Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora: XLVIII. The End Will Not Be Beautiful

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XXV. Stoic

"That's what he called himself. It is certainly an alias, though. After the village, we were planning to go to Aeryngrave to try and meet with Father. I swear I should have just kept walking. No. Killing him as soon as I had the chance was the better route."

Again he sighed glumly.

"I don't know, really. I just wished I never met him."

Baccus began to sniffle. It was suddenly clear that those reservoirs of tears he had been confining to the ducts of his eyes had finally poured through the cracks.

"From the moment I laid eyes upon the man, my nerves began to flare, my brain kept screaming: Leave now! He will be the end of you!

His presence alone was something else. The sight of him put me on edge more than any Deathknight ever could. The moment I spoke to him, I knew he was trouble. He was sitting on a tree stump that was cut too clean to be from a natural cause. There were no flames around so it couldn't have been done by a Deathknight as far as I am aware. Also, there were trees nearby that were relatively unharmed. My inner-self knew I was speaking to the man I was sent to capture the whole time, but my body was too fearful and hesitant to act immediately. I was trying to find the tattoo of the wolf on the nape of his neck but his hair was in the way so I had him walk in front. I was driven by rage and vengeance but with him, I had to be cautious. He was not a regular man. I could not take him so easily. I knew from the moment I saw him that I may never see tomorrow."

"Oh, Gods. His face did not even look real, there was something so offputting about him. He was almost grey, the bags on his eyes sunk for miles and were so dark as if he had not seen the sun. His hairs are coarse, long and black. He wore, and possibly could still be wearing, a large black beard. Now that I think about, I think his hair was visibly black, not even brunette. He is tall, taller than myself, probably Alastor's height."

Baccus stood up briefly with his right arm simultaneously raising with himself. He raised his hand over his head to give the others an accurate portrayal of the man's height. His head was several inches over his own, reminding Baccus and speaking volumes to the others that this man was indeed a big a threat as Baccus had described.

"But apart from his appearance, he had this pessimistic and uncaring ambiance to him. He didn't seem to care for or about anything. Even when we first met, he barely acknowledged us. He told me secrets as if they did not even matter."

Baccus glanced around the room.

"He told me how Alareiks Menhara was a member of the Dakini. He told me the Deathknights were used by the Dakini to push and threaten humanity so far that they would be forced to invent new and better technology. How Pandora and the deities were, in fact, real and that she could be coming any day. He called the day when she is again in the world the day of wrath. He said that the majority of populations worldwide would be eradicated during the worldwide event. But, he also told me the Dakini was seeking to destroy her, not align themselves with her. He never told us why. The question of why didn't even seem to matter to him. He didn't care for anything. His words were so loose and reckless. He was truly miserable, darkness manifest. I even felt for him at times, stupid as that was."

"But, that's not what fully broke me. The battle I suffered with him was what pushed me to my breaking point. I pride myself on my abilities but I never loved what I do. Killing was never a passion of mine, I will never shy away from admitting my disdain for it in a world that seems to thrive it. But he-him...he absolutely loved it. I've never seen such a melancholic face light up so quickly once he saw blood. No. This one was absolutely different. As Father warned me before pursuing the mission, he possesses a bow. But what you may not have known, Father, is he summons it from thin air. With just the clap of his hand, he summons a bow. That's what threw me off initially from confirming he was my target. I was looking for a bow but now I know better. I remember first confronting him, he held on to this facade that he was just a victim of the slaughter back at the village."