The Golem Adventurer

Chapter 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.