The mighty Hellsmasher struck, and the force of the blow was as if striking a steel wall. Angon was sent reeling and fell back, crashing into the snow right before his shocked friends.

"Angon, are you okay?" Lavina whispered into his ear.

But his mind wasn't focused on his friend; instead he stared straight ahead at the still standing form of Gus. Not only was he still standing, but instead his hand was up, holding the head of the hammer. The attack had never struck; Gus had caught it.

"H-how?" Angon stammered.

Gus tossed the hammer. It landed in the snow and skidded to a stop by Angon's feet. The huge orc looked down at the fallen forge, and shook his head.

"I can not allow you to win." Gus said, his voice calm. "They have my wife. And if I do not comply, they will leave her to an eternity of torture in the Abyss. So I ask you once because I do not wish to kill you; hand over the Soul Rupture."

"Maybe we should." Ramona said, walking up beside Angon, holding the small black pouch.

"We can't." Angon told her. "My life depends on it."

The forge picked up the hammer as Ramona put the belt pouch back into her skirt pocket.

Angon grabbed the haft of the Hellsmasher and stood.

"Don't." Buster said. "If Hellsmasher can't hurt 'im, then you got no chance of winnin'."

"He's right!" Lavina cried. "Your life isn't worth throwing away just to become like us; weak and fragile."

Angon turned back to Lavina and frowned. "It is worth it. Because if I don't, you will never love me."

The half-elf girl's eyes widened, but Angon didn't give her a chance to respond. He took a step towards Gus, and held the hammer to his side.

"You fight your wife's life. I fight for my own." Angon said. "I haven't been in this world long, but I've learned enough to know that what I have is no life. I need to feel, to taste, to love; you have all of that, but I have never felt any of it."

Gus stared straight ahead at Angon, and gave a slight nod. "I would not consider that much of a life either. But I still cannot back down; because I have felt love, and I can not bear to lose it."

Off to the side, Budge and Weiggs were back away, afraid to see the slaughter they had witness once again. Weiggs still held Tricia, and she had her eyes buried into his shoulder. Gonzeelda on the other hand was edging closer towards the group of Angon's friends, and even Ramona, with her keen senses, was too focused on the impending battle.

"Let us fight." Gus said. "To see who deserves more what life has to offer."

The Walking God, reached onto his back, and drew his great axe. He held the weapon ready and nodded to Angon.

The forge burst forward, thrusting Hellsmasher. Gus brought the head of the axe up to block. With an explosion of force, the orc stumbled back a step, but then lunged forward pushing Angon. The forge pushed back and neither incredibly strong force was willing to back down.

Angon glared up at Gus, who looked back down at Angon. The forge pushed with all his might, gritting his teeth and giving it his all. Gus stared with his always calm, always cool face.

Just when it seemed the game of chicken would never end, Angon spun around behind Gus and brought Hellsmasher in with a close swing. It struck into Gus' back. The orc grunted, but didn't budge. Instead, an orcish elbow struck back into the forge's face. Angon skidded back.

When he looked up, his mythril blood leaked down his face, from his crunched in nose. But Angon couldn't feel pain. A rage exploded into the forge, the same one that had nearly cost Gavin his arm, and the very same that had allowed him to kill the powerful ice dragon in Sheeva's ice caverns.

A roar burst from his throat and he charged again. Gus was just starting to turn around as Angon kicked the back of his knee, sending him down on one. Level with his head, Angon swung Hellsmasher with that should have been a killing blow. But for some reason he stopped. He held the hammer inches from Gus' temple, but lowered the weapon.

"Why did you stop?" Gus asked, without turning around. "You had me."

"I can't do it." Angon said. "You're not a monster. You're a living being."

"I am sorry you feel that way." Gus said. "Because it means you lose."

The orc spun, snapping his hand out and grabbing Angon by this throat. The forge dropped Hellsmasher. He grabbed at Gus' grip and tried his hardest to pry himself free. But the Walking God's grip was as powerful as the jaws of an ancient dragon.

***

No one had noticed that Ramona was missing. No one, but the one who had dragged her away. Gonzeelda shut the church door carefully with her foot, as she held a dagger to the halflings throat.

"Shh." Gonzeelda hushed the halfling. "Just hand over Soul Rupture and I'll let you live."

"What's going on?" Azteron said from the front pew, but then burst into a hacking fit.

"Shut up, old man." The orcess groaned. "Or you'll be sorry."

Ramona tried to scream, but Gonzeelda pushed the blade against her throat so hard, she was sure if she even swallowed, the cut would prove fatal.

"Reach into your pocket." Gonzeelda whispered. "And give it to me."

With wide eyes, the halfling slowly started withdrawing the pouch containing Soul Rupture. Before pulling it out, she used two fingers to grab a shard of the magic weapon, and drop it back in pocket. As soon as the pouch was halfway out, Gonzeelda snatched it.

With a grin across her face, she pushed Ramona to her knees, and bashed her in the back of the head with her dagger's hilt.

"What are you doing?" Azteron growled.

Gonzeelda looked up to see the old minotaur standing several strides down the aisle.

"Whatever I want." The orcess said. "Which is no concern of yours."

"You have Soul Rupture." Azteron murmured. "You cannot be allowed to take that weapon!"

"It's mine!" She hissed, brandishing her dagger before her.

"Over my dead body." Azteron said.

With a great howl, the minotaur lowered his head and charged with his single horn.

Gonzeelda hadn't been expecting the sudden, quick attack. Azteron charged into the orcess and slammed her into the wall. She grunted, but the horn had missed the mark. If Azteron had been as powerful as he was in his younger years, the blow would've proved fatal regardless; surely crushing her inner organs, but he was old, and on his last leg.

"Fool!" Gonzeelda snapped, and thrust her dagger straight into Azteron's stomach.

The old minotaur looked up, his eyes wide behind his spectacles. Blood dripped from his mouth, matting his gray fur.

Gonzeelda withdrew the dagger and wiped it clean on his side. He fell against her murmuring something.

"What do you plan to do...?"

"Summon Torchwood." Gonzeelda whispered. "And become his wife."

"Do not bring another god to this world." Azteron whispered. "It will only mean the end of all... life..."

With that, Azteron fell limp, and she shoved the minotaur off to the side.

Gonzeelda, slipped back out into the snow to see the battle between Gus and Angon had nearly ended. The homunculus was being held by his throat and would be dead within seconds.

With her trademark ear to ear grin, the beautiful orcess hurried after Budge, Weiggs, and Tricia who had already gotten a head start towards Mt. Chronos.

***

"Let him go!" Lavina shouted, pleading.

Gus looked to the little half-elf girl. She was so tiny it was pathetic, but at the same time, it reminded him somewhat of his beloved wife, before her untimely death.

"Tell me why." Gus said.

"Because you can't take away his chance to love!" She shouted. "It isn't fair!"

"The world isn't fair." Gus muttered, looking back at Angon.

"Please!" Lavina cried again.

The nine foot tall orc lowered Angon just a bit and looked at Lavina. "Do you love him? This mechanical creature?"

Even Angon's eyes widened as he, too, looked at Lavina.

The girl was taken aback. She had never truly thought about it before. But the answer came to her quickly.

"Yes!" She shouted. "I love him!"

Before Gus could respond, Angon found a second wind of inner strength. He kicked his legs forward, striking Gus in the chest. The orc let go and Angon fell to the snow. But he bounded forward, snatching up Hellsmasher, and swinging it in an upward arc.

The magical hammer struck Gus' chin, and he flew off of his feet, and landed on his back with a great thud. Angon stood in place, heaving, his eyes full of anger at the huge man. He watched Gus, waiting to see if he would move. Or was the fight actually over?

Lavina didn't wait. She ran across the battlefield and right to Angon. She wrapped her arms around his waist and began to sob.

"You did it!" She cried. "I thought you were going to die!"

Angon leaned over and hugged her back. He couldn't feel her warmth, but soon he knew he would. They just had to get to Mount Chronos.

Behind Lavina, Gus began to stir. His eyes opened first, and then he rubbed his jaw.

"Angon!" Gavin shouted. "The orc is alive!"

The forge's eyes went wide, and he held Lavina behind him. She squeaked in fear and hid, afraid the battle was about to continue.

Gus sat up, and climbed to his feet. He picked up his great axe and locked it onto his back. Without a word, he turned and started walking towards the southern exit of town.

"Where are you going?" Angon asked.

Gus stopped and didn't turn around. But he spoke, "You defeated me. It is as plain as day that you are something special, and that you deserve life as much as anyone. I cannot take that away from you. But I must warn you, the Lich Brotherhood of the Blood Tomb will not cease. They will continue to send enemies after you, until you are destroyed, as well as having Soul Rupture in their hands."

"But your wife..." Lavina said.

Gus shook his head. "I will find another way to save her. Now that I know she is still alive, I will travel to the Abyss if I have to and rescue her. No Liches will stand in my way."

Lavina lowered her head in thought for a moment and then shouted after Gus. "Are you really a god?"

Again, Gus shook his head. "No. I am far from a one. I am mortal, and no mortal can defeat a god."

With that, the great orc mercenary left Angel's Outpost.

Angon looked back to his friends who wore grins. But one of them was missing. Ramona had vanished.

"Where's the little one?" Angon asked.

"I don't know." Buster grumbled. "Probably hiding away cuz she's scared."

"Maybe she's inside the church?" Lavina suggested.

"She'd better not have run off with Soul Rupture." Angon said, walking to the church's door.

He pushed them open, and his eyes went wide.

Both Ramona and his father were lying on the floor, unmoving, amidst a large puddle of blood.