Alex eyed the four men in front of him carefully as they drew their weapons. All of them had crude looking clubs with a rugged design to them, and were probably just as dangerous as their appearance led him to believe.
They were grown men, the youngest looking one seemed to be around the age of thirty and twenty-nine while the rest looked to be about high thirties to mid fourties.
They were each glad in armor that was made out of leather, so they were probably from one of the prairie villages that surrounded Colchis. They were probably used to rough ups and tussles since they were prairie boys, and looked like they belonged in wrestle mania.
All of them were fit looking, and looked like they were war dogs that were specifically bred for the sole purpose of killing.
Judging how big and sturdy their framework seemed to be, a hard strike to the head might be good enough to incapacitate them.
His swords were strapped to the inside of his cloak and were easy to access and pull out in a moments notice, but he didn't want to rely on them unless he had absolutely no other choice.
"I suppose nothing I say can change your mind." Alex stated as he kept his eyes trained on the men, who were giving off vicious smiles.
"You're damn right." The lead man said.
"Perhaps you can get on your knees and beg us to leave you alone. Who knows? We might just give you a lighter beatdown." One of the man's lackeys said, causing a small chuckle from the rest of them.
Alex narrowed his eyes and prevented himself from running over and wrapping his hands around the man's throat to choke the life out of him. He would not let himself be baited by their insults.
These men were clearly used to being feared through the use of intimidation and force. So, the best way to fight someone who used those tactics was to simply challenge their authority.
"Go ahead, make the first move. You'll need it if any of you want to lay so much as a scratch on me." Alex taunted. And, just like a bull seeing the color red, a flash of anger and fury crossed the men's eyes.
"You think you're tough, huh? There's four of us and only one of you." The man stated haughtily in another feeble attempt to get Alex to back down. Alex, in response, just shook his head.
"You're wrong. There's only three of you." Alex said. The men looked among each other and gave a snicker.
"Are you blind, or just don't know how to count?" The man taunted.
"Well, once I take down the ring leader, which is you. I'll have to contend with two competent wingmen who'll try a feeble attempt to harm me, whom I will then proceed to knock out. The last ones usually run." Alex said.
The guy paused for a moment before a small smile turned at the corner of his lips. Alex tensed up in preparation when the man suddenly raised his club and did a wild charge towards him. The man swung his bat high, with the intent of caving his skull in a single blow. Alex crouched low, and let the bat sail harmlessly above his head, while also throwing an elbow into the man's face as he fell forward from the attack.
The man was stunned as he felt his entire face go numb, and a strange wet sensation spreading down his face. The man reached up and wiped his face with his hand. When he pulled it away, every single inch of skin was colored red with blood.
"Heads up."
The man snapped his head up in a daze as the loss of blood quickly fatigued him, and could do nothing but try to raise his hand feebly as Alex grabbed the side of his head and banged it against the side of the wall. The man slouched down to the ground in a daze and Alex quickly turned his gaze upon the other men, who were simply frozen as they tried to process what had happened.
Alex took a deep breath as he tried to calm his nerves. Two of the remaining three men stepped forward and raised their clubs with the intention of avenging their fallen leader with his death.
"Alright... Now we know whose who." Alex said as he settled into a combat stance. "Let's get this over with."
The men rushed forward, and Alex caught the strike of the first man as he swung his club wildly. He sent his elbow straight into the man's shoulder, and felt the sound of bone being broken as the man cried out in pain and dropped to the ground.
"You bastard!" The other man cried out as he stepped forward and swung his club. Alex quickly raised his arm up and blocked the strike, before he looped his arm around them man's own, and began squeezing. The man's grip on his weapon slackened, and the club fell out of his hand and rattled against the floor harmlessly.
"Gah." The man mumbled pathetically as he realized what kind of trouble he was in. Alex quickly swung his arm, and karate chopped the man's neck. The man's eyes widened as he felt his windpipe receive damage from the strike, before he went limp in Alex's arms.
Alex quickly released the man and watched as he met the same fate like the others as he toppled over uselessly into the cold ground. Alex turned to the last remaining man who was now becoming nothing more than a retreating dot at the end of the street.
Alex released a breath that he realized he had been holding, and began to shake as the excess adrenaline began leaving him. He glanced down at his hands and grunted when he saw that they were covered in blood.
"At least I didn't have to use my swords." Alex thought as he shook his head. He placed his hands inside of his coat pockets and began walking back to the castle to check on the kid and to tell Aeetes what had just transpired.
"!"
He suddenly spun around as the sounds of uncoordinated footsteps rose up from behind him. His eyes widened when he saw that the first man he knocked to the ground and gave a broken nose, had stood up and swiped one of the remaining clubs off from the ground and was now making a crazy charge towards him with a maniacal light in his eyes.
"Die!" The man bellowed, which sounded odd with the broken nose taking a toll on his breathing.
Completely taken off guard and surprised by the attack, Alex quickly raised his hands up in reflex as the man fell upon him. Suddenly, the man seized up like he had simply been frozen in time as his hands ,raised above his head, didn't move and simply remained there, frozen.
Alex looked down, and realized, that he had drawn one of his Kiba swords from his cloak on instinct, and had pierced the man's armor in the same spot his heart was located. The man coughed out a mass amount of blood before the club fell out of his hands as his body began shutting down.
Y-you bastard..." The man rasped as he leaned his back against the wall and began sliding down. "Y-you *gasp* k-killed... me..."
The man slumped over, dead, and Alex could do nothing but stare in realization at what he just did.
He killed a man.
He freaking killed a man.
A bad person, but still a man.
He forced himself not to throw up as the truth of what he just did came into his mind. He thought he would be ready for this... He thought that after numerous hunting trips with his father in Colorado, he thought he was ready for this.
This wasn't some animal that was being hunted for food, this was an actual human being. A person just like him who lives, breathes, and is of the same species as he is, and he just killed him.
He would be lying if he said that he simply shrugged it off. In truth, he felt absolutely sick to his stomach and horrible as he gazed into the hole in the man's chest where his heart used to be and felt afraid.
He was afraid that this was the same type of thing that could happen to him. Even if he was just a teenager, this wasn't the twenty first century where kids didn't have to worry about being stabbed to death. He was in the era where war, problems, and vile monsters, ravaged the land.
He suddenly didn't feel excited at the fact he was here anymore, Or the fact that he had all of these powers. He wanted to return to the simple life of a school boy who attended high school, and was on his way to become a college student.
But he suddenly thought about the others. Would they be like him when they were forced to kill someone? Would they have to suffer this horrible feeling he felt when he killed this old bastard?
He shook his head and forced himself to slowly stand up. He couldn't be selfish and let his friends go through the same thing he did, alone. They came here on their own accord in the search of having a grand adventure. They took this world as nothing more than a harmless game to conceal the truth on just how dangerous and suicidal it was.
It wasn't a game, and they could very well die, but they couldn't back out now. There was no exit button, no power button, and no off switch to turn this world off to save themselves. They were putting themselves in a dangerous world that could very well kill them.
But they were here, and it would be pitiful for them to back out now because of simple cowardice. Like it or not, this was their world now, and he didn't have any intention of dying anytime soon.
Alex had trudged his way back to the castle slowly as he took his time to regain his composure. When he had arrived back at the castle gates, he saw Absyrtus waiting for him at the temple gate with a worried look.
"Alex!" The boy cried out when he saw him. Alex gave the boy a small smile, although it was partly forced on his part.
"Sup kid."
"I was so worried! I thought you wouldn't come back!" The boy sniffed and Alex couldn't help but compare him to his brother.
"If I was stopped by four simple thugs, then what kind of bodyguard would I be?" Alex said before he paused. "However..."
"However?"
"I killed one of them." Alex hesitantly said. Absyrtus suddenly went quiet as he processed that information. The worried look that had been plastered on his face seconds ago had now resurfaced.
"... Are you really alright?" Absyrtus asked again. Alex looked away and Absyrtus frowned. "That was your first kill?"
"Killing a human being, yes." Alex replied truthfully as he looked at the ground. "It... Wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be."
"It usually never is. At least, that's what my father told me when I witnessed my first death." Absyrtus said.
"You've killed someone before?" Alex asked with a surprised look.
"Not really. I told father that I wanted to serve in his military as a military soldier when I grew up, so he decided to show me what I would see if I were to continue with that path." Absyrtus said as he frowned at the memory. "Father took me to the execution chambers and made me watch the execution of a criminal who has been caught committing adultery. The executioner chopped his head off with an axe, and blood sprayed everywhere."
Alex frowned at the image. "Did you feel anything?"
Absyrtus nodded. "It was sickening to watch, and I nearly puked my guts out, but father just simply gave me a pat on the back. He told me that this was something I would experience on the field of battle, but it was something I would have to get used to if I were to be a soldier in his army."
Alex shook his head and sighed. "Do you still want to, knowing what a dirty job it is?"
"I do admit, it was kind of scary, but... If I were to help my father's kingdom, I will have to get used to it." Absyrtus said with certainty.
"Hmmm, I see." Alex muttered.
"Father told me it wasn't something that any person could get used to. However, he did say that it will get much once you experience it." Absyrtus explained.
"That does make some sense." Alex said as he thought back to the older man he killed. The once terrible feeling he had earlier, had gone down quite a bit as his mind began forgetting about it. Although, he knew that he will remember that moment for the rest of his life here, especially since that probably won't be the last person he kills while he's here.
He glanced up at the setting sun and noticed that it was getting late. Odd. Did he really spend that much time out here? "Perhaps you should head back inside. Your family might be worried if we don't head in soon."
Absyrtus nodded. "Right, it must be close to dinner time, and father will be upset if I'm late." He turned and began running back to the castle. "Come on! You don't want father angry, do you?"
Alex smiled. "No, of course not. I'll be right behind you." Absyrtus grinned and continued running back to the palace. Alex sighed and brought his hands out of his pockets before he spoke into the crisp air.
"Perhaps you can tell me just how long you've been stalking me?"
There was a rustle of leaves, and Kuro stepped out from behind a tree with an amused look on his face.
"At least I know that you're paying attention to your surroundings." Kuro said before he frowned. "I've been keeping my eye on you ever since you and Absyrtus entered the town. I saw what you did to those four men, by the way."
Alex winced and pressed his hands in his pocket. "I swear, it wasn't on purpose. I raised my hands, and the next thing I knew, my blade found its way to the man's heart."
Kuro quietly nodded. "How bad was it?"
"Terrible." Alex answered. "I could fell my blade sink into the man's flesh, and I could feel it when I pulled out. Perhaps, this is what I get for trying to be a fool."
"We all chose this on some naive dream of becoming heroes." Kuro admitted with a sad look. "Starting to doubt it a little, eh?"
"A little." Alex admitted. "Although, we're already here, so we might as well make the best of it."
Kuro nodded and turned his head to look at the castle. "You want me to keep your little matter a secret?"
Alex shook his head. "No. The others just need to know how dangerous this place is. This isn't a game that we're playing."
"Whatever you say." Kuro said as he began walking towards the castle. "Oh, and, take a break for a little while. You'll need some time to recover from that little incident."
Alex nodded gratefully. He knew what kuro was talking about. His mental state had taken a beating, and he probably needed a few days to calm his mind down. He didn't want to come down with a case of PTSD.
He followed Kuro back to the house and sighed as he felt his swords beneath his coat. They were still smeared in blood, and he would probably have to clean them before he stepped into the castle.
It would be pretty odd of him to stroll into the throne room with a set of bloodied blades.
Jin sighed as he sat in the garden in a meditative state. Several days ago, Kuro had explained to the group in private about what went down with Alex at the town. Ever since then, all of them had become more serious in their behavior. Even Luke, who has been known to have an extremely carefree personality, had been a little bit quiet as of late.
That was one thing he missed a little. Luke's cheerful personality was a positive influence on the rest of them. Even if it was kind of annoying sometime, it always kept them upbeat and positive. Without it, their group would have been a depressing piece of shit.
They had been doing their training much more frequently whenever they weren't on duty, and the results of that training was becoming apparently obvious. They did a set amount of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups, each day to strengthen their bodies, and raise their chakra levels. Chakra could be increased through physical training, or meditation., although it was a pretty slow process.
Currently, his chakra levels had grown considerably, but they were still not to the level of jounin. Perhaps a little bit in low-to-mid Chuunin zone. Either way, it was a much bigger improvement.
He snapped open his eyes when he felt the presence of someone entering the same area as him. He tilted his head slightly, and found Luke sitting up in a tree with a smile on his face.
"You're still meditating out here?"
Jin shrugged. "Yes, it's one of the more effective ways to build up my chakra."
"Are you really meditating? With your eyes closed, and your lack of movement, I would have assumed that you were sleeping the entire time." Luke teased with his playful look. Jin cracked a smile and stood up from the ground with a groan as he stretched his muscles.
"Damn, that felt good." Jin muttered as he stretched his back and was rewarded with a popping noise. "So why are you here, luke? Anyone need me for something?"
"Not really." luke admitted as he jumped off the tree and began twirling around one of the nearby dandelion patches. "Although, Medea was looking for you. She said she needed your help with something."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "She needs my help with something?" He paused in thought. "Did she mention what she needed help with?"
Luke shrugged before smiling coyly. "I don't know. Perhaps, she needs something her knight in shining armor needs."
Jin rolled his eyes and prevented himself from castrating his friends younger brother. It has become wildly known throughout the castle, that he was usually the bodyguard that was seen by Medea's side most often. Of course, being how weird people can be, multiple rumors have sprouted up that Medea was secretly having an affair with him and it was only a matter of time before they proposed to each other.
Jin had flat out rolled his eyes at such accusations while Medea literally exploded in fury and embarrassment for such heinous thinking. The rest of the group, along with Medea's siblings and father, thought it was hilarious and would constantly tease them about it. Of course, it did absolutely nothing to help calm Medea's embarrassment and anger.
He had to admit, he did find it a little bit cute when she got angry at such a ridiculous statement. The way her cheeks puffed out and her ears twitch upward when she was mad reminded him of a cat when it was afraid and puffed out it's tail.
"I do wish you would stop teasing me like that." Jin muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. "You know how Medea is. Even if you are a child, she'll still find a way to get her revenge on you."
Luke pouted. "She would never do that to me, she loves me too much."
Jin sighed at how true those words were. Medea seemed to have a strange fondness of children, or more specifically, little cute children. She wasn't some creepy teenager who went after kids younger than herself for strange sexual reasons. Rather, she was more interested on how to play dress up with them. There were several times that Luke had been 'abducted' by Medea and forced to endure the torture of trying on outfits like a barbie doll simply for Medea's amusement.
Instead of being annoyed to do something like that, Luke seemed to not be bothered by it at all. Odd, considering that most boys his age would rather die than spend an hour of their life trying out clothes on their mothers orders.
"Absyrtus doesn't let Medea play around with him when it comes to clothing. Now that she has her hands on Luke, she can satisfy her dressing fetish to her heart's content." Chalciope had said to him when they watched Luke play around in some clothes Medea had dressed him up in.
"Women." Jin thought with a shake of his head. "I'll never be able to understand them." He turned around and began heading off to find Medea. "I'll be back. In the meantime, why don't you try meditating?"
"Boooooring! I'd rather hang out with Desmond." Luke stated as he continued to twirl around the dandelion patches.
"Whatever. Just don't blame me if you can't pull your weight like the rest of us." Jin said with a teasing smile, earning another pouty look from the boy before he left the garden. He headed towards Medea's room, because that was the most likely place she would be inside the palace.
"Wonder what she's doing." Jin thought to himself as he reached Medea's door and gave several light taps. "Medea? You in there?" there was the sound of footsteps on the other side, before the door opened to reveal Medea in her usual purple road standing there with a smile on her face.
"Ah, jin. Just the person I wanted to see."
"Luke said you wanted to see me?" Jin asked as he peered inside of the room.
"Ah, yes, come in." Medea said as she held the door open courteously. Jin gave her a small nod before he stepped into the room. Once inside, he finally got a better view of what was inside.
It was everything a stereotypical witch's lair would be like. Her room was lit up with purple flames, along with hundreds of books and scrolls that were neatly organized in bookshelves in the corner of the room.
What caught his attention, though, was a large black cauldron that was sitting near the window. It was bubbling and rattling as the strange contents inside stirred around. He could only speculate at what was inside it, though.
"I've got to admit, this was exactly what I was expecting." Jin said as he looked around the room.
"Well, what else would you expect? I'm a magus, after all." Medea said with an amused smile as she stepped into the room.
"So what did you call me here, for?" Jin asked again.
"Oh, nothing really." Medea said nonchalantly as she strolled passed him and examined the contents of the pot.
"Oh? I have a hard time seeing you call me here without a reason." Jin said with a light smile. "Perhaps you could tell me the reason?"
Medea blushed a little, but it was barely recognizable thanks to the purple lights casted by the purple flames. "I just wanted you here to watch me work. It's always better to have someone comment on your work. I would grab father, but he's busy right now. Absyrtus and Chalciope are busy hanging out with your friends, so that leaves me with only you."
Jin chuckled and gave her a light pat on the head. "How considerate of you. Very well, show me what you've been working on. I'm sure i'll find it interesting since I've never seen alchemy up close before."
Medea smiled and straightened up confidently, determined to show him what she could do. She had to admit, it was exciting to have another person comment on her work besides her father.
"Well then, let me educate you in a proper lesson of alchemy."
That's it for this chapter. Took me a little while to make since homework and schoolwork take up so much of my time, but hey, what can I do about it? It's important.
Anyways, I'm going to respond to 'He who seeks the joys in life' whose review I have found interesting
Heroic spirits are exactly powerful super soldiers. People who can rarely be found anywhere in the twenty-first century, due to the fact that it was no longer in the 'age of the gods' and instead in, 'the age of man'. Some heroic spirits, are quite powerful and have extremely over powered abilities, while others simply have abilities that are not as powerful. Such as Hercules god hand, and Mata Hari's own noble phantasm, which is practically useless in comparison.
If you were to pit heroic spirits against the Kage, it would basically all equivalent down to a game of rock paper scissors. Cu Chulainn could possibly kill Tsunade with his spear if he was able to strike her heart with his spear and kill her instantly since a heart pierced by Gae bolg can't be healed. However, Tsunade could kill a heroic spirit such as Lancealot, because he's one of the slower servants, and the fact that her super strength could cave his entire body in with a single strike.
The Raikage could simply steam role anything in his way and I agree that no servant could possibly face him other than heroes with invulnerabilities like Herucles and Achilles. Even then, they are only delaying the inevitable because of the Raikage's speed and extreme strength.
It's really tough to consider the heroic spirits who can kill the higher tier naruto characters, simply because all of their skills set and noble phantasms vary from one to another.
And to be blunt, I'm not comparing them to Naruto, sasuke, and Madara. Those three are absolute beasts with the powers of the rinnegan combined with the chakra of Indra and Asura and could annihilate even Gilgamesh easily unless he pulls out Ea right off the bat which we know would never happen until it was too late.
In short, I do think that some heroic spirits could give some of the higher tier characters a run for their money, but I also admit that naruto characters could also trample upon other heroic spirits.
Lawrence Wu has also said that I should make my characters a little bit more relatable and to make them a little bit more mature. What better way to do that is to show them the horrors of killing up close and personal?
Killing another human being is something no human being should have to go through, and it often leads people to have PTSD. Even trained military men sometimes breakdown or get scarred for life once they realize the ugly truth on what they have done.
I do appreciate these kinds of reviews and I do find it very helpful. Having someone to comment on the flaws on my story does help me try to make it better. If you find any flaws in my story, don't hesitate to point it out. I'll try to fix it as soon as possible.
That's all I wanted to say, see you in the next chapter!
-baloshua
