II
It must have been drawn to the smell of blood on us... As he stepped out of the chapel, Elder Zebulla found himself looking through the haze at a creature approaching with footfalls like battering rams. It was the class two dangerous beast that people dubbed “ruler of the land”—a unicorn. He immediately took note of another at its side that had to be its young.
The other Asura who filed out after Zebulla all froze in horror at the sight of the unicorns. But only for a second.
“For us, it would be a simple thing to let them pass.”
“It would. And yet...” Zebulla stripped down to the waist to reveal a torso bound in muscle like a suit of armor. He faced the incoming unicorns, then took a powerful step forward. Panic blossomed on the face of his underlings.
Then, from behind him, an incredulous voice said, “You’re going to duke it out with that?!”
“Did you want to do it?”
“Very funny. I only wondered at the necessity of exposing yourself to danger for such a fight. It is, well, the obvious question.”
Zebulla regarded Nefer. Given that Nefer had a taste for danger that was notable even for an Asura, Zebulla thought he was one to talk. Even so, his lips twitched rebelliously into a smile.
“Those things are just what I need to scrape off the rust that’s built up on these old bones. No matter what happens next, no one is to interfere in any way. Is that clear?”
“Who could have imagined we had such a madman in our midst...” Nefer quipped as he leaped up onto the roof of the chapel. The others followed his lead, each moving to a high place and settling in to watch and wait.
The adult unicorn attacked first. It gradually closed in on Zebulla, then reared up as though to show off the difference in their sizes. Zebulla was a giant by human standards, but the unicorn dwarfed him. He had no choice but to look up at it.
“Showing the young one how to hunt, is it? Really, though...” He sounded disappointed. “Am I supposed to be threatened by that?”
As though in answer, the unicorn came down on him with a slash of its vicious claws. No ordinary strong warrior could have evaded it, but Zebulla’s eyes perceived the whole thing with unbroken clarity. As that first blow came at him with a rush of air, he shifted out of its path merely by tracing a semicircle with his right foot. But the unicorn was not surprised. As though it had expected this, it followed up with a raking slash. Zebulla curved his body like a bow to avoid it then, letting the momentum carry him as he planted both his hands on the earth, bent his elbows, and threw himself skyward. He soared in a long arc back to the ground.
The unicorn had no pride, no weaknesses—only hunger. Which was why it made for such good training.
But at the end of the day, it was still only a beast.
“And so it is all too easy to see what it will do next.”
The unicorn roared as though to give itself courage, then brought its forelegs down to the ground. With a sudden burst of speed, it pounded the earth toward Zebulla once more. The moment before the single horn for which the beast was named impaled him, Zebulla dropped low, slipping under the attack. Then, grazing the ground as he rose, he threw the whole of his strength into a blow that caught the unicorn square beneath its jaw.
“Grrroaaagh!” The beast’s deafening scream rent the air along with the shattered remnants of its twin fangs. As it staggered, Zebulla leaped up on its back. Then he wrapped his arms around its neck and squeezed with all his strength. Zebulla felt the crack of its bones through his entire body just as the beast’s head lolled at an unnatural angle. As the unicorn sank to the ground, Zebulla leaped lightly down from its back. Then he looked at the young unicorn that was ready to fight, every strand of its fur standing on end.
“If you want to avenge your mother, I’m right here.” They stared at one another. But before long, the young unicorn, knifelike fangs bared, took one step back from Zebulla, then another. When it had put enough distance between them, it turned and ran, vanishing immediately into the mist.
“Wise decision,” Zebulla murmured. Then his ears caught Nefer’s voice.
“Well? Did you get the rust off?”
Zebulla straightened his collar, then snorted. “That wasn’t even a warm-up. In order to slay the Deep Folk girl, I must seclude myself in the mountains for a time.” Leaving his underlings staring after him in consternation, Zebulla left the abandoned village behind him.
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