Here it is, the next chapter, gonna take place from Nathan's perspective for a good part of it to give him more personality. Gonna have parts of the Father route of Throne's chapter 2 and the Winterbloom route of Castii's chapter 2.
Disclaimer: Octopath Traveler II and its characters. Etc were created by Square.
Burdened Hearts
The town of Winterbloom was cold, but that was hardly unexpected, Nathan had been sure to procure a coat and was currently in the local tavern, having split up with Scarlet to cover more ground and gather information all the more swiftly. The orange-haired man had ordered himself a drink as he listened to rumors from the other patrons in the tavern, mussing over recent events.
'Sure isn't easy carrying out what the leaders of the syndicate want' he thought, taking a sip of ale. His thoughts also dwelt on Priscilla, did that cheeky thing really expect him to forget what had happened to his father?
As he finished roughly half of his cup of ale, a certain brunette woman in purple came into the tavern for a quick drink. Nathan looked over at her"Hey. You don't seem like you're from here."
"You're right, I'm not" the woman replied"I came here on business." She looked at him curiously.
Nathan took another sip of his drink before introducing himself"By the way, my name's Nathan, I'm something of a drifter, but I an here on business as well, technically."
The brunette raised an eyebrow, she heard that name from Prosecutor Whiteshore before she and two of her companions had split up from the rest of their group to attend to business in this town"Intriguingg, I heard of you, Nathan Whiteshore. My name is Throne, I came in search of a man who goes by Father."
"Father?" Nathan almost laughed"What kind of an alias is that? Unless you mean that he's your dad?"
"He's the one who taught me everything there is to know about my... Profession" Throne replied in distaste"Its a complicated mess. And as for yourself Nathan, a little bird told me that you do not get along well with your sister, and that you are in the Crimson Sun. Am I right?"
Nathan's eyes narrowed for a second as he took another gulp of ale"You're as sharp as you look. Yes, that strung-up, jealous woman and I do not see eye-to-eye, and as for my joining the Crimson Sun... Suppose that I did, I don't suppose you'd tell anyone?"
Throne ordered her drink and took a sip before replying"It would be utter hypocrisy if I did, given what I was trained to do, and the very reason I am traveling. Not that I like it very much" she frowned, reminded of when she was forced to kill her comrade, Pirro in a setup done by Father and Mother to choose the next leader of the Blacksnakes.
"You're an Assassin, then? My father told me that such people shouldn't be trusted lightly" Nathan commented around a sip of his own drink"What else can you tell me about this Father guy?"
"He's the leader of the Blacksnakes, alongside Mother." Throne replied"I must hunt both of them down if I am to attain my freedom, they each carry a key which I believe could unlock the collar on my neck, I can't forcibly tear off the thing because its laced. All Blacksnakes are forced to wear it as a sign of membership."
Curious, Nathan took a closer look, seeing the choker that the woman is wearing"That thing?" He was disgusted hearing what the Blacksnakes do to their own members, some members of the Crimson Sun at least had tattoos somewhere on their upper bodies as opposed to wearing uncomfortable accessories"Looks uncomfortable, I don't envy you one bit. I have my own agenda, but maybe I can help you take down the Blacksnakes and get the keys to your freedom."
"How unexpectedly generous" Throne commented"Considering what I have heard about you."
"Hey, now" Nathan laughed"Just because I have a score to settle with that so-called genius doesn't mean I can let such a beautiful woman down by not lending a hand if I could."
Throne wrinkled her nose"Its the liquor talking, isn't it?"
"I guess I've had about enough when you put it like that" Nathan said, putting down his drink.
The thief took a few more sips of her own drink"Whatever is going on between you and Priscilla is none of my business, but I will accept your aid in attaining true freedom, just don't think this arrangement means that I trust you."
"That's fine by me" Nathan grinned"Funny, we both don't really trust the other, yet we've just made a deal. But what do you know? Alliances tend to gear more towards necessity rather than friendship, anyway. Least that's what my father taught me."
Throne tilted her head"Interesting. Now then, shall we get going? After this, I'm going to meet up with my companions. I came into town with an Apothecary and a Hunter, they went to check on Lady Glenvilile, the Ruler of Winterbloom." Truthfully, she had no interest in what was going on between Nathan and Priscilla, her only concern being to achieve true freedom from the Blacksnakes.
"I heard that Lady Rosa is quite sick, her illness apparently has no known cure" Nathan frowned"But one can hope. Anyway, yeah, let's get going."
"My thought exactly" Throne replied, Nathan seemed like a decent guy, but from her perspective, the Crimson Sun is not much better than the Blacksnakes. She silently led the way to the northeast side of town.
"So what's the plan?" Nathan asked on their way there.
Before Throne could reply, a dagger landed sharply near her feet"Ah." She turned back"Nathan, hide yourself for a moment, I must speak with him, alone."
"Don't bother" A man with long silver hair and dark clothes and an eye-patch approached"Throne, how good of you to meet me here. I know about your companion, one of the pretentious upstarts from the Crimson Sun, I assume."
"Who are you calling an upstart, old man?" Nathan retorted.
Throne shot Nathan a warning look to not provoke him before addressing Father"So what did you want to meet me here, for?" She needed information first before she would get around to actually taking him down.
Father snorted"Humph. Your companion certainly has spunk, a rather tempting target from what I heard, Scarlet's mercenaries are starting to get too nosy for certain individuals' liking. But more importantly, Throne, I need you to accompany me for a small task. Our targets: The Snowhares."
"They are a rival gang of thieves, traitors who broke away from the Blacksnakes, correct?" Throne asked, now was not a good time to strike.
Father nodded, grimly"Yes, Borgomi, the Snowhares' leader is who we must deal with, especially for trying to break off from the Blacksnakes. I would have to insist that you come alone, unless the boy thinks he can keep his mouth shut about this? I was sorely tempted to silence him already, but then again, I can see that he is a competent swordsman and a cunning person. You found yourself quite the partner."
"I'm twenty-nine years old" Nathan said through gritted teeth"And why should we?"
"Silence, worm" Father replied, coldly"Be grateful that I won't kill you, and frankly, I am quite aware of Throne's intent." After all, he had planned for Throne to kill him from the time he had raised her. But there was no need for this orange-haired swordsman to know that.
Throne cringed, she didn't think she could hide her intent from the man who taught her everything she knew about their profession, but this knowledge still caught her off guard.
Nathan sighed"Well, if the Snowhares are causing trouble, I suppose we'll take care of them, first before doing anything else." A fine day he picked to consort with these two assassins, but right now it could not be helped, especially since he already promised Throne he would help her.
"Good" Father pointed the way to the hideout"There is the Snowhares' headquarters. I will provide support if needed."
By that, Throne guessed that he would only step in if she and Nathan failed, but she nodded"All right, then."
Throne and Nathan quietly headed for the hideout. As soon as they entered, they came across a woman with blond hair, just sitting there, scared and chained. Nathan walked over"Are you all right, miss?"
The woman looked at the pair"Who are you...?"
"Nathan Whiteshore, and this is Throne" Nathan replied"And you...?"
"My name is Shara, I was kidnapped and brought here" The woman replied"The Snowhares said something about selling me... To slavery." She was scared.
Throne took this information in silently"I have a job to do, here." She started to walk on ahead, stopping for a moment to address Shara again"I will come back for you, I promise."
"But what if someone comes along and snatches her in the meantime before we come back to take her to safety?" Nathan protested.
"Best pray that we're not too late, then" Throne stated simply, she had to focus on the job with Father breathing down her neck.
Nathan thought for a second and sighed, turning to Shara"We'll be back."
"Thank you" Shara whispered, still scared of what is going to happen to her.
Nathan and Throne headed deeper into the Snowhares' den. Monsters occasionally accosted the two, but they easily dealt with those. In the deepest part of the lair, a man with black hair and a grayish suit with white gloves stood with a couple of his lackeys.
"The Snowhares' leader, right?" Nathan readied his blade.
Throne nodded, drawing her dagger.
Bergomi turned to look at the two"Well, well" he sneered"Look what came slithering into my lair. What are you doing here?"
"My companion and I hare to clean up the filth" Throne replied, tersely.
The Snowhares' leader looked at her"Hm. That tattoo, you must be one of the Blacksnakes, then, you've come to talk about our little territory issue?"
Throne said nothing, while Nathan gripped his blade tightly.
"And the man next to you, is he of House Whiteshore?" Bergomi asked, pointedly.
"What of it?" Nathan asked in a cold tone"But yes, I am. My name is Nathan Whiteshore, member of the Crimson Sun. Your slave trafficking days are over."
Bergomi shrugged"The Crimson Sun was only heard of fairly recently, but so far they are largely irrelevant. They claim to strike at the corrupt, but really they are no different than us Snowhares and the Blacksnakes. Pah, the Blacksnakes had been allies of the Snowhares for a long time" he laughed"But they've grown weak, and we Snowhares are a capricious lot."
"What do you know!?" Nathan demanded.
"The fact that the Snakes sent a weak girl over with a lone swordsman accompanying her just proves how weak the Blacksnakes have become and how arrogant the Crimson Sun Syndicate is" Bergomi replied, casually.
"Hate to burst your bubble" Nathan smirked"But I'm far tougher than I look, my father taught me how to fight with a sword, and I also know a little bit of magic. You can trash talk Scarlet and the rest of her Mercs all you want, I'm just gonna shut you up for good."
"And you can see how weak this little girl is for yourself" Throne added, drawing her dagger.
"Challenge accepted" The Snowhares' leader replied, arming himself with combat needles, his men drew their own weapons as Bergomi sneered"I'm done with you and your kin, girl. I've my sights on stronger allies, and the Crimson Sun will know just how over their heads they are."
"Guess again" Nathan threw a Lightstone at one of Bergomi's lackeys, blinding the man with its spell. The other lackey rushed Nathan, while Throne dodged a needle from Bergomi and struck with her dagger. The Snowhare leader dodged and hurled two needles at Nathan and Throne, prompting them to dodge.
"The Whiteshore whelp is tougher than we thought" the lackey who Nathan had blinded gripped.
Bergomi rolled his eyes and used an augmenting needle on the man before rushing Throne with a swipe. Throne dodged and jabbed at Bergomi, driving him backwards.
"This whelp knows strategy, at least" Nathan quipped as he managed to disarm and cut down the lackey he was fighting before going to engage the other one. The lackey jabbed at Nathan, who simply dodged and cut him down with a horizontal strike.
Bergomi grunted in annoyance and hurled four needles at the pair, prompting them to dodge. Nathan cast a fireball right as the thief attempted to use a debilitating needle on him. Throne darted forward and stabbed Bergomi, staggering him. The Snowhare leader retaliated with another jab and threw another needle at Nathan, who narrowly dodged and slashed at him brutally.
Bergomi staggered and clutched his wound"Argh..." He breathed heavily, looking at the two"Please, just spare me... I'll lick both of your shoes, even the bottoms, I'll do anything."
"You disgust me" Throne shook her head.
"Same" Nathan gripped is blade tightly.
"Just spare me!" The older thief pleaded.
Throne readied her dagger"Nothing personal, sorry." But just as she was about to strike, a couple of daggers struck her and Nathan.
"Ah!" Nathan doubled over in pain.
"Even the most skilled assassin is vulnerable when the killing blow is struck" came a voice as Father emerged from the shadows"Am I wrong, Throne?"
"Father" Throne groaned in pain as she turned to address him, she looked at Nathan as well.
"You don't have to worry, you and the boy will live, I didn't hit any vitals" Father assured her, glancing at her for a moment longer"You uphold my teachings well, but it won't be enough to kill me."
"You really knew, then" Throne murmured. She was a bit surprised that Father still didn't kill Nathan, considering he had no qualms about having Pirro die just so Father and Mother can determine who is fit to become the next leader of the Blacksnakes.
Father nodded"Of course, I am your father after all, I can see through your schemes. I could have killed you now had I wanted that."
Bergomi tried to slink away"Ah... Help!" He was still gravely injured and was futilely calling for help, but there were no other bandits in the vicinity.
"Silence, hare!" Father snapped, throwing a dagger at the Snowhares' leader, killing him.
Throne shot an intense look at her father.
Nathan clenched his hand"You geezer... He was already dying from my blade."
"What did I do wrong?" Father shook his head"I cared for Throne more than any of my other children, boy."
"I am tired of this life" Throne faced the older assassin"I want to leave the Blacksnakes, and so I must kill you., Father."
Father blinked, then laughed"You truly are my daughter, Throne! Very well, then. When you are ready, come to Montwise where we will put an end to all of this."
The minute the older Assassin left, Nathan removed the dagger that was embedded in his leg and ate a healing grape, letting its magical properties take care of the wound"Sounds like he actually loves you, but at the same time, not."
"Yes, our relationship is rather complex" Throne said.
Nathan tended to Throne's injury as best he can"I'm no Apothecary, but at least the healing grapes have pretty darn good healing magic imbued in them. So, how do you reckon Bergomi and Father knew about the Crimson Sun?"
"They clearly had their sources" Throne shrugged"And frankly, a group that operates so blatantly in broad daylight is hard to ignore. Our injuries seem to have healed, but we better go see Castii just in case, she should still be in the town, tending to Lady Glenvile."
Nathan nodded and accompanied Throne back out"Is Castii the Apothecary you mentioned?"
"She is" Throne nodded as they continued back on their way out.
When they got back to the entrance, Shara was gone. Throne mentally cursed herself"Crap, we're too late."
Nathan shook his head sadly, there is no way to track the captive woman's whereabouts, its unlikely that anyone would have seen her pass by with someone, the Traffickers would not be that stupid. And there is no indication that she was murdered and buried somewhere"I guess it's out of our hands now, hopefully she'll be all right wherever she is."
Throne nodded solemnly and led the way, the two headed back into the main town, making their way to Lady Glenvile's mansion. A certain Beastling met them on their way"Nene!"
Throne looked ahead to see Ochette"Ochette."
"Sorry I couldn't join you, mama had asked me to help gather herbs to help Miss Rosa, I'm just sort of taking a break right now" Ochette said, apologetically.
"Its fine" Throne assured her.
Nathan was curious"Uh, why does she call you Nene? And is Castii her mom, then?"
"No, she just likes to call her this, though I can't deny that Castii has a maternal feel to her" Throne replied"I suppose she calls me Nene because she considers me a sister."
"That's right" Ochette smiled, the then looked at Nathan"And who are you?"
"I'm Nathan, I'm from House Whiteshore" the orange-haired swordsman replied, he figured that Ochette is a beastling and was honestly a bit surprised to see someone of her kind, here.
The Beastling curiously sized him up"Hey... You're Prissy's bro, right?"
Nathan tensed, trying not to make a face"Yeah, Priscilla is my sister." He did not want to snap at this innocent-seeming beastling girl, though he felt like hightailing it out of town, any further reminders of that Prosecutor and he'd definitely do that.
Ochette could tell that Nathan seemed like a good person, just confused and angry, but a look from Throne and Akala cautioned her not to stick her nose any further into this"Let's go see how mom is doing." It was obvious that she saw Castii as a maternal figure.
The group headed into the mansion owned by the town's ruler. Castii was talking to an elderly woman with blond hair, Ochette walked over"Hey, Castii!"
"Hm?" Castii turned to the group"Oh, you're back. Is everything all right?"
"Yes" Throne grimaced"Though I got a little scratched with a dagger and had to use a Healing Grape."
"Oh, dear" Castii frowned, concerned"Well, at least you're all right. I'll need to double-check wherever the scratch is to be sure, though. And who's this with you?"
"Nathan" Throne replied"He helped me with a job, we took down the Snowhares."
Castii looked at Throne and Nathan thoroughly"Well, you seem fine, the injury you just told me about must have been small enough that a healing grape was enough to heal it, Throne. Nathan, I am Castii, an Apothecary."
Nathan nodded"Pleasure. So how is Lady Rosa?"
"She's still terminally ill, she may not make it through till her daughter's twelfth birthday" The maid chose this time to speak"My name is Lily, I am just a humble maid under her lady's service. Castii has been treating my lady and making sure she is comfortable as possible."
"I see" Nathan felt for the poor bedridden woman"But why is her daughter's twelfth birthday important? I mean, besides possibly wanting to live to see it."
"Young miss Melia is next in line to become the leader of this town" Lily explained"But that's if Lady Rosa lives until Miss Melia's twelfth year. Otherwise, the title would go to the young miss's older cousin, Greg. That's why Castii has been tending to my lady since yesterday."
"Sounds rough" Nathan commented"I'm sorry to hear about that."
"As if that wasn't enough" Castii frowned"I got a note just a moment ago, Melia was kidnapped, and Greg isn't here. Lily looked everywhere in the manor and couldn't find Melia anywhere."
Throne had a feeling that something is up"What does the note say?"
Castii hesitated, Melia's abductors wanted her alone, but she didn't feel right keeping this from her friends"They said If I wanted to see Melia again, I would have to go alone to the tavern in the thieves' quarter."
"Could the kidnappers have been part of the Snowhares?" Nathan asked, angered by this.
"Probably not, but they won't get away with this, either way" said Throne.
Castii started to walk away"I must go alone, I can't put Melia's life at risk."
"Wait a moment" Nathan grinned"I have a plan. Throne, Ochette and I will follow you from a distance in case you need help, Castii. That way, if the kidnappers try anything funny, we'll be onto them so fast they won't know what hit them. Ochette, you can fight, right?"
"Yep, I have a bow, and Akala's pretty strong" the Beastling replied.
"That La'Jackal, right?" Nathan asked"Well, we got ourselves a solid group."
Castii turned"Thanks everyone."
"You are welcome, now let's go rescue that girl" said Throne.
Castii went on ahead to the thieves' quarter. Nathan, Ochette, Throne and Akala followed from a distance. The group walked until they came to a shady tavern in one corner of the Thieves' quarter. As planned, the Apothecary went inside, first. Nathan and Throne went to stand near the entrance so as not to let the unknown kidnapper see them.
Castii spotted a girl laying still at the corner of the tavern and walked towards her.
"Now, not so fast" said a voice as a nobleman with dark hair and a suit approached the Apothecary, accompanied by a woman with short blond hair and a tunic with boots and two other men.
Castii was livid at the group that approached her"What did you...?"
"I only gave Melia a little something to put her to sleep for a bit, that's all" The noble replied, haughtily.
"What do you hope to gain with such treachery?" The Apothecary demanded.
The noble scoffed"Easy. I want you to stop ministering Rosa and get out of town."
"You want the title that badly, Greg?" Castii asked, appalled.
Greg nodded"I am a visionary, I seek to turn this town into a thriving metropolis like Clockbank! Rosa is too stuck in the past to see the future. I got around to thinking I could do a better job than her."
"You would pressure her when she's battling a mortal illness?" Castii asked, getting more annoyed.
"She should let me have the title so she can focus on recuperating!" Greg retorted.
"Let's get to the point" the blond thief interrupted"You want this busybody gone, right?" She shoved the noble to the side, smirking"There's an easier way to make her disappear. How? It all depends whether she values her life or her money more."
"But I hired you to just stand there and look menacing!" Greg protested.
Nathan rolled his eyes, that Greg is a complete amateur at negotiating with thieves and assassins, plus he had just threatened an innocent Apothecary for his selfish gain"Oh no you don't!" He rushed in, sword at the ready. Throne and Ochette followed him in.
"Oh, the tough girl has backup" The woman smirked"Fine, fine. Mikk, Makk, let's show them out of town and take their money."
"If you walk out the door right now, I will pretend this never happened" Castii seethed, glaring at the bandits.
"I don't think so" The leader of the three thieves smirked, blades at the ready.
Ochette and Throne readied their weapons as Mikk and Makk charged. Nathan stood next to Castii and intercepted when the thief leader, Plukk tried to slash at the Apothecary. Greg had meanwhile gone to hide behind the bar table, he had no fighting experience.
Ochette dodged an attack from Mikk, retaliating with a shot to the thief's leg, Akala pitched in with his jaws, causing Mikk to scream in pain. Throne dodged as Makk swung at her twice, countering with a couple of swift strikes from her dagger.
Plukk slashed twice at Nathan and Castii. The pair dodged, with Nathan slashing hard at the blond thief, driving her back. Plukk growled and kicked at Nathan, staggering him a bit, Castii quickly drove Plukk back with a swing of her ax. Nathan followed suit with a slash, barely nicking the blond thief.
Mikk tried to shake Akala off, the La'Jackal simply letting go and clawing the thief, Ochette followed through with a strike of her nails, driving him back. Mikk grunted in pain and lunged, only for the Hunter to dodge and knock him back with a jump kick.
Throne drove Makk back to the wall, prompting the man to try to push her back with a spin attack. Throne dodged and proceeded to knock Makk out by slamming him against the wall.
Mikk, meanwhile staggered and jabbed at Ochette, the Beastling dodged and shot an arrow, staggering her opponent enough for Throne to dart in and knock him out.
"Why do humans hunt and fight things they can't eat, anyway?" Ochette sighed. She wasn't very fond of fighting people.
"Its a complicated mess" Throne replied"Just how things are at times."
Castii parried as Plukk tried to get at her again, leaving an opening for Nathan to punch the blond thief back. Plukk slashed and jabbed, barely nicking Nathan, who countered with a kick and a slash, driving her back. Plukk darted to the side and swiped at the orange-haired swordsman, who dodged and slashed back, the two of them locking blades. Castii took advantage of the opening to slam Plukk with the side of her ax, knocking her out.
"That was a pretty good workout, I needed to let off some stress" Nathan commented.
Greg peeped up from his hiding place and walked over, looking at the unconscious thieves, clearly upset over what had transpired"This wasn't supposed to happen..."
"Do you want to be next?" Nathan shot Greg a disgusted look"Because honestly, either you're an idiot or you really are corrupt."
"All I wanted was to make the town better, that's why I was doing whatever it took to get the title as leader of the town" Greg murmured, looking at Nathan"I swear that I did not anticipate this."
Castii walked forward tersely, looking firmly at the brunette noble"Its not for me to judge you, but if you look back on your deeds and your heart and find them wanting, try to become a better person. Tell Rosa what happened."
Greg nodded, still ashamed of what had just happened, he almost got an innocent Apothecary killed because of his act of selfishness. With a sigh, he headed back to Rosa's manor.
Nathan struggled with himself for a moment before putting his sword away"I suppose Winterbloom is free from corruption, there's no reason for me to stay."
Castii went to check on Melia, who just regained consciousness"Are you all right?"
"I am now, thank you Castii" Melia replied, then looked at the other three people who had come to help her"And all of you as well."
"Don't mention it" Nathan grunted, walking out of the tavern. He planned to spend the night at the inn and then go meet up with Scarlet in the morning.
Throne watched him go before turning back to Castii"There is no doubt that Nathan is a criminal, but given how I lived for pretty much my whole life, I am hardly one to talk."
"But you had no choice, right?" Castii asked.
Throne nodded"Yes, that's right."
"Is there something wrong?" Melia asked, curious.
Castii turned her attention back to the preteen"Its nothing you need to worry about, right now we just need to focus on helping your mother and Greg. Let's get you back home, okay?"
Melia nodded and left with Castii, Ochette and Akala accompanied them. Throne went to intercept Nathan, he couldn't have gone very far, yet. She found him heading to the inn"Hey."
"What is it?" Nathan asked, patiently.
"I just want to let you know that I appreciate your help, today" Throne told him"I'm going to Montwise, and then to Wellgrove. What do you plan on doing?"
"Business" Nathan shrugged"Got more places to check out, more corruption to weed out."
Throne had an inkling that Nathan is not entirely honest with himself, but couldn't pry, instead commenting"Once this business in taking out the Blacksnake leaders and gaining my true freedom is done, what will happen to you depends entirely on what you plan on doing. I am not as charitable as Castii, I would have no qualms working with Priscilla to take you alive if that is what she wants."
"So you would side with that woman?" Nathan asked, coldly.
"I just see no point in killing you, and if you are wondering why Father didn't silence you, it may have to do with House Whiteshore itself, it is one of the most prominent noble houses in Vella after all" Throne replied. Answering that she would indeed side with Priscilla would probably provoke him.
Nathan chuckled darkly"Yeah, my mother is sweet enough that either my or Priscilla's death would upset her." That was why he initially planned on ensuring that Rick and Shane would take the blame, entirely by leaving them nothing conclusive that could be traced back to him had they succeeded"But yeah, I guess I'm a bit curious as to why your father didn't off me."
"You can ask him yourself if you come with me to Montwise" Throne offered"But that meeting would not end until either he or the both of us are dead."
"And I'm frankly not surprised you could turn on me like that other thief lady did with Greg" Nathan commented"I'll try to arrange it so I will meet you at Montwise." Scarlet was heading there, anyway, and he had instructions to meet with her.
"Don't lump me in with that greedy trio who went against Greg's instructions, though he should have known better than to trust thieves" Throne frowned"I suppose I shall see you later on."
"Same to you" Nathan replied, continuing to the inn, unaware that soldiers from Vella would be coming to ask about the Crimson Sun soon. Not that there is much they can possibly do in Winterbloom as long as they don't know he's with them.
Finally managed to get this done. I toyed a bit with Nathan encountering Father alongside Throne as way to test the waters, imagining how it would be like if other travelers could fully interact with NPCs from chapters not their own. I apologize for any OOCness.
So now Nathan has a little more personality, and he and Throne actually have a bit of chemistry in my opinion, both of them are the half-siblings of someone else in their respective families, and they're both criminals, except Throne was forced to live as a thief and a assassin, while Nathan chose to join the Crimson Sun. I may be getting inconstant with some of the other travelers' stories/chapters happening off screen and including some in the fic, but what can I say?