Chapter 265: Chapter 262: Game

'My human?' Stela, behind me, back on her feet, wounded, bleeding. My pack, letting her die - unacceptable!

"Just the reaction I was looking for!" Beastman chimed in, pleased, amused. Me not even a growl. My body language too obvious. Annoying. "What do you say? I'll leave her alone if you join us."

"Never!"

"Ohoho, I really like you, this determination. Let's put it to the test then, shall we? Every step I take, I will give you a chance to change your mind. If you refuse, this female will suffer. When I reach you, I'll kill her."

"Fuck you!"

A game to him. Fun. For me, for my pack, the end of the cycle. Sad, irritating. Not to say I let the bastard do whatever he wants, to play with me, with my pack. A deep breath, gritting my teeth, my presence hitting him.

The beastman laughed and shook it off - casually with his own. "I'll take that as your consent."

The bastard, eager, playful, a hunter. Jumped down from my teacher's corpse, eyes on me. Awaiting my reaction. Me not playing.

"Nothing? That's boring. So . . . will you join us?"

"I said never!"

"Then let's get to the fun part."

He opened his palm, round pieces of metal in it, human coins. He rolled one between his fingers and flicked it. Like a bullet, it whizzed past my ear. My human, Stella, howled in pain. A coin stuck in her shoulder. She unable to dodge, to react in time. Neither could I. Terrifying.

"I did warn you," the beastman said, nonchalant. "Her suffering was your choice."

Disgusting. Mind games. He no different from Eleaden. Not odd, twisted by the planet.

"Now that you know what awaits the female," he took a step. "What do you say? I promise I'll let her go."

"You think me a pup born last night? You not kill. Your pack kills."

The bastard smirked. "If you make your decision now, there's a good chance she'll get away."

I hate it. Yet glanced back at my human. Ask. She tried to hold on. Determination in her eyes. "Don't Korra. Don't let the b . . ." Her words ended in a scream of pain. The bastard flipped another coin, hitting my human in the same place. Anger! Fury!

"Don't let a shitty human tell you what to do!" Disgust in the beastman's words, pure hatred. Eleaden's hatred. Felt the same way. Sickening.

"And I should listen to you?"

I pushed back with my presence. Not much else I could do. Frustrating. Painful, easier than before.

Infuriating, he took it without much effort.

"Fair enough. I admit I let my temper get the better of me here. I'll give you this," he said, taking a step. No coin flick. Thought to be generosity, a mistake. He already flicked one.

"All right, how about now?"

"You deaf? No! Leave, along with your pack!"

Coin flick.

Painful cry of my human.

The bastard took another step, unmoved.

Where the archers, the mages? No time to look for them, though.

"I really don't get it. What do you see in this female human? How is she better than beasts or us? Humans are slower, weaker, have no connection to the Mother."

"Me part human," I reminded him, in case he not noticed.

"So what? I'm part elf, and I fucking hate it." True. His words filled with hate.

"Your problem, not mine."

"You're not fucking listening. Open your mind, look around. Humans, elves, traitors to the beasts, and other fuckers are a blight on the Mother."

My eyes swept across the battlefield, over the corpses. "Your work, not human's."

He sighed. Obviously disappointed with my answer. "I'll take that as a no."

Coin flick.

My human cried, holding her side. Fell to her knees. My pack hurt. Me helpless. Frustrating, pitiful. I dropped my presence on him.

"Damn, you're getting better," the bastard shrugged as if goosebumps. 

"Seriously, I'm interested. What are you? I smell a few beasts on you. But because of the damn elf blood, I can't tell what kind."

Taken aback. His nose worse than mine. Me closer to the beasts than he was. Most likely the reason he retained his wits. He part beast nonetheless. 

My body language too revealing. Him angry.

"Me not telling. You sniff it." I grinned. Mockery.

"Have it your wa!."

The movement of his fingers, the timing. I hit him with presence. Coin flick. Missed.

"Ohoho, that was good, really good," laughed the beastman, the hunter, amused, not pleased. Another coin flick. Me too late with the presence. Stella in pain, again. Me a failure. Disappointment. Anger. 

"Don't try it again!"

I did. Enraged, I dropped my presence. Tantrum like a little puppy, aware.

"You k-know that our mights just cancel each other out, r-right?" the bastard said, not entirely unaffected by my presence. He struggled a bit. Satisfyingly. My chest filled with pride. Not enough. Tired. Aching from the use of presence, overuse harmful. No other way. Regeneration taking care of it - mostly.

"Well, w-whatever," he shrugged when me not listened. Hit him with my presence, again. "It adds to t-the fun. So, what's it g-going to be?"

Nothing to say, just staring, angry. My answer unchanged.

"I see; 'no' it is."

Coin flick. I moved, in time. A piece of metal dug into my hip. Painful. me stronger than the sting. I protected my human, my pack. Pride.

The strong hunter angry. "No, no, no, you won't understand anything like that! Stay put!"

His presence heavy, threatening to buckle my legs. I pushed back, my presence, my might. Weight gone from the body. Too late. Another coin flick. Human cried. Me too slow, failed to protect. Despair. Nothing else I could do.

"See, now you're learning." The bastard noticed - me, distraught at my helplessness. Arrogant, satisfied. "Maybe the next step will change your mind."

Even though he dozen steps away, it didn not. Too close for comfort. Hard to respond to a coin flick. Tried. Failed. My human more wounded.

"You're pretty stubborn, huh?" said the bastard, enjoying his game. "Or stupid. Tell me which one you are."

"Neither! You stupid!" My snarl pathetic. Aware.

The beastman chortled, amused. "We'll see who's stupid." Another step. Less than a dozen to go. His eyes on my human. "That female doesn't look good. Sure you don't want to change your mind?" My human, Stella, still alive. Behind me, on her knees. Bleeding, breathing hard. Not much time left, cycle lost. Better to die than to suffer. Thoughts of killing her. Terrible, horrified at myself. Unable to do it. My pack, my friend.

"Ohoho, this is better than I thought."

"Go fuck yourself!"

Puzzlement on his face. Genuine confusion. "Rude intent aside - you can do that? Fuck yourself? Is that one of the beasts I smell on you? Interesting. Anyway, I'm not in the mood to mate. Certainly not with you."

He strong male. A powerful one. Stronger than a teacher. Not one I want to mate with. Too arrogant, too twisted. He hurt the ones I cared about, my pack.

"Huh? You know what, that's annoying. Most females bust their asses to mate with me. Is there something wrong with you?"

His male pride hurt. Good. He resorted to insults to humiliate me. Not working. Aware of the defects. Not a good female. The core damaged the womb. Better with time. Need to get out of the Echo. My whole pack of the Echo.

"Perhaps I should show you what you're missing? Kill the female now and I will take you here. What do you say?"

Trying to heal his pride. Pathetic.

"I'd rather kill myself." Still plenty of mana to fry my brain.

He nodded. Acknowledgement. Even respect. Weird. It made me sick. "I believe you. Well, about joining our side?"

A growl. Sure, no.

A coin snap.

I moved, blocked it. Then again. Another piece of metal sliced into my flesh. The beastman's presence. Angry with me. Another coin strike. Defying with my own presence. Me too slow, pathetic. My human hit in the leg.

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The bastard took another step. More taunts. Pride, arrogance, hate in his words. Defiance in mine. Helplessness. 

His presence. Heavy. Coin snap. Me too slow. Human, Stella Hurt.

Then again. He too close for me to react in time. Only nine steps.

"Look, I'm trying, but I don't think this female will last long enough for me to get to you."

Aware. His flicks too brutal, heavy, hurtful. My human dying.

"Maybe you should make up your mind quickly."

Give in? Become twisted like him? To be under a new master? Over my corpse! "Why? Why you doing this? Do not want to be free?"

"I am free. More than you can imagine."

"Then you  blind. This not freedom. Eleaden your master."

His presence, suffocating. Mine protecting me - and my pack. "Mother is kind to those who accept her! You don't know what you're talking about."

"Lies. I know. I was in her embrace. Blind rage. Not my feelings. Not me."

A round piece of metal hit my shoulder, shattering my concentration, my might. Another coin whizzed past me. My human wounded again.

"Lying bitch! That's impossible. Once you've tasted her kindness, you won't want to leave," the beastman growled, baring his teeth.

"See? Not freedom." Relief - I wasn't wrong. The embrace of the planet like slavery. Your will twisted by feelings that not your own. It cannot be distinguished. Seen in slaves. He lost long ago. Not strange. Born under the influence of Eleaden. Sad. But no excuse for hurting my pack. The urge to pounce. Stupid. I would be killed on the spot, leaving my human unprotected. Cannot.

Waiting until he comes, dreadful.

The beastman sneered - contempt. "You speak of freedom, but you yourself are bound to a human. You know nothing."

"Know more than you. Human, my pack, I chose."

"It's that damned human side of you. A human in a pack is perverted. But you'll learn that when you join our pack."

"Better kill me."

"Oh, no, I won't. That wouldn't be any fun."

A twisted, arrogant bastard. When I showed my displeasure, snarling, he grinned and flicked a coin. "Maybe when I kill the female, you'll understand."

"Do not dare!" The air trembled under my fury - my presence. No longer just an outburst. Something had changed. My power lasting. Like his. Not enough though.

He took a step, flipped a coin between his fingers. "And if I dare? Because if that's all you can do, then . . ." Coin snap. No cry. My human just moaned softly, in pain. No more energy. So much anger in my chest, so much helplessness. My eyes scanned the battlefield. Seeking humans, knights, aid. Too many corpses to see over. My ears twitched. The fight still going on. Somewhere. No knights, no archers, no mages. No help! Despair.

Of course, the beastman did not miss it. Annoying. "If you expect your human friends to help you, you hope in vain. They have their hands full trying to survive on their own. But don't worry, it won't be long until all humans are dead."

A lie. I knew better. The humans will prevail. His confidence false. Help unlikely, though. Few strong enough to stand against this beastman. Ronnu, not me. me too weak.

I watched him take a step, my eyes on his hand with the coins. So much helplessness - sick to my stomach.

"Stop!"

"It's not my decision. Whether the female suffers is up to you."

Mind games. Trying to hit me with guilt. Not working. He to blame for the suffering of my pack, he and his damn master.

"So?"

'Sorry, Stella, my pack mate.' Still feeling guilty. Too weak to protect.

"Stop, please."

"Ohoho, where is your defiance? Anyway, we're finally getting somewhere. But I haven't heard, yes." Coin toss.

"No!" My desperate cry in vain. My pack suffers more, dying before my eyes. Like a teacher, like a Pom Nilzibarge. Heart-wrenching, agonizing to the core.

The beastman licked his fangs, very pleased with what he saw. "It's not too late to change your mind. Mother is very accepting. Say the word and I can put this female out of her misery. It's what Mother wants, too."

Mother? Accepting? Put my packmember out of her hardship? Mother my ass! Each word cut deep into my being, smeared with a sweet tone, toying with my soul.

Again - so easy to give in. No more pain, no more suffering. Big pack, strong. 

But the love of what he called Mother false. Shackled will.

"Maybe a little nudge," he grinned, enjoying himself, and took a step, another coin between his fingers. My breath caught in my throat. Guts twisted. My human couldn't take another piece of metal - the bastard knew it.

"Come on! There's nothing to hesitate about. Just nod and I will make sure that the Mother embraces you with all her love."

A shudder ran through me at the thought. Even if this the end of the cycle, unacceptable. I could not lose myself, not again.

" Damn, no rush, huh? Have it your way."

A piece of metal, a coin, moved between his fingers. Slower and slower, as if taunting me. Then the metal stopped altogether on his thumb, ready for a flick. Nerve-wracking. No taunt, though. Not the beastman's doing. More than the coin stopped. The bastard too. Whole of the battle. The entire world fell silent.

Doing of my heart, time thing, devouring what little manna I had left.

All useless, however. Me unable to move either. Just staring at the coin on his thumb, aware of my powerlessness. Once without mana, time not stopped, and he snaps a coin. My packmember would be dead, me a failure, broken, no longer strong enough to resist the lure of the beastman and the Mother.

Whatever, did not matter.

It not matter because the end of the cycle - near. Still, me would hate to get into Mother's embrace.

Not this mother at least.

I wanted to see my mother, to hold her. My friends, my pack.

Something in me broke. Bone, muscle, membrane, constraint - whatever it was, it hurt, hurt like hell, brimming inside me. Suffocating. Heavy.

Need to let out.

And so I screamed out my pain, the wrongness of life I felt.

Nothing happened. Time still stood still.

With it slowly getting into gear, my mind darkened with agony. My lungs emptied in a cry. My body tearing itself apart. 

So did the air and the ground around me. Was it space? The misshaping? No. Me standing in that one spot too much of a coincidence. My doing. I cause that. My cry, my presence, my might.

The beastman on the ground, bleeding eyes fixed on me. Fear, confusion, no understanding. "H-how? Who the f-f-fuck are y-you?"

Wished I had an answer. Did not. Instead, despite the pain, I grinned. A joy to see him like that. What he deserved - and worse.

"Pathetic," I growled, putting all my contempt, dominance, into that one word.

He failed to appreciate. Still confused, but pissed. Furious. His roar strucked my ears. Not giving up. Defiant, to me. Daring. Trying to get up. His leg snapped under the weight of my might.

"Stay down where you belong!" My roar alien to me, too cocky.

The air shifted around him and his hand snapped. "Bitch!" He yelled as he fell to the ground. "Mother will . . ."

"That Mother of yours doesn't give a damn about you!" I retorted, stronger than ever, my words heavy, carried across the land with my presence. So much power, no words to describe it. 

Then, as quickly as the power ripped out of me, so was it gone. I fell to the ground, just steps away from the sprawled beastman. Completely drained. Not a drop of mana left in me, not an ounce of strength. Weak. My body even reverted to my human form without wanting to. Some subconscious self-preservation, I guess. A smaller body to sustain. After all, I was a magical creature, without mana, I was in for pain. But the pain was what I was already in - or should I say beyond. A dull numbness settled in my inside-out torn body.

And satisfaction. A lot of it.

I may not have killed the bastard, who was already on his feet, but I hurt him. He got a taste of the suffering he inflicted on my pack.

"What the fuck was that? What did you do, bitch?"

My mind, now free of the beast(s), was full of witty retorts. Unfortunately, none of them left my lips. No energy for that either.

"S-she taught y-you a lesson, asshole," Stella laughed, coughing, lying behind me and somehow still alive. "Even c-cornered p-prey can be dangerous." 

Joy, relief, pride and more filled my racing heart. She was a true member of my pack, a true friend who listened.

The air grew heavy with his might, crushing us. Not a shred of strength left in me to resist. This was it, this was the end. And I was okay with it, regretful but content nonetheless. 

"Bitches, you are going to pay for this humiliation! Both of you! I'll make you . . . !" his words were cut short, a sword sticking out of his mouth. 

A heartbeat later the wielder drew back the sword and, with a swift slash I failed to see, decapitated the beastman. A horizontal stroke and the body fell to the ground in two pieces. There, like a goddess, wounded, full of arrows, breathing heavily and crying, stood Ronnu - or I should say Traiana as I knew her from the statue in Labyrinth Square.

 

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