Heishou Pack - Si Branch - Rodion
I did everything as I was told... I was fiercely loyal... so... why wasn't it me?
| HP | 69.0 + (2.39*lvl) |
| DEF |
| Trigger | Dialogue |
|---|---|
| Identity Acquisition | I did everything as I was told... I was fiercely loyal... so... why wasn't it me? |
| Morning Greeting | Sun's up, gotta keep m'lord updated. Fuhu, he's gonna love me for it. |
| Afternoon Greeting | Once I took the Si Bolus, I lost most of my sense of taste... but hey, I can still enjoy the texture. |
| Evening Greeting | I like nights. I get tons 'o missions, and there's always a chance an assassin for me to dramatically defeat might sneak in... If I defeat 'em right as the big shots' eyes are on me... Heh, no better way to make a name for myself, right~? |
| Chatter #1 | Ya know something? If these lords have surplus claims to the Heishou, they can either give them up or pay up an equivalent value for a single beast... to release a member of the Pack. It means there’s a chance that I don't have to be this kind of featureless silhouette of an animal anymore. |
| Chatter #2 | A Heishou's loyalty is to the title of the lord, not to the one who wears it. Heard that more times than I can count. But... how could I hope to free myself from this slough and really shine without showing some loyalty to the person who holds my leash? I need 'em to help me molt, after all. |
| Chatter #3 | It's disgusting and ugly, isn't it? It gets worse with time. I'm going to be like the other snakes, like the other beasts of the Heishou Pack... becoming numb to everything. |
| Post-Uptie Chat 1 | I-I'm okay. I gave it some thought last night, and... I think it's better to stay leashed as a Heishou. I mean, even if I were to be freed, what other prospects do I have? Get killed after getting dragged into some random, unrelated conspiracy? Besides, our last lord wasn't all that, was he? I'm... too good for him. |
| Post-Uptie Chat 2 | The Family Hierarch candidates are a bunch of drama queens who act like they got dealt the worst possible hand in life. I mean, those rich kids have everything—silken clothes, good food... what more could they want? Backstreets people got dealt the same shitty hand. All the downsides of living here where life is precarious... except, instead of luxuries, they get tattered rags and starving stomachs. |
| Idle | That makes it eighty missions... Just a few more, and I won't have to be this beast anymore. |
| Uptying | Didya see that? Doubt ya did... A crooked snake whips faster than the speed of sound, you know. |
| Deployment | Wait! I'll take this mission. Is that okay with ya? |
| Stage Entry | You won't find a better snake for this job~ |
| Viewed in Battle | Didya call, m'lord? Feel free to summon me for anything ya need. |
| Commencing Attack | Let's sink our fangs into that thing. |
| Enemy Stagger | My, did I catch ya off guard? |
| Staggered | Ngh... |
| Enemy Killed | So sloppy. |
| Death | What... was the point...? All that time... I wasted... for the lord... |
| Check Passed | See? I'm better at this than the other snakes. |
| Check Failed | This... this was just a slip-up, 'kay? I'll do it right next time. |
| Victory Cry | Great, that's ninety successful missions, fulfilled all their extra requests, too... Maybe my lord'll finally consider me to be his number one gal? |
| Extra Conditions Fulfilled | Remember the promise ya made, m'lord? Ya know~ ya told me to complete a hundred missions, and you'd... Lord? Don't tell me you already used up all of your claims...? A-are you kidding me...? This isn't what you promised! |
| Defeat Wail | ... Looks like this lord's don't got much time left, either. Well, I never expected much from him anyway. I just have to butter up our next lord. And... and one day, I'll... |
Heishou Mutation [Si]
If this unit has <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>>, deal +5% damage
If target has <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>>, deal +5% damage
Intravascular Venom
SHAMROCK x 4
When 1 ally with the fastest Speed inflicts <<((Burst))Rupture>> damage to an enemy, inflict 1 <<((AttackDown))Offense Level Down >> and 1 <<((DefenseDown))Defense Level Down>> next turn (once per turn)
Serpent Glint
2 - 10
[On Use] Gain +1 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
Serpent Glint
2 - 10
[On Use] If the sum of <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency on self and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency is 10 or higher, Coin Power +1
[On Use] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[On Use] Gain +
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
Serpent Glint
2 - 10
[On Use] If the sum of <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency on self and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency is 10 or higher, Coin Power +1
[On Use] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[On Use] Gain +
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
Serpent Glint
2 - 10
[On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 10 (sum of this unit's <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency) (max 2)
[On Use] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[On Use] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict 1 <<((Burst))Rupture>>
[On Crit] If this unit has <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>>, inflict
Snake Fang
3 - 15
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +1 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>>
Snake Fang
3 - 15
[On Use] If the sum of <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency on self and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency is 10 or higher, Coin Power +1
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +
-
+4
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>>
Snake Fang
3 - 15
[On Use] If the sum of <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency on self and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency is 10 or higher, Coin Power +1
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +
-
+4
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>>
Snake Fang
3 - 15
[On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 10 (sum of this unit's <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency and target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency) (max 2)
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
[Clash Win] Inflict +2 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[Clash Win] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
|
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] At 30+ <<((Breath))Poise>>, consume 10 <<((Breath))Poise>> on self to Reuse Coin once (1 time max)
[On Hit] Inflict <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>>
Serpent's Mortal Flurry
4 - 16
<<((WideAreaRampage))Unfocused Volley>>
[On Use] If the sum of <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency on self and the main target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency is 10 or higher, Coin Power +1
[On Use] Gain Clash Power equal to <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>> on self
[On Use] Gain 3 <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>>
[Clash Win] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count against all targets
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Gain 2 <<((Breath))Poise>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[On Crit] Reduce <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>> on target by 1
[On Crit] Reuse this Coin once (2 times per Skill)
Serpent's Mortal Flurry
4 - 16
<<((WideAreaRampage))Unfocused Volley>>
[On Use] Coin Power +1 for every 10 (sum of this unit's <<((Breath))Poise>> Potency and the main target's <<((Burst))Rupture>> Potency) (max 2)
[On Use] Gain Clash Power equal to <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>> on self
[On Use] Gain 3 <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>>
[Clash Win] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count on all targets
[On Use] Gain Clash Power equal to <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>> on self
[On Use] Gain 3 <<((SnakeStance))Serpent Arm>>
[Clash Win] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count on all targets
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Gain +2 <<((Breath))Poise>> Count
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Gain 2 <<((Breath))Poise>>
-
+4
|
[On Hit] Inflict +1 <<((Burst))Rupture>> Count
[On Crit] Reduce <<((BurstPoison))Deathrite【Venom】>> on target by 1
[On Crit] Reuse this Coin once (2 times per Skill)
I see a small group of people fleeing, navigating past the bodies growing cold and stiff.
But it won't matter. Don't they know that there's no getting away from the snakes?
Gaaaaah!
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
…….
While it is not as deadly as the Night in the Backstreets, the nighttime of Hongyuan is when various grievances and resentments come to light and clash.
Maybe that's why...
Nighttime is when those who harass and bully vendors and merchants during daytime then tremble and fall on the dirt to scurry under their desks.
Nighttime is when those who would normally look down on the poor are rendered sobbing and snivelling as they demand to know under whose bidding we have been sent.
Every swing is a beheading of the arrogant,
and their decapitated heads thump lightly before rolling across the wood floor like bowling balls.
One of the heads comes to a rolling stop, and its eyes stare straight into mine.
Resentment. Fear. Sorrow.
Familiar sentiments, all of them, swirl behind the gathering cloudiness of those eyes.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Hah. Think you've got it rough, huh? You don't deserve to look at me like that.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
You've never felt the shearing cold. You've never felt the hunger, the sensation of bones sticking to your skin.
How dare a mere beast of the Heishou lecture us?! You're nothing more than livestock!
I don't even look around as I decapitate the source of that voice with my polearm.
I felt something rising from my throat. It was dry and discomforting.
Don't they know why they're getting killed...? How do they not see this is totally just deserts?
So, despite knowing that there wasn't anyone to hear my words, I speak to the decapitated heads as I walk across the creaking floorboards.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
It's never enough, is it? Even with all this boundless wealth, you still had to look for more, huh?
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
I guess it's more of a rhetorical question. It's power, isn't it? You wanted that little morsel of power, something more than money can get, didn't you?
They must've been too greedy. Greedy enough to draw the ire of a different candidate... my lord's, to be exact.
And they have the gall to give me that look? They pretty much brought all this upon themselves.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
... Looks like I've decapitated all of them.
My lord's orders were simple.
The mission was to find a small hermitage called <ruby=Songan>Pine</ruby> Hermitage and decapitate everyone on the list.
There was a weird exception clause listed there. Should I encounter a target who's not on the list, I should crush their head. But...
I didn't see anyone that fit the conditions in this tiny hermitage.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Well, now that's taken care of, I should head back to— Huh?
I detect a very small noise coming from under the pile of crates.
I reflexively reach out and destroy them... and a tiny shadow crawled out from under them.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Ha... ha...
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
So that's why the lord sent the Heishou here. He knew that they were secretly raising a potential candidate here... A potential rival to him.
P-please don't kill me, Ms. Heishou!
Mom and dad said... If we wanna live in Daguanyuan's blessings...
I-I have to work hard to become the Family Hierarch and bring prosperity to our family.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
He's just a kid... he doesn't even know what he's talking about.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Haah... now why'd you have to go and hide there? Couldn't you have picked a better hiding place than under some random crate?
The boy is barely holding back his tears. But the hermitage is quiet, and there are no witnesses.
Now that I'm thinking about it, my lord probably didn't know for sure that there was a kid, either.
There wouldn't have been that awkwardly worded clause if he did. He would've just told me to kill the child.
He must've sent a Heishou for this job... as a warning.
A warning to others that he shouldn't even hear rumors of something like this.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
…….
Nngh...
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Well, I see how it is.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
If the lord's gonna get me outta here... well, he can't afford to use us snakes for the big missions, right?
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
That has to be why he's using us only for these small, cheaper missions.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Heh, looks like this lord's finally gonna be the one to keep the promise.
... Huh? What are you—
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Don't worry about it. It's better that you don't know.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
You're a lucky one, kiddo.
This was a mission I volunteered to take. No other Heishou's coming.
And the other Heishou that's supposed to be here seems to have taken the liberty of giving himself the night off. I haven't seen him all night.
Uh... uhh...!
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Sit still, kid. Don't wanna accidentally cut your head in half.
I... won't have to crush his head. A quick beheading should do it—I can explain this to my lord, and—
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Whoops, just realized that you pretty much had the situation handled.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
……
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
I didn't just jump the gun, did I? My bad if I did.
The head drops to the floor. There's a large hole straight through the skull.
The boy's head hits the floor with a wet thump in a fashion unlike the other decapitated heads, which rolled away with an almost blithe bounciness.
The flesh was raw. Viscous blood drips and sticks to the wood.
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Damn... it's like this lord's got a sixth sense or something, huh? How'd he know there'd be a kid here?
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Uh... yeah. Right.
This... is why I hate this work.
Not allowed to even make a single judgment. Just follow the lord's orders.
We won't make any enemies or friends, but... that's what makes us nothing more than tools.
... Its long-term prospects are pretty dire.
At least I can comfort myself with the fact that the deal I made with the lord'll be fulfilled soon.
This miserable work... Just a few more days, and I won't have to be a Heishou anymore...
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
... What took you so long?
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Our lord gave me a last-minute extra mission. Had to take care of that first.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Mission...?
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Yeah. Lord's looking to deal with a prominent candidate from the Xue family tomorrow.
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
It's gonna be a big mission, so he'll have to let go of our leashes once we take care of it, but... hey, if he thinks the mission's worth it, then who are we to say otherwise?
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
So, uh... Just asking in case you had your hopes up, but... you didn't actually believe him, right? That he'll free you and take you under his wing?
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Huh? Aw, 'course not~ I'm not stupid.
The words that came out of my own mouth were strangely placid. Almost jovial.
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Yeah. No sane person in Hongyuan's ever gonna take a non-Adept Heishou under their wing.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
The Family Hierarch war's coming, right? It'd be a dumb move to not be a Heishou.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
I'm so glad I'm a Heishou when stuff's going down for reals. We get a brief period to relax once they pick the Family Hierarch too, don't we?
It was as though something had taken control of my tongue to speak, as though all the gloom in my words were cleaned and filtered before leaving my lips.
... If I admit that I desire for nothing more than to escape this life of a Heishou... I'll have to face what a miserable thing I've become.
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
You're not wrong.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Besides, I know how much you guys'll miss me. There'll be a super capable snake-sized hole when I'm gone!
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
That's uh... well, you're not entirely wrong there, but also not entirely correct.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
C'mon, this is when you say "you're so right", 'kay? Ugh, no wonder you're so boring. You've been at this for too long.
그레고르 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Well, let's head back. I'll report the mission's success to the lord; I need to visit him soon anyway.
The other snake leaves. I found myself transfixed by the crushed head, its shape now almost unrecognizable.
But I soon look away and leave the hermitage.
My room smelled of mold and lukewarm humidity.
Old, Bolus-soaked wraps thrown haphazardly across the floor. Blood all over my body.
This mess of a room was just too much, too much like my own heart.
So I bury my face between my knees to calm the growing misery.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
I don't know. I just don't know anymore.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Everything he asked, I did without question. Was it too much to ask to forfeit a few months of his time with the leash?
There was never going to be any escape from this life, no matter how loyal I was. I knew that. But I still had to ask.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
He could've chosen me.
로쟈 : Heishou Pack - Si Branch
Why... why wasn't it me...?
I didn't want to think anymore.
Thinking only seemed to sink me, drag me deeper into the endless abyss.
I'm so cold.