Chương 32: 31: Overture

Skado Skado's search party arrived at the forest of Lacacia, marking the border between Crysalton and the Kingdom of Nebran. Their jet plane had taken less than two hours to cover three thousand kilometers; there was no way the maid could outrun them. The night was crisp and clear, with the gleam of a golden half-moon. Skado inhaled the faint scent of moist soil lingering in the air and frowned as the rest of his party gathered nearby. They rushed to set up a camp and unload their search devices.

A pack of black wolves accompanied them, specially trained to find any trace of human life. Skado grabbed his thermal goggles to see in the dark and a shotgun and waited for his party leader to give the order to move.

"Alright, boys!" the leader-a giant-looking man-roared.

"Let's do this! Whoever finds her first will fuck her first!" Everyone chanted a stupid war cry and split into smaller groups to spread out into the forest. Everyone but Skado, who alone strayed away from his party, lost himself in the vegetation. The howling of wolves and men's shouting faded, leaving behind a silent gap quickly filled by the song of crickets. Dried leaves crunched under Skado's boots as he strolled down a rocky path. He lit a cigar between his lips and leaned on a tree.

Staring up at the sky, Skado swore to the moon; he would end Ronner's life with his own hands. A gust of wind made the forest screech. Uneven yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, landing on Skado with an intent gaze. Skado stared back at them, unimpressed, and beckoned the creature to come closer. A short man stepped into the moonlight. He had the face of a kid and the body of a man. His left eye squinted, and his tongue stuck out from the side of his mouth. He smiled with a stupid face.

"Balrok," Skado said, blowing smoke from his nostrils, "I thought you wouldn't come."

"You got my interest, Doman," the man admitted in a thick accent.

"I didn't believe it when my soldiers told me, but it seems like it's true. You want to betray the blue man."

"As do you." Skado smirked. Balrok's lips twitched.

"What are the odds? What makes you think we stand a chance now?"

"If you're having second thoughts, you may also walk away and become Ronner's bitch," Skado spat, contempt flickering in his eyes. Balrok giggled and took one step forward.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was a great opportunity." Skado scowled and put out his cigar against his cheek.

"He's got a pure Nephilim and a full batch of Netomics ready to use. Once he goes down, that'll be ours." Balrok's good eye grew wider.

"How do we know that's true?"

"See it yourself." Skado tossed a leather pouch at Balrok, who snatched it in the air. He untangled the cord that held it together and drew a blood-filled flask from it. Balrok scanned the thick liquid for a moment. Carefully, he opened it and tilted the flask against his mouth until a red drop landed on his tongue. He tasted it, chewing the flavor for long seconds. A sick smile spread across his face as he swallowed it.

"Nephilim blood, no doubt," Balrok said, closing the flask before sliding it into his pocket.

"Ok, you speak the truth. What's your plan?"

"You join us with your army to face Ronner. In exchange, we'll share the Nephilim with you, not only that, but we also have a hybrid Anglish ready to use." Balrok caressed his chin, and his bad eye twisted from side to side.

"You claim you got a full batch of Netomics."

"What about that?"

"That be mine." Skado gave him a dirty look.

"The hell you mean by that?" Balrok giggled like a kid.

"You give me your Netomics, and we fight by your side. Fair, it's fair." Skado huffed and chuckled ironically.

"If that's your price, we're done here." He turned his back to him and began walking away.

"You hate Ronner, don't you?" Balrok smirked. Slowing down, Skado shot him a contemptuous glance.

"I'm not giving you shit unless you vow to help us."

"Half of it." Balrok folded his arms and bobbed his head eagerly.

"Half of our Netomics?" Skado halted to consider the deal.

"That way, none of us gets a power advantage. We work together, we win together." Skado scanned the disgusting face in front of him. Normally, he would've walked away right there, but Balrok was his best bet. His army despised Ronner as much as he did and had the strength to face him. As pathetic as he looked, Balrok was much stronger than Ramos, yet a thousand times more stupid. Skado knew he could manipulate that beast to his advantage.

"Half of it," Skado agreed, "and you join us with your army tonight. The faster we act, the less time he'll have to prepare himself." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Balrok scratched his bald forehead, where a brown scar had settled long ago.

"We're ahead of you in that regard."

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother had talked me into this before you. I was testing you, Doman." He cackled. Skado's face swelled with fury, but he chose to keep it bottled inside. He'd have time to get rid of that bastard later.

"So, did you set your army near Ronner already?" Balrok bobbed his head.

"They're just awaiting my orders." This cunt might be smarter than he looks, Skado thought, grinning.

"Now, I see why my brother wanted you by our side." Skado smirked, stretching out his hand at him.

"It'll be a pleasure to work with you, Captain Balrok." Balrok scanned his hand for a moment and then shook it firmly.

"The blue man is a dead man." A twisted smile spread across his face.

"I never lie." * Ronner Brisa was sitting on Remnya's bed, watching her younger sister sleep. The room was dimly lit by rows of LED lights along the walls, soft and pleasing to the eye yet bright enough to see each other's faces. Brisa caressed Remnya's sleeping face and kneaded the blanket over her body. Ronner stood still nearby, his arms folded and an unreadable expression on his cold face. He didn't wear his classic blue suit that night, but a T-shirt and jeans.

"You promised me you wouldn't hurt her," Brisa murmured, tears welling up in her eyes.

"And I kept my promise," Ronner said, his voice low and soothing.

"We put her to sleep painlessly. The thing is, those anesthetics could put an elephant to sleep, so it'll take a while for the effects to wear off. But trust me, her body is unharmed, and once she wakes up, she will remember nothing about this."

"Why?" Brisa glanced over her shoulder at him, anger filling her chest.

"Why did you have to use her to force the poor boy to speak?"

"Did I have a choice?" Ronner raised his shoulders.

"We need to find Maria, no matter what. Now, more than ever." Brisa clenched her fists as her eyes returned to Remnya. She asked her gods for one more favor: that those beasts never find Maria.

"Will the boy recover from this?" Brisa mumbled. Ronner walked closer and leaned a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Of course, that kid is indestructible." He chuckled.

"You should've seen him, he is a true monster." As you are, Brisa thought, but her lips remained sealed. Instead, she reached out for his hand and caressed it gently. Brisa knew it was easier to tame a beast with honey than with vinegar.

"Did you need me downstairs?" Brisa asked.

"Yeah, my men requested my presence there. It seems like they found out something important, and I want you there. It won't hurt you to learn one or two things about commanding people."

"Alright." Brisa bobbed her head and leaned over to kiss Remnya's forehead and whisper something in her ear. She stood up and adjusted her black dress. Burying the hatred into a corner of her heart, she turned to face her future husband.

"Show me the way, my love." Brisa beamed at him. Ronner's eyes shone with something resembling joy or lust; she didn't know or care. Holding his arm, she strolled down the hallways. Her mind was blank; she didn't even feel the presence of the man next to her. Her only wish was to see Remnya awake soon. Brisa noticed a group of people gathered in the front yard. As they halted in front of them, she recognized Belo and Sagan among the bunch. The rest could've been faceless, too.

Unknown eyes scanned her from head to toe, sending shivers down her spine. For the first time, she felt slightly relieved knowing Ronner was by her side; she wondered what those people could have done to her under different circumstances. A heavy atmosphere lingered in the air, mixed with cold silence. Ronner wasn't pleased; he bared his teeth and raised his voice, "Mind explaining what the hell is going on here? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"

"Sir," Belo replied sharply, walking forward as he always did.

"We found two armed men lurking near the mansion. We have strong reasons to believe they belong to Balrok's army." Ronner tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Where are they?" Belo waved behind his back, beckoning his men to come forward. The group spread out, allowing two guards to drag two chained men toward Ronner. One of them was a young boy, no older than sixteen. His face was a bloody mess: one of his broken legs dangled awkwardly, and one rock was shoved into his mouth to keep him silent. The other was older and taller, and a trail of blood followed him. His face wasn't as bad as the boy's, but his stomach had been cut many times.

He had been deemed silent with another rock, destroying his teeth. Brisa froze, widening her eyes, while Ronner walked forward and crouched in front of them. He yanked the rock out of the older man's mouth. A stream of blood and teeth followed it as he coughed and gasped. Ronner lifted his head by the hair and scanned the skin of his neck, where a tiny tattoo showed, buried under wrinkles.

"This one belongs to Balrok, no doubt." Ronner's voice was cold, but Brisa recognized a hint of concern.

"We confiscated their weapons. They were carrying plasma cannon rifles!" Belo shouted, smashing a rifle against the ground. Ronner's pupils glimmered as he gazed deep into the man's eyes.

"What's your name?" he asked in a soothing voice.

"Orland, sir," he mumbled through a toothless gum.

"Ok, Orland. Choose your words wisely." Ronner placed his index finger against Orland's eye.

"What was your business here in my territory?" There was a brief silence.

"I-Uh..." he stuttered.

"We were forced to do this, sir! Please, forgive us!"

"Forced by who?"

"Balrok." Orland trembled under the intense stare of Ronner.

"Why?"

"I don't know, sir. We were given these weapons and told to attack the mansion."

"Liar," Ronner whispered coldly, and in a sudden thrust, he shoved his fingers into Orland's eye socket, blowing up his eyeball. Orland tried to scream in pain, but Ronner shoved the same rock against his throat. The man twisted on the ground, unable to breathe, while his eye socket spurted blood on the ground. A knot closed Brisa's chest. She tried to cover her eyes, but her hands stopped in front of her face. Deep in her heart, Brisa knew she had to watch, no matter how cruel or disgusting it was.

She had to learn.

"You do know why. Balrok told you." Ronner sauntered over to the younger man and removed the rock from his mouth.

"Please, my lord, don't hurt me!" the kid wailed, wetting his pants as he tried to crawl away from him. Ronner snatched his neck and leaned closer, locking his eyes into the kid's soul.

"Name?" he whispered.

"Leyton," he muttered between sobs.

"One lie, one eye. Do you understand?" Leyton nodded eagerly, knowing his life depended on it.

"Why did Balrok send you here?" Leyton glanced at his dying companion and swallowed, tears racing down his cheeks.

"To distract you, sir."

"Distract me?" Orland let out a muffled grunt, his eyes spitting hatred at Leyton as his veins bulged against his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Orland! But I don't want to die!" Leyton screamed, staring at his companion in horror.

"Distract me? Why?" Ronner yelled, gripping the kid's neck.

"To destroy your army, sir. They will kill you."

"Ronner!" Brisa screamed. A red flash turned the night into day, covering the whole mansion with a bloody glow. Hissing across the sky, a massive fireball approached them faster than sound. Ronner darted like a bullet at Brisa, covering her body with his. Everything turned into darkness.