41 Closure

Breach. Sweep. Clear.

I couldn't count how many times I put that ditty into practice. The days I spent training at a Mount Town, a makeshift street used to practice urban warfare. Or the handful of times I've put it to use live with a fireteam. It's been so long, but the motions stay the same.

The door splintering open. The sweep of my [Arc Beam] going across the room. I went in there as an executioner. When we started this operation, I knew what we had to do; what our goal was. The only mercy I could give was a quick death. Some would call me weak minded for it. But it wasn't my right to be angry for their atrocities. I wasn't their victim. The hostages here were. Any anger and vengeance were for them alone. But I felt something else.

When I returned for the hostages, the beastwoman named Felyse asked of she and the others could see the aftermath of my fight. When I led them all to the remains of the Gathering Hall, they stood there in quiet contemplation among the strewn corpses of their assailants. The fear that they had on their faces were gone along with the bandits. They got their justice. Their closure.

And that's what I felt too. Their relief. Their appreciation. It felt like I was truly making a difference in people's lives. It... felt good. To fight for people without being mired by politics; whether this war was "just" or "appropriate". You're fighting to save people from real life monsters. It was as clear cut as day. And I love it.

So out of morbid curiosity, I asked the bandit leader Drevin, who's profile said he was a sheep herder, what drove him to do such terrible things after deserting. When I cornered him, I wanted to know what drove him to the deep end. I wondered if my attack broke the man because he just ended up howling and screaming like a lunatic. His eyes looked like some wild beast. When no answer came, it seemed like I transfigured the Claw on accident and just decided to end it right there. Despite what I thought beforehand, I did hold some vindication against them. They really were monsters in human skin, after all.

When the women had regained their composure, we headed for the cells to grab the last prisoners;Romain, another merchant locked next to his cell and the rest of the dancing troupe. The latter had to be carried by the women since they were in no condition to walk. Stopping at the earthen barrier I've made I had them stand back and hide for the moment as I blasted the wall apart, just in case there was still fighting outside. To my relief, only the soft light of the rising sun greeted us along with the militia of adventurers that joined me on this operation. The encampment around us was a battlefield, littered with the corpses of bandits. It looked like there were only a few casualties on our side but no deaths at least. The average adventurer here was more than a match for some barely trained field worker with a rusty sword.

As we approached them, the sole elven man in our party greeted me along with human who was another senior member.

"Good to see you back, Arlan," the elf Aaric remarks as he looks behind me towards the civilians, "Are these all the prisoners the bandits had?"

I nodded at him, "Yes. All safe and sound, for the most part. Unfortunately some of them are suffering from trauma. Any physical injuries I've already healed with magic."

The man named Mateo spoke up, "Aye, that's to be expected. These bastards had the run of the place for a few months now." he turned around to the rest of the adventurers and yelled, "Hey, you lot! Get a fire going and start handing out supplies! And some volunteers to do a final check inside the fort!"

As the adventurers began on their tasks, I started on cleaning up the area; removing the bodies of the victims from their displays, along with gathering up the bandit's corpses in a pile. Each dead innocent I found, I marked their description on a piece of parchment to give to the Guildmaster of Wolf's Rest. Just in case anyone came by looking for a missing person, they had a reference to go by.

When Aaric noticed what I was doing, he joined me in my grim task; taking over the record keeping as I moved the bodies along. When it was finally over and everything was recorded, I began the cremation. Gathering stones from nearby, I made two makeshift headstones for both the innocent lives lost and the bandits.

All the while, Aaric didn't take his eyes off of me. He was eyeing my actions with strange interest. With everything complete, I stood there and gave a quiet prayer for the departed. I didn't notice Aaric slip right next to me to join in my ritual.

As we finished, the elf began to speak, "I want to apologize."

Confused, I asked, "For what?"

He continued, "When you suggested that you infiltrate the fortress alone to deal with the bandits inside the fort, I was skeptical. I didn't think you'd be able to keep the prisoners safe. That wouldn't care for their well being. Only that you got the job done."

I began to piece together what he what trying to say, "...Because I'm a golem, is that it?"

Aaric bit his lip in embarrassment, "I admit, I was being biased against you. I've seen craftsman golems just run away from danger, leaving their 'friends' behind. They won't even put up a fight for anything."

"I told you before, I'm a unique creature." I jokingly replied.

He smiled back at my words, "That you are, Arlan... You even made a gravestone for the bandits. Who would do such a thing?"

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"There was a lot of death today," I said as I turned back to the graves, "And I just killed a lot of people. This was for me as much as it is for them."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"For every life you take, a piece of them stays with you," I explained, "Changes you in ways you don't want to. Don't let it fester inside. Give them peace and you'll give yourself peace, because it all stays with you in the end. At least, that's what I believe."

Aaric just stood there and stared at me. I don't think he quite understands what I was trying to say. He then suddenly bursts into laughter, "Hah, well... I really was wrong about you. Are you sure you're not a human in a golem costume?"

"I assure you, I don't have a single piece of meat on my body." I quipped back, "But I got the heart of a man, you know"

He gave a quick cough as he recomposed himself, "It was just odd hearing your bit of wisdom. I don't know how it was like back in the age of the Old Empire, but these days you can't really hold any sympathy for your enemies."

"It was less fighting back then, of course." I half-lied. I couldn't tell him who or what I really was, but I could at least give a parallel for him, "But now I've started a new life a few millennia into the future and I'm still fighting and taking lives. Give my advice some thought, why don't ya?"

We continued to mind the cremation as we heard Mateo yell for us back at the fortress entrance, "Hey you two! We need you back here!"

Me and Aaric looked back at each other in confirmation before joining with the others. They had gathered around the scouting party who had returned from the inside of the fort as they gave their report.

Aaric moved back with Mateo as one of the scouts reported their findings to them, "We double checked to make sure no one else was in the fortress. Arlan made quick work of all the bandits, that's for sure. That giant hall was a right bloody mess! Of course those bandits deserved what was coming to them."

I shuffled my feet in embarrassment. I didn't want admirers of my own handiwork nor did I want to hear them talk about it like it was impressive.

Mateo arched his brow, "And the stolen goods?" he asked.

"Aye, we found the stash of coins and wares. The two merchants Arlan rescued are going through it now to grab what was taken from them. They gave us a ledger of everything they had before they were waylaid."

Mateo grinned, "Which means everything else will be divided among us! Ahh, I had a good feeling to stick around here and it paid off!"

As everyone began to celebrate, Aaric raised his hand to grab everyone's attention, "I have a suggestion before we begin. I think Arlan should be the first one to take his pick of the loot."

Mateo's expression became a bit grim, "Aaric... Why would you suggest that?"

Ignoring Mateo's sudden tone shift, he continued, "He did the most work after all. And besides, if there wasn't prisoners to save, he could have cleared out this place on his own."

Mateo continued to stare daggers at the elf but finally relented. A few of the adventurers voiced their agreement at Aaric's words.

"Fine." he said grumpily, "I guess we can allow that." he turned over towards me as the crowd cheered around me, "Everyone's in agreement, Arlan. Head in there first and take your pick at the loot. We won't watch you but just make sure you take only your share!" he finished with a big grin.

It was nice of them to allow it, but honestly I'm only taking coins. Luxury goods like a vase or something wasn't anything I was interested in. I wouldn't even know its value or where to pawn it off. The coins would do. This along with the commission from the town will put a good amount of money back in my pockets. For once, I'll have a safety net for surprise expenses.

Entering the fortress, I followed the winding hallways down towards the room where the bandits stored the ill-gotten gains.

During the time I spent clearing out the hallways, I had only stepped in here briefly just to make sure there wasn't a guard or a captive here. As I opened the door, a large room filled with boxes and sacks was spread out before. The two merchants were on the other side, looking through their ledgers and checking meticulously through each container. I began to search around looking for any loose coin. There was none to be found. But during my search I had found an undistinguished looking chest sitting in the back next to a large box.

Kneeling down, I cracked open the lock with my fist and lifted the lid. Inside was a bevy assortment of coins of various mintage. It was quite the load but I was disappointed to find the pile was mostly silver pieces with a few gold coins peppered around. Taking out my coin purse from the Maw, I began to scoop in as much as I could until I was satisfied. Honestly, this was all I really wanted here. Everything else can go to the rest of the adventurers with me.

As I began to turn back to the exit, I started to hear a soft whining. Confused at the strange noise, I turned towards the source. The large box next to the chest. As I got closer, I noticed it's wooden lid was laden with small holes. Out of curiosity, placed my hands around its lid and slid it of; leaning forward to take a look inside.

At the very bottom of the box, sitting on a pile of hay, was a very weak and very odd looking puppy.