biteoffherhead

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001

[Voice]

[As always, Moro's use of the journal is extremely minimal. She has only one thing to say to any of you, as she is so kind as to warn you all in advance.]

I have returned. All who grievously harm this forest will die.

[Action]

[With that, Moro can be found in the forest, slowly and stiffly walking about to get herself familiar with the forest of Luceti once more. She sniffs at the bark of trees, scratches at some patches of dirt with her claws, and otherwise silently moves. She has no mark of the demon, as many of her victims from over a year ago have... she has nothing amiss about her other than the bleeding of her chest wound, which is simply dripping along the path she is walking.

She has not yet approached the village. All she has done is use her journal to address them, and she is currently carrying the paper book in her mouth.]

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[There's silence, at first. Slowly a sound begins to roll from her - a faint echo of the ravenous snarling from Vaskoth, a low and rumbling growl. And perhaps or perhaps not to Rudy's surprise, echoing at the same time with that growling comes Moro's voice.]

Is that so? I know your scent but nothing of you.

[It was an old scent, but she never met the source. Though it feels significant... and there's a familiar scent in addition to him. It struck memories, and did not bode well.

Her voice is soft, feminine if stern - she is clearly a goddess as others have said and despite her fearsome appearance otherwise. She gazed down at him, but her eyes were not the important part; it was clear that Rudy had her full attention because her ears were both turned to him and her nose flared and inhaling deeply, taking in his scent fully. She does not stand or sit up, laying were she was and making no motion to get up.]

[The voice he hears from the goddess is not one he initially expects to hear at first. Had they not met otherwise, the softness may even had been a little disarming if not for the growling. It was very imposing and so was she, but still a far cry from the ravenous demon he struggled to escape from.

He's not sure how much she'd be able to tell about him just from taking in his scent - a fact that leaves him feeling incredibly uneasy. She may smell something resembling gunpowder, his ARM concealed under his cloak. Though he had no intentions to take it out, he still kept it on him anytime he left the village. If she was especially perceptive, his scent may not even resemble the smell of human flesh at all. Although through his continued interactions with other people, that fact may or may not be obscured.

Still, Rudy tries to keep his voice level and calm as he speaks to her, keeping his eyes level with the wolf.]

My name is Rudy. About a year ago, a number of us were called off to another enclosure to fight for the Malnosso. [His hand moves to his right arm's sleeve, his expression fading into a noticeable grimace.] That's... when I encountered you.

[It wasn't a pleasant draft for anyone, and he's sure she didn't need a reminder of what happened back then. Instead, he'll roll up his sleeve and hold it out, revealing some scarring. To anyone else, it would look like his arm had been seriously burned at one point. A few months earlier? It might as well have looked outright rotted. To Moro, should she be familiar with it, it should be enough to speak louder than words for him.]

Do you recognize this?

[There is a lot to smell, and the scent of gunpowder does not aid his first impression. Still, she does not move, paying him close mind. She takes in all of these details as he begins to speak, ears raising the slightest bit more to catch the subtleties of his voice.

There's a strange mixture of a response when he bares the scar, however. She reels back, looking repulsed. Her face contorts and scrunches, as she feels the pangs of humiliation of her condition during that draft, and her natural hatred of such a curse.]

A year, you say. Yes, I recognize that. You must have very little hatred or fear in your heart - or perhaps you are not human.

[Although he'd slightly been anticipating her being able to tell, the impact of her words was still enough to render Rudy speechless for a good moment, his gaze falling downwards. Long enough to answer Moro's suspicions, before he finally answers her.]

You'd be right. I'm not, although I can't tell you for sure how much that affected its progress any differently.

[There's no point in concealing that fact if she could already tell, and he'd intended to reveal that to begin with for the sake of getting answers. He still felt fear like any other human, perhaps more so than others. And though his grandfather taught him well not to have hate in his heart, that wasn't to say he was incapable of feeling anger. He's definitely felt it a number of times in his life.]

You bear the weight of my greatest shame. A shame I should not be alive to fester the hate in you further. In falling ill and losing my mind, my manifest rage has infected you.

[If you are seeking answers, then she has them. She gives them gravely, a greatly pained look on her face. Even the wolven scowl does not keep it from being blatantly regretful.]

It remains, after all this time? It has not spread, or you were only barely touched before.

[Rudy senses the wolf's guilt, her regret and his immediate response was to tell her it's okay.]

It's not...

["It's not your fault." ... Or at least, that's what he wants to say. But no matter how much he tries, the words don't come out. He can't bring himself to say it, and he can tell Moro likely wouldn't return that sentiment anyway. But he knows he didn't want to hear the wolf wishing herself dead once more.]

I'm sorry. [That it had to happen? That she now has to face the consequences of what happened a year past? ... He doesn't know, and for once he doesn't know what to say that would alleviate her guilt.] I know you weren't yourself then. I just want you to know I'm not here because I hate you for what happened.

[Though her presence is still intimidating, he'll brave a few steps closer, allowing her to have a closer look if she wishes.]

I'm not going to lie - it has spread, but not anymore. It may not look like it now, but it looked a lot worse a few months ago.

[She tenses, contemplating standing or even sitting upright, letting out a wary growl. None of Rudy's sentiment truly weighs in Moro's heart - he has no understanding of what a demon is, or the great shame that she holds for becoming one. She did not even succumb in her final moments of life in her own world.]

I have never known that curse to diminish. Even if it retreats, or you are forcing it back in some strange way, it will not be contained. It is your rage. It is your anger, and your fear, and it is your weakness as a mortal being. Once your anger flares the mark will spread and destroy you.

[Well... without him even asking, Moro already answered a few questions he had been intending to ask. Grimly, he nods at her words, even if it meant acknowledging the worst of them.]

I know. Even though it's contained now, I know it won't stay like this forever. But I'm still not going to give up. I can't.

[His gaze falls back to his right arm. As far as his own curse went, it was placed in a dormant state thanks to the efforts of Isaac and Saori. And to a further extent, Eley and Jane's support. Though even despite their efforts, it still couldn't be lifted and Moro was exactly right in her words. It could easily come back if he wasn't careful with his emotions.

But then again... Albert seemed to have his outright cured, at least from his own understanding during their conversation. That meant there was still hope, right?]

It probably sounds strange, but I ended up learning a lot of things this past year.

[Things he didn't necessarily want to admit about himself, and because of that what ended up driving a wedge between his friends and himself. Moro was right - it really was his weakness, and he had to come to terms with that.]

Facing death teaches quite a bit.

[She can understand that much. She ran head-first into danger many, many times. And living for several centuries, she had many dramatic revelations of her place, her power, her purpose...]

But unlike most, who will live for decades... or even unlike most of the gods, who may take that knowledge with them for another few centuries... you will die by that curse. It will consume you. Once you lose control, your fear and despair of its victory will only feed it. And it will be agonizing.

It wouldn't be the first time.

[He's already faced it once before. And he's been forced to learn things about himself even then. Still, he nods once more. ... Though he'd be lying if there weren't some part of him that still feared dying in such a manner over and over.]

And once it does, I'll come back and the process will start all over. ... That much we've learned.

So even leaping off of a cliff to end it will not bring you peace. It was the only salvation I could give to you.

[For a moment, there's nothing from the boy in response. Then, a shaky sigh as his gaze trails off to the side. He'd be lying if he wasn't hoping for something helpful, but he still didn't expect Moro to have any answers. If there were, she'd surely have mentioned them. Right? Still, there was no denying it still stung to hear that from her.]

It's all right. There's still a couple things about the curse that's been bothering me.

[An audible exhale escapes, his expression turning more somber. This might be a difficult subject to tread on - that much he's aware. Even so, he'll continue.]

I know it's supposed to be a, um... a demon's mark. [Visibly, he tenses upon mentioning that last part.] I wanted to ask you more about that. About what your world calls "demons".

Demons are gods that lose themselves to rage and fear. The blood boils and erupts from their flesh, and they become as walking corpses. They are long dead, but they still march on as their body falls apart and rots, held together only by their fury.

I have seen demons only twice in recent memory. One was the boar god Nago, the previous and true guardian of my forest. When humans arrived with their guns and killed his boars, he fled in fear and let his hatred consume him. The ancient boar Okkoto fell to his rage after nearly dying in his assault against the humans, and marched straight to the pool of the Forest Spirit, leading humans there. The world likely ended... I was granted a peaceful death before the humans attacked the Forest Spirit.

[Eboshi took a shot, but.]

Likewise, my feeding on the soldiers in Vaskoth was what doomed you and any others touched by me. I lost myself to the hunger, and shamefully, I did not simply die. The boy Silver had to see to my death.

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