FMH: Everything ~ Twenty-Eight

“If my calculations are correct, we’re just outside the provincial capital,” Andre announced, breaking the silence that had been hovering around the group since Luke's announcement nearly a day prior. “I think it would be a smart move to exit here and walk the rest of the way, perhaps give ourselves a chance to scope out the situation, perhaps pick up some of the local customs and language?”

The way the others in the group nodded as if they would have no trouble at all was confusing to Luke. He didn't enjoy being confused, so he decided to murder his confusion as cleanly as possible. “You think we will be able to learn how to blend in by walking a couple miles? We can’t even do that in the land we live in.”

“Well… we’ll be able to learn the language, maybe grab some clothes, and the best part is that they won’t be expecting us.” Taylor slowly worked through her thought process, which she had been able to intuit based on Andre’s words. “If we have at least ten points in Talent, we can pick up the local language if we hear it for only a little while. I’d say approximately… thirty minutes of conversation?”

“That’s about what it used to take me,” Zed interjected with a wink. “I feel like the Murderhobo special we all inhaled will let us understand things easier. Shall we go test it out?”

“Murderhobo special?” Andre chuckled as Taylor started opening a portal. “I like it, and I get what you mean. But better Mana Channels, easier to live in, high-mana areas? Seems like it should be a Mage special.”

“I’ve got a Source-cerer Skill. That counts,” Luke informed them just as the portal fully formed. Each of them stepped though and began moving directly toward the city in the distance.

They had only made it a handful of paces before they heard a long, low howl in the distance. At least, it sounded like it was far away, but only for a moment, as it increased in volume and seemed to get closer every fraction of a second. All of them prepared for battle, rushing to enact all the defensive and offensive options they had available to them.

Andre scattered some seeds on the ground around them. Taylor began chanting softly, sending her mana out and forming an eye in the sky that she kept as close to her as possible. Luke hefted Cookie, glaring around with a deep scowl. Zed put his hands in the air and sank to his knees in surrender. That earned a scoff from the Murderhobo, but it didn't convince the Bard to change his position.

The earth started to shake, revealing Ascenders as they began to emerge from the soil. Dogs raced toward them from all directions, and soon The Four were encircled entirely. A voice called out to them, and Luke frowned lightly as he realized that he recognized it. “Uninvited guests! Thank you for delivering yourself to us right here. If we had to travel out to the countryside again, I would have been greatly annoyed. This close to the city, it's barely even a chore to come out and gather you up.”

The Murderhobo looked at the man, who seemed far too familiar. All he saw was a male looking at him, wearing a robe that was clearly well made, yet not ostentatious. There was a smug grin on his face, and he called out to Luke. “Are you ready for me to introduce myself yet?”

“I don't know what you mean.” Luke denied him immediately.

The man rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You’re a fun one. Also, attacking before I could even get a chance to introduce myself the last time we met? Poor form.”

“I don't know who you are.” The Murderhobo tried again, as this man was clearly having trouble understanding him. “Have we met?”

“I admit, we were never formally introduced.” The Ascender wasn't alone, which by itself explained his laissez-faire attitude. Luke assessed the people who were with this man, finding that the least of them was a more potent Ascender than any the Dynasty of Dogs had fielded against them in battle previously. “Still, it has only been a few days since we fought. Did you truly forget me so quickly? Perhaps the gaping wounds I left all over your body would serve as a reminder?”

“Sorry to interrupt! He actually doesn't remember who you are. I have known him since I was a child, and he still forgets that I exist sometimes.” Zed volunteered the information, earning dozens of weapons directed toward him for interrupting. “Yeah, that does nothing to alleviate my concern. See how my hands are already up? Hard for me to surrender more, don't you think?”

“Silence, mutts!” One of the other Ascenders who was deferentially standing near the original speaker suddenly barked at them. “Lay on your backs and show absolute submission, and we will make your deaths swift! Do you not realize that you speak to the eighth Prince of the Dynasty of Dogs, His Royal Highness-”

Luke stuck his fingers in his ears and hummed loudly, trying to drown out what the other man was saying. It didn't help. His senses were so great that he could hear a butterfly pass gas from a dozen paces. “-William Merryck!”

The Murderhobo let out a grunt of annoyance. “You know, every time someone tells me their name, it takes up valuable space that I need for other thoughts. How are you going to repay me for forcing your name into my brain? Nobody gets to live in here rent-free.”

“How about I tell you a little story?” Prince William spoke with a chuckle in his voice. “Once upon a time, there were four Ascenders who didn't know that there are tamed dogs which allow the dynasty to sniff out any intruders in our territory, even if they're not inside our world at the time of their incursion. From the moment they crossed the border, until the moment they walked into a trap, they were tracked meticulously. Since the intruders were of such high value, they were given an option to surrender without being immediately slain. They only got one chance, and if they didn't come into the custody of the dynasty immediately, they would be put down like the rabid beasts they are.”

“I like this story, Your Highness!” Zed called out immediately, flopping onto his back and wiggling around slightly. “It sets a great scene, the expectations of the listeners, and it has an open ending that still has yet to be written! I think that's my favorite part.”

“Truly, I have no interest in killing you all.” The prince informed them magnanimously. “More than anything else, I am interested in your ability to even penetrate this deep into the dynasty. It has taken us many centuries, possibly millennia if my father is to be believed, to cut off access to other worlds. What you did shouldn't have been possible, but if you can replicate it on our behalf…”

Luke decided that he would rather just fight his way out of the situation. Not bothering to listen to any more of the words, he began his actions. Bum Thunder put him within striking distance of the prince, and he twirled Cookie to the side, aiming to land a blow directly on the prince's abdomen.

One of the Ascenders standing near the prince suddenly shifted. His muscles grew, his knees inverted and pointed backward, and similar changes occurred all over his body. Then, with a motion that was designed to appear as contemptuous as possible, he swung his clawed hand at the Murderhobo-projectile. The tips of his claws met Cookie’s outer edge, shattering with a sound like crystal falling onto a stone. From the tip, to the halfway point of the claws, the natural weapons were completely destroyed. Then the bulk of Cookie's body landed on the outstretched palm…

Coming to a stop.

This was a completely unexpected situation for the Murderhobo, as he had never found himself nearly perfectly matched against another Ascender in a physical contest. No… he realized that the fact that the attack had been completely stopped without any apparent damage to his opponent's hand meant he was severely outclassed. Luke moved to dodge backward, but the instant of hesitation meant he didn’t get to find his footing and leave under his own control. No, he was sent flying by the other hand that swept around and slapped his chest with an open palm.

Damage taken: 14! 186 mitigated!

Damage dealt: 9 penetrating! Target is bleeding!

Luke's armor completely shattered over his chest, the Promiscuous Stud cuirass completely dissipating into motes of bright blue light. This was also a rarity for the Murderhobo, as very few opponents had ever been able to completely disrupt his armor with a single attack. His eyes tracked the swift-moving Ascender, locking onto the hand that was gushing blood from at least a half dozen new holes. Then Luke realized that he was nearly thirty feet in the air, but he seemed to have reached the maximum distance that gravity would allow his body to be thrown from this casual attack.

He righted himself, allowing Feather’s Fall to kick in and allow him to glide right back at the man, a huge smile on his face. He equipped the bottle that he had as his only projectile weapon, chucking it ahead of him to put the enemy off-balance. Instead of taking the blow directly, his opponent slapped out and redirected it, allowing the weapon to move around himself.

This wasn't without cost, as the hand that moved out to deflect the bottle also had its nails shattered. Luke's eyes narrowed as he tried to determine what the strength of this fighter was. “That should have been your bones.”

Then he was back into the melee, flipping over in a forward somersault in an attempt to turn the dog-man into a splatter of gore on the ground. Somehow, an arm snaked around the enormous Greatmace, and Luke’s nose met with an open palm. Feeling as though he were moving in slow motion, Luke was thrust backward and sent rolling at his teammate as if they were playing a game of ‘knock down the bottles’.

Damage taken: 14! 186 mitigated!

Damage dealt: 11 penetrating! Target is bleeding!

Andre caught Luke with a net of greenery, which shredded upon slowing him down, thanks to his armor. The Murderhobo was slightly dazed, seeing as his helmet had been destroyed with yet another single strike. There were flickers and stutters over his chest, indicating that his mana regeneration was in play and nearly ready to recreate his Cuirass. “Wow. What a slap.”

“No better than a lowly Rage Wolf.” The man sneered with a voice that had turned more bestial. “You have no combat forms at all? Have you truly never encountered a being able to redirect your physical might? Do you not understand the basics of the transference of motion? Does the Hollow Kingdom truly live up to its reputation, sending children with no formal combat training whatsoever to their most easily accessible planes of existence? This is pathetic.”

A bolt of lightning passed through him just as he finished speaking, creating a jagged wound as the superheated plasma acted more like a physical object than lightning, blasting off his right arm from the elbow forward, leaving a cauterized stump where it had once been. Taylor watched with a cool glare as the man howled in pain. “No resistance to magical attacks at all? How pathetic.”

Having his words mirrored back at him almost sent the Ascender into a blind rage. Only the calm command of the prince forced him to stay his hand and kept his guard from charging in to slaughter them all. “Wait. My father's researchers have given us their requirements; don't throw away our prize. Let's crate up these subjects and send them to the kennel. You know better than I do how effective they are at training obedience.”

“As you will, Your Royal Highness.” The guard let out a long, slow breath. “Can I break them before sending them off?”

“This one seems to have an enhanced ability to recover. I give you permission to test the limits on that. My father would love to have a baseline,” the prince offered as a small compromise, indicating Luke, who was already on his feet and rushing toward them once more. “He's pretty fast… perhaps you start with his legs?”

That put a dark smile on the strange guard’s face.

“As my prince commands.”