“Don’t get cocky little boy.”

“Then come and prove me wrong then.”

The grown man shaking swings his axe downwards towards Nero, but he just stands there waiting for the swing to hit him, and moments before it does he steps out of the way.

Then with his axe, Nero breaks the axe of the other man, then strikes the man on the knee with the blunt edge of the axe causing his leg to buckle and fall down.

Going around him Nero puts his axe near the neck of the older man and says, “What was that again?”

The man I hold starts to sweat and freak out, so I say, “You see this you old fucks, try me again and I will cut you down.”

As the other men start to freak out, one walks forward and says, “Everyone calm down, remember there is far more of us than him.”

Holding my axe closer to the neck of the man I have, I say, “Well you can try me all at once.”

With a light confidence, he says, “Do you really think you could take all of us at once?”

“Not at all, but I am sure I could break your axes, and if you can’t cut down trees for your bonfires isn’t that the same as death?”

“You won’t be able to do that!”

“YOU WANT TO PUT YOU’RE LIVES ON THE LINE TO TEST THAT.”

Seeing them realize the gravity of my words, I say, “DON’T MESS WITH US AND WE WON’T MESS WITH YOU. That goes for hear and back on the campsite, a truce until we are done with preparations.”

The rest of the men look at each other confused but then the man who has an axe to his neck says, “I agree, guys let’s all just go on our way.”

Hearing the man's words, they all start to agree, so I pull the axe away and say, “Get the hell out of my sight.”

The men start to scuttle away back towards the forest with everyone else. So I turn around and say, “See I told you I could do this without hurting anyone Charles.”

Sticking his thumb to the right he says, “Good job.”

Grabbing his face, I say, “Are you incapable of smiling.” I try to shift his face into a smile, but I am unable to actually change his expression.

“Nero my face hurts.”

“So what, if you want to learn how to smile you need to keep your face like that. Now lead me to your special spot.”

-Break-

With my tongue sticking out from the heat, I say, “How far is this spot.”

Still forcing his face into a smile, Charles says, “Just a bit that way.”

“Hey Charles should we really have gone this far, they might accuse us of trying to escape?”

“We are currently in the centre of the encampment so no matter where we run we will be intercepted, and killed.”

“I guess you’re right. That’s probably the reason why there have been so few guards around.”

“Nero?”

“What?”

“Can I relax my facial muscles?”

“No.”

-Break-

In front of the two boys lay a large group of slim trees.

In disbelief, I say, “Charles where did you find this?”

“I didn’t, I planted them.”

“What?”

“I use the seeds from trees that others cut down and to plant a lot of the thinner tree’s over here. No one ever follows me up here because of how far it is.”

Holding my axe, I say, “Well now it is time to get some work done.” Running up towards one of the trees I swing my axe towards it and make a little cut in it.

Looking at the cut, I say with a smile, “Looks like this is going to take forever.”

“I think you’re just doing it wrong.”

“Then why don’t you just come here and show me how it is done then!”

“Can I take my hands off my face?”

“Of course you can, but when you finish you better go back to practicing your smile.”

“Ok.” Walking towards the tree, Charles takes his axe from me and says, “First you plant your feet directly on the ground, then bring the axe to your side whilst rotating your body, then in one unified motion swing with your body weight right into the tree.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

When Charles's axe hits the tree it is completely sliced through in one swing.

Looking at me with his same bland expression, he says, “Now you do the same.”

“LIKE HELL I COULD DO THAT!”

Confused he asks, “Why?”

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, YOU JUST CUT DOWN A TREE IN ONE BLOW ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?”

“Yes.”

“NO THE FUCK YOU’RE NOT.”

“I don’t see what is so strange just follow my instructions.”

“I AM GOING TO SLAM YOUR HEAD INTO THE GROUND.”

“Just use the flowy stuff.”

“Flowy stuff?”

“Flowy stuff.”

“Explain don’t repeat.”

“Around my body, I feel flowy stuff every time I need to use my strength or take blow. Wherever I send it to gets stronger.”

“Is that why you can walk off all those blows the men give you.”

“Yes.”

“I see.” Didn’t dad say something along those lines before. If this flowy stuff is the same thing that gave Dad his strength, then I should aim to gain this as well.

Putting my hands on Charles's shoulders I ask, “How did you unlock such an ability!?”

“Don’t know.”

Shaking him more, I say, “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t know.”

“EXPLAIN THEN.”

“I just had it my whole life.”

“That isn’t an explanation.”

“Maybe if you swing at the tree using my method it would work.”

Charles has unlocked a special ability; deception.

Stopping his repetitive shaking of Charles, Nero asks with a bright smile, “Really!”

Charles has unlocked a special ability; Guilt.

With a tone a little less bland than usual, Charles says, “Yes.”

Picking up his axe Nero starts to swing away at the tree, while Charles watches him with his hands pressed up against his face.

-Break-

Laying on the floor I say, “This really is gruelling work, I have been hacking away at the tree all day and there has barely been any damage done to it.”

Turning to Charles, I say, “How much longer till I understand the flowy stuff?”

Charles has a slightly different facial expression than usual, while he says, “I lied.”

“You lied?”

“Yes, I lied.”

With a smile, I say, “I see.” Then I smack him on the head, and say, “Don’t waste my time then.”

“I see.”

Sticking my two fingers up his nose, I say, “You better, I hear, and I smell what I said as well then.”

Trying to remove my finger, while keeping his hand to his face, Charles says, “What does that even mean?”

“I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA!” Letting him go I say, “Well whatever it doesn’t matter does it we should get to moving the tree you did cut down towards where we are going to set up our bonfire.”

Walking over towards the tree, I try to pick it up, but I am completely unable to. “I thought these thinner ones would be possible for me to carry, but there is no chance.”

Charles behind me asks, “Can I use my hands?”

Sighing, I say, “I guess we have no choice.”

Walking towards the tree Charles picks it up and puts it on his shoulder and walks forward with it.

As I stare in disbelief, Charles asks, “You ready?”

Sighing, I slump down, and say, “I want to be that strong as well.”

-Break-

Seeing the statue of the one they call Balor, Charles beside me says, “We can drop it hear, since the bonfires only have to be visible from that giant statue.”

“But won’t people just steal the tree if we leave it here?”

“The beastkin make a point of defending all the bonfires because any form of assault against them is seen as an assault against their god.”

“What the hell is even the importance of this festival, I swear they had a festival at the start of the eighth month as well but we weren’t involved in that one.”

“Samhain is the day when the world of the living and the world of the dead are closest to each other. So to make sure the spirits don’t go on a rampage they make these bonfires to calm and protect themselves for them.

Even the spirits of us humans can come and attack so they make a point of letting us do such a thing as well, so that the lands won’t be cursed by the spirits.”

Looking at Charles in confusion, I ask, “How do you even know that?”

“I don’t know, it is just something that I have always known, like I was told a long time before.”

Suddenly the bell rings, which signifies the fact that we must return to our campsite, and we start running to get to the meeting point.

Charles has never interacted with anyone on the campsite before, so how the hell would he even know the reasoning behind this?

-Break-

Later that night

From the sky’s a beastkin who looks similar to a bat files down to meet the man named Bricriu, this beastkin is the same one that first greeted Nero at the plantation.

Upon landing, the bat takes a knee and says in the unknown language that Nero heard, “My lord Bricriu, I have heard you request me?”

With bloody hands, Bricriu stares directly at his malformed sculpture in front of him, composed of the bodies of the people he recently executed including Nero’s father.

Still, with his eyes locked onto the sculpture, Bricriu says, “I have Liam, but you should relax you muscles are much too stiff, and you can simply refer to me as Bricriu.

Φ Lowering my head, I say, “I can’t do that. Not only do you far outrank me, you also happened to be the head of one of the twelve houses of the red branch. I couldn’t dare raise my head towards you.”

With his bloody hands, he pats my head and says, “Don’t be that way Liam, you are someone whose keen ears have allowed me to rout out the rebellious elements in my plantation, and anyway isn’t another member of the twelve houses working here on this farm? I have heard you even gave him a rather insulting name?”

Bowing my head even lower, I say, “I have never once referred to him by such a name.”

“I doubt that especially since your heartbeat just increased. I hope you all know that you could be executed for this if it were to fall into the wrong ears. But since you’re such an upholder of our laws you would welcome such an execution.”

With my head so low it is basically touching the ground, I say, “Sor-.”

“But if you were a much more relaxed person, let’s say someone who would casually use my name. That would show me you lack understanding of our ways and need to be re-educated instead of punished.”

Due to my life being in the balance my brain grasps what he says, so I say, “Bricriu.”

“See was that so hard.”

“What do you need me for?”

“I just wanted to know how people are doing this Samhain?”

“It is going fine, the slaves are building their shrines, and all of us workers have been rotating work to build our shrines. Though there has been a bit of bloodshed by the slaves as they fight over trees.”

“I see. Please bring any corpses found over to me, I would like to add them to my sculptures.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Liam!”

“Sorry.”

“Young ones like you really take a long time to learn, but it is the job of us adults to guide you. Now I have another special request for you, please gather able men and tell them to follow these instructions.”

As Bricriu tells me what to do, I say, “Where did you even find the supplies for such an endeavour.”

“I got them from a bet with another of the twelve houses.”

“Would they really give up such a high amount of resources over a bet?”

“You have a rather warped perception of who the twelve houses really are. Every single one of us is just a fool with too much power and time, I would suggest you remember those words, because if you make me happy enough you might one day get to join.”

Holding my head up, I say with wonder, “Is this a jest?”

“Nothing of the sort. Now get back to work.”

As Liam flies away all Bricriu can do is smile at his wonderful idea.