>>5097216
>[Immigrant] Despite your father being a war prisioner, the kingdom took pity on your pregnant mother and allowed you both to live a miserable life at the slums. You have come to know the worst of Midland at the cost of the growing hatred for the nobles.

>>5097216
>[Noble Astral] You were born a orphan, the last scion of your linage, with a strong afinity to spirits out of this physical plane. You are never alone but you're still not sure if the entities are friend or foe. This led to you focusing on worldly pleasures to get away from the madness, turning spoiled by the riches of aristocratic life, indulging in your family name's power to get by.

>>5097216
>[Astral] You were born an orphan with no knowledge of your parents, but with a strong afinity to spirits out of this physical plane. You are never alone but you're still not sure if the entities are friend or foe.
Sounds neat

>>5097216
>>[Noble] You were spoiled by the riches of aristocratic life, indulging in your family name's power to get by.

>>5097220
>>5097224
>>5097228
>>5097230
I'll try and write a mix of Noble and Astral. This should be interesting.

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Vlad Santana, or so would the nobles call you. Being the adopted son of the Santana family, your foster mother found you one day at an evening stroll towards the estate's chapel, praying for her infertility to be cured or else her soon to be husband would likely lose interest in her.

Like a true miracle, you've brought joy to the family's life and was raised by a Holy See member and a merchant's daughter. However, the preachings of God and it's faith never really went well with you, as the teachings of the holy scriptures went actively against some visions you've had.

Truth is, ever since you were young you felt as if you were able to see things differently than the average person. It was normal to see spirits or something akin to dust particles permeating around natural areas, as such, places like graveyards, churches and war sites have plagued your mind with horrid screams disturbing voices and arcane chants.

Knowing how your family would react to such claims, you always tried to keep it to yourself with those regards, be it drinking with the nobles, socializing as much as possible or playing around with substances to keep your mind away from the spiritual presences to unyielding results. Tried as you might, you always felt like there was someone, something, watching you. And not knowing wether that entity was friend or foe is something that kept you awake at night, as well as not having the liberty to express your thought without being treated like a madman or a heretic, knowing that would be a death sentence to you and your foster family.

On your 19th birthday, you were struck with the awful news of your parents going missing after being seen getting chased by enemy troops, and the thought kept eating away at you for an excedingly long time, and as your anxiety grew, so did your visions and hallucinations, you were stuck in your room and afraid of strangers for days, weeks, perhaps months, never setting foot outside the estate until a certain day came to change your life around.

"Young Master?" A familiar female voice knocks on your door. "A knight is waiting for you downstairs! He says he's from the band of the falcon."
You slowly approach the door before stopping at your mirror to check if the decline on your health has affected your constitution.

>I havent been eating well... [Scrawny]
>About as well as I could imagine [Average]
>Could use a few more medications [Addict]
>Damn, I should stop eating so much... [Out of shape]
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]

>>5097273
>Could use a few more medications

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]

Gymbro.

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>>5097289
>>5097291
>>5097295
Locking on muscular then, gonna go to bed so dont be afraid of me dropping the quest, I was just dumb enough to start late at night. Merry Christmas

>>5097273
>>Could use a few more medications [Addict]

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some pushups.

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]
Shredded mage quest inbound

>>5097300
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]
Muscle wizard!

>>5097273
>>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]

Your fortune: Happy Festivus!

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]
I cast FIST

>>5097273
>I feel like doing some push ups. [Muscular]
stronk.

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>>5097289
>>5097295
>>5097356
>>5097400
>>5097402
>>5097410
>>5097416
>>5097532
Despite the bad news,you've felt like keeping your body busy. Since you were growing weary of the spirits circling around your home, if push came to shove, you felt like you should at least be able to defend yourself, provided you can even punch an esper. Instead of getting addicted to food or alcohol, you went with the healthier approach of endorphins and spent most of your free time working out in your room. And despite not being sure if that would do well against a demonic foe, you were considerably bulkier than the average noble. Maybe a few push ups would do well.

"Band Of The Falcon?" You marched towards your door to respond to your maid. "What do they want?"
The group of mercenaries had been slowly turning the tides of the war in Midland's favor and gaining the king's trust. You've managed to overhear some news of the Band planning to retake the old castle of Doldrey back into our territory in what seemed to be the final battle against Tudor. Being a small army, they probably need all the help they can find, even if the nobles arent known for their battle prowess.

With your consent, the Maid opened the door and dressed you in your finest clothing, being the sole representer of the estate for now, you had to keep a good impression of the family. Even if your parent's disappearance made you acknowledge future responsibilities.

Going down the stairs you catch a glimpse of a tall, thin brown eyed man picking his nose across the hall, which upon being caught in the act, briskly brushed his hands at his armor and removed his helm.

"Finally, a richie that has some muscle on him. This guy looks like he can take a punch or two..." He muttered under his breath while observing your physique. "Morning, the name's Corkus." He catches himself thinking out loud and tries to fix his attitude with a sly grin.

>Nice to meet you, Corkus.
>[Shake his hand]
>What do you want with me?
>Bow!

>>5097543
>What do you want with me?

>>5097543
>[Shake his hand]
>What do you want with me?

>>5097543
>[Shake his hand]
>What do you want with me?

>>5097543
>Nice to meet you, Corkus.
>[Shake his hand]

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>>5097546
>>5097547
>>5097550
>>5097554
The man seems to be friendly enough, if a bit uneducated. No point in trying to look formal in front of him then. You extend your hand to Corkus, making him chuckle as he shakes your hand with his left. What hand did he use to pick his nose again? The right one? Hopefully it was the right one...

"What do you want with me, Corkus?" You cut straight to the point.
"Well, as you can see. I'm with the Band Of The Falcon." He proudly points to a golden emblem in his armor. "Our boss Griffith has been trying to recruit a few more men to help out on the fight at Doldrey's border a few days from now. Not a whole lot of luck so far, most of these snobs are too scared of losing their fortunes in battle. Pansies..."

Clearly he has some sort of disdain for nobles, but he seems to be holding it in for now.
"Anyway, the king told us to scout for recruits at a few places and your place was one of those spots. What do you say?"

Given the good reputation of the Band Of The Falcon with the royal family and what they've done to Midland, you would probably be in good terms with other nobles by joining the army and making a name for yourself instead of riding off your family name when their fate is unknown. Plus, despite being a bit rude, Corkus doesnt seem to be lying.

A fight to the death against a giant army of armored men though... You'd be lucky to even come out alive since you have no prior battle experience, let alone do something to be noticed among that giant crowd.

Some more info would probably be nice.

>Could you tell me more about your group?
>What's the situation at Doldrey's castle?
>Do you know if Tudor has any prisioners in the castle?
>Write-in

>>5097564
>What's the situation at Doldrey's castle?

>>5097564
>Could you tell me more about your group?
>What's the situation at Doldrey's castle?
>Do you know if Tudor has any prisioners in the castle?

>>5097564
>>What's the situation at Doldrey's castle?

>>5097573
This

>>5097564
>Write-in
What form of nobility are we? On one hand, it would infact look good for us. On the other, we're the sole representing noble of our house hold if I understand correctly. If we died, that would be the last of our parents lineage. Do we have regent, a trusted member to watch over the estate while we are gone? Do we even have any formal combat let alone fencing training? Boxing? Greek wrestling?

How much of an aneurism do you think Vlad will have once he sees the behelit?

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>>5097585
Vlad's been trained in fencing so he knows how to use a sword, even if his performance is a bit mediocre. Your father has close enough ties with the royal family and the Holy See to look over the place without much worry, though you dont know any of them personally.

The battle's happening pretty soon so it should be fine to leave the place for a couple days provided you only stay in the band for the short term.
>>5097590
Oh this should be fun.

all three have my vote. Vlad will have once he sees the behelit? smash it with a hammer

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>>5097570
>>5097573
>>5097582
"Could you tell me more about your group? I never really heard at length about the Band Of The Falcon."
"Really? What kind of rock you've been living under? We've been fighting the good fight for more than a couple years now!" Corkus scoffs at your ignorance. "We started as a small group of bandits, but with our leader Griffith, we got as big as a private army thanks to his leadership. Not everybody there is as strong as me, of course. but we've got a few strong hitters there to carry the team. "

You're not that sure about that last part, but you'll let it slide for now.
"What about the situation at Doldrey's castle? Do you think you'll be able to win?"
"We better win, we've been pushing those Tudor freaks away ever since we've laid eyes on them. That border they're in was supposed to be the Kingdom's fortress against intruders on the mountainside, but now they've taken it for themselves and are using it as a military base for their strongest knights! With that and them having an army of 30.000 men against our 5.000, we'll need as much help as we can get."

Hearing the numbers out loud sends a jolt down your spine. 30.000 vs 5.000 men? That's suicide! Has the king gone mad? How are they supposed to win when a single man has to take care of at least 6 enemies to balance things out?
"Dont start biting your nails now." Corkus notices your fearful expression. "Even if it was down to 5 of us, I'd still go down fighting the good fight with Lord Griffith! We wouldnt be here today if we didnt trust his decisions, so no doubts that we'll be taking those idiots away from here!"

Such an unwavering loyalty too, what kind of a strategy can you even plan with field and number disadvantages?
"Do you know if they keep any prisioners in Tudor?" You ask without giving much detail, not wanting to share your family's disappearance to a footsoldier.
"Dunno, probably. Heard there's a noble there named Gennon that takes a liking to kids, but they take care of prisioners about as well as you expect. If it's a women, they'll have their way with them, if it's a man, they'll be war slaves. If they're rich, they'll torture them for ramson, if they're soldiers, they might be lucky enough to be recruited, but it's usually a quick beheading for them."

Seems like the only way to know if your parents are there or not is to go there yourself. Damn it, you can only hope that they're still alive and well. but the situation really doesnt look good.

"Well, that's all the info you're getting. So, are you in or not?"

>I'm in.
>Sorry, this is a bit too much for me.

>>5097603
>I'm in

>>5097603
>I'm in.
How many soldiers can we raise ?

"I'm in." You proudly raise your head and agree to fight for your land.
"That's more like it. I'll give you a few minutes to say goodbye to your folks in there." Corkus stares at the two store building from the front yard. "Seems like it might take a while though. I'll be waiting outside. No need to worry about horses or armor, we'll hand those out to you when you get there. But if you got a weapon of choice, bring it with you." He waves away at you while making his way back towards the entrance.

Giving the news towards the head maid Giselle, she could hardly believe your decision.
"Young Master, are you sure you want to leave us? Joining a fight against the army of Doldrey could be deadly!"
"The fight's only going to last a day anyway, I just need to make sure you take care of the place for a week at most."
"That's not the issue here! Have you ever even drawn a sword before? You're going to fight expert mercenaries. If you wanted to help the Band for the sake of the kingdom, you could have offered our bodyguards"
"With how peaceful things are here? I doubt our bodyguards fight any more often than I do. Father has a small armoury in his room, right? Can I check the weapons he had there?" You walk around the corridor, thinking of the few times he offered you fencing lessons for self defense. You've never really held a sword to kill, but the military order of the Holy See had some serious fights when escorting clergy and your father always made sure to train in case of emergencies. Though you're not sure how he compared to a seasoned war veteran...

"This... This is too sudden! What made you want to join the Falcons in the first place?"

>My life here is too boring.
>I need to make a name for myself.
>I want to test my abilities.
>I could find my parents inside their castle.

>>5097627
>I could find my parents inside their castle.
Boring is good.
Boring doesn't get you and your friends massacred by beings beyond your comprehension.

>>5097627
>I could find my parents inside their castle.

>>5097627
>I could find my parents inside their castle.

>>5097627
>I could find my parents inside their castle.

>>5097627
Do we know how to use a sword and shield at once? A heavy crossbow? Can we grip a sword by its blades end so we can Pick people in the head with the bommel and guard part?
https://youtu.be/2bdMfaymGlk

>>5097627
>I could find my parents inside their castle.
I like the idea of our protag being down-to-earth and pragmatic despite his visions.

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>>5097643
Dad taught you the basics with a rapier but not much else, however Vlad did like to see him practicing with different weapons as a young boy so he at least knows how to weild them by seeing his father dueling. The Santanas more than one type of weapon in their arsenal thanks to hiring the occasional extra guards so I'll give some room for improv when you get to choose a weapon.

>>5097650
Swords are gay. Sometimes.
Give em a fistin.
https://youtu.be/tq0_ieIz1qg

>>5097650
Could we train Vlad's clairvoyance so that he can see his adversary's future moves, Sanguinius style?

>>5097627
>I need to make a name for myself.

I think this would also play a factor into this, but I agree with the sentiment that it's mainly for our parents

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>>5097629
>>5097633
>>5097638
>>5097641
>>5097646
"My parents, Giselle..." You stood firmly against the middle aged maid blocking the door. "The soldier said they keep prisioners inside the Doldrey castle. What if my parents are there?"
You've spent what felt like an eternity inside your room from the very thought of them being taken away. And you've felt like the biggest dead weight when you've realized you've spent most of your teenage years playing around on parties instead of making something out of yourself. You know you owe a lot to your parents and the mere thought of seeing them safe again motivated you to get out of your bed, and you cant let them down knowing that they could still be alive.

Giselle understood this well, seeing as she has been serving the house for as long as you were alive and knew how grateful you were to them despite the secrets you've kept, however she still wasnt sure on how to feel on the situation.
"Do you really think that Master Jacopo and Mistress Michelle would be there?"
"What other lead do I have? Even if they're dead. I just want to know what happened to them." Your voice cracks, being aware of the consequences if you failed, but still wanting closure nontheless.
"I'm not sure if that's something your parents would want you to do, but seeing the look in your eyes tells me I cant really change your mind, can I?" Giselle weeps.
"Don't worry, I'll come back in one piece, I promise. Havent been training day and night to lose to a random footsoldier."
The worker begrudginly opens the door to the patriarch's room. Inside, a large king sized bed and an extensive book collection invited your eyes to a cozy, but empty bedroom.

Next to the window stood a wide closet that displayed a few different weapons. What would be your weapon of choice?

>A thin rapier
>A curvy cutlass
>A large great axe
>A pointy spear
>A trusty bow and arrow
>An engraved wooden staff

>>5097662
>A large great axe
Thad axemage inbound

>>5097662
>A pointy spear
Spears are underrated.

>>5097662
>a pair of ornate gauntlets and fore-guards
Reposting because of slight grammar error

>>5097662
>A curvy cutlass
>An engraved wooden staff

>>5097662
>A large great axe

pointy spear give me the stabbing stick

>>5097662
>A pointy spear
This is the most amateur-friendly weapon, just point and stab. Some of our rapier skills might even transfer.

>>5097662
>>A pointy spear
can we get a short sword as a second weapon or a dagger ?

>>5097662
>a curvy cutlass
We have some skills with swords so it'd be useful in the long run

>>5097662
>A pointy spear

Our character is an inversion of his origin. Despite being a noble, he will wield a peasant's weapon, a spear. Despite being from the Astral, he is human.

Also, spears are just cool as hell to master.

>>5097715
I prefer punching things, but you have me there. Spears are pretty good weapons if you're not against a seven foot tall muscle goliath. The shaft can be used for blocking, it's a ranged melee weapon you can use for stabbing.
Actually wouldnt a halberd in theory be better than a spear? You can stab and chop with it.

>>5097726
Halberd would be a bit heavier though, so no crazy technique with that I think. But it would allow us to use our muscular build to chop enemies up.

>>5097662
>Pole hammer

Spears are cool but I just dnon't feel like it

>>5097731
If we over shoot the swing of a halberd and only hit them with the shaft, we could pull them in close using the axe blade as a hook, then kiss them with a fist.

>>5097672
Support +1
I want to punch.

>>5097662
>A thin rapier
It's what we trained with, has a sizeable reach, and strikes the image of a noble's son.

>>5097662
>A pointy spear

>>5097663
>>5097666
>>5097672
>>5097673
>>5097676
>>5097677
>>5097683
>>5097695
>>5097695
>>5097707
>>5097715
>>5097726
>>5097731
>>5097750
>>5097755
>>5097798
>>5097800
>>5097815
Spear won but I'll let you keep a small secondary weapon for backup

>A short dagger
>An Iron mallet
>A Small Handaxe

>>5097819
>A Small Handaxe

Your fortune: You're on the nice list!

>>5097819
>A Small Handaxe

Your fortune: Feliz Navidad!

>>5097819
>A short dagger

>>5097819
>A short dagger

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A pointy silver spear invites your attention, being the tallest weapon inside that closet, taking it out of it's stand and leaving it next to your body, the spear easily talls over you, but the sturdy wooden shaft and the sharp blade at the end prove to be a failry light weighted weapon.
Your weapon of choice when playing on mockup duels tended to be the rapier, and given the nature of that weapon's fighting style. It allows you to go in for quick jabs and stabs while keeping your agility at the cost of being easily struck if you dont parry the oncoming attack. A spear in theory should work similarly to it, right? The extended range and the long pole makes it a lot more safer to parry attacks, giving you both blunting and piercing damage, who knows? Maybe you can even do some acrobatics with it once your master it's use.
Although, what would you even do against a strong opponent once he cut the distance between you and the spear? It would be wise to pick a secondary weapon or else you'd be naked amidst the battlefield. Luckily, you also notice a small handaxe and a short dagger staring back at you close to the shortest blades. You remember some servants using similar utensils for gardening and carving. If it's good enough to chop a block of wood, it can probably do some damage to an armoured knight.

With your primary weapon in hand, and the secondaries tied to your belt, you say your goodbyes to the mansion's servants and accompany Corkus on his way to the Falcon's Headquarters, which is apparently located a few hours outside the city's outskirts next to a forest field. The calm scenery, the gentle fall breeze and a longer contact with nature after a long time confined at your home gives you a sense of inner peace, making up for the uneventful travel as the sun sets.
You do remember how the espers got easier to see at night, but you've always been afraid of drawing too much attention to yourself if you went after your visages. maybe spending some time by yourself would give you some freedom to find out what those are.
"Here we are." The horse halts near a group of tents and nudges you to climb off the horse. "Wait here, Judeau will give you a tent and an armor your size. He points over to a blonde, jovial mercenary approaching the two of you.
"What, you only found one guy? Gaston got 5 new ones in half that time."
"Not my fault if you've sent me to the cowards alley! I don't know who wouldnt be interested in joining the Falcons with such a handsome knight at their side" Corkus boasts in earnest, but Judeau seems to react as if he got told a joke.
"Hah, good one!" The blond man laughs and looks over at you. "Well, one new soldier is better than zero. Welcome to the Band Of The Falcon. I'm Judeau! Hope you enjoy your stay here."

>Nice to meet you Judeau. I'm Vlad.
>Oh, I'm not staying. I'm just joining for the last fight.
>So what are we supposed to do until the fight starts?
>Is there anywhere I can train here?
>Write-in

>>5097859
>Nice to meet you Judeau. I'm Vlad.
>Is there anywhere I can train here?
Would being an Astral help Vlad survive the eclipse if we end up helping them rescue Griffith?

>>5097859
> Is there anywhere I can train here

We need to be getting bigger, we need to be putting on mass, these Tudors are sick, twisted freaks. We need to be able to take them 4, 5 on 1.

>>5097866
If anything having astral ancestry would be like going into the eclipse with a "kick me" sign attatched to Vlad's face. Best CoA would probably be escape the eclipse or die trying

>>5097859
>nice to meet you Judeau I'm vlad
>is their anywhere I can train here?
I gotta question how much can Vlad change the story. The eclipse will happen of course, but can we change the circumstances of it such as Griffith's condition or when and where?

>Nice to meet you Judeau. I'm Vlad.
>Is there anywhere I can train here?
also take a quick look around see any spooky shit with our magic eyes

>>5097859
>Nice to meet you Judeau. I'm Vlad.
>Is there anywhere I can train here?
Wait a second.
>out name is Vlad
>we're kinda magic and see magic things
>we're physically fit
>we have a spear
>inb4 become Vlad the impaler
>inb4 become a vampire

>>5097874
We're gonna need lots of fire bombs.

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>>5097866
>>5097869
>>5097887
>>5097900
>>5097904
"Nice to meet you Judeau, I'm Vlad." You return his warm welcome with a smile. Seems like there are a lot of different people in this army, but it's good to see that they're not all grumpy and strict.
"Vlad, eh?" Judeau ponders, recognizing your noble name. "Didn't think I'd be seeing an upstanding gentleman from Midland wearing a spear, doesnt really fit your muscular look either. How long have you been practicing with it?

"Well actually, this is my first time using it. I was hoping I could get some practice before fighting for real, is there anywhere I can train here?" you voice your inexperience, making Judeau look over at Corkus in disbelief.
"Three days before the final battle and that's all you can find?"
"Take it or leave it!, I'm sure not bringing him back home after how long it took to get here!" Corkus whines back at the blonde mercenary, giving water to his horse and cleaning his sword.
"It's alright. The whole place's a training ground, between sharpening the blades, drinking and talking with the other members of the band, there's not a whole lot to do in the camp other than train, unfortunately since we're close to nightfall, most of the group is probably worn out from working already. I think I can manage a volunteer if I try hard enough, you'd be amazed at how tireless some of the guys are here!" Judeau explains, wondering who would be a good sparring partner for you.

>I have no preferences. Choose whoever you want.
>Why dont you do it?
>Can I have a match with Corkus?
>Who's the strongest guy around here?
>We can leave it for tomorrow if it's too much trouble

>>5097923
>Who's the strongest guy around here?
Why hello sir who surely wasn't born out of magic BS, would you like to kick my ass?

>>5097929
Lmao this. This sounds funny.

>>5097923
>I have no preferences choose whoever you want
This is our first time using a spear, let's at least fight someone who won't immediately mog us

>>5097934
You make a fair point. This.

>>5097929
>>5097931
If Vlad ends up sparring Guts you just know that magic shenanigans will happen. Best case scenario a connection is formed through our similar mysterious backgrounds. Worse case scenario we touch him and we get a vision of his horrid future, traumatizing us.

>>5097941
My money is dad was a dead beat elf who did want to take care of a kid and we're a half human.

>>5097941
And that is exactly why I chose him.

>>5097944
Yea our magic origin is either vlad is descended from elves, or he could be inherently magical some way with a guardian spirit. Worst scenario is that Vlad is marked by the God Hand someway, it'd explain the being watched feeling.

>>5097945
Ugh fine, change my vote to
>who's the strongest guy around here?

>>5097923
>>I have no preferences. Choose whoever you want.

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>>5097929
>>5097934
>>5097940
"I dont wanna bite off more than I can chew here, so I dont really have any preferences. Choose whoever you want, really."

"Alright then, I know how to fight with just about every weapon, so I could teach you a few tricks against certain match ups. Corkus, can you find some armor for him while I get ready?"
"What!? Oh, great..." Corkus whines, realizing he wasnt going to sleep early that night. "I hope you get a good beating after this one."

The sun finally sets, and after Corkus finds a good suit and helmet for you to use, he guides you uphill away from the campfire at the center of the tents. After some time, Judeau finally comes back with a few knives and twin short swords in his hands.

"I'll give you a few tips to start things off." Judeau happily takes stance. "Spears have a tactical advantage against other weapons like swords, axes or daggers due to their extended range, but since I have multiple throwing weapons, of smaller sizes, an opponent like me can still easily take you down if you let them close the distance. Just make sure you're pointing the blade at them and keeping your distance while holding your stance and the enemy will think twice before lunging at you. In case they do though, there are a few things you can do to break away or hit them, such as--"
Judeau's voice starts to get harder to hear as the wind's breeze and the rustling of the tree leaves grow as loud as a thunderstorm. He keeps talking as if nothing is going on though. Are you the only one hearing this?
Oh, here we go again...

The dust particles start dancing around the grass, gently floating upwards like snowflakes at a windy winter night, while they never took form before, it was usually a sign that you would start hearing things, but your hallucinations were never as distracting as this time...
The particles start taking form as they huddle together and circle towards your sparring foe, as if feeding him energy before the fight while Judeau keeps speaking with no reaction. Moreover, the windy noise starts to change to a more recognizable sound of the ocean waves as more spirits disperse towards the campfire below.
Why are you the only one seeing this?

>Ask to stop the fight.
>Inspect the white spirit hovering over Judeau.
>Try to listen to Judeau's voice over the noise.
>Hope the noise goes away before the fight starts.

>>5097993
>try to listen to judeau's voice over the noise
I'm sure the hallucination is nothing to worry about

>>5097993
>Inspect the white spirit hovering over Judeau.

>>5097993
>Try to listen to Judeau's voice over the noise.
Pass through the noise or break it. Tips on fighting are useful, we can t lose them.

>>5097993
> Try to listen to Judeau's voice over the noise

>>5097993
>Inspect the white spirit hovering over Judeau.4vtng

>>5097994
>>5097995
>>5098005
>>5098011
Now now, god damn it! This is important! This is not time to listen to eldritch screams or whatever those ghouls want to tell you, the more you acnowledge them, the powerful they get, so you have to remain resilient.

You shake your head rub your eyes as you try to regain your composure, and eventually the hallucinations go away. They always do.
"--dy."
"What was that?" You asked Judeau if he could repeat his statement.
"Come on, you gotta pay attention to what I'm saying!" Judeau puts you down for not paying attention. "The last part was, 'tell me when you're ready.'"
It doesnt look like he'll repeat anything further than that, so your best bet is to just roll with it for now...
"Ready!" You point the silver lance at Judeau and wait for him to come to you, initiating the duel against the jack of all trades.
"Hgn!" Judeau throws a knife at your shoulder, to which you barely managed to deflect with your shaft without losing balance. As soon as you shift your body weight back to more suitable position, you see a glimpse of Judeau slashing you across the chest.

Instinctively, you wince in pain and block upwards, only to realize you werent as late as you thought you would be. Judeau's attack came only a few seconds after you've felt it happening, making you ready to block the incoming attack before it happened. How does that work?
Paying closer attention, you see a white, transparent foot extend out of Judeau's body as he stands on top of your spear, and testing the waters a second time, you manage to block his real kick before he could even motion over to your stomach.

"You might have a shaky hand, but your movements are on point, rookie. You're a natural at this." Judeau compliments your abilities, not knowing you're following orders being shown to you in split seconds.
He starts getting fasters, trying to stab at your arms while you keep him at bay with your tilted spear. You're surprised at how much weight this thing can support without breaking.
Soon the white trails of Judeau's arms start blending together, making it damn near impossible to guess where he's attacking from.
You fling the stick to the ground, Slamming Judeau on the rocks with it as your arms start to give out from the cuts.

Part of you wants to stop the fight while you're both in good condition, but you feel like you'll start to understand what those white visions are if you keep at it for a while longer. Does it have something to do with your hallucinations?

>Switch to the offense, try to hit him with your spear.
>Screw it, tackle him while he's down.
>Keep your stance and wait for him to stand up.
>Try to copy his style and switch to your secondary weapons.
>Call it quits for now.
>Write in.

>>5098028
>Write in.
I cast FIST!

>>5098037
Support

>>5098028
>Switch to the offense, try to hit him with your spear

Aggression! Keep up the pressure!

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>>5098037
>>5098047
Your methods of attacking might be a bit dirry, but all is fair in love and war.
You punch Judeau straight in the forehead just as he was about to stand up, dropping back down and hitting his head on the floor a second time. Just to be sure, you manage to body slam him with all your weight on top of him. And given the few extra kilos you've put on of pure muscle mass, you assume you knocked the wind out of him.

Or so you thought, you can still feel him squirming under your weight, trying to reach to his pockets and kick his legs to reach the shortswords he dropped next to him.
"Ready to give up yet?" You hold him down in an improvised body lock, thinking you have this fight in the bag.

...Until you've heard the sound of a fire start.
"Those tricks might work when you're fighting one on one, but when you're at war, you need to be ready to fight people who'd rather lose their life than lose their battle!" He shows you a small bomb he managed to drop from his clothes when moving his legs up. He wasnt trying to get the blades, but rather use them to dristract you from what he was really doing.

You brace yourself for the upcoming explosion, closing your eyes and accepting your fate as the both of you would go down in a mock fight.
You wait for a few moments until noticing the miniature bomb didnt go off, though it being a dud didnt stop you from dropping your guard, nor did it stop Judeau from shoving you away from him as he stood back up.
"I guess we can call this one a draw." He offers his hand to help you stand back on your feet.
"Boo! You went too easy on him!" Corkus moans after seeing the match went against his expectations

>Yeah, that was a good fight, thanks.
>What do you think?
>Were you really planning on exploding us both?
>Try to sense more of those afterimages you felt during the fight.

>>5098074
Thanks for going easy on me. I'll keep fist fighting for emergencies.
>Try to sense more of those afterimages you felt during the fight.

>>5098074
>yea that was a good fight, thanks.
>try to sense more if those after images you felt during the fight
Well that went well, even got some respect from Judeau and Corkus is his usual self.

>>5098074
>Yeah, that was a good fight, thanks.
>What do you think?
>Try to sense more of those afterimages you felt during the fight.

>>5098085
>>5098087
"Yeah, that was a good fight Judeau, thanks!" You let your sparring partner help you up as you dust yourself off from the dirt that caught on your armor.
"Just so you know, I wouldn't really reccomend pulling that strategy on an enemy when we're at Doldrey's." Judeau evaluates your battle prowess. if you stop your fight to lay on top of an enemy, you're pretty much inviting yourself to get trampled by anyone on their size. Strength in numbers is a real thing, and since you got a spear on you, it would be wise to keep them at bay instead of inviting yourself to be blindsighted.
"Ok, I'll keep that in mind."
Truth be told, the only thing that kept you standing on that fight was the afterimages you saw before Judeau could properly retaliate. You're still trying to wrap your head on how that works, but it seemed as if your eyes could predict the movements of your opponent by...feeling their energy? You're aware of the concept of souls and ghosts since you've skimmed a few times at the holy scriptures, but they were always regarded as negative things, curses, witchcraft, paganism. So how come they're only taking form now in the eyes of an inquisitor's ancestor, while also being used by you, who has never practiced witchcraft?

You put some strain on your eyes to see if you can sense more of that so called life energy to prove your theory correct. You always had the impulse to supress those visions and voices when they came along, but maybe you've just been seeing them the wrong way this entire time, is it really as easy as just letting it happen?

You take a deep breath and focus on the smaller life forms around you, the crickets chirping every other second, the owls chanting in the distance, everywhere you look right now is filled with life, no matter how big or small, and that life needs to be kept by some sort of energy, right?
Correct! Your vision starts to darken, while the two mercenaries with you start to glow a white aura from inside their bodies. They seem to be doing the exact same thing as their bodies are, at the exact same time.

They dont seem to be jolting out of their bodies like last time though, maybe they work differently during fights.
"Hey, what are you wincing there for? Did Judeau kick you in the nuts or something?" Corkus pokes the back of your head, briefly taking you out of your focused state, Bummer.

Well at least you got some sort of lead on what those "hallucinations" you kept seeing are, now if only you could control them, maybe you could do something about those random brain interferences you keep having. Nature seems to play a big factor in how you feel it so maybe you'll have some time to work things out at a later date.
Corkus and Judeau are both staring at you, wondering why you are still spacing out. Should you even try to explain what happened?

>See if they understand what you're going through.
>Omit the truth

>>5098106
>Omit the truth
We don't want to come off as weird. Maybe we could find some place to sit down, chew on a piece of dried meat, and meditate on this. On the outside people will just see us siting and eating, while on the inside we'll hopefully discover what the hell is going on.

>>5098106
>Omit the truth
Judeau would try to be understanding of what we're going through. But, it'd be best not to say we have visions and stuff around Corkus. We all know Corkus will spread rumors and such

>>5098112
Dude is kind of an ass sometimes. Sorry, most times.

>>5098106
>>Omit the truth

"Ah sorry, i just felt something strange all of a sudden. My bad, really."
Then change argument
"So did your mercenary captain requested anything else beyond fighting men ? I could see about giving some supplies for your army, it would be no great quantity but it might aid you. My family has not much wealth, equipment or soldiers. Our lands are fairly small, and a levy would take out much needed hands in the fields. Our bodyguards are barely enough for my family and do a few patrols so I cannot give those either."
"Also i would be eager to learn this days Judeau, doing more than one spar would be good for me. Be against you or anyone else really. There is always something to learn."

We should probably spar whenever we can or just learn when possible. The siege isn't going to be an easy fight. And we need to get an armor, unless our father left his own at home.

>>5097869
That kind of improvment will require not a short time but several years, unless we put ourselves under an harsh training from the start. The tips of Judeau will probably keep us alive for now, even someone like Corkus isn't half bad for surviving for so long. If we are able to learn enough, we should combine it with using dirty tricks. When we are more experienced we can see about putting together what we have learn on the battlefield with our martial lessons has a noble

>>5098116
+1

>>5098116
+1 this too

>We should probably spar whenever we can or just learn when possible.
One or two more matches at most so we can at least watch out for the big flaws in our tactics and techniques. Anymore won't drastically improve our martial abilities unless we train for a couple weeks more. I at least want to see what these wisps are before we sleep.

>And we need to get an armor, unless our father left his own at home.
We brought our own weapons, and we've been given our own armor from their army.

>>5098116
We got some armor from Judeau so we're good on that department, and his tips and our ability to see life energy will be essential in staying alive next battle.

Though we should spar more with our spear and learn how to injure and kill with it, specifically how to drive it into someone's armpits, neck, and stomach.Though we'll likely be shoulder to shoulder with our allies since we're using a spear, we shouldn't rely on them to kill for us.

>>5098120
>>5098123

That's good then. Yes i fear that we can only do so much before the siege begins. If we had weeks or months though, that would be not bad at all.
And I definetly want to know how to better use that spear, we can't always count on being side by side with other soldiers. I wonder if we will be on foot or on horse, Griffith made no problems of spending money for improve his army during the story (as we can see all around the falcons camps they make in manga/anime). But we are also a noble so we might even ask for one. We will get a shield in any case, unless we are using a spear that needs both of our hands ?
How many battles we will have in the golden age section of timeline, or before eclipse. I hope many, timeskips are fine but going around has a mercenary company can be fun.

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>>5098109
>>5098112
>>5098116
>>5098117
"Sorry, I just felt something strange all of a sudden. It's nothing to worry about, really." You brush their worries off with a smile, rubbing your arms together after feeling the strain they've been put on today.
"If you say so..." Judeau feels inquired to ask for more info, but drops the subject for now. "Unfortunately I couldnt find a tent for you, so you'll have to share it with another of our men when we go back down."
"That's fine, getting a good place to rest is enough for me. Again, I really appreciate you helping me get better with the spear, Judeau. Doing more than one spar would be good for me, Be against you or anyone else really. There is always something to learn."
"Just say the word and I'll give you a hand. You have potential Vlad, but wether you improve or not all comes down to hard work."
Judeau encourages your training sessions, despite not having a lot of time to get better with fighting, it's something you can improve over a year or so, provided you survive the takeover.
The three of you go back to the campfire, where plenty of mercenaries are still awake, drinking, playing dice games or just chatting with their mates. The morale here is high, and it's something that reminds you of your partying days.
"That reminds me, did your captain request anything else beyond fighting men? I could see about giving supplies for your army, it would be no great quantity but it might aid you." You take a bag out of your belt, counting how much pocket money you managed to bring from your estate, which amounted to a total of 50 golden coins.
"You call that a small quantity? That's enough to keep a family fed for half a year!" Corkus salivates after seeing your small fortune, but Judeau is quick to interrupt.
"Griffith is currently receiving funds from the King, so budgeting doesnt seem to be a problem for him. He's making sure evey soldier stays in good condition and with weapons and medicine to spare. There's a small village before we cross the river to Doldrey, so maybe you can buy something more to your liking there if nothing here really interests you."
"You could always treat us to a drink, too!"
Oh, Corkus...


>I'll try to talk with Griffith then.
>Think I'll just go to bed for now.
>We could just drink at the campfire.
>Is there anything else I should know?

>>5098329
>I'll try to talk with Griffith then.

>>5098329
>I'll try to talk with Griffith then.
Behelit epilepsy in 3, 2, 1...

>>5098329
>I'll try to talk with Griffith then.
it calls

>>5098329
>I'll try to talk with Griffith then
We'll definitely get a vision or hallucination, hopefully it doesn't eclipse vlad's focus of anything

>>5098361
>hopefully it doesn't eclipse vlad's focus of anything
I see what you did.

>>5098329
It's a village. Not much comes to mind for what we could buy.

>find somewhere isolated and quiet to focus on the Astral

What does everyone want to visit Grffifth?

>>5098372
The pragmatic reason is that it pays to know your boss and make a good first impression. The only problem is avoiding a reputation for brown-nosing.

>>5098377
Are you saying we should stick to the army well beyond our battle? Despite Griff sacrificing everyone to become one of the big five Apostates?

>>5098372
People also wanna see if anything magical happens, like a vision, due to Griffiths destiny and the behelit in his possession

>>5098381
Oh fuck oh god this cannot end well.

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>>5098333
>>5098344
>>5098353
>>5098361
"I'll see if I can talk with Griffith then." You look around the tents to see if any of them look any different from each other, the leader of the falcons would probably be in a larger accomodation compared to his subordinates.
"Yeah, right. Griffith is currently planning on how to take Gennon's head off with his team, I doubt he'll have the free time to say hello to anyone that comes to his tent." Corkus denies the opportunity.
"Come on Corkus, don't be like that! It wasnt that long ago when Griffith personally came to every new member of the band to greet them and get to know them as equals. It's just hard to do that when your army grows past the low thousands." Judeau is quick to contest Corkus' claim. "His tent is just to the north of here. Right past the guys offering rum to the soldiers. As great as he is, Griffith is still human, he should be getting ready to rest right now."
"I'll make my visit quick then." You follow Judeau's directions with your eyes and prepare yourself to meet your boss.

From the way they make this guy out to be, he seems to be a very skilled strategist. Being the captain of a large army like this probably means he's one of the strongest people around here. Being confident in seiging Doldrey with such a minuscule army means he's either very confident in his resources, or that he's lost his mind.
Your chest feels very tight, maybe from the pressure of meeting someone of such high status between his peers. Is there really anything you can offer to him that he does not have?
After a brisk walk to his tent, you take a look inside his tent to see him taking notes at a map, sitting across a small table that went up to his knees. His appearance looks very soft and androgynous, very unlike the image of a great warlord you had in your head, but something about his appearance makes him oddly alluring, almost as if inviting you to observe his presence.

"Yes?" The white falcon speaks up, wanting to know the reason why you came to his temple without taking his eyes off his annotations.

>Kneel
>It's my first day here, and I thought I should get to know my boss.
>Sorry to bother you, Griffith.
>Sir Griffith,I am Vlad of the Santana Family.
>I would like to know if there's anything I could do to aid you financially in this journey.

>>5098395
>It's my first day here, and I thought I should get to know my boss.

>>5098395
>It's my first day here, and I thought I should get to know my boss.

>>5098395
>Sir Griffith,I am Vlad of the Santana Family.
Then
>I would like to know if there's anything I could do to aid you financially in this journey.

>>5098395
>Sir Griffith,I am Vlad of the Santana Family.
>I would like to know if there's anything I could do to aid you financially in this journey.

>>5098395
>Sir Griffith,I am Vlad of the Santana Family.
>I would like to know if there's anything I could do to aid you financially in this journey

>>5098408
>>5098410
>>5098415
Dude is getting financed by the king tho, and the siege is gonna happen on a few days from now. Is there really something we can do?

>>5098429
They'd just being autists, ignore them.

>>5098432
It just comes off as a little weird, plus I'm scared Griffith might try to squirrel out some of our family's wealth for his ambitious goals. We did say "anything" after all.

>>5098429
>>5098432
My idea was that nobody turns down free money, especially when you can use it without justifying your expenses to the king.
Also, since he's busy planning the siege, it would be rude to interrupt his work just to say hello.

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>>5098405
>>5098407
>>5098408
>>5098410
>>5098415
"Sir Griffith, I am Vlad of the Santana Family. I would like to know if there's anything I could do to aid you financially in this journey." You present your noble name to the white haired leader, to which he quizzically turns his head over, as your name seems to ring a bell on him.

"Santana... would you happen to be the son of Jacopo, funder of the Holy Iron Chain Knights?" He does know your father by name, though you did not know how close he was with the Holy See's militia.
"Yes, sir. Have you met my father before?"
"Not personally, no. But it's my duty as a royal knight to know the intricacies of his kingdom, from what army their church funds, to the lowest of the aristocrats."

He certainly seems to have done his homework, he probably knows more of the political intricacies of Midland and the nearby nations better than you do.
"Your family has done enough for me as is, Young Vlad. As the commander of an army for hire, we cannot afford to be greedy before providing results. If anything, I should be the one compensating the few courageous souls who are aiding me in this fight."
Griffith seems proud of his accomplishments as a tactician and commander, but still humble enough to not come off as boastful. Seems like giving him money is pretty useless for someone already being indirectly funded by you. What could his real interests be then?
"Tell me, for what goal motivated you to join us? It's not everyday I get a new soldier asking to pay me instead of me paying them."
"I understand taking Doldrey back into our territorry is an important mark in--"
"I dont mean your goals for the fight. But the ones for the future." Griffith cuts you off. "Surely you expect to live after our fight, and whatever compensation I give you is but a drop in the ocean of your family's fortune. What drives a man to come out of his comfortable home to embark in a journey greater than himself? Perhaps a dream of yours lies beyond the bloodiest of blades?"

Dream? Something that motivates you to fight? He speaks as if he expects you to know the deep philosophies of a fighter, when really you can count in one closed hand the times you've had to fight for your life.

Still, it doesnt mean you cant have any dreams of your own.

>I wish to keep living a comfortable life.
>I need to prove my worth to myself, and my parents.
>I want to protect the ones dear to me.
>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.
>Now that I think about it, I dont think I have any big dreams.

>>5098449
>I need to prove my worth to myself, and my parents.
>I want to protect the ones dear to me.
>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.

Dream big or go home.

>>5098449
>I need to prove my worth to myself, and my parents.
>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.

>>5098449
>>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.
There's some real spooky shit out there...

>>5098449
>I need to prove my worth to myself, and my parents.
>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.

>>5098449
>I need to prove my worth to myself, and my parents.
>There is a lot I dont know about the world, and I wish to change that.

>>5098452
support

>>5098452
+1 to this

>>5098452
sure, +1

>>5098449
>I need to prove my worth to myself and my parents

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>>5098452
"I need to prove my worth. not only to myself, but to my parents as well." You reveal your aspirations to the army's chief. "I've been pampered for too long by my parents, to the point where I'm not even sure if I could really live by myself. I've lived a sheltered life, with not a lot to show for, so I wish to change that. By discovering more about our world, maybe I can use that to protect the ones dear to me, even if they've been protecting me for most of my lifetime."
"An interesting mix of answers. Perhaps a couple of ordinary goals could lead you to a greater cause." Griffith smiles in earnest."Though I mean no offense, I believe dreams should be a lot more concise, something that seems against all odds, if you will."

"Ok, what's your dream then?"
"I'm glad you asked." Griffith lifts his map and points to the castle illustrated in his drawings. "Ever since I was young, I wanted to be the owner of my own kingdom. But it wasnt until I formed the Band of the Falcon that I considered this to be a possibility. It was not an easy journey, there were many sacrifices to pave the way up to where I am now, as I'm sure there will be even after this day. Many lives were lost, but none of them were against their will. My soldier's goals pave the way to my dream, and in return, their hard earned work will build the walls of my castle. Though I was raised in the slums, I believe I owe it to those who were lost in the way to see my dream come to fruition."

Griffith rustles at something itching at his neck, to which your attention diverges into his collarbone. Suddenly, as if burning through his shirt, a red glow started to burst from an amulet that he carried alongside him.
The amulet seems to be a crimson necklace, it's face controting into an anguished expression, screaming and crying tears of blood as your head began to spin.
Your vision starts to fail you as you collapse on your knees, sweating as the white whisps you've seen before all started to be sucked into the egg, faces, body parts, animals, everything started to mash together and gurgle in a giant mass of blood and guts, spiraling further into the unknown void as the image of a heart started taking form in Griffith's chest.
Your body gives out before you could properly scream, and by the time you managed to shout, you seemed to be in another location entirely.

"Waaah! don't scare me like that!" A soldier jumps back from hearing your anguished scream. Seeing as how you are resting your head inside a house at night time, a quick talk to your caretaker makes you realize that your body had a strong reaction to Griffith's life energy, or whatever artifact he keeps with him. And that took you out of commission for most of the following day. Losing more time you could have spent training.

>See if there's anything wrong with your body.
>Look out the window to see where you're at.
>Search for Griffith and inquire about his necklace.
>Go outside and see if you find Judeau or Corkus.

>>5098511
>go outside and see if you find Judeau or Corkus
Welp good to know seeing the behekit gave us a aneurysm

>>5098515
Behelit*

>>5098511
>Search for Griffith and inquire about his necklace.

>>5098511
>Search for Griffith and inquire about his necklace.

>>5098523
>>5098529
No what are you retards thinking!? If we go and see him again we'll pass out again wasting another day we could train.

>>5098533
We only past out after Griffith started talking about his dream. We didn't even see the behelit, it was under his shirt.

>>5098511
>>See if there's anything wrong with your body.
Just for make sure we are ok then
>Go outside and see if you find Judeau or Corkus.

>>5098550
Yea we passed out cause we were in such close proximity to it. Do you want us to lose out on another day of training, or do you think we'll be immune to it this time.

>>5098554
I do not think it works like that. We didn't see the afterimages before or after the fight with Judeau, we didn't see their auras until we focused on it and we didn't pass out the moment we started to talk with Griffith. It seems that while Vlad can have visions they aren't random. This leads me to belive that we can talk to Griffith as long as there isn't any new magic BS going on
>ibf Guts walks in

>>5098565
yeah but it would be better if we do that not now. The battle that is coming, is not easy and we need to survive. Talking more can come later, we need to prepare.
Losing a day is already less than ideal.

>>5098571
It is less than ideal, but I doubt that we will lose a day just because we asked about the behelit. We ask about it, he tells us the same thing he told Guts, maybe we see it open its eye and then we're free to train.

>>5098583
It's not worth the risk getting near Griffith and the behelit again. Especially since a battle is happening soon. We need to focus on training

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>>5098515
>>5098523
>>5098529
>>5098553
This was unlike the visions you were seeing back when you fought Judeau, and certainly not as tame as the times you were at home and saw a few silhouettes around your window. That attack you had was something else entirely. Never before have you felt actual physical pain when seeing what you saw. You try to stand up, but the strain on your chest feels like you had a strong heart failure, your legs feel heavy and it takes some time to move at a regular speed, and every movement made it seem as you got run over by the royal carriage.

There has to be something about that necklace that triggered the flash of images that knocked you out cold, and while seeing Judeau's energy made you predict the near future, could that egg be showing you--
You bump your had on the back of a muscular man twice your size, making you lose your balance with the style and grace of a mime falling on a banana peel.

"Watch where you're going." The man looks back with an angry look, turning over to see you get back up. His body was massive, being twice as wide as you and with twice the muscle. The weapon he was carrying was too big to even call it a sword, it looked more like a slab of iron with a handle at the end. He probably needs all of that muscle to carry a blade as big as your lance left and right.

"Wait a minute, arent you that sick kid Pippin had to carry on our way here?" the giant seems ro recognise you from when you were unconscious. "It's too late to run away now, if you had something wrong with you, you should have considered that before joining on a death battle."

"I'm not sick, and I'm not running." You angrily respond back at the bulky mercenary. "I need to see Griffith again, there's something wrong about that necklace of his!"

The man looked as if he was about to call you a few names, but stopped himself after noticing some sense in your words. "You think so...? He's at a tavern with the old crew."
And that's all he really says, without pointing to any directions or giving more information. He turns back to where he was going and you decide to follow him on a whim, hoping that's the place he was going to.
Surely enough, it was. The familiar smell of booze invaded your nostrils
as you opened the door, and along with a few other people around the tables, you could see Judeau, Corkus and a third man sharing some rum with each other, carrying in his shoulders a small child that weirdly enough, had a hawk emblem on his shirt.

A few more tables to the front, stood a dark skinned girl with short hair, enjoying a large cup of coffee by herself. After recognizing the mercenary beside you with a "Hey, Guts!" he responded with a short smile.
At the center of the room, stood Griffith, still observing his annotations with a glass of water at his side, though this time he appeared to be finishing his paperwork, finally being able to relax.

>Talk to Griffith
>Relax with the boys.
>See if you can take a seat with "Guts".

>>5098613
Fucks sake I was too late to vote. This can only end poorly.

>See if you can take a seat with "Guts".

>>5098613
>see if you can take a seat with "guts"
Let's go

>>5098613
>See if you can take a seat with "Guts".

>>5098613
>Talk to Griffith
I wanna ask him about the necklace

>>5098613
>>See if you can take a seat with "Guts".

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>>5098618
>>5098627
>>5098636
Who in ther right mind would call their kid "Guts"? Maybe it's a nickname. He does have the face of someone who could crush someone's windpipe with his pinkie.
A girl in the band of the hawk is a sight for sore eyes, what with the sausage fest that armies tend to be. Can she really fight though?
The couple seems interesting enough to warrant your attention, maybe it could be a better alternative than risking an injury with that necklace so close before arriving at your destination.
"Are you following me?" Guts realizes you're still behind me after pulling up a seat next to the athletic girl across the table. "I thought you wanted to talk to Griffith."
"I uh... Guess the mood of the tavern changed my mind. If I get too drunk I might cause an accident so it's better to sit down at a table with no drunkards, right?"
Guts seems to accept your excuse in silence, wanting to take priority discussing some things with the female Falcon.

"So what's the plan?" She initiates the conversation reffering to how they'll fight against Tudor's army.
"I'll be taking center stage againt the Purple Rhino Knights. Big shocker, I know." Guts replies after ordering a beer mug. "For the group known for being 'Tudor's strongest army force', they sure like to run away a lot."
"After killing 100 of their men, it's no wonder they'll have their eyes on you."
"I dont know if splitting the army into two sounds like a good idea, if you ask me, I could take them all down with a troop to spare."
"Good thing you're not planning the assault, then. We already know you're strong, Guts. But you cant go around trying to kill yourself when we have plenty of men waiting for your orders."
"I'll try to comply this time."

He's killed over 100 men over the course of his career? Wow, seems like he's pretty experienced. No wonder Griffith is feeling so confident if that's the average mercenary we're dealing with.
"I heard this is where the leader of the Rhino Knights will be waiting, a guy named Boscogn. Killing him first would probably make them lose their morale, so try to give us the signal when you finish him off."
"Right, if he's anything like the rest of the Rhinos he'll go down without me even realising it."
It was by this time that you've realised that you've probably slept over the part where Griffith told everybody his plan for the battle earlier today.

>Order a drink.
>Ask them to repeat the plan.
>Offer to assist Guts.
>Offer to assist the girl.
>Offer to assist Griffith.
>Ask them who you'll be placed with.

>>5098673
>Ask them to repeat the plan.
>Ask them who you'll be placed with.

>>5098673
>order a drink
>ask then who you'll be placed with
We shouldn't bug them too much. Don't wanna seem like a annoying noble who pokes his nose everywhere

>>5098679
But we do need to know what the plan is before the actual fight.

>>5098673
>>Ask them to repeat the plan.
>>Ask them who you'll be placed with.

>>5098679
There are probably rumors about what happened to us yesteday, it would make sense for us to ask honestly.

>>5098673
Actually how many days of march are left before we arrive at the castle ? If we are close, it's probably just a few

>>5098708
You have one more day and then the fight starts in the following afternoon, so the journey is around 3 days long. Could be faster but the army has a lot of cargo to carry.

>>5098719
Okay thanks.
Yeah we definetly don t have time for go around or risking to sleep again.
Btw do we know how to use a horse ? Since we are a noble i imagine we do, that would be quite useful. Though going in the cavalry melee would be too big of a risk for us. Right now we are probably slighlty better than a levy or a common soldier. I wouldn't put us on the level of drilled men at arms or skirmishers (like archers or crossbowmen), not even mentioning knights. We look more like a noble of the social/cultural kind, with some lessons for combat and war. Which it s not bad, but not ideal for going right in to the fight.

>>5098726
So far it seems the only edge we have is the ability of predicting people's movements, that's something we really need to invest more time in. The magic that is, not more combat sparing. I feel like theres more room to improve if we go down the magical practice than the martial one.

>>5098726
Vlad knows how to ride a horse, yes. Everyone on the band has the right to a horse and a shield given the traverse they'll be on. The next post should clarify what's the safest and most dangerous route to fight on

>>5098673
>Ask them to repeat the plan.
probably best to know the whole plan.

>Ask them who you'll be placed with.

>>5098673
>Order a drink.
>Ask them to repeat the plan.
>Offer to assist the girl.

>>5098729
Personally i am not a fun of spec too much, because it leaves a weak spot. But this isn't abiut spec this is the immediate battle.
I am not that incline to grasp on to magic, when we have little grasp on it and nothing else beside our sensation for help us. It comes in handy but this is a battle not a 1 Vs 1 fight, if we don t practice with our weapons now after just one spar we are asking to die. Battles can last hours upon hours, and continue on for days. With our weak hold on our magic ability we might be in danger by using it during the battle, especially if it make us tired.

>>5098741
It's not that a matter of being our of practice. It's more of us needing weeks, if not months more of practice to increase our weapons skill by any significant margin, where as we can increase our familiarity with magic stuff because we had next to zero experience with it before.
Think of it like an RPG. It's easier to level up when starting at level 1, but as you progress it gets harder and longer (giggity) to level up.
>ex: magic level 1 -> 2 takes a few hours
>ex: melee level 10-11 takes a week

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>>5098677
>>5098679
>>5098694
"Excuse me, I wasn't there when the plan was explained to the group, could you please give me a rundown?" You ask the two mercenaries, with the girl gladly giving you a summary.

"Doldrey is a border surrounded by mountains, and a vast open wasteland stands between the main fortress and a shallow river that circles the place. The plan is to split the army into 2 large groups and 2 backup units. Gennon... knows Griffith, so it's fair to say he'll want to go after his head when he charges the main unit."

"What they don't know is that Griffith and the first 2000 soldiers will only attack first to break their formation. When they start sending in the elite knights, that's the signal for him to run away to the river, where the backup unit will be hiding in the mountains to take them head on, splitting their group in half while exhausting their leaders by outrunning him until Corkus, Judeau and Pippin join the first unit."

"I'll command the second unit, while Griffith baits the Doldrey army, we'll try to take care of what's left of their front base, if we're lucky enough we'll kill enough of them to split their attention between the two groups. That's when Casca's unit will come in from all the way back, it's going to take some time to get there since she'll have to pass by the mountains, but they probably wont be expecting someone to attack from outside the border instead of the inside." Guts completes the other half of the plan.

"Seems like a solid plan, where am I going to be placed in?" You ask after getting a grasp of their strategy.
"Honestly? Wherever you want, the plan's already formed without you so one more guy in any unit wouldnt do much difference."
Time to weigh your options.

>Bait the first wave of enemies with Griffith.
>Wait by the riverside with Corkus and Judeau.
>Fight the second wave with Guts.
>Raid the fortress with Casca.

>>5098751
>Fight the second wave with Guts.
Go balls or go home.

>>5098751
>Fight the second wave with Guts.
Or
>Raid the fortress with Casca.
Don't really mind which.

>>5098751
>wait by the riverside with Corkus and Judeau
We know those guys better, not to mention it's the safest option. We could raid the fortress with Casca, but our fighting skill is pitiful and we'll likely get in the way.

>>5098735
That s good.

>>5098743
Or i could think it like this
>With no pointers, ideas, no magical knowledge, no magical objects/books on the matter you have difficulties in grasping magic. Your sensation helps but you are alone, it is trial and error for now.
And I could also think like this for combat
>Your previous lessons and your recent spars, have help you in learning to use weapons. Being fit helps as well
This is all up in the air, so not important now.
Beyond that though it s not really becoming skilled with a weapon now. Surviving with it would be enough especially because we took a spear (that we never used before) and did one "spar" with it. A few minutes in total at best. That s not enough. At least a few hours so we know how to use a spear would be of help.

>>5098758
If it weren't for the magic helping us during our sparing match, we probably would had lost instead of it ending in a draw, you gotta admit this.

>>5098751
>Fight the second wave with Guts.

>>5098760
I didn't say it did not carry us to begin with. Point is we don't know how to us our weapon of choice (not even counting the second) and our spar was too short, and it wasn't really a spar because you voted to throw a punch. Fighting dirty helps, but we didn't use our weapons that much in the spar. You have to admit we risk to die with not even some actual practice with our weapons, in a large battle. I would consider that as something important.

>>5098751
>>Wait by the riverside with Corkus and Judeau.

>>5098751
>Fight the second wave with Guts.
Don't be a pussy.

>>5098773
Frankly, the safest place we can be is guarding Guts's back.

>>5098776
If we are behind all the time to Guts, since modern glue isn't invented yet that's not easy. Thing is even with Guts battle prowess: one a battle is chaotic and plans often need to be redone, two enemy soldiers will go for everyone else as well, three Guts can't be everywhere during a battle or help everyone and four Guts leaves plenty of corpses behind him and that can be a problem. Add some of his wild strikes with that blade and we better keep some safe distance.

>>5098751
>>Fight the second wave with Guts.
Surely this cannot go wrong!

>>5098751
>Raid the fortress with Casca.

I'm all for engaging in a significant amount of trolling. All we have to do is find and brutally murder Gennon before Griffith can get his revenge.

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>>5098755
>>5098756
>>5098761
>>5098774
>>5098784
"I'll fight the second wave with you." You nod to Guts as he appears to be taken aback by your choice, not too sure if you were bold or stupid for choosing the most dangerous route.

"Are you sure? The second wave will probably be the one with the most numbers... My team will mostly be hiding in the mountain side and waiting to get the castle when they're at their weakest, if you're looking for a safer route--"

"Let the kid throw himself to death, it's his decision." Guts disapproves in tone, though the words sound like he's mocking you. "I'm leading against their strongest force because Griffith knows I can take care of it, that goes the same with the best of my units. Even if you have some muscle on you, I can see it in your eyes that you don't have what it takes to kill an enemy soldier. I've dealt with a few of you nobles before. You get too cocky when you win a few matches and think you can take on anyone, not knowing there are people like us who fight to survive, not as a mere hobby."

"Maybe you're suicidal, and you're looking for a quick death while your condition hasnt gotten worse. If so, that's understandable, I won't stop you. But if you're thinking you can have what it takes to battle against the elite knights with the possibility of fainting at any time, I can guarantee you that you'll be the first one to die here."

On one hand, it seems Guts is calling you weak, he looks and sounds like the strongest man in the team, and if there's someone who can tell that you can suck here, it's probably him.
However, there's something about his attitude that differs him from the inviting auras of Judeau or even Griffith. He seems to be telling, in his own commoner name, that he's not going to look back if you fall off your horse, nor should you expect anybody to lend a hand unless it's the enemy's blade. He's trying to scare you off, but for good reason.

There's a lot more emotional intelligence in this man that meets the eye, and that's probably the only warning you'll get that you're nothing compared to him.
Guts waits for your rebuttal while Casca hopes that the situation doesnt devolve into an argument.

>You're right, I should stick with the emergency plan.(Casca)
>You're right, I should stick with the backup unit. (Judeau)
>But what if I can outrun them? (Griffith)
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.

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>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.
HARD MORE. EVERYTIME! Lets learn some speed magic.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.
It would be so based if QM allowed immediate death as a possibility

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>>5098831
Honestly I wouldn't hold him against him if he allowed that. We're going full autism right now. The big question is if the QM thinks there's a reasonable In Quest reason why we might be able to pull this bullshit off, or if we're going to die a brutal death. It's probably the latter.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.
Kinda broken in that we have precognition when fighting regular humans.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I won't weigh you down

Spirit, watcher, whatever you are, please guide us. Because we're either proving guts wrong. Or going to die trying.

Best case scenario we aren't useless and are actually able to take down a knight or two. Worst case scenario, die an embarrassment.

>>5098836
The QM right now is probably shaking his head at our profound retardation and choice to be apart of Guts unit. Honestly I imagine Vlad will be supporting the other raiders, pinning them down with his spear so others can take the killing blow. Or some magic power activates and we get stronger, like the spirit watching vlad forcefully takes over his body so he doesn't die horribly.

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>>5098836
Hey, I wouldn't QM if I gave up on a quest because I had to go on a direction I didn't agree with. It's just that asking for a save from the astral mommy is a bit too much to be asking this early on, so the chance of dying there is high, but not guaranteed if you play your cards right. As much as we want to see Vlad being a badass, this is a Berserk quest after all, something will fuck him up eventually. Might be his fault, might be something else.

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>>5098852
You've convinced me.

>>5098808
>You're right, I should stick with the emergency plan.(Casca)
Casca is infiltrating the castle isn't she? There might be a chance we can encounter our parents.

>>5098852
We didn't really get any time to establish our own character before getting swept along with the canon berserk crew so I wouldn't expect much investment in the MC compared to them. If the quest is barely a story about the MC then what's the point?

>>5098852
QM can you please give us hints to survive the upcoming battle? I know you want to do something with the holy see, holy iron chain knights , and vlad later, I wanna see it happen too. But I don't trust my choice making skills or the other anons skills either. So please, give us hints so the quest doesn't end so soon.

>>5098864
I know I'm begging for the QMs guidance here, but honestly I don't see any other future other than vlad being carried out of the battlefield dead, or at the very least horribly injured without the QMs guidance.

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>>5098860
Fair enough, I thought jumping into familiar territory would make players more comfortable before developing more into original material, so I'll keep that in mind when developing the characters.
>>5098864
The basics of CQC should be essential against strong opponents, as well as knowing how to pick your fights

>>5098877
So CQC essentials and picking fights will be necessary for survival. Alright should be doable, Vlad was able to fight Judeau to a draw (though mainly through magic powers). I guess I'm just worrying to much, at least that means I'm invested in the quest.

>>5098808
>>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.

>>5098808
>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.

“Guts, I'm literally a high Elf that can see the Astral realms and predict the future, what the fuck are you talking about.”

>>5098877

Will you utilize dice in this quest?

>>5098808
>You're right, I should stick with the emergency plan.(Casca)
or
>You're right, I should stick with the backup unit. (Judeau)
we are untrained and nearly useless in combat we would just hold guts back (if we don't get insta gibbed and if he cared enough).

>>5098908
to be honest, dice would be great (even if it's only for battle).

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>5098912
rolling for cock size

I'll post the update tomorrow. Weekday updates should be a bit slower but since I'm getting used to how slow the board is idk if I'm updating too fast or too slow.
>>5098908
Depends on how people feel about dice here, I thought a random nat 1/100 would make things too easy to turn the narrative in it's head by making a troll/asspull reply but maybe that could be part of the fun. Maybe removing crits and revealing dice checks could mitigate that problem
>>5098915
kek

Rolled 19, 74, 68 = 161 (3d100)

>>5098915
is that in centimetres or inches
>>5098917
in general, if you do dice I would suggest you ask for rolls after a decision is already made to prevent metagaming. also I would suggest the best of 3d100. Crits are part of the fun as long as you aren't SOM.

>>5098917
>>5098920
That depends on if rolling high or low is good :6) I'll never tell

Rolled 57, 48, 67 = 172 (3d100)

>>5098808
>>I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont weigh you down.
Lmao if you all want to go there feel free. We have 0 knowledge on how long our ability works so this can be a good test for several Tudor lances to make us an human kebab.

>>5098864
It s quite simple the battle will be a bloody melee against elite knigths and trained men at arms. Surving will be stupidly hard. I suggest to not put all our eggs in one basket, meaning getting to know the basics on how to use our spear and axe (because we don't know now). As well the shield and remember how to ride an horse, since they will give us those two things as well. Afterwards invest all the rest of time in attempting to properly understand or improve our ability somehow. Then hope we roll good in most of the battle, and that the unit of Guts doesn't suffer too many losses because if it does we will have more foes on us at the same time.

>>5098870
Sometimes it can be just that. If this was a small battle it might not be that bad.

>>5098877
I will be surprised if we are able to do that, more importantly though things like 1vs1 fights don't happen all the time in battles. Guts against the captain of the knights is a special thing. Has far i remember we look like any other member of the falcons, we don t have our family heraldry above our armor, so we are less likely to be on a one Vs one fight.

>>5098920
Alright, how does this sound?
>At least 1 hour voting period counting from the first reply. You can always ask for additional context for your choices.
I wanna give enough time for people to consider their options or discuss them before locking on them, also gives me some leeway not to be on the computer all the time.
>Rolls will be a best of 3 1d100 from each player, DCs are context sensitive but I'll let you know the numbers before asking for rolls. Only 1 and 100 count as crits and good crits override bad ones.

In retrospect I should probably have done this earlier, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

>>5098820
>>5098825
>>5098826
>>5098831
>>5098837
>>5098841
>>5098896
>>5098908
"I have a trick up my sleeve, I promise I wont let you down!" You affirm to Guts, thinking that your ability to sense people's energy might give you an edge against an experienced combatant, surely that unknown factor can turn the tides on a fight, right? You just need a little more time with it...

"Tch, suit yourself." Guts gives up on scaring you away from the position, focusing on his drink to see if he could let your audacious move slide.
Noticing the growing, uncomfortable silence around the table, you move away from the tavern without ordering a drink, still limping a bit from your spiritual exhaustion.

Fighting the elite army of the Purple Rhino Knights... Really, how could you say that with a straight face to the guy who was commanding the troop you're in? That part about getting way too confident with a few advantages struck a nerve with you, a sentence that kept repeating in your mind as you dragged yourself to bed.

"That was always the person you were."
Look at yourself, taking life for granted and making a fool out of yourself at parties, was it really worth it? You could have followed in your father's footsteps, learned how to weild a sword properly, maybe even turned into a proper scholar by paying more attention to your reading lessons. So what if you have a little quirk? Everyone keeps a secret from their parents. There was no need to be so subservient to a church you didnt believe in, so now that your parents are gone for the first time in your life, you're gonna act like a rebel and pretend you can solve everything like you're at home? Get real, maybe in your dreams you should be able to do it...

Wait, didnt Griffith say something about dreams before? How it should be a motivating aspiration of change now matter how much the odds are stacked against you? Maybe that was what he meant, the will to accomplish something grand, but not completely outside the realm of possibility.
However, wishing upon a star is not the way to go about it, no matter how much your body aches, no matter how much you hurt yourself, you need to make that last day before the fight count with all the training you can get! Not for you, but for the ones you hold dear.

At the dawn of the new day, you're one of the firsts to see the sun rise, and between the 3 meal breaks from the march, you had the opportunity to focus on improving your battle power.

>Practicing with your spear.
>Learning more about unarmed and short weaponed combat.
>Mastering your horseriding.
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear

We gotta get good with this. It's worth the time to acquire some basic proficiency with it.

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear.

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear.

>>5099186
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear.
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

Vlad the Impaler with magical powers has to be the ultimate dark fantasy combo.

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear
Figure out how to poke our enemies.

>>5099186
>Understanding how your life sensing powers

>>5099190
>>5099195
>>5099201
>>5099223
Dont we already know how to use a spear?

>>5099186
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

>>5099240
barley
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

>>5099186
>practicing with your spear
If we can't even use our main weapon we might as well be dead

>>5099186
>Practicing with your spear

>>5099186
>Understanding how your life sensing powers function.

Our only advantage in a fight.

>>5099190
>>5099195
>>5099201
>>5099207
>>5099208
>>5099223
>>5099240
>>5099245
>>5099253
>>5099299
>>5099306
>>5099338
We can do both if results go well, spiritual energy and physical training are two different skillsetst though, and since you're only trying to get what's happening with a passive ability instead of actively trying out magic, I'd say you can sneak an attempt at training once you're done with playing with the spear.

DCs are 45 for physical training, 60 for life sensing. Please roll a 2d100

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>5099437
looking forward to vlad jobbing it up hard

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5099444
whoops, one more

Rolled 22, 32 = 54 (2d100)

>>5099437

Rolled 43, 45 = 88 (2d100)

>>5099437
here we goo

>>5099444
okay, so 89 and 60. two passes (even if only barely).

Rolled 89, 77 = 166 (2d100)

>>5099437

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>>5099444
>>5099446
nice. nice.

>>5099437
wait wait wait so is it first cum first roll, or best of three?

>>5099480
Best of three, a hero is born

>>5099480
See here >>5099154

>>5099480
yeah we had anon two rolls
>>5099444
>>5099446
then
>>5099466
and then mine. you were slightly too slow although those are great rolls.

Rolled 32, 25 = 57 (2d100)

>>5099437
Let's go

>>5099444
>>5099446
>>5099466
The first thing you do as the morning comes is to practice with your spear. This time, you try and ask Judeau for how to properly attack with a spear, seeing as you two seemed to get along well last time and he seemed like a patient teacher.

In the early morning, you learn how to block from frontal, side and back attacks, always making sure to push your foe away with either the shaft or the pointy end of your weapon, you start to get more used to shifting your weight between your upper and lower body, retreating when being focused on your legs and holding your ground with repeated attacks at your torso, by the end of your session, you even learn how to hold the spear in one hand, showing it off by spinning it from your left arm to your right.
Good progress, but you're still no master. At noon, you inquire him for a few more lessons, but this time to learn how to be on the offensive.

Since we dont have any live soldiers to freely skewer, the mercenary improvises some targets for you to practice, like seeing if you can pierce a watermelon while standing 2 meters away from it (which according to him, should be enough strength to pierce through an enemy's head without his helm) And lifting a tree trunk off it's roots with the tip of your lance, both of which you suceed in doing. Turns out that if you manage to impale something into your shaft, their bodies can be used as crowd control, be it from the shock of seeing that you can lift one of their soldiers, but also because being hit by another human does a lot more damage than bonking them over the head.
"Aim for the chest, arms and chest, perfect for blindsighting and charged attacks if you're with a horse. If you have the advantage in range, the only problem you'll find is against broadsword weilders if they're fast enough, and shooting arrows from far away, also if you find yourself in a closed enviroment or a place where you cant fully extend your spear, draw a secondary immediately. Even if you havent used them, getting your primary weapon stuck in debris is a death sentence.

>>5099619

Lastly, you try to get a better grasp of your visions at night. The local flora is drying up towards a rocky cliffside, but even if there's not enough nature around, you can still feel the life energy coming from your comrades.
Squinting your eyes again, you see several spirits inside the bodies of all the soldiers around you, they seem to be walking around, mimicking their movements and even hearing some of their thoughts when they pass by.
"I hope my wife's not too worried about me..."
"Damn, it's getting hot here. The heat inside the armor is gonna kill me!"
"We're gonna crush those bastards tomorrow!"

Things are finally making sense to you, by focusing on the life around you and taking time to observe their presense, not only can you see into their thoughts, but also their intent, their instinct, as the mind acts far faster than the body can react, by seeing directly through their souls, you can react accordingly by seeing what they will do even before they're aware of it.
Although, the longer you start to focus, the more that feeling of being watched from behind grows. At first, you tried to ignore it as mere intuition, but that was soon confirmed true when you felt the warm grasp of two gentle, supple hands clasping at your shoulder.

There is someone behind you right now, and you wonder what their intention is.

>Turn around.
>Touch the hands.
>Ask who's there.
>Break away from their touch.

>>5099622
>Touch the hands.
>Ask who's there.

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>>5099622
>Touch the hands.
>Ask who's there.
Ah fuck no. mom died, didn't she.

>>5099622
>>Touch the hands.
>>Ask who's there.

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>>5099622
>ask who's there
I wonder who it is

>>5099651
Actually, I'm betting that it's Casca or Griffith.

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>>5099663
Its a quiet night today uh

>>5099482
>Guts rolls best of 10

>>5099622
>Touch the hands
>Ask who's there
Shitshitshit

>>5099678
We're gonna get another vision aren't we? Hopefully it's a good one.

>>5099622
>Touch the hands.
>Ask who's there.

>you felt the warm grasp of two gentle, supple hands clasping at your shoulder.

We are either about to witness horrors beyond Vlad's comprehension or have a pleasant conversation with an important character.

>>5099627
>>5099651
>>5099657
>>5099678
"Who's there?"
The voice does not respond to your calling, remaining unidentified. You're afraid that if you break away your focus, you might lose your chance to finally know who has been spectating you for all this time.
By their's grip, you have a feeling that they're not clasping at you akin to a predator's claw, but rather doting on you, as if giving you a motherly embrace.

After meeting hands, the entity tugs with a startled reaction to your fingers, but after a moment of hesitation, they returns the gesture by tangling their fingers with your own.
"Vlad Santana, for too long we have been separated from our ties. Has your blood finally awakened your natural ability of feeling my Od?"

Od? Is she reffering to the life energy? What does she have to do with your powers?
"I am glad to know my efforts have not been in vain. Several times before, I have tried and failed to directly link our thoughts together, but given our distance, opening your Od to astral connections would likely come with interference from the Interstice... Though your human form has prevailed, you are still as sensitive to light and darkness as those of my kin."
A female voice speaks of several terms you never heard before, but you can assume she's the magical entity responsible for the previous "hallucinations" you've felt in your lifetime.

"My time with you is short, as they cannot detect my presence, but know this: You are not alone, nor will you ever be. Life does not end, nor does it begin, it merely mutates into different shapes and sizes. By virtue of being here, you are already taking part in the near infinite array of connections mortals are tied to by fate itself."

She speaks to you as somebody who's known you for your entire life, perhaps even further than that. And though you do not understand her terminology, she appears to offer some of her wisdom to you in your current predicament.

>Who are you?
>What is Od?
>Are you the one giving me my powers?
>Do you if my parents are well?
>Write-in

>>5099757
>Write-in
Are you my mom?

>>5099757
>>5099761
>Write in
>are we related?

>>5099757
>Who are you?
>What is Od?
>Do you if my parents are well?

>>5099765
Kek. Would support if it wasn't meta,

>>5099781
Yea that's way to meta. It'd be better if my choice was
>what is Od?
Or something