[ His mouth feels too dry all of a sudden, and it's as if the exhaustion from the recent battle sinks into him. His body feels sluggish, and his mind faint. Yet the question Eseld poses runs through his mind like a flying eagle, piercing his heart with knives of guilt and creating waves of anxiety that roil in the bottom of his gut.
He couldn't choose. He couldn't condemn any of the three to death. And yet, he had to choose, because if he didn't, no one would live, and someone living is better than none.
But who could he choose? Surely Ouyang was the best choice here. He was a fellow member of the church, and an extremely skilled spellcaster. No doubt his loss would be a great setback for the church. But to simply neglect the other two because they lacked a connection to the church... that felt wrong.
Fable... snarky, sulky, and extremely sketchy, at times disappearing to do who knows what. Torth is sure that it's something he wouldn't approve of. And yet, he liked the warlock. He had a great sense of humour, and was just as skilled as Ouyang. But more importantly, the man had a good heart underneath it all. The way he showed care for those abused Tabaxi girls, and the goblin girl with a missing leg back in the Neverwinter church... he cared for people too, even if he tried his best to hide that fact. Perhaps he was just shy or trying to maintain a reputation. That didn't matter to Torth.
When he imagined choosing to leave the tiefling for death, he could only envision a look of betrayal on Fable's face, and it hurt.
No, he couldn't abandon Fable to his death, he was certain of that.
And Eseld... there was always an air of tragedy about him, though he spoke lightly and full of mirth and jest. It was the way he would subtly degrade himself every once in a while, accepting death as an option in his life. There was a depth of self-hatred that bubbled over every once in a while, and Torth felt compassion and pity for the druid. As biting as his words were, as much as he loved to rile up the people around him, as much of a nuisance as he was, that didn't mean he deserved death, and Torth didn't want to choose to abandon him. He didn't want to validate Eseld's self-loathing.
He couldn't choose Eseld either, and his grip on the druid tightens even more. ]
It... it depends... on the situation. I'll... choose the one I believe would have the best chance of survival given the circumstances.
[ His answer comes out slow, pained. It's not even an answer, really, but he just... couldn't. ]
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He couldn't choose. He couldn't condemn any of the three to death. And yet, he had to choose, because if he didn't, no one would live, and someone living is better than none.
But who could he choose? Surely Ouyang was the best choice here. He was a fellow member of the church, and an extremely skilled spellcaster. No doubt his loss would be a great setback for the church. But to simply neglect the other two because they lacked a connection to the church... that felt wrong.
Fable... snarky, sulky, and extremely sketchy, at times disappearing to do who knows what. Torth is sure that it's something he wouldn't approve of. And yet, he liked the warlock. He had a great sense of humour, and was just as skilled as Ouyang. But more importantly, the man had a good heart underneath it all. The way he showed care for those abused Tabaxi girls, and the goblin girl with a missing leg back in the Neverwinter church... he cared for people too, even if he tried his best to hide that fact. Perhaps he was just shy or trying to maintain a reputation. That didn't matter to Torth.
When he imagined choosing to leave the tiefling for death, he could only envision a look of betrayal on Fable's face, and it hurt.
No, he couldn't abandon Fable to his death, he was certain of that.
And Eseld... there was always an air of tragedy about him, though he spoke lightly and full of mirth and jest. It was the way he would subtly degrade himself every once in a while, accepting death as an option in his life. There was a depth of self-hatred that bubbled over every once in a while, and Torth felt compassion and pity for the druid. As biting as his words were, as much as he loved to rile up the people around him, as much of a nuisance as he was, that didn't mean he deserved death, and Torth didn't want to choose to abandon him. He didn't want to validate Eseld's self-loathing.
He couldn't choose Eseld either, and his grip on the druid tightens even more. ]
It... it depends... on the situation. I'll... choose the one I believe would have the best chance of survival given the circumstances.
[ His answer comes out slow, pained. It's not even an answer, really, but he just... couldn't. ]