John Louis

Chapter Two; Sneak Peek #2

Added 2025-08-26 00:02:34 +0000 UTC

The writing for ITUO continues at a nice pace. I'm hard at work with a series of conversations between the Marshal and pretty much every named character I can think of, except Miljenko, the monk, as I want to use him more sparingly. There is a moment of peace in an evening at camp, and you can speak to the characters in any order. It's quite similar to the various conversations right before The Battle of the Atiming River in ITFO.

I want the loyalist/regent version of the Marshal to be moving toward a better mental space. The primary "justification" for their improvement, in my mind, is due to being surrounded by people who care for them, and the removal of people who would abuse them.

This snippet is the tail end of the decent-length conversation the marshal has with Darin. It is subject to change, obviously, and this is the loyalist-only variant:

"I just wanted to say that," he says. "Just in case I don't get the chance later."
"Let's not plan on your death, Darin."
"We'll have to, someday."
"Just not today," you say firmly.
He laughs at your determination. "I love you. More than anything."
You slap him on the back. "What's got you all sappy?"
"I dunno. It's just a sappy evening, ay?"
"Let's enjoy it while we can," you reply.
You remain by his side at the riverbank, chatting about nothing for several minutes, until he bids you farewell to catch some extra sleep. You wander back to your bodyguards and they fall back in behind you. They laugh and joke together and you pay it no mind.
As you walk toward the center of camp, you feel a strange sensation on the skin underneath your eyes. You press a finger to the spot and it comes away wet.
You frown.
Awfully cold for rain.