jigokucho

[pathofsacrifice]

PLAYER INFORMATION

PLAYER: Ruri.
ARE YOU AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD?: Ye.
CONTACT: PM.
CHARACTERS PLAYED: None, but also reserved Kazuki Soma (Lost Judgment).

CHARACTER INFORMATION

NAME: Artemy Burakh.
CANON: Pathologic 2.
CANON REFERENCE:
Pathologic Wikia.
All 12 Days of Artemy Burakh's Tormentous Nightmare.
CANON POINT: Day 12; Diurnal Ending.
CRAU HISTORY: N/A.
AGE: Late twenties.
APPEARANCE: Image.
CONTRACT PAYMENT: To be allowed the chance to ensure the Town flourishes and grows with the help of his Bound. He asks for no help and no means to make it easier, but just the continued chance to keep moving forward with the Town and its people.

Meta-speaking, Artemy is somewhat aware that he is not real; he knows that he is playing out a story of death. But he still wishes to be Artemy Burakh, and continue the story even if it is no longer being viewed by anyone. That's the actual wish that he has: for it all to be real.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

What does family mean to you and who do you consider a part of your family?

Family was once a difficult word for me. For us Burakh, it had always meant "duty." The idea to give ourselves completely to others; that was the creed that we followed. If you give so much of yourself to others, there is little left to give to those that are at your side. [ His smile is a strained one. ] That was not to say I did not view my father as a great man… his deeds were good and I dearly loved him, even if there was little warmth left for me.

So, when he sent me away to learn medicine outside the Town, I left as instructed. Yet when he called me back, I returned as quickly as I could. Such is the word of "duty" to us Burakh. A shackle in some ways. [ A beat. ] As I say this, as I relive my feelings, I see how childish my answer is, if I answered it as I would in the past.

Because while there was a distance, I still grieved for him. There was always love there, even if it was colder than others. [ Anyway. ] Family is a duty, but it is not one that I bind myself to without thought. It is also warmth… more warmth than I thought that I could hold and experience. As for who is part of it… do you mean to have their names or? Sticky, Murky… they are mine. The others can be, if they are willing.

… and the Kin. The past is over, and yet finds its way back to me. [ Hm. ] ...Pretty words from someone who damned another. Yet still I think of them as my own. Their words still find their way into my speech. And … not all their lessons were miracles.

What are your greatest regrets, if you have any? What would you have done differently?

My greatest? There are too many to name… [ Even if the ending is one he is proud of, it is also one that he feels torn about. The town is dead for the sake of the future. The sacrifices that had to be done were not unmeasurable. The loss of people was a toll. There was so much that he would have done differently if given just another chance. But – ] I would not have done anything differently if it would mean that I would not see the future I have now.

The mistakes, the responsibility of those lives, they are on me. I will carry them with me until they find a better place to go. [ Somewhere that will be softer and kinder to them, perhaps? ]

What is your favorite diversion? Hobbies, indulgences, vices? Would you put off important things for that diversion, or would you be more strict about how you spend your time and/or money?

[ He blinks, long and slow. It has been so long since he has had a chance to think of things like hobbies and indulgences. Those twelve days felt like twelve years. ]

… I bought a bull. [ Picking herbs out can't be said to be a hobby; it is something he does for his medical work, even if it helps to clear his head and let his thoughts roam free. So, he says what filters into his thoughts. ] It cost me almost every bit I had to my name. It might've been wiser to have saved the coin for food.

But I don't regret it. [ Even if the miracle is gone. ] I would not put off important things to tend to him, and he is understanding. [ Rather the bull is able to take care of himself without Artemy fussing, which is good. ]

And I would not say I am strict with my time, but time is strict with me.

An enemy of your faction has asked for a meeting, proposing a truce of sorts to deal with a greater threat. On one hand, there is indeed a threat at hand, but on the other, this person double-crossing you is just as likely an outcome. Do you agree to the meeting? Do you trust them?

In these past twelve days, there were many people whom I would consider my enemies that desired to meet regarding a threat greater than anything we could imagine.

[ A slight pause after his sarcastic reply. ]

I attempted to meet with each and every one of them. [ He smiles, slightly. ] I don't hold grudges; I just hold poor opinions. Though, some would say that is the same thing... but I am still willing to hear whatever bullshit that they wish to say to me, so that makes it different.

[ Hm. ] Trust is a difficult question. If they betray me, it depends on the level of betrayal. Making a fool of me for their benefit... that is a shame on me. [ His eyes turn a little cold. ] Doing more than that... they may come to find why I was once called a ripper.

[ It is not a title that he likes or appreciates, but it is one that he knows he is capable of; in fits of rage, in having people threatened, he is more than willing to spill blood over it. If someone drives him to it, he cannot say he'll feel any regret. ]

POWERS & ABILITIES:

He's 100% human. In choosing the Diurnal Ending, he has decided to end all mysticism and miracles are no longer possible. So, he has no powers to speak of – not anymore. But he's a pretty solidly built person; he was jumped by three men with knives and ended up killing the lot of them. So, he's tough; however, he's not really a fighter. His combat is hilariously bad because he's not made for fighting even if he is built for killing. If that makes sense.

What he does have, however, is knowledge of Kin medicine and modern surgery. He has a pretty good handle on medicines and the like; he does what he can to save a life. He's also good at tinkering (fixing machines and tending to his own tools and items); he's able to fix pipes and various machines around town.

SUITABILITY:

Artemy has dealt with a lot in just returning home. And, despite how warm he is as a person, he can be pretty cold and pragmatic about a lot of things that don't necessarily go against his morals. Like, the first day back, he is asked to do surgery to save someone's life. He comes to find the reason that the man is injured in such a life-threatening way was due to a mob response to him murdering a young woman. Now, he can perform the surgery – or he can kill him (and he feels absolutely nothing about doing so).

It can be said that both men and women flirt with him. He doesn't really get flustered or embarrassed about receiving such attention. Sex and drugs are not things that horrify or trouble him overtly much. He really only becomes a little unhappy with the person when that individual is abusing the vice; he'll make comments on how they should lessen their use but otherwise leaves the decision of what they want to do up to the person themselves.

The strangeness of the world would not bother Artemy much. He has destroyed the world of miracles, and now in a world filled with them as his Hell. He finds that fitting in a way; though, he thought the end that he had brought about was much happier for everyone. He'll be distraught and bit wretched with guilt, but somewhat relieved to not have damned too many from the Town. Or perhaps, they all still live and this is the price he pays for what he did? Either way, he will struggle some, and then accept his lot.

FACTION SUITABILITY:

Shuten Clan.

Artemy probably would honestly like the fact that the people believe in their own strength and will to determine their destiny. It is what he did in order to change his own fate. He has been called on more than one occasion about being bull-headed, but he would rather do what he believes in rather than do what is "right."

He also rarely ever lies. There are times when he could lie and chooses not to do so. Like when a mob is surrounding someone that believes is him; he can announce that he's the one that they're looking for in order to protect an innocent. Or when Andrey says he plans to kill the soldiers that tore down his brother's creation - the Polyhedron; Artemy tells him to leave them be since he is the one who is responsible (but he isn't believed). Even if it puts him at a disadvantage, he believes the truth is always the right way to go.

And hilariously, he might be asked to be a fighter over his skills as a doctor. Artemy is a rather solidly built person and he has more than one encounter in the streets. The man can handle himself and doesn't mind spilling blood. But he probably would mind spilling it for the entertainment of others, and attempt to be the medic than the one in the ring.

Tamamo Clan.

Being in this clan will force Artemy to face more unfortunate truths. Their presence is most firmly in the spiritual realm, much like his own Kin used to be before he destroyed their miracles. He still doesn't quite believe the ability to see into the future, but he does believe in being able to commune with something beyond oneself.

They would remind him most of the Kin and the Town's past. But in some ways, despite the guilt and pain, it is an oddly welcoming feeling. Like being able to step back into what he had ruined, and experience that life once more -- even if it will be for a limited amount of time.

Also, it's different enough to not be overtly painful for him. The Kin are more like the name implies; a whole body rather than individuals. They don't think of their own individual freedoms so much -- which is why they were easily exploited in the Town. Perhaps if they thought more like the Tamamo, things would have been different. But it's too late to say or know; he can only quietly appreciate their mindset.

He'll probably attempt to work in the restaurants, as he has come to truly and honestly appreciate food in ways that cannot be properly explained. While he isn't the best of chefs, he'll be happy to learn. Of course, with sex work, he wouldn't let anyone harass the girls or boys; he'd be fine with managing things since he doesn't care much about what people like so long as they don't bother him much with it.

The world is beautiful and filled with more warmth and love than can be imagined. While he may not agree with everything that the Tamamo say, he can agree with them on this point. (Even if they are most likely interpreting those words differently.)

Sutoku Alliance.

Who doesn't like a good underdog story? Artemy's story has been something like that since he had returned home. He thinks that there would be something in those that want to protect others from being silenced by the strong; he has seen it often that the steppe people were mistreated by others and wished for the means to change it.

However, he does lack an appreciation for careful planning. He is more of a person that rushes forward than anything else. But he is someone who always strives for the truth and not just the convenient answer that is in front of him. He may not like meticulous planning, but he would like the insight to have a better idea of what to follow.

Though, he really isn't a person that manipulates others with information. He is more of a person that lets people come to their own conclusions by omitting information. The less a person knows something and given some bread crumbs; they will feed themselves on any story that they like.

Surprisingly, he'll probably attempt to work in the theater. He has some odd feelings about the theater; it is where the hospital was set up and where his "life" plays out. But even so, it is where he came to understand love and see the world as beautiful as he does. So long as it is a play that does not disrupt his old; he will see what it's like to play a new role.

Department of the Enma.

Probably the most difficult to think of how he'll fit in with the Enma. Artemy believes in justice more than he does in order. He has seen what men in power will do to maintain order: accuse innocent people or let those with even a little bit of guilt suffer. To say a person stands for order and justice but do irrevocable harm to others; he would have difficulty with reconciling those actions and ideals.

He understands that things are not always so simple or black-and-white. Even as self-righteous as he sounds, he carried out his own dubious actions in what he felt was right. Perhaps in working with those that are so different from his own thinking; he can actually see if he was wrong about how they viewed things. Or it may cement his ideals even more in his mind and heart.

These people are going to be willing to help him with his price, and so he will not fight them. But he also may do what he can to change how they view their order and justice. These things do not have to break others so mercilessly, but be something that can be truly fair for the people.

Kindness need not be absent from order, after all.

SAMPLES

With Andrey.
With Kimmuriel Oblodra.
With Nehan.
With Aiba.