Archived threads in /qst/ - Quests - 176. page

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>>1293249
The first day of the wake was always going to be sorta awkward and sorta solemn, so you break the ice by hosting the speaking for the dead on that day.

Hatchet has been laid out on a table. In accordance with Roost tradition, his body will be used to support his people, both as tools and as...

Well, harpies aren't hung up on eating things that used to be people. It's what he would have wanted, right down to the look of relief many people have after they realize that, yes, the Hatchet Man is really dead.

You speak first, in part because you're hosting this thing, and in part because James is giving you a significant look from the sidelines.

"I did not know Hatchet well," you admit. "What I did know intrigued me. He was wise, in his way, valorous, and skilled at what he did. In our brief association he taught me something about people I'd never really thought about before. While I am sorry that he never found what he was seeking, the Hatchet Man died at his best, something few people can claim, and his sacrifice liberated his home."

You raise a cup. "Drink hail!"

"Wassail!" comes the traditional response, and everyone takes their drinks. You give the floor to Nathan and head towards James. You have to lean on your cane, though that's not exactly new any more, is it?

"I need your decision," James says quietly.

"On - oh." You give him a flinty look. "...I'm going through with it."

"The family -"

"The family doesn't get to tell me what to do, James la Croix. I have heard your concerns. I agree with most of them and will work actively and enthusiastically with Starfall and with Greenwall to ensure that they are handled. I won't do this alone, and I won't do this uncontested. There will be staff at this academy, and people to which I have to answer. I'll /serve/, not rule, and if the Hardhome think that's a problem, they can come and take it out of my cold dead hands."

You can see Kat out of the corner of your eye, looking absolutely fucking stunned.

The vampire hunter looks you over, then nods. "I'll inform them," he murmurs. "For what it's worth, if anyone can do this, I believe you can."

"I appreciate it, James."

* * * *

You are Brigette, called the Poet, and waking up without a hangover is still a new experience for you here lately. You disentangle yourself from Victoria (sadly, lodgings for the wake mean 'sleeping together' is actually just sleeping), sit up, and -

That's a Lora.

The angel makes a shushing motion and beckons you outside. You wiggle into a pair of pants, get to the door, realize you have no shirt on, and grab your coat instead. It'll cover you up, anyway.

"I guess I should have known we weren't done," you admit.

"You should have," Lora agrees. "...Brigette, I'd like to make you an offer. You are still in a unique position, after all. You cannot be permitted to just run loose."

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>>1293260
You listen, grimly. Lora lights a cigarette and passes it to you before getting one of her own. It's one of Lark's, as you learn when you start choking on it.

"Revenge," Lora teases, and you wave irritably at her while you try to avoid dying.

"Just get on with it," you tell her. "I need breakfast."

"Alright. Essentially, Brigette, your future can look like one of two things. Both of them involve you not speaking the Divine Tongue for some time, outside of, potentially, training. Much saner training, not at a breakneck pace."

"...Okay..."

"One, I remove the ability and when you die your soul is re-forged. You cease to meaningfully exist and start over from the top. You can live the rest of your life free of me."

"The other?" you ask.

Lora gives you a smile full of mischief. "I remove the ability for the rest of Miss Victoria's natural life. You enjoy a certain agelessness during this period, and when she is gone and you have tidied up her affairs, you come with me to Arcadia as my apprentice. The gods have never had a mortal who can understand the Tongue. I think they could use the perspective, and the challenge, of it. And...I'd like to have you around."

"You'd make me a god?"

"More of a cut-price demiurge, but...yes. It takes a particular kind of person to handle immortality, Brigette. I think that kind of person could be you."

> Be reforged
> Go to Arcadia

>>1293273
>Go to Arcadia
Cant leave a girl hanging. Start off shit, end as was intended. I like this end.

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From the sidelines, Aexel slides one of many papers on the table in front of you. Looks like someone's been taking notes.

Aexel's calligraphy is flowing and beautiful. You never realized, but even his hastily-written notes are good enough to be hung on a wall as art.

Focusing on the message, you glance through the paper. Looks like Mikahil and the Alchemical have been mostly discussing numbers.

You find an approximate list of all the things that they need to save their Maker. The list is enormous, in ways that boggle your imagination.

Millions of tons of metals and materials. The list includes magical materials in quantities you honestly doubt exist, or could have ever existed.

The "Eye" is listed aside, not as part of the list but as an alternative to it. Is that artifact equivalent to all that? You find that almost harder to believe.

Under that, Mikahil's comments: That list of materials is equivalent to Creation's entire output in the respective fields for the next 50 years. To deliver it without destroying Creation's economy, you'd need either improvements in mining technology or other ways to vastly increase output, or the ability to dilute that cost over a long span of time. The 300 years deadline the Alchemicals mentioned makes that barely possible, but that kind of assumes complete control over all of Creation's mineral sources in the next five years.

That sounds pretty unlikely, Exalted or not.

"So we have three options." You conclude, pocketing the paper. "We either take over Creation fast, or we find some alternate way of obtaining those materials, or we find your Maker's Eye."

Everyone nods. You can read an unspoken message in Engine of Salvation's eyes. We have a fourth option, they say, and no one's going to like it, but we'll use it if we have to.

You figure it's better to not talk about it openly.

>Ask Mikahil about option #1: How fast can we gain control over all of Creation?
>Ask Mikahil about option #2: Are there any other ways of obtaining these materials?
>Ask Mikahil about option #3: What does he know about this "Eye" thing?
>Ask the Alchemicals about their world.
>Ask the Alchemicals about what they can offer in trade.
>Ask the Alchemicals about how they can help.
>Time to make a decision.
>[Other?]

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>Who are we?
Maka, an exiled noble Exalted as a Zenith-caste Solar. Queen of Gem, now ruling the western island of Tianna. You have gathered a vast amount of allies and friends, and defeated every threat to Tianna up to now, though not without difficulty.
You recently discovered that Tianna is actually an artificial island, built around a First Age Titan: an almighty flying fortress. Your forces have crushed the Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Water, a Deathlord who tried to usurp its power for himself.
And now, on the day of your wedding, the Unconquered Sun Himself appeared to you and crowned you Princess of Creation, asking you to be an example for others in these dark times.
After securing the alliance of the nearby realm of Neck (or Okeanos, as they prefer to be called), you received news from your remote homeland of Gem: Rankar, the man who usurped your throne, holds your father and sister prisoner, and is about to marry her to his own son in an attempt to solidify and legitimize his power over the city.
You found out that Rankar was dealing with Alchemical Exalted, strange machine heroes from another world. Their world is dying and they're desperate to find the raw materials they need to repair it, and you're trying to find a way to avoid a war that could endanger Creation...

>Solar? Zenith? I don't know Exalted...
This quest is as newbie-friendly as possible, and I want it to work as a newbie's intro to Exalted. If you have ANY question, ask in thread. For the setting, google "1d4chan exalted".

>Archive?
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Tianna

>System?
Dicepool-like system. When performing an action, everyone rolls 2d10 when posting. The first X rolls are considered, where X is equal to attribute + ability.

>XP?
Attributes cost [current score x5] xp. Abilities cost [current score x3] xp, except Zenith costing [(current score x3) -1]. Charms cost 10 xp, except for Zenith-based charms (related to charisma and physical/mental fortitude) which cost 8 xp. At the end of every "session" (thread) you will be presented with a list of possible acquisitions.

>Twitter?
@exaltedfag

>Any questions?
http://ask.fm/Exaltedfag

New System Info: http://pastebin.com/pvAZpsJ6
Characters info (player-made): http://pastebin.com/5WnD47jp
Quest in ebook format (player-made): https://www.dropbox.com/s/0wl5obxcwuakgdj/Exalted%20Quest%20-%20Threads%2001-101%20%5Bpdf%5D.rar?dl=0
Meanwhiles: http://pastebin.com/u/Exaltedfag

(I honestly lost a bit track of the time, I'll admit. The calendar shown here is my best guess. You're in no hurry, at any rate.)

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>>1292800
Incidentally, what are you wearing right now?

(And, as you've increased your stats, you have five new slots to play with - which we might fill soon if you want, once the important stuff is dealt with.)

>>1299848
>Reagan. How much support does she have in Gwyrddarfordir?
This is where we know very little.

>>1299848
>>Your brother. How is he handling his responsibilities?

>>1299848
>>Reagan. How much support does she have in Gwyrddarfordir?

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An elderly man opens the door almost immediately, raising a lantern high. It was as though he was waiting at the door for your arrival. His appearance is exactly what you’d expect a butler should look like. He was, in fact, the butler and your welcoming party.

“Yes? Are you perhaps the new arrival?”

His British drawl made him seem even more butler-y.

You nod glumly in affirmation.

“Right. Here you are.”

He pushes a card into your palm. It’s your student ID.

(Cont.)

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>What is your name?
>What is your gender?
>What is your birthday?

>>1298829
>What is your name?
Gregory O'Connor
>What is your gender?
Boy
>What is your birthday?
25th of July

>>1297886
>Don't judge me, this is my first quest and I'm not a good artist, so all the pics will come from Google. I'm sorry. Not really.
oh don't worry, it's not your drawing capacity that I'm judging.

>>1297886
Not sure how we could be "educated" past otehr miners if it's all we've known. We could be persuaded that we are smarter though.

The "consider myself regal" option seems like 100% delusion of grandeur.

That would leave extremely fit, so I guess I'd vote for that.
Unless smarter but not more educated is an option.

>>1297886
>Extremely Fit

>>1292895
>Elves
>Tundra

Sure it might sound a tad generic but at least an Elf will be more relatable then something like a mushroom person.

>>1292895
>Crystalids
>Mountains

>>1292895
>Draconians
>Desert
Reptilian Supremecy quest when?

>>1292825
>1: Sets icicles dripping

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>>1292835

The winter breaks slowly Adenngard. Your home is windowless to keep cold at bay and heat indoors, but you can feel that the sun has just peeked over the horizon.
You open your eyes and stare up at the rafters of your-

1: Rented room?
2: Family home?
3: Noble hall?
4: Captains cabin?

>>1292841

3. Noble Hall

Feudal Lord Quest when?

[Lich's Dominion]
The Lich begins anew on the spell to raise the dead [2/4], and sends his minions out to claim more land for his Dominion [1/2]. Finally, the builders of the Dominion get to work erecting a temple [1/4, -4 stone].

[Yamato]
>Mines: +1 iron/turn, +1 Industry
>Lumbermill: +1 wood/turn, +1 Industry
>Farm: +1 food
Kenzaburo, finally free from sickness, is able to survey the finishing touches to the new boats. They are bigger, sturdier, and faster than before [Naval II], while the Tengu finally grasp the secrets of basic water magic [Water Magic I], and a small trade route is established with the Ore-Eaters [Trade Route: Ore-Eaters, +1 currency/turn].

[Ore-Eater]
Finally, the Caustium-fed larvae are fully grown. Their digestive system has undergone dramatic change, as their bodily fluids are now corrosive, though more trials are warranted [Acid I, move [Caustium] resource to ARMORY tab]. A small trade route is established with the Yamato [Trade Route: Yamato; +1 currency/turn], and another batch of larvae are fed iron, and this time, they keep it down [3/4, -4 iron].

[Myrovova]
Work to convert the Bowyer into a Florentine Factory begins- it doesn't require any materials, as the structure is already there, just some modifications [2/4]. Just in time too, as the wizards are just finished putting the finishing touches on their spell [Magic Missile I]. Meanwhile, there's a huge remodelling effort at the outpost of Ylarl- the transformation into a fully-fledged town is complete in record time [Ylarl(Town)- +1 currency/turn, +1 pop/turn, +2 stability; Construction I]

[Khaz]
The witch-burning festival continues, though a sudden rainstorm does put a damper on the festivities [4/8]. Using some of the farm's apples, though not enough to harm food production, ethanol is created [Ethanol: 1(+1/turn)]! Finally, a road north to Atley is being built (2/4, -4 stone).

[Ganeshandeggar]
>Lumber Mill: +1 wood/turn, +1 Industry
>Quarry: +1 stone/turn, +1 Industry
Finally, the trade post is finished [Trade Post I, +2 currency/turn]! Farms still need work, but the Raja and his warriors expand the Ganeshi's holdings east [+9 hex, +1 pop/turn, -4 stability].

[Geo-Enclave]
The mages complete their work, able to launch small boulders for miles with a flick of their wrist [Earth Missile I], while the pioneers finish settling new lands [+8 hex, +1 pop/turn, -4 stability]. The crystalsmiths continue their work [5/8].

[Men'an'gahela]
Following the desert herds, the Tribe of Blood expands their lands greatly, building a few semi-permanent outposts [+14 hex, +2 pop/turn, -8 stability], while there's some progess on improving the bows, with new designs being discussed and tested [5/8]. The Tribe's first lumber-mill is still being improved [3/4].

[Wandering Green]
The bodies of the warmongers are reinforced [1/4], while research into a new spell begins, but slowly [1/4].

>>1292236
[Fetid Kingdom]
A farm is grown at Morg [1/4, -4 wood], and another at Borg [2/4, -4 wood], while the ogres research better farming methods [2/4].

[Thwack]
The Thwack Warriors continue to thwack [8/12], and the unoccupied population spills forth and expands Neo-Thwacks border's [1/2], while builders are sent with much stone into the Fetid Kingdom to help improve the CLUBMAKER [2/8, -4 stone].

[Festungurtel]
A quarry is being built in the Barondom's northern outpost [1/4, -4 wood], and the scribes are set to make a set of laws for the new kingdom [1/4]. However, during the construction of the road, the builders run into a pretty big pit of quicksand. There aren't any casualties, but more stone is needed to extend it [-1 stone].

[Anzhulak]
The signal is given!...And the raiding party is caught sleeping. They are whipped as punishment for their lack of discipline [11/12]. In order to create a safer environment for the horde to prosper, it starts to build a road through their territory [1/4, -4 stone].

[Azoth Hegemony]
The Hegemony's alchemical knowledge is improved [2/12, -4 herbs], while another homunculus levy is trained [1x (-1 food, -1 currency/turn). However, there is a disaster out west, as the pioneers stumble upon the lair of a giant dragon- most escape, but the murmerings of whether or not the government is fit to rule are already starting [-5 pop, -5 stability].

[Court]
The constabulary continues to train [7/8], and the spears are finally complete [Spears I (NOTE: You do not have the infrastructure to produce the spears, but you have the tech)]. And finally, the outpost is being expanded [3 turns, -3 wood, -3 stone].

[Atley]
The glorious monument is complete [Monument I, +2 stability]! And the miners take the perfect opportunity to train at the new quarry that's under construction [10/12; 2/4, -4 wood].

[Titanic Kingdom]
The warriors of Titanic Kingdom work on improving their swords [3/8, -4 iron], while they set the slaves to the back-breaking work of improving the forge [2/4, -4 stone]. An army of swordsmen is raised [1.2x [Blades](-1 currency/turn, -1 food)]!

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>>1292238
Sorry for the wait, people, OP has been in a shit mood the past week or so, but things are finally looking up.
A FEW THINGS!
The discord is there to shoot the shit, and plan things in PMs with your allies, IN GAME. Anything said there OOC is OOC, and if someone else acts on said OOC information, they will be strictly penalized.

Also, I haven't really been keeping track of stability the last thread. Expect that to change. First and only warning.

Also, investigation into the mysterious intruders is to be considered RP, and therefore free- you do not need to spend an action.

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>>1294127

"Aria, keep in the middle of the group," you tell your assistant.

She nods, and Stephanie takes the lead as your team makes its way into the ruined house, seeking out the entrance to the demon lair.

It doesn't take all that much searching to find what you're looking for. Any upper levels the structure may have once had clearly burnt away long ago, and the entrance is in one of the few spots not covered by rubble.

It's a simple thing; a hole with a ladder leading down into the darkness. Not exactly inviting, but not all that intimidating, either.

"I'll go first," Stephanie volunteers.

>A. Alright

>B. No, you will

>C. Damon has a shield, have him go first

>D. Something else

>>1294154
>B. No, you will
This is you as in her, right?

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At least, that's what you remember of what you promised to do before drifting off to cryo-sleep who knows how many years ago. You've been sitting on the flotilla in a deep slumber while you convoyed behind the legendary Gambler's Ruin on the way to Nexus once it was discovered. Your dreams have been strange and varied, but ultimately peaceful. Nothing's broken so far, and your pod should still be working, you hope. At the moment, your dreams are quiet and empty.

Suddenly, a new stimulus reaches you, one that, even in your deep sleep, you're all but certain didn't come from you. It is, in fact, the VR system attached to your cryo-pod, which the handy-dandy OS symbol points out to you. These images are being fed directly to your brain, so you're still technically asleep, but it seems the system is kicking on for you. A subdued sense of excitement wells within you as the system begins taking stock of your vitals and identity.

The VR system, in its infinite wisdom, is keen to remind you during its inventory that you are:
>Pick a name to determine race and gender

>Clyde Starwalker/Jessica "Jessie" Tanner, a scrappy Exile Human
>Taven Mistseeker/Nala Firestar, a nature-revering Aurin
>Kraggan Mountainlord/Siv Rubblerun, a literally rock-headed Granok
>Mordecai Emilianenko/Anastasiya Filipovich, a dour and eccentric Mordesh

>>1291510
>Taven Mistseeker a nature-revering Aurin

>>Clyde Starwalker, a scrappy Exile Human

>>1293011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Daz7nhB2g
>You decide to pry open the floorboards.
>Underneath the floorboards you can't see much of anything.
>Even shining your flashlight you can only see a few feet.
>"Whats down there, I see nothing."
"It looks like it goes down quite a ways."
>Suddenly something grabs you and pulls you down.
"Ah!"
>You begin falling.
>As you're falling you look up seeing Chu.
>"Anon! Ah-"
>You see someone grabbing her.
"CHU!"
--
>You fall down into water below.
>You surface having accidentally dropped your gun.
>Your flashlight has gone out in the water leaving you in complete darkness.
>You swim around in a panic.
>Something grabs you by the leg and pulls you under.
>You flail around struggling to get free as you emerge to the surface again.
>You swim as fast as you can with no light to guide your direction.
>Your gun is probably somewhere in the water right now but you're not sure if it will even work.
>You feel the vibrations of something in the water behind you gaining on you.
>You're not sure what it is but you don't want to get pulled under again.
>You swim enough to feel an edge.
>Climbing up out of the water you immediately bump into what feels like a person.
>And then another, and another.
>Fell shrieks as you run quickly in a panic feeling along a wall.
>You run into some kind of big open room area.
>You can hear footsteps quickly chasing you.
>You hit a wall and hear the footsteps still coming.
>You pull out your pistol and fire several times at the things coming at you.
>You hear their bodies hit the ground.
>Other sorts of unsettling noises are all around you but you have no idea what you're dealing with.
------
How will you proceed?

>>1293012
Try to find a light source and scope out the situation.

>>1293074
I figured that prompt would be enough to get us on to a spot where we'd be better able to decide on a course of action, but maybe OP felt like it wasn't enough?

Well that thread's already in autosage I believe so I guess, even if the quest is abandoned, there's no arm in saying I support that prompt.

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>>1290959

For any new players:

Welcome to Gorgon Child Quest! Where-in you take up the role of a magical talking artifact being wielded by a young gorgon girl named Cici. Living out of the remains of a once great dungeon, the game will focus on exploration, character interaction, and learning as the voices of the players within the amulet help guide her along.

For news about quest updates, my twitter can be found here:
https://twitter.com/bananon_QM

And the archive can presently be found here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=gorgon+child

Hahaha, nice, got here right at the start.

How're you doing today, QM?

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>1290959

>>1296967
>> B. Assign some to stay and help here, while you go through the door with the remaining group members:

Leave TK, Matt, and Roquette to assist Kathryn/clear the rest of the goons, everyone else through the door

My suggestion from last thread

>>1296982
Sweet, thanks for reminding me

>>1296984
By the way, are Roquette's rocket shoes her ability or is it just tech? Does it cause her fever to rise?

You have my attention, OP.

About the main character:
Garm wears a brown boss of the plains hat, a gas mask, a light brown trench coat, a white inner wit a magically infused (minor) protective vest worn over it and combat pants. His left arm is replaced with cybernetics (he still haven't finished paying for it). A man of average build, he as i said before is not a chosen hero of any kind fighting for a moral high ground, just a no-name mercenary.

Equipments:
-R24 revolver that can fit multiple types of ammunition. Can only hold 6 bullets at a time.
-GR18 semi-automatic rifle for long range combat. Can hold 10 bullets per magazine.
-Battery charged power axe
-3 sonic grenades

Ammunitions:
-30 regular revolver bullets
-20 Spitfire (incendiary) revolver
bullets
-3 Hellfire revolver bullets (Hellfire can burn the target inside out granted it can pierce deep enough and the target is not too large, otherwise it just explode bigger than Spitfire)
-20 rifle rounds
-4 power battery (one battery can be used 8 times)
(Keep track of ammo count, you don't want to be caught with an unloaded gun)

Intro:
A rusty bike rode across the village swiftly, the sound of it's engine can be heard even from the farm. Anna drew a relieved breath, she knew that the mercenary have arrived as none of the people who lives near the village have any motor vehicle. It seems that the request to eradicate the monster infestation aroud the farm that she sent to the Free Arms Guild have been accepted. If possible, she didn't want to rely on mercenaries but the kingdom soldiers could not expend their men to help some bacwater village at the edge the the kingdom. Soon, the bike reaches its destination and its rider walks toward Anna to confirm who commisioned the request.

Garm : Hey little girl, yer parents sent you here to fetch mister mercenary eh?

Anna : Watch your mouth, mercenary! I'm the one who commisioned this request on the behalf of the villagers and my grandma, and that means I can make you work extra for the reward. And for your information, I'm not a little girl, I'm already 14 this year.

Garm : Alright then young lady, show me the way! I'll grant you the privilege of watching a professional at work. Tell me, what am i dealing with today anyway?

Anna : Thanks but no thanks. I would rather lie down and rest while you do your job. The farm is infested with overgrown grasshoppers and oh boy do they bite when you bother them. Our harvest this year is ruined because of them. Meanwhile goblins are ransacking our village and harming traders. They are hiding in the temple ruins deep inside the forest. Now go do your work, chop chop!

>Should i deal with the bugs or the goblins first?

>>1296199
>Goblins

People can live with a bad harvest; what they can't live without is the support of traders after said bad harvest.

Shozuku, now ill, lays in bed and ponders his past.

---

Dazed and confused, you lay on still on the concrete floor. Your entire body is stiffened from laying in this position for several hours, completely unconscious from overexertion. Draining yourself of all your chakra is never a pleasant affair, much less so in the middle of combat training. Slowly, your eyes crack open. As usual, the only thing illuminating the room is the faint light of an oil lantern hanging on the wall. The room is featureless aside from a series of weapons hung on the wall, a full bookshelf, and a cot. The black iron door at the center of the wall in front of you is, as ever, locked tight.

They threw you back into your room after passing out. It must have been a pretty hearty through, because when you try to pick your head off the ground, the blood stuck to the floor causes you to pause. Placing your palms flat against the concrete, you push yourself off. The throbbing in your mind is explosive, instantly alerting you to the massive swelling on your forehead, even without a mirror to see.

Touching it gently, you quickly withdraw. You lay against one of the concrete walls, and in your daze, stare off at the black iron door.

Ever since you ran away from the village for killing your foster parents, you've lived in a large number of differing rooms. For the past six years your status has fluctuated in this particular assassin community, a grouping of rogue ninja who undertake dirty contracts for money. You've been informed about how the Daimyo have no shortage of issues that the hidden villages would have numerous moral objections to, not even considering the nature of the most recent generation of Kage. Cowards is the word you keep hearing the most. Idealists who refuse to get their hands dirty, for fear of damaging their own personal pride.

You've read many books on the subject out of boredom, but truthfully, you have no strong feelings about it one way or the other. It doesn't matter to you what world leaders do, or what the motivations of assassins are. Their attempts at brainwashing you were fairly effective when you were younger, using your damaged mind against you to turn you into an asset. They thought you a disappointment when they ransacked your mind. They had heard about the history of your clan, but mistakenly believed them to be in possession of powerful kekkei genkai. Truthfully, your family had been similar to one of the three great families of the leaf. Abilities born out of tradition and passing down knowledge, as opposed to hereditary power. What you had been told was that you would learn from your family's scrolls when you came of age. That day never came, of course.

>>1293889
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLoytewvn0g

Six years. It's been six years since they decided to raise you as one of their own. It wasn't uncommon for them to take the children of certain targets, when permitted. A number of the most prominent assassins had been there since birth. They'd all gone through the same rigorous doctrine that you had, and easily integrated. For whatever reason, you refused. Rebelled. While others had dormitories full of modern comforts and dressings, you denied these things. A combination of defiance and self-loathing caused you to repeatedly defy their training. You took from them what you could learn, but absorbed nothing of what they taught. If there was one human aspect of you that still existed, it was the desire to become a great shinobi. Though, at this point in your life, you could never be a real shinobi. You've already killed numerous people, prompted by a combination of fear of punishment, and the desire to take your frustrations out on something, anything, anyone, for any reason.

Slowly, you try to stand up. Your legs are a bit wobbly but before you fall you make it to your cot. At least partially. You use your upper body to pull yourself up, and groan. Everything is stiff. Everything hurts. You're hungry and cold. It's not the worst situation you've ever been in, but you're really annoyed. You might not comply when it comes to any of their dogma, but you always give it your all when you're fighting. Can't they at least set you on the cot? If you're so disposable as to risk a brain injury, you wonder why they don't just kill you now. Sadists, you remind yourself.

Staring at the wall full of weapons, you ponder suicide yet again. There have been times of great remorse and frustration when you nearly opted to nick an artery. Each time you held the tip of a blade to your leg or neck, your quickening heartbeat became too loud to bear. It always pushed away your hand, demanding you try for another day.

Head turning back to stare at the blank ceiling, you sigh. Your instincts refuse you death.

All you can do is wait. You have no idea what time it is, so all you do until they call you again is rest. Closing your eyes, you let your mind drift off. You recount the grudges you hold, going through each time some slight against you was developed. Generally, it was from the other members, or prisoners, as you like to say. Their methods of brainwashing primarily involve pitting the youth against one another. The least competent are broken and disposed of, while the strong are lavished with material goods and comfort. You deny them, even then. Your natural skill grants you survival.

>>1293893
Eventually, you fall asleep. It's only a short amount of time when the black iron door creaks open, however.

"Get up! We're going out again today, we've got a- PFFFhahaha! Look at his head! He's got a grapefruit on his face!"

You sit up, staring at them blank faced. This only further prompts them to laugh from the undeniably ridiculous bump on your head. It's swollen even further.

The skinny, bald assassin points. "Looks like you're trying to grow a horn, like a demon! What'd you do, bang your head on the wall thinkin' it might look cool?"

You feel embers stir in your chest. It's the only real feeling you have anymore. The guilt and remorse you once felt that had been turned against you for the purpose of subjugation, eventually became stagnate and meaningless. "Whoever threw me in here last night hit my head on the floor."

Nodding over, you look at the small bloodstain. The stout, strong assassin with a number of katana on his back grunts. He's got a thick beard, as well. "You shouldn't be passing out during practice. You keep it up, you're gonna end up like the rest. Wouldn't that be fitting. All your useless grumbling, ending with a final whimper."

You just stare up at them hatefully, refusing to speak. You know that if you speak out of turn, they'll strike you relentlessly. Apparently your glare is enough for the skinny one, though.

A backhand strikes you across the head, targeting the huge bump and slight cut on your head. The ring he's wearing scratches over the tender spot, and you grit your teeth, inhaling sharply.

Blood trickles down into your eye. You clench your teeth so hard, they might crack.

Slowly, you turn back to them, and they're both laughing. You can hardly hear it among the ringing in your ears. A sharp buzzing noise, absorbing all other sounds. You fade away beyond a human realm, your anger possessing you as it often does. The embers that had stirred am moment ago are gone, replaced by the sharp cold hatred you feel life itself in moments like these. You could do anything to anyone, when your mind is set like this. You have been broken, but not completely. Only bent.