Frontier Town Founder's Square

[Ambyssin]

And so they walked in silence. Passing by buildings smaller and larger. Getting closer to the outskirts, where not as much foot traffic passed through.

"So, what, this is something you and only you can do?" Nova didn't make eye contact as he spoke. "You got a voice in your head telling you you've got to do this or what?"

 

[canisaries]

"Well, yeah. The same voice every person has - the voice of conscience," Andre said. "Because I'm able to do this, nothing stopping me... it's my duty. To ignore that would be negligent."

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova's stoic expression turned to a glare, but between his pace and his size over Andre, the deerling wouldn't see it.

Are you questioning me? My logic is perfect. You know this. I built you to be better.

That's an order, N0-V4. Do as you're told.

They need to be taken care of. They're a threat.

You were built to maintain order. So go.

His cheek bolts turned clockwise. Then counterclockwise. His expression softened slightly.

Buildings were getting fewer and farther between. Nova stopped, staring off toward the horizon.

"There was a time when I was like you," he said. "I was built to keep the peace. Criminals were a threat to order and stability, so they needed to be dealt with. An executioner for my creator's judge and jury."

Wind blew some dirt across his already grimy talons. "If you were in my world back then, we would've met. You would've been dealt with. No amount of cunning or money or connections or pokémon partners by your side could've saved you. Because this wasn't my job. It was my purpose."

 

[canisaries]

Andre frowned. "Yeah? I don't see how this is supposed to convince me that I'm wrong." There were a few possibilities, but Andre figured it was better to prompt an elaboration.

 

[Ambyssin]

"I'm not here to convince you of that," Nova said. "I know your type. The ones who believe they're above reproach and all that."

He shook his head, then kept his gaze trained on the sky. There was a thin cloud hanging over the horizon. "It started simply enough. Take out the worst of the worst offenders. People committing awful crimes. Breaking up syndicates through force."

His eyes narrowed. "And then it escalated. People who committed petty crimes. Who were already sitting in jail. All because that wasn't going to really rehabilitate them. Not according to my creator." Nova lifted a foreleg and twirled his claws in a circle. "And after that... it progressed to people who hadn't done anything yet... but were going to. People with certain... qualities and characteristics that made them more likely to turn to crimes in the future.

"I didn't have a choice." Nova lowered his foreleg, wriggling a claw in the dirt. "This was what I was built for. I either followed instructions... or I'd be scrapped. Like I'd never even existed." His red feathers flickered. "You have a choice. A conscience. You could have taken your convictions and, I dunno, become a doctor. Or a ranger like Archie. Or worked in law enforcement. But you didn't..."

He finally turned slightly. "How can you be sure... your actions have actually made your world a better place?"

 

[canisaries]

The profession question. That was something that had kept Andre up at night multiple times.

Why wasn't he a doctor? He knew that, with his build, he couldn't be a policeman - which would lose him a lot of friends, anyway - but why wasn't he something like a social worker? Why hadn't he taken on any profession that wasn't his self-indulgent little painting job that couldn't even pay for his apartment, forcing him to live off of his parents' money? Why was his plan for the real career he should take on in his thirties an archeologist?

Well, he'd always told himself that he believed that everyone should be able to work in the field that they wanted. That people only lived once, and they should be allowed to live their best life as long as it didn't hurt anyone - anyone that didn't deserve it. But then he was also so certain that he needed to find abusers and remove them. That sense of duty was so incredibly powerful, so unwavering, a fundamental fact of existence.

Why didn't it carry over to his daytime life? Why did that being still exist, that being that he'd wanted to get rid of for so long, Andre the spoiled rich kid? Was it because of the way he was raised, so used to luxury and the justifications for keeping all of that money instead of giving it away? Hoarding it like a -- well, not a dragon. That's offensive to dragons.

And that, right there, was another thing. He wanted so badly to always have the moral high ground. He wanted it so badly because deep down, or not so deep down, he knew that he was a terrible person. A hypocrite of hypocrites.

Were his murders for the good of others? He believed that they'd been a benefit to the world, sure, but why had he committed them? Did he really want to protect the people around him, or did he just want to have the satisfaction of feeling like an agent of justice, someone who wasn't only right, but made things right?

Fucking hell. He was despicable.

Andre held his forehead with a hoof, staring at the dusty ground. He realized then how long he'd gone without saying anything, just gazing off into the horizon past Nova.

He didn't want to tell Nova what he'd thought. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right. Even if he was correct, he'd attacked the very core of Andre's being, and that core wanted to fight back, even if it was crumbling inside.

Gods. He just wanted to go home and process this. But the conversation was still ongoing.

"The people I targeted had relationships," he said quietly, hollowly. "Abusive relationships. I terminated them. The victims are free."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Are they?" Nova wondered. That change in tone was noted. He'd found a chink in the armor. He could keep prodding. "How do you know that?" He took a step closer. "Do you stalk your victims' partners? Their families? Because I doubt you could just... incidentally waltz into their lives."

Another step. "Did you hear them express gratitude that these people were gone and out of their lives?"

No. Wait. Even if those weren't rhetorical, something didn't sit right with him about that.

After a pause, he got quieter. "Do they even know they're dead? Because it sounds like, from what you were describing with that other killer, they wouldn't. Otherwise cops would be investigating murders." Nova's crest tightened. "Do you honestly think, if these victims had it that bad, they'd just... go about their lives? Or, perhaps, would they instead be looking for their abusers? Because abuse isn't the type of thing where you can snap your fingers, make the bad person go away, and everyone's all rainbows and sunshines!

"It doesn't work like that. It never works like that." He leaned over, red eyes scrutinizing Andre.

"So, again... how do you know things are better?"

 

[canisaries]

As Nova kept talking, Andre found himself more and more angry. That feeling dulled the doubts enough for him to meet Nova's eyes.

"Are you fucking real right now?" he snapped. "I killed abusers, rapists and pedophiles, and you question if it did anything good because abuse victims don't magically heal immediately after their abusers are killed? Don't you think it makes a difference that there's no longer a person beating them, harassing them, grooming them, sexually assaulting them? Don't you think I would have tried to support their victims if it wasn't going to be massively suspicious? Gods!"

He'd tried to do that once afterwards. It made him have to flee Galar.

Andre swiped the ground with a hoof, throwing aside some dust. It felt immature, but he wasn't feeling very mature at the moment. And better this than trying to smack Nova with a vine, which would end very badly for him. He looked away, hoping that Betel had been right about Nova not having intentions to hurt him. And that they were still right.

 

[Ambyssin]

"Did you kill them while they were doing these things? Or trying to?" Nova asked.

 

[canisaries]

Back to yelling in Nova's face. "Oh, yeah, you're right, it's totally possible that they could have just woken up one day and decided, 'Hmm, rape is bad, actually. I won't do it anymore'! How terrible of me to deprive of them the infinitesimal chance that they'd get better! I should have waited for them to be twelve microseconds from their action legally counting as sexual assault, and then break into the room and stab them to death!"

 

[Ambyssin]

"That's not what I'm saying." Nova loomed over Andre. "I'm saying you had choices. You could have done other things to protect people. Especially since these sound like total strangers to you. But instead you jumped head first down the 'those who fight monsters' slope. It wasn't you in danger. You appointed yourself judge, jury, and executioner. You basically decided to play god!"

He shook his head and turned away. "Just like you chose to go the Comb. Even hearing the warnings and rumors about it... you really thought everything would be fine."

Nova sighed. "I can't even say you're going to return home and escalate until you aren't any better than the people you dispose of. Because I don't think that's the case. You're going to go home and get caught. Whether because of your weird, new truth-telling blood bond or because you wriggle out of it and, emboldened by your 'good fortune,' screw things up."

 

[canisaries]

Nova really thought Andre was an idiot. He was practically saying it to his face.

This wasn't going anywhere.

"If that happens, you won't even know. You'll be in a completely different world, and I'll be in mine. Tell yourself that I'll get caught, that I'll be shanked in prison, I don't care. All I care about right now is this: are you going to tell the other Wayfarers about me?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Of fucking course not." Nova rolled his eyes. "Did you miss the part where we're gearing up to try and fight a guy who uses shadows and people's negative emotions to mind control them? Why would I want to put this stuff out in the wild." He shook his head. "And, quite frankly, you should've gone back to Ridley and asked if this shit could wait until after Alexander is out of the picture."

Pragmatism and survival instinct was kicking in. He had to focus on what actually mattered. "Who else have you told?"

 

[canisaries]

"Of fucking course not." Nova rolled his eyes. "Did you miss the part where we're gearing up to try and fight a guy who uses shadows and people's negative emotions to mind control them? Why would I want to put this stuff out in the wild." He shook his head. "And, quite frankly, you should've gone back to Ridley and asked if this shit could wait until after Alexander is out of the picture."

Whatever.

"Who else have you told?"

"Well, Ridley was the first to find out. In the Comb, he had a vision of one of my murders. He wanted me to tell some other Wayfarers. I told Dave, and then I told Odette, and now I'm telling you." Articuno also knew, but he still decided to keep that close to his chest. "That's it."

 

[Ambyssin]

"Well, as far I'm concerned, you're done with the confessions," Nova said. "And you'll kindly continue to stay out of this Alexander business." At best, it'd be disruptive to Dave and Odette when they had bigger fish to fry. And at worst... Andre would be an asset for Alexander to turn against the Wayfarers. "Same goes for Ridley. But I can tell him that myself."

 

[canisaries]

Being disallowed from facing off against the big scary demon dragon was actually a pretty good outcome of this trainwreck of a conversation.

"I'll talk to Ridley," Andre said. "I need to report to him that I told you, anyway. And I don't think you need to worry about him. He should understand how dangerous Shadows can be from experience. He probably just... didn't think about this. You know how he is."

He sighed. "That's it, then. We can both head back to the city now, right?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"Yeah." Nova walked past Andre. "Think that about does it."

He silently headed back into town. Toward the buildings and actual foot traffic.

Nova looked up. He hadn't forgotten what Brisa had said back in the Comb. And Betel's reaction.

He wouldn't "say" it, but he was feeling fairly confident now. That whoever "built" Betel had given him a very liberal definition of what constituted a heroic spirit. And that made him really concerned what Betel's creators were capable of. How they would justify their decisions as being right. Necessary. For the greater good.

This was... going to get nastier before it got better, wasn't it? Some final moments of freedom these were turning into.

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