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XX. Stoic
Like a pride of lions leaping to console their own, Maddard's body was swiftly surrounded by all constituents in the room, all besides Atlas and Baccus. Baccus stood up and looked at the crowd, but Atlas remained in his seat, glaring brazenly with two vigilant eyes. Noticing Atlas was still seated, Baccus stole a glance and witnessed a stern face that was undertoned by a hint of distress. He could clearly perceive two large veins rested upon his burning-red forehead like two islands enclosed by a red sea. He could not gauge why Atlas did not stand and console Maddard along with the others. Knowing Atlas, he would have been precipitate to help those ailing right before him, yet he did not do this. His father was in a state he had never peered upon before. There was something internally holding him back, but Baccus could not figure out what.
Baccus looked to his feet mentally drained with his limbs overrun by sharp tingles and shivers. Weak to the feeling of wanting to vomit, he placed his right arm behind to gently lower himself back in the seat. His throat tightened and his mind became warped and cold. He was feeling it again. That black pit of melancholia. That whirling sea that was buffeted by the crushing winds of hopelessness.
Menacing thoughts ran amok inside of him. He was no longer himself. What was swirling within was anxiety and internal panic in the worst manner. He writhed in ardent trepidation. He could not rid himself of these thoughts. Countless times that man from the forest returned to haunt him.
Baccus remembered how awful it was just trying to get near him just to fight, how the arrows tore through him like a spear whizzing through air. And staring into his hell-forged eyes during combat left a vacuous hole in the pit of his mind. It was as if no words could possibly put into understanding how scarring the whole ordeal was. There were times where he wanted to faint but he pressed on. There were times he felt he was going to be pierced by an arrow for good, but he did not falter.
He endured the physical trauma, but mentally he was beaten. The thought of having let go such a menacing brute back into the free world was killing him inside. But more so he felt his enemies were powerful beyond measure; beings of dark malevolence so black not even the holiest of rays could bring them to the light of justice. He did believe wholeheartedly in the Rare Men; however, he knew the pending days would not be so affable within Shyonnississ.
He covered his face with the curve of his palm and sighed angrily. He could hear the commotion in the room and no one sounded too panicked about Maddard so he let himself be at ease.
Baccus narrowed his focus back to his thoughts, slowly preparing what he had to say for when it was his turn to speak. He had much to share; however, the weight of his words, he feared, might be too crushing for the rest to bear. On the surface, he knew he was himself, yet underneath there was this overwhelming sense of change, a negative response brought on by a darkness unearthed. He did not want to admit that such a horrid individual could speak words that struck so true to him and the reason these were words were so true was because he had always believed them his entire life.
Deep down, he never once valued human life to any extent, or any life for that matter, as something sacred nor had he ever considered himself a righteous man in the act of protecting others. He was a man who lived by few philosophies, feeling mostly like another passerby who went along on the journey that led seemingly nowhere, never once questioning the destination; only just living his life waiting to see what tomorrow will bring.
Atlas' voice broke through the clutter of sounds. He placed the attention on the three noblemen, asking them to share their input. There was not very much that they told that was of any news to the Rare Men or the Sundarians for that matter. Other than family and their political affairs, they did not have much to tell that was new for the others in the room.
Atlas thanked them and swiftly moved on to Baccus, his glare falling heavy upon him.
"We should continue, our two friends, Gaijin and Bessarian, shall be informed later when they have both recovered. Baccus, our ears are yours. I am particularly interested in what you will tell."
Baccus glanced around the room. He knew what he wanted to say but his tongue was too hesitant to produce the sounds. He really had a difficult time discerning every detail, although he wanted to tell all. He took deep concentrated breaths while staring down the two cowering vermins he formerly identified as his hands. The memories came pouring in vivid detail, those calloused eyes, the burning odor, that long black hair, the rushing arrows, the harrowing screams. It was all too real. The man was permanently charred into Baccus' mind.
"Where could I even begin?" Baccus shook his head morbidly.
"We were continuing our mission in the Sindirin freelands as planned. It wasn't easy getting there though; we lost Malichi, Sebastian's younger brother. We searched for hours but we eventually had to move on. We were only camped in the house and region for a little over two days. We had Jester, Stanos, Aegis, Stefan, Gregor and Altair dress as commoners. I had already trimmed my hair and cut my beard on the way because I too was to pose as another commoner and disguise my appearance."
"But during the mission, we had already planned to retrieve Maddard there and his wife as per his brother's request. They were swarming by the time I was nearby the home. But what really shook me was this one Deathknight, if it was even that. It stood so large it collapsed the Colossal Snowpeak's trees but I really only saw a glimpse of its body before it disappeared from my sight, but even then I could still hear the tumultuous footsteps minutes after I lost sight of it."
"I finally managed to find him but when I arrived at his house, it had been crushed to rubble and when I asked him of his wife, all he could do was stare with these two puppy eyes. I already assumed the behemoth of a Deathknight was responsible."
"He never told me what happened. Honestly, there was no need. I already knew what had been done. I never even asked. In truth, part of me didn't truly care. I really only wanted to make it back to the village alive and without delay; the sudden appearance of Deathknights was a big factor in this, I will not lie. But before I could take him, I had to handle one relatively large Deathknight and the undead white moose it was mounted on."
"And so after, I seized his arm and paralyzed him with the Nethersbane dagger. I carried him for hours, fighting past constant swarms of Deathknights. I will not lie, I had never been so alert and irritable up to that point. I was so tired and sore from carrying the big guy for so long."
A small snicker escaped involuntarily from Baccus' mouth with the relief that he did not have to carry a man that large again. He continued.
"But that's when we finally made our way back to the base village."
As he said this, his demeanor morphed into a look of ill-temperament and there was no longer a smirk on his face. With his head now facing the floor, he slouched sullenly and absorbed as much oxygen that his trembly lungs could intake.
Trying to submerge his emotions, he began describing what he saw in blunt and quick succession. It was difficult for him to speak upon it without becoming heartfelt.
"Then I saw it. The sight that will haunt me to my last day. Broken buildings, torn earth, and bodies of my own men scattered across the snow. My men...all of them. I was held responsible for each of their lives, all thirty-seven. Eren, Kylie, Morrigan, all my lifelong companions. Each will have their funeral, and Malichi if he is dead and we ever manage to find him."
"Their families will never even know. They themselves will likely be dead in these upcoming days before coming to find out."
Baccus began laughing, but not in the manner that would suggest he was happy or even a glimpse of optimism remained. No, his laugh told the tale of a man who was on the verge of hopelessness and even insanity. His demeanor was glum, his movements were slow and choppy, yet he still did everything to fight back the tears. His eyes were like clouds that were not yet ready to shed rain.
"Something within me turned cold and austere as if my heart had calloused. But more than anything, it reminded me of my own mortality and truly the try-hard mundanity that we all subsist in. I wanted no more to do with the mission other than cutting down the man who treated them as scrap. I knew it had not been Deathknights, there were no traces of burns on their bodies and there were no flames nearby. I knew it was the one who we had been sent to detain and bring to Father. When I tell you all that there was not a thought in my head other than messy murder, I truly mean this."
"And as if it was willed by the cosmos, I spotted a Deathknight. But here is the part that will surprise you all. I actually witnessed the Deathknight crawl out from underneath the soil."
He stopped to gauge the others' expressions. They each shared a mutual look of stupefaction. He had expected as much.
"I know now why there are never any traces once they retreat. They were beneath us this whole time. I don't have the slightest thought of how they do it but I wonder just how far below they were buried to have gone undetected for so long. To think that not even one person, even perhaps by accident, made this discovery is doubtful, to say the least. I doubt it anyway. Either that or they have been hidden, kept secret from the public by those sworn to serve and protect. Dakini or no, as a people we were never meant to win. Everyone has their own agendas. Damn near no one can be trusted for shit. That's what is wrong with all countries."
Baccus sighed sullenly and ceased speaking for some seconds before resolving to carry on once again.
With his right hand now pressing against his chin, he swayed his head to the sides despairingly. A touch of frustration was present upon his physiognomy which was currently a host to grim expressions. His eyes began to wander aimlessly across the vastness of the room. He wished to stop there, but there was the part of him that wished to tell the rest of his tales in deep description.
"I just need to say I really hate people sometimes..."
"I fought the Deathknight and slew it. Its flames were actually green when it came from underneath the soil and snow. The fire was much tamer compared to the ones we know. There could be several variants. Compared to the few others I have fought, this one was wild and awkward in the way it fought. Yesterday was my first time seeing Deathknights and I am already over them. More appeared, some from wrecked homes, afterward and they swarmed me, I couldn't see or get to Maddard because I had dropped him down after I saw the bodies."
"That's when I saw Gaijin there. I did not know about him at the time. I didn't know what the hell that was nearby Maddard but he took him. I went into a panic and fought the Deathknights as quickly as I could before running off and tracing his impressions on the snow. By the way, during our journey here we had to hide behind two trees waiting for waves of Deathknights that were passing through to leave. Maddard was severely burned all over his body as I was but the mask of Athanasía kept me well. He was still paralyzed so I couldn't really tell if he was alive."
"But when I followed the one that took him, he was healed in totality. It was so beautiful I was horrified. I was wondering where the one who took Maddard went and why Maddard was sitting in the cold. He looked like he was waiting for something. That was when a flurry of light conjured from nothing and Gaijin came from it. I held my ground initially but thought against it. I grabbed Maddard and began fleeing, I didn't want any part of that. But Maddard did. He seemed to be on good terms with the creature and even vouched for him. I finally submitted and began to speak with Gaijin. He was not so bad. He told me about his past and motivations but I will not speak on that, that is for him to tell."
"I allowed him to walk with us once I learned more about him. He spoke about Pandora and that her and her deities, he said their numbers were in the billions, were released from the box. I said to him that she was only a myth told by people, but he rejected that and told me more. He told me he was immortal. From there, I truly did not care whether he was fully honest or not, I saw an opportunity within him for humanity to thrive. To have an immortal on our side was too good to refuse and so I let him join Bessarian and myself. I did see him form from nothing earlier, so it was hard not to believe he was different, and just by looking at him. It was interesting to hear more of what he had to say, truly it was. It was even nice to see the two getting along, I know it was hard for Bessarian after what's happened to him but Gaijin seemed to help, however little. It was good, it took my mind away from the chaos."
"But, of course, that would not last. While we were walking, I started noticing some noises. These noises stood out from the rest of the bewildered forest. It first sounded to me as a dying animal. The closer I got the more I realized this was not true. It sounded like crying, cries so heartfelt and desperate, I was drawn in. I led us to the source and that was when I saw the man who I was sent to capture though I did not know it at the time."
"He called himself Genesis."