‘’Thanis, Anya?’’ Kane called for the two young ones. They appeared hastily.
‘’Bring us something to drink, a good wine if there is any and, Thanis, for the soldiers,
bring them up a crate of beer. Let them freshen up a bit while me and the captain are
talking’’
‘’Captain, i will be plain. I am a man of great strength, as you have witnessed
yourself. I was fighting a huge avirus head on and was holding my ground, by myself.
Alpha took over, yes, but he is also a part of me. He obeys what i say without
question. What do you think, someone with my power, and, a reasonable wealth,
could do here at the capitol?’’. The captain was taken aback by the question and he
rearranged himself on the big chair, trying to hide his discomfort.
‘’Well, that is not up to me to decide, sir Kane’’ the captain replied.
‘’How about this. There is an army approaching Kingdom Kravnje and you
need help. Am i getting close? The man narrowed his eyes on Kane, studying, then
let out a heavy sigh and slumped into his chair, all fight going out of him.
‘’Yes, you are right. The guild master of Homitage and the current king are old
friends. He sent message by fast courier to let him know about you. After a long time,
some life returned to the king. He had given up everything until two days ago, when
the message arrived. After learning about you, and uncovering some things you and
the king have in common, life returned to him. He is trying to fight the forces behind
the curtain the best way he can, but, he is an old and tired man. You have to meet
with him, as soon as possible. I beg you, sir Kane. Save the king, save the kingdom!’’
the captain yelled out in passion. Kane could feel that the man was speaking
truthfully, honestly. He smiled gently and nodded his head. Just then, Anya arrived
with some drinks, she put them down and left as fast as she had arrived. The two
men took the drinks, sipped a bit and put the glasses down again.
‘’I will visit the King, today still. Let him know i will be there within a few hours. I
will settle things for him, if i like him and the way he is ruling the kingdom. I have to
be honest though, i don’t like him very much at the moment. Especially how bandits
are doing what they want around here’’ Kane replied. They talked for a while longer
when the captain stood up and left.
‘’We will see each other later then, sir’’ he said at the door, turning around
once more to bow to Kane.
‘’Captain?’’ Kane said. The captain barely managed to catch the piece of gold
Kane threw him. His eyes went wide from shock, as if seeing a monster in the little
piece. ‘’That was just a way of saying thanks’’. The turned around and left. A few
moments later a sound of feet scuffling on the pavement could be heard and then
horses riding off. Kane dropped down into the chair he had been sitting in as Janine
walked up to him, sitting on his lap.
‘’Everything all right, baby?’’ she asked. Kane smiled back gently, seeing her
beautiful face.
‘’It now is’’ he said, caressing her face, then pulling her in for a short kiss.
‘’Anyway’’ he said as the kiss ended, ‘’i assume you have heard our conversation,
right?’’. She just nodded. ‘’So, then you know that the state of the kingdom is even
worse than i could have imagined. A group is plotting behind the king, using him for
their own benefit, most likely. That much i could put together after hearing the
captain’s words. Now comes the hundred golden coin question, what are we going to
do about it?’’
‘’Dispose of the conspirators and take over the kingdom’’ she smiled sinisterly.
‘’Speaking of which, i found something interesting in the grimoire. You will have to go
alone to meet him, i want to study the spells. They seem… good for our general
benefit’’ she said in such a strange way Kane narrowed his eyes, staring at her.
‘’Interesting. Would you care to elaborate?’’ he asked curiously.
‘’I think one is an elemental spell. It has a few chapters named inferno,
blizzard and tempest. Another one says raising a familiar. The rest is unreadable to
me so i don’t know’’ she said angrily.
‘’Do me a favour and study them. I do not want you to be unable to defend
yourself. The things you know now are useful, but not enough to defend yourself if
the duo isn’t present. I will not be there every time something happens, and, i do not
know why these big monsters with the strange stones are appearing near us
constantly. Speaking of which, look at this’’ Kane said as he took the stone out of his
pocket, handing it to her. Her eyes went wide again, holding the stone in her hand.
‘’Why are these gnostrum stones appearing so frequently around us?’’ she
said as she narrowed her eyes. One of Kane’s eyebrows shot up as he made a pose.
She burst out in laughter, kissing him when she had stopped choking.
‘’Interesting. Let me think. Hmm... i think this one is the Molochite. A
spellcaster’s dream.’’ she said as she looked Kane in the eyes, lustfully.
‘’It’s yours love, no worries’’ he said, slapping her butt. ‘’But don't think i wont
make you pay for it’’
‘’Want me to pay you up front?’’ she asked and smiled.
‘’Hmm, nah. I’ll have to pass up this time. You stay at home and help yourself
to new knowledge while me and Alpha go see the king’’. He picked her up and
moved her off him, kissed her and went outside in search of Alpha. ‘’Meet me at the
bridge in a few hours’’ Kane said telepathically.
‘’I will be right there’’ he said and closed the connection. ‘’He feels strange
somehow’’ Kane thought to himself. ‘’He is more aggressive and his soul forge was
more physical than not. I’ll have to bring it up later’’
As Kane arrived at the bridge, he saw Al laying on the grass, getting a tan, he
thought. ‘’U tanning your belly?’’ Kane said as he laughed. He just looked up and
snorted back. ‘’Anyway, we gotta go. I assume you heard everything the captain and
me were talking about?’’
‘’Yes, i did.’’ Alpha answered coldly.
‘’Then, let us not keep the king waiting any longer than we should. Or, rather,
the people behind him’’ Kane said seriously. ‘’We can’t let our guard down. We do
not know yet if they are normal humans or if they are something like me, and, well,
you’’
‘’I know. Get on.’’ he said as he stood up, muscles tensing. Kane got on and
they rode off, slowly at first, gaining speed by the moment. The road was made from
chiseled stone, making it good ground to run on and especially accelerate at
tremendous speeds. Trees were flashing by, green leaves falling to the ground as we
raced past them, the wind ripping them off the branches, the clouds looking like they
were floating through the sky, as fast as they were. Wild herds of animals were
roaming the pastures, grazing, running. Predators were hunting lone animals which
had strayed too far from the herds. Peaceful monsters were mixed in together with
some of the other peaceful animals, making for a strange sight.
The scenery was amazing, especially the way they were traveling. They
passed the time chatting lightly, no heavy topics until they were getting close to the
capitol. They stopped a few miles away from capitol Kravnja at a well, to rest up and
refresh. Alpha was breathing pretty heavily and slumped next to the well.
‘’Everything all right, Al?’’ Kane asked worriedly.
‘’Meh, you are heavy. Heavier than i thought, and we were running quite fast
for a long while. Of course i am tired’’ he replied angrily.
‘’Right, let’s rest up and then we will go to the castle, it’s just ahead’’ Kane sat
down beside Alpha, leaning on him. ‘’You know, i am really glad you are here. It’s
crazy to have half of yourself as a wolf, who talks and thinks like you, feels like you,
breathes, eats, drinks, sleeps. I know i haven’t been too good to you, but i guess you
understand, that life has become quite hectic after you came to this world. One
monster after the other, Janine, Thanis, Arlana and Anya, the stone in my left hand,
the captain, the second stone which Janine is studying, the affairs of the kingdom, a
war brewing. Everything is spinning out of my control. It seems like we are getting
drawn into something we do not wish to be a part of. Especially if they are as
powerful as we are, or what’s worse, if they're stronger than us’’.
‘’I know. Things seem to spin out of control, without us even following the path
that is laid out in front of us. It’s as if someone is controlling and orchestrating our
every move’’ Alpha said as he narrowed his eyes into the distance. ‘’Someone
approaches’’ he said after a few moments. ‘’A single horseman is approaching fast.
He doesn’t seem to be wearing armour, nor a weapon’’ he said as he squinted his
eyes, to see better. They looked at each other and stood up then walked towards
him, not talking anymore, listening to their surroundings if it were some kind of trap.
Minutes passed by and nothing happened as the horseman came ever closer. He
halted his horse a dozen meters away and got off it, elegantly.
‘’You must be quite the horseman’’ Kane said as he walked up to the man,
Alpha in toe. The man bowed slightly and then walked up towards them. He was
short and slim, was the first expression Kane had of him. As he came closer, he
noticed the fine clothes he was wearing. Intricate embroidery on black silk. It didn’t fit
him at all, but, it probably was more of a status symbol than anything else. His skin
was pale and smooth, obviously well taken care off. Not a man who has worked for a
living, probably a leech. What stood out most though, was his long, pointy nose and
his stare.
‘’Why thank you, kind sir, for the very kind words. My name is Elrond, sir
Elrond.’’ he said as he stuck out his hand towards Kane to shake it, which he did.
‘’The name is Kane, and this is Alpha’’ he said as he took the man’s hand and
shook it, a bit harder than he should have. The poor man’s teeth chattered as he
withdrew his hurting hand. Other than that, he didn’t really show it. Kane and Alpha
laughed inwardly.
‘’I am so glad to see you, sir Kane. I am a close advisor to the king. I have to
say, i have been awaiting your presence very eagerly. Please, if you would follow me
to the castle, we could chat along the way. How would that suit you?’’ he said with a
sneaky tone. At that moment, Kane knew that this person could not be trusted. The
way he talked, the way his face expressed emotions and words. He was as slick as a
snake, and probably as deadly as one, at least when it comes to normal human
terms.
‘’Say, Elrond, what does the king want with me?’’ Kane asked, feigning
ignorance.
‘’Why i have no idea, sir Kane. All i know is that you are expected, and the
reason being why i was there waiting for you, is that the king ordered all of the
officials to be on the lookout for you’’ he mused. Kane just laughed inside. Of course
he knew why and he must have been sweating his seat for quite a while, waiting for
Kane to arrive. The last stretch went by quite fast and they arrived at the castle after
a short ten minutes. There was a big moat surrounding the castle walls, at least five
meters deep. You would need an army concentrated on one spot, to fill out the moat
this size during a siege, and then you would still lose most of your army filling it up. It
was just brilliant. The wall itself was some ten meters in height, archer towers every
twenty meters in separation, covering their positions perfectly. The gate itself was
massive and it seemed that it was layer upon layer of steel, a total of maybe six
layers so the gate could not be burned or crushed down. The engineer of this outer
part had Kane’s admiration.
‘’I see you can appreciate some fine architecture when you see it’’ the snake
said with a sly smile. Everything about him felt venomous and had underlying
meaning. This fellow would have to be done in one way or the other.
‘’Why yes. I might be young, but i have quite some battles behind me’’ Kane
said proudly. The man murmured something to himself and then just moved
onwards, galloping over the bridge though the massive iron gate hanging high over
the bridge. Kane just followed him inside, on Alpha, of course. After entering the
inner part of the castle walls he almost puked in his own mouth. The stench was
horrible. People laying dead in heaps, probably waiting to be burned.
‘’I don’t like this’’ Alpha sent mentally.
‘’Neither do i. No one told us about this. Is there a plague hitting the capitol?’’
‘’I doubt it. If you observe the bodies carefully, you see stab wounds, cuts and
bruises, even though they have tried to mask it, they can not fool my eyes’’
‘’What the hell is going on here, Al? I don’t like this one bit’’ Suddenly Alpha
stopped, almost throwing Kane off his back.
‘’Get down, now!’’ he yelled. Kane got off without asking questions and
summoned his two big blades and a thousand small ones all around them,
generating an almost impenetrable wall. A group of hidden archers, maybe even
three dozen strong appeared on the rooftops, in front and behind them, infantry
appeared with barricades, spears out. The snake had already passed the barricade
and was sitting on top of his horse, smiling, full of himself.
‘’I get to eat him’’ Alpha growled.
‘’Sure thing. Tactic?’’ he asked.
‘’You kill the archers with your little blades and keep my back safe, i kill the
infantry in front and eat the snake’’ he growled again. He sure knew how to scare
Kane sometimes.
‘’As you can see, you have been caught in a trap. I am very sorry but you will
have to die now’’ he said and laughed as a mad man. After he stopped Kane and
Alpha started laughing in response. After a few moments, the snakes face twisted
about and he screamed.
‘’Why the hell are you laughing? You are going to die now!’’ he yelled angrily.
‘’Why, you ask? Well i will tell you why. If you had taken your time to actually
inquire around about me, you would have known that in order to take me down, you
would have to come at me with an entire army, and still lose’’ Kane snapped his
fingers for the effect and the tiny blades became bigger, visible to the humans eye.
Gasps and chatter could be heard amongst his men, their bows, shields, swords
going down slightly. Kane had them then and there, but, suddenly decided on a
different approach.
‘’Push the little snake forward and i will spare you ordinary men. You have no
quarrel with me and there is no need for you to die this day’’ Nothing happened
except a few words being thrown from one side to the other and a few heads turning
around.
‘’Alpha, soulforge a double version of yourself, as in double in your size,
physical form’’ Kane sent him mentally. He didn't say anything in return, just did what
Kane told him to. Metal was clattering to the ground as the soldiers dropped what
they were holding in their hands, most even falling through their knees. One a little
braver ran up to the snake and punched him in the side, sending the poor snake
crashing to the ground. He hit the ground so hard that one of his arms broke, twisted
under his body. Then the soldiers unilaterally just pulled him up and threw him
towards Kane. Alpha stepped forward slowly, as to emphasize that he was the one
who was holding the power and that he was the one who was going to kill, not them.
Kane lowered their tiny blades and unsummoned them, to show they weren’t afraid,
then nodded. Alpha jumped forwards biting off the snake’s legs and gulping them
down. Sir Elrond, as he named himself, started yelling and crying even harder,
almost fainting. Blood was gushing out of his legs where Alpha severed them. Then
he proceeded to rip off his arms one by one, juggling him in the air like a doll. A few
moments later, all that remained was a head on a torso, blood everywhere, the man
barely alive and conscious. Alpha let him suffer a bit l onger and then bit him in two
and the poor man finally died after a lot of pain. His men were too stunned to move,
nor did they dare to. Most of them just looked away and some even puked. Kane got
almost sick himsself, of all the blood and gore, but it had to be done. Rather kill one
snake than half a score of men. Maybe bad men, but, some of them might turn out
good.
‘’You see what happens when you try to attack us’’ Kane said with an
amplified voice, looking around the crowd victoriously. ‘’I have now seen each of your
faces, and trust me, i do not forget so easily’’
Maybe that was a bit overboard, Kane’s mind wasn’t what it used to be, but
they didn’t know that. ‘’I offer you a deal, one far better than what the snake had
offered you. He offered you death, i offer you life’’ He accented the life and let the
words sink in. It was a joy how they looked at Kane who knew he had them. ‘’I do not
offer you just your life, i offer you copper and silver coin. I am in need of volunteers
for a private army i am creating. Join it and earn money to support your family. If you
do not have a family, spend the coin on booze, women, food, clothing, anything you
desire’’ Kane said with a smile on his face. To show he had the coin, he took out a
little sack with gold coins out of his pocket and poured the coins out on his hand. The
looks the men made were priceless. He was beginning to like the idea himself, even
as it was forming in his mind. Some soldiers started talking amongst themselves, and
the one who had punched the snake earlier came up to Kane and kneeled, head
bowed in submission, sword in front of them laying on the ground.
‘’How do i sign up, my lord’’ one of them said. There was no sign of malice or
ill will in his voice. It seems he hated the snake with all his heart, and that Kane must
look like a saviour to him.
‘’Stand, boy’’ Kane said. ‘’I am no lord. I am merely a monster hunter. A
monster hunter who is going to rule the world, one day’’ he said and laughed out. He
couldn’t help it, but it turned out better than he hoped it would, after he had already
said it. ‘’Everyone who is considering about joining me, come stand in front of me.
The ones who do not want to, you can leave. But remember, i have seen your faces,
do not forget that, ever’’
A few minutes passed and over forty men were standing in four neat rows in
front of him. Every single one of them decided to join him, for whatever reason they
chose to. Alpha was just groaning and moaning all the time. To him it seemed to be a
waste of time. Conscripting humans, but, Kane had an idea.
‘’The rules are as follows. You follow or you die. You train until you can stand
no more or until you die. I will not have slackers, i will not have soldiers who can not
fight. I need an elite army of soldiers who know how to fight, who know how to handle
monsters. Yes, you heard it right. The test that will decide if you will get on my payroll
will include monster hunting. If any of you want to leave, do it now. After you start,
only death can set you free’’
Kane waited another minute and he could see a few gaps. The ones who
remained knew what to do, without him even saying. The young man took the lead.
‘’Atteeeeeeention! Fill ranks!’’ he said and the ranks filled up again. Thirty men
stood in front of him. A good number he thought at the time.
‘’I have been summoned by the king. Until i am done with the audience, you
have time to get what you want from your homes. Do not carry too much, as you will
be running for half a day straight. Bring your weapons, armour and normal clothing.
Money as well, all of it. After you have prepared, wait at the gate in formation. If need
be, you will stand in formation for hours until i get back. I want discipline!’’ Kane’s
voice thundered. ‘’I will make real men out of you! I may be younger than most of
you, but hear this. I am a two man army. Or in my case, a one man and one wolf
army’’
‘’Sir, yes sir!’’ echoed throughout the street.
‘’You are dismissed!’’ Kane yelled. The group fell apart within moments.
Everyone going to their own homes, which were scattered all around the capitol. And
the capitol wasn’t just capitol in name. There were close to a hundred thousand
people living there. Kane just hoped they would be on time and turn out at that
number. The one young soldier approached Kane again.
‘’Sir. Permission to speak, sir!’’ he yelled.
‘’Speak your mind, soldier’’ Kane replied.
‘’Please let me escort you to the king’s court, sir!’’ he said. Kane felt very
happy and very proud. He already found the person to lead his merry band of ragtag
soldiers.
‘’All right. Permission granted. What is your name, soldier’’
‘’My name is Gabriel, sir!’’
‘’All right Gabriel. You will address me as Kane whenever we are alone
together and speak as if you would with any other person. No pulling rank nor fear. Is
that understood?’’
‘’Yes, Kane. Shall we go?’’ he said politely. Kane nodded and they started
walking.
‘’Gabe, tell me about the current state of the capitol. Why are there dead
laying around everywhere?’’
‘’Well, it is hard to say. The capital is divided into districts and those districts
are ruled by nobles. The district we are in now was held by the snake, as you had
called him. It was a fairly small and poor district. We should make this district our
home for now, by the way. It is called the alley and you are easiest to gain influence
in such a poor district. Lay down a claim on it. There are enough small nobles who
we could use for our cause and who would be better towards the people who live and
work here’’
‘’Tell me more about this district. Numbers, production, income, facilities and