The old human, leader of this group of Twin Moon members, Loman Thames, leads a detachment of eleven through the hallways of a single apartment building. He has a smile on his face.
It's all thanks to the opportunity that Karise got for us. Splendid. Absolutely splendid!
He considers the plan that he had for Karise, a plan that she accomplished admirably. She was meant to act as a decoy to lure in that strange, yet powerful human who called himself Ajax. Of course she didn't know that she was a pure decoy until perhaps the very moment that she was frozen to death.
Though, even Loman had thought that she would have caused a large destructive fire. It seems that her fate was unfulfilled, though she died valiantly.
That man Ajax somehow stopped her body from being properly rendered into a destructive fire bomb. That was a grave omen to Loman, however he had already adjusted their collective plan enough that even Ajax would not prove an issue moving forward, even if he did somehow survive Beric's explosion.
Thanks to Beric, the second suicide bomber, Loman is certain that Ajax was hit point blank with that fire explosion and died a tragic, fiery death. Even if he did somehow survive, as implausible as that may be, he would be too late to stop what is planned. He would not be able to get in the way of today.
Ironically, he is responsible for Loman being able to fulfill his life’s wish. It is because of him that today is the most important, the most gratifying, day of Loman’s life.
Originally, he had only planned to target a single building with a spectacular destruction; using the eight vials he had originally, he could have created a pillar of fire out of one of these four wretched buildings where demihumans gather and move around like vermin.
The flames have a slightly thermobaric property as well, which would have forced others in the surrounding buildings to suffocate to death or live the rest of their lives with chronic lung problems if they weren't able to escape the area fast enough.
However, due to the strange man’s interference, Loman had to adjust their plans. Instead of one building being destroyed, it would be three buildings! Beric would not have had to kill a large group of human supremacists, people who could have been radicalized to join them one day in the future.
That was a shame… But, in serving our plans, those innocent men and women will be able to join us in the true heaven… join me in the true heaven.
Loman would be able to fulfill his wish to die in service of his Lord and race. He would be able to take hundreds of demihumans with him to the true heaven. They would serve him as his slaves for all eternity. What would be the first thing he would order them to do?
He’s giddy just thinking about it. Perhaps this “Ajax” was the Lord’s test for him as well; he had passed it admirably and is now reaching the final stretch.
Loman’s current plan is to consume two vials of a specific liquid, an alchemical product developed over several millennia. It was a weapon that did not serve well during war, except as a last resort. This is because it is a weapon that can only be used by being consumed by humans or demihumans.
A powerful suicide weapon.
In order to use it effectively as a suicide weapon, there would have to be someone strong enough to be able to bring themselves to a section of the battlefield with only dragon knights. In the best case, if a commando noble were to use this as a last ditch effort, they could destroy several dragon knights by consuming just one vial.
But, nobles were naturally unwilling to use it, as they always believed that they would make it out of any battle situation, a bit of their heroic pride. Even when used, apparently, the Empire had developed a countermeasure to detect and interrupt the alchemical process. As a result, the nobles finally decided to rule it out as a conventional arm.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
The weapon became a curiosity, to be stored away indefinitely, until perhaps things got bad enough to be forced to use it in terrorist attacks against the Empire’s civilian centres.
I still don’t know how he was able to get it. Loman thinks to himself.
His compatriot within the Twin Moons, the one who had called their group out to the statue march today, always had a way of finding such nifty tools. Of course, if Loman was a bit more cautious, the fact this powerful weapon fell into his hands should have told him that the people backing him were not just amateurs.
After all, his compatriot is not just some random person, but a sergeant within the Tritol guards force.
"Alright, stop…" Loman shouts. The eleven other members look towards him. Loman smiles and speaks softly.
"This is the perfect place to wait. I think that if these two walls are destroyed and this pillar collapses, then the rest of the building should start to come down.” Loman says, pointing to the walls next to him in the hallway of this floor. “I'm going to be drinking the two vials right now."
Loman’s plan is to have a single member drink two vials and use the resultant "enhanced" suicide bomb to melt the load bearing walls and pillars on the second or third floor of each of the three target buildings. Even Beric and Karise had only drunk one vial.
Two vials would result in something quite magnificent. In his group, Loman would drink two vials, sacrificing himself. In the other two buildings, Orin would perform that task and a female member named Cariha as well.
The eleven members of Loman’s group are sad seeing him do this. Perhaps a few were envious as well.
"Sir, please, you don't need to make the sacrifice. Let one of us do it for you!" A young member spoke with urgency.
"You, what's your name?" Loman asks, unscrewing the cap on his first vial.
"My name is Tavoj, sir."
"Well, Tavoj, you must have seen by now that I'm old. I've survived for a long time in this organization. I've seen members like me die glorious deaths, leaving me behind on this wretched plane." Loman answers, a bitter smile on his face. He drinks the first vial all the way down.
"Sir…" The young woman bites her lip in frustration.
"I have been a good servant of Osva. But, I think it is time for me to lay my life down as well. In service to him… Can you hear them, Tavoj? My friends are calling for me, from there. In the true heaven. Karise is waiting for me there too. Beric as well."
"Sir, I'm… I'm sorry for trying to make your resolve waiver."
"It is of no concern, Tavoj. I was once a young hot-blooded person like you were. I became something smarter, something dedicated to our Lord's wishes. Because of people like me in our organization, we’ve still managed to stick around this long and accomplish so much. I believe I have earned this. Live long lives, my friends, take your chance at glory only when you’ve earned it!”
I’ve earned it… Hah! I’ve goddamn earned it! Loman thinks to himself.
“Sir… What will we do without you…” Tavoj asks. Though she has never spoken to Loman in person before, she has heard of his many feats within the Twin Moons. She would never accuse him of selfishness but… he is leaving a space in their organization to fill.
“Don’t think that way, Tavoj. Call me Loman as well. All I needed was the escort, to deal with any surprises. Now however… well, I think it’s time for you all to get to safety.” Loman speaks. “But… fear not. You will all join me in the true heaven. But, not today.”
The group affirms his words by standing up straight, and giving a salute. The salute of the Twin Moons is similar to the one used by the military, both arms straight forward, hands joined, palms flat. Loman stands tall and salutes them as well.
“Sir… Loman… We will take your spirit forward. We will not let you—“
The woman, Tavoj, cannot finish her words however. She sees something she doesn’t quite understand in front of her.
A man is in front of her, his right hand covering the mouth of Loman. She didn't notice his arrival, didn't hear his arrival. She hears something shatter behind her but doesn't look. She cannot look away from this man. He is wearing ash colored clothing. His head and parts of his body are covered in truly cold ice.
Time freezes for her as she sees Loman. She didn’t even notice when it happened.
He is unmoving. His skin has become so cold that water vapor is visibly condensing on his body. The iceman turns to look at Tavoj’s face, having completed his most important task.
"Lo–"
She tries to speak, but cannot. The last thing she feels before she dies is a hand on the back of her neck.