un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio | After Sizhui and Eleven question the miners

[paperbutterflies]

[ Sizhui hasn't spoken much over the network, but for those who know him, he sounds extremely subdued, though his words are clear and his voice calm. The execution has not happened yet, so. ]

This is Lan Sizhui. For those who might be curious, Eleven and I talked with the two miners that... were taken.

In short, their story started when they were snowed in - and iced in - for far too long inside the mine. They had not expected that, so there were no provisions. First one, then another of their number died of hunger, and then the two dead bodies reanimated and ... asked what they would give for the hunger to stop.

What they are becoming, they chose, under duress.

The two who had died first already became among Unhalad's soldiers. I do not know why the remaining six were asked to choose it, rather than waited out to be just taken. I don't think they know, either.

And if they remember what exactly was done to them after they agreed, they are not telling us.

I think this is more or less the information we found from them. Thank you for your attention.

Comments

[paperbutterflies]

It... you were among those who drank from Anurr's drink, or am I mistaken? If what the angry lady from a couple of days ago said matters...

These two have given themselves to Unhalad, and you have, in a way and temporarily, given yourself to Anurr. Perhaps that is why? Or... part of why.

[scrapgege]

Hm, that makes sense.

I'l definitely not drinking any of that again. That was... It's not a good feeling.

[paperbutterflies]

That... would probably be for the better. We are already taken to this place; to be taken over more completely will probably not be a great thing.

[scrapgege]

[It's not great, and a bit too reminiscent of some things Xie Lian would not like to be reminded of, to be honest.]

Where are they now? I probably shouldn't come too close to them.

[paperbutterflies]

In a room in the northern part of the building. And perhaps that should be better.

[scrapgege]

For them and for me, yes.

Is it... are they still going to turn into undead people?

[paperbutterflies]

[ After a small pause, very quietly, ] we don't know how to stop it.

[scrapgege]

... Maybe we shouldn't have brought them back here.

[But did they, or did the men follow them here? He was busy with the array so he didn't quite see what was happening at the time.]

[paperbutterflies]

Would that make anything better? Abandoning them, without learning?

[scrapgege]

We could have asked them the same outside, but...

It's fine. We'll deal with whatever comes, if it comes. But I think we probably need to cleanse the energy around the house a bit.

[paperbutterflies]

Would that not have put whoever was asking into greater danger - not from them, I mean, but by everyone else in the woods? It is a little... lively out there.

[ Sizhui's voice perks up a tiny bit. ]

At least that I can help with. I have my guqin.

[scrapgege]

Some of us can take that, Young Master.

[But what is done is done now. He did his part to help get these people out of their predicament. There's not much else he could have done.]

Your guqin? What does it do? Is it music cultivation?

[paperbutterflies]

Perhaps, but was not what we all thought wiser to not reveal ourselves to either side? Had people stayed to question them out there, it would have been much easier to be found out.

And indeed so. There are Songs that can cleanse and soothe, both the living and not.

[scrapgege]

Oh that sounds really useful. I've never learned how to do that.

But there aren't really any ghosts in here that I've been able to feel. Well, except for Wei-gongzi's friend.

[paperbutterflies]

Then it would do no harm either, would it?

And, perhaps, there are some that you may not have felt.

[ And perhaps not so much at the farmhouse, but as Senior Wei will demonstrate, there are some at the Citadel. And it's never late for some ghosts to... occur, sadly. ]