New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 1021: A Sad Carnage



As she landed, the last few kobolds were being taken care of by the undead waves under David's control, and their path was finally clear.

"All of these lives lost, all for something that isn't born yet," Kary stated, looking at the hundreds of dead monsters.

"I know," Alex replied, his face showing a hint of remorse.

"Hey, knock it off. These monsters wouldn't have hesitated to attack humans outside if they ever broke out of their dungeon," David said, his tone harsh.

"Would they?" Kary asked, unsure his words were the truth.

"Their mindless drones under the wake of a much more powerful and vicious monster. And even if they were free to think for themselves, do you think it would have been any different?" David replied, his eyes showing confidence.

Kary shrugged, pushing the hesitation aside.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?" She said, looking at the surrounding carnage.

"If you feel sad for them, then channel that into kicking that dragon's ass back into the world he belongs. Better yet, fry his egg into a giant omelette and be done with it," David said, walking away from them.

Alex chuckled at the mental image that invaded his head before shaking the thought away.

"Don't listen to him. It's ok to have regrets about killing all of these kobolds. I don't feel too good about it, either. But it was a mercy for them. You should have seen their empty gazes. The influence of the dragon was overpowering their thoughts. They had gone berserk."

Kary nodded absentmindedly, her gaze already locked on the path ahead.

Jin-Sil saw her gaze harden and shook her head.

Walking next to her, she whispered in her ear with a smile before walking over to her favourite person in the world, Ri-Chu.

"Remaining humane in this ordeal is all the proof of your own strength you will ever need, friend. Listen not to the words of the warmonger. He has only survival in mind."

Kary looked at her walk away, and her traits softened.

Her hands clenched before she calmed down, her internal turmoil waning slightly.

She scanned through her allies, looking for anything out of order, and nodded to herself when she found nothing.

Aside from a few scrapes and cuts, her friends were all in top shape and seemed ready to finish this. Some even seemed eager to end this ordeal as soon as possible.

Walking over to Violette, who was sporting an angry expression, she stopped next to her.

"Everything ok here?" Kary asked, smiling at the girl.

"No!" Violette replied with a foot stomp.

"Oh? What is bothering you?" Kary said with surprise.

It was out of character for Violette to burst out emotionally like this. Until now, she had always seemed collected, or at least reserved, on her emotional output.

To see her stomping like this and raising her voice was something new.

"My hair is a mess! With the steam from my water magic and the infernal temperature in this room, my hair is frizzy, itchy, and tangled. It's driving me crazy!" Violette angrily shouted, grabbing a strand of her curling hair.

Kary looked at her in a stupor for a second before a chuckle escaped her lips, making the girl stare at her angrily before tears welled up in her eyes.

"This isn't funny!" she stomped, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Oh, honey. I'm not making fun of you, I swear. I just never expected a reaction like this from you. Here, let me help you," Kary said, pulling Violette into a hug as she inspected her hair.

Violette quietly sobbed in Kary's embrace while the latter played with the matted hair.

"We can fix this," she promised the crying girl.

Violette nodded silently, rubbing her eyes.

"We are taking a break here," Kary called out, making David and Alex snap back toward her. "What do you mean, a break? We are almost done?" Alex asked, wondering if it was a good idea to stop now.

"A break?! Are you out of your mind?! The dragon could be hatching as we speak! We need to hurry forth and end this thing before it ever sees the world!" David exclaimed, flailing his arms angrily.

Kary glared at him, fire appearing in her eyes briefly.

"I said we are taking a break. You may know more about the future than I do, but I am still in charge of this team. If you aren't happy, you are welcome to go ahead alone and get eaten, for all I care," Kary growled at him.

Alex saw the flicker of flames in her eyes and immediately decided it wasn't worth fighting over this.

"Alright, guys! Gather up your things. We are settling down for a moment!" he said, turning on his heels and leaving Kary alone.

Sighs of relief spread amongst his allies, and they were quickly dropping to their asses on whatever outcropping they could find that resembled, even remotely, a seat.

David saw this and huffed in anger. He stomped his way over to a burning pile of rubble and kicked a stone loose to sit on, all the while grumbling and cursing.

Seeing as everyone was settling down, Alex turned to smile at Kary, but noticed she was already ignoring them and focusing on Violette.

'Ahh. That makes sense,' he quietly mused as he sat beside Winston.

The boy seemed excited still, even though his body was covered in sweat and soot.

"Aren't you enjoying yourself a little too much?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Are you kidding me?!" Winston exclaimed, looking at him with gleaming eyes.

"I would have never imagined being able to be in a situation like this for real before. My life was all books, games, and the inside of my sterile room. This is paradise for me!" he added, his face splitting into the broadest grin it could.

Alex chuckled at his joy.

He couldn't begin to imagine being forced to stay in one room all his life, so he wasn't entirely sure how Winston was feeling. But he could also imagine the freedom he must feel for being let loose for the first time in over a decade.

"Then here is to hoping we can have many more adventures together, buddy," Alex said, pulling a water bottle and raising it above his head.

Others had heard his comment and raised their water bottles as well.

"Hear hear!"