Unyielding

"I'll never stop... it's always been a part of me - I can't give it up."

He cackled again like a madman, while Tracey gently put her, still slightly bloodied, sword's tip gently against his neck.

"You're beaten... admit defeat and heed the order."

He stopped laughing and went deadly serious, staring at her with his cold eyes.

"I admit my defeat here... but I'll never follow your order...!"

Tracey felt her anger bubble a little, and kept her flattened blade on his skin, safely standing on his recently rendered useless arm's side.

It did happen from time to time, that a victorious one's order wasn't heeded, but as it was both honour bound and expected, it was very often followed, but perhaps Toby Salazar didn't have any honour or common sense in the first place.

"It is a need, a different... separate part of me, a part I can't make go away... I have to do what I'm best at... to everyone I can!"

"You're a cold hearted murderer! Do the right thing and stop it already!"

Tracey lost her cool and yelled down at him, while he just stared up at her angered face.

He was a complete opposite to her; as she wanted no harm to come to anyone, to stop the pain and tragedy, while he just dealt it out everywhere he went.

"Don't hurt anyone anymore!"

"I'm telling you - no-one can control it..."

"Then these Beastmen can take you away, lock you up somewhere, so you can never hurt another ever again..."

Tracey's shouted words sparked a slight distress in his face, while the previously stunned trio of watchers shuffled into action.

"Drag him to Kibble, and throw him in a cell."

"What for - who is he...? Who are you?"

The slightly shabby haired and rough voiced Dog-man approached, tentatively.

"He's a crazed murderer, who was about to slip into your hut and try to kill you all..."

The other accompanying guards looked to one another and then went for him, pinning him securely.

"I've come from Yarn, to stop him from killing every innocent life he could get a hold of."

Tracey took her blade away, so the other guards could get a good grip on his arms, and start to remove his still remaining knifes he had hidden under his vest.

Toby still kept his eyes locked onto Tracey, with some slight feeling amid the cold blue.

"You don't look like you're from Yarn...?"

Tracey flashed her stat's parchment for the enquiring dag, who went wide-eyed at the close and brilliant silver.

"Oh my... yes we'll do whatever you need us to..."

The two holding guardsmen eventually yanked him upward, after making a small pile of another dozen or so weapons from him, but still on his knees, he started to resist again.

"You can't do this to me... I... I can still find a way... l will!"

Salazar suddenly jerked his head, clipping his left-side holder, who let his grip loose, enough for the crazy Human to lean away from the other, that his next sudden move; to lurch his opposite elbow up - finding the other woolly topped ones chin, making him let go too, and while Tracey stepped towards him again still with her sword at the ready, he just creepily smiled at her.

"This is on you!"

He had just enough strength in his battered and red fingers to grab yet another hidden, all iron coloured blade from his opposite sleeve, before unexpectedly placing it to his chest, as he let himself fall forward toward the hard ground, and be impaled by it.

A disturbing sound filled the night, before his smile slowly faded, and he went completely limp.

He... killed himself...? Whoa...!

Tracey felt mortified, since she'd never closely witnessed a death, and even though it was a horrendous monster's end, she was still strongly disturbed by it.

"What... do we do with him now?"

One of the dog featured men asked, and rolled him over to make sure he'd passed, making Tracey almost sick at the sight of so much dark blood.

"Uh... bury him... I suppose..."

Tracey wandered off alone then, back towards the road, but stopped when her tightly held sword clipped the small gap in the wood fence.

She wiped the last trace of blood off of her sword on the mossy side, and then put it away safely, before her daze wore off, and she did vomit a little by the open gate.

"You look horrible, what happened?"

Amanda asked, coming over to Tracey the moment she woke.

Tracey meanwhile hadn't had a blink of sleep, and did feel completely run down from the night's events, and barely acknowledged Amanda's concerns.

"I... I'll tell you later..."

She looked about, noting the little audience she had, and didn't want to remember much anyway, still feeling queasy and especially in front of several total strangers.

Although she didn't feel like having food, Tracey did force a little down, and watched as the camp was packed up around her, reflecting that she felt as bad as what these unfortunate people looked.

It didn't take too long to find the remaining force, that looked just as battered and tired, many lazed about the small village they'd come to, devoid of the locals, but still intact, as it currently housed those who'd made it so far.

All in all, there had been a structured system among them, at the beginning, that had broken down almost completely, but a few 'leaders' remained, none of them had any ambitious intent or patriotic pride anymore, as it had been whittled away, and all that was left was a need to last out for as long as possible. Two such men of slight respect amongst this lot, a Lamar Beacher and Hugo Desna, quickly realised that Amanda and Tracey's recent experience and success was a huge asset, so they fell into line behind them without any fuss, giving whatever details and information the two younger women needed.

They informed them on several important facts, including that out of an initial group of 330 who had left from the Empire, there was currently 146 remaining - mostly regular army people, so decent and disciplined fighting men, and they remained the bulk of the group. While most of those who'd joined their number and 'tagged along' had already fallen or vanished, just like the one loss from the previous day.

Tracey said nothing when the scouting party's leader, Henry, reported another volunteer's apparent disappearance, though it was odd that he referred to the missing man a Toby Smithing, not Salazar. But to the others, he was just one more scout, that had either deserted or been mauled, so nothing more was said about him at all after that.

Strange... after all his talk of being historic... he chose anonymity... I, slightly, wonder why...?

It had also been unclear how word had gotten to this large group that an incoming opposing army was approaching them, as the odd messages they'd erratically been received all apparently came from behind them, from the north and thus the Empire.

Apart from all the misery and misfortune, things actually looked to be improving for the fairly professional band, as mid exchange of information; a collection of cheers sounded in the village, when an escorted convoy arrived, with several horse hauled wagons rolling into the main street, delivering many things - including a message for the Empire's Hero.