Role

Chapter 3

Arietta looked upon a not very jolly old giant, towering there before her. It
was the Destructor and his Dance of Battle was pure mastery. Seamlessly, he
switched between weapons as easy as the wind, and his techniques flowed and
adapted with each new weapon. Countless ages of training, the cumulation of
dedication in the art of Combat, were on display. And as mage after mage
approached him, his courage never faltered.

So different than the frail child that was her past, the Destructor was an
inspiration. What she had lacked in dedication, training, and courage, he
exemplified as he fought all that dare come before him.

Suddenly, the Destructor turned to her. But said nothing.

Dressed only in his loincloth and poncho, the destructor raised his right arm
and out from his poncho stepped a child of the village where there were no
children. It feasted on blood and meat, and grew fat like a cherub version
of her long dead father. It tried to lift a weapon, but soon gorged on food
again instead.

Raising his left arm, out stepped nothing. Instead, a sleeping child of the
village where there were no children lay contorted beneath the destructors
side. The child was feeble, lazy, and useless.

Then the Destructor said, "Beware these children. On this one is written
gluttony and all who would feast on life without temperance. And on this one,
is the mark of sloth. All that is useless and all that is complacent with the
world around them."

Arietta backed away, the words coming to her: "See them with your eyes just
as you see them in your mind"... and the world shifted to that which was
yet to come.