Even the horses were scared. That shout was close to resounding thunder, those simple words, expelled from their box were so strong the man had a sudden larynx cramp.
Ravi's horse bucked and threw him on the ground before running away. The man quickly got up and stretched his hands out in peace.
'He must be a tribe chief. I don't know any other savage that can compete with as much decency.' He thought. His hands were shaking, the man in front of him was nearly his horse's size.
Mani observed the man before thinking. 'Oh my, his arms are larger than my thighs.'
He then used his ride to go after Ravi's. He hoped to not let his friend alone with the man for long.
From afar, he could see the man's body, full of vitality, containing his haste. He kept the same pace to meet Ravi. With a glare on his left, he saw the animal that slept among the destroyed houses... And anew he continued his tremendous walk.
Less than a meter apart, Ravi had neck pain because he wanted to look into the man's eyes, out of respect again. He needed three more heads to match heights.
Ardi was confident, always. He went on the front line, next to the boiling atmosphere. If he was alive, he could've felt the incredible heat exuding from the muscular man. He was here because he wanted to hear the conversation between their pursuers and someone who did not seem to listen to reason.
Seeing Mani in the corner of his eye, Ravi started his improvised speech. "L-lord of this land. I apologize for the rudeness of our behaviour. If me and my fellow friend are here, it is for a cause that'll serve your territory as well. You see, w-we believe the intruder we're pursuing, a black sorcerer, wrecked havoc in our beloved land with his dark, evil powers, he killed hundreds of our people. We must stop him."
A hand that was larger than Ravi's shoulder made contact with the priest's neck. It was really warm despite the fact the man in black travelled naked. For an instant, he even thought it was a form of greeting, he started relaxing a little... But.
As for the man's other hand, Ardi blinked at the wrong time. He saw the priest's head passing through his body, time slowed time for a second in which the pirate depicted every detail of the consequences of a huge slap.
Ravi's body was still standing, but it was no more intact.
Thud! Thud. The flying head rolled away from the scene.
One, two, three seconds were needed for Mani to react and run away. The head barely stopped its course that Mani was far, and Keith was awake.
"Kid! I believe we're in troubles! We need to run away! Make the bull run, walk, do something!"
Mister Show had already taken care of the kid's awakening, he even witnessed the man's beheading. The monster was alert the moment he saw the other.
"Oh boy! that bull won't hear a thing! Nasty Cowtch! Nasty!" Ardi said, doing his best to make the animal uncomfortable, in vain. "You! What if the little one dies so fast? I don't want it to be my shortest journey, come on!" He said, adding kicks touching nothingness.
'What if I die?' Asked Keith.
Show was the one who replied. 'I don't have any thousand corpses for you to feed upon, kid. I don't even know how and why you managed to wake up last time this happened to you.'
Right. 'Have we been spotted?' Keith asked the pirate.
"Yes, he turned his head earlier, I'm sure he'll come toward us- Fuck! Run kid!" Ardi exclaimed.
Not expecting it, the man in black spoke, interrupting the head-spinning conversation. "You! The fugitive! You are invited, come and eat at my place!" He shouted. His invitation was aggressive, his voice, hoarse and letting few syllables higher than others, let his most sincere request out. He instantly looked at the house where he saw the bull.
When the man bowed forward, Ardi observed, the width between the man torso and back, he thought. 'Impossible, that man must have more than one set of organs! There's more space in his ribcage than there can be in treasure chest.'
Keith's small head appeared from behind the low wall. He shyly peeked at the monster he had been described.
Why? Just why?
"Sir, my ride is tired, I can't afford losing it, I have a long way to go." Keith said, his voice echoed in the desert village before he got a reply.
"If you agree to come to my place, I'll make it move." He turned his back to the kid, showing how confident he was not only letting an opening for the 'intruder', but also revealing how developed was his back, round like a shield. In between his two shoulders, hanged a makeshift axe.
"Sure then." Said Keith, making his two companion nervous. Finally the man approached. With the same steady pace he had before killing the priest. The kid's mood was calm. Despite the fact he knew how screwed he was, there was nothing much he could do about it.
Running away? He wouldn't last half an hour.
Letting Show do? Ardi? Too much sun. Too much... ghost.
Fighting back? What a joke!
So what if he dies again? Nights fells at the end of the day. Mister Show can move his corpse around and find a solution, or whatever. Worst case scenario, he dies.
"I'm Greenie, fugitive of the Maghada territory. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Galaasamiduldsenkhun."
Ardi couldn't help but comment "Oh boy, that's long too." Keith had already forgotten everything besides 'Gal' and asked to shorten his name because he had too much difficulty pronouncing it fully.
Gal grabbed Cowtch's horns, and pulled hard. The beast was unwillingly dragged with Keith toward the inner country. About ten kilometers farther, ten kilometers of silence, there was a third village. This one had wooden spikes half buried around it. Akin to a fortress, the village was surrounded in sharp wood sticks and long logs, it had only one entrance, a gate where one guard stood all day.
The man was as big as Gal, the ashes on his face covered his facial features, but he resembled his sibling. He was astonished to see his brother come back with not only meat for a week at best, but also a child.
"Who's this?"
"A special guest. Same for his short-haired bull, that's not our dinner."
The village's houses were basic, the ashes had coloured most of their components, making the whole village and its inhabitants invisible in the night, Evening approached, giving it a dark brown ambiance.
A large hut, in the center of the village had smoke escaping from its roof.
Keith saw six villagers in total, all were men, the street had no structure nor straight stones to ease one's travel. A seventh man came from the desert land, he dragged a five meter long tree that'll soon help powering the fire or strengthen their wobbly houses.
Cowtch was put in a cow pen, he looked normal compared to the other animals. 'Is everything bigger here?' Was the main thought in Keith's head.
Inside the hut, ten women worked. Two brushed the floor, cleaned tables and the other prepared food. Most of their bellies were round.
In the middle of the room there was a fire pit, three meters large, full of incandescent charcoal and covered by an iron grid, here cooked many vegetables and a mountain of meat.
'So that's where they've put the rocks.' Observed Show.
Every men entered, ten of each gender was present, Keith was the 'intruder' here, first because he was the eleventh male, second because he was a child and third because he wasn't stark naked. No one looked under twenty and all begun to give him curious glares.
A man with a feathery crown had a conversation with Gal, he gave a smile before holding his cup high above his head.
"Everyone!" He called, with a voice as much damaged as Gal. "Our brother Galaasamiduldsenkhun brought us the enemy of our enemy! Hence he's one of our companions. "
"Cheers!" They said in unison, serving the kid with one of their brews in a dirty wooden cup.
While what seemed to be the tribe chief spoke, the food soon was coloured like their houses.
"He had pursuers, one more scum from their troops died today. Before his last words, one spat out little... Greenie?" He asked, looking at the kid to approve the exactitude of his name. "Greenie's feats! He is said to be a fierce warrior! He killed while being this young, behold, the mighty young assassin!"
"Cheers!" They said again, drinking half of their beverage before making the women refill everyone's cup. They all ate joyfully, except Keith that had a hard time because of the swinging genitals next to him. He had difficulties staying next to a naked man since he had problems with Ned.
Keith asked Gal that thankfully stayed nearby. "Why did you call those priest your enemies?
The man wiped the back of his hand on the kid's face, leaving ashes all over it.