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>>5413369

Roderick has indeed proposed an interesting challenge.

Rather than letting you go and escape your judgement against the Vandimions from years of prejudice, he instead offered to clear your name far better than Farnese ever could, perhaps even granting Guts and Casca their nobility status as you hopped onto his ship with his crewmates to meet Sivir at the shore of Skellig.

You would likely have agreed with his terms if the exchange was money instead of your student and lover's hand in marriage.

Despite still suffering from the grievous wounds from intense frostbite, you proclaimed that you would chop his hands off of Farnese if you had to. This was not the time for noble scuffles, especially after Barnham advised you of Ganishka's imminent arrival.

The captain's invitation of a duel seemed more out of curiosity and rivalry than outright disdain for you. If he wants a taste of his powers, then he shall receive.

Farnese shouldn't sweat over who takes her hand in the ball tonight, even if Serpico's hands are tied, you didn't need much to exit the Vandimion mansion and follow the siblings to their party hall.

You are the first to arrive from your group, who know all about the information mentioned so far.

"We'll be arriving in 20 minutes. No signs of apostles so far." Hyde warns you from the horizon.

How should you enter their fancy salon?

>Wait for your team.
>Go in by yourself.
>Sneak past the guards.
>Barge in and warn everyone about the invasion.
>Look for Roderick and get this over with.

>>5413409
>Sneak past the guards.
No time to wait for backup this time, just sneak past the guards via the infamous cardboard box technique and find Roderick so we can kick his ass.

Barging I’m also isn’t a good plan in our physical state, I think we need to pull a solid snake here and sneak around for now… maybe even use a little magic to mess around with peoples heads/senses so they have a harder time seeing us move around the place.

>>5413409
>Go in by yourself.

>>5413409
>Look for Roderick and get this over with.
I don't think anyone would listen to us about the invasion, given how we've been locked up all day and would not logically have a way to have been informed of the tidings...without magic.

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>>5413423
>>5413475
>>5413480
Sneaking it is then, let's rope the clap of Vlad's asscheeks don't alert the guard or something. Given how he had plenty of rest inbetween the walk to the ball and the mass sleeping incident in the Vandimion home, he won't be out of juice but might be prone to tumbling still.

A 1d100 should do it, put em up!

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>5413526

Rolled 93 (1d100)

>>5413526
VLAD? VLAD? VLAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>5413526
last roll

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>>5413528
>>5413535
>>5413551

The best way to go past the guards would not be by brute force, nor would it be to cause chaos and force them to listen to those who have went through a lifetime ignoring the facts.
The less taxing option should be to carefully plan your movements.

And how convenient it is that sensing the presence of life around you is your best ability.

Without even needing to peek your head past the outer walls, you manage to see the afterimages and the tracings of several people in different garments, all pacing around and watching their posts.

You ponder on whether or not you should put them under or if making a distraction would draw too much attention when your sneaking speed is around the same as your sprinting speed if you wish not to burst any blisters on your skin, but thankfully your soul energy was not needed, as the guards were advise to move over to control the commotion at the balcony.

"What seems to be the problem?"
"A local servant claims to have proof that Lord Vandimion has had an affair."
"Who, Serpico?"
"Oh, I better see this in person--"
"This isn't time for gossiping, men. This is a civil gathering of high class members of all nations. Let's prevent further escalations and apprehend the one soiling Lord Frederico's good name. Violence should only be used as a means of defense, do not pull the blade before the unarmed can."

As dancers and knights alike gather in front of the balcony to seethe scandal exposing the crack in the once perfectly healthy relationship of the richest family in the nation, you wondered where the hell was this bonhomie adherent to the rules when the guards treated you like dirt during Charlotte's marriage...

So Serpico decided to expose his secret right now? Admittedly not the best of times, but it's safe to expect that the entire family is in shouting distance given Frederico's slip of the undergarments.

All that's left is his son in law...

"Going somewhere?" Was your way of saying hello to Roderick, who was trying to find a way to enter the crowd after Farnese while you poked at his back.

"Vlad? I wasn't expecting to see you this early."
"Funny. I'd say I'm right on time..."

You raise your arm at him, really picturing the lance you were meant to have fighting him.
If only you didn't come in your fancy clothes... The trident and the halberd are the first thing you're going for when the cavalry arrives.

"Ehm... Any reason in particular you are pointing at me?"

>Let's settle this now, Roderick. The less people see you on your knees, the less embarrassing it will be.
>What are you trying to prove by doing this? I am still in negotiable terms with you.
>How about we steal the attention with our duel?
>Could you wait for a second? I believe Farnese needs me at the moment.
>Write-in.

>>5413654
>What are you trying to prove by doing this? I am still in negotiable terms with you.

>Could you wait for a second? I believe Farnese needs me at the moment.

>>5413654
>How about we steal the attention with our duel? I'm sure that certain people would be more than grateful for the sudden shift in topic, no matter who comes out on top.
It's the perfect time. We can announce the duel, thus garnering SOME amount of goodwill with Frederico for both ourselves and for Roderick (which is ultimately his goal for being at this mansion to begin with), and since it's going to be an official and announced duel we'd of course be adequately supplied with an armament to perform the duel with - plenty of fancy rapiers in a place like this, I imagine.

>>5413369
440 Hz is the key used for mind control and Bitcoin theft. 432 Hz is the key to reverse that. 528 Hz is the key to quell the beast. Whitehouse Contract is off by 0025 encryption. So much for Moots copyright.

>>5413654
>Let's settle this now, Roderick. The less people see you on your knees, the less embarrassing it will be.
Settle it now and Vlad doesn’t have to risk more damage to his already frail body.

>>5413661
>>5413666
>>5413781
"How about we steal the attention with our duel? I'm sure that certain people would be more than grateful for the sudden shift in topic, no matter who comes out on top."

"Amidst the largest scandal of the kingdom since Griffith's downfall and arrest? You sure are one to stir up controversies to yourself."

"You are sorely mistaken. Taking you in a fight is merely the easiest option compared to walking into that crowd and risking getting into the crossfire. It's also the fastest option. I want to settle this now."

"Astonishing determination... Well, don't let me stop you." Roderick clears his throat and draws the eye of a few dancers in the hall.

"May I have your attention, please? As some of you may know, this here is the man responsible for bringing Farnese back into Vandimion home. I believe he has something important to say to all the important figures here present, but before that, I promised to help him on his case under a certain condition..."

Roderick approaches a few guards who were about to approach you, asking them to hand them the fanciest rapiers they could find.

"The two types of power that are most valued here are the power to impress, and the power to rule. A Vandimion spouse would grant both of those to the weakest of men, such title should not belong in the hands of those without vision or will."

"I'm willing to give you that much." You catch the rapier thrown to you after he finds a decent enough sword for you to be on equal terms with. "I can only hope you'll fulfill your end of the bargain, if there's one thing I find disgraceful in pompous types, it's the inability to accept your losses."

"I did let you exit the estate, did I not?" He boldly claims that you would not have been able to do that if he was there.

Half the crowd still have their eyes glued to Serpico and Frederico, the other half have moved over to the center of the ball room to watch the duel unfold.

Single round, first one to disarm the opponent or graze at the opponent's skin wins.
No mistakes allowed.

>Let's not go too hard on the guy. Even if you are wounded, things will not end well for you if you accidentally kill him.
>Give them a show with your dodging skills. It should be enough to give some air to the Vandimions.
>Roderick is an average human, you are an apostle killer. Give it your all and show him the large gap in power between the two titles.

>>5413943
>>Let's not go too hard on the guy. Even if you are wounded, things will not end well for you if you accidentally kill him.
go nice and simple, suddenly distract him with telephaty then make his weapon fly in to the night and have him drop on the ground with a legsweep. Then take our rapier and break it in pieces in front of all. A loss of two good rapiers, but it should send the message.
Ask him if he wants another round after that.

>>5413943
>Roderick is an average human, you are an apostle killer. Give it your all and show him the large gap in power between the two titles.
MAXIMUM POWER! MAXIMUM SPEED! MAXIMUM EVERYTHING!

He said that the power to impress is valuable here huh? Well let’s do some impressing!

>>5413943
>Roderick is an average human, you are an apostle killer. Give it your all and show him the large gap in power between the two titles.

>>5413943
>>Roderick is an average human, you are an apostle killer. Give it your all and show him the large gap in power between the two titles.

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>>5413965
>>5413966
>>5413978
>>5414005

Not pulling any punches, huh?
That's alright, It's what Roderick would have liked

Considering how strong he is and how Vlad is still not done healing, let's see if you guys can pass the ridiculously high DC of 25.

Crit on this one and I'll kill him off!

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>5414021
Don’t you ducking dare tempt the dice gods, they are a fickle bunch.

>>5414030
God fucking damn it, I knew I was going to be jinxed lmao.

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>5414021

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>5414021
Amateur

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>>5414039
Fuck off femto, stop trying to make us look bad every time we're in a fancy place

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Jesus Christ the gods are cackling at us rn. Oh well, at least the last roll saved us lol.

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>>5414030
>>5414039
>>5414040
Lol, saved by the last one too.
I'll be writing a fancy takedown soon

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>>5414030
>>5414039
>>5414040

Letting him attack first, you study his pattern as he lunges at your right, meaning to exploit your wounded arm.

His stance is a lot more open than yours, believing he has the edge against your fancier sidestepping with your dominant hand on your hip.

Very impressive. Perhaps with strength and skill like this, he could have beaten the likes of Corkus...

But that's not the enemy he's fighting, is it?
Crossing your arms, you suddenly stay still as Roderick confusedly stops attacking.

"Do you... surrender?"
"Changing stances."
"I'm not sure you can even defend yourself without drawing your blade..."
"I'm not sure you know just how out of your league you are."

Taking offense to your remarks, he grimaces as he picks up the pace of his attacks.
The duel only ends if he hits you, so as long as you keep sidestepping tot he opposite direction of his lunges, you will tire him out with ease.

Your rotations eventually lead your back to collide with the food table. Good! You were getting thirsty from all the hopping...
"Why are you mocking me?" Roderick begins to lose his patience as he is humiliated by not even managing to hit a man who looked so wounded.
"Relax, it's only a glass of water..." You approach the cup to your lips, only to be forced to spill the drink on the carpet from he fail of the bouncy sword.

"Fine... I'll try to make a challenge out of this." You raise the chalice and hold it like the handle of a sword, parrying his attacks as you try to catch the tip of his weapon inside the glass without breaking. It's a surprisingly fun self imposed adversary.

If only Roderick's blows weren't growing increasingly weaker and more self defeating with every attack.
A sidestep to the right, a sidestep to the right, another one, another one... You've seen this already. There's no point in destroying his spirit.

All he has to know is that he never stood a chance.

Farnese watches your sword fly into the air as you fling it vertically into a spin. Opening your stance, you invite Roderick to seize his best chance of attacking. You even drop the glass as you prepare for him to come forward.

"Looks like I've let my hands slip."

Placing one of your legs up as you struck him below the elbow with a knee strike, his hand drops the sword from the nerve shock just around the time your sword was about to go right through his head.

Thankfully, you were there to catch both his and your swords from falling, spinning him over to the nearest table and sinking both swords at the woodwork, each close enough to his ears to make him hear the splinters exiting the ornate table.

"Let me know how your fight with a dragon goes when you get to it." You whisper in his ear, making his blood run cold.

>>5414195
"Hey! Kicking is against the rules of fencing!"
"And so is withdrawing your sword!"
"You lost and you cheated! You swine! You're a disgrace to the art of fighting!"

"No... You're all mistaken." Roderick, of all people, defends you against the masses. "In a way, I'm glad that he fought me in such playful manner. If he was really serious... The battle would have been finished in the span of a second."

You bow to your opponent after taking some distance from him, a gesture he nervously returns.

"Your feats really did not lie. It was like fighting against the tides of the sea itself. Very well... I will do my best in defending your case with the Vandimions." His voice is composed, yet his hand still appears to be shaking. Did you kick him that hard?

>Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions.
>That can wait, I want to warn people of the invasion first...
>Do not get between me and Farnese ever again.
>So is the boat offer still up? I believe I can offer you something of value should you ally yourself with Ilos.
>Write-in.

>>5414226
>Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions.
Make sure homie is alright too while we are at it.
>So is the boat offer still up? I believe I can offer you something of value should you ally yourself with Ilos.

>>5414226
>Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions.
>So is the boat offer still up? I believe I can offer you something of value should you ally yourself with Ilos.

>>5414226
>Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions.

>That can wait, I want to warn people of the invasion first...

>>5414226
>Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions.
>So is the boat offer still up? I believe I can offer you something of value should you ally yourself with Ilos

We will say later about the invasion surely

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>>5414239
>>5414406
>>5414439
>>5414459

"Can you help walk through the crowd? I believe I can help the Vandimions."

"What, you can pull all those stunts, yet you're afraid of being stomped by the crowd?"

"No offense, but I would rather fight you again than risk getting pushed around amidst an uproar, the first situation sounds much more controllable."

Roderick merely shakes his head, holding back his laughter.
"Strange, I feel like I should be angry about my loss, yet being aware of my chances, it really is exactly as you said..."
"I do hope the boat gig is still up. I believe I can offer you something of value should you ally yourself with Ilos."

"I do not plan on going back on my word." He offers you his shoulder as he takes the rapiers from the table, placing him onto his belt as he makes way up to the balcony.

The crowd is visibly shocked, ecstatic and happy to see you, those who recognize you are either head over heels or with their palms glued to their face -Like Rubinsky is-.

"What do you mean, 'You're our step-brother?'" Magnifico bursts at Serpico, who appears to have received a beating from the family at his recent revelations.
"You can beat me all you want, but the truth is as I've said--"
"QUIET! How could you, even? After we've done everything to care for you and your well being..." Poliziano interrupts him.
"Exactly! Imagine the things going through OUR dear mother's head at the moment."

Serpico wishes to respond, but still feeling obligated to respect the house, he lets himself be dogpilled by his detractor.

"Actually, I am not that surprised." Lady Vandimion seems to respond with dissonant apathy. "Committing adultery and running away from responsibilities sounds exactly something like a weak man such as him would do. Frankly, I don't know whether I should congratulate you for holding yourself in for so long, or to slap him in the face for having no backbone."

If the matriarch is not moved by Serpico's secret being exposed, then who is--

Farnese's beautiful dress is obscured by the sadness in her face, feeling absolutely defeated that after all this time, the man she loved the most during her early years, the one whose mother he killed, was her half-brother.

"Why, Serpico...? Why did you hide this from me?"
Serpico looks away from her tearing eyes, feeling hurt himself from the guilt of holding it all in.
"I always let you know of my darkest secrets! You knew all of me before anyone else, I trusted you to the point of running away with you before ever forgiving Vlad!"
"..."
"WHY DID YOU REFUSE TO TELL ME I KILLED YOUR MOTHER?!"
"...Because I knew being aware of that would forever change our relationship, Lady Farnese... You are free to call me a coward, but I wished not to burn at the stake with her..."

>>5414678
>Why did you reveal this now, Serpico?
>Farnese, please don't blame yourself over this, Serpico was only protecting himself.
>It's not his fault for existing, It's Frederico you should be beating up.
>We can settle this later! The Kushan are about to attack us, we need to evacuate!
>Write-in.

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>Forget to add the reply prompt for a day thinking it's already there
>Suddenly wonder why no one responded to the update

Gee, I sure hope I can finish the quest before my Alzheimer's gets any worse.

>>5415151
>We can settle this later! The Kushan are about to attack us, we need to prepare!

>>5415151
>We can settle this later! The Kushan are about to attack us, we need to prepare!
Lmao, no worries man. It Happens.

>>5415151
>We can settle this later! The Kushan are about to attack us, we need to prepare!

>>5415151
>We can settle this later!

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>>5415195
>>5415197
>>5415235
>>5415275
"We can settle this later! The Kushan are about to attack us, we need to prepare and evacuate the civilians!"

"What do you mean, later?" You get pushed by Farnese, hysterically shouting to the crowd as Roderick stops you from falling. "Did you not hear what he's just said? How am I supposed to bounce back from this!? I knew the sins I've committed would eventually come back to haunt me... But how could I have destroyed the life of someone so close to me?"

"...I'm sorry..." Is all Serpico responds with, though Farnese is the one who considers herself an unforgivable monster. "Your relationship with Sir Vlad was going so well, I was hoping you could be stable enough in the future for me to come clean before I-"

"'DIED?! LEFT ME?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER, BEFORE I KILLED THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING YOU ONTO THIS WORLD?!"

"...I was as subservient to you as you were to your background. The jail of our minds was the one we needed to escape before truly being honest to each other-"
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! YOU KNEW HOW I FELT ABOUT YOU FOR ALL THIS TIME! YOU COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING, ANYTHING! AND YOU WAITED UNTIL RODERICK PROPOSED TO ME TO REVEAL YOURSELF AS A VANDIMION?"

"...I still don't see myself as a Vandimion. Seeing as your family is, it would be wrong to call myself the same as you... Though it seems that we all have secrets that none would wish to reveal...."

Farnese has never felt so conflicted. Not even Serpico looks so sure of his answers anymore. The once calculating master of noble secrecy destroyed his reputation in front of all, just for a stalling of time until you reached the palace...

His attempt at coming clean has only soiled his image.

"Wait, did he just say something of a Kushan invasion?"
"That can't be, We've been keeping post for the past few hours and nothing came of it. There's no way a massive army like theirs could sneak up on us."

A few guards do pay attention as they hear your words, with Roderick attempting to shift the subject away from the Vandimions falling out.

"Are you serious, Vlad?"
"Yes! They can summon fog to hide themselves inside of it and summon their foul creatures, my body is proof of what they are capable of. A big carnage is about to happen, and I am here to prevent it.

While the ones who hear your warning look afraid, the vast majority are still doubtful.

"Who's to say it's not his doing? God knows he only brings harm wherever he goes."
"Oh, like you're a reliable source! Magic does not even exist!"
"Did you see how many soldiers we have? Let them come, we're ready!"

>Would you really rather listen to gossip than stay alive?
>Fine, then. Those who believe me can follow Roderick, the ones who don't can fend off for themselves.
>[Check with Hyde if your group is close to arriving]
>[Fire a soul arrow for demonstration.]
>Write-in.

>>5415319
>[Check with Hyde if your group is close to arriving]
We should check in and see if they see any signs of the Kushan invasion force outside too
>Would you really rather listen to gossip than stay alive?
>Fine, then. Those who believe me can follow Roderick, the ones who don't can fend off for themselves.

>>5415384
+1

>>5415319
>The Kushan's spies are everywhere. Do you really believe they would not hear of a meeting of every capable force's head in Midland? Do you truthfully and honestly think that they would not use this opportunity to strike and weaken our lands in one fell swoop? And do you not think they would have tools and methods unknown to us, with which they may generate a perfect moving cover? My intelligence has made it clear - they're moving here, with great speed and purpose. We need to be ready. Besides, is this not an opportunity to show our benefactors just how much we're worth, at the hour of need?

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>>5415384
>>5415411
>>5415434
"The Kushan's spies are everywhere. Do you really believe they would not hear of a meeting of every capable force's head in Midland and use that intelligence to weaken our lands with methods unknown to us? They are moving here, with great speed and purpose! Either show our benefactors how much we're worth or waste your final hour!"

"God, Roderick isn't paying me enough for this..." Stanley grumbles from inside the conglomerate, it seems that none from the holy city are willing to listen to your 'delusions'. The ones that do are clearly being outvoted by the majority of onlookers interested in Vandimion gossip.

You sigh in defeat, it seems like you failed to impress the nobles with your rhetoric.

"Fine, Vlad. Say that there are indeed several Kushan coming here with their kitty cats. Are you really in good condition to fight for more than a few minutes?"

"Someone has to hold the line while my team arrives, After that, I imagine it's going to devolve into a free-for-all. Those confident enough to stay can fend off for themselves, the ones who value their lives can follow Roderick and his teammates."

"Alright, I'll lead them to the docks in case they attempt to overtake the city, you know where to find me!" Roderick signals his men to call for a troop and escort the sane people out of the ballroom, leaving you with one of the two rapiers from your duel to self defense along with some guards, who seem to be more interested in arresting you again than defending the people.

"Hyde, are you close by?"
"Closer than close, the fog is already onto us, too. No signs of Barnham, though."
"Is Cindy and Benny coming?"
"Yup, thought it would be good to place them at the Inn, but that'd leave them unsupervised against our enemies. Don't want any deaths happening tday, ya hear?"

Serpico is the only one fully equipped, with Farnese's dress and corset greatly limiting her movements, he's the one you attempt to stay close by.

"What do you think, Milord? Should we arrest him?" The guards look at the saddened Frederico, who was pondering on what to do with Serpico.

"... I do not believe I could ever call Serpico my son..." The lord of the house enters the discussion by rejecting Serpico to the very end.

Yet before he could finish his thought process, a guard returns to warn of the Pishaca.

"Sir! The Kushan Tigers really are here!"

"What did I tell ya?" You shrug to Stanley, who ponders of a hundred ways to throw you in the slammer.

"H-h-ow many of them are?" Magnifico shivers.

"Around 50 of them, and it seems like there are more to come. Roderick had to stop his escorting to ask for reinforcements!"
"AAAAAH!" The visitors begin screaming.

"CALM DOWN!" You shout as you strike desk with your right palm, aiming to show your tactical prowess by leading them away from danger.

>>5415515
>Step away from the doors and windows, we cannot compare to the strength and agility of feral felines.
>Serpico's Sylph sword can dissipate the fog, let him through.
>Is there anywhere in this building that would be hard for them to reach us?
>Form a line with the soldiers and barricade the entrances.
>Make room for me to do my magic! I will attempt to astral project. Farnese?
>Write-in.

>>5415518
>Is there anywhere in this building that would be hard for them to reach us?

>>5415518
>>Is there anywhere in this building that would be hard for them to reach us?
>>Form a line with the soldiers and barricade the entrances.
agh we don't have armor or weapons on us.
prepare to use our seeds, we could use them both in defense and offense

have serpico and farnese near us, i imagine her dress will be a problem for movement.

>>5415581
and yeah take command of the vandimion soldiers basically, we are the one with the most fighting experience here. They will be more effective with someone that knows how to fight Kushan.
If Serpico and Farnese are still debating, tell them to stop and focus on the fight. Farnese could cut part of her dress maybe but eh. Her choice, i don't want people to look at her

>>5415581
+1

Could we also form barricades with the soldiers?

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>>5415543
>>5415581
>>5415590
"Is there anywhere in this building that would be hard for them to reach us?"
"Unfortunately not, this is meant to be an open space for the guests to feast and dance as much as they would like." Stanley observes the window, half expecting a tiger to maul him so he would escape his duty of having to comply with you.

"They're giant cats. Jumping and sneaking around tight areas would not be a problem to them" Magnifico panics.

"Guess we're out of choices then... Everyone, form a line with your weapons and barricade the entrances! Silver is a repellent against creatures possessed by magic, should we have any cutting or blunting weapons made out of those, it will be beneficial to-"

"And who do you think you are to command our troops?" Poliziano is the first to question your commands. "With the misfortune you bring, you might as well have the mark of the beast!"


"The audacity to command our soldiers, when he comes from a land that refuse to participate in the Tudor war to grow a coliseum in Midland Territory!" Giorgio is the other son who responds with scorn.

Perhaps Barnham was right afterall, these people would rather die virtue signaling than take matters into their own hands. Talking is all they're good for...

"I'd say let him handle it." Stanley plays devil's advocate to the crowd. "His father's lost plenty of money financing the Holy Knights. When Farnese went after him and The Black Swordsman, he magically made them all disappear into Ilos free of choice. It should tell you enough about his skills in recruitment and leadership, isn't it?"

"Vlad fought the law and Vlad won!" Puck arrives before the doors could be barricaded, singing to a soft tune as he goes unnoticed by the non believers.

"Where are the others?" You ask the elf.
"Just past the front gate, some of them are already inside the mist so we had to slow down a bit."
"LADY FARNESE!" Serpico runs after his step-sister, breaking down as she goes away from the edge of the balcony into the rooms further into the household.

"Didn't she hear the warnings? It's dangerous to go outside-" Puck stops himself after noticing her intent.

Farnese now feels used, betrayed, knowing that Serpico only stood by her side out of obligation, and perhaps a chance to be compensated instead of ever genuinely feeling any comradery for her. Even brotherly love was impossible to one who committed matricide.

"Vlad, you don't think she's thinking of jumping, is she?!"
You wish you could have said no.

>This is between her and Serpico, try not to get involved.
>You will not forgive yourself if something happens to her. Unlike her family, you can be by her side without casting judgement.

>>5415680
>Maybe now would be a good time to astral project. Your body can try to protect the people here, and you could send your spirit to Farnese.

>>5415680
>You will not forgive yourself if something happens to her. Unlike her family, you can be by her side without casting judgement.

>>5415698
Yeah sure, I didn't consider that option when writing, should be a good idea to use your soul double, perhaps even for astral projection if you wish to

Let's do a 2d100, won't tell which one is which

Rolled 17, 96 = 113 (2d100)

>>5415904
goodnight!

Rolled 48, 96 = 144 (2d100)

>>5415904

Rolled 24, 97 = 121 (2d100)

>>5415908
>>5415922
>dub 96
huh?

>>5415904

Holy shit, three 90s in a row? Never seen that before. That’s special.

>>5415680
>>You will not forgive yourself if something happens to her. Unlike her family, you can be by her side without casting judgement.
farnese god damn it, we have no time for a discussion

>>5415680
>You will not forgive yourself if something happens to her. Unlike her family, you can be by her side without casting judgement.

File: 259-18.png (1.27 MB, 1534x808)

1.27 MB PNG

>>5415908
>>5415922
>>5415932

Schierke did mention how abnormal it was for one to remotely control body and soul during a fight, perhaps it would be a good idea to use that ability while your soul is intact.

Closing your eyes and bypassing the need of runes, you materialize your soul double to pursue them whole while physically staying at the same spot.

However, your body is still not prone to jumping around and dodging tigers without inflicting damage to itself, the precognition can only show the best possible way for you to dodge, chances of tripping and falling are all on you.

Let's try not to trust it too much and calm Farnese down fast.

Going after the two brothers, you observe the fog quickly approaching before the Pegasus Brigade, along with the giant silhouette of a hairy figure dissipating the air itself with his snorts.

...Barnham? No, he was big, but never that gigantic.

Farnese got cornered when she reached the window of a room, getting ready to jump off should Serpico get any closer.

"Lady Farnese, I've had more than enough time to ponder how I feel about said occurrences The past is in the past. I do not wish you harm, you are not the one to blame for the life I have lived."

"How can you say that to me with a straight face...? It happened to you, to Vlad, and to anyone who approaches a monster like me!"

"Farnese, we've been over this..." You speak up to her, remembering the time she burned her holy armor in Albion.

"I thought I had, until I realized all of our interactions were fake, you were only pretending to care for me out of a sense of obligation!"

"...Perhaps those were my feelings for you at the start. I did see you as a mindless brat in our first meeting, but over the years, I have realized that... I've always cared for you. You were not responsible for me being born into poverty, to have lived with a sickly mother and raising me to be her breadwinner at the age of 5, to have been denied every other path in life simply due to family ties. Be it by being rich or poor, we became close because of our suffering, not despite of it."

Farnese shakes as Serpico pours his heart out in his speech, attempting to call her by her proper titles.

"Lady F... Farnese... Sister. You were responsible for bringing me here up to this point. Seeing you come onto your own thanks to Vlad has motivated me to become my own person, as well. Your actions were already forgiven a long time ago. The only one left to move on is you."

"Do you hate your mother that much, to condone what I've done to her and the life of mistreatment brought by all of our family because of a deranged relationship with a half sister?"

Serpico brings his head down, feeling vulnerable.

"Hate is not a word I would describe of my mother... It is not love, either. It's rather a mix of emotions I will likely never come to terms with."
As you attempt to approach her, Farnese trembles and crosses her arms.

File: 259-2.png (2.12 MB, 1130x1600)

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>>5416222
"Get away from me, both of you! I command you to leave me alone!" She cowers to the floor with a last appeal to authority.

She ignores the shaking of the building as several Pishaca enter the plaza, the gust of wind leaving all to fight the tigers in total darkness.

Your body is the only one able to fight them on an equal level, though for how long, you don't know.

One tiger appears to be walking along the rooftiles, aiming for an entrance on the window.

It's up to you to either soothe her back into action, or to leave her here and attempt to fight the tiger with your spirit.

>We will not give up on you, Farnese. We have been with you every step of the way, not much has changed.
>You said your return to your home would be your ultimate test of how much you had evolved from your past ways, to not crumble under troubling revelations is how you will show your resolve.
>Neither Serpico or I could comply with such cruel orders, Farnese. I love you too much to leave you hurting.
>[Attempt to fight the Pishaca as a soul double.]
>[Order Serpico to fight the approaching tiger]
>Write-in.

>>5416259
>Not one of us is who we used to be. The mere fact that Serpico has elected to reveal the nature of his birth proves it - we've all grown past our vices and our crutches. We no longer need the false security that secrecy, hedonism, or religious zealotry provides.
>You said your return to your home would be your ultimate test of how much you had evolved from your past ways, to not crumble under troubling revelations is how you will show your resolve.

>>5416259
>[Order Serpico to fight the approaching tiger]
Then do this anons write in: >>5416303

>>5416303
+1
>[Order Serpico to fight the approaching tiger]

>>5416259
>You said your return to your home would be your ultimate test of how much you had evolved from your past ways, to not crumble under troubling revelations is how you will show your resolve.
>Write In
>"You must not let this weight separate us, fight Farnese and stay with us. We accept you both at your lowest and at your highest, there is no reason for us to hate you or despise you."
>"I will be outside now, cut your dress if you need to move in a better way. Don't leave us waiting my love."

>[Order Serpico to fight the approaching tiger]
>[Reunite with your body and fight the incoming monsters alongside the Vandimion Soldiers. Drop some seeds for create traps for impale and crush the Kushan Beasts]
I don't trust this soul double ability at all, we are already wounded in body if we are damaged in soul we are going to die.

>>5416314
+1, let's not get soul damaged AGAIN

File: GRRR.png (1.96 MB, 1510x1100)

1.96 MB PNG

>>5416303
>>5416310
>>5416313
>>5416314
>>5416322
Alright, enough melodrama! Let's get into the action now!
Who wants to plow through some pussies (the cats)?
1d100+10 to see if Vlad can get the eye of the tiger

Rolled 76 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5416357
plus ten! WHOOOH! OUR SOUL IS STRONG YEAHHHH BOOOOY

Rolled 93 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5416357

Rolled 4 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5416357

>>5416358
>>5416415
>>5416434

"Farnese, my love. You said your return to your home would be your ultimate test of how much you had evolved from your past ways, to not crumble under troubling revelations is how you will show your resolve. I know you are hurting, but as you have shown before, you have accepted me in my lowest while waiting for my time to shine, there is no reason for either of us to despise you in your time of need."

"... But when have I helped you in such a fashion?" Farnese breaks out of her fetal position to stare at your spirit.
"Must I remind you that Casca and Cindy have been in your care when I cannot treat them? That you summoned a great ball of fire not to destroy, but to save?"

"Precisely, your debts with Vlad have been paid, as mine have been. You are as valuable to us as we to you."

"You were attentively learning every lesson from me, despite not knowing a thing about magic, you've let me shape you into the free spirit you were meant to be. You are already there, all you need to do is prove to your parents, break that image of the psychotic child they have instead of reverting back to it!"

Farnese remembers the baths you took, all the nights lost hoping your soul would not dissipate, healing you even with her lack of skill, holding you close worrying about hypothermia catching up to you.
Her fears and guilt would not go away with words of comfort, but the least she could do was focus on the approaching Pishaca aiming to bite at her throat.

Thankfully, Serpico donned his Sylph Sword and Cape to strike the window, slashing the class defurring the feline with envious precision.
"Cut your dress if you wish to fight, it's only getting more intense from here." You say before departing.
"Actually, I think I have an idea..." Farnese stares at the round bottom of her dress, wondering where her silver dagger could be.

Returning back to your body was a surprise, seeing as the first thing to great you were the open jaws of an orange tiger. Serpico and Hyde might have trained to defeat these monsters with ease, but the shock from being greeted with such a heavy pounce brought you to the great.

Such incredible strength... How about you borrow some of it?
Your right arm appeared to be almost breaking from supporting it's weight, but wit ha quick absorption of his Od, you eventually started to overpower the monster and spin it side ways. When it fell back onto it's belly, you punctured through it's brain, leaving it stuck inside there as the other monsters circled around you.

You would give the puncture power of your halberd any day over this stingy staff of a rapier...

>>5416415
Boy howdy, now that’s a good roll.

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>>5416489
>>5416489
Screw it, brute force it is! Just don't use your head or your left arm!

Stopping the tiger's heart with a punch, you almost feel your hand breaking as it causes internal bleeding to the carnivore enemy's skin, being countered from a pounce mid-air caused great damage to his ribcage.

Grabbing hold of a silver candelabrum, you push it deep inside the second Pishaca's burning heart, leaving it powerless to any sort of possession.

"How the hell is this possible!? It's taking the death of 3 men to take care of one tiger! Why can he fend off for himself without any armor or weapons?"

"Sounds like your knights aren't struggling enough!" Puck spooks Magnifico by making his best attempt at mimicking The Skull Knight.

"AAH!"

Your stance is admittedly more unorthodox than what Puck boasts it out to be, having to use the same hand to hold the candelabrum and throw silverware proves to be troublesome.

Thankfully, you remember from your drunken days that alcohol and fire don't go well together... for your enemies.

"I'll pay you back for this!" You knock over the barrels of drinks over to the felines with a quick that bursts the blisters on your feet, spilling over to the occupied entrance.

Shoving the lit candles onto the trail of flammable liquid, you watch them all attempt to escape the fire as the mist turns into smoke, greatly reducing the chances of more of them entering to attack the guests.

Though that did not stop one nasty cat to break through the window to devour you. Even if he is faster, your reaction speed warns you to dodge as long as you have the right timing.

The enemies jump right onto your makeshift weapon, making you spin him over with one hand as you take a bite out of his neck like he would have done to you.

You don't know how Barnham can withstand the taste of blood, but you've come to respect how he bites through his enemies.
You're not hungry, but he surely is...

>Put the fire out, your crew is about to enter.
>Let the fire spread, Ganishka will not enter this place in his cloud form if he turns into rain.
>Help the guests escape through the window.
>Look for Hyde, any damage fighting naked could be lethal.
>Search for the Kushan casters.
>Ask Puck to lend you his energy.

>>5416513
>Ask Puck to lend you his energy.
Puck-Sama… forgive me, I must ask you to lend me your power!
>Put the fire out, your crew is about to enter.
If we let the fire grow, it could just end up causing structural integrity to fail, collapsing the roof and making everything below it fall on us. Which is a bad way to die imo.
>Help the guests escape through the window.
And then after that trial:
>Look for Hyde, any damage fighting naked could be lethal.
Hopefully Hyde can fend them off long enough for everyone to escape and us to back him up.

>>5416513
>Ask Puck to lend you his energy.
>Look for Hyde, any damage fighting naked could be lethal.
I think once we get our hands on the trident, we can extinguish the fires pretty easily if need be.

>>5416513
>>Ask Puck to lend you his energy.
>>Look for Hyde, any damage fighting naked could be lethal.

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>>5416550
>>5416556
>>5416640

"Puck!" You remind him of the extra energy you can recover by snatching him for a moment to absorb his essence.
"Yaay! He remembered me!"

Seeing how you lacked any water sources to properly put out the fire, you instruct the guards to help the guests exit through the window while the Pishaca are distracted.

"What the hell did this guy go through in the last 3 years?"
"Did you forget who Char Santana was? Were it not for him and partially his son, the war of independence of Randel wouldn't have enough funds to even happen!"
"Now you're just overselling his parent's deeds."
"Can you blame me? Look at what he's doing!" A few of Randel's warriors applaud you in your efforts, perhaps thinking that you were a hero for your deeds.

"If you have time to flap your mouths, then you have the time to GET OUTTA HERE!" Puck shouts at the Randelians with a megaphone, ordering them to pay attention to the ones who need it as they all grew increasingly more aware of magic.

The shaking of the chandeliers prove to bring more harm than the fire as Barnham steps closer to the mansion, making everyone panic as they see what appears to be another Pishaca.

"What? Never seen a talking bear before?" The blue haired monster limits his power, taking a form that more resembles a human as he walks through the fire unphased.

"Long time no see, Vlad. Unfortunately for you, I cannot eat the fire for your friends to pass. However, a little girl told me to bring this."

You replace the candelabrum with the handle of the undine trident.
Are the undines really ready to be placed under command? You've grown anxious over the power of water elementals after they nearly brought you to your death, but perhaps it will be easier to do so if all you plan to do is to bring a medium sized fire down.

"Would you mind using whatever magic you have? I do not mind eating more to regenerate my body, but I would rather leave this place inside a cremation urn." Barnham complains as the fire catches on part of his fur.

>Roll a 1d100 to test your rebellious weapon.

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>5416885
LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOO
THE DREAM TEAM IS TOGETHER FOR THE BIGGEST KUSHAN BEATDOWN OF THE CENTURY

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5416885
Dreamworks makes the team works. Or something.

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>5416885

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>>5416905
>>5416919
>>5416941

"Undines, I require your assistance!" You hold your handle up to the fire pit, hoping that the lack of casters blocking your Od flow would ease your control.

The icy handle snaps in half, the head of one trident falling off into a weapon resembling a Sai, with it's watery spikes protruding and extending into a jet to put out the fire on your bad arm, with a regular ice trident working as usual.

With how the weapon constantly changes shape and form, it should come as no surprised that you can section parts of it to act in different properties.

"Looks like the party's already in full swing." Guts greets you with his dragonslayer out, shoving the cleanly cut half of a tiger down to his side as he passes through the smoke.

"This idiot behind me attempted to take a piece off my paw as I was passing by! Can you believe the audacity of this no-name hoodlum?! Were I not such a charitable and attentive leader, I would not have recognized Gunpowder riding the Caravan to prevent me from eating them all."

'Fuck you!' Gunpowder speaks what Guts doesn't feel like saying with his disdain for apostles.

"I don't remember seeing you during the eclipse, but an apostle is an apostle. When I'm through with these kitties, you're next on the list."

"Why would I waste my time attending a mediocre feast when I have food at home?" Barnham mocks the death of the Band Of The Falcon, calling their forces minuscule would they were to be absorbed by him.

"Why you piece of--"

"Guts, please! We are in no position of refusing help, even if it comes from such... horrendous creature." Schierke associates apostles with the overtaking of Flora's home, naturally despising them to a lesser extent than Guts.
"I'll be sure to visit you in your nightmares." The bear cut off his cheeks to form a permanent grin to scare off the witch girl.

"Sup! Guess what I got with me!" Isidro points to Roderick and his crew, who were saved from the Pishaca onslaught thanks to their arrival.

"They were surprisingly easy to tame." Cindy floats as she is carried by Casca's axe of the gnomes under her giant dress, with the unseen hand dancing to the tune of the magical bagpipes from Benny, who hopped around to tame and negate the hypnotism of the Kushan.

"Why do I have to stay under this dress?"
"Do I need to remind you of what happened last time you saw a few too many apostles?" Hyde drops down from Violet, having your armor in hand so you can do a quick change inside the Pegasus.

"That's more like it. Now I'm feeling like the Phantom Impaler people feared."
"You certainly seem to be better off than last time we met. Though not by a lot, friend." The Gladiator King greets you in a much warmer welcome than the rest of the group, still weary of the imminent tiger army behind them.

>>5417009
Why is Barnham so BASED bros? I want to recover from the shit rolls this stupid undine trident caused us last thread so we can reach full power for real. If we fuck up again, I will vote to ditch these shit water spirits

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>>5417009
"I could say the same to you, your presence is larger than Zodd's at this point. I'm sure you would be able to defeat him in your unleashed form if you ate a few more of those tigers."

"That is the stump I have seemed to have found myself in: Vlad. Truth is, my power seems to have peaked."

"...What?"

"The God Hand members surely would have placed an artificial limit to prevent me from growing stronger by merely doing a bodily function. I do not feel changes from eating humans or animals aside from light regeneration. Even that has seemingly slowed down. Should I prevail as a predator, I shall eat my competition as well."

"Can you hurry? Benny is starting to lose his breath..." Cindy worries about her brother's comfort, despite the lower half already turning into trunks from the stressful situation she finds herself in.

"What's with the fancy dress? Was it just to Hyde the mandragora?"

"A girl values her appearance Vlad! This is her best chance at appearing fancy! Just see the graph!"

'Cindy: Unsophisticated, Uncool, uncool, unattractive.'
'Cynthia: Fancy, High Class, Fitting for the occasion.'

"Did you really have to call me uncool twice?" Cindy lowers her head after seeing Ivalera's scribbles.

"Violet should be able to find the casters." Hyde places the feather falling potion close to her mouth, should he ever need to drink it mid-flight.

"Luckily, Ganishka is here, and I know about his giant Behelit made out of apostles! He plans to ascend into a form past the demonic form he already has! And I believe a bite of someone much stronger than me is exactly what I need..."

"Not on my watch. I don't care if Vlad considers you a friend. No apostles are growing on my watch."
"Oh, like you would have the power to scratch me, cyclop! Your strength is comparable to how hard these youngsters worked for to earn their luxuries. Speaking of which..."

"I did more than just scratch you, freak!" Guts grumbles to himself as Barnham clacks his claws at Frederico.

"Your Holy Knights are doing well under my command, your excellency. It shows how much freedom they had in your city when they were walking failures with blades! Is this what you call celebratory!? Dancing and drinking while I have managed to reform my entire city to defend the citizens against the Dakas? I'll tell you when it's time to dance! When there are no heads left to squash on the field!" Barnham breaks the handle of the staircase before Frederico and Magnifico manage to escape, letting him hear what he thought of the aristocrats.

"I'm sure you are ready to deny the existence of magic and the one that threatens your life, but let it be known that the highest bidders of my gladiator ring came from YOUR circle! It's a shame I am a man of my world, otherwise I would have arrested them along with all the ones who failed to win or hand them my hard earned money!"

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>>5417062
Guts aims a sword strike behind Barnham if he decides to start a carnage. Both of them are already fuming.

Barnham is admittedly not the best to solve conflicts who don't end in beatdowns, being the mediator of angels and devils, you approach the patriarch with a calm mind to deescalate their mood swings.

>Is this enough proof to convince you that neither I, or the Tudorian Silver Eyed Clan, meant any harm to Midland?
>Let him go, Barnham. Killing him would hardly resolve our problems. Let us save our energy to fight the real enemy approaching us.
>Do any of you have a problem with me asking for Farnese's hand in marriage in the near future. If so, feel free to speak your mind.
>You would serve better aligning yourself with Ilos than being stabbed in the back by Midland's soon to be king, that much I can guarantee.
>Why do you not recognize Serpico as your son? He deserves that much from serving you and Farnese.
>Write-in.

>>5417069
>You would serve better aligning yourself with Ilos than being stabbed in the back by Midland's soon to be king, that much I can guarantee.
>Let him go, Barnham. Killing him would hardly resolve our problems. Let us save our energy to fight the real enemy approaching us.
and as an aside
>Guts. I know that Barnham's nature, both in flesh and personality, hits a sore spot for you...but I ask that you look past the hatred that the beast of darkness blinds you with. We can't afford for you to lose yourself to it again. And for you, Barnham...you would do well to respect Guts as you respect me. You'll see his strength and conviction soon enough. Despite being fully human without a shred of magic, he can outdo a great number of apostles in raw power.

>>5417069
>Let him go, Barnham. Killing him would hardly resolve our problems. Let us save our energy to fight the real enemy approaching us.
>Do any of you have a problem with me asking for Farnese's hand in marriage in the near future. If so, feel free to speak your mind.
>You would serve better aligning yourself with Ilos than being stabbed in the back by Midland's soon to be king, that much I can guarantee.

>>5417114
+1

>>5417114
>>5417206
"Let him go, Barnham. Killing him would hardly resolve our problems. Let us save our energy to fight the real enemy approaching us. He will serve us best aligning with Ilos than being stabbed in the back by Midland's soon to be king, that much I can guarantee." Barnham takes a step back as he hears you speaking up. Though you had a few words to say to the swordsman behind you."

"Guts. I know that Barnham's nature, both in flesh and personality, hits a sore spot for you...but I ask that you look past the hatred that the beast of darkness blinds you with. We can't afford for you to lose yourself to it again."
"I have a will and consciousness of my own. If a monster pisses me off, there's a damn good reason for it. Asking me to be cordial to these monsters is like asking if I would like to have my teeth pulled. Do I need to say that my answer is no?"

You sigh, hoping the bear apostle would beg to differ.
"And for you, Barnham...you would do well to respect Guts as you respect me. You'll see his strength and conviction soon enough. Despite being fully human without a shred of magic, he can outdo a great number of apostles in raw power."

"If you say so. I'll be on the lookout for him in case he shows potential."
No can do, they're both as antagonistic as you can get...

"Anyway, do any of you have a problem with me asking for Farnese's hand in marriage in the near future. If so, feel free to speak your mind."
You hear Magnifico and Stanley clear their throat, but Roderick elbows the both of them.
Lady Vandimion approaches you the moment Serpico and Farnese reenter the room. The black sheep of the family having her dress torn and cut in the shape of incantation runes so she could use her magic while wearing the dress with a moveable magic field.

"It's become clear to me that you have much more value and love for my daughter than this sham of a husband I have. My blessing for you is absolute." Lady Vandimion sheds her wedding ring and hands it to you, moved by your courage."
"...Firstly, I shall thank you for saving all here present in this ballroom, It has become clear to me that this is not even closest to the hardest you've strained yourself for the sake of Farnese. I refused to call Serpico my son earlier, but that is because the foundation of how I raised my children left me dissatisfied of the results. They really came into their own due to the life experiences that a life being pampered and ignored by me could never offer."

"I am envious of the trust Farnese places in you, Santana. Not once did I ever see this within this mansion. Not for me, him or her brothers. For the Vandimions, such a trust could never exist..." Lady Vandimion turns over to her daughter and Serpico once they approach.

"No one ever paid you any heed. Being raised in solitude, you won it through the power of your desire. A blessing that only a lithe soul in disregard of her familial yoke could bring out."

>>5417453
I hope Guts and Barnham can settle it in the ring, like Vlad and Barnham did. Roderick still proving to be the only sane and reasonable guy in the Vandimions, and Farnese's mom saying its OK for us to fuck her daughter is an amazing speech moment right here in front of everybody. Taking the ring off and giving it over while talking shit at the rest of the family, in full view of EVERY noble gathered in the ballroom, is a big political hit too

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>>5417453
"It would be foolish to deny the use of magic or arcane tactics, seeing how even Farnese herself is accepting of the magical runes used by Tudorians. As much as I am grateful for the lives you've rescued from what was undoubtedly a Kushan assault. We shall abide by the law of our fallen kingdom: Which is why you and all of your group are hereby excommunicated from the holy city of Vritannis."

"What does excommunicated mean?" Isidro asks to Schierke, who after whispering her response, had to hold the red haired thief back so he did not climb upstairs to clobber Frederico.
"A brave answer to die for." Barnham cracked his knuckles, ready to decapitate the head Vandimion before he continued his thought process.

"However, I now understand the reason you struggled against our system was due to you being destined to create your own. And that is why we will recognize the independence of Ilos from Midland territory. Should I ever be put in a place to choose between you or the royal family, I know only one of them has saved the life of nobles and commoners alike with their mere presence."

The audience claps as a few remaining servants return with your family crest, keeping track of the blacklisted nobles to consider as dead or traitors, a replica of the pegasus emblem was placed on your armor, with Serpico and Farnese receiving them as well.

"I thank you all for this small celebration." Serpico bows. "With the freedom given by me by the wind of this earth, I shall help the pegasus take flight once again, no matter how clipped his wings were in the past."

Benny gasps for air, needing to stop his playing after losing control of his breath, but instead of shouting as the Pishaca turned to attack, they merely stared at nothing, signing that Violet managed to find the casters and kill them.

Casting a spell to freeze them solid, Schierke solved the problem and decided to approach you with a ring of her own to consider.

"I have learned how to use familiars, Vlad! I realized after the incident at the shore that we need better measures for enemies of the flesh. Though these are impromptu, the braided ring can summon several thorn snakes. Given how you're part plant yourself, I am curious to see the synergy you and Farnese could have" She winks, making you wonder which ring should you choose.

This would feel somewhat childish, wouldn't it? Here you are being congratulated as the Santana name can finally be recognized as an honorable title, and you're going to give Farnese what appears to be a toy ring compared to the diamond one handed by Lady Vandimon?

>Hand Farnese her mother's ring.
>Hand Farnese Schierke's familiar ring.
>It's too soon to engage, you can save that for a later date.

>>5417467
Wait why are we talking right now? isn't Ganishka on the way here? Barnham showed up, and we killed the big tigers, but aren't there more enemies outside? What's with all the exposition in this situation?

>>5417467
>Hand Farnese Schierke's familiar ring.
The plant ring from us, the Vandimion ring from her. A fitting exchange.

>>5417485
All in due time, anon. We just need to get the politics out of the way for the bossfight to start, not like it will take much longer, anyway.

>>5417467
>Hand Farnese her mother's ring.
Farnese can have the diamond ring, and Vlad can have the familiar ring. They can become a pair of non matching rings that match their personalities. Plus, the familiar ring has the best potential to work for Vlad since he is plant man.

>>5417069
>Take them....
"I thank you for returning me my family crest. It means much for me."
"Schierke that's quite useful my compliments for creating it in such a quick manner. But tell me do you think we could use this diamond has a powerful catalyst for Farnese magic ? I have never tried any runes on gems and rings, their rarity and quality was out of my reach for quite sometime. But i could see the creation of a far more powerful ring with the combination of this two, and i wouldn't want anything less for my future wife."
"Ordering this thorns to intertwin around the vandimion ring, should be something we can accomplish. Now."

what about some magical crafting time? just an idea really, if we can't i will consider it null.
//
we haven't make secrets that we are a sorcerer so i don't see problems of talking about magic.
excommunication ? funny, i think Hyde would want to say some words about our supposed "heresies".

>>5417485
the moment requires it, and we should take the opportunity now. We have clean up outside enough for talking for sometime, we will take command shortly over the soldiers and knights of the Vandimion, and ensure we can take out any other Kushan monsters, magicians and soldiers present around the city.

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>>5417486
>>5417502
>>5417506
"Schierke, do you think we could use this diamond has a powerful catalyst for Farnese magic? I have never tried any runes on gems and rings, their rarity and quality was out of my reach for quite sometime. But i could see the creation of a far more powerful ring with the combination of this two, and i wouldn't want anything less for my future wife." Ivalera and Farnese visibly blush, noticing how the soon to be Farnese Santana is already being recognized as your fiancée.

"Oh, likewise! Though I lack the time to do it right now, we could always make it reflect the light of the Od strikes you are able to do. Perhaps at a later date I can let you create elementals of your own rather than spawns of mandragorans, but I believe this should suffice for now." Schierke takes the two rings together and places some thorns on the diamond ring.

"What is that child doing with mother's ring?"
"Given how little regards Mother has for Father now, she could likely care less for it."

Her mother's ring should hold more sentimental value than a ring made out of thorns. Handing the diamond one to Farnese, you prepare a speech for her...
"I thank you for returning me my family crest. It means much for me."

...Damn it, did it really have to be now? You were prepared for a fight, not an emotional encounter.

"Look at any child, and you will remember your own childhood days, Farnese. Think of the child, that survived in your oh so grown-up self. If she is still with us, could you tell me if she is proud of yourself, if she could ever hope to find herself in this situation."

"Within this cage of a building, she realized that this isn't the place she wished to return, but simply where her journey started a long time ago. Her time to visit has passed. It's time to move on, that is all." She wears the ring as you do yours, proudly holding your hand.

"How can you be so accepting of your daughter's heresy, your excellency?"
"In such a public display, no less."
A few detractors of Vritannis seem to voice their complaints, with Randel's soldiers being quick to defend you.

"What does it matter to you? If Ilos is not Midland territory, you're free to disagree."
"But did you see those illusions? Were they to be real, it would cause a shockwave that would forever change the landscape of the world."

"Sounds like inventing divorce is not the only thing Vlad will be remembered for!" Puck chuckled before a gust of wind pushed him to the window.

The mist coming from the released monsters soon turned into the shape of a mustache, the face of the Kushan Emperor formed as it obscured the chandeliers.

"ILLUSIONS, YOU SAY? HEAR ME, INFIDELS! I AM EMPEROR GANISHKA OF THE GREAT KUSHAN EMPIRE! MY DECLARATION OF WAR WILL BE THE START OF YOUR NEVERENDING NIGHTMARE THIS EVENING!"

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>>5417525
"ANOTHER ONE?" Though he was informed of who Ganishka was, Guts would not bear to witness two apostles freely walking upon him without readying his blade.

"Ah, Ganishka. I was hoping for you to show your cotton shaped face here! Are you ready to be consumed by one that matches your power? " Barnham starts his speech, but seeing how Ganishka was only there to warn the people and successfully make them panic, he quickly dispersed in the direction of the sea.

"There can only be a great army if it is led by Barnham The Great! COME BACK HERE!" The bear roars, transforming into his unleashed state to look for his nemesis' location.

"Hopefully they kill each other..." Guts grits his teeth.

"Sonia was indeed right... The Dakas have infested the city! Not even the port is safe, Makaras and crocodile Pishaca have surrounded the area.

"We can still get you all onto my battleship if the path is cleared off."
"No hard feelings?" You ask Roderick, surprised to see him smiling as Magnifico whispers to him.
"But what of our plan, Rod? I thought you wished to become powerful."

"Vlad has shown me you should always aim higher. Like he has said before, there are more powerful entities in Midland that could aid me politically. However, I would like to study and hear about Lord Griffith before deciding on whether I should compete with him and Ganishka for Charlotte's hand." Roderick boldly claims to wish for Charlotte's hand instead.

"You, taking Charlotte from Griffith?" Guts laughs. "Good luck with that, the last people who went after the royal family ended with their heads buried before their bodies.

"Ah, so you know about The Band Of The Hawk's leader? I would not mind listening to your stories...?"

"Guts."
"It'll be interesting to learn with you, Guts. I can only hope the women and children do not mind being in a warship."
"Thanks, you're exactly the type of captain we need for now."

"I don't want to be anywhere near this scandal when it picks up steam! Do you mind if I come with you, old pal?"

"Sure. Ys is in neutral terms with Midland, either way. I hardly doubt we are obligated to participate in the war.

"Let's get out of here, then. The living commanders can lead the civillians into the administration buildings." Serpico explains.

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>>5417563
"Excuse me, did you just say something about Griffith's old Band?" A Midland officer blocked Guts' path before he could walk out the door. "I am Owen of Midland's Toumel Knights. Your appearance is considerably different than previously, but I still remember you."

Guts appears to be frozen solid by someone recognizing him after denouncing Griffith's path.

"Yes, I saw you several times on the battlefield, in fact. Guts, was it? Would you happen to know where Griffith is?"

"No. Nor do I wish to. We're in the middle of things, so please stop--"
"You do not wish to know!" Casca interrupts Guts' dismissive attitude by appearing from under Cindy's dress, daring to approach Guts as her trauma was starting to recede onto her anger.

"He has annihilated his band! Done irreparable damage to the few who have escaped his grasp! All for the sake of another chance to be king! Do not trust that wretched monster! He is as evil and as conniving as the rumors of his revival would have you believe!"

Casca, the one who once trusted him the most, shows all her disdain by spreading more controversy upon Griffith's already soiled name. Should her vote count for anything, it will be to add weight onto your name thanks to her opposition.

"I do not wish to turn into a noble like before, I do not even wish to live upon Midland, All I want, is to outlive that --" The rash of the mandragora boils her skin, making Cindy touch her by the way of the unseen hand, telling her to calm down before she turned into the nearly undead transformation she sees in the cheery artisan.

"...Right." Casca helps her leave thanks to her nearly paraplegic state.
"Take care." Guts leaves without saying another word.

All is ready for you to fight with the Daka army. How will you approach the fight until the pier?

>Do your best to follow Barnham, you can help him fight Ganishka if he needs.
>On the front lines clearing the way with Guts and Gunpowder.
>Opening a pathway with Serpico and Hyde.
>Aiding on the backline with Farnese and Schierke.
>Saving nearby citizens with Benny and Isidro.
>Make sure Casca and Cindy don't prematurely turn into more monsters to kill.

>>5417575
>Make sure Casca and Cindy don't prematurely turn into more monsters to kill.
>Saving nearby citizens with Benny and Isidro.
Defend those who can’t defend themselves.

>>5417575
>Saving nearby citizens with Benny and Isidro.
>Make sure Casca and Cindy don't prematurely turn into more monsters to kill.
We have a city to save it seems

Tell all nobles and knights present in the hall to go and equip themselves, there is a battle ahead and people to protect.
Once the city is cleaned up we could rejoin with Barnham, i would prefer to not see the city of our wife burning because of the Kushan. Trade with it would make Ilos stronger, besides we would gain a reputation for attract more people to our ranks.

Telepathically say to our group and Barnham to keep an eye in case of the falcons arrival. Only a fool wouldn't use an opportunity for destroy two enemies fighting each other, and gain the glory of being a savior instead of a conqueror.

>>5417607
+1

>>5417607
Good ideas. I support that we do these too.

>>5417584
>>5417607
>>5417628
Well then, time for the rolls! Let's see if you can teach the newbies how to go together

Isidro's surely been picked a lot for these missions, guess it's important to train the younger generation.
A 1d100 to look cool while saving the kids

Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>5417731

>>5417575
>>Make sure Casca and Cindy don't prematurely turn into more monsters to kill.
>Saving nearby citizens with Benny and Isidro.

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>5417731

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>5417731
check 'em

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>>5417761
>>5417817
>>5417874

Saying goodbye to Stanley as he responded with 'Good Riddance!' you've left him with the paper work as you exited to place your trust in the undines.

Splitting the trident into a primary and secondary weapon to use at the same time proved to be a good idea, with the wetting of the floor with the water torrents, you managed to prevent any fire from spreading by the lanterns and by Isidro's salamander knife.

Picking up the neat little trick you did to ignite the ballroom entrance after you told him what to do, you've dispersed a few meters away from Guts as he cleanly took out several of the approaching Dakas in one swell strike.

"Isn't there a way for you to control the fire?"
"Isn't there a way for you to control the water?!" Isidro responds as he throws a bomb from Guts' arsenal. And for once, he's right.

Spreading the alcohol around the monsters, you manage to make a line of fuel for Isidro to ignite, sending your enemies to the fires of hell before even getting close to the houses. All you had to do later was bring water from the pier and crash the waves onto it to clear the way for the citizens to escape to where the army was heading.

The water puddles still find a way to be useful, as you can turn the droplets of water into stalactites and growing frost icicles with the remote commands of the undines.

"The water spirits are a lot calmer today." Puck compliments them for not killing you this time.
"Guess any further mistakes are on me then."
"A-A-A-are we going to save everyone on the city?" Benny asks, failing to do his songs as he trembles from fear.

"Damn, you're even more useless than Farnese when she started out!" Isidro rolls over him and strikes his scimitar at the Daka about to impale the stammering musician. "We're good, but we can't be in two places at once!"

"B-B-but it's not fair to those being killed!"
"You wanna play fair? Make sure you can at least walk without stumbling on your feet!" Isidro sweeps Benny by his feet, baiting the Kushan monster to go after him before Puck blinded them with a flash:

"Puck Spaaaark!"
The shining little elf gives Isidro ample time for you to spin on your heels and swipe them all on the floor, making the ice freeze their faces and impale their heads as it grew from within.

All of this without even using your Od strikes or worsening your wounds, all hail the power of team composition.

Reading the Od of Guts and the crew, you can clearly notice them walking past the storehouses. The best routes available are to run after them before the enemies circle you again, or try your own route by walking to the closer alleyway that would trace you into a shortcut

Given Benny's stumpy legs and the risk of drawing the attention of more enemies lying ahead, you have half a second to ponder on the better option.

>Into the alleyway.
>Cross the storehouses.
>Neither, freeze the lake and try walking on water.

>>5418002
>Cross the storehouses.
I can't help but feel death vibes from the lake and the alleyway.
The alley is too difficult to escape if we get enemies on both sides - or worse, through the buildings that make up the walls of the alley.
The lake is a big risk with the semi-unreliable undines and the aquatic pishaca all around.
At least if we cut a direct path to them in the open, we'll be able to clearly see and react to everything coming our way.

>>5418002
>Cross the storehouses.

>>5418002
>>Cross the storehouses.

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>>5418064
>>5418233
>>5418386
1d100, let's try to get everyone to the boat chapters already!

Don't worry, it won't take over 5 years here!

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>5418553
Why do I suddenly hear idolmaster music?

Rolled 87 (1d100)

>>5418553
HELP ME DICEMAN AAAAHHHH

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>5418553
nat 1

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>>5418577
>>5418590
>>5418618
"No choice but to run after them! Isidro, can you carry Benny on you?"

"Not for long-- oof!" Benny straddles Isidro's back before he could get ready, almost tumbling over, but his scrawny weight and lanky build makes it easier for him to carry him.

"Then come with me!" Picking up Puck and placing him on your shoulder for added energy, you run up against the approaching wave of Daka riding on top of the Pishaca, his weapons being a weird mix of a two headed spear with a shield handle.

Intersecting their path, you go straight past them by extending your trident, impaling the tigers that stay in front of you and turning them to frost the moment they make contact, the added impact to the following Pishacas can effectively topple down the following Daka mounts as the frozen enemy breaks on top of the living ones, shattering into pieces to let your trident be left clean to impale more of them!

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME FOREVER, GANISHKA!" You can hear Barnham shout to the sea as he dodges the electrifying sparks from the Kushan shaped cloud in the skies, unable to reach him without jumping onto the water and drowning.

Down to the marketplace, you observe the dead carcass of the working class vritannians being mauled and eaten by the products of Ganishka's invention, a group of a regular family could hold no chance against a single one of them, let alone the onslaught that invaded them.

Yet what made you weary was the enemy that appeared as you managed to catch up with the rest of the crew, feeling the presence of the enemy that almost killed you a few days prior, you tell Isidro to get down as a Makara obstructs your path by passing through a building.

"ANOTHER ONE? HOLY HELL! IT WANTS REVENGE FROM HIS FRIEND!"
"I don't think I'm ready for a round two..." You grimace despite Isidro's eagerness.
"That's a few too many sucks for the day..." Puck floats to the ground, worn out from the two waves of energy you took from him.

"Leave the big guys to me, I've spent too long without a good fight." Guts readies his sword, ready to dish his anger from leaving an apostle alive by tearing that enemy to shreds.
"Guts, are you sure you can--"
"Yes, if it comes down to it, you can just do your thing." Guts is not worried about the Berserker Armor's activation, claiming that Schierke could bring him back to sanity.

>There is strength in numbers, help everyone fight the mounted Dakas.
>The Makara will awaken the beast inside Guts, let's even the odds by fighting alongside him.
>Freeze the Makara's trunk, it won't expel water that way.
>Fire a soul arrow though it, piercing it's muscles would take too long.
>Check if you have any seeds left to plant to obstruct your enemies's path.
>Time to see what the familiar ring can do.
>Test your astral projection with Farnese and Schierke.
>Something else.

>>5418712
>Fire a soul arrow though it, piercing it's muscles would take too long.
>Check if you have any seeds left to plant to obstruct your enemies's path.
>Time to see what the familiar ring can do.
Stack the debuffs with our items, then fire the soul arrow. Physical attacks did not work well last time so we should try to keep a distance this time and slow it down with the seeds, and familiar ring can draw its focus by fighting with the familiars instead of us, for long enough to charge a sufficiently powerful soul arrow.

>>5418726
support

we can freeze his water later, this should still damage him seriously.

is a shame vritannians are getting killed left and right, damned kushan. At the very least this is becoming more a battle than an outright massacre, if the vandimion soldiers can be inspired it might not be all lost.

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>>5418726
>>5418775
Alright, a 3d100 should do it, so long as one of these is very effective you shouldn't worry too much about the other rolls!
Let's see how we do it in the rematch against this stupid water elephant goes!

Roll away!

Rolled 77, 77, 23 = 177 (3d100)

>>5418848
Triple hundo, go!

Rolled 55, 83, 73 = 211 (3d100)

>>5418848
here goes

>>5418852
nice double 77

Rolled 39, 5, 21 = 65 (3d100)

>>5418848
godly rolls

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>>5418852
>>5418853
>>5418882

Brandishing the ring against the light refracting from your eyes, you expel whatever magical force could be contained inside the ring.

The thorn snakes appeared in larger size and quantity than the ones brought by Schierke thanks to your affinity with the earthly spirits, sending them out to constrict and bite at the Makara, your venomous thorn familiars were also secreting a paralyzing poison from it's thorns, making sure the monster would not move as Guts spun and tore through it's insides.

"The Vlad and Guts duo are back, baby!" Ivalera pumps you up.

"Not so tough when I'm with my armor, are you?" You aim a soul arrow at the creature, charging a clean shot before warning Guts what you would aim it right at the bastard's forehead.

Despite your soul being able to dematerialize part of it's brain, your beast of an enemy was still struggling to be set free. Were it not for Guts bisecting a piece of it's trunk and ripping it off by sheer strength of his pull, it would have repeated the same misfortunate blow that left you incapacitated in the last full moon.

"A sturdy one, aren't you?
"He can be as sturdy as he wishes. I have yet to see a creature who can survive without it's head." Guts readies the blackpowder in his arm cannon, with you having a mischievous idea.

"Catch this!" You take out one the seeds from your body, wrongfully missing the throw thanks to launching it at Guts with your weaker arm, but before it could hit the ground and be lost in the bodies, several thorn snakes were materialized, originating from your own body as some sort of parasite.

The vision of a controllable mesh of man and plant does not give you fond memories...

Regardless, they manage to spread and spill their thorns to Guts, who adds it as ammo so you can burst the Makara and use it's remnants as the fertilizer of his grave.

The ringing of your ears manages to deafen even the steps of the Dakas past the docks, forcing the beat of your heart to keep it's rhythm as the Makara finally falls.

"Steal the show from me, why don't you? You might have grown, but I'm still #1 when it comes to battle skill." Guts takes his victory in stride as you reunite with your crew to pass to the boat.
"I've been fighting with Handicaps for so long, I'm starting to consider them part of my style!" You laugh in return, despite fumbling your steps from internal bleeding.

Despite seemingly being pushed back at the start, the numbers of the Kushan army are entirely focused on the pier. Since Barnham has gathered close to Ganishka, they reside right next to him, even taking some distance, given how they have learned of his regenerating nature.

The Hundred Man Slayer title might be feasible to you nowadays. Thousand Daka Anhilator? Not so much. Even with all your comrades contributing to the fight and in good condition, for the most part, passing through this army through conventional means is off the drawing board.

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>>5419028
"That's one hell of a path to slip in through with the fog and all..." Roderick retracts into the group, not so sure of his chances."

"What now then, captain?"
"If anyone here has a plan, speak up before I procede with mine..."

"Farnese and I still have yet to try the summoning of spirits here, but the voices of the spirits are nearly unintelligible with all this chaos!"

"The one spirit present was already summoned when I had to save Vlad, he would hardly answer twice to such a selfish magic user..."

Returning from his flight with Violet once more, Hyde proposes an Idea.

"There! 'ese lazy ass workers at Vritannis wasted all their budget on the palaces. I know a shoddy woodwork when I see one. If I unload all I got onto that structure, it'll fall down with most of their army there!"

"But how are we getting inside the ship, doofus?" Casca asks, staring at the window from where Hyde was pointing.

'Gunpowder can get you there' The black horse risks the life of the remaining horse on the carriage by implying he could jump from here to Roderick's ship if all got inside the Pegasus.

"The only risk aside from dying in the water, is that I'll be defenseless against the other two giants fighting here should they come our way."

"Vlad?" Guts knows you have something in your mind to propose.

"I suppose I could try to convince Gunpowder to cover for us, but he's not one to work with a team."

"That's fine. He will hardly miss a target that big." Guts gets ready to cleave through Dakas until he sees red, letting the beast of darkness take hold of his body for the sake of letting you all pass.

"WHAT ARE YOU, INSANE? WHAT IF THEY CAN'T BRING YOU BACK?!" Casca brings her head out the Caravan despite her heart palpitating whenever staring directly into his eyes.

"We have three people here who can bring me back."

"Do you hold no regard to yourself? This is your life we're talking about!" Schierke tears up, knowing that the damage to his lower torso is already irreversible, he could not take much more traumas if he lost his way.

>Stick with Guts' plan, you will bring him back in case he turns.
>Attempt to summon a distant spirit with your magical allies.
>Contact Barnham and call him over.
>Let Violet and Gunpowder bring the pier down.
>Push through with all your combined efforts and hope you can make it on foot.
>Suggest another plan.

>>5419054
>I have an idea. The Kushan sorcerers create these Pishaca with spirits, and control the mind of the animal while it's so possessed. If we can sever the connection of the caster, we may be able to repurpose the spirit - or the Pishaca themselves, depending on how things go - to aid us. A sudden reversal of the heavy hitters of the enemy forces would cause chaos among their ranks, and the aquatic ones could easily bear us to the ship. Of course, the actual magic work would be made easier if the casters were distracted, if not outright being assaulted. That being said...
>Let Violet and Gunpowder bring the pier down.
>Ask Barnham to see if he can sniff out the casters.

That's my comprehensive plan. Can't let Barnham get TOO close to us if Guts is going under, but overall seems like it'd be fairly effective.
And hey, talking to Kalki was totally worthwhile since we learned from him that these animals have perfectly usable spirits in them.

>>5419115
>support

>>5419115
+1 sounds like a solid plan. Worth a shot!

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>>5419115
>>5419215
>>5419221
It is one hell of a plan, one that requires the coordination of the team!

3d100+10, power of friendship prevents you from critfailing! let's do it!

Rolled 70, 71, 61 + 10 = 212 (3d100 + 10)

>>5419244
I have no friends. See?

Rolled 94, 69, 68 + 10 = 241 (3d100 + 10)

>>5419244

Rolled 98, 76, 54 = 228 (3d100)

>>5419244
DIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE

>>5419257
Ah I forgot to add the +10. My bad, everyone just imagine I did.

>108, 86, 78
Not bad rolls gentlemen, not bad at all.

>>5419294
Perhaps we truly can turn the tides of Causality...

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>>5419253
>>5419252
>>5419257
Coordinating your plan with Barnham, the apostle manages to hear your plead, but appears to have his arms tied.

"Can't say I feel the presence of any casters on the pier, they're likely disguising their scents with the saltwater... But for now, I'm too busy holding Ganishka off!"

"That's fine, keep him at bay!" You signal for Hyde to fire away as everyone enters the Caravan, nearly breaking as the space became too tight for anyone else to move an inch.

As the Od flow of your enemies become closer, your perception of them is muddled by the countless explosions as Hyde fires Rickert's cannon several times in a row. Giving you enough of a signal to run as fast as possible.

The dakas aren't blind, they can see the trajectory of the explosions and would easily jump away from the pier, were it not for Farnese and Schierke's aid in possessing and confusing several of the tiger Pishacas. Fighting against their own mount, they lose too much time hurting their own troops and are powerless to move away from Gunpowder's speeding assault. Every bump and crash into the road is enough to nearly break the arm of the people inside the caravan.

As the ground turns to smithereens, Gunpowder manages to jump in a small arc empowered by Serpico's sylph spirits, doing their best to glide all into the next ship. You are forced to summon additional stalagmites to push The Pegasus forward, and that's still not enough for it to stick the landing.

The Caravan is destroyed as it hits the side of the ship, the opening made on it's side is enough to send the Kushan galleass into a quick sinking. The only one's who appeared to have been damaged are...

"Cindy!" Benny cries out to his sister who went unconscious shortly after the crash.

...Is she starting to turn?"

"Y-Y-You can't die here, sis! W-e-w-w-e are so close to escaping!--"
"Leave her to me!" Carrying the axe that changes the weight of the others, Casca finally steps up to form a pathway mid-air with the earth elementals before the ship could sink. "How far are we from your ship, Roderick?"

"A few more north, and we can reach it, though since it's so close to that cloud monster, I'm not sure if--"

Before the captain of Ys could voice his worries, over 10 Makara surrounded the ships as you've realized the ship you crashed into was the one belonging to the casters of Ganishka's army.

"The conqueror of the seas shall not be the savages who dare to destroy our nation. Though your different teachings and learning of magic negation is intriguing, my duty is not to study, but to halt you." A floating caster with his hair wrapped in a turban remains in a meditating position above the ship as his crew evacuates, cornering you from escaping in any directions.

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>>5419558
"Are you the one responsible for the attack on the shore a few days earlier?" You prevent yourself from panicking, raising your weapon at him as you are the only one able to understand his Kushan speech by reading of intent.

"Perhaps. You still have much to learn of magic against the Pishaca Leader Paramarisha Sen'ani' Daiba."

Guts is the first one to defend the group from the attacks of the Makaras, being pummeled by it's trunks and water sprays as he manages to partially block it's damage with his greatsword.

As one of them body slams itself onto the sinking ship, Guts appears to be crushed under the weight of the whale-elephant hybrid, seemingly dying as blood rises from the spot he sank from.

"GUUUUTS!" Your group collectively shouts for him as you feel the presence of his life force.

Though he is not dead, you wonder if that would be the better outcome, as opposed to the beast of darkness finally awakening.

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" The roar of the wolf spawn is audible as he springs from the water, walking up one of the Makaras as the dragonslayer drags itself through it's skin, easily killing it off as he brings himself back onto the boat.

"Amazing! Why did he not do this before?" Roderick mistakes the berserker armor's display of strength with Guts'.

"It's not something we should be celebrating. As soon as he runs out of enemies to defeat..."

"We gon' be 'is target." Hyde completes Serpico's sentence, aware that his bloodthirst isn't barred by who bleeds.

"How unfathomable! The chief of the Pishaca, slaughtered with ease by just a lone swordsman? A Makara is able to sink tens of warships by itself! Though by wrapping yourself with the Prana of Durga, I can hardly call yourself a mere swordsman..."

With one member of your team already being down, you have little time to ask for Ivalera for extra energy to heal whatever injuries Gunpowder and the others have from the por landing as The beast makes quick work of the remaining Makaras.

The thought of Daiba doing something to the waters the moment Casca decides to make her dirt bridge is not lost on you...

>Let her make the bridge, you'll deal with Daiba if he attacks.
>Preemptively block his Od flow.
>Ask Schierke and Farnese to appeal to Guts' humanity.
>Fire your Od arrows at the caster to distract him.
>Something else.

>>5419607
>Preemptively block his Od flow.
>Ask Schierke and Farnese to appeal to Guts' humanity.

>>5419607
>>Preemptively block his Od flow.
>Let her make the bridge, you'll deal with Daiba if he attacks.

>>5419607
>>Preemptively block his Od flow.
>Let her make the bridge, you'll deal with Daiba if he attacks.

>>5419607
>Preemptively block his Od flow.
>Let her make the bridge, you'll deal with Daiba if he attacks.

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>>5419742
>>5419748
>>5419769
>>5419790
The power of the dice compels you, a1d100 to be on the lookout for Daiba's spells, hopefully he can't overwhelm Vlad with a trick he doesn't now.

Keep it up boys!

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>5420031
80+ only

Rolled 30 (1d100)

>>5420031
Man, Guts is so fucked.

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>5420031
May the purity of our od overwhelm him.

Rolled 99 (1d100)

>>5420031

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>>5420053
>>5420056
>>5420059
Blocking the flow of Od from Daiba, he attempts to cast whirlpools while Guts is stuck dealing with Makaras on a sinking ship. As the remaining kushan soldiers jump in the water to prevent going down with their carrier, Guts' animalistic instincts prevents the monster from capitalizing on any mistakes, his reaction time being amplified tenfold as the blows from the monster's gigantic weights do not even make him flinch.

Casca tries her best to ignore her dying lover. making a pile of sand to float in the sky as the caster is confused as to why he can't summon whirlpools to add on the onslaught against Guts, which was eventually starting to turn the tides on the monsters by already taking down two other of the possessed whales by the time you loo back at him.

Making extra effort to carry Cindy, you manage to arrive at Roderick's titled ship: The Seahorse.

"Are we ready to depart?"
"Not without him... It's hard to maintain an Od flow blocked when I am walking away from them. Also, I believe the Kushan ship is already destroyed. Guts will drown unless we get there in time. Schierke, can you--"

You directed your voice to the witch child, who was already unconscious. Her spirit had departed to the other world as soon as she stepped onto the ship, using Farnese's dress as a make shift circle to enter Guts' spirit inside the armor, attempting to make him have the force of the berserker while still keeping his mind intact.

"Flying in the sky is our thing! Serpico, are we really gon' let this man steal our show?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing, hunting partner." Serpico ponders on whether it's worth to take flight, seeing as how Hyde was out of blackpowder, and someone still needed to stay in the boat to protect it from any further attacks.

>Send Hyde and Serpico.
>Guts can do this, let's stay here and hold our position.
>That's what your soul double is for, you can be in two places at once while attacking.
>Ask Roderick if his crew can move the ship closer to Daiba.
>Ask Roderick if his crew can move the ship closer to Ganishka.

>>5420376
>Send Hyde and Serpico.
We have to focus on maintaining this block. Always cuck the spellcaster.

>>5420376
>>Send Hyde and Serpico
go my boys

>>5420376
>Send Hyde and Serpico.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xYXUeSmb-Y

I wonder if Daiba is impressed yet with Vlad's magical proficiency.

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>>5420397
>>5420486
>>5420552
>>5420565
Not long after being sent to Guts' aid, the duo combine their power and mastering of the air and wind. Standing on Violet's back as Hyde skillfully maneuvered her over the Makara hoses, the bloody chunks thar Guts was flinging upwards, and now the whirlpools forming a liquid path into the skies, defying gravity itself as they were forced to jump and twirl respectively to dodge the inhuman barrage of blow against them.

Hyde and Serpico nodded to each other, each one of them combining their attacks as Hyde threw them in a far off direction, only to be redirected at twice the speed in odd directions to gravitate towards Daiba.

As the whirlpools closed onto them, the sylphs made sure that the circular waves were cut spilled into regular waves, Daiba had a hard time even dodging the attacks, not used to his Od gates being blocked with such inconsistency.

By the time the 5th Makara goes down, Guts is already drowning thanks to a lack of leveraging platforms to stand on. Though thanks to a precise shot from the flying hunter's sling, the caster fell on top of a Makara, sliding off into the sea water as Hyde had struck a nerve on his nape with enough force to paralyze his body for a few brief moments.

As the Makaras began to revert to their whale forms, you pondered if the attack had finally done Daiba in. Being an old man such as himself, he should not be able to take more damage than a few rightfully placed pellets onto his body...

"Among thee are several experts of magic. No doubt taught by the human with inhuman Od in your group..." Your heart skips a beat when he telepathically enters your mind and your thoughts, speaking to the entirety of your team.

"Very few life forms can life in the bottom of the deep blue, be it plant, fish, or amphibians. Though all of us need water as a nutrients, fighting the balance of Varuna is deadly to any who attempt to compare themselves to the gods of the sea."

Daiba rises from the water with a new monster in his possession, one that resembled a gigantic eel the size of entire fleets.

"A commendable effort indeed, plant human, all of those spells without a single summoning circle or incantation in sight, no less. Although your dominance of the earthly spirits is undeniable, the Kundalini is my strongest pishaca Gana. Your harmony with the water is but a drop in the ocean compared to my extensive submarine army."

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>>5420602

Feeling the life force of a Kundalini, you are mesmerized by he inner workings of this ethereal eel: The giant water snake you see in front of you is nothing but a proxy. All the Od seems to be expelled by a smaller zygote slithering outside of it's own projected form.

Advising Schierke and Guts to redirect their efforts there, their failed attempts at killing the smaller creature result in them being absorbed by their body through osmosis, drowning mid-air as the kundalini created a whirlpool inside of itself.

Amidst this nearly incomprehensible fight, the Makaras being to reform. With Daiba's mastery of Kushan magic being so great, he could likely maintain his control of the eel and the remaining 6 Makara simultaneously.

Sepico floats down on top of an unsuspecting whale mob as they all approached to collectively smashed and pummeled at Guts and Schierke inside the wall of water. Were it not the maws of the armor gnawing onto his skin and muscles, Guts would surely be dead.

Most worryingly, While Hyde was attempting to strike Daiba with his heavy flask and Violet's fierce talons, One Makara seemingly managed to sneak away as it detoured close to Roderick's ship.

"What?! Just because you lost your ship, doesn't mean you get to take ours!" Magnifico shouts as Farnese injects Cindy with the serum, wanting her to retain her humanity as Roderick pretended not to see the woman's wrist turning brown like the wood of his Seahorse.

Shooting his cannons with force so loud you were barely able to hear your thoughts, his sailors attempted to defend themselves against the oncoming destroyer of warships. Isidro ran out of bombs to throw as the monster approached the iron balls that mostly bounced off it. Neither of the three fighters at sea could draw back in time to protect their vehicle.

Casca's swings with the Gnome Axe only slightly inconvenienced the Makaras, though the mud could slow it down if it covered it's entire body, half a ton of sand would not do much other than slow it down.

Nearly being completely scorched from Ganishka's repeated attack with no means of retaliation, Barnham made a jump to reach the skies, busting his kneecaps as he attempted to disperse Ganishka's mirage from the clouds with his own nails, seemingly hitting a spot that made the Kushan Emperor scream louder than the cannon bursts as he electrocuted the gladiator king with his most potent lightning boats. Though the fat from his burly body made him able to float between the waves, the exhausted Ganishka appeared to make Barnham unable to move, remaining victorious thanks to his range.

"The breaking waves are said to crush stones. if that power is bundled to a point like a needle, it is able to bisect even diamonds. Much like the reign of the Kushan, water can't be cut." Daiba warns you all as Guts tries his best to hit the Kundalini eel while spinning and drowning inside of it.

>>5420646
"The foes of the west have reincarnated apostles that can withstand my strikes! Perhaps you would have done best revolting against the Falcon of light, instead of drawing your fangs against me in a solo duel, furry fighter!" Ganishka's form appears to be fading in and out of view despite his boasting, signaling that perhaps, a tactical retreat would be done before he was capable of bringing you to ruin.

Though you could not count on his mercy, seeing as all of you were in very delicate circumstances with the slightest miscalculations resulting in your demise.

Some of your comrades were already passing away before that, if Cindy was anything to go by.

"S-S-S-S-Is! Y-YYou can't die here! I-I-I didn't even want to be h-h-ere! I did it just for you! Y-Y- you said we were going to finish our story together! Y-You said you could live until we saw father! W-Whyyy!?"

"The needle of the tailor's unseen hand... Has no true owner... It chooses to help whoever it can, coming and going to whoever it asks... A dying mandragoran... has no use for this weapon." Cindy's vision fails, seeing the weapon engulf her brother's body as The Hand is finally seen by Benny!

"Wh-What? Wh-at is this?" He shivers, still afraid of the entity near him.

"If all fails, perhaps I can aid you in death against a fight I was never meant to take part in... To fight for a just cause is not wrong, but some are never able to draw swords with their fickle, minuscule hands..."

"No! Gunpowder can help!" You hear your stallion's thoughts as he offers an alternative to throw Cindy onto the sea as she succumbs to the curse. Seeing how Casca can manipulate weight and terrain, he suggests empowering his speeding strikes from the sonic armor by trampling through the Makaras, isolating your focus to only Daiba, the Kundalini, and perhaps Ganishka as the gnomes form a thin line of terrain for him to speed through.

"It's too risky!" Farnese exclaims her worries after you translate his plan.

'Not with Vlad' Is your horse's rebuttal.

Gunpowder has never failed your trust, and you doubt this would be his first time, but the effects of passing through so many Makaras would definitely destroy his already failing hearing....

>Tell Roderick to reel Barnham onto the ship.
>Go forth with Gunpowder's plan and Casca's mud trail.
>Attempt to save Guts, trust the undines and hope they can freeze the Kundalini.
>Split the sea in half, obstructing the Makara's path as well as the Kundaline.
>Farnese still has plenty of energy, surely you and her can summon a spirit to help you by now.
>Throw Cindy onto the Makara and use her to escape in direction of Elfhelm

>>5420666
>Farnese still has plenty of energy, surely you and her can summon a spirit to help you by now.
>Tell Roderick to reel Barnham onto the ship.
>Go forth with Gunpowder's plan and Casca's mud trail.
>Attempt to save Guts, trust the undines and hope they can freeze the Kundalini.
If I'm understanding the situation correctly, then a combination of these actions seems like the best plan imo.

>>5420675
Support

>>5420675
>>5420836
a 3d100, the first dice will determine whether you'll go through 0 to 3+ Makara, so let's at least roll high on the first one should the others fail, 2nd one goes for the spirit calling and the other for the moses roleplay.

Roderick's got this, no worries about rolling for him!

Rolled 74, 58, 87 = 219 (3d100)

>>5420922
80+ only

Rolled 39, 67, 52 = 158 (3d100)

>>5420922
You know, random tangent of thought here, but I wonder if it's theoretically possible to make an inverted Beherit. A key to the astral realms of the sefirot, the planes of that which is sacred and good. If you can cause a man to become reborn as a beast by sending him to the abyss, surely some similarly potent transmogrification can be performed with its opposite plane.
Coincidentally, I also wonder what would happen if an Apostle were to activate this inverted Beherit and be sent there.
If we ever manage to make one, we should make it so that it only activates during a moment of ultimate self-sacrifice, where the user fully intends to trade their life for the sake of others. A fitting parallel.

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>>5420960
>87 at opening the seas
Well it was the highest DC so you did deliver

>>5420970
Maybe Vlad could invest in some autistic studying of the dark arts in search for a loophole like his silver eyed father did, though the opportunity will likely not arrive until we are done with this encounter at the very least.

Man this fight is a lesson in escalation, and we're not even up to THAT part yet, at this rate the chapter will finish when they

Rolled 63, 6, 29 = 98 (3d100)

>>5420922
e

z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfJJpwXTXw
>Vlad rn

>>5420960
>>5420970
>>5421115
Good, this is great

//
List of potential stuff to do :

- Make a plan for produce more of that serum. Maybe bringing some pots ?
- Learn to swim with Farnese
- Make a special spell for create a sort of algae/coral suit around our armor and maybe Gunpowder too, for fight underwater.
- Become friends with the undines
- Upgrade all our gang gear to runic
- Become more skilled : better control of our plant powers, purging od, weapons mastery and so on...
- Use the situation after this battle, for get some rad political gains
- Spend money for get more stuff for Ilos or for help the people of the city
- Have Barnham loot any free Kushan gear left around
- Create a new type of golem, instead of stone one of wood. Agility, speed and regrowing blades. Infused with some of our Od, for make each of their strikes poison to apostles.

>>5421004
We're going to have a LOT of time on the boat, so yeah, plenty of time to do some studying!
It's kind of a nebulous amount of time, but before they get to the sea god shit they're on it at least long enough for ganishka to return to the capital, undergo his new transformation, and for griffith's forces (both human and apostle forces) to come all the way back from vritannis to fight the twice-reborn ganishka. That itself is definitely like a few weeks, and that's all BEFORE the island of the sea god! Afterwards they have time to settle things in falconia before the gang gets off the boat for real.

>>5420960
>>5420970
>>5421115

Gunpowder will not disappoint you. Even if he turns completely death, even if he can't see the path in front of him, his lust for carnage will make Guts look like the biggest of pacifists.

"GOOOOO!" Your shout is swiftly turned null as Casca has a hard time redirecting and maneuvering the dirt path that Gunpowder risked running past with his lightning dodging speed.

The first Makara is barely enough to slow him down, being cut like paper as a horse-sized hole passes through it's face and covers your entire view with red from the organs splattering onto your face.

You and Gunpowder keep your weapons aimed in front of you, never faltering thanks to the contribution of the Gnomes, spinning you up, down and all around whenever they need to catch you again.

Though there are not directions other than forward when facing these fiends!

The second tunnel of flesh is formed as Gunpowder relentlessly attempts to cut down their number to half it's size. for any number higher than zero proves to be too many for the both of you.

The third Makara manages to get you stuck on it's mid section, though thanks to your power of the Undines, you plead for them to do a feat that once nearly sent you to your doom. You were not settling for Guts' death as he lost all the air in his muscles attempting to strike the Kundalini eel, much like the trident that was placed inside the whale, you expanded until the only thing that passed between it was air.

"BEGONE!" You opened your arms as the sea was partially cut in two. The eel monster and the Caster riding on top of it were unsuspecting of said defiance of nature itself, falling and dismantling itself as the opening made by it's loss of shape was plentiful for Guts and Schierke to redirect themselves onto the eel.

"Here's a souvenir from hell!" Guts strikes the Kundalini spirit and destroys the monster as they all fall on top of the hard sand, Serpico and Hyde manage to keep their footing, hopping onto a small boat as Violet placed them back onto safer grounds before letting Daiba drown at the bottom.

"You're not gonna slice my girl in half when I pull ya up, are ya?" Hyde still holds contempt from what Guts did to Violet, though he smiles while still in Berserker form.

"Not as long as I have this little girl with me." He compliments Schierke inside of his head, who you are able to see smiling with him. "That was an amazing combination from you all."

'I did all the work.' Gunpowder complains about going unnoticed.

"You folks never cease to amaze me, though we'll have another mess on our hands when that armor comes off..." Serpico shakes his head.

"The undines were being controlled by Daiba, yet you managed to overpower him anyways, how were you able to progress so quickly, Vlad?" Schierke asks you.

"Who knows, maybe they're finally starting to recognize my feats."

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>>5421439
>Daiba
>Drown
Not to burst everyone's bubble but I think I remember reading that Daiba can hold his breath for 30 minutes if he feels like it. He is definitely still alive.

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>>5421439
Drowning an old man, even if he is your enemy, does not sound like the most pleasurable of deaths. as the ocean returned to the regular flow of its tides, you let his body be hidden among the countless dead bodies inside its seabed.

"That old bastard sure was something else, huh?"
"A great challenge, indeed. I sure wouldn't be moving if I was in your place."
"Surprised ya even moved at all, given how you're still recovering. Did ya eat your wind spirits or what?"

Surprisingly, an early declaration of death would only surprise them after seeing a hand rising out of the water near them.

A flying monster resembling a scaly bat managed to snatch him away from certain death.

"What's a Garuda doing here?!" Schierke named the monster responsible for his saving.

"I'll go after him. Compared to Violet, he's going down in a few shots."

Hyde gets ready to aim at Daiba, though is stopped after seeing the great emperor himself aiming flight at the Kushan Caster.

"YOU HAVE BLUNDERED, DAIBA!"

The fog gets so thick that it obscures the harpy's view in the sky, the smoke from your eyes leaving you completely blind as you could only hear the voice of your enemies.

"WHAT A DISGRACEFUL DISPLAY, DAIBA! NOT ONLY DID YOU LOSE MOST OF THE MAKARAS, BUT EVEN THE KUNDALINI WAS SLAUGHTERED."

"Emperor Ganishka, please wait! We can still rejoin our remaining forces and take over the city if we-- AARHG!" The lightning blow onto the Garuda is nearly enough to kill Daiba, yet Ganishka holds himself due to lacking the potency in his bolts thanks to exerting most of his force against Barnham, who had yet to stand up after his encounter with the strongest Apostle the world was yet to face.

"Surely you jest. Move away, before I change my mind about you." The cloud monster berates him once more before having mercy on his subordinate.

"And now... what to do with the lot of you..." Ganishka observed your team as he started to commend your efforts.

"I must say, I am impressed. I never thought a few kshatriyas could strike down this many of my Pishaca Gana. Warfare really is not a thing to take lightly. Especially the two of you. The Viravadana Kshatriya, and the male Medini Prithvi. Both of you wear undeniable connections to the spirit world, much like me and the Sahana I have fought before."

"I'd appreciate a translation, cloud demon!" Hyde's complaints at polytheist terminology remain ignored.

"Ye are not mere warriors. Are you, by any chance, a follower of my arch-nemesis, the falcon?"

Ganishka already suspects that Ilos has something to be on allied terms with Griffith thanks to their combined attack at the capital, given how he first thing you see near you as the fog slightly dissipates are the three remaining Makara, your words should be carefully used should you not mean to anger him enough to be instantly killed by his bolts and Pishacas alike.

Though he does look pretty exhausted thanks to Barnham...

>>5421484
>Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!
>Why have you decided to terrorize this town, instead of using this army against your true enemy?
>I have nothing to answer against a cowardly emperor that refuses to fight using his frail body, you shall pay for what you did to Barnham!
>Let the others speak to him and stall for time so you can astral project a spirit do disperse the nimbus apostle.
>Write-in.

>>5421484
>Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!

>>5421492
>>Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!
>>Why have you decided to terrorize this town, instead of using this army against your true enemy?

>>5421492
>Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!
>Know this, Ganishka. The chains of fate are bound into the flesh of apostles. If you plan to utilize the behelit you made from those very same apostles, you would only seal your fate as a pawn to the god hand's goals. You would create a prison of your own flesh, from which you would never escape from the grasp of causality to achieve your ambitions. Of course, that's assuming your sense of self would even still remain intact after diving into such a deep layer of the abyss and melding with so many other souls.

>>5421492
>>Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!
>>Why have you decided to terrorize this town, instead of using this army against your true enemy?

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>>5421507
>>5421515
>>5421543
>>5421791
"Griffith is our sworn enemy, and so should you be, if you do not let us cross the sea!"

"Given how you are defending the city folks and the fleet of Ys, you appear to be working to his side, more so than forming your own. Can you really call yourself a different breed, when your strongest soldiers derive from the same stone offered to me by Daiba who transformed many reincarnated into servants of the Falcons?" Ganishka calls you similar to the enemy you so claim to face, being friends with apostles and taking a government forged in the bloodstained hands of slavery, you are quick to dismiss him.

"Know this, Ganishka. The chains of fate are bound into the flesh of apostles. If you plan to utilize the behelit you made from those very same apostles, you would only seal your fate as a pawn to the god hand's goals. You would create a prison of your own flesh, from which you would never escape from the grasp of causality to achieve your ambitions. Of course, that's assuming your sense of self would even still remain intact after diving into such a deep layer of the abyss and melding with so many other souls."

"I would advise you to spare me the lecture, given how no mere human would be able to do what your crew have displayed so far. Do you intend to convince me that apostles seeking power is something to be looked down upon, when your fiend of a leader has deprived me from the ability to WALK?!" The proxy apostle strikes at your direction. You preemptively instruct Gunpowder to move before Ganishka could produce electricity, but the rupturing of his eardrum left him off-balance.

You were ready to be incinerated, were it not for Serpico springing into action and deflecting the bolt back at a Makara.

"Seems like this is all I'm doing for the time being..." Serpico stays stiff onto the dirt path created by the gnomes, almost falling into the sea if Violet didn't snatch him back to the Seahorse.

"So much for the warriors who defeated my army." Ganishka sends out more of his lightning strikes, attempting to simultaneously hit Violet, Guts and Gunpowder at the same time. Though Serpico and Hyde remained safe as they returned into the Seahorse, Guts was struck with so much force that Schierke's spirit was disrupted from their soul bond, sending her straight back into her body as Guts fell over the upside down boat.

The conducting of electricity by the Makara leave you with added potency of conductable electricity, sending Gunpowder onto the floor as the bolt trips you over.

"GUNPOWDER!"

"I see you value your mount. Despite having fought relentlessly through the night, you still show admirable force by withstanding my power--"

>>5421885
"Enough of this HORSESHIT!" Guts sinks his great word onto the it's stern, using it as a conductor of electricity as his body laid low to misdirect the magnetism of Ganishka's attacks.

"I'm neither one of Griffith's captain, nor am I associated with this pathetic furry carcass whose ass Vlad loves to kiss. I'm a purebred Human! Right down to the very bone. Do not lump me in with you freaks of nature!" Guts seems to have snapped out of his berserker form, yet still retains the anger from it in his speech.

"Hm... One of the Branded, then?! What a wonder, a sacrifice who managed to escape and live... Tell me, wouldst thou consider becoming a follower of mine?"

Guts grows silent as Ganishka's nonsensical offer.

"After what you've done to the ones on my side?"

"My anger is merely directed against those who proclaim to fight me. Nearly all the apostles have now gathered beneath the Falcon's flag. This should include the one who carved the brand unto thee, bringing unescapable despair and hatred born of living under spiritual darkness. Your madness, your malevolence is indeed appropriate to this bloodstained world of man, I find it agreeable."

"Your majesty, there is no need for such impulsiveness--" Daiba attempts to interfere, before being struck once again and told to leave.

"If you admire him so much, why can't you hand me the same prestige?"

"Do not take me for a fool, pseudo-human. The attempts you have made against my troops have not gone by unnoticed, neither by you, or the reported man riding a bipedal Garuda." Ganishka reminds you of the time you've sneaked up on a Kushan troop heading to Ilos to kill them, the feat somehow being reported and reaching the emperor's ears.

"Were I to calmly descend that mountain and explain my ideology to your captain, do you truly believe they would treat me any different?" You claim self defense, to which Ganishka can sympathize with.

"Perhaps not... But still, my anger mostly resides against those who lay hands on my beloved corruption. Should you leave that fiend's body at the sea for me to incinerate, I can pretend I did not see your ship swerving past me."

"You think I would so easily sacrifice one of my strongest allies?"
"The path of war is one that is prone to said sacrifices. Should you retain idealism, you will fail to be a ruler, if that even is a title that you could claim."

"The swordsman's heart is unlike yours. His heart beats for anger and anger alone..."

>Guts would never ally himself with you.
>Opposing the God Hand does not mean aligning myself with you.
>That would imply I can answer for him, Guts?
>Surely there are better ways for us to bargain than offering Barnham's life.
>I'm sorry, Barnham... [Leave him.]
>Write-in.

>>5421938
>Guts would never ally himself with you.
>Surely there are better ways for us to bargain than offering Barnham's life.

>>5421949
+1

>>5421938
>You just don't get it. The lives of others will never be ours to sacrifice. They don't belong to anyone but themselves. The only person I would ever sacrifice for anything would be myself, and that would only be for the sake of those I seek to protect. I'm sure Guts understands me perfectly - we would put our bodies through hell just to see them smile. But that's besides the point; you want revenge, take it on me. Barnham acted on my orders, after all.
>Use the Undines in the trident to erect a barrier of water around yourself. Even the strongest bolts of lightning from Ganishka would be likely to disperse into the water, drawn to the path of least resistance as Guts just showed. Then, retaliate with soul arrows.

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>>5421949
>>5421977
>>5421978

Truthfully, you already know the answer, Guts would never ally himself with Ganishka, but you would rather let him speak for himself.

"So Vlad was not lying afterall... There are Apostles who opposes the God Hand. You're a dog that bites his master, Very well, I can't say I don't have respect for you. But the reason I don't take you for a partner is the same I don't do the same for Barnham over there. I have no interest in a feud between monsters... After Casca has been healed, I've realized I have better things to spend my time with. Go ask someone else, your light shows are nothing but a public nuisance to those who already fight for themselves... No... for others!"

You are happy to see Guts accepting his place as a man that fights for defending the innocents instead of lusting for revenge despite his faults.

"The Black Swordsman's terror will turn into a mere myths with my passing... Though I would rather see my name will be associated with something other than despair, while I am still living..."

"You just don't get it, Ganishka. The lives of others will never be ours to sacrifice. They don't belong to anyone but themselves. The only person I would ever sacrifice for anything would be myself, and that would only be for the sake of those I seek to protect. I'm sure Guts understands me perfectly - we would put our bodies through hell just to see them smile. But that's besides the point; you want revenge, take it on me. Barnham acted on my orders, after all."

"So be it... Were I only avenging the lives of my beast, I would put a quick end to your life." Ganishka channels his anger to form a last lightning bolt barrage. "Though now that you have revealed your intent, I shall take my time with you--"

The sudden eating of a Makara startles you. Barnham appears from under it to eat the carcass of the Pishaca, as it regenerates his body into a more manageable stance.

He seems to be near-death, reaching the end of his regenerative abilities as he exerted demigod-like resistence against Ganishka's strikes.

"YOU ARE STILL ALIVE?!" Ganishka is forced to watch the chunks of the Makara blocking you from certain death.

"Beings of the sky, are you not used to the techniques of playing possum?!" Barnham roars, taking the remaining Makara next to him and aims flings it at the sky, sending the whale up to the clouds as it briefly dissipates Ganishka's image.

"I knew you weren't dead yet, you blue hungry bastard!" You are happy to see someone who also seemingly did not care much for the life of others, defending those smaller than him.

"Were it not for the weaker one I sacrificed, I would not be here to outlive him in his honor." Barnham thanks his brother, suffering in the Abyss for him to thrive against the God Hand and his members without resorting to melancholy.

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>>5422297
"Curses, missed him!" Barnham complains after seeing Ganishka exploding his own Makara into the skies and reforming himself. "A shame, I've heard whale meat is a true delicacy."

"It's not that you missed him. Given his ethereal form is one of moisture, even if you could harm him at lower altitudes, his position makes it so regular arms cannot reach him." Schierke informs the apostle through telepathy.

"Regular arms?" He ponders over to you and Guts.

"Good thing both our weapons are made to take care of apostles!" You grin to Guts.

"What are you going to do, throw me at the sky?" Guts asks in jest, though that was exactly what Barnham was thinking...

"It's alright, partners! Violet can back you up!" Hyde waves while holding Schierke's shoulder, showing her harpy daughter flying freely without his aid or added weight.

"We could always leave him be, just hop onto the gnomes and let him escape, doubtfully he would go after us in such a miserable state." Serpico argues that running away is the best option, though the familiar stopping of your heart shows that a Band you know is about to enter the city.

"I would rather take this bearded fiend down myself than let the damn Falcon get the credit for it! The name of Ilos will not be a mere footnote in the annals of history! My name shall be remembered, even if I have to tear off at his wings!"

"But what will you do when Griffith arrives?"
"GRIFFITH IS COMING?!" Guts turns his neck with the sharpness of his swings, angrily pondering on whether he truly meant his previous speech.
"...Settle the score with Zodd... and then..."

Barnham doesn't finish his sentence, only making you more worried, as you had no chance of stopping him at the end of your stamina.

>Fling me at Ganishka, I'll use and Od strike against him!
>Fling Guts, he can take more damage than I ever could.
>We can both attack at the same time thanks to Violet being free!
>Cindy and Benny still wish to return to Ilos. You will be remembered well by bringing promise to your people, instead of dying against a battle unseen by them.
>We can spare Ganishka for now, let Griffith deal with him.
>Write-in.

>>5422311
>We can both attack at the same time thanks to Violet being free!
If we finish him now, we can stop further bloodshed of midlands people. He's at his weakest he's ever been right now, this is our best shot of killing him! Quickly finish the cloud apostle off before Griffith steals the glory!

>>5422311
>We can both attack at the same time thanks to Violet being free!
>Cindy and Benny still wish to return to Ilos. You will be remembered well by bringing promise to your people, instead of dying against a battle unseen by them.

>>5422311
>We can both attack at the same time thanks to Violet being free!
>Cindy and Benny still wish to return to Ilos. You will be remembered well by bringing promise to your people, instead of dying against a battle unseen by them.

Take him down, our OD will destroy this demonic emperor

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>>5422357
>>5422436
>>5422492
Alright, time for the last roll we're doing for now!

This shall decide if we're either defeating Ganishka, or letting Griffith take the credit for himself!

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL ME A 1D100!

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>5422594
R O L L
O
L
L

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>5422594
Causality is going to fight us so fucking hard with this one. Ganishka's rebirth is critical to griffith.

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>5422594

it was best of three or only one........................

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>>5422619
>>5422633
>>5422639

>>5422642
Its BO3 literally almost all the time. Looks like you just proved this anon >>5422633 wrong. Very class

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>>5422643
Ganishka is fucking dead

bottom text

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>>5422639
The chains of fate are broken. The wheel of destiny spins uncontrolled, spiraling towards an unknown future. Causality will have to mend this wound somehow.

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>>5422633

>>5422652
>>5422655
>>5422658
that s cool, and we are doing it with a double strike between us and guts. what griffith will do beside coping ....

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>>5422619
>>5422633
>>5422639
"We can both attack at the same time thanks to Violet being free!" Violet heeds your command, already offering her back as you let your body slide off of Gunpowder and on top of her."

"Guess that leaves me to be flung at him, make sure to aim right, you freak of nature!" Guts growls at Barnham, aiming the dragonslayer at his neck.

"Strange, I imagined that dying for nothing was something humans were proud to partake in. It's only fair I pay homage to my human days..."

"It's best for you not to die here, Barnham! Cindy and Benny still wish to return to Ilos. You will be remembered well by bringing promise to your people, instead of dying against a battle unseen by them."

You point to the dying artisan and her cowering brother, making the bear ponder on his priorities.

"Not only do you intend to stop me from killing a great apostle for you to do it instead, you want me to ignore the Captain Of The Falcons I hate the most, to save two sons of immigrant citizens, useless to either my army or my economy, just because you asked me to?" Barnham is ready to refuse.

"It's either doing that, or seeing your head fly out your body! What's it going to be, gladiator?" Guts shows his respects to the woman that called him a coward for snapping into darkness, pondering on whether it would be best to kill him instead.

"Once again, I find myself needing to be convinced by displays of strength, instead of empty words of hypocrites. Tell you what: You deliver the final blow onto that emperor, and we'll have ourselves a deal."

'TO THE CLOUDS WE GO!' Violet takes off, rushing onto Ganishka with the speed that rivaled the typhoons of the Sylphs. Barnham curled his palms onto a ball and let Guts remain inside, both of them contributing to the ones who they once sworn to oppose.

Uniting with the greater enemy to defeat their strongest opponents. Truly this must be what it means to struggle.

Upon passing the altitude of the clouds, you are both electrified to the point where every muscle in your body is convulsing against your will. Though your grip on your weapons are firm, you start noticing your loss in altitude as Violet begins to faint from the high voltage.

Making the bold move to cross paths with Guts, you hop off from the harpy to freeze your wet boots momentarily onto the dragonslayer. Your ankles are nearly turn off from the impact, but you manage to surf onto the slab of iron imbued with the energy of Qlipoth.

Speaking of imbuing, your breathing is focused onto fusing your Od onto the weapon of the Undines. Your blow will purify Ganishka's corrupted soul. Guts' will be so demented that will undo the damage and restore it back.

The opposite of magical extremes have united under a single name: Power.

Both your attacks connect as you pass through the fog, making a crater the size of the Vandimion estate as Ganishka disappears from your sight. Daiba's Garuda is ordered to leave, for the emperor had lost his presence.

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>>5422711
"And now, for the fall."
Guts and yourself accept your death, knowing very well that neither of you would live a fall from above the clouds.

Farnese, still intact from the fight, decides to use her spirit to become one with the Sylphs from Serpico's cape, uniting as they flew up to break your fall into a glide, making sure your efforts weren't laid to waste.

"You are so eager to die for me and the others, when my life thus far has been nothing but my absolute devotion for you..." Farnese is saddened by the sight of your scarred body as she holds you in her spiritual arms. I wish you would understand, that I want to live with you. To let me outlive you... would be to subject me to the cruelty all your loved ones have brought upon you thus far." Farnese wonders if you are testing her love for you, making her hold you like a baby so many times, a baby that would fail to fall asleep unless it attempted suicide at every waking moment. The internalized self hatred she had made her switch positions into the pacifist you were in your youth, while you have shifted into something else.

You attempt to form a sentence with your lips, but your body's energy is exerted. Could you blame yourself, Guts has already blacked out before you...

The last image you are able to see, are the invading apostles of Femto's army, and Griffith's eyes starting through your lids.

"It seems I will have to keep my word... This bastard always finds a way to twist my morals..." Barnham appears next to Farnese to drop Gunpowder and Violet onto the Seahorse, extending his hand to take Benny and Cindy with him.

"Yer not know to be very delicate, Ya sure you can handle these frail kids onto yer back?" Hyde ponders if Barnham is even capable of having empathy.

"I have created the means for them to be frail. The jester of the commoner's courtyard should have a right to see her family."
"W-Wait!" Farnese wishes to stop Barnham. To tell Cindy not to go, feeling like she failed her friend, her brothers, her family and her lover, she will have no one left to fall back on.

Though knowing how her decisions had no impact on the fate of the world, she merely showed Barnham the remnants of the flask of Mandragoran essence, giving her enough to last a few days as the crash and destruction of the Pegasus had greatly damaged their supplies.

"Well, I'll be off then. I'll try to eat Ganishka's carcass if I find him for good measure." Barnham rises from the sea as Roderick's ship finally takes off.

Somehow, somewhere. The new world was about to collide with the old one. You could only hope Sivir would wake up while still in the same world as yourself.

>Torn Battlefield: Chapter End.

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Hot damn, Vlad has really been kicking some serious ass so far! Well done everyone, looks like we have successfully broken the curse™ that plagued us previously. We also managed to show up Griffith by killing Ganishka before he even got there, while simultaneously growing Vlad's renown in the process.

What a great way to end this chapter!

good, i guess griffith will enter cope mode now.
Hopefully Barnham can reuse what has been gain here, Ilos needs to get stronger not just him or us.
To bad about Cindy and Benny, is a shame hopefully she will live some good days.

Great chapter end Becchi.
//
I have already some ideas ready, but with us in the ship and on the travel ..... we will need to leg it and hope it just works. A boat is not exactly perfect for improving but eh.
>>5421262

>>5422770
Griffith's coping hard with the sudden change of plans and the fact that he won't get the honor behind slaying the emperor of the invading Kushan forces.
In fact, this stands to rally a great number of people to Iios, and AWAY from falconia.
I wonder if it could even convince some Apostles to defect...

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>>5422770
So Ganishka's actually dead thanks to the Guts/Vlad combo, right? I'm sure he'll find a way to merge the worlds anyways but at least we ruined their plan. Get fucked Griffith.

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And that marks the start of the dreaded boat arc, hopefully the fight with Ganishka lived up to the hype!

The next few volumes of the sauce material heavily focus on Griffith, The Kushan army, the roar of the astral world, and plenty of other stuff that doesn't involve the main crew in the slightest. So I'm wondering whether we should have an intermission chapter for a change in perspective or timeskip to when Vlad is in better conditions.

I was planning on taking a break but since things were a lot more manageable this session I can't say I'm feeling as tired as I was on the last one, so I'll shorten the weeklong hiatus for just three days.

Let me know what you would prefer seeing, now that things have fully diverged thanks to Vlad's impact, It's gonna be fun for me to write something else.

>>5422785
Pretty sure this was Vlad's longest streak of good rolls, it was good to see him doing so well without losing the boys Except Azan, shame he won't be in the elf island now..

>>5422799
Thanks, what ideas you got ? Surely some of them can be done in the boat.

>>5422827
>>5422828
Don't be singing victory too early, Causality has always a way to bullshit back into dominance... Though the support of Falconia will definitely not be unanimous now that a third way has come.

>>5423008
Intermission chapter, please! I'm deeply interested in how things diverge on the other end of things.

>>5423008
Shift to intermissions and other groups explored

>>5423008
A Intermission chapter sounds interesting, go for it.

>>5423008
Maybe intermission chapter ? But on who.
Ilos ? Tudor ? Vandimions ? Kushan Armies ? Falcons ? Other evil forces ? Other humans ? Other midlanders ? Church ?
If it’s evil i would prefer us not to "play" it, merely read what they do.
I don't feel like helping them with choices, when they remain the most powerful even in their worst circumstances. They have enough help from hell has it is really.

///
They are on the post i had put under. Here.
>>5421262
But I don't think half are feasible at sea really, we will see if we even have time for improvements in the boat. I feel like with the healing time that will need to pass after this battle, there is at best a small window of time.
Maybe a day if we are lucky.

>>5423008
Really it was the artificial behelit that allowed the barrier between worlds to be destroyed, Griffith just has to dunk some disposable no man apostle into it and bam instant mountain tree monster, just add skull knight's sword and the plan is back on track. Unless Ganishka was special for some reason or the artifical behelit was damaged to the point of being broken and there is no one to fix it but either seem a stretch.

>>5423208
Learning to swim is 100% on the docket.

Increasing our affinity with the undines through rigorous practice is 100% on the docket, which we can start on the New Moon (when spiritual stuff is at its weakest) and work our way up to handling them at sea during the full moon over the course of a month - plenty of time to acclimate to their rising power and to drill into them that we're the boss.

I think we could feasibly try to fish up algae, seaweeds, and other aquatic plants to refine their essence and ingest them to see if we can develop something to better allow us to work underwater.

Besides that, we can consider what's available to us on the boat: Becchi is there, so we can conduct Behelit Inversion tests or try to slowly purify/retune the od of it, under Master Puck's supervision, to try to truly convert Becchi into a good-aligned behelit.
It'd be extremely worthwhile to try to work with the Berserker Armor or with Guts himself to try to tone down the effect it has on his Beast of Darkness, or to try to tone down the Beast of Darkness itself.
We could always go the Kushan route and try to make some Picashas from sealife as well, which would be very useful for scouting out where our mother and that pearl is.
And, while I don't know how receptive they would be to it, I'd be open to trying to teach pretty much everyone in the Pegasus to learn how to sense od. It was the basis for our foresight ability, and I can see some of them seriously improving if they could do the same...Guts, unsurprisingly, is the closest non-magic guy to learning such a thing, since he uses his brand to specifically sense for tainted od. And even if they don't get good enough to predict movements, it'd be a big help if our allies could tell where the largest sources of od in things are, since those are usually weak points. I think they'd be open to this ability if nothing else, because it has plenty of synergy with the styles they already have while not requiring the massive investments that spells do.
Last idea I have for now is to ward the living fuck out of Roderick's ship, with the captain's own permission. We could make it a pretty hardy bastion against the monsters of the world that way.

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>>5423028
>>5423146
>>5423174
>>5423208
Alrighty then, Intermission chapter it is.

Since this isn't really an epilogue and we'll be resuming our regular schedule after that, I don't play on writing too much so I'll ask you to only vote on one of these options. If anything gets ignored for now it can be added later during the epilogues.

You won't be playing anything out of character so don't worry on that regard, it's just something extra for us to pass the time.

>Griffith's Arrival on Vritannis.
>The aftermath of the Vandimion's revelations
>Barnham's travel back to Ilos
>Rickert arriving on Ilos.
>Kalki and Luka's infiltration on the Capital.

Let me know if anything else would be good to add onto either of those scenes, no roar of the astral world since we'll need to get rid of some pirates on our way before that

>>5423907
>Rickert arriving on Ilos.

>>5423907
All of them are incredibly fucking tempting.
But if I had to pick just one...
>Rickert arriving on Ilos.

>>5423907
>Griffith's Arrival on Vritannis.
I NEED TO SEE HOW HE COPES

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>>5424053
It's mighty tempting, this much is true.
Griffith might actually think that Vlad is an incredibly malicious and spiteful soul, to be actively hindering him every step of the way on his journey to achieve his childhood dream. Despite being a 'mere ant' in comparison, he's done a damn good job of it so far.
Hedwynn is laughing in the abyss so hard that the rest of the god hand still stuck in the astral have to wear earplugs. Sure, causality will get back on track somehow...but not many things can derail such a significant event even for but a moment.

>>5423907
>>The aftermath of the Vandimion's revelations

>>5423907
>The aftermath of the Vandimion's revelations

>>5423907
>Griffith's Arrival on Vritannis.

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And just like that, we no closer to finding a winner ladies and germs. An even split all the way around. kek.

>>5423907
>Griffith's Arrival on Vritannis.
>The aftermath of the Vandimion's revelations

>>5424630
shit sorry copied both just
>Griffith's Arrival on Vritannis.