Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 953: The Reaper Walks Indifferent

To the ashes, the reaper says, ’Settle; it is time for you to rest. The flames have burned their brightest, and what little embers remain grow dimmer with every second. It is no use trying to fan a dead burn pile; no more of it is of use to fight when you’re certain of losing. Ostellio recognized that fact, and a tale of his people rose above all other thoughts in his head.

’The reaper walks indifferent. No joy flashes in its eyes as it severs the souls of the damned, nor any sorrow is found when it cleaves a pious saint. To death and its heralds, it is simply their duty to bring...the end.’ Ostellio could see his end as the hero approached, but turning back would bring him a swifter death by his own company.

”Handle the soldiers in the back, will you? I will get rid of the four clowns up front,” Raven’s surgical tone sliced clean through Ostellio’s mind. The others were laughing at the hero’s supposed arrogance while the old man’s cane began to shiver. ”At times when we run into new people...”

Standing right under Ohemaru’s shadow while his companions walked past the arrogant chiefs, Raven looked the giant in the eye.

”We try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but there’s a lady with curled horns who would be quite upset if we went with the regular.”

”The bard?” A snarky smirk stretched across Gretta’s lips, quickly overshadowed by her cackling and toothy laughs. ”Hahaha! I remember her! She thought she could talk us out of trashing her place! If it weren’t for that damned big bird I would’ve loved to kill everyone there!”

”Maybe we will make her skull into a fine trophy yet,” swinging his right hand’s morning star in circles, Ohemaru readied himself for the first strike across Raven’s head. ”But enough talk; she bored me with her flapping jaws, and I’m in no mood for another mouthy performance!”

”Gods, I would love to meet one agreeable giant...”

”What did you–”

”’Heighten senses’,” a thunderous wave cut through the air, bleeding the ears of all unprepared, but Ohemaru had it the worst with his face pressed against the ground and a sharp boot digging into the back of his head. ”Now you’re where you’re supposed to be when talking to a king, a duke, or whatever–have your pick from my titles. Demi-god killer, maybe?”

Though he spoke clearly and loudly, nobody but his companions heard what he’d just said. Overwhelmed by the piercing blade of a sound they could scarcely look at the hero or even understand what he was doing.

”Speaking of god killer, do you wanna know how I killed Aran? The fucker who knew it all?” Giving the giant a chance to struggle and lift his head, Raven slammed his foot back on his face. Squatting over the giant’s head, he felt a change in pressure beside him, but instead of turning around to address it, the hero simply lifted his hand above his head and grabbed Gretta’s giant axe by the blade. ”A little dull, hard to cut off someone’s head if you’d want to take it as a trophy.”

Looking up at her while still sitting on top of Ohemaru, Raven smirked at the woman the same way she’d been smirking all this while. Cocky as he always was before the darker side of him had started to take over, he glanced her body up and down and whistled.

”All tits no brain, wait your turn will you? I’m talking to this giant dick over here.” Emphasizing the giant’s presence by stomping on him, he smiled some more as Ohemaru grunted under his puny weight. ”You’re not the only barbarian lady who’s taken after my charm.”

”GET OFF OF ME!!” Planting his hands on the ground, Ohemaru pushed against the earth, slightly lifting himself up. ”I’M GONNA KILL YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE!!”

”Conjure darkness: Chains.” With one ability spoken, clashing ripples of chains formed into existence. Though their darkness was weakened by the sunlight, wrapping around the giant’s arms and legs, they managed to pull him against the ground, with his head crashing against the dirt as a hammer does on an anvil.

”Speaking of killing people, I didn’t tell you yet how I killed Aran, did I?” As Raven’s gaze turned up again, a drop of his blood dripped down his palm, and the weight behind the axe was let go entirely.

Having backed away, Gretta quickly turned her gaze to her clan and screamed.

”WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!!” Her thunderous warcry, however, was no longer met with the usual enthusiasm. Instead, it was the grunting voices of her people that she heard in response as their limbs were bound by golden chains and pulled apart like a rubber band.

With great haste, she took in her surroundings some more, and to her further surprise, crimson arms coming out from the ground were pulling Carver and his clan deep into the many portals leading straight to hell. Ohemaru’s people were also crippled by Mel’s control of nature and vines. Like hooks, their bodies had been pierced by flora with the heads of woodland creatures sprouting out like fruits and eating away at their flesh with no depth to their hunger.

”What in the worl–AHHH!” A sharp pain shot through Gretta’s back and a warmth unlike any she’d felt before spread through her chest. However, the warmth was fleeting and only lasted a few seconds before the color on her face began draining altogether. ”W-what’s go–ing on?”

Glancing down at her chest with her vision all blurry, she felt a rhythmic vibration rippling through her chest. As her gaze honed in on the image, however, her mind went numb, and she could only say one last thing while reaching out for something.

”My heart...” Catching her body before it could fall, Raven leaned her back against his chest and whispered into her ears.

”I ate his heart.” Pulling his fist back through her chest, he let go of her corpse and looked at her heart still beating within his palm. ”Your souls should be a better trophy than a damned head.”

Casing the entire thing within a cube of darkness, he trapped her soul to later present to Melenai as a present. In the meantime, however, glancing down at the giant still struggling to move, the hero smiled once more and stomped his head with his boot.

”Arche,” lifting the monster holding the jewel, he whispered in Ohemaru’s punishment. ”You can have this one. Use him as a living nest for your spiders. Let them eat him throughout the morning and recover at night.”

”Ahaha~ Such a devious little plan. I’m sure they would make a great home of him, especially the sensitive bits.” Arche’s voice trembled with excitement; she couldn’t have asked for a greater gift for her spiders.

”What about the shaman?” Butting into their conversation, Liliyana called out to Raven. ”These three were going to attack us no matter what, but I can sense that the old man’s willing to surrender. Are we taking him in or not?”

”What?!” Ostellio whispered in disbelief.

After everything, there was a chance that he could be spared. Even so, he knew that his loyalty lay with Wolcenya and these outsiders weren’t blind to his true feelings.

”They will rebuild Eclanor as slaves.” Turning around, Raven looked right at the old shaman. ”I’m done with charity, old fart. I know you’re gonna be a lying sack of shit like that goddess, but you’re gonna pay for what you’ve done before I get rid of you and your clan.”

”Wh-what about the rest?!” He asked, stumbling forward.

Raising his hand, Raven said not a word, but the voices of screaming savages filled the air, and they echoed through the plains until they echoed no more.