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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
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imeanforever
wormcan
He nods, still crying.
His parents are not unharmed. There might be some blood visible on his clothes.
His parents are not unharmed. There might be some blood visible on his clothes.
wormcan
He leads her to the staircase. One flight down, a man and a woman are lying with multiple stab wounds. The woman is still breathing, barely. The man isn't.
imeanforever
"I'm going to try to heal her as fast as I can, okay?"
It's faster when it's one person and they aren't deliberately trying to screw with her familiarity.
wormcan
Eventually wounds close, lost blood gets regained, and Liam's mother's eyes open.
imeanforever
"I didn't get here in time to save him," Promise apologizes, indicating the dead man. "I'm so sorry."
imeanforever
"He left. I tried to keep him talking long enough to be able to cast on him but he was compensating for that and by the time I would have been ready to try something that would go around that he was holding Liam. ...He also told me Liam's name. I'm sorry." She heals Liam of whatever's ailing him.
imeanforever
"I've healed you both. Do you need anything else from me right now?"
wormcan
"I don't think so. I should call someone. Tell the police what happened." For the moment she's busy hugging Liam.
imeanforever
"Good idea."
And then Promise turns invisible and goes back up to the roof and flies back to her house and emails Quinn.
I assume it is still illegal to kill people even if given a credible reason to believe that another party will kill fewer if one does. Is it also still illegal to kill people if they belong to the Slaughterhouse Nine? I'm not sure I can trust my assessment of public opinion on that one.
And then Promise turns invisible and goes back up to the roof and flies back to her house and emails Quinn.
I assume it is still illegal to kill people even if given a credible reason to believe that another party will kill fewer if one does. Is it also still illegal to kill people if they belong to the Slaughterhouse Nine? I'm not sure I can trust my assessment of public opinion on that one.
wormcan
Anything, including that, is justifiable if there is no other reasonable way to prevent the worse harm. But it does have to be the only way; if a jury decides after the fact that there was something else you should have thought of you'd be guilty of at least negligent homicide. A lesser crime, but better to avoid it if you can.
The Slaughterhouse Nine are among the few people to have kill orders on them. Questionably legal, but no one with a kill order has ever challenged it in court. Killing any member of the Nine is not only legal but may come with a large bounty most of which is donated in advance by families of their victims.
The Slaughterhouse Nine are among the few people to have kill orders on them. Questionably legal, but no one with a kill order has ever challenged it in court. Killing any member of the Nine is not only legal but may come with a large bounty most of which is donated in advance by families of their victims.
imeanforever
How responsible am I for collateral damage? If someone with a kill order is holding a hostage...?
wormcan
It does not confer immunity to liability for collateral damage. If you level a building containing one of those few people you'd be as liable for the damage as you otherwise would be, just not for the death. In the case of the hostage, if it's foreseeable that the criminal will kill them if provoked and you provoke them, you can be charged or sued. Necessity is still a defense, but this situation is also safer to avoid if possible.
imeanforever
What if I have a shot at killing them but the hostage would be put at risk?
wormcan
In general, any action that a reasonable person would think is worth the risk is legal. If there's a villain with a kill order holding a gun to a hostage's head, it's quite a lot of risk. Killing the villain alone would not offset that; there would have to be some other defense such as an absence of alternative ways to prevent a specific plot to kill more people.
A kill order is a license to kill one person, it does not authorize whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
A kill order is a license to kill one person, it does not authorize whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
imeanforever
No guns, but if someone's holding a hostage and I think I can get the one and not the other through a gate to a fatal environment but if my reflexes are off I can't...?
wormcan
If you succeed, no problem at all. If you think you can do it and fail, the victim's family can sue you and will probably win. Whether it's also a crime depends mostly on to what degree the jury thinks you should have known you couldn't manage it, which is very dependent on the specific circumstances. And even that is assuming you had to try at all.
In general, killing people is highly likely to get you in legal trouble. You might ultimately win, but it should be avoided unless it is the lesser of two clearly discernible evils.
In general, killing people is highly likely to get you in legal trouble. You might ultimately win, but it should be avoided unless it is the lesser of two clearly discernible evils.
wormcan
The two sides argue in court about what happened, and if found at fault you have to compensate them. Almost always, this means some amount of money. Unlike criminal charges, where guilt has to be found beyond reasonable doubt, this is just a question of which side is probably right.
Most of the time it doesn't get that far: we lawyers charge a lot for that, and of course either side could lose at trial. So they tend to be settled for some smaller amount of money in exchange for not suing.
Most of the time it doesn't get that far: we lawyers charge a lot for that, and of course either side could lose at trial. So they tend to be settled for some smaller amount of money in exchange for not suing.
wormcan
While emailing her lawyer, she gets a message from the PRT.
The Slaughterhouse Nine are in town. They're collectively considered a threat on the level of an Endbringer or Nilbog, but we do have the names of two of them. Would you be willing to help oppose them? If so, come speak to us as soon as possible.
The Slaughterhouse Nine are in town. They're collectively considered a threat on the level of an Endbringer or Nilbog, but we do have the names of two of them. Would you be willing to help oppose them? If so, come speak to us as soon as possible.
imeanforever
Coming. I could also use video of any of them so I can turn them into snails on less notice.
There she flies.
There she flies.
wormcan
She finds several ranking members of the PRT, Protectorate, and even Wards. Not all the attendees are familiar.
They have video and pictures, sorted by member. It ranges from larger quantities of footage of Crawler and Jack Slash (in some of which he is smiling for the camera) to barely any of Cherish. Some of the video is out of date, and Crawler in particular may have grown since then.
"The ones we have names for are Burnscar and Mannequin. Should you have the chance, neutralize them as quickly as practical." The Director slides over a piece of paper with ordinary sticky notes labeled "Burnscar" and "Mannequin." If Promise removes them, it contains the former's first name and the latter's surname.
They have video and pictures, sorted by member. It ranges from larger quantities of footage of Crawler and Jack Slash (in some of which he is smiling for the camera) to barely any of Cherish. Some of the video is out of date, and Crawler in particular may have grown since then.
"The ones we have names for are Burnscar and Mannequin. Should you have the chance, neutralize them as quickly as practical." The Director slides over a piece of paper with ordinary sticky notes labeled "Burnscar" and "Mannequin." If Promise removes them, it contains the former's first name and the latter's surname.