LogFAQs > #905451096

Owen gained +Resistance
Leone gained +Stealth
Torin gained +Intelligence
Aaron gained +Skill

Entry 13: Hysteric Belief

Owen knelt down in the bloody water, examining the last effects of Captain Punch. A single coin, or, no, rather, it was a chip of some sort, floated past them in the water. His hand went out, going to the satchel at Punch's side. Inside there was the land deeds which Punch had looted from the farm. The papers were rumpled and wet now, but they were still legible.

The idea was that... after all of this was over... if the land was really made safe again, someone who survived to the end of this quest could actually inherit some of the land here. There was a tangible goal at the finish line. Owen thought that Punch probably would have wanted that dream to be kept alive.

Jamison came to him and put a hand on Owen's shoulder. The Inspector had worked with Owen in the past and knew what kind of man he really was. Not just a coward, but a timid man who probably didn't have the stomach or the tenacity for this line of work. Jamison, himself, at this point, wasn't sure if he had it. "You know," Jamison said. "It's getting to be more difficult here than we could have imagined. If you wanted to turn back, we-..."

Yet, at that time, Jamison wasn't speaking for Owen's sake.

He was speaking for himself.

Because, truthfully, Jamison looked around at this group and he saw something. There was no one left who could lead them. And as the fear and anxiety took hold of him, wrapping around his heart and constricting like vines, he knew one sad truth; if Owen was ready to run away from this place, he would have gone with Owen.

"No," Owen said, shaking his head. "I'll see it through to the end."

Jamison's face grew dark and haggard as he looked on at the situation. He was too much of a coward to run away unless he had someone to run away with him. That was all that happened here. And so, because Owen had found a strange courage in that moment, Jamison had been forced to press on.

\\###\\

While Aaron and Enoch began to scour the main open hall and check the status of each of the statues, and Torin was busy organizing the supplies on the wagon, Jennifer and Leone decided to take a short glance down one of the side passages. The two had already been warned to avoid getting into any danger, but Leone was perfectly fine with that. There were very few idiots in this world who were fine with voluntarily wandering into danger just for the sake of danger.

Getting the wagon up the stairs was going to be impossible anyway, so Leone figured it was worth it to take a look up that way. Going by foot would be easier. The ground was a bit unsteady, but finding ways through the unsure footing wasn't too unfamiliar of a task. There were plenty of districts in Hendrake that hadn't seen repair to the stonework or construction for years, not since before Leone was born. And the hidden hovels and passages beneath the city that were utilized by the thieves guild, well, those weren't always up to code.

Jen required a bit of extra attention. Leone was forced to stop and turn, reaching out a hand to help pull her up from one elevation level to the next. She had always been a tough girl, at least since the two had met, but at the same time Jen had a sense of reluctance to her behavior. It meant that maybe, because she was unsure of herself, it meant that she wasn't able to accomplish certain things.

In the absolute sense you might say 'Jen could do it if she really tried.'

But if she was incapable of trying then what was the difference? The reality was that she couldn't do it.
---

~* Now I only see your dull imposter ~*
https://imgur.com/tdhOSKc