Usurper of Fire

After traveling until the lit sky went dark. Cadivus’s group found a well-lit tavern near the city walls. Loud voices and laughter traveled from the inside rather than fighting. Ekio motioned for everyone to go in.

The inside was very similar to the rest of this monotonous town. The walls were stone, the wooden tables were round, and the stone bar had a wooden top with plenty of stools underneath it. As they walked around, looking for a table to sit at, a man, clearly inebriated, from another table came over.

“Hey look!” he said. “Some ladies have arrived!”

The room cheered, and Ekio motioned for Thermia to stand behind her.

“Come to do some dancing lovelies?”

Hunter shook his head.

On the other hand, Cadivus grabbed the back of the inebriated man’s neck, which caught the rest of the tavern’s eyes.

“Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Cadivus. Indeed there are women here in your leisurely world of man-to-man intimacy of all kinds. However, while we have no immediate relations with these ladies in particular, they are of no concern to you. Why…should I even conceive of witnessing disrespect of my friends here, well, we’ll do to you what we did to Alpha and the other larpers.” He took the inebriated man’s beer from his hands and drank the rest of it down. “But other than that, have a great time! Yay!”

He let the man go, but the commotion didn’t die down. Several men came over to grab Cadivus and ask him to tell the story of killing their treacherous leaders.

Hunter and Thermia sat at the table enjoying brews on the house. Ekio, on the other hand, declined and asked for water instead.

A short while later, a group of men came over and asked the women how they ended up in Pribbs. They told the story, leaving out some of the intimate details to a growing crowd of engaged albeit respectful men. Hunter just sat back and watched from the comfort of one of the abandoned tables. He removed another broken cigar from his pouch and placed it into his mouth. Before he could light a match though, a man from beside him offered him a lit one.

“I know what you did here today, sir. I’ve seen a lot of broken men here in my days.” The man was older, worn down. His hair was gray and white. He had a large scraggly beard, but his face seemed kind enough. “This tavern only has one room, but you're all welcome to it tonight. I’ve already told my previous tenant to find another pot to piss in for the evening.”

Hunter lit his cigar and nodded his hat at the owner.

“Thank you..kindly.” The bad feeling about the figure on the roof got to him again. As the owner turned to leave, he stopped him and handed him some gold, to which the man tried to refuse but was unable as he placed it into his apron. “Take good care of my friends here. I need to step outside for a minute. Tell them what you told me, will ya?”

The owner nodded, and Hunter watched as he walked over and explained the situation. They all looked pleasantly surprised. Seeing their smiles made his heavy heart lighten. Hunter then finished his drink and headed outside.

It was now pitch-black outside except for a few scattered torches here and there. He walked down the road, and before he even took twenty steps, he spotted the dark figure on the roof. They moved past the tavern and fixed upon him. Good.

He picked up his pace just slightly and moved as far away from them as he could, taking tight turns to keep the follower engaged in the chase. When he thought he had walked far enough, his cigar was almost gone. He looked for a torch and leaned against a wall near it.

“Come on out, son,” he said. “Ain’t no sense prolonging this.” Though he never stared directly at him, he knew his exact position.

The dark figure jumped from the roof and onto the ground, beyond the aura of the torch’s revelation. And it laughed.

“I bet the other kids don’t like playing hide-and-seek with you…” The eerie voice sounded confident, and lacking empathy. His laugh was menacing. “You know…You make smoking look so cool, you’re probably a bad influence for children.” He stepped towards the torch, just enough to reveal an outline of a tall and slender man. “I guess what I’m trying to say is: have you heard the good news? Our lord and savior Tiabault, God of Lust, has returned and asked you to relieve yourself…of any confusion you might have.”

“I’m a lawman, there isn’t much confusion on my part at all here…Teavis.” Hunter looked up, flicking his cigar onto the ground in front of the dark figure.

The dark figure walked into the light and stepped onto the cigar, twisting his foot as he did. Sparklebutt came into vision, now wearing dark and tight clothing, with a leather sash around his torso with empty dagger sheaths. He pulled his wig off, then he removed the prosthetics from his ears, nose, and chin. He removed a headband from his pocket and used it to hold back his short hair. He placed a hand behind his back.

“Shoulda figured it out sooner.” Hunter muttered.

He laughed. “Teavis? Aw, you’re a dirty cheater. Carrying around those little sheets of yours. I’ve often wondered how many people have died because an artist got a chin wrong. Imagine getting blasted in the head because you got a haircut. I mean, sure, I’ve killed people for having bad haircuts before, but not because I was told to by a piece of paper. You know, that would be insane…”

“Look–”“Wait! Give me a moment to explain myself.” He cleared his throat. “You see, sometimes our paths lead us to interesting crossroads. Why, you’re a lawman breaking the law, and I’m a guy who doesn’t wear underwear.” He slightly pulled down his pants to reveal he was indeed telling the truth.

“Can we ju–”

“The thing with intersections is that they are often violent. Shards of demons and gods brushing against each other…there’s nothing more beautiful than that. I’ve come seeking a challenge Hunter, and I’ve found so much more.” Teavis bowed, revealing a flail he was holding behind his back.

Hunter placed his hand on his gun.

As he rose, his eyes changed from jovial to predatory.

“Can we stop all these games? If you came to kill me, let’s just get this over with, son.”

“Kill? Kill? Who…who said anything like that! Why would I ever agree to such terms? Death is so…it’s so…permanent after all. Right, Hunter? Yes indeed it is! And I don’t wish to send you to your maker, be it dirt or celestial.” Teavis held out his weapon in front of him, it looked like an ordinary flail that had been painted white with red spikes…horribly. “Sorry, sir. I cannot kill you. Not on purpose, no. Now…if you did something unpredictable–like I don’t know…fight back–Well, then...things happen I suppose. Now, be a good little lawman and let me hit you in the face with this marvelous tool! I call it the Flail of Bloodgening.” He held out the flail presenting it with his other hand. “Get it?”

Hunter looked at him, confused.

“I’d guess I’d have to write it out for you to get the joke.” He rubbed his chin. “To be honest though, I don’t think I could spell it properly even with a gun to my head.”

Hunter removed his service revolver and aimed at his head.

“Yeah…still nothing.” He shrugged.

“Understand quick. I’m not in the mood for this tonight. I’ve got a full revolver, and you’re well within killing distance. I’ll empty this whole cylinder into your head before you can take your first step. It’s what we lawmen call a range advantage. So just drop the weapon, let me tie you up and take you in. Alive. Or we can do it the way it always ends: you dead and me getting another drink.”

“Well, you’ve got me there!” Teavis put his hands on his hip.

A loud crash boomed next to Hunter’s head. When the dust cleared, he quickly checked his body, which was still intact. To his right, the flail, much longer now, stuck into the wall–only a few inches from his head.

“Dammit! Who adjusted the sights on this thing anyway? I want a refund!” Teavis flicked his wrist and the flail returned to its original length. Smiling, he swung it around in a vertical circle next to his body.

Hunter, regaining his composure, raised his gun and fired four shots into Teavis’s head. Teavis collapsed to the ground, dropping the flail. He looked at him from a distance and saw the stillness.

“I told you how this was gonna end son…” He walked toward the body that was now half in the light. He thought it odd that the body didn’t twitch; they usually did from a headshot.

He walked closer with his gun still drawn, two bullets remaining. A horrible feeling came over him. As he approached the body, the chest heaved, and the body put its hand out to raise itself to a sitting position. Hunter jumped back and kept the gun trained on him.

“I tell you I don’t want to kill you and you shoot me?” Teavis said. “Is this the castle’s justice? Unbelievable. And here I thought I would be getting a fair trial…Oh, how I long to hear them speak to me…” He rose to his feet, grabbing his flail. He twisted his neck, and a crack echoed through the streets. “Do you think they’ll speak to me Hunter? Do you think they ever make a mistake, and listen?”

“Why aren’t you dead? I saw the bullets go through your skull.”

“That is a great question…I’ve asked myself that same question oh so many times. I’ve lost count, and I can count very high I assure you. Perhaps your god has abandoned you. Perhaps I am the chosen one. No. No, that can’t be it. A whole world of order and rules, and what rules apply to me? Hmm? What good are rules if you can’t enforce them?!”

Teavis swung the flail at Hunter’s head, Hunter ducked and put his remaining bullets into his chest. As he reeled back, Hunter equipped his metal knuckles and cracked him as hard as he could in the jaw. He took a few steps back and stood as still as stone before fixing his eyes on Hunter.

“Oh, I do enjoy this part. That look on your face!” He laughed.

“Great. So you're immortal then, huh?” Hunter checked his bag for any loose bullets, even though he was certain he didn’t have any left-over. He grabbed a yellow vial instead.

“So far anyways. Unfortunately I fear you are not, and you're clearly out of bullets seeing as how you’ve stopped shooting me.” Teavis’s chest wounds closed, pushing the lead out of the holes they entered. “I fear that in the end you weren’t what I thought you could be. All that’s left now is disappointment.” Teavis swung the flail horizontally over his head, the length grew longer with each revolution.

“You’re not wrong about anything Teavis.”

This made Teavis gain a wicked grin.

“Except, I don’t need bullets.” Hunter switched guns, raised his arm once more and fired a large hole through Teavis’s chest. Teavis went flying back and crashed through a wooden fence. This time, he got up in an instant and ran for his flail that was now on the ground. He shot several projectiles around the flail, the gun firing what appeared to be beams of light, thick enough to leave a fist-sized hole in anything it touched.

Teavis put up his hands and started laughing.

“I was wondering when you’d use my gift.” He circled around Hunter, his hands still in the air. “Although, what can you expect from a guy wearing a fanny pack? You’re looking a bit…fatigued.” He grinned.

Hunter breathed heavily, feeling like he had just ran ten miles at full sprint. He tried to piece together the events of the day, but dropped it in frustration.

“Teavis, I don’t think I can kill ya. So that leaves only a couple choices here.”

“Let’s hear them! I’ve been admonished for my listening skills after all.”

“One, I tie you and gag you, god willing. Two, I sit here and shoot holes through you until you eventually die.”

“Well, I do enjoy being of a singular piece. Then again, I do enjoy a little chitchat from time to time…Oh, this is really hard. Perhaps we’ll get our friends from the tavern and get their advice on the situation?”

Hunter cocked his gun.

“No? Okay, I’ll just pay them a visit after then.”

His face turned to rage, and he fired shot after shot at Teavis, who’s agility and speed was superhuman in nature. Teavis’s movements were so sporadic that it was hard to lead a shot. Teavis went to grab the flail, and he, finally able to predict Teavis’s movement, put one through his leg. Teavis did a cartwheel and threw a wooden splinter from the broken fence with his other hand. The piece of fence embedded in his left shoulder, his shooting arm. It went numb and limp.

While Hunter tried to pull the spike from his shoulder, Teavis grabbed the flail and built momentum with its swing. He flicked off the top of the vial he had pulled out and drank its contents. Teavis sent the spiked ball toward his chest, but Hunter punched it down to the dirt with his metal knuckles. With glowing pink eyes, he easily pulled the spike from his shoulder and tossed it onto the ground. He then switched his gun to his other hand.

“Oh you dirty cheater!” Teavis cried.

He fired toward Teavis, who tried to dodge but the gun’s beam was now five times as thick. It shot off a portion of his hip, and he had no time to stop and regenerate it as the shots came one after the other. Beam after beam tore through him until he fell to the ground with several holes along the sides of his body.

Hunter walked toward him.

“Want to rethink that bound and gag? Last chance.”

Teavis coughed up blood onto the dirt road.

“Oh, come on!” He laughed and coughed some more. “Can’t a guy in your position pull a few strings?!” He grabbed into the dirt and yanked on invisible threads.

Realizing what was happening too late, Hunter turned around, shot one of the daggers flying toward him, and blocked two more with his gun and metal knuckles. Still, another two slipped by and entered his stomach and the forearm of his good arm. As he tried to remove them, Teavis ran up behind him and placed him into a choke hold.

“Just let it happen Gunsy McGee…Oh, think of all that awaits you…”

He raised his gun and shot one of the arms holding him. As Teavis reeled back, he removed the dagger from his arm and slammed it into Teavis’s eye. As Teavis pulled back once more, he removed the dagger from his stomach. Red warm fluid flowed down.

“Shit…Shouldn’t of done that,” he scolded himself. He looked back at Teavis who was still struggling to remove the dagger from his eye but suddenly he stopped and started laughing.

“What is it now?"

“How do you spell Pribbs with one i?” He pointed to his eye with the dagger sticking out of it. “P-r-i-b-b-s…” he laughed. “Get it? No, wait… that doesn’t work.” He yanked the dagger out, growled, and ran for Hunter.

Hunter went to take a shot, but his arms were too heavy now, and Teavis had his hands on his wrist and neck before he could react. He was lifted off the ground and carried into a nearby field. Teavis raised him higher before slamming him into the ground. His body embedded into the dirt. His vision blurry, he raised his gun to fire toward anything, but Teavis kicked it out of his hand. The glowing pink iris faded, and all the pain crept in at once.

“Fuck it.” Hunter spat blood onto his own chin, his voice weak. ”End it. Just leave em alone.”

Teavis rummaged through Hunter’s pockets. He pulled out one of his sheets, and read it before showing it to him.

Wanted: Cadivus, Dead or Alive. Murder.

“Oh mother! There’s a fox in the hen house!” Teavis said. “I can’t say I know for certain your plans, or your reasons. What I can tell you is this…” He grabbed his neck and squeezed. Hunter choked through the grip. “The boy is mine!” He released his grip and stood.

“What do you want with him?” Hunter groaned.

“Oh, you poor fragile thing. Your plans are mired in deception and trickery. While mine are far beyond your comprehension, unreliant to the whims of the aristocracy. In due time, your brethren will bear witness to my desires.”

He backed up, placed his hands on his hips, and looked around. His body had already been fully restored, eye and all. He pulled his sash around his body until a skull symbol was visible. “I’d like to extend an apology of my own accord. I was really hoping to have a more gratifying conclusion to this entanglement.'' He grabbed a stick from under a nearby tree, carved the point into a spear, then chucked his new spear back to the ground, and readied his dagger. “Well, I’m out of cryptic things to tell you so I’m just gonna stab you in the head now.” He made a stabbing motion in the air and walked toward Hunter with a blank expression.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground between them. The force pushed Teavis onto his ass.

A woman in an all-white ceremonial garb appeared. Her long white dress with full sleeves and gloves. Her hair matched the gown, but her face was fair. She looked at Hunter and slowly shook her head. She then glanced over at Teavis. “Thank you, Teavis. I’ll take it from here.” She walked over to Hunter and gently placed her foot onto his chest.

Another flash of lightning struck, and then they were gone. Nothing but a few drops of blood remained.

Teavis rose to his feet and looked around the field for any trace of them.

“Brother!” he screamed into the night as he collapsed to his knees. He laughed. “Can you imagine it?” He laughed once more. “Oh, it would be so much more intriguing if we were of relations. I suppose settling for rivals is adequate.” He stood, dusted himself off, and adjusted his wrappings. His eyes wandered around the empty field. “Gods I’m so lonely.”