Have You Killed Before?
"The kid has even gone onto Minor Missions throughout the past month and has a 100% success rate with every Mission he has been through. Duncan may be young, but his power and skills as a fighter and Mage are beyond impressive. I highly recommend him to help in this matter."
"After all, Duncan needs to know how a Major Mission works if he is going to one of us," pleaded Bryan, fiercely defending Duncan's request.
I could tell Bryan wasn't angry but firm on his claims about Duncan's potential. So, on my side, I asked Vania to do a check on Duncan and determined the best target he should go after. This kid was wholly based on the Element Of Darkness, like Sir Noble.
Since there are no Light Mages involved, I would best place Duncan against Astria Faust, the Crystal Princess. According to her stats, Astria was balanced but weaker than the rest of the targets. But I don't know if Duncan would be upset about a scheduled duel.
Meanwhile, Mavislin was still having conflicted thoughts about letting a young child go on this Mission. How could I blame her for doing so? If memory serves, Duncan is part of the chosen five kids from the Infinite Experiment Mission. The kid was the second oldest out of the lot.
And the most difficult to tame since his power was everything related to Darkness. That meant the kid's Aura could kill any living thing around him. In one-on-one duels, Duncan becomes an Elemental Energy Monster as he can turn his opponent's negative thoughts into sustenance.
Duncan went up against a few people in the novel and won, including his sister. But, as the moment dragged on, I wouldn't say I liked the silence and quickly questioned the boy.
"Duncan, Bryan claimed that you have been on Minor Missions before, right?" I asked, staring at his reality-defying eyes.
Duncan glanced at me and nodded.
"Then tell me. In all those Missions, have you ever taken a life before?" I asked without any hesitation.
Bryan was surprised that I was so blunt with my question and wanted to protest but was quickly stopped by Baldwin. Duncan tilted his head to the side as he pondered on my question.
"Does it matter to the Mission? I was successful in all my Minor Missions and defeated a few powerful Mages..." replied Duncan.
"Don't mess with me, kid. Defeating a person and taking life are two very different things. So, I am asking you, have you ever killed someone before?" I growled, glaring at the kid.
The child froze up as he heard the anger beneath my voice. I didn't care if the kid was some prodigy. How many self-proclaimed geniuses entered the actual world only to get mauled by the competition or enemy?
As I've said, taking a life isn't the same as defeating your target. In this Mission, I don't care about bringing back the target alive or dead. My aim for this Mission is to stop Fabian Brookes and his lackeys from kidnapping innocent children to fuel his sick desires.
I will complete this Mission by hook or crook, even if it means spilling blood. There's no such thing as just defeating the opponent on a battlefield. If you don't finish your opponent off, you give your enemy the chance to stab you in the back.
"I haven't killed a person yet... But I have no qualms in doing so," replied the kid, with a dead-serious expression.
I sighed heavily, angered that my point was not getting across.
"Kid, you know something? Don't make bold claims when you haven't done it yet. I didn't ask for an opinion; I asked if you have committed murder before. Sure, it sounds easy on the surface but do you know how difficult it is to take another person's life?"
"Furthermore, in this Mission, we are to kill these Mages we haven't met before. You would be killing them as a greeting, do you understand that? And these enemies are smart enough to use their physical age as an advantage to negotiate with you."
"Anyone with a blade pointed at their throats would find any means to get themselves out of that situation. So is your resolve solid enough to ignore them and go for the kill? Or will you break and cry?"
"Because if you hesitate or show any weakness to your opponent, it will be curtains for you," I explained, pointing to Duncan.
The child went silent for a while, thinking he was thinking twice about joining the Mission. But I was dead wrong as a notification popped up on the side of my interface. I opened it, revealing it to be a new side quest and bond level up for Duncan, the Dementor Pillar.