“Boss!” Hija ran in to see Jessai, bending to one knee. Jessai sat on his throne, tapping his knuckle against his knee. His eyes fell on Hija with a glare of annoyance. He growled and bared his teeth.

“What is it, Hija. It’d better be something good.”

“Boss, it’s Grognor…he’s brought the boy!” Jessai did not expect this news and stood up fast, his eyes filled with surprise as he ran to the front gates to see. Walking slowly down the pathway up the front yard of the palace was Grognor. In front of him, with his hands tied behind his back, was the masked assassin from before. In Grognor’s hand, aimed at the back of the assassins head was a revolver that Jessai had never seen before. In his other hand was a burlap sack that was stained red at the bottom and was dripping occasionally a red liquid. When they reached the gate, Jessai crossed his arms.

“So…it seems you grew a spine. Come, bring him in.” Grognor did not speak but merely glared daggers at Jessai as he was lead inside. Jessai was beaming from ear to ear, like gentle music was playing in his ear. Joyous and wonderful! The assassin dead, and he couldn’t help but wonder…what was in the bag? He’d ask in due time, but first to the matter at hand. As Grognor made it to the middle of the room, he kicked the back of Blemish’s legs to force him to kneel. Blemish let out a grunt as he fell, but said nothing, looking furious and pitiful.

“So this is my assassin? Perhaps the Inquisition isn’t as dangerous as I first thought.” Jessai laughed. “Sending a boy to kill someone like me…ridiculous.”

“Let my mother and sister go.” Grognor snarled. “You got what you wanted…now let them go.”

“Of course, as you wish.” Jessai smirked. “I’m not without mercy.” He turned to Hija. “Free the women…let them go.” Hija bowed and ran off to do as he was told. Jessai then turned his attention back to Grognor. “Now don’t you feel better? Do tell me how you were able to pry this child from the clutches of that demon, Titania.” Grognor hissed and held up the tied burlap sack, dripping still.

“She gave me a pistol with which to trade for my family…and I shot her when her guard was down. I cut off her head and put it in this bag. You can look if you want.” Blemish winced behind his mask and bowed his head painfully at the message Grognor gave. Jessai burst into howls of laughter at the news and beat his fist against his knee.

“AHAHAHAHA! How devious! Perfect! PERFECT! The goddamn irony of it! She offers you a way out. A bargaining chip. And you turn it on her instead!? Maybe you should have been an orc and not a dwarf.” The music of victory seemed to fill Jessai up with even more laughter. “If only you’d brought back the two escaped slaves too…but no matter. They’re of little consequence. Please, might I see the head of the demon?” Grognor held up the bag and threw it to Jessai, who caught it easily. He weighed it in his hand and laughed once more as he began to open it.

“You’ve done well, Grognor. I’m very impressed.” Jessai scoffed. “And all it cost you was your loyalty and friendship.”

“Among other things…” Grognor grumbled. Jessai snarled as he struggled to open the bag. The knot was rather tight.

“This is quite a knot…no matter.” He reached down by his throne and grabbed a dagger to cut the top off. Grognor looked away quickly covering his mouth and nose, making Jessai laugh again. “What a weak stomach you have. Can’t even look at the head you decapitated without feeling ill?” Jessai asked as he tore the dagger through the bag.

“No…just…I’d rather not inhale any of what comes out of that bag.”

Jessai didn’t have time to ask what he meant. The moment the bags top opened, there was a loud puff as red spores burst from the bag and clouded the immediate area. Jessai let out a shout of shock as he chucked the bag away, into a crowd of orcs who had run in from hearing the shout. They too all cried out and began hacking and coughing from the fumes of the bag. From within fell a rolled up pile of red spices and herbs that seemed like they were bubbling and fizzing with a red liquid, releasing a stream of red gaseous spores.

“What the…WHAT IS THIS!?” Jessai cried, staggering from the smell and his body shaking. He felt…dizzy, like his head was swimming.

“That’s Phase I.” Grognor snapped, pulling a knife and cutting Blemish’s hands free.

“PHASE WHAT!?”

“A friendly alchemist cooked that up for me. The herbs don’t react well together and create a fume that is toxic if inhaled.” Blemish answered through his mask. “But like I said…it was phase 1.” Just as Jessai was starting to rise to his feet again, coughing and shaking terribly as his vision was blurring, he heard and felt the force of a massive explosion. Rocks and debris flew in all directions and Jessai, as well as a large majority of his orcs were thrown to the ground from the concussive blast.

“And that…that was Phase II.” Grognor smirked. A massive hole in the wall was letting in the tiniest trickle of dawn sunlight as the night was starting to end. Through the hole ran a young man in a black cloak and wearing a strange mask with a beak like front. He appeared like an old image of a plague doctor from the ancient world, but Grognor recognized the wild laughter of Philip behind that mask.

“DAMN! THAT WAS AWESOME!! I LOVE PHASE II!!” He hollered happily. As he ran through the hole, he jumped over fallen orc bodies, drawing a sword from his side and a small pouch of something equally nefarious in his free hand. But it was the figure coming in behind him that shocked the orcs more. Titania, with her head very much still attached, and her eyes glaring daggers at the orcs before her, drew her great sword from her back holster and roared as she charged to engage them. Jessai’s attention was brought quickly back to the present as Blemish drew his own blades, a sword and dagger.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“FILTHY TRAITOR!” Jessai roared. Blemish jumped at Jessai who struggled to his feet, still delirious from the poison gas. He grabbed his heavy hammer to defend but screamed as the sword dug itself into his arm. With a wrenching jerk, he swung his arm at Blemish, sending him sprawling backwards and rolling back into a guard position. Jessai didn’t stay to continue his engagement. Stumbling away he ran for the upper level of the palace to escape. Blemish pursued quickly. Grognor fell back to aid Titania, who was a force of nature in her own right, overpowering orcs who hadn’t succumbed to the poison and roaring furiously in the face of the dying.

“Damn it…damn it, I was tricked…” Jessai snarled, stumbling into his chambers, and locking the door behind him. He coughed heavily as the poison was continuing to effect his vision and senses. “I’ll kill that Grognor…I’ll butcher him like the pig he is! Somehow I-AAAAAAAH!” He roared in agony as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Blemish had kicked open the door and had buried his dagger into Jessai’s shoulder. He snarled and swung behind him. Blemish tried to hang on, but the pain in his side was starting to act up again and he started to lose his grip. He swung off the struggling Jessai as he swung his hammer behind him. Blemish deflected under the blow and rolled aside, swinging a kick into Jessai’s calve. Jessai buckled from the strike as Blemish struck at an exposed hip. It was then Jessai began to understand why he was so afraid of Blemish…why the assassin struck such fear into him. Why had the neighboring countries only perturbed him from time to time, but this assassin had driven him mad with worry…and now the truth was known with each strike of the sword.

The assassin would be his death.

Where as his foes across the map were interested in fighting his armies, he would always be able to overcome and persevere…but this Arch Angel was a shadow within a shadow. He was untouchable and yet always present. Jessai swung with all his might, but like water Blemish would move through and around the strike to plunge his dagger into another exposed spot. He was right to fear the assassin…right to be worried.

But Blemish was feeling the weight of his wounds. It was becoming hard to keep up…hard to keep the pain down. He was slowing and soon Jessai would take advantage. As he pirouetted to evade a downward swing, he stumbled as the pain hit him hard. Jessai saw it and turned his hammer to strike down on the boy.

“DIE YOU LITTLE SCU-”

She hit like a tank and with the speed of a horse. Titania slammed her full body into Jessai and the two titans crashed into the stone wall, chipping plaster and concrete from the sides. Jessai roared and struck Titania in the face, which she retaliated with a knee to his gut. The two giants grunted and struck with furious ferocity. Titania swung her sword at Jessai’s head, and it was all he could do to raise his hammer to block. Blemish grabbed his sword again and joined in the fight. If Titania was here, that meant the orcs downstairs were under control or dead, but the danger wasn’t past. Reinforcements would arrive soon, and Jessai had to be dead by the time they did.

The poison was making him weaker and slower. Titania’s brute force had him against the wall and barely able to fight back. Blemish would harass and slash at any exposed point, but neither seemed to be aiming to kill. Blemish took a wild swing at Blemish, which Titania caught with her sword and parried. Blemish then jumped behind Jessai and plunged his knife into his shoulder blade, locking it back. Jessai screamed as Blemish held the lock and forced the brute to his knees.

“YOU VERMIN! FILTHY RATS!!” Jessai bellowed. “I’LL SLAUGHTER YOU! I’LL RALLY MY ORCS AND GUT YOU LIKE THE PIGS YOU ARE!”

“Pigs, are we?” Jessai looked to the door to see Grognor standing there, glaring at Jessai through remorseful eyes. “I’ve known you a long time, Jessai…and never once did I think you were a pig. A monster yes…but never a pig.”

“Grognor…listen, let’s discuss this! Your family is free now. Call this off and I’ll let you go! You can all leave Orcshire.”

“The thing is,” Grognor continued sadly, “maybe a pig is a better description for you. An ugly, gluttonous, pig.” Jessai was fuming and foaming at the mouth as he tried to wrench himself free of Blemish and Titania.

“Grognor…no…Ethan…think of what we had. I know it can’t work now, but…we were together once, weren’t we?”

“Jessica is dead, Jessai.” Grognor explained coldly. “You were right the other day. I shouldn’t have called you that anymore…when you clearly killed that girl. Or maybe…maybe there never was a Jessica. Maybe there was just always Jessai and Jessica was just a game you played?” Jessai said nothing to that. He simply fumed furiously and Grognor pulled out the revolver.

“Sorry, David.” Grognor said, looking to Titania. “I promise…one bullet is all I need.”

“YOU BASTA-”

*POW*

Grognor stared as Jessai’s head shot back and then fell forward, a massive hole in the forehead and out the back of his head. He slumped forward and Blemish allowed his body to drop, pulling out his blade. Grognor dropped the gun wish shaking fingers and he sank to his knees. He’d never killed anyone before…and now he’d just executed the monster who had been tormenting him for eight terrible years.

“Ethan?” Titania asked. “Are you alright?”

“No…and yes.” Grognor answered, breathlessly. It was like the whole world was crashing on him at once. He had to slap his own hands against himself for a moment to remind himself he was still able to feel. The pain of the last 8 years was now slipping from his shoulders relief, like a pouring torrent, fell upon his body. “It’s over.”

“For Jessai, yes.” Blemish nodded. “But I’m afraid…the work isn't over. There's still more to do.”