Chapter 9: Stekon in Flames, Betrayal in the Caves

Once the bear had left the cave, the boy turned back to look at the lion’s corpse. It was quite large and muscular. The boy could tell just how strong the beast was. He moved closer and decided to consume of the beast. Even if he couldn’t steal its ability, he would become stronger from the beast’s flesh.

When he swallowed a mouthful of the lion’s flesh, a sudden image rushed into his head. An image of the lion forcing other beasts into submission. [Intimidation]. The boy was confused. He had only eaten a mouthful of the meat. He also had never seen the lion’s ability in action.

It seemed that the stronger the beast was, the less the boy had to eat in order to steal its ability. This would definitely come in handy. The newly acquired ability would certainly help in the boy’s plan.

The boy walked away from the bear. He needed to find a suitable monster.

Every beast he encountered, he did not kill. Instead, he took heed of their strength and ability. He looked for the strongest one out of all of them. Then, he found it. A lone wolf prowled the caves. The other beasts tended to avoid it, since its appearance was quite intimidating. However, its strength was incomparable to the bear’s. It was nowhere near the same level.

It did not matter. When the boy was done with it, the wolf would be strong. The wolf currently was on the prowl for food. The boy walked towards the wolf.

The beast instantly went on guard. It eyed the boy suspiciously. As the wolf debated whether to kill the unknown threat, the boy activated his new ability, [Intimidation]. The wolf instantly began to cower and whimper.

The boy walked up the wolf and tossed a rabbit he had recently slayed. The wolf slowly edged towards the corpse. After nudging the corpse a few times, the wolf began to consume it. After finishing its meal, it looked up at the boy. Its eyes were less harsh than before, but it was still obviously hostile towards the boy.

The boy suddenly smiled. A smile that was cold. Calculating. Cruel. His plan was already set into motion.

* * *

A hooded man entered a tavern. The bells jingled as the bartender looked towards the man.

“Welcome, stranger. What would you like to have today?”

“Just a mug of whatever ale you have laying around.” The man replied.

“Alright, one mug of Stekon’s finest ale coming up.” The bartender nodded and began to fill up a mug with ale.

“Thanks. It’s been a long day.” The man thanked the bartender.

“Really? Just where did you come from?”

“I just made it out of Grimwoods. I…uh…experienced a little trouble.”

“Grimwoods, you say…that’s no good place for any traveler. Just what were you doing in there?”

“I wanted to see the Seekers. I wanted to hear my Story. When you’re this old, you still start to lose your memory.” The man grinned.

“Aw, don’t say that. If you say you’re old, what does that make me?” The bartender grinned back.

“Heh. Point taken.”

“So, how did your visit go? The Seekers are usually quite reclusive.”

“Yeah…I tried to get into the Heart, but it’s completely surrounded by a ring of mountains. The guards wouldn’t let me through the pass. Said something about the Seekers being busy.” The man answered in disappointment.

“Tch. Those Seekers. They collect the Stories of every person on this continent. But they don’t even share them with anyone. What’s the point of wasting your time collecting Stories if no one reads them?”

“Yeah. I practically went through the Grimwoods and back for nothing.”

“Well, at least now you know the Seekers are nothing but trouble. You should be grateful you made it out of the Grimwoods in one peace.”

“Yeah, I know. Say, it looks like I have to stay the night in this town. I’m looking for a place to stay. Is there a place you can recommend?”

“Truth be told, we don’t get a lot of visitors in Stekon. We have a couple empty rooms upstairs if you don’t mind the dust.”

“That would be perfect. The price?”

“On the house. I enjoyed listening to your story.” The bartender smiled and handed the man a key.

“Thanks. Here’s for the drink. And the name’s Savunt.” The man left a few coppers on the counter.

“Call me Siergo. Have a good night. Your room is the one to the left of the stairs. ”

Savunt left the bar and walked upstairs.

* * *

The man entered his room and locked the door behind him.

The room was quite small, but cozy. He walked over to the bed and sat down.

Fortunately, the bartender had believed his lie. If the bartender had questioned him anymore, he might have had to leave.

“One more day. Then I can fight. Damn. Hopefully, those demons have let up on their search for me.”

He sighed as he thought about his narrow escape. He had lost the demons in the forest. But then, a crazy spellcaster chased him through the forest. When he made it out, the mage had stopped chasing him.

For now, he was safe. But Savunt knew that it wouldn’t be too long before the demons resumed their chance. He stared out the window at the starry sky as he thought about his next options.

The small village of Stekon slowly went to sleep as the moon rose in the night.

* * *

Within the nighttime, a household in Stekon was still bright and lively.

“Senia! Where are you? Furen’s saying goodbye!” A middle-aged woman yelled.

“Coming Mom!” Senia dropped her book on her desk and left her room. She walked down the stairs.

Her mother and a man stood below waiting for her.

“Hey Furen. Thanks for stopping by.” Senia smiled at the man.

“No problem, Sen. Just call me whenever you need me.” Furen grinned. He patted Senia’s head like she was a little child. She still was a child, but she was 13 now. A little old to be patted. But she accepted the man’s display of affection.

“Alright Sasi. I’m gonna head back now. Have a good night.” Furen leaned and kissed Senia’s mother.

“You too, Furen. Be safe.” Sasi replied.

Furen headed out the door and waved goodbye. Sasi and Senia waved back. Sasi closed the door. There was a gentle smile on her face. Senia looked at her inquisitively.

“Hey Mom…why don’t you two…just marry already?” Senia asked her mother. Sasi looked at her with a start.

“I would love to, Sen. But…these things take time.” The mother sighed. Then in a low mutter, “Especially when he’s a spineless coward.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, sweetie. Head upstairs. It’s getting late. Go to sleep.” The mother quickly recovered.

“Alright. Have a good night Mom.”

“You too, dear.”

As the village of Stekon went to sleep, the neighboring Adovian forest was still brimming with excitement and anticipation.

* * *

“The mighty lord Azarot has come to visit us?” An elderly elf asked in mock amazement.

“Cut the crap, Glair. I’m in no mood to fool around. One of our own has been lost.” Azarot replied coldly.

The elf elder widened his eyes.

“Was it the homunculus?”

“No. It was another. But that doesn’t matter. In our current state, I’m not confident in our ability to take on the homunculus. So I would like to enlist the help of the Adovian elves.” The demon replied.

“Our help? Very well. Are you aware of the current location of the homunculus?” Glair asked. Azarot cruelly smiled.

“Yes. We left a tracking beacon on him. He’s currently within the village of Stekon.”

“Stekon? Oh my, that’s right next to this forest. If he is that close…then let’s attack now. Before he can flee once more.” Glair suggested.

“Exactly what I was thinking. Tonight, the village of Stekon…will go up in flames.”

* * *

The boy and the wolf walked side by side. The wolf had completely changed. It had doubled its original size. Numerous red veins pulsed all over its body. Its teeth were incredibly sharp and large. And its attitude towards the boy was completely different. Even though it was a magical beast, it looked at the boy with loyalty and affection.

The boy had constantly followed the wolf, helping it hunt down new prey. Whenever it was hungry, the boy would feed it any beast he could find. The wolf grew stronger with the boy’s help. Over time, the wolf began to completely trust the boy. Its survival and growth was all due to the boy’s help.

The boy looked at the wolf. He smiled. His plan was going perfectly. Through [Intimidation], he had managed to completely subdue the beast. By feeding and protecting it, he had managed to make the wolf accept him. Now, the wolf would follow his orders with blind loyalty. Perfect.

The boy took out the vial of poison from his bag. He had tested the poison on a wandering rabbit. He had waited for the poison to take effect, but nothing happened at first. In fact, the rabbit acted completely normally. It wasn’t until four hours later, the rabbit suddenly dropped dead. No warning at all.

It seemed the poison had a delay of four hours. The boy didn’t understand the reason for the delay, but the poison worked.

He walked over to the wolf. The wolf let the boy open its mouth. The boy poured the vial of poison down the wolf’s threat. The beast was unsure of why the boy was giving him the strange liquid, but it accepted his decision with blind trust.

The boy patted the wolf and smiled.

“Come boy. It’s time.” Boy and wolf began to walk. Towards the bear. Towards the king of the caves.

* * *

The bear was slumbering, when it head footsteps. It got up and roared. It seemed that a new challenger was approaching.

It walked out of its lair into a large circular room.

There, a boy and a wolf awaited him.

The boy ordered, “Go get him, boy!” The wolf snarled eagerly and rushed towards the bear.

The bear growled and raised his paw. The bear slammed its paw towards the wolf. The wolf quickly sidestepped and bit the bear’s neck. The bear roared and grabbed the wolf with its claws.

The wolf whimpered as it felt the bear’s long claws pierce its body. The bear threw the wolf against the ground, shattering its bones. The bear quickly pounced on the wolf and began to tear its flesh apart with its impressive teeth.

The wolf turned its head to look at the boy, whining and pleading for help. But its owner was gone. The wolf spent its last moments abandoned and betrayed by the one being it thought it could trust.

* * *

His plan was quite simple. Find a beast that would become loyal and strong. Poison the beast and let the bear kill it. The bear would eat the poisoned beast and die.

The boy needed the beast to be strong, otherwise the beast would not challenge the bear. The boy needed to instill a fake sense of confidence in the beast in order to get it to fight the bear. In order to make the beast listen to him, he needed loyalty.

The wolf was perfect. Even though it was a magical beast filled only with thoughts of survival, it slowly developed a sense of loyalty towards the boy. The beast would follow the boy anywhere he went. So when the boy gave the order to fight the bear, the wolf did not question him.

The boy smiled. His plan worked. Now the bear would return to his cave. Four hours later, the poison would take effect. Now, he just had to wait.

As he waited, his last thoughts about the wolf he had cared for disappeared.

* * *

Four hours later, he walked into the cave where the bear and wolf had fought. The wolf’s remains were scattered on the floor. The boy took a single look at its corpse and turned away. The wolf had served its purpose well.

The boy continued forward. In the next room, he found the bear, lying completely still on the ground. He smiled. The bear had fallen. The boy walked past the bear.

Suddenly, a roar shook the room. Eyes wide with shock, the boy turned around. Too slow. The bear was already on him.

Its paw came down, and the boy’s left arm went flying.

Incredible pain coursed through his pain, but the boy hardly registered it. He jumped backwards. The bear rushed towards him. Suddenly, it stumbled.

It fell to the ground. It struggled to raise its head, but it became sluggish with every move.

When the bear stopped moving, the boy finally moved from his position. His left arm was missing, and he was heavily bleeding.

The boy could feel his skin slowly covering his wound. He got up and moved towards the bear.

He placed his right palm on the bear’s eye.

This time. He would make sure the bear was dead.

“[Water Jet].” A rush of water pierced through the bear’s eye.

The boy sat down and waited for his recovery. He couldn’t move on until his wound recovered. He closed his eyes. Sleep came soon.

* * *

A landscape. Completely white. Devoid of everything and anything.

A single being was sitting on the ground.

He suddenly turned his head around.

“Oh. So you’ve made it.” The boy stood up and looked in front of him.

But there was nothing. Only empty space.

“Wow…you’re different than I had imagined...but that’s to be expected. After all, you’re much stronger.”

There was a sad smile on the boy’s face.

“You are so strong...you want to live so badly…not like me.”

The boy’s voice began to falter. The boy looked down at his feet.

“I…am just a nobody. No one will ever miss me. No one will ever remember me. I don’t understand…the point of living anymore.”

The boy looked up once more.

“But you…are different. You don’t care about any of that.”

A strange mixture of emotions appeared on the boy’s face. Admiration. Fear. Self-disgust. Self-loathing.

“Even if the whole world turned against you…I’m sure…you would just fight the entire world, wouldn’t you?”

The boy closed his eyes.

“So…keep on living…for the both of us…”

The empty world began to dim.

Everything turned to darkness.

* * *

He awoke.

Well, not really. To be more accurate, he opened his eyes. Sleep was unknown to the man.

He opened his eyes because he realized there was something wrong. He sensed danger.

He got up from his bed and looked out the window.

The sky was tinted orange. But it was still the middle of the night.

Savunt forced the windows open. He could smell the smoke from his room.

Fire.

“Shit. They’ve found me already.” The man furrowed his brow. He couldn’t fight. He needed one more night. He had to flee once more.

He climbed out the window. He jumped down and landed on the soft ground.

He looked back at the tavern.

“Sorry, Siergo…but I can’t stay around.”

* * *

“Humans…they burn quite nicely.” The elf Glair remarked.

Azarot turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

“This seems…rather crude.”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry my friend. These filthy humans deserve to burn to ashes. They will pay for their crimes.” Glair’s eyes burned with a fiery passion and hatred.

Azarot looked down at the burning village.

“Why have you not attacked before? I’m shocked you would allow a human village to be so close to your forest.”

“We have attacked. But…we ran into a little trouble.”

“Trouble? The humans pushed you back?” Azarot asked incredulously.

“No! It was one of our own. She ruined everything.” Glair growled. “It doesn’t matter anymore. She is gone, exiled forever.”

Azarot nodded and noticed a certain man running through the fiery town.

“He appears at last. Seberon!” Azarot called out.

Seberon instantly appeared at his side. “Yes, milord?”

“Take Behemet and capture the homunculus. There’s nowhere left to run.”

“Consider it done.”

* * *

He ran. As fast he could. Even though the village was burning, there were no sounds other than the crackling of fire. Something was wrong. There should at least be screams or yelling.

As he ran, he looked through the windows. He noticed what was wrong. He saw the dead bodies scattered throughout the rooms. Suddenly, he heard a scream.

Savunt turned and looked at the source of the scream. A house going up in flames. He hesitated. He shook his head and ran towards the house.

He kicked the door and looked around. He heard crying on the floor above.

“MOM!!!!” Savunt sprinted up the stairs.

He burst down the bedroom door where the scream come from.

The first thing he noticed was the girl sobbing over a dead body. Then he noticed the elf grinning as he inched closer towards the girl with a thin blade.

The elf turned and saw a fist coming straight at his face.

With the elf on the floor, Savunt turned to look at the girl. She was holding the dead body close, crying her eyes out.

Savunt grabbed the girl, wrenching her from the dead boy.

“NO!!! STOP! MOM!!!” the girl shouted.

“I’m sorry.” Savunt ran out the door, leaving behind the dead mother and the burning house behind.

He quickly ran towards the forest.

As he ran, shapes in the darkness suddenly appeared in front of him. Two demons and a crowd of elves were awaiting him.

Savunt jumped backwards, as an explosion of fire appeared at his previous position.

“Behemet. You may take him.”

“I was planning to anyways.”

Behemet launched a gigantic fireball at Savunt. He narrowly jumped out of the way. Flames rose around him.

Give up. There is nowhere left to run. We know you are not at full power. It is hopeless.” Seberon’s voice could be heard.

Savunt gritted his teeth and looked down at the girl in his arms. Her eyes were wide open, tears coming down her face. She looked back at Savunt with fear and hatred.

“I’m sorry…this is all my fault. I…will at least save you.” Savunt said with a distraught voice.

He began to call upon the little power he had.

“And I only had one more night until I was fully restored.”

A bright light shined in the town. Seberon and Behemet were forced to turn their eyes, as the light grew blinding. Everything began to turn white.

When the light faded, Savunt disappeared along with the girl.

“No! Where has he gone?” Behemet shouted with frustration.

“Remain calm. He can’t have gone too far. We will find him.”

The elves and demons began to disperse into the forest, looking for Savunt.

Ash rose towards the sky as the flames consumed the town.