BXBX NOVEL Chapter 256 255: Downtime
Afterwards, a Fire Mage would set the corpses alight, removing the chance that, at night, they would rise again as Undead, attacking us once more.
It was a brutally gory scene, but I worked alongside the others with a stoic face, uncaring of the actions I was taking.
My little revelation earlier made this a good exercise, and I didn\'t mind doing the work at all.
Anput and Jahi also worked with a rather cold efficiency, but Leone was the one who worried me the most.
The Vampire was paler then normal as she watched us work, her eyes fixed on the slowly filling pit of corpses that she would need to cremate.
I would occasionally glance at her, checking to make sure she was both alright and not doing something stupid, and each time I was relieved to see that she was slowly growing acclimated to the sight.
Of course, just because I had a twisted, demented outlook on our actions didn\'t mean I was heartless enough to view her empathy in a negative light.
Quite the opposite, actually.
I found that facet of her to be rather admirable, the fact that she could care this deeply about people she didn\'t know speaking volumes of her \'humanity\', and I knew that, during any times where we would face something dark, she could be our morally light compass, guiding us away from the darker paths that each of us would rather take.
Anput and Jahi functioned rather similarly mentally, both viewing death and killing as little more than a part of their life, but they didn\'t actively seek it out.
They both viewed it as a solution to their problems as well, which is why they were both so irked that they couldn\'t simply kill Jillian and her new wife Ayla.
As for me, I viewed death and killing not as a solution, nor as the problem, like Leone.
No, I viewed it as an art form, something that means different things to each person.
For me, it meant a wondrous display of incredible pleasure, the crimson liquid inside each and every one of us making such beautiful patterns when it was splattered onto the ground.
I accepted that I was different from most, that whilst I saw art and beauty, others saw something hideous and disgusting, something terrible.
I had no problem accepting that, just like I had no problem accepting that my Vampiric Lover was an empathetic person who wished for more peaceful solutions.
So, as I worked to fill the corpse pit, I made sure I kept a mental note on Leone, plans to comfort and speak with her being made as I moved each corpse.
It took us a long time to fill our pit, and when we did we joined Leone, standing beside her as she prepared her spell.
Nirinia was with us as well, and the Djinn was solemn as she glanced down at Leone, who\'s hand was trembling slightly.
Jahi reached down and gently took Leone\'s hand, making the Vampire flinch slightly as she looked up at the Demoness, who was smiling softly down at her.
Guiding her hand, Jahi helped her trace out the runes, all while holding the woman close to her chest, keeping her enveloped in her warmth as she helped her complete the spell.
Silence permeated the air, and I watched as a ball of pulsating flames slowly drifted down into the pit, the magical fire slowly enveloping the corpses and beginning to burn them.
Leone grit her teeth as she stared into the flames, going so far as to shake her head when Jahi tried to pull her away and turn her around.
We all watched on as the pit burned, each of us silent as we listened to the crackling of flames and popping of burning fats.
It took a while, but eventually Jahi managed to coax Leone into leaving, pulling the Vampire away from the battlefield and back towards the camp.
The Vampire looked out of it, her eyes slightly hollow as her actions caught up to her, and we all exchanged worried glances as we swiftly returned to our new \'home\'.
When we reached the carriage, Nirinia gave us a nod as she said "I\'ll be around... let me know if she gets better."
We all watched as the Djinn slipped away, walking further into the encampment and leaving us alone.
Pulling Leone into the tent, I began to gently strip off her armor, leaving her in her basic clothes as I began to use my water magic to wash everything off.
Jahi and Anput did the same, creating a pile of armor and weapons for me to clean whilst they huddled beside Leone, who was staring at the floor.
Sitting behind her, Jahi wrapped her arms around both Leone and Anput, the Jackalkin hugging Leone from the side while Jahi enveloped them both.
The Vampire shivered as she sat there, and her eyes were wet, like she was about to cry.
Stroking Leone\'s ashen hair, Anput and Jahi exchanged glances before the Demoness coughed, leaning down and asking "Leone... a-are you alright?"
Raising a brow at her, I returned to my work as I kept them in my sight, watching as Leone bit her lip and shook her head.
"W-We... W-We k-killed so many I-innocents..."
Jahi took a deep breath, her eyes conflicted.
I could tell that she wanted to say \'They weren\'t innocent, nor did it matter\', but she held back, instead pursing her lips as she instead said "We did... but it was an us or them situation, Leone. They were riled up to believe that the Empire was their problem, not the Gates. That everything bad that happened to Tragon was our fault, not the Labyrinthian\'s. Besides, they still readily picked up weapons and decided to fight. That makes them enemies, not innocents."
Leone tried to shake her head, but I cut in, deciding to play devil\'s advocate for this.
"Then what about the Adventurers we\'ve killed, Leone? Those Adventurers that worked for the Sariel\'s? Were they innocent?"
She looked at me with wide eyes, those crimson orbs filled with shame as she began to nod her head.
"You think they were? I think they had a choice. They CHOSE to try and kill us. They deserved to die. As did the villagers and common people we just slaughtered. They saw the difference between us and them, Leone. Both the Adventurers and Westerners. They had every opportunity to back away, to flee, and yet..."
Shrugging, I gestured to the bloody equipment around myself, before my tone softened.
"It\'s alright to feel... ashamed for what happened, Leone. But your anger is misplaced. Don\'t be angry at yourself, nor ashamed of yourself, for fighting for your home. It truly was an us or them situation. They wouldn\'t have put down those swords ever, and if we let them live, they would try and try again to invade our home. If you want to be angry, want to be ashamed, direct it at the Western Kings for allowing, and forcing this to happen."
The Vampire gulped, her eyes still slightly wet as she shook her head.
"T-That doesn\'t change anything, Kat... t-they were still-!"
Anput sighed, flicking Leone\'s brow as she said "They were still innocent, yes, but they were also guilty of ignorance. The common people of the West should know the difference between us and them, but they still decided to believe that they could bridge that gap. They couldn\'t, so they paid the price for it. It\'s not wrong to feel for them, Leone, but don\'t let it cloud your judgement. Those people would have killed you if you tried to show them mercy. This world isn\'t a fairytale, where sparing someone leads them to change their outlook on life. Instead, it allows them to foster a grudge and return with more hatred, a deeper inferiority, and it never ends well."
Leone still seemed conflicted, but her shivering had receded somewhat, and those crimson eyes no longer seemed so scared.
Nodding to myself, I was about to return to my cleaning when Leone asked "K-Kat, how do you deal with all this?"
Glancing up at her, I looked at Anput and Jahi quickly, both blinking as they realized that the innocent, warm hearted Vampire was asking the resident murder and hedonist about how she copes with killing.
Blinking a few times, I hesitantly asked "Do you want the truth or the flowery version?"
Leone also blinked twice, her face confused as she asked "B-Both?"
Taking a deep breath, I frowned as I said "I grew to accept it; I accepted the fact that, because I was with Jahi, I would need to be accustomed to killing, since the amount of enemies of both her and the House would be innumerable. After I killed for the first time, I accepted that it would happen again, and it became part of my job as her maid."
Leone nodded, though I could tell she already knew that was my \'flowery\' answer.
"Truthfully, what happened earlier pissed me off."
The three women looked at me in surprise, before they all let out sighs as they listened to my reasoning, Anput and Jahi shaking their head while Leone seemed conflicted again.
"I hated that I was so far away from the kills, and I was envious of Jahi and Anput as they got to kill up close and personal, getting to experience the wonderful act of taking a life... It\'s something I\'ve grown to crave, something I\'ve begun to live for. The pleasure I take from watching someone bleed out is second to only sex, and even then they can become interchangeable depending on my mood..."
Trailing off, I gave them a chilling grin as I added "I have accepted it as a part of my job, but it\'s a part that I revel in and look forwards to. I love seeing people\'s surprised expressions as they realize that they messed up, and the fear that permeates their eyes as I slowly kill them is such a rich dessert..."
Letting the grin fade, I returned to my work, ignoring the sighs that Anput and Jahi released, while Leone stared at me for a few more moments, before she too sighed, her crimson eyes filled with acceptance.
I imagine that many in the Legion were like her; slowly coming to terms with their actions, and suffering from the consequences of having a reasonable, \'good\' morality.