Genocide Quest
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“I never thought I would have found myself so far away from home. In such a deep, thick forest where sunlight can barely reach. Off in the distance I could hear the war horn sound. The elven army was in retreat. Their evacuation, cut off. All that remained was for us to march on their homes, and finished what we had started. This settlement was one of the few that still remained on this side of the continent, and one of the last battles to be fought on our campaign."
"I held no hatred in my heart for the elves, the war had begun well before I was even born. I only found myself in this battle for the sake of my family. The king’s army traveled door to door, collecting any able bodied men they could find to “ensure their absolute victory”. This war had become nothing more than a slaughter, and I often question what crimes could be committed that would warrant the destruction of an entire people. It was expected of us to cut down men, women, and children in their homes, as they fled in terror, lest we be cut down ourselves for failing to serve this great nation of ours. I had been spared the grim duty of slaughtering the innocent up until now, But ones luck can only last for so long.”
Enter the world of Leo Cassius, A boy stripped away from his home and his simple farm life to serve in a war he knew little about, and fight for reasons he didn’t even believe in. Now he must fight for survival, from both friend and foe, or merely end up as another statistic in a century old war.
The army had been stretched thin, to ensure no stragglers floundering in the woods would be missed as the village came into view. It was a small settlement with huts and houses scattered around in disarray, weaving in and out of the forest they so deeply revered. Leo nervously felt around his pockets to ensure his equipment was still in place, A piece of red chalk to mark buildings that had been cleared, a knife secured to his belt, and several lengths of rope and hooks tucked away in some pouches. Sword and shield in hand, He finally came upon the first set of homes, as his brothers in arms began to close in and circle around the settlement.
>Enter the small hut on the left
>Enter the home to the right
>Continue down the path, observing the surroundings.
>write in
Voting will last 5-10 minutes based on number of replies, will explain future mechanics [rolls] as they come up.
>Enter the small hut on the left
Remove knife-ears, I guess...
>Enter the home to the right
>>93319
Backing.
I dunno, this seems pretty fucked up.
>>93319
Writing~
enter the house on the right
Leo approached the small hut on the left side of the path. There were no windows on the small building, and it looked quite run down at first glance. The wood was weathered, flimsy, and felt like it might be knocked over by a strong breeze. Which is why it was so baffling to Leo that the door was locked tight and barely budging. Leo then steeled himself for conflict as his grip tightened around his blade and he launched a sturdy kick above the door handle. The door bust wide open with a thunderous crack, smacking against the wall of the hut and shutting again. But in that brief moment the door swung open, He could see that the hut held no signs of life.
He pushed open the door slowly and walked inside to see that the hut served as nothing more than a shed. Farming tools, assorted unlabeled crates, and what appeared to be a few small wooden figurines.
>Examine the figures
>Head to the house across the path
>March down the path observing the surroundings.
>Write in
>>93385
>Head to the house across the path.
>>93385
examine figures
>>93385
>Write in
Burn the houses
They could be hiding in roof or something
>>93428
Ironically, this was something that was going to be touched up on in the next reply anyways. So you can re-vote. counting in 3 mins.
Leo picked up one of the small figures and took a closer look. It was clearly a child toy of some sort. The figure was carved to appear to be in elven armor, with minor articulation in the arms and legs. It held a small wooden sword with a tiny buckler attached to the left arm. The second figure depicted an elven female, possibly royalty, but the figure was too damaged and worn out to tell. It had a small tiara carved into the head piece.
With a small chuckle, Leo set the two figures back down before a shocking revelation had washed over him. These toys clearly must belong to some child, and the shed here only had one other building remotely close to it. Leo silently mused over whether or not it would be worth checking that house in particular, now knowing that he might find a child inside, but reassured himself that if any kids had once lived here, the parents must certainly have put priority into evacuating. It’s not like their assault on this village had been any secret.
Leo exited the small hut, and pulled out his small red piece of chalk. He shut the door and marked it with a large red X, extending past the door frame should it swing open. This was a common practice of the army to show what buildings had been secured during battle. Of course there was always the possibility of a survivor re-entering a marked home, which is why the army often set fire to every building before leaving any village. Battles always seemed so short compared to the thorough destruction of an elven settlement.
>Head into the house across the path
>Continue down the path observing the area
>write in
>>93498
>Head into the house across the path
Let no elf survive!
>>93514
Leo walked up to the door of the house on the right side of the path. He turned the handle to no avail, the door was locked. Of course the door was locked, who in the right mind would leave it open at a time like this? Leo thought to himself.
With a couple swift kicks, the door broke open and Leo raised his sword to the ready. Entering a building was always risky business, especially considering the cheap leather the army expected to protect us. The first room of the house lay barren. It was deathly quiet not only in the village, but the home as well. The door began to slowly swing shut before Leo had the nerve to charge in. Through the front door he spun around checking every corner of the room as quickly as he could, praying that he wouldn’t find anyone there attempting to ambush him.
The room was completely empty.
With a sigh of relief, Leo took some time to look around the house. A hallway extended down the center of the room, with 4 closed doors, two on each side of the hall. The walls were laid bare, but you could clearly see the outlines of dust and grim from where paintings had rested. A small round table sat at the center of the room with chairs scattered about the floor. It looks like the place had been evacuated in a hurry. The reminder sent a shiver down Leo’s spine as he imagined how brutally they must have been cut down upon being intercepted by the cavalry.
>enter one of the rooms down the hall.[first or second doors, left or right side.]
>examine the room in more detail
>Leave the house
>Write in
>>93569
>enter one of the rooms down the hall.[first or second doors, left or right side.]
Start with left doors then do right ones
>>93613
Again, as expected the door was locked, and that was a significant detail that began to worry him. It’s rather commonplace to keep a front door locked, but who would lock every door in their house, after evacuating in? Leo attempted to listen in for any sounds of movement in the house, but between the creaking of the floor, the beat of his heart and rapid pace of his breath, he couldn’t make out a sound.
It was by this time that a few of his comrades had reached the same area, and with click glances into the house they continued to march on. Normally it would be the wise thing to do, clearing a house as a group rather than alone, but he couldn’t blame them. What sane man would want to bear witness to the horrible duty forced upon us?
What’s worse is the fact that there were those amongst the army who enjoyed such sights. Those who for some sick twisted reason took pleasure in tearing apart defenseless civilians. Leo had heard that some of the men even took pleasure in even more horrific perversions before taking a life, but he had never seen such a thing, or even begin to imagine what kind of person could do something like that.
Leo gathered his thoughts and backed up to kick down the door. He began to lift his foot hesitantly, and kicked the door with insufficient strength. A small twinge of pain shot through his leg as he grit his teeth and gave it another go. This time the door gave way with ease, and at first glance the room appeared empty. Gripping his sword tightly and readying his shield, he charged forward to the end of the room and turned 180 degrees to face the doorway.
Nobody was there.
Leo made his way to the second doorway on the left side of the hall and kicked the door down without a moments delay. However, this time as the door bust open Leo could hear a small voice shriek from the room behind him, and his heart began to race.
>Check the room you just kicked down
>Listen in on the room behind you
>Kick down the door behind you
>Write in
>>93636
>Check the room you just kicked down
It could be trick of elven sorcery!
At worst we can turn around if door opens
It's not like they will survive if they run out of building
>>93636
Kick down the door
>>93656
Without a second thought, Leo rushed into the room he had just kicked wide open, swinging around to see if the door opposite the one he ran through remained shut, and that the room he charged was empty. The room was indeed clear and the other door still shut. He paused for a moment and took in his surroundings. The room had toys and trinkets scattered across the floor, and a small bed positioned in the corner of the room. Cloths littered the shelves, but what caught Leo’s eye was the figurines propped up to the right of the door frame. They looked very similar to the two he had found in the shed and that made his heart skip a beat.
Leo took a look behind him out the window of the room to see soldiers marching up and down the village, some walking, others running. The area had become quite noisy with the sound of stomping feet, clanking armor and shattering wood. He slowly made his way to the room the voice had originated from and began to quiver. He had desperately hoped that he wouldn’t have to live with the decision he was about to make, but it was foolish to think that this war would end without carrying those sins upon his back.
>try to hear something in the room.
>break down the door the voice came from
>attempt to talk them into opening the door
>write in
>>93728
Set the building on fire.
>>93728
>attempt to talk them into opening the door
>>93764
Leo cleared his throat and then spoke through the doorway.
“I know you’re in there, unlock the door.”
Yet not a sound was heard. Leo raised his voice slightly and said
“Look, don’t make this any harder than it has to be..”
Not a sound.
After a brief pause Leo muttered to himself, “What am I doing..”. Of course they weren’t going to open the door. ‘Oh please Oh please, won’t you let me in so I can murder you?’, and on top of it, if he tried to lie saying they wouldn’t be hurt.. that would just make him a savage murderer, and a liar. He was at a complete loss. Pondering it over Leo came to the conclusion if he was the one on the other side of that door, nothing he heard or was told would get him to comply. He would resist. Especially given all the horror stories they all must have heard. It was only making things more difficult to try and come up with some way to get them to open up, giving them a brief glimmer of hope before the end… He couldn’t bring himself to do something such as that.
>Break down the door
>Leave the building
>write in
>>93838
>Break down the door
>>93838
Check the last room
Break through the wall and get rid of elvish scourge
>>93838
Leave, but first tell the person that they're burning down houses so they may want to get out
>>93838
Break down the door
>>93838
>break down the door
We're just good guys right?
We're not murderers are we?
>>93888
>We're not murderers are we?
It's not murder if it's government sanctioned
>>93888
Nigga what
We are killing elves and shit
Why the hell would we give a fuck about wrecking them
>>93907
but muh innocence
>>93930
Counterpoint: Elves
>>93933
Why not get a cute 3.14 elf gf?
>>93855
>>93879
>>93888
Leo tried to steel himself for the task at hand. Seconds began to seem like minutes as thoughts began to race through his mind. He was no stranger to killing, He had to do so to defend himself on multiple occasions, but this was something entirely different. He was about to slaughter someone, someone completely helpless in the face of his sword, and he couldn’t help but continue to think that it was a child on the other end of this barrier. The toys, the locks, that small and soft voice he heard moments ago, It left him shaking. Robbing such a small creature of its future, having to watch the life drain from their eyes as…
Leo shook his head and stomped his foot. Angry with himself, knowing He had no other choice, He didn't even have a choice when joining the Kings army, His life was on the line as well, so what was holding him back? Who knows what torment the person on the other end of this door would face if someone else where to happen upon them? The least he could do is give them a quick death. It was that or risk losing his own life for knowingly letting them live.
Doubt slowly started to creep in..but he could leave them. If he left the house and marked it with an X, he wouldn’t have to do it. They would either be done in by someone else or burned with the building. Leo felt disgusted toward himself for even contemplating leaving living beings to suffer such a fate, could he really do it?
Leo decided to stop thinking, and just act. The more he thought the harder it would get. So without another pause Leo kicked the door, as it broke apart at the handle and flung open. Across from the door pressed against the wall was a elven child. They quickly scampered into the far corner of the room, and the terror in their eyes was plain as day.
His worst fears had come to pass.
>Approach the child slowly
>Rush into the room
>leave the building
>Write in
>>93952
>Approach the child slowly
fug
>>93951
Because it's hard to make them into insane child eating canibals while having them be loyal to you
Also elves are pretty much ded alredy so it would kinda pointless
>>93952
>Write in
Check the room for other elves or traps
Kill the child and check room for other hiding elves
Go to last room afterwards
>>93969
This
>>93952
>Approach the child slowly
>>93952
>Approach the child slowly
This quest is about redemption I suppose, you elf hating nigs.
>>94004
It's literally called Genocide Quest
>>94004
DEUS VULT
>>94004
well, really i wanted to leave that path up to anon. Saviour of the elves, or man who becomes okay with the bloodshed.
5 mins left on the voting period, im enjoying it so far. hope you lads are.
>>94017
Read the OP again faggot.
>>94026
I suppose I do, I would rather it to avoid the bloodshed path though.
We should decide who we are and what we are capable of doing
>>94081
OP post
>Enter the world of Leo Cassius, A boy stripped away from his home and his simple farm life to serve in a war he knew little about, and fight for reasons he didn’t even believe in. Now he must fight for survival, from both friend and foe, or merely end up as another statistic in a century old war.
We know how to wave around a pointy stick and milk a cow.
>>94081
We are somewhat experienced soldier of lower rank
It's sad how we joined in so late into war
All the strongest elves are dead now
>>94122
well we haven't killed anyone yet, and OP seems to imply we've been actively avoiding it
>>94062
Leo swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his sword. Even though it was just a child, He had to be careful. He slowly brought his shield up to his chest and began to approach the child. His eyes fixated on the poor thing, quivering madly with nowhere to run. He started running simulations in his head, What to expect, How to ready himself, What to think about, looking for any possible way he can make himself okay with the horrible sin he was about to commit. He remembered all the talk from the old veterans at the encampment. About how the first time is always the most difficult, But that it only gets easier over time. Would that even be possible? Is there really some way to become accustomed to slaughtering women and children? Leo was overcome with emotion, But something strange managed to catch his eye.
The child wasn’t looking at him… But was looking past him, to his left. In a quick motion Leo turned around bringing his shield up to his neck as a woman lunged forward with something in her hand, shrieking violently as she charged. Leo could not make out the weapon but felt it glance off his shield as her body slammed into his shield. The woman clearly weighed much less than him as the charge barely affected his balance, and Leo quickly responded by shoving her away from him and into the hallway with his shield.
The elf collapsed onto the floor as what appeared to be a shard of glass she was holding slide across the floor next to her. She picked up the weapon as she clamored to stand back up, ready to pounce again. Her shaking was quite noticeable as she fumbled about on her way back up to her legs.
>attempt to kill the woman
>use the child as a hostage
>attempt to subdue to the woman
>stand your ground
>write in
roll a 1d20 with your choice, majority vote decides course of action, and highest roll of said votes determines effectiveness.
>>94148
>looking for strong opponents from elves
Rolled 20 (1d20)
>>94158
Kill the woman
Rolled 7 (1d20)
>>94158
>attempt to kill the woman
>>94158
>Let's get into room with child without looking around
I knew this will happen
Get some paranoia guys
>Throw child at woman and stab them both
Rolled 8 (1d20)
>>94183
Forgot the roll
Not like it matters with that 20
Rolled 8 (1d20)
>>94158
>attempt to subdue to the woman
>>94200
This
>>94177
Writing-
>>94269
You shouldn't write an intro like thatfug if you're going to give out-of-character options.
>>94293
there's no character yet
we're defining him through the actions we choose in this thread
>>94293
well, that's a fair point.
its my own fault i suppose but it can be hard to determine whether or not X would really be out of character. Admittedly i didn't come up with a full backstory as to why exactly he is forced into what hes doing, But for me personally, threatening the lives of me and my family would push me to do horrible things. i don't think its too much of a stretch yet.
>>94269
Leo didn’t need much justification to bring his sword to this woman. After all of the atrocities the army had commit against elf-kind it was clear that she would never back down, and going out of his way to take a risk on immobilizing her with such pathetic protection would just be asking to get seriously injured. He both bested her range, and had far more experience in combat. There wasn’t a single iota of fear as he charged the woman and swung his blade.
The elf was caught off guard by the quick assault, and no way equipped to stop the swing of a sword. She desperately attempted to get away but found herself backing up into the doorframe instead of into the next room, Resulting in the blade cutting her straight across the chest, shoulder to thigh. The woman let out an ear shattering cry as she fell to the ground, blood oozing from the gaping wound. The glass shard in her hand dropped in pain, as she curled up into a ball on the floor, weeping.
Without any delay and to reduce what suffering she had to face, Leo thrust his sword through her skull, sinking slightly into the soft floorboards underneath. It took a decent amount of effort to remove the sword from the floor and her skull, but even that only translated into mere seconds. The scene brought a certain amount of unease to Leo, as he felt his stomach churn at the grizzly sight of such a small and frail woman struck down so swiftly. As the adrenaline subsided Leo found himself in the room once more, staring down this poor child in the corner, frozen with fear.
As Leo approached the child once more sword stained with gore, a soft, quivering voice rang out, Whimpering desperately,
“p.p…please..”
>subdue the child.
>kill the child
>let the child go
>talk to the child [write in]
>write in
>>94337
How big is the child?
>>94337
Burn down the house
>>94337
kill child and feed corpse to pigs
>>94364
about 4'7, slim due to elvish nature, so... fug idk.
shoulda got my drawfag on it instead of drawing the woman.
slightly less than half a man.
>>94337
Tell the child not to go into the hallway.
Hide his mothers body in the other room.
Exit the house and mark it.
>>94462
gonna say you made the deadline, so your bit will be included since its pretty much on par with first post.
>Burning the kid alive
Man aren't we brutal
>>94480
>>94464
As Leo heard those words slip out from the small things lips, he felt his resolve crumble. He knew that if he went through with killing this kid it would haunt him for the rest of the days, even after the war ends. But that didn’t change the fact that he had to cover his own hide to keep his superiors from declaring him a traitor to the cause. He knelt down and spoke to what he could now tell was the girl.
“You’d best get out of here, avoid anyone you see, don’t follow your peoples evacuation plan, just pick the safest direction and run. Don’t go out into the hallway, you’ll be seen for sure if you do.”
With that, Leo turned around and quickly made his way out of the house. He quickly moved the body of the woman into one of the rooms he had previously went into and went outside the house to mark the door. After glancing around to make sure nobody could see what he was up too, Leo set the house ablaze as well as the shed to the left of the path. There were plenty of easily accessible windows in the back two rooms the house for the kid to get out of, but part of Leo wished the kid would stay put. As he started down the trail, he could see that other buildings hard started to be set ablaze, making his actions seem even less suspicious, thankfully.
But Leo couldn’t help but think of what would actually happen to the kid. It was gnawing at the back of his mind like an awful itch he just couldn’t scratch. Maybe never knowing the answer might be what he deserves.
>walk around the house to see if the girl escaped.
>continue down the path and look for unmarked houses
>write in
>>94541
Look for some of your buddys to group up with.
>>94541
>ablaze ablaze, quickly quickly
Oi i'm getting tierd.
most likely heading off to sleep in 2 more hours.
But can and will pick up again monday morning after work.
>>94557
Thanks for the quest so far.
Will follow to the end
>>94578
well, whether he intended that or not, kids aren't retarded and the house hand windows stated in a much earlier post. So i just wrote it up as intention.
>>94576
Glad you enjoy so far, First quest if i'm being perfectly honest. also have a partner who is interesting in running quests too, so may expect a lot more drawfaggin in the future to go with.
>>94626
The thought of the child’s escape continued to claw at the back of Leo’s mind, but it began to bother him for another reason. He had been seen multiple times in that very same house earlier, There might have been a chance someone observed his actions, or worse. The child might even mention him to others for aiding in her escape, elf or otherwise. Both scenarios would end up getting him marked as a traitor and that would be the end of him and his family.
Leo cursed under his breath at his stupidity and ran back around the house to see if the child had gotten away, and to no surprise, she indeed had. Running off into the forest away from the house and the path, But she was being chased by another soldier. A bad situation had now just gotten much, much worse.
This was the second time today that his indecisiveness is getting him nearly killed. The thought of constantly betraying his values, or his countrymen, the tug of war going on in his mind was putting him worse off than if he had just commit his sins and carried his burdens like every other soldier beside him. He certainly wasn’t the only one forced into this situation, but he was turning out to be one of the few who didn’t have the stomach for the job, and Leo knew that it would end up costing him something serious if he kept hesitating.
>Chase after the child and the soldier
>Leave them be and hope for the best
>write in
>>94704
>Chase after the child and the soldier
To be honest I'm going for the "I MUST REDEEM MUHSELF THROUGH THIS CHILD" route so just gonna put it out there guys
>>94704
Help the soldier to not be marked a traitor and to insure your familys safety.
>>94704
>Chase after the child and the soldier
The last thing we want is to child get raped by soldier and somehow survive only to bring ruin to our species after it grows up
And the best way to assure that it doesn't happen is to kill the child!
>>94765
I'm pretty sure our family is on the consensus so that'll make shit easier also they may want to make an example of an elf sympathizers
>>94846
Leo ran after the soldier and the girl. The two had gotten pretty far away from the settlement, but Leo knew the girl wouldn’t have the stamina to outlast his comrade. Years of rigorous training regiments and war left the army in top physical form, after all, we can’t have anyone being “a disgrace to his majesty”. Leo continued to head in the direction he saw the two go as he began to enter the thick of the woods. The elven wilderness was always formidable terrain. The wild beasts alone were often enough to deter aggressors, but the sheer size of the army put those troubles to rest. Generation after generation of young men forced into service to accomplish the King’s agenda.
The elves had always been less populated than other races, so it didn’t take many draftees to overwhelm them on the battlefield. The front lines often consisted of the conscripted, followed by the royal regiments, knights’ outfit with the best equipment available, and suffering the least number of casualties. We’re often subject to softening up the enemy forces while the royals deliver the finishing blow, and then we get stuck with all the dirty work. A select few from the draft managed to work their way up into the royal regiments, but those positions were often reserved for braggarts and boot lickers.
Leo then heard sounds of screaming echoing out from the west. It seems the girl had been caught, there was little time left. Leo ran with all of his might towards the source of the scream, and upon clearing a small mound, found himself awestruck at the sight before him.
His compatriot had the small girl pinned beneath him, grabbing and tearing away at her clothing, sword on the ground several feet away. She was defiantly no match for his brute strength, and had no hope of breaking free. ‘This situation couldn’t possibly be any worse.’ Was the phrase that kept replaying in his mind.
Eyes of fear and desperation made their way over to Leo, and locked in with his own. If she cried out to him, it would be over. But what should I do? He thought. ‘If I strike down the girl, this savage will surely take issue with me.. but if I let her live.. well, maybe he would appreciate the set of circumstances and pardon my actions if I leave them be. It was not uncommon to hear about such despicable acts, but an elf always ends up dead at the end of the day.
>Observe the situation
>leave
>attack the girl
>attack the soldier
>attack them both
>write in
>>94967
Attack them both such a act heresy.
>>94967
>attack them both
The child is an elf
The man is disgusting pervert willing to fornicate with elves
For extra irony stab them both at once
>>94967
>attack the soldier
you know
for degeneracy
>>94967
>attack the soldier
>>94967
Attack the soldier and run away with your new elven gf
>>95022
THIS
WE MUST DAUGHTERFU THIS CHILD
>>95048
Oh honestly if you are going to go elf fucker route you can as well join that heretic
>>95080
Would he even share her with us?
>>95080
>getting sloppy seconds
>>95078
As Leo’s eyes peered into the helpless elf beneath his comrade, a fire lit up inside him. He had to draw a line somewhere, and this was it. He tried to set aside his personal feelings throughout the years of conflict, But seeing this debauchery take place inspired him to act without delay.
Leo threw down his shield as he charged towards the two. He bent over as he ran to pick up the sword several feet away from them and clasped it tightly in his left hand. The soldier hearing the stomping of boots and snapping of twigs and leaves, turned to face Leo as he saw the intent in his eyes. The man raised his shield to prepare for what might come as Leo slammed into him, both rolling away from the girl. She quickly scampered away, no worse for wear, with the exception of some torn cloths.
Both Leo and the soldier quickly came to rise, and the warrior drew a knife from his belt, screaming back at Leo, “What the hell are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!”
Leo didn’t speak a word. There was no going back at this point, the rage in this man’s eyes was undeniable. He began to muse over his options and how to best handle the situation, now that he had attacked his fellow man, But ultimately came to the same conclusion every time. The fact of the matter was, Rape was acceptable. The throne hardly even saw elves as people, so what right do we have to attack our fellow men in arms? Of course everyone would speak ill of those who indulged in such sick depraved acts, but no action was ever taken against the culprits, Not that I had ever heard of.
>attempt to kill the solider.
>attempt to subdue the soldier.
>Flee with the elven girl.
>flee by yourself.
>write in.
Roll a 1d20 with your choice, majority vote decides course of action, roll determines effectiveness.
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>95178
>attempt to kill the soldier
>>95134he would have
Rolled 19 (1d20)
>>95178
>write in.
Kill the elf
Tell the man he should have at least some pride instead of falling so lowly as to fuck a elf
>>95178
Atempt to kill the soldier
dice+1d20
>>95201
dice goes into the options field. m80.
By the way OP
From next vote on you should change the dice system to something better
Segregating dices from votes is good start
>>95226
could go to a 2d20, first number being for chance and second being effectiveness.
Forgot to mention was doing "best of" majorities vote.
if you have any suggestion feel free.
Rolled 14 (1d20)
>>95209
I know.I fucked up
>>95196
This
>>95290
last second post tied it up, so putting another 5 mins on that vote before i roll to pick one or the other.
also roll for it too, [you could get a 20 after all]
Rolled 3 (1d20)
>>95290
>>95196
Gahhh.Anon how can u hate this?
>>95375
This looks like some sort of unholy abomination
Perfectly fitting an elf
>>95358
Leo turned around to face the elf, still sitting upon the ground observing the scene. He looked back towards the man saying “You should at least have SOME pride instead of stooping so low as to lay with a fucking elf.”
Leo’s gut churned and ached at what he was saying, but he had to make his bluff convincing to get the soldier to back down. His arms and legs grew heavy with regret as he could see the small glimmer of hope in the elves eye crushed into dust. Her eyes glossed over as she slumped over staring into the ground. Leo approached without hesitation, and thrust his swords into her temples. Leo felt his heart skip a beat as her arms went limp and he watched her body spasm. He pulled the swords from her skull as fragments of brain matter slung to the sides, and she flopped to the ground, the grass strained red.
It wasn’t over yet. Leo turned back to the man and marched forward, throwing back the sword he had taken to the man’s feet, before proceeding to pick up his shield. He looked back at the soldier, and spit on the ground before remarking “Next time focus on your duty. You’re a solider, Act like it.”, and with that, Leo began to make a jog back towards the settlement, as the man just stood in place, scratching his head.
Once Leo was out of sight from his ally, he felt his knees buckle as he fell to all fours and retched upon the ground. His head was spinning and his hands, shaking. The image was burned into his mind, and he knew it was something he wouldn’t be able to forget. It took everything he had to play that off as some hardass, and hopefully it would pay off. Only time would tell if he would be found out, but in the meantime, He took his own advice. He had a job to do, and he’d best not keep them waiting.
And that's where I'm calling it for today fella's.
Hope you enjoyed the rollercoaster, and i'll be back tomorrow to pick up.
I'll be around for about 30 more minutes for suggestions/ feedback/ discussion and such before heading to bed.
>>95445
Man with some training dude could become great soldier
Too bad the war is pretty much over
>>95445
Nice job OP. I enjoyed this quest(but i am still sad that we had to kill the elven girl).
>>95445
you fucking monsters
THAT COULD'VE BEEN OUR DAUGHTERFU
Great quest so far op
Hope you'll continue this tomorrow with more people joining us
>>95647
Will be picking things back up in 12 hours, and yes. Hopefully with some more people to end all them tiebreaker choices.
And to anyone who happens across the thread and gives it a read, feedback very appreciated.
just got off work and we'll be firing things up in about an hour.
It did not take much time to find the direction the settlement was in. As night began to fall, the horizon began to glow red with the fires consuming what was left of the village. Before long Leo found himself overlooking what was now the ruins of a once thriving elven town. The streets were covered with ash. The once lush green grass and fauna decorating the village had been reduced to smoldering heaps, as soldiers continued to walk the village setting fire to any place that might harbor a survivor of the onslaught.
Leo winced at the image still fresh in his mind. The blood on his blade serving as a constant reminder to the sins he now wore. The nausea had subsided, but his hands were still shaking from the ordeal, the uncertainty. He didn’t know if the man he had so brazenly charged would say anything. While gazing down into his palms, Leo heard the war horn sound in two short bursts, and one long note, Signaling that the battle had been won, and the mission accomplished. Men began to scramble and make their way towards 3 men adorn in pristine plate mail, perched upon gleaming white horses. Only the highest ranking officers in the royal regiments would look so untouched.
Leo hurried down toward the center of town to hear his instructions with the rest of the men. It seemed that he was one of the few furthest away from the gathering, and the commanders would not waste any time waiting, or repeating themselves. By the time Leo had reached the crowd, the 3 men were already heading out. “Shit..” Leo muttered to himself, as the crowd began to disperse and head their own separate ways. It appeared that we’d be setting up an encampment before heading out. Made sense considering how the night was closing in.
Before Leo had the opportunity to collect his thoughts and pick a direction to go in, He felt an arm carelessly flop down around his shoulders, with a head peering around from behind.
“Heh, hey hey, there he is!” The voice bellowed, showing no regard for the close proximity, leaving Leos ears ringing as he turned to face the man. It was none other than Gregory Falk. Gregory was a rather brash fellow, But one of the few who Leo could consider a friend. 'We had been drafted into the army at roughly the same time, even though we hadn’t lived anywhere near each other before, we found ourselves stuck in the same training unit. Greg had always been looking out for me, even back in training. It wasn’t long before he advanced through the ranks and impressed some officials, landing him a spot in the royal regiments. But even still, he went out of his way to find time to check in.'
“Hey.. Woah, what’s with the long face Leo?” Greg said, his face contorting in bewilderment.
>Tell the truth
>Feign ignorance
>Make something up.
>Write in.
>>101552
Tell him the truth
>>101552
Tell the truth
>>101578
...yeah, that's what I thought as well.. A "Friend" in the Elite force is not someone you want to blab about something that can be construed as undermining military morale...
>>101582
and in public too...
Leo glanced away from Gregory and took a few steps away before turning to face him. He strained himself trying to find the proper words to explain what had happened, or if he should even reveal the whole truth. The others had gained a fair amount of distance from the duo and would be unlikely to hear them if they spoke softly. With that, Leo began to whisper.
“Look.. a lot happened, and you can’t say a word of this to anybody.”
Greg nodded his head and leaned in closer as Leo continued.
“I thought I’d be ready for this.. I was forced to kill a small defenseless girl.. But what’s worse is I almost made the mistake of letting her go. I was just so hesitant and.. I wound up raising my sword to one of our comrades. The fiend was in the act of trying to rape this very same girl, before I threw him off her and stuck her down… I condemned the man for his actions but.. What if he says something to one of the officers?”
With a heavy sigh Greg lifted his head up and scratched his head, Eyes shut with a frown drawn across his face. Greg began to speak out in a loud and irritated tone, turning some heads towards their direction.
“You mean that THIS is what had you so worked up? Are you kidding me Leo? Why I ought a go and…”
Leo quickly stepped towards Greg putting a hand up to his mouth in a panic, glancing around nervously before quickly mumbling, “What the hell is wrong with you are you TRYING to get me killed? Gregory, P.L.E.A.S.E.”
Greg removed Leo’s hand to reveal a sly grin, It was obvious he could barely contain his laughter at the situation.
“Dumbass, you aren’t going to get hung out to dry over this… In the end you did what you had to do. It was your first time wasn’t it? It’s never easy for anyone their first time doing the deed. You seriously need to loosen up, I think I can already see some grey hairs.. Alright. Come on now Leo let me get you a drink. You NEEEEEED it.”
With that Gregory turned and began to walk off, expectant Leo would follow.
>Follow after Gregory.
>Refuse the drink.
>Ask questions. [write in and list]
>Write in
>>101588
>>Follow after Gregory.
Let the spirits quell the daemons.
>>101588
Follow after Gregory. Though i have a feeling we are going to end up in a ditch.
>>101588
>>Follow after Gregory.
Leo reluctantly followed after Gregory. ‘As inconsiderate as he might be sometimes, He truly means well.’ Leo thought to himself. Looking around, Leo saw multiple campfires being lit, tents erected and men conversing with one another in their own little groups. Even in the military you could find people flocking to their own little social cliques. Leo often times would keep to himself, seeing as how Gregory spent more time with the Royals since his advancement. It wasn’t out of the inability to get along with his brothers in arms, but more that he didn’t want to get to know them.
As swiftly as the war had progressed, as how violently beaten back the elves had been, the majority of casualties are amongst the ranks of the conscripted. It would make the loss of a comrade that much more devastating if he knew them on a personal level, and considering the hard enough time he had killing the enemy, Leo had made his choice.
“You know Leo, I hear that the war might be drawing to a close soon. We might just end up making it through this after all.” Said Gregory.
“What makes you say that? We know for a fact there are many hidden settlements in the elven woods, won’t it take quite some time to weed them all out?” Leo responded.
He hadn’t heard any such talk from any of the conscripted. You could say that it was rather advantageous to befriend someone with such a prestigious title. The royal regiments were often entitled to far more information that the army deemed unnecessary for us commoners.
“From what I’ve been told, our next target is going to be the elven capital. Their backs are pressed up against the ocean and it’s going to be their last stand. After we manage to take that out, the elves will be so scattered and fragmented that the war effort can be put to an end. Posing such little threat, the rest of the elves would fall to the natural expansion of the kingdom.. That’s their plan anyways.” Greg Replied.
Had we truly come so far? Was the capital indeed going to be the next target for his regiment? The thought made Leo uneasy. The elves had often put the majority of their efforts into evacuation, escape, and minimal loss of life. If we had chased them all the way into this corner, How ferocious will they be when they have nowhere else to go?”
>Ask some questions [write in, list]
>discuss the upcoming battle plan.
>continue to walk silently
>write in.
>>101623
>>discuss the upcoming battle plan.
>>101623
Lets discuss the upcoming battle plan.
>>101623
>>Ask some questions
What will happen to us (soldiers) when the war is over?
and
>discuss the upcoming battle plan.
“So Gregory.. I was rather late to the briefing, what exactly is our plan going forward here? Surely the assault on the elven capital isn’t going to be the same as we have been going about things?” Leo asked.
“Oh? Well.. They didn’t say much. We’re going to rest here for the night, resume our march northwards mid-day and then they are going to discuss the revised plan. You’re right after all, The army can’t approach the capital the same way as before, The losses would be unprecedented.”
Greg stopped walking and turned around to face Leo, His tone grew stern, and a seriousness Leo hadn’t seen before washed over his face.
“For the upcoming battle, the royal regiments are going to lead the assault. The plan is to punch through the enemy line and cut our way into the heart of the citadel.” As Gregory spoke he waved his hands about, motioning and re-enacting the battle and scenery.
“In the center of the city is a sacred place for the elves. A tree the likes of which we have never seen. It’s our understanding that the elves will be desperate to prevent our trespass, and will break their formation to attempt to cut us off, Giving the conscripted a clear opening to close the gap, and overwhelm the enemy. This puts both of our forces at great risk, you might imagine, but the alternative would accomplish little more than sending wave after wave of underequip soldiers to their deaths.”
“But.. what if the enemy doesn’t act as planned? What then?” Leo remarked.
“Well, even if this battle turns into nothing more than a war of attrition, we hold the advantage. Our focus this engagement won’t be the eradication of the enemy, but capturing this great tree.. Their headquarters. We’re to focus on taking out combat personal first and foremost, picking off civilians only after the threat has been neutralized. These are direct orders from the king himself.”
It became clear to Leo why it was that Gregory had been promoted into the Royals. Personal abilities aside, He sounded more like a leader today than he ever had in the past. Back when they both served in the draftees, He was so easygoing about the ordeal. Each day was just about making it to see the next. He was a different man now. There was an edge to Gregory that Leo hadn’t noticed before. There was a much bigger picture in mind and Gregory was focused in on it.
“So what will become of us after the war is finished?”
Gregory turned back around and started heading along the path once more, As we passed by less and less of the conscripted, and more and more of the royals.
“We’ll finally get to go home, Reward in hand for our service to the king. Safety ensured for our loved ones.”
“Sounds almost too good to be true” Leo replied.
>What’s so important about the tree? Why the change in priorities?
>So where will you be in this next conflict?
>anything else I should know?
>write in
>>101686
>So Gregory what are you planning on doing at the end of this war?
>>101686
>What’s so important about the tree? Why the change in priorities?
Elven tree-huggery aside, why will they take such risks to protect it?
>anything else I should know?
>>101686
>>So where will you be in this next conflict?
>>101686
>What's so important about the tree? Why the change in the priorotoes?
Also ask where Gregory will be in the conflict.
“Greg, what are you going to do after this war ends?” Leo asked.
“You sure do ask a lot of questions Leo.. I’m finally going to be able to see my daughter again. I’ll be going back home. They offered to keep me enlisted in the royal regiments after the conflict is over, but I have too much at stake. If it wasn’t for their threats, I’d have fled the draft with my family than have my life on the line out here.”
You noticed Greg lower his head as he finished explaining. It must have been weighing on his heart quite heavily, imagining his family alone back home.
“Okay.. So why the sudden change in priorities? Why is the king so personally invested in capturing this tree when ‘scorched earth’ has been the operating procedure up till now?”
”We weren’t told, and I honestly can’t even being to speculate why. I’m not going to complain though, I’m sick and tired of the smell, and washing the ash out of my cloths and armor, and I’m sure you have had more than enough of killing defenseless people.”
The words cut deep. Leo couldn’t help but think back on that image. Such a frail thing viciously cut down right before his eyes. The hopelessness. Leo shook his head and put his thoughts elsewhere.
“So where are you going to be in the upcoming battle?” Leo reluctantly asked.
“I’ll be on the front line with the other royals, the front of the formation. Looks like I’ll be getting my hands dirty this time too Leo.. I should be fine. You don’t have to worry. They arm us quite well before battle, As long as I don’t run myself into any stray fireballs.. Heh.” Greg sounded a lot more worried than he was letting on, which was understandable. This battle was going to be a huge risk to everyone, for nothing more than hoping the enemy behaves a certain way.
“So, is there anything else I should know?”
Greg brought a hand up to his chin, stroking his goatee gently before snapping his fingers. “Ah! Actually yes there is. I have something.. Special tucked away for you. It was going to be a surprise, but I guess there’s no harm in letting you know now.” Leo began to sweat profusely at the implications in this conversation.
“I managed to procure a good set of chainmail for you. Every little bit helps right?”
Leo let out a sigh of relief before speaking, “Oh… well thanks a lot Greg. I really appreciate it. I’ll feel a lot better wearing that then being stuck with these rags and cheap hides.”
Not far ahead of Greg was an empty table with an assorted number of Tankards and barrels nearby. There weren’t any other draftees in sight and all the nearby royals shot menacing looks directly at Leo.
“Ah, here we are. Take a seat and join me Leo.”
>Sit down at the table
>"i dont think this is a good idea"
>why did you bring me all the way out HERE?"
>Write in
>>101754
>Sit down at the table
Time to drown our sorrows
>>101754
>>Sit down at the table
We will be one of the Royals in the future, they can already get used to us - advancement from the ranks might be uncommon but not unheard of.
>>101754
I thinks its a bas idea but Greg is so nice to us so we can atleast respect some of his wishes.
>>101781
worst case, we get bullied a bit by the Royals, human supremacists should be able to appreciate our MC though.
Leo shrugged and took a seat at the table as Gregory poured them both a tankard of ale.
“Now, you might actually be surprised to find that this doesn’t taste like the cat piss they serve you on the frontlines.” Greg said with a smile, taking a seat and immediately drinking a mouthful, letting out a big sigh
“Ahhhh, that really hits the spot. Washes the taste of burnt wood out of my mouth.”
Leo was extremely thirsty given the day’s events, so without a moment’s notice he began to chug down the frothy liquid. To Leos surprise, he didn’t start gagging and choking on the beverage. It had a pleasant taste and was actually cold.
“Wait… how.. Why is this cold?” Leo said, bewildered.
“Well, the royals do have a few mages amidst their ranks. It’s a considerate service they provide us as a whole.” Greg said, continuing to sip away, As another royal approached the two, slamming a hand on the table.
“Indeed, A considerate service we provide US. I do not recognize this man Gregor, He isn’t a royal playing peasant, is he?” Snickers and cackles broke out among the surrounding royals.
Before long, a small crowd had gathered around the table. All staring down at Leo, getting uncomfortable close to the two. Leo glared at Gregory, hoping he had some way to resolve the situation. He knew that he was out of place being back here, Friend or not. The last party he wanted to upset in the army were the kings chosen.
Gregory leaned back in his seat chuckling at the display, speaking mockingly.
“Oh come now Brom. There’s no need to incite violence here. He’s a close friend of mine, We worked closely together prior to my knighthood. He’s earned a seat here in my eyes.”
Brom scoffed at the remark. “Oh, Oh, well my mistake. I had no idea that your opinion carried such weight around here. Why not knight the boy here and now? Why don’t we all just pick someone from the crowd to feast in our ranks? Oh, only if it’s okay way you though Gregor.”
The man shifted his view down at Leon and blurted out “Get out of here, you aren’t welcome.”
>Stay seated.
>Reason with them.
>Challenge him.
>Look to Gregory for help
>Write in
>>101872
Guess we leave
Shouldn't get Gregory in trouble on our account and we drank some ale, would say its time to hit the hay
>>101877
Yeah. I thnik we should leave.
>>101872wow that was a grammatical nightmare, i need to slow down. way you though, Leon. close closely. Yuck.
>>101872
>>101877
>>101885
>Stay seated.
We praise them - to make them guilty somewhat (or maybe proud). That beer is too good to let alone - maybe they let me stay for some food, too?
"If the Defenders of Humanity want me to leave then I leave. I meant no disrespect towards the heroes of his Majesty's armies."
>>101909
U really like the taste of boots dont you?
>>101909
sounds like a good way to get killed brah
>>101945
dude we are like a peasant and if we piss off a noble or some shit they'll give us the shaft AKA send us into the very very front of the army
>>101968
Reread the part about them all being knights. Ok, true - peasants shouldn't be around them...
Leo considered his options before getting up from his seat. The last thing he wants to do is cause a conflict, or sully Gregory’s name. He had done way more than enough for him already, and Leo was getting tired as it was anyways.
“Thanks for the quick drink Gregory, I appreciate it. I’ll be on my way gentlemen, Forgive my intrusion.”
The royals backed up giving him room to exit, Leo gave one last look to Greg before getting up and saw a mix of anger and sadness at the turn of events. ‘It had been a long time since we got to spend any real amount of time together and the one opportunity we got ended up ruined by these bucketheads. If they really wanted to strike me down, the royals wouldn’t suffer any penalty. Draftees are seen as entirely expendable, and there’s no question the word of the esteemed few would see them off without a scratch. ‘
As Leo started to walk away from the scene Greg stood up and said “I’ll find you in the morning so you can receive you know what.” And as Leo gained distance from the men he could hear voices raising and arguments ensuing. It was no surprise that Gregory wouldn’t let it go that easily, but all he could do now was hope that Greg wouldn’t get himself into too much trouble.
Leo made his way back to the conscripted gathering area and then separated himself from the surrounding men. Finding his own secluded area to set up his personal tent. The night was especially dark in the dense forest. If not for all the surrounding campfires and torches, He wouldn’t be able to see his hand in front of his face. It was honestly quite a terrifying thought to be stranded in these dark woods, alone with nothing but darkness around you and wild beasts skulking not far behind.
After the tent was set, Leo entered and removed his raggedy leathers and laid down in an attempt to get some sleep. His mind still racing, even a good nights rest seemed out of reach.
>Dream of bloodshed
>Dream of the elven child
>Dream of the upcoming battle
>dream of something specific. [ write in, roll a 1d20. 13 or higher to successfully dream]
Rolled 1 (1d4)
>>101990
>1 Dream of bloodshed
>2 Dream of the elven child
>3 Dream of the upcoming battle
>4 dream of something specific.
Rolling dice to vote for which option
Don't really have a specific thing for option 4 so whatever the other guys want
>>101990
Dream of being a knight like Greg, eating good food, looking down on grubby peasants.
>Dream of the upcoming battle
Dream about how you strike down the Elven king, save a noblewoman from savage Elven warriors, meet the king for a reward.
>>101990
Dream of the upcoming battle.Who knows maybe we are psychic or something similiar.
>>102020
Meh I like a bit of fluff that isn't under my control as weird as that may sound
>>102020insight into the MC's mental state. influence emotions, choices, effect how well rested MC gets. but really, and this applies to any quest and QM, things are only as important as the author wants to make them.
and i'm a sucker for fluff sometimes.
Really good writing and GMing OP, but I don't like this story. It is bad feelings.
>>102043
Thanks for the honest feedback. I know that hurting sweet sweet waifu's and childrape isnt exactly pleasnt subject matter, but i was just in the mood for something dramatic for my first time being a QM. At then end of the day though, you should blame that 1d2 somewhere up there that brought us to this point. becauseLeo didn't ask for this
-writing-
Leo awoke to find himself adorn in plate mail designed to custom fit to his form. He felt could feel a suit of chainmail beneath his breastplate and as he exited the tent, his armor sparkled and shined, it was almost blinding to Leo as he admired this suit of armor.
“When did Gregory…”
But before Leo could finish his thought, the clouds above him darkened. The air grew thick with the smell of death and blood. In the distance he saw the elven army, His comrades fallen and soaking the battlefield in gore.
The royal regiments charged forward, colliding headfirst with the elven forces. But to Leo’s shock, the knights were being cut down. Bolts of lighting, the whizzing of arrows, and the clashing of steel, all rocked the world around him, the sounds violently shaking his entire being to the core. Leo drew his blade and began to charge forward. Behind him stood the families and children of his brothers in arms, Nobles and peasants alike.
An elven knight stood before him, but was cut down in one strike. Time almost ceased to exist as the blade cut clean through the elven plate as if it were made of air, Blood spraying forth from the open wound nearly blinding Leo, but staining himself red. His armor was soaked, the once shimmering steel now tainted with the color of sin. With one life he had defiled that which gleamed so elegantly in the sun.
But Leo then found himself standing at the base of a tree. Its bark, white as snow. And the leaves, a shade of green his eyes had never feasted upon before. Carved into this massive tower of wood was a staircase leading to a solitary man.
His armor black, skulls mounted on his waist, with a blood curdling scream he charged down the stairway, tainting the tree with every step. Its bark grew black as night, every expanding from the footprints left behind. Its leaves withered and fell. The black crown mounted upon the beasts head was proof enough. It was the final challenge. Leo charged forward to face his enemy without a moments hesitation-
As he awoke yet again in his tent, covering in sweat. Leo pat himself down as the surge of emotions washed over him, and found himself as bare as he had been the night before. His leathers lay depressingly on the floor beside him, sword and shield both within arm’s reach. Leo began to get dressed and headed outside of his tent. Men were wandering around, getting meager meals and sharpening their blades. It was still early in the day.
>Look for Gregory.
>check equipment
>get something to eat and drink.
>write in.
>>102132
>check equipment
We could also mediate a bit to get ready to murder the elvish scourge
>>102132
>check equipment and...
Leo liked this dream very much. But it leaves him wanting that dream to become reality. He can't bring himself to go eat that peasant food now... maybe later.
Why didn't Gregory bring the armor already? Better not go to him, remembering the welcome yesterday...
Look over the meagre equipment.
Then we can think about how we can survive today. Do we have some worthy comrades to support us? (or just meat shield?)
>>102152
Yes, Leo is welcomed to the dark side! :)
>>102176Leo doesn't have many relationships in the army. basically boils down to "you're just another guy i'm not supposed to be killing".
-writing-
Leo stretched out the morning stiffness, and began to look over his equipment to ensure it was all in place. His leathers still fit snug on his person and hadn’t been damage yet. His shield had a nick or two in it, but was still firmly intact, and in good enough condition to withstand the blow of any steel weapon. His sword was rather dull and could use a good sharpening. The quality of the weapon overall was quite questionable. It seemed to dent and get worn out far faster than it aught too. He still had still hooks with several lengths of rope in his various punches, and his knife was in good condition, sharper than his sword even. If Gregory was correct about the battle today, He wouldn’t need to piece of red chalk, but decided to hold onto it anyways.
Leo took a moment to reflect on his dream from last night, and on the battle to come. He felt confident. He had every excuse to avoid killing the defenseless, and would have no problems holding anything back, and wouldn’t have to waste time questioning his actions repeatedly throughout the conflict, but what drove him further was the hope that with this conflict, the war would end for him. That he could return to his parents a better man. A survivor of this awful ordeal, and to put their hearts at ease.
“Yo, Leo!”
Greg could be heard in the distance and approached wearing his suit of armor. It covered him from head to toe and shine brilliantly. The boots were covered in the ashes he had been trudging through all day, but otherwise looked magnificent.
“Hey Greg… Look, about yesterday..” Leo was then cut off.
“No No, you did nothing wrong. It’s fine. Those punks backed down after a good talking too. It was no trouble at all, Really.”
Gregory took off a pack that was slung over his shoulder and took out a set of pristine chainmail, The length of which looked to cover from shoulder to ankles, and the full length of the arms.
“I hope I got your measurements right, Hahaha.”
“Yeah, me too… wait, measurements? You.. you did what?” Leo stuttered in response.
“No but seriously, try it on.” Greg said as he tossed over the sets of chainmail to Leo.
It was a surprisingly good fit. The shirt was a little bit loose, but not enough to cause problems or get caught up on anything.
“Wow, this is great. I’ll be sure to fit this under my leather before we head out. Thanks Greg.”
Gregory then handed the sack over to Leo and turned around, starting to jog off. “Sorry, Gotta run Leo, Hope you enjoy it! Catch you later!” As he disappeared into the crowd of soldiers, Leo took a look inside the sack to find fresh meats already cooked, and a long, thin box of some sort.
>eat
>open box
>properly arrange armor
>write in
>>102240
Arrange your armour then open the box.
>properly arrange armor
Make sure, it's obvious that we wear chain mail. We can make our parents proud and make sure the peasants see we're better.
>eat
We won't leave a single piece of the delicious food. No table manners means we're quick.
>open box
Another gift? Gregory is nice.
>>102271
This
Also I bet it's letter to his family in case he dies
>>102240
> [He had every excuse to avoid killing the defenseless...]
Somehow I think at quest end he will either be a famous hero (sith lord, emotionaly dead) or a veteran who will never speak about his experiences in the war (German WW2 veteran)
>>102311
One mouth less to feed, true! But we're male so can work... hm
Leo properly set his armor, both his chainmail and leather remained a good fit after all the layering, and Leo felt quite comfortable in the getup. If the kingdom had the stomach to cough up for some more decent equipment, maybe they wouldn’t have needed to enslave so many men to just get slaughtered in droves for their royal regiments.
Leo then quickly dug into the bag and pulled out whatever he could grab. He quickly scarfed down the meal. It tasted substantially better than anything he had been served as a draftee, but he had no time to sit and enjoy every savory bite. After chewing them down the bone, Leo took out the long wooden box. It was a little heavy, and a note was attached on the underside. Leo tore the paper from the box and glanced over it. It read, “The method of the craft is just as important as the material used.”
Leo took the lid off the box to reveal a glimmering short sword. The blade had engravings from top to bottom of vines and floral arrangements. The hilt depicted two small people clashing swords, and the pommel resembled a rose. At first glance, the weapon appeared to be made of steel, but the weight of the blade lead Leo to believe the weapon may instead be made of Silver. Such a finely crafted weapon, Leo could hardly believe it could have come into Gregory’s possession, let alone be handed down to him of all people.
But it was true that the weapons issued by the army were very sub-par. The steel swords they issued could barely contend with tools of iron and bronze. Maybe this weapon was the quality they issued to the royal regiments? That doesn’t even seem right. Was it a personal possession by chance? Leo wouldn’t ever really know until he confronted Greg about the matter. This was rather peculiar even for him.
The sun was almost straight up in the sky, noon was approaching. The war horn would sound soon signaling the march to the capital.
>Prepare to move out.
>look for Gregory.
>test the sword
>write in.
>>102371
>Prepare to march out.
The new sword will serve as a nice backup for when our current crap breaks, we should save it for if we encounter a foe worse than elven civilians/militias.
>>102371
>Prepare to move out.
Good armor and a super sword. Noone can touch us now.
Maybe Gregory looted an Elven sword? They're supposed to be quite good at smithing... or was that Dwarfs?
Lucky for us that we can read, even if it's cryptic message we still don't understand.
>>102396
Why take the old sword. It's garbage now.
>>102396
This. This sword's probably nice enough to get us stabbed in the back for it.
>>102371
>"If the kingdom had the stomach to cough up for some more decent equipment, maybe they wouldn’t have needed to enslave so many men to just get slaughtered in droves for their royal regiments."
The dark forest makes Leo depressed... thinking peasants is bad for the kingdom, this makes it evident.
Hopefully we don't die from a stray array in the first few moments of the engagement...
Leo sheathed the sword around his waist and put his shirt over the hilt. The chainmail was one thing, every draftee was able to bring their own items from home before being enlisted, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume such things were floating around, but such a quality weapon? Anyone with an eye for craftsmanship might very well attempt to seize it from him.
There probably wasn’t enough time to go searching for Gregory amidst the royals, So Leo would just have to save his questions until after the battle. Leo packed his things are made his way to the center of down. In the sunlight Leo could now clearly see the extent of the damage dealt to the elven settlement. Every home was ravaged, and little more remained than a pile of burnt planks and ash. Many of the surrounding trees had suffered damage from the raging fires, but still stood tall, Most of the smaller shrubs and greens had been disintegrated. A place that once seemed so peaceful, tranquil, was now just a reminder to the cruelty of a solitary man, holding the lives of thousands hostage.
Leo was surprised that he found himself thinking in such a way. Condemning the king so easily, being so resentful to the army he was serving in. Were these thoughts normal? The more he contemplated it, the less it seemed to matter. Many of the army’s soldiers consisted of criminals offered a pardon for their service, others driven to depravity for one reason or another, violating the bodies of the pure and defenseless. Who knows what small portion of this army was actually comprised of honorable men. What surrounded him today could barely be called human beings. Himself included. Accepting this made carrying his burdens easier to bare, and that was good enough.
Leo’s grip tightened around his sword and shield was the war horn sounded. So began the march onwards to the elven capital. The place where everything would be decided for him. While the battles may wage on after this conflict, It would no longer be a concern to Leo. Holding that truth in his heart, He moved forward one step at a time.
With that we’re going to take an intermission. Next update will pick up from the arrival at the elven city. Hanging around to answer questions/ discuss / get feedback for a little bit.
>>102494
Thank you very much for the quest! I enjoyed the writing style and direction. Pity, that there weren't more players - seems to plague so many good quests.
I like the premise of unwilling soldiers, commiting atrocities, contemplating them but still doing his duty (or maybe not later on?)
Archive now? Or will you continue to use this thread?
>>102494
I love how this story seems down-to-earth amidst all the generic superhero/mary sue shit. Keep it up Boopie!
>>102517
I agree. I like the whole idea of the quest and the way this quest is going ( Still mourning the death of the elven waifu)
>>102534
>>102545
i appreciate the feedback.
The story itself i'm pretty happy with so far. I did want to provide something a bit different from what other quests are currently offering so im glad im hitting those notes, but i think the quest title could have been better/ more fitting. Not sure as to what though.
also going to go about setting up a twitter and pastebins going forward as i do plan on making new threads after this one passes. it's enjoyable.
>>102560
Title is fine as it is, because the story itself seems to revolve around topics that are hard to melt for most people. Namely the hard, cold reality of war
>>102584
It's hard and cold only for normal people
It's great for people that revel in slaughter and wish to die fighting
>>102698
True that
>>102560
Please do, this is my 2nd quest thread and I am hooked because of your story. And I haven't even had the chance to participate, only read.
![Brom and Gregory [left to right].png](https://i.imgur.com/x686KHe.jpg "Brom and Gregory [left to right].png")
Back for another session of GQ~
The sun was starting to set in the sky, as the army sat atop the valley holding the elven citadel. The great tree Gregory had spoken of was even more magnificent than the one in his dreams. Towers of stone, fortresses back home, nothing compared to the size of this monstrous tree, its branches seemed to reach out and touch the clouds as the trunk extended into them. The bark was white, and glowed with greenery of the forest below, and orange with the setting of the sun. It vibrantly reflected all the colors of the world, as it seemed to have an aura of its own.
And it was this tree, which would mark the end of elven civilization. The last embodiment of any ruling class had nowhere else to flee.
Leo was awestruck at the sheer gravity of the situation. It was very likely from the massive size of the tree that a fortress had been carved into it. Who knows how many floors it may have held, and how many elves could reside within? The size of the army seemed to pale in comparison to the city below, and the elven army that stand mobilized at its doorstep.
“Alright men, Listen up!” a booming voice towered over the soldiers, now standing firmly at attention as our commander spoke.
“This, is the last stand of the elves. They will be ruthless, fighting and clawing with every last breath to hold back the tide of death we will bring. Your enemy will show you no mercy, and you should show none in return.
Our objective today is different than in the past. Today we fight to secure the city, In-tact. We cannot spare the time or the effort to hunt down civilians in this battle, our energy must be focused on putting down the enemy. I want torches discarded and that means fire magic is OFF LIMITS.”
The commander’s horse began to trot back and forth, pacing the line of men, itching for battle.
“The great tree that stands before you in our target. It is a sacred place to the elves, and it is our suspicion they will go to great lengths to protect it. As such, our royals will charge through the enemy first and foremost, rushing towards the Great Tree. Once they break through the line and the enemy formation crumbles, the remainder of the army will advance and collapse on our enemies from both sides. With that, we ca-”
It was then that another man sporting a white horse and full plate, rode up to the commander and whispered something to him as they leaned close. The commander brought a hand to his head and pinched his brow, before turning back towards the line of soldiers.
“First row, step forward” he shouted, as Leo and the rest of the soldiers positioned at the front of the gathered reluctantly took a step.
“You will be part of the royals charge through the enemy line. Head back to the supply carriages to requisition a horse and your equipment for the charge, Dismissed.”
>Object and outright and refuse
>Question the decision
>Why us?
>head to the supply carriage
>write in
>>106074
>head to supply carriage
ask nearby soldiers while going if anyone has a clue why us?
Some more updates and minor things since first update was at character limit.
a twitter has been set up and will be linked in any new threads: https://twitter.com/Booqst
Voting period will of course, vary depending on number of voters, especially if the board is going exceptionally slow [I.E, being on the front page for 15+ minutes from one post] but you won't have to worry about any "OP IS DEAD" since i'll make it painfully obvious when i'm done with a session.
during these slow period ill bump with a -writing- and you can generally except a 300+word reply after 15 minutes. [trying to get faster also]
>>106074
>write in
I don't know how to ride a horse milord.
If that fails, get the sickest, weakest one, perhaps a lame so we fall far behind.
As Leo heard those words a great fear began to well up inside him. Besides being quite unconfident in his abilities on horseback, the plan itself seemed absurd. It was one thing to have the royal regiments, those clad in steel plates, powerful weapons, mages and archers, mounted on armored horses barrel through the enemy lines. But to ask of draftees? With their meager protection and training, now suddenly expected to mount and ride into battle with professionals of war, comrades who have been united since before the draft even began. It was an insane demand.
Leo believed that to put such an unsorted bunch into the middle of men who were so experienced and accustom to each other’s behaviors in combat, would turn into catastrophe, but could think of no reasonable way to voice his concerns as the commander began to leave the area, and soldiers accepted his word as law. Every man had received a small amount of training on combat by horse back, but that was over 2 years ago. Horses were often reserved for the royal regiments and officers alike, such luxury was not included for those of the conscripted. Leo raised his voice as the worlds stumbled out.
“I have never ridden a horse before milord..” Only to be greeted with a blunt response as the commander went about his business.
“Well I hope you’re a swift learner, Now move out.”
With that, Leo’s head sulked, and he made his way to the supply area. As other soldiers walked at his side, Leo asked if any of them knew why it was us who had been selected for the task. One man remarked that they just needed the extra bodies, another saying it was their lot in life. Even more remained silent. How typical, that men being sent to their deaths wouldn’t even be given the privilege of understand what it was for.
As Leo neared his destination, he saw men riding back towards the front equip with tower shields. The quality of which stood out amidst the rags and scraps of leather the draftees could call armor. What also stood out was the fine condition of the horses. Clearly they had be preserved for use by the royals, so it was a surprise to see that they were indeed the mounts being issued, And not much further ahead, Leo could see Gregory, suiting up for the upcoming battle.
>Speak with Gregory [write in]
>Ask about the change in plans
>continue to look a frail horse.
>ask soldiers about the shields.
>write in
>>106119
>Speak with Gregory
Say our goodbyes, we are not gonna survive unless we get unhorsed before we hit the frontlines.
Wish him the best of luck, and return the letter to him.
And maybe
>>Ask about the change in plans
>>106119
>Speak with Gregory
Ask him why peons are being mounted and sent to the front.
>>106119
>ask Gregory about change in plans
It was a relief to have run into Gregory before mounting up, Maybe now he could get some answers from ‘the privileged few’. Leo jogged over and waved him down shouting,
“Greg! What’s going on, why are draftees being thrust into the front lines all of the sudden?”
Gregory finished putting his helmet on and he turned to face Leo and spoke loudly, his helmet dampening his voice.
“Ah, Leo… I had honestly hoped I wouldn’t see you today.” The tone in Gregory’s voice was quite meek as he continued. “It turns out the elven forces are larger than we had anticipated, and the reinforcement regiment hasn’t shown up. Command says that they haven’t even received word about the delay, we were supposed to regroup here but just.. Nothing.”
Again, it would seem that the royals are the ones with all the insight into the whys and how’s of the war. They tell us to jump, we say how high. In the royal’s case however, seems they politely ask them to jump, tell them how high days in advance, and if something goes wrong, just toss those walking corpses over there into the mix.
“We were supposed to be reinforced?” Leo asked.
“That’s right. There was a battalion sweeping in from the west, clearing out a few small forts on the way, mostly consisted of Royal regiments too. This isn’t a good sign, I have a real bad feeling.” Gregory mumbled something afterwards, but Leo couldn’t make it out.
“Yeah.. me too Greg.. Me too. Looks like things might not turn out so well for us this time, but let me just say thank you. For everything. In case I don’t make it back, just know that I truly appreciate everything you did for me, and I wish I could have repaid you in a better way.”
Greg let out a small chuckle before saying, “You don’t need to thank me Leo. You pulled my ass out of the fire on more than one occasion, And look. If things get really bad out there, just high tail it and run. One of us has to make it out of this..”
Gregory took a long pause before he continued. The silence was quite unsettling as the clamor of footsteps and horseshoes began to fade out from around us.
“If something happens to me… That sword I gave you? Can you see it returned to my family? It’s been somewhat of a good luck charm for our family.. I was hoping to return it myself, But they have me put at the front of the formation, leading the attack.. So now that I’ve been thinking about it.. Could you?..
>Vow to return the sword.
>You should have it back.
>No, I’ll need it.
>We’ll make it out of this
>Write in
>>106162
Vow to return it. We need it, as cruel as it sounds.
This is also god tier storytelling, OP. Seriously. I have never felt so immersed in any other story, or invested into the outcome.
>>106166Really? Wow. thank you for the compliment. Hopefully i can improve even more going forward.
>>106162
>vow to return the sword
>>106162
>We’ll make it out of this
Don't worry buddy, but just incase
>Vow to return the sword.
Leo lifted his shirt to reveal the hilt of the fine blade that Gregory had bestowed upon him. He glanced down to admire it for a moment more before looking back up to Greg and saying.
“You have my word, Gregory Falk. I will see it through this battle no matter what, and should worst come to worst. See this sword off to your family. Not only will I return this blade to that family, but I will tell them the tale of a Hero. A hero who not only saved the life of the man standing before them, But a hero who worked his way through the ranks, fought against these sorrowful circumstances and stood tall among the elites. Made a name for himself, without ever turning his back on his brothers down below.”
Leo wasn’t sure where the words came from, But felt the need to not only try an inspire Gregory, but himself. The pressure was on him now. He had more to live for, and a greater purpose to survive than merely seeing his own family again. He had to make sure to keep his word, because a man such as Greg deserved his final wish to come to fruition.
Greg gave a salute before speaking, “It has been an honor serving with you, my home is located far to the southwest, Wake mire. I truly hope it doesn’t come to that, But I trust you above all else. It has been a great pleasure, my friend.”
With that, Gregory picked up his sword and shield, and began to make his way further back in the encampment to retrieve his horse, waving back to Leo as he departed. Leo returned in kind, and turned back around to requisition his shield and horse. The shield was sturdy and large, Extending from his nose down past his waist, but before his knees when held close to the chest. His horse was a fine mare, and quick to accept him as his rider. But before Leo mounted he thought some things through in his head. His armor, while superior to those in his ranks may not be enough to stave off the likely flood of arrows.. The war horn had sounded and the army was on the move, He had to decide..
> Use the hooks and rope to strap the shield firmly to your back
> Go into battle shield and sword drawn on the horse
> strap the shield to the unarmored horse
> Keep the shield in one hand, with your sword sheathed for the coming charge.
>write in
>>106203
I don't feel confident making this decision.
Anyone else still here? 9pm for me, but no clue about the majority of this board.
>>106208
yer im not too sure what to go for here hmmm
>>106208personally US EST here. i generally work 12 hour shifts, short and long weeks, 8p to 8a. took the week off due to medical appointments, so there really isn't an established timeframe for sessions yet. going forward, will most likely range from 9am to 2-3 pm EST, with some random sessions during time off.
>>106216
> Use the hooks and rope to strap the shield firmly to your back
or > strap the shield to the unarmored horse
i think the big sheld we wont be able to use it very well on foot and if the hors gose down befor we can get insed its nt going to be good
>>106203
>> Keep the shield in one hand, with your sword sheathed for the coming charge.
We need protection and mobility at this rate.
>>106223
> Use the hooks and rope to strap the shield firmly to your back
il pick this one
as we are going to need all the defance we can get, wil be fighting pissed off evils so dont want get hit in the back and we will have too shields
Gonna extend the vote on this one, since it will change how events unfold during the charge.
Id rather not roll on such an important detail.
>>106228
Voting here. We need to be able to use our shield. If arrows come flying and it's in our hand, we can duck under it. If its on our back we're fucked.
>>106243
we alredy have a sheild bro its just smaller
and i was thinkign more of the fightering atfer the horse back as we are shit at rideing so thinkign the horse is going to die or we fall off
>>106246
Okey, I thought we replaced our old shield with our new. Then strap it to our back.
>>106246
Okay. I missed that. Voting for strap to back. So we're 3-1 now
>>106246
If we have a small shield, use that and strap the large one to the horse. Regardless we need a shield in hand. Keep sword sheathed for now
>>106250
Never mind, seems we're all in agreement here. Unanimous vote to strap it to back.
>>106203
> Keep the shield in one hand, with your sword sheathed for the coming charge.
The elves are going for the trap, aren't they?
>>106270
Leo is now in possession of two shields. The latest shield he was given being strapped to his back, and his prior shield being held as he rides.
Once everyone remembered that Leo hadn't thrown his prior shield away or anything, the vote became unanimous.
>>106270
yer we have the sheild we used befor and now that we are getign a horse we got the calvary shield with it, op can tell me if thats wrong
yer the elves are going to fuck us up durnign this charge i think but how and where, im thinking the west people have been killed and op said 'fun'
>>106277
More the merrier.
>>106283
Fuckin kek, i imagine this will be leo within 5 min
>>106283
>filename
Moderate kek
Leo took out some lengths of rope and ran them through the shield. He tied the small steel hooks from his pack onto both ends and cut the rope down to size. The shield now fit securely around his back and could be detached from the front side, should it get set ablaze or need to be removed in a hurry. Leo felt comfortable with the level of protection he had, but worried for the wellbeing of his Mare. He could only pray for the best, as he sheathed his steel sword and firmly grasped his kite shield.
Leo mounted his horse, which remained rather calm. They had been trained quite well in comparison to the horses back in training. Several times many draftees would be bucked clean off their mounts, and the animals seemed quite agitated and on edge as opposed to the royal’s horses. Without wasting anymore time, Leo set off. Up ahead he could see the royal’s formation, several columns of men on horseback, with the draftee’s at the back. Leo moved into formation on the far end of the row, with his brethren to his left, and open spaces to his right. Leo changed his shield to his right hand, seeing as his flank was now exposed, But considering all the chaos Leo was expecting, being at the end of the formation, it would make breaking off from the unit, or escape that much easier.
Leo to the momentary calm before the storm to remember his training. Proper coordination during a formation as tight as this was important. The group needed to react quickly to danger, and maneuver quickly to avoid trapping those in the center to certain doom. The war horn was also centerpiece to informing those at the back, or those with low visibility of the packs movements, or dangers ahead.
As they moved onwards towards the enemy, the horn sounded in one long note, they were within range. The front of the pack began to gain distance as the unit sped up, Leo drove his heels into his Mares sides, and the horse kept pace. The formation was looser than it had been, but this was it. Leo kept an eye to the sky and his surroundings, the forest became far less dense the closer they came to the city, and then the horn was heard yet again. 2 short bursts. Arrows where incoming, But Leo couldn’t see where, sunlight in his eyes.
>Lean downwards, hugging the horses neck.
>Raise your shield to cover your face
>Break off from the pack to get a better view
>Write in
>>106292
Shield up, this horse is done for
>>106292
Observe everybody else and copy what they are doing.
>>106292
>>Raise your shield to cover your face
Taking an arrow to the knee is bad, but one to the face is worse.
>>106292
then bam arrows!!
can we lean dowards huggging the horse and since we are holding onto the kite sheild use that to protect her? since we dont know where the arrows are coming and the big sheild on the back should keep us safe nto to meation we become a smaller traget
>>106304you would be leaning down far enough for the shield to cover your back, portions of the horses body, and the position of your arms would protect the right side of the horses neck and body slightly.
Just for reference, I'm not going to inherintly write Leo like an idiot. The options will guide his general course of action, but he makes the best of what he can with it. I'd be here all day if i wrote out every detail of what i choice lead into.
>>106292
>Lean downwards, hugging the horses neck & raise shield over both our head and the horses.
Its probably big enough to cover our head and the horses, and the rest can be covered by our shield on our back.
>>106311
was just makeing sure and im not expacting you to wright that much which is y i put it all in there so both that you can sat yes or no and that we all know what happening/ postioning we are in. since we dont know how to hosr fight very well and this is the only horse we have and tryign to stay alive to bring back the sword
not trying to take the story from you its been pretty good,
>Lean downwards, hugging the horses neck.
iv probs put too much into that replay but keep going
>raise shield
>raise shield
>copy people
>lean down.
>lean down.
extending the vote a bit.
>>106328
Yeah i understand, don't worry about it.
I know just as many people who take a rather vague option, and turn it into example... "you lean down and huge your horse as distantly as possible so your as exposed as can be to take arrows to the face."
For all intents and purposes it could be written as that, i'm just clarifying that i won't be doing it. Unless the choice clearly defines a bad decision.
>>106301
Underrated. I vote for this.
Rolled 2 (1d3)
alright, so heres a first for the thread. Making a threeway roll.
1.raise shield
2. copy others
3. lean down
Rolled 1 (1d3)
>>106334
all good then:)
and fare enguh about if we pick bad ones
oh nooo
plz lady luck
