Post by Shinzon on May 1, 2018 11:48:54 GMT -8
The Abbey was crowded, every single warrior of the Light assembled in the modest building, waiting for the sermon of the confessor - a man that spearheaded the holy crusade against the devouring darkness that inhabited the run-down estate. The local priest excused himself and let the awe-inspiring, gritty confessor make the sermon; and the news brought all of the faithful, who hoped for something with more substance than what the alcoholic oaf usually offered.
Clearing his throat, he leaned forward on the balcony, and spoke in his deep, thundering voice to the assembled crowd.
"Faithful, enlightened, ambitious... brethren. In but the last decade, a few mere swipes in the pendulum before the righteous gaze of the Light, we have fought on against the darkness, proved time and time again our courage in a last crusade that will be made legend. Although it was a weaker voice that set me on the path to this Darkest Estate, it has caused the chain of events that led me in this endless crusade of the righteous. All of us have sacrificed so much in the name of the Light's glory, both in this crusade and before; I look upon you, mighty crusaders, who fought against the harsh sun of a faraway land to defend the holy land, the bodies of your comrades rotting under the sun; I look upon you, stalwart vestals, who were ripped away from your families and harshly trained to wield the raw powers of our Holy Church; I look upon you, ravenous flagellants, who so eagerly tear your own flesh for redemption, a mad desire to use blood in the name of what is most holy; all of you, faithful servants of the Light, have given so much, looking up towards the sky and asking, what is this path, this meaning, this purpose for which we destroy those who stray from the path of righteousness?
It is nothing. There is no meaning to our actions, nor purpose. It is mindless savagery! This entire existence, this universe is mindless! We kill, we murder, we smite, we destroy: it is all a mindless carnage we carry out, pushed by a slumbering God that has granted us the merest sliver of power to convince us to continue in our campaign of extermination. The pain you have caused, crusaders, and the pain that you inflicted on yourself, flagellants, is but a sacrifice to this mighty creature. This misery and torment wrought upon you in the name of holiness, vestals, only allows our creator to feed on your repressed emotions. The knight who kills the monster does nothing but strengthen it; no matter what you do, it feeds itself on your successes and your failures in equal measure.
All of those we have killed in our pious genocide writhe, spasm and shriek as they are thrown into the endless Abyss I have gazed into; innocent, guilty, strong and weak, honest and deceitful, all of them, they will scream, they will burn, and for no other purpose than our maker may awaken from this endless bloodshed! And it is in this void, this purposeless torment that we shall, at long last, be free!"
At this point, Brother Nicholas grabs the confessor with both hands, roaring furiously as he casts him down from the balcony. Before he hits the ground, however, the raving madman has one last thing to scream to the horrified worshipers.
"Rejoice, for your crusade has brought the awakening of our creator that much closer! BLOOD FOR THE NEW GOD!"
The corrupted servant of the Light then laughed like only the maddened denizens of the Darkest Dungeon can; a haunting sound that was only ended with the sickening noise of his body hitting the floor of the Abbey, blood pooling underneath his broken body. In the crowded building, many were those who screamed in anguish and despair; a vestal was clawing at her face in despair, a flagellant hung himself with his flail, and a crusader kept smashing his helm with the pommel of his sword.
Brother Nicholas gazed down at the scene, looking down at his hands in realization. There was no forgiveness for his deeds; all he had done was make things worst. Throwing his helmet onto the floor, he raised his blade high and drove through his chest, for never could he leave with this terrible truth!
His body fell like a broken puppet next to the confessor's, in a twisted, sick sense of irony.
Clearing his throat, he leaned forward on the balcony, and spoke in his deep, thundering voice to the assembled crowd.
"Faithful, enlightened, ambitious... brethren. In but the last decade, a few mere swipes in the pendulum before the righteous gaze of the Light, we have fought on against the darkness, proved time and time again our courage in a last crusade that will be made legend. Although it was a weaker voice that set me on the path to this Darkest Estate, it has caused the chain of events that led me in this endless crusade of the righteous. All of us have sacrificed so much in the name of the Light's glory, both in this crusade and before; I look upon you, mighty crusaders, who fought against the harsh sun of a faraway land to defend the holy land, the bodies of your comrades rotting under the sun; I look upon you, stalwart vestals, who were ripped away from your families and harshly trained to wield the raw powers of our Holy Church; I look upon you, ravenous flagellants, who so eagerly tear your own flesh for redemption, a mad desire to use blood in the name of what is most holy; all of you, faithful servants of the Light, have given so much, looking up towards the sky and asking, what is this path, this meaning, this purpose for which we destroy those who stray from the path of righteousness?
It is nothing. There is no meaning to our actions, nor purpose. It is mindless savagery! This entire existence, this universe is mindless! We kill, we murder, we smite, we destroy: it is all a mindless carnage we carry out, pushed by a slumbering God that has granted us the merest sliver of power to convince us to continue in our campaign of extermination. The pain you have caused, crusaders, and the pain that you inflicted on yourself, flagellants, is but a sacrifice to this mighty creature. This misery and torment wrought upon you in the name of holiness, vestals, only allows our creator to feed on your repressed emotions. The knight who kills the monster does nothing but strengthen it; no matter what you do, it feeds itself on your successes and your failures in equal measure.
All of those we have killed in our pious genocide writhe, spasm and shriek as they are thrown into the endless Abyss I have gazed into; innocent, guilty, strong and weak, honest and deceitful, all of them, they will scream, they will burn, and for no other purpose than our maker may awaken from this endless bloodshed! And it is in this void, this purposeless torment that we shall, at long last, be free!"
At this point, Brother Nicholas grabs the confessor with both hands, roaring furiously as he casts him down from the balcony. Before he hits the ground, however, the raving madman has one last thing to scream to the horrified worshipers.
"Rejoice, for your crusade has brought the awakening of our creator that much closer! BLOOD FOR THE NEW GOD!"
The corrupted servant of the Light then laughed like only the maddened denizens of the Darkest Dungeon can; a haunting sound that was only ended with the sickening noise of his body hitting the floor of the Abbey, blood pooling underneath his broken body. In the crowded building, many were those who screamed in anguish and despair; a vestal was clawing at her face in despair, a flagellant hung himself with his flail, and a crusader kept smashing his helm with the pommel of his sword.
Brother Nicholas gazed down at the scene, looking down at his hands in realization. There was no forgiveness for his deeds; all he had done was make things worst. Throwing his helmet onto the floor, he raised his blade high and drove through his chest, for never could he leave with this terrible truth!
His body fell like a broken puppet next to the confessor's, in a twisted, sick sense of irony.