"I do have a few questions for you Mistral, that's true enough." The sylph returns to her lounging position on the arm of your chair, as she looks at you with a bored expression. The urge to grab the irritating fairy in order to teach her some manners strikes you, but you quickly suppress it. There's simply no telling how she'd react to being manhandled like that, as satisfying as it might be. "My first question then, is just... where did you come from? Before you were contracted to me, anyway."

Mistral stretches before answering your question. "I'm a wind elemental, so I obviously came from the clouds, couldn't you infer that? Anyway, along with my fellow sylphs, it's one of my duties to overlook the weather to ensure it doesn't go too out of control and flatten the world in some gigantic storm. You'd best hope my disappearance isn't causing the others too much of a problem... Because it will be your fault if it does!"

"What, so you mean to say that for however so long you've been at it, your kind has just been completely undetected by humanity?" Well, not undetected, but certainly never confirmed... not publicly at least, though with the amount that's been kept hidden away by these supernatural organizations, who can really say?

"Ha! As if we could ever be seen by humans with those viewing tools of theirs. Besides, even if one of us was somehow seen while in physical form, they'd be stupid enough to write it off as some trick of the light or a bird!" She's acting incredibly nonchalant about the potential of her species somehow being discovered, this sylph is rather irritatingly overconfident. "It's not like we are usually confined to our physical bodies anyway, this contract I've been forced into specifies that my form remain corporeal unless I have permission from you, or the situation is dangerous enough that I'd be a burden if I remained a target. So with your permission, I'd like you to allow me to let me shift my form." The sylph looks into your eyes as she makes her request, trying her best to look innocent and sweet, upon noticing your lack of a reaction to her best attempt to get some sort of sympathy from you, she redoubles her efforts. "Please?" She even tries to act polite!

She's rather foolishly revealed that you do have some form of power over her, and from how she's acting, it's obvious that she prefers her other form "Very well, I will allow you to demonstrate this form of yours." Mistral smiles happily at being given permission. "But only as a demonstration! Don't even think of remaining in it longer than it is necessary." Her smile falters immediately, becoming quite strained as she stares at you.

But then she simply disappears, becoming entirely invisible before your very eyes. Which take a moment to adjust to the sudden shock of literally seeing something disappear in a single instant. A breeze of wind blows around your head for a moment, before Mistral once again appears, now sitting on your shoulder, she's even lighter than her appearance suggests, you can barely even feel her sitting on you. "What do you think? I'm impressive, right?" She preens herself on her own ability to apparently become one with the wind. While it is indeed quite impressive, this familiar you've ended up with has an overinflated sense of self-importance as it is, so you're quite hesitant to praise her ability.

"Well, it is relatively impressive, I suppose. But if you're going to be my familiar, I want to know just what else you can do other than turn invisible." You hear her huff at your apparent lack of awe at her transformation, seems she was expecting a little more of a reaction to turning invisible and reappearing somewhere else. But you aren't going to give her any sort of positive reinforcement until she actually does something to deserve it. "But I would like to know what else that you can do, other than just transform into the wind."

She isn't very quick to respond, still put-out by the quiet reception she got from her demonstration, as well as her inability to stay in that form. "Hmmph, of course you'd want to know. Well, as the name 'wind elemental' would suggest, I have an unparalleled mastery over the air!" Out of the corner of your eye, you can see that she's stopped sitting on your shoulder, instead proudly posing for whatever reason.

She's really starting to get on your nerves now "Yes, and what does that mean, exactly? I'd like to know what you can actually do instead of being given vague statements like that. Of course, that is unless you're merely bluffing."

"I-i am not bluffing! Fine! Watch this!" The fairy-like girl flies off of your shoulder and briefly glows, her green-blond hair blowing in a non-existent gust, before she thrusts both of her arms forwards! ...and immediately flies backwards at incredible speed, slamming into your chest and forcing you to catch her in your hands rather than allow her to hit the floor. While the dazed sylph recovers from the unexpected impact, you survey the room to see just what she did to cause her to blow herself away like that.

Quickly, you realize just what happened, the sofa opposite you that Holly is sitting on has sunken inwards. Two halves perfectly divided along the center by a perfect vertical cut. Holly for her part is frozen in place, sitting at a slant. Had it been a few inches off target, this burst of cutting wind from Mistral would've likely bisected the unfortunate vampire girl. The cut from the blade of wind extends further than though, a nearly imperceptibly thin line has been cut through one of the walls, likely extending through the room beyond and out of the ship. "Holly. Are you OK?" She certainly doesn't seem injured, but her frightened expression is enough that you should at least do her the courtesy of asking

You only receive a half frozen nod from the girl before your attention is drawn to the sprite laying in your cupped hands. She seems to have actually knocked herself out during her attempt at showing off. She's sleeping peacefully in your hands, what a carefree creature. You decide it would be best to gently shake her awake in order to get her to continue her explanation.

Mistral yawns as she wakes, and tiredly gets while up stretching her limbs, it's not long till she notices her current situation, falling on her backside and landing in a heap. "Oh. So it wasn't a dream after all. Drat." Well, I hope that demonstration of my abilities was enough, even if I misjudged the amount of magic I have access to right now." She yawns again, before collapsing in one of your hands. "It's not like that's... all though. Try hitting something, and you'll see what I mean" You see no reason not to. Setting the tiny girl back down on the arm of a chair, where she simply lays lazily, not even bothering to readjust herself, you punch the wall, the same sensation from when you kicked Holly occurs, you strike the wall with far more strength than you thought you had, punching directly through the timber. This time though you can feel the gust of wind blowing back into your face. "With that blessing, your attacks are amplified with the power of the wind. There are of course more blessings I could grant you, but as I said before, you need to prove yourself worthy of them first! Those are the rules I must follow, if the others found out I started blessing humans without good cause, they might even see fit to erase my personality and turn me into nothing but the element I represent!" Despite her prone position, you can see her shiver slightly on the armrest.

As arrogant as she's been, you do suppose you ought to offer the sylph something in return for her assistance. You wouldn't really appreciate suddenly being spirited away and being forced to work for somebody who in some terms might class as your kidnapper either, and it's not like she isn't useful. As annoyingly prideful as she is about her abilities, you can't really fault them. Other than managing to knock herself out with her own magic, but that seemed to be more due to unfamiliarity than anything else. With that in mind, you decide you may as well show some kindness to the girl you've been magically bound to. "So, Mistral, is there anything that I can do for you? Aside from ending the contract, that is."

At your offer, the fairy is suddenly re-energized, but she doesn't get much further than going from laying flat on the cushioned surface to managing to get herself in a half-seated position. "R-really? This might be a bit of an odd request, but do you have any food?" The mention of food makes you realize that you haven't actually eaten for... well, days technically. Thankfully, the mention of food doesn't seem to have motivated Holly to start trying to eat you again.

"Ah. Not on me right now, but I suppose we can go get some breakfast after we finish up here." The request is one you are glad to be able to fulfill. You hope this sylph won't be too much of a pain in the neck to get along with. Well, not any more than Holly is right now... You're glad you didn't say that out loud.

But it is strange, you would've thought Alura would've at least come in to check the situation by now...
>It doesn't matter right now, you have a few questions for Holly first. (What?)
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
>Gather both Mistral and Holly before heading into the hallway as a group.
>Write-in...

>>4086456
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
What IS she doing out there?

>>4086456
>Gather both Mistral and Holly before heading into the hallway as a group.

>>4086456
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
methinks something that can distract Alura is something that warrants caution.

>>4086456
Also, tell Mistral to turn into wind whenever we are around normies .

>>4086516
Why not just have her be invisible at all times? I'm sure it'd be more comfortable for her.

>>4086518
He wants to continue to bully the thing, obviously.

>>4086456
>>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
Yo plant lady what good wit it?

>>4086522
I think it's more pleasing for her if she gets to keep her windy form, and more strategic to have an invisible ally.

>>4086518
That would be optimal, but I would prefer keeping an eye on her in case she gets any funny ideas.
>>4086522
Yeah sure, let's go with that too.

>>4086526
>Yeah sure, let's go with that too.
This is why we need a belt.

>>4086527
The fucking belt has become the new rope. Next it's gonna be wire or thread or some dumb shit like that.

>>4086530
we CAN make pod into a thread/threads now...

>>4086532
Oh, Chaos damn it.

>>4086532
>the belt of destruction

guys, if we leave, make sure to deposit holly at anna's. we can't have her changing sides if hilde is encountered.

>>4086456
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
I suppose it's time we see what awful fate Alura has met with in our absence.

File: Walter C Dornez.jpg (42 KB, 736x368)

42 KB JPG

>>4086532
>>4086554
You know, with enough experience with making constructs from the Power of Destruction, you could pull off something not unlike an even more lethal version of this.
Though at that point, you've basically won every fight with... one or two exceptions.

>>4086518
You could reward her with that privilege if you wish, but you have no actual means of waking her up should she decide to enter wind form and just sleep to spite you.
Just as a warning.
Also, you don't want to bully the wind fairy?

>>4086456
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
I want to ask Holly if Hilde probably set up trigger words but eh.
As long as we don't say the F word around her it should be fine.

>>4086456
>Look into the hallway carefully, something might have happened
What an idiot fairy.
I wonder what other blessings we can get from her.
Being able to attack without the PoD is neat at least.
We can deal non-lethal damage now!

>>4086860
>room full of wires that cut through everything
What a boring way to fight.

>bullying the wind fairy
I want to headpat her, but she is too small.

>>4086913
I support the headpat

>>4086860
She was actually in the position of a minor god up until literally moments ago, and wind is supposed to be naturally capricious, but if her role was to stop wind from getting out of control and consuming everything then she shouldn't be a mook-tier minor god. Being upset about these circumstances is perfectly reasonable, and if we're going to be an actually good Dark Lord then we'll need some experience getting beings to respect us on our own merits and not just because we borrowed power from our patron.

>>4086913
>idiot fairy
Redundant

File: Baka.jpg (75 KB, 650x921)

75 KB JPG

>>4086974
What are you trying to say about fairies, huh?

File: Akyute.png (1 MB, 850x999)

1 MB PNG

>>4086977
The Truth.

File: Sad Baka.png (172 KB, 420x420)

172 KB PNG

>>4086996
Why must fairies be bullied.

>>4086967
Fair enough, she is quite important in the grand scheme of things.
It's not like she's the only sylph overseeing the weather though, because if she was then you could expect the entire planet to be destroyed in a massive hurricane that would last for years.

>>4087005
That makes me wonder how her co-workers are reacting to her disappearance.

File: reallysadsquidward.gif (1.98 MB, 440x330)

1.98 MB GIF

>>4087013
Like this

>>4087024
heh, if fairies are as molecule-brained as the other anons say, then wouldn't they just forget about her like immediately?

>>4087027
Sure, that seems accurate

>>4087024
I'm sure she had at least some friends.

>>4087027
I mean they are literally air-headed.

>>4087162
You are just awful.

Anyone got any good ideas for getting the fairy to like us more?
I think we should get her a Dollhouse to live in.
Maybe she can get some more clothing from the dolls too!

>>4087162
Anon pls

>>4087198
She'd probably enjoy places like mountaintops, meadows, fields, etc. Places where wind flows freely; I think she won't like cities and the like since they disrupt airflow. So if we want to relax we should take her to the top deck. But she does want us to prove ourselves to her, and I don't have many ideas on how to do that other than to subjugate beings that are perceived or actually to be more powerful than we are.

>>4087198
>Anyone got any good ideas for getting the fairy to like us more?
Get her a pinwheel. A tiny, martini-glass-sized pinwheel.

>>4087214
So what you're saying is we should imitate the famous scene from Titanic with her?
But I guess she'd have to like, stand on our hand?

>>4087226
Could be worth a shot.

>>4087198
We don't need to get her to like us, the important thing is 'proving ourselves'. That's plainly the familiar level system from SotN put into quest form; just win plenty of battles, and we'll gradually grow in her esteem.

>>4087271
We should still get her a goofy ass little pinwheel.

File: Best Magical Creatures.jpg (163 KB, 850x1202)

163 KB JPG

>>4087005
>Why must fairies be bullied.
Such is the inevitable fate of all non-rabbit spirits.

>>4087271
>>4087274
And a Dollhouse.
Preferably one based on a French Mansion.
Get her some tiny gowns.

>>4087280
I don't think those are things.

>>4087281
We aren't carrying a fucking dollhouse around from place to place. Shit we don't even have a suitcase.

>>4087271
I do think we should try to have a good relationship with her though, as do I think that we should have a good relationship with all our allies.

>>4087381
Well I think that depends on who the ally is. A completely self-serving ally who likes you is still ultimately self-serving. Dmitri will always be a total douchebag for instance, even if you play nice with him.

>>4087751
Hmmm, would we even be making allies like that in the first place? The type of people we've been surrounding ourselves with seem to be the type listen to reason in most circumstances (squinting at you Shirley). In this instance tho Mistral is going to be hanging around us quite a bit and progression should go smoother if there's a functioning relationship between us and her. Not to mention that the nature of the foundation of our relationship is a bit more intimate than others just following us around, since we have a binding contract.

>>4087825
Sometimes you don't have a choice in who your allies are. I'm sure eventually we'll have to treat with some megadick. Not many choices when you're the inheritor of evil being chased by an organized horde of zealots. Though we should be playing nice with the stiffest of breezes if for no other reason than until we get more familiars she's going to be watching us sleep and we don't want her blowing fart gas in from the other rooms just to spite us.

>>4087870
sign, true nuf', suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it

It's been too long for her to simply have remained waiting outside the door without growing at least a little concerned for what might be going on inside, so there's really nothing for it but "You two, stay here for a second. I'm going to check the hall, Alura should only be just be outside, and it's been long enough that her not at least checking the room has become a little concerning." What could be holding her up? Hopefully she hasn't encountered the other vampire alone. She didn't seem all too confident in her ability to fight the vampire when you told her of it's presence. For as weak and easy to deal with that Holly was, you hold no illusions that a recently turned vampire is in any way comparable to what toyed with you in that cabin. The speed and power that woman had surpassed your own by an order of magnitude! Whereas Holly, despite being clearly both faster and stronger than you, didn't outclass you to such an extent that you could hardly even react to her attacks.

"R-right." Holly gives a weak nod towards you, you'll have to decide on what to do with this poor girl at some point. You aren't stupid enough to kill her simply for becoming a vampire. It would be antithetical to being the Dark Lord anyway, to kill her simply for being a vampire. Of course, you might have to punish her if she continues being unable to restrain herself around you though. You have no intention of allowing yourself to become any bloodsucker's drink, and that includes the shrinking violet sitting on the wonky sofa opposite you.

"Oh of course, feel free to do whatever it is you actually do, Summoner. Don't let my presence stop you" With the assent of your allies, you get up from your chair and walk towards the door. Opening it and peering out into the cabin, you see no sign of Alura. Instead there seems to be a strange frost that has formed on the carpeted hall, almost as if it has been frozen entirely!

You take a step out into the corridor, the floor crunches underneath your feet, it seems it truly has been frozen! There's no doubt about it, something attacked Alura while you were busy dealing with Holly... but who or what could it have been? That vampire never seemed to use any sort of magic or ability during her game with you that would leave you to believe it had control over ice. Is there a third party involved in this mess? Or does the vampire have more allies... or abilities that you are as of yet unaware of?

Suddenly a high pitched shriek from the cabin you just left snaps you out of your musing! You waste no time charging back into the room, looking for what could've occurred merely moments after your departure to cause such a scream of fear!

As you step into the room, you see the reason is abundantly clear. Holly, for whatever reason, has seized Mistral in both hands and is looking at her curiously. It's not the predatory look of hunger she took when she tried to quench her thirst with your blood. More the look of a child inspecting a curious toy that they are interested in. The sylph struggling in her hands fruitlessly however doesn't seem to agree. "A-ah! Summoner! Good! Could you please help? I think your pet vampire is trying to eat me!" It would probably be the best if you did. While she's only examining her in close detail right now, you've seen Holly suddenly switch behavior before, and there is nothing you could do to save Mistral from a gruesome fate if her vampire blood took over her sensibilities now.

"Holly!" Your stern voice snaps the vampire out of her contemplation, her grip on the poor wind spirit loosening enough for her to squirm out of the pale girl's hands and launch herself towards you. Clinging onto one of your lapels in fear, hiding behind it as she stares at the clueless looking vampire with a hateful look on her face. It seems that despite her bluster, this sylph isn't quite as powerful and brave as she makes herself out to be. "Please be more considerate of your allies in the future. OK?"

"I... OK Arthur, I'm sorry. It's just... It's difficult to resist even a simple impulse for me right now. Even a passing thought is difficult for me not to act on." It looks as if Holly's new body is one that is avid to fulfill any desire that might take her fancy, even ones that she might not intend to act upon. So is that what it is? A conflict between body and mind? From how she looked at you earlier, it seems to be a little more in-depth than something like that. You suppose it doesn't matter too much as long as you can get her under control. It seems that fear is a decent enough deterrent for her to not act against you any further.

You'll have to decide how you'll deal with your newly vampiric friend's inability to control herself later on though, for now you need to go after Alura and aid her in this fight she's apparently having against this ice wielding opponent!

>Tell Holly to stay in the cabin, you can't risk having her come with you in case your opponent is the vampire who turned her
>Have Holly return to your Cabin on the upper decks and await your arrival after you've helped Alura
>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.
>Write-in...

>>4088593
>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.

Let's take a risk.

>>4088593
>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.
Honestly I just don't want to let her out of our sight. Seems dangerous.
Cool that our ojou vampire has Dio's ice power, though.

>>4088612
Iirc, Loretta had ice powers as a vampire.
Way better than Dio Brando's vaporizing freeze too.
Or it could be somebody else entirely.
I'm hoping it's someone else so we can keep Holly.

>>4088612
Or it could be some guy with a blue book. Or your run of the mill witch. Or a transvestite. A lot of things have ice attacks.

I hope Holly trying to eat our allies doesn't become a running theme.
Otherwise we might have to take drastic measures against her doing so.
Coller is actually a pretty effective anti-vampire tool now that I think about it.

>>4088639
>a transvestite
Trap ice spirit when.
A frozen half ought to solve the husbando - waifu ratio.

>>4088593
>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.
She needs a metaphorical leash badly right now. It's a risk we'll have to take.

>>4088643
Honestly it's the fact her new nature seems to make her really impulsive, we might not just be dealing with her trying to eat allies.
Actually, that explains a lot of things about Dracula and probably Chaos's relationship with Vampires in general.

>>4088750
Good point.
Still, I hope she's not too hard to control.
Babysitting a vampire sounds like a chore.
Also, this is two blood drinkers we need to feed now.
Fucking Unes are too autistic to photosynthesize like other plants.

>>4088593
>>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.

File: my little SHANOAAAAAAAAA (...).jpg (43 KB, 416x602)

43 KB JPG

>>4088639
It is fairly common as far as elemental attacks go.
Belnades witches have ice, as does Juste through his Belnades heritage, Charlotte can use ice, Shanoa has ice glyphs, Alucard and Soma can both get ice swords...
Really, most non Belmont protagonists can use it, as well as a lot of enemies with magic.

>>4088750
Yes, you'll have to figure out how to deal with a girl with superhuman speed, strength and magical abilities she's still in the process of discovering with about as much impulse control as an infant.
Good luck.

>>4088840
>two blood drinkers we need to feed now.
Alura has been doing a perfectly good job feeding herself.

>too autistic to photosynthesize like other plants.
Now that's just rude.

i think we could take on hilde if we play our cards right.

wind shield + scouting is a hard counter.

we also have access to something incredibly broken, actually: since we can see through mistral's eyes, and she can go invisible, she's able to locate an opponent remotely for us. if we use the piercing PoD shot like we did once, we could snipe them no matter the circumstances, through anything. Just gotta make sure that the target is near a wall so they don't have time to dodge after seeing the shot.

>>4088914
Can we actually do any of that though?

Character sheet updated.

>>4089012
Wind shield - probably.
Everything else - yes. We've done all of it before. Putting it together is the overpowered part.

>>4089029
>Blessing of the Sacred Wind Sword
So you're saying we have the best weapon in our skill tree.

>>4089089
I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this:
We already have the best weapons, one on the end of each arm! All we need to do is get better at using them!

>>4089089
ew

>>4089098
yes

File: DOS_Valmanway.gif (20 KB, 152x120)

20 KB GIF

>>4089098
I don't know man, the Valmanway is pretty sweet.
A sword that is so fast that the user can swing it like 7 times without even visibly moving!

>>4089113
Anyway that's pretty obviously Valmanway.
So what are the others?
Sylph's Protection is obviously a defensive skill.
Cloud and Hurricane I got nothing.

>>4088593
>Have Holly come with you, her assistance is of dubious use considering her lack of control or training, but she might find some way to be helpful.

Yeah this is the only way to keep an eye on her so she doesn't impulsively go somewhere else.

>>4089155
Protectction is probably a wind shield that covers our body.
Cloud is probably a speed buff.
Hurricane is probably a magical attack.

>>4089098
>>4089108
Hmph! Humans main advantage over other species is the ability to use tools and intelligence and you want to waive both privileges away just to become a jojo? For shame.

Dark Lords need more style than that.

>>4089173
>more style than hand-to-hand combat
Clearly you've never seen Fist of the North Star.

>>4089173
we are NOT a jojo. we just make our own tools. i suggested a full, unique strategy of using our powers earier, for crying out loud.

>>4089208
Your strategy was literally just to use the ability we passed out from trying to try to snipe her through a wall.
There's so much that could go wrong with this.
We don't even know the limits of her regen or if going for the heart will work.
The Belmonts need some crazy holy whip that eats souls to do the job.

>>4089222

They need the whip for Dracula, though. This is just a vampire.

>>4089227
The whip was made to deal with a particularly powerful (not Dracula) vampire called Walter Bernhard.

He wasn't the Dark Lord.
He was just really really strong.
We shouldn't get complacent here as we don't actually know how strong Hilde is.

>>4089203
By the point we could pull off those kind of moves we'd be beyond everything else in the world, which makes the point moot.

>>4089222
Our PoD is a spell cast from hp. When we fainted, that was the first time using it, AND we were sealed from using it properly. Learning to use it now should be learning how to properly use it.

I'm just gonna say it, the power of destruction is just the Alucard Shield + Shield Rod combo without the life steal.

The BIG question is if those blessings are passive or if we only get one at once.

File: Entirely practical and su(...).jpg (505 KB, 531x744)

505 KB JPG

It's really such a shame that It'll be too difficult to really add Charlotte into the story considering the incredible timescale of the series.
I feel like I've said this before, actually.
Well there is one way, but...
I don't know if I should use it.
No, it's not time travel and it's not grimoires either.

>>4089234
>By the point we could pull off those kind of moves we'd be beyond everything else in the world, which makes the point moot.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. The Kaiser Knuckles don't automatically make you win the game, after all.
I mean, the Valmanway/Crissagram does, but shhhh.

>>4089173
>Hmph! Humans main advantage over other species is the ability to use tools and intelligence and you want to waive both privileges away just to become a jojo? For shame.
So what advantage does that give them over vampires then? Or any other magically empowered intelligent humanoid in the Dark Lord's employ?
Fairly certain Lerajie is better with a gun than any human sniper is.
I also just realized that this means Jonathan and Charlotte can mentally calculate the path of a bullet that will richochet multiple times as soon as the shooter begins aiming.

>>4090132
>I also just realized that this means Jonathan and Charlotte can mentally calculate the path of a bullet that will richochet multiple times as soon as the shooter begins aiming.
Or if you want to retcon it to make a little more sense, Charlotte has a spell that does that.

>>4090132
>No, it's not time travel and it's not grimoires either.
Make her follow Wind's footsteps and become one with the Force?
>I mean, the Valmanway/Crissagram does, but shhhh.
Mostly the Crissagram really, I'd argue the Claihm Solais outclasses the Valmanway in both games, at least for boss battles.

>>4090147
In the Japanese version of SotN, "Crissaegrim" was named Valmanway. It's the same weapon, just localized for the PSX by weirdoes.

>>4090132
Pure blunt damage that can result in backlash isn't the most economical use of your body in the service of destroying your enemies, discounting the use of magical augmentation. But if you have access to augmentation then why not use it on a sword, or lance, or gun? The more distance between you and an enemy the more time you have to react to changes in the situation and avoid counter-attacks. Typically purely punching something to death relies on the enemy being so outclassed by you that they can't defend their vitals in time, or for them to not be wearing armor, or to take them by surprise, all of which are accomplished more elegantly by using heretofore mentioned weapons. And especially for us where we can make the Power of Destruction take the shape of our mind and become said weapons while also being a mental extension of ourselves, getting up-close and personal should be used for distractions or non-lethal take-downs unless we're desperate. We also have the issue where our "Armor" ability also makes us a berserker, and losing yourself in a fight is a good way to fail at accomplishing whatever your objective is, barring said objective being the fight itself or intending to lose. Unless my analysis about this is wrong in which case fml i was wrong about combat this whole time.

>So what advantage does that give them over vampires then? Or any other magically empowered intelligent humanoid in the Dark Lord's employ?
Literally none. Humans are near the bottom of the ecosystem in Castlevania right? But that doesn't exempt the forces of god and chaos from the above, most melee bosses in Castlevania are ez sauce for that reason.

>>4090198
While this all makes good sense, it's also incredibly boring, and I've always had the impression that Castlevania is something of a style over substance setting.
In short:
Lame.

>>4090198
Also, it's been clearly established that the more volume and distance outside of our body we project the Power of Destruction, the greater the backlash to us is.
It follows logically that the most efficient way to use it is to create an extremely thin layer of it over our hands, as this minimizes both volume and distance while facilitating heavy damage to the enemy.
So there, it's not as though I have a purely stylistic reason for wanting to fight bare-handed.

File: Soul Steal Grab.png (24 KB, 256x192)

24 KB PNG

>>4090143
It makes sense for it to be a spell in Charlotte's case, because she's a spellcaster, and it makes no sense for her to have that sort of spacial awareness. However, Jonathan has spent his entire life training his physical skills, has Belmont blood in him, and is probably capable of predicting the richochet by himself without relying on magical assistance.

He was also trained specifically not to rely on the Vampire Killer by his father, so his other fighting skills are actually more well rounded than your typical Belmont, giving him the most sub-weapons of any whip-wielder.
Of course, he also would've been the one responsible for training Julius, and he probably taught him everything he knew.
Better watch out for Paper Airplanes.

>>4090147
>Mostly the Crissaegrim really,
For whatever reason, the localization team for SotN were able to insert copious amounts of Tolkien references into the translation.
I can confirm that Alucard isn't wandering around with Glamdring in his pocket(?), because that is Gandalf's sword.

>>4090198
>Humans are near the bottom of the ecosystem in Castlevania right?
Unless you have magic or were born with superhuman physical potential or in the case of some people, both (Juste), yeah, you won't be getting too far.

>But if you have access to augmentation then why not use it on a sword, or lance, or gun?
Style? For the record, Dracula never really uses weaponry either. Preferring fireball spam, his summons, his magic, and in the very rare case he decides to get physical, punches and kicks.
Oh, and the soul steal.
Then he'll normally turn into a huge monster.
For whatever reason, Dracula just can't be bothered to pick up any of the mythical weapons he's just got lying around his castle to use.
He at least knows how to use a sword from when he was a human.

Of course, you can use whatever fighting style you wish. From the most flamboyant show off styles to the most practical boring styles.
You don't have to be Soma and bring a Rocket Launcher wherever you go.

Also, I can't ensure there will be an update tonight, because my power has already gone out a few times today already.

>>4090204
When you bring sense into settings like these you tend to have a fun time doing what people outside the settings would deem obvious, but this is a personal dispositional thing so we can just agree to disagree.

>>4090215
>Also, it's been clearly established that the more volume and distance outside of our body we project the Power of Destruction, the greater the backlash to us is.
This has never been confirmed, when we destroyed the weeds in the mansion we were point-blank, and we ended up with dracula giving us information about corpseweeds and were so tired we collapsed. But when we made a fog out of PoD then deleted the space between us and the golem we were fine constitutionally, but got a vision of the Arm of Ruin.

>It follows logically that the most efficient way to use it is to create an extremely thin layer of it over our hands
You say that's the most economical but what about making bullets and shooting them at vital points? Or making a weapon and launching that? You have to keep in mind that this spell most likely has an initial cost and either a cost based on time deployed or a continual drain on health and sanity; When we used it on our arm too much we gained the arm of ruin which leads back to the problem with becoming a berserker if the PoD is used in such a way. I'm not sure how much effect the seals had on this but I'm under the impression that quick use rather than extended use is the way to go here.

>>4090245
>For whatever reason, Dracula just can't be bothered to pick up any of the mythical weapons he's just got lying around his castle to use.
Haven't we established that drac was just building up power with his resurrections and couldn't be arsed to take anything seriously?

>>4090275
>Haven't we established that drac was just building up power with his resurrections and couldn't be arsed to take anything seriously?
Oh we have, but I still can't imagine dying feels great, even if you are guaranteed to come back within the century.
Against people with the Vampire Killer or against Alucard he tends to try at least a little.
With Shanoa though he basically just laughed at her best efforts.
There's also a tangible difference between trying in a fight and just throwing the Lance of Longinus he's got stashed away at somebody for a laugh.

The Battle of 1999 must've really been something to see.

>>4090275
>When you bring sense into settings like these you tend to have a fun time doing what people outside the settings would deem obvious, but this is a personal dispositional thing so we can just agree to disagree.
This is what I would call "ruining interesting fiction with the boring aspects of reality," but as you say, agree to disagree.

>Is it really economical? What about bullets or thrown weapons?
So, the two times we've passed out from PoD overuse were when we created some kind of channel between our inner power and something else in order to infuse it directly with the PoD and when we tried to create a projectile.
Now, it seems pretty clear to me that what we did with the corpseweeds was a quite different sort of PoD use from our standard 'form it into various shapes' method, so I think we can ignore that in our considerations of what sort of shapes work best for that method.
That only leaves us with the projectile as our most costly attack. This is why I stress distance. Bullets and thrown weapons are both projectiles which have to remain in existence and separated from our body for some time. The fog remained connected to our body the entire time (another thing which reads to me as affecting cost) and only existed for an instant.

>I'm under the impression that quick use rather than extended use
I'm fine with that myself. To clarify my suggestion, I think we should fight as if normally using hand-to-hand techniques, strength, and wind empowerment, but at the moment when we need to make a killing blow wrap our hand (or hands) in a superthin layer of PoD similar to the 'wire' we used to cut that chain. Thus we can not only economize our PoD expenditure while retaining access to a method of punching right through the enemy or ripping out their heart, we can also vary the damage of our attacks from strike to strike, keeping them on their toes and adding the psychological element that's all-important in most forms of combat.

>>4090324
>passed out from PoD overuse
I don't know why I said this, we just suffered heavy backlash. Still, the rest of my point stands.

>>4090132
>It's really such a shame that It'll be too difficult to really add Charlotte into the story considering the incredible timescale of the series.
I think including the extra time since the battle of 1999 she'd be in her late nineties or something. Considering she'd be using magic and not really backflipping around bicycle kicking people she could probably just Hag the shit out of everyone with her stupendous magical power in a wheelchair.

You put a hand to your head and sigh. Dealing with Holly and these impulses of hers is going to become a chore, you can already tell. For now, there's only one way of ensuring she won't get distracted and wander of somewhere. "OK, Holly, I'm going to have you come with us for now. It's unfortunate, but you can't be trusted not to wander off if I simply give you instructions. Especially with you unable to control your impulses as you are. It's really a miracle that with these bloody messes that she's undoubtedly been leaving all around the ship that nobody has found the gruesome results of her feeding habits. Or perhaps they have, but simply came at the worst time, doing nothing but adding to the drained and torn apart pule of corpses as Holly considered them just another course in her depraved feast. It really can't be natural that you can think about this without feeling disgusted to your core.

You briefly wonder just what the procedure for dealing with mass murderers is on board a cruise ship in international waters. Is there an armory? Do they have a security detail? It gets your mind off of thinking about Holly and her new taste for human blood, and judging from the state of the corpses, had apparently partaken in their flesh as well. Apparently, despite having a reputation for drinking blood, vampires aren't actually so limited in their palette. Though whether this consumption was through a need, a craving or simple curiosity driven by her uncontrollable impulses, you aren't sure. You don't really want to ask about her feeding habits either, in case the mere mention of it starts making you look like an appealing drink again.

Is becoming the Dark Lord really going to be such a bothersome task? Having to deal with allies of dubious value and loyalty who may just lose control at any minute? Perhaps in time Holly will learn to deal with these impulses of hers. Vampires could hardly get their fabled reputation as refined aristocrats if all of the real ones simply killed indiscriminately, that much is certain. Especially not with organizations like Shirley's one about. You can't imagine that any vampire that doesn't cover their tracks lasts a very long time with such factions seeking them out and destroying them wherever they were. You aren't sure just how powerful Dracula was as the Dark Lord, nor how powerful the ones who were responsible for slaying him were, but it stands to reason that said hunters wouldn't be content to just sit around even after the destruction of this lord of evil.

It's quite obvious that despite the end of the Dark Lord, evil has not ceased, nor have the machinations of the one who he served. Perhaps things were truly far worse in the years before your birth, but you have no information on it anyway, so it's not worth worrying about too much. Mistral has decided to remain within the interior of your suit, poking her head out as she continues to eye Holly suspiciously. You do admit that allowing Holly to walk behind you would be an immensely foolish gesture, but at the same time, you can't exactly have her lead the way either. The only choice left for you then is to walk side-by-side with the girl, this way you can lead the way to wherever Alura has gone and keep an eye on the unstable girl at the same time.

It's not the most ideal of solutions, and you would prefer simply being able to trust Holly enough that you don't get the creeping suspicion she's only one fortunate looking opportunity away from trying to drain your circulatory system dry. Holly doesn't at all seem to mind in your complete lack of trust in her though, taking the opportunity of walking next to you through the twisting halls of the cruise ship as you look for signs of battle to follow in order to seize one of your hands in her own with significant force, not enough to be painful, but it's fairly uncomfortable. Upon noticing you aren't attempting to pull your hand away from her sudden vice-like grip, she relaxes it into a less forceful one. She gives you a weak smile as you glance at her out of the corner of your eye, she looks somewhat contented at this development. You suppose if it brings the girl some sort of comfort while she attempts to get to grips with her new existence then you don't mind holding her hand.

After some time, the signs of battle grow more fierce and obvious. Walls are torn through with frozen vines that have been shattered on the floor. You decide to hurry things up, Alura is obviously in some sort of danger! Your concern keeps growing and growing as you follow the intensifying signs of battle, coming to a peak when you see in the center of an almost entirely white with frost segment of corridor is a delicate looking arm, frozen solid and snapped away from the shoulder it was once connected to. Not only is Alura in danger, she's also hurt, badly.

You continue following the path of destruction, obviously, her wound didn't slow her down one bit as the frozen plant growth in the corridors has only increased! You see a variety of plants that you recognize, including the more basic type of Une as well as a few of those Man-Eating Plants! However, the real showpiece would be the gigantic Venus Fly Trap that has been frozen moments before being able to finish snapping shut! There's a piece of torn white cloth snagged on one of the strange locking teeth of the plant. Likely that of the enemy Alura is now evidently trying to eradicate with extreme force.

Holly easily tears a path through the frozen foliage with her free hand as you keep on down the path. Hopefully Alura isn't in too much pain right now, you can't imagine how horrible that must be. Finally, your path comes to an end, right outside an entrance to a canteen, where you can hear the voices of two people talking with each other just beyond. One is obviously Alura's, taking a superior tone over her enemy. "You fought quite well, magician. I must say, I was almost challenged! It's a shame about my arm, but it's of no concern now. I'll just use your blood to help grow a new one, what do you say?"

There's a sound you can only describe as spitting, before the voice of a man responds with a light Russian accent. "I wouldn't be so certain you've won just yet, you plant bitch." The man is confident still, despite Alura effectively declaring her own victory. "This man you called Arthur, this so-called 'Dark Lord', he isn't my target here. But you have caused enough disruption to my mission now that it warrants dealing with." There's a heavy sigh from the other side of the door. "This is going to be an awful blemish on my record, I've never once failed in an assassination, did you know that? But somebody tore my target's contact into pieces after draining them dry! They didn't even bother to properly hide the body! They just threw the pieces under the bed!" The man has begun to start ranting at Alura. Holly slumps in shame for some reason. His voice is about as distant as Alura's is, the two of them must be standing an equal distance from the door.

Alura in turn simply scoffs. "As if I care for your affairs, magician. I'll remember the taste of your blood for far longer than your last words anyway." It sounds like things are about to come to a violent peak. You'll have to act now if you want to interfere!

>Barge into the room and charge towards the man, hopefully your assistance will allow Alura to finish the fight.
>Tell Holly to attack the man, her superior speed should allow her to close the distance far faster than you can.
>Calmly open the door and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution between Alura and her enemy. The man says he isn't here for you, after all.
>Simply wait it out and allow the fight to progress as it naturally would.
>Write-in...

>>4090478
If I ever end up actually going through with it, you'll see what I intend to do with her.
Ruining her by making her 90 years old would be a crime.

>>4090510
>>Calmly open the door and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution between Alura and her enemy. The man says he isn't here for you, after all.
Knock knock niqquah how painful do you want to make your death when you inevitably decide to try a cheapshot?
>>4090516
>implying a spunky, quippy centennial charlotte wouldn't be great

>>4090503
Oh, Holly. She really does need to improve her eating habits. A refined man-eating heroine would kill her victims carefully, butcher them, and eat their flesh elegantly from a plate, thinly sliced with blood sauce.


>Barge into the room and charge towards the man, hopefully your assistance will allow Alura to finish the fight
If he's got an ace up his sleeve, we don't want to try and negotiate.

>>4090510
>>Calmly open the door and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution between Alura and her enemy. The man says he isn't here for you, after all.
Or rather, get some info out of him and then see what we do.

>>4090324
>That only leaves us with the projectile as our most costly attack.
I just re-read the encounter with the golem >>3967205 and as far as I can tell that's straight up wrong. Arthur was running towards the golem, then he stopped, then he commanded the PoD to spread out in front of him, he then coated his arm with it; It was physically disconnected from him, as he suffered pain and the PoD was putting up resistance to returning. All of this shows that he has no problem controlling the power once it's separated from him, considering this wasn't the encounter that unlocked the Arm of Ruin. And the time we fainted when making that projectile was literally the first time we had used the Power of Destruction, and as I said we were sealed, so the unfamiliarity and tax of using it overwhelmed us, or so what it seemed to be to me.

>>4090510
>Barge into the room and charge towards the man, hopefully your assistance will allow Alura to finish the fight.

Only voting for this option since I don't think letting Holly attack would win, but I would go for that otherwise, Arthur and her should really get used to this kind of fight. Why should we overtly care about a random magician assassin? He decided to go start a fight with our friend for no reason and now he's about to pull his trump card to try and kill her. Seems best to get him out of the way asap. If we want info we could loot his corpse, maybe he has a calling card or something to that effect.

>>4090548
But how could we do that? Just kill a possible plothook set by dear QM? I would never, ever.

>>4090548
>Why should we overtly care about a random magician assassin?
Because I want Arthur to try to be a decent person and get bitten for it so he is ushered down the path of hatred and ruthlessness so that way down the line he can have a massively dramatic dialogue about suffering and faith before he ultimately killed by some asshole spamming unlimited throwing knives.

I thought that was pretty clear.

>>4090548
Even so, I still think trying to use the cast from HP power as economically as possible is for the best, and I don't see any way you can argue that making weapons out of it would be less costly than making smaller, more efficient shapes out of it for less time.
If we're going to do anything that costs more than the minimum possible expenditure, it should be more experimentation with the technique that fills out our bestiary.

>>4090556
How would it even be dodging the plot hook, the assassin had a client, and probably has friends, all who'd be curious who'd killed him and why. He should simply die on the principal of being a loose cannon. Don't think we'd want guys who go after collateral damage as close allies in the future, or even to use as a tertiary henchman, and this one has personally offended us. I feel that letting him go would be failing to embrace Arthur's ideal of seizing his own destiny if we're too afraid of the blowback from erasing this guy.

>>4090572
>not wanting to get betrayed by your inner circle causing you to have permanent trust issues that spiral down into paranoia so hard you isolate yourself and try to end the world so nobody can plot against you anymore.

It's like you don't even into being a proper Dark Lord.

>>4090581
Thus bullets or projectiles or wires. all of which have a lower surface area than gloves, depending on how small you make the bullets.

>>4090588
>It's like you don't even into being a proper Dark Lord.
Well maybe I don't want to be like other Dark Lords. Maybe I think Arthur can do better.

>>4090589
>ultimately killed by some asshole spamming unlimited throwing knives.
how is this better than drac, soma or graham?

>>4090592
Hey man you can't escape fate. It's gotta happen eventually if you become Dark Lord.

>>4090596
Not if you use your powers proactively instead of playing games because your immortal then get killed anyway because you didn't take anything seriously.

>>4090598
Nah man. It has to happen. You start being a true terror in the night and suddenly a little girl starts praying and the nearby supremo vampire hunter starts glowing and being literally invulnerable.

It is inescapable.

>>4090588
>Thus bullets or projectiles or wires. all of which have a lower surface area than gloves, depending on how small you make the bullets.
Lower surface area, but not necessarily lower volume. And, as has been previously pointed out projectiles are going to have to be launched out at a significant distance. Again, you're also ignoring the fact that with projectiles you have to keep them in existence for travel time whereas with my concept you only need it during the moment of the strike.

Look, does anyone else want to weigh in on this? Do you want to fight with PoD-enhanced hand-to-hand combat or try to use it for thrown weapons? Anon and I seem to be at an impasse.

>>4090601
I want to use PoD to make the smoothest sculptures in existence.

>>4090601
>Lower surface area, but not necessarily lower volume.
Looking at the options here: >>3965658 it seems we can even make beams from it, which are pretty fast, so this and the fog we used to cover an impossible distance in time both support the notion that we can use the PoD instantaneously, in which case projectile uptime becomes trivial since from launch to target would be literally or slightly less than instant, making the use of the power quite minimal, possibly more minimal than the time it would take to swing the arm after forming the quick execution weapon. Your suggested use still has the problems of being too close to react properly to shifting circumstances, and we're still decently slow so if the enemy decided to self-destruct out of spite we'd be done. Last time the enemy tried that we lost use of our left arm, and before that, even though we were a decent distance away we still got hit by shrapnel and almost had our back melted off.

>>4090621
>we're still decently slow so if the enemy decided to self-destruct out of spite we'd be done. Last time the enemy tried that we lost use of our left arm, and before that, even though we were a decent distance away we still got hit by shrapnel and almost had our back melted off.
Those were interesting scenes! Getting up close and personal with the enemy is what makes an action scene in something like this fun to read.
It's not SWAT quest or Hitman quest, I don't see why you want to take this projectile-based approach, unless your main motivation is the aforementioned wanting to intentionally create genre-clash.
Alright now, I'm done arguing the point for tonight. QM has heard both our opinions, in all the detail he could need to factor either or both into the quest.

>>4090644
>I don't see why you want to take this projectile-based approach
It's simple. I don't see Arthur as a masochist, nor as holding single combat all-too-highly; And developing a fighting style with few weaknesses is fun. It makes it all the more intense when those weaknesses are exploited. As opposed to being in front of the enemy when they use their limited distance aoe bombing ability, then getting injured when you could've been 20ft away; But yeah I agree to let it lie since it seems impossible for us to see eye to eye on this topic anyway.

>Calmly open the door and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution between Alura and her enemy. The man says he isn't here for you, after all.

...

>Hello there

>>4090510
>Calmly open the door and attempt to negotiate a peaceful solution between Alura and her enemy. The man says he isn't here for you, after all.
We shouldn't be so hasty.
Alura has been damaged, but she can regenerate anyway.
We should at least hear his story before feeding him to the girls.

File: Dracula's Castle.png (930 KB, 1920x1080)

930 KB PNG

>>4090644
>>4090650
I'll keep both of your points in mind.
It's an obvious point but the more powerful you get, the less pragmatic you can afford to be in combat.
Should you get to be as strong as Dracula, you could toy with anyone on the planet except Alucard, Julius and if he survives till 2035, Soma.

In case it wasn't clear, the Power of Destruction at it's maximum is something of a cheat ability. You've only accessed the more advanced stage one time in extreme stress.
That's where it opens up to it's true potential.
But don't expect to go full All Fiction with it unless Chaos amps you up with it's full power.

>>4090588
>>4090572
Interesting motivations for committing to evil fully.
Dracula's motivations were completely justified in wiping out at least one town.
I mean, killing a healer on suspicion she's a witch? They got what they deserved.
Then he just decided to go all the way.

>>4090548
You're assuming he was the one who started the fight.
Which he very well may have.

>>4090527
Give Holly a break anon, she's not exactly in the sort of condition where she can make rational decisions or keep elegance in mind when blood is involved.
Give her a few months, then we'll truly see how she's adapted.

Fun fact that I can't really work into the story: the bat that you saw in the corridor was actually Holly's first time assuming the form.

File: 8765765765.gif (1.25 MB, 500x250)

1.25 MB GIF

>>4090829
>You're assuming he was the one who started the fight.
Well he is a russian. And killing people is his job. And he's cold-hearted.

>holly was the bat that got broomslapped
>mfw
Jesus Holly step up your game.

>>4090857
She's just the most precious merciless killer around.
Also surprisingly clingy.
I wonder how she actually feels about Arthur.

>no mention of her body temperature being cold for the handholding
Did you forget vampires are technically dead, QM?
Or did Arthur just not take note of her temperature?

>>4090881
>Did you forget vampires are technically dead, QM?
Technically powerful undead. But yes, while vampires would normally be cool to the touch, Holly has recently done something that has raised her body temperature to more human levels...

>>4090974
>Holly has recently done something that has raised her body temperature to more human levels...
>a girl with superhuman speed, strength and magical abilities she's still in the process of discovering with about as much impulse control as an infant.
>"I... OK Arthur, I'm sorry. It's just... It's difficult to resist even a simple impulse for me right now. Even a passing thought is difficult for me not to act on."
>It looks as if Holly's new body is one that is avid to fulfill any desire that might take her fancy, even ones that she might not intend to act upon.
>>>>>difficult to resist even a simple impulse
>>>>>avid to fulfill any desire that might take her fancy
>>>>>has always thought Arthur was cool and liked him
>>>>>holding hands walking up to a fight
>>>>>literally rescued her from killing him in bloodlust AND actually treated her with understanding the whole time AND did not attack her at all even AFTER the loss of control
Oh, I can tell where THIS is going and exactly what is being implied here. The question is... will anons go for it when or if it DOES happen? I know I sure will. Because I posted the prompt to invite Hilde-whatshername into the bed during the hide-and-seek last thread.

With how broken the power of destruction has turned out to be, I have to wonder what the other abilities do or did.
Change is probably some form of shapeshifting, maybe monster form?
Control is maybe mind control?
Seems like a copout.
Shadows...
I have no idea

>>4091077
Oh no.
Chaos save our chastity.
The vampire wants to bang.

>>4091077
Holly does not get to bang us for just being cute. We have higher standards...surely...hopefully.

>>4091125
I don't know anon.
She is preeeeetttty cute.
Has Arthur even kissu'd a girl yet?

Or did that pseudoyandere vampire hunter bitch cockblock us completely throughout our entire childhood?

>>4091164
Alura's cute too.

>>4091125
>We have higher standards
We don't just have higher standards. We have *ojou* standards.
Hildebrant or bust!

>>4091234
I don't know, I feel like we're forgetting poor Theresia.
This Ojou vampire might be nice, but we don't even know her.

File: sylphMGE.jpg (85 KB, 335x500)

85 KB JPG

>>4091248
I wouldn't have forgotten about Theresia if I hadn't dropped the quest by that point. Luckily I came back in time to get us THE BEST GIRL we could find.

>>4091164
>Or did that pseudoyandere vampire hunter bitch cockblock us completely throughout our entire childhood?
Yes, actually.

>>4091077
Let's wait until she reins herself in a tad before she inevitably outwaifus Hilde.

>>4091077
From her perspective, you've saved her no less than three times. To her, Arthur has acted something like the love interest of a romance novel.

>>4091125
You would hope so, wouldn't you?

>>4091234
You still need to find her first, before you can even start trying to persuade her to your side.

>>4091262
Oh good! Somebody likes Mistral after all.

>>4091164
I would be lying if I said no.
Shirley... is not a good person.

>>4091350
>Oh good! Somebody likes Mistral after all.
It's a trick. He's clearly being sarcastic. Reee?

>>4091350
Oh.
I mean in regards to Shirley's behaviour through his youth.
Any time a girl tried getting close to him, after a few days she'd suddenly begin to stay away from him completely.

Arthur has never kissed a girl romantically before the story begun.

>>4091350
I like Mistral.
I just also think fairies are at their cutest when bullied.

File: sadaqua.gif (966 KB, 638x504)

966 KB GIF

>>4091350
>Oh good! Somebody likes Mistral after all.
She's pretty much Aqua-Wind Elemental Edition- and I'm all for that shit.
>>4091352
You would think so, but there's little things more amusing to me than people being annoyed and annoying people getting what they deserve.

>>4090600
That won't be a problem if we kill god tho

>>4091262
>>4091375
>Implying loli anti-god isn't best girl.

>>4091482
>That won't be a problem if we kill god tho
Go home Killer, this isn't the right universe for you.

>>4091482
She's sort of the universe's ojou.

>>4091488
Have some ambition! I'm sure if we put in some effort we can become better than any previous or possible future dark lord! Besides, if Soma could do whatever he did to chaos I don't see why we can't do something similar or worse to God. I'm also shaky on whether or not God is even necessary to support the existence of the universe considering he's outside the system but manipulating it.

>>4091494
That just makes it even better.

>>4091503
Bro Chaos let Soma win. I don't think God would give us that courtesy.

File: chipapa.gif (1.07 MB, 400x400)

1.07 MB GIF

>>4091262
>MGE Sylph
Bleh.

>>4091514
>let one of her last eligible contractees "defeat" her so he could keep autonomy over his soul, just because you value disharmony so much.
She truly is best girl.

That's no reason not to try though, true autonomy can only be gained once the puppetmaster has been ousted.

>>4091543
It's a primordial personification of erratic whimsy and contrarian existence, not your waifu. Well I mean it may be your waifu you do have shit taste. But either way you don't stick your dick in crazy first of all and second of all you don't shit where you eat. It's a business partner or a tool depending on how you want to look at it. It's also not a girl. It's an it. I won't be fooled by the facade of a little girl.

>>4091543
We would only be able to do that by derailing the entire setting into Gurren Lagann and use the castle as our mech.

>>4091557
fufun~ re-read the encounter with her, she was pretty clear that she developed many personae, but they got sealed away by whatever drac did.

>>4091559
MY CASTLE WILL BE THE CASTLE TO PIERCE THE HEAVENS!

>>4091562
That really doesn't disprove what I said, though. It's not a girl. It's still just a thing. Whether it's a dominant persona created out of boredom or a genuine personality that came into its own doesn't change that it is a force of arbitrary creation and not a real person. It is the facsimile of a real person as the fragment of Chaos saw fit to invent. And I won't fall into the trap of thinking it's anything else. That's how you get catfished by the second oldest being in reality.

>>4091567
>be amalgamation of everything god doesn't want to exist in his world, and you can't be removed or the world would be destroyed.
>get exiled to a featureless plane forever because God's such a dick
>spend countless years wandering alone with yourself
>eventually develop personalities to stave off existential dread
>God fucks up and creates beings perfect for you to influence to spread yourself
>find this guy who dislikes god so much he made himself live forever just to spite him
>become friends
>dude fucks up over and over cause he can just be leisurely until he gets bored enough to take over the world
>apparently he had second thoughts cause now your personalities are split and sealed because of his fuck-ups
>young dude shows up at the door to your seal with some of your power
>he meets you
>he says: "You're not human and your personality was manufactured so you can't be a girl."

>>4091614
Correct.

>>4091737
shit taste

>>4091739
That has nothing to do with taste, though. Them's facts.

>>4091750
Human personalities are manufactured by their environment, are you telling me that girls can't be girls now too?

>>4091754
One problem with your argument. It isn't, nor was it ever human. For the same reason Alura is a plant and Coller is a machine, Chaos is a thing. Even Mistral is simply an elemental personification. The only reason vampires can be counted as girls or boys is because they were at least human once. Even though they are merely shells of what they once were. Frankly the only real girls we know are Shirley and Anna. I doubt Theresia is human, either.

And yes, humans are superior. My magic 8-ball told me so.

>>4091764
>only humans can be girls
absolutely shit taste

>>4091567
>>4091737
>>4091750
>>4091764
Damn, anon, I thought the worst taste in this quest was wanting to reject our style potential and turn the Power of Destruction into a gun, but you take the cake.

>>4091770
I'm not the one trying to fuck not only what is an up-jumped isekai-slime but one that appears in a child-like form.

>>4091775
Well it's a good thing I fucking love cake.

>>4091780
>Rejects loli anti-god
>I fucking love cake
It's all coming together now...

>>4091793
You got me. I live in a monastery baking bread.

Well this conversation sure took a turn for the odd in my absence.
Killing God and whether or not Chaos counts as a real girl.

>>4091375
>I just also think fairies are at their cutest when bullied.
>annoying people getting what they deserve.
Poor Mistral, you know, she's nowhere near the level of useless goddess that Aqua is. She's not really any less intelligent than her fellow spirits barring a few.
It's not like the Blessing of Party Tricks is being offered.

>>4091494
I mean, she technically is richer than any mortal being in existence, by virtue of owning her own universe full of beings subservient to her... and... well being able to basically create anything.

>>4092370
>I mean, she technically is richer than any mortal being in existence, by virtue of owning her own universe full of beings subservient to her... and... well being able to basically create anything.
That's why she's (potentially) best girl.
Although I'm still hoping to be wowed by Hildebrand.

>>4092370
>Poor Mistral
Hey, if the most extreme conclusion to Murphy's Law handpicks you to be unwillingly subservient to some random schmuck on a dangerous crusade against the forces of God then you might have done something wrong at one point in your life. Or maybe she just thought it would be funny. Or maybe she picked you at random, she's Chaos after all. But that doesn't rule out that there isn't some Karma at play.
>It's not like the Blessing of Party Tricks is being offered.
Well, that sounds like a (You) problem.

On the topic of ojous which exist only to be bullied, not waifud don't @ me we need to work on our own haughty laugh so we don't get outclassed in the HAM game.

File: SomaDracula.jpg (34 KB, 480x360)

34 KB JPG

>>4092454
You'll need to be able to beat Dark Lord Soma's laugh for that then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmcf-pV_EA0

>>4092454
How does your taste just keep getting shittier? It's actually kind of amazing.

>>4092457
I dunno I feel like Dracula's in SotN while not having the same energy too it was way more smug, especially his little chuckle when he teleports away. Soma's got the spirit though I'll give him that.

Also damn the original dialogue is way different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVLqfj6_AOw
I think I actually like the OMEGA-HAM for the english dub more.

>>4092487
A man who wallows in filth would be ignorant as to what purity looks like. I would pity you if you weren't so pathetic. Or something else needlessly grandiose and self-superior. This is what you wanted, right?

>>4092494
On a slightly less jokey and confrontational note, what do you want in terms of a romantic partner for Arthur, anon? I've been shooting for a vampire bride this pretty much since I saw "Castlevania" in the title, but Chaos is also pretty cute. Since you don't like ojou characters or Chaos, though, I'm curious where you're coming from.

>>4092503
Well I'm a sufferingboo so any waifu I'd pick I would do so expressly for the purpose of her being plucked away from Arthur to hurt him. Hardship encourages growth after all. So my ideal waifu for that purpose would be someone who is strong of will and capable of keeping up with Arthur in these troubling times. Not a damsel in distress but an true to form woman. And she'd have to bring out his good qualities rather than enforcing and indulging in his bad ones. A sort of counterbalance to the influences he has in his current companions, Chaos and even the very nature of his soul. All so that the loss of said waifu would be even more damning and painful.

But I'm aware that I am quite too comfortable with misery and very fond of bringing it upon others. So I would never actually try to partake in the waifu wars. No matter who wins I'd want them to get got.

As for a question of taste Alura is currently the closest to my ideal waifu we've come across. She's a bit flighty and whimsical for my taste, though. Ojou's are just too far on the scale. Because I've had to deal with similar people before and they're annoying as shit.

File: Ice Magician.jpg (223 KB, 1156x2048)

223 KB JPG

He's talking as is he has some sort of trump card up his sleeve, and his attacks have already been proven to have great effect on Alura and her organic attacks. After all, what good is a man eating plant when your enemy can simply shatter it like glass? It's really quite irritating, Alura, despite the obvious strength she holds, has only ever found herself against opponents with abilities that function as hard counters to her own. Shirley had her fire, and as you saw from how she immolated the entire mansion in rage, was apparently holding back with it, and then there's this new enemy with this ice. Nevertheless, the fact that she can still match these enemies even with these weaknesses to certain elements of hers taken into account is impressive in it's own regard. She never really did face off against Shirley properly though...

For now though, you'll have to settle with putting an end to this fight. There's really no reason for Alura to be fighting this man, though you might have trouble persuading her otherwise now she's been so heavily injured. With one hand, you casually push your way through the door and into the dining hall, trying not to be surprised at the two dozen people in the room, both sitting and standing, that have been reduced to ice sculptures, or the sculptures that have obviously been knocked over during the course of the battle, frozen chunks of skull and brain are dashed against the floor, next to a half destroyed ice sculpture of an obese man. Seems for all his rage at the collateral damage going on on this ship, he's certainly no stranger to causing it himself. The man in question is standing on the opposite side to Alura, who is missing an arm, but doesn't really seem that hindered by it. The man is lightly panting in exhaustion with multiple wounds cut into his flesh through his clothing which is stained red through the white cloth in many places. His clothing looks more like the garb of some sort of fantastical wizard than anything else, you hope he wasn't just walking around like this for the entire trip and nobody ever took note of him for it, the clothing itself consists of a highly decorated white robe that seems to shimmer in the light drawn over a black tunic. The entire outfit is accentuated with golden decorations. The man has has a hand on the hilt of some unseen weapon, likely some form of sword. His hair is as white as the frost coating the room and his blue eyes reveal no emotion other than annoyance.

You cough to draw the attention of both the magician and Alura "Both of you ought to stop this madness. I have no idea what either of you are hoping to accomplish here at this point. You both should have realized the pointlessness of this fight by now." The man relaxes a little bit at your intrusion, seems that he might be possible to talk some sense with after all. "As for you, why are you attacking my ally? I heard something about a failed assassination attempt before I came in. You can't seriously be attacking purely out of spite. That's not very professional of you, is it?" Hopefully you can get a little bit of information from him.

The man is about to speak up before an unseen vine tendril buried underneath the floorboards whips out of the floor and smashes into the side of the man, there's a crunch as it collides with his arm and sends him flying across the room, crashing into a few ice sculptures as he goes and reducing them to a shattered mess of frozen gore. Eventually coming to a stop and landing in a heap near one of the walls, well, it looks like he's still breathing at least, so he isn't dead just yet. After quickly having dealt with her enemy, the girl with a missing arm turns to you with a smile. "It's really about time you showed up, Arthur. I take it this... adorable little thing is the vampire then?" While her words are sweet, the tone is venomous, Alura seems to be sizing Holly up for a fight for some reason.

You need to quickly remedy this situation before Alura decides to deal with Holly next "Ah, not quite the one we're looking for. Alura, I want you to meet..."

"It's Holly. My name is Holly Taylor" Holly lets go of your hand as she steps forwards, for the first time since you've seen her, she seems to have a little confidence behind her actions. "I knew Arthur for a while before my..." she murmurs something inaudibly, even you can't catch it. "turned me into a vampire. She's probably the one you're after."

"Oh, is this true Arthur?" Alura seems to have deemed Holly less of a threat now, her eyes have lost the dangerous edge they had to them before you came into the room.

"True enough. She isn't the one who injured me, at least. As far as fighting goes, she's basically all power with no skill behind her, even I was able to defeat her." You feel like your statement downplays your own ability somewhat, but you don't mind. The point is to get Alura to stop considering Holly a potential threat, after all.

"Yeah. With my help! I'll have you know I A-aaaaaaaaaaa!" With a distance now made from Holly, the sylph hiding within your suit finally decides to make an appearance, unfortunately you're forced to cut her introduction short when out of the corner of your eye you see the ice magician struggling to his feet. Dashing across the room over to him, being at least a little careful of the remaining frozen diners just in case the freezing process isn't immediately fatal. Before the man can rise to his feet, you've managed to close the distance. His left arm is bent out of shape and in his right hand is a blue bottle of liquid that he is trying to bring to his mouth. Some sort of healing potion, possibly?

"I wouldn't recommend that if I were you. Surrender, and I might just be convinced let you live." You can still get some information from the man, and he's clearly quite powerful. It might be wasteful to kill him off.

The grip on the vial of liquid tightens, before he places it on the floor carefully. "That was a dirty trick you pulled, 'Mr. Dark Lord'. Fine, what exactly is it you want from me? There must be some reason you're not killing me immediately."

>"Information, I'm in quite the need of it. If you value your life, you'll tell me everything I wish to know (Any questions in particular?)
>"You mentioned being some kind of magical assassin, did you not? I might have need of your services in tracking down a vampire hiding aboard this ship."
>"From you? I changed my mind, there's nothing you could say that could stop me from doing this." Activate the Power of Destruction and kill the man.
>"I don't actually want anything from you. Just stay out of my way and I won't be forced to kill you." Let him go.
>Write-in...

>>4092544
>>"Information, I'm in quite the need of it. If you value your life, you'll tell me everything I wish to know (Any questions in particular?)
First off it would be nice knowing who exactly he worked for. Or if he is an independent contractor. And secondly how far the word has spread on Arthur. What tales of the "dark lord" have graced the fair lands of fuckin europe. Fuckin Europe. And of course if there is a big dumb bounty or something on our head.

These are the things that spring to mind for me. Asking him if we can pick up some anti-summer-weather spells from him is probably a less than ideal use of time. Or plainly useless depending on his disposition.

>>4092544
>"You mentioned being some kind of magical assassin, did you not? I might have need of your services in tracking down a vampire hiding aboard this ship."
Wow, what a fucking scrub.
What was his plan even?
Run away alot and then die?
Alura dealt with this icy faggot with ease all things considered.

>>4092555
Well whatever his plan was I am sure he intended to look cool whilst pulling it off.

>>4092561
The people in the canteen seem to agree
That his display was chilling to see.

>>4092544
>"Information, I'm in quite the need of it. If you value your life, you'll tell me everything I wish to know (Any questions in particular?)
>What's your name?
Names are always useful.
>Who do you work for and why are you on this ship?
Let's get the story from him.
>What do you know about the Dorin organization?
>What does their presence in cities and towns look like?
>What's their general M.O. when dealing with supernatural incidents like these?
>How do they track people and things they're looking for?

And that's just about all I can think up atm. Anyone else have anything to add to these?

>>4092561
>>4092565
For every ice pun you make, Alucard arrives a day sooner

>>4092555
You shouldn't undersell just how strong Alura is.
You actually distracted him long enough for her to launch an attack too sudden for him to evade or freeze, and at the end of the day, most humans are going to go down when they get hit like that.
Allowing yourself to be distracted can be a fatal mistake to make.

>>4092695
>For every ice pun you make, Alucard arrives a day sooner
Well then I guess we better stay frosty

>"You mentioned being some kind of magical assassin, did you not? I might have need of your services in tracking down a vampire hiding aboard this ship."

>You help us and we'll help you. Eh?

>>4092544
Supporting >>4092552

There are very few possibilities on a target here, we need to know their mark to determine if they're dangerous or not.
But most likely he's not gonna be able to tell us straight up, he's a professional after all.

I wonder if we can recruit this asshole.

Also, him about to drink his potion reminds me we still have those vials on us.
We should ask our allies about those.

>>4092544
>"I did not intend for her to do that. Apologies."
>"Information, I'm in quite the need of it. If you value your life, you'll tell me everything I wish to know (Any questions in particular?)
>First off, what's your name?
>Who do you work for and why are you on this ship?
>What do you know about this Dark Lord business, and how much do others know?
>What's with that vial? Can you tell me about it?
>"You mentioned being some kind of magical assassin, did you not? I might have need of your services in tracking down a vampire hiding aboard this ship."

>>4092844
It is quite odd how you don't really seem to have any interest in them.

>>4092698
I have an absolute zero tolerance for these puns.

>>4092515
>Well I'm a sufferingboo so any waifu I'd pick I would do so expressly for the purpose of her being plucked away from Arthur to hurt him. Hardship encourages growth after all. So my ideal waifu for that purpose would be someone who is strong of will and capable of keeping up with Arthur in these troubling times.
Wow, that is completely at odds with my goals for the quest. Sorry we don't see eye-to-eye, anon.

>>4092544
>>"Information, I'm in quite the need of it. If you value your life, you'll tell me everything I wish to know (Any questions in particular?)
"Who do you work for, who was your target, what are you doing here, what are your methods?"

>>4092978
>It is quite odd how you don't really seem to have any interest in them.
I do feel we need to show them to Anna and figure out what they do, but first it seems like we've got to find a moment to breathe, so we can discuss non-urgent matters with her.
We haven't had one of those yet.

>>4092978
>I have an absolute zero tolerance for these puns.
Oh don't be so frigid.

>>4093062
>Wow, that is completely at odds with my goals for the quest. Sorry we don't see eye-to-eye, anon.
S'all good. I'm perfectly aware that it's absolutely extreme and unwanted by pretty much everyone. Doesn't mean I won't talk mad shit about everyone along the way.

File: Dracula is tall.jpg (209 KB, 500x657)

209 KB JPG

There's lots of different questions here.
>>4092552
>>4092677
>>4092859
>>4093062

Would...
>What's your name?
>Who do you work for, why are you on this ship and what are your methods?
>Ask about self and how well known the Dark Lord or rumours of are to Europe
>Ask what he knows about the Dorin Organization.
Work for you all?

Do you want to apologize for Alura ragdolling him across the room or not?

>>4093902
>Do you want to apologize for Alura ragdolling him across the room or not?
Pft no. It's not like we told her to do it and they were trying to kill each other anyway.

The questions are a-ok. Even if asking a dead man for his name is pointless.

>>4093902
Questions are fine. No apologising.

>>4093912
but it isn't pointless tho, we'll know why there are guys trying to kill us screaming about us killing josef

>>4093902
Looks good to me. Don't apologize.

Also take his robes. They're cool and we need them.

>>4093902
Those questions sound good. No need to apologize.

>>4094020
Our suit is cooler.

>>4094022
you fool
idiot
you
bumbling buffoon

we'll wear it over the suit.

>>4094035
I'll be blunt with you.
That would look like shit. The styles totally clash.

>>4094035
But think of the clashing of styles!

>>4094039
>>4094038
We are a servant of CHAOS

>>4094044
Also we can give the robes to Alura

File: You sure talk big for som(...).png (86 KB, 500x397)

86 KB PNG

>>4094044

>>4094047
Space Link?!

y'know, there's gonna be alotta missing people when this cruise disembarks. how do you guys suggest obfuscating that? I think we should frame mr magician here for all the dissapearances, then make it look like he went into hiding.

>>4094044
>wanting to be a slave to unreason
Truly a horrendous little goblin you are. Also his robe isn't even that cool. Which is odd because he's an ice wizard.

File: kandrax3.png (12 KB, 206x206)

12 KB PNG

>>4094064
It was a joke, anon

File: 68367654263542374.jpg (44 KB, 600x454)

44 KB JPG

>>4094067
There are no jokes in the presence of the foolish. No matter how hard you try to emphasize the fact it was not serious there will be some who take it as gospel. You know not the horrors you have set in motion. Because of you the doomsday clock has begun to tick. Even now the drooling masses convince themselves that anything is justified so long as they do it for Chaos.

Damn you, anon. The end is nigh.

>>4094077
this post gets funnier the more i read it

>>4094077
Are you saying the unenlightened masses cannot make the judgement call?

File: kandrax4.gif (10 KB, 200x224)

10 KB GIF

>>4094077
and if that's exactly what I wanted?

>>4094087
But... if they give up free will forever their voices won't be heard at all!

>>4094093
Good. Then they may display obedience while never stepping out of line.

This is a valuable opportunity to get some more knowledge about the world around you. This defeated enemy could yet be of some use. "Information, I'm in need of it quite badly as things stand. So, if you value your life, You'll answer all of my questions, Mr...?"

"Izmaylov. My name is Grigori Izmaylov, your second question is no doubt who I work for, no?" You give the assassin a brief nod to continue. "Well, I usually work independently but sometimes I have a few partners that occasionally aid me on difficult missions, ever since the underground world found out about magic, there's been quite a lot of work for a man with my skill set. Even with the Church and their lapdogs going about and trying to either capture or destroy anything they can't control."

"Your skill set? Tell me more about just what it is you can do, I'm quite interested in the skills of a magic-wielding assassin, if only to know what to expect in the future, though if you're not her for me, I would like to know just what you are hoping to accomplish here." If he's useful enough, it might even be worth keeping him around, a pity you don't really have a way to ensure his loyalty, or at least to ensure he won't try to kill you as soon as he has recovered from his current state.

The man grunts as he drags himself over to a wall to lean against, his limp hand dangling uselessly. You allow him to drag himself across the floor, so long as he doesn't make any sudden movements. If he did, you're pretty certain you're close enough that you could kill him with one of those wind enhanced strikes you have courtesy of Mistral, so you decide it better to allow the mercy of allowing the wounded man to prop himself up against something. "The Izmaylov family have spent centuries researching our magic, if that's what you're asking. It's something passed down through our blood. As for my other skills, I pride myself on my ability to find people who don't want to be found, and I've trained in a variety of weapons, even the... more modern kind, should a job call for it. Though my preferred method of killing is to freeze their heart, by the time anybody finds a target and performs the autopsy, it's long since defrosted." The man chuckles despite the obvious pain. "They never get any further than simply labeling it as a heart attack. As for why I'm here, my target was meant to meet the now deceased monster dealer on this ship upon him reaching wherever they set up their meeting, I couldn't find any record of it, so that information disappeared down the neck of the bloodsucking monster that devoured him." He squints in Alura's direction, though you're pretty certain that the girl standing behind her is the true culprit.

"You know, you're awfully talkative for a man who might be moments away from his death. Aren't you at least a bit concerned?" It's not very professional for an assassin to spill everything he knows upon being captured, so you're a little confused.

"Not really, I'm a dead man either way. There's no point in being secretive if my current employer is just going to kill me for my failure regardless of how much I reveal here, so why would I bother being loyal to them? Fucking cultists, pay well but are never worth the effort. That's the problem with dealing with fanatics. I don't even know why the target was contacting a smuggler dealing in monsters, but it was stressed that it wasn't my concern."

"Speaking of fanatics, you did mention the Church, are they involved with this... Dorin Organization? I seem to have attracted their attention in quite a significant way."

The man laughs at the mention of the people pursuing you "And here I thought I was supposed to be the dead man! What did you do to piss those zealots off? Don't tell me they actually buy into this Dark Lord story!" The man is fairly crass, all things considered. It's kind of at odds with his appearance. You would've thought him to be more eloquent judging from looks alone.

"I'd prefer if you could tell me about them, instead of just laughing at the circumstances." You aren't really in a hurry, but you are the one asking the questions here, allowing Grigori to take control of the conversation wouldn't be beneficial at all.

"What's is there to say, they've been quite secretive since they were founded 70 or so years ago by some priest to 'help combat evil wherever it might thrive' or whatever their stupid motto was. Most of the time, their targets or people who try to antagonize them just vanish without a trace, never to be seen again. Doesn't matter how much power they'd amassed, more than a few people have picked a fight with them over the years, only to have their entire network dismantled the very next day."

Sounds like Shirley's organization isn't quite as above board as she liked to pretend, or perhaps she was simply misled herself? It's a thought you don't want to dwell on, the girl had obviously betrayed you from the start. "So, I take it no stories of the Dark Lord have reached Europe then."

"Unless you're talking about Dracula, then not really. All I've heard are a few rumors and prophecies being thrown about sometimes. Lot of people just don't know when to quit. Dracula is dead. Belmont took care of that." You're relieved that you are still a relative unknown across the sea, it seems the Dorin Organization aren't too quick to leak out information to the criminal underworld, but there is one thing he mentioned that deeply concerns you.

"Belmont?" That's an unfamiliar name, but somehow, just hearing it makes your heart beat a little faster and has somewhat worsened your mood.

"Vampire hunter family, if there's one type of person you don't want to fuck with, it's a Belmont, Whenever Dracula rose up in the past, it was almost always a Belmont that sent him back to his shallow grave." Well, at least you've got some information on a person to absolutely avoid now.

"Well then, Grigori, I think that brings an end to my questions for you. So now...

>...I'll kill you painlessly."
>...You can go free."
>...You'll work for me."
>...I'm going to let Alura deal with you in whatever way she pleases."
>Write-in.

>>4094254
>...I'm going to let Alura deal with you in whatever way she pleases."
A good boss always rewards reliable subordinates!

>>4094254
>...You'll work for me."
I think he's more useful to us as an asset than he is as a snack for our plant.

>>4094254
>>...I'm going to let Alura deal with you in whatever way she pleases."
He did freeze her arm off. Maybe she'll hit him with some organic morphine first. Probably not.

>>4094254
>...I'm going to let Alura deal with you in whatever way she pleases."

Yeah, don't want a disloyal guy like this working for us. Complete disaster in the making. Now how do we go about making it look like this guy was behind all the disappearances on this cruise.

>>4094272
You're a fool if you think she isn't going to kill him as painfully as possible.
She butchered like 30 something people merely for the threat of killing her.

I would prefer we kept him alive, but I am interested in seeing just how far she'll go.

>>4094289
Hey man it's always possible. Even if it isn't plausible. Frankly it doesn't matter. Alura already doesn't care for her companions save us. Adding this guy to the mix would just escalate the tensions in our group.

A pity we finally meet a boy and he has to die. Damn ruskies.

>>4094254
>>...You'll work for me."
Since feeding him to Alura has strong support I'll change to this cuz I feel bad for him. And because we are no strangers to taking dumb risks.

>>4094254
>...You'll work for me."
Definitely more useful as an assist.

We also need to clean up this mess before it turns into a hitman-style corpse pyramid of witnesses. Urgh.

>Plant Food
>>4094263
>>4094272
>>4094277

>Icy Acquisition
>>4094271
>>4094304
>>4094333

We are at an impasse between the two most extreme options, it seems.
Damn, I wanted to get a second update done today.

>>4094277
>Yeah, don't want a disloyal guy like this working for us.
It's not that he's totally disloyal to his employer no matter the circumstances, it's more in this case his employer is the sort to unironically "You have failed me for the last time! Die!" on people working for them, regardless of how the failure was brought about, so he really doesn't care about being loyal to them.
Money is good though, and the mission seemed to be one without risks. Till two major unknown variables popped up, started playing deadly hide and seek and subsequently screwed everything.

>>4094296
>Adding this guy to the mix would just escalate the tensions in our group.
You know you don't have to live with him in order to have him work for you right?
That's not to say there are no benefits to the other path though, Alura does want to kill him just a little.

Also, would you believe it if I told you that Alura doesn't actually hate Anna?
She just enjoys tormenting her a little.

>>4094333
>hitman-style corpse pyramid of witnesses
I look forward to seeing you try to disguise the amount of disappearances on this ship and the bizarre ways the majority of them died.

>>4094254
>>...You'll work for me."

>>4094254
>"...You'll work for me."
>If Alura complains, tell her that he's on a tight leash and that right now he's much more useful alive. His Ice shenanigans are ineffective against us now that we know what we're dealing with.
>Hell he'll probably be more loyal to us then to those cultists, considering a potential Dark Lord would be pretty high up on the totem pole.

>>4094492
>actually working for moustache twirling villains.
What a fucking idiot. He should've just called it quits instead of trying to fuck with us.

>You know you don't have to live with him in order to have him work for you right?
As useful as he might be, there's always going to be that possibility of betrayal. I don't really see the harm in having him help find Hild though.
Worst case, he can be a sacrifice.

>Alura doesn't actually hate Anna
Isn't Anna technically like her mother?
Doesn't that sort of help her disposition towards her?
Also, we still need to get her an actual name, referring to her by her species name feels wrong.

>I look forward to seeing you try to disguise the amount of disappearances on this ship and the bizarre ways the majority of them died.
Can't we just have Alura dissolve them and throw the remains in the ocean?
She can make acid right?

>>4094570
>What a fucking idiot. He should've just called it quits instead of trying to fuck with us.
Think of it this way, this one group pays you really well and after a few jobs you discover that they fuck over anyone who fails them and even hunt down quitters. The best thing to do in his head is to continue doing their job and not fuck up, shouldn't be too hard since they know what they're doing.
Right now he's passing the Anger part of Grief after realizing he's dead meat.

>>4094582
>realizing he's dead meat.
Depending on how useful he is to us, he might become more literal meat for our predatory allies yet.

"You'll work for me, I have a task that you might be of help in accomplishing. Of course, that is unless your pride as an assassin or some other oath-bound nonsense prevents you from doing so, I could simply have Alura play with you however she wishes, and I doubt it's an experience that would be enjoyable for you." The man looks you in the eye as you declare his fate, his poker face is pretty good, he remains completely straight-faced. Honestly, you were expecting to see at least some sort of relief at his life being spared.

The man sighs as he readjusts himself against the wall. "If that's the way you want to do things, that's fine. If I've got a choice between death and breaking a contract by working for somebody else, I'm not so foolish that I would prioritize my reputation over my own life. Not for the sake of a bunch of lunatics. Besides, they paid half up front anyway." He eyes Alura warily. "Just, keep your girl over there under control. I've fought my fair share of monsters in my life, and she tops that list in regards to danger. I really don't like that look she's got in her eye either."

"Aww, so I don't get to kill him yet? Too bad. I suppose I'll just have to wait before giving you exactly what he deserves." You supress the urge to jump at the voice coming from directly behind you, turning just in time to see Alura flash the injured magician a savage smile before she smashes the vial of blue liquid that was placed on the floor underfoot. "I think you can stay like that for now at least though. You can suffer the pain of losing the use of that arm for a while." Grigori does nothing but give her a pained smile in response as she walks away to inspect the ice sculptures for whatever reason.

"I can't really say you don't deserve it, Mr. Izmaylov. You did take one of her arms during the skirmish the two of you decided to have, and it's perfectly normal for anyone to be upset about that, the difference between her losing her arm and you losing the use of yours is that you are only alive because I decided you were more useful to me that way. Were it not for my intervention, you don't want to imagine what Alura would do to you, I believe that she would really excel at making your death a painful one." Honestly, you don't really want to imagine what she'd do to him either, but you ought to get the man to properly fear the retribution he'd suffer if he did betray you somewhere down the line. "Oh, and the name is Arthur Bernhard. Commit it to memory."

"Bernhard, huh? Alright then. You don't need to rub the situation in my face." He coughs up some blood. "I take it I'm not getting paid for this job you had in mind? Who or what are you actually trying to find anyway?" The man immediately changes his attitude as he begins to speak business with you. He understands he's not getting paid at least, which is good. Because you're pretty certain you don't have the funds to actually pay him right now even if you wanted to. If you're going to spend life on the run, then you're going to need to figure out a way to make some money. But that will have to come later.

"You won't be getting paid for this, no. But don't worry, should you prove your worth, I can assure you that you will be well rewarded for any later work I have you undertake." Another lie, but you're confident with the power you and your allies have, gathering physical currency won't exactly be difficult. Even if you have to instruct Coller to rob a bank or something. " You see, me and my allies have been looking for a powerful vampire hidden aboard this cruise ship for the last few days and haven't had much luck in finding her."

For the first time, Grigori actually takes note of the girl standing near the door. "I assume you aren't here to slay this vampire then? Because the girl over there is pretty clearly a vampire. I'm actually quite surprised with how she's looking at me that she hasn't tried anything yet." He pushes his good hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "Seeking out a powerful vampire that obviously wants to remain hidden? Sounds like suicide to me. But a job is a job. It's a shame I'll be doing it with only one arm, but I've had worse." You can't get a read on him, it's really quite infuriating that he seems to be taking the whole situation so lightly.

"I'm glad we could come to some sort of arrangement. Killing exceptional individuals such as yourself would be quite wasteful." And you need all the power you can get right now, especially if the Dorin Organization is as dangerous as everyone seems to believe, or in case this 'Belmont' fellow shows his face. Then there's Chaos' request to take into consideration, it's doubtful that the other Dark Lord Candidates will be easy to kill no matter how you go about things. That is, if you decide to go through with killing them after all.

Turning away from the injured man, you see that Alura has taken an interest in one of the frozen diners. Specifically one of the waitresses, if you had to wager, you'd say she's in her late twenties. As for Alura's interest in the waitress, you quickly notice the reason as to why, though her jaw has frozen shut, she's still clearly alive. Terrified eyes darting back and forth as Alura looks at the woman, expression neutral. "Mmm, you'll do." Is all Alura says as she plunges her hand into the womans throat. The woman's eyes roll to the back of her head as her body withers away, all the while Alura's missing arm steadily regrows. It takes less than half a minute for Alura's arm to be restored completely, and to leave the waitress a withered husk. You really would've preferred not having to see that. A quick glance at your newly employed assassin confirms he shares your thoughts on the matter, while Holly looks on with an expression that could only be called fascination.

Alura casually tosses the partially frozen husk of a body away, which shatters completely into sparkling dust as it collides with the floor. The clothing the waitress was wearing perfectly preserved despite the utter destruction of the body of the woman wearing it. Alura smiles as she looks your way, clearly looking to gauge your reaction to her casual murder. While you do a perfect job of hiding your thoughts on the brutal killing, the man responsible for killing the majority of the room looks a little green, it's the first time his mask has slipped. Upon realizing your apparent lack of disgust at the murder and consumption of a fellow human being, Alura gives you a happy smile "Well, with this pest taken care of, I believe we're done here." Alura stretches her new arm out as she doesn't even bother hiding her disdain for your new ally.

Though she is probably correct, you're definitely going to have to do something about the mess they've caused here. It's just too much for you to ignore

>Ask Alura if she has any way to get rid of the bodies.
>Ask Grigori for his advice on disposing of this many bodies.
>Use the Power of Destruction in an effort to completely erase all the bodies.
>Just leave things as they are, nobody is going to realise what actually happened here anyway.
>Write-in...

>>4094905

>You JUST got rid of a body. Just do that to all of them. Turn them all into dust.

>>4094914
What if she isn't thirsty?

>>4094905
>>Ask Grigori for his advice on disposing of this many bodies.

How long would it take to just dump all the bodies overboard?

>>4094951
Well, there's 23 frozen diners you'd need to carry a fair distance to dump overboard.
So...
A fair amount of time, at least.
Well, Alura can manage the majority by herself, but then you'd run into the problem of a rising bodycount for everyone that saw you.

Well then,
>>4094905
>Use the Power of Destruction in an effort to completely erase all the bodies.

>>4094921
make a bunch of plant servants with the extra life force/blood/whatnot. There's no need to overfill.

>>4094905
>Check if Holly's doing okay.
>Ask Grigori for his advice on disposing of this many bodies.
I know she isn't feeling as much shock due to being a vampire now, but it doesn't hurt to check on their mental health.

>>4094905
>Use the Power of Destruction in an effort to completely erase all the bodies.

>>4094971
>>4095061
There are TWENTY THREE of them.

We'll pass out!

>>4095098
This is the fastest, and the cleanest method to clean the deck, if we aren't going to frame icy then we need to hide the evidence VERY well, you know, maybe make it so the evidence never existed to be found?
And I doubt we'll faint from this, we've made a cloud that erased all that existed in it before. If we can't destroy 23 corpses without fainting then we'll be in trouble when we have to erase our murders in the future regardless so best to find out our limits now.

>>4095104
>maybe make it so the evidence never existed to be found?
Twenty three people vanishing without a trace on a cruise ship that was all torn up on the inside is still super suspicious though.

>>4095114
yeah, not like we can do anything about that though, maybe instigate a brawl on board and attribute it to that or something.

>>4095098
Good point.

>>4094905
>>4095061
Switching.
>Ask Grigori for his advice on disposing of this many bodies.

>>4095116
Clearly we just need to sink the ship and commandeer one of the life boats. Also steal all the food before we do.

We're still gonna have to deal with all the bodies Holly has been leaving around the ship, and possibly foist the responsibility of all the disappearances on the dead monster dealer.

Actually, >>4095130
That's perfect. Let's do it like 1 day before reaching port.

>>4095135
Remember to bring an umbrella. Gotta watch out for that mega sunburn.

>>4095140
Alura can just make a sunflower umbrella, OR she could even make a big leaf boat!

>>4095141
Gross.

>>4095144
No, it's actually better than the lifeboat since it's biodegradable and wouldn't leave any evidence on-shore. Ships sink often enough that it wouldn't be too suspicious if it did, certainly not more suspicious than all the missing people with structural damage and no bodies.

>>4095147
Coller weighs like ten million ducks though. She'd be too heavy for a bigass floating fern.

>>4095162
Wasn't she floating in the tank we found her in? Even if she's heavy, the car could hold her weight, and Alura could crush the car. She could also make a balloon plant, or Coller could run on the sea floor. Really the only problem I see with this plan is the crew getting suspicious about the disappearances and contacting the mainland.

>>4095168
We never found out what that fluid she was floating in was. And cars can carry a whole hell of a lot more without issue than boats can, What happens when you put too much weight on one side of a car? It drags a little and gets sluggish. Boats'll topple over or sway too much. And a leaf is way more flexible than a boat. It'll bend and that'll throw off the integrity of it all. The boat is superior to the leaf.

In fact we should burn all leaves. Quickly, to the amazon.

>>4095187
I think our objective should simply be to leave the boat some time before it reaches land.

That's it. We just get off, perhaps on a leaf boat, and call it a day. We must do it during night and temporarily knock out guards and operators so we get away safely. Alura can do that easily though.

>>4095187
Then you just have to disperse the weight along enough surface area. So she could make a really huge leaf as the floor and hull, or, she could make really long plant tubes full of air, then coil them conically underneath the leaf to give it enough buoyancy to offset the weight.

>>4095196
What you don't want to potentially kill a ton of people by sinking a ship? Pft, what are you, a good person?

File: 76376947648765.gif (1.23 MB, 540x225)

1.23 MB GIF

>>4095201
>tfw teaching alura about shipbuilding and engineering for a leaf

>>4095126
>>4095098
>>4095024
Just to be clear, you guys do realize that the longer we stall actually dealing with the bodies, the higher the likelihood of having to kill additional witnesses right?

>>4095196
Sinking the ship just gets rid of the evidence, not sure if we go through with it whether or not we should make sure all the passengers die by sabotaging the lifeboats or not.

>>4095224
You do realize that if we faint due to overusing the power of destruction we have absolutely no way of dealing with the consequences that ensue right?
Please accept the fact that it's a stupid risk that people don't want to take instead of mass quoting people who know what they're voting for just because you aren't having your way.

>>4095234
Let's see, we have Alura and holly right next to us, and we just secured an alliance with Grigori. If we faint I'm sure Alura would help us out. An it's not like Grigori would just try to kill us right after we cleaned a mess he was partially responsible for.

File: Sway.gif (140 KB, 200x230)

140 KB GIF

>>4095239
I don't think I have enough Hinas for the amount of misfortune this route would take us.

>>4095258
What's the worst that could happen? We spend a few days unconscious talking to drac/chaos while the vampire gets antsy we haven't found her yet and starts killing people blatantly to get our attention while grigori's original target gets paranoid and uses magic to find out what happened to his monster dealer friend?

>>4095263
>What's the worst that could happen?
People mistakenly think spending time with Chaos is a positive.

>>4095273
Chaos is a top-tier benefactor so I can forgive that.
But time loss is a ridiculous cost in our current circumstances.

>>4095275
but we have 5 days til we reach land though

>>4095275
Chaos didn't give us the Materialize Cube so we can get cash from smashing light fixtures and you think it's top-tier. Get outta town.

File: image.jpg (45 KB, 246x230)

45 KB JPG

>>4095202

>how do you hide the murders
>kill literally everyone

I think you scared off QM by being way too evil.