Side Quests – Part 2

Continued.

Captain Earth’s eyes shoot open from their anticipatory clench. They glow a bright orange-red, and a soft, feminine voice rings out in the room. “Heat of The Molten Heart!”

Jack doesn’t even see the beam, just his forearm quickly being eaten away. The smell of molten glass fills the room, and Jack pulls back his bloodless stump, starting to shiver.

Terran leans forward, unable to hold himself up. Grey smoke curls from his eyes. He pants, “You think your so…” He pauses in a grimace, panting. “So smooth, don’t you? You think you are so right and brave. You think it’s not obvious? I heard the damn guard swap you just pulled, I can see why you changed into something more comfortable. You want to kill me, take my power. No? So you say, but you didn’t think, did you? What happens when the avatar of the moon kills the avatar of the earth? What does it mean? You don’t know, do you? What happens when the guardians gang up on you? You seem pretty sure you don’t need my intel to beat them, or do you believe anything I say, rocks for brains?”

He barks a bitter laugh, then continues his mad rant. “No, you’re not a thinker, you’re a fighter, an animal. Just like me. You look at people and you judge them by threat and by strength. You look for weakness in others and for more power for yourself. I’ve seen it in you. Like recognizes like, after all. I have seen you judge people based on power: you think you rate above a ‘flatscan’ for instance.

“All animals, all predatory animals like us, want to be the biggest thing out there. Top of the food chain, y’know? I did. But there is a bigger beast out there, so I came back here to play in my smaller forest. I can work for them as long as I am top dog here.”

He shakes his head and gazes balefully at the Mason. “Well, you’re top dog now, so kill me. I know you were planning on it. And besides, I realized I want you to. We animals don’t like to see mercy, it makes us wonder why we aren’t worth it. How big a threat must I become?” His grin would fit a jackal better. “I won’t stop you, and my avatar defenses can’t stop you of you are behind me. What the eyes can’t see, they can’t melt.”

Stunned, Jack does not move. He appears to be in shock, still. “Well? Don’t make me wait! I don’t like to see people who think they are good men choke on that lie. Just realize you’re the same as me and put your boot through my skull.”