Arc 7. Death to what came before
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 2. Just do it already
A few hours after Gray had left Greenvale, Edward, Peter, Gordon, Ryo, and Lisa stood inside Gordon's old house and Lincoln's current one. As they wait outside of his room, all they can do is think about what’s next. Edward's body is destroyed, Peter isn’t strong enough to lead a fight, Gordon is busy being King, and Ryo is his advisor. The only reason Lisa is even here and not in Constal is for her safety, as her mother Greta died, leaving everything in Julius’ control. Then with her knowledge of Julius’ betrayal, she would be the first to be killed if she stayed.
Peter: “So…what do we do now?”
Peter looks around, trying to start a conversation, but everyone’s silent. Lisa’s distracted by all of the armor everywhere, exact copies of the fallen greats. Sultan the Lost, Flora the Grand, Orm the Old, Gotsu the Monster Slayer, Kioshi the Insurmountable, and Musashi, the Ronin of the Mist. Their individual mengu, the mouth cover that all members of the Leviathan army wear don't stand out too much. Kioshis is black and white, while the rest are black. The armor stands out just a bit more, but it’s mainly the small things, like Musashi's cloak, Kioshis white armor, Gotsu's black armor, and a large sword. This isn’t every Helsing that’s ever existed, nor are they pure-blooded, but they have titles, they all became great.
Peter assumed she’d be distracted by anything that could tell her more about the world, so he sat awkwardly between the somber Edward, angry Gordon, and quiet Ryo. Gordon begins straightening the small top-knot bun on the back of his head, drawing his hawk-like eyes to Peter.
Gordon: “We need to do a million things! In response to Arthur taking over Walgonia, I was forced to cut off a lot of connections to the other bits of Walgonia to prevent them from being compromised. I’ve just gotten the connection back, I’m trying my best to get all of the fired soldiers and Knights back! Then theirs the Athens issue! Their are so many people broken from what they lost, the trauma. I've tried to find a place for all of them, keeping the families together, trying to fix our mistake...but we're so backed up... I’ve yet to find a replacement king. Somebody suitable. Nobody is trustworthy enough to have the possibility for election… a promise I made so long ago, one I have yet to make up for. Maybe I went too far with that…but I won’t lie to them. And now, with Jong's death…we don’t have a commander for the Knights, because, of course, he didn’t have anybody ready to replace him! And Now that Lincoln is…well like he is now, we don’t have a leader for the Leviathan army…or what’s left of it.”
He begins to ramble on, angry and venting all of his built-up frustrations at everything that’s happened over the last year. He clenches his fist, walks up to the painting of Musashi, and continues to speak.
Gordon: “ If we can't keep up with the moving world, we’ve lost. All our pillars of strength are falling. Then everybody who can fill those shoes are either dying or are held up by the billion other things they have to do! And that damn Kyojin boy cares nothing about it. I once thought of him as the golden example of change, what one could accomplish if he put his entire life into his dream, and now he’s gone. He failed this country.”
While Edward was able to understand Gordon's frustrations, he couldn't accept them. To his ears, at least the part about his friends, all he can do is lash out against them, so he does. He stands up, furrows his brow, and struggles to stay upright on the prosthetic leg, which is nothing more than some metal strapped to his knee.
Edward: “You speak as if he’s an object bred for war! Like he’s not a man…and he's hardly that! He's just a kid, they all are! Everyone else had been born into this, doing it for as long as they can remember, while Gray’s been doing this for a little over a year. Yet, when he makes one mistake, a mistake everyone else would have made, you turn your back on him? All he wants to do is to avenge his friends! That's all he has!”
Gordon: “You're just saying that because you can relate! I heard how you acted with Moro! But we can't all just throw away our responsibilities! I understand your anger, but look at you. You’re still here, you’re still alive, you didn't -”
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Edward: “BULL SHIT! LOOK AT ME! MY BODY IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE, YAGARI INFECTED ME, AND UNLESS I GET HEALED EVERY WEEK I’LL DIE! THIS ISN’T LIVING! THIS IS WAR! WHAT WAR DOES! WHAT GROUPS LIKE THE SECT DO! ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS FIX IT, STOP IT!”
Gordon walks up to Edward, and even with Edward's height advantage, he still takes dominance in the conversation.
Gordon: “Do you really think that's not what I'm trying to do!? I'M DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY! WITH LITTLE CONFLICT, WITH PLANNING, WITH TIME! WARS, BATTLES, THEY LAST DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS EVEN! WE'RE NOT KEEPING UP! And we can't lose anything else! We didn't lose you. You are alive, that’s all that matters. You went up against those monsters, and you’re the only one left standing. But Gray, that’s no longer him…he’s dead. He's abandoned the proper cause. In time, Peter will make you something that will allow you to fight, if you want. But as long as I’m in control, I say you’re done for now. You’ll retire, marry, and have children.”
Edward: “So you’ll just use me!? Now I know why you’re king, not because you care for the people under you, but because you know you can use them. All you care about is living, but not how we're going to do it.”
Edward's words stab deep into Gordon's spirit, though he won’t back down, as he’s lived his entire life fighting against whatever stands in his way.
Gordon: “Then what will you do? Will you fight? I don’t see you doing that, nor do I see you doing anything more than relaxing for the rest of your life. BUT YOU'VE EARNED THAT! DON'T YOU GET IT!? If Kyojin stayed, talked, I would have understood! I would have helped! But he's acting like a child! And so are you! I understand you miss your friend, that you think I'm bad mouthing him! But he's in the wrong! HE LEFT US! I am a king, and I hate it. But you, you are a warrior, you’ve served your purpose, now take what others would kill for, a peaceful life. Please”
Edward is about to respond, but Lincoln's door opens with Erline West walking out, the best healer in the country.
Erline: “WOULD YOU BOTH HUSH!”
Edward steps down, not to anger his elder, but Gordon steps down for another reason, one that only Peter can see. Even in his old age along with his title, he has a crush.
Erline: “Now, Lincoln is awake. But he wants to see Edward, only Edward.”
Gordon gives Edward a quick glance, a look that tells him he can go forward, so he does. Edward steps into the nice, warm room, and at the end is a large bed that holds the injured Lincoln. He’s wrapped up in large thick blankets, which Edward chuckles at, but he’s only doing this to lighten the mood. With each step, his loud metal leg clanks on the floor, unlocking and relocking every time he lifts his leg and sets it down. Then the swinging of the prosthetic arm creates the same noise, though the arm doesn't seem to be very useful. He steps beside Lincoln, getting a good look at his face, and it scares him. The left side of his face was already extremely injured, but now it’s spread across his entire body. The once muscular man has been worn down into the shriveled, burned, and aged figure before him, struggling and wheezing with every breath. His hair has also faded, turning fully white while it was once a thick brown. The man before him is not the man he once knew, but Lincoln acts as if nothing happened, talking the way he always does.
Lincoln: “Stop your clanging and get me some booze.”
Edward: “You know I can’t do that.”
Lincoln: “Whatever…I heard Gray left, and I just overheard your little argument with our fabulous king in there, I’m proud. You’ve grown a backbone, and Gray has grown some balls.”
Edward: “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Lincoln: “Okay!? This isn’t okay, this isn’t living. I agree with you, with what you said to Gordon, but I also agree with him as well. We were warriors from the start of our life, and we both hoped to end it that way…but as we stand now, or barely stand, it doesn't seem like it will end that way…but I would bet money on it that you’re gonna follow Gray real soon. You have a plan don't you?”
Edward looks at the cracked open door behind him, deciding whether or not he’ll explain what he’s thinking to Lincoln, but he holds down his fear and says it anyway.
Edward: “My body is broken, poisoned, and useless. But I know what will fix it, something hidden from me, hidden from the world. The cursed charm, armor of despair, Godricks armor, the Helsing Armor. Whatever you wanna call it. The same armor that killed my father…also helped him end the Demi-human war. If I find it, if I use it, it will rid my body of this toxin, force my bones back into place, weld them together, and grant me the use of my lost limbs; It will make me whole again.”
Lincoln: “But it’ll also take your mind, your body, your soul. Your father used it for a couple of years before it finally took him over, but he was in pristine condition, his prime. You’re about the collapse right now. Cursed charms take the worst parts of yourself and create a new person, but Helsings already have the worst of themselves doing that for them. The warriors' spirit. Your father was an odd case, but you’ve yet to achieve it. So the armor is gonna latch onto your worst emotions, and grow faster than it would on anybody else, but the armor does more than just that. Like all of the other cursed charms, it wants to live, it’ll take control of your body by killing it, and you’re already two limbs and one eye down. Are you willing to risk it? Your life? Do you really want to die for this?”
Lincoln was already grieving from the loss of everything. Athens, his sons, his wife, and now his strength. But he couldn’t keep moping. He had to care for what he had, so instead of letting it fall in front of his eyes, he tries to hold one of the few connections he has left. However, Edward isn’t like Lincoln. Edward isn’t trying to prove himself. He’s not fighting for himself.
Edward: “I’ve been willing to die for this since I was a kid. And I know…either it takes my mind or my body, but either way, I won’t sit down and do nothing. I’m going to get the Helsing armor, and then I’m going to assist Gray on his hunt. Julius betrayed us, and the Sect took my family from me. Al, Musashi, Kioshi, Rosemary, Soku, Ophelia! And now you. I swear, I will make things right.”
Lincoln: “Then quit talking about it and do it already. Just make sure it hurts.”
End of Chapter Two