73- ROUND THREE

No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep track of that pest.

“If you want to see me so badly, come here yourself.”

Seth rolled three Eldritch beads in his hand like marbles as the feed cut. Osiris has been moving outside of his country. He keeps, somehow, finding his bases and flatten them. He can’t afford to create a barrier that can keep him out.

Seth glared at the still image of the Prince throwing a kiss through the screen.

“…..”

Maybe he should try two this time.

Horus walked in on his dad staring at an image of the Prince throwing a flirty wink and kiss as the camera.

“What did he do now?”

His father didn’t look up from the image.

“Found another base.”

When his father said nothing more Horus frowned.

Horus was beginning to get anxious when it came to his father. His focus is slowly moving away from the war and he doesn’t even realize it. He’s slowly obse-

No.

Horus shook the thought away.

He’s never seen his father fight a war, it’s possible this is just who he is.

Horus sat at the desk and looked over some of his father’s plans.

They all revolved around the Prince.

“…..”

Horus felt his neck tighten.

They were taught at a very young age what obsession was. To them, a simple thing like liking something can lead to tragedy.

Most of their kind, when they still existed, find their mate and obsession before they turn fifty. Horus glanced at his father. He asked him once, why he married their mom if she wasn’t his mate, and he told them.

“I stopped looking for that a long time ago.”

Horus went back to reading the notes.

He likes women.

Horus has seen his dad get flirty with some of the women in the city. He’s even seen him take a few home. After his mom died he tried to keep those types of things from them.

Horus appreciated it, and so does Masika, but they know it must be lonely. They loved him more than life itself, and they just.

They hoped one day he could find his actual mate.

Don’t get him wrong, his father loved their mother. He was loyal and kind and he treated her like she was the world. They never doubted they were mates until Masika found their marriage contract.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but he gave her as much of his heart as he could.

I miss her so much.

He knows no one his father will choose can replace their mother, they wouldn't want that to begin with, but.

It’s probably not what I think.

Seth eventually changed the screen to a different camp.

Osiris found gold.

The man was bound completely in some mana rope his father gave him the other day. Something about something, he didn’t care.

The man tried to fight but couldn’t.

“How’s Seth?”

Felix tried to break free even harder.

Fuck!

He was only going to drop by and check on the men. He told Seth it would be a few hours.

Now he was with the last person he wanted to be with.

Especially without Seth.

The Prince was the walking embodiment of madness.

He’s seen many men have that same look each and every war he’s fought, but his never left.

Even Seth has down time.

“Such a lucky catch.”

They made it to their base.

At least if I get out I’ll know where these bastards are.

“My men.”

Felix flinched.

He talked exactly like Seth.

“Training.”

Felix has only seen bits and pieces from the videos Seth has shown him. And from the men that, somehow, survive his encounters, they say he’s brutal.

It’s like we’re fighting him instead of the Kingdom.

King Mikael’s eyes widened when he saw him.

“How did you find him?!”

Mikael was auspicious.

“I got lost.”

He shrugged.

Felix didn’t believe a word of it but the King looked like he did.

“Again?”

“Report.”

Felix watched the King sigh before snapping his fingers. A report was handed to the Prince.

“I’ll be back.”

He smiled then vanished with him, leaving the King a bit annoyed.

“Where are you taking me?!”

“Somewhere safe.”

“I doubt that.”

“Hmm, it is for me at least.”

Felix had to close his eyes as wind cut across his skin painfully and hotly.

“We’ve arrived.”

It was…just a little clearing next to a river bed.

“Seth has been pretty quiet these days.” Osiris dropped him onto the floor. “It’s making me miss him.”

Felix had a bad feeling about this.

He felt like he was going to throw up as his mana and instincts started to scream at him to run.

“I hear you two are pretty close.”

His face was rabid.

“Tell my mom I said hi on the way down.”

Seth watched Osiris pop into a bug he planted months ago. It was a small waterhole he poisoned. He was hoping to catch some other men, but this was wonder-

Felix was dropped to the ground.

Horus rushed to the tent to find his father destroying it. He was lucky the man wasn’t rampaging.

“Wha-”

On a larger, clearer screen, playing on repeat, was Osiris slowly pulling Felix’s head and spine from his body before he walks up to the recorder and laughs.

“Look, he’s still alive!”

His eyes were rolled back and a silent scream was stuck in his mouth.

Horus vomited across the floor.

Seth cut the feed and turned to his son.

“Leave me.”

Horus ran and booked it for his sister.

His eyes were already spilling.

Seth scolded himself for allowing his son to see that. Felix has been his second in command for decades. They fought in two wars together and now he was dead.

Seth sat with his staff planted between his legs. He leaned forward and put his head on the end, leaning with it.

How did he know.

How did Osiris know he was the second in command. Even Mikael thought that man was retired.

For him to specifically single Felix out and ignore the rest.

Felix was the first to help him with the children when Anat died. He even ran the Kingdom for him so that he and his children could mourn.

Seth pulled up a still of Osiris holding the head up like a trophy. His eyes were-

Seth felt something pull in his stomach.

“…..”

He broke the spell.

It’s just from the loss.

Fibble ran as he held his bleeding eye, eyeball out of his socket and hanging by a vein.

“I don’t want to die!”

Fibble got separated from his group.

They may all be High A Rankers now, but that King was a psychopath!

Fibble dodge a few more needles shooting out to that thing’s back before trying for another direction. His god tried to guide him but the beasts made it impossible.

It was a high ranking S Class monster.

It was more animal than creature and it did not tire from their chase. Osiris warned him not to touch anything he finds.

And what did he do?!

“Aaaaaaaaaa!”

It sliced through his calves and he fell sharply to the right.

Fibble blinked.

The mouth was o-

“Where have you been.”

Fibble sobbed as he held onto Osiris.

“There, there.”

He looked at the dead body.

Seth seems to be experimenting with the local wildlife again. It was a hybrid of some porcupine, rat, lion, and lizard.

“Is he a.. what are they called..”

As he was carrying Fibble like a toddler on the walk back to camp, he remembered the word.

“Chimera creator!”

“..”

“Chimera mage?”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“..”

“Chimera alchemists?”

“..”

“Chimera doctor?”

“..”

“Whatever it is.”

“..”

Seth was getting too close to his men.

The Nox family found a camp that wasn’t leveled this time, but it should have been.

Strung up on poles, rope, string, and stakes was the entire southern unit.

Osiris made them into effigies.

“Bring them down.”

Soldiers got to work, but when they touched the first one, it blew up.

Seth grit his teeth as he created a barrier around all his men as a chain reaction went off. He had to push more mana than he would have liked into keeping everyone safe.

Is he even stronger now?

When the smoke cleared there was no longer a camp.

“Hope you like the flowers I left you.”

Osiris sighed as he raised a hand up against the black roof of his tent. He worked really hard on them. Getting the bodies to stay that way was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Human flesh doesn’t make that good of an adhesive.

Osiris was flipping the camp upside down as he looked for a remedy.

Seth managed to poison his sister, again.

Only this time Luella AND his father were thrown in.

The poison was something he hasn’t seen before.

“Fuck.” Osiris thought about where Fibble was. “Let’s hope I make it in time.”

Osiris ran and prayed he can grab him and run back in time.

“He will NOT take those kills from ME. I refuse to let them die HONORABLY!”

Fibble thought he was being kidnapped, and so did Sunnie and Vep until they saw pink.

“…”

“We’ll catch up eventually.”

“Heal them.”

Fibble cast a barrier to keep mana out and began to work. Osiris watched him with his heavy gaze.

Fibble grit his teeth.

“I’m going to need to do another equal-”

He came back with three bodies.

After their first scare, Osiris made a list of people willing to die for their country in exchange for money. He made sure Goss gave that woman’s daughter enough to set her up for a decade. Once the news hit that he kept his word, there were a lot more willing sacrifices.

It took Fibble an hour to get everyone healed.

He was completely drained.

“T-There good now.”

He gave a thumbs up. Osiris ran his hand through his hair and lifted his face.

“Good boy.”

Fibble passed out.

Sunnie and Vep came and grabbed him and Osiris threw his family’s bodies together in a neck breaking pile.

That was close.

Osiris hummed as he stood outside Nox Kingdom’s farmlands. It was nice, but he could tell this wasn’t their specialty. He circled the thin barrier as Seth’s little camera man followed him at a distance.

“Scared?”

He mocked the mana.

Like its owner it stared at him with cold eyes.

He shivered.

Seth couldn’t believe he found their fucking farmlands.

He was on the other side of the fucking world gathering goods and that bastard was standing there mocking him.

Seth held his jaw.

His closest teleporter was two hours away, and he didn’t have time to implant any quickies.

“…..”

Seth succumbed to his fate and watched.

Fibble was crying when they found him.

He refused to talk and just turned to his side and faced the wall.

“…”

Vep sat on the bed while Sunnie tried to rouse him.

Nothing.

“What’s wrong-”

“It's Osiris!” He yelled at the wall. “He won’t stop!”

Fibble punched the wall.

“He won’t sleep, he only eats those pills, and he-”

He cried harder.

The two looked away from Fibble.

The Osiris they knew was gone.

He still loved and cared for them but…

“All he talks about is Seth. I don’t get it! He’s had plenty of worse enemies, I mean look at the Queen!”

Luella clenched her fist. They were being nosy.

She looked to her right and her dad shook his head.

“Yet he’s obsessed with him!”

It was true, he barely talked about anything else.

“I don’t understand.”

Sunnie held him.

They were all in the same boat, but Fibble sees more of him than they do these days.

“He won’t talk to me. I don’t understand.”

“We know him, but we don’t know him.” Vep removed his mask. “When was the last time he told us something personal?”

“He likes-”

“And I don’t mean physical things.”

“…”

“…”

“I don’t think he’s ever told us anything other than what the royals did to him.”

“My point is, he’s clearly running from something we can’t see, and whatever it is, it fucked him up, up here.”

He pointed to his head.

“H-He probably will never tell us.”

“Are you going to tell him about what your father did before the-”

She shot him a glare.

“Point made.”

Sunnie looked away and Fibble started to settle down.

“All we can do is be there to clean up the mess. We owe it to him. He’s done the same for us a million times over.”

“But what if it’s not enough?”

“Are you going to leave him because of that?”

“No?!”

Vep stroked Sunnie’s hair.

“Let’s just hope by the end of this war whatever demon he’s running from dies along with it.”

The barrier could take him an hour to break, but he had a better idea.

“Search it.”

He stomped and the ground vibrated around the dome. His grin was comical. The dome only went a hundred feet down. Osiris turned and held his hands under his jaw and looked up.

“What are you up to these days?” The little demon stared. “I was hoping to find you here, but, alas.”

Seth was still holding his jaw when Osiris stomped a foot and created a hole straight through the ground.

“You’ll have to wait out here.”

Seth tried to follow him but it was dripping with magma all along the walls. He pulled the spell back and started looking inside the dome. He had a feeling he found a way around his spell.

Something I didn’t notice.

The Prince was surprisingly insightful after his little escapades. He showed Seth everything wrong with his work.

I’ve gotten complacent.

It’s been a long time since someone outmatched him. The Prince has shown him how lazy he’s gotten with his work. He’s fallen into habits and now, because of Osiris, he’s learning he’s fallen behind.

“I’ve gotten too comfortable in my position.”

Seth watched the hole pop right in the middle of his fields. Osiris jumped and waved at him.

“Maybe it’s time Horus-”

Like a pyromaniac running a controlled burn through a dry grass field, Osiris toned down his heat to a regular, oily fire.

He walked.

“Those make good bread, if you bake it right-”

Osiris started naming all the crops, what they were good for, how many calories they had, etcetera. Seth’s little camera followed him around, even getting close when he was near the edge.

This will do it right?

Osiris started on the bigger crops.

This will make him fight me, right? This is enough, right?!

He wanted to touch him.

He didn’t care how but he wanted to dig his fingers into his flesh until it’s seared onto his skin.

“..”

“This war is ruining me. How will I ever find someone like this?!” Osiris lost himself for a second and ripped at his hair. “I joke, but how-”

Osiris stilled.

“I’ll worry about it later.”

“…..”

What did he mean by find someone like-

Something ugly peaked through his chest.

“I heard you have a wife, how’s that going for you?”

Osiris was finishing up his work.

He drew a big dick in the middle and a bunch of jizz and fuzz everywhere else. He even left extra mana in it to make sure that, even after he leaves they will know he was there.

“Well, nice chat but I got a date!”

Osiris was about to flash away when he felt some of Nox’s men appear.

He spotted Horus.

That little spell was now on him, watching him as he watched his son. He could feel a huge difference from before.

“..”

Should he?

Horus noticed him and froze.

He could.

He started to cast hundreds of barriers to put between them as his face was wiped with hate and fear.

“..”

Osiris turned and walked away.

Seth followed him until he crossed over into dragon land while ushering his son to leave.

Horus was able to teleport back to base before Osiris left his view.

Seth looked down at his hands.

They were shaking.

Seth pulled up the screen and replayed the last reaction one more time.

“Well, nice chat but I got a date!”

Again, something boiled lightly under his skin.

Osiris spotted his son.

Seth expected to see his madness take over when he realized his son was there. His death would ruin him. Just like the death of his daughter would crush him.

He thought he lost him then and there.

Seth was already grieving by the time Osiris turned and walked away.

If that had been him-

“…..”

If that would have been me, I would have killed his son.

So it was automatic that he thought the Prince would do the same.

He should have done the same.

“…..”

Osiris was patrolling all alone when he found the coolest little cave. It was shallow, but the family of phoenixes used it like a nest.

“How cute.”

They looked at him warily.

“I’m not here to attack, just thought it looked neat in here.” Osiris hummed as the little babies poked their head out from under their mom before diving back in. “Two boys, that’s going to cause some territory issues.”

“Not if they leave the nest.”

“True, I forget they would have you to fight too if they did that.”

“The world is big enough, and our numbers are small enough. We do not need to fight.”

“..point taken. Well-” Osiris tossed them a few S Classes he killed. “-my treat. Make sure to leave within an hour. A battle is near.”

Osiris left them and walked further along the mountain edge. Seth planted some more creature features for him. Three, to be exact.

There was no way he would survive this.

“Figures.” He sighed dramatically. “Oh, well.”

Osiris walked until he reached the giant craves on the other side. The mountain was more of a moon shape than a triangle.

But he didn’t just eat the last one for nothing.

“Tough on the out, soft on the in, like a turtle.”

The tricky part was getting in.

The last one hit him with a tentacle before he could even react.

Maybe if I go up?

No, that wouldn’t work. Their bodies are big, but fucking fast. He’ll have less than a second to see what position they’re in before they move.

“..” He shrugged. “Guess I’ll wing it.”

Seth waited for the wandering man to step into the center. Seth has learned he finds his camps because he wanders literally anywhere. There is no purpose until he makes one. It was infuriating to work around.

So he tried to see what was similar to the others, and lo and behold it was always something to do with animals, people, or places that look, in the Prince's own words, magical. Seth could picture his hands doing the half moon wave he did.

“…..”

So Seth found a place that looked odd like the rest and here the Prince was, wandering where he shouldn’t be.

Two more steps.

He stopped and looked around.

One step.

He set a barrier around him, one nearly as strong as the attack at the capitol, and he made sure it was completely sealed. It would only hold the Eldritchs back for a minute, but it should be more than enough.

He dropped the seeds.

One looked constipated, the other ready to spring, and the last-

“HHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAA-”

He shot himself straight into its mouth.

“How lucky am I?”

He was really feeling himself on this one.

“He survived the first hit.”

Seth watched the Prince shoot out of one of the, now very dead, Eldritchs. He was covered in blue blood while eating something.

He dove back in as another attacked, shoving a tentacle in, while the other started to break his shield.

Osiris hopped out the dead Eldritch’s eye and tried to go into the other, but was knocked across the field and through the one that busted his shield.

It dropped dead a few seconds later.

Seth got closer to the screen.

Osiris, smartly, waited for the third to die. He stayed safe doing something inside that corpse while it protected him from most of the thrashing of the dying creature. He came out looking spasmodic.

He threw himself to the ground and faced the sky. His face was flush. He looked satisfied.

Horus walked in to see how his dad’s plan was going when he froze at the door.

His dad was standing so close to the screen he was almost touching it. He had madness in his eyes. He was smiling with his teeth. He has NEVER seen his father like this. Not even with their mother.

He-

“He killed two of them.” His father wasn’t talking to him. He didn’t even notice him. “Ha, I can’t-”

He noticed him.

His dad rubbed his hand over his mouth, fixing his gaze.

“The plan failed.”

Horus could still hear his father’s laugh as he tried to calm himself.

It’s just the war.

It has to be.

Osiris was too busy eating to notice the camera on him. He wasn’t going to let a thing go to wasted.

He was almost at seventy five percent.

He moaned as he finished a muscle.

“This was the best present I could ever ask for.”

Seth had to cut the feed.

“…..”

He was going to have to fight him himself.