(Meanwhile…)

“Don’t come here seeking the truth.  I owe you nothing.”  He thundered from the stone peak, from where I can barely see his hood, much less his face.  The cave was silent, save from his voice.  The usual eerie feeling is abound.  The torches make his shadow dance in the cavern walls.  Even the bats refused to screech.

“But you gave me a task, and I performed.  What else must I prove?”  I reasoned out, while holding on to what once was a glorious hero now a sad system error, dragged halfway across the desert.  The first drawn blood in my own revolution.

I looked up above, and hooded figure stood there, motionless.  What is he up to?  And in one blink, he disappeared from where he was standing.  And in same moment, I suddenly felt a presence from behind me – something that wasn’t there moments ago.  He quickly drew the sheathed Thanatos from my left leg, side-stepped until he was visible from my peripherals, and pointed the blade at my neck.  All in one moment.  Damn, he is fast.  And for someone hunched, that is incredibly fast.

“Do you want to be like your victim over there?”  His voice was serious and wretched.  He was referring to the blood that I drew using the same blade.  But I wasn’t afraid.  I have nothing to lose.

“No.”  I have to see this until the end.

“Then realise that you are not in the position to ask questions… not just yet.  Realise that it is not you who control the ebb of tides here.  It is us.”  Us?  There are many of you?

But I said nothing in reply.  I just stared in his eyes.  This time, he was closer – more vivid.  This time I can take a good look at him.  And for one, I realized he wasn’t hunched at all.  He is, in fact, taller than me.  It was then when he removed his cloak, stood upright, and stared right back at me.

“Balthazar.  That is my name.  And it will do you good to remember that well.  Because we may not be worth much outside, but here, we are gods.”  Justifiably, he didn’t look like anyone else in this world.  He is cladded with a unique set of bearings.  His true weapon, sheathed in his left, is also one of a kind.  And it is also true that he was the one who gave me the killing blade, Thanatos.

This very sight of us makes one think that evil can be present even in the virtuality of things.  It has breached even the barriers of technology, taking a new form, adopting new methodologies, spreading in new ways like virus.  Virus?  Right!  This guy could very well be a hacker – someone who is taking advantage of the weak spots of the system.

“There is someone I would like you to… kill.  But since she also have a killing blade, this will definitely be harder than the previous test.”

“She?  Has a killing blade?  How did that even happen?”

“Her blade - Dagon, as I call it, has been stolen from this place.  What I really want you to do is get Dagon back.  But I also wanted to vindicate our immortal power in this world, show what happens when someone crosses our paths – so no one tries to do so.  That is why I also want you to brutally murder her in front of many of her followers.”

“But what happens if she kills me instead?”

“All is well then, since I have no use for a weakling.  Though I have confidence that you will pull through this one.”  His demeanor is intimidating; his confidence – misplaced.

“And why is that?”

“Because up to now, she has no idea what she’s carrying.  To her, Dagon is simply a sword used to defend the weak.  You will have to show her otherwise.”  His intentions – evil.

“How do I get to her when I don’t even know where to find her?  Much less, get her to a place with all her followers around?  Even much less, kill her without inciting everyone else to kill me?”

“I’ve arranged the location and the meeting; everyone will definitely be there.  I have also marked your world map.  When she’s back in, she will start at that exact point.  You will have to be there before that.  The rest – you will have to figure out by yourself.  That is why it is called a test.”

“Tell me – why is Dagon so important?”

“Two of my prototype blades were stolen, and I am holding the third at your neck.  As we speak, the other one is being recovered, and only Dagon remains out there.  Once we have all three, we can begin the revolution.”

“What is her name – the girl you wished to be murdered?”

“Her name is of no consequence.  I have already told you everything you needed to know.  Now tell me, are you up for it or do I finish this now?”

“I’m all for it.  But I am going to need Thanatos back.”

“Good.”  He flipped his hold of the blade, pointing the hilt at me.  “By the way, I did not hold it for no reason.  I changed how it works.  If before you can disable anyone with one strike, this time, you completely obliterate them.  No records.  Nothing will be left.  It is now the strongest blade of this world, by far.”

I held the blade with two hands.  I felt nothing different, just the urge to test this new found power and strike him down.  He is evil – I can guarantee it and I hold in my hands possibly the only thing that could stop him.  But everything has a time and place.  And now is not the time for this.  I shall first see how this side of my destiny goes.  If it doesn’t go well, hopefully, I still have the chance to go back to this moment to right my wrong.

Bastion
15th day of the 6th moon, First Generation (G.T.)
Within the walls of Lithos Krupto