Right and Wrong

The quest system wasn't unusual for someone used to playing games. Receive a quest, perform the service. Unfortunately though, in world where people were intelligent creatures, the quest system became a little more dynamic. Kessler could already tell that when he accepted his first job. The description was essentially 'find this poor family and take what they owe, whether it was from their flesh or their savings'. For Kessler, this task wasn't unfamiliar, blood money was easy for him, understandable even; people owed money there had to be a repo man. This world however functioned a lot closer to how he dealt with things in the gang; strength decided right and wrong. It was why Kessler took the job. His brows furrowed as he made his ways to the slums his employer pointed him to with his hands in his pockets.

He wasn't a powerful man in this world, but he was familiar with being on the bottom wrung. If you weren't on the top, you needed a backer, someone who would pay the bills and ensure you weren't taken out by your competition. It was for this reason he took such a grey job. Surely the family themselves would find someone to support them, telling them a terrible debt collector would come to hustle their savings and destroy their family by taking their daughter. Kessler was even more certain they would convince this person by saying they were scammed, convincing their savior they were innocent victims despite the fact that they were once business partners with Kessler's employer who became destitute because they were caught by the authorities.

Arriving at the house, Kessler lifted the heavy tree log from his back, swinging it down with a vicious glance before smashing it against the door once eliciting screams from the poor family of four inside. His first swing didn't smash the heavy door in, though it was the slums they used things taken from all over to build their homes, so even if it looked like crap, it was sturdy despite being drafty. With a second swing their screams got louder making Kessler's brow furrow. "Shut up! This'll be a lot easier if you just open the damn door and give me your daughter already!" Kessler complained, uncaring of the innocence of their children. As far as he was concern, the parents brought this on them themselves, it was unfortunate the daughter would be paying for their misdeeds and debt, but it was none of his business.

@Aaron Marone

 

Aaron wasn't entirely sure why he had decided to visit the slums. He had some spare coins, and knew he'd run into a few beggars, he supposed. He had his helmet actually turned on, so that no one would be able to see his face. They didn't need to know who he was. When he gave, that wasn't why he gave.

It was just after he had given a few coins to a beggar that a notification popped up in his field of view. Had that triggered the start of a quest? Before Aaron had a chance to look at the notification, though, he saw a man hitting a nearby door, seemingly with the intent to knock it in.

"Hey!" Aaron shouted, making his way over to the man. "Hey, knock it off!" Aaron readied his shield, but kept his sword well in its scabbard. He would be prepared to defend himself, but not make the first attack. When he was closer to the man, he would speak again. "Hey, look, buddy, I'm sure whatever is going on here that this is entirely just a big misunderstanding. Right?" Aaron heard the noises from within the house. There were definitely people inside, and they were terrified. "I'm sure you didn't mean to scare these fine folk. Why don't you go to the tavern, buy yourself a drink or something, forget this ever happened, alright?" Aaron asked. He reached into his pocket with his spare hand to pull out two coins. "You don't even have to worry about the door, I'll get it all fixed up, or pay someone to, or something. Alright? That sound good? No one needs to get hurt."

 

Kessler for a moment, hearing a voice of a local good sameritan, had the urge to retaliate. Had this been reality, there's no doubt that he would have wasted him. Unfortunately, this wasn't reality, despite knowing how to smash someone's knee caps and get off with it, he lacked the strength to do that in this game. He couldn't just waste whoever he wanted without backing any more, fortunately though, he managed to acquire just that in this adventure.

When offered gold, he naturally reached out to take it with a smile, but once the gold disappeared into his pocket, his business expression would return-- as if that little exchange never happened. "Come on now man, I don't need this. If you wanna play the hero, I can point you out to some good chill places with nice damsels needing a white knight on the way over to that drink." Kessler began to negotiate, after all this wasn't his first time dealing with a witness or the authorities. It was different being on the weaker end of the negotiation, but not having the initiative didn't mean you wouldn't emerge with the goal.

"Look, this isn't exactly the line of work I'd wanna be doing either alright? These people borrowed money, used it for unsavory things themselves, and are now stuck in this problem because of their own choices." Kessler explained lifting his tree branch once more slamming it into the door earning screams and cries from the people within once more. Kessler readied another swing, turning his gaze away from Aaron again as he started to beat the door again. "For every grudge there's a perpetrator, and for every debt there's a collector-- I have no enmity or animosity for these people, but I'm providing a service from a point of neutrality." He explained, making it clear that he had no grudges and there were no bridges he was trying to burn. It was only business, and as a man who prioritizes business, he would have to complete his job.

 

Aaron frowned slightly when the man took his money but made no move to do anything remotely similar to following his suggestion. "You don't need this?" He asked. "This family doesn't need this. Look, I don't believe in throwing the first attack. I do believe in throwing the last one. I am giving you your chance to walk away, pretend this didn't happen. I strongly suggest you take it."

"If it's not the career you really want," Aaron said, positioning himself between the man's treestump weapon and the door, raising his shield to block the attack. The reverberations caused some pain in his arm, but no health loss. "Then might I suggest a career change?"

With the man's explanation of his "neutrality", Aaron could only close his eyes and shake his head. "Fiat Lux," he spoke. A flash of light would burst between Aaron and the man. It wouldn't do any damage, but if the man wasn't prepared for it, having a light go off that close to his face would definitely be a little disorientating. "Look here," Aaron said. "I can tell you're not the best equipped person in the world. You're using a tree stump, for the gods' sakes. If you don't have particularly good equipment, its a safe bet for me you don't have particularly good masteries either. If you try to attack this house one more time, I will respond accordingly. This is your final warning of grace."

 

Kessler couldn't help wiping his eyes when the spell came out, even though it wouldn't do much for the blind status effect, he still made an effort. On the other hand, what came out of his mouth was nothing but a stream of brutal and, quite frankly, over the top, obscenities and foul curses at the frustration of being blinded alone. Hearing the man's words though, Kessler could only groan, these types were always the most irritating, cut the hand off a person to save someone who looked pretty-- how heroic.

"Ho yeah? How about you first?-- Matter of fact, the moment the world stops needing people like me, I'll tender my resignation. Til that day though pal, someone's gotta clean the laundry, if it isn't gonna be me, then who-- You? Pff, no, no you'd turn away the first chance you got and bury hundreds but hey; at least you'd sleep well because you didn't have to watch them die right?" Kessler complained endlessly, he was a gang enforcer in reality as well, there were often people who lectured him about getting a 'real job' but the world simply didn't work that way. Everyone was born and raised with a lifestyle, and those who wanted to change that lifestyle could only do so so many ways with their own abilities and talent. Unfortunately a large portion of his complaint came from his reality, making it not so relevant to the task at hand... Whether or not the man would understand his sudden tangent was unknown, but Kessler would start to get his sight back right around then.

With a sneer, Kessler turned his head up at the thought of the family not needing this-- who did? Who enjoyed seeing a debt collector? Who enjoyed the role of an enforcer? Anyone who did was sick-- Kessler could attest to that, but despite that there were still debt collectors, still enforcers, an unfortunate and necessary evil. Kessler could only feel pity for this man who didn't seem to understand or follow the 'natural order'. "The family surrendered it's right to it's needs the day they came here after blowing their money." Kessler complained with a furrowed brow, particularly when Aaron began to sound somewhat threatening, Kessler's eye twitched in a manner that was barely visible. How often did the enforcer have to deal with backtalk? None-- when it happened they would be going home without teeth or money, whichever was more plentiful. While he didn't have the strength to do so here, he did have the backing which made his sneer contort into a hostile grin. "Mm? Picking on the guy who's picking on people huh? Sure, I could complain about how unfair it is for you to pick on the weak, and you can tell me that it's no better then what I'm doing... But do you think this'll end here?" Kessler asked crossing his arms.

As if waiting for a response, he looked at Aaron with a gaze that was growing increasingly hostile. "No no-- Let me tell you how this will play out follow your rules; A.) You start a fight over this crap with me, and even if you win, the next guy's just going to be stronger-- you beat him too? Next guy will be even tougher, you gonna defend this family forever there big man?" Kessler grilled as even his speech and tone of voice seemed to grow heavy with disdain. "B.) You understand that me staying alive means I'm the only one who loses and I attack anyway in desperation killing at least half of that family before you manage to take me down without killing me thanks to your 'superior masteries'-- and even then, they'll still send more guys out here." Kessler spoke, an air of sarcasm around a few particular words before he continued. "C.) You get rid of me and take them somewhere else where they'll either be found and tortured for skipping out on a debt or be eaten alive by wild critters-- How's that, are you starting to piece together how things will come together here?" Kessler spoke, his tone insulting, largely because he felt this person didn't think about the long term at all, he was merely satisfying some egotistical desire for 'do good-ery', it was for that reason, Kessler tried to recommend him to other places, but he seemed particularly adamant.

In the end, Kessler waited for his various options to sink into this man's head, perhaps he might understand just how difficult it was for an ailing family that had a huge debt and had committed a few unspeakable acts against the community. Though Aaron might have a mind to call the guards and have them protect them, if he thought that, Kessler might think there was no hope for this man. "Now-- we can all just stand here eating up losses, or we can try my plan, where you get to be a hero, this family gets to be safe, I get to do my job, and we can all be happy." He proposed, knowing that he had a way to deal with this at the very least, even though it might not be the way Aaron wanted it to. It likely didn't help that the mood might seem as if he were using them as hostages to prevent Aaron from killing him.

 

"People aren't laundry, to be 'cleaned' or whatever. They're people. And you're wrong a second time. I would make sure I watched every single one of those people die. I would make my damnest sure I'd do everything I can to save them, no matter what it does to me. Because they deserve to live their lives, or at the very least not be alone when they die. And if they died because of my failure, all the more reason for me to be there at their end, as the smallest act of penance possible."

"What crime is this family guilty of?" He asked when the man explained that the family had surrendered their 'right to needs', or something like that. "What terrible thing have they done, that you feel justified in your deeds to break into their home, attack their children? It is not right for the sons and daughters to be punished for the sins of the mothers and fathers. Likewise, my actions are not unfair. I don't give a damn about someone picking on the weak. What I care about is people picking on the innocent. Maybe this family isn't innocent, I don't know. But I don't know that they're guilty of something worth this, so I will protect them until I am proved wrong. I do know that you are guilty of threatening their well being. The difference between us is obvious - my aggression is just in response to yours, which is unjust."

Aaron listened to the man's ABC list and blinked at him. "You make a very stupid assumption, in that list. Why would you believe I have any qualms about killing you?" He asked. "I kill you. I shove your head in a box. I mail it to whoever sent you after this family, with a warning of what will happen if they ever cross my path or try to harm this family again. This family flees, somewhere, I don't know or care where. But if it's as bad as you say, perhaps without the father. He turns himself into the proper authorities for whatever he has done. I won't have to protect them forever. At some point, your employer realizes the money he's paying idiots to come here and die isn't worth whatever he's missing, and at some point the idiots realizing that the money isn't worth them coming here and dying."

"I want you to know, I hold no contempt for you. I understand you are merely doing what you believe you need to do in order to guarentee yourself your next meal in this world. But what I am doing, I do because I know it is the right thing. And my life is a pitifully small price to pay to do the right thing. Especially in a world such as this. I haven't died yet in this world. I hear it's effects aren't too pleasant, but are, ironically, survivable. I hear the most common effect is a phobia of something related to whatever contributed to your death. I wonder - if you do try something stupid, and I cut you down where you stand as you will then justly deserve... what will that phobia be? Will you come afraid of the light, shrieking in terror every time the sun rises? Perhaps you'll find yourself shivering in fear every time you consider doing the right thing? Or maybe I won't be what the game recognizes was the cause of your death. Maybe it'll recognize it was your career choice. Wouldn't it be interesting, if your character became so terrified of debt collectors himself, that you would have to find a new job because you'd lose control of your character everytime you thought about your job? Or, perhaps the most suitable option... what if you became scared of people who owed debts? You could understand how they feel. Most debts are incurred by people who believe they need something, not out of some selfish want. The ability to feed themselves, clothe themselves, protect themselves from the outside elements. There is no sin in those things."

Aaron drew his sword somberly and shook his head slowly. "Friend... I don't want to fight you. But don't mistake that for weakness or cowardice. If you insist on trying to do your job today, it will cost you your life. If you come back, it will cost it again. And again. And again. Leave, before either of our hands become stained with unnecessary blood."

 

Kessler could only sigh heavily, he didn't know what this person was doing in reality, but if Kessler got the street dealers to bag that up instead, he probably would have reached OG status ages before his arrest. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Kessler gestured with a hand. "Are you daft? How is 'laundry' people here? What kind of hero are you where you just jump to calling people laundry man? Is that how you see these peasants you sick monster? People who should be groveling for your 'heroics'?" Kessler retorted in complete seriousness, no matter what kind of job he'd done, he held a certain modicum of respect for his victims; everyone needed to kill to eat, no one was an exception to that rule. Kessler merely targeted humans to earn his keep, and like a hunter there was a tactile respect for those he robbed that could be seen in his direct and genuine methods. He'd seen these kinds of 'heroes' though, largely from the law enforcement he'd witness beating 'suspects' in the streets. It was harrowing, it was tragic; it was the reason Kessler still didn't see eye to eye with authority figures or others he felt operated in that same vein.

"It's 'unsavory activity' man-- Doing the laundry-- Putting in Work; It's supposed to reference doing work that's frowned upon man.... For God's sakes--" Kessler still seemed a little awed. Perhaps it was because Aaron had no exposure to illicit activities that he didn't know the jargon, but hearing him jump so quickly to such a dark place was surprising. In reference to the 'crime' though, Kessler could only roll his eyes. Crossing his arms in defiance, he answered bluntly. "Money Laundering, Tax Evasion, also breaking a few contracts and deals made with a local magister-- To escape taxes they gave their wealth to an associate, what was supposed to go to maintaining the town ended up being pocketed by some jerk who turned around and betrayed them in the end. I can only guess they're plotting some kind of revenge, I'm sure I was hired because someone was afraid of that... but does my role in this really matter?" Kessler asked with a sharp uncaring gaze. "Your aggression is based off of half assed assumptions of a generic hero rescue-- at the very most it's based off of some self-righteous desire to save people even if their graves were dug by themselves."

Hearing Aaron's reply and seeing his blinking face, he had the urge to grab the bridge of his nose again-- perhaps his temple, it was hard to decide where the pain was coming from any more. "You don't understand how this works-- Let me explain again. I die-- Someone better then me is sent-- If they die? Someone even better comes along. What, you think you're invincible? Haha, even if you're stronger then me, you're gonna take on someone who has it in with a magister? You might as well just be pissing into the wind." Kessler said with a shrug. He felt a measure of pity, but at the same time a strange understanding for Aaron's confusion. It was likely hard for someone who lived in the light to understand how those in the dark operated. Money was only important to an operation that needed to hide after all. "That said, it's not good that you think money means something to these people. Reputation is far more important, just like you have a fat stick up your ass about letting the people targeting this family live, they're gonna be just as pissed off about you making them look incompetent. It's bad for business, good for the competition. You'd be deader then I would be at least." Kessler explained just as firmly.

Though when Aaron tried to paint he picture of him being someone pitiful and pathetic who was fighting for a meal, Kessler couldn't help a sneer coming to his face. He was an enforcer, if it was that bad, why wouldn't he just become a soldier? This person was making assumptions? No, Kessler couldn't quite follow the logic but it made him mad, furrowing his brow, he swept a hand through the air in anger. "I'll not be lowered to the same status as some common bandit you--" Kessler started in frustration, a stream of unsavory obscenities and curses coming from his mouth in the form of a barely coherent rant. It was only when he reacquired some measure of calm that he exhaled a tired breath. "I'm doing this because there are people worse then me out there. People who wouldn't just take the kid, people who would want more from the deal. I have a code-- I follow that code, it doesn't make me a saint, it doesn't stop me from being a villain but don't lower me to the level of some uncultured reject licking a knife under the cover of darkness." Kessler accused sharply, believing that Aaron wouldn't even be able to wrap his head around his ambition even if he explained it.

The talk of fear only made him look down on Aaron, with narrowed eyes, a sharp toothy grin coming to his face as he felt only disdain for the man's talk of fear. "You know nothing of fear. Sitting behind your computer screen living the life of some normal jerk in reality who can only be strong in some imaginary world." Kessler spoke as if the words made him sick. While he didn't want to be lowered to the level of a common villain, it was only because that was where he'd come from in reality-- where he started at least. He wasn't willing to go back there, even if he had to die, it was only a game, he wouldn't go back to being some shameless street soldier. "I can live with fear-- If I fear the light? I just need to spread darkness, debtors? I'll just become an killer, you?--" Kessler couldn't help a snicker. "I could deal with that in reality just as easy as you deal with me here." He spoke, his words particularly savage at that point. Whether or not he could find Aaron in reality was another story, but he didn't doubt his ability to 'fix' him as a professional.

Kessler asserted himself, reaching out for the nearest thing that happened to be a barrel. Dragging it over, he stood it up right there before sitting down on the edge as he looked at Aaron drawing his sword. "The way you're doing things isn't gonna solve a damn thing-- you heard me explain why. You want to fix this? Want this family to live? I'll tell you how." Kessler asserted, crossing his arms. "Give me the girl-- you can tell that family whatever the hell you want, I just need her. If you don't trust me? We can do it together, I bring her back to the guy and leave her in his garden, my job's done." Kessler explained with a shrug as if he didn't care. "After that, I don't care what you do, save her and cut that dude's head off before he can report it to his buddies in the Magistrate? Sure, my going rate is $25 USD or 50 gold, I'll even lend you a hand and point out where he keeps the others he screwed over like this before he hired me on..." Kessler offered dusting his hands off as if saying anything beyond that would have nothing to do with him. "But don't stand there like some kid playing with his dad's gun-- for all your talk of not wanting to fight you drew your effing sword pretty goddamn fast." Kessler asserted as irritable as always.