《Westeros's Angel》 Chapter 1: Relinquish War. A pitiful sport of survival, where pride and emotions rampage like no other, where the living and the dead riot around the same side of the coin. Luck, strategy, power¡ªwhat else does this mayhem need to fuel it even more? Humanity, in its thousand years of warfare, did what it could do best, empowering it ever beyond its predecessors, letting what was left of its species descend into nothing but conflict. Such were the thoughts of the old man, who had lost what was left of him as a human. He had no wife, no legal heir, no father, no mother. Living as an orphan from birth to his old age, he knew nothing about what love truly meant; his childhood, thrown into the dark abyss of war, had accustomed him to it. Nevertheless, life couldn''t be more harsh, robbing him of both legs and an arm in a conflict with rampaging orcs right after his ceremony. There, he thought he had achieved some form of acceptance, being honored with the badge of commissar. But sadly enough, losing parts of his physique forced him into retirement, cornering him all the way back to where he started: the bottom of the slums. He had thought he was meant for something greater, giving himself fully to the God Emperor of Mankind. But his prayers were cast aside, turning him into a useless, feeble old man with only an arm left to manage his life. "Haaaa¡­" he sighed, pulling out his half-broken eyeglasses. Having been in a wheelchair for decades, he was tired. He wished he had died while in battle, rather than living a sorrowful life like this. But what could he do, other than rot and read books for all his remaining days? He placed the book he was reading on what remained of an old shelf, its title proclaiming The Song of Ice and Fire. It was fascinating to read this one book, which he had found on Terra during his ceremony. "¡­The Song of Ice and Fire. This world of fantasy seems much better than ours, where there is only war," he complained. Wheeling his chair to the nearby bed, he pulled his body toward it, struggling to even climb onto the dirty, laced sheets. He pulled harder with his only weak hand, finally hoisting his own body onto the bed, his breathing growing heavier than usual. He wanted to complain more, as all old men do, but he was tired¡ªtired of his old body, tired of this life. He wanted to sleep, to just doze and never wake up. His wrinkle-filled eyes turned heavy as his breathing and thoughts gradually faded into slumber. ¡­The Song of Ice an¡­ He wanted to dream, to dream more of the epic story he had just read. But his body began to shake, vibrating along with the bed, as the bed trembled with the quaking floor. "What is¡­ happening¡­?" he questioned, jolted awake from his near sleep. Crack¡­ crack¡­ crack. Even without his glasses, he could see his ceiling as it fractured with every quake, dust and debris filling his room. He hoped it was only a light earthquake, but no¡ªthe shaking only grew stronger and stronger, forcing him to push his body forward. As every living man does, he worried something would happen to him. Cough! ¡­Cough! Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He wanted to escape, trying to reach his wheelchair, but what could the old man do? With every tremor, his wheelchair rolled further away. ¡­Why am I even trying? he thought, his mind turning hollow. ¡­Let''s just stop¡­ Boom!! Crashing into his minuscule room, clad in blue armor, there they were. His old eyes gazed at them in awe: the giants, the warriors of mankind. How could he not know? It was all there¡ªtheir chests bearing the Imperial insignia, the unbreakable symbol of loyalty, their shoulders marked with the emblem of their chapter. He felt shivers as they gazed upon him with beaming red light¡ªa feeble man who was on his way to death. Why wouldn''t he shiver? They were the iron, they were the wrath, they were the angels of the God Emperor himself. "¡­Why?" he questioned, his voice trembling with more excitement than confusion. It was said a single human could never have the fate or the luck to see a single Marine¡ªthe demigods who protected their homeland, their whole race. But it seemed his worthless life had finally borne fruit, as he saw not one, but three of the angels. Stomp! He smiled gladly with every quake of the floor, with their every step breaking his house even further. He didn''t know why they were here or how they had come, but to a man who only wanted death, a death at the hands of the God Emperor''s angels was more honorable than dying by the bedside. "¡­All hail the God Emperor," he prayed, waving his remaining hand. He closed his eyes, and as they drew closer, he knew a strike of pain was coming. But the pain was only a prayer, a way to connect with his god. So let it be¡ªlet them pierce through this old sack of meat and free him from this misery. He felt it, a sensation, but it wasn''t pain¡ªit was a pull, lifting him from his bed. He opened his eyes, confused as to why the angels of death hadn''t claimed his life, only to see a crimson hand piercing out from the bed. It was huge, adorned with nails sharper than any blade he had ever seen or wielded. "What the fuck?" he questioned. He had gone to war with the orcs, with heretics, with aliens, but not this. He could feel it¡ªhis instincts screaming a certain discomfort emanating from the hand as it ripped through the floor, its dark horns carving out from the tattered hole. Its skin was red, like the blood it was painted with, its yellow eyes piercing him¡ªnot the angels, but him and only him. "¡­Demons?" He had thought they were just myths, legends passed down to the people to train their minds to be incorruptible, to face any foe with clear determination. He, too, had been trained to a degree¡ªto resist compulsion, hypnosis, and the rise of emotions when facing the enemies of the Warp. But he felt nothing but a vague sense of discomfort as the glare tried to encase him in fear. He merely eyed the demon back, his gaze showing no fear, no anger. He turned to see if the angels would defend him. But before he could fully turn, his instincts urged him to dodge, as if his life depended on it. He knew within that millisecond that the demon behind him had charged. Bang! Bang! He heard gunshots¡ªear-piercing gunshots¡ªwhich his vision didn''t dare to follow. They might have been aimed at the demon or another enemy, as the shots echoed all around his broken room. He felt a pang of remorse for his ruined home, but what could he do? With no legs and only one hand, he could only swing helplessly as the Marine holding him moved with impossible speed. He didn''t know how it was possible; the armor clearly looked heavy. He felt like he was on a rollercoaster racing at the speed of sound. The howls and screams of the red creatures assaulted his ears, though his eyes couldn''t keep up. Gunshots rang out after gunshots, the sound of chainsaws piercing the so-called demons¡ªthat was it, that was all. The Marine holding him finally paused after relentless movement, murder, and mayhem. A hurl of rice he had eaten earlier erupted from his stomach, vomiting out. He couldn''t help it; such was the circumstance he had been thrown into¡ªa victim in this sudden conflict between demons and angels. "Wha¡­ what is happening?" he asked. The Marines only looked at him, saying nothing. He could only sigh it off as he glanced back at his former room, where many demons lay dead on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, their blood staining his cracked walls to an extreme degree. "¡­Really, what the fuck is happening?" Chapter 2: Inevitable "¡­..really, what the fuck is happening?" The grip on him crooked loose, maybe the marine thought a cripple like him could do nothing, well that was definitely the case as what could he do, except be confused about the circumstance, he still thought this was still a dream, fire and mayhem blending everywhere he gazed. But it seemed so real and authentic, his stale blood boiling after so long. First time in ages, he felt the thrill, he thought he had enough of war, enough with all the killing, but it seems not, from his juvenile childhood to his adultery, the only thing he did was pledge fights, kill, and butcher whatever came in his path. And before he knew it, his mind and body had already been accustomed to this world, this world which only knew war. He gawked towards the hands of death, which dealt with the mythical demons on such short notice, maybe the demons weren''t that much of a threat than he had heard of or the angels were that much more powerful. He had asked many questions but was not avail to answer, they only walked around, still scanning the slums and what was left of his room. He didn''t care as much, as what more could an old man as himself do? But a sudden sight jerked his mind, the book he had just read, littered on the floor, not even a single scratch on its cover. He was simply amazed at how it could survive the mayhem which just occurred, he tapped on the iron skin, pointing his finger at the book, but that too did not avail any reaction. ''haaa¡­..I will do it myself.'' Taking matters into his own hands, He stalled his body, waiting for his moment, the marine who was holding him like a coat, was similarly scanning the place around. And he thought he would walk toward the book eventually, he just had to be patient. Patient and ready to act at the right moment. ''......now.'' He jerked his body, timing it so perfectly that even he was surprised, falling down from the hands of the angel. He fell on the debris, hitting hard on the floor, he quickly shaft his remaining hand towards the book before the angel took him again, as he knew, he wouldn''t get a second chance. He finally held the book, accomplishing what he left out to do. "¡­..got it¡­haha." He peeked back at the marine, thinking of giving him a smug look, but he could only see a hand reaching out to him and his bolster gun aiming at him. Bang! He felt it again, his raging instincts riling him up. He didn''t need to look back, he didn''t need to panic as the bullet wasn''t for him, sensing a feeling of grip behind him where he had thought to be a debris-filled floor. His eyes gradually saw, a stale and monstrous hand encasing him from behind, not one, not two, he didn''t have the time to count but there were many, lean hands encasing his whole body, on their way to pull him down like he was drowning in water. "¡­..fuck." He felt the grip, felt the pull, drowning his body to where he had no idea off. {¡­..*@#$*@...fin¡­#@%...ally¡­.} This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He had his suspicion but It was indeed another demon, speaking languages he had never heard of, and the place he seems to be falling into was indeed what they call the immaterium, the warp. "haaaa¡­..should have stayed tucked in," he said with a tinge of regret. He kept falling and falling, the slippery hands lurking around his body, he had a hint of doubt that the demons were targeting him from the very start, which confused him to no end, he had nothing to offer, not even to the demons. But he stopped thinking midway, gradually closing his eyes. that was it, that was the end, he didn''t know what would happen to him, maybe something heinous, something grievous, or simple death. Nothing mattered as it was all over. Bang! Bang! The same gunshots, he heard the matching barrages, his hopeless eyes gazing in awe at one of the marines falling towards him. it was only one but his heartbeat rose, as the bullets wrecked the demon behind him, feeling the grip getting lose. He reached out his hand, his body still falling within this infinite realm, and hopefully, the marine did the same, his iron and cold hands, reaching towards him. "¡­.I''m sorry." He said, still falling. The iron-clad angel only reached out, his thrusters powering up, pushing him to fall further down. the demon behind the old man had churned to charcoal, but the realm itself started to change, starting to cluster into different colors, it lapsed, somehow matching the heartbeat of the man, with his every beat of heart, the realm itself would start changing. But that mattered not to him, his hand only an inch away from the marines. "Got you." Echoed the marine. it was rugged, it was deep, his voice resounding similar to a normal man. "so you could speak¡­.?" The old man asked, with a wisp of a smile. "¡­..not much." The marine replied. His helmet starting to crack. "¡­I don''t know how you are still alive, still able to speak¡­. inside this wretched realm." They were still falling, the depth still not clear, there wasn''t a sky, there was no ground, and their surroundings lapsed with every color imaginable. He didn''t know how to reply, to such an ambiguous opinion, he was still breathing, thinking, signs of a man still living. But something felt odd, he felt somehow refreshed, his lungs opening up, breathing like the young man he used to be. He judged it to be odd indeed, having an opposite effect on his counter, looking at his helmet cracking, as one of his red lenses started to blip. "¡­..you ok?" the old man asked. Something was happening within this place, this place what they call the warp, harming the shields of the angel himself. he waited, no reply to be heard, passing second after second, thinking he would eventually answer, but the arm holding his turn lose once more. His brow turned tense from this gesture as he climbed towards his helmet. "Hey¡­.Hey!" he shouted. Hearing no reply, he turned even more concerned. Clashing his hand on the helmet, but the pain of his hand brought no response to his avail. [{¡­..piss¡­.}] A whisper echoed in his ear out of nowhere, a whisper so quiet but strangely loud, that his simple mind couldn''t process it. he gazed around, trying to see if another demon was at his hands, no, there was not. Only infinite horizon, with vague images and color, somehow matching his emotional state. [{....piss¡­.interesting¡­. }], again the voice whispered. The old man was now sure, something was there, he wanted to shout to the marine, to wake up, bellowing their new trouble in hand, but it seems, the iron-clad marine had already turned lifeless as his whole body now looked stale. "¡­.who are you? What do you want?!" he shouted, his voice reverberating within the realm. [{hahahaha¡­.Glad you asked¡­..I am the watcher, I am the one who waits for you at the edge of sanity, I am the puppeteer of every mortal tune. I am @$%&*¡­..and you my dear puppet, don''t belong here.}] he declared. Clap! The old man''s ear reverberated, with the warp molding to a degree, he looked down, the hollow darkness appearing out of nowhere, he could see it, feel it, the pitch black symbolling his end, the eventual hard floor of his infinite fall. He gazed at his side, who had risked his life trying to save his own, which he had thought utterly hopeless. "thank you, for saving this sack of carcass and bone." He thankfully whispered, closing his eyes. He fell and fell, with the marine by his side, devoured by the darkness''s pitch-black hide. He reminisced, how it all occurred, and remembered, the book which he so adored. ''¡­..I wish I could had finish it¡­'' he lastly thought, his conscious layering down to a knot. Chapter 3: A miracle indeed. Our nature, our instincts, honed to label us the best possible path away from danger, from any impairment, from anything which could jeopardize our very lives. Some say the living have survived until this long, with these tools at hand. but how can these means be sharpened? By keeping it sheathed? By following the route of safety, far from harm''s away. No, What else than posing the things that it craves not, as a blade only rusts if not unsheathed for its intended resolve? For one''s instinct to rise, it only needs to do one thing and one thing only, thrive through danger, staking his life on the line with its every breathing second. Refining it to a level that the very nature turns into a talent of its own, a talent that everyone disguises as luck. That is what Arrax did, that is what kept him alive, in a world that only knew war, where humans rarely live beyond their mature years, he became one of the rare men who had lived to a point of being old. Torturous as it was, leaving him with only a hand. it was a testament to his skills, his cowardice, his wisdom, and his sharply honed instincts. As what is luck, more than opportunity conferring with preparation. But this¡­.. this was what they call pure luck, pure damn luck that comes to a chosen few. "..... I survived?" Arrax questioned. He finally opened his eyes, which were once dim, opening to a vision showing him nothing but a sign of red beaming light. He gradually woke, still disorganized and muddled. Feeling nauseous out of nowhere, his stomach churned, forcing him to vomit, but something was on his head, helmet? Vale? Whatever it was, his hands swiftly took it out, vomiting out something akin to enzymes. "haaaa...." He breathed heavily, wiping his mouth, but what touched his face, wasn''t his old decerped hand, no, it was cold, it was tough, it was something identical to iron, its surface colored blue. He turned to the helm he just took out, its shape and size matching something he had never dreamt to possess. "¡­.No way¡­" he gasped. He stood up, yes, the man who had no legs and a hand remaining, stood up, feeling the presence of his forelegs, not just simple legs, but empowering limbs that made him feel like he could jump sky high. He gazed down, looking at his hands, gradually waving his left hand around in awe. he turned, swung, and jumped, his legs opening to run. There was snow all around, a terrain he was somewhat familiar with, but that mattered not, his heavy iron legs hammering the hoary land uninterrupted. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. After so long, after so damn long, he was using his legs. His lips gleamed in pure delight as he paced forward at a speed he had never experienced. "¡­..haaaaaaaAAAAAA!!!!" It was a shout of excitement, happiness, and glee. Senses he thought he had forgotten. Feelings he had thought he would never feel. There was something itching behind his mind, curious as to how it was all possible, but not, for now, he wanted to dwell more, may it be a dream or a reality made by the warp. He wanted to stay here, relive this moment to the core. Etching to his heart. So he ran, ran a bit more, his bountiful legs soaring high above the green woods, all the way to the flying trivial birds, looking at him in error. His earth-shaking landing ensured all the animals that he was there, the rabbits, the deer, the birds, and the wolves. Animals which he had thought to be long gone from the eyes and destruction of mankind. After an hour-long of nonstop drifting, swinging behemoth size trees to his content, climbing snow-white mountains to the top. He finally rested, he wasn''t tired, not even a bit. which made him realize how of a monster the angels really wear. He paced near the river, his eyes gazing at the fish, swimming along the passing river. He looked down, his own reflection gleaning on the water. His curiosity revealed itself to be true. "Maybe I am dreaming¡­" he said with a smile. Blond hair and a manly face, matching his black eyes, his sharp nose. a look of confidence, showing no fear, he tried smiling, twerking his cheeks but no matter how much he forced himself, his face mostly looked the same. his eyes focused like the warrior he was. "¡­..so I really am inside him," he concluded, his armor blazing with the symbol of the god emperor, his shoulder pad, damming his chapter. The one and only who tried to save his life. the very first space marine he had ever spoken to. He didn''t know how he was inside him, how he had come to this unknown land, but he knew pausing and mending his mind was not the action to take, he knew he needed to stop reacting, and start acting, he had many questions, with little to no answers, and answers wouldn''t come to him with him looking at his own reflection, but before that, he felt like he needed to do something, something which would ease his heart a bit. With a mound of stones, piling it to a degree, he knocked out the golden skull and the symbol of his chapter, placing it below the pile. "I don''t know your name, I don''t even know what your chapter follows, but all I can say for you is thank you, and a heartfelt sorry. But don''t worry, for I am a man of honor, and your angelic body will be used for its intended purpose." He declared. With this farewell, he started his journey. Taking out a dark robe, covering most of his armor. There were many things and facilities, this suit of armor brought, but he didn''t have the asserted memories to play coy with it. As these were iron, cladded for destruction. And for now, what he wanted was to bask down, and use his ears and eyes to hone him to this world. Not to reveal this power that was not known to himself. But time was his ally. He would eventually find out, take hid of its control, and bare the alien, heretic, and all the zenox the emperor''s fist. "May the emperor protect and lead my journey¡­." Chapter 4: Dinner? Blue sky hidden within the heavy dark clouds, shifting the atmosphere into such coldness that would turn shudders in any living being. Everywhere from the side, all the way to the horizon, he could only see the white snow and green trees, mountain after mountain, he jumped, and walked, pacing at his own step, which was surprisingly fast for an eight feet guy with heavy iron armor. But that wasn''t the problem, befalling the young Astartes. "¡­..how long?" he questioned, taking out his meat once more, biting a big chunk as he swallowed it whole, leveling it down all the way to his churning stomach hole. It was fun and games, having such power, such strength, but he forgot such power came with the responsibility to track the consistency of its source, which needed for him to eat nutrition, lots and lots of nutrition, and most essentially meat, not just a bite but a sizable chunk, gorging as much as possible, so what could he do more than stock meat of the many animals. The weaker herbivore, who couldn''t survive his simple breath. Dying oh so quickly with a sizable rock he threw at them. Ooorrrrr...! His stomach churned once more as he was devouring the meat like no other, the insides of his mouth still filled with bits of meat. But sadly that was still not sufficient. Maybe he was undertaking something wrong, something that wasn''t quite the Astartes way. Auuuuuuu!!! He heard a howl, so loud and clear, his ears knew where it came from before his eyes could, it was a howl of a wolf, a predator in this sea of snow, but that matter not, as the hierarchy had changed the moment he had landed, and with that, he finally resolved his issue. Turning down the food chain to his shoes. "for fucks sake, the protein isn''t enough from these grass-eating creatures." He declared. "¡­.a fine wolf would be fine, not gonna lie." He said, swiping his lite drool. He wasn''t a man who would be eating such creatures, but his hunger touched his mind before his senses could, so without a second thought, he strengthened his legs, his waist lowering down for the eventual power jump, straining whatever strength he had left, he plowed above right then and there, reaching higher and higher. The aerial view came into his vision, clear than he had ever experienced as a human. Bearing the wolves who were going to baptize his hunger. "¡­..8,9,10,11¡­..enough I guess." He decided. "¡­wait, are those¡­?" But what he sighted was more than just plain wolves, but also a group of people, human people, leasing his eyes in a glint of hope. Finally, he had found someone, someone of his own race, his own kind. But the same kind was in a lapse of danger, ready to be hunted by the group of wolves, surrounding them whole. He activated his thrusters, laying his path in the right direction. Even forcing his fall as no time was to be wasted, for the blood to be shed was near for the folks. Booommm! He avoided landing near the white-coated men. As they were his to protect, and with such a dramatic landing, he had fulfilled his purpose, taking in the attention of both the men and the wolves. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "... let''s end this quick." He begored, taking out his small swiss knife, forget his grinding blade as they would be useless for these insect-like animals, forget his bolster gun for such bullets would be wasted upon these pesky creatures, all he needed was his sharp knife and his honed skills, to butcher the hell out of the incoming wolf like the petite prey it was. "come on, come on¡­" he threatened, looking at one of the wolves running towards him. "¡­..they are dire wolves, they are dangerous!" a girl shouted beyond the crowded animals. Arrax grinned, even more so, knowing the language they conversed with was the same, but the warning mattered not, as he simply dodged the wolf''s claws raving right at his face, for the man in blue, the wolf was barely moving soo, his teeth passing him by a hair''s distance. And that gap was all he needed, his dominant hand striking at his open jaw, as he sliced through his head all the way to his tail, like cutting butter with a single assault. The wolf finally landed down, its lifeless body mooring on the white snow, as it gradually split in two, separating its upper torso from its legs. One slice from its knife was all it took, as the men and women in white fur watched in awe, looking at the man who had colored the white snow in crimson blood, not from his own but of a dire wolf, the ancient wolves who were deadlier than a single lion. Those were the creatures they were unlucky to encounter, but the gods had heeded their call, sending a warrior to their rescue. Other wolves growled at their mate''s death, eyeing the blue-armored man with a deadly hatred, but that only fueled Arrax even more, gesturing his finger to come to him. the confidence and his gesture showing absolute zero fear encumbering the watchers and the predators the same. He stepped forward, as the wolves gradually took a step backward, and he knew, the fear in them was turned. Why wouldn''t they be? They had the right to fear, fear him the angel of the god emperor. The purpose of his physique was to procure death and shed blood for the people, for Mankind and the insects seem to know that as well, as they have begun to take further steps back, trying to run their tails. "¡­.not on my watch." He said, his legs flashing forward with speed that took even the wolves by surprise. "why would I let my dinner escape?" Slice! Patch! Hoooowwwll!! Cries and howls of the wolves battered around, as they tried to escape the man of murder, a beast who was levels above their league. But what could they do, his strength was far above theirs, and his speed was miles away from the sprint of their four legs. And with that, all the numbering wolves started declining, their corpse littering the snow filled with the color red, and Arrax at some point enjoyed it, as he started walking towards the last wolf remaining. He had lightly thrown his knife at the grey wolf, only injuring it to a degree that it wouldn''t run away. "That''s enough meat for today." He said, his bloody armored hand, ready to smash the wolf to death. "wait!" a girl shouted all of a sudden, blocking his way to the ending. "¡­.thi¡­this dire wolf, sh..she''s pregnant." She reverbed. Arrax turned confused, pregnant? So what? That would be even better, turning their numbers down a notch. he would even turn glad to lash their species into extinction, as punishment for trying to harm the creation of the god emperor. "¡­..out of the way girl, I won''t say twice," he lightly threatened. She stayed there, her legs which were already quivering, turning ever weak, ready to fall on her knees at any given moment if her will were to waver even a tiny bit. The remaining men and women tried stopping what was happening up to a minute, but a man among them stopped their advances, gesturing to observe first. As he knew, if he or any of his people crossed that armored warrior, death would surely follow. so the only thing he could do was wait and strike at the perfect moment if necessary. Which was the last action he wanted to take. Eventually, Her hood fell down to display her red hair and striking blue eyes. with a chiseled face, torching his memory. He again remembered, they called these animals dire wolves, such a name which tickled his memory even more. He had thought, they were just normal wolves, but now that he looked closer, they were indeed bigger, bigger than the quivering girl before him. "¡­..is this¡­..no it can''t be¡­" Chapter 5: Free folks He had a hint of suspicion, this land he was walking, the cold air he was breathing, even from the cloth these humans wore, forced him to contemplate a book he oh so cherished. "¡­..ok, tell me something, and I will let that one go." he bargained. The girl slowly nodded, her thoughts plowed with anxiety, watching an eight feet armored giant looking down on her. "¡­..ask away." Arrax took a step back, not to come off as too dangerous to the people. He gazed back at the others, and again at the girl. Still eyeing their wearing. " you lot, what do you call yourself?" Maybe he was of some faction, some group, asking such an ambiguous question, the girl gulped, fearing that she would be giving the answer which would jeopardize their very lives as the man in blue armor looked like a knight in more ways than one. She looked to the leader, her eyes showing her desperate fear. Asking if she should answer. The man only nodded toward her, giving her permission to do so. "..we¡­.we are the free folks, the¡­the people beyond the wall may call us wildlings and animals but, we are people, same as them, same as you¡­.so p..please." she pitied. Arrax gasped, his dark eyes turning wide, forcing himself to take a step back. His thoughts were turned chaotic right then and there. Trying to remember the book, trying to reminisce the novel he oh so loved. The story, the epic, the song of ice and fire. "¡­.is it really true?" he questioned to himself. After a minute or so, Arrax finally recollected himself, turning to the man who was at the front of the group. Leaving the girl and the wounded dire wolf be, for he had many questions, and if he was right, the man who seemed to be the leader would answer him with more faith than the girl who had already pissed herself. He stepped towards the group, forcing them all to take a step back. He had thought it was just because of his size, but the fear they felt for him was true to a higher degree than he thought. well with all the bloodshed and hunger-driven kills, of course, he would look horrifying. "¡­.you." he pointed to the man. Arrax gazed right at his dark eyes, at the man who seemed to be in his twenties, looking a bit into the young side, but his eyes told something different, a fire, a glint which wouldn''t quiver even with his look. ''¡­..I guess it''s him,'' he thought. "¡­.you, I will give you an option, I will give your people all the food and water I possess, and for that trade, I need a guide, I need you. To take me around this land, So what will it be?" he questioned. "No!!" shouted one of them, a red-haired man pacing forward with foolish wrath. "you won''t take him, I will guide you, I have walked this land more so than this cunt" he declared. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Arrax looked at him with interest, why wouldn''t he be, this man who looked barbaric, with his red hair and beard was awfully similar to someone he had read about, again confirming his inquisitive thoughts. but that was still not enough. Dire wolf? Red-haired people? wildlings? These terms could be found anywhere, used wherever in this wide universe. So he needed something solid, something concrete, that only consisted in the book he knew best. "So, you going to be my guide." Arrax lamented. "yes! I am an excel¡­." But, Before the man could finish his words, he was taken by surprise by his so-called leader, twisting his hand around his neck. "yo¡­you bloody fuck¡­" the red-haired man desperately voiced, struggling to be let loose, before finally losing consciousness all the same. "haha¡­.I guess it''s decided¡­" Arrax commented. Walking away to give the man some time. With this simple action, he had already found his answer. No need for further discussion, more so because he wanted to rest, his hunger now reaching bounds above his control. He paced near a rock, sitting as he oversaw them starting to discuss this matter. He may have come over as a bully as such but, he needed to be so, as he knew with experience, fear would reciprocate more so than a simple request. Aaaaarrrr¡­! ''aaaa¡­..I''m fucked.'' He thought, his palm touching his stomach. He was hungry, so much so that he wanted to eat the dire wolves raw. But showing such barbarism would scare away his fellow guide more, decreasing his chances even further, so he had to wait, and be patient. ''¡­..haaaa, I heard, the angels of death could survive a whole day of continuous combat without having to eat or sleep. I guess that was a li¡­'' Ping! All of a sudden, he felt a pinch at his back, something piercing his skin, with surprise, he looked back, thinking how anybody could even scratch his armor, but there seemed nobody, only the lying dead wolves he murdered for nourishment. ''is it from the inside¡­.'' He thought. He was right, as he felt something unalike, his hunger gradually diminished with his sharp senses returning. He knew rapid hunger could layer down once logistic thinking and senses but he felt a sudden clarity, a sudden energy that the dry meat could never bring. ''¡­..there must be a drug injection as well, oh, that''s how they battle for untold days and nights.'' he judged. Now clearness reaching his mind, he felt a bit guilty, killing all the wolves in waste, and he had thought to leather them in extinction to boot. Such foolish aggressive thoughts had reined him, controlled him. ''haaa¡­.'' He sighed. But no matter, his hunger was in control, and that was more imperative, and with that he knew more, his suit having the right nutrition for his body. No need to hunt the whole forest down to its last animal to binge his hunger. No need to cook for the sake of his stomach. " I guess there is still more to learn." He said, tapping his suit. Watching the man now walking towards him, Arrax also stood up, more energetic than ever. Now his starvation was in check, all he needed to do was, square out the location that he was extremely excited to visit. He gazed at the red-haired man being dragged like a rug instead as they went their way. it seemed they had their discussion. '' I guess they don''t want my food. The smart choice though, I could have poisoned them and such.'' "had your discussion?" "yes¡­. And sorry, I forgot to say thank you, from my people and myself, we are grateful to be saved by a great warrior like yourself." Arrax waved his appreciation away as he didn''t care as much. He only wanted to satiate his hunger. And he did so, automatically triggering it. he was grateful to them instead as he was going to turn mad, thinking he would be the only sentient being on this planet, and thankfully he was not. "no need¡­.so are you ready?" The man nodded, carrying luggage of his own, carrying things Arrax thought as primitive. "so, where do you want to start?" the man asked. "¡­..haha, the wall, of course," Arrax answered.