10.2 : Part to the Whole

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12 years ago in a remote cave. Far away from the land of darkness, despair and madness of Barovia. 

The light of a dim fire partially revealed a young woman speaking in orcish to his child. Enough fire to cook, enough to give some heat and enough not to be discovered.

"And that's how Andralos became the Whole, Hoskgak. Now have some rest, we need to keep going at night"

"But Mama, I don't understand, isn't family the most important thing? What about friends?"

"That's how totalitarian systems works. Autocracy feeds on Us vs Them. One can start with family, close friends, but even them are not part of the Whole, and it is Us vs Them. The Whole is beyond some, beyond what's important to you and your close relatives, Hoskgak."

"I don't understand, Mama."

"Rest my child, maybe one day you will understand"


******

Present, Vallaki, inside Hendrik's Coffin shop.

The wave of lightning has knocked Hoskgak down. Recovering her footing with great agility, Serenity has made her way to the door to block it, unsuccessfully. A vampire is inside the room right in front of Hoskgak. - "Hand the bones over".

A lightning thought crosses Hoskgak's mind. The Whole. These bones have made light inside the darkness, have made Vallaki different. Without the bones, the town, all that matters, all the good in this madness, will be gone. People will have no hope, nothing to look up to and aspire to. Andral, Andralos, does it matter? It is the Whole, the hope, years of light and good, gone. Friends, Ireena, is all temporary, a blink of existence compared to the good that the Andralos legend has done for this world.

Hoskgak grabs the chest and protects it, with his hands and body, creating a flesh shield. Still with his judgement clouded by the blast he believes the best way out is how he got in. Storms through the first vampire. Hot, itch, the half-orcs knows the feeling. A wound, not the first one. Keep going. Another vampire at the door, he feints and manages to go through, but is unable to avoid his claw. Another itch, his vision starts to get cloudy with blood. This is looking worse, keep going - speaks to himself. The stairs. A final itch, a big one between his shoulderblades, and darkness.


******

A blink of an eye. Wait, don't move yet - Hoskgak thinks. Has it been an hour? A day? A minute? Slowly moves his head. The vampires are still around, perhaps seconds? Keep running, perhaps I tripped. The chest. Damn. Ok, Father Lucian, there is nothing I can do, they are too strong, and no-one here is going to stop the fight. They will kill me.

He steps up and runs outside the house, runs for his life, runs away. He passes Destiny, and shouts "Come on Cat, run!". He is a few feet away from Destiny and looks back to see if she is following suit. All Hoskgak can see is Destiny onto the floor, smoke rising out of her back. Without hesitation, he goes back, picks Destiny under his bloody arm and keeps running with her. She is still breathing, barely, but it's good sign.

As he runs for his and Destiny's life he continues his thoughts, with a few tears in his eyes. "I understand Mama! I understand now! But I have to take care of me, my friends. I would have died and nothing would have changed." He is shouting as he runs, with his eyes in tears. "They would still have had the bones Mama. I'm just the part for now, the Whole will need to wait"

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