Not feeling anywhere near confident enough to try and fly to my destination, I move by sprinting at top speed, a trailing veil of shadows covering my body as I go unnoticed by everything that I speed past. Jumping to clear groups of thousands of Goblins, I move across low roofs and run along walls, clearing block after block in a matter of seconds.
While my Fiends may have the advantage of physical strength over me, they don’t come anywhere near being able to move at my top speed. Already, I am moving faster than most cars can if they were to hold the accelerator to the floor. And I can feel as my body starts to heat up more and more as it burns energy to push me far beyond human limits, steam visibly rising off of my body as I reach my top speed. Something that I can only maintain for a few minutes before I start overheating.
Thankfully, my destination isn’t that far away, and the rubble of Father’s skyscraper is getting closer and closer. Although, that also means that I am moving deeper and deeper into his Field, and I can feel as the very air is growing to the point of being skin searingly hot. All around this place, the snow and ice are melting into steam, leaving the broken streets and sidewalks below dry as a summer day.
I clear another building, the number of Goblins down below thinning out as they run like their asses are on fire, pushing and shoving to be the first ones to get away from their pissed off leader, his power and anger literally cooking his own people alive. I can see many of the little ones, lying dead on the streets where their bodies bake under the heat on the hot asphalt as others run over their corpses. Among the fleeing numbers, is also some Hobgoblins, some of which are even riding on the backs of mutated dogs as they flee.
Just looking at the giant and twisted canines from a distance is enough for me to get pushed towards an attack, my left arm itching as the scars from that damn murder-poodle start to writhe. I have to tear my eyes away from the dogs, holding down the urge to start blasting them with magic.
It has been a good long while since I last saw a Dog, so I had been starting to think that I was finally getting over that trauma and could move on, but I had been forced to face it again the other day when I saw Gov’es riding on his dog…
When I saw that, I had hidden up in the trees, unable to get close as I tried to fight down a panic attack. Thankfully, the problem had been taken care of for me, a sniper taking out the dog on Sam’s request, but I am still beating myself up over it.
Hells, I still haven’t gotten over what had happened at the mall, when I was chased by those dogs and fled to the roof. How I had cried afterwards and destroyed that door in a fit of rage. Because honestly, I should not be afraid of dogs. I seriously doubt that they can even break my skin anymore, and I could definitely kill them with very little trouble now.
But, regretfully, trauma doesn’t work off of logic… I got bit by a scary dog and almost died, now my monkey brain is deathly afraid of the ugly things and wants to panic if I even so much as see one…
Damn Goblins just had to go and tame them… I still don’t understand how they managed that! Like what the hell!? Oh well, at least Gra and Vivviv don’t like them. In fact, Gra is more of a cat lover. I’ll have to show her some of the wild cats (Not Mutated) living in our barn. I think she would love them, and they should be much friendlier than the mutated one she tried to pet… Still find it funny that she tried to do that. Ah, there we go Lain, that’s right. Think about literally anything else. I don’t need a panic attack ruining everything. I’ll get Gra a kitten when we get home. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, cute Goblin girls playing with kittens~ Ahh, much better…
Finally getting past the fleeing groups of Goblins, the only ones that remain being those who got left behind to die, I stop on a nearby building that is still standing after the rain of artillery. Covered in sweat and breathing in the sweltering air, I get out my canteen and drink, keeping an eye on the sky as artillery continues to fall around here, though, the number of shells is diminishing as they follow the moving army south. Still, a couple are getting dropped here and there, adding more craters to the ruined landscape. Hells, from here, I can see the crater where Father dropped a nuke on a Kaiju… It’s a bit intimidating to look at…
“Alright, where are you…”
After catching my breath, I further increase my stealth and then move in, navigating around collapsed buildings and climbing over small mountains of rubble as I move deeper into Father’s Field, the heat growing hotter and hotter as I get closer, like I am actively walking towards the opening of an active volcano.
As the heat grows, the air begins to waver in a heat haze, rubble of stone and concrete is beginning to slowly melt and slop down and flow as lava, gathering in small puddles on the floor and glowing orange and gold.
For the first time in a while, I can actually feel pain in my bare feet as I walk on the hot floor. It’s a novel experience for me and reminds me of when I would be too lazy to put my shoes on to go and get the trashcan from the curb during summer…
I keep moving, not wanting to rush now that I am so close, all of my focus going towards hiding my presence as I continue to stalk closer and closer to my target, something inside of me drawing me towards him, compelling me to take that next step.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
And then I find him.
Just one last turn and a short climb up some rubble, and he is there, sitting on a toppled over pillar with his back turned towards me.
My heart quickens at the sight of him, blood rushing as my heart beats faster and sweat continues to wet my face, the heat filling the air around him until the very air feels like I am trying to walk through a wall. Taking a calming breath, I still my heart and slowly stalk closer and closer, my footsteps dead silent as I walk barefoot over smoldering rock, the soles of my feet stinging with pain as they slowly cook like I am walking on a burning grill. But the pain isn’t enough to distract me, not anymore. More and more, pain is becoming something that can easily be ignored, and right now, all of my focus is on my target.
Allowing my Field to spread out a bit more, I feel around but don’t sense anyone else nearby. It is just the two of us here in this dead place. Just two inhuman beings surrounded by the rubble of human society.
Closer. Closer…
Extending my arm, my claws grow out with darkness to become blades.
Closer. Closer…
…
“So, the Gods lie after all. Or do they?” He speaks out in perfect English as I stand just five feet away from him.
He turns his head to look over his armored shoulder, his eyes like hellfire looking my direction, a single long horn sticking up from his forehead, larger than Gra’s.
“Ahh, so much for an assassination, huh? How did you find me?” I ask as my nerves all go on edge, my mind racing to figure out where my spell failed. Even if it isn’t perfect, and certainly isn’t something like an invisibility spell, this is the best that I have been able to come up with so far.
“Fire.” He says simply. “It has a way of pushing away the darkness.”
Of fucking course! Of course, magic has to work like freaking Pokémon! I had thought that it might end up being the case, but being the only magic user around, I haven’t had a chance to figure it out yet...
“So… Father, or Grigut. Since we aren’t killing each other yet, I guess that means you want to talk?”
His eyes narrow at the mention of his name, his face of blood-red skin furrowing as he scowls at me over his shoulder.
“How did you learn my name, Gre’dem?”
“Your daughter taught me.”
“Ah… I see. So, the Gods speak true yet again. My own daughter has betrayed me, and to my enemy no less.”
“To be fair, the alternative was death.”
He looks down, looking almost sad, but mostly disappointed from what I can see of his face. “It matters not. She chose to betray us. To betray me. Haaah… Gre’dem, you know, I am no fool. I could see that she was not satisfied, that she was not happy with me… It was only a matter of time, but I had hoped that she would have eventually faced me herself. But instead, she sends you as she runs like a coward… afraid of her own father…”
“You did just try to kill her after all, so…” I say with a shrug.
“Ahh, so I did… Tell me Gre’dem, how did my son die?”
Initially, I have the urge to joke and ask, ‘Which one?’ But I quickly hold that down, my heart growing serious as the face of the only Hobgoblin he could be talking about comes to mind.
“Gov’es died fighting with honor. He died by my hand, refusing to surrender, burning me even as my hand pierced his heart.”
He slowly nods, not saying anything.
When it looks like he isn’t going to say anything more, I ask a question that has been on my mind.
“Are they actually your children? Gra and Gov’es? They are the only Hobgoblin I’ve seen that have a horn like yours, and your eyes… They both have your eyes.”
He remains quiet for a long moment, only breaking the silence to take a deep breath. Slowly he stands up, his armor of thick hides and kaiju scales audibly shifting as he stands to his full height. Lifting what looks to be a giant claw, a handle burned into its base so he can hold it with the curve of the claw directed away from him like a giant reverse scimitar.
He turns to properly face me, towering over my four-foot ten self and standing at probably six feet tall. Which, for a Goblin, is pretty freaking tall.
“Born from different mothers, but yes, they are both mine.” He says as he glares down at me, his fire red eyes burning like a pair of furnaces, practically glowing with sparking embers.
Now that I am facing him, I can see it even clearer now. Gov’es had his chin, while Gra definitely got his nose, and the both of them most certainly got his eyes. With Gra, this ends up giving her permanent resting bitch face, while for Gov’es, it had made him have a constant serious look, like he had something he had to do. But the point is, that this man is most definitely their father.
“Well, I guess I should start by giving you an apology, huh?”
He raises an eyebrow at that. “An apology?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about everything that happened. When I went on a rampage through your nest and killed all those Goblins. There was like, seven of you left after that, right? You all looked really scared of me after that, when you ran back into your nest.”
“Ahh… That’s right…” He says as he takes a slow step towards me.
“I still remember that day. How we hid in fear of you, waiting for you to return and finish us off. But you never did, you left, having slaughtered our brothers and sisters, leaving them as food for the scavengers to pick at. You made me feel fear.”
He takes another step.
“You made me feel anger.”
And another step.
“You made me feel weak!”
And another.
“You made me want revenge!”
And with another, he is standing before me, looking down at me as I look up towards him, refusing to back away.
“You, Gre’dem, made me. Because of you, I gained thought. My actions gained reason. My life gained purpose. And now, as I stand before you, that purpose has been reaffirmed. You killed my son, and you took my daughter… and now, I shall have my revenge.”
We stand there, stock still. His weapon resting in his grip at his side, as my clawed hand remains by mine, the both of us waiting for the other to move first.
I can feel his anger radiating off his body and filling the surroundings through his Field, the surrounding rubble all melting into molten rock as the floor glows under us, my feet long having burnt raw and aching with a pain that I ignore.
And then he smiles, his mouth full of sharp yellow teeth, making me blink in surprise.
He laughs lightly, “Hahahaha, I remember you being so much bigger. Especially in the nights when you haunted my dreams. Hmhmhmhm, but you are so small now, Demon Queen.”
I just return his smile, showing off my pearly whites without fear, something in my brain compelling me to meet his challenge.
“Ahh, yes, I remember you being much smaller too. But now you are so much bigger, Goblin King.”
His smile turns into a scowl, his rage finally reaching his face. He roars, “I AM THE DEMON KING!”
He swings for me, and I dodge under his blade. Screaming back, I declare, “OVER MY DEAD BODY!”