The weather's cleared on this new day, the once dry and dusky haze that fell over this camp is now replaced with the smells of wet earth and the warmth of full bearing down, casting an enchanted mist over the freed labor camp. You've been resting, catching up on lost sleep from traveling through the camp.

You're within the quarters of the recently departed clerk, though pacted he had proved weak. His sword rests with him now in a shallow grave beyond the palisade, a bloodstain still lingering in the masonry of the floor.

“Speak to me.” You whisper aloud to yourself. Your face, the Reaper has been quiet since the night that the Scourge fell and you let the Danhor go free. It's become more difficult to move with agility, and you can feel him resisting you. The others have been told that you're simply weary from the battle considering your age, and they've let you alone... Yet.

“We are not finished here. We must go to the Manor and see that the Guisi are safe, why won't you-”

A knock upon the door snaps you out of your introspection. “Reaper, I've brought you food and water. Are you awake to eat?” The voice is from a Guisi girl that's been helping you. Since the scourge slayed all the rebels in the wood, Mira's closed up, confining herself to a room that's sinee been called hers and not speaking to anyone, especially not you. Valce barely escaped with his life, still asleep and being treated by Eko. The other Guisi seemed wary of the Protean at first, yet she's been of such help that they allow her to stay.

Gaffer and Cornel don't blame you, for what happened, though they have their own mourning to do. No one's seen Odette recently however, and that worries you considering what happened with her... Her family.

>>44157835

Some of the Guisi freed gave you strange looks when you walked the previous day, you've been told that their elders would like to speak to you when you are feeling up for it.

>Eat, then...

>[Visit Mira, even if she doesn't talk much, she may appreciate you being there for her.]
>[Seek out the Elders, you can't fake your current condition much longer. Might as well speak to them.]
>[Find Odette... Hopefully she hasn't done anything dangerous, or perhaps too drastic.]
>[Remain in seclusion, enter your inner self and force the Reaper to speak with you. ]
>[Head out to the woods alone, if anything has taught you anything, one of those twins will find you, they'll know what to do.]
>[Write in.]

>>44157903
>[Seek out the Elders, you can't fake your current condition much longer. Might as well speak to them.]
Time to come out.
Seems that keeping the face wasn't the greatest idea

>>44157903
>[Seek out the Elders, you can't fake your current condition much longer. Might as well speak to them.]
The Reaper really seems to hate Danhor

>Revengr

>>44157903
>[Visit Mira, even if she doesn't talk much, she may appreciate you being there for her.]
We should consult with ger considering no one else knows we're an imposter

>>44157903
>[Find Odette... Hopefully she hasn't done anything dangerous, or perhaps too drastic.]
Wondering how she deals with the situation

>>44157903
>[Visit Mira, even if she doesn't talk much, she may appreciate you being there for her.]

>>44157903
>[Visit Mira, even if she doesn't talk much, she may appreciate you being there for her.]
Nice to see this again

>>44157903
>[Seek out the Elders, you can't fake your current condition much longer. Might as well speak to them.]

>>44157903

You rise stiffly from your bed with concentrated effort and walk over to the door, pulling back the very threads that the Reaper would keep from you. Opening the door, you greet the girl with a smile. She's a petite little thing with a broken horn and a half shut eye. She looks up to you with a mix of admiration and fear as you kneel down, take the tray of food and water from her, and set it to the side.

She knows not what you're going to do until you embrace her warmly, “Thank you child, I'm fine, and you've done a fine job.”

She trembles in your arms, sniffling a little as you draw back. She smiles a the half-toothed smile of a young child and runs off to help her mother in the kitchens. Likely, to deliver food to others having a difficult time right now.

The plate has merely a loaf of bread, some lukewarm soup, and a metal mug of partially clear water. You take it happily, and eat to rejuvinate yourself for the day.

Within yourself, you whisper, “See Reaper? You may not know who I am, but you know that I am kind. I understand the side of you that is gentle. I know not why you hold such hate in your heart for the Danhor. They do terrible things, and yet it is the Hylon them...”

“...” The Reaper does not respond.

You have difficulty swallowing, as if you had a sore throat, the bread goes down almost painful, choking until you swing back the mug of water. “Yay! I'm helping!” The water shouts as it flushes the bread down your gullet.

“You are a cruel coward, Dramir.” You say bitterly. “Too cruel to find love, and too afraid to forgive. You will never find peace this way.”

“...” The Reaper does not respond. You feel an overbearing sadness of guilt within you, at all those that were lost.

“I know...”Your voice breaks, “We lost so many, I feel their loss as well.”

>>44158978

You rise up, having had enough of breakfast, “I'm going to meet with the elders. Whatever they want to speak about, they've waited long enough. Are you going to hinder me?”

Though the Reaper does not respond, you rise up with a slight ease, and walk to throw your red bearskin cloak on. It is heavy as it weighs upon your shoulders, yet the newly affixed clasp tightens snugly around your neck and you walk out stiffly with your posture tall, like a general.

The earth is still muddy from the deluge of that bloody night. As you walk, you see that the Guisi are selectively tearing down tents, repurposing some, and already working on building more shelters.

Some part of you ponders at the prospect of installing a fort at this location, the access to the mine would mean easy stone, and a larger wall would keep the people inside safe. A close woods means game and timbre, this place could become a home someday, perhaps.

>>44158998


You're greeted by some averted gazes, as well as enchanted looks. Opinion of you must be clearly divided. A question as to the Elders' location and you're directed to the primary lodge that once had only slaves. Within, you stand before a number of older Guisi with old worn out faces and kindly looks, looks that you know hide whatever may exist just beyond the surface of their faces. Could be anything from a deep wellspring of hatred, or a heaping spoonful of jealousy or perhaps even simply spite.

Three come forward and bring up chairs, one offering you a seat as they all sit down. You take a seat in silence and you all three stare at each other for perhaps as long as ten minutes in silence.

You take the time to look over their features carefully. The one on the left seems to have crescent slits for eyes, likely showing joy or happiness. That one seems to bleed out the most bloodthirst out of the three. The brpadest and tallest one seems to have ascar over his eye, rendering one a pale blue as to show an aged hero. His stature-like face seems to belie a kindred calmness. The last one on the right bears horns a touch longer than most, deep ugly wrinkles in his skin to show an acceleration of aging. He's not a happy one either.

“So.” The Scared one finally says, breaking the silence with the grating sound of his voice. “You are the famed Reaper of Aurel.”

“Do you know why we called you here?” The Crescent eyed one asks.

“If I knew, then likely I wouldnt't be here if you are to only stare at me in a thickening silence.”

>>44159016

“We've lived for some time, Reaper. We can read a person just by the look and their face. Silver eyes. That;s a new one. Usually it's Hylon that get the fancy metal colors, but they're typically gold and not as silver as the moon. That's one we've never seen.” Says the one with deep wrinkles in his face.

“We've also heard from the ones that came back that you are capable of hearing many things, is that true?” Says the crescent-eyed,


>[“I have a unique legend. Likely it simply forgot to report the color of my eyes.”]
>[“You can hear anything if you're willing to listen.]
>[“I've not come to be interrogated! I want to talk about the next move of our people.]
>[Write in.]

>>44159218
Are we secluded or in public?

>>44159218
>[“I have a unique legend. Likely it simply forgot to report the color of my eyes.”]

>>44159239
Secluded.

>>44159218
>[Write in.]
Now how do we drop the bomb of being an imposter.
I think it's time we reveal that

>>44159218
If in a private location
>There was once a humble farmer, cast into the flames of sorrow and drenched in wrath. Many called him the Reaper, but not once did he call himself as such.
>I am the Reaper.
Ehh, best to tell them now, anyways. They need to be prepared to continue without us.

>>44159218
>>44159278
Well then
>I guess it's time to clarify.
>Tell them how we got to the face without going into details about the twins
>Give a rundown on the Reaper
>Say that we want to take the manor

>>44159218
I go with one of these >>44159321 >>44159334

>>44159334
This

>>44159218
Somehow reveal that we're an impostor

>>44159218

You sit before the three Guisi men, taking your time in the silence that they give you. Mind churning with what to say, you feel a clench in your heart as the facade you've kept up so far seems to be threatened.
Under their perceptive eyes, you feel yourself squirm and you finally come to a conclusion that is yours.

“There once was a humble farmer...” You begin with a tired, exhausted look. They listen, and they wait, “Cast into the flames of sorrow and drenched only by the blood let by his wrath. Many called him the Reaper, but not once did he call himself as such.”

You look around to all the others, wrapping them into your own rhythm, “But I have become the Reaper. I know not how I have, only that someone careless dropped his face before me. With nothing else, I have taken up this role.”

The men stare on, suddenly and quite visibly uncomfortable with what they just heard. The man with the scar says slowly and carefully, “So, you are an imposter?”

“I have been called as such. Yet I mean no ill will. I've been fighting for the Guisi as the Reaper. His hate, his rage, and his... passion for the Guisi Arche have been mine as well. I intend to take the Manor upon Bikel Hill and command the Danhor to cease this wretched violence.”

The men fall silent again, exchanging looks between themselves. “Often, an imposter would be hanged once found out.” Says the Crescent-eyed one, “They are an intolerable offense to the roles we all play in Thespia's tapestry of fate.”

The one with deep wrinkles considers, “However, you've been honest with us... And you do not seem to harbor ill intentions, even if you lost much of your fighting force.”

“We do not approve of your method however as it risked exposing the truth of our Arche, though what is more concerning is the fact that you are likely still an outsider that knows the truth... Of what, and who we are.” The one with the scar says with a dangerous glare.

>>44160021

You stare back, “If I'd intention to do that I would've sent those Danhor away to expose you all.” You feel a flush of red, of anger.

“We also have distaste for fighting. Eventually they would realize that there is no rare metal here, that they were led astray. Now we must deal with their retibution.” The One with deep wrinkles says with a bitter distaste.

“Ah, and yet he has said that he intends to take the manor!” The one with smiling eyes says with a charmed exclamation, “And as such seeks to resolve this terrible problem for us!” This one peers at you closely with a near threat, “Right?”

“This is not over until the Hylon screams.” You say with a sudden onset of bitterness yourself.

>Anything else you would speak about?
>[No, return to your quarters.]
>[“Have you heard the wherabouts of Odette?]
>[“Will you tell the others the truth?”]
>[“Am I to understand that you intend for me to do this myself?”]
>[Write in.]

>>44160046
>[“Will you tell the others the truth?”]
>[“Am I to understand that you intend for me to do this myself?”]
If that's true this will be "interesting"

>>44160046
>[“Have you heard the wherabouts of Odette?]
>[“Will you tell the others the truth?”]
>[“Am I to understand that you intend for me to do this myself?”]

>>44160046
>[“Am I to understand that you intend for me to do this myself?”]
Fun

>>44160046
>[“Am I to understand that you intend for me to do this myself?”]

>>44160046
>[“Have you heard the wherabouts of Odette?]
She will be your "hero", of that there is no doubt. Take care of her. I am sorry.

>>44160046
>[No, return to your quarters.]
Last thread really went horrible in the end

>>44160210
?

>>44160268
Was referring to getting lots of Guisi killed

>>44160312
Ah. so business as usual?

>>44160176
Hmm. What do you mean by Odette being their hero?

>>44160387
You know, the leading man/woman, giving speeches to inspire the masses and leading the people in combat, although it looks like not very much in other decisions.

>>44160345
Yeah kinda

>>44160046
.
“Am I to understand that I am to do this alone?” You say, casting your gaze between the three elders.

The one with the crescent-eyes nods, leering at you, “Well, aside from the ones that would still follow you after your little “liberation,” yes. Whoever you ask had better be someone that you feel that you could count on.”

The others silently nod in agreeance. They acknowledge the fact that their people can make their own choices and yet...

“Will you be telling the others?”

The one with the scar says,”We will keep that from them unless circumstance deems it necessary.”

the one with crescent eyes chuckles, “What Brock means to say is that if you don't help us, we'll let you deal with the mobs that form when they hear of an imposter impersonating a living legend.”

“A legend?” You say, suddenly feeling strange.

“Indeed.” Says the Crescent-eyed one, “The Reaper is an old myth from a generation ago. No wonder you still appear so young. We'd have thought to expect someone... older.”

There's a sudden throbbing in your head and chest as the Reaper panics within you. “What did he say? A generation?”

You repeat the words aloud, and the one with deep wrinkles folds their hands together. “There was much buzz among the land of a Reaper rising from the burning of Aurel. It was talked about among many Guisi as we suspected him to be one of our own, yet we heard tales of him throughout our adult lives. You, or rather, who you wear is a relic from the last generation that we had to raise against taking up Guisar's face of revenge... To live in peace with our lies, that was the way we sought to stay away from the spite of those that claim lands and rule empires.”

>>44161276

“And yet,” The Crescent-eyed one waves in your direction as if to present you, “You are here, as though taken from the time that your exploits ended.”

“I have heard enough.” You say with a dull throbbing headache as The Reaper's panic grows greater by the passing moment.
“Have you heard of Odette?”

“Odette?” The man with the Scar seems to know the name. He places a hand to his chin as he rests back with a creak of his chair, “She's been in the woods, grieving the loss of her husband and child. It seems strange that the Danhor would slaughter us at random. The scourge had been cruel, yet never particularly insane...”

“Speaking of the Scourge,” You say, standing up, “She is the one that dealt the final blow. She may very well be the one you look to as a hero, especially if I wear a “relic” as you say.”

“You are the one that brought them here. A grieving woman is no rallying cry, she's barely even a Guisi anymore... If you care for her, I'd say you should pay her a visit.” Says the man with a scar.

You turn to leave, the throbbing inside beginning to become too much to bear, “One last thing, I don't believe any of you told me your names.”

“Brock Of Bikel.” Says the man with a scar.

“Sam Of Donner's Pass.” Says the crescent-eyed one.

“Barret of Orowh,” Mumbles the one with deep wrinkles.

“It's been... A pleasure.” You say the lie through grit teeth.

“As it has been to meet you, Reaper.” The Elders say in return.

You exit with your mind buzzing with nothing more than a sheer good riddance.
{Exuent, The Faceless}

With the Reaper gone, the Elders sit back and look at each other. Brock creaks his chair further as he leans, and Barret seems to stare at the empty space of where the reaper sat.

“Do you think...” Barret starts, “That he may bring further ruin to us?”

>>44161295

Brock shrugs, suddenly leaning forward and standing up, loosening up his joints, “It doesn't matter. If he dies on some fool's errand, the lord of Bikel manor will be pleased enough with having The Reaper that he may very well leave us alone for some time.”

Sam sits, scratching the white fuzz of his chin, “He mentioned that Odette woman, do you know her Brock?”

Brock turns to the crescent eyed schemer, “Yes, she's a woman that overstepped her bounds. She left her family here and comes back like some kind of fool. She should have carried on like the others. Then they wouldn't be dead, we wouldn't need to bother with that fool Reaper, and we'd eventually be left alone by that idiot noble.”

“Indeed, that foolish boy was tricked by the king of Prospectors, the starfallen metals lay on the other side of the mountains. Yet the Lord of The Eastern wood would never allow his domain to be mined.” Says Barret.

Sam looks off into the distance, “Say, that was a nice cloak that the Reaper was wearing, no?”

>>44161321

{The Faceless, Outside of the meeting with elders}

You walk quickly, every step another promise to be further away from those bastards. They don't know you, they don't know the Reaper, and... A generation ago. How much time...? How long... How long is repeats? You ponder. The siblings aren't lying, right? After all, what proof do they have?

You squint hard. It's no use worrying about it. It's gotten easier to move while the Reaper is confused at the very least, though you feel his anxiety so strongly. It might help to talk someone... You'll need to find the ones that would even follow you to tale the manor at all.
>Where will you go?
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]
>[Mira, though confining herself to her room, she may let you in. You're not sure if she'd be interested.]
>[Search the infirmary for Eko. That fox has the least attachments, likely she'll come with.]
>[Cornel and Gaffer, they're strong men, and they'll be strong allies as well.]
>[Write in]

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]

>>44161351
>[Mira, though confining herself to her room, she may let you in. You're not sure if she'd be interested.]

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]
>[Mira, though confining herself to her room, she may let you in. You're not sure if she'd be interested.]
A fucking generation

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]

>>44161351
>[Find Odette in the forest... She may need someone there, and you could ask her to come with.]

remember guys, if we had not intervened, Mira is the only one who would have survived.

>>44161351
>[Mira, though confining herself to her room, she may let you in. You're not sure if she'd be interested.]

>>44161351

Walking, you eventually find yourself at the edge of the palisade, walking along its inner perimeter you feel the Reaper start to calm down. He'd spoken a bit before, yet now he has no words. On the bright side, his grip on you is less restricting, as though he isn't sure how to advance. That feeling is mutual.

At the gate, you gaze out to the distant wood, seeing not even a hint of a fire out there, you start to wonder if they were telling the truth. The day's rather chilly after all, but...

“Piss off cold. “Your cloak growls, as it wards the morning chill of the mountainside air. It's always been a grouchy thing to listen to, though it seems to just be content in staying angry and belligerent much like its source.

You find pathing to the woods and enter, the trees looming overhead like quiet watchers that revel and seem to glow after the powerful rain of yesternight. And yet, there is a tinge of sadness in the air as you pass thunderstruck trees, you sense the power of mourning as the forest seems to hold a moment of silence for such lost. As you travel deeper, the sensation grows more powerful until the silence turns round into a melody, a Melody of Melancholy.

>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fSaMyuIQ0o&index=2&list=PLMIJMW0zE8sujlmdF0swI7pC43BDiQOI1

From there, you see a small clearing, the canopy of the trees opened up just enough to allow for a sliver of light to come filtering down from above upon three gravemarkers. One large, and two small. No words, simply a stick that hums with a quiet sorrow as it retells its euology.

“Andrew dear husband, and father. Living on in the heart of the surviving.”

“Jacob, a boy that had taken after his father, yet wore the snowy hair of his mother. My the stars take him home.”

“Nathan, the older brother. Strong and strapping, the girls loved him. May Thespia love him too.”

>>44162008

There's a snap of a twig, and you don't move as someone moves behind you, too concentrated in hearing the messages. You know who it is anyway, who else would be here?

“Reaper.” She says, drained of all energy. Without another word, she sits down upon her knees and watches over the graves. She doesn't look at you, yet you can feel that you're welcome to stay.

>[Sit beside her in silence.]
>[“It wasn't your fault.”]
>[“I'm moving on from here soon.”]
>[“What were they like?”]
>[Write in.]

>>44162032
>[Sit beside her in silence.]

>>44162032
>[“I'm moving on from here soon.”]

>>44162032
>[Sit beside her in silence.]
Than
>[“I'm moving on from here soon.”]

>>44162032
>[“What were they like?”]

>>44162032
>[Sit beside her in silence.]
>[“I'm moving on from here soon.”]

>>44162032
>[“I'm moving on from here soon.”]

>>44162032

You take a seat beside Odette in respectful silence, giving her the space she needs despite your immediate presence. Time goes by in a delicate motion as the wind blows gingerly as though not to disrupt the space that the two of you share.

You look at her from the corner of your eye, and you can see that her horns aren't much more than flesh-colored nubs poking through the surface of her forhead as opposed to the polished black or brown that is so typical of Guisi.

“The truth is...” Odette says in a daze, however aloud as though she's glad to have someone here to listen, “I never really loved my husband. He was simply the man my father thought most suitable for me to marry. He wasn't particularly kind or gentle, and he had a musk that many could only define as “manly.” She smiles sadly, as though biting back the sadness to reminisce of a time that's gone.
“He was chased after by the other girls, yet he showed me affection. The little white haired Makoh girl with daggers for teeth that loved to play hunter with her father's bow. He was a Guisi, and surely I knew he was a chronic liar with how he'd play off the looks from other girls or the fact that he'd had already bed all of them and thus vied for me.”

The wind picks up a bit and Odette's white hair flutters as white petals fly past.

“When he kissed me the first time, I elected to bite his tongue. He had liked that, the strange man. When he asked me to marry him, I didn't say anything. When he asked if I was scared, I took the ring from him and called myself his woman. He liked how fierce I was.”

“In time, I told myself enough lies for why I should stay that I sprouted little horns of my own. Then we wove our first child together. Nathan, he was my reason after that. I kept lying, and soon his love and I bore another child, Jacob. While Nathan was a strong, fierce, and aggressive lad, Jacob liked to tag along and sometimes lay in flowerbeds.”

>>44162772

“Now my husband is dead, along with our two sons. What reason do I have to lie anymore? What reason do I have to stay a Guisi anymore?” Odette bows her head, clasping a hand to her face and breathing deeply as she stifles back tears and the quivering of despair in her voice. “Who have I been for all this time... To call myself his wife, a mother to his children, and now his widow? Who am I to despair for a man that I'd always lied about loving, left behind, and then return with a vengeance?”

You lay your hand upon her shoulder, and she lets herself fall against you, crying openly now that she's admitted to the truth. As she wails out to the woods, you're there for her in her most vulnerable hour. As a friend, a confidant...

When she ceases, she brings herself up, gently pushing away from you. “I'm so sorry, Reaper. For you to see me like this. Grieving over them when we've lost the others as well. I'm so sorry.”

“Odette.” You say. Slowly and carefully. “I wanted you to know... that I'll be moving on soon. I intend to resolve this by taking Bikel Manor.”

“Who...” Odette squints, “You spoke to the Elders?” She says as she wipes away her tears. “Who I going with you?”

“No one... So far.” You admit.

“I...” Odette looks down, seeming troubled, “I do not know how much help I may be, however... If you ask... I will follow you. If I can see this through to the end, I care not for what happens. I'll see it so.”


>[Come with me Odette, I need you.]
>[You are a good woman, but I must leave you.]
>[I can not ask that of you. However if you follow, then I will lead.]
>[Odette, the truth is... I am an imposter.]
>[Write in.]

>>44162795
>[I can not ask that of you. However if you follow, then I will lead.]
>[Odette, the truth is... I am an imposter.]

>>44162795
>[I can not ask that of you. However if you follow, then I will lead.]

>>44162795
>[I can not ask that of you. However if you follow, then I will lead.]
>[Odette, the truth is... I am an imposter.]
Didn't expect this

>>44162795
>[Odette, this fight will not be for the Guisi. To the elders, we have saved a paltry few and risked the entire Guisi.]
>[Odette, the truth is... I am an imposter.]
>[But if you would abandon all that...]

>>44162894
this

>>44162795
>[I can not ask that of you. However if you follow, then I will lead.]
>[Odette, the truth is... I am an imposter.]
with >>44162894 mixed in

File: Dramady.jpg (332 KB, 900x771)

332 KB JPG

Now are you guys certain that you want to reveal to her that you're an imposter in this moment? You could always wait.

As always players, the choice is yours.

Choose wisely, Faceless.

>>44163086
hmm? OF COURSE we're doing this.

emotional backlash or no, she's basically said that she doesn't want to be constrained by lies anymore

>>44163086
There's like a 50/50 chance how she'll take it.

>>44163086
She just ranted about being unhappy having played a role.
Seems like the right moment

File: Image011.jpg (7 KB, 160x224)

7 KB JPG

You fellows are without doubt. Very good. We shall carry on.

File: 20th Century Boys v22c13p240.png (334 KB, 979x1400)

334 KB PNG

>>44163249
>playing with my emotions like this

>>44163249
>I only picked these faces because they looked nice, it's got nothing to do with the story
sure Dran, suuuuuuuuuure.

>>44162795

You look upon Odette, and you feel a choking deep within your gut. After she's laid herself bare before you, how could you face her with your own secrets after this.
“Odette, this fight will not be for the Guisi.” You admit, knowing the tone that those men had taken with your exploits, “To the elders, we have saved a scant few and endangered the entire Guisi. I do not doubt that they would rather see me fall alone and place the blame of their freedom on some lonely vagabond.”

Odette looks at you steadily, her eyes serious and at attention.

You squeeze your fists closed and let out a deep breath, “And I do this because I have my own role to play, as the Reaper, the dark vengeance of the Guisi and yet still... I do this not because I am that man, but because it is what I believe is right, what must be done.”

“I... I don't understand.” Odette takes up a confused, look, her eyes going wide.

“I... I am sorry that I fooled you, all of you.” Standing up, you turn away. “I am an imposter. I merely wear the face of the Reaper.”

“So we were led by an imposter...” She says, her breath quivering, going faint.

“I want you to understand, I only have the best of intentions. The Reaper does speak to me, I hear his voice, and he asks me to help him help the Guisi. Yet I'm running out of ideas of what I can do to make things better. I intend to take the manor, or kill the Hylon that controls it so that the Guisi will no longer be threatened. I understand if you hate me, but if you would abandon all that...”

There's a silence between the two of you. The tension is so strong that you can't bear to look back. You can hear Odette slowly stand up. The shuffle of dirt as she takes a step, and then another; further . You swallow, closing your eyes as your body trembles.

>>44163924

You feel her arms wrap around your waist, and she squeezes, hard. “You look away in shame, and you should. I blame you in part for my husband's death, though in fact I don't know what to make of it anymore. The hero and legend that came to us near naked in the woods like some kind of miracle, is in truth an impostor?” She chuckles bitterly, as though there's nothing else that fits. “I have nowhere to go. If I'm not Guisi, then I'm Makoh. And if I'm Makoh, the life I've built for myself these past fifteen years... They're the life of a Guisi. That is... another life.”

“So I'll come with you.” She finally says, “I'll judge you with my own eyes, and if you're unforgivable, I'll put an arrow in you.”

You relax a little at her words despite the threat, “And what if I'm forgivable?”

“... We'll see.”

She draws back and you turn to face her, she looks away. Rubbing an arm, she seems nervous, “Yes, we will have to see. When are we leaving?”

“Likely by tomorrow morning.”

“ I'll be at the northern palisade by dawn. I don't have any goodbyes that I haven't already said... And I'll stay here, with them,” She looks to the gravemarkers. “I'll be ready by then. Goodbye... What should I call you?”

“Reaper... Or Dramir... I don't remember my true name.”

“Dramir then, I'll call you Dramir.” Odette looks distant again, “Goodbye Dramir.”

“Soon Odette.” You say as you depart the grove that marks her loved ones. The mood of the forest has changed, and there's a fertile, almost dreamy scent in the air.

>[Seek out Mira. She should be in her room.]
>[Find Cornel and Gaffer. They should be reliable.]
>[Meditate by yourself, try to resolve what's bugging the Reaper.]
>[That's enough for now, wait for the morning. Odette is the only company you need.]
>[Write in.]

>>44163935
>>[Meditate by yourself, try to resolve what's bugging the Reaper.]
maybe with the protean? ehh.

>>44163935
>[Seek out Mira. She should be in her room.]
Afterwards deal with the Reaper

>>44163935
>[Seek out Mira. She should be in her room.]
She'd be extremly useful to have around

>>44163935
>[Seek out Mira. She should be in her room.]

>>44163935
>[Meditate by yourself, try to resolve what's bugging the Reaper.]

>>44163967
Almost forgot. Yes, Eko is also an option.

>>44163935
>[Seek out Mira. She should be in her room.]
Easily the most useful ally we have on a stealth mission

>>44163935
Back at the camp, you find yourself at Mira's door. She's just... shut herself in there, refusing to come out. Likely she hasn't even seen the rest of the camp since the sun rose. Rapping your knuckles against the door, you don't hear a response.
“Mira? It's me.” You say and then try the door to find it locked.

There's a few moments that pass as you hear the door unlock, the Guisi girl pokes her head out, looking up at you with her caprine eyes. Instead of the liveliness that you would have expected with victory, she wears the face of someone that's been defeated. Turning away, she goes back into the dark room, leaving the door open for your entry.

You shut the door behind you as you step in, and silently sit beside Mira on the bed. Somehow you recall this normally being done to a child in trouble.

“They're really dead, aren't they?” Mira asks with a vacant expression.

“Yes. Yes they are.”

“But we won.” She says, swallowing, “How are they all dead if we won?”

“Because when people fight, both sides lose. Killing only begets more killing and the cycle of carnage carries on until one side is wiped out.”

“So why.” Mira turns to look you in the eye, “Why did you let them go?”

>[Because it has to start somewhere.]
>[They aren't the ones we need to get rid of.]
>[I... Don't know.]
>[Write in.]

>>44164530
>Because sometime fighting is needed.
>But this won't be repeated soon. I'm going to attack the Manor with a small group

>>44164530
>[Because it has to start somewhere, lest you become something that does not deserve peace.]
>[What do you desire now? The power to prevent such tragedy, the strength to help those who remain, or something else?]

>>44164530
>[Because it has to start somewhere.]

>>44164530
>Because there is a point where you have to fight for what you believe is right
>Next target is the Manor but with only a small group of volunteers

>>44164620
this

>>44164530

“Mira,” You place your hand upon the girl's shoulder, “I let them go because it has to start somewhere, lest you become something that does not even begin to deserve peace. If i'd killed those that lost the will to fight, what would that prove? Would any of us feel better?”

“Yes.” The girl says, shrugging off your hand and turning away.

“You hated the smell of blood before...”

“And you told me that it was just a part of me, the side that... liked it. And now you're telling me that I should just let go the people that took us away from our lives?”

You swallow, feeling a familiar sense of unease and dismissal even to your own words, the Reaper is listening. “Well, what do you want? Them to die? Their families? Their friends?”

“Maybe...” She says, suddenly doubting her position. “When I strung up that dead man...” She trembles, “It was like a game.”

“That was to help us... But if we don't have mercy when we can, then we'll be no better than them, understand?”

“I... I think so. Did you come here just to talk?”

You stare off vacanttly in the dark, suddenly feeling strange about inviting a teenage girl on what might as well be a march of death. “I'm going to Bikel Manor soon. With a small group, we're going to deal with the noble there.”

“Who else is going?”

“Odette,” You say, and she seems to expect to hear more.

“No one else?”

“I don't know if I can. It's my failure that got the ones in the woods killed.” You say with a suddenly blank and desolate expression. Mira seems to notice.

“Did you... want me to go with?”

“Only if you want to.” You say.

“I'll need to think about it.” Mira says.

>Anyone else?
>[Seek out Eko, her fate magic is invaluable.]
>[Cornel and Gaffer. Two reliable men would be nice.]
>[Meditate in your chambers, face the Reaper.]
>[Write in.]

>>44165279


“I'll be leaving by the north gate at Dawn. If you want to talk, I'll be in my quarters this evening resting.”

“Okay,” Mira says back as you turn to leave the darkness of her room. She's been through a lot... But you're kind of hoping that she comes through. Or that she knows well enough to stay.

>Was supposed to come before options

>>44165279
>[Seek out Eko, her fate magic is invaluable.]
I doubt it though.
She's aversed to fighting

>>44165279
>[Meditate in your chambers, face the Reaper.]

>>44165279
>[Meditate in your chambers, face the Reaper.]

>>44165279
>[Seek out Eko, her fate magic is invaluable.]

>>44165279
>>[Seek out Eko, her fate magic is invaluable.]
>>[Meditate in your chambers, face the Reaper.]
whichever

>>44165279

Secluding yourself within your own bedchamber, you take another look at the bloodstain in the masonry. Despite what you've been saying, you had made some undoubtedly cruel decisions as the Reaper. You will need to... No, now is the time to face him. Laying down upon your bed, you close your eyes and feel for that familiar sensation of slipping inside, beyond the face that you wear...

Deeper you go, driving downward into yourself until you see the white at the end of the darkness.

Within, you are at the place of painted windows, more already opened up, waiting for you to view them.

Standing in this space however, is the Reaper in full body, staring back at you and your extremely vague form. He stares at you for a tenuous moment before turning and entering one of the windows, swiftly leaving .

“Wait, Dramir! Where are you-” He's already gone. The window he went through appears to be a wheat field burning. Knowing that you must face him, you step through, and it expands, encompassing you...

The air is heavy with barley smoke filling the air. Children and women screaming, the bloodcurdling cry of the men that chose to fight. You hear it all, you smell it all, by Luna you can taste it all.

The Reaper walks ahead, the two of you removed from the set of the memory rather than living it through. “You would have me forgive this? Forget this?” He shouts back at you, likely having chosen this one to make a point.

“ I find out that my life happened a generation ago, and yet it feels like yesterday before I simply vanished! Yet I could never forget all of this!”

You look around, Danhor soldiers barricade the village with their own overturned carts and wagons, the fields on fire from the perimeter to burn inward. They do not pursue the residents, they do not enslave them, they simply watch the ones that run, and shoot or cut them down as necessary, This is not a takeover, this is a genocide.

>>44165808

“They did all of this because we chose to be independent. We had no need to pay tribute to a lord that did nothing for us. And as we said as such, he declared that he would give us “nothing” in return.”
Dramir throws his hands up into the air, “This! This was his answer! A purge of the undesirables, snuff out the light of Aurel!”

“A lot can change in a generation Dramir, hatred ceases, new life blooms, rulers change.”

“And yet my wrath remains the same. My thirst for vengeance unabated, the scythe of my blade? Untarnished and still thirsty for blood. And Yet you go and ignore my wrath. Have you been judging me this whole time that I thought you understood me?” Dramir, drops his arms.

“You would incite this again if you felt the need to expose the Guisi and represent them as reckless psychopaths! What good does that do?”

Dramir stares at you. “If Odette can forgive. If Mira can forget... We shall see Impostor, we shall see...

>End Scene

>Comments, Questions, Concerns?

Good, The Bad, The wird?

>>44165817
Really liked this thread, nice info on the Elders,Odette and the Reaper himself
Though I hoped we'd get to the beginning of the attack on the mansion.

>>44165817
I didn't expect this reaction from the Elders though I also didn't realise how many died last thread.
Also I get the feeling I should have voted to change the mask

>>44165817
Thanks for running.
Also did you forget to archive?

so, should we take Eko?