Resolve

This is the first time I’ve seen a human fight. He’s so… weak.

A slash arced above me. It was fast, but nowhere near as fast as the Duskmaw. I raised my arms to block it off, but his sword shuddered against my body. That was probably his third strike against me, none of which made any damage.

He stumbled back, sword still at his side. His armour rustled as he collected his footing.

“You’re a sturdy bastard, I’ll give you that.” He smirked. “Not even a golem can survive this, though.”

The movement of his sword felt a lot more polished after those words. The way he carried it and brought it above his head felt almost rehearsed. The edge of his blade let out a faint blue glow, and before it could reach its full arc, the entire blade glimmered under the pristine aqua aura.

“Fast Blade!” With that command, the blade swung down with an intense speed I couldn’t track. The force that collided with my arm was incredible, like I had been hit by the Malevolent Arachnid's legs.

The cracked limb at my side was shattered under the impact, but I walked on like nothing had happened. I didn’t feel any pain, so there was no reason to cower. As long as I beat him, the arm would grow back.

Up untill now, I’ve only ever fought monsters. Against all those, this guy is kind of disappointing. That last move was kind of flashy, but nothing impressive. I can win.

I brought up my remaining hand and caught the blade. Its shining glow subsided. Without it, he couldn’t break away from my grip.

“W-What are you…? Let go!” He commanded.

I closed my grip, and with a discernible crack, the blade continued to shatter under my grip. Without his sword, he looked truly helpless. The knight retreated a few steps. Fear overwhelmed his face into a pitiful glare.

I wonder if I shouldn’t just kill this guy instead?

I continued forward and grabbed his leg. He thrashed and wriggled, but was too weak to break free. I raised him off the ground with ease, then brought him down with a swift blow. Another two and blood ran down his forehead, by the third, I swear I heard something break.

It’s not that difficult. I can end this here and now. How can you look down on others when you’re this weak?

His hand gingerly reached out to something behind me, my eyes followed and landed on his shattered sword.

As I did, my eyes crossed with the villagers. Nearly all of their expressions morphed into something that could only be described as terror. Some of them cowered behind their parents or elders, while others simply avoided my gaze.

I looked back at the knight, his bloodied mouth trembled in place, barely able to keep his eyes open.

Did I go too far…? No. This guy is partly responsible for Rorick's death. I should end him! So then, why… Why can’t I?

I released his leg and stood there, frozen. His legs trembled as he rose to his feet. They gave out a few times while running away, but he managed to get to the carriage. He flung himself over the backboard and disappeared into its shade like a cockroach under the fridge.

“D-drive you idiot! Get us out of here!”

A whip cracked against the horse's back, and they took off in a trail of dust and dirt. Silence fell over the field, but Bell soon came over to me. His eyes shifted from the dust cloud back to me.

“You let him go.”

I know that…

“Do you care for all humans equally? Is that why you didn’t kill him?”

No, it wasn’t like that. I just didn’t have the–

“Or did you just not care about Rorick enough to finish the job?” He practically spat at me. His fists trembled at his side, visibly angry. Then, in a sudden shift of mood, his brows dropped, and he looked almost disappointed. His stare cut past me. “Never mind. I’ll never be able to understand the mind of a monster. I’m only a mere human after all,” then left.

The other villagers were still a bit shocked, but they didn’t give me as hard a time as Bell. Barely any of them bothered to look my direction. They stole a few glances here and there, but quickly forced their attention elsewhere.

The chief stayed in his hut for most of the day, and even then, it took quite a few people convincing him before he broke away from Rorick's side. They cleaned him up, then it came time to talk about the burial.

“Chief, we need to do it soon.”

“...”

The chief remained at Rorick's side, his arms folded over the blanket that covered his lifeless body. Even now, the chief still looked over his son, refusing to leave his bedside.

One of the caretakers spoke up hesitantly, “I suggest we bury him with the elders, that way he will know peace–”

“No.” The chief cut her short. He dragged his gaze over to me, and his heavy bangs loomed under his eyes. “Guardian. Could you take him to the Isperia flowers?” It sounded less like a request than it did a demand.

“Chief… that’s a death wish!”

Bell stepped in, “Chief, is that wise?”

“The guardian has defeated the Duskmaw already. If it’s just the guardian, it will be alright. I won’t be going, nor will any of you.”

Bell bit his lip, no doubt to prevent his thoughts from spilling out. “If that’s what you wish.” He forced the words and stepped away.

I nodded back in agreement, and the chief broke away from the bed. My arm had already regrown thanks to HP regeneration, so I could carry Rorick without problems.

His body felt so light, I never realised a life weighed so much. I cradled him in my arms, and the villagers in the room placed a sheet over him. It looked ceremonial, nothing fancy, but definitely important. The chief managed to catch me on the way out. He placed his hand on my shoulder, the slight shudder in his palms cupped my stone shoulder.

“I know we've asked a lot of you, but... Please, give him a proper lay to rest.”

I had never particularly liked being a golem, because so much was taken away from me as a result. However, it felt almost like a blessing that I wasn’t able to speak at that moment. There wasn’t a single thing I could have said back. My mind was still a mess, so I decided to simply follow his request.

Once I reached the Duskmaws' lair, I crossed through and approached the gigantic tree, coated with Isperia flowers. Blue light slowly spread across that section of the forest. As more flowers illuminated from my presence, an entire garden bed of blue and white petals was revealed.

I placed Rorick down, and his body sank into the soft embrace of Isperia petals. A bed of flowers enveloped him, ever so gently. I raised the sheet from his body and uncovered his face. The gentle warmth of light surrounded him until all was blue.

Probably a hundred questions and thoughts rushed through my mind. Whether this was something I could have stopped, or if there was something better I could have done, maybe even prevented it all. But more than anything, I felt sorry.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be stronger, Rorick…

I summoned a gentle breeze that scattered petals in a controlled, continuous swirl over the garden.

I’ll become stronger. Strong enough that this will never happen again…