>>5176154>>5176160>>5176160>>5176163>>5176168>>5176169>>5176172>>5176178"Why did you turn into an apostle?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Ironically enough, it was when I was being hunted by another monster. An ogre came to destroy my village, and me and my brother couldn't run away given our... conjoined nature." Barnham's backstory somewhat resembles the one Zhafira told you one day, the one with Don and Deion.
"I always wanted to be a knight, but they could never accept people like us. We didn't have money to make a custom armor, and the way his head was contorted on my chest made sure that I would kill him in any fight. Do you know how many came to my aid when the ogre came to crush us to bits? No one, no one but the ones who gave me this form. I owe them a great deal for fixing my body, and though I was once weak, becoming a predator seconds before dying as prey made me realize how impotent I was when sharing bodies with my brother. Now that I'm finally free, ceasing my conquest for power is damn near possible. Might is addicting, and the only thing that stops me from indulging in my impulses, is to remind myself that I was once also incapable, much like the previous slaves I owned."
"So you still plan on starting a war, I assume? Killing the royal family included?"
"I am not incapable of change, Vlad. But it will take me some convincing. Only unlike your horse, I don't believe there are many restraints that could bind me."
"Like the man who bested you in battle? What was his name?"
"Nosferatu Zodd. The immortal warrior from 300 years ago... He once came to Ilos to search for a good fight. Like me, he yearns for battle. This was in the early days of my Coliseum, where not enough people were there to see my failures and doubt my credibility, but our fight was pretty intense. He killed nearly all my men, and when I tried to fight him, even my punches weren't enough to bring him down. That's when I finally transformed and started to turn the tides. But just when victory was within sight, he revealed that what I thought was his apostle form, was merely his restrained state."
Wow, is he that ugly?
"The fight lasted twelve whole hours. I would feast and heal with the bodies of my fallen comrades, but he would take me down regardless. It wasn't until there was only one more soldier left that he spoke up."
"Cease. You stood no chance when eating the past 200 bodies, what would the 201st do? You should already take pride in standing against the best for half a day, Barnham. However, you still have a long way to go if you plan on overtaking our masters. Grow stronger, and maybe I will consider taking your life."
"You've won, Master Zodd. By all means, you should be the one to lead my coliseum!"
"I am not interested in plots of lands, but the search for the strongest one. You might not be the one I'm looking for, but you might reach a higher tier one day. Perhaps to even fight me without resorting to human consumption."
