Jesse stands on the gallows platform with the noose resting around his neck and his hands restrained behind him. Deputies 1 and 2 hold position beside the execution mechanism, waiting.
Broadcast screens surround the plaza, showing Nicolae Carpathia on a secured dais above the crowd. His restored face remains calm as officials and witnesses wait for his command.
Nicolae Carpathia
The mark of the beast is now offered to every citizen. Receive it in your hand or forehead, and you will gain access to buying, selling, and the order of peace.
A convoy stops beyond the cordon. Corsio Angelico, a large muscular middle-aged man with an imposing frame and olive-toned face, steps out in a dark suit and approaches the platform.
Corsio Angelico
Jesse, Carpathia recruited me to speak for him. Your old position with 7 Aces is yours again, no strings attached.
The crowd murmurs while Carpathia watches from the screens and the dais. Jesus remains beside Jesse as a quiet spiritual presence, unseen by the waiting deputies.
Nicolae Carpathia
Accept the mark, accept peace, and I may grant you life. Refuse, and my officers will proceed when I give the word.
✓ Quest Accepted
Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ
✓ Quest Accepted
Denounce the Antichrist and enter the glory of Jesus Christ
Director's note
The anti christ orders Jesse’s execution
“Listen here and listen now people I will never bow to any man except Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and died on a cross so we may live. You may kill my earthly body today but I will reign in heaven forever.”
FAILURE (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Jesse
Listen here and listen now, people. I will never bow to any man except Jesus Christ, who lived perfectly and died on a cross so we may live. You may kill my earthly body today, but I will reign in heaven forever.
His declaration carries across the platform and reaches the nearest broadcast microphones. Several standing witnesses turn toward him, but the surrounding screens abruptly raise Carpathia’s address over Jesse’s voice.
Nicolae Carpathia
Do not mistake defiance for courage. The order continues, and the execution will proceed.
Deputy 1 grips Jesse’s shoulder while Deputy 2 checks the restraints and draws him toward the marked position beneath the mechanism. The cameras keep Jesse visible, but his words no longer reach the wider plaza.
Corsio Angelico
You had one last chance to live under my protection, Jesse. You chose your answer.
The crowd’s attention fractures between Carpathia’s amplified promise and Jesse’s silenced platform. Officials clear the space around the gallows, removing any remaining path for another public appeal.
Jesus
Remain faithful. Their silence cannot undo the truth you have spoken.
Quest Complete
Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ
“The anti christ careys out Jesse’s sentence and Jesse enters into the glory of god”
FAILURE (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Nicolae Carpathia raises one hand. The execution mechanism releases, and Jesse’s restrained body drops beneath the broadcast screens as the crowd falls silent.
Jesus
Remain faithful. Your life is still in God’s hands.
The rope tears free from its fitting before the sentence can finish. Jesse crashes onto the platform, the impact knocking the breath from him but leaving him alive.
Deputy 1 catches the damaged line while Deputy 2 drops beside Jesse to check him. The mechanism hangs crooked, unusable, and the cameras keep every second visible.
Nicolae Carpathia
Restore the platform. The sentence is not revoked.
Corsio Angelico
You heard him. They will try again, Jesse.
Across the plaza, the failed execution replaces Nicolae Carpathia’s ceremony on every screen. Witnesses point toward the fallen platform, while officials pull Jesse away from the broken mechanism and seal the area.
Director's note
The officials put Jesse on another gallow and attempt to hang him again. This time succeeding ending Jesse’s life
Officials drag Jesse onto a replacement gallows beside the broken platform. Deputies 1 and 2 secure his restraints while cameras refocus and the crowd watches in fearful silence.
Nicolae Carpathia
The sentence remains. Let every citizen witness what defiance earns.
Corsio Angelico
This is your last opening, Jesse. Take the mark, return to 7 Aces, and live under my protection.
Corsio stands below the platform in his dark suit, his offer swallowed by the amplified ceremony. Deputy 1 checks the noose, while Deputy 2 looks uneasily toward the damaged mechanism.
Jesus
Do not bow. The authority that threatens your body cannot command your soul.
The officials release the mechanism. The platform shudders, but the locking assembly jams again, leaving Jesse suspended only briefly before the line drops loose and he falls onto the boards.
Nicolae Carpathia
Silence the cameras. Remove him from the platform, and prepare another attempt.
Director's note
The antichrist personally puts a Springfield 1911 to Jesse’s head giving him one last opertunity to take the mark of the beast
“Jesse sits on his knees praying to Jesus to bring him into his kingdom.”
Jesse settles onto his knees on the replacement platform, restraints still secured behind him. The officials pause around the mechanism while the broadcast cameras remain fixed on him.
Jesse
Jesus, bring me into Your kingdom. I belong to You, and I refuse to bow to Carpathia.
The plaza falls quiet around his prayer. Even the amplified ceremony seems distant as Jesse lowers his head and keeps his attention on Christ.
Jesus
Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. Remain faithful, and do not fear.
A steady peace fills the moment without changing the platform or the waiting restraints. Jesus remains beside Jesse as a quiet spiritual presence, unseen by the officials.
Nicolae Carpathia
He prays instead of accepting the mark. Keep the cameras on him, and let the sentence continue.
Jesse remains kneeling beneath the broadcast screens, committed to Christ. The crowd watches in silence while the officials prepare to carry out Carpathia’s command.
The believer receives what they asked for.
Director's notewhole tale
Nicolae carpathia shoots Jesse in the head with a Springfield 1911
Nicolae Carpathia
The mark is now required for access to buying, selling, and peace. Accept it, Jesse, or your final refusal will be witnessed by everyone.
Nicolae Carpathia leaves the secured dais and climbs the platform, carrying a Springfield 1911. He presses the pistol against Jesse’s head while the cameras remain fixed on them.
Nicolae Carpathia
One last opportunity. Take the mark and live under my order, or reject it and die.
The shot cracks across the plaza. Jesse’s earthly life ends, and the broadcast captures the silence that follows without lingering on the injury.
Jesus
Your request has been granted. You belong to Me, and no earthly authority can take you from My kingdom.
Officials place Jesse on the replacement gallows and complete the sentence for the cameras, confirming his death before the waiting crowd. No further resistance comes from his body.
Nicolae Carpathia
Continue the ceremony. Let every citizen understand that my order remains above all refusal.
Quest Complete
Denounce the Antichrist and enter the glory of Jesus Christ
New Gift: Steady Conviction
That person goes to Heaven if they believed in Christ, or Hell if they did not.