Board Thread:Roleplay/@comment-27736349-20170603204216/@comment-29564364-20170615010451

(Sorry if I had you waiting. I was too tired to finish last night.)

Hero: "We do still lie about the monsters' nature, but it is in the interest of our people for them not venture outside of Order territories for corruption is a threat to man, much more than death is. While excess of both would lead humanity to its demise, the former would do so even faster than natural death ever would. This is nothing but a white lie for the greater good and we, chosen ones (heroes), understand that, which is why we do not reveal it to the masses. Furtherm-" His speech is interrupted by a chuckle. "What is the laughing matter? Do you not take us seriously?"

Alpha-3748: "Exactly. You're all just a bunch of clowns to me, but that's not what makes me laugh."

Hero: ""Clowns"?"

Alpha-3748: "It means buffoon, but that's irrelevant. We should have bought enough time by now."

Hero: "I might have let the White Bane escape with that cursed one, but I know we will meet again. After all, it has been twice today, has it not?"

Alpha-3748: "That's part of the reason, but it's not what I was talking about. You need to step back and look at the bigger picture."

Hero: "What do you mean? Explain yourself!"

Alpha-3748: "And you who were boasting about being smart a minute ago... In the end, you were so stuck on the idea of fighting the White Bane that you left your companion behind, alone in the forest, in the darkness of the night."

His eyes widen at the sudden realization and his face switches from an expression of confidence to an expression of worry. "Th-this is..."

Alpha-3748: "Yes, you fell directly into our trap! The man you stumbled across, the Cursed Sword, the chase in the woods... It was all part of the plan... mostly. You surely remember my two friends from our first encounter, do you? They must have already taken care of your teammate by now."

In a state of shock, he is unable to utter a word.

Alpha-3748: "Such confusion in your eyes... Allow me to provide the explanations you requested.

From our encounter earlier, we knew that you had business in Shin Qi and that you would be around here after having been slowed down by your defeat against us, so we sent the Cursed Sword with the man, using the scenario of her attacking him as a bait. She was supposed to flee and lead you here where we'd be waiting, but it turns out she misjudged your strength and got herself in a bad shape. That complication almost had the plan fail, but luckily, I decided to go check on her given her lateness, which ended up being for the best. Not only did it save her life, but your interest in me made it easier to separate you from your companion. From there, all I had to do was lure you away while my friends took care of the girl with ease. After all, a lonely person with an incapacitated man on the lap is an easy target to pick off once the heavyweight of the team is gone."

As the paralysis induced by the initial shock wears off, he slowly recovers the use of his muscles. "Y-you...!"

Alpha-3748: "What's going on? You seemed more talkative earlier. Have you lost your tongue?"

Hero: "I swear to the Chief God... One day, I will personally make you pay!" He turns around and dashes off back to the clearing, following the path laid down by the destruction he caused."

I push sigh of relief before speaking again. "Pfew! What a risky gamble that was! There are plenty of ways it could have ended really bad for us if...

• My deduction skills failed me and he realized I was lying;

• He caught on quickly and figured out my bluff;

• He flat out didn't believe me;

• He didn't care about his teammate;

• Or he got a cliché power-up triggered by a fit of anger before going berserk on us.

There certainly are other options, each as bad as the others, but those are the most undesirable ones I can think of. Brief, I'm glad that he actually cared for her and decided to see for himself. Anyway! We should get moving now. This won't buy us much more time than two minutes and a half.

Oh! And before I forget, "We'll meet again!" threat count: 3."

Meanwhile, the city's light come into sight as I leave the forest.

Alpha-493: Is it me or is she getting heavier with every step I take?

[Done]