After countless sparring bouts with his father. Marlin understood why Warriors barely gained any expertise or mastery whatsoever. Once everything kicked in, rage, fury and adrenaline, he had a hard time simply keeping himself in check.
Bradford had “allowed” Marlin to make successful strikes, to give Marlin an idea of the potential of rage. The euphoria had been so intense, everything had gone black and Bradford had been forced to knock him unconscious.
He hadn’t been allowed to train for a week after that and only after Bradford pointed out that if Marlin had fought others at his own level, he would have ripped them apart in his rage. Did Mark agree he needed better self control.
Not only that, but Billy through their telepathic bond had gone completely nuts as well. A couple of smaller apple trees, had not survived.
Marlin loved being a warrior, but brutal serial killer? Not so much.
So from that point on, he resigned to meditation practice each day with Betty.
“Feeel~ the love~ around you Marlin”.
Marlin grumbled, “yes mother”.
“Mother”?
“yes marlin~”?
“im having a pretty decent childhood huh”? Marlin mused.
“you are having an amazing childhood, now knock on wood so you don’t jinx it”’
”after this i would like to go and try some hunting. Ive gained my proficiency with throwing axes and my hand axe, serves that purpose well enough”.
Betty sighed. “I can’t believe im saying this but i think you need proper weapons”.
Marlin almost fell over sitting. “What? Who are you? And what have you done with my mother”? He moves over and checked her Temperature, “are you feeling well”?
“oo hush you. Im serious though Marlin. I mean look at you, barely 8 years and you look like a strong 18 year old boy”.
“well technically im 48 now”.
“you are at best a 15 year old boy you hear”? She looked at him with those puppy eyes that pretended i kicked her.
“Yes Mother, im your lovable 15 year old”.
She smiled, and patted his back. “You know”, she mused, “you have never said a word about how you became a traveler. Only bits and pieces, and don’t think that whenever the subject of your strife blessing comes up, me and Bradford don’t see that look of guilt”.
Marlin looked at his mother. After close to 5 years in this world he only hinted at bits and pieces of his past.
“I told you mother, sadanis managed to make me feel pleasure from the pain of someone i used to care about”.
“Marlin…. Do you think im a fool? I love you and i know you love me as your mother. In these 5 years ive never had anyone treat me so gently as you do… in your own brash ways. The moment you have even the slightest inkling that your actions would hurt me or Bradford, you go through tremendous lengths to prevent it”.
“its so easy to break”. Marlin sighed
“what do you mean”? Betty was sitting in front of him. Looking at his face closely.
“relationships i mean. So easy to say one wrong thing for things to sideways”.
he continued:
”1 thing said wrong or misunderstood, for 2 people to grow ever so slightly more distant and close up. And before you know it it’s gone”.
“Marlin… that’s not a proper relationship between two people that love each other. that’s 2 acquaintances, allies or partners in crime at best but not a proper relationship”.
For the first time he felt Betty’s words had a sharp edge to them. Without him telling them, she had inferred from his body language and actions and probably suspected for a while, vaguely what he was dealing with.
The thing that he never wanted to admit. Most people he had “cared”, for never “cared” for him. That disgusting feeling of not being wanted, that rage of inadequacy of not knowing why you weren’t good enough for them.
“Did you not have loving parents in your passed life”?
Marlin could barely remember, “they were always busy”,
”So am i, so is Bradford”. Betty scooted over sitting next to him. Arm wrapped around Marlin.
“Did you ever get married”?
Marlin nodded.
”Kids”?
Marlin nodded again.
“How many”?
“4, Marlin smiled. I can still remember holding them for the first time, how precious it felt”.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
You and your wife must have been very happy.
“We were, at least i thought so. Life started getting to us, and as life went on we grew distant, i worked harder and harder, jobs household helping others when they needed it. Helping my wife reach her goals and ambitions”.
he continued:
“in the last 10 years of that life i don’t remember, ever not being tired or exhausted. Something always needed to be done and it usually fell to me”.
he went on, it came pouring out:
”I kept running myself into the ground i ignored all the problems that started piling up.
Thinking back on it, i think my wife had been seeing other men for a long time”.
Mark sighed.
Betty looked at him straight. “what do you mean looking at other men”? Mark looked at her and realized something had been lost in translation.
Marlin shuffled uncomfortably. “You know.. sleeping with them”?
“because it was too cold”!? Mark had to do a double take looking at Betty’s face. She still didn’t get it.
“Cheating on me with other men. For example it made me question whether or not my 2 youngest where even mine”.
”WHAT!? HOW THE FUCK COULD SHE DO THAT”!? Betty screamed. She got up fuming clenching her fists, pacing around completely beside herself.
It was the first time Marlin had seen her, furious or angry or hear her curse, and he had no idea what to do. He was also taken aback, he hadn’t expected a response this extreme.
Bradford came running, he had heard the outburst and gave Marlin a questioning look after Betty couldn’t get a word out, trembling and shaking.
Marlin gave Bradford a short version of what had happened, what the two of them had been talking about, Bradford’s response was calm, at least that’s what you would think if you didn’t know the man.
Marlin had to take a step back he had never seen Bradford this enraged. But he regained control a bit sooner and gave Betty a hug and shushed her for a good ten minutes.
Marlin stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do, he figured his parent’s response would have been strong he just didn’t expect them to fly off the handle like that.
”Marlin”?
“yes father”?
“im loath to ask but how long were you with that…. Woman”?
”14 years right up until i died”.
”and during all this time, you knew? but stayed with her?
“Well sort of, It didn’t hit me until the very last moments, deep down i had known for longer but i pushed the realization away not wanting to face the truth”.
Bradford, face was tense, stern as he pondered. Betty had calmed down and walked over to Marlin and hugged him and refused to let go.
”im ok mom”.
“no you are not! How can you be”?
“well well look at this sappy lot”!
a gruff unfamiliar voice, all three looked up and 4 dirty looking men and women looked at them grinning.
“Bandits”,Bradford whispered for both of us to hear. Marlin gripped his training axe, not designed for combat but better then nothing, He sighed in relief, Bradford always walked around with that weathered but razor sharp claymore. And his calm demeanor did a lot of good for my nerves.
Marlin’s heart began its drum. He tried to keep calm through the raging fire of fury, the giddiness of adrenaline started building.
The ugliest of the bunch, a burly ugly piece of shit, stalked forward, “me and the ladd and lasses f’been travulin’ and we be wondering if you have some good food you be wllen to share”, he spoke loud chuckling all the way, Marlin didn’t need body language to know he was full of shit.
“and some company from the young un”! I like em young, one of the women said licking her lips, eyeing Marlin who felt multiple shivers run down his spine.
Betty had let go of him and was gripping a pitchfork, Marlin vaguely recalled farming gave you proficiency in that tool but the shaking of her hands told him she wouldn’t be very effective in a fight. She looked horrified at the woman.
He looked at the creepy bitch and yelled, “no thanks I don’t do crazy”!
the other 3 bandits chuckled and had their weapons drawn and started approaching them, Bradford had remained calm and was standing in a ready stance.
“aww don’t be like that~ il let your mommy watch~”, the crazy bitch sneered.
Marlin snorted: “looking at your ugly mug, i’ve developed a spontaneous case of erectile dysfunction”. Failed taunt
creepy bitch: “erectile wha”?
Marlin exasperatedly sigh: “It means you’re so fucking ugly my dick registers you as an ugly ass bitch troll”! Taunt success
Betty: “m-marlin please stop”.
Creepy bitch: “listen to your mother! You little shit”! She started walking faster close to running separating herself from the others.
Marlin smirked: “awww did i struck a chord? What happened? You only like em young because the older ones remind you a little too much of when your daddy fucked you a little too hard”? Critical taunt success
what happened next was absolute chaos. His mother dropped the the pitch fork upon hearing the absolute horror coming out of her sons mouth, all 4 bandits gaped at Marlin with open mouth’s unable to respond, creepy bitch was so stunned she didn’t even feel the shling of Bradfords blade cleanly decapitating her, next thing Marlin knew Bradford SMOTE the biggest dude with a downward chop, his blade wreathed in blinding light that struck like lightning.
Mark threw his axe at one of the bandits who had recovered enough to try and flank bradford, the axe glanced of the man’s shoulder drawing his attention for a split second.
Billy, the motherfucking goat, who had been there the whole time waiting, decided this was the perfect moment to charge and ram the fool straight into his ass. Giving Bradford enough time to dispose of the third and then execute the fourth one while he tried to stumble back to his feet.
the whole thing happened in less than 7 seconds.
pling
congratulations you have survived your first battle! Your incredible successful use of taunt has granted you 432 experience with the intimidation skill set and thus 42 personal experience. Furthermore your axe throw fueled with all your fury, hit true and netted you 8 experience with axes and 4 personal experience. Well done! And well fought!
Marlin looked at the dead bodies cut with deadly precision, trembling at how quick it had been, it hammered into him a glaring weakness of his class, he needed momentum to get going, looking at the speed and precision of Bradford he questioned how he was ever going to get that time.
looking on, the man that had been smote was a smoldering hunk of dead meat. The searing heat had boiled him on the inside and parts of his body had popped open, the whole thing was rather gruesome.
Betty began to sob and slumped to her knees. Marlin walked over hesitantly, he hadn’t missed how she had reacted to his taunts.
“mom… im sorry…”
Betty looked up, her face a blubbering mess. “For what”?
“For saying such….. horrid things”
.
Betty shook her head, “im not… im not mad marlin. Just utterly shocked. At how insidious you can be. Do.. do you have thoughts like that about your mother too”?
Marlin sighed, “of course not. You are basically a big fluffy cake that is far too sweet for me”. Betty nodded and smiled at this and got up shakily.
Bradford had come over in the meantime and calmly patted Betty on the shoulder. “Let out dear, it’s ok”.he soothed her.
He gave marlin a look that marlin didn’t know what to do with so he just stood there smiling awkwardly.
Billy the goat came and gently boobed Marlin’s hand. Marlin looked at his trusty steed. “Well done billy you will receive extra belly rubs and 2 bed time stories from the lords mother tonight”.
“That’s right”! betty smiled through her tears.
billy held his head high, smug and happy he had been a very good knightly steed indeed.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning up the dead bodies which basically came down to burning the whole lot and looting their corpses.
Marlin took one particularly nasty looking serrated battle axe and he took it to his bed stroking it lovingly. My precious.