Catalyst Quest: Wild Growth
- Thread starter Alaric
- Start date
- Original Mature Fantasy Horror
Chapter 31: How to Live Your Life
Alaric
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Chapter 31: How to Live Your Life
"Fair." You know these men also have their own issues, and that it's high time you heard their stories, too. You get comfortable on the nearest bed, even making a point to wrap yourself up in a blanket. It's absurdly cozy.
Father Wilhelm silently takes a seat alongside Father Pevrel, so that they're facing you side-by-side.
"Listen here, you little shit." The leader of the Church of Vengeance bares his crooked teeth at you. "I've known you for nearly three weeks now, and not a day has gone by that you haven't done something to save other people's lives because you've invoked. Because of the Gods. Do you understand why I haven't had you put to the fucking rack, Anscham?" He hardly pauses, grimacing. "Don't answer that. Lecher. What I'm getting at is that I CAN'T hold you accountable for every last sin. You've done so much good— and yes, it's come at the expense of your body— but THAT is the cost that we MUST be willing to pay."
He's reverent, and clasps both hands before you. The symbol of prayer is shaken at you. "Do you understand me? You are gifted with EVERY last God's blessing. Every last one of them. If you're too much of a pussy to deal with the ramifications of one of Them loving you with all Her being, then don't string Her along. You haven't been able to keep yourself away from Agriculture from the first minutes I've met you, and you've only gotten stronger because of it. I don't care how miserable or insecure you feel about your weight. You're not a woman. It's not the end of the world. You're still one of the most competent fighters I've ever met. You don't need to prove anything to ANYONE."
Unclasping his hands, the chauvinist drops his arms to his sides in exasperation. "I'd strangle you if I didn't know it would derail any chance of you listening to me. Listen to me, Anscham. You have yet to call upon your Goddess for a matter that didn't warrant Her ability. If everything you've told me is true about how the rest of the Gods work through you, then you've also made the right call with Them. Every single time. It's thanks to your work with Agriculture that Eadric was saved on multiple counts, and that we've been able to give you a leave of absence from the Church of Mercy to begin with. YOU saved us from that demon of dread, even if it ripped your soul to shreds. Are you going to own up to that? Or are you going to keep asking me to tell you how to live your life?"
The man is breathing hard— not from breathlessness, but out of raw anger.
You are completely silent.
Unable to help himself, Father Wilhelm sits alongside you in the bed, and takes you into a hug. "You're devastated."
Your big, green eyes stare at the lord of respite. You don't want to ask, but he's kind enough to answer anyways.
"Dream doesn't make things easy for me, either." He laughs a little to himself, and to your fascinated horror, sticks a few fingers into one of the gaps in his skin. It obviously causes him no pain, even when they go down to the lowest knuckle.
He retracts the digits a moment later. They're covered in blue paint and some substance removed from reality. He smears the substance off on the side of his robes like it's nothing. You really want to ask, and know it's not the time.
"Aside from what I've chosen to do with my body, I owe what's in my heart to Him. Even if Dream's idea of a pleasant evening is reliving others nightmares for what feels like several decades! Or to go on a reverie that leaves reality feeling as dull and listless as an uninspired fairy-tale." He says it all with a smile, but there's something dead in those blue eyes for just a moment.
He blinks, wincing in the low lantern light, and is back to his cheery self. "Not many people would want to be where I am. Not only because I'm not much more than a shell of a man! Who knows how long I'll live for? But the responsibility that I carry means that all of this is about more than my personal desires. There are expectations placed on me by mortals and my God alike."
That sincere smile falters just slightly. "But never— and I do mean never— would I Dream of placing these decisions on another. Of asking someone else to decide my fate for me. When I invoke, it's about more than even matters of life or death. I have to consider what matters to me and my partner. I'm not saying that I wouldn't help you with this, Richard, or that it isn't a good idea— but I believe that you are coming from the wrong place."
Father Pevrel crosses his arms, sneering at you. "I've been in a worse place. How many people do you think I had to hug after I lost my eyes? You don't see me crying about it now, and you wouldn't have then, either."
You bite your tongue, as the man has literally come crying to you about it on multiple occasions.
"There's a difference between having emotions and what you do with them."
All three of you pause for a moment, shocked to hear anything in the way of emotional maturity from the man.
With a sniff, the priest of retribution continues, "and I know for a fact that you cannot listen to anyone when your emotions are involved. I've tried to help you with how often you invoke from the day we met, and it's only gotten worse since I started trying. You need to understand that we are throwing ourselves into situations that cannot be resolved through simple displays of force or kindness. The world is depending on us to make the most of the power that we're given."
"And the three of us should know better than most what else comes with it." Father Wilhelm draws back, tending further to his cigar instead of any further displays of affection. "Not everyone can handle wielding the Gods, let alone being loved by Them. This is something you should take some pride in, Richard. We can make concessions to help your body, but I must insist that you have done nothing wrong here. Not today, and not since I've had the fortune of re-meeting you!"
His voice drops, and the sternest expression you've ever seen on Father Wilhelm takes over his face. "Now, if we had this conversation the last time I caught you abusing Dream—? Well. There's no need to get into all of that." His features barely soften into a grimace. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are treating your Goddesses with all the love and respect that They deserve. Right?"
Not a peep comes out of you.
"Good." The man's white smile is back in an instant.
"That's not enough," Father Pevrel snaps. "We're meant to be paragons of devotion. If you feel like you can't hack balancing your vessel's needs and that of your patrons, you need another fucking line of work. This is what we do, Anscham. This is how it works. This is why most of us spend our entire lives working towards this. The real fucking miracle is that the Gods see fit to grace you at all."
He gets to his feet. "But no matter how little I can believe it, They do. So stop fucking it up. We both told you that we'd help you with your diet, and I'm going to destroy your fat ass working out every single day that we're on the road. So why risk getting hesitant in the heat of battle, or in any other urgent situation? What if I can't talk? What if the enemy controls our thoughts? What if you're MADE to invoke— or feel like that's the case? Don't put that shit on me again. I'm tired of you going back on your fucking word."
The priest grumbles to himself, getting back in his chair. "Making me lose my temper. I shouldn't be using language like this. Screw you, Anscham."
A milder look is cast to you by Father Wilhelm. "It will make me uncomfortable to try and honor your request. You asked something similar of me the first week that we met, and tested those limits nearly every day after. We eventually agreed to not try and hide anything about the Gods from each other. Do you remember...?"
A small nod can't hurt.
"I can't help but feel like this is a far more harmful request. While I do greatly appreciate the respect you're showing towards mine and Father Pevrel's judgement—" He laughs a little to himself at how pleased Father Pevrel is by the statement. "—well. I simply don't want to dictate how you live your life, either."
There's a long pause between the three of you, which Father Wilhelm kindly breaks.
"I know you refused my last offer to do this, Richard, but I feel like it is a waste of our talents to not try. I would like to experiment more with our combined ability. Not to hold you back from doing much at all." He pauses, trying to not make you panic. "This isn't to say that we should be invoking night and day. You demonstrated just last night that you are quite the capable combatant, when the need presents itself."
"Exactly." Father Pevrel stops his muttering, leaning further in his chair towards you. "I know you're hurting badly. You should be. This is what happens when you spend a lifetime living for people other than yourself. It's not going to get easier unless you learn to lean on other people AND your Goddesses. So listen to us. If you're so choked up over how shitty you feel after fighting a few demons— or choking down whatever Agriculture gives you— then you really should cut back. On all of this. Turn in your fucking title again, you coward, and—"
Father Wilhelm gets up, and throws a weak punch at Father Pevrel's left arm. "That was completely uncalled for."
"So is this bullshit."
"It's also inaccurate."
"It doesn't change that I'm tired of him wasting his breath and my time on this shit."
Both men stare you down with weary, impatient faces.
"I would like to hear your thoughts about all of this, Richard." The leader of the Church of Dream sighs. "As I said before: I will help you with your request, but I have my reservations."
"And I can't see this working out," Father Pevrel says. "I know you wouldn't lie to me. You want to invoke more of the Gods, not less. You should be focusing on healing your fucking soul. You're—" He laughs at the absurdity of it. "—you're the LORD OF HEALING, ANSCHAM! Why are you not doing EVERYTHING in your power to address THAT, when you can bang two GODDESSES when you're feeling up to it?!"
Father Wilhelm winces. "He just told us how much he's struggling with Agriculture."
"Then grow a pair. Cut Her off, or let yourself enjoy Her company. For fuck's sake. You're hurting Her just as badly as She's hurting you by going on like that." A long, irritated sigh leaves Father Pevrel. "Honestly." It's disgusting when you're reminded that the man has eyelids, but he closes them for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose, and to talk to the floor.
"I am only telling you all of this, Anscham, because I care. I respect you enough to be honest. Okay? Make up your mind."
"We can sleep on it," Father Wilhelm says, patting you a little on the back. "If you like. I know you've had a rough afternoon."
Father Pevrel turns his chair around, and sits normally for the first time since you entered the room. "I'm not moving from this spot until I get an answer. Don't you put this off. Don't you fucking dare. You need to be decisive, Anscham, or you're going to get people killed. Now give me an answer. What are we going to do to keep you in the fight?"
>All of the following are mutually exclusive.
>Majority vote will decide.
>Reasonable discussion will be taken into full account, as always.
>In addition to these prompts, feel free to add any thoughts, questions, or concerns for your allies.
>A] Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on your friends. Listen to your allies, and focus on healing your soul. It's not like you don't work out daily, anyways, and you already know many ways to reduce the pain in you. There's no need to dramatically change the way you approach danger, when you can make the most of your time at rest! With your Relic AND the alliance of two powerful friends, you will hopefully feel much better in the days to come, and should still be able to invoke as you normally do.
>B] You're honestly terrified of how dependent you've become on the Gods, and you don't want to end up incapable of functioning without them. Moreover, with how bad the pain is in your soul, you're also scared stiff of what might happen if you were to invoke now. You're okay with alienating Father Pevrel, stressing out Father Wilhelm, and straining your friendships. You seriously, honestly, TRULY mean it this time: You are going to cut back on invoking. (ONCE SELECTED, THIS WILL SEVERELY RESTRICT FUTURE PROMPTS AND ALL ACCEPTED ACTIONS FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. Attempts to go back on this course of action will carry serious consequences.)
>C] You are tired of being wishy-washy, going back on your word, making weak compromises, hurting your lovers, and disappointing your friends. You have a solid idea in mind that you can commit to. One that will address these problems directly, without sweeping anything under the rug. (Write-in. These will be subject to intense scrutiny (given the situation), and may be rejected wholesale.)
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Well, I think I'll need to see some voting or discussion before I lock in anything. Since the voters represent the character's thoughts and actions, and so many voters are adamant on curtailing the invocations, it's not really fair to Richard's psyche to continue making the same compromises and going through the same struggles just to end up in the same place. That makes me want to choose B, but on the other hand, I think the world needs Richard's unique connection to the gods.
I will hesitantly support A for now IF we make it very clear that they need to tell us the exact moment we fuck up so that we don't slip, but please reply to me with a counterargument if you have one and I'll consider changing it.
I also want to add that we should at least commit to trying the mortal option first before invoking, and saving invocation for when nothing else will work.
I will hesitantly support A for now IF we make it very clear that they need to tell us the exact moment we fuck up so that we don't slip, but please reply to me with a counterargument if you have one and I'll consider changing it.
I also want to add that we should at least commit to trying the mortal option first before invoking, and saving invocation for when nothing else will work.
>B] You're honestly terrified of how dependent you've become on the Gods, and you don't want to end up incapable of functioning without them. Moreover, with how bad the pain is in your soul, you're also scared stiff of what might happen if you were to invoke now. You're okay with alienating Father Pevrel, stressing out Father Wilhelm, and straining your friendships. You seriously, honestly, TRULY mean it this time: You are going to cut back on invoking. (ONCE SELECTED, THIS WILL SEVERELY RESTRICT FUTURE PROMPTS AND ALL ACCEPTED ACTIONS FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME. Attempts to go back on this course of action will carry serious consequences.)
Florin
Priest of Yech
>A] Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on your friends. Listen to your allies, and focus on healing your soul. It's not like you don't work out daily, anyways, and you already know many ways to reduce the pain in you. There's no need to dramatically change the way you approach danger, when you can make the most of your time at rest! With your Relic AND the alliance of two powerful friends, you will hopefully feel much better in the days to come, and should still be able to invoke as you normally do.
I mean asking for advice from a couple of other addicts was bound to have this happen, I say we we don't restrict ourselves in any way and rather do what Pevrel says and focus on healing our soul. It is the most efficient route I must admit, you get best of both worlds. That and getting Agri's other domains in check, to substitute for growth. Allying with everyone worked well enough last time and I think we can do it again in the future.
I mean asking for advice from a couple of other addicts was bound to have this happen, I say we we don't restrict ourselves in any way and rather do what Pevrel says and focus on healing our soul. It is the most efficient route I must admit, you get best of both worlds. That and getting Agri's other domains in check, to substitute for growth. Allying with everyone worked well enough last time and I think we can do it again in the future.
The first meeting of the God Addicted Fathers (GAF) is pretty much a success, I guess.
>C] You are tired of being wishy-washy, going back on your word, making weak compromises, hurting your lovers, and disappointing your friends. You have a solid idea in mind that you can commit to. One that will address these problems directly, without sweeping anything under the rug.
This is essentially A, but with conditions pertaining to invoking priority.
It's not really the problem of invoking so much as a dependancy on one God for problems that might be solved by another. As demonstrated before we left for this journey, Mercy can heal our soul ache and body so long as we give her the time of day if we were so worried about soul ache. We fear to cheapen this ability however so this is sparingly done.
Hmm, we may just have to call Mercy for that very reason other than showering her love.
Each of the Gods complement and counter each other with their domains. However some of their physical marks can be more debilitating than others. On the top of my list is Agri's encroaching build up, Mercy's extreme healing fills up wounds with unfeeling metal, Dream's paints seem a bothersome to clothes, and we don't know much about Time's manifestations but I can assume changes in age are some of Her marks.
It is our responsibility to manage and conserve their abilities. We know famine is the most likely problems we're going to encounter. In our current state (ungainly and large) we must be able to sparingly use Her invocations (specifically growth) as much as possible to save up when we do encounter something She can do. To be fair, her domains have the most versatility in them as far as we know so Agri's usually the first choice. This state of Agri fasting is only broken once we've achieved suitable shredded muscular form, in which added pounds can easily be taken up for more gains.
I propose that we try to invoke Flesh more. This is in order to help make use of Agri's marks and more to diversify our knowledge on how to use the invocations of other Gods. Flesh does have healing if we encounter really stiff opposition. If he's not in the mood for invocation, we can always devote a few hours on the leg of our journey for his physical prayers to earn favour.
>C] You are tired of being wishy-washy, going back on your word, making weak compromises, hurting your lovers, and disappointing your friends. You have a solid idea in mind that you can commit to. One that will address these problems directly, without sweeping anything under the rug.
This is essentially A, but with conditions pertaining to invoking priority.
It's not really the problem of invoking so much as a dependancy on one God for problems that might be solved by another. As demonstrated before we left for this journey, Mercy can heal our soul ache and body so long as we give her the time of day if we were so worried about soul ache. We fear to cheapen this ability however so this is sparingly done.
Hmm, we may just have to call Mercy for that very reason other than showering her love.
Each of the Gods complement and counter each other with their domains. However some of their physical marks can be more debilitating than others. On the top of my list is Agri's encroaching build up, Mercy's extreme healing fills up wounds with unfeeling metal, Dream's paints seem a bothersome to clothes, and we don't know much about Time's manifestations but I can assume changes in age are some of Her marks.
It is our responsibility to manage and conserve their abilities. We know famine is the most likely problems we're going to encounter. In our current state (ungainly and large) we must be able to sparingly use Her invocations (specifically growth) as much as possible to save up when we do encounter something She can do. To be fair, her domains have the most versatility in them as far as we know so Agri's usually the first choice. This state of Agri fasting is only broken once we've achieved suitable shredded muscular form, in which added pounds can easily be taken up for more gains.
I propose that we try to invoke Flesh more. This is in order to help make use of Agri's marks and more to diversify our knowledge on how to use the invocations of other Gods. Flesh does have healing if we encounter really stiff opposition. If he's not in the mood for invocation, we can always devote a few hours on the leg of our journey for his physical prayers to earn favour.
Alaric
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(As previously foretold, I'm having to scrutinize write-ins particularly intensely this time, given the situation. No offense meant! But there are three big points that make this something that I can't put forward as an option:
1. You don't know if you can invoke Flesh at all right now. When you last prayed to Flesh, you were certain He didn't answer - and your allies would be very quick to tell you the same.
2. Whether or not you could invoke Flesh, trying to invoke one deity more often does not address the full gamut of issues you may encounter that would warrant invocation. (E.g. What if you encountered a problem that really required Storm, Dream, Vengeance, Agriculture, Mercy, Time, or Spirit to resolve?)
3. Trying to invoke Flesh more often doesn't specifically address your ally's concerns about under what circumstances you are willing to invoke.
I do sincerely appreciate all of your observations and there's some very interesting thoughts in here, but I just wanted to be up-front about the action you're proposing to put forward. Please feel free to back another voter's options, a prompt, or to propose something different! And thank you very much for all of the thought you've put into this, it means a whole lot.)
1. Yeah, that's alright. More time for physical devotion then make Him come to us. FLESH-BRO!
2. Imagination and knowledge hand in hand is a great equaliser to most problems. But yeah, unless the problem tailors directly towards one God. I am loathe to invoke Gods first repeatedly over a relatively short time span. Especially in the state we're in.
3. Case by case basis. Unless we've suddenly gained more blessings by Time in precognition it's still very much up in the air. Combat wise, I'd like to maintain teamwork, blessings and mortal strength to conserve the soul. Sometimes I feel we are not using the Dahila's full breadth of abilities to supplement our own, or that we are underestimating what our training under the Church of Flesh has done to our own martial prowess. That is not to say of other abilities Anscham has under his belt.
Though I understand that some situations whose crisis and limit in Time forces us into invocation, time and time again. Still Her will is Unchanging. At least now Ancham has a better grasp in regards to invoking certain Gods, especially Agriculture.
If we are going to go at it as the crisis unfolds, his body should at least have been sculpted to make room for more mass, had considered other Gods/domains or that he has worked on getting it through with his self and friends first.
If the write up is still unfeasible I'll go with
>A] Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on your friends. Listen to your allies, and focus on healing your soul. It's not like you don't work out daily, anyways, and you already know many ways to reduce the pain in you. There's no need to dramatically change the way you approach danger, when you can make the most of your time at rest! With your Relic AND the alliance of two powerful friends, you will hopefully feel much better in the days to come, and should still be able to invoke as you normally do.
The entire thing was based off as a middle ground of A and B, yet more on A side anyway.
2. Imagination and knowledge hand in hand is a great equaliser to most problems. But yeah, unless the problem tailors directly towards one God. I am loathe to invoke Gods first repeatedly over a relatively short time span. Especially in the state we're in.
3. Case by case basis. Unless we've suddenly gained more blessings by Time in precognition it's still very much up in the air. Combat wise, I'd like to maintain teamwork, blessings and mortal strength to conserve the soul. Sometimes I feel we are not using the Dahila's full breadth of abilities to supplement our own, or that we are underestimating what our training under the Church of Flesh has done to our own martial prowess. That is not to say of other abilities Anscham has under his belt.
Though I understand that some situations whose crisis and limit in Time forces us into invocation, time and time again. Still Her will is Unchanging. At least now Ancham has a better grasp in regards to invoking certain Gods, especially Agriculture.
If we are going to go at it as the crisis unfolds, his body should at least have been sculpted to make room for more mass, had considered other Gods/domains or that he has worked on getting it through with his self and friends first.
If the write up is still unfeasible I'll go with
>A] Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on your friends. Listen to your allies, and focus on healing your soul. It's not like you don't work out daily, anyways, and you already know many ways to reduce the pain in you. There's no need to dramatically change the way you approach danger, when you can make the most of your time at rest! With your Relic AND the alliance of two powerful friends, you will hopefully feel much better in the days to come, and should still be able to invoke as you normally do.
The entire thing was based off as a middle ground of A and B, yet more on A side anyway.
Zedalb
I just started a Patreon!
- Location
- Washington
>A] Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on your friends. Listen to your allies, and focus on healing your soul. It's not like you don't work out daily, anyways, and you already know many ways to reduce the pain in you. There's no need to dramatically change the way you approach danger, when you can make the most of your time at rest! With your Relic AND the alliance of two powerful friends, you will hopefully feel much better in the days to come, and should still be able to invoke as you normally do
Alaric
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(I'll definitely make note of all these points, some good stuff that definitely echoes a lot of concensus between all the voterbase. As it is I'll count it towards the A vote! Thanks again for all the thoughts MoonSerpent.)
Zedalb
I just started a Patreon!
- Location
- Washington
Should learn archery.
Strength was important for archers and Richard is fuck all strong .
If he gets back to lift a horse strong with a bow with that type of draw weight.
Well it probably won't solve many of his invocation problems, but it will skewer the fuck out of any killable problems.
Strength was important for archers and Richard is fuck all strong .
If he gets back to lift a horse strong with a bow with that type of draw weight.
Well it probably won't solve many of his invocation problems, but it will skewer the fuck out of any killable problems.
Alaric
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(You guys have trained with a variety of weapons, thanks to your time in the Church of Flesh, studying under Father Friedrich. You do have a basic grasp of archery (and most other ranged weapons)! Though your knowledge is rudimentary (compared to your specialization in melee weapons), you absolutely could start to fashion a bow and some arrows while traveling! The quality and such would be... variable, as this is not your speciality. I can totally provide a prompt for that later, or you all are free to pitch some ideas in the meantime!)
BY THE GODS YOU'RE RIGHT!
Quick, invoke Spirit and make this Blessed creation!
Zedalb
I just started a Patreon!
- Location
- Washington
English long bow was 150 lbs, I suspect that very few people make the types of bows you'd need for draw weights way above that.
You do know an amazing black smith, a metal bow, could provide, the 300? 500? Pound draw weight Richard could be capable of.
Whatever it is, anything that means invoking less is a good tool, and a proper heavy duty war bow, would mean invoking a little less.
You do know an amazing black smith, a metal bow, could provide, the 300? 500? Pound draw weight Richard could be capable of.
Whatever it is, anything that means invoking less is a good tool, and a proper heavy duty war bow, would mean invoking a little less.
We could be The Master Baiter.
Pull off some neat small time geokinesis/plant life manipulation for some Forest Vietnam shenanigans for anti personnel.
A bit of impending vines and tripping roots at some opportune moments can rapidly shift the tide of battle especially to large demons not really paying attention other than the meat in front of them.
Pull off some neat small time geokinesis/plant life manipulation for some Forest Vietnam shenanigans for anti personnel.
A bit of impending vines and tripping roots at some opportune moments can rapidly shift the tide of battle especially to large demons not really paying attention other than the meat in front of them.
Zedalb
I just started a Patreon!
- Location
- Washington
Draw weight also correlates to distance.
RIchard with his full strength could shoot things from a stupid range, no need for tricks.
But we can synergise that in the heat of battle, especially when you need a target to keep still or better yet, cordon them into a location of your choosing by surprise pitfall/triproot trap.
Battlefield awareness is pretty much op in the grand scheme of the war theatre.
Add that to environmental control? On demand? Now you are a walking God.
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Chapter 32: Hesitation
Alaric
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Chapter 32: Hesitation
The next few moments feel as if they stretch out into eternity. The low crackle of your lantern in dying evening light. Father Pevrel's steady, furious breathing. Cigar smoke filling the room from Father Wilhelm's slight smile, despite all his worry.
You wrap the blankets tighter around yourself. You're honestly terrified. Terrified, and hesitant, and almost completely unable to make up your mind. The thought of how dependent you've become on the Gods just to function keeps your lips tightly together. You want to talk about how quick you are to solve the problem from one God by invoking another. A few delusional thoughts flit through your mind about how just a few hours of prayer might regain Flesh's favor. That the lifetime of devotion you've shown to Agriculture could be mirrored by a little physical worship. That you could make Him come to you.
Drawing a little further in on yourself really isn't possible, thanks to how big you are. The recurring reminder that your stomach is getting in the way of normal movements is simultaneously like a spike through your brain, and a warm caress that wraps all around it. You want to get through this. You have friends and loved ones who are here to support you. You don't even need to rely on the Gods to heal the ache in your soul. That's Father Pevrel's point.
He makes a solid point.
A deep sigh leaves you. You don't have to be terrified of your dependency on Them. There are ample tools at your disposal to claim control over your life— mind, body, and soul.
Mentally committing to mortal means of solving the problems you face first and foremost is something you always have known how to do. Sure, it's the path least traveled in your case, but that doesn't mean you can't try to focus harder on those choices.
It won't be any trouble to rely on your body, if you're doing that much. If Father Pevrel is going to help shred your form, you'll also have more opportunity to get back to invoking Agriculture. More utility. More choices.
And sure, you couldn't have expected any other advice about your soul from two of the worst addicts you know, but that might be exactly what you needed to hear. They're possibly the only two other men alive who can truly understand what you're going through. Father Barthalomew seems like he has his life together, and Father Friedrich never was comfortable talking with you about how much you invoked. They didn't get it. That's okay. What matters is that your friends do.
Everyone seriously looks relieved to have said as much.
Maybe this is what Agriculture meant by leaning harder on my friends?
It's clear that Father Pevrel is going to fight you tooth and nail if you don't give him a clear answer tonight. This isn't easy for you. Uncertainty paralyzes you at the best of times, and this is a complex issue. Every bit of you wants to preach your usual sentiments about taking each situation on a case-by-case basis— but that's not good enough for your friends. They need someone who they can rely on. Someone who isn't going to freeze up in the heat of the moment, or be crippled by indecision when their lives are at stake.
You don't know what's to come in the days ahead, but you know you can handle this much.
Shrugging the blankets off from your hair and head, you nod a few times, and speak clearly. "I have been— I have been ignoring my own strengths for far too long. I will focus on healing my soul."
Both priests are all smiles. Father Pevrel relaxes so much, he slumps forward in his chair. "I can't tell you how good it is to hear you say that."
"I must admit, it is the most— the most efficient route. The best of both worlds."
Father Wilhelm raises an eyebrow at you, puffing away at his cigar in disbelief. "Oh?"
"And—" You're blushing. "That, and it should help with better understanding and utilizing Agriculture's other domains... to— to substitute for growth."
Neither man is a priest of Agriculture, but they are polite enough to obliviously nod at you.
"That seems like a fine proposition," Father Wilhelm says.
The implications of this dawns on Father Pevrel, who knocks over his chair as he gets to his feet in outrage. "Are you telling me that you had an alternative THIS ENTIRE TIME—?!"
"Please keep your voice down." Father Wilhelm laughs, though he looks to you with serious concern. "Is that true, Richard?"
You shrug off the rest of the blankets, feeling all-too warm. "You should know better than anyone that there's more to it than just that. She has eight domains, and even if She didn't— even if I wasn't still learning— there is need for what I have mastery over more often than not. You both know this. Please— please sit back down."
The lord of wrath reluctantly rights his chair and sits back down, simultaneously seething and inviting you to continue.
"Allying with each other worked well enough last time, didn't it?" You genuinely smile, which your allies can't help but return.
"Saved my ass more than once," Father Pevrel grumbles.
"You contributed plenty." The leader of the Church of Dream leans back slightly, using his seat like a makeshift rocking chair. "We all did. I'm not sure if I'm so keen on what effects it might carry..."
Smoke lazily drifts towards the ceiling, while you all silently reflect on the prospect.
"I think we can do it again, in the future." The crackle of the lantern is almost louder than your suggestion.
A long, heavy sigh leaves Father Pevrel. "If it means getting even half as much done as what we've accomplished this month? Count me in." He gets to his feet, looking around the small and spartan room, then down to you. "Taking my advice, then?"
"I already said as much." You finish shrugging off the last of the blankets, and awkwardly look up to the man.
"Then, you..." He looks around the small room again, as if it could answer his question. "I have no idea how you work, Anscham. This is different for everyone. Don't make me say it."
Your confidence comes back tenfold. "Thank you, but I don't think I need anything from you. This much I can handle— and I already feel much better after talking. I think—" You're cut off by a tremendous yawn. It's annoying, given that you napped earlier— but it makes sense. You did stay up the entire previous night.
A guilty, far happier look is cast towards Father Wilhelm. "Do you think we could turn in for the night?"
"It's past midnight." Father Wilhelm playfully bops you on the head by tossing a throw-pillow your way. You figure letting him get the hit in is harmless, which harmlessly flops to the bed before he finishes talking. "We all should have been asleep hours ago." He raises an eyebrow to the grump beside him. "Nicholas?"
No verbal complaints about his given name this time around. "Shut up, Anscham." It's still incredibly weird, and gets a smile out of you when he only grimaces. "Yeah. Sounds fine. I'll keep watch."
"You don't need to—" Father Wilhelm is immediately cut off.
"I'll be fine. Get some rest."
In no time at all, Father Wilhelm has you safely secured in one of the untouched beds. You get to pull out the ridiculous, animal-covered nightcap he gave to you during your first night at his vacation home. The sight of the gold brocade, absurdly ornate, long-tailed, and unbearably silly item has him grinning from ear to ear.
"You seriously kept this? All this time?"
"How could I not?" You slip it on over your scruffy hair, and get as comfortable as you can beneath the sheets. "I don't think I ever got the chance to thank you for all of the letters. While I was in Beorward, and back at home."
"You did. I got the flowers." His smile softens, though he still looks incredibly happy. "They're dried. I still have them back in the Church of Dream. We'll talk more tomorrow. Get some rest."
"Good night, Father Wilhelm. Father Pevrel."
"I'm not sleeping, Anscham." It sounds like he was sleeping.
You fall asleep with a smile on your face.
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Chapter 33: An Optimist
Alaric
⠀
Chapter 33: An Optimist
Dawn greets you the following morning with the sound of birds chirping, an unusual amount of activity in the hall outside of the guest room, and two priests getting ready for the day.
Father Wilhelm stops rinsing his face in a nearby basin of water, swinging his damp hair and beard your way. It sticks the end of his nightcap to his face. He peels the fabric up and off with a disgusted grin. "You're up early! Good morning."
"Blessed be the day." You groan, shift upright, and feel every bit like you physically satisfied a Goddess yesterday afternoon.
A small, round object is chucked towards your face at high velocity. "Catch."
There's only one man who could sound this grumpy this early in the morning. You snatch the object before it can give you a concussion. It's a single, small, red apple.
"Breakfast." Father Pevrel grimaces at you from across the room. He looks identical to how he did last night, aside from having trimmed his beard down to stubble. "It's all you're getting until noon. Do whatever the fuck you want to stretch it, but if I see you with anything else, I'm carving fifteen pounds of fat straight off your body. Are we clear?"
You pause a moment, musing if this is a viable route for weight loss.
"Anscham!"
"We're clear." Better to not torture yourself, as since having the green dahlia, holding yourself back around any sort of food is borderline impossible. You work through the apple in relative bliss (it's a sweet variety unique to southern Corcaea, which reminds you a great deal of home despite your distance from Eadric), until you're left with nothing but the core, and can't help but wonder what on earth is going on outside.
Getting up and cracking the door reveals a massive amount of commotion in the halls. It dawns on you that a lot of villagers would want to assist with acquiring and transporting goods home from from Corcaea's unofficial capital. It seems like the entire manor is up and getting ready for some great excursion, despite it only being a two-day trip each way.
You suddenly remember that not everyone in Corcaea can call upon the Gods, and that this venture is actually incredibly risky for any normal men or women involved.
"Before you go running off," Father Wilhelm says quietly, urging you to close the door. You do. "She's already gone. Aralene. A smaller guard left with her late last night, to reduce the risk of any harm coming to her while on the road. This larger gathering will be a distraction for the gates, the general populace, and should help them with transporting goods to Sonfield on the return journey. You've done an incredibly generous thing for these people, Richard."
"Thank you." You hardly know what to think of it, and quickly get ready for the rest of the day.
Cleaned up...
Bandages changed (and Father Pevrel's, too)...
Robes changed into "something befitting of discreetly hiking in the woods" (which is just a simple traveling cloak to wear over your black shirt and trousers)...
Bed made...
Satchel packed...
And breakfast long picked-clean (you pocketed every apple seed, just in case)...
You set out with your allies for the road.
The Wake is up and about in the great hall, giving orders to an elderly man with a long scroll of parchment. While the lord is dressed exactly as you saw him last night, the older man is dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, with hair down to his back, and a beard that extends past his waist. The veteran may be the only man in the village with the capacity to read. It dawns on you that Laurence might have not trusted him with your conversation about the fields earlier, as the two look to be rather on-edge, and are speaking in increasingly raised voices about the supply (oddly with no mention of gold) that will be requisitioned.
You hate to interrupt, but Father Pevrel doesn't give a shit. He clears his throat loudly. "Thank you for your hospitality, my lord."
As if he's been caught with his pants down, Laurence snaps upright, and looks to you all with wide eyes for a split second. The elderly man next to him does no such thing, trying not to laugh. It only takes a second for Lord Wood to remember himself, and he's straightened back into normal posture, extending a closed hand to Father Pevrel.
Both men exchange an odd gesture you're unfamiliar with, as they form something of an ouroboros symbol with their hands. It only lasts a second, before the noble says, "it was my pleasure, Father." A hard look lingers on you. "May the road grace you with all the same fortune you have graced us with." And a far milder look, to Father Wilhelm. "I pray that my home proved adequate shelter from whatever blight has plagued your travels."
There is actually an extreme amount of pressure on Lord Wood. It's common knowledge that refusing shelter to a member of the Churches of Mercy and Dream is sacrilege, but there's additional expectations from their leaders. Father Wilhelm might be notoriously difficult on this point, as he pauses— though that may have only been to rattle Laurence's nerves.
"It's as I said before, my lord. Everything was phenomenal. Thank you once again for the opportunity for true respite from our travels—" Those intensely blue eyes flit almost imperceptibly towards you. "—and for all of your understanding."
Your host simply nods, obviously fighting to not look annoyed.
Getting some rest and even a microscopic breakfast has killed the last of your nerves and apprehension.
Let them think whatever they please.
Everyone is antsy to part. You're more than happy to see off the ungrateful leader of Sonfield. You weren't expecting to make any friends here, but you still came away with something better. The thought of Aralene arriving safely in Eadric less than two days from now has you sincerely smiling. "Thank you for the well wishes. May good fortune shine on you as well. Blessed be the day, my lord."
The rural noble pauses a moment, struggling to remember what to say in reply. The elderly man next to him croaks, "it's not my place to talk, but blessed be the light. And thank you, Father Anscham, for saving this bumfuck little village from further death and despair." He bows his head slightly. "I can't speak for anyone else, but my family owes you their lives."
Everyone is a little too shocked to reply, save for you. "You're very welcome, sir. Please remember to keep away from the fields for the next few days."
"We will." He gives you a particularly pleased smile.
And with that, you head for the door. Father Pevrel and Father Wilhelm remember how to walk after a few moments, and try not to laugh all the way out of Sonfield's borders.
It's a beautiful day. There's looming rain clouds on the horizon— in the direction you're heading, towards Smererynpool— but you REALLY can't be bothered to worry. Between the beautiful morning sun, the way that golden beams dance off of even the most ramshackle homes at the edges of the village, and the pinpricks of sun piercing through the forest boughs beyond, you've got a whole lot of light in your eyes.
You're in very bad shape. Aside from the injuries all over you from killing that wild boar, your terrible sleep schedule, and how sore you are from the afternoon you spent with Agriculture, this is easily the worst that the ache in your soul has ever felt. You know it had to have been even worse last night— but it's something that you've made a bigger impression on in less time. Getting an eyeful of Mercy's dawn is just one of many things you can do today to improve on the ache in your soul.
You're forever an optimist— and also still a priest of Time. "How far away is the next village, Father Pevrel?"
"Depends on how much rest we take, or any detours. It's way off the main road. I can't guarantee that we'll take a straight shot, so it could be anywhere from a few hours, to most of the day. There's good reason why I thought it was a bad idea to visit in the dead of night— but now's as good a time as any to head there. Why?"
You're grinning like an imp. "I had a few ideas."
"Like what?" Father Wilhelm is all polite curiosity as you re-enter the tree-line.
"Did you know that Father Friedrich taught me a little in the way of archery?" You can't help but flex slightly. Both of your friends feign being impressed. "Imagine what I could do with a bow now—"
Father Pevrel is so happy to shut you down, he bursts out into laughter. The sound is horrific. It's like the lovechild of sandpaper on your ears, and chewing on steel wool. "And where do you think you're going to find one, out in the middle of nowhere? Or did you think you're going to make one? My men dry elm for two to four YEARS before we craft a new longbow, Anscham! Ahahah! Or—" He's clutching onto his sides, as you get visibly more upset. "Or did you think that you'd just INVOKE to get a better idea of how to make one?! Imagine it!"
Father Wilhelm is also frowning, but doesn't interrupt while his fellow priest puts on an incredibly stupid mockery of you. It's kind of soft-spoken, but the emphasis is in all the wrong places. He clearly has no idea how to imitate you.
"Spirit, would you— would you please tell me how to make a bow and arrow? Forget that I'm the wealthiest man in the nation and could— and could simply have my pocket blacksmith commission me one! I want it now, you see, and— and I—!" He's laughing too hard to speak any further.
You scowl. "I am entirely aware that crafting a reliable, practical bow would take a great deal of time. Particularly one that could have the draw weight that I'm thinking of."
"And did you think of how many years— wait a minute. How long did you say you trained under Father Friedrich for?"
"Two months." You say it with pride. "It's only been three and a half months since our last lesson."
"Two months." Father Pevrel dead-pans it, like this is some kind of unfunny joke.
"Two months." You say it again, a little more angrily. "I know I will need to practice to get back up to my previous skill level."
"And you were HOW much lighter?"
"Well it— I— it was probably closer to—" You mumble the rest. "Well, probably right around two hundred pounds lighter." Your volume picks back up. "But that doesn't mean—"
"You have to train to use higher draw weights, Anscham. Raw strength will get you to draw a bow back, but it won't do shit for speed or accuracy. Two months is enough to get a boy to learn the basics, which is what I'm assuming Father Friedrich walked you through. What did he actually teach you?"
You're grumbling. "Maces, shields, and other melee weapons. I've killed demons with my bare hands, Father Pevrel. You've seen me decapitate three men with a sword."
"I haven't." He looks at you curiously. "Have I?"
It was in a different Time, given that your invocation of Time made it so the event was never witnessed by Father Pevrel in this current Time. "It's complicated. My point—"
"You're trying to think of other ways to improve your combative ability, right?"
"Right."
He's holding a particularly large tree branch away from your makeshift path so that Father Wilhelm can easily walk by. The priest is still talking directly to you, but releases the branch the second Father Wilhelm is gone so that it snaps towards you. "Tell me what else you can do."
You grasp the gigantic bough in mid-air, not budging an inch from its extreme force. Rather, you smile at the burn in your arms and bandaged hands, then practically hug the branches before gently moving past them. "I don't think I've been giving the ability that Agriculture gave to me nearly enough love."
"There's a start. It doesn't hurt you— your soul— right?"
"Well." You frown, thinking hard on it. "It depends. It seems that small things don't. Like accelerating the growth of very small things slowly; and passive things, like sensing movement in my surroundings."
"That's rather neat." Father Wilhelm casts a surprised look towards you. "Catch me up later. Don't mean to interrupt."
Father Pevrel gives the man an appreciative nod, before rushing ahead of both of you. He calls back, "this is good! What else?"
"Other than underestimating my training in the Church of Flesh?"
"Very funny, Anscham. We just established that you're a monster, if you stick to what you know. What else?"
"Well..." You stride ahead, coming abreast with both of your allies. "Teamwork."
Rolling his eyes, Father Pevrel leans his head back, and groans at the forest's canopy. Sonfield is completely behind you, and only the woods can be seen on all sides.
Father Wilhelm pats you on the back. "That's more like it. You just let me know if there's any way I can help today, alright?"
"Did you have any ideas?" You ask it innocently, and can't help but smile when he immediately replies.
"Do I! The Church of Dream is something of a specialist with song, particularly for the other branches of the theocracy. I know a few marching cadences that might stir your Spirit! Or if you're looking for something soothing, I don't see why we can't offer each other a little respite from this talk of warfare and bloodshed with a few stories of our own."
"Hey." Father Pevrel grins. You don't like the look of it. "We could go hunting again."
"I would like to skewer something," you muse.
Both men look to you with some surprise, but something clicks for Father Pevrel.
"Fred didn't force you to focus on ranged weapons when you were still so skinny... because you've always liked getting your hands dirty."
You're still a priest of Vengeance, underneath it all. Your grin doesn't falter. "If it's necessary."
"Of course. Why am I surprised...?"
You're thoroughly enjoying being restored to a reasonable, calm, and confident demeanor. "There are plenty of things that I like, Father Pevrel. This shouldn't— this really shouldn't come as a surprise."
"Alright then, sunshine." The lord of wrath says it like he's at a funeral. "Go on. Let's hear all about it."
>You do not know exactly how long the hike to Smererynpool will take.
>You also do not know how much or how little these activities will decrease your soul ache (if at all). Bungling some activities may make it worse, or may make them take considerably more time.
>These prompts are not mutually exclusive. Nothing is stopping you from selecting all of them, but bear in mind that you may run out of time to get to them all.
>If you would like to allot more time to a task, please CLEARLY specify so in your vote.
>Feel free to specify which order you would like to get to these activities. If that is not specified, then the majority vote and/or QM discretion will decide.
>Your vote may look something like: C > D1 > A > B > H
>Or: A, D2, G, doesn't matter what order
>Or: H (until the sun goes down), then A (whenever we're able), then G1, then C (if there's any time left)
>A] Prayer always makes you feel right as rain. Integrate some informal worship of the Gods into your march today. It'll add up!
>B] Exchange a few stories with your friends. Ones that you all haven't shared before. Even if there's no guarantee that their anecdotes will heal your soul, it's sure to make you ALL feel better.
>C] You'd love to go hunting again with Father Pevrel.
>1] Small game! Take it easy!
>2] Large game!! You'll try not to get horribly maimed this time! (A ROLL WILL BE REQUIRED.)
>D] Go fishing!!!
>1] Keep it leisurely and brief.
>2] Try to one-up Father Wilhelm. It's not going to be easy, but you are on home turf. (A ROLL WILL BE REQUIRED.)
>E] Experiment with your green dahlia ability as conservatively as you can. Literally seeing the fruits of your labors should make you feel great, but you aren't quite sure how this works yet. (A ROLL WILL BE REQUIRED.)
>F] By all the fucking Gods, you are practicing archery. You don't care if it could be months or years before you can wield a long bow effectively in combat. You're starting today! (A ROLL WILL BE REQUIRED.)
>G] Though you're working out no matter what, Father Pevrel promised to slay you with physical activity today. Really put your heart and soul into it. You're going to be exhausted by the time you reach Smererynpool, but you're willing to deal with that.
>1] Insist on integrating some hardcore combat training in, with what you know best.
>2] Stick to what Father Pevrel says will help you burn the most fat.
>H] You really have no use for pride. Without overdoing it, permit yourself to actually enjoy the pittance you'll be allowed to eat today. Father Pevrel will probably give you shit for acting like a glutton, and it might add a small amount of time to the march, but it's a simple thing that does make you feel tremendously better.
>I] You're a complex individual with many unique interests! (Write-in. Whether or not these will actually help with your soul may vary wildly. At minimum, I'll let you know if it's something Richard would already be aware of helping or not.)
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Assuming they all set out at around 6am
A( An impromptu marching hymn to the Gods to start the day, easy to get all the Fathers singing. Do this at will, throughout the day if they wanted to. So long as they don't strain themselves hoarse. An exercise of what Anscham can compose on the spot while on the road to be pitted against both Fathers who will judge each others performances. If Pevrel can't compose... too bad he can remain just singing however while you and Wilhelm duke it out.)
>G2(Early Morning: Start warming up, do this briefly- something like 30 min incorporate exercises that can be easily implemented on a march- jogging, then a brief march, slow down for lunging steps, isolated arm rotations, breathing exercises etc. Father Pevrel's tips on extending endurance in a fight/exertion is very much appreciated. High to slow pace on the march, depending on the exercises Pevrel/Anscham has planned.)
>G1(Over an hour and with each exercise as much as Anscham can estimate his body can hold up. Do not go over what Anscham can do to cause him to crash. I.E: if Anscham can only take 30 walking squats, cut that in half and spread that out in rotating sets with of other exercises to spread the burn evenly. Request Father Wilhelm for hymns to Flesh for Motivation and take your mind off the burn. For this, there might be short stops on the march.)
>I(Weapon combat review with Father Pevrel, especially in his specialty of the Longsword then move along to your mace and shield. Incorporate moving forms, charging ones with weapon in hand to keep the journey going. At least now both you and Father Pevrel are shuffling along trying to catch up with Father Wilhelm. It looks ridiculous, but you're not going to let Pevrel beat you by braking out of form- you have the sharpest memory of all Corcea and there's no crowd judging anyway. Devote light sparring and drills. Heck, even involve Father Wilhelm for checking up your group's teamwork ! Do this also with your longsword and then your mace and shield. Get all this done til close to mid day or around 2-3hours all moving in a moderate pace)
>D2 Fish! (Have the Fathers compete who shall have the honour of the largest catch! Any extra fish caught within the alloted 2 hours shall be stored for later consumption by having it salted/smoked for lunch.)
>I (Midday Lunch 3 hours, 1 hour for cooking and get the rest of the fish smoked, another for eating as the rest of the fish smokes, the last hour devoted to E- Green Dahila practice [what vegetables and fruits can you grow and harvest around your makeshift eating area as a warm up without pushing yourself] all while the rest of the fish finishes smoking for preservation.)
>E (Early noon, continuation of the Dahila experiment. This time, try to incorporate it on the march- can you spur growth without touching the plant but only through sight? can you grow roots and small pitfalls while moving? To what extent without pushing yourself further. How far can your enhanced senses with the Dahila go? Can you prank Pevrel by dropping an a soft fruit on his head while moving? If you can manage to spot a suitable tree for a bow, try coaxing its arrows and bow-stave from the heartwood, fine tune your skill by drawing out cordage from suitable plants for the string. Devote 2-3 hours doing this on the march)
>F(Mid noon: Should you manage to acquire the bow, practice for an hour, get your form, arm and back muscles ready)
>C1(Hunt down some small game for dinner with Father Pevrel, devote an hour or so at least until sundown, get a suitable place to camp if the destination is not reached. Use the Longbow as much as feasibly possible. Have Father Wilhem set up camp, fortify and camouflage it)
>G2(Sundown, physical devotion to flesh! intensity and time consumed similar to the early morning routine. Steadily increase it's intensity until...)
>G1(Again similar to the morning routine, but switch up the exercises for a complete burn! PRAISE FLESH-BRO! Don't forget to lower the intensity, cool down then proceed to wound aftercare. If there's a stream, bathe)
>B(Dinner time with story. Then crash. guard duty: Wilhelm 1st watch, Pevrel 2nd, Us 3rd)
A( An impromptu marching hymn to the Gods to start the day, easy to get all the Fathers singing. Do this at will, throughout the day if they wanted to. So long as they don't strain themselves hoarse. An exercise of what Anscham can compose on the spot while on the road to be pitted against both Fathers who will judge each others performances. If Pevrel can't compose... too bad he can remain just singing however while you and Wilhelm duke it out.)
>G2(Early Morning: Start warming up, do this briefly- something like 30 min incorporate exercises that can be easily implemented on a march- jogging, then a brief march, slow down for lunging steps, isolated arm rotations, breathing exercises etc. Father Pevrel's tips on extending endurance in a fight/exertion is very much appreciated. High to slow pace on the march, depending on the exercises Pevrel/Anscham has planned.)
>G1(Over an hour and with each exercise as much as Anscham can estimate his body can hold up. Do not go over what Anscham can do to cause him to crash. I.E: if Anscham can only take 30 walking squats, cut that in half and spread that out in rotating sets with of other exercises to spread the burn evenly. Request Father Wilhelm for hymns to Flesh for Motivation and take your mind off the burn. For this, there might be short stops on the march.)
>I(Weapon combat review with Father Pevrel, especially in his specialty of the Longsword then move along to your mace and shield. Incorporate moving forms, charging ones with weapon in hand to keep the journey going. At least now both you and Father Pevrel are shuffling along trying to catch up with Father Wilhelm. It looks ridiculous, but you're not going to let Pevrel beat you by braking out of form- you have the sharpest memory of all Corcea and there's no crowd judging anyway. Devote light sparring and drills. Heck, even involve Father Wilhelm for checking up your group's teamwork ! Do this also with your longsword and then your mace and shield. Get all this done til close to mid day or around 2-3hours all moving in a moderate pace)
>D2 Fish! (Have the Fathers compete who shall have the honour of the largest catch! Any extra fish caught within the alloted 2 hours shall be stored for later consumption by having it salted/smoked for lunch.)
>I (Midday Lunch 3 hours, 1 hour for cooking and get the rest of the fish smoked, another for eating as the rest of the fish smokes, the last hour devoted to E- Green Dahila practice [what vegetables and fruits can you grow and harvest around your makeshift eating area as a warm up without pushing yourself] all while the rest of the fish finishes smoking for preservation.)
>E (Early noon, continuation of the Dahila experiment. This time, try to incorporate it on the march- can you spur growth without touching the plant but only through sight? can you grow roots and small pitfalls while moving? To what extent without pushing yourself further. How far can your enhanced senses with the Dahila go? Can you prank Pevrel by dropping an a soft fruit on his head while moving? If you can manage to spot a suitable tree for a bow, try coaxing its arrows and bow-stave from the heartwood, fine tune your skill by drawing out cordage from suitable plants for the string. Devote 2-3 hours doing this on the march)
>F(Mid noon: Should you manage to acquire the bow, practice for an hour, get your form, arm and back muscles ready)
>C1(Hunt down some small game for dinner with Father Pevrel, devote an hour or so at least until sundown, get a suitable place to camp if the destination is not reached. Use the Longbow as much as feasibly possible. Have Father Wilhem set up camp, fortify and camouflage it)
>G2(Sundown, physical devotion to flesh! intensity and time consumed similar to the early morning routine. Steadily increase it's intensity until...)
>G1(Again similar to the morning routine, but switch up the exercises for a complete burn! PRAISE FLESH-BRO! Don't forget to lower the intensity, cool down then proceed to wound aftercare. If there's a stream, bathe)
>B(Dinner time with story. Then crash. guard duty: Wilhelm 1st watch, Pevrel 2nd, Us 3rd)
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Alaric
⠀
(Hot damn that's awesome. One question! The goal is to reach Smererynpool before the end of the day, not to crash in the woods. Just wanted to make sure you're aware. Is that still all alright with you?)
Plans starting from C1 is malleable. It's just there in case they'll need to camp out for whatever reason.
Although I do want to squeeze in as much weapon proficiency, experiment and exercise as humanely possible!
The iteration might be moved about depending in the circumstances. Ultimately these are just recommendations on what goes on the way to Smererynpool. Anscham might feel like he could be a mini sun lighting the village from the burn he's experiencing. But with proper pacing, he should at least be pumped up and ready to fight instead of suddenly busting out from 0-100 when he needs it.
If they manage to get into the town, finding it relatively stress free and is for once, good to sleep and secure?
Continue this after cursory investigation.
>G2(Sundown, physical devotion to flesh! intensity and time consumed similar to the early morning routine. Steadily increase it's intensity until...)
>G1(Again similar to the morning routine, but switch up the exercises for a complete burn! PRAISE FLESH-BRO! Don't forget to lower the intensity, cool down then proceed to wound aftercare. If there's a stream, bathe)
Challenge the Fathers for maximum gains within the hour and a half before washing it all off in a river before finally sleeping.
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