Hudson POV:
The battle was both excruciatingly painful and exhilarating. From the moment it began, Shawn and I had to use every skill in our arsenal to slay the beast. Without Shawn's help, I know I would have failed. He played his role perfectly, and it surprised me to see him looking at me with newfound inspiration. I hoped that my fight had given him a few ideas on how to pursue his own path.
It seemed after enough battles, one could naturally regenerate. Shawn stared at me in shock as he watched my minor cuts heal themselves. Unfortunately, the larger wounds inflicted by the goats required external help to stop the bleeding.
It was then that Shawn broke the silence. "Yo, Hudson. How are we supposed to carry this beast back to the settlement?" I laughed, not because of the question itself, but because I hadn't even considered Jacob calling us liars when we returned with the news. So, we did what had to be done.
Since Shawn's strength stat was higher than mine, he became our impromptu porter, dragging the beast's corpse back with us. Of course, I wasn't so shameless as to let him do all the work.
I carried the heads. The journey back was relatively smooth, though incredibly tiring and arduous due to the 12-ton weight we were dragging.
Michael stood at the gate, his figure stiff and unnatural, like a sentinel guarding a terrible secret. His eyes flicked to the beast behind us, widening in a mix of disbelief and dread.
"You're not supposed to be alive," he stammered, his voice filled with fear. He glanced between us and then noticed the hulking mass behind us, his eyes widening with terror. Jacob was hiding something, something that would incite our rage. Michael charged at us with desperation, clearly intent on hiding whatever secret the settlement was keeping. Shawn and I exchanged a glance, knowing we were thinking the same thing. I was Michael's target. He must have thought I would hesitate since I had never killed before. He was only half right. Without hesitation, I swung my blade toward his neck, decapitating him in a single motion my blade tore through his neck effortlessly, flesh stretching, bone cracking as his head became weightless under my blade, his face still crumpled with desperation, a nightmarish expression as it rolled against the dirt. His body folded in on itself, his sword slapped against my shoulder weightlessly, the sound cracking in the air. Blood spurting from the stump of his head pooling into the dirt staining it black. His eyes twitched absently as his head rolled to a standstill. A deafening silence filled the air, time froze.
I had just killed a man.
My thoughts were in turmoil. I had just killed a man, a man who was probably just doing his job. But he pointed his blade at me; he wanted to hide something from me, from us. That didn't change the fact that I had committed a sin. A deep, gnawing fear coiled within me, a beast of its own, threatening to consume my resolve. But I couldn't afford to falter, not now. Not with the storm of chaos I could feel looming just over the horizon. I didn't hesitate; it felt natural, as if it was the best solution. I didn't even attempt to reason. But the worst part was that this wouldn't end with one death. I could no longer rely on reason, even though I knew that's what I should do. Today was the start of a war, and even though I didn't start it, I had to finish it. I was a murderer.
As I stood frozen, Shawn shook me back to my senses. Shawn's hand tightened on his weapon, his knuckles white. "Hudson…" His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of something, fear, determination, just beneath the surface. "We have to do this. You know it as well as I do." I looked into his eyes and saw that despite his fear, there was a steely resolve, a courage to continue down the path of war. We weren't prepared for this, but we had to steel ourselves for what was to come.
We ran inside, trying to gather our bearings. At first, everything seemed normal, but something was unsettling. The camp was unsettlingly quiet, as if the very air had thickened with anticipation.
The usual clamour of voices and laughter had died away, replaced by a heavy, oppressive silence. It was as if the camp was no longer filled with empowered individuals but rather with ordinary humans.
This caused both Shawn and me to slow down. While I hoped for a peaceful resolution, we both knew it wasn't possible, so we decided to walk around and gather clues.
"Maybe they know where the twins are?" Shawn suggested.
"Right now, they only know that we're a party." At this point I thought about all the knowledge I gained, and then as if by the will of the gods who were watching an idea came to me, "Have you ever heard of the Trojan horse?" I didn't know at this point, but a smile slowly crept on my face.
Shawn reluctantly nodded, probably because he couldn't see a better option. Much to our surprise, however, Jacob approached us silently. I hadn't even sensed him. He slowly opened his mouth.
Before we even braced ourselves for our crazy plan, a figure approached and I froze.
"I expected nothing less from you," he said, clapping slowly as his eyes rested on my stained sword. "I take it Michael's dead? useless buffoon, probably would have claimed the kills for himself" he chuckled as he approached. "Now, time to see your party members? a deals a deal" he says, taking control immediately.
Jacob was clever. He had anticipated our plans and made countermeasures in advance. If both of us went along with him now, we'd be dancing in the palm of his hand, a truly fearsome foe. To throw him off track, I had to play a dangerous card. I had already planted the seed of the plan in Shawn's mind, but I silently prayed that he saw the genius behind my madness.
"Never said I needed those bitches?" Shawn whipped his head, Jacob raised an eyebrow in response. But I don't need to play by his rules, "We were basically strangers two weeks ago, did you really think that we are a family? They aren't your daughters either." I needed him to play along, he knew I had my plan, let's just pray he understood it.
"You and I have a lot to chat about, let Shawn grab the kids." I then held up my stained blade, letting it rest on my shoulder, as I slowly moved towards jacob, "i'm getting good at hunting, last i checked, there's a job opening." Jacob stared down at me and the longer he stared the more my facade became reality.
I hoped the man who claimed he was an orator was arrogant enough to believe me, to think he could manipulate me into doing his bidding. Time seemed to stretch as I waited, each second a lifetime. Jacob's face remained impassive, unreadable. At least until the corner of his mouth twitched into a small, knowing grin. The game had just begun.
"I suppose we do need to chat, hudson" I smiled, knowing I had never given him my name, another reason to be cautious "okay grandpa go get the kids," He waved at his subordinates, dismissing them. The stage was set
Beep!
A certain goddess is displeased with your plan but acknowledges it.
A certain god is laughing with curiosity, eager to see how your plan unfolds.
A shiver ran down my spine as the message appeared, the goddess's disapproval like a cold whisper against my skin. I now knew that I was being watched, and that even some of the gods understood my plan. As I followed Jacob as we entered a tent, taking a seat across from him, a hand of mine clenched under the table holding my leg still. Jacob sat, leaned back comfortably as he eyed me. I knew I had to use every survival skill I had to make this work. High stakes as usual, nothing I hadn't dealt with before these trials. I leaned forwards studying him. Seeing my reflection in him, the no man's land between us, a wordless struggle for powerAfter what felt like an eternity we heard a loud crash
Jacob quickly addressed me with a smile. "It seems your friend is far more loyal than I assumed. He's causing me some trouble. What do you say? Do you want to kill your old accomplice for a better one?"
I paused for a few seconds before responding. "Right," I said leaning back " I'm not taking orders from a fraud, you have not impressed the gods, did you honestly think you impressed me?"I scoffed.
Jacob was stunned for a moment, and before he could summon his guards, I grabbed him by the throat, my grip tightening with every word, feeling the pulse of his fear beneath my fingers. I could feel the anger simmering, rising with every breath, but I kept it controlled, a weapon to be unleashed at the right moment.
"How stupid do you think I am, Jacob?" My voice was low, almost calm, but beneath it was a current of barely restrained rage. "I've seen the way you look at them… like they're trophies to be collected, not people." I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You never even bothered to hide your intentions, did you? Thought you could manipulate us, use us like pawns in your little game."
Each word dripped with venom, my fury boiling just beneath the surface, threatening to spill over."And you know what? That's what pisses me off the most." I squeezed tighter, watching the fear flicker in his eyes, feeding the fire within me. "You're arrogant, Jacob. Arrogant enough to think you could control us. Me" I felt the rage surging, but I forced myself to stay focused, to use it as fuel. "But you've underestimated me. I'm not just some pawn in your game, I'm the one who's going to end it."
I could see his hand trembling as he reached for his knife. My other hand shot out, grabbing his wrist with a crushing force. "You really thought you could stab me, didn't you? Pathetic." The words were spat out, sharp and cold, a reflection of the fury building inside.
I leaned in even closer, "Now listen to me, and listen well, because these are the last words you'll ever hear." My voice was a deadly calm, the kind that comes before a storm tears everything apart. "I'm going to kill you, Jacob. And then, I'm going to walk out of here with my party, and there's nothing you or your men can do to stop me. If anyone tries to get in our way…" I let the threat hang in the air, the promise of violence unspoken but clear. "This won't be a hunt, Jacob. It won't even be a war. It'll be a massacre, and I'll make sure every last one of them knows it was you who brought it upon them."
My eyes locked onto his, and I saw the terror there, but I didn't care. The last shred of control slipped from my grasp as I crushed his throat with a final, brutal squeeze, the snap of cartilage like the crack of thunder heralding the storm to come. But even as the rage consumed me, I knew this was just the beginning. The plan wasn't over, and I wasn't done. Not yet.
Beep!
Sub-Mission: War against Earth Tutorial Settlement.
Pass: Upgraded armour.
Failure: Death.
[May the ancient deities of all realms guide you.]