Jack's gun had landed close at hand, but with De'haar glaring down at him, he'd never be able to reach it in time. Instead, Jack sat staring up at the argu'n standing over him. He couldn't help but remember how effortlessly this monster had batted aside all of S'haar's attacks with broken swords not even a year ago. Though, instead of the manic grin he'd worn before, now S'haar's father seemed to have a somewhat troubled expression as he stared down at the human at his mercy. "Killing you now would be such a waste. I was expecting to have to scale your walls and then cut through scores of your guards before finally taking you and my daughter down in an epic battle. Then I saw you riding on the back of that beast and thought maybe this would be a worthy fight. But now I see you're just a cripple hiding behind a barely developed pup and a couple of females. This is hardly worth my time, and I was instructed that I shouldn't kill anyone important...yet. I should probably just let you go..."
Jack felt like this was a performance, though he couldn't figure out who the target audience was. Maybe this whole thing was just for some story playing out in the diseased mind of the maniac in front of him. De'haar was clearly waiting for something, maybe he wanted Jack to beg, or perhaps he was hoping Jack would suicidally lunge for his weapon, giving him the excuse he'd need. Well, Jack wasn't about to play along, so he simply waited patiently, glaring back at his captor, meeting the eyes of the madman with as steady a gaze as he could muster.
Unfortunately, not everyone or everything present was as patient as Jack. Grim regained his feet, growling at the new threat to his pack. With a sinking feeling, Jack realized what was about to happen next.
Everything seemed to leap into motion at once. Grim launched himself forward, and De'haar's attention shifted to the wolgen. Jack rolled to the side, reaching for his gun. Seeing what was happening, Em'brel grabbed her own spear and started running forward while Sare'en just stared in shock. Jack knew he'd never get a shot off in time to save poor Grim, but he had to try.
*
To'brel was frozen in place, unsure of how to feel about any of this. Why did the young noble feel like his rescuer was the real monster, and he should be cheering for his captors?
When the figure had first appeared, To'brel had initially been concerned with Jack and Em’brel’s safety. However, he'd quickly realized this male was likely here with his father to save him. But, as the male gloated over the now strangely vulnerable Jack, To'brel couldn't help but think of how kind everyone at the Outpost had been during his involuntary stay. The noble realized that, somewhere deep inside, he was hoping that not only would everyone he'd come to know here survive, but he also almost hoped they'd win.
That was when the monster pup, Grim, leaped at the male. As the male swung his swords, To'brel's stomach clenched, and everything stopped as the noble stared, horrified at what was about to happen. Then the world erupted into chaos as a tree sprung up out of nowhere between the wolgen and the male.
Looking closer, To'brel could see it wasn't a tree but a large wooden trunk. It was as if it had been stripped of branches and prepped to be turned into lumber. It took To'brel a moment to replay the impossible situation in his mind to realize the tree had flown down from above, not grown from the ground. He was just starting to look up when a thundering yet vaguely familiar voice filled the air, seemingly coming from everywhere. "Get away from my brother, you smooth-brained excuse of a flesh sack!"
Almost immediately after, a giant silver statue came flying down in a manner similar to the trunk. It folded down as if crouching when it hit, and the ground shook even more violently than before. Everything froze as the statue straightened itself and stared down at the male.
It was as if one of the gods of legend had flown down from the heavens and stood before them all.
*
Angela stared down at the threat to her family coldly. "You know, as a rule, I try not to harm intelligent life, but for you, I might be willing to make an exception!"
S'haar and the Outpost guards were nearly there, and Angela expected the male to take the opportunity to retreat. However, she hadn't considered the manic glee that seemed to overcome De'haar as he launched himself forward, his eyes dilated in excitement. This argu'n was clearly insane.
As De'haar swung both swords forward in unison, putting as much power and weight into the attack as possible, Angela countered by grabbing both blades mid-flight, stopping their progress immediately in her steel grip. Then, as he tried to draw his blades back, Angela swung her other hand forward, her fingers extended straight, and she shattered the blades right off the handles at the hilt.
De'haar leaped back, showing the first signs of uncertainty as he drew a knife, when another unexpected voice interrupted the scene from the direction of the forest. "De'haar, you wolgen hiding in argu'n skin, I told you to wait with the main force until and unless you were needed! This is why I told my father I didn't want you coming with us! We should have left you in the wilds where you belong!"
Walking out of the treeline, followed closely by several guards, came B'arthon. De'haar turned and walked calmly toward the noble, forgetting about the people he'd attacked moments before.
Angela noticed Jack still had his gun out and pointed it at De'haar's back. Clearly, he was thinking about putting the threat down right here and now. While Angela couldn't fault him, she also noticed the mad man had placed himself right between Jack and B'arthon, and based on what the AI had heard of their first engagement, there was a chance, however slight, that he might get out of the way in time to save himself and make Jack kill B'arthon instead. While the AI didn't particularly like the noble, she also didn't think he deserved to die. There was also the matter of starting an all-out war between them and the village if Jack killed the village leader's son.
Angela placed her hand on Jack's and gently pushed the gun downward. Jack only resisted a moment before coming to his senses. He evidently drew the same conclusions Angela had and sighed while lowering the gun the rest of the way. However, the AI noticed he didn't holster the gun or toggle the safety back on.
For his part, De'haar walked right up to B'arthon and started speaking in low tones. They were far enough away that no one would be able to hear their exchange. No one except for Angela, that is... "It's not wise to get between a hunter and his prey. You just might find yourself caught up in our scuffle..."
B'arthon's bodyguards looked back and forth in uncertainty, but to his credit, or maybe due to his foolishness, B'arthon stared back coldly. "Yes, yes, you're very big and scary. I'm certain you could kill my bodyguard and myself with little effort, if you so chose."
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At this, the noble's guards started reaching for their weapons while De'haar played with his knife, but B'arthon wasn't finished. "But if you do, this whole thing will be called off, and you won't get to have any more fun. Challenging that entire outpost on your own would be suicidal, even for you, and I don't think you're quite as insane as you pretend to be. So make your choice, kill me and be done with it, or get back to the main force and behave yourself. If you do, I might just let you off your leash if and when things start getting interesting."
Everything grew tense as the two men stared at each other, and it seemed like De'haar might call the noble's bluff, but the monster sheathed his knife and laughed. "You got a lot of guts for someone so weak! You better watch yourself out there. Things can get really chaotic in a real fight. One of your men might bury a knife in your back by mistake!"
With that last not-so-subtle threat, De'haar walked past the noble into the forest behind them, leaving B'arthon glaring at the group that had doubled in size now that S'haar and the guards had arrived. He seemed to stop and consider what to do before walking forward just enough to get within speaking distance, his guards a step behind.
When S'haar and Jack stepped forward, he addressed them calmly. "I formally apologize for the behavior of one of our...guards. He acted against orders. I wish I could say he'd be punished for his behavior, but I think we all know he's nearly impossible to cohere into anything. I can say that he doesn't represent our wishes or interests at this time. He's more of a...safety measure for us."
S'haar, who'd caught her breath while the noble had spoken, replied coldly. "And just why are you here with an army at your back? What are you hoping to accomplish with this show of force?"
B'arthon shook his head. "That's not for me to say. I'm not the one in charge. I'm here in a more...advisory role. But, needless to say, De'haar will not be present during any negotiations."
S'haar's glare sharpened as her voice dripped with acid. "He shouldn't be here at all. Only an idiot would trust that monster to do anything but lash out at everyone around him, friend or foe."
The noble sighed and shrugged. "Not my call. Anyway, get your people back behind your walls. There won't be any further issues for now."
B'arthon then turned his attention to To'brel, who was still trying to wrap his head around everything. His expression softened somewhat, and he looked almost sympathetic for a moment. "Hope you learn fast, kid. You won't get a second chance."
With that enigmatic choice of words, B'arthon turned and walked away, leaving everyone wondering at his meaning.
*
As To'brel walked back to the Outpost with everyone else, he pondered his time here, everything that just happened, and the strange male's words. True, he was here against his will, but he'd learned so much, and the people here didn't seem to bear him any ill will. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Then there was that crazed male who'd attacked the group of them. To'brel thought he'd been suicidal, but everyone had seemed terrified of him, for some reason. Something about him gave the young noble the impression of a crazed beast, rather than an argu'n, but that whole situation had been resolved with the appearance of Lady Angela, the Dragon, and Jack's sister.
Lon'thul, who'd caught up with the group, explained everything to To'brel while everyone else conferred over what they'd learned and where to go. "Yeah, they're not actually siblings, but if you hang around them long enough, you can tell they grew up together. Those two are so much alike, it's eerie."
Looking over at the divine form of the woman who'd spoken to To'brel outside of his cell the first night he'd arrived, the noble doubted the hunter's claims. She even moved with perfect grace, putting even the abnormally coordinated Lon'thul to shame. Right now, she was speaking while Jack and S'haar listened. "They're probably about ten to fifteen minutes out, depending on if they come as a whole group or split off a delegation. Just enough time to get back and organize our own delegation to meet with them."
She seemed to notice To'brel's attention, because she turned and tilted her head. Her face seemed abnormally stiff, as if it was more of a mask than an actual face, but her voice sounded friendly enough and brought to mind the conversations of the first night once more. "Hey, don't sweat it, kid! You'll probably be back at home soon, and this'll all seem like some strange dream."
To'brel blinked stupidly, unsure of how to respond. Uncertain if he even should respond. He was tired of everyone calling him a kid, but it was hardly his place to admonish a goddess in her choice of words. Still, it seemed like something was expected of him, so he stuttered out the only thing that came to mind. "Uh... Yeah... That'll be nice...I suppose..."
The goddess raised her hand, and for a second To'brel thought he was about to be smitten for his insolence, but instead, she simply patted him on the head. Her hand was cold and strong as steel, but her touch was surprisingly gentle. "There you go getting all lost in thought, like the first night. While it's important to consider possibilities, it's also essential not to overthink things too much. Right now, you probably feel like you're being thrown around by fate, but soon enough, you'll get to make decisions for yourself again. Until then, just watch and learn. You never know what information will prove invaluable in the future."
As the Dragon turned back to the other conversation happening nearby, To'brel couldn't help but dwell on the last words the other noble, B'arthon, had shared before leaving. He'd seemed both sympathetic and ominous as he spoke. Did he think To'brel's time here had been as horrible as the young noble had first assumed it would be? But he seemed to be referring to the near future. What exactly was happening? Everyone seemed to think his father was here to negotiate To'brel's release, and apparently, he'd brought a whole army to negotiate from a position of strength. But where had he gotten such an army? Even if he cleared every guard out of the village and left it defenseless, there wouldn't be enough to take this place by force. And no sane village lord would loan a large portion of his guard force just to come to rescue To'brel... So what was it that everyone here, including himself, was missing?
*
After everything that could be said had been, everyone became quietly contemplative while, they waited. It only took a few minutes, but those minutes seemed to stretch into hours. Jack looked over to a grim-looking S'haar. Her brow furrowed as she looked off into some distant horizon, as lost in thought as anyone.
Eventually, she noticed the attention directed her way and turned to see Jack grinning at her. She blinked a few times as if waking, and Jack's grin became toothy as he projected confidence he didn't feel. "Whatever happens, you've got this! We've all got your back, and I'm confident that you're the best person for the job. Remember, you're not alone anymore, and you don't have to shoulder the burden yourself." S'haar smiled and started to reply when movement at the forest's edge caught everyone's attention.
Walking toward them was a group of guards. There were enough to be threatening should the Outpost try to ambush them, but not enough to be a threat to the Outpost itself. Though Jack was well aware, a more significant force waited just beyond the treeline.
Their own delegation moved forward. S'haar led the way, flanked by Jack and a rather imposing Angela. Just behind them came Ger'ron, Fea'en, Em'brel, Lon'thul, and To'brel, all flanked by the Outpost's guards.
As the two groups approached, Jack could make out Dek'thul and B'arthon, but no one else was overly familiar to him. Still, it seemed odd that they were in positions of honor just to either side of the cloaked individual that was clearly in charge. As representatives from A'ngles, it seemed like they'd be in the group further behind the leader, with representatives from To'brel's village front and center.
Once the groups finally got close enough to speak, the cloaked leader drew back his cowl, and several pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place, with disturbing implications.
Before them stood Lord A'ngles, radiating every bit of the authority Jack remembered. "Lady S'haar and members of the Dragon's Outpost. I am here to negotiate the immediate release of Lord To'brel," ﹘that seemed odd. Why was he referring to To'brel as a Lord?﹘ "and the surrender of the Outpost and all its resources and residents, in response to the unwarranted assassination of our village's friend and ally, Lord Don'brel!"