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year 5, quarter 3
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If she asked, Caius would explain that he would love to have another healer in the Dragonblades. While Yuna was great, the Dragonblades was more than just a party. It was capable of expanding to a large group of people in order to cover the most group, and help the most people that way. Yuna, as great as she was, was only one woman. She couldn’t be in every party at once, and thus another healer would be a valuable asset.
Caius had considered the idea of offering her membership, or at least telling her to check things out. But then again, he knew little about her besides that she was friendly and that she could most likely handle herself. It took far more ordinarily for him to actually offer. But he smiled slightly when she brought up that she planned to stay independent for a little while and kind of get her wits about her, as well as learn to be better as an independent. He understood that. He even respected that.
“Understood” He responded curtly. “I can respect that. I did the same thing for a long while.”
Still, he had the impression already that she would have already been able to handle the bandits, even if he hadn't intervened. She didn't seem anything more than minorly inconvenienced, in hindsight. She brought up that she would start whenever she arrived to town, and he had to wonder a moment how long she had been in Serentestra.
"If you need a ride back to town, suppose we can always help you with that" Caius offered, looking toward Vordun then. "You don't mind, do you Vordun?" He asked the dragon, who snapped back to attention to look toward them before letting out a snort that emitted smoke from his nostrils.
While Caius made a face to indicate he was listening, he had started reading the papers as well. He didn't stop until Yuna raised her voice, and his head raised to look at her. And then lowered again when she crouched down. What he had done appeared to have more of an impact on her than he had thought. Though really, he still didn't know what to think. After she finished, he let out a sigh as he lowered the papers. He lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"I... Don't know where to begin on this" He admitted softly. "I am... Aware. Of what I did. I know that it goes against what we typically do.... What I typically do. I had hoped that some time to clear my head would help, but it hasn't made it any easier to put it into words. I just... I..."
He let out another breath. "... I don't feel anything."
He opened his eyes and just... Stared at his hands a moment. "I can't justify what I did. I will never be able to justify making that decision, to end a life. Yet... I don't feel regret either. I tried, in my time searching, to either find a way to justify it, to rationalize my decision... Or find a reason to feel horrible for it. But I feel nothing. I feel no satisfaction, yet no remorse either. I don't feel proud of myself for killing that... Thing, I don't know if I can call them human without resisting the urge to vomit, I..."
He shook his head. "I feel no pride. And yet no sorrow. I feel no satisfaction, yet no pain. I wish I could tell you that I regret all of it, and that I would go back and do it differently if I could, but... I would just be lying to you, and I cannot do that. I don't... I don't even know if I could call it a decision, if I'm being honest."
He bit his lip. "I didn't see principals, or the values of either killing someone or arresting them, one over the other... I didn't see any of that. I wasn't thinking of any of that. In that moment... They were just a monster that was putting Vordun in danger. Just another monster with its jaws clamped around his throat. And I did what I do whenever that happens. I kill them quickly, so that we may survive. And they knew... They knew that Vordun was family to me. It knew and they relished in it, if they didn't, they wouldn't have targeted him like that. I only saw a monster, a predator, that relished in the kill. Just like the bandits that took my family from me were nothing but monsters with human faces. Darlene to me, was no different.
Just a monster. A monster I knew would take Vordun from me if I didn't act. I wasn't thinking about all that stuff about arrest verses kill at the time because... I wasn't thinking at all. I acted. Nothing more. Nothing less."
He moved to stroke Vordun's head, before looking to Yuna again.
"I don't... Really know how to process all of this. I don't know if what I did was exactly right or wrong, and I... Can't find any words to explain how I feel right now. What I do know for sure is that yes, I impeded your work. And for that, I sincerely apologize. I know it is a poor response considering the stress I have put on you, but it is all I can offer at this time."
He thought a moment on that last part. About how Darlene would always be stuck with him now. That he would never forget what he did.
"Perhaps that memory always will haunt me now" He responded softly, staring out into space for a moment, seemingly lost a bit in his thoughts. "And maybe I deserve it."
Caius' focus had completely shifted to the bigger threat, the large monster that threatened to destroy the forest around them -- and them -- if they didn't dispatch it quickly. Knowing to expect Bad Breath and remembering what it had done to Cissnei some time ago, Caius at least had some expertise going in. Seeing the mucus shot and knowing it potentially had similar properties, Caius acted quickly and wrapped his arms around Vordun, summoning the short sword and pulling the handles apart to reveal two Gun-Daggers, collectively known as Isp as his initial gunblade disappeared into thin air. Flicking his wrist and sending one of the daggers flying to the side, Caius prompted his Warp abilities focused on the blade as he and Vordun were darted out of the way of the attack.
"Now, Vordun!" Caius called to Vordun the moment they re-appeared, and Vordun would unfurl his wings and take to the skies just as Caius dropped down on his back and caught the dagger. Settling himself on Vordun's saddle, Caius immediately aimed both daggers toward the beast as they started to lift higher up. Clicking the triggers, both daggers would launch rapid fire bolts of energy at the Malboro, getting higher up on its body the higher up that the dragon rose. Once they were above most of the trees and could operate more freely, Caius would leap off the back of Vordun, using the Warp Strike with his daggers once more before swapping to his primary weapon the moment that he landed on the Malboro's head.
Vordun waited in the wings as Caius began a flurry of quick strikes on the Malboro, keeping himself at the edge of their head so he would be at a downward area on the head and not need to strike downward, instead being able to attack mostly normally and at full speed. After a series of strikes, he snapped his fingers and jumped off, just as Vordun launched a fireball where Caius had once been, after his signal. Caius knew that he and Vordun working as one would be integral here.
Caius’ brow furrowed in turn as the brute would suddenly get offended and accuse him, seeming to be ready for a fight. Well, his tone had shifted quite quickly, hadn’t it? Caius didn’t waver though, his gaze turned to stone as he stared Big Red in the eyes.
“I have ordered nothing of you. Only stated you are offending the drake’s senses” Caius corrected calmly, yet firmly. “If you wish to continue to provoke him until he just decides to eat you, that’s not my problem.”
Vordun begun to growl, and Caius looked back to Vordun, as if wondering if this smelly stupid idiot had managed to annoy him enough to merit the drake actually eating him. But when the growl began to grow fierce and turn to a snarl, Caius knew that wasn’t the case. The smell may be god awful, and he was sure Vordun had a more sensitive nose than he… But not even a smell this bad would set off Vordun to this degree. Annoy him, maybe. Maybe cause him to snap at the buffoon and scare him off. But snarl? Bare his teeth? No… He sensed something. He knew that something was coming that Caius did not. That was the first thing to tip Caius off that something was wrong, the second being Vordun beginning to step forward toward Big Red. Growling, snarling, crawling with a crouch like a predator. Vordun wouldn’t do that if there wasn't danger nearby. Something actually dangerous.
Gilgamesh’s wretched scent had thrown Caius off the scent of the Great Malboro that had begun to rise, but it didn’t take long for Caius to see it when Vordun gave his warning in his own way. The final toll came though, when Vordun acted first -- the heated glands in his mouth beginning to glow as he unleashed a torrent of flames in continued succession against the Malboro, firing right over Gilgamesh’s head.
It was there that Caius was able to see the blue thing in the trees. And his eyes widened. Cursing under his breath, Caius quickly drew his blade.
“Vordun” Caius commanded calmly to the drake as he rushed forward, dashing past Gilgamesh as he quickly casted Blizzard the moment Vordun finished his flamethrower, dowsing the fires he had begun to set in the forest while also hitting the monster at the tail end of the attack.
He had fought Malboro before. But nothing like this. He knew, somehow, that this was more powerful than the one he had fought in the tunnels.
Caius smiled sadly when Vivi would remark that people shouldn't be afraid to live. And that there was more to life than fighting. Though at the least, he seemed to understand that many had no choice. And he nodded his head in turn. "That's more true than many could ever know" He responded softly. "Many people who join the Dragonblades are people who didn't have a choice. They're from worlds that forced them into positions where they had to fight to survive. I know because I'm from one of those worlds myself" He admitted in turn. "If I wasn't... I'm sure that my path would have been far different from the one that I walk now. But it is the path I walk, and it is the one that others do as well.
The least I can do is offer them a foothold when that walk turns into a climb."
He had to wonder how old the one in front of him was. By his mannerisms, and his speech and voice, he came off as an innocent child. Yet, these were things that he appeared to be knowledgeable in. Most likely, he was far too young to be talking about these kinds of things. It reminded Caius of the childhood he had lost as well. Something he could never get back. But this kid? He was still young. The last thing he should be doing was concerning himself with these sorts of affairs.
But they had both already said that many just... Didn't have a choice. And he did not know the path that he walked. So he could not pass judgement on it.
Surprisingly, once Caius had left and Vivi had dealt with the stablehand, Vordun actually seemed to snort a bit of steam grumpily when the stablehand had spoken up. It was as though Vordun had understood what they said, as well as the concept, and it had wounded the drake's pride. Vordun's intelligence was still something though, that Caius was very much still figuring out. He was definitely far more aware than many beasts Caius had encountered.
Caius was happy to see that things were well when he arrived with cocoa. Nodding his head after handing Vivi his, he would sit down at the chair nearest to Vordun's stable area and listen as Vivi spoke up.
"You don't want to die again?" Caius asked, his eyes shooting up in alarm. What had Vivi meant by that? Had he misspoke? He didn't understand. "As far as fighting goes... For some, they can stay away. For others... We can't. Not when there's always going to be people in trouble somewhere. That's just... How it goes. But that doesn't mean you can't contribute and help people in other ways if seeking out fighting isn't your style. There are plenty of ways to help people."
He took a moment to sip from his drink. Vordun meanwhile, had curled up and seemed ready to get a bit of a rest. It had been an exciting little while, after all.
"Even if sometimes, there comes a time where you just gotta draw your sword and get down to it. Even in a world like this, where the choices are plentiful... Sometimes that choice isn't there. And you just gotta grin and bear it."
He smiled slightly. "Especially people like us. Who just can't stay away."
Somehow Caius wasn't surprised that the buffoon had managed to lose his weapon. Though the note that he didn't know where "here" was and that he had suddenly appeared here while fighting a monster was of interest.
"You're another off-worlder" Caius remarked. It was a quick conclusion to come to, but it was pretty clear to him. But Caius was taken off-guard when the Big Red would suddenly start slapping himself around. "Hey, hey, you don't need to do that. I'll explain everything" He promised, holding his hands up defensively, as if it would do any good. He tried very, very hard to hide the exasperation from his face. "Essentially, you've arrived in a continent called Serentestra. In another world entirely. So most likely, you're not finding anyone or anything you know anytime soon. And if your weapon was left back there, well... You might be out of luck. Unless the last time you had it was here, and you just misplaced it when you arrived" He explained quickly, trying to keep it as short as possible. "Don't bother trying to get back, by the way. There's no way back to your own world. Sometimes people just disappear at random and I assume that's a rift having taken them back. They've even disappeared while in my company sometimes, and my memory of them slowly starts to fade, indicating they've left this world" He finished.
He did try to keep it as short, plain and simple as possible seeing as he had his doubts Gilgamesh would understand something lengthy. But he had no idea how much of it would fly over his head.
Why did he seem to play this role so often with off-worlders? How long ago was he a lost off-worlder himself?
"With that said, where did you last see your weapon? Serentestra isn't exactly the safest place. You had best get yourself a proper weapon as soon as possible if you intend to even survive the trek to town."
It seemed that Caius had chosen to help the Big Red. He couldn't exactly leave a newcomer in the middle of nowhere and defenceless, after all. It just wasn't in his nature.
"Also, if we find a lake, preferably one without clean drinking water, so as not to endanger wildlife... I don't know what you ran into on the way here, but you need a dip" He remarked bluntly toward the Big Stinker. "I've suffered through worse, but... My companion isn't used to it" He spoke, motioning toward the Drake who could be heard sniffing and by the sounds of it, growing rather annoyed by the smell that wasn't going away. "I think a man with your... Experience, knows that a cranky drake isn't exactly something you want to deal with if you can help it."
That had been Caius' reaction when Vordun had let out a light roar to wake him, indicating that something was below. The Fire Drake and his rider had been soaring through the air above on their way back to Torensten when Vordun had alerted Caius to the presence down below. The creature wasn't anything that Caius had seen before, but what he did know was that the blasted thing was a damned monstrosity. And that it was terrorizing some fellow who he couldn't see very well.
Caius may not have been a stranger to big, bad and hideous creatures. But when he met one he hadn't dealt with before, it was still an experience that gave him goosebumps. New things always did. This... Thing. It resembled a dragon, yet also a horse. Yet it also had no wings. At the least, they would have the advantage if they took to the air. The monster also appeared to be adept in magic, as Caius saw an explosion he attributed to likely be a fire spell, and then a blizzard spell and a lightning spell. From his height, it was hard to gauge the strength of them, or what spell they were using. Just the general gist of it.
With his scouting completed, Caius took a deep breath as he looked to Vordun, summoning Itamen, his gunblade. "Take us down, Vordun" Caius called to the fire drake, now that he had regained his bearings and had calmed down once he had been given time to scout the opponent. As Vordun would dive downward, Caius began to undo his restraints on the saddle. As Vordun flew just over the creature, Caius nodded his head toward Vordun. "Get a vantage point and attack them from outside their range" He commanded to Vordun as he jumped off the saddle. Brandishing his blade, he landed a strike on the creature's side before warping forward to gain some distance, landing on his feet as he brandished his blade, a small grin crossing his face as he seemed prepared for a fight.
Ahh, monster hunting. The easiest, most crystal clear part of his job.
Caius was starting to think that maybe, just maybe he might be one of the unluckiest people around. Not only did he have a group of crazy bandits after him trying to cash on a bounty their boss set, but people seemed to either turn out to be yellow, or traitorous, or just plain flat out disappear at the worst times. Well, considering he had the misfortune of growing up in a world where all was darkness and everything was miserable, at least he was used to it by now.
It seemed he was just going to have to make the most of his misfortune. As he always did.
At the least, it seemed that a replacement party member had joined them. Or was he just imagining it? It was highly possible that the heat had begun to get to him and he was just hallucinating, but Caius tried to shake it off as he tried to focus solely on the golem for now. If he could manage to put this thing down, then they could deal with the newcomer -- if they were still there when they did.
The newcomer and the other man managed to deal some damage to the Golem, causing it to then begin to glow red and attack far more violently and quickly. But at the least, it was beginning to careen toward the newcomer instead of Caius or Kana-El. The man asked if he could lend a hand, and Caius nodded his head toward him.
Of course, Kana's request had not gone unheeded. Kahlil had begun searching around, and before the golem could reach the newcomer, Kahlil suddenly tripped over something, causing the Golem to suddenly flicker a few times, stopping in its tracks for a few moments. Caius took the opportunity very quickly. "Blizzard!" He called as his sword was imbued with an icy hue. Warping forward, he began to slash at the Golem's centerpiece on its head, until finally the creature shut down and fell.
Caius landed in a pile of sand, gasping for air as he dug himself out.
Itamen was gripped a bit harder in Caius' right hand, while the gunblade was soon accompanied by a second sword in his left, a short sword with, strangely enough, a small handle on each side. Spinning the smaller blade between his fingers, Caius prepared himself for attack as the big bridge man would begin to give his battling speech...
... A speech that went on...
... And on...
... And on.
Caius lowered his blades as he heard the cracking, that could be heard even from where he was standing. With all that armor, and thus that much weight, it was inevitable he supposed. He raised a hand to try to warn him.
"Hey, uh, you might want to watch the-"
But he kept going. And the buffoon kept going and going and going. Caius turned to look to Vordun a moment, who let out a snort, expelling steam from his nostrils before Caius looked back to the Big Red Doofenstein as he continued his speech.
"No really, you probably should-"
CRUNCH.
Caius winced as the Big Red Monster tumbled and hit the ground hard. At the man's flapping and flailing, then insistence it was on purpose, Caius' palm soon met his face. "Oh geez" He groaned, shaking his head. "Astrals spare me. Or just kill me now. Either one's a mercy at this point."
But Doofenshmirtz wasn't finished, as he floundered his way up and seemed intent on a fight anyway. Caius couldn't take the smell much longer, but he was so befuddled by the performance in front of him that he almost didn't notice.
"But you don't have a sword. You can't exactly fight without one" Caius pointed out as he walked over, before picking one of the tree branches that had fallen with Stinkward's graceful entrance and tossing it to his feet. "There you go. You were saying something about facing you at my own peril?"
The fact he kept a straight face through this was a minor miracle.
He didn't know what had prompted him to do what he did. Anger, perhaps? Anger building up toward Darlene and maybe even the Original Sin as a whole for all the atrocities they had committed? Perhaps a sort of parental instinct that had welled up when they hurt Vordun, and had kicked in entirely when she ordered her men to kill him? He didn't know. And it didn't even set in what he did until Yuna spoke up, and the distance in her voice surprised him, causing him to jump slightly and stare at her with a look of surprise. Even a bit of hurt.
But he understood she wasn't happy. He couldn't blame her. But even with his waking up from this stupor... He couldn't piece together what he felt.
He felt nothing. He felt a void, nothing more. He wasn't satisfied with the kill. The kill had given him no level of satisfaction. But even if he knew he had done wrong, he didn't regret it either. He could never regret that. Never, not ever. If he hadn't, she put Vordun at risk. And like it or not, Vordun was equivalent to his own child.
Caius couldn't think of anything to do but nod his head to oblige her in her suggestion to clean his sword, as well as that she wanted to talk afterword. Quickly cleaning her sword, he turned to the bandits that had gathered, who were only beginning to get their bearings. But each of them stepped back a bit when Caius approached, cold, blank eyes staring through them the same way he had stared through Darlene before he killed her. He could see it, he could smell it. Written all over their faces. Fear. These poor excuses for people felt fear, knowing that he could end their lives in an instant if he wanted to. Honestly, he didn't feel bad for them at all. All he had found here showed they cared little for how many lives they took, or how helpless and scared those people had felt.
Finally, he spoke.
"Go" He commanded firmly, regarding the lot of them with a scowl. It was more than they deserved. But he didn't feel like fighting anymore, unless they made him. "Take your second chance for a better life and don't let me see you again."
In a way, that was Caius as Yuna knew him. Even with an angry face, it was very much Caius to take something like this and turn it into a chance to potentially rehabilitate somebody. The bandits whispered amongst themselves for a bit before they began to make a run for it.
"I'll meet you outside" Caius told Yuna as he walked past her once they were gone. "I need to do some searching. But you need to get out of here quickly in case they call for reinforcements. Back to that clifftop. Take Vordun with you. Please check him for further wounds when you are safe."
With that, he walked off. He knew he had little time himself, and he didn't want to risk reinforcements. Vordun tried to follow, but Caius motioned to Yuna instead. Vordun let out a few whines in disagreement, but Caius placed a hand on his head and shook his head. "I won't be long. I don't know if you can fight right now if it comes to it" Caius told Vordun softly. "Take care of Yuna. I don't trust those bandits."
Finally, Vordun relented with a cranky snort of steam and returned to Yuna as Caius left without allowing another word.
-----------
Eventually, Caius would return to the clifftop that they had been ambushed on before in a burst of light. Catching his weapon and allowing it to disappear, he regarded Yuna and Vordun with a nod as Vordun rushed to his side. Patting Vordun on the head, Caius would move to sit down on a rock. Taking out an armful of papers he had been holding, he would begin to read through them for a moment before looking to Yuna. He nodded his head once more, indicating to her that she may begin her lecture when she wished. He knew she wasn't happy with him. He knew that he had done wrong, and he would accept what was to come.
