Chapter 9-275: There is Still Free Will (1/2)

“I’m so, so clear-headed. All my hate just seems so small, and my desires seem so petty. I’m looking at this whole world full of dangerous, vile stuff, and what I was subjected to was like nothing.” Her face had fallen completely. “It was all so small and petty...”

“Well, that’s the advantage of high Stats, you look at the world differently,” I agreed with her. I couldn’t see the spirits moving through the environment like she could through him, but I could definitely see the slime on my eyes that was the Qi, and all those things up there in the Haze, always following me and what I was doing. “Also, just so you know, he’s got the equivalent of severe brain damage from what was done to him. His emotional range is pretty tight.”

She shook again. “I know. I can feel it. I was never really able to control my emotions, they were the only thing that kept me alive. Right now, they’re just... nothing. They’re just as strong as before, but they’re just... nothing.”

Well, that was believable. What were the emotions of someone who was a 12 in Charisma and a Two going to compare to a 30 Charisma? 7%?

“And just because I’m totally not curious at all, you do know he’s a guy, right?”

She hissed in another breath. “It is... not so different from being an Amazon. I... the world was a dangerous place to me. To an Amazon, it is filled with things to fight. This... is more like seeing things to defend against, to protect, to defy, to clean up...”

“Well, he’s not got anywhere near the hyperaggressive streak that Amazons do, but he does have a nigh-fatal sense of responsibility. He’s one of those people who don’t like to fight, didn’t like to fight... and then that last line was crossed, and now he fights with everything.”

“He is kind.” I didn’t notice the tear trickling down her cheek, not me. “He didn’t have to do this, and he wouldn’t have treated me like so many people did...”

“So, why would he be kind to you?” I prodded her.

Her eyes flashed. She was borrowing his brains, and by default, whatever basic knowledge came with it... and which knowledge he could choose for her. +10 Skill Points per Level, chosen from what he wanted, and likely a very different selection than the default Amazon choices...

“He wants to redeem me.” She took another deep breath. “I’m still going Down, there’s no stopping it, but I’m not dead yet, as long as I stay here, so I still have Free Will...”

“Which you totally don’t have to do, because you’re going to burn regardless,” I agreed.

Her eyes narrowed, despite herself. “So is he...”

“Yes.”

“He’s still going to fight.” Her fist closed, her eyes jerking sideways as I flicked a finger and a flight of Shards streaked off ahead of us as we approached another town along the road, followed by another, and another. The air was full of radiant vessels of Holy Force raging this way and that as Sleipner slowed down, making sure I had time to kill the scattered figures gathering to face us, their Mantra Chant rising and raising hackles of peace, joy, obey, submit on the skin.

Just automatons slaved to the Mantra, now.

---

I started up again after we finished passing through. “Of course. And when he gets Down There, Hell will doubtless take out on him the fact that he has been a horrible deal for them, regardless of how they want to spin it. They’re going to get crap for Sin out of him, and he’s Heavenbound... When they are done with him, they have to give him back. He may not even be recognizable as himself, but the paltry return is just going to encourage others to gaff Hell, too.

“They might even have to change their policies and only offer Hellpacts to those already going Down, as encouragement for such behavior, who knows? And those people could still gaff them. Even Hellbound people like the idea of gaffing Hell, and Free Will is a thing. It isn’t like they are going to get rewarded for ending up there. Once you’re dead, your value to Hell is what you did, not what you will do.”

She grimaced, doubtless looking at her life with a monstrously enhanced mental capacity, and not liking what she saw. “They took advantage of me...” she began.

“And you took advantage of them.” I knocked on her head, and she frowned again. “Take responsibility for what you did. Own your mistakes. Acknowledge they are mistakes, your mistakes. Otherwise, it’s just Sin, and fat fuel for Hell.”

Her knuckles popped as she clenched them, sounded like rocks breaking. “I’m not sure I can, if I go back to being me.”

“Then all this is useless. The aspect of you thinking all this is from a Pact, and has no Free Will, regardless of where it comes from... it’s a magical Buff. The only part that is important is the one that is you.

“When he withdraws that Pact and you’re reduced to just you, you better stop and think and decide the fate of your soul, because right now it’s looking pretty bad for you.”

She slumped in dejection, doubtless thinking that with such a monstrous Buff like this doing the Right Thing would be easy. But no... outside influences making you do the right thing was no more Free Will than someone Possessing you and killing others with your hands was.

“It’s still MY choice. Choices. Good or bad. And at least I’m being given a chance.”

“Take it, or just sit there, whine, bitch, moan, complain, scream as you burn, it’s all up to you. But if you don’t take it to heart and think it’s just a way to stop burning, HAH! You’re just accumulating more Sin.”

She took a deeper breath. “He has to let me out here without the mental Buffs, then.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Off with you, go think. You’ve got lots of time to contemplate the gratitude of Hell.”

“Would Rue treat Her servants any different?” she had to ask.

“Her primary servants are erinyes and frostmaidens. Are you an erinyes or a frostmaiden?”

“No...”

“Have you committed enough Sin that you believe you will spontaneously turn into one when your soul is shuffled into her realm?”

“No...”

“Then you’ll be cooked in hellfire, rendered down into Sin along with other souls, and then all of you will be agglomerated and reformed into an erinyes or frostmaiden who is actually useful to her. Without your Pact, you’re like, what, a Two?”