Shrike's Heart (#3)

[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

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ A woman looks up from walking a circle around a pile of corpses, chanting something under her breath, and you realize—you've seen this place. Not at this exact moment, but a little before, in the midst of battle.

She gives you an odd look. ]

Those that won't serve further use—if that's the task you want to put yourself to, then, by all means.

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[calmthefoxdown]

A little inner peace is always of use...

[ Going to. Go about using the axe he'd been holding to try roughly digging a hole for a body and properly bury it. ]

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ You start digging a hole. It's tough going, but eventually you also spot a shovel left by the wayside, since this used to be a farm field. The hole's not as deep as you'd want under normal circumstances, but it'll suffice, here.

It is peaceful, at least—among all of this. ]

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Gold's an athlete but he definitely doesn't have the right muscles to keep this up for very long. Very uncomfortably pulls in a body and uses the shovel to bury it, and after a moment of consideration, he takes some of the seeds from a nearby bag to plant around the grave. ]

Er- I don't know if you can hear this Shrike, but please consider the message I'm sending here. Continue to respect, but not endlessly worship, the dead, and... one way to do as much is allow for growth from it?

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ You cover the corpse with soil, and carefully plant some seeds around it. It might take some waiting, but the soil still seems good, so they may well take. You feel like you've made this cursed place a little better, somehow. ]

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Hopefully Shrike out there feels the same way... ]

[ Moving any weapons away from the area so it's completely clear there for the plants to grow if they do, then look and listen for the next way to go. ]

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ you could go into the city, or—you could go on. your choice. ]