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>>5300829
Still licking your wounds from the encounter with the faceless entity, now revealed to have the silver eyed occultist residing and leading the mass off souls conglomerated into a single person, you decide to take the rest of the day off to check on your party and recuperate any losses you might have had while visiting the Hill of Swords.

Despite the initial shock coming from Hyde having his memories forcefully taken from him, the hunter seemed to be recovering swiftly, only misremembering when he departed from Ilos and beyond.

"You'd think I'd forget a partner in crime like ya this easy? I know my faith is strong, but I would mind if you had some in me" Hyde says as Violet the harpy nuzzles her head on his hands.

His aim took a turn for the worse, given how his pinpoint accuracy in long distance combat seemed to fail when he took several tries to hit a marble on his target with his slingshot, but combat experience and fuzzy memories aside, he's pretty much intact.

The reason why the entity did not remove his ability to think or just straight up kill him is still something you'll have to ponder on later.

At the following day, Rickert and Erica (the real one) were there to have a final talk with your group before departing.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? Your abilities would be a valuable asset to our team."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'll have to pass for now. The cannon I fired botched some of the swords I placed on the hills, and even if it was a necessity, I would feel ashamed in leaving my comrades' graves in such a shoddy state."

The gesture doesn't come from Rickert's need to improve on forging weapons, but out of genuine respect for the Falcons.

"I see, and after that's done...?"
"...Frankly, fighting that enemy made me ponder on how easy it is to place Erica in harm's way, so I would like to stay out of trouble."

"Not an easy wish to grant, given our state of affairs. Plenty of people have been evacuating towards Vritannis in hopes of being housed by the rich, rumor says it that they're forming armies on the docks to fight the Kushan that way."

"...It's not the Kushan I'm worried about. I want to go the opposite way. Have a meeting with Griffith, to clarify what he really did."

"Aren't you afraid of being caught in the crossfire?"
"It's not something I plan to do right now, maybe I'll wait for things to settle before departing, or for it to get worse. Besides, Griffith knows me. As soon as I show my badge from the old Band, they will surely see that I'm on their side."

Given how Griffith treated you in the past, it's hard to know if he'll care in the slightest about Rickert's visit.

>There's no need. You've heard Guts' side of the story, he's as bad as you think he is.
>I understand the need for closure, just make sure you stay safe.
>I'm sorry for taking part on the vandalism of their graves.
>How much for that portable cannon? Hyde might have some use for it.
>Write-in.

>>5300862
>Write-in
"Considering what Griffith has done to our comrades, it should be noted that he cannot be fully trusted, even for a second. If you do decide to meet with Griffith, keep Erica far away from him as possible. I learned first hand how he can manipulate others."
and
>How much for that portable cannon? Hyde might have some use for it.

>>5300862
>There's no need. You've heard Guts' side of the story, he's as bad as you think he is.
>I understand the need for closure, just make sure you stay safe.
>How much for that portable cannon? Hyde might have some use for it.

>>5300891
Changing it to this +1

>>5300878
"Considering what Griffith has done to our comrades, it should be noted that he cannot be fully trusted, even for a second. If you do decide to meet with Griffith, keep Erica far away from him as possible. I learned first hand how he can manipulate others." You make sure to warn Rickert of Griffith's true identity a second time.

"Even if I'm not there to fight by his side? I don't think we would go that far... I mean, manipulating Erica? A little kid?"

"Especially the little ones, those minds are the easiest to corrupt with spoils." You reminisce about Zhafira's brother, wondering what became of the innocent musician in this world of warfare.

"I am not leaving Rickert's side, no matter what! Who else is going to keep me safe and make me my sweets?" Erica puffs her cheeks.

"I do hope you consider me for more than food..." He talks back, but the hug he receives in return shows she's merely saying it in jest.

"Having each other to rely on is already a good weapon to rely on. Speaking of weapons..." You ask Rickert if he would be willing to sell the portable cannon so Hyde's sharpshooting could be improved.

"I already have the schematics for it, so I don't mind giving it to you for free, honestly. Think of it as a thank you gift for helping me out with Erica."
"Make sure to clean the pipes, or it'll go BOOM on your face!" Erica reminds you that the cannon is only a prototype, and likely prone to jam or overheat. But with Hyde having plenty of knowledge in several ways of fighting, surely that factor won't hinder him often.

Departing to Cromwell with a new weapon, you say goodbye to the humble duo and stay on the main road, making sure to avoid any onlookers and unnecessary encounters until you reached Bolzack's domain. Your group can't afford to waste energy on meaningless fights.

Alas, even when keeping your face hidden by your helm and only letting Hyde go out on towns to buy supplies (seeing as he was the only one not on a wanted list) the closer you got to your destination, the more you noticed a few bandit groups eyeing you from afar.

First it was only one, then two, then a whole group, rustling in the forests. Neither they or their intentions being subtle as you read their minds and guessed exactly what they wanted.

Even if you're not at your best, these men are fodder, but since you're already close to the main towns, maybe it might be a good opportunity for less experienced companions partake in some training.

>Let Violet scare them away.
>See if Hyde can blow their cover.
>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up
>Unnecessary. Gunpowder can outrun them all, or kill them. Whatever happens first.

>>5300911
>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up

>>5300862
The slap will happen soon.

>There's no need. You've heard Guts' side of the story, he's as bad as you think he is.
>I understand the need for closure, just make sure you stay safe.

>>5300878
+1.

>>5300911
>>5300973
>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up
It's the least we can do.

>>5300911
>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up

But things are more unruly than Farnese or Serpico to handle, we could always rely on Gunpowder to stamp them out.

>>5300911
>>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up

>>5300911
>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up
Time to kick some bandit ass.

>>5300911
>>Watch over Zhafira as Farnese attempts some spells. Serpico can back her up
>Write in
Remember to keep a tight guard from now on, don't give any kind of trust to strangers and avoid splitting up or being away for entire hours. The demon might return and do another trick or two. Or no for being completely honest.
It has become strong and skilled enough it could fight and kill all of us. Is only problems is anything he doesn't know and being alone, both of this problems can be fixed. One with experience in combat and the other in more than one way.
Lastly keep an eye on Hyde, and see if we can help him remember.


///
Next time, we need to escape or kill the demon with the aid of the rest of our party, otherwise it will just keep growing in strength. And we can't have that if we are trying to reach the orb.

>>5300976
>>5300995
>>5301033
>>5301086
>>5301128
"Serpico, Farnese? You're up." You decide to order them to fight against these minor enemies.

"Understood." Serpico shows confidence as he exits the caravan with sword in hand, but Farnese's shaking hands make her effectiveness a bit more dubious.

"M-me!?"
"Remember what you trained for, Farnese. I have faith in you." Your words of reassurance only made her eyes widen with pressure, she really isn't that used to fighting, but at least she won't be in danger as much as fighting an apostle.

"Hey, what's this girl you got here?"
"Damn! I've not seen such a pretty one like this in a while! We can get a good deal if we sell her."
"Selling? To hell with that, she's staying with us-" as they start to fight amongst themselves, Serpico punctures one or the bandits on their throat before returning to his fighting stance.

"No need to create enemies on your group. The one you face here should be enough." Serpico makes sure to draw attention to him while Farnese checks on which magical circle to draw a few steps back.

"Let's see... This one is for protection, evasion, energy transfer... Oh! This one should be useful." Farnese's hands are still trembling as she marks out a semicircle and starts doing her runes.

Serpico's skillful swordsmanship allows him to barely avoid the bandits attacks in perfect timing, even if they're on horse ride, he always finds a way to poke at their cavalry and outrange them that way. If the enemy has an advantage over him, he's always sure to use their upside in his favor.

Seeing how none of them could land a hit on Serpico without risking certain death, one bandit swerved past him to see if he could land a hit on Farnese. Seeing as how she tuned the action out to focus on drawing, she had a split second to react, and you knew she lacked the reflexes to dodge the knife in the enemy's hand.

"You're coming with me!"

"Eek!" She covers her head with her arms as she hunches inside the circle, and with her body blocking the view of what she drew, you could only recognize that she did something related to transferring energy at long distances.

Perhaps she drew the wrong spell? This wasn't the time to improvise.

>Intervene.
>Hope her plan works out.

>>5301338
>Hope her plan works out.
As much as I really want to intervene, I really think Farnese is up to something with her spell. We need to actually SHOW that we have faith in her, Vlad says he has faith so let him show it by not intervening, besides, how is going to become an effective team member and grow as a person if she is sheltered by Vlad every time something goes slightly off plan? Isn't that the same as Mozgus and what he did? We need to be better than Mozgus and every other idol she's had by showing her what she's capable of.

>>5301338
>>Hope her plan works out.
Just be ready if we need to

>>5301343
>>5301349
"Lady Farnese!" Serpico curses himself for letting a bandit go past him, having no faith in her succeeding without his help.

The bandit attempts to place Farnese into a chokehold, placing the blade of his knife against the neck, but as the man's hand reached farnese's body, he was flabbergasted to see his fingers passing right through her, almost as if she was merely a mirage

Lifting her head up to see if her spell worked, the young girl checked her runes again, proving that she actually combined two spells into one to aid in this fight: the first rune made her temporarily intangible to attacks until she ran out of energy, and the second was for Serpico to receive her Od transfer remotely.

Clasping her hands together and placing her palms on the floor, several white lines were formed as a path was formed towards Serpico, now empowered by his mistress' magical energy.

"Why can't I hit this broad!?" Farnese flinched every time his fists connected to her image, even if no pain was felt.

"What stupidity it is to ignore your primary adversary. Then again, I can thank you for handing me my victory."
Serpico pushes the man away with his scabbard as he appears beside him with a blink of an eye. However, not expecting the boost to his strength, the shove ended up sending the for several meters away as the crunch of his shoulder indicated the shattering of his arm.

The two blondes from your group were impressed by their own displays, albeit happy to prove their worth to their leader.

"Huh... I didn't mean to go that far."

"Is it over? This is the most I can do without resting." Farnese's pool of mana is enormous, so her request must come from the fact that her she's trembling so hard from the fight that you can almost hear her rapid fire heartbeat from where you stand.

"At ease, comrades! You've done plenty, and I couldn't be happier of your progress." You waltz out of the caravan to congratulate the two. "Let me handle things from here."

While the bandit is cursing in pain, he's the only one still alive from Serpico's rampage. His kills are a lot cleaner than yours, seeing as there was barely any blood coming out of their bodies, you wonder where he picked that up.

"Curses! So this is what I get from taking a nap before the main group invaded Cromwell! Can you blame me for not wanting to go? The place's a shithole! Taking that town over wont take more than a day!"

>How far are we from Bolzack's domain?
>If the Black Swordsman has reached Cromwell, you should consider yourself lucky to be alive.
>What do you know about Bolzack's experiments?
>Why is the town in poor conditions?
>Scram. I have nothing to say to you.
>Write-in.

>>5301338
>Hope her plan works out.
I agree with the anon who said we should show faith in Farnese and not coddle her like Mozgus and the Holy See did. We should let Farnese get skills and experience.

and if a Write-in is allowed:

>Use telepathy on Farnese and the bandit to see what she'll actually do.
If she's really frozen up without having any idea what to do, we could step in and give her an extra chance to act.

>>5301414
>How far are we from Bolzack's domain?
>What do you know about Bolzack's experiments?
>Why is the town in poor conditions?

I knew Farnese had a plan, I'm glad we trusted her.

>>5301414
wait a second,
>taking a nap before the main group invaded Cromwell
Ask him what he means by main group. How many soldiers they have, who is their leader, where are they located etc.

>>5301431
>>5301439
+1

>>5301433
I shall never doubt our wife again.

>>5301431
>>5301439
+1 to both.

>>5301431
>>5301439
+1

>>5301414
>How far are we from Bolzack's domain?
>What do you know about Bolzack's experiments?
>Why is the town in poor conditions?

Have Hyde and Serpico look in the bandits bodies for useful stuff, while we interrogate this guy.
Anything really, we can still put it to use. If Cromwell is on the way to Bolzack castle/estate, we can pass and save the people there. Send them to Ilos if needed.

And keep an eye around our camp.

>>5301439
Also support

The union needs to grow in strength.
I like Vlad titles. Lord, Knight and Member of the Union. Feels like he has reach a good point, after all that happened to him.

>>5301439
"Main group? How many of you bandits are there?"
"Everyone's a bandit around these parts, haven't you heard? I was still young when Bolzack started commanding the place. Don't know why he suddenly turned a blind eye to us, but pretty much our entire group decided to leave after he decided those Mandragorans showed. We knew we looked strong, so we all left with their best weapons before he asked us to protect the town fron those monsters, don't have more than a dozen with us on the other half.

"Mandragorans? Is this related to Bolzack's experiments?"
"Yeah! It's all his fault! Says he's been working on a cure to fix the disease while it spreads like wildfire! We've been waiting on it for years and nothing comes of it!"

"So that's why the town is in poor condition..." You shake your head, wondering if the people in town are really living in poor conditions, or if this is just the exaggerated opinions of some isolated minorities.

"If the place is in such a bad state, why did your group return to it?" Farnese asks the fallen adversary.

"Who else has a bunch of booty stashed for us to steal in these areas? We stay here on the road because it's easier to hide than inside the town, but we'll keep coming and going as many times as we need. Call it payback for taking so long in dealing with those Mandragorans! Ain't that right, Frank?" The bandit looks over to one of the corpses, only realizing he was dead after seeing his face.

"Ah, fuck you!" He spits at you in frustration, but his shoddy aim made it miss you entirely.

"How far are we from his domain?"
"A few hours, you can get there before sunset if you leave me the hell alone." He hunches over holding his bad arm in place.

>Take his money.
>Heal his arm and leave.
>Put him out of his misery.
>See if the fallen enemies have anything worth taking.
>Leave him there.
>Inquire for further information. (Write-in)

>>5301781
>Heal his arm and leave.
Vlad would not kill an unarmed (literally in this case with his broken arm) man.
>See if the fallen enemies have anything worth taking.
Maybe we can find some more information, like a journal or note on one of the bodies.

>>5301781
>>5301783
This +1

I'm not very familiar with the Berserk games, but do you guys think we could snag Bolzack along into the Union?

>>5301781
>Heal his arm and leave.
>See if the fallen enemies have anything worth taking.
>Inquire for further information. (Write-in)
"I will do something you don't expect and for it since you are a smart man, you will talk more and not only that. At the moment with this arm your wounds would become infected and become worse within a short time. You have no means for heal it, and any attempt on your own with your current exhaustion, after this fight would risk to create further damage."
Heal arm suddenly
"Now, what can you tell me of this Mandragorans ? Their numbers, can they fight ?"
"What of Bolzack, does he only consider research this days ? As a lord of Midland he would have soldiers and knights serving him, what happen to them ? Do they still protect Cromwell or their lord ?"

not questions next, still important i believe.
"Now i think you can imagine, that you have indeed pass a line that i do not accept. To put it bluntly, you are scum, you had choices and strength of arm and you still hunted the innocent. For your many crimes I should simply kill you, and i could easily do it giving you the same faith like your fellows on the ground. But I want to give you one single chance. Abandon here the man you have become, and go to Ilos. There choose something that is worthed, instead of living like a carrion bird that preys on the innocent."
"If I find you being a bandit or a criminal again, i will not give this mercy another time. Neither heal you. Consider this a possibility for a better life and a warning."
"Promise it on your life, bandit, and do not take the words you will say lightly."

>>5301885
This is very good. +1

>>5301783
>>5301794
"Well, not much we can do here then. This will only take a moment." Clasping the thief's broken arm, you transfer some of your energy to him so his fractured elbow could be fixed before the adrenaline in his body went away.

"Wh-what happened?" He checked his arm, incapable of believing the potency of your healing.

"Anything useful they carried with them?"
"Booze, a few silver coins and some low quality weapons. None of them carried any medicine with them, so I don't believe there were any of these Mandragorans with them." Hyde searched around the battlefield for anything that could catch his attention.

"I believe Bolzack would favor us if we gave his money back to him. Barnham did break his fingers during interrogation, so an apology gift is necessary to ease any underlying tensions."

"Got it, partner. I'll stash it separately from your own money."

"Wait a damn minute! What makes you think I'm ok with you killing my comrades and taking my hard earned money away!?" The bandit protests.

"I believe the correct term would be 'hardly earned' money." Serpico shakes his head.

"It's a small price to pay, to spare your life of crime after one of my men took your group down. Trust me, given how many strong warriors I walk with, things could have ended worse for you, so consider a few coins in reparations a good enough deal in exchange for us to never see you again."

"I'll have you know I'm worth a lot more than a mere 8 silver coins! If you cross paths with me again, you're dead, asshole!"

"Your weapon is still in your hands, isn't it? What's stopping you from lunging at me?" You stay still in front of him, calling out his empty bluff as he shows no intention of striking. Deep down, he knew justice would eventually be served, so when the time came for him, he became aware of how useless it would be to risk his life for the sake of escaping punishment.

"Thought so. Consider changing your ways, because the next time someone manages to stop your attacks, you will meet the same end as your comrades."

"Cya!" Zhafira sticks her tongue out to the bandit, leaving him alone in the plains as Serpico observes the grieving man.

Empathy was not to be seen in his mind.

After finally arriving in Cromwell, the town seemed fairly modest, an open bridge welcomed your caravan as you observed the stone constructions, the houses were so close to each other that they almost looked like one giant building.

While the Mandragoran disease was allegedly rampant here, you have yet to find any sickly inhabitants, as even when the townsfolk bacedk away from seeing your caravan passing by, they didn't exactly seem to be in a miserable mood.

As a familiar headache stung from feeling the scent of demonic energy, you assumed that Guts was indeed, somewhere in the city.

>Find a lodging for your horse.
>Have a meal with the group.
>Look for Guts.
>Search for information about the Mandragorans.
>Search for Bolzack's home.

>>5301909
>Look for Guts.
Meet up with the homie! Our interests align here.

>>5301909
>Find lodging for your horse
>Have a meal with the group
If they are hungry.
>Search for information about the Mandragorans.
>Look for Guts.

In that order.

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>>5301929
>>5301930
"Hyde, I'll let you take care of Gunpowder. Make sure to find an inn that can house us well." You hand him around 20 silver coins and hope that takes care of most of your expenses.

"Aye, Violet doesn't like the attention, so it's best for us to stay inside. I'll keep an eye on your horse, the two were just starting to get along!"

"Neeeeeigh!"
"Screeee!"
For some reason, you get the feeling that you don't want to know what they're saying to each other.

"I'll let you know how much it cost me when ya get back to me."

"Sure thing. Anyone want to come with me? It's time to search for Guts, and maybe get to know a little about the place we're in."

"I could use the exercise, surely someone must be at town square at this time of the afternoon." Serpico volunteers, giving a hand to Farnese as she helps Zhafira leave the caravan in return.

"This is where we will find a cure for you, Zhafira!" Farnese hopes to get a reaction from the harlequin, but she pays no mind.

"Why are you bringing me out here? If I was sick, I wouldn't be doing this with my hand!" She snaps the metallic compartments of her prosthetic hand and spins it's wrist in place.

"Don't do that! What if it breaks?"
"It won't! That's what makes it magical! Hahahaha!" Zhafira does her trademark laugh, much to Farnese's dismay as she keeps Zhafira's fake hand from snapping.

"Taking care of her is something else, isn't it?"
"You tell me..." Serpico shrugs with you as you observed Hyde, Violet and Gunpowder departing into the town.

Following the feral scent past the marketplace, you could only feign surprise when a familiar cape and a ridiculously large dragonslayer are seen lodged in Guts' back. Additionally, your ally against causality had company being together with Casca and Puck.

"Oh, you three again!? How do they keep finding us?!"
"Hm?!" Guts seemed a lot more alerted by your presence, maybe due to seeing you along with the two others who previously tried to imprison him.

"I swear there must be some sort of GPS on this guy's back!" Puck pokes at Guts' naps as he scratches the elf away from him. "Who's this girl, though? Aren't you a bit too old to be playing with costumes?"

"Hello!" Zhafira takes one puppet from the folds on her clothes, one that beared striking resemblance to the little guy.

"*Gasp*! What have you done with him!? That's not where your hand should be!" Puck panics, afraid of being the next one with a hand up his ass.

Guts merely stares in silence as Puck greets your group, sheltering Casca with his cape while keeping his eye on Serpico and Farnese.

Maybe you should say something to smooth things over.

>We're not hunting you down, Guts. You can relax.
>What's the matter, seen a Phantom?
>Looking for Elfhelm, right? My caravan has room for two.
>I imagine this union must be unexpected to you, given what you knew the last time we've met.
>Write-in.

>>5302049
>What's the matter, seen a Phantom?

>Write in: "Relax Guts; these people are now part of my union against the Godhand and the Apostles. They are no longer targeting you."

>Looking for Elfhelm, right? My caravan has room for two.

>>5302049
I'll back this stuff >>5302061
plus
>"How have things gone for your group since we last met? On our end, it's been a matter of shoring up our skills and...trying to heal what wounds were sustained during the ceremony, but it's been difficult to say the least. Especially with that faceless apostle hounding us at every turn. Keep your guard up, especially in a city like this - and whatever you do, be wary of anyone trying to touch you or your companions, no matter how benign the gesture may seem."

>>5302061
+1

>>5302061
>>5302206
+1 both

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>> local farmer boy, 14 years old
>>After a long day working goes to the lake to cool down.
>> As he wash himself, two figure suddenly appeared in his mind, two girls, his closest friends in the village, Rosine and Jill.
>>An enormous figure, a bug like monster emergingfrom the water, it's Rosine in her true form !
The boy is too shocked to run,
fear mixing with happiness and eros
ruling through his body, he stood still and was unable to move.
His long lost best friend, Rosine ,now in a twisted yet erotic and beautiful form, like a moth monster stood before him, her nake body expose infont of his eyes.
>> Ro..... Rosine.....is it you ? ....am I not dreaming ? Is this a sweet dream? or nightmare ?
>>Rosine didn't said a word, she just come closer, and grab you with her legs and hold you tight

>> You're more hansom then I remembered....much more mature.....
Iam looking for a king for my kingdom, would you be my king ?

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>>5302262
>> Be my slave, my love, my king and my knight, sworn to protect my fairy kimdom like a good husband and king.
>> All you need to to is follow me, and become like me !

>> I....... I can't..... I don't..... don't know how, the teen's body is burning red, he breath heavily
>> We.......we...... Rosine, we are not even married yet..... the preist always said.....
>> He didn't get to finish his words, because Rosine seal it with a soft kiss.

>> Your mouth said no, but body and heart had betray you, my love !
She said it in a playful manner, smiling at the teen.
>> Slowly, she she grab and drag you into her cocoon , her naked body against your naked body.
>>Good night, my love, We will make many fairy children together !

>>5302049
>We're not hunting you down, Guts. You can relax.
>Looking for Elfhelm, right? My caravan has room for two.

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>>5302267
>>5302262

With her words, you close your eyes and start to fell into deep sleep, you can feel your body is transformeing and morphing into something that may terrify you if you're still a normal 14 years old farm boy.
>>But you just don't care anymore, as Rosine's naked cool body against your, embrace together in her warm slimly cocoon,you felt warm and beloved, for the first time in many years.
>>So, the fairy tale were true...... this is what a king, a knight felt when they are with their life maiden love...... so warm, so hot, so romantic, and so...so lustful...
>> With that last thought, you fall in to total slumber and you dream, dream that you fly on the night sky, with Rosine and Jill on your side, a happy fairy kingdom, with lots of children !

>>5302061
Support

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>>5302061
>>5302206
"What's the matter, seen a Phantom?" You grin at him in jest, but he doesn't seem to let his guard down.

"..." Still waiting for an explanation, he would rather see you going straight to the point instead of playing around.

"Relax Guts; these people are now part of my union against the Godhand and the Apostles. They are no longer targeting you."

"Aren't you quick to trust them... Surely this isn't due to you being enamored by the girl?"

"No, that's not it. We're on our way to Vritannis, hoping she can prove my innocence. You're on your way there too, right? There's enough room for 2 if you want to join us until elfhelm."

"Hey! What do you mean, room for two?" Puck interrupted you, worried about not coming.

"Alright... Room for three it is." You sigh, not considering him due to his small stature.

"How did you know I was going there?" Guts asks.

"When it comes to ya, I always find a way to discover your whereabouts." You point to your forehead, taking pride in your knowledge.

"Hm." Guts ends the conversation with a grunt, seeming disinterested at your invitation. Something is definitely different in his attitude, given how he's in no mood to play around.

Is he being mistrustful of Farnese and Serpico? They weren't exactly fighting on his side during the incarnation ceremony, so he has a reason for them, but for you?

"Aaah..." Casca stumbles around as she seems to remember your face, which gets a reaction out of Zhafira.

"I don't think this little guy appreciates my arts! Maybe the girl over there will. Can you hold this for me?" She hands Casca a rope, preparing to do some sort of trickery, but Casca doesn't even tilt her head.

"Ignored again, haha! Why is everyone such a critic?"
"Don't stand so close." Guts takes a step forward and advises the harlequin not to get too touchy feely.

His change of attitude definitely comes from Casca. Knowing of a way to treat her, the mission gave him some new focus, maybe too much focus, as it's all that he currently thinks about.

The pressure from taking care of her by himself is definitely consuming him, since the aura of the apostle within him grows with each passing day. His stench is strong enough to make you think twice on touching him.

"You can do whatever you want, just don't get in my way."

>Isidro's not with you?
>Are you feeling alright? Your energy reads different from before.
>Did anything happen while you were by yourself?
>What led you to Cromwell?
>I've met Rickert not too long ago, good fellow, I'm glad we have a mutual friend now.
>Write-in.

>>5302306
>>5302267
>>5302262
Huh, so this is what I get for skipping lost children...

>>5302438
>Isidro's not with you?
>Are you feeling alright? Your energy reads different from before.
>Did anything happen while you were by yourself?
>What led you to Cromwell?
>I've met Rickert not too long ago, good fellow, I'm glad we have a mutual friend now.
Does guts know about the shape changing demon? If not then write in this too:
>"Guts, just so you know, I encountered a strange creature that is able to shapeshift perfectly into a person once it touches them, it has the unique ability to absorb memories and take their shape so I advise you to be carful about who you talk to around here. I think it was created by the collapsing of the tower. Luckily, the creature seems to have its soul composed of multiple people so I'm able to use my mind reading to identify it easily, maybe we should team up incase you meet anyone suspicious?"
or something like that

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>>5302448
"Isidro's not with you?" You notice the absence of the ginger haired kid with a loud mouth alongside him.

"Beats me where the kid is. He's always around following me at a distance. Still don't know why he hides when I know he's near, but that's the sort of brat he is."

"Maybe he's scared of the monsters you fight every night? You're not exactly known for sleeping peacefully. Did anything in particular came your way that would make him weary of approach?"

"Maybe to him, but not to me. Hard to say anything really shocks me in this world." Guts adverts his gaze, thinking of one particular time he encountered a terrifying apostle, but remembering that you can read minds, he starts thinking of something unrelated to it.

"It's nothing important. Perhaps I could tell you at a later date."
"Guts, are you... Feeling alright?" Finally addressing his attitude, you wonder if the monster within him is eating away at him.

"Take one good look at me, Vlad. It should take you that long to see that I'm just dandy." Guts forced a grin at you. Maybe it was supposed to be unconvincing. Don't make questions you know the answer to.

"At least you seem like yourself... Just so you know. We've found a shape shifting monster in the hill of swords, so it's best to be safe." You proceed to give him a rundown of what happened at Rickert's home, emphasizing how dangerous it would be to let the faceless entity run amok.

"If you plan on teaming up with me, then you better get used to fighting the monsters I do on a regular basis, because I don't have the slightest interest in babying you in your training. That goes for the rest of your group, too. I'm not turning into your leader and ordering you around, nor taking orders from you."

"Like we would ask for your help, troglodyte." Serpico growls, impatient with the Swordsman's behavior.

"Easy, Serpico." You wave your hand before he thought of picking up his sword. "Any reason in particular you came to Cromwell?"

"It was in my way." He simply replied. Could it be a that he doesn't know about the Mandragorans or the healing properties of Bolzack's research? How lucky is he to just stumble his way here?

"What, you expected this bozo to learn how to read a map? He just walks around and at best asks for directions." Speaking of which, we saved a girl named Rita from some bandits on our way here, she was about to perform in some sort of circus show. We were about to look for her since she invited us in but--" Puck is interrupted before his exposition ends.

"A SHOW!?" Zhafira jumps in place as her eyes sparkle. "CAN I COME? CAN I COME?CAN I COME?"

"Um..." The question was directed at Farnese, but she waits for you to have a final say, since you ain't got all the time in the world to sit down and relax to watch a show on town square.

>Sure, it wouldn't hurt to watch a spectacle.
>Alright, but don't try to seal the spotlight from the performers, Zhafira.
>I'd rather we go straight to Bolzack now.

>>5302487
>Alright, but don't try to seal the spotlight from the performers, Zhafira.

>>5302487
>Sure, it wouldn't hurt to watch a spectacle.
>Before that, though, I would like to fashion wearable wards for Guts and Casca. There's only so much time we have before the next sunset, and I'm sure they could use more rest than what they've gotten. It would be bad to invite dark spirits to the middle of a town anyways.

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>>5302442
Here's the follow up, and the ending

>>Rosine, whisper in his ear, soft and seductively, she kiss the teen on his neck, than to his chest, than to his belly.
>>And with her words, he close hiseyes and start to fell into deep sleep, he can feel his body is transformeing and morphing into something that may terrify him if he is still a normal 14 years old farm boy.
>>But he just don't care anymore, as Rosine's naked cool body against your, embrace together in her warm slimly cocoon he felt warm and beloved, for the first time in many years.
>>So, the fairy tale were true...... this is what a king, a knight felt when they are with their life maiden love...... so warm, so hot, so romantic, and so...so lustful...
>> A vision of naked Jill appears in his mind, with the green naked fairy queen Rosine on her side , weaving at him waiting for you to embrace them.
>> With that last thought, the teen fall in to total slumber and dream, dream of him flying on the night sky, with Rosine and Jill by his side, a happy fairy kingdom, with lots of children ! The three of them made love every night together in your fairy forest kndom, starts shining on the night sky....

>>5302506
+1

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>>5302519
>> The sweet memories of the three of them making love is going through his head, what a wonderful memories, but he needs to stop and be concentrated on fighting now, to stop the enemy of the kingdom.The former farmer teen think,
>>No longer a normal teen, but a bug like monster,. The once hansom teen had become creature from nightmare,
four long bee like insect arms , his skin had turn in to shell hard as steel armour, and his fingers had turn into claws sharp as the sword .The only remaining of his old self, is his somewhat still handsome face, now lay under his new insect head, a monstrous head with six large eyes , dark as deep water cave,and mouth with two lines of sharp teeth like blades.

>>"So.... you are her trump card huh ? Sold your soul just to become a ugly monster ? How pathetic ! Where is the girl !
>> The tall figure , in all black armour stood Infront of you. He is a fearsome warrior, he can tell, even though he's still just a human, he could still kill him with his large sword and bersrk like fighting spirit and skills.
>>The Dark Knight Roisne warm and told him about, a warrior of evil that will dystroy Rosine's fairy kingdom if not be stopped, an evil warrior that will took Jill away from him and Rosine.
>>The queens are waiting for him at the hive, he must win this battle, no matter how strong the Black Knight is !
>>With that last thought, the king of the misty forest fairy kingdom, launch his attack tword the warrior, his swords like sharp teeth and claws against the Black Knight's black sword as the warrior lift his sword up.
>>Bless me my queens ! Gave me your strength, the young king thought and shouts out as he made his move towards the Black swordman.

>>5302531
>>"I won ! I have defeated the Black Knight ! Rosine, Jill, my queens and my loves! I have won ! Our kindom is safe !
>>The young fairy king open the wooden door of their chamber in their hive, where his loves await. The two queens lay naked on their bed, kiss and making love with each other, as they see their king , return victorious, they cry snd in happiness and get off from their bed.

>>"Thanks God your alive ! Jill rush to the injure fairy king and gave him a warm hugs
>> "I always know you can do it, my love,
I made the right chose to make you my king and me and Jill's protector " Rosin ,still lay on her bad,side leaning her slander legs move smoothly and suggestively.
>> As he comes to the bed, he knows his battle was worth it.
He's body is badly injured, one eye blinded with scars, two out of four arms of his were cut off and still bleeding,multiple deep cut wounds are all over his body,half of his body was badly burn, and his insect head was almost ripped off.Its was a fearsome and bloody battle, the man is not human, so strong and so berserk , with rage like it's form hell, but the power of love had let him to the final victory, he had won....he had......won....wo
>>Darkness and silent follow

>>5302531
>>"I won ! I have defeated the Black Knight ! Rosine, Jill, my queens and my loves! I have won ! Our kindom is safe !
>>The young fairy king open the wooden door of their chamber in their hive, where his loves await. The two queens lay naked on their bed, kiss and making love with each other, as they see their king , return victorious, they cry snd in happiness and get off from their bed.

>>"Thanks God your alive ! Jill rush to the injure fairy king and gave him a warm hugs
>> "I always know you can do it, my love,
I made the right chose to make you my king and me and Jill's protector "
>>Rosin ,still lay on her bad side leaning,her slander legs move smoothly and suggestively.
>> As he comes to the bed, he knows his battle was worth it.
He's body is badly injured, one eye blinded with scars, two out of four arms of his were cut off and still bleeding,multiple deep cut wounds are all over his body,half of his body was badly burn, and his insect head was almost ripped off.Its was a fearsome and bloody battle, the man is not human, so strong and so berserk , with rage like it's form hell, but the power of love had let him to the final victory, he had won....he had......won....wo
>>Darkness and silent follow

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>>5302532
>>The pseudo-apostle dead beheaded body lay still on the forest ground, as Guts watching the body turn back to that of a young teen, about 14 years old.
His body horribly mutilated form the bloody battle minutes ago.His beheaded head had this wild grin on his face, like he's having a twisted fantasy.
>>For a brief moment, the black
swordman's heart was moved, the teen's youthful appearance had remind of himself, from a better time. But as he remembered what these monsters had done, Guts's heart turned cold and hard again.
>>He lifted his Dragon Slayer back to his back, and walk over the dead teen's body, there is more fight ahead of him, more twisted and dangerous evil he must cut down and kill, as he hears the furious cry and mourning come from the deep end of the forest. The apostle fairy queen cry in rage and sorrow, she will kill the black swordman, for killing her king, and for the kill making Jill sad and cry !

The End .....for now

Any anons who wants to add more contents to it is free to do so.
Like if Roisne actually love her "king" at all ? And what do an innocent girl like Jill think and feel about her best friend drag her into this erotic and crazy play house role playing game ?

>>5302535
I won't lie, I didn't read it because of the formatting. Switching between normal posting and greentexting is offputting.

>>5302506
+1

>>5302506
You mean like sowing wards into their clothes? That is a great idea! +1

>>5302506
+1

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>>5302563
>>5302491
>>5302526

"Sure thing, just don't interrupt the professionals at work." You comply in giving your comrades a good show. You did have a good time when an impaired Zhafira showed her talents, maybe a full on team of dancers and acrobats could throw you for a loop.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zhafira frowns, even though she was thinking of doing exactly that.

"I wonder what we'll be seeing there. it might not look as impressive as the things we see every day. But the fact that there's no ghouls involved is already pretty inviting." Serpico comments, feeling up for some light hearted fun, if that's what Farnese would like to see.

"Agreed, let's see what they have there."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Off to see the show!" Puck leads the way, the blue trail of dust indicating where Rita was.

Meanwhile, you started preparing your runes for when night fell. Knowing how both Casca and guts are branded, they could bring enough monsters here to destroy the town. It was best to prevent any further mishaps.

Even if your wards didn't go so far as to prevent the monsters from showing up, they masked enough of their scent to not be a target for darkness.

"I can hear the music!" Zhafira claps along with the sounds of the accordion.

A large group was formed as they danced and skipped next to the music players. At the center of it all, stood a short girl and her dog, ordering the pet to jump and do several flips in the air.

"Ready, Irk? Jump, jump!" The people clapped and cheered as the dog passed through rings and ran along a small circuit prepared by the group.

"Now, for my next trick, I'll need someone from our lovely audience to volunteer."
"MEMEMEMEMEME!" Zhafira lifted her hands up in delight. Who would have thought that keeping her in a good mood would make her mind less forgetful?

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Farnese arcs for reassurance.
"What could go wrong?" You can only hope for the best.

"Hah, looks like you are already in gear, are you a jester of sorts?" Rita tilted her head as she tied her to some planks, placing an apple above her head, noticing Zhafira's makeup.

"Oh, I know this trick! I'll stay still for you!" She remembers the tricks she used on her younger brother for practice. Maybe that's why Benny was so eager to stay away from her.

Taking some distance as the straps were placed, Rita did several front flips and handstands before throwing several knives onto Zhafira with all of them hitting straight onto the the wood frame, the biggest one going through the apple and being stuck a centimeter above Zhafira's head.

"I'm ok!" She lifts her hand up to prove her good health, yet her prosthetic falls on the floor. Startling Rita as she momentarily thought she hurt her assistant.

With another round of applause, Rita guided Zhafira back to your group, showing you the inner part of a hat to ask for tips.

>>5302588

>Meh, I'm not impressed.
>Good job, lass. (Hand her 10 bronze coins)
>Treat yourself to a nice meal. (Hand her 5 silver coins.)
>Don't go showing this around. (Hand her 2 gold coins.)

>>5302589
>Don't go showing this around. (Hand her 2 gold coins.)

>>5302589
>Don't go showing this around. (Hand her 2 gold coins.)

>>5302589
>Good job, lass. (Hand her 10 bronze coins)

>>5302589
>>Treat yourself to a nice meal. (Hand her 5 silver coins.)

>>5302589
>>Treat yourself to a nice meal. (Hand her 5 silver coins.)

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"Don't go showing this around" you carefully slide 5 silver coins inside the straw hat as Rita's eyes go wide in shock. Sometimes you forget how much money you have in your possession. It's already halfway through the season and you barely spent any of your fortune. Knowing how to hunt and scavenge probably had something to do with that, but still. It's best to give to those who need it. But not too much. Giving her gold would probably draw unneeded attention.

Rita tries to hide her shock by shaking the hat around, making the silver coins stay unseen beneath the few bronze ones she got from the other audience members.

Current earnings: 119 gold coins. [/green]

"And now, for our final trick of the evening, the moment you've all been waiting for: we will show you the strongman Job as he lifts up this gigantic iron ball! Come on out, Job!"

A shirtless giant with a sack wrapped inside his head went out of the caravan to guide himself with his palms towards the iron prop. After finally finding it, he grunted loudly as he lifted the weight above his head and even spun ir around with relative ease as the crowd went wild.

"Psh. Big deal, it's not any heavier than the sword I have with me." Guts was not impressed.

"Give me time to get back into shape and I'd probably be able to lift that much." You wondered on how powerful your unleashed potential would be.
"Me too!" Puck flexed his tiny biceps.
"... no comment." Serpico was a realist, knowing he was outmatched, he simply decided not to compare himself to the two of you.

"But what's wrong with his face for it to be covered up--" Farnese asks just in time for him to fall flat into the floor. Revealing an ugly face disfigured by a hideous grown under his chin, which extended until his belly.

Weirdly enough, the growth seemed to also have a face.

"What the-"
"He's possessed by the Mandragora!"
"I want my money back!"
"Leave this place, monster!" The townsfolk revolt as they throw rocks at the giant, who does not retaliate, merely gurgling as he covered his head.

"Stop it, you fools! What has he done to you people!" Rita takes one step in front of the stone throwers, which only makes them throw a few in her directions.

"We will not let a Mandragoran zombie infest this place again!"
"If I were a betting man, I would advise against angering someone who can snap bones like twigs." Serpico warns that angering Job is bound to end badly for them.

Just like before, Guts merely observes, not wanting to intervene.
"Oh, don't you go statue mode on me! Let's help the guy out!" Puck tugs at his cheek with no response.

>Observe the Mandragoran and the parasite. Maybe you'll discover more about the disease.
>Order them to stop throwing rocks, or else.
>This is not your fight, if he gets angry and kills them, they'll get what they deserve.

>>5302668
>Observe the Mandragoran and the parasite. Maybe you'll discover more about the disease.

Then if he decides to try and kill everyone else, we can just step in to handle it.

>>5302668
>Order them to stop throwing rocks, or else.

I refuse to allow them to debase this poor man.

>>5302668
>>Observe the Mandragoran and the parasite. Maybe you'll discover more about the disease.

>>5302668
>Observe the Mandragoran and the parasite. Maybe you'll discover more about the disease.

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>>5302677
>>5302691
>>5302692
Guess that calls for a 1d100, let's if Vlad finds anything relevant about these Mandragorans while Job is about to job.

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>5302712
Ok here I go

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>5302712

Rolled 66 (1d100)

>>5302712

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>>5302716
>>5302717
>>5302716
>>5302717
>>5302720

A few rocks and pebbles are nothing your armor can't handle, so you don't feel alarmed in approaching the scuffle as the Mandragoran is threatened.

My god... What is that thing? Apparently several roots have morphed into his skin, which more resembles the trunk of a tree as it reaches closes to the parasite.

Using your soul vision, you are confused to see no point of distinction between where the human starts and the Mandragoran ends, as Job's arteries seem to mix into the creature's roots right into its heart. The condition was so advanced that there was no way to save the man from the Mandragora without also killing him.

This is actually pretty similar to what the god hand did to the silver eyed clan when it was infested into flesh creatures that could mix into the soil, you wonder if their demonic energy had something to do with how it differed from real Mandragoras.

Regardless, plants are your forte, and its clear to you that the man can't be saved. So it's best not to make him react to any strong emotions, as the Mandragora is prone to react negatively to sudden chemical changes from it's host.

And surely enough, a stone struck onto the lump was all it took to trigger the Mandragora, shifting and expanding like extended rubber as his flesh turned pink.

Job's arms resembled tentacles as they aimed a hit at your head, and as you swerved under it's swing, you noticed that his other arm also absorbed the iron ball he was carrying before.

"It's just like the flesh creatures from before... Why won't they leave me alone!?" Your hand trembles as Job reminds you of how you took your father's life away.

"You? Talk to me when you have slayed over 5 apostles in a day!" Puck points to Guts, who places his great sword in his hand, finally being interested in a fight.

"Over here, over here! Quit running in all directions!" Serpico tries to get people away from Job as the Mandragoran kills indiscriminately all of his previous fans.

"Job! That's enough! Control yourself- Ack!" Rita tries to get on his emotional side, but his humanity was already long gone, if the strike Job tried to land on her wasn't a clear sign.

With Guts lifting the dragonslayer above his head to block the metallic ball, he invited himself into combat.

"You can stop here or die, either one is fine by me."

>Watch the fight, you could learn something by watching how they move.
>Help Serpico in evacuating the crowd.
>Take Rita away from danger and protect the girls.
>Guts might need some assistance, Job will go down faster if you join him.

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>>5302760
>Take Rita away from danger and protect the girls.
>Guts might need some assistance, Job will go down faster if you join him.

Write-in(if allowed):
>Order Serpico and Farnese to help evacuate the crowd.

>>5302767
>'So long gay Bowser' but it's Guts throwing Zodd into the abyss
Kino

>>5302760
>Take Rita away from danger and protect the girls.

>>5302767
>>5302799
Guess saving the innocent will always take priority In Vlad's case.

Let's do a 1d100 since he won't join the fight right as it starts.
Roll to establish dominance! You're the bigger tree out of the two!

Rolled 47 (1d100)

>>5302854

Rolled 76 (1d100)

>>5302854

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>5302854
I have great rolls guys

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>5302854

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>>5302866
>>5302874
>>5302876
Prioritizing Rita's safety, you snatch her by the arm and take her away before Guts could start fighting. Knowing him from past experiences, he could care less about collateral damage to property or to people in his way.

As Guts starts out throwing a few bolts from his repeater arm to test the hardness of the Mandragoran's skin, he finds the stretchiness of it's surface amusing, but not practical in terms of defense.

"This shouldn't take long." He declares as Serpico conducts the crowds into an alleyway, too slim for either combatants to pass through.

Having Rita, Farnese, Casca and Zhafira in your company, your hands were tied when it came to fighting. Someone had to take care of the weaker ones during this encounter, and it sure wouldn't be Guts.

One striking problem that you've noticed in Guts and his fighting style is that his large sword is great for outdoor fights and crowd control, not so much for indoors and tight spaces. Didn't help the fact that unlike your halberd, the dragonslayer is more effective when doing full swings to capitalize on momentum, which is why the black swordsman 10 times out of 10 opted on doing instead of shifting angles and avoiding getting his sword stuck into rubble or ricocheting back to it's usual position, overall wasting his attack turns.

He still managed to slide, jump and shoot several times before Job could land a hit on him, however his stretchy nature and regenerative limbs made so that Guts taking damage would be a certain eventuality.

"Grrrrr..." The moaning Job took hold of his foot as another of Guts' knives were thrown onto his face. Finally grasping the Swordsman by the tip of his elongated whip-arm, he violently threw him into the sky before ragdolling him into the rocks below, smearing his face onto the town square as he whacked at his back with the iron ball he had for a hand.

As Guts' screams grew more silent with each passing blow, he attempted to make the most out of being damaged and spun his sword diagonally at the monster's torso, but the yelp of pain was only followed by Job chucking the swordsman's head against the wall with the speed of a catapult, with rubble and dirt flying in all directions as his neck disappeared inside a small nearby building.

"Is he...?" Rita asked in fear.
"Nah, that's just Guts being Guts. Takes a bit for him to really build his carnage during a fight!" Puck reassures the performer that he's fine. "Although he's taking longer than usual to get up these days..."

>Should I tag in and finish the job then?
>Does he have some elf powder with him?
>It wouldn't hurt to double team the enemy then.
>I'll trust you on this one then

>>5302957
>It wouldn't hurt to double team the enemy then.

>>5302957
>It wouldn't hurt to double team the enemy then.

>>5302957
>It wouldn't hurt to double team the enemy then.

>>5302957
>It wouldn't hurt to double team the enemy then.
Aw yeah here we go bros

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>>5302991
>>5303001
>>5303003
>>5302961
>>5302991
Let's see if this will finally convince Guts that you can fight the enemies he faces too if you put your mind to it.

Alternatively it could work like last time where you two are uncoordinated together and end up conflicting with each other's moves.

A 1d100 and best of luck!

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>5303004
Hopefully this will go well for the both of us

Rolled 61 (1d100)

>>5303004
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Rolled 55 (1d100)

>>5303004
Doom.

>>5303008
Nice

>>5303008
>>5303009
>>5303010
Guts did say this should be over in a minute. Provided you don't wait for Job to fully recover, you can make the most out of the blows he's already received. The Mandragoran has to run out of juice eventually, given how it's empowered by the human host.

Focusing and seeing the intent of Guts, about to rub some elf powder on his body before getting back up, you attack the creature on the back before it could run over to Guts and impede his healing. What's the point of having two set of eyes when they all face your front?

Taking a deep breath and transferring your Od onto your weapon, you impaled the creature's arm first before it could drop the weight of several anvils on your head, sticking it into job's torso as he groaned like a flesh creature.

This fight is bringing you memories you do not wish to dig up...

Dispersing your energy into the creature had the unexpected reaction of making him heal faster, as it's other arm began to stretch with the wound you just made closing over your lance. Was it due to your affinity to plants, or because Mandragorans we're not inherently evil?

Before you could scream 'damn it's as you failed to unstick your bloodied lance from the creature's liver, Guts leaped into the creature's opposite side, striking through Job and pushing your weapon out of him.

And wouldn't you know it, his weapon was the one that got stuck as the Mandragoran regenerated back to normal.

"Hope you've had fun savoring your lucky shot, monster. From now on, it's a countdown until your death."

Seems magic doesn't belong in Guts' arsenal yet, and yours won't contribute to his plan of attacks. Raw strength it is then, let's save the Od for the stunts you're about to do.

You propelled yourself upwards and struck the end of the dragonslayer with the flat side of your weapon, whacking the enemy as it additionally unleashed his weapon from the plantmorph's grasp.

From then on, you started playing a game of whack a mole, trading blows more between each other than straight to the enemy as it was powerless to block it. If it tried to attack one way, it wouldnt be able to block from the other side. If your weapon got stuck again, Guts would push it right back at you, and vice versa. The energy to match the impact and to push back the dragonslayer was a lot on you, but playing a long with a serious Guts is something you were expecting to have some difficulty.

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>>5303072
With no real fanfare or final attempt at retaliation, Job simply falls by himself, exhausted from having to regenerate for so long, he chose death over dealing with such excruciating torture.

"Saves me the trouble of using my bombs." Guts was glad that he didn't have to waste more of his arsenal.
"My... Treatment... Couldn't come sooner..." You speak out of breath as the fight finally subsides, angry at your lack of stamina despite keeping up well with such a living legend.

"Ha! Take that, Mandragoran freak!" The townsfolk come back to kick away at the monster."
"I'm glad he's dead!"

"What are you feeling proud of, murderers? You've all provoked him without thinking twice! This is all your fault!" A teary eyed Rita attempts to push people off from Job's rotting corpse, but gets slapped in return.

"Grrr, what did he do to deserve being killed!?" She threw a knife at you and guts, but the Swordsman easily caught it between his fingers, and you are too heavily armored to even feel it bouncing off your plates.

"I do not condone their disdain against him, young Rita. If we had a way to save him, i surely would have thought of one, but when these Mandragorans reach this state, all that's on their mind is rampage. Whatever humanity was left in there became far too little."

"He was a monster, and we had to put him down. There's all there is to it." Guts is a lot less sugarcoating than you in his response.

Before Rita could jump at his throat, an embellished carriage stopped near the corpse, out of it came a man dressed in high class clothes, with facial hear that more resembled a lion's mane.

"So that's Bolzack..." Farnese whispered, hiding behind Serpico as he returned to her side, in case she was recognized.

"These large wounds... Were you the ones responsible in slaying this creature?"
"Yes." You reply in unison with Guts.

"You have my utmost gratitude for taking care of these hostile patients while I work on my cure. My army is not what it used to be." Despite the rough appearance, Bolzack seemed to be somewhat benevolent with his own kind.

"What would bring you to my lands, being plagued the way they are?" Bolzack almost admits to having lost the fight with the Mandragorans already.

>Just passing by.
>I heard you were working on some alternative medicine, and my body is starting to fail me.
>A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth.
>Just helping Guts over here.
>I have something for you, consider it a gift from an Ilos lord. (hand him the money from the bandits)
>Write in.

>>5303079
>I have something for you, consider it a gift from an Ilos lord. (hand him the money from the bandits)
>A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth. (Referring both to Casca and Zhafira)

I would write something in, but I'm not sure what to really put for that.

>>5303079
>A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth.
>I have something for you, consider it a gift from an Ilos lord. (hand him the money from the bandits)
>Write in.
"Beside finding healing for this friends, i do have other reasons. I also want to know what happened here and if you already know the rumors happening in the rest of Midland. Such as the Kushan invading, the events in the capital or the new orders born from this lack of power. And if it would be possible i would like to know how you are making your cure and what kind of ingredients you are using, Lord Bolzack."
"But where are my manners, i didn't present myself i am Lord Vlad Santana, a Midland Knight and a Member of the Union of Ilos. With me are my trusted companions and friends."
check his od, slowly.

>>5303079
>I have something for you, consider it a gift from an Ilos lord. (hand him the money from the bandits)
>A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth.
I find it fascinating that the Mandragoran was able to absorb our od and use it to heal itself, I think we are gonna find out some interesting stuff if we use our plant side more.

>>5303079
>>I have something for you, consider it a gift from an Ilos lord. (hand him the money from the bandits)
>>A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth.

>>5303157
+1

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>>5303088
>>5303157
>>5303187
>>5303264
"A friend in my group has her head in the clouds, I was hoping to find something to bring her back to earth." You point to Zhafira, laughing to herself as she failed to juggle a single rock above her head, along with Casca, who was placing Puck way down her throat like a pacifier.

"Gee, ever heard of brushing your teeth? These cavities are bigger than my mouth!" You hear Puck echo inside her.

"Ah, my apologies. I did not know the Mandragoras have reached this far from our border."

"No! Don't lump Casca with those monsters, she has nothing to do with them." Guts protests.

"Exactly, although related to trauma, their memory loss are self inflicted, unrelated to this disease." Serpico adds.

"Besides that, we would also with to know what happened here and if you already know the rumors happening in the rest of Midland. The Kushan invasion, the king's demise, the orders born from this anarchy."

"Hm, I have to admit that I am not up to date with the king's whereabouts, nor was I aware of the Kushan invasion. We have been too focused on developing a cure and keeping quarantine to keep track of the outside world."

Reading Bolzack's Od, you find him telling a lie that would go unnoticed by your peers. You wonder if you should bring that up now, but being in a public area, you might want to discuss with him privately.

His Od is clearly human. Above average strength and intelligence, but no signs of supernatural interactions.

"Of course, where are my manners? I am Lord Vlad Santana, former Midland Knight and a Member of the Union of Ilos. With me are my trusted companions and friends. I am also well aware of occultist magic, if there is anything I could do to help you find a cure to this disease, just say the word. Please take this as a humble gift from me." You hand him back the money and goods stolen from the castle, taken away by the bandits Serpico killed earlier.

"Ilos? I did not have a strong opinion of Barnham, given how independent his nation always tries to be. It's impressive someone managed to become a lord there." Bolzack stares at his hand, likely reminding himself of when the bear apostle visited him.

"I believe there is something we can settle for, to compensate you both for saving my people. Our cure is reaching it's final stages of development, but I believe this is not the place to discuss such matters. Come to my castle. Only the two of you."

>As you wish.
>Why only us?
>Can't we bring our sick companions along?
>I would feel safer with a trusted companion by my side. (Pick either Farnese or Serpico)
>Write-in.

>>5303342
>Why only us?
>>I would feel safer with a trusted companion by my side. (Pick either Farnese or Serpico)
>Farnese

>>5303342
>Why only us?
>Write in
"Ah thank you Lord Bozack"
"Could we arrange for have my companions make camp near your castle ? I would prefer to have them near, we have travel far and it has become unusual to be apart. Besides is safer near a castle than in the outskirts of a town."

Tell our companions to keep guard, if we are strangely not returning there might be problems. Move Zhafira and Casca in a safe place too. We have our own supplies for now, verify anything edible here before eating/drinking it.

>>5303380
+1

>>5303380
+1

>>5303342
>Look to Guts for his stance. If he insists on bringing Casca, you don't think you'd be able to change his mind on that - best to support whatever he decides, given how stubborn the man can be.

>>5303380
>>5303397
>>5303416

"Thank you, Lord Bolzack. But if you dont mind me asking, why did you-"

"Casca comes with me. I ain't leaving her behind. If there's not enough room in your carriage, just kick your soldiers out. They should know the way to your castle." Guts and his rude demeanor points out how weird it is for him to opt out of bringing the sick patients into the castle.

"Couldn't we arrange for have my companions make camp near your castle? I would prefer to have them near, we have traveled far and it has become unusual to be apart. Besides, it's safer to be near a castle than in the outskirts of a town." You remind yourself that Hyde and the animals are out of reach, and would rather unite than rush into Bolzack's place.

"Very well. You shall be honorary guests at my castle. However, I only want you two to come inside the the quarantine chamber. It is far too dangerous to let others inside, and I cannot vouch for their safety should they be infected."

Checking for lies in Bolzack's mind proves that he is telling the truth this time, and you telepathically say so to your group.

"Fine. Don't get any funny ideas while we're visiting." Guts mistrusts Bolzack despite his noble invitation.

"Excellent. Gyove, you can deal with the girl. Proceed with the plan as usual." The knights come out of their horse ride as the ruler tells his counselor to follow according to their goals.

"As you wish, milord." An old, hunched over man approaches Rita as the knights form a line towards his vehicle. Telepathically talking to Hyde and explaining your situation, he gives you a good response.

"Ya' got it, partner. Be there in a minute, just making sure Gunpowder's hooves are trimmed, you know how much he walks."

'Hyde good at trimming.' Gunpowder unexpectedly approves of his treatment, he sure ain't in a rush to go.

Bolzack's castle is truly immense, rivaling your estate in both size and aesthetic. Though you soon find out that his set of stairs work more like a maze, hiding where his laboratory resides by tiring you out with how many times you went up and down. We're it not for him, even you would have trouble making your way back.

"We'll wait for Hyde outside, you can count on me to take care of Casca, Black swordsman." Serpico says the last few words like he was about to puke.

"Sure thing, blondie." Guts doesn't hide his indifference either, doubting Serpico and his capabilities as a knight while Farnese stuffed Casca's clothes with protection wards.

"Ugh!" Guts groans after feeling a familiar pain on his brand, approaching the Mandragorans seem to have a reaction on his curse, despite them not reacting to your Od transfer.

"It's in the mandragora's nature to retaliate against humans, like the one you've seen earlier today, which is why we keep the patients and volunteers away from public eye."

File: Mandrágora_(anime).png (221 KB, 419x404)

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>>5303469
>>5303469
Several masked doctors covered from head to toe walk around, brewing mixtures, operating on mandragorans, and placing their bodies in bags to throw them away.

"He's convulsing! Doctor! He's going to break the chains!"
"Uuurgh-" a nearby Mandragoran was about to stand up while undergoing surgery, yet the preemptive swing of an iron axe to his head was used to kill it before things could get any worse.

You would call that a waste of human life if there was any humanity left on him.

"Are you aware of what a Mandragora is?" Bolzack holds a vile up, observing if there was any progress in his experiments.

"Never heard of it. Vlad?"
"It's a plant that resembles a humanoid form. Never seen one either, but legend has it that whoever pulls it from the ground while it's sleeping will die from it's horrible, ear shattering screech. With its roots exposed to sunlight, the Mandragora also dies instantly."

"Which is exactly why it's so difficult to cure my people. The disease came from the borders of my land a few years ago, and only grew more rampant as the Mandragorans were possessed at night, and infected more people by the day." Bolzack completes your statement with additional insight.

The timeline adds up to when Conrad unleashed the plague throughout Midland...

"Rumor has it that should the plants nutrients be extracted, it can rejuvenate people, feel them with youth and vigor, and perhaps, even treat the Mandragoran disease. But with them dying from human touch, I have encountered and experimented with collecting them in many ways, all of them resulting in my teams being wiped out.

"So what's the alternative?"
"To extract their serum without them going to waste, the Mandragora plant needs to grow into a tree and have its heart extracted. I managed to recover a piece of one in an infested village, but only with an entire heart, we can put an end to that cursed Mandragoran possession."

"Get to the point already." The impatient Guts inputs his say in the matter, uncaring of the condition of Bolzack's people.

>So you want us to look for a Mandragoran tree?
>How fast does it spread?
>Is there no way of staying alive after hearing it's scream?
>Do you mind if I observed your progress with the medicine? I'm familiar with plants, maybe I could provide you some insight.
>Can the Mandragora also rejuvenate the mind?
>Write-in.

>>5303501
>How fast does it spread?
>Is there no way of staying alive after hearing it's scream?
>Do you mind if I observed your progress with the medicine? I'm familiar with plants, maybe I could provide you some insight.
>Can the Mandragora also rejuvenate the mind?

>>5303501
>How fast does it spread?
>Is there no way of staying alive after hearing it's scream?
>Do you mind if I observed your progress with the medicine? I'm familiar with plants, maybe I could provide you some insight.
>Can the Mandragora also rejuvenate the mind?

>>5303501
>How fast does it spread?
>Is there no way of staying alive after hearing it's scream?
>Do you mind if I observed your progress with the medicine? I'm familiar with plants, maybe I could provide you some insight.
>Can the Mandragora also rejuvenate the mind?

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>>5303510
>>5303513
>>5303521

"How fast does it spread?"
"For a Mandragoran to be fully formed, the plant must first reside inside the host. Once it's in, it will not leave, and further distress or pulling from the human will only make it grow faster to shut it up."

"When the corpse is nearly in decomposition, it's pores will spread it's seeds and infect the air with their residue."

"Airborne infection..."
"Villages were nearly taken overnight by a single instance of a Mandragoran appearing inside their soil. The disease is not to be taken lightly."

"But how do we take the Mandragora heart if they all kill us with sound? Is there no way or staying alive after hearing it's scream."

"No. Especially if you're the one pulling it from the earth. But I do know where you can find a Mandragora heart from a fully grown tree. There is a nun in a town a few hours away from here, Eliza. She fancies herself to be the protector of the plants, eating and sleeping with them as if they were human. She has turned down several of my pleads to take remove the heart herself, but perhaps with the likes of you going there, maybe she'll be convinced." Bolzack makes no effort in hiding that he wants her dead.

"Sorry, Bolzack. I don't get along too well with holy people. What's in there for me, anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious? If we can extract the serum, we will be able to heal your woman, seeing as you two are potential saviors of the town, your antidotes will be the first in line to be delivered."

"I don't trust you, Bolzack. Something tells me you're hiding something from us."

"You attempt to look deep into his mind, seeing if Bolzack had any underlying motives despite your impaired senses.

Visions of a younger Bolzack and an unknown woman in his care appear behind him as he attempts to retrieve the heart for her sake, going so far as to infect his own people with the Mandragora to experiment on them and develop a cure, killing them and letting them die just for the sake of having a faster way to heal the woman.

Given how common mutations are, it is likely that the reason the mandragorans remained strong in their presence was not due to mere persistence, but from active and premeditated growth.

"For the sake of trusting you, lord Bolzack. Do you mind if I observed your progress with the medicine? I'm familiar with plants, maybe I could provide you some insight."

"I would prefer if you let the research to me, especially when there is little to be done at this point." He deflects as Gyove appears for more counseling.

"We don't need their help, milord, accordion to our scientists, we can achieve a cure through regenerating the heart in the next few seasons."

"Enough of your nonsense, Gyove! Cromwell will be eradicated before how many seasons it takes for an artificial heart to be created!" He angrily pushes his counselor away from the conversation.

>>5303573
>Alright, Bolzack. We will speak with Eliza.
>I insist, perhaps I can speed things up.
>You're not doing this for your people, are you?
>What do you think, Guts?
>Write-in.

>>5303574
>Alright, Bolzack. We will speak with Eliza.
>I insist, perhaps I can speed things up.

>>5303573
>Science is a gift from god, that much is sure, but it is only one component to the mystery of the Mandragora. I have received blessings and insights from a spirit of harvest in the past, so trust me when I say that I know plants. If there is any way to harvest a cure from these plants, I will be able to find it.

>>5303574
>>Alright, Bolzack. We will speak with Eliza.
>>I insist, perhaps I can speed things up.

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>>5303583
>>5303587
>>5303601
Using Vlad's plantcestry to see if you can find a better lead? Good call!

I'll throw you a bone and let you look at the experiment log, but chances are you won't like what you find or it's alternative options, and that's counting the risk of Bolzack thinking you know too much for an outsider.

crit on this DC and Vlad will try to plant a Mandragora tree with his tooth seeds :^)

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>5303615
Here you go boss, if you need it!
Didn't explicitly call for a roll but you did mention a DC so...maybe?

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>5303615
Let's goooo

>>5303626
Yeah, forgot to ask for a 1d100, silly me.
I'll count it either linked to this post or to >>5303615 when you anons roll, as long as we reach a bo3 it's all good

>>5303629
Vlad knows his fucking plants, jesus christ.
I wonder if we might legitimately help to further an actual cure with a roll of understanding like this, unlike what happens in canon.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>5303615
COME ON LUCKY 100

>>5303629
Fuuuuuuck. We were (this) close to a crit, oh well at least we hit very high.

>>5303626
>>5303629
>>5303637
Damn, was it close.
But it wasn't quite on the mark, so we'll have to make do. At least we know Vlad's knowledge won't be entirely replaced once the loli witch steals the show with magic

>>5303648
>I know magic, I've studied!
>I AM A PLANT

>>5303698
>"Ok but that doesn't mean-"
>Vlad spits seeds at her until she stops bragging about being a nerd

>>5303626
>>5303629
>>5303637

The world disappears as you close your eyes and imagine it with your 6th sense. The harvester's blessing will not go to waste. A plant based medicine? Possession from supernatural roots? Extracting serum and energies that cannot be seen?

You were made for this moment, and your photographic memory will be with you throughout the entire thing.

"I insist, Bolzack. My blessings from past harvesting spirits have given me extensive knowledge on this subject. My actions are unclouded of bias and skepticism. If someone can speed up this project or help with productions should the Mandragoran heart fail to be taken, alternative measures will be there to assist you."

"So sure that you can find an answer! Your hope-fueled words bring promise to even the emptiest of hearts." Bolzack seems convinced, though still prefers to carry on with his primary plan.

"Screw it then... I'll consider talking with this Eliza nun. Just give me an hour or so to think this through." Guts has a change of heart, trying to convince whatever empathy he has left to help Bolzack, so long as he promised a fix for Casca.

"Thank you. Truly, this feels like a dream come true! My people have waited so long for this day, I pity the ones who couldn't live until you arrived-"

Bolzack's ferocious grin is turned upside down as the sound of a battering ram is heard tearing the door open.

"What's happening?!"
"Rebels! They've grown impatient from our secrecy about the cure!" Gyove explains.

"I've got this. A good warm-up until I leave for the real mission is exactly what I needed. You can stay here and do your bookworm shenanigans if you'd like. If your team can't hold their ground until I reach them, maybe you shouldn't miss dead weight when they're gone." Guts underestimates how strong Hyde and Serpico are. Even if Farnese is still in training, Puck and Casca aren't exactly top notch front hitters...

>I'll start reading the logs.
>On second thought, I better check how my team is doing.

>>5303817
>On second thought, I better check how my team is doing.

>>5303817
>On second thought, I better check how my team is doing.
Read the logs afterword, for now lets just make sure our team is not under attack.

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>>5303828
>>5303833
With others trying to invade the castle, you wonder if the group of thieves you met before entering Cromwell had anything to do with this.

The Mandragorans quickly grew angry at the sudden noise, being disturbed of their sleep and whatever peace they could find while being put down when people screamed for them.

Observing their rotten minds, you did see a glimpse of some of them reminiscing about their loved ones, as if still remembering their past lives

"Uuuurgh!" Their strength is shown by how easily they managed to bent the metal bars in the dungeon, bending and breaking the cells by contorting their limbs, or even just smashing a hole through the wall.

Already having his sword in hand, Guts stands dead center in the dungeon hallway to better swing the dragonslayer, cutting and dismembering the test subjects as many times as he had to as he sprinted to the upper floors.

Bolzack went along with him, though minding his step to not get too close to the swordsman's chaotic swings while you pondered on how to approach the main hall faster.

Your interactions with Job indicated that these creatures react differently than apoatles, even if they share the astral origins.

Since neither Puck or Farnese are here to help you give an extra boost, maybe sucking their energy will be enough to push you through the enemies from Guts' behind, plus the ones he failed to kill? A cleaner kill would certainly be preferable given how many gallons of blood are being smeared on the walls thanks to the dragonslayer.

>Try to contain them with your magic.
>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.
>Being physical is way cooler, you can charge and slash through them.
>Plat your seeds to break the ceiling and destroy the tree when they start climbing it.
>Let Guts take care of it, you never know when you might have to preserve energy.

>>5303900
>Try to contain them with your magic.
>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.

>>5303900
>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.
>Being physical is way cooler, you can charge and slash through them.
>Write in
Sing a lullaby to the mandrogans with telepathy, while at best a lucky shot, sounds does effect plants in both ways. Perhaps it can calm them down since it would be done by us an half human/plant, a rampage of mandrogans in the castle must be avoided. If it doesn't work, magic and weapons are in our hands.

Tell the people to move to safety.

>>5304084
>telepathically link with plant parasites
>immediately hear screaming
>pass out
>die
Good end.

>>5303900
>Try to contain them with your magic.
>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.

>>5303900
>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.
>Being physical is way cooler, you can charge and slash through them.

Can't really support the lullaby idea but this sounds rad, maybe we could drain them through our weapon?
lewd, I know

>>5303900
>>Try to contain them with your magic.
>>Attempt to take their energy until they stop moving.

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>>5304086
>>5304103
>>5304183
>>5304156
Time for rollan, a 2d100 should do the trick.

God I hope people don't fail the dice check if they pull on a Mandragora, that'd be an embarrassing way to go out

Rolled 3, 53 = 56 (2d100)

>>5304262
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Rolled 39, 76 = 115 (2d100)

>>5304262
Cowabunga?

Rolled 88, 90 = 178 (2d100)

>>5304262
oh god oh fuck

File: GutsandGriffithInSims.png (2 MB, 976x947)

2 MB PNG

Rolled 50, 94 = 144 (2d100)

>>5304262

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>>5304323
>>5304266
>>5304275
>>5304289

Taking a few moves from Guts, you replicate his strategy of swinging horizontally to the point of practically spinning. The removed weight of your armor and weapons made your attacks fast enough to deflect the rubbery Mandragoran's swings as their lumps hardened to defend themselves of your onslaught.

Switching hands to keep your pole moving, you wave your spear to signal to them how you're ready to attack at any moment. You can see their movements when they come to you, but precognition is a one way street.

Without having to resort to spiritual recharge, the potency of your swings as you ravaged through splashes of blood and chlorophyll were starting to slow down, especially when you saw guts already being several steps in front of you.

It's going to be a pain to traverse back to the main hall by yourself, but neither of them seem to wait for you, despite the enemies coming both ways, they're only facing the front way.

Frustrated at your progression, you place a hand on the fallen mandragorans who refused to lie down and stay dead, since you're used to being around plants already, you might as well attempt to take the energy of them forcefully, if doing the opposite had an unexpected effect, what could this do?

Placing your hand on the Mandragoran's face, you suckle their life force as their painful cries make you wish you could cover your ears. As the creature shrinks and turns into a small puddle on the floor, you barely feel a difference on your energy or notice any of the possession's effects on you.

The plant is gone, yet so is the host, killed along with his parasite.

While not as deadly or passive as the flesh monsters, as you cut down the logs and chip down the tall grass growing around you, you start to wonder if these creatures are pseudo apostles, being controlled by a stronger figure who is actually a demon would certainly make a lot more sense...

Finally catching up to Guts and Bolzack z you see them trying to keep a door locked as several infected guards tried to smash through from the armory.

These things are already annoying enough to kill, but they're going to be an even bigger pest with full sets of armor...

>Seal the door.
>Squash them with your magical trees.
>Open the door and deal with them.
>We can deal with them later, let's rush to ground floor.
>Guts can blow them up through the crack on the door, let him deal with it.
>Put your hand in between the door and disintegrate them by absorption.

>>5304342
>Squash them with your magical trees.

>>5304342
>Squash them with your magical trees.
TIME TO USE OUR SPECIAL MOVE

>>5304351
>>5304352
Let's go for a 1d100+10 this time. Trees are Vlad's specialty by now, let's not pretend he can fuck this up, roll for veggietales

Rolled 10 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5304383
Let's get a good roll soon..

Rolled 37 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5304383
PLANT IS STROOOOOOOOOOOONG

Rolled 73 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5304383
fucking up now

>>5304409
BASED

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>>5304387
>>5304395
>>5304409

How would it feel to taste their own medicine?

"Allow me." You tap Guts to get out of the door before he could act on his impulse and fire that arm cannon of his.

Taking your seed pouch out of your pockets, you try to feel the energy of how many Mandragorans reside inside the armory, wondering if one for each would make it easier for you to squash them all.

"1,2,3,4...7 seeds."
"This is no time to grow a beanstalk, Vlad. What do you think you're doing?" Guts questions your sanity after seeing your unorthodox weapon.

"I like to learn as I fight, you'd be surprised at how much I've learned while you were off. GROW!" You order your seeds to sprout as their branches fight off against the Mandragoran's.

The willow's leaves fell out as it shook and grow with your arm's movements, replicating your flailing as you made it go through them, break the armors and weapons in their possession, with the bonus of making their room uninhabitable.

After the door was opened, you saw that your tree managed to absorb the nutrients the Mandragoran residue would leave on the floor, with several faces being carved on it's trunk.

"Did you... Just create a Mandragora tree?" Bolzack asked in shock.

"No, these were just regular seeds. You place evil astral energy into pretty much anything, and it will grow sentience and want to act in revenge."

The willow tries to attack you, but aside from it's strikes being easily dodgeable due to its range. You were the one who created the damn thing! A quick exorcism should easily put them in their place-

A loud clang of the dragonslayer reaches the tree and sends it falling down. Guts was the one who killed it before you could conjure your spell.

"Or you could do just that... Good job." You partially complain over not being able to exorcise your plants and see if they could still be intelligent. It's infuriating how you're on the verge of discovering new powers, but your weakening soul always keeps you from discovering what that is...

>>5304479
"I took you for a tree hugger before, but this is ridiculous!" Puck flew under your nose as he sprayed the powder from his wings wherever he went.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Guts grins and greets his elf companion. "What's happening up there, is Casca safe?"

"Yeah, that hunter we found in the mountains showed up flying and attacked them from behind. It looked super cool, but I can fly a lot higher than that bird, so I blinded them with my Puck-sparks for added measure!"

"Puck-sparks?"
"Don't humor him." Guts replies as you question the names of his 'attacks'.

"They got Casca in a hostage situation, but Rita chose to go in her place. I didn't even see when she entered the castle, but hey, if it's convenient for us, it's better we don't ask too many questions."

"The guards and scientists can neutralize the remaining Mandragoran, let's see the damage they've done." Bolzack rushed to the staircase, hoping the worst for his castle and for his men.

"The scoundrels! They will pay for this treason with their lives! How dare them invade us when we're the only ones attempting to keep the fall of our civilization from happening?" The older Gyove is quick to cast judgement over the destroyed entrance hall, but Bolzack only follows with a short "Naturally."

"Y'all should have some more faith in us, partner. We might not have much experience with apostles, but a couple of youngins with sticks making sound? Serpico and I can deal with this on our sleep." He grins to the blonde man cast with the role of protecting the team while you were away.

"I couldn't really tell if Rita wanted to leave to escape her trial, or because she actually wanted to be heroic. Given how she took a disliking for you and Guts after killing Job, I suspect they might be related." While lacking any of your abilities, Serpico deducts enough from the situation to give you a report.

"Someone needs to go after her! Bringing a Mandragoran to town is bad enough, but aligning herself with the rebels is more than enough for a public hanging!" Gyove condemns. No one speaks a word, let alone agree with him.

>Someone can look for her while I'm studying the Mandragorans.
>Are her crimes really that grave? Look at the situation they're in, of course the silence would be panicking.
>Keep quiet, this land is not yours to counsel.

>>5304497
>Someone can look for her while I'm studying the Mandragorans.
Time to study plant.

>>5304497
>>Someone can look for her while I'm studying the Mandragorans.

>5304497
>Someone can look for her while I'm studying the Mandragorans.

>>5304497
>>Someone can look for her while I'm studying the Mandragorans.

>>5304505
>>5304508
>>5304514
>>5304523

"Surely they're still near these areas. Can't someone look for Rita while I'm studying the Mandragorans?"

"Are they hideout close to Eliza's church?"
"No, but they're around the same direction." Gyove answers Guts.

"Then I'm off to wherever they went to. Standing still won't get us closer to that heart."

"Exactly! This place might not be as safe as my home, but healing Casca here would be an awesome strat for a sequence break!" Puck safely lands on Guts' pouch. "Off to save Rita!"

"Let me guess, that girl is coming with you? With how many knights and fighters are here, it would be best to let them accompany you, instead of a sickly-"

"You got a problem with how I save your shit stain of a city?" Guts points a knife at the old counselor, clutching his fist after hearing his whining. "The less people working with me, the less I'l have to worry about casualties, or being double crossed."

"Wait, Mr Swordsman!" Farnese speaks up, offering some wards for Guts like she previously did with Casca.

"I don't need these. It's useful to keep them around Casca since she can't fight, but if I don't keep myself sharp fighting with the night demons... My sword will be too dull to cut anyone other than myself." Guts pushes her papers away, tugging on Casca's gown as she left on a whimper.

Finally alone with your thoughts as you pulled an all nighter studying the experiment logs and seeing the effects of the Mandragora on the few possessed subjects still left alive. The theory that this disease was artificially spread keeps making it's way onto your head, especially reading the experiments logs where they go in painstaking detail about how the Mandragora reacts to pain, having it's limbs torn, how fast it regenerates and how long it lives with its head chopped off. How would these facts help in developing an antidote in any way? There's barely anything mentioning how to set back it's symptoms.

What can you really add to this research in a single day?

>Confront Bolzack on the ethics of his research.
>Observe how your blood reacts to the Mandragoran spores.
>Study the possibility of regenerating the piece of the Mandragoran heart by killing the remaining patients.
>Ask Farnese for magical assistance.
>They're hiding something from you, you just have to pretend you're studying and listen to the scientists talking.

>>5304599
>Observe how your blood reacts to the Mandragoran spores.
>Ask Farnese for magical assistance.

>>5304599
>>Observe how your blood reacts to the Mandragoran spores.
>>Ask Farnese for magical assistance.

>>5304599
>Observe how your blood reacts to the Mandragoran spores.
>Ask Farnese for magical assistance.

>>5304599
>Observe how your blood reacts to the Mandragoran spores.
>Ask Farnese for magical assistance.

>>5304989
>>5304617
>>5304620
>>5304625

You didn't spent around a month training Farnese and others about different assortments of occult practices to let her stay idle. Whatever little thing she can do will save you the most of time, and you're going to let her know that.

"Vlad... Don't you think they're going to find it weird for me to be here?" She shakes as you take her hand and bring her downstairs.

"Why? Because they might find out who you are? There are masks and bodysuits for you to change in here. Besides, Bolzack hasn't said a word about you yet."

"That's not it. I'm talking about me practicing science while doing magic..."

"Well, if the local nun is famous for accepting the Mandragorans, they must be pretty desensitized to these sorts of things. A woman doing magic on the operating table will be barely noticeable by their standards. You can get changed behind the closet."

"Alright, but I don't want to see you staring..."
"I'm taking this as seriously as I can here, Farnese. This is no time to be immature." You say, though deep down, lamenting the fact that you swore not to abuse of your Od sensing when not in life threatening situations.

Stupid moral code...

At least you weren't the only one distracted by a significant other's presence. As Farnese tried to speedread the contents of the research logs, you pondered on how to solve the plague directly.

Naturally, given the weird interactions you've had with them so far, perhaps it was worth testing the effects of placing your own blood sample on the Mandragora's fungus.

"Farnese, can you help me draw some blood? You place your hand on the table as you look for a sharp, clean object."

"Oh, sure..." You're taken aback when you later feel your fingers going inside her mouth as she attempts to take a bite out of your skin.

"Er, Farnese? There's a syringe on your right."
"O-oh! Of course! What was I thinking...?" She tries to hide it as a mere mistake, but it takes more than being klutz to think that this is the most effective way of drawing blood, especially coming from an ex torturer...

>>5305062
Regardless, Farnese knows exactly where to pierce your skin to hit a main vein, so it was easy to draw blood and watch the reaction from the pores as they spread around the small red tray.

Focusing your sight onto the mixture, you see them trying to form something akin to a solid form as your blood coagulates. Seeing as the plant creatures are known to be adapting their environment in more ways than stealing nutrients from soil, you're interested in seeing the chemical reaction on a closer level.

"Vlad! Look!" Farnese shows the illustrations on their sheets, showing the initial stage of the Mandragora plant as it sprouts before taking the usual form known from screaming until people's ears went numb.

The blood wasn't nearly enough for it to nourish, and being out of soil, it died before even growing larger than the size of a tooth.

Oddly enough, it's heart was already formed by then. Not large enough to compare to the Mandragoran heart tree Bolzack wants, or the piece he has in his possession, given the circle around the heart on the drawing.

It would take a considerable amount of blood to create a Mandragora and plant it on the ground, and even if you could tell it to grow, you could always kill yourself by pulling the plant too early and die in vain.

You could also attempts to form a fully lab grown heart, but the amount of blood required for that would require you to sever your main a limb and likely dying to blood loss.

You could use the Mandragorans for it. They're technically already at death's door if they don't get treated, but that's a sacrifice you don't exactly feel comfortable in doing.

The pressure on choosing who to lives or dies is tough when you're a doctor, and that's because you're just playing with theoreticals.

>Attempt to grow a Mandragora sprout.
>Attempt to grow a Mandragora heart.
>Draw from your own blood.
>Terminate the patients to work on the cure.
>Tell Bolzack you have nothing to report. It's safer to just wait for Guts.

>>5305114
>Terminate the patients to work on the cure.
In a world like Berserk, sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to make the greater good.

But not like Griffith of course, these patients are kinda screwed.

>>5305114
Wait, I think there's more to consider under this avenue of research before we decide on a method.
>Subdue one of the patients that's close to if not already a lost cause. Cut into the mandragora within them and implant a seed, then have Farnese remotely provide a supply of od through transference runes, while you provide a supply of blood, and you Grow the seed with the direction of taking control over the mandragora around it and forming a plantlike heart over the course of a few steady hours.
There's a physical component, but I think after seeing what our od does with them and what their od does with us, we should be able to work with this. Get the seed to grow densely rather than large.

>>5305189
+1 Sounds very creative

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>>5305241
>>5305189
Alright, I can see this experiment working, but not in a few hours, given the amount of precision required and the limited patients.

Expect a high DC on this one, but a passable one. Give me a 1d100

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>5305290
Hopefully this works

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>5305290
ez fail on the way

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>>5305303
Damn you dice. I asked for a failure. Useless RNGesus.

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>>5305303
Jesus Christ Vlad take it easy with the blunts...

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>>5305303
NICE

>>5305292
>>5305303
Asking for permission to Bolzack and the head surgeons, you combine their knowledge with yours to create the perfect antidote.

As they put an unhealthy test subject to sleep, you used their barely alive body to implant a seed inside their body, hoping you could fool the Mandragoran into thinking that was an extension of itself, slowing spreading it's pores to the regular plant and taking it's nutrients.

With Farnese keeping the patient alive with her Od transfer, you managed to pour enough of it's essence to replace the original sprout as you coiled the seed in the shape of a human heart.

It wasn't exactly Mandragoran, nor was it a tree, or a human. Until you planted it and let it grow in your command, it could be any of the three options, or perhaps even something in-between.

Placing it in a pot, you keep your fingers crossed as you stammer to say the magic words.

"...Grow!"

Silence. Farnese covered her mouth as she hoped that the Mandragora was just too shy to show up. Bolzack was hoping for you to fail, despite his neutral expressions, and the other scientists whispered to themselves on how effective that idea was.

Yet suddenly, a bulb sprouted from the soil, and a quick reading of presence under the mud revealed that a small, humanoid plant figure was laying in the plot.

All of you in the room would be cheering and congratulating each other, were it not for the golden rule of staying silent near a Mandragora.

Even the possessed patients got a reaction from that, as their moans stopped and all stared enamored in the direction of the plant, even when it wasn't in their line of sight.

You and Farnese take turns in watching over the plant, making sure no one disturbs it as you lean on each other on two separate chairs adjacent to the pot.

The way she nuzzles her nose on your shoulder whenever it's itchy is really adorable. Hopefully she'll let you rest your head on her lap when it's your turn.

These happy moments of victory... Almost make you gloss over how easy this was.

You're telling me that after all these years, with a talented team by his side, Bolzack never managed to grow a Mandragoran in his lab? And now that we have one, why are we waiting for it to fully turn into a tree? Why is there only one tree and why did people keep pulling them out if the point was too wait for them to be ripe?

>Confront Bolzack.
>Deal with it later, it was a tiring day.

>>5305386
>Confront Bolzack
Wouldn't hurt to ask a few questions... right?

>>5305386
>Confront Bolzack.
Holy cow, I go to sleep and Vlad starts kicking ass in the laboratory. Based.

>>5305386
>>Confront Bolzack.

>>5305386
>Confront Bolzack.
Here's hoping Vlad's crazy good rolls means a actual cure can be made rather then one that irreversibly and utterly mind wipes anyone who takes it.

>>5305386
>>Confront Bolzack.

>>5305391
>>5305533
>>5305600
>>5305675

Approaching Bolzack at the main hall, your mind wanders on what exactly took him so long to get to this point. Sure, none of them are actual magicians, but provided they started studying and figuring out what to do, someone must have managed to reach a cure previously, correct?

"So you did manage to create a Mandragora on your lab. Commendable effort indeed, Lord Vlad." Bolzack acknowledged your achievements.

"Waiting for it to fully grow will take a while, but when it does, no doubt it's hear will be ours. It's weird how people kept pulling the Mandragoras instead of just letting them grow naturally though... It's almost as if... You were giving your scientists and laborers misinformation."

Bolzack's expression shifts as he grows weary of your accusations.

"Now now, I am not accusing you of anything, surely there must be a reason for you to do this. Otherwise the armory wouldn't be so close to where the patients are, correct?"

"What are you insinuating?"

"I've met a few of the bandits from Cromwell in the outskirts. At first, I thought they were merely rebelling for the sake of it, but seeing how you keep your research in such secrecy while also easily letting me in, I figured that contradictory action could only mean that you were planning something in the shadows."

"H-how did you have the foresight to see through all of this?"

"I've been played for a fool enough times to learn all sorts of mind games."

"Blast! I thought I told my guards to impede any from leaving without permission!" Bolzack hits a wall with his fist, angry for being found out before actually doing anything. Reading intentions really makes you look like a genius when others don't know the extent of your ability.

"I suppose there is no point in feigning ignorance, then." Bolzack admits defeat, though still holding some cards to his chest.

>Well, what else are you hiding?
>What were you planning on doing if I told the truth to your citizens?
>Why hasn't the disease been eradicated already?
>Who really is responsible for these Mandragorans?
>You seem to have a woman in your mind, are you doing this for her?

>>5305906
>Well, what else are you hiding?
>Why hasn't the disease been eradicated already?
>Who really is responsible for these Mandragorans?
>You seem to have a woman in your mind, are you doing this for her?

>>5305906
>Well, what else are you hiding?
>Why hasn't the disease been eradicated already?
>Who really is responsible for these Mandragorans?
>>You seem to have a woman in your mind, are you doing this for her?

>>5305906
>Well, what else are you hiding?
>>Why hasn't the disease been eradicated already?
>>Who really is responsible for these Mandragorans?
>>>You seem to have a woman in your mind, are you doing this for her?

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>>5305938
>>5305968
>>5305985

"Well, what else are you hiding? Surely you know how the Mandragoran possession truly came to be."

That is the one answer I cannot give to you, as Eliza is the one who lives with the plant creatures, she is the one more familiarized with their arrival. Though I believe they came right after the passing of a local boy in her town, Nico."

Reading his mind, you verify the truth in his words as he tells the story of the young Nico.

"A commoner boy became infamous on the town near the church, always hanging out with animals and talking to inanimate objects. He believed that life was the best gift that one could recieve, and that there was no reason not to share that happiness, even if no one was there to listen to him."

"The other children found him weird, throwing sticks and stones to him so he would stop talking, yet he never did. The nun took pity on him, believing there was nothing wrong with his genuine joy in living."

"One day, during the cold winter of new year's day, the bell of the chapel rang, loud enough to reach Nico's town. The food was growing scarce at that time of season, and already being cast out from his peers, they refuse to feed Nico, forcing him to go out to the cold, until he reached Eliza's church."

"He banged on the door and yelled for her as loud as his freezing body could, yet his shouts were drowned out by the bell. When Eliza found his body, she was never the same."

No lies, he's still telling the truth, even if the story has no correlation to the Mandragorans.

"Do you know if there was a Behelit nearby? An amulet of sorts, oval in shape, but with human expression carved on them." You theorize that Eliza could have wished for the God Hand to bring Nico back to life, with the results backfiring as she sacrificed her humanity.

"That's a minute detail to ask of someone with second hand knowledge of the situation. Can't say I've ever heard such a thing present that day."
No lies there, even if the theory seems sound.

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>>5306048

"Surely Guts will figure out the rest of the story if he's going there personally. We can deal with those questions later if it means asking you why you haven't eradicated this disease already. The Mandragorans wouldn't have come this far if you didn't let them spread all the way over here. Why is that?"

"Have you taken a look at what's happening outside, Vlad? Demons, invasions from different lands, wicked plagues, despair after despair. You might be able to deal with these predicaments while you are young. Lord knows I did... With Cromwell being so close to the border, this land has been captured an seized well over a hundred times. I managed to establish peace and stay afloat for a long time... But time was not kind to me, it changes who you are, and as my wife turned ill, I came to the conclusion that I needed to leave something to the following generation."

"Which was?"

"This Mandragoran disease. While leaving much suffering toward my people, if properly controlled, could raise an army that would make even the weakest child capable of dealing with my strongest soldier. A counter measure for all the pain and suffering plaguing our fallen kingdom. After so many deaths, sharing a cure without having an army would make their deaths entirely meaningless."

"Those people never consented to being mutated, Bolzack! You lied and told them you were working for a cure, when you were just looking for a way to fully brainwash them."

"Brainwash? That's the exact side effect I've been trying so desperately to cure... Be it diseases, dismemberment, even when the victim's heart has already stopped, the Mandragora can revive them and return them to the world of the living, but it comes at a great cost... Their mind is never the same. Such was the cost of curing my dear wife from her sickness."

This magical elixir I've been marketing to my people is nothing but snake oil... An easy fix to all their troubles can't come without a cost, and I know that better than all of them."

Truthfully, Bolzack did not want a cure for the disease, for it would either give their people the same fate as his wife, or render his plan of a private plant army pointless and devoid of meaning of his massacres, even if he doesn't seem sorry for the lost lives or for lying to their faces

>So you'd rather let them all die than tell them the truth?
>You deserve being shunned by the rebels, you heartless fiend.
>There's still time to turn this around, Bolzack. Let me grow this Mandragora tree.

>>5306088
>There's still time to turn this around, Bolzack. Let me grow this Mandragora tree.
>I understand your want for both power, and to cure the minds of those who are ill. Both reasons are why I've come here, in truth - not just to provide a cure to my friends. There is merit to your pursuits, even if I cannot agree with the morality of your methods. I think that together, we might be able to find the best of both worlds - to mend the minds of those we care for, and to acquire the power to resist the evil at our respective borders. All that I ask is that you not succumb to the temptations of evil - such quick and easy methods cost far more than they're worth, and the true cost is always hidden.

>>5306145
+1 in support

Adding to this: "I once knew of a man who wanted to become a king of his own land. While his ambitions appeared to be noble, his desire was left unchecked which gave way into darker impulses. He did not know when to control his lust for his dream; thus it lead to him taking more extreme drastic measures until he committed a great evil in which he killed those closest to him to get to that dream faster. In the end, he had only himself left. Be wary of evil, no matter what place it comes from, Lord Bolzack."

>>5306145
>>5306201
Support

>>5306145
+1

>>5306145
>>5306201
>>5306238

"Given Midland and it's background, I understand your want for both power, and to cure the minds of those who are ill. Both reasons are why I've come here, in truth - not just to provide a cure to my friends. There is merit to your pursuits, even if I cannot agree with the morality of your methods. I think that together, we might be able to find the best of both worlds - to mend the minds of those we care for, and to acquire the power to resist the evil at our respective borders."

All that I ask is that you not succumb to the temptations of evil - such quick and easy methods cost far more than they're worth, and the true cost is always hidden."

"You don't need to warn me of the path I'm taking, Lord Vlad. I've already chosen what side to remain in until the end of my days. Little by little, expectations turned to frustration. The love for my land turned into mere obligation. Indifference is what awaits you when you fight until the point of fatigue. Ambitions become as blanket as the Mandragoran mind. The only thing still pushing me forward is the attestment to the blood I've already spilled!" Bolzack attempts to show some strength in his voice, but it comes off as distant and indifferent, he can't even fake enjoyment in torturing people anymore.

"There's still time to turn this around, Bolzack. Let me grow this Mandragora tree!"

"I once knew of a man who wanted to become a king of his own land. While his ambitions appeared to be noble, his desire was left unchecked which gave way into darker impulses. He did not know when to control his lust for his dream; thus it lead to him taking more extreme drastic measures until he committed a great evil in which he killed those closest to him to get to that dream faster. In the end, he had only himself left. Be wary of evil, no matter what place it comes from, Lord Bolzack."

"Desires? Believe me when I say there is nothing I wished more than to feel something new. In truth, I envy the Mandragora, who knows just enough to live without worry. My wife lives oblivious to her own pain. While I'm doomed to remember everything..." The apathy from knowing too much is what separates him from his old ideals, and despite how many people you meet, their suffering is always something they have in common for the dark angels to weaponize.

"Provided the best case scenario does happen. That both you and Guts manage to extract a Mandragoran heart. I shall warn you that my studies have already shown how much serum we would theorietically need to heal a human from it's Mandragoran condition."

"And how much that would be?"

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>>5306265
"Provided the hear is killed in Eliza's town, the Mandragorans there should be eradicated, turned back into their human forms. We believe that once their original progenitors cease to be, the other branches soon lose their grip on their hosts, bearing so much attachment to their creator that they follow suit."

"Why didn't you tell Guts about this, then? Now he-- We are killing humans without knowing they could be saved."

"He doesn't seem the type to mind of what type of blood smears his sword, much like me. What difference would that make?" Bolzack implies that all along, the Mandragoras and their possessed would have done absolutely nothing if they just left them alone or just managed to kill their main heart, yet deliberately angered them to wage war on their people, on the promise that they would eventually fuse into one and be a stable army.

This man makes Barnham sound like a master strategist...

"Still, if we ended the Mandragoran curse with both your Mandragora and the swordsman's, killing both of them would only make them be able to heal a single person per heart." Bolzack explains, still thinking on how the powerful heart serum could be stronger than the average extract they've pulled before, but given the side effects, you wager that one day isn't enough time to consider it safe for consumption.

"I believe that even if I told all of this to Guts, he would still obey me as long as I gave him the medicine, yet I am not sure what you will do with this knowledge. Who do you think should be our first subject, in this supposed test phase of our mixture, provided it does work?"

>Casca. That woman is all Guts lives for, and he would kill us both if we deny his share.
>You, Bolzack, you've suffered long enough with your sickly wife.
>Me. My body is falling apart, maybe if I recover, I can help you find more Mandragoras.
>Zhafira, I only brought her here on the off chance that she could regain her sanity.
>I can't say who deserves it the most. (Lie, he can't do this without you now.)

>>5306285
>Casca. That woman is all Guts lives for, and he would kill us both if we deny his share. But he's also a dear friend to me, so I would do anything if it meant lessening his suffering.

>>5306285
>I would be lying if I did not say that I wish to see Zhafira as herself again, or to restore my dear friend's beloved Casca. Indeed, I also want to ease your own suffering, Bolzack - it's clear to me that you've suffered all these years. However, at the crux of my decision is thus: you stated that the person used would be a subject. And on the off chance that it does not work as intended, that it has unbearable side-effects or consequences? I would only offer my own body for such a test. I would never, ever risk another's life or wellbeing with such a test, no matter how certain of the benefits we are. Life has a way of twisting the best intentions if one acts too hastily, after all.
More in-character than as a means to repair his body, in my opinion.

>>5306344
+1

>>5306344
Disregard >>5306304
I'm changing my vote to this +1

>>5306344
+1 I was thinking off the same thing too.

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>>5306344
>>5306352
>>5306354
>>5306359

"I would be lying if I did not say that I wish to see Zhafira as herself again, or to restore my dear friend's beloved Casca. Indeed, I also want to ease your own suffering, Bolzack - it's clear to me that you've suffered all these years. However, at the crux of my decision is thus: you stated that the person used would be a subject. And on the off chance that it does not work as intended, that it has unbearable side-effects or consequences? I would only offer my own body for such a test. I would never, ever risk another's life or wellbeing with such a test, no matter how certain of the benefits we are. Life has a way of twisting the best intentions if one acts too hastily, after all."

You state your case on how you have a condition that goes beyond bodily limitations, much like Casca, Zhafira or Bolzack's wife, yet being patient zero means anything could happen if the first shot if your antidote misfires. And if you do end up turning someone into a plan, it might as well be someone who already has familiarity with them.

Bolzack stays silent, in deep thinking as your words appear to get through to him. He still seems to be wondering if you have any intention of fulfilling your end of the bargain, instead of just dying or leaving without lending him a sample.

"You dangle the promise of saving my dear Anette from insanity, only to say you want to save yourself first?"

"If Guts was successful in taking the heart from Eliza's town, we should be able to heal 2 of our sickly, instead of just one."

"Then make sure Anette is the second in line, or else you and your group will only leave Cromwell after fighting all of my soldiers."

That's going to leave both Casca and Zhafira out of the equation... The latter is in no rush to be healed if it's up to her, but you doubt Guts will be complacent with your actions.

"Where could he be? It doesn't feel just to discuss who goes first without Guts here..." You speak out loud.

"He should be arriving soon, provided Gyove has taken Casca under the swordsman's nose like I ordered him to. I wanted to make sure he would come back and stay until dawn." Bolzack smirked, taking advantage of the mentally impaired to bait Guts into giving him the heart.

Before, he wasn't sure that he could heal Anette, but now that he found a way through you, he's already firm on which course of action to pursue.

Hope did nothing but reveal his true colors.

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>>5306399
>provided Gyove has taken Casca under the swordsman's nose like I ordered him to
Oh fuck this let's go hide in closer somewhere and hope he doesn't hit us by accident.

>>5306399

>Attack Bolzack. If he dies you won't have any obligations to heal Anette.
>Go after Gyove. You don't trust him to take care of Casca.
>Look for Guts. You need to know how his mission went.
>Watch the Mandragora sprout with Farnese. Knowing Bolzack's intentions, you might not want to leave that alone in his castle.
>Your cavalry is still here, telepathically explain the situation and tell them where to go.

>>5306405
>Your cavalry is still here, telepathically explain the situation and tell them where to go.
>Keep talking with Bolzack, perhaps you could find a way to sway his heart and mind back onto the path of righteousness. Perhaps by combining your mind-reading abilities and the social acumen you picked up from your youth, you can press him in the right ways to start seriously reconsidering his current path of abusing the trust of Guts and Casca, and of possibly betraying any of you.

>>5306436
This anon is using his brain.

+1

>>5306436
+1

>>5306436
Support
Mention that in doing so he would create an enemy for himself in Guts, an exceptional warrior and ex mercenary. What would his wife think of betraying trust of someone that aided him ? And of what he did so far ?
No, a better path can still be picked, if not for himself, his people, or his power as a lord then just for his wife. Take a better path for her, let others benefit this and not just you.
We where able to create a heart here, we should be able to make more for our needs. It would require some time and proper nourishment/healing, but it can be done.

>>5306436
+1

>>5306517
this too

>>5306436
>>5306517

Talking about one thing while relaying another message with your mind to several other people is as tough as it sounds, yet you manage to communicate Bolzack's true intentions to your team, and they react accordingly.

"Always too quick to trust strangers... Alright, I'll try to look for lady Casca and watch out for his soldiers." Serpico rushes to action as he focused on the human enemies.

"I'm gonna fly with Violet to see if I can look for Guts. The faster he gets here, the easier it'll be to deal with this nonsense." Hyde flies off through the window on his trusted harpy.

"Me stay with clown girl. If Gunpowder go fast, soldier can't take clown girl" Even your horse seems to know what to do, being set free by Hyde and instantly rushing to where Zhafira was.

"Wheeee! I'm going on a great adventure!" The oblivious girl doesn't even bother resisting when the horse grabs her by the collar with his teeth and chucks her over to his back.

"Listen to me, Bolzack! Are you really willing to make an enemy out of Guts after seeing what he's capable of? What would your wife think of your actions?"

Bolzack ponders on who's he really been doing this carnage disguised as research for: was it to distract himself from giving up on Anette, or was it because he truly cared for her?

"I-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A muffled Mandragora scream is echoed through the basement's walls as the hear appeared to have been prematurely taken.

"What the hell is this?" You shout as you cover your ringing ears.
"The Mandragora heart? But how? I've kept it hidden for so long in my room that-" Bolzack slaps himself in the face, putting 2 and 2 together and realizing that the innocent Annette probably found her way into the heart and woke the Mandragora up.

>>5306710
"V-Vlad!? I might need a little help here..." Farnese telepathically speaks to you as you attempt to establish a connection with her.

The Mandragorans interpreted the war cry of the heart as an order of attacks, rebelling and wailing on the walls until they bursted out of their cells.

The basement starts to crumble as several roots and branches start engulfing the castle, just how big is a fully grown Mandragoran tree for it to be destroying the castle just by growing up?

Several Mandragoras start sprouting from the ground as their bulbous bodies guide the impaired patients outside, running after Bolzack as the attempt to take revenge upon the one responsible for their deforestation.

If this is happening where the plant creatures are contained, imagine how many Mandragoras are flocking towards the castle...

As you dodge the rocks and rubble bursting from the tree's wiggles, you let Bolzack get a head start in his escape without knowing what he'll do after your attempt at convincing him

>Go after Farnese, she could be in danger.
>Fight the Mandragoras and the patients.
>Follow Bolzack to see the plant heart.
>Cut down the roots destroying the dungeon.

>>5306744
>Go after Farnese, she could be in danger.
She said she’s gonna need help this time, let’s give it to her

>>5306744
>Go after Farnese, she could be in danger.
Tell her to wait us in a secure location, if it s not secure move to somewhere we can find each other easily. And fight if needed.
After that, we might want to deal with the current problem before it destroys an entire castle and then a town.
Or no, we don't gain back a lot of energy like in the past and we are weaker. And the antidote, i doubt is going to give us much back. I am always ready for a fight but we need to consider it.

Do we want to say anything to Bolzack or his troops ? We could direct them around and save them, or convince them to join forces.

>>5306744
>Go after Farnese, she could be in danger.

>>5306792
Regarding Vlad's weakening, I feel like maybe Sivir would know what's going on and perhaps we'll know what exactly to do if she is able to point out the cause of Vlad's ailment.

For Bolzack, we've been able to actually get to his heart and I think we're very close to steering him away from becoming an enemy. I think it'll take a bit more convincing though once we actually meet up back with him.

>>5306752
>>5306792
>>5306803

Well, time to pull out the weeds then! A 1d100 to get to Farnese without having much trouble with trees or Mandragoran spawn!

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>5306809

>>5306803
That’s assuming Sivir is even alive to talk to since, you know, the whole Vlad and the tower thing where he had to use a shit ton of his and her od to save the lives of those peasants a while back.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>5306809

>>5306822
That too..

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>5306809

File: Berserk_Visual&Story_File.jpg (179 KB, 600x724)

179 KB JPG

>>5306814
>>5306828
>>5306855

Being thwacked by roots that more resemble the size of tree trunks is something you should certainly avoid, yet Farnese doesn't really have the physical training or the flexibility to run out of here by herself, does she?

It's frustrating to see it every time: you can see the enemy coming, the attack is telegraphed by your astral vision, all you need to do is sidestep out of the way, yet you fumble the jump or trip on something when landing because of your sickly soul. Thankfully none of the blows caused major damage, but the flying assortment of rubble, dirt and blood are starting to add weight to your movements.

The tree does not know the meaning of the term friendly fire, as it squashes the humanoid creatures amidst the heap.

When disturbed, nature will stop at nothing to compensate for it's destruction of self, not even the mightiest of cries would make noise to the environmental chaos caused by the deaf force of the astral spirits.

Seeing several airborne colored dots guiding you upwards and into the soil, you try your best to ignore an easy means of escape to hunt for the leader of the defunct iron chain knights, a horrifying vision was surely waiting as you stepped into the chamber.

The Mandragora plant has hatched. Not one, but several. The little saplings more resembled impish onion spawns. Their stubby little limbs, lacking fingers or genitalia, made them walk and huddle around aimlessly as they fiddled with surgery equipment and played around breaking furniture.

They were only a foot tall at most, yet their numbers and destructive potential made you very weary of entering the room.

Or at least, that's what you would like to say, if they weren't making a ladder with their bodies to reach Farnese, who climbed up all the way into a tall bookshelf and kicked the ladder down.

She wanted to make noise and to scream, but knowing that would only result in making the creatures shatter her eardrums instead, she resorted to panicked whispers.

"No! Nononono... Stay away...." She barely hushed as she fought out of their reach in fear of being possessed.

Well, talk about being screwed... If any of them shout, you're both toast. But it's either going in or letting Farnese become a Mandragoran! What's the best way to approach her?

>Start slicing them and draw attention to yourself.
>Tell Farnese to jump down, you can catch her.
>Calmly approach the bookshelf. Maybe they won't attack if you mean no harm to them.
>Pretend you're a possessed Mandragoran and shuffle your way to where Farnese is.
>Crush the saplings with a tree of your own

>>5306981
>Use their focus on Farnese to stealthily drain them of their energy. It might even send them back into a sleeping state if you drain them to a certain point.

>>5306983
+1
Also: >Tell Farnese to jump down, you can catch her.

We have to catch the waifu bridal style

>>5306981
I'm between >>5306983 and trying to sing a lullaby... From the description they sound like some "child" Spirit with a physical form, and in case they are, maybe that will make them more peacefull or even make them fall asleep

>>5306983
>>5306992
>>5306998
Alright, let's try and suckle on their energy if we can, though I'm not sure if the sleeping part will work.

2d100. Second dice is for catching Farnese. Surely she can't fuck this up...

Rolled 81, 97 = 178 (2d100)

>>5307006
Hopefully i get a good roll on this one

Rolled 42, 53 = 95 (2d100)

>>5307006

Rolled 3, 13 = 16 (2d100)

>>5307006

>>5307010
>>5307011
>>5307013

Huddling up with the Mandragoras, you hunch over and bump into the plant critters, stealing some of their energy to make them a bit less hyperactive. As they don't perceive you as an immediate threat from the way you cautiously approached them and made an active effort to not even step on their feet, the group of Mandragora almost treats you as one of their own. Would that be due to your mother's genetics, or from you growing one of them?

"Psst! Farnese, jump over!" You spread your arms as you approach the bookshelf and wait for her to make an obvious decision.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." She whispers, seeming to be somewhat scared of what a bad fall from that height could to her.

"It's either this or letting them scream the carrots out of your ears. Don't be afraid, I've got you!"

You can only hope your body is strong enough to take her weight along with your armor, otherwise, you're crushing the Mandragoras under your ass and dying with them.

"Alright... 3,2,1..." Farnese dives into your arms as you make an excellent catch, lifting her thighs over your head as you place her behind your back.

You stumbled a few steps from the Mandragora, but none of them got hit, as their ladder falls apart and they approach Farnese, their intentions suddenly become devoid of hostility.

"What are they doing?" Farnese watches with her legs wrapped behind your back as the Mandragoras cheer you on.

"If they see me as one of them, they must be thinking I got you to perform a Mandragoran possession." You read their mind as you become mesmerized at their low intelligence. Are they really this foolish?

"Well, in that case..." Farnese rubs her palms together and places her finger on your head, transferring energy as you stay revitalized to support her weight until you exit the dungeon.

Even with her good control over Od, it's best to save her juices from when you're down for the count or needing some healing, so you tell her to ease up on the sharing.

With the walls and ceiling continuing to fall and obstruct your way to the staircase, you are threatened by the mandragoran tree's roots and the possessed humans searching for a way out, directly following the scent of the main plaint and ignoring the walls along the way.

At least 30 other Mandragorans await you until you reach the ground floor and stick to the main path, and even with them perceiving you as their equal, nothing stopping the floor from giving away or a root to trap you in this room.

>Keep pretending you're a Mandragoran and limp past the others.
>Make a dash towards the stairs.
>Make a way towards the upper floors with your trees.
>Clean the way with your halberd.