Tuesday, 11 October 2022

SS Supports: Chapter 6

Today's Supports:

  • Artur/Joshua C
  • Franz/Gilliam B
  • Neimi/Colm B
  • Neimi/Garcia B
  • Neimi/Gilliam B

Artur/Joshua C

Joshua: Hey, you there.
Artur: Yes?
Joshua: You a monk or something?
Artur: Yes. I came from Renais. My name is Artur.
Joshua: I’m Joshua. So, uh… You want to make me a bet?
Artur: A bet?
Joshua: Sure! Call it in the air: heads or tails?
Artur: …?
Joshua: What’s the matter? All you have to do is say heads or tails. So what’s your call?
Artur: I have no idea what this is about, but I’ll say heads for now.
Joshua: Right, so I get tails. Here, we’ll flip now. Annnnnnd… Right! Tails. I win.
Artur: You win. Um… What do you win?
Joshua: Well, now, you have to do whatever I tell you.
Artur: What? Why do you say that?
Joshua: You lost, right? Since you lost, you’ve got to do what I tell you. So when this battle’s over, I want you to train with me.
Artur: Train? What are you talking about? Look, I only said heads because you pressed me to! I don’t remember you saying anything about what we were betting on.
Joshua: You shouldn’t worry so much about the tiny details! You’ll waste your life, worrying so much! Now, about that training. I always have a tough time fighting against people who use magic. I think it’s got something to do with getting the timing right… I don’t really need to polish my technique too much. However, I’ve noticed that these battles just keep getting harder. So, I figured I should train with someone who can use a little magic!
Artur: I commend your attitude, but I really can’t help you… My evenings are pretty full as it is, so…
Joshua: Hey, now! A deal’s a deal. I’ll be waiting, so don’t be late!
Artur: Fine… But just for a little while!

Oh dear... Joshua found the sap. We'll... well, at least Joshua's doing it to help out the cause.

Franz/Gilliam B

Gilliam: Franz, I can see your training has paid off.
Franz: Yes, and I have to say, I’m surprised. I feel the energy flowing through me. I think it’s because of my resistance training, actually.
Gilliam: Frelia’s resistance training, you mean. You mean to tell me that you have no training like that in Renais?
Franz: We do have a system to strengthen our chest, arms, shoulders, and legs. However, that’s where we stop. We don’t train each individual finger…
Gilliam: Every muscle acts in relation to each other muscle. How can you neglect the fingers? That’s how we Frelians think.
Franz: Fascinating how our countries can have such distinct training systems, isn’t it?
Gilliam: And you’ve been training with our system every day without a single complaint! I’m impressed.
Franz: Oh, that’s because, each night before I go to sleep… I do our traditional relaxation exercises.
Gilliam: Relaxation exercises?
Franz: Before going to bed, flex each muscle you used, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed.
Gilliam: What, no fatigue the following day?
Franz: That’s right. That’s what it’s for.
Gilliam: That’s wonderful!
Franz: I can teach you if you like.
Gilliam: Please.
Franz: Fantastic! We’ll start tonight!

Now that's ingenuity. These two should get left to their own devices more often. Hopefully everyone sees it the same way when this becomes company policy...

Neimi/Colm B

Neimi: Whew!
Colm: What are you doing?
Neimi: Oh! C-Colm… I-I was just restringing my bow…
Colm: Wow. You really take after your grandfather. The way you handle your bow is great!
Neimi: Grandpa taught me how to shoot when I was little…
Colm: Yeah. Your grandfather was a really top-notch archer. I still remember how he tried to shoot me.
Neimi: W-well, Colm… That’s because you were stealing fruit from our tree.
Colm: He really taught me how frightening an archer with a good shot can be.
Neimi: But… He never hurt you. He just wanted to scare you. He missed on purpose.
Colm: No, he was aiming for me. I was just too fast for him to hit me.
Neimi: He never missed a target when we went hunting.
Colm: Well, then, I guess I’m just faster than wild animals.
Neimi: Hee hee! Ha ha ha!
Colm: Hey! You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?
Neimi: Hee hee! That’s not true… It’s just that… You haven’t changed much since then.
Colm: What’s that supposed to mean?
Neimi: J-just that you still exaggerate a lot. But now that I think about it, you’ve always been on my side.
Colm: Not always! And now especially, I can’t always be there to protect you. I have many responsibilities to this unit, you know.
Neimi: I know…
Colm: But I can’t leave you alone, either.
Neimi: Thank you…

At least Colm is... occasionally able to take things seriously. But no, Neimi's assessment of the situation is the accurate one. If Neimi's grandpa wanted to, he would not have missed.

Neimi/Garcia B

Garcia: Neimi! That gauntlet…
Neimi: Y-yes?
Garcia: That gauntlet! The one embroidered with the gold falcon…
Neimi: Huh? Oh, this? My late grandfather gave it to me. It was too big for me, so I resized it to fit my hand. He was the one who taught me how to use a bow… This is a keepsake he gave me.
Garcia: Is your grandfather’s name Zethla?
Neimi: How in the world…? Did you know him?
Garcia: Of course. He was THE master archer. He was known as “Single-Arrow Zethla.” He had amazing accuracy and could shoot any target, moving or still, with one shot. “No second arrow for Zethla” was what people would say. Renais tried to recruit him many times…
Neimi: Now that I think about it, when Grandpa went hunting, he would take only one arrow with him. Me, I always took many arrows…
Garcia: So, it WAS true!
Neimi: He never did join the army, even though recruiters did come by often. He said that it wasn’t in his nature…
Garcia: I know. In fact, I visited him once when I was young. He was wearing the gauntlet that day, and it left an impression.
Neimi: I see… Renais is such a big country, I never would have thought that you knew him. It’s a small world.
Garcia: Indeed. I can’t believe Single-Arrow Zethla’s granddaughter is fighting in this war. I’m encouraged by this fact. I’m counting on you, Neimi.
Neimi: What? YOU’RE counting on… ME?
Garcia: Yes.
Neimi: Um… I’m… happy to hear that. I-I’ll do my best not to let you down!
Garcia: Good. Then let’s go.
Neimi: Yes, sir!

In the world of Sacred Stones, Snipers have a class skill called Sure Shot that allows their arrows to be 100% accurate. It seems Zethla was quite the master at the skill. Still, though. He refused once, that should be more than enough to stop bothering him. Then again, the Renais knights don't seem to understand the meaning of "quit".

Neimi/Gilliam B

Gilliam: Neimi. You seem to be adjusting to the rigors of combat well. You’re a skilled archer after all.
Neimi: Oh… I’m so glad to hear you say that! I was so sad after we talked last. I didn’t know what to do, but then, I decided to focus on my archery.
Gilliam: That’s the spirit, Neimi. So, have you been training by yourself? I never mastered archery. I’m sorry I can’t help you train.
Neimi: No, no… Thank you, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot. First, I need to sharpen my vision so I can target more easily.
Gilliam: Sharpen your vision? Good eyesight seems essential in a good archer, but… How can you improve your vision? I don’t understand.
Neimi: My grandfather taught me to stare into the distance and concentrate. My grandfather taught me everything I know about the bow. My grandfather was- He was a great archer. One time, a snake was attacking a bird nest on a tree in a mountain far away. He aimed at the snake and shot it down.
Gilliam: Incredible. He was able to pick out and hit a snake from that distance? Your grandfather must have been a great archer.
Neimi: Yes, he was. And that’s why I’ve been staring into the distance. I’ve been training constantly on the field, and my vision has improved. See that tree in the distance? I can spot the bugs crawling on its leaves.
Gilliam: I’ll be impressed when you can hit each of those bugs from here.
Neimi: But… that would be cruel!
Gilliam: There’s no need to shoot bugs. You only need to shoot our enemies… using your keen eyes and the skills your grandfather gave you.
Neimi: Don’t you worry! You can count on me!

Don't mess with Neimi. She can and will needle you like a porcupine. And then cry about the callous loss of life afterwards. Sadly, that vision bonus doesn't seem to stretch to Fog-of-War.

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