Death Song
Fuck this. He's lying and even if he isn't, making a deal with a demon is never a good idea. You've heard the stories and you've seen the former Tulan "citizens" that debased themselves just in order to live to serve their demon masters. It never ends well.
If you are going to the infernal realm when you die, you're still not going to be helping anyone to take you there!
"Well, let me think about it .HEY THERE'S A FUCKING DEMON ATTACK COMING!" you shout at the top of your lungs. You're pretty sure at least one person heard you.
"You asshole!" Big Red growls and lunges at you which you dodge out of the way and just focus on getting back to where most of your company is making camp, yelling the whole time.
Upon hearing your warning, everyone scrambles for battle. You can hear the demons bellowing in the distance. They'll be here in force soon. You quickly climb on to the village rooftops and ready your bow as the demon hordes advance all around you.
The battle wasn't as hopeless as Big Red made it seem like it would be (He must've ran off as there was no sign of him) however, the Company does take more than the usual casualties. One of the mercenaries starts to openly complain.
"This is just fucking retarded! Why the hell are we doing this shit?" Cal complains.
"You know the score; you don't like it you can leave." The Captain says calmly cleaning off his sword.
"Yeah and then I don't get paid, which is when by the way? We'd all like to know when this contract is over! You never did tell us!"
"Oh that indefinitely."
"WHAT?!" almost everyone exclaims.
"Look, would you sissies calm the fuck down? We got a break coming up in a few weeks. We go back to the Zalan Empire to get paid, rest, re-equip and whatever else they got there, but after the break we go right back out here. Possibly even deeper."
At this point the whole company is turning against the Captain, he doesn't look worried though.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me? You're expecting us to go deeper into this shit? You're practically asking us to stand in the middle of Hell!"
"Dunno why you're protesting, we're all going to the real infernal plane anyway when we die, might as well get used to it. Look, take it or leave it, I don't give a shit. If you want to stay, go ahead. If you want to leave now, go ahead. If you want to leave after you get your pay, go ahead. But I'm sure you know by now, if you leave don't come back ever." The Captain says and goes back to the abandoned home he was staying in.
This comment by the Captain makes you think back to Big Red's little speech, you start wondering about your future while everyone begins talking amongst themselves about what to do next. A lot of them are saying the Boss has lost his mind and is being suicidal. You can't say you disagree. In fact you're not sure you want part of this anymore. Your family might need the money, but what good are you dead to them?
A few weeks pass and your company makes its way back to the Zalan Empire. You get your payment. Almost feels like you're in the "real army" given the formal nature of it. After you get your pay, you're on your way home where you intend to stay, much like many others are planning to do. However, you bump into the Captain who speaks to you. There's a hint of alcohol on his breath.
"So can I expect you to stay on lute boy?" he asks bluntly.
"Erm well, no Captain. I'm sorry, but going deeper into demon territory is suicide." you reply..
"Probably right, but who wants to live forever?"
"Well I'd like to at least live past the next year."
"Hah! So you wish to die an old man in your bed?"
"Sounds about right."
"Then why did you take on such a dangerous line of work in the first place?"
"My family needed the money."
"Ah yes, you are one of the few in the company that has one. One of the fewer still that actually takes care of them an honorable pursuit. I can respect that."
You're surprised to hear the Captain praise anything that seems honorable.
"I have a family that I take care of too you know."
"Yes, I know you are married."
"Yeah but my daughter is a captain in the Zalan army. She's stationed on the Tulan border as a matter of fact. She might even get transferred to the Grand Alliance army. Don't know yet." He says with a hint of pride in his voice, though he tries his best to conceal it.
The Captain is just full of surprises. You now know that this isn't some simple death wish, but that he's taken the job to help her out in a way. You don't know, but can only imagine what growing up with a dad like him was like. You unsure of how to reply so you just follow up with something.
"Um, that's great Captain."
"Yeah, it's great. Got a son too he's a wizard. He's a fuckin' disappointment y'know you look back on your life and you wonder what you've accomplished and it doesn't mean shit in the scheme of things, at least not when the world has one foot in Hell and the other in the grave. But still you struggle and fight right? You still remain true to your nature."
"Sure I guess so." You say wondering where the Captain going with this.
The Captain sighs heavily.
"I guess I'm lucky killing and battle are in my nature. I get to do it every fuckin' day and it never seems to be enough, even after all the years and changes but I bet you didn't want this shit right? You probably wanted to just play that fuckin' lute of yours right? You got a gift and its being wasted due to events out of your control but you still play that thing when you can. It's in your nature. It's also in your nature to help out your family because you care about them."
"I suppose it is."
"Yeah, nature it's a fuckin' bitch."
The Captain now looks directly at you.
"Look I'm not gonna beg ya, but you're one of the best men I got in the damn company, and I'd rather not lose you, so I'll appeal to your nature. What's going on in the world today is some fucked up shit. Quite honestly I don't think it's going to end well for any of us, but you struggle and fight anyway. The financial aid that you're providing for your family pales in comparison to what you're doing in the long term. You're making the world safer for them so that they might be able to live. We got the Gates of Hell on one side and Death's Door on the other and both of them need to be fucking closed. I don't know if that makes us the so called good guys now, but all I know is if there's an active way I can protect my wife and even help my daughter then I'm gonna do it. What are you going to do?"
The Captain then leaves you without saying another word.
Some pretty deep words for a man who you never saw as compassionate in anyway. He does make a point though. Lately what has been going in the world is pretty bad and you wonder if not fighting today will just mean putting off fighting tomorrow.
If you are going to the infernal realm when you die, you're still not going to be helping anyone to take you there!
"Well, let me think about it .HEY THERE'S A FUCKING DEMON ATTACK COMING!" you shout at the top of your lungs. You're pretty sure at least one person heard you.
"You asshole!" Big Red growls and lunges at you which you dodge out of the way and just focus on getting back to where most of your company is making camp, yelling the whole time.
Upon hearing your warning, everyone scrambles for battle. You can hear the demons bellowing in the distance. They'll be here in force soon. You quickly climb on to the village rooftops and ready your bow as the demon hordes advance all around you.
The battle wasn't as hopeless as Big Red made it seem like it would be (He must've ran off as there was no sign of him) however, the Company does take more than the usual casualties. One of the mercenaries starts to openly complain.
"This is just fucking retarded! Why the hell are we doing this shit?" Cal complains.
"You know the score; you don't like it you can leave." The Captain says calmly cleaning off his sword.
"Yeah and then I don't get paid, which is when by the way? We'd all like to know when this contract is over! You never did tell us!"
"Oh that indefinitely."
"WHAT?!" almost everyone exclaims.
"Look, would you sissies calm the fuck down? We got a break coming up in a few weeks. We go back to the Zalan Empire to get paid, rest, re-equip and whatever else they got there, but after the break we go right back out here. Possibly even deeper."
At this point the whole company is turning against the Captain, he doesn't look worried though.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me? You're expecting us to go deeper into this shit? You're practically asking us to stand in the middle of Hell!"
"Dunno why you're protesting, we're all going to the real infernal plane anyway when we die, might as well get used to it. Look, take it or leave it, I don't give a shit. If you want to stay, go ahead. If you want to leave now, go ahead. If you want to leave after you get your pay, go ahead. But I'm sure you know by now, if you leave don't come back ever." The Captain says and goes back to the abandoned home he was staying in.
This comment by the Captain makes you think back to Big Red's little speech, you start wondering about your future while everyone begins talking amongst themselves about what to do next. A lot of them are saying the Boss has lost his mind and is being suicidal. You can't say you disagree. In fact you're not sure you want part of this anymore. Your family might need the money, but what good are you dead to them?
A few weeks pass and your company makes its way back to the Zalan Empire. You get your payment. Almost feels like you're in the "real army" given the formal nature of it. After you get your pay, you're on your way home where you intend to stay, much like many others are planning to do. However, you bump into the Captain who speaks to you. There's a hint of alcohol on his breath.
"So can I expect you to stay on lute boy?" he asks bluntly.
"Erm well, no Captain. I'm sorry, but going deeper into demon territory is suicide." you reply..
"Probably right, but who wants to live forever?"
"Well I'd like to at least live past the next year."
"Hah! So you wish to die an old man in your bed?"
"Sounds about right."
"Then why did you take on such a dangerous line of work in the first place?"
"My family needed the money."
"Ah yes, you are one of the few in the company that has one. One of the fewer still that actually takes care of them an honorable pursuit. I can respect that."
You're surprised to hear the Captain praise anything that seems honorable.
"I have a family that I take care of too you know."
"Yes, I know you are married."
"Yeah but my daughter is a captain in the Zalan army. She's stationed on the Tulan border as a matter of fact. She might even get transferred to the Grand Alliance army. Don't know yet." He says with a hint of pride in his voice, though he tries his best to conceal it.
The Captain is just full of surprises. You now know that this isn't some simple death wish, but that he's taken the job to help her out in a way. You don't know, but can only imagine what growing up with a dad like him was like. You unsure of how to reply so you just follow up with something.
"Um, that's great Captain."
"Yeah, it's great. Got a son too he's a wizard. He's a fuckin' disappointment y'know you look back on your life and you wonder what you've accomplished and it doesn't mean shit in the scheme of things, at least not when the world has one foot in Hell and the other in the grave. But still you struggle and fight right? You still remain true to your nature."
"Sure I guess so." You say wondering where the Captain going with this.
The Captain sighs heavily.
"I guess I'm lucky killing and battle are in my nature. I get to do it every fuckin' day and it never seems to be enough, even after all the years and changes but I bet you didn't want this shit right? You probably wanted to just play that fuckin' lute of yours right? You got a gift and its being wasted due to events out of your control but you still play that thing when you can. It's in your nature. It's also in your nature to help out your family because you care about them."
"I suppose it is."
"Yeah, nature it's a fuckin' bitch."
The Captain now looks directly at you.
"Look I'm not gonna beg ya, but you're one of the best men I got in the damn company, and I'd rather not lose you, so I'll appeal to your nature. What's going on in the world today is some fucked up shit. Quite honestly I don't think it's going to end well for any of us, but you struggle and fight anyway. The financial aid that you're providing for your family pales in comparison to what you're doing in the long term. You're making the world safer for them so that they might be able to live. We got the Gates of Hell on one side and Death's Door on the other and both of them need to be fucking closed. I don't know if that makes us the so called good guys now, but all I know is if there's an active way I can protect my wife and even help my daughter then I'm gonna do it. What are you going to do?"
The Captain then leaves you without saying another word.
Some pretty deep words for a man who you never saw as compassionate in anyway. He does make a point though. Lately what has been going in the world is pretty bad and you wonder if not fighting today will just mean putting off fighting tomorrow.