– What is it?
– Nothing. I thought I saw something.
– Your own soul burning in hell?
– Bodies burn, not souls.
– Good point. So how does a soul suffer, then?
– Only if you allow it to. Mine is kept pristinely inside me. I never let it out to play judge or defendant.
– But we did something wrong. Even your callous soul can sense that.
– If by wrong you mean not taking part in a war that’s not ours, then yes, we did wrong.
– But we took part in it. We revealed his location to the emperor. Were it not for us, the insurrection might still be alive.
– But it isn’t. And we don’t get to choose whether we exist or not. We’re just traders, and we did what comes naturally to us: we traded his life for money. Nothing personal—just the impersonal game of survival we call life. I don’t see a better option than sacrificing the other competitors, as long as we’re not held accountable.
As they speak, they get closer and closer to you. You fear they’ll spot you any moment now. You realize they’re talking about the insurgent Theodore—the one who led the rebellion against Emperor Claudius. Furthermore, you have no part in this war either, but you know these are grim tidings for all who hoped to see the emperor’s tyranny end.
Meanwhile, the caravan moves past you. You don’t know exactly where you are—or more importantly—how much longer you can survive in this desert. You’re cornered between the sword and the wall. You have only two choices:
***
Circle around the boulder and attack the two traders from behind. – go to this page
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Step out from behind the boulder with your hands in the air. – go to this page
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