Oh. Great. The murderer is back. How the hell did he not die?

Strauss sits on a rock — carved into a seat by the hands of Arden — watching the gorakhin wearily. Caau’s champion drinks from a stone cup of water, of his own making, and offers some to Strauss.

The man eyes it, takes it, sniffs it — and only then deems it safe to drink. Arden smiles. “I am surprised you are still alive, Mister Strauss.”

He looks down at the cup. “So am I. I thought I could hold off the Abyssal… as a final, stupid, selfless act. To repent…”

As they speak, Caau is active. [ Internal Excavation ] takes the form of a tendril that shoots from the centre of the void-room. It does not dig very fast — but progress is progress!

In the last two weeks, he has managed to carve out a little side room to store the items. As it turns out, he can’t ever take those items back, but he can place them wherever the hell he pleases.

Operations outside are going rather well. There is now the inner wall and the outer wall, with habitation being small carved huts, dug out of the stone around. The cave he’s in has a east and a west passage that’s clear of stone, but in front of him — and behind him — is just a sea of it.

With the Guardians now being ‘pathed’, it doesn’t take long for them to dig out a hut, about two days or so. Arden can do it in one.

Twelve humans, most of which do not wish to live together, and upwards of fifteen gorakhin — any of which do not wish to live together — means that in the two weeks housing is just about sorted...

If it were not for the issues at hand: First of which is the raids. Every day, almost like clockwork, a little handful of goblins will charge down from god-knows-where and attack either the west or the east. [ Attraction I ] seems to really work, in an unfortunate way.

The good part of this is that Caau can consign more items. There’s now a good ten Common items in the dungeon… the downside is that it means either the guardians — or Arden — must go and defend. Caau looks at the cooldown of [ Create Simple Guardian I ] (2 weeks).

The two lunar champions — he’s already forgotten their names — seem more interested in scouting than being interested in building back up. Not that they would be a massive help, considering the fact their power has more or less left them with the death of the Lunar-blood.

The second problem is food. The gorakhin are great at providing for themselves, seeming to pluck enough food for their needs out of thin air. The humans, however, are not. Water isn’t an issue for the time being.

How the hell can I get food? It’s a series of caves, right?

Not exactly. You are in what we call a ‘ecological dead-zone’. I’m not telling you where you can get food, but know that it’s not completely desolate. You’re just in a bad area.

Alright, then, Expedition time!. I'll have the guardian squad split into twos. One goes west, one goes east. Both should try to find either food or a way to grow food. Also, give me this… what option out of these ‘Lunar-blood’ rewards would get me the closest to food?

The administrator lets out a ‘hmm.’

Well… how about this? I’ll rule out forging equipment… and also creating a pseudo-champion. You could, theoretically, use your Blessing of Satiety, you know. That said… when the effect ends it might revert the blessee to the state they were before. A temporary solution.

Okay! I think I’m going to risk it on the ability.

Caau finally makes the choice he’s been putting off for two weeks — to get a new ability! Whispering a small thanks to the moon, he uses its energy and casts it out… and nothing happens.

A minute passes.

What is going on?

I don’t know. That should have worked. Uh, one second.

Arden stands up. He can feel the boy’s anger through the connection. He turns, ripping a chunk from the wall near Caau’s face and enters the Sanctuary. He presses himself up against the wall, face shrivelled into rage and hate.

Only one thing would have caused that. Strauss told him.

“Master… I do not know what to do.” He stands, pacing back and forth. Caau is tempted to throw the tendril at him… maybe he could communicate? “I want to kill him! I want… I should kill him.”

Fuck it. Caau tells the currently-excavating tendril to go to Arden, but it doesn’t move.

Dumbass. It can’t be used on people.

Honestly, if that’s what the kid wants to do… I think he should. Strauss might not have killed his mother directly, but he damn well didn’t help.

[ New Ability! ]

[ Dark Growth ]

Oh that sounds ominous. What does it do? Should I use it?

Caau turns his attention to the new ability.

Dark is generally bad… but growth is good, right?

Well, then, it’s neutral, surely? And you should use it with reckless abandon. I see no flaw in this argument.

Strauss steps into the Sanctuary. Arden locks eyes with him immediately, rounding on him. “Get the fuck out, you… fucking monster!”

The man kneels. “Listen, Arden. I’m not leaving. I don’t think you need it anymore… but I promised myself, if I found you, somehow, I’d protect you. Try and—“

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

A fist enters Strauss’ open mouth, cracking the jaw open and sending him sailing into the unyielding pseudo-stone of the void-room. He groans, rolls, and looks up. He doesn’t say anything. It’s like he’s waiting.

Arden looks at his fist. “Why? Why did you…? I don’t understand. You were always besides my dad! Always!”

“I was,” He speaks through a half-broken jaw, barely understandable. “But he was always better than me. You wouldn’t have seen it… but your father stayed where he did purely because of Krista. He loved her with so much passion that I… could never, ever bring myself to tell her of my feelings.”

“What do you mean? Your feelings?”

He nods, sitting up, pressing himself against the wall, holding his jaw with a tender hand. “I loved your mother. Jonathon could have been one of the greatest expeditionaries alive. He just… had that in him. But he settled. For her.”

“That is why you killed him? To take her?”

He laughs. Arden near pounces right there and then. “No. That’s the funny part. I did it knowing she would never love me. I just… hated him. It was only after I had betrayed his trust that I understood why.”

Strong hands lift the man up, pressing him against the wall. “I hate you, Solstice Strauss. You are horrific.”

Strauss nods. “I know. Do what you will. I will accept it.”

“I will. Before I do… I want to know why. Why did you hate him? When did your love die?”

“I know the exact moment. It wasn’t the vow of love… it was the night after. We had the ceremony in the Sanctuary of the Ivory Hearts. Jonathon had… I mean. We rented out an entire tavern, each of us pitching just a little more than the other. We had just had a major score, you see. I gave the most. It was to ease my soul, I think. To convince myself I was okay. He drank, she drank… and they went to sleep.”

He shakes his head. “We could hear them fuck. For celestials-be-damned hours. The others didn’t mind… and I pretended not to but… I couldn’t stand it. Images kept flashing through my head. Of killing her, of killing Jonathon. I just wanted to be happy for them… but instead I entered the room next to them, and I exited out of the balcony, to their windowsill. And I looked. I watched, with my [ Cloak of Chameleon ].”

Arden drops him. “If that were meant to save you, it did a horrible job.”

Solstice Strauss puts his hand on the wall behind him, pressing his head up against it. “I meant nothing of it. I’m not living for myself. Once you kill me, you can never ask me another question. Are you sure… you have all the information you want to know? If so... then I'm ready. To die.”

Arden takes a step back. “I…” He starts… then looks at Strauss. He turns, sits, and stares. “Finish the story, at least.”

Kid’s gonna do it, I bet. Power to him.

Hmm... maybe we should bet. if he does kill him, I'll give you an item. If he loses, you have to select one to destroy.

Don't you have, like, foresight or something?

I possess no such skill. It must be the difference in intelligence between us that makes you think that. I get it. Don't worry.

Alright, fine, I'll bet. You're on. I put up the [ Staff of the Osmara ]. I'm not sure its any good anyway. There's not a single chance he doesn't batter the fucker blue -- and with Arden's strength that means death, I'm sure. I'd put up the whole damned inventory. There's no chance, not one, that he doesn't.

“I watched them fuck, sure, but that wasn’t what broke me. It was… the absolute love between them. You could feel it in the air. That’s when I knew that it wasn’t going to happen. That no matter what, not even if Jonathon died, not even if he became a cruel, abusive man… she wouldn’t love another. That is what broke me. He had gotten to her first and now I would have no choice but to be alone.”

“Why? Why was my mother the only one you could see?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t fucking know. I look back on it… and I think, was I so stupid? Even in the damned duo-squad, there were two others that — looking back — were so obviously interested in me. Yet I could only see Krista… because he could only see her. Your father, from the moment I met him… to the moment I killed him… has been better than me. Physically, mentally — it doesn’t matter what metric you use. He was better.”

Arden grips his hands together. “Everytime you say ‘was’ I want to kill you more. I think I’ve decided. Whatever stories you have… they aren’t worth you being alive to tell them. You are rotten, broken, and dangerous. I have to destroy you.”

Strauss nods. “Then end me. I know I do not deserve redemption.”

Arden stands, taking big heavy footsteps. “For your explanation, I owe you a quick death. Let it be so.” He demands, and Strauss stays still. Arden places his fist on the man’s nose, then draws it back.

No, fuck that. You can kill him, but don’t let him get away so easily. How do I do that new blessing?

O', you who yearn for healing, divine touch bestows, Wounds, like petals, mend, in the gentle light that flows. O', embrace the soothing balm, where pain and hurt dissolve, In the tender healing, find your spirit's sweet resolve.

Just as Arden’s fist imparts enough kinetic force to explode a watermelon, the healing comes. Strauss’ head is smashing back into the stone, his skull splitting open. He slumps to the floor… but his brain-matter slowly slides back into the hole it made upon forceful exit, the skull grows back together like vines of trees being stitched to create a rope… and the skin pulls taught.

“What… why?”

Arden smacks him again, this time in his chest, creating a cannonball-seized hole and impacting on stone behind. The moment he starts to withdraw it… Strauss’ flesh knits back together.

There you go, kid, now you can get all your anger out. As much as you want. Assuming there’s not a limit to how much he can heal… or that you don’t somehow kill him, I don’t know.

Instead of Arden leaping forward to get his revenge a thousand-fold… the kid steps back, then looks directly up at Caau — at the observation eye in the centre of the void-room.

“You’ve blessed him.” He speaks, sounding almost dejected. “Is that it? Your command? To live with him… you think I will forgive him!?”

Arden balls his fists up and slams them on his head, crouching down into a ball as Strauss’ body recollects slowly. “Can I do that, Master? I don’t know if… can I do that? I don’t know.”

He flops on the ground. “Is this a test? Of my status as your champion? Is he owed Safety, too, and eventually redemption? Is that who you are? Something… someone who looks upon even this and sees that they should be given a second chance?”

The boy looks at the ground.

I didn’t mean any of that, I just wanted you to get your feelings out. I don’t know what I’d do to Strauss in your position kid but… it certainly wouldn’t be forgiveness.

“Alright.” He speaks, then stands and looks down at Strauss. “If it is your command that he should be allowed to find Redemption then…”

He grabs Strauss’ shoulders, pinning him back up against the wall. The man looks at Arden, almost drunkenly, his brain having only just returned from being a slurry. “In my authority as one of the Champions of my master, I declare your sentence: You are to devote yourself, mind and soul, to the protection of the Sanctuary, my Master — Our Master — and the people that live here. And—“

He drops Strauss, grabbing his head. “You are to be an aspect of my Master. As I am Safety, you shall be Redemption. You will not care about your own life, for it is forfeit. You shall care about others more than yourself. Do that… and do it for long enough… and truly show me that you regret yourself… and I will forgive you.”

Strauss’ eyes go wide. Then a torrential rain of tears pours down his face. Scattered words come, slurred, but distinct. “You are… so like him. So like your father. I’m sorry, Arden… I’m so fucking sorry.”

Arden pushes him out of the Sanctuary, through the shimmering blue portal. Then he turns… sits against the wall… and does not speak anymore.

Hahaha! I have never seen anyone, not a fucking one, stumble into doing the right thing! That’s… honestly fucking amazing! Oh, that’ll be one for the ages.

I'll take that staff.

[ Staff of the Osmara ] deleted.

I don’t… why did he forgive him? No, that’s wrong. He’s not forgiven. But why would Arden consign himself to living with Strauss… make him equal, in some way? Why would he not simply kill him and continue living his damn life? I don’t get it. Now he see him and be reminded of the pain. Why? WHY?

I don’t know. Humans are weird like that.

His life would be better! It doesn’t make any sense.

It doesn’t make any sense… to you.