Chapter 33: Man Must Fight The Beast Within or The Beast Beyond.


    “S-so they’re all dead?” Gunther asked, voice weak, legs heavy. He swore that if he had to deal with even one more horrible piece of Demon related news his heart might give in.


    There goes Stradale’s potion master, death by bad news.


    “Saw the corpses meself’.” Alfie confirmed and from the look in the big man’s face, he knew that there was no hint of deceit in them.


    “Good, good.” He sat back down in his chair and wiped the sweat pooling at the top of his forehead. He’d asked him that question eight times now, and all eight times he’d gotten the same answer.


    They were back in the chieftain’s home, Gunther in his makeshift office, and Alfie sat across from him on the desk.


    Stradale was once again free, and it was due to the actions of not him- the town potions master and now leader, but two people with the intent and ability to kill.


    A lesser man would have felt a coward at not being able to contribute. So that probably explained why Gunther did. He was born with no Magic, no Might, only hands that tried and often failed to salvage what was left of a body ruined by either.


    Perhaps only those with the guts to actually put their lives on the line should get to sit in the chair I’m in.


    No, a single thought showed him that would be a world of tyrants and sycophants. Still, that didn’t make him feel any more of a man.


    His eyes fell on Alfie now. The other man’s eyes were hard, they perpetually were these days. He reckoned he was one of the few people who remembered when he wasn’t like that.


    When the Might-infused Damned bought by the Chieftain of Stradale had a mix of fright, terror and defiance in his eyes. Slowly however, day by day, it had withered away, till all that was left even now in his freedom, was a man with eyes like a cold steel.


    “Tell me, friend.” Gunther grunted, shifting in his seat. “Did your world ever have an equivalent of Demons? Creatures made from evil, anathema to life, progress, prosperity, joy and everything in between?”


    The big man answered without skipping a beat. “Tories.”


    Tories, that really did sound like a ferocious title. Gunther couldn''t keep images of large, lumbering bare creatures as tall as the trees themselves, forked tongues out and boulder-wide tentacles swaying from side to side as they crushed all underneath them with each step.


    “Well,” He sighed, feeling a shiver run through him. “Let''s hope we never meet one of those in Hell.”


    Aflie sniffed and Gunther suppressed the chill that invoked.


    A knock on his door thankfully yanked him out of his mind. It was a guard, or rather ‘Protector’ as the citizens were taking to calling them now, not wanting to use the term that was associated with the men who wreaked havoc upon them for generations.


    This one was Tommy, the young lad who he’d saved a while ago, the one Nero in his infinite wisdom had decided to assault, and the one who’d put his life on the line to save Stradale.


    That all seemed like it had happened ages ago now, though.


    The man told him there was something they had to see and Gunther followed, expecting he’d be greeted with something uniquely terrible.


    Instead it was something...Else.


    Four strange men and one woman stood in front of him. They all towered above him, all surely holding either Might or Magic within them. More likely the former as Magic was a rare thing.


    They were young and with eyes that held onto him uneasily, like a drowning man looking for purchase in the water.


    “Are you Gunther?” The woman asked. She looked the meanest of them all and Gunther swallowed before identifying himself as the leader of the rebel group responsible for killing several Crimsons and a Demon.


    “Yes.”


    She nodded and bowed. “Cain directed us to you, I fled from Vitrakin to aid Stradale in its rebellion. We would like to fight for you, if you’ll have us, my Lord.” She got on one knee and so did her friends.


    “I… Sussana of Vitrakin, pledge my allegiance to Lord Gunther.” She swore and then the other strangers proceeded to do the same.


    “Please, stand up, stand up, there are no more lords here, that is what this rebellion is about, putting an end to the rule of one’s will above the plenty.” Gunther spat quickly and with a ferocity that shocked even him.


    The strangers rushed back up to their feet, eyes downcast and looking chastised.


    Gunther mentally kicked himself. “Vitrakin.” He murmered softly. “Always our reliable neighbours aren’t you.” He smiled.


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    The young woman smiled back. “We do our best.” She said, and then there was an intensity to her eyes. “I just hope once this is done, we can free my people next.”


    “I hope so too.” Gunther nodded. Cain’s recruiting was going well, then. Five more people, only five for now, but there were other towns to visit and more people to recruit within them.


    Stradale had roughly a hundred Mighted, ten of those were the guards and another ten were the hunters and mercenaries who’d sided with the Chieftain. They were all dead now and of the remaining seventy, roughly ten were either dead or too injured to join in the attack.


    They’d recruited a mix of ten mercenaries and hunters from beyond the town and that had been enough to make up for the men lost, and with these new five Stradale had a helping of fifteen extra Mighty men, however only five more than they’d had pre rebellion.


    From what the scouts had told him about the approaching force, and with Neroa and Selvas gone, they’d need at least a few dozen more to even stand a chance.


    The girl shifted nervously in her boots. “Also, I have news.”


    “I’m listening.” He told her, bracing himself for it.


    “There’s a force approaching.”


    “Yes, we know about that.” Gunther nodded. It wasn’t news he was exactly pleased to have reinforced, but it wasn’t something he wasn’t already learning to accept already either.


    The girl shook her head. “They’ve split off a chunk of their cavalry to advance for Stradale.”


    Gunther’s legs felt weak again, his head was light, stomach queasy. “What?”


    The spear shot through the ceiling, missed the chance to perform involuntary bottom surgery on Nero by an inch and burst out through the roof.


    Selvas was already smashing through the wood and leaping down to the bar floor.


    Nero followed not long after, landing on his feet and rushing to join Selvas.


    The two women were already locked in battle, Ramsey was fleeing. That was good, he wouldn’t be a problem then.


    Selvas’ dagger came swinging in tight arcs, each one meant to impale the woman who’d just thrown a spear at her.


    “Wait, stop!” Nero called out at her but she either wasn’t listening or didn’t care.


    The stranger was on the backfoot, narrowly escaping bladed retribution by smaller and smaller margins. Selvas was faster, deadlier and it seemed this whole affair would end soon.


    Then the spear burst through the roof like a missile and raced towards Selvas’ back.


    Nero dashed towards Selvas, dove and dragged her to the ground a moment before the spear went whizzing by.


    Thank fucking god I focused on speed.


    He rolled to his feet in his landing, eyes on the woman with the flying spear. It was in her hands now and she was spinning it dangerously.


    Her eyes were like that of some stalking predator, waiting patiently for an opening in her prey.


    Nero held his hands out placidly and walked towards her. “Listen, we don’t want to fight.”


    The length of the weapon slammed into the side of his face like a battering ram. Nero stumbled to the side, felt blood run down his head and rage bubble up next. “Okay, you know what, maybe I do want to fight.”


    He took a step forwards when the wall next to the door exploded outwards. Something had charged through it, and it took Nero longer than he would have preferred to truly grasp what he was looking at.


    It looked like a gorilla, certainly had the proportions of one, save from the large horns that sprouted from its skull and the three sets of limbs it had instead of two.


    It was on him before he was done taking it in.


    The creature tackled Nero to the ground, snarling and roaring as it brought down a barrage of punches from its two sets of arms.


    Instinctively, Nero curled up as the punches came, each one like a hammer, and coming far quicker than he was prepared for.


    One, two, three, four, one two, three, four, one two, three, four.


    Over and over again.


    This thing punched harder than he could without Light. He didn’t panic, protected his vitals and waited for an opening.


    One, two, three-


    Now!


    His fist came springing upwards with all the strength his spirit could muster, already tense and ready to strike.


    The gorilla leaned backwards, motion smooth, quick, reflexive.


    But not fast enough.


    Nero connected with the underside of its jaw and knew instantly that its world had flashed white.


    Tough too, tougher than I am.


    He rolled out from underneath and brought the full weight of his foot into the side of the monster’s face not a moment later.


    He couldn’t dare give it an instance of reprieve, speed was his only true advantage.


    His foot connected with a wicked snap and that tipped it over and onto its back.


    He drew his sword and plunged it straight for the monster’s throat.


    “Wait!” A voice held his blade just inches from the dazed creature’s neck.


    He looked up to find the spearwoman glaring at him. She had Selvas in a hold and the edge of her weapon at his friend’s neck.


    “Hurt him and I’ll open your ally’s throat and empty her blood onto the wooden floorboard.” There was a deadly edge to her voice now, the kind not born from control, but panic.


    She cares about this thing.


    “I don’t think she’s joking Nero.” Selvas informed him, calm as ever, even while her life hung in the balance.


    He looked down at the creature and it looked back up at Nero with a clear intellect in its eyes. It was impossibly still, clearly not wanting to give Nero any reason to plunge his sword deeper.


    “Step away from it Nero.” Selvas suggested.


    He looked back up at her. “Well, if I do then she has all the power.”


    “She has a spear to my throat.” She pressed.


    “Well I have a sword to her gorilla.” He countered.


    “What the fuck is a gorilla?” Selvas frowned.


    Nero sighed and set his eyes on the hostile stranger. “We let our friends go on the count of three.”


    The woman nodded.


    One, two, three.


    Selvas and the gorilla scrambled past each other and neither Nero nor the woman made a move to stop either of them.


    Selvas rubbed her neck, glaring. “You gambled my life with a pet.”


    “I had a hunch.” He shrugged then set his eyes back on the enemy. “We don’t want to kill you.”


    “Speak for yourself, throw a spear at me again and I’ll turn you into a corpse.” Selvas explained, with not even a hint of anger in her voice.


    “Do you want to go again then?” The woman said, spinning her blade and glaring at her.


    Selvas shook her head. “Of course not, you’d kill me with your reach advantage.” She replied matter of factly.


    “We need your help.” Nero said quickly, trying to steer the conversation back on course.


    “Lots of people need our help-” The woman began replying but Nero cut in.


    “We can pay.” He said immediately.


    “Well we’re not taking any jobs right now.” She told him, eyes hard.


    Nero found his frustration only growing. “Why the fuck not?!” He pressed. He had a member of the crew right in front of him now, he’d done everything he could to make sure he found them, everything he could possibly think of and still with only a day to get ahead of the army, there was still some new roadblock to stand in his way.


    “ I can’t help you, because our leader’s locked up in the Seal.” The woman snapped back at Nero.