12-19-2019, 09:23 PM
[font=trebuchet ms]They had decided it was time for answers, whether she was ready or not.
She heard them, indistinguishable chatters going on outside the door. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet, gritting her teeth at the strain in her muscles. At least she could breathe more easily now. Shaking her head, she trudged over to the door and pushed it open, then walked out into the cold air.
Rin swept her gaze over the creatures that had gathered, meeting their varied stares- some pointed, some confused, some concerned. It seemed everyone wanted to know. She was willing to tell them everything that they needed to know- they probably wouldn't like some of it, but that was okay.
"...My old home worshiped gods," she began, her brows furrowed. "That is, the place I lived before the Ascendants." That was... all the details they needed to know, she decided. She wasn't ready to go into that in detail for anyone, really, especially not a large crowd. Feeling a scowl creep onto her face, she continued, "Those gods turned out to... not be worth worshiping. They saw mortals as more of an amusement than anything else."
Lowering her head slightly, she narrowed her eyes. "We eventually came to blows, and the gods and I... both decided to take it out on each other afterwards. Some of them hunted me down, others hid until I eventually found them." She straightened up- only to wince at a sharp pain in her ribs. "I dueled and killed one of them, the Huntress, many months ago. I joined Elysium a few weeks later, still recovering from the injuries." Tena would probably remember that one, having been present at her initial appearance. Looking around, she continued, "I then dueled the Torchbearer atop the mountain on the summer solstice. He appeared solely to me, and I ensured he was dead before leaving." Killua would've remembered that one... if he were still here.
With a heavy sigh- and another wince at the twinge of protest in her chest- Rin glanced in the direction of the Typhoon. "I was attacked by the Maiden a few months ago, and almost killed, but I managed to kill her first. The Typhoon provided me medical assistance until I was well enough to return to Elysium." Clearing her throat as gently as she could, she said, "That is why I supported assisting the Typhoon in the war effort against the Pitt so strongly." That, most of them would probably remember.
"The Warrior attacked me as I was heading to the Halls of Hiraeth," Rin explained, turning her gaze in the direction of the Halls. "Eirny saved my life and killed him, then escorted me home." Tugging at her scarf with one paw, she twitched her ears. "I mentioned the gods only to ensure no one suspected her of attacking me."
That explained... most of the incidents between them, but there was still the one burning question. "For the most part, they have been interested in me, and not in Elysium," she said. "They've only ever directly attacked me, and only while I was alone. Between that, and believing that I would be deemed a liar, a lunatic, or both, I decided to keep it a secret, but..." She did not want to come out and say this, at all, but they deserved to know the truth. If they deemed her a danger, which was fair, and decided to send her away, then she wouldn't be able to prevent the Ferryman from striking.
"There was one exception." Rin swallowed, recoiling slightly at the resulting pain in her throat. "One of them... the Ferryman. He made a threat." She looked up towards the sky. "He told me the leadership in this land was cursed, and I still believe it is. Several have died, several have disappeared... very few got to leave peacefully." She felt her claws instinctively slide out, gripping onto bits of dead grass between the cobblestone.
"He told me if I did not take over, Tena would die. So... I took over."
The words spilled out like poison, ejected from her system. That was a strange metaphor, but she stood by it. "I should have told Elysium of this threat the moment appeared," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I was stupid. I'll admit it." Lowering her head, she leveled her gaze at the crowd. "If it weren't for this curse, I would leave. The gods and I would officially cease to be your problem. But I can't knowingly let the next Magna become a target."
So that left them... where did that leave them? "As far as I know, with regards to Elysium, the Ferryman and the other gods only pose a threat to the leader," Rin said. "Since the takeover, the only Elysite that has ended up in any danger, outside of the Pitt raid which was going to happen anyway... is myself." That was probably a gigantic leap in logic, but other than the Pitt raid and Lemy's accident while sledding, she hadn't had to treat anyone else's injuries... that had to count for something.
"I'm going to kill the rest of the gods," she continued. "Even though the Ferryman was the one who laid the curse, my best chance at ensuring the curse is broken is killing all of them." She nodded. "Once we're sure the curse is broken, I'll step down and leave. Elysium can move on with their lives." Letting out a long sigh, she shook her head. "I probably sound insane- maybe I am- but I swore to protect Elysium. You need to know what we're dealing with."
Curling her tail around her paws, Rin shut her eyes. "You're free to believe me, or not. I'm sorry I let things get to this point. But I'm not letting them get any further."
/tl;dr: Rin explains herself, claiming a) that the gods of her old home are trying to kill her, b) that they put a curse on the leaders, and c) that as long as Rin remains leader, they won't hurt any other Elysites; she apologizes for not telling everyone about it yet
She heard them, indistinguishable chatters going on outside the door. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet, gritting her teeth at the strain in her muscles. At least she could breathe more easily now. Shaking her head, she trudged over to the door and pushed it open, then walked out into the cold air.
Rin swept her gaze over the creatures that had gathered, meeting their varied stares- some pointed, some confused, some concerned. It seemed everyone wanted to know. She was willing to tell them everything that they needed to know- they probably wouldn't like some of it, but that was okay.
"...My old home worshiped gods," she began, her brows furrowed. "That is, the place I lived before the Ascendants." That was... all the details they needed to know, she decided. She wasn't ready to go into that in detail for anyone, really, especially not a large crowd. Feeling a scowl creep onto her face, she continued, "Those gods turned out to... not be worth worshiping. They saw mortals as more of an amusement than anything else."
Lowering her head slightly, she narrowed her eyes. "We eventually came to blows, and the gods and I... both decided to take it out on each other afterwards. Some of them hunted me down, others hid until I eventually found them." She straightened up- only to wince at a sharp pain in her ribs. "I dueled and killed one of them, the Huntress, many months ago. I joined Elysium a few weeks later, still recovering from the injuries." Tena would probably remember that one, having been present at her initial appearance. Looking around, she continued, "I then dueled the Torchbearer atop the mountain on the summer solstice. He appeared solely to me, and I ensured he was dead before leaving." Killua would've remembered that one... if he were still here.
With a heavy sigh- and another wince at the twinge of protest in her chest- Rin glanced in the direction of the Typhoon. "I was attacked by the Maiden a few months ago, and almost killed, but I managed to kill her first. The Typhoon provided me medical assistance until I was well enough to return to Elysium." Clearing her throat as gently as she could, she said, "That is why I supported assisting the Typhoon in the war effort against the Pitt so strongly." That, most of them would probably remember.
"The Warrior attacked me as I was heading to the Halls of Hiraeth," Rin explained, turning her gaze in the direction of the Halls. "Eirny saved my life and killed him, then escorted me home." Tugging at her scarf with one paw, she twitched her ears. "I mentioned the gods only to ensure no one suspected her of attacking me."
That explained... most of the incidents between them, but there was still the one burning question. "For the most part, they have been interested in me, and not in Elysium," she said. "They've only ever directly attacked me, and only while I was alone. Between that, and believing that I would be deemed a liar, a lunatic, or both, I decided to keep it a secret, but..." She did not want to come out and say this, at all, but they deserved to know the truth. If they deemed her a danger, which was fair, and decided to send her away, then she wouldn't be able to prevent the Ferryman from striking.
"There was one exception." Rin swallowed, recoiling slightly at the resulting pain in her throat. "One of them... the Ferryman. He made a threat." She looked up towards the sky. "He told me the leadership in this land was cursed, and I still believe it is. Several have died, several have disappeared... very few got to leave peacefully." She felt her claws instinctively slide out, gripping onto bits of dead grass between the cobblestone.
"He told me if I did not take over, Tena would die. So... I took over."
The words spilled out like poison, ejected from her system. That was a strange metaphor, but she stood by it. "I should have told Elysium of this threat the moment appeared," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I was stupid. I'll admit it." Lowering her head, she leveled her gaze at the crowd. "If it weren't for this curse, I would leave. The gods and I would officially cease to be your problem. But I can't knowingly let the next Magna become a target."
So that left them... where did that leave them? "As far as I know, with regards to Elysium, the Ferryman and the other gods only pose a threat to the leader," Rin said. "Since the takeover, the only Elysite that has ended up in any danger, outside of the Pitt raid which was going to happen anyway... is myself." That was probably a gigantic leap in logic, but other than the Pitt raid and Lemy's accident while sledding, she hadn't had to treat anyone else's injuries... that had to count for something.
"I'm going to kill the rest of the gods," she continued. "Even though the Ferryman was the one who laid the curse, my best chance at ensuring the curse is broken is killing all of them." She nodded. "Once we're sure the curse is broken, I'll step down and leave. Elysium can move on with their lives." Letting out a long sigh, she shook her head. "I probably sound insane- maybe I am- but I swore to protect Elysium. You need to know what we're dealing with."
Curling her tail around her paws, Rin shut her eyes. "You're free to believe me, or not. I'm sorry I let things get to this point. But I'm not letting them get any further."
/tl;dr: Rin explains herself, claiming a) that the gods of her old home are trying to kill her, b) that they put a curse on the leaders, and c) that as long as Rin remains leader, they won't hurt any other Elysites; she apologizes for not telling everyone about it yet
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