Don finally made it back. His body still thrummed with energy from the magical stamina potion. He felt like he had to be doing something, anything. He had to move. Sitting still was tortuous, but the entrance chamber to the ColoColo refuge was just as cramped as ever. Left with no other options, Don started furiously doing pushups. He could barely expend the energy the potion generated even as he tirelessly pumped his arms, hands lifting off the ground at the apex of each push. A little less than a minute later, the potion effect finally lapsed and Don's stamina dropped precipitously before he stopped his furious exercises. It bounced back rather quickly but Don wouldn't need it for a while.

His health, on the other hand, was still rising painfully slowly, only at 19 points. He let himself lay there for a moment. He had to stop staying out so late. Taking chances with those apes was going to end badly some night. He sat up and spotted Kat checking over the sodden packages of food. Cel was faring much better this time, having taken a breath before getting dunked into the river. She hovered over Don, emitting a gentle light.

"So that was intense." She pointed out unhelpfully.

Don chuckled. Then something inside him snapped and all the tension of the chase suddenly seemed hilarious. Don burst into uncontrollable laughter. He was alive! The apes couldn't catch him, not when he had the support of potions. With Cel watching his back, and with a solid dose of luck, he even beat the king of the rabbits! He had enough food to pay off his debts and he had an inventory overflowing with alchemical ingredients.

He couldn't wait to present the fruits of his labor to Grey and rub his success in Gaz's face. He crawled over to Kat, still lapsing into occasional giggles.

"Are you okay?" Cel asked, prompting another peal of laughter. Don didn't even mind the unearthly howls his demonic body translated them into. It took a while for Don to settle down enough to respond.

"I'm fine, hehe, I'm more than fine! Pshhha ha ha, I won! Let's go give Gaz the good news!"

Don felt Cel's concern. She didn't have anything to worry about though. Everything was right for the first time Don could remember. With all the ingredients and food they had gathered, he could repay the kindness Grey showed him and secure his place in the refuge for good. That would be necessary if he was ever going to survive long enough to finish his preparations against the apes. Kat started down the tunnels, guiding the packages as Don pushed them along from behind. His 19 points in strength made easy work of the task and they didn't need to rest once on their way to the cooking round.

The ColoColo there were riled up about something but the scuffling of their progress masked any meaning. Don hoped he was there in time to get some of Grey's roasted rabbit. The idea didn't seem so bad now that he had seen the way the rabbits disappeared. The meat was just left in their place, it wasn't like it was part of a real living animal or anything. When he pushed the last package out of the tunnel and got a glimpse of the open space, he was rather confused by what he saw.

Grey was standing atop her pile of junk, waving her staff around enthusiastically. She also seemed to have shrunk. Then Don made out the chanting that he couldn't quite understand from the tunnel.

"Gaz, Gaz, Gaz!" The ColoColo cheered. The figure raised the staff over its head in both hands and the cheering ColoColo went wild.

"Oh no," Cel whispered next to Don "that can't, he couldn't have" Don didn't hear any more than that because she zipped up to the figure on the mound where she illuminated Gaz, his back to Don. He spread his paws and the chanting faded out.

"Stupid old Grey hides food, gives to traitor, stops us eating, stops us having fun, makes the nest smelly! She makes the bad things! Gaz makes her go and bad things go too! Gaz makes us free!"

The chanting started up again but before it could get going, Kat screeched as he charged Gaz.

"What did you do?" He screamed, silencing the chanters. Gaz looked back to see Kat, jaw unhinged, fangs ready. He used the superior reach provided by Grey's staff to swat him out of the air. In moments, Kat was set upon by no less than three ColoColo. They pinned him to the ground and sank their fangs into the scout. Kat fell still in just a few seconds but not before getting out another question.

"What did you do to Grey?"

That was when Don saw the crumpled form at Gaz's feet. He was standing on the old ColoColo. The one who had saved these children during an emergency and then raised them all by herself. The one who had taken Don in. The one who cared for nothing besides the wellbeing of the ColoColo currently cheering her downfall. A red pall fell over the room. Don stood slowly, feeling something like molten iron spill into the center of his being. He repeated Kat's question.

"What did you do to Grey?" Don's voice was strangely cold despite the seething hatred that scorched him from the inside.

Gaz finally noticed the Demon at the entrance to his throne room.

"Get off of her," Don growled. The intense heat was spreading, and a little bit made it into his voice.

Gaz was not impressed. He swung around his newly acquired staff, destroying some of the hanging herbs in the process and shouting to his followers.

"Big stupid traitor is back! Gaz shows why he good chief! Gaz shows what to do with big stupid traitor who bring bad things!"

After the pronouncement, Gaz jabbed the staff into the pile at his feet, dropped to all fours and hissed at Don. His jaw fell open and fangs swung into place. Don hardly cared. He was watching the crumpled form at his feet for signs of breathing.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Gaz charged. He was slow. Kat's earlier charge put him to shame. Compared to the jackalope, even at this short distance, Don had all the time in the world. He decided he wanted to hurt Gaz. No, that wouldn't be enough. Gaz needed to be destroyed, utterly.

That was all it took. Some deep part of Don that he had forgotten existed reacted to his desire. Don's right leg swept behind himself and just before Gaz entered his range, his left foot took a half a step forward, twisting to the side. His right leg came up and around in an almost lazy arc.

The watching ColoColo wondered at the strange movements that only seemed to unbalance Don and present his inner thigh as a juicy target. Then, Don's hips pivoted suddenly and his right leg came smashing across Gaz's face at a downward angle, carrying all of Don's considerable bodyweight and newfound strength behind it. Don noted with satisfaction how the fang he struck flew from its socket to go skittering dangerously across the dome's floor as his shin caved in the left side of Gaz's face.

To the other ColoColo, the kick was nothing more than a flash of movement which sent Gaz facefirst into the floor of the cave, bouncing off of the stone with a wet smack before bowling over a group of four nearby ColoColo.

Gaz did not get back up. After the fang came to rest, silence reigned in the enclosed space, But only for a moment.

+8 EXP

You have killed Gaz, Chieftan of the ColoColo Refuge

-250 Reputation with the ColoColo Refuge

You are now an Enemy of the ColoColo

Congratulations! You have unlocked the Martial Artist Profession!

Would you like to become a Martial Artist?

[Yes] [No]

Once again, Don found himself without the time to read his notifications as the ColoColo all started wailing at once. They surged towards Don from all sides in a wave of feathers, claws, and fangs. Before they could reach him, however, Cel shot over his head and glowed brightly.

"Enough!" She shouted while simultaneously activating her [natural resonance], making every plant hanging from the ceiling glow with an inner light. The swarming ColoColo winced away from the sudden light. Then Don realized that not only had Cel been seen by the monsters, but she had spoken in the ColoColo's own language too. She continued to squeak at them.

"This ends now! I won't have any more of you die needlessly!" She called in her high pitched voice. Her tone was furious but Don could feel a deep aching sadness from their connection. It doused the anger he had been consumed by moments before. One bold ColoColo squeaked a challenge while hiding its eyes behind its paws.

"The big stupid traitor killed Gaz! We must avenge our leader! Who are you to stand in our way you annoying light?"

Cel pulsed a little brighter, making the ColoColo shy away a bit further.

"I am your most ancient ancestor, I have come to bring you to safety and this demon is my partner!" She announced.

Don wasn't sure what she was talking about but it seemed to work. The ColoColo stopped cringing in pain and started peeking at the vibrant light in awe instead. 

"Great ancestor" was whispered by several of the awestruck ColoColo but another was unwilling to take the strange light's words as gospel.

"Your partner killed Gaz! You can't be the Great Ancestor!" 

"Gaz was a self-important asshole." Cel responded tersely "He never worked for your tribe, he only worked for his own ego. Grey is your true leader. She is the one who took care of you over the past 6 years. Gaz is the traitor for attacking her."

"Gaz saved us from the bad things!" Another protested

"No, he didn't. He only attacked Grey. That's not going to drive away those monsters, only make you more vulnerable."

As if to prove her point, the dome shuddered from a sudden impact. The cracks raced each other along the dome and a shower of plants fell from the ceiling along with some chips of stone. It felt like Don was inside a huge drum. He reached for his stink bomb only to grab at thin air. With sinking horror, he remembered, he used his last potion protecting the food outside! Another huge impact shook the refuge and more shafts of light pierced the dust and the dark as cracks in the ceiling widened alarmingly. This was far worse than Don had ever seen before. 

"Into the tunnels!" Cel commanded. Most of the ColoColo streamed out instantly and the reluctant ones followed when the next impact shook their refuge. The packages of food were swept up into the tunnels with the press of bodies but Sik and Grey were too far from the entrance for the same to happen to them. 

Don raced to Kat, scooped him up and tossed him towards the tunnel entrance. Another impact crashed into the walls and a chunk fell away, letting a spotlight spill into the refuge. It was blotted out a heartbeat later when a long hairy arm reached through the hole and groped around.

Don pulled back, afraid of what would happen if it reached him. It found the pile Grey was on and one swipe of its meaty palm scattered it, sending Grey rolling down to the floor. Don lunged towards her but the next impact smashed the dome, sending him backpedaling again.

The ceiling shattered, large chunks burying Grey as Don was pelted by smaller shards of rock. Don suddenly found himself at the bottom of a hole in the ground and four large silhouettes loomed around the edges of the pit. Don froze for a split second, staring at the beasts above him before one jumped down. Don scrambled back as the ape came crashing down where Grey had fallen. Dust swirled up around it, filling the space with a choking cloud.

"There's nothing you can do!" Cel shouted, "Get Kat into the tunnels!"

Don hesitated for a moment but when the monster raised its fists overhead, he leapt back into action during the short pause before they came crashing down, barely rolling out of the way in the suddenly cramped space. He was pelted with more rock fragments but managed to avoid the deadly blow. Before the dust could clear enough for the ape to take another swing at him, He was wriggling down the tunnel, pushing Kat ahead of himself. 

+6 EXP

Don couldn't care less about the paltry experience gain, he would much rather have Grey. He had failed her again, and now there was no way to repay her kindness. With the raging, roaring beasts cut off again, he let himself break down.

The kind-hearted monster took a huge risk helping Don. In return, he had ruined all her hard work. Her home was destroyed, the community she had built was endangered, and she was... dead, all because of his stupid mistakes. Why did he ever think he could make decisions for himself? He should have just followed orders and stayed inside.

His remorse was further reinforced by the aching sadness emanating from Cel. The two emotions resonated, growing stronger as Don let the hot tears spill from his eyes while he sobbed in the darkness.