Mostly the former. For the purposes of this forest, though? The latter. It's something that can't be avoided in a land like this.

[In a land that is so aggressive, so harsh, with people in so much desperation and despair... there was no time to worry about the ethics, so long as one understood any consequences. It's why he plucks up another stone, giving it only a cursory glance for color and texture before depositing it with the rest.

Faintly, distantly, there's the flickering smell of smoke. Of dust and debris. Of blood.

Of distant, mourning screams.]