Damien
Damien is the main protagonist in the Acid Rain World story, he operates both as is the narrator and a character interacting with others.
When we are first introduced to Damien he is stationed in Zamaii with Bob beside a ruinous monument, he has been there for 2 days previously serving at a Stronghold for a month.
Damien is the son of a farmer and was conscripted into the war against his wishes, he is both frustrated and intrigued by his colleague. We learn that Damien is from a town with a state farm where he works and he sees the war as a waste of effort.
“I’d rather go back to the farm than sit here. At least I’d be of some use,” the younger soldier complains with impatience.
Bob treats Damien with patience and levels of respect the younger soldier does not deserve, explaining to him how to maximise gas mask usage and telling him about the impact demand for coffee is having on the war. Damien is keen to learn about coffee having never tasted it.
“I’ve never had coffee before, no one from my hometown has ever tasted it. But this bitter drink is the reason why our troops are stuck here. Don’t you think it’s odd?”
When Bob is killed the following day, Damien takes Bob's bag of coffee beans and his unlit cigarette during the post mortem. Bob's interaction with Damien opens the younger soldier's eyes to the world around him and begins a sense of intrigue.
3 Months later when Damien returns with his squad to the place he and Bob were stationed, his sense of fascination with his former squad member has not diminished. Damien no longer recognises the man he once was after looking in a broken mirror and emulating Bob's behaviour comes across a crack in the wall beside an irregular coffee bean pattern and Bob's signature phrase "each person has their own mission". There he locates a small notebook which used to belong to Bob, it explains a lot about the Acid Rain World including locations, characters and vehicles in the war effort. Damien takes the notebook carefully without raising suspicion from his squad.
"Bob's notebook contains knowledge ranging from astronomy, geography, mechanics, plants, to even cooking skills. The information are fragmented but involve different areas. I found a scenery picture with some white flowers which I have never seen, scattered on a piece of grassland. The petals of these flowers are white and the stamens are in yellow. The form of these flowers is simple, yet by looking at the picture I can feel an unprecedented peace. I start to wonder if Bob has ever been to this place, or if this place still exists now. What will I do if I have the chance to be there? In fact, I am not sure whether the notebook belongs to Bob as it does not show Bob's name. I went through the notes and noticed some unusual stains. At first I thought these stains are due to the reusable paper but after taking a closer look, these stains are actually composing irregular patterns and they look like different signs. I start to suspect these signs are used to communicate with others."
Damien decodes these signs and uses them to send a letter to King, the new chief of the remaining Bucks Team members. This is a unnecessary risk on the young soldier's behalf, it suggests he as new found respect for Bob and shows both compassion and caring for his fallen comrade in unpredictable times.
"Dear King,
By the time you read this letter, Bob has passed away. I am the soldier working with Bob before. I got his notebook accidently so I came to know this communication. Bob has a message for you all, "I have passed away and all of you are bein set free now. You can do whatever you like now." I am still trying to understand more about Bob and best wishes to the Bucks Team.
Regards
Damien"
We learn that under conscription policy, Damien is forced to patrol Zamaii border cities against the threat of Soil Ghost robbery. He shows some knowledge of the political stance across Europe during wartime.
"In a world where wars go non-stop, even a country like Agurts which has long been remained neutral was invaded by the Soil Ghosts, the armed forces at the border of the neighbouring country. By then no country in Europe has nothing to do with the wars"
Damien's views on the Soil Ghosts show he is potentially the victim of biased propaganda and implies fear of a culture he does not understand.
During some downtime, Damien inspects the map page from Bob's notebook and learns a lot about the area surrounding Zamaii.
"Damien, who has never been to a place outside his own country, for the very first time, followed the footsteps of Bob and explored the outside world".
He grasps that the 2 major threats to his location come from nomad Soil Ghosts to the north/east and the nuclear Omangans from the north/west. The map also details the issues experienced by the ally region of Gafia.
After further reading, Damien realises that Bob has been in contact with the Soil Ghosts and that general opinion of them being evil savages may be incorrect.
The story develops with Damien and his squad of 15 being sent on an emergency strike mission to invade a desert Soil Ghost military camp. By now our narrator is becoming increasingly suspicious, paranoid that all is not what it seems and that his superiors are not to be trusted. He avoids eating meat after witnessing it's excitable effects on colleagues and is deeply unhappy with his current situation.
"After the death of the Old man, a group of senior commanders searched our place thoroughly. It looked like they were checking if anything left by the dead so to pass them to his family. Now I guess they might be searching for the notebook which was now in my hands, as the notes were written with code".
Damien is ordered attack the military camp in complete darkness but hangs back awaiting further orders whilst the others carry out the strike. After the battle is over Damien experiences shock and is horrified to discover that his squad has been sent to slaughter Soil Ghost civilians including the elderly, women and children. He witnesses some of his fellow solders scream in madness whilst others commit suicide after their barbaric actions. An attempt is made to return to the transportation vehicles but they are found to have left along with the commanding officers during the massacre.
Soil Ghost militants return to their village and enraged after witnessing what has happened immediately begin to attack Damien and his bewildered colleagues. Without leadership or direction the Zamaii general troops are obliterated with only Damien and a few others making it to a safe oasis. When he has time to think, Damien ponders what has happened and starts to wonder if what has occured to him may be something to do with the coded letter sent to King. By now Damien is very confused by the actions of his superiors and before he can procrastinate further he is knocked unconscious by a figure in the shadows.
At this point in the Acid Rain World story Bob's influences on Damien are undeniable, the young soldier's actions, behaviour, beliefs and mental state can all be related to the brief relationship he shared with the former Bucks Team chief. It is implied that the 2 were stationed in Zamaii together some time ago and that the reason Damien is stll alive is down to Bob's experiences and skills.
The Damien figure initally was seen in early promotional Acid Rain World photography, he is portrayed as being kitted out in Sol Commander attire which may be a result of Agurts Infantry figures not being completed at that time. Another Damien prototype was photographed in the 3rd quarter 2014 weilding a chain-gun. His name was incorrectly spelt as Daimon on the display. It is unclear whether Damien is a Sand or Marine release and hints have suggested that he could potentially be part of a Taste Of Coffee set released in 2015.
JM