Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Simply because taking him with them or sending someone with him outside will take two capable hands away. If he comes, they will be distracted to keep an eye on him.
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
[Leave Ayden behind] This seems like the logical choice. If someone happens to come to him while the others are saving Burned Man, then that's just shit luck.
Anyway, I'm glad Harrington did what he did, but I still don't fully trust him.
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Don't want to leave them, don't want to take them, I guess this is best option then.
“Very recently, Maron Mullendore lost a very valuable prisoner. Two in fact, but one of them was taken right from the labyrinth. He won't tolerate another humiliation like that”, he explained.
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
[Take Ayden with you] Leaving him here would be an absolute death sentence for him because when Jaron and crew get caught, which we all know is going to happen, they won't be able to get to Ayden in time to save him and would have to leave him. And as long as Ayden is with us, we can keep an eye on him and make sure he is safe. And we would already be slowed down because once we get to Burned Man, there is no way he will be in any condition to escape so we'd probably have to leave him.
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
[Send Erik and Ayden out of the goddamn Labyrinth] They have to get Ayden the fucking hell outta there. Ayden will probably die otherwise, and as one of few survivors of a goddamn Massacre, I respect him, and want him to live.
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Ugh such a hard choice but if Samuel's right I don't want to put Ayden in the midst of a fight. Great part by the way and I'm intrigued to see the status of the Burned Man!
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
[Take Ayden with you] In worst case he is useless, in so-so case can take a few hits as shield for others, at best his stay there makes him notice details others may miss (and it is always good to have an extra pair of yes to spot stuff)
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
I don't understand why you hate the submission sheets so much
They are a really helpful way of keeping information on the characters organised, and we can easily keep in contact and make changes after the submission. The submission sheet also helps because it entitles you to construct a personality and a description, which I personally find your submissions sometimes lack. Mind you, I get an understanding for your characters anyway, and I think the submissions are really awesome, but submission sheets make it so much easier to maintain and keep organised
Fine, they can make it easier for you, but not for me. Also, we can't discuss characters as we did before due to PM bug. I do have to use them now however because the forum is STILL bugged, nothing changed since the first day the changes were implemented.
I don't understand why you hate the submission sheets so much
They are a really helpful way of keeping information on the characters org… moreanised, and we can easily keep in contact and make changes after the submission. The submission sheet also helps because it entitles you to construct a personality and a description, which I personally find your submissions sometimes lack. Mind you, I get an understanding for your characters anyway, and I think the submissions are really awesome, but submission sheets make it so much easier to maintain and keep organised
I think this is one of the hardest choices so far. It was extremely lucky to find him alive so I don't want to get him killed now. I definitely don't want to send Erik away, we need all the blades we can get. I'm stuck on bring him or leave him.
[Leave Ayden behind] It's a tough choice but he won't be that big of a help, he's better off here than in a fight. Plus Ayden's smart and a survivor. I'm hoping that if he hears someone coming he will manage to hide. Maybe even pull a Witcher 2 and scream so it sounds like he's being tortured.
I'm interested in Jaylon's involvement in Samuel's revenge. Did he know about his plans for his brother? Or his intentions of betraying Butterfly?
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
I think this is one of the hardest choices so far. It was extremely lucky to find him alive so I don't want to get him killed now. I definit… moreely don't want to send Erik away, we need all the blades we can get. I'm stuck on bring him or leave him.
[Leave Ayden behind] It's a tough choice but he won't be that big of a help, he's better off here than in a fight. Plus Ayden's smart and a survivor. I'm hoping that if he hears someone coming he will manage to hide. Maybe even pull a Witcher 2 and scream so it sounds like he's being tortured.
I'm interested in Jaylon's involvement in Samuel's revenge. Did he know about his plans for his brother? Or his intentions of betraying Butterfly?
Jaylon knew about Samuel's reason to look for his brother and his thirst for revenge. Samuel told him about it long before he learned of Mullendore's betrayal, back when he only knew that his brother was somewhere in the city and Jaylon agreed to back him up in case of a confrontation. However, he had no ideas of what Samuel recently learned, or that he intended to turn on Butterfly. As you may remember, he actually even clued the rest of the Solvers in on the fact that Samuel was leading two strangers through the labyrinth in the last chapter. That means, it is unlikely he would have still supported Samuel if he had known about his intentions of betraying Butterfly, at least not after the torture he suffered at Mullendore's hands between Chapter 5 and 6.
I think this is one of the hardest choices so far. It was extremely lucky to find him alive so I don't want to get him killed now. I definit… moreely don't want to send Erik away, we need all the blades we can get. I'm stuck on bring him or leave him.
[Leave Ayden behind] It's a tough choice but he won't be that big of a help, he's better off here than in a fight. Plus Ayden's smart and a survivor. I'm hoping that if he hears someone coming he will manage to hide. Maybe even pull a Witcher 2 and scream so it sounds like he's being tortured.
I'm interested in Jaylon's involvement in Samuel's revenge. Did he know about his plans for his brother? Or his intentions of betraying Butterfly?
I think I know the line you're referencing to. That was unintentional, though it is certainly fitting. Aside from that, it is probably a good thing that Samuel and Detlaff are, in many things, polar opposites, despite a few similarities in how damn cool they are. As for the line itself, it is actually more or less from Fire Emblem: Awakening, because I'm trash for that game XD
Now pick a god and pray”, he growled and attacked.
This line feels like the one where Dettalf tells Geralt in the Blood and Wine DLC during the final fight xD amazing
Samuel finally decide to change side!Killing the nicest Solver of all Butterfly's crew!XD
Technically, Samuel switched sides in Chapter 6, when he learned the truth about Mullendore and his brother. All of his actions in this chapter have been an elaborate ruse to get Jaron and Harpy into the dungeons, because his goal is not to just leave Butterfly's group, but to leave while doing as much damage as possible. As for the Solver, he was certainly strangely nice, wasn't he? Not all of them are completely deranged, some of them are only in this for the payment.
Ayden it's back!But will he survive?
It might depend on your choice. It would make little sense to reintroduce him, only to kill him off without giving you a chance to save him. That said, it is certainly possible.
Welcome to the Butterflies Dungeons!Where almost all the prisoners escape first or then! (Seriously,this is the third rescue inside this dungeon!XD)
Indeed it is. Though all of these rescues were only possible because someone with inside knowledge helped out and Samuel was involved in two of them. A large majority of the prisoners die down there instead of getting rescued, people who aren't even encountered by any PoV.
I really like this part!
RT:
* Samuel finally decide to change side!Killing the nicest Solver of all Butterfly's crew!XD
* Ayden it… more's back!But will he survive?
* Welcome to the Butterflies Dungeons!Where almost all the prisoners escape first or then! (Seriously,this is the third rescue inside this dungeon!XD)
PS:I will not make a choice
Well, it's not only that it makes things just a little bit easier for us, it makes it immensely easier for us, as we have every character saved in the same google document that way. Organising the story is far more of an effort than actually writing it and the character submission document is one of the best tools for us writers to keep things clean and uncluttered. It greatly helps with the planning, especially at a certain amount of characters, which Stigz certainly reached and which I surpassed ages ago, five times and counting by now. If everyone would have sent me their characters via private messages, I can guarantee I would have lost track of dozens of characters. It also makes it easier to seek out specific information about your characters. For example, if I want to describe a specific member of the Galenrys family in the story, I first have to search for this member in the message you sent me and then I have to read through the entire submission to find his appearance, whereas the submission document already shows me where you describe his appearance. In turn, that makes it a lot less likely that any errors happen while writing. if you save your characters in an external document before submitting them, you still have them for later, which means it won't be any harder for you to discuss them with us later on.
You are right about the PM bug though, I hope it will get fixed very soon. The thing I miss even more are correctly working notifications, which I hope is another thing they are working on right now. Since the bugs haven't been fixed by now, it appears they are quite severe, but I hope that the technical staff has found a solution until the end of the week.
As for the character at last, I have received and just finished reading him and he is certainly huge! A well done character, thanks a lot for submitting him I believe there is a certain storyline coming up where I will be able to implement him well into.
Fine, they can make it easier for you, but not for me. Also, we can't discuss characters as we did before due to PM bug. I do have to use th… moreem now however because the forum is STILL bugged, nothing changed since the first day the changes were implemented.
Well, it's not only that it makes things just a little bit easier for us, it makes it immensely easier for us, as we have every character sa… moreved in the same google document that way. Organising the story is far more of an effort than actually writing it and the character submission document is one of the best tools for us writers to keep things clean and uncluttered. It greatly helps with the planning, especially at a certain amount of characters, which Stigz certainly reached and which I surpassed ages ago, five times and counting by now. If everyone would have sent me their characters via private messages, I can guarantee I would have lost track of dozens of characters. It also makes it easier to seek out specific information about your characters. For example, if I want to describe a specific member of the Galenrys family in the story, I first have to search for this member in the message you sent me and then I have to read through the enti… [view original content]
Jaron
“Can't wait to see what the Sphynx is going to do to them”, one of the Solvers chuckled, his voice echoing loudly through the labyr… moreinth. Jaron walked closely next to Harpy and noticed that she focussed solely on the black ground in front of her. She wasn't looking up, or even reacting at all, as if she wasn't fully aware of what happened around her. Jaron couldn't hold it against her. Unlike her, he was visibly shaking the closer he came to his doom. Flanked by armed men and bound with heavy ropes, he couldn't even think about fleeing. He could take the easy way out by attacking his captors, but he refused to leave Harpy alone.
“You're not laughing, Harrington”, the same Solver remarked, noticing Samuel's dour expression. He looked up, his face still stony. “That's because it wasn't very funny”, he growled. The Solver raised an eyebrow. “What? It's you bringing them to the Sphynx after all”, he remarked and now, Samuel mimicked hi… [view original content]
This indeed was a hard choice. Lots of good arguments for either option, lots of votes for either option. This one won by a narrow margin. Without considering the outcomes of this choice, I would have probably chosen to send him away, together with Erik. Samuel mentioned it, if they make even a single mistake down there, they are all going to die and his opinion is not something that should be ignored lightly. It remains to be seen if Ayden is much of a help down there, in his exhausted and wounded condition. Jaron will have more to do in this chapter, though as always, there will be spotlight for the other characters first.
The next part will contain a Richard PoV. Unlike what I previously said, it likely won't include a PoV from Arthur's storyline, as Richard's PoV is already pretty long and not even finished. So I'm likely going to give Richard the whole PoV and will move Arthur to the part after that one, together with a second PoV, which is currently planned to be either Ilish, Sadie, or Drent. Anyways, Richard's part should be out later today. The last time we saw him, he and his group, consisting of his neighbour Roman, Roman's farmhand Axell and the farmers Ed, Than and Hal, as well as the beast hunter Vaasrand of Not-Rivia, started their journey to the lair of the beast, deep in the forest. During their walk, Richard bonded a bit with Axell and Vaasrand, though their talk was cut short when something, likely the beast, attacked them. It knocked Hal to the ground, who was only able to see something large and darkly furred, and it took Than with it. Afterwards, it started to use the screams of a wounded Than to lure the group to it. Even though he knew it is a trap, Vaasrand decided to help the wounded farmer and to chase after the beast, though he requested Richard's back-up. Hal, who is Than's close friend, asked to accompany them, though Richard ultimately decided to leave him with the others.
By the way, according to my own count, the next part will be part Nr. 200! So... that's pretty nice, I guess. Here's to the next 200
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to take Ayden with him
This indeed was a hard choice. Lots of good arguments for either option, l… moreots of votes for either option. This one won by a narrow margin. Without considering the outcomes of this choice, I would have probably chosen to send him away, together with Erik. Samuel mentioned it, if they make even a single mistake down there, they are all going to die and his opinion is not something that should be ignored lightly. It remains to be seen if Ayden is much of a help down there, in his exhausted and wounded condition. Jaron will have more to do in this chapter, though as always, there will be spotlight for the other characters first.
The next part will contain a Richard PoV. Unlike what I previously said, it likely won't include a PoV from Arthur's storyline, as Richard's PoV is already pretty long and not even finished. So I'm likely going to give Richard the whole PoV and will move… [view original content]
I guess that's a result of my german genes. Because of our constantly dour and depressed outlook on life, we germans have, centuries ago, developed the fascinating ability to ignore anything bright by focussing on the darkness in our tiny hearts.
It's kind of the same with us English. With our weather changing every ten mintues we grow to accept change quickly.
The Voting is closed!
Marak is going to press Otis into giving an answer
I think that might be the option more in line with Marak's ch… morearacter. Subtlety and tact are not exactly strong with him. Aside from that, Otis' reaction is going to be quite interesting. By now, you have probably realized that something is a bit strange with that guy and Marak might be able to gain some new information about him. At the very least, his reaction should give you some new information. Since Marak is among the PoV's with the most left to do in this chapter, his next part won't be far.
First however, there will be the Jaron part I promised, the continuation of his last part, and it will be out today. For a moment, I have played with the thought of giving the next part to Richard and Arthur, though I ultimately decided to give them the part after the next. Theoretically, Jaron's storyline should not be in need of a recap. The next part will show the a… [view original content]
Do you want the quotes? You praised them earlier but if it is unnecessary I can go work on the next characters. The only issue is the quotes definitely do not fit the vanilla submission template form and the actual characters were already submitted.
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmhand you're ordering around there” As he said this, anger flared up in his eyes. Instead of Richard, it was Axell himself who answered. “Ser, this can wait now”, he said, in a tone so decisive that it caught Roman completely off guard. “Our friend is in danger and we can't waste any time with petty quarrels”
“Petty?”, Roman hissed, before he glared back at Richard. “If you go out there alone, you're going to die” Richard shook his head, before firmly pulling his sword out of its sheath. Not for the first time since his life started to get complicated, he wished for his father's skill with the weapon. His father had been the soldier. He in return was merely a farmer, though he would not back down just because of the danger. The situation was anything but ideal, but it was the one he found himself in now. “I have no intention of dying today”, he stated.
Axell smirked at his comment. “I have no doubt about it”, he said with an honest tone. “Don't worry, Richard. I'm going to make sure that everyone stays here while you're gone” With a thankful nod, Richard turned away, though he threw a quick glance at the visibly worried Hal before he chased after Vaasrand. He could understand the young farmer. If instead of Than it would be Urid or Philip who were in danger, he would probably react similarly. At the same time, he couldn't just allow Hal to get himself into even more danger. This was something he had to do without the help of the other farmers.
Vaasrand had a considerable headstart, though Richard was still able to see him in the distance. The hunter was running slower than him, looking to the ground carefully, one of his swords drawn. He barely looked up as Richard finally caught up with him. “Tracks”, he mumbled. “The beast walked on four paws and it was larger than a wolf”
“A shadowcat then?”, Richard asked and Vaasrand stopped mumbling, as if he just realized that Richard had caught up with him. He shook his head. “No, it's larger than a shadowcat as well. They never grow to this size” He stopped and knelt down, carefully inspecting one of the tracks. In the dim light, Richard was barely able to see them, yet Vaasrand seemed to have no problems with this.
“Almost too large for a direwolf either”, he continued. “Though I've seen stranger things. Aside from that, the local ranger, Christian, told me that the wolves behave odd lately...” He narrowed his eyes, as he rose from the ground. “Stay close and keep your sword up” Just in this moment, another, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the woods and Vaasrand started to run towards it, with Richard following closely.
Only moments later, the two men arrived at a clearing. The sun had almost set, though what little light remained was enough to illuminate their surroundings, the tall trees, the blood-stained grass... And Than...
Richard gasped, his eyes widened as he saw the boy. The youngest member of their group was leaning against a large rock, the ground in front of him covered with his blood, his face covered in cuts and bruises. He was awake, barely so, though that alone was quite the feat, considering that his right leg was missing halfway below the knee.
“Than!”, Richard yelled, as he rushed towards him. He noticed that Vaasrand tried to hold him back, though the hunter was too slow and Richard was already out of his reach by the time he made his move. He yelled something, though Richard did not listen. His friend was grievously wounded, he needed the help of a healer. That was the important thing right now.
“Than...”, he mumbled as he fell to his knees directly next to him. The boy weakly looked at him, the look in his eyes nearly mad with fear and pain. “Richard...”, he managed to utter. “I... I...” He stopped and tears formed in his eyes. “Easy now”, Richard urged him, glancing at the gruesome wound, where Than's lower leg had been.
By now it was clear to him that the boy was in shock. He barely seemed to notice his missing limb and his panic seemed to come from something else. “I... I...”, he stuttered again, as Vaasrand finally walked up to them. “Stay awake, Than”, Richard said, as he removed his belt, starting to wrap it around Than's upper leg, to prevent him from bleeding out. “I have seen it!”, Than finally managed to exclaim.
“What did it look like?”, Vaasrand asked immediately and Richard shot him a glare. “Vaasrand, we need to bring him to safety”, he argued and the hunter gave him a nod. “But first he needs to tell me what he saw. That can save lives”
Than's eyes widened even more, filled with tears. “It... took me, dragged me with it”, he whispered and a whimpering sound came out of his throat. “I saw it... It... it bit down on my... my...” Finally, he looked down at himself and a weak scream of terror came out of his throat. “My leg!”, he panted, between heavy, panicked breaths. “My leg! My leg!” Finally, he even seemed to realize in how much pain he was and with a grimace of agony, he started to press his hands onto the wound.
“Easy, Than”, Richard tried to calm him down, while the boy whimpered and panted. “I need you to focus. What have you seen?” By now, Than started to shake, almost uncontrollably and Richard threw and alarmed glance towards Vaasrand. “Can you help him?”, he asked. “You gotta have something to calm him down”
The hunter hesitated for a moment, though he gave Richard a nod and reached into his coat. “It will calm him”, he promised and pulled out a small vial, containing a murky, white liquid. “Milk of the Poppy?”, Richard asked, as he recognized the substance. Maester Eaton had given him a bottle when his wife had been pregnant with the twins and later again, when Jenna' birth put her through a lot of pain. It surprised him that the hunter had access to it.
“A weaker mixture”, Vaasrand explained as he opened the vial. “It helps me with ignoring pain. With him, it should do a bit more, barely keeping him awake” He moved it closer to Than's mouth, though he hesitated. “He will be unable to answer our questions”, he warned him, just as Than whimpered once more. Richard clenched his teeth. “Just give it to him!”, he ordered him and the hunter forced Than's mouth open, emptying the vial in it.
Momentarily, the boy's body was shaken by heavy cramps, his screams leaving his mouth in complete silence. Then he relaxed, sinking to the ground in relief, even though the fear remained on his face. “Than?”, Richard asked and the boy looked at him weakly. “Yes?”, he asked in return. Richard pressed his lips together. “Than, can you tell me what you have seen?”
The boy opened his mouth, though no sound came out of it. Tears streamed out of his eyes. “It was...”, he started, though the sheer terror in his voice caused him to shiver again, despite the milk. “I saw my parents”, he finally answered. “Richard, where are my parents?”
Richard and Vaasrand exchanged a look. “Pick him up”, the hunter ordered. “There's nothing to be done for us here. He needs a healer, quickly” He didn't need to convince Richard, who gently put his arms underneath Than, carefully lifting him up. A gasp left Than's throat. “My... my father”, he whispered. “What is he going to say?”
The mention of Than's father caused Richard to tense up. Than's parents had died years ago, during the same famine that claimed Elma's life. Before that, they had been good friends of the Harkings. Richard's eldest son, Arvin, he used to be a good friend of Than, at least until he left to serve in the Dornish Marches. Seeing Arvin's friend like this, it caused Richard to feel as if he had failed.
“I'm sure they won't mind”, Richard assured him and a weak smile formed on Than's face. Now, Richard looked back at Vaasrand, who inspected the gruesome wound. “What did this to him?”, he asked. The hunter frowned. “It was something large, with extraordinary strength and very sharp teeth”, he answered. “The only question is, why isn't it attacking?”
His face dropped, just as Richard came to the same conclusion. The beast was smart, Vaasrand had said it himself earlier. He suspected that it wanted to lure them into a trap and he left regardless. “It's not luring us into a trap...”, Richard mumbled and Vaasrand gave him a nod. “The others”, he growled. “Stay close!” With these words, he started running. Richard, who still carried the highly wounded Than in his arms, followed as good as he was able to.
Vaasrand picked up a good speed quickly, though he constantly looked over his shoulder, to make sure that Richard was able to keep up with him. Meanwhile, Richard tried his best to hold Than as gently as possible. The young man barely seemed to notice his surroundings, though occasionally, his body tremored.
While he was running, Richard took a glance to the right. For a moment, it looked as if something else was there as well, running alongside him, just a few feet away, though hidden in gloomy twilight. He saw a large silhouette, black and long, almost like a wolf. Though he wasn't sure if it was just imagining it, he also thought he heard deep growling from the same direction.
And then they had reached the rest of the group. At least Richard was completely out of breath, though he couldn't help but to sigh in relief as he saw the others alive and unharmed. The first to notice them was Hal, who jumped up as he saw Than lying in Richard's arms. His face dropped as he noticed the missing leg of his friend. “Than!”, he yelled. “No, gods, no!”
Behind him, Ed and Axell slowly approached. The farmhand looked slightly nervous, glancing around to the surrounding forrest, while Ed was staring at Than's wound. “Gods, what happened?”, he asked. Richard noticed that only Roman was still not coming closer. He had his arms crossed and while he looked at Than in worry, he also gave Richard a look full of contempt.
“The beast happened”, Vaasrand explained. “It took his leg, though it left him alive. I don't know why it acted that way, but this is only the beginning” He urgently glanced at Roman. “We have to get out of here”
“Yes”, Axell confirmed with a slightly shaky voice. “Richard, I did what you asked of me. No one left the group, but...” He paused. “I have seen something in the woods. Don't know what it was, but I never want to see it again”, he stated and looked at Roman as well. “Ser, the hunter speaks true. We have to get out of here”
Richard sighed as Roman stubbornly shook his head. “You want me to abandon the hunt? We have it! We're so close!”, he argued and pointed at Than, who was slowly drifting into unconsciousness. “The boy lost his fucking leg. There has to be revenge for this. We can't allow the beast to live another day”
Axell narrowed his eyes, while Hal crossed his arms. Only Ed looked a bit indecisive, more worried for his friends than himself. “Ser, this can't be our course!”, Axell argued. “Than needs help. It's at least an hour until we reach the hut of the healer lady and we have to start now. Leave the beast to Vaasrand”
“So, you think I'm just giving up now, boy?”, Roman asked. “Just who do you think you are?” Axell sighed. “An ordinary guy, Ser”, he answered. “I leave hero's work to a hero” As he said this, he looked at Vaasrand, while Roman clenched his fists. “Sometimes common folk have to do the right fucking thing!”, he spat. “This beast is threatening all of us. It must be stopped”
“Well, I'm with Axell on this”, Hal interjected carefully. “Than... damn it, my friend is bleeding out as we speak! I'm not saying this lightly, but we need to get the fuck out of here!” Now, Ed gave him a nod. “Yeah... sorry, Roman, but the others are right. This was never a good idea to start with”
“It's decided, we're turning around”, Vaasrand growled and Roman once again shook his head. “You took our fucking gold!”, he yelled. “And now you're going to abandon the mission?” This time an annoyed streak appeared on Vaasrand's usually calm face. “I'm not abandoning anything”, he clarified. “But if we go ahead, then it's likely we're all going to get killed. Starting with you”
Roman narrowed his eyes, just as Vaasrand suddenly put a hand onto the hilt of his sword. “So, that's how you want to do it, monster hunter?”, he spat. “Take our gold, lure us out here, then kill us?” Only Richard saw that Vaasrand wasn't looking at Roman. He was looking at something behind him.
“Come on then!”, Roman growled, just as Vaasrand's hand grabbed him by the shoulder, roughly knocking him to the ground. In the same moment, he pulled out his sword and took a strike at the spot where Roman had stood just seconds ago. He did this just as a large shadow jumped out of the underbrush behind Roman, with a terrifying snarl, that quickly turned into a yelp as Vaasrand hit his target.
While Roman still turned around on all fours, Richard and the others already got a good look at the creature Vaasrand had just slain. It was a wolf. A common wolf, of ordinary size, the head cleanly decapitated from Vaasrand's blow.
“Seven Hells...”, Hal mumbled and a weak smile formed on his face. “You killed it! You killed the beast!” The rest had already noticed it and wasn't smiling or cheering. Vaasrand himself only glared at Hal, whose smile faded. “Look at this animal”, he growled. “Now look at your friend's leg. Do you think it would be capable of inflicting such a wound?”
Just as he said this, howling sounds were heard from all around them. Richard froze in fear, though he still held on to Than. “Wolves?”, Roman gasped, as he staggered back to his feet. Vaasrand gave him a nod. “Dozens of them. A large pack and we're in their territory”, he explained. “We're their prey. And they are led by something more than a simple wolf” He closed his eyes. “Direwolf”, he said. “Gotta be the largest example I've ever seen. But there's something else”
“What do you mean?”, Ed asked and Vaasrand pointed at the wounded Than. “I mean this”, he barked. “And the wolf that sneaked up on us. Dragging away the weakest member of the group, attacking in such a way... wolves do not behave that way. I'm not sure what it is, but something is seriously wrong here!” The howling came closer.
And then, Richard was only able to hear Hal's warning, as a sudden pain flashed through his back, something jumping against him heavily, knocking him and Than to the ground. He heavily hit his head as he landed and momentarily, everything was blurry. From the underbrush all around them, dark beasts emerged, jumping at the startled farmers.
While Richard was still trying to get back to his feet, he saw a wolf charging past him. The beast tried to jump at Than, though Hal was between them, his spear piercing through the animal's chest. A second wolf attacked him from behind, sinking its teeth into his calf, forcing him to the ground. A third wolf jumped past Axell, who was using his pitchfork to hold off a fourth wolf and it jumped right on top of Than. Before Axell was able to ram his pitchfork into its ribcage, the wolf had already bitten down into Than's throat. It died with teeth stained red from the blood of their friend.
To Richard's left, Vaasrand fought on his own, holding off half a dozen wolves on his own. He spun around, his sword cutting through the air, as the wolves just barely managed to jump back themselves. Though they were little danger to him, they also prevented him from helping the others. Then, there was Roman, his axe having already split the skull of a wolf, while he used the wooden hilt of the weapon to bash the head of a second animal into pieces. Meanwhile, Ed was trying to climb a tree, sheer panic on his face. A wolf had bitten down into his sturdy leather boot, preventing him from climbing up further.
And then, Richard had managed to stagger back to his feet. With a scream of rage, he attacked a wolf that tried to kill Hal, who was still struggling with the animal that was holding onto his calf. Just as Richard impaled his wolf, Axell was there to kill the wolf that was biting into Hal's leg. In its dying breaths, the animal let go of the young farmer, revealing a gruesome bite wound. Despite the pain he was obviously in, Hal dragged himself to his spear and then continued to Than. Tears streamed down his face and he was screaming constantly at the top of his lungs, in terror, pain and rage.
Finally, Richard heard a spine-chilling growl. Almost as if everything around him had frozen, he turned around and saw it stepping out of the underbrush, the way they just came. Its teeth were dripping with the blood from Than's legs. Its fur was a nightmare in black and it was larger than a horse, with the muscles of a grown bull. It was the Alpha Wolf, it was the beast.
The beast looked at Richard, out of small, golden eyes, which shimmered with a frightening intelligence. For a moment, both stopped. Richard shivered as he noticed something familiar in the piercing stare of the beast. Harking, the trees around him seemed to whisper, as the beast bared its teeth, letting out a deep, howling growl and showing a literally wolfish grin.
It approached Richard, one step after the other, carefully eyeing the sword. The way it moved, that was not the way of an animal. It moved like a human being, showing caution in the way it moved its feet, never looking away from the sword. Richard was shaking in naked fear.
“RICHARD!”, the unexpected voice of Roman sounded as his axe cut through the air, hitting the beast at the upper leg. The huge wolf let out a vicious howl, as its head spun around, heavily hitting Roman in the stomach and smashing him through the air, until he heavily landed on the ground again, out of reach of his axe.
Without hesitating, the farmer pulled out his long knife and glared at the beast. “YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON?”, he yelled at the top of his lungs. “THINK AGAIN! I'M NOT GOING DOWN EASY, YOU HEAR ME, YOU UGLY BITCH?” While he said this, he waved around with his knife, while the beast growled in a way that almost sounded like mocking laughter. It turned around, having chosen Roman as its new target and approaching him with a low howl.
Momentarily, Richard looked around. Ed had managed to climb up to the tree, though he had lost his boot in the process. He was sitting in there, shaking in fear, while Axell was standing above a wounded Hal and a dead Than, defending them as good as possible from three wolves.
Finally, there was Vaasrand. Half a dozen wolves had finally brought him down. More than that amount lay dead on the ground. The hunter himself was lying on his belly, wolves tearing at his armour, while he desperately tried to protect his vulnerable neck and throat with his heavy gloves. His swords were knocked out of reach and he needed help, or else the wolves would manage to kill him sooner or later. They all needed help...
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he… more would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmha… [view original content]
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he… more would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmha… [view original content]
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he… more would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmha… [view original content]
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he… more would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmha… [view original content]
Fuck! Axell's in danger! Immediately, Fuck Roman, he can fight the beast... not. The choice for me is basically, my own character or Vaasrand.
( I think Axell can handle himself, and survive one way or another, so in the end:
[Help Vaasrand] Richard will probably get really hurt though. ) Edit: Nevermind this. : 3
Also, Liquid, a question. How far away are Roman, Axell and Vaasrand from each other?
EDIT: After reading the Agent's reasoning I changed my mind to my own character, so my vote goes for [Help Axell]
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he… more would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmha… [view original content]
Comments
Oh fuck, that's a really hard choice.
[Take Ayden with you]
[Take Ayden with you]
[Take Ayden with you]
[Leave Ayden behind]
Simply because taking him with them or sending someone with him outside will take two capable hands away. If he comes, they will be distracted to keep an eye on him.
[Leave Ayden behind] This seems like the logical choice. If someone happens to come to him while the others are saving Burned Man, then that's just shit luck.
Anyway, I'm glad Harrington did what he did, but I still don't fully trust him.
Great part!
[Send Erik and Ayden out of the labyrinth]
I really want to see Ayden reunited with Taria, he has survived too much to just die now.
[Take Ayden with you]
H-how did you do that one? :P
Oooh, a small p, not a big one Let's add it.
[Send Erik and Ayden out of the labyrinth]
Don't want to leave them, don't want to take them, I guess this is best option then.
Heheh.
[Leave Ayden behind]
[Take Ayden with you] Leaving him here would be an absolute death sentence for him because when Jaron and crew get caught, which we all know is going to happen, they won't be able to get to Ayden in time to save him and would have to leave him. And as long as Ayden is with us, we can keep an eye on him and make sure he is safe. And we would already be slowed down because once we get to Burned Man, there is no way he will be in any condition to escape so we'd probably have to leave him.
[Send Erik and Ayden out of the goddamn Labyrinth] They have to get Ayden the fucking hell outta there. Ayden will probably die otherwise, and as one of few survivors of a goddamn Massacre, I respect him, and want him to live.
[Leave Ayden behind]
Ugh such a hard choice but if Samuel's right I don't want to put Ayden in the midst of a fight. Great part by the way and I'm intrigued to see the status of the Burned Man!
I really like this part!
RT:
PS:I will not make a choice
(Leave Alden Behind)
[Take Ayden with you] In worst case he is useless, in so-so case can take a few hits as shield for others, at best his stay there makes him notice details others may miss (and it is always good to have an extra pair of yes to spot stuff)
Liquid I sent you Raekar via the normal, oh so hated (by me) form
tell me what you think
edit: spoiler tags don't seem to work now either, another bug
I don't understand why you hate the submission sheets so much
They are a really helpful way of keeping information on the characters organised, and we can easily keep in contact and make changes after the submission. The submission sheet also helps because it entitles you to construct a personality and a description, which I personally find your submissions sometimes lack. Mind you, I get an understanding for your characters anyway, and I think the submissions are really awesome, but submission sheets make it so much easier to maintain and keep organised
Fine, they can make it easier for you, but not for me. Also, we can't discuss characters as we did before due to PM bug. I do have to use them now however because the forum is STILL bugged, nothing changed since the first day the changes were implemented.
I think this is one of the hardest choices so far. It was extremely lucky to find him alive so I don't want to get him killed now. I definitely don't want to send Erik away, we need all the blades we can get. I'm stuck on bring him or leave him.
[Leave Ayden behind] It's a tough choice but he won't be that big of a help, he's better off here than in a fight. Plus Ayden's smart and a survivor. I'm hoping that if he hears someone coming he will manage to hide. Maybe even pull a Witcher 2 and scream so it sounds like he's being tortured.
I'm interested in Jaylon's involvement in Samuel's revenge. Did he know about his plans for his brother? Or his intentions of betraying Butterfly?
People forget that Ayden and Erik could also die elsewhere if they are sent away, same with Ayden being left alone.
So you think Aydens safer in the pit of evil itself than outside it?
Samuel is there
Jaylon knew about Samuel's reason to look for his brother and his thirst for revenge. Samuel told him about it long before he learned of Mullendore's betrayal, back when he only knew that his brother was somewhere in the city and Jaylon agreed to back him up in case of a confrontation. However, he had no ideas of what Samuel recently learned, or that he intended to turn on Butterfly. As you may remember, he actually even clued the rest of the Solvers in on the fact that Samuel was leading two strangers through the labyrinth in the last chapter. That means, it is unlikely he would have still supported Samuel if he had known about his intentions of betraying Butterfly, at least not after the torture he suffered at Mullendore's hands between Chapter 5 and 6.
I think I know the line you're referencing to. That was unintentional, though it is certainly fitting. Aside from that, it is probably a good thing that Samuel and Detlaff are, in many things, polar opposites, despite a few similarities in how damn cool they are. As for the line itself, it is actually more or less from Fire Emblem: Awakening, because I'm trash for that game XD
Technically, Samuel switched sides in Chapter 6, when he learned the truth about Mullendore and his brother. All of his actions in this chapter have been an elaborate ruse to get Jaron and Harpy into the dungeons, because his goal is not to just leave Butterfly's group, but to leave while doing as much damage as possible. As for the Solver, he was certainly strangely nice, wasn't he? Not all of them are completely deranged, some of them are only in this for the payment.
It might depend on your choice. It would make little sense to reintroduce him, only to kill him off without giving you a chance to save him. That said, it is certainly possible.
Indeed it is. Though all of these rescues were only possible because someone with inside knowledge helped out and Samuel was involved in two of them. A large majority of the prisoners die down there instead of getting rescued, people who aren't even encountered by any PoV.
Well, it's not only that it makes things just a little bit easier for us, it makes it immensely easier for us, as we have every character saved in the same google document that way. Organising the story is far more of an effort than actually writing it and the character submission document is one of the best tools for us writers to keep things clean and uncluttered. It greatly helps with the planning, especially at a certain amount of characters, which Stigz certainly reached and which I surpassed ages ago, five times and counting by now. If everyone would have sent me their characters via private messages, I can guarantee I would have lost track of dozens of characters. It also makes it easier to seek out specific information about your characters. For example, if I want to describe a specific member of the Galenrys family in the story, I first have to search for this member in the message you sent me and then I have to read through the entire submission to find his appearance, whereas the submission document already shows me where you describe his appearance. In turn, that makes it a lot less likely that any errors happen while writing. if you save your characters in an external document before submitting them, you still have them for later, which means it won't be any harder for you to discuss them with us later on.
You are right about the PM bug though, I hope it will get fixed very soon. The thing I miss even more are correctly working notifications, which I hope is another thing they are working on right now. Since the bugs haven't been fixed by now, it appears they are quite severe, but I hope that the technical staff has found a solution until the end of the week.
As for the character at last, I have received and just finished reading him and he is certainly huge! A well done character, thanks a lot for submitting him
I believe there is a certain storyline coming up where I will be able to implement him well into.
considering his current location, I didn't think it would be hard to implement him
[Take Ayden with you]
I really don't know what to go with here, but I guess this is going to be my choice.
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to take Ayden with him
This indeed was a hard choice. Lots of good arguments for either option, lots of votes for either option. This one won by a narrow margin. Without considering the outcomes of this choice, I would have probably chosen to send him away, together with Erik. Samuel mentioned it, if they make even a single mistake down there, they are all going to die and his opinion is not something that should be ignored lightly. It remains to be seen if Ayden is much of a help down there, in his exhausted and wounded condition. Jaron will have more to do in this chapter, though as always, there will be spotlight for the other characters first.
The next part will contain a Richard PoV. Unlike what I previously said, it likely won't include a PoV from Arthur's storyline, as Richard's PoV is already pretty long and not even finished. So I'm likely going to give Richard the whole PoV and will move Arthur to the part after that one, together with a second PoV, which is currently planned to be either Ilish, Sadie, or Drent. Anyways, Richard's part should be out later today. The last time we saw him, he and his group, consisting of his neighbour Roman, Roman's farmhand Axell and the farmers Ed, Than and Hal, as well as the beast hunter Vaasrand of Not-Rivia, started their journey to the lair of the beast, deep in the forest. During their walk, Richard bonded a bit with Axell and Vaasrand, though their talk was cut short when something, likely the beast, attacked them. It knocked Hal to the ground, who was only able to see something large and darkly furred, and it took Than with it. Afterwards, it started to use the screams of a wounded Than to lure the group to it. Even though he knew it is a trap, Vaasrand decided to help the wounded farmer and to chase after the beast, though he requested Richard's back-up. Hal, who is Than's close friend, asked to accompany them, though Richard ultimately decided to leave him with the others.
By the way, according to my own count, the next part will be part Nr. 200! So... that's pretty nice, I guess. Here's to the next 200
pick one Liquid:
Stepstones group
House Qoherys (Dragonstone)
the missing quotes for House Beltaine
and yes, spoiler tag is still bugged
It's kind of the same with us English. With our weather changing every ten mintues we grow to accept change quickly.
Huh, quite the question. You know what, I leave this one up to you.
Do you want the quotes? You praised them earlier but if it is unnecessary I can go work on the next characters. The only issue is the quotes definitely do not fit the vanilla submission template form and the actual characters were already submitted.
Richard
With a glance to Vaasrand, who had already half-vanished in the underbrush, Richard shook his head. Without Hal's sister Nora, he would have never been capable of saving Jenna. The least he could do was to look out for her little brother in return. “It's too dangerous, you're staying here”, he said to Hal, who tensed up as he heard this. A second scream, even more pained than the last, echoed through the forest and now, Richard was sure that he saw tears in Hal's eyes.
“Please, Richard, he's...”, he started, but Richard cut him off. “My decision is final”, he said sternly, as he looked at Axell. Out of the remaining farmers, he was the one Richard found the most reliable. “Make sure everyone stays here”, he ordered him and the younger man gave him a nod. Before Richard could leave however, Roman took a step forward and heavily grabbed his arm, an irritated look on his face.
“Listen up, Richard”, he growled. “This is my farmhand you're ordering around there” As he said this, anger flared up in his eyes. Instead of Richard, it was Axell himself who answered. “Ser, this can wait now”, he said, in a tone so decisive that it caught Roman completely off guard. “Our friend is in danger and we can't waste any time with petty quarrels”
“Petty?”, Roman hissed, before he glared back at Richard. “If you go out there alone, you're going to die” Richard shook his head, before firmly pulling his sword out of its sheath. Not for the first time since his life started to get complicated, he wished for his father's skill with the weapon. His father had been the soldier. He in return was merely a farmer, though he would not back down just because of the danger. The situation was anything but ideal, but it was the one he found himself in now. “I have no intention of dying today”, he stated.
Axell smirked at his comment. “I have no doubt about it”, he said with an honest tone. “Don't worry, Richard. I'm going to make sure that everyone stays here while you're gone” With a thankful nod, Richard turned away, though he threw a quick glance at the visibly worried Hal before he chased after Vaasrand. He could understand the young farmer. If instead of Than it would be Urid or Philip who were in danger, he would probably react similarly. At the same time, he couldn't just allow Hal to get himself into even more danger. This was something he had to do without the help of the other farmers.
Vaasrand had a considerable headstart, though Richard was still able to see him in the distance. The hunter was running slower than him, looking to the ground carefully, one of his swords drawn. He barely looked up as Richard finally caught up with him. “Tracks”, he mumbled. “The beast walked on four paws and it was larger than a wolf”
“A shadowcat then?”, Richard asked and Vaasrand stopped mumbling, as if he just realized that Richard had caught up with him. He shook his head. “No, it's larger than a shadowcat as well. They never grow to this size” He stopped and knelt down, carefully inspecting one of the tracks. In the dim light, Richard was barely able to see them, yet Vaasrand seemed to have no problems with this.
“Almost too large for a direwolf either”, he continued. “Though I've seen stranger things. Aside from that, the local ranger, Christian, told me that the wolves behave odd lately...” He narrowed his eyes, as he rose from the ground. “Stay close and keep your sword up” Just in this moment, another, bloodcurdling scream echoed through the woods and Vaasrand started to run towards it, with Richard following closely.
Only moments later, the two men arrived at a clearing. The sun had almost set, though what little light remained was enough to illuminate their surroundings, the tall trees, the blood-stained grass... And Than...
Richard gasped, his eyes widened as he saw the boy. The youngest member of their group was leaning against a large rock, the ground in front of him covered with his blood, his face covered in cuts and bruises. He was awake, barely so, though that alone was quite the feat, considering that his right leg was missing halfway below the knee.
“Than!”, Richard yelled, as he rushed towards him. He noticed that Vaasrand tried to hold him back, though the hunter was too slow and Richard was already out of his reach by the time he made his move. He yelled something, though Richard did not listen. His friend was grievously wounded, he needed the help of a healer. That was the important thing right now.
“Than...”, he mumbled as he fell to his knees directly next to him. The boy weakly looked at him, the look in his eyes nearly mad with fear and pain. “Richard...”, he managed to utter. “I... I...” He stopped and tears formed in his eyes. “Easy now”, Richard urged him, glancing at the gruesome wound, where Than's lower leg had been.
By now it was clear to him that the boy was in shock. He barely seemed to notice his missing limb and his panic seemed to come from something else. “I... I...”, he stuttered again, as Vaasrand finally walked up to them. “Stay awake, Than”, Richard said, as he removed his belt, starting to wrap it around Than's upper leg, to prevent him from bleeding out. “I have seen it!”, Than finally managed to exclaim.
“What did it look like?”, Vaasrand asked immediately and Richard shot him a glare. “Vaasrand, we need to bring him to safety”, he argued and the hunter gave him a nod. “But first he needs to tell me what he saw. That can save lives”
Than's eyes widened even more, filled with tears. “It... took me, dragged me with it”, he whispered and a whimpering sound came out of his throat. “I saw it... It... it bit down on my... my...” Finally, he looked down at himself and a weak scream of terror came out of his throat. “My leg!”, he panted, between heavy, panicked breaths. “My leg! My leg!” Finally, he even seemed to realize in how much pain he was and with a grimace of agony, he started to press his hands onto the wound.
“Easy, Than”, Richard tried to calm him down, while the boy whimpered and panted. “I need you to focus. What have you seen?” By now, Than started to shake, almost uncontrollably and Richard threw and alarmed glance towards Vaasrand. “Can you help him?”, he asked. “You gotta have something to calm him down”
The hunter hesitated for a moment, though he gave Richard a nod and reached into his coat. “It will calm him”, he promised and pulled out a small vial, containing a murky, white liquid. “Milk of the Poppy?”, Richard asked, as he recognized the substance. Maester Eaton had given him a bottle when his wife had been pregnant with the twins and later again, when Jenna' birth put her through a lot of pain. It surprised him that the hunter had access to it.
“A weaker mixture”, Vaasrand explained as he opened the vial. “It helps me with ignoring pain. With him, it should do a bit more, barely keeping him awake” He moved it closer to Than's mouth, though he hesitated. “He will be unable to answer our questions”, he warned him, just as Than whimpered once more. Richard clenched his teeth. “Just give it to him!”, he ordered him and the hunter forced Than's mouth open, emptying the vial in it.
Momentarily, the boy's body was shaken by heavy cramps, his screams leaving his mouth in complete silence. Then he relaxed, sinking to the ground in relief, even though the fear remained on his face. “Than?”, Richard asked and the boy looked at him weakly. “Yes?”, he asked in return. Richard pressed his lips together. “Than, can you tell me what you have seen?”
The boy opened his mouth, though no sound came out of it. Tears streamed out of his eyes. “It was...”, he started, though the sheer terror in his voice caused him to shiver again, despite the milk. “I saw my parents”, he finally answered. “Richard, where are my parents?”
Richard and Vaasrand exchanged a look. “Pick him up”, the hunter ordered. “There's nothing to be done for us here. He needs a healer, quickly” He didn't need to convince Richard, who gently put his arms underneath Than, carefully lifting him up. A gasp left Than's throat. “My... my father”, he whispered. “What is he going to say?”
The mention of Than's father caused Richard to tense up. Than's parents had died years ago, during the same famine that claimed Elma's life. Before that, they had been good friends of the Harkings. Richard's eldest son, Arvin, he used to be a good friend of Than, at least until he left to serve in the Dornish Marches. Seeing Arvin's friend like this, it caused Richard to feel as if he had failed.
“I'm sure they won't mind”, Richard assured him and a weak smile formed on Than's face. Now, Richard looked back at Vaasrand, who inspected the gruesome wound. “What did this to him?”, he asked. The hunter frowned. “It was something large, with extraordinary strength and very sharp teeth”, he answered. “The only question is, why isn't it attacking?”
His face dropped, just as Richard came to the same conclusion. The beast was smart, Vaasrand had said it himself earlier. He suspected that it wanted to lure them into a trap and he left regardless. “It's not luring us into a trap...”, Richard mumbled and Vaasrand gave him a nod. “The others”, he growled. “Stay close!” With these words, he started running. Richard, who still carried the highly wounded Than in his arms, followed as good as he was able to.
Vaasrand picked up a good speed quickly, though he constantly looked over his shoulder, to make sure that Richard was able to keep up with him. Meanwhile, Richard tried his best to hold Than as gently as possible. The young man barely seemed to notice his surroundings, though occasionally, his body tremored.
While he was running, Richard took a glance to the right. For a moment, it looked as if something else was there as well, running alongside him, just a few feet away, though hidden in gloomy twilight. He saw a large silhouette, black and long, almost like a wolf. Though he wasn't sure if it was just imagining it, he also thought he heard deep growling from the same direction.
And then they had reached the rest of the group. At least Richard was completely out of breath, though he couldn't help but to sigh in relief as he saw the others alive and unharmed. The first to notice them was Hal, who jumped up as he saw Than lying in Richard's arms. His face dropped as he noticed the missing leg of his friend. “Than!”, he yelled. “No, gods, no!”
Behind him, Ed and Axell slowly approached. The farmhand looked slightly nervous, glancing around to the surrounding forrest, while Ed was staring at Than's wound. “Gods, what happened?”, he asked. Richard noticed that only Roman was still not coming closer. He had his arms crossed and while he looked at Than in worry, he also gave Richard a look full of contempt.
“The beast happened”, Vaasrand explained. “It took his leg, though it left him alive. I don't know why it acted that way, but this is only the beginning” He urgently glanced at Roman. “We have to get out of here”
“Yes”, Axell confirmed with a slightly shaky voice. “Richard, I did what you asked of me. No one left the group, but...” He paused. “I have seen something in the woods. Don't know what it was, but I never want to see it again”, he stated and looked at Roman as well. “Ser, the hunter speaks true. We have to get out of here”
Richard sighed as Roman stubbornly shook his head. “You want me to abandon the hunt? We have it! We're so close!”, he argued and pointed at Than, who was slowly drifting into unconsciousness. “The boy lost his fucking leg. There has to be revenge for this. We can't allow the beast to live another day”
Axell narrowed his eyes, while Hal crossed his arms. Only Ed looked a bit indecisive, more worried for his friends than himself. “Ser, this can't be our course!”, Axell argued. “Than needs help. It's at least an hour until we reach the hut of the healer lady and we have to start now. Leave the beast to Vaasrand”
“So, you think I'm just giving up now, boy?”, Roman asked. “Just who do you think you are?” Axell sighed. “An ordinary guy, Ser”, he answered. “I leave hero's work to a hero” As he said this, he looked at Vaasrand, while Roman clenched his fists. “Sometimes common folk have to do the right fucking thing!”, he spat. “This beast is threatening all of us. It must be stopped”
“Well, I'm with Axell on this”, Hal interjected carefully. “Than... damn it, my friend is bleeding out as we speak! I'm not saying this lightly, but we need to get the fuck out of here!” Now, Ed gave him a nod. “Yeah... sorry, Roman, but the others are right. This was never a good idea to start with”
“It's decided, we're turning around”, Vaasrand growled and Roman once again shook his head. “You took our fucking gold!”, he yelled. “And now you're going to abandon the mission?” This time an annoyed streak appeared on Vaasrand's usually calm face. “I'm not abandoning anything”, he clarified. “But if we go ahead, then it's likely we're all going to get killed. Starting with you”
Roman narrowed his eyes, just as Vaasrand suddenly put a hand onto the hilt of his sword. “So, that's how you want to do it, monster hunter?”, he spat. “Take our gold, lure us out here, then kill us?” Only Richard saw that Vaasrand wasn't looking at Roman. He was looking at something behind him.
“Come on then!”, Roman growled, just as Vaasrand's hand grabbed him by the shoulder, roughly knocking him to the ground. In the same moment, he pulled out his sword and took a strike at the spot where Roman had stood just seconds ago. He did this just as a large shadow jumped out of the underbrush behind Roman, with a terrifying snarl, that quickly turned into a yelp as Vaasrand hit his target.
While Roman still turned around on all fours, Richard and the others already got a good look at the creature Vaasrand had just slain. It was a wolf. A common wolf, of ordinary size, the head cleanly decapitated from Vaasrand's blow.
“Seven Hells...”, Hal mumbled and a weak smile formed on his face. “You killed it! You killed the beast!” The rest had already noticed it and wasn't smiling or cheering. Vaasrand himself only glared at Hal, whose smile faded. “Look at this animal”, he growled. “Now look at your friend's leg. Do you think it would be capable of inflicting such a wound?”
Just as he said this, howling sounds were heard from all around them. Richard froze in fear, though he still held on to Than. “Wolves?”, Roman gasped, as he staggered back to his feet. Vaasrand gave him a nod. “Dozens of them. A large pack and we're in their territory”, he explained. “We're their prey. And they are led by something more than a simple wolf” He closed his eyes. “Direwolf”, he said. “Gotta be the largest example I've ever seen. But there's something else”
“What do you mean?”, Ed asked and Vaasrand pointed at the wounded Than. “I mean this”, he barked. “And the wolf that sneaked up on us. Dragging away the weakest member of the group, attacking in such a way... wolves do not behave that way. I'm not sure what it is, but something is seriously wrong here!” The howling came closer.
And then, Richard was only able to hear Hal's warning, as a sudden pain flashed through his back, something jumping against him heavily, knocking him and Than to the ground. He heavily hit his head as he landed and momentarily, everything was blurry. From the underbrush all around them, dark beasts emerged, jumping at the startled farmers.
While Richard was still trying to get back to his feet, he saw a wolf charging past him. The beast tried to jump at Than, though Hal was between them, his spear piercing through the animal's chest. A second wolf attacked him from behind, sinking its teeth into his calf, forcing him to the ground. A third wolf jumped past Axell, who was using his pitchfork to hold off a fourth wolf and it jumped right on top of Than. Before Axell was able to ram his pitchfork into its ribcage, the wolf had already bitten down into Than's throat. It died with teeth stained red from the blood of their friend.
To Richard's left, Vaasrand fought on his own, holding off half a dozen wolves on his own. He spun around, his sword cutting through the air, as the wolves just barely managed to jump back themselves. Though they were little danger to him, they also prevented him from helping the others. Then, there was Roman, his axe having already split the skull of a wolf, while he used the wooden hilt of the weapon to bash the head of a second animal into pieces. Meanwhile, Ed was trying to climb a tree, sheer panic on his face. A wolf had bitten down into his sturdy leather boot, preventing him from climbing up further.
And then, Richard had managed to stagger back to his feet. With a scream of rage, he attacked a wolf that tried to kill Hal, who was still struggling with the animal that was holding onto his calf. Just as Richard impaled his wolf, Axell was there to kill the wolf that was biting into Hal's leg. In its dying breaths, the animal let go of the young farmer, revealing a gruesome bite wound. Despite the pain he was obviously in, Hal dragged himself to his spear and then continued to Than. Tears streamed down his face and he was screaming constantly at the top of his lungs, in terror, pain and rage.
Finally, Richard heard a spine-chilling growl. Almost as if everything around him had frozen, he turned around and saw it stepping out of the underbrush, the way they just came. Its teeth were dripping with the blood from Than's legs. Its fur was a nightmare in black and it was larger than a horse, with the muscles of a grown bull. It was the Alpha Wolf, it was the beast.
The beast looked at Richard, out of small, golden eyes, which shimmered with a frightening intelligence. For a moment, both stopped. Richard shivered as he noticed something familiar in the piercing stare of the beast. Harking, the trees around him seemed to whisper, as the beast bared its teeth, letting out a deep, howling growl and showing a literally wolfish grin.
It approached Richard, one step after the other, carefully eyeing the sword. The way it moved, that was not the way of an animal. It moved like a human being, showing caution in the way it moved its feet, never looking away from the sword. Richard was shaking in naked fear.
“RICHARD!”, the unexpected voice of Roman sounded as his axe cut through the air, hitting the beast at the upper leg. The huge wolf let out a vicious howl, as its head spun around, heavily hitting Roman in the stomach and smashing him through the air, until he heavily landed on the ground again, out of reach of his axe.
Without hesitating, the farmer pulled out his long knife and glared at the beast. “YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON?”, he yelled at the top of his lungs. “THINK AGAIN! I'M NOT GOING DOWN EASY, YOU HEAR ME, YOU UGLY BITCH?” While he said this, he waved around with his knife, while the beast growled in a way that almost sounded like mocking laughter. It turned around, having chosen Roman as its new target and approaching him with a low howl.
Momentarily, Richard looked around. Ed had managed to climb up to the tree, though he had lost his boot in the process. He was sitting in there, shaking in fear, while Axell was standing above a wounded Hal and a dead Than, defending them as good as possible from three wolves.
Finally, there was Vaasrand. Half a dozen wolves had finally brought him down. More than that amount lay dead on the ground. The hunter himself was lying on his belly, wolves tearing at his armour, while he desperately tried to protect his vulnerable neck and throat with his heavy gloves. His swords were knocked out of reach and he needed help, or else the wolves would manage to kill him sooner or later. They all needed help...
[Help Roman] [Help Axell] [Help Vaasrand]
[Clone Yourself And Help Everyone]
..........................................................................................maybe if everyone votes this we can force your hand?
[Help Vaasrand]
[Help Roman]
Good job Ed.
[Help Vaasrand]
Fuck! Axell's in danger! Immediately, Fuck Roman, he can fight the beast... not. The choice for me is basically, my own character or Vaasrand.
( I think Axell can handle himself, and survive one way or another, so in the end:
[Help Vaasrand] Richard will probably get really hurt though. ) Edit: Nevermind this. : 3
Also, Liquid, a question. How far away are Roman, Axell and Vaasrand from each other?
EDIT: After reading the Agent's reasoning I changed my mind to my own character, so my vote goes for [Help Axell]