I took a deep breath as the pressure on my back vanished.
Then Tejón, my sleepy, sweet bear, dove over my prone form and crushed the trow he had thrown off me, a mist-like aura of red power spilling off of his body. A greatsword struck down onto his back, but he slashed out with a blurring paw and gored the creature, sending its bowels spilling to the ground.
Another series of slashes resulted in the other trow dropping his sword and falling to its knees, blood pouring from its neck and chest.
The great trow had recovered and swung its hammer at Tejón. For an instant I was afraid it would simply brain the bear. But as the hammer fell, Tejón pushed his head into the blow, catching it on his bone plate. Then he pushed the trow against the stone wall, pinning him there with his paws, and took its head in his mouth, decapitating the beast with a single jerk.
Tejón turned to face me, his mouth and chest covered in the dark blood of the trow and bellowed in my face.
He roared close enough for my bangs to fly back. The smell of foul blood and gore on his breath told me, in the only way he knew, that not only had he seen this coming, but that he was pissed I’d let it happen.
A better me would have stored the moment away, taking my friend’s outrage as a sign that I needed to be more careful in this world, pay attention, and try to avoid the dangers that seemed to lurk behind every corner. But instead I laughed like the unhinged cabrón that I was.
I laughed until I coughed up a gob of something evil. Flecks of blood showed the impact the trow had made on my lungs when it fell on me.
Tejón huffed a few times, then retreated, moving down the trail towards Benham. Then he rested on his haunches in the middle of the road a few hundred feet ahead. He looked like the teddy bear of some poor kid’s nightmares. I shook my head, still finding no solid reason to stop laughing, but finding my feet at last and surveying the damage of the attack.
I inspected the huge bastard who had struck Tejón with the hammer. Not surprisingly, he was on another level than his companions.
Twisted Trow Elite
Level 27
HP: 12772/12772
Abilities: Tackle, Tactics, Pummel
It was very nice not to have experienced the beast’s Pummel attack. I had come very close to being able to say exactly how effective it was.
Looking over the weapons and loot, there was little worth taking. The weapons were all made from crude iron, with the exception of the elite trow’s hammer. I picked it up and marveled at its ridiculous size and density. It was black and gleamed wetly. I examined it to see if I could learn what material it was made of.
Cobalt Steel Dread Hammer
Quality: Fine
Durability 320/260
150-600 damage
+10 Strength, +10 Stamina
Cobalt, eh? Looking at it in the fading light, I could see a slight bluish tint to the metal. I decided to take it with us, not to use for myself, but to sell or trade. A blacksmith would make something nice with this much high-quality steel. A lot of somethings, probably.
So I dusted myself off and tore my bone-handled axe free from the trow’s head. Then I carried both axes and the new hammer over to Tejón and climbed aboard. He stood up and we walked away, leaving the bodies for whatever crow or jackal was low enough to dine on them.
A few miles down the road, another patch of trees came into view and I found a small spring not too far away.
I refilled our water and watched with satisfaction as Tejón drank his fill. The big boy was a tank, and when he had to, he could take down gallons.
Next in line was a meal, but I was tired and wasn’t nearly so fussy as Hana. Cold rations were fine by me. I unloaded the venison I’d bought for Tejón in Benham and watched him chew the dried meat without any visible enjoyment. I giggled to myself, thinking about how the two of us were peas in a very screwed up pod.
I looked over at Tejón, wanting more than ever for the damn bear to talk back. “Thank you, by the way. Forgot to mention that. I mean, yeah, I’d have respawned, but to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to getting my brain smashed into my mouth. I doubt I’d taste very good.” I spoke again, as I’d done so many times before, with my mind. You know, I’d really like it if you talked back. Crap, I’d fetch you a fresh deer all by myself and drag it back here in my teeth if you would.
The bear looked up at me, but rather than talk back, he just chewed his meat methodically.
I kept going, though. It was cathartic, talking to my friend, even though I was convinced he could not hear me. You’d love to see that. Hell, Hana and Pachi would, too. Imagine me, fast enough to chase down a deer. I took a bite of my own meal, a few biscuits hard and stale and a bit of the Marduk jerky. There wasn’t much left, but the buff was too good to pass up.
I sighed, letting it all go: the crap with Alysand in Gilsby, the damn trow nearly giving me a haircut, hell, even the real stuff from real life. I was just a damn gimp in a fake world trying to prove something to herself. But at least I was with someone I cared about.
You know I love you Tejón, don’t you? I love you more than I thought possible and I’d do anything if you’d just freaking talk to me.
It’s been hard, Madi, a voice replied in my head, and I coughed on a piece of jerky and stared
