As Das prepares to get the shit kicked out of him, trying his best to think of a way out of this situation, he hears Javal call out, but the voice seems different, odd. Looking up through his loose black and gray hairs, he sees the other Fellblood is on his feet. His entire demeanor has changed. Das is so caught up in surprise by the events that he doesn’t even take to heart the insults about being a wannabe hero. That’s exactly what he is.

Distracted from Das, the Grem looks over at Javal with an unimpressed smirk. “Oi, look who woke up. I’ve eaten bigger bitches than you for breakfast.” Suddenly, the blue blade comes whipping through the air. His dark eyes go wide, and his arms snap up to grab the spinning blade between his hands pressed together.^[A1] Lowering the blade, the Grem lets out a slightly nervous chuckle. “Takes a lot of skill to throw a blade like that!” he calls before flinging the blade away and readying his hands for whatever else Javal has to throw at him.

Das glances between the Grem and Javal and decides that this is a good time to create an opening for them both. The feeling returns to his fingers, and he quickly grabs his sword and slams it into the Grem’s foot, pinning it to the ground. The Grem howls in pain as his blood boils from the heat of the blade. Das throws his elbow into the back of the Grem’s knee then shouts for Javal. “Take him down!!”

---

A1. Snap Reflexes

“Really?”, the haunting fellblood asks, turning his head, “Is that supposed to impress me? Well it would if you actually didn’t sound like a scared pathetic little wormy bitch”.

He chuckles seeing the man catch Theseus between his arms, “Oh wow, you caught my sword. Look at you, so cool, little guy, now that’s cute. Do you want a little medal or for me to say I’m proud of you? Because let me tell you something: that little spinning trick was just testing the waters. I thought I’d have to try a little bit with this fight but seeing your response, I guess not. What a shame well time for you to die I guess ”

With his analysis complete the fellblood can clearly see through the grem’s defenses and movements. Every breath and second has been calculated for and without warning the fellblood speeds straight towards the grem in an instant so fast that he appears behind him. He was holding the smiling scimitar in his hand and placing it back into its sheath.

“Ha looks like you missed you stupid oof, all that talk and for what-”, but before the grem could proclaim his victory he looked down and noticed that blood was gushing from his stomach. He steps back in panic only for his upper body and lower body to slide away from each other as they fall to the floor dead completely cut in half by the fellblood’s slash (1).

The azure fellblood scoffs as he picks up Theseus from the dead grem’s hands. He lets a large smoke cloud come from his mouth before he starts laughing manically, “I told him that stupid fuck that I’d kill him in a second. He thought I was playing around like this was a little game. Man, this new generation sure is getting weaker it’d take at least two sword slashes to cut someone in half back in my day”.

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1. Heart Seeker

Schloooorp..!

The top half of the Grem slides away from the bottom half.

Thud!

It lands on the ground in front of Das, followed by the Grem’s knees buckling, and the lower half collapsing. The Grem gasps for air, blood pooling around each of his halves. His hands do little to keep Theseus from Javal. Das looks on in horror, stunned to see that the good natured man who invited him along to help defend the outpost could take someone down so callously. It reminds him of the leader of his band of Red Riders. Das’s one eye locks with the shock-ridden eyes of the Grem as the last sign of life leaves them. Hesitantly, he reaches over and brushes the Grem’s eyelids closed. “You fought well,” he murmurs.

Taking a deep breath, Das collects himself back to his feet and gathers his sword before looking at Javal with an air of caution in his movements. With a glance around, he can see the battle starting to die down, but it’s not quite over yet. A couple of raiders who saw Javal cleave a man in two with little effort have turned and run. They’re not worth pursuing.

“It’s not over yet,” Das says, gripping his greatsword in both hands, shaking from exhaustion and a twinge of fear. Courage is to do something in spite of fear. He can keep fighting even if he’s weary.

The azure fellblood doesn’t even look back at Das as he closes the grem’s eyelids just calling out, “No the fuck he didn’t not at all, that loser tried to beat you and that other weakling up and thought he was oh so strong. Took a real demon like me to show what real power looks like. If you’re going to talk like that you better have something to back it up otherwise you’re just going to get crushed”.

He would then hold both blades in his hands, scouring the field, eyes sharp and scouting for his next opponent or in his eyes his next prey. A bunch of scaredy cats got intimidated by his show of brutality which only served to irritate the figure even more. All these guys are just made of talk talk and more talk he failed to see anything real.

“Yeah, I sure hope this isn’t over because I’m not tired yet enough to let that weakling have control just yet. Just do me a favor little guy and just try not to get in my way alright? That goofy fellow seems to like you and I don’t want to torture him just yet. So for now you live as long as you don’t get caught in my blade’s range”.

Immediately just as he finished speaking he felt the killing intent of someone right behind him, the fellblood melted into a puddle (1) and nearly avoided getting hit morphing into a water serpent as he curled his body against his new opponent.

“YOU MONSTER, YOU KILLED HIM”, a voice would cry out with anger and despair in her tone. A lizardfolk bandit armed with a large hammer glares at ‘Javal’ and Das desperately trying to bat the water snake off of herself. Javal wraps around her neck and reforms into his flesh and blood self, kicking her in the back and causing her to stumble forward.

“Oh, who? That guy? Yeah, I kinda did well if it’s any consolation to you you’re going to meet him in hell in a few moments”, the fellblood cackles maniacally as he wields both of his blades in his hands ready to tear another weakling apart.

---

1. Liquidate

There is something seriously wrong with Javal, and the way that this new personality of his is talking makes Das think that it isn’t entirely him. Granted, he thought as much before, but now it’s confirmed. He doesn’t like it. The brutality reminds him of his band of Red Riders. They’re here to defend the outpost, not go on a murder spree. Is this the kind of person the Fighter’s Guild employs? Javal seems like the right person for it, but this other personality or entity or whatever is going on doesn’t.

When another raider attacks Javal from behind, Das whips his attention over and sees the bloodlust and killing intent in the other Fellblood. His gaze cuts back and forth between the lizardfolk woman and the Fellblood. How does he get the friendly, seemingly honorable guy back in charge??

Hoping to distract, Das rushes forward and puts himself between the woman and Javal. “You need to run!!” Das shouts at the lizardfolk. “There’s no honor in dying to someone who doesn’t see you as a worthy opponent!! Get out of here with your life or you’ll join the Grem fellow!” Then he looks at Javal. “This bloodlust won’t solve anything. Let the other guy have his mind back!”

The azure fellblood looks at Das with disgust as he tries to make peace between him and his opponent.

He calls with callousness in his tone, “First off kid I’m not tired enough yet to switch places so unfortunately you’re stuck with me until I get my fill of bloodlust. Next, I’m gonna clue you in on a little life lesson so listen in, that lady and I are never going to leave this place with at least one of us dead. I killed her buddy and now she wants a piece of me so I say we skip the crap and just go at it. Plus I mean these guys ain’t no saints there here to do the same thing I’m doing to them, hurt. Something that has not changed since the time I was around and that’s fighting and conflict as long as someone has the urge to fight someone always has to go down”.

He then turns to the lizardfolk lady and cackles, “Ain’t that right? Just running behind with your tail between your legs ain’t gonna soothe your friend's death until I’m dead?”.

The lizardfolk woman grunts in agreement, not shaking a bit at her resolve for vengeance, “Shut up both of you, and face the wrath of my hammer for Gurf”, she says wildly charging toward Javal with her hammer shoulder first (A1).

The fellblood only grins in malicious excitement as she grows closer, “Come on then let’s see if you’ll give me more of a challenge than your dead pathetic friend”.

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A1. Shoulder to the Plow