>>5739921"Having Serpico as a lord was indeed an unexpected decision, but seeing the state we are in, it is a great idea to have a second in case anything happens to you..."
You stay silent after Kalki's affirmation, your mind drifting somewhere else...
"Not to imply that you will die, Milord, I was simply--"
"No, that's not it. You said that I would have an advantage against the apostles, but I doubt most of Griffith's army consists only of apostles... We will have to fight humans, too. Kill their men, and leave widows and fatherless sons along the way."
"Of course, lord Vlad. I thought you had already come to terms with that..." Kalki questions your thought process, the killing of thousands being so casual to him, yet so causal to you.
"Whoever wins will have to take control of Old Midland's folks, but unlike Griffith, I do not use any manipulation tactics, nor brainwashing by the means of dark magic to attain my goals. I will have to live with the opposition defiling my name, for crimes that I have indeed caused against their families."
"That's the truth of war, I suppose. Of course whoever kills the least amount of civilians will be more regarded as the true victor and have a stronger opposition when commanding the land, all crimes will be pretty much forgiven in periods of prolonged battles. The laws of men will only be but words on a paper, where the only ones punished will be on the losing side of the skirmishes."
"..." That feeling of hollowness once again clings to your heart, like your humanity is about to be lost, the moment you agree to Griffith's terms, yet your hand remains forced to fight or retreat, and it's too late now to retreat.
"Kalki, I have one more question before you lead me to Solon. Was anyone with Barnham at the time he died? What were his last words?"
"I believe I can answer that question in his stead, Halfling." The familiar Skull Knight appeared behind you as Kalki jolted away in fear, not recognizing the old king of Midland.
"About time you showed up, Skully." Serpico greeted him with confidence, knowing that wherever he was placed against, anyone fighting Gaiseric would be sure to lose.
"The mort that stands with the dark lord is no descendant of mine. All she inherits are the worst of my mistakes, with Femto being but a puppet to Void's cruel joke to spite my achievements of once being a ruler. If you wish to look into my memories, you shall know of Barnham's final moments."
Gaiseric got off his horse and approached you as you delved into his mind, seeing a powerful blue bear apostle holding Ganishka's foot with all his might.
"RAAAARGH!" Every bone in his body was shattered by the weight, yet Barnham still clawed at the ground and held himself by the smidge of his paws to the floor, making sure that Ganishka's last step didn't crush the entirety of Ilos and erased all of his legacy.
