Snippet #1527411

"It will take more then this to knock me down I've had much worse than this."

Horris watched the merman jog away and then murmured to April without looking at her, "I appreciate his energy, but it will get worse." He lifted his head and turned around to look at the burnt wreckage behind him. "And in answer to your question, no this is not my home, this was a temporary campsite for us." He looked around as a few remaining flames licked at patches of the tents, and glowing embers seemed embedded in the ground. "You know, I had somewhat forgotten about the food here, but it seems Hanzel accomplished what he aimed to do, he burned everything so that you guys couldn't loot it... he only missed two bodies." He looked at the men who lay untouched on the ground, "Bodies... no, men... good men...", he took a moment of silence, closing his eyes and bowing his head. When he at last looked up and opened his eyes he sighed and turned back around and started to walk to the pond, careful to not jostle May. For a while he carried her without speaking, his face and eyes showing many different emotions as the shock of the situation melted off of him; mostly it was sadness that made itself present, sometimes anger, and at times a bit of rage. During the flashes of intense anger his eyebrows clenched together and May felt a bit more pressure on her body, like his arms could crush her if he wanted to; and maybe he did, but he didn't, he very quickly loosened up and glanced down at her as if to see if he had hurt her. He finally spoke to her after a while, keeping his eyes forward so as not to lose the path, and said, "If he threw that bomb it most likely means he was still alive... hopefully still is now." He looked down at her then, and took a slightly accusing tone, "You know I am not exactly trying to persuade you to let me carry you, believe me I wish I didn't, but it seems we're stuck like this. And I have no grudges against you personally, but losing your troops isn't something taken lightly. They weren't just food, they had names--Charlie, Greg, Jacob, Lewie, Gilfried--and each one of them had families, so did the men who's skulls were on those strings, I'm sure." Horris fumed slightly but didn't squeeze May anymore, he just continued to get things off his chest, "And now, they weren't really my men, but they were close enough, but it is unacceptable for me to now have lost contact with my one responsibility, and have to help the enemy in order to have any chance of getting him back!" He calms down now... then looks at May, and goes to a lower voice, almost a murmur, "I'm sorry, you were not responsible, I came back for your sake as well, it's my choice to do this, my mistake to lose him, I'm sorry. This is not your burden and you don't care, don't need to care." He finishes and looks forward, starting to see a clearing.