Chapter Text
"You're on a path. At the end of that path, there is a forest. Hiding in that forest, there is a Wanderer. You are here to kill her. If you don't, it will be the end of the world."
"The end of the world?"
"I'm talking about the end of everything as we know it. No more bird, no more trees and, perhaps most problematically of all, no more people. You have to put an end to her."
"How would she do that?"
"It doesn't matter 'how' or 'why' because she will end the world regardless. Unless, of course, you end her first."
"It does matter! Maybe there's a pacifistic way to save the world."
"There isn't. I swear. This is the only way things can go."
"How do I know you're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie about this? Do you think I'm doing this for fun? No, I'm doing this because the world is at stake."
"How can you know that for sure?"
"I just do. Listen, you have to trust me on this."
"How am I supposed to trust you when you refuse to tell me anything!"
"If I'm being vague, it's for a good reason. You have to believe me. If you don't, she will end the world."
"I'm going to see her for myself and then I'll decide what to do with her."
"Fine. But, if you go in with that attitude then I must warn you: she will not hesitate to lie and pretend to be harmless to save her own skin. Do not let your guard down."
Voice of the Adventurer: "I mean, if a stranger tried to kill us because a voice in their head told them to, I would also do anything to "save my own skin". Nobody wants to die."
"And that is exactly why you have to kill her."
"The forest is calm and clear. The trees, spread scarcely, stand proudly, and their leaves glisten a bright green underneath the sun's light. Embedded inside a stump is a dazzling blade. The blade is your implement. You'll need it if you want to do this right."
[Climb up a tree]
"You step toward a nearby tree and climb atop it. Despite your large size, the branches hold steady under your weight."
Voice of the Adventurer: "Good. Like this, we'll be able to observe her without her knowing, see what she's really like."
Voice of the Adventurer: "Though, we might scare her away..."
"Not if you get rid of her before the notices you. Which would be much easier with the blade."
[Wait for her to get here]
"You wait, hidden between the leaves, for her arrival. Finally, after what felt like hours, you see her silhouette, walking in you direction."
"As she gets closer, you can see her clearly. Brown wavy hair frames her pale face, and her sage cape floats behind her, hanging loosely enough to expose strong shoulders."
"Her gaze falls upon the dazzling blade, still embedded in the tree stump. She distracted and doesn't know you're here. Now's the time."
Voice of the Adventurer: "Wait, let's see where this goes. She doesn't seem that bad, she even looks quite nice. Maybe we could be friends?"
"You couldn't, because if you don't kill her then the world ends and you would die."
"Hello?"
"What are you- uhg. As she hears you from within the tree's leave, her alarmed gaze darts towards you and her eyes meet yours."
"Great, you've ruined the element of surprise. Hopefully, that won't stop you from doing what you must."
Voice of the Adventurer: "I think it's pretty clear it's not our goal here."
"Well it should be."
"Her voice rises up from below. While her tone is friendly, it is clear it's hiding something more sinister."
"Uhm, hello. Why are you perched up there?"
Voice of the Adventurer: "If by 'something more sinister' you meant 'fear', I'd have to agree with you..."
[Lie] "I was hiding from something."
"Oh... Well, you can come down now. I'm sure whatever it was is gone."
"She flashes you a bright smile."
"Do not fall for her tricks, she's planning to kill you. She's closer to the dazzling blade than you are, she could easily take it out and stab you with it."
Voice of the Adventurer: "She seems genuine. If anything, we're the liar here."
"Okay, I'm coming down."
"She smiles at you while you make the stupid mistake of trusting her with your life."
"Anyway, would you mind lending me a hand to get out of here? I got a little lost..."
"I'd tell you not to help her, but I doubt you'd listen."
"I'll help you."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much."
"You walk the path out of the woods. However, once you've entered into the unmasked light of the sun, you realize..."
"That the path didn't lead out of the woods at all. You are in a wide clearing, and at the other side is an infinite field of trees. There is no exit. Unless you kill her."
Voice of the Adventurer: "What? How would killing her help us out of here? We'd still be stuck, and now we'd also be alone."
"I know how to get out. I will tell you if you kill her."
Voice of the Adventurer: "Are you blackmailing us?"
"The world is at stake and I will do whatever I have to to save it."
"Is something wrong? Was that not supposed to have happened?"
"Turn around. Get the blade. Kill her."
"This should've led us out of the woods."
"Things around here often change and twist. I've been searching for so long, and even when I walk in the same direction for a long time, I find myself somewhere I've already been."
"Her voice lowers as she murmurs:"
"So you're just as lost as I am."
"Then she goes back to her previous cheerful demeanor."
"But hey! At least we can search together. I'm sure we'll find a way out eventually. And if we don't, at least we won't be alone."
Voice of the Adventurer: "She sounds so nice! There's no way she'd end the world!"
"It's just an act."
Voice of the Adventurer: "It's not. Stop lying to us."
"Do you think that I would still do all of this if the fate of the world didn't rest on our shoulders?"
Voice of the Adventurer: "I- well..."
"You're right." [Keep walking down the path.]
"No. I can't let you do this. She has to die. You turn around and lunge for the blade."
Voice of the Adventurer: "What? You can't just make us do what you want! That's not fair!"
"You know what else isn't fair? Dooming the entire world because of one pretty girl!"
"What's going on? What are you doing?"
[resist]
"Stop fighting back! If you're too cowardly to do it yourself, at least let me do it."
"Hey, what's-"
"You rip the blade out from the tree stump and lunge at her."
[warn her]
"The sound of your voice snaps her back from her stupor and she manages to duck out of the way before you reach her."
"Something is wrong. You don't want to hurt me, do you?"
"She jumps towards you, trying to take the dazzling blade from your hands."
"She succeeds, and it slips into her palm."
"Great. Now she's going to kill you. Congratulations."
Voice of the Adventurer: "She wouldn't."
"...Indeed, she doesn't! She just throws it farther off. Looks like we can still do this. You jump for it."
"Don't!"
"...but she catches it first. You can't slow down fast enough and fall to the ground."
"...there's no way to avoid it, is there?"
Voice of the Adventurer: "Ah. Now she's going to kill us."
"Yes. She raises the blade and pierces your heart."
"I'm sorry."
Voice of the Adventurer: "Is it really going to end like this?"
"Don't act like I didn't warn you, like I didn't give you every opportunity possible to get to another faith. It's your own fault."
"Everything goes dark, and you die."