Shrike's Heart (#2)

[idolpro]

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Comments

[handpuppets]

[ The soldier you find turns, and—is strangely pale and, you realize, ghostly. They don't seem to be bothered by it at all, though, and they bow. ]

Ma'am—their forces have scattered. But it seems that the local prefect has barricaded himself in his manor with a number of the townspeople rather than surrender; Crow's seeing if he can do anything about that.

[romanticlove]

Have Crow see if there’s a way to handle this peacefully. I don’t want anyone hurt.

[She tries to sound confident but the fact that this man is clearly a ghost worries her.]

Is there anything else?

[handpuppets]

[ the soldier looks... mildly dubious.

also, well. you are still on a battlefield. ]

The city should be reasonably secure, as well as the fields, if you'd like to survey the area, Commander. Not that you'd have any reason to be worried for your own safety, of course.

[romanticlove]

[Surveying could lead to something new to help her and the others. It would be fine, right? He said it was safe.]

If you’re sure...?

[She’s hesitant now. Maybe she’s just worrying too much.]

I’ll do a quick survey then.

[She moves past him just a few steps to start looking around.]

[handpuppets]

[ there's some farm fields nearby—largely trampled, in some places slightly singed, and it seems like there's not going to be much interest in replanting them, right now. what's left of the crops do look kind of... strangely lovely, in a bleak sort of way, under the grey sky.

next to the fence lies some forgotten bags of seed, and in the field is a scarecrow, swaying in the wind. ]

[nihilmancy]

We need to go to the manor. Quickly.

[romanticlove]

Eh? Really?

[She nearly startled when Sekhmet speaks up.]

Let’s go then.

[So long, Mr. Soldier.]

[nihilmancy]

I believe that these were the people that Shrike fought with when... ah, they would massacre people indiscriminately. This is an army of the dead, fighting to swell their numbers.

Shrike believed, sincerely, that life was suffering, and to be compassionate was to kill the living. I know this much. She has told me of the massacres she committed, and this whole town may be put to the sword.