Chương 147: Chapter 152: A Gift

Apparently my response was not at all what he was expecting, because it took him a second to process it, and after glancing around he gripped his spear tighter, pointing it at me.

"Or you will get detained for killing a guard. Your crimes are heavy enough as it is, don't follow a path of no return. We can still come to an agreement if you surrender now." I glanced at the guards surrounding me. They were over level fifty for sure, but weren't elites or particularly impressive fighters, they were just guards. The strongest one was at my feet already, and while they would have given me a run for my money some days ago, today it was a different matter.

"An agreement, you say? Another one of your fantastic contracts I presume, in exchange for what? Defending myself?" A laugh escaped my lips, unbidden. Who orchestrated this farce anyway? I didn't believe it was Bikrmorr. The guy was not that dumb, as I had already seen in the common room when he understood that he lost, and he prevented further losses by simply retreating. It was a smart move, made in a situation in which emotion could have easily gotten the best of him. So the question remained, who?

"Tell whoever orchestrated this failure of a plan that he greatly misjudged his own capabilities, because if you want to come to me and talk about crimes and laws, I would remind you that I dismantled your contract using those very laws you accuse me of infringing right now. Let's do exactly that, rocks-for-brains, come at me, all at once, and we'll see how it pans out." I cranked up my aura into my eyes.

It was straining to do, but the look made three of the guards flinch back while the others looked about ready to attack me from fear alone.

"I fucking dare you." Iljud looked around himself and then, after a pointed look at his comrades who regained their composure, took a step forward.

"You are surrounded and outnumbered, human Elias. You are not powerful enough to take us all." I could feel it in my chest, my curse ignored their requests. They weren't humans, and for some reason the stupid thing worked only for us. Aliens were fair game, and without any restraint I was capable of acting as I pleased. A grin spread on my face. I didn't know where this eagerness came from, but I really wanted to fuck them up. I felt a rage building inside me. How dared these weaklings demand something of me?

They had no moral ground, no laws on their side, and worst of all, they didn't have the will to go along with their threats, or they would lose much more than they were willing to lose.

"You think so? Because your pal here tried his best, but the only thing he managed was to ruin my clothes," I said while twisting to show them all the cuts that reached perfectly healed, unblemished skin. That more than anything made them falter. But their reaction wasn't something I had to fear. No, they were here only to give a big fuck you to whoever tried to fuck me over. In the periphery of my senses I felt a lot of people approaching, most of them weak. The group.

"I'm tired of all this posturing, so I'll be going, but first... accept my gift to you all." I said it to the aliens surrounding me, then stabbed down. The energy blade entered the downed guy's face, slicing his nose and an eye, then piercing his brain and killing him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"NO!" one of the guards shouted while the others stood flabbergasted around me, trembling hands on spears and halberds and swords.

"What have you done, you lunatic?!" another guard said while throwing down his weapon and approaching the corpse. I got the notification, more than one actually, so I knew it was dead. If the blade through the brain wasn't enough evidence... I stepped forward and away from the circle of guards. They just let me go, as I knew they would.

"I'm going to file a formal petition against all of you, your superior, and your company through the System itself, so prepare to be fucked over sideways, you bastards. Next time you'll think twice before messing with us." And as for my gift, it was nearly ready.

"The chief will destroy you, human... your depths are coming." Was that supposed to be a threat? It didn't work.

"Brick won't do a thing. He won't sacrifice centuries of progression for... this." I continued to walk away, moving toward the people who were watching what was going on. I could see my group at the forefront. Rhea had a relieved, if concerned, expression while many others were scared or, in the case of Quinn, ready to go. As I reached them I stood a bit away, my aura still a tad out of control.

"What the hell happened, Elias? We heard an explosion." Tom was primed to fight too. As he asked his question his posture was ready. Good, I liked this new version of the man more.

"Basically, they tried to kill me, but their plan backfired, and now they'll have to pay the price, the ultimate price, for some."

"What do you mean?" asked Mary.

"Just watch." She and the others turned their heads toward the guards. A couple were fussing over the corpse, but the others were staring intently at us. In the flickering torchlight their stony faces looked haunting, but my eyes were trained on the corpse, not the ones standing. Well, not a corpse anymore. A revenant. The first thing the monster did was reach for his weapon. I purposefully left it beside him. As soon as he grabbed the handle he swung it around him.

From his position on the ground he sliced through an ankle, making a guard topple, and buried the blade of the halberd into the side of the chest of one of the two who was kneeling over him.

"Attack!"

"What happened?!"

"A revenant! Impossible!" The group turned on the new threat and the face of their fellow greeted them. I could honestly not tell the difference from before he transformed, at least physically. These aliens were already grey, contrary to us, but I could see it in his aura, or its aura I should say. It was... wrong. Cold, lifeless, but most of all, hungry. The halberd's blade glinted in the flickering torchlight as it arched through the air in search of a guard's neck.

It found a sword blocking it, but what was clear was that the sword wielder was not strong enough to contend directly with the revenant. The weapon got deflected, yes, but not enough. Instead of severing the neck, it sliced through the metal chestpiece of the guard with little resistance, sparks flying as it buried into his chest. The guard stared astonished at the weapon protruding out of him, falling to his knees while clasping it, trying to keep it there.

The revenant pulled it free of its new sheath though, and turned around to its next victim. But the guards now were prepared. They started to slash at it. They took some hits, but despite the difference in power they managed to slowly chip it down. The revenant didn't feel pain, didn't have any fear, just the desire to end them. Two more died, then Iljud used a combination of skills not much different from what the revenant had used against me at the beginning.

He managed to impale it with his spear in the back, but whatever he was trying to do, it didn't work because the revenant just twisted around and swung the halberd at a low angle, cutting off a leg. Iljud went down screaming, but the remaining four jumped on the monster and pinned it down. One then tore away the spear and used it to repeatedly stab it in the chest until he destroyed the heart, or whatever equivalent they had. He didn't stop.

Panting, the guard slid off the now double-dead revenant and flopped on the floor. The others instead tried to recompose themselves and tended to everyone's injuries.

"Holy fuck, dude..." one of the new guys said. Quinn appeared beside me.

"That was cool as hell," then lower, so the others wouldn't hear, "Did you do the same as with the gorg leader? Can you control them?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second. If I could control it, it would be considered my kill and the remaining guards and the chief would be justified in killing me. But I can't. I just defeated an attacker, if the result is the involuntary reanimation of a corpse... that's out of my hands." He grinned. Some others were looking at the guards with schadenfreude, but many more were looking sick or worried, whispering about retribution and the need to run away from here. Well, for once I agreed with them.

We would have to move, and soon.

"Everyone, let's go back inside, the show is over." I moved around the group, giving them a wide berth so as not to subject them to my aura, then entered the common room. It was time to set this show on the road.