859 - One Bad Turn
“Dad?!”
Looking over from where he’d apparently been conversing with Lex, Frode smiled as he turned to regard Solvei. “There’s my girl!”
Solvei had just enough time to be confused about why her father was here before Frode padded toward her, giving Panuk a nod of acknowledgment before returning his attention to her, his eyes twinkling with laughter. “You know, I expected that you’d change when you grew up and left home, but I’ll admit I never thought it would be into a different race entirely.”
The comment made her sputter, feeling embarrassed for some reason, and she quickly jammed Belligerence into the ground before changing back into winter wolf form. Frode chuckled – the same gentle, comforting laugh that he’d used whenever she’d whined about how poor of a hunter she was or how her siblings had been teasing her – and stepped closer, giving her an affectionate nuzzle.
She returned the gesture, pausing just for a moment to revel in having her father back. As Akna, she’d had years to process the loss of her parents, and even her grandmother’s passing hadn’t happened so quickly that she’d been unable to grieve. But as Solvei, she hadn’t had any time to deal with her father’s death; Bolverk had turned her family into monsters almost immediately after killing Frode, and she’d been running from that when she’d met Lex, starting a whirlwind adventure that was still ongoing.
Now, however, she felt herself starting to tear up, burying her face in her father’s fur as a wave of guilt suddenly crashed over her. She’d been ignoring him this whole time! She’d talked to him only briefly, in the immediate aftermath of Lex bringing everyone back, and after that she’d been so focused on making sure the rest of the adlets got situated that she’d lost track of her utvalgte parent completely.
Sniffling, she flattened her ears against her skull. “Dad...I’m sorry, I was going to come and talk to you-”
“It’s okay,” murmured Frode, one paw coming up to pull her closer.
“No, it’s not.” She could almost feel the strength draining out of her, the exhaustion that she’d felt before Lex had conjured that feast suddenly returning in force. “After what happened with Bolverk, we didn’t even have a chance to mourn you! And now you’re back and I let myself get caught up with everyone else...”
“Because they were confused, and frightened, and looking to you for answers,” Frode reminded her. “And you stepped up to help them, because they’re your family too, now.”
Smiling, he stepped back so he could look her in the eye. “I’m not upset that you’ve been busy; I’m proud that my little girl has grown up into someone that so many other people can rely on. Even a titan. And that’s saying something” – he added with a cheeky wink – “considering you were the pup who used to burst into tears when she couldn’t catch a squirrel.”
“Dad!” squealed Solvei, her guilt forgotten as her mortification returned. First her grandmother, now her father; why was it that both of her families loved telling embarrassing stories about her?! It was enough to make her huff, ears standing back up. “What’re you even doing here, anyway?”
Seemingly amused by her reaction, Frode gave her a toothy grin. “What else? Making sure to ask your ‘master’ what his intentions toward my daughter are.”
Before she could react to that, Panuk cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” he murmured, squinting in her direction. “But could someone-”
He didn’t have a chance to finish before Lex gestured with one claw, and the area grew brighter. There was no visible source of illumination – he didn’t create another glowing orb like he had around the feast tables, nor did his horn glow – everything just suddenly became more visible, as though lit by an unseen lamp. It was enough that Solvei’s darkvision switched back to normal sight, and she silently kicked herself for not realizing that she’d been using it in the first place, knowing that Panuk and the other adlets couldn’t see in darkness the way winter wolves could.
“Thanks,” murmured Panuk awkwardly, his eyes darting between the two winter wolves and Lex as though trying to decide whether he was more uncomfortable looking at his people’s traditional enemies – one of whom was also their shaman – or the person who’d killed him.
Solvei could empathize with the latter concern, her embarrassment over her father’s comments falling away as she saw Lex – who had yet to say anything – glance toward Panuk. The adlet flinched as they made eye contact, before swallowing and straightening up. “I-”
He quieted immediately as Lex raised a single talon in an unmistakable gesture to wait. Nor did he make a sound as the titan turned his gaze back to Frode and canted his head slightly.
“And that’s our cue to leave,” replied the winter wolf, his tone light as he gently nudged his daughter back the way she and Panuk had come.
“Huh?” Blinking, Solvei almost stumbled. “Wait, but-”
“Go with your father, Solvei,” broke in Lex. “I’ll speak to Panuk alone.”
The pronouncement made the adlet in question look as though he was reconsidering this entire idea, swallowing nervously.
He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “But Master-”
“Tomorrow morning, the adlets will all be able to take aerial form and return to their village,” noted Lex. “When that happens, you’ll need to go with them, in order to help minimize the disruption caused by their homecoming. Since I’ll be sending Frode back to the valley where we left Turid and the others, this is likely going to be your last chance to speak with him for some time.”
That was enough to make her objections die on her lips, nodding slowly. Even so, she couldn’t help but glance at Panuk one more time. “Will you be okay?”
“Absolutely,” replied Panuk, managing to smile despite it being visibly forced. “Get out of here, I’ll be fine.”
“C’mon,” urged Frode, nudging her again. “These two have a lot to talk about, almost as much as you and me.”
This time Solvei fell in behind him, but not before reaching out to Lex telepathically. Master, please go easy on him.
You don’t need to worry, he won’t be harmed.
Despite how much she trusted Lex, his reassurance soothed her anxiety only a little, and she couldn’t help but glance back one last time before her father led her away.
“You wanted to speak with me.”
It took everything Panuk had not to flinch at Lex’s words. The pony – or rather, titan; he wasn’t entirely sure what that term meant, but from what he’d been told it indicated that Lex was now someone akin to Aselu, or perhaps even Nuti-Amaguk himself – almost sounded like he was making an accusation, and Panuk had to fight down the urge to prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness for wasting Lex’s valuable time.
Nor was it simply the memory of what had happened the last time he’d upset the unicorn that left his mouth dry and his heart pounding in his chest. Although Lex had possessed an intimidating presence the first time he’d seen him – with his skull mask and shadow falling the wrong way – his current appearance was far more fearsome. Larger, muscled, and possessed of claws and slit-pupiled eyes, he now looked less like a pony and more like a predator.
But that wasn’t the whole of it. Like the rest of his tribe, Panuk had grown up in the wilds, and had been taught from an early age that all sorts of dangerous beasts were out there, as well as what to do when he encountered them. Even if he wasn’t a warrior, sharp teeth and talons alone weren’t enough to scare him; and it wasn’t as though Lex had that deadly mask anymore, either.
Yet it was all he could do to stop his legs from shaking.
There was an aura around Lex now, a presence that Panuk couldn’t see or hear, but could feel. Just being near him now seemed to bring on a terrifying dizziness, like what he’d felt a few hours ago when he’d wandered off from all the celebrating and almost plunged over the edge of the largest chasm he’d ever seen.
Except the chasm hadn’t stared back at him the way Lex was now, waiting for an answer.
“You killed me.”
Panuk wasn’t sure how he got the words out without biting his tongue, hit with a mixture of dread and relief as he managed to get that off his chest. While he doubted that Lex had forgotten what had happened, a small part of him couldn’t help but worry that by bringing it up like that, it would prompt him to lash out again. But at the same time, there was a strange sense of liberation in being able to say those words to his killer, as though he’d just proved that he was able to.
But for all that Panuk was struggling to say even that much, Lex’s flat expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, giving the adlet the same neutral look that he’d worn the entire time. “I know that I did.”
There was neither pride nor shame in his voice, and despite himself, Panuk felt a flicker of frustration at that. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you do it?!” His hackles rising, Panuk couldn’t help but yell the words, his voice filled with a rising tension that could have been fear, anger, or sorrow. “Why did you cut me down like that?! I know I egged you on, but Akna told me about all the monsters you fought; yetis and trolls and giants! I was just one scout with a small patrol! Are you really going to tell me that I was any sort of threat to you at all?!”
“No, you weren’t.”
“Then why?!”
“Because killing you took less effort than subduing you, and offered the greatest degree of certainty that you wouldn’t have any future opportunities to harm Solvei or any of the ponies with me.”
The words were delivered in the same emotionless tone as everything else he’d said, with Lex sounding almost bored by the conversation. It was enough to make Panuk clench his fists, anger winning out over anguish even as he lowered his eyes. “So that’s it then? My life didn’t matter because it was more convenient to murder me?”
“You’re mistaken.”
That was enough to make Panuk raise his gaze, suddenly hopeful.
“What I did wasn’t murder,” continued Lex coldly. “You and your patrol brandished deadly weapons at myself and my companions, announcing your intent to use them if we didn’t surrender immediately. I was entirely justified in using lethal means to secure our safety.”
“You...!”
Gritting his teeth, Panuk lowered his head again, ears flattened. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of that oversized quill Akna had been carrying around – the one she’d said had wounded Hvitdod – still standing where she’d stuck it in the ground. She’d also said that its barbs pierced the hands of anyone except her or Lex (or someone named Nenet, whoever that was) when touched, but if he steeled himself and bore the pain, then maybe-
“Is that why you came here? Because you were hoping for revenge?”
In an instant, Panuk’s thoughts of grabbing the quill drained away, along with all the blood in his face. “Th-that-”
“Go ahead then.” In an instant, the quill was back in Lex’s grasp despite his not having moved. His eyes and horn lit up a moment later, the runes along the weapon’s length shining in response.
The sight was enough to break the last of Panuk’s courage, but before he could begin to turn and run, the unicorn’s lightshow abruptly cut off. “Here, take it.”
That was Panuk’s only warning before Lex tossed – not threw, but tossed, so that it tumbled end over end – the weapon toward him.
Caught completely off-guard, Panuk yelped and reached for the quill reflexively, grabbing at it even as he remembered the consequences for touching the thing. But when his fingers closed around the haft of the weapon an instant later, nothing happened; the barbs stayed as they were, rather than sprouting out to pierce his palms and fingers. “Huh?!”
“I’ve temporarily disabled Belligerence’s identification protocols,” explained Lex as he reared up onto his back legs, standing upright as easily as any adlet. “You can wield it without fear now.”
Had Panuk been able to speak, he would have begged to differ, trembling as he held the quill upright between himself and Lex. What was going on?!
“I’ll allow you one strike, without interference or retaliation by myself or anyone under my authority.”
Grasping his robes in one claw, the titan threw them off of himself, baring his chest before holding his forelegs out from his body, daring the adlet to put Belligerence to good use.
“Now, as the idiom says: hit me with your best shot.”
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Considering Lex could disable the identification function on Belligerence, he likely disabled the other more lethal ones as well, leaving the weapon nothing more than a sharp stick. Which is still dangerous but against a titan? Not so much.
I'm guessing Lex saw something with his precognition and wanted to assert his dominance, likely egged on by the beast within him. Or it was the most acceptable form of penance Lex could give to Panuk? Is it extreme? Definitely. Is it needed? According to Lex's moral framework, maybe? Granted, I'm not sure what shape the framework is like after everything he's gone through.
Strike me down, and Ill become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.
11674602 Hopefully the game rules would prevent that sort of thing from happening!
11674481 Well, don't forget that even before Lex enchanted/called upon the Night Mare to bless Belligerence, it was powerful enough to deal severe damage to Solvei's black crystal armor. Of course, Lex is a titan now, so presumably that alone wouldn't be enough to seriously injure him (pr perhaps even injure him at all), but that's only presuming that he's turned off its other powers...which he didn't say he did.
As for why Lex is doing this, despite it being so completely against what he said earlier about admitting that he felt bad about what happened with Panuk...yeah, that's a head-scratcher. He clearly has some sort of reason, but as to what it is, well, we can only speculate. I'm not sure it's some sort of proportionality, though, if only because he doesn't seem to allow for that sort of thing under his moral code. While it demands that mete out justice, having it fit the crime isn't the same as the eye-for-an-eye thing he seems to be doing here. So if that's not the basis for his actions, it leads us to wonder just what he's thinking...
A bee sting is still a bee sting at the end of the day, and I am 100% with Lex. He was entirely justified. maybe this is going to give PanuK some closure, but he better not still act like a victim after this.
11674712 At the moment, I suspect that Panuk is regretting ever bringing the subject up. But now that he has, it's going to proceed the way Lex wants it to. The question is what exactly he's trying to achieve by goading Panuk into striking him now, and how it squares with what he (that is, Lex) said previously.