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[CrimsonEon]

: Olison chuckled. "Aha, a bit more guts from last time. Made an acquisition, have you?" Olison crouched and hefted the Iron Axe from the ground "So have I." Olison angled the axe in front of him, pointed towards Valor, and he spent the next few moments slowly strafing around his opponent. "Did I ever tell you about my old unit?" He quipped casually, eyes still watching Valor's sword arm.

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Don't seem to re-call!" Valor said, thrusting forward with his shield, aiming to knock the horseman's weapon away before following up with a swing of his sword.

[freeformschooler]

"I'm more worried about you and all of the others. From what I saw, it was... rather messy down there. How are you yourself holding up?"

: "You've got a lot of spunk. We held up pretty well, but it all came down to Derick in the end. You know... he doesn't talk much. Hasn't changed much, either. He's still just following whichever blind leader will lead him... Gregor included."

[Xanmyral]

Salvatore was in the middle of eating and coughed in surprise when Alex spoke, quickly feeling around his head and readjusting his helmet.

"Thank yah." The wyvern rider looked at Anja as Alex spoke, then back to the metal-clad giant. "...If'in she can sleep on yer arm, Oi think ah hushed voice 'er two won' do much. Yer lucky yah know, Oi know guys who'd love ta 'ave ah lass loike tha' on 'eir arms." The man gave a muffled chuckle that slowly died off into a sigh. He was just changing the subject.

"Say what yah need ta. Ta be honest, Oi'm surprised Oi kept it ah secret fer as long as Oi did. Seems the others didn' care much about meh always wearin' ah helmet thankfully."

[Powder Miner]

:"Heh, well... I was more concerned about her waking up and hearing. I know you didn't want me to tell anyone. But..."
Alexander grew more confused.
:"Why do you hide it, is what I wanted to know."

[CrimsonEon]

: Olison barely caught the movement from the corner of his eye. "Hm!" The momentum of the bash caught the axe in full and sent it backwards. Olison could barely control it and instead attempted to roll with the blow, distancing himself from the reach of the mercenary's follow up. "Blast this thing's weight." Olison cursed as he attempted to lift the axe up again.

[Gamerboy4life]

: "You've got a lot of spunk. We held up pretty well, but it all came down to Derick in the end. You know... he doesn't talk much. Hasn't changed much, either. He's still just following whichever blind leader will lead him... Gregor included."

"Derick probably deserved to kill Arvis most of everyone- save Raquel. Though I doubt she's the type for revenge."

"How do you mean by Gregor being blind, though?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I, uh... I've done some terrible things in my life, and I never stopped to think about them until the night after..."

He trailed off.

"...Well... The conversation we had during the camp out, about my greatest fear. I thought about that... and I think maybe... I didn't want to believe someone like me, someone who lived like I did, could be just the same as everyone else."

"It was... easier... to not let myself feel anything for anyone, and keep these walls up, and tell myself it was because I didn't have a soul. It was easier to lie to myself that I enjoyed whoring myself out and murdering people and robbing because I was just doing what I had to to survive and that there would be no greater consequence after my death because there was nothing inside me to judge; that I was as much an animal as a deer or a bobcat and not truly a man."

"I wanted to believe that the only way someone could be like me was to be less than a person, and I was comfortable with that lie. The lie that I could do anything I wanted and I would never have to answer for it."

"But... I can't do that any more. Do you remember the day I left? I asked Anja to give Alexander a pair of shoes an old woman gave me. When I left that house... I saw someone I hadn't seen for ten years. Do you follow?"

After a moment, Chris continued.

"I tracked the man, followed him for days. And when I cornered him in his home, I made him tell me everything he knew about a certain ritual and a certain cult, and I killed him. I hunted and killed all of them."

"And then... I came to my senses. It felt like I had been asleep for the last decade. And I looked at who I was. And then... I cried for a very long time, for everyone I had ever stolen from, everyone I had hurt or killed, everyone I had ever 'loved and left'... but most of all for who I had become. For all the bad choices I had ever made, and all the things I have that I don't deserve."

"This group... you, Olison, and Tantallos, my friends... a future with the Forsakens... and most importantly, Ami. I don't... I've done every possible thing wrong and... and yet, I still have all this. Gregor..."

"Which is better? To possibly break Ami's heart by leaving forever, or to stay here and let her continue loving a monster like me?"

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Yeah, that's something I'm going to have to work with too. I've been meaning to take up the axe." Valor resumed his previous stance, sword high and shield out. "You were saying something about your old unit?"

[freeformschooler]

@Seyena

: "Oh- I didn't mean that. It was more for the metaphor. In a group like ours, you've got four types of people. Gregor always tries to make things right, no matter the odds. That's why he's the leader. Then you've got people like Chris and I who will always look toward our own goals, odds be damned. Third and fourth are the followers. You've got the Valors and Amis of the world who are just along for the gold and the ride... and, finally, the Dericks. They're not fighting because they believe in themselves. They're fighting because they believe in their leader. They would spill blood for a man with a good heart and a good cause."

: "Which do you think you are?"

[CrimsonEon]

: "Hrh!" Olison hefted the axe up over his shoulder, "Before I worked with Kesselring, when I was growing up in cold lands like here, I lived and trained with a group of skilled fighters." Olison returned to strafing, getting closer as he walked. "Much like this one." He then lifted the axe up and over his head, building momentum into a slash towards the swordsman's side.

[Blade Master Model 42]

Valor confidently thrust his shield into Olison's swing- Only to be nearly turned aside by the force behind the older man's attack. Valor grunted as he moved with the motion, spinning and shifting his stance so that his blade was in front. "Damn, when'd you get that arm? I don't remember you being quite that strong."

[Xanmyral]

Salvatore gave Alex a look like he just questioned if winter was cold. "Why would Oi hide it? Why wouldn' Oi? It's bloody pink. Pink." The man muttered the next part quietly to himself. "Why couldn' Oi 'ave gotten mah mum's red hair 'stead o' mah father's?" After a moment, he sighed. "Oi didn' want the others ta know, still don' really. What would 'ey say? Oi'd lose what respect Oi 'ave in this group, be ah mascot 'er ah joke. Nobody would see me beyond mah hair, 'ey would never take me seriously anymore. Mah blood would be pink ta 'em, not red." While hushed, he sounded annoyed... Or rather tried to sound annoyed, it seemed forced. He wasn't being entirely honest.

[Sirus]

Gregor listened carefully as Chris began to talk, not saying a word. He knew that interrupting would just make it harder for Chris to continue his thoughts. Finally when it was all over, he considered his response carefully.

: "...I've heard it said that there is one difference between a man and a monster. A monster is incapable of remorse; he will kill and destroy and do whatever it is he wanted and never feel the slightest bit of guilt for his actions.
"A man, on the other hand, is capable of regret. He may still do terrible things, but if he winds up feeling genuine remorse for his actions he retains his essential humanity.
"Listen, Chris. By your own admission you have done terrible things. I'm not going to pass judgement on you for those actions - its not my place and Dragon knows I'm no saint myself. Perhaps, at some point you were a monster. Now, though?"

He smiled gently.

: "A monster wouldn't have wept for all the people he's hurt over the years. He wouldn't question whether he deserves the good things in his life. And he certainly wouldn't care one bit about his immortal soul. I believe - and this is just me talking - that you have felt that essential, genuine remorse, which makes you just as human as I am. That means it is time to make amends for your past actions, and work towards a brighter, happier future. For you AND for Ami. That is my answer to your question. You don't have to believe it, but its what my heart says."

[CrimsonEon]

: "Rh!" The axe clashed onto Valor's shield, and with the rebounding force he easily brought it up to his shoulder again. "And there's the weight's benefit." Olison jumped back to distance himself again, "But it seems like you're a natural with that sheet of metal." He bent his knees, seeming to get comfortable with the new fighting stance. "Every day we would spar like this way back when. Full arms and armor for everyone who knew how to use 'em. I wonder if Matilda had ever gotten sick of patching us up." He made a sort of wheezing chuckle, sparing a moment to clutch his side wound.