Steinith stood motionless in the center of the village.

His expression was much like the villagers—bewildered at hearing the Ancient Sword talk. Their hearts pumped furiously at hearing the voice spoken without a mouth. Somehow, it was in their ears, a power of sorts, one that not an iota of magic could be felt around.

And Steinith's head slowly shook. "Y-You… can talk?"

"Learned it like everyone else at the age of three," Delt responded, sticking himself slightly out of his sheath to be better seen. "Though from the looks of you… probably took you a bit longer than that, didn't it, big guy?"

Rodent hunched forward, pumped out his arms, and glared over his shoulder at Delt. "Will you please stop antagonizing the people that already have reason enough to KILL ME?"

"HEY! I DON'T CARE IF YOU LIVE OR DIE!" Delt returned as he slid higher out of his hold. "Anyone who says they're snapping me is having their throat cut and their body eviscerated." His attention turned to Steinith. "And don't think I need a hand to stab you, big guy. I'm only powerless when this bozo is in charge."

Steinith, despite all the shit that was spoken, was still focused on talking to the man of legend. "Y-You're… you're the Ancient Hero. Y-You actually fused with your sword—the legends were true. You saved the world. Then saved it again."

"Buddy. I've saved the world more times than the people counting it actually counted." The wind blew across the sword's handle, a quick breeze sensed by the eyes as if it was supposed to resemble a hand dismissively waving. "How many times does the legend claim that I saved the day? You can inflate those numbers a lil' if you like."

Steinith was unaffected by the sword's speech. "And you… also let the world come to its end."

"No shit!" Delt responded. "Here's the thing: the world is always coming to an end. You idiots just suck at existing." He slid back into his sheath. "Y'all wouldn't need a hero if y'all stopped bringing the world to an end. Don't look at me like I'm the bad guy."

Steinith was even more frozen. Cool winds blew over the village. The gathered people also looked hopelessly at the sword—the one that they had been raised on. Fables, legends, and stories about this hero and blade that saved the world time and again and made the ultimate sacrifice with the promise that his blade could be found again.

And now…

…they met the legend…

…and felt immense emptiness because of it.

"Enough of all this." Rodent brought a hand over his shoulder and gripped the blade's handle, drawing it forward and holding it like he was trained. He looked at the man bigger than himself without a change to his expression. "I don't care about the legend or the ancient hero. None of that stuff interested me."

He aimed the blade at his foe. "I just want to save this village and set it free. I don't care what either of you say about it." He lowered the sword. "You can leave now and let this be over."

Steinith shook his head and exhaled, crossing his arms, actual dismay displayed on his face. "No can do. Orders are orders."

Rodent nodded. "I understand."

Steinith uncrossed his arms and spread out his legs, cracking his neck and next his knuckles, coming to tower like the structure he was. His oversized hands raised and curled into fists while he looked down at Rodent. Rodent, taking a stance, watched his opponent from over the blade.

"You're not going to draw your weapon?"

Steinith thundered closer to Rodent. "I'll grab it when I need it."

Steinith then thundered right to Rodent and, shocking the ground with his steps, lurched back with a fist cocked in the air. Rodent quickly jumped as the fist smashed down to where he had been—creating a small crater. Steinith remained leaned over, keeping like that as a dirt cloud rose, his head turning to look at the shocked Rodent.

"That was where you were supposed to attack me, small thing." Steinith, clutching a handful of ground, threw the same fist and arm toward Rodent—who stumbled backward, avoiding the giant's swing, but was attacked by the clump of dirt flying out the giant's hand. "Don't stand still for too long. Speed is all you have. And even I have my ways around it."

Rodent stumbled back as the dirt broke against him, the pelting cutting at his exposed skin, leaving his chest feeling winded. The giant had raised his full height and started walking toward him like a robot—about to punch down again.

Rodent, side-stepping out of the way again, swung his blade upward against the descending fist, cutting up the side of it and even nicking the bone of Steinith's fist. Steinith, smirking as he pounded the ground yet again, did not greatly bleed—only a thin, shallow line of red running up his wrist.

"Heh." Steinith chuckled, raising again, dirt and such falling from him. He raised his injured hand and twisted it a bit, inspecting it with his other fingers. "Just as I suspected… you've never swung to kill before, have you, boy?" He turned his head and, through a cloud of lingering dust, grinned at the frightful man. "You might have been in a fight before. But your heart hasn't resolved itself to take a life, has it?"

Rodent, hunched forward and breathing through his mouth, wore a strained face as he held out his arm and sword, unable to answer. Thankfully, his sword did so for him, though Delt focused on Rodent. "No fuckin' way," Delt said. "You didn't pick up a sword without thinkin' you'd never have to kill with it, right?"

Rodent struggled to speak.

Delt anguish could be felt in the warming and tense air around it. "OH! FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"Mwahaha." Steinith laughed and strolled over to Rodent—who had almost locked up. "Poor bub. Most get their experience chopping off the heads of sinners. Others taste it when the foul blood of a goblin stains their sword and cheek. But you? Your first target is the likes of me—an already impossible battle."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Giant's fuckin' right here, kid!" Delt said as Steinith approached. "You gotta get over yourself real quick, or else this battle is done and dusted."

Steinith swung his leg—the front of his leather boot punching Rodent's chest. He was thrown back as his chest collapsed, his shoulder striking the ground as he rolled several feet… right in front of the gathered people.

Most struggled in place, trying to defeat the vine that held them down, seeing the man that had done so much lying defeated in front of them. Something twisted and turned in their hearts—a refusal for things to go as they would. That this would be their end.

"Get UP!" Delt said from against the ground, still held in Rodent's hand, which remained locked onto Delt's grip. "I'm all for watching you die—but like this would be a fuckin' disgrace. Up. Or the people you pumped up will be chowed down."

Rodent felt his breath and heartbeat, stunned in silence by how slowly the first came and how quickly the second was. Wordless thoughts populated his mind, and tension locked away his senses. He was away from the current world, the current happenings, as he was losing himself.

W-What… what am I doing?

"RODENT!"

It was too late as the giant came and picked the man up with just a hand, grinning as he held Rodent high as his prey barely struggled. With a final chuckle, he twisted in place—chucking Rodent as hard as he could at a nearby wagon. The contact was brutal, the sound sickening, with Rodent falling to the ground again.

He curled into himself, unable to breathe, still locked away in a strange place inside himself… unable to escape. From the ground, he watched the distant, blurred Steinith gaze at him for a moment—that smirk still on his face. And then the giant turned to the gathered crowd.

Rodent wheezed as he struggled to recover.

I’m… getting lost… i-in myself…

He started to move, to feel again, taking in all the pain that his body was in, the burning muscle and the surrounding agony—struggling to find a place to exist within the inflating terribleness. Slowly, though, as he felt the inky darkness surrounding the corners of his vision… he looked to the gathered crowd that was too stunned to rise themselves.

"I told you this is how it goes… didn't I?"

Rodent blinked. He looked at the blade. It seemed calm now.

"These people allowed themselves to become too weak in waiting for a hero… for someone else to sort out their mess… and now look at the result that's brought." Delt was calm and his voice was without its usual mocking tone. "It didn't matter if you saved them. They'd just find themselves in trouble later. All a hero does is delay. That's really what life is."

Rodent croaked at that, finding a gasp was able to escape himself, something rising above the pain, something hotter than the agony. Pressing a trembling hand against the ground, Rodent struggled to rise onto a knee, holding it there as he still struggled to breathe—but the fight was now inside him.

"What… are you doing?"

Rodent didn't need to answer, as words would be wasted on the sword, and the breath could be better used. Besides, his actions would be proving enough.

Coming to feel something strongly, it inflated him from the inside… allowing him to push against all that was within and pushing him down.

Meanwhile, before the crowd, Steinith stood with his arms raised and to the sides, taking a dramatic pose.

"See!? You are all FOOLS!" His hands shook violently from the intensity of his words. "How could you think—even for a single—that an idiot like that could be of any source of hope… that could make a difference in the slightest? What you thought would happen—happened."

Steinith's hands lowered as cold and powerful winds swirled around him. "I know. I know. Those who are odd—those who do not care—cast a spell that makes us think they can perform the impossible. But look. That wasn't even a fight—even without my armour or axe."

Steinith rowed his hands, closed his eyes, and started to sniff loudly. "Now, c'mon. C'mon. Let your fears and doubts and despair fill the air. Quiver before the end of everything. Know that all that you did was for naught."

The people shook as they choked, screams and squeals coming out except silently. The energy converted at once to increase the vines that held them down… to allow black liquid to swell up from the ground.

Deskar started to appear in the area. Steinith himself started to look larger, his weight becoming doubled as the weak, crusted ground at his feet struggled to not crack—his Q started to become activated.

"We are entering a new world," Steinith said as he gestured the energy into himself. "And it's best that we put on a performance that will please those that will usher it in."

Before anything more could be said, Steinith heard a click of metal followed by a sharp, intense pain burying itself into the side of his body. He shook and flinched and held still at once in feeling the hot steel inserted into his body.

At once, he choked and coughed up blood, feeling his lips in confusion before looking down at his attacker.

There, Rodent was beneath him, hunched over and heaving with spiky gray strands covering his face, glaring directly into his eyes as he buried the sword as deeply as he could into Steinith's body.

The people, also seeing this, gasped and were knocked out of their frightful trance—not expecting this to happen. Rodent, twisting and turning the blade in this moment of surprise, then stumbled back and nearly tripped while drawing out the blade… holding it against the ground as he struggled against its weight.

Steinith turned his head and looked at Rodent with confusion, not bothering to place a hand on the wound from whence he bled, too immersed in his confusion. He stared at the panting man who had landed a successful attack on him. "You… stabbed me."

Rodent was still breathing through his mouth, recovering from his previous blows, wheezing as he struggled to be on his feet.

"Your attack shouldn't have been able to go through me…" Steinith turned—despite worsening his wound—as he faced the smaller man. "You should be scared of me. Frightful of me. Terrified of me." His head slowly and smally nodded. "You can see it. I know you can. That which exists beyond vision. You should be contributing to my power. Yet… you bypassed it."

Rodent focused on breathing… though he found his voice.

“Your power… is… stupid…” Rodent exhaled while struggling to keep upright. “You… only are… what you… can scare… into people…” He raised his sword and spread his feet to hold a proper pose. "You… don't scare me. I don’t… imagine… how worse… you could be…"

Steinith blankly watched him.

“That’s… the extent… to your power…” Rodent managed to manage his breathing. "And to those… who don't fear you… it's like… you have no power at all." He then chuckled and smiled. "Which… is funny… because all this time… you've been using your power wrong."

Just then… the people were able to stand again… able to be free from this break in the terror… changing the scale of power. Their weapons had been stashed as they were left only with their fists—but those who were able gathered at the front.

And just like that, their immense fear of Steinith became diminished, who, feeling a surge of power… now dealt with the intense withdrawal. He felt weaker than he actually was, and the wound, which had been numb, now overloaded his senses.

But Steinith still couldn't bring himself to care.

"What…" Steinith breathlessly began, "do you know… that I don't?"

"Something that only an idiot of a kid would be able to see," Delt said from Rodent's hand. "And careful. Pissin' the kid off only seems to fuel him."

Again…

…the two stood off against the other.