- Location
- London
Okay, the picture drew me in. The girl looks like Index from Toaru.
I imagine that not having a Taint would in fact be the basic qualification. Anna not going berserk her whole time here is how she is a maiden anyway.I thought she was like a patient in a hospital that assists the staff in exchange for regular treatment. I was not aware she should have qualifications for it; rather, I thought being a Taint that caught Father Absalom's attention was her qualification. I mean, he couldn't have thrown her out in the streets after she lost her home and family, now could he?
I think we are talking about the same thing when you come down to the basics.I imagine that not having a Taint would in fact be the basic qualification. Anna not going berserk her whole time here is how she is a maiden anyway.
(Actually, I think it might have ended when they incapacitated Anna, - which would be an important distinction to make if we wanted to understand the internal logic behind the bond - but I am not sure)
...huh. I kinda thought that she is working off her debt to the Church. As in, the Church provided shelter, food and education for her, and it was in turn expected that she'd be fulfilling the duties of a Holy Maiden.
I don't understand it. Accept/Reject are actions in regards to the offer being made.
The "How serious is she?" is a question that doesn't clarify our stance in the slightest...
Okay, the picture drew me in. The girl looks like Index from Toaru.
I think something got lost in the editing, as the sentence makes no sense.Her grip slackens, surprised at your accusation, but find you believe it.
Suddenly, Anna is a pottymouth. Tsk-tsk, not very Holy Maiden of you."Yeah, 'lost' being the keyword. You think I have any idea how to navigate that shit?"
Anna, you've been to the center of the Labyrinth, you've seen Astaroth, and you do remember the story of the Demon King, and how the chamber was found. You know for a fact something is up and that it doesn't align with the official teachings. The update is even called "An Unexpected History Lesson"! Don't act surprised for the audience's sake, you are fooling no one."Are you trying to tell me that there's some sort of conspiracy going on?"
[...]
You stand there for a moment, mulling over it all. The City, the Taint, the Order, is none of what you've been taught true?
I was on the plane at the time, so I said nothing, but who are "those three" supposed to be? The Princess and the Chosen are obvious, but the only one we've seen with them was Nome, and Astaroth clearly isn't talking about him. Who is the Unborn? Was the princess with a child? Or was the golden light - the one with which she banished the Demon King - another living presense?I Am H eR e BecaU se NO me KillE d My B oD Y. I CanN ot LeaV E.
But TH ose T hR ee KE pt My M ind AL ivE.
This IS ThE Mem oR iaL I Mad eT heM, The Ch osE N, The Ro yaL, ThE UN borN.
Well, that doesn't sound too bad..."Forg-get it. Threat rescinded. Anna, I-I'll owe you big time if you c-can help, so j-just promise me-"
...provided you actually remember what you promise. Because "I'll owe you one" and "you'll never see me again" are somewhat at odds with each other.You help me find the Demon Throne inside the Labyrinth, and you'll never have to see me again. I'll investigate the rest on my own, and you won't have to deal with me anymore. No more abuse, no more predation, no more talks or favors, nothing.
What does the current deal stand for? It's a little contradictory at the moment.
Anna, you've been to the center of the Labyrinth, you've seen Astaroth, and you do remember the story of the Demon King, and how the chamber was found. You know for a fact something is up and that it doesn't align with the official teachings. The update is even called "An Unexpected History Lesson"! Don't act surprised for the audience's sake, you are fooling no one.
...I think this is something Lo-Ru might be interested in hearing, actually. I was half-expecting Anna to comment on it.
Well, that doesn't sound too bad...
...provided you actually remember what you promise. Because "I'll owe you one" and "you'll never see me again" are a somewhat at odds with each other.
Why can't Lo-Ru turn to her brother? She said he especially can't know anything. He is one of the Fathers, but he is also family.
"I may be your brother, but the hierarchy cannot be ignored."
[...]
She would understand, there was a time to be a brother and a time to be a Father. It had always been that way.
There are quite a few ways to use this knowledge. And since she wants to hide it from the Fathers who are allegedly working on a cure, and whose policies towards the Tainted have been moving towards acceptance... one should be very wary of actions that are being kept secret from them, because it's indicative of contradicting some of their policies."I wanted to know why," she says, setting the book onto the glass case. "Why the Tainted could hide so well. Why ten years ago they were supposedly obvious, yet now anyone who didn't know the truth would mistake you for a normal human."
It took me a few tries to parse the sentence, because I was thinking of the wrong appearance.But even were the dubious nature of the system not a factor, I would be interested in this anyways, purely on the basis that any artifact related to the Taints may reveal how they work, especially one whose appearance coincides with theirs.
Nah, what makes logical sense is that if you do not feel confident in the system protecting you within the town walls, you just leave town and never have to deal with any of it again. But for some reason that is not an option for you, and you would rather risk a suicidal dungeon dive and covert (and possibly illegal) investigation, why? Family obligations? Pride? Can't stand being defeated and having to run away? Or were you an intrepid reporter just waiting to be woken this whole time? Those usually are a bad fit with horror stories, mind.It makes logical sense, then, that when I find the system I trust to protect me from such disasters not only fails to do so but also leaves evidence that it is lying to me about its purpose and history, I would want to investigate.
I feel like I messed up both their voices somehow, but I can't pin it down.
Anna repeats her point from before (twice even), and Lo-Ru is the one who actually counts aloud what benefits Den brings to the table when she is mortally afraid of him, and what he may represent. Her fear of Taints is one of the main reasons for this entire expedition!"Look, I'm not happy to go spelunking with you either, but I'd rather not be indirectly responsible for your death by letting you go alone." Lo-Ru doesn't say anything in response, but she seems to be paying attention to you. That's an improvement from before. "You said he apologized to you, so I assume you've met him," you don't wait for her reply, but she nods anyway, "and in that case, he's the perfect candidate."
"He knows us both, seems level-headed enough to run interference, and has some knowledge that might be useful," she frowns. "Though, he didn't seem the most… impartial of people when I met him."
You wave off her concern with a shrug. "Whether you like it or not, you'll have to deal with both of us if you want to survive the Labyrinth. Whether he's 'impartial' or not doesn't really matter. You need us to make it through without dying and to help you with any artifacts. Plus…"
Eh, I'd be perfectly content to undergo a dive under the pretence of searching for herNot the wisest way to do it but after seeing the results of the write-in (which TBH almost feels like a 'fail forward' moment just happened-where the Lo-Ru WOULD have stormed off had she been in character but due to QUEST! sucked it up and was the bigger woman.)
I mean, Lo-Ru doesn't seem to be looking for anything specific (or is she just not telling us?)
But for some reason that is not an option for you, and you would rather risk a suicidal dungeon dive and covert (and possibly illegal) investigation, why?
(also, what kind of argument is "you've met him, so he is a perfect candidate?" )
Ah, right. But it sounds more like an organisation?She's looking for the Demon Throne, which was mentioned last update as possibly being tied to the Tainted after its defeat/fall.
Does she know what the Throne even is? I was thinking it was metaphorical more than physical, but I suppose it could be both an item (an actual throne?) and a polity named after it.After the Demon Throne's defeat did the first sightings of the Defiled occur.
I could see it going either way, really. It's one thing to find an artifact, but another one entirely to actually do something with it, especially when you aren't allowed to move it or when any official scholars or experts you could theoretically turn to are off-limits. Anna's proposal has a lot of merit.I could alter it so that Lo-Ru storms out, or I could leave the result as is and edit the argument to flow a little smoother than "we hate each other, let's bring in someone else you dislike" "cool, that'll work."