Chapter 43 - Another One Bites The Dust

“Make sure Euryale watches this.”

Witt’s voice was ice cold.

“You sure?”

“She needs to learn what happens when someone gets in my way.” He looked over at Xorn. “And he’s going to learn that NO ONE threatens my daughter!”

“Geez…tone down the yandere dad mode.” Ariadne pulled the demon’s hair to the side to turn Euryale’s head towards Xorn and her father.

“Ha! You can’t even pierce my skin with that toothpick of a sword! Some hero…” Xorn readied his mace as Witt approached him. He looked entirely unafraid.

“You know what? I’m probably not a hero. Not really. I wasn’t even supposed to be summoned. I just got dragged along when some asshats tried to steal my daughter from me.”

He raised his sword, holding it over his head parallel to the ground, ready to strike out at Xorn.

“But do you know what I learned?”

In the span of a blink Witt disappeared from in front of Xorn and appeared far behind him. Too far to be within sword reach.

Xorn looked down.

Somehow his left shoulder was bleeding. He turned to look at Witt, surprise lit his face as he pressed his right hand over the wound and felt blood, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“I learned that I didn’t arrive with some grand power to take out armies of demons…”

He flicked the blood off his sword by slicing it towards the ground.

“…but over time. Well, let’s just say that when you showed up unexpectedly today I haven’t once been frightened.”

Witt vanished again. Again he appeared well behind Xorn. Only this time Xorn’s right leg had been pierced between his hip and knee. The wound wouldn’t be fatal but the sharp intake of breath and the wobble of his stance made it clear to those watching that it hurt.

“How are you?…”

“Curious how I am slashing you? It’s easy, once you get the hang of it. I’m just teleporting more than once as I thrust my blade. Neat trick, isn’t it? Took two months of practice just to avoid throwing up.”

Witt smiled widely but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Or maybe you’re wondering how I can hurt you at all? Am I moving too fast for you to notice?”

He slowly held his sword in front of him and it glowed white, the glow extending past the blade making it far longer than usual.

“See, I may not be the hero, but I certainly picked up a few heroic tricks along the way.”

His sword glowed even brighter and longer, so much so that it hurt for Xorn to look at it. The aura it was giving off was overwhelming. It seemed to radiate an energy that Xorn felt was anathema to his very existence.

Witt calmly walked towards Xorn this time.

“So my old job, my old life, involved me having to read people constantly. Evaluate them. Predict them.” He swished his sword down menacingly as he walked closer.

“Discipline them.”

Witt’s eyes narrowed as he stood right in front of Xorn.

“Once I figured out these abilities I could have tried fighting you. Or her.” He jerked his thumb towards Euryale. “Even Taia or your viscount.”

“But like I said. I don’t care about saving this world. By the time I arrived all the nobles were pretty much gone anyway. And why would I want to save a world that tried to steal my daughter?”

Xorn held his mace at the ready, waiting for Witt to come close enough, hoping the man was too distracted by his own talking.

“So instead I watched you. Studied you. Figured out how I would plan to use each of you. After today the first part of our plan will be done. I’ll use Euryale to get information. And Taia is going to help me find new summoners, whether she realizes it or not.”

“And me? What was your plan for me?” Xorn spoke smugly, daring Witt to tell him how he planned to manipulate him.

“Honestly, my original plan was to ignore you. You’re just a guard. Big whoop. Kill you and another takes your place. Why even spare you a second thought? I would have been just as happy to keep taking your money at cards.”

Xorn looked offended, incensed even, that he didn’t matter. “What?!”

“But don’t worry Xorn. The moment you threatened my daughter I thought of something you could do very nicely.”

Tired of listening Xorn held his mace high and brought it down towards Witt’s exposed head.

Witt didn’t vanish. Didn’t even try to dodge.

Instead he simply thrust his sword forward at the demon with incredible speed. The blade flashed white for moment, just long enough to let the blade sink deep into Xorn’s throat just below his jaw.

The tip pierced clean through the back of Xorn’s neck, severing his brainstem in an instant.

The demon didn’t even have enough time to look surprised. He simply dropped to his knees and stayed precariously balanced, held up only by the blade still in his throat.

An eerie silence filled the area. The demon didn’t scream. Didn’t even cough. The brutal efficiency, utterly lacking in sound or even blood splatter, was somehow more terrifying to the woman forced to watch.

Witt dramatically withdrew his blade and the demon slumped to his side.

Xorn’s eyes were still wide open.

The image seared into Euryale’s mind. After several slow, agonizing moments she let out a blood curdling scream.

Silea was forced to cover her ears, despite how far she was compared to either Witt or Ariadne. But somehow those two appeared unaffected by what seemed like a banshee’s wail.

Witt walked towards Euryale who started weeping uncontrollably.

“You see Euryale…Xorn could serve a purpose after all.” Witt switched back to his friendly demeanour, despite what he had just done. “He can be all the proof you need that I am not here to be some anti-demon hero. Because I could have done that all along if that were the case. But I think I have also now shown you that I am someone you never…ever…want to oppose.”

By now he was standing over her. A slow trickle of blood dripped from the edge of his blade in front of her face which was still held close to the ground.

“So what we’re going to do is have you use all your demon connections to track down anyone and anything I need. And you’ll keep quiet about me and my daughter here.” He pointed at Ariadne but Euryale was too busy sobbing to raise her head.

Witt leaned down and lifted her chin. It was gentler than she expected.

“But don’t worry little murderer. I’ll keep protecting you from your big bad demon friends. Can’t have you being arrested. And we’ll still have cards on Saturday of course.”

“C…cards? You want me to sit across from you and play…cards? You just killed Xorn!”

Witt glanced over at the corpse.

“Hmm, you’re right. We’ll need a fourth, won’t we. Good point.”

He looked over at Ariadne.

“What do you think? Finally time you learn poker?”

“Wait, you want me to join?”

“Sure, why not? I mean, you’re terrible at hiding the fact that you’re my daughter. And both Warlock’s buddies and Taia might think Orpheus is a liability soon. So I was thinking we can have poor Orpheus killed off dramatically and then a friendly guild master takes you in and adopts you. What do you think? You could be my daughter publicly that way!”

“I don’t know…do I want everyone thinking I’m the daughter of some womanizing scoundrel?”

“Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.”

“Ugh, don’t quote movie lines right now dad. Aren’t you busy terrifying this poor woman?” She nodded down at her charge.

“Nah, we’re done that for now. If there’s one thing I picked up managing people is that there’s only so far you can push. Leave her and let’s go home.” He looked down at Euryale. “You’re on your own to get back. Just tell everyone Warlock did this. Should do the trick. I’ll be in touch.”

Ariadne stood. “Ok, but we need to talk about the flirting thing you do as Witt.”

“What? Why? It’s useful.”

“It’s creepy because I know you don’t mean it. Can’t you at least try sometimes to tone it down when I’m around? Or at least flirt for real if you find a nice woman?”

He rolled his eyes as they started walking over to Silea. “Not this again. Daddy isn’t exactly in a good dating place right now kid. I mean, I’m running a guild, an info brokerage, even a rebel cell or two! Plus parenting!”

Ariadne sighed as she sliced Silea’s remaining bindings off.

“Sorry it took a few days to free you. Let’s get you home. And don’t worry about my dad, he just likes to act like that. He’ll take good care of you.”