Wulfric Fortune

Rise ~ Chapter #1

"And the sword gets you...?" A sleazy tavern-owner mumbled over the desk to the surprisingly-large twenty-five year old. "Eskinor Bradshaw," A younger Wulfric grinned back, leaning his arm against the oak desk. The tavernkeeper sneered before clicking a wooden button hidden from public view and looked away, distracting himself with another conversation. A parchment slipped out through a opening in the desk and Wulfric quickly pocketed the note. 'Kill the Indestructible Wolf of Aiblon', read the note. Wulfric looked down confidently and stood up, "Hm..." A gentle grin covered his face as he stepped out the door and slowly walked his way through the forest, "This indestructible creature obviously has not met me, nor has the world, if they think this thing is what you call strong... I'll beat this thing with my own two fists!" "Lotta confidence comin' from a man with a receeding hairline at such a young age!" A figure echoed from above, "Nice to meet you! I'm Hydros..." They introduced themselves without even revealing their face. Wulfric pulled out his longsword and gripped tightly on the hilt, "I don't like stealths, bandits, benderstuff or any of it. Come out and meet me face to face..." His reaction was prepared, as if he had been through such similar situations before. Wulfric looked around cautiously but wasn't able to make anything out even in the middle of the day. The figure dropped down from the trees and raised their hands up, surrendering, "Oi oi! I surrender, okay? Let me talk, god!" The young man continued to hold their sword ready and positioned himself, "Why'd you follow me out here? That tavern only does trash clean-up at night time, think you might need to head back..." "Sharp tongue, baldie," Hydros retorted. Wulfric growled and swung at Hydros, "I'm not balding, asshole!! It's part of the look..." He said, asking again annoyingly, patting the top of his head, "...again, what do you want?" Hydros leaned back against the oak tree near Wulfric and sighed, "Well, as you picked up earlier, I'm a 'sneak' and I take bounties from the same tavern owner that you go to, every week... I've been waiting to do a bounty for nearly a month now, but you keep taking them all and finishing the job before I can even pitch in to make some money!!" "I knew I was strong. Thanks for the praise," Wulfric nodded assuringly to himself. "Yeah! So-- wait, HEY! That was not praise. You're just stealing all the jobs, okay?! I can't believe you. It's like you're a freak of nature, stealing everyone's food and eating it too!! So greedy..." Hydros folded her arms over, expressively annoyed at him. Wulfric sighed, "I hate your kind. If you're not going to tell me what you want, I'm leaving," He slowly sheathed his blade and prepared to leave. "Are you really that dumb?! Do I have to spell it out for you?" Hydros sighed, "Look... I want to go on bounties too, but you keep taking them. See the issue?" "Yes, I see an issue. You're dumb. Get your own bounties..." Wulfric said as he walked away. Hydros paused, "..." As Wulfric walked off, he picked his ear and looked around. He didn't seem the least bit concerned with Hydros after leaving and decided to focus on the bounty. He held his longsword up high and over his back, walking through the woods until he eventually came to an opening clearing where a giant wolf tainted by corruption laid dormently, sleeping on the floor under an open cave, "Zzz..." The beast snored. Wulfric immediately rolled into the bushes and scoped out the area. Hydros appeared out of nowhere, "Hey," She whispered into Wulfric's ear, causing him to jolt for a moment, "Er...? Fuck, what? What do you want?" He took a step back away from Hydros and continued focusing on the beast, trying to observe it's behaviours for a good moment to strike.

"Help me, and I'll help you..." Hydros offered. "No," Wulfric replied. Hydros was stunned, "W-what? Why not?!" "You're annoying. You're sneaky. You're not strong," Wulfric held each finger up like Hydros was a kid being lectured, whispering while remaining hidden in the bushes, "Three things that make you dumb..." He stared at the wolf and held the sword tightly, before swinging the blade across silently through the bushes. Hydros didn't seem to respond to Wulfric, mostly because her face looked like it was about to explode. She opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted, "Watch," Wulfric grinned, "I'll show you what a real beast is..." His voice oozed with confidence as he jolted straight forward, charging out of the bushes loudly. The alarming, slamming struts of Wulfric's presence caused the beast to awaken and take a step back. Intimidation overwhelmed the creature, yet it still decided to fight back, rushing forward and swinging itself forward towards Wulfric in an aggressive counterattack, clashing against his longsword and slicing against the side of his giant coat. The wolf's claw swung at Wulfric's body. A permanent, bloodied lining rippled through the white wolf's coat and caused the wolf to panic. As the impact caused the two to parry the blows, they fell back, staggering each other mercilessly. Wulfric's eyes grew a fiery red and lit lustfully. He took one step back and gripped as tightly as he could onto the sword, swinging his blade upwards with the weight of his own body. The force of his strength propelled him high enough that he moved into the air. The creature let out a howl in response to the newly-gifted scar on his body, a growl roaring louder with every second as Wulfric flew through into the sky. The wolf began to move into a defensive position despite its quivering. The thrust of Wulfric's sword spun effortlessly through the wind downwards onto the beast and slammed itself down against the wolf in a relentless blitz, slashing right through the creature's neck and toppling the monster within seconds. Wulfric dropped down through the body of the beast and slashed his way out with his iron longsword, pulling from the body a fresh set of white, beastly wilder-hair, dog meat and an eyeball. Wulfric walked his way through the forest until he came to an open clearing where the indestructible beast's body was no longer visible. Hydros followed closely behind, gasping in awe at Wulfric's strength, "That was... really powerful!" "It's not enough," Wulfric stoicly replied. He didn't seem at all phased by anything during the fight, as if his fear had been shut off entirely in that moment. Hydros grumbled and stomped in place, "Ugh, why'd such a powerful man have to be paired up with such a boring, and... admitably, sharp personality? You're so..."

"Aggressive?" Wulfric replied unenthusiastically, "That's how the world percieves it. Brute strength with an angry, aggressive attitude..." His voice was cold, yet soft. "No... more, different, than other bounty hunters I've seen. I don't know what it is about you, but you don't seem normal..." Hydros pondered. She seemed curious about Wulfric, though he was yet to even acknowledge her presence. Wulfric didn't bother to respond and continued walking through the forest, longsword held high over the back of his shoulder, "Don't bother pursuing. I'm not answering," His eyes rolled to meet Hydros', "Right?" Hydros sighed softly and folded their arms, puffing their cheek out, "Ergh.... fine, but I want to follow you..." "Why?" Wulfric asked, his tone remaining dead and uninterested throughout the whole conversation. He sat down and ripped his shirt apart, creating a makeshift bandage and applying the cloth onto his marked chest, "I have nothing to offer you by following me." "That's because... er... huh? You have a wound?! Why didn't you say anything? Didn't that hurt at all?" Hydros responded, remaning a little confused. Wulfric shook his head and continued, and Hydros puffed, "It surprises me how stubborn an old fart you are, so boring..." "Then why are you still here?" Wulfric replied, applying the bandage to his leg. He looked more and more annoyed every time Hydros spoke. Hydros sighed and looked away, "It wasn't aggression I saw when you were fighting out there, it looked like more to me like... well, passion? Ambition? Your... desire, in a way...? I don't know. You looked... happy... and not like you were actively trying to be sadistic to murder for the sake of murder. I just mean... it kind of reminded me of my father a bit..." Wulfric very gently widened his eyes and looked at Hydros for the first time since they'd revealed themselves, "...?" Hydros quickly adjusted their statement, "That probably wasn't the right comparison to make, sorry!! My father was an artist, a painter specifically... I'm sure it's much different than being a warrior like you..." Hydros worried. She didn't know what else to say and sat in silence. Neither of the two spoke until Wulfric finished patching himself up. He looked at Hydros one last time and brushed himself off before sitting up. A gentle sigh escaped Wulfric's lips as he looked away, "...I don't see what you seek to gain from it, but... er... follow me if you wish." He quickly stood up and began walking away. Hydros' excited behaviour quickly mellowed as she glared at Wulfric, responding with a simple nod, "Right!"

Emotion ~ Chapter #2

"This is what you reaped as a reward from that... beast?" The tavernkeeper mumbled surprisingly, glaring down at the bloodied severely-damaged eyeball and fur. Wulfric nodded, "In that case, here's your payment..." The sleezy figure replied, dropping two gold Lacurien coins and a new bounty on the counter. Hydros nodded and smiled, "This looks good for a start-up!" She said as she stood beside Wulfric, taking the bounty poster and pocketing it, 'So his name is Wulfric?' she thought to herself. Wulfric stared at the counter, "I assume you're getting the rest of the payment now?" "No, that's all you get. The goods were damaged beyond repair... I'll be lucky to get a buyer from thi.. iaus!!" A sword swung over the counter, smashing open several bottles of wine. The alcohol burst open and spilled across the floorboards all around them, causing the tavernkeeper to squeal and jolt down quickly behind the counter, "H-hey! You're not allowed to damage this place, i-if you still want to remain a bounty hunter and not a bountee!" Wulfric grinned, his eyes lighting up again, "Only if I don't want to damage this place?" Hydros huffed and stood in the way, raising her hands up, blocking the two's view of one another. She sighed gently in relief as Wulfric took a step back and looked down at the tavernkeeper, "Are you okay, Val?" She then turned and stared directly at Wulfric, "...outside. Now."

"This guy pisses me off. I was just getting my fair dues... I don't like his smug face, never have," He held onto the grip of the iron longsword tightly, "Surely you'd hate somebody with a smug face like that, too..." Wulfric slowly began to puff heavier and gripped the hilt tighter, his hand slowly quivering in place, "...That bastard needs to die," Wulfric growled softly. Hydros' stern look slowly began to fade into sorrow and her hands slowly began to lower down, but it was quickly stunted by fear as his eyes gleamed upwards, "...you're not going to stand in my way, are you?" He mumbled heavily. His hands remained firm, but the blade shook more and more. She took a moment to adjust herself and closed her eyes, taking a deep breathe in, "I'm not going to stand in your way... please, just don't hurt him. You won't be able to get bounties if you act out like this... Let's go," Hydros encouraged. Wulfric stared at the tavernkeeper with a vicious hatred in his eyes and punched the nearby wall, leaving a permanent scar on its body. He then took a small breathe in and out. Slowly, Wulfric sheathed his sword and turned around, taking a final glare back at the stunned crowd, "Wulfric?" Hydros demanded, "Let's go." Wulfric didn't respond to Hydros, but took the advice and walked away. "Did you get the bounty?" He asked, taking care to ignore the tavern and Hydros entirely as they walked through the forest. Hydros nodded, holding the paper out, "I did, but... Wulfric," She worried softly, "You need to control that temper of yours!! It's dangerous..." Hydros squeaked. She looked both visibly annoyed and worried. Wulfric sighed, "Right, because you're definitely one to tell me how to control my emotions... You're not following a saint here. I don't play by anyone's rules except my own. If you don't like it, then you're free to go away..." He held his head low to the ground. "No," she responded. "...Why are you so persistent on lecturing me?" He sighed. Hydros stared at Wulfric with a serious expression, "Because... well, I don't know what it is, but I see a passion inside of you that not even you see yourself. It's not bad to have that aggressive emotion, but you can't let it rule you. You're not... well, sane if you let anger control everything you do..."

Wulfric was confused, "We just met, and you're so suddenly interested in not only learning about me, but care about all this? I don't know you. If you're going to insist on following me, that's one thing, but why do you keep asking me questions like this? What about you? You said I reminded you of your father..." He sat down and leaned against a tree, "Let's talk..." Though his invitation seemed friendly, he looked cautious. She nodded and sat down near Wulfric, "...I'm an orphan, but I was raised by a Harensdale soldier who found me out in the middle of this forest as a kid while they were on a patrol," Hydros softly smiled, "My father had no kids of their own. They were an only-child growing up themselves and had no wife, so I guess he must have felt a little lonely without anybody, and I guess that feeling transferred to me. He expressed his emotions through beautiful paintings, an inherited family craft that's famous in Harensdale. I know some famous figures have taken a liking to them in the past, such as Grand Admiral Rawn, Founder of the New Order..." Wulfric inched away as she got closer, "..and I'm grateful for the life that they led me.. but," Her hand quivered gently, "...unfortunately, as war so happens to exist, so does death. I was made aware of his passing many years ago, and..." Hydros looked down, thinking to herself for a moment. A genuine confliction in her face caught Wulfric's eye, "I became a Bounty Hunter..." Wulfric sat silently for a moment and lowered his hands down against the soft grass, listening to her tale. He began to think himself and looked up at the sky, gently gritting his teeth, "...well, one thing is for sure. I don't blame your father for wanting somebody to be around. It can be lonely in this world..." He then looked down, "I've got my own issues with Harensdale. I don't blame you for leaving that place; It's awful." He rubbed his hand over his face and loudly sighed, his fingers tensing up in place. "It's not bad there by any means!" Hydros passionately responded. She looked annoyed that he would even say such a thing.

Wulfric's body tensed up as he glanced at Hydros. His tone remained heavy, "What did you say?" "The place is fine!! The tea is beautiful, the lovely artwork is to die for on its own and the King--" "Don't defend that bastard again!!" Wulfric shouted viciously. He growled and began to puff up a heavy fury. Hydros' face was full of panic and cautiousness. Wulfric didn't show any compassion towards Hydros' worried glares and looked down, taking a minute to catch his breathe. While he continued to puff, he snatched the bounty from Hydros' pocket and stood up, ignoring her fear-induced expression, "It was a mistake opening up to you..." Wulfric looked down at the bounty, 'Behead Rive the Bandit Captain' it read. He instantly took off, leaving Hydros behind who was still frazzled and unable to think straight. To say he was pissed off was an understatement. Hydros slowly stood up off the grass and sighed as she trailed behind him, deciding not to say anything while Wulfric led the front. "Why are you following me... again?" The tension in his body tightened, "I said, leave me alone." Hydros froze up, hand on her dagger, "...I'm not going to stop following you now. I'm simply curious about your existance... Just please, ignore me. I want to observe you, okay?" She seemed completely panicked standing before the titan in front of her, but she held her ground as best she could. Wulfric paused for a moment, "Don't get in my way. Don't come near me. Don't even let me see you, because if you do," He raised the hilt of his sword up and glanced at her, "I will kill you." "I understand," Hydros responded anxiously. A fiery strength inside Wulfric's eye seemed enough to intimidate most species. With their newfound agreement underway, Wulfric and Hydros continued on their journey to the lower regions of Aiblon in pursuit of their rewards. (edited)

[...] The two of them had been walking for hours and the silence was defeaning. The sun was beginning to set and Hydros was getting nowhere. Wulfric did not respond to her worries or concerns, nor had any intention to even acknowledge her. She wanted to try break through, "Why did you become a Bounty Hunter?" Hydros piped up, "I mean... if you're out here, doing all this... surely there has to be a reason, right?" Wulfric raised his sword and swung it around, trying to slash through Hydros in one swoop. However, she'd already clasped her hands onto the top of his head, doing a handstand above him, "You small types are always a pain... Did you not hear what I told you before?! You are a pain in the ass!!" "Look, I know you don't like me but we need to work together. Money is very valuable," Hydros said, dropping down in front of him, "..and whether you want to admit it or not, you know the way you go about attacking monsters isn't that great for cash... nor is your attitude," She said with a sigh. He grinned, "What, so you're a mother now? Is that it? I don't like people who tell me what to do," Wulfric growled. He looked out into the distance, sun mellowing into the mountains on the horizon. Hydros smiled back, "Well you don't like anything from what it sounds to me," She teased. "That's not true..." Wulfric grasped the sword in his hand, "I've plenty of things to like!!" She tilted her head back and folded her arms, "...Oh yeah? Name one," Wulfric looked around, slightly panicked at the thought of losing an argument. His eyes darted all around at the looming trees around Hydros. Shadows danced around in the darkness above, "Hm...? Well, Wulfric?" The swarm of black circled the woman and a shiny, metallic object fell suddenly, "Wulfric?" His eyes were lost. "Get down!!", Wulfric quickly tackled Hydros to the floor and held himself above her. A dagger, dropped from above, stabbed right into his chest and caused a splatter of blood to pour out onto the ground below. Hydros' eyes darted up at Wulfric, but quickly turned to the distant movements lurking from above, "Fuck..." She said aloud.

"What?" Wulfric grunted, puffing against her, trying to hold his composure. Hydros took a deep breathe in, "These guys are my fight. You can't touch them as you are..." She quickly moved herself away from Wulfric and looked up, "Oi!! You want to explain yourselves or do I need to come up there and kick it out of you?" "..." The figures looked at each other. Hydros counted four based on the movement, "No? Hmf..." She softly smiled, "Very well then..." Hydros rushed up the side of the oak tree, kicking her feet off the branches with quick and agile movement and swung herself up into the sky above the figures. As the gleem in her eye met the moonlit night sky, she slammed her foot down upon the skull of one of the hooded figures, "Ouf..." The black-cloaked figures looked at each other cautiously. Hydros rushed forth, kicking herself against the floor and swung her foot into the group. Two of the four fell off the side of the tree. One of the cloaked figures rushed forth with a dagger in hand and Hydros' eyes flickered, allowing her to quickly grasp at the figure's wrist to stop the impact. She then twisted her wrist inwards and pierced the dagger through her chest. As the figure then dropped off the tree, the last one stared at Hydros with a worriful glare and rushed off. "Hey, Hydros! What are you doing?" Wulfric shouted. He'd stomped on and pierced each of the fallen bodies with his sword. Hydros was chasing the figure, "I'm catching us a bounty!" She shouted. Her speed was unmatched. Grabbing the figure by the back, she swung them downwards onto the plains field below. Wulfric then raised their sword up over the broken figure's body, "Wait... wait..." Hydros puffed, "Just a second..." Wulfric was confused, "Why don't we just kill her? She's obviously an enemy," He loomed the sword over her chest, closer and closer until eventually it rested gently against her.

"Yes, she is... but we might be able to get something from talking to them..." Hydros slowly crouched down and squatted to the side of the girl. "...?" Wulfric didn't understand, "They're an enemy. They're not going to reveal information just like that!" He shook his head, holding the sword against her chest. Hydros looked down at the petite, hooded figure, "Hey, hey. Are you okay?" Hydros asked, "We're not going to hurt you..." The girl winced and slowly opened their eyes, panicking a slight at the sword pressed against them. Wulfric stared deadpan, mumbling, "You just threw her off a tree..." "I just have some questions for you. You can answer them for me, right?" She smiled down at the figure laying below. The woman responded with a gentle nod and Hydros grinned, "Okay, so, first question!" She asked very cheerfully, "...who do you work for?" Her tone dropped. She was hesitant to answer, but ultimately gave in to the looming threat above, "...I work for the Harensdale Assassin's Special Unit...?" She was confused as to why Hydros was asking that question. Hydros nodded, "Right, and you were sent to kill Wulfric, right?" She said happily. The figure's heart sunk, "Y.. yes, we were. He's wanted by Harensdale, after all..." She didn't sound so confident in her words. "Can I kill her now?" Wulfric asked apathetically. He looked bored. "N-no! Wait, please... I'll tell you what you need to know, okay?" The girl responded. Hydros smiled, "Just make it quick. The faster, the better!" She sat down next to her.

"I work for the Harensdale Assassin's Special Unit. It was a division created by Grand Admiral Rawn a long time ago, and well... we were sent to take you guys out..." She looked at Hydros, who was staring directly into her eyes and quickly retorted, "I m-mean, Wulfric... specifically, of course. He's a big threat to the King..." Wulfric tightened the grasp on his sword, but Hydros moved her hand in the way and motioned for him to stop. He took a deep breathe in and sighed, "Grr.." After regaining her composure, Hydros nodded, "..and that's the only reason you're out here?" "...okay, well. There was another reason..." The figure admitted. Wulfric sighed, "I hate when people keep secrets! Just tell us who you are and what you do! It's not that hard..." He looked rather annoyed. Hydros sighed. The figure nodded, "I-I apologize... well, my name is Emma Rota, I'm an assassin working for Harensdale, and we were sent to get your amulet, Hydros... as w-well as take out Wulfric.." "Ah... this?" She looked down at the amulet around her neck and smiled, fiddling with it, "I understand now. Wulfric, you can get rid of them." "...what do you mean?" Wulfric asked the hooded figure. She looked down at the figure and pondered, "She's lying," Hydros said, standing up in place, "It's alright. You can end her now," She then stood up and began to walk away, looking Wulfric in the eye yet again. Panic instilled into the girls' eyes. She tried to move, but Wulfric slammed their boot down upon her arm, snapping it under the weight of his force, "W-what?! No... wait, y-you can't! I told you everythin--"

Truth ~ Chapter #3

"Where are we off to now, Wulfric?" Hydros asked curiously. He looked down and continued walking. Hydros tilted her head, "Hm? What's wrong?" She leaned in closer to the burly figure with concern in her eyes. Wulfric ignored her. He began to think back on the events that had just unfolded, "well, my name is Emma Rota, I'm an assassin working for Harensdale, and we were sent to get your amulet, Hydros..." This especially confused him, "Why, though?" His mumbles were blurted aloud. "What?" Hydros grumbled. She looked smug, "Keeping secrets from me, eh? You should know I don't like that..." He grit his teeth and turned, standing his ground, "Why are you keeping secrets from me? You should know I don't like that. I gave you a chance to explain who you were, and--" "And that's exactly what I did!!" The woman retorted. Wulfric was confused. Hydros looked down, "If... you're referring to the amulet around my neck... I get the cautiousness. That assassin was right!" She winced gently and looked away, "The truth is, my father's descendants..." She curled her fingers around the jewel and began to twiddle nervously with it in hand, "...stole this item from the Harensdale Vault a very long time ago, back during the reign of Grand Admiral Rawn and the creation of the New Order. They barely escaped with their life!! When my father was of age to accept the jewel into our family, he took it, but..." "I'm not interested in your whole life's story--you've told me already..." Wulfric held his hand over his face concerningly, stopping to look at her, "Your eyes just looked so cold, like you'd killed a hundred times over or something," He eyed Hydros for her reaction, "...like me, almost." Hydros paused for a moment, before curling her lips into a smile, "Wulfric, I'm nothing like you. I've killed people, yeah, but hey - it's a natural process of bounty hunting. You kill some, you lose some, you get some. Ain't that the saying? Loosen up a bit sometime, make some friends, you've always had your guard up! I think that's the real difference between you and me - I know who to trust!" Hydros walked ahead of him, optimistically trying to search for the bounty they'd been sent to find. Wulfric stared at her and began to think to himself in silent contemplation, hanging back behind as she scoured the area ahead from top to bottom. Eventually, Hydros rushed off into the mountain area ahead, disappearing from Wulfric's view. He ran up the hill to catch up to her, "Where is she off to now?" He mumbled gently. Standing at the top of the hill was Hydros and a large, ferocious Mushring, with a large, spotted head and white, thick body. The creature let out a terrifying shriek and dug itself into the ground. Hydros nodded, "Wulfric, got a big one here!" She nervously shouted across the field. The Mushring came bursting out of the floor underneath Hydros, springing the petite woman high into the air like a trampoline, the Mushring's head acting as a sort of springboard. Hydros then began to fall down towards the creature as it let out a shriek, opening its massive, white maw, inviting the woman above inside. Wulfric swung his large, heavy sword across his right side and dashed forward, swinging the blade and slicing through the creature's leg with no effort, combusting the mushroom pieces instantly. The creature, jagged and distracted, slumped onto its right and squealed whilst Hydros flicked her daggers out and swung herself onto the Mushring's face, stabbing its small but effective blades into the creature's neck, "There we go..." She said with a concentrated expression.

He gently nodded, "Hm, not bad..." Wulfric gripped the hilt of his sword and grinned, "But..." He growled excitedly, "You aren't no Wulfric!!" The regular iron blade, swung high into the air, thrusted down upon the Mushring's weak body and subsequently forced out of it a wailing scream of pain as it's body was sliced clean in half by the true monster before her. Hydros was shocked at the sheer strength of his attacks, "That raw power..." Her eyes winced nervously a tad, "How?!" The Mushring fell onto the floor below. Wulfric took a moment to gloat in his defeating of the monster. Hydros ignored him, taking the time to slowly carve out the eye of the Mushring, as well as the valuable mushroom bits as gently, and slowly, as she could. Wulfric sat against the tree watching her painfully-slow cutting technique, "What are you doing? I need to get moving!" "Hold your horses, big guy. Trying to do you a favour here..." Hydros sassed. She continued carving. He sighed loudly, "...Okay, what favour? How could this possibly help us?" Wulfric glared at her, and she smiled back. [...] "Fourty Lacurien gold coins for this one will do!" Val nodded, grinning as he examined the mushroom bits. For the first time, the sleezy tavernkeeper actually looked interested at a catch, "These are very well-carved out. Precise and clean, yes. This will sell for a real good buck on the market, I really do have to say..." Hydros whispered to Wulfric, "Money is a powerful motivator, huh?" She grinned. He rolled his eyes and continued looking away, frustrated that she was right. "Er..." Val glared at the young lady and then to the burly figure standing next to them, "I assume this was your load eh, Wulfric?" Wulfric stood up straight suddenly, taken slightly aback by his words. He then looked at Hydros, "I..." She glared at him curiously. He stayed silent for several seconds, contemplating on what to say, "Hey... Wulfric? You have an answer for me, ey?" Val whispered. Wulfric looked around for a few seconds and slowly sighed, "I... didn't, no..." He bit down on his lip gently and nodded to himself, "No, it was... Hydros' skill, not mine..." Wulfric looked down, as if he'd just been mentally defeated. Val grinned, "Alright then--miss, please come to my room later. We need to talk about your excellent blade skills and how we could use that to get you more money!" "Val, you know my name. Stop treating me like a stranger," Hydros shook her head. Val then chuckled and went to serve some drinks. Hydros looked over at Wulfric, who was already leaving and quickly jolted for the door.

"Hey," Hydros said happily, jogging up to walk beside Wulfric. He looked at her and then to the ground, "Hey..." His tone was frail for once. Hydros smiled brightly, "That was really nice of you, back there I mean," She chuckled and paced herself to Wulfric's walking speed, trying to keep herself moving alongside him, "I was half-expecting you to take the claim on having done that. Val's a slimy asshole, doesn't think girls can do anything... He would have very easily believed you did it, and I was sure you would've taken the chance to flex your superiority..." Wulfric grinned gently as he looked down, "I should have, would've been a lot funnier..." Hydros laughed. "So, really, why didn't you?" Hydros looked at Wulfric curiously. Wulfric sighed and looked down at the dirt path, "You put a lot of effort into trying to help me... I appreciated it, I guess..." Hydros gasped, "Respect?! Hah, no. That can't be it! There's gotta be something deeper than that, right?" He looked back curiously and grinned, "Well, maybe it's because I'm not a dick?" "You sure about that?" Hydros jokingly retorted. "Hah!! Fair enough!!" Wulfric laughed aloud for a moment and began to curl his lips into a smile. The movements of his lips, however, were abruptly interrupted and his lips quivered. In the quick moment his face had mellowed, he suddenly became stiff and annoyed. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh as he began to pace himself faster, "Let's go..." His tone was heavy. Concern seemed to grow inside Hydros' tone, "Wulfric...? Are you okay?" No matter what she tried to say to him, she was ignored. [...] The two of them headed back into the thick taiga woods, deep into the heart of the woods. Hydros began to look over the bounty posters, trying to lighten the mood created from their banter, "So we're taking down a bandit named... Rive, it seems? Oh, and his friends!! Hmm..." Hydros wondered, staring at the photo critically, "This guy is a bit on the uglier side as far as men go... His build is nice and he has nice teeth, oh, but this one's nice!! He's got good--" Wulfric couldn't stand listening to her critiquing photos of bounties, "Your girly-talk is giving me a headache... Can you stop?" Hydros smiled, "Oh? So you're not going to just tell me to leave?" She began to mimic Wulfric, 'Stop following me... grr...'" "You know what? I've changed my mind. Go away," Wulfric responded firmly. Unlike last time, however, he didn't hold his stand and just walked off. Just over the edge was a large, wooden outpost sprawling with wooden walls across a large, open field. Hydros tried to stop Wulfric from just approaching them, but he'd already arrived at the gate. A man, covered from head to toe in leather armor, stood at the entrance to the camp and pulled out his crossbow as Wulfric and Hydros approached, "Oi, who the... hell are you...?" The man hicked and giggled.

Hydros chuckled, putting her hand on her hip, "Are you drunk? It's 9AM!!" She leaned in close to Wulfric, "I knew bandits were stupid but this one just takes the cake!!" "I don't like people who talk behind others' back, Hydros. Tell him how you feel," Wulfric looked down and grinned, taking a step back. The drunken man looked down at the two, "Erhg... what? The fuck'sd she say to me, balding man?" "I'm not balding!!" Wulfric shouted, though he let it go because he couldn't help but enjoy what was about to happen. Hydros looked up at the drunken idiot and then to Wulfric, an annoyed expression covering her face, "You bastard..." Wulfric shrugged and looked at Hydros as she stepped forward, smiling gently at her misfortune, "Well... good sir, you see--I'm trying to make amends with my brother who works here, and, well--" As Hydros continued talking to the guard, Wulfric kept an eye on the area around them with a cautious eye. "Fuck... ergh... well, if that's true, then we needs to get yuaoo and your friend right in here!!" The drunken guard hicked, opening the gate. Hydros smiled up at them and waved as she walked through, "Thanks so much!!" She turned back to Wulfric and smirked. Wulfric rolled his eyes. "Eh? Who the fuck is this, Richard? You lettin' just any ol' rats inside the base these days?" A bandit came crawling out of one of the tents. He was short and stumpy, "Listen mate, ain't a clue who you are but fuck off!! Richard ain't supposed to be 'lowing people inside, not while Rive's not here..." Wulfric's attention was caught, "Huh... You're saying Rive isn't here?" He folded his arms over and looked around. There were a lot of bandits staring at them, in every direction. "Yeah, as 'aye thought, Rive's the one they're after..." The stubby bandit shouted, "Sorry to say this fellas, but you ain't allowed to be here, aye..." He held his sword up towards them, "...and because he ain't here, we've only got one order against intruders like you!!" Wulfric looked down at the stumpy bandit and then to the rest of the swarm slowly beginning to surround them, "Hey!! All of you!!" He shouted, "I am Wulfric. You will know that name good and well!! I'm here looking for the Bandit King of these parts, Rive!! I'm going to beat the shit out of him and take his head!! If any of you have a problem with that," He said, sitting down on the floor inside the base, "...then come and attack me!!" Wulfric sat down on the grass inside the bandit's base, soaking in a horde of silence from the bandits. None of them knew how to respond. "W-what?!" One of the men finally shouted, "That's outrageous!!" Another growled. The stumpy one in front of Wulfric laughed, "You're saying we can attack you all we want, and you ain't gonna fight back?! Lord Ju, Rive's gonna have a field day with yous when he's back, mate!!" He swung his sword up towards Wulfric, taking the first attack, stabbing it into the side of his arm. Blood pierced through the unveiling wound, dripped down his skin and onto the grass. Hydros looked at Wulfric and panicked, "W-Wulfric... aren't you going to do anything?" "No..." Wulfric responded. "Why not, you fool? We'll die!" Hydros whispered loudly at him. He grinned back, "These men lack the resolve. I can tell..." Hydros was confused.

"ATTACK!!!" The group of bandits screamed, jumping onto Wulfric from every which direction possible. The party of misfits came rushing forth from the shadows all around the two and jumped onto the monstrous figure of the man. They began to stab Wulfric with spears, swords, slam him with clubs, shoot him with arrows and even just punch him. No matter what, however, Wulfric remained silent and still. Hydros tried her best to help the dire situation, shouting out as she fended off the bandits, "Wulfric! What the hell are you doing?! Attack them or you'll die!!" He stared directly at Hydros, but stayed silent and slowly closed his eyes, "Wulfric?! Are you going insane?! Hey!! Wulfric?" The bandits kept stabbing their weapons into his body, but Wulfric continued to lay there, assumedly completely unaffected by their attacks, "Oi... Darel, it ain't looking like we're doing anything..." "Hah! That's crazy talk!!" Darel, the stumpy bandit, responded, "He may be tough, but he isn't invincible. His stamina will eventually run out, we just need to be ready for it," Darel grinned, "Everyone, don't falter. We can kill and loot them!" The bandits looked at each other, calming themselves down and shouted victorously as they continued to attack Wulfric's massive, burly frame. The weapons continued piercing through, damaging his body, causing blood to pour out, but Wulfric didn't make even a peep of noise. Darel winced, "W... who the hell is this guy? How... is he not dead?" He mumbled to himself. A couple of the bandits nearby heard him, "Are... we okay, Darel? He's going down, right?" "Err... yeah, yeah. I have just the trick!!" Darel grabbed Wulfric's hand and stabbed his iron sword through their arm and deeper, down low into the dirt. The amount of blood covering this man's body was insane, but the stabs were getting less and less frequent, and people began to back up, "Oi!! Oi!! What are you all doing?! I restrained him, and you guys have stabbed him! Look at him, he's a walking corpse by this point!!" Darel looked at the group of bandits with an anxious, yet frustrated expression, "W-why are you all scared?!" One of them screamed, "That guy is a monster!! We've done everything and he just stands there like it's nothing!!" The bandits, though Wulfric had done nothing, were now beginning to back up. However, Darel, the assumed leader of the group, tried to remain firm in his wavering resolve, "B-bastards... I'll show you guys there's nothing to be afraid of..." Darel picked up one of the spears lying on the floor and approached Wulfric, alone, very cautiously. Every step the stumpy man took closer to the beast, he could feel a looming threat grow all around him, despite the man having done nothing to him. Darel raised the spear up, quivering in hand, and swung it forward, "...nothing at al--" "EVERYONE!!" Wulfric viciously screamed aloud. His voice was enough to send a piercing quiver down everybody's spine nearby, "LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!!"

Darel immediately dropped his weapon, as well as every single other bandit inside the camp. Wulfric opened his eyes and looked down at the stumpy leader as he slowly stood up, looming over the top of the small man like a predator, "Oi," Wulfric growled viciously, much like a wolf, "...where's your leader?" "H-... H-..." Darel couldn't do anything but shake in Wulfric's presence, "...I-" Wulfric stared at him, "Hm?" "H-He's in that room right over there!! He's been listening this whole time, please d-don't kill me!!" Darel screamed, bowing on his hands and knees. Wulfric turned over an eye to the large tent nearby. A large figure slowly ascended from the tent and confronted Wulfric. He was just as tall as him, though nowhere near as muscular, "Very well done, Mister Wulfric. You scared all of my men into quick submission, how scary..." He curled his finger on his lip, "Huah~ I almost had to go the bathroom because of you! The name is Rive~" "Rive!!" Darel shouted out, "Don't attack him!! That guy is extremely strong. You'll die!!" Rive turned his head over towards Darel and snarled, "Do you think I give a shit about what you have to say? I'm the fastest person in Aiblon. There's no need to fear about strength when you have my skills..." Darel seemed rather hurt by that. "What's the matter, Rive? Can't filter out every insult against you by your own members? Shows how much you trust them..." Rive growled a bit at that insult, "Oh, and Darel..." Wulfric looked over at the small man, "Why are you still working with this man? The bounty's only on his head, so I've no reason to hurt any of you, but seriously?" Rive stepped forward and swung his fist at Wulfric, who blocked it with his arm, "Shut the hell up!! My men are lucky they work with me. I'm the fastest man in Aiblon. I'm capable of feats you couldn't even dream of!! My men work so hard just to live up to my standard because they know I'm the best bandit in all of Aiblon!!" Rive sent a flurry of blows at Wulfric, all of which hit him. His punches certainly were fast, if nothing else, but none of them did any damage. "Rive, w-what do we do?!" The bandits shouted, "Yeah? Do you want us to shoot him?" Rive sighed and flung out his daggers from his hands, "No. Shut up!! You know what I'd like you to do? Because you couldn't even kill one man as as an ENTIRE SWARM, I want you all to die for me." "D.. die?" The bandits murmured, "W-what? He wants us to die?" They all seemed rather lost. Rive looked around, annoyed, "Yes, you idiots!! Die!! Attack him, right now! Surely you can do that..." The bandits all looked at each other with cautious, sorrowful looks and then to Wulfric. He looked down at the group of men as they began to step forward and raised up his fist into the air. Several ambushes of bandit strikes came flying down upon him once again, "I-I'm sorry Wulfric!!" One man shouted, "Yeah..." They said, piercing his body, "W-we're sorry..." The group of bandits, despite outnumbering him 80 to 1, were apologizing while striking the man's body over and over again with blades, arrows and spears.

Rive watched as Wulfric was constantly slashed through, over and over, and eventually stomped down, "D-damnit..." He whisper-growled, "GET BACK, YOU IDIOTS!!" All of the bandits surrounding Wulfric stood back, and Rive stepped forward, "It's obvious to me that none of you are strong enough to kill even one man. Let me show you how it's done..." Wulfric stepped forth, blood quickly dripping off his body and onto the floor. All of the bandits in the area immediately took a step back, shaken by fear, but Rive didn't move, "Intimidating... really, I get it. You're strong and powerful," He smirked, "I've seen strength like yours before," His lips locked into a perpetual grin, curling his foot inwards, "...but what you strong types never account for in a fight..." Rive said, moving around at an extremely fast speed, bouncing himself off the surface of the bandit walls around Wulfric. Rive's body darted through the trees, around the camp and back again in seconds, "...is speed!!" Rive sprung himself forward out of nowhere and jumped to stab Wulfric. "Speed..." Wulfric replied, grabbing Rive's extremely fast-moving hand mid-air. Wulfric crushed Rive's fist with his hand and threw him over his shoulder into the sky. Rive's body went flying through the air, sending his body flailing across the forest and into massive taiga trees a long distance away, "...means nothing when you can block." It became eeriely silent. All of the bandits stared at Wulfric in awe and pure shock, including the psuedo-leader Darel. Wulfric panted heavily and slowly dropped down onto his knees for a moment to catch his breathe, using his sword stabbed against the ground as support to keep himself from dropping. The silence was broken as one man jumped up and cheered, followed by the rest of the bandit group, "Wulfric!! Wulfric!! Wulfric!! Wulfric!!" Hydros and Wulfric both looked around, confused, "Woah, what? This, I did not expect," Hydros commented as he helped Wulfric up. "That was amazing!" A bandit shouted passionately. One of the bandits jumped upwards, "Yeah! You were so cool!! And you took out Rive just like that!" None of them seemed all that disappointed, nor concerned about Rive. "Hey, sorry to be the bearer of logic, but why do you guys not care that your leader just got thrown across the sky like a ball?" Hydros asked concerningly. The bandits all looked at each other. Darel stood forward, "Couldn't you tell from the way he was acting? We hated that guy!!" "And an asshole to everyone, for no good reason!!" The bandits commented, "Yeah, but now Wulfric can lead us!" They all seemed very excited. Wulfric stood back and began to wipe the blood off his body as it dripped down his chest, "Hey... wait, I did not agree to that at all..." "Yeah, Wulfric will become our new leader!! You helped us get rid of Rive to take over the throne!! Why else would he not attack anybody else?" The bandits gleefully sung. Wulfric took his sword out and swung it down into the ground, stabbing the dirt below, "LISTEN!!" Wulfric shouted, "I am not your King, nor will I ever be your leader!! I did not attack you guys because you lack the resolve to fight properly!! I knew you wouldn't kill me because you were all led by crap!! Now... I am not here seeking followers, only power!! Power to seek revenge upon the person who did me wrong so long ago... If you know where I can get more strength in order to beat this man, step forth!! That is the only thing I need..." Wulfric gripped the hilt of his sword tight and stood in place.

Several of the bandits looked at each other concernfully until eventually Darel creeped forward, "Sir Wulfric, power... doesn't just have to be personal strength..." "Huh?" Wulfric responded. "Yeah!! Power can be... an army!!" The bandits all lit up, "Yeah!! We'll be your army!!" They all agreed. Wulfric looked at all of them with a confused glare, "Listen... I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I work alone. Friends and family only serve you in life as weaknesses to be exploited by your enemies!! They are burden to not only yourself, but each other!!" He held his sword tight and stabbed it into the ground deeper, "...That is why I can't allow it. If I survive, you will all perish... If I am dead, you will all suffer... Nobody wins!!" Darel stood forward, "But that's not important, Wulfric!! You helped us with a crappy situation and we simply want to pay that back to you... Let us help you!!" "No..." Wulfric tightened the grip of his blade, "I lost my family once before, and I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Wulfric viciously growled down at Darel, who fell back out of fear onto the floor. "I don't care!!" Darel said, "We are not weak, Wulfric. We can defend ourselves!! We just want to help you the way you helped us. Please!!" Wulfric stayed silent and turned his head away, an expression as cold as ice covering his face. The bandits all looked at each other with saddened expressions, "But... who do we follow?" They cried, "What do we do?" Hydros looked slightly disappointed in Wulfric. Wulfric's expression slowly cracked, "Find a new leader... He can take care of you all. I am not that man... and I never will be! I don't even know any of you... You're weird, obsessive and creepy... Leave me be to my goals, and you to your own..." The bandits all began to walk off and leave the camp. A lot of them were surprisingly saddened by Wulfric's denial. They'd given up. However, Darel got up off the floor, and after he began to pack up his things, he looked up at the towering man above, "Thank you for helping us out with Rive, Wulfric. We all hated him, but we were too scared, too powerless, to do anything about it. You gave us... a weird sense of hope again. I don't know why but, it really made me feel... happy. I know I'm just some random bandit to you and this means nothing, but, it was a real help. We appreciate it. I just wish I could've returned that favour. Anyway, Wulfric, see you around..." Darel finished packing up his things and smiled at Wulfric as he turned away to leave.

Wulfric was conflicted. Hydros, sitting on the sidelines, watched as Wulfric thought to himself, curious as to how he'd react. As he turned his attention over to her silently, she grinned gently at him and waited for him to realize. After a few moments of staring at her, he suddenly had an epiphany, "Wulfric, I'm nothing like you. I've killed people, yeah, but hey - it's a natural process of bounty hunting. You kill some, you lose some, you get some. Ain't that the saying? Loosen up a bit sometime, make some friends, you've always had your guard up! I think that's the real difference between you and me - I know who to trust!" Wulfric's face of realization slowly cracked more and more from it's toughened exterior, turning into a very gentle smile as he looked at Hydros and then to the crowd wandering off. "EVERYONE!!" Wulfric shouted aloud, looking straight ahead at the crowd of bandits leaving the area. They all turned and looked over at Wulfric worrifully. His lips curled into a grin and pulled the sword straight out of the dirt and into the air triumpantly, "I AM YOUR NEW LEADER!! PLEASE WELCOME ME ABOARD!!" The bandits took a second to realize, before quickly jumping up in joy and excitement, immediately rushing back towards Wulfric, "WULFRIC!! Wulfric!! Wulfric!! Wulfric!!" They began to chant. Darel came rushing back, and Wulfric motioned for him to approach, "Darel, thank you for what you said. It helped me realize what I truly wanted all along. I may not be used to it, but... I'd like to make a friend or two... and see how it goes..." He said, looking back at Hydros, who grinned back. Darel joyously took out his notes. "O-of course, Sir Wulfric!! We can make you the leader of this bandit camp right now! How does 'Bandit Captain' Wulfric sound?" Darel excitedly wrote down. Wulfric grinned, "That sounds great, Darel. Write it down."

King ~ Chapter #4

"Wulfric!!" Darel shouted across the camp, "We've just finished taking down the giant wyvern as well as capturing the escaped baby ilurkistein... That's another two bounties done just this morning!! This place has really been booming since you took it over!" Darel energetically walked over to him. Hydros giggled, "Yeah, you've really turned this place around. It's hard to believe it was some crappy, shit-infested pig farm just a few weeks ago..." She folded her arms across proudly and looked around. "Uhm, I'm right here?" Darel mumbled, "But you're right! It has really come nicely along. We're already making progress on building a small village: we're still deciding on the name... unless, of course, you want to do the honors yourself, Wulfric?" Wulfric swayed his hand across and grinned, "Hah, no no. I'm not a namer, I'm a claimer... but you're right! This was all possible thanks to my strength!" His grin began to loosen, "...and because of all of you guys, too. I appreciate your enthusiasm towards helping me achieve my goal," Wulfric's mellowed smile was rare but charming. Darel looked up at Wulfric, who was looking out to the meadows of forest being chopped down and turned into a small village, and pondered to himself for a moment, "Wulfric?" He asked. Wulfric turned his head, arms folded over and looked down, "Yes?" "I did want to ask... a lot of us have really been trying to figure out exactly, well, what that goal is of yours... but you wouldn't tell any of us. I was... just wondering if maybe now you'd be willing to talk?" Darel glanced at Wulfric hopefully. Hydros listened in. He examined Darel for a moment and shook his head, "..as much as I would like to finally get it off my chest, and I know it would help to do so, I can't afford to put any of you at risk for my sake..." Darel opened his mouth to retort before quickly thinking back to their first meeting at the raid on the camp, "I lost my family once before, and I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He pondered what to do for a moment and gently sighed with a smile, "Very well, Wulfric. I understand. We'll do our best to support you however we can," Darel said before walking off, schedule in hand, "Oh, but we will need to be selecting a new swordsman trainer soon. If we want to attract people to the forest, we'll first need to advertise that this place isn't scary and, er, well - bandity... anymore." Wulfric chuckled gently and looked the stumpy man, "You've got a real knack for organizing, Darel. Thanks." "O-of course, Sir Wulfric!" Darel smiled, "Anything for you..." "Darel, we talked about this... I don't like a suck-up. 'Sir' was nice the first time, but not from you. Just Wulfric works fine," His tone was firm but calm.

Darel quickly recognized his error and scampered back to Wulfric, "Oh, r-right, I apologize Si-- Wulfric! I said Wulfric.." He gently bowed and walked off. Hydros smiled as she looked out towards the quickly-developing village, "It looks like you're building quite a place here. Think you'll ever make it to the official maps?" She held her hand on her hip, looking up at the massive man. "Yeah, I'd like to believe so. Golstur holds all power in that department, so we'll really have to depend on their input. A lot of political power over there, I've heard..." Wulfric said as he waved as on-goers and travellers entering the area. Hydros nodded, "And what about you?" Wulfric turned to Hydros, "I'm going to start ruling over this place, becoming the leader of what appears to be my new village," He sighed, "...and, well, recently, you've just been lurking around, talking to citizens and doing the odd bounty with the group, but you don't seem so talkative," Wulfric tried not to sound rude, but it didn't come out right, "You're being a slob." Hydros chuckled and looked down, "Yeah, guess I deserve that. I've been trying to make sense of all of this. I followed you because I was curious about you, and I think I get it now. You're a natural-born leader, one that fiercely dominates' others wills, taking charge in situations that no person would want to and standing up for a principle you believe in, regardless of what others think. It's admirable," Hydros grinned and glanced at Wulfric, "...and I guess I found that a little attractive." Wulfric grinned nervously back and looked forward, avoiding eye-contact, "Oh, so that's what it was, huh?" Hydros grinned back, looking right at him, "Pretty much, pal," She pat him on the back. "I get it now..." Wulfric huffed gently and looked down at her, "Then, what... you were into me?" Hydros blankly stared at him, "Were?" "..." Wulfric blankly stared back. [...] - ELSEWHERE... (edited)

"Sir, one of our scouts have just given us word about a newly-established village being developed in the area just outside of the reign between us and Harensdale..." Knight Alexandria announced, bowing down at the feet of the King's throne. The King of Lacurien, Frederick Englad, laid back dormently in his giant throne and looked down at the Knight, expressionless, "Destroy it. Next," He dismissed. A couple of the knights saluted and turned to walk off. Knight Alexandria continued bowing, "Sir, I plead you let me endulge you a little further!!" He said with a firm, loud voice. The knights quickly halted and looked back. The room fell silent. Frederick stared at Alexandria with hollowed eyes before closing them, "You're lucky I'm leniant on good soldiers, Alexandria... Go on," He sounded annoyed, but allowed it to slide. His curiosity was captured. It wasn't every day he'd hear news about developments outside of a city that required his attention. "We've been alerted that the newly-founded ruler of this new land is none other than Wulfric Darek, the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Harensdale and the Kingdom of Lacurien, sir!!" Alexandria spoke, "An enemy of Harensdale and the private bounty that Sir Ashton Darek had sent out years ago!! We've found him, sir!" The King's eyes widened immediately and a spark surged through his body, "I see... Then, gather up all of the knights in the city walls and have them rendezvous outside the gates," Frederick ordered. Alexandria nodded and saluted before running off. Frederick's lips curled as he sat up in his throne and began to mumble, "I can't believe this... Ashton Darek promised me the throne of Harensdale if I was to return Wulfric to him, captured and alive... It's almost too perfect!! Finally, I will be able to rule both halves of Aiblon and fully control the entire island, all to myself. Is it greedy? Sure, but is it worth it?" Frederick giggled to himself. The guards looked worried and eyed each other before looking forward, "...Oh yes it is!!" His curled lips rippled into a very peculiar grin. [...] - BACK AT THE CAMP "Hey, Wulfric! It's been several hours, where were you?" Darel wondered, watching as a frazzled Wulfric approached with messy hair and an obvious receeding hairline. Wulfric took a second to adjust his hair downwards and looked down at the small man. Darel opened his mouth, ready to speak, "Wulfric, come along with m..." He paused, eyeing Hydros walking off in the distance with frazzled hair, "...Wait, no, no. Really? Did-- did you?" Wulfric sighed and walked past him, "What's the work today?" Darel quickly jolted to catch up and pass Wulfric, "Oh, yes of course. Apologies," He stood on top of a small, wooden podium. Behind a veil of white cloth were three figures, silhouetted and hidden, "As you can see here, I've got a showcase of very mysterious candidates to be... your bodyguard!" Wulfric immediately moaned, "Darel, I already told you... I don't--" (edited)

"Like bodyguards, I know, but I'm doing this for you because you need a bodyguard, Wulfric," Darel noticed that Wulfric looked annoyed and quickly backed up his statement, "You are strong, nobody doubts that... but you need to have assurance that you will not be beaten in battle. Ever, even for somebody of your stature..." Darel quickly rushed over to the veiled options, "...and these people right here, is that assurance!" The response wasn't so pleasant, "What kind of assurance are you talking about? I am great at fighting and I never get hurt. Monsters cower in fear to ME!" He stomped his foot down against the ground, heavily shattering the grass bedding below. It was like a miniature earthquake. Darel gulped as he looked up at the looming menace, "I... I just mean to say, it's possible, I don't know, some monster might take you by surprise! What if... ahh, you were led into a trap... misled, betrayed--?" Wulfric raised his blade out of its sheathe and aimed it up to Darel's neck, "Nobody would ever betray me," He leaned in closer, "NOBODY!" Wulfric shouted. Darel and Wulfric looked around. Several people were staring at the two fearfully. Wulfric sighed, sheathing his blade. "Listen, what I'm trying to say is, there's always a chance of bad things to come! You always need to be prepared for these things, y'know? Safety in numbers. Anyhow!" Darel adjusted his outfit, "Say hello to your newest bodyguards!!" Darel unveiled the cloth, revealing behind it two women and a man, "These are your options!" Wulfric rubbed his head and looked down, "...Er? Do you... not like them?" The burly leader shook his head and looked at the three, "I can't like them," Wulfric stepped forward towards a young lady, adorned in a nice, red cloth. She was wearing a rusty chainmail helmet, chainmail chestplate, a pair of heavy iron greaves and leather boots, "This one's, for example, is an example of complete complacency. She does not know, that by wearing such heavy armour, her body will not be able to carry it all!" "Hey! You can't say that about me!" The woman retorted. Wulfric's menacing glare, however, forced her silence. Wulfric then continued, "Not only is she unable to carry the heavy armour she is wearing, it will not do her good in battle. Without the correct coordinative ability and strength, her agility becomes an impossibility... and without the proper training, she will die before she even makes it to her allies' lines, let alone the enemy lines!!" He unsheathed and swung his sword out towards the other two standing on the stage, "Come out here, right this instant!!" Darel stepped forward, "Hey, Wulfric, you can't say that about them!! They're volunteering to be your protectors!!" Hydros, whom looked adjusted and cleaned up, arrived onto the scene. (edited)

He looked back at the stubby man and growled, "Do not pity me, Darel!! Do you really think these halfwits could protect me? In any situation?! They would act as no better than meatshields, who would die for nothing but a man with selfish goals!!" It went silent for a moment. Wulfric looked around, annoyed and scowled before pointing the sword at Darel, who right now was panicking, "Let's say that I do end up getting some use out of these idiots, sacrificing their own lives just to keep me safe... Then what? They're dead. My morale wavers and I am finished..." He stabbed his blade down, yet again, into the grass, "I do not want to live with any regrets!! I do not need protection from any of you!!" The group of bodyguard volunteers looked at each other, completely offended by what Wulfric said. They all stormed off, "Hey, wait... come back!" Darel whispered loudly to the three. They didn't respond. He turned around to look up at his leader and sighed, "Wulfric, I think you'll make a great ruler over all of this land someday: You helped us with Rive, you built our society out of pure respect... you've done so much to help us connect as people to the real world... But there are some issues you really need to work on, deep down, on the inside. Real issues..." Darel ran off, dropping his schedule on the floor, "Hey, guys!! Come back!!" Darel shouted. Wulfric growled to himself, frustrated by Darel's words and stormed off. [...] - IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING On the edge of a high, jagged mountain in the northern regions of Aiblon, Wulfric laid against the rock's foundation, looking up at the night sky. Hydros slowly walked up behind him, "Hey," She casually said, "How're you holding up?" Wulfric didn't respond, "So you're going to block yourself off from them, hm? You seem to do that a lot... I don't mean to say it harshly but, you may have changed, just... not as much as you think you have." Wulfric sat up and looked back at her, "If you're trying to make me feel better about myself, you're doing a terrible job at it," He sounded irritated. "No, I'm not. I'm here to tell you what you did wrong," Hydros said, sitting down next to him. She looked up at the stars, "In a way... you could say it's like art?" He looked up at the sky and sighed, "Telling me another metaphor? I don't care," He laid back down. Hydros curled her lips inwards, "Just listen," She said, looking up at the sky, "Art is subjective, we know that. But what art never teaches you directly, is how it affects everyone." (edited)

"What?" He sounded confused already. "Every piece of artwork you ever see, it makes you feel a certain way... based on your experiences, based on your history... based on your own life, like how you view me for example..." Hydros grinned, looking down at him. Wulfric grinned back and chuckled, "What? A sneak thief that gets her hands on two too many pieces of jewellery?" Hydros chuckled back, a little bit flustered by the comment. "...and sometimes, that's exactly what the author intends. Pure ambiguioty. Not knowing what, in the end, it truly means... Giving somebody looking at your art a chance to have their own interpretation on what it means really helps them understand your work, and by extension, you," She gently smiled, "But when an author intends for something, and that meaning is lost and read the wrong way--" He sighed and smiled, "I get it. Darel was only doing what's best for me. He just wanted to help... Your poor analogy made me understand it better than the analogy itself," Wulfric laughed. Hydros smacked his arm and smiled, "That's so rude, god... but, you understand what I'm trying to say, right? You need to apologize to Darel..." Wulfric stopped laughing, nodding gently, "I understand. I'm not mad at Darel, though." "You're not?" Hydros responded, slightly confused. He shook his head, "I shouted at those three because I wanted them to understand that, to me, they would only be a burden in a fight... I did it to protect them... but, I got angry because I let my pride get in the way. I thought that Darel wanted me to be protected. I... thought he viewed me as somebody needing to be protected, and that's why, even though I planned to be aggressive anyway, it got out of hand..." Hydros mischeviously grinned and inched closer to Wulfric, "Huh... so, you're saying that you intrepreted something that the author said wrong and took offense to it, when they didn't mean it that way at all?" Her hint was obvious. "Exactly..." Wulfric said with closed eyes. He began to relax himself before registering the irony, "...wait, what?!" He looked up at Hydros and began to laugh, "You are so devious...!!" Hydros stared at Wulfric, her eyes solid stiff, "Hah. I know." "Anyway, I should probably apologize to Darel about that. He deserves it for all the work he's been putting in..." Wulfric got up and began to stretch, "What about you?" Hydros looked up, her expression quickly mellowing out, "I'll join you. I think it's only fair after, well... not saying anything at the time. I had the opportunity to, and I failed. I'm partly to blame," She smiled. (edited)

[...] - EARLY IN THE MORNING, IN THE CAMP "Darel?" Wulfric asked, walking up to the small man from behind. Darel looked annoyed, "What do you want?" He began walking off. "Darel, wait-- Darel!!" Wulfric ran in front of Darel, stopping him in his tracks, "I need to talk to you." He looked up and sighed heavily, "What do you want? I've got a lot of things to do," His tone grew annoyed, "For you..." Wulfric looked down, "I don't deserve you as my manager, Darel. I..." He winced gently, "..hate to admit this, especially in public, but I don't deserve... any of you," He looked around at the people all around who began to gather around them, "Carpenters, smithers, cartographers, farmers, fishers... all of that. I can't do any of those things. I can't build, I can't... forge, I can't make a map of the world. Hell, I can't plant seeds!! I'm not even sure what a rod is," He began to fluster a slight but it didn't affect his resolve to apologize, "...If I can't lead, then I can't do anything on my own. Hydros taught me that through her detailed carving of that monster a while back!! Without the skills others possess, their strengths and their abilities, I can't do anything for myself... A leader needs people who he relies on as much as they rely on him!! I did not treat you right, Darel. I sincerely apologize for my actions..." Wulfric slowly dropped down to his knees in front of the whole village, bowing down to Darel, "...please forgive me," He held his head down against the dirt. It went completely silent. Darel looked down at Wulfric in silent shock and panicked a slight as Wulfric lowered himself down to his level, literally. In the midst of the silence, Darel smiled and raised Wulfric's head gently with his hand, "Wulfric, you're a great leader. You risked your pride, something I know you value, to save our friendship. I'm just a manager of sorts and you risked all of the respect these people have given you just to get equal with me...? That's the mark of a true King..." He began to chuckle loudly, "..and the mark of an idiot!" Wulfric looked embarassed and sat on the floor, watching as Darel laughed. Wulfric simply smiled, soaking in the embarassment of everybody around him. Darel wiped a tear from his eye as he finished laughing and extended his arm out to Wulfric's, "Let's get you a bodyguard, eh?" He grinned. The burly King grinned back, pulling himself up with Darel's help and got himself off the floor, "Right!"

TO BE CONTINUED: Demon ~ Chapter #5