In a moment of redemption, betraying secrets is the price the monster Deformed To cover up his actions "
In the mercenary camp, Arman was speaking with Randall, his tone serious as he scanned the horizon anxiously.
Arman:
"Has Andreas returned yet?"
Randall:
"No, he hasn't returned. I sent him to inspect the location, and he said he'll be back soon."
Arman:
"And what about Larious? Have you made a decision regarding him?"
Randall:
"Not yet. The situation is still delicate."
Arman:
"I don't know... Maybe he should just disappear for a while until things calm down."
Arman gazed into the distance, lost in deep thought as the others prepared for the next mission.
Lara was walking quickly toward the forest when she encountered Eryan, who was watching her closely.
Lara:
"Did you see Larious? Where did he go?"
Eryan:
"A few minutes ago, I saw him leave. He said he was surveying the area nearby."
Lara:
"I'm going to look for him. I don't want him facing danger alone."
Eryan:
"Be careful. You never know what could happen in these parts."
But Lara didn't respond. She hurried on toward the forest.
---
Larious was training with focus, trying to improve his skills. He struck the rocks with powerful fiery blows, shattering them. Suddenly, he felt something strange, and shadows took the form of a man in front of him.
Larious:
"Who are you?"
But the shadow did not reply, only a cold smile crossed its face.
Shadow:
"You've abandoned your hope. There's no point in resisting."
Larious attacked the shadow with all his strength, but the shadow passed by him as if nothing had happened, trying to erase his presence. However, Larious shot a beam of light from his hand, shattering the shadow, which vanished quickly.
Then, Lara appeared behind him.
Lara:
"What are you doing here? Are you still hiding something from us?"
Larious:
"I'm just testing my strength. Is there a problem with that?"
Suddenly, a group of grotesque, misshapen creatures appeared, surrounding them.
Creature 1:
"Do you remember me now?"
Larious:
"Who are you?"
Creature 1:
"I'm the former slave trader you got in the way of."
Lara tried to attack them with a gust of wind but failed. Larious acted quickly, using deadly flames to destroy the creatures. However, it seemed they were unaffected.
Larious raised his hand, and a beam of radiant light shone, beginning a fierce battle. His hand strikes were precise and fast, causing the creatures to disappear one by one.
But the largest creature absorbed their powers with its own abilities and unleashed a massive attack, shaking the ground. Larious felt something strange inside him.
Larious:
"I won't let you escape!"
He chased after the creature as it headed toward the mountains. Another fierce battle was about to beg
Larious reached the mountain peak, where he collided again with the larger creature. His eyes were filled with rage.
Larger Creature:
"You've stolen everything from me. Now, I will take it back."
The creature exploded in a brutal attack, launching savage strikes from a chain that it used to torture children. Larious remembered seeing such battles before.
In that moment, he made a decisive choice. He gathered his power into a white halo on his hand and unleashed a destructive blow toward the larger creature.
Larger Creature:
"Caligula returned me to this form, and he was the one I followed..."
Larious:
"You're the cause of all this. The suffering, the wars, it all traces back to you."
Larger Creature:
"It's just petty interests, mere gangs and noble kings. They became pawns only because they lived in chaotic lands where petty interests were mixed, or the Church tempted them with important things. She considers them just small expansions that she does not need all are pawns in a bigger game."
Larious:
"Do you mean that all these numbers that we faced are not just tasks carried out by the mercenaries of the Arc of Fire, but rather they are deeper tasks that the Church was doing here in the lands of Chaos? "
Larger Creature:I don't know, but I never imagined that my last moments were my confession to my enemy of what I had learned
The larger creature hesitated for a moment, but suddenly exploded with immense power, destroying everything around it, including Larious, who was struck with a fatal blow to his chest.
Larious fell to the ground, unable to rise due to the intense pain.
Lara appeared at the last moment, rushing toward him. She scooped him up in her arms and ran him away from the destroyed area.
Lara:
"Don't go alone. I'll help you."
She took him to a safe place, where Matthias was waiting.
Larious (weakly):
"I just want to heal... I don't want to be a burden."
Lara:
"You're more than a burden. You're part of this fight."
Matthias:
"I can't explain why his wound is healing so quickly, but something unusual is going on here."
Matthias examined his injury, noting that it was healing rapidly, much to everyone's surprise.
Arman:
"Is he okay?"
Matthias:
"Yes, but he needs rest. There's something strange about his healing."
Then Andreas entered the camp, looking concerned.
Andreas:
"What happened here?"
Larious:
"We were attacked by strange creatures, and I was severely injured, but I'm fine now."
Arman:
"Things are getting complicated. We need to be more cautious next time."