His laughter didn’t stop as he stalked after Hulvin, who kicked up dirt as he scrambled away.
Fire still surrounded them, but through the flickering flames, Arthur caught sight of people running around. Rab was the easiest to notice—the large knight carrying two buckets of water at once—as he directed a squad of people to put out the flames that spread through the stalls.
The Council was next to Augustus, pleading and screaming in equal measure at the rat who’d dropped his bat as he bit and scratched at anyone who tried to approach him. Theobold grappled with a knight nearby, his large arms crushing the smaller man tight enough to stop them from bringing their weapon to bear.
It was pandemonium, but he couldn’t bring himself to care as his attention once more swung about to the man who lay in the dirt. Hulvin looked scared. Any trace of his sneer was long gone.
“Monster.”
“You need to stop calling people that,” Arthur growled as he lashed out with a foot and heard the satisfying crack of the man’s prosthetic leg snap.
Hulvin howled in anguish, loud enough to draw the attention of everyone fighting nearby. From the corner of his eye, Arthur even spotted Augustus stop scratching at the guard while Theobold dropped the knight that he held. Noise still pounded at him, but as he looked at the tired, terrified man who’d acted so high and mighty, it faded into the background once again.
All he wanted to do was end this. He was sick of playing nice and letting those who opposed him survive. Besides, this was what the knights did, right? They’d planned on publicly executing Carina for her crimes. This wasn’t anything more than following their rules, a fact they should appreciate after all the mess.
Arthur knelt at the knight’s side before raising up his hand, fingers curling, as his claws glistened in the firelight. He’d already killed to defend his home—Riccardo, Greenwire, those Multipups and the other gangsters. Really, what was one more?
“Any last words?”
“Do it!” Hulvin cried out, a weak sneer returning to his face. “Show them who and what you are.”
“Gladly.” Arthur didn’t hesitate to strike, which made it strange when two hands caught his arm, locking it in place.
His claws hovered inches above Hulvin’s face as he turned to see who’d stopped him. Theobold stood there, soot-covered and dirty, as he grasped Arthur’s arm in his vice-like grip.
“Boss, don’t. This isn’t how this is done.”
“I don’t care,” Arthur snarled as he tried to jerk the last few inches that he needed to feel his claws pierce flesh, but Theobold refused to let go.
The mutant’s voice was soft, at odds with the wild eyes and flicking tail. “If you kill him, you’ll prove him right. The Council will never work with you, and the farms will turn against us. My mother wouldn’t deal with you again.”
He didn’t know if Theobold had meant that to be an implicit threat of quitting, but it hid in those words, regardless. If Theorisa walked, so would her son, and he was too useful for that. Arthur clenched his fist, his entire arm wavering even in Theobold’s grip.
“Then what do you suggest? You heard him; he threatened Jemima, Augustus, Nyssa, and you. He knew what he was doing when he issued this challenge and what result he wanted.”
“I suggest we leave him for The Council to deal with.” Theobold’s tone was bitter as he looked down at the man in Arthur’s grip. “For this kind of attack on a guest, challenge or not, he knows what the punishment is.”
Hulvin spat, trying his best to look defiant from his position on the ground. “My men will know the truth.”
“What truth? That you’re a washed-up drunk who tried to lead a coup against people who have sold us food and valuable supplies to rebuild? No.” Theobold said, sounding tired.
“Fine,” Arthur snapped. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. Get The Council over here. I want this dealt with tonight.”
With a snapped salute, Theobold bolted once more through the flames as Arthur shook his head. He wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing, but he would give this a go. After all, if Alyssa and the rest disagreed, they’d be hard-pressed to stop him.
***
Hulvin had resorted to spitting one-word insults by the time The Council arrived at the scene.
Arthur ignored him, instead daydreaming, his eyes roaming over the back of his scaled hand as he tried to wrap his head around his transformation. In the flickering firelight, it was hard to judge colors, but he was sure he was a darker shade of green than his uniform and suit. That delighted him. The last thing he wanted was to be permanently stuck in the colors of his old uniform.
“Boss, they’re here.”
He looked up at the sound of Theobold’s voice to see The Council and Augustus standing there. His chief of staff had a frightened and half-armored knight in a chokehold who had scratches and cuts all over his skin.
When Augustus caught his eye, he hissed and shook the knight, who whimpered.
“Let him go,” Arthur said as he looked at the concerned expressions worn by both Cyrus and Kourtney, before adding, “don’t let him go too far.”
With a squeak of assent, Augustus let the knight go, who slumped in place. In a swift motion, Alyssa moved out an arm to steady him, even though her eyes didn’t leave Hulvin’s face. The knight on the ground glared up at her.
“How should we handle this?” Cyrus’s voice held almost no emotion as he lightly thumped the base of his cane into the ground.
Kourtney shook her head. “The rules are clear. We bent them for that Heady woman, and you saw where that got us. We kick him off The Council, and then public execution once we are in a better position to hold one.”
“Agreed.” Alyssa stepped forward, staring down at Hulvin as she did so. “You are hereby charged with the intent to attack an ally, the harm of a guest, and an attempt at a coup. Unless you want to tell me you didn’t intend to use your faction to take over?”
“He accepted my challenge fair and square. No harm came to any guest or ally from me,” Hulvin growled.
“You gave him little choice but to accept,” Alyssa noted.
Hulvin struggled to sit up, and Arthur stepped back to let him. With his leg shattered, it made little difference to his chances of escape. Though when his hand went for the sword laying nearby in the dirt, Arthur took pleasure in kicking it away.
“He’s a monster!” Hulvin declared. “A Pit Fiend sent here to destabilize us. Think about it. Ever since he’s gotten here, we’ve been in battle after battle. First with Riccardo, and then with the demons. It’s a trap, and you should see it!”
“You’re mad, Hulvin.” Theorisa said, and Arthur wasn’t sure where she’d come from.
“And you’re the mother of one of these monsters! I’ll—”
Even with his newfound power, Arthur doubted that he couldn’t have stopped the armored boot that flew into the man’s face. There was a sickening crunch as his nose broke, blood spraying as Theorisa’s foot hit the dirt once more.
“I warned you about insulting my son, you bastard.”
Venom filled her voice, but Hulvin could no longer hear it.
Cyrus crouched down with a grunt and checked him over with a nod. “Still alive.”
“Good.” Alyssa nodded before he turned to Arthur. “You won; congratulations. What did he owe you?”
“He promised a lot of things that don’t matter now. Though I still want access to his crafters,” Arthur said, doing his best to sound as normal as he could.
Though he found that no matter how hard he tried, the constant growl that infected his voice wouldn’t leave. He was glad he didn’t have wings or a tail, either. If he did, he knew they would show the aggression that filled him. From the way Alyssa looked at him, he knew his voice had done little to hide it, either.
She looked away from him and towards the fire and the destruction. Her posture was one of control and leadership, but Arthur could sense the despair rippling through her. Not that he blamed her for it. This was the second time in so many weeks that destruction had descended on her home.
“We shall honor our agreements as well,” Cyrus said as Kourtney nodded beside him. “If you are still willing to trade with us.”
“I am.”
Alyssa sighed. “Good. Then please, don’t take this the wrong way, but you need to leave. All of you. Theorisa, I’m sorry, but things will be volatile for a while, and your son will make things worse.”
“I understand.” Theorisa nodded.
Arthur took a deep breath as he understood the context of what she said. While polite, it was a clear dismissal and command. A part of him flickered with the idea that Alyssa thought she could command him. He wasn’t something to be used like that, not by her. However, as his eyes fell on Theobold and Augustus, both showing signs of injury, he relented.
He’d gain nothing by staying, and now that he no longer had his rage at Hulvin to focus on, he felt strange. The sheer idea of what had happened to him crashed down as he listened to the Council bark orders.
“Fine. Fine, we’re leaving. Theobold, lead the way.”
“Boss,” Theobold said as he turned and led them through the destruction that surrounded them and back to the rickshaw.
It was past time they went home.
***
Arthur’s plan had been simple.
He needed some time for himself, away from the whispering and pointing that had occurred when he’d arrived. Mike’s presence had helped considerably, as he’d started barking orders to clear a path as soon as he’d noticed the new threat.
Now, he’d locked himself in his office with his computer screen open to allow him to watch the elementals frolic about. They were as cute as ever, but he couldn’t find it in himself to concentrate on them. Instead, his gaze kept going down to his hands.
They were larger now; his fingers were more slender and ended in claws. They were sharp; he knew and seemed hard enough to be difficult to break. When he pulled out a piece of metal he’d bought, a simple movement left deep scratches along its surface. With a shudder, he’d put it back down and do his best not to touch anything else.
“Hey.”
Arthur looked up from his hand, ready to scare away whoever dared to knock on his door, when he caught sight of Nyssa. She wore a small smile and waved as she walked in and shut the door before sitting on the couch.
With effort, he forced down the terse reply that bubbled up and nodded. “Hi Nyssa.”
“So, how do you feel?”
The question sounded so simple, but they both knew that it wasn’t.
He shrugged before looking down at his desk. In one hand, he clutched a coin that he pulled from a drawer. It was warm and comforting, though he knew a bigger pile of gold would be better.
“I’m fine,” Arthur said, knowing no one who heard him would believe it.
“Bullshit.”
The bluntness of the statement caught him off guard enough that he looked up at Nyssa, who lounged on the couch. For the first time, he noticed Splotch wasn’t with her. It seemed odd now not to see the little elemental sitting on her shoulder. Her brown eyes met his, and he noticed they held a total lack of fear.
“Not fine,” he admitted. “Weird? It’s a lot to process, and I’m not sure I fully have. I think I’m going to need to take a couple of days to get used to this.”
“Reasonable. I take it the process differs from dads, then?” Nyssa asked as she gestured to herself. “When I woke up, it all felt natural, I guess? I knew I wasn’t like this before, but it felt right at the same time.”
Arthur laughed. “Very. I don’t feel like I should, and I’m so much stronger and tougher now. I’m pretty sure I could fight Rab and win now, let alone whatever demons the cultists used to have.”
Nyssa whistled. “What about fire?”
“Well,” Arthur cut himself off. “I don’t know; I never tried. I don’t have wings or anything either.”
“Maybe they’ll grow in?” She suggested, while she idly played with her tail. “But seriously, I think taking a few days is a good idea. Work the shop for a bit. Maybe talk to Pydes?”
“I will, thanks.”
Arthur tried to smile, but he wasn’t sure it reached his eyes. He didn’t know if taking a couple of days and getting used to things would help, but he would try it. The fire in his throat burned when he thought about telling her about how angry he still felt. How much he wanted to deal with all his problems as violently as possible.
It took all his effort not to order Theobold to take him to Diaboli Theatrum to sort out the ex-board members right now. To make an example of them and those that touched his hoard.
He tried to focus on anything else as a distraction, his mind snapping at things that would allow his hoard to grow. A smile forced itself onto his face as he realized he had crafters coming, which should mean a higher knight presence. That would mean more coins and levels.
Which, in turn, meant he should be able to get one of his ideas off the ground sooner rather than later. One that he hoped would be a good enough distraction.
“So?” he asked Nyssa, who appeared content to remain flopped onto the couch. “Have I told you about my bathhouse idea?”198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTm7QYOFVmK
