The trio made their way to the ruins with relative ease and with little of note happening in particular. How convenient! 

"Think he'll be angry that we weren't able to bring anyone else?" Noble asked as they began making their way down the stairs.

"Dunno. Prolly. Doubt he'll do much, though." Knives said.

"I sincerely hope that's the case. At any rate, think this is it? Is this the reason we came all this way? So he could fight some kid on, what, your behalf?" 

"Well, I'd like to think that's the case, but... It ain't possible." 

"How's that?"

"I ain't told 'im yet." 

"Really? That's surprising, considering you've told the rest of us, what, a thousand times? Ten thousand?" 

"Oh, shuddup. Anyway, I been meaning to, but... Well, he's been so distant recently, always goin' off by 'imself, starin' off at nothin', and when he ain't doing that he's off gods know where..."

"Hard to break into that, I suppose. You know, one would think that with all that thinking time he's been taking as of late, he'd be able to concoct at least a halfway decent plan, right? Perhaps he's simply losing it. I suppose years of being a power obsessed gore fetishist will do that to a man." 

"Don't talk down about the boss! He's the only reason I'm still here today, and I'm sure the same could be said for you, ya friggin idiot!"

"The fact that you believe a word of what you just said is most concerning. Though, I suppose I do owe him some gratitude for the sheer amount of coin he's given me over the years. For that, I am most certainly grateful." Noble said with just a dash of sarcasm.

"Why you-"

"Speaking of your boss," The girl said, to the surprise and mild embarrassment of the two men, who had almost forgotten she was there, and had perhaps gotten just a little too 'friendly' with each other in that last bit of banter. "What's he like? Rather, how's he, like, fight?" 

"What? You thinkin' you're gonna hop in and help that thing? 'Cus that ain't gonna happen, girlie." Knives said, brandishing a knife.

"Oh no, of course not." She lied. "I'd just like to prepare myself for what I'm about to see."

"Think you might be able to slip your brother some tips before or during the fight?" Noble asked.

"Sure. Something like that."

"I'd advise against it. I can't possibly predict how our boss would react to that, but I'm sure we wouldn't want to find out." 

"Well, I'd at least like to mentally prepare myself for whatever's gonna happen. Especially if... I'm gonna see my brother... Y'know... Die." The girl said, intentionally looking down slightly, and speaking lighter and weaker.

"Brother' Pfft. The world'll be lucky to be rid of it." Knives said.

The girl clenched her fist.

Noble sighed. "To tell you the truth, a good man would've blinded you before bringing you here. Rather, they wouldn't have brought you here at all. But we are not good men. And the boss most certainly isn't. Chances are, you're going to see your brother's corpse this day. And, if things progress like they usually do... You won't even be able to recognize it."

There was silence for a moment as they continued through the ruins, reaching the bottom of the second set of stairs and making their way to the fork in the road.  

"Is there anything else?" The girl asked, faux meekly.

"Not much, really. Trust me, that man's much more of a monster than whatever this moron thinks your brother is."

"That's a bit of a-"

"I can assure you, it isn't, even if you're too blind to see it. That man is a brute of the highest degree. There isn't a single humane thought in his head when he picks up that axe. And it's clear just from watching him that he's never been trained, either. He's sloppy. Disgusting. Bloody. Brutal. Almost childish. Yet, he... He comes out on top every time. His hands are guided by nothing but hatred, blood, and wrath. That man is the abyss. And the abyss knows nothing of class."

'Careful, buddy, you're gonna cut yourself on all that edge, jeez.' The girl thought.

"That ain't true, blondie." Knives said. 

"You know it just as well as I do, I know you've seen the things he's left behind. How long are you going to hide behind that stupid delusion of-"

"I know damn well what he's capable of. Far, far more than you do." Knives said, staring dead into Noble's eyes. "Look, I'll admit, he's... He's not... He's not right. I know that. Of course I friggin' know that... But it's not wrath that clouds him. And it's certainly not hatred."

"That so? Then please, go ahead and enlighten us if you're so-"

"It's love."

. . .

"Pardon?"

"It's love. There ain't a single wrathful bone in 'is body. Y'know, when he fights, when he kills, y'ever catch the look on his face?"

"Well, I mean..."

"It's... Horrible. When he drives his axe into the body of his fellow man, swinging and swinging and harvesting long after they stop moving... It's horrible. It's love. He's not a mindless killer. He's methodical. He knows every move he's ever made, and he can feel every second of it, unclouded and unrestrained. And what he feels is sheer bliss. He only loves to take, and take, and take, and tear away..." Knives swallowed deeply as he tried to collect his thoughts. "It's not the thrill, or the blood, or the hatred, or anything else like that... It's just taking. He's always scheming, every second, always thinking... But I don't think there's a purpose to it all. It's just... Taking. Love for the sake of love, nothing more. With every swing, he takes and he takes and he keeps taking long after there isn't anything left to take. On more than one occasion, I've seen him... Feast. And all the while he sees, knows, and feels everything... And he loves it. He's pure."

The trio stopped walking and stood in silence as dust and time flew past them.

"How the hell could you possibly follow someone like that?" The girl asked, perhaps unintentionally, in sheer exasperation. "That sounds like literally pure, unredeemable evil. What, does he secretly run a puppy orphanage on the side or something? How the hell could you possibly justify all of that crap?" 

"Money." Noble said simply. "Status quo. Any reason, really." 

"The boss made me who I am. I owe everything to him. I... I couldn't do anything else. Ever." 

"God, I don't know which one of you is more insane!"

"Well," Noble said with a sip of his drink, "it's like I said before. Sane men don't wake up knowing they're going to slay their brethren."

"I... See." The girl said.

. . .

"Anyways, how else does he fight? Cut the out the weird pseudosociology, does he use, like, magic, or anything?" The girl continued. 

"Well, he don't use it much, but... Think he's got some fire in 'im."

"Almost certainly some light, too, though I sorely doubt he's ever healed anyone other than himself." 

Knives chuckled. "Ain't that the truth..."

The trio finished their journey in relative silence as they arrived at the fork in the road. In an effort to save time, instead of opening the secret door the normal way, Noble simply splashed a hole in the stone wall with his drink, and the trio stepped through onto the next staircase and descended upon the arena.

'Bro...' The girl thought to herself. 'I don't know how much hot air all that was, but... Whatever you do, please...

get the hell out of there.'