44 KiB
[Biweekly Challenge] Deal with the Devil
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Author: u/alexanderwales Time flies like an arrow*
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/3v8b1j/biweekly_challenge_deal_with_the_devil/
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Score: 22
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Created: 2015-12-03T02:47:51
Post:
Last Time
Last time, the prompt was "Cryonics". /u/kishoto is the winner with their story "Cryogenics with Claptrap!", and will receive a month of reddit gold along with super special winner flair. Congratulations /u/kishoto!
This Time
This time, the challenge will be "Deal with the Devil". You can, of course, substitute in a trickster god or megacorp of your choice, but the Faustian Bargain between a large, powerful entity and a desperate sucker counter party is a time-worn trope. It's up to you whether the rational party is the devil, the counter party, or both. Remember, prompts are to inspire, not to limit.
The winner will be decided Wednesday, December 16th. You have until then to post your reply and start accumulating upvotes. It is strongly suggested that you get your entry in as quickly as possible once this thread goes up; this is part of the reason that prompts are given in advance. Like reading? It's suggested that you come back to the thread after a few days have passed to see what's popped up. The reddit "save" button is handy for this.
Rules
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300 word minimum, no maximum. Post as a link to Google Docs, pastebin, Dropbox, etc. This is mandatory.
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No plagiarism, but you're welcome to recycle and revamp your own ideas you've used in the past.
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Think before you downvote.
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Winner will be determined by "best" sorting.
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Winner gets reddit gold, special winner flair, and bragging rights.
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All top-level replies to this thread should be submissions. Non-submissions (including questions, comments, etc.) belong in the meta thread, and will be aggressively removed from here.
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Top-level replies must be a link to Google Docs, a PDF, your personal website, etc. It is suggested that you include a word count and a title when you're linking to somewhere else.
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In the interest of keeping the playing field level, please refrain from cross-posting to other places until after the winner has been decided.
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No idea what rational fiction is? Read the wiki!
Meta
If you think you have a good prompt for a challenge, add it to the list (remember that a good prompt is not a recipe). If you think that you have a good modification to the rules, let me know in a comment in the meta thread. Also, if you want a quick index of past challenges, I've posted them on the wiki.
Next Time
Next time, the challenge will be "Dungeons & Dragons". Give us a rational story set in the world implied by D&D rules, a munchkin romp through rules-as-written, or the sort of insanity that comes from someone playing the game in a logical way.
Next challenge's thread will go up on 12/16. Please confine any questions or comments to the meta thread. If you want to discuss the week's theme, visit the companion thread.
Comments:
u/Kishoto [+21] (2 days later)
Word Count: 6270
u/RMcD94 [+5] (2 days later)
We should just call this the kishoto biweekly story thread.
SPOILERS ARE NOT HIDING
u/electrace [+6] (3 days later)
Your spoilers aren't hiding because each paragraph needs it's own spoiler code, or alternatively, you could make it all one paragraph.
u/Kishoto [+1] (3 days later)
Yup. You're exactly right. The spirits aren't all that independent, their actions are dictated by the curse, which is tied to you.
u/Kishoto [+3] (3 days later)
The sword's ancient. No one's sure where it originated from, but the earliest records have it appearing as the center piece of a tribe that ruled what is now South America. This was over a thousand years ago, although there's no specific date available. More details for this are in one of my comment replies. Check that for more info for a response to your first and third comment.
Acknowledged doesn't mean they need to be seen. They just need to know you're aware of them. Blinding yourself wouldn't help (plus the curse would probably heal you anyway) as they could easily track you down, and assault you. Or give you a message in brail. Their point is more to be sure the bearer is aware of them, as opposed to having anything specific to say, so getting "acknowledgement" would be pretty damn easy.
The sword doesn't stop aging. It heals your wounds, and pretty much prevents you from getting any as well, but you still age. It's kind of dumb, in that it only heals things along the lines of direct physical trauma/pain, so bullet wounds, stab wounds, punches, etc. You can still get a cold, you just probably won't develop the headache that comes with it. Your nose would just run. So, anyway, you'd die from something eventually.
The curse doesn't give you a script, word for word, more an insistent feeling towards what would be ideal. It has no control over the outside realm, after all, so it filters what input it gleans from the user and forms that into the "feeling" that it gives the bearer. It's sort of like the difference between being given a script and being given flash cards. And its "impossibility" is more in the moral implications, in this case anyway. The sword HAS given physically impossible quests before, but most of the time, the sword's requests are geared towards causing the host huge amounts of suffering. In this case, we have Isaac, who's going to become closer to God, so his guilt towards what he needs to do is going to grow exponentially. Plus, he's going to have a very interesting time being a gay priest, what with Christianity's general abhorrence of it.
As far as valuing lives over your own, the charity thing isn't a great example, as you technically have nothing to do with them being in their situation. You didn't personally starve out any of those villages in Africa, so it's easier for you to justify not doing anything about it. You don't feel responsible. The trolley problem is real. Plus, outside of a few commercials and ads, you're not hearing too much about the situation anyway, so it's not really on your mind. As opposed to undead monsters rising up and killing people, and making it clear they are doing it solely because of your actions. Seeing something like that on 7 news would hit you a lot harder than seeing another red cross commercial. And also, while the sword makes you fairly tough, you are by no means unkillable.
u/RMcD94 [+2] (3 days later)
More details for this are in one of my comment replies. Check that for more info for a response to your first and third comment.
I saw that after my comments.
Humans arrived in the Americas some 15,000 years ago. Even if we assume 10 years per sword holder and it was already in America immediately. That's still only 1,500 people. And 10 years sounds like almost nothing considering the power it grants you, plus however many gaps.
Blinding yourself wouldn't help (plus the curse would probably heal you anyway) as they could easily track you down, and assault you.
By that I meant sensory deprivation, like, jumping into a lava lake, or into the ocean, or going into Antarctica with a blindfold etc.
Or give you a message in brail. Their point is more to be sure the bearer is aware of them, as opposed to having anything specific to say, so getting "acknowledgement" would be pretty damn easy.
The idea is that you can avoid their acknowledgement or, easily funnel them to their deaths by leaving only one avenue of acknowledgement. If I'm 1 km into the ice shelf inside a nuclear bunker then it's far easier to just kill them as they come for acknowledgement.
In this case, we have Isaac, who's going to become closer to God, so his guilt towards what he needs to do is going to grow exponentially. Plus, he's going to have a very interesting time being a gay priest, what with Christianity's general abhorrence of it.
I did not realise he was gay but there are plenty of Christian sects that have gay priests so just don't join the Pope lol.
The curse doesn't give you a script, word for word, more an insistent feeling towards what would be ideal. It has no control over the outside realm, after all, so it filters what input it gleans from the user and forms that into the "feeling" that it gives the bearer.
That still seems like it knows better than him if it's able to take the same information and tell him how to use it, then it can do the same for moral problems too, ie, having 7 children (which still after thinking I can't see a better solution than that)
As far as valuing lives over your own, the charity thing isn't a great example, as you technically have nothing to do with them being in their situation. You didn't personally starve out any of those villages in Africa, so it's easier for you to justify not doing anything about it. You don't feel responsible.
Hmm, ok, I still have my doubts about how outside moments of intense emotion you would actually want to die.
And also, while the sword makes you fairly tough, you are by no means unkillable.
Getting yourself killed by attacking ISIS instead of doing anything is a much easier way to die than killing yourself, as long as you leave the sword in the mariana crater or the old radioactive storage sites.
u/Kishoto [+3] (3 days later)
Don't assume 10 years per sword holder. The tribe would raise their little cult of prospective bearers by the dozens, if not more, and would often kill one off after a few months, depending on their needs. Of course, this was framed as "honoring the tribe" or some other such thing, so they were more than happy to do it. Plus, if you go too long without completing your request, the undead may just attack you and kill you, if the curse feels that you won't respond to any of its attempts to make you actually complete your quest. So 10 years is too generous. Especially considering that it may take them 3-4 tries to find a cursed bearer with an appropriately worded quest to facilitate their war mongering.
Killing off the souls won't buy you that much time, since they keep respawning if you're not completing your quest. Not to mention, even though it needs you to acknowledge them, they could easily kill tons of people before seeking you out, like the hoodied guy did. Sticking your head in the sand will probably only make things worse, as they'll just keep escalating or kill you.
u/eaglejarl [+2] (8 days later)
to just kill them as they come for acknowledgement. If you kill them they just respawn.
u/eaglejarl [+3] (8 days later)
"‘A dark pronouncement indeed. You are tasked with seeking out seven virgins, born of fornication. Then you must convince them to follow this God you follow and then slay them with the blade. A gruesome task, to be certain.’"
I'm putting a guess in now: it didn't say the virgins had to be human. What does it take to be considered Christian? If you can loophole into getting seven dogs accepted as Christians, you're home free.
-reads-
Oh. He just gave up and went for the "kill people" plan. Okay. Well, I guess that's an option, but I would have at least tried to weasel out.
u/Kishoto [+5] (8 days later)
Hah. I actually thought about having him do this thing where he tried to go about it with animals, instead of his "wait and see" plan, (edit: I wanted a cursed punishment for him, but originally, I was going to have it punish his attempts to munchkin, as opposed to his procrastination) but I decided I didn't want that for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't want Isaac to be a rationalist, at least not instantly. That sort of munchkinry is the type of thing I'd expect out of a storybook character, but I wouldn't expect a human to be apt to it right off the bat. Of course, I'm only one of billions, so my perspective on that could be totally off.
Secondly, the curse, when giving you the message, also comes with this big feeling of assertion. When Isaac spoke those lines, he knew exactly what they implied (also, the curse doesn't speak english, that's just a rhythmic approximation delivered through the filter of Isaac's brain). So that poem is more for the reader's benefit than Isaac's. The curse delivered upon him a feeling of knowing exactly what he was tasked with. It's why it took the voice no time at all to translate exactly what it meant into "layman's terms"
Now, if that feeling of assertion is just that (a feeling) or is part of the curse's manipulation and attempt to cause suffering is up in the air. I never firmly decided on it. The curse is intended to be a nuanced thing, almost sentient, and I put a lot of realtime hours into behind-the-scenes thinking on its behavior, but I didn't decide whether its curse can be fulfilled in other ways that ran counter to the feeling of assertion it gives. I thought about it, but I couldn't come up with a firm decision, which is part of why I scrapped Isaac trying to munchkin it.
u/ZeroNihilist [+2] (2 days later)
This is great. Spoilers follow, for those on mobile.
I found some errors, hope it's alright to post them here. These should be spoiler-free.
The flashback section, between "He'd been caving," and "bruised to high hell." should probably use past perfect consistently.
It’s the only to ensure
It’s the only way to ensure
adrenalin
Should perhaps be adrenaline. Might be a regional spelling variant.
Until such a time when
Should be 'Until such time as', I think.
and he sprung,
and he sprang,
A few minutes exploration
A few minutes**'** exploration
finally succumb to
finally succumbed to
more attempt
more attempts
u/Kishoto [+5] (2 days later)
Oh, I didn't read your spoilers, as I replied in my inbox. Here's my spoilerific reply then. Note that this contains details not present within the story, it's just some of the meat of the story's supposed background
u/Kishoto [+2] (2 days later)
Sweet, thanks for the typo corrections! It's a little longer than most of my work, and my stream-of-consciousness style of writing lends itself to many a typo. I usually miss a few in my post-reads.
I went back and corrected most of them, although I left
Until such a time when the blade is found once again
as it were, as it sounds more majestic that way, even if the grammar isn't perfect. Let's blame the voice for his archaic sentence structure! :P
EDIT: Actually, that's a lie. I decided to change the line to
Until such time as when the blade is found once again
u/eaglejarl [+2] (8 days later)
A few minutes' exploration
No apostrophe. It's "a few minutes [of] exploration" by Isaac. The apostrophe would make it possessive meaning "the exploration performed by the minutes."
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (3 days later)
I don't buy that "true desire" bullshit.
u/Kishoto [+4] (3 days later)
Gotta talk to the cursed blade's artisans then, whoever those crazy bastards were.
u/Transfuturist [+0] Carthago delenda est. (3 days later)
Don't push that into the story you created, there are Watsonian and Doylian explanations for story decisions. ):T
u/Kishoto [+2] (3 days later)
Uhh....I'm confused.
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (3 days later)
Since you didn't clarify, here's what I'm guessing you're confused about.
u/Kishoto [+2] (3 days later)
Ok, that cleared things up a bit more for me. So me telling you to ask the artisans is Watsonian, correct? Where's the Doylian explanation? Not saying I didn't make one, but I just want you to be more specific about what you mean. Also, why don't you "buy" the true desire thing?
u/Transfuturist [+4] Carthago delenda est. (3 days later)
Every action he took since resolving himself to take his life was in preparation to take his life. There is no platonic 'desire' in the brain that maintains itself between moods or can coherently be measured as a unified preference, and Isaac's behavior reveals his preferences. The action he took was with the knowledge that it would end his life.
It was less than ten minutes later that he found himself in the dark, safely ensconced under several meters of rock he’d displaced. He held the sword, shifting the stone before him to get the best angle, and pulled the sword into his chest.
The blade pierced his jacket and his shirt, before being stopped by his chest. He retracted it before pulling it again, meeting the same result.
These are not the actions of a non-suicidal person. The conflict between System 1 and System 2 does not give way to System 1. System 1 does not represent our "true" desires.
u/DJSekora [+2] (4 days later)
If you want a Watsonian explanation, there are plenty of possibilities that retain consistency. The voice might not have a complete understanding of how the blade works and is only making an educated guess as to the requirements (he has only the data from when he killed himself, plus potentially some recursive guidance from previous wielders, of similar dubiousness, which potentially can reach back to the blade's origin but also might suffer from the telephone effect). The blade might not be able to actually determine one's "true desires" (which would make sense, if as you posit those do not exist), but instead makes a check for the existence of any conflict in the decision. The blade might alter Isaac's preferences at the critical moment, and then present that alteration in a way believable to Isaac (who, as the story suggests, is somewhat of a spiritual person and so likely to believe in something like "true desire"). Or maybe, since there are contracts and magical cursed swords, brains in this world work a little differently than the way you perceive ours to.
That aside, I think you're simplifying things a bit. You're assuming that behavior reveals preferences, and to an extent I can agree with that - even if there is a conflict, ultimately what you choose to do is determined by whatever action has the highest utility value. However, there are a lot of nuances. Consciously deliberated preferences can differ from subconscious or composite preferences (with the latter being what actually wins out). Preparations and intermediate actions can have different values from the final task (raising a sword to your chest is a bit different from running it through). Preferences can be different when taken "in a vacuum". The margin between competing options can be small (and that information can be retained and influence future decisions).
u/IomKg [+0] (4 days later)
It could be as simple as him having doubt that the knife will really kill him deep down inside(maybe he believed an angel will come and stop him and absolve him or whatever) and that is why he was even able to attempt and kill himself.
And anyhow are you really arguing system 1 vs system 2 in a world that has souls as an actual thing?
u/Transfuturist [+0] Carthago delenda est. (4 days later)
Human psychology does not change given the existence of souls.
u/IomKg [+2] (5 days later)
Not sure i am doing this right but, "the map is not the territory"? Human psychology is a convenient model for the human brain. Said model is far from being perfect. And as such in a world where souls exist you could easily find the "truly wanting something" to be as real and phisycal property of said soul.
u/Kishoto [+0] (5 days later)
Ok. Well, here's how I see it. You can, quite easily, want to want to do something. For example, I really would like to become fluent in a second language. If you ask me, I will tell you "Why yes, I would love to learn French. I've been thinking about doing it for a while now.". The desire is there. But I'm not taking any action towards doing it. I have the spare time and the resources to learn it, or at least get a lot better at it, but I'm not doing it. I want to want to learn French. But I don't want to. If I wanted to, I would make steps towards doing it. And not just idly think about it. Will this change down the line? Sure, why not? Same with Isaac. He isn't selfless enough to really want to kill himself right now, but that could change, after some time spent. Who knows?
The issue here is that Isaac doesn't want to kill himself. Not really. He wants to want to, so that he can save innocents, but not enough. Other cursed bearers (most of them from the tribe I've mentioned in other comments) commit suicide proudly on request of their elders. They've been raised and brainwashed into being fine with it (insert tribe honor fanatacism here) The voice ran off and was able to kill himself because he was more selfless (and braver) than Isaac and he also had nothing left to live for, as he'd left everything he'd ever had behind when he fled the tribe with the blade. The voice was a trained warrior. Prepared to give up his life in a fight. Isaac is not. He's an average, modern young man, who's never been in a fight outside of elementary school, and has no idea how to face his death, other than being extremely averse to it, as he fears dying (as normal) and also fears eternal damnation (as a Christian)
This is the best I can explain it. If this isn't enough, then I guess we can agree to disagree. Because I don't think you are correct here, honestly. Wanting to want something and wanting something are two very different states of being.
u/Transfuturist [+2] Carthago delenda est. (5 days later)
Wanting to want something and wanting something are two very different states of being.
First of all, you can apply the same argument you used in the first paragraph to 'wanting to want something.' If you really wanted to want something, you would take action towards making yourself want it, and not just idly think about wanting it. The phraseology of 'wanting to want' does not properly describe this cognitive state.
Second of all, I agree that this cognitive state exists. That is not where my disagreement lies.
Third, by your own description of 'wanting to want, without actually wanting,' Isaac does want to kill himself! Isaac was already taking action without even thinking about it. The sword interrupted, and while Isaac may have been "more than eager to delay his own suicide," that does not negate his willingness. He was reminded that someone else would find the sword, so he went to the cave he found it in to kill himself instead! That is "making steps towards doing it!" My argument is based on revealed preferences and you try to rebut me with revealed preferences?!
They've been raised and brainwashed into being fine with it (insert tribe honor fanatacism here)
You underestimate the willingness of humans to sacrifice themselves. Yes, even modern, first-world humans. This sentence in particular implies a rather disparaging opinion towards primitive humanity as somehow being more tribal and ingroup-altruistic than modern humanity. That is not true. It is the modes of expression of tribality and ingroup-altruism that have changed, not humanity's relative levels of 'brainwashing.'
If you really think that being raised in a first-world society is enough to make young adults recoil from suicide, then I encourage you to look at suicide rates among American adolescents. Better yet, look at enlistment rates, if paleo humanity was so unique in its self-sacrificial mindset.
u/Kishoto [+1] (5 days later)
Your argument is flawed. Or you're misunderstanding mine.
Firstly, let's addressing wanting to want. You can want to want something. A whole lot. But if you just "want to want" something instead of "wanting" it, then you don't, for whatever reason under the sun it may be, desire it enough to truly progress towards being able to accomplish it. At least not at that particular point in time. And yes, you can argue that Isaac wants to kill himself, via his actions. But he doesn't. He really doesn't. Otherwise, the blade would go straight to his heart, no questions asked. The very fact that it doesn't is a direct expression of his lack of wanting it ENOUGH. That's canon.
Voice = Brave warrior, brought up as brainwashed sect member, taught to be willing to die from birth in a primitive,tribal setting (aka people died alot anyway, due to constant fighting, lack of health care, etc.), lost everything once he ran from village
Isaac = Average American kid in 2015, fears eternal damnation after death, has his whole life ahead of him.
Is it not obvious why one would find it so much easier to commit suicide? Paleo humanity isn't unique in being self-sacrificial at all. But the sect of trabilistic warriors raised to be suicidal on command are most certainly more capable of killing themselves, than your average young adult. Not to mention, as if his upbringing wasn't enough, you don't know what circumstances the voice underwent that enabled him to be in the mindset needed to kill himself. Considering he broke away from centuries of tradition, and everything he knew, we can assume some pretty crazy shit went down, right?
TL;DR: Voice > Isaac at killing self. Obvi. GG.
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (5 days later)
But he doesn't. He really doesn't. Otherwise, the blade would go straight to his heart, no questions asked.
Authorial fiat is not a [RT] defense. You can say you're right all you like, but the text remains inconsistent.
u/Kishoto [+2] (5 days later)
Technically speaking, I could point out that the very existence of this world by my pen (keyboard) means that I dictate how its humans work. And I could be a dick and say "Well, my humans are just like humans except [insert authorial fact about misc. shit here]" and I'd win in court. But I'm not going to do that. Because that's an obviously idiotic way to handle this, in my opinion.
What Isaac is doing is the equivalent of standing on a stool, putting his head through a noose, but being too afraid to kick out the stool. He's stabbing himself, but he's so durable that he's still capable of bitching out while stabbing himself at full strength. It's an instinctive flinching away from his demise. In the same way you might kick the stool out from under yourself, but be wanting to live as you're nearing the end of your rope (no pun intended) The curse requires more commitment than that. It needs you to be so willing to die that you would be in a noose, step off the stool, and refuse to put your feet back on it, up to your last conscious thought. You would be drowning, and you would refuse to reach for the hand offered, up to the point where you lost consciousness. That's the sort of mindset you would need.
Isaac...doesn't have that. He doesn't want to die enough that he'd suffer through all of that without saving himself. He doesn't want to save those people enough to do that.
u/Transfuturist [+2] Carthago delenda est. (5 days later)
That's true. I can definitely see that. The renewed will to live after you've been made absolutely certain you're going to die.
u/MultipartiteMind [+1] (3 days later)
(Be aware, your choice of last word turns your cutting comment acidic.)
u/Transfuturist [+1] Carthago delenda est. (3 days later)
No disparagement on the author, but I'm just about as fond of the idea as it is used here as I am of shoving bleach-coated glass shards into every orifice of my body.
u/MultipartiteMind [+1] (3 days later)
Interesting! My two main thoughts at the end:
u/Kishoto [+2] (3 days later)
u/MultipartiteMind [+1] (3 days later)
u/Kishoto [+2] (5 days later)
Haven't thought that far ahead yet, and didn't plan to continue it, but that would be a good solution, for sure. The burial thing was an idea given to him by the voice who's over a thousand years old and spoiler
u/PeridexisErrant [+2] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (6 days later)
I would have started by sailing to the middle of the pacific, and jumping overboard. Death by drowning or stabbing, sword lost, and it still would have worked with imperfect motivation.
u/Kishoto [+2] (6 days later)
That would've worked. Cursed bearers can still die by drowning (takes longer tho, and you'd prob want to anchor yourself)
u/Kishoto [+0] (6 days later)
That would've worked. Cursed bearers can still die by drowning (takes longer tho, and you'd prob want to anchor yourself)
u/DCarrier [+2] (13 days later)
The inside of volcanoes has a tendency to become the outside. I'd drop it into a subduction zone in the ocean.
u/IomKg [+1] (4 days later)
Nice story, but if there's one thing that bothered me is that the contract was forged without even saying something about doing something in return. it could have been "in return for this assistance you will be given an impossible mission, do you accept", and the MC would be thinking something along the lines of "nothing could be worse than dying of hunger here right?".
I mean, any lawyer worth his salt would tear that contract to shreds without proper consent being given ;)
u/Kishoto [+1] (4 days later)
The acceptance of the mission is implicit. Which is a massive dick move, don't get me wrong. But hey, deal with the devil and all that ;)
u/IomKg [+2] (5 days later)
The thing i like about devils is that they dont really need go use such cheap shots, but i suppose your devils are different than mine :P
u/Kishoto [+1] (5 days later)
I guess? Tbh, I just didn't think it mattered that much. :P Plus, the curse isn't an actual sentient devil, as it were. Isaac is honestly lucky the previous cursed bearer's voice was there to act as a go between. Him simply touching it would've activated it otherwise. It doesn't care whether there's actual consent, it just uses the medium of touch to determine which mortal it afflicts. A while ago though, something changed and consent became necessary. I would assume the tribe did something, to make it a bit easier to handle.
u/eaglejarl [+2] (8 days later)
Tbh, I just didn't think it mattered that much.
It matters. There's a completely different feel to the following stories:
- Isaac is not told there's a price. Poor guy, he's an unlucky victim.
- Isaac is told there's a price, but doesn't believe it. That idiot!
- Isaac is told there's a price and believes it, but accepts it anyway because he's desperate to get out of the cave. What a coward!
u/Kishoto [+1] (8 days later)
That's true, it was an oversight on my part. I'm not going to change it, because I don't like updating significant parts of a story post-submission, but I'd probably go with "There's a price, but the blade doesn't say what it is, but Isaac accepts, thinking it can't be worse than dying of dehydration at the bottom of a ravine"
EDIT: So yay cowardly Isaac! :D
u/alexanderwales [+1] Time flies like an arrow (13 days later)
Congratulations on another win! You're coming up on five total, which I'll have to figure out some kind of achievement/prize for.
u/Kishoto [+2] (13 days later)
Haha, awesome! I have a submission for the upcoming D&D too, at least a concept for it. Just haven't had time to hammer it out. Gotta love finals week :P
u/DCarrier [+1] (13 days later)
That seems like a really low baseline for "impossible". At least pick something nobody has ever done before.
u/Brightlinger [+1] (14 days later)
It seems like Isaac's best plan is now to do all the converting first, then all the killing (and somewhere in there, deal with the one risen spirit). This gives him the maximum amount of time to find a way out or decide to kill himself, and it's probably strategic anyway, since a priest rumored to possess demonic strength whose last six charges died gruesomely under mysterious circumstances is going to have a harder time finding a seventh convert.
He could probably spin the superpowers into some kind of televangelist-y miracles, which might help win converts.
u/Kishoto [+2] (14 days later)
Sounds like a plan. Now, it's just about if Isaac can man up enough to do it. :)
u/TennisMaster2 [+10] (6 days later)
1,645 words.
u/None [+1] (6 days later)
I like how you resolved it at the end. That really made unexpected sense.
u/Kishoto [+3] (6 days later)
Can you explain it to me then? I read it twice but I'm still missing what exactly is going on here
u/None [+5] (6 days later)
Your identity is worth a lot of money because they can sell it to help a spy retire, and spy agencies have large budgets.
u/Kishoto [+3] (6 days later)
Oh, that makes sense. Where's the devilish part tho?
u/None [+2] (6 days later)
That might depend on how you feel about the Russian security services.
u/Kishoto [+1] (6 days later)
Completely neutral. I know nothing about them. :P
u/IomKg [+3] (6 days later)
While it "explains" how they knew stuff, it doesn't really explain why an identity will be worth that much. the agencies sure have large budgets but plenty of people will sell their identities for significantly less from what is shown in the story.
it only really works if you assume the guy is basically going to -be- a spy for them, thus all the arrangements with regards to his cloths and dinner, plans etc.
and then it brings the question of why use random people instead of hand picked trained professionals.
u/TennisMaster2 [+1] (7 days later)
Thank you! That rewards me.
u/zian [+1] (a month later)
The story has vanished...
u/TennisMaster2 [+1] (a month later)
Want me to notify you once I've edited it?