Chapter 44 - Angry Mob

Scarlet's face contorted in anger as she witnessed another of her subordinates being hit, and drop to the ground whimpering in pain. She knew Barbarians couldn't get their hands on submachine guns and other powerful firearms without the assistance of a normal person. If she discovered who sold it to them, she would skin them alive.

Diverting her eyes for a moment, she searched the street for Drake, but couldn't find him. There were too many people, and too much chaos. The Barbarians had split up, and the fight wasn't happening just there anymore, but in many places, so she had no idea where he went. It was a pity. She had seen him taking down two attackers in a matter of seconds, and, even if she was still pissed with him, she had to admit he was of great help.

"Ugh!"

Seeing the enemy leader fall from his Yscalent, and not get up, Scarlet felt happiness for a moment. She didn't know who had hit him, but that was the last blow they needed. The Barbarian's confidence wavered, and they started to run. She cheered inwardly, but kept firing, and told the cops to pursue. They had to keep them pressured, so they would never come back to Ricker.

The police officers yelled in agreement, but had barely taken a few steps forward when something unimaginable happened. Scarlet would never forget the moment when wooden spears broke through the concrete and asphalt, and pierced the Yscalents and their riders. The big bodies of the Iferes were nothing before the strength the spears carried. In a split-second, three of the enemies were gruesomely killed. A fourth one was lucky enough to barely dodge, but a piece of his leg was ripped off.

While everyone was stunned, unable to react, two shots rang out, and another Barbarian grunted in pain, a bullet having pierced the young warrior's wrist. He looked at his fallen gun, and reached to pick it up, but the second shot hit the ground between his legs, and he stopped.

All at once, the battlefield - because it was one, without a doubt - quieted down. Everyone stared at the young man and the Kniivar walking besides him. Drake had a deep frown on his face, as if he wasn't happy with what he had done. Five or six of the raiders took the chance to slip away, knowing that the battle was lost. No one bothered going after them. Ricker had to recover from the attack, and half a dozen defeated and humiliated young warriors weren't a threat.

Scarlet was soon back to normal, and started yelling orders at her subordinates, telling them to arrest the survivors of the Barbarians. Medics and their Artons or other life-type Iferes were already standing by, and now that the conflict was over, ran forward to treat the wounded. Of course, the inhabitants of Ricker were given priority over the enemies, even if their injuries weren't as serious.

Meanwhile, Drake grabbed the unconscious leader of the Barbarians, and threw him on the ground in front of Scarlet. The police chief stared at him for a long while, but said nothing in the end. This Drake in front of her was too different from the man she met yesterday, and it worried her.

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As the cops, firefighters, and medics cleaned up the battle site, Drake just stared at the corpses impaled by Kniivar's Wood Realm. No one was quite sure on how to take care of them, so, for now, they just left them where they were.

He had been angry before the battle started, thinking that the Taurons had broken their agreement. Now, however, he knew they weren't from the peaceful tribe, and he felt regret. Not because he had killed them, but because he made Kniivar and Frainer do so. He knew his companions didn't mind. In fact, for them, killing was just normal. The strong survive, the weak perish. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was transforming the young Iferes into killers.

"Drake? Are you... All right?"

Slowly, he tore his eyes away from the gruesome sight, and turned to face Scarlet. He had already seen how she and the others looked at him, their eyes filled with a mix of respect and gratitude. He sighed.

"Yes, no? Maybe? I didn't want to have to do... All that."

"Do you mean kill them? They were murdering innocent people, for f*cks sake!"

It was understandable Scarlet was angry. Although the battle only lasted for about twenty minutes, sixteen inhabitants of Ricker had died, and about that same number had been injured. Amongst the dead, half were cops, including the one Drake had tried to help. He didn't survive long enough for a doctor to get to him.

"No, not that. I don't mind killing. Not much, not anymore. It's the way they died. Besides... I'm sure you noticed they are not Taurons, but will the rest of the people be able to? Or will they just take on arms and charge Kinton Valley? I'm sure Major Erinster won't care which tribe they belong to. The investigation is now useless. Everything just got worse."

Scarlet's mouth opened, but she didn't know what to say. Only now she realized the consequences of what had just happened. There was nothing in this world that would convince the angry and grieving people of Ricker that the Taurons were innocent.

"This... I... I can tell them. I mean, I can gather the citizens, and explain..."

"That's f*cking useless, Scarlet, and you know it! Sh*t!"

Drake yelled in frustration, and instantaneously regretted it. Scarlet hadn't known him for more than two days, and yet she was willing to try and help him, even if that would make the people of Ricker angry at her. Her expression became frosty, even as he stammered to try and apologize.

"Well then, you can think of something on your own, Drake. I will be helping the people that actually need me."

He stared at her back as she walked away, and felt like slapping himself. Glancing at the still impaled bodies, he ordered Kniivar to use Wood Realm again, this time to retract the spears. With a dull 'thud', dead Yscalents and Barbarians fell to the floor, startling the people around.

"For all the Mystic Iferes, I'm a f*cking a*shole. Frainer, Kniivar, let's go. I have something to ask this one. Let's hope it will serve as an apology."

Grabbing the unconscious Broken Eagle by his uninjured arm, Drake dragged the raider behind him. The police station wasn't too far away, and there, he would be able to have a private 'conversation' with the Barbarian without having to worry about being interrupted.

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"How long has he been at it?"

"Err... About ten minutes, ma'am. He has to wake him up every now and then. Chief Scarlet, are you sure that is... Okay?"

"Do you wanna be the one to stop him?"

"Nevermind."

Several cops were outside one of the interrogation rooms, including Scarlet. They were all listening to the grunts and noises coming from inside the room. Although what Drake was doing was highly illegal and immoral, none of the police officers cared much. Not when the one receiving a beating was the person responsible for the deaths of so many of their friends and colleagues.

Soon enough, the sounds inside the room stopped, and for a few minutes, there was silence. Then, Drake opened the door, and stepped out, followed by his companions. All the police officers looked at Kniivar with the utmost respect, although the Ifere didn't notice.

Scarlet tried to peek inside the room, but Drake closed the door too fast, and all she managed to see was part of Broken Eagle's body. When one of the officers wanted to go in and check on the Barbarian's condition, Drake blocked his path, and shook his head.

"He is still alive. Scarlet, I need to talk to you. Privately."

The police chief sneered, and gestured for him to follow her. Her expression was cold, for many different reasons. Drake sighed. They walked in silence until her office, after which she closed the door and stared at him.

"Well, then. What results did your interrogation yield?"

She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'interrogation', but Drake ignored it. If she really was against it, she could have stopped him at any given moment, but she never did. That was just her latching onto anything that she could to complain about him. He hoped she would get over it with time, and that what he had to say would speed it up.

"Barbarians, even outcasts like Broke Eagle, don't talk much even with my methods..."

"Outcast?"

"Yeah. He and the other warriors were from some tribe down south. They tried to stage a rebellion against their chief, but lost. Those who survived escaped, and became criminals. Mercenaries, you could say."

"And who hired them?"

"He wouldn't say. Only that he was a very important man, and that he would kill us all, and blah blah blah. He gave them most of the weapons they were using, including the machineguns. There was something interesting, however..."

Drake paused, his eyebrows furrowed, as he thought about how he should put it. Scarlet's expression of impatience had been swapped by one of curiosity.

"However?"

"That person told Broken Eagle to use spears, bows, and knives, apart from the firearms. He also ordered them to take back their dead and wounded."

He let the information sink in, and watched as the police chief experienced shock, rage, and disgust.

"A trap. No, a bait. To make Ricker believe it were the Taurons. Without bodies, we wouldn't have another culprit."

"Yep. Luckily, Kniivar and Frainer were here. Because of them, their plan failed, and we got their leader in custody."

"Then... Regarding all that, can't we explain it all to the citizens? With my word as the police chief, plus the evidence and prisoners, it should be enough, no?"

"You know the people of Ricker better than I do. You tell me."

She went silent for a long time, during which Drake closed his eyes, and thought. Not for a moment did he believe that the inhabitants of Ricker would give a damn about which tribe the attackers belonged to. No, they would demand revenge, and when Scarlet refused it, they would turn to Major Erinster. The soldier would be more than happy to comply, and would have the added bonus of undermining Scarlet's reputation.

"Ma'am! There is a crowd outside! They want to speak with you."

A cop barged in, without even bothering to knock. Through the open door, Drake could hear angry screams, and even a few gunshots. Sighing, he turned back to Scarlet.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Uff... I have to try, at least. I doubt it will be of any use, but... Sorry, Drake."

He shook his head, and patted her shoulder. He didn't blame her. If he was in her position, he probably would be doing worst. But luckily, he wasn't, and he still had one more trick up his sleeves.

"Don't be sorry. I need you to buy as much time for me as you possibly can, even if it's just a few more minutes, okay?"

"Yeah... I can do that. What do you have in mind?"

He flashed her a small smile, the first since this sh*tshow of a day started. Gesturing for his two companions to follow him, he exited the office. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was his best bet at preventing a massacre, and possibly a war.

"I'm going to Kinton Valley, to convince Tauron River to relocate his tribe. After that, I'm going to do something really stupid."

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"We need to kill them all!"

"They are monsters!"

"They have to be exterminated! All of them!"

Dozens of people were grouped up outside of the police station, their cries of anger and hatred suffocating the cops' requests for patient. Many of the crowd held guns, and were inciting the others. However, when Scarlet appeared outside, they were all silenced. She held her pistol up high, smoke still coming out of it. Although the shot was aimed at the sky, many were still scared by it.

"Quiet, all of you! I understand you are angry, and I understand you are pained by the losses we suffered. But taking it out on innocents won't make you heros, but murderers worse than those who attacked Ricker today!"

Her words stunned the mob. For a moment, they all just stared at her, and even the police officers seemed confused. Then, all at once, they all started talking, screaming over each other to be heard. They only quieted down again after a few minutes. Scarlet pointed at one of the men in front, and gestured for him to speak.

"The Taurons are all thieves and killers! There are no innocent amongst them! The only way to solve this problem is to get rid of them! All of them!"

"Yeah! He is right!"

"Quiet! You came here because you wanted to know what happened, and want justice. So, listen to me! The Barbarians that attacked us aren't Taurons. They were hired by someone who wants to cause chaos and bloodshed between us and those who live in Kinton Valley."

"Lies! They are liars! And so are you!"

"Yes! If you won't do your duties, we will find someone who will!"

"The army! Get the army! They will put those filthy Barbarians where they belong! In a grave!"

"Yeah!"

Scarlet watched as the mob got angrier and angrier. Shaking her head, she returned to her office, and ordered her subordinates to keep an eye on the city's exits. If anyone tried to leave, they were to be detained. At the same time, she told someone to call the outpost, and Major Erinster. Sighing, she wondered if Drake was doing any better than her.