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You’re scared. You’re pissed. You’re really wishing you knew what went wrong.

You’re familiar with those sensations, of course. It’s how you felt in the woods, dying with a knife in your back. Now, though, the conspiracy is threatening your family. Somehow, that’s worse.

The door to your brother-in-law’s place is a welcome sight. You rush up to the door with your parents in tow and head in, locking it behind you.

Laura looks up from her seat on the couch, surprised. “Elsa! Coby, Belle! Hi! What brings you back?”

“No time,” you puff. “Where’s Jerome?”

“Uh, he’s still at work,” Laura says. “The armory, remember?”

You slap your hand against the wall in frustration. “Damn!”

Coby speaks up. “Elsa, can you have Asa contact him?”

You flinch as Laura asks the obvious question. “Asa? What has she got to do with Jerome?”

Coby looks sheepish as you glare molten anger at him. “Uh, you didn’t tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Laura asks.

>Let her in on it
>Make something up
>writein

>>32677610
"Explain later!"

>>32677610
Laura may deserve to know, but now’s not the time. “Laura, I promise I’ll explain later, okay? I need to figure out what to do now,” you say. You tug the note free and unfold it. “The guys who attacked us in the forest? One of them followed Mom and Dad. They left this note for me.”

“What?” all three other elves exclaim at once.

“I know, I know!” you groan. “Pricks tracked me somehow.”

“And you brought them here?” Laura demands, looking around nervously.

“If they can find my parents, they can find the place I stayed for two days,” you point out. You glance over the brief note to see what Soutri went to all the trouble to say.


(con't)

-Sergeant.
My name is Evertt Soutri. I assume you know that name. I don’t know why you killed my former compatriot, whom you knew as ‘Feathers,’ but I assure you, it did not go unnoticed.
In fact, I dare say your presence was impossible to miss. The Brotherhood, sure, but a single Auxilia Sergeant attacking her right after she helped with the deal in the woods? Unlikely, compared to Brothers. Their power is all but unequaled. Thus, you filled another role: spotter. Now, I have spotted you.
I suppose I could threaten you, but your parents will suffice. Know that I will take whatever steps are necessary to protect myself. My comrades from before, however, are not aware of your existence. I may choose to make them aware, but I doubt it. I don’t even know where they all are, and I’m not on the best of terms with all of them.
The assassins whom you punished so adroitly last night – one, at least – were hired by another from our ranks, and I understand that you may have lost your eyes in the fighting. A pity, but then, you did see too much. Ironic. If this message is being read to you, then you have my sympathies, and my warning. Take heed.
Pursue us no further. Your parents’ lives are at stake. So is your husbands’, and his family, and yours.

Respectfully yours,

Captain Everett Soutri

>writein

>>32678256
"You play a game you stand to lose."

>>32678256
Inform Asa and the King.

When your squad follows you into danger, that’s one thing. They signed up for it. Your family? They never asked for risks or threats. They don’t deserve this.

“Look…guys, the people who attacked me in the forest know who we all are, and they’re threatening us,” you say. Your voice sounds about as hollow as you feel. You’ve felt terror, horror too, but both? This is too much. “I need…I need to get you all to safety. I need to get you all to somewhere I know you’ll be safe.”

Laura finds her voice first. “Why? Why are they doing this? Are they rebels?”

Right, the border fights. Hard to remember the country is actually at war sometimes, “No, not rebels. Local criminals. They…look, it doesn’t matter.” You grind your hands into your eyes and try to think. “Okay…Laura, where’s the school where Darril works? Do you think you can get him out of it?”

“Yeah, if I say it’s an emergency…” Laura’s voice trembles a bit as she thinks of her family in danger. “Do they know about the kids?”

“The kids…no, I doubt it, not if they stay away from you for a while,” you say. Your stomach is churning as you say it. Damn it, this is why you tried to stay covert! Now you have all the drawbacks of going public with none of the benefits. “Look, I know a place we can go,” you say. “I had a tunnel dug from my basement into the water tunnels throughout the city. We can get to somewhere safe from there.”

“You did? When? What for?” Coby asks.

You spin to face him. “It doesn’t matter! Look, Dad, these people are dangerous, more than you can imagine. I have to assume the guy who wrote this message is connected. There’s only a few people I can trust.”


(con’t)

“Like who?” Belle asks.

You pause for a moment, but it has to be done. Maas will understand. He has a kid on the way. “The King.”

“The…King? Our King?” Laura asks faintly. “You know him?”

“And there’s a debt to be paid,” you say firmly. True, it’s technically you who owe him, but still.


>Pack your stuff and go.
>Wait until night to head out.
>writein
>”The governor.”
>”The King.”

Ignore the last two options.

>>32678750
>Pack up stuff and go.

>>32678750
>>”The governor.”
>>32678901
Gov better idea anyway

Let's assume we're being watched because assuming the opposite is dangerous. If they see us running to the King with everyone in tow they'll know Elsa is more connected than any sergeant has any right being. At the moment they've decided Elsa was acting just as a spotter having already been involved in the original attack. If we do anything to prove that assumption wrong we risk people.

If everybody disappears into Elsa's house and never exits again, any potential people spying on Elsa are gonna know there's something up in the house. The Governor is quite a step up from a sergeant's normal affiliations, but an explainable one since his son(or was it nephew?) was killed in the forest and there are probably plenty of people who saw him approach her way back when.

He can then take them to the king for safety without any further suspicion about Elsa.

If you want to go see the governor instead, we'll vote on it.

Voting open, I'll close it when I have at least two votes for one party. If I get a tie, I'll flip a coin.

>>32679033
I'm fine with the governator.

>>32679033
Paranoia guy, obviously voting for my idea.

“But…I mean, won’t they be watching you if you go in the castle?” Coby asks. “If you go to the King…you’re a Sergeant, they can’t get an audience most of the time.”

You groan at the obviousness of his statement. “Shit…maybe…okay, who else knows I made it back…the Captain-General, the King…the Master of the Brotherhood, and Governor Ekrine. We could go to Ekrine, I guess…”

“Wasn’t his grandson one of the people who died in the forest?” Belle asks.

“My Lieutenant, yeah.” You force back the panic and try to think. “Okay. New plan. Everybody, grab a few changes of clothes from your houses and meet me at the parade ground of the castle in…we’ll say two hours.”

“Is it safe to go out?” Belle asks nervously.

You hesitate and think that over. “I think so. They probably think I’ll run, so all of us grabbing our stuff and running is what they’d expect.”

“Elsa, who are these people?” Laura asks angrily. “Why are they threatening you?”

“I promise I’ll explain, but only once we’re safe,” you say. “All right. I’ll go get some stuff from my place and see you all there.”

Nobody’s happy, but the others filter out or up the stairs, and you take a long second to focus. You’re exhausted; you’ve been running back and forth across the whole city all day.

What now?


>Don’t bother getting stuff from the house, just head straight there
>Help Laura here
>writein

>>32679569
>>Don’t bother getting stuff from the house, just head straight there
Can always get it later.

>>32679569
>Help Laura here

>>32679569
>Help Laura here

All you can really do is hope. The note didn’t mention specifics, like how you were spotted, or why he’s not talking to the others – maybe he was lying?

You finger the gem in your forehead, and Asa’s familiar warmth fills it. {Lady, I’m in urgent trouble,} you say quickly. {I’ve been made. Soutri knows me, he knows my parents…}

[Oh.] Silence fills your mind. [My daughter, be strong. I can send you some help, but…hmm. What are you going to do?]

{Go to the Governor and tell him,} you inform her. You quickly fill her in on the plan. {So…I guess we’re in for it now, huh?}

[My proud daughter, I will not let them hurt your family,] Asa’s voice says. A strange calm creeps into your mind as she does so. [This has gone…quite far enough.]

You swallow. {You wouldn’t be taking a page from Haret’s books, would you?}

[Of course not. But these vermin are threatening you, now. Your family. Your loved ones. They’ve already killed one of your men. I will see you tonight, at the castle. When I get there, I will explain everything to Maas and to your family; it’s the least I can do. Then…I shall see about expediting the message you had sent by Traveler Garren. I had thought stealth would ensure its delivery, but…perhaps I should act more directly. I will go and speak to him in person.]

{You know where he is?}

[I do. He rarely leaves his house unless he’s off working with a student. I will also ward your house. My divine abilities are visible if you’re looking, but to a passerby they will not be detectable. I didn’t do it yet because I didn’t want to take even that risk, but…they know you now, as you say.]

{Thanks.} You try again to force back the concern and fail. {I’m scared.}

[I know. I’m sorry. Go and pack. I’ll do what I can.] The gem goes cold.


(con’t)

No time like the present. You rush around the house, collecting what remains of your belongings until you have all your stuff. You cram Jerome’s other things in to a bag and sling it.

“Elsa, I really don’t want to go anywhere without knowing what’s going on,” Laura says from behind you as you scramble to shove Jerome’s possessions into a bag.

You grimace as you work. “Laura…tonight, okay?”

“Elsa, I’m sorry that you’re in trouble, but I’m in trouble now too,” Laura says angrily. She joins you in stripping the guest bedroom while she talks. “Can’t you tell me why Coby mentioned Asa, at least?”


>Yes
>No

>>32680233
>yes

>>32680233
>>Yes

>>32680233
>Yes
Yes

“That’s fair.” You set the bag down and sit on the edge of the bed. “So…Laura, when I said I took a hit in the woods, that was true, but maybe misleading.” You squeeze the strap of the bag and try not to think about that horrible not-sensation of the knife sliding between your vertebrae. “I took a hit that would have been fatal if Asa hadn’t intervened.”

Laura sits down next to you with a look of confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“The…I’d show you the scar, but I don’t have one. You know, Asa, she can project Avatars, and…” You sigh. “Okay, I have to show you.” You tug the bandana off. “Do you know what this is?” you ask, pointing at the gem.

Laura recoils in disgust. “You’re one of those cultists?!”

Your hands fly up in protest. “No no no! Not a cultist! The cultists imitate the brand in their tattoos!”

Your sister-in-law’s face wrinkles. “Then what is it?” Laura demands.

“I’m a Herald!” you say, gesturing at the gem. “Do you know what those are?”

“That’s crazy!” Laura nearly leaps up off the bed. “Those don’t exist!”

“Then where did I get my new eyes?” you point out. “Magic can’t regrow eyes that fast. And they’re not the same color!”

“I…I don’t know!” Laura says. “But…that’s impossible!”


>writein

>>32680608
Just try and calm her down. Everything will be explained in full later.

>>32680710
Calm Laura down, evac quickly, etc

>>32680608
Tell her Asa's avatar will confirm it personally tonight.

Panic isn’t going to solve this. “Laura, I tell you what,” you offer. “Tonight, I’ll ask an Avatar to explain it all to you in person. At the castle. All right?”

She stares at you. “An Avatar. Of Asa. Just appearing to explain everything.”

“I promise.”

After a few terse moments, she snorts. “Fine. Fine. This had better make sense.”

“It will.” You give her a quick hug and grab the bag. “All right. I’ll make sure to see you tonight.”


[End of thread]

And that's it for the mini thread. I wish I could run longer, but I had a late start and I need to be in bed.

Thanks! See you all on Friday!

>>32681042
Thanks for running!