The cultist leader, his eyes wide with pain and desperation, pulls the throwing knife out of his hand with a grimace. He stumbles backward, dropping to one knee, his once-ferocious demeanor now replaced with defeat. His masked gaze locks onto Raven, and he says, "We are not fighting you. It was never our intention to harm any of you." His voice is strained, his breathing shallow. "One of our youngsters took that thing... we were going to return it. But he..." The leader's voice trails off, and he closes his eyes, his shoulders slumping. "He... he ....." The rain beats down on him, mingling with the blood and sweat that soaks his clothes. His hand, now free of the knife, shakes as he holds it out to Raven, palm up in a gesture of peace.
Raven, still reeling from the intense fight, cautiously approaches the leader, their own injuries demanding attention. They holster their revolver and extend a hand to help him up. "What thing?" Raven asks, their voice gentle despite the urgency of the situation.
The leader, with a final tremor, falls backward into the mud, his lifeblood seeping into the damp earth beneath him. His hand, still held out in a futile gesture of peace, goes limp. His eyes, once so full of anger and pain, now stare lifelessly up at the stormy sky. The rain patters down on his mask, obscuring it further as it fills with water and mud. His words hang in the air, unanswered, leaving Raven with more questions than they had before. The only sound now is the steady drip of rain and the distant rumble of thunder. The battle in the swamp has claimed its final victim, and the silence is deafening.
Raven, feeling the weight of the recent battle and the leader's cryptic words, slowly stands up and makes their way towards the building that Tip Brother had disappeared into. The rain has not ceased, and the mud clings to their boots as they move through the carnage of the battlefield. Upon reaching the building, they find the door slightly ajar, allowing a faint light to spill out into the gloomy swamp. The sounds of distant thunder and rain pattering on the rooftop create an eerie backdrop to the quietude inside. As they cautiously push the door open.
As you push the door open, you hear the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Before you can turn around, you feel a gentle hand on your shoulder, and Maggie calls out, "Raven, wait up!" She's drenched from the rain, her hair plastered to her face, but her eyes shine with a mix of concern and excitement. She must have followed you after the battle.
You lean into her touch, feeling a rush of relief that she's safe. "What is it, Maggie?" you ask, your voice strained from the tension of the past minutes.
Maggie nods towards the building. "I think we should check in on the Tip Brother," she says, her grip tightening slightly on your shoulder. "We can't just leave him in there, not after all this."
As Raven and Maggie rush into the dimly lit room, the smell of gunpowder and blood fills their nostrils. The sight that greets them is grisly: Tip Brother is slumped against the wall, his clothes stained with crimson, and a deep knife wound in his side. His eyes are glazed over, and his breaths come in shallow gasps. The room is cluttered with various artifacts and trinkets, but the most prominent feature is a large, ornate mirror standing in the center. The source of the gunshot is a lifeless body on the floor, a pool of blood spreading out from it. It seems the Tip Brother has encountered trouble while searching for answers.
Raven and Maggie watch in shock as the Tip Brother, his eyes glazed and his breaths shallow, stumbles towards the mirror, reaching out a trembling hand. "I found you at last," he whispers, his voice filled with a mix of joy and despair. The reflection in the mirror seems to flicker, and for a brief moment, it looks as if there's a second person standing there, a twin to the dying man before them. The sight is eerie, and it's clear that the Tip Brother is hallucinating. He collapses to the floor, his hand brushing against the cold glass before going still. The mirror, seemingly untouched by the chaos around it, reflects the carnage of the room with an unsettling serenity. The rain outside beats a mournful tattoo on the roof, adding to the somberness of the scene.
Raven, now enraged by the senseless violence and the betrayal of their trust, turns to Maggie. "What have we done?" they shout, their voice echoing through the room. "We killed all those people for a mirror? This isn't right, Maggie! This isn't what we're about!"
Maggie, equally horrified by the scene, takes a step back. "Raven, we didn't know," she says, her voice a whisper. "We were just trying to help. We had no idea it would come to this." Her eyes dart to the Tip Brother, whose life is fading away, and then to the mirror, which seems to pulsate with an eerie light. "But we can't just leave him here," she adds, her voice stronger now. "We need to get him to safety."
With a heavy heart and newfound rage, you gently lift the Tip Brother off the ground, his lifeless body a testament to the horrors that have unfolded within the swamp. The rain soaks through your clothes as you carry him outside, the weight of his sacrifice and the lives you've taken weighing heavily on your shoulders. As you step out into the open, the grim scene of the battle is laid before you. The once-frenetic battlefield is now a macabre tableau of the fallen cultists you've killed, their clothes muddied and stained with the crimson of their life essence. The rain washes away their blood, but the reality of your actions remains stark and unavoidable.
Tip brother His eyes remain fixated on the mirror, a sad smile playing on his lips as he whispers, "Brother..." The two of them share a grim look, knowing that the Tip Brother is likely moments away from death.
You and Maggie, with Tip Brother in your arms, make your way back through the swamp, retracing your steps through the battleground. The rain continues to pound down, making it difficult to navigate the now-churned earth. Upon reaching the Tip Brother's shack, you gently lay him down on a makeshift bed. His breathing is shallow and uneven.
Raven, unable to shake the guilt and anger, storms out of the tent, leaving Maggie to tend to the Tip Brother. The rain has picked up, turning the camp into a soggy mess. The usually vibrant colors of the Bandido's yellow attire are now dulled by the relentless downpour. Raven's mind is racing, trying to piece together the events that led them here. They had come to Saint Denis for a rescue, not a slaughter over a mirror. They stumble through the camp, passing by the tents, the fire now just a sad, flickering ember.
"What have we got ourselves into?" Raven murmurs to themselves, their voice barely audible over the patter of rain on their hat. They pause for a moment, looking up at the sky as if searching for an answer. The thunder rumbles, and the lightning flashes, momentarily illuminating the camp in a stark, blue-white light.
Inside the tent, Maggie is doing her best to treat the Tip Brother's wounds. She's ripped her shirt into strips, using them to bind the deep gash in his side. His eyes are closed, but his breaths are still ragged. "Hold on," she whispers to him, her voice strained with concern. "We'll get you through this." Despite the gravity of the situation, there's a hint of determination in her voice that suggests she's not ready to accept defeat.
Outside, Raven is pacing back and forth, the rain soaking them to the bone. They're torn between anger and sorrow, their mind racing with questions and regrets. Why did they agree to this mission? Was it all just for a mirror? The wind howls through the trees, and the lightning casts eerie shadows across the shack. They stop pacing and look back at the tent, feeling guilty for leaving Maggie to deal with the aftermath alone.
Deciding to face the situation head-on, Raven gathers their thoughts and reenters the tent. "How is he?" they ask, trying to keep their voice steady.
Maggie looks up from her makeshift medical work, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and resignation. "He's not going to make it," she says, her voice cracking slightly. "The wound is too deep, and we're out of medical supplies that could save him." The rain outside seems to echo the gravity of her words, growing louder and more insistent as it hammers against the tent. The Tip Brother's chest rises and falls with each painful breath, a grim reminder of the precariousness of life in this harsh world.
Raven's heart sinks as they approach the bedside, setting aside their anger and confusion for a moment to focus on the immediate situation. They take one of the Tip Brother's hands in their own, feeling the cold, clammy skin. "You heard her," Raven whispers to the dying man, their voice thick with emotion. "You've got to hang on. We're going to figure this out."
The Tip Brother, his voice barely a whisper, looks up at Raven, his eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry," he gasps, his grip on your hand tightening briefly. "I never meant for this... for any of this to happen." His breaths become shallower, and his eyes start to glaze over. You can see the pain etched on his face as he struggles to stay conscious. The room feels even colder than the storm outside, as the weight of his impending death settles heavily in the air.
The Tip Brother's voice grows weaker with each word, his grip on life slipping away. "I'm going to meet my brother," he says, his eyes glazed over with pain and fatigue. "We're going to be free... once and for all." His words hang in the air, a poignant echo of the reunion he believes awaits him. His hand relaxes in Raven's grip, and his chest stops moving. The storm outside seems to mourn with Raven and Maggie as the final breath leaves the Tip Brother's lips, and the silence that follows is more profound than any thunderclap.
Maggie sits back, her eyes brimming with tears, and gently closes the Tip Brother's eyes. She looks up at Raven, her expression a mirror of the pain and disbelief that Raven feels. "What do we do now?" she asks, her voice trembling. The rain beats a mournful rhythm on the tent, as if in answer to her question.
With a heavy heart, you and Maggie decide to honor the Tip Brother's wish. You both carefully wrap him in a clean piece of cloth and carry his body outside, the rain continuing to fall around you. You find a suitable spot not too far from the shack, where the earth is relatively soft enough to dig. Together, you begin to dig a grave with your hands and whatever tools you have available. The rain turns the soil to mud, making the task more difficult, but you persist. Once the grave is deep enough, you place the Tip Brother's body inside, ensuring he is laid to rest with dignity. Then, you take the mirror, its significance now a haunting reminder of the events that transpired, and gently lay it beside him. As you cover him with the damp earth, you say a few words, acknowledging the bond you formed with him over the past days and his ultimate sacrifice. The mirror's eerie light dims as it is buried, and a sense of finality washes over you both.