>>5701851
>You grab a heavy hammer, but this is not the weapon you will wield. It is merely a tool to retrieve what you buried beneath the stone of the cellar.
A pleasure as always, Mr. Wick

>>5701851
>You go to the old barn. Built when you first came here, its use has mainly been as storage in recent years. But it has protected your old machine quite well.

>>5701851
>>You retrieve from above the fireplace an old masterwork lever-action rifle you were gifted long ago. Deer and wolf are no longer the only things that will feel its might.
Reckon it's that time again, old partner.

>>5701851
>>You grab a heavy hammer, but this is not the weapon you will wield. It is merely a tool to retrieve what you buried beneath the stone of the cellar.
All of the options appeal to me, except the barn one maybe, since it seems kinda mecha-oriented, and I want gramps to kick ass a little more personally.
Wizard's the old reliable, but you seem okay with taking this in more modern ways, so why not?
Gunslinger grandpa has its charm too, but the Wick vibe and the mystery-box feel of the first option appeals to me more.

>>5702090
As long as we get a boomstick of some kind I won't mind if the mystery box wins.

>>5701851
>You grab a heavy hammer, but this is not the weapon you will wield. It is merely a tool to retrieve what you buried beneath the stone of the cellar.
Mystery box go

>>5702090
>but you seem okay with taking this in more modern ways, so why not?
Rough vibe that I'm taking things is that bows and catapults were replaced by guns and artillery because of factors like training times, standard precision (enchantments are counted separately), and projectile speed helping accuracy. But swords and other melee weapons weren't obsoleted because of stuff like wards degrading at about the same speed when hit by bullets or arrows.

And since melee remained major, while Bows did have a Rate of Fire advantage during the musket area (though not on army scale when Volley Fire was developed), the ability to club with a stock or stab with a bayonet allowing engagement in melee without having to switch weapons. Not as good as a dedicated weapon, but you can still do it (to note: there do exist hybrid weapons ala the Pistol Sword in the world).

>>5701851
>You go to the old barn. Built when you first came here, its use has mainly been as storage in recent years. But it has protected your old machine quite well.
God i hope this is a steampunk mech suit

>>5701851

>You grab a heavy hammer, but this is not the weapon you will wield. It is merely a tool to retrieve what you buried beneath the stone of the cellar.

I choose mystery box

>>5701851
>You go to the old barn. Built when you first came here, its use has mainly been as storage in recent years. But it has protected your old machine quite well.

>>5701851
>You go to the old barn. Built when you first came here, its use has mainly been as storage in recent years. But it has protected your old machine quite well.

>>5702165
>>5702162
>No text, same vote, 3 minutes apart
Is this samefagging already?

>>5702167
It is a bit suspicious, but there is one source of reasonable doubt as they came in around when US's Central and Mountain time zones would be dealing with lunch.

>>5701851
>>You grab a heavy hammer, but this is not the weapon you will wield. It is merely a tool to retrieve what you buried beneath the stone of the cellar.

>>5701851
>You have none of the weapons of your old days. All you have is the tools necessary of your trade. They will have to do.

Alright, calling it here.

Cellar (5)
>>5701928
>>5702090
>>5702099
>>5702145
>>5702314

Barn (4)
>>5701939
>>5702113
>>5702162
>>5702165

Fireplace (1)
>>5701987

Farm Tools (1)
>>5702337

It's a close one, but the Cellar narrowly wins out. Results being written.

File: UnsealingtheHushedCasket.gif (951 KB, 498x264)

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You and your wife had sworn to put down your weapons when you had first come out here. It was a time for the land to heal, where diplomats and builders would work to undo the damage. Strong champions in such a time would only serve to tempt the rulers to force prosperity by stealing from beyond. And when violence was most of what you had known, it would be all too easy to fall into such habits. To make certain that this would not happen, you two had buried your weapons within the foundations.

You retrieved the necessary hammer and began to step into the cellar. The light of the day shining from the doors illuminating the spot you knew.

While necessary then, neither of you were fools. The age always had the potential for change. Most forms would not necessitate the weapons being drawn from their crypts, but there were a few paths the world may take that would. One of them had clearly manifested, a new Monarch of Monsters had come.

With each impact of hammer on stone, the stored goods on the shelves rattled. Fractures the size of a hair grew quickly, fragments starting to bounce up with each blow the stone received. Strike by strike, a chest began to be freed.

Ordinarily a new generation of Heroes would rise in the face of such a thing. It was the way of the world, which is why where you lived mattered greatly. It wasn't the heart of Cornvallis, but you were deep enough in that for an incursion to be here, something must have gone disastrously wrong.

Another blow lands, the last necessary. You begin to remove the rubble.

Or, of course, they would be here for something specific. You had some doubts of the latter thanks to all the preparations that had been done, but if it were true? You knew exactly what they were here for.

You carefully remove the copper amulet inlaid with emerald, the one Mirei had made for you, and press it against one of the two slots on the chest. The mechanisms click. You reluctantly remove a second that was inlaid with sapphire, hers, and put it in a second. Another mechanism clicks. You hear more activate, before the chest lid barely pops open. Slowly you lift it up.

Everything within is in pristine condition.

(1/3)

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>>5702453

The expensive stasis charms had kept them just as they were when you and Mirei had first laid your weapons inside. You put on your ammo belt and fill it with a dozen rounds. Then you retrieve the twin axes, Tàirneanach and Dealanach. You work the bolts on both to check their conditions, and the bolt-actions work just as smoothly as you remember them. Unbidden, you recall hearing from a merchant that was passing through town about an automatic ejector and internal magazines. Perhaps that forge master Hilda had married might be able to upgrade them if things go truly wrong.

After further checking the runes and metal for any imperfections and finding none, you hang your twin axes from your belt, the weight feeling comfortable after all this time. You hold off on loading them up, Anton may have fixed the safeties but you still remember that one time it fired off when you were riding and you had to down healing potions to deal with your shoulder getting shot. Thank the gods your danger sense is so good you had gotten out of the way so it didn't shoot your head. He spent so many long hours bitchin for so long when trying to deal with the durability runes and how careful he had to be to not damage the other two enchantments that enhanced the edge and summoned the axes to your hands. May he rest in peace.

Your eyes can't help but look over at Mirei's weapons. You watch for a few moments as frost crystals float off the broadsword of light blue crystal, Seoli, that had passed through so many of her predecessor's hands, some crystals consolidating on the velvet the blade lay upon. Her own personal copper-plated revolver, Bulkkoch, personally engraved by her to have some of the most complicated and elaborate runic enchantments of the age. You can remember the ease and skill with which she wielded them so clearly.

(2/3)

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>>5702455

You shake your head. Now is not the time to focus on the past. The village is in danger. You close the chest and retrieve the twin amulets, feeling the many protective wards they carried once more guarding your body. You exit the cellar, closing the doors behind you, before you go to saddle up your horse. A thought runs through your head. Where will you go?

Options (Top 2 Will Win)
>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.
>You will meet with the Captain of the Guard. The defenses must be coordinated in order to be able to protect as many as possible, and you must know where the kill zones are being prepared so you know where to fight to have the greatest effect.
>You will go by the old tower. The mage there is an old fuck like you, and they've often ended up getting lost in their research for hours without noticing. The magical defenses they've arrayed over it will keep them safe, but waking them out of their focus would turn them from passive interference to active combatant.
>You will get in contact with the Mad Blacksmith. Their testing grounds may have been relegated to a valley away, but they probably have a few weapons in storage. Your danger sense is good enough and known to be good enough you could pick out the safe ones and people will use them in the defense when they would not otherwise.
>You will go by the Witch's hut. She's slightly outside of town so the guard likely can't be spared to go to her to help transport potions, so as is she'll only be able to carry a single Holding Pack's worth. With you carrying a second along with what your horse can carry in their saddle bags? A lot more than just healing potions can be supplied.
>You will go by the Temple. From your old adventuring days, you've picked up more than a few favors from the gods, so you can spend one of the minor ones to cut through the bureaucracy of heaven and get some divine assistance for the defenders.

>>5702457

>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.

Pass on our knowledge to someone who can distribute it

>You will go by the Temple. From your old adventuring days, you've picked up more than a few favors from the gods, so you can spend one of the minor ones to cut through the bureaucracy of heaven and get some divine assistance for the defenders.

Because today old man yells at clouds, and the clouds listen.

>>5702462
>Pass on our knowledge to someone who can distribute it
Knowledge to help in the defense would be approaching the Captain of the Guard. The Mayor one is focused on gathering up any civilian stragglers that haven't made it to the safety of the Town Hall that'll be behind the battle lines.

It will still have effects on the battle as you'll only have to worry about buildings rather than buildings with a chance of civilians in them (buildings can be rebuilt but the dead cannot) and soldier morale increase from knowing for certain everyone is being protected behind you rather than the intrusive thoughts of there being a chance of people at risk. But that is a different effect compared to your combat experience being leveraged to maximize the effect of soldier deployments as well as your own.

>>5702457
>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.
Get the civilians back inside
>You will go by the old tower. The mage there is an old fuck like you, and they've often ended up getting lost in their research for hours without noticing. The magical defenses they've arrayed over it will keep them safe, but waking them out of their focus would turn them from passive interference to active combatant.
An old fuck like us? A mage? If there's anybody else that will do a fuckton of damage it's gonna be him.

>>5702457

>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.

We should figure out who else is out there.

>You will meet with the Captain of the Guard. The defenses must be coordinated in order to be able to protect as many as possible, and you must know where the kill zones are being prepared so you know where to fight to have the greatest effect.

Coordinating the defense will probably have the greatest immediate impact

>>5702457
>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.
You will go by the Temple. From your old adventuring days, you've picked up more than a few favors from the gods, so you can spend one of the minor ones to cut through the bureaucracy of heaven and get some divine assistance for the defenders.

>>5702457
>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.
>You will meet with the Captain of the Guard. The defenses must be coordinated in order to be able to protect as many as possible, and you must know where the kill zones are being prepared so you know where to fight to have the greatest effect.
Top two priorities. Temple might be good but both of these people are too relevant

>>5702702
In the future, please remember to make sure your votes use the >
Makes it easier to quickly parse out the votes.

>>5702457
>>You will meet with the Mayor. They may be a diplomat rather than a warrior, but even despite their young age, there are very few that surpass them in knowledge of the people of the village. They will know if anyone has not arrived to the safety of the town hall.
>>You will meet with the Captain of the Guard. The defenses must be coordinated in order to be able to protect as many as possible, and you must know where the kill zones are being prepared so you know where to fight to have the greatest effect.

Minimizing casualties and prepping defenses, seems to work. These magic folk will have their own problems and solutions.

Vote Results:

Mayor (6 - Unanimous)
>>5702462
>>5702594
>>5702682
>>5702702
>>5702736
>>5703586

Captain of the Guard (3)
>>5702512
>>5702682
>>5702736

Temple (2)
>>5702462
>>5702702

Tower (1)
>>5702594

Looks like not a scrap of hesitation with saving civilians, and after some debate you focus on the tried and tested strength of mortals defending their families over the arcane, experimental, or divine.

Writing.

>>5704343
Made an error. Meant to put >>5703586 not >>5702512 in the Captain of the Guard vote. Vote count is still the same, though.

>>5704344

No problem, carry on QM.

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As the possibilities flow through your mind, you quickly recognize there is only one choice that you need to make. Finding and evacuating any civilians takes immeasurable priority. Beyond that, you slowly start to eliminate possibilities as you ride towards town.

The first two are fairly easy. The Blacksmith Pierre's creations may be safe at first but over the course of battle could wear down. Best not to gamble. The Witch Alice could bring along some draughts that have potent effects, but such alchemy primarily focuses on recovery rather than prevention. You'd rather have less go down in the first place.

Your eyes flick to the old tower. There's momentary temptation, but you decide against it. The Mage Arthur might catch notice of the attacks when some scout or flanking force comes close to their tower, or they might just in general catch attention of what's going on in the town. Or he might be so deep in whatever he is working on that even when you make it to him, he won't be able to be pulled out of it. You give it about equal odds, and believe your time would be better spent preparing the village in a different manner.

So it comes down to what you trust in more. The Mortal or the Divine. You have to fight back laughter as you recall the handful of times that you've been placed in a similar mental war in your past. And from your recollection as to how the events after those had gone down, your decision is eventually made. The Divine is truly powerful. But there is a reason that the agents that their will is made manifest through are the Mortal. Only so much can be doen without the will to act. And the Mortal who a goal as clear as defending their friends and family? Their will to act can at times allow them to do what even the Gods ae uncertain was possible. Your marriage to Mirei is...was once living proof of this.

Emotion starts to well up once more as memories threaten to flood your mind, but do not overwhelm you. The time is too critical for this.

You soon arrive at the Town Hall. A lot of people from the town and surrounding area of Oxenhall are all gathered here and the area is largely overtaken by a cacophony as people worry about the incoming Monsters, relatives who will be fighting, or a myriad of other fears. Most don't really pay you much mind as you dismount and start to look for the Mayor, but there are a few. The elderly and those with graying hair, the men and women who were your age or children when you were adventuring? When they see you enter, when they catch sight of your axes, some are shocked but most are calmed and they start assuaging the worries of others with more vigor.

Mayor Francis is soon found, the young lad in his mid-twenties talking with someone who looks particularly worried. As you approach, he finishes with some words of comfort that somewhat seem to settle the woman's nerves and as she leaves, he catches sight of you.

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>>5705384
He looks like a bit of weight was lifted from his shoulders, before he catches eye of the axes you carry. "Should I be waiting for Joan to show up about some missing axes?"

You let out a deep laugh. "Nay, lad. These are mine, from the old days."

"You mean...?" he asks, eyes going wide after a few moments. You don't blame him for it, the peak of your adventures would have been back when his parents were toddlers or were even yet to be born.

"Saw a storm coming round without me. Thought I should correct that," you chuckle, before dropping the mirth. "Is there anyone missing?"

"There's a few...an elderly couple, some children...their homes are outside of town, will you-?" he starts to ask hesitantly.

"I'll get them. Where are they and where can I find a spare horse?" you ask, swiftly getting what you need. You ride out swiftly. The old couple are farther out and in a more direct path of the avenue of attack. They're simple to handle, you only really need to drop off the horse and help the old woman onto it as while she is one who can direct a horse she has difficulty getting on due to her age, one that is past yours. One of the people at the Hall will be able to help them off.

"Hey kid, why you back here and not at the Hall?" you ask gently after you dismount to approach him on his level.

"Sis was scared. She wanted to come home because its safe," he stumbled out. You knew it wasn't really safe here.

"Perhaps. But the Hall is better, there you have other people to talk with and protect you both," you say.

"I'm tough. I can protect her," he said with attempted confidence. He tries to lift up a sword, possibly belonging to his father, uncle, or ancestor but clearly has a bit of difficulty.

"Aye, you look like a strong one, lad. Know I'd feel better if you were back defending the ol' grandmothers in the Town Hall," you say. "And I think your sister would like to hear the stories."

It takes a bit more of convincing the sister to leave her room, but you soon manage to get them both on your horse and take them back to the Hall. A woman who's clearly their mother embraces them after you help the two down, and you find out of a several more civilians that are missing from the Mayor and gather them up as well. A few more are found out after your next trip, but after that its determined that everyone has been brought in to safety.

"Thank you so much for this Fredrick," the Mayor says, relieved but still tense. The atmosphere of the Town Hall is notably calmer than before, there's still worry about the Monsters but not for anyone missing, and it seems some of the other old fucks around here have started to spread a bit of word about your old days from how a few kids are looking at you.

"It was no trouble. You know where Joan is?" you ask, getting directions to where the Captain of the Guard was last seen.

>>5705385
You soon come across the woman in her forties, and when she spots you, and particularly your axes, you can see a smirk grow on her face. Unlike the Mayor, she's of age to have been a child when stories of your adventures were being passed on. "You're gonna be joining up with the defense?"

"If the Guard's willing to have me," you say with your own smile.

"You even need to ask?" she shakes her head, before gaining a saddened look. "We're trying to fortify the town, but we've only got about five dozen people. That's not going to be able to cover the whole palisade. You have any ideas?"

"What kinda force are we looking at? And what do we have for equipment?" you ask. The feeling is growing stronger, but you never had a talent for picking out individual monsters like Scar did.

"One of the volunteers had an old bolt-action and a good optic for hunting. They don't have much experience at the range the Monsters are approaching from, but they were able to pick out the force. Its mostly the feral kind, but they have leadership as some of them seem to have evolved to biped forms, mostly bear and wolf-like ones. They think they saw two of them that have evolved all the way to human, but there was some obscuring charm over them so we couldn't make out the species," she begins briefing. "As for what we have, mostly shields and spears, a few swords. Some old enchanted gear from military service or guard supplies so everyone will have weak protection against melee and ranged. Not anywhere near as good as what you have. There's around a dozen people that have rifles, mostly lever-action or bolt. Pierre's pulled out something he called a 'successor of the Gatling Gun' he got from some military guy that he won't fully explain how he got but did say he hadn't gotten around to looking on. Its apparently something with a pretty high fire rate. We weren't exactly trusting him but we did find a guy who vouched for it being untouched." She sighs. "So, what do you think?"

Options (If noncontradictory, votes that go over 50% will win. If contradictory votes pass 50%, highest vote count has priority)
>Concentrate where the barricades are being built, force the targets into fighting in the alleyways.
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.
>Man the walls along where the bulk of the Monsters look to be coming from, try to attract them to your point.
>The best defense is a good offense. Sally forth and clash with them before they reach the town.
>Other (Write-In)

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Was running a bit on fumes towards the end of this, so option descriptions are a bit lackluster. Might be some typos or inconsistencies in what I wrote up. I know I forgot the rough image of the guard captain in that last one (pic this post) so may be some smaller errors that slipped final pass.

>>5705386
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

Killbox time.

>>5705386
>Man the walls along where the bulk of the Monsters look to be coming from, try to attract them to your point.

>>5705386
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.
Minigun time

>>5705388
>The best defense is a good offense. Sally forth and clash with them before they reach the town.
>>5705388
Don’t worry about it, quest is really fun so far. I’ve always had a soft spot for this kind of old soldier scenario.

>>5705536
Hoping I can maintain player interest and I can keep at least a decent pace with updates. I know /qst/ having the lowkey threat of the thread being deleted is helping to push my motivation along compared to any forum I've been on. Yeah, there's archival sites that I do need to figure out how to use at some point, but the threat of 404 death gives a little something that forums don't have.

>>5705386
> Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

Pity we don't have the wizard for this but the minigun

>>5705386

>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

We have the advantage of brains, let’s use em

>>5705386
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

Now we just need to hope the leadership can't control them well enough to avoid the obvious trap. Maybe some good bait to draw them in?

>>5705386
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

>>5705386
>Build the fortifications so they only have one route they can take and make a killing field.

Closing vote.

Killing Field (7)
>>5705441
>>5705453
>>5706100
>>5706132
>>5706227
>>5706313
>>5706683

Man a Portion of the Walls (1)
>>5705442

Preemptive Strike (1)
>>5705536

Plan will be to draw them into a battlefield of your choice.
Starting write-up.

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You stroke your beard. It isn't a good situation. Oxenhall's location meant that its defenses and size of guard, even augmented with volunteers, is more focused upon the job of deterring and dealing with bandits. For a monster force to have evolved to the point of humanoids leading them, there'd be hundreds of the feral forms and around a couple dozen bipeds. And the cunning of those greater forms would allow them to direct the ferals where they would be able to break through where your forces aren't if everything is strong.

Joan's mind seems to have gone a similar path to yours. "I remember there were some stories about how you convinced the evolved ones to surrender their forces. That you even got them to join up with you as allies. Do you think-? she began.

You shake your head. "Most were misattribution. Once they evolve to the biped and humanoid forms, their intelligence is good enough for tribes and other nations to develop and their kids take after their form to allow these tribes to continue. Their armies don't have ferals outside a few percent minority. They say it gets a bit awkward when they evolve."

You gesture in the direction of the clouds. "These kinds of Hordes? They're different. Their bipeds and humanoids have only ever lived in a Might makes Right situation and don't really get diplomacy. I did convince a few, but only after a good fight."

Joan seems to be about to ask a question, but you preempt it, knowing what it will be. "Ain't an Alpha thing. I wasn't able to understand all too much about how the horde protocultures work, Caelin was the one more honed in on that. But he did tell me that was a myth. It's more about something he got to calling the 'Right of Territory' where successful defense or attack meant that land is yours. The inhabitants defend it? It is understood that it belongs to them and you must respect it, obeying what laws and orders they put down. You take it? They must respect yours now. At least, until the next fight over it. Most of the time it's the case."

"Most of the time?" Joan asked.

"Rarely a horde is gathered by a humanoid or biped for specific purpose. Ferals are not respected, but used as a battering ram. Will have to kill a lot of them either way. Battering ram means we'll have to kill more because they aren't strength but a tool," you reply. As you say that and look over the town, you get an idea. You and the others were deep in a dungeon once and had to kill a lot of undead. You were able to avoid being overwhelmed by making it so you could only be approached in one direction. And you see a way to replicate that writ large here.

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You point to the alleyways along the main road. “Concentrate what we have in barricading those up as best we can. Nail up the doors and windows.”

“Every alleyway?” the Captain questions.

“Just along the main road. Ferals aren’t smart, and even with orders they’ll favor a path of least resistance…” you begin, and Joan sees what your plan is.

“So use that against them, have the gates open and they get directed down a path of our choosing that we have the =Maxim= looking over, firing down on them. If they get close, the main road is wide, but narrow enough that we can form up two lines of melee troops with what we have,” she says contemplatively.

“If we get that hunter up in the bell tower, they can hone in on anyone important. Keep the ferals falling into the trap,” you add. “Gunners on the rooftops can fire into the horde, weaken them as they come in.” You sigh. “It’s risky...”

“Not like we have many options…” she agreed. “We’ll want a few spotters keeping an eye on the other routes and wall in case there’s any breaches, barricade up the side entrances. But it could work.”

The forces of the town get to work on preparing the killing field. Two of the volunteers, a butcher and a farmer from one near the woods, get an idea to draw the monsters into it with some meat and other food near the open gates. It wouldn’t trick the Bipeds or the Humanoids, but it might bait enough of the Ferals in and force them to commit due to the sheer numbers they contribute to the horde.

The preparations are setup in basic form pretty quickly and some shifts are set up quick and dirty for further construction so the troops aren’t exhausted. Which is something that bothers you as you look over at the approaching clouds. With how much time has been spent, they should ordinarily be here already. A small instinct in the back of your mind whispers that it is almost like they are searching for something before you get back to work. If they are, they’d go through the town before what you suspect they might be looking for if they are searching for something.

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A half-hour later as the sky quickly grows overcast, the bell rings to alert you that the horde proper is within four miles. Jobs actively being worked on are finished up and no new ones are started, those who are done helping others. The bell soon rings again indicating that the horde has drawn in to about two miles and everyone falls back to the prepared line.

You find Joan pretty quickly. “Anything new happen?”

“Hunter in the tower saw something from their optic. They said two groups seem to be splintering off,” Joan says, frustrated. “One of them is heading off North, possibly towards the tower. But the other’s going down towards the South.”

“There’s only farms that way…” you muse. Farms that include your own. That instinct is back.

Options (1 will Win)
>Don’t bother with them for now. If they are searching, it will take time and if you kill the main force here, you can defeat them in detail. And there’s no guarantee they are.
>Hit the <North/South/Both> groups with sniper fire. This will make the village fight harder, but they might not be searching. If whatever they are looking for isn’t important enough.
>Other (Write-In)

The equals signs around Maxim are an indication that it isn’t actually named that, but to give you an idea as to what our world’s equivalent of it would be. Would have done the same thing for Gatling if I had thought of it at the time.

Here's hoping that I haven't forgotten anything in posting beyond forgetting to fill out the name section for >>5705948, >>5706748, and >>5706842. Thank god /qst/ has post IDs, though it is a slight shame that >>5706313 's SS4 Pan hadn't come up in a Dragonball quest.

>>5706844
>Hit the <North/South/Both> groups with sniper fire. This will make the village fight harder, but they might not be searching. If whatever they are looking for isn’t important enough.

>>5706858
The <North/South/Both> is a set of options for your vote. So you can specify one, the other, or both as targets to attempt to draw in.

>>5706860
Oh okay change my vote to

>Hit Both groups with sniper fire. This will make the village fight harder, but they might not be searching. If whatever they are looking for isn’t important enough.

>>5706844

>Don’t bother with them for now. If they are searching, it will take time and if you kill the main force here, you can defeat them in detail. And there’s no guarantee they are.

Much preferable to kill half the horde at a time. We can rebuild our farm later, but if we get steamrolled by the whole horde, everyone dies

>>5706844
>Don’t bother with them for now. If they are searching, it will take time and if you kill the main force here, you can defeat them in detail. And there’s no guarantee they are.

we've left our farm and taken our weapons with us. there's nothing for them to find, no need to interfere with a doomed mission.

>>5706844
>Hit Both groups with sniper fire. This will make the village fight harder, but they might not be searching. If whatever they are looking for isn’t important enough.

Trust the gut.

Just noticed I did turn out to forget something like I feared in >>5706846 . Meant to put a size estimation for the horde and two splinter groups. It was meant to be at the end when the spinters were brought up, but seems the 2.5 hours of writing fucked with my mind a bit. Did know that last bit felt weird, but couldn't place it til I looked back just now.

Overall Horde Size: ~300 (Mostly Ferals, Few Dozen Bipeds, Handful Humanoids)
Main Force Going to Town: ~200
Splinter Force North: ~50
Splinter Force South: ~50
(Roughly even distribution of types by %)

Since I missed this in the update, I'll give you a rough readout of your own forces rather than you needing to hunt it down:

Melee: 48
Riflemen: 11
Sniper: 1
Maxim Gun: 1
Guard Cap: 1
Fredrick: 1
(Significant % of force Volunteers and Militia rather than Trained Soldiers or Adventurers)

>>5707297
To additionally note: Sniper in the force description is focusing in on the one who has an optic. The Snipe action in >>5706844 will have riflemen engaging as they will pass close enough for a brief time (at least for "hit somewhere in this force" rather than for "hit specific target").

>>5707297

Right, so we should should take these forces in piecemeal.

The main horde is 4x our number, which is unsettling given that we lack true fortifications. Our only reasonable chance of victory is to funnel them into a kill box and let the Gatling equivalent go to work, while our ranged troops fire on them from above the rooftops.

>>5706844
>Don’t bother with them for now. If they are searching, it will take time and if you kill the main force here, you can defeat them in detail. And there’s no guarantee they are.

>Don’t bother with them for now. If they are searching, it will take time and if you kill the main force here, you can defeat them in detail. And there’s no guarantee they are.
The enemy is already divided, the last thing we want to do is unite them.

Closing Vote.

Handle What's Here First (4)
>>5708249
>>5708165
>>5707031
>>5706897

Hit Both (2)
>>5707174
>>5706878

Going to deal with the main force first and then handle the splinters after. Starting writeup.

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There are many moments of hesitation from you as you wonder whether or not to request the rifles to fire upon them. It would be an incredibly difficult battle, you're outnumbered nearly three-and-a-half to one as is and introducing one or both groups would rapidly raise that to over four and then to five if the others are drawn in. But if they are searching for something and find it? It could be worse.

Your sense of pragmatism wears out in the end. A search is not confirmed and the warriors around you have not yet experienced the full threat of war, a notable number being volunteers who have only rarely drilled in preparation for bandits rather than a attack of this magnitude. They will need every drop of favor they can in order to make this through successfully if your foes are searching for something. The Witch's potions can be used in the aftermath to return the force to full strength, and you can engage both of those splinters, if any remain of the North-moving force, on far more equal ground.

The Monster force steadily approaches, and you see the soldiers shifting about in anticipation. They slowly start to stop short of the gates, but it seems the plan of the butcher and farmer worked. Some of the ferals catch scent of the meat at the gates, and draw a large portion, but not entirety, of the force into the town with them.

The =Maxim= holds fire while they start to pour in, immediately firing upon them would merely cause them to run away from you rather than try to pull into the town itself and you want to bait as many in as possible without it being too overwhelmingly dire. Several ferals start pushing past the meat, clearly getting the scent of sweat in the air from all your preparations. The anticipation for the gun to open up is near palpable as the seconds tick by as they grow closer and closer to a key place marked by a small flag. One of the monsters goes over to sniff it, and the time to fire has come.

The =Maxim= opens up in a storm of fire unlike few things you had seen before. You knew more than a few fast casting wizards and riflemen, but both of them had something that caused them to need to slow down, either needing to take a breath or to reload. Some light wards are seen resisting the fire, but rapidly fail in the face of the bullets. You could hardly imagine what it would be like to have more, but admit that there would also be heavier wards from a more experienced wizard in those times. They're dying often but not often enough to solely rely upon just it. It looks as if around two-and-a-half dozen of this initial wave of roughly one hundred twenty will be killed by the time the Maxim will soon have to go silent lest it be overrun and the melee forces will need to push in.

Where will you be?

Options (1 will Win)
>On the Front Lines in the thick of it with the troops.
>Slightly pulled back to take a command position.
>In the reserves, ready to step in if any part of the line looks to break down
>Other (Write-In)

Shorter update than time would have implied, but that's a side effect of me starting to write up the whole battle, getting halfway through, and then realizing "wait...they only decided on troop positions and strategy, not where they will be." And that seemed kinda important. Guess I'll be saving those now-unpublished parts for future description, including a few describing the Maxim firing off that were cut to get the update below the 3000 character limit (was flipping back on forth on that, may regret it in the morning).

>>5709030
>In the reserves, ready to step in if any part of the line looks to break down

>>5709030
>On the Front Lines in the thick of it with the troops.

>>5709030
>On the Front Lines in the thick of it with the troops.

>>5709030

>On the Front Lines in the thick of it with the troops.

It’s important for the troops to see us crushing skulls - we’d keep morale high this way.

>>5709030
>In the reserves, ready to step in if any part of the line looks to break down

don't want to hold one part extra well only to lose another

>>5709030
>Slightly pulled back to take a command position.

Life's being making me incredibly busy. Votes will be tallied on Friday for a Saturday update.

>>5711358
Roger that. Real life comes first. Thanks for the update.

Votes Closed

Front Lines (3)
>>5709039
>>5709060
>>5709144

Reserves (2)
>>5709036
>>5709352

Command (1)
>>5710073

Looks like you're going to be using your expertise and gear to fight in the initial brunt of the combat.

-

Going to be trying to get the update done, but might need to go to sleep before its fully done and I'll need to finish when I wake up. So in case that might happen, may as well ask: what are people thinking so far? In terms of theories of what's going on, how the quest is being written, update pace, or whatever else comes to mind. Most feedback's been through votes so I have no idea what you are all thinking.

Might be a bit early to ask, but I figure asking too early is better than too late.

>>5712401

> theories of what's going on,
No idea! Obviously there's a terrible artifact of doom buried on the farm but beyond that no idea!

> how the quest is being written,
I like it! This is useless feedback but nice to hear.

> update pace,
A little slower than I care for, but you does what you can do. Existing is more important than anything else.

>>5712401

Probably the ghost of our hot wife is now evil and leading the monster insurrection, if I had to guess.

It’s a good quest so far but additional communication about when votes will close and when the next update post will occur would be appreciated!

>>5712401
> theories of what's going on,
new demon lord pulled things together quicker than usual and wants to kill the old hero for revenge/morale

> how the quest is being written,
pretty good writing

> update pace
A bit slow

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Most of the people here were young, almost seeming like children to you at this point. Many seemed to be around the age that you started out your own adventures. Something which helped inform your decision on where you should go.

Right on the front lines. The more these ferals focus on you, the more that you kill, the less chance that one of them gets injured or killed. And if you yourself were to fall? It's not like too any years will be lost. You've had your adventures. You've had a marriage that lasted decades. You've lived your life. They have not.

In the interests of this, you made sure to get ahold of the worst spear for your place in the front lines, one who's wood looks to be slightly rotted. It's going to break still, but you can make it count. You do the same with an old shield another had. When these break, you have weapons you can use to replace them. The original owners did not.

You made sure that both of the two got ahold of better gear. Had taken a bit of convincing to do so, but fortunately a couple other old fucks recognized you, especially as that allowed you to get them without bringing up the structural weaknesses. Second one was a bit harder than the first, and it was only later you realized you got the two things from competing clans. That's probably going to be something to hear about when the battle ends.

The Maxim gun goes silent as you think of this, and you know it is time. The weapon is pulled back to be a last resort in case the Town Hall threatens to be overrun, as you march up in a line. There wasn't much time to drill for this, but there was enough for the less experienced to get what they need to do.

Lock shields, protecting yourself and the ones around you. Spear forwards. And when the ferals get close, "Brace!" you shout as they come into range.

The fog of war descends as you are thrown into the meat of battle. The initial charge of the ferals somewhat falters, nothing really likes to charge into a wall of pointy things, but the ones behind who don't realize that force the ones before them forwards. Some are trampled, others get stabbed or impaled upon the spear wall.

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You feel the wood of your spear creaking as it is stabbed into the eye of one, grey matter ripped out as you pull it back and the creature starts to die. Your next stab catches the throat of another and the haft snaps as you expected it to. You drop it to draw Tàirneanach, shield raised to block a leaping wolf-like monster. The wood begins to break, but by that time Tàirneanach has been drawn and you cleave the enchanted weapon through the creature's skull, its dead on the spot.

The shield was so old that all it had was a handle, and with the damage sustained, it won't be much use to you or your adjacent allies. However the damage has made it sharp, so you thrust it forwards and stab it into another monster of vulpine persuasion. It's only enough to wound it, but Tàirneanach's next blow ends it. As the blow lands, you draw Dealanach as the organized crash ends and the chaos of melee begins.

Your world narrows as your body begins to sing. Claws and maws try to assail you, most greeted by a hurricane of blows as battle thrill races through your body. At this time, you feel as if decades have melted away as you go from one beast to another. A beast tries to leap for one of the young soldiers where you are while they are engaged with another, but a shot from Tàirneanach's barrel brings a swift end to the beast.

"Your horde was foolish to come here!" you shout, as laughter starts to come unbidden from your lips as the battle fury continues to boil. "You shall be broken, here and now!" Some of the youngers try to shout insults of their own, but most get cut off as they have to suddenly focus upon engaging their own foes, or they feel the sensation of their soul growing stronger as they kill the monsters before them. Things that due to your own adventuring days are not truly problems for you, especially the latter as your soul has grown to its limit of strength.

However, you do still feel the lines slowly being pushed back. It was inevitable under the tide you are wading through, especially as your foes grow more organized. Your eyes catch sight of a couple bipeds, likely leaders of this part of the fight if a humanoid is further back. In the background, you can hear the sound of gunshots loosely lined up with the flickering of their wards, slowly eroding them but you know you would be able to break down the melee wards quicker to kill them than the bullets are bringing down the ranged wards.

Options (1 will Win)
>Push into the thick of the horde to reach them in a decapitation strike to throw the ferals into chaos.
>Attempt to taunt them over to where you are. (Write-In Taunts)
>Draw upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to force them to come to you or retreat. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)
>Ignore them. It's not worth it at this time.
>Other (Write-In)

Don't worry too heavily about any mechanical meaning of the "Strengthening of Souls" line. I'm not too used to writing battle scenes, so I'm just using that as a vague write-off for any realism fuckups I make.

Oh, and made one slight error in the Options heading because I did a copy-paste to drag down it, the option tick marks and the write-in bit, but meant to put in a vote timer like >>5712562 mentioned. Voting will close in 24 hours. Hopefully we won't have a tie vote at that time, will need to figure out something to handle that if that happens.

>>5712972
>Push into the thick of the horde to reach them in a decapitation strike to throw the ferals into chaos.

>>5712972

>Push into the thick of the horde to reach them in a decapitation strike to throw the ferals into chaos.

Let’s save Berserker Mode for when we’re standing next to the commanders?

>>5712972
>Attempt to taunt them over to where you are. (Write-In Taunts)
>"Honorless *weaklings*! Are you warriors or sniveling cowards!?"
Given the earlier tidbit about the monster's 'Might makes Right' culture, this might be enough to get at least some of the humanoids to come to us. At any rate I don't have better insults.

>>5712972
>Push into the thick of the horde to reach them in a decapitation strike to throw the ferals into chaos.

>>5712972
>Push into the thick of the horde to reach them in a decapitation strike to throw the ferals into chaos.

24 hours mentioned >>5712975 are passed. Votes tallied as:

Into the Breach
>>5713636
>>5713276
>>5712990
>>5712978

Taunt
>>5713092

Update should be coming in the next couple hours.

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"Close up the line! I need to end that one!" you shouted as you began to push forwards. The more organized the ferals were, the more likely odd effects would start to manifest. You needed to down the bipeds before that started to happen. You did need to go a bit slow in your approach, it serving more like you were just standing in position as the line was forced back, but one you noticed that the line had reformed without you, you began your push.

Your own wards would begin to weaken as you are pulled into the depth, attacked from every direction. You may have two axes with strong enchantments that allowed for you to cut through the wards of these ferals to kill with a single blow, but that would matter little if more than two of them were attacking you at a given time. And even if a lot of energy and expertise was flowing through you, you were still older, your body weaker than your prime.

But of course at the same time, these ferals were nowhere near as strong as the ones you faced during the final push to the Azurite Queen. Nor do they outnumber you as greatly as the ones you fought on that day. The bipeds seem to recognize this, one charging forth to try to end you as the other shouts for them to hold back to fight you together.

The wolf-biped begins to snarl something back, but you care little for it as you catch their sword on a key divot at the top of Dealanach. They probably thought nothing of it, perhaps thinking it a bit of decoration. But with a hint of enchantment, it meant that small section locked the blade to the axe head akin to a parrying hook. You fling it to the side to disarm them, but the inexperienced wolf tries to maintain their grip upon the weapon, and are dragged to the ground with it.

Taking the chance, you slam your foot on their back to send them sprawling, the wards flaring as your foot strikes them. The flares continue as you bring Tàirneanach down on their neck repeatedly, but you aren't able to finish them off entirely before you have to leap back. The Bear had come along, attempting a strike where you were. You land to fight them as one feral tries to leap at you from beyond the bear, but it grabs them from the air.

"No! Our fight! Not yours!" the bear roars before throwing the feral away. The others start to give some distance as the wolf begins to stagger to their feet. The bear seems to be in no rush, so you take the moment to catch your breath after the fight to get here. "You. You are storm warden?"

"Storm Warden Fredrick Andersson," you answer. "Who stands against me?"

"I am Braun. That one is Lupin," they say, gesturing to themselves and then the still slightly dazed wolf. "Glad we have right place. Starborn Lord Keyaru sent us to wrong place so many times. Finally found you."

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That name...it sounds very familiar but you could not place it, beyond simply being a name similar to those from the farthest lands west. You want to say some rumors you heard of years ago, but you can't focus too hard on that. You are on the battlefield, after all. "And they have only sent you to your death."

"We shall see!" the bear exclaims, before charging forwards in a roar, followed by the somewhat recovered wolf to their left. But despite making the first move, they were not the ones to land the first blow. You throw Dealanach at the wolf, the axe sailing forth and striking them in the face. The bear makes a swing with their own two-handed axe, and you dodge it to the right, summoning your axe to you. The axe slams into the back of their body, allowing you to grab ahold of the handle of their axe with your free hand. You rain down blows with Tàirneanach before they get ahold of their balance once again. You dodge to the right as they attempt to throw a punch, summoning Dealanach fully back to your hand as you rush past the bear. They attempt to recover, but you fire a round from Dealanach. While the shot itself is stopped by the wards, the sound is not, and whether feral, biped, or humanoid, they all have far more sensitive hearing.

You focus in on the wolf. You've already wounded them, and that means you can very quickly get them out of the fight. At least, that was the expected route. Instead, it seems you dealt far more damage than you had expected, as after you parry another of their sword strikes with Tàirneanach, the followup strike from Dealanach embeds itself in their neck. Pulling it out, blood starts to flow as they fall to the ground, and they'll soon be dead, but you make sure of that by bringing down Tàirneanach to decapitate them. Best to have the death be quick.

The bear had recovered and attempts another strike. You carefully dodge and land a swift blow upon their side, flickering the wards. This continues for their attempted follow-up and the one after, slowly wearing them down and steadily increasing their frustration with you. Especially as your battle thrill rises once more and laughter starts to involuntary bark from your throat. The bear falls back on instincts, throwing their axe at you and then attempting to tackle you to the ground. Unfortunately for them, you've seen this move hundreds of times before, and you manage to get out of the way. The weakened wards are brought down as you slam both your axes into their back, and with a few more blows, they are laid low.

You look out over the battlefield. The ferals have stayed clear through your fight by the orders of the bipeds, and are now uncertain as to what to do now that you've killed them both. Similarly, the horde has grown a lot thinner over the course of your fight. But with the cleared space, you are able to get a look back on the main lines. They've been pushed back closer to the Town Hall as well, some clearly fallen...

Options (1 will Win; 24 hour Voting Time)
>Fight from where you are, trying to take out as many ferals as you can to draw more bipeds or maybe a humanoid.
>Regroup with the force you were a part of. Now that this section is thrown into chaos, an organized fight can do more damage.
>Draw upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to force them to come to you or retreat. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)
>Try to get to where Guard Captain Joan is at. You want to get an idea as to what is going on.
>Other (Write-In)

>>5714294

>Draw upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to force them to come to you or retreat. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)

We should be a big enough distraction to take pressure off the lines or alternately cause a route.

>>5714294
>Regroup with the force you were a part of. Now that this section is thrown into chaos, an organized fight can do more damage.

>>5714294
>Try to get to where Guard Captain Joan is at. You want to get an idea as to what is going on.

what a mess

>>5714294
>Regroup with the force you were a part of. Now that this section is thrown into chaos, an organized fight can do more damage.

>>5714294
>Regroup with the force you were a part of. Now that this section is thrown into chaos, an organized fight can do more damage.

>Regroup with the force you were a part of. Now that this section is thrown into chaos, an organized fight can do more damage

Voting closed.

Regroup
>>5714311
>>5714347
>>5714457
>>5714492

Berserker
>>5714303

Fight to Joan
>>5714312

Next update will be in about 18-20 hours thanks to sleep and work. Wish I could get it out faster. Wish I could get it out faster, but unfortunately, life is life.

>>5715130
Revise that update estimate by another day. Things were significantly busier than expected today.

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You take the brief moment of reprieve bought by the ferals' confusion to reload your axes. They still haven't fully gotten into order by the time you charge into them, towards the section of the line you had broken into their lines from. Blow after blow rains down upon them, the wards upon them slightly weaker though its a bit hard to tell due to how easily you had been killing them beforehand.

You aren't exactly sure how many are left as you make your way back, but you are able to make fairly swift time. You notice a few of them seem to be surprised when you make it back to the lines, if they were able to spare enough attention to your presence again at least. You don't exactly speak up and just carefully rejoin the lines by clearing out enough of the monsters, with aid of both of your shots bullets, that there's enough time for the line's defenses to open up and readmit you.

Blow after blow lands. One by one the army before you begins to thin and you await for the surge of the reinforcements to come in, but that is not what occurs. A horn of unfamiliar sound is used. While some of the ferals remain behind, most start to get drawn back by a few bipeds that are drawn in from elsewhere or from those effective reserves. The line rallies and a march forth will soon clear the forces that remained behind in the town. It's dirty work, but it has to be done or else the disorganized forces will start doing other damage and you can't exactly get to healing wounds that all the living had sustained or recovering the dead without doing so.

After this is done, you see outside the town that the horde is reorganizing. You note with satisfaction it is significantly smaller than when it first arrived. But your forces unfortunately can't press the advantage right now, not until Alice heals everyone up with her potions and the wards are given a chance to mostly recharge. You didn't have much damage done to you, the twin layers of wards of your and your wife's amulets having never failed. There's a few people you can approach at this time to speak with...

Options (Vote counts 50% or more will be used; Max of 6 Votes per ID so totals don't become too overwhelming, 48 hour voting time)
>Mayor Francis: <Question/Topic>
>Guard Captain Joan: <Question/Topic>
>Blacksmith Pierre: <Question/Topic>
>Witch Alice: <Question/Topic>
>Other (Write-In): <Question/Topic>

(QM Note: Life is getting busier, so the updates will be a bit more summarized than previous ones for some time.)

>>5716688
>Guard Captain Joan: <Question/Topic>
How's everything holding up/where are we most needed?

>>5716688
>>5716956 +1

So uh, does no one have any additional things they have in mind? I know the voting timer is up, but thus far the 2 IDs who have voted are each only used 1 of 6 that they each have (leaving a maximum of 10 remaining in total).

Suppose that it might be a lesson not to use write-ins to try to promote interaction. And I did expect write-in focus had a chance to have a few less votes, but I wasn't expecting this little.

>>5718041
Haven't played this quest, but saw your QTG post. Lesson for a new QM from an old QM: write-in-only votes always substantially decrease interaction, unless they're braindead simple and consequenceless (e.g. "suggest a name"), and even those can dampen turnout. Additional factors here are that you're barely halfway through Thread 1-- i.e. you haven't yet cultivated a dedicated longterm voterbase-- and that you're giving six(!) different write-in options, increasing the analysis paralysis and mental load on your voters. Thus, two votes.

Don't take this as a slight or anything, we're all learning! But in the future, I strongly recommend reserving write-in-only votes for rare important occasions, or alternately giving voters an option to pick between regular choices *or* writing-in for an incentive or advantage. (For example, if players are trying to persuade someone, you could give several potential strategies they could use-- or let them write-in an argument for a bonus on the roll.) And always remember: the more complicated or meaningful the vote is, the less voters you're going to have, because you scare off the anxious, lazy, and/or uninvested. For very important votes, this can be a good thing-- it's a tool like anything else.

And of course I'll vote >>5716956 +1.

>>5716688
>Witch Alice: <Question/Topic>
Seen anything unusual on the magic front? And have any buff potions I could borrow for a little tactical strike?

>>5716688
One more
>Guard Captain Joan: <Question/Topic>

Where do you think I can hurt them the most?

>>5716956
+1 to this.

>>5716688

>Witch Alice: <Question/Topic>

What’s going on in terms of magical bullshit?

>>5718041
I didn't read the options line and just made a standard vote lol
now that I have yeah >>5718075 is right, 6 write ins all at once, at characters we've never interacted with before, this early in the quest? big ask
especially since we'd know them in character but don't know what the dynamics/relationships between them are like

>>5718457
My mindset is probably a bit biased. An old forum I was decently active on years ago had more open ended write-ins as the norm rather than the exception with some of them getting insanely technical that had paragraph long descriptions, even from update 1 in some cases.

Been off that forum for years and I recall seeing a few other places that showed that was probably an exception rather than the norm, but it still was what I was first exposed to so may have caused some fuckery in assumptions on my end.

>>5718540

You might eventually build up to that level of commitment from players but with slower board speed and fewer players, it’s definitely less common.

>>5718574
Yeah, it's something I think was unique to that forum in particular. At any rate, going to have the update out early tomorrow, circa 12 hours, as I was kinda fucked for time today. With there being a few questions proposed, I'm going to go ahead with including all of them. Recompense for me having set up this round poorly.

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You can't think of much to say to either Francis and Pierre at the moment. Nothing looks to have broken through, so at the worst you'd only find out about how scared some of the civilians are from Francis, and you don't think you'd be able to get too much from Pierre since that =Maxim= is working effectively. You recognize that what you need at the moment is a clearer picture as to what had occurred upon the battlefield with how thick the fog of war had descended upon you first while you were in the crash of the melee and then your charge to eliminate the bipeds. Joan would have a clearer picture, and you make your way towards her.

There was someone speaking to her as you made your way towards her, but they left before you were caught sight of. She's staring off beyond the walls, where the horde is reorganizing when you get close enough. "How's everything holding up?" you ask, catching her attention.

She sighs. "It wasn't too bad for what it could have been. Nine dead, three too heavily wounded for the quick-acting potions to heal up. They lost about eighty percent." She points off vaguely to the North. "They seem to have lost about half before they pulled back." She gestures to the South. "Nothing seems to have happened significantly to that one, but our sniper just told me that a section broke off, a little under a third, broke off to reinforce what's now the main."

So they were composed of a main of one hundred forty-four and one of thirty-five. While your own forces had been reduced to just barely above fifty. Around one-sixth of your forces for a third of theirs. A theoretically winnable course, but part of what helped you was that yours were in a formation. The chaotic attack of ferals may be weak in the face of a formation, but you did need soldiers to be able to hold a formation. "How many bipeds downed?"

"=Maxim= killed one during that first charge. Smaller one seems to have been trampled. The two you traded weapons with took down a third together, and you took out the last two part of this assault party. Two killed in the North horde, two remain with the South. Weren't able to get an entirely good count, but sniper thinks there's around five to seven left in the main," she says, letting out another sigh. "Unfortunately, it seems the humanoid that led the North and one that was leading the center are both still around. He thinks the one that went North is at least harmed, but that's more due to knowing Arthur than any confirmed wounds." She swore under her breath, and with how your hearing's been getting its a bit hard to tell which ones exactly she said. "All that effort and we're nearly back where we started."

An old memory surfaces at those words. "I seem to recall you saying those same words once. What was it again? Seconds before you and Alexander had been found by Mirei when you tried to steal your father's old sword to learn how to fight with. You were barely above knee-high."

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Joan starts to cough, embarrassment growing on her face. She has several false starts as she tried to speak, eventually working out a "Why-"

"You were letting it get to you," you said. "Remember that old lesson I taught you after she convinced your father to let you get training?"

"Whining about the battle won't do a thing except make you sad and easier to break. Instead, focus on what is needed to be done and do it," she muttered, barely within what you could hear.

You nod. "So, from what happened in the last fight, where do you think I can deal the most damage?"

She's quiet for a few moments. "There were some more kills during the later stages after you killed their leadership, in addition to the damage you did on your own. How are your wards?"

"Took a small hit from that charge and the fight, but feel like they're in the high eighties. Mirei knew what she was doing making these," you reply.

"Think you could pull it off again?"

You stroke your beard. "Probably. Those bipeds' wards fell pretty quickly. I'll have to check on something to see if I can make it more effective. We may need to adjust our strategy, unless we have some way of forcing them into this field, they likely won't want to come into it again."

Joan hummed. "See if you can find whatever it is you are thinking of."

You nod, leaving as someone else comes up to Joan to speak with her. You quickly manage to locate Alice as she's finishing up healing the last of those who can return to the front.

"Fredrick," she acknowledges you.

"Alice. See anything unusual magically?" you ask. "We need to get an idea if the humanoids are trying anything. And there was a skirmish near Arthur's tower. I know you don't like him, but we are in a hard fight and I was wondering if the old fuck would be coming to the battle."

She gets a foul expression momentarily, trying to come up with some way to counter what you said but coming up with nothing. Her expression would relax as she focused upon the aether. You had to wait only a minute for her to return to the physical world. "That...old fuck...may be coming out midway through the next battle. There's enough interference even he should be able to notice something is going on." She looks off in the direction of the horde. "They are...weak yet strong?" she continues, with confusion in her tone.

"How so?" you ask.

"The humanoids have exceptionally strong souls. Near hitting their limits. Yet, the bipeds are barely past the point of when they would have evolved. And one almost felt..." she explains trailing off for a dozen seconds. "Fully human."

That is...extremely odd. Yet, you know she is thorough. "Have any buff potions I could borrow for a little tactical strike?" you ask.

She shakes her head. "I was only able to carry quick restoration potions here. I would have needed some help in order to acquire those."

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"Unfortunate," you reply, looking off towards the horde. You could have done something but organizing the forces and getting all the civilians to the Town Hall was far more important. "We'll have to build up some better preparations in case there's a next time." You turn to her. "Thank you for healing everyone."

She waves it off. "Just doing what I can."

You return to meet with Joan to discuss what strategy will be employed during this next battle.

Strategy Options (1 will Win, 24 Hour Vote Timer)
>Attempt to repeat the trap. Perhaps the ferals could be baited in again?
>Seal the gates and concentrate your forces at one point on the walls, trying to get the army to move where you are.
>Seal the gates and split your forces to man each of the gates.
>Concentrate your forces at one open gate to use it as a chokepoint.
>Concentrate your forces at all three opened gates to use them all as chokepoints.
>The best defense is a good offense. Sally forth and clash with them before they reach the town.
>Other (Write-In)

Joan was approached by Pierre about another weapon he has. This one was invented by him. He calls it "Firework Artillery" but he hasn't been able to test it too much.

Tactical Option (1 will Win, 24 Hour Vote Timer)
>Use it. You need everything you can get.
>It's too risky and could backfire disastrously.

>>5719192
>Seal the gates and split your forces to man each of the gates.
>Use it. You need everything you can get.

>>5719192
>Seal the gates and split your forces to man each of the gates.

Less forces at whatever gate Pierre deploys to.

>>5719306
+1 to this. Good thinking with this bait. We go to this gate too, though.

>>5719192

>Seal the gates and split your forces to man each of the gates.
>Use it. You need everything you can get.

>>5719306

Agree with this suggestion. This goes without saying but the three groups should be ready to drop position to reinforce the other gates if the herd does not go for a simultaneous triple strike.

I just realized that a 24 hour voting timer will end it right in the middle of my work hours. I'm extending the vote timer by 6 hours so it'll be a 30 hour vote timer which will end after I'm home from work instead.

Strategy Vote
>Seal the gates and split your forces to man each of the gates.
>>5719235
>>5719306
>>5719633
>>5719729

Tactical vote
>Use it
>>5719235
>>5719306
>>5719633
>>5719729

As there was not a full inspection earlier, I need three rolls:
Weapon Malfunctions during Battle (Failure: 50 or Higher)
Pierre catches the Malfunction (Failure: 67 or Higher)
Your Danger Sense lets you know there will be a Malfunction (Failure: 40 or higher)

Catastrophe will only occur if all three fail.

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>5720007

So you need three dice+1d100, correct?

Here's one

>>5720012
That is correct. And with that 52 looks like narrowly there's going to be a malfunction during the Battle unless either Pierre or you catch and prevent it.

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>5720007

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>5720007
I can see the future. Oh fuck

>>5720044
>>5720050
Looks like Pierre and You will both catch it. Update will likely be completed tomorrow, as I don't think I have enough time tonight.

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It is decided that for this wave, the forces will be split over the three gates through the walls. The Northern gate will be manned by Guard Captain Joan and seventeen soldiers. The =Maxim= and another seventeen will man the Southern gate. And for the Western gate, the path along which you ambushed them previously and would be their main avenue of assault, you will be in command of the final seventeen. As you were thought to be taking the brunt of the assault, this Firework Artillery invention Pierre had revealed will be used alongside you, as well as because of the fact that if it goes wrong, your Danger Sense will likely be able to catch it as a final check.

You manage to seal the gates quickly, and they are barred. But you can do little more than that as you see the horde itself has been reorganized. It has split into three, uneven forces. The two attempting to attack the flanking gates look to total between thirty, whereas the ones heading towards your gate look to be around eighty in strength.

You notice that the men around you are starting to grow nervous. Inwardly, you admit that five-to-one odds aren't exactly the best place to be on the other side of. Outwardly, you do not express a hint of this. Instead, you begin to speak.

"Fear not the beasts before you! You stand here as defenders of the weak, where they seek destruction! The gods look upon our cause with joy and will aid us in this battle! Remember your family, friends, and all others that you stand as guardians of! Draw strength from them and we will be victorious! Let the names of those who fight today get carved into eternity!" you declare.

They are still worried, you can tell. But they aren't ready to rout and will stand and fight. You look towards the strange multi-barreled cannon that Pierre had rolled out and had loaded the fireworks into, sitting on an old embankment against, and could let it look over, the walls. It was one of the handful intended for some cannons the town had decades ago but no longer did. You give the order, "Fire!"

You hear a roar as the fireworks fire off. They remind you a bit of the old =Congreve= Rockets, though these have been modified to not have the stick and instead fired from cannon barrels. The accuracy is quite impressive compared to those old rockets, precisely striking the horde and detonating through some means to kill several ferals. You suppose the greater accuracy may have something to do with the "fins" he had apparently added. Another volley fires and you start to get a tingle. A third volley goes off and it grows more. Then right before the fourth is loaded, it spikes. "Hold!" you shout. "Something doesn't feel right."

Pierre seems to have picked up the same feeling, and as he looks over the barrels he curses in a language unfamiliar to you. He switches back to one you understand to say, "These barrels didn't cast right. They've cracked. Damn things would explode open this volley or the next."

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"Anything we can do to restore fire?" you ask, your eyes glued to the horde. Its picking up pace.

"I'd need to melt them down then recast them all," he said. He pressed his mind for another solution as the horde grew closer. They were already moving fast due to the bombardment, but they seem to notice something was wrong and soon push themselves harder. "I do have some unmounted ones back in my shop, but we'd a lot of people to load them up and get them here."

"How many?" you ask.

"Including me? You'd need to send eight," he replies with a frown.

You grimace. "Is there any other option?"

He racks his brain for a solution, before remembering something. "I got an old cannon I modified. Used it for testing some early ones. That ones never shown any signs of wear, but the accuracy was pretty bad - interior was too big. That's why I made this. It's also only got one barrel, fire would be slow. However, it would only take three besides me to dig it out and get it here."

Options (1 will Win, 42 Hour Vote Timer (GMing a TTRPG after work tomorrow, won't have time to update that day))
>Send off half your men to acquire the replacements, bring them back, and mount them. You want the full extent of this firepower active.
>Send off three to acquire the modified cannon. While the fire is slower and less accurate, you want something back online but you can't spare too many of your forces.
>Abandon the idea of trying to continue to use artillery. The horde is getting too close, you can't spare anyone at this time.
>Other (Write-In)

>>5720971

>Send off three to acquire the modified cannon. While the fire is slower and less accurate, you want something back online but you can't spare too many of your forces.

Who cares about accuracy? The ferals are going to be all bunched up in a big crowd in a few minutes.

>>5720971
>Abandon the idea of trying to continue to use artillery. The horde is getting too close, you can't spare anyone at this time.

We'll be ok without it. Just have to do this the old fashioned way... with us up front.

>>5720971
>Send off three to acquire the modified cannon. While the fire is slower and less accurate, you want something back online but you can't spare too many of your forces.

>>5720971

>Other (Write-In)
Could we rig it to explode intentionally on a short timer, say after a fighting retreat that leaves it surrounded by ferals wondering what the hissing sound is?

A Single Barrel is better than No Barrel (2)
>>5721340
>>5721131

Abandon (1)
>>5721328

Turn the Rockets into Mines (1)
>>5721564

Very narrow victory for acquiring the modified cannon. Update will be soon.

>>5722400
Change that soon to be "On or Before Saturday". Just got some wonderful mail about my insurance provider bitching about me losing coverage...for moving between two houses in the exact same town that has less than 10k people.

Dunno how long this will take to resolve, but I do know that I probably won't be able to resolve it on Saturday so at worst I can work on the update then.

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You look out towards the approaching horde and make a snap decision. "Get the modified cannon," you say. "We can't spare half the men here, but a handful for a brief moment...maybe. Move fast," you order.

Pierre nods and takes several men with him as you rearrange your forces slightly to account for the less people there. The walls, already looking fairly empty feel even moreso with how much ground they have to cover. You still have a decent chance of winning in your eyes, this isn't like the Battle of Descartes. That was somehow even more of a shitshow. But with how few you have, with how understaffed these weaker walls are? It's going to be very difficult.

Rifle fire soon begins to rain down upon the approaching horde. It's fairly weak at these ranges, but its not like you have much of a shortage of ammunition or really need to save it for more days of fighting. This is not a battle of thousands or tens of thousands, its a skirmish that will have a single victor within a single day. You do hold off on your own fire for now, however, as your axes are quite inaccurate at range. Once more you laugh at the fact that if the events of your adventures had all occurred just one year later, then you likely would have had your axes employing shotgun shells rather than rifle rounds.

The horde continues to close in, and you see Pierre and the men returning with the cannon. You rush over and aid them in getting it up onto the platform the previous multi-barreled cannon was upon, and you see the horde is less than a minute from hitting. You leave them to their fire and get into position. Don't even have time to get any shots off by the time you get there as the melee begins.

Some ferals try to leap onto the walls. Elsewhere, spears stop them. Where you are, you hurl Dealanach and split one of their skills open before summoning it to your hands to rain blows down upon the two that landed, killing them quickly. Others attempt to scale the walls and they meet similar fates when your attention can turn to them.

The roar of the cannon and bark of rifle occasionally burst forth. The initial shockwave has been blunted, but you can tell the next surge is coming fast, climbing over the bodies of the fallen and allowing them to climb up the now effectively shorter walls. And with how thin your forces are...the fight is only going to grow more difficult.

Options (1 will Win, 48 hour vote (Forgot about some plans; weekend is a lot busier than thought))
>Stay the course. The walls are a force multiplier for defenders.
>Fall back to the main road, concentrate them like you had in the last phase.
>You can see some bipeds in the horde. Attempt to do another decapitation strike.
>Leap off the walls into the horde, drawing upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to make the odds more even. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)
>Other (Write-In)

>>5723857

>Leap off the walls into the horde, drawing upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to make the odds more even. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)

This is the moment, Pierre and the boys can use us as a distraction to launch more rocket/mortar strikes

>>5723888
+1

>>5723857
>Leap off the walls into the horde, drawing upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to make the odds more even. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)

party time

>>5723857
>Leap off the walls into the horde, drawing upon your berserker rage. Become a malestrom of death to make the odds more even. (Warning: Can only be used Once during a Day)

BLOOD

Berserker
>>5723888
>>5723909
>>5723925
>>5724673

Unanimous decision. Looks like there will be bloodshed. Update will be tomorrow as I got very little sleep last night and need to pass out.

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There's nothing really for it. If allowed the time, the horde will overrun the walls just from the bodies stacking up sufficiently if not breaking through the walls or getting atop them where your forces can't cover with how few there are. The rockets are injuring them and depleting wards, but the presence of humanoids means they are likely stronger or will be soon enough. If Arthur was guaranteed to come, it might be different, but there's no guarantee he will arrive. If you knew reinforcements would come from the other gates as they defeat their splinters easily it may be different, but there's no guarantee they aren't in their own struggle. There is one thing you can do to increase your force's capabilities. And with the battle as it is, you must.

"Descend, Storm God's fury," you whisper. Clear thought starts to leave you. Your vision blazes with red as the imbued phrase draws out every ounce of anger from every corner of your mind. Every battle you have been in floods your instincts and consumes your thoughts.

Inflicting death is the only purpose that remains in your frame.

Your allies remain known, a bastion of will imposed to make it certain.

The enemy is clear, you know where every one that surrounds you are.

There is no burst of aura.

There is no shout of rage.

Your weapons speak for you now.

Memory skips your higher thoughts, going straight to improving your skills further. You will eventually recall some fragmentary moments.

A spine snaps as you jump down from the palisade atop one feral, Dealanach used to cut its neighbor in two along the stomach.

At some point, Tàirneanach had gotten caught in a feral's skull. So you stomped on its neck, crushing it flat to rip your axe from it.

At another point, Tàirneanach and Dealanach are thrown into the skulls of two escorting ferals of a biped. You can rain blow after blow upon said biped's skull to shatter their wards, allowing your next blow to their stomach to pierce their skin. Their guts ripped from their body.

At yet another, you caught sight of a rocket flying wide and threw a biped at it so it would have something to detonate against. Its already destroyed wards causing the direct impact detonation to blow it apart, blood and gore raining over the battlefield.

Yet, the haze of battle is soon forced from your mind. Far sooner than it had in your youth, you can easily tell by one of the first processed thoughts being a small fragment of the horde fleeing, barely a dozen strong. You can clearly see two unusual individuals in it, a wolf humanoid and...a full human? Both female and needing to support each other due to the wounds upon their body. Shallow, their wards held up, but still present cuts and bruised, limp arms you recognize from previous instances of your axes meeting such resistance.

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Ordinarily, you would have killed them utterly before you fell from your rage. You had done so in your younger years with hundreds. But now? There is an intense pain in your chest. Your heart is beating erratically, though it is slowly stabilizing. You remember having what Mirei called a "heart attack" seven years ago she healed you from. It's not near as bad as that, but the source and feeling is similar. It seems your berserk state strains your heart. You will have to take care when using it, at most once per day. Likely want to have some downtime after doing that several days in a row.

You're getting old.

Further rockets descend upon remnants of the horde and you notice spells from someone flying. Looks like Arthur came around after all. Most die, but one of the two seem to be spellcasters, throwing up various shields that keep them alive but not any of the surviving ferals. There were no bipeds remaining.

There's a sudden flash when its just the two of them and they're gone. Arthur flies off in another direction, to the South Gate to presumably help there. You don't hear any sounds of battle from the North Gate, he must have settled what was going on there if it wasn't deal with by the time he arrived. With the somewhat distant sound of spellfire for a brief time that soon dies, the battle at the South Gate is likely over with as well.

You start walking back towards the walls, through the gore that marked your path of destruction through this battle. You feel blood dripping from your body and some hacked off meat slipping off some part.

What do you do?

Options (Ones with over 50% of votes will win. If there are a lot that go over that threshold, top 4 will win. 45 hour Vote Timer.)
>Check on your forces. You want to find out who's still alive and help get the wounded back to where they can be healed.
>Get the blood off of you and some clean clothes. There's a lot on you and you don't want it to dry and harden.
>Tell someone to go to Mayor Francis to have him keep the people in the Town Hall. There is still one last force and one more part of the horde out there.
>Go to Mayor Francis yourself to ask him to keep the people in the Town Hall. There is still one last force and one more part of the horde out there.
>Meet up with Guard Captain Joan. You need to figure out how to deal with the remaining part of the horde.
>Meet up with the Witch Alice. You need to figure out how to deal with the remaining part of the horde.
>Talk with the Blacksmith Pierre and ask him to repair the rocket artillery. You may need it for the last part of the horde.
>Meet up with the Mage Arthur and ask him to scry the last forces. You want to know what all is left out there and if its even necessary to attack them.
>Other (Write-In)

>>5726675
Made an error with the Witch Alice one. Should have been "see if she can find, and possibly help you recover, from any damage your heart strain inflicted upon your body".

>>5726675
>Get the blood off of you and some clean clothes. There's a lot on you and you don't want it to dry and harden.
>Tell someone to go to Mayor Francis to have him keep the people in the Town Hall. There is still one last force and one more part of the horde out there.

>Meet up with the Mage Arthur and ask him to scry the last forces. You want to know what all is left out there and if its even necessary to attack them.

>Meet up with the Witch Alice. see if she can find, and possibly help you recover, from any damage your heart strain inflicted upon your body.

>>5726675
>Check on your forces. You want to find out who's still alive and help get the wounded back to where they can be healed.

>Get the blood off of you and some clean clothes. There's a lot on you and you don't want it to dry and harden.

>Talk with the Blacksmith Pierre and ask him to repair the rocket artillery. You may need it for the last part of the horde.

>Meet up with the Mage Arthur and ask him to scry the last forces. You want to know what all is left out there and if its even necessary to attack them.

We're around the vote cutoff point, but I want to give this a bit more time since its pretty deep in the catalog at the moment.

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>>5726675
>Meet up with Guard Captain Joan. You need to figure out how to deal with the remaining part of the horde.
Run them down. We won’t need more than we have.

Life's hitting me hard at the moment and its going to be awhile before I make the next update. Think it may be after this thread will hit archive, so can anyone tell me how to archive this on sup/tg/?

>>5731400
Go to ADD THREAD and press the button right below it.

It should take you to a request form.
Make sure you type in the thread number (first post) correctly.

Once done, press the “Go!” button and wait for a minute or two and its done.

Go talk to local licorice if there’s a problem.

>>5733352
Thanks anon.

>>5726675
>>Meet up with the Witch Alice. see if she can find, and possibly help you recover, from any damage your heart strain inflicted upon your body.
>>Check on your forces. You want to find out who's still alive and help get the wounded back to where they can be healed.
>>Get the blood off of you and some clean clothes. There's a lot on you and you don't want it to dry and harden.

Take care, QM