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A Simple Transaction I

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This feels strange for me of all people to say, but I just can't do Gisena like that. She's given Hunger her unstinting support through trials and tribulations, risking death and diminishment, offering up the Ring of Truth and her very selfhood on victory's blood-slick altar. And now we're to turn our back on all that and accept the Maiden's desperate bribe of a bride? Catherine was a fitting companion for the hero reborn, but that man is dead. As Hunger himself has said: He is no hero. Just a man seeking...

[X] Vengeance

There are more important things than happiness. The machinations of the Hidden Ones would strip Hunger of his Progression, and thus prevent him from ever threatening them in truth. We have the chance to truly contribute to the greater struggle, to strike a meaningful blow against the unfairness of the cosmos. To falter at this final juncture would be a betrayal of the will which is Hunger's defining attribute. Though the costs will be dire and the burdens great, who is more suited to bearing them than the Forebear of Dynasties? He Cut himself free of the Procession once; the Apocryphal Curse too shall fall in time. The Bane of Heroes will learn that she's chosen the wrong type of target: a Tyrant.
 
Orm Embar said:
This feels strange for me of all people to say, but I just can't do Gisena like that. She's given Hunger her unstinting support through trials and tribulations, risking death and diminishment, offering up the Ring of Truth and her very selfhood on victory's blood-slick altar. And now we're to turn our back on all that accept the Maiden's desperate bribe of a bride? Catherine was a fitting companion for the hero reborn, but that man is dead. As Hunger himself has said: He is no hero. Just a man seeking...

[X] Vengeance

There are more important things than happiness. The machinations of the Hidden Ones would strip Hunger of his Progression, and thus prevent him from ever threatening them in truth. We have the chance to truly contribute to the greater struggle, to strike a meaningful blow against the unfairness of the cosmos. To falter at this final juncture would be a betrayal of the will which is Hunger's defining attribute. Though the costs will be dire and the burdens great, who is more suited to bearing them than the Forebear of Dynasties? He Cut himself free of the Procession once; the Apocryphal Curse too shall fall in time. The Bane of Heroes will learn that she's chosen the wrong type of target: a Tyrant.
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Truly no man of good taste can turn down Hunger x Gisena
 
[X] Vengeance

Excellent update. I loved that the final battle was a teamup between Hunger and Gisena, just like all the boss battles so far.

As for the final vote how could I resist the siren call of so many Gisena pluses?

Rihaku said:
Your patron's cause, or his wishes?
Gisena, or Catherine?
Your counterpart, or your equal?
The Blade, or the Ring?
Happiness, or Justice?
Heroism, or Respite?
Freedom, or Vengeance?

Which way, Cursebearing man?
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Obviously if one of the options is Gisena, then that is the only option!
 
...So, with the information in this update, we can finally put together a conclusive timeline for the Forebear of Dynasties.

- The man who would become the Forebear is condemned to the Grim Procession by the Hidden Ones.

- The Forebear gradually develops into himself during the endless sequence of cleaning up horrible worlds, and eventually becomes powerful enough to be the first person to ever break free of the Procession.

- The freed Forebear is now an evil tyrant, and joins the forces opposed to the Accursed. He participates in the cursing of the Accursed, with the Doom of the Tyrant being his personal contribution.

- The Accursed battles and defeats the Forebear, with difficulty, and in the aftermath the Hidden Ones get ahold of the fallen Forebear's soul(?), which becomes the unnamed isekai protagonist.

- The unnamed isekai protagonist has his whole storyline, orchestrated by the Hidden Ones, for unnamed reasons. Perhaps they are punishing the former Forebear for breaking their Procession, or are punishing his failure to stop the Accursed, or they are just cruel.

- The Accursed steps in to help out his former enemy, out of compassion presumably. The quest begins.
 
Wolfy said:
[X] Vengeance

As they say, evil triumphs when good Tyrants do not Cut Through.
We are offered a chance to defeat a Curse. To do good on scale well beyond any comprehension. And we should endeavor to do so, for what is a sacrifice of a single man weighted against making uncaring universe care just a tiny bit?
Seriously guys, consider for a moment sheer implication of making Accursed free of Tyrant. That's actually big. Like big big.
As of Hunger's happiness, we can forge it along the way, as we did thus far. Also Gisena x Hunger :V
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[X] Vengeance

For once, Wolfy, you and I seem to share an opinion.

Consider the following:

1. The Accursed will create a perfect world, one in which Hunger's happiness will be infinitely more than choosing this fate.

2. Therefore, aiding the Accursed in the creation of the perfect world is optimal.

3. The Accursed will derive highest benefit from the Forebear lifting the Doom.
 
[X] Vengeance

In the end, We are Vengeance. Let us hasten the Freesom in Chains, the Guilded cages where all can be happy. Though we might be The Tyrant..we can cast down those that harm everything we Treasure.
 
Is that all, then, for the hero of worlds? No rest for the Forebear of Dynasties, only endless travails to come...

Well. None can say he does not deserve it. All of it. And yet even your patron would prefer that the sins of the Forebear, not follow the course of his successor. That the Once-King, not fall again into those selfsame patterns in the Future. Perhaps it is a forlorn hope, that dream of fairness, but can you be so certain you know better than he?

Is this the form of your gratitude, to do for his own good rather than his express wishes?

How tyrannical.
 
Rihaku said:
Is that all, then, for the hero of worlds? No rest for the Forebear of Dynasties, only endless travails to come...

Well. None can say he does not deserve it. All of it. And yet even your patron would prefer that the sins of the Forebear, not follow the course of his successor. That the Once-King, not fall again into those selfsame patterns in the Future. Perhaps it is a forlorn hope, that dream of fairness, but can you be so certain you know better than he?

Is this the form of your gratitude, to do for his own good rather than his express wishes?

How tyrannical.
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Isn't it fitting, that Tyrant will take his Curse off Accursed by disregarding Accursed's own desire?
 
Make no mistake: Freedom is no less a trap than Augustine's Tower of Earth. That the bait is both true and tempting just makes it a good one. Witness the age and treachery of Hunger's true foes: two precious souls released from their clutches to purchase his disarmament. It's a happily ever after for Hunger himself, yes, but what of everyone else's happy ending? In a cosmos where the Procession of Worlds exists, where countless souls suffer harms beyond imagining, accepting such surcease is nothing less than dereliction of duty. Hunger promised to repay the Accursed; that debt remains, whether or not he releases Hunger from it. If he wanted a more compliant Cursebearer, he shouldn't have saddled us with Tyranny... though turnabout is fair play.

Promises matter most when they are least convenient to keep. Rise above these circumstances that conspire to lure us down the primrose path. Pass the test.
 
Come on guys, are we collectively this cynical? Even the end of the quest can't convince us to cycle away from savage, omnidirectional escalation?

Just let the woman live for once, gods damn.
 
If it wasn't the accursed himself asking us to rest (in the blurb), I don't know that I would be considering it. My first inclination was to continue on, my bleeding heart wants to take the proffered hand. And as Zampano said, it is greed in some ways, to continue on and try to truly change things as we haven't even experienced one full geas task, and it drove us to the brink so many times. The chance of ultimate success is still probably measured in grains of sand all things considered.

That said... As Hunger is right at this moment, I don't know that he would see it as greedy to continue on, I feel like he's wholly intent on marshalling forward no matter the obstacle. The fact that the Apocryphal Curse is willing to back out at all makes me feel like he has a real shot of succeeding, and even an infinitesimal chance of success isn't worth it for the Curses to let him try, from my limited understanding of what's going on this feels to me like the Apocryphal curse is showing weakness.

Voting for freedom would be a feel good for me, and The accursed warned him not to become what he had fought against. But I don't think Hunger minds his nature; This is his final opportunity perhaps to do so, but with everything I know of Hunger, I just don't feel like he would give in at this juncture and deny who he was for a comfy(comparably) life.

[X] Vengeance
I'm not sure that I even want vengeance to win but, I feel like telling him to stop would be for my own conscience, and not in service to him.
 
*The Forebear, naturally, gains the power of every non-contradictory advancement of the Forebear's Blade hence offered, including the Inheritance Heroic Advancement. He retains Blood Halo, after working to restore it; for Hunger is the Forebear no less than the reverse
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For fun, I went through to check interesting Advancements this would include. Those are:
  • Cut Fate aka the best Advancement ever aka fuck Apo
  • SitS fucking finally
  • Final Form, if we can get it despite taking Uttermost
  • Stranglethorn, also fucking finally
  • The King Stands Alone, maybe
  • Regalia, maybe
  • And the last, but certainty not the least, Heartpiercer
Maybe I missed some. They don't really matter all things considered, but its fun to consider these
 
The Accursed explicitly asks Hunger to do him a favor, so he doesn't have to kill him again.
Hunger: But I know better.

Actual nutjob opinion.
 
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