. Odds are good that wherever the hobgoblins are living in is around here, and if you can find it you'll be able to take them by surprise

>>2730281
Huh.....so we could stuff a bunch of rams and drop them on some bastards head then? Neat. It reminds me of the story where a PC filled a Bag of Holding to the brim with cow shit, and killed dragons by orbital dropping it on them.

>>2730296
>stuff shield with battering rams
>Swing Kite Shield in direction of enemies and watch Ram fly out at them
>People fear us
>We are the Rammancer

>>2730296

Correct. Do keep in mind that, currently, you have to physically take the weapon out of the shield. As strong as Morgan is, he can't exactly one hand a siege engine. Yet.

>>2730287
>>2730105
>>2730095

Stalking it is.

> Roll me three 1d100+5's please

Rolled 64, 88, 61, 9 = 222 (4d100)

>>2730326

[??? ACTIVITY]

Rolled 12 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>2730326

Rolled 39 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>2730326

>>2730332
fuck man

Rolled 95 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>2730326

>>2730361
Fuck yes, WE IN IT BOYS!

>>2730361
nice senpai

>>2730361

That's a dirty 100, Success.

Writin'

>>2730401
>>2730371
I am proud this is my first roll for the thread.

File: Hobgoblins_SmellyBastards.jpg (265 KB, 712x1200)

265 KB JPG

>>2730064

Motioning for Laura to follow you, you immediately step off the main roadway and begin traversing the rougher terrain. It's certainly not easy going, at several places you have to aid the much smaller girl before pulling yourself up the breaks and ledges, but you've got too much experience in war to be so stupid as to take the easy way.

Keeping your eyes moving, you eventually catch sight of a series of marks against a tree. Taking a closer look, you can't make heads or tails of it, but odds are good the hobgoblin that carved it didn't know what the fuck it was doing as well.

With the border markings in mind, you make sure to take a much slower pace going forwards. It's a rather good thing you did, as well, as within several minutes you spot movement from between a group of trees. Pulling Laura to a stop and pushing her down to a crouch, you make sure she'll remain silent while you observe the group.

There's five of them, of which you'd say only two look like they know how to handle the weapons they've got, but the simple fact that they're all armed and armored is concerning in and off itself; they had to have gotten that gear from somewhere, after all.

A light poke in the side from the young girl beside you neatly attracts your attention to her, where she points between herself, yourself, and the hobgoblins.

Guess she's wondering how you want to handle this.
>Tell Laura to hold back; you'll handle this.
>Tell Laura to kill the hobgoblins; see if she's improved from your training.
>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other.
>Other

>>2730525
>Other
Start fucking chucking demonic weapons at em

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other.

We go first, she comes up once they're distracted

File: Mura_CheckingtheTime.png (175 KB, 629x195)

175 KB PNG

And with that, I have to get off for the night. I'll try to be on for tomorrow night, but I will definitely be around to run after I get out of work on Monday.

See ya all later.

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to kill the hobgoblins; see if she's improved from your training.

Yes, nothing beats profiting from unpaid child labor.

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other.

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other.

>>2729369
Oh.
>StorytellerQM
Are you the same QM who did Artificer Quest and the crossover with Magical Girls for Hire Quest?
>>2730058
>I miss that quest? What ever happened to the QM?
No idea. I don't think he had a Twitter or Discord.

> Have you read the one where the MC is a cloth golem?
Heard of it and skimmed it. Looked nice but hadn't read it.

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other

>>2730742
He is indeed the same QM.

>>2730525
>>Tell Laura to take one side; you'll take the other.

>>2730525
>Tell Laura to hop in once she can backstab one. Or has one seperate from the others.

>>2730742

That's me. Also ran Interstellar Merc a while back.

>>2732629
>>2731840
>>2730806
>>2730724
>>2730666
>>2730528

Tag team 'em it is.

> Roll me three 1d100+10's please

Rolled 22 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2736772

Rolled 15, 65, 100 + 5 = 185 (3d100 + 5)

>>2736772

[LAURA ACTIVITY]

Rolled 4 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2736772

Rolled 100, 48, 96, 4, 14 = 262 (5d100)

>>2736772

[HOBGOBLIN ACTIVITY]

Rolled 80 (1d100)

>>2736772
Damnit guys

>>2736796
>>2736789
>double 100s

DAMNIT GUYS

>>2736815

That's a 90 and a nat 100, versus a nat 100.

This is, uh, gonna be interesting.

Writin'

>>2730525

Looking around the area, you're not liking the fact that there's little to no cover between yourself and those hobgoblins. The element of surprise is most certainly on your side, but without a way of getting closer there's simply no way to capitalize on that. Granted, you could just do your usual bit of cheating to solve that particular problem, but do you really want to tip that part of your hand to Laura?

...

Aw, fuck it.

Catching the young lady's attention with a hand on her shoulder, you point out two of the less-experienced enemies, making sure that she's very much aware of the plan before you let a pulse of your magic thrum through you. Laura lets out a tiny squeak of surprise when both her and yourself vanish from sight, your Invisibility spell working as intended, though she gets herself under control as you slowly guide her forwards, drawing your greatsword with your free hand.

Making sure to avoid fallen branches and loose rubble, the two of you approach entirely unnoticed to the group of five hobgoblins. The closer view confirms your previous observation, that only two of these idiots are any sort of real threat given how they're the only ones to be carrying their weapons properly.

So, they're the first two to go.

Tapping her shoulder to let her know that it's the time to attack, you and Laura rush forwards and, with a twin strike, liberate the experienced hobgoblins' heads from their shoulders like you've been doing it for years. Despite how clean your kills were, the sounds of their equipment clattering against stone are not and they give the last three a fighting chance. Two of them sloppy swipe at you, their attacks not having nearly enough weight or technique behind them to make you budge but they force you to block and Laura to jump back. Bulking their attacks away, you clear your front just in time to get a nice view of the last one holding a crude, bone horn to its lips and blowing.

The deep, reverberating sound easily echoes through the area, and within seconds is returned by at least three separate horns from off in the distance. You don't waste that time, finishing off the two blocking your way while a black blur that materializes into Laura cuts off the call for reinforcements.

From the mountainous area ahead comes the thunder of more enemies, telling you that you have maybe a minute before you'll be, for better or worse, up to your neck in goblins.

Now what?
>Grab the heads of the ones you've slain and book it out of here.
>Run for the main road; see if you can find any other adventures out to warn.
>Move to a more fortified position, hold your ground.
>Other

>>2737016
>Move to a more fortified position, hold your ground.
>Other
Can we disguise ourselves as more Hobgoblins and trick some other goblins into a trap?

>>2737056
+1

>>2737016
>Move to a more fortified position, hold your ground.

>>2737016
Hold one fucking minute....
What are the qualities of their weapons?are they improvised or can we add them to the shield?

Now how can we improve the shield skill? Stuff more shit inside? Maybe we can eventually get to a point we can start jamming armour up in this bitch.

>>2737088
How about we just unload all teh shit we have stuffed in there to take out some goblines

>>2737328
I just want to keep any and all weapons (and armor in the future) we find for muny. Normies don't want to buy demonic looking weapons, but maybe there's a small market of cultist or demons who might be interested.

>>2737341
Well we can always put them back in there.
Rember we have to live though this goblin horde befor we can sell anything and im sure that when we put things into it, it dosnt change how they look so we should be able to seal then right away and from how its craking im gussing we are near its limits

>>2737378

All weapons that go into the Bulwark are changed to 'appear Demonic'. Just for reference, here is the original description of the shield:

> As a Free Action, you can summon a Kite Shield capable of supplying a battalion. While summoned, you can store and retrieve an infinite number of weapons from within the shield. These weapons, Simple and Martial, Ranged and Melee, cannot be Improvised Weapons, but it can hold appropriate ammo for Ranged Weapons. The Kite Shield starts empty, but can be used as a normal shield in combat. All weapons stored within appear Demonic.

>>2737102
>>2737088

The weapons are not improvised, but they are in poor condition. If Morgan was to use them, they'd break in the first strike.

Using the skill and increasing the amount of weapons you have in the shield will improve the skill. Also, the shield is unable to store armor within it.

>>2737056
>>2737078

Entrench and fight it is.

Writin'

>>2737396
Ok my bad then its be an age.
Though y are we keeping them if no normal person is going to buy them?
Should just use them for one hit wounders

>>2737396
Then it comes down to stuffing the shield with as many weapons as we can. Poor condition or not, they can be sold for scrap or used as one time throw missile weapons.

>>2737016

"C'mon! C'mon!" With enemies inbound, there's no time to stick around with your thumb up your ass. Any plans are going to have to be done on the fly, and any chance of survive is going to involve moving before you're overrun. Grabbing Laura by the arm, you run for a particularly rough part of the terrain.

Broken stone and uprooted trees are the best you're going to get in this situation, though you push yourself over several of them to certain that any ranged weapons are going to have a hell of a time hitting you. Putting your greatsword away for the moment as it'll just get caught up if you swing it around without thinking, you press yourself up against a particularly thick tree and try to get as best a look as you can.

You can hear the young lady nearby, also trying her best to see what's coming for you, "Morgan... Shouldn't we run?"

Underneath your helmet, you grimace at that, "Maybe. But if the hobs chase use they might run us down. Or, they might go for anyone else they find in the forest."

"Nh..." She apparently shares your mixed feelings on how this is going. Not that you can really blame her in the first place, as what comes over the ridge-lines into view is rather concerning.

The front of the group is at least sixteen of the shitty, disposable meat-shields that you killed before, though the group behind them carry themselves far differently than them and number at least ten. Bringing up the rear is a pair of tall, dark red hobgoblins with gear that you wouldn't consider complete dogshit standing on either side of the tallest of the lot, who has some kind of green smear across its face, as it snarls out in a strange approximation of a language.

And all of them are heading right for your little entrenchment.

Now what?
> Lure the meat-shields into the thicket and take them out while they're cut off from support.
> Tell Laura to stay here while you lead the group on a goose chase.
> Grab a crossbow out of your Bulwark and try to snipe the leader (requires usage of Bulwark).
> Other

Also: Activate Bulwark?
> Y
> N

>>2737483
Lure the meat-shields into the thicket and take them out while they're cut off from support.

Bulwark
Y

>>2737483
> Grab a crossbow out of your Bulwark and try to snipe the leader (requires usage of Bulwark).
> Other
Do we have more than one crossbow? Let's get our assistant to help.

Also: Activate Bulwark?
> Y

>>2737533
Changing vote to this

>>2737533
Support

>>2737533
support

>>2737483
>> Lure the meat-shields into the thicket and take them out while they're cut off from support.
Bulwark?
>Y

>>2737424
Store them in the shield for practice,

>>2738344
>>2738338
>>2738245
>>2737978
>>2737533

Hunker Down and prepare it is.

Writin'

File: FallenKnight_ReadyforWar.png (2.01 MB, 1920x1080)

2.01 MB PNG

>>2737483

It's tempting to try to draw one of your crossbows and go for a quick shot off on that hobgoblin leader, but considering your lack of experience on the weapon and the distance to the target it'd be more of a waste than anything else. The fact that that front line of meat-shields are still charging right for you while the others wait behind also means that you wouldn't have time to prepare for them if you went for the shot.

Without any more time to screw about here, you comfortably heft your claymore in one hand and, with a thought, transform your armor's left gauntlet into a kite shield. The ominous and borderline disturbing crack and groan of metal stressing fills the air for a brief moment, drawing Laura's attention neatly to where whatever substance your armor is composed of forms into a Kite Shield; one that looks like it has seen a hundred battles and has bared scars from each and every one. Giving it a quick once over, you confirm that the jem-like object in the center isn't doing anything other than slightly glowing from within its bottomless depths.

"M-Morgan?!" Turning to the side, you note that the girl is looking between your shield and you, something in her eyes that's half confusion and half fear.

It's an issue you'll have to put off for another time, as you can hear the snarls of hobgoblins about to come upon you, "Later, Laura."

For now, you have to just survive.

> Roll me three 1d100+10's please

Rolled 84 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2739315

Rolled 46 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2739315

Rolled 5, 42, 79 + 5 = 131 (3d100 + 5)

>>2739315

[LAURA ACTIVITY]

Rolled 83, 29, 95, 44, 47, 59, 10, 37, 2, 53, 27, 39 = 525 (12d100)

>>2739315

[HOBGOBLIN ACTIVITY]

Rolled 92 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2739315

>>2739355
Not bad

>>2739369
With all those bad rolls, Laura didn't do too shabby herself.

>>2739355

That's a 102 for yourself and a 84 for Laura both versus a 95 at best, Success.

Writin'

>>2739315

Three hobgoblins, equipped with shoddy armor and crude spears, and the vanguard into the thicket, snarling at one another as they shuffle forwards. Watching them closely, you quietly step across the half-dead tree you're perched upon until you're past the first three.

It's easily the most basic trick in the book, sending a small number of disposable troops forwards to draw out an ambush before sending the rest in to crush the revealed, but, despite the cleverness of it, they're playing your game now.

Giving Laura a thumbs up, you leap down to the ground level, bringing your claymore around in a brutal arc that cuts right through two of the lesser hobgoblins in reserve. The sounds of combat also swell up from behind you, but you push them behind you in favor of the further five that you just dropped onto.

Bringing your Kite Shield up, you knock aside a slash from a brittle shortsword at the same time as you thrust your greatsword forwards and up to the hilt into goblin skull. Catching a glint of movement in the corner of your eye, you let go of your weapon in favor of avoiding a jab from behind. The guilty hobgoblin tries to turn to follow your movement, but instead of dodging further you smash the end of your Kite Shield into the forehead of the monster and pull it to the ground as its stunned.

Not risking the chance of it getting back up, you bring your armored boot down and worsen the fresh wound by splattering a mixture of bone, brain matter, and blood across the dirt and soil.

The last three, likely seeing just how easily and brutally you've already dispatched four of their number, split up as they approach. One ducks behind a ridge line, intending to come up on your right flank, while the second rushes you head on and the third moves to grab your own claymore.

Firmly holding your shield in both hands, you calmly block and knock aside several wild strikes that don't manage to make you give an inch. Despite seeing several opportunities to counter-attack, you patiently wait for the stab to the back you know is coming.

You're not made to wait for long.

[1/2]

>>2739467

[2/2]

A low, sweeping slash, likely meant to force you to either jump or drop your shield down to nearly the ground to block it, is stopped by you easily side-stepping it. Following the slight rustling of leaves from behind rather than the wide-open hobgoblin in front of you, you've got plenty of time to get your guard up when its partner in crime lunges out of the thicket, spear aimed for the gaps in your armor. Naturally, it's not hard to absorb the impact of the crude weapon, but the body behind it is a slightly different story.

Rolling with the blow, your right hand finds that same spear and rips the thing from the hobgoblin's clutches, moreso breaking the shaft in half than any clean disarm, so when the distraction attempts to bring its shortsword down on you, you're ready. Forcing the blow to the side with your shield, you stab the remains of the spear straight through its eyes, catching the intact sword from its dying grasp before turning and impaling it into the neck of the downed hobgoblin.

Standing up fully, you stare down the remaining monster, now wielding your own claymore against you, though you can see its barely holding up the heavy blade and the sight of you tearing apart six others is giving it pause on whether or not to attack you. And that split second is all you need to close the gap under your usual combination of Invisibility and Major Illusion spells. Before it can react, you've got one hand around the grip of your sword and the other around its neck, nearly lifting it off its feet without intending to.

The hobgoblin's eyes widen slightly in reaction to your actions, but before it can do more than that there's a clear snap as you break its spine with one hand. Tossing the corpse in the vague direction of the others, you heft your claymore over your shoulder before taking stock of the situation.

From outside the thicket, you can hear more hobgoblins, these ones being actually capable of fighting, approaching though oddly enough you can still hear Laura fighting behind you. Is she really caught up in fighting those three, or have some circled around you to get to her?

Now what?
> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.
> Prepare another ambush on the second wave of hobgoblins.
> Sneak out of the thicket and ambush the two elites and their leader.
> Other

File: cd8.jpg (520 KB, 998x1085)

520 KB JPG

>>2739497
> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.
Better we're all prepared. It wouldn't do for her to get hurt, despite her magical regenerative ability.

Why is she with us again?

>>2739497
>> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.

>>2739497
> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.
Resions i guse thats way

>>2739497
> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.
Gotta clear them out fast.

>>2739521
Because many hands make light work. That and she wanted to fight us/learn from us.

>>2739497
> Rush back to Laura, clear whatever she's fighting, and regroup.

>>2739768
>>2739679
>>2739635
>>2739545
>>2739521

Regroup it is.

Writin'

File: Laura_BitterFight.png (491 KB, 671x665)

491 KB PNG

>>2739497

Gritting your teeth, you turn on your heel and sprint back to where you left Laura. You might be turning your back on incoming enemies, but the simple fact is that you just don't know enough about the young lady to have any faith in her ability to fight on her own.

Jumping over a downed tree, you come to a clearing that's see a serious amount of fighting in the time you've left it. There's a single hobgoblin face down in the dirt, bleeding from a massive hole in its back, but that's the only one that's been killed thus far.

Laura's desperately fighting for her life, teeth barred as she rapidly alternates between blocking attacks from the front and back. She's got a few cuts on her, but aside from that she's fine.

Still charging in, you bring your shield up and blindside one of the hobgoblins, sending it flying off its feet. Turning on your heel, your claymore comes around in a wide horizontal slash, forcing the other to back step out of the way.

Which runs it right into the point of a bastard sword, that easily rips its chest to pieces. With that taken care of, you walk over to where the sole survivor is struggling to get to its feet and bring the point of your claymore through its head. Pulling the sword clear, you look over at where Laura is resting against her blade, eyes darting around the area.

Back from where you came, more and more snarls echo out into the air.

Now what?
> Set up for another ambush, stick together this time.
> Sneak out of the thicket, go for the two elites and their commander.
> Laura's not looking too hot; it's time to go.
> Other

>>2739905
> Set up for another ambush, stick together this time.

>>2739905
>Set up for another ambush, stick together this time.
We can go for another one.

>>2739905
>> Set up for another ambush, stick together this time.

>>2739905
> Set up for another ambush, stick together this time.

>>2739905
Sneak out of the thicket, go for the two elites and their commander

>>2740091
>>2740045
>>2739926
>>2739912

Another ambush.

> Roll me three 1d100+10's please

Rolled 51 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2740175

Rolled 29 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2740175

>>2740175

>>2740184
you dun goofed

Rolled 18 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2740175

>>2740177
>>2740181
>>2740210
Yikes. These are some dogshit rolls

Rolled 24, 35, 91 + 5 = 155 (3d100 + 5)

>>2740175

[LAURA ACTIVITY]

>>2740221
61 isn't all bad. It's above average.

>>2740224
>96
fucking shit m8s. this a tough one.

Rolled 23, 51, 11, 46, 51, 68, 50, 56, 28, 53, 72, 25, 13, 2, 33, 72, 73, 85, 11, 16 + 2 = 841 (20d100 + 2)

>>2740175

[HOBGOBLIN SOLDIERS ACTIVITY]

>>2740224
Thank you Laura for carrying the team for the times we slip on banana peels.

>>2740224
oh wait this is Laura's roll. 96 is a good thing.

>>2740226
only 5 peaked above 61. not bad I guess.

>>2740177

That's a 61 and a 96 versus a lot of numbers; mixed results.

Writin'

>>2739905

Taking stock of your immediate surroundings, being right in the middle of a small clearing within the thicket, you come to the only reasonable conclusion on how to survive the next several minutes, "Laura, stay behind me, okay? I'm gonna take their attacks, and you kill 'em while they're recovering."

All you get in response is a slight nod, the girl focusing mainly on hefting her bastard sword, but it's as good as you're going to get as five of the more experienced hobgoblins break through the treeline and charge you. Bringing your Kite Shield up to greet them, you wince slightly as a shoddy axe and club impact the metal, making it screech out in protest as you balk them. Following the plan, Laura comes around your left side and jabs her blade right into the chest of one as you decapitate the other.

Both of you back up slightly, not only to give yourself some breathing room but to also reset in preparation for the next attack. Only, it doesn't exactly come. The remaining three follow your shuffle steps, but make no moves to attack beyond waving their weapons at you threateningly.

By the time your instincts flare, which coincide with a yelp of surprise from the young woman by your side, you're flung to the side by several hobgoblins slamming into you from your blindspot.

[1/3]

I've been thinking. Can we use the shield to absorb the weapons entirely as they hit the shield?

>>2740305

The next seconds are a blur of motion, scrambling hands, and snarling faces as you fall into a heap with six of the meatshield hobgoblins piling on top of you. Rolling with it, you manage to get your shield arm free, though one of the monsters firmly wraps itself around your right arm and refuses to budge, and begin smashing your way out.

Teeth and blood fly through the air as your shield cracks against skull, your attacks having no rhyme or reason to them until you manage to brute-force yourself to a knee. You make another attempt at ripping your claymore free, but two hobgoblins draw their weapons and swing them at your neck. Forced to intercept them, you knock both aside and slam the edge of the scarred metal into the forehead of one, causing it to slump to the ground lifelessly. It almost doesn't matter, as three more reinforce the other, all of them getting ready to put you down.

Again forced to think fast, you let go of your greatsword and pull your hand free, ducking under the first of their attacks as you pull one of the longswords from within the shield. It's edges are twisted and ragged, and the surface of it looks like it's been burned entirely, but the weapon works exactly as intended when you stab it through the skull of another hobgoblin before it can attack. Not waiting for the others either, you bodily crush one between a nearby rock and your shield, gritting your teeth as you bounce off the attack to deflect a wild swing with your longsword and remove the arm holding the offending shortsword in the same motion.

The last one charges at you, spear held high as it does, so you wait for it to get near before thrusting your blade through its heart. It slumps against you as it dies, wrapping its arms against yours in one last, spiteful action. Attempting to free your weapon, once again, is interrupted by the other hobgoblin running into your back again, making you grunt and fall to a knee. With a growl, you drop the longsword with the full intention of brutally killing this annoying bastard when you see what's right in front of you.

One of the more experienced hobgoblins snarls at you before bringing a crude warhammer down right on your chest piece. The force of the blow staggers you, making you awkwardly land then roll over the one beneath you, and sends you back with your breath stolen from you. Back down to just your shield, you begin forcing yourself back to your feet, ready and willing to break that fuckers skull when you're interrupted.

Interrupted by the area in front of you exploding.

[2/3]

File: Laura_BerserkerKittyCat.jpg (240 KB, 800x797)

240 KB JPG

>>2740315

[3/3]

Thankfully, it's not close enough to injure you, but the wave of burnt flesh that rolls over you is rather revolting; if it was a different species' flesh you'd be vomiting at this point.

Forcing yourself to your feet properly this time, and making sure that you're not going to get blind sighted for a third time today, you're treated to the sight of Laura picking up your dropped longsword, a look of absolute fury on her face.

There's not many hobgoblins left, even including the ones that you forgot about, but the survivors snarl at the girl in their own animalistic rage, bearing what's left of their weapons.

It's an attitude that they almost drop when Laura falls upon them, both swords moving entandem reap a bloody toll, the bastard sword in particular cuts through their armor like its not there to begin with. Strangely enough, you note that she's mainly focusing on the side wielding the longsword, while she swings her main weapon with a kind of whimsical attitude. Strange...

Granted, you're not really one to talk.

Still, you're not just going to sit around on your ass, so you heft your shield in both hands once more and charge in, interrupting an attempted counterattack by crushing a pair of hobgoblins into a tree hard enough that the wooden trunk cracks.

Turning to the rest of them, you watch Laura impale the last one with her bastard sword. Taking advantage of the few seconds of piece, you retrieve your claymore, returning it to your side considering how using it has gone, before catching the longsword she tosses to you.

With your entire body feeling like one large bruise, you make the executive decision, "Laura, we're leaving."

> And that's where I have to leave things off for the night. We'll continue things tomorrow when I get out of work, so keep an eye out for it around 3:30 PM EST.

>>2740338
Where do you get those images OP ? Also, goodnight

>>2740364
Anyone remember how much we would be getting for each of these fuckers?

>>2740364
Tensei Shitara Ken deshita

AKA I reincarnated as a sword. Manga.

>>2740411
Idk it was per head or ear we gave him soo we might want to cut some off
But we got paied today

>>2740417
Arigatou

>>2739521
I figure she's like an apprentice that neither party has realized is an apprentice yet.

>>2740225
We roll best of three, 61 is well below average. It's like rolling a 20 on a single d100.

Especially when we get a +10 bonus. The original best roll of 51 is like rolling a 13.

>>2741284
I consider a 50 an average if we ignore mods

>>2741638
An unmodded 50 is the average for a single 1d100. However a 50 is NOT the average of three 1d100s, instead it's 79.37.

Think of it like this. If DC was 50 and only one dice is used, the probability of rolling a 51 or higher is exactly 50%. BUT, if 3 dices are used, then the chances of rolling something equal or above 51 is 1(or 100%) - (0.50)x(0.50)x(0.50) = 0.875, or 87.5 % chance of success.
Thus going in reverse, the average of 3 1d100s should result in a 50% chance of success, or 0.50, which roughly = (0.79)x(0.79)x(0.79).

Back now and writin'

>>2740480

It's per ear, so you can take both.

>>2740411

Two silver coins per ear.

>>2741725
I see you are an anon of culture and taste as well.

File: CalbourneFortress_Centers(...).png (490 KB, 675x372)

490 KB PNG

>>2740338

Working quickly, you and Laura remove the ears from the odd nineteen or so hobgoblins that you've slain in this part of the thicket. You'd love to go grab the others, but from the sounds of what's approaching there's yet another wave of them coming; it's not exactly a fight that you're comfortable taking on currently. Even without a full haul, the two of you still make your escape with a number of trophies, though a number of them were destroyed in the fighting.

> You have obtained: 34 Hobgoblin Ears!

Making it back to the road, not bothering to wait and find out if you're being followed, you take it back in the direction of the fortress. Oddly enough, you don't run into any other adventurers or mercenaries on the way but you also don't encounter any more hobgoblins.

Neither of you slow down until you make it to your previous campsite, the towering stone walls within view across the gorge a bit comforting. Settling into a place that gives you a good view of the road you just took, you pull out your claymore and inspect it. There's some more damage to it, but it's not quite at the point where you need to worry about it. Across from you, Laura does the same to her own bastard sword, though from a cursory glance it looks absolutely spotless. You really need to ask her where she found such a weapon.

Looking up at the sun, you figure that it's the early afternoon by now, your little foray into East taking far longer than you realized.

Putting your greatsword away, you consider what to do next.
> Go meet up with Dural at the Adventure's Guild; from what little you've spoken with him he seems to be a local expert.
> Go over to that merchant's tent, trade your ears for coins, and warn anyone around there of how organized the hobgoblins are.
> Train with Laura.
> Talk to Laura.
> Other

>>2741942
> Go over to that merchant's tent, trade your ears for coins, and warn anyone around there of how organized the hobgoblins are.
Gotta grab the cash first

>>2741942
> Go over to that merchant's tent, trade your ears for coins, and warn anyone around there of how organized the hobgoblins are.
Then I think we should buy some more rations and food, then find a whetstone, maybe even a Smith.

>>2741942
>Ask Laura what's up with that bomb ass sword

>>2741942
> Go over to that merchant's tent, trade your ears for coins, and warn anyone around there of how organized the hobgoblins are.
And we probs pissed them off more as well

>>2742004
>>2741980
>>2741977

Coins it is.

Writin'

>>2741942

Standing up, you grab the bag containing your gruesome bounty and wave towards Laura, "C'mon, girl, let's go get paid."

She doesn't respond to you, cautiously looking between your helmet and your left gauntlet, but the young lady does fall into line behind you. Taking what you can get, you give the road behind you one last view before walking over to the path leading to the bridge.

This time, you're let in without much of a fuss, just being required to remove your helmet for a few seconds before being waved in. The atmosphere in the square is far more subdued than before, in fact there's hardly anyone around, though you pay it no further heed as you walk to the marketplace.

It's rather easy to find the tent in question, as there's a few guards, who are obviously sell-swords, idling about. The other merchants look at where you're heading as you pass, and several glance at you while you do but none do more than that. Curiosity piqued, you stride past the mercs and into the temporary setup.

The interior is almost bare, a few remaining items scattered about telling of what was once in stock, but sitting behind a longer table is a gaudy, well-dressed man with a tall, neurotic man standing just off to the side of him. Both take some measure of interest at your entrance, as whatever conversation they were having immediately ends, but you ignore that in favor of striding right up to the table and depositing your haul right in front of them.

"Thirty-four Hobgoblin ears," You lead with, staring them down from behind your helm. Both visibly start at your words, glancing between one another a split second later, "A silver coin each was the deal, gentlemen."

"T-Thirty-four?!" The thin man exclaims, pulling open the bag and slowly beings to count them. After a few seconds of that, he gives you a look that's part disbelief and part astonishment, "T-That... Where did you go to find so many? The deal was to clear the Eastern road, not elsewhere!"

Reaching up, you take off your helmet just so they can both see the look on your face, "They were around the Eastern road, yes. What, you want me to bring you the corpses as well?"

"Gentlemen," The merchant puts his hands up, looking for a moment like he's going to push against you before having second thoughts. With his friend, adviser, or whatever placated, the man looks at you with a grimy smile, "Good sir, please understand; our exclamation at your... collection is not because we do not believe you, but rather because we are taken aback by the difference between your own and the few other groups who have come to collect their rightful reward. So, please, relax, and here, your silver," He counts out a series of coins before pushing them across the table to you.

> You have obtained: 34 Silver Coins!

"Now," The merchant grins at you with almost childlike glee, "Perhaps we can discuss... future endeavors?"

Now what?
> Ask what he means.
> Ask about the other groups.
> Ignore him and leave.

>>2742269
> Ask what he means.
I'm still miffed we didn't pocket the weapons of the fallen hobgoblins or use the illusion magic for more backstabs.

>>2742269
>Ask what he means.
>Ask about the other groups.

We gotta go full interrogation

>>2742269
It was 2 silver an ear

>>2742269
>> Ask what he means.

>>2741778
>Two silver coins per ear.

>>2742269
>Thirty-four pairs of Hobgoblin ears
Does this mean we should have 68 silver?

>>2742316
17 pairs man
>>2742269
> Ask what he means.

>>2742316
>>2742303

Oops, you're right in that should be 68 silver.

>>2742292
>>2742302
>>2742311

Ask what he means it is.

Writin'

>>2742365
check em. d-d-double the money!

>>2742387
how far was the location of our Hobgoblin murder spree?

>>2742269

Sliding the coins off the table and into your grasp, you pull your helmet back over your head before looking down at the merchant, "And what 'future endeavors' are you speaking of?"

If anything, he manages to look even more pleased than before, "Well, clearly a man of your profession and experience is not wanting for work, but, as I'm sure you've already noticed, I personally employ a number of individuals like yourself as part of my retinue. These are dangerous times, and I'm more than willing to pay quite handsomely for skilled swordsmen as appropriate compensation."

Narrowing your eyes at the man, your expression hidden once again, you don't say a word as you pocket the silver and turn to leave.

You hear a few whispers from behind you, but none of them are distinct enough until the merchant calls out as you get to the flap, "Take your time on deciding; my offer is always open."

Stepping out into the open market, you head over to where Laura is just looking over the area. She glances over at you as you approach, turning to regard you fully, "Not a fan of talkin' kid?" A blank look is all you get in return, eliciting a sigh in response as you pull out the reward you obtained. It does feel like you got more than you thought you would, but that's how it is with bags of coins. Pulling out a couple, you consider how the gal probably saved your life before pulling out even more and offering them to her, "Here; you earned it."

Laura blinks as her hand tips down under the weight of the coins, looking them over with fascination before tucking the bag underneath her cloak. "Never had this much before.." She mutters under her breath, a few notes of bashfulness to her words.

Making sure to secure your own bounty, you're about to consider what to do next when the young lady reaches up to tap you on your shoulder, "...yeah?"

"I wanna duel you, Morgan," There's hints of that iron-clad determination that you saw when you first met Laura in her eyes, giving you pause as you return her gaze. You've no idea what's going through her head right now, nor do you know if she's got a clue about your current 'occupation', but maybe she's gonna try to solve things this way.

Now what?
> Agree, ask the Adventure's Guild if they've got an arena to duel in.
> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.
> Agree, but take care of something else first (what?).
> Decline, now's just not the time.

>>2742564
> Agree, but take care of something else first (what?).
I want to get more rations, water and a whetstone. That's all we need to fix the bastard sword right? If it's not then I guess we'll need to get it looked at by a black smith. One would think that the blood of the slain or the fact we got the damn thing from a demon lord, that it wouldn't have a scratch on it.

>>2742564
>> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.

>>2742564
>> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.

>>2742564
> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.

>>2742564
> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.

>>2742564
> Agree, ask the Adventure's Guild if they've got an arena to duel in.
Would be the safest place to do
And itl open the doors for more work ether with a gourp or someone eils
And others might wanan look at the girl

>>2742795

Sparring outside the walls lets her ask the questions she wants to ask without concern though.

and what do you mean other people might want to look at the girl?

>>2742798
People wanna see a cute grill fighting

>>2742810
More importantly, are we going to spar using our main weapons, or will we pull out some of the demonic looking weapons for practice?

>>2742820
Can't pull out the acquisitions in the fort.

would end poorly

>>2742827
speaking of acquisitions, we still gonna rob the armory?

>>2742834
I feel as though that plan, while entertaining, is not something we should do without a very well thought out escape plan

>>2742840
>go in with the kite shield
>take everything and leave no evidence
>illusion magic to create an opportunity to get out

>>2742564
>> Agree, but have the duel outside the fortress.

What happened to that Warlock chick? I want her to find us more demons to kill.

>>2742798
She could stil ask those when where not in fron tof people.
And people would to aks her to join groups, or for training,

>>2743177

Verona is still around Briar Glen, working on figuring out where those winged Hell Knights came from between keeping her hometown from collapsing and whatever Hyancia asks her to do.

>>2742574

Morgan very specifically asked for a weapon that was entirely mundane when he got that claymore. On the topic of supplies, I’ll give you the chance to take care of that later on.

>>2742640
>>2742651
>>2742689
>>2742706

Duel outside it is.

Writin’

File: DF7B7749-0A82-4DA4-B41E-2(...).jpg (59 KB, 383x322)

59 KB JPG

>>2742564

Staring her down, you consider your options. It’d be smart to ask the Guild if they’ve got an area specifically for dueling, but you get the feeling that there are things she wants to ask about that she couldn’t there. So, with only one real options, you nod before speaking, “Alright, kid; you want that challenge so bad you’ll get it. But let’s get outside the city first. I don’t want to accidentally destroy something during the fight.”

She nods resolutely back to you, gripping the part of the wrap around her bastard sword that keeps it secured to her back, “Nh; let’s go.”

Without anything else to say, you walk out of the fortress, neither of the guards on duty paying you any heed, and decide on heading due West. You make sure to go for a while, partially to get some distance from any guards patroling the walls but also to check for anyone following you. After confirming that you’re all alone, you look about the area for a relative flat place to have this duel. It doesn’t take long at all to find a part of the terrain that won’t risk you breaking an ankle, and stride over to the other side of it before drawing your claymore.

“Alright, here we are,” Giving the sword an experimental swing with one hand to confirm that you weren’t injuried fighting the hobgoblins. There’s no pain, aside from a dull ache, so you twirl it around one last time before planting the tip of it into the dirt, “We’ll do this until first blood; no need to kill one another over a duel.”

Laura releases the wrappings from her blade, smoothly bring the bastard sword around into a two-handed duelist’s stance, the tip of it pointed squarely at you.

You stare her down, as if daring her to make the first move, while you consider how to do this.
> Go all out. She needs to learn who exactly she’s dealing with.
> Go offensive, but pace yourself.
> Go defensive; get a feeling for her attacks.
> Other

Activate Bulwark?
> Y
> N

>>2743471
>> Go defensive; get a feeling for her attacks.

>>2743471
>> Go defensive; get a feeling for her attacks.
Activate Bulwark?
>> Not yet

>>2743471
> Go defensive; get a feeling for her attacks.
Activate Bulwark?
> Y

>>2743471
> Go defensive; get a feeling for her attacks.
> Y

>>2743480
>>2743481
>>2743484
>>2743486

Defensive with Bulwark it is.

> Roll me three 1d100+10’s please

Rolled 93, 70, 87 + 5 = 255 (3d100 + 5)

>>2743492

[LAURA ACTIVITY]

Rolled 99 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2743492

Rolled 87 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2743492

>>2743498
we got good bois

Rolled 41 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2743492
inb4 critfail

>>2743502

It’s a good one, but I still need one more.

>>2743518

Never mind.

>>2743498

That’s a 109 versus a 98, Success.

Writin’

>>2743471

In the few seconds of silence that pass, you decide to let Laura set the pace for now. After all, the entire point of this duel is to test herself against you so you might as well let her get some good swings in. Still, it doesn’t mean that you’ll just sit there and take what she dishes out. With that in mind, you pull your claymore free with one hand and, with a thought, summon your Bulwark. The twisted, ravaged form of a Kite Shield morphs out of your left gauntlet, the sound of straining and breaking metal filling the air for a haunting moment. Bringing it up to cover most of your body, you let your greatsword stay low and so the side, clearly telling her that you’re ready.

Laura wastes no time in rushing forwards, her first attack a straight-on thrust that you take a single step to avoid. She dances back before you can counter attack, giving herself enough room to get ready for another attack. You don’t bother chasing after her, just waiting there with your shield still firmly interposed between you two.

“That shield...” The young woman speaks up suddenly, beginning to circle you as she does. To her credit, the grip on her bastard sword doesn’t waver in the slightest and her eyes are firmly on you. If you intended to use your magic, this would be the moment to use misdirection to your favor.

Considering how she doesn’t say another word after that, just continuing to walk a circle around you that forces you to follow her, you imagine she wants a response, “... what about it?”

Apparently that was the opening she was looking for, as the girl surges forward with a rapid slash that you deflect to the side. Despite just how fast that attack was, you’re still able to bring your greatsword around in an attack of your own, missing her by a hair as she regroups once again.

Staring you down, you note that she’s right back to where she started, though now she’s bringing her blade up into a higher stance - thinking of going for a overhead slash perhaps? - before speaking again, “Where did you get it?”

Your response?
> “It’s a part of my armor.”
> “I got it off a Dreadknight before we met.”
> “It’s just a regular shield, Laura.”

And:
> Go all out
> Go offensive
> Continue going defensive
> Other

>>2743538
“I got it off a Dreadknight before we met.”
Go offensive

And lets use some magic as well

>>2743548

That would constitute ‘Go all out’

>>2743538
> “I got it off a Dreadknight before we met.”
> Go offensive
Let's use some magic to trick her.

>>2743549
oh never mind about magic. stick to going offensive. How can the MC improve his skill?

>>2743552

Which one? Morgan’s got skills in Perception, Danger Sense, Minor and Major Illusions, Invisibility, and Longsword, Greatsword, and Unarmed Fighting.

>>2743550

Again, using magic is what ‘Go all out’ is for.

>>2743549
Ok then no magic we save that for the finsher

>>2743550
When we do we should make fak arows fly at her
Or make it so it looks like our sword is coming at a differnt angle
Or even fake blood driping down her face

>2743538
>"I got it off a Dreadknight before we met"

Is this one of those technical truths?

>>2743563
eh, the blood one is a bit too cheaty in this case. because its a duel to first blood and all

>>2743569
Yes and no
Its thr truth that we got it from a Dreadknight but we nlt telling her that we are one befor that happened
Or even better we could just tell her its magic no need to explain shit

>>2743555
I said stick to regular offense and forget about using magic

>>2743571
True but that wouldnt matter only the win will shes going to have to mearn people arnt going to fight fair, we sure as shit dont, we almost the hound just without thr good looks

>>2743572

The act of transforming the shield and it itself are a bit too ominous to be passed off as regular magic.

>>2743569

Technically, yes.

>>2743548
>>2743550
>>2743569

Got it off a Dreadknight and Go offensive it is.

> Roll me three 1d100+10’s please

Rolled 82 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2743581

Rolled 50, 98, 70 + 5 = 223 (3d100 + 5)

>>2743581

[LAURA ACTIVITY]

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>2743581

Rolled 15 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>2743581

92 vs 103

clever girl

>>2743583

That’s a 92 versus 103, Failure.

Gotta stop things for now, as I’m meeting up with a few friends. Not too sure when the next update’ll be out; might be able to get one up tonight or it might be on Saturday. Either way, I’ll post what it is on twitter/discord, so see you then.

>>2743612
are you dead?

>>2749141
We dead

>>2761683
Thread is dead

>>2761827
We go to hell

>>2761834
We already did that though.

>>2761849
then this quest, just like the Mc shall return bigger, better, with cooler looking shit.