Like four seconds elapse over this entire chapter Im so miserably slow lmao sad.
The Demolitionist had never considered his works to be evil.
Not when he blasted The Monster Knight to pieces.
Not when he tortured The Lab Director.
Not when presiding over prisoner's executions.
Not while piling up the bodies of those slain by his bombs and traps.
Why would he be struck with something so pithy as morality? It was useless to him. He was not beholden to it. His purpose was higher than the law of the masses. He was a rebel, a Resistance member, a warrior for freedom. He was one set apart for this purpose. Surely all of his crimes paled in comparison to this noble purpose. Wasn't it as The Sea King said? Any Sacrifice is permissible for the sake of bringing down The Tyrant.
I shoulda gone with him... damn emotions got in the way of the mission...
He had agreed with Amidas' words, but he didn't believe them. If he really believed killing Yharim was worth everything, then he would have abandoned The Arms Dealer, The Nurse... everyone to return to The Resistance and continue the fight. Instead, he'd been caught up in a pesky bout of wayward empathy. Empathy? What good does empathy do you in a fighting hole! Kindness and compassion are luxuries that those who live in peace enjoy. They can afford to be kind. They can afford to be compassionate. He was a soldier. He lived in the ruthless realm of war where one toed the line of life and death with every waking moment.
Had he been angry at The Sea King? Initially, yes. He had been angry because he thought The Sea King had devalued him. He had imagined Amidas had scorned his help, his loyalty and his servitude... but it wasn't so. Amidas wanted to kill Yharim more than he loved his own life. That was the conviction he was willing to die for. He was willing to throw everything away for the sake of his goal. Oh, how The Arms Dealer raged at him! How The Nurse had cursed him. Even The Demolitionist had turned his ire upon the hero of old...
But he soon realized that Amidas had only done what was right, and The Demolitionist was going to follow in his footsteps.
For the sake of The Resistance, for the sake of his fallen brethren, for the sake of his homeland and for the sake of his own survival, he would do anything. He would do everything. For the sake of The Tyrant's fall, he would become a coward. He would become a wretch. He would torture. He would kill. He would die.
And he would feel no remorse.
The dam within him trembled beneath the feeling he had become irredeemable. He did he best to suppress the sensation of descending into the pits reserved for wickedness. Was he wicked? Was he horrible? He had only a non-answer to this accusation. 'It's okay, Yharim is more wicked. Yharim is more horrible.' This pitiful excuse was his only defense against that wave of guilt that welled within him. It was enough rationalization to ignore the problem, but not enough to ease his heart.
But that didn't matter either.
He would cling to his conviction. He wasn't going to falter or waver. If he had been acting wickedly, he would continue to do so in the name of The Resistance. If he had been horrible, he would continue to do so in the name of The Resistance. It might not be good, but for him - This was right.
Phwoo...
The air was thick and pungent, so dense it seemed to jellify in his lungs. He could taste the stink of rot covering his teeth as he hissed out a breath. Brightness all around. Blindingly white, artificial, unfeeling. It shone through the muggy mists until he could see nothing but his own hands and the trembling figure at his feet. She was a petite little terror, a young lady with shocking pink hair and large watery eyes. Was he going to do this? Stab this little girl to death?
Shoulda brought a gun... tch.
Of course. Of course he'd stab her to death.
*...sff, sff...*
He'd stab her to death the same way he pulled out The Lab Director's fingernails, the same way he tore the unwitting Monster Knight asunder. He was 'right' to do all these things. His conviction wouldn't waver. His resolve would stand strong. He watched himself beat The Spy as if floating apart from himself. He shattered her wrist; he heard her screams. He kicked her in the gut; he heard her sobs. The blast had torn through her armour and melted some of her skin off. Beneath were what looked like delicate fish scales, which liquified and sizzled the ground. She was a bloody mess, but The Demolitionist would show her no mercy.
That just wasn't his job.
"Alright, little miss... ya really did me a favor by bringing this arm to me, and a healing rune too? You're too kind."
His voice was loud, breaking the drone of The Compound. The Spy heaved near his feet, her small hands gripping the ground as if to cause it to swallow her. The Monster Knight's Arm thrashed against its bonds (The Spy had tied it to a board) even as The Demolitionist gripped it by its stump. He... he had been victorious. He had taken everything he needed. Wasn't this enough? He wouldn't mock her anymore. Causing her to suffer was likewise fruitless. He'd kill her quickly... A slit through the throat and it'd all be over. He kneeled down over her, drew his knife and-...
*...sff...(click)*
He flinched, suddenly aware that there were malicious eyes on him. Were those faint footsteps? Should he investigate? No, killing this woman would only take a moment. CC Agents were notorious for their terrifyingly quick recovery. The last thing he wanted was for her to somehow escape today, then appear six months down the line thirsty for revenge. Working quickly, he placed the healing rune and The Arm on the ground then gripped The Spy by the shoulder to roughly flip her on her back. Her flesh squelched, bloody and sticky beneath his hands; she struggled weakly, her watery eyes spilling over as he raised the knife for a standard killing slas-
*BANG!*
It's the end.
She wholeheartedly believed it. The knife was raised; her throat was held exposed. All of her defenses had been stripped away, and a filthy Resistance Dwarf was poised to slice her jugular. This was the shameful death that destiny had reserved for her. She wasn't to fall in glorious battle. She wasn't sent here to accomplish some great mission. No, she had volunteered to come here in search of a damn promotion.
And now, she was going to lose her life.
How pathetic.
Ever since childhood, her only goal had been to reach her King. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to love him. She loved the King. She really did. She loved him with an obsessive longing, a nagging itch in her heart and her brain... but it wasn't to be. Today, she would die having accomplished nothing... nothing at all! All her life, she had never built anything. She had only destroyed. She had destroyed so much. She had killed the very night when she, the little starving girl, joined Yharim's army. The King didn't have a habit of picking up orphans, oh no, she had to prove herself. He had dragged her parents from their homes - the ones who abandoned her to the streets - and she, wielding a dagger far too large for her, stabbed them to death.
Why has she done it? Because finally she had an outlet for her rage. She had been given power, and she had used it in a gruesomely base manner. To kill one's own parents. How dare she! But she did. She killed them... then she continued to kill. Her life was awash in the blood of innocents, an now?
She had nothing to show for it.
Was it worth it?
No... no it wasn't...
Because not once in her short life had she ever felt peace. There wasn't a moment where she could smile and say, 'I am content. I am happ-'
*BANG!*
("Gaah!")
She blinked. She couldn't hear the sound, but she saw a trail of heat rip through the rioling mist. She saw The Dwarf lurch and falter - his cold eyes suddenly filling with hate. She saw his face twist in pain. She saw the place his earlobe once was, and the bloody mess that replaced it. Somebody had come to rescue her? Who? Her commanding officer? Was The Guide was risking his own life to save hers?
Impossible! Inconceivable!
The high ranking officials in Yharim's army never risked themselves for their soldiers, and CC agents especially. Agents were expected to take care of themselves. If they failed, then they were left to die. 'The empire doesn't need failures'. These were words that The Party Girl had spoken thousands of times: to the grieving families of fallen soldiers, to prisoners of war, to hostages.
She had failed. By her own words, she should die...
But instead, The Guide was doing something monstrous. An insane abberation of the military hierarchy. He was standing there in the mists, his mangled hands trembling as he clutched a pistol. His feet were bare, his legs scratched with all manner of bumps and bruises. There was fear on his face, a craven fear... because his gun was empty. His single bullet had nipped off The Demolitionist's earlobe. All his bravery, his valiant - suicidal efforts had succeeded in nothing but angering The Dwarf, who turned to snarl at him.
(Guide?! Yer dead!)
(Shit!)
She saw his lips move. She saw him stumble as he backpedeled, the long grass leaving lacerations on his bare feet. He locked eyes with her.
He mouthed 'Run!'
...!
As he did so, her heart twisted within her. What was this? This was something new. Something fresh. Something strange. The Commanding officer she had failed so gloriously had risked life and limb to rescue her? Ridiculous! Normally, she would be executed for such a shoddy performance! This... She had seen this before. She had seen it between prisoners, between the unwashed masses. Compassion? Nonsense. What place did Compassion have on a battlefield... It simply wasn't meant to be. Yharim's men would never act like this... Never. Who is The Guide?
But now, her tears of hate had burst into something entirely different. And the nagging longing within her became a bit less sharp. At that moment, The Party Girl realized she didn't quite care whether The Guide was really The Lab Director or not.
And neither was she going to run.
The Healing Rune was right there. It was within her reach, just beneath the shouting dwarf's elbow.
With all the strength she could muster, she lunged at it.
She struck it with her fist.
And the rune broke.
"This is also true...Perhaps we should ask The Sea King."
"..."
"Lord Amidas?"
"..."
"Lord Amidas, is something the matter?"
The Seadragon turned his head and blinked at the half-titan's booming voice, his transparent double-eyelids closing with synchronized *click*s. The wartable was looking at him, The Resistance Generals eagerly waited on his words. The silence echoed loudly in the great mountain castle, the smallest noises echoing between the marble pillars and the high ceilings. Many of these creatures had never seen such luxury. The Goblin generals looked shockingly out of place. The Old Army's Mages conferred to his left. The Cultist and his followers muttered at his right. The Dwarvish commanders occupied the foot of the table, and Statis and Braelor's generals looked on from both sides.
He cleared his throat and raised his spines.
"It's nothing, Braelor. No need to worry. It appears one of my... peripheral plans has just borne fruit. Now, concerning the positioning of the fifteen garrison, indeed they should not attack by plain, but rather through the woodland. Send The Hero to the plain and have the garrison flank... (etc)"
PartyGirl: *is Exploded*
Nurse: Rest in fucking pieces you cotton candy fuck!
Guide: Damn, I hardly knew her.
Demo: Good fookin riddance
PG: Yeah, sad isn't it?
All: CHRIST!
PG: *Shanks*
Slayer: *kicks down the front gate and flashes everyone*
NOTES: OoOoOoOo so the Iron Heart is doing stuff! Okay heads up, i changed the mechanic from canon a significant amount, so don't at me when it's not the same as in game. (don't go reading the wiki and coming at me with mechanics lmao) Also The Guide is great with the bow and arrow, but hes clearly shit with a pistol. He managed to shoot off somebody's earlobe tho. I mean, at least he hit the Demo. Distracted him lol.
kk leave me a note! Im gonna try and finish this specific confrontation off next chapter.
Also Discord invite. It where I store all the Art for this story. not really meant for chatting, more of an archive - but you can say hi if you want.
(merge the bottom three lines. FF is annoying with links)
discord
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/6YGmZ39vvT