Rei's story
wore out Ayumu's resistance, and he felt himself shivering. Likely, because it reminded him of a tale far too real for that assembly: Years ago, a great number of people had almost drowned themselves in a Shadowlands swamp, pulled in by similar feelings.
As for the fictional tale he had to tell:
"Two friends were traveling at night. Rarely a good idea but sometimes life doesn't give you much of a choice.
In the darkness of a moonless night, with only a lantern to help them see where their feet landed and not much else, they were nonetheless reconsidering the series of choices that had led to this situation.
Suddenly, noise. Creaks, heavy steps. Something was approaching, from behind.
The friends step aside of the road and waited, unsure if they should brandish the lantern to see better, or on the contrary snuff it off to disappear in the night. After much hesitations, they choose to face danger with the light on rather than confronting the darkness.
A cart eventually showed up. A simple one, loaded with what appeared to be bags of rice or cereals, pulled by a single ox, driven by an old man dressed as the average farmer.
The most courageous of the two friends hailed the newcomer:
“Goodnight grandpa. What are you doing so late on the road?”
“The harvest does not wait son. I must deliver it before dawn.”
“You appear to be going in the same direction as us. Mind given us a lift?”
“Sure son, ride on.”
And so the two friends climbed on the cart, flanking the old man.
“You don't have a lantern grandpa?”
“My ox knows the way son. A light would only attract unwanted attention.”
“Do you mind if we keep ours lighted?”
“There's nothing to fear of the dark boys, but do as you wish.”
And so the light stayed on.
“You're not curious about who we are or why we need to travel at night ourselves grandpa?”
“I couldn't care less son. I'm not here to ask questions, just to do my job.”
And so silence set up for a moment on the cart, before curiosity got the better of one of the two friends once again.
“But aren't you afraid? We could very much have been bandits.”
“Had you been, I would have given you a lift regardless. I don't discriminate.”
“But bandits on this road are notoriously bloodthirsty! We almost got killed in an ambush a few hours ago.”
“I'm afraid you're half wrong about that son.”
Before the friends could inquire about that enigmatic answer, the road suddenly branched in two and the cart stopped.
“I'm taking the right path boys.”
“And us the left one. It's goodbye then I guess.”
“For you yes. Your friend stays however.”
The traveler lifted an eyebrow, doubly so as their friend didn't react to the old man statement in any way.
“What?”
“What I said boy. You got lucky tonight, you get to keep going on. Your friend though, he's part of tonight's harvest.”
The friend simply nodded, the arrow going through their throat bobbing at the same time as their head."
Ayumu went to blow the candle, and he let out a mangled prayer as the smoke took for one instant the form of one of the people he had himself let go on the cart of death.
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D7LE | Testing Spirits | Fear (TN17?):
3d10o10k3+4 10 -> Fail