Passing through a Grove of trees with molten snow laid atop their leaves. The elderly elf man rode his carriage with a cheerful smile. The elderly man had many thoughts, hopes and dreams.
He recalled the heroic acts of the boys defending his carriage against the bandits. However, their petrified reactions left him worried about their well being so he bought souvenirs in the form of food that he believed the boys may like.
He looked forward to returning to the village as it was not his first time visiting there. The warm smile of the villages, the food, plants and the good old drunken old dwarf chief. He had happy memories there.
The trees began to spread out in quantity as he got closer to his destination. Gazing at the light of hope generated by the sun, the elf man opened his eyes to see–.
Old elf man: ...What?
In front of the old man's eyes was nothing but a sea of pitch black grass, large slabs of charcoal scattered across the scene and black dust soaring through the air.
Old elf man: Happened…here?
The old man stuttered as he stepped out of his carriage.
The old man glanced around the area, looking for any sign of life until he finally saw Elara walking in between the giant charcoal. Elara's gaze ends up meeting the old man's, prompting her to approach him.
Elara: You're…finally here…
Elara mumbled, her gaze turned her away from the old man with a guilty look on her face.
Old elf man: …E-Elara,what in Eldrystria happened here?
Elara sighed as she gripped her arm and turned her head over her shoulder to gaze at the large crater where Rico is seen sitting on his knees in front of it.
Elara: It's…a long story…
***
Flashes of sweet memories flashed through Rico's mind.
Memories of the kids' smiles.
Their laughter.
Their banters.
Their smiles.
Rico remembered it all.
Rico began to question the morality behind his actions.
"Am I a hypocrite?" He asked himself.
They're just npcs in a video game right? So…so why do I feel like this? Rico thought to himself as he gripped his chest tightly.
Rico: Why…why do I feel like my actions, my decisions, everything, started all of this.
Rico brushed his hand against the black grass, to find black dust resting on his palm.
Rico: Their ashes…they're real too…am i….
Rico: No, I am a monster…a murderer.
???: …Rico?
A voice echoed through Rico's ears. Rico turned his head to gaze at the source, standing behind him were Banko and Nico covered bandages on a few parts of their body.
Banko: The old carriage driver has arrived and he's offered to patch up our injuries. Elara wanted us to call you over and–
Rico: Hey guys
Rico cut off Banko mid sentence.
Rico: Are we really…in a video game?
Rico: This world…feels too real to just be a fragment of someone's imagination.
Rico: The villagers, the kids, the bandits and master too. They all feel too alive to be just artificial intelligence.
Banko and Nico remained silent, unable to reply to Rico's melancholic questions.
Rico: I remember it clearly, how I used to criticise people who took lives without a second thought as nothing but pure evil.
Rico: And yet, look at what we've been doing. Ever since we stepped foot in this world, we have been killing npcs indiscriminately without a second thought.
Rico stood up on his feet as he gazed at the scorched corpse of the orc leader.
Rico:Yes, we were traumatised when we killed the bandits, it felt like we actually took someone's life but that trauma was short lived, we simply brushed it off because to us they were just NPCs not people. We never bothered to consider why they were in their positions in the first place, why they are where they are.
Rico turned his gaze towards Nico and Banko. Their eyes widened at the sight of Rico's face.
Rico: We have fallen too far down the rabbit hole to keep that mindset.
Rico's eyes were red, resembling the Crimson eyes he had in his dragon form but what had made Nico and Banko so gut wrenched about Rico's face was the never ending stream of tears trickling down his cheeks.
Rico: There's more to these NPCs than what meets the eye. These NPCs are people.
Banko: Rico…
Banko attempted to stretch out his arm to comfort Rico but held himself back as he believed that there was nothing he could do to fix his mental state.
Rico: We…are murderers. We are monsters. I am no better than those gangsters who took my parents' lives.
Banko tightened his fist in self hatred for not being able to support his friend when he needed him the most. However, Nico on the other hand.
Nico: You're right, we are murderers.
Banko and Rico gaze at Nico in shock.
Nico: But–
A memory of a young girl hugging Nico with tears streaming down her eyes as he watched a man getting handcuffed by policemen flames in his mind.
???: We can't change the past but we can change the future. It's our job to learn from those mistakes and use them to make ourselves better. You got it little bro?
A voice of a young woman ringed through Nico's head as he clenched his fist and gazed at Rico and Nico with eyes full of hope.
Nico: What we did was a mistake and it's our job to learn from those mistakes and use them to make ourselves better.
Rico and Banko remained silent, their eyes widened in awe. Rico's crimson eyes began to shine with life.
Banko chuckled as he placed his shoulder over Rico and Nico's necks.
Banko: He's right. Murderers or not, it doesn't mean we don't have a chance at redemption. It's better to let go of the past and move on to make a better future and protect each other and others along the way.
Banko: We are the three mighty dragons after all.
Rico wiped away his tears as he recalled a moment in his past when Banko said a similar line to a kid they saved from a group of bullies after he asked them why they saved him.
Rico: Yeah…you're right.
Rico said with a wide grin on his face. They boys began to laugh together as Banko points Rico's snot running down his nose.
***
The old elf man gazed at a pile of black dust(ash) on his hand with a sorrowful face.
Elara: I'm sorry things turned out like this.
Old elf man: It's fine, life always comes with just as many hardships as there are good memories. It was just simply fate playing its role.
The old elf gazed at the boys near the crater.
Old elf man: I am more concerned about their well-being after such a tragic event.
Elara thought to herself. She had always perceived the boys as nothing but childish clueless children who had no sense of social awareness. He saw them as nothing but oddballs but after living through the good and bads of life with them. She has come to understand that the boys are more than just oddballs but they are just kids forced to play a massive role in the fate of the world.
Elara: Let me go talk to the–
Nico and Banko had arrived at the area before Elara could finish her sentence. Nico and Banko had wide smiles on their faces and seemed very cheerful which confused Elara.
Elara: Nico?Banko? What about Rico?
Banko: Oh right, we are bringing the first aid kit to him, he said he is struggling to walk.
Elara: W-wait than those that mean?
Nico: Yup, we squashed the beef.
Elara: Eh?
Elara was left perplexed by Nico's phrase. An otherworldly phrase she's never heard of in her life.
Nico and Banko walked back to Rico to bring him the bandages and elixirs.
The old elf man: They seem…quite cheerful?
Elara placed her hand on her forehead as she sighed.
Elara: Those oddballs.
***
Rico stared at the bottom of the crater where the orc leader's corpse lay. Rico took a deep breath as he placed his hands together in prayer.
Rico: Rest in peace.
With whatever little strength he has on his legs, Rico turns his back to walk away from the crater and find a comfortable place to rest while he waits for Nico and Banko. However–
???: I see, so this is where you have been Orgalorg.
An unfamiliar voice echoed behind Rico. Curious, Rico turned his head to face a tall male figure Adorned in a dark blue full dress army uniform with square-lensed black glasses, brown combed hair and intimidating glowing crimson red eyes.
Rico:...huh?
Rico's eyes widened in shock, disbelief and most of all fear as he gazed at the transparent bar above the figure's head.
???: You there, have you seen a colossal red dragon around here?
The bar was written:
"Epicgamer447(level 50+)4th general of the vampire queen"
Chapter 18 ends.