Did Vaasrand take a potion, or was it pure willpower there?
“What... what are you doing?”, the man managed to gasp in fear. The silver-haired man's reply was a chillingly calm growl. “Killing monsters”
I actually planned to have a scene similar to this in Vaasrand's subplot, although he would have worded it slightly differently, and it would have been on one of the main villains (who I won't reveal in case I actually decide to starting writing it again)
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
We need to make sure this never happens again. Rosalie still isn't safe and who knows how many more people will fall to Wolfius. I don't approve of murdering him, but they have to stop him.
That Geralt of Rivia reference. XD
Man... Wolfius is the worst. Worse than Clayton, Noelle, Mullendore even.
EDIT: Changed my choice. Not comfortable leaving Mathea and Rosalie alone in a city at war. For me this is a matter of protecting the innocent vs punishing the guilty and I want to protect Mathea and Rosalie more than I want to stop Wolfius. [Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
I'm back, gave a bit more detail on my situation in Fluid's story thread so I don't want to repeat it here, will answer any PMs with time. Looking forward to read up the new 1300+ posts here in Liquid's story which I missed
[Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
We'll get another shot at Wolfius, but if we leave Rosalie and Mathea, they may be killed. They'll also be heading back to the castle as soon as they can move Rosalie, which means Arthur may still get to have a moment with his father. And if he goes after Wolfius, he, or Ryler, or Wolfsbane may die, and Raylansfair has lost enough of its heroes and protectors this chapter, and I'm fairly certain we'll lose more before the attack is done.
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
[Team up with Ryler] Next time on WWE for the tag team Champions belt we will have a match that no one will forget!At one side we have the "Woodbarkers" composed of the dumb but sometimes smart leader Wolfius,that Kreep of his son and his mascot "Big Beast without a cool name"!While at the other side we have the "United by a community choice" composed of the city guard with daddy issues (King) Arthur,the usual guy obsessed with his own revenge (and that wear an Alley Cat mask that he probably buy at the walmart) and his mascot "Wolfsbane" (the name that EVERYONE use for their own pet)!Who will win?Who will die?Don't change the channel if you want,someday,find out the answers!
RT:
I have to suppose that this Ilish part happen during the last Samantha part
Axell try to be a hero and fail while Ed,the bravest of all,decide again to make a tactical retreat;lucky for Ilish that Geralt has still enough HP for kill this guys
Btw I seriously hope for Geralt that his backstory is different of his original because I'm so near to add him in my own personal hate list (and I should add that be part of my hate list is not an easy accomplishment)
EVERYONE go to the castle! And why the last words of Ilish final part make me believe that this chapter will have an happy ending?
Meanwhile Arthur and Mathea find Rhyler and discover the aftermath of Lyra last part!
I'm curious to know of Ryler backstory (Despite he is connected with a character that I found boring)
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
I'm back, gave a bit more detail on my situation in Fluid's story thread so I don't want to repeat it here, will answer any PMs with time. Looking forward to read up the new 1300+ posts here in Liquid's story which I missed
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
[Team up with Ryler] Time for Arthur to take one for the team like his dad. Arthur can foolishly go after Wolfius, leaving Mathea and Rosalie on their own to get back to the castle, get his butt whooped by Wolfius but give Ryler a chance to take Wolfius out once and for all, miss out on a chance to have a final moment with his dad, and feel regret on his choice for not going back to the castle. All sorts of inner turmoil. Loved the part where Arthur got all sorts of nightmares from half eaten Lyria. Wolfius could have at least put the rest of her in a doggy bag. God that's messed up. We already committed to the go after Wolfius plan anyway. Because we let Mathea go out into the city, we prevented her from healing Hackor and Darren, and it lead to Arthur going to Mathea's house and meeting Ryler. It's too late to go back now. We gotta commit. As for Illish's part, bravo. When she headed back to the tavern, I could've sworn it would have been a ghost town. I thought Audrey would be dead and Megur and Daisy been abducted into salt wives, with Sam and crew making there way downstairs. Very glad to see Audrey and the tavern crew are all alive however. I wonder where Illish is in the timeline however. Is it right after Sam's last part, because I doubt Sam would have left Audrey to fend for her own, and I doubt that the raiders would've waited too long before checking on Rodrik and seeing what's taking him so long. Geralt was a clutch save as expected.
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Who needs those two? For too long has this buffoon been able to live. Arthur would have already been chasing him if we followed Valarr like we should have. I mean what will Wolfius did next? Just leave? Maybe. But he shall always be watching.
Also Vaasrand is awesome and so is Ed. He is the only of the few with a clue. Good stuff.
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Did Vaasrand take a potion, or was it pure willpower there?
It was pure willpower. If he would have had a potion all this time, he wouldn't have required help to get to the tavern. At heart, he is a hero after all, so if he sees someone in danger, he can gain the willpower to just carry on for long enough to save that person. It probably wasn't a good thing for his already wounded body though and he definitely can't go on like that for much longer without a serious rest.
I actually planned to have a scene similar to this in Vaasrand's subplot, although he would have worded it slightly differently, and it would have been on one of the main villains (who I won't reveal in case I actually decide to starting writing it again)
Ha, I call dibs on that reference! In all seriousness though, it's such a cool line that I doubt Vaasrand uttered it only once. I mean, if you'd come up with such a badass line, would you say it only once? Of course not! I know I'd make it my bloody catchphrase He likely won't use it any more in the actual story, as it was almost to cheesy as a reference for me (though I had slight time problems yesterday, so I decided to just run with it), but I doubt anyone would have anything against Vaasrand having such a scene in your subplot, whenever you wish to continue it (or have the time for it, considering that you're busy with your own story).
[Team up with Ryler] Arthur isn't a bitch.
Did Vaasrand take a potion, or was it pure willpower there?
“What... what are you doing?… more”, the man managed to gasp in fear. The silver-haired man's reply was a chillingly calm growl. “Killing monsters”
I actually planned to have a scene similar to this in Vaasrand's subplot, although he would have worded it slightly differently, and it would have been on one of the main villains (who I won't reveal in case I actually decide to starting writing it again)
I saw an opportunity, I took an opportunity I really don't know what I'm going to do the moment I run out of Geralt references. I was really conflicted if I should use this one, even if it arguably kind of fit the situation, as it is so damn well known that even people who never played the Witcher get it. But as I said to Arrodor, I was in some time troubles and had no time to think of a better thing to say.
Man... Wolfius is the worst. Worse than Clayton, Noelle, Mullendore even.
I agree, I fully agree. The other names you mentioned, especially Noelle and Mullendore, actually have something of a redeeming feature. They both do what they believe is the best for the largest amount of people. As you have seen, Noelle wasn't even that evil, just completely misguided and ultimately morally unable to go through with her plans, while Mullendore genuinely wishes to help Oldtown and there's also the way he took care of Briar during her stay at the Hightower. Clayton's feelings for Kersea, while horribly warped, are also proof that he at least can feel genuine affection to others. Wolfius meanwhile... well, the way I write him has been somewhat influenced by the Joker, so you won't find any even remotely redeeming or humanizing traits with him. He has exactly one thing going in his favour and that is something I have revealed a while ago, the thing that he hasn't grown into this person entirely by himself, but that he had someone in his life who influenced this darker side.
EDIT: Changed my choice. Not comfortable leaving Mathea and Rosalie alone in a city at war. For me this is a matter of protecting the innocent vs punishing the guilty and I want to protect Mathea and Rosalie more than I want to stop Wolfius.
Alright, your edit has been noted You are also quite right with your opinion there, it basically is a decision between making sure that Rosalie and Mathea are save or helping Ryler in taking down Wolfius (even if it can be argued that it would ultimately end up protecting innocents as well)
We need to make sure this never happens again. Rosalie still isn't safe and who knows how many more people will fall to Wolfius. I don't app… morerove of murdering him, but they have to stop him.
That Geralt of Rivia reference. XD
Man... Wolfius is the worst. Worse than Clayton, Noelle, Mullendore even.
EDIT: Changed my choice. Not comfortable leaving Mathea and Rosalie alone in a city at war. For me this is a matter of protecting the innocent vs punishing the guilty and I want to protect Mathea and Rosalie more than I want to stop Wolfius. [Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
Arthur may still get to have a moment with his father.
An interesting thought. Hmmm... maybe. At the very least, he'd be there for Aditha as quickly as possible, who surely needs him as well.
And if he goes after Wolfius, he, or Ryler, or Wolfsbane may die, and Raylansfair has lost enough of its heroes and protectors this chapter, and I'm fairly certain we'll lose more before the attack is done.
That is something you are undoubtedly right with. A great number of defenders have died so far and it is unlikely I won't add further names to the list of deceased characters bfore this chapter ends. In fact, I can confirm that more will die before the chapter ends, but I can't confirm if there will be any of the heroes of Raylansfair among them.
[Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
We'll get another shot at Wolfius, but if we leave Rosalie and Mathea, they may be killed. They'll also be h… moreeading back to the castle as soon as they can move Rosalie, which means Arthur may still get to have a moment with his father. And if he goes after Wolfius, he, or Ryler, or Wolfsbane may die, and Raylansfair has lost enough of its heroes and protectors this chapter, and I'm fairly certain we'll lose more before the attack is done.
Next time on WWE for the tag team Champions belt we will have a match that no one will forget!At one side we have the "Woodbarkers" composed of the dumb but sometimes smart leader Wolfius,that Kreep of his son and his mascot "Big Beast without a cool name"!While at the other side we have the "United by a community choice" composed of the city guard with daddy issues (King) Arthur,the usual guy obsessed with his own revenge (and that wear an Alley Cat mask that he probably buy at the walmart) and his mascot "Wolfsbane" (the name that EVERYONE use for their own pet)!Who will win?Who will die?Don't change the channel if you want,someday,find out the answers!
That would be quite the match, I agree I can assure you though, Wolfius' direwolf has a name, it just hasn't been revealed yet. Look out for it in future parts, even if it probably won't be much of a plot point.
I have to suppose that this Ilish part happen during the last Samantha part
Indeed, it started towards the end of Samantha's latest part and ends slightly after it, so that explains why the sellswords still assume that Rodrik is okay at the upper floor.
Axell try to be a hero and fail while Ed,the bravest of all,decide again to make a tactical retreat;lucky for Ilish that Geralt has still enough HP for kill this guys
Indeed, it was a tactical retreat! You got it there, he did not flee of course. The mighty Edefilec Magabaz does not run away. Just wait for him to return with the cavalry, to save all of Raylansfair from the raiders. I think by now you know that there's no other logical choice for the future lord of Raylansfair but Lord Ed. Technically though, there's also a vacant position at the bridge. Lord Ed of the Bridges has a nice ring to it.
Btw I seriously hope for Geralt that his backstory is different of his original because I'm so near to add him in my own personal hate list (and I should add that be part of my hate list is not an easy accomplishment)
Hehe, I can assure you there's plenty of differences, especially in their backstory. Arrodor has actually written quite a number of parts to detail it. Vaasrand is Geralt in appearance and heavily influenced in his personality, so I gladly go with the reference, but they have a number of heavy differences as well, which will be revealed in time.
EVERYONE go to the castle! And why the last words of Ilish final part make me believe that this chapter will have an happy ending?
If you think this has a happy ending, you probably haven't yet heard about that overused Ramsay quote from Season 3. Well, I can reveal that the ending will be happy for some at least. And with that I mean really few, but it won't be terrible for everyone. Take that information as you wish, as it can be good or bad depending on the characters who will be happy about the ending.
Meanwhile Arthur and Mathea find Rhyler and discover the aftermath of Lyra last part!
Oh yes, he left quite a mess. This one's going to have some pretty serious effect on the other characters, especially on Arthur and Mathea. And, of course, poor Rosalie.
I'm curious to know of Ryler backstory (Despite he is connected with a character that I found boring)
I can reveal that Ryler has a seriously interesting backstory. He has a connection to a number of characters and actually, there is one other introduced character whom Ryler encountered in his past. Sp far, it has only been hinted at, but I plan to reveal a lot more about it in future parts and I hope you're going to like it!
[Team up with Ryler] Next time on WWE for the tag team Champions belt we will have a match that no one will forget!At one side we have the "… moreWoodbarkers" composed of the dumb but sometimes smart leader Wolfius,that Kreep of his son and his mascot "Big Beast without a cool name"!While at the other side we have the "United by a community choice" composed of the city guard with daddy issues (King) Arthur,the usual guy obsessed with his own revenge (and that wear an Alley Cat mask that he probably buy at the walmart) and his mascot "Wolfsbane" (the name that EVERYONE use for their own pet)!Who will win?Who will die?Don't change the channel if you want,someday,find out the answers!
RT:
* I have to suppose that this Ilish part happen during the last Samantha part
* Axell try to be a hero and fail while Ed,the bravest of all,decide again to make a tactical retreat;lucky for Ilish that Geralt has still enough HP for kill this guys
* Btw I se… [view original content]
Loved the part where Arthur got all sorts of nightmares from half eaten Lyria.
And he hasn't even gotten actual nightmares from it yet That was a traumatizing sight, especially for what's basically the Westerosi equivalent of a simple small town cop. He hasn't seen anything even remotely as horrifying and I'd be surprised if he wouldn't get nightmares from it sooner or later.
Wolfius could have at least put the rest of her in a doggy bag.
Well, technically he already put most of her in a literal doggy bag. Though, you can never know, perhaps he intends to return to deal with the leftovers. That said, I see it as entirely in character of Wolfius to just leave without dealing with that stuff. He's that rude customer in a restaurant who gets off on the thought that the staff has to throw his leftover food away an then leaves the building with a smug grin, knowing that he is part of what's wrong with the world.
As for Illish's part, bravo. When she headed back to the tavern, I could've sworn it would have been a ghost town. I thought Audrey would be dead and Megur and Daisy been abducted into salt wives, with Sam and crew making there way downstairs. Very glad to see Audrey and the tavern crew are all alive however.
Well, it has only been implied, but the credit for this mostly belongs to Audrey herself. She has sent Megur and Daisy downstairs to hide, while she blocked the door for a really long time. Hitting one of the Ironborn with her spoon pissed the man off enough that he decided to beat her to death instead of outright cutting her down, which gave her the chance to block the door for even longer, until Ilish and Vaasrand arrived.
I wonder where Illish is in the timeline however. Is it right after Sam's last part, because I doubt Sam would have left Audrey to fend for her own, and I doubt that the raiders would've waited too long before checking on Rodrik and seeing what's taking him so long.
Yes, you're right there. This part takes place more or less during Samantha's last part, she basically entered the tavern the moment Sasha shot Rodrik. So the're nothing unusual for the raiders yet, even if they probably would have checked up on him soon (which would have caused them to face a really pissed off Nymeria. Trust me, death by Vaasrand was the merciful option for them).
[Team up with Ryler] Time for Arthur to take one for the team like his dad. Arthur can foolishly go after Wolfius, leaving Mathea and Rosali… moree on their own to get back to the castle, get his butt whooped by Wolfius but give Ryler a chance to take Wolfius out once and for all, miss out on a chance to have a final moment with his dad, and feel regret on his choice for not going back to the castle. All sorts of inner turmoil. Loved the part where Arthur got all sorts of nightmares from half eaten Lyria. Wolfius could have at least put the rest of her in a doggy bag. God that's messed up. We already committed to the go after Wolfius plan anyway. Because we let Mathea go out into the city, we prevented her from healing Hackor and Darren, and it lead to Arthur going to Mathea's house and meeting Ryler. It's too late to go back now. We gotta commit. As for Illish's part, bravo. When she headed back to the tavern, I could've sworn it would have been … [view original content]
Who needs those two? For too long has this buffoon been able to live. Arthur would have already been chasing him if we followed Valarr like we should have. I mean what will Wolfius did next? Just leave? Maybe. But he shall always be watching.
Hm, Wolfius is probably not done with Raylansfair yet. Lyria has been but one name on the long list of people who wronged him (including the incidents where he was wronged only from his own, very subjective point of view, like the whole Jenna incident) and Wolfius is not the type of man to just leave without good reason. Maybe he has such a reason, maybe not, but it's definitely not the last you've seen of him.
Also Vaasrand is awesome and so is Ed. He is the only of the few with a clue. Good stuff.
Hehe, well, in that situation I'd say Ed actually showed some common sense. He's not a fighter, so if a guy with a weapon tries to kill him, he runs away of course. Of course it's not the brave thing to do, but I doubt anyone can blame him for not risking his life.
[Team up with Ryler]
Who needs those two? For too long has this buffoon been able to live. Arthur would have already been chasing him if … morewe followed Valarr like we should have. I mean what will Wolfius did next? Just leave? Maybe. But he shall always be watching.
Also Vaasrand is awesome and so is Ed. He is the only of the few with a clue. Good stuff.
Jorian, welcome back! I read your post in Fluid's story and I'm sorry to hear that things haven't gotten better for you over the last months. However, I'm really glad you've still returned to the forums! You have missed quite a number of twists that happened here during your absence and as The_not_chosen_one said, reading the list of deceased and unknown characters could give you some hefty spoilers about the things you missed here. That said, you also chose a pretty good time to return, as the current chapter, Chapter 8, is nearing its end. I'm looking forward for you to catch up again, though if you don't have the time for it, there's also the recap, which should be updated relatively soon after the chapter has ended. Take your time for that and for the PM stuff as well, for now it's just good to know that you're back
I'm back, gave a bit more detail on my situation in Fluid's story thread so I don't want to repeat it here, will answer any PMs with time. Looking forward to read up the new 1300+ posts here in Liquid's story which I missed
We have to stop being inconsistent with our choices. Wolfius needs to go, that much is obvious. And I'm sure with all that's happened to her, you wouldn't just kill Rosalie off now, she has so much potential as a character.
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
[Team up with Ryler] I don't see a problem. As much as I enjoy Wolfius as a villain it doesn't mean I don't want to kill him. I want him gone as soon as possible before he does more evil things and kill even more characters.
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Ilish
“Hang on, please”, Ilish gasped, as she dragged Valarr across the eerily deserted town square, towards the doors of the tavern. The… more guardsman was in a bad shape. She had seen wounds before, she had treated wounds, but her knowledge didn't go further than simple first aid techniques. She knew, what Valarr needed was more than that. Clean water, real bandages, not the rags she had to offer. It was already a wonder that his wound wasn't infected. At least she hopes that it wasn't infected. It wasn't something she knew much about. Seven Hells, why had she never paid any attention to these sort of stuff?
With a gasp, she pushed open the door to the tavern, before even throwing a look inside. “Help, Audrey!”, she yelled, before she realized just what was happening in there. Three men looked up, from the tabard they were wearing, she recognized them as Second Sons. Two other didn't wore a tabard, but she could guess that they were Ironbo… [view original content]
Well... it's save to say I did not expect this, especially not with such a majority. Keep in mind, you're now going after a huge direwolf and two extremely dangerous body-surfing serial killers, leaving Raylansfair's only healer to take care of a traumatized girl in a city that is almost entirely controlled by the Ironborn. It appears if I put it that way, it doesn't sound all that good anymore And well, I am surely surprised to have a clear majority in favour of this option. One thing I can already promise is, this choice is going to make Arthur's storyline in the next chapter longer than the other choice would have. That's probably about it for the positive consquences, at last for the foreseeable future. That alone is not a bad thing of course, since Arthur's storyline in the next chapter should be among the longest and most important, now even more.
The next part should in theory be out today. Thing is, I have another writing project to finish (To be precise, it's a character for Arrodor's story, which I gave a shout-out to a few days ago), but I also wish to finish this next FoT part today, especially considering how many of you have already voted this time. So, expect the part either today or early tomorrow (or very early tomorrow for the European folks, if I'm writing through the night again). This next part is definitely going to include a Kersea PoV and likely a second PoV from either Ellena or Maya. At best, I'm even going to manage to write down PoV's for all three without reaching the lenght limit, since Ellena and Maya are only going to have a little epilogue for their storylines in this chapter. Kersea's last part should still be present with you, considering how huge the events in it were. There was the fight at the lighthouse, with Alysanne just snapping and trying to kill Raenna for supposedly taking Kersea away from her. This one ended with Alysanne throwing Raenna out of the window of the lighthouse. At the same time, she more or less prevented Clayton from attacking Kersea. Things got really messed up when Harris arrived, which resulted in a three-way fight between Clayton, Harris and Alysanne. In this fight, Harris showed just how good he really is, when he knocked down Alysanne and (with a little help from Kersea), managed to inflict a career-ending injury on Clayton when he severed his sword arm. However, his uncompromising nature shined through one last time when he still tried to kill Kersea as well. Alysanne tried to stop him from this and the following struggle ended with her death at Harris' hands, followed by Kersea fatally stabbing Harris immediately afterwards. While she grieved over the body of her friend, Kersea noticed Raenna's faint pleas for help and it turns out that she's not dead, but managed to cling to some edge while falling down the lighthouse. However, Clayton isn't dead either. Though crippled, he still poses a threat. However, Kersea prioritized saving Raenna over taking revenge, something that is going to have big consequences for this next part. Meanwhile, Maya and Ellena will only have short parts, so I don't think you need that much of a detailed recap for them. With Maya, we'll learn about the aftermath of her fight with the Second Sons, which ended with Rodrik's escape and the death of Knightfang, in Ellena's part, we're going to learn about her confrontation with Abbas, who has killed Ando and tried to take her as his prisoner in the latest part.
150 pages, oh man Still feels a bit odd that the story has gotten that long and we haven't even reached the end of Book 1. I definitely look forward for the direction we'll take the story into in the next 150 pages. In fact, the best is yet to come. I know I say this way too often, but well, I'd like to thank all of you who ever commented on this story, since reading your thoughts is always the best thing about writing for me
Alright, I'll jump in quickly before the next part with my new set of drawings This time we have a bunch of supporting cast from Raylansfair, I hope you enjoy.
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between them. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.
Kersea narrowed her eyes, as she reached down as far as possible. She couldn't let her die, she had to save her! Raenna reached up again, noticing that she still wasn't able to get to safety. She took a deep breath and then she heaved herself up with all her strength. Her arm darted upwards and this time, she managed to grab the outstretched hand. Her own tightly clung onto the wrist, the nails digging into Kersea's flesh almost painfully.
The sudden weight, despite Raenna's thin figure, was enough to press the air out of Kersea's lungs and if she wouldn't have used her legs to press against the wall below the windowsill, she would have been in danger of falling out as well. Clenching her teeth, she let out a long, pained growl, though her eyes sparked up at the hopeful smile on Raenna's face.
Slowly, she started to pull. Raenna wasn't able to be much of a help, though she tried to push herself upwards with her free hand, to little avail. “Come on”, Kersea growled through clenched teeth. “Come on, we almost got it” Her growl turned into a grunt, as she struggled, trying her best to save her friend.
Despite the effort she put into pulling Raenna up, she did notice something. Raenna's hopeful, determined expression changed, when her eyes widened. “Behind you!”, she yelled, though it was already too late. Sharp pain exploded in Kersea's waist and her grunt turned into a clear scream of pain. And she heard Clayton's voice near her ear. “This will be the last time you turn your back on me, my love”, he hissed.
The sudden pain was enough to make her loosen her grip around Raenna's hand. The other woman sank down a little bit, though she desperately clung onto Kersea's arm. It wasn't enough. Despite both of them struggling, she slowly sank down. “No...”, Kersea managed to gasp and tears formed in her eyes. “NO!”
And then, Kersea was unable to hold onto Raenna any longer. The pain in her side was agonizing, but it was the expression in Raenna's eyes that truly horrified her. The fear, the sudden realization that this would be how she would die. Her hand slipped through Kersea's fingers and she fell. It was a silent fall and unlike Kersea, she did not scream. After a few brief seconds, the darkness had swallowed her.
Tears clouded Kersea's vision, as Clayton's hand reached for her hair. He had to hold his sword with the same hand and she felt the steel at the back of her head, as he violently yanked her back, throwing her onto the ground, where she sank against the wall. Her gaze fell upon the lifeless body of Alysanne and a sob came out of her throat.
One of her hands moved to the wound on her side, which was still burning with agony. It wasn't a very deep wound, as Clayton's blade had only sliced across the soft flesh on her hips. Perhaps he hadn't intended to kill her, or perhaps his missing arm had weakened him too much to do it. It was painful nonetheless, almost as much as the memory of the last look in the eyes of Raenna and Alysanne. She glanced at her palm, covered in her own blood and then, she glanced up at Clayton.
His remaining arm still held the sword and a grin, maddened with pain, had formed on his face. “This was the last time you've turned your back on me”, he repeated, this time almost with sorrow, despite his grin. “I loved you and you... you repaid me with hatred” The stump of his right arm pointed at her, accusing. “You did this!”, he barked and his voice grew sharper. “You ruined all of it! It was your fault!” She noticed the faint hint of tears in his one eye. “Are you happy now?”
She did not answer to his question. Once more, her gaze fell onto Alysanne's corpse. “Just get it over with”, she sighed, not even granting him one last look. Out of the corner of her eyes, she still saw him, shaking with anger. With a growl, he let go of his sword. As it fell to the ground, he moved his hand into his coat.
“No”, he whispered. “Not like this. Darling, you're going to burn” Now, she did indeed look at him, spotting the small green vial he removed from his coat. “If you die, it won't be so quick. You will suffer. And this rotten shithole of a city will suffer with you” He gave her a wink, as he threw the vial, not at her, but towards the door that led upstairs, to the room where they had stored all of the wildfire.
It exploded in a bright, green light and Kersea had to shield her eyes. She felt the heat, though the green flames did not reach her. Instead, they slowly started to creep upwards, towards the door. Clayton chuckled, as he turned to the stairs. “I'm going to leave you now”, he said. “Farewell, Kersea” With these words, he was gone and she didn't even muster enough strength to glare at him. Instead, she sank back, paralyzed with pain and sorrow.
Alysanne was dead because she had tried to protect her. Raenna was dead, because Kersea had been too weak to save her. Even the acting lord, the old knight, he would have deserved better, despite what he did. She would burn with them all. And Clayton was still alive. She sighed in defeat, as she saw the flames moving up the stairs, ever closer to the door. “Briar...”, she gasped. “I'm sorry”
Briar... The memory flashed through Kersea's mind. Bright eyes, an even brighter smile. The only person left in this world that meant a thing to her. The one she had done all of this for. Every decision in the past years had been aimed at keeping her little sister safe. She couldn't leave her alone in this world now, could she?
With a gasp of pain and what little strength she had left, Kersea pushed herself upwards. It wasn't motivated out of hatred towards Clayton, or defiance of the fate he had decided for her. It was motivated out of sisterly love. For innocence worth protecting. For the memory of lilac and strands of silver. For a puppy and a friend in need.
She sank onto all fours once more, right next to Alysanne's body. “Thank you”, she whispered, as she gently caressed her cheek one last time. “I wish I could have saved you. I wish I could have healed you” She focussed as she resisted the urge to sink into grief. Her hand moved towards Alysanne's short sword. “I will never forget you”, she promised, as she pushed herself up again.
Half running, half stumbling, she rushed towards the stairs that led outside. It was sheer luck that prevented her from falling, as the bleeding wound affected her terribly. Nonetheless, she managed to stagger towards the door and out into the cold, nightly landscape.
In the distance, she heard sounds of fighting from the city. There was fire, as a significant portion of Raylansfair was burning. The sound of clashing steel told her that the battle was far from over. Somewhere in the south, distant horns sounded, as Kersea staggered away from the tower. She glanced around, not seeing Clayton anywhere. Considering the shape he was in, with his missing arm, she was praying that he'd bleed out, that he'd burn in the Seven Hells.
She broke into a sprint, down the path that led to the main road, just away from the tower. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, keeping her going, as she rushed towards safety. She knew that it was only a matter of seconds until...
The world exploded in a deafening bang and a flash of blinding green light. For a second, Kersea continued to run, before the shockwave hit her, hurling her through the air, pushing her forwards with terrifyingly brutal might. Everything behind her was scorched.
Kersea heavily hit her head as she landed and the force was enough to make her spin around, so that she was able to see the effects of the wildfire. A massive green cloud had consumed the entire tower in an instant. Shards of burning bricks were hurled through the air, though the shockwave was enough to make the utmost majority of them hit the ground way beyond the spot she herself had landed. A gargantuan mass of green erupted, going higher and higher.
For a moment, the night turned to day, as dozens of fireballs illuminated the sky, landing somewhere out of her sight, in the water, on the fields behind her, the forest to her left or behind the walls to her right, claiming even more of the city, as the giant green orb of fire collapsed in itself.
During all of this, Kersea struggled just to remain conscious. She had hit her head and somehow, the wound at her side felt even worse than before. Still, she couldn't help but to feel in awe at the sheer display of destruction she had just witnessed. And the terror at the distant thought of what this power could have done in the wrong hands. She noticed the irony, that Clayton's final act to spite her might have actually saved countless lives.
Her head moved slightly to the left and she spotted two figures in the distance, cowering at the green fire. She glanced at her bleeding side and knew, she wouldn't survive on her own. Using Alysanne's sword to push herself up, almost like a cane, she dragged herself towards them, noticing that one of them had to be supported by the other to remain standing. Help...
As she came closer, she even recognized the man that supported the other one. Brown hair, a beard, strongly built. He had recovered apparently and he had survived Wolfius' wrath. And most importantly he was the man she had spared. His eyes, curious at first at the approaching figure, widened as he recognized her.
She collapsed once more only a few feet away from him, pain, grief and sheer exhaustion having finally caught up with her. Through a veil of tears, she met his gaze, as he was obviously too stunned to even speak “Help me...”, she managed to utter, not knowing if he even heard her, before she sank forwards, face first onto the road. And everything turned to black.
No Choices for this part
Ellena
“Just get here, girlie”, Abbas growled lowly, as she slowly backed away from him. “No one has to get hurt” He said this while nonchalantly stepping over Ando's dead body. Ellena tensed up at the sight. She hadn't known Ando for long, only for a couple of hours. But in this time, she had no doubt that he deserved better, that he had been one of the few truly good men she had met in her life.
“Abbas, stop this”, Bakr pleaded. “Just let us go, please. She's not worth the trouble” Abbas glared at him, as his hand moved to the whip on his belt. “Quite the contrary, you moron”, he hissed. “Do you know how much this trip has cost us? This is damage control, dear Bakr. I'm not going to sell Janae and the other girl won't bring enough on her own”
Ellena's gaze fell upon the smoke-filled street she had just came from, as Abbas removed the whip from his belt. “Last chance”, he growled. “Get here peacefully and I won't hurt you. You have no chance of escaping either way” To demonstrate how serious he was, he cracked the whip and Ellena flinched at the sound.
It was dangerous, but she had no choice. She was sick of this, being captured, used as a pawn by others. This would never happen to her again. Nobody would suffer to save her, since she would save herself. And this meant taking some risks. She sent a glare towards Abbas and couldn't resist the urge to stick her tongue at him. Then, she ran into the smoke-filled street.
Abbas growled in anger and his whip cracked forwards, missing her so narrowly that she still felt it cutting through the air behind her back. Instinctively covering her mouth with her arm, she staggered forwards and soon, the blinding smoke had swallowed her. Behind her, she heard Abbas entering the street.
“You clever little...”, he hissed and the rest of his sentence was drowned by his violent coughing as he fully inhaled the smoke. “Abbas!”, Bakr screamed. “Abbas, get out of there, it's too dangerous! You have Janae, don't risk anything now!” Somewhere behind her, as Ellena continued to run down the street, Abbas sighed. “Alright”, he growled. “I suppose there will be enough girls between here and Yunkai to take” A slight chuckle came out of his throat and Ellena barely understood the words that followed. “And I'm already having someone in mind”, he whispered. “Oh yes, she's going to make us rich”
Though the immediate danger seemed to have gone by, Ellena did not dare to turn around. Instead, she continued to make her way through the smoke, despite the pain in put her lungs through and the primal fear that was awoken by the heat on her skin. They had made a terrible mistake by taking this route, she and Ando. Brandon as well....
Brandon! He was still alive, he had to be. Maybe she could find him, if she'd ever find her way out of this. And that, unfortunately, was far from a certainty. She staggered forwards, motivated by the fear of what would await her if she'd turn back and by sheer determination. She had chosen this path and she would stick by it!
The smoke became thicker, as she continued to make her way through the street. At the same time, the fire became more present, as she passed buildings that were already consumed. The air became thinner and her eyes were aching so much that she was barely able to see through them. Tears streamed down her face and her lungs were burning. One time, she passed a half-burned corpse on the street and the stench managed to be even stronger than the already numbing and omnipresent smell of smoke. And Ellena had to ask herself if she would end up like this as well.
But she didn't. She didn't turn around and she didn't die. If anything, Ellena Terys was a survivor now, something she was proud of. There weren't many things to be proud of in her life, but maybe this one could be among them. The smoke grew thinner again, as the air became more breathable, if slightly. Right now, this felt like heaven to Ellena, who broke into a sprint.
Completely out of breath, she finally left the small street again, having ran deeper into the city. Sighing in happiness, she sank to her knees, as she filled her pained lungs with the cold air. Her smile turned wider, as she slowly recovered from the ordeal this had put her through. And she realized just how lucky she had been. It was dangerous, but she had always been fast.
Then, she noticed something. Footsteps in the distance, coming from a nearby alleyway. She narrowed her eyes, as she jumped up, crawling behind an abandoned wheelbarrow, where she crouched down, hopefully out of sight of whomever would go there.
From her hiding spot, she saw two men walking out of the alleyway. They were dishevelled, wearing thin, dirty leather, with unkempt hair and cruel axes in their hands. “We gotta tell him”, one of the men said, with worry in his voice. The other one sighed. “Captain's not going to like this. I doubt he'll retreat”
“I don't give a shit what he's going to do”, the first raider said. “I know I'm getting the hell out of here. Besides, what's he going to do? You think he'll stop me? He's grown soft. That man is no Anturion and certainly no Cleaver”
This statement got him an approving nod from the second raider. “Perhaps you're right. He's not a bad guy though, our captain. We can tell him and then we can leave before hell breaks loose here”, he said. “Speaking of Cleaver, you know where he is?”
The first man shook his head as they both passed the wheelbarrow. Ellena held her breath during this, fearing that they would notice her. But they didn't being too busy with their talk. “Nah”, the first man said and the second one sighed. “Shame. I really hope he's dead”, he growled. “You know what, if we find his corpse, I'm going to take a shit right on his bastard face”
This disgusting statement caused the first man to laugh. “You call dibs on that?”, he asked and the second one gave him a nod. “You bet I do”, he replied. And with that, they turned into another side street and Ellena was unable to hear them anymore. Probably a good thing. She waited for a second, before she continued her way.
Considering where she had came from and where the gate was located, she knew where she had to go. Brandon had said that the eastern gate was unguarded. That's where she'd find him, hopefully. She wasn't too sure what she would do then, but it was better than having no plan at all. Together with him, she could figure something out. And he deserved to know about Ando and about Abbas' role in his death.
Her pace was moderate at first, though Ellena soon gave up on any restraints, as she spotted the gate in the distance, having passed nothing but abandoned, desolate streets in the meantime. It stood widely open and it was indeed devoid of any life. Neither enemy nor friend was there. She broke into a sprint, as she ran towards it, out of the city and towards her freedom.
Despite the relief she felt, Ellena had a hard time feeling happy, especially as she saw the corpses. The defenders of the gate had been massacred, but they had taken Ironborn with them as well. Never before had she seen so many corpses on such a limited space. She tensed up as she walked past them as fast as possible. Perhaps she'd add these poor souls into her prayers, but right now, her own survival was more important than feeling overwhelmed at such a sight. Though she hoped differently, she had the deep-seated fear that it wouldn't be the last time she'd stumble upon such a sight.
With a heavy heart, she passed through the gate, leaving this burning, dying city behind. For a moment, she stopped to look around. Her heart started to beat faster, as she spotted neither Abbas, nor Bakr. This was a good thing. Perhaps they had already gotten out of the city, but the more likely alternative was that they hadn't managed to find their way so far.
At the same time, there was no sign of Brandon either. They would catch up here, right? He had told them, back when they were separated and yet she couldn't see him anywhere. Had he already left without her and Ando? Perhaps he had been forced to hide.
Ellena paused for a moment, to consider her next step. She knew she had to get away from the gates as quickly as possible, in case Abbas and Bakr would take the same route out of the city, or in case even worse men would find her there. Perhaps she could search the area for Brandon, but if she wouldn't find him, she knew it would be a dangerous waste of time.
Her gaze fell down the eastern road, the one she had taken to enter the city. It would mean freedom, finally getting away from all of this. Maybe she'd even encounter Brandon. Most importantly, this was the direction she had came from when Terroma died. Somewhere there, he had found his undignified final resting place, when they didn't even have the time to bury him. Maybe it would be wiser to get away from the city, to travel down the road. Ellena sighed, knowing that she had to make a decision quickly.
[Search the area for Brandon][Travel down the eastern road]
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between th… moreem. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.… [view original content]
[Travel down the eastern road] enough blood and more dangerous enviourment for little girl. Time to move away. I believe she have bigger chances outside than inside of the city.
Was there a chance for Raenna not falling down if majority would choose to take care of Clayton first? Then everything would not blow up as well I guess. Oh well, that tower became resting place for quite a few. I believe even Raenna with Valyrian blood could not survive that, especially falling from such height.
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between th… moreem. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.… [view original content]
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between th… moreem. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.… [view original content]
[Travel down the eastern road] Ellena will have more chance to survive and find the others if she leave the city
RT:
I'm the only one that expected the outcome of the last Kersea's part?You can't expect to save your friend if you give your own back to your enemy!
Btw I'm curious to discover what Clayton will do from now on
If Raenna's survive this part she will be the champion of the "I got lucky.Real lucky" inside this story!
And after a cool explosion that no one in the city will notice Kersea will be saved by...Richard Harking! I'm really interested to read what will happen in the next chapter between them!
In the last Ellena part instead everything go as I suspect and Abbas decide to not follow Ellena...but who he think to take at her place?
The conversation between the Ironborns was very interesting
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between th… moreem. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.… [view original content]
Was there a chance for Raenna not falling down if majority would choose to take care of Clayton first? Then everything would not blow up as well I guess. Oh well, that tower became resting place for quite a few. I believe even Raenna with Valyrian blood could not survive that, especially falling from such height.
I am afraid no. Raenna's fall from the tower was a far too central moment to leave it up to the voting. I can't yet go into detail how it is going to affect the future, but be assured that this was one of the key moments in this chapter and if I would have left it up for choice, it would have potentially screwed over some very important plans. However, attacking Clayton would have resulted in his death. Right now, he is more in the unknown part of the list and his chances of survival are arguably not too bad, but if Kersea would have attacked him, he would have outright died on screen and you would have witnessed his death. In return, he would have given Kersea a bad wound, making her unable to save Raenna in time. Another effect of attacking him first would have been that the wildfire in the lighthouse wouldn't have exploded, leaving it up for use for the future.
[Travel down the eastern road] enough blood and more dangerous enviourment for little girl. Time to move away. I believe she have bigger cha… morences outside than inside of the city.
Was there a chance for Raenna not falling down if majority would choose to take care of Clayton first? Then everything would not blow up as well I guess. Oh well, that tower became resting place for quite a few. I believe even Raenna with Valyrian blood could not survive that, especially falling from such height.
Oh fuck no I hope Raenna survived, in some miraculous way
Well, right now she is more in the unknown parts than in the outright confirmed deceased parts of the list. It is a pretty heavy fall, though at least she won't hit solid ground, so that's why her fate can officially be seen as unknown right now. I'd say her chances are somewhere between Jarow (most likely dead) and Clayton (who has relatively good chances of survival) and I can reveal that you will at the very least get confirmation about her status in the near future.
The explosion of the tower was cool though, I could just imagine what it'd look like.
I am so glad to hear it. Admittedly, sometimes I am not too good when it comes to descriptions, but I wanted to get this one just right, considering that it is a key scene in the chapter. The consequences of this explosion are likely to be just as massive as Raenna's fall, if not more, so I am happy to har I managed to create an image there
Oh fuck no I hope Raenna survived, in some miraculous way
The explosion of the tower was cool though, I could just imagine what it'd lo… moreok like.
[Travel down the eastern road] Better to get away from the city, only bad things happening there right now.
I'm the only one that expected the outcome of the last Kersea's part?You can't expect to save your friend if you give your own back to your enemy!
Precisely. This was a clear mistake on Kersea's part, though she, just like the readers, have massively underestimated the danger Clayton still posed with one arm. At the same time, it was also an important choice to see where Kersea's priority would be. She chose friendship over revenge, which will certainly influence her, probably for the better.
Btw I'm curious to discover what Clayton will do from now on
He'll join Bear's group and become a literally one-armed bandit At the very least, his career as a professional killer is over and him blowing up the wildfire has also ruined any chance that Butterfly will take him in. So, his life as he knew it is more or less ruined. If he survives at all, it is possible he'll fall into a really deep hole.
If Raenna's survive this part she will be the champion of the "I got lucky.Real lucky" inside this story!
Well, if that happens she has to battle Richard for the spot first, in a fight to the death. There can be only one! In all seriousness though, Raenna's fate is unknown, but it won't remain unknown. I don't intend on keeping you guessing what happened to her for too long, so you'll either see her alive, or her corpse in the near future.
And after a cool explosion that no one in the city will notice Kersea will be saved by...Richard Harking! I'm really interested to read what will happen in the next chapter between them!
I can assure you, they will notice it very well In fact, a couple of fireballs have landed inside the city walls, so some of the people in there will notice it even more than others. Anyways, Richard's reaction to Kersea will surely be interesting. These two didn't share a scene since Chapter 3 of the story and they have both come a long way.
In the last Ellena part instead everything go as I suspect and Abbas decide to not follow Ellena...but who he think to take at her place?
Well... let's just say Abbas has an idea. A really good idea, come to think of it. There is one certain person he has in mind, knowing that such a move is going to make him rich.
The conversation between the Ironborns was very interesting
Glad to hear it! There has also been an important detail in it that will play a big role in the coming parts.
[Travel down the eastern road] Ellena will have more chance to survive and find the others if she leave the city
RT:
* I'm the only … moreone that expected the outcome of the last Kersea's part?You can't expect to save your friend if you give your own back to your enemy!
* Btw I'm curious to discover what Clayton will do from now on
* If Raenna's survive this part she will be the champion of the "I got lucky.Real lucky" inside this story!
* And after a cool explosion that no one in the city will notice Kersea will be saved by...Richard Harking! I'm really interested to read what will happen in the next chapter between them!
* In the last Ellena part instead everything go as I suspect and Abbas decide to not follow Ellena...but who he think to take at her place?
* The conversation between the Ironborns was very interesting
You have got to be kidding me. Kersea's part nearly made me outright distraught. Raenna! I really like her. I fell in love with her character in her very first part.And then there was a point where I thought Kersea would die too and I was all "No! This is too much!
This chapter has not been kind to me.
[Travel down the eastern road] It's just not safe here, especially for someone like Ellena.
EDIT: I feel a bit silly saying this, but I really don't remember Brandon.
EDIT 2: I've a really bad feeling that Briar is who Abbas is going after.
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between th… moreem. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.… [view original content]
You have got to be kidding me. Kersea's part nearly made me outright distraught. Raenna! I really like her. I fell in love with her character in her very first part.And then there was a point where I thought Kersea would die too and I was all "No! This is too much!
This chapter has not been kind to me.
It certainly hasn't been kind and after realizing this, I must say that I was a bit nervous for actually writing it down. I knew Alysanne would hit you and I knew her death was nearly inevitable, although I only realized the other things while actually publishing the parts. But all I can say is, absolutely nothing in this chapter happened without a very good reason. Give it a couple of weeks and you'll definitly see what I mean with this. Especially Raenna's fall from the tower has set something in motion that will massively influence the story for years, which is the main reason why I couldn't leave it open for choices. I hope you can forgive me
Although I can say that originally, things would have been even harsher. I don't know if it's much to console you, but my original plans would have likely hit you even more. Not counting my absolutely original plans in which a far less sympathetic Alysanne would have turned on Kersea, forcing her to kill her (which I really couldn't have done to you), there was a very concrete plan for the longest time to kill off Kersea. I had her death planned ever since I first came up with her storyline. What she said in this part, the "Briar... I'm sorry" - line were supposed to be her final words, before being killed by the wildfire explosion (I even wrote a super cool early draft of that scene). Enter @WildlingKing with his drawing of Kersea, which I liked to much that I had to rethink my plans, because I really didn't want to kill her off anymore. This gave me an idea for her storyline after Chapter 8 and I liked it so much that I realized just how much wasted potential it would have been to kill her off after all the character development she received. So, thanks to Wildling that particular storyline has taken a far more different turn and one that, the more I plan for it, is going to be an absolute joy to write down. So, if you enjoy the things I have in mind for Kersea in the future, you know whom to thank
EDIT: I feel a bit silly saying this, but I really don't remember Brandon.
Well, he hasn't really gotten much spotlight, but I can promise that you'll soon get a far more detailed impression of him. He's the leader of the sellsword group Raenna has saved below the Hightower, Ando's superior officer. In this chapter, he really hadn't much to do, but he accompanied Raenna and Abbas during their scout mission in the last chapter, where they encountered Archmaester Wulvren and the burned down remains of Otis' house. During this chapter, he only appeared briefly in Kersea's first part and in Ellena's first, where he and Briar got separated from Ellena and Ando. He had told them he'd wait near the eastern gate, though now that Ellena has made it there, he's nowhere to be seen, which is why I have offered the chance to search for him and for Briar. As I said, you will learn something about him in just a couple of parts (likely the second or third of Chapter 9), so stay tuned for that
You have got to be kidding me. Kersea's part nearly made me outright distraught. Raenna! I really like her. I fell in love with her charact… moreer in her very first part.And then there was a point where I thought Kersea would die too and I was all "No! This is too much!
This chapter has not been kind to me.
[Travel down the eastern road] It's just not safe here, especially for someone like Ellena.
EDIT: I feel a bit silly saying this, but I really don't remember Brandon.
EDIT 2: I've a really bad feeling that Briar is who Abbas is going after.
Comments
[Team up with Ryler] Arthur isn't a bitch.
Did Vaasrand take a potion, or was it pure willpower there?
I actually planned to have a scene similar to this in Vaasrand's subplot, although he would have worded it slightly differently, and it would have been on one of the main villains (who I won't reveal in case I actually decide to starting writing it again)
We need to make sure this never happens again. Rosalie still isn't safe and who knows how many more people will fall to Wolfius. I don't approve of murdering him, but they have to stop him.
That Geralt of Rivia reference. XD
Man... Wolfius is the worst. Worse than Clayton, Noelle, Mullendore even.
EDIT: Changed my choice. Not comfortable leaving Mathea and Rosalie alone in a city at war. For me this is a matter of protecting the innocent vs punishing the guilty and I want to protect Mathea and Rosalie more than I want to stop Wolfius. [Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
I'm back, gave a bit more detail on my situation in Fluid's story thread so I don't want to repeat it here, will answer any PMs with time. Looking forward to read up the new 1300+ posts here in Liquid's story which I missed
[Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
We'll get another shot at Wolfius, but if we leave Rosalie and Mathea, they may be killed. They'll also be heading back to the castle as soon as they can move Rosalie, which means Arthur may still get to have a moment with his father. And if he goes after Wolfius, he, or Ryler, or Wolfsbane may die, and Raylansfair has lost enough of its heroes and protectors this chapter, and I'm fairly certain we'll lose more before the attack is done.
[Team up with Ryler] Next time on WWE for the tag team Champions belt we will have a match that no one will forget!At one side we have the "Woodbarkers" composed of the dumb but sometimes smart leader Wolfius,that Kreep of his son and his mascot "Big Beast without a cool name"!While at the other side we have the "United by a community choice" composed of the city guard with daddy issues (King) Arthur,the usual guy obsessed with his own revenge (and that wear an Alley Cat mask that he probably buy at the walmart) and his mascot "Wolfsbane" (the name that EVERYONE use for their own pet)!Who will win?Who will die?Don't change the channel if you want,someday,find out the answers!
RT:
[Team up with Ryler] A bit reckless, I know, but we already abandoned the Wolfius-hunt with Ilish, so let's have it with Arthur then
Welcome back! (Don't read the deceased/unknown characters list!)
[Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
Arthur is not a fighter.
I really didn't intend to, but now you made it hard to resist :P
My evil plan has been a success!
Double EVIL post!
[Team up with Ryler] Time for Arthur to take one for the team like his dad. Arthur can foolishly go after Wolfius, leaving Mathea and Rosalie on their own to get back to the castle, get his butt whooped by Wolfius but give Ryler a chance to take Wolfius out once and for all, miss out on a chance to have a final moment with his dad, and feel regret on his choice for not going back to the castle. All sorts of inner turmoil. Loved the part where Arthur got all sorts of nightmares from half eaten Lyria. Wolfius could have at least put the rest of her in a doggy bag.
God that's messed up. We already committed to the go after Wolfius plan anyway. Because we let Mathea go out into the city, we prevented her from healing Hackor and Darren, and it lead to Arthur going to Mathea's house and meeting Ryler. It's too late to go back now. We gotta commit. As for Illish's part, bravo. When she headed back to the tavern, I could've sworn it would have been a ghost town. I thought Audrey would be dead and Megur and Daisy been abducted into salt wives, with Sam and crew making there way downstairs. Very glad to see Audrey and the tavern crew are all alive however. I wonder where Illish is in the timeline however. Is it right after Sam's last part, because I doubt Sam would have left Audrey to fend for her own, and I doubt that the raiders would've waited too long before checking on Rodrik and seeing what's taking him so long. Geralt was a clutch save as expected.
[Stay with Mathea and Rosalie]
[Team up with Ryler]
Who needs those two? For too long has this buffoon been able to live. Arthur would have already been chasing him if we followed Valarr like we should have. I mean what will Wolfius did next? Just leave? Maybe. But he shall always be watching.
Also Vaasrand is awesome and so is Ed. He is the only of the few with a clue. Good stuff.
It was pure willpower. If he would have had a potion all this time, he wouldn't have required help to get to the tavern. At heart, he is a hero after all, so if he sees someone in danger, he can gain the willpower to just carry on for long enough to save that person. It probably wasn't a good thing for his already wounded body though and he definitely can't go on like that for much longer without a serious rest.
Ha, I call dibs on that reference! In all seriousness though, it's such a cool line that I doubt Vaasrand uttered it only once. I mean, if you'd come up with such a badass line, would you say it only once? Of course not! I know I'd make it my bloody catchphrase
He likely won't use it any more in the actual story, as it was almost to cheesy as a reference for me (though I had slight time problems yesterday, so I decided to just run with it), but I doubt anyone would have anything against Vaasrand having such a scene in your subplot, whenever you wish to continue it (or have the time for it, considering that you're busy with your own story).
I saw an opportunity, I took an opportunity
I really don't know what I'm going to do the moment I run out of Geralt references. I was really conflicted if I should use this one, even if it arguably kind of fit the situation, as it is so damn well known that even people who never played the Witcher get it. But as I said to Arrodor, I was in some time troubles and had no time to think of a better thing to say.
I agree, I fully agree. The other names you mentioned, especially Noelle and Mullendore, actually have something of a redeeming feature. They both do what they believe is the best for the largest amount of people. As you have seen, Noelle wasn't even that evil, just completely misguided and ultimately morally unable to go through with her plans, while Mullendore genuinely wishes to help Oldtown and there's also the way he took care of Briar during her stay at the Hightower. Clayton's feelings for Kersea, while horribly warped, are also proof that he at least can feel genuine affection to others. Wolfius meanwhile... well, the way I write him has been somewhat influenced by the Joker, so you won't find any even remotely redeeming or humanizing traits with him. He has exactly one thing going in his favour and that is something I have revealed a while ago, the thing that he hasn't grown into this person entirely by himself, but that he had someone in his life who influenced this darker side.
Alright, your edit has been noted
You are also quite right with your opinion there, it basically is a decision between making sure that Rosalie and Mathea are save or helping Ryler in taking down Wolfius (even if it can be argued that it would ultimately end up protecting innocents as well)
An interesting thought. Hmmm... maybe. At the very least, he'd be there for Aditha as quickly as possible, who surely needs him as well.
That is something you are undoubtedly right with. A great number of defenders have died so far and it is unlikely I won't add further names to the list of deceased characters bfore this chapter ends. In fact, I can confirm that more will die before the chapter ends, but I can't confirm if there will be any of the heroes of Raylansfair among them.
That would be quite the match, I agree
I can assure you though, Wolfius' direwolf has a name, it just hasn't been revealed yet. Look out for it in future parts, even if it probably won't be much of a plot point.
Indeed, it started towards the end of Samantha's latest part and ends slightly after it, so that explains why the sellswords still assume that Rodrik is okay at the upper floor.
Indeed, it was a tactical retreat! You got it there, he did not flee of course. The mighty Edefilec Magabaz does not run away. Just wait for him to return with the cavalry, to save all of Raylansfair from the raiders. I think by now you know that there's no other logical choice for the future lord of Raylansfair but Lord Ed. Technically though, there's also a vacant position at the bridge. Lord Ed of the Bridges has a nice ring to it.
Hehe, I can assure you there's plenty of differences, especially in their backstory. Arrodor has actually written quite a number of parts to detail it. Vaasrand is Geralt in appearance and heavily influenced in his personality, so I gladly go with the reference, but they have a number of heavy differences as well, which will be revealed in time.
If you think this has a happy ending, you probably haven't yet heard about that overused Ramsay quote from Season 3. Well, I can reveal that the ending will be happy for some at least. And with that I mean really few, but it won't be terrible for everyone. Take that information as you wish, as it can be good or bad depending on the characters who will be happy about the ending.
Oh yes, he left quite a mess. This one's going to have some pretty serious effect on the other characters, especially on Arthur and Mathea. And, of course, poor Rosalie.
I can reveal that Ryler has a seriously interesting backstory. He has a connection to a number of characters and actually, there is one other introduced character whom Ryler encountered in his past. Sp far, it has only been hinted at, but I plan to reveal a lot more about it in future parts and I hope you're going to like it!
And he hasn't even gotten actual nightmares from it yet
That was a traumatizing sight, especially for what's basically the Westerosi equivalent of a simple small town cop. He hasn't seen anything even remotely as horrifying and I'd be surprised if he wouldn't get nightmares from it sooner or later.
Well, technically he already put most of her in a literal doggy bag. Though, you can never know, perhaps he intends to return to deal with the leftovers. That said, I see it as entirely in character of Wolfius to just leave without dealing with that stuff. He's that rude customer in a restaurant who gets off on the thought that the staff has to throw his leftover food away an then leaves the building with a smug grin, knowing that he is part of what's wrong with the world.
Well, it has only been implied, but the credit for this mostly belongs to Audrey herself. She has sent Megur and Daisy downstairs to hide, while she blocked the door for a really long time. Hitting one of the Ironborn with her spoon pissed the man off enough that he decided to beat her to death instead of outright cutting her down, which gave her the chance to block the door for even longer, until Ilish and Vaasrand arrived.
Yes, you're right there. This part takes place more or less during Samantha's last part, she basically entered the tavern the moment Sasha shot Rodrik. So the're nothing unusual for the raiders yet, even if they probably would have checked up on him soon (which would have caused them to face a really pissed off Nymeria. Trust me, death by Vaasrand was the merciful option for them).
Hm, Wolfius is probably not done with Raylansfair yet. Lyria has been but one name on the long list of people who wronged him (including the incidents where he was wronged only from his own, very subjective point of view, like the whole Jenna incident) and Wolfius is not the type of man to just leave without good reason. Maybe he has such a reason, maybe not, but it's definitely not the last you've seen of him.
Hehe, well, in that situation I'd say Ed actually showed some common sense. He's not a fighter, so if a guy with a weapon tries to kill him, he runs away of course. Of course it's not the brave thing to do, but I doubt anyone can blame him for not risking his life.
Jorian, welcome back! I read your post in Fluid's story and I'm sorry to hear that things haven't gotten better for you over the last months. However, I'm really glad you've still returned to the forums! You have missed quite a number of twists that happened here during your absence and as The_not_chosen_one said, reading the list of deceased and unknown characters could give you some hefty spoilers about the things you missed here. That said, you also chose a pretty good time to return, as the current chapter, Chapter 8, is nearing its end. I'm looking forward for you to catch up again, though if you don't have the time for it, there's also the recap, which should be updated relatively soon after the chapter has ended. Take your time for that and for the PM stuff as well, for now it's just good to know that you're back
[Team up with Ryler]
We have to stop being inconsistent with our choices. Wolfius needs to go, that much is obvious. And I'm sure with all that's happened to her, you wouldn't just kill Rosalie off now, she has so much potential as a character.
Really curious about who's the silver haired guy is.
[Team up with Ryler]
[Team up with Ryler]
[Team up with Ryler]
[Team up with Ryler] I don't see a problem. As much as I enjoy Wolfius as a villain it doesn't mean I don't want to kill him. I want him gone as soon as possible before he does more evil things and kill even more characters.
[Team up with Ryler]
Looks like we made it to 150 pages!
The Voting is closed!
Arthur is going to team up with Ryler
Well... it's save to say I did not expect this, especially not with such a majority. Keep in mind, you're now going after a huge direwolf and two extremely dangerous body-surfing serial killers, leaving Raylansfair's only healer to take care of a traumatized girl in a city that is almost entirely controlled by the Ironborn. It appears if I put it that way, it doesn't sound all that good anymore
And well, I am surely surprised to have a clear majority in favour of this option. One thing I can already promise is, this choice is going to make Arthur's storyline in the next chapter longer than the other choice would have. That's probably about it for the positive consquences, at last for the foreseeable future. That alone is not a bad thing of course, since Arthur's storyline in the next chapter should be among the longest and most important, now even more.
The next part should in theory be out today. Thing is, I have another writing project to finish (To be precise, it's a character for Arrodor's story, which I gave a shout-out to a few days ago), but I also wish to finish this next FoT part today, especially considering how many of you have already voted this time. So, expect the part either today or early tomorrow (or very early tomorrow for the European folks, if I'm writing through the night again). This next part is definitely going to include a Kersea PoV and likely a second PoV from either Ellena or Maya. At best, I'm even going to manage to write down PoV's for all three without reaching the lenght limit, since Ellena and Maya are only going to have a little epilogue for their storylines in this chapter. Kersea's last part should still be present with you, considering how huge the events in it were. There was the fight at the lighthouse, with Alysanne just snapping and trying to kill Raenna for supposedly taking Kersea away from her. This one ended with Alysanne throwing Raenna out of the window of the lighthouse. At the same time, she more or less prevented Clayton from attacking Kersea. Things got really messed up when Harris arrived, which resulted in a three-way fight between Clayton, Harris and Alysanne. In this fight, Harris showed just how good he really is, when he knocked down Alysanne and (with a little help from Kersea), managed to inflict a career-ending injury on Clayton when he severed his sword arm. However, his uncompromising nature shined through one last time when he still tried to kill Kersea as well. Alysanne tried to stop him from this and the following struggle ended with her death at Harris' hands, followed by Kersea fatally stabbing Harris immediately afterwards. While she grieved over the body of her friend, Kersea noticed Raenna's faint pleas for help and it turns out that she's not dead, but managed to cling to some edge while falling down the lighthouse. However, Clayton isn't dead either. Though crippled, he still poses a threat. However, Kersea prioritized saving Raenna over taking revenge, something that is going to have big consequences for this next part. Meanwhile, Maya and Ellena will only have short parts, so I don't think you need that much of a detailed recap for them. With Maya, we'll learn about the aftermath of her fight with the Second Sons, which ended with Rodrik's escape and the death of Knightfang, in Ellena's part, we're going to learn about her confrontation with Abbas, who has killed Ando and tried to take her as his prisoner in the latest part.
150 pages, oh man
Still feels a bit odd that the story has gotten that long and we haven't even reached the end of Book 1. I definitely look forward for the direction we'll take the story into in the next 150 pages. In fact, the best is yet to come. I know I say this way too often, but well, I'd like to thank all of you who ever commented on this story, since reading your thoughts is always the best thing about writing for me 
These are always so great. Thank you.
Kersea
The glare she threw at Clayton held even more hatred than the one she received in return. There was nothing left to say between them. One of them had to die. But not now. Now, there was another priority. Kersea turned away from Clayton and towards the window. There were but two people left in this world that meant a thing to her and Raenna was one of them.
Quickly, she rushed to the window, putting her hands onto the windowsill to glance down. Raenna hadn't fallen very far, she was dangling about two feet below the edge, clinging onto a slightly protruding brick. Her lilac eyes were widened with terror. Below her, there was only darkness and eventually, as Kersea knew, the Sunset Sea.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up the windowsill, lying on it, as she reached down. “Grab my hand!”, she yelled. Raenna gave her a nod, as she reached upwards. Her own hand reached for Kersea's wrist, though she wasn't able to grab it at first.
Kersea narrowed her eyes, as she reached down as far as possible. She couldn't let her die, she had to save her! Raenna reached up again, noticing that she still wasn't able to get to safety. She took a deep breath and then she heaved herself up with all her strength. Her arm darted upwards and this time, she managed to grab the outstretched hand. Her own tightly clung onto the wrist, the nails digging into Kersea's flesh almost painfully.
The sudden weight, despite Raenna's thin figure, was enough to press the air out of Kersea's lungs and if she wouldn't have used her legs to press against the wall below the windowsill, she would have been in danger of falling out as well. Clenching her teeth, she let out a long, pained growl, though her eyes sparked up at the hopeful smile on Raenna's face.
Slowly, she started to pull. Raenna wasn't able to be much of a help, though she tried to push herself upwards with her free hand, to little avail. “Come on”, Kersea growled through clenched teeth. “Come on, we almost got it” Her growl turned into a grunt, as she struggled, trying her best to save her friend.
Despite the effort she put into pulling Raenna up, she did notice something. Raenna's hopeful, determined expression changed, when her eyes widened. “Behind you!”, she yelled, though it was already too late. Sharp pain exploded in Kersea's waist and her grunt turned into a clear scream of pain. And she heard Clayton's voice near her ear. “This will be the last time you turn your back on me, my love”, he hissed.
The sudden pain was enough to make her loosen her grip around Raenna's hand. The other woman sank down a little bit, though she desperately clung onto Kersea's arm. It wasn't enough. Despite both of them struggling, she slowly sank down. “No...”, Kersea managed to gasp and tears formed in her eyes. “NO!”
And then, Kersea was unable to hold onto Raenna any longer. The pain in her side was agonizing, but it was the expression in Raenna's eyes that truly horrified her. The fear, the sudden realization that this would be how she would die. Her hand slipped through Kersea's fingers and she fell. It was a silent fall and unlike Kersea, she did not scream. After a few brief seconds, the darkness had swallowed her.
Tears clouded Kersea's vision, as Clayton's hand reached for her hair. He had to hold his sword with the same hand and she felt the steel at the back of her head, as he violently yanked her back, throwing her onto the ground, where she sank against the wall. Her gaze fell upon the lifeless body of Alysanne and a sob came out of her throat.
One of her hands moved to the wound on her side, which was still burning with agony. It wasn't a very deep wound, as Clayton's blade had only sliced across the soft flesh on her hips. Perhaps he hadn't intended to kill her, or perhaps his missing arm had weakened him too much to do it. It was painful nonetheless, almost as much as the memory of the last look in the eyes of Raenna and Alysanne. She glanced at her palm, covered in her own blood and then, she glanced up at Clayton.
His remaining arm still held the sword and a grin, maddened with pain, had formed on his face. “This was the last time you've turned your back on me”, he repeated, this time almost with sorrow, despite his grin. “I loved you and you... you repaid me with hatred” The stump of his right arm pointed at her, accusing. “You did this!”, he barked and his voice grew sharper. “You ruined all of it! It was your fault!” She noticed the faint hint of tears in his one eye. “Are you happy now?”
She did not answer to his question. Once more, her gaze fell onto Alysanne's corpse. “Just get it over with”, she sighed, not even granting him one last look. Out of the corner of her eyes, she still saw him, shaking with anger. With a growl, he let go of his sword. As it fell to the ground, he moved his hand into his coat.
“No”, he whispered. “Not like this. Darling, you're going to burn” Now, she did indeed look at him, spotting the small green vial he removed from his coat. “If you die, it won't be so quick. You will suffer. And this rotten shithole of a city will suffer with you” He gave her a wink, as he threw the vial, not at her, but towards the door that led upstairs, to the room where they had stored all of the wildfire.
It exploded in a bright, green light and Kersea had to shield her eyes. She felt the heat, though the green flames did not reach her. Instead, they slowly started to creep upwards, towards the door. Clayton chuckled, as he turned to the stairs. “I'm going to leave you now”, he said. “Farewell, Kersea” With these words, he was gone and she didn't even muster enough strength to glare at him. Instead, she sank back, paralyzed with pain and sorrow.
Alysanne was dead because she had tried to protect her. Raenna was dead, because Kersea had been too weak to save her. Even the acting lord, the old knight, he would have deserved better, despite what he did. She would burn with them all. And Clayton was still alive. She sighed in defeat, as she saw the flames moving up the stairs, ever closer to the door. “Briar...”, she gasped. “I'm sorry”
Briar... The memory flashed through Kersea's mind. Bright eyes, an even brighter smile. The only person left in this world that meant a thing to her. The one she had done all of this for. Every decision in the past years had been aimed at keeping her little sister safe. She couldn't leave her alone in this world now, could she?
With a gasp of pain and what little strength she had left, Kersea pushed herself upwards. It wasn't motivated out of hatred towards Clayton, or defiance of the fate he had decided for her. It was motivated out of sisterly love. For innocence worth protecting. For the memory of lilac and strands of silver. For a puppy and a friend in need.
She sank onto all fours once more, right next to Alysanne's body. “Thank you”, she whispered, as she gently caressed her cheek one last time. “I wish I could have saved you. I wish I could have healed you” She focussed as she resisted the urge to sink into grief. Her hand moved towards Alysanne's short sword. “I will never forget you”, she promised, as she pushed herself up again.
Half running, half stumbling, she rushed towards the stairs that led outside. It was sheer luck that prevented her from falling, as the bleeding wound affected her terribly. Nonetheless, she managed to stagger towards the door and out into the cold, nightly landscape.
In the distance, she heard sounds of fighting from the city. There was fire, as a significant portion of Raylansfair was burning. The sound of clashing steel told her that the battle was far from over. Somewhere in the south, distant horns sounded, as Kersea staggered away from the tower. She glanced around, not seeing Clayton anywhere. Considering the shape he was in, with his missing arm, she was praying that he'd bleed out, that he'd burn in the Seven Hells.
She broke into a sprint, down the path that led to the main road, just away from the tower. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, keeping her going, as she rushed towards safety. She knew that it was only a matter of seconds until...
The world exploded in a deafening bang and a flash of blinding green light. For a second, Kersea continued to run, before the shockwave hit her, hurling her through the air, pushing her forwards with terrifyingly brutal might. Everything behind her was scorched.
Kersea heavily hit her head as she landed and the force was enough to make her spin around, so that she was able to see the effects of the wildfire. A massive green cloud had consumed the entire tower in an instant. Shards of burning bricks were hurled through the air, though the shockwave was enough to make the utmost majority of them hit the ground way beyond the spot she herself had landed. A gargantuan mass of green erupted, going higher and higher.
For a moment, the night turned to day, as dozens of fireballs illuminated the sky, landing somewhere out of her sight, in the water, on the fields behind her, the forest to her left or behind the walls to her right, claiming even more of the city, as the giant green orb of fire collapsed in itself.
During all of this, Kersea struggled just to remain conscious. She had hit her head and somehow, the wound at her side felt even worse than before. Still, she couldn't help but to feel in awe at the sheer display of destruction she had just witnessed. And the terror at the distant thought of what this power could have done in the wrong hands. She noticed the irony, that Clayton's final act to spite her might have actually saved countless lives.
Her head moved slightly to the left and she spotted two figures in the distance, cowering at the green fire. She glanced at her bleeding side and knew, she wouldn't survive on her own. Using Alysanne's sword to push herself up, almost like a cane, she dragged herself towards them, noticing that one of them had to be supported by the other to remain standing. Help...
As she came closer, she even recognized the man that supported the other one. Brown hair, a beard, strongly built. He had recovered apparently and he had survived Wolfius' wrath. And most importantly he was the man she had spared. His eyes, curious at first at the approaching figure, widened as he recognized her.
She collapsed once more only a few feet away from him, pain, grief and sheer exhaustion having finally caught up with her. Through a veil of tears, she met his gaze, as he was obviously too stunned to even speak “Help me...”, she managed to utter, not knowing if he even heard her, before she sank forwards, face first onto the road. And everything turned to black.
No Choices for this part
Ellena
“Just get here, girlie”, Abbas growled lowly, as she slowly backed away from him. “No one has to get hurt” He said this while nonchalantly stepping over Ando's dead body. Ellena tensed up at the sight. She hadn't known Ando for long, only for a couple of hours. But in this time, she had no doubt that he deserved better, that he had been one of the few truly good men she had met in her life.
“Abbas, stop this”, Bakr pleaded. “Just let us go, please. She's not worth the trouble” Abbas glared at him, as his hand moved to the whip on his belt. “Quite the contrary, you moron”, he hissed. “Do you know how much this trip has cost us? This is damage control, dear Bakr. I'm not going to sell Janae and the other girl won't bring enough on her own”
Ellena's gaze fell upon the smoke-filled street she had just came from, as Abbas removed the whip from his belt. “Last chance”, he growled. “Get here peacefully and I won't hurt you. You have no chance of escaping either way” To demonstrate how serious he was, he cracked the whip and Ellena flinched at the sound.
It was dangerous, but she had no choice. She was sick of this, being captured, used as a pawn by others. This would never happen to her again. Nobody would suffer to save her, since she would save herself. And this meant taking some risks. She sent a glare towards Abbas and couldn't resist the urge to stick her tongue at him. Then, she ran into the smoke-filled street.
Abbas growled in anger and his whip cracked forwards, missing her so narrowly that she still felt it cutting through the air behind her back. Instinctively covering her mouth with her arm, she staggered forwards and soon, the blinding smoke had swallowed her. Behind her, she heard Abbas entering the street.
“You clever little...”, he hissed and the rest of his sentence was drowned by his violent coughing as he fully inhaled the smoke. “Abbas!”, Bakr screamed. “Abbas, get out of there, it's too dangerous! You have Janae, don't risk anything now!” Somewhere behind her, as Ellena continued to run down the street, Abbas sighed. “Alright”, he growled. “I suppose there will be enough girls between here and Yunkai to take” A slight chuckle came out of his throat and Ellena barely understood the words that followed. “And I'm already having someone in mind”, he whispered. “Oh yes, she's going to make us rich”
Though the immediate danger seemed to have gone by, Ellena did not dare to turn around. Instead, she continued to make her way through the smoke, despite the pain in put her lungs through and the primal fear that was awoken by the heat on her skin. They had made a terrible mistake by taking this route, she and Ando. Brandon as well....
Brandon! He was still alive, he had to be. Maybe she could find him, if she'd ever find her way out of this. And that, unfortunately, was far from a certainty. She staggered forwards, motivated by the fear of what would await her if she'd turn back and by sheer determination. She had chosen this path and she would stick by it!
The smoke became thicker, as she continued to make her way through the street. At the same time, the fire became more present, as she passed buildings that were already consumed. The air became thinner and her eyes were aching so much that she was barely able to see through them. Tears streamed down her face and her lungs were burning. One time, she passed a half-burned corpse on the street and the stench managed to be even stronger than the already numbing and omnipresent smell of smoke. And Ellena had to ask herself if she would end up like this as well.
But she didn't. She didn't turn around and she didn't die. If anything, Ellena Terys was a survivor now, something she was proud of. There weren't many things to be proud of in her life, but maybe this one could be among them. The smoke grew thinner again, as the air became more breathable, if slightly. Right now, this felt like heaven to Ellena, who broke into a sprint.
Completely out of breath, she finally left the small street again, having ran deeper into the city. Sighing in happiness, she sank to her knees, as she filled her pained lungs with the cold air. Her smile turned wider, as she slowly recovered from the ordeal this had put her through. And she realized just how lucky she had been. It was dangerous, but she had always been fast.
Then, she noticed something. Footsteps in the distance, coming from a nearby alleyway. She narrowed her eyes, as she jumped up, crawling behind an abandoned wheelbarrow, where she crouched down, hopefully out of sight of whomever would go there.
From her hiding spot, she saw two men walking out of the alleyway. They were dishevelled, wearing thin, dirty leather, with unkempt hair and cruel axes in their hands. “We gotta tell him”, one of the men said, with worry in his voice. The other one sighed. “Captain's not going to like this. I doubt he'll retreat”
“I don't give a shit what he's going to do”, the first raider said. “I know I'm getting the hell out of here. Besides, what's he going to do? You think he'll stop me? He's grown soft. That man is no Anturion and certainly no Cleaver”
This statement got him an approving nod from the second raider. “Perhaps you're right. He's not a bad guy though, our captain. We can tell him and then we can leave before hell breaks loose here”, he said. “Speaking of Cleaver, you know where he is?”
The first man shook his head as they both passed the wheelbarrow. Ellena held her breath during this, fearing that they would notice her. But they didn't being too busy with their talk. “Nah”, the first man said and the second one sighed. “Shame. I really hope he's dead”, he growled. “You know what, if we find his corpse, I'm going to take a shit right on his bastard face”
This disgusting statement caused the first man to laugh. “You call dibs on that?”, he asked and the second one gave him a nod. “You bet I do”, he replied. And with that, they turned into another side street and Ellena was unable to hear them anymore. Probably a good thing. She waited for a second, before she continued her way.
Considering where she had came from and where the gate was located, she knew where she had to go. Brandon had said that the eastern gate was unguarded. That's where she'd find him, hopefully. She wasn't too sure what she would do then, but it was better than having no plan at all. Together with him, she could figure something out. And he deserved to know about Ando and about Abbas' role in his death.
Her pace was moderate at first, though Ellena soon gave up on any restraints, as she spotted the gate in the distance, having passed nothing but abandoned, desolate streets in the meantime. It stood widely open and it was indeed devoid of any life. Neither enemy nor friend was there. She broke into a sprint, as she ran towards it, out of the city and towards her freedom.
Despite the relief she felt, Ellena had a hard time feeling happy, especially as she saw the corpses. The defenders of the gate had been massacred, but they had taken Ironborn with them as well. Never before had she seen so many corpses on such a limited space. She tensed up as she walked past them as fast as possible. Perhaps she'd add these poor souls into her prayers, but right now, her own survival was more important than feeling overwhelmed at such a sight. Though she hoped differently, she had the deep-seated fear that it wouldn't be the last time she'd stumble upon such a sight.
With a heavy heart, she passed through the gate, leaving this burning, dying city behind. For a moment, she stopped to look around. Her heart started to beat faster, as she spotted neither Abbas, nor Bakr. This was a good thing. Perhaps they had already gotten out of the city, but the more likely alternative was that they hadn't managed to find their way so far.
At the same time, there was no sign of Brandon either. They would catch up here, right? He had told them, back when they were separated and yet she couldn't see him anywhere. Had he already left without her and Ando? Perhaps he had been forced to hide.
Ellena paused for a moment, to consider her next step. She knew she had to get away from the gates as quickly as possible, in case Abbas and Bakr would take the same route out of the city, or in case even worse men would find her there. Perhaps she could search the area for Brandon, but if she wouldn't find him, she knew it would be a dangerous waste of time.
Her gaze fell down the eastern road, the one she had taken to enter the city. It would mean freedom, finally getting away from all of this. Maybe she'd even encounter Brandon. Most importantly, this was the direction she had came from when Terroma died. Somewhere there, he had found his undignified final resting place, when they didn't even have the time to bury him. Maybe it would be wiser to get away from the city, to travel down the road. Ellena sighed, knowing that she had to make a decision quickly.
[Search the area for Brandon] [Travel down the eastern road]
[Travel down the eastern road]
[Travel down the eastern road] enough blood and more dangerous enviourment for little girl. Time to move away. I believe she have bigger chances outside than inside of the city.
Was there a chance for Raenna not falling down if majority would choose to take care of Clayton first? Then everything would not blow up as well I guess. Oh well, that tower became resting place for quite a few. I believe even Raenna with Valyrian blood could not survive that, especially falling from such height.
Oh fuck no
I hope Raenna survived, in some miraculous way 
The explosion of the tower was cool though, I could just imagine what it'd look like.
[Travel down the eastern road] Better to get away from the city, only bad things happening there right now.
[Travel down the eastern road] Ellena will have more chance to survive and find the others if she leave the city
RT:
I am afraid no. Raenna's fall from the tower was a far too central moment to leave it up to the voting. I can't yet go into detail how it is going to affect the future, but be assured that this was one of the key moments in this chapter and if I would have left it up for choice, it would have potentially screwed over some very important plans. However, attacking Clayton would have resulted in his death. Right now, he is more in the unknown part of the list and his chances of survival are arguably not too bad, but if Kersea would have attacked him, he would have outright died on screen and you would have witnessed his death. In return, he would have given Kersea a bad wound, making her unable to save Raenna in time. Another effect of attacking him first would have been that the wildfire in the lighthouse wouldn't have exploded, leaving it up for use for the future.
Well, right now she is more in the unknown parts than in the outright confirmed deceased parts of the list. It is a pretty heavy fall, though at least she won't hit solid ground, so that's why her fate can officially be seen as unknown right now. I'd say her chances are somewhere between Jarow (most likely dead) and Clayton (who has relatively good chances of survival) and I can reveal that you will at the very least get confirmation about her status in the near future.
I am so glad to hear it. Admittedly, sometimes I am not too good when it comes to descriptions, but I wanted to get this one just right, considering that it is a key scene in the chapter. The consequences of this explosion are likely to be just as massive as Raenna's fall, if not more, so I am happy to har I managed to create an image there
Precisely. This was a clear mistake on Kersea's part, though she, just like the readers, have massively underestimated the danger Clayton still posed with one arm. At the same time, it was also an important choice to see where Kersea's priority would be. She chose friendship over revenge, which will certainly influence her, probably for the better.
He'll join Bear's group and become a literally one-armed bandit
At the very least, his career as a professional killer is over and him blowing up the wildfire has also ruined any chance that Butterfly will take him in. So, his life as he knew it is more or less ruined. If he survives at all, it is possible he'll fall into a really deep hole.
Well, if that happens she has to battle Richard for the spot first, in a fight to the death. There can be only one! In all seriousness though, Raenna's fate is unknown, but it won't remain unknown. I don't intend on keeping you guessing what happened to her for too long, so you'll either see her alive, or her corpse in the near future.
I can assure you, they will notice it very well
In fact, a couple of fireballs have landed inside the city walls, so some of the people in there will notice it even more than others. Anyways, Richard's reaction to Kersea will surely be interesting. These two didn't share a scene since Chapter 3 of the story and they have both come a long way.
Well... let's just say Abbas has an idea. A really good idea, come to think of it. There is one certain person he has in mind, knowing that such a move is going to make him rich.
Glad to hear it! There has also been an important detail in it that will play a big role in the coming parts.
You have got to be kidding me. Kersea's part nearly made me outright distraught. Raenna!
I really like her. I fell in love with her character in her very first part.And then there was a point where I thought Kersea would die too and I was all "No! This is too much! 
This chapter has not been kind to me.
[Travel down the eastern road] It's just not safe here, especially for someone like Ellena.
EDIT: I feel a bit silly saying this, but I really don't remember Brandon.
EDIT 2: I've a really bad feeling that Briar is who Abbas is going after.
It certainly hasn't been kind and after realizing this, I must say that I was a bit nervous for actually writing it down. I knew Alysanne would hit you and I knew her death was nearly inevitable, although I only realized the other things while actually publishing the parts. But all I can say is, absolutely nothing in this chapter happened without a very good reason. Give it a couple of weeks and you'll definitly see what I mean with this. Especially Raenna's fall from the tower has set something in motion that will massively influence the story for years, which is the main reason why I couldn't leave it open for choices. I hope you can forgive me
Although I can say that originally, things would have been even harsher. I don't know if it's much to console you, but my original plans would have likely hit you even more. Not counting my absolutely original plans in which a far less sympathetic Alysanne would have turned on Kersea, forcing her to kill her (which I really couldn't have done to you), there was a very concrete plan for the longest time to kill off Kersea. I had her death planned ever since I first came up with her storyline. What she said in this part, the "Briar... I'm sorry" - line were supposed to be her final words, before being killed by the wildfire explosion (I even wrote a super cool early draft of that scene). Enter @WildlingKing with his drawing of Kersea, which I liked to much that I had to rethink my plans, because I really didn't want to kill her off anymore. This gave me an idea for her storyline after Chapter 8 and I liked it so much that I realized just how much wasted potential it would have been to kill her off after all the character development she received. So, thanks to Wildling that particular storyline has taken a far more different turn and one that, the more I plan for it, is going to be an absolute joy to write down. So, if you enjoy the things I have in mind for Kersea in the future, you know whom to thank
Well, he hasn't really gotten much spotlight, but I can promise that you'll soon get a far more detailed impression of him. He's the leader of the sellsword group Raenna has saved below the Hightower, Ando's superior officer. In this chapter, he really hadn't much to do, but he accompanied Raenna and Abbas during their scout mission in the last chapter, where they encountered Archmaester Wulvren and the burned down remains of Otis' house. During this chapter, he only appeared briefly in Kersea's first part and in Ellena's first, where he and Briar got separated from Ellena and Ando. He had told them he'd wait near the eastern gate, though now that Ellena has made it there, he's nowhere to be seen, which is why I have offered the chance to search for him and for Briar. As I said, you will learn something about him in just a couple of parts (likely the second or third of Chapter 9), so stay tuned for that