>>5693392You release your grip on Ingrid. She slumps back down to the floor wordlessly. No. It would be unfair to hit her. To hurt and take your frustrations out on her. She had her reasons for acting this way. You had your own. Now was not the time to lose your cool. Not when the others were counting on you to deliver them to safety.
>“Mistake or not, I saved your life. I won’t throw it away now. We’ll go to Garreg Mach as planned. Come if you like. Or don’t. But so long as you’re here, under my watch, you’ll be protected.”She doesn’t say a word. Ingrid merely continues sitting there, staring blankly at the floor. You’d done all that you could here. You leave Ingrid to herself.
“Boss!” One of your mercenaries calls out upon spotting your descent from the top floor. “Captain Ashe and the others have returned.”
>Please let them have brought back food. “Excellent. I’ll see them now.”You find Ashe, Caleb, and a few of the others huddled around a table, working at skinning whatever game they’d acquired. As your approach, your stomach rumbling, you find…
>“…What is this?”“Uhh…a couple of rabbits and a fox.” Ashe reports solemnly. “Oh, and some berries we found growing in a fern. They’re not poisonous. Or uhh…they shouldn’t be.”
“There was a deer but…it got away.” Caleb says sadly. “Never missed Boleslav more than I do now. That guy knew how to hunt. This forest is completely desolate. It’s as if something’s gone and scared all the animals away. It took us hours just to even find these meager things.
“How’d fishing go?” Ashe asks you, a tinge of hope noticeable in his voice.
Goddess. If this kept up, you’d be forced to eat Beathan soon.
>“Ashe, you’re a native to these parts. Is there anything we can do to somehow salvage more food?”“Short of stealing from the locals?” Ashe winces. “Not really. Caleb’s right. I’ve never seen a forest this…empty. Something’s got the local wildlife spooked. They’re nowhere to be seen. It’s as if they’ve already been hunted.”
“Don’t think I’m necessarily opposed to stealing at this point.” Caleb mutters. “If I have nothing to eat but watery broth again, I think I just might lose my mind. Goddess knows I’m not the only one grumbling.”
“I’d…rather we not go down that route.” Ashe says. “I’d like to think I’ve left that sort of thing behind me. There’s got to be something we can do.”
“Every village we’ve passed has wanted nothing to do with us.” Caleb counters. “It’s not just about keeping a tight hand on their supplies. The Dukedom is coming. And they’re afraid about what might happen if they’re found out to have given aid to the enemy.”
>A): You have no choice. You’ll need to pay a visit to one of the local villages and take food by force if necessary.>B): You aren’t a thief. Sit back for now. Surely there must be some other sort of alternative. 