Chapter 5-149: Morale Decisions (2/2)

Every footstep he was taking, the stone was turning white, like a trail of purity being left behind him.

“I want you to loot this place to the ground, and then I want you to get out of here. I want you to tell everyone and anyone what happened here. I want you to deliver all that money and those guns and weapons and stuff to the people that youknow should have them, if they want to be able to make this area a place that people can live again.

“I know you know how to do it, and what to do.

“When you turn up at Heavenbound Hall, they will have your pictures, and they will be waiting for you.

“You are the last wielders of your Pacts. We don’t want there to be any more, and you don’t want your Pacts to be taking you. Are we understanding one another?”

“We are,” the oldest of the Sinbound, his black hair starting to gray, declared, looking back and forth between me and Master Fred, and the whiteness spreading under Fred’s heels. “This... redemption... will it work?” he had to ask.

“I can tell you nothing but the truth.” He winced, but nodded slowly. “That all depends on you. It is the power of mortal will. But... you can know, at the last, that if you do this, you are going to make them pay them very, very badly for the price of your soul.

“How Good a bargain you make that for yourself... is up to you. We can only show you the path. Walking it is all on you.”

He turned to look at the other four. “And if we don’t come?” he asked, realizing I was going to give him the cold truth no matter what.

“According to the Angelos, there are two other creatures on this world who can grant Daemonic Pacts. We will hunt you down, in time. You can only pray there’s five hundred other people as stupid as you before the Shroud comes down... and that you aren’t going there, Pact or no.”

His face hardened, and he hesitated. “We... have done a great many sinful deeds, Lady Traveler...”

“You are hard, well-trained people. Survivors. Killers. You have lived in a world of magic and death for many years to get where you are.” He nodded slowly. “Now, it is a time to turn that view on itself. To do the things you should have done, instead of the things that you did. Most particularly, things that require a great deal of time, patience, and power. Lots and lots of power.”

Purple-black Sinfires came up around all their palms, and they all stared at them thoughtfully.

“You will have ideas. We will be able to help. You... will be able to help!

“Think on it. I expect that you should know many, many ways to help, to not be what you are, and to be ready to skewer the Lords of Sin mightily, indeed, once you realize how.”

Despite themselves, they had to smile slightly. Their leader even bowed slightly to me, and waited until Master Fred had taken pictures of all of them. “May we go?”

“One thing more.” I approached them, and held out my hand. “Your hands.”

Slowly, still cautious, they reached out and put their hands atop mine.

“TRUTH.

“HOPE.

“VALOR.”

They cried out together, driven to their knees, but their hands did not slip away from mine at the ringing Absoluteness of the three Words of Creation that I knew.

“These were taken from you. It is time to feel them again.” I met each of those eyes of purple in the black. “It is Truth, there is always Hope, and you need only find the courage and energy to grasp it!

“Now go stick a burning stick up the rectum of Sin. I will see you at Penitent’s Hall!”

They got up, half-stumbling, tears streaking down faces that hadn’t felt that kind of emotion in decades. Everyone else watched them wander past, and the storms of emotions released behind the hardened walls within them.

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“That was extraordinarily forgiving,” Sir Pellier murmured to Father Bower, watching the Senior Sinbound leave.

“Those Words...” the older Harsite murmured, shaking his head. “I don’t understand those Words, or even how she can say them...”

“There’s a lot of power to them, and more understanding.” He looked at Helix, who was dazed, staring at Traveler, and probably only now realizing just how dangerous the younger halvyri truly was. He had been improving steadily, and last night and today would only be helping him on his path... but those three Words had proven more crushing than even watching her butcher hundreds of thousands of undead the night before.

Helix wanted to be able to say those Words, too...

“Marvin, I want to be able to say at least one of those Words before I die,” Father Bower admitted softly.

Sir Pellier’s eyes glittered. “So do I, Amos, so do I.”