Beck Arbor

This article is on the character ***Beck Arbor*** who is one of the antagonists in both the *WRAITHBLADE and WRAITHFORGED. Warning Spoilers ahead:*

## Background- *Retired Soldier*

Beck Arbor was the man who took a teenage conartist under his wing and taught the boy lessons of honor and sword play. That young conartist was Connor Magnuson. Beck Arbor gave Connor the skills he would need to survive. Connor owns a pair of twin blades designed by Beck Arbor himself that have in the subsequent years become extensions of himself. The blades had cost all his coins to commission but were well worth the cost serving Connor well. The guidance of Beck Arbor plays a major part of Connor's moral compass.

Quotes from Beck Arbor

* *If you speak first you lose. You think you're about to fight? You shut your damn mouth, and you wait. You listen. You observe.*
* *If you're going to take a life, at least look the man in the eye while you do it. Own the Gravity of what you've done.*
* *If you're going to lose, you'd better go down in a blaze of bitter glory. Take those bastards with you.*
* *If you ever want to take someone out and not kill them, you're a damned fool. But if you have to do it anyway, aim here. It'll cause them enough pain to end the fight, but it'll also give them enough time to get a potion to heal.*
* *That's the only reason I offered this to you. Because I knew you could see the opportunity. I don't save people, you see. When I find someone with potential, I give them the chance to save themselves.*
* *Sometimes keeping the advantage means walking away. Other times, you have to run headfirst into the fray to keep it. Each battle is different, and what you choose to do depend on how you want to be perceived. With anyone you face, you must ask yourself-do you want them to fear you, or do you want them to to respect you?*
* *You're better than that. Don't all into the gullible trap of nobility and honor that gets so many foolish knights killed. Sometimes, you must make a man fear you. There will come a day when you have no choice.*
* *The point is, sometimes respect is the best choice, and other times you must choose fear. Fear makes cowards listen. Sometimes to survive, you must be brutal. You must be vicious. You must slit throats and draw a line in the soil that no sane mortal would cross. Sometimes, you truly must be feared to stay alive. There are wounded people in this world, Connor. They've been hurt and burned too often to believe good men still exist, and they must fear you at first. With time, you will earn their respect. It can evolve. Of course there are some you will never sway. Crooked men most of all need to fear you because they can't respect anything or anyone but themselves. Their greed is rooted too deeply in their hearts. They don't know anything else.*
* *You can't avoid corrupt men. Eventually, you will face at least one. It's inevitable. There are too many.*
* *Respect is the best weapon for a leader to carry. It's earned through nobility and honor you like to live by, so it suits you, but respect is also a way of life. It's the way you carry yourself and what you do with every breath. A king always leads the charge in battle. Wherever you settle down in life, you must rule your own little kingdom the same way- from the front.*
* *That's the question isn't it. Every leader is faced with that choice- to be feared by your people, or respected? To inspire dread or devotion? Only you can know, and when the time comes, it won't be a difficult choice to make. All you need to do is watch. Listen. Wait. If there's greed or fear in a person's heart, it will roll around them like a fog. You can't miss it, and when inevitably you see it, you must decide for yourself what to do. Can you tempt them toward the light and make them respect you, or are they too far gone?*
* *Take it from an old soldier. True leaders—the ones history remembers—they don’t choose to lead. Most of them don’t even want to. They simply reach the point in their lives where they have no choice but to step up to the challenges given to them by the Fates. I’ve watched it happen time and time again, but I’ve also seen what happens when a weak man is given an enchanted sword. When I meet a man, it’s always obvious to me where he falls on that spectrum. I already know where you fit into the world, Connor. Do you?*
* *When should a man stand his ground? Do you know?*
* *Sometimes respect is the best choice. Other times, you must choose fear, and you must be brutal to survive. You must slit throats and draw a line in the sand no sane man would cross.*
* *If you’re going to take a life, at least look the man in the eye while you do it. Own the gravity of what you’ve done.*
* *Only turn your back on someone who can’t kill you, boy, Beck Arbor had told him once. If you can’t see the blow coming, you’re as good as dead.*