Chapter 53: Hands Dirty

The leader of Charon’s skeletons crouched down to give his master a boost, pressing him over the edge so he could grab onto the dirt. Emerius was already up there, scanning the perimeter with mild amusement. "Those charge packs truly made a mess of things." Holding his back, Charon looked up and saw they were in a huge crater. Pieces of wood and stone were strewn about, evidence of the palace that once sat in the center of town. A few buildings lingered on the side of the hole, tilting precariously as if uncertain whether to collapse or hold firm. Multiple bony hands pulled themselves up from the starcase to join them, the wooden structure luckily remaining intact, at least to the point of reaching the surface. Distant shouting slowly approached, but there was little in the way of combat noises. No laser zips, no streaking spells, and certainly no explosions. ’The battle should be over, then.’ Not wanting to be caught, the duo began to run up the side of the crater, using the direction of the staircase to head back the direction they had entered the palace from. Scaling the cliffside, they sped down the streets as fast as they could, their injuries and tiredness making it far more difficult than expected. Charon barely even noticed when they passed the corpse of the earth mage, his mind lost in thought. He was busy considering the implications of owning a Colossus, the power that rested in his soul. ’I’m a one-man army now, all I need to do is call it forth and have it wreak devastation.’ Rounding a corner, they came face to face with a detachment of mages. Their robes were torn and frayed, and blood dripped from their blades. The one at the front stepped forward, his eyes studying the duo up and down before he slowly lowered his sword. He yelled out at them, his voice labored and full of anger, a testament to a hard-fought battle. "What the hell are you two doing out here? Don’t you know the new orders are to sweep the city?" Suppressing a grin at the convenient alibi, Charon shook his head and shrugged. He mentally ordered the skeletons to stay back, not wanting to risk any kind of unprovoked reaction with the macabre summons. "No, we are part of Group Rho. We were trying to escape the palace explosion and took this street to regroup with the main force. What’s happening?" The mage grunted. "You saw it, same as we did. The palace blew up, taking the Clayton morale with it. They’ve begun to surrender in droves. It’s our job to find the few pockets that refuse to lay down their weapons." A wicked grin split the man’s face. "Or dispatch the ones that we find to be a little too... inconvenient to take with us." Dark chuckles spread among the group of magi, their excitement at killing prisoners setting Charon’s blood on fire. ’It’s one thing to kill your enemies when they are fighting you, but unarmed combatants who have surrendered? That’s not what a hero would do.’ Despite his idealism, he knew it was not the time nor the place for a debate. Instead, he offered a disarming smile and a slight bow. "Thanks for the information. We will head to base and talk to an officer for our next orders." Doing his best to walk around the mage, Charon frowned when he saw the man move into his path, blocking him. "Hold on now, they are just going to tell you the same things we did. You might as well come with, get some revenge on the Clayton dogs." There was a hard edge to his tone, making the offer feel more like a command. Glancing at the other men in his group, Charon saw more than a few hostile gazes. ’They told us they were executing prisoners, which might be illegal. If we go to the officers, we could let that slip.’ Suppressing a groan, Charon sent a look towards Emerius, who sent one right back, the question evident in his eyes. What now? Thinking quickly, he put on his best evil smile and nodded. "That sounds like a fine idea. Those shits tried to kill me more than once today, I’d love to repay the favor." The mage grinned at his acceptance, sheathing his sword and wrapping his arms over Charon and Emerius’s shoulders. "That’s what I was hoping you’d say!" Charon let the arm drape over him without flinching, his lips curling into a cruel expression that matched the mage’s. Shooting a glance at Emerius, he allowed his smile to drip only barely, a silent signal. His friend’s jaw tightened before offering a stiff nod, his own face splitting into a similar predatory smirk. Oblivious to their exchange, the man gave Charon a rough pat on the shoulder, simultaneously pushing them in front of the group. "Most Rho mages tend to run during a fight. It’s nice to see not all of you are chicken shit. When we find some of the Claytons, you two can have first crack at them. Just don’t get yourselves hurt, we don’t like... dead weight." The thinly veiled threat was followed by more chuckling from the group as they went around the corner again, half a dozen voices jeering as their leader taunted the duo. ’Only a few more feet and they will be in position...’ Licking his lips to fit in, Charon barred his teeth and spoke. "I’m not a very strong mage, but I always hated the Claytons. We fought a few during the battle. All of them were ugly and shirtless, like a bunch of barbarians." ’Now!’ The mage opened his mouth to respond at the exact same second the five skeletons left in Charon’s employ thundered out from behind the nearby building. They barreled into the group of magi, their swords slicing through the surprised warriors. Releasing their shoulders, the man turned in horror and began to grab the handle of his blade when Charon grabbed his forehead and pulled him close, running his dagger along his neck at the same time. The mage gurgled and struggled to free himself as his blood ran from his throat like a geyser, jetting into the air and dirtying the cobblestones. His hands fumbled with the pommel attached to his waist for a few seconds before going limp. Unceremoniously dropping the body, Charon looked up at the battle and nodded approvingly. His skeletons had killed all but two men, whom Emerius was currently finishing with a flourish of his blades. He spun and turned backward, thrusting his swords behind himself and into both men’s guts. Although not instantly fatal, they were painful, causing them the double over. Charon’s skeleton lieutenant ended their suffering with a swift stab to the heart. Emerius stared down at them with a scowl, disapproval radiating off of him in waves. "Killing them was not the right thing to do." Caught off guard by the statement, Charon froze and tilted his head. "Why? They were planning to make us kill prisoners, and they could’ve just killed us as well. You saw what they were like. Did you really want to follow them further into the city?" Emerius’s eyebrows narrowed "No, but we could have pursued other avenues to avoid them. The best option would have been to insist on moving past them, and if that failed, we could have run. We are not far from the army group; we could have made it there before they caught us." Charon scoffed, the sound loud and full of disgust in an uncharacteristic tone. "They were mages, who knows what abilities they had? What if one of them was an earth mage like the one from earlier? The ground could’ve turned to mush and trapped us. There was no other way." His friend took a step towards him, his head held high. "That is a lack of imagination. Today is the first time I have seen you fight other men. Kill other men. Yet I see no reaction from you. Hundreds will mourn losses that you caused." Emerius’s gaze softened ever so slightly before rehardening. "I will bear the weight of my actions as I have done before, but I see no such acknowledgement from you. These men did not have to die, and by jumping to that conclusion, I worry for your future." Charon rolled his eyes, extending his arms to the side and opening up his chest as if to show he had nothing to hide, his emotions left bare. "I don’t know what you want from me, Emerius. We are at war, the Fort is at war. If we want to get home, we will have to get our hands dirty. It won’t be pleasant, but that’s how life is. You grew up in a mansion, I grew up sharing my bedroom with nine other kids." He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. "This is what heroes do: they fight and kill to protect others. These people are monsters. You saw how they dressed, how they spoke. Is that really the side you want to take?" Emerius looked Charon dead in the eye and gestured to the bodies of the magi around them, their blood still warm. "And them? The men of the Fort? After what you just saw, can you claim they are any better?"