Blessings [Solo]
Aug 26, 2016 14:56:27 GMT -6
Post by Brutus on Aug 26, 2016 14:56:27 GMT -6
The trade port of Remi had fallen to the might of the Prophet's army like a snake before a striking eagle. It was not long before the remaining Ilians had begun their lives again, much the same as they had before, only now in the light of Elimine under Brutus' watchful gaze as his soldiers began their repairs to the fort walls. The Etrurian army was efficient, within days they had constructed three churches and number of barracks to house all of the soldiers that could not fit those houses that had been abandoned or vacated by their previous occupants. The occupation had gone almost without incident. Almost.
Brutus sat in a pew of the newly erected church near the former Remi Port authority's home. It's current name, though it was subject to change, was the Harel Church, after one of the former commanders of the army that had taken the city. Brutus was a priest, but he did not believe he had the authority to dictate the churches name, so for now it would stay the same. In his letters home to the heads of the Inquisition, he would dictate one for the bishop of his home diocese, and ask him for a more suitable name, but for now, its blasphemous name remained. So Brutus sat in the pew, waiting for the woman in the confessional booth to finish, so that he might begin his own confession and be on his way. He had more important things in his day than the woman could even begin to perceive, but she had already entered the booth before Brutus had even entered the church, and so for now he was forced to wait.
Before long she was done, and Brutus was able to quickly cross the aisle, and take his seat inside the booth. "Welcome, my son." Brutus placed an open palm over his heart and bowed his head quickly, then looked back up and removed his hand. Then he spoke. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been three weeks since my last confession. Since that time I have directly killed seven men, and do not yet have an accurate number on those who died by my order in the stead of my hand. Those who I killed were in service of Elimine herself, and I begged for forgiveness as I sent them each to her infinite mercy. Of those I killed there were five men...
And two boys."
The day before Brutus' confession, he had received word of the inevitable. A group of men had decided to begin working in the shadows to attempt to break the occupation. However, they were brash, and before the Etrurians had time to get complacent in the fortified trading port, they had been discovered. Of course, under Brutus the Inquisition forces would never have gotten lazy, but they weren't even so comfortable yet that they could begin to overlook differences in the actions of the populace. Had the 'Remi Underground' acted differently, had they waited but a few months or even weeks, they might have been able to give the graying Mage a challenge. They could not, in their current state, provided him one, and it made Brutus glad. He had more important things to do with his time than put down some upstart who thought he was Aidan Lowell, or the Little Wolf.
They had cornered them in an old inn, their headquarters most like, in the middle of the day. It showed how foolish they truly were, to select so large a mouse hole to board up and to meet free from the cover of night. They were exposed under the light of the Sun, and Elimine's gaze was not one easy to shrink from. Brutus stood as his men put the building to the torch, and as they slaughtered or bound the men as they fled the burning building. Most of those they brought before him were men so young they could hardly have held a sword in rebellion against him. A number of them were young enough, they had likely been given mercy when the army had taken the city.
Two of them certainly were. A pair of boys who he guessed at thirteen. One of them was rimrod thin the other short and round. He had given all the children in Remi a chance to live despite wishing to not convert immediately, under the belief that they would see the glory they could achieve under her light, and come willingly to the church after a short time. They had taken that chance and thrown it into the dirt.
As Brutus stood in front of the two boys, his soldiers around looking to him for their next step, he became aware of the number of Ilians who had taken to the street when the fire had begun. Enough for him to prove a point, but not enough to cause a problem he would be unable to put down. The shorter boy thrashed against his bonds as Brutus approached. There was a fire in his eyes. He would never repent, he was so filled with hate, there was an anger in him that he would never let go. No matter what Brutus or any other priest might have to tell him, his soul would go without comfort. Brutus placed three fingers from each hand on either of the boys temples. There would be no second chance for this wretched hate filled boy to turn his nose up at again. In his mind, Brutus formed a picture which he held onto for ten seconds before he moved so much as a hair. A short tree at the top of a hill, bare of leaves, with gray clouds overhead. There was the clap of thunder. There was the jagged bolt of lightning. "Fulgur." He used the spell on a child, it was the quickest death he could manage for the unfortunate thing.
The other little boy had fear in his eyes as Brutus came to stand in front of him. Fear, that was malleable. Brutus smiled down at him, and said, "You would not need this fear with Elimine my son. If you will accept her guidance, I shall spare you. You and I may walk to her house together, and I shall free you of your sin." The fear did not leave the young man in front of him. The graying commander held his hand down for the boy to take if he wished it, and though bound, the thin boy began to raise his hands to take the offered hand of the Inquisitor.
"DAMNATION!" The teeth of the boy nearly took Brutus' right ring finger's tip off, but as he pried it from his mouth, the finger still hung to the rest. A guard rushed up and grabbed the little boy's back, but before he could do anything else, Brutus already had his left hand covering the boy's face, smothering it. He pictured a taller thinner tree atop the hill this time, but when the lightning crashed, he did not end the thought. He allowed his mind's eye to watch as the bolt shook the tree so hard that it burst, splinters of wood flying, scattered in the wind. "Ruperunt Coruscantis!" It was quick once more, but it required more focus from Brutus and taxed him more heavily. Gripping his hand, he called out to his nearest aide, Laurent, "Fetch me Fabianus! He should be able to fix this." As the man hurried off, Brutus gripped his finger below the bite to keep the blood from flowing too freely. The heat of the blood that had already streamed through the wound and bubbled at the surface only intensified his pain as the Mage Commander stood in the streets while the Ilian onlookers gathered in fear as the rest of the would be rebellion was put down by steel or the mystic. If he lost a finger, Brutus' anger would have been difficult even for Elimine herself to sate.
As Brutus' waited for the other priest's response, he ran his left index finger around the stitch marks on his right ring finger. Fabianus was perhaps the most gifted healer in all of Remi, and he had managed to save Brutus' finger in whole, but that had required a bit more than pure magic. He had babbled on about the exchange of energy, and that his body would need to finish the healing by itself, but that in a week or two the finger would be back to normal. Brutus didn't care, he had his finger back, and that was most important.
Finally, the other man answered him back. "Do you regret killing them?" Immediately Brutus answered that question the way he had back home when he'd fought his private war against his father's killers, and as he had when serving in the army even before that, "No. I regret their death, but not my part in it. It is a shame that they would not come to our saint, it is a shame that they denied the word of our prophet, but the world in which we live is filled with those who wish to hurt and mock us for our faith in the light of Elimine. I shall ever be her sword if she has need of me." "Very well my son, I am sure the Prophet would tell you that he is proud and in agreement with you. Say the prayer for her grace three times, I absolve you of your sins." Brutus stood, and opened the door of the booth. "Thank you Father."
Brutus sat in a pew of the newly erected church near the former Remi Port authority's home. It's current name, though it was subject to change, was the Harel Church, after one of the former commanders of the army that had taken the city. Brutus was a priest, but he did not believe he had the authority to dictate the churches name, so for now it would stay the same. In his letters home to the heads of the Inquisition, he would dictate one for the bishop of his home diocese, and ask him for a more suitable name, but for now, its blasphemous name remained. So Brutus sat in the pew, waiting for the woman in the confessional booth to finish, so that he might begin his own confession and be on his way. He had more important things in his day than the woman could even begin to perceive, but she had already entered the booth before Brutus had even entered the church, and so for now he was forced to wait.
Before long she was done, and Brutus was able to quickly cross the aisle, and take his seat inside the booth. "Welcome, my son." Brutus placed an open palm over his heart and bowed his head quickly, then looked back up and removed his hand. Then he spoke. "Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been three weeks since my last confession. Since that time I have directly killed seven men, and do not yet have an accurate number on those who died by my order in the stead of my hand. Those who I killed were in service of Elimine herself, and I begged for forgiveness as I sent them each to her infinite mercy. Of those I killed there were five men...
And two boys."
The day before Brutus' confession, he had received word of the inevitable. A group of men had decided to begin working in the shadows to attempt to break the occupation. However, they were brash, and before the Etrurians had time to get complacent in the fortified trading port, they had been discovered. Of course, under Brutus the Inquisition forces would never have gotten lazy, but they weren't even so comfortable yet that they could begin to overlook differences in the actions of the populace. Had the 'Remi Underground' acted differently, had they waited but a few months or even weeks, they might have been able to give the graying Mage a challenge. They could not, in their current state, provided him one, and it made Brutus glad. He had more important things to do with his time than put down some upstart who thought he was Aidan Lowell, or the Little Wolf.
They had cornered them in an old inn, their headquarters most like, in the middle of the day. It showed how foolish they truly were, to select so large a mouse hole to board up and to meet free from the cover of night. They were exposed under the light of the Sun, and Elimine's gaze was not one easy to shrink from. Brutus stood as his men put the building to the torch, and as they slaughtered or bound the men as they fled the burning building. Most of those they brought before him were men so young they could hardly have held a sword in rebellion against him. A number of them were young enough, they had likely been given mercy when the army had taken the city.
Two of them certainly were. A pair of boys who he guessed at thirteen. One of them was rimrod thin the other short and round. He had given all the children in Remi a chance to live despite wishing to not convert immediately, under the belief that they would see the glory they could achieve under her light, and come willingly to the church after a short time. They had taken that chance and thrown it into the dirt.
As Brutus stood in front of the two boys, his soldiers around looking to him for their next step, he became aware of the number of Ilians who had taken to the street when the fire had begun. Enough for him to prove a point, but not enough to cause a problem he would be unable to put down. The shorter boy thrashed against his bonds as Brutus approached. There was a fire in his eyes. He would never repent, he was so filled with hate, there was an anger in him that he would never let go. No matter what Brutus or any other priest might have to tell him, his soul would go without comfort. Brutus placed three fingers from each hand on either of the boys temples. There would be no second chance for this wretched hate filled boy to turn his nose up at again. In his mind, Brutus formed a picture which he held onto for ten seconds before he moved so much as a hair. A short tree at the top of a hill, bare of leaves, with gray clouds overhead. There was the clap of thunder. There was the jagged bolt of lightning. "Fulgur." He used the spell on a child, it was the quickest death he could manage for the unfortunate thing.
The other little boy had fear in his eyes as Brutus came to stand in front of him. Fear, that was malleable. Brutus smiled down at him, and said, "You would not need this fear with Elimine my son. If you will accept her guidance, I shall spare you. You and I may walk to her house together, and I shall free you of your sin." The fear did not leave the young man in front of him. The graying commander held his hand down for the boy to take if he wished it, and though bound, the thin boy began to raise his hands to take the offered hand of the Inquisitor.
"DAMNATION!" The teeth of the boy nearly took Brutus' right ring finger's tip off, but as he pried it from his mouth, the finger still hung to the rest. A guard rushed up and grabbed the little boy's back, but before he could do anything else, Brutus already had his left hand covering the boy's face, smothering it. He pictured a taller thinner tree atop the hill this time, but when the lightning crashed, he did not end the thought. He allowed his mind's eye to watch as the bolt shook the tree so hard that it burst, splinters of wood flying, scattered in the wind. "Ruperunt Coruscantis!" It was quick once more, but it required more focus from Brutus and taxed him more heavily. Gripping his hand, he called out to his nearest aide, Laurent, "Fetch me Fabianus! He should be able to fix this." As the man hurried off, Brutus gripped his finger below the bite to keep the blood from flowing too freely. The heat of the blood that had already streamed through the wound and bubbled at the surface only intensified his pain as the Mage Commander stood in the streets while the Ilian onlookers gathered in fear as the rest of the would be rebellion was put down by steel or the mystic. If he lost a finger, Brutus' anger would have been difficult even for Elimine herself to sate.
As Brutus' waited for the other priest's response, he ran his left index finger around the stitch marks on his right ring finger. Fabianus was perhaps the most gifted healer in all of Remi, and he had managed to save Brutus' finger in whole, but that had required a bit more than pure magic. He had babbled on about the exchange of energy, and that his body would need to finish the healing by itself, but that in a week or two the finger would be back to normal. Brutus didn't care, he had his finger back, and that was most important.
Finally, the other man answered him back. "Do you regret killing them?" Immediately Brutus answered that question the way he had back home when he'd fought his private war against his father's killers, and as he had when serving in the army even before that, "No. I regret their death, but not my part in it. It is a shame that they would not come to our saint, it is a shame that they denied the word of our prophet, but the world in which we live is filled with those who wish to hurt and mock us for our faith in the light of Elimine. I shall ever be her sword if she has need of me." "Very well my son, I am sure the Prophet would tell you that he is proud and in agreement with you. Say the prayer for her grace three times, I absolve you of your sins." Brutus stood, and opened the door of the booth. "Thank you Father."