Page from a Crusader's Diary

Note · 0 gp · Weight 0

"I chased him during the day, I followed him at night. I found his tracks in the demonic wastelands of the Wound. I set up ambushes in the cities. Hunting a hunter is a strange job. The demon was seeking victims, leaving behind a trail of crusaders tortured to death, their hearts carved out of their bodies. And I was seeking him. Kneeling at my nightly prayers, I asked myself — why do I want to rid the world of this particular monster? New demons come almost daily from the rifts in the Worldwound. I could fight them wherever I wanted, I could join my crusader brethren in any garrison. But I chased him — for three years, relentlessly, like a hound following a trail. Finally, he came for me himself. My perseverance drew his attention, it made me bait. There are demons who take special pleasure in torturing the weak and helpless, but he was different. He was drawn by danger — he liked killing the strong, the proud, the unbreakable. That's what he told me. I listened to him and was horrified at how similar we were. Then we fought. I killed him. These were three long years, goddess. I was returning to Kenabres after this long hunt, after an exhausting fight, carrying a terrible burden. On the fringes of the city, a light guided my way. Not your light, no. The lights of the fires near the city walls, where the inquisitors were burning more potential renegades. I walked in my dusty armor, covered with sword marks, past the people who gathered to watch the execution. I overheard the ecstatic words of the executioner. I remembered the words the demon said before his death. I never entered the city gates. I didn't kneel in your temple, I didn't share a meal with other crusaders. I, Berenguer the Tall, no longer belong in this crusade. Not after these long years. Not after what I realized and heard. As it lay dying, the demon said to me, 'We are what you will become.'"