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[wolfchild]

"I know there is good reason, but I still find it hard to believe that they need to die"

I5, Equip handaxe ... Hesitate

[SeriousConcentrate]

Jaromer moves to J6 and holds.

[Solymr]

Enemy Phase

: She was always a bit too... eager to follow on her father's steps. Bastian lowered his head when he saw Evelyn fall, then turned to Yuri.

: This isn't your fault, Yuri. It's mine. I started all of this, all because I didn't want to see the town die off. But if we continue like this there will be no town left... Don't waste your time on my mistake.

Then he turned to Anna.

: I know you all are honorable, but my time has come. I'll make it easy for you. Bastian advanced and threw a blast of magic at Anna, who was forced to retaliate.

Bastian moves to E9.

Bastian attacks!
Hit: 93-51=42. Roll: 21. Hit!
Crit: 28-9=19. Roll: 32.
Anna takes 19 damage!

Anna counterattacks!
Hit: 117+10-19=108. Autohit!
Crit: 9-3=6. Roll: 75.
Bastian takes 25+3+1-4=25 damage!
Sol: 35.

Anna counterattacks again!
Autohit!
Crit: 6. Roll: 63.
Bastian takes 25 damage!
Sol: 55.

Bastian dies!

After Bastian fell to Anna's javelins, Yuri made his move.

: Evelyn! Bastian!

Yuri moves to G8.

Yuri started galloping towards Jackal, sword in hand. But when he was face to face with him, he hesitated for a moment.

: ...Dammit. I can't... Yuri dropped his weapon. You win. There's nothing else we can do that wouldn't make this worse.

The rest of the townspeople and guards also dropped their weapons and gave way.

~~~~Epilogue Complete~~~~

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Wise move. We're going to send one of our own to report what has happened here. All of it. Grelen, gather their weapons. Jackal, keep him covered while he does so."

Vahn stepped closer and looked at Yuri.

"This had to end. You're lucky you're only going to be judged by a man and not God - maybe you'll have time to repent."

[Lyca]

And that person... would be me.

Anna cleaned the blood of Bastian off of her spear as she approached Vahn and Yuri.

I'm sure that the people supplying the royal military with your weaponry will want to hear how these weapons were made. Yuri, you will come with me as I write my report. Alongside the slaves. They need dire medical treatment and you need to be served justice.

After that, she whispered to Vahn.
To get out of this alive and free, I may not have the luxury of putting in a good word for either you or Jackal. I'll try my best, but I'm not good with words if Im put on the spot. I'm very sorry.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"NO. You're putting all of this on me. You are NOT jeopardizing Jackal's future - he has a lot of time left to do a lot of good for the world. If they want to blame someone and punish them, let it be me. I don't have much time left for it to matter anyway."

[Doomblade187]

Grelen gathers the weapons.

"IYou made the right choice, Yuri."

[Solymr]

Yuri kept quiet until all the weapons were gathered.

: I should have made the choice long ago, but I didn't feel like I *had* a choice until those two died. Until Bastian... set me free.

The captain of the Kovitz guard, now unarmed, approached Anna and Vahn.

: You don't need to blame anyone but the guilty, even if two of them lay dead now. You came here to free Kovitz from Magruder and his bandits, and you did so.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Vahn sighed and looked up at the impartial moon.

"I suppose that is the long and short of it."

He thought about home - specifically, about the wishing tree. Every year, children wrote their wishes on parchment and hung them from the branches, to be replaced by the next year's, and the next year's. His had been simple, until the last one four decades ago. 'I wish I could become strong enough to save everyone.' Vahn scoffed at his own thoughts. That was beyond any human hand; that was why he'd made himself a monster, wasn't it?

And now at the end of the monster's life, what difference had it made in the end? Sure, he'd killed a few bandits here and there, relieved some suffering here and there... but in the end, even otherwise good people like these villagers would do things that were truly monstrous just to keep surviving. And that was life. That was the bitter irony of his mission; by giving people freedom from oppression, they were free to oppress others themselves. How much good had he actually accomplished? What was the balance of his life?

I suppose I'll find that out soon enough. No need to hurry things along.

He returned his attention from the sky to his surroundings as he tapped some ash from his smoke. This was no time to be a sentimental old man. The Gahnawende Demon was still needed, for at least a little while longer.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you were one of them. Both chained and unchained."

[Lyca]

Anna thought about the retort Vahn had given her, and hesitantly replied to Yuri.

Yuri. With defending ourselves from Bastian and Evelyn we were put into a position many of us didn't like, but felt they had to do it to protect those even weaker.

Y-your testimony will clear everyone of our groups name. I'd accept that as a thanks for freeing you as well... I-I hope I made myself clear.

Afterwards, Anna turned her back on Vahn and Yuri and searched for a rock to sit on, but only found a dry enough looking patch of grass and observed the church to distract her from the report and the questioning at home.

[Solymr]

: In a way, those two were also trapped. Bastian under his responsibility to not let the town die, Evelyn by the shadow of her father. But our jails weren't as real as for these people. I'll go with you and report everything I saw.

The door of the church opened slightly as Domenico peeked out.

: Is it over?

But someone else came out as the ruckus had waken up a lot of people.

: ...What happened here? Yuri? Bastian? You guys?

[Shogus00]

You made the right call, Yuri. I'm sorry it had to come to this, I'm sorry people had to die. If you ever need help with bandits again, just ask for the Jackal and I'll look into it. If you see anyone stray from the path though, tell them I'll be coming for them.
Jackal walks away from Yuri to be by himself for a while
 I guess my time with Kovitz is almost over, I wonder who else in this world needs help now. I've attained vengeance but there's always more. Always another fight. Maybe when my name is big enough, the fear it inspires in men will be all it takes to keep them on the straight and narrow. That's what I'd want. To make those who would harm others reconsider. Still, even if I can't do that, I'll always be here.
Jackal...no Braoul felt the side of his face. Maybe it's time he tried to fix that scar.

[Wolfhunter107]

Jaromir turned away from the prisoners that he had helped disarm, deep in thought.

A couple of months ago, he wouldn't have thought this much about it. Sure, he would have been just as horrified at the discovery of what his earstwhile employers had been doing under that church, but what would have followed would've been quite straightforward.

Free the slaves, confront the guilty--for all that he was a sellsword, there were some things that one simply did not tolerate--and then move on to the next job, one the money was secured.

But now he felt vaguely guilty about the whole thing. For all the sins it entailed, Kovitz's mining operation was in all likelihood the only lifeline the town had left. Without it, Kovitz would in all likelihood fall apart without a stable source of income. It couldn't be helped, of course--again, some things one didn't tolerate--but Jaromir somehow doubted that the entire town, or even a majority, had been complicit.

He sighed, and turned to regard the church, speaking almost to himself.

"Well, it's not like there was really a choice on what to do. Not within the realm of morality, anyway."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Vahn was silent for a time after Jaromer spoke, before responding with a deep sigh and a long exhale of smoke into the sky.

"Sometimes that's how it is. We'll just have to trust that the outcome we chose is the best possible one. Otherwise, we'll be mired in indecision for the rest of our lives."

He put a hand on the young sellsword's shoulder.

"It's no way to live. Believe in yourself."

[Wolfhunter107]

"I will, because you're right. But the whole thing still just doesn't leave a great taste in my mouth."

"And I'm not foolish enough to think that everything has a happy ending like the stories. But if they had to use slave labor like that, then us knocking down the rotten supports probably doomed this place. I have no sympathy for those that were in on it. They made that bed for themselves. The others, though..."

He shrugged, speaking a bit more confidently.

"Anyway, you're right. We made the right choice, I think, and it's out of our hands now.