The Crimson King

IV. A Visit for the Crusader

Two hours went by like they were nothing and Jake and Kate slept through them like it was nothing.  The Witch never said a word either, she only stared out of the window.
It is only when the car stopped that the mentioned three had any reaction.
Of course the Witch had to stretch with some, questionable noises. That was the result of her own approach to slaying Gods. Seduction. Apart from her impressive curses, it was her most powerful weapon. That was the approach she favored as it was her job before the order.
"What was that all about? There are two students here you know!"
"Oh sweetie, relax. This has just become second nature for me, I had to earn money some way before the order."
She looked at Kate, who wasn't pleased with the answer in any way, shape or form. Then she looked at Jake, he was wide awake for a while now. It was interesting how his organism worked. He would fall asleep during rides, but around ten minutes before arriving at his destination, if he knew the route, he would wake up. He looked out of the window, they were parked in an abandoned city.
One that was destroyed after a God was left to succumb to it's corruption and the cleansing process the worshipers did failed. It was a grim reminder what could happen if the Gods were left alive after corrupting. It also served as the HQ of the Legion Jake was stationed in.
"You okay there Jake?"
"Look around us Kate, this is the result of failing to kill a God."
His tone was cold, but instead of hate, there was sadness in it. Jake knew what the God's ultimate end was. He was killed by his heart being destroyed, all because people refused to let the Slayers do their job. Even if he hated Gods, Jake still felt empathy for them. It was also the reason some said he had a heart of gold.
"That's... terrible."
"Don't get things mixed up sweetie. This was the result of us being denied of doing our job. The worshipers won't let us kill Gods and when they fail, we have to destroy that God for good."
The Witch adjusted her hat to sit over her eyes, mourning both the lives that were lost and the God that was destroyed after something he couldn't control.

"S-so you're not killing Gods out of hate?"
"There's some hate behind it, but what we really do is put them out of their misery and prevent their destruction after they do something like this."
"Jake's right, most Slayers end up joining out of selfish reasons like revenge, but the longer we do it, the more we realize that we're ending their suffering."
Silence befell the car, Shadow was outside, checking for any Phantoms. That was really the only thing he dared to do. The heavy lifting was always done by the fighters of the Legion. Since Jake was usually always around when that happened, it meant he had to do it.
On one hand, Jake didn't mind it, but on the other, having to clean up Shadow's mess was frustrating to the point he wanted to kick him.
Two knocks on the window meant the coast is clear. Jake wasn't going to curse the hell out of Shadow that day, well, he probably will for some other reason. They got out of the car while Shadow went to park it in a hidden garage.
The Witch and Kate headed into the abandoned library while Jake kept watch outside. Even though there were no Phantoms now, that didn't mean they won't appear. He was on edge, their HQ was the hot spot for Phantom attacks, even during the day. Though he wasn't worried about the two inside, the barrier the Witch made was too powerful for normal Phantoms to break.
"This is a painful sight to see. So many lives cut short in the matter of seconds."
Jake looked around. He never liked coming to the HQ, no matter how much he liked abandoned cities. Only one thought plagued his mind at that moment. Just what were all those people thinking in their last moments? Did they even know what was happening?

At the main crossroads of the city, there was a lonesome white tree, no leaves. It was dead, it was the spot where the God was destroyed. Jake slowly approached it and kneeled down at the roots. Sticking out of them was a pale hand. It was actually part of the tree.
"I wonder, did you feel any remorse? Did it hurt you? Or does the corruption cause you to stop feeling anything?"
He took the hand into his own, as if he was trying to comfort the God. Of course Jake knew there was nothing he could do now, but that was the only thing that came to mind. There was always the option of channeling his own mana into it in hopes to see the memories of the God. But Jake was hesitant when it came to magic. Fire magic was pure destruction if used wrong and black magic was a dangerous art.
"Feeling sorry for those bastards, are you kid?"
"I'd watch my tongue if I was you Shadow. You're already on thin ice with the Witch."
Jake got up and walked away from the tree, shoving Shadow away as he walked past him. The lack of respect he had for Shadow was his own fault. In his first months in the legion, Jake witnessed what kind of man Shadow really was. Only concerned about himself, never trying to support anyone in battle and of course his habit of hooking up with a new girl each week.
"If anyone should watch himself it's you kid. I have seniority here!"
"Like that means anything to me, coward."
"You're calling me a coward, yet you go out of your way to cover your arms all the time."
"Now you're just being ridiculous."
Jake wanted to walk away, but Shadow grabbed his left arm. He was specifically going for the left one. If there was one thing Shadow was strong in, it was his grip. If he wanted to, he could easily break Jake's wrist.
"Let go. Now."
"You know kid, there's one thing that bothers me about you. You always wear long sleeves, even in summer. That must be a death sentence for a fire magic user like yourself."
"And now you're talking out of your ass."
Shadow tightened his grip on Jake's wrist and continued to do so until Jake finally backed down. He then rolled down his left sleeve, revealing Jake's left forearm, black veins starting to spread on it. He couldn't see his face, but Jake knew Shadow was grinning maliciously under his mask.