The Sound Of Despair

Was it hypocritical to mourn the death of fifteen people after he had already killed many times that number with his own hands? Regardless of enemy or friend, innocent or guilty, evil or good, was one life worth more than the other? For Sturm, there definitely was a difference, but it had nothing to do with worth but survival.

The guards and slavers back in the slave camp had not only frequently abused their power but had tried to kill him. If you plan to take someone else's life, then you have to be prepared to give up your own in return. It was a simple truth and how the world, especially this one, worked.

That did not mean others did not deserve to die, but Sturm had yet to kill someone on purpose without acting in self-defense. For some time, he thought he was cold-blooded for not feeling too much remorse, as their deaths never gave him sleepless nights. 

It was different now. Those eight slaves and seven commoners had nothing to do with him. They were no threat or a part of an enemy faction, but simple people trying to live their lives. Maybe the slaves were better off dead than suffering every day, but who was Sturm to make that decision for them?

Only two things were keeping Sturm's sanity intact, his memories of Edgar and Reinhardt and the beasts at his side. The morals and education from Earth kept attacking his conscience, while the lessons and advice he received in this world protected it. 

Sturm knew that neither Edgar nor Reinhardt had been altruistic people. The merchant accepted him purely because of Marcus, the old guard, and the potential he saw in Sturm. Reinhardt had been a mercenary, and even though he liked the young slave, it was questionable if he would have saved someone like Sturm without knowing him. 

Had they met in Dagger's Rock Town, and Sturm was starving in the corner of a street, the former mercenary would not even have spared him a glance. In the end, if you wanted to thrive in this world, that was how you had to act. Kindness came at a price, and not everyone could afford to pay it. 

Licht and Schatten noticed how Sturm's mood had dropped ever since they burned the warehouses, but they found themselves unable to understand his dilemma. 

{Tell us, Sturm. What is going on in your mind? You took your first celestial step, and with our help, only a few humans died. This is a time for celebration, not grief,} Licht said.

There was no reason to hide it from them, so Sturm explained his inner conflict in detail while the beasts listened attentively for hours. When the young man finally finished, they still failed to comprehend his doubts.

{Your plan worked out in the end, did it not? There will always be casualties in fights; that is just how it is. You could have burned residences instead of warehouses, and I can assure you the panic would have been a lot greater. Instead, you devised a plan that conformed to your morals, and a few things went wrong, but so what? Life is feeble. That is the case even for platinum beasts, as you have seen.} The wolf looked Sturm in the eyes and did not even try to hide his disappointment.

{In the future, when you get powerful, every time you clash with equally strong foes, hundreds of casualties may arise. But, will you let that stop you from fighting? Only when you stand high above everyone else can you crush your enemies to such an extent that nothing else gets affected. Until then, keep looking forward. You have already shown us to be a warrior, so act like it.}

The words were harsh but something that Sturm needed. Was that not even the case in movies on Earth? Every time powerful beings clashed inside cities, thousands of people died around them, but everyone still cheered when the hero won in the end. This world was no different, and as long as he refrained from using innocent lives in his plans, then casualties simply had to be accepted.

Any psychologist on Earth would have been aghast at his conclusion, but it was always easy to judge with a sheltered life. So with steeled resolve, Sturm finally swept away the last doubts he had in his heart and prepared to dedicate himself to his revenge once again. 

{Schatten, Licht, thank you.}

The Siren Song Merchants had already suffered a heavy blow, but it was far from enough. They would be his primary target, as Sebastian was someone he could take care of whenever he wanted. Due to the fire, the city lord and guards were still on high alert, so Sturm decided to train for two months and take two additional steps before they acted.

There was one primary reason for that, and both Sturm and the two beasts were excited about it.

After taking care of the remaining scum that dared to kill people important for me, we will leave the island anyway. There is no need for plans or strategies. Without the mage and the overseer, only the town lord will pose a threat to us, and escaping from a noble warrior should be easy enough. 

A mage's strongest perk was his versatility, and like a box of chocolates, you never knew what you would get. Warriors, on the other hand, were a lot more limited in their arsenal. No matter which martial art they practiced or technique they mastered, teleportation and other magic spells were impossible to recreate.

{We should still check the town lord's exact step and which level of martial arts he has mastered. Yes, teleportation is impossible, but a 12th-step noble using high lvl techniques will move at such a speed, the difference will be negligible for us in our current state,} Licht warned.

Underestimating his opponent and overestimating himself was not something Sturm planned to do ever again, so he decided to gather the information before they went back into the forest to train. Now, as a commoner, it would be a lot easier to walk around and get people to talk to him.

Additionally, as an 18-year-old, his body had already developed to that of an adult. The scars and hardships made him look mature, and in combination with his lean but well-defined muscles, gave him the aura of an experienced mercenary. Sturm stood at the height of 182cm, which was above average in the Pirate Seas, and would only be considered small in the Northern Tribes.

Every time Sturm looked at a reflection of himself, he felt strange about his white hair. Not just the hair on his head but also the eyebrows and the stubble on his chin and cheeks. Even the hair on his body had turned white. Yes, even there. 

<<Do I qualify as a real martial arts master now? Or do I need to live a century longer? Hm, I wonder if I can grow the stubble into a long beard…>>

Most people in the Pirate Seas had natural black hair, but coloring the hair seemed extremely popular between pirates. Many pirate captains even based their names on their dyed hair and painted their ships in the same color.

Consequently, Sturm did not stand out, and most people simply assumed him to be an upcoming pirate captain. After gathering information in taverns, the pit, and other establishments, yes, also that one, a very interesting rumor started spreading.

For his failure to protect the slave camp and not catch the culprit even after two years, the town lord had been relieved of his post effective immediately and summoned by Barbascura to receive his punishment. A new town lord and overseer would be dispatched until their arrival the vice lord would be in charge.

If it had been a few years prior, then the response would have been a lot more immediate and many times as violent. Instead, the news once again scrambled Sturm's plans, as the new replacements were estimated to arrive in a little more than a month. 

There was only time to take a single step, but the biggest threat had disappeared. 

<<With Schatten's help, getting access to other churches should be possible in the future as well. There is no haste. As a second step, I will have more than enough power to clean up this island, but just in case…>>

Sturm addressed his beasts lazing around inside his expanded lightning source. Ever since his advancement, the source had enough space for the two contracted beasts to get some privacy.

A little further down the hill, access to a cave had opened up, in which Licht built his own little refuge. Maybe it was because the cave made it feel secure, or maybe it just wanted to rest a little, but it had stopped training as hard as before.

Sturm had allowed them the respite as a reward for saving dozens of people from the fire they had spread, but now they would regret lighting the fire inside him again.

„We have one month, after which there will be no plans, no tactics, but efficient extermination. We will kill every single Siren Merchant, execute Sebastian, and annihilate everyone who dares to stand in our way. We will try to keep the fatalities of innocent bystanders as low as possible, but if they intend to hold us back, then do what you must."

The moment he waited for, ever since leaving the cavern, had finally come. Except for the mage who had returned to the Empire, every other reckoning was finally due.