Both the kid and Karkas caught wind of the commotion in the police station soon after Jacques and Raine got out from the main gate looking like they had just got out of a fight. The kid also heard someone shouting that Nihilo was inside the walls, which made some people audibly gasp and worriedly ask about the situation. Those who knew how to defend themselves took up arms but were soon persuaded to stand down when one of the officers who went along with the two bounty hunters assured everyone that the situation was under control.
“What happened? I heard someone say ‘Nihilo’,” asked Karkas, with the kid pulling out a first aid kit to tend for Jacques’s wound.
“We lost Kestal,” said Raine, evidently upset.
“Ah, damn it,” said Karkas.
“We’re lucky we got to him just as they did,” said Jacques as the kid put on some bandage wraps on his bleeding arm. “We’re going to Narvan.”
“Narvan?” asked Karkas, with the kid also saying the word, but less intelligible.
“Abandoned settlement west from here, if Kestal’s to be believed,” said the wolf. “We lost the element of surprise now, so prepare yourselves.”
Karkas and the kid were not sitting idly while their friends got into the haven. Both were gearing up for a major battle, with Karkas readying his staff and the kid readying his unusual, sawblade-tipped weapon, which he effortlessly move as if it wasn’t as heavy as the staff Karkas had. While Jacques wanted to comment on the kid’s choice of weapon, he decided to trust that the Fa’ar knew what he was doing. The weapon looked lethal enough for the Loup.
After recovering from the ambush and with Jacques and Raine fully patched up, it was time for them to go to Narvan. With tension high and a journey full of uncertainties, the four started to walk towards Narvan using a map they purchased from the pawn shop outside Macksten as guidance. It was quite uneventful during their journey from the industrial city of Macksten to the settlement of Narvan, which, as Kestal told Jacques, was half a day’s walk from the city. From the main, paved road originated from Macksten, they continued to the unpaved, mostly dirt and sand, road branching off main, into a barely visible dirt road and far from any civilizations. Narvan clearly had no visitors, not when it was barely visible from the main road and the fact that it disappeared from the most recent maps.
It was all a perfect setup for a trap. So obvious, in fact, that the only reason they did not back out was because of their personal mission to eliminate the Church of Nihilo and be rid of them, bolstered by the most recent ambush and Kestal’s gruesome death. Karkas and Raine, however, always knew that this was not ‘their’ mission. It was Jacques’s mission, and they only came along because of the partnership.
So, naturally, Karkas, the one with the least connection to Raine and the kid, would be the most skeptical of their next course of action. In fact, he began to worry about Jacques.
Walking beside Raine, he said, “Can we talk? Preferably out of the wolf’s earshot?”
Raine quickly understood. He then turned to the Fa’ar kid and said, “Why don’t you go on ahead, kiddo? Try to talk with Jacques.”
The kid, whose vocal cord had healed considerably since the treatment, managed to say, “I will” in a raspy whisper. It would be a long way before he could start speaking long sentences, but it was better than none. He then paced forward until he walked side-by-side with Jacques. Their height difference was very apparent.
“If you ignore the tail and the round ears, they look like father and child,” said Raine with a chuckle. “Anyway, what are you trying to say, Karkas?”
“I must admit that I was too blinded by revenge to even realize my mistakes,” said Karkas. “I still owe an apology to the kid, even if he has forgiven me. In fact, I owe an apology to all Fa’ars I had wronged in the past.”
“Hey, big guy, it’s fine,” assured Raine. “You just haven’t met the kid before, or maybe you always end up with a bad crowd.”
“Thus, I know how it feels like to have a mission purely motivated by revenge,” concluded Karkas. “And from the look of it, Jacques has been walking down that path far longer than I did. Maybe even his whole life."
“What are you implying?”
“I’m thinking that there might be something more than him witnessing a child’s death that spurred his vendetta. He could’ve hidden the fact that the child was his.”
“Nah. Jacques’s not the kind of person who’d settle down.”
“You may know him, Raine, but you don’t know him that well.”
“I know, I know. Jacques’s a lone wolf. That’s the impression I got from him ever since we clashed with each other. It’s easier to learn about someone during a fight than just talking. He’s…carrying a heavy burden, but he refused to share it. After hearing his story, I think I can understand why.”
Karkas wondered if that was the whole truth. He never told Raine how he did not even hesitate to shoot anyone who wore anything related to the cult. The Crocodilian was the only one who witnessed his barely repressed anger when he smashed the Nihilo’s altar and coldly shoot down everyone in the church, only sparing those who lost their will to fight or surrendered. He never even considered a non-lethal approach, unlike Karkas, who used binding spells to stop his attackers when possible. Jacques simply shot anyone who rushed at him or who showed a little aggression, even those taunting him. His blood-splattered look, his hungry, lupine eyes, and his snarl, were enough to tell Karkas that the Loup turned into a bloodthirsty beast during that moment. It made Karkas reflect on himself on his own quest, causing him to realize how petty a journey for vengeance could be.
He got a chance to reflect before, when he unwittingly traumatized the kid just because he looked almost identical to Asran, down to his split ear and cut tail tip. Then, when Sil implied that the kid was a rape victim, he became even more regretful. It was Jacques’s cold-blooded killings and his disregard for collateral damage that finally convinced Karkas that he, too, was on the way of going down the same dark path.
This made him worried about what he would do when he found Asran and dealt with him. Would he become the bane of Fa’ars, spreading fears and becoming a monster, or would he finally think that it was stupid in the end? Both he and Jacques walked the same path, with the wolf man walking that path further than he was.
“He may have a very personal reason,” said Karkas. “But he’s walking down a road we won’t be able to follow.”
“Are you saying that he’s being consumed by his own quest?”
“Vengeance is a very dangerous thing, Raine. Once you walk down that path, it will not let you leave, even after it is over. We both have elusive targets, and upon every failure, we will lose sight of what we once were. The kid gave me an opportunity to realize that, but Jacques…I’m afraid that it won’t be enough.”
“Will the kid be able to convince him otherwise?”
“Only if the wolf cares enough to listen.”
Jacques, on the other hand, did not listen to any of the conversation behind his back, as he looked at the kid, who smiled and tried to talk to him, though he could only say broken phrases before losing his voice or just simply cough due to the irritation. The Loup, sympathetic, said, “You better take it easy before we have to take you back to the Lizan doctor again.”
The kid stopped trying and just nodded.
“Kid, I….” Jacques hesitated, trying to find kinder words. He couldn’t. “I never thought about your past. About you being a…victim.”
The kid understandably shuddered. His murine face grimaced.
“I never had that experience growing up, you see,” said Jacques. “We both lived a hard life, born in a world that wants to kill you every step of the way. It’s just…to see someone so young to be…honestly, it infuriates me. It made me realize that, despite everything I faced, there are always those who had it worse. It’s like you have no excuse to complain.”
Jacques let out an ironic, sad chuckle, something the kid had not heard before. “And you know what’s funny? I remembered saying this to my parents when they told me about it. ‘Then why are they alive’? Got my ass beat for being a sarcastic asshole. I still think about it up to this day. If your life’s not worth it, why go on? Maybe all they need is the means to finish it, because they clearly can’t do it themselves. But…”
The kid put his hand on Jacques, giving him a stern look, something that was different from the kind, sympathetic look he always gave when someone’s pouring their heart out (usually Raine or Jacques). This time, the kid looked angry.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to anger you,” said Jacques. “But you’re right. That’s a stupid thought. I guess Nihilo’s influence can’t be easily erased just by denying it. I envy you, kid. You clearly had all the reasons to hate the world and even me for not helping you when you need it. Hell, I’m sure you’d hate to be with the croc after what he did to you. Don’t try to cover it for him. The way you look at him is obvious enough. But even after all that, even after being put in situations where you’d fallen into despair…I can still see a glimmer of hope. You don’t need a voice to show it.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The Fa’ar cocked his head in confusion.
“Yeah. Ironic, isn’t it? Your kind once spread despair and caused all this. Everyone hated your kind, spreading it from father to son to their own son and so on and so on. It’s like everyone agreed that you can’t be considered equal to beast people because of the sins of your ancestors. You can’t underestimate everlasting grudges. It overrides all common sense. But even after all that, even when the world’s against you, ever since you were born in this world, even after you have lost all dignity as a person…you still have a capacity to forgive. I’m…surprised. Speechless, even. Who gave you that strength?”
The kid had an easy answer for that. “Mother,” he said, with a raspy voice. “Father.”
“Your parents, huh? Where are they now?”
It was a rhetorical question, one with an answer the kid did not hesitate to say.
“Dead.”
“Yeah, of course they are.”
Then the kid surprised Jacques when he pointed at the Loup and said, “Friend”. The Loup’s reaction would usually be surprised and in denial, even reprimanding the kid for his poor choice with his usual sarcastic remark. But this time, instead of that, he was just stunned.
The kid was confused when Jacques simply stared at him before starting to wonder if he said the wrong thing. When he became concerned and tried to say something else, Jacques put his finger on the Fa’ar’s murine snout. Then, for the first time since their first meeting, the kid saw Jacques’s genuine, lupine smile, which stunned the Fa’ar. He looked so different.
“I appreciate it, kid,” said the Loup. “Thank you.”
The kid wondered why Jacques’s mannerisms changed the moment he declared that the Loup was his friend. Was it because of his honest statement? Nevertheless, it was only for a moment, as the Loup returned to his serious expression when he looked towards the looming town and said, “This is it.”
The kid looked forward. He, too, felt a general unease. Sickening, even. It was as if a nauseating aura permeated into the air and affected him. Something did not feel right. This caused him to tighten the grip to his weapon, which made Jacques wondered on when the Fa’ar managed to complete such an unusual weapon.
“Whatever that is,” said Jacques, referring to the weapon the kid had. “Make sure it doesn’t break so easily or be a risk.”
The kid shook his head. He had anticipated the high chance of his weapon breaking. It was not a proper weapon, but a weapon made from junk and scraps that he gathered along the way, held together by screws and metal plates. He had just finished the final touch with Raine’s help, which included enchanting the weapon’s resistance to both physical and magical attack while also keeping it light, but not too light to prevent unnecessary and risky maneuvers. Even Raine was interested.
It was a short halberd-like weapon slightly taller than the Fa’ar, which made it clear that its intended function was not for reach. The tip was bulky and heavy, very different from a proper halberd, which required a featherweight enchantment to stabilize the weight throughout the weapon. At first glance, it did not look practical as a weapon, especially for someone like the kid. In fact, it couldn’t be considered a halberd, not when the tip was fitted with motor engine and a circular saw blade, which was heavily modified so that it would be small and thin like a halberd would. The engine suggested something far deadlier than a circular saw, something only the kid had ever seen once before. Only his mind could produce such an unusual weapon and possibly use it, although the others, especially Jacques, was skeptical about the Fa’ar’s combat prowess.
The unusual weapon would be tested in a combat situation as they entered Narvan. To no one’s surprise, the town was deserted. It was quite common for bandits and raiders to take over a town and banish its original population while they reaped their rewards. This town, however, was different, because it was clear from the get-go that they would not be given a proper time for an introduction.
“Above us!”
Raine’s warning was proper; someone tried to ambush them from above. Karkas was faster. He erected a dome barrier to stop the kukri-wielding ambusher from cutting Raine’s head. To the croc’s surprise, the attack went through as if there were no barriers to begin with. What really saved Raine was the kid’s quick response. The ambusher’s scream was enough of a warning for the Fa’ar to dash towards Raine, all while switching on the motor near the tip of his weapon. A loud, buzzing sound filled the air as the circular saw blade revolved at incredible speed.
What happened next, however, was nothing but shocking.
The ambusher’s lithe body was still in the air when the kid’s weapon was held vertically up. The shocked man found himself falling towards the fast-spinning blade just as the kid tackled Raine. He fell onto the open saw, and the sound of it cutting through flesh was nothing but horrifying. The pained, blood-curdling scream the ambusher let out was quickly drowned by the loud buzzing noise of the circular saw eviscerating him, causing his guts to fall near Raine and the kid and blood and viscera sprayed towards everyone. The kid unceremoniously threw away the dead man’s mangled body and cleaned up whatever flesh that got stuck before turning it on again.
“What the fuck, kiddo?!” exclaimed Raine as he cleaned the blood off his face. “That’s unnecessarily brutal! You don’t make weapon that traumatize your friends!”
“If it works, it works,” said Jacques, who was also visibly disturbed by the sheer brutality of the weapon. “Makes a good first impression, too.”
Jacques was right. The sheer brutality of the attack caused an audible response from some of the hidden ambushers. Some of them were also too shocked to the point of being stunned, enabling Jacques to take a quick shot when they were distracted. Even better, the loud sound caused by the circular saw continued to unnerve many of the ambushers.
This did not last long, however. One dashed out from one of the buildings and clashed with Jacques with his long claws. Jacques managed to stop the attack with his gun, but the pressure of the attack was overwhelming, forcing the Loup to dig his paws deep into the sand to stop the attack. He managed to stop, but it was clear that he was dragged several feet by the attack.
“Keep focus!” barked the attacker. “Overwhelm them!”
As he recovered, Jacques checked on his attacker. The description matched. He really was as big as an Ursan despite having lupine features. He had a stockier build compared to Jacques, along with a different fur pattern that had a mix of chocolate, black, and grey color. Despite his Ursan-like size, he was still obviously a Loup-garou with his digitigrade legs, sharp ears, and canine features.
This fact prompted Jacques to say, “You really should lose some weight, Ben-Renee.”
“And you shouldn’t act too cocky, Jacques Barlow. I got your right where I need you!”
Ben-Renee’s clawed hand glowed, alerting Jacques to the Loup’s attempt to cast a spell. The Loup’s hands were all used to defend himself, holding the revolvers that saved him from being violently tackled by the massive Loup. The cast spell exploded right in front of Jacques’s face, with the explosion releasing a bright flash of light that also burned the Loup’s face. This momentary distraction, however, was not enough for Ben-Renee to carry out a follow-up attack, as Jacques was not as stunned as he thought. Jacques instead managed to break away and put some distance between him and the Loup before shooting him with his signature curved bullets, only for them to stop in mid-air as Ben-Renee stared at them.
As Jacques looked around to find the support who saved his adversary’s life, Raine, Karkas, and the kid were forced to split when the rest of the cultists, already recovered from the earlier shock, started to rush towards them. Some hesitated, evidently unnerved by the Fa’ar kid switching on his weapon. The kid showed that he could fight when he swung the unusual weapon like a glaive. The terrible noise it created caused some of them to hesitate even more. One unfortunate attacker tried to get within range of the Fa’ar, thinking that its long reach made the Fa’ar vulnerable up close. He did not account for the weapon’s length, which was shorter than a polearm to compensate the height of a rat person. Thus, when the kid noticed this, he effortlessly swung the weapon around, using every ounce of his weight to deliver a fast and deadly swinging attack that connected with the man’s abdomen. Once again, a brutal spectacle of gore and violence, accompanied by the blood-curdling scream of a man being eviscerated by a circular saw, demoralized many of the attackers enough for them to become sick, some even ran in fear when they saw the glaring, blood-splattered Fa’ar handling a weapon with terrible noise.
“By the River Lord,” said Karkas with evident disgust. “That’s too far.”
The kid, however, was unfazed. He had already known how the weapon would be perceived, and he was right. No one would even consider building a motorized weapon if they did not wish for excessive violence. As the kid glared at the rest of the attackers, he kept the weapon in front of him, threatening them as he walked towards them with his fur and whatever clothes he had drenched in blood (which was almost none).
“I ain’t gonna die a horrible death. Fuck this!” declared one of them as he dropped his weapon and ran. Others soon followed. The kid let out a malicious smile on his rodent face, satisfied that his scare tactic worked.
Yet many remained, though it was manageable for the three experienced bounty hunters. The kid’s brutality and fighting skill was a pleasant, though unnerving, surprise.
“He never lost everything he learned while being a slave, is he?” remarked Raine. “Well, better than being completely helpless, I suppose.”
“I do wish he’d stop using such terrible weapon,” said Karkas.
“Surely you’ve seen other Crocs chomp down on flesh.”
“They do not come with loud, screeching noise!”
The banter was cut short by an attacker rushing towards Raine and swung his sword. Raine managed to guard himself as the attacker attacked him recklessly. He clearly had no swordsmanship skills, especially since Raine easily parried his attack, leaving the attacker’s chest wide open for Raine to stab his sword through the chest. He immediately pulled out his sword and continued defending himself from further attacks, only counterattacking after he managed to parry or otherwise outmaneuvered his attackers.
He did have a problem with guns. Gunners, realizing that Raine’s skill with a sword far outmatched the grunts sent to deal with him, started shooting him from a distance. Raine realized this after several shots missed him, forcing him to run out of them open avoiding machine gun fire. He was fortunate he was not the only one dealing with the gunners, however, and this gave him an edge.
The Fa’ar kid, despite his brutal way of dispatching his opponent, knew the virtue of not being the center of attention. Taking advantage of the momentary shock caused by his weapon, he quietly slipped away while observing the situation on the battlefield. He was the first to notice the gunners. As their attentions were fixed on Raine, the kid put his lighter-than-normal weapon on his back and started running on all fours, expertly climbing to the floor where the gunners were. They did not notice him, owing to his light rodent feet.
Without hesitating, he pulled out a makeshift grenade and threw it forcefully. He took cover just as the grenade hit the floor among the gunners. They had no time to react, as the grenade exploded upon impact, maiming or killing them almost instantly. One managed to escape as the explosion only blasted him off and did not maim him.
The kid quietly left the area, keeping himself quiet and away from major conflicts as everyone’s attention was fixated with Raine, Karkas, and Jacques. He already knew his role as a support despite the brutality he showed during the opening acts of the battle, as he was aware that, despite his experience, he was not a particularly strong combatant.
He continued observing the battlefield for unpleasant surprises and acted on it, all while Raine kept dealing with those who rushed against him or unwittingly used magic spells that he easily countered. He was also supported by Karkas, whose specialty in support magic gave Raine the defensive edge he needed while also being capable of defending himself with his Crocodilian strength, both fighting as one as if knowing what each other needed despite of this being their first time working together as a team
As the two fought most of the attackers, and the Fa’ar kid weeding out potential traps and ambushes, Jacques and Ben-Renee were locked in more personal combat. None of Ben-Renee’s lackeys came to his aid, and Jacques could not ask for his friends’ help. Their fight was for their own, between two wolves.
Silently acknowledging each other’s strength, especially after they landed attacks against each other, they continued their fight, away from the chaos.