Chapter 13: My Name Is Human

Eristia rubbed her eyes as she awoke. It hadn't been a pleasant sleep as she had dozed off in the chair she had been sitting in when they all ate. Yuriy had bags under his eyes as he and Eristia had taken turns keeping watch. Yuriy, though, had to do watch for the past four hours once Eristia finished her watch and fell into a deep sleep. Luciana was still half-asleep as she roused from her slumber and yawned. It took a few moments for them all to remember the incident from last night and Eristia sprang up from her chair to go check on Joshua. Eristia peered down into the hole in the bedroom floor and called out to him.

"Hey…you awake down there?" She asked him anxiously.

She could hear his footsteps before the succubus awoke with a startle. The succubus let out a groan before Joshua's hand shot out of the hole and he pulled himself up. He then reached down and pulled the succubus out of the hole, and she looked irritated. Joshua looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep yet but was unaffected by it.

"You need to tighten the reins on your…beast. He doesn't know how to treat a lady." Minna groaned as she brushed her legs off and stretched.

Eristia noticed the bandage on her leg and glared at Joshua. Joshua noticed and shrugged.

"I didn't want to put up with her whining about her wound hurting or being hungry all night long." He said bluntly.

Eristia let out an irritated sigh as he was somewhat right. Putting up with the succubus' whining all the way to the old iron mines was not high on her to-do list for the morning. What she wanted was to finish looking for Solar Glory and make it home in time for lunch so she could give her report to Mersé. The three of them went back out to the main room with Joshua keeping a tight grip on the succubus' left shoulder with his left hand. Luciana rubbed her eyes and reached down into her backpack for the last biscuit she had and downed it in a few bites. Yuriy slumped over as he struggled to stay awake. He reached into his backpack for a small satchel of ground-up coffee beans and a kettle before exiting the cabin to go fill the kettle at the well. He came back with a full kettle and stoked some wood in the fireplace to boil water for his coffee. He stuffed some tinder from his bag under the wood only to realize he didn't have a way to light a fire. He groaned as he rubbed his forehead only for Joshua to light the tinder with his lighter. Yuriy then hung the kettle on a hook protruding from the bricks and let the water boil. Joshua kept a tight grip on the succubus' shoulder and had his right hand grasping his pistol but kept it holstered.

Eristia sat grabbed a chair and turned it to face the succubus before sitting down. She furrowed her brow as she glared at the monster before her and crossed her arms. Minna had a look of defeat plastered on her face as her head tilted down. She knew one wrong move was all it would take for the Order hero to give the soulless man the signal to kill. All Minna wanted was to go home so she could rest. Being in the hole had been a far cry from ideal and that was worsened by the soulless man's presence.

"Can I have some more food?..." Minna asked as she looked up at Joshua.

Joshua groaned as he shook his head. If she had been smart, she would have saved half of the granola bar instead of eating it in one sitting. He didn't even have that much food in his backpack and letting her eat it all was not high on his list.

"*sigh* you should have saved some of that granola bar….I'll give you half of one when we get to the mines and confirm or deny an enemy presence," Joshua replied with an annoyed voice.

Minna's face contorted into a pout. She was hungry and growing thirsty again. She wondered how the soulless man could treat prisoners so horribly. He did mention "seeing far worse" than she could imagine. It must have re-shaped how he viewed the world and turned him into what he is now.

"Then at least let me have some water! This really is no way to treat a lady." Minna said as she puffed out her cheeks.

"Joshua, there's a well around back. Take her there and use that... I now see what you mean by her whining…" Eristia ordered as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Joshua nodded and herded her outside before gently closing the door behind him. Luciana and Yuriy both had irritated expressions on their faces. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with all this. Yuriy reached for the kettle, which was steaming, and mixed the water and coffee grounds together. He motioned to Luciana, who shook her head, before motioning to Eristia, who reached into her backpack for a cup. The two of them each took a sip, sticking their tongues out at the bitterness before checking their bags for some sugar. Yuriy shook his head after looking at Eristia and Looked at Luciana. She checked her bag before shaking her head. Eristia checked her bag and realized that she had no sugar. The two of them reluctantly took another sip from their cups as Luciana checked her bag to find she didn't even have honey. The three of them groaned as they realized they had come under-prepared.

Outside Joshua had a tight grip on Minna's left shoulder and kept his right hand resting on his pistol. His eyes darted left and right as he scanned the thicket for signs of more monsters. He marched Minna over to the well and motioned for her to lower the bucket down into the well. Minna was looking for some method of escape as she turned the crank while Joshua kept his eyes on her and scanned the tree line.

"let go….you're hurting me.."Minna said as she turned and looked Joshua in the eye.

Joshua released his grip but kept his watchful eye on her. Minna took a big drink once she brought the bucket back up before setting it down next to the well still half full.

"Just what do you think you're fighting for?" She asked him with a scornful gaze.

"Quiet. There's no talking your way out of this. Stay on your best behavior and I'll make sure Eristia keeps her word and releases you after we're done with the mine." Joshua shot back coldly with an equally scornful gaze.

"So do those High Priests have you wrapped around their greedy finger as well? Do you know of how much they restrict their own including the heroes?" Minna asked him, taunting him with a smirk. "Do you even know what love is? Are you even capable of it?"

"Shut up! I had a fiancée I loved to no end! When she got breast cancer and ended up in the hospital for a year, I was working my ass off to pay for her treatments! Once it metastasized to her lungs, we both had no choice but to accept the inevitable. If you had been there the moment she died you wouldn't be asking such a question!" Joshua hissed.

"Hahaha! You had a significant other? That's funny. How do I know you didn't kill her? You killed several werewolves, some of whom were married, do you know how much sorrow you've caused? How do you know your significant other didn't also suffer because of you?" Minna jeered as she laughed mockingly.

Joshua drew his pistol in a flash and aimed right between her eyes. Minna laughed once more at his rash actions as a scowl spread across his face and his eyes glowed with fury. His right thumb rested on the safety just waiting for her to say something else to mock him.

"That's right…draw that gun. The only thing you are is a murderer. You haven't stopped to question just who or what you're really fighting for. You haven't asked yourself how clean their hands are or look at the sorrows they inflict on their own people." Minna taunted as she walked up to him and grabbed the slide.

Minna then pressed it against her forehead as Joshua clicked off the safety. Every fiber of his being was screaming out to end her existence. How dare she accuse him of hurting Reiko? What did she know of what the two of them had been through together? His right index finger was about to squeeze the trigger just as branches rustled and snapped by the trees and the horses began acting up. Joshua then clicked the safety on and holstered his pistol before reluctantly going over to check the sound out. He was surprised to see three random men emerge from the bushes with angry glares on their faces, and wine-red eyes full of rage.

Earlier that morning….

The sky was red with the morning sun. This morning wasn't a "good" morning, though. Three men in their mid-twenties who wore loose clothes and had unkempt hair gazed at the massacre on the path to the "thief's" hideout. It was just as Natasha had said: she was the only one who made it back. They were disgusted at the sight of their slain comrades. One knelt down and began sobbing as he thought of the soulless creature who had slain them and his mindless violence.

"Don't worry, Richard, we'll find him." One of them said as he looked at the massacre. His white shirt had its buttons undone and his pants were held up by loose-fitting, red suspenders. His blonde hair was long and uncut.

"And what will we do once we find him? He'll kill us, too, if we aren't careful, Tom!" The third man replied angrily. His brown shirt and pants were in no different shape from Tom's.

"Harold's right…..we don't stand a chance…" Richard muttered as he stood up. His black hair was long and clothes loose fitting with his pants being un-buttoned and held up by black straps.

"It's not hopeless! If we don't do something who will? Don't you want to avenge Tanya, Richard? We can take him if we gang up on him, now c'mon!" Tom said confidently before marching up the path towards the cabin.

Harold and Tom reluctantly followed behind. After looking at the carnage, they just wanted to collect the dead and return their bodies to the pack so they could be buried. Several of the kids were distraught to learn of what happened the night before and the Alpha had forbidden anyone else from approaching the soulless man just so they wouldn't lose anyone else. The other adults didn't like the decision, but it was just too risky. Tom especially didn't like the decision. He couldn't stand sitting around and doing nothing about a potential threat.

The Alpha was looking for volunteers to go retrieve the bodies in the early morning, and both Harold and Richard volunteered, but so did tom. Richard and Harold had their reservations about taking Tom with them due to his hot-headed nature, but the Alpha approved, so they had no choice. The three of them then set off for the bridge in the morning.

Presently…

The three young men shot Joshua angry glares, but Joshua shot them a disinterested look. Neither side budged for a minute before Joshua spoke.

"If you turn back now this won't have to escalate," Joshua warned them.

"Mikhail "Deadman" Ivanov…." Tom muttered with a scornful glare on his face.

Joshua observed their faces carefully. The three men were looking for a fight, but as Joshua looked at both Harold and Richard, he noticed the hesitation in their eyes. Tom had a murderous look in his eyes and was clearly out for blood.

"Those two look like they don't want to be here…the third's jimmies are rustled…..I guess I better teach them a lesson. Non-lethal it is!" Joshua thought as he reached into his bottom right coat pocket.

Joshua pulled out a can of 'Sabre Red' pepper gel and unholstered his baton. With a flick of his wrist, it extended to its full 24-inch length. Harold and Richard both took a small step back, but Tom pulled a purple-colored throwing knife from his back pants pocket. Joshua laughed as he looked at the throwing knife and waited for Tom to make his move.

"I hate to break it to ya, but that won't do you any good here." He said as he laughed.

Tom immediately threw the knife at Joshua in response. The knife struck Joshua between the eyes but passed right through him and clanged against the well where Minna was standing with her letting out a small "Kya" as the blade hit the side of the well right next to her and bounced off into the trees off to her right. Joshua went cross-eyed as the knife passed right through his head before letting out an amused laugh. The three incubi Stared on in shock and confusion as Joshua was unaffected by the demon realm metal.

"What is that thing?...Tom, let's just cut our losses and go get the bodies, please? I don't want to fight that thing…." Harold said in confusion before turning to Tom and pleading with him.

"Are you kidding me?! We HAVE to take that thing down! What if it gets too close to the young pups? It won't show any mercy." Tom shot back.

Joshua chuckled slightly at the word "It" coming from Tom's mouth. He began to take steps towards the three incubi with his baton gripped tight and his right thumb resting on the button to his pepper gel.

"Hello, my name is human, and I came down from the stars." Joshua said calmly as he approached.

Tom lunged forward with his right fist clenched and threw a right hook. Joshua dodged and sprayed him in the face with pepper gel before striking him behind his right knee and causing him to fall over. Joshua felt the throwing knife pass through him again as it stuck in the ground a few feet in front of him. He turned around to see Minna standing over by the brush with a look of shock and realization on her face before he turned back to the other two incubi just as Eristia and Yuriy came rushing around the corner of the cabin only to see the spectacle unfolding. Yuriy hurried over to the horses and began calming them down as best he could.

"I'm giving you one last chance to walk away from this just like I did those werewolves. Don't be like them and make the wrong choice. If you keep posing a threat to me and my friends, then I'll have no choice but to switch to lethal force." Joshua warned them.

He then looked down at Tom who was rubbing his eyes and crying out in pain as the burning sensation from the pepper gel grew worse.

"ARRGHHGH! Damn you! What did you spray me with?! My eyes are on fire!" Tom cried in agony.

Joshua jammed the tip of his baton into the ground and sheathed it before picking him up and dragging him over to the well. Tom tried to fight back until Joshua picked him up and slumped him over his shoulder. Tom began pounding at his back as hard as he could, but it was no good. Harold and Richard could only watch as they were too afraid to move. Minna had taken a few steps back and flexed her wings, but Eristia glared at her with her right hand resting over her sword. Joshua noticed Minna flex her wings and shot a three-shot burst of pepper gel at her face before she could attempt to fly away. Her eyes stung and she started rubbing them and crying out in pain just like Tom.

Both Harold and Richard panicked at the sight of Eristia and ran off, leaving Tom all on his own. Joshua grabbed the well's bucket and lowered it down into the well and tilted Tom's head back once he brought it back up. Tom was still scrubbing at his eyes and cursing Joshua as Joshua tried to stop him so he could flush his eyes with water.

"Stop scrubbing and hold your eyes open! I can't flush the pepper gel out otherwise. Don't make me break your arms." Joshua told him as he began trying to restrain him.

"Fuck you! You're a murderer! A real monster in human skin!" Tom shot back before Joshua grabbed his arms.

"Eristia, please pour that water over his eyes. It's the only way to shut him up." Joshua asked as he held Tom's arms at his side.

Eristia pinched the bridge of her nose and reluctantly grabbed the bucket before slowly pouring it over Tom's eyes. Tom sputtered and gasped as the water splashed over his face but was surprised when his eyes stopped stinging. Minna was still scrubbing at her eyes as Yuriy managed to calm down the horses. Tom looked up at Joshua with eyes full of hate. As much as he wanted to finish the fight, he was outnumbered, and his pride was bruised.

"Eristia, can you handle questioning this one? Don't kill him, though, I need him to send a message to his pack. I'll deal with the succubus." Joshua asked her before lowering the bucket down into the well. Minna had crouched down on the ground as she rubbed her eyes. As much as she wanted to escape, she knew she wouldn't get very far if she couldn't see. She heard footsteps approaching and turned her head in their general direction as she stopped scrubbing her burning eyes.

"S… stay back!" she shouted.

Joshua tilted her head back and dumped the water on her head as she began feebly punching his waist before letting go of her head. To her surprise, the burning stopped, and she could finally open her eyes. She looked up at Joshua with both anger and fear and he scowled back at her.

"I told you if you behaved, I would get Eristia to keep her word. Do you have any idea how hard it'll be now to do that? I sprayed you in the face with pepper gel to stop you from making a grave mistake. Had I not she probably would have used a magic attack to end you right then and there. Don't you want to see your husband again?" Joshua said to her with a cold glare.

Minna grit her teeth at his words. He was nothing but an insane killer to her. She thought of everything she had been through since getting to the cabin. She balled her left hand into a fist and punched him square in the crotch, but he quickly caught her left wrist. She tried again with her right, but he quickly caught her other hand. She then tried to kick him in the crotch, but he blocked with his right leg.

"Keep acting like this and you'll just be digging yer own grave," Joshua warned her. "You'll never be able to see yer husband ever again."

"…Fine…you win. If you can guarantee my safety then I'll cooperate." Minna reluctantly replied as she calmed down.

"I can't believe I'm doing this, but I guess I have no choice…..I hope Richter is doing okay without me...hopefully, he hasn't burned down the house trying to cook again…." She thought dejectedly.

Meanwhile, Eristia was questioning the Incubus.

"Why did you come after us?" She asked him sternly.

"Are you kidding me? You brought that….thing out here and let it kill our packmates and suddenly I'm the bad guy for trying to do right by my pack and avenge the dead?!" Tom replied angrily.

Eristia drew her sword and held the tip of the blade to his neck. Tom gulped as she stared at him intently before she spoke again.

"Your packmates attacked us first. He was only doing his job and I have to say I'm impressed with his skill. As much as I don't want to, you're going to tell the rest of your pack that if they stay away no further harm will come to them." Eristia told him before sheathing her sword.

"Let me ask you this: how long before he starts going after normal humans? He's had his first taste of blood. Do you think you can control him forever? Do you have an effective way to stop him?" Tom taunted as a smug grin spread across his face.

Eristia scowled at him but then remembered Joshua's restaurant story. He did say he killed the gunman who killed his friend and two restaurant employees with only a spoon. He also showed he had great skill in combat against those werewolves the other day. While he did give them a chance to retreat, something even she didn't expect him to do, he did finish the fight. He could probably catch a few heroes off guard if given the chance. He had every opportunity, though, when he was in Lescatie to show any sinister colors yet never once did he attack the citizens or guards.

"He has had every opportunity to cause harm to the citizenry, but never once did he turn his gun on them." She told the incubus as she glared at him.

"A true murderer never strikes out in the open." Tom shot back as he glared right back at her.

Joshua approached holding Minna by her left shoulder as he marched her back to the cabin. Joshua took one look at Tom before setting his backpack down on the ground and pulling out the roll of tape he carried in it. Tom looked at him in confusion before Joshua easily pinned him down on his stomach and taped his wrists together.

"You're free to go, but I'm not taking chances. You'll have to head back to your pack and have someone cut that tape off when you get home. I will say this only once….do not attempt to try and ambush us or there will be more bloodshed." Joshua said before tearing a long piece of tape and wrapping it around his wrists.

Joshua stood him up and gave him a shove before Tom started walking away from the cabin in defeat with his pride all but gone.

Yuriy finished securing the Horses and approached the three of them before looking at Tom as he trudged off.

"What's his story?" Yuriy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Retaliation party. He and the other two incubi wanted revenge for the werewolves we killed the other day. They were specifically targeting Joshua thinking he was the sole cause for their deaths." Eristia replied as she shook her head.

"He knows it was Quickdraw Annie's fault, right?" Yuriy asked with a look of confusion.

"I don't think he sees it that way," Joshua replied with a dispirited tone.

"Either way we must get going. Yuriy, get the horses ready. I'll go get Luciana. Joshua, I hate to do this to you, but you'll have to be walking beside that succubus so she doesn't try anything again." Eristia said with a sigh.

Yuriy nodded before heading over to the horses while Eristia went to get Luciana. Joshua all the while kept an eye on Minna. Deep down he was hoping they wouldn't find anything in the mines so they could go back to Lescatie. The last thing he wanted was to waste more ammo than necessary seeing as he couldn't just go buy more. Sure he had his baton, dagger and pepper gel, but there were only so many spurts in the pepper gel can and he wasn't sure how long the dagger would hold up seeing how the buckler Yuriy gave him broke in the fight against the werewolves. Eristia soon came around the corner while helping Luciana before they mounted their horses and set off towards the mines.

A/N: And I'm fully back! Gotta love technology (fucking flashdrive!) Highly suspect's 'my name is human' is going to be considered a secondary theme song/main theme for Joshua from this point going forward. His thee was going to be 'beat the devil's tattoo' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, but I felt that would give away a bit too much about him for later if you thought hard on it so that changed.