Reborn From the Cosmos

Miniarc-Villains-31

Samuel waited until all the rebels were accounted for and subdued, stripped of their weapons and forced to lie face first on the ground. Then he approached the group comprised of Kern and the other six acolytes leading the work crew, including Robert. They were trying to keep their voices down as they conversed but their emotions, and their volume, was getting away from them.

“—just let them go!”

“We can’t take them with us either. There is nowhere to put them. Nothing to feed them. No one has the time or the inclination to watch over them. They’d be nothing but burdens.”

“Yeah, but they’re murderers. You leave them bed and they’ll do this again. You’re basically giving them a free pass to kill us!”

“Then what would you have me do? They’ve lost people, they’re injured, and they don’t have the supplies we have. What they’ve suffered today is punishment enough.”@@novelbin@@

“You’re being naive. Shameless bastards like them don’t learn anything. I’m telling you, if you leave them be, they’ll cause more trouble. Can you remember all their faces? If you can’t, what’s to stop them from sneaking back into the camp? They targeted the food before. Do you want to be responsible for the fields being burned to ash? Do you want to see kids starving again?”

“I hear you but like I said, we don’t have another option!”

“Eh-hem.”

The bickering acolytes looked up as Samuel cleared his throat, Kern and the young man he was primarily debating with holding his gaze. Samuel didn’t like the look of him. A person’s self was revealed by their eyes. There weren’t clues lurking within them, as the stories said. What gave people away was how they looked at others. Combined with the context of the situation, it could reveal a lot about someone’s character.

The second young man looked at Samuel with disgust, utterly irreverent of his position. The prince expected relief, though he hated the idea of people looking to him for answers. Anger he would have understood. Pure disdain was confusing. Mainly that the man didn’t have the presence of mind to control his reaction. One didn’t make their dislike for royalty known openly if they had common sense. Either the man was very stupid or he didn’t care about the possible consequences. A man who didn’t care was a very dangerous creature, both to fight and befriend.

“Your highness,” Kern greeted respectfully.

“Nice of you to join us,” the second man said sarcastically. He huffed when Kern elbowed him.

“Don’t mind him. This is Grahm, a good friend of mine. Normally, he’s pleasant to know, but the long days have eroded his manners.”

“A pleasure, I’m sure,” Samuel muttered dismissively, unconcerned with whatever grudge the acolyte harbored. “I overheard you talking about what to do with your captives.”

“Yes. I thought we would confiscate their belongings and leave them here. I’m sure you understand the situation in the camp well. We can’t bring these people back, we just wouldn’t be able to cope.” Kern’s broad shoulders drooped with his heavy sigh. “It’s not a great solution but there’s no choice.”

“You keep saying that when it’s not true,” Grahm bit out. “There’s something we can do that will guarantee that these idiots are never a problem again.”

“Saints damn it man! I’m not going to execute them after they’ve surrendered!”

“And why in the Abyss not!” Grahm shouted back. “It’s perfectly fine to kill them when they’re trying to kill you but killing them before they kill you is so terrible? Wake up! Quest isn’t a place for pretty ideas anymore. Protecting these bastards is no different from putting the thousands back in the camp in danger.”

“They did something stupid. Yes, people got hurt, good men, but if anyone deserves a second chance, it’s the people of this city. Don’t tell me you don’t understand how their anger could have led to them doing something stupid. Something they regret very much.”

“Angry? That’s what you’re going to say to excuse them? Everyone’s angry! I’m angry, but you don’t see me setting off bombs and trying to ruin everyone else’s future. I don’t care how angry they were, they knew what they were doing when they came here. They came looking for trouble. As a result, like you said, good men died. That can’t be forgiven.”

“You will get nowhere arguing in circles like that,” Samuel interrupted. “Both of you can agree that neither of your ideas are ideal. Instead of bashing them together until one breaks, you should think of a compromise between the two.”

Grahm opened his mouth to reply, likely in a snide tone, but a sharp punch from ern interrupted him. “We’ve tried but it’s not an easy situation.”

“That’s why we keep records. My tutors used to tell me, when in doubt, look to the past because there is a slim chance you’re going through something no other has endured before. A situation just like this plagued the first king and his generals. They had to judge others in a time of war, where they also lacked properly constructed dungeons and the resources to care for those who weren’t contributing.”

“Then what did they do?” Kern asked earnestly while his compatriot glared daggers. The other acolytes, who’d been silent witnesses to the two men’s argument, also turned to the prince.

“In the case of crimes against humanity, anything that slowed the war effort, whether it be theft or killing a soldier, carried a sentence of death.”

“There, see? Even your precious prince knows—"

“However,” Samuel bit out, taking great pleasure in interrupting the other man, “there was another punishment reserved for lesser crimes and the removal of problematic elements. Exile. The offenders would be banned from entering any human camp or settlement on pain of death and were marked so that all would know they were outcasts at a single glance.”

Kern’s eyes widened. Samuel couldn’t tell if his expression was one of inspiration or horror. “You want to mark them. Brand them.”

“An obvious mark would keep them from slipping into the camp, allowing you to pardon them without concern for the future. They could always attack the workers again, but these things rarely have perfect answers.”

“Huh.” Grahm crossed his arms, his tense posture showing off the wiry muscle of his lean frame. “I expected you to cave to Mr. Righteous here, but he actually has a good idea. I agree, putting a nice big brand on their cheeks will keep them from starting trouble in the camp. Might make them think twice about attacking our group again too.”

“But…we can’t just maim these people.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not like we’re crippling them.”

“Disfiguring them isn’t a light matter either! Think about it, Grahm. I know things are dire right now but there is a future beyond this madness. There were boys barely of age in that group. Are they meant to go through life mangled? What about the women, if there are any among them? Will you permanently hamper their chances of marriage? You may not be killing them, but you’re destroying them, the possible lives they could live once this is behind us. Today got of hand, but these rebels don’t need to be our enemies. We can’t afford for them to be. The last thing this city needs right now is another battle. If we have any chance of reasoning with them, mutilating with them will certainly destroy it!”

The two young men stared each other down…but Grahm was the first to look away, dark blue eyes gazing up at the sky with a look of consternation. “I give up. Do what you want.”

“Compassion isn’t weakness, my friend. It’s simply awareness.”

“This could backfire,” Samuel added. While he felt that Kern wasn’t making the most logical choice, he couldn’t say with certainty that he wasn’t making the right one. He made good points about destroying any hope of a truce with the rebels. People generally weren’t in a mood to listen to reason after having a burning blade pressed against their cheek.

“If we’re going to make it through this crisis, we need to take chances. We need to believe in ourselves and our neighbors. Otherwise, even if we rebuild the walls and the buildings, Quest will be—"

He was interrupted by a piercing scream. They all whipped around, Samuel’s eyes going wide as he took in the source of the commotion.

Where the rebels had been forced to lie on the ground, one had been positioned on his knees. Robert stood over the man, one hand holding his head back with a tight grip in his unkempt hair. The other hand held the blade that was gouging the man’s cheek. The prince watched in slack-jawed incredulity as the future Harvest Hero carved into the helpless man without regard for his screams.

“Hey!” Kern was the first to act, rushing across the space between them, the rest of the group following a much slower pace. He grabbed Robert’s arm, pausing the violence. “Saints’ blessed asses! What do you think you’re doing?”

“What needs to be done.” Robert didn’t look up at the man scolding him. He didn’t look at his victim either. He stared forward but the prince had the distinct impression that he saw nothing at all. “The prince’s solution is the best compromise we’ll find.”

“I just said—"

Kern faltered as Robert ripped his arm free of the other acolyte’s grip. At the same time, he released his victim, the man whimpering as he curled in on himself, a hand awkwardly hovering over his wounds. The once righteous young man seemed deaf to the pained mutterings as he walked to the next rebel.

His would-be target didn’t stay still as he heard footstep approaching. The injured rebel tried to jump to his feet but swiftly lost his balance; weak from mana strain, if Samuel had to guess. Robert was unsympathetic as he grabbed the man by the ankle and dragged him closer.

“Quinn!”

“Do you know what the enemy is, Kern?” Robert asked as he forced the rebel to his knees, holding him in place with a tight grip on his hair. By now, the others were starting to stir, but the threat of the hunters surrounding them kept them from making a break for it.

“Fucking put the knife down and we can talk about it.”

“Hesitance. Indecision. Procrastination. Wasting time instead of doing what needs to be done.” He waved his knife in the direction of the city. “Lou showed everyone what she was. She ignored every rule and spat in the face of authority. She was involved with the Grimoire mess. I knew she would do something like this eventually. We all did. But we did nothing because the solution was too hard, would cost too much. Well, look what our hesitance cost us.”

“…Quinn,” Kern tried again, softening his tone to one reserved for frightened beasts and confused lunatics. “This has got nothing to do with the Tome clan. These are my people. Good people.”

“Everyone can be a good person when things are easy,” Robert said dismissively. “It’s how you act in a crisis, in the dark where no one can see you or when there’s no reward at stake, that reveals your character. And they have shown themselves to be villains. If you hesitate here, then they will only become bolder. They will grow and multiply until it’s too late to stop them. Then it won’t be Quest in trouble. It’ll be someone else’s city, someone else’s tragedy that you could have stopped.”

“I can’t let you do this.”

To Samuel’s surprise, Robert’s eyes glowed with channeled mana as he stared the other acolyte down. “Are you prepared to kill me? Because I’ve vowed that death is the only thing that will stay my hand from now on.”

“I’m not going to—" Once more, he was cut off by a scream. “Saints damn it!”

“This is my decision,” Robert said, his voice unwavering despite his grisly task. “Say that you couldn’t stop me. The blame is something else that belongs to heroes.”

“Should we intervene?” Ewan asked softly. It was the first time the prince had ever heard him sound unsure of himself.

A state Samuel could sympathize with. It was a strange situation for him as well. And disturbing. Possibly problematic. But not Samuel’s problem. Not Samuel’s problem for all the crowns in the kingdom.

“You remember what we agreed to. Lane made it very clear that Kern and his group were in charge. He has the authority and means to act. Or not act.” Samuel wondered what was staying Kern’s hand; did he agree with Samuel’s suggestion but lacked the conviction to wield the blade or was he simply not confident in fighting a man with four affinities? The prince also wondered what in the Abyss had gotten into the annoyingly optimistic and naive boy who dreamed of being a hero. Or what his father would think about his favorite stallion becoming such an unpredictable animal.

“I think we’d be better served making sure the wagons are ready to return if we want to make ourselves useful.”