An Utterly Thankless Job (Alt. Title: No SV, You Are A Logistics Officer)
- Thread starter Vocalend
- Start date
- Original
Trouble was expected, trouble arrived. It is the price to pay for following the heart and not paying heed to social norms, which is one way to ensure a character has an interesting story. No regrets here 
As for us not guessing the exact nature of the expected trouble, I'd urge the author to remember that even though they have the setting nicely sorted out in their minds with causes and consequences clear, the readers know almost nothing of the world as of yet. Tech level is bullets and paper messaging, so it could be anything between ~1400 and ~2000 if it is comparable to our world in the first place. Melee combat as a ritual dueling element would point more towards earlier times, but the presence of magic distorts things. Government type and dominant political ideology is unknown. There are distinct social backgrounds and naming habits, but that could mean anything from the old Indian caste system to 1900s Europe's wealth-based classes replacing the old aristocracy. And again, this is only if this civilization is comparable to any of earth's at all. The unknown Magic element discourages comparison, as does women fighting with melee weapons. Some things don't have to explicitly be stated and are expected for the voters to assume (like Hertz being human), but we don't know enough about things to assume much more.
My purpose is just to illustrate that the voters have no chance to deduce anything with the information provided, and expecting us to be able to do so is unrealistic. I'm not expressing a wish for change. I'm perfectly happy with the current state of things, where the votes are about Character Creation and not problem solving. I just want to give a reminder that the problem solving thing has to wait until we get more knowledge about the setting. The arranged marriage thing is an example of something that "none of us accounted for" because it was perfectly impossible to deduce, as doing so would have required making assumptions that there was no basis for making. There was no mention of "nobility" or "aristocracy" before the vote, so we could not have used our knowledge of noble customs as a basis for a hypothesis. Indeed, there is no mention of concubines not being a thing, or pre-marital relationships being against the norm. The list goes on, but I think I've made the point that while we knew that Hertz was doing something to cause infamy, we had no way of knowing why expect for the explicitly stated army regulation against intimacy.
Vote:
[x] Visit the Chaplaincy. It's never your first go to spot in times of troubles, as your drunkenness earlier shows, but it's always a trailing second or third option.
I like the conflict between respecting religious authority, but disrespecting the law. It should lead to interesting developments later. Not that I'm particularly against the other choices.
As for us not guessing the exact nature of the expected trouble, I'd urge the author to remember that even though they have the setting nicely sorted out in their minds with causes and consequences clear, the readers know almost nothing of the world as of yet. Tech level is bullets and paper messaging, so it could be anything between ~1400 and ~2000 if it is comparable to our world in the first place. Melee combat as a ritual dueling element would point more towards earlier times, but the presence of magic distorts things. Government type and dominant political ideology is unknown. There are distinct social backgrounds and naming habits, but that could mean anything from the old Indian caste system to 1900s Europe's wealth-based classes replacing the old aristocracy. And again, this is only if this civilization is comparable to any of earth's at all. The unknown Magic element discourages comparison, as does women fighting with melee weapons. Some things don't have to explicitly be stated and are expected for the voters to assume (like Hertz being human), but we don't know enough about things to assume much more.
My purpose is just to illustrate that the voters have no chance to deduce anything with the information provided, and expecting us to be able to do so is unrealistic. I'm not expressing a wish for change. I'm perfectly happy with the current state of things, where the votes are about Character Creation and not problem solving. I just want to give a reminder that the problem solving thing has to wait until we get more knowledge about the setting. The arranged marriage thing is an example of something that "none of us accounted for" because it was perfectly impossible to deduce, as doing so would have required making assumptions that there was no basis for making. There was no mention of "nobility" or "aristocracy" before the vote, so we could not have used our knowledge of noble customs as a basis for a hypothesis. Indeed, there is no mention of concubines not being a thing, or pre-marital relationships being against the norm. The list goes on, but I think I've made the point that while we knew that Hertz was doing something to cause infamy, we had no way of knowing why expect for the explicitly stated army regulation against intimacy.
Vote:
[x] Visit the Chaplaincy. It's never your first go to spot in times of troubles, as your drunkenness earlier shows, but it's always a trailing second or third option.
I like the conflict between respecting religious authority, but disrespecting the law. It should lead to interesting developments later. Not that I'm particularly against the other choices.
- Location
- USA
[X] Visit the Officer Mess Hall. A great deal of people had left for their posting orders, but there are others left, others who might be able to help you in your predicament.
ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
- Location
- Romania
[X] Visit the Training Hall. You might well focus better after a few round of training. You might also find people to train against.
- Location
- Who Knows
NO RAGRETS
anyway I about expected as much and frankly it's fun for me to have these kind of issues and clear problems to fight against. Also the interaction is still adorable.
[X] Visit the Officer Mess Hall. A great deal of people had left for their posting orders, but there are others left, others who might be able to help you in your predicament.
anyway I about expected as much and frankly it's fun for me to have these kind of issues and clear problems to fight against. Also the interaction is still adorable.
[X] Visit the Officer Mess Hall. A great deal of people had left for their posting orders, but there are others left, others who might be able to help you in your predicament.
Potential typos?
[X] Visit the Training Hall. You might well focus better after a few round of training. You might also find people to train against.
There is quite a bit of changing between past and present tense. If you choose one and let me know which one you'd prefer I could note them for the next chapter so that it stays consistent. I'm personally biased towards past tense as that is more common and easier to write than present tense. Frankly it results in a smoother read too.
Note: my suggestions come from the perspective of American English and so may be incorrect from the perspective of the British English used.
Missing punctuation.
or
in the hope that the offspring would have their own Ides Anomaly.
that she gazes upon that so happens to be utterly jealous of you -> that she gazes upon, who (just) so happens to be utterly jealous of you,
The above is a bit of a run-on sentence, perhaps split it?
before sticking your face in your pillow to muffle the slightly hysterical screaming.
some minutes -> a time
stopping -> stopped
on the floor -> on to the floor
(Personally I think course used as a verb is awkward, I think something like directed would be better)
increasing blood pressure (though I think you could leave the whole blood pressure bit out)
weren't -> wasn't (Ides is singular right?)
might -> would
some more -> more (or another shot of)
getting out might be better as "leaving" or "You're not going to leave my room?"/"You're not leaving?"/"You're going to stay here then?"
before thinking -> while thinking ? (It would be a bit of an OCD quirk if the MC had to smooth out their trousers before they could think, but maybe that's intentional.)
Note: my suggestions come from the perspective of American English and so may be incorrect from the perspective of the British English used.
letting me some shots of those cider -> letting me have some shots of that cider
At least in America, usually this would be "I'll add it to your tab".
in ? Otherwise is she licking the rim of the glass or something?
doesn't ? didn't is ok, but sort of implies that the dislike may have lessened since the decision.
hate
attributing [...] to (Or perhaps I am just unfamiliar with 'attributing [...] as' as a phrase)
That comma is unnecessary and breaks the flow of the sentence
These two clauses form a non-sequitur, at least on first read. Is this sentence implying that the certain minds are the two-named/commoners?
Missing punctuation.
I would probably say "alter the tone of the nickname" or just "alter the nickname". The nickname that resulted is more than what I would refer to as an "alteration" different from the original.
This might just be a stylistic choice on your part, but I would avoid the use of tildes. I assume you mean the portion contained by the tildes is in a sing-song manner or an upward inflection, but I'm not sure.
drowning your mouth sounds awkward to me, but I assume you aren't going for something like "continued to drown yourself in wine" either.
I would put "is" in italics to emphasize that the switch from contractions in the previous sentence is intentional.
I would remove "now". The character's progressing state of drunkenness is well covered elsewhere.
Missing punctuation.
Switch from "...." to an ellipsis "...". Same intended effect.
in the hope that the resultant offspring would have their own Ides Anomaly.
or
in the hope that the offspring would have their own Ides Anomaly.
And while she is smitten; Emil is not. This is a tough one to get the meaning to flow well. I'm not sure my suggestion is any smoother, but I would at least try to get rid of that But.
Mage. The plural would be implied.
that she gazes upon that so happens to be utterly jealous of you -> that she gazes upon, who (just) so happens to be utterly jealous of you,
The above is a bit of a run-on sentence, perhaps split it?
Ellipsis "..."
She wrote
Was the most eloquent summary of that news you could come up with
before sticking your face in your pillow to muffle the slightly hysterical screaming.
Two different tenses in one sentence.
some minutes -> a time
I would remove the "Being less drunk" portion.
stopping -> stopped
on the floor -> on to the floor
you're straightened up -> he holds you steady.
Your inebriation resulted in less Ides being drawn than you (were capable of/could have) otherwise.
The coalescing winds and the flapping of the phantasmic wings in your hand were (fainter than you'd hoped/faint), but you always made due with the hand you're dealt.
You course the compacted Ides into your body concentrating it to your liver.
(Personally I think course used as a verb is awkward, I think something like directed would be better)
Once your liver is completely ensconced (awkward word choice as well) with the energy, you start to pump it into overdrive.
course -> direct (or focus [on] in this case)
increasing blood pressure (though I think you could leave the whole blood pressure bit out)
I would remove slightly. Perhaps add another sentence? It would be hard to tell the severity of a rip even from a description about the duration of the noise.
drawn Ides = Formulae?
weren't -> wasn't (Ides is singular right?)
might -> would
This (entire) process (took/occurred in) less than five seconds. You blink as your vision clears.
You (then) breathed a sigh of relief at your sobriety.
continued to pour -> poured
some more -> more (or another shot of)
triviality -> trivialities
Uhuh -> Uh-huh (though sound of agreement right?)
the room -> my room
getting out might be better as "leaving" or "You're not going to leave my room?"/"You're not leaving?"/"You're going to stay here then?"
I would avoid tildes as mentioned earlier.
smoothening -> smoothing
before thinking -> while thinking ? (It would be a bit of an OCD quirk if the MC had to smooth out their trousers before they could think, but maybe that's intentional.)
[X] Visit the Training Hall. You might well focus better after a few round of training. You might also find people to train against.
Last edited:
- Location
- Orlando, Florida
As logistics play a vital part in warfare in this world, and the empire mentioned in the intro seems to resemble the German Empire, I'm guessing that the game takes place in a time period between the late 19th century and WW1. Remember that even though armies had moved on to firearms, melee combat, in the form of duels, was still seen as honorable. In addition, many cavalry soldiers still wielded swords in battle due to the difficulty of using a gun while mounted.
- Pronouns
- They/It
[X] Visit the Officer Mess Hall. A great deal of people had left for their posting orders, but there are others left, others who might be able to help you in your predicament.
Hum, noted. The problem is the information asymmetry. I want to impart more information other than drips from the update in form of codex entries. But at the same time, I want to pace myself to not burn out from writing too much. In part, I am expecting people to start asking questions, but I will have to wait longer for it, I suppose.
Also, I continually fell asleep and up again and keep forgetting to post here so vote is closed now. Training Hall won. Update will be forthcoming between three to nine hours from now. Maybe less if I manage to not sleep again.
- Location
- USA
For questions then, what is our general tech level? I somehow got space opera in my head, but I'm pretty sure that was because I was reading a space opera right before I first read this.
And since its gonna be relevant, what are the relationship norms of this society? Those don't casually come up, and we should probably know them IC already
Also, I've noticed our Patron hasn't been named yet. Are we going to vote on who that is, or are they hiding themselves from us?
Alphaleph
The Firstiest of First
In this case, our Patron is good ol' Uncle Gunabatu.
Alphaleph
The Firstiest of First
Eh, not sure those are mutually exclusive tbh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Temporary Threadmark: Infodump #1
Well, I ended up taking another 12 hour 'nap' so update will be postponed until I got something to feed myself with. Also:
There's also Ides Codes and Ides Anomalies, respectively 'Artifacts' and 'Mutations', but we'll get to those later.
The equivalent of early 1900s, if we're talking more 'mundane' technology. But on several front, due to magic and Formulae, Mages have access to personal technology beyond that era.
In Wollenfrei, the norm is that marriages must be between those with the same Names until it becomes socially acceptable for people with merits to 'rank up' in Names. This would normally be fine with a lot of societies but there's the utterly stupid and somewhat draconian insistence of having names be restricted as a whole in Wollenfrei. This will not be the first or the last time this topic comes up.
The third one, I am hiding their identity. It's not Gunabatu though.
Ides is, essentially speaking, the term for 'magic energy' or well, 'mana'. The way it is manipulated is by using Formulae to temporarily rewrite reality and its laws in order to achieve a certain result. In the case of last update, it meant the capability to switch from drunkenness to sobriety.
There's also Ides Codes and Ides Anomalies, respectively 'Artifacts' and 'Mutations', but we'll get to those later.
Ah, here's the thing. One Named is only the most blatant with and solely the "Magic Focused Option". This does not mean that it is the sole option that grants the usage of magic. I will get to this in more detail in the "Roads Not Travelled" but to put it simply, the 78 roll result is pure luck.
The Sandman
So Zetta Slowpoke
- Location
- Wherever I am, which isn't where I'm not
[X] Visit the Training Hall. You might well focus better after a few round of training. You might also find people to train against.
Right now I think we're in the mood to hit something. And to make sure the alcohol doesn't go to our gut; given how much of logistics is about ensuring that the troops have the proper calories and nutrients to keep fighting, we probably have trouble forgetting those figures in relation to our own life.
Right now I think we're in the mood to hit something. And to make sure the alcohol doesn't go to our gut; given how much of logistics is about ensuring that the troops have the proper calories and nutrients to keep fighting, we probably have trouble forgetting those figures in relation to our own life.
- Location
- Canada
[x] Visit the Chaplaincy. It's never your first go to spot in times of troubles, as your drunkenness earlier shows, but it's always a trailing second or third option.
CharGen 5
[X] Visit the Training Hall. You might well focus better after a few round of training. You might also find people to train against.
---
You made up your choice after some thought, a somewhat obvious pick after hearing that Francesca is someone you might encounter. 'The Budding Rose of Leyton' is someone who you dearly not wish to make as an enemy... though you never actually know her feelings well about the whole matter between you and Emil.
As you walked through the dorms, you note that you and her have never actually met one another. Nor has Emil actually openly addressed your relationship with him to her. Prudent, but at the same time, doesn't tell you much about the matter. What does tell you some of her feelings is the fact that once every month, a preserved rose is sent to you. A magically preserved rose with a lot of sharp thorns in them. No letters. Just a rose.
Both you and Emil decided that she does hate you. To what extent, neither of you want to know.
Lost in your musings, it didn't take you long to arrive at the Training Hall. As with many things in Pennsbrooke, it was quite large, despite being an indoors training facility. Refractive glass panes, specially treated to be able to be altered in opacity, reflected the nearly-noon summer sun clearly. To the side, you're approached by an aide, who bowed lightly. "Good noon, Second Lieutenant. What's the occasion?" His clipped professional tone helped distract you from your problems, even if that wasn't the intent.
"Training." You said simply, nodding at the aide who then led you to a side room. In there, you doff your officer's jacket, freeing you from the slightly stuffy garment before grabbing an officer sabre, still within the confines of its scabbard, as well as a holstered revolver. Your potent Ides Potential allows you some leniency in terms of what weapons you are allowed to wield. In close quarters, the more powerful auto-revolver with its higher caliber allowed you to deliver more impact. Provided, of course that you don't forget to layer a strengthening Formulae on your left wrist and forearm. "Do prepare the Phantoms. I am in mood of some... light practice."
"Certainly." You were left in peace to equip your two new weapons, affixing the scabbard onto your belt before filling your revolver with blanks. You then exited the room into the open, where the aide waited for you. "Second Lieutenant, how many Phantoms do you wish to fight against?"
"Let's start with five, I want a more severe warm-up." The aide nodded, before revealing an Ides Code, a wand of sorts in his hand. With a wave, a gust of wind swirled in front of you, heralding the appearance of the Phantoms. Ghastly in aesthetics, these misty figures are the fighting partners of a lot of soldiers wishing to train themselves. Infused with the fighting styles of warriors, capable of transmitting the force and impact without actually marring flesh (to a noticeable degree). Save for actual combatants, these are the perfect exercise partners to spar with. Pennsbrooke's Phantoms are modeled after Wollenfrei's Knights of old, armed with swords and blast-shields or halberds with gun-mounts. Formidable armoured foes, who does not dissipate after one or two strikes.
Without further ado, you readied your weapons, preparing to match yourself against them.
Round One
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2D20] -> 4+13 -> 17
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1D20+1D15] -> 3+8 -> 11
And you're quite honest, your first strikes doesn't go as well as it could have. Moving in an organized fashion, the Phantoms met your charge head on. A shield intercepted your strike as two more push you back, leaving you open to the two halberds, who simply skewered your stomach before you could fire your guns. In a real fight, at least. In here, you feel two cold phantom pain feelings hit your gut.
"Would you like me to reduce the numbers, Second Lieutenant?" The aide said as he poured tea to a waiting cup next to you. The Phantoms wait, almost expectantly for you to resume your training.
"No need, keep the tea warm for me." If simple strength will not do it, then perhaps you need actual magic.
Round Two
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2d20] + [2d35] -> [5+20] + [2 + 14] -> 41
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1d20+1d15] + [2d35] -> [20+15] (Inspired Success!) + [6 + 5] -> 46
Your Ides sputtered to life as you lunge up, ephemeral wings flapping behind your back, before swooping down in the middle of the formations. The duo of phantom halberdiers jab their weapons up, but only succeeding to graze your sides. And after that moment, you're in their midst. You quickly block one longsword, the impact pushing you back an appreciable degree as the halberdiers decide to box you in with the shaft of their weapons instead.
Fortunately, you didn't intend to run. With innate precision and speed half-aided by your Ides, your left arm moved, shooting two of the swordsmen right in their helmet. The impact, fully aided with your Ides, simply shattered the headwear, the two Phantoms dissipated in a misty moment as you line up your third shot at the last swordsman. He raised his shield, shattering that instead of his head.
And then there were three.
Round Three
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2d20] + [2d25] -> [12+20] + [11 + 11] -> 38
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1d20+1d15] + [2d25] -> [15+3] + [24 + 8] -> 50
And three Phantoms are much more manageable than five, as evidenced by you dashing out of the strike range of the weapons. Bereft of shields, you take the opportunity to fire the remaining three blanks at the Phantoms. Normal blanks would not have the range to hit, but aided with Ides, they sail through the air before exploding their breastplates. Medieval knights, they may be, but powerful and penetrating caliber bullets fell anyone and they dissipate with ease.
"Excellent work." The aide said as he clapped politely. You looked around, seeing your spectacle having gathered a small number of onlookers, in particular many of the junior cadets. "Not bad at all, would you take the tea, Second Lieutenant?"
"Certai-"
"Hold up a second, Mistress." You whirled around, to face a blonde man with green eyes, who carried himself with a swagger and with an ornately customised lever-action rifle held at his side.
"Good day First Lieutenant Karamovich, have you not received your posting orders yet?"
"On the contrary, Mistress, I have. And as a matter of fact, I would like to extend my congratulations on your postings to the 46th Company and that I will be looking forward to our joint assignment together."
You blinked at that. "You mean..."
He smiled, looking at you with a rather sharp glint in his eyes. "Yes, you'll be my second in the front. Have no fear," He said with a flourish. "For though you may be far from the loving embrace of your man, I will be sure to keep you in good health and spirits."
You stopped yourself from bristling at that. Karamovich Hor-Herren was one of the many Three Named who had made you their target. Unlike most, the Hor-Herren decided that you were worth paying attention to. He recognized the merit of your hardworking, just like your Patron and Emil had. Unlike them, he decided that it meant that you are but an useful tool.
"I can keep to myself well, as you can see with my demonstration with the Phantoms."
"Aha, rightly so." He chuckled. "Your skills with Ides is well-known, yes. But your skills without it is lacking. If you wouldn't mind, I could perhaps teach you some fighting styles. Let's say, call it a bonding exercise before we head to the real battlefield."
Read: Trounce you completely without magic involved. You aren't bad at combat, but even though Karomavich is without Ides, he is a better fighter than you, kitted out with Ides Codes that help mitigate his Ides-less predicament.
[] Accept the offer. He is a scummy Three Named but if there's one thing that is constant about him, is that he is a man of his word. He will actually teach you. He'll just utterly school you in the process. Provided, of course, that you lose against him. Nothing is truly set in stone after all. Start Combat Tutorial. ???
[] Refuse the offer. You will have to (im)politely decline. Getting trounced here will do you no good and you're here to, you know, not have a bad time. Of course, scorning your cheerfully condescending soon-to-be superior would have repercussions. One of which would be making him not cheerful. ???
---
You made up your choice after some thought, a somewhat obvious pick after hearing that Francesca is someone you might encounter. 'The Budding Rose of Leyton' is someone who you dearly not wish to make as an enemy... though you never actually know her feelings well about the whole matter between you and Emil.
As you walked through the dorms, you note that you and her have never actually met one another. Nor has Emil actually openly addressed your relationship with him to her. Prudent, but at the same time, doesn't tell you much about the matter. What does tell you some of her feelings is the fact that once every month, a preserved rose is sent to you. A magically preserved rose with a lot of sharp thorns in them. No letters. Just a rose.
Both you and Emil decided that she does hate you. To what extent, neither of you want to know.
Lost in your musings, it didn't take you long to arrive at the Training Hall. As with many things in Pennsbrooke, it was quite large, despite being an indoors training facility. Refractive glass panes, specially treated to be able to be altered in opacity, reflected the nearly-noon summer sun clearly. To the side, you're approached by an aide, who bowed lightly. "Good noon, Second Lieutenant. What's the occasion?" His clipped professional tone helped distract you from your problems, even if that wasn't the intent.
"Training." You said simply, nodding at the aide who then led you to a side room. In there, you doff your officer's jacket, freeing you from the slightly stuffy garment before grabbing an officer sabre, still within the confines of its scabbard, as well as a holstered revolver. Your potent Ides Potential allows you some leniency in terms of what weapons you are allowed to wield. In close quarters, the more powerful auto-revolver with its higher caliber allowed you to deliver more impact. Provided, of course that you don't forget to layer a strengthening Formulae on your left wrist and forearm. "Do prepare the Phantoms. I am in mood of some... light practice."
"Certainly." You were left in peace to equip your two new weapons, affixing the scabbard onto your belt before filling your revolver with blanks. You then exited the room into the open, where the aide waited for you. "Second Lieutenant, how many Phantoms do you wish to fight against?"
"Let's start with five, I want a more severe warm-up." The aide nodded, before revealing an Ides Code, a wand of sorts in his hand. With a wave, a gust of wind swirled in front of you, heralding the appearance of the Phantoms. Ghastly in aesthetics, these misty figures are the fighting partners of a lot of soldiers wishing to train themselves. Infused with the fighting styles of warriors, capable of transmitting the force and impact without actually marring flesh (to a noticeable degree). Save for actual combatants, these are the perfect exercise partners to spar with. Pennsbrooke's Phantoms are modeled after Wollenfrei's Knights of old, armed with swords and blast-shields or halberds with gun-mounts. Formidable armoured foes, who does not dissipate after one or two strikes.
Without further ado, you readied your weapons, preparing to match yourself against them.
Round One
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2D20] -> 4+13 -> 17
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1D20+1D15] -> 3+8 -> 11
And you're quite honest, your first strikes doesn't go as well as it could have. Moving in an organized fashion, the Phantoms met your charge head on. A shield intercepted your strike as two more push you back, leaving you open to the two halberds, who simply skewered your stomach before you could fire your guns. In a real fight, at least. In here, you feel two cold phantom pain feelings hit your gut.
"Would you like me to reduce the numbers, Second Lieutenant?" The aide said as he poured tea to a waiting cup next to you. The Phantoms wait, almost expectantly for you to resume your training.
"No need, keep the tea warm for me." If simple strength will not do it, then perhaps you need actual magic.
Round Two
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2d20] + [2d35] -> [5+20] + [2 + 14] -> 41
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1d20+1d15] + [2d35] -> [20+15] (Inspired Success!) + [6 + 5] -> 46
Your Ides sputtered to life as you lunge up, ephemeral wings flapping behind your back, before swooping down in the middle of the formations. The duo of phantom halberdiers jab their weapons up, but only succeeding to graze your sides. And after that moment, you're in their midst. You quickly block one longsword, the impact pushing you back an appreciable degree as the halberdiers decide to box you in with the shaft of their weapons instead.
Fortunately, you didn't intend to run. With innate precision and speed half-aided by your Ides, your left arm moved, shooting two of the swordsmen right in their helmet. The impact, fully aided with your Ides, simply shattered the headwear, the two Phantoms dissipated in a misty moment as you line up your third shot at the last swordsman. He raised his shield, shattering that instead of his head.
And then there were three.
Round Three
Melee Combat (Sword) -> [2d20] + [2d25] -> [12+20] + [11 + 11] -> 38
Ranged Combat (Revolver) -> [1d20+1d15] + [2d25] -> [15+3] + [24 + 8] -> 50
And three Phantoms are much more manageable than five, as evidenced by you dashing out of the strike range of the weapons. Bereft of shields, you take the opportunity to fire the remaining three blanks at the Phantoms. Normal blanks would not have the range to hit, but aided with Ides, they sail through the air before exploding their breastplates. Medieval knights, they may be, but powerful and penetrating caliber bullets fell anyone and they dissipate with ease.
"Excellent work." The aide said as he clapped politely. You looked around, seeing your spectacle having gathered a small number of onlookers, in particular many of the junior cadets. "Not bad at all, would you take the tea, Second Lieutenant?"
"Certai-"
"Hold up a second, Mistress." You whirled around, to face a blonde man with green eyes, who carried himself with a swagger and with an ornately customised lever-action rifle held at his side.
"Good day First Lieutenant Karamovich, have you not received your posting orders yet?"
"On the contrary, Mistress, I have. And as a matter of fact, I would like to extend my congratulations on your postings to the 46th Company and that I will be looking forward to our joint assignment together."
You blinked at that. "You mean..."
He smiled, looking at you with a rather sharp glint in his eyes. "Yes, you'll be my second in the front. Have no fear," He said with a flourish. "For though you may be far from the loving embrace of your man, I will be sure to keep you in good health and spirits."
You stopped yourself from bristling at that. Karamovich Hor-Herren was one of the many Three Named who had made you their target. Unlike most, the Hor-Herren decided that you were worth paying attention to. He recognized the merit of your hardworking, just like your Patron and Emil had. Unlike them, he decided that it meant that you are but an useful tool.
"I can keep to myself well, as you can see with my demonstration with the Phantoms."
"Aha, rightly so." He chuckled. "Your skills with Ides is well-known, yes. But your skills without it is lacking. If you wouldn't mind, I could perhaps teach you some fighting styles. Let's say, call it a bonding exercise before we head to the real battlefield."
Read: Trounce you completely without magic involved. You aren't bad at combat, but even though Karomavich is without Ides, he is a better fighter than you, kitted out with Ides Codes that help mitigate his Ides-less predicament.
[] Accept the offer. He is a scummy Three Named but if there's one thing that is constant about him, is that he is a man of his word. He will actually teach you. He'll just utterly school you in the process. Provided, of course, that you lose against him. Nothing is truly set in stone after all. Start Combat Tutorial. ???
[] Refuse the offer. You will have to (im)politely decline. Getting trounced here will do you no good and you're here to, you know, not have a bad time. Of course, scorning your cheerfully condescending soon-to-be superior would have repercussions. One of which would be making him not cheerful. ???
Inspired Success and Botches occurs when half or more of the dices in your dice pool register in the top or bottom, respectively, 10% range of the roll results. Achieving Inspired Success allows the roller to gain additional successful effects, though this may not translate to a direct success. Likewise, achieving Botches makes the roller to gain additional negative effects, but if the roller passes a DC or an Opposing Roll, does not translate to a direct failure.
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- Pronouns
- They/It
[x] Accept the offer.
Some potential embarassment at being trounced, but learning something, is worth it to not immediately annoy our new direct superior.
Should we happen to take him down a notch in a lucky stroke? Well that's also worth having just potentially antagonized our new direct superior!
Some potential embarassment at being trounced, but learning something, is worth it to not immediately annoy our new direct superior.
Should we happen to take him down a notch in a lucky stroke? Well that's also worth having just potentially antagonized our new direct superior!