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>>255364

He swung horizontally left; split chest from the lower body. Swung horizontally right; decapitated head. Swung diagonally left; upper right side of the chest, right arm, right hand separately, and head removed from the rest of the body. Swung vertically; with little resistance, cut straight through bone, brain, organs, fur, and muscles from head to cock. Swung diagonally right; tried to decapitate half of its head, but only cut straight through the side of the jaw: Sloppy.

Hao arrived to a most gruesome scene, but it didn't rival the things he saw during the invasion of the Forest Realm 3 years past. Before him lay five Awoo: Four dead and one was writhing in pain, holding onto the bloody mess that had once been his jaw, but still very much alive. They must have been caught prowling about outside their safe havens. The Human that had defeated them on his own let his massive blade rest upon his armored shoulder as he gazed down on his prey. Hao scanned the man from behind; The First Knight-Commander of the Northern Legion, the one everyone called 'The Grim Knight'. A man towering above Hao, clad in black armor and wielding a massive sword said to be a Guardian Blade. It was said he felt nothing when he killed these so-called 'Guardians'. From the looks of it, they didn't prove much of a challenge or sport for him.

Hao Sing, the recently promoted Knight-Lieutenant has been tasked to bring the First Knight-Commander his new orders and present himself to the Grim Knight's command. Every Knight-Commander available has been tasked with the same orders and for the last couple of years, they've been scouring the magical wall, looking for what the priests called the 'Axis' which was said to be a single point of weakness in the barrier. It took Humanity around 300 years to attain the knowledge of it, the means to hammer it down, and to find the spot, so this Knight-Lieutenant hoped things would go faster this time around with the former two just about covered.

The last Awoo began to crawl backwards when the commander adorned in black approached him, followed by a woman clad in red robes who carefully kept her distance. Contrary to his Commander, Hao respected the Forest creatures as foes, and he didn't hate them enough to actually give anyone still alive away to the priests. The rumors about the horrid screams from those fanatics' tents at night was not something he wanted to experience firsthand from the priestess that got shoved into the Grim Knight's unit by the Lord-Commander himself. Still, they provided results akin to miracles if left to their own devices and schemes.

>Continued

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>>255370

Hao had heard that the only reason the Grim Knight became a Knight-Commander was because he found that Guardian Blade in the crater and actually managed to tame it against all odds. He didn't have any ambitions to lead from what the lieutenant could garner from his character thus far. His true intentions remained unclear.

"Knight-Commander, if I may?" The voice coming from behind belonged to the priestess and Hao already knew what the ugly woman was going to say before she opened her mouth filled with yellow, crocked teeth, "If I could be so bold I would suggest, yes I would, that we keep this last one alive so we can, erhm, test its limits, so to speak, yes, it's limits."

Hao was still not used to hearing such a honeyed voice worthy of a goddess coming from an ugly crow like her, if she could even be called that. He eyed the Awoo that had given up on crawling and were now staring at his Knight-Commander with a defiant look, still holding on tight where part of his jaw had been removed.

"Knight-Lieutenant." The Grim Knight addressed Hao Sing, still towering above the wounded Awoo, "What would you command me to do, had our ranks been reversed?" The question seemed odd. Was he asking for advice or did he want an outright order?

>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]
>Once in a while, you have to throw a bone to these Fire-worshiping fanatics. Humanity wouldn't have made it this far without them. [Experiment]

>>255375
>>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]

Even if it doesn't scare them the screams and sounds will rob them of their sleep.

>>255375

>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]
This guy doesn't sound like the type of person that would enjoy the screams of the enemy ringing throughout the night.

>>255375
>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]
Just got here, is OP kill ?

>>255375
>>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]

>>255375
op this is cool we now doing thnigs from the humnans side nice. and damm if we want to help charo his sword back we are going to need to kill this guy fml

Is OP kill?

>>255375
>Once in a while, you have to throw a bone to these Fire-worshiping fanatics. Humanity wouldn't have made it this far without them. [Experiment]

In for a penny...

>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]

Torture tends to be ineffective at extracting information, and the priests give me the heebie jeebies

>>255375
>The creature's screams at night will just demoralize most of the men, even if they hate these creatures. [Kill]

Can't we just ask the priests to do their experiments... elsewhere?

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>>255426
>>255452
>>255553
>>255631
>>257008
>>257018
[Kill]

>>256459
[Experiment]

Giving you an update now since you deserve it, but I'll probably not be back until later unless I find time to stick around and continue writing.

>>255911
Internet has been going haywire for hours until a couple of minutes ago.

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>>257161
I'll change my vote to the Kill bandwagon. But for different reasons.

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>>255375
>[Kill]

"I would command you to kill it, Ser." Hao replied dutifully. He was more inclined to see it as a call for advice rather than the Knight-Commander being lazy or conflicted on what to do, "Unless the priestess could conduct her... 'experiments' away from the encampment, the screams would just demoralize the men and if not that, then deprive them of sleep and focus."

The Grim Knight nodded slowly, turning his gaze over to the priestess with a silent question.

"Moving our tent away from the camp? No, not possible, cannot be done. Apologizes, it cannot be so." She bowed her head to the Knight-Commander before leaving, not wanting to waste more time with these wasteful men. At least that's what Hao thought she was thinking upon leaving so quickly. The Grim Knight returned his attention to the wounded Awoo. The giant sword left his shoulder and came crashing down on the Awoo in an incredible speed for its size and possible weight. The tip of the blade caved through the creature's chest and dug itself into the ground beneath the now lifeless body of Humanity's enemy. With great ease, the Knight-Commander pulled the blade up and put it onto his back where it contently attached itself without a sheath or any leather straps to hold it.

It's just as strange every time, Hao mused while his fingers touched the hilt of his sheathed sword that hung by the belt of his waist. He threw one last glance at the party of five dead Awoo guardians, all mutilated and killed at the hands of his Commander before he marched after the Grim Knight whom had left the scene.

____

You are Lin, a 17 year old Awoo who dreams of becoming the Strongest Guardian and assuming the mantle of the Hero who will save the Forest Realm!

However, right now you're in the middle of a drug-induced dream to overcome whatever obstacle your inner self have provided to pass the last Guardian trial: The Spiritual Trial.

The boy covered in the Red Flower was on his knees, begging you to save him from the pain with tearful eyes as the Red Flower increased in size and intensity. Looking around quickly, you couldn't spot anything else for miles. It was as if the world had fallen to pieces and the canvas upon which the countryside had been painted was gone, forever lost. It was just you and the burning boy.

You had rejected the Red Flower's touch before, so getting to close with it wasn't much of an option and your Guardian Blade was nowhere to be found. There was a small throbbing feeling inside your head. It wasn't painful, but it made it difficult for you to think and consider your options.

Things looked grim.

>What do you do?

>>257180

Kill the boy.

I'm still for the All Humans Must Die warpath

>>257180
Try talk to him, make him fight it
Help him help him self

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Like I said, I'll be back later today, around the same time I started this thread and call the vote then and start a proper session.

I might find the time to drop in to do so earlier, but don't count on it.

>>257193
Supporting. All else fails, we help him ourselves.

It's time to embrace the red flower, as much as it has made us shunned, its a part of us.

>>257180
Leave the boy to die from the Red Flower. We will not embrace our experience with the Red Flower if it means turning back on our belief we grew up with.

>>257186
Voting for kill but for different reason.

>>257180
Throw the boy to the ground and make him stop drop and roll.

Wasn't there a river nearby? Can't we use that? Also fantastic job on the writing.

>>257253
il pick this
mybe we can save the boy and get more made tatoos and powers.
to kill a monster you need to become one

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>>257186
>>257342
>>257420
>3 votes on killing the boy, directly or indirectly

>>257193
>>257238
>>257629
>3 votes on trying to save the boy despite your fear

>>257253
>>258192
>2 votes for trying to embrace the Red Flower within

Waiting for a tiebreaker for another 10 minutes before I roll the dice!

>>257852
>Wasn't there a river nearby? Can't we use that?
The countryside and everything else in the dream has disappeared. It's only you and the boy engulfed in the Red Flower now.
>Also fantastic job on the writing.
Thank you!

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>258533
Killing the boy = 1

Save the boy = 2

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>>257180
>Kill the boy

In the end you would remain steadfast in what you've been taught and raised to believe; humans are the enemy and the Red Flower was their tool. Even if one of the two were part of you, it didn't mean you had to accept it. On the contrary, you would fight this corruption that has taken hold inside of you until the very end. It wasn't normal. It wasn't right. It was the Red Flower within you that had made you look the way you do right now. The blame for your loneliness and the scorn from those around you stems from this horrible thing growing inside of you.

So you chose to let the boy die. Despite what Sensei had told you about Humans and their reliance on the Red Flower, you would happily let this one die for trusting in it.

The Flower consumed the boy as he wept and screamed for help in silence. His body turned to cinder and then to ash. It crumbled into burning pieces and scattered. And then you were alone, surrounded only by a cold darkness. Maybe you could have saved the boy, but you had made a choice and you stuck to it. Indecisiveness wasn't a character flaw you wanted.

For a long time you stood there in the dark and nothing happened. You didn't wake up and no more Red Flower, Human, or countryside appeared. The possibility that you had failed the trial crept up in the back of your head once or twice, but you quickly shook it off. Your mind couldn't possibly have given you an obstacle that was impossible to overcome since it contradicted everything you believed in and stood for. Right? Was this the workings of the Red Flower inside you? Did it really have this much influence over your mind, body, and soul? Your appearance had changed due to it and so had a part of your soul based on the fact that your Guardian Blade had reforged itself when you attuned to it. Could it have taken root inside your head as well? You've restrained yourself from thinking about it too much over these last 3 years, but now was as good a time as any to consider the possibility.

You lost track of the time sooner than you expected. After what you thought had been a few hours you resigned yourself to the fact that you had failed your Spiritual Trial. At that point you were just waiting for the effects of the drugs to wear off so you could get back to reality.

When it finally felt like the world around you began to lit up, as if the dream was ending, you spotted something that made your entire body tense up, your narrow pupils expand, and set your soul aflame. A pair of eyes stared down at you through the darkness. Their gaze dug fear into the very marrow of your bones and made your fur rise.

We see you.

>Roll 3d10 for sanity check
>Best of three
>DC: 7

Rolled 5, 5, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>258704

Rolled 7, 10, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>258704

>>258713
>>258722
Writing!

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>>258704
>Rolled 7, 10, 7
>Sanity Check Success!

In the face of an overwhelming fear pressing down on everything within you, from your bones to your organs to your nerves and your mind, you persevered and was able to look away from the burning gaze. For the first time ever since you relied on your Guardian Blade to keep yourself together back on the ruined hill 3 years ago, you've finally regained your senses and the control of yourself on your own.

>The following Trait/Perk has evolved!
>[Negative] It Controls You: In a moment of weakness, you were forced to rely on your blade rather than your own strength to preserver. For now it's almost impossible for you to enter a fight/battle without your Blade, and only it, by your side.
>To
>[Positive] You Control It: In a moment of great fear, you persevered without your Guardian Blade. Your mind can now endure more and you may enter fights/battles without your Blade by your side.

The world around you began to evaporate more quickly and soon you'd be free from the mysterious, yet dangerous eyes staring down upon you. An idea sprung to life in your head and it might be a long shot, but the eyes had reacted to your presence.

>Ask the eyes a question (What do you ask?)
>Demand an answer to a question (Which question?)
>Make a threatening statement.
>Ignore your idea and stare back at the eyes in silence before the dream ends.

>>258771
>Ask the eyes a question (What did it all mean?

>>258771
>>Ask the eyes a question (What do you ask?)
A basic "who or what are you" seems appropriate

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>258796
>1
>>258797
>2

>>258796
This

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>>258771
>Ask the eyes a question.

Your eyes meet the ones fixed in the dark sky above. You could feel a chill run down your spine, but you had already conquered your initial fear of it so the crushing feeling you felt before upon meeting its gaze didn't return. Slowly, but surely, you felt yourself losing consciousness as the dream began to end. This was your only chance to maybe get some answers from whomever or whatever those eyes belonged to, your inner Red Flower or otherwise.

However, the only question you could amount to was a simple "What did all of this mean?", referring to the dream and possibly whatever obstacle your mind had pushed on to you. Was there any symbolism in there or had it all just been a hallucination hoax to goad you into fighting what has taken root within? So many questions would go unanswered from this trial. You hated the feeling it left in your gut.

The eyes stared down upon you in silence. No answer was given and no reply was granted. You tried to repeat your question, but your voice was gone and the the last thing you saw was the eyes disappearing in a burst of Red Flowers and then you were engulfed in the light. Had you asked the wrong question? Would it not have answered any questions? Did you ask it in the wrong way? So many possible things could be considered, but none of it mattered now anyway. You had lost the opportunity to gain any answers, if there was any to gain, from those mysterious eyes that seemed otherworldly.

____

You woke up with an uncharacteristic scream and a crazed look upon your face. The Instructor and one of the two students that stood awoken jumped at your sudden scream. The one who wasn't taken off-guard by your awakening was Heim. He was sitting on one of the benches, looking at you intensively while deep in thought. Apparently you were the third one to wake up. You rose from the floor and tried to regain some of your composure. Your legs and back were sore from the position you had slept in, but other than that, everything seemed fine.

>Ask the Instructor about the results of the Trial.
>Go talk with Heim. (About what?)
>Try to leave the room.
>Write-in.

>>259000
>Ask the Instructor about the results of the Trial.

>>259000
>Go talk with Heim. (About what?)
Talk to him about the trial, ask about how you know if you succeeded.
>>259047
I'm scared to do this without having our friends back us up, because if he hates us he could just fail us for no reason.

>>259000
>Ask the Instructor about the results of the Trial.
Time to see if we get a Red F on our forehead to match the other tattoos.

>>259000
>Ask the Instructor about the results of the Trial.
No need to keep us waiting in suspense

>>259000
>>Ask the Instructor about the results of the Trial.

>>259047
>>259063
>>259071
>>259074
>>259077
Writing!

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>>259000
>Ask the Instructor about the result of the trial.

You could sit down and wait for the Instructor to end the trial like the rest of them are doing... or you could get this over with as quickly as possible and just outright ask him for your result. It was a risky move which could potentially annoy him since you didn't know if it was taboo or a faux pas to ask before the trial was over.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, you distinctively remember what one of your fellow Awoo peers used to say. He died in the crater, so the thought of him wasn't pleasant, but his words still lingered in your memories. You've tried hard to not think about them for so long, but sometimes you remembered them from bits and pieces while you went on living. Had you only stopped them from following Chao to the crater that day, maybe things would have been different? Maybe not? There really wasn't a point to be made from all these questions about the past since you couldn't change anything now.

"Sir." You addressed the Instructor and he nodded in your general direction, quick to go back to watching the state of the two still sleeping and undergoing their trials, "Do you have the result of my trial?" The question was forthright like ripping a leaf stuck to a healed wound. A small moment of pain before relief.
The Instructor finally took his eyes off of the sleeping students and gave you a serious look. You were used to scornful looks from the adults, but this one didn't look at you in a condescending way. He seemed different and you felt bad for not remembering his name in return.

"I will present you with the results once everyone has either passed or failed their Trial, candidate." He replied, his expression revealing nothing to you.

"May I leave the room until then?"

"You may."

Great.

With that answered, new options presented themselves to you until everyone's trial was over.

>Go talk with Heim. (About what?)
>Leave the room and wander about until you're called for.
>Leave the room and see if you can find Ming if she's done.
>Write-in.

>>259185
>>Leave the room and see if you can find Ming if she's done.

>>258570
God is indeed good.

>>259185
>Leave the room and wander about until you're called for.

>Leave the room and wander about until you're called for.

>>259185
>Go talk with Heim.
Ask him how he is feeling. Whether he was the first to wake up, etc.

>>259185
>>Leave the room and see if you can find Ming if she's done.

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>>259191
>>259221
>>259231
>>259242
>>259250
Waiting another few minutes for another tiebreaker...

Otherwise it's back to dice.

>>259191
I'll retract mine for the sake of moving things along

>>259281
All right.

Vote ended.
Writing.

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>>259185
>Leave the room and wander about until you're called for.

With no real reason to stick around in here, you left the room, opting to go find something to entertain you or keep yourself busy with until it's time to get your results. Upon leaving the room, a sense of relief washed over you when you realized the trial was finally over. It was a weird experience to say the least. However, now you might finally take a grand step towards realizing your dream! A dream that Chao was apparently closing in on as well and he was ahead of you.

How did he even get into the first wave of candidates? By the tree, it's unfair!

Your frustration aside, it felt nice to freely wander about inside these tree halls. You didn't get to walk around her so freely on a regular basis since when you were here it was either for a Trial or training, not much else. Among what crowd of Awoo you spotted walking about, you noticed both Guardians, Instructors, and other Candidates like yourself among them. The thought of striking up a conversation with one of the Guardians seemed enticing, but you already knew how it was going to end; you would either get ignored or only get short, irritated answers. If it wasn't because they were short on time or on duty, it was because of your appearance and the name you've been given due to it. Sometimes it felt unfair, but you've grown more content with resigning to how things are for now. Maybe things will change for you once you become a Guardian and start helping other Creatures? Maybe it won't, but nonetheless, things won't change for you unless you pass this last trial.

You threw a glance back at the rooms up by the stairs where the spiritual trials are being held. You felt anxious´and for good reasons. You still remember everything from the dream and how you sure you had been of your own loss. While looking over yonder, you spotted someone from Ming's group leaving their room as well. She glared at you while descending the stairs and then smiled smugly upon approaching you.

"Ming hasn't woken up yet. She's probably going to fail anyway. She never was very bright." She reported, eyeing you up and down, her smug smirk never faltering, "Something I'm sure the two of you found in common, Raubtier." She spat out gleefully in your face.

You're lucky I don't have my Guardian Blade with me, Bitch.

>Teach the Bitch a lesson. With your fists.
>Ignore her and leave. She isn't worth the trouble.
>Attempt to intimidate her. The nature of your appearance still frightened most of your peers.
>Write-in.

>>259365
>Attempt to intimidate her. The nature of your appearance still frightened most of your peers.
Glare at this mother fucker.

>>259365
>>Ignore her and leave. She isn't worth the trouble.

>>259365
>Attempt to intimidate her. The nature of your appearance still frightened most of your peers.

>>259365
>Ignore her and leave. She isn't worth the trouble.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Sorry, got stuck on something. Calling the vote!
>>259369
>>259372
>1

>>259370
>>259384
>2

>>259365
>Ignore her and leave. She isn't worth the trouble.

Nah

>>259445
>>Attempt to intimidate her. The nature of your appearance still frightened most of your peers.

*awoo intensifies*
also
*awoo internally*

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>>259365
>Ignore her and leave. She isn't worth the trouble.

More often than not, you would have definitely lashed out at someone like the Awoo girl standing before you, but this wasn't the place or the time to do it. Some had heard her comment and watched the situation unfold, waiting for you or the other to make a move. No Instructor had taken notice, but you spotted at least a few young candidates and a Guardian or two who were clearly watching. You didn't want to risk an incident so close to becoming a Guardian, it really wasn't worth it. Instead, you opted to ignore her and marched straight past her, heading in the opposite direction. She giggled behind you, clearly muttering something under her breath that you didn't catch. Clenching your fist, you marshaled onward, ever determined to not get involved with her in any way.

One thing was clear as the blue fucking sky: You wouldn't forget about this any time soon.

As you made your way up the stairs again, bored of walking about in the wooden halls, you encountered a familiar Awoo at the top of the steps; Heim. He wasn't staring at you as intensively as he had back in the room after you had awoken, but he looked in your general direction all the same. He looked about for a second before you reached him.

"You look extremely pissed, Lin. Who's been pulling your tail this time?"

You sighed loudly and groaned. Was it that obvious that you were angry?

"It was the bitch down there. The girl from Ming's group. Don't know her name." You nodded towards the girl who was the only candidate that was cheerfully talking with two Guardians down by the exit of the halls. You had seen her before occasionally, but this was the first time she had addressed you.

"If she's such a bitch, I'm surprised the two of you don't get along mighty well." He let out a chuckle and it was received with an elbow straight in the side from you. He groaned, but laughed through the pain with a smile. These moments alone with him felt nice. He returned to his old self and he actually treated you like a fellow Awoo. Still, he didn't shy away from treating you like a danger and calling you the name they've given you among others, so your feelings about your friendship with him was still shaky and uncertain at best. Although these moments with him were cherished nonetheless.

>Talk with Heim. (About what? Anything you want to ask him?)
>Stay quiet and listen to Heim instead.
>Part ways for now.
>Write-in.

>>259551
>Talk to Heim
Ask about his injuries? Is he ok?

>>259551
>Talk with Heim.
Talk about the trial, and how he feels. Maybe we can share our concerns/frustrations with not knowing. Maybe worry about Ming too.

>>259551
>>Talk with Heim. (About what? Anything you want to ask him?)
he doing ok? What was his trial like? he think Ming will make it? he hear from Chao?

>>259590
>>259610
>>259620
Noted.
Writing!

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>>259551
>Talk with Heim.

"So what happened during your trial? Did you see anything weird?" You asked once the two of you had reached a nearby wall in the circle formed antechamber atop the stairs with doors leading to all the rooms where the trials were still happening.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me about yours." His condition wasn't the most plausible, but if you didn't mention the last bits and pieces of it, he wouldn't get too freaked out about it, right?

"Sure thing. You first though." You agreed to his terms, harsh as they may be, and leaned back against the wall alongside him. He closed his eyes for a couple of moments, probably to clearly recall everything that happened.

"It was about Ai." He sighed. You nodded and almost felt a heavy silence fall between the two of you before he continued, "I got the opportunity to save her, but..." He started to drift off again, staring at one of the doors across the chamber.

"She couldn't pass through the barrier and I was left watching her get torn to pieces by the Humans. I, erm, think my obstacle was to overcome her death and not go insane or something, I guess?" He swallowed hard and took a breather. It wasn't as many details as you had expected from him, but you could understand that he didn't want to get into it too much. He was still sore about Ai's death, obviously. "Anyway, that was my trial. Pretty sure I passed it though since I didn't have to wait long for the dream to end. What about you, Lin?"

Your gaze went from him to the floor. How to explain this in the best way as possible while still being vague about it? You couldn't tell him about the eyes, no way. That was a clear no-go. The boy, the girl, and the Red Flower might be a safe grey-area since he too went through a dream that involved the Red Flower and humans, but those were hostile and the boy was harmless and called out for help. The painted countryside would be a good start, but you didn't know how to take it from there. By the tree, you really sucked at this.

You were about to start when you heard the door on the opposite end opening. Heim immediately put distance between the two of you and acted as if he was just leaning against the wall, resting. You were used to it, but it still kinda hurt. Out from the door, a dazed Ming slowly made her way out, heading towards you.

"What happened, Ming?" You called out to her and she looked up at you. It was obvious that she had been crying and at the sight of you she was already starting to tear up again.

"I don't think I passed!" She sobbed loudly and embraced you in a tight hug.

Fuck

____

End of this Session. My twitter can be found at the top and the archived threads as well. I will archive this thread. Please upvote it if you enjoyed the session. I will stick around for 10-20 minutes to answer any questions you may have before I'm off.

Thanks for participating/lurking!

>>259752
What path do you plan on taking to upgrade our character?

>>259806
Path?
If you mean stats, then that's up to the players' choices and rolls. The change in stats came from the 3 years of training/trials between 14 and 17 and the Red Flower's influence on Lin.

>>259752
Maaan, Ming just can't catch a break...

Good session. I kind of lament that we didn't save the kid, but, thats the coin flip for you. Guess I will have to wait another time for Lin to start dealing in more greys than blacks and whites.

>>259822
Ming has it hard. ;_;
Thanks for playing!

>>259830
Thanks for running

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>>259752

____

The chirping birds perched atop his tent signaled a morning after first daylight. He hadn't been able to sleep in like this since before his father decided it was time for him to learn how to hunt. All those early winter mornings was a mix of pleasant and horrible memories, both equally born from his father's presence. The lessons he valued the most from those days was the ones touching on the art of tracking. He didn't hunt much game anymore since he picked up the sword and joined this cause, bringing him far away from his country and home but if there was one thing that could be tracked, it was the Awoo. If it wasn't footprints, there was always broken twigs along the branches they had traveled. The smart ones leaped from stone to stone, but he had come to realize soon enough that most Awoo preferred to travel via trees.

They are creatures of the forest after all.

Normally he wouldn't have a problem strolling about his stationed encampment with only a tunic and breeches to get water and something warm in his belly. However, they were neck-deep in what used to be enemy territory untouched by anyone but them and most of the seasoned Guardians out there knew these terrains more than he and his fellow Humans did. A single ambush could, nay, would lead to catastrophic casualties. Although that possibility didn't stop all the other men who weren't on duty from walking about, laughing, drinking, and eating either in just tunics and breeches or in one of the former two.

He left his tent equipped in his full military-attire, sword and all. It brought the attention of a few off duty soldiers, but even while slightly intoxicated they knew their place in the presence of a Knight-Lieutenant. Hao Sing made his way through the busy encampment. On his march towards his destination he acquired two bowls of hot stew that consisted of water, salt, local leaves (which turned out to be a fairly good replacement for the the onions and carrots they had back home), and some bits of meat from the horned rabbits the scouting parties came back with last night all cooked together. He also got his hands on two loafs of bread, and a pair of mugs, one filled to the brim with wine and the other with ice cold water. Hao wasn't an avid drinker, or at least not anymore.

>Continued

>>260346

Upon entry of the large tent situated close to the center of the camp, Hao spotted the large man sitting by the edge of his makeshift bed in only a pair of breeches and some boots. He had too many scars to count covering his chiseled body. Behind him, the Knight-Lieutenant caught sight of one of service girls rolling about in her sleep, moaning softly. The Lieutenant scratched the side his neck after placing the bowls and the mugs down on the small table not far from the bed.

"You're doing the slaves work now too, Knight-Lieutenant?" The Commander's raspy and deep voice rang out when he finally took notice of Hao's presence and the smell of wine and stew.

"The girl in your bed won't do it, so I took some liberties." He countered and took a seat on an equally improvised chair in the form of a tree stump inside the tent with the bowl in hand. The Knight-Commander grunted in response and rose from the bed. He claimed his bowl and his mug of wine before he went back to his bed and took a seat, his tree stump currently occupied by his so-called 'subordinate'.

"Did you read the letter the raven delivered last night? I found myself too drunk and too..." He drifted off, motioning towards the girl still sleeping behind him in the bed.

"I did."

"And?"

>It was about the Lord-Commander's declining health.
>It was about the head of the Fire Priest's Order and her plans for this legion.
>It was about the increased activity of Guardians in the West and the North.

>>260347
>>It was about the Lord-Commander's declining health.

>>260347
>It was about the increased activity of Guardians in the West and the North.

>>260347
>>It was about the head of the Fire Priest's Order and her plans for this legion.
just for lols and wellcome back

>It was about the increased activity of Guardians in the West and the North.

>>260347
>>It was about the increased activity of Guardians in the West and the North.
il change to ge tthe story moving

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>>260347
>It was about the increased activity of Guardians in the West and the North

"According to all the reports garnered from all the Knight-Commanders around the four regions, the Guardians have increased their attacks in the western and northern regions." Hao explains to the eating Grim Knight. He was listening, even if he seemed absorb in his breakfast, "Which I'm sure you realize, means you will get more orders and attention from the Lord-Commander than before. Today might just be the last day we can sleep in like this." the Lieutenant sighs before returning to his stew. Both men grew quiet as they ate their breakfast, the only sound in the tent coming from the girl moaning and trashing around in her sleep in the Knight-Commander's bed. Eventually both of them put their bowls and mugs aside and got back to the matter at hand.

"What will happen from here on out?" The Grim Knight gave voice to his curiosity, certain that Hao knew the inner workings of the Lord-Commander's mind or at least the mind of an actual tactical leader. The Knight-Lieutenant remained as modest as he could in the face of his Commander.

"At best, the Lord-Commander will send us reinforcements to increase the size of the Legion and have us hold key locations the Guardians use while outside the safety of their barrier."

"And at worst?"

"We receive minimum to no reinforcement and he orders us to scatter through the Forest to cover more ground and hunt more Guardians. This would thin our numbers and leave us vulnerable on several points."

The Grim Knight sat at the edge of his bed for a while longer, staring at nothing in particular while in deep in thought. When something finally hit him, he rose from the bed and put on a tunic to cover his naked body covered in scars. Turning about to face his Knight-Lieutenant, he had an uncharacteristically sly glint in his eyes.

"Humor me, Hao Sing; how absolute are your loyalty to the Lord-Commander's orders?"

Dangerous words from a dangerous man. With one of the service girls in the tent, Hao wasn't sure he wanted to answer that question, but his Knight-Commander didn't seem to care about spies and what not. If he avoided the subject, the Grim Knight might press for an answer more harshly.

>If he orders me to jump, I'll ask "how high?"
>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.
>I often interpret the orders I receive in my own way to have the most freedom with my task.

>>261779
>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.

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Going to wait 30 minutes or so for more people to join in.

>>261779
>>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.

>>261779
>>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.

>>261779
>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.

>>261779
>>Loyal to a fault; Won't priorities orders over the lives of my men.

>>261789
>>261878
>>261938
>>261939
>>261942
It's unanimous. Writing!

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>>261779
>Loyal to a fault; won't priority orders over the lives of my men.

"I'm loyal to the orders I'm given, be it by you or the Lord-Commander, as long as it doesn't endanger the men entrusting their lives to me."

The Grim Knight nodded, as if approving Hao's answer. "Then we await the Lord-Commander's orders before we decide what to do."

The two men agreed solemnly, and under the sheaths the girl lay still, eyes wide open.
____

Ming wouldn't stop sobbing in your embrace. She was shaking, possibly in shock, and she kept repeating that she thought she had failed the trial and wouldn't get to become a Guardian after years of training and passing trials. Come to think of it, you had never asked her the reason why she wanted to become a Guardian, but she had never asked you either so it wasn't all that important. In a way, she probably already knew since you and Chao always competed and he always boasted that he would become what you dreamed to be. It was infuriating, really, but maybe it had become his dream as well over time? If that was the case, you'd respect him a bit more. A bit.

While Ming cried softly in your arms, Heim had given you an apologetic look before he quietly returned to the room where your Instructor was when more Guardian candidates left their rooms to wander the halls before the verdict was in on their failed or successful trials. You patted her on the head and she seemingly grew calmer over time while your fingers caressed her soft, white hair. Yours was still white, albeit a bit more on the yellow-brown side if you had anything to say in the matter. However, it wasn't as long and straight kept as hers.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." You assured her when she broke your hug. She nodded at you with her teary eyes and smiled softly. This innocent soul didn't deserve to go through all the things that have and is happening to her: Losing her friends, almost dying, unrequited love, and now the possibility of failing the last Guardian Trial. It must be rough, but she probably thought the same of your situation as the Raubtier. She was kind in that regard.

Eventually the various Instructors called for the candidates and everyone returned to their assigned rooms. You waited impatiently for the Instructor to reach you of the five candidates under his care. When he eventually did, he eyed you for a few seconds, leaving everything in your life in pure suspense.

"You passed, Raubtier. Welcome to the Guardianhood."

The words left you empty for a moment as the Instructor moved onto the Awoo next you. When it finally sunk in, joy hit you like a crashing tree! Your tail wagged uncontrollably and you were left dumbfounded as to what to do next!

>Hug Heim who seemed almost equally as happy as you!
>Run to check up on Ming!
>Leave the room and scream joyfully at the top of your lungs!
>Write-in.

>>262119
>Run to check up on Ming!

>>262119
>>Leave the room and scream joyfully at the top of your lungs!

>>262119
>>Run to check up on Ming!

>>262119
>>Run to check up on Ming!
but ask the the guy if ming had passed as well befor runing to her to rub in her face we passed

>>262130
>>262133
>>262136
>>262152
Writing!

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>>262119
>Run to check up on Ming!

Despite your overwhelming joy and an approaching Heim in the corner of your eyes, you stormed out from the room. Only one thing was still a concern to you in the happiest moment of your life so far, rivaling even the memories you held onto tightly of your gran-gran. Ming. Had she passed or had she been failed? Even though it would possibly put her in harms way, you still wanted her to succeed and become a fellow Guardian after struggling together for three years. Being a Guardian without your friend by your side felt more like a bittersweet victory than anything else.

However, all your worries washed away when you left your room and found yourself thrown to the floor by something or someone leaping into you at full speed with a hug and a joyful screech! Ming was laughing and crying at the same time! She must have passed her trial!

Thank you, World Tree.

A sigh of relief passed your lips and you hugged her back as you caught sight of Heim watching the two with a content smile. After three years of struggling and after what happened on that day, you wanted to share the happiness with him for once. Although he was happy, he was still concerned with his public opinion and decided to share this moment with the two of you from afar. He gave you a nod and smiled. For once, you didn't care how he treated you or who he saw when he looked at you, be it Lin or Raubtier. Nothing could bring you down, not even the bitch from before or Chao's gloating!

"Lin! Lin! Lin!" Ming had pulled you up on your feet without you realizing it and was trying to get you back to reality, "We only get tonight off before our duties as OFFICIAL GUARDIANS begins! What should we do?! What should we do?!" She was practically jumping up and down, adrenaline pumping to the max. It was cute and childish at the same time. Something you had come to expect from Ming to cheer you up, but now it just added to the excitement.

>How do you want to celebrate this? (Write-in.)
>Let Ming decide. (50-50 chance of either being too tame or way too crazy for you)

>>262253
>>Let Ming decide. (50-50 chance of either being too tame or way too crazy for you)
bring it on( lesbin sex with ming

>>262253
>Let Ming deccide.
Bring on the insanity/awoo booze.

>>262253
>How do you want to celebrate this? (Swim, hunt, eat, drink(hopefully awoos have alcohol), find cute boys to bed for a night, have a big ass party. "

>>262253
>>Let Ming decide. (50-50 chance of either being too tame or way too crazy for you)

>>262263
>>262265
>>262280
Inb4 it's just having a picnic.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>262263
>>262265
>>262269
>>262280
Letting Ming decide. Rolling for it.

>>262297
Awoo a Innocent! Innocent!

>>262312
I assume that's too tame and we do nothing entertaining at all?

Rolled 2 (1d12)

>>262312
sexy picnic

>>262323
noooooo

>>262323
>>262335
>Implying you get a choice now since you gave it up to ming.

If you wanted lesbian awoos you should have actually decided to use your agency instead of giving it away. Retard.

>>262340
true true but i was rolling hoping ming would wnat to do it. naver become bi sexual awoos thta fuckign humans as well i guse

>>262361
what? One learn to spell, two you have no choice over roll.

>>262373
one make me!! 2 op asked for a roll and so fare im the only one that has done it so live with my number 2. 3 how can you not understand this? pretty easy mate work it out from the context buddy

>>262404
>>262373
oooh ooh now that i look back at it op did the roll woops il that that bit back but the rest stays up
wounder what we will be doing

>>262404
>op asked for a roll
He did not. He said he was rolling it. Moron.

>how can you not understand this?
You incredibly horrendous spelling, punctuation and overall ability to only type like a ten year old on crack makes it rather hard for people to read and understand what you typed. Gibberish is not a language.

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>>262253
>Let Ming decide!

You might come to regret this because the last time you let her decide what the two of you should do on a day off, you ended up picking flowers in her new favorite meadow. She found a new one once per month or so. The two of you spent the ENTIRE day picking flowers and you never even found out what she did with them...
For all her good points, Ming didn't always hit home when it came to these kinds of things. Would it really be right to entrust this decision to her? If you picked, she'd go along with it and you would guarantee a good time.

Fuck it, what's the worst thing that could happen? She must be excited enough to not want to do anything too boring, right?

"I'll let you decide, Ming!" You announced to her and she gleefully continued to jump up and down like a child. This was entertaining in and of itself, but you were secretly praying for something good. In times like these Heim's input would be gold, but he was nowhere to be seen. Must have left to do his thing, whatever that was.

"I know!" She shouted, still as excited as before. It almost caught you off-guard, "But first, we need to find Heim and Chao!" She declared and was just about to run off on you. You had already realized that asking her about her idea would be a futile attempt.

>Stop her and insist on leaving the boys out of this.
>Follow her and see what she had in mind. What could possibly go wrong?

>>262421
>Follow her and see what she had in mind. What could possibly go wrong?

>>262421
>>Follow her and see what she had in mind. What could possibly go wrong?

>>262421
>>Follow her and see what she had in mind. What could possibly go wrong?
i mean what could possibly go wrong? then a rock falls and everyone dies
>>262420
yer i alredy took back about the roll,
spelling isnt my best thing and typing on a keyboard makes it worse for soem reasion and i dont realy care at this point ether, what you saying your hurts too much trying to work out what that line was? naww

>>262421
>Follow her and see what she had in mind. What could possibly go wrong?
Uh-oh...

>>262431
>>262435
>>262442
>>262449
Every agrees! Writing momentarily. Something came up.

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>>262421
>Follow her and see was she had in mind.

It didn't take long for the two of you to catch up with Heim who had just left the massive tree where the wooden halls were. At first, he tried to make excuses to get out of whatever plans Ming had that included him, but it was futile; once she was set on something, nothing could stop her. You learned that lesson the hard way.

"Do you know where Chao is?" You struck up a conversation with Heim as the two of you followed the excited Ming who was leaping from Awoo to Awoo, asking if they've seen Chao anywhere.

"I don't have the faintest clue." He replied, shrugging while looking around, "Since he already passed the last trial, he didn't have any reasons to show up to the wooden halls to see how the rest of us were doing. I'm surprised he didn't even think to check in to see if you failed or not." He mused, giving you a smirk. You pressed another elbow into his side and the two of you laughed. But he was right; it was odd that Chao had not turned up to taunt you about a possible failure or gloat about his own early Guardianship. Had something happened or was he just really busy?
Eventually the three of you found a fellow graduating Guardian who knew where Chao was.

"Oh, you haven't heard? He joined the Kinshin Guardians like a week ago, maybe? I wouldn't be surprised if he has been sent past the barrier already."

When you finally thought you had caught up with Chao, it turns out he was still ahead of you. Through Heim's untouched silence and Ming's disappointment, your frustration was the most apparent one in the group.

I will surpass you, Chao! Just you wait and see!

____

End of Session and Thread. Going to make a new one tomorrow/today (Thursday) at around the same time this one was made, if not a bit earlier. Check Twitter for updates.

It's a shorter session than usual, but I just found out I have somewhere to be within a few minutes, so I'll leave you with this update. I'll come back later to answer any questions you might have. Thanks for participating!

>>262633
>Kinshin
>Kenshin
Correcting myself for future usage.

>>262633
Well, at least Ming made it. Good session.

>>262633
Let me Guess Chao was the one awoo the human controlled the fate of?

>>262633
Awww, no fug Chao at party?

Cheers for running, matey.

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>>262721
>>262823
Thanks!

>>262746
I cannot confirm nor deny that.

>>262746
well i dont know about that but im thinking the the grim sworeds man(aka guts) form the humans is useing Chao's sword since he lost it

>>264597
Obviously, moron. I was talking Awoo that was either going to be experimented on or killed.

>>264949
umm no you didnt dick you didnt meaton any of that but i t could have been or his part of the other group that has been sighted