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[self_named]

Things weren't going well. Duo had taken a detour from the path because there had been vampires. Fucking. Vampires. And not the fun Maladicta-kind, either, but like evil, soulless, killer vampires, and Duo didn't have his extra ammo on him. Annagovia was running alongside him, silent and keenly watching the forest as it whipped past. Duo's plan

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[forged_hero]

Crooks, real crooks, the kind that can topple towns and governments without picking up a swords, those are the criminals that don't have especially great turnouts for executions. There's no blood on the hands, see? If the adverts don't allude to maiming, raping, or cannibalism, there usually isn't a very good show.

There hadn't been very many at the death of Alfred Spangler. Moist had hardly touched a sword, leaving 2.38 people completly aside. He wasn't good at blood, even coming from Uberwald, where the Vampires had the decency to summon you politely by memo and coach when they felt like a mid-morning snack.

These vampires...well. There weren't many manners floating around at all, and he hadn't seen Duo since morning.

There was blood on his collar and sleeves when he jogged into the clearing, his hands still jittery, clutching a convenient splinter of bloodied wood with one hand. He saw the church before he saw Duo and for a moment, he stood there dumbfounded, starring.

They're screaming...they're all burning...And

[self_named]

"Let me go!" Duo yelled, voice desperate, lashing out, trying to scrabble toward the building. "I have to get in there! I have to!"

[forged_hero]

Moist pinned him with great effort, blood still drying on his hems and his cufflinks.

"If you go in there, you will die," Moist said, speaking slowly, "There isn't anything in there that you could save, not anymore. Not by now. If you go in..." A chunk of cherry hot masonry dislodged from one of the upper stories and collapsed in to the blaze. "You will not come back. Listen to me Duo. Listen."

[self_named]

Duo eyes were burning, and he couldn't tell if it was from the heat of the fire or something else he couldn't own up to.

"No, I- No, Moist, please listen, please," he begged and Duo couldn't remember ever begging for anything in his life. Not out loud.

"I have to try. Please let me try. I can't let it happen again, please. Moist, please."