Adventure of Rekka Ch. 10

“Thanks, Marcus. I think you could be a good hero if you keep it up. If my opinion matters a damn. I’m outta here, you two have fun. Just fucking stay in here, fucking hell, that’s all I ask,” Bill begged, not waiting for a response as he walked out the door, worry eating at his mind.

-

“Alright, when you get a chance, round up the ogres. Their only job is to sit around this house doing whatever the fuck they want waiting for him to bust out of there. If he does, tell them to swing away. I’ll forgive anything if they stop him from hurting anyone. Tell them that. We’re going to take full advantage of their anti-social behavior for this one,” Bill ordered, nodding at Sarah and Scipio.

Bill was beginning to like his new guests, but he didn’t like them enough to give them a chance to hurt anyone. He didn’t worry too much about the ogres, they were tough as hell. They never seemed to be much the worse for wear after the lessons they received. They probably only started pulling their weight because they were tired of Bill shouting at them.

There were a lot more of them than he realized when he’d seen them at the gates this morning, Marky would have to be far better at unarmed combat than he’d shown to have a chance before they swarmed over him. They’d also love the chance to not work, just hang out catcalling the men and looking forward to killing Marcus. There were no better jailers he could think of.

“That is an excellent idea. We’ll finally get some use out of them beyond hauling stone when they can be bothered to leave the brig,” Scipio replied.

Despite their words the ogres had risen in their esteem simply because they had been some of the first to defend the gate when the hero was spotted. They were a lot of things, but cowards they were not. It was obvious they’d die for this town, and better yet, they’d kill for it. Bill always preferred that result for his allies. His enemies could try the other way, see how that worked out and get back to him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come, Bill? You don’t have to worry, I.. won’t hold back,” Sarah asked, uncomfortable but worried for her friends. She also wanted to see firsthand how Bill handled this, maybe he could make it less terrible. Her mommy could only tell her to listen to her heart, she would know when. Her heart was unhappy, and her mommy was never wrong.

“No, but thank you, Sarah, I mean that. You and Skippy need to keep this place running, I need you here to crack skulls in case anyone thinks it’s party time cause Rekka and Tabitha are heading out,” Bill explained. He was glad she wasn’t coming with, though he would more than appreciate her help in this. She wouldn’t learn anything he wanted to teach her this time. It depressed him she was involved in this at all, if Sarah didn’t hold back it wouldn’t be pretty. She was a beautiful person, it wasn’t right.

“Don’t worry, I highly doubt this is going to involve anything of use to you. I really hope that’s the case. Should be pretty straightforward. We’ll sit down later and throw stupid plans at the wall, see what sticks. You can come up with some smart ones for me, I’m curious how that works. I can just sneak in some pit traps and stupid distractions.”

Sarah shrugged, understanding but clearly not happy. She knew Bill would never believe her, but the other mamono respected him nearly as much as they feared any reprisals from his friends. The ogres actively avoided him after he’d spent quite a long time scolding them and threatened to have them booted from the community. They had no clue how to deal with a man that wasn’t afraid of them and clearly cared for them despite the crude insults he showered them with. They much preferred the beating Sarah and her friends had given them, they understood that.

They were very careful not to let him see them in large enough groups to concern him. She knew they’d jump to follow this order. Not only because they’d enjoy pummeling the hero to death, but also to get back into Bill’s good graces.

She was looking forward to his return for more reasons than one. Bill was so awful, he surprised her with his bottomless well of truly despicable ideas. He had beaten her with a stupid stunt, hurting himself to do it. He could have chosen to hurt her and her girls and achieved much the same thing. Later, he could have chosen to throw her and her girls at Scipio’s men; she would have been eager to do so, and Bill surely knew it.

It could have been so terribly different, and she would have never known how terribly wonderful it should be. He was a treasure beyond any she had stolen from her mommy. Priceless.

She doubted very much anyone would cause any problems while Bill was away, they knew he would be far less kind than if they tried anything while he was there. Her only concern was for her friends. She knew they would be safe. Bill would manage that easily, Rekka and Tabitha would make it nearly impossible for him to fail in this. Helena would heal their bodies if necessary.

She was sure only Rekka knew of the strain she saw Bill was feeling now. She had been trained very well to hide such things. Bill was good, far better than she or even her mommy. She was just good enough to see he was trying very hard, when before it had been effortless.

Bill had been very quick to hurt himself for her, before he even learned her name. Either of them. The surprising things he may do for those he loved did not bear thinking.

Rekka would surely be able to help him with this, if things would only calm down long enough for Bill to allow her.

Many people made the mistake of thinking Rekka’s people were driven by their rage. Her mommy had taught her well, prepared her so well for a future she no longer had to endure, but her lessons aided her still. Rage for a hellhound came easy. It was their power, their weapon they used to accomplish things they had no business being able to do. Sarah could crush every bone in Rekka’s body without straining herself, horrible as the thought was. Rekka would tear her apart regardless, something she would find horrible to think.

Sarah had been holding onto Rekka with all of her strength on that wall, she had begged her to.

When Bill surprised them all as he so naturally did, when he had actually attacked the man they knew would kill them all.. They had all been so sure his surprise would simply involve something so ridiculous as sending those two off with a smile and a wave, and no small amount of strange hand gestures for their turned backs. When Bill revealed his surprise to be something no one could see coming, Rekka's rage did not care how much stronger Sarah was. The valkyrie was very fortunate Bill was able to save her life. Rekka was astonishingly fast, fortunately for the valkyrie Bill’s strange mind was just a bit faster.

Sarah knew her anger would not allow her to simply ignore someone that had moments earlier been such a threat to her husband. Rekka’s terrible fierce rage was not so simple. She streaked right past the defeated angel, right into Bill to keep him safe. Minutes later you would not even know she had been anything but irritated at the two intruders interrupting her sleep.

Helena had healed her broken arm, it was no bother at all. Rekka did not need to know it had even happened. She was very, very glad that was the only price to be paid today. She was far more concerned for Bill. If only Rekka could simply teach him how to let his anger go. It did not fit him, and Rekka was hurting right along with him. She had to believe he could manage, if only because it would make Rekka happy.

She did not want her dear friend to surprise her. Not this time.

Bill smiled comfortingly to Sarah, giving her a wink before turning his attention to the new arrivals.

“Alright, thanks for coming. Ayla was it? Hey there, Virgil,” Bill greeted the harpy and her husband Virgilius who had been patiently waiting.

“Bill, hello! Bill!” Ayla replied from her perch on Virgilius’s shoulders as she preened and smiled at everyone. Clearly she was enjoying meeting everyone as she fussed with the burned plumage on one of her wings. Bill was certain she’d almost forgotten her earlier distress.

“No problem, happy to help. Ayla’s had quite a day it seems, glad she’s calmed down now,” Virgilius replied, patting a foot on his shoulder. Ayla immediately leaned down to give him a kiss, then began fussing with his hair. Bill felt like he was watching a five foot tall parakeet let out of its cage.

Bill was pleased to see her happy, it allowed him to almost ignore today’s stress.

“Seems like it, damn near gave me’n Larry a heart attack when she landed in front of us. Ayla, do you remember the Order? Can you tell us how many men there were? Why is your wing burnt?” Bill asked.

Helena had looked her over, and except for a little strain on her flight muscles she was fine. The burns were superficial to her feathers and caused her no actual pain.

“Whoa now, you’ll have to ask your questions one at a time, Bill. Despite what you’d think Ayla and her sisters aren’t.. slow. Far from it. She’s thinking very fast, but can’t focus very well it seems. Let me,” Virgilius informed him. Craning his neck to look her in the eye he spoke to her.

“Ayla, dear. Earlier, when you came back from scouting. You remember? What did you see, tell us about the Order, please?” he asked, speaking slowly but with a clear fondness for the woman as she looked into his eyes.

“Yes! The Order! They’re coming! I told Bill. He knows. They’re nearly here. Two hours? Less now, they were moving,” Ayla replied, looking about with a happy smile.

“Thank you Ayla, you did a great job warning us. Can you tell us how many men you saw, please?” Bill asked, mimicking the man’s way of speaking with calm friendliness. Virgil nodded, pleased.

Bill knew they weren’t two hours away. Harpies tended to count distance based upon how fast they could fly. Estimating by previous reports from excitable harpies he’d guess they were a couple days out, maybe more. Ayla could fly like a bat out of hell, and she surely pulled out all the stops for this.

“Ok! No problem! Seven? No! Eight! Eight! Two horses. Lots of metal,” Ayla happily answered.

“Great, good job Ayla. You’re a great scout. Can you tell me what happened to your wing? What burned you?” Bill asked.

“Yes! Thank you! I am a great scout! The best! All my sisters say so. Burned? Oh yeah! One of the Order saw me. I flew low, real low. I’m a great scout! Had to be sure. Something bright. Real bright! I was too fast! Got me a bit. Smells bad. Can’t fly as good now, but don’t worry! Soon! I’m a great scout!” she crowed happily, wanting to assure them she’d still be useful.

“Damn right you are, Ayla. The best. You just rest now, you did good. Proud of ya,” Bill assured her. “Thanks, Virgil. You take care of her. Ayla, next time you see the Order, no need to fly so low. Just knowing they’re there is enough, don’t want you getting hurt, ok?”

“Thank you, Bill. I really appreciate that. I worry sometimes, she’s too brave for her own good,” Virgilius replied.

“Ok! Thanks Bill! I’ll be better soon. I’m still fast! Won’t go so low next time, they’re fast too!” Ayla cheered, waving a wing as Virgilius wandered off with her towards the tavern.

Bill waved back as he watched them go, surprised to have had an actual conversation with a harpy for once. Clearly he was the stupid one for assuming they were, not surprised at all. The fact they had put up with his rambling disorganized classes without getting bored and being a distraction meant they had been listening with a focus he knew he was incapable of.

Looked like they had a bad case of ADHD. Maintaining very direct eye contact and speaking slowly seemed the best way to keep their attention. Like the rest of these people he didn’t deserve the honor of leading, they were doing their absolute best. He just wish they’d do a little better and elect someone else. Chuckling, he turned back to address the others.

“You called it, Skippy. Sounds like an eight man clean-up crew. That bright burning thing doesn’t sound good. It’s way too much like what that valkyrie did to my damn wall. Don’t suppose they’ve got one of her hanging out with them, do you?” Bill asked, not happy at the thought.

“Well, it isn’t unheard of. Not a valkyrie, of course, they only appear with heroes. As I said, less militant angels have been known to assist the Order on particularly hazardous missions. I very much doubt that is the case. They will consider this no more than a routine sweep, likely expecting no resistance left once a hero’s job was done,” Scipio explained. Thinking a moment he spoke.

“Perhaps a holy artifact or miracle the priest may be capable of. They likely have one with them, they are almost always part of an Order mission. Priests of the Chief God are capable of a great many things, and not all are the same. I’m afraid I cannot prepare you for what you may be dealing with. You must be careful.”

“Well, hell. Guess we have our primary target. Now, I’m thinking of a zealot in full plate with a morningstar and a fondness for fighting the undead. That what I should be expecting?” Bill asked.

“Full plate? No, the mounted paladins certainly, perhaps the templar infantry will be wearing some plate, but more likely chain. Priests are usually recognized by their white robes,” Scipio explained.

“Oh, guess DnD was wrong. Larry, shoot anything in a robe first. Then anyone with a crossbow. Seems like a man with a sword is just wasting time before the ladies decide the dance is over,” Bill ordered.

“Yeah. Ok,” Larry replied uneasily, breathing deeply and letting it out slowly.

Clearly the man wasn’t entirely thrilled at the idea of killing someone now that he’d had a moment to process it. Tabitha drew him close, wrapping him in her great paws and slinging her tail around his waist.

“Don’t worry, Larry. If you can’t do it, hand me that sucker. Nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, I’m sure it means you’re a hell of a lot better man than me,” Bill said softly.

“Fuck it, you’re not touching the Mark One. You’ll probably break the trigger. I can do it. This needs to be done,” Larry said, his tone firm.

“Damn right. I don’t believe killing should come easy. Before this I never thought I’d have any need for it. If I want to keep everyone safe I no longer have that luxury,” Bill replied.

He looked down a moment, considering. Raising his head he met Larry’s eyes.

“Some people need killing.”

-

“Damn, I forgot how good it feels to be a lazy piece of shit,” Bill said happily as he walked along the road.

They’d left the carriage behind, they weren’t quite sure when they’d run into the Order team, and the carriage would be hard to miss, a real pain to pull off the road in a hurry. Anyway, Bill was pretty sure the goblins had it up on bricks somewhere and were using the wheels for roulette tables in their speakeasy gambling den he’d been unable to find. He was sure they had one, and he wanted his cut. He’d enjoy hanging out, too. Too bad he was in charge, he was going to have a hell of a hard time getting an invite, he was pretty sure they ran the whole town like Sergeant Bilko.

“Yeah! This is a lot more fun!” Rekka cried, darting off to the side of the road to scare up a flight of birds while she barked excitedly.

“I guess. I’m going to miss our bed. Camping sucks,” Larry replied. He was sitting on Felix’s horse learning to ride. He figured he might as well get used to the primary mode of transportation in this world. So far he was doing a lot better than Bill, clearly he was the more natural rider. Tabitha had only had to catch him a few times to keep him from falling as she walked alongside.

“Oh shit, I didn’t tell those dwarfs to stop making guns! Oh man, I’m going to have to melt down about a thousand of those things when we get back,” Larry griped.

“Must be how Mickey felt when those brooms went out of control,” Bill said, chuckling.

“I must say, this is quite nice. I have missed traveling. Having a roof over our heads was enjoyable, but there is something liberating about being under the open skies with the wind in our faces,” Helena said happily. Her smile slipped after a moment. “I do wish the circumstances were different, of course.”

“Hey, it’s about the journey, not the destination. This will be over before you know it. Unfortunately. I’m in no rush to get back, we’d be taking our damn time if it weren’t for those two idiots on our hands. No rest for the wicked it seems,” Bill grumbled.

He was feeling pretty resentful towards those two after Rekka had given him hell for giving Marcus a chance at revenge. She’d more than made up for it afterwards, and Bill decided not to pack barrels of black powder around their house to see if that solved his problem. It had been Plan A for a while.

Felix marched contentedly along next to Helena. He’d been relieved to get out of his red striped suit, even if it meant being kitted up in heavy leather armor. He may not have considered himself much of a soldier anymore, but clearly he remembered how to hold a spear and march.

Bill wasn’t too worried about any mamono showing up to drag Felix into the bushes. Likely all the single ladies that had been living in the area were now safely ensconced in Asylum and Haven. The Order were probably upset they hadn’t had the chance to kill any pretty girls on their way south.

They’d begun their journey early this morning, Tabitha and Larry had to drag Bill and Rekka out of bed bitching and moaning as he tried to put it off. He’d gotten very used to sleeping in until emergencies woke him. It felt strange to put back on the chainmail and bracers. City living had made him soft.

Since Larry hadn’t had any time to experiment turning a magic sword into a magic gun barrel Bill had decided to carry him for this escapade. He’d thoughtfully found a new sheath for the sword. This one was just a thick loop of leather laced together. It allowed the sword to see quite well, and since he’d agreed not to cut anything while he was carried it was no more dangerous than a full scabbard. The sword was humming a happy tune as he enjoyed his field trip.

It was just before noon now Bill believed. He’d gotten pretty good at guessing time by the sun. He could have just adjusted his phone's clock and checked that, but it took a lot of fun out of it. Plus he hated digging through his purse for it unless he was taking photos, with no emails or text messages to check it just wasn’t the same.

They’d sent another harpy out to confirm the distance with very clear instructions to fly high as possible and return as soon as they spotted the Order group. It was always hard to tell from harpy flight distance estimates, but they were fairly certain they would catch them tonight. Once the Order pulled off the road to camp they would simply creep up on them and finish it. Bill wasn’t very concerned, this was just a simple job that needed doing.

Oddly, he wondered what his dad would think of all this. The man had certainly been in the military, maybe he’d have some input on how stupid Bill’s plans were. He wasn’t certain. Other than an encyclopedic knowledge of everything that could kill a man at a distance you would never have guessed he’d ever worn a uniform. He would talk your ear off about make, models, calibers, and stopping power versus capacity for hours. Ask about his time in service and he’d change the subject or flat out refuse to answer.

Bill only knew he’d been in when the man received a phone call concerning the death of an old friend. He’d pulled a uniform out of one of his gun safes, said he’d be back in a few days and walked out the door. Bill had been ten years old and hadn’t thought much about the ribbons and medals. The thing wasn’t covered in them, but it didn’t look suspiciously bare either. His mother hadn’t explained anything, and she’d been too unwell for him to pester.