98 To Figh (2/2)

Old Thane's glare twisted into a grin. Their grins were identical, fueled by a drive that bordered on sheer insanity. ”I knew I was not in the wrong to choose you. This feeling of blood on my fists. Of beating and crushing. How I missed it. If you respect me, boy, then do not fall so easily again.”

Li sat back as he watched the two fight again, ready to heal Azhar at a moment's notice. In the meanwhile, he communed with Zagan.

'So, what exactly did you do?'

'You recall whence we first met?'

'When you were holed up in that bandit's body? Yeah.'

'Then you will understand. Heralds such as my personage are capable of granting strength to mortals based upon the sin that we embody. I am the herald of greed, and to all foolish desires of man that yearn and want beyond their means, I can grant.'

Li nodded. This was a lore based power, not an official spell or skill. Demons, like in classical mythology, could form pacts with mortals and grant, in a limited capacity, wishes at a cost.

'Won't this cost the old man's soul?'

'Nothing so extreme. The power my personage bestows upon the aged human is temporary, fueled only by mine own magical reserves, though I still use his greed as a catalyst for this magic. To affect this reversal of aging permanently, then he must give up his soul or become my host.'

'I see. Greed, though, huh? I didn't expect the old man to be particularly greedy about anything.'

'The aged human is not what the rest of the humans would call a 'good man' by nature. I have glimpsed his soul, and it is more beast than man. His whole life, he has been a monster playing at being a human. The burdens of mortal aging have made that act all the more easy to uphold, but there are times he wishes to return to his natural state.'

'And that's considered greed? He just wants to be himself.'

'According to these flimsy mortal laws and rules, yes. To return to his natural state is to harm those around him, for how can it be that a monster lives among men? There is no doubt that his fists will draw much blood and cause much strife. It is selfish greed to yearn for that which he understands satiates himself at the cost of others' lives.'

Zagan watched as Old Thane caught Azhar with a heavy punch to the stomach, probably bursting something inside on top of cracking the ribs. Old Thane stood over Azhar's prone and still body with his fist raised but controlled.

'But he has well and truly buried this nature of his, such that I hesitate to even call it his nature anymore. Even now, he reigns in his savagery. He understands that this is simply a momentary indulgence made possible through the cogs of fate perfectly aligning this training for him. Once it is over, he will give all this up with neither regret nor second thought.'

”Good!” roared Old Thane.

Li watched as Old Thane stepped back, blood and clear fluid dripping from his right eye. The eye had been crushed, and Li could see the culprit as Azhar's bloodied finger.

Azhar limped, a black bruise flowering at his side while his dead arm was twisted completely backwards, shattered shoulder bone jutting through the flesh.

”Good,” repeated Old Thane as the blood streamed down his face. He licked his lips clean of the crimson liquid. ”You understand a little. To fight is to survive. To kill. There are no rules. No dancing. Only the killer and the killed.”

Old Thane charged forwards and crashed a meteoric punch into Azhar's face. The ranger was simply too injured to dodge, and the brick of a fist cracked into his face. The sound of cracking bone echoed in the air as Azhar slammed onto his back again, his nose ground up into dust, every single one of his teeth shattered, his jaw broken and hanging loose.

Li waved his hand, continuing Azhar's suffering.

Azhar stood up, healed, his teeth clenched as he made a fist again, getting into a fighting stance.

”Use your magic,” said Old Thane. ”Use your skills. Use everything you have to best me.”

Azhar raised a brown, and the old man continued.

”You have learned the nature of a fight. No rules. No laws. Do not make me beat that lesson into you once more.” Old Thane smiled eagerly. ”Though I would gladly take the chance to shatter your face again.”

Azhar nodded, the eagle tattoos on his back glowing with red outlines of power.