VIDEO | USERNAME: BELOVED

[futurologists]

[There's a face you'd hoped to never see again. The last time Arthur showed up on the network, half of ALASTAIR was in jail. He never shows up unless something terrible has happened. Arthur sighs, exasperated, as if someone off-camera is being particularly grumpy at him.]

I fear I must ask for your assistance again.

Last time we spoke, I begged for my brother's life. I believed he could change. That he hadn't yet passed the point of no return. I want you all to know that Michel wasn't always like this. Once, he might have used his magic for good. All magicians have goblin blood, though, and it became something he was expected to hide. Anger is a powerful emotion. He let it fester, and...

I don't have time to give you our entire life story, I'm afraid. Your people handed Michel over to me. He had stopped fighting me, I truly thought he was no longer a threat. It seems that was the calm before the storm.

He disappeared in the thick of night, but not without leaving a letter. He went to the castle. It's time for someone new on the throne, he said.

[Arthur pauses, looking conflicted. He takes a breath and closes his eyes.]

Kill him. [He opens his eyes and lets out a sigh, like a large burden has been lifted from his shoulders.] He is past the point of no return. I found plans for runes with his things. I don't know where they are, but they must be somewhere within the city. What they do, I cannot say, but I know he would not waste his time with them unless they were important.

Destroy them. Kill him, because if it's left up to me, I fear I will be too weak to do it.

[Welcome to the next stage of the event! Please check out our event follow-up here.]

Comments

TEXT | USERNAME: NICO☆NICO☆SMILE

[troublebusted]

[Nico doesn't like sticking her neck out in situations this far over her head. She recognizes that she really doesn't understand the intricacies and she doesn't want to put herself in danger's way (the latter she attempts to mitigate by not putting a face and voice to her comment, but anyone who's paid any attention to her attempted idol career here could guess pretty easily who this is). And she doesn't have anything to offer for killing a powerful, dangerous, demon-consorting mage.

But there is one thing that she's kind of fixated on:]

Is Michel the only one responsible for the messages sent by the Order during the festivals last year?
Especially the one on All Hallows' Eve.

[By which she means especially the bodies. She hasn't thought through the timing of her question enough to realize that she's implying that this request to kill Michel could be the Order throwing him under the bus to escape the consequences of their actions, which is pretty rude and aggressive and probably neither the time nor the place, but she probably would have asked it even if that had occured to her.]

[futurologists]

He ... is the one who spearheaded it. The doing was not entirely his own.

[troublebusted]

[It would be so much easier if it was just Michel. Still, it is better that Arthur's being honest about it. She doesn't like him at all, for mostly half-baked reasons, and she trusts him barely farther than she can throw him, but she can give him that.]

What's going to happen to them?
The ones who murdered those people, and the ones who helped it happen.

[SHE REALIZES YOU HAVE MORE PRESSING MATTERS RIGHT NOW, but she doesn't know if there will be a chance to ask this again. ...And then another thought occurs to her:]

Were you one of them?

Audio;

[boneafide]

[ He almost doesn't want to reply, given the content, and his own opinions on this. But... ]

... I'm sorry.

[futurologists]

Me, too.

[boneafide]

No, I'm sorry you think you have to give up on him. It wouldn't be easy to say any of the things you just did!

But if there was a way to stop him without killing him, you'd want us to do that, wouldn't you?

text | un: archer

[anti_altruisms]

So noted.

[ He isn't surprised that it's come to this, honestly. ]

Can the runes be tracked?

[futurologists]

As far as I know? Not on their own. But should your friends find something suspicious on that magical tracking device they put on him, that would be my first guess.

[anti_altruisms]

My 'friends' tell me that your brother has been consorting with demons.

Do you know anything about them?

user name: sakurakinomoto

[keystaff]

kill him? are you sure?

[Surely it would be better to try restrain and capture him again or something, to stop him somehow other than outright killing? But then, this is from an eleven year old, of course she is more optimistic and wants to believe there is some other way. Any other way.]

[futurologists]

He is a threat. Not just to the king, but to all of Chantes. He's volatile, and capable of terrible things--he can't be left alive. Not like this. No matter how much I wish he could.

[keystaff]

I don't know if I could kill him. But if I see him, I could at least try restrain him until someone else might be able to help?

[It's. Well, it's something. More like Sakura is eleven and couldn't be expected to do something like this. But she can try to assist in attempting to calm the situation somewhat, somehow. With her Clow Cards.]

username: happybirthday

[adoube]

Mmmmmmm........... what do you typically use 'runes' for??

[futurologists]

Anything. Warding, perhaps. A traitor of the Order used them to nullify magic in the prison. They keep whatever spell he's cast going long after he's left the area.

audio

[aspearation]

[ Undyne has a lot of complex feelings on this matter. Most of them she keeps to herself, however. ]

You don't even know what he's going to do? Then why should we do your dirty work for you? Don't tell me it's just because you're "too weak"!

[futurologists]

You must be new here.

This is not my dirty work. If I listened only to what I want, I would say damn the consequences and allow him to live, but there's more at stake than my wants. Is it not your job to do what's best for the realm?

[aspearation]

Yeah, I am! And I didn't ask to come here, or want a job assassinating strangers just because some other strange said I should.

[ She'd do it for King Asgore, because she believes in him, trusts him. But this dude? Not so much. ]

What makes you think that's the only thing we can do to stop him?

PRIVATE. AUDIO. FOR AHAD.

[selfimage]

After all of that he's giving up.

[ the words come out harsh and hot, but no more harsh than he means. ]

[dailydouble]

[ It takes a bit for him to return the message. He plans to let Arthur speak for as long as he wants. ]

Is that how you see it?

[selfimage]

When kill him is involved.

[ these words come out less strained and a little easier, Loki breaks the tension and rubs the back of his neck, thoughtful. ]

video; username: ChiselChest

[whereismypie]

[ wow, what the— ]

...

The hell, man? I know the dark side sucks and all, but come on. If this is how you do family, god save your enemies.

[futurologists]

[Chisel Chest, he does not have time for your judgment today.]

What would you suggest I do? He only falls further into the darkness with each passing day.

[whereismypie]

[ no one does, tbh. ]

He's your brother, come on. Don't kill him. Catch him, lock him up and detox him from the dark — get creative! Don't put a friggin' bounty on his head.

VIDEO; username: PARTY

[wardance]

So this is the chosen ending to the tragic story, is it.

... And aren't you the lucky one. First to deal with our hostile selves when you requested assistance to save him as family before and now harsh judgment for putting those feelings aside.

[ his tone is dry and he is uncharacteristically serious to just about everyone who's interacted with him so far. He talks as detached as he sounds and although the emotion is not there, it's not hard to imagine somewhat vicious spite directed at reactions being made.

and he is, on level, very spiteful towards it because it's obvious their situations are not the same. ]

I just want to know something. For all that he has done thus far, assassinating the ruling monarch and taking over this place alone isn't really any better or worse the track record against him. Running off on you to do it isn't that novel, either.

What is it that makes you feel he will not turn things for the better once in power to be able to control what has made him become like this? [ this is important.

and while Masamune says nothing further as he waits, his expression is undeniably clear from one brother that's already walked this path Arthur is proposing rather than the rest who seem to have never made it to such a turning point in their lives.

It must be nice to have family ties stronger than the darker realities of humanity. Masamune wouldn't know. But, he also isn't willing to simply accept a change of heart like this without better reasoning than wanting to take over via assassination. He expects Arthur to explain as much or as little necessary to solidify this request. ]

[futurologists]

[Arthur pauses, taken aback by the strange question. No one has ever suggested Michel could change things for the better. They've all hated him. Wanted him gone.]

The damage is done. I don't believe my brother can find a way back to who he was. I've done everything I can to try to bring him back, to no avail.

His steps towards peace are radical and violent -- surely that isn't what your people look for in a leader.