Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4946638
Let's roll (pun intended)

1 more?

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4946638

File: chimera (1).png (10 KB, 400x300)

10 KB PNG

Rolled 3, 10, 7, 3, 1, 6, 8, 1, 5 = 44 (9d10)

Alright. Nice.

File: Tampa-Bay-Lightning-logo.jpg (194 KB, 3840x2160)

194 KB JPG

Rolled 5, 2, 6, 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 3, 3, 4, 3 = 53 (12d10)

>>4946753
....

File: 2156669-masked_pilot.jpg (18 KB, 320x320)

18 KB JPG

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4946759
>>4946676
>>4946715
>1 autosuccess
>Foudre 3 at Medium Damage
>Foudre 4 at Light Damage
>Braun At Light Damage
---
As your Udet closes in with Boucher's craft, the black void he emanates seems to grow into a sickly inferno. It chokes at you, like a black, burning miasma. But you fight through it.

[Hate. Anger. Vengeance.]

*You're out of your league, BOY!*, Boucher screams. His weapons open up with volleys of hot lead. With a growl of your own, you focus the Itch as much as you can. It isn't easy, with this ill-aura, but you get it done. You don't panic.

And you squeeze the trigger.

'Tatatatatatatatata!'

The machine gun rattles, and you note with satisfaction as flakes of wood fly up from the front of the merovian bird. Howling in rage, Boucher rolls off again, jerking his plane far more harshly than you ever would have advised. Working the controls, you also turn hard, desperate to stay on him. His Plane is a good match for the Udet though....

[Pain. Hate.]

Your squad is still doing pretty good. Foudre Flight isn't making it easy on them, but your planning pays off. You see Luigi strike gold in his pursuit, the bird from Foudre working hard to shake him with no success. The Phantom charges up at Sergei's belly, yet somehow the Strelkayan reacts in time.

'Tatatatatata!'

The Phantom's bullets scratch air, as his plane levels upside down into a twist, working its way back into the rain thickets.

]He isn't bad, this one. Good, even![

You avoid the temptation to talk back, knowing you need to keep your focus. Boucher is demanding your full attention.

*Gah...you think your special Huzaran? I'll kill you! I'll kill you all! Then, I'm going to find Von Hel. I'm gonna burn him alive! I'm gonna make. Him. PAY! GAAAH!*

"Gaaaah!", you yelp, fighting the controls.

W-what?!?

*I WILL KILL YOUUUUU!*

The Itch now claws feverishly at your mind, like a thousand tiny daggers working to dig out of your mind. The sheer WRONGNESS of this all...

"Whoa....", you mutter. Boucher's malevolence is off the charts. And if you aren't wrong..it seems to be building to some kind of crescendo! The fog of hate begins to choke your mind like nothing so much as a mental gas grenade...

"Errr..."
---
>Fuck this. Turn off. You need some distance!

>Charge him again. You will overcome this with force! Power through it!

>Try and clear your mind of this...sickness. Erk...

>>4946798
>Try and clear your mind of this...sickness. Erk...
Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! HAPPY THOUGHTS!!!

File: Void.jpg (123 KB, 1920x1200)

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>>4946804
You shake your head.

[HATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATEHATE]
[KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL]

"UHH...", You groan. For a heartbeat you consider fleeing. But no. NO!

"Gah! Get out of my head!!"
---
>1d10 Itch check!
>Note if u fail this, you do have your new ability that you can use.

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4946881
Can you remind us what this ability is again?

>>4946907
>My Mind is My Own: Stanislaw has shown empathy to enemies and opponents, but emerged stronger for his convictions. His will is strong. You may now reroll a single Itch check per day.
>be warned, power has its price. Should this second check be failed, you will suffer for it...

Basically if you fail an Itch check, you now have the ability to reroll a die. But if it still fails, then a bad thing may happen.

It's nothing game breaking but it's a useful Ace up the sleeve.

Two more?

>>4947028
I'll give it a bit more

Rolled 4, 8 = 12 (2d10)

>>4947095
Alright. To move on...

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>>4946907
>>4947156
>4 success!
---
[Fire. Anger. Destroy. Rage!]

The attack upon your mind is nearly too much to take. Boucher's sickening miasma floods your senses, and with every passing moment the Itch intensifies, as if revolted by his very presence. It would be easy to be overwhelmed. But...

"Get....out!", you snarl. Fighting to push-if indeed it can be called pushing-his influence way, the mental gloom roars in fury. For a few moments, the fiery void is all you can focus on...before you feel for a corner of your psyche. One like still water.

You focus on it, and drink deep.

As you do so, you feel a verifiable draught of emotions. Anger, shame, terror. And above them all, a shattered psyche from which comes a screaming. There is more there too, but no time. The draining emotions come again. You overcome them.

And you breathe out.

"THIS IS MY HEAD! MINE"

And with that, you are free. The tendrils of chaos that had been fogging your mind recede, as a sound like a bullwhip cracks beside you ear. Or was that only in your head too?

[NO]

*Graaaaaa!*, you hear Boucher yell, his voice agonized. *You...you little fucker...how...you..you're like PIERRE!?*

You blink. The Phantom? Yes, that's right. The Phantom was like you. Or, well, he seemed pretty damn close if not.

*Are you...are you with THEM?*

A gentle wind touched your mind as for a moment, a glint of clarity gleams from the Void surrounding Boucher. While it doesn't dissipate, the aura of sickness surrounding him recedes.

*.....*

]What!?[

"....."

*....here again*, he says, in a quiet tone that initially makes you doubt it's even him. *The city isn't burning now, though*

City? Does he mean Lothren?

But before you can day anything, the continuing battle erupts behind you.

'Tatatatatatatata!'
'Tatatatatatatata!'
*Luigi, stay on him!*
*Si, Captain!*
*Damn Konerlanders. Merde! Stay STILL!*

Chimera and Foudre Flight go swarming past, their guns working desperately to knock each other out. Foudre seem to have recovered from their initial failure, and now are weaving in and out with your own companions! However in the scrum, neither side seems at an advantage.

]What..what did you do?[

The Phantom's voice is in wonder.

But then, the oppressive void returns, and Boucher's seeming moment of sanity snaps as quick as it came. The Black Lightning throws his plane into a violent downwards move.

*Bah! No more talking! I'll GUT you boy!*, he shouts, despite the fact he is moving away from you and down. You blink.

He isn't running, is he??
---
>Chase him down. Come here!

>Try and drag Boucher away from the fight. He won't have his allies then!

>Ignore him For the moment and work on the other bogeys!

>write in

>>4947214
>Thnx for playing today folks! We'll continue tommorow! Get those votes in and stay excellent!

>>4947214
>Try and drag Boucher away from the fight. He won't have his allies then!
He can't rely on backup then, but we also.
>Stay Excellent!

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>>4947483
>Try and drag Boucher away from the fight. He won't have his allies then!

Hmmm...alright then! If Boucher wanted to put some distance, you could work with that. Yes...you would lure him off! That could work.

Although 1v1 had its own dangers. In any case, you were up for it. You snatching up the radio and click it on.

"Boucher! Don't you run! Fight me!", you shout. You tip the Udet down, vanishing into the storm after him. The rain splashes against your face, but the water does little to cool your hot blood.

"Boucher!...."
---
>1d20!

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>4947691

2 more?

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>4947691
This is the greatest plaaan !

Rolled 20 (1d20)

Alright. I'll pick it up! QM go!

>>4947832
Uhh....based?

>>4947856
Based indeed

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>>4947695
>>4947766
>>4947832
>20 CRITICAL SUCCESS!!!!!
---
[SEODTONEKAMESNES!!!]
----
"Boucher, if you are listening, come and fight me clean!", you yell. For a few moments more, you fly through the rain, glancing at your surroundings. "You wanted me right? Come on!"

The void where Boucher flies dims in and out. That strange, gentle breeze rubs against your mind once again, as if trying to whisk away the dark. It comes sweet.

[Why. Why. Lost.]

*...I...I can breathe. Yes. This mask though...it doesn't suit me....*

There it is again. What the hell is going on with this guy? Was he schizophrenic as well as insane? However, the gloom surrounding him weakens more.

'Boom! Thud! Crack!'

A lightning bolt splits the sky above.

"....Boucher?", you ask. More silence. Then, like a snake slithering through the rainy mists, his plane turns hard and back, twisting into some kind of rotation Immelman! The move is so reckless you barely have time to jink away.

[Those. Who. Fell.]

'Vrooooooom!'

His craft speeds by you, but he doesn't open fire. Instead, his bird just keeps going. He's flying different, you realize. His actions still have the aggression you've come come associate with him...

But more controlled?

*Damn...it's been awhile. I...I remember. I remember...after...LOTHREN*

With a pang of anger and fear, the darkness emanates once more, but now twisted and interlaced with...oddities. There, in the grim void, you sense loose ends. Interesting. You are tempted to reach out...

"H-hey! We're supposed to be fighting!"

His plane continues to speed up, and judging by his movement, he is making a B line for the city itself. He clearly plans on leaving the fight behind now.

The radio buzzes.

*Boss!?*
*Que! Where ya going!*

*Allez... les garçons. Tu n'as ....pas besoin de moi!*, Boucher replies, in Merovian.

You get a looming feeling of suspense as Boucher keeps on his merry way...well, at least you managed to lure him away?

Yay?
---
>Alright! Go in hot. Chaaaarge after him! He's distracted!

>Try and pick at his mind? Assuming you even can...

>Follow him at a distance. But keep him within sight. You're quite curious what's going on here!

>>4947888
>Try and pick at his mind? Assuming you even can...
Push further in this breakthrough and calmly ask him to jump out the plane and call you the victor for helping him.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>4947902
>Try and pick at his mind? Assuming you even can...

Hmph. This was some weird shit. Then again, if you had learned anything, it was to expect the unexpected. Part of you wants to try and breach that void swirling before you...

You've never tried using your powers so aggressively, but you assume it can't be much different from mental baby talk right? Boucher's thoughts were a fiery chaos usually. Could this newfound, bare grasp on semi-sanity be the key?

You feel the Itch scrabble in your skull as you try and reach out. Your Udet piles on through the rain, but focused, you hardly register it. You breath in.

And you reach.
---
>1d10!

>all for tnight . Stay excellent my dudes!

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4948036
initiate gaming

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>4948036

>>4948036

Rolled 8 (1d10)

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>>4948376
>>4948497
>>4948667
>>4948786
>2 success!

In hindsight, a whole lot could have gone wrong. Boucher's aura of void-addled madness had only receded, not vanished. It still made you ill.Yet, you tried anyways.

And it worked.

[Memory]

Reaching out, you tune away the chatter on the radio. Yet, as your mind struggles to establish some kind of connection with Boucher, the pain is briefly unbearable. The Itch, clearly revolted by the procedure, practically rebels. The scrabbling and scratching in your head reaches a crescendo. To make things worse, the aura Boucher is casting violently rejects your advances. For a few moments, it seems like the effort has been completely wasted.

Then, among the Raging storm, you pick out the frayed mental threads you noticed before. Now, they glint like dying matches in the gloom. In desperation, you focus on the brightest. As you do so, the Itch again digs into your mind, but this time, immediately ceases as you mentally tug on the thread. As if in relief.

*You're...in my head? Hah...OK, petit boy*

And you see. And hear. And smell.

It comes to you like a rapid flood. So many bolts of lightning. Much as the words you exchanged with the Phantom, it resembles more emotional pictures than true visions, yet...

[Failure. Pain. Madness.]
---
In your Mind's Eye, you see Lothren. High above it all, soaring like a bird. You see the city burning. Feel the tide of war wash over you. And most of all, most of all you feel a sensation of dread. And anger. Beside you fly three black wraiths.

And from the smoke and fire of war, a pale shadow comes. You feel the wraiths blink out one after the other, until only a single soul remains.

Then fire consumes your mind.
[Burn...flames...shame]
---
Your mind is blinded by pale lights and sombre voices. By cool stone and twitching flesh. Words fill ears that no longer exist. And by anger, anger most of all. Before the pain begins anew.

And your mind shatters.

[Vengeance. Knives. Lights]
---
Yet even then, it doesn't end. The thought-scenes keep coming, like a tableue of madness. And indeed, the mind fog is trembling now. You feel nothing now. Only rage and hate and spite. Your thoughts are not thoughts. They are gibbering hatreds and fears.

[I. aM. ThE MoNsTer iN tHe DArK]
---
And then, it ends.

With a feeling of groaning whiplash, your mind retreats from whatever connection you had shared with Boucher. But...but what had it meant? You didn't...

"What?", you mutter, looking around in wonder. You had traveler more than a little bit. Far behind you, the huge air battle still rages. In the rain, only chaos reigns it seems. But ahead...

Lothren. Lothren was closer than you'd ever seen it. The city looms battered but proud before you. While you are not in the outskirts yet, it won't be long.

And Boucher....

The radio buzzes.

*It started here...*, he mutters. *Do you know, this is a bit poetic. Hah! Yes! I understand now! Von Hel...*

File: lightning.jpg (95 KB, 1200x900)

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>>4948822
>Bonus Stage Unlocked: Die as Myself!

https://youtu.be/mZLdf3kabR0
--
The torrent of emotions you pick up from the Black Lightning now are stronger stronger ever. Yet the raw, maddened fury has dissipated. And in its place...

[Memory. Purpose. War.]

"...I...what HAPPENED to you??", you finally ask. The disturbing nature of all you'd just experienced was still thick in your mind. But it was unnatural. Wrong.

The radio buzzes back.

*...a lot*, he says simply. *More than I remember. But I also remember why...*

His plane veers up and to the right, headed for Lothren at all haste.

*Von Hel...I will find you! For Foudre Flight. I will not rest!*

Then, with shocking skill, his dark craft loops over, cutting left into a high roll, in an attack posture.

*Thank you, Huzaran...but I will end this here. I have a goal! And I'll do it. No matter what those people try! I'm not their to rule!*

"Errk", you grimace. "Alright then. Only one of us flies away from this! Black Lightning, fight me!"

*...You ain't seen nothin' kid. Let me show you how a REAL Ace does it!*
---
>Alright. Go on the attack! You'll show him who is better!

>Fight defensively. Try and let him make the first move!

>Fly hard for the city outskirts. Those broken fortifications should raise the stakes! Let's see him fly in those!

>write in

>>4948822
>Fly hard for the city outskirts. Those broken fortifications should raise the stakes! Let's see him fly in those!
Let the show begin!

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>>4948913
>Fly hard for the city outskirts. Those broken fortifications should raise the stakes! Let's see him fly in those!

Ok. Think. You had a lot of confidence in your plane and yourself. And those broken up curtain walls and forts were definitely an obstacle. Wait, an idea!

You roll off to the side and gun the engine to maximum. The Udet rumbles on through the rainstorm, towards the oncoming outskirts. The roaring of the engine cuts above the storm.

As you do, the radio buzzes at you.

*Hah! You think cover will stop me? I'm the Black Lightning! You won't stop me that easily!*, Boucher says. *Dance with me boy. Dance!*

His craft barrels after you, occasional spurts of gunfire rattling off. However they seem to be nothing more than probing shots. They go wide.

"You'll have to try harder!", you bark.

*Make it worth my time!*

As your chase speeds up, you soon approach the outer curtain wall. A medieval relic. Off a bit, you can make out where the Wodanaz shots busted a great gap in it. Here and there, little hold out points mark the area, although no Konerlander has gotten that far in a while...
--
>1d10!

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>4948960

>>4948844
>Fly hard for the city outskirts. Those broken fortifications should raise the stakes! Let's see him fly in those!

"Just you and me, fighting over the ruins of the city you fell defending. No matter the outcome, our battle today will be remembered. There are worse ways to go. Give it your all ... ."

(This is where I wish I had more knowledge of Ace Combat dialogue. This is going to be an epic-worthy fight, no matter the outcome. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Boucher. Did we ever get his real name ? We could use it and give him ours.
Also, I wonder if we'll get to see under the mask. I have my theory.)

>>4948979
His actual name is Hercule Boucher. And yes apparently there are French people irl named Boucher(Butcher). Go figure.
---
As for the face, you've seen what he used to look like from a dossier photo. Although again, he got fucked up really really bad.
---
>>4948960
2 more?

Rolled 4, 1 = 5 (2d10)

>>4948966
Alright. Let's keep it going.

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Rolled 1, 1, 2 = 4 (3d10)

>>4949302

>>4949308
Bruh. These rolls have been worthy of a boss fight lmao

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>>4949302
>>4949308
>>4948966
>1 Auto Success! Yay! But....
>1,1 BOUCHER CRITICAL SUCCESS !!!
[Witness. Me!]
---
As you carry on, you manage to twist away from Boucher's fire. His bullets fly past your cockpit, but the rolling and speed of your craft keeps you safe. You get the feeling this isn't his full power...

The radio buzzes to life.

*Hah! Yes, I can feel it now...I love this job!", he yells. "Base Moi, Do I. Go on then boy, show me what there is to see!*

You frown. This shift in his attitude was still a bit bizarre, but....You'd be damned if you made this easy for him!!!

"Alright, you asked for it!", you say, as the Udet zooms past a shattered stone watchtower. Below on the ground, you imagine that would be all kinds of nasty surprises waiting for you. But in this storm, you weren't super visible...

Boucher stays on your tail, refusing to let you out of his sight. With a nod, you head straight for the layered defenses. Towers, broke or otherwise. Pieces of wall. It made no difference. You could do it!

And you do, masterfully.

Your enhanced senses carry you, as the Udet zips and weaves around the outer wreckage. At times you pass within feet or inches, but pass you do. And again, the Black Lightning is unphased. His own craft mimics your moves and improves on them. His turns are cleaner, and his plane does not not much fly...as Glide through the obstacles.

*There's a reason men feared me! Lothren...to fly here again. I'd been avoiding it...why though? Hmph*

You are so focused on clearing past the next layer, that you become overly absorbed. Sinking lower to avoid his bursts of fire, your plane enters danger close territory. You bank tight past where a Wodanaz shell had absolutely leveled what may once have been a sub-fort.

And when you look back, Boucher is gone. You blink once. Twice. What?!

You reach out with your senses, desperate to pick him up. With the drop in his mental footprint it wasn't easy...

And when you do, it's too late.

'Vrooooooom!'
'Tatatatatatatata!'

"Gahhhh!", you yell, as bullets start to rain around you. A dark object-his craft-zooms by you at an angle, hell bound for the ground until a last minute yank rolls the plane up and away like some kind of insane somersault! You are still in shock as he vanishes again. Shaken, you look around, distracted as you deal with the surrounding structures.

"Damn!", you say, trying to be confident. But those moves..."You died once here already! Are you TRYING to die?"

*Heh. Always. You're good Huzaran! But I already died once, like you said. I plan on living now! Now...watch and LEARN hah!*

You call his next move, rolling away as he strikes down from above. You need height, damnit! Pulling up, you think you've gotten away as his plane carries on past....

*Got you!*

...but no! He flips the plane back into an immelman, but with a twist.

"U-upside down?!", you yell. "WHAT!"

'Tatatatatata!'

Bullets strike you solid, and you work to avoid the worst....

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>>4949333
>Stanislaw at Medium Damage!
>That clutch 1
---
....for a while while this furious exchange carries on, with you dropping or rising seemingly at his urging. His plane is like a demon in the air. You can hardly call his attacks, much less pin him down.

And by the time it ends, you're hurting. Many of the bullets dealt only artifical damage, but some...You'd gotten off better than you could, at least.

Boucher's plane looms off to the right, with hardly a care in the world.

*Bloody Red Angel.. .I've shot down worse. That Udet is a good plane. See this though? This a Madon, boy. As fast as your Udet...and in my hands...*

Certainly, it had proven its worth.

You let out a few shallow breaths, before bringing up the piece.

"You fight...you fight like you're in a theater show. Why? Why so reckless?"

For a few moments, he doesn't respond.

*Hahahah! Why? L'enfer, why not? Because I CAN. I fight to win. Doing a pretty good job right now, aren't I?*

His ringing mockery notwithstanding, you've gained a proper respect for his level of skill. Impairments not withstanding, you've never seen such reckless flying. Madness, honestly.

Madness...

*A piece of advice, as thanks for giving me this. You can't be afraid to lose. You can't be afraid to....DIE!*

His plane charges you. Yet the technique...In absence of conventional wisdom, he almost hugs the ground, his plane gracing above earth and structure alike! What...?
---
>Charge him back. AHHHHHH!

>Try and lure him into a trap!

>Bolt hard up! Climb! Climb!

>write in

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>4948960

>>4949435
damnit
>>4949368
>Try and lure him into a trap!

2 more?

>>4949435
>>4949437
>>4949502
Wait. Oh fuck me, that wasn't a rolling choice lol. That d10 threw me off.. Ok yeah my bad.
---
>Try and lure him into a trap!

Ok. Ok think. Hmmmm. Thinking.

Facing him head on was probably a bad idea. Instead you would be smart...some kind of trap then? But how...?

Zooming past some more remnants you soon reach the edge of the city proper.

"Alright then...urban warfare it is...", you mutter. You could just have to find some way to make him mess this up. Plenty of cover coming up. If you could just work it right....

Maybe you could lure him into a trap?

Worth a try! You ready the controls.
,--
>1d10
---

>stay excellent I'll see you later! All for tonight. Crazy rolls I tell you. Get those dice in!

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4949622
Stay excellent!

Rolled 9 (1d10)

>>4949622
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

1 more?

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>4950007
Come on 1

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Rolled 5, 6, 6 = 17 (3d10)

Rolled 1, 9, 6 = 16 (3d10)

>>4950037

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>>4949778
>>4949861
>>4950033
>>4950037
>>4950043
>>4950043
>7 Fail!
>(Explosion noises)!!
>Both Pilots Senses Deadened for 1 round!
---
Alright Stanislaw. You can do this. Boucher may be tough, but he's only mortal. If you can make him slip...

'Vrooooooom!'

Your Udet soars past the broken remains of an apartment building, standing solemn and gloomy in the downpour. Behind you, Boucher keeps up his steady pursuit. Here and there, he opens up, but his gunfire is only distracting at worst. Still, you need some room if you're going to pull this trick off...

You go sideways, slicing between a pair of ruined buildings. Your goal is clear now. You need to get the Black Lightning off his game. If you can lose him amongst the cityscape, that would be nice. A chance to ambush him.

*In the end*, Boucher muses, *This war is a parade of killing. It's not a battle between nations. War is a clash of personalities. Individual struggles!*

His Madon runs the gauntlet with ease, giving you no chance to break away. The glow of his dim malevolence gives away his position, but not as much as before.

"Then why fight at all?", you ask him. "Why did you ever become a pilot? A soldier? If not for Merovia?"

The radio buzzes back.

*Me? Sacre Bleu. Boy, I fight to win. The cockpit called me. Foudre Flight is gone, but it has one avenger. I remember now. You wouldn't understand. I failed them. This is MY fight. MINE! Not Merovia's, not yours, MINE. My justice...*

His signature moves rapidly. With a groan of annoyance, you shift your position, veering to the side to avoid what is surely another bolt-style attack. Indeed, his fighter comes dashing at you from the gloom, far to quick to avo--

'BOOOM!'
'BOOOM!
'BOOOM!'

"Huh?!?!"

*Merde!! Artillery??*

The world around you is consumed by a holocaust of flying rubble and fire, as you struggle to keep the Udet level. With a pull on the controls, you barely avoid a chunk of asphalt that goes soaring past your skull. What the hell??

Below you, a dull alarm begins to sound, as the defenders of Lothren realize what is happening. It calls in its shrill tone.

'WEEEEEEeeeeeWoooooooWooooo!'

There was only one type of artillery that would be striking from this range...or with such magnificent power.

"Wodanaz?", you question aloud. So Hoffman was shelling en masse with his favorite toy...you growl at the implications. Surely he wasn't going to launch his attack now? He had received direct orders!

*Heh...damn. So that's what it's called. A big gun, nothing more. You have bigger issues, Angel. My guns are more dangerous! Now...Fall!*

The Madon bolts up, before twisting into a rapid spin. The movements of the craft are hard to trace or predict, and you can't glean a pattern.

And it doesn't help that your still a bit fuzzy from the shelling.
---
>Enough running! U-Turn attack! Hah!

>Try and mimic his movements. You know you have the skill!

>Hug the ground! Let's see him navigate on the streets!

>write in

>>4950083
>Enough running! U-Turn attack! Hah!
We had an upside down Immelman. Well how about a spinning U-turn!

>>4950083
>Try and mimic his movements. You know you have the skill!

I'll give it some time for a tiebreaker. Then I'll roll!

>>4950083
>>Enough running! U-Turn attack! Hah!

>>4950198
This wins

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19 KB JPG

>>4950101
>>4950130
>>4950198
>Enough running! U-Turn attack! Hah!


Gah! Running wasn't working. You'd tried some subtlety, and it hadn't worked. Ok, fine. You'd just have to switch it up!

"Ok!", you say. "Try THIS on for size!"

You push the throttle, aiming to cut a hard U-turn up ahead. If you could just pull this off....
---
>1d10!

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>4950274

2 more?

Rolled 2, 2 = 4 (2d10)

>>4950379

File: images (25).jpg (5 KB, 225x225)

5 KB JPG

Rolled 7, 7, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>4950580

File: clay-schneider-digital-paint-4.jpg (213 KB, 1600x970)

213 KB JPG

>>4950289
>>4950580
>>4950625
>2 success!
>Boucher at Heavy Damage!
----
*You can't run forever boy!*, Boucher shouts. *Fight me right!*

His craft has slowed somewhat, perhaps the artillery strike hurt him a bit more than you? Or just a reassessment. It didn't matter. He wanted to see confidence. More, he exhuded it.

Well, if he insists....

As your pair of dueling craft enters what can be described as Lothren proper, you focus your plane towards the rain soaked outline of a particular large building. You are, in fact, on a crash course!

But, in a page out of Boucher's book....you dare to win! Throwing the controls hard, with your enhanced focus, the Udet hugs the side of the building, edging within inches of its stone surface. Riding your feelings, you turn harsh but smooth around the building.

*Clever boy*

Your Udet emerges from around the opposite side just as his Madon passes by your initial route. And you fire.

'Tatatatatatatatata!'

Your machine gun barks, and you let out a howl of victory as you see a thread of smoke leak from the Madon. Boucher rides the attack, simply speeding up. Your angle isn't good enough to give you a spot behind him, but you loom off to the side as you pass by.

Below the city is but a tangle of gray and black as you rise up, the whole picture blurred by the torrent. Here and there, streetlights or the dim glow of other illuminations guides your height.

That, and the looming tops and corners of buildings that you must keep wary of!

In any case, Boucher is clearly not done.

*...hah! Not bad. Not bad at all. But 'not bad' won't beat me!*, he boasts. *This..isn't over!*

"It will be", you reply.

*Oui..now, let's do that! Let me shOw you...lEt Me show you what they gave me! What tHeY...DiD! hAH!*

[Memory. Vengeance. Fire]

"Uhhh...this...again...", you groan. Boucher was clearly directing his aura of void-wrong towards you. The pain was less barbaric than before, but...

*I didn't ask for this...*, he mutters. *But it's come to this!*

It crashes into your psyche.
---
>You threw him out once! Do it again!

>Try and reverse the situation?

>Power through this! Charge and fire!

>write in

>>4950722
>Try and reverse the situation?
*Uno reverse card*

>>4950722
>nodded off! That's all for this time folks. See you all on Friday! Stay excellent! Thank you for playing!

>>4950722
>Try and reverse the situation?
In all ways including mentally, I am Huzaran
*Kurwas Internally*

>>4950722
>>You threw him out once! Do it again!

>>4950722
>Try and reverse the situation?

>>4950893
>>4956230
>>4951130
>>4951225
>>Try and reverse the situation

You feel like your going to be sick. Tendrils of wrongness embrace your mind, looking for any opening. The scramble of the Itch returns in force.

But...but maybe you can reverse the situation? Turn this against Boucher?

Worth a try.

You try and pin him down. This is a bigger ask then simply throwing him out of your head like last time. But...
---
>1d10!

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4956647

Two more?

Rolled 7, 4 = 11 (2d10)

>>4956867
Alright!

File: b242d43f7e09f86dbd2b7162b(...).jpg (15 KB, 800x566)

15 KB JPG

Rolled 5, 2, 3 = 10 (3d10)

>>4956911
!!!

File: flaming_I_cgcpl5.jpg (145 KB, 1200x900)

145 KB JPG

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4956812
>>4956911
>>4956927
>1 autosuccess!
>Boucher Staggered for 1 round!
>[Noitanimoba! ESLAF! !!ENOGEB]
---
The mental tendrils threaten to wrap about your mind and damage you. However, it is quite clear that one thing is true: Boucher is fumbling. It seems that his broken madness has weakened his hold over his necrotic mental powers. Or, you realize, perhaps those powers...were the source of his insanity?

As the dark glances off your mind, that disturbing thought comes unbidden to you. So does much else. Weakened or not, the force of the attack remains powerful and frightening. It takes all your focus to hold it off. Time, you think, you just need time to think...

[Vengeance. Failure. War.]

Your salvation comes quickly and without warning. For a moment, the mental onslaught staggers, and through the maddening gloom, a buckling pillar of weakness to exploit. Left with no choice, you latch onto it for deal life.

And ride.
---
The blinding glow of a light glares before your cooked eyes. You hear the sound of shallow, labored breathing, before realizing it is your own. Voices too, deadened and choppy...but you understand some of the words.

Words in the Merovian tongue that you have no right to understand.

"We will....yes...a new power...."

"He is....no matter, he will be ready. Prepare the....."

"Congratulations....unstable...??"

You feel your heart beating with rage.
----
Unlike the last time you do not release this link. Instead, you ride it as far as it can go. A bizarre feeling like swimming through mud takes you, as a howling sensation like a roaring furnace consumes your senses. Yet you hold on, and the Itch does not fail you.

Then, when the pressure builds to a head, you apply as much mental energy you can muster to finish the job. A loud crash sounds in your ear, as Boucher yelps.

*Gaaaah!*, he cries. His Madon staggers in the air, clearly disoriented. *That wasn't...shit. I can't even do that right!*

While you come off the rush, you hear more cataclysmic explosions further back. You are too far for the shockwave to have an effect, but the Wodanaz are clearly letting all hell loose...

And Boucher...

*Hahaha! This is out of my damn element. But I'm not out of tricks yet!*

You scoff.

"Neither am I!"
---
>Charge him while he is stunned! Give him a real barrage!

>Drop back and try to play this stealthy. You might have bought yourself some time....

>Try and set up better. You can use this chance to get right on his tail. If you can keep yourself there...

>>4956984
>Try and set up better. You can use this chance to get right on his tail. If you can keep yourself there...
We take down the plane not the pilot.

>>4957012
>Try and set up better. You can use this chance to get right on his tail. If you can keep yourself there..

Knowing this is your chance, you hit the controls. If you can get yourself on his tail, you will have a good shot.

It was just a matter of staying there...

Your Udet responds.
--
>1d10!

File: 1626806189619.jpg (115 KB, 683x768)

115 KB JPG

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4957136
Sorry QM, I try to post at least a couple times a thread but some stuff has been going on that I just finished dealing with.

Also, WW1 Newtype action!
The tread with trill power baby!

>>4957136
2 more?
>>4957423
Hey no problem my dude. Happy that people enjoy playing. Simple as.

Rolled 7, 5 = 12 (2d10)

>>4957461
Alright!

File: 170px-Fleur_de_lys_du_qué(...).png (4 KB, 170x232)

4 KB PNG

Rolled 2, 4, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>4957534

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43 KB JPG

>>4957423
>>4957534
>>4957537
>3 Success!
>Boucher at Critical Damage!
>But....
>20, [YOU. WON'T. WIN.]
>Activate: That Which Should Not Be!
>??: Mind Dark Sea
---
The chase is extremely hard fought. Your Udet and Boucher's Madon zoom over and around the rain soaked roofs of Lothren, oblivious too all but the dance of your lethal combat. It is quite clear that in most ways the craft are equals. Perhaps. Yet slowly but surely you close in. You manage, somehow, to get the better of him. He is in your sights.

*Hah! Hahah!*

"You think this is funny??", you ask.

*Funny? No! But fun? I haven't had real fun in ages...This is no Fonck, boy!*, Boucher laughs. *Now watch this! Hahaha! Watch!*

His laughter rings sharp in your ears, a lively, bark of a sound. You detect little of the insane cruelty that the other Boucher had isolated. Still, it hardly seems totally sane..

Before you eyes, the Madon throws itself into a crazy spin to the right. Doing your best to mimic it, the Udet mirrors the move. It isn't easy. Far from it. It is all you can do to keep up, and to aim....

"Now!"
'Tatatatatatatata!'

Your machine guns bark as you find your shot at last. The bullets bite into the dark Madon, and you see sparks of flame leap forth from the engine. Yet the rain does you little favors there, and Boucher immediately adjusts his flight pattern.

The radio crackles.

*Heh...the Black Lightning doesn't die easy. Things to do. Someone to kill. My...justice to complete!*

His voice is strained. Yet, you get a strange feeling. Something has disturbed the Itch. Something...from Boucher. His mental aura? That pallor of sickening void hangs on him still, but....different.

Instead of receding or expanding as before, the feeling that emerges...pulsing? Restless, almost.. Throbbing? What...?

*You're just gonna have to fall for me to fly on, Huzaran. In my way. Simple as that. Now...see how the Lightning strikes!*

As sudden as a thunder clap, you realize what is happening. The Madon, bleeding from its battle wounds, cuts up and back. Reacting as quick as you can, you swipe sideways, the Udets wing barely missing the Madon as it nearly crashes into you.

"Damn it!", you curse. Now, how did--

*What...wait! I'm...I, merde, I'm gonna be sick. No, not THAT, I--*


"What??!"

Wait.

*bOo*

"GAAAAAH!!"

Your mind collapses into a hurricane of torment. [BLOODWARPAIN] Worse than before, even when the black tendrils had torn away at your headspace. [BUUUURN]This...how...

The Black fire was in your mind. You felt the burn deep in your psyche. No mental attack was this. This was undiluted...Heresy. Heresy against all that was human and sane.

And you did not understand.

But in a terrible way, you did. Boucher was not like you. Not at all. Someone had done something terrible to him. This was not The Itch you faced in him. It was Something unhuman.

And in a duet of screams, you realized Boucher was in terror as well.

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>>4957611
He howls and rages. You do much the same. Whatever is occurring is clearly not of his own volition....

*Sacre Bleu...my...Foudre Flight? Have you returned to me..?*

You are in such a grip of raw pain that you can only act abruptly if at all.
---
>Gotta..shoot..him. He's the source of this.

>Too...strong for one. Boucher! Boucher, I need you to work with me here!

>Fly high! Get away! Get away! Get away!
---
> well folks that's all for tonight. All I can say is that up to this point the rolls have been very crazy and very climactic. Back and forth boss fight indeed. Also you got the bonus stage version with semi sane Boucher. Good on you. Anyways I will see you in the morning. Stay excellent! Seems like this thing is going to come down to the wire.

>>4957618
>Too...strong for one. Boucher! Boucher, I need you to work with me here!
if we simply kill him the thing will have seeded itself into us.

>>4957618
>Too...strong for one. Boucher! Boucher, I need you to work with me here.
Yes, yeeees, feel the power of friendship flow through you, Boucher. Complete your vilain arc and become an ally. It is the way of the shonen !

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>>4957807
>>4957824
>Too...strong for one. Boucher! Boucher, I need you to work with me here!

The shadow on your mind is overwhelming. Feelings of unnatural spite, sorrow, and hatred threaten to burn away your psyche. Whatever this is, HOWEVER this is...you won't no part of it.

But you need help.

"Boucher! Boucher, I need you to work with me here!", you call out. Perhaps if both of you pushed...

The radio crackles back.

*Von Hel...I..I won't fail. Not this time! Keep away from me. Stay AWAY! IT'SNOT WORTH IT*

Damn it. This isn't working.

You need a new angle.

And quick.
--'
>1d20!

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>4958014

2 more?

Rolled 12, 13 = 25 (2d20)

>>4958064
!!!

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>4958014
>>4958126
Sorry that I'm late.

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>>4958020
>>4958126
>13 success!

Bah, you aren't getting through to him. You need to try something else....

It hits you.

"Boucher!", you shout. "Whatever you're seeing. It isn't real! Whatever this is, I need you to help me!"

[Loss. Pain. Fire.]

*I...non. I cannot give into this. Non, this is not...how I end! Whatever they did...*

"Good!", you reply. "I need you...to push with me." The pain and illness is starting starting overwhelm your senses. Still, you power through it. You had to. "WHATEVER THIS IS!"

The radio buzzes back.

*I...the knives. The tubes. I...That Light. I can't..I can't no. No, I am the Black Lightning! Vous bâtards malades. BOY, with me now! Gaaah!*

You sense the void buckle for a moment, and seize the chance. You focus on thag point and push!
---
>1d10!

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4958137

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4958137

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4958137
Ok. Let's have a 1!

File: MeroviaFlag.png (9 KB, 500x300)

9 KB PNG

Rolled 3, 1, 2 = 6 (3d10)

!!!

File: maxresdefault.jpg (68 KB, 1280x720)

68 KB JPG

>>4958164
>>4958214
>>4958328
>>4958341
>1auto success!
>1 auto success!


"Aaaah!", you shout, as if the height of your voice can burn out the pain. The sickness rages against your joint effort with Boucher, even as you start to gain the advantage. His loss of control has begun to recover, but your mind continues to rebel against that which rubs and smothers it. With a Supreme effort, you avoid retching.

[Abomination. Abomination. UNCLEAN!]

Without your impromptu partner, the madness would be unbearable. Boucher growls words in Koner and Merovian interchangeably, and you only get bits and pieces of his ranting. He damns Von Hel. Damns 'The Knives', and damns just about everything there is to damn.

*MERDE! JE SUIS EN CONTRLE!*

With a rush of fiery crackling inside yoru skull, you feel the nightmare begin to recede once more. As it goes, however, you get one last feeling of insanity. Unbidden, thoughts you did not think yourself capable of blare themselves in your mind. You feel your grip tighten as your body reacts, the feelings of rage and despair gnawing at you. But no. It's not...

[Broken. False. ABOMINATION]

And like that, it ends.

One moment, your mind was a black, blinded swarm of negative emotions, the next, you felt raindrops cool on your face. The thick, thunderous downpour has lessened to merely a stead fall. With a shallow breath, you glance over to where the Madon flies imply through the air. The dark craft bears its wounds visibly, a thin line of smoke trailing from it.

Then the radio crackles on.

*Huzaran...Merci. That...that was unnatural. But there is only one ending to this story. Slay the dragon, boy! Do what you have have do!*, Boucher calls out.

"Boucher...", you murmur to yourself. The dark energy surrounding the man had receded to an all time low. For the first time, he seemed...almost normal. Almost. But a tang of disease remained.

*I'm clear in my head now! Your gonna have to work a little harder! Now, let me show you THIS!*, he shouts.

His Madon, from its position on your flank, banks right sharply. The plane rises into the air, leaving the rooftops behind. And away from you no less. What is he planning now?
----
>Remain steady. You will trust in your protection down here! He has to approach you to hurt you!

>Try and mirror his move. You don't like this. But maybe you can cancel out?

>Enough games! Charge him! Kirwan!

>Write in
----

>>4958380
>Enough games! Charge him! Kirwan!
The honorable option

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>>4958566
>Enough games! Charge him! Kurwa!

Bah. Enough of this.

"No more games!", you yell. Throttling the Udet as fast as it will go, you make directly for Boucher's craft. If he thought thought dazzle you again with some crazy trick...he could think again!

You'd cut him off by being direct!
---
>1d10
---

>All for tonight folks see you in the morning stay excellent and thanks for playing! Get those rolls in!

>>4958380
>Enough games! Charge him! Kirwan!

Lets end it

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4958639
Please dont screw me for once dice

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4958639
Stay excellent!

Rolled 10 (1d10)

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54 KB JPG

Rolled 9, 6, 2 = 17 (3d10)

>>4959024

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6 KB JPG

>>4958641
>>4958781
>>4959024
>>4959030
I feel great shame. On the other hand, literally coming down to the wire.
>5 fail!
>Stanislaw at Critical Damage!
---
'Vrooooooom!'

Your Udet charges directly at Boucher. Your blood is up, and you won't let him pull any more fancy tricks on you. If you can just get a good, final burst on this guy...as your bird moves, you trace Boucher's movement. Closer...closer...

You thumb the trigger.

'Tatatatatatata!'

"What?!?

Just as your bullets stream towards him, and you think he's done, the Black Lightning breaks from his right bank, yanking the plane hard left and down. In a masterful maneuver, he loops his plane back over yours as you pass.

*Eager to kill?*

'Tatatatatatatatata!'

His bullets drive into the cockpit, and you hiss in pain as one bullet scrapes your arm. The dark Madon pulls back again, practically floating as it moves away. Part of you is in shock that the enemy bird still has it in her. You have wreaked havoc on it, but Boucher still finds a way to fly in such a bold way.

And part, you must admit, is really, really impressed. This is like no fight you've had before. As you keep going and veer to come back around, a sputter and a spark catches your ear and eye. Then, with a maon, you register a tongue of flame lap at the air around your engine.

"Shit!", you growl. "Not now. Come on!"

The bird stays level, but it's clear that you are hurting bad. At this point, neither you nor Boucher is flying at peak. Your planes are practically wrent, and with a quick peep, you aren't exactly full on ammo either. If Boucher is in any better spot though, you'd be surprised.

A small consolation.

His plane floats away from you, dancing on the wind like some looming, dark Crow. How he is managing this trick so long is...beyond you.

*Hahahaha! Now THIS. This is what it's all about, isn't it? This has been fun, Huzaran. No..Krol. Krol, right? I can see why Pierre was so impressed. Shame, really. It could have been Werewolf 1 here instead of you. But he wouldn't have been half the thrill*, Boucher remarks.

Alpha...you knew he'd give anything to trade spots with you. But the winds had blown your way today. He had an important job of his own.

"He wants your head", you respond. "For his cousin. For a lot more too."

The radio is silent for a moment.

*Oui..I..I can remember that kill. I see myself in that doggy of yours. Minus la demence, mind. War makes monsters of us all. Hmph.*

Below you, Lothren looms. With the lessening of the storm, you can make out more of the interior. Some buildings stand true, others in ruins from one battle or the other. You pull yourself away. This is it.

"Do you regret anything?", you ask, curious. "Any of it?"

The radio crackles back.

*...I regret that I lost. I regret that the others died because I failed. And I regret what came after. But do you know what, Krol? C'est la vie. I've only got one thing to live for now. Merde, if this is called life*

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>>4959061
https://youtu.be/mZLdf3kabR0

"If you want to end this, than come at me!", you reply. "Let's finish this already!"

*....you came to kill me. I won't leave without killing you. That's just how it is. Come here, Bloody Angel. Lightning strikes twice!*

His plane keeps up its trick, floating back from you without stalling. You breathe in.
---
>CHAAAAAAARGE! Don't let up on him.

>Make him approach you. You won't be trapped again!

>Steal one of his moves. Let's see how he handles his own style!

>write in

>>4959072
>Steal one of his moves. Let's see how he handles his own style!
God dammit I roll a 1 just for it to be snuffed away.

>>4959074
>Steal one of his moves. Let's see how he handles his own style!

Hmm..you need to mix this up a bit. Simply charging him wouldn't work. It would be stupid to charge into his jaws. You needed something bolder...

A thought comes to you, and you smile.

Maybe a bit of on the spot homage?

Maybe. Just maybe.

"You asked for it", you say.

And you go for the controls.
---
>1d10!

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>4959149
Please be a good roll.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4959149

1 more?

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4959149
Let this roll be the one to fuck it up, again!

Yeah! We finally get to experience what rolling a crit feels like in this quest!

>>4959264
>>4959167
Noice.

File: fleur-de-lis.jpg (30 KB, 431x699)

30 KB JPG

Rolled 3, 5, 2 = 10 (3d10)

Based. What timing too.

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45 KB JPG

>>4959155
>>4959167
>>4959264
>>4959308
>1,1 CRITICAL!!!
>[Engage]
---
You had to do this. Ernst was counting on you. Chimera, Alpha, everyone. This was finally IT. There was no way you were gonna let them down...not now, no.

You feel your mind hyperfocus, as it analyzes the situation. Like a suspension in a jelly fog. That cool feeling takes you, but you are in control. In your own way.

[Prideful. Exploit. Attack.]

You dip your Udet into what appears to be a genuine, direct attack attack towards the Madon. Your wounded craft zooms down, like an angry bird of prey. You can hear Boucher laughing.

*Hah! Oui, come to me!*, he yells. His floating trick finally ends as he tips his nose back, sending his plane propeller over tail towards the ground. So, it had been something more after all.

[Memory. Twist Turn. Dive!]

You subtly change course, in appearance headed for Boucher, but in reality changing your heading ever so slightly. Your enemy keeps up the course, seemingly headed for a collision with the dirt. You know better. You tip again.

And like that, you are in range.

*Now...FALL!*, Boucher roars. With a brutal twist and upturn, his Madon fish-hooks up at the last second, his plane in a rapid twirl. A deadly move. But you are not where he expects. Instead, you are just past that. A bit more.

[Up. Twist. Fire!]

*W-hat?!?*

With a nudge on the controls, your plane twists as he had, and for a split moment, not even a second, you are parallel. Upside down, you hang above his craft like a red guillotine. Your glazed eyes look down and register a masked face staring blankly at you. You think he is shocked.

[Execute]

Gently shifting, your plane rights itself, as you lessen the engine slightly. Dropping back, your plane is in the perfect spot. Just for a moment. But that's all you need. You thumb the trigger.

*Eh bien, Merde*

'Tatatatatatatatata!'

It's only a handful of quick bursts. But they strike true. You see Boucher visibly stagger in the cockpit, his jacketed form shivering. More importantly, something gives in his craft. A tongue of fire shoots forth from behind a prop, and this time there is no downpour to calm it.

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>>4959360

But the Black Lightning is not done. His plane dips onto its shoulder, entering a rapid spin of the kind he favors. The Madon becomes a almost tornado of wood and canvas in the sky. He isn't going down easy. Of course not.

[Spin. Down. Up. Fire!]

You mirror his move, and as you do so, your mind recalls something else you remember him doing in a past engagement. Tricky...but...

*Bah!*, he yells. *JE SUIS L'ÉCLAIR NOIR! I will not LOSE!*

[Execute]

Your chase escalates, as he works to shake you off. But you are inexorable in your advance. His Madon speeds up, pushing his engine far harder than he should at the moment. You let him gain, knowing what comes next. He needs distance to do it. And he does.

[Reverse]

His Madon cuts into the fastest Immelman you've seen, roaring back at you, guns blazing death.

But your Udet, having sped up at the right moment, pitches up and sideways. You brake at the right moment, mimicking his move from your first engagement. The Udet's nose faces the ground as the tail erects straight up. For a moment...the Udet drifts, as the Madon passes below, right beneath the teeth of your guns.

[Fire!]

*Bah*

'Tatatatatatatatatatata'

The Madon is finished. That much is clear. Your bullets bite into it, and bite deep. You see wing struts go, as one of his wings almost collapses, only his skill keeping the craft level. Even so, the front of the bird is a veritable mess of smoke and embers. The cockpit...Boucher steers the thing, an arm limp at his side.

And behind him you loom, prepared for the execution. Boucher makes no more moves to avoid you.

The radio crackles to life.

https://youtu.be/pRrZCBhMrHM

*Well...(cough)...my Own moves. Pas Mal. They say imitation (cough), is the highest form of flattery...*

Behind him, your fist tightens.

"You fought...you fought good", you say. It's all you can get out. "Like a true Ace"

The radio erupts with deep, throaty laughter. Real, genuine amusement.

*hehhhehehehHAHAHAHAH!*, Boucher roars. *A...True Ace? Hehe. Pardonne-moi, it's just..what does that even mean? That I kill well? Krol..*

You shrug, and say what comes to you.

"You fought as hard as you could. And you enjoyed doing it....", you pause. "I joined for the sky to begin with. The planes. I just wanted to fly*

*Heh...a fellow enthusiast. Purer motives than me. I was great, so I wanted to show off. Wanted to win. I didn't listen to anyone. Even if...if...*

He lets out a sigh.

*So much to do. End it then. You came here for one thing. I won't begrudge you*

His nonchalance shocks you.

"Do you not even care?"

*..boy, I haven't been scared of death in a very long time. Go on. I'm ready...and Merci, for helping me die as myself*

Your finger rests on the trigger.
---
>You have your orders. Kill orders. Boucher has to die. Fire. And put an end to this. It's a mercy.

>Refuse to kill him. Something...isn't right here. Not at all.

>Write in

>>4959396
>You have your orders. Kill orders. Boucher has to die. Fire. And put an end to this. It's a mercy.
Duty. He knows the score, it's what is expected. It's what he would do. What an Ace would do

Since this is kind of a big decision, I'll give it a bit longer in case someone pops in. Consensus perhaps. In any case good job you guys. I was spooked there for a bit.

>>4959396
>You have your orders. Kill orders. Boucher has to die. Fire. And put an end to this. It's a mercy.

lets just end it boucher is suffering as whatever he is

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>>4959427
>>4959716
>>You have your orders. Kill orders. Boucher has to die. Fire. And put an end to this. It's a mercy.
>HEROIC ACE DEFEATED!
>Boucher, The Black Lightning: KIA
---
For a few moments, you hesitate. You could sense that something was wrong. And this battle had given you a glimpse of what Boucher had been...and perhaps what he could be.

But did you have the right to make that call? No, no you didn't. You were a soldier, you would do what you cam here to do.
You would take no pleasure in it. And the execution would leave a bbtter taste in your mouth. That one so great had fallen so...and that someone had done this to him. This...Something to him.

"Ok", you say, simply. "Stay still."

You line up the shot. The least you can do is spare him the flames. A burst or two. That's all it should take. Target ready.

"I...goodbye, Boucher. I hope you find peace, I really do", you say. You hear a rattle of sad laughter come from the set.

*Merci. Send me back to my Foudre. Now, Krol. Send me back to my Friends*

And you do.

'Tatatatatata'

The stream of bullets slams into the open cockpit of the Madon, with a glean of red spray as your bullets find their mark. Over the radio, you hear a tight gasp, presumably Boucher's last. The front of the Madon finally gives with its Pilot, the craft falling towards Lothren.

You no longer sense the illness, and the Itch becomes less tight. As you follow the Madon with your eyes, it goes down like a demon cast from heaven. The dark shape trails smoke and fire. You raise a single hand in silent salute.

And then it impacts. The plane slams into the ruin of a stone cathedral, before exploding in a fiery rose of death. You feel a swirl of emotions passing through you, but this time, all natural.

You...you had won! Bittersweet and bizarre the victory was, but you had taken down The Black Lightning himself! You could hardly believe it. Ernst would be so proud! And the others...wait..THE OTHERS!

Chimera Flight had been in the fight of their lives when you had followed after Boucher. You could only hope that everything was going ok...while the rain had lessened, it was virtually impossible to make out the signs of battle from here above Lothren. The Huffendor was no small Flight away.

On the edge of the city, you hear another series of huge explosions. The shells of the Wodanaz fall short this time, merely obliterating another chunk of already decimated curtain wall. Below, however, it was a different story. Close as you were, you could pick up panicked and confused Merovian voices on the radio.

*Merde! Boucher est à terre ! Qui était-ce? Avons-nous des unités ici?*

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>>4959757
It occurs to you that lingering over such a heavy fortified city may not be a good idea. Especially given the current state of your poor Udet. You cast a look towards the Huffendor...where the Fliegermacht had been in deadly straits.
---
>Hurt or no, the others are still out there. Start heading back. You just hope you get there in time to help!

>You have done your job. Besides, you're in no position to fight any of Foudre, much less The Phantom. Head back to Baldir while your luck holds.

>write in
----
>And thus does a giant fall. That's all for tonight folks! What a Boss Battle, and what a fight! Back and forth. Crits, 1s, 10s, really back and forth stuff. In any case, The Black Lightning is dead, his quest for revenge unfulfilled. But Stanislaw got to see some...interesting memories thanks to your approach and rolls. I have nothing really to do tommorow so I may make a few posts. Probably nothing big. In any case, we definitely will be back on Friday! Stay excellent!

>>4959764
>You have done your job. Besides, you're in no position to fight any of Foudre, much less The Phantom. Head back to Baldir while your luck holds.

Ho shit that was rough we nearly bit the dust thanks for running QM

>>4959764
>You have done your job. Besides, you're in no position to fight any of Foudre, much less The Phantom. Head back to Baldir while your luck holds.
Goodbye Boucher.

>>4959764
I wish we could head back, not to fight, but just to tell Pierre and the rest of Foudre how their boss died. Carry his last words. It's the polite thing to do, and could sidestep a vengeance arc down the line. Maybe they'd disengage, too.

>>4959764
>You have done your job. Besides, you're in no position to fight any of Foudre, much less The Phantom. Head back to Baldir while your luck holds.

Friday it is. Last minute babysitting.

Damn. I wish we could have let him live but he was sick. It was a mercy. And his visions... I kinda have a feeling that after he was shot down the Merovian scientists might have tried to do something, something to artificially give him the Itch like Pierre and Stanislaw have and that is part of why he ended up so crazy.

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>>4959846
>>4959944
>>4960189
>You have done your job. Besides, you're in no position to fight any of Foudre, much less The Phantom. Head back to Baldir while your luck holds.

Your position is agonizing. On the one hand, a large part of you wants to rush back to the Huffendor and help the others. No telling what could be going on with you gone...but, you had to think. Calmly, think.

What really could you do? You'd done your job, killed Boucher. And your Udet was a mess right now. You honestly had to doubt that it could take much more. Not to mention your less than ideal fuel and ammo situation. It wasn't fair.

But you had to return to Baldir. Very least, maybe you could get some answers in regards to what this bombardment was all about. You doubted that even Hoffman was arrogant enough enough defy the men upstairs, and launch his precious assault, but then again, perhaps you were being too charitable.

Your thinking is interrupted.

*Signaler! Basedez avisé. C'était l'Ange Rouge Sanglant. Qu'avons-nous à proximité ? N'importe qui?*

The Merovian babble below grows in urgency, and it occurs to you that while you and Boucher were spared AA fire, you alone may very well not. You probably could just get as high as you can, and get home that way.

But your engine...
--
>You can't afford to fly low out of here. Let's get high and then head home.

>Bah...they can hardly aim at their own buildings. Keep low. Maybe you can smother them enough that they won't be able to get a good shot?

>Make no change and just zooooom
--

>>4965206
>Make no change and just zooooom
Shorter distance to travel.
Also ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

>>4965218
>Make no change and just zooooom

You shrug. Damaged or not, you were riding high at the moment. Your Udet and skills would carry you through!

Cracking your neck, you thumb the stick. You just had to be quick and easy....
---
>1d10!

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4965281

Rolled 7 (1d10)

>>4965281
10% chance to fuck it up, here I go!

1 more?

>>4965294
Also 10% to go wild.

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4965317
Qm powers go!

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Rolled 9, 6, 8 = 23 (3d10)

>>4965365

>>4965284
>>4965294
>>4965365
>>4965367
>3 success!

'Vrooooooom!'

'Tatatatatata!'
'Thudthudthud!'

Your Udet soars through the sky as fast as you you safely push it. Damaged it may be, but your craft is still worth a lot, and the half-hearted shots thrown up by the patchy AA are not particularly threatening after all. You suppose they hadn't designed the place to push back a major area of attack without the help from the their Huffendor bases. More the loss for them, you guess. Luck for you.

*Bon sang! Feu! Feu!*

'Thudthudthud'

You twist the craft a bit, lazily avoiding a shell that flies past your craft. Instead, you focus more on the approaches of the city, where the Wodanaz attack has reaked havoc on the outer defenses. To your eye, it seems Lothren can in three flavors: Here, Going, and Gone.

And beyond Gone was the vast stretch of wasteland that marked No Man's Land. The picture was hellish, and to look past that shattered curtain wall, and see it daily...You'd never thought on that before, but Lothren's defenders had been fanatical in their efforts, even with yoru intelligence saying they had to be near starvation rations now. Starved in truth, if your efforts over the Huffendor worked.

There was also the possibility their attacks to reopen the other routes could work, but you preferred not to dwell on such things. This plan had to work.

'Tatatatatatata!'
'Thudthudthud!'

Rolling your eyes, you roll the Udet too, avoiding the efforts of a rooftop mounted piece. You keep zooming over the city, with no sign of enemy fighters. You suppose everyone local was in the Huffendor, taking part in the big battle.

Soon enough, the fire slackens off, and you move past a series of rubble strewn fortifications that seem to be patched together by various means. From below, a few flashes indicate someone making an effort, but you simply veer away.

As you exit the city proper, you begin to tilt up a bit, but preserving your speed. There was no sense crossing the wastes low enough for small arms arms have a serious chance on you. And as you pass the curtain wall, you make note of the large, Merovian flag raised atop it. Defiant even in the face of such a weapon. Though the sections to ether side had buckled beneath the weight of shell, it had not. Like some middle finger.

Not for the first time, the Elan of the westerners impresses you. You could only hope a victory today would mean the end of the siege. Surely they would have to give up with no more food? Or supplies in general, even. The fall of the valley would mean no outside goods, period. The shield that was Lothren, stubborn, diehard and iron, would be removed. And a thrust into the homeland of the enemy could begin.

That was the plan, anyways. Shrugging, you keep on flying, watching your gauges. You'd need to stay on point to make it back to Baldir without needing to float the last bit...

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>>4965394
You are about halfway back, by your guess, when you spot a craft shadowing you. Or, making an attempt at it. The lone plane is keeping at enough distance that you can't get a good read on it visually, although it isn't garish, that's for sure. The gentle tinkle of the raindrops fall down, reduced to a sprinkle.

And you don't get anything from the Itch.

A lone Merovian hunter, maybe? Or someone breaking from the battle over the Huffendor? If it's Merovian, you're not sure why they'd be going this way, unless chasing you.

Granted, equally likely to be a Konerlander bird with the same reasons, minus hunting for your head....

It keeps up the pace, slowly gaining.
---
>Try and hail it? Assuming your outward messaging isn't broken...

>OK, you've had it with almost dying today. Push your craft and try to lose this guy somehow.

>Turn and 'attack' him? Maybe you can see him off.

>>4965404
>Try and hail it? Assuming your outward messaging isn't broken...
>Prepare to push our aircraft hard.

>>4965404
>Try and hail it? Assuming your outward messaging isn't broken...
Seems like standard procedure. That said we should get ready for anything

>>4965404
>>Try and hail it? Assuming your outward messaging isn't broken...

maybe add if they seem to be a merovian you just killed Boucher and they are truly fucked if they think they can take you alone

>>4965406
>>4965448
>>4965466
>Try and hail it? Assuming your outward messaging isn't broken...

You frown. The craft wasn't bothering to radio you. But other than that there was nothing to indicate that it was an enemy. You just had a weird feeling in your gut..

Narrowing your eyes, you try and hail it.

"Unknown craft", you say, in a commanding tone. "This is Under Lieutenant Stanislaw Krol of the Sturmwing Chimera. Please identify yourself!"

You release the piece.
---
>1d20!

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>4965470

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>4965470

1 more?

Rolled 5 (1d20)

>>4965520

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>>4965479
>>4965504
>>4965592
>17 success
---
"I repeat, identify yourself!", you say. "This isn't the time to be--"

The radio crackles into words.

*Krol...Good*, a voice says, quietly. It is Konerlander, you are glad to hear. But something about his tone...

"...yes?", you reply, confused. "Did you get separated from your unit? Who are you?"

The pilot clearly does not want to chat about such things. Instead, he continues.

*So you were the winner? The Bloody Red Angel? Alright*, the voice says. A few moments pass in awkward silence. Then, his plane banks away from the chase, now headed away from you, and certainly not to Baldir. Uhhh..

"Hey!", you yell. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

The plane does not respond. Instead, it continues on its merry way, as if it's lost all interest in you. Incredulous, you watch the craft soar through the rain. Hmph...definitely not a Fonck, now that you get a view of it in profile. Although it certainly seemed off for a Udet too.

A mystery, you suppose.

Still, if he wasn't hostile...what else were you gonna do? Shaking your head at the number of headcases taking part in this war, you keep heading to Baldir. Your plane needed some TLC, and you wouldn't be opposed to some yourself.
---
By the time you make your final approaches on Baldir, you are keeping a constant eye on your gauges. Your fuel was, to put it lightly, low, and you really didn't like how unresponsive some of the others were. Your controls were fine, thank the Creator, but not much else.

And as you enter visual range, it becomes clear something is up. As you begin to descend, you notice what appears to be smoke in the distance. Coming from...town? Was there a fire in Kondorf? Or..wait, more than-

*Uh...This is Baldir Control*, a voice calls out to you. You don't recognize then. *Returning unit, identify your uh, unit?*

You thumb the radio with a frown.

"This is Krol. My plane is badly damaged. Is the runway clear?", you ask. Giving it a once over as you kept going, you notice that there is also an unusual number of trucks parked about the place.

*Uh...(muttering noises)...Ahem. Yes?*

"......"

Your Udet approaches the base.
---
>"Baldir, is something going on?"

>Just land. You can't afford to linger up here in this state.

>write in

>>4965609
>"Baldir, is something going on?"

>>4965609
>"Baldir, is something going on?"

>>4965612
>>4965674
>"Baldir, is something going on?"

Something is fishy here.

"Baldir, is something going on?", you ask. "I see fires out there...and what's with the trucks and stuff?"

The radio buzzes back.

*Uh, well I'm not really--Hey! Ow!*

(Jostling noises)

When a new voice takes over, it is decidedly feminine. And familiar.

*Stanislaw!*, Ingrid chirps, sounding absurdly relieved. *Y-you made it baaack!*

You can't help but laugh a bit.

"What, thought I'd get blown up?"

*B-blown up? W-h-but, um...no! It's just, a big battle and...w-where are the others? Oh no! Don't tell me they--*

"Ingrid! Calm down. Everyone was fine last I saw. What is going on here? Did something happen?", you ask.

*...yeah...but, well maybe you should speak with Ernst first. Uh...Flight Controller Stunz I mean! Hehehe...*

You raise a brow.

"Uh, ok. I'm coming in then?"

*You're all clear!*

Shrugging, you prepare your decsent. With this damage though you're gonna need an effort to land well...
---
>1d10!

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>4965686

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>4965686

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>4965686

>Alright, good pass. I'm gonna head to bed. Tired. We'll pick this up in the morning folks. Thnx for playing and stay excellent!

Also ngl I actually expected you guys to do the more bravado option and charge back into the valley. Cooler heads prevail!

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>4965686
Stay excellent!

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>>4965712
>>4965736
>>4965762
>>4965900
>3 success!

A bit of severe damage won't stop you! With skill, you calmly direct the Udet down onto the strip. There is a bit of shakiness, given some of the bodily harm, but you get it done smooth like.

You make the landing, and the Udet slowly rolls to a stop. A few nervous looking crewmen attend to you, as you look around the base. You see that a handful of planes are present, almost none in better shape shape yours.

"Wow", one of the men says, whistling at the bullet holes along your craft. "You get the fella did this?"

You nod.

"He's dead....", you say, neutrally. Boucher's demise was part of the mission, hell, WAS the mission, but the whole encounter had been so bizarre you were still processing a lot of it. The fellow gives the Udet another one over.

"Well, Dmitri isn't gonna be happy...", he mumbles. Yes, well, you all had your misfortunes you suppose. Still...

"Hey, you know what the hell is going on around here?", you ask. "I saw smoke coming from Kondorf?"

The techs exchange looks before one of them spits onto the pavement.

"Fucking border rats. You can't trust a pinch of them. I don't have all the details, but I assume the commander does."

Nodding, you leave the Udet in their care and head over to the HQ. Ingrid seemed hectic, to say the least. More than usual. Some answers would be welcome.
---
The controlled chaos from earlier is not much gone, although now, something is up. It takes you only a few seconds to realize that there are a handful of Army men inside HQ, mixed in with the others. Now that's new. One of them, bearing the patch of Hoffman's personal men, seems to be in deep conversation with someone at a table.

Ingrid, you notice, is nervously hovering behind the conversation, twiddling her thumbs. Which means, the other man is probably....

"Stan-er, Under Lieutenant!", Ingrid remarks, having caught your eye. Hoffman's man, a burly fellow, shifts to the side to look at you. Ernst then stands up from his seat, a mixed look on his face. You notice a rather messy map spread out before them.

"Stanislaw", Ernst says, burying the cigarette between his fingers. "You're back early. And alive. That's good."

Well yes, you suppose it was.

Hoffman's man gives you a half-hearted salute, although beyond that you don't detect any real trouble from him.

"This is your Angel then?", the man asks, more curious than anything. By his voice, he's capital bred, like Hoffman himself. "And Chimera Flight...?"

"Alive", you answer. Nothing else was acceptable for you. They were alive. You give another glance around. "If I can ask, what is going on? Did someone try and bomb us or something? Hit Kondorf?"

You hope the folks at the Cat were safe.

Ernst lips get a thin, grim look, and the big man turns sheepish with a flinch.

>>4966233
"Ah, yes", Ernst remarks casually. He glances at the other fellow from the corner of his eye. "We had a bit of a casual revolt while you were gone. Oh, and we nearly attacked Lothren."

You blink. A-a revolt??

Ingrid steps forwards, fidgeting.

"B-but, we have it under control!", she exclaims, waving her hands. "Um, isn't that right, Lieutenant Colonel?"

You suddenly notice the fact that the map is of the local zone. Kondorf, and a number of smaller villages are surrounded with little symbols. And the locations of the Super-Artillery marked as well. Hmm...
---
>Is Hoffman even doing anything?!

>What the hell happened? How do you have a revolt when the whole town is swarming with soldiers?

>OK, Well, good news! Boucher is dead.

>write in

>>4966236
>>What the hell happened? How do you have a revolt when the whole town is swarming with soldiers?

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>>4966239
>>What the hell happened? How do you have a revolt when the whole town is swarming with soldiers?

The absurdity of the situation is apparent. But so is the reality. Thinking on it, you shake your head angrily.

"What the hell happened? How do you have a revolt when the whole town is swarming with soldiers?", you ask. Hoffman had definitely made sure of that much! You knew well enough.

A few nearby attendants stare at your table, and Hoffman's man clears his throat nervously. He tugs at his collar.

"Er..Flight Controller, is this man cleared for--"

Ernst waves his question off.

"It's fine. Although maybe we should have this conversation somewhere more...discreet? My office, maybe", Ernst suggests. The other man nods. Ernst turns to Ingrid, nodding.

"Ingrid, I'll leave the tower up to you then"

She gives him a salute.

"Right!"

With that settled, you follow Ernst and the Lieutenant Colonel down the way and to Ernst's office.
---
"Now", Ernst says, in his customary seat. "Stanislaw, this is Lieutenant Colonel Egen. He is my well, partner in this fun little endeavor."

Egen tips his hat.

"Yes. But...to the facts, then. You ask what happened and how. Not long after the last of the fighter force departed, we were tipped off to a possible lead on rebel forces in the area. Given the...recent events in Kondorf, we took it quite seriously", he says. "And well..."

Ernst taps the table.

"There was a skirmish at the village of Kronzfort, east of Kondorf. It escalated. Therefore it was assumed an enemy force was there. Men were pulled", he says. "More than needed, in truth."

"...from Kondorf?", you assume. He nods. Egen clasps his hands together on the table, and clears his throat again.

"It was during this transition that chaos erupted in our camp. Somehow, a high priority order, possessing pass codes, was blared out to several division and artillery commands. It was the Field Marshall's signal. Marshal Hoffman."

You raise a brow.

"And the command? What was it?", you ask. Although you had an idea..

"Vorwarts!", Ernst says, with a flourish. "It ordered these units to begin a full scale attack on Lothren. Claimed the operation was 'back on', as it were. Rubbish."

"Didn't anyone call to confirm??", you ask, although this certainly explained the scale of that Wodanaz bombardment!

Egen nods. "We tried..but, nobody could get a hold of Hoffman. Just the order. Then nothing. And to make it worse, we were also getting reports, at that point, of MORE skirmishes. Bombings. Snipers. It was...well it was--"

Ernst lets out a dark chuckle.

"Incompetence. Mass, Bloody incompetence. Nobody knew what to do, commands were conflicting, and Hoffman was silent. Granted, nobody moved for real at first. So I suppose they weren't total failures...", he remarks dryly. "But then, the Wodanaz started opening fire constantly. Full barrage. That was a signal, of sorts. That's when Kondorf went up. Or, well, part of it", he finishes.

>>4966329
"But we won?", you ask. Egen eagerly inserts himself once more. He is quite the nervous fellow, despite his size.

"Yes! But, well, it was the weirdest thing. They fumbled it. They had us confused, and they dropped the damn ball. The rising was ragged. Rushed, maybe. Any case, they briefly held parts of town, loosely. Given our units in the area, they didn't have a chance alone. And if they were counting for a mass revolt from the civilians, it didn't materialize. Oh, here and there. But Pappen's Blackhats were solid. They isolated and picked off the rebel units quick. It's been over for hours. Issue is, some spiteful bastard lit up some of the housing mid fight. And with these old houses all bunched up...", he ends, with a grimace.

"And the attack?", you press. "What stopped it? You said units started to move once the cannons opened up?"

Ernst jumps back in.

"Oh yes. They did. Fortunately, even some of Hoffman's own men...", he clasps Egen on the shoulder, sweet smile on his face, "...realized something was very wrong."

Egen nods.

"The Field Marshal had been, uh, very, very upset over the delay that the Fliegermacht was granted. So at first, we just assumed it was real. But, as I said, he stopped responding to calls from clarification. Given that my unit was nearby and all, well, I checked in", Egen coughs into his hand. "And good thing I did. It wasn't the Field Marshal, or, well it was, but--"

He taps the table, gathering his thoughts. Clearly, he is trying to weigh his words carefully for some reason. Huh.

"He was disabled. There was some kind of botched kidnapping attempt by a few of our own soldiers. A base level coup, or something. I am ashamed to say that the Wodanaz attack was the fault of one of my own, Dieter Steinman. It would appear he seized command, on some pretense, of the main Wodanaz battery. Direct orders, he claimed. Given he was an artillery officer, and enjoyed a rapport with Marshal Hoffman..people went along with it. He opened fire. We believe he was working with the rebels"

You clench a fist in outrage.

"Blonde?", you ask, "blue eyes?"

"Uh, yes, actually. How did you--"

You KNEW it! That was the fellow you'd seen talking to that crooked Hat! So he had been involved in all this! Ernst had made some inquires, but "blonde and in artillery" only went went far when one was directly under a Field Marshal.

"He took his own life, rather than he taken prisoner", Egen mutters. "Coward. When it was obvious the revolt had failed, he shot himself."

"And Hoffman?", you ask. "Is he..."

"Alive?", Ernst asks. "Oh yes, and great joy to Konerland for that. His convoy was attacked on the road and delayed most of the day, which is why he was not at his post. Though, very bad shots these rebels. Nobody actually died. Well, except for the guards that betrayed him. Killed while evading capture, by the other guards. He says. Once we got Hoffman back, he belayed all orders"

You sit taking it in. This was...a lot.

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>>4966343
"There are still a few pockets of rural resistance", Egen adds. "Though nothing serious. And Kondorf is under Martial Law while we fight the fire."

"What makes this whole thing truly bizarre", Ernst remarks, "is that while the revolt was occurring, and all this, the Merovian Army made several serious tries at various points along the line. But they were insane. Almost random. We believe the rebels must have misled them..."

He gives you a knowing smile, and you feel a tang of pride. Hopefully your quick thinking had played some part in that, when you had disoriented the rebels back in their underground hold.

Egen clears his throat, which seems to be a serious habit with him.

"That is a full summary", he remarks. "We have received word that the Merovian attacks have all failed. Better, they were forced to divulge resources from their attempts at reopening some routes routes Lothren..."

He glances at a clock.

"I really must go", he says, nervously. "The Field Marshal has been on the set constantly. He likely needs my reports. And I must see about these pockets...Gentlemen?"

With a nod from Ernst, Egen departs the room, clearly eager to leave. Once he does so, Ernst's eyes shift back to you.

"Well?", he asks, almost eager. Though you detect a small bead of sweat.
---
>Boucher is dead. I killed him. Let's get to the point!

>Don't tell me Hoffman is still in command! How many blunders does it take?

>You're welcome. Twice.

>Write in

>>4966365
>You're welcome. Twice.
>Be humble about it.

>>4966365
>>Boucher is dead. I killed him. Let's get to the point!

>>4966365
>You're welcome. Twice.
>Boucher is dead. I killed him. Let's get to the point!

>>4966365
>>Boucher is dead. I killed him. Let's get to the point!

>>4966366
>>4966369
>>4966390
>>4966513

>Boucher is dead. I killed him. Let's get to the point!
>You're welcome. Twice.
---
You give him a nod.

"Boucher is dead. I killed him", you say simply. No need to embellish things.

Ernst's eyes light up with a look of predatory triumph. And with a little chuckle, he slumps back into his seat, shaking his head. Grinning.

"Dead? You can confirm that?", he asks.

A little smile fixes on your face.

"He exploded, so yes. You're welcome twice by the way", you say, as a friendly poke. "When is the medal ceremony?"

Ernst snorts.

"Creator, you joke, but someone is gonna want to pin something on you for this. All of you, honestly. The Black Lightning dead...big...", his smile turns into a small frown. Is something wrong?

"What about the rest of Foudre?", he asks. "Were they destroyed as well?"

While Boucher was the primary goal, you knew the brass really wanted Foudre eliminated as a whole. Unfortunately there was no way for you to confirm it.

"About that....", you start, scratching your cheek. "Me and Boucher got, uh, separated in the storm from the others. I've no clue about the others."

Not a lie! You detail your epic battle, leaving out anything connected connected the Itch. Unfortunately, that means leaving out your bizarre 'visions'. Oh well, you had to hedge somewhere.

When you are done, Ernst lights up some fancy cigar that he has apparently been keeping up for this occasion.

"A Columbian blend. From Prosperidad", he informs you, as if that makes some special difference. What actually surprises you is that he offers you a smoke. While you normally avoid tobacco, you suppose it would be rude to refuse.

"Well..(cough)...nice?", you spurt out. The taste is strong and forceful, and Ernst responds to your struggle with a shrug. Taking it back, he smokes it deep.

"Now THAT...I have been waiting for..", he murmurs, before returning his attention to you. He puffs a brilliant ring. "There is for The Butcher, may he rest in pieces."

Seeing your less than enthusiastic face at his joke, he gives you a curious look.

"Do you know, most pilots would be bragging about having just killed a nightmare like that. What, angry he scratched your paint?", he pokes.

"....uh, well sir, it's not that I don't understand it's am achievement, it's just...", you sigh. Ernst taps the table.

"You feel sorry for him", he says softly.

"Yes sir. He was sick. There was no reason for the Merovians to put him in a plane. It was reprehensible", you say. "And even then he put up a hell of a fight."

Ernst smokes thoughtfully.

"You'll forgive me if I don't shed a tear for a Merovian", he remarks, finally. "But I suppose pilots do have that bond?"

A bond. Oh certainly. A fucking magic one maybe. The aftermath of the Itch had left you nauseous. But Bond indeed there had been. You just shrug.

"I suppose..."

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>>4966521
Nodding, Ernst sets his smoke aside for the moment, before crossing his arms.

"In any case, we simply have to wait now. If we should be repeled...", he shakes his head. "I have to take care of some overflights with this pocket mess. Anything else, Stanislaw?"
----
>So, you and Captain Braun were at Lucaria together huh?

>What's going to happen to Kondorf now?

>Try and ask if he knows about that weird plane over No Man's Land?

>write in

>>4966527
>>What's going to happen to Kondorf now?

>>4966527
>Try and ask if he knows about that weird plane over No Man's Land?
INTEL.

Tiebreaker?

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>4966600

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>>4966530
>>4966544
>>4966722
>>Try and ask if he knows about that weird plane over No Man's Land?

"Well, there was one thing sir", you say.

"Oh? Ask away"

"On the way back, something weird happened. A Konerland pilot was tailing me from a bit off. Strange thing though, he was coming from direction of the battle, but he didn't...act right", you remark.

"Act right?", Ernst questions. You nod.

"Yeh, guy was off. Was odd how he answered my hails too. And the model..it wasn't a Udet, I don't think. You know anything about that sir?"
---
>1d20

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>4966735

>>4966735
>that's all folks! See you lot in the morning and get those rolls in! Stay excellent!
---

>Bonus Fact: Columbia is the only country in the world to have two leaders with equal power. The Consul system has been criticized as being very much not democratic, but then again, the Unified States has always been very willing willing to settle matters with fisticuffs. A society dominated by past military glory, Columbia has absorbed many rival societies. However, with a few notable exceptions, most have been assimilated into its multi ethnic society. While in word a Republic like Konerland, the Sleeping Giant if anything has been hostile towards the Grand Republic's ambitions for control over Atlesia. Many observers have seen some parallels between Konerland and Columbia.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4966735

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>4966735

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>>4966877
>>4967085
>>4967153
>14 success!

Ernst taps the table a few times before giving a little shrug.

"Ah, that. It had actually slipped my mind with the recent mess. In honesty, it isn't public knowledge, but I think you might have encountered Bormann's flight trials", he replies. You raise a brow.

"Flight trials sir?"

Ernst nods.

"Yes. Some new model they've been promoting under the table as of late. Udet is furious over it, fyi, given how long they've had a virtual monopoly on our fighters", he says.

"I didn't know they even made fighter craft", you admit. "Guns, ammunition, stuff like that. A tank, I think."

Ernst waves that off.

"Expansion, I suppose. Why stop at super rich when you can become ultra rich? Anyhow...", he glances at his watch, and frowns. "I'm needed elsewhere. Ingrid will hail me when the others return."

He rises, taking the cigar with him, and chomping the thing down. Taking his lead, you also stand, saluting. He snorts.

"You're the only one here Stanislaw", he remarks, clapping you on the shoulder.
---
With Ernst busy and fighters only coming in very rarely, it would seem you have some time to yourself. You know that Dmitri is likely busy. Glancing down, you notice the shallow wound on your arm from where Boucher had glanced you. It was nothing serious. Or of course...you could take a rest! Heaven knew you had earned one!
---
>Head to the Hangar and see if Dmitri needs any help. You're hardly a professional mechanic, but you know a thing or two.

>Just go to your room and wait in peace!

>Scars, hurray for scars...To Doc Geldman you go!

>write in?

>>4967369
>>Head to the Hangar and see if Dmitri needs any help. You're hardly a professional mechanic, but you know a thing or two.

>>4967369
>Head to the Hangar and see if Dmitri needs any help. You're hardly a professional mechanic, but you know a thing or two.

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>>4967372
>>4967407
>Head to the Hangar and see if Dmitri needs any help. You're hardly a professional mechanic, but you know a thing or two

You decide to check if Dmitri needed any help. You're hardly a professional mechanic, but you know a thing or two. With that decided, you head off towards the Hangar to pass the time.
---
"Da! As Dmitri says, we must make it well again! This is a good start, but must do better!", you hear the Strelkayan boom.

When you enter the Hangar, it is uncharacteristically thin, although you imagine the real work will begin once Baldir's contribution to the big battle started flying back. Bound to be a lot of damaged craft then. As it is, you amuse yourself with Dmitri giving some random mechs the business. There seems soon be some trouble with one of the few planes they are checking on.. Soon enough, though, the big fellow notices you. He waves a meaty hand.

"Stanislaw!", he remarks, giving you a toothy grin, as he hands an oversized wrench to one of his helpers. "Dmitri did not expect you back so soon! Tell your friend, have we won?"

Some of the others perk up at the question. No doubt the battle has been the talk of the base. Well, you would like to know that info too. But...you shrug.

"I came back in one piece. Things were up in the air when I left...uh, no pun intended", you say. Dmitri nods.

"Da, da", he says. "Well, we must hope for the best then! Dmitri has faith! In any case, an empty strip does not mean no work to do! This....", he waves a hand in disgust at the craft. An older Udet VI, you realize now. The sigil on it is some kind of stylized feline, you think.

You rub your chin in thought.

"What's the issue?", you ask, out if curiosity. This was a bit of luck. The VI still had a few features in common with your old farm craft. You might actually be able to help here.

"Something with the engine...", one of the men remarks. "We uh, we actually aren't sure. See, everything LOOKS fine, right, but, well--"

"Dmitri fears this is a particularly early model, before the engine switch. Anomaly. We cannot simply replace with one of replacement engines, nyet", Dmitri adds. You see that there are some bullet holes near where the engine is, but seeing your interest, another mech waves it off with disinterest.

"It didn't get shot up. There isn't a leak, and the pilot claimed no smoke. Damn thing just kept dying", he says.

Well, you could at least give it a shot.

"Can I try?", you ask. "I don't really have anything else to do.."

Dmitri gives a belly laugh and nudges you forwards.

"Go right ahead my friend!"

Alright...let's see here...
---
>1d10

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4967481

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>4967481

>>4967486
"Well, you know, the engine in this baby is a Humac model P54/813. Now we got the 814 back at the farm. The heating cores on the whole Humac line have always been a little, you know, temperamental. So sometimes you gotta *hits side with wrench* persuade ‘em a little."
So glad I could get that reference in.

>>4967494
And this is what we crit on. Why did we not choose to be a mechanic back in thread 1 ? Stanislaw has obviously missed his true calling in life.

Rolled 2 (1d10)

Uhhh, I not entirely sure how to handle this as a crit so let me think lol

>>4967517
Also based Atlantis reference

>>4967518
Thanks. Percussive maintenance due to familiarity is always a funny option.
Maybe this gets us insight into how Udet engines can be quickstarted if they stall ? Or some sort of reroll aility like My mind is my own, as we got that from a crit if I remember right.;

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>>4967486
>>4967494
>>4967517
>1, 1 CRITICAL
>+1 to mechanics Stat while in a Konerlander Fighter. Handy.
---
Huh, well you go over the engine ares as best as you can for a short while. True to the word of the mechanics, there is no obvious damage to the engine. Lucky, that. But...wait a second...something comes to you, and you smile widely.

"Wrench?", you ask, and one of the men tosses you the oversized tool Dmitri seemed so fond of. More club than wrench almost, but oh well. After a bit more fiddling, you think that you've figured it out.

"Well?", Dmitri asks. You nod, before tapping on the engine in a particular spot a few times. This trick had worked with your crop duster back home....

"Well, you know, the engine in this baby is a Humac model P54/813. Now we got the 814 back at the farm. The heating cores on the whole Humac line have always been a little, you know, temperamental. So sometimes you gotta....'TAP TAP!'", you say, swinging the wrench.

After a few seconds of silence a soft sputtering begins to sound off, before the prop begins to turn. A soft spoof of smoke later and the engine was actively purring healthy like.

"Hah!", Dmitri roars in amusement. "The boy is good! You see? What did Dmitri say? Loose part. These early model engines, rushed for the war. Most troublesome da?", the Strelkayan says, slapping his gut.

You shrug and hand him the wrench, rubbing the back of your neck.

"There's luck to it. Just gotta give it some muscle I guess", you reply. Dmitri nods before waving to some of the other vehicles hanging around the area.

"Dmitri hates to impose, but as you say you aren't doing anything..."

You catch up on the idea.

"Yeh sure!", you say. It can't hurt to brush up on your skills a bit. "It's why I came actually. To volunteer."

Dmitri claps you on the back so hard it nearly bowls you over.

"Good man!"

And you really do learn something at the feet of the Masters.
---
You spend the next while helping around the Hangar. Between you, Dmitri, Leathers, and the others, you get good work done. You are taking a sweaty break, stripped of shirt, when an alarm begins to sound.

'WEEEEEEeeeeeWoooooooWooooo!'
*Be aware! Fighters returning! Clear all landings! Be ready! This is not a drill! Repeat, this is not a drill!
'WEEEEEEeeeeeWoooooooWooooo'

You feel energy stream back into your sore muscles as you jolt up. That meant the others were on their way back! You cast a quick glance at Dmitri, who is rallying his troops.

"Go on!", he laughs. "You have done good work today. Go see your comrades! And thank you!"

Nodding, you stride out of the Hangar, snatching up your outer vestments as you do so.

Outside, you see formations of craft on their way to Baldir and elsewhere. You frown as you realize they are far thinner than the air host that had charged forwards at the start of the mission. That could mean a lot.

You hope it didn't mean you'd lost. Some of the incoming craft are clearly badly mauled.

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>>4967573
As Baldir's own descend, you do your best to pick out individuals you might know by sight. You see Ferret 1's green triplane come down, accompanied by his flight, among others. It's in a bad way, but the look on Anson's face gives you hope for the overall result. You narrow your eyes, searching those little shadows.

And then....you spot Chimera! The two Udet's and lone Garibaldi come in about as fast as they can, although Luigi and Sergei have looked far better. Both their planes seem to struggle on the way in. However, they make their way down, landing one by one down the strip. You start jogging towards their spot, and are amused to hear Luigi roaring in outrage as attendants come for his plane.

"Quel bastardo! Luigi Pesani non è mai stato così insultato! Lo prendo a pugni! Sì! Conoscerà l'ira di..."

With a smirk on your face, you cup your hands around your mouth and call out, using the handful of Aldanian your friend had bestowed on you. Besides curses.

"Hey! Tizio pelato!", you yell. Luigi looks up, his eyes wild as he searches, before leaving from the craft with a manly laugh. He raises two fists into the air.

"Stanislaw! Yes! Luigi never doubted you my good friend! Mi Capitano, Sergei, you see? He is not dead!", Luigi yells. Emerging from their own crafts, Sergei and Braun look like they've been through their own personal hells. Braun is nursing his arm in a bad way, and Sergei has a foul enough frown that one of the crewman shrinks from him. Though granted he does seem vaguely pleased to see you. Probably. You'll go with yes.

"Well well well, look who made it back!", Braun remarks with a half smile. "Sergei here was sure you were a dead man. Torn up proper about it he was..."

Sergei rolls his eyes.

"He is a good pilot, I'd hate to see him get blasted. In any case, Luigi wanted to look for him too", the Strelkayan answers. He gives your red plane a once over down the walk. "And with good reaso. Did you get your clothes shot off?"

You ignore the sally. Sergei would be Sergei after all.

Before you can reply, Luigi drops to a knee and clasps your shoulders with his hands. For a moment you are afraid the giant is gonna lift you into one of his bearhugs, but instead he just looks at you with a most un-Luigi seriousness.

"You will tell Luigi true, si? The Black Lightning...did you defeat him?"

"Well Stanislaw isn't dead. That's a sign...", Sergei adds, dry.
---
>I killed Boucher. Is the Phantom dead?

>I did my job, yes. Did you?

>Yeh...

>write in

>>4967600
>>Yeh...

>>4967602
>>Yeh...
Ask about the rest of Foudre.

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>>4967602
>>4967616
>>yeh...

"Yeh...", you answer, hesitantly. "Yeh, Boucher is dead. For sure. Gone."

"YES!", Luigi shouts, leaping to his feet like some enormous bullfrog. "I KNEW IT! No friend of the mighty Luigi Pesani would lose to such a madman! Hah!"

However, noticing you weren't nearly as thrilled by the victory as Luigi seemed to be, Braun clears his throat.

"Something wrong Rook?", he asks. You run through the visions in your mind, silently, before scratching your cheek.

"Uh, yeh", you say. "Yeh actually. But it's...not exactly public material, if you get me Captain."

"Ah" Catching on quick, Braun nods. In any case though, the fate of Foudre Flight itself was also something you were very curious about. You ask.

"Those ingrates", Sergei spits. "We knocked down one of them after you left, but the other two were harder. They tried pulling that damn trick of theirs again."

Ah, that.

"Their cheesy, evil, team move thing?", you ask, with a groan. "Did it work again?"

Cheesy and like something out of a bad comic book it might be, but it had also been brutally effective when you'd encountered it before. Undoubtedly.

Braun shakes his head.

"Almost, but no. We knew what they were trying to pull this time, and without Boucher they were missing a component. Close thing though. All but killed Luigi's engine...."

At the mention of his name, Luigi crosses his arms across his broad chest.

"Si. The devils! Yet Luigi did not yield! Something like a broken engine will not defeat me! I hung on and fought!", he barks. "And then, we received aid!"

"Aid?", you ask. "Those Badger guys again?"

"Actually no", Braun butts in. "Werewolf. Paul was true to his word. Once his zone was clear he brought in the cavalry. He didn't get Boucher, but he scratched another Foudre guy."

Well, it was nice he was able to blow off some steam you guess.

"....which leaves the Phantom", you state plainly. The most dangerous one. You couldn't see him going down easy, and in fact, he hadn't, as it turns out.

"He wasn't foolish", Sergei says. "We outnumbered him badly, and by then the Merovians were being forced to withdraw peacemeal. The Phantom flew away with his tail between his legs..."

"Hardly", Braun snorts. "Aurochs Flight detached to chase him. I haven't heard back from them since. Dead, like as not."

"And we....won? We won the battle?"

Braun nods, but with a frown.

"Oh yeh, we won. We took some pretty harsh losses before the end though. Boucher's ambush screwed our plans something hard. Still, once Foudre went down or ran, word spread. We won Stanislaw. It wasn't easy, but we won", he remarks.

"You say harsh losses...is this everyone left?", you ask, looking about. You didnt even see Werewolf Flight. Had so few if your allies returned?

"It's not as bad as it looks, Rook", Braun says. "The people with more fuel and ammo left stayed to hold down the valley skies. A ragged bunch, but better than what the Merovians can throw at them."

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>>4967685
You grimace a bit at that. A skeleton force indeed. Although like Braun said, the Merovians would be in even worse shape after that bloodbath.

"So....that's it then?", you ask. "The Valley is done as a supply route?"

"Well, it will be. Without the Merovians holding the skies, we should be able to bomb and strike it into submission", Braun replies, with a smile. However, his grin quickly fades as he glances about.

Oh?

"We saw smoke coming back", he starts, "did something happen while we were gone? And why was Ingrid at the tower?"

Ah, that bussiness. Well, you're sure Ernst would fill him in later. Still, you give your team the rundown as quickly as you can, and when you get to the part about the rebels plans being mussed up, Luigi roars in delight and pounds Sergei.

"And you were complaining about playing dress-up my fried! Hah!", he roars. Sergei takes it in good graces, but with a frown.

"Da, very good, nice. How many losses? Is the town burnt down?", he asks, somewhat urgently. You blink.

"Uh, not many from what I gathered. And no. It's under Martial Law though", you reply. "Pappen has it under control."

"And Ernst?"

"He'll be back", you say. "He's helping out with some stuff in town. Ingrid should be calling him about now."

"Well, then all we can do is wait", Braun sighs. "And here I was hoping for a tearful reunion. No carpet for the heroes?"

No, no red carpets. Although, blue sky was probably nicer anyways.
---
Once it becomes quite clear that the forces of Konerland have emerged victorious, Baldir Base practically erupts into festive spirit. In the HQ, someone insists are breaking open a bottle of Ernst's wine, to Ingrid's horror. Even the women on the base, often their own caste, seem delighted. No sign of Ernst himself yet though. Huh, still busy?

Ingrid is in debate with a short, tussle headed fellow and his companions once you re enter HQ. One of them holds a bottle of looted wine under his arm.

"Now...I know everyone is um, excited, but, we--"

"Ah come on!", Anson says, jolly as ever. "Everyone's been slaving away for this day Miss Klein! I just think--"

Catching your eye, Ferret 1 gets a mischievous grin on his face beneath that styled mustache of his. Uhhh..

"Stanislaw Krol!", he chirps. "And Chimera. None of you died, great! How are you with parties?"

"N-now hold on a min-"

"Parties?", Braun asks, stepping forwards.

"Yeh!", Anson replies. "We got to thinking, this is a huge day! And the Flight Controller ain't here. What if we had a surprise party!"

Sergei's eye twitches.

"Are you twelve, Ferret?"

"12 inches maybe"

Ingrid goes red.

"W-well, um.."

Luigi seems down. No surprise.

"I like this idea! Si! A surprise party! We can celebrate and show our appreciation all at once! A worthy cause no?"

"You just want to drink...", Sergei sighs.

--
>Hey now, a good idea! Why not? The base is already giddy. Ernst can be the one surprised for once!

>Probably not. Seems a bit much.

>write in

>>4967737
>Hey now, a good idea! Why not? The base is already giddy. Ernst can be the one surprised for once!
Let's lessen the tension.

>>4967737
>>Hey now, a good idea! Why not? The base is already giddy. Ernst can be the one surprised for once!

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>>4967777
>>4967781
>>Hey now, a good idea! Why not? The base is already giddy. Ernst can be the one surprised for once!

Well, you suppose everyone could do with a bit of fun after everything everything has happened. And hey, you think, Ernst can be the one spooked for once!

"I think it's a great idea", you say, to Ferret 1's delight. "Ingrid, what do you say? Victory party for our hardworking Commander? Huh? And we all know your a good enough planner to do it quick!"

Realizing she is outnumbered, Ingrid gets a thoughtful look on her face, as she taps two of her fingers together. A feint blush creeps back on her cheeks.

"W-well, when you put it that way. Ernst, er, the Flight Controller has been working hard...and so has everyone else...I guess I AM in command huh? Umm, OK, just--"

"Hah!", Luigi roars. "Thank you kind Ingrid! We shall not disappoint!"

"Yes!", Anson says, pumping a fist into the air. He turns back to his fellow Ferret pilots. "Someone tell Dmitri we're on!"

"D-Dmitri?", Ingrid sputters. "Oh Creator! He didn't make more of that, um...Ahem.."

She straightens her cap and turns to you.

"Y-you guys wanted this, so you have to help get ready!", she says, in that rare voice of command she occasionally summons up. "I won't have Ern--er, OUR party be subpar! Um...if that's ok?"

You assure her that it is.

"Just tell us what you need Ingrid", you reply. She frantically searches for a notepad to write on, taking down things as she mutters to herself. You give Braun a look and he shrugs with a smile.

"Here!", she says, handing it over. "Please handle this. I need to um, I need to make sure this works. Alright! Let's hurry it up people, please!"

She gives Chimera a nod, before hurrying away, a pair of her hens shadowing her.

Sergei gets a sour look on his face.

"This is irregular", he complains. "I do not think that--"

"Ah come off it, Sergei", Braun snorts, taking a look at the list. "You never complain back at Kondorf. Well you do, but Hilde--"

Sergei makes a most ungentelmanly noise in his throat as he waves his hand at Braun. The Captain laughs.

In any case, let's see how well you can handle your new assistant party planner job!
--
>1d10

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>4967918

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>4967918

Oh dear. 1 more?

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>4967918

Rolled 1, 5, 8 = 14 (3d10)

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>>4968168
>>4968182
>>4968206
>>4968218
>10 autofail
>1 autosuccess Ingrid!
>Party Level: Party
---
As it turned out, you were not very good at planning an impromptu party. Even with help from the others, you nearly made a mess of things. Trying to wrangle some drunken crewmen was one thing, trying to gather all of Ingrid's exhaustive list was another. And trying to get said drunken crewmen to COOPERATE was another thing entirely. Luigi turns the list over and squint at it, a beer in hand.

"Uh, what are 'streamers?' "

You sigh.

Fortunately, Ingrid had thrown herself into the party with tenacity. Whatever slack you and the guys left she picked up. And in no time at all, you had yourself an ongoing festivity of sorts. Hell, Ingrid I even managed to stop people from just randomly looting the stores and had arranged a neat transfer. Impressive.

And just in time too. With the Sun dipping near the horizon, Ernst's staff car was spotted heading into the Base. Ingrid had through her charms, secured the gate guards as part of the in joke(bribed with their own bottle of Chardonnay). Hopefully none of them would squeal.

At this point, the lot of you were just gathered in HQ, whilst elsewhere on base you knew Dmitri was cooking up...something. A vague meaty smell wafted into the building from outside. You weren't sure who put the man in charge of it, but surely a fat man had to know his way around food?

"Shhhhh!", someone giggles. "He's coming!"

The mood suddenly dies down a bit. You feel ridiculous at all this, but in a good way. You needed room for fun. Why not live a little? Too much killing lately.

Then, the door to HQ opened, and--

"SURPISE!"

The collective shout takes Ernst aback. Blinking at you all, he scans the place with a shocked look. After a few seconds, he restores his generic expression. That of vague disinterest.

"My birthday isn't for a few months....", he says dryly. "Ingrid, how could you forget?"

"Uh...well, we thought we would put something together!", she remarks, glancing about nervously. "Uh, Chimera and the others....helped? Uh..."

Ernst glances up, where a rather badly drawn banner bearing the words 'HURRAH FOR BALDIR' AND 'HURRAH FOR ERNST", hang, one end coming unpasted even that very second. He snorts, but a bemused look comes on. You think he's pleased, actually.

"Well", he says, removing his cap. "Far be it from me to reject your hard work..."

He taps his hip, as if looking for something to say. Finally, he just shrugs.

"Thank you. Honestly, thank you. You've all worked very...hard. Everyone here had contributed to our victory.", he coughs. Looking around, he waves a hand. "I'm not saying anything mushy. Carry on."

With a ragged cheer, the othes return to their activities. Someone uses the radio apparatus as a finest music bo, putting on a jazzy tune. The wine flows, although thanks to Ingrid's hand, avoids disaster. Luigi, already well on his way, looks tipsy as he regales two secretaries.

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>>4968239
"Hahaha! No fucking way?"

"Oh yes, and then--"

"Gah! This is my good shirt!"

Spirits are high, certainly. After this campaign though, your glad for it. Lothren would fall now. And the prices you'd all paid had been worth it. Still, something was eating at you. The memory of Boucher's---

"--anislaw!", Braun says into your ear, shaking you out of thought. "You alright?"

You nod. You really had to stop spacing out as a habit. Made you look weird.

"Uh yeh. I'm fine. Just good to see everyone kicking back y'know?", you reply, picking up a glass. The red tasted full on your tongue. Honestly, the stuff wasn't that bad once you got used to it.

With a comforting pat, Braun heads over to chat with some Line pilots. Elsewhere, you see Anson, cheek wide grin, running some kind of shell game, albeit using what looked like mugs as shells. After a few turns, his opponent tosses some money, albeit with a befuddled look on his face. Luigi was arm wrestling a formidable looking pilot with a lizard of some kind on his patch. With a roar of triumph and a cheer, the Aldanian tables the man's wrist so hard he is nearly cast from his chair. Welp.

"SI!", Luigi cries in victory, before chugging down his drink. "Hah!"

And, to your surprise, Ernst has been dragged into an activity himself. To your dread, Sergei has dragged out a homemade dartboard, and someone(ie, Ingrid), has convinced Ernst to partake. You can feel the money sliding from your pocket already. Makes you smile.

This is nice.
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>Challenge Ferret 1's shell game. He laughs easy and often, but you detect some shiftiness here!

>Luigi! Me, you, table, now! Come on!

>Your vengeance is now! To the dartboard!

>write in
---

>Well folks that's all for tonight! I had hoped to finish Part 1 today, but looks like that will be tommorow. Just as well. I will see you then! Will probably only be a few posts left(probably not even the whole day), before we are done! Stay tuned and certainly stay excellent! Thanks for playing! Get those votes in! A big milestone down.

>>4968252
>>Your vengeance is now! To the dartboard!

>>4968252
>Your vengeance is now! To the dartboard!

>>4968252
>Your vengeance is now! To the dartboard!
Stay excellent!