I am a bit late, but whoa, happy first anniversary! It honestly feels like yesterday since the story started, so it's crazy to think how far it has come by now. That first year was a crazy ride and I have to absolutely praise you for bringing the story to live so far! You know how I feel about the whole Mina situation, but even then, I gotta say, it is rare that I get so intense about a story. Though I wish things were different, it cannot be stressed enough, your writing is amazing that it leads to such a connection to the story. That isn't us falling in love with the characters (or viciously hating them), that is you making us. For that, you deserve praise and I have to thank you for writing the story. Seeing where we are right now in terms of chapters completed, I'd say here's to another year of this magnificent story!
And hm, the next choice seems to be pretty important in terms of consequences and that is making me nervous. I kinda feel like I should clarify one thing. I know I repeatedly said that I don't want even the tiniest of mercy for the hooded man and his thugs. That includes the mercy of not giving them the cruelest fate possible. I stand by that and there is no way I'll ever change my mind. They have no honour and given how downright livid I still am with what they did, I can't stomach the thought of them being treated with any sort of dignity. And I have made it clear, I consider anyone who stands in Tobor's way to be the enemy as well. When it comes to Hood and his degenerates, I don't want an honourable knight who grants them an easy death. I want a terrifying, vicious slayer, who puts them through a hundred times the amount of pain and fear they put Mina through. I want them to suffer so much, they shall regret the day they were born. That being said, I do draw one important line. There is actually one thing I do not wish for Tobor and it is taking his vengeance farther than just Hood and his group of monsters. They don't deserve any mercy and in fact, I consider it the honourable thing to do if he goes full Ramsay on them. It would be a just punishment, well-deserved and well-earned and sometimes that is what needs to be done. But I draw the line at harming innocents, unrelated bystanders with no connection to this at all. If that's where it'll go, I'll actually try to prevent it. Hood, his freakshow and anyone who ever meant a damn thing to them in their worthless life, they deserve to suffer, but I don't want Tobor to become so ruthless that he has no issue with harming complete innocents in his desire for vengeance. Don't get me wrong, there is literally nothing that gives me the amount of glee as these beasts in suffering. But that is the one line I do not wish to cross for Tobor. Once vengeance is achieved, I want him to come back from this. That is the important line between dealing righteous punishment and losing himself. And at core, I do want Tobor to remain honourable, I just think there has to be a way to combine his sense of honour with my limitless desire for vengeance and I feel like it should be about who is going to be targeted. So, it might sound like I'm willing to pick any option no matter how dark if it means avenging Mina, but I should clarify, that is definitely not the case, depending on whom else is at risk. So, I really am a bit nervous for the next choice, because it seems like it'll be related to the endgame of Path of Honour and I don't want to risk either, Tobor's ultimate well-being and me getting a thoroughly satisfying revenge. There's gotta be a way to combine this, but I honestly doubt it will be easy because pursuing one can so easily mean risking the other.
Voting is closed!
Rather unanimously, Tobor will [Keep it as a Reminder]
I like this choice, as it will be a rather symbolic prompt to… more make him think of Mina. A symbol for his revenge for the Hooded man.
Now, I haven’t posted in a while, and that is because I wanted to time the next part right. It is now 12 months since I posted the initial thread for Path of Honour meaning I’ve been doing this for a year!
I wanted to thank you all for reading what I’ve been writing. It does mean a hell of a lot to me that I can share Tobor’s story with like-minded thrones lovers.
It’s really amazing to think back to a year ago with my vague plan of what Tobor would be doing in the coming months and I’d never have imagined I’d have had this complex story going with a murder plot, so many diverse and interesting characters submitted by you guys and of course, to have inspired so many reactions by what I’ve written. I never thought I’d be able to… [view original content]
Voting is closed!
Rather unanimously, Tobor will [Keep it as a Reminder]
I like this choice, as it will be a rather symbolic prompt to… more make him think of Mina. A symbol for his revenge for the Hooded man.
Now, I haven’t posted in a while, and that is because I wanted to time the next part right. It is now 12 months since I posted the initial thread for Path of Honour meaning I’ve been doing this for a year!
I wanted to thank you all for reading what I’ve been writing. It does mean a hell of a lot to me that I can share Tobor’s story with like-minded thrones lovers.
It’s really amazing to think back to a year ago with my vague plan of what Tobor would be doing in the coming months and I’d never have imagined I’d have had this complex story going with a murder plot, so many diverse and interesting characters submitted by you guys and of course, to have inspired so many reactions by what I’ve written. I never thought I’d be able to… [view original content]
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He took a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the guilt to go.
The sun had risen in the sky now, it was perhaps a few hours before midday and a sweltering hot day had begun. Tobor felt like the city should be melting in such a blaze, as a slave he had spent most of the day underground in the tunnels beneath the Pyramid. As such, the temperature had been cool the majority of the time.
A few wispy clouds coiled in the blue sky but besides that it was the beginning of a perfect day.
The four of them walked down the streets of Meereen, passing merchants and traders on the way to and from markets. Lines of slaves, new and old, snaked up and down the street. Tobor tightened his grip on his arakh, seeing city guards amongst the commonfolk.
“Relax, Tobor.” Miro said quietly. Tobor bit his lip, “Hard to when it’s like this.” He responded gesturing softly with his free hand. Miro shook his head, “We are the same as the rest, if we act the same.” He said.
Tobor took a reassuring breath and removed his hand from his blade. “Act the same.” He told himself silently.
Turning the corner, Tobor felt a hand grab at him all of a sudden. The hand ripped backwards and caused Tobor to wheel around, dragged off balance. An angry voice cried out in Low Valyrian. “It’s the bastard slave!”
Tobor stared up at his attacker, he was garbed in the uniform of a guard, but not a city guard. It was one of Reznar zo Loraq’s guardsmen. The man was bearded and sported a flat leather cap. He sneered down at Tobor, one hand grasping the boy and the other holding a wickedly sharp spear.
“I’ve got you, you little…” He began to say, but stopped and dropped his spear. He looked down and saw Tobor’s hand draw back, covered in a small amount of blood. Confused, he tried to look down but felt something stopping his movement.
Putting a hand to his neck, his eyes grew wide as he felt a cold handle. He looked back to Tobor and his eyes looked quizzically at the arakh still in Tobor’s belt.
Falling to his knees, the guard felt his life slip away as he keeled over. The last thing he saw was Tobor removing Mina’s dagger from the side of his neck with a spurt of blood.
Tobor wiped the dagger on the dead man’s breeches and looked around. A small crowd had formed at the killing of a guard. Miro, Sibas and Caoki stood still, all on alert.
“Go. Now!” Tobor yelled in Low Valyrian at the crowd. “Before I gut one of you!” He threatened, brandishing the bloody knife. The crowd dispersed in a panic, several screams echoing in the street.
A man who fancied himself a hero charged Tobor with a broom but Caoki stepped in, flooring him with one meaty punch. Tobor grabbed Caoki before the Dothraki could do anything more to the poor man who looked dazed with several of his teeth rattling on the floor.
“No, he’s innocent.” Tobor said harshly in the common tongue. “We need to go. Now. Guards will have heard us, we don’t have much time.”
As if to demonstrate his point, a pair of city guards rounded the corner and pointed at them with their spears. They did their best to make their way over to the group of four, but the fleeing crowd slowed progress.
Caoki didn’t need telling again, he dropped the man back to the ground and followed the rest of them. Tobor was already running down the street, following the crowd who were running ahead.
They needed to blend in with the panicky crowd, Tobor told himself, stowing the dagger away. “Sheathe your weapons.” He called in the common tongue to Sibas, Miro and Caoki, hoping they’d heard.
Tobor slipped in between people running down the street, dodging and weaving as he went. He felt another arm grabbing him and whirled around bunching his fist ready to strike only to see Miro. “Here.” He cried, pointing to an alley. “This is where we came in.”
Tobor looked and saw a vaguely familiar alley, it was possible it was the place they had climbed over the wall. “The rope.” He muttered. “Where are Sibas and Caoki?” He asked Miro.
The Naathi boy shrugged, “We can only hope they think the same.” He said. Tobor nodded and swore as he saw a gang of guards pointing right at them. “Let’s go.” He said and the two boys dived into the alley.
They sprinted down between the narrow walls of buildings, leaping over protruding steps and a stray cat that hissed angrily at them. Tobor glanced back over his shoulder, not quite seeing anyone following. He maintained his speed nonetheless.
Miro burst out into the small opening first and exclaimed as he saw a group of guards there. Sibas and Caoki were in the middle of them, fending off the attacks as best they could. Behind them, the great wall that surrounded Meereen reached into the morning air, a thin rope hanging down from the top.
Tobor joined the others in the opening and without pausing to draw a weapon he barrelled into the closest guard, tackling him and smashing him against the wall. Dazed, the guard had no chance to defend himself before he found a dagger plunged in his chest.
Standing up and turning around, Tobor began an onslaught on the remaining guards who had turned to face him. The time in the pits had began Tobor on a path to becoming an incredibly skilled pit-fighter, and it showed. Each lunge was parried or deflected with ease, each strike Tobor made was harsh and calculated, with no emotion, only a desire to end the fight quickly.
Tobor hammered away at one opponent then the next, moving on when his foe hit the ground. Sibas and Caoki joined in, capitalising on the distracted guards.
Tobor slid his arakh from the stomach of the last guard and watched him fall to the floor. “We need to go.” He said again. “Are you both alright?” He asked. Sibas and Caoki nodded their answer.
“Caoki, go first. We need you up there in-case there are guards on top.” Tobor ordered. The Dothraki look set to argue but at that moment a cry of “There they are” rang down the alley and into the opening. Tobor looked left and saw a dozen guards making their way towards them.
“Go quick, we might all make it before they get here!” Tobor screamed. “We can’t fight them all.”
Caoki obeyed and pulled himself up the rope with his huge arms. When he was above Tobor’s head height he turned to Miro. “You go next, now.” Tobor ordered. Miro obeyed immediately and began clambering up the rope.
The guards were almost there. “Sibas, up you go.” Tobor said. When Sibas opened his mouth to argue, Tobor spoke again. “Please, we don’t have time.” He begged. Sibas gritted his teeth and nodded, grasping onto the rope and hauling himself up.
Tobor sheathed his arakh and drew the dagger, he needed a weapon he could hold and use while on the rope if needed. He glanced between the rope and the oncoming guards over and over. Ready to begin attacking whichever one first.
A bead of sweat dripped down his face as the guards came within spitting distance. Tobor bared his teeth and grasped the dagger. “Tobor, now!” Sibas yelled, looking down.
Tobor swore and jumped up, holding onto the rope and pulling with all his might. Sibas was just ahead. Tobor had the dagger between his teeth, placing one hand over the other again and again.
But it wasn’t enough, Tobor felt his entire body yanked backwards and the rope ripped from his grip as a sharp tug on his legs pulled him back. The world rotated and the sky rolled in front of his eyes as Tobor fell back.
A sharp thud sent a shockwave of pain around his body, Tobor cracked his head on the stone and his sight went white. Rolling over, Tobor tried to get to his feet but couldn’t. He felt a great weight land on his back.
Sibas looked down and saw the guard who had pulled Tobor off the rope stand over the boy with spear poised. Without a second thought, Sibas loosened his grip on the rope enough to slide down. He picked up speed in seconds and aimed a kick at the guard standing over Tobor.
His boot connected with the back of the guards head, who slumped over and fell on top of Tobor. Sibas grabbed a spear and slammed it into the gut of the next guard. A couple guards had begun climbing the rope. Sibas looked up at Miro who was reaching the top, being helped by Caoki.
Sibas was brought back to his own situation by an incoming sword strike, ducking beneath it, Sibas swiped the man’s leg from underneath himself with the spear shaft and burying the point in his skull.
Tobor crawled out from underneath the body of the guard and shook his head to clear the pain. It didn’t help, but Tobor could see again. He drew his arakh and saw Sibas fighting. There were also several guards climbing the rope.
Tobor leapt deftly around Sibas and hit the remaining guards from their flank, slaying a couple before they realised; so focussed were they on the immediate threat of Sibas.
Tobor and Sibas together, made short work of the several still living guards, most of whom seemed to have not fought before.
When the last were dead, Tobor and Sibas both looked up at the rope with the guards on, Caoki peered down from above. Tobor began climbing again, ready to catch the guards. When he was only a few feet from the floor, however, Sibas called out to Tobor. “More coming!”
Tobor turned and his jaw near dropped, there were easily two dozen guardsmen marching from two different alleys. “We can’t take that many.” Tobor said disbelievingly. Sibas grunted. “We don’t have a choice. There’s no time to climb the rope.”
Tobor jumped back down and drew his arakh once more. “I’ll take the left.” He said stoically. Sibas nodded holding a sword. “The right is mine.”
Tobor stepped forward, he would have to stay close to the entrance to keep them single file, otherwise he’d be overrun in seconds.
Tobor picked up a spear from the ground and charged forwards to meet his first opponent. The guard didn’t expect such a foolish assault and didn’t dodge in time, resulting in the spear point deep in his chest. Grabbing on and screaming in pain, he could only watch as Tobor pushed forward, driving him backwards into his comrades.
Tobor pumped his legs and pushed the spear deeper, trying to force all the guards back. The momentum slowed and there was a moment of stillness, before the greater number of guards pushing overcame Tobor’s initial charge.
Tobor shoved his end of the spear into the ground, catching it on a stone and acting like a prop against the tide of guards. He jumped back and swung hard at the first guard who made it past the dying man. The arakh left a deep gouge in his throat, leaving him to fall to the alley floor, clutching weakly at his wound.
Two more came at Tobor, brandishing a spear and a club. Tobor blocked the spear lunge, whipping his arakh around in a circle and pushing the point into the wall, but the club hit his left arm with a dull thud. Tobor swore and stumbled back, giving up some precious ground.
The spear came again, Tobor let it pass over his shoulder and grasped it with another hand. Turning around he pulled the man across his body. As the man with the spear passed him, Tobor tripped him and removed the hand of the man with the club.
Tobor gutted the man with the spear and sliced through the chest of the man who previously held a club. Kicking him back, Tobor piled his body on top of two others. The next three who came through found it harder to keep their footing on top of their comrades’ corpses and were cut down quickly by Tobor.
Tobor was strategically killing the men in such a way that their bodies would create a small barrier between the rest of them and him. It wouldn’t stop them, merely inconvenience and slow.
Tobor’s mind dulled over the coming minutes, a man would climb over the corpses of his fellows and meet Tobor’s arakh along with death. Tobor barely felt any minor cuts he suffered from, he just knew he needed to keep fighting. As the last man clambered over, he wrapped his arms around Tobor and tackled him back.
The two of them crashed into the opening and lay still. Tobor pushed up and rolled the man off him, Mina’s dagger stuck in his chest.
Tobor looked around and saw Sibas surrounded by a ring of corpses. Sibas was hunched over the last moving man, repeatedly driving his fist into the man’s face. “Sibas.” Tobor muttered hoarsely. “It’s done.”
Sibas looked up at Tobor and groaned, rolling off the man and lying on his back. “Fuck me.” He said. “Fuck. Me.”
Tobor chuckled a little, despite the situation. “Come on, we should check on Caoki and…” He stopped as he looked to the rope, but it was coiled at his feet. The end was frayed and tattered, as if it had been… “Cut.” Sibas said. “It’s been fucking cut.”
“The guards climbing up.” Tobor said grimly. “It must have been them. Caoki didn’t otherwise the ones climbing up would be here.”
Sibas sighed. “Then how the fuck are we going to get out of here.” He asked disdainfully.
Tobor looked around, “I think I know how.” He grinned, spotting a barn of horses.
.
A herd of horses burst out of the barn doors followed by Tobor and Sibas riding two great stallions. The horses whinnied in panic and struggled to escape the small fire that Tobor had lit inside the barn after opening every stall.
Tobor kicked his heels into the horse’s sides, cheering it on and grasping onto the saddle with his thighs. He looked to his left and saw Sibas not enjoying himself, clearly never having ridden before. Tobor whooped and grinned.
The stampede stormed down the main street in Meereen, sending merchants and traders everywhere flying and stumbling out of their way. Tobor was praying that the horses would stay straight on the main path and follow it all the way to the gate.
The stampede set other animals off, making them go haywire. Donkeys overturned their carts, cattle and other livestock called out in terror. Pots were dropped and smashed, goods and food hit the floor. And the horses galloped on.
Tobor dug his heels in again, spurring the horse on. “Come on.” He hissed, spotting the main gate up ahead. Sibas looked green as he yelled to Tobor. “Now?” He asked.
Tobor shook his head and yelled back, “A little more!” The gate was nearing, and there were many guards there. They were all armed and Tobor saw them point at the two boys, stood out atop the stampede like a silhouette.
“Now!” Tobor screamed and threw his body to the side. The saddle turned and rotated around the horse due to the girth strap that Tobor had left deliberately lose so as to pull off this manoeuvre.
Tobor felt his body jerk as the saddle came to a stop, directly below the horse’s stomach. The poor beast bucked a little as the weight shifted but continued running. Tobor looked to his right to find Sibas and between the blur of galloping legs he could make out his friend.
The noise was deafening, like a thunderstorm on a tin roof. Sand and dirt were flung up everywhere, hitting Tobor all over. He had placed his feet on the bottom of the saddle as meagre footholds and his hands were clutching onto the girth strap.
Five. He said to himself. Not long now. Four. He looked to Sibas. Three. He was still there. Two. Tobor readied himself. He had to do it quick. One. The guards couldn’t see him, but they would be able to soon.
Now.
Tobor pulled up and clambered up the horses’ side once more, the saddle remained on the stomach of the horse and Tobor was riding bareback. Tobor had timed it perfectly and was right before the gate. Tobor stretched out with his arakh and struck at the rope that held the portcullis up.
With only one chance to get it right, Tobor struck true. The arakh sheared the rope in half and with a shriek, the portcullis began falling down. Tobor watched as they went under the gate, guards beginning to follow. The metal portcullis slammed shut behind, trapping half the stampede behind it. Tobor looked around for Sibas, hoping he had made it.
“Sibas!” Tobor called. When there was no answer, Tobor swore, but then from underneath the horse in front, a red headed grinning boy climbed up and mounted his horse again. “That, was fucking incredible.” Sibas whooped.
.
The remaining horses calmed down once they left the gate and dispersed along the surrounding land. Tobor and Sibas took control of the horses and stopped, making sure the saddles were on properly this time and that they were out of view of Meereen. It was only a matter of time before they sent people out to look for them again. They both agreed that Miro and Caoki would try to meet them back at the camp.
They were ready to mount up again, when a rustle behind them put them on edge. Tobor pointed his arakh and warned whoever was there to come out. The familiar face of Caoki came over the brow of the hill.
“I’d put the sword of my people down, Arghurys. Before I put it down for you.” He said gently. Tobor laughed, “Good to see you, my friend.” He beamed, clapping the Dothraki on the shoulder. Miro waved meekly. “I am glad you both are alright.”
They said their greetings to each other, “When we were both on top the wall, many guards attacked. I threw several down, but they kept coming. I saw more were climbing up so we decided to run. We jumped over the wall and landed in sand dunes. Miro hurt his ankle but we were alright. Then we walked from the walls and later, we saw a group of horses stampede out of the gate.” Caoki explained.
Miro interjected. “We thought that could only be you!” He said happily. Caoki chuckled, “We followed you two when we saw you and came here. Did you not use the rope? Did they cut it?” He asked.
Tobor nodded, “And two dozen more guards arrived, Sibas and I fought them.” He said. Caoki laughed, “Two dozen? This is a lie, you did not defeat two dozen between you. You jest!” He said.
Sibas shook his head, “Not a chance, we killed them all. I swear to you.” He said earnestly. Caoki sighed, “Phew, that is no small feat.” He said in admiration.
Tobor laughed, “I feel like I deserve a bloody knighthood after that.” He chuckled.
.
The four of them continued their way back to the camp, the day was nearing noon and Ben would be wondering where they were.
Miro was on the horse, due to his ankle. The other was being used by the other three, in turns. Sibas was on it currently. Tobor walked beside Miro.
“Tobor.” Miro said. The Hightower boy nodded. “What is it?” He asked.
Miro looked nervously at the ground. “I want to talk to you.” He said. “It is about your honour.”
Tobor looked at him suspiciously. “What about it?” He asked. Miro shrugged, “It’s only. I do not like what you did to this man in Meereen. Torture is not brave.” He said.
Tobor frowned, he knew torture wasn’t honourable. But he had needed to do it to find out what had happened to Mina hadn’t he? “Miro, I know it isn’t. I regret that I did it. I needed to.” He said.
Miro shook his head, “I am glad you do not like it, but it is not needed. Not at all.”
Tobor wasn’t sure exactly what to say. “Miro, these people killed my friend, tried to kill me multiple times. I need to do whatever I can to make it right.”
“What you talk about. It is not making it right. It is revenge. You can do one without other. Amaya used to say, ‘When on a path of revenge, you must dig two graves, one for you and one for your enemy.’ This is what you are doing.” Miro said firmly.
“She said that to me too.” Tobor muttered. “I can’t let them get away with it, Miro.”
Miro shook his head. “This is not what I am saying. You can, and should, find them and make it right. But not by torturing, or making them die slow. You need honourable, you need mercy.”
Tobor began to answer, but Miro interrupted. “I do not want to hear what you will say. I want you to listen. I want to go to my home, Shiko is waiting for me in the village ready to leave. But I do not want to leave you. Not in the way you are at the moment, you are near broken Tobor. I do not like the way you are. I am your friend and I look out for you. I want to stay. But I am afraid of what you will become if you stay like this.” He said.
Tobor nodded, “So will you stay?” He asked.
Miro looked down at Tobor, right in his eyes. “I will stay, only if you answer my question. I will leave or stay if I like what you say.”
Tobor bit his cheek. “Very well.” He said.
“Tobor, can you continue with mercy and honourably, or will you continue to go down this path, this path of hatred and revenge?” Miro asked.
Tobor thought, he wanted Miro to stay, he liked the boy and he was a steadfast ally, perhaps the most. He had been there from the start and never once been wrong. Was he wrong now? Tobor knew he probably wasn’t. Tobor knew that what he was doing wasn’t honourable, it was the easy thing to do. It felt good while he was doing it, but after torturing the man he just felt wrong.
"Whatever I choose to do. You must understand I will kill the hooded man slowly?" Tobor asked, Miro nodded. "I understand."
Tobor sighed.
Should he tell Miro he would do what the Naathi boy wanted, thereby letting him stay? Or could he not make that promise, and continue his revenge the way he had started it?
Mercy, or revenge? Honourable or easy?
["I can do what you ask."]["I can't do what you ask."]
Making Deals and a Taste of Battle
Part VII
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He to… moreok a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the… [view original content]
Making Deals and a Taste of Battle
Part VII
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He to… moreok a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the… [view original content]
Making Deals and a Taste of Battle
Part VII
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He to… moreok a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the… [view original content]
[I can't do what you ask."] Sorry, guys but I find the dark side far more interesting. Plus better to be honest about it than say you won't and then do it anyway.
Making Deals and a Taste of Battle
Part VII
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He to… moreok a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the… [view original content]
Wow, I am for once speechless. I genuinely don’t know what to say. It’s taken my over an hour to write this one post. I feel heartbroken, almost feel like I’m close to tears, and I do not say that as an exaggeration.
I’m sure you have all by now seen the terrible news that telltale is all but over, all future projects have been cancelled, their last huzzah being Walking dead which they are finishing with the skeleton crew that will conclude telltale’s beautiful story of Clementine. I wish they could tell more stories.
I have loved telltale for years, it got me through severely trying times, a lot of problems I had with myself and problems with my personal life were solved when I came to telltale and managed to escape by pretending to be Asher, Bruce, Bigby, Lee, Rodrik, Ethan, Michonne, Rhys or Clementine. And anyway, what game has ever made me cry at choosing to make a fictional young girl, shoot her fictional mentor/father figure to stop him becoming a walker?
I am gutted. Gutted.
God. It’s awful. I of course feel for every employee finding themselves in an awful situation, it’s awful. I hope everything turns out for the better for them, from the bottom of my heart I do.
Now, a smaller problem, yet of equal importance to me, how do I continue Path of Honour? Since it is sadly likely that telltale will be shutting down, it appears that these forums themselves will join them at some point. Unfortunately, this will mean my story cannot continue in this format for much longer.
Presently, I do not know how I will continue it, which may sound bad, but I promise all of you.. I want to finish this. I owe all of you that, and I owe myself that.
So this is why i want to invite all of you to join us on discord. If you have an account, perfect, you can use the link i will provide below. If you don’t have one, please sign up and join us in the telltale community. I do wish to keep in touch with each and every one of you and hope you can join me as we continue and then finish Tobor’s story.
Here is the discord link, it would be great if you could all join it. Please don’t hesitate to send me a message here or on discord about anything you have questions about.
The current vote for PoH will be postponed just until I get things in order and work out the future of the story. I hate that I have to delay any of it, but I sadly cannot continue until I work out where I can continue the story.
It’s a sad day for telltale and my thoughts are almost solely with employees who have found themselves without a job out of the blue.
Thank you for the incredible journey you have brought us all on telltale, I feel very confident in saying you have changed my, and most others here, lives/life for the better. I have loved every minute of it, each laugh, tear and tough choice you have presented has helped me in ways no-one can understand.
So, I guess ill start by saying that I agree with some of BitterSteel's points. I'm not quite sure what exactly I want to say though I know I have to start somewhere. I feel as though it was quite a shock yet at the exact same time it wasn’t as I know they've had some issues.
I've been a fan of telltale since the first walking dead game as many have and I've enjoyed playing some of the other games as well. Even though I would say it has a few faults and is by no means their best game, my personal favorite game of theirs would be Game of Thrones.
I would say that I'm mostly sad for the employee's that have been let go and I hope that they can turn this misfortune around so that things are better for them. Which I believe will happen as I've seen a lot of support from other gaming companies. I'm not sure if it would be possible for Telltale to be saved at this point but I certainly hope it could find a way to be saved and rebuilt. If not, I would at the very least hope that another company could pick up their games if such a thing were possible.
I've enjoyed reading your story bittersteel and I've enjoyed seeing the choices and reasoning that the other major participants of this thread have made. I've been here since nearly the beginning however I haven’t participated until recently as I'm a shy person who is just starting to come out of my shell so to speak. I must confess that I was quite worried when I heard the news of the closing. So much so that I hopped onto my account just to see if you would be continuing the story. You hadn’t yet made a statement at the time, so I was getting worried. Thankfully here we are now and I'm very happy that you have decided to continue this amazing story.
So, one of the last things I want to say is that I look forward to help guiding this story further with you and any of the other members who choose to join the discord and that hopefully with my vote I can help make Tobor somewhat honorable again because he needs it. ?
@Nolonius I’ll be posting the new parts on both sites. Once Voting is closed (which I want to wrap up today or tomorrow) I will write the new part and post it here and Creator’s Haven so you can use whichever site you want and hopefully new readers can come from both!
As this result was a tie I decided the fairest way to decide the choice (like I did last time there was a tie) was to flip a coin. The result came up that Tobor would say [“I can do what you ask”] meaning he will ensure Miro stays with the group and also that his future quest for vengeance will be more honourable than it began.
I know a few of you wanted Tobor to make every last one of them pay, but I’m personally happy with it, as I’m sure most of you know. I’ve been wanting Tobor to stay honourable the whole time and I hope this will help him.
However, do not assume that this choice is the be all end all. Like real life, just because you swear something, does not mean you necessarily have to go through with it. This choice is not a “Tobor will be honourable full stop.” This is a “Tobor has promised to be”. I’m sure there will be choices in the future that will test this. So, good luck.
I will begin work on the next part soon, I’m currently in the middle of my university freshers week so I don’t have a lot of spare time. Next part will be posted both on the telltale forum and the new forum which can be found here: http://creators-haven.boards.net
Hopefully all of you can join the new forum to keep up to date with Tobor!
Damn it! So there is this vote, right as the Telltale forums are about to shut down and I completely forget to cast my vote in here over the stress of the last couple weeks? And then the bad option wins! Argh, damn it. This is decidedly not the path I want Tobor to take, showing mercy to Hood and his beasts. They deserve worse, period. No matter what sort of a fate they get, they deserve something worse. And I cannot see a honourable Tobor being the one to give them that worse fate at all. Damn Miro for putting him through that choice. If I need a least favourite character who is not Hood or anyone associated with him in past, present or future, then yeah, Miro just took the price. Wouldn't have been a shame for him to leave. But it will be a shame if we miss a chance to get vengeance for Mina. And I don't just talk about killing them all, but about doing whatever possible to give them the worst fate possible. The only hope I have is that this will actually help with stirring Tobor onto the path I want for him. I don't want him to lose his honour, keep that in mind. If actual innocents are at stake, I want him to be honourable, I want him to do protect them and to prevent harming them. But whenever Hood and his men are concerned, well, in that case I want him to be moral. And by moral, I mean I want him to do the good thing, which is exactly what he did with that degenerate Halder. Anything less would be a disservice towards Mina and that, well, that is anything but honourable in my book. She deserves to be properly avenged, not just some half-assed killing spree with quick, painless executions. If Miro cannot deal with that, fuck him, he hasn't done shit to suport Tobor in the only thing that needs to be done. He can leave for all I care. But I do have this tiny hope that with this choice, we can gain a bit of a middle way. I don't want Tobor to be entirely consumed by his vengeance and whenever it is not concerned, I want him to be the sort of person Miro wants him to be as well. But whenever Hood and anyone associated with him are concerned, well, in that case I want him to be capable of just about anything. If he can do both, well, that'd be good. But do not expect me to ever choose anything even remotely merciful when directly given the choice. I gain some hope out of you mentioning that this won't be a final choice in how Tobor will act and keep rooting for a middle way. That being said, if there is no middle way, then I will always decide in favour of vengeance, as much as I hope that Tobor can be saved from himself once everyone involved with Hood is dealt with. All in all though, I am concerned that there won't be such a middle path in the end, or at least hesitant to believe in it and therefore, I somewhat disapprove of the winning option. But we'll see where it ends, it doesn't have to be the end of the world.
Voting is closed!
As this result was a tie I decided the fairest way to decide the choice (like I did last time there was a tie) was to f… morelip a coin. The result came up that Tobor would say [“I can do what you ask”] meaning he will ensure Miro stays with the group and also that his future quest for vengeance will be more honourable than it began.
I know a few of you wanted Tobor to make every last one of them pay, but I’m personally happy with it, as I’m sure most of you know. I’ve been wanting Tobor to stay honourable the whole time and I hope this will help him.
However, do not assume that this choice is the be all end all. Like real life, just because you swear something, does not mean you necessarily have to go through with it. This choice is not a “Tobor will be honourable full stop.” This is a “Tobor has promised to be”. I’m sure there will be choices in the future that will test this. So, good luck.
I will begin work on the … [view original content]
Comments
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I am a bit late, but whoa, happy first anniversary! It honestly feels like yesterday since the story started, so it's crazy to think how far it has come by now. That first year was a crazy ride and I have to absolutely praise you for bringing the story to live so far! You know how I feel about the whole Mina situation, but even then, I gotta say, it is rare that I get so intense about a story. Though I wish things were different, it cannot be stressed enough, your writing is amazing that it leads to such a connection to the story. That isn't us falling in love with the characters (or viciously hating them), that is you making us. For that, you deserve praise and I have to thank you for writing the story. Seeing where we are right now in terms of chapters completed, I'd say here's to another year of this magnificent story!
And hm, the next choice seems to be pretty important in terms of consequences and that is making me nervous. I kinda feel like I should clarify one thing. I know I repeatedly said that I don't want even the tiniest of mercy for the hooded man and his thugs. That includes the mercy of not giving them the cruelest fate possible. I stand by that and there is no way I'll ever change my mind. They have no honour and given how downright livid I still am with what they did, I can't stomach the thought of them being treated with any sort of dignity. And I have made it clear, I consider anyone who stands in Tobor's way to be the enemy as well. When it comes to Hood and his degenerates, I don't want an honourable knight who grants them an easy death. I want a terrifying, vicious slayer, who puts them through a hundred times the amount of pain and fear they put Mina through. I want them to suffer so much, they shall regret the day they were born. That being said, I do draw one important line. There is actually one thing I do not wish for Tobor and it is taking his vengeance farther than just Hood and his group of monsters. They don't deserve any mercy and in fact, I consider it the honourable thing to do if he goes full Ramsay on them. It would be a just punishment, well-deserved and well-earned and sometimes that is what needs to be done. But I draw the line at harming innocents, unrelated bystanders with no connection to this at all. If that's where it'll go, I'll actually try to prevent it. Hood, his freakshow and anyone who ever meant a damn thing to them in their worthless life, they deserve to suffer, but I don't want Tobor to become so ruthless that he has no issue with harming complete innocents in his desire for vengeance. Don't get me wrong, there is literally nothing that gives me the amount of glee as these beasts in suffering. But that is the one line I do not wish to cross for Tobor. Once vengeance is achieved, I want him to come back from this. That is the important line between dealing righteous punishment and losing himself. And at core, I do want Tobor to remain honourable, I just think there has to be a way to combine his sense of honour with my limitless desire for vengeance and I feel like it should be about who is going to be targeted. So, it might sound like I'm willing to pick any option no matter how dark if it means avenging Mina, but I should clarify, that is definitely not the case, depending on whom else is at risk. So, I really am a bit nervous for the next choice, because it seems like it'll be related to the endgame of Path of Honour and I don't want to risk either, Tobor's ultimate well-being and me getting a thoroughly satisfying revenge. There's gotta be a way to combine this, but I honestly doubt it will be easy because pursuing one can so easily mean risking the other.
Happy first anniversary of writing this story. It sometimes doesn't even feel like it has been a full year.
Any news about the next part?
I’m back from my holiday in 2 days so I’m hoping to write it as soon as I get back!
Awsome I look forward to it
Making Deals and a Taste of Battle
Part VII
Tobor held Mina’s dagger and tightened his grip on the handle, his fingers whitening. He took a deep breath and as the air whistled from his nostrils, stowed the blade into his belt. Tobor knew he would never forget what he had caused, but the dagger would serve as a reminder nonetheless. He wouldn’t let this happen again.
“What is it?” Sibas asked hesitantly, having calmed down slightly since the fight. Tobor thought about a sarcastic or even angry response but elected to be civil. He was bored of the fighting. “Mina, my friend, it’s her dagger. She must have dropped it before, well, before it happened.” He said, fighting against the lump in his throat.
“I-I’m sorry Tobor.” Sibas said stiffly. Tobor shrugged, “Let’s go.” He said simply. Tobor walked past Caoki, Sibas and Miro and out onto the street ahead. He didn’t want sympathy, or kind words. He just wanted his friend back, or for the guilt to go.
The sun had risen in the sky now, it was perhaps a few hours before midday and a sweltering hot day had begun. Tobor felt like the city should be melting in such a blaze, as a slave he had spent most of the day underground in the tunnels beneath the Pyramid. As such, the temperature had been cool the majority of the time.
A few wispy clouds coiled in the blue sky but besides that it was the beginning of a perfect day.
The four of them walked down the streets of Meereen, passing merchants and traders on the way to and from markets. Lines of slaves, new and old, snaked up and down the street. Tobor tightened his grip on his arakh, seeing city guards amongst the commonfolk.
“Relax, Tobor.” Miro said quietly. Tobor bit his lip, “Hard to when it’s like this.” He responded gesturing softly with his free hand. Miro shook his head, “We are the same as the rest, if we act the same.” He said.
Tobor took a reassuring breath and removed his hand from his blade. “Act the same.” He told himself silently.
Turning the corner, Tobor felt a hand grab at him all of a sudden. The hand ripped backwards and caused Tobor to wheel around, dragged off balance. An angry voice cried out in Low Valyrian. “It’s the bastard slave!”
Tobor stared up at his attacker, he was garbed in the uniform of a guard, but not a city guard. It was one of Reznar zo Loraq’s guardsmen. The man was bearded and sported a flat leather cap. He sneered down at Tobor, one hand grasping the boy and the other holding a wickedly sharp spear.
“I’ve got you, you little…” He began to say, but stopped and dropped his spear. He looked down and saw Tobor’s hand draw back, covered in a small amount of blood. Confused, he tried to look down but felt something stopping his movement.
Putting a hand to his neck, his eyes grew wide as he felt a cold handle. He looked back to Tobor and his eyes looked quizzically at the arakh still in Tobor’s belt.
Falling to his knees, the guard felt his life slip away as he keeled over. The last thing he saw was Tobor removing Mina’s dagger from the side of his neck with a spurt of blood.
Tobor wiped the dagger on the dead man’s breeches and looked around. A small crowd had formed at the killing of a guard. Miro, Sibas and Caoki stood still, all on alert.
“Go. Now!” Tobor yelled in Low Valyrian at the crowd. “Before I gut one of you!” He threatened, brandishing the bloody knife. The crowd dispersed in a panic, several screams echoing in the street.
A man who fancied himself a hero charged Tobor with a broom but Caoki stepped in, flooring him with one meaty punch. Tobor grabbed Caoki before the Dothraki could do anything more to the poor man who looked dazed with several of his teeth rattling on the floor.
“No, he’s innocent.” Tobor said harshly in the common tongue. “We need to go. Now. Guards will have heard us, we don’t have much time.”
As if to demonstrate his point, a pair of city guards rounded the corner and pointed at them with their spears. They did their best to make their way over to the group of four, but the fleeing crowd slowed progress.
Caoki didn’t need telling again, he dropped the man back to the ground and followed the rest of them. Tobor was already running down the street, following the crowd who were running ahead.
They needed to blend in with the panicky crowd, Tobor told himself, stowing the dagger away. “Sheathe your weapons.” He called in the common tongue to Sibas, Miro and Caoki, hoping they’d heard.
Tobor slipped in between people running down the street, dodging and weaving as he went. He felt another arm grabbing him and whirled around bunching his fist ready to strike only to see Miro. “Here.” He cried, pointing to an alley. “This is where we came in.”
Tobor looked and saw a vaguely familiar alley, it was possible it was the place they had climbed over the wall. “The rope.” He muttered. “Where are Sibas and Caoki?” He asked Miro.
The Naathi boy shrugged, “We can only hope they think the same.” He said. Tobor nodded and swore as he saw a gang of guards pointing right at them. “Let’s go.” He said and the two boys dived into the alley.
They sprinted down between the narrow walls of buildings, leaping over protruding steps and a stray cat that hissed angrily at them. Tobor glanced back over his shoulder, not quite seeing anyone following. He maintained his speed nonetheless.
Miro burst out into the small opening first and exclaimed as he saw a group of guards there. Sibas and Caoki were in the middle of them, fending off the attacks as best they could. Behind them, the great wall that surrounded Meereen reached into the morning air, a thin rope hanging down from the top.
Tobor joined the others in the opening and without pausing to draw a weapon he barrelled into the closest guard, tackling him and smashing him against the wall. Dazed, the guard had no chance to defend himself before he found a dagger plunged in his chest.
Standing up and turning around, Tobor began an onslaught on the remaining guards who had turned to face him. The time in the pits had began Tobor on a path to becoming an incredibly skilled pit-fighter, and it showed. Each lunge was parried or deflected with ease, each strike Tobor made was harsh and calculated, with no emotion, only a desire to end the fight quickly.
Tobor hammered away at one opponent then the next, moving on when his foe hit the ground. Sibas and Caoki joined in, capitalising on the distracted guards.
Tobor slid his arakh from the stomach of the last guard and watched him fall to the floor. “We need to go.” He said again. “Are you both alright?” He asked. Sibas and Caoki nodded their answer.
“Caoki, go first. We need you up there in-case there are guards on top.” Tobor ordered. The Dothraki look set to argue but at that moment a cry of “There they are” rang down the alley and into the opening. Tobor looked left and saw a dozen guards making their way towards them.
“Go quick, we might all make it before they get here!” Tobor screamed. “We can’t fight them all.”
Caoki obeyed and pulled himself up the rope with his huge arms. When he was above Tobor’s head height he turned to Miro. “You go next, now.” Tobor ordered. Miro obeyed immediately and began clambering up the rope.
The guards were almost there. “Sibas, up you go.” Tobor said. When Sibas opened his mouth to argue, Tobor spoke again. “Please, we don’t have time.” He begged. Sibas gritted his teeth and nodded, grasping onto the rope and hauling himself up.
Tobor sheathed his arakh and drew the dagger, he needed a weapon he could hold and use while on the rope if needed. He glanced between the rope and the oncoming guards over and over. Ready to begin attacking whichever one first.
A bead of sweat dripped down his face as the guards came within spitting distance. Tobor bared his teeth and grasped the dagger. “Tobor, now!” Sibas yelled, looking down.
Tobor swore and jumped up, holding onto the rope and pulling with all his might. Sibas was just ahead. Tobor had the dagger between his teeth, placing one hand over the other again and again.
But it wasn’t enough, Tobor felt his entire body yanked backwards and the rope ripped from his grip as a sharp tug on his legs pulled him back. The world rotated and the sky rolled in front of his eyes as Tobor fell back.
A sharp thud sent a shockwave of pain around his body, Tobor cracked his head on the stone and his sight went white. Rolling over, Tobor tried to get to his feet but couldn’t. He felt a great weight land on his back.
Sibas looked down and saw the guard who had pulled Tobor off the rope stand over the boy with spear poised. Without a second thought, Sibas loosened his grip on the rope enough to slide down. He picked up speed in seconds and aimed a kick at the guard standing over Tobor.
His boot connected with the back of the guards head, who slumped over and fell on top of Tobor. Sibas grabbed a spear and slammed it into the gut of the next guard. A couple guards had begun climbing the rope. Sibas looked up at Miro who was reaching the top, being helped by Caoki.
Sibas was brought back to his own situation by an incoming sword strike, ducking beneath it, Sibas swiped the man’s leg from underneath himself with the spear shaft and burying the point in his skull.
Tobor crawled out from underneath the body of the guard and shook his head to clear the pain. It didn’t help, but Tobor could see again. He drew his arakh and saw Sibas fighting. There were also several guards climbing the rope.
Tobor leapt deftly around Sibas and hit the remaining guards from their flank, slaying a couple before they realised; so focussed were they on the immediate threat of Sibas.
Tobor and Sibas together, made short work of the several still living guards, most of whom seemed to have not fought before.
When the last were dead, Tobor and Sibas both looked up at the rope with the guards on, Caoki peered down from above. Tobor began climbing again, ready to catch the guards. When he was only a few feet from the floor, however, Sibas called out to Tobor. “More coming!”
Tobor turned and his jaw near dropped, there were easily two dozen guardsmen marching from two different alleys. “We can’t take that many.” Tobor said disbelievingly. Sibas grunted. “We don’t have a choice. There’s no time to climb the rope.”
Tobor jumped back down and drew his arakh once more. “I’ll take the left.” He said stoically. Sibas nodded holding a sword. “The right is mine.”
Tobor stepped forward, he would have to stay close to the entrance to keep them single file, otherwise he’d be overrun in seconds.
Tobor picked up a spear from the ground and charged forwards to meet his first opponent. The guard didn’t expect such a foolish assault and didn’t dodge in time, resulting in the spear point deep in his chest. Grabbing on and screaming in pain, he could only watch as Tobor pushed forward, driving him backwards into his comrades.
Tobor pumped his legs and pushed the spear deeper, trying to force all the guards back. The momentum slowed and there was a moment of stillness, before the greater number of guards pushing overcame Tobor’s initial charge.
Tobor shoved his end of the spear into the ground, catching it on a stone and acting like a prop against the tide of guards. He jumped back and swung hard at the first guard who made it past the dying man. The arakh left a deep gouge in his throat, leaving him to fall to the alley floor, clutching weakly at his wound.
Two more came at Tobor, brandishing a spear and a club. Tobor blocked the spear lunge, whipping his arakh around in a circle and pushing the point into the wall, but the club hit his left arm with a dull thud. Tobor swore and stumbled back, giving up some precious ground.
The spear came again, Tobor let it pass over his shoulder and grasped it with another hand. Turning around he pulled the man across his body. As the man with the spear passed him, Tobor tripped him and removed the hand of the man with the club.
Tobor gutted the man with the spear and sliced through the chest of the man who previously held a club. Kicking him back, Tobor piled his body on top of two others. The next three who came through found it harder to keep their footing on top of their comrades’ corpses and were cut down quickly by Tobor.
Tobor was strategically killing the men in such a way that their bodies would create a small barrier between the rest of them and him. It wouldn’t stop them, merely inconvenience and slow.
Tobor’s mind dulled over the coming minutes, a man would climb over the corpses of his fellows and meet Tobor’s arakh along with death. Tobor barely felt any minor cuts he suffered from, he just knew he needed to keep fighting. As the last man clambered over, he wrapped his arms around Tobor and tackled him back.
The two of them crashed into the opening and lay still. Tobor pushed up and rolled the man off him, Mina’s dagger stuck in his chest.
Tobor looked around and saw Sibas surrounded by a ring of corpses. Sibas was hunched over the last moving man, repeatedly driving his fist into the man’s face. “Sibas.” Tobor muttered hoarsely. “It’s done.”
Sibas looked up at Tobor and groaned, rolling off the man and lying on his back. “Fuck me.” He said. “Fuck. Me.”
Tobor chuckled a little, despite the situation. “Come on, we should check on Caoki and…” He stopped as he looked to the rope, but it was coiled at his feet. The end was frayed and tattered, as if it had been… “Cut.” Sibas said. “It’s been fucking cut.”
“The guards climbing up.” Tobor said grimly. “It must have been them. Caoki didn’t otherwise the ones climbing up would be here.”
Sibas sighed. “Then how the fuck are we going to get out of here.” He asked disdainfully.
Tobor looked around, “I think I know how.” He grinned, spotting a barn of horses.
.
A herd of horses burst out of the barn doors followed by Tobor and Sibas riding two great stallions. The horses whinnied in panic and struggled to escape the small fire that Tobor had lit inside the barn after opening every stall.
Tobor kicked his heels into the horse’s sides, cheering it on and grasping onto the saddle with his thighs. He looked to his left and saw Sibas not enjoying himself, clearly never having ridden before. Tobor whooped and grinned.
The stampede stormed down the main street in Meereen, sending merchants and traders everywhere flying and stumbling out of their way. Tobor was praying that the horses would stay straight on the main path and follow it all the way to the gate.
The stampede set other animals off, making them go haywire. Donkeys overturned their carts, cattle and other livestock called out in terror. Pots were dropped and smashed, goods and food hit the floor. And the horses galloped on.
Tobor dug his heels in again, spurring the horse on. “Come on.” He hissed, spotting the main gate up ahead. Sibas looked green as he yelled to Tobor. “Now?” He asked.
Tobor shook his head and yelled back, “A little more!” The gate was nearing, and there were many guards there. They were all armed and Tobor saw them point at the two boys, stood out atop the stampede like a silhouette.
“Now!” Tobor screamed and threw his body to the side. The saddle turned and rotated around the horse due to the girth strap that Tobor had left deliberately lose so as to pull off this manoeuvre.
Tobor felt his body jerk as the saddle came to a stop, directly below the horse’s stomach. The poor beast bucked a little as the weight shifted but continued running. Tobor looked to his right to find Sibas and between the blur of galloping legs he could make out his friend.
The noise was deafening, like a thunderstorm on a tin roof. Sand and dirt were flung up everywhere, hitting Tobor all over. He had placed his feet on the bottom of the saddle as meagre footholds and his hands were clutching onto the girth strap.
Five. He said to himself. Not long now. Four. He looked to Sibas. Three. He was still there. Two. Tobor readied himself. He had to do it quick. One. The guards couldn’t see him, but they would be able to soon.
Now.
Tobor pulled up and clambered up the horses’ side once more, the saddle remained on the stomach of the horse and Tobor was riding bareback. Tobor had timed it perfectly and was right before the gate. Tobor stretched out with his arakh and struck at the rope that held the portcullis up.
With only one chance to get it right, Tobor struck true. The arakh sheared the rope in half and with a shriek, the portcullis began falling down. Tobor watched as they went under the gate, guards beginning to follow. The metal portcullis slammed shut behind, trapping half the stampede behind it. Tobor looked around for Sibas, hoping he had made it.
“Sibas!” Tobor called. When there was no answer, Tobor swore, but then from underneath the horse in front, a red headed grinning boy climbed up and mounted his horse again. “That, was fucking incredible.” Sibas whooped.
.
The remaining horses calmed down once they left the gate and dispersed along the surrounding land. Tobor and Sibas took control of the horses and stopped, making sure the saddles were on properly this time and that they were out of view of Meereen. It was only a matter of time before they sent people out to look for them again. They both agreed that Miro and Caoki would try to meet them back at the camp.
They were ready to mount up again, when a rustle behind them put them on edge. Tobor pointed his arakh and warned whoever was there to come out. The familiar face of Caoki came over the brow of the hill.
“I’d put the sword of my people down, Arghurys. Before I put it down for you.” He said gently. Tobor laughed, “Good to see you, my friend.” He beamed, clapping the Dothraki on the shoulder. Miro waved meekly. “I am glad you both are alright.”
They said their greetings to each other, “When we were both on top the wall, many guards attacked. I threw several down, but they kept coming. I saw more were climbing up so we decided to run. We jumped over the wall and landed in sand dunes. Miro hurt his ankle but we were alright. Then we walked from the walls and later, we saw a group of horses stampede out of the gate.” Caoki explained.
Miro interjected. “We thought that could only be you!” He said happily. Caoki chuckled, “We followed you two when we saw you and came here. Did you not use the rope? Did they cut it?” He asked.
Tobor nodded, “And two dozen more guards arrived, Sibas and I fought them.” He said. Caoki laughed, “Two dozen? This is a lie, you did not defeat two dozen between you. You jest!” He said.
Sibas shook his head, “Not a chance, we killed them all. I swear to you.” He said earnestly. Caoki sighed, “Phew, that is no small feat.” He said in admiration.
Tobor laughed, “I feel like I deserve a bloody knighthood after that.” He chuckled.
.
The four of them continued their way back to the camp, the day was nearing noon and Ben would be wondering where they were.
Miro was on the horse, due to his ankle. The other was being used by the other three, in turns. Sibas was on it currently. Tobor walked beside Miro.
“Tobor.” Miro said. The Hightower boy nodded. “What is it?” He asked.
Miro looked nervously at the ground. “I want to talk to you.” He said. “It is about your honour.”
Tobor looked at him suspiciously. “What about it?” He asked. Miro shrugged, “It’s only. I do not like what you did to this man in Meereen. Torture is not brave.” He said.
Tobor frowned, he knew torture wasn’t honourable. But he had needed to do it to find out what had happened to Mina hadn’t he? “Miro, I know it isn’t. I regret that I did it. I needed to.” He said.
Miro shook his head, “I am glad you do not like it, but it is not needed. Not at all.”
Tobor wasn’t sure exactly what to say. “Miro, these people killed my friend, tried to kill me multiple times. I need to do whatever I can to make it right.”
“What you talk about. It is not making it right. It is revenge. You can do one without other. Amaya used to say, ‘When on a path of revenge, you must dig two graves, one for you and one for your enemy.’ This is what you are doing.” Miro said firmly.
“She said that to me too.” Tobor muttered. “I can’t let them get away with it, Miro.”
Miro shook his head. “This is not what I am saying. You can, and should, find them and make it right. But not by torturing, or making them die slow. You need honourable, you need mercy.”
Tobor began to answer, but Miro interrupted. “I do not want to hear what you will say. I want you to listen. I want to go to my home, Shiko is waiting for me in the village ready to leave. But I do not want to leave you. Not in the way you are at the moment, you are near broken Tobor. I do not like the way you are. I am your friend and I look out for you. I want to stay. But I am afraid of what you will become if you stay like this.” He said.
Tobor nodded, “So will you stay?” He asked.
Miro looked down at Tobor, right in his eyes. “I will stay, only if you answer my question. I will leave or stay if I like what you say.”
Tobor bit his cheek. “Very well.” He said.
“Tobor, can you continue with mercy and honourably, or will you continue to go down this path, this path of hatred and revenge?” Miro asked.
Tobor thought, he wanted Miro to stay, he liked the boy and he was a steadfast ally, perhaps the most. He had been there from the start and never once been wrong. Was he wrong now? Tobor knew he probably wasn’t. Tobor knew that what he was doing wasn’t honourable, it was the easy thing to do. It felt good while he was doing it, but after torturing the man he just felt wrong.
"Whatever I choose to do. You must understand I will kill the hooded man slowly?" Tobor asked, Miro nodded. "I understand."
Tobor sighed.
Should he tell Miro he would do what the Naathi boy wanted, thereby letting him stay? Or could he not make that promise, and continue his revenge the way he had started it?
Mercy, or revenge? Honourable or easy?
["I can do what you ask."] ["I can't do what you ask."]
[I can't do what you ask.]
["I can do what you ask."] We need to get honorable again
["I can do what you ask."]
[I can't do what you ask."] Sorry, guys but I find the dark side far more interesting.
Plus better to be honest about it than say you won't and then do it anyway.
Wow, I am for once speechless. I genuinely don’t know what to say. It’s taken my over an hour to write this one post. I feel heartbroken, almost feel like I’m close to tears, and I do not say that as an exaggeration.
I’m sure you have all by now seen the terrible news that telltale is all but over, all future projects have been cancelled, their last huzzah being Walking dead which they are finishing with the skeleton crew that will conclude telltale’s beautiful story of Clementine. I wish they could tell more stories.
I have loved telltale for years, it got me through severely trying times, a lot of problems I had with myself and problems with my personal life were solved when I came to telltale and managed to escape by pretending to be Asher, Bruce, Bigby, Lee, Rodrik, Ethan, Michonne, Rhys or Clementine. And anyway, what game has ever made me cry at choosing to make a fictional young girl, shoot her fictional mentor/father figure to stop him becoming a walker?
I am gutted. Gutted.
God. It’s awful. I of course feel for every employee finding themselves in an awful situation, it’s awful. I hope everything turns out for the better for them, from the bottom of my heart I do.
Now, a smaller problem, yet of equal importance to me, how do I continue Path of Honour? Since it is sadly likely that telltale will be shutting down, it appears that these forums themselves will join them at some point. Unfortunately, this will mean my story cannot continue in this format for much longer.
Presently, I do not know how I will continue it, which may sound bad, but I promise all of you.. I want to finish this. I owe all of you that, and I owe myself that.
So this is why i want to invite all of you to join us on discord. If you have an account, perfect, you can use the link i will provide below. If you don’t have one, please sign up and join us in the telltale community. I do wish to keep in touch with each and every one of you and hope you can join me as we continue and then finish Tobor’s story.
https://discord.gg/DpY9XEv
Here is the discord link, it would be great if you could all join it. Please don’t hesitate to send me a message here or on discord about anything you have questions about.
The current vote for PoH will be postponed just until I get things in order and work out the future of the story. I hate that I have to delay any of it, but I sadly cannot continue until I work out where I can continue the story.
It’s a sad day for telltale and my thoughts are almost solely with employees who have found themselves without a job out of the blue.
Thank you for the incredible journey you have brought us all on telltale, I feel very confident in saying you have changed my, and most others here, lives/life for the better. I have loved every minute of it, each laugh, tear and tough choice you have presented has helped me in ways no-one can understand.
Thank you telltale.
So, I guess ill start by saying that I agree with some of BitterSteel's points. I'm not quite sure what exactly I want to say though I know I have to start somewhere. I feel as though it was quite a shock yet at the exact same time it wasn’t as I know they've had some issues.
I've been a fan of telltale since the first walking dead game as many have and I've enjoyed playing some of the other games as well. Even though I would say it has a few faults and is by no means their best game, my personal favorite game of theirs would be Game of Thrones.
I would say that I'm mostly sad for the employee's that have been let go and I hope that they can turn this misfortune around so that things are better for them. Which I believe will happen as I've seen a lot of support from other gaming companies. I'm not sure if it would be possible for Telltale to be saved at this point but I certainly hope it could find a way to be saved and rebuilt. If not, I would at the very least hope that another company could pick up their games if such a thing were possible.
I've enjoyed reading your story bittersteel and I've enjoyed seeing the choices and reasoning that the other major participants of this thread have made. I've been here since nearly the beginning however I haven’t participated until recently as I'm a shy person who is just starting to come out of my shell so to speak. I must confess that I was quite worried when I heard the news of the closing. So much so that I hopped onto my account just to see if you would be continuing the story. You hadn’t yet made a statement at the time, so I was getting worried. Thankfully here we are now and I'm very happy that you have decided to continue this amazing story.
So, one of the last things I want to say is that I look forward to help guiding this story further with you and any of the other members who choose to join the discord and that hopefully with my vote I can help make Tobor somewhat honorable again because he needs it. ?
@BitterSteel826218 are you gonna start posting on creators heaven too or will the story go on on here till the end?
@Nolonius I’ll be posting the new parts on both sites. Once Voting is closed (which I want to wrap up today or tomorrow) I will write the new part and post it here and Creator’s Haven so you can use whichever site you want and hopefully new readers can come from both!
Voting is closed!
As this result was a tie I decided the fairest way to decide the choice (like I did last time there was a tie) was to flip a coin. The result came up that Tobor would say [“I can do what you ask”] meaning he will ensure Miro stays with the group and also that his future quest for vengeance will be more honourable than it began.
I know a few of you wanted Tobor to make every last one of them pay, but I’m personally happy with it, as I’m sure most of you know. I’ve been wanting Tobor to stay honourable the whole time and I hope this will help him.
However, do not assume that this choice is the be all end all. Like real life, just because you swear something, does not mean you necessarily have to go through with it. This choice is not a “Tobor will be honourable full stop.” This is a “Tobor has promised to be”. I’m sure there will be choices in the future that will test this. So, good luck.
I will begin work on the next part soon, I’m currently in the middle of my university freshers week so I don’t have a lot of spare time. Next part will be posted both on the telltale forum and the new forum which can be found here: http://creators-haven.boards.net
Hopefully all of you can join the new forum to keep up to date with Tobor!
Damn it! So there is this vote, right as the Telltale forums are about to shut down and I completely forget to cast my vote in here over the stress of the last couple weeks? And then the bad option wins! Argh, damn it. This is decidedly not the path I want Tobor to take, showing mercy to Hood and his beasts. They deserve worse, period. No matter what sort of a fate they get, they deserve something worse. And I cannot see a honourable Tobor being the one to give them that worse fate at all. Damn Miro for putting him through that choice. If I need a least favourite character who is not Hood or anyone associated with him in past, present or future, then yeah, Miro just took the price. Wouldn't have been a shame for him to leave. But it will be a shame if we miss a chance to get vengeance for Mina. And I don't just talk about killing them all, but about doing whatever possible to give them the worst fate possible. The only hope I have is that this will actually help with stirring Tobor onto the path I want for him. I don't want him to lose his honour, keep that in mind. If actual innocents are at stake, I want him to be honourable, I want him to do protect them and to prevent harming them. But whenever Hood and his men are concerned, well, in that case I want him to be moral. And by moral, I mean I want him to do the good thing, which is exactly what he did with that degenerate Halder. Anything less would be a disservice towards Mina and that, well, that is anything but honourable in my book. She deserves to be properly avenged, not just some half-assed killing spree with quick, painless executions. If Miro cannot deal with that, fuck him, he hasn't done shit to suport Tobor in the only thing that needs to be done. He can leave for all I care. But I do have this tiny hope that with this choice, we can gain a bit of a middle way. I don't want Tobor to be entirely consumed by his vengeance and whenever it is not concerned, I want him to be the sort of person Miro wants him to be as well. But whenever Hood and anyone associated with him are concerned, well, in that case I want him to be capable of just about anything. If he can do both, well, that'd be good. But do not expect me to ever choose anything even remotely merciful when directly given the choice. I gain some hope out of you mentioning that this won't be a final choice in how Tobor will act and keep rooting for a middle way. That being said, if there is no middle way, then I will always decide in favour of vengeance, as much as I hope that Tobor can be saved from himself once everyone involved with Hood is dealt with. All in all though, I am concerned that there won't be such a middle path in the end, or at least hesitant to believe in it and therefore, I somewhat disapprove of the winning option. But we'll see where it ends, it doesn't have to be the end of the world.