Hello! Hello! AND WELCOME BACK TO "The Wandering Spirit" So last time a bit went down, so let's continue on SO without further ado
"love everyone and everything, cause this is the only life we get, and hating it is just stupid"~Derin Saxes
Day:?
My breathing was labored as I walked behind Cole the light snowfall had long since caused the feeling in my fingers to numb. Cole however ignored this and walked forward a breakneck pace,
"How much longer?" I asked, at first Cole didn't answer, however when he paused and held up his hand he spoke.
"We're here." His voice was calm however underneath that spoke of untold rage, looking at his hands I noticed that they were shaking
"Cole" I started slowly "are you sure you want to do this?" Cole paused before looking at me, suddenly his hand shot out and he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me in
"You trying to talk me out of this Derin?" He asked venom in his voice. However I was never one to be intimidated, so I slapped his hand off of my collar
"No I'm not, I'm making sure you know how fucking stupid this is, we're going to be outnumbered a hundred to one."
"Good that just means I can kill even more of them!" His pupils dilated his breathing picked up, he made to move for the camp however I shot forward and grabbed him and slammed him into a tree.
"Are you fucking stupid" I growled at him my holding him to the tree, "this isn't how we should do this."
Cole grabbed my arms and pushed me off of him, "I thought you had my back Derin!" Cole looked ready to puch me.
"Yeah I'm with you in order to get back at the monsters that killed Nicole, not fucking die like an idiot"
"Yeah we're going to get them back, they're right fucking there. What you chickening out now cause it might be dangerous"
"Re wux pothoc!" I suddenly snapped surprising Cole at the sudden change in dialect, "I'll follow you anwhere, but this?" Pointing at the camp, which im surprised hadn't found us already "this is fucking stupid, I came here to get revenge, not to fucking die to a bunch of stupid ass monsters." Cole's head dropped at this, which calmed me down
"Listen Cole, we haven't slept in a few days, nor have we had a good meal. Let's rest for tonight, and then we can get them ok?" At first he didn't answer however I shook him a bit. "Cole." He let out a breath of resignation
"Man." Cole started looking up at me with a small smirk, "at least one of us is mature." I snorted at this before letting him go.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, I am in no way mature." Cole shook his head before suddenly giving me a hug.
"Alright Derin I'll wait for one more night, however should the worst come to pass, know I love you moxt isthasy" he muttered and I couldn't help but give a chuckle
"You damn softy." I whispered
Day 60
I woke with a start suddenly sitting up, looking around I gave a small sigh, "Why does that dream keep coming back." I muttered to myself, standing up I pulled on my pants and jacket, not bother to put on a shirt I slipped on my shoes and left. Walking out of the Inn I stepped out into the street before walking around. I wandered around the town and in doing so I felt a great sadness welling up in my being,
"this is where I chose to live" I whispered to myself in an almost awed state at the fact that I would say that
"This is the land I chose to love." I turned down the street not really paying attention to where I was going
"This is the land for which I choose to defend, not because I'm bound to but because I want to." How in the hell did all this happen? I never wanted to settle down, I never wanted to be a part of something like this. I chuckled at that
"Who the fuck am I joking." I whispered miserably
"I'm not important, I'm not special, when people talk about the great people of the Ironwood clan my name will never be mentioned." God I sounded like a fucking brat. Shaking my head I came to stop at a little memorial of sorts, it was a pillar, about six feet, there was names all over it, I approached it and looked at the names, there wasn't thousands or anything like that, but a couple hundred. I let my eyes linger upon the stone.
"Well on the bright side no one here is important to history either, even though they all gave their life for this nation..." It was a moment of introspection that I thoroughly enjoyed. Slowly I felt the pull of my memories pull on my conscious closing my eyes I allowed myself to be pulled into them
Day ?
Three days... Three days of scoping out the location, hunting, and mixing some potions. Now standing on the mountain behind the entire camp, a natural defence that helped hold off any invading armies. For me and Cole however, it was a valuble asset.
"So why did you want to come here again?" Cole asked nervously, I wasn't surprised the man had been getting more and more on edge with each passing day. Reaching into my quiver I exracted an arrow, however instead of Iron at the end, there was a phial of some sort of liquid, I held it up for his inspection
"This is my Magnum Opus, this chemical mix is possibly one of the most dangerous mixes every." Cole backed away a bit which got me to chuckle "Don't worry I'm being careful." I tried to reassure him I don't think it worked to well
"Alright I'll bite, what is it?"
"This took all of my free time to make, hell I've been working on it for a while now this just seemed to be the best time to... Rush it" Holding the phial up for a closer look "This little phial if ignited will cause quite a large explosion and the flames? Not only will they burn people to death, but the chemicals stick to the skin easily so once it's on you, there's almost no getting it off" I had to admire it I've been working on it for years now, slowly gather notes on how elements reacted and this was the payoff.
"I have about ten arrow ready." I pointed at the camp "if you look there are a lot of fires going in order to keep warm, not surprising considering it's snowing. So I plan to use that to my advantage, I shoot these into the fires, all we have to do is wait and it will be clean up." I smirked at my achievement "consider this a testing ground."
Notching the arrow I pulled it back, giving one last glance to Cole he paused for a second before giving me a nod. Closing one eye I took in a deep breath, take aim...
Fire
The arrow flew through the air, crashing into the fire pit, it exploded violently covering everyone and everything around it. Screams echoed out into the air however I ignored them taking aim with another arrow, boom, screaming, another arrow
Another...
Another...
Another...
Before I even realized it I had used up all my arrows, the fortress was nearly entirely ablaze, strange where was the glory in my mix working exactly as intended, where was the pride in knowing that I had avenged Nicole... Where was it all?
"Derin..." Cole started out his eyes wide at the devastation, I however Ignored him falling to my rear I could only watch the destruction unfold
"Exactly as intended" I muttered, it worked, perfectly, holding a hand to my chest "Why doesn't this make me feel happy." I whispered so low that Cole didn't hear me.
It took quite a few hours for the flames the die down, when they did Cole and I went down to the fort to make sure no one survived. Walking in through the front gates, it took all of my will not to throw up at the devastation, monsters lying across the street dead and dying, they stood no hope. Cole walked forward sword in hand as he finished off all of the survivors, there was no anger in his strikes, only grim resolve. I swalloed the bile in my throat as I walked down the street.
"Help..." The plea was quiet, so faint I nearly missed it, however the only other sound was the dull crackles of flame that refused to die out. Walking towards the sound I approached a house that was halfway caved in, walking in through the hole I had to stop in shock, this wasn't a barracks,
This wasn't somewhere to house soldiers.
This wasn't military.
It was civilian.
On the side that still stood of the house was a group of monsters, around four of them, huddled around something. Walking forward I leaned over to see what it was
"No..." Was all I could mutter in the face of what I saw
"It's not possible." Walking backwards, I fell to the floor eyes wide, the monsters huddled over something important
Their child
The child that was still breathing... His breaths came in short rasps as he clung to life, he flesh horribly burnt, this time I couldn't stop vomit came rushing and I turned and released the contents of my lunch onto the floor. Coughing a couple times, I stood up spitting in order to get the last of the bile out, and turned to the boy. He was staring at me unblinking, his eyes seemed to ask me a question
"Why?"
I bit my lip and looked away, I had no answer for the boy, nor for myself. Walking to the boy I crouched down to him "I'm sorry" I whispered as if that would absolve me of my sins, as if that would wash the blood off my hands.
"W-why?" I still had no answer, pulling my sword I looked him dead in the eyes,
"I don't know"
I stood in the dead center of the town, a town destroyed by my own efforts, looking around I sighed reaching my hand into my backpack I pulled out a journal, and the final phial of the chemical of my own creation, tossing the phial onto the floor it quickly sparked up into a flame, I swear the flames almost sound like the screams of the damned, holding the journal up I hesitated, I had spent the last two years creating this, was this how i was gonna end it? One last look around the city answered the question swiftly, the journal dropped onto the flames quickly igniting, standing up fully I looked to the sky,
"This was no fortress" I spoke
"Yeah it was a town."
A smirk came to my face as I turned to him. "Ah well that sucks for them." I suddenly said shocking Cole
"Derin what are you-"
"I mean the monsters should have known the risks raiding and killing, they brought this on themselves." My tone was almost cheerful,
"Derin you can't mean that."
"And why not?" I spoke confused "I mean i didn't kill them, their actions killed them."
Cole looked at me, not in disgust, not in fear, but in pity, as if to say 'I can't believe it'
"Derin... I'm sorry, I did this." I rose an eyebrow
"What? No their leader did. He allowed his people to do what they did" I shrugged my shoulders and put my hands came to fold behind my head. "Good thing he's dead now."
"He's not."
"What?"
"He made it out somehow. Their was no body in his office, or what I assume to be his house... It's hard to identify that bodies though."
"Well... We'll just have to fix that." I said before turning a walking off
"Derin, you can't be serious, you can't just push the blame off onto their leader."
I stopped and looked at him, "Well If you want I can blame you, after all you're the entire reason I'm here."
Cole froze he couldn't move so I shrugged and walked away from him.
From what I did.
From any responsibility I had to these monsters.
My eyes opened slowly as the memories faded away, my greatest lie, my greatest sin. What I had made killed all those monsters, the deaths were so brutal that there was an actual investigation launched into finding out who did this horrible act. However due to the remote nature of the fort itself, and the fact that no one had ever seen this chemical before or since, well there was no way for them to track it to me. Strange that I didn't feel happy about getting away with it.
I never took responsibility for it, I never told anyone what I did. I always said
"Cole killed them"
"My brother hunted them down."
"Cole was responsible."
I told everyone that lie, I told myself that lie. Every day, everytime things got tough and I started to think about that monster village, I pushed the blame off to Cole, or the leader who probably wasn't alive at all, I blamed them. Now I couldn't I killed Cole, I killed those monsters.
"I call them monsters, yet I went about my life as if nothing happened for years." That's not to say it didn't effect me, it did, a lot. However I forcibly ignored it. However now there would be no running. There would be no pushing the blame off.
I killed those monsters.
I was responsible for the chemical fire.
Standing up fully I looked around Ironwood the building probably wouldn't stand to the chemical, the people would burn like the others did, but I had no intention of ever repeating what I did, no Ironwood is a chance at redemption for me, to attempt to make up for what I did. I may not ever be remebered as someone important to Ironwood, however that can't stop me, not anymore more.
I must do something to make up for what I did.
A/N and cut, that's a wrap! Whoo so now we peer into what made Derin the way he is, the scars he has from the day of the event caused him to revert into this immature state, however with the killing of Cole, and the fact that Talisa forced him to face what he did, well this is causing Derin to face what he did and to begin to move on. Not only that but, Derin's little rant at how he would be forgotten comes from my own realization of Derin's place. No matter what Derin does, what he accomplished Derin is still a background character in this world. But hey that's how life is sometimes. Man this chapter was tough to write but I hope you liked it Please Read and Review, TTFN ta ta for now.
Character Stats by the start of Day 60
Derin Saxes
[The Wanderer][The Bastard Son][Kinslayer]
LvL 90
No Home King
Race:Human
Blessing: Mark of Wandering Spirits
Class: Ranger
Class: Alchemist
HP: 129(+220)(15.7 Hp per Hour Regen)
Mana: 90(10 per minute Regen)
STR: 63
DEX:315
AGI:197
END:98
INT: 220
WIS: 83
CHA:187
Unused points: N/A
Fame(prestige): 140
Infamy: 30 (250 should he ever admit to the public his creation)
Traits
-
Wanderlust, Lustful, Suave, Simple, spiteful, King of beggars, gold tongued Serpent, Lonely, Kind, Resolved, Kinslayer.
Racial Traits
-
Human Perseverance(LvL Max)
Adaptability(LvL Max)
Disease Resist(LvL Max)
_
Class Skills:
Plant identification (LvL 15)
Stealth (LvL 20)
Potion Creation (LvL 13)
Poison Creation (LvL 8)
Foraging(LvL 19)
Camping(LvL 14)
Hunting(LvL 7)
Cooking (LvL 18)
Trap Making(LvL 10)
Sword Mastery(LvL 6)
Bow Mastery (LvL 5)
_
Basic Skills:
Dodge(LvL 10)
Block(LvL 5)
Pain resistance(LvL 17)
True Grit(LvL Max)
_
Unique Skills
Combat Mode(LvL 2)
…...
The chemical Derin created- I modeled this a bit after white phosphorus, and using that as my baseline, I amped up the effects in order to fit the purposes, of my story,
The small monster village- The world is bigger than Ironwood, and while the Ironwood clan, city, nation? Is the most successful monster village, there have been others, Derin was responsible for the BlackSnow's destruction. Yes BlackSnow, as in snow covered in soot from conquered/destroyed towns.