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>>5247847
A nap is something that you hardly enjoy nowadays.

Not because you are unable to sleep, on the contrary, after being battered, beaten, seeing a family member sacrifice herself to save you and take a horrible wound directly to the soul, there's nothing more your body asks of you than to rest and sleep for the entire day. But every time you shut your eyes, you're haunted by the same nightmare you've been having for what feels like an eternity.

You're at the Santana estate, seemingly never having magical ancestry with your adoptive parents and you have ended the plague of the occultists, until Merlina herself shows up to corrupt your dream, morph your spirit into a tree, ending with the falcon of light comes to end your life and snap you into reality.

Sometimes the dream alters slightly, you ask different questions to your parents and to your servants, sometimes Farnese or Guts are there, sometimes you're the one that gets possessed by magic and start slaughtering your friends and family. The message always remains the same: you're the one that did this, and you can't dial back in time.

The worst part is, you can never tell that it's a nightmare until you wake up, it all feels too real, as if you always forget of the true condition of the present. In truth, your mind does want to forget all of this, and the fact that it can't is weighing down on you.

Physically, spiritually, mentally. You are exhausted. There is no quick fix to any of these, especially given how your body is reacting weirdly to Od Transferring, you've asked your horse to spare you some energy a few times, and every time you attempt to fix yourself, your muscles spasm as you feel like you were gut punched and rag-dolled by a spirit at the same time.

"Vlad stubborn. Rest and don't complain." Even Gunpowder with his limited vocabulary advises you not to do much while you're travelling. Exhaustion is a bitch, but considering it will take at least a few weeks to get back to Ilos, you might be able to lick your wounds and sit this one out. What's the worst that could happen, anyway? It's not like you have a branded individual on your group of refugees, Farnese handed out the money to Hyde and with only a few days waiting, he came back with several horses and supplies to last you until the next settlement.

"Here we are again." Serpico helps you get on your carriage. "It's always such a pleasure to see you standing. Especially now that I'm not obligated to off your head."
"Water under the bridge, right?" You chuckle to him as you find a comfortable place to sit before parting.

>So how did you live through the Ceremony by yourself?
>Is Farnese doing alright?
>I assume you know where we're going by now?
>Write-in.

>>5247892
>>Write-in.
>"Well....That was kinda fucked up huh?"
>Is Farnese doing alright?
>I assume you know where we're going by now?

It's back!
>>5247892
>So how did you live through the Ceremony by yourself?
>Is Farnese doing alright?
>I assume you know where we're going by now?

>>5247892
>>So how did you live through the Ceremony by yourself?

>>5247903
+1

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>>5247902
>>5247903
>>5247912
"I assume you know where we are going by now?"

"Not really. Hyde gave me the gist of it, but I wanted to know more about this Ilos place since he hasn't visited it personally. Even so, it was best to wait things out, you're not the only one who suffered some damage there and needed rest, it was a good idea to wait for a bit before starting our trip given what everyone's still trying to process."

"Yeah... It was a fucked up night, wasn't it?"
"And that's putting it lightly. I would say something about not wishing this upon my worst enemy, but then I remember that this was all caused by your enemies..." Serpico refers to Mozgus, missing out on the encounter with the God Hand members.

"How did you live through all of that, anyway? Seems like a lot of work to fight for an entire night by yourself."
"It wasn't all by myself, mind you. I did the same as you, stay to where fire was and stuck with the groups. Can't say I've ever fought an intangible foe before, striking with my sword was as effective as slapping them, so I begrudgingly picked up the torches with Jerome."

"I thought you were afraid of fire?"
"Still am. But when whatever was threatening on drowning and killing me starts to scream for god while it devours the soldiers you're trying to command, the trauma I had in the past with fire seemed little in comparison... All I had to do was hold a torch on my non dominant hand, I'm not as stubborn as Lady Farnese, Vlad. I know what to do when push comes to shove."

"Still, the fire had to run out eventually, right?"
"That it did. As if things couldn't get any worse, the tower started to collapse on us, don't even know how Jerome and I lived through the rubble, but I'm glad we did. Those spirits were hopelessly stupid, it's like once you hide underground, you stop existing in their line of sight. I would recommend doing that beforehand, but considering there were several other corpses who also were crushed under the weight, maybe we just lucked it out."

"But how did Jerome died if you were both safe?"
"Well, we were hearing a man's scream for help. Some guy named Joachim was trying to climb his way up and got stuck with a large wall crushing his back. Jerome appeared to know him from the prostitution ring, one of the girls took a liking to him so he wanted to pay her back and save one of the regulars, but when he crawled over, the wall crushed him further as the rubble sent us deeper into the pile. Joachim was saved, but Jerome bled out a few hours before help reached us. Hearing his groans turn more and more silent while all I could move was my neck and my fingers... 'Rough night', you can say that again..."

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>>5247989
"Damn, from the little I've seen of Jerome, I thought he was just some lazy richie. Didn't think he would try to play hero. What got into him?

"When no hero shows up for your aid, you have to be your own savior. I wasn't particularly close to him myself, but I've gotten quite used to seeing his face. I did also get used to seeing corpses since I've walked with the mistress for so long, but It's never a pleasant feeling to see them falling on your team, is it?"

Between Serpico's deadpan voice, his squinty eyed expression, and how fast he processes his emotions, it's hard to say whether he's taking the news in stride, or if he's just so exhausted by everything that all he knows is to smile and nod when asked to.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to turn the situation about me."
"I'm not exactly your boss, Serpico. You can be subjective on your debriefings, especially if it's a situation you just got out of."
"Noted. I'm just trying to get used to the attention."
"You call me talking to you every now and then attention?"
"Well, yes. When I hear my name called, it's mostly to follow orders, not for the 'How's it going?' chatter."
"Guess I should change the subject to familiar territory then. How's Farnese?"

"That's exactly the reason why I'm somewhat aimless today. I appear to be in some sort of vacation? Farnese told me she doesn't want me by her side for some time. She needed room to think and didn't want any interruptions, so I left her on her own and came over here to inquire."

"Huh, does she tend to do that often?"
"Not in the slightest. First time, actually. When she got mad at somebody and took it on me, it was easy to tell, but the fact that there's no malice in her words means something drastic got to her on that day, something other than the mountain of corpses she's used to seeing."

Serpico kneels over to your eye level, closely observing your facial expressions.

"You wouldn't happen to know what that was, would you?"

>She did see the corpse of a child getting ravaged by a horse...
>Losing her faith is probably making her ruminate a lot.
>I might have touched her inappropriately while she was half naked...
>She saw me having a talk with the ones leading the ceremony.
>Nope, not a thing. Must be the changing of seasons.
>Write-in.

>>5248007
>>Write-in.
>Tell him everything that happen while we were with her. And then tell him about the corpse child, because Gunpowder is the bloody protag, not us.

>>5248007
>"Her eyes were opened to how deep the corruption of these beasts run. How easily can someone deal with their principles being proven false, give her time. The path forward is something personal for all of us, and never easy."

>>5248012
+1

>>5248012
+1

>>5248012
>>5248014
>>5248024
"Her eyes were opened to how deep the corruption of these beasts run. How easily can someone deal with their principles being proven false, give her time. The path forward is something personal for all of us, and never easy."
"Care to elaborate?"
"With pleasure, do you mind handing me some water from back in the carriage? This might take a while."
"Freedom of orders only lasted a few minutes... You're lucky you're covered in bandages..." Serpico climbs onto the wagon while you recall in your memory on where to get started.

You share your knowledge on Apostles, how Behelits work, who really is the Falcon Of Darkness, and why you and Guts are so interested in stopping the God Hand. Serpico appears to be following and asking questions at the start, but the more you try to go into detail, the more his face sinks deeper into his hands.

"Did you get all of that?"
"Kind of, after the whole horse and the child part the absurdity of the events caught up to me. I thought the exhaustion was getting to me once I overheard Farnese telling the story to you but... I'm at a loss for words."
"I could repeat it if you want, I'm still not sure I understand how they manipulate causality aside from the fact that they do--"
"That's fine. I don't think I could sit through another one of these talks." Serpico coughs, holding back some of his breakfast from coming up his stomach.

"So 5 Gods want to enter this dimension, and if they do, we're all turning into creatures with no free will under their command, most likely looking like demons we fought in Albion, only worse, and on a much larger scale."

"Correct. They're already removing free will with each passing generation, giving how people are submitting to The See and forgetting other cultures, the origins of magic, fighting proxy wars, etc. It all boils down to being desensitised of your own ability to choose."

"And with the Falcon Of Light being incarnated, it provided a leeway for them to keep doing their plans, right? But is it really possible for people to just blindly be brainwashed in such a short amount of time? I know everyone's been dreaming about his coming, but what exactly can he do to sway all in the crowd to his favour?"

"I have no idea. And while Griffith is Guts' target a lot more than mine, one God Hand member on my world is one too many."
"...And where exactly does Farnese fit into your warfare...?"
"What?" You lower your mug and catch the sight of a fierce Serpico.

"I was under the impression that you were taking Farnese away to safely stay in Ilos, but it seems like you're forging together a team to fight ridiculously high odds. I appreciate what you've done with Farnese, and how you've changed her into a better person. But if you are thinking that I'm letting you take Farnese into a suicide mission with you, that's where I draw the line."

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>>5248058
"I'm not forcing her to follow me, if that's what you're worried about. We've talked this through, she does want to follow me."

"Vlad, you of all people should know that Lady Farnese is regarded for the poor lapses in her judgement. I wouldn't be tasked with staying at her side for all my life by Federico de Vandimion himself if she didn't need guidance."

"It's not like I want her in the front lines, I just want her to be on the side of the victors when we're done with this."

"And who's to say she will live to see it through the end? Or you? Or me? Your life is your own to take risks with it, but exposing Lady Farnese to danger is something not even Father Mozgus ordered her to do. You don't even have a plan on what to do after placing the refugees in Ilos, do you? One can only imagine what improvising will do against a war with deities."

Serpico questions your intent, heavily disagreeing in putting Farnese in more danger when she was already broken by a single day of revelations. In a way, it's important to talk about future plans with Serpico, given he's the most competent fighter you have on your side, establishing loyalty with his cause could serve a lot better to raise morale than merely establishing dominance.

Farnese has listened to you more often than him recently, but rubbing that on his face wouldn't really accomplish much, would it? It's best to discuss your primary and secondary plans with him and hope he won't mistake your drive for foolishness.

>If Griffith has a human body, it means he's a mortal. Killing him takes priority.
>Uniting with Guts and The Skull Knight would greatly increase our chances. We'll unite with them if possible.
>We have a private army in Ilos, and I'm a lord there. We have more than enough numbers to keep Farnese safe, or if the war against the Kushan forces us to pick a side.
>I don't have what it takes to be a major player in this fight yet, so I was hoping to find my mother Sivir and learn more about magic with her while taking some allies with me.
>Farnese has shown to have potential in magic, if I can teach magic to the refugees in Ilos, she will know how to defend herself.
>Write-in.

>>5248100
Alright anons, what are we gonna do? getting stronger is a priorit, and I think it'll be more possible by going with guts and ending up in elfheim, but we have people in illos that need our protection and we can't just take them with us

>>5248100
>Uniting with Guts and The Skull Knight would greatly increase our chances. We'll unite with them if possible.
>We have a private army in Ilos, and I'm a lord there. We have more than enough numbers to keep Farnese safe, or if the war against the Kushan forces us to pick a side.
>I don't have what it takes to be a major player in this fight yet, so I was hoping to find my mother Sivir and learn more about magic with her while taking some allies with me.
>Farnese has shown to have potential in magic, if I can teach magic to the refugees in Ilos, she will know how to defend herself.

>>5248109
I think we should stay here in Ilos for a few months and ensure our people can have a chance, ensure Barnham has some power for the new kingdom to not just collapse and resist until we return.
For that to happen : Defensive runes on settlements and fortifications, weapons and armors with runes, and trying to train some soldiers with the basics of magic. Since Barnham had some sorcerers we aren't completely alone, and even a few soldiers that know magic could be a boon.
While we stay in Ilos after we rest, in our free time we can spar with Barnham (and other characters) and practice magic. Our seeds could be used for create wood for winter, and additional defenses in the territories we hold.

After this months we leave and try to get to our mother as fast as possible, try and learn what we can, and then get back here. If we find friendly and good groups on the road without home, we tell them to go to Ilos.
If we just leave, Barnham and the soldiers can fight but that's it. He can train more soldiers, but he doesn't have knowledge like our own.
And i don't think Barnham will leave the new found kingdom.

>>5248100
>>We have a private army in Ilos, and I'm a lord there. We have more than enough numbers to keep Farnese safe, or if the war against the Kushan forces us to pick a side.
>>I don't have what it takes to be a major player in this fight yet, so I was hoping to find my mother Sivir and learn more about magic with her while taking some allies with me.
>>Farnese has shown to have potential in magic, if I can teach magic to the refugees in Ilos, she will know how to defend herself.

Mention Guts and Skull knight, but even if we can ally with them, we don't know when they will be available. Or when they wish to join forces.
Beyond that mention what we can do in Ilos, before departing for reach our mother. Serpico has seen what we are capable of, and a few months would give us time to breath and for accomplish this tasks (use the post above has an example of the things we could do)

>>5248109
Ultimately, I’m completely fine with anything happening as long as we get Barnham as a traveling companion. I love that dude so much and I want to take down Zodd with him

>>5248157
>>5248164
I'm in favor of either of these.

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>>5248157
>>5248227
"There are a lot of factors at play here Serpico, and you're justified in not confiding in me completely, but I'm not fighting this war alone, Guts and The Skull Knight have the same goals as me, and even if we don't unite in the near future, I still have a whole private army by my side."

"Private army? They have those in Ilos?" Serpico raises an eyebrow.
" I'm a lord there. We have more than enough numbers to keep Farnese safe, or if the war against the Kushan forces us to pick a side. It's a breeding ground for fighting, where only the strongest of the strongest make it into the army of gladiators. And even if they were all weaklings, we still have Barnham at our side."

"Barnham? Isn't that the name of the renegade who refused to partake in the hundred year war? What makes you believe he will lend you his power?"

"He's an apostle, and a strong one at that. The more he feasts on his enemies, the stronger he gets. Defeating him in battle made me on friendly terms with him, so the only way I'd see him turn a blind eye to me would be if--"

Your mind wanders to the possibility of Barnham betraying you. Being one that submits to displays of power, if Zodd appeared with Griffith on Ilos and asked him to fight on their side, what would he do? A new Band Of The Falcon won't appear out of thin air, but Griffith needs some way to miraculously prove that he can win against Emperor Ganishka in the Kushan Invasion to sway the crowd in his favor. If Barnham ran out of Wyndham's castle without murdering Princess Charlotte, it's because he already established contact with Femto...

Will Barnham submit to the God Hand afterall? That would make Ilos a lot less secure than you might have hoped for. If Zodd flew up into the air to carry Griffith to victory, you can only hope that it wasn't to steal the army in the coliseum.

"If what?" Serpico wants to know what stopped you from finishing your sentence, with you trying your best to stay confident despite growing paranoia.

"If I proved to be a weakling against stronger foes... I'll admit that I don't have what it takes to be a major player in this fight yet, so I was hoping to find my mother Sivir and learn more about magic with her while taking some allies with me. So far I've only met good creatures and powerful creatures, but never both. The more powerful astral creatures have been sealed off from this realm, and that includes the ones that could help us. If my mother had to hide somewhere beyond the sea, There's a chance she was near the presence of magical users much more experienced than I am."

"You're going to need a boat for that, though. And the sea is way up north past Vritannis."
"Money won't really be an issue. Even if the Vandimions suddenly went broke, Barnham and I have enough money to at least buy one large to medium sized ship, I believe.

>>5248360
"Besides Serpico, Farnese will be surrounded by actual warriors to protect her this time, not a few subpar soldiers with several incompetent ones, no offense." It would have taken one minor apostle to wipe the floor with the Holy Iron Chain Knights, and keeping a group like that next to Farnese would be detrimental to her safety.

"Even so, Farnese already knows how to use a sword, that doesn't mean she will survive in an active battlefield with her strength alone."

"I'm not asking her to wield a sword, she's shown to have potential in magic when she healed me with that gigantic pool of hers, if I can teach magic to the refugees in Ilos, she will surely know how to defend herself in other ways."

"But you said you didn't know all there is to know about magic yet. Are you really qualified to be a teacher?"
"Out of the thousand-something people living in Ilos, I'm sure at least one of them would be able to learn it from scratch. Barnham has the resources, considering he has a Kushan caster monitoring the arena he runs, there's still a plan B to go through even if I can't explain how Tudorian magic works well."

Serpico replies with absolute silence to you. He has picked up that nothing you've said is quite set in stone. The reason him and Farnese stuck to the church was that despite their heinous acts, there was a safety net for them to fall on. Now that non-lethal missions were thrown out the window, the possibility of dying became much more real to him.

"While I don't doubt your character, Vlad, I do doubt your methods. I'm not saying I have better ideas, but Lady Farnese's safety comes first for me, and that's not something you can prioritise when no one knows the day of tomorrow. Since my opinion does not weigh much in Farnese's final say in, I'll at least let her come with you to Ilos, but know this: If there comes a time where I have to save either you or her, I'm picking Lady Farnese and covering her ears. No looking back."

"And if she ever comes to pass thanks to your involvement, you better have the decency to at least finish me off too, otherwise I will be the one to spike your heart at the tip of my blade. As you've said before, 'No offence'."

>Understandable, welcome to the team either way.
>You don't scare me, Serpico. Hopefully training in Ilos will make you more intimidating.
>Farnese is safe with me. There is nothing for you to worry about.
>Write-in.

>>5248431
>"If it comes to that I'll be dead already, welcome to the team."

>>5248431
>That brings me to another point, Serpico. The old saying that power corrupts is true - and while right now my intentions are pure and my goals are just, I want you to watch me closely. If I ever cross a threshold where I've abandoned my morals and becoming willing to callously sacrifice others for my goals, I want you to beat some sense into me. And I that doesn't work, then kill me. I would rather die than to become the same as those I fight against. There's good reasons for why I've refused to use black sorceries so far.

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>>5248496
"If it comes to that I'll be dead already, welcome to the team." You take his hand into yours and force it into a shake.
"You know, it's hard to stay mad at you when you take these threats in such stride." Serpico sighs, feeling like he wasn't taken seriously.
"Oh, I am taking you seriously, which is why I have a favour to ask..."
"This really is the last time I complain about having little to do... Shoot." Serpico whisper the first part of his sentence, but lends you an ear regardless.

"The old saying that power corrupts is true - and while right now my intentions are pure and my goals are just, I want you to watch me closely. If I ever cross a threshold where I've abandoned my morals and becoming willing to callously sacrifice others for my goals, I want you to beat some sense into me. And I that doesn't work, then kill me."

"That's... Very sudden. Out of all the people I was expecting to be corrupted or turned into apostles, you weren't even on the list." Serpico is taken aback by your declaration, even if a few moments ago, he said he would have no problem killing you, maybe it's the cause that rubbed him the wrong way.

"Unpredictability must be predicted. The Behelits choose it's bearer, not the other way around. There's good reasons for why I've refused to use black sorceries so far, I would rather die than to become the same as those I fight against. Even so, there's still chance that it might happen, and if there's someone who should be able to recognise signs of decaying mental stability, it should be you."

"Right, but I'm not exactly used to interrupting mental breakdowns with words, that's more of your thing."
"Nothing stops you from learning, and if you fail, you've proven to be more than competent with your sword."
"...Noted. Let's hope it doesn't come to that though, if we do have to fight, I'd rather it be with you as a human, not a monster."
"Certainly." With those final words, you let Serpico alone with his thoughts, finally being signalled that the horses will start moving towards Ilos.

The journey is long indeed, and the first thing that proves to be an issue is the cold. With Fall turning into Winter, the mosquitoes have disappeared, the nights became longer, and the first few drops of snow turned into freezing blizzards.
Luckily, the first stopping point wasn't too far off from Hyde's route, only a few days of travel and you got into a small settlement faster than you could say "We're running out of food."

Unfortunately, while Farnese has the money, the commune wasn't exactly flaunting their wealth. It was a small group of survivors who were struggling just as much as you.

Your pack is a lot bigger than theirs, but they are certainly carrying a few spare blankets, to which Hyde manage to buy none before departing.

>>5248597
>Inquire the group about their background.
>Stock on food, only buy the spares medicine and blankets.
>Stock on medicine and blankets, leave their food.
>But everything from them, You'll thank Farnese later.
>Offer a trade.

>>5248599
>>Inquire the group about their background.
>Stock on food, only buy the spares medicine and blankets.

>>5248599
>Stock on food, only buy the spares medicine and blankets.

>>5248676
>>5248719
Buying food and ingredients to last for the entirety of the week, you wonder how these people managed to survive this far. The village (if you could even call it that) was very small, and while they did not appear to be starving, none of them were exactly in peak condition to hunt, to last the winter, or to even experiment with medication.

"Was this the place you went to when looking for supplies? You ask Hyde, wanting confirmation.
"Yep. Though I don't remember these folks selling me anything, those ones were younger types."
Perhaps they were their parents? No harm in asking, someone should remember if a flying dude came into a small place to ask for supplies, right?

"...No. I don't remember any of you." The man answered calmly.
"Ya sure? Someone had to see me landing, my girl here even laid an egg on the window there." Hyde points to a broken window on top of a brick house.
"Your harpies can already lay eggs?"
"They sure grow up fast..."

"I'm serious, this is the first time I'm seeing any of you. Unless you have visited in the past few days, then..."
"Then what, did everyone forget what happened here in the span of a few days?"
"...Yes... Only reason we're not panicking is because we all had enough memories to piece together where we were, and how to survive. #1 knew how to read, #2 remembered how to speak, #3 remembered how to cook..."

"Hold on, old timer. You're telling me you're calling yourselves by numbers? You don't even remember your names?"
"No, but #20 knew how to count, so order was established, and we were not afraid. Our memories should be coming back eventually, given how fast our recovery was, so maybe we'll get to remember who greeted you bought your items from."

A collective failure of memory. Taking back to the report of a faceless entity seen wandering around the rubble in Albion, you start to imagine if there's a correlation between the two occurrences.

None in the commune seem afraid of anything, but what if they forgot about having fear too? What if people went away from this place for a reason, and the others just forgot about it? They don't seem to be in any imminent danger, but the fact that none of them remember something as simple as what happened in the past 5 days raises a bit of a red flag.

>Warn them to watch out for a faceless entity.
>Offer protection in exchange for more supplies.
>Take them into your care.
>Carry on, you have to worry about your own for now.

>>5248769
>Take them into your care.
I'm not sure we can afford to take them on as we are, but we should at least extend the offer.

>>5248769
>Offer protection in exchange for more supplies.

>>5248769
>>Take them into your care.

>>5248769
>>Take them into your care
Check their Od and the Od of the village. Maybe there is something strange

>>5248769
>>Take them into your care.

Sorry for taking a while to update today anons, irony of the century was that I got food poisoning and had to stay some time in the hospital to stop un-eating my meals.

I'll write the update for today before going to bed since it wasn't that much to begin with but I think I'll start doing updates throughout the week instead of just weekends at the cost of being a bit slower on weekdays, just figured it would be more efficient in the grand scheme of things.

Remember to be a responsible adult and not eat old food just because "The taste is still alright". Maybe taking longer to progress the minor events is being true to the Berserk experience afterall.

>>5247847
Oh hell yeah we still live

>>5249910
That's fine man, food poisoning sucks ass.

>>5248847
>>5248883
>>5248945
>>5249076
Keeping company with them is out of the question, since you need to get back to Ilos as soon as possible, but it would also feel wrong to leave such aimless geezers to freeze to death once their food runs out.

"Would you like to join us in our travels? We're going to a bigger place, one that could leave you in safer hands."
"But this is our home! We won't remember what happened unless we stay here!" The man seemed hell bent on staying united, memories or not, these older folks always seem to be stubborn with decisions.

"How about you talk amongst your group about the decision? Surely one of you folks are curious about solving the issue." Hyde proposes, and after a few minutes of waiting for them to decide on their next course of action, it seems one of them is indeed, curious."

"#4 is the youngest of our group here, shouldn't be hard for him to endure the cold. As soon as the weather clears up, he should be able to come back to tell us the rest of our story, so long as nobody stops him in the way."

"That's the hardest part about this trip..." You ponder. "What's the one thing you didn't forget when you were attacked?"
"How to heat up the fireplace."
Things are really down on the dumpster if they couldn't even remember what fire was for... Upon closer inspection, he's the only one whose fingers don't have any burn marks...

"Well, no time to waste then, on aboard!" You give him a tap on the back, hoping that was enough to feel for his Od, but the familiar burning of your soul makes it look like you opened up a deep cut inside your entrails. What's even happening with your body if you can't even properly feel Od? Hopefully there's a magic specialist somewhere in Ilos...

As if chastising you for trying to use your magic too soon, your body is healing a lot slower from the wounds you did previously, and when you attempt to sleep that night, the pain keeps you awake, not being sharp enough for you to wail and scream, but annoying enough for you to not get more than 20 minutes of shut-eye.

Limping over to where Hyde was, you see his had tilted over to his head as he snores slightly at Gunpowder's saddle, leading the troop of survivors while you're not in peak condition.

You could stay awake and have a chat with either of the two, or try to find a way to sleep again, but between the cold hurting your bones and your soul shouting "I'm in pain!" every few seconds, you might need something to help you rest.

Why does sleep matter so much anyway? If you're lying down for half the day, there shouldn't be much difference between how fast you heal with your eyes closed versus with your eyes open...

The medicine pouch is with you, along with a full container of an unknown alcoholic beverage Hyde found somewhere with the refugees. One whiff of it nearly made your eyes water, it smells like pure alcohol, and probably tastes even better...

>>5250036
Your liver isn't used to drinking anymore, maybe a good chug could help you go nighty-night, but then who's going to watch the road? Gunpowder can stay awake at night with no problem, but if it gets too cold for the others, or if a spirit attacks the convoy at night, someone needs to give the others a heads up, and it's not going to be the 2 sleeping men from the first caravan.

Serpico's ride is following 3 meters behind, with him also being half asleep, he voted against going slow and steady in case another blizzard popped up, but rushing the journey because you can't really read a map properly when every key location is covered in snow, it was either that, or rush for a way to get lost.

Farnese's side of the tents aren't lit up, she went to sleep several hours ago, and you should have done the same, in retrospect...

>Wake Hyde up.
>Take a sip of his booze and go to sleep.
>Search for some medicine to ease the discomfort
>Have a chat with your horse.
>Sleep through the pain, it's all in the mind anyway.
>Signal for Serpico to take the lead.

>>5250066
>Wake Hyde up and sleep through the pain, it's all in the mind anyways.

I really hope that Kushan sorcerer that Barnham has can help us.

>Captcha: KP2AM

>>5250066
>Have a chat with your horse.

>>5250066
>>Sleep through the pain, it's all in the mind anyway.

>>5249910
Food poisoning is always a bitch, so I sympathize.

>>5250066
>Have a chat with your horse.
Hope you feel better after puking all that food up man.

>>5250066
>>Have a chat with your horse.

>>5249910
No problems becchi, take it slow

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>>5250185
>>5250384
>>5250449
You've known Gunpowder long enough to keep track of his mannerisms without the heavy use of telepathy. Plus, it's a bit fun to mimic his non-existent voice, even if you end up sounding like a weirdo.

"Hey there, GP! How's the cold been treating you?"
"Cold make me angry, but no energy to stay angry. Vlad no sleep?" Gunpowder turns over, appearing to be somewhat peevish over another boring day of walking in the snow.
"Nope, still in major pain from last time, but it's getting better, just not healing as fast as I hoped to. Heard you took down a possessed horse the other day, I still haven't thanked you for saving Farnese, even if you don't like her."

"No need for Vlad thanks. Other horse inferior for losing to enemy he can't see. Woman weak for sleeping after I gave her gift." Gunpowder chastises Farnese for fainting after he courageously beheaded her attacker and threw his decapitated head at her, like a cat leaving a bird's guts at his owner's doorstep as a sign of respect.

"Easy, now. Even I would have a hard time sleeping after seeing that imagery." You sympathise with her, making Gunpowder reply with a huff and a few minutes of silence. Whatever he had to say probably wasn't very nice, so he held his tongue, or was it his mind?

"Not used with working with more horses. Takes me back to younger times." He starts reminiscing. "Old Group had many horses too. White Hair Man led pack of horses everywhere, followed his horse every day with strong mouth blocker."

"You talk so little about yourself, I sometimes forget you were with The Band Of The Falcons." You imagine GP with an enforced muzzle, while soldiers tried to keep him following the trail without rebelling.
"Was less free then. Hated how White Hair Man had skinny horse. No muscles, frail, ate so little. Was not befitting of horse than went first. Wanted to eat his face for not noticing." He complains about Griffith's ride, while also relating it to present day.

"Me leading group now, good sensation, familiar. Feel like true leader now, strong leading with strong human." Gunpowder uncharacteristically gives you a compliment, even in your crippled state.

"Like White Hair Man, Vlad too, leader now."
Leader, huh...

>I wouldn't really compare myself with a leader of a mercenary group.
>I have surpassed the old Griffith, both in power and morals.
>I'm only a temporary leader for now, but a small team wouldn't be so bad.
>Write-in.

>>5250596
>I'm only a temporary leader for now, but a small team wouldn't be so bad.

>>5250596
>>I have surpassed the old Griffith, both in power and morals.

>>5250610
>>5250686
"I'm only a temporary leader for now, but a small team wouldn't be so bad. Nothing too big, though I don't trust myself in directly ordering large crowds after that blunder. It's mostly out of necessity, maybe a group of 5 to 10 people?"

"Group better include me. Vlad not show his last fight yet."
"Of course it includes you, friend. Who else would be waltzing into apostle territory without proper experience with me without so much as considering his demise?"
"Vlad teach me something. Weak fighters look for fights, but when weak turn into strong, the fights come to them." Gunpowder mentions how the more you grow in power, the bigger the target you will be, maybe the God Hand is finally noticing you are up to something and will throw more monsters down your way.

Although with monsters running more rampant, suffice to say they will be thrown everywhere, not just to the strong.
"If we were in more peaceful times, I would probably be more noticeable then. Given how humans enemies go down so easily nowadays, I can confidently say I have surpassed the old Griffith, both in power and morals."
"What about new White Hair Man? Or Big Sword Man?"
"If you're worried on that, maybe you really should have eaten his face. We wouldn't be having this conversation if you did."
"I do hard work everyday already, Vlad should do it sometimes." If he could laugh instead of neigh, that's the one spot where he would.

"Griffith is the one man I don't plan on joining sides when we finish our fight, that I can promise you."
"Fool me once, I'm mad. Fool me twice, I'm stupid. Fun is had from killing until we find White Hair Man, acceptable stupidity." Gunpowder warms up to not having to fight every time, sometimes the wait is what keeps you hyped for when the chase actually begins.

"One day I'll get strong enough to satisfy your ridiculously high standards, GP."
"Will wait for that day." He stays with his eyes on the road, never remaining unfocused, but galloping slowly so the others could catch up to him.

>Talk about something else with him.
>Watch the road until the sun rises.
>Try to sleep again.
>Signal for Serpico to take the lead.
>Wake Hyde up.

>>5250735
>>Talk about something else with him.
Vlad is beating himself too much, it's literally the first time he lead a group. Many of them survived and had a chance to fight thanks to him and his leadership

>>5250735
>Try to sleep again.
That talking would have tired anyone out, now that Vlad is more tired he really should try to get some rest until morning.

>>5250767
+1, and contemplate >>5250761 as he does so

>>5250767
Leaving Gunpowder on his own, you close your eyes again and attempt to rest once more. Maybe talking to a friendly face was exactly what you needed to get some sleep.

Were you being too harsh on yourself? The amount of people that died in the tower of conviction were far too many for you to save, and even if you did, you're walking at near max capacity as is. If you led them all back to Ilos, you would see a lot of them starving, freezing or being told to leave from overpopulating the coliseum.

That could be the case, but consider what's at stake here: You're sick, sleep deprived, dealing with the possible death of Sivir, and wondering if Griffith will steal an entire city's population away from you. At times like these, you start to envy the rulers who can easily ignore the pleads of the people, but the higher you ascend, the more you have to watch for the ants below.

...Maybe a sip of the booze would have emptied your mind faster. The way your head is, you could stay talking to yourself for all eternity.

You've slept for a new record this time: 1 hour! The sun wasn't even what woke you up this time, but the bump from Gunpowder's sudden stop. Wonderful...
#4 and Hyde seemed to be arguing outside your carriage.

"What the hell is this about?"
"Number four over here found an offroad trail leading to the woods, but look at the state this place is in!" Hyde points outwards as you yawn and pull over your sheets.

A large Kushan group laid still, buried in the sand. No regular enemy could have defeated them, but the only thing near your sight is a large pack of growling wolves, still intact from whoever went into the snowy forest.

Something that somehow stayed intact were the footsteps of the attacker. A small pair of human feet indicated that the attacker was indeed a humanoid, but one who could leave evidence of his presence over here for this long? Seemed like a trap, through and through.

"I'm serious! The reason the younger people of our commune left was due to something related to the Kushan! I just don't remember what that is!" #4 pleaded for Hyde to investigate.

"You see anyone here in good condition to fight something that can beat a kushan troop after running thourgh a wolf pack, partner? I can't even take flight with the sky being like this without my eyelids freezing when I blink! We can't exactly sit down and wait when we have wagons of people pleading for our next stop to be near us."

Rationing an extra meal is costly when the matter is not money, but supplies. Hyde's concerns are understandable, but if nothing else triggered #4's memory, he's bound on going there by himself without any help.

Searching into the forest with him is not something you're considering either, but you'd be feeling like the biggest of assholes for telling him to fuck off after promising to help his crew.

>>5250924
>Keep going uphill and avoid the encounter.
>Ask Hyde to check the area by flying low.
>Ask Serpico to fight the wolves.
>Investigate the Kushan troop's corpses.
>Go on the alternative path.

>>5250933
>Investigate the Kushan troop's corpses.
If that thing is nearby, we need to know what it did to the Kushan. Wolves are a known factor; this mystery humanoid is not a known factor. At this point if the wolves try attacking the convoy, they're free food and fur for us to use when we take them down.

>>5250933
>>Investigate the Kushan troop's corpses.

>>5250933
>Investigate the Kushan troop's corpses.

>>5250933
>Investigate the Kushan troop's corpses.
Time to get back in the saddle, nothing like investigating some corpses to get the blood flowing again.

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>>5250956
>>5250958
>>5250964
>>5250965
Well, no point in delaying things then.
A 1d100 should suffice. Either we find something interesting, nothing at all or get the alpha pack pissed off, the wonders of rolling for results!

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>5250988
Nothing bad could possibly happen

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>5250988

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>5250988
ROLLO

>>5250998
>>5251034
>>5251059
"Let's at least take a look at their belongings before we give a final answer." You point for Hyde to take a look at what they had with them, their death wounds, and whatever was close to them. He is the hunting professional of the group, so he should be the one to best analyse the field.

"Can't really use my nose with it being clogged and all, but I don't smell any animals on them. No recent bite marks or piercing wounds on them, not even a drop of blood." Hyde makes an attempt at forensics, despite his rhinitis.

"Weird, did they run out of supplies and freeze?"
"Hard to say, they look pretty heavily clothed, if the food wasn't buried in snow and sand, I'd say we should take them." Hyde looks inside a water container, but all he hears is the thunk of an ice block.

"So who do you think killed these people, if you had to guess?"
"Nothing physical explains it. Maybe that's more fit for you magic people... No human would be stupid enough to walk barefoot over here, that much I can guarantee. The skin could stick to a cold enough surface and would tear off when pulled. I know a trap when I see one, made similar ones when having to make a run in an opposite direction. Going here feels like walking into a trap."

"B-But... if the Kushan were here, and they were going to where my commune was... They must have found the younger group somewhere in the way, what if they got attacked and had to hide in the forest?"

"If they really found them, I'm sad to say nothing could have prepared them to a heavily armoured Kushan group. That thing waiting for us to venture in the woods? It can't be someone you know..."

"Someone I know... That's it!" #4's face is riddled with terror. "The one who attacked us had no face!"
"What? Hyde remembers the report of the faceless monster."
"In one moment, I was talking to my neighbor after supper, but when I took a closer look at him... his face had disappeared! I blacked out and forgot everything before I could shout for help, the monster can hide in groups and look exactly like someone you know, and when you're at your most vulnerable, it attacks!"
"Then why did he kill the Kushan group, but not you? Is it a benevolent creature?" Hyde furrows his brow.
"I... I don't know.. I can't make out a reason why he would let us live..."
This story is getting hairier by the minute. You would love to be using your spiritual powers to confirm who that entity is, but with what Od Pool?

>Can we kill the wolves?
>Can we fly to look for the perpetrator?
>Let's get out of here before he hops on our wagons then.
>Best to take you back home so you can recover safely.

>>5251108
>Let's get out of here before he hops on our wagons then.
I got a bad feeling that we have outstayed our welcome, time to GTFO before something tries to square up against us nigga.

>>5251108
>"Let's get out of here before he hops on our wagons then."
>Devise a test to surreptitiously put the members of your caravan through - little checks for inconsistencies in stories and behavior. Even check the other horses for any oddities in how they behave - you can't be sure that the faceless monster is limited to only humans, after all. Perhaps...well, your od might not be in a good state, but maybe you can enlist Farnese's aid in creating a worthwhile Ward that could bring such a monster extreme discomfort, and use that to root out the monster if it's among you already?

>>5251150
+1

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>>5251113
>>5251150
"Let's get out of here before he hops on our wagons then. Sorry #4, hopefully we can still find what's left of your group."
"But...But..." He tries to form an argument and remember something else that would help his case, but with Hyde pulling him away from being bitten by a wolf, he ultimately gave in.

"Your safety should come first, partner. If we find the rest of your people, we'll let you paint the picture on your own terms." Hyde slowly backs away as he looks at the leader of the pack dead in the eyes, not wanting to get rabies when he didn't even plan on fighting.

Breaking formation and leaving in a V line, you instruct Hyde on how you plan on dealing with this looming threat for the next few days.
First, a background check on who's who. Noting down names, features and mannerisms on a piece of paper, who you kept under close guard to make sure no one else read it.

Secondly, you would ask them if they forgot anything important, if they felt like something was missing in their minds, or if they saw anyone lacking a face recently, all coming down to varying degrees of 'no'.

"Well, the whole point of forgetting is no to remember something important, how could I remember what I just forgot?"
"Someone with no face? I think you would hear something going down the other wagons if a creepy sight like that showed up!"
"Goo Goo, Gah Gah..."
"Of course he doesn't remember anything, you're asking a baby!"

After hearing what everyone had to say in person and re-reading all answers in the following night, two options were very clear: Either the entity wasn't here and you were safe, or it is very good at hiding.

The only ones who said something noteworthy were #4, who clearly forgot everything anyway, and Farnese, who-
...Farnese's section is blank? That's weird, you thought she would be the first one you would interrogate, but she did told Serpico she didn't want to see anyone.

Well, the horses are resting today, so you might as well waltz there to be sure.
Limping over a few steps with your cane and a short sword on your free hand, you check Serpico sharpening his sword while Hyde pets his harpy. You're relatively safe on their earshot.

Reaching Farnese's wagon, you notice that she's lying down, the lantern inside her lodgings still lit. She makes very little movements, being sluggish and groaning with every twist and turn. Her whole body, safe for her head, is under a heavy blanket, making it hard for her to turn around.

Since you're facing her casting shadow, it's safe to assume she hasn't noticed your near presence. Great if she's the enemy, creepy if she's just regular Farnese.

>Talk between the curtains.
>Enter the wagon.
>Ask her to come out.

>>5251230
>Talk between the curtains.

>>5251230
>Enter the wagon.
This is...ominous.

>>5251230
>Talk between the curtains.
Lets not surprise her by just barging in. I tried that once when someone was sleeping too. It did not end well.

>>5251230
>Talk between the curtains.

>>5251253
>>5251256
>>5251257
>>5251272
"Farnese, you awake? I'd like to have a word with you."
"Hm?" Her voice is still the same when she hums, but after hearing your voice, she huddles more into her blanket and stays still.
"Farnese!" You repeat her name, making sure she knows you're calling for her by name.
"Go away... I thought I made it clear that I didn't want nobody seeing me here..." Her voice is very whiny, and from the way she speaks her nose appears to be somewhat clogged.
"It's important. I'm afraid there's an intruder in our group, and I'm checking with with every passenger. You're the only one left."
"Do I really have to get up...?"
"Just get closer to the curtains, it won't take long." You see her mustering up strength to even get out of her sheets, sitting down in a comfortable position as slowly as possible and dragging her lower torso closer to the entrance. The panting from those motions made her run out of air pretty fast, she appears to be in an even more deplorable state than you right now.

"What is it...?" You see her silhouette placing both hands on her nose and she sniffles.
It would make sense for her to get sick in this weather, but that's also a perfect excuse for her to not show her face... If the monster was stealing people's memories to learn how to act more humanly, would he be able to properly lie in the span of a few weeks? He can't possibly evolve so rapidly, can he?
Is there anything you can ask to Farnese that would make you instantly know that she was indeed Farnese?

>Do you feel like you're forgetting something?
>Have you seen someone without a face recently?
>Why didn't you tell me you were sick?
>Still ruminating about what happened?
>Do you mind showing me your face for a bit?
>I bet you look wonderful today.
>Write-in.

>>5251311
>Do you feel like you're forgetting something?

>>5251311
>"You sound ill - do you need someone to help care for you? It would be remiss of me not to help you when you helped me back at the ball. When I had that terrible flu, remember?"
It's a lie, because at the ball everyone thought we were poisoned with griffith and were throwing up instead. If she catches it, she's the real deal. But if she doesn't...

>>5251311
this>>5251350

>>5251350
+1 to this

>>5251350
Switching to this. +1.

>>5251350
support

>>5251339
>>5251350
>>5251355
>>5251365
"You sound ill - do you need someone to help care for you? It would be remiss of me not to help you when you helped me back at the ball. When I had that terrible flu, remember?" You test her memory to see if Farnese can remember what happened when you first met her.

"Flu...? You had no flu at the ball, Vlad... You went to the infirmary because you were puking red all over the royal carpet..." Farnese thinks back on that day with several pauses. "Your breath was already reeking of alcohol that day, but it got even worse when you saw the falcon... I remember laughing at you when you were gone, that was pretty mean of me... but then I stepped on your puke on the way out and ruined my favourite pair of pink socks, so maybe karma had the last laugh..."

She tells plenty of information from her perspective, a lot of which you didn't know. Though the general gist of the story is correct, you're pretty sure people thought you were puking because of Griffith's poisoning attempt, not because you saw the Behelit's spiritual power and it started having fun with your entrails.

You lift the shortsword behind your side of the curtains, unsure whether to call out for an impostor, or if she's just remembering things wrong because she's frying her brains to even stay up. That day was so vivid on her mind, though, she was thinking about you almost every other day when in the covenant, so her recollections should be told with confidence, to which she very much did.

"I didn't help you that day... Which is why I don't deserve your help now... Several others will get sick until we reach our destination, so medicine should be used sparingly... A little flu won't take me down, and I already have a blanket, unlike people in the back wagons..." The frailty on her voice sounds genuine enough for you to loosen your hard grip on your shortsword.

"A little flu can still kill you if you don't take care of yourself in the freezing cold, Farnese."
"A man came to talk with Serpico a few days earlier... His lover had a chronic infection, and she needed to recover, or else she risked dying because of her poor health... I thought of speaking up, but I didn't want to be selfish... This is what it means, to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others... Like you do... Atchoo! Atch- OW!"

Farnese drops her head back on her blanket, the sound making you worry if she hurt her nape on the woodframe. Maybe she's going a bit too far on her redeeming bully attitude, neglecting herself for the people who she hurt in the past won't do any good if she's in this state in only a few days...

But was it really true that somebody came in and asked Serpico for medicine?
You remember Nina, the girl in the prostitute group sneezing when you were asking her as her lover Joachim carried her in his arms, she was indeed a little sick, but did it look that threatening to Farnese?

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>>5251445
But the medicine was all in your wagon, you would have noticed if something was missing, unless you-

Forgot...

Was perhaps this exchange enough for you to trust the Farnese inside the carriage?

>Go in and take care of her.
>Ask Serpico about the medicine.
>Look for Nina and Joachim.

>>5251446
>"Come to the front wagon with me, Farnese. We'll get you some medicine, it wouldn't be selfish - in truth, I need you to be in your best condition to help with making wards for the caravan, since my Od is in poor condition after the incarnation ceremony. So getting you healthy again is the best way to help everyone else, you see? Besides, I don't want to leave you back here alone with a possible intruder about."

>>5251446
>Go in and take care of her.

>>5251475
Support

>>5251446
>Go in and take care of her.

>>5251475
>>5251507
>>5251576
"Come to the front wagon with me, Farnese. We'll get you some medicine-" You enter the wagon and see Farnese's limbs bent at odd angles, even under the blankets, you can see that she's trembling and convulsing from high fever. Her forehead was as hot as a lit match and she reeked of sweat. The blanket was too thick to let any heat dissipate, so it only helped to worsen her condition. She needed treatment as soon as possible!

"Damn it, Farnese. Get over here!" You roll her up on a thinner sheet and place her on your back. It's amazing the amount of tomfoolery you let her get away with...
One step out of the wagon is already enough to tell that you can't carry a atom weight body like Farnese's on your back, making you wobble in place as you try not to collapse on the floor and give her another concussion.
"What's the matter, partner? Any luck with the monster?" Hyde shows up to lift her up with Serpico.
"No, but Farnese was sick and didn't tell anybody, can any of you help me take her to my wagon?"

"Sure." Serpico volunteers. "Hyde, I left some cold medicine with the ladies of the night, would you mind seeing if they have some spare?"
"No problem, was nice meeting with you though, I'll treat you to a drink when we're in Ilos." Hyde excuses himself after making a trip to Nina's wagon.

"Nice guy. Wouldn't shut up about his wife, but I can tell he's well intentioned, almost feel bad about sending him to the whorehouse."Serpico takes Farnese's head while you hold her feet up to your wagon. At least you're able to hold half her weight now...

"So I guess we can confirm that no impersonator is in our group." Serpico says after placing her down.
"Maybe, but I still think there's a chance he could be nearby. The weather will stay this way until early morning hours, you think we should risk a few more steps?"
"I'd say so, but then somebody would have to stay awake for the night, and given the rotation order, today would be my day."
"I could try staying on GP's saddle, if you're feeling tired. Not like I'm getting much sleep, anyway-"
"You're not going anywhere, Serpico..." A half-awake Farnese pulls you by the shoulders onto the floor as you fall on the sheets with her.

"...I'll just ask Hyde about it later. Just go to sleep, I hear people sleep better when you're snuggling with your significant other." Serpico withdraws, picking up that the best way for you both to rest under his eye would be to stay in the same spot.

"But what about the attacker?" You ask him as he ignores the sound of your voice. If the thought of getting sweaty under the blankets with Farnese ever crossed your mind, you weren't expecting it to work out like this! You've pretty much done every sexual activity with Farnese without it actually being sexy...
"Serpico?! Serpico, where did you goooo...?" Farnese whines to herself, shaking your back instead of her knight's.

>>5251669
She's still intensely burning up, and with one roll of her eyelids to check on her dilated pupils, you confirm that she's having some mental confusion from this whole ordeal, barely waking up from her head hitting the floor.

"Come baaack!" You feel Farnese shoving you over as she slurs her words and attempts to stand up to reach Serpico's back.
"What kind of lazy ass knight lets his mistress die from sickness inside another man's tent?"

"I am taking this situation as seriously as possible and doing what I can: Waiting for Hyde to come back." Serpico counts the vials in the medicine pouch and observes if there's anything he can mix and give to Farnese. "You, however, are the one trying to lift an adult woman over your shoulders when you can't even swing your halberd over your head. Do yourself a favor and keep resting with her while I heat up some water. Pretend I don't exist, if it makes it any easier."

And there goes your chance at finding more clues... Though I guess you could rest your case for now, it's a lot more logical to believe that the Kushan killing, memory wiping entity is further along the road than inside your group. Besides, a chance to have a comfortable good night's sleep with Farnese at your side? Plenty of worse situations to be in.

Now if only her nose wasn't runny and her body smelling like melting wax, maybe she would actually be looking kind of cute, smiling with her eyes closed, hands wrapped over your shoulders as you turn under the sheets and let her lean on your back. Let's just hope you don't get sick along with her...

"S-Serpico? Is that you?" She feels the odd movements around her and pinches your nose and cheeks to confirm your identity. You're not that skinny without your armor, are you?

>Yes, Lady Farnese. It's me.
>You got the wrong guy.
>(Stay silent. Talking to her in that state will only make things awkward when she wakes up.)
>(Write-in.)

>>5251700
>(Stay silent. Talking to her in that state will only make things awkward when she wakes up.)

>>5251700
>>You got the wrong guy.

>>5251700
>You got the wrong guy

>>5251703
Support

>>5251700
>>(Stay silent. Talking to her in that state will only make things awkward when she wakes up.)

>>5251700
>(Stay silent. Talking to her in that state will only make things awkward when she wakes up.)
Just try to fall asleep, they both are really tired.

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>>5251703
>>5251845
>>5251901
>>5251980
You know what? Humoring her in her delusions might be funny, but you feel like you've already been too mean with her today, anything you hear her saying without her consent will make things a lot awkward when she realizes what she just said. Staying silent and pretending you're not here is the smartest move.

"..."
"Don't play stupid with me, Serpico! I know it's you! This is an order! Answer your mistress!" She keeps tugging at your hair and probing your face. If she won't believe that you're you, might as well pretend to be sleeping.

You snore, hoping she believes it.
"I see how it is, you're just jealous that I prefer Vlad over you, isn't it?" Awesome, she's going to keep talking anyway... "After I drank your blood, whipped you for my entertainment and made you kill your mother, I'm ditching you for someone who can actually returns my feelings after I inflicted pain on them."

Farnese did what? That's the first time you're hearing this... Is that the piece of information Serpico didn't want you to know when you first interrogated him on why he endures Farnese's abuse?

"Go ahead, then! I know you never thought of me romantically anyway! Vlad is who I really want! He's the one that I fantasise on marking with scars! He's the one I think about when I f-"

"Shush." You've heard enough. Pressing your finger on her lips, you hear several hums of a filterless Farnese expressing her true emotions of her own volition... sort of. You didn't need to hear all of that anyway. Her voice started to grow weaker as she finally started to rest once more.

Before losing consciousness, however, Farnese reaches over to your cheek and plants a kiss.
"Damn it..." She weeps at her own indecision and lack of self control, snuggling closer like a kid hopping on her father's back. Be it you or him, she really wants her men to suffer for her, even if unconsciously so.
Did she mean to kiss you, or Serpico?

Closing your eyes and taking comfort with her grip on you, you quickly follow suit and drift asleep with her. Looking back on when you would spend your father's money with wenches, the best part wasn't even about the sex, but the times where you could lay in bed with another woman with you, pretending you were cherished, even if you were just another client...

Even if circumstances are wrong, sleeping like this feels very nice...
Awoken by a few nudges on the following day, you notice Serpico silently separating you two to place a hot towel on Farnese's forehead. Handing you a mug of water to clear your throat.

"Feeling any different?" He asks.
"Same old, only difference is the runny nose I got from her."
"Figured you would get sick too... Nina's condition is pretty serious, if it spreads anywhere else, she dies, so it makes sense for her to be mindful of her disease, but if we let her drink all the medicine, what will be left for the others..." Serpico speaks as your mind wanders, still thinking about yesterday.

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>>5252234
"You've been staring at me very intensely today, is there something on my face?" He quickly picks up that your thoughts were related to what Farnese said about his mother, is it worth bringing that up?

>Farnese said something about your past.
>She mistook me for you and kissed me on the cheek.
>Nothing, just wish I was still sleeping.

>>5252237
>Nothing, just wish I was still sleeping.
Lets not involve Serpico in our awkwardness lol.

>>5252237
>>Nothing, just wish I was still sleeping.

>>5252237
>Nothing, just wish I was still sleeping.

>>5252240
>>5252245
>>5252248
"Nothing, just wish I was still sleeping." He did ask for you not to pry into his personal business, so it's best to ask him about this when he actually wants to reveal it.

"A fair assessment, the cold does make you want to sleep for longer." Serpico checks on Farnese's fever. "Better than yesterday, but still not in perfect health. I'd say a few more days of medication would do the trick, but that's where our problem lies... As I was saying, others are starting to fall ill, others with little constitution or many years left on them, if we don't want morale to fall, we should be prioritising the people we promised to care. I might be on neutral terms with Nina, but her friends care a lot for her, and letting her die would bound to make them snap on us."

"Anything else we can use for cold medicine?"
"We can keep them hot and brew some leaves, but that's about it. Unless #4 remembers that he's a doctor, we don't have any with us, and with food being equally rationed to all, we can't prioritise the sick with more than secondary treatment. A day's worth of doses is all we have to share with the sick."

Guess this is the part where you start making the tough decisions...

>I don't need medicine for now and Farnese is already getting better, save it for Nina.
>I want to make sure Farnese doesn't have any relapses.
>Luca's group of girls saved Hyde's life. It's only fair for me to return the gesture.
>I cant just pick the ones I know, try to the medicine dilute it in water and treat the refugees that way.

>>5252295
>I cant just pick the ones I know, try to the medicine dilute it in water and treat the refugees that way.
This way hopefully most people won't die. They will most likely feel like complete shit, but most of them will likely live. When we get back home or find more supplies, we can fix everyone up.

>>5252321
If we dilute it, it can either not work well enough, or not at all. Id rather save some people than lose them all.

>>5252338
Its a big assumption to assume the medicine won't work. It won't be curing anyone certainly, but it gives their natural immune systems a better chance of surviving, at least until we reach home where we can get more and better meds.

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>>5252321
>>5252338
>>5252368
Going to ask for a 1d100 to see how well that goes. Hopefully Vlad and the others will be able to recover until the next update!

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>5252650

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>5252650

Rolled 45 (1d100)

>>5252650

>>5252670
>>5252677
>>5252687
Nice, sickness isn't even a real thing for Vlad, writing.

>>5252690
The elites don't want you to know this but the behilits at the eclipse are free. I have over 700 behilits at home

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>>5252670
>>5252677
>>5252687
You decided to prioritise absolutely nobody. Doing so would only give room for strangers to say you were being biased, and with self awareness comes the foresight to prevent criticism.
"Can you mix the medicine with more water?"
"I could, but it would greatly reduce it's effectiveness." Serpico can already predict how your next sentence will end with.
"Then we should use it on people who have milder symptoms. Since only Nina and Farnese are really sick, we should focus on stopping anyone from getting to that point and hope the other two could pull through."

"I was hoping you would prioritise Farnese this time... Don't forget what I said a few days earlier." He grimaces.
"Relax, with you and I watching over her, sickness is the only thing that will pass through our watchful eyes."
"I'm not sure if that makes me any more confident..."
"Think of it this way: Compared to the spirits we've faced thanks to Mozgus and Femto, the only thing that Farnese got hit with was an enemy invisible to the naked and the astral eye. We're doing a phenomenal job at protecting her."
"...Nope. Still not feeling any confidence."
"Everyone's a critic..."

Surprisingly, the plan went better than expected, all you had to do was tell the sick to move to a dedicated wagon and tell the healthy to share their blankets. With the coldest days giving way to a more comfortable temperature, travelling without losses was more than feasible.

Even Farnese got better in due time, only getting some mild headaches, but quickly going back to her wagon with no comment about what happened that day. Either she forgot about it, or she won't comment until she gets out of her ruminating phase.

Since you made your way into a misty village to look for Guts, and you were doing your best to avoid trees given that's where you've last seen signs of the faceless entity, your route back to Ilos had to go off course into a higher altitude, and when trying to course correct, you got lost on a snowy hill surrounded by a forest a few days later.

"Finding a way down is going to be a bitch with this snow..." Hyde remarks on how the abundance of white could make people walk straight into their falls.
"We don't really have time to go find a way down, do we? Unless you want to slide to your death on that canyon over there."
"It doesn't look that steep, maybe if you fly a few people down carefully- You look down to see how bad the climb would be, only to shiver at the gust of wind from a flying creature going above you. and into the clouds.

>>5252799

As if guided by causality itself, you were led straight to Griffith and Zodd, seeing both demons attached to each other as they went to the direction of Midland's capital city.
Whatever made him stop there, it had to be important to him. Femto wouldn't reincarnate to go in the middle of nowhere to impress nobody.
You held your need to sense for Od near him, but you were sure of it. Someone he knew had to be down that hill, were it consider you friend or foe is another story...

>Investigate where Griffith landed.
>Stay focused and get back on track.
>Follow Zodd's direction.

>>5252802
>Investigate where Griffith landed.

>>5252802
>Stay focused and get back on track.
No thank you I will not be meeting the anti-christ this day, we have sick people and getting them back home ASAP is all that matters.

>>5252802
>>Stay focused and get back on track.

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>>5252812
>>5252825
>>5252827
One last roll to find a way back down and we'll get back to Ilos. 1d100+10 since Vlad is good at rock climbing and can instruct people how to climb down safely.

Rolled 92 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5252866

>>5252868
go home boys no rolls needed these rocks can't escape our firm grip now

>>5252868
Wellp, guess we're really eager to get back to Ilos then...

Rolled 21 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5252866

Rolled 9 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5252866

>>5252868
...Nice try, Femto. Unlike Guts, you won't fall for his provocative entrances.
"Hyde, you got a rope?"
"Don't leave the wagon without one, why?"
"Since we don't have the time to make a bridge, a zip line should do the trick, that spot over there looks a lot safer, if we can close the gap without losing any of the wagons, we should get an easy shortcut back to the open road."

"Are you sure we can get back there?"
"If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's rocks. The only hard part should be putting the horses and wagons there without them snapping, but that's what your harpy is for, right?"

"I'm calling child abuse on your ass..." He frowns, but obliges, looking for some rope and making an improvised zip line that could support the weight of the wagons, and with a few hours and a test run with an empty wagon, all Hyde's harpy had to do was slow the fall down and gravity did the work for her, not even needing to worry about people who were too weak or hungry to walk so long as they stayed indoors.
#4 was the first to go, and after taking care of each and every wagon, you effectively turned around a week's worth of travelling into an afternoon's, going back into familiar paths with little issue except for when recounting the survivors.

"...Where is #4? He didn't answer when we called for him."
"Last time I saw him, he said he was going out to take a piss, didn't he come back?"

Wasting a few minutes going around the rocks, you see a pool of frozen blood hidden way further back, and hoping it wasn't #4 you rush onto him to find a group of younger travellers, presumably the people he was looking for.

"#4... I'm sorry you had to see this..." You crouch over to him, who was observing the face of someone with a striking resemblance to his facial features.

"His name was Franz. He knew his father was in no condition to fight, so he banded with the younger men of his commune to battle against the Kushan. The older members of the family were sad, so we took away the memories that made them sad. The Kushan were tired of travelling, so we took away ability to feel tired. Now, we have found the reason Franz's father was so sad. There was no way for him to know that his son was dead, being so distant from him, yet his guess was correct." A faceless double of #4 turns around, with the real one collapsing next to his father as you stagger backwards with your cane, seeing the entity growing a pair of horns.

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>>5252987
"All pieces of the puzzle were found, but the image made clear was a grim one. The father could not stand to see his son's death, so we helped him forget everything once more. This time, forever."

The creature expectantly extended a hand, wanting to reach your face as it walked slowly towards your direction.
"Everything in this world happens for a reason. Cause is tied to the effects. If we were released from the eternal abyss, a reason is bound to exist."

"The Falcon Of Light has told us so: Our reason to be can only be you."
"So that was what Griffith came down here for?" You keep backing away, but the creature still follows.
"We do not remember who we were in physical bodies. We have passed on for so long, that our memories were long destroyed. Day after day, we have stolen emotions, names, identities, yet we have not found our own, no reason to live, to care, to believe. Only you can tell us who we are-"

"Vlad! You there, partner?" Hyde comes over to see you, and when he shows up to the scene of the crime, the abyssal entity is nowhere to be found.

After explaining what happened to the hunter, he appears to believe your story and understand it thoroughly, but had absolutely no clue on how to deal with it.

"The wandering spirit is chasing you now? Well, you can't exactly outrun it now given how it's been near us since the start of the trip, and if it can hide away in plain sight like that... I'd reckon we'll just have to be ready for when it finally decides to attack. If it didn't attack any of us all this time, then it's either not that aggressive, or it's waiting for the perfect opportunity."

Worrying over when the perfect opportunity will arrive is something that consumes your mind for the next week, even altering your nightmares so the same one you've been having before turns into a silent play, where no one talks, no one has a face, and you get consumed by the light without proper explanation.

Thankfully, the trail to the open part of the map made it easier for Hyde to hunt with Serpico while you rested plenty, pretty much letting them take the lead now that the worst of it was dealt with. You had to prioritise your health eventually, and it paid off by your body healing completely, while your soul was still complaining about you not being healed like if you were an old man with osteoporosis: Fine on the outside, frail on the inside.

Nevertheless, you finally see the outer walls of Ilos, the familiar sight of Barnham's creation brings a smile to your face. There are a lot of things you wish to do here and they will all take a considerable amount of time.
What should take priority?

>Look for Barnham.
>Lodge the refugees.
>Introduce your mother to Farnese.
>Visit Bernard and commission some new armor.

>>5252999
>Lodge the refugees.
>Introduce your mother to Farnese

>>5252999
>Lodge the refugees.
>Introduce your mother to Farnese.

>>5252999
>Lodge the refugees.
then
>Look for Barnham.
in that order.

>>5252999
>Lodge the refugees.
>Introduce your mother to Farnese.
Family first before apostle friend.

>>5252999
>Lodge the refugees.
>Introduce your mother to Farnese.

>>5252999
>>Lodge the refugees.
>>Introduce your mother to Farnese

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>>5253013
>>5253038
>>5253073
>>5253113
>>5253132
>>5253141
Making sure the refugees were all safe and sound, you make an effort to hear what they all thought of the journey as you lodged them in the outer part of the coliseum, where the lower class and non-combatants would usually stay.

"Only one man died during the entire journey!? That's miraculous! You're our savior!"
"I couldn't be more grateful over your help, mister!"
"I was about to curse you for the journey, but then my aunt pulled through and recovered from the cold, so thanks a lot!"
"I'm going to name my kid after you, could you tell me your name, please?"

High ratings throughout, but you wonder if that faithfulness will stick in harder times.
"You should pat yourself on the back for this one, partner! This place really feels like a safe haven compared to where we last were. Hope you don't mind me spending time with Jodi and the kids for a while. Just look for any of the girls flying if you need me again."

"Dismissed." You wave at the hunter after completing the crusade back to Ilos, he's an useful person to have around, but you wonder if staying away from his family for long would be a detriment for his mood. Still getting used to call the harpies his daughters, will he actually get a human one someday?

Going over to Michelle's house with Farnese, you see the girl staring sheepishly towards the floor on her way to the bridge. She still wants to be silent even after all the time has passed, but the pressure of the situation made you want to hear her voice for a bit.

"Barnham should be with my money now, just tell me how much I owe you and I'll pay you back once I get my hands on the loot."
"...You don't have to pay me..." Farnese shakes her head.
"What are you talking about? The stops throughout were pretty expensive. I know you're rich, but returning the gesture is common courtesy."
"Budgeting was the only reason I was remotely useful in this journey. Now that it's over, you're free to choose what to do with the money you owe me."
"Alright, how much was it?"
"Around 25 gold coins? The wagons cost a lot more than the food and medicine."

This is not much compared to the fortune you should have at this point...
"It's not a big deal, really. Let me pay you back."
"I insist! I have already burdened you enough, and there's not much else I can do to help you now..."

>You're not a burden, you're a work in progress.
>Alright then, if you insist...
>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.
>Write-in.

>>5253455
>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.

>>5253455
>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.
Be nice to Farny

>>5253455
>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.

>>5253455
>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.

>>5253455
>>If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you.

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>>5253472
>>5253473
>>5253484
>>5253486
"If I'm free to choose as I wish, then I choose to pay you. If you feel bad about it, try to remind yourself that I couldn't save them without your help."

"That's not true! Your leadership is what guided us forward."
"Leadership doesn't fill people's stomachs. This is on you." You place a hand on her shoulder and smile, making her blush as she returns the expression.
"You're too kind..."
"Wait here, I want to talk with my mother for a bit before introducing you."
"Do you think she'll like me?" She tilts her head, indicating that she did want to know more about her since they had the panic from the loss of their religion in common, seeking approval from a feminine figure.
"I imagine she'll be in for a shocker..." You enter as Farnese leans on the entrance walls. How will your mother react to being visited by a Vandimion, several years after losing her noble status and living as a commoner?

"Mom? I'm back!"
"Vlad? Oh, welcome home, son!" Your mother ecstatically greets you with a hug as you hear the familiar tune of Benny's flute further in the house.
"How's the farming business?"
"Oh, you know, postponed. The winter froze most of the lake, so watering and planting is harder on my back, thankfully Bernard and the other non combatants help us every now and then. I also managed to get some money from betting at the gladiator ring to feed the others here. I'm not very good at guessing the victor, but I win enough times to get by."

"Seems like being a merchant serves as an instruction guide to being a breadwinner." You chuckle.
"Not so much, your father earned a lot more than I did, you know how the Holy See treated you when you bent to their will." You sense contempt in her words when she mentions the organisation, still feeling bitter at their betrayal.

>Is Barnham back from his mission?
>Was the money from my estate secured?
>Are Benny and Zhafira doing ok?
>There's someone I would like you to meet...
>Write-in.

>>5253532
>Are Benny and Zhafira doing ok?
>Is Barnham back from his mission?
>There's someone I would like you to meet...

>>5253532
>Are Benny and Zhafira doing ok?
>Is Barnham back from his mission?
>Was the money from my estate secured?
>How's Bernard? How about the people in general? Are they sick, hungry, anything they need help with?

>>5253532
>Are Benny and Zhafira doing ok?
>Is Barnham back from his mission?
>There's someone I would like you to meet...

>>5253542
>>5253544
>>5253565
"Is Barnham back from his mission?"
"Not yet, his Kushan counsellor Kalki is the one taking care of the ring for now. He said Barnham would arrive a few days later with his troop, Kalki just had to get here earlier because he wanted to give us our money back."

"How thoughtful of him. Did you get it yet?"
"Yes, it's right under the mattress, would you mind following me over to my bed?" Michelle closes the windows and pulls a chest from under some furniture, showing half of the money in the chest and the rest on her bed.

"You put half of it away from the container?"
"Well, I wanted to make sure no one would steal the entire quantity of your fortune if they just stumbled across this chest. The whole ordeal was very confidential, he delivered it inside a giant barrel saying it was just water, so you can imagine my shock."

Counting how much money you had, it came to a sum of over 140 coins, taking a fistful of it to repay Farnese.
Current Money in hand: 120 gold coins.

"Oh, you're already thinking of spending it?"
"I lost my money fighting in Albion, but someone helped me get back here with a big group, figured I should pay her back now that it's all done with."
"...Her? A girl, Vlad?" Michelle sighs. "Look, I'm not going to pull at your ear for being obsessed with the opposite sex like your father did, but if you want to shag with some girl you just met, it's not going to be in his house."

"What? No, mom!"
"Yes, 'mom'! There are kids here! Well, Benny is not that young, but I'm not comfortable with letting you do those filthy acts in the light of day."
"I'm not that guy anymore..." You blush with a hand in your forehead. Your parents really do remember your worst mistakes. "Speaking of Benny, how is he? Anything the people here need help with?"

"I've been trying to encourage the poor to get more money in the ring if they feel like gambling, but most of them have no idea on who's going to win as well, so they all-in on a fight and lose it all a lot of the times. Some of them can't even get in, given how vindictive the fighters are against the weak. Barnham might have changed his mind and turned more lenient, but he still created a culture of the weak bowing their head to the strong. That will probably last for a lot longer than you and I." Michelle informs.

"Good thing I'm a lord here, someone strong enough to defend them should make them weary of attacking the little."
"At least they extended the gesture and didn't come after me. Kalki seems to obey by Barnham's rules, so if he was told not to harm me, I have nothing to worry about. The cold has made a few people pass on from sickness and the smaller crops means more people will get hungry, but you have nothing to worry about, son. Your mother isn't so old she can't take care of a few straw bale houses in her retirement yet."

>>5253651
"What about Bernard? Is he still doing weapons and armor against his will?"
"We've tried finding a substitute smith, but none of them really fit his calibre. Despite not liking the job, truth is he got reluctantly skilled with it, so he's been busy instructing those who don't have to work under a leash to do just as well as he did under pressure."
"That's a shame, I remember him being so happy with the possibility of doing more dolls with Zhafira."

"Zhafira's mind... Isn't all up there, really. She tried doing a handstand on a pile of glass and forgot she only had one hand not too long ago, we had to restrict her to her bed so she wouldn't be a danger to herself. Even her notes were starting to look like scribbles as her handwriting got worse-"

Benny's flute sounds more and more sour as he blows harder on the instrument, clearly overhearing the conversation and being bothered by recollecting his sister's health, but not wanting to join in the conversation and stammer his way through words.

"Why don't we change the subject for now...?" Michelle feels apprehensive as she understands Benny's not to silent pleads.
"Sure, I wanted to introduce you to said friend who helped me along the way... Farnese?"
"Farnese?" Your mother recognises the name, but doubts that it's the same Farnese from the Vandimion family until she sees her face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Santana. If possible, I would like to have a word with you about something we have in common." Farnese greets her with a bow.
"...I was not expecting the leader of the Holy Iron Knight Chains to visit me. What is it that we both have in common?"
"I have recently renounced my religion. Surely the one who raised a wise son such as yourself would understand how frightful the feeling is. I would like to know more about your experience, how you escaped the pit of despair and ascended without God when you didn't have a substitute pedestal to follow at your side." Farnese refers to you, giving you as much respect as she did to God before.

>>5253739
"Why would I tell you that? My family doesn't owe you anything after you refused to protect us from the rebels." Michelle already makes it clear that she's not fond of Farnese by affiliation. "Everything our family went through was thanks to your enforced culture. We were deeply loyal to the Royal Family and The See, yet where were you when my son was persecuted, when his parents were tortured, when our house was demolished?"

"I-I understand why you would hold a grudge, and I can't do much other than apologise for the past, but there is something I thought I could do for you both that-" Farnese starts to stumble on her words, but gets interrupted by a fierce rebuttal.
"You could throw me all the money in the world, and I still wouldn't want to see your face ever again. Don't bother with reparations, I despise you, and holding yourself accountable won't change what I think of you!"

The conversation is already escalating to emotionally charged territory. Your mother isn't just holding a grudge at Farnese, she's had her fist closed ever since Farnese alluded to her past. Jacopo's death was likely the biggest period of suffering in her life, and one that she had to endure alone. Starting right with that line would immediately diminish Farnese's intentions before she could even explain what she had to say.

Michelle does have a point, though? What could Farnese even do for your mother that would be acceptable as an apology?

>Intervene, side with Farnese.
>Interven, side with your mother.
>Let them talk it out.

>>5253741
>Intervene, side with Farnese.
Its not Farnese's fault that the culture mom hates exists, she just blindly follows it like everyone else, and how could she do anything other than follow? Everything she's ever done has been done for the reasons of those she's been taught to follow unquestioningly.

Plus didn't dad and our family do kinda the same? When was the last time dad or mom helped someone who went against the statues quo? All the nobles, including our family, followed the See and kingdom to survive. To go against their will would be suicide. Both of them, mom and dad, re-enforced the culture that the See and the king created at one point. No one is free of guilt, all we can do now is work together towards a future where that kind of culture ceases to exist.

>>5253741
>>Let them talk it out.
Let the women do women things

>>5253741
>Let them talk it out.
If things goes out of hand
>Interviene, not siding with anyone

I like >>5253775 approach, but not the whole thing of taking Farnese's side. The See and all that bullshit they brought is done by The Godhand, it's some bullshit to control people and use that dreams shit to make propaganda to Griffith.

If no one decided to oppose the Royal Family before all the shit that The See made, there's no reason to keep up with that. Mom can be mad all what she wants, and doesn't have to forgive Farnese because her shitty family didn't help them (after all, they're an upper level than us, and of course are assholes), but Farnese couldn't do anything because a). Farnese was just a child when that happened and of course she wasn't going to be listened, and 2). The one mom should hate is her father, because at the end it was the one who decided don't do shit after all those years

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>>5253775
>>5253796
>>5253885
Farnese might be bad at expressing herself, but she's had half a month to prepare for this speech, you'll only intervene if your mom snaps, which she isn't inclined to do.

"It's not fair to hate on me just because of my family name! I played no part in the political decisions of the Vandimions from generations ago-"

"Fair? How can you say that with a straight face? You were chosen as the Holy Lady of the Chain Knights! There is no way you didn't know of their terms! Even a low ranked name such as the Santanas were aware of the antithetical actions of Chief Inquisitor Mozgus! It's why my late husband opted out of the major fundings and conspiracies such as the plan to end The Falcons. We already had a guilty conscience of loving a son who the world would regard as a cursed child, aiding them and gaining allies from The See would only make them pry further into our business!"

"I am not condoning the actions of my past!" Farnese's voice cracks as her eyes start to water. "Yes, I killed several people under Mozgus' command, but he's no longer in control of me! Why are we even having this argument if both our families were responsible for spreading these values?"

"Some are more responsible than others. Of course I say this now, after my family being persecuted, but you were the ones who profited the most from this propaganda. You are only now apologising because it went full-circle and now these pagan burning practices are starting to eat your own! How is it that I am living with more freedom of expression in a newly reformed slum in an apostle province than in a luscious estate in the capital?"

"If you're still suffering over the consequences of my actions, let me clear your name!" Farnese finally proposes what she meant to ask for the two of you. "Hated by my family or not, I'm still a Vandimion! If I once had the power to burn down an entire village with the sway of my hand, I should at least use my power for good! To let one family be redeemed back into their former glory!"

"How many families do you know that got back into noble status after Vritannis pointed one finger to them? This past is far behind us and there is nothing you can do to change it. Your actions are nothing more than preformative, why would you care about me and Vlad, but not all the others you killed?"

"VLAD GAVE MEANING TO MY LIFE!" Farnese blurts out. "He's the only one in a hall full of aristocrats to treat me like a regular girl, instead of a monster or a stairway to power! I have repeatedly attempted to ruin his life, and all he did back to me was save me from the darkness of my own mind! I trust him more than I trust myself, and I know that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him! He can guide us to a life where we're truly free, clearing his name and giving him a permit to travel freely out of Midland is the least I can do! I know my words are worthless, but my actions can still be grand like his!"

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>>5254059
...Well that was a confession and a half. Farnese just proposed to run with you to the other side of the planet. Even she is somewhat shocked by what she just said, you can only hope she'll be as daring by your side as she is in this conversation.

Michelle's jaw is agape, her mind unravelling itself to even think of what to respond...

"I don't know how you came up with this idea, but I dont plan on going anywhere... This is my new life, I have come to terms with it. Vlad isn't interested in having a castle that rivals the old king, either... He already has a place to stay and fight for right here. We have done plenty, it's time to rest, so give up on your dreams and let your journey end as is, Farnese."

Your mother answers Farnese for you, expecting you to side with her. While it's true that you could end things here and live a peaceful life with Farnese while defending Ilos from intruders and monsters alike, eventually your bubble would burst thanks to the needle of causality. It would be temporary happiness with your family, but one that would last a lot longer than going out and challenging Griffith by yourself, provided that you did reach the levels of Guts and The Skull Knight to fight causality with them, you could always die way before finding Sivir's casket, or even before getting into a boat. Your mother is already growing old, so you even if she could use that hoe she carries around to defend herself, she's not exactly in prime conditions to fight apostles.

"Vlad, surely you wouldn't agree to this nonsense, would you?"
"This is the first time I'm hearing of her plan myself, but now that I've lent an ear to her, I believe..."

>Her plan is sound, we shall prove the Vandimions wrong.
>Her heart is misguided, we should stay where we are.

>>5254091
>Her plan is sound, we shall prove the Vandimions wrong.
>”Evil prevails when good men do nothing. I cannot be idle in mankind’s hour of need, no matter how much I would want to stay here and live in moderate peace. Even if my journey takes me into the jaws of hell, it would be so that I can run the devil himself through the heart.”

>>5254091
>Her plan is sound, we shall prove the Vandimions wrong.

>>5254112
+1 Well spoken

>>5254112
support

>>5254112
"Her plan is sound, we shall prove the Vandimions wrong."
"A-Are you serious?" Michelle gasps.
"Vlad..." Farnese smiles after seeing you taking her side.
”Evil prevails when good men do nothing. I cannot be idle in mankind’s hour of need, no matter how much I would want to stay here and live in moderate peace. Even if my journey takes me into the jaws of hell, it would be so that I can run the devil himself through the heart.”
"...What would drive you to do such things? What more could you ask than what we have right now?"

"That every man, woman and child can be freed from the shackles of fate, and live whatever life they wish to. It's the smile I get from seeing someone genuinely content with their lives that drives me forward, more than any semblance of power waved to me." You look over to Farnese, who smiled unconsciously.

Michelle meets your gaze, avoiding your eyes after your face reminded her of Jacopo's.
"That look... It's the same as your father's that day, when he was losing his toes and nails... The torturer said he would either hear our family name, or have my body be raped by their men... And that's when your father spoke up..."

"I am not giving either one of my family members to you Tudor fiends. Tell you what, if any of you can make me scream as you yank my teeth out, you can have it your way!"

"It was a ridiculous gamble, one that I could not believe he would do, yet with teeth after teeth being removed, all he did was stare back at his torturer. Even while cornered and with no possible escape, he endured the pain silently, as if he was the one inflicting it onto others... It's the same intimidating look against much larger foes..."

"Mrs. Santana... I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. Imagine yourself on that situation instead. Would you be able to do that for the ones you loved. To look at death in the eyes and make it afraid of you?"
"N-No... I can't..." Farnese weeps at Michelle's feet, understanding the pain your family went through as it was her own. Your mother is wide opened at the sight of a higher class woman bowing down to her feet, but it's enough to recognise that perhaps she has been a bit too harsh of Farnese and eases up on her judgement.

"Alright... I can tell I'm not getting my point across if I'm making a girl lower than half my age wash my feet with her tears... If Vlad saw potential in you, then who am I to judge you unfit when I can't change his mind? Just don't get him into trouble, or I will give you the wallop your parents never bothered to give you!" Michelle threatens Farnese, making you conveniently omit the time where she tied you up to mark you with burns.

>Compliment Farnese on her courage.
>Have a meal and discuss your plans.
>Look for Benny and his sister.
>Leave the house and have a word with Kalki.

>>5254410
>Have a meal and discuss your plans.

>>5254410
>>Look for Benny and his sister.

>>5254410
>>Look for Benny and his sister.

>>5254410
>Compliment Farnese on her courage.
>Have a meal and discuss your plans.

>>5254410
>Look for Benny and his sister.

>>5254410
>Look for Benny and his sister.
Let's see how they're doing.

>>5254537
>>5254574
>>5254684
>>5254770
>>5254949
>>5255502
Letting the girls get to know each other after the initial clash of hostility will be rough, but as much as your mother might be weary of Farnese, you won't stay for long enough for them to do more than tolerate each other.

Benny was very expectant of being taken under your wing to learn how to train, given how he's been practising how to throw darts with something he's already practised with: A blowing instrument.
What you see instead is a boy deeply dissatisfied with his own progress. Several darts are scattered around a target with only a few hitting anywhere near the mark. His blowpipe is snapped in two, likely from the frustration of not learning how to fight as well as he knows how to play the flute, and now he sits huddled up in a corner, playing a repetitive, hypnotic music. The way he hits the notes without confidence and switches from sharps to flats in his progression make the rhythm very depressive overall.

Breaking your rule not to abuse of your magical abilities, you make an effort to hear his mind so he his speech impediment doesn't get the best of him when trying to express himself on such a depressive moment of his life.

"What's the matter, Benny?"
"I couldn't do it... I couldn't hit any of the targets... I said I wanted to travel with you and learn how to defend my family, but I can't defend them from something that I can't fight..."
"Michelle told me about Zhafira... Where is she?"
"On the double bed... Someone has to keep an eye out for her after her condition worsened... She forgot all about the things that happened when you showed up, and only responds to me and dad... Cindy isn't even a name she knows... Dad was so happy last time you were here, they started writing a story together for her next puppet show, Cindy started noting everything down to continue the story the following day, but when we asked her about the story later... She just forgot it, despite writing it all on her notes... It's like they were never there..."

"..." You think of something to say to comfort him, but the words escape you, only looking at the child who has no hope of seeing his own progression.

"Maybe if she died swiftly, it wouldn't be so bad, but seeing her slowly forget who she is... It's so unfair, Vlad. She doesn't even remember the song she taught me with her singing voice... I try to make her repeat it in whistles since she's always happy to see me, but she always forgets the following day! I can't hit a dart to save my life, but even if I did, none of them would fix her mind! What's the point in fighting? Playing music is all I know, and so far it hasn't lead me anywhere."

>Drop the sword then, fighting just isn't your thing, and that's ok.
>I can't guarantee your safety if you don't know the basics.
>I know it's painful, but you should stick with your sister in her time of need.
>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.
>Write-in.

>>5255649
>"Nothing worth doing is easy my boy, While I'm still here I can help you train a bit more, but think on this. If a fish can't climb a tree is there anything wrong with the fish? Some people just aren't able to learn a skill, and that is nothing to take shame in."
>I know it's painful, but you should stick with your sister in her time of need.
>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.

>>5255649
>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.

>>5255649
>>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.

>>5255649
>>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.

>>5255649
>I know it's painful, but you should stick with your sister in her time of need.
>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.


>>5255703
+1 to this.

>>5255649
>Do you mind if I see her? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left.
this too>>5255703

>>5255703
>>5255814
>>5255817
>>5255844
>>5255853
"Nothing worth doing is easy my boy, While I'm still here I can help you train a bit more, but think on this. If a fish can't climb a tree is there anything wrong with the fish? Some people just aren't able to learn a skill, and that is nothing to take shame in. You're great doing your own talents, and just like learning the flute, it's a practice that takes time to master. I know nothing about music theory, for example, that's something you have over me."

"But you wanted to get better at fighting when you started, and I don't! Even if I was great at using that blowpipe, what would that even help you with? You fought Barnham without any help, what's throwing a few darts at a guy like him going to do?"
"But I wasn't alone there, I had my trusty horse Gunpowder to secure my victory. If you aren't strong by yourself, maybe an army of you would be more effective."
"An army of me?"
"That's what armies are for. Not everyone has the strength to take down an empire, but fuel enough people into your cause, and even someone with lacklustre experience could take the credit for contributing into a fight."
"Or I could just do nothing to help and ride off of your victories... And that's if I don't hit someone accidentally or find a way to kill myself."

He still has a very defeatist attitude on his non existent results in fights, so it could be very worrying to lead him into combat. At least Farnese showed some promise in magic and planned a few things around with her money, and unlike Serpico, Benny's older sibling won't be a valuable asset either.

"Do you mind if I see Cindy? Her condition wasn't this bad when I left, and I want to make sure that she won't wander into danger in case I do invite you on my group..."
"O-ok..." He slouches over and walks to the locked door on his room, seeing Zhafira with no makeup giggling to herself.

"Benny!" She recognises her dearest brother opening the door, making a few rustling motions while her arms where still strapped to the bed. "Come here so I can give you a big ol' hug, will you?"
"S-Si-Sis... Y-You can't hug me, your arms are t-t-ied down."
"But my arms are right here!" She rustles some more, thinking she has her arms raised up.
"J-J-just give me your hand..."
"I am!" she opens her palms while they were still tied to her torso.
"Wh-Where?"
"Right here!" Her neck motions to the empty space in front of her, which Benny clasps so she can pretend they're having contact.

Her smile is genuine, but Benny's forceful grin is just making him more dead inside with each passing second.

>>5256250
"Do you remember me, Zhafira?" You try to get her attention.
"I'm sorry, sir! I think this is the first time we're seeing each other. Would you mind telling me your name?" You'd think she would remember someone who changed her surroundings so greatly.
"...It's Vlad."
"Ok! I'll write it down! I hope you can come to my show eventually, It's happening in the next--" Her wrists gyrate in place to simulate the act of writing, but once she tries to remember further than what her brain lets on, she stares blankly into the air, recomposing herself only when she starts giggling again.

Zhafira is barely a few levels above Casca in terms of cognition, and with Benny being a terrible shot, he expectantly awaits for you to reject him.
"Y-You promised to let us come with you, b-b-ut I won't hate you if you didn't l-l-let us in. W-We have nothing to offer you."

>You're still invited, but I can't vouch for Zhafira's safety.
>Sorry Benny, I'm in need people who can fend off for themselves.
>Even if it's risky, I would rather bring you both with me than separating you two.

>>5256252
>Sorry Benny, I'm in need people who can fend off for themselves.
having two casca's is a recipe for disaster

>>5256321
I agree, things out on the road will only get worse later, and these two are in no condition to travel with us now.

>>5256252
>I'm going to be honest with you, Benny. The last time I went somewhere, it was with incredibly tough and well-trained people at my side. I had my ass handed to me on a platter, and walked out of the incarnation ceremony looking like I was the chewtoy of Cerberus himself, both physically and spiritually. Which is why...
>Sorry Benny, I'm in need people who can fend off for themselves.

>>5256252
>Sorry Benny, I'm in need people who can fend off for themselves.
There is encouraging the boy and his sister, and then there's allowing them to endanger their lives. They are a danger to themselves, us, and the rest of the group if we let them come. I would rather have him hate us and live, than let him come and die.

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>>5256321
>>5256370
>>5256384
>>5256435
"I'm going to be honest with you, Benny. The last time I went somewhere, it was with incredibly tough and well-trained people at my side. I had my ass handed to me on a platter, and walked out of the incarnation ceremony looking like I was the chew-toy of Cerberus himself, both physically and spiritually. Which is why... I'm in need people who can fend off for themselves. I'm sorry Benny, you just don't fit into that criteria."

"I-i-I knew it from the start... The world is not ready to accept us l-l-little people... The only thing I have to look forward to is to see C-C-Cindy get worse as time goes on."

"I would help you in her condition if I knew of some sort of cure, but if he didn't find one, I'm not sure I have much to offer for treatment..." You think back to Guts, who finally reunited with Casca, but still had no clue on what to do, or even if it was possible to restore her memory.

"I-I- didn-didn't ask f-f-for much... I-I-I just wanted her to b-b-be safe! Wh-Why I-Is this the clo-closest resemblance of p-peace I've ever h-h-ad? It's e-empty! An empty promise! Th-There's nothing here for m-me to feel happy about!" Benny bawls and shoves you away after hearing he wouldn't be invited. Even if he didn't want to fight, he did wish to be part of something grander than himself, something that would maybe give him hope towards a good cause. After seeing all the magic you are able to do, maybe he thought fixing Cindy would be something you could wish a snap of your fingers.

Why do you feel so bad for him, even if there's nothing you could do to him?
"Benny, I-"
"N-No!" The dejected pupil runs off, asking you to let him cope with the news. Perhaps it's best to leave him alone for a bit. Ilos is safe enough for him to walk around without fear now. It's the most you can do for him. In a world where fighting is mandatory, the one who just wants to spread his art across the world feels truly useless in ever seeing his dream come to fruition.
"The King is coming... Benny will stop crying when he shows up!" Cindy mumbles to herself in bed. Her delusions of the king coming to Ilos to help her were always very weird and nonsensical, surely she knows that the king is dead by now, right?

...Or maybe the king she mentions is the one who sill suceed Princess Charlotte's Father.
Was that the reason Griffith was seen flying his way here?

>Go after Benny.
>Look for his father.
>Check back on Farnese and Michelle.

>>5256437
>Go after Benny
Griffith will get Benny to switch sides over to his Falconia, won't he?

>>5256437
>>Go after Benny.

>>5256437
>Go after Benny.
God, he's definitely is gonna get eaten by like a badger or something if we don't follow him isn't he? poor Benny

>>5256437
>Go after Benny.
Boy

>>5256437
>>Go after Benny.

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>>5256442
>>5256443
>>5256447
>>5256461
>>5256530
Benny runs out of the house in a flash, with you bumping into furniture as you grab the halberd on the front door and place it under your back, as much as the weight of your weapon still hurts to carry, you're not sure how far the boy can run.
"Vlad?"
"Where are you going?!" Your mother and Farnese could only watch as the both of you disappeared into the frozen fields.

His weak constitution coming from over a decade of malnutrition makes it easy to pursue him, even if your fractured soul keeps telling you to go easy on yourself, you never lose sight of him as he's always panting a couple meters in front of you.

"Listen to me, Benny! I don't want you to die in my journey! I've already suffered with allies of mine falling before my eyes! You have much to live for in a peaceful world, don't throw it all away before you see it's creation!" Your hand almost reaches him as he runs to the outer ring of Ilos and into the frozen river.
"W-W-w-hat does it matter!? Y-Yo-u, M-M-me, C-Cindy, Dad! E-Everyone's going to die one day! W-W-Why should I care i-if it's t-tomorrow or in 20 y-y-ears?! W-Why am I not allowed to th-put myself into danger like y-you? I-I-I would give anything for Zhafira to be normal again, I would s-sacrifice-" He finally stops as he slips into the gelid layer of ice, panicking as the lack of friction makes him slip further onto the thinner layers.

"Benny! Don't move! I'll get you out of there!" You attempt to get him out of that situation, spreading your feet apart and slowly treading to where he is as he retreats from every step you take, before one wrong foot is accompanied by the sound of a loud crack, causing a rift that would isolate him from all other sides.

As the fog is exhaled from his mouth, you briefly consider jumping over to save him, but that would merely send you both to a frosty demise. Just then, right before your eyes, a jolt of dark energy is felt around you as the unthinkable happens to save the isolated child from his own incompetence.

Out of the sky, the image of Zodd and Griffith are made clearer. The angel of darkness, now sporting an armor not unlike the one he held when fighting at Doldrey's castle, watches over the increasing despair of Benny's predicament before mounting out of Zodd and dropping in the ice to save him.

>>5256536
Boy don't even fucking think like that, that way leaves monsters.

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>>5256536
"NO!" Jumping at this height would make the ice crack further thanks to the weight of Griffith's jump, but disregarding all known laws of gravity, the layer of ice does not crack or even move as Femto effortlessly lands in an invisible shard of ice who crystallises at his feet, effectively walking on water to save Benny from imminent danger.

"Take my hand, child. To change the world with the sound of your songs is a noble wish, indeed."
As Benny is saved by Griffith and taken into his arms, you point the tip of your weapon to both him and Zodd.
"What the HELL are you doing here?" You nearly bust a vein in your forehead from seeing Grififth here.
"A familiar face lies present with his private army ready for the taking. After being warned of our activities when fighting in the capital, the master gladiator should be arriving at any moment." Zodd responds to you, while Griffith ignores you completely.

Your worst nightmares have been proven correct: They were waiting for Barnham to show up so they would know at which side he would fight for between The Falcon and the Kushan Empire.
"D-Do you mean it, M-Mister? Can someone with no use to an army stay strong to their side." Benny falls further into the swirl of manipulation schemes Griffith has under his tongue.
"Certainly. The best way to enforce that peace stays strong, is that the people stay diligent inside their autocracy. The civilians are the ones who suffer the most falling down the rabbit hole of war, while only a few on top stay happy in their power trip. Feeling validated on their accomplishments is what keeps the populous hopeful and loyal."

"YOU ARE ON YOUR WAY TO STARTING A WAR YOURSELF, MISERABLE FIEND! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF THE LOWER CLASS?!" Your weapon stays raised against the two towering enemies. With Griffith's alien look into the stars making he remind himself of what happened to a child when he was once a human leader.

"Long ago, I recruited a young child under the falcon's wings, much like you, he had no prior proficiency with the sword, but it did not mean I didn't see value on him. No one remembered his name, he did not stand out from the crowd, but he treated me as some sort of deity when I was around... Seeing as I found his body clutched to a plush toy of a knight, I wondered if he died happy that day, for being part of his own story. Or perhaps, if I was the one who took his life."

"My dream was always to get out of poverty, to ascend into noblehood and have a castle of my own. But ensnaring non-combatants to my throne would be a mistake I would not repeat, after realising that not all are capable of holding their dreams on their own palms. You might not be a fighter, but you still have a place in the society I will aspire to create."

>>5256557
Greasy lying rat

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>>5256557
"W-Why are you telling me this, mister?" Benny asks as he is cradled by Griffith, being hypnotised by his mere presence.

"Because I was once like you, I only grew because I sold my pride to the long deceased Tudorian Gennon, his sordid tastes in young boys being infamous for child trafficking as sex slaves. It was with that sovereign that I grew my army, and used his power to end his own reign. No child of war will live with fear in their eyes. My kingdom will be an utopia that will mesmerise and change the lives of the worst of pessimists!"

"YOU DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS, LIAR! NOT EVEN YOUR SOUL IS AS EMPTY AS THE LIES YOU TELL TO HIM! YOU'RE NO FALCON, GRIFFITH! YOU'RE A VULTURE OF YOUR OWN MEN!" You nearly jump at him if it wasn't for Nosferatu Zodd still floating above you.

"Do you accuse me of being two faced? Who are you to judge of my intent...?" Griffith finally acknowledges you, the lack of emotion in his voice only makes his rebuttal more eerie.

"From the beginning, I was right in guessing your true origins, weren't I? Yet you still went out of my way to doubt my words. Who is the real liar between the two of us? The one who lies to others, or the one who does it to himself?"
"Spare me of your semantics!" Your anger gets a chuckle out of the white falcon as he continues his drivel.

"Of course, not that it matters now. I realise you were only a pawn in our board, used only to push me further into promotions. A means to proceed the flow of causality in a way that made you think as if you were important." He continues with a chess analogy as he did way back then. "And as the pieces are switched, you have outlived your purpose. Despite being born in a higher position, you have become irrelevant to the point of being unrecognisable as an opponent."

"Being cocky of having to 'work' for your place in the realm of the demons? It's childish to pretend that the way you came back was nothing short of cruel!"

"Perhaps. What with this new form of mine, maybe I have found a deeper appreciation of the innocent cruelty of childhood life."

The ground beneath you shakes as you hear the stomps of something crushing the ground behind you. Barnham is close, along with his army of Gladiators. You are not sure on what he will decide, but your gut instinct tells you that mortal minds are ill-fitted to withstand a clash of strong apostles.

>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham.
>Attack Griffith and tackle him into the ice.

>>5256575
>He will decapitate you bird count on it. And you Benny, you are a coward. Since you are ready drop your sister like a damned ragdoll, if you won't protect zhafira I will
>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham.

>>5256557
Of course Griffith shows up now, we need to telepathically send Benny images of how awful Griffith can be or something. Like that time Griffith confronted Vlad at his house after Guts left, that way we can show Benny that Griffith is a scheming lier.

>>5256576
>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham
I hate to say it but we need to retreat. Ignoring Femto's space powers, if Vlad touches Griffith, Zodd will rip him apart.

>>5256576
>>Attack Griffith and tackle him into the ice.
>Benny if you trust this man over me than I have nothing to say to you, just know that when I say that he is the most evil man I know, I mean it!

>>5256586
oops, I meant
>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham

>>5256575
>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham.

"Unlikely, i would not expect that even at the end of the world Griffith and i have not another word to say to you."

"Benny return here. If you truly wish i will take you under me. If you where ready to throw yourself in a river, then you will be ready for a life of struggle side by side with me. You have seen me fought before for Ilos, for your family, even for you in the Arena. Do you remember that ? I have already explain you before what my life is, and what it will be. You have asked me twice, now i will give you one offer to join me or to simply return to your family."

>>5256576
>Get out of the river and wait for Barnham.
>Say one thing to Griffith, beforehand. "When are you going to realize you're still nothing more than a pawn? The rest of the god hand sought your birth so they could use you. The currents of causality are nothing more than the chains that bind you, no matter how much you think they work for you instead. They were the ones who made your life as miserable as it was, and yet you still want to work with them? Why? All for your silly little dream, no matter how much you have to sacrifice to accomplish it? The sacrifices won't ever end, once they start. You of all people should know this!"

>>5256576
I'll back this>>5256598

>>5256598
+1

>>5256437
>>5256536
Benny will probably neck himself or get turned into a rampaging apostle later. Such is causality.

>>5256598
It's pointless to try and reason with Griffith because he literally isn't human or thinking in the same manner a person thinks. He's literally jsut a vessel for the evil of Causality like all the other demon kings.

I'll give this a +1 (since any other action will get us killed), but I'm not hopeful of getting through to him.

>>5256741
I don't think it'll get through to him either. But I think, later down the line, this conversation might serve to give him pause for the briefest of moments, at a critical juncture in causality.
A seed of doubt, being planted and nurtured within his mind.
Fitting, is it not?

>>5256748
We arguably mean less to him than even Guts or Rickert, who are the only people we've seen who managed to get Griffith to ever react in a way that wasn't "emotionless shell for an eldritch demonic intelligence". I don't think he's ever going to think back on Vlad after this beyond us being the guy who was stupid enough to lead a desperate kid with developing traits of nihilism straight into his arms.

>>5256546
Too late!

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>>5256598
Going with this then, writing soon.
Just finished Sword Of The Berserk while I was on break, I'm going to love to adapt this part if it happens here. Gameplay was kinda wonky but it being cutscene heavy softened the blow. Still better than the musou game/10

>>5256760
I wouldn't be so certain about that. Already, things have changed, beings have come into existence that did not exist originally. We only know a fraction of what happened in the incarnation ceremony, so any number of unknown factors could be at play within Griffith's new body that we, as players, may not know about.
It's important to remember that Femto even tries to lie to himself. He tells himself that Guts means nothing to him anymore, but it's a shallow lie.
Besides that, Griffith was always a paranoid sort, dealing with the fact that he was trying to backstab people before they backstab him. The paranoia of his former self cannot be so easily forgotten, surely?

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>>5256598
Your first instinct is to attempt a squeamish decapitation of Griffith, but seeing how he has a boy under his arms and one of the strongest apostles that ever lived above the two of you, you step back and attempt to reason with Benny instead of resorting to violence.

"Benny, please don't listen to what Griffith has to say. if that's what you truly wish, I will take you with me. You have asked me twice, now i will give you one offer to join me or to simply return to your family."

"Y-Y-Y-You only say that now because s-s-someone gave me a better offer! You n-n-never wanted me here! You never gave me a ch-chance!"

"Your sister and your father still love you, regardless of what you think of me! Think of what they would say!"

"Th-Th-They wanted me to be free t-too! If I wasn't such a weakling, I would have left to look for a cure for my sister years ag-go!"
"Cure? Is your sister sick?" Griffith pretends not to be all-knowing for the sake of better manipulating the child in his arms. "Why, yes. Perhaps we could find a solution to that conundrum in given time."

Whatever words you can throw to place Benny at your side are deflected by Griffith and then used against you to be twice as effective in making him join the dark side. Maybe it's time to give up on that front and instead inquire the enemy on his internal logic.

"Griffith." You soften your voice when calling to him. "When are you going to realize you're still nothing more than a pawn? The rest of the God Hand sought your birth, just so they could use you. The currents of causality are nothing more than the chains that bind you, no matter how much you think they work for you instead. They were the ones who made your life as miserable as it was, and yet you still want to work with them? Why? All for your silly little dream, no matter how much you have to sacrifice to accomplish it? The sacrifices won't ever end, once they start. You of all people should know this!"

"You are sorely mistaken if that is the extent of your knowledge in the ways of causality." He surprisingly starts explaining his motivations. "By nature, The God Hand is cyclical. There were other fingers before me, and more members could certainly come to be, should the creator manifest it's desires onto our realm. The reason for that is due to human desires growing stronger with each passing century, increasing proportionately with our knowledge of what we cannot control. The greater the ambition, the greater the sacrifices. It is why all the fingers were once human, and are bound to be replaced eventually. But it was not them who altered history. For there to be a God Hand, A God needs to exist."

"A God?"
"Our motives are far too grand for you to understand, but know this: His desires are the same as yours and mine. And if he chose to give me wings, I shall take to the sky and forge my kingdom. Afterall, how many people do you know who have been brought back from the dead?"

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>>5256894
His last remark seems to make fun of how you had to fake your death for two years and over half of Midland still believes you to be an impostor of Griffith, but your head is running circles around itself as to why Griffith would reveal all that to you. Was it to mock you? He doesn't seem to hold any grudges against you despite your history. So shoving his triumph in your face sounds inconceivable for someone who hasn't shown a shred of human emotion so far.

Is he challenging you and giving you hints as to how best scramble a way to defeat him? Is he even being truthful, or has he been lying this entire time in an attempt to confuse you? Your ability to read intent would come in great right now, but if using them before when he was carrying the God Hand Behelit was enough for you to pass out, you can only imagine how that would be like opening the door to your soul for Femto to come inside.

This revelation alone was enough to give you a headache, one that makes you pull away from his presence as the intended effect takes place on you.

"All will submit to fate in due time. Resisting is not only futile, but a counter-measure to humanity's true nature."

"It is good to know that I rejected my humanity a long time ago." Barnham's apostle form retreats into his humanoid, mutant state as he finally appears with his brigade, along with your curious allies.

"So that's the falcon of darkness fella you told me about, partner? Seems a lot like that old mercenary leader I heard a few years back." Hyde whistles with his flock of harpies.

"Benny! Get away from that man, right now!" Bernard shows up to scold his son.
"Lady Farnese, get behind me!" Serpico can only hope to shield his mistress in case anything happens to her.

Zodd stares into the fiery eyes of Barnham, who eagerly awaited a rematch against his mentor for what seemed to be an eternity in his eyes.
"I am disappointed in you, Zodd The Immortal! All these years, searching for the strongest, only to submit to him instead of fighting on a real duel!"
"You seem to have grown a bit, bearly nemesis. I hope your display will not be as pathetic as last time, because a third encounter will only be initiated if you're able to battle beyond the grave!" Zodd starts to chastise Barnham, but Griffith raises his hand to shut him up.

"Barnham. As is with all apostles, you have ascended in order to be free and do as you wish. but there comes a time when power is too great to go unnoticed. Your strength and assets would serve well in jump starting our militia, and I believe the message we sent when you were about to kill Princess Charlotte was made clear."

"It was either to come here or to lose all that's mine. Your ultimatum was very effective. I'm glad to know you have lived through the ordeal in Albion, Vlad. When this is all over, I would like to order your house to be ready for settlement."

"What was the message they sent to you, Barnham?" You skip the pleasantries despite appreciating them.

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>>5256910
"They made me go through the worst pain imaginable... All those years, fighting without the ability to feel pain, it all came back to me, reliving all of the gruesome wounds all have given me throughout the years as I destroyed and reconstructed my body, I had to feel all of those times to the point where I was barely able to stand straight in my apostle form, right as I forgot what the feeling of pain was like... And it all happened right in front of that little pest I loathe so much." Barnham explains how The God Hand apparently could disable his trademark ability at will.

"Do not badmouth our future Queen. She will soon to be your leader, as well." Griffith responds, already implying that Barnham would join anyway.

"You either side with the Kushan Empire, or with us. The choice is yours." Zodd finishes the sentence of the demon lord.

"Grrr.... GRRRRR!" A gust of wind pushes forward as Barnham considers transforming, but ceases mid transformation to land a punch into a nearby boulder, spreading it's force apart as it smashes itself into pebbles and forces Zodd to land in order to dodge them, making the both finally stare face-to-face, no difference in altitude aside from their height and difference in forms.

"I SIDE WITH NEITHER! POWER IS ABSOLUTE, AND MY CENTER OF GRAVITY IS BIG ENOUGH TO BE RECOGNISED AS A MENACE INDEPENDENT OF BOTH PARTIES!" Barnham growls at Zodd, even if his words are meant for Griffith.

They appear to be about to fight, but provided either of them wins or loses, the fact that Barnham needs flesh to regenerate, and that he's fighting the bodyguard of the man incapable of losing by god himself can only end in misery for any near bystanders of this legendary clash.

>Words won't reach Barnham. Settle this in the ring, just like I did.
>Are you sure you can defeat Zodd now, Barnham?
>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
>I would sooner unite with Ganishka than with you, Falcon.
>Write-in.

>>5256920
>>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
Barnham is our BRO

>>5256920
>Your weakness surprises me. You believe you need, unearned, our army? When you have so many willing to grovel at your feet, you would come here and demand Barnham’s hard-won spoils? You don’t have any need of it, not with what I know you have at your disposal. We would gladly wage war against the Kushans, but not for you, and not under your banner. And if you aim to force the matter, we would gladly declare war against you as well. This is the fate that we desire. We fight for our own purpose.

>>5256894
>Griffith knows and fully embraces his role as a tool to be used and discarded by the IoE
I knew it wouldn't work but I didn't think he'd rebuff us quite so hard.

>>5256920
Barnham remains the Best.

>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
Also a +1 to this >>5256938

>>5256920
>>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
"Ah but there is far more options than that, the Kushan aren't the only ones. Perhaps there will be even more now. Midland has more alternatives today, and the people will notice them Griffith. Even the ones that serve you will, inevitably look at them and perhaps even join them."

>>5256920
>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.

>>5256920
FUCK EM UP BRONHAM

>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
>I would sooner unite with Ganishka than with you, Falcon.
>Write-in.
>>5256938
SECONDING THIS

>>5256920
>We are not afraid of you. Consider your intrusion a declaration of war against our union.
And backing >>5256938
Plus >>5256994

>>5257034
I ain't uniting with the Kushans, but that one guy with the muscle bodyguards seems reasonable

>>5256920
Backing these>>5256938
>>5256994

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>>5256938
"Your weakness surprises me, Griffith. You believe you need, unearned, our army? When you have so many willing to grovel at your feet, you would come here and demand Barnham’s hard-won spoils?"

"And how do you think he was able to achieve those spoils? It was not unbeknownst to the eyes of our leaders." Zodd speaks up.

"Consider this not a forceful apprehension, but an open invitation. All are welcomed in this new world of mine, even the ones who had a past riddled with blood smears and wrongful actions. Given how we have a common enemy invading Midland once more, one would not expect to be so close-minded as to refuse uniting forces in such dire periods." Griffith explains the politics of his utopia, but you are not impressed with any of it.

"So you admit you don’t have any need of Barnham's army, not with what I know you have at your disposal. We would gladly wage war against the Kushans, but not for you, and not under your banner. And if you aim to force the matter, we would gladly declare war against you as well. This is the fate that we desire. We fight for our own purpose."

"A brave mindset indeed, but do not forget of the wishes of the collective. By being an apostle, he has made a contract to obey causality before all else."

"I would rather be exhausted beyond despair as my body is undone by your worst soldiers, than to halt my journey of becoming the strongest! The only reason you are so afraid of my growth, is because you know I will eventually pose a threat to your reign!"

"As someone who has been searching for the strongest for long before you made your pact, know that you are not even close to the higher rankings, and even if you quenched your hunger for a hundred years, you would still be unable to take me down." Zodd lays the truth onto Barnham, but he decides to punch the empty socket on his head that once showed his prideful, horn, spreading the damage to make him drop his head on the floor.

"You say this now, but here I am, punching you in the face before even needing to transform!" Barnham mocks Zodd's cowardly submission as the monster gets up to start a fight.
The crunch in Zodd's jaw was heard by all the soldiers, as he finally loses his patience and jumps on top of Barnham sending him flying up into the sky before ground pounding him on top of his soldiers, crushing the ones who couldn't escape.

Barnham finally transforms into his own form, fighting the goat demon with his own damage resisting strategy. While he ignores the initial blows, a precise scratch in his arm is enough to tear up to the bone, making Barnham quickly bite onto Zodd's shoulder as he attempts to regenerate.

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>>5257229
As they wrestle each other to the ground, rolling and crushing whoever came to pass, it appears that Barnham has the upper hand initially, but after some time Zodd appears to readjust his level of strength from the last time they fought, with the bear getting more and more blows and reacting with increasingly sluggish movements. He screams as if he were in horrible pain, and while he did claw a few holes in Zodd's limbs, he manages to regenerate faster without so much as placing a single drop of blood on his tongue.

"We are not afraid of you, Griffith! Consider this a declaration of war against our union!" You stop spectating the fight to turn your head back to Griffith. "The people will know of further options than you, the Kushan or us, your servants will only be temporary once they realise you're just as much a war criminal as the ones you're fighting against."

Griffith does not respond, remaining focused on hearing Barnham's screams as his attempts to get up are impeded by a horn being impaled on his side.
Usually, Barnham would simply ignore the pain and punch Zodd square in his snout, the agony in his voice makes it clear that his trademark ability has been toggled off, with Griffith's silent lip-flapping indicating him to be the culprit.

Zodd attempts to throw Barnham off his horn, but even as he is impaled, he lets the horn go further inside him so he can lock his legs onto Zodd's neck, crushing his windpipe and making him unable to breathe as his head desperately twists in all directions.

As the two beasts fight to the death, the people's eyes of terror do not escape your gaze, and neither does the sound of Barnham's left arm twisting further into the opposite direction of his ligaments, at this rate, if he doesn't apply more strength into suffocating Zodd, his body will limply fall right onto...

The direction where he would likely fly off would be right onto Bernard and Michelle's settlement, where Zhafira was lodged inside.

>Tell Barnham to back off.
>Tell Griffith to stop the fight.
>Distract Griffith with your halberd so his spell is temporarly worn off.
>Tell the Ilos gladiators to back him up.

>>5257253
>Tell the Ilos gladiators to back him up.
Then we should do
>Distract Griffith with your halberd so his spell is temporarly worn off.
For maximum effectiveness.

>>5257253
>>5257256
seconding

>>5257253
I'll back this>>5257256
Considering our current condition we can't do much else.

>>5257253
>Tell the Ilos gladiators to back him up.
>Distract Griffith with your halberd so his spell is temporarly worn off.
>ask Griffith if he actually thought you betrayed him in the chapel.

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>>5257256
>>5257263
>>5257272
>>5257308
Bold of you to point a weapon at the final boss before the story even reaches the halfway point.
A 2d100. Don't expect low checks.

Rolled 9 (1d100)

>>5257319

Rolled 44, 29 = 73 (2d100)

>>5257319
NO REGRETS

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>5257321
Oh I forgot

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Rolled 23, 70 = 93 (2d100)

>>5257319
Barnham may be an apostle, but his heart remains his own.

Rolled 13, 73 = 86 (2d100)

>>5257319
when do we roll to berserk?

Rolled 15, 24 = 39 (2d100)

>>5257319

>>5257322
>>5257328
>>5257332
>>5257332
>>5257369
Well, at least the second roll is above the bare minimum.

Guys, another thing we could do is assist Barnham by using our plant powers to help choke out Zodd. Use our powers to assist Barnham while Griffith uses his to assist Zodd!

>>5257472
Using the plants for immobilize Zodd or tear his limbs could be an idea

Or for impale him. We have some creative options for the attacks if we want honestly.

>>5257369
>>5257332
>>5257328
>>5257323
>>5257322
>>5257321
Oh boy, someone's about to get trashed...
Writing.

You know whats scarier than dying?

Living to see the consequences.

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>>5257321
>>5257322
>>5257323
"GLADIATORS, ATTACK!" You order for around 500 gladiators to attack Zodd at the same time in an attempt to save Barnham's life. The crowd accordingly waits for an opportunity to jump in, until one throws a javelin onto Zodd's back, followed by the strike of an arrow, and then a bolt, and then a ball of iron.

Throwing Barnham on the floor and letting him gurgle on his own blood, Zodd gets angry at the sight of people interrupting his one-on-one fight, not knowing there was already outside interference long before. The Bear apostle can barely stand up from the pain.

"Miserable insects!" Zodd starts crushing the smaller foes crawling on his back, jumping and falling onto them to squash them completely, while Barnham slurps the small amounts of blood splattering in his direction.

Still feeling the pain thanks to Griffith's intervention, you raise your halberd against Griffith and attempt to land a few hits on Griffith. With him having a child in his arm, even if he can defy gravity, he still is limited on what he can do, and you don't plan on accidentally hitting Benny either, so you mostly strike in his general direction in hopes that he will fall for the bait and dodge anyway.

Griffith does not move, but keeps staring at Zodd's fight with the gladiators. While they are strong and are able to put up a decent fight against each other, most of them are getting absolutely trashed by only one apostle in Griffith's duo, too small to even call an army, yet powerful enough to highhandedly defeat one.

"It seems history is bound to repeat itself, much like when I fought Zodd along with him..."
"Why are you ignoring me? Dodge!" You finally lunge your lance at his forehead, finally getting a reaction out of him as his pupils dilate, making your weapon around 10 times heavier than before as an opposing force stops your hands from hitting him. It was as if he was able to telekinetically hold you in place, making even the air around himself crush you instead of even lifting a finger.

"I only take offence to ones who pose imminent danger to myself, or to my plans. Guts was too insignificant to even waver my heart after our meeting in the hill of swords. He was the one I was the most curious in seeing how my new body of flesh would react, and yet, I felt nothing at all."

>>5257616
I think we should focus on helping out Barnham and taking try taking down Zodd along with him

>>5257661
Alongside him*

>>5257663
I'm all for blasting the SOB with our od but in close combat we would be turned into swiss cheese.

Man becchi, I would absolutely love to draw this story and turn it into a comic.

>>5257616
>"I only take offence to ones who pose imminent danger to myself, or to my plans. Guts was too insignificant to even waver my heart after our meeting in the hill of swords. He was the one I was the most curious in seeing how my new body of flesh would react, and yet, I felt nothing at all."
Griffith lies as easily as he pretends to breathe.

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>>5257671
Me too anon, me too. I forgot how much effort it took to illustrate with my mediocre art skills so I gave up on doing art of my favorite scenes.

Especially since the art in Berserk is so detailed, most I can do is chibi moeblobs.

The novel format I can still do since it's just reformatting and I'm already compiling it and editing the typos but I forgot how time consuming drawing is. Already got a job and a gym to go every other day so I might as well focus on the writing since that's what I do best.

>Mfw today marks a year already since Miura died
Man, I hope I can do an ending that does it justice if we get there.

>>5257680
>Especially since the art in Berserk is so detailed, most I can do is chibi moeblobs.
They're adorable and make nice contrast with the unholy cosmic terror.

>>5257680
Cute drawing Beechi :)

>>5257616
Did I read the scene wrong? Barnham had his legs locked around Zodd's neck, impaling himself deep onto the horn to do so, and Zodd was making Banrham's arms into a pretzel or something like that. Then it immediately switches into Zodd throwing barnham on the floor. Not sure if a post was eaten or if editing consumed a sentence or two that was supposed to be there (happens to me all the time when I write), but it feels like there's something missing between the grapple-off and the toss-down to actually break that grapple.