===HOURS===
[[Begin->Untitled Passage 3]] "Oh come on..."
You say, scratching your head and rubbing your eyes.
As your vision clears, you can see a small army of soldiers drawing their weapons, closing in on you.
"They've been here for the whole hour I was gone? Can't believe they've already figured out my tricks."
As you mumble incoherently to yourself, the soldiers give a battle cry and race toward you.
They don't seem to be magic-wielders, since you don't see any magic circles appearing in the air around you. "That makes things a lot easier," you think, drawing your weapon, a longsword. (click-replace: "longsword")[pitch-black blade whose edge somehow glints in the evening light]
"Hyaaah!"
As the wave of sellswords approaches, you [[make your cut]].
A few of them fall, though not at the front of the crowd, but rather in the middle.
Not many notice this, though. Probably because they're busy trying to stab you.
As you parry their attacks, more of them collapse. Their attacks begin to slow as they begin to take notice of their comrades, who have fallen from wounds that appeared on them from thin air. (click-replace: "more") [more and more] (click-replace: "more and more") [more and more and more]
Finally, [[one is left.]]
He drops his spear, looks around at his fallen comrades and falls to his knees, raising his hands in surrender.
"I give..." he murmurs in the Common tongue.
You walk up to him and sit next to him, pushing aside one of the enemy's limp bodies, and:
[[toss him a bottle of water]]
[[ask him his name]]
[["Let's get to it. What do you know about this nation's magisoldiers?"]]
"Drink," you say. "I have questions for you."
''The soldier doesn't know what to think of that.''
"I-i don't know anything!" he insists.
"Look, you must," you say. "Even the children playing in the district right over from here have heard of them."
[[Threaten him.]]
|more>[]
(live: 15s)[
(replace: ?more)[Okay, maybe there's a better solution to this.
[[Give him an incentive.]]]
(stop:)
]''The soldier doesn't know what to think of that.''
"I-" (click-replace: "I-")[I w-] (click-replace: "I w-")[I won't tell you anything!]
He seems insistent.
[[toss him a bottle of water]].
[[Threaten him.]]
''The soldier is scared of you.''
"I-i don't know anything!" he insists.
"Look, you must," you say. "Even the children playing in the district right over from here have heard of them."
[[Threaten him.]]
|more>[]
(live: 15s)[
(replace: ?more)[Okay, maybe there's a better solution to this.
[[Give him an incentive.]]]
(stop:)
]
You tap your sword against his neck, drawing a trickle of blood. (click-replace: "neck")[Adam's apple]
He lets out a soft ''shriek'' unbefitting of a middle-aged man.
"Come on, //come on!// I don't have long. Quit wasting my time!!"
He shifts as far away from you as he can, rubbing his throat.
"Oh-oh-okay, I'll tell you, just-"
"I won't kill you as long as you tell me what I need."
"Fine... [[h-here's what I know->what he knows]].."
"Okay," you say. "Tell me what you know and you can go free. I'll even give you this Warp Crystal. It leads to a small village in the outskirts of a country named Eiris."
It's an enticing offer. Eiris is generally known as a peaceful nation. If he accepts it, he could spend his life in relative peace.
"Well..." he says, "...okay. I'll tell you [[what I know->what he knows]]..."
"So Mizube's army is split into twelve divisons, each named One to Twelve. Each employs magisoldiers in its own way... some more humanely than others, some... not really..."
"How so?" you say. Though you've seen what horrors countries subject their magic-wielders to, you need to facilitate conversation, so you continue.
"Well... as you know, magic...or as we call it here in Mizube, Curses... it drains your life when you use it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure nobody would've thought it was bad when they first discovered it... it's just... even as a soldier of this country, I don't feel it's right... the Shogun chains some of them up in prisons, to use their Curses to produce resources or forge weapons... stimulated electrically to activate their power 24/7. They can't even escape either, because the Shogun holds their families hostage..."
You think about this for a moment.
"Well, I... alright... thanks a lot," you say, standing up and tossing him the glowing blue shard. "Have a good one."
As he grips the crystal tightly, you turn around and ponder your next action.
"I should go to the [[auction hall]] where they're holding their slave auction.You push open the doors to the auction.
The auction is about to begin. You can see all the wealthy slave traders seated neatly in rows, their neat garments masking their sinister professions.
(click: "The auction is about to begin. You can see all the wealthy slave traders seated neatly in rows, their neat garments masking their sinister professions.")[[Maybe it'd be smarter to change into a disguise first...]]
"And first off, we have slave number 0058."
(set: $zone to "auction hall")
(click-replace: "slave number 0058.")[a fine commodity indeed!"](click-replace: "a fine commodity indeed!")[taken from the boondocks of the sleepy fishing village Palo, he's a 15-year-old material farm!](click-replace: "taken from the boondocks of the sleepy fishing village Palo, he's a 15-year-old material farm!")[a user of the Iron Curse!](click: "we have a user of the Iron Curse!")["Any buyers?!"]
[[Run up and rescue the slave]]
[[the second slave]]
[[Buy the slave]]
Ducking to the side, you pull off your coat, revealing the fancy suit you've obtained.
As you trot into the auction hall, you can see the Shogun sitting up in a VIP booth. Even though he's supposedly 300 years old, his hair is still dark as his tuxedo. None of his 40's wrinkles have shown up either. He lookss as young as a teenager. How you envy him.
Leaving the coat and your sword under the chair, you feel for the gun you've concealed in the breast pocket. When the time comes, you will strike.
The auctioneer is announcing the [[first auction.->the first slave]] You should probably pay attention...
You can't wait any more. You leap up to the front before anyone can react, slice away the chains tying the slave up.
Countless crossbows point at you.
"Freeze!" Various voices exclaim. You slice their past selves and they collapse anticlimatically, while you point your pistol up at the Shogun's seat.
"Shogun, this is your public execution. Come down here right now or all your benefactors in this hall right now die."
"Well, well, well..." the Shogun says. "You're a fickle one... never seen a kid so suicidal that he just charged straight into my territory, with just a sword and a gun, without any allies or snipers to assist him, just to kill me."
He appears next to you with a pop. You jump.
"I want to speak with you. Everyone, leave this room now."
[["No. This is a PUBLIC execution. They must watch you die."]]After a fierce bout of raising paddles, you manage to acquire this slave.
(set:$rep to 1)
(if: $rep == 1)(print: "The slave traders look at you in surprise as the slave is led down from the stage. You're going to return them afterwards, you think determinedly.
Before it all ends.")The second slave is a young woman. Her body steamed, and it looked like she had a really high fever. When the auction announcer throws an ice cube at her, it melts into water in midair.
[[Buy the slave-> buy 2]]
[[Run up and rescue the slave->Run up and rescue the slave]]
[[Do nothing->the third slave]]According to an apparition you saw on the battlefield, you had less than a day to live.
"How?" you asked. After all, you didn't feel any different from usual.
"It may not look like it, but it's your injuries. You'll die soon."
"..."
"You will die by dawn tomorrow."
You pull an arrow from your arm and tear a piece of cloth off a corpse to use as a bandage.
"..."
"Nothing to say?"
"..."
"Well, since you'll die anyway... I have a little favour to ask of you in the last hours of your life. Could you help to assassinate the Shogun of your nation? I'll keep you alive with magic until dawn, but that's the most I can do."
"..."
"Well, it will be a painless death, so it really is up to you..."
"..."
"Do you not value your life, little soldier?"
"That makes things a lot easier." you say. "I was planning to end everything already, but I don't have the will to do it... anyway, even if I die, my name won't even show up in the obituaries. I don't have family to grieve for me, and all whom I called friends are dead."
"That's how war is, my friend..."
"But, for this last day, I am going to live how I want. Free of oppression. Mizube doesn't get to control me anymore. After all, they sent us out here as fodder... they expected us to die."
The apparition sighs.
"Poor soul... you've seen so many horrors in this battle... if only the kings, sitting in their ivory towers, understood what the common folk like you went through..."
"..."
"Here, I'll provide you with a weapon and some money. Do what you want with them. But in case you do choose to take up my request, I'll send you to the capital city where the beast dwells..."
You sigh as you push aside a corpse and sit on the muddy ground, curling your knees up to your face.
"Sure, sure... do what you want..."
"I'll see you..."
[["..."->Untitled Passage]]
"Woah!"
Well, I would be surprised too if a haggard, gloomy soldier plodded into my inn and asked for a room.
After the innkeeper gathers her thoughts, you trod behind her, snatch a key and leave a small sack of coins on the counter.
It's 1 AM. If the apparition was telling the truth, you'll be dead in five hours.
Huh.
Well, what do you plan to do with this time?
[[Stay in your room until you die.->E]]
[[Go outside and take in some fresh air.]]
[[Have a drink at the tavern downstairs.]]
(set: $manknowsyou to False)
(set: $womanknowsyou to False)Well, you're outside.
Not many lights are on. All shops except for this one tavern are closed for the day.
The city air is much fresher than the blood-drenched stench of the battlefield.
You will go to [[the Shogun's palace]] in the last hours of your life and kill him.
Even if you die, you have nothing to lose.
Nothing.
You go downstairs and push open the gates to the tavern.
It is open 24/7, but the only people who aren't in a drunken stupor are the barmaid at the counter and a man wearing a black coat, sitting at the back of the room.
(click-replace: "barmaid")[a young, redhead woman]
(click-replace:"a young, redhead woman")[a young, redhead woman polishing beer mugs with a rag]
(click-replace:"a man wearing a black coat")[a man wearing a black coat reading from a pile of books and a katana in its sheath by his side]
[[talk to the man->man 1am]]
[[talk to the barmaid->'barmaid' 1 am]]
[[head outside->Go outside and take in some fresh air.]] 2 AM.
(print: (either: "You lie on the bed as the exhaustion from constant warfare catches up to you.", "You wash your face at the sink. Staring into the mirror, you notice your eyes, bloodshot and swollen, standing out from your dirtied, scarred face. You can hardly recognise yourself.", "You pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa.", "You open the window and gaze at the quiet town outside, slumbering peacefully. Only the lights in the Shogun's palace are on.", "You hear a knock on the door. You get up and choose to answer it. It's a woman. It's evident that she's drunk as a lord, and she laughs a high-pitched chuckle that hurts your tired ears. She pushes her way into your room and trips and falls to the floor, shattering the beer mug in her hand. You sigh and drag her pleasantly sleeping self out of your room and sweep up the glass shards."))
You haven't had this much time alone with your thoughts for a long while. With nothing to do, your thoughts begin to drift to your family.
Your father was a model parent. Even when he had nothing to eat himself, he'd give his portion to you and your little sister. 'I already ate!' He'd say, covering up his stomach growling with the excuse that he was having indigestion.
[[Stay in my room for the next hour.->3 AM ROOM]]
3 AM.
(print: (either: "You lie on the bed as the exhaustion from constant warfare catches up to you.", "You wash your face at the sink. Staring into the mirror, you notice your eyes, bloodshot and swollen, standing out from your dirtied, scarred face. You can hardly recognise yourself.", "You pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa.", "You open the window and gaze at the quiet town outside, slumbering peacefully. Only the lights in the Shogun's palace are on.", "You hear a knock on the door. You get up and choose to answer it. It's a woman. It's evident that she's drunk as a lord, and she laughs a high-pitched chuckle that hurts your tired ears. She pushes her way into your room and trips and falls to the floor, shattering the beer mug in her hand. You sigh and drag her pleasantly sleeping self out of your room and sweep up the glass shards."))
Your sister was a kind girl. She was always cheery, no matter the hardships the family went though. Even when she lost an arm during a bombing, she kept grinning and laughing it off. 'At least it's not my writing hand!' she'd say.
[[Stay in my room for the next hour.->4 AM ROOM]]
4 AM.
(print: (either: "You lie on the bed as the exhaustion from constant warfare catches up to you.", "You wash your face at the sink. Staring into the mirror, you notice your eyes, bloodshot and swollen, standing out from your dirtied, scarred face. You can hardly recognise yourself.", "You pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa.", "You open the window and gaze at the quiet town outside, slumbering peacefully. Only the lights in the Shogun's palace are on.", "You hear a knock on the door. You get up and choose to answer it. It's a woman. It's evident that she's drunk as a lord, and she laughs a high-pitched chuckle that hurts your tired ears. She pushes her way into your room and trips and falls to the floor, shattering the beer mug in her hand. You sigh and drag her pleasantly sleeping self out of your room and sweep up the glass shards."))
Your mother loved you and your sister a lot. She worked multiple jobs at the same time, working herself to the bone for the childrens' sake. She always placed her hopes in the younger generation.
[[Stay in my room for the next hour.->5 AM ROOM]]
5 AM.
(print: (either: "You lie on the bed as the exhaustion from constant warfare catches up to you.", "You wash your face at the sink. Staring into the mirror, you notice your eyes, bloodshot and swollen, standing out from your dirtied, scarred face. You can hardly recognise yourself.", "You pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa.", "You open the window and gaze at the quiet town outside, slumbering peacefully. Only the lights in the Shogun's palace are on.", "You hear a knock on the door. You get up and choose to answer it. It's a woman. It's evident that she's drunk as a lord, and she laughs a high-pitched chuckle that hurts your tired ears. She pushes her way into your room and trips and falls to the floor, shattering the beer mug in her hand. You sigh and drag her pleasantly sleeping self out of your room and sweep up the glass shards."))
You really do miss your family. In a flood of tears, you release all the pent-up sadness accumulated over years of war and struggle.
[[Stay in my room for the next hour.->6 AM ROOM]]
You died.
It didn't hurt, just like the apparition said,
Was there really an apparition though?
Or was it just a mirage you formed in your mind as you were dying from your injuries?
Either way, it doesn't matter. You'll have a lot of time to think in the afterlife anyway.
Is this the afterlife?
It looks like it.
Endless nothingness.
Not an endless wall of black or white or grey.
Just nothing.
Nothing.
Well, what are you still doing here?
Maybe there's still more to this world that you want to learn about. Maybe there's a revelation you'll reach if you go back.
Go back? But how? You wonder.
You can. If you will yourself to.
You walk up to the man in the dark jacket. He looks up from his book as you approach.
"Oh? Hi there! What brings you to this tavern?
"..."
'Not a talker, are you?'
'Not really...'
'Sure, I can respect that.'
'I see you like books...'
'Yeah! Would you like to read one?'
'Sure.'
[['The Heroic Tale of the Shogun'->'The Heroic Tale of the Shogun' 1 am]]
[['Curses' ->'Curses' 1 am]]
[[back->Have a drink at the tavern downstairs.]]
The Shogun of Mizube, as we all know, is a kind and humble ruler. We all know of his heroic acts and of how he personally strode into a chaotic battlefield where three nations were battling and slayed all three monarchs to single-handedly claim their territories at once. This story will explore his humble beginnings from being a poor slave sold away to cruel parents to becoming the ruler of one of the greatest kingdoms in the world.
The Shogun was born in the year 347, which makes him exactly 300 years old at the time of publishing. His father was a drunkard and his mother was bipolar. Raised in a cruel environment, he stuck to the things he knew was right and brought them to justice by executing them personally and bringing their heads to the local government.
Due to the barbaric policies set 300 years ago in Mizube's predecessor nation Sekihine, they were disgusted and they attempted to capture him, deciding life in prison was the best possible punishment for him.
The Shogun escaped from prison using his ingenuity and went on to keep judging criminals and evil people personally, awakening a special form of Curse that he uses to this day, in order to judge all criminals he knows of at a whim.
However, he was captured by the government.
How could this be possible? He wondered. He knew he was right. Why did the government not agree with him?
At the execution stand, he was sentenced to death by decapitation. He unleashed his fury and massacred every single government officer there. All the citizens bowed down to him, recognising his uncorrupt form of justice.
The Shogun has ruled over this great Empire of Mizube for the 300 years since he founded it, and we would wish for no other ruler to rule over this land than him.
[[back->man 1am]]
(set: $readshogun to "Yes")//"This is a chapter from the 'Goursian Teachings' bible of the Goursi religion. It has a unique take on what we call 'Curses'..." says the man, handing you a tattered volume.//
Curses, the horrible flaws bestowed upon the sinners by Akuma, the god of absolute judgement, whom the Almighty Shogun is the avatar of, used to go by another epithet before the commonfolk realised their foulness...
As punishment for wielding a Curse, kingdoms put them under the rightful judgement of Akuma; the Cursed are made to produce resources for the kingdom until they expire; as these Cursed do not have human rights.
For example, the Electric Cursed are made to generate electricity for the populace; the Iron Cursed are made to secrete iron; the Fire Cursed are made to generate warmth during cold days and smelt metals; the Nuclear Cursed, an especially rare type, are made to trot into the territory of other nations and self-destruct.
Only by sacrificing their human rights for the populace can the Cursed repent for their sins.
[[back->man 1am]]You walk up to the barmaid. She looks up from cleaning glasses.
"Oh, hi there! Didn't expect another customer other than [[that guy->man 1am]]. Can I get you anything?"
[["I'll have a water, thank you."->t]]
[["A pint of mead."->t]]She pours you your drink and sits next to you.
"Hmm? What's that sword you have?"
You look down at the sword in its scabbard. You still have no idea how it got there.
"It's a family heirloom..."
"Oh! Can I see it?"
"Um..."
[[Sure.]]
[[Not really... it's fragile...]]You pass her the sword and she pulls it out of the scabbard.
It's also your first time seeing it.
It's very different from the rusty blade that you were given as you served as a soldier.
Unlike the rusty sword, this one is pitch-black and glows a faint purple. It's not chipped and the handle is rough leather instead of coarse cloth.
"Wait... is this... the blade of legend, Genesis?"
"Genesis?"
"Yes, it looks like it... even its magical presence... how did it fall into your hands, traveler?"
"I- how do you know-?"
"I collect swords... especially ones from legend... this one tavern has a lot of adventurers coming through, so I work here and barter with them for the loot they find on their adventures... this one sword was once wielded by the god of order, Iri... it can cut through time and space itself... again, how did you-?"
"I told you, it was a family heirloom..."
You can see the suspicion in her eyes.
"Really?"
"Well... it's a long story... you can have it, but tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow? Why not now?"
"I have something else to do."
[[back->Have a drink at the tavern downstairs.]] "Hm." she says. "Well, suit yourself..."
[[back->Have a drink at the tavern downstairs.]] Before you go there though, you break into a nearby store and steal a set of undamaged clothes. If you really are to kill the Shogun, maybe you shouldn't just waltz in right away.
The Shogun's palace rests past a grand highway that is normally regularly patrolled by the country's soldiers. As you trek across it, you can't help but wonder what it looks like in the day.
It's pretty empty now. As the highway leads to a bridge crossing a chasm which the Shogun's palace rests past, it's pretty eerie.
The apparition appears before you again in a puff of blue smoke. You jump a bit.
"I see you've chosen not to rot in your room..."
"No, it's not that..." you mutter as you trot along. "I mean, it kinda is, but..."
The apparition remains quiet for a while.
"Well, I figured... making you go here could lead to your life being worth something after all-- i-I don't mean that it doesn't now, but..."
"No, I get it. Throughout my life, royalty has done nothing but control me. Now that I'm unbound from that, I will get my revenge on them."
"I didn't force you."
"I know."
"..."
[["I know."]]You've reached the grand front doors of the palace.
The apparition wishes you luck. Before it disappears, though, you ask it what the sword can do.
"The sword? Well. It has the aura of the Time Curse in it. In theory, if you can identify the magical prescence that an enemy leaves behind as he moves, you could cut their 'past selves' and thus injure their 'present selves'."
"That seems useful. I'll find a way to utilise this power well."
[["As you will..."->Begin]]
After a fierce bout of raising paddles, you manage to acquire this slave.
(set:$rep to it + 1)
(if: $rep == 2)(print: "The slave traders are beginning to take note of you. Some are taking out communication devices and whispering frantically while looking at you.")The third slave is an old man. He's so archaic that it looked like he would collapse into dust at any moment. Like the last slave, he constantly generates heat, though at a much larger amount than the woman before. The energy needed to generate the heat looks like it's draining his life force.
[[Buy the slave->buy 3]]
[[Rescue the slave->Run up and rescue the slave]]
[[Do nothing->the fourth slave]]After a fierce bout of raising paddles, you manage to acquire this slave.
The slave traders are doing their utter best to beat you. If you don't make a move soon, you may be the one who'll be assassinated.The fourth slave is a pair of female twins. Their pitch-black hair have streaks of white.
Two masked men wielding swords step up and casually sever their arms. They scream in pain. New arms blossom from the stumps in a shower of blood, and you wince.
It's regeneration powers.
[[Buy the slave->buy 4]]
[[Rescue the slave->Run up and rescue the slave]]
[[Do nothing->the fifth slave]]After a fierce bout of raising paddles, you manage to acquire this slave.
You can already see several men in suits wielding sniper rifles positioned in the balconies above. You should hurry.The final slave is a toddler. He is screaming and wailing as he is thrown onto the auction stage.
You can hear the crowd mocking him already.
There are many wires sticking out of his body. When a piece of iron is thrown at him, you can see electricity crackling through it as it makes contact with him. The metal begins to glow red and melts into a pile of goo. He clearly has electricity powers.
[[Buy the slave->buy 5]]
[[Rescue the slave->Run up and rescue the slave]]
[[After buying the last slave, you hear an earsplitting bang, and a sharp pain in your head. Your vision cuts to black before you hit the ground.->6 AM ROOM]]"You misunderstand, child. You're not the one in power here." The Shogun says, conjuring chains of light and pins you to the wall, piercing your hands.
"Argh----!!!"
The auction hall vanishes. You're in a completely white room. The Shogun is the only person here.
"This is my Execution Hall, child. A space that I create using my Judgement Curse. I have complete control over anything in this area."
You tear your hands free of the blades. You bleed, but it doesn't hurt. All you want to do is pound him into the ground.
You rush at him.
Suddenly, you're on the battlefield, surrounded by a field of corpses. They're all so warped and emaciated that you can't even tell friend from foe. The sky is red and black.
You feel a horrifying presence behind you, one that chills you to the soul. A primal terror rises behind you. If you look back, you're sure a fate worse than death will befall you.
You run. Your legs are heavy. So heavy, in fact, that it feels that the corpses are dragging you down.
Down.
Down?
You look down.
Every single of of them is grinning at you.
Their eyes glow red. Their mouths are twisted into a grinning shape, and they are all looking at you.
Their eyes stare into your soul. They know one and all.
That time on your tenth birthday, when you saw your mother dragged away by the arms by soldiers. Your father heaves himself after them.
A sword swings. Blood splatters.
You stand in shock.
The scene of your mother being abducted and your father being killed replays.
Over.
Over.
And over.
Your mother, your father and the soldiers look at you. They're grinning madly.
You race into a dank alley holding your sister's hand, escaping your pursuers. You sit down against the wall, relieved that you're both alright.
You look over at your sister. She's been clutching her face the whole time. You feel a horrible sense of dread. You remove her hand from her face.
Where her eye was is now a gaping hole. Blood oozes from her wound.
The scene replays.
Over.
Over.
And over.
She grins at you. She mutters, "I'm alright, Charlie."
Your vision blurs.
Your friend and fellow soldier, Ryan, is peppered with bullets.
He grins at you.
Countless soldiers are shot down.
They grin at you.
The corpses of everyone you know are nailed to a wall. As you walk into the seemingly limitless room, their heads turn and look at you.
They're grinning.
They fall from the walls and begin crawling across the ground.
They're on you before you can escape.
You see the face of your sister.
"Why are you running, Charlie? We're your family!"
Your parents.
"We love you so much, Charlie, why won't you accept our embrace?"
Your fellow soldiers.
"You're our brother-in-arms! Why run from us?"
"Charlie."
"Charlie!"
"Charlie..."
You hold your head in your arms as the mountain of corpses piles upon you.
You curl into the fetal position.
You don't move.
You remain there.
After the first month, the sound of the corpses scrabbling begins to quiet, though you can still feel them scratching at you.
After the first year, you push yourself up. You don't know why, but you can't see anymore.
After five years, you shove the corpses aside. Your sister's remains leap onto you.
"No... Charlie, please... don't leave us here..."
"Who?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I asked, who."
"What?"
"Who are you talking to, I ask."
"You, of course... why do you squander our love?"
"Because I don't know you."
"Huh?"
"My name isn't Charlie."
"..."
"Over these 5 years of suffering, I know now. I remember my name. And it happens to not be 'Charlie'."
"Stop joking about, Cha-"
You draw your sword.
[["My name is Jack."]]
Just then, your vision is returned. The weight on your back vanishes. You're back in the pitch-white room, face-planting in front of the Shogun.
"You broke free."
"Yes... I did!!"
"How, though... any normal person would have become a vegetable from that... that was my absolute judgement..."
"If you really are to judge me, you would probably do well with understanding yourself first."
"Huh?"
"You don't really know what goes on in there, do you?"
"...heh...."
"I figured it out. The things that happen in your Judgement Room aren't punishments; they're recounts of your life. Your history. Your truth."
"..."
"I'm guessing you only saw people ever coming out of your Judgement Room in vegetative states. It's because those are the things that happened in your childhood. I'm impressed, to be honest... if I weren't used to seeing these horrors already, I'd be one of them."
"No."
"Huh?"
"That's not... what it is..."
"I-"
"That's not what it is!! No one understands my plight, and no one will!! If people take away my freedom, I, of course, will take away theirs. "
"The slaves you've taken didn't do anything to you--"
"That's enough of your insolence!!!"
Chains fly at you again. You neatly sever a few and sidestep the rest. Transitioning into an overhead slash, you leap at the Shogun, prepared to end this stain on the world for good.
[[Close your eyes and end it.]]
|more>[]
(live: 15s)[
(replace: ?more)[[Stop your sword.]]
]
Your blade hurtles toward the Shogun. He's already shaken; he won't be able to react fast enough to block it.
On his face is an expression of pure terror.
You've seen that expression way too many times. Many times. On your comrades', your family's, your enemy's faces.
"So I guess you really aren't that different from us, huh..."
Just then, your body stiffens up suddenly.
Your borrowed time is up. You struggle to move. You try to swing your sword back, but you've lost your opportunity. He's regained his wits.
"You know... child... I really have never met anyone like you before..."
Your willpower is about to run out. You convulse on the ground, struggling to stay alive. You need to hear what he has to say.
"Not m..y c.........thise with me... I've b.... alone.... for the past 300 y....."
You grit your teeth. Everything's so blurry. It's both hot and cold. You want to scream, but you can't.
"It l.......you....ie anyway..."
You gasp for air. Every muscle in your body is tensing up, your windpipe included.
The last words your hear the Shogun say are crystal clear.
"Thanks a lot, child. You will not be forgotten."
"Was this all I wanted?" you wonder.
Then, nothing.As your blade hurtles toward the Shogun, you already know that he won't be able to block it. He's way too in shock. But as your blade is about to connect--
A sudden stiffness hits your body. It must be your extended lifeline running out.
No! You think. It can't end here! I need to carry out the final hit!!
You clench every single muscle in your body, trying to hold on as long as possible. Every muscle in your body screaming in numbness and pain, you swing your sword back again, but you've lost your opening.
"Ugh," you think. "I was so close."
The Shogun twists around and impales you through the heart with a chain.
[[You fall to the ground.->6 AM ROOM]]