>>5434387I definitely think that going for cultivating greater personal power that many people insisted on was part of the reason why Vlad nearly died during the fight on the coast. His greatest strength is facilitation of growth of his allies and acting as a force multiplier, not trying to be Guts 2.0 even if the situation may call for it. This sort of a character had been determined all the way back at the start of the quest when we chose the reward from the spirit of nature and deviating from it, especially in times of crisis had led to us losing more than we gained. That is even the whole point of magicians in Berserk: the greatest feats of their power come not from them, but from their ability to communicate with nature, its elements, spirits and asking to borrow their power. Sure, they can call down lightning and fire, but it is not *Their* lightning and fire, they ask spirits for permission and cooperation in its use, acting as a medium for the purposes of channeling the forces into the material world. In this regard they are more like shamans and spiritualists than typical fantasy spellcasters that simply bend the elemental powers to their whims. Of course there is the dark path, but that one seems like a line never meant to be crossed. Not-Merlina buffing apostles was a great example of what Vlad could have been doing for his allies instead of trying to Dragoon-dive sea monsters with his spear and nearly breaking his neck in the process. The "cool" factor had cost us Cindy even if we did manage to absolutely wreck the neo-Falcons, but their losses were still easily replenished and we had suffered permanent injuries in return. Also, holy shit Barnham is great, he steals the show whenever he appears.
