#made him organic for the sole purpose of making him rabid

[rapidhighway]

Give him rabies.

at once he has teeeth and hes gonna bite sonic's head off and i swear at this point i will support him

[hope-grace-serenity]

In Defense of the Deputy: Morals and Ethics in Far Cry 5

The narratives of recent Far Cry installments have been framed in a way that make the player question whether or not they’re truly playing as the “good guy.” In Far Cry 3, Jason slowly embraces the violent lifestyle on Rook Island, gradually finding the killing to be a fun power trip instead of the horrifying reality that it is. In Far Cry 4, Ajay topples a ruthless dictator, only to replace him with a revolutionary that is either a religious extremist or a person who has children kidnapped in order to make them into soldiers/slaves. In Far Cry 5, the Deputy goes up against a professed prophet in an attempt to subdue him and his cult, only to find in the end that the prophet was right about the end of the world. It is logical to think that if the Deputy would have just left the cult well enough alone, then that would have been the right choice, as it would have avoided the war between Eden’s Gate and the rest of Hope County, as possibly the Collapse itself. However, there is a different way to view it.

The purpose of this post is to convey that Joseph being accurate regarding the Collapse does not necessarily mean that avoiding confrontation with Eden’s Gate or joining them would have been the “right” thing to do. In fact, it will suggest the opposite: that the Deputy has a moral and ethical obligation to fight *against* Eden’s Gate and that the actions of the cult are firmly wrong despite the Collapse happening. While we as players can certainly feel empathy for the Seeds, their actions within the game make them the clear villains in this scenario, in my opinion. The Deputy deserves no blame for attempting to subdue the cult, and I will explain why by focusing on both in-universe rationale and looking at the narrative from a broader perspective.

The Warrant

First, we need to examine the idea of morality and ethics. Morality refers to a person’s principles of right and wrong--this is something that can be influenced by a person’s culture, religion, family, experiences, etc. Ethics refers to rules of conduct given by some kind of external source. In Far Cry 5, the protagonist is a law enforcement official with an ethical obligation to uphold the law and confront those who break it. Furthermore, from the perspective of a 21st century American--which we can assume the Deputy is, based on the setting of the game--Eden’s Gate commits several acts that cause harm and remove the personal agency of others, which provides the Deputy with a moral motivation for stopping them, as opposed to solely an ethical one.

An arrest warrant is made for Joseph Seed due to suspicion of kidnapping with an intent to harm. The Deputy choosing not to go through with the arrest would be bad from both a moral and ethical perspective. “Kidnapping with an intent to harm” is a serious charge, and can be a matter of life or death for the victim. Imagine if you were the parent or sibling of the kidnapping victim, and you found out that the law enforcement officials chose not to go through with the arrest of the suspect because they were afraid of rocking the boat. If that information was made public, the law enforcement officials would be rightly criticized for not doing their jobs, and for prioritizing their own desire for convenience over bringing justice to the victim. By arresting Joseph Seed, the Deputy made the moral and ethical decision.

As we see from the main game, the “suspicions” listed in the arrest warrant are later proven to be correct. Alex is killed, and his body is mutilated and put on public display as a warning. Hannah is tortured physically and psychologically, and is also killed due to her forced participation in Jacob’s trials. Joseph and several members of Eden’s Gate knew that they kidnapped the film crew. They knew in advance that Law Enforcement was coming. So, how do they decide to handle this? In a way befitting for characters who are meant to be viewed as villains.

Before the Reaping

Before we get into what the Deputy actually sees in-game, one thing needs to be made clear: Eden’s Gate always had an underlying darkness surrounding them. Regardless of what they looked like on the surface, they were never some peaceful hippie commune that was minding its own business before the Deputy came along. They’ve been committing crimes and getting away with them for years. They didn’t suddenly snap once the Deputy arrived--the Deputy’s arrival simply peeled back and revealed what was already there.

We know from the “Grieving Note” that Angels have been with Eden’s Gate for several years, longer than the current Faith has been with the group. Angels are humans who are exposed to an extreme amount of the Bliss drug, which causes them to lose their capacity for human thought and essentially act as a literal mindless follower. Their loss of identity and individuality is furthered by Eden’s Gate shaving the heads of the Angels and surgically removing their ability to speak. They act as slave labor--described as "beasts of burden"--and are fed dog food and garbage. The idea of becoming an angel is used as a threat to fellow cultists in the “Cult Note” in the King’s Hot Springs Hotel. The fact that Eden's Gate creates and condones the existence of these Angels is truly disturbing from a moral perspective, due to the inherent exploitation and dehumanization. When Angels die, their bodies are tossed in a pit of “boiling muck” in Horned Serpent Cave to disintegrate.

Angels aren’t the only ones thrown in the pit to disintegrate: Joseph threw the body of Lana, a previous Faith, in there as well, despite being told by him that she was “special.” There is a reason the writers chose to highlight that the bodies were disposed of in here, as opposed to the cult simply burying them. Bodies are disintegrated if you want to hide evidence, and by tossing the bodies in a location with properties dangerous enough to require a bio-hazard sign, any crimes are easily covered up. We don’t find the bodies of Selena or the other previous Faiths who were "used up and thrown away" by Joseph, but considering there are hints that point to foul play (disintegration of Lana’s body, Megan leaving out of fear of what Joseph could do after seeing that there was a new Faith, the way the position itself is dehumanized, the fact that Joseph has a designated corpse disposal spot in the first place, etc.) and absolutely zero evidence towards any kind of alternate fate for the previous Faiths, it’s easy to put two and two together and conclude that the previous Faiths met a grisly fate that was covered up as well.

Eden’s Gate was also involved in animal abuse through the creation of Judges, which were unleashed after the reaping. These animals were kidnapped and forcibly exposed to an obscene amount of the Bliss drug, which purposely causes them to act like rabid killers in the service of Eden’s Gate. According to NPCs, they were trained to hunt humans.

Let’s also not forget that Joseph personally gorged a guy’s eyes out for being a traitor. If the developers didn’t want us to view Joseph as someone who was capable of doing that, then they would have removed it from the introductory video, but they didn’t. Also, the fact that Eden’s Gate has been planning for the Reaping for a while now shows that this group had the intent to launch a large-scale attack from before the Deputy even arrived at the compound.

And last but certainly not least, YEARS before the events of FC5, Jacob sent the Cook to kidnap Jess’s family. The Cook starved the family for days before torturing the parents and children by playing sick mind games and feeding the parents' flesh to their children. After all their toes were cut off, the parents were set on fire in front of their kids. The fact that this happened years ago, and this Cook is still with the group, is quite telling and reveals a lot about the morality and priorities of Eden’s Gate. If they wanted to get rid of him, they would have.

So as we can see, Eden’s Gate has no moral high ground to stand on at the start of the game. Not only is Joseph guilty of the crime he is accused of, but he and his organization are guilty of so much more, and have been for years. These actions committed by Eden’s Gate violate numerous laws and are morally wrong, as they bring severe harm to others and/or forcibly remove another’s personal agency for the convenience of the cult. The Deputy uncovers all of this throughout the course of the game.

During the Reaping

Knowledge of Eden’s Gate’s past crimes would be reason enough to take down this cult, but the Deputy also sees the current horrors firsthand. During the Reaping, cultists kidnap, torture, mutilate, and murder numerous unwilling participants. They steal supplies and were willing to kidnap a beloved pet dog in order to perform experiments on him and turn the poor dog into a savage killer, after killing his owners. Defaced corpses are decorated and strung up as warnings. Some citizens of Hope County are fed to Judges, while others are turned into Angels or are forced to leap off a giant statue. If someone doesn’t convert to the religion of Eden’s Gate, then they are either tortured or drugged until they give in, or murdered.

The Deputy has zero incentive to walk away from this conflict. Why would they? As a deputy of Hope County, they have a moral and ethical obligation to protect the county’s citizens, and those citizens are under attack by Eden’s Gate. Eden’s Gate are the aggressors in this scenario. *They* are the ones who are kidnapping, murdering, torturing, and brainwashing the Hope County citizens. As far as the Deputy is aware at the beginning of the game, they are the only remaining police officer and only person in a position of authority to fight against the cult. It is their responsibility to fight against the people causing grievous harm to the county.

Throughout the game, the Deputy’s personal encounters with the heralds further reinforce the idea that Eden’s Gate is dangerous and beyond reason. While confessions can and should be voluntary, John does not approach it in that way. John kidnaps, terrorizes, and tortures the hardened Joey Hudson to the point of tears, and brings the Deputy to his torture dungeon where he once pried confessions under duress from prior individuals of the county. He kidnapped the Deputy in order to forcibly baptize them to the point where they might have drowned without Joseph’s interference, and captures them in order to make them confess, using the presence of Hudson as leverage (Hudson’s misery was also used as incentive on the video to draw the Deputy to the Holland region). He lures the Deputy to the church in the same way (by kidnapping their friends) and then permanently modifies their body against their will. Despite his proclaimed desire to have the Deputy atone, John also expresses desire to see the Deputy dead on occasion, such as after they destroy his sign.

While it might be easier for the player to sympathize with John due to his backstory and dynamic with Joseph, from the Deputy’s in-universe perspective, his instability represents a very real, tangible threat not only to them, but to the people of Hope County as a whole. At every turn, John has either imposed his will onto the Deputy by removing opportunities for agency and/or harming others. The Deputy owes John nothing. Any "choice" he gives of saying "Yes" is undermined by the massive amount of strings attached. It is difficult to envision a reason why the Deputy would decide to give into John’s philosophy, aside from faking it in order to protect their allies. This is a failing on John's part, not the Deputy.

Like John, Faith also expresses a desire for the Deputy to give in to Eden's Gate. But unlike John, she initially appears to the Deputy in a more pacifistic, less confrontational way. Despite this, the Deputy is still able to see her darker side due to her views on the Angels and fate of the unfortunate souls who walk the path whipping themselves and take a literal leap off of the statue of Joseph. Furthermore, she overrides the Deputy’s agency through the use of Bliss, which drastically warps one’s perception of reality. The Bliss that she now controls makes the horrific creation of Angels possible, and this Bliss is also used during baptisms, which muddles the issue of personal agency and consent to John’s process in addition to her own conversion process. The dangers of the Bliss and how it affects one’s thought process become highlighted in the Henbane region, and letters, voicemails, and NPC chatter show that Faith is not one to be trifled with. This comes to a head when Faith brainwashes the Sheriff and manipulates the Marshall into killing Virgil before killing himself. While it’s easy to have sympathy for Faith and her experiences, from the Deputy’s perspective, Faith is still a potential danger, which is why they step back when she leaned toward them during her death scene.

Jacob too removes the Deputy’s personal agency by literally brainwashing them and turning them into a tool that he can command, which eventually results in the Deputy being forced to kill a friend. He forced captives into competing against each other in life or death trials. He keeps the Deputy in a cage with a dead body and feeds them “mystery meat” after seven days of starving them while telling them a story about how he cannibalized his friend. The Judges are his brainchild that he sends to attack and kill others. Like John, Jacob also kidnapped and tortured a fellow police officer, to the point where they act like a slave to Jacob’s whims. Jacob has not done anything other than convincing the Deputy that he is a threat.

It is not the Deputy's job to fix the Seeds' personal issues--it's their job to protect Hope County. Throughout their journey, the Deputy sees various atrocities being committed, both to strangers and to themselves and the people they care about. There is zero reason for the Deputy to genuinely give in to the Seeds and join Eden's Gate, considering the horrible way they were treated and how they saw others being treated.

Joseph and the Voice

The Deputy’s presence did not *force* Eden’s Gate to start the Reaping. *Joseph* was the one to initiate it as a reaction to the Deputy’s presence, and all of Eden’s Gate followed him lockstep. When given the opportunity to finally confront and arrest the man responsible or walk away, it almost feels laughable that it’s even a choice at this point.

As leader of Eden’s Gate, Joseph oversees all parts of the Project. The buck stops with him. If he had any issues with Faith’s Angels, or Jacob’s trials, or John’s torture, he could have and would have said something--such as when he intervenes during the baptism--but he doesn’t. Because it furthers the goal of the Project, he doesn’t see any issue with these actions and feels they are justified.

Joseph’s vision of the Collapse coming true doesn’t mean that his actions throughout the game have greater inherent morality than the Deputy. It just means that he’s right about the Collapse. Regarding the Reaping, I do not believe that Joseph was motivated by a sense of cruelty, but that doesn’t change how many of the actions he participated in and oversaw *were* cruel. In real life, we see various examples of some people (not just in religious institutions, but in positions of authority in general) who commit harmful acts for the sake of a perceived “greater good.” And many of those people genuinely believe in what they are doing, believe they are in the right. But that doesn’t mean they actually are.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room: the Voice. If the Voice of God supports Joseph, then surely the deputy is automatically the “bad guy” for opposing him, right?

Wrong.

First, we have to be willing to admit that we know next to nothing about the Voice. The only things we know about it is what is conveyed to us by Joseph. We do not know the exact wording of what the Voice says, the level of detail it gives him regarding expectations (if any), or even what it is. Is it the voice of God? Satan? A real angel? Some kind of eldritch entity from another dimension? How accurate is Joseph's reiteration or interpretation? Sometimes it seems to directly tell Joseph things (hence the title, “the Voice”), other times it shows him visions. Clearly, there is some kind of supernatural component, as it allows Joseph to see the future, but since we don’t know much about it specifically, we can’t automatically assume or attribute inherent benevolence or morality to it.

Second, it’s entirely possible for a genuine prophet of God (assuming the Voice does indeed belong to a benevolent creator), or those who have/had God’s favor, to engage in morally questionable behavior, both in the eyes of God and/or in the eyes of 21st century readers. While the Project at Eden’s Gate is its own distinct religion, it takes most of its cues from Christianity, both in terms of practices and beliefs. In the Bible, King David had a man murdered so he could sleep with that man’s wife. Jonah wanted the entire population of a city to be killed off instead of having them repent. Jacob (the Biblical figure) deceives his father into giving him a birthright that belonged to his brother, and shows blatant favoritism to one son which ends up causing a lot of internal strife within the family. It’s fully within the realm of possibility that Joseph’s actions are not meant to be endorsed, either by the Voice itself or by the narrative in a broader sense.

In New Dawn, Joseph alludes to his own personal failings by saying, “My soul has become a cancer. I am a monster. I only spread suffering and death in the name of God.” The death of his son and the destruction of New Eden act as a moment of awakening for Joseph, as he finally realizes the harsh reality of his actions and how they affect others. He then expresses a desire for death and says, “There is only the justice of God’s hand.” The implication of “justice” being done indicates that the Voice (“God”) would not be happy with some of the actions that Joseph did. So while Joseph’s actions in FC5 were done with the intent of serving the Voice, his execution of these ideas was something that Joseph feels God would not like, as his actions spread death and suffering.

And thirdly, we have to remember that the Deputy and the player are viewing the idea of morality from the perspective of a 21st century human. Let’s say that, hypothetically, the Voice specifically instructed and condoned the erasure of free will/murders/kidnappings/etc. for whatever reason, and by enacting them, Joseph and Eden’s Gate were “just following orders.” Does this absolve Joseph and Eden's Gate of responsibility? No. Willing participation in the crimes committed, even if it wasn’t “their idea,” can still have legal consequences and can still be viewed as “bad” from a moral perspective because of the results of those actions.

The Collapse

It has been discussed elsewhere (on this site and in outside articles/discussions about the game) that the actions of the deputy correspond with the role of the Lamb in Revelations, and by breaking the seals, the Deputy’s actions supernaturally trigger the Collapse. This interpretation is fairly popular, and is one I personally support. However, I do not feel as though this interpretation lessens the morality of the Deputy's actions. Their decision to fight the Seeds is still the right one, regardless of whether or not their actions resulted in some kind of cosmic game of dominos.

First off, when the Deputy is attempting to take down the Seeds and protect the people of Hope County, they are not doing this with the intent of playing a role in a cosmic prophecy that will result in the death of millions. They’re looking at the situation from a human perspective, and acting accordingly and sensibly. The Seeds, on the other hand, were willingly harming innocents both before and during the Reaping.

Second, if there's a need to assign blame to a human for starting the Collapse (and I personally don't think there needs to be), it would be the Seeds, not the Deputy. The Sheriff and the deputies wouldn’t have arrived with the arrest warrant if the Seeds were not kidnapping and doing other illegal actions.

And thirdly, if one does attribute blame of the Collapse to the Deputy, then one also must attribute the birth of the new world to them as well. Following along with the idea that the events of FC5 are a fulfillment of Revelations, then the Collapse is ultimately viewed as a Good Thing within in the context of the Book of Revelations, even if the player might not personally share the sentiment. The Book of Revelations describes how the new world that is supposed to emerge from the ashes of the old is meant to be much better than the one before. And if we look at the world of New Dawn--and I’m going to copy and paste something I wrote previously here---Nature is allowed to flourish, people work together and support each other in a tight community, all the social ills mentioned in the Book of Joseph (and by the characters in-game) no longer exist. The only “snakes in the garden” would be the Highwaymen, and they are abolished by the Captain, who Joseph prophesizes to be some kind of Messiah-like figure. The final scene of New Dawn is one of hope, where the characters talk about building a better future. The way Joseph and Ethan’s storyline ends also connects to the whole idea of breaking away from the past and moving forward. If one believes that the Deputy is responsible for the Collapse, then this new world shown in New Dawn and the context of Revelations complicates the idea of viewing the Deputy's actions as being inherently bad.

Some might also argue that the Deputy has responsibility for not taking Joseph's warnings more seriously. Why though? Why should the Deputy attribute more credibility to Joseph's claims than, say, those of Marshall Applewhite or David Koresh? As players who know the ending, it’s easy for us to say that the Deputy should have listened to Joseph's warning about the Collapse, but there’s no in-universe rationale for the Deputy to do so. Issues of belief aside, Eden’s Gate’s actions alone are enough to paint an extremely negative picture of the group and would be enough to make any regular person not want to associate with them.

Under the framework of the Revelations prophecy being the intended interpretation of the game events though, I personally don't feel that any character "deserves" blame for the Collapse happening, not even the Seeds. I blame the Seeds for what they do to people within the game and before the events of FC5. And my perception of the Deputy is based on what we see in the game as well. But again, the Revelations prophecy idea is simply one way to view the game. Regardless of whether or not this interpretation is the correct one, the deputy still has the moral high ground in their fight against the Seeds.

Conclusion

Joseph being right about the Collapse does not mean that his (and by extension, Eden’s Gate’s) actions during FC5 were justified, and the Deputy should not be blamed for fighting against them. Just as the Deputy made a choice to arrest Joseph, Joseph made the choice to react in the worst way possible with the Reaping. Eden’s Gate were the aggressors who were kidnapping, torturing, and murdering people throughout the county. The Deputy fights against Eden’s Gate as a direct result of *Eden's Gate's* actions. The Deputy deserves no blame or guilt for killing the Seeds and destroying their bases of operations, as they reacted in a logical way based on the quality of information they had at the time.

In New Dawn, the Deputy expresses an extreme amount of guilt, which transforms them into the Judge. This guilt is misplaced and should be attributed to the other resident of the bunker, which is something Joseph himself even alludes to during his final speech in New Dawn when he criticizes his own actions. If Eden’s Gate did not start attacking the people of Hope County, the bunkers would still be standing, and the Seeds and many other cultists would still be alive. But they did, so they’re not.

While I adore all four of the Seeds as characters and have varying degrees of sympathy for them, they are firmly villains within the context of the story due to their actions. The deputy is not a bad guy for trying to stop them. The fact the Seeds sided with a guy who kidnapped and starved a family, then fed the parents' flesh to their children while playing “this little piggy” with the parents’ toes, and then murdered said parents in front of their children should speak for itself.

TL;DR: The deputy’s decision to confront Joseph instead of walking away was the right one.

[personaehq]

INCOMING MESSAGE …

FULL NAME: lim sejo ALIAS: titus DATE OF BIRTH: 2112/02/29 ALIGNMENT: anti-android OCCUPATION: ceo of himura bank AFFILIATION: leader of the ukiyo organization ACCOMMODATION: nakahara villas, ginza FACECLAIM: choi seunghyun 

ACCESSING: BACKGROUND …

fate is a funny given. clear as crystal for some, while troubled and muddy for others.

it was a little bit of both for sejo. born into a family of bankers, he attended formal events and networking dinners since a rather young age. he was meant to lead, destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. and so the path that had been set out for him had a significant impact on who he became as a person. a charming little sucker since day one, always putting his best foot forward and showing only that what the people want to see of him, what they need to see of him. a captivating young boy that easily wrapped any adult or classmate around his little finger.

still, sejo’s parents always made sure to raise his awareness to his superiority. growing up alongside of androids, they made sure to tell him he was smarter and more valuable than them. they were merely machines built to facilitate human life, while he and his sister were meant for something much bigger.

it was at age 17 that this same fate took a drastic turn. sejo had come home from school later than usual, welcomed by the sight of his parent’s lifeless bodies and the agonizing screams of his sister who stood frozen to the ground while the rabid droid locked and loaded her as its next target. there was no time to hesitate, no time for hugs and hushed words of comfort as sejo dragged his sister away from the danger that had become the bot that had served them since birth. there was no time for grief either now that sejo was left to provide for his pubescent sister but he wouldn’t have dared to complain. family had always been the most important factor in his life and as soon as he had realized what kind of terror had dawned on them, sejo had vowed to do whatever was in his power to ensure that his sister would be able to continue living comfortably.

the authorities tried to play it off as an unfortunate play of events to cover up the brutal murder of one of tokyo’s wealthiest. they claimed one of their household androids had malfunctioned and set their home on fire, leaving the eldest of the lims no time to escape. there was no mention of the signs of suffocation both corps showed, no talks of the increased stress levels the droid had shown before committing to the purposeful act of hatred. human kind should not make the mistake to live at ease around these creatures and so sejo’s already existing superiority complex turns into a burning anger. he is a broken man, one that had to grow up way too quickly so from that moment on lim sejo solely exists to the public eye while the darker side of him takes on a new identity: titus.

there had always been rumours about the lims and how a korean family had managed to acquire the HIMURA banks but they had always been shoved back under the rug, teeth shown in wide smiles while eyes warned to not ask any further questions. see, the lims were not exactly who they said they were. they had a long history of dabbling in drugs and weaponry but sejo had suddenly decided that was not enough. there was not much a public figure like him, the brand new ceo of the HIMURA banks, could do in such a pro-android climate and so he sets course for UKIYO.

convincing the other sponsoring parties of his vision proved to be easier than he thought, though. the lim family had always been highly valued for their knowledge and experience, their perseverance when it came to their beliefs. they seem to agree when titus speaks of a fresh blow of wind that could take the organization places the original founders would never have dared dreaming of going and so they sign over leadership to titus and nari without thinking twice.

the pair of siblings are both fuelled by hatred and loss but titus proves to be the more rational of the two. while nari is ready to raise and train an army, titus opts for a more subtle approach. an organisation such as this one, one that had been established a long, long time ago, is not as easily corrupted so he continues to point out the importance of playing their cards the right way. rome wasn’t built in a day, after all.

there are ways to weaken him, however, ways to drive him round the bend. the most effective one initially having been an accident. a pregnancy he hadn’t been informed about until the package was already signed, sealed and delivered. still, it had taken only a split of a second to fall head over heels with the little guy and pledge to creating a better world for him and his own offspring after that. he tries to engage in his son’s life as much as he can, while trying to keep his involvement confidential, well aware of how his little guy can become a point of interest for the enemies he’s made over the years.

ACCESSING: PERSONALITY …

POSITIVE TRAITS: adaptable, perseverant, loyal NEGATIVE TRAITS: apathetic, controlling, prejudiced

it’s strange how a man as elegant and charming as titus carries so much darkness inside of him. he knows how to hide it well, though, presenting himself as a kind and friendly man. he is perfectly capable of flirting his way into someone’s heart, enamouring them by impersonating himself as someone he is very much not. there is an animalistic anger simmering right underneath his skin. his hatred for androids runs deeper than one can imagine upon first encounter. it’s what makes him all the more scary when the smiles and warmth slide from his face and he pulls the trigger without even batting an eye. a ruthless killer that he keeps reeled in and only lets surface when he needs him to. he is cruel yes but calculated and rational, careful not to lose that last hunch of humanity he has got running through his veins for his son’s sake. the last thing he wants to do is make a mistake while blinded in his rage and anger.

... END OF MESSAGE.

[literaryavalanche]

Preview: The Killing Instinct

This is a preview of the Claymore AU I’m working on but won’t be posting until I finish some of the fics that are already online; I still need to run this by my lovely beta and probably missed at least a few spelling mistakes but that’s fine since it’s not really the final copy. 

Enjoy 

*****

Prologue – Below His Station

 The deep gorge dropped away below him, plummeting down towards the far distant silver ribbon of the half-frozen river at the bottom at a startling angle. Its walls were dark granite, cut from the mountains by the brutal winds and the passage of an ancient long melted glacier and crowned with a blanket of thick and frigid snow.

The wind howled like a near rabid animal, tugging at his pale curls until they were whipped into a wild bird’s nest and scratching at the apples of his cheeks with icy talons in a futile effort to leave them raw and smarting. To a lesser creature, like a human, the subzero temperatures would have been unbearable but Tom-not that anyone ever called him by that name, having long since learned to refer to him by his preferred moniker of Voldemort, or simply by his earned title of ‘Heartless’-was as unmoved by the chill as the mountains upon which the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix had been built; his body barely noticing the cold nor sparing even the slightest shiver, as if made from stone or ice rather than living flesh and blood be it that of a human or a monster.

Hollow silver eyes gazed down into the abyss with marked dispassion as he poised upon the mountain’s lip like a sneering gargoyle atop the parapets of a heathen church. The thought was near enough to make him laugh and snarl in equal measure: his kind, better than any other, understood the truth that there was no ‘God’. By any name. No matter what you were-rich or poor, merchant or minstrel, human or Inferus or both like him-all of them were Godless creatures, whether they realized and accepted that fact or not.

Thaurisaz gleamed silver against the ebon livery slung about his throat, the Rune chosen as the personal emblem to replace his name in the eyes of those who refused to recognize the fact he even had one in the same capacity that they did. Those that he was far superior to-even while bound to them as a servant under threat of death-and who forced him to protect humanity.  But mankind had never carried anything but hatred for him, even back when he’d been one of them himself, and were far from deserving of that protection. Tom. Voldemort. ‘Heartless’. All three reduced to a naked branch with a single thorn, emblazoned each upon collar and sword.

He growled, putting sharp teeth on display as his eyes flashed from silver to a piercing molten gold.

“The others can feel your restlessness for miles; you’re upsetting the trainees.”

Tom turned his head just enough to see his handler, as he called himself, standing not far behind him. Far more susceptible to the cold than he was the man had wrapped himself in thick fur clothing layers deep and his blonde hair, done back into a long pony tail, was whipped about behind him like some manner of absurd foreign flag.

“You’re presence here in Ravenclaw Province has begun to become a bit of a thorn in our side, Number One.”

“And what do you expect me to do about it, Abraxas? Suppress my Dark Aura enough that only those specialized in the sensory arts could perceive it? I don’t sodding feel like going through the trouble.” He returned his gaze to the gorge. “If the old man wants that, he’ll have to come tell me himself.”

This response was clearly a less than pleasing one, which was a large part and parcel of why he’d worded it in the way that he had. He chaffed under their yolk more than any other within the Order, and taking out his considerable frustrations on Abraxas was one of the few outlets he had through which to relieve his ever mounting frustration. Though he had to admit that doing so did carry some considerable risks. As much as Tom hated to admit it, on account of both his proud human nature and Inferus side’s distaste of admitting lack of dominance, the man did hold power over him; the slightest hint from Abraxas that he’d ‘gone out of control’ would see the entire force of the Order of the Phoenix coming down upon his head.

Even as the Number One of the current generation, up against forty six foes at once he’d be overwhelmed. Which was, perhaps, the only reason he hadn’t shaken off their chains years ago.

“We know better than to waste our breath doing such a thing. Your inappropriately vocal disagreements would be far more trouble than settling a batch of unfinished weapons is worth. Though I must admit that we do have some concerns about how unrestrained you are with the use of your power. You may be a half-breed but I know you’re not a fool and you’ve seen what happens to those who…take things too far.”

“I know my limits.” His hissed susurrus joined with that of the wind. “I simply prefer my fights to end quickly. A gross display of power is preferable over a battle dragged out too long.”

“Once you’ve finished playing with them, perhaps. We all know that your tendency to dissect your prey is where your moniker comes from in large part, ‘Heartless’. That being said, I suggest you mind yourself in the future: it would be a shame to put you down prematurely. You’re the strongest we’ve produced in centuries and we’ve yet to find an adequate replacement.”

“Just go back to using Wizards; the Organization already broke that rule with me.” Tom grunted. “What would you have me to do, then, if not suppress my Aura?” he prodded further, annoyance coursing through him when the other man failed to elaborate in a timely manner.

“We’ve a few jobs lined up for you in Gryffindor Province, to the South. They should break your boredom nicely, give you the chance to burn off steam, and take you far enough away from Ravenclaw Province that you won’t continue riling anyone else while doing it. They should serve to keep you busy, at least for a while.” He said. “And should more arrive in the meantime I’ll get in touch.”

He had to admit that the offer of a distraction was quite a tempting one. To have a chance to get out and prowl the countryside again. To get embroiled in a good fight. It would be just the sort of break he’d need to save him from going completely crazy. “And what jobs would these be?”

“Two separate villages in the Province are being terrorized by Inferus; one in Godric’s Hollow and the other in Ballycastle.” He said. “You’ll handle Godric’s Hollow first, as they were the first to send word for our assistance.”

“They’re simply Inferus? Nothing more than that? How many in each town?”

“One, most likely.”

“One?” This was not what his idea of a ‘good fight’ amounted to. It wasn’t even going to be a fight at all. “Single Inferus of the most general sort; have you lost your mind? I am this generation’s Number One! My function is to take out entire towns which have been overtaken by Inferus, dismantle whole covens of Magicals and put down the strongest of my own fellows who have lost themselves to their monstrous sides! Sending me after such targets wouldn’t only be a waste of my ability, it would be a job well below my station!”

“Below your station? You seem to have forgotten your station! You’re a weapon, nothing more, and are beholden to the will of the Order of the Phoenix! The Order has decided to dispatch you to handle this matter! And you will obey!” He snapped. “You will perform the indicated jobs and any others that spring up in their aftermath, as if your sole function and purpose for existing as you are! A Claymore without a purpose amounts only to a weapon without a purpose and a weapon without a purpose is a weapon for which we have neither need nor use. Number Two would be more than pleased to receive the promotion that your euthinization would provide in the interim of our finding a more suitable replacement. And Numbers Three through Eleven could use the further training.”

Tom’s teeth clicked together but he gave no other sign of his annoyance. “Even busy work is better than sitting here any longer.”

“I knew that you’d come to see it our way, Voldemort. You’re a sensible beast, after all.” His posture betrayed his relief to again be free of the cold and the wind as Abraxas turned and began heading back towards the building.

How he wished the Order had never discovered his only fear. Then they wouldn’t have been able to exploit it against him the way that they did. But they had, inevitably, and here he was. Forced to bow to creatures weaker than him. To fight against the Inferus for their sake and against his own inner monster for the sake of his sanity and for not having to be hunted down himself. In his training days he’d thought of little more than vengeance, but now he knew that he wouldn’t make it out of taking it alive.

Godric’s Hollow wasn’t a town that he’d been to before, but he knew that it sat on the border of the central Province of Avalon and the Southern Province of Gryffindor. Walking there and without once stopping to rest, reaching it would take him just under three days.

Without a passing thought or hesitation Tom stepped over the side of the precipice. The wind howled louder as it whipped around him, the mountain side blurring slightly as he passed. The drop would have killed any human and most Inferus or Half-breeds that attempted it, but with precise and timely direction of his Aura his legs were more than able to hold up against the landing’s crushing blow. The stone beneath his metal greaves was not so lucky, shattering into dust and jagged shards with a loud and very satisfying crack.

Pausing only long enough to determine the direction of his travel, Tom set out along the serpentine bank of the river towards the South.