"Of
course, I understand he''s your father," Silvana continued, "but I don''t
think this is the typical blindness of a child, is it?"
"Does it even matter?" Helen asked.
"No,
I suppose not. I''m not interested in your lives, only in what you can
do for me." She shrugged. "It''s better to be realistic and maintain a
strictly mutually beneficial relationship."
Helen might not have
understood why Max wanted to keep it a secret when he had said it loud
and clear in Ethos, but she wouldn''t screw it up. She would keep her
mouth shut.
Max didn''t like how Silvana was trying to pry
information out of the girl, even though she knew how "his wife" had
died and how he had barely managed to save Helen from the same fate.
That should have been enough to justify his trust, his blind faith. And
yet, she was still digging for more.
He wasn''t even entirely sure
Silvana had bought the story that they were father and daughter. He was
quite young and looked it. Of course, this didn''t mean it was impossible
for him to have a daughter Helen''s age. He had never asked her age, but
he would have to lie if she did, adding at least three or four years to
his own.
But then again, who knows.
He didn''t look like a
warrior either, with his soft body and no scars, but here he was,
trusted with the most important part of the plan.
Also the most dangerous.
He
wasn''t experienced in all this madness, in having to risk his life for
no reason. Death fights had always been things that happened in the news
and in fiction for him. He hadn''t even had a reason to throw a punch.
Not a single fight in his life until now, not even against those who had
asked for it. Seriously.
But he wasn''t stupid.
If they
succeeded, they would pat him on the back. But if they failed, the only
thing they would regret would be Helen''s fate. Besides, it was only the
most important part of the plan if the elves failed. It was possible
they could defeat the orcs even without that maneuver.
He wasn''t
going to protest, however. He would do his job, they would pay him for
saving Helen, and then he would leave. It wasn''t all bad, after all, he
would become stronger.
"We should leave you to your fate," Helen spat, "but I''ll do what Dad wants."
Wow,
what was that? She wanted to protect her people and kill orcs, maybe
more the latter than the former, so where had that come from?
"I''m glad you''re such a good daughter, then," Silvana replied.
Max clenched his fist. Was he going to let her get away with it?
Was
he going to allow this? Let her go unpunished? After that taunt, that
unfunny sarcasm? No. But he also shouldn''t act as if violence were his
first response to every problem. Not out of fear of losing Helen''s love,
but out of fear she would learn the wrong lesson.
"Don''t ever talk to her like that again," Max said. "Never."
Silvana raised an eyebrow. He didn''t like that either. Another sign she didn''t take him too seriously. However...
"Alright, alright. Don''t get so worked up. It''s not that big a deal."
Silvana
crossed her arms and looked away. Even if she didn''t mean it, that
meant she was submitting for now, bowing her head to him, acknowledging
she had done wrong. He would settle for that, at least for the moment.
"You''d
better," Max said. "Don''t think I''ll hesitate. If I have to renounce
the deal, if you do something stupid and I''m forced to fight my way out,
I will. Don''t underestimate me."
"I already said alright, for God''s sake. Besides, don''t worry, the last thing I would do is underestimate a human."
Max laughed half-heartedly.
"Well, alright, we''ll make a good team, at least for now."
Max and Silvana shook hands.
——
Silvana
had been expecting danger today, but nothing happened all afternoon. So
they returned to the cabin empty-handed. It was already getting dark.
He thought all he had left to do was take off his armor, lie down on the
bed, and try to fall asleep. That there were no more, there couldn''t be
any more complications. He turned out to be a damn fool.
While he
was taking off his armor and changing clothes, Helen found a way to get
into trouble. Well, it wasn''t fair to say that, but...
"Get out of the way, half-breed, you bitch!"
It
was hard to feel charitable having to run outside without the
protection of his armor. And the sword sheathed in one hand, the belt
flapping and hitting his thigh as he ran. In his mind, he told himself,
"How could I have been so stupid to lose sight of her, damn idiot,
brainless piece of shit?" That''s what he told himself, even though the
voice that insulted her was a child''s. Still, his heart raced, screaming
danger.
How could it not? As soon as he stepped out, he saw Helen
lying on the ground, in the sand, with a red mark on her cheek. That
little bastard had slapped her, he had dared to slap her. Max saw red
instantly.
Children could be innocent. But innocence went hand in
hand with cruelty. Yes, animals devoured each other with utmost
innocence. Natural instinct, that is, the innocent human being,
uneducated, was nothing more than a damn animal. That was obvious, and
that little elf, son of a bitch, that little shit, stood between the
kids. He knew it wasn''t a good idea, he knew it wasn''t the time or
place, but he had slapped her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"So, what are you doing, human scum?"
The
damn kid. There was a chance for a retort, because Max kicked him in
the mouth. Part of him felt a little bad seeing him fall, spitting blood
and a piece of tooth. Part of him, but to be honest, a very small part.
He wondered if the war cry had activated. If this counted enough as a
fight. Helen''s happiness was definitely a matter of life or death for
him.
"Animal!" shouted an adult elf.
It might have been his
father, his older brother, or some completely unrelated bastard. In any
case, the bastard ran towards him and lunged at him. Without the weight
of the armor, he managed to push him back, though not knock him down.
Not that. He was proud he managed to stand his ground. He hit him
several times with the sword on his back. Of course, without unsheathing
it. On the fifth hit, the elf fell at his feet, writhing and whimpering
in pain.
"What a drama queen, the damn bastard. Your son or
whatever the hell he is. For your information," Max said, "he started
it, you bastard son of a bitch. If anyone dares to lay a finger on her
again, if anyone even dares to think about it..."
Max placed a
hand on the hilt of his sword. But he didn''t unsheathe it. He restrained
himself. It was no longer necessary. He was ruining everything. But he
restrained himself. He had never felt so angry in his life. But there
was no need for anyone to die here and now.
Another adult elf
approached him, carrying a spear he twirled in his hands. As if he
thought he was some damn circus performer. Impressive moves, but what
did they have to do with killing or dying? He just seemed like a stupid,
but handsome, guy who could be in some modeling magazine. Nothing
between the ears. That is...
Not a threat.
"Valandor, what
do you think you''re doing?" protested an elven woman, though she stayed
back in the crowd. "When Silvana finds out about this..."
"Silvana
can suck my damn dick. I''m not going to stand by with a human among us,
thinking he''s so important, so untouchable, that he can do this to one
of us, to a damn kid. Besides, it''s the perfect opportunity to show
Silvana we don''t need him."
Valandor assumed a fighting stance.
"Come on, fight."
Max
dropped his sword on the sand. He could see Helen looking at him out of
the corner of her eye. He wasn''t sure what was going through her head.
"Fight, coward. Unlike you, I won''t hit someone defenseless."
"The damn kid started it," Max said. He wasn''t going to bite his damn tongue. He had had enough of that.
And,
well, he hadn''t really seen anything. But he was sure of it. Helen was
fine, but that little shit had slapped her. He was lucky Max had only
kicked him.
"Damn animal. All humans are the same," Valandor lunged at him.
With
the spear leading the way. And he had no weapon. By choice. He had bare
hands. But so what? Did it matter in the slightest? And what the hell
did that mean?
Max dodged about a dozen attempts to hit him. Then,
to make the message even clearer, he grabbed the spear and broke it in
half over his knee.
"Next will be your back if you don''t control yourself, asshole," Max said.
Out
of the corner of his eye, he saw Helen getting up from the ground.
Unlike the damn kid Max had kicked in the mouth, who was still lying on
the ground as if he were afraid to move an inch in his presence.
"Dad," Helen said, "this isn''t necessary."
"Helen,
sweetheart," Max said, "they don''t have to call you a half-breed, they
don''t have to hit you. I won''t let anyone hurt you, anyone."
"Thank you."
"Don''t thank me, it''s my duty."
"But it really isn''t necessary," Helen continued. "Really."
Max shrugged.
"It''s not just up to me," he said finally. "It''s also up to this pretty boy who wants to play the hero."
The
elf, indeed, played the hero. He lunged at him, but he seemed to be
moving in slow motion. Max was above him, far above him. He could feel
the power of the skill, the war cry flowing through his veins, boosting
his stats, making him faster and stronger than ever, now that he was
truly in a life-or-death situation.
So he never had a chance to
win. Max easily knocked the asshole down, sweeping his legs and then
kicking him in the mouth. Sooner or later, life gives you one and then
another anyway, he thought.
He was starting to like it. He had to
admit it. Not only did he feel alive. Capable of going wherever he
wanted and doing whatever he wanted. Well, within a limit, again. He
felt superior. He had to admit it. Unstoppable and larger than life.
Even
before his illness, he had been a relatively ordinary person. Some
talent here and there, but nothing necessarily outstanding. This feeling
of superiority as he looked at two guys lying at his feet and heard the
little elf crying. Though not very loudly. This wasn''t right. It
wasn''t. But it was something new for him. An exciting rush.
Silence
had fallen. Of course. He had defeated those guys. He had proven them
wrong in thinking they could mess with him. He was on top of the world.
It was only natural.
"If anyone else has something to say, come
and say it to my face. If not, tuck your damn tails between your legs
and listen to Silvana, because she''s the boss for a reason." Max bent
down to pick up his sword. Then he took Helen''s hand. "Come on, kid.
Let''s go."
They returned to the cabin. Fortunately, without anyone else getting in their way.
"I''m
sorry," he said as soon as the door closed behind them. As soon as it
was safe. He had instinctively understood it wasn''t in his best interest
to apologize in public. "I know I went too far. But when I saw you
lying on the ground, slapped, I didn''t realize..." Max shook his head.
"I love you, Helen."
Max lowered his head a little. Thoughtful.
"I
know too... Mr. Max, but that could have... It might still bring a lot
of trouble down on us. I just... I just worry about you. That''s all."
"I know. I know. I think there''s something wrong with me, really."
I
think there''s something inside me, he thought. Something different.
That part was better left unspoken. The girl already had enough to worry
about.
"Silvana might ignore this because necessity demands it.
She might feel compelled to react for honor''s sake, so no one questions
her leadership. It''s true. I shouldn''t have done that."
"It didn''t even hurt much, Mr. Max. Besides, he was right. I''m a half-breed."
He wasn''t her father. But her father had also been a human.
"Yes. It''s an ugly word, Helen," he said finally. "I''ve never heard it spoken with respect."
Helen looked away. She crossed her arms.
"I know. But I''m not ashamed. I am what I am. And..."
Max knew maybe he should shut up, because he wasn''t going to like the rest of her answer. But of course, he didn''t shut up.
"Besides, I''m used to it," Helen finished. "The way other kids looked at me or Mom since I was little..."
Helen sighed and said nothing more.
"I''m here," Max said. "I won''t abandon you. Now you have a place where you belong."
The little girl hugged him without words, and of course, he returned the hug.
"One
day, Helen, you''ll have much more than a place. You''ll be able to give
yourself everything you want, whenever you want and however you want.
You won''t lack for anything."
"Aha," she murmured against his chest.
He
supposed that was to be expected, as if it were common sense. And maybe
it was. It shouldn''t be hard for a god''s champion to end up in a
situation like that. But Max was going a step further. He aspired to
much more than that, and nothing had changed. He didn''t want the crumbs
of a capricious god.
One day he would sit on the throne, and then
he could give Helen everything she wanted. Secure their lives without
problems. Once he sat on the throne, everything would be part of the
spoils of war. Ha, ha, ha.