Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20160720133828/@comment-5583506-20160726172631

"Don't see why you had to spare her life?" grumbled Ward. "The Old Man kills indiscriminately and so shall we."

"It was not her time", replied Deaphanie. "She will survive those wounds you gave her, but if she stoops down to the old Raider path again, I can confirm that she won't live to the age of 30."

"You mean you can't tell?" shrugged the brute.

"Of course I can tell whether she does or not, I just don't feel like sharing. But if she makes it back to Pearl City alive, chances are in favor of her staying with her mother and uncle."

"Tsk, you have gone soft, Deaph. I remember the time when you would just sweep across the countryside, reaping lives wherever you saw fit."

"Look who's talking", snickered Deaphanie. "Remember all those wars back in the days? Hundreds of thousands dead. Compared to this little massacre, I'd say that you are the one who has gone soft. Back then you also looked as if you didn't have care in the world."

"I didn't", said Ward coldly. "Because I take my job seriously. And to be honest half of those misfortunates should be credited to Pestin and Famian... not to mention you."

Deaphanie sighed. "You are right. I may have... gone soft. But then again why shouldn't I have?" She gaze out at the ruins towering up in the darkness, a glance of regret showing in her eyes. "This world is dying", she said. "It's not on the way to recover, Ward. It will  never   recover. Though the Old Man says that we shouldn't sympathise with mankind, I do."

"Why?" shrugged Ward. "This was all their doing. They destroyed themselves, and we were called upon to... well, make sure that they got their last wish."

"They didn't destroy themselves", sighed Deaphanie. "Well, they did... but think of the billions of people who didn't have a say in it? Is it right to condemn them as responsible for this destruction? Is it right of me to... take away everything from them? Everything they are, everything they were, everything they could've been; just because someone else were at fault?"

Ward raised an eyebrow, seemingly concerned. Almost as if he for a moment came to reflect upon Deaphanie's opinion... and agree with it. "I see your point", he grumbled. "But, no matter whether they deserved it or not, that does not release us from our duties, does it?"

Deaphanie shook her head. "No."

"Then let's get back to it, sister. I am not condemning you for sympathising with mankind. I do too sometimes. I wept a thousand times in Nanking. I pounded my fists bloody against the walls in the trenches of Somme. But good or bad, we must do our duty."

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And thus the Preachers still waits for their judgement."

Deaphanie nodded shortly.