Adrian wanted to deal with the Tulkas, but by the ti they arrived in the settlent, things weren’t as Adrian had expected.
Fire and smoke billowed from several buildings, casting an eerie glow against the dark sky. The rain poured down relentlessly, dousing the flas in so places but failing to extinguish the fire entirely.
A third of the settlent lay in ruins, the charred remains of hos smouldering amidst the downpour. Despite the destruction, the rest of the village stood relatively intact, which bothered Adrian the most.
As Adrian surveyed the scene, a disturbing thought crossed his mind. It almost seed like those places had been intentionally set on fire to give any intruders a false sense of the Tulkas being an easy target. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he beca of their involvent.
Standing on a tree, Adrian could see the people of the settlent, undeterred by the devastation, scurrying about, tending to the wounded and salvaging what they could from the wreckage.
"Sothing’s off," he mumbled, climbing down from the tree. "They most likely know about us, or at least ."
"That’s...not good," A’Mila sighed.
Their entire attack was planned around the elent of surprise. But if they had lost that edge, then charging into the settlent would have been the worst decision they could have made.
"Maybe we should retreat-" one of the council persons spoke, but Akila cut them off.
"That’s not an option," he said. "If they already know about us, they will soon attack us. It’s better to take advantage of whatever little benefit we’d have now and be done with it."
People nodded, agreeing with Akila’s decision. But A’Mila raised her hand, silencing them before turning towards Adrian.
"What do you think?"
"...I’ll go alone-"
"That’s not happening-" A’Mila intervened, but Adrian wasn’t in the mood to argue.
"They are expecting , not you lot. If I go there, they should drop their guard," Adrian continued. "It’ll allow you to attack them, and that’s that."
Akila and Shu nodded in agreent. He hadn’t shared Banurs’ part in it with anyone, not even Alia and Sophia. So the Tulkas tribe wouldn’t see their attack coming.
And even if they did, they wouldn’t anticipate the elves teaming up with the Banurs. So, as long as Adrian showed up, the tribe wouldn’t be able to retaliate against their assault.
"Fine... but take this with you," A’Mila sighed, handing Adrian a hand cannon—an overpowered handheld firework. "Use this before engaging them so we know when to attack."
Adrian nodded and stored the explosive in his inventory. He then instructed Fenris to stay before he used [Mimic] to enter the settlent undetected. However, a horrifying sight awaited him as he made his way to the square.
’...this can’t be happening...’
He hadn’t been able to see that far before, but Adrian was glad he didn’t, or else he didn’t know what he’d have done.
Several severed heads were grotesquely decorated around the main square, mounted on spikes, a morbid display of Tulkas’ brutality. Most of the heads belonged to the captured heroes, while the rest were of the Nexarians who were living amongst the tribes. Tears welled in Adrian’s eyes as he saw his friends, their faces contorted in pain.
"No... NO!"
Adrian forgot all about his camouflaged state and ran towards one of the heads. His heart sank as he recognized Sara’s head, her once vibrant eyes of the naga were now lifeless, her expression frozen in a state of agony.
"...I’m sorry... I’m sorry..."
Tears flowed through his eyes, mingling with the rain as he approached her face with trembling hands. mories flooded his mind—of Sara’s laughter, her unwavering courage, and the hope in her eyes when they had last spoken.
He rembered the promise he had made to her, the promise to rescue her from the clutches of Tulkas and bring her to safety. And now, that promise lay shattered at his feet, along with Sara’s lifeless remains.
"They’ll pay for this..." Adrian silently whispered, closing Sara’s eyes.
The sight of Sara’s head ignited a fire within Adrian—a fire fueled by grief and unadulterated rage. His hands curled into fists, his chest heaving with each ragged breath. All thoughts of not punishing the innocent left his mind.
He had promised to hand over the Tulkas to the Banurs, but those thoughts had vanished at that mont. There was only one thing left—the burning desire for vengeance.
However, that wasn’t all. Adrian’s gaze shifted to the centre, where Sophia and Alia hung, their bodies battered and bruised, but they were alive. Yet, they won’t be for long.
One of Alia’s hands had been brutally torn off, while the other was nailed to the tree. Sophia’s face was swollen beyond recognition, her eyes shut. Their breaths were ragged and desperate, as if clinging to what little life they had left in them.
The Tulkas’ entire combat force was assembled around the tree. Ahuli, Skaha, Suhi... everyone was there. But they weren’t the only ones as Vincent and Clara were sitting beside them and at that mont Adrian knew what had happened there.
’That bastard sold them out...’ Adrian thought, his fists clenched at his sides, knuckles turning white with fury.
’...’
At that mont, Adrian didn’t know what to do. Then, out of nowhere, his chest tightened. It was a familiar feeling, and the system confird his doubts.
[WARNING: Emotional instability detected. The system advises the User to regain control before Minotaur instincts override rational thought and trigger [Soul Devourer] skill.]
With a deep breath, Adrian forced himself to focus, to push aside the overwhelming emotions threatening to consu him. He couldn’t afford to lose control now, not when Sophia and Alia’s lives hung in the balance.
But that didn’t an he would let them get away with it. He retrieved the explosive from his inventory, got inside a broken house to shelter himself from the rain, and lit it before hurling it towards the square.
A loud explosion followed with confused cries from the tribals as they were alerted. The smoke faded as Ahuli and the rest were confused, and a stranger appeared before them.
"That’s him!" Vincent yelled. "He’s Adrian, the one I told you about!"
The tribe’s gaze shot towards Adrian, who silently walked in front. His gaze fell upon Vincent and Clara, his eyes devoid of emotion as if carved from stone.
"I’m going to kill you," he said. His voice was cold and void of emotions, barely above a whisper, yet they heard him clearly over the noise of the rain. "And by the ti I’m done, there won’t be enough left of you to recognize, let alone bury."
Vincent and Clara recoiled at the venom in Adrian’s tone, their faces pale with fear. They had never seen him like this before, his usual warmth replaced by an icy resolve that sent shivers down their spines.
Without waiting for a response, Adrian turned towards Ahuli as he continued, "The sa goes for you... all of you."
But unlike Vincent and Clara, Ahuli didn’t recoil in fear. Instead, he broke down laughing.
"Take a look around before you speak, traitor!" Ahuli yelled. "You’re already dead, and soon your head will be amongst your friends!"
"Traitor? How am I a traitor when I never belonged to your pathetic tribe?" Adrian began laughing like a maniac. "But don’t fret. Soon enough, you and your sorry tribe won’t be around to worry about betrayals anymore."
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