Dancing Leaf feels my Presence around her tightening. The Soldiers notice it too, but stay put, as they did not have gotten any order. What a quite disciplined bunch.
“Please, let me explain further before ending us!”
...What the hell…
“...continue.”
“We… We have aligned ways. Our goals are different, but you are not an evil presence.”
{Truth}
“You want to save our World, even if it is just for you to want back to the World, that banished you.”
“It is true, I don’t want to destroy this World. The reasoning is just rather pragmatic. I do not care about this World. If someone treats me good, I am OK in helping a bit. If they fight me, they get what is coming to them.”
{Truth}
“For… For this I thank you. Thank you for helping out the World, even if it is only on happenstance. I would like to write a Letter to the Queen, so no more Misunderstandings happen. I will do my utmost to make you and us Roots not only non aggression partners but allies.”
{Truth}
So much bravery, such a big sacrificial ambition… so many loopholes…
“Your utmost must not mean it will happen. You can do your best, but only doing your best is not enough to assure it happening. At worst they will think I had you made it under duress and will send everything to eliminate me.”
“I assure you, I have high standing and can sway the Queen in at least never quarrel with you ever again.”
{Truth}
“Hidden code can be written inside, to explain everything I do not want someone to know.”
“I swear onto my Ancestors roots, I will not try to include any Information, you don’t want to share.”
{Truth}
“Then the final Question. HOW does this mysterious letter be sent to your Queen?”
“By a Soldier.”
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
“And I shall just leave a Soldier go? I told you so much about me. You have seen so much you should not. And I shall just let a Soldier go?”
{Soldiers! You are not allowed to lie! Step forward, if you can understand common!}
Twelve of the remaining forty two step forward.
“Those can not be sent. The rest do not speak common and have not understood your story at all. With one of these most secrets will stay secret.”
This is getting more and more troubling. I do not really want to kill all of the Roots, as it takes so much time, but they would also be great Material. Their knowledge about everything in the woods would be such a boon… But I do not need all of them. What to do. To genocide or not genocide…
The small part of Human, still in me stirs to not kill without cause. I want revenge, but not mindless slaughter. Seeing People and Animals only as Materials shows, how far I am away from my former self, but it is rather a necessity to find a way back.
“…let me ponder a bit.”
“Sure, we will wait.”
…
Time flies. Another day is now taking the former one. The whole Night I have thought about it. Eastern Redwinds line of sight was really a bit skewed. Rummaging through the Memories again shows how he is rather on the high Xenophobic side. Everyone around him had the same thinking, but around him were not all of them, just a small part of Roots. Mainly groups of the hunters, as they are known. Using their skills to eliminate threats, they always see the worst of the peoples and monsters.
While pondering some more things tried to invade, but I had most of it under control. The Roots on the other hand had seen things, that should not be. It was definitely traumatizing them.
Falling Leaf wants to sacrifice herself and the twelve Soldiers for another chance. If something happens it would be an inconvenience, but not an all out catastrophe. Unless they find a way to banish me. The fear of this is rather high.
…
Taking the Door of the Mansion I walk out to the waiting Roots.
“I have decided to give you a last chance.”
Hobbling on a wooden staff and bandaged up I stand in front of the People. The whole body smells heavily of blood.
“This is the last chance. I have no time or patience to swat away all your attempts to kill me. I am in need of power and a way back to where I came from. I hope you understand this and stop making me your enemy.”
{Truth...Lie}
This damn truth seeker. I forgot a special aspect of them.
“Let us go to the mansion. There should we discuss what to write. I will let all Soldiers go, that can not speak common. The others have to stay, either living inside, dying or becoming my test subjects, I do not know for now.”
{Truth}
“She stays here. The truth seeker annoys me. The Soldiers can take her back afterwards. Right now your last chance will be us writing the letter and seeing if you are really truthful to your words. Otherwise I will stop being nice.”
{Truth}
Well, now we see if the honesty is real of fake. As I can read their language, nothing should be hidden within. All that is needed is for them to play nice. Otherwise everything will be a dead end.
…
{STOP!}
There is the last thread of hope, ripping and dissolving right behind me. We did not even walk all the way to the Mansion, when the ugly part of the people shows their face.
I bet they think about ‘how dare someone talk about experimenting on the Root’ or something other than this. Anyway this should be the end of the whole farce.
Right now three Soldiers jumped me from behind. Although they have no weapons, they should be able to overpower Red and break his neck in moments.
Seems like they remember me saying only two people are on my side and one is a Rat. Well whatever they think is irrelevant, as Reds death will be all their deaths, including the whole City in the Forest.
Closing Reds eyes I wait for the final end of this whole spiel…