Days later, Bul-Kathos took a stack of documents from Coulson, tossed them under the table to prop a leg, and portaled his truck to Harrogath. While Jill was at school, he'd race the mountain's slopes. The thrill surpassed riding Johanna's borrowed horse. Without windows—gem grinding was too tedious—snow blasted his face, paired with liquor, defining his days.
"Bul-Kathos, speed up!" Mokot stood on the hood, waving Merciless's phantom, roaring to test if Zilani's Chain's speed boost could apply. In the truck bed, Madoc and Anda Kurgas pounded the cab, yelling for more speed.
"Damn it, forge your own!" Bul-Kathos floored it, the pickup jolting over a boulder. Madoc and Anda bounced airborne, landing back in the bed.
"That's it!" "Again!" they cheered. The truck became Harrogath's ancestors' favorite toy, a novelty in their endless afterlife. Each return, Bul-Kathos hunted for it, never knowing where they'd driven it overnight.
Hitting a larger rock, the truck tipped into the snow. The ancestors flashed to solid ground. Bul-Kathos kicked open the door, climbing out. "My turn!" Madoc shouted, flipping the truck upright. Mokot resumed his war cries on the hood.
"Madoc, train your heir!" Anda yanked Madoc's beard.
A clash of axe and blade erupted—ancestor brawls were common lately. "I gave that fool to Talic!" Madoc roared, swinging Madoc's Sorrow at Anda. "Not Talic's heir—yours! You're a headache dead!" Anda countered with Oathkeeper's phantom.
"I'm dead—should I still guard the gate?" Their weapons clanged across the mountain.
"I'm out! Xia!" Mokot roared, speeding off in the truck. Madoc and Anda kept fighting, trading insults. Bul-Kathos chugged liquor, grumbling, and left.
"I'm Luke Cage. What's your name?" Luke swung his blade, stirring snow, addressing Rumlow, who wielded a hand axe nearby.
"…" Rumlow stayed silent.
"Say something!" Luke pressed.
"…"
Talic watched them train, unfazed by Luke's chatter. "Talic, where'd you find this guy?" Luke asked.
Talic remained stoic, observing their disciplined swings.
Elsewhere, Matthew emerged bloodied from a trial, having passed Raekor's test. He stayed for her guidance, her combat tips invaluable. Now five times stronger, his Nephalem blood pushed him beyond human limits. With experience and gear, he surpassed Madame Gao.
"Matthew, handle your affairs. Your friends must be worried," Raekor said, her face softening. Despite his blindness, he'd dodged a wraith's molten fire. "Did you grab that legendary gear?"
"What?" Matthew had heard a chime but sensed only heat, avoiding it. When it faded, he left the trial.
"Leoric's Crown! You missed it?" Raekor gasped. Non-original legendaries were usable by whoever saw them, and she'd memorized their forms. "Sorry…" Matthew said.
"No fate with it, then," Raekor sighed. "Find Bul-Kathos to return. No time for portal spells now." Disappointed, she vanished to process her regret—Leoric's Crown was her greatest.
"Congratulations, Barbarian Matthew. I, Raekor, acknowledge you," she'd said before fading.
Matthew, nursing wounds, headed to the stone hut he shared with Luke, ready to return to Hell's Kitchen after urging Luke to pass his fifth trial. He yearned to see the Hand fall.
(Chapter End)
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