Chapter Text
I was filled with so much anxiety I didn’t sleep much if at all. I knew the Baron was going to try something. I KNEW it. Still that night nothing came. I stayed up for nothing. Perhaps they would wait a night or two for me to let my guard down. That would just allow me to turn the tavern in to a fortress. I could cast stronger wards, put wards on top of wards…hell I could but eyes on the entire block leading up to the tavern. I was overthinking it…throughout the whole night not a single ward was set off. That was good, I was able to pass out for about five hours or so before everyone started to wake up and be active.
“Well shit! You look like hell.”
Those were Irma’s first words to me as I started to drink my coffee and eat some bread and meat for breakfast. I wanted to just march up to the Baron and put him in his place again, break him a bit so he would really fear me. My anxiety was off the charts.
“Feel like hell.”
I croaked as I ate some more. All the newly freed people started to wake up soon after Irma. I stayed away from them again, letting them eat in peace. Though some would smile at me and dip their head. That was nice, at least it wasn’t blind fear. They were holding cautious optimism.
“Yeah, you stayed up later than me Ogre.”
Boar said as he filled my tankard with more coffee after making sure everyone else was okay. Some of the people were getting into the sing of things, talking with the others…but a few were completely shut down and near catatonic. I wish I knew how to help them, but honestly I’m not a therapist. All I can do is support them and hopefully find someone for them to talk to. They’ve been through a hell I can’t imagine. Its why I want slavery done and over with.
“Yeah, I keep thinking the Baron is going to attack at any moment. I can’t relax.”
No use in lying. I was good at it at one point in my life, it was all I die. But then in high school I did a one eighty and just stopped. My life became infinitely easier…so I never looked back. Lying is a skill you lose if you don’t do it often. I can still pull off the deadpan joke, but its just not something I like to do anymore.
“I see…I mean he is going to try something. You made him look weak. Like a child weak. I’m surprised too honestly. I wonder if he is putting out a call to mercenaries or just getting his army ready.”
Boar said and I just nodded. Well, we still needed to get some meat and supplies for the wagon so I set out to do that. Irma was staying at the inn with Boar and left that place VERY protected. Sasha was on my shoulder and we went to get supplies from various vendors…and then I met the retribution.
There were twenty men, all armed to the teeth holding the Baron’s banner that confronted me on the street. They were all armed to the teeth, their armor shiny and new…slightly enchanted. I wasn’t supposed to be as strong as I was, I think they assume I’m on a normal hero level. This won’t be enough. One that wore a rather embellished set of armor stepped forward and opened a scroll.
“The FORMER hero Ogre. You are hereby charged with treason! You stole slaves from the Baron, and you are hereby to be arrested and then put to death. How do you plea?”
No trial, no request to come to the manor. Identify showed me that I had a damn good chance against everyone here. People were getting out of the way, and it seemed not too many of these warriors had magic beyond self enhancement. That was good.
“Hey Sasha, every want to beat a bunch of whiny babies in public? Normally I’m against child abuse myself but I think there needs to be some lessons taught.”
The Owlish raven on my shoulder cackled and flew up to a nearby building.
“You know me Ogre, not a fighter. Have fun though, I’ve always wanted to see what you’d do in this situation. I think now is a perfect time to send a message eh?”
I just grinned and leveled my gaze at the twenty men. I was going to kill humans today. My stomach was in knots about it. I don’t think any of them are being forced to do this. When you are a cop, you choose to be a cop you aren’t forced to take the job, there are a thousand other things you can do…like pretty much everyone else looking on. You do this sort of work as the easy way out. I was talking myself into this battle…it was the only way I could go through with it.
“I INTEND TO RESIST!”
With a grin I pulled the great axe from my back. They…looked a little worried. Some of the younger soldiers did anyway. That was fine, I liked the fear. It was time to be the monster. Today I got blood on my hands. Today I became a murderer. Yes that is how I saw it and from the moment I set foot in this land I knew that was a path I was going to take. I’m not nice, I’m not overly kind…and my sense of justice is black and white to me. Didn’t mean I was going to like killing people, I just knew in my core I could do it and keep going forward. Still it was hard.
“You heard him. SHOW HIM NO QUARTER!”
They were going to try and kill me here and now if I let them. I had no intention to die here. I had to see my wife, check in on my daughter…Get Irma to her people. I had a long list. Hell I knew this was coming when I kicked the hornets nest by ‘taking’ all the slaves.
“Time to let you know why they call me Ogre…why they call me a monster.”
They thought numbers would save them, and when the first few clashed with me and I simply knocked them off their feet with a mighty swing. There was instant fear there. I wonder if they thought all the stories were false. That the hero didn’t really have that much power. That would have been an interesting pep talk. I singled out the commander pretty early on and after a second wave of soldiers were pushed off I pulled a throwing axe from my hip and threw it straight at him. He grabbed one of the younger ones and used him as a shield, the axe finding purchase in his chest before returning to my side. There was fear now…real fear from the soldiers. I was sort of hyper focused on the commander at this point now.
“You dirty bastard! Coward. I’ll cut my way through the entire city to get to you.”
That was a growl as I started to fight a bit harder. For a moment I thought that the soldiers would give up after getting beat for a bit…but no, no they must really like their slaves and money. Fuck it, they all die. I’m sure backup was going to come soon. So I picked up the pace, I thought briefly about offering them a chance to surrender but I need to establish a reputation. This was a more serious thing I need to start. They need to see me as a monster, the stories need to travel. I need to be a murderer. There are no innocent souls here.
“KILL HIM YOU FOOLS! ONE HUNDRED GOLD TO THE ONE WHO CLAIMS HIS HEAD!”
Good, no more chances. I swear even if they throw down their weapons I’ll kill them all. I can’t even imagine the horrors they’ve inflicted on the populace with how they were acting now. That promise of money, not punishment or praise…but money. That was it, no more holding back. I wish I had time to torture the head guard, see if I have the stomach for it. I probably don’t…yet but I’m sure I’ll get to that point. My axe found the vital spots of a few, sending rooster tails of blood in one direction or another, my face and armor getting splashed. I certainly looked like a monster.
I wanted to end this soon, the longer this fight went on the longer reinforcement had to get here. I knew the exact right spell to use.
“Come to me, storm and rain, let me show them all your pain. Lightning strike, burn their skin, take them to hell weighted by sin! CALL LIGHTNING!”
This was a spell I took to fight armies. Twenty men was good enough. The sky darkened instantly and it started to rain, I fought and decapitated a solider as I raised my hand and then pointed at the captain and from those darkened cloud a massive bolt of lightning screaming down and hit him straight on in a brilliant flash of light and a rumbling thunder that shook the ground. All I could tell is that it hit him straight on and then dropped him.
I didn’t give them time to run. Once their leader fell the rest of their movements became disorganized and frantic. They were just morons trying to stay alive at this point. I called the lightning a few more times and the rest were just killed one by one until I worked through all of them. I was…too okay with this. They weren’t people to me. They weren’t even monsters. I had respect for monsters. They were hungry…they wanted to live. These things…were less than that. So that knot in my stomach went away…yeah I could do this again. That thought in and of itself was scary.
I thought I was done, until I heard the commander groan. Holy shit that armor must have been good. Must cost a pretty penny. I walked over to his body and kicked him on his back. This was the worst one. I don’t even know if I was angry anymore. Perhaps I was more numb? I lifted him up so he could see into my eyes and me into his, then I just dropped him and punched his breast plate so hard it caved in his chest and he died chocking on his own blood. A bit graphic, but less than what I was thinking of doing at the on-set.
“Holy shit Ogre, I didn’t think you had this in you. Well, we better not stop now, don’t give them time to regroup okay. Keep marching to that fucking shit palace and finish it. Can’t go back now.”
I just nodded and grunted to Sasha. At this time there were certainly no people in the streets. They were all taking cover or looking through windows. Which was fine. Best not to have collateral damage anyway. I looked up to my familiar.
“Can you burn these corpses? I don’t have anything that can just target what I want. These people don’t need to have their homes burned because the Baron is a shit eating bastard.”
Sasha nodded and cast some sort of spell that only burned the dead human flesh in the street. That was nice to have him as a backup. I turned toward the Palace and started to make my approach. I kept the storm going so I could continue to call lighting at will. It would give me an attack or two right off the bat until I head inside. I don’t know how strong the Baron’s mages are, I didn’t know the magic items he had. So I just had to prepare for a lot of different outcomes.
I was overthinking. The guards outside were as ill prepared as the ones in the streets. This time there were some mages spread out in the ranks so these few were moving faster and hitting harder. With Call lighting and my own over-powered status, I wasn’t met with much resistance. Still, more of their blood splashed on my armor and I didn’t even bother to make it rain to wash it out.
Monster…I certainly looked the part now.
Inside I was met with something different. A lot more armed soldiers…as well as assassins mixed in. This was going to be a harder fight, and that is what I wanted. Perhaps it would give me peace of mind that they had a chance to kill me, that these people in this room were strong enough to take me down and I won because I was smarter and not just because I was over powered. I don’t know. I shouldn’t feel as conflicted as I do, but I’m old and been conditioned to put humans high up there and its hard to shake off in an instant.
“Give my body the will to live. Each cell remembers what it is to be whole. Cut off my head, pierce my heart, know that I will never be dead. Trollish Fortitude.”
That was going to keep me going for a bit. Made me sort of like Deadpool or a troll from Dungeons and Dragons. They can take so much damage…as long as it wasn’t fire or acid they’d survive. That made me much more of a threat. I don’t know what trolls are like here…I wonder if the goddess pulled this one from my mind or something. Oh well best not to dwell. Better soften them up with a spell.
“Manifest the ice in my heart, the cold indifference on human life I now feel. ICE SHARDS!”
The fight was hard actually. I won’t lie. It was the sheer volume of blades I was fighting that made this difficult. Honestly, this is what I thought I built myself for. Fighting massive forces. I don’t know…I thought it would be easier. Sasha, stayed out of the way the entire time letting me do the fighting, but I’d get healed now and again which was perfect honestly.
When I was done bodies and parts of said bodies were spread all over the room. I was dripping with gore and blood and I was calm. Any conflict I had about ending human life was now completely gone. Perhaps that is what they mean by practice makes perfect.
“Sasha! Is the Baron still in the building?”
I said as I pulled my axe out of the last mage that tried to make a stand. I could see the bird’s eyes glow for a moment. He is very good backup. I knew he could fight if needed…but I think he stands back because the fights would be too unbalanced, though I’d like to think he’d step in if I was about to die.
“Yup. He is hiding with some other people and his wife. So that is good. Kill him Ogre. I’ll take care of the bodies.”
I nodded and headed down the hall. The doors to his room were massive and iron and reinforced with magic and metal. The stone wall next to it however…morons. You enchant the whole wall and not just the door.
“Shutter, stumble, break and crumble SHATTER STONE!”
This was picked in case I had to fight stone golems. I didn’t think I’d be using it to breech walls…I heard screams when I did. I was met by blades instantly and the Baron was cowering in the corner. I felt Sasha cast a barrier behind me so no one could escape. These assassins were better…different. Almost mindless and reckless in how they protected the Baron and his ‘wife’.
I felt some wounds open up through my armor, and it wasn’t too terrible. I am used to pain, and this was up there, but I was VERY determined to end this. More blood and gore to add to the trophies on my armor though some of it was mine now.
Though I smiled looking at that idiot man in the corner, he was truly terrified. I really enjoyed that. He had nothing that could stop me. No gods will help him, where were only a few assassins left…and they were good. I was disarmed of my great axe after a few moments and one suicide rush by one of the assassins, then I took a blade to the chest. To tell you that hurt was a massive understatement. I wanted to black out. Blood poured from my mouth and out of the corner of my eye I could see the Baron grinning. I should be dead…you aren’t meant to stay awake through this pain. Trolls had dead nerves. I…I do not and it sucks SO Much worse than I could have ever think.
I wasn’t dead though. Trollish fortitude did its job…I growled and grabbed the assassin shoving his own knife from his belt into his head. I then pulled out the sword from my chest and used it to kill another. My body glowed briefly after that and I heard fluttering of wings…Sasha was doing his job.
“DON’T FUCKING DIE YOU APE!”
His words echoed off the wall and I just grinned and raised my hand at the last fighter.
“ICE SHARD!”
Without incantation The spells were smaller, but still potent and a giant icicle speared the last fighter through the head. I turned my attention to the Baron and his ‘wife’…’trophy’…I don’t know it was hard to think. I was in SO much pain.
“PLEASE! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME! I…TAKE HER…TAKE HER SHE IS BROKEN! PERFECT FOR….”
I made him stop talking while I lifted him off the ground by his throat. She looked terrified of me…I wanted to say so much to this asshole, but everything was getting jumbled up on my tongue so nothing was coming out. One of the major downsides of ADHD, you get so worked up you can’t talk. There are no cool one liners in moments like this. Just a coward kicking his feet in the air. I could rip him apart, but that would do nothing…just scare the woman even more so I brought him close so he could look into my eyes.
“There was nothing you could do to stop this…”
I sputtered through the blood in my throat, it splattering across his face. Then I just pressed his skull into his spine past his shoulder blades, tossing the body aside like it was nothing. The ability was doing its job now, healing me slowly as I coughed up blood so I could breathe.
Then I looked to his long-term captive. She wasn’t scared anymore, she shut down…ready to die. That brought me back to reality really quick. I blinked a few times and then looked up.
“Sasha, take off her shackles.”
I knew he was around and I was right, he flew right by her side but paused when a simple peck didn’t work.
“You gotta remove curse. These stop her magic. She is a High Elf, very powerful magic users. Without these the Baron wouldn’t have had any control over her. That is a spell only you got.”
I nodded and leaned down to cast the spell.
“Lift the veil, chains removed, destroy what binds, freedom be proved. BREAK CURSE!”
And those shackles on her wrist shattered. That is what brought her back to this world, she was prepared to disassociate for me to do what I wanted. I get that, but when I didn’t do what she prepared for she looked up to me…confused and sad. Like she wanted to die.
“I am not going to kill you, nor am I going to rape you. You are in charge now. Did he actually marry you? Can that happen?”
That was important, I don’t know the laws of the kingdom…but if she had any right to rule in his place as a Baron I was going to make sure that happened. She took a few moments to process what happened, and then realized I had no intention of killing her.
“I was his wife, now Widow.”
She said slowly as she walked over to his corpse. There was no fondness in her eyes for him, I could tell that much. Then she started to kick his face and yell in elvish. Oh those were some vile things, apparently I can understand other languages. The wood elves spoke common, she did not in this instance. I’ve never heard something so angry sound so elegant. I wasn’t going to stop her, she needed to work that stuff out.
“Well, no love lost I see.”
I started to go through the room and then the pockets of the elite to look for keys and what not. I found a whole ring on the Baron. That is good, I’m sure there is a whole fleet of prisoners and slaves in the basement that I could free. That is where I need to go next.
I was about to turn around and ask her something when she was very close to me. Her hands were on my chest. There were tears in her eyes, I think at this point she knew I wasn’t going to kill her. But…I was confused…and nervous. I was covered in blood, but she didn’t seem to care. This was…uncomfortable, and I just had a sword in my chest.
“Listen, I’m good for pleasure. You don’t have to get rid of me. I’ll be good and quiet. I can cast magic to make you last so long. I promise to be good and at your side. Please, don’t get rid of me.”
Holy shit in the middle of all this gore…is that the kind of monster I look like. I guess so, I guess I acted too well. I had to take a step back…this, this wasn’t me. I know there is a connection between sex and violence, but I wanted NOTHING to do with sex. I wanted to be FAR FAR away from sex.
“I don’t want a slave. Irma, the demon I’m with. Its all an act so I can move in cities more easily without having to outright hide her. I can’t imagine what you have been put through. I won’t pretend to understand either. I’m just here to support you and everyone who has been oppressed by the royalty and nobles. Listen, if you don’t want to stay here you can come with us. Irma, Sasha and me. Its going to be hard, but like…I don’t know. You can say no if you want. Not an offer you need me to be making while I’m covered in blood.”
She looked…stunned. Then she smiled and then laughed, a manic laugh that turned into a warm one. There were a few tears in her eyes, perhaps she realizes I’m not actually going to hurt her or pressure her for sex in any way shape or form.
“You felt off. I thought it was because you were an evil man. Now I know it was because you were acting. You can call me Nora. I don’t think my elvish name applies to me anymore, so I don’t want to be called it. I’ll keep my human name, appropriate for my sins. I think I will come with you. I don’t have anything keeping me here and I can’t go home.”
I nodded and dipped my head deeply to her. I couldn’t imagine what has happened in her past and really I’m not going to ask. If she wants to talk about it sometime in the future then so be it, otherwise it would be her secret to keep. I’ll share enough of my secrets for the two of us I’m sure.
“Welcome to the party Nora. Well your first act as a member of the hero’s party is to show me where the slaves are kept, so we can free them.”
Nora nodded and it was then Irma showed up, her eyes glowing purple with the same color fire dancing around her hands. I think she was expecting me to be hurt or even dead. She saw the hole in my chest armor…the blood and then the smile on my face as I looked to her…to say she was confused was an understatement.
“You are a fucking moron! You should have come and gotten me, Or sent Sasha to get me! You don’t have to fight all by yourself you know. FUCK Ogre.”
She walked over to me, punched me in the arm and then let her flames die and gave me a hug. I don’t hate Irma hugs, she was pretty much family at this point, she didn’t make my hackles by touching me anymore. I do like hugs from the right people.
“Irma, this is Nora. She’ll be joining us. I’m told Elves have magic and if the curse I removed from her shackles is any indication well she is powerful.”
Irma looked to the elf, and really got in close so she could see her eyes. She then promptly brought Nora in for a hug, she was alarmed but hugged her back with a smile after a few moments. Probably trauma bonding. It was then I heard more soldiers enter the palace….I left Irma and Nora behind me so I could face them head on. I was still in so much pain, but BUT I Had a lot of mana left.
“Body of stone, Body of steel, body of WAR, body that can HEAL!”
I let the healing spell wash over my body as it gave me some fortitude too. The pain was lessened but the fatigue wasn’t. Still if I have to fight, I have to fight, right?
These soldiers were dressed differently, they all had the royal seal on their chest. Their stats were far higher, their weapons better. This…was going to SUCK! I just crack my neck and try to play it cool as I pull the hand axes from my hips and hold them ready to fight. Irma and Nora called spells too, Irma called her flames again and Nora’s hand glowed yellow. I have no idea what spell she wanted to cast.
“Come and get it…think I’m just going to stop now.”
The commander stepped forward to look at all the destruction I had caused. He…smiled. Not a creepy, sadistic smile like a genuine smile.
“Oh good you lived, how wonderful! Stand down men, it seems the hero does not need our aid after all.”
That…what…error error what the fuck just happened. Then I heard a familiar voice come out from behind him. It was Boar, panting and out of breath but I heard him and that was wonderful.
“Good GODS how do you run so fast in armor. FUCK ME! Oh…Ogre, you…”
He took in the damage to my armor and the blood covering me.
“You ain’t dead and that is wonderful. So, law…says that Nora can’t inherit the lands of the Baron since…racism. BUT My buddy right here. Markos, he can. I knew the Baron was dead the moment he sent the soldiers after you. So I went to get Markos for backup. This…this was unexpected.”
Markos smiled and the rest of the men bowed to me. Irma and Nora were just as surprised as I. Honestly knowing they were behind me made me feel a hell of a lot better. Like a lot a lot. Still, it was nice to know the fighting was done…for now.
We went to the cells after that and as I was breaking shackles and curses I was filled in that Markos was part of the resistance and his men were too. Apparently this city was just in the right position to not get much attention from the kingdom. There were farms and slaves and that was about it. It was easier to operate here. So they did and did so with gusto. Hell I leaned in about a months time they were going to kill him and run the city as their own anyway, I saved lives and effort.
“Okay…the two of you. I don’t care what anyone says. I’ll only support you if you get rid of the slave market. Period. No ifs, ands or butts…and mine is HUGE.”
Marcos and Boar were looking at each other and Markos crossed his arms over his chest.
“Okay, I have laws I can use to rip the whole thing apart. We’ll be a bastion of free people, I promise you that Ogre. Some of the nobles will not be happy. So we need to take care of that. I don’t like the state of this country anymore than you do I promise. You’ll have an ally here.”
That did my heart good. Sasha was on my shoulder as we spoke in the bar, he nodded too.
“A good step in the right direction. It would be hard to march an army here and not leave any part of the border not defended. Fear and brute force will only keep the people in line for so long.”
They talked a bit more after that, less me and more Sasha since I have no fucking clue how to run shit on a city level. At this point I’m a tool, a happy tool that will just fight where he is told to so that people can be free and safe. I’m a work donkey, and I’m not mad about it.
Later…there was a huge party at the Dead Boar. People were staring to open up. My work was looking for people who could act as councilors, talk to the survivors and help them work through trauma. I couldn’t do it, I’d just get mad and end up shutting down but we found people who could. Good healers and such that were used to taking the darkest part of life and helping people manage it.
Then the real work began. I wanted to leave soon, but first we had to put down the local nobles. None of them had intel on what happened, but they were going to vie for power and try to take it for Markos so the four of us…my Adventuring party…started to hit them hard.
I have to say I’m stupid. I did all the heavy lifting because I thought Irma was in a fragile state. HOW STUPID was I. Holy hell she fought so well. If I didn’t have the power I have, she could kill me without so much as a second thought. Her sword skills mixed with her magic made her just a menace on the battle field.
Then there was Nora, she was a far better spell caster than I was. Her rage for the nobles was matched only by Irma and those two watching each other’s backs was just insane. I might as well not even been on some of the raids for the work they did. Buildings burned, bodies lay scattered on the ground…and there were times I didn’t have to lift a finger. They were amazing, Angels of death on the battle field. My confidence in them SOARED after those skirmishes.
It took four more days. They were all labeled enemies of the kingdom and thus the Hero was only doing the king’s work. That made me feel a little dirty but in the end I knew it would give me a Very important foot hold in the kingdom. Politics SUCK, but this is only a temporary solution. End goal was to march with the demon army and allies to knock the human nobility out of power and let the people build something new. It’s going to be hard, but dammit it needed to be done.
We didn’t leave as quickly as I wanted. Irma didn’t seem to mind though. Once control was switched over to the captain of the guard and the people weren’t being ground under an oppressive noble’s boot. The entire city embraced those that were different. Irma liked the people who lived here, and so did Nora. Hell some of those that were freed decided to stay, others we helped get ready to leave in their own caravans. The city was changed for the better. So we stayed weeks longer…but it needed to be done. You can’t just overturn a ruling party and then expect to leave the next day.
I worked a lot, doing manual labor…helping train those that stayed to join the guard. One thing though, I didn’t sleep much. There was too much to do and too much on my mind. So I’d sneak out when everyone else seemed to be out like a light. Some nights I’d talk to Boar or his wife…others I would sneak out to a lovely place near the wall where I can see the forest and the sky. There was something comforting about the stars and the sounds of the nocturnal creatures. So I found myself there when a voice gently reminded me that I wasn’t alone this time.
“You okay?”
It was Sasha. He was the only one that could sneak up on me. Makes me wonder how big the gap between our powers truly are. Its been a busy few weeks and I haven’t had time to sit and have heart to hearts with anyone. I’ve sort of just been trying to bury everything in work.
“I don’t know.”
He was too old for me to lie to him. I have been killing people, as you do in war. Should I be more torn up about it? Should I be completely numb? I have no idea what I should be like. They say when you do it enough to you get a thousand yard stare. I don’t feel like I had that.
“This has to be hard on you. I could tell you haven’t killed anything before. Hell your aura chanced when you killed that boar. It isn’t something everyone can sit and deal with.”
I sat up at this point. The conversation wasn’t something I was expecting. I’m used to just being left alone and figuring stuff out on my own. Well that was the first half of my life anyway, when I got married my wife was pretty good at sniffing that short of stuff out and getting me to talk.
“I feel…guilty for not feeling more.”
I think that was appropriate. The people I had been killing were obstacles. They enabled a shit system that tortured and abused all the other races of this world. Regardless of why they had to fight me, they still fought me and I had pushed them off as resources.
“I feel like I’m a monster for it not bothering me as much. This isn’t like a war back home where, save for a few instances…no one was really right or wrong. I’m right and they are wrong. They are a product of the system they support. So I don’t feel bad, or as bad as I should.”
That is when Sasha hopped up and landed on my shoulder so he could get a better view of the sky and the forest surrounding the city. Or so I would assume anyway. Maybe he just wanted to get closer.
“I get that honestly. I thought it was going to hit you a lot harder and you were just suppressing issues. I’m glad you’re you. Ogre, I really am. Things are only going to get harder from this moment out.”
I nodded and shifted so I could lay back down so he could still look at the sky but so could I without craning my neck.
“Sasha, I want to live through this…I just don’t feel like I will.”
That was a major reveal. A fear I’ve been keeping in the back of my head. I want to see my wife again, I’m afraid If I die here I won’t even go to the same afterlife.
“I feel it in bones that there is a sacrifice play at the end. I won’t ask anyone else to do if. I can’t. I’m not better than anyone else.”
There it was all out in the open. Hell it was probably just anxiety speaking for me more than anything else. I couldn’t even tell anyone where this came from. It was just there, like a shadow that never fades. One I keep seeing out of the corner of my eye so often its just part of the background.
“I hope it won’t come to that Ogre. If it does, I’ll see you on the other side okay. We’ll have a good time, I’ll show you all the best spots.”
I paused at that…he’s gone too from this world when I die. How…comforting. He wasn’t even worried, not for me and not for him. That…shit that helped a whole lot. What ever happens…happens. I took a deep breath and smiled, I almost felt lighter after that simple exchange. Best not worry about crossing a bridge that hasn’t even shown up yet.
“Thanks Sasha. I appreciate you.”
I could feel his beak tap my forehead.
“I appreciate you too…”
This was nice, wonderful even. It was a calm night too until that green light shot up from deep in the forest. I just sighed, irritated I couldn’t get too much of a rest now.