CHPT 571: Down Fall’s The Blade

"Bring him out." Ronin's voice was like the gravel that rolled and rustled down mountain faces before an earthquake. Like the air that quietly shook before lightning seared the earth and thunder deafened it.

The calm before the storm.

"Yes, do bring him forth." The only present Magister announced as he stood on the tournament grounds ahead of The Nine and more.

He was the opposite of heroes in both body and mind.

Short. Pudgy. Beady eyed and decaying from a lifetime of pillaging and Tangent destruction long since ended. Even so, his power radiated in waves, perfectly aligned with his wants, like invisible hands pulling Samuel all by himself.

It's what made them such good politicians.

Skinner came out of the unattended and emptied ocean Tangent, pulling a chain from the left. With her free-hand she still dragged along her scythe. On her right, three detectives pulled their own chain.

The sound of wood and metal wheels rolling over gravel mended with Samuels snarls and reached a secondary crescendo as he exited the shadows and came into the light.

His body was strung up and chained to a metal post carved and engraved with Runes. Infectious and powerful runes. So strong their magic leaked and spread across Samuel's skin with every small movement he made. Shocking and further restraining him. Probably holding him with the weight of half an ocean.

His Aura flickered like a dying light. His nose and ears bled. His eyes held a look absent of all things human and understanding. He recognized them. He'd seen them before….

Even beneath all the bubbling muscle and gum-splitting fangs.

"No….." Ronin involuntarily spoke aloud.

From his left, RedVine grabbed his hand. Ronin pulled away.

"This isn't a time of weakness. Don't treat it as such." He said to the slim and beautifully haunting Elemental Mage.

"He is your son. That makes this nothing but tragic." RedVine provided.

"He is an animal. My legacy is ashen rubble where he stands." Ronin rested a hand on the sword at his hip. Gripping it firmly to stop the annoying shake. The imperfect shiver.

"The human body and its faults…" Ronin thought as he looked up from his hands to face Samuel.

Dirtied gold dreadlocks hung in his face. He could smell the built up grease and blood and muck.

"No exceptions for your third inhuman child, Marshall?" Samuel spat as he tugged at his Runic binds, uncaring of how they burned his skin.

He looked impossibly large in those moments. He took up all the space.

Even as The Nine and other regional titans of Tangent Slaying questioned Samuel's words.

"A beast is of unreasonable mind at all times." The Magister said as he scratched his fleshy neck while eyeing Samuel as if he were a new toy.

Rory nodded in support, "Damn right….. and if you have any more questions. Ask me… let's make it hot in here haha!…."

"Is that a threat, Red Knight?" The Lion questioned as he stood with his team of Sunlandian Heroes.

"No. It's the standard." Rory said as he held up his knights helm to his face and spit of torrent of fire at it, seemingly spit shining it with a solar blaze.

"Let's focus on the task at hand." RedVine interrupted. "A child dies today."

"Not a child."

"What…?"

"Not a child." Ronin repeated as he looked into Samuel's eyes. "Not at a—"

"RAAAGHHHH!!!" Samuel interrupted the conversation as he roared and spit a massive torrent of dark flames.

The roar was horrifying. The sounds of the flames overlaying the defensive war cry made it sound like they'd just opened the doors into hell full of flaming tortured spirits and rage in excess.

Ronin unsheathed his Muramasa Blade, splitting the flames and evaporating them into dark dust in one swipe.

"THATS RIGHT! Look at me the same way I look at you, Marshall! Look at me as an enemy! Look at me as a failure. You're the same thing, you meek bastard! I PROCEED THIS FAMILY! I EVOLVE IT! I'm more than you— just like I was more than that wimp that wore my face….. you're scared. I see how you shake. You're a sheep with cool toys. I'm a wolf… with a pack."

No one else moved, uncaring of the violent display. Unbothered by his venomous words and the small flames that sparked in his throat, igniting his chest and the strands of muscle beneath until his turbulently moving midsection glowed an evil purple and black.

"He's grown in strength." Skinner commented before punching him in the face and breaking his jaw.

RedVine gave her an obvious look.

"What? He's talking too much." Skinner shrugged.

Samuel grinned. An odd look due to the hang of his face and blood spilling from his mouth.

"You… shhhuck aht torchurin…. Ish….ushlesss…. I've… algready….. nnnrg—been brogen…. By glawshgh… sharper than yourzzzz…..and rebuilt… by beings beeder…. Than all of youuuu….." Samuel turned to Skinner and spit steaming hot blood on her helmet.

"You little sh—"

"Enough." The Magister clapped his stubby fingered hands and the sound barrier broke, plugging everyone's ears in a single blink and blast of heavy wind.

In the silence he stepped towards Samuel. Luxurious burgundy longcoat so stiff and weighed down with jewelry that it didn't move in the wind.

"Don't worry, beast. We're not here to torture you. We aren't sadistic. We're efficient. There is no hunt to relish in, inside the human mind. Only the goal to reach. And part of that is erasing those like you. It's business. It's….. humane."

The Magister watched Samuel stare him down with amusement. He turned to Ronin, balding head full of wispy white hair soaking up the harsh sun.

"He has your arrogance, Ronin. That's clear as day. It's unfortunate that's the only quality you now share. It's unfortunate that only one of you has earned such a mentality. And the other is high on human blood and fear."

The Magister turned back to Samuel— who looked past him as if there was something else more important than all of them to be watched.

"Worry not, Ronin. We will find you a woman more adept at child raising. Someone stronger and more dedicated to a motherly role. Your legacy just needs a rebrand…."

"Thank you, Mr. Basilisk." Ronin robotically replied, as he stared ahead unblinkingly.

"I hope they kill you first....." Samuel smiled and his ears perked up as if something only he heard suddenly lifted his spirits despite his dire predicament.

The pure belief in his words weirded out a number of the men and women on the stage.

The thousands of empty chairs in the bleachers surrounding them never felt so empty.

"Many have hoped for a similar thing. You're no different. Actually…. You are. I've heard you're quite different. In your death we will see. We will study. How the WereWolf has evolved. No more hiding in your human skin." Mr Basilisk dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a Lunar Artifact.

He held out the glowing bluish white pendant. It looked so simple and small on the platform full of massive beings.

One of the Detectives jogged over and took it from the Magister before running back to Samuel and pressed it to his chest.

He shook and vibrated the moment it touched his skin as if being electrocuted.

His skin steamed and his muscles expanded with so much violence and speed that his skin tore. Quickly healing and darkening as fur bloomed along his skin.

His shrieks and screams echoed. Ronin cringed— hearing his cries from boyhood inside the animalistic snarls and howls until he could feel no familiarity.

A beast in the flesh was suddenly held to the metal beam. Something with a Wolven head and hybrid body. Ears flat against its golden furred head.

No…..

His stomach turned.

"You have his eyes... his hair ….."

Even then, he could see his son. He didn't understand how but the torment was unreal. If he so much as moved he would've gagged.

Whatever Samuel had become was worse than anything he'd seen. For the simple fact that it was so seamless. From human to monster there was little to no mistake. No harm to the man. No disconnect between the two forms. There was a horrifying singularity to it.

"This is not a WereWolf." The Lion said angrily, "What the hell are we looking at? There's more of these things? Mr Basilisk we may have a serious pro—"

The door into The Dugout burst open, causing the men and women to spin around and face the new set of commotion.

Bengal burst out of the hole in the ground. Partially transformed and on a mission.

He didn't spare any of them a glance and made a break for the tournament walls, scaling them effortlessly despite missing an arm.

In a burst of wind another student flew out of the hole, bow in hand and firing at the handicapped shifter.

Bengal bobbed and weaved like a rabbit under hawkish pursuit as he hopped over the chairs and trash and made his way towards the edge. Towards the vast lands beyond.

The heroes watched the Archer take a final shot, breathing deep, arrow flowing with Aura.

TWOO—

WOOSH!

Samuel spit a fireball like a dragon.

Ursula burst from the floor with her iced arms raised and absorbed the blow in front of Warren.

By then the other students filtered onto the platform. Many simply in need of fresh air to recover while others demanded answers. It seemed after being cooped up for an extra week with no context, they'd had enough.

Until they saw Samuel.

"What the hell is that…?"

"Is that a WereWolf?"

"No…. It's a Wolf-….thing."

"Organize them. And then return them to their rooms." Mr Basilisk waved a few Detectives off in the students direction.

A handful of detectives rushed over and began aggressively corralling the students. There was something intensely sad about it.

A floor full of the worlds strongest heroes. Many students aspiring towards their image. Now seeing them all uncaring of their own in a panic. All surrounding a wounded enraged animal, poking and prodding it before handing out a violent and sudden execution. A sla—

Something danced past Ursula's face.

It almost felt like a see-through cloth, the weightless and silent nature of it. The fact that she couldn't see or appropriately feel its speed. And still knew something gored her with claws longer than knives had her thinking they ran into a ghost.

SHLCK!

But that wasn't right…..

Ghosts didn't smell like Lupines of Remus.

The five Detectives that were once shoving them with batons and swords fell to the ground in their own guts and removed heads.

Ursula grabbed at her throat that now leaked with warm blood. Struggling to focus her senses as students began to panic all over again around her.

As she scanned the floor, fighting off the stampede of students and dead bodies, Mr Basilisk spoke.

"You must be that pack, the beast spoke of. But I only see one of you. That's not nearly enough for this…. Childish prison break you're attempting."

Ursula looked up at the stands where Mr. Basilisk looked as he spoke.

A woman stood alone. Stark naked. The sun at her back cast her in shadow as the winds ruffled her waist-long hair. As the strands moved, the skin and bone did the same, until another Lupine of Remus stood over them. Smaller than Samuel but also much more terrifying in all its fluid movements, silence and speed.

Behind her, another Lupine came. Bigger. Pure black. Missing an ear. Oily thin hair like a main ran over its head and down its hulking back. Despite its wolfish anatomy, it forced itself to walk upright long enough to wave at Ursula.

And even with it standing upright, the next beast to come was still taller, on all fours.

It almost looked like a Dire Bear with its brown fur and ocean blue eyes. Except it had a mane of dreads and a naked chest so strapped with muscle it looked like that of a stone ape. The others that climbed over the wall paled in comparison….. but even then….

Ursula didn't even notice in all her adrenaline that Isaac held her while Warren tore pieces of his loose fitting shirt off and wrapped them around her throat.

"That's too many….." Warren mumbled.

"What?" Isaac questioned.

"Last time it was just Dolion and Jack…. I don't like this."

"The Nine's here…. And my father."

As they spoke, they flinched and moved out of the panicked students way while the others tried to at least restrain them.

"I don't think that matters….." Warren mumbled.

"Better….. but not nearly enough." Mr Basilisk commented as he stretched and patted his belly.

"STOP MOVING." Something spat from behind the wall.

The hysterical students hit the floor and curled into themselves all around Ursula and the others.

Her panic only rose. Her transformation just beneath the surface. Only held in check by one.

He knew.

"Ronin kill him!" Ursula rasped.

She never cared for The Nine. But they currently looked like the only shot the students had at survival. And even then. Not just any.

"RONIN! Kill him, he's the Alpha— he changed your sons!"

A man climbed over the wall after the other Lupines. He pushed them down a level so he stood over them as he watched the grounds. All he wore was a pair of pants.

He looked just as she remembered.

Just as she saw when she slept.

Bronze skin. Long and thick black hair held in a tight braid. Snarling nose. Beautiful. Inhumanely beautiful at that— with full lips, long eyelashes, a masculine razor sharp jawline. Muscles sculpted from stone. The human on the surface was perfect. The beast within was more flawed than hell itself. A twisting mosh pit of jealousy, rage, hatred, sadism and disorders that spanned for miles on a grocery list.

Dolion Scorn had emerged.

He took a deep breath, "I see why Samuel wanted you dead first."

"And whys that?" Mr Basilisk asked.

"You're wrong."

"….. What?"

"Look at yourself? You're no Alpha, yet you lead these men. You push the envelope for humanity and what's…. What did he say?"

"Humane." One of the Lupines below him growled.

"The world needs a reset." Dolion stroked his braid, "YOU can't….. YOU can't…. YOU ARE— not an Alpha. You're a pudgy faced greedy scavenging rodent who found power by hiding. And now….. you think you can kill one of mine? Do you think I'm not enough! Do you think me weak?!"

The dark male Lupine turned back to Dolion and whined while scenting his feet.

Dolion blinked, seemingly regaining composure.

"Release my Lupine, and give us a hunt as nature intended. Or we will raze all of the Sunlands to the ground and declare it a wasteland in one month." Dolion casually said.

Ronin shifted his feet.

Mr Basilisk held a hand out in front of him to stop him.

"Do you think we don't live with such threats on a daily basis….?—"

BOOM!!!

Something exploded miles away. The shockwave took a whole minute to reach them in the form of heavy wind and sands against their tournament walls.

"We don't deal in threats. Only death and Scorn." Dolion puffed his chest, "I won't repeat myself. You heard me."

"And you heard me."

Ursula cringed at Mr Basilisk's ability to casually sacrifice lives in the thousands.

Dolion looked ready to throw a tantrum when suddenly the ground shook.

He turned his head so his ears faced the grounds outside the tournament.

Ursula had been inside the Sunlands— inside its deserts and peaks, training for long enough to recognize the sound of Sand Sharks. What they were doing so close to humans was...

Dolion continued to pay attention to the stampeded of Sand Sharks beyond. His Lupines followed his gaze.

Unknowing of the flock of Night Hawks and Griffons flying towards him from the opposite side of the stadium.

Nobody spoke. Simply watching as the avian predators divebombed—

Dolion spun around and clapped his hands together, sending a blast of winds at the birds— who casually exploded into feathers and giblets to spray across the sky.

He smiled proudly, "I only fall for that onc—"

SHINK— SHINK!

Two of his Lupines yelped like beat dogs as spears ripped through their necks and pinned them to the concrete steps behind them.

Everyone was stunned.

For the scarce amount of seconds they simply watched the Lupines struggle. Claws scrapping against the ground. Blood pooling in their hideous maws as they gripped the spear, attempting to unstaple themselves from the concrete stairs until finally.

Death.

The other Lupines snarled like maniacs as they looked across the stadium to their aggressor.

He stood alone.

Ursula didn't even know when he arrived.

He stood under the sun. Perfectly visible. Armored and focused to a singular point. The Druidic cloth tied over the top of his head hid his brows and cast shadows over his green eyes

To the Lupines he must've only been recognizable by scent. That was nearly the case for Ursula….

Bronze skin, black hair loose and wild. Snarling nose. Rugged. Inhumanely rugged with all his scarring and injury and muscles molded by war. The human on the surface was damaged. The beast within was a beauty as rare as diamonds. A perfectly synthesized embodiment of what it means to embrace potential even when faced with rage, sorrow, anxiety, hatred and pain.

Claude Grey had emerged.