Path of Transcendence Omnibus II, page 98
Tears running down his cheeks, Connor Ap'Shea returns their salute. Dacbold steps up next to Connor and give the Calistenes an Earth salute. I glance at Pancho, and we follow suit.
To maintain the integrity of their word and their honor, these men are going to die for a piece of shit like Sulius.
With his swords hanging at his sides, Brand lets out a breath of air. If it was anyone else, I would think it was a sigh. "Attack whenever you want."
The bloody red aura surrounds the Captain, again. Clenching his sword, he surveys his men. All of them active abilities, and the room becomes a sea of Power.
"ATTACK!" The Captain's shout would deafen a common mortal.
As one, the Calistene mercenaries charge, and Brand moves so fast, he almost disappears. Every attack is a clean thrust to a man's heart, and every thrust kills another man. The entire battle does not even last thirty seconds, and they never touch Brand once. The last man to fall is the Captain.
"Thank you." The Captain slides backward off Brands sword, dead.
The Calistenes value their word and their honor more than anything. It is what makes them the most highly prized and paid mercenaries in the Battleground of the Damned. Dying to a thrust from the front through the heart means that the man fought to the end, never ran, and faced his death head on. In their eyes, it is the most honorable death a man can have.
Connor Ap'Shea lowers his arm only after the Captain falls.
"Thank you for giving my brothers an honorable death. What is your name?"
Brand turns and stares at the Connor Ap'Shea. "Brand. I have no surname, no family, and no country. My sword is mine alone and serves no man."
Connor Ap'Shea salutes Brand. "I pity you, but if we meet again, I will kill you."
Without Brand doing anything, the air in the room turns cold and dangerous. "If you want to kill, you will have to give up everything. You will have to bury your parents, your wife, and your children. You will have to wade through blood and battle for no other purpose than to strengthen yourself, and it still might not be enough. If you don't, you will just die a miserable death when next we meet."
Under Brand's glare, Connor Ap'Shea looks like he wants to shrink away but remains standing erect. "I will consider your words."
With a parade ground about face, Connor Ap'Shea shows us his back and marches toward the ramp.
Brand says something in a language I do not understand, and with a mix of disbelief and horror on his face, Connor Ap'Shea turns around.
"I was once called Talon, but I was murdered. This is now my body. If Cedrik Ap'Cedrik still lives, tell him that I finally understand my Path and I will walk it to the end."
"He still lived when we deployed. I will pass on your words."
I have no idea what that was supposed to mean, and from the expression on Brand's face, I do not think it would be a good idea to ask him.
I create a chat channel in my social organizer and invite Dacbold and Pancho. Neither of them declines the invite.
*Did either of you understand that?*
Dacbold glances at me. *I think it was Old Calistene, but I don't know what he said.*
Pancho stares at Brand for a moment. *I know the name Cedrik Ap'Cedrik. It was during one of the Explorers Guild's expeditions to the Western Reaches. I think you two were in a different theatre at the time. There was a Calistene Company under contract for the expedition, and the Explorers Guild assigned them to Talon. They were about the only ones that could keep up with Talon in a battle. They fought together for the better part of a year, until Talon left. That Cedrik Ap'Cedrik guy really seemed to like Talon.*
I could count the number of people I encountered that liked Talon without running out of fingers, and for Brand, I probably would not need all the fingers on one hand. A Calistene mercenary liking Talon is about the last thing I would have expected to find.
When Connor Ap'Shea disappears, Brand turns to one of the doors. It should be the one to Sulius' rooms. A silvery ball of Trinity forms in the air in front of Brand.
Boom!
As the Trinity hits the door, a more or less eight foot diameter section of wall that includes the door explodes into the room behind it.
On the other side, there is a waiting room, and an effeminate looking male secretary cowers behind the large desk next to the door in the back. Jumping to his feet, he pulls his hand out of his pants and presses his back against the wall. His shirt and pants are made of nearly transparent material that reveals his erect dick.
"Little faggot go tell your big faggot that I'm back."
The secretary does not reply and scrambles to open the door in the back wall and runs through it. As he awkwardly runs to Sulius, I see that he has something shoved up his ass. That is about the last thing I ever wanted to see or know.
Sulius is not the one seated at the desk. Surprisingly, the Frog is the one seated behind the desk, and including Sulius, three humans stand on either side of him.
Brand struts though the door, and his Wytch follows at his heels. "Selling me out to the little worms was the stupidest thing you could have ever done, faggot. Being the Frog's bitch is probably the second stupidest."
Sulius sneers. "I'm not afraid of you."
Brand laughs. "Three Second Circle bitches, two Third Circle bitches, and a Frog. Are all of you pedophile faggots like Sulius?"
The Frog's expressions are not easy to read, but when the gold part of his skin darkens toward bronze, it is a sure sign that he is pissed. He appears to glare at Brand. "Human trash, Slan'laad is not a disgusting faggot like humans. Slan'laad fucks human women, not human men. You are here to die. Slan'laad serves God, now. God has said you will die."
For about ten seconds, Brand just seems to stare at the Frog, but it feels like an eternity. "God, eh? Where is he? If he's not here, that twisted fuck can't save you."
Sulius tries to glare at the Frog, but he cannot seem to keep the fear from displacing the anger on his face. He was never very brave, and even when we thought this was a game, he used to hide behind Herodotus. In terms of normal players, Herodotus could actually be considered fairly tough, but he was stupid enough to bash heads with Talon, Connor, and myself during the Great Fuck Over. Where Talon was concerned, that was no different than attempted suicide for a faggot like him. I was still being dumb enough to not kill the faggot because he was from Earth. At least, Brand finally managed to wake me up.
The Frog does not appear to notice Sulius and keeps glaring at Brand. "You are uglier than when you were Talon. Can you even get fucked in a whorehouse?"
The Frog knows Brand was Talon? Did Brand tell him? Yeah, Brand would probably do something like that. He loved terrorizing the Frog. The Frog was so scared of Talon, when Talon once walked into his compound while I was there, I saw the Frog piss himself before running off.
Brand's Wytch wraps both her arms around one of Brand's and rests her head on his shoulder. "You are a disgusting creature, but you should hide your jealousy of my man. It is unseemly for one who is not a faggot to display such jealousy."
With that Wytch's face, the Frog would normally stare at her and drool, but for some reason, he narrows his bulbous eyes and glares at Sulius. I have never claimed to have a clue what went on inside the Frog's skull, but at a guess, I do not think he is too fond of Sulius or faggots in general. I never would have thought the Frog had any good points.
*Sulius is the only Possessed here. I have no clue who the other five are.* From the intense irritation in the party channel, Brand does not seem pleased.
*Will they be a problem?*
Brand never turns his head, but for a moment, I would swear he glares at me. *Unless they are hiding some big surprises, I can kill them all. What bothers me is the Frog. The way he's throwing around God as his master, I think he means a creature from the First Metaverse that's on par with Life and Death.*
This God that he thinks the Frog is talking about must have special meaning for Brand, but to me, he sounds like just another false god. That does not change the fact any of these false gods could annihilate all of us in this room with barely a thought.
The Frog's narrowed eyes shift to Brand's Wytch. "Elan'fer'sha. God says you must die first."
As the Frog points at Brand's Wytch, a storm of Power fills the room. I do not know what the Power is, but it makes the Od seem safe in comparison. Primal fear crushes my Soul and turns my bowels to water. As the ephemeral outer edge of that Power brushes past me, I nearly crap my pants.
The storm of Power only lasts for a fraction of a second, and when it disappears, Brand's Wytch is gone. Where she was an instant ago, a cloud of gas is dissipating into the surrounding air. There is no corpse, and even her clothes are gone.
For a few moments, no one says or does anything. Including Sulius and the Frog's five other lackeys, we just look around blankly. No matter whose eyes you meet, you can see the nearly overwhelming fear in them. Brand is the only exception, and he blankly stares at the space where his Wytch was just standing
"Elan?" The mix of incomprehension and soul-rending pain in Brand's voice is more terrifying than the Power that the Frog unleashed.
"First your woman. Now, you." The Frog points at Brand, and nothing happens. For almost ten seconds, he keeps pointing again and again.
"God says Brand must die! Die! Where is Slan'laad's Chaos? God, you promised! You gave Slan'laad back his Chaos! Where is it?" The Frog sounds half confused and all scared. He never was brave. He and Sulius would make a perfect pair of cowardly butt buddies.
The frozen tableau seems to last forever. With the exception of the Frog's pointing and terrified mumbling, no one moves. Everyone is watching Brand. It seems that after his display with the Calistenes, the Frog's lackeys have joined the terrified of Brand ranks. I do not blame them. If Brand was really out to kill me, I would just dig my own grave to be ready.
*I could probably kill two of the Second Circles in a two on one or take down one Third Circle, but I cannot deal with all five of them. If Brand doesn't snap out of it, we're in trouble.* Dacbold does not sound nervous, but he is not happy either.
*That Chaos that the Frog keeps blabbering about, do you think he means the Primal Power?* Voicing my own question scares me to the core of my being. Chaos is a Primal Power, and from what I have read in Dvergar history tomes, I never want to come face to face with a Primal Power.
Pancho looks at me in confusion. He has never had access to Dvergar records, and in all likelihood, no one has ever given him a clear explanation of what Chaos and the other Primal Powers are like.
Dacbold frowns, but rather than afraid, he seems resigned. *If it is Primal Chaos that he's mumbling about, we can only try to deal with it. Obsessing about what might be will only cloud our Minds and slow our reactions, but right now, it looks like he could only shoot one load.*
After more than ten minutes drag by, Brand looks in the Frog's direction. He disappears and reappears on the far side of the Frog. The Coalescents around the Frog scramble backward, and their terror is so strong that it is almost palpable.
*Did Brand just teleport?*
*Yeah, it looked like it.* Dacbold's shock mirrors my own.
"Froggy, what did you do?" Brand's voice has no life and no emotion to it. If I did not know he was among the living, I would think he was an artificial intelligence speaking through a sound generator.
The Frog gapes and points at Brand. "God says you must die! Die! Die! Where is Slan'laad's Chaos?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A conflagration of Trinity and the Od, reminiscent of a tulip in bloom, appears around Brand, and the Frog's agonized screams filled the room. As the chair the Frog is sitting on turns into dust, he rises into the air suspended in a cruciform position.
"I asked you a question, Froggy. What did you do?"
"AAAAAAAAAA! It hurts! It hurts!" Except for his mouth, the Frog is frozen in position. He can neither struggle nor escape the conflagration of Power.
"Answer me, Froggy. If you don't, it will hurt a lot more." The soft, cold, soulless tone of Brand's voice is more terrifying than it would be if he was screaming in rage.
"God told me to! God told me the DokkAlfar Elan'fer'sha must cease to exist! God told me to use my Chaos! God gave me back my Chaos! AAAAAAAAAA!" As his skin chars and peels from his body, the Frog's words turn into a wordless shriek of agony.
The two Third Circle lackeys start weaving spells, and Brand turns to look at them. The two short swords, still circling around his head, disappear, and the points of their blades stick out from the fronts of the two Third Circle Casters' chests.
As his two latest victims fall to their knees, Brand turns his attention back to the Frog. A rope of Trinity extends from Brand's forehead and pierces the Frog's, without appearing to do any damage.
*It's going after the Frog's Mind, but I don't think it's an attack.* Dacbold's comment has a pensive tone to it.
"Show me God, Froggy."
"No! No! Slan'laad does not know what God looks like! AAAAAAAAAA! Stop! Please, stop!" The Frog is being skinned alive and having his Mind assaulted at the same time. It is impossible to guess which would hurt more, but I have the unpleasant feeling that it is what Brand is doing to the Frog's Mind.
"SHOW ME!" Brand's shout and his rage are carried outward on a wave of Trinity.
As the explosion of rage blankets the room, it is like a bomb goes off inside my skull. Everyone staggers, including the two Second Circle lackeys that Brand has not bothered with.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" The Frog is completely skinless, and the raw exposed flesh of his muscles twitches spasmodically.
"SHOW ME GOD!"
"It hurts! The pain! God! I see God! NOOOOOOO!"
A hazy image forms in the air. A flash of a cloudy sky is replaced by a lightning strike. After a moment of blackness, the image of a burning bush floats over the Frog's head.
"God! God! God! God! God came to Slan'laad!"
*A burning bush? That seems way too biblical.* My doubt seeps into the chat channel.
Pancho stops rubbing his head and glances at me. *While you were sitting in a dungeon, we're pretty sure we figured out that there was a hidden god manipulating Earth, along with the Jotuns and the Dragons. That god was just called God. The whole biblical burning bush thing may be legit.*
Dacbold does not say anything, and his attention remains fixed on Brand.
"It's time for the real pain, Froggy." Brand's cold, empty tone is replaced with pure malice.
The Power surrounding the Frog grinds off a millimeter of his oversize dick.
"No! No! Slan'laad's precious! Slan'laad's pride and joy! Don't hurt Slan'laad's precious pride and joy!"
Brand does not say a word. He just stares at the Frog and uses his Power to tear him apart a piece at a time.
*Master, the Tallifer Merchant Guard are holding position. What's happening inside the tower? Are you ready for extraction?* Duncrik's anxiousness comes across as clearly as his words.
When Brand does not reply, Kanchek chimes in. *Master, is there a problem?*
Dacbold frowns. "Brand?"
When Brand still does not reply, Dacbold sighs. *Elan was killed, and Brand is torturing her murderer. I'm not sure if he's aware of what we're saying or not. Kanchek, how far down the tower are you?*
*What do you mean the Mistress was killed?* Valcrit's question cuts through the raid channel like a cold knife. His murderous intent feels like a steel spike being driven into my skull.
*The Frog was here and killed Elan with a Power I've never encountered before. Brand made a prisoner out of him, but Brand's not in his right mind. What is our status?*
*We're one floor above Valcrit. We should be done in a hundredth.* Kanchek's reply comes across as flat and lacking in emotion.
*Once you're done, come to the twenty-third floor. Sado, you come up here, too. Once everyone's here, we'll figure out what to do about Brand.*
When I take a step toward Sulius, Brand does not react, and I smile. Step by step, I close the distance, until he is within my grasp.
"Don't you dare touch me! I put a bounty on your head, and you're a wanted criminal in Tallifer! If you do anything to me, you'll pay!" Shaking from terror, Sulius sprays his words at me.
Crack!
My casual slap slams Sulius into the floor, and after tearing the short sword from the scabbard on his waist, I throw it across the room. That lion's mane hairdo of his makes for a nice hand grip, and I drag him across the floor with it.
"Let me go! Damn you! Get your hands off me, you shitty, breeder bastard!"
Crack!
Another slap shuts Sulius up, and the Frog's three remaining human lackeys glare at me. I ignore them. If they had the balls to do anything, they would have done it already.
Crackle!
"Aaarrr!"
When I throw, Sulius into the wall, I barely hear the sound of his bones breaking over the agonized screams of the Frog.
Sulius slides to a sitting position on the ground. "Damn you! Why are you doing this?"
"I had a cousin. He was repeatedly raped by some of you NAMBLA fucks and committed suicide."
Sulius' eyes open wide in terror, and he looks ready to piss himself. "Who are you? Your cousin can't be one my boys! They all had no living relatives! I made sure of it!"
Overcome with rage, I hit Sulius and keep hitting him. I punch him. I kick him. I stomp him. His screams are nothing but noise in my ears. If he tries to beg or plead, the words do not register.
"Enough, Thorrin! It's over! He's dead!" I struggle, but I cannot escape from Dacbold's hold. His strength rivals Brand's. My attempts to break free from his grasp are no more effective than child trying to fight an adult.
I look down, and Sulius is nothing more than a pile of mangled flesh and shattered bones. After staring at him for a minute or two, I do not feel any sense satisfaction or closure.
"I'm okay. You can let go of me." My voice sounds tired and empty in my own ears. I have the feeling that I sound like Brand, after he started World War III.
