Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Woah, I wasn't expecting a response of this scale! Thank you.
As for Kazuma, when it comes to the Apocryphal Curse, I don't think you give him enough credit where it's due, but that might just be me.
He's got a scummy personality and backs out of situations he considers unpleasant, but he is consistently and frequently shown to be determined at his core, and pull through when it actually matters for either himself or people he cares about. And while it might not be shown too much in the anime, there's a lot of crowning moments of awesome in the novels; he is actually a very proficient fighter and extremely resourceful; two traits that are key for a successful Cursebearer.
Some examples of both traits in the spoiler below.
As nothing but a weak Adventurer that's dozens of levels behind his "companions," (let alone the people he's fighting in this scenario,) equipped only with rudimentary spellcraft, weapons and skills, with no one but Chris as a companion, he manages to fight his way past the entire royal guard of Belzerg and personally takes down most of them, including several Japanese adventurers with cheat skills/weapons.
One of the highlights is when he takes down Kyouya with nothing but a chokehold and a casting of Create Water and Freeze, by filling Kyouya's mouth with water and freezing it into a block of ice before he can react properly, then informing the other knights in the area they'll have to focus on thawing and breaking the ice or Kyouya will probably asphyxiate or choke. It works, and he moves on.
One of the other notable things is that he manages to get away with this and no one except Iris and Chris know that he's the one who did it, although they also tell Darkness later on.
Kazuma is an excellent fighter on every level; his ability to leverage his power, however, are curtailed both through his companions' flaws and the subpar quests he needs to take. In another short, he swaps parties with Dust for one quest and pretty much saves Dust's party from a group of Rookie Killers (while being a "rookie" himself,) and then helps them demolish an entire goblin tribe, proving instrumental throughout.
I think the best way to think of Kazuma is as a boy scout, if that makes any sense: He's immature, lewd, and often cracks wise, but when there's a serious situation, he's got personal experience and sheer resourcefulness bordering the inhuman to draw on. It's why I think the Accursed would think to call on him; if Kazuma was older by a decade, he'd be actual prime recruitment material for a Cursebearer. A younger Kazuma is substandard, but acceptable; if he survives, he'll grow into the role and excel in it.
One of the highlights is when he takes down Kyouya with nothing but a chokehold and a casting of Create Water and Freeze, by filling Kyouya's mouth with water and freezing it into a block of ice before he can react properly, then informing the other knights in the area they'll have to focus on thawing and breaking the ice or Kyouya will probably asphyxiate or choke. It works, and he moves on.
One of the other notable things is that he manages to get away with this and no one except Iris and Chris know that he's the one who did it, although they also tell Darkness later on.
Kazuma is an excellent fighter on every level; his ability to leverage his power, however, are curtailed both through his companions' flaws and the subpar quests he needs to take. In another short, he swaps parties with Dust for one quest and pretty much saves Dust's party from a group of Rookie Killers (while being a "rookie" himself,) and then helps them demolish an entire goblin tribe, proving instrumental throughout.
I think the best way to think of Kazuma is as a boy scout, if that makes any sense: He's immature, lewd, and often cracks wise, but when there's a serious situation, he's got personal experience and sheer resourcefulness bordering the inhuman to draw on. It's why I think the Accursed would think to call on him; if Kazuma was older by a decade, he'd be actual prime recruitment material for a Cursebearer. A younger Kazuma is substandard, but acceptable; if he survives, he'll grow into the role and excel in it.
Keep in mind that was canon Kazuma: lazy, insouciant, poorly groomed, and with a tendency to take the easy way out. The one in the crossover above is one that's decided to do his level best to put the old, lesser Kazuma behind him, and be the best Kazuma he can be.
Also, very interesting choices!
Both the Geas of Indenture and the Doom of Incompetence are valid and viable starting options, but mostly when taken apart; both of them are practically free power, but if taken together, they can be quite mean. If you take the former without the latter, it's, well, Indenture. If you take the latter without the former, you can instantly mark Aqua for Geas of Incompetence and get a free companion with healing and resurrection magic who sometimes makes things difficult, but otherwise means you have an entire curse slot filled up at less detriment. If you take both together, you're a multiversal traveler who's also an utter incompetent! Not a good thing to be.
Last edited:
next update is on page... 329.