Chapter 259: Keen on Killing (Patreon)

The massive bald guy stared down at me with a furious expression, ready to attack me. So he thought I was an iron titan, huh? Add him to the list, I supposed.

But then, this guy was different from the others. Namely, he wasn’t pissing his pants with fear. He actually wanted to talk. Well, he wanted to kick the shit out of me, it looked like, but presumably that would also involve some number of words being exchanged.

So then, if he wasn’t going to run away the moment I confirmed his suspicions like everyone else, maybe I could actually get a modicum of information about these people out of him.

I stood up straight and looked into his eyes. “Yes, I’m an iron titan. Why don’t you elaborate on what my family did to you? I may just spare your life if your story is pathetic enough.”

Okay, yeah, I was kind of playing the villain. But from the way everyone acted about these guys, they seemed to just about be as close to real-life villains as a person could be. Not that I really knew what they did, but I couldn’t imagine a group of people who struck fear into so many. Or struck whatever it was into the heart of this guy that led to him stalking me just because I wore similar armor to them.

Either way, it seemed like I’d need to get this guy angry enough to tell me what I wanted to hear about them, not try and sweet-talk it out of him. So, yeah, being an asshole and starting a fight on purpose. That was the plan.

It was times like these that I was glad Erani wasn’t here because I just knew she’d scold me for doing exactly what I was doing.

“You wanna know my story?” The man chuckled darkly, taking a step forward so I had to crane my neck up even further to meet his eyes. “Guess you weren’t the one who did it. Tell you what, I’ll give you a hint. Does the name Gualdimen ring any bells in that helmet of yours?”

I shook my head. “Not one.”

His laughter grew more intense, but not a single hint of a smile cracked on his face. “So some of you carry out the deeds, some of you give the orders, and others just stand around doing nothing, complicit in the actions of their clan. I almost want to say that the complicit ones are the worst out of all of them. At least the killers are brave enough to hold a knife, to look into the faces of the ones they murder. And the ones giving the orders are at least smart enough to figure out how best to ruin a family’s life. But you—your kind is lazy, cowardly, and stupid, all while being just as much a bunch of monsters as the rest in your armor.”

Ah, so they killed people. Alright. I was getting less and less excited that I apparently looked just like one of these guys. “And why do you think we did what we did? Illuminate me.”

“As if you don’t know,” he said, nose scrunching up with disgust. “As if it isn’t always the same with you people. Someone was a little too loud with their dissent, or they got in the way of your trade routes, or interrupted whatever money making scheme you have. Assassins. You think you can pull the strings from the shadows, manipulate the people, manipulate the crown without us noticing? You may have some of them fooled, but not me. And today is the day you face the consequences.”

Okay, okay. I went through his words one more time, trying to draw as much information from them as I could. They were some sort of political group, it seemed. Maybe nobles? Or they could be merchants, with that stuff about trade routes. Or they could be a group of hired killers that the nobles and merchants hired to do their dirty work? Whatever, it seemed like that was as much as I’d be getting from this interaction.

The man reached over to his waist to draw a broadsword, taking a grim, deliberate breath.

“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Good talking to you. Bye.”

And with that, I turned on a heel and started walking away.

The man grabbed my shoulder and tried to spin me back around. But this time, I didn’t let him, allowing the full force of my Stats to keep my body steadfast against his grip, and his hand slipped right off as I marched away. I mean, we were in the middle of a crowd of witnesses; if I didn’t engage him, no way he would—

You have been pierced. 41 damage.

Your Health is 699.

Dull pain shot through my back as I felt the point of a sword glance off my skin. He’d stabbed me in the back!

I turned back around. “Oh, you fucker!”

Wielding his blade, the man suddenly looked taken aback. “Fucker? What, are the iron titans adopting Koinkarian refugees now, or something?”

Shit, I’d forgotten about my language. Wait, hold on, he really stabbed me in the back? What kind of moron does that when they’re surrounded by—

“Excuse me.”

A deep voice came from beside us, and I glanced over to find myself looking in a mirror. Only, I soon realized I wasn’t looking at my reflection, just someone who looked so perfectly similar to me that I may as well have been. Not their individual looks, but what they were wearing. What I was wearing.

This man was wearing his own set of Dark Plate.

**********

So, Entismo hadn’t ever known this about himself, but apparently he’d been terrified of Goblins his entire life. He’d never seen a Goblin or been around one ever, so he never found out. Until today, that is.

He was surrounded by the little green things, each wielding a weapon and looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and bloodthirst. Maybe some of that was in his head, but he didn’t intend to stick around for long enough.

It was the middle of the night, he’d just accidentally set a Demon loose in the town, and when he’d gone to get Annor and Eita for help, they somehow teleported away, with his only companion Sylvie in tow. And now, he was surrounded by monsters. He was, quite frankly, not thinking straight.

So all of that said, he felt that he deserved forgiveness when the Goblins asked him an incomprehensible question, and he answered in whatever way he felt most improved his chances of not dying in the next five seconds.

He stared into the blades of two green Goblins holding him at knifepoint, and one of them spoke.

“You worshiper of Great Ones? You worshiper of Great Lady?”

“Er…” He took a shaky breath. “Yes?”

A moment passed, packed within it an eternity of anxiety. But after that moment, the Goblins lowered their weapons. Notably, they didn’t sheath them, only moved them a little further away from his throat.

“Have not seen you,” one of them said. “How you worship Great Ones?”

“I…” He glanced around, trying to see if he could find whatever these ‘Great Ones’ the Goblins were talking about. But everywhere he looked, he just saw more of the same type of green face. Nothing great about them. “I…believe I must abscond from this…delightful deification of the Great Ones. Oh, how beautiful their faces when I envisage them in the light of my mind. But, er, time grows short. So, pleasure to make your acquaintances, fellow worshipers, you are all truly scholars. I do hope we encounter each other soon in the future. Perchance.”

And with that, he cautiously yet quickly scrambled to his feet, aiming to run out of there as soon as possible.

The Goblins squinted at each other, muttering back and forth, then looked back over at him. “You use lot big word.Not understand. Great Ones teach you? Great Lady not speak much.”

“U-um…” He needed to get away from here. Just tell them anything to convince them to let you go, Entismo! “I, I am…I am a friend of the Great Ones, you see. I have come here to give you…a revelation!”

They looked at each other, wide-eyed. “You know Great Ones?”

Oh, thank goodness, it was working. Whatever these things thought the ‘Great Ones’ were, it seemed like they felt it was plausible for him to actually know them. Maybe they worshiped some painting of a Human that they’d stolen from someone, and since he looked like that, they just took his words at face value?  “I am a close friend of theirs, you see. And, as such, I have been t-told lots of things by them. A-as I said, a revelation!”

“Re-revel-revelation,” one of the Goblins muttered, clearly not understanding Entismo’s words.

Oh, I’m messing it up already, he thought to himself. Speak like a Goblin, match your audience. Didn’t your tutor always say something like that? Or perhaps it was ‘stay steadfast, never bend to another’s will.’ Oh, I can never keep these things straight.

“They have told me something to tell you,” he said. “A revelation. And then, after I give the revelation, I must depart from this place and go back to my home. F-for official Great Ones business.”

“What they say to you?” the Goblin asked. They still all had their weapons in hand; they were likely just humoring him for now, planning to kill him soon. Would they skin him? Eat him alive? Throw him in some pit to live the rest of his life in, fighting like a slave gladiator for their sick entertainment?!

He needed to come up with something to tell them. Something believable but that sounded important; something that they would think the Great Ones, whatever they were, would actually send a messenger to tell them.

But then, what was more believable than the actual truth? What if he—

A Goblin cleared its throat, looking between its allies. Oh, gods, how long had he been standing there awkwardly staring at them? He needed to just hurry up and say something!

“A, er, a Demon is in town,” he blurted out, saying the most prominent thing on his mind. “A Demon has been released into the nearby town—the, er, the Human one—and it is wreaking havoc on the people there. Th-that is the message they wanted me to give you. Um, okay, now I must leave and—”

“Why we care?” a Goblin asked, interrupting him. “Humans die. Why we care about Humans?”

“U-u-um, er, that is because…The Demon will grow in power from every Human it kills. A-and, if it kills too many people, it will grow powerful enough to kill you, as well. Perhaps it will even kill the Great Ones! It is a weak enemy currently, but will grow to be very strong. So, you must stay vigilant, you see. That is what the Great Ones wanted me to inform you about.”

“The ‘Demon’ thing will kill Great Ones? Will kill Great Lady?!” The Goblins looked at each other wildly. “Must kill ‘Demon’ thing! Before kills Great Ones!”

“U-um, er, it may be too difficult to…” Entismo trailed off, taking a moment to think. If these Goblins did kill the Demon he’d accidentally set loose in the town, wouldn’t it be a good thing? He’d come out here to get Annor and Eita and get them to kill the Demon, but they’d teleported away at the last moment. But now, it was like the gods were rewarding his efforts with a different solution to the problem—a solution he’d never even considered before.

If the Goblins came and fought the Demon, then they’d just kill each other and both problems would be solved. It was perfect!

“Y-yes!” he said, regaining some confidence in his voice. “Yes, indubitably, that is exactly what the Great Ones said to do! Y-you must come with me, I will lead you to the evil Demon!”

“Demon in Human settlement!” one of the Goblins shouted. “Will invade Human settlement and kill all Humans, find Demon thing that way!”

“W-what? No, we should—”

“Charge!”

The Goblins sprinted off, all wielding their weapons and ready to slaughter anyone who got in their way.

“Oh, no,” Entismo muttered, chasing after them. “Please do not tell me I just started a war.”