Asura's brow twitched. "What am I doing? Why am I obeying everything the old man says? If I cause trouble, maybe he will fight me..." Asura asked himself while sizing up the old man. If he kept submitting to the old man's authority, he was practically a slave to the humans. Asura was a slave to no one but himself. Standing up defiantly, Asura pointed at the old man, challenging his demand,
"Now wait a minute, ya old fart. We went and beat the crap out of those monsters, stopped a sacrifice, and we are being punished? How's that fair? I should get a medal or something. I ain't taking your crap anymore. Let's settle this like men... Ogre versus the elderly! Wait that sounds like I'm beating up a defenseless old man. Well, I mean, you are old, but you're ripped. Ogre versus ripped Santa Claus."
The old man's eyes reminded Asura of a dad dealing with a disobedient child. Calm, collected, and calculating the situation, the old man seemed unbothered by Asura's challenge, as if he expected the ogre's disobedience. For a moment, the old man debated about dispatching the ogre.
However, keeping such a valuable tool would be in his best interest. If he could sway the ogre to his side, he would have a formidable ally against the rest of The Temple and future threats created by the cultists.
The best way to make Asura obedient was a demonstration of strength, something the ogre respected. Otherwise, outbursts like this would continue if he believed the old man was powerless. "I need an obedient soldier, not a defiant one." With a smile, the old man accepted the challenge,
"Alright, let's go to the training room."
Wain's jaw dropped to the floor, and Asura froze, a little unnerved by how easily the old man accepted. "Did he just challenge the captain? Does he not know the stories of his past? The monsters he's slain? The old man may be in exile, but his story was legendary even amongst the seventh-rank Paladins." Wain thought as he turned to Asura, who was bouncing with joy now.
Wain tried to reach out and stop the ogre to warn him of his grave mistake. However, Asura jumped up from the floor, away from Wain's reach, and with a wide smile, the ogre shook his fists in anticipation. As the old man began to walk through the door and down the hallway, he waved for them to follow.
"Let's go boys."
Asura happily followed behind the old man, finally getting a chance to fight an opponent that could wield holy mana to its full capabilities. He would never admit it, but Mel's power was awesome to the ogre. If she were well-trained and experienced, her strength would be unmatched in battle. With his mouth gaped open, Wain watched Asura skip down the hallway without a care in the world. Pleading with Asura, Wain insisted he seek forgiveness,
"Dude, apologize."
"What? Why would I apologize?"
"You have no idea what you just did..."
"Yeah, I am getting to fight the old man?"
"Yeah, and he is about to whoop your ass."
Wain's choice of words made Asura debate for a moment just how dire the situation truly was. If the kind-hearted Wain was willing to curse blatantly in front of the old man, then he might be far too strong for the ogre to handle. However, Asura wasn't worried if his strength far surpassed his own. It wouldn't be the first time he fought a losing battle, "Try fighting a Tigac," he thought. Remembering the brutal battle with the deadly beast made Asura shudder.
Wain waited to be scolded for cursing in front of the old man, but he remained silent.
"Just apologize."
"Nope."
Reaching the end of the hallway, Asura found himself standing back in the worship area. The newly polished gold décor, neatly lined dusted pews, and waxed floors made him realize they fixed the damage caused when he first arrived. No evidence remained of the fight he had with the priests. "Maybe if I can find a few mistakes left, I can cause more work for Ash." Asura mischievously thought as he began to plot.
Before he could search the room, though, Wain pushed the ogre slightly to get his attention. He turned to find Wain pointing at the old man who began walking down another hallway to their left. With the old man's quick strides, the two would lose him if they didn't pursue him immediately.
The two swiftly rushed to catch up to the old man as he continued to the training room. Deep in the hallway, a door opened, revealing a curious familiar face. Ash peeked from the door frame, taking notice of the familiar but unusual smile that sat on the old man's face. It was a smile that struck fear in Ash for most of his life. One that was only used by his mentor, who taught him swordsmanship when he enjoyed disciplining him. While Wain walked past, Ash asked,
"What's happening?"
A grim look plagued Wain's face as he replied,
"Asura is going to fight the captain."
Ash's eyes opened wide, and his face whipped to look at Asura, who eagerly pounded his fists together. "This is it... He is finally going to kill him!" Ash thought as he internally jumped with joy. This was going to be one of the happiest moments of his life! The thought of Asura being crushed like the cockroach he is filled Ash with excitement. "Oh, what a beautiful day today is!" Ash repeated in his head as he followed behind the three.
Finally, it came into view, the familiar door that led to the training room. They had arrived at their destination. Opening the door, the old man entered first. Heading towards the middle of the room, he took his position as Asura's opponent.
The old man pushed his short sleeves up over his shoulder, revealing his massive biceps. There was one last thing he needed to do before he was ready to take on the ogre. Taking a band from his wrist, he raised his arms to the back of his head, tying his hair back into a ponytail.
Asura danced in place as Wain and Ash approached the weapon rack. Wain anxiously looked around while Ash watched in suspense. The worrying thought of being too close plagued Wain's mind. "Two juggernauts clashing in such a small room. What could go wrong?" Wain thought.
Asura stood facing the old man from a distance, bouncing with excitement. Opening and closing his grubby hands, he eagerly awaited the signal to begin the fight. From the sideline, Ash cheered vigorously for the old man, hoping he would finally end this madness. On the other hand, Wain could only cover his eyes with his hands, peeking through the gaps between his fingers.
"Looks like you need to be taught some manners, kid. I'll hit you once, and if you're still alive, you win. If you die, you lose. Simple right? If you win, I'll let you off the hook. If I win, you'll listen to every order from now on."
With an evil grin, Asura raised all his arms in front of him. Noticing his clothes were ripped and torn from the last battle, he decided to add more to the deal,
"Sounds great, but can you throw in some new clothes for my win?"
"Sure. Mel isn't here, so, Ash, you send off a signal."
Ash, too excited to control himself, grabbed his sword, pulling it from the sheath. With a single swing upward, he channeled mana into the blade. A streak of fire shot out from the tip up towards the ceiling.
Asura and the old man waited for the moment it struck the ceiling. Upon impact, the ogre wasted no time digging his fingers into the ground for leverage and launching himself forward into a sprint. Charging with all his might, his heart pounded as he raced towards the old man.
"What's he going to do? What is his power? Oooohhhhh, man, Is it like instant death if he touches me? How cool!" Asura thought as he ran. Traveling at inhuman speeds, he crossed the room within seconds and was now only a few feet away from the old man. To his surprise, the old man stood like a statue with his arms crossed the entire time. His only movement was the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile.
When Asura stood roughly five feet before the old man, he uncrossed his arms. While pulling his right arm back and placing his left foot forward, his arm ignited as he channeled mana throughout it. For a moment, his arm became engulfed in raging golden flames that flicked in every direction.
However, the moment was brief as the flames concentrated like a torch would into a thin layer of fire that blazed against his skin. The flames roared and crackled, making their presence known throughout the room.
Asura expected the golden flames to emit little heat from being concentrated into such a small fire. How wrong could he have been... A blistering wave of heat filled the room, making the air heavy and thick. Wain and Ash struggled to breathe in the smoldering tide that filled their lungs. Even from far away, sweat poured from their skin as if they stood next to the fire. From being so close to the source, Asura's body repeated an endless cycle of producing and evaporating sweat.
Realizing the old man might be stronger than he anticipated, Asura tried to dig his heels into the floor. However, it was too late. Regret pricked the ogre's mind as he watched the old man begin to move. "Well, regret is for the living." Asura thought, prepared for his demise.
While throwing his clenched fist forward, the old man started to release pressure that expelled from his body, causing the ground to crack underneath his feet. The pressure from releasing his mana sent tremors through the floor that Asura to the core.
As the fist struck Asura's chest, their eyes locked with one another. For a brief moment, time seemed to slow down for the old man as he watched Asura's lips spread into a smile. Even until the very end, he enjoyed the thrill of battle. In the face of dominating strength, the ogre met it head-on, unworried about what happened after. "A true warrior." The old man thought as his mana expanded from the point of contact.
From the top of his shoulder straight to the point of contact, the golden fire shot forth into the ogre's chest. Wain couldn't believe his eyes as he processed the unbelievable sight of Asura smashing into the wall behind him. In a fraction of a second, the force threw Asura across the room at a speed the human eye could not track. Like thunder following lightning, the thunderous kaboom of the holy fire slamming into Asura as he collided with the wall deafened those inside.
The thick stone wall slightly caved in around the ogre, making an indentation of where he struck. Cracks spread out from where he sat like a massive spiderweb stretching from one end of the wall to the other. Wain couldn't believe his eyes as he watched in horror as rubble fell from the ceiling piling on top of Asura. Dust fell and rolled across the room, covering their vision momentarily. Wain whispered to himself,
"He's dead. There is no way he is alive..."
Ash roared, overjoyed by such a sight. He was unable to contain the happiness that bubbled up inside.
"Let's go! LETS FREAKING GO! WOOHOO!"
Finally, the old man killed him! Once the dust settled, a path that was left along the floor from the old man to Asura became visible as if a boulder had rolled through the room. The fire paved a path of destruction that led directly to its victim, pronouncing his death. The old man shook his fist from the pain of punching Asura's solid body.
"Hardheaded idiot."
Asura, now stuck inside the wall, groaned, signifying he was still alive. "I'm alive! Well, as alive as someone who feels like they were struck by God himself..." He thought while pushing the rubble off his body. With all four arms, he dug himself free and stood upon the rubble, declaring to the world that he was still breathing.
"That... was... awesome! Hell yeah, man. Holy crap, you hit like a truck. Well, harder than a truck, but you know what I mean."
Asura threw all four of his arms up in happiness, letting out a laugh as intense pain spread through his chest. Even though he was still intact, the punch did a number on the organs, leaving him with severe pain lingering inside. Everything felt like mush at the moment, but he figured it would heal over time. "I hope..." Asura pursued his lips as he thought about the possibility his organs would never heal.
"Alright, alright, old man. I'll listen to you. Not because you won, but that is some serious firepower! Who knew you'd have something like that? Let's keep going! Hit me again!"
Wain and Ash's jaws dropped to the floor again at the sight of a fully intact Asura. They couldn't believe their eyes. "Were they deceiving them? I'm hallucinating... Lack of oxygen to my brain." Wain thought because of the smoke from the fire in his lungs. That smite would have evaporated any monsters they had ever seen."
Wain wiped his face as if reality would change,
"Yet, here he stood, with soot covering his chest and a perfectly sculpted body with no wounds. He had to be made from the hardest material in the galaxy!" In awe that Asura ate the blow, they both were speechless. The old man laughed and put his hands on his hips. He could only accept his defeat. However, his plan had worked, and Asura now held a new level of respect towards him.
"I admit I lost. I didn't think you'd still be standing after that hit."
"Now wait a minute, the fight ain't over yet. I want to keep going!"
"I stated I'd throw one punch. I'm too old and past my prime to continue trading blows with a youngin."
The old man walked up to the ogre, clasping his shoulders. He smiled down at the ogre, who was visibly annoyed,
"I'll get you some new clothes. Wait in your room while we make it. Wain, I still need to talk to you about what happened. Come see me in my office to give a report. Ash take Asura to his room, you aren't on house arrest, but you still need to stay inside for a bit."
With that, the old man left the room without saying another word.
"Oh, come on! I just want to have a good fight..."
Asura turned to Wain to see if he would fight, but Wain was no longer in the room. "He must have slipped out right after the old man," Asura grumbled as he kicked a rock. Disappointed the fight would not continue, Asura walked over to Ash, waving his hands in front of his frozen face. At least the sight of Ash in shock was amusing... Asura figured it was because he could not process the immaculate sight before him.
"I am just that awesome. Did you finally realize how great the might Asura is, huh?"
Asura struck a few poses as a bodybuilder would on stage before strutting out of the room like a gold medalist, winning his seventh victory over the other competitors. Ash could not believe Asura managed to take a hit from the war hero and famous captain. The shock overpowered his disappointment. Although he was upset the old man failed to kill the obnoxious ogre, the fight was impressive. Shaking his head to snap back to reality, Ash led Asura back to his room.
"How?... Whatever, I'll show you your room."
Ash walked out of the training room and replayed everything that had occurred. "Why did the old man just let him walk away? No repercussions? Because of a fight? That was the dumbest thing... Nothing like what the old man is usually like? Was he actually that impressed? It was impressive, but should we let Asura walk away free? From justice? The captain?" Ash argued with himself in his head, trying to make sense of it all.
Asura walked behind Ash silently. He really wanted to keep fighting. "That punch was epic!" He laughed, remembering the thrill of flying through the air at high speed. The force of the blow was unlike anything he had ever been hit by. Without realizing it, he walked through to the other side of the building. Asura arrived in front of another door. Ash pressed his hand against the ogre's chest, stopping him from continuing past.
"This is your room."
Pushing the ogre into the room, Ash slammed the door shut behind him before he could ask any questions. Asura could only sit silently for a moment, contemplating his new surroundings. The room was rather small for the two beds that sat apart from each other against opposite walls. Although it was mostly empty on the left side of the room, the other showed signs of a resident.
The right bed had a bunch of objects scattered around it. A laptop, a bag, some books, an MP3 player, and a radio. A few posters on the walls were of some artists Asura had never heard of. He was pretty up to date with social media, but he's never heard of it. Toothpick Killer. "Whatever that is," he thought as he fell backward onto the empty bed. After lying down for a moment, the cold blanket underneath him made it clear he was still partially naked...
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Ash couldn't help but brood as he walked towards the library. He wanted to find a way to kill Asura, an unacceptable demon allowed in the holy presence of The Temple. "How could the old man allow this? To allow such a filthy creature into the cathedral was a grave sin. A crime against Judex Divinum. Something that went against everything they stood for. Especially ogres..." He told himself.
"Repulsive creatures that need to be eradicated."
A sudden wave of repressed, old memories emerged in Ash's mind.
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Ash watched as his mother was dragged away by her leg, her bloody face screaming at him, pleading for him to listen. Drenched in blood, her beautiful black hair crowning her head left a streak of red liquid as her head drug across the earth.
"RUN ASH! GO! RUN FAR!"
His mother screamed, but the fear paralyzing his body prevented him from moving. A large muscular creature gripped his mother's leg and dragged her body back towards a burning village. The once peaceful village he lived in was now reduced to a slaughterhouse as the hulking creatures stomped around, killing the inhabitants. The raging fire consumed everything he could see. His neighbor's houses, their barns, and the fields they used to grow their food in were now being reduced to nothing.
All around, the cut-off, cries for help, and screams of agony from people being eaten alive echoed in his child ears as he sat in a large field watching this horrifying event unfold. Ash tried to scream to his mother, pleading for her to come with him, but he couldn't. Terrified, he could only watch.
"MOM!"
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Another memory emerged. Walking with his Dad, Ash smiled, filled with joy as they approached their destination. His strong father stood next to him, whom even his village looked up to. His father was a gentle but stern man. Tall and bulky like a lumberjack, he stood towering over most. His long blonde hair and full beard made all the ladies swoon over him as he walked through town, often making his mother furious.
"Dad was finally taking him to hunt!" Younger Ash thought as he skipped along next to his father. Only his Dad and elder brother ever got to hunt due to his age. His mom always chastised his father, telling him he was too young to participate. "But today! Today was different." Dad won the argument. "I'm elven. I'm a grown man! Mom can't tell me not to hunt!" Ash could barely contain his excitement as they traveled through the forest. Landing on top of a stick, a loud crunch rang out, causing Ash to freeze.
"Be quiet, Ash, you'll scare the deer away."
Ash stopped, embarrassed that he would ruin his first adventure. He whispered,
"Sorry, Dad."
His father smiled at him and ruffled his hair with his large hand,
"Let's go."
Ash giggled while following after his father. As he walked behind him, his Dad suddenly stopped, causing Ash to bump into the back of his leg.
"Da-"
His Dad pressed his hand gently but firmly against Ash's mouth.
"Shhhh, look, there it is."
Looking around his large, bulky father, he could see it. Today's prize! A large buck with huge antlers! So overjoyed he almost laughed, "Almost!.. That would've ruined it," he thought. "Oh man, he didn't want to ruin this. This was it! My moment with Dad! My brother was always proud when he came home from hunting, bragging around town about his prize. His face would be priceless if he came home with this..."
His thoughts were interrupted as his father's big arms wrapped around him. Yanking him as he got up in a panic. Ash looked up to his fathers face, it was filled with distress.
"Dad?"
He'd never seen his father run so fast in his life. It was almost as if he were running from something. Ash turned to look behind his father. "What was making my father scared?" He thought. However, the reason quickly became apparent. Four large creatures he'd never seen before. Big and fat, enormous, human-looking things were chasing them.
Ash would have mistaken them for humans if not for their red skin and bald heads. Large teeth protruded from their bottom lip up and over their upper lip. Their muscles were monstrous, making his Dad seem tiny. Crashing through trees, they charged after them at a surprising speed. For being so fat and large, Ash thought they were quite fast and agile. They were beginning to catch up to him and his father...
"Listen to me, Ash. They are going to catch us. I need you to run home and get your mother and brothers. Run away, run far, far away. Okay? You can do that, right?"
"What?"
"You need to listen to me. Run with your mother and brothers, go to grandma's, anywhere but here. Don't stop running. Keep going till you can't. Find a safe cove, rock, or something to hide in. You hear me, boy?"
"Dad?"
Ash began to cry in his father's arms. He didn't understand. "What was happening? Why are those things chasing us?" He thought as he thrashed around in his father's grasp. Suddenly, his father tripped sending Ash tumbling into large protruding roots. The harsh impact caused him to gasp as the air was forced from his lungs. For a moment he could only lay stunned as he tried to collect himself. The young child gasped for air, struggling to get to his feet.
Looking up, Ash observed his father, who pulled out a large hatchet he had in a cover attached to his hip. He turned to Ash and roared,
"RUN ASH, GO NOW!"
The four large creatures ran directly towards his father, uninterested in the small being with little meat on its body. Ash was terrified, "I need to help Dad! Wait, how could I help?" He thought. "They were massive. They'd eat me..." Ash panicked, unable to decide what to do. The only thing he could think of was to follow his Dad's command.
So, he ran fast and as far as he could to the town. "I will warn the adults! They would help my Dad! Yes, they would help!" The young child thought, desperate to save his loving father.
To his horror, when he arrived at the town, it was burning to the ground. He couldn't recognize the once happy village, which was now reduced to chaos. Villagers screamed as they ran away in terror. Ash could only sit and watch the very same creatures his father was fighting against attack those he loved...
Devouring humans and slaughtering those who tried to defend themselves with their large blades, it became apparent they were uninterested in showing mercy. Even the animals were not safe from their appetite, with ease the creatures lifted the cows and began to eat them alive. Ash's legs began to move independently, and he suddenly ran towards his house. "Mom will be home, right? I need to warn her and my brothers...
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Suddenly, the memories stopped as Ash came back to reality. In his hands now sat a book he frequently read when visiting the library. Running his fingers over the title, Ash read, "How to Kill an Ogre."