Okay maybe Kersea didn't lie but she's basically abandoned a friend in need because she's 'scared' it just seems selfish to me and not what a real friend would do, even with her sister in mind. Alysanne has issues and tries to connect with Kersea in a very weird way but she was there for her last time Clayton gave Kersea a beating and now Alysanne is pleading for help and Kersea is turning her back on her. I have no doubt Alysanne will be seriously hurt by this (can't blame her really) and won't help her more psychotic side. I just hope Alysanne survives and her friendship with Kersea doesn't end. I've never been this passionate about a more 'crazy' character before, it's surprising but I love Alysanne's character.
I actually agree with some of the points you brought up and am fully aware that some people try to kill certain characters with their votes,… more without taking the consequences for other characters in mind. Now, one of my main goals when writing this story, aside from making it as enjoyable as possible for me and you, is that the story stays as unpredictable as its source material. What fun would it be if the consequences of your choices would be that obious? I am also not a big fan of trying to kill characters who do not deserve it. Poor Jenna is probably the most prominent and undeserving example here. As a result, I sometimes deliberately mislead you with some choices (like the choice to trust the gruff but seemingly well-intentioned Maron Mullendore or the rude and shady Archmaester Quent in Chapter 4) and a choice that is likely to kill a certain character might end up killing a completely different character instead, or no character at all.… [view original content]
I agree with you regarding Kersea position now, after doing nothing after Alysanne picked her side not even long ago.
That does not give good result at all. Clayton will get what he want and Alysanne will probably get pissed, if not killed, because Kersea did not react - it also looked like Alysanne is afraid of fire which will be even worse and paralyzing for her.
Okay maybe Kersea didn't lie but she's basically abandoned a friend in need because she's 'scared' it just seems selfish to me and not what … morea real friend would do, even with her sister in mind. Alysanne has issues and tries to connect with Kersea in a very weird way but she was there for her last time Clayton gave Kersea a beating and now Alysanne is pleading for help and Kersea is turning her back on her. I have no doubt Alysanne will be seriously hurt by this (can't blame her really) and won't help her more psychotic side. I just hope Alysanne survives and her friendship with Kersea doesn't end. I've never been this passionate about a more 'crazy' character before, it's surprising but I love Alysanne's character.
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his head, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor Nathamer. The commander was walking shortly behind Richard, who had to lead the way to the warehouse. He was wearing his green armour, a long spear in his hand. His eyes met Richard's and a frown formed on his face. The commander had made it clear that he wasn't happy about having to rely on the help of civilians.
“How is it?”, Richard asked, looking at Jarow. “Killing someone, I mean. Looks like I'm about to do it pretty soon” Jarow gave him a big grin. “It's actually pretty easy. You got a sword. You put it in your enemy. You pull it out again. You repeat the process”, he explained, before his grin faded slightly. “The most important thing is that you should not think about the lives you are about to take. Things like this break a man”
“Stop!”, the commander's loud voice sounded all of a sudden and the guardsmen followed the order like one man. Surprised, Richard stopped as well, turning around to face the commander, who angrily glared at him. No, not at him, but past him. As Richard looked back over his shoulder, he saw a man walking out of an adjacent street. From his uniform, it was clear that he was a member of the city guard. He was young, perhaps a few years younger than Richard himself, with chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes. It took Richard a moment to realize the similarity this man had to Hackor.
“Arthur...”, the commander growled with obvious disapproval. “What are you doing here?” The young man, obviously Hackor's son had a friendly smirk on his lips as he came closer. Behind him, more men walked into Richard's field of view. He counted half a dozen men, more heavily armed than the city guard, lead by a man in full plate armour. The visor of his helmet was up, revealing a man in his late thirties, with unkempt, brown hair and a closely trimmed brown bear. Above his left eye was a quite large scar, but other than that, the man looked handsome. He was clearly a knight, which surprised Richard, considering that Harris was the only knight he knew of that was still in Raylansfair, after Flowers and Constantine left the city, a few weeks ago.
“I bring reinforcements, father”, Arthur said and saluted in front of him. The knight took a step closer and respectfully bowed his head in front of Hackor, who sternly looked back. “Ser Darren Tallwood”, he introduced himself and Richard realized that the commander widely opened his eyes in surprise. “It has been quite a while, Commander”
A brief smirk flashed over Hackor's face as he gave the knight a nod. “I agree, Darren. Didn't knew you returned”, he answered, as his smirk vanished as quick as it came. “Only returned yesterday”, he answered. “Quite a lot happened while I was gone” This time, the commander let out a joyless chuckle. “You can say so”, he answered. “It's good to have you back”
A smirk flashed over the knights face. “It's good to be back, old friend”, he said, before narrowing his eyes. “Your son has told me the basics, but be honest with me. These people, these killers... are they responsible for the deaths of Robert and Eaton?” Hackor shrugged and shook his head. “Truth be told, I don't know. It is possible. If the opportunity arises, perhaps we'll get one of them alive, but neutralizing the danger they pose is our main goal”, he answered, before looking at his son, who had now joined the formation of city guards.
“What exactly are you doing, boy?”, he growled, which caused Arthur to give him a surprised look. “You called the city guard for this fight”, he answered and Hackor shook his head. “I never called for you, Arthur”, he snarled. “Get out of the formation”
“Father, I am part of the guard”, Arthur protested. “I want to fight at your side!” For a moment, the commander did not answer. He let out a long sigh. “Leave the fighting to the men, boy”, he finally said. “I can't use you here. Go home to your sister. Lock the door until I return. This is an order”
Arthur pressed his lips together and reluctantly stepped out of the formation. “As you wish... commander”, he mumbled, the looks in his eyes somewhere between anger and sadness. Without saying another word, he turned around and stormed off, leaving his father behind.
“Perhaps you have been a bit too hard on the boy, Hackor”, Darren remarked, which caused Hackor to shoot him a cold glare. “I have never commented on the way you raised your children, so do me a favour and don't comment on the way I raise mine”, he barked and Richard noticed the hurt expression that flashed over Darren's face. Hackor on the other hand visibly softened up. “Fuck... I'm sorry, Darren. I didn't mean to...”
“It's okay, Hackor. We should just concentrate on the task at hand”, the knight remarked, before a murderous glare appeared in his eyes as he looked at Richard. “You're Harking, right?”, he asked and Richard gave him a nod. This caused Darren to take a step towards him. “You have seen them. Tell me, was one of them a tall man, ripped with muscles, missing an eye?”, he demanded to know.
“I don't know”, Richard truthfully answered. “It was dark and I have only seen one of them. A young and pretty woman, dark hair and dark eyes” The knight let out a sigh. “If I meet this one-eyed bastard over there, he is going to be a dead man”, he promised. “I have reason to believe that he killed my family, to lure me away from the city, to give him an opportunity to kill Lord Robert as well” He pressed his lips together and let out a frustrated groan. “Lead the way, Harking. I have to know if this bastard is there. And if he is, I'm going to chase him through all the Seven Hells”
He didn't need to repeat his order as Richard was happy to oblige. He had seen the look in Ser Darren's eyes. This was a man who had lost everything, a man ready to take vengeance. And Richard hoped that he would find what he was looking for. They walked the rest of the way in silence and Richard wasn't even thinking about talking in the brooding knight's presence.
They arrived at the warehouse only a few minutes later. Without saying a word, Hackor gave orders. Two men walked into an adjacent warehouse, with the intentions to climb its roof, to attack the killer's warehouse from above. Hackor himself took three of his men, Philip and Urid with him through an alleyway with the intention to attack the warehouse from its back-entrance. And finally, Richard, Jarow, Darren and his men and half a dozen men from the city guard, who walked towards the warehouses front entrance. Jarow let out a chuckle of anticipation, as he drew his sword. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get them”, he growled.
“Not yet!”, Darren hissed. “We wait for Commander Nathamer's sign” Jarow gave him a nod. “Fine. But I'll go in first”, he answered, pointing his sword at the door. For a moment, they waited, listening to the sound of Hackor Nathamer's men, who prepared to enter through the backdoor. Then, the sound of splintering wood was audible, followed by the sound of steel being drawn, followed by a thumping noise and a pained scream.
“That's our signal!”, Jarow growled, jumping up and running towards the door. “Up an at them, men! Leave no surviv...!” His charge inside of the building was abruptly stopped as soon as he tore the door open. For a moment he just stood there, before stumbling backwards, revealing the crossbow bolt that was deeply embedded into his shoulder.
“Fuck!”, Darren shouted, as the Lord of the Bridges went down, heavily wounded, but alive. The knight and his men, accompanied by Richard, took position next to the door, hopefully out of side from the archer. “Get him out of here”, he yelled at one of his men, who quickly proceeded to grab Jarow by the shoulders, dragging him away from the entrance.
“There's a lot more where that came from, bastards!”, a feminine voice called from the inside. Richard, standing to the right of the door, looked at Darren, standing to its left, waiting for orders. The knight hesitated for a moment, before he heard a second, pained scream from the inside, narrowing his eyes. “Now”, he hissed and proceeded to run into the building. One of his men followed, only to quickly fall to the ground, a crossbow bolt in his eye. After him came Richard, who was only able to jump over the dead man's body, as he quickly looked around.
In the darkness, it was hard to make out any details. He knew, there was a second floor, with a gallery that would allow a crossbowman to shoot down. He also knew that he desperately had to find some cover, the moment a second bolt hit the man who stormed into the warehouse just after him. While he had no idea where the crossbowman sat, he decided to jump into the same direction Darren was heading, landing slightly behind the knight, who had taken cover behind a large crate.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement in the dark. Hackor Nathamer and his men, or at least what was left of them. The dim light shining in through the back entrance revealed that one of Hackor's men wouldn't stand up again. While the commander was crouching, Urid was lying next to him, a bolt in his upper leg, obviously in a lot of pain, but thankfully alive. To his concern, Richard wasn't able to see Philip.
“Have you seen the enemy?”, Richard asked under heavy breathing as he crawled closer towards the knight. “Indeed”, Darren answered. “For a moment, when I stormed inside, I was able to see her” Richard saw that the knight was shivering. “I think... Harking, I think I know this woman. She is part of the group I have been chasing through the Stormlands, part of the group that murdered my family!”
The knight and the commander exchanged a glance as Hackor slowly shook his head. “Stay in position”, he signalled with his mouth, but Richard knew, Darren wouldn't listen. He had seen the look in his eyes. The knight was livid with anger. And indeed, before Richard could do anything to stop him, Darren jumped up and started to rush towards the staircase that lead up to the second floor. To Richard's surprise, not bolt was fired at him.
“Darren!”, Hackor called, jumping up from his cover, just as Richard did the same. And in this moment, he realized what the archer was waiting for. Instead of firing at the knight, she fired at the commander, heavily hitting him in the chest.
Seeing their commander going to the ground finally caused a number of his men to let down their guard. At least four of them jumped up, rushing after Ser Darren. Richard hesitated for a moment, before he noticed that his hand was wet with... He smelled on it, cringing as he recognized the smell of lamp oil. The whole place was full with lamp oil! He knew there had to be at least four killers, counting Wolfius, but they were apparently only fighting against one woman in a good position. And as Richard looked around, to the bleeding Urid, to the cowering guardsmen, to Commander Hackor, heavily wounded, but alive, he finally realized that they had walked into a trap.
Other men in Richard's position would have fled by now. Perhaps some would have grabbed Urid, to help him escape as well. But Richard would not leave Darren and the men who rushed upstairs behind. “Commander, this is a trap!”, he yelled, hoping that Hackor would hear him in his condition, before he rushed after the knight.
Despite his wound, he almost managed to catch up to the heavily armed knight and his soldiers, who were a lot slower than him in their chainmail. Darren had just reached the top of the stairs as Richard reached its foot, when he staggered backwards, against a wall, revealing the bolt that had pierced his pauldron.
The sight of the downed knight was enough to send the guardsmen into a rage as they stormed up the stairs. Richard followed closely after them, but stopped as he reached the top. The four men had loosely surrounded a young woman, who casually held an unloaded crossbow in her hands. Her entire left arm and waist were heavily bandaged, but Richard was still able to see red burn scars underneath them. She was wearing her black hair in a bun, her green eyes looking at the men in anticipation. A twisted grin formed on her face. “How many more of you do I get to kill?”, she chuckled with a joy that was completely out of place, considering her situation. She dropped the crossbow to the ground and quickly moved her hands to her belt, where two long knives where hanging.
The moment she drew the knives out of their sheets, the guardsmen attacked, all at once. The woman effortlessly dodged the first two attacks, parrying the third and answering the fourth with a counterattack. Her knive hit the guardsman in the throat, sending him to the ground, as he was gurgling and holding the hole in his throat.
Without missing a beat, the woman evaded the attack of one of the guardsmen, doing a quick step slightly to the side, before she rammed one of her knives between the ribs of her attacker. Even before she was able to pull the knife out, the other two guardsmen attacked her simultaneously. She parried one of the attacks and before the second was able to reach her, she caused the guardsman to stagger as she delivered a heavy kick against his knee.
Finally pulling her second knife out of the ribs of the man she had just killed, she grabbed the man she just caused to stagger and violently plunged the knife into the back of his neck. An amused, but undeniably cruel smirk was visible on her face as she effortlessly parried the attacks of the final guardsman with a single knife, casually playing with her second knife in the process. Richard knew, she was just toying with him, although she quickly got bored. “Disappointing...”, she mumbled and finally dodged an attack, ramming both of her knives into the man's crotch. As the guardsman started to howl in agony, she jumped on top of him and started to repeatedly stab him in the belly and chest.
Richard used this momentary lack of attention to attack her, in the hopes to land a hit on her before she even realized his presence. He raised his sword, suppressing the urge to let out a battlecry, as he swung his sword at her, even before she looked up... only to have her parrying the blade with one of her own without even looking at him. “Hello, little rabbit”, she mumbled, finally looking up from the mutilated corpse of the guardsman, almost child-like joy visible in her eyes. “You should have stayed dead” And in this moment, Richard recognized her as the woman who had shot him in the leg.
She jumped up and attacked him, even though the low speed of her attack clearly showed Richard that she was just toying with him. Still, he parried her strike and even tried to attack her back, knowing that just giving up wasn't an option. Of course, she effortlessly parried his strike and managed to trap his sword between her knives.“I'm going to finish what Kersea should have done”, the woman hissed, and her voice was oozing with cruelty. “She's cute as a puppy, but just as soft” A sinister smirk appeared on her face as she looked down. “By the way, rabbit... how's your leg?” And with these words, she delivered a heavy kick against Richard's wounded leg, sending him to the ground as he was shivering in agony. Richard let out a sigh, knowing that he had lost.
He closed his eyes, just as the sound of breaking glass was audible. The woman let out a surprised noise as a loud noise caused Richard to reopen his eyes. From downstairs, flames were visible, quickly spreading across the walls upstairs. And the woman's facial expression changed. “No...”, she hissed. “No! This bastard gave me no time to get out... He promised... He promised!”, she stuttered and Richard saw fear in her eyes. “No, no no...”, she hissed as she looked up towards the skylight. She looked back at Richard, this time not with cruelty, but with desperation. “You're not walking out of this, rabbit”, she hissed as she raised the knife she was wearing in her left hand.
And then, everything happened very fast. Something hit her arm, a small, burning log, obviously doused in lamp oil, immediately causing the bandages she had wrapped around it to catch fire. She let out a shrieking noise, full of agony as she stumbled backwards, first to the wall, then to the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames that swiftly started to burn her left arm. As Richard raised his head, he saw Philip walking closer, holding a second, burning log as if he was shooing a wild animal away.
Even if she quickly managed to extinguish the flames, the woman was still clearly in agony and limited to use her right arm as she started to climb the wall, towards the skylight. Richard felt Philip grabbing him at his shoulders and forcibly pulling him back to his feet. “Are you alright? Can you stand?”, he asked and despite his pain, Richard managed to give him a nod. “We need to get out of here”, he growled, just as the skylight was opened.
Two guardsmen looked down, pointing their crossbows at the woman. For a moment, Richard saw fear in her eyes and a pain that made him feel pity, even for her. Then she closed her eyes and a smile appeared on her face. “Do it...”, she mumbled, waiting for her death. To Richard's surprise, the guardsmen did not fire. Instead, the first of them started to gurgle as his body grew limp and he fell through the skylight, past the woman and into the flames below. The second one only raised his head, as someone pushed a dagger into his eye. A figure appeared on the skylight and Richard recognized the young woman who was part of this group of killers, the one that had nearly killed him. She extended her hand down, grabbing the other womans arm. “Come on, get up!”, she yelled. “I'm not leaving you behind!”
Richard let out a cry of anger as he saw the woman getting pulled through the skylight, but before he could even try to rush after her, Philip grabbed his shoulder. “No! No, we need to get out of here!”, he yelled. Richard took a deep breath and gave him a nod. Of course, Philip was right. “The commander...”, he mumbled. “Is alive. His men carried him out of here when everything started to burn”; Philip answered. “But these bastards left Urid behind! He's still down there, surrounded by flames and he can't move! We need to get him out of here!”
With these words, Philip and Richard started to rush towards the stairs. Richards gaze fell on the unconscious, but still breathing body of Ser Darren Tallwood and he stopped. Philip gave him an alarmed stare. “What is it, Richard? Come on!”, he yelled, but Richard shook his head. “Ser Darren...”, he mumbled. “I can't leave him behind...” To his surprise, Philip gave him a nod. “I'll save one of them, you save the other”, his friend explained. “Which one do you want?”
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren][Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Goddamnit this went so bad and we didn't even kill anyone. Should have excepted that though.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] I like Darren more than Urid plus he's unconscious and a better fighter.
The main factor that influenced who could have died here was who of the assassins was chosen to stay behind. Things would have went differently with Clayton and Kersea. While Alysanne just proved how absolutely deadly she can be, she is also a sadist and this prevented her from killing certain people. She deliberately only wounded people like Urid or Hackor, so that they would burn alive later. If Clayton would have stayed behind, he would have aimed for their heads, resulting in the deaths of Jarow and Urid and a lasting, even worse injury for Hackor. He would have also not toyed around with Richard, instead he would have given him a crippling injury, before he would have been locked in a fight with a greatly enraged Darren, which would have resulted in him fleeing the burning warehouse. If Kersea would have stayed behind, things would have ended similarly as they did with Alysanne, only that Kersea would have been less brutal and she would have been captured in the end. So, the relatively unbloody outcome of this situation was a result of the choice in the last Kersea part. But do not worry, there will be consequences coming out of your choices in this storyline sooner and later, deadly consequences.
Goddamnit this went so bad and we didn't even kill anyone. Should have excepted that though.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] I like Darren more than Urid plus he's unconscious and a better fighter.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
before he would have been locked in a fight with a greatly enraged Darren
Dammit this needs to happen one way or another. Even though there's a big chance Darren won't make it out alive of a confrontation, it'd be amazing. Make it happen Liquid!
The main factor that influenced who could have died here was who of the assassins was chosen to stay behind. Things would have went differen… moretly with Clayton and Kersea. While Alysanne just proved how absolutely deadly she can be, she is also a sadist and this prevented her from killing certain people. She deliberately only wounded people like Urid or Hackor, so that they would burn alive later. If Clayton would have stayed behind, he would have aimed for their heads, resulting in the deaths of Jarow and Urid and a lasting, even worse injury for Hackor. He would have also not toyed around with Richard, instead he would have given him a crippling injury, before he would have been locked in a fight with a greatly enraged Darren, which would have resulted in him fleeing the burning warehouse. If Kersea would have stayed behind, things would have ended similarly as they did with Alysanne, only that Kersea would have been less brutal and she would … [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Wow! This was an amazing part, Liquid, even if things went terribly downhill for Richard, the others, and the guardsmen. It had great depiction and flow!
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
[Save Urid and trust Phillp with saving Darren] our loyal friend must be the priority.
I found myself rooting for Alysanne this whole fight, I actually shouted "Yes! Yes!" at the line "I'm not leaving you behind!" I'm so glad Kersea came back for her. It makes me wonder if Clayton intended to leave Alysanne to die.
I wonder would this scenario be different at all if Kersea and Alysanne weren't friends?
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
You know you love a character when you're saying "please don't please don't die" the whole chapter. This may seem odd but I think Alysanne is my favourite character.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
I don't really think any of the characters are 'evil' even Mullendore has his reasons for the shitty things he's been doing. The closest thing to 'evil' would have to be Wolfius.
I was wondering this myself and i thought it would be cool to see others opinions.
So FOT fans (and liquid himself if he wants to give his opinion). Who do you think is the most evil character in this story? (so far)
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] whelp, that went well. Good show lads, round up the men and try again, I'm happy that my only introduced character did not die, but getting killed leading a charge would be an OK death
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] Amazing part, I'm glad Clayton didn't stay back and kill Jarow. Speaking of which, I hope he is okay. But damn, Alysanne is good! She reminds me of Wolfius a little. Clayton might have just tremendously fucked up, Alysanne is going to be furious towards him because she was basically left for dead.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
It makes me wonder if Clayton intended to leave Alysanne to die.
It wasn't that he outright wanted her to die, he just does not care at all for her well-being and considered that the guards have less of a chance to escape if Alysanne would still be with them in the burning warehouse.
I wonder would this scenario be different at all if Kersea and Alysanne weren't friends?
Not really. Even if they weren't friends, Kersea would have returned to save Alysanne, but her reasons would have been a bit more complicated. She would have saved Alysanne partially out of loyalty and because she does not want to be alone with Clayton, but mainly because she is absolutely disgusted by Clayton's willingness to leave one of them behind and wants to prove that she is not like him. The beginning of the next Kersea part will show this scene from her PoV, but it might take me some time to get there, as some of the other Raylansfair storylines have to advance first.
[Save Urid and trust Phillp with saving Darren] our loyal friend must be the priority.
I found myself rooting for Alysanne this whole fig… moreht, I actually shouted "Yes! Yes!" at the line "I'm not leaving you behind!" I'm so glad Kersea came back for her. It makes me wonder if Clayton intended to leave Alysanne to die.
I wonder would this scenario be different at all if Kersea and Alysanne weren't friends?
The funny thing is that originally, back in Chapter 2, Alysanne wasn't intended to be a likeable character at all. Somewhere during the writing of Chapter 3, I decided to give her some positive character traits, mainly to contrast her from people like Clayton or Wolfius. I am glad that this got the intended reaction in your case
You know you love a character when you're saying "please don't please don't die" the whole chapter. This may seem odd but I think Alysanne is my favourite character.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
I was wondering this myself and i thought it would be cool to see others opinions.
So FOT fans (and liquid himself if he wants to give his opinion). Who do you think is the most evil character in this story? (so far)
This is actually a hard question, since I try to give most of the villains in the story some positive features. People like Mullendore or the Sphynx, while clearly sadistic bastards, have reasons for what they do, people like Harlan got a backstory that explains their behaviour, while people like Jaylon or Alysanne got some sympathetic character traits that contrast their evil actions.
And then there are some characters who are just plain evil. In my opinion, Harmund Hoare, Wolfius and Bear stick out, as they are just as sadistic as Mullendore, but without his well-intentioned ultimate goals. Harmund might even be worse than Wolfius and Bear, because as the heir of a whole kingdom, he has more opportunities to commit atrocities in a far greater scale than they ever could. So, I guess my own answer would be Harmund, but of course, your mileage may vary.
I was wondering this myself and i thought it would be cool to see others opinions.
So FOT fans (and liquid himself if he wants to give his opinion). Who do you think is the most evil character in this story? (so far)
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
You raise a rather valid point with our votes resulting in horrible situations, but that is usually because we choose the more morale vote. Like how we decided to go chase after Wolfius and avenge that poor lady he killed, and how that ended with Richard on death's bed. So maybe this choice may not be as bad as say taking Alysanne's place. If we were to do that, it is likely Kersea would do something very bad for another story line. Say Richard who may have say Urid or whoever went with him through the main gate, and Alysanne was there. Alysanne would probably be scared sh**less knowing what is going to happen and maybe botch a fatal attack to Richard or companion. Kersea though, not having a fear of fire, would maybe botch up a nonlethal shot making it a fatal injury. Anyway though, there is no right decision as everyone has their own goals with their votes and view victories differently than you and I.
EDIT: This was made before I read the latest chapter. Kersea for the save.
Okay maybe Kersea didn't lie but she's basically abandoned a friend in need because she's 'scared' it just seems selfish to me and not what … morea real friend would do, even with her sister in mind. Alysanne has issues and tries to connect with Kersea in a very weird way but she was there for her last time Clayton gave Kersea a beating and now Alysanne is pleading for help and Kersea is turning her back on her. I have no doubt Alysanne will be seriously hurt by this (can't blame her really) and won't help her more psychotic side. I just hope Alysanne survives and her friendship with Kersea doesn't end. I've never been this passionate about a more 'crazy' character before, it's surprising but I love Alysanne's character.
[Save Darren and trust Phillip with saving Urid] I think Phillip will be more capable of saving someone if they're a close friend. So It'd be best if he saved Urid while Richard gets Darren out of there.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] I don't think Richard can save Urid by himself, seeing how his leg is all jacked up. But Darren is badass enough to wake up and help Richard while saving himself. I trust Philip to save Urid, don't mess this up Philip.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
The main factor that influenced who could have died here was who of the assassins was chosen to stay behind. Things would have went differen… moretly with Clayton and Kersea. While Alysanne just proved how absolutely deadly she can be, she is also a sadist and this prevented her from killing certain people. She deliberately only wounded people like Urid or Hackor, so that they would burn alive later. If Clayton would have stayed behind, he would have aimed for their heads, resulting in the deaths of Jarow and Urid and a lasting, even worse injury for Hackor. He would have also not toyed around with Richard, instead he would have given him a crippling injury, before he would have been locked in a fight with a greatly enraged Darren, which would have resulted in him fleeing the burning warehouse. If Kersea would have stayed behind, things would have ended similarly as they did with Alysanne, only that Kersea would have been less brutal and she would … [view original content]
I just realized how bad Hackor is at training his men. The only person who injured Alysanne was Philip who isn't even a guard. Did the castle guards help at all? These more trained men were defeated as easily as the simple guardsmen.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his hea… mored, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor… [view original content]
Indeed, the guardsmen haven't exactly covered themselves with glory in this part. However, they are just ordinary men in a relatively peaceful small town who happened to join the city guard for a stable income. Lucas has mentioned in Chapter 3 that the worst they usually get into is a bar fight. Fighting highly trained assassins is not what they are used to do. And at least in Chapter 3, Kersea had the opinion that the castle guard is not much better, even if they have better equipment. They just never got into a life or death situation before. And while neither Hackor nor Ser Ilhan are bad at training their men, even they have never faced someone like Alysanne before. She is just good enough that it doesn't matter if she fights the city guard or the castle guard. On top of that, she had the better position and the guardsmen walked right into a very nasty trap. Philip only managed to injure her because he caught her by surprise. The only one out of the whole group that attacked the warehouse who would stand a chance against her in direct combat would be Darren.
I just realized how bad Hackor is at training his men. The only person who injured Alysanne was Philip who isn't even a guard. Did the castle guards help at all? These more trained men were defeated as easily as the simple guardsmen.
Yes he would. If Kersea would have stayed with him in Chapter 3 and therefore ensured the deaths of either Richard or Jenna, he wouldn't be antagonistic towards her and would even respect her by now. However, this wouldn't change that much in the overall storyline in the long run. He and Clayton would still not get along with each other and Wolfius would have eventually tried to kill Lyria and Rosalie regardless, even if he wouldn't have officially left the group. This in turn would have caused Clayton to kick him out of the group later in this chapter and to make plans to kill him before he can draw unwanted attention on their plans. However, if Wolfius would have remained with the assassins, he would have been present in the first part of Kersea's storyline and would have been an additional choice to stay behind in the warehouse. He would even volunteer. If chosen to stay behind, he would have sneaked out of the warehouse before the fight would even start, in order to get some time to kill Lyria and Rosalie. Ultimately, this would have resulted in far less casualties for the guardsmen, even though a few would have died in the fire. Also, the storylines of Richard and Kersea would have started earlier in this chapter, while the storyline of Lyria would have started a bit later.
Yeah, hopefully the Stormlanders may have a chance to train some of the men kinda like how Marak had the chance to do so. Speaking of, would training the men as marak have any affect on the outcome of this battle, or were the guardsmen kinda screwed to begin with?
Indeed, the guardsmen haven't exactly covered themselves with glory in this part. However, they are just ordinary men in a relatively peacef… moreul small town who happened to join the city guard for a stable income. Lucas has mentioned in Chapter 3 that the worst they usually get into is a bar fight. Fighting highly trained assassins is not what they are used to do. And at least in Chapter 3, Kersea had the opinion that the castle guard is not much better, even if they have better equipment. They just never got into a life or death situation before. And while neither Hackor nor Ser Ilhan are bad at training their men, even they have never faced someone like Alysanne before. She is just good enough that it doesn't matter if she fights the city guard or the castle guard. On top of that, she had the better position and the guardsmen walked right into a very nasty trap. Philip only managed to injure her because he caught her by surprise. The only one … [view original content]
Comments
Okay maybe Kersea didn't lie but she's basically abandoned a friend in need because she's 'scared' it just seems selfish to me and not what a real friend would do, even with her sister in mind. Alysanne has issues and tries to connect with Kersea in a very weird way but she was there for her last time Clayton gave Kersea a beating and now Alysanne is pleading for help and Kersea is turning her back on her. I have no doubt Alysanne will be seriously hurt by this (can't blame her really) and won't help her more psychotic side. I just hope Alysanne survives and her friendship with Kersea doesn't end. I've never been this passionate about a more 'crazy' character before, it's surprising but I love Alysanne's character.
I agree with you regarding Kersea position now, after doing nothing after Alysanne picked her side not even long ago.
That does not give good result at all. Clayton will get what he want and Alysanne will probably get pissed, if not killed, because Kersea did not react - it also looked like Alysanne is afraid of fire which will be even worse and paralyzing for her.
Richard
“Are you ready for this, Harking?”, Jarow asked, as they walked through the nightly streets of Raylansfair. Richard shook his head, which caused the Lord of the Bridges to grin. Behind them, the sound of a dozen marching guardsmen, armed with long spears and wooden shields, was audible. “I don't think anyone can be ready for this”, he answered and Jarow's grin turned into a light chuckle. “Well, I am. Haven't fought anyone for too long”, he answered.
Instead of answering, Richard looked over his shoulder. A few feet behind him, Philip and Urid walked in silence. Philip seemed to anticipate the coming fight, not unlike Jarow, although it was clear from the worried look in his eyes, that he wasn't anticipating the thought of bloodshed in general. Urid on the other hand was deeply afraid and it was obvious to see. Richard felt pity for his friend, who refused to leave his side out of simple loyalty.
And finally, there was Hackor Nathamer. The commander was walking shortly behind Richard, who had to lead the way to the warehouse. He was wearing his green armour, a long spear in his hand. His eyes met Richard's and a frown formed on his face. The commander had made it clear that he wasn't happy about having to rely on the help of civilians.
“How is it?”, Richard asked, looking at Jarow. “Killing someone, I mean. Looks like I'm about to do it pretty soon” Jarow gave him a big grin. “It's actually pretty easy. You got a sword. You put it in your enemy. You pull it out again. You repeat the process”, he explained, before his grin faded slightly. “The most important thing is that you should not think about the lives you are about to take. Things like this break a man”
“Stop!”, the commander's loud voice sounded all of a sudden and the guardsmen followed the order like one man. Surprised, Richard stopped as well, turning around to face the commander, who angrily glared at him. No, not at him, but past him. As Richard looked back over his shoulder, he saw a man walking out of an adjacent street. From his uniform, it was clear that he was a member of the city guard. He was young, perhaps a few years younger than Richard himself, with chestnut brown hair and emerald green eyes. It took Richard a moment to realize the similarity this man had to Hackor.
“Arthur...”, the commander growled with obvious disapproval. “What are you doing here?” The young man, obviously Hackor's son had a friendly smirk on his lips as he came closer. Behind him, more men walked into Richard's field of view. He counted half a dozen men, more heavily armed than the city guard, lead by a man in full plate armour. The visor of his helmet was up, revealing a man in his late thirties, with unkempt, brown hair and a closely trimmed brown bear. Above his left eye was a quite large scar, but other than that, the man looked handsome. He was clearly a knight, which surprised Richard, considering that Harris was the only knight he knew of that was still in Raylansfair, after Flowers and Constantine left the city, a few weeks ago.
“I bring reinforcements, father”, Arthur said and saluted in front of him. The knight took a step closer and respectfully bowed his head in front of Hackor, who sternly looked back. “Ser Darren Tallwood”, he introduced himself and Richard realized that the commander widely opened his eyes in surprise. “It has been quite a while, Commander”
A brief smirk flashed over Hackor's face as he gave the knight a nod. “I agree, Darren. Didn't knew you returned”, he answered, as his smirk vanished as quick as it came. “Only returned yesterday”, he answered. “Quite a lot happened while I was gone” This time, the commander let out a joyless chuckle. “You can say so”, he answered. “It's good to have you back”
A smirk flashed over the knights face. “It's good to be back, old friend”, he said, before narrowing his eyes. “Your son has told me the basics, but be honest with me. These people, these killers... are they responsible for the deaths of Robert and Eaton?” Hackor shrugged and shook his head. “Truth be told, I don't know. It is possible. If the opportunity arises, perhaps we'll get one of them alive, but neutralizing the danger they pose is our main goal”, he answered, before looking at his son, who had now joined the formation of city guards.
“What exactly are you doing, boy?”, he growled, which caused Arthur to give him a surprised look. “You called the city guard for this fight”, he answered and Hackor shook his head. “I never called for you, Arthur”, he snarled. “Get out of the formation”
“Father, I am part of the guard”, Arthur protested. “I want to fight at your side!” For a moment, the commander did not answer. He let out a long sigh. “Leave the fighting to the men, boy”, he finally said. “I can't use you here. Go home to your sister. Lock the door until I return. This is an order”
Arthur pressed his lips together and reluctantly stepped out of the formation. “As you wish... commander”, he mumbled, the looks in his eyes somewhere between anger and sadness. Without saying another word, he turned around and stormed off, leaving his father behind.
“Perhaps you have been a bit too hard on the boy, Hackor”, Darren remarked, which caused Hackor to shoot him a cold glare. “I have never commented on the way you raised your children, so do me a favour and don't comment on the way I raise mine”, he barked and Richard noticed the hurt expression that flashed over Darren's face. Hackor on the other hand visibly softened up. “Fuck... I'm sorry, Darren. I didn't mean to...”
“It's okay, Hackor. We should just concentrate on the task at hand”, the knight remarked, before a murderous glare appeared in his eyes as he looked at Richard. “You're Harking, right?”, he asked and Richard gave him a nod. This caused Darren to take a step towards him. “You have seen them. Tell me, was one of them a tall man, ripped with muscles, missing an eye?”, he demanded to know.
“I don't know”, Richard truthfully answered. “It was dark and I have only seen one of them. A young and pretty woman, dark hair and dark eyes” The knight let out a sigh. “If I meet this one-eyed bastard over there, he is going to be a dead man”, he promised. “I have reason to believe that he killed my family, to lure me away from the city, to give him an opportunity to kill Lord Robert as well” He pressed his lips together and let out a frustrated groan. “Lead the way, Harking. I have to know if this bastard is there. And if he is, I'm going to chase him through all the Seven Hells”
He didn't need to repeat his order as Richard was happy to oblige. He had seen the look in Ser Darren's eyes. This was a man who had lost everything, a man ready to take vengeance. And Richard hoped that he would find what he was looking for. They walked the rest of the way in silence and Richard wasn't even thinking about talking in the brooding knight's presence.
They arrived at the warehouse only a few minutes later. Without saying a word, Hackor gave orders. Two men walked into an adjacent warehouse, with the intentions to climb its roof, to attack the killer's warehouse from above. Hackor himself took three of his men, Philip and Urid with him through an alleyway with the intention to attack the warehouse from its back-entrance. And finally, Richard, Jarow, Darren and his men and half a dozen men from the city guard, who walked towards the warehouses front entrance. Jarow let out a chuckle of anticipation, as he drew his sword. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get them”, he growled.
“Not yet!”, Darren hissed. “We wait for Commander Nathamer's sign” Jarow gave him a nod. “Fine. But I'll go in first”, he answered, pointing his sword at the door. For a moment, they waited, listening to the sound of Hackor Nathamer's men, who prepared to enter through the backdoor. Then, the sound of splintering wood was audible, followed by the sound of steel being drawn, followed by a thumping noise and a pained scream.
“That's our signal!”, Jarow growled, jumping up and running towards the door. “Up an at them, men! Leave no surviv...!” His charge inside of the building was abruptly stopped as soon as he tore the door open. For a moment he just stood there, before stumbling backwards, revealing the crossbow bolt that was deeply embedded into his shoulder.
“Fuck!”, Darren shouted, as the Lord of the Bridges went down, heavily wounded, but alive. The knight and his men, accompanied by Richard, took position next to the door, hopefully out of side from the archer. “Get him out of here”, he yelled at one of his men, who quickly proceeded to grab Jarow by the shoulders, dragging him away from the entrance.
“There's a lot more where that came from, bastards!”, a feminine voice called from the inside. Richard, standing to the right of the door, looked at Darren, standing to its left, waiting for orders. The knight hesitated for a moment, before he heard a second, pained scream from the inside, narrowing his eyes. “Now”, he hissed and proceeded to run into the building. One of his men followed, only to quickly fall to the ground, a crossbow bolt in his eye. After him came Richard, who was only able to jump over the dead man's body, as he quickly looked around.
In the darkness, it was hard to make out any details. He knew, there was a second floor, with a gallery that would allow a crossbowman to shoot down. He also knew that he desperately had to find some cover, the moment a second bolt hit the man who stormed into the warehouse just after him. While he had no idea where the crossbowman sat, he decided to jump into the same direction Darren was heading, landing slightly behind the knight, who had taken cover behind a large crate.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw movement in the dark. Hackor Nathamer and his men, or at least what was left of them. The dim light shining in through the back entrance revealed that one of Hackor's men wouldn't stand up again. While the commander was crouching, Urid was lying next to him, a bolt in his upper leg, obviously in a lot of pain, but thankfully alive. To his concern, Richard wasn't able to see Philip.
“Have you seen the enemy?”, Richard asked under heavy breathing as he crawled closer towards the knight. “Indeed”, Darren answered. “For a moment, when I stormed inside, I was able to see her” Richard saw that the knight was shivering. “I think... Harking, I think I know this woman. She is part of the group I have been chasing through the Stormlands, part of the group that murdered my family!”
The knight and the commander exchanged a glance as Hackor slowly shook his head. “Stay in position”, he signalled with his mouth, but Richard knew, Darren wouldn't listen. He had seen the look in his eyes. The knight was livid with anger. And indeed, before Richard could do anything to stop him, Darren jumped up and started to rush towards the staircase that lead up to the second floor. To Richard's surprise, not bolt was fired at him.
“Darren!”, Hackor called, jumping up from his cover, just as Richard did the same. And in this moment, he realized what the archer was waiting for. Instead of firing at the knight, she fired at the commander, heavily hitting him in the chest.
Seeing their commander going to the ground finally caused a number of his men to let down their guard. At least four of them jumped up, rushing after Ser Darren. Richard hesitated for a moment, before he noticed that his hand was wet with... He smelled on it, cringing as he recognized the smell of lamp oil. The whole place was full with lamp oil! He knew there had to be at least four killers, counting Wolfius, but they were apparently only fighting against one woman in a good position. And as Richard looked around, to the bleeding Urid, to the cowering guardsmen, to Commander Hackor, heavily wounded, but alive, he finally realized that they had walked into a trap.
Other men in Richard's position would have fled by now. Perhaps some would have grabbed Urid, to help him escape as well. But Richard would not leave Darren and the men who rushed upstairs behind. “Commander, this is a trap!”, he yelled, hoping that Hackor would hear him in his condition, before he rushed after the knight.
Despite his wound, he almost managed to catch up to the heavily armed knight and his soldiers, who were a lot slower than him in their chainmail. Darren had just reached the top of the stairs as Richard reached its foot, when he staggered backwards, against a wall, revealing the bolt that had pierced his pauldron.
The sight of the downed knight was enough to send the guardsmen into a rage as they stormed up the stairs. Richard followed closely after them, but stopped as he reached the top. The four men had loosely surrounded a young woman, who casually held an unloaded crossbow in her hands. Her entire left arm and waist were heavily bandaged, but Richard was still able to see red burn scars underneath them. She was wearing her black hair in a bun, her green eyes looking at the men in anticipation. A twisted grin formed on her face. “How many more of you do I get to kill?”, she chuckled with a joy that was completely out of place, considering her situation. She dropped the crossbow to the ground and quickly moved her hands to her belt, where two long knives where hanging.
The moment she drew the knives out of their sheets, the guardsmen attacked, all at once. The woman effortlessly dodged the first two attacks, parrying the third and answering the fourth with a counterattack. Her knive hit the guardsman in the throat, sending him to the ground, as he was gurgling and holding the hole in his throat.
Without missing a beat, the woman evaded the attack of one of the guardsmen, doing a quick step slightly to the side, before she rammed one of her knives between the ribs of her attacker. Even before she was able to pull the knife out, the other two guardsmen attacked her simultaneously. She parried one of the attacks and before the second was able to reach her, she caused the guardsman to stagger as she delivered a heavy kick against his knee.
Finally pulling her second knife out of the ribs of the man she had just killed, she grabbed the man she just caused to stagger and violently plunged the knife into the back of his neck. An amused, but undeniably cruel smirk was visible on her face as she effortlessly parried the attacks of the final guardsman with a single knife, casually playing with her second knife in the process. Richard knew, she was just toying with him, although she quickly got bored. “Disappointing...”, she mumbled and finally dodged an attack, ramming both of her knives into the man's crotch. As the guardsman started to howl in agony, she jumped on top of him and started to repeatedly stab him in the belly and chest.
Richard used this momentary lack of attention to attack her, in the hopes to land a hit on her before she even realized his presence. He raised his sword, suppressing the urge to let out a battlecry, as he swung his sword at her, even before she looked up... only to have her parrying the blade with one of her own without even looking at him. “Hello, little rabbit”, she mumbled, finally looking up from the mutilated corpse of the guardsman, almost child-like joy visible in her eyes. “You should have stayed dead” And in this moment, Richard recognized her as the woman who had shot him in the leg.
She jumped up and attacked him, even though the low speed of her attack clearly showed Richard that she was just toying with him. Still, he parried her strike and even tried to attack her back, knowing that just giving up wasn't an option. Of course, she effortlessly parried his strike and managed to trap his sword between her knives.“I'm going to finish what Kersea should have done”, the woman hissed, and her voice was oozing with cruelty. “She's cute as a puppy, but just as soft” A sinister smirk appeared on her face as she looked down. “By the way, rabbit... how's your leg?” And with these words, she delivered a heavy kick against Richard's wounded leg, sending him to the ground as he was shivering in agony. Richard let out a sigh, knowing that he had lost.
He closed his eyes, just as the sound of breaking glass was audible. The woman let out a surprised noise as a loud noise caused Richard to reopen his eyes. From downstairs, flames were visible, quickly spreading across the walls upstairs. And the woman's facial expression changed. “No...”, she hissed. “No! This bastard gave me no time to get out... He promised... He promised!”, she stuttered and Richard saw fear in her eyes. “No, no no...”, she hissed as she looked up towards the skylight. She looked back at Richard, this time not with cruelty, but with desperation. “You're not walking out of this, rabbit”, she hissed as she raised the knife she was wearing in her left hand.
And then, everything happened very fast. Something hit her arm, a small, burning log, obviously doused in lamp oil, immediately causing the bandages she had wrapped around it to catch fire. She let out a shrieking noise, full of agony as she stumbled backwards, first to the wall, then to the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames that swiftly started to burn her left arm. As Richard raised his head, he saw Philip walking closer, holding a second, burning log as if he was shooing a wild animal away.
Even if she quickly managed to extinguish the flames, the woman was still clearly in agony and limited to use her right arm as she started to climb the wall, towards the skylight. Richard felt Philip grabbing him at his shoulders and forcibly pulling him back to his feet. “Are you alright? Can you stand?”, he asked and despite his pain, Richard managed to give him a nod. “We need to get out of here”, he growled, just as the skylight was opened.
Two guardsmen looked down, pointing their crossbows at the woman. For a moment, Richard saw fear in her eyes and a pain that made him feel pity, even for her. Then she closed her eyes and a smile appeared on her face. “Do it...”, she mumbled, waiting for her death. To Richard's surprise, the guardsmen did not fire. Instead, the first of them started to gurgle as his body grew limp and he fell through the skylight, past the woman and into the flames below. The second one only raised his head, as someone pushed a dagger into his eye. A figure appeared on the skylight and Richard recognized the young woman who was part of this group of killers, the one that had nearly killed him. She extended her hand down, grabbing the other womans arm. “Come on, get up!”, she yelled. “I'm not leaving you behind!”
Richard let out a cry of anger as he saw the woman getting pulled through the skylight, but before he could even try to rush after her, Philip grabbed his shoulder. “No! No, we need to get out of here!”, he yelled. Richard took a deep breath and gave him a nod. Of course, Philip was right. “The commander...”, he mumbled. “Is alive. His men carried him out of here when everything started to burn”; Philip answered. “But these bastards left Urid behind! He's still down there, surrounded by flames and he can't move! We need to get him out of here!”
With these words, Philip and Richard started to rush towards the stairs. Richards gaze fell on the unconscious, but still breathing body of Ser Darren Tallwood and he stopped. Philip gave him an alarmed stare. “What is it, Richard? Come on!”, he yelled, but Richard shook his head. “Ser Darren...”, he mumbled. “I can't leave him behind...” To his surprise, Philip gave him a nod. “I'll save one of them, you save the other”, his friend explained. “Which one do you want?”
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] [Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
(Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid)
Goddamnit this went so bad and we didn't even kill anyone. Should have excepted that though.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] I like Darren more than Urid plus he's unconscious and a better fighter.
Never forget bro. Be it in fiction or reality. Life is full of surprises
The main factor that influenced who could have died here was who of the assassins was chosen to stay behind. Things would have went differently with Clayton and Kersea. While Alysanne just proved how absolutely deadly she can be, she is also a sadist and this prevented her from killing certain people. She deliberately only wounded people like Urid or Hackor, so that they would burn alive later. If Clayton would have stayed behind, he would have aimed for their heads, resulting in the deaths of Jarow and Urid and a lasting, even worse injury for Hackor. He would have also not toyed around with Richard, instead he would have given him a crippling injury, before he would have been locked in a fight with a greatly enraged Darren, which would have resulted in him fleeing the burning warehouse. If Kersea would have stayed behind, things would have ended similarly as they did with Alysanne, only that Kersea would have been less brutal and she would have been captured in the end. So, the relatively unbloody outcome of this situation was a result of the choice in the last Kersea part. But do not worry, there will be consequences coming out of your choices in this storyline sooner and later, deadly consequences.
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren]
I was wondering this myself and i thought it would be cool to see others opinions.
So FOT fans (and liquid himself if he wants to give his opinion). Who do you think is the most evil character in this story? (so far)
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
I don't trust Philip with Darren. Best to go with the safer option. Darren must live to fight Clayton, he must!
Dammit this needs to happen one way or another. Even though there's a big chance Darren won't make it out alive of a confrontation, it'd be amazing. Make it happen Liquid!
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] Makes more sense to save a friend, Even if Darren is a great fighter.
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren]
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
Wow! This was an amazing part, Liquid, even if things went terribly downhill for Richard, the others, and the guardsmen. It had great depiction and flow!
[Save Urid and trust Phillp with saving Darren] our loyal friend must be the priority.
I found myself rooting for Alysanne this whole fight, I actually shouted "Yes! Yes!" at the line "I'm not leaving you behind!" I'm so glad Kersea came back for her. It makes me wonder if Clayton intended to leave Alysanne to die.
I wonder would this scenario be different at all if Kersea and Alysanne weren't friends?
You know you love a character when you're saying "please don't please don't die" the whole chapter. This may seem odd but I think Alysanne is my favourite character.
I don't really think any of the characters are 'evil' even Mullendore has his reasons for the shitty things he's been doing. The closest thing to 'evil' would have to be Wolfius.
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren]
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] whelp, that went well. Good show lads, round up the men and try again, I'm happy that my only introduced character did not die, but getting killed leading a charge would be an OK death
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren]
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] Amazing part, I'm glad Clayton didn't stay back and kill Jarow. Speaking of which, I hope he is okay. But damn, Alysanne is good! She reminds me of Wolfius a little. Clayton might have just tremendously fucked up, Alysanne is going to be furious towards him because she was basically left for dead.
It wasn't that he outright wanted her to die, he just does not care at all for her well-being and considered that the guards have less of a chance to escape if Alysanne would still be with them in the burning warehouse.
Not really. Even if they weren't friends, Kersea would have returned to save Alysanne, but her reasons would have been a bit more complicated. She would have saved Alysanne partially out of loyalty and because she does not want to be alone with Clayton, but mainly because she is absolutely disgusted by Clayton's willingness to leave one of them behind and wants to prove that she is not like him. The beginning of the next Kersea part will show this scene from her PoV, but it might take me some time to get there, as some of the other Raylansfair storylines have to advance first.
The funny thing is that originally, back in Chapter 2, Alysanne wasn't intended to be a likeable character at all. Somewhere during the writing of Chapter 3, I decided to give her some positive character traits, mainly to contrast her from people like Clayton or Wolfius. I am glad that this got the intended reaction in your case
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
Maybe Wolfius, Mullendore or Sphynx... Dunno
Oh and then there is Harren of course.
This is actually a hard question, since I try to give most of the villains in the story some positive features. People like Mullendore or the Sphynx, while clearly sadistic bastards, have reasons for what they do, people like Harlan got a backstory that explains their behaviour, while people like Jaylon or Alysanne got some sympathetic character traits that contrast their evil actions.
And then there are some characters who are just plain evil. In my opinion, Harmund Hoare, Wolfius and Bear stick out, as they are just as sadistic as Mullendore, but without his well-intentioned ultimate goals. Harmund might even be worse than Wolfius and Bear, because as the heir of a whole kingdom, he has more opportunities to commit atrocities in a far greater scale than they ever could. So, I guess my own answer would be Harmund, but of course, your mileage may vary.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] Urid has a family so I'd rather save him.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid]
[Save Urid and trust Philip with saving Darren] I just don´t trust Phillip with Urid, while i think he would save Darren if he was said to.
You raise a rather valid point with our votes resulting in horrible situations, but that is usually because we choose the more morale vote. Like how we decided to go chase after Wolfius and avenge that poor lady he killed, and how that ended with Richard on death's bed. So maybe this choice may not be as bad as say taking Alysanne's place. If we were to do that, it is likely Kersea would do something very bad for another story line. Say Richard who may have say Urid or whoever went with him through the main gate, and Alysanne was there. Alysanne would probably be scared sh**less knowing what is going to happen and maybe botch a fatal attack to Richard or companion. Kersea though, not having a fear of fire, would maybe botch up a nonlethal shot making it a fatal injury. Anyway though, there is no right decision as everyone has their own goals with their votes and view victories differently than you and I.
EDIT: This was made before I read the latest chapter. Kersea for the save.
[Save Darren and trust Phillip with saving Urid] I think Phillip will be more capable of saving someone if they're a close friend. So It'd be best if he saved Urid while Richard gets Darren out of there.
[Save Darren and trust Philip with saving Urid] I don't think Richard can save Urid by himself, seeing how his leg is all jacked up. But Darren is badass enough to wake up and help Richard while saving himself. I trust Philip to save Urid, don't mess this up Philip.
Ahah! We saved Jarow and Urid! Yes!
I just realized how bad Hackor is at training his men. The only person who injured Alysanne was Philip who isn't even a guard. Did the castle guards help at all? These more trained men were defeated as easily as the simple guardsmen.
Indeed, the guardsmen haven't exactly covered themselves with glory in this part. However, they are just ordinary men in a relatively peaceful small town who happened to join the city guard for a stable income. Lucas has mentioned in Chapter 3 that the worst they usually get into is a bar fight. Fighting highly trained assassins is not what they are used to do. And at least in Chapter 3, Kersea had the opinion that the castle guard is not much better, even if they have better equipment. They just never got into a life or death situation before. And while neither Hackor nor Ser Ilhan are bad at training their men, even they have never faced someone like Alysanne before. She is just good enough that it doesn't matter if she fights the city guard or the castle guard. On top of that, she had the better position and the guardsmen walked right into a very nasty trap. Philip only managed to injure her because he caught her by surprise. The only one out of the whole group that attacked the warehouse who would stand a chance against her in direct combat would be Darren.
Would Wolfius still be with the assassins if Kersea didn't piss him off?
Yes he would. If Kersea would have stayed with him in Chapter 3 and therefore ensured the deaths of either Richard or Jenna, he wouldn't be antagonistic towards her and would even respect her by now. However, this wouldn't change that much in the overall storyline in the long run. He and Clayton would still not get along with each other and Wolfius would have eventually tried to kill Lyria and Rosalie regardless, even if he wouldn't have officially left the group. This in turn would have caused Clayton to kick him out of the group later in this chapter and to make plans to kill him before he can draw unwanted attention on their plans. However, if Wolfius would have remained with the assassins, he would have been present in the first part of Kersea's storyline and would have been an additional choice to stay behind in the warehouse. He would even volunteer. If chosen to stay behind, he would have sneaked out of the warehouse before the fight would even start, in order to get some time to kill Lyria and Rosalie. Ultimately, this would have resulted in far less casualties for the guardsmen, even though a few would have died in the fire. Also, the storylines of Richard and Kersea would have started earlier in this chapter, while the storyline of Lyria would have started a bit later.
Yeah, hopefully the Stormlanders may have a chance to train some of the men kinda like how Marak had the chance to do so. Speaking of, would training the men as marak have any affect on the outcome of this battle, or were the guardsmen kinda screwed to begin with?