‘’Stay here, i will be back in a moment’’ Kane said to no one in particular. He
got off the carriage and walked over to the men who were sitting on the porch,
greeting them. They all looked over at him and then stood up, hands on their
sheathed weapons, some low quality swords.
‘’Now now, is that a way to greet a weary traveler’’ Kane said and tried to act
as innocently as he could act, which in all honesty wasn’t anything to brag about. ‘’Do
you people know of anyone selling some property around here? Or at the castle?’’
Kane asked.
‘’You got the cash, boy?’’ one of them said, dropping his hand from his
weapon whilst smiling. He probably held Kane for an innocent fool who he could rob
off his property. Well, if so, he was badly mistaken.
‘’Yes i do. Also enough to reward you for any help you give me finding it’’
‘’How much do you have?’’ he asked with a smirk on his face.
‘’Enough to buy a few houses. Just point me at the right direction’’ Kane
replied.
‘’Would you mind showing us the money first?’’ he asked again, greed in his
voice betraying his motive.
‘’Sure why not. Its over there in the cart’’ Kane pointed and moved for them to
follow him. A few moments after they arrived at the cart, they stopped dead in their
tracks. Alpha was looming over them as he came up from the other side.
‘’Now, what did you little boys have in mind?’’ Kane mused as he was holding
his already summoned blades in his hands. The lead thug just stuttered and was
speechless, as were the others, caught in between a three meter high wolf and
someone who looked wicked and was holding two nasty looking blades.. ‘’Now would
be a good time to answer, unless you want to die’’.
‘’Th… this… inn is… for sale’’ he replied. ‘’I.. its mine’’ he managed to stutter,
his legs shaking uncontrollably. One of the two goons fainted and hit the floor, his
head making an audible thunk.
‘’How much for the inn’’ Kane asked patiently.
‘’A thou… no, umm, five hundred silver?’’ he stuttered. The price was decent.
For five hundred you couldn’t buy much, but here, a bit secluded, and a pretty big
building at that. We could live out here whilst getting work in the castle or whatever
we will do, Kane thought to himself.
‘’How is the interior?’’ Kane asked. The man flinched at his voice. Alpha
growled just to add some more insult to the injury.
‘’The inside is all yours!’’ he said hurriedly. ‘’It is pretty decent, nothing special
though. Some old furniture, a fireplace, some wine in the cellar, horses in the back.
Whatever is there is yours!’’ he said, almost yelling. Kane turned towards the cart,
took a sack of coins out of it and threw it down at the thugs feet. The coins spilled out
and they hungrily started gathering the coins in their greedy hands, scooping up dirt
with the coins.
‘’There is about a thousand coins in the sack, four hundred for you and three
hundred each for your goons. Do whatever you will with them and leave here, fast. If i
ever see you here again, i will kill you. Then i will feed you to my wolf’’ Kane said as
Alpha growled at them to emphasize the point. They stood up after getting the last
coin and ran towards the woods, screaming all the way. ‘’Now that was funny’’ Kane
said and laughed at Alpha. He just stared at Kane with a lunatic stare, as if saying,
you are crazy. ‘’Now, let us go inspect our new home’’ Kane said and whistled a tune.
Janine, Thanis and Arlana joined him as they got out of the cart.
‘’Let us go see what i just bought from a bunch of bandits’’ he said and walked
towards the inn. They just looked at each other and made a strange noise, then
followed him.
The inn itself was a part of a huge tree, possibly ten meters in diameter, giving
off a fantastic look. At the entrance to the Inn, there was a big sign with ‘’welcome to
cutthroat island’’ carved into it. That would have to go, as soon as possible, Kane
thought to himself. The inn itself was pretty big, and stretched a good twenty meters
wide and three floors high. Each floor had four windows, probably four rooms on
each floor. They would have to change that a bit, break down the walls and make
one big room out of it for himself and Janine. They walked inside and to their
amazement, it was pretty decent. There was a big reception desk, made out of big
logs, a few benches and tables strewn everywhere on the first floor.
A nice smell was lingering in the air and the women and Thanis followed it to
what looked like a kitchen. From outside they could hear a small, female voice sob.
They rushed inside to see what was happening, only to find a little girl, maybe the
age like Thanis, sobbing at the stove. She turned around and screamed, not
expecting anyone to be there, or expecting someone else.
‘’Who are you? What do you want from me?’’ she cried out loud, holding a big
kitchen knife, clutched between her hands, pointing towards Janine. She slowly
walked towards her, assuring her she wasn’t going to hurt her, nor anyone of her
companions.
‘’Calm down baby, no one will do you any harm. Why don’t you put that knife
down so we can talk’’ she said, trying to calm her. The little girl was visibly shaken,
terrified of them. ‘’We will do you no harm. You can trust me, we just want to talk to
you. All right?’’ Janine tried again. The girl put her knife down slowly and backed
away, up to the wall.
‘’Who are you and what are you doing here?’’ she tried again, this time in a
calm demeanor.
‘’My name is Janine. We just bought this dump. And you with it?’’ she said
questioningly. The girls eyes grew wide and a smile formed on her pretty face.
‘’You mean those drunken idiots won’t be around anymore?’’ the little girl
asked.
‘’Yes. That is what i mean. They were convinced it wouldn’t be good for their
health if they stayed here for any longer’’ Janine said, smiling sheepishly. Her big
blue eyes went wide open, tears rolling down her red cheeks. She started sobbing
uncontrollably, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Janine took her in her arms and kissed
on her forehead. The little girl burst into tears and groveled her face into Janine’s
chest. All the while Janine was patting her on her head and whispering in her ear. At
that moment Kane walked up on them, startling them. The little girl screamed again,
afraid of Kane.
‘’Don’t worry’’ Janine said. ‘’He is the one who bought this inn. He is my
husband to be’’ she added. The girls tension disappeared again and she started
crying again.
‘’Thanis, let us go explore more of the building. Maybe we find even more girls
in need of comforting’’ Kane said and lead him outside of the room. All the while his
head was turned towards the girl, his face blushing a scarlet red. ‘’Like her?’’ Kane
asked teasingly, winking at him.
‘’You are very mean, Kane’’ Thanis replied.
‘’Of Course i am’’ Kane said. ‘’I am evil incarnate, boy’’ He said again and
punched Thanis’s arm slightly and Thanis grabbed the spot where Kane hit him.
‘’That hurt!’’ he yelled with his soft voice. It just made Kane want to do it again.
He decided against it. Instead, Kane put his arm around him and hugged him for a
moment. Both of them were silent and didn't breathe for a long while. ‘’Thank you’’ he
whispered. ‘’Thank you for saving me and my sister, and for making us part of your
family. It is the best thing that ever happened to us. Finally we have a home and
someone to take care of us. Please make her happy, i beg of you!’’ he said with a
much more masculine voice.
‘’I will kiddo, i will. And that little girl will take care of you, and we will all be a
happy family’’ Kane said and pushed him away gently. ‘’Let us go look around a bit
more’’ Kane said and turned away. A lonely tear streaked down Kane’s cheek as he
walked up the stairs. A long lost feeling, returning in the worst possible way. Why the
hell did he even care. He am strong, he is almost a God amongst men, yet he still felt
for people when he shouldn’t. People will be his downfall and in the end, he will end
up sacrificing himself to keep them safe. No, he mustn't think like that. What is he
living for if not for someone he cares about, someone he loves. He will keep them
safe, no matter the cost.
They reached the middle floor and were greeted by a nice collection of stuffed
animals. Wolves, bears, owls and a lot more, even some smaller monsters. It was
fascinating. At that moment Kane knew how their new home would be re arranged.
The ground floor would have a big kitchen and a big sitting room, the middle floor
would be their business room and resting room, the upper floor would be their
sleeping quarters, Janine’s big closet and some other things.. Lost in his thoughts, he
didn’t notice Janine and the girl coming over until the last moment. She startled him
and he yelped like a little girl. They all started laughing at Kane, so did he. Life could
still be fun and great, even like this. Kane did not need the constant boasting,
bragging, risking his life to prove his point. He could start living like he should have
from the start.
‘’Are you feeling better, little girl?’’ he asked as pleasantly as he could. She
just nodded her head and whispered softly.
‘’My name is Anya. I am the only child of the previous owners of this inn, dear
sir. I hope what this woman said to me earlier is the truth. If it is, i would be more than
happy to join you and let you stay here’’ she said all in a rush.
‘’Let us stay here? I just bought this inn for a thousand silver pieces with the
horses’’ Kane said annoyingly.
‘’Bought? From who?’’ she asked genuinely startled.
‘’From the three guys out front’’ She turned pale at Kane’s words. Her knees
started to buckle and she fell to the floor, taking her face in her hands and crying like
a little baby
‘’What is wrong?’’ Janine asked surprised.
‘’Those… three monsters… killed my… parents!’’ she said in a few gasps.
‘’You payed a thousand silver.. to murderers!’’ she cried out in agony. Kane was
shocked. They did seem a bit strange to him, but he hadn’t given them much thought.
‘’Alright, Anya, i will bring you their heads, and pay you the thousand silver.
Would that do, little lady?’’ Kane asked as friendly and politely as he could. She
looked up at him again with those big eyes and just nodded her head two times. An
instant later Kane was jumping through the window, calling for Alpha midair.
‘’Pick up the scent of those three and take me there as fast as you can!’’ Kane
thought to him. He was there to catch Kane on his back and off they were. A mere
few minutes later they were already in sight, Alpha gaining ground five times faster
than the bandits were running. The trees were flashing by almost instantaneously,
the wind chilling to the bone. As Kane was about to say to Alpha to slow down, he
crashed into the group, sending Kane sprawling as well.
‘’Damn mut. I am not the target! Next time let me get off first!’’ Kane yelled at
him. He got up and just threw a glance at Kane, a ‘’ i dont give a fuck’’ one, which
went totally on Kane’s nerves.
‘’Eat two of them, Egeryon. The ones beside the one who i was negotiating
with earlier’’ Kane whispered. Two nasty looking blades appeared in front of Kane,
floating. The shape was different than last time, the blade more narrow, sharp on
both edges with nasty rends near the hilt. Kane tried to take the swords in his hands,
but the swords flew away. He tried to stop them, thinking about it, and they stopped.
Mind control over summoned weapons? ‘’Is this you? Egeryon?’’ Kane thought.
‘’Why yes. Do you like my latest gift?’’ he said and laughed like a madman.
Damn, what did Kane do in his previous life to deserve to have an ancient monster
put inside him. Sigh.
‘’Yes i do, but, next time, please let me know beforehand. I hate humiliating
myself, even in front of dead men’’ Kane said. As way of affirming the order, the
swords nodded slightly forward and then flew straight at the two goons. The blades
embedded themselves into their victims body, shredded and cut them apart within a
mere few moment. The blood was evaporating and floating upwards into the blades,
which in turn glowed slightly reddish. ‘’Man this frightened me every time i saw it’’
Kane thought. No way could he ever get used to it, it was just plain creepy. The third
goon, the negotiator at the inn, was whimpering on the ground, sitting in a pool of his
own urine. He pissed himself witnessing the carnage in front of him.
‘’Why did we do this? You probably ask yourself that’’ Kane said calmly, as if
nothing happened. Not waiting for an answer, he went on. ‘’The little girl in the
kitchen told us a short story, about how you killed her parents. Now, i hate it when
bullies prey on people weaker than themselves, but what i hate even more is, bullies
killing little girls parents just because they can. Now, i will tell you what will happen.
You are going to die a horrific death. A death so horrible, you can not even imagine
it’’ Kane said and stopped. Thinking about how to kill him off, he could feel the
darkness creeping up on him, stalking him, sending him thoughts he would never
have usually. Planting things inside his head, which he never would have dreamed
about doing to others, now, he was going to do them. ‘’Alpha, i have an idea. Are you
hungry?’’
‘’I can see where this is going, and the answer is, no, i will not.’’ he said and
turned around, walking back the same way we came here.
‘’I order you to stop and obey me!’’ Kane said angrily. He snapped his head
around and leaped towards Kane, the blades blocking his approach a mere meter
away from him.
‘’You, order me? Don’t make me laugh, boy! I am you, i am a part of you. Who
are you to order yourself around?!’’ he yelled furiously. ‘’I will not obey you and just
pretend nothing is going on. You are evil, and you have an evil aura emanating from
your body. If only you could see yourself, what is becoming of you. I despise the
mere thought, you and i are two halves of a whole’’ he hissed at Kane. It hurt, more
then it should. He was right, Kane was giving in, more and more each time he used
his blades, each time he wanted more power.
‘’Egeryon!’’ Kane yelled. ‘’What the hell are you up to? What the hell are you
trying to do to me!?’’
‘’Who, me? Why nothing in particular. All i want is to take hold of your body,
and to plunge the world into darkness. Would you like to know something?’’ he
mused.
‘’What?!’’ Kane snapped angrily.
‘’Would you like to know how many people died, when your parents left you, to
hunt the big monster they were called to kill?’’ For a moment Kane found it strange
Egeryon knew about that, but then realisation snapped in.
‘’No, don’t tell me that! Do not tell me you are that monster!’’ Kane almost
whispered.
‘’You are a bright lad. Why yes, that is me!’’ he said and laughed maniacally
again. The sound echoing in his mind, almost splitting his skull in two with the sheer
volume of power. Kane grabbed his head with both hands, pushing from both sides,
hoping for the pain to go away.
‘’Stop… please...’’ Kane begged. He could feel his life being forcefully taken.
For all he was worth, a mere soul of an ancient demon was overpowering him like he
overpowered these goons. How pathetic he was. And there he was thinking that he
could just stroll up to the king and kill him. No, he has a new goal now. Get rid of this
pest inside of him. Of course, he could read Kane’s mind so he just let him know he
did, by turning on the pain a bit more. Blood was trickling down Kane’s nose and he
was coughing it up. Then it abruptly went away as it had come in the first place.
‘’Now, do you see? I could kill you as easily if i wished to. You are alive only
because of me’’ he hissed angrily, venom in his voice. Kane could feel he hated it as
much as he did, their mutual symbiosis. He was just an onlooker, one that had the
power to interfere, but not take over. ‘’If you keep resisting me, i will kill us both. I
need blood, i need violence, i need chaos, i need death!’’ he spit out. What a sick
freak he was.
‘’Just imagine what would happen to the world if he got hold of me’’ Kane
thought. It would be the end of the world as most knew it.
‘’What do you want from me?’’ Kane said as he gasped for air.
‘’What do i want?’’ he asked and laughed sinisterly. ‘’What all great minds
want. I want to rule the world. I want to bring destruction to those who oppose me. It
is quite simple to be frank.’’
‘’Right. I would rather kill myself than let you take over and do what you want’’
Kane hissed at him, with as much malice as he could muster. He just laughed at
Kane, as if to a little child.
‘’How about i kill Janine for you?’’ he said. It was as if a knife had stabbed
Kane in his guts and twisted around a few times for the effect. His legs felt weak and
he stumbled to the ground, throwing up. He just kept on laughing at Kane all the
while. Suddenly, Kane was sent flying through the air, crashing to the ground a good
dozen meters away. He stood up and looked around, confused. One moment he was
choking in his own blood and vomit and the other one he was flying through the air.
Alpha approached him carefully, as if studying him. What the hell was going on?
‘’What the hell happened?’’ Kane said and moved towards him.
‘’You were convulsing on the floor, then stood up and attacked me. I just hit
you once with my paw. Sorry, i didn’t mean to send you THAT far. Maybe a meter
less’’ he said and chuckled.
‘’Do you see now? Do you really want me to hurt someone you love?’’
Egeryon said, appearing in front of Alph and him. Alpha jumped back soul forged.
‘’He’s not real’’ Kane said, somehow not trusting the image himself.
‘’Sure looks real to me, midget’’ Alpha replied.
‘’Midget?!’’ Kane yelled. ‘’Who are you calling a… midget?’’ he said and looked
up at Alphas soul forge, which was towering over him, a good twenty meters above
him. ‘’Right. I got your point big guy, chill the fuck out okay?’’ Kane said, a bit
flustered.
‘’You kids done with your showing off who has the bigger one?’’ Egeryon said,
obviously annoyed. ‘’Anyway, we have an issue. I want your body, and you want it as
well. I want chaos, you do not. Now, how do we solve this problem?’’ All three of
them were quiet for a long while. ‘’Now, here is what i propose. I will cast a ritual, and
with that ritual, i will bind all three of us. Why? Simple. That way none of us can harm
the other, or, in my case, myself. But, this spell will need a lot of life force’’ he said,
pausing for the effect, a sly, little smile on his face.
‘’Life force?’’ Alpha and Kane both said at the same time.
‘’Yes, life force’’ he replied. ‘’To sustain it, we need blood, souls, whatever is
fine’’.
‘’So you propose we go and kill innocent people?’’ Kane said angrily.
‘’No. I have a better idea.’’ he mused. ‘’Let us wage war. As far as we know,
there is one being prepared just now’’
‘’War?’’ Kane burst out in laughter. ‘’Wage war with whom?!’’
‘’Ooh, the other kingdoms? There’s people enough to feed our pact for a while.
I assume, with a small sized skirmish, hmm, for a year?’’
‘’And if we do not?’’ Alpha asked before Kane could.
‘’Then someone is going to get hurt, pretty badly’’ Egeryon replied. ‘’Starting
with Janine and Thanis’’ he added. Anger came over Kane and he took a physical
blade he always had in his back pocket, unsheathed it and stabbed himself.
‘’Yes… someone is… going to get...hurt. You!’’ Kane yelled as he dropped to
the ground, going into shock, losing consciousness.
‘’What the hell was that for, you imbecile!’’ Egeryon yelled at him inside of his
head.
‘’I wanted this private chat, where we were on equal terms’’ Kane said. ‘’I will
kill us both, if you try anything. Stop putting up the terms, and work with me, instead
of against me. You big brutish monster, there will be no chaos for you as long as i am
still in control’’ Kane said. They were both quiet, neither of us breaking the silence.
‘’You have a valid point, i g uess. What do you suggest?’’ he said slyly.
Obviously seeing he wasn’t as much of in control as he thought he was. Kane would
be damned rather than give in to a monster. Damn his father and mother for doing
this to him. He wished Egeryon had killed his parents, slowly instead!
‘’What do you want, that i can give, for you to let me lead my own life. You are
ancient, let me live out my life in peace and when i am about to die, i will pass you
the control over my body to yourself. Then you can regenerate and do what you
want. How does that sound?’’ Kane asked.
‘’Young Kane, you are a better barter than many and your offer is quite the
deal. But, how do i know that you will not turn on me at the last moment, boy, as you
did just now?’’ he asked .
‘’You don’t. But, as you have noticed, ever since you were inside of me, i have
always kept my word. I think that will have to suffice for now. Help me grow stronger,
and whenever possible, i will give you your tribute. I will wage war if necessary, to
satisfy your own hunger. But try anything ever again, especially on Janine, and we
bo