Chapter 296
Primal (II)
Xalt was just returning from a bountiful hunt--eight Crawlers caught dead in the net altogether--alongside six of his most powerful clansmen. The atmosphere, as expected, was jubilant; after all, it was rare for them to haul so many Crawlers in a single day. Because of it, they could take tomorrow off and drink themselves silly until their brains are scrambling for a whole thought.
The seven of them noticed something was off as soon as they reached their camp’s perimeter--usually, there’d be a pair of guards standing on duty, waiting for them. Today, however, there were none. Frowning, Xalt indicated for the others to fan out and enter the camp from flanks while he charged straight forward.
As soon as he entered past the fenced walls, he saw it--corpses strewn about, lying everywhere, some charred, some scorched, some unwhole, and some yet desecrated beyond recognition. Everyone, he realized, was dead. Scorch marks extended across the camp as he followed them, almost like breadcrumbs, leading him to the heart of the camp, near his tent, where he saw a sight that fueled a fire in him--five men were sitting around a campfire, leisurely drinking and chatting.
Four of the five he immediately recognized as the group that they had chased away on a few occasions. The last one, however, was unfamiliar--and likely the culprit.
Bravely stepping forward, Xalt drew attention to himself--his clansmen would know what to do. He was a distraction.
“Who dares trespass--” before he could finish a sentence, the man he didn’t recognized snapped his fingers, summoning six burning arrays of light that fanned out at speeds even he couldn’t follow. A second later, six yelps of pain escaped into the desolate nothingness, vanishing. Xalt felt... fear. Fear he was very familiar with. After all, he’s lived a long life and met a lot of people--a good chunk of whom were leagues stronger than him. This man... belonged in that chunk. But he didn’t belong here, on the fringes.
“Sit,” the man looked at him and smiled faintly, indicating a seat next to his and inviting him over. Xalt didn’t dare refuse, walking over tepidly and sitting down, lips sewn shut. “So, what were you saying?” the man turned to another one who seemed awakened by the call-out.
“Ah, yes--three thousand of them died that night!” the man spoke quickly.
“Wow, that’s pretty awful. Was the General punished?”
“Yeah, he was beheaded right after returning to the city. Publicly.”
“Sheesh, deservedly so. How can anyone fuck up that badly?”
“Apparently, he got to the position because his mother did this and that to the Commander.”
“... alright, that’s just straight-up fucked,” the man cringed for a moment, turning his attention to Xalt suddenly. “Those six aren’t dead, by the way. I just made sure they wouldn’t interrupt us.”
“T-t-thanks...” Xalt mumbled, unable to process that he was thanking a man who obliterated his Clan.
“I honestly didn’t want all of this,” the man said. “You can ask them--I kindly just wanted some information, was attacked, retaliated, and, well, your men were either remarkably stupid or loyal because they didn’t wanna give up this place no matter what, it seemed.”
“...”
“All the same, I did commit mass murder, my excuses notwithstanding. I’m sure you’re smart enough not to bite after my ass, no?”
“O-of course not, no, of course.”
“I’m headed toward the nearest major settlement,” the man said. “Since I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll take it over. If you help me along, I’ll hand it over to you. It won’t be a compensation for all the men you’ve lost, but hey, do it for my conscience or something.” Xalt shuddered, glancing at the man bravely.
The contours of the man’s face were embossed with the shadow cast by the campfire, affording him a horrifying look. Yet, past that, what grabbed Xalt’s attention were the eyes--unhurried, indifferent, sagacious, ancient. There was neither profound pride nor conceit within those eyes. Just... nothing.
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“H-help you?”
“Aye,” the man nodded. “Supplies, mostly, and information. You see, I just happened into this place recently. I am very much a primal virgin. And, rather than letting the world fuck me, I’d rather tear my hymen with some toys and such at my own pace. In case the very morbid metaphor eluded you, I just mean I’d like you to teach me about this place rather than the place itself. Ah, they’re ready,” the man picked something from the fire--like a small cotton ball--blew on it twice or thrice, and then stuffed it into his mouth. Other men followed suit, their faces lighting up.
“Wow, you were right! This is a delicacy!”
“Right, right, it melts in your mouth! Amazing!”
“So soft...!”
“Ha ha, what’d I tell you, huh? S’mores’ where’s it at. Or something like that, I forget. When I was a kid, I often heard others tell stories about how their dads took ‘em camping and they ate this stuff. Since then, I was always curious what was all the fuss about, so I prepared some. Tsk. I kinda regret never taking Lana camping while I still had some sway over her decisions...”
“...”
“...”
“Anyway, eat up, eat up. We’ll stay here while your friends recover,” the man said. “Speaking of which, you should probably go gather them here.”
“A-ah, yes! Right away!” Xalt hurriedly stood up and left, terrified still.
Cain watched the fading back of the man and sighed--he genuinely felt bad. In fact, it wasn’t even him that killed most of them--he simply killed a couple to set an example and then a few thick-skulled ones, but others mostly just jumped into the flames themselves, an action he couldn’t possibly understand.
“Go help him,” he instructed other men. “And when you’re done, gather all the corpses here. We’ll hold a pyre.”
“Yes, right away!” the four men nodded and hastily ran off to complete the tasks. Having witnessed the fraction of the man’s strength firsthand, they effectively began treating him as though he was their father.
Left alone, Cain took out a can of beer and took a few swings, alighting his parched throat. If his first day here was any indicator, he’d be killing... a lot. Unfortunately, he was alone here; there was nobody to pull him back if he swan-dived back into his past habits. No, wait, there is.
“Come out,” he called out. A moment later, he felt fur spread across his forearm. Looking down, he saw Te’gha staring back up at him. “What? You want one too?”
“...” the little cat didn’t want to admit it, but it was obvious.
“Ha ha, alright,” Cain set one up for him, petting him right after. “Hey, can I ask for a favor?”
“Heh, of course! Great Te’gha is gracious!” the feline seemed to have been put in a good mood thanks to the s’more.
“If you see me lose myself in a spree,” Cain said. “Promise you’ll pull me back?”
“Pull... you back?” Te’gha looked at him inquisitively.
“Yeah, do one of your classics quips. Stupid human, you look so lame! Ha, look at you, losing control over yourself! Stuff like that.”
“Heh, of course! If you lose your puny mind, I’ll have to find another stupid human to serve me! I won’t let you get out of it that easily!”
“That’s good to hear,” Cain chuckled, petting the feline’s head. “But man, this place is wild. My inner clock is all sorts of fucked up. Is it a day? Is it a night? Shit, who knows.”
“It’s sometime midday,” Te’gha said.
“Ah, of course it is. That’s why I feel like taking a nap.” glancing at his Mana reserves, Cain sighed in relief--they were back to full.
As he suspected, his natural Mana regeneration had been culled so much it hurt physically to watch the bar fill up so slowly. However, he could still actually rely on the natural regeneration to sustain him--at least for now. In a matter of fifteen minutes or so, he regenerated 15% or so of Mana he’d used up. While the rate was absolutely abysmal, Cain suspected he was likely unrivaled for a good chunk of this place.
While Xalt’s men were given some first aid and set aside to rest and recover, others were pooled into a single pile at the center and set ablaze. It was more than most dead get here, Xalt knew--the final farewell. Usually, the dead are left where they died, oft to be consumed by the Crawlers and other manner of beasts. Rarely, if ever, are they escorted into the afterlife with any amount of respect.
While he still had to choke on his anger and hatred toward the newcomer, Xalt felt that the man wasn’t the worst sort he could have ran into. At least, he and six of his brothers would live. Not all was lost. In time, they could restructure and get stronger. As long as there was a life to be had, there were riches to be gained.
“My name is Cain,” the man walked up to him and said while the pyre still burned, alighting the forest briefly.
“Xalt,” he replied.
“Well, a man whose name is reminiscent of something few can live without in my world,” Cain said. “Tell me about the nearest settlement.”
“What would you like to know?” Xalt asked.
“The basic things--who I need to kill for everyone else to just fuck off, and how do I get to them without needing to burn the whole thing down.”
“...”
“Xalt?”
“Khm, yes--uh, there is no one leader of Attasha,” Xalt said. “Instead, it is ruled by a Seven-headed Council. They basically control most of the place. The secondary powers are relegated to traders.”
“So, if I wipe the floor with this council or whatever, the settlement will let me rule?”
“Uh, maybe? It’s difficult to say,” Xalt smiled awkwardly. “Though I say that the Council are the leaders, it is not as though they have absolute grip on the power. When we last left the place, there were quite a few strong individuals who just ignored the Council entirely.”
“... so, what you’re saying is... it’s best if I just set it on fire and make a new one?”
“A-ah? No, no, I’m sure that if they witness your strength, they’ll immediately give up any thoughts of defending.”
“Ah, yes, because people who manage to get here are the sort that give up easily,” Cain cracked a smile. “Nonetheless, we can give it a shot. I won’t be staying here for long, anyway. I just need a few things before moving on. I’ll go take a nap now. When I wake up, we’ll depart. Your friends should be relatively ready for the journey by then. Let them know our arrangement.”
“W-will do,” Xalt nodded as the man left. Sighing, he looked up to the sky, feeling sick. What the hell did I get myself into? I just want to go home...