The descriptions in this chapter concerning blood and gore are the worst yet, I think. You have been warned. Bit of tragedy in this one, hope you like it, I do.

Chapter 6: W.O.M.D.

Jack had kept one of the axes from the centaur and now swung it at a small tree. He thought the axe was much to light to be used properly. The axe bit into the wood and the top half of the tree came crashing down. Jack handed the axe to Warrick who took a swing at the same tree. The axe was stuck half way in the tree and Warrick couldn't get it out anymore. Jack puled it out and handed it to Warrick. "You can keep it. I need something bigger than that."

Nell came rushing to them, a troubled loo on his face. "We have a problem." Jack and Warrick turned to him and waited for him to continue. "While I was walking in the jungle I saw a large group of centaur. They were obviously searching, for us."

"Why would they be searching for us?" Jack requested, partially knowing the answer.

Nell continued without really paying attention to his question. "The centaur you told about, the one won you shot in the hoof, is there to."

"Maybe they have an axe for you, Jack."

Jack smacked the back of Warrick's head. "How many?" Jack asked.

"give or take three dozen, including some spell casters. They are lead, for as far as I could see, by one of their most decorated warriors." Nell replied with an unhappy face. "We cant take them all."

"Than we will have to leave, tomorrow morning." This didn't sit well with Warrick, he had gotten used to living there. Nell did not seem happy with it to but said nothing about his reasons.

"I say we stay and fight." Warrick suggested.

"Than you can stay, but I am leaving, maybe going after that orcish army, they shouldn't be to far." Jack suggestion of going after the army persuaded him and they packed there bags and set everything ready so they could leave first light the next day.

Jack was worried that he would run out of bullets if they would encounter any centaur.

Nell was worried his companions wouldn't survive. He could protect himself well with his magical abilities but maybe not enough to protect his companions. Teleporting might not work, he would have to know the terrain if he was to teleport himself anywhere or else he might end up inside a rock. He would just have to go along with them.

Warrick wasn't very worried, he was confident that together they would be able to either outthink the centaur or kill them all.

That night they had a meal of kodo meat without any unnecessary conversations.

The next day left in the early hours, sun bathing them in orange light as far as the trees allowed that. They moved in utter silence, no words were spoken, only the occasional question of direction broke the silence.

They had walked without pause for three hours when Warrick finally had to demand a break. He argued that it wasn't because he was tired but that they wouldn't be able to defend themselves properly if the centaur would attack. Jack saw that Warrick was quite tired and that Nell wasn't in peak condition either. So he agreed and paused for thirty minutes.

The sun was already on it's route to it's peak when they decided to carry on. A rustle of leave and brown patch of fur going down behind the bush caught Jack's eye. But instead of shouting an alarm he walked over to Warrick and said: "We are about to have visitors." Warrick nodded and closed his hand tight around his axe. Jack than walked to Nell and said the same thing. Nell nodded as well and prepared his spells.

When they were about to commence on their journey eight centaur burst from the bush, surrounding them. The three of them already knew that would happen and shots were fired and magical flame was flying through the air. Warrick charged one of the centaur who had been weakened by one Jack's bullets and cut down on his shoulder with the axe. Four already lay dead, but eight more burst from the bush and began charging along with the surviving four.

Three more stepped from the bush wielding staves. They cast spells and trap nets were flung at the three. Warrick managed to cut one more centaur's belly open before getting caught in the net. He landed besides the centaur he had cut and smelled the guts that were pouring on the floor.

Nell was more elusive to take down. He dispelled one net before it reached him and then burned another centaur to a black crisp before side stepping another net. He didn't look at his footing however and tripped over a root. Then a net closed around him.

Jack sidestepped his first net and shot two centaur in the face who dropped down, twitching. A net fell on him but he refused to go down and kept himself standing. He raised his hand holding the gun and shot one of the spell casters in a thin leg and the leg snapped, the spell caster went down howling it's pain. Another net closed around him and he couldn't keep himself standing anymore. He walked forward in an attempt to keep himself up, but only succeeded in crashing on top a centaur. They both went down and Jack was able to squeeze trigger three times sending three bullets into centaur's chest.

He saw centaur kicking Warrick in the face, knocking him out, and one of the spell caster put a spell on Nell before he could do anything. Jack something similar but instead was greeted by a two pair of hooves or more like three and a half hoof. Two whole ones back and one whole one in front. The other hoof was splintered. Jack strained to look up at the visage of the short centaur he had shot in the hoof.

"Remember me?" Came the broken orcish. Then the whole front hoof came down on Jack's face.

Nell had embarrassed himself. He had let himself be caught. HIM! CAUGHT! He hadn't thought it possible. Apparently al those years without any real threat to his life had made falter in his spells and physical strength.

He had nightmares. Nightmares like only he could have them. Other nightmares than Jack was experiencing at the moment. He dreamed about his imagined enemy, or was he imagined. Every time he stood just a few feet away, in the shadow. He couldn't do anything to banish or threaten him he was bound.

But unlike with Jack this was a piece of his mind creating images for his nightmares, not an demon.

He woke up to see Warrick sitting in chains on a thin layer of straw. His eyes were open staring at nothing in particular. The moment Nell thought Warrick might be dead he closed his eyes and then slowly opened them again. A trail of dried blood marked the corner of his mouth and his chin. He imagined himself not looking much better.

He looked around to find Jack. He saw him sitting only two feet away. He had his eyes closed, he was still sleeping. Nell didn't know how long he had been asleep and knew he had to rouse Jack from his sleep, who knew what the demon was showing him now. only Jack knew exactly what.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Jack cried out as he saw the truck crashing into the side of his car. He ran to the piece of deformed metal only to see himself by the driver's side that was still fairly intact. A trail of blood poured down his head. He saw himself rouse from unconsciousness and look over to his side, to his wife.

The passenger side had been completely crushed by the five ton truck and twenty ton cargo. There was only so much technology could strengthen. The truck had crashed into the car on the passenger's side and shoved it multiple feet until it hit a bump in the road and the front of the truck got loose from the ground and then crashed back down on the car. The bumper of the truck had come loose at one point and came crashing down with the truck, cutting right through the roof of the car and onto Jack's wife's right shoulder. The bumper came down where the neck meets the shoulder and cut straight down, through the lung and into the vital organs.

His wife had been killed almost instantly, but the sight was extremely brutal to behold. Blood was pouring out of her body in rivers and the two pieces that fitted together to be his wife had become dislocated from each other. Jack could look inside his wife. The ribs showed through all the blood and malformed flesh.

Both Jacks cried out at the same time. "NOOOOO! dear Isabelle, please don't be dead!" Bystanders rushed towards the car and were disgusted by the carnage, most had to throw up. The driver of the truck had escaped injury and was now coming out towards the driver he just hit. Without even looking at the passenger side he began. "YO DUDE, are you ok? Man you look beaten up. I am so sorry, I just didn't see you. Maybe I ca…" He caught a glimpse of the woman and immediately recoiled, almost fainting right there.

"The driver managed to pull himself together a bit. "uhm, dude, try to get out ok, then I will call for help, ok, dude." He didn't wait for an answer and immediately rushed away from the noises onlookers were making and pulling out his cell phone.

Doctors had always told Jack his wife had died instantly. But he saw his wife moving her lips as she turned her head. He had not understood what see said then but now he could hear fine. "Over there, look, you." then she went limp. The words kept echoing unnaturally in his head.

"Over there, look, you." And then booming laughter. "Dear Isabelle. Guess she saw you that time" came the mocking voice again.

Jack turned around to see the demon with his always flaming beard. The demon grinned and the setting changed to a hall. A hall filled with people. Tall people, like himself. The demon had disappeared again. Behind him he heard a familiar voice. A voice not unlike his own, but lighter, like the person had not seen as many cruelties as he had, yet. He turned to look upon himself again. Much younger now, not a single grey hair in sight. He was talking to a pair of other people. Also tall.

He knew where he must be, this was the annual gathering for tall people . He also knew why he was here, he had met Isabelle here. And there she was, standing well over six and a half feet tall, dressed in ordinary clothes just like him.

Although he was at a gathering of the tallest humans he was still a head longer than the others, because none had let it get out hand as he had.

Isabelle walked over to him and requested his attention by tapping him on the shoulder. "I haven't seen you here before. I guess we have to change the our records. You are the tallest to ever visit this conference. I am Isabelle." He watched as his younger self and Isabelle had a good time for the rest of the conference and officially changing the booking about tallest visitors. When the conference was over he saw the two swap phone numbers and going their own ways again.

The settings then changed again, to the officers mess hall of an army base. His younger self, who was now major, excused himself to go outside for a moment, claiming he wanted some fresh air, which could be true because it stank inside. His younger self pulled out a cell phone when outside and dial and of-planet number.

He heard himself explain that he was on a new base that she had to write down the new ones. After that they began talking to each other about al sorts of things that had happened since they had parted from each other at the conference.

The setting changed again and again to these things of the past. Until his wedding. They had chosen for a classical wedding in a church. He saw himself standing at the altar, now with slightly early greying hair and a few early wrinkles around his eyes. His eyes were now more those of someone who had seen things. They were harder and more stressed, but had softened up for this occasion.

Isabelle was standing there to in a magnificent long white dress. When the two words "I do" were spoken by the both of them cheers arose from the crowd, which was mostly made of good friends from the army and Isabelle's family or friends. The part of Jack's family that wasn't there had been killed in the attack on earth. The two kissed and everybody moved to the church gardens and a party to celebrate events commenced.

Slowly people began leafing, high placed friends in the army first because they still had things to do. And then slowly friends and family. When only a few remained the celebrated two left. Then the setting changed again to what he saw earlier.

The truck once again crashed into the car. Jack couldn't help himself and he cried out again. He went down on his knees and began tears began forming behind his eyes and his eyes grew red.

Booming laughter again sounded behind him. "Got you there didn't I? HAHA!"

The grief inside Jack was replaced by an enormous rage. Rage that burned his stomach. All of his surroundings vanished from view although were still there. His view narrowed on the laughing figure in front of him. He kept himself long enough to say: "You know what I am going to do? I am going to smear your entrails in the floor after having snapped every bone in your body." He sounded quite composed, which surprised the demon.

"And how ar…" The demon never had time to finish his sentence. The distance between the two was bridged instantly and before the demon could react a heavy boot crashed into his chest. The demon was completely winded and flew backwards into the wall Jack was talking about. Jack again closed the distance before the demon could do anything to teleport away and brought fist after fist down on the already bruised chest. He didn't stop when he heard satisfying cracks. Instead he grabbed the demon by the throat and lifted him with one hand and threw him away into a window.

Much to Jack's disappointment the glass didn't break, the demon just went right through it. Jack followed through the window in an instant. The demon had gotten up by then and was preparing to teleport, but didn't finish in time. The enraged Jack grabbed the demon's head and slammed it into his knee. Again. Again. This time however he didn't hear any satisfying cracks. He needed his crack. He grabbed an arm and slammed that into his knee. This time the crack was satisfying indeed. The way the arm looked was satisfying to. The lower arm had been snapped in two and the bones were sticking out of the flesh and the lower part was on a ninety degree angle. Demonic blood was pouring from the wound and burning holes in the floor.

Jack proceeded to the other arm. But the demon had gotten his footing back and punched Jack in the face with his undamaged arm. This gave the demon enough time to teleport away.

Jack's unsatisfied rage still burned in his stomach. "Come here you coward!"

That moment Nell urged Jack to wake up.

"Coward!" Jack shouted as he woke up. The only thing restraining him were the chains around his wrists and legs. Nell and Warrick were startled by him. Nell looked at him with pity where Warrick looked at him with surprise, not knowing what was going on. Jack looked around to see he was in a small wooden shed along side Nell and Warrick. It was steaming hot and sweat was on Warrick face while Nell didn't seem very effected by it.

The door opened and the centaur negotiator entered the room. "What is going on here? Who coward?"

"Nothing." Nell answered quickly.

"Hmm. I just let you cook a while." And he exited again.

Calmness once again returned to Jack. "Where are we?"

"A centaur camp in The Barrens, I think." Nell replied. Nell looked at him disturbed.

Jack returned with a tired gaze of his own, making it clear to Nell he had been visited by the demon again.

The centaur left them to cook like that for a few hours.

When the door opened again it was dark outside but the shed kept the warmth in and coolness out. As the door opened a welcome cool breeze caressed the prisoners. The negotiator entered the shed and began. "Now you have cooked, Maybe now tell me how this work." He said while holding Jack's silver coloured gun up.

Jack noticed there wasn't a clip in it, that explained why they couldn't get it to work. Despite himself he had to laugh loud. Warrick and Nell gave him looks that spoke more than words could. They thought he had gone insane by laughing at the centaur. They were after all in a position to kill all three of them without any trouble. Jack kept on laughing even while the centaur struck him along the face. Slowly he stopped laughing and gave the negotiator a penetrating gaze.

The centaur, Nell and Warrick recoiled, as best as they could in the case of the latter two, at what they saw. Jack's eyes had gone from normal eyes to glowing red orbs with back pupils. With little effort he got up, breaking the chains in the process and started for the negotiator.

The negotiator however was no fool and knew he had to get out. He closed the door and the locks bars fell into place.

Nell and Warrick got out of Jack's path as far as they could. Jack first tried the handle. It was stuck. The red orbs then peered through the space between the wooden planks that made the shed. Outside the whole centaur camp was gathering with trap nets, they obviously wanted him alive.

Jack took a few steps back and then charged the door. It cracked open like a toothpick and splinters went flying through the air. As soon as the door cracked Nets were thrown. Four nets closed around Jack and he kept charging forward unhindered in the direction of the negotiator. Nine more closed around him and he had to slow down. More closed in on him and he fell down, but still tried to get up. Even more magical nets closed and made him stop moving.

Jack felt the power and fury that had given him the needed strength abruptly burn out of him and went limp. The centaur let out sighs of relief and threw him back in the cell. They chained him down with more and stronger chains and a hastily build door was put in.

Warrick looked at him with a mixture of awe, admiration and uncertainness. Nell looked at his still body and thought what kind of trick the demon had played this time, but he doubted it was all the demon, there had to be a part of Jack that wanted that outburst. A silence once again filled the shed-turned-prison and it stayed that way the whole night.

The morning brought a new visit from the negotiator. The door opened and sunlight entered the otherwise dark prison. The door closed again. The negotiator walked over to Jack and kneeled upon his front knees besides Jack. "Me Kir'zas. You?"

Jack turned his head to him. "Jack." He said in an almost friendly tone.

The centaur snorted and turned to the others. "You?"

Nell and Warrick both answered with their names.

"Good." Kir'zas nodded and turned to Jack again. "Now Jack, you tell me how to use this?" He held the shining gun above Jack's face.

"No."

Kir'zas smacked the back end of the gun into Jack's nose. "Yes, will tell me." He pounded the nose again and a crack resounded in the shed. Kir'zas looked at the gun with admiration. "Well if you not tell, maybe it make good torture tool."

Jack just looked at the centaur, not winching from the pain.

Kir'zas grabbed Jack's nose tight. "Let me fix this." With that he put the deformed nose back as it should and more horrifying sounds filled the room. "Now tell me?"

Jack had other plans than telling him. "Let me speak to your leader."

"I will ask, but don't expect". The centaur then let the back of the gun leave a trail of blood on Jack's lips. Kir'zas got up again and left the room.

Jack's companions looked at him. "Why would you want to talk to their leader, the khan isn't here, he probably just sent a good warrior to lead this bunch." Nell began. Warrick nodded in acknowledgement.

"Maybe make a deal with him that sounds attractive to him."

"Like?" Warrick blurted.

"A duel, who wins gets what he wants."

"He will never agree to that, not against you. At least not when you both fight with the same weapons." Nell said beginning to understand what Jack plans. "You don't want to make it an equal fight, you want to take an armed centaur on with your bare hands."

Jack just nodded as best as he could.

"You're nuts." Warrick began to protest.

"So? It is unlikely we are going to get out of here alive anyway, so I choose to go down with a fight, however slim my chance maybe."

"Even if you beat him, if he accepts, they might not let us go." Nell added to Warrick's statement.

Jack just shrugged.

Kir'zas had more things on his mind than interrogating his prisoners. He had brought Jack's words to his commander and to his surprise the leader wanted to know what Jack had to say. So he had brought Jack before his leader and they had made a deal. The next day a duel would begin at dawn. His leader had accepted to fight with weapons against a weapon less Jack.

They had agreed that if the leader won Jack's companions would tell him how to operate the weapon and he would get the satisfaction of killing the two endlessly to his leisure. If Jack won however the prisoners would go free with all of their stuff they had with them, including the weapon.

Kir'zas did not like it. Not that he liked the leader, he hated him, but he had seen what the big human could be capable of. He had seen him break those chains like it was nothing. He doubted that even a human as big as Jack could break those chains with some kind of support from magic. If he could use magic than that made him a even tougher adversary.

But that wasn't the only issue on his mind. Apparently the guards had been attacked by a large raptor. Since he was the second in command the leader he had given him the task to solve that problem as well. He doubted the raptor had anything to do with his prisoners, however intelligent raptors may be.

The raptors were becoming more intelligent almost by the day, some even wore feather for decoration. But they were still animals.

They were dangerous granted, but the guards should be able to handle a single raptor on their own. Apparently the raptor had used sophisticated techniques to fool the guards and wreak havoc.

Besides those things he had to prepare the duel. He had given the order to build a crude ring and a elevated platform for the prisoners, himself and guards for the prisoners so they could not escape.

The ring was progressing nicely but h still had to solve the raptor problem and had no idea how. He supposed he could let it rest for one day until the duel was over.

That night Jack chose to sleep so he could preserve his strength, as crazy as his idea might be he had no intention of let the leader slaughter him without a fight.

To his surprise the demon wasn't particularly cruel this time, maybe because his arm still didn't look that good. But he was shown served to anger him sufficiently to be able rip the demon's guts out again, but the demon didn't take that chance again.

He woke up full of anger fuelled by the images shown to him that night. He wondered if he could do the same to the centaur as he had done that time with the demon. He doubted it, he had gone completely out of control then, only fuelled by anger and hate like things that happened before his anger-management training.

The door opened and let the orange sunlight into the shed. They were all pulled out of the shed and separated as the observers were put on the platform and Jack was taken into that ring.

The new sun revealed a newly build ring of wood. The edges were merely fences and only served to keep the watchers from entering the ring.

Warrick saw Jack enter the ring from his position on the parapet. Nell and him had been unbound but were under constant supervision from guards and Kir'zas. In the middle of the parapet was a table with all kinds of food wares on it. Kir'zas, who also acted as a judge, was standing next to it and took an exotic looking apple and began eating it as the leader entered the ring.

The leader picked his weapon, a enormous double bladed axe, while Jack was searched for any possible weapons he might have been hiding the whole time. The amulet, which he had used to wake up, was finally found and taken from him.

The centaur began cheering when the leader raised his arms and chanted a battle cry. Hooves began stamping the ground as the leader let loose with his battle cry again. He then focused on Jack. "Last chance to stop." He said in a bit better orcish than that of Kir'zas.

Jack was just standing there looking tired, but he put up a defiant face and shouted: "BRING IT YOU BASTARD!"

According to Warrick Jack had gone completely insane by this point. He looked away over The Barrens. Something caught his eye. A sneaking figure that he recognised. It was the raptor, she was going around the guards in wide circles. He could nor imagine why she would do that. Maybe because she enjoys stealing prey. He told himself.

He looked around more and spotted a knife on the table, used to cut the fruits and meats that were spread on the table. He slowly shuffled closer and closer to the table and grabbed it, then shuffled back to were he was. Everybody was to busy looking at their leader to notice.

Jack continued taunting the leader and finally with a snort the leader gave in. The leader charged with a raised axe and cut were a tired looking Jack used to be. Jack had thrown of the tired look and jumped into action. He jumped out of the way and tried to hit the chest of his adversary but the leader had already gotten out of the way of his fist.

They stood six feet away from each other waiting for the other to move. The crowd was silent until the centaur broke the stalemate by taking two steps forward and swinging the axe horizontally. Now Jack's length worked against him. He ducked under the blade and when it had passed brought his hand up to his adversary's chin. The head jerked backward and the centaur stumbled back for a few steps, but immediately brought the axe handle into a defensive position as Jack brought his heavily booted right foot up to kick the centaur in the chest.

He only managed to hid the axe handle, but it flew out of the leader's hands and land a dozen feet away. Both of them immediately started for it but Jack arrived first. Before Jack had the axe up and ready to swing his adversary had already steered away, en route to get a new weapon.

"Not exactly a Weapon Of Mass Destruction but it will do." He told himself.

The leader came around with two long slender swords. Jack knew that if it would come down to skill with these crude melee weapons he would loose, he had never used an axe before, except for cutting down trees.

They charged each other and exchanged blows, all were blocked. They ended up in another stalemate. "You have moves, but you still loose." The centaur told him.

Maybe he could use sheer brute force. He brought the axe back and held so he could cut down at any time he wanted. This axe seemed to suit him better, it was bigger and heavier. He brought the axe down in a smooth arc that would have cut of the centaur's head, right shoulder and right arm, but the two blades deflected the blow, although the centaur had to use his full strength to do so. Jack found he still had his left arm and slammed it in to the centaur's stomach.

The leader doubled over but kept his swords in place, keeping the axe at bay. This had gone on long enough according Jack and that strange sensation of rage filled him again. Doubled the strength he used to push the axe on the blades and with his left hand began pounding his adversary's chest.

The crowd found this not to their liking and began booing Jack. Warrick and Nell saw that Jack might actually win. Warrick kept the knife ready to use and waited for the opportunity.

Jack brought his left arm back the last time and slammed it into the chest so hard that the centaur flew back a few feet. Rage was fully filling Jack as he saw that the swords had fallen into the crowd. He flung his axe into the direction of Kir'zas, hitting a guard, and ran towards his fallen adversary.

His closed his hands around the throat and began squeezing. The crowd began streaming into the ring to help their leader. Warrick found this the opportunity he needed, he stabbed the knife upwards and hit the underside of the head of one of the guards. The knife went all the way into the brain and the guard fell down twitching.

There were two guards left besides Kir'zas. Warrick began to attack another guard and Nell saw his opportunity as well. He blasted the last guard to a black crisp. Kir'zas was so overcome with surprise that he stumbled backwards and fell over the edge of the parapet.

Nell than used another spell to send a massive wave over fire over the charging crowd, carefully avoiding Jack. It worked to stop the advance and gave Jack enough time to smear The leader entrails into the ground. He completely crumbled the neck and the different splinters of bone had punctured holes in the skin. Blood coming from the arteries began spraying from the wound, colouring the ground and Jack's hand.

Jack stood back up to look at the centaur coming for him. Nell teleported himself and Warrick quickly to Jack over the small distance and began to spray another wave of fire.

Warrick realised he had no more use for the knife and threw it at those that were charging again.

Every single centaur in the camp was coming for them, which meant more then three dozen since reinforcements had arrived since their capture.

The battle field suddenly froze as an incredibly loud screech filled the air.

A Cliffhanger. I'll just leaf you right here.