A couple days after the fight with Verisimus and his gang, Rask approaches Ca’armine. Joyful and excited, but not exactly exuberant, he is still a soldier after all.
“Ca’arm, that felt really good. I mean the power or Raiden flowing through me was incredible,I always love that! But beating Ironjaw and Blackpike but not killing them. I wish we had stopped Verisimus for good, and I’m not sure what we would have done if I had knocked him out… But not killing… defeating the enemy without killing them…. that is a true victory!”
Rask is clearly excited about this new insight, but still a little unsure, and he looks to Ca’armine with a desire for confirmation an understanding as much as with joy and celebration.
Ca’armine favors Rask with a warm smile, reaches across to his shoulder, and grasps him firmly. “Your attack was incredible! Yes it would have been excellent to have put Verisimus on his back too, but that takes nothing away from the victory!
It is amazing, isn’t it? That Raiden blessed me with the power to augment your non-lethal attacks?
Was there a moment when you thought we should switch to lethal damage? Our attackers were humans, evil humans who have turned their power and skills to making money by hurting people. Would we be able to do that effectively in a battle?
We are champions, charged with Raiden’s holy purpose. Raiden is a warrior, a protector– and I pray he protects us! But to forfeit our own lives– the sacrifice is too great, Raiden needs our power and skill to be focused on our objective.
Rask nods along thoughtfully, looking up briefly when Ca’armine asks about switching tactics, and then looking back to the priest until he finishes talking. Rask nods in agreement at Ca’armine’s closing statement and pauses in thought before responding.
“I could not have changed my tactics. Even now, I feel… compelled to.. not harm? Blackpike and Ironjaw, it is fading, but… something is still there. I find myself wanting to defend them even now… they were just hirelings… for the right coin they would just as soon serve a righteous cause, like most men…”
Rask pauses thoughtfully.
“Varisimus though, I feel no such compulsion. Nor for Shyeeni. If they would surrender and share information about Bandesing with us, I would grant them a swift and less painful death… But still…”
“I suspect if I had used Raiden’s Gift against them though…”
Rask looks away.
“I have killed many humans Ca’armine, almost all of them were rebels against Aedelfred… death is no stranger to me… but… it has not stopped the rebellion, and seems to serve the enemies of humanity more than any human cause…”
Rask shakes his head as if to clear his mind of doubt.
“We’re it not for the Gift of Raiden’s Mercy, I would not have held back the edge or the point against those foes, as you say, it would have been too dangerous. If Bandesing’s defeat requires my death, it is an easy choice, but until that day, I intend for us all to live.”
Ca’armine nods, and clasps Rask’s shoulder. “I agree that the bruisers were only hirelings. Evil, of course– because a mercenary is not immune from the choices he makes, just because he takes coin for them– but not specifically culpable.
However, If we were protecting a caravan of refugees, dispatching the mercenaries might have been required of us, to prevent them from being overrun during the battle, don’t you think?
Alexis asked us not to kill humans, when I first joined the group– a blanket prohibition that we have both ignored on some occasions, for different reasons. I am not at all sure that it is workable, for us to use only non-lethal force in our quest. It is also true that, switching from non-lethal to lethal force, might be the mistake that costs us a battle. We will have to be careful, going forward, to choose our approach to every battle. Against Varisimus and Shyeeni, we had to make that decision quite quickly. From what you are saying, you are more than satisfied with your choice, so there is no need to second-guess that decision.
Are we in agreement then, that we will likely use non-lethal force against human combatants, unless special circumstances arise? Unless we are fighting for our lives, or doing battle against evildoers like Varisimus and Shyeeni, who we know to be acting against the innocent to bring about greater evil in the world?
“Of course we are in agreement.”
Rask’s says readily,
“Raiden guides us in all ways.”
Rask returns the priests clasp of brotherhood.