I was in shock at what my eyes were seeing. I am the son of a hunter; I have seen countless animal carcasses, both fresh and decomposing. I thought, I believed I was prepared for this kind of scene when I realized my situation in the tower—I could not have been more wrong. Seeing animal carcasses and seeing human corpses do not carry the same psychological weight. I felt my stomach churning, my stomach acid rising up my throat, my pupils dilating as I tried to get a better look at the one who had carried out this massacre, and no matter how long I stared, it was him.
"The mercenary in the red raincoat… what… what are you doing here?"
I watched as he turned his head toward us as if time had slowed down. A burn scar on his cheek, crimson eyes—it was Krax. I'd finally found him, but in that moment, I felt more fear than joy.
"I let one get away."
— A serene, calm voice, so at odds with the situation they were in. He just looked at Guils for a few seconds before turning his attention to Oberon —
"What are you doing here, Obi?"
— The connections snapped into place in Guils' mind, and he quickly moved away from Oberon —
"You!! You tricked me!"
"No, wait, calm down…"
— He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before seeing Krax close the three-meter gap in an instant, delivering a lethal diagonal strike to Guils' chest. The last thing Guils saw before closing his eyes was Oberon with a look of bewilderment; he collapsed, thinking of his brother for the last time, letting out a final breath.
Oberon watched as the man he had helped was killed by the man who had helped him. Countless thoughts filled his mind in total bewilderment as he tried to catch his breath while watching his companion wipe the blood from his sword.
Oberon didn't truly feel sadness over Guils' death; he had only known him for a few minutes. What put him in that state of shock was the image of Krax, destroyed by the man standing before him—
"Why?"
—A question that sounded more like a sigh, one that slightly confused Krax, who was still wiping the blood from his sword—
"I don't know how long you've been with this guy, but if it makes you feel any better, he was scum working for the underworld of Fantasis."
"That's not what I asked you."
— Oberon approached Krax, grabbing him by the shirt in a rage —
"You and Elena are going to tell me everything."
— His eyebrows were furrowed, his gaze piercing Krax, and the tone of his voice had risen in proportion to his fury, but Krax remained stoic, observing Oberon's actions as if he were a father facing a child's tantrum —
"What if I don't want to?"
— A response that surprised Oberon, causing him to let go of Krax's shirt —
"What do you think security will think of the massacre you caused?"
"It's enough for me to silence you before you speak."
"You're crazy…"
— Oberon cut himself off mid-sentence upon seeing Krax's lifeless eyes; his irises were red but deep, as if one could fall into them—a cold expression, devoid of any visible emotion. Everything he said was nothing but the truth; Oberon knew it. Killing Krax wouldn't give him nightmares.
That made him take control of his emotions, regaining his composure—
"What are you doing here?"
"It's a mission Elena gave me. Getting to Fantasis isn't as easy as you think."
"I see. There must be borders up to this point."
"Yes, but that's not the only problem. The Kingdom of Aethelgard has the most control over the various trade routes, and since Caelum-Vena is under its rule, we'll have to use the underworld route."
"And what does that have to do with killing like a madman?"
— A question that sounded more like an attack on Krax, but he didn't flinch —
"There's a limit to how many people can take that route without the king noticing, plus the minerals they're guarding are quite important to us for the gala coming up soon."
"Specific minerals."
"Do you know them?"
"The guy you just cold-bloodedly murdered took the trouble to explain the basics to me."
"..., in any case, we need these minerals to auction off the Wound Weaver."
— Oberon approached the box, opening it out of curiosity —
So this is a Hydrovoltite; it's beautiful to look at.
— It was a mineral resembling quartz, with white and blue hues overlapping in a beautiful, almost homogeneous way —
"How much does the Wound Weaver cost?"
"It's an artifact—and a medical one at that—so it must be worth about ten thousand large Quists."
"How much is a large Quist compared to a small one?"
"A large Quist is equivalent to 33 medium ones, and a medium one is equivalent to 33 small ones."
— Upon hearing that, Oberon couldn't help but sigh. This whole situation was tied to him. He didn't feel bad for Guils; he just realized how little control he had over the situation. It wasn't him working to heal him—it was Krax, guided by Elena. He could no longer be entirely angry at Krax, and that was something that angered him even more —
"I'd like to talk to Elena."
"I'm done here anyway. Help me with the box; she must be waiting for me."
— On the way, Krax carried the box on his shoulder, with Oberon following behind. They didn't speak for a long time; it was Obi who broke the silence —
"Was that really necessary?"
"Huh!?"
"Killing him—did you really have to kill him?"
"I'm surprised by your question."
"How so?"
"I've seen you do crazy things; you're surely the craziest one in the group, so your question surprises me a little. You'll do worse things in the future."
"How can you be so sure of yourself?"
"I've seen many die for stupid reasons—for honor, for values, for pride—concepts that don't even put bread on the table. But you barely have any morals. The moment your life is in danger, you turn into a beast capable of tearing off your own arm just to run faster."
"I really dislike the image you have of me. I'm not a savage."
— Krax couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle at Obi's response —
"And no, even if you had asked me — to spare his life — I would have killed him. It was too great a risk. We must be discreet in our actions; there are many factions in the underworld of Fantasis that would cause us trouble."
— Oberon just sighed before noticing Elena coming around a street corner —
"Oh!!! Hi, Obi. What are you doing here?"