4 Side-Kicks

The asshole was out there waiting for me, but he stood back from the hut with a group. These stupid, well-built idiots were probably some of the other hunters as well.

These guys were going to make this an extremely challenging experience for me. Regardless of what I can do to stop Thurman, the rest will gang up on me, and then I'm screwed.

'What's the plan?' Gripton asked as I looked at the men.

'Wait, and buy time. I can't do this alone, or if I do, it will have to be a surprise. The problem is that I ain't sneaky like that,' I replied.

'Knowing your weaknesses is a good thing,' Gripton said appreciatively, but this one didn't take a rocket scientist.

'Ya, I know five big guys without magic could probably kick my ass. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out,' I replied sarcastically.

'He's coming over!' Gripton nearly shouted in my head.

'I can see that; I'm not blind, NOR DEAF!' I shouted back in my mind, getting a mental image of the old man being startled.

Seeing the old man almost fall out of his chair gave me some satisfaction, and I was able to cool myself down. I needed to put on a bit of an act here to get what I wanted.

I watched the large green-haired incredible bulk strut over, forcing my eyes from rolling around in my head. This guy really thought his shit didn't stink.

"Well, did your talk with the withering skin bags help you?" Thurman asked me after stopping in front of me.

The man crossed his arms across his barreled chest and waited for my reply.

"Yeah, I know that you want to have a fight with me, but how about this. I have an offer for you. I will give you my weapon in exchange for the five names on this list. I will then deal with the Spider Queen that seems to be bothering you. What do you think of that?" I asked, handing the listen to him, but Thurman shoved my hand back, shaking his head no.

"Reading is for the weak, but I am interested in your clothes! Give me them and the weapon, and I might consider this deal. I also have questions to ask. Why would you want to do something like this for us? And what do you plan on doing with the people?" Thurman asked, starting to look a bit suspicious.

"What I do with them is my business, and do you really care? As for the Queen, I am a hunter of monsters, and I killed that spider with a single rock. I am looking for certain things, but that is my own business," I replied, but I wasn't rude this time.

"Fine. Go to the Forest of Drapes and slay the Araciqueen! She is the source of all the giant spiders that have encroached on our territories! Give me the clothing!" Thurman declared, sticking out his hand, but Kalita ran up right then.

"What's all the commotion about?" Kalita asked as she came running up, and suddenly the entire village shifted.

Everyone started casually talking with friendly voices like they didn't have a care in the world. Even Thurman changed, but I could tell that his was fake.

Still, this was all more than a little unsettling.

While the little woman was a radiant bubble of sunshine, the way everyone reacted now with her around was unnatural. It was almost like she was the only thing that could bring color to these people's lives, even if it was forced.

This made me sick to my stomach, but I needed to keep the composer; this wasn't over yet. I needed to get going and back, but I also needed to give Kalita some precise instructions so she wouldn't be put into danger, so I spoke up.

"I have decided to help with your spider problem! But I also would like some traveling companions! Do you think that you could help me with finding the people on this list?!" I asked with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

"Really?" Kalita asked with genuine excitement but then turned to Thurman and asked, "Do you mind if I help him?"

The man didn't break character and gave Kalita a big smile.

"Of course, my little Goblin! I was just going to take his clothes to dry! I do not want you going out with him, though," Thurman explained to Kalita, and she nodded to him.

"No, I don't want to go where he is going! I will just show him around!" Kalita said and then turned back to me.

I fished out my drowned phone from my pocket and my wallet during this time. There was just my ID, a couple pictures, and twenty dollars, but these things were mine, and I didn't want them tampered with.

I dropped the clothes on the ground and the pen. Then handed the paper Tescelle had filled out to Kalita.

"If you could lead the way," I said after she took the paper and looked at it.

Kalita nodded and then started to walk while looking at the paper. I followed, but Thurman gave me a hard stare as I passed in front of him.

'Woah! Wait a minute! You're just going to go do that?!' Gripton said after I had passed Thurman.

'Yes, what other choice do I have?' I asked.

'I guess so, but Alexcoria is not to be messed with!' Gripton replied in my head, but that was suspicious.

'You sound like you know this Spider Queen? Did you and her do the Rango Tango?' I asked in a lecherous voice.

'I might, but I most certainly did not, Rango Tango with her! What do I look like?' Gripton declared.

'Couldn't tell you, but this is highly suspicious!' I replied.

'Pay attention to what you are doing, and I will explain after you meet your new party members,' Gripton said and then went quiet.

Kalita and I walked through the people who looked happy now, but I knew better. Whoever controlled them must be powerful, but it really didn't make sense.

None of the people I saw with Thurman looked like they could pull off something like that. Though, if the person was intelligent, they would disguise themselves to fit in with the others.

'I am not really sure either. I do agree that the ones we have seen with Thurman don't look any brighter than him,' Gripton mentioned.

I decided to put it in the back of my head as Kalita led me around to different tents. As we did, she told me about each person's magic.

"This is Kara! The one that I had told you about that knows how to make clothes for us!" Kalita explained with her over-bearing excitement.

Kara was in a light tan robe with a hood, but the entire thing was made of patches. There wasn't a single piece of fabric over four inches wide.

"So you are the new stranger from the west? Kalita told me about your… underwear? That is a strange word, but it does roll off the tongue. I would like to talk to you some more some time, in private," the woman said to me while looking directly into my eyes.

These people had been starved, controlled, and abused. Still, each one seemed to be holding hope inside each one of them.

"Yeah, I will make some time when I get back from my trip," I told the robed woman, and she gave me a genuine smile.

After that, Kalita introduced me to a couple more people. They weren't the ones I was looking for, so I tuned them out and just walked along with her.

Most had useless magic for what I needed, but they all could be used in the future. I am sure that Tescelle would make me list everyone's abilities.

Most of the elves were like Greg. He could make a single plant grow two or three times faster than average.

Or there was Jelina, who could accurately know the entire measurements just by touching it. She could also understand how it worked, but anything bigger than a dog was out of her reach.

Almost all the people had these primary types of talents, and the village was tiny. So far, I had only counted twenty people, but that wasn't including Thurman and his bunch.

By luck, or at one of the elders' behest, the five people I was looking for were waiting for us. I had been able to see the entire village and met most of the people, so this worked out.

'Interesting, this is quite the rag-tag group you have here!' Gripton laughed in my mind.

He wasn't wrong, but they were the best this place had to offer, according to the paper. I would just have to trust that my magic would give them enough of a boost.

'These powers should have the greatest use for what I have planned. I will need to get away from this place before I start doing anything, though. I don't want that big idiot seeing me do this,' I replied as I turned to Kalita.

"Thank you for showing me around the place," I told Kalita but then put my arms out for a hug.

Kalita didn't really understand what I meant, but she launched at me after a few seconds. The small woman wrapped her arms around my waist.

I hugged her back after quickly scanning for anyone. I needed to ensure that none of Thurman's cronies were hanging around to overhear.

"Answer any questions that your husband asks, but do not talk about my magic or your magic's improvement. If they ask about my magic, you tell them that I never used any," I whispered in Kalita's ear and then broke from the hug.

Kalita looked at me for a moment but then gave me a nod. I knew that she didn't have a choice, so I wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"Well, I think it will be okay to take these people. Please just make sure to keep them safe!" Kalita told me with a bright smile but then turned to run off.

I watched the woman runoff, but I turned back to my group after Kalita was out of sight. They really were a rag-tag bunch, but I needed to get them out of here before speaking to them.

"Alright, let's get moving. Whoever knows the way to the Spider Queen, I would like you to lead," I explained.

A hand shot up, and it was attached to a girl that seemed to have a lot of energy. This was surprising, considering how the rest of the group looked to be waiting to be executed.

"I can show you the way, but why are we going?" The energetic girl with light grass green hair asked me.

"Just lead the way for now. I want to get away from the village," I explained, and the girl looked like she was going to argue but then decided not to.

Five gaunt and starved elves with hollow eyes started to walk with that. I followed behind them, and we slowly made our way out of the village.

I made everyone walk for what seemed to be forever before we stopped. Gripton informed me that it was just under an hour, but I ignored him.

"Alright, we will stop here, and I will explain why you were picked and what we are doing," I said to my group, and they all gathered and sat down.

Surprisingly, none of them looked tired. Considering how underfed the group was, they seemed to be doing better than me.

I didn't sit. Instead, I walked around the sorry bunch and pointed to each one. I told them to give me their names and power as I pointed.

The first person I pointed to was a mid-aged female that looked weak and frail. She stood apart from the rest with her fiery red hair, but I could still see ribs exposed.

"My name is Kadence; I can control and create fire. I can use it to light a small fire, but I can produce no more than a ball of it in my hand," Kadence explained, and I nodded, holding back my excitement.

Fire. Now that was a real magical power!

Kadence made a small flame in her hand and then turned it into a small burning arrow. She motioned slightly, and the arrow shot out but disappeared after five feet of travel.

Yup, a joke for the most part unless you got up close. Still, even like this, Kadence's magic was far from useless, and I understood why Tescelle had picked her.

Next was a young man, nothing but skin and bones, but he had a fire in his eyes as I pointed to him next. I liked his spirit, and I was interested in seeing what his magic could do.

"My name is Trem, and I can make things stick to surfaces or make them fall into the air. The problem is that I can only do it to something the size of a small rock," The dark green hair kid explained.

'Gravity manipulation? That will become very useful when it is improved!' Gripton remarked in my head, and I had to agree with him.

Gravity magic sounded cool, but I had no idea how to use it. I would need to get him to run some tests, but someone else could do that.

Next was another girl about the same age as the boy, maybe fifteen or so. Though she was an elf, so who could tell?

I wasn't completely blind to games, and anime, so I knew about elves living for a long time. These people could all be older than me!

I would need to ask one of the sexy elders about that later. For now, I point to the girl who was standing shyly.

"My name is Kyra, and I can talk to animals, but I can't understand them," the girl explained in a quiet voice.

This was the girl that Tescelle had mentioned, and I had given the magic some thought. The ability wasn't horrible, but it could use some improvement.

The next one was a runt kid with spunk. He reminds me of myself, ready to take on the world, no fucks given.

"Name is Larganth, but just call me Ganth! I can do some weird stuff with my magic. It's hard to explain, so here. Let me show you instead!" The boy said but waited for me to speak.

It seemed whatever was restricting the others in the village wasn't affecting the people out here. That was good, but it still didn't tell me what was affecting everyone.

I nodded for him to proceed, and Ganth reached down and grabbed a rock off the ground. He took it between his hands and…stretched it?

My eyes went wide as I watched the boy play with the rock like it was putty. The rock distorted as it stretched, and then he dropped it, and it broke.

This was the first thing I had seen that really sent me for a loop. Even after Graph dropped the stone, I stood there staring at it in disbelief.

'Now that's interesting. You could get the boy to make spears and other thrown weapons,' Gripton mentioned, and I agreed.

"Can you unstretch it?" I asked the runt, but he shook his head.

"Nah," Ganth said and looked away.

I shrugged and walked forward. Hopefully, with the help of my magic, I will be able to improve that.

Still not too bad, and it would be handy going forward. Let's see this last guy… I think?

"My name is Harmon; I can throw small objects," The brown-haired elf said in a high-pitched voice but then just waited.

Harmon was an interesting person, to say the least, but I wasn't sure how much to expect out of them. Still, I rolled my hand in the air for them to continue.

"OH! That's right! You wanna see me do it, right? Okay! Here I go!"

Harmon pulled out a quarter-size rock and turned away from us. The guy wound up and threw the rock just like my throw, but the effect was a lot different.

They had aimed at a tree maybe thirty feet away, but I was forced back slightly when Harmon released the stone. There was the clap of four small sonic booms, and then tiny bits of bark rained around the tree.

Only the bark was removed from the tree in a large circular spot where the rock had hit. This was the next thing that made no sense, and I turned back to Harmon.

I'm sure no one understood what happened here, and I kept my mouth shut, just nodding.

"Very good, but why are you not with Thurman?" I asked in confusion.

This ability was good enough to take down an entire village with a handful of gravel. I made no sense why Thurman wouldn't have snatched this person up.

"I never showed him. If I did, he probably would have killed me. I have been tempted to try to kill him, but if it didn't work, I would for sure die. I am also not very fast," Harmon explained, and it all made sense.

'MACH 4?!' -Gripton.

'That's what I counted. No wonder the rock disintegrated on impact. Still, I can see why they kept it hidden, but that's fine; I'll take him,' I replied.

'Collecting new toys?' Gripton laughed, but that stung.

'No, I am trying to find people that can help me get rid of this ass hat. I don't treat people like objects, even if I don't always like them!' I growled back.

'I was joking. I know that you don't, but this is quite entertaining watching!' Gripton replied, still laughing.

'Laugh all you want, but don't think less of me just because I'm a bit rough around the edges!' I shot back.

"Alright! So you all know the plan? Any questions?" I asked the group after motioning for everyone to get up.

"Do we have to go?" Harmon asked.

I ignored them and started walking. The group stood stunned for a moment before they all followed along and caught up, Ganth leading the way this time.

'That was good they followed. I didn't want to walk in the wrong direction and have an "It's the other way" moment,' I joked.

'Would have been pretty funny, though. So what was the reason for not using your magic yet?' Gripton asked.

'I still don't think we are far enough away yet, so we will keep walking! Now, what do you know about this spider queen bitch?' I asked as my group moved silently through the forest.

'Well, she isn't a bitch; Araciqueen is the forest god. If her brood is moving in this direction, it is because of the hunters attacking them! We have met before, and she is a reasonable goddess!' Gripton explained, but he almost sounded offended.

'That's good then; this will kill a problem and idiot with one stone!' I replied.

'I don't think that's how it goes, and I also think you should think about other ways to deal with things! You can just kill everything that you meet!' Gripton growled but then went silent.

We traveled for about three hours until I made them all stop again. I had been walking up beside Ganth, but he had been silent most of the way.

I motioned for them all to stand in front of me in a half-circle. It was time to take off the gloves, but I needed to explain myself and what I was about to do.

I looked around at each of the defeated people, looking them over. Even Ganth looked down at my intense stare.

"So, this Thurman picks on you? Doesn't let you eat and treat you as less of a person? Is that how you want to live the rest of your lives?!" I asked in an intense voice.

No one said anything, and they all looked down. I understood they felt defeated, but I needed to break them from Thurman's control.

"LOOK UP AT ME!" I roared.

All eyes filled with fear shot up to mine, and as one, they took an involuntary step back. Now I had their attention, good.

"Stop looking at your feet and the dirt! That isn't gonna stop him from fucking your lives up!" I roared.

Then I ripped off the black and red glove from my right hand, Maximus, and thrust it forward. My hand was flat with my palm facing them, fingers spread wide.

"If you're tired of being weak and useless or just being scared, grab a fucking finger, and let's get this show on the road! I am Hyde! A bad-ass from a land far away, and I am here to conquer this one!" I roared, and everyone's eyes almost fell out of their heads.

'Nice Speech, Mr. President!' Gripton laughed in my head.

'Shut the fuck up! Why do you always have to ruin the moment!'