03x05 - Chapter XXI: Carry Tiger to Mountain

[bunniefuu]

What was that?

Who are you?

Don't you recognize me?

Minerva.

Long ago, noble warriors challenged each other for supremacy.

The mightiest was Horatio Chau who vanquished them all and became the first Baron of the Badlands.

Minerva!

I was only looking, ma'am.

Focus on your task. Nothing else.

Look sharp! The guests await.

There can be no mistakes for Master Gaius' birthday celebration.

Chao became the most feared name in all the land.

Ruling his people by one simple law...

No mercy.

Hi, Minerva.

Stop!

My apologies, Baron.

I will see to it that she's disciplined.

And when it's done, lock her in the pig box.

Yes, Baron.

Gaius, give her 10 lashes.

I'll do it, Father.

This is your brother's responsibility.

I can't.

Juliet?

A Baron never hesitates.

A Baron shows no mercy.

Is this how you welcome your guests?

Only the ones that I plan to k*ll.

But I am curious why you found your way into my trunk?

I was hoping for some hospitality from an old friend.

Why would I lift a finger for the brother of my sworn enemy?

Because I can help you take her down once and for all.

And how would you do that?

I know how she thinks, how she moves.

We can get inside her head and cut it off before she takes both of ours.

Believe me, she is coming for them.

Lock him up.

Let's go.

There it is.

Vulture's Peak.

You sure you want to do this?

After all we went through to get here, we're not turning back. Is he all right?

He seems to be sleeping more and more.

It's getting worse.

Then we better get climbing.

Almost there.

I believe these belong to you.

No. Not me.

This looks like the work of my brother.

I knew nothing about this.

_

I don't believe you.

It's the truth.

The truth is that you're now at my mercy.

But I'm a merciful man.

A forgiving man.

What is it that you want?

I need workers for a special project.

One thousand would be good for a start.

A thousand?

My men are fighting on the front lines.

The new moon is upon us.

You have until the crescent rises.

There's no way I can gather that many in time.

Just understand that failure will not be absolved.

Baron... I know.

There's one missing.

My brother's.

Since when does a routine inspection of the front take days?

Things got, uh, complicated.

Looks like you got your favorite toy back.

Tell me you brought Sunny's head with it.

Sunny's not looking for revenge.

What, I'm supposed to take his word for it?

No, not his... Mine.

I wouldn't let him live otherwise.

I thought you wanted him dead, too.

His child already lost his mother.

Making the boy an orphan wasn't necessary...

Yet.

You always were an honorable man, Nathaniel.

But should Sunny stray into my orbit again, I'll take his head.

And yours.

Are we clear?

Very.

Guess it was too much to ask that your old master live in a house like everyone else.

Honestly? I'm surprised it's not up in cuckoo-clock.

Ankara?

Maybe we're too late.

Maybe we'll find her skeleton rattling around in here.

The old bat has been busy.

Ankara?

Bajie?

You're rounder than I remember.

Did you come to k*ll me?

Why would I k*ll you?

What good are you to us if you're dead?

We need your help.

You brought a Dark One...

Try not to move.

Where am I?

You're safe here.

I... No, no, I... I need to go.

You must rest.

Don't try and stop me.

_

How did you do that?

Pilgrim has many gifts.

He can teach you to master yours.

I can help take away your pain if you let me.

I can't stay.

There's somebody I need to find.

Who?

The man who k*lled my mother.

I'm sorry.

Losing a mother is more than any young man should have to bear.

If it were me, I would hunt down the k*ller and tear out his heart.

Some wounds cut so deeply that vengeance is the only salve.

But how can you right this wrong if you can't even walk?

I'm fine.

Nix, fetch food and wine.

He must be strong if he's going to heal.

We all need someone to look out for us.

What's your name?

M.K.

I know what it feels like to be alone, M.K.

I was never blessed with the dark gift, but I have been the target of fear and scorn.

Pilgrim and I have traveled the barren world beyond the great wall.

Along the way we have gathered lost souls in need of a home.

This way we have created a family of our own.

One that accepts all despite their differences.

No matter how dark their pasts or deep their pain.

Put your faith in Pilgrim.

And we will find Azra together.

You're looking for Azra, too?

Yes.

And you can be a part of it.

There are no prisoners here, M.K.

Stay or leave, the choice is yours.

Why did you bring him to me?

We couldn't take him to the Monastery and risk him getting needled by the Abbots.

What is it?

The energy.

I hear it inside him.

I lost that gift a long time ago. Listen.

It's like a thousand bolts of lightning flashing at once, setting his little body on fire.

Can you help my son?

I am the ointment, not the scab.

The relief I can offer is only temporary.

I can't take away his dark gift.

Do whatever you can to save him.

It's okay, Henry.

Give him to me.

You want your son healed?

You have to trust me.

Let him go!

I'll need your strength.

Henry!

Henry.

Come on.

Is he healed?

For now.

A more permanent solution is what you need.

How?

The answers you seek are within you.

You are the father of a child whose gift is abundant and yet you show no signs of it.

Me?

Oh, yes!

I can see it now.

You're a catalyst, an artery through which the dark gift flows.

It's buried deep inside you.

Sleeping now...

But its black eyes will open if you wake it.

Don't listen to her.

Old girl. Hey, easy, old girl.

Easy, easy. You okay?

Hey, pass me one of those bottles.

What is this, some kind of magic potion?

It's booze. Nothing magical about the power of alcohol.

How do you think I started?

Easy, come on.

You think you can stand?

Come on.

The gift has its price.

It'll take what's left of me.

Don't talk like that.

No use fighting it.

The power inside you is something to behold!

I've never seen anything like it.

Whoever locked your darkness is more powerful than me.

I saw it so clearly just for a moment.

It was like staring into the sun. Leave him alone.

You've had enough. There's a reason the two of you were brought together.

I saw Fate's hand in this.

Enough. Enough of your bullshit.

That's something you've always been full of, not me.

You see that?

That's what you do, isn't it?

You get people to believe the old... poor old crazy Ankara thing.

And before people realize it's bullshit, you're gone.

When I was at that monastery, I believed everything you told me.

I spent years following your lies and your lunacy.

I got the book.

I sent that signal.

A signal so that someone would come and save us.

To save all of us!

No one replied.

Didn't they?

No, no, no, no, no.

This is not my signal. No, it's Pilgrim's.

He's the one that answered your call.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah.

It's beautiful.

Get away from her.

You go out without me one time and you've already found my replacement?

Replacement?

I saw you, with Pilgrim.

You don't have to cut yourself, you're not like us.

It's not what you think. Then what is it?

Is he going to share your bed too then, huh?

Hey. Don't talk to her like that...

Why don't you stop me, huh?

Get out of my way.

You're bleeding.

Castor... I don't need your pity.

He's losing control.

He just needs time.

Time is one gift he does not have.

I know how deeply you care for our dear ones, but you must prepare to let him go.

No.

Not yet.

M.K. can access his gift without cutting himself.

He is more powerful than Castor will ever be.

He is what you need...

Castor is not some creature to be dispatched at your bidding!

We will use his gift when I say, not before.

What's he saying?

He's summoning followers.

"I am Pilgrim.

"Seekers of enlightenment, come join our cause.

"We will cleanse the land

"and prepare for Azra's return."

Azra?

"We await for you at the temple

"where the rivers meet."

Any idea where that may be?

No. But I know someone who might.

When he said "cleanse", what did he mean?

I thought I was summoning the good guys.

Good and evil are insufficient terms for what's set to be unleashed on this world.

Unleash? What... What did you have me unleash?

For the new world to be born the old must die.

This Pilgrim will transform the Badlands.

I could sense him ushering in an era of blood and chaos.

We can't afford to withdraw any troops from the front.

If I don't give Pilgrim what he wants, he won't hesitate to wipe us out.

My scouts report a large refugee camp, in Sector Twelve.

It's just over the border in The Widow's territory.

I need those recruits.

Burn it to the ground if necessary.

Who's there?

I was hoping you could mix something to maybe fix me.

The bitter truth is that you are dying, dear one.

No earthly tincture can stop it.

If you don't use your dark gift you... could perhaps extend your life for a short time, but... it would only be delaying the inevitable.

Fighting is all I know. That's who I am.

Avoiding battle is the coward's way.

What if I told you you could still help our great cause?

How?

We made a pact with one of the Barons who still rules this land.

She agreed to provide us with new workers.

You are to make sure that she keeps her word and put down any who resist.

Help Pilgrim deliver us unto the gates of Azra.

I'll find Nix and I'll seek Pilgrim's blessing.

This you do alone.

Honor us with your gift, dear one.

And if it be Fate's will that it be the last time, we will rejoice in the glory of your sacrifice.

What do you intend to do with Chau's brother?

I don't trust him.

You know, she once lured me into a trap using M.K.

She could be using Gaius this time.

She had him locked up for freeing Cogs and going against everything his family stands for.

If he's conning you, that's a very long con.

You told me he was kind to you as a child All I know is that every man that I've ever trusted has betrayed me.

I know about your husband, how he bragged about his abuse.

He deserved every inch of that blade you gave him.

And Quinn?

Quinn never hit me.

His cruelty wasn't in his hands.

He turned me into a living ghost.

Invisible, so he could move on to his other wives.

Don't let the past stop you from doing what need to do.

What would you suggest?

To end this w*r, you're gonna need every advantage you can get.

Like it or not, you're gonna have to trust somebody.

You know, from this side of the bar it's hard to believe we were once friends.

"Friends?"

That might be an overstatement.

I was a star struck Cog and you were a resentful Baron's son.

Call me naive, but I thought our connection was deeper.

It wasn't.

I'll decide your fate in the morning.

I decided yours long ago.

On my birthday, no less.

When my sister lashed you, and the overseer locked you in the pig pen.

Do you remember that night?

After all these years, did you ever wonder how you managed to get free?

I watched you crawl out of that pen, covered in filth.

That night changed everything, for both of us.

I don't believe you.

You think I'm too weak to k*ll?

If you really were there you would know that something was left behind.

A dagger. A gift from my father.

Two words inscribed on the blade, "no mercy."

We may have come from different worlds, Minerva, but you and I, we believe in the same thing.

Hey, we need to leave.

I'm not spending another night in this wreck, with that witch.

I wish you and your son well.

Thank you.

The only hope you have of saving him lies with Pilgrim.

He is the one you must seek.

The path to salvation has already been laid out for you, but only you can find it.

This is where your journey takes you next.

Where are you taking me?

There's something I must show you.

Already seen everything I need to see.

Perhaps.

But before you make your final choice to stay or to go, your eyes must bear witness to why we've claimed this place in Azra's name.

The true test of faith is not the belief in the seen.

It's the acceptance of the unseen.

We're standing on a revelation not glimpsed for generations.

Once there were many sacred places like this all over the Old World.

And on their hallowed grounds, the faithful were able to master their power and transform their very existence.

What's under here?

Something extraordinary, and when we uncover it we're going to build a better world, M.K.

We will bring hope back to this place.

Join us.

Pilgrim sent me.

Tell him I don't need any help.

I'm not here to help you, I'm here to lead you.

There's news from one of our scouts. Chau is on the move.

A convoy of transport trucks was spotted traveling northwest towards Sector Twelve.

The front line's in the opposite direction. There are no targets there.

Only one. The refugee camp.

And we better go now, they got a head start on us.

Release Gaius. Give him a sword.

We need every able hand.

Hey.

I've gone over our supplies, and it looks like we have enough to get us all through winter.

I... I didn't think we'd pull it through.

Load them up! Take as many alive as you can!

Run!

Get the others to safety.

I'm not leaving you. Go!

Let's play.

We need to fall back.

There's too many of them.

Give the order.

It's time for a trip.

Pilgrim will come for me.

And when he does, you won't live another day.

You haven't said a word since we left.

I know that look.

I've seen it before. I know what it means.

What do you want me to say?

The person who I trusted the most in the world used me to usher in a new era of blood and chaos?

You want my advice?

Do I have a choice?

Just stop a second.

Take everything she told you with a pinch of salt.

Don't trust a word she says.

I spent an entire life chasing after her dream, and I do not want you to do the same.

I don't care about my life.

I care about Henry's.

You think this is crazy, don't you, chasing this Pilgrim?

I think you're doing a lot of the work for her.

She doesn't give a damn about you or that baby.

If Pilgrim is the person I have to face to save Henry, then so be it.

And that's why I'm going with you.

You don't owe me anything, Bajie.

I was there at the beginning.

I set this signal off and I wanna be there when it ends.

What do you say, old friend? Trip to Black Wind?

What is it?

These lines are... are all the Eye will reveal.

These aren't just lines.

They're tattoos.

Every Clipper in the Badlands gets them.

Each line represents a person they've k*lled.

The man who bears these marks is the Catalyst.

He is journeying to us.

Do you recognize the pattern?

They belong to the man who m*rder*d my mother.

I'm going to k*ll him.

No, I forbid it!

This man's destiny is intertwined with mine.

He must suffer no harm and be welcomed like a brother.

He'll betray you, the same way he betrayed me.

Be he enemy or friend. This I know, he will be joining us very soon.