《Age of Enlightenment: Deception of Misdirection》Chapter 30: John the Traitor ( The Pleasing Thought )
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Escape to Pheuropa! The continent is too large for them to find me John thought to himself over and over again to keep his spirit high. It was far too dangerous now to stay in Anglox, he’d only hoped when he reached Pheuropa he would live his days in peace in a quiet town. The wagon driver had carried him to Bridgestow, there he’d hope to find a ship to take him somewhere; Ispavia or Galrance was a good option though somewhere in Pheuropa maybe in Gaelish he would travel there. Looking at what he had left it was bare minimum to get him on a ship to Pheuropa after that he would have to look for work there. Bridgestow a port city had in its years been developing it to be a trading port city, there were construction sites on the harbor, the sights of wagons being towed in and out of the city, and merchants and sailors nearby.
All the things he’d acquire the money and things he was going to sell was stolen, looted from the people he’d betrayed. He made men known die and took their money, the remaining few wanted retribution, in his mind he knew what he did was right. To killing two of his closest companions was forced by faith he thought, they had dared taken his life so he took theirs. Yet to bring an innocent into his conflict was not of his choice, he had to go away swiftly to ensure no else could be endangered because of his betrayal, the girl had been too young to experience, a cruel faith inflicted by her. Then he thought of Violet the woman whom he showed little interest but the rest cannot be said about her to him, she was infatuated with him but he was not yet still he remained courteous to her but when the Jeffrey had shown and the girl had been scarred for life he decided to write her a letter of goodbye.
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He approached a ship with men carrying crates onto the ship, asking one of the men where they were sailing off too.
“We’re sailing to the ports of Neari”
“Are you taking passengers?”
“Well it depends on the captain, if you could pay him then yes. We leave in a few days more now”
“Nevermind then, I’m looking for a ship that sails today.”
“Could try to find a trade ship, but you’d have to hassle for a good price”
So he tried but it was unfortunate that all of his money was not enough to get him passage, it was hopeless. He sat by a wooden near the docks to think next what to do. I could apply for a crewman? Maybe work myself as a man of the seas. The idea gave him hope yet there was no ship companies that were hearing at the moment in Bridgestow, The best I could do is to try to get myself to on a trade ship, maybe work on the ship to while travelling. With that thought in hand he continued asking each crewmate he could find to plead in despair to get him on a ship but none would have it until finally with a gift of a grace from above one crewman told him that they were leaving today and were heading for a port in Ispavia, the unfortunate problem is that all of his money was needed but the crewman told him that he could get work there quickly as a worker for some companies or going up north where the other Pheuropa nations lie.
He took the offer with no hesitation, the crewman were there were just finishing packing the cargo. The crewman asked him for the money which he’d gave gladly for finally finding a ship to get him out of Anglox. The captain came out of his quarters an old large man who appears to quite seen a lot of experience with seafaring, receiving the money his payment he briefly looked at him then turned to the ship’s wheel. He yelled with the sound of an old sea captain that they were sailing now, as soon they departed the port city. John had retired to the quarters of the ship to sleep, I did the right thing, I’ve stopped a catastrophe from happening! My betrayal was justified was the thought he kept telling himself and believed. Yes he betrayed the people who trusted him to the authorities yet it was only right to do so save lives. A catastrophe avoided! The executions and gunshots of John’s former order he’d belonged to stuck to his head, they screamed out in anger to why he did it! It wouldn’t have work! The death of lives for nothing! John screamed in his dream, “Traitor!” they shouted before they met their deaths. Traitor, Traitor, “TRAITOR!”
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John gasped waking up, he looked to his surrounding to find himself on the top of the ship, surrounded by the crewmen and captain, they stood quietly until someone spoke “Two more dead, this time it was you who actually took their lives instead of cowardly hiding behind the soldiers”
“Burch” John said with distain
“Oh come on John, don’t blame us. Because me and the others aren’t the people who betrayed you and left a massacre at the lodge”
“Your plans involved with millions of people dying! I did what was right for Averigo! I had to do it because if not the people would suffer!”
“You could have the decency to brand me and the others as something greater than bandits trying to stage an attack on an entire city, heartbreaking.”
“It was the last thing I could have done, make sure the lodge was a secret..”
Instantly he was struck in the head by Burch “Why! You made the oath that no matter what happens we’d go through with it, even death”
“Because it was in vain!” John shouted back to which Burch struck him again.
“What part of ‘even death’ you did not understand! Our brotherhood wanted to bring something revolutionary and unite the people for something greater, yet it was all thrown away by you” Burch had been angered now as he struck John again, and again, until he stopped with blood on his hands. John was bleeding, his faced was even more bruised than before from his encounters from Henson and Jeffrey. “I did what was right” he said. Burch just looked at him saying “By the brotherhood of Horae, traitors are to be deemed to death”
“I’m ready to accept that” John said rising but what stopped by Burch as he forced John to kneel.
“You don’t get to die standing, in normal circumstance I would allow it but not this. You die on your knees” Burch said with distain as the crewmen began revealing their muskets pointing at John. “Justice for the dead John” Burch whispered to John’s ear, he moved away from John and told the crewmen to fire. John’s chest had been the most concentrated point of the volley, he stumped down to the wooden floor breathing heavily as a river of blood gushed out of his body. In the end he had no regrets of what he just did, he believed that what the brotherhood of Horae’s plan would end in failure and death, but now the brotherhood has been killed and Burch was the last member of it and some others, and he knew that everything was lost at the massacre of the lodge that even Burch couldn’t rebuilt it. It was this pleasing thought that was with him until he closed his eyes and died. His body was dumped at sea never to be found.
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